ABC/Image Group LATwenty One Pilots returned in a big way in 2018 with their new album Trench, the much-anticipated follow-up to the duo's 2015 smash hit, Blurryface.

For the first half the year, all was quiet on the Twenty One Pilots front. After finishing the last shows of the Blurryface era in July 2017, the band went on a social media hiatus. On the one-year anniversary of their last post, they sent a cryptic email to fans with the subject line "Are you still sleeping?" and a GIF of a half-open yellow eye.

That was then followed by a flood of similarly strange social media posts, before TOP finally revealed that they'd be releasing a new album, Trench, in October. They also dropped two new singles: "Jumpsuit" and "Nico and the Niners."

In interviews, vocalist Tyler Joseph explained that while Blurryface was about one character, Trench is about an entire world he created from scratch.

As for what the world of Trench looks like, that was revealed in the videos for "Jumpsuit," "Nico and the Niners" and another new song called "Levitate." The trilogy follows Joseph as he escapes a mysterious, red-hooded figure -- perhaps a representation of Blurryface -- and joins an underground group led by drummer Josh Dun.

When Trench finally arrived, it debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. Though it didn't top the chart like Blurryface did in 2015, Trench actually sold better than its predecessor, and gave Twenty One Pilots the best-selling week of their career.

In support of Trench, Twenty One Pilots launched the Bandito North American arena tour, which sold out arenas across the country. They'll launch another U.S. leg in May.

"Jumpsuit" is nominated for Best Rock Song at the 61st annual Grammy Awards, held February 10 in Los Angeles.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.Spain's prime minister said Friday his government is preparing emergency measures to preserve the rights of Britons in Spain in the event of the UK leaving the European Union without a deal.

"I want to sent a message of calm to Spaniards who live in Britain and also to Britons who live in Spain: their rights will be maintained whatever the scenario," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told a year-end news conference following a weekly cabinet meeting.

The government will adopt measures by a decree-law which will be presented at the beginning of February "at the latest" that will ensure Britons would keep their rights even if Britain leaves the EU without a deal as long as Spaniards get the same treatment in Britain, he added.

The measures, which have been drawn up in "close cooperation" with Brussels and other EU member states, will also protect bilateral trade ties, the prime minister added.

Earlier this month top-selling Spanish daily El Pais, citing anonymous diplomatic sources, reported that Madrid and London were finalising a bilateral agreement that would give British residents in Spain and Spanish residents in Britain the right to stand and vote in local elections in the country they live in after Brexit.

There are dozens of locally elected British town and city councillors in Spain, mostly along the country's southern coast.

Officially, over 300,000 Britons reside in Spain, but many do not bother to register, with estimates suggesting between 800,000 to a million live in the country.

Around 115,000 Spaniards are registered as living in Britain.

Britain is the biggest destination for Spanish investment abroad and is Spain's main source of foreign visitors.

Spanish banks such as Santander play leading roles in British finance while Spanish service providers like Telefonica and construction firm FCC have significant holdings in the country.

British Prime Minster Theresa May secured an agreement with European Union leaders on Nov 25 that would see Britain leave the bloc on March 29 with continued close trade ties, but the odds look stacked against her getting it through a deeply divided British parliament.

The deal has been criticised from among May's Conservative lawmakers by supporters of a cleaner break with the EU and those who want to keep closer ties.

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Italy has been enjoying the best in Russian art, music, ballet and theatre throughout 2018. RT talked to the performers and their audience, who said they were fascinated by the powerful and emotional displays.

The Russian Seasons brand was introduced by Sergei Diaghilev in the early 20th century. For two decades, his renowned ballet troupe that included legends like Anna Pavlova, Mikhail Fokin, Vatslav Nezhinsky wowed theatergoers in Paris and across Europe.

Nowadays the Russian Seasons name has been given to a brand new festival, which is aimed at sharing the best in Russias arts and culture with the world.

Last year, the Russian Seasons were held in Japan with 3.5 million enjoying shows, concerts, and exhibitions throughout the country.

And in 2018, it moved to Italy, with 310 events, attended by a record 6 million people, taking place in 74 Italian cities, including Rome, Milan, Venice, Verona, Sorrento and Lucca, and more.

I don't think the Russian culture is really that very well known. What is known from Russian culture is three or four painters, artists who left Russia  Malevich, Kandinsky, Shagal.

Andron Konchalovsky, movie director

The tour of the Bolshoi Theatre at La Scala in Milan has become the highlight of the festival. People from all over the country came to see the sold-out displays of La Bayadere and Taming of the Shrew. The Moscow's Vakhtangov and St. Petersburg's Alexandrinsky drama theatres also glued the Italian crowds to their seats with their best performances.



You can call literature, art, music, theater, cinema  soft power, or a message, or whatever you like, but it only will be interesting and relevant if it tells people about themselves.

Konstantin Khabenskiy, actor

This exhibition in the Vatican, which features masterpieces from the Tretyakov Gallery and other Russian museums, had been visited by Pope Francis himself. With numerous Russian Orthodox icons and paintings from the 19th and 20th century on display, its the first time the Tretyakov Gallery brought such a significant body of works to another country.

There was also something special for Italian kids. The Russias animation and cartoon studios SoyuzMultfilm had restored the 1973 Nutcracker cartoon and presented it with Tchaikovsky music performed live by this orchestra.

The Italian audience has been really impressed by the Russian art calling it powerful and emotional and saying that we need more of this here.

I'm fully committed to go ahead. We are finishing the year, but our cooperation is going to grow and become stronger and stronger.

Alberto Bonisoli, Italys Minister of Cultural Heritage

Virtuoso pianist Denis Matsuev concluded the Russian Seasons in Italy with Tchaikovsky's Concerto No. 1 earlier this week. Next year, the festival will be taking the Russian arts to Germany.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!The Bahraini embassy in Damascus is open again, the Gulf nation announced on Friday, a day after a similar move by the UAE. It seems Saudi Arabia and its allies are ready to acknowledge Syrias victory in the war.

Early in the multifaceted Syrian conflict, which involved hostilities between various domestic forces and a strong influx of foreign fighters, several Gulf Arab states shut down their diplomatic missions in Syria. The country was also expelled from the Arab League in 2011, as Riyadh and Doha backed anti-government Sunni forces trying to topple the Alawite-dominated government in Damascus. Now the diplomatic ties are being restored.

On Friday, Bahrains Foreign Ministry released a statement, which stressed the importance of continued relations with Syria and the the Arab role in preserving Syrias independence.

Syria is a major Arab country in the region, we did not cut ties and it did not do so ... We stand with it in protecting its sovereignty and its territory from any violation, tweeted later Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.

Bahrain is a small island nation that hosts US Fifth Fleet, which had to call in Saudi troops in 2011 to quash Shiite mass protests, which started as part of the so-called Arab Spring.

Earlier on Thursday, the UAEs embassy in Damascus was reopened in a flag-raising ceremony almost eight years after its closure. This seems to be a continuation of a normalization trend started earlier in December by a visit of the Sudanese President Omar Bashir to Damascus. There are also numerous if unconfirmed speculations that the Arab League is about to readmit Syria.

Also on rt.com Arab states are making nice with Assads Syria. Will the West follow suit?

Considering Bahrains close relations to Riyadh, it appears Saudi Arabia and its allies, who were once bent on seeing the government in Damascus toppled, are not expecting this to come anytime soon. Re-engaging it diplomatically is a logical step for mending the ties damaged during earlier.

Like this story? Share it with a friend!The worlds largest rice market, China, finally opened for US imports, its national customs body announced on Thursday. The move comes as the worlds two largest economies are set to hold negotiations amid the trade war ceasefire.

Chinese customs said the American rice was cleared for import after going through the required food safety check. The amount of rice Beijing is going to receive from the US was not immediately clear, while China already imports the cereal mostly from Asian countries, including its top exporters Vietnam and Thailand, to fulfill its growing demand.

Also on rt.com Chinas imports to top $2 trillion in 2018  Beijing

The move comes after more than decade-long talks on the matter. The two nations inked a deal for US milled rice in 2017. In April, nearly 30 American facilities completed Chinas food safety questionnaires and were waiting for a Chinese inspection visit, according to the USA Rice Federation.

We believe access for US rice can and should be part of the solution in trade talks between China and the United States, USA Rice COO Bob Cummings said in April.

Despite not ever being allowed, US rice imports to China were targeted with 25 percent additional levies at the height of the trade row, when the Trump administration levied an additional 25 percent import duty on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods.

Also on rt.com Womenomics 101: Chinese women are at the forefront of global luxury spending

Opening the market for American rice imports is believed to be another goodwill gesture from Beijing after Chinese and American leaders agreed on a 90-day truce. The US delegation, including some high profile officials, is to head to Beijing in January to hold a new round of talks, according to Bloomberg. Earlier this month, China confirmed that negotiations are to take place in January, but did not elaborate on the exact date.

Since the trade war was paused, Beijing has already bought more than 1.5 million tons of soybeans, resumed buying liquefied gas (LNG) and announced a temporary suspension of additional tariffs on US-produced vehicles and auto parts.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business sectionA personnel shortfall in the German Army has apparently reached such proportions that the German defense chief has openly suggested recruiting people from other EU nations to the ranks of the Bundeswehr.

As Berlin struggles to put its troubled Armed Forces back on their feet, the German Chief of Defense, Erberhard Zorn, has seemingly devised an unconventional way to deal with at least one of its problems  the personnel shortage.

The German Army has significantly shrunk its ranks since the Cold War, especially after conscription was abolished in 2011. Since that time, the Defense Ministry, currently led by Ursula von der Leyen, struggled to fill the Bundeswehrs ranks, as German citizens are reluctant to join the army of their own free will.

Also on rt.com German teens enlist in record numbers thanks to social media drive

In a seemingly desperate move, the Bundeswehr is now considering the recruitment of EU-citizens for certain posts as an option, Zorn told the German Funke Media Group. We are talking here, for example, about doctors or IT-specialists, the general emphasized, adding that given the human resources challenge, the German Armed Forces must look in all directions and seek suitable trainees.

The initiative also received backing from the German parliament. Hans-Peter Bartels, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces, said that recruitment of EU citizens would be a kind of normality as the Bundeswehr already has many soldiers with migratory backgrounds or dual-nationality citizens within its ranks.

Read more

An estimated 530,000 EU citizens aged between 18 and 30 currently live in Germany, and these people could form a significant additional recruitment pool for the German Army. Berlin reportedly has gone quite far with its plans and has already consulted other EU governments.

However, such an initiative was met with resentment by other EU nations, particularly in the East. Bulgaria said it was concerned with the prospect of its educated young people being lured into migrating to Germany and joining its army. Polands Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz also criticized Berlins plans by saying that any military service is traditionally closely related to nationality.

The opposition of other EU members is not the only obstacle the Bundeswehr would have to face on its way to turning its plans into reality. Germanys own Military Act, passed back in 1956, still requires recruits to be German citizens and to swear allegiance to Germany's free democratic constitutional order.

In the meantime, the Defense Ministry is focused on other, more traditional recruitment methods. Earlier this month, von der Leyen boasted that uniformed soldier numbers would reach 182,000 by the end of 2018, which is 6,500 more compared to 2016's low point.

Also on rt.com Day X: Germany's far-right commandos reportedly plotted to kill top politicians when order 'falls'

However, the Bundeswehr still plans to further increase its numbers, which should reach 203,000 by 2025. And it is seemingly ready to stop at nothing to achieve this goal. In January, it was reported that an elaborate and intensive social media campaign launched by the military had prompted German teenagers to join the army in record numbers. More than 2,000 soldiers under the age of 18 served in 2017.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!The statement that Syrian government troops have entered Kurdish province Manbij, a northern city in the focus of a stand-off between Turkey and Syrian Kurds, is psychological operation, according to the Turkish President.

Damascus announced the deployment of troops to Manbij earlier on Friday in response to a call by Kurdish YPG militias. President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey suggested it may be an attempt by Damascus to put psychological pressure on Ankara.

We know that Syria is in a psychological action. We know that there is a situation like waving their own flag there. But there is nothing definite there yet, the Turkish President said as cited by Anadolu news agency.

Also on rt.com Syrian Army raises flag in countrys Kurdish province for 1st time since start of civil war

He also acknowledged that if the YPG, which is branded as a terrorist organization by Ankara, has pulled its fighters from Manbij and surrounding areas, there would be no job left there for the Turkish army.

Earlier this month, Turkey threatened to launch a new military operation against Kurds in northern Syria, complaining that the American allies of the Kurds were failing to address Turkeys concerns about them. The US then announced plans to withdraw its troops from areas controlled by Kurds. The Turkish army amassed tanks at its southern border but stopped short of launching the promised offensive.

The YPG on Friday made a public call to Damascus to send its Army to Manbij while saying that the Kurdish fighters would be focusing on fighting the jihadist group Islamic State elsewhere. Damascus responded with a statement from the General Staff, which said its troops have already risen Syrias flag over Manbij.

Also on rt.com Moscow welcomes Syrian Army entry to Manbij, will synchronize expectations with Ankara

The moves come a day before Turkish foreign and defense ministers are to meet their Russian counterparts in Moscow to discuss the situation in northern Syria. Russia has been supporting Damascus in its fight against jihadist groups.

If you like this story, share it with a friend!A former UK soldier is claiming the army didnt take account of his African origin and failed to provide him with suitable winter gear for an 18-hour exercise in freezing temperatures.

According to a lawsuit against the Ministry of Defense, Michael Asiamah, formerly with the Adjutant Generals Corps, is suffering from a nonfreezing cold injury that he sustained three years ago, the Daily Express reports.

When he participated in Exercise Scorpion in March 2016, he was not issued a proper cold-weather kit, such-as mittens, gloves, socks and boots. Now he wants the government to pay 150,000 ($190,000) in damages.

The 36-year-olds lawyer said the 18-hour drill, which was conducted in cold and windy weather, left him experiencing numbness and pain in his limbs. He still feels the lasting effect of the injury, which has prevented him from becoming a PE instructor. He cannot leave his home if temperatures drop below 15 degrees Celsius because this would aggravate his symptoms, the lawsuit said.

The Ghana-born former trooper argues that the armys top brass knew that people of black Caribbean and African origin are more susceptible to cold injuries than Europeans. Court papers cite a 2009 study by the Army Medical Corps, which said black soldiers in the British Army were 30 times more likely to develop a cold injury than their white counterparts.

Despite this, nobody warned Asiamah to wear proper boots and socks for the exercise, and when he complained about his feet getting numb, his commander told him to carry on. This was despite the MoDs own recommendation that soldiers suffering from cold should be evacuated to avoid continued exposure.

Also on rt.com Canadas public radio restores Baby its cold outside after major backlash

The military leadership insists Asiamah had appropriate cold weather kit during the exercise.

The ex-trooper now heads an evangelical church near his home in Tidworth, Wiltshire. He resigned from the army in October 2016 due to an unrelated issue.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!Merkel, Macron support E. Ukraine ceasefire deal

Merkel, Macron support E. Ukraine ceasefire deal

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron said in a joint statement in Berlin on Friday that they welcome a ceasefire agreement in eastern Ukraine. It was reached by the trilateral contact group of 27 December. The approach of the New Year and Orthodox Christmas holidays should provide an opportunity for the parties to the conflict to focus on the needs of the civilian population, who have suffered for too long, the two leaders said. They also demanded that Russia release Ukrainian sailors who were detained along with two gunboats and a tugboat last month. Moscow accused the 24 sailors of illegally crossing the Russian border trying to enter the Kerch Strait, connecting the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov, while violating navigational procedures.Source : RT - Daily newsFacing an imminent attack by Turkey, the Syrian Kurdish YPG militias have called on Damascus to intervene. Until recently, the YPG enjoyed the protection of US troops who were deployed in the Kurdish northeast.

Spectacular footage emerged online, showing kids dressed in red Santa Claus outfits watching the show with their parents. Seconds later, the fireworks started to combust, producing bright flares and noises like bomb blasts.

The hall quickly lights up red and yellow, and some parents can be heard screaming as they try to protect their ears. Others attempt to stand up and escape, at which point the video ends.

The location of the incident is unclear, although media outlets suggested the backfiring pyrotechnic show took place in Kazakhstan. There have been no immediate reports of injuries. The countrys Interior Ministry has promised to investigate the footage but said that no such incident had been recorded in Kazakhstan.

Also on rt.com Little Bo Peep-show? Outrage as pole dancer takes to stage in front of minors (VIDEO)

Embarrassing blunders are not unusual at kids parties. Earlier this month, in Russia, a half-dressed woman performed a pole dance in front of children  some of them as young as six  causing outrage among parents.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!OSCE mission welcomes New Year ceasefire deal in E. Ukraine

OSCE mission welcomes New Year ceasefire deal in E. Ukraine

The Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) welcomed the deal to establish the New Year ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, reached by the Contact Group on the settlement, TASS reported on Friday. The special representative of the OSCE chairperson-in-office in Ukraine and to the trilateral contact group, Martin Sajdik, and the chief monitor of the SMM, Ertugrul Apakan, issued a joint statement the previous day. A meaningful, sustainable and long-lasting ceasefire requires that orders to cease fire are issued, discipline is maintained and the safe and secure access of the OSCE SMM throughout Ukraine is ensured in accordance with its mandate, the statement quoted Sajdik as saying. Promises made to people in eastern Ukraine must be kept.Source : RT - Daily newsEgypt's Minister of Trade and Industry Amr Nassar has said that Egyptian exports witnessed large growth during 2018, totaling $22.6 billion compared to $20.4 billion in 2017.

The minister said that exports are expected to reach about $25 billion by the end of 2018, an increase of about 10.6 percent from 2017.

The increase in export rates is a reflection of the ambitious strategy of the Ministry of Trade and Industry aimed at increasing the competitiveness of the Egyptian industry and opening more markets to Egyptian products.

Nassar pointed out that the year 2019 will be a key pillar in the implementation of the ministry's plan to expand export markets, especially in view of the positive developments in the negotiations of both the African Free Trade Agreement, which includes 55 countries, and the Free Trade Agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union, which includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan.

He pointed out that the entry into force of these agreements will contribute to the opening of the markets of 60 new countries to Egyptian products, in addition to the current trade agreements with that provide Egyptian products with preferential advantages.

Nassar added that the increase in the import rates during 2018 resulted from demand for production and strategic goods.

The sectors that achieved an increase in exports during 2018 included the chemical industry, fertilisers, ready-made garments, engineering, electronics, medical, textile, food industries, and books.

Nassar stressed that the largest markets receiving Egyptian exports during 2018 were in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, the USA, Italy, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Spain, Algeria and France.

Nassar explained that the ministry has adopted an ambitious strategy to develop Egyptian exports to foreign markets, especially in Africa as one of the promising markets where Egypt can achieve significant trade levels.

The minister stressed that the strategy is based on achieving partnership and integration with African countries through enhancing industrial and investment cooperation.

Nassar said that the ministry has identified 12 markets in east and west Africa with whom to develop joint economic cooperation and help them realise their ambitions to build a manufacturing base with Egyptian expertise.

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Russia condemns UK actions after publication of Sputnik staffs personal data  Kremlin

Russia condemns UK actions after publication of Sputnik staffs personal data  Kremlin

Moscow has condemned the UK actions against Sputnik and RT when personal data of these media outlets journalists were published, Kremlins spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday. The Kremlin understands the publication of the UK journalists data in Russian media as a response, but what The Times did was unprecedented, Peskov noted. The Times published on 23 December a list of journalists working at Sputniks UK bureau in Edinburgh and listed their positions. Earlier this month, the UK Office of Communications (Ofcom) said that RT had breached the regulators broadcast rules by failing to provide impartial news coverage in seven programs aired in March and April.Source : RT - Daily newsSaudi Arabias new FM denies govt reshuffle is sign of crisis over Khashoggi killing - AFP

Saudi Arabias new FM denies govt reshuffle is sign of crisis over Khashoggi killing - AFP

Saudi Arabias recently appointed foreign minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf told AFP that his country is not in crisis after the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. We are not going through a crisis, we are going through a transformation, Al-Assaf said, adding that his predecessor was removed from office as part of a government shake-up. King Salman bin Abdulaziz on Tuesday issued a number of royal decrees, reforming some parts of the Saudi cabinet and appointing different individuals to various offices.Source : RT - Daily newsSyrian government forces have entered the northern city of Manbij, Damascus announced in response to a call for intervention by Kurdish militias. The move comes after Turkey amassed troops on its southern border.

On Friday, the YPG, the Kurdish militias, called on Damascus to secure Manbij, a strategic location in northern Syria close to the border with Turkey. Ankara earlier said it plans to conduct an anti-terrorist operation around the city, with the YPG being the target.

Also on rt.com Kurdish YPG calls on Syrian government to protect Manbij from Turkish attack

Damascus responded with a statement, which said government forces were already entering the city.

Considering the Arab Armys duty and in a response to a call by the people of Manbij, the Syrian general staff announces that the Army has entered Manbij and raised the flag of the Syrian Arab republic there, the statement cited by Syrian media said.

The development comes after the US, an ally of the Kurds for the past several years, decided to withdraw its troops from Kurd-controlled areas in Syria. The withdrawal came after Ankara complained about the presence of the YPG fighters near its border. Turkey sees all Kurdish militias as an extension of its domestic Kurdish insurgency and attacked them repeatedly in both Syria and Iraq

DETAILS TO FOLLOWWe attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message.The search for just-the-right gifts is in full swing now. Here are more ideas to help you find the best one for the foodies on your list. Remember, they dont have to necessarily be a foodie to appreciate these presents....Welcome to Morningstar.co.uk!

You have been redirected here from Hemscott.com as we are merging our websites to provide you with a one-stop shop for all your investment research needs.To search for a security, type the name or ticker in the search box at the top of the page and select from the dropdown results.Registered Hemscott users can log in to Morningstar using the same login details. Similarly, if you are a Hemscott Premium user, you now have a Morningstar Premium account which you can access using the same login details.Pending Sales; Foiled Again!

Analysts had expected to hear that pending home sales had a good run in November, perhaps even breaking its 10-month streak of year-over-year declines; Econoday went so far as to predict "A big bounce back is the forecast for November pending home sales." Instead, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) announced that its Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) was down 0.7 percent compared to October.

The Index, based on signed contracts to purchase existing homes, slipped from 102.1 in October to 101.4. This was a 7.7 percent decline from the November 2017 level, extending the losing streak to 11 months.

The November results were below even the most negative predictions from analysts polled by Econoday. Those ranged from an 0.6 percent to loss to a 2.2 percent gain. The consensus was for an increase of 1.5 percent.

In his remarks, Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, sought to put the pending sales data in the most positive light. "The latest decline in contract signings implies more short-term pullback in the housing sector and does not yet capture the impact of recent favorable conditions of mortgage rates," he said. He added that while pending contracts have reached their lowest mark since 2014, there is no reason to be overly concerned, and he predicts solid growth potential for the long-term.

All four major regions sustained a drop when compared to one year ago, with the West taking the brunt of the decrease. However, he noted that the West had posted a monthly increase of 2.8 percent while still experiencing the biggest annual decline among the regions because of unaffordable conditions.

Yun suggests that affordability challenges in the West are part of the blame for the drop in sales. Home prices in the West region have risen too much, too fast, according to Yun. "Land cost is expensive, and zoning regulations are too stringent. Therefore, local officials should consider ways to boost local supply; if not, they risk seeing population migrating to neighboring states and away from the West Coast."

Yun said he expects the current government shutdown to harm the housing market. "Unlike past government shutdowns, with this present closure, flood insurance is not available. That means that roughly 40,000 homes per month may go unsold because purchasing a home requires flood insurance in those affected areas," Yun said. "The longer the shutdown means fewer homes sold and slower economic growth."

One bright spot is the easing of inventory restraints due to an increase in active listings in a number of areas. Yun cited large year-over-year increases in Denver, Seattle-Tacoma, the San Francisco Bay area, San Diego, and Providence, Rhode Island.

The economist remains optimistic about sales in the long-term. "Home sales in 2018 look to close out the year with 5.3 million home sales, which would be similar to that experienced in the year 2000," he said. 'But given the 17 million more jobs now compared to the turn of the century, the home sales are clearly underperforming today. That also means there is steady longer-term growth potential."

Two regions did see monthly improvements in their indices in November. In addition to the 2.8 percent increase in the West noted by Yun, the Northeast rose 2.7 percent to 95.1, leaving it 3.5 percent lower than a year ago. The increase in the West brought its index to 87.2 which is still 12.2 percent below the November 2017 level.

Pending sales in the Midwest fell 2.3 percent to 98.1, down 7.0 percent year-over-year and the South's index read 115.7 representing declines of 2.7 percent and 7.4 percent from the two earlier periods.

The PHSI is based on a large national sample, typically representing about 20 percent of transactions for existing-home sales. In developing the model for the index, it was demonstrated that the level of monthly sales-contract activity parallels the level of closed existing-home sales in the following two months.

An index of 100 is equal to the average level of contract activity during 2001, which was the first year to be examined. By coincidence, the volume of existing-home sales in 2001 fell within the range of 5.0 to 5.5 million, which is considered normal for the current U.S. population.CHESHIRE  New buildings were begun, a popular teachers loss was mourned and a late winter storm knocked out power to much of the town. Here are some of the top stories from the past year.

January

Town planners approved a Hartford HealthCare medical office building just north of downtown. The 50,000 square foot building replaces a 7-Eleven and fills a long-vacant property that used to be home to the Cheshire Cinema. Services such as primary care, dermatology, endocrinology, neuroscience, rehabilitation, cardiology and full-service imaging will be available.

February

Heritage Canal Linear Trail users were told to be on the lookout for ATV riders by police. Some users reported seeing two ATVs on the trail. Police said they patrol the trail but dont chase ATV violators because they feel it would pose too great a danger to walkers, runners and bikers.

March

In early March, a slow-moving storm dumped several inches of snow per hour on the town. There were 5,600 power outages in Cheshire, which had about 10 inches of snow. The storm closed schools and businesses as residents dug out and cleared downed trees.

April

A local teen was charged in April after police say she and two men kidnapped, robbed, and assaulted a 19-year-old she met on social media earlier in the month. Seventeen-year-old Audrey Bennett was accused of luring the 19-year-old to her home where he was ambushed by the two men who then drove him to various locations to withdraw cash. Bennetts case is in pre-trial.

May

A severe thunderstorm in downed many trees causing significant damage to at least 11 homes. "We're all lucky to be alive," Bellamy Road resident Heather Meyerjack told the Record-Journal after the storm sent a large tree crashing through her house. Fearing for her familys safety, Meyerjack shouted for everyone to go in the basement. The tree slammed through the roof and destroyed much of the second floor.

Former library director Ramona Burkey left after 13 years in town to take a job as director of the Russell Library in Middletown, her hometown. When Burkey was hired, her goal was to foster community, provide a forum for civic engagement and provide access to knowledge. Library and town officials said she was instrumental in boosting library programs and making it a hub of the community.

June

Former Town Manager Michael Milone retired after a decades-long career in public service that included positions in Cheshire. He was praised by town leaders for his skill with public finances and his dedication to the towns well-being. Sean Kimball took over for Milone in December.

A local man was charged with firing shots at police officers during a standoff on Fairway Drive. According to police, Cameron Pernin barricaded himself in his residence during a domestic violence incident. Police returned fire, wounding Pernin who later surrendered. The officers and dispatchers involved in the incident were honored by the Police Department and the Town Council.

July

A Meriden man pleaded guilty to running a cocaine ring while imprisoned at Cheshire Correctional Institution. Westley Northrup, 30, of Meriden, also known as "Piff," pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Hartford.

August

Police Chief Neil Dryfe held a community forum in August on a rash of car thefts and break-ins. He said the suspects were usually youths looking for unlocked cars. If keys were in the vehicle, the youths would take the car as well. Dryfe urged people to lock their cars and keep valuables inside their homes.

September

Two police officers were named as school resource officers for Cheshire High School and Dodd Middle School. Officers Gretchen Ovesny and David Maliar, both town residents, completed training for their new role shortly before the school year. During public forums on school safety, town residents requested more school resource officers. The Town Council decided to add a second school resource officer based at Dodd.

The town celebrated the opening of the newest section of the Farmington Heritage Canal Trail, which now encompasses 34 uninterrupted miles with the unveiling of the completed 0.8 mile gap.

October

Colleagues, parents and students mourned the loss of Megumi Yamamoto, a Cheshire High School teacher who died in October. Officials ruled her death accidental. Yamamoto taught English and was English department chairwoman during her two-decade career at the high school. Yamamoto was teacher of the year in 2011.

Still in his prison uniform, an escaped inmate from Cheshire Correctional Institution convinced a passerby for a ride and a change of clothes Halloween night saying hed been at a costume party. Luis Clarke was caught after using a phone stolen from a pizza delivery driver to call his former girlfriend.

November

In November, Cheshire police released a lip sync challenge video following a red carpet premiere at Cheshire High School. The video was produced and directed by officer Tracy Gonzalez, and features theme songs from hit films such as The Greatest Showman and Dirty Dancing. Scenes were filmed at the police department and local schools, as well as popular local businesses, including Blackies Hot Dogs, Bagelicious, and Viron Rondo Osteria.

December

Builders in December planned to tear down the Colorama building on South Main Street to make way for a medical building, the latest investment in the area. Theres also a building permit for a Chase bank at 944 S. Main St., the shuttered Dragon Buffet location.

jbuchanan@record-journal.com

203-317-2230

Twitter: @JBuchananRJNew Years Eve revelers have only days left to decide how they want to ring in the New Year and the options are narrowing.

Traditional gala venues such as the Aqua Turf, which seats 1,700, is sold out for its $250-per couple New Years Eve celebration, considered among the largest in central Connecticut. Casa Mia Restaurant at the Hawthorne Inn in Berlin also sold out at 300 reservations, although dining is offered in the restaurant.

Zandris Stillwood Inn in Wallingford, meanwhile, was still accepting reservations Friday afternoon but caps admission at 300 guests. A little farther south on Route 5, Fantasia banquet hall in North Haven also has openings for its New Year's Eve event.

The bookings prove that despite non-traditional offerings that involve the whole family and exclude alcohol, such as First Night in Hartford, there are enough revelers to keep the banquet halls busy, said Jim Zandri, owner of Zandris Stillwood Inn.

Over the years, I bill our party as the longest

continually running New Years Eve, Zandri said. Forty years ago, (New Years Eve) was seen as an adult night out, but its been broadened. Even though it has changed, there is enough people that stay with tradition.

But Yvonne di Angeli-Fontanez, general manager at the Four Points by Sheraton in Meriden, said the hotel decided to forgo any New Years Eve bash this year.

We are keeping it low key. No party. Bar closing early, di Angeli-Fontanez said. The big overnight party event seems to have lost its attraction to the masses and the bar crowd gets too rowdy and isn't worth the possible disruption to regular overnight guests. I've heard house parties and the casinos for an overnight is the thing to do.

With only two days until 2018 is in the rearview mirror, New Years Eve revelers can decide whether to sit it out at home or venture out to events such as First Night in Hartford, which is celebrating its 30th year.

A series of downtown Hartford family events include special pricing for the Connecticut Science Center, face painting, a train through Bushnell park, and a midnight fireworks display. Prices are $12 for adults, $3 for ages 3-15, and no charge for ages 2 and under. Wristbands are available at select locations on Monday. For more information go to https://www.firstnighthartford.org.

Local bars and restaurants, such as Gaetanos on Main in Wallingford are also hosting New Years Eve events with a DJ, party favors and a champagne toast. Reservations are suggested and regular dining is available.

For a $15 cover charge, Crystal Bees in Southington is offering live bands, an arcade pass and toast at midnight. Blackstone Irish Pub is hosting two New Years Eve packages featuring music, laser lights, food and a midnight toast.

Smaller bars in the area will also host celebrations combining Karaoke and open mic nights with a champagne toast.

Those planning to inbibe can expect double fares from Uber and Lyft for rides to and from bars and restaurants, experts said, but it remains the safest option.

There are also strong arguments for staying home with friends and family: food and drinks are cheaper, no crowds, or traffic, Netflix has a recommended movie list, the ball countdown is quieter, and nobody cares much about what anyone is wearing.

mgodin@record-journal.com

203-317-2255

Twitter: @CconnbizMERIDEN  Police and city officials on Friday remembered Lt. Lawrence Guidobono as a cops cop, a dedicated member of the department who served the city for more than three decades.

They also announced services for Guidobono, a 33-year veteran who died on Christmas.

He was just very well respected, took the job very seriously, the men and women of this department truly respected him, Sgt. John Mennone said. He will be sorely missed.

Mennone said Guidobono, who had three children, died of an undisclosed illness.

Services are scheduled for Jan. 4 from 3 to 7 p.m. at DEsopo Funeral Home, 277 Folly Brook Blvd., Wethersfield. A funeral will be held Jan. 5 at the same location at 9 a.m., followed by a ceremonial procession to Meriden and a burial at Sacred Heart Cemetery, 250 Gypsy Lane.

Guidobono was hired in 1985. He joined the SWAT team in 1988, becoming part of the units sniper team. In 1997 he was promoted to sergeant and supervised community police patrols near Griswold Street and Hicks Avenue. In 2001, he moved to internal affairs and later managed the department's accreditation process. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2003. He was a patrol division shift commander at the time of his passing.

Mennone called Guidobono a cops cop, saying he he was the first one through the door and took his job very seriously. Guidobono was also a history buff and participated in Civil War re-enactments.

Deputy Mayor Michael Cardona, chairman of the City Councils Public Safety Committee, said Friday that he will speak with the rest of the council and the mayor about ways to honor Guidobonos memory.

Thirty-three years of distinguished service is something amazing, Cardona said at the police station on Friday. Hes dedicated to the City of Meriden. Its a huge loss to the city of Meriden, to his family and to the department.

lsellew@record-journal.com

203-317-2225

Twitter: @LaurenSellewRJPLAINVILLE  The owner of a local Mexican restaurant was deported the day after a Christmas Day vigil where family and activists called on federal authorities to release him.

Having my father taken out of my life is the worst feeling I have ever felt, Bitsy Iriarte said in a statement from Connecticut Students for a Dream. He will not see me walk down the stage at my graduation this spring. He will not be here for my 18th birthday. He won't be here to support me and my family anymore. I really thought deep down in my heart that he would have come back to us, but he didn't.

Iriartes father, Isaias Iriarte, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials on Dec. 14 and was held in detention in Massachusetts and New Hampshire until he was deported, according to Jose Diaz, a longtime patron of the restaurant and an organizer of United Action of Connecticut.

The family spoke with Iriarte Wednesday morning, but remained unaware that he would be deported until his daughter called ICE later that day and was told he was being transported, according to the statement.

An ICE spokesman didnt respond to requests for information.

After coming to the United States around 2000, Iriarte opened El Paso Mexican Restaurant in 2002 in downtown Plainville. His wife and daughters have continued running it since his arrest, with his daughter Jalinne Iriarte saying she is unsure if she will be able to continue studying at Central Connecticut State University while also helping her mother in the business.

Friends and activists rallied in front of the restaurant on Dec. 21 and again Tuesday to support the family and request Iriartes release. Bitsy Iriarte said even though their efforts were not successful, its still encouraging to see they have the communitys support.

Im very grateful that the community had come out  and that theyre showing their support in any way possible, Diaz said. Families can always feel alone and that all hope is lost and having the community is a big factor, not only to help the family but also the business as well.

dleithyessian@record-journal.com

203-317-2317

Twitter: @leith_yessianPrabuddha Ghosh By

Online Desk

The year 2018 didnt start on a positive note for the Indian judiciary. On January 12, four the then senior-most judges Justice J Chelameswar, Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice Kurian Joseph first wrote a letter to the 45th Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and then held a press conference saying that the overall administration in the Supreme Court was not in order and for the survival of countrys democracy, the apex courts integrity should be preserved.

While the whole event sharply divided the judiciary, political fraternity got involved into the blame game against each other.

However, the judiciary went on to deliver some of the historic verdicts in next few months, be it allowing women of menstruating ages to enter Keralas Sabarimala shrine or decriminalizing gay sex in country. CJI Misra, before retiring on October 2, pronounced verdicts in most of these cases.

Here are some of the top verdicts of the Supreme Court in 2018:

Allowing women of child-bearing age group to enter Sabarimala shrine: On September 28, the Supreme Court allowed the entry of women aged between 10 and 50 in Keralas Sabarimala shrine. The verdict thereby ended the centuries-old tradition of barring menstruating women from visiting the 800-year-old shrine. The only dissenting voice among the five-judge apex court was Justice Indu Malhotra as she said that issues with deep religious connotation should not be tinkered with, in order to maintain the countrys secular fabric.

The verdict created a furore in Kerala. While the ruling Left government decided to abide by the judgment, the opposition parties and religious bodies protested against it. During October 17-19, the shrine saw massive agitations as Ayyappa worshippers created roadblocks and stopped vehicles with women of menstrual ages from reaching the shrine. More than four women, including journalists and activists, were stopped and heckled, while the priests threatened the sanctum closure. Review petitions against the verdict were submitted in the SC later.

Upholding Aadhaars constitutional validity: On September 26, the Supreme Court declared the Centre's flagship Aadhaar scheme as constitutionally valid and struck down some of its provisions including its linking with bank accounts, mobile phones and school admissions.

A five-judge constitution bench headed by the then Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra also held that Aadhaar would remain mandatory for the filing of Income Tax Returns and allotment of Permanent Account Number (PAN). Aadhaar was also exempted from CBSE, NEET and UGC exams. The bench also struck down the National Security Exception clause under the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act.

Historic verdict decriminalising Section 377: On September 6, the then CJI Dipak Misra-led five-judge Constituion bench unanimously decriminalised part of the 158-year-old colonial law under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that banned consensual unnatural sex between adults. CJI Misra also stressed that the LGBTQ community enjoys equal constitutional rights as other. The court however, upheld the other aspects of the Section 377 dealing with unnatural sex with animals and children.

The earlier provisions of Section 377 said that whoever voluntarily had carnal intercourse against the natural order with any man, woman or animal shall be punished with life or 10-year imprisonment, along with paying a fine. There were a series of petitions filed in the apex court by dancer Navtej Jauhar, journalist Sunil Mehra, chef Ritu Dalmia, hoteliers Aman Nath, Keshav Suri, business executive Ayesha Kapur and 20 former and current IIT students against the clause.

Scrapping of the anti-adultery law: The Supreme Court on October 27 struck down a colonial-era anti-adultery law under Section 497 of the IPC and said that in a marriage, husband can not be the master of his wife. The 158-year-old clause said, "Whoever has sexual intercourse with a person who is and whom he knows or has reason to believe to be the wife of another man, without the consent or connivance of that man, such sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape, is guilty of the offence of adultery."

While the National Commission for Women welcomed the verdict, activists and experts, including Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal criticised it. Social activist Brinda Adige also asked whether the above verdict would allow men to indulge in polygamy.

Putting the onus on Parliament to deal with criminalisation of politics: On September 25, a five-judge Constitution bench headed by the then CJI Dipak Misra left it to the Parliament to enact a law to prevent entry of criminal elements into the political stream. The court also observed that the country has seen a steady increase in the criminalisation of politics over the years. While noting down the Attorney General K K Venugopal's submission that the court should not go above its fixed separation of powers from the executive, the judicial bench said that it could only recommend the introduction of a law to keep the politics clean. The apex court also added that during polls, candidates must declare pending criminal cases against them and these must also go online. SC also suggested that the above details must be published thrice for voters after nomination filing.

Settling the 'mosque debate' in Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid row: On September 27, the apex court declined to set up a larger bench for a relook of its 1994 Ismail Faruqui case verdict which said a mosque was not an essential part of the Islamic practices. The court also said that though the previous verdict was delivered 24 years back with a limited context of "land acquisition", it was irrelevant in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case. The latest order paved the way for a newly-constituted three-member judicial bench to hear the politically sensitive case from October 29.

The mosque reference cropped up when CJI Misra, who retired on October 2, was hearing appeals filed against the Allahabad HCs 2010 verdict that the disputed land was be divided into three parts among Sunni Waqf Board, Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla. The court declined the plea of late M Siddiq, one of the original Ayodhya litigants that the matter be referred to a larger bench. While criticising the 1994 verdict, a Muslim group had approached the apex court again, saying that the ruling had affected the HC decision.

Justice SA Nazeer, the third judge in the panel led by outgoing CJI Misra, dissented with the other two judges' and said the mosque debate could not be decided without a "detailed examination of the beliefs, tenets and practice of the faith". He also favoured the issue to be reconsidered by a larger bench.

Live streaming of court proceedings: The apex court allowed the live streaming of its proceedings in a September 26 verdict. Calling it as a pilot project, the court also said that proceedings of cases of constitutional and national importance can be live streamed, with prior permission. The court also added that it had the power to stop the streaming, depending on the situation.By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: Public sector companies made a lower contribution to the government exchequer by way of taxes and duties in 2017-18 compared to the preceding year. Public sector firms contribution, which includes excise duty, customs duty, Goods and Services Tax, income tax, corporate tax, dividend, fringe benefit tax and deferred tax, fell 2.98 per cent to Rs 3.5 lakh crore from Rs 3.6 lakh crore in 2016-17, according to a survey tabled in Parliament Thursday.

During the last fiscal, the dividend declared or paid by such firms stood at Rs 76,578 crore against Rs 78,129 crore in 2016-17, as per the Public Enterprises Survey 2017-18. It has been observed that the return on net worth is highest in the mining and exploration sector (14.77 per cent) followed by manufacturing, processing and generation (14.34 per cent), services (5.04 per cent), while agriculture sector has shown negative (-39.3 per cent) return on net worth, the survey stated.

The Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) employed 10.88 lakh people excluding casual and contractual workers in 2017-18 compared to 11.35 lakh in 2016-17, showing a fall of 4.14 per cent in employee strength, it said. However, the salary and wages of all CPSEs stood at Rs 1,57,621 crore in 2017-18 against Rs 1,40,956 crore in the previous year, exhibiting a growth of 11.82 per cent.

The total market capitalisation of 52 CPSEs traded on stock exchanges was Rs 15.22 lakh crore as on March 31, 2018, registering a marginal increase of 0.21 per cent from Rs 15.19 lakh crore in the previous year.

The expenditure under the mandatory Corporate Social Responsibility spending of the public sector companies stood at Rs 3,442.42 crore in 2017-18 against Rs 3,338.21 crore in the previous financial year, an increase of 3.12 per cent.

Employee count down

CPSEs employed 10.88 lakh people excluding casual and contractual workers in 2017-18 compared to 11.35 lakh in 2016-17, a fall of 4.14 per cent.By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Friday approved a plan to list six Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) and dilute the governments stake in Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd (KIOCL) through a share sale.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by the prime minister, decided to list Telecommunication Consultants (India), RailTel Corporation India, National Seed Corporation (India), Tehri Hydro Development Corporation, Water & Power Consultancy Services (India) and FCI Aravali Gypsum and Minerals (India) on the stock exchanges through initial public offerings, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters after the meeting.

The CCEA has also permitted KIOCL, which is already listed on bourses, to come out with a follow-on public offer (FPO).We think it is a big reform. The Cabinet has given the in-principle approval. The administrative ministry concerned will now speed up its implementation, Prasad said.

However, Prasad did not elaborate on the timing of the proposed share sales and said the ministry concerned will speed up its implementation. Later, the Cabinet note added that the Alternative Mechanism  comprising the finance minister, road transport minister and the minister of the administrative ministry concerned  had been empowered to decide on the extent, mode of disinvestment, pricing, time etc. of listed CPSEs (including those to be listed in future).

Listing will help PSUs to unlock potential and value, Prasad told reporters. The government has also expanded the scope of eligibility criteria for listing of CPSEs. CPSEs with positive net worth and net profit in any of the immediately three preceding financial years shall be eligible for listing on the stock exchange, the government said in a release.

The Cabinet has given in-principle approval for the strategic sale of 52.63 per cent government stake in Rural Electrification Corporation Limited to Power Finance Corporation Limited.

FALLING SHORT

The government has set a disinvestment target of D80,000 crore this fiscal year, but as per the latest data, the government has realised only Rs 34,142.35 crore as disinvestment proceeds so far. Last fiscal year, the total disinvestment proceeds were Rs 1,00,056.91 crore.By Express News Service

CHENNAI: IIT-Madras students have designed study desks using discarded cardboard boxes, for underprivileged students, in some of the government schools. Under the REACH (Reuse cardboard to help children) initiative as part of Shaastra, IIT-Ms annual technical fest that starts from January 3, students have created a supply chain network to collect hundreds of used cardboard cartons from shopping malls, electronic shops, retailers and other places.

The material was then sorted, based on size, shape, and thickness, and then shaped by cutting the sorted boxes into pieces such that they can be assembled easily by anyone with minimal instructions.

The design was inspired from a South Korean interior designer, Ha Young Lee, who designed a sturdy desk made out of cardboard for underprivileged kids in his country. After a month of trial and testing, we came up with a prototype which was tested by distributing in schools which are devoid of these facilities and infrastructure.

We collaborated with one NGO named BHUMI, which helped us to get volunteers for making the desks and TFI (Teach For India) which helped us to reach out to schools which didnt have desks. We have currently reached out to 200 students in 5 schools with each child getting access to these desks, Shaastra team said in a release. In India, according to a survey, there are 20 million students in the age group of 6-14, who lack basic facilities.Binita Jaiswal By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: After the government agreed to reconsider exempting plastic-coated paper cups from the ban, which will come into effect on January 1, the Tamil Nadu Hotels Association has appealed for a similar relaxation. It wants food grade plastic covers to be out of the purview of the ban. It has claimed that the hotel industry would face a lot of problem in packaging food, especially liquids.

The association has appealed to be kept out of the bans ambit at least for a period of six months so that they can find environmentally friendly alternatives to pack food. It is to be noted that the government announced the impending ban as early as in July. Takeaway sales comprise a significant portion of our business, and that will be affected, says president of TNHA Venkada Subbu.

We are yet to find a suitable and cost-effective alternative. So we are appealing to the government to show some leniency and exempt aluminium foil pouches from the ban, says Subbu. TNHA, which has about 10,000 members in the State, has alleged that the ban was being implemented in a hurry, without creating enough alternatives to plastics.

Plastics have been used to package food for decades, we cannot find pocket-friendly alternatives to it in just six months, says M Ravi, president of Chennai Hotels Association. Though bags made of cornstarch and banana fibre are available in the market, their cost is high and production is limited, claims Ravi.

Adverse impact

M Ravi, president of Chennai Hotels Association, says without plastics, packaging fee could amount to 25-30 per cent of a customers billBy Express News Service

KOCHI: Shouldnt Europe and America apologise for letting smartphones virtually swallow the entire mankind?Young artist Tabita Rezaire raises this question at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale through her work Sorry for Real Sorrow showcased at Aspinwall House.

The installation Sorry for Real Sorrow

of artist Tabita Rezaire on display at

Aspinwall House, Fort Kochi

Calling herself an agent of healing, the 29-year-old French Guyana-based Tabita says, The work seeks to capture the violent histories of slavery and colonialism, alongside a continued exploitation of African and indigenous bodies, lands and knowledge. She says a new form of colonialism has simply replaced the old. We are heading towards Internet Colonisation, she says.

Sorry for Real Sorrow is a series of five light boxes highlighted by the artists holographic apology on behalf of the Western world. Paris-raised Tabita presents a cyber exchange that addresses the Wests history of imperialism and the need to decolonise existing technologies and reconciliation strategies.

The work stems from a lot of anger, when she understood the social, political and economic scope of it. The way technology is taking charge across the world is very similar to colonialism, she says.

To Tabita, most of the technology corporate giants from the West control humanitys day-to-day activities. For instance, Facebook, Google and Twitter have all our personal data. This, when the Internet was originally created as a surveillance instrument, she says.Today, we are in a fight to save our sensitive details. In a way, the Internet has made us desperate for connecting with each other, she says.

Research for the work led Tabita to stumble upon a curious discovery: its along old colonial shipping routes the world today has its undersea optical fibre cables laid, connecting humanity through the Internet. When colonialism began, they argued they were connecting us to the New World, when all that was happening was actually exploitation of resources and, in the process, looting other countries, expanding wealth, she says. Its the same today. Big corporates from the West are stealing our data to expand the wealth of their empires, she says.

Tabita, also a health-tech-politics practitioner and Kemetic/Kundalini Yoga teacher, creates digital encounters that offer substitute readings to dominant narratives. In the stories the new-media artist presents, the process of listening, seeing and witnessing can be potentially transformative.

Only around 51 per cent of the whole world is connected to the Internet. In Africa, Internet penetration is only 31 per cent. Within each country, the way you access the Internet and the content you can access is very different.

At her Biennale project, Tabita did a performance seeking to unearth the possibilities of decolonial healing through the politics of technology.Shevlin Sebastian By

Express News Service

KOCHI: At 7.30 pm on a recent Wednesday, Pooja Stanslas, wearing a red T-shirt and grey leotard, walked up the first-floor steps of the Kerala State Beverages Corporation outlet at Kalamassery. Around 100 men looked at her, some with their mouths open, a few with widened eyes, and others with smirks. Not surprisingly, she was the only woman present. Despite her heart beating fast, Pooja coolly bought a bottle of vodka and wine. I never felt so stared at in my life, she says.

Pooja is a second-generation Malaysian who has relocated to Kochi a few months ago. It is not easy to be a single woman in Kochi, she says. The city is socially conservative. The men are not used to women speaking confidently or dressed in a particular way. Malayali women are pushed hard by society to play a muted role. My women friends tell me, Pooja dont raise your voice. Always remain understated. Otherwise, you will not be able to get your work done.

Nevertheless, she says the people, for the most part, have been very helpful. Once when she stepped out of a gym at Kalamassery, it was raining heavily. Three members, who were standing nearby, went out in the rain and got Pooja an auto-rickshaw. Once they come to know that I am a foreigner, they were very accommodating, says Pooja.

She came to Kochi because she wanted a break from her life in Malaysia. She says that as an Indian-origin Malaysian, she remains a second-class citizen.

In the 1970s, the Malaysian government came up with the term, Bumiputra. It literally means sons of the soil, says Pooja. They comprise the Malays as well as the aboriginals. Because I am not a Bumiputra, I am heavily discriminated against, in terms of access to education, jobs and business. I am regarded as a pendatang (a Malay word meaning immigrant) despite the fact that my grandparents were naturalised Malaysian citizens and my parents and I were born in Malaysia and speak Malay like a native. Heck, I even have a first-class BA Hons. in Malay studies!

When Pooja was growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, there were only five public universities and a complete absence of private universities. And for the minorities, there was a quota system.

The Indians got 10 per cent, the Chinese formed 20 per cent, the Malays 60 per cent while the remaining 10 per cent belonged to the minorities like the Sri Lankans and the Eurasians.

The Indians, no matter how well they did in the entrance exams, could only get admitted in the university based on the quota, she says.

In public sector jobs, there was a similar discrimination. No matter how good you are, the top person will always be a Malay, she says. He or she may not have a good education or qualification, but because they belong to the right race and religion - Islam - they get the jobs.

In the original Constitution, Islam was made the official religion. But when we were growing up, there was no talk of Malays, Muslims and non-Muslims, says Pooja. That was because a liberal form of Islam was practised. We would go to each others houses. But later a stricter form of Islam began to be practised. The Malays began to look at themselves as Muslims first and Malaysians second. And they would say, Look you are Hindu, Buddhist or Christian. We are different from you.

Then the Sharia law which governs personal behaviour and family matters of Muslims was introduced. So you have a parallel judiciary, says Pooja. One which governs the Muslims and another which governs non-Muslims. It means that if you marry a Muslim you will have to convert and change your name. In the end, you will lose your identity. But when a Hindu marries a Christian, there is no compulsion to change.

And there are other benefits for the Malays. When they buy a flat or property from a developer, they get an automatic seven per cent discount. And in every building, there has to be a small mosque, says Pooja.

People were not happy with this discrimination. Large numbers of Indians and Chinese, of the educated middle class, migrated to Australia and Britain. And Pooja, who is an online journalist and an academic copy editor, also followed suit. I did not see any hope or future in Malaysia, she says. Pooja went to Colombo and spent three years there before moving to Kochi.

At Kochi, thanks to her grandparents having safely preserved their certificate attesting that they were Indians, Pooja has secured a Person of Indian Origin Card. She has now settled in Kalamassery where she has just bought a villa.

And she is learning to adjust to the lower professionalism, as compared to Kuala Lumpur.

People like electricians and plumbers take a far longer time to repair things than back home, she says. And then, the work is not done perfectly.

And she could not escape some bad experiences. Pooja paid a man, posing as a friend, Rs 2.35 lakh for doing interior decoration at her home. Unfortunately, he has done sub-standard work, will not produce the receipts or return the money, she says. So I have filed a case in the Consumer Redressal Cell.

Asked about the future, she says, For now I am in Kochi and liking it. I feel as if I have returned to my roots. But who knows what will happen as I move forward? Life is so unpredictable.By IANS

MUMBAI: Actor Anupam Kher, who is gearing up for the release of his forthcoming film 'The Accidental Prime Minister,' has said that initially he didn't want to be a part of his forthcoming film as he thought that it will be politically controversial film.

Anupam Kher was interacting with the media at the trailer launch of 'The Accidental Prime Minister' along with his co-actor Akshaye Khanna, producer Jayantilal Gada, Sunil Bohra and director Vijay Ratnakar Gutte on Thursday in Mumbai.

The film stars Anupam Kher as Manmohan Singh, the economist and politician who served as the Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014 under the United Progressive Alliance.

ALSO READ: No ban on 'The Accidental Prime Minister', says Madhya Pradesh government

"About one-and-a-half years back, my friend Ashok Pandit told me that there is a film being made on Dr Manmohan Singh, and of course everybody heard about the book and the controversy behind the book. So, my first reaction was that I shouldn't be part of this film because of so many reasons.

"I thought it will be a political film and I didn't know what will be there in the film. The other thing is that it is not easy to portray Dr Manmohan Singh because he is an active political personality. This film is not based on political figure who belonged to 1960s or 1970s era. When Viay (Gutte) and Mr Bohra (Sunil Bohra) came to meet me so, for the first one or two months, I told them that I didn't want to be part of it."

Kher added that the role of Dr.Manmohan Singh challenged him as an actor. "One day, I saw Dr. Manmohan Singh walking from one place to another on the television. So, the actor inside me told me if I could walk like him. But I was a disaster. That challenged me. I rehearsed his walk for 45 minutes but I couldn't get it right so, I called the makers for the narration of the script and I was very fascinated by it.

WATCH VIDEO: 'The Accidental Prime Minister' trailer

I feel everything is difficult about Dr Manmohan Singh. He has very monotonous voice and yet there has to be variations then, I said yes to the makers of film."

Talking about preparations he did to play role of Dr Manmohan Singh, Kher said, "I took about 6-7 months to prepare this role. I must have seen at least 100 hours of footage but the most difficult was the voice part of it because he has a typical voice. Then I told myself that if your work is not challenging then, what's the benefit to do it?

"We did the first schedule in England of 40 days and during that time, we were in a secluded place. It used to take one-and-a-half hours to look like Dr. Manmohan Singh. I feel it's the most difficult role I have done in my life because Dr. Manmohan Singh is known by everybody and even today, he is so active. He is more vocal now than he was in year 2014."

ALSO READ: What's the problem in releasing political film during elections, says Anupam Kher

When asked whether he is worried that this film can be opposed by Congress as makers have shown a controversial relationship between Dr. Singh and his Congress party, he said, "I feel you have to be little more careful because people take only two minutes to criticize you. I feel this has to be perceived as a film and it shouldn't get into controversy because of its political background because you need to have guts to make this film and I must say our director and producers have the guts.

'The Accidental Prime Minister' is a biographical political drama film, presented by Rudra Production (UK), Bohra Bros in association with Dr Jayantilal Gada (Pen India Limited). It is directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte and written by Mayank Tewari.

The film is based on the 2014 memoir of the same name by Sanjaya Baru.

'The Accidental Prime Minister' will hit cinemas on January 11.By PTI

KHANDWA: A 45-year-old farmer from Madhya Pradesh's Khandwa district allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree Saturday, with his kin claiming he was "disturbed" over not being able to avail the latest crop loan waiver due to the cut-off date criterion.

The farmer, identified as Juvan Singh, was found hanging from a tree in his field this morning in Astariya village in the district, police said, adding that they are investigating the cause behind Singh's death.

However, Singh's brother Kashiram claimed that the farmer was disturbed since the last three-four days after finding that he was unable to avail of the loan waiver facility announced by the newly-formed Congress government.

He said Juvan had taken a credit of around Rs 3 lakh from a bank after March 31 this year--the cut-off date announced by the Kamal Nath government while taking charge on December 17.

"My brother was hoping that his loan would be written off. But he became disturbed since he came to know that farmers who had taken loan after March 31 are not entitled for the waiver", Kashiram claimed.

Pandhana police station inspector Shivendra Joshi said that police are investigating the trigger behind the farmer taking the extreme step.

"At this juncture, the police can't draw any conclusion on the cause", he added.

BJP MLA Ram Dangode, who represents Pandhana assembly constituency of which Astariya village is a part, said the March 31 criterion has left 95 per cent farmers of the state in the lurch.

He threatened to launch a protest in Khandwa district if loans of all farmers are not waived.

State unit Congress spokesman Bhupendra Gupta alleged the BJP was "misguiding" the farmers and their families over the loan waiver and the Rs 1,000 pension for 60-year-old poor farmers.Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: Prashant Natt, the suspected killer of inspector Subodh Kumar Singh, during the interrogation, has revealed chilling details of the gruesome murder of the cop during the mob frenzy over alleged cow slaughter at Chingrawati outpost of Syana town in Bulandshahr on December 3. The violence had claimed two lives including the cop and a protestor Sumit.

According to highly-placed sources in police department, the authorities were contemplating to invoke National Security Act (NSA) against Prashant Natt and five others -- Rahul, David, Johnny, Lokendra and Kallua -- who were accompanying him when he allegedly pulled the trigger at inspector Singh.

NSA will also be invoked against those three persons -- Nadim, Rahees and Kala -- who were arrested in the cow slaughter case by the SIT on December 16, said a police source.

As per the police claims, while admitting his crime to the SIT, Delhi-based cabbie Natt disclosed that the mob attacked Inspector Singh with stones while he was trying to pacify them following which he got badly injured.

Even then he continued to placate the agitating mob. While the SHO was trying to stop a protestor Kallua, who was felling a tree to jam the state highway near Chingrawati police station, latter attacked him with the axe giving him several wounds and finally he hit the SHO on his head, said Bulandshahr SSP Prabhakar Chaudhary.

READ | Bulandshahr violence: CCTV footage shows youth snatching Subodh Kumar Singh's gun to kill cop

He added that with an injured head, the inspector tried to run to the adjoining field while the mob continued stone pelting at him. While running to the field, the inspector was urging the rampaging mob to calm down and leave him as he was badly hurt. As the mob did not listen to his pleas, inspector Singh fired from his service revolver to disperse the protestors and save his life. But the bullet fired by inspector Singh hit a protestor Sumit and it enraged the mob further, said the SSP. Notably, Sumit also died during the treatment at in a Meerut hospital.

Subsequently, a group of five, including Prashant Natt, surrounded the cop in the field to overpower him. It was Natt who allegedly snatched SHOs service revolver and shot him at his left temple leading to his death, said a police officer privy to interrogation of Natt.

Even more, Natt was taken to the site of the incident and the SIT recreated the whole crime scene. After shooting the inspector, Natt allegedly fled the spot along with other five persons. While all of them including Natt are in police custody, Kallua is still elusive. It may be recalled that bullets of .32 bore were recovered from the bodies of the slain inspector and Sumit. The sequence of events mentioned above corroborate the fact that both the SHO and Sumit died by the bullet of the same bore fired from the same revolver.

As per the SIT sources, the mob escaped leaving injured cop in his jeep in the field.

As his colleagues went to the field to inspector Singhs rescue, the rampaging mod reappeared chasing away the policemen, said a source.

It added that while the body of the SHO was hanging out from the police vehicle, they set the 4-wheeler ablaze in a bid to burn inspectors body. Cops present on the spot, however, managed to take Singh out of the vehicle and rushed him to the hospital where he was declared dead upon arrival.

In fact, Prashant Natts name was not there among 27 accused named in the first FIR lodged for violence, rioting, vandalism and murder on December 3. However, he along with his accomplices was identified by the SIT probing the case after interrogating a number of accused persons held so far and also sifting through numerous video footages in which Natt could allegedly be seen near the SHO. Several names were coming up during the investigation, Natts name emerged after the interrogation of Rahul, David, Johnny and Lokendra, said the SSP.

On the contrary, the family of Prashant Natt denied that he shot the inspector. They also claimed that Natt was not arrested by the police instead he had surrendered to the police on December 25 itself.By PTI

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat government Friday asked the Vigilance Commissioner to probe the allegations of corruption in carrying out projects at religious sites by the pilgrimage development board and ordered suspension of an officer.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani ordered the suspension of an officer whose audio clip brought the issue of alleged corruption in the board to the fore.

In an official release, the government said the CM has asked the Vigilance Commissioner to probe the allegations of corruption against the Gujarat Pavitra Yatradham Vikas Board.

The issue came to the fore after a purported audio clip, having conversation of a senior government officer and an RTI activist, went viral on social media platforms.

In the purported clip, Anil Patel, additional secretary in the state panchayat department, can be heard admitting large-scale corruption in the board where he was once posted.

Patel can be heard saying that corruption took place in carrying out various works at pilgrimage places such as Pavagadh, Rameshwar, Bahucharaji, Shabri Dham and Dwarka.

As per the government release, Rupani has asked the Vigilance Commissioner to submit preliminary inquiry report as early as possible.

The CM also asked the corruption watchdog to take action against those found guilty during the probe.

Terming Patel's conduct as "inappropriate", the CM has ordered his suspension for engaging in "indiscipline", said the release.

Patel has violated various provisions of the service conduct rules by "criticising the government" and providing information "without having any authority" to do so, it added.By ANI

BHUBANESWAR: An Indian Air Force transport carrier 'C-130J Super Hercules' with 20 Odisha Fire Services personnel onboard have reached Shillong from Bhubaneswar on Friday morning to rescue the trapped miners in Meghalaya, according to a media report.

At least 15 miners have been trapped in a coal mine in East Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya for more than two weeks. The attempts by other rescuers including National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team and state authorities to reach the miners have yielded no success so far.

"The 20 member team of Odisha Fire Service which is headed by chief fire service officer is meant to assist the local authorities in rescue operations. They are carrying all equipment and pumps along with them so they can take out water from the inundated mine," said the Director-General of Odisha Fire Service, Bijay Kumar Sharma.

The Odisha Fire Service team is equipped with 15 high pressure pumps to drain out water from the mine in which the miners are trapped.

READ: Stop posing for cameras, help miners trapped in Meghalaya coal mine, Rahul urges Modi

Odisha's Special Relief Commissioner had sought the help of Fire and Emergency Service for assistance in the rescue operation following which the Director General of Odisha Fire Service selected a team of 20 trained personnel who have worked during Kerala flood and deputed them on the emergency duty.

According to authorities, the high water level is proving to be the main obstacle in the rescue efforts.

Coal India Limited (CIL) on Thursday had said it is preparing to launch a rescue operation where the miners are trapped.By IANS

NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha on Friday passed amid din a statutory resolution approving the proclamation of Presidents Rule in Jammu and Kashmir even as the Opposition parties objected and termed it "unconstitutional".

After the passage of the resolution moved by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan allowed a brief discussion, saying although it has been passed and already been adopted, she was allowing a discussion on it as a "special case".

Initiating the debate, Shashi Tharoor of Congress opposed the resolution saying the state was put under Governor's Rule without any floor test.

"It was done despite the fact that Congress, the PDP and the National Conference had come together to form the government. Why did the Governor not conduct a floor test in the Assembly. The exercise (of the Governor) was improper and the act was unconstitutional," he said.

He also sought to know from the government whether the Governor gave reasons in writing as required by the Supreme Court in the S.R. Bombai case and asked the government to share the reasons with the Parliament.

TMC's Saugata Ray also opposed the President's Rule terming it arbitrary and unconstitutional and demanded immediate election in the state.

NCP's Supriya Sule said the government should explain the reason behind the imposition of its rule and sought to know the need of President's Rule when there was a good percentage of the voting in panchayat elections as described by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself.

"This is not the time for bullet, it is the time for election," she said.

CPI-M's Mohammed Salim demanded establishment of a popular government in the state and hit out at government of its "ill-thought and misleading policy" with regard to Jammu and Kashmir.

Intervening in the debate, Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office, Jitendra Singh explained the political situation in the state that led to the imposition of President's Rule.By PTI

PUNE: Ahead of the first anniversary of the Koregaon-Bhima caste clashes on January 1, Pune police are on alert to ensure that there is no recurrence of the violence witnessed on the first day of 2018.

The year began on an inauspicious note for Maharashtra with violence marring bicentenary celebration of the battle of Koregaon-Bhima and its repercussions haunting the state for the next few months.

Tension prevailed ahead of the 200th anniversary of the battle as some right-wing organisations had opposed the celebration of a victory which ended the Maratha rule.

As Dalits thronged the Jay Stambh (victory pillar) at Koregaon-Bhima, 40 km from Pune, on January 1, clashes broke out. Mobs torched vehicles and shops and ransacked houses.

The battle was fought between forces of the East India Company and the Peshwa, the erstwhile ruler of Pune, in 1818.

The winning forces of the East India Company included soldiers from the Mahar caste, then considered untouchable.

As the battle ended the rule of Peshwa, a Brahmin, Dalit leaders look at it as a symbol of emancipation.

After Dr B R Ambedkar visited the monument on January 1, 1927, it became a site of annual pilgrimage for Dalits.

While the annual event used to be low-key earlier, Dalit organisations decided to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the historic battle in a big way.

But a few Hindu right-wing leaders opposed the celebration, contending the battle which ushered in British rule was nothing to be proud of.

The violence over the 200-year-old battle once again exposed caste fault lines in the 21st century Maharashtra.

Dalit organisations gave call for a shut-down across the state after the events of January 1 in which a person lost life. The 'bandh' disrupted life in Mumbai and elsewhere.

A case was registered against right-wing Hindu leaders Sambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote with Pune rural police for allegedly instigating the violence.

The accusations against Bhide, in particular, assumed political overtones as the octogenarian is known to be respected by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many BJP leaders.

In the aftermath of the violence, Prakash Ambedkar, Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh president and grandson of Dr B R Ambedkar, became the voice of Dalit community which sought action against Bhide and Ekbote.

The chain of events leading to the violence had begun on December 29 with the destruction of the tombstone of a Dalit man at Vadhu Budruk, 30 km from Pune.

In February, the BJP-led state government appointed a judicial commission headed by a retired high court justice Jai Narayan Patel to conduct inquiry into the violence. The commission is conducting hearings at present.

While Ekbote was arrested and later released on bail, Bhide was never arrested.

A staunch right-wing Hindu activist and ardent admirer of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Bhide came into national limelight when at an election rally in Sangli in October 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had come to seek the blessings of Bhide Guruji, his "inspiration".

While on one hand Dalit leaders blamed upper caste elements for fomenting violence, the matter took another turn when a case was registered with Pune police alleging that the Elgar Parishad conclave organised by left-wing activists on December 31, 2017 led to the violence at Koregaon-Bhima.

The complaint by city-based builder against six persons including Sudhir Dhawale of the Kabir Kala Manch, one of the organisers of Elgar Parishad, said provocative speeches at the conclave promoted communal enmity.

Dalit MLA Jignesh Mevani, JNU leader Umar Khalid, Rohit Vemula's mother Radhika Vemula and former HC judge B G Kolse-Patil were among those who participated in the conclave.

The case led the Pune police to arrest ten left-wing activists in countrywide raids, in June and August.

Those arrested included lawyer Surendra Gadling, Nagpur university teacher Shoma Sen, Dhawale, human rights activist Sudha Bharadwaj and Telugu poet Varavara Rao.

Police claimed that Maoists had funded Elgar Parishad in order to mobilise Dalits against the government.

Police also said that the correspondence between Maoist leaders and some of the accused revealed that Maoists were planning "Rajiv Gandhi-type incident to assassinate prime minister Modi. As another anniversary of the battle of Koregaon-Bhima nears, Pune police are on on their toes to ensure that there is no trouble this time.

Heavy security is being deployed in and around Jay Stambh, Superintendent of Police, Pune Rural, Sandip Patil told PTI.

But the real question is whether the state will be able to bury the ghost of caste politics which the events of Bhima Koregaon unleased.By IANS

SRINAGAR: A militant was killed on Friday in a shootout with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, officials said.

Defence sources said the militants opened fire at a patrol party of the Rashtriya Rifles in Rinzipora village of Awantipora area on Friday morning.

"In retaliatory firing by the army, one militant was killed. The area has been cordoned off for searches," an informed source said.

The identity of the militant is being ascertained.By Online Desk

Days after the Noida police sent notice to multinational companies asking them to stop their Muslim employees from offering namaz at public parks, over 600 of them came together to offer namaz at the adjacent Forest View Park in sector 54 today, the first Friday after the controversial move.

No prior permission was taken beforehand by the crowd, the police confirmed.

Most of the people who offered prayers at the park were employees of different private firms in the area, who came out during their lunch breaks and moved towards the park before holding the community prayer.

ALSO READ: Muslims split over ban on namaz in Noida parks

The employees wish to avoid any further controversies on the matter and decided to move their prayer to the adjacent park, one of organizer was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

Noida police on December 25 had asked the companies and offices in the industrial hub to ensure that their employees don't offer namaz in public places including parks.

The police notice further stated that companies will be held responsible if their employees are found offering namaz in parks, according to a report.

ALSO READ: After Namaz row, Noida admin disallows Hindu religious event

Over the past few months, the number of people offering namaz in parks in Noida has increased significantly. Hence, this is an attempt at maintaining communal harmony ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, said police officials while explaining the move.

The notice, which has been sent to all the companies in the Sector 58 area, asks the employees to offer namaz either in the office or mosques.

While the Delhi Minorities Commission (DMC) termed the order condemnable, BSP chief Mayawati had called it "discriminatory and irresponsible,"

AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi also hit out at the UP government over the order, saying it was "showering petals on Kanwariyas" (devotees of Lord Shiva) but was issuing notice to Muslim faithful who want to offer prayers in public places.Kumar Vikram By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Addressing farmer distress is on top of the governments mind - having burnt its fingers at the hustings recently - and a big announcement is around the corner, but it will certainly not be a loan waiver scheme.

The message came out loud and clear on Thursday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi lit into the Congress for gloating over the success of its loan waiver poll card, claiming they had actually fooled the farmers. He chose a party rally at Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh to articulate his views on the big vote-catcher issue for the first time after the BJPs poll rout in three Hindi-speaking states.

A day earlier, Modi held a high-level meeting to formulate a wide-ranging plan that would comprehensively address concerns of farmers. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, BJP chief Amit Shah and Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh attended the nearly three-hour-long meeting. Successful farm relief models implemented in states like Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand were discussed.

Sources claimed the Centre may replicate the Bhavantar scheme in Madhya Pradesh that envisages paying farmers the difference between the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crop and the market rate.

Congress is a master at misleading farmers.



Their fake promises and tokenism will not cut ice with the hardworking farmers of India. pic.twitter.com/VgNupyi3ZE  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 27, 2018

A source claimed the relief plan could be announced by the first week of January.

A senior official in the ministry of agriculture said all options were discussed, including that of farmers not getting MSPs for their crops though they have been raised about 1.5 times by this government. The merit of another scheme from BJP-ruled Jharkhand - to give direct fixed subsidy to farmers - was also discussed. Also on the table was the option of raising the credit limit of the Kisan Credit Card.

Addressing the Dharamsala rally, Modi, without naming the Congress, said, Those who were in the habit of looting, they are now feeling afraid of the countrys chowkidar and are now abusing him. They were now befooling the farmers in the name of waiving farm loans.

Bhavantar plan on top of the heap

The successful Bhavantar scheme in MP that pays the difference between the MSP and the market rate to the farmers as also the Jharkhand model to give direct fixed subsidy to farmers were discussed.Pushkar Banakar By

Express News Service

AMROHA: Villagers and family members of two of the ten people arrested on Wednesday as members of an Islamic State (IS)-inspired terror module protested on Thursday alleging that the two were innocent and that National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials had manhandled several villagers.

The two accused, Saeed and Raees were picked up from their homes in Saidpur Imma (Uttar Pradesh) in a raid. The brothers have been accused of procuring approximately 25 kilograms of explosives and fabricating a rocket launcher in a bid to carry out terror attacks in various parts of the country.

The protesting villagers claimed that NIA officials, during the raid, ransacked their houses and the welding shop where the two worked in the village while also manhandling the women of the house.

According to Raees mother Mustariya, the NIA officials were present in the house from 3 am on Wednesday to around 12 pm. All the while they were present, they gagged us. We were not allowed to speak and most of us were covered with blankets. Some of them even sat on us. We were not even allowed to go to the toilets. Some women in the house were forced to urinate in their clothes. Even the children were not spared. What wrong have the children done? We were not even allowed to breastfeed infants, she wailed and added that they had requested the officials to wait for the panchayat leaders to arrive but their pleas fell on deaf ears.

Habib, the father of the arrested duo, was a little calmer. Fighting back tears, he said he wanted justice.

The interiors of the sealed welding workshop belonging to Saeed and Raees in Islam Nagar area of Amroha in Uttar Pradesh. (Photo | Parveen Negi/ EPS)

If they have done something wrong, let them be punished. Even I do not want criminals in my house. But if they are innocent, they must be released at the earliest. You can enquire with the entire neighbourhood about my sons. Everyone will tell you that they are innocent, he said.

ALSO READ: Delhi's Jafrabad stunned after NIA raids on IS-inspired module, engineering student among those held

Meanwhile, some of the protesting villagers reached Saeeds welding shop on the outskirts of the village with a tractor to demonstrate that the accused was just doing his job. It is his job to make pistons for tractors and vehicles. The NIA has projected these pistons to be rocket launchers. I have known him (Saeed) for the past 10 years and I can assure you that he is innocent, Mohammad, a 26-year-old resident of the village said.

The NIA claims that the workshop, on the outskirts, was used to manufacture the arms to be used on targets including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh headquarters in Nagpur and the Delhi Police headquarters.Pushkar Banakar By

Express News Service

AMROHA (UTTAR PRADESH): One of the 10 ISIS-inspired terror suspects arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday is mentally ill and has been undergoing treatment for the past two-and-a-half years, his family claimed on Thursday. According to Mohammad Irshads wife Shabnam, he is being treated at the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) in New Delhi.

He is a simple man who drives an auto rickshaw for a living. His income was not sufficient, so I also made beedis at home to support the family. He has been in and out of hospital for quite some time now. Sometimes it is the local hospital and sometimes it is the hospital in Delhi, she said. Irshads medical report, which this newspaper has accessed, shows the 35-year-old year suffering from acute bouts of depression and sleeplessness.

A doctor, who treated him at the IHBAS in the past, said: Irshads condition is not normal. He shows symptoms of abnormal behaviour. Though his condition cannot be termed as something major, his cognitive response time is very low when compared to normal individuals. But the doctor refused to comment on whether such a condition could hamper his ability to participate in something as big as a terror plot.

ALSO READ: Delhi's Jafrabad stunned after NIA raids on IS-inspired module, engineering student among those held

Five of the ten accused ISIS-inspired group members who were planning suicide attacks and serial blasts, targeting politicians. (Photo | EPS)

Irshad was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday on charges of arranging a hideout for storing the materials used in making improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and bombs. His family claimed that a group of 10-12 NIA officials broke into their house in a narrow bylane of Mohalla Qazi Zada in Amroha while Irshad was asleep and dragged him away.

READ: Kin of two accused claim NIA officials manhandled women, children

My family was told that he was being taken for questioning and he would be back in an hour. He is yet to return. I got to know of this around 5 am as I was away in Delhi to attend a funeral, said Aurangzeb, Irshads brother. Aurangzeb and his family are clueless about their next step. All we can do is wait and watch. He will be in our prayers. We know he is innocent and we just hope justice is done, he said.

Remanded in 12-day NIA custody

A Delhi court on Thursday allowed 12-day custodial interrogation by NIA of 10 people who were allegedly members of an ISIS-inspired group. The court allowed the NIA to handcuff the suspects while taking them to various places for investigations.By PTI

LONDON: Seven members of a UK-based Indian-origin family were involved in a freak accident in Iceland when their SUV crashed off a bridge on Thursday, killing two women and a child.

Four others, including two British Indian brothers and two young children, remain in critical condition after being airlifted to a hospital in Iceland's capital Reykjavik.

The family was reportedly on holiday in the Nordic island country when their hired Toyota Land Cruiser slammed through a railing while crossing a high single-lane bridge at Skeidararsandur, a vast sand plain in the southern part of the country.

Local police have only identified the victims as British, with their names and ages not yet released until formal identification.

The Indian Ambassador to Iceland, T Armstrong Changsan, visited the injured at Landspitali hospital, where he spoke to hospital staff and the chaplain before contacting family members in India.

He confirmed that three people died, one of them a young child, and said the other family members were in a "stable" condition in hospital on Thursday night.

"It is a very tragic case.

A group of close family friends have arrived from London to be by their side and their brother and parents from Maharashtra are organising their travel from India, he told PTI.

"The Indian embassy is trying to expedite the travel arrangements and we remain in constant touch with the local authorities, he said.

The holidaymakers from the UK included two couples in their thirties and three children, aged around three, eight and nine.

While the youngest girl was killed on the spot, the other girl remains in surgery.

According to local reports, the two adults killed in the crash were the wives of the two British Indian brothers.

Chief Superintendent of South Iceland Police Sveinn Kristjan Runarsso confirmed the four survivors have been taken to hospital with serious injuries and that "we haven't been able to talk to them about what happened".

The crash site was described as "horrifying" by tour guide Adolf Erlingsson, who was among the first on the scene with two police officers.

"The car was totally smashed up after flying off the bridge and plunging down there, he told Icelandic radio station Bylgjan.

"The car seemed to have hit the ground many metres from where it stopped. We struggled getting everyone out," he said.

Police officers have said that humidity could have made the surface slippery but said it remains unclear what caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle.

Temperatures were around freezing at the time of the accident, which occurred hours before the North Atlantic island saw sunrise at nearly 11: 30 AM local time.

The vehicle the family was travelling in slammed through a railing while crossing a high single-lane bridge over the Nupsa river at Skeidararsandur.

The bridge is described as "really narrow" and the vehicle plummeted on to the dry riverbed below and landed on its roof.

Iceland's national ring road, also known as Route 1, is popular among tourists from around the world and the site of the crash was near Skaftafell in the south-east of the country, which is made up of mountains, glaciers, waterfalls and beaches.

Of the 18 people who have died in traffic accidents in Iceland this year, half of them have been foreign nationals.

The UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We are supporting the family of several British nationals who were involved in a road traffic accident in Iceland and are in close contact with the Icelandic authorities."By PTI

SRIHARIKOTA: The Indian Space Research Organisation wants to make the ambitious manned mission Gaganyaan "more and more" indigenous by utilising the facilities available in the country, ISRO Chairman K Sivan said here Thursday.

Addressing a press conference after successfully launching ISRO's earth observation satellite HysIS and 30 other co-passengers into their designated orbits, Sivan, however, said the space agency may have to take outside help for some tests.

HysIS means Hyper Spectral Imaging Satellite. "We want to make use of maximum facilities available in India and also we want to make it more and more indigenous," he said.

"In order to meet the Prime Minister's (Narendra Modi) vision (of sending humans to space) by 2022, to undertake some testing we may go abroad. But we have not decided that" he added. The space agency is aiming to undertake the first unmanned programme under the Gaganyaan project by December 2020.

If Gaganyaan is successful, India would become the fourth nation to achieve the feat.

On the future launches planned by ISRO, Sivan said, "For next year, we have plans to undertake almost 12-14 missions."

"GSAT-11, we are having in December. Next GSAT-7A is there. In January, we are having a micro-satellite launch, then Chandrayaan-II mission is also there," he said.Santwana Bhattacharya By

It would be wise to go beyond our usual bipolar vision and recognise the real content of the 2019 elections: alliances will be the crux, the crucial swing factor, substantively defining the continuing federal trend of our polity. No sign from the ground till now allows us to imagine a single party making it on its own. In 2014 too, the election was very much fought on the strength of alliances, but with a difference. Modi, showcased as the answer to everything, was the prime factor across India.

The BJP managed to galvanise the masses and classes around him. In Mathura, UP, during a campaign visit, a rather quizzically surprised Hema Malini saw everyone in the villages she went to, from children to the old, chanting one name. Ive been given many names and attributes, but never in my life had I seen people looking at Hema Malini and saying Modi Modi! I feel my name has been changed! she had recounted to this writer, not entirely thrilled.

The results, particularly in UP, matched that build-up. In 2019, whatever slogan the BJP comes up with to cash the Modi cheque again, the vote will be on the PM + government + performance. The latter includes Modi, his governance style, all of NDA-II and the scorecard of BJP MPs. The surprise factor is what is missing.

The last four years saw the emergence of Amit Shah as a key strategistin mainstream discourse, the BJP is hyphenated into a Modi-Shah duocracy. Now, a third angle has been added in the form of Yogi Adityanath. The BJP, in its own wisdom, has sought to project the saffron-clad UP CM as a mascot of sorts, even beyond the boundaries of UP. Analysis of recent Assembly poll results, fiercely contested by the BJP, shows the cons may be more than the pros. Whats it like in UP? When the BJP posted a spectacular repeat performance in the UP Assembly polls, on the back of demonetisation, the all-round expectation was of a kind of double turbo engine.

Things did not turn out on expected lines (a senior BJP MP claims double engine has become double incumbency). Moreover, it solidified a formidable caste alliance of SP-BSP-RLD against it. Even if the Phulpur-Gorakhpur bypoll results were a fluke, a close look at 2014 and later Assembly results show the SP-BSPs aggregated votes are more than the BJPs in three out of four constituencies.

A potentially crucial twist: as of now, the Congress seems unlikely to be part of the UP alliance. Some of its leaders claim its by strategic choice, some quietly blame the aspirations of Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav. Neither wants to facilitate a Congress resurgence, though Akhilesh may prefer to tie the Congress to a limited number of seats, between five and 10, to avoid any splintering of Muslim votes. Mayawati is not ready to give the GoP more than Amethi and Rae Bareli, if at all.

For the BSP, it seems, the Congress fighting on its own, cutting into the BJPs dominant caste votes, is seen as a better option. Anxieties in that segment, set off by Yogis Thakur raj, are quite high, by many accounts. Thus, even a small ally like the Apna Dal is playing hard ball. (Its therefore rather curious that Shah gave a former bete noire, Gordhan Zadafia, charge of UP.) As things stand, the state is unlikely to repeat 2014.

The changing equations were best exemplified in Bihar, where the BJP won 22 in 2014 but has now agreed to contest 17 to accommodate Ram Vilas Paswan and CM Nitish Kumar, despite the anti-incumbency against his moth-eaten JD(U). By all accounts, the BJP vote in Bihar seems intact, whereas Nitishs EBC/Mahadalit plank is challenged by the exit of Upendra Kushwaha and Jitan Manjhi. Things seem equally poised. Can Nitish deliver a high strike rate for his 17 seats? Can sympathy for the incarcerated Lalu Prasad Yadav boost the RJD beyond its recent highs? Its all up in the air.

Elsewhere in the Hindi heartland, even if the Congress/UPA is unable to carry over its recent momentum, its unlikely to be a walkover for the BJP. In Tamil Nadu, the alliance-making is done and dusted: the DMK under Stalin is firmly with the Congress/UPA. In Karnataka, a Congress-JD(S) tie-up is a fait accompli, as is the pact with the TDP in Andhra Pradesh.

Another twist: the third factor, in the form of K Chandrashekar Rao. KCRs alliance-making efforts, if it goes beyond enthusiastic backing from Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik to a nod from Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh-Mayawati, its certainly trouble for the Congress. In the first round, KCR has bested the new UPA, convened by Chandrababu Naidu, but the jury is still out.

For KCR and Naveen, the Congress is the main Opposition, hence any proximity to the UPA is a near-impossibility. Little wonder the PM was kinder to the BJD in his recent Odisha rally, despite Shahs 120+ slogan to wrest the state from Naveenbabus iron grip. So a contrary alliance is what the Congress could be looking at in Odisha and Telangana. And in Bengal, like UP, no alliancethat may help it retain its little foothold. Mamata is anyway unlikely to share a single seat with anyone. For the BJP, suffering alliance blues in Maharashtra, the best bet seems to be the far east. What if it emerges the single-largest party short of majority? Well, Nitish, it seems, maintains a hotline across party lines!By Express News Service

Through the year, The New Indian Express has published stories that have touched a chord with the public and stirred the powers that be to act. At the end of an eventful 2018, we recapture some inspiring reports that acted as catalysts, ushered in change and impacted lives across Karnataka.

From toilet to a roof over their heads

D1 is all that Lakshminarasamma and Obalappa  residents of Kadapalakere village in Pavagada taluk  received to construct a house by the gram panchayat. The two landless farmhands were forced to live in their neighbors toilet for a year, anticipating grants under Ambedkar Awas Yojana. Officials blamed a technical glitch for the D1 grant joke played on the elderly couple. TNIE had reported their plight on November 3. A day later, a team of taluk-level officials, visited them and promised to help them get funds.

Bannerghatta stays safe

The TNIE had published two stories titled Land swap between defence, govt in sensitive zone and Bannerghatta faces threat of being swallowed by urban jungle, on September 8. Lokayukta Justice Shetty initiated suo motu proceedings and started investigations into the issue, and directed authorities to take appropriate steps to prevent this from happening.

Lokayukta stops flow of filth

On July 20, 2018, TNIE published three stories  Bengaluru may reap toxic veggies, for froth it sows, We dont want another Bellandur and Sheep are falling sick  on the impact of polluted water supplied to lakes in Chikkaballapur and Kolar districts from the KC Valley project. Based on these reports, Lokayukta Justice P Vishwanatha Shetty issued notices to the Secretary, Minor Irrigation Department, the Chairman, Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Chief Executive Officer, Lake Conservation and Development Authority, and commissioners of BBMP and BDA. The Lokayukta asked the respondents to submit their responses within four weeks, and take measures to remedy the situation.

Kere Kamegowda, man on a mission

On July 15, 2018, TNIE reported how an 82-year-old shepherd had singlehandedly developed 14 ponds in Daasanadoddi village in Malavalli taluk of Mandya district. Over a span of four decades, Kamegowda had turned an entire hillside in his village green. Witness to the barren land, scorching heat and sufferings of birds and animals alike, Kamegowda  often referred to as a madman  dug ponds for two hours every day for 40 years. Recognising his service after it was reported in TNIE, the Karnataka government conferred on him the Rajyotsava Prashasti, the highest state award. Kamegowda declared that he would use the award to dig more ponds.

At 91, forever student gets Rajyotsava

Learning never stopped for nonagenarian Shranabasavaraj Hadli, a retired government school teacher who wrote the entrance exam for a PhD course at Kannada University, Hampi. TNIE carried his inspiring story on September 6. Hadli, 91, from Bisaralli village in Koppal taluk, was selected for the Rajyotsava award this year. Hadli, who has authored 15 books and penned a few songs, applied for a PhD in Vachana Sahitya at the university. Of his four sons and two daughters, two sons retired recently.

Rai pays heed, villagers get pure water

Actor Prakash Rai came to the rescue of people at Bandlarahatti in Hiriyur taluk after TNIE reported about the lack of work happening in the village that he adopted, on January 27. After the publication of the report, titled 10 months after adopting Hiriyur village, Prakash Rai yet to show up on October 11, Prakash ensured that a water purification unit is installed at a cost of D3 lakh. The new plant started functioning in the village, and villagers are happily drawing water from this facility now.

Martyrs kin get their due

Lokayukta Justice P Vishwanatha Shetty asked officials concerned to take action after TNIE wrote about families of 13 martyrs awaiting benefits after the soldiers died on duty. The story, Families of martyrs from Karnataka wait endlessly for compensation, published on July 19, narrated the plight of the martyrs kin as the files were held up at the offices of the concerned Deputy Commissioners and Urban Development Authorities. Justice Shetty asked the government to dispose off the families applications within 8 weeks. He also asked the Revenue department to submit the status report after securing the report from the deputy commissioners concerned and registered a suo motu complaint.

Gadkari takes note of smart suggestion on NH

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari asked the National Highways Authority of India for a new Detailed Project Report after TNIE published a report about citizens seeking a relook at the proposal to upgrade National Highway 766C. The February 15 report, Citizens suggest shortcut during highway upgrade, featured people of Hosanagar and members of Kollur Mookambika temple suggesting a method to cut 19 km from the proposed highway by diverting the existing stretch between Hosanagar and Adogodi via Nagara and Sampekatte through Sutta and Bekkodi.

Rapist in dock; jawan, sister get justice

On May 23, TNIE wrote about the struggle of an Army jawan to get justice for his 20-year-old sister who was raped for one-and-a-half years by a rowdy. The jawan, hailing from Muddibehal, was posted in Assam, and discovered the alleged crime when he came home in 2017. He thrashed the accused and took him to the police, who refused to register a complaint. Taking notice of the TNIE report, titled Karnataka: Army jawan struggles to get justice for his sister who was raped, the Indian Army wrote to the district police and administration, asking them to take action. Based on the letter, police registered a complaint and the case is in court.

No to amphitheatre, yes to college playground

A decision was taken to demolish an open-air theatre built by actress Bhavana Ramanna on a playground belonging to Government Arts College in Bengaluru after TNIE reported about it. The government is also mulling recovering the expenditure needed for the demolition work from the previous principal of the college who had allowed the work to begin. The Higher Education Minister was prompted to order an inquiry into the project following the TNIE report, Private open air theatre at government college sparks row, published on August 7. TNIE was the first to report a decision by the State government to allow the construction, which, the actress said, aimed to provide space for artistes to perform in the heart of the city.

Frothy lake grabs govt attention

After a story on the bad condition of Byramangala lake at Bidadi in Ramanagara district was published in TNIE on August 23, the Minor Irrigation Department ordered preparation of a Detailed Project Report for setting up a sewage treatment plant. The report, Bengaluru feeds its poison to Byramangala lake in Bidadi, gets back its taste, highlighted how industrial and city waste was entering the lake through the Vrushabhavati river and polluting nearby villages, leading to health issues. The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) also started sending officials to inspect industries in and around Bidadi to prevent them from letting untreated water into Byramangala Lake.

Water channel comes back to life, irrigates farms again

After a story on the unscientific road work taken up by the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Department at Idu gram panchayat in Karkala taluk was published on December 22, RDPR engineers instructed the contractors concerned to dig the trench and make a channel to ensure resumption of water supply to fields. The story, Farms left parched as road project buries water channel, highlighted how the 1.44km road, under Namma Grama Namma Rasthe scheme, from Idu Palke to Batteni, had buried a traditional water channel that used to irrigate 70 acres of paddy fields. Ajith Kumar Jain, a farmer, told TNIE that farmers are happy now since the refurbishing of the channel began on December 24.

Reuniting a child with her foster mother

For seven years, Jayashree Guttedar had brought up an abandoned girl as her own, only to be told that she was raising the girl illegally. The wailing baby that Jayashree had rescued from a bush near a private maternity hospital in Gubbi Colony in Kalaburagi years ago, was taken away by Women and Child Development department officials to an orphanage. Jayashree -- a mother of three who had accepted the girl as her own -- had to run from pillar to post, fighting to claim the child with proper documentation. Jayashree then reached out to district in-charge minister Priyank Kharge. On October 3, 2018, TNIE carried the story, highlighting the torment of the mother. Minister Kharge intervened, and the child was returned to Jayashree with coordination from the district commissioner.By Express News Service

MANDYA: Three days after the murder of JD(S) leader Honnalagere Prakash, Maddur police arrested four people on Thursday. While three of the accused were arrested at Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh, one was apprehended near Maddur in the district. Prakash was stabbed to death when he was seated in his car near TB Circle in Maddur town on December 24.

The arrested are Prasanna, Swamy, Muttesh and Yogesh alias Dabha, all hailing from Toppanahalli, also the native place of the murdered politician.

They were also named in the FIR filed by the police against eight people recently. They were produced before a court at Maddur which remanded them in custody till January 4.

Confirming their arrests, Additional SP Balaram told TNIE that barring Yogesh, the remaining three were also involved in the double murder case that had rocked the same village two years ago. However, they had been released on bail from jail later. They have also confessed to their crime, he added.

Continuing, the additional SP said, The three accused -- Prasanna, Swamy and Muttesh -- were travelling in a vehicle when they were intercepted near Kadappa. Yogesh was nabbed in Maddur.

According to the investigation, it is confirmed that Prakash was hacked to death in relation to the simmering differences over the double murder case.

However, it is not known as to why the accused chose to eliminate him on a particular day. Prakash was bludgeoned to death exactly two years after the Congress and JD(S) party workers had clashed against each other on December 24. Following the day, same year, two youth had been murdered, with Prakash taking the lead in pressing for justice in the court.

Recently, when attempts were made to persuade Prakash to withdraw the case, as he was also one among the witnesses, he had refused to do so. The repeated attempts made to convince him had also gone in vain, as he was keen on getting justice to the bereaved family members of the two who were killed then.By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Arumugasamy commission, which has been inquiring into the death of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa, on Friday summoned deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam, health minister C Vijayabaskar, Dr Richard Beale, the UK based doctor who treated Jayalalithaa, and Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai to appear before it.

According to sources, the probe panel headed by retired Madras High Court judge Arumughaswamy has summoned Panneerselvam to appear before it on January 8 and Vijayabaskar has been summoned for an appearance on January 7. Dr Beale has been asked by the panel to depose before it on January 9 while Thambidurai has been summoned by the commission on January 11.

The former chief minister J Jayalalithaa was hospitalised in Apollo hospitals on September 22, 2016. After undergoing treatment for 75 days she was declared dead on December 5, 2016.

Subsequently, on September 25, 2017, the Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaiswamy appointed retired High Court Arumughaswamy commission to an inquiry into the circumstances that led to the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa.So far, more than 100 witnesses, including Jayalalithaa's aides, doctors and paramedical staff of Apollo Hospitals, political party leaders, Jayalalithaas relatives, bureaucrats and police officials, have been questioned by the commission.By PTI

CHENNAI: In yet another case of alleged medical negligence in Tamil Nadu, a woman has claimed that she contracted the HIV virus following blood transfusion at a government hospital where she underwent treatment for low haemoglobin.

The government hospital has refuted the allegation. The affected woman, said to be in her 20s, told a Tamil TV channel Friday she underwent the transfusion in April while being pregnant.

She came to know she had HIV only when the hospital informed her after conducting tests in August when she went there for check-up.

The women said though she had been regularly visiting a local public health centre when she was pregnant, she was only administered vaccines there.

"The blood transfusion happened at the Government Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital (GKMCH) only. That is where the mistake happened," she said.

Refuting the allegation, hospital dean Dr P Vasanthamani said the woman was transfused with "100 per cent HIV free" blood.

The woman claimed she had taken up the matter with the state government but to no avail. She had not gone public earlier as her relatives had warned her it will affect her reputation, she said.

She was now coming out because even her relatives were not supporting her anymore, the woman added.

Responding to the woman's allegation, Vasanthamani insisted there was no wrongdoing on the hospital's part and said two units of blood were given on different days in April and both were screened to ensure they were HIV negative.

"As far as we are concerned, we gave only 100 per cent HIV free blood. There is no chance of her contracting the virus here," she told reporters Friday.

The hospital had record and 'evidence' to show that only HIV negative blood was transfused, she asserted.

After testing positive for the virus, the woman underwent treatment at the hospital for some time, Vasanthamani said.

Her child, who was born recently through a caesarean section, tested negative for the virus, the dean added.

When reporters sought state Health Minister C Vijayabaskar's reaction, he said he came to know about it only from the media and indicated he would respond later.

Earlier, a 24-year-old pregnant woman at Sattur in Virudhunagar district contracted HIV allegedly after being transfused contaminated blood supplied by a blood bank which failed to conduct proper screening for the virus, prompting the Tamil Nadu government to order examination of stocks in the state's blood banks.By PTI

HYDERABAD: The BJP in Telangana Thursday requested the Election Commission to inquire into alleged discrepancies in the electoral rolls of the state.

In a memorandum to the Commission, the party alleged that the increase of votes between 2009 and 2014 was inordinately high in some assembly constituencies.

The total increase in all 15 Hyderabad District Constituencies was 25.1 per cent over the electors in 2009 elections.

In one of the assembly segments, it was as high as 49 per cent, the BJP alleged.

The party said the increase in the number of electors in Telangana between 2014 and the electoral list released for the general assembly elections was only around 2.4 per cent, almost 10 times lower than the increase between 2009 and 2014.

Citing'statistics' on the rate of increase of electors, the BJP said it was higher in cities than rural areas.

However, the number of electors decreased between 2014 and 2018 in six of the 15 assembly constituencies, it said.

BJP Telangana president K Laxman, national general secretary Muralidhar Rao and the partys BJP floor leader in the Council N Ramchander Rao were among those met the EC, a press release form the party said.By Online Desk

It was former British cabinet minister and then Downing Street policy unit Damian Green who in 1994 had urged Prime Minister John Majors government to embrace the internet to catch up with the White House and stay ahead of a young Opposition leader Tony Blair, a report has revealed.

Green suggested that Major get online to keep up to date. He said internet users will be a growing group of opinion-formers.

Various MPs who are computer-literate have made the point to me that it would be advantageous for Number 10 to be seen to be up with developments in this area," Green said in a memo to Major's private secretary, Alex Allan, in August 1994.

Allan too was keen on the Prime Minister's office embracing the internet, but said they must avoid "rushing into" asking citizen to send emails to Major - a practice the Clinton administration had already begun.

"I do not believe we would get a huge volume of email in the long run, but we could expect an initial flood as people around the world tried it out for fun," he wrote.

But he remained concerned about President Clinton's White House racing ahead in the adoption of the internet.

Alland agreed that taking the PM's office online would show that it "10 is keeping up with technological trends.

The Blair factor

There was also the Tony Blair factor to consider for both men.

The future Prime Minister had just a month ago been elected Labour leader following the sudden demise of John Smith.

Internet users will be a growing group of opinion-formers, and I can just imagine Tony Blair showing how he belongs to a new generation by signing up, Green wrote in his letter to Allan, the report said.

But funnily Blair was a technophobe, once termed as a 'pen and paper man' by his former spokesman Alastair

When Blair eventually became the Prime Minister, he had no computer on his desk. He never sent an email during his regime.

When porn claimed Green

A final footonote. Green lost his position and his career was cut short following a scandal over internet pornography in December 2017.By PTI

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a bilateral economic project and has no military dimensions.

Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said this at the weekly media briefing here on Thursday when asked about a US media report that alleged that China has hatched a secret plan to build fighter jets and other military hardware in Pakistan as part of the USD 60 billion projects.

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. China last week dismissed as untrue the report.

ALSO READ: China denies report on building military jets in Pakistan under CPEC

Responding to the report, Faisal said the CPEC is an economic project between Pakistan and China, the Dawn reported. "The CPEC has helped Pakistan improve its economy, particularly energy and infrastructure sectors have improved under it. The CPEC is a bilateral economic project, which is not against any country," he was quoted as saying by the daily.

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).

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.By Associated Press

FRANKFURT: The euro is about to celebrate its 20th birthday, but the countries that use it are still wrestling over how the shared currency should work and how to fix flaws exposed by the debt crisis that marred its second decade.

The euro was launched on Jan. 1, 1999, when 10 countries fixed their exchange rates to it and handed decisions on interest rates to the newly-founded European Central Bank. Euro notes and coins went into circulation three years later.

The shared currency was seen as a solution to the constant quarrels over exchange rates that had marked European politics after World War II and as a logical extension of the European Union's tariff-free trade zone. Britain, notably, opted out, but 19 of 28 EU countries use the euro.

The euro is credited with increasing trade between members. But countries have struggled to adjust to trouble after giving up two big safety valves: the ability to let their currency's exchange rate fall to boost exports, and to adjust their own interest rates to stimulate business activity.

One partial solution could be a central budget to keep paying bills when member countries are slammed with recessions. European leaders called for some sort of central pot of money in 2015 and are finally working on how to set one up. Finance ministers were tasked at this month's summit with filling in the details by June. The budget remains, however, a severely limited version of an original 2017 proposal from French President Emmanuel Macron.

Another key patch  EU-wide deposit insurance to help prevent bank runs during times of stress  has been put off.

Meanwhile, the possibility of a new crisis like the one that threatened to break up the euro in 2010-2012 lurks. Italy's populist government chafes at spending restrictions that go along with the euro and wants to spend more on social welfare. Italy's dispute with the EU's executive arm, the European Commission, is on ice for now. But Italy's large debt load of 132 percent of annual economic output, lack of pro-business reforms and slow economic growth over its euro membership remain a simmering threat that could blow up during the next recession, whenever it comes.

The original euro setup under the Maastricht Treaty signed in 1992 made it clear that economic policy and spending were strictly national responsibilities, and member states were forbidden from bailing each other out. That concept went by the wayside in 2010, when the more financially solid countries led by Germany gave bailout loans to weaker ones whose debts were no longer sustainable, and enforced tough austerity as a condition.

European leaders have since added new tweaks and crisis protections, including EU-level scrutiny of bank finances. There's also a standing rescue fund, the European Stability Mechanism. The European Commission now scrutinizes countries' budgets before they're submitted to national parliaments. Perhaps most important was a 2012 European Central Bank promise to buy bonds of countries facing excessive borrowing costs, a pledge that helped calm the storm on financial markets.

But there's little agreement on going further. Germany and northern European governments like the Netherlands resist sharing risks and spending, fearing they'll end up paying for shenanigans in less well-run economies. From the other direction, France's Macron has pushed for a substantial central budget, against considerable resistance.

"We have evolved into a new, post-Maastricht framework, but we don't really have a political vision which explains what that new framework actually is," said Lucas Guttenberg, deputy director of the Jacques Delors Institute in Berlin and a former ECB economist.

An expert report carried out for the European Commission as long ago as 1977 estimated that a shared currency would need a central budget of 5 to 7 percent of gross domestic product. Without that, monetary union was deemed "impracticable." But the many treasury proposals floated, such as a rainy day fund or central help funding unemployment insurance in a downturn, run into opposition.

Guttenberg said it's clear some form of common budget is needed, but added that "as important as getting the fix on institutions and tools is to have a political idea of what the eurozone should be ..."

"The key question is that we don't agree yet on what we expect from the euro. "

While economists and politicians debate, ordinary people are left to sort out the ups and downs of sharing a currency.

"I think the euro for most Greeks was a symbol of accomplishment as a country. Most Greeks wished for their country to be more 'European'  more structured, wealthy, organized," said Yiota Lourida, a 45-year-old doctor at a state hospital.

"Post-crisis it's obvious the idea of the common currency and the reality of the euro are two different things. We signed up for a European currency and we got a German euro instead. That's not what most people had in mind 20 years ago."

Greece received three bailouts in return for rigorous austerity such as cutting government salaries and pensions. The country lost a quarter of its economy, and households an estimated 42 percent of their income. Still, Greece craved Europe's political and financial stability, having struggled with its erratic drachma currency and with political instability.

Considering the pain Greeks endured to keep the euro, the EU's single currency remains remarkably popular. Sixty percent say it's good for the country and 71 percent believe it's good for the EU  only slightly below average among currency bloc members as a whole, at 64 and 74 percent.By Online Desk

An Indian man, whose negligence at the wheel led to the death of his wife, in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE has had to pay Rs 38 lakh in compensation to her heirs.

PA Praveen, husband of Divya Praveen, 25, admitted in court that he had dozed off when the car in which they were all travelling crashed into a signpost early on Sunday.

Praveen and their two-year-old son Daksh escaped hurt, but Divya failed to survive.

The family was returning after Divya had danced in the Dhanumasa Thiruvathira festival for her husband's well-being, the Gulf Times reported.

Three days later, on Wednesday, a Ras Al Khaimah court held that Praveen's negligence had caused the accident and fined him 200000 dirhams (over Rs 38 lakh), which they said would go to the 'heirs of Divya', the paper reported. Praveen was slapped with a further 2500 dirhams (Rs 45500) in fine for having damaged the signpost in the accident.

He also was "locked up in the police station for a few hours", Pushpan Govindan, a social worker with Indian Relief Committee that helped Praveen was quoted as saying.

Govindan told the paper that Praveen's friends and relatives managed to pool together the cash in three hours and have him released.

Praveen and Daksh flew out with Divya's body to her hometown in Kerala from Dubai. Divya was cremated at Ivor Madom, Thrissur.By Associated Press

BEIRUT (LEBANON): The main Syrian Kurdish militia has invited government troops to take control of the flashpoint northern town of Manbij to prevent a Turkish attack.

The People's Protection Units, or YPG, made the appeal Friday in a tweet. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is reporting that Syrian government forces have been massing on the edges of Manbij, a front line between Kurdish-led forces and Turkey-backed fighters to the west.

READ | Work to resume at Bahrain Embassy in Syria after UAE move

It is not yet clear whether US troops, which had patrolled the area, remain in place or have withdrawn. There was no immediate response from the US-led coalition.

Turkey had threatened a military operation against Manbij to remove the Kurdish-led forces there. Turkey views the YPG as a terrorist group.

The threats triggered the US announcement of withdrawing troops from Syria.This Dino Species Has

'Something Never Seen Before'(Newser)  The lowest-paid workers in New York state will have something to look forward to in the new year: a higher minimum wage, with the biggest boost coming to employees in New York City, who will make at least $15 per hour, per the AP. For workers struggling in this expensive city, it's a cause for celebration, an extra bit of cash to help with the daily fight to make ends meet, even as rents and other costs continue to rise. For some business owners, it's a burden as they try to figure out how to cope with higher labor costs. In New York City, the $15 hourly rate kicks in on the last day of 2018 and will apply to fast-food workers and employees of businesses with 11 or more people; those businesses currently must pay a minimum wage of $13.

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Workers in New York City's Long Island suburbs will see their minimum pay go from $11 to $12 on New Year's Eve before jumping to $15 in 2021. The rest of the state will see the minimum wage go up 70 cents, to $11.10, with further increases phased in over several years. If the experience of Seattle, where the minimum wage has been increased, is anything to go by, it's neither going to be a magic bullet that puts low-wage workers in a secure position, nor a stake in the heart of businesses, said Jacob Vigdor, a professor at the University of Washington. "The general sense is that the fears of what a higher minimum wage might have done to business were exaggerated," he said. "I think it's also fair to say the hopes of what a minimum wage might have done to workers were also exaggerated."



(Read more minimum wage stories.)(Newser)  Some are questioning the Italian governments ability to protect police informants and their families after the brother of a former mafia member was gunned down on Christmas Day, The Local reports. Two assailants executed 51-year-old Marcello Bruzzese, brother of mobster-turned-informant Girolamo Mommo Bruzzese, as he sat in his car near his apartment in the city of Pesaro. The killers wore balaclavas and fired at least 20 shots at Bruzzese, per the Guardian. This is a very serious issue. The state dedicates fewer and fewer resources to protection programs, Senator Pietro Grasso tells The Local, saying While the interior minister posted a photo of his meals [on social media], a mafia ambush was taking place.

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Police suspect the Calabrian mafia, the Ndrangheta, ordered the slaying. Marcello Bruzzese was not a member of the organization, according to reports. But his father, Domenico Bruzzese was a lieutenant in the organization before he was killed in 1995. And his brother Girolamo Bruzzese was a member until 2003, when he shot mafia boss Teodoro Crea (who survived) and then became an informant, providing law enforcement with information that led to several arrests of mafia members and others with ties to the group. Anti-mafia group Libera has demanded an immediate and firm government response to the latest killing, adding that informants are crucial to dismantling the mafia. (Read more Mafia stories.)(Newser)  Authorities say a Florida toddler was seriously injured after crashing her father's three-wheel motorcycle into a fence, the AP reports. The Miami Herald reports that the crash occurred Wednesday evening in a Miami-area neighborhood. Miami-Dade police say the father had just used the vehicle to get groceries. Minutes after going inside, the father heard the vehicle and rushed back outside to see it driving away with his 3-year-old daughter at the controls. Police say the father ran after the motorcycle and ended up being dragged. The vehicle eventually crashed into a fence, throwing the little girl. The toddler was airlifted to a Hollywood hospital, and the father was taken to a North Miami Beach hospital by ambulance. Police are investigating how the girl turned on the motorcycle and why she was unsupervised outside. (Read more Florida stories.)(Newser)  A New York City police officer who fended off five men with a baton and a couple of kicks says pulling a gun should be a last resort. "Life is precious ... There are other tools that we've been given, other tactics that we've been shown, and we got to use all of the resources before going to deadly physical force," Syed Ali told reporters Thursday, per NBC News, after a video viewed nearly 5 million times across social media showed him confronting five suspects accused of sexually harassing a woman at a Manhattan subway stop on Sunday. On a solo foot patrol, the Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan pulled out his baton and kicked at least two homeless suspects who appeared combative. But he could be heard saying, "Stand back. I don't want to hurt you," reports NBC New York.

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When one man, ultimately unhurt, tumbled onto the tracks, Ali ordered all trains be kept from the spot, per NBC. He "showed restraint & discipline in how he de-escalated the situation," tweeted Brooklyn councilman Chaim Deutsch, while Mayor Bill de Blasio applauded Ali's "extraordinary professionalism and bravery." Ali, however, says he was "just being a cop," which means evaluating each situation as it happens. "The police department and the Army have groomed me to take that second and think about it, even if it's a slight second," he says. After some delay, Juan Nunez, 27, and Leobardo Alvarado, 31, are now charged with obstructing governmental administration and riot, while 36-year-old Eliseo Alvarez Santos faces additional charges of attempted assault, attempted criminal possession of a weapon, and menacing. (Read more NYPD stories.)(Newser)  South Korea says it is responding to a hacking attack that stole the names and addresses of nearly 1,000 North Korean defectors who resettled in the South. A regional office of the Hana resettlement center said Friday that it has been notifying affected defectors after discovering last week that one of its computers had been breached sometime around November, the AP reports. South Korea's Unification Ministry said the names, home addresses, and birthdays of 997 defectors living in the country's southeast were stolen. Police are investigating the hacking attack but have yet to identify the source.

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The ministry said it has found no further signs of hacking or data breaches after investigating Hana's offices around the country earlier this week. Hana runs 25 offices nationwide to provide assistance to North Korean defectors who resettled in the South. About 30,000 North Koreans have fled to South Korea, mostly traveling via China, since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. South Korea in past years has accused North Korea of cyberattacks on South Korean business and government websites, but the North has denied responsibility. (A US court ordered North Korea to pay $501 million to the family of American student Otto Warmbier.)(Newser)  A Los Angeles celebrity has died unexpectedly at 43. Chris Burrous, a fixture on KTLA's Morning News since 2011, died at a hospital Thursday in what police describe as a possible overdose. Firefighters responding to a report of an unconscious man at a Days Inn in the LA suburb of Glendale found the weekend anchor wasn't breathing shortly after 1:15pm, per CBS LA. "Everybody knows Chris, so we knew that this  was gonna be a very sensitive matter," says Glendale Sgt. Dan Suttles. He says the initial call described a possible overdose, though a toxicology report is pending. "There are no words," says fellow KTLA anchor Lynette Romero, who shared a smiling photo of herself and Burrous on set on what turned out to be "our last time together," per the Los Angeles Times.

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"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Burrous family," reads a statement from Don Corsini, KTLA's president and general manager, and news director Jason Ball. "Chris loved sharing the stories of Southern California and connecting with our viewers. He will be remembered as a great journalist and a wonderful friend to many." Burrous, who graduated from Chapman University with a degree in broadcast journalism, joined KTLA after 14 years as a reporter and was "well known for his 'Burrous' Bites' food segments," per the Hollywood Reporter. He also had an active social media presence. Days ago, Burrous posted a video showing himself and his family discussing Christmas celebrations, per CBS LA. He leaves behind a wife, fellow journalist Mai Do-Burrous, and 9-year-old daughter, per KTLA. (A TV meteorologist died recently at 35.)(Newser)  In the weeks leading up to her murder, University of Utah student Lauren McCluskey repeatedly asked campus police for helpand ended up calling 911 twice because she was frustrated by their lack of action. The 21-year-old told police she was being harassed and blackmailed by Melvin Rowland, a 37-year-old man she had recently ended a brief relationship with. Her last appeal came just two days before her death. Now, two investigations into what happened, one by the university and one by the state, are raising questions about culpability. Details:

Anxious call: "I'm worried because I've been working with the campus police at the U, and last Saturday I reported and I haven't gotten an update," McCluskey says in an Oct. 19 call to 911 obtained by CNN. "They haven't updated or done anything," she said. The next day, she sent police screenshots of threatening text messages she had received. Rowland shot and killed her two days later and killed himself after a police chase.

"I'm worried because I've been working with the campus police at the U, and last Saturday I reported and I haven't gotten an update," McCluskey says in an Oct. 19 call to 911 obtained by CNN. "They haven't updated or done anything," she said. The next day, she sent police screenshots of threatening text messages she had received. Rowland shot and killed her two days later and killed himself after a police chase. The audio: Hear McCluskey's earlier call to 911, on Oct. 13, via KUTV.

Hear McCluskey's earlier call to 911, on Oct. 13, via KUTV. First warnings: McCluskey's friends first contacted university authorities on Sept. 30 with concerns about Rowland, Deadspin reports in a look at all the times McCluskey sought help. McCluskey herself first called campus police on Oct. 12, days after ending the relationship. Her first call to Salt Lake City police was on Oct. 13. She said she was nervous because she didn't know how long campus police would take to deal with her casebut the dispatcher transferred her to campus police.

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The relationship: Rowlanda convicted sex offender who had spent more than a decade in prisonlied to McCluskey about his name, age, and background when they first began dating after meeting at a bar. She broke off their relationship when she found out about a month later.

Rowlanda convicted sex offender who had spent more than a decade in prisonlied to McCluskey about his name, age, and background when they first began dating after meeting at a bar. She broke off their relationship when she found out about a month later. Her parents: McCluskey's parents say that contrary to the state's conclusions that found no "lapses in individual performance," officers missed numerous opportunities to act during the time their daughter was "expressing repeated, elevating, and persistent concerns about her situation." McCloskey's mother called university police herself on Oct. 10, worried that Rowland might hurt her daughter when returning the car he had borrowed.

McCluskey's parents say that contrary to the state's conclusions that found no "lapses in individual performance," officers missed numerous opportunities to act during the time their daughter was "expressing repeated, elevating, and persistent concerns about her situation." McCloskey's mother called university police herself on Oct. 10, worried that Rowland might hurt her daughter when returning the car he had borrowed. University investigation: Read it here. Among other things, it found that campus officers did not know how to look up information on someone's criminal background or parole status.

Read it here. Among other things, it found that campus officers did not know how to look up information on someone's criminal background or parole status. State investigation: Read it here.

Read it here. Criticism: The president and her police director should be fired immediately before another tragedy occurs, says former prosecutor Bob Bianchi of Law&Crime. What's more, "an investigation of all cases that may have been similarly reported, but not acted upon, should occur immediately before another person becomes a victim of fear, attack, or, like in this case, murder.

(Police say Rowland extorted $1,000 from McCluskey over "compromising" photos .)(Newser)  Democrats are making clear they don't intend to budge on President Trump's $5 billion demand for a border wall, and the president issued a threat of his own on Friday. He said he would "be forced to close the Southern border entirely" if Democrats don't provide the money and toughen immigration laws, reports NBC News. In a series of tweets, Trump said the move would make sense for national security and the economy. "We build a Wall or close the Southern Border," he wrote. "Bring our car industry back into the United States where it belongs. Go back to pre-NAFTA, before so many of our companies and jobs were so foolishly sent to Mexico."

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Trump also criticized Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, making reference to reportslike this one in the San Diego Union-Tribunethat another migrant caravan from Honduras was preparing to head north. Funding for a wall remains the biggest sticking point in the government shutdown, now in its seventh day, and it appears all but certain that the impasse will continue into 2019. (On Thursday, Trump said the murder of a police officer allegedly by a man in the US illegally illustrated the need for a wall.)(Newser)  A remarkable twist in the story involving the murder of 20-year-old Iowa college student Molly Tibbetts, delivered via Terrence McCoy of the Washington Post. Tibbetts was allegedly murdered by an undocumented immigrant named Cristhian Bahena Rivera, a 24-year-old who worked as a farm laborer in the rural community of Brooklyn, Iowa. Now Tibbetts' mother, Laura Calderwood, has taken in the 17-year-old son of Mexican immigrants, a boy whose family is closely tied to the alleged killer. The teen's name is Ulises Felix. His parents had worked alongside Bahena Rivera, who was a regular fixture at the family trailer in Brooklyn and had a child with Felix's cousin. Felix's parents decided to leave town amid a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment that sprang up after the slaying, but Felix wanted to remain and finish high school.

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That's when Calderwood, 55, welcomed Felix into a spare room of her home. Not only did her teenage son, Scott, request the new home for his friend, but Calderwood says it's what her daughter would have wanted. (Molly's father, who is separated from Calderwood, has written that his daughter would have found the anti-immigration views "racist.") Though Calderwood tends to keep her views to herself, the Post story describes how she has recoiled at the use of her daughter's murder in the immigration debate by politicians including Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and President Trump. Read the full story, which details life in the Tibbetts home and Felix's occasional reminiscences ("he was a pretty funny dude") about the accused murderer. (Bahena Rivera faces trial in April.)(Newser)  A man wanted in connection to the fatal shooting of a California police officer was captured Friday as he was attempting to flee home to Mexico, SFGate reports. SWAT officers arrested Gustavo Perez Arriaga without incident at a house in Bakersfield, per the AP; five others, including the suspects brother and coworker, were arrested on suspicion of aiding Arriaga, who police say killed 33-year-old Newman police officer Ronil Singh, a husband and father, during a DUI stop on the day after Christmas.

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In a Friday afternoon press conference attended by Singhs grieving family, Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson said that Arriaga is associated with the Sureno street gang and has two prior DUI arrests. Christianson slammed Californias sanctuary state laws and called for more border security, per SFGate, saying, Why are we providing sanctuary for criminals, gang members? Its a conversation we need to have. (Trump weighs in on the suspect's legal status.)Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.

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United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of ZimbabweRamez opened its new BD 6 million hypermarkets in Juffair yesterday, launching the groups new wave of expansion. The new hypermarket is Ramezs sixth in the kingdom and 40th in the region. It was inaugurated by Deputy Premier Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa in the presence of Ramez Al Awadi, Chairman of RAMEZ Group, senior government officials, ambassadors and a number of businessmen and other dignitaries.

According to Group, four more stores will be opened soon at various locations in the Kingdom including Muharraq and Janabiya. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the event, Mr Al Awadi said that Ramez is committed to further expansion in the Kingdom. We are delighted to open this hypermarket in Juffair. We are extremely happy with our markets in Bahrain and we are eager for further expansion. He added that the Juffair hypermarket, as well as the Ramez group, has a high Bahrainisation rate. The majority of our staff are Bahraini and we are proud to have a high Bahrainisation rate, he said.

Located in a strategic area in Juffair, close to Ahmed Al Fateh Islamic Centre, the 10,000 sqft hypermarket has been designed using the latest state-of-the-art retail space concepts for ease of shopping and display. It will meet all shoppers needs and is also well-positioned to cater to visitors and tourists from all around the globe, the Group said in a statement. The hypermarket provides more than 285,000 high quality and value-for-money products under one roof, mainly: food, clothes, cosmetics, stationery, furniture, toys, kitchen kits, home appliances and many more.First Target Consulting & Exhibitions Organising is to host one of the biggest shopping expos in the Kingdom The 8 in 1 Expo includes Bahrain International Modern House, Bahrain International Technology Expo, Health and Beauty International Expo, Fashion Time Exhibition, Perfume expo and many others.

The event will be held at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre from 9 to 12 January 2019 for a span of three days. The first Target is a Bahraini organisation specialises in organisation of exhibitions and conferences, which was established in 2007. The exhibition, Jamal Dawood, Chairman of the board of First Target Est., told Tribune, is a combination of retail sectors under one roof targetting different segments of society.

The expo, the organiser said, expects to reap more success in this years edition considering the huge turnout in the previous edition. Fashion accessories, cosmetics, perfume department, electronics, a section of sweets and many more will be there at the expo. Diversity makes the exhibition so unique which is distributed across many sections also allowing visitors to take advantage of great offers, Jamal added.French building conglomerate Vinci said yesterday it was adding Gatwick airport, Britains second-busiest, to the dozens of hubs it already owns, booking a majority stake for nearly three billion pounds. The purchase of Gatwick, which is Europes eight-biggest airport and runs the busiest single runway in the world, comes only months before Britain is to leave the European Union. The proximity of Brexit probably helped us close the deal, Nicolas Notebaert, Vinci Airports chief, told a telephone conference.

The absence of a Brexit deal with the EU could cause major air travel problems as both sides would no longer recognise each others aviation safety standards. Vinci said it will own a 50.01-percent stake in Gatwick thanks to the deal worth 2.9 billion ($3.7 billion, 3.2 billion euros) by the end of June. Gatwick made headlines last week when it closed its runway repeatedly due to reports of mystery drone sightings nearby, impacting nearly 140,000 passengers.

Best known for motorways

Vinci is best-known for being one of the worlds biggest construction companies, employing close to 200,000 people across the globe, and for running motorways in France. But the company has also been buying up airports -- most recently in Brazil, Japan and Serbia -- making it a top 5 global player in the international airport sector, according to a statement by Gatwick. One of its best-known airports is the hub of Portugals capital Lisbon.

With the latest acquisition, Vinci Airports will control 46 airports in 12 countries with a total traffic of 228 million passengers a year. Gatwick, which in Britain is second only to Heathrow, will become the biggest airport in Vincis portfolio, making the purchase a major strategic move, the French company said. The transaction represents a rare opportunity to acquire an airport of such size and quality and fits extremely well with Vinci Concessions longterm investment horizon, it said.

Gatwicks CEO Stewart Wingate said there would be no management or operational changes to the immediate running of the airport. Global Infrastructure Partners, the current owners of Gatwick, will hold on to 49.99 percent in the airport. Gatwicks only runway hit a world record of 950 flights in a day in 2017, Vinci said.When Ali Kerdi, who has impaired speech and hearing, was a teenager, he would look on curiously as his mother kneaded and baked their homemade bread. Years later, he would do the same as he worked as a cleaner at a centre in southern Lebanon where people with special needs were being taught how to make German bread. Now, at 35, Kerdi is in charge, running the bakery with two other special needs employees. First, they wanted to teach me sewing, then carpentry, then I was running errands. But I would watch them as I worked.

If I touched the dough, they would tell me to go away, said Kerdi, who never gave up on his dream of learning to bake. On a rainy day in December, Kerdi and his team were busy making Stollen, rye bread with fruits and nuts that is a Christmas staple in Germany. The bakery, on the ground floor of the Mosan centre for special needs students, began operating in 2003 after a German charity - Bread Against Misery - donated second-hand baking equipment from Germany.

Three German bakers came for three months to teach the staff how to operate the equipment and the principles of making bread the German way. Kerdi now trains a group of students on how to make a variety of German breads that were previously alien to their area of southern Lebanon. The main aim of the project was to train them how to make bread, it was not to open a business, said Ali Charafeddine, director of the Mosan centre, which currently has 175 special needs students.

But the bakery has become popular among locals and expatriates - even including some UN peacekeepers - and its bread and biscuit products are neatly stacked outside for sale. The bakery provides a taste of home for Maria, a foreigner who has been living in Lebanon for seven years. This bread is baked in my country, it tastes like from my home. Its very nice, she said, adding that she will not be going home to Belarus for Christmas this year.

Kerdi says his journey towards running the bakery has been a special source of pride because his income supports his family. People were surprised that I was baking. It was the first time they saw this kind of bread. Now they know me as the one who learned here and then became the boss, he said as he showed a student how to fold a pretzel.Two death row inmates who killed a company president and an employee at the firm were hanged Thursday morning in Osaka, the Justice Ministry said, bringing the number of executions in the country this year to 15.

The executions were the first carried out since 13 former members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult were hanged in July and the first ordered by Justice Minister Takashi Yamashita.

The two convicts were 60-year-old Keizo Okamoto, an ex-yakuza, and Hiroya Suemori, 67, a former investment adviser. They were hanged at the Osaka Detention Center.

They were both sentenced to death in September 2004 for fraud, kidnapping and murdering a president and worker of an investment company, as well as orchestrating another scam targeting a brokerage firm.

The two were convicted of kidnapping and strangling 43-year-old Kazuo Kengaku, the president of investment firm Cosmo Research Corp., in an apartment building in Osaka on Jan. 29, 1988, after robbing him of some A100 million in cash.

On the same day, they murdered Hiroyuki Watanabe, a 23-year-old employee of the investment firm. Watanabe had earlier been tricked into giving the two killers information about Kengakuas whereabouts. To conceal the heinous crime, Okamoto and Suemori buried the two bodies in concrete and dumped them in a mountainous area of Kyoto Prefecture.

Okamoto and Suemori also took stocks worth A140 million from a brokerage firm and both were found to be illegally in possession of guns.This Wednesday marks the 10th anniversary of the Chinese Navy's participation in anti-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia.

Over the past 10 years, the Chinese Navy has fulfilled its commitment and made great contributions to maintaining world peace and stability. Through the navy's rescue and humanitarian missions, China has gained more trust from other countries and demonstrated the sense of responsibility of a global player.

"Counter piracy in the Gulf of Aden is certainly a joint effort of the international navies and is an example of how international cooperation is needed to address the threats around the world," said Senior Colonel Zhou Bo, who is working at the Office for International Military Cooperation.

Over the past decade, the Chinese Navy has deployed 26,000 officers and soldiers, escorted 6,595 ships and successfully rescued or aided more than 60 Chinese and foreign ships. In April 2017, the 25th fleet successfully rescued 19 sailors on a Tuvaluan cargo ship from pirates. Apart from the escort missions, the navy also carried out various other missions, including the evacuation of Chinese nationals from war zones in Libya in 2011 and Yemen in 2015. It also escorted chemical weapons out of Syria in 2013 and helped search for the missing flight MH370.

"This is definitely significant for the Chinese Navy. Before this, the Chinese Navy actually wasn't much involved in wars, unlike the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Army or PLA Air Force, but this is the first time that PLA Navy is becoming the so-called 'Blue-water Navy.' For you to operate the cell so far away from the Chinese coast, you need international cooperation with like-minded partners." added Senior Colonel Zhou.



The PLA Nacy in a mission, August 2013. /VCG Photo

Now China and the U.S., two of the world largest economies and two of the very influential players on the international stage, are in intense debates about the future of bilateral relations and the international mechanism, whether it's about UN or others. People are wondering what is China's goal eventually when it comes to peacekeeping, when it comes to building its military and also when it comes to interaction with other militaries in the world.

"I have taken notice that two American documents released by Pentagon and remarks by American Vice President Pence describe China as a strategic competitor overtaking Russia, but probably there is always a need for optimism, and optimism is that they still have yet to describe China as an enemy and they have not described this relationship as hostile, so there is room for our continuous cooperation wherever possible and whenever necessary, and I believe it is possible and necessary," Zhou said.

China and the U.S. military are still having joint drills on humanitarian aid and disaster relief. U.S. President Trump and Chinese President Xi once pledged together to make joint efforts to help the capacity building of African countries in building peacekeeping.

"So it is these small little things that look like the light at the end of the tunnel, so if we have confidence, we can walk through the dark tunnel and see the light."President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, reiterated his appeal to all Nigerians to continue to live in peace to enable the nation witness giant strides in all fields of human endeavour.The President made the appeal in Gombe at the opening ceremony of the 33rd National Quranic Recitation Competition, organised by the Centre for Islamic Studies, Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto.President Buhari attends Extra Ordinary Meeting of Lake Chad Basin in Abuja on 15th Dec 2018The President was represented at the occasion by Malam Suleiman Hassan, Minister of Environment.He said: We must strive to live in peace with one another. We must try and increase our intimacy or relationship amongst ourselves which will further strengthen our ties as a nation.This administration is not relenting to secure peace for our nation to grow further and to achieve such peace, we must increase our knowledge.Knowledge, both Islamic and Western, is an important recipe for peace and security.Buhari also urged Nigerians to be of good conducts as the nation was preparing for the 2019 general elections.The presidents further the people to shun hate speech and other undemocratic actions that could threaten the country peaceful co-existence.In his remarks, Prof. Ibrahim Njodi, the Chairman of the occasion and Vice-Chancellor, University of Maiduguri, called on the participants to hold firm the tenets of Islam as a guiding light throughout the competition.The chairman, who was represented by Prof. Sani Abdulmumuni, Dean of Faculty of Arts, University of Maiduguri, said the competition would strengthen the knowledge of Islam in youths.Also speaking, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar III, represented by the Emir of Gombe, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu-Abubakar III, thanked the organisers for sustaining the competition over the years.Alhaji Isa Pantami, the Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Abuja, who is the Quest speaker stressed the need for Muslim faithful to always reflect on what the Holy Quran says.Ibrahim, who stressed that tolerance and peace were necessary for Muslim faithful, emphasised that killing of an innocent soul, irrespective of religious belief, was un-Islamic.In his speech, Gov. Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State assured the participants of the state government support toward achieving the objective of the competition.33 states and the Federal Capital Territory,(FCT) are participating in the competition which holds between Dec. 28 and Jan.5, 2019.The Lagos State Police Command, on Thursday, said it had arrested four persons suspected to be involved in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation pipeline vandalism at Abule-Egba, which resulted in a fire outbreak.The commands spokesman, CSP Chike Oti, said that the prime suspect, now at large, had been declared wanted.The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that on December 12, an NNPC pipeline was vandalised, causing fire outbreak in which over 100 houses and shops, as well as, over 50 vehicles were razed.Several people also sustained various degrees of burns but no life was lost.Oti said that the four suspects gave vivid accounts of their involvement in the inferno.According to him, the suspects explained that the fire emanated from a vandalised petroleum pipeline, which engulfed a section of the Abule-Egba community and escalated to parts of Agege area, destroying properties worth millions of Naira.They also mentioned one Prince Adedipo Dauda Ewenla as their ringleader.Based on this, the Command extended an invitation to him at his last known address but found out that he had fled to Ogun State in order to evade arrest.He is hereby advised to come out of hiding and report himself to Lagos State Police Command Headquarters, Ikeja or to the nearest police station in the state to defend the allegation against him, Oti said.The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Presidential Campaign Organisation, PPCO, has described President Muhammadu Buharis attack on its Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, as a mere illusion, which will not stop Nigerians from voting him out of power in 2019.The party said it was unfortunate that President Buhari will resort to sponsoring fabrications and false allegations against Atiku just because he was overwhelmed by the former Vice Presidents soaring popularity and acceptance by Nigerians ahead of the polls.National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, who stated this, yesterday, in a chat with our correspondent also berated spokesperson of Buhari Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo, who had earlier said Atiku would have been in jail if the Nigerian system was functional.He said: Besides, because of President Buharis limited exposure, corrupt tendencies and manifest managerial incompetence, he is always fixated in his myopic creed that nobody can be successful except through corrupt enrichment.We wish to remind President Buhari, who has been unleashing his aides to attack our Presidential candidate, that Atiku Abubakar has never been charged, indicted nor convicted for any act of corruption by any competent authority whatsoever.Following his recent appointment as member Special Advisory Committee to President Muhammadu Buhari, for the 2019 presidential Campaign, the senator representing Kaduna Central, under the Peoples Redemption Party, Shehu Sani, Friday advised the richest man in Africa, Alhaji Aliko Dangote to be wary of the broom.Disclosing this via his official tweeter handle, Sani cautioned Dangote not to use the broom anyhow and advised him to maintain the use of his machine concrete mixer.Dear Bro Aliko, dont use Broom to reinforce your silos, dont use Broom as your plasterboard; dont use Broom to mix your concrete, maintain the use of your machine concrete mixer.In another development, Sani expressed sadness over the ownership accusations of the leading Telecommunications network, Etisalat Nigeria and Keystone bank.Recall that the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, had accused the candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, President Muhammadu Buhari and his family of having substantial shares with Etisalat and Keystone bank.According to him, Buharis family share in Etisalat, has an estimated $2 billion (about N727 billion at 360 per dollar) of its estimated $20 billion global net worth. Whereas, the one in Keystone Bank, totaled $1.916 billion (equivalent to N307.5billion).He equally accused Mr Presidents family of purchasing about N3 billion worth of shares in the new Pakistani Islamic Bank.However, Presidency in its recent statement replied Atiku, noting that his intention was to dent the image of Buhari and his Vice, whom they said were incorruptible.In view of the above allegation and counter-accusations, Sani asked the two companies to publish their respective share holders in other to clear the dark clouds.His words, In view of the moral dust raised by the questions on the shares of the two firms now on the scale of integrity, Etisalat & Keystone should publish the full names of their shareholders, to exhale the billows of smoke & clear the dark clouds hanging over the landscape of our nation.He equally advised Nigerians who have any evidential proof against Atiku or Buhari to submit them to the relevant anti corruption agency.If you have any concrete case of corruption against the ex VP, forward it to the relevant anti corruption agency; If you have any concrete case of corruption against the family of Mr President, forward it to the relevant anti corruption agency. Else its all about ghosts and shadows, he said.Boko Haram insurgents have reportedly hoisted their flag in Baga, a town in Borno state. A resident who disclosed on Thursday even...





Boko Haram insurgents have reportedly hoisted their flag in Baga, a town in Borno state.





A resident who disclosed on Thursday evening said the insurgents took over the community after overrunning a military base.





After displacing soldiers and rendering residents homeless, they hoisted their flag there. No one can deny this, the resident who pleaded anonymity said.





A resident identified as Labbo Dan-Baga also confirmed this on a radio programme monitored by us on Thursday.





Boko Haram has hoisted its flag in Baga We went to the mosque to pray and discovered we were surrounded by Boko Haram, he said.





They told us not to panic as we prayed together they said they were not going to kill any civilian. And that they are from the Abu-Mossad Albarnawis ISWAP faction. They told us to stay in the town or leave if we want to. They dressed in browned caftan with army boots. Some completely covered their faces with mask.





Another source said the insurgents also engaged troops in heavy fire in Doron Baga, Cross Kauwa and Kukawa areas of Borno and that Boko Haram fighters seized many gun trucks.





More than 5,000 persons have been displaced from Baga, Kukawa, Cross Kauwa, Mairari ward in Gudunbali and Garand in Guzamala local government areas of Borno after frequent attacks by the insurgents in the last one week.





Boko Haram fighters not only chased people from the communities but set many houses ablaze.





The terrorists were really determined. They kept returning to communities in Guzamala after every attack, the source said.





Bashir Garga, zonal coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in the north-east, said a total of 2,046 internally displaced persons (IDPs) had their biodata captured by the agency on Tuesday alone.





The registered IDPs were from 204 households of the five communities, which have been affected by the activities of the insurgents.





Immediate need assessment include: shelters, food, blankets, buckets, mosquito net,hygiene kits cooking materials, plastic bucket. In this period of harmattan,the registration is still ongoing as more are expected, a NEMA official said.





Sani Usman, army spokesman, who had earlier confirmed the attack in Baga in a statement, is yet to respond to inquiries on the hoisting of flag.





In his statement, Usman had said the troops successfully repelled the attack but that a naval officer was killed.





Boko Haram has become more ferocious in recent times even though the current administration has often said that the sect has been decimated.





President Muhammadu Buhari and Lai Mohammed, minister of information, have on different occasions said Boko Haram has not been able to capture a single community in Nigeria since this government took over power.





Under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, the insurgents took control of some communities in the north-east.



Some policemen have invaded the Abuja residence of Dino Melaye, lawmaker representing Kogi west senatorial district. This comes thre...

Some policemen have invaded the Abuja residence of Dino Melaye, lawmaker representing Kogi west senatorial district.





This comes three days after the senator alleged that Ibrahim Idris, inspector-general of police, had ordered that he should be injected to death.





The officers first laid siege to Sangha street, off Mississippi, Maitama, where the lawmakers house is, before gaining entrance into his premises.



The senator has refused to come out but he rather took to Twitter narrate the encounter and also call attention to it.

A police van stationed in front of Melayes gate



Melaye took to Twitter to speak on the encounter and also call attention to it.

All entrances to my residence in Mississippi have been secured by the police that claim there is no order to arrest me. One truck by centagon school too. Media and Nigerians take note. We have pictures of those involved.  Senator Dino Melaye (@dino_melaye) 28 December 2018

They have just zoomed off the trucks leaving 3 men at different end of my street wearing black.  Senator Dino Melaye (@dino_melaye) 28 December 2018

Two trucks with people wearing black in front on centagon school on Mississippi maitama. Toyota Siena at the entrance of Sangha street,gold colour Honda accord roaming the street.  Senator Dino Melaye (@dino_melaye) 28 December 2018

Two hilux truck have now blocked my gate with men in mufti numbering 20  Senator Dino Melaye (@dino_melaye) 28 December 2018

Cameras recording. They are trying to plant guns in the cars outside. We are watching  Senator Dino Melaye (@dino_melaye) 28 December 2018

They have forcefully entered my compound  Senator Dino Melaye (@dino_melaye) 28 December 2018

In March, the police declared Melaye wanted after accusing him of supplying arms to suspected hoodlums.



President Donald Trump is considering an executive order in the new year to declare a national emergency that would bar U.S. companies from using telecommunications equipment made by China's Huawei and ZTE, three sources familiar with the situation told Reuters.

It would be the latest step by the Trump administration to cut Huawei Technologies Cos Ltd and ZTE Corp, two of China's biggest network equipment companies, out of the U.S. market. The United States says the companies work at the behest of the Chinese government and that their equipment could be used to spy on Americans. Huawei and ZTE did not return requests for comment. Both in the past have denied that their products are used to spy.

Rural operators in the United States are among the biggest customers of Huawei and ZTE, and worry that they may also have to rip out existing Chinese-made equipment without compensation. Industry officials are divided on whether the administration could legally compel operators to do that.

The executive order, which has been under consideration for more than eight months, could be issued as early as January and would direct the Commerce Department to block U.S. companies from buying equipment from foreign telecommunications makers that pose significant national security risks, sources from the telecoms industry and the administration said.

While the order is unlikely to name Huawei or ZTE, a source said it is expected that Commerce officials would interpret it as authorization to limit the spread of equipment made by the two companies. The sources said the text for the order has not been finalized. The United States and China are locked in a trade war that has disrupted the flow of hundreds of billions of dollars of goods.

Retired Maj.-Gen. Oluyemi Bajowa says President Muhammadu Buhari is the most suitable Presidential candidate that can successfully eradicate corruption in Nigeria.Bajowa made this known on his twitter handle on Friday on the occasion of his 78th birthday message to Nigerians.We will need President Buhari once again for he has acquitted himself well in his fight against corruption.He is no doubt putting a check on the Boko Haram insurgency and his social investment package for Nigerian youths is second to none, he said.Bajowa, who is the Agunmolu of Ikale Land in Ondo State, urged the electorate not to throw away their votes by voting for political mercenaries and politicians who would mortgage their future through corrupt tendencies.He noted that Buhari had a dependable antecedent of untainted integrity, unalloyed honesty and altruistic passion for the Nigerian project.Bajowa noted that he had worked with Buhari as a military officer, noting that he could vouch for his integrity.I worked with him for four years when I served as the Adjutant-General of the Nigerian Army, so I know him very well. I equally know all the Generals as a result of my position as the former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence.Also, as former Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Industry and former Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, I can tell you that Buhari has integrity.He has honesty and he is a person who is sincerely passionate about the unity, progress and economic revival of Nigeria, the retired army general said.He advised Nigerians to shun the candidature of a person once termed corruption personified by a former president that could not in any way be compared to Buhari in terms of untainted integrity.Bajowa, who is the convener of Legacy Forum, a platform for the actualisation of Muhammadu Buharis second term, said that he and eminent Nigerians of like minds would work toward ensuring the overwhelming victory of President Buhari in the 2019 elections.The retired army general implored Nigerians to be steadfast in their prayers for the nation, saying that we all should see Nigeria as a big project that must neither falter nor fail.Ayodele Fayose, former governor of Ekiti state, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to suspend the presidential campaign in Uyo, Ak...





Ayodele Fayose, former governor of Ekiti state, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to suspend the presidential campaign in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, and visit Baga in Borno, where Boko Haram struck recently.





The All Progressives Congress (APC) is about kicking off its reelection campaign in Akwa Ibom.





At the end of a meeting at the presidential villa on Thursday, Adams Oshiomhole, national chairman of the ruling party, said he was in a good mood for the flag off of the exercise.





But in a tweet on Friday, Fayose said it was more important for the president to assess the situation in the north-east than to focus on his reelection.Former Arsenal chairman, Peter Hill-Wood has died at the age of 82.Hill-Wood, who became the chairman of the club in 1982 after joining its board in 1962, presided over the appointments of George Graham and Arsene Wenger as managers.They went on to win five league titles, five FA Cups, the League Cup and European Cup Winners Cup between them.The club, in a statement on Friday, said, It is with deep regret that we announce the death of former chairman, Peter Hill-Wood, at the age of 82.Ill-health forced Hill-Wood to step down from the position in June 2013.Arsenal said he was also instrumental to successful move from Highbury to Emirates Stadium in 2006.Peter and his familys influence on the club cannot be understated Our thoughts are with his wife Sally and his children Sarah, Julian and Charles, the statement, posted on the clubs website, concluded.Born in Kensington, London, on Feb. 25, 1936 and died on Dec. 28, 2018, Hill-Wood attended Eton College.Abdulaziz Yari, governor of Zamfara state, says he would have taken up arms against bandits in the state if his office allowed. ...





says he would have taken up arms against bandits in the state if his office allowed. Abdulaziz Yari, governor of Zamfara state,says he would have taken up arms against bandits in the state if his office allowed.





Yari said this while addressing reporters in Gasau, the state capital on Thursday.





He called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency on the state while warning politicians against politicising the security situation.





I am also in support of the declaration of state of emergency if it will save the lives of people of the state, he said.





We are talking about the lives of our people and this needs the coming together of all, so that the crisis can end.





If the provisions of my office had allowed me to carry arms against the bandits, l would have done so.





But, if I am not around, there are capable hands that collaborate with the security team in the fight against the bandits.





The security men are doing their best. But, it is sad to know that some of the people involved in the kidnappings are close relatives or associates of the victims, which is part of the reasons the problem is persisting.





We must all come together and expose anyone or group that is part of these hoodlums, and we should also pray for Allahs intervention.





The state has been under continuous attacks from bandits and insurgents.



The apex Igbo socio-political organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has reacted to remark by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo that the South ...





The apex Igbo socio-political organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has reacted to remark by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo that the South West can produce the next president if they vote for President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.





The body said it was a pity that Osinbajo could accept to be used like a toilet tissue to prosecute this precipitous political peregrination.





National Publicity Secretary of the body, Prince Uche Achi-Okpagha said such remark indicated that the Buhari-led government was out to deceive the various regions into voting for the ruling party in 2019.





Achi-Okpagha said the Buhari government placed no premium on people of the South East.





Speaking with Vanguard, on Wednesday, Achi-Okpagha said: It is obvious from available and bleeding facts that to trust the present government of PMB is to build on sand. I have no reason also to doubt that this government does not place any premium on the Igbo.





The Igbo have suffered the worst neglect and victimisation ever under this government. It is more disheartening because the more we complain or unveil the deficiencies and discrepancies, the more policies, programmes and appointments among others, are made with blatant disregard to the chagrin of the lgbo.





It was clinically laid bare by the last recommendation of EFCC board members to the Senate without south-east and south-south memberships. There is no gainsaying that apart from the statutory ministerial appointment per state, the Igbo are nowhere to be found in this government.





Right from the outset of Buharis government, he did not mince words or mumble on his resolve to skip the south-east with her five per cent vote in 2015. It is therefore not in doubt that any promise of Igbo presidency in 2023 by this government is a complete and callous hoax on the Igbo nation.





The insincerity of this government has made her an enemy to the people and as Robin Hood would have it, there is no trust in a promise made by an enemy.





It is a pity that the vice president, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, a professor of Law and above all, an ordained priest of the Most High God could accept to be used like a toilet tissue, to prosecute this precipitous political peregrination.





This is a government that is pathologically replete with her deceptive embellishments. Note that neither President Buhari nor any northern political stalwart has made a pronouncement on the 2023 presidency.





Instead, they have allowed some cabinet members of Yoruba extraction, including Osinbajo and Fashola, to dissipate energy to the effect that the south-west would have presidency in 2023.



Former Minister of Education and presidential candidate of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria,ACPN, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, has described President Muhammadu Buhari as incompetent and that he rewards incompetency by keeping his incompetent appointees in office.She made the remarks in Calabar on Friday while speaking with journalists on why she is running for the office of president.President Muhammadu Buhari and Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, ACPN presidential candidate, Oby EzekwesiliHer words: We have seen serial failures in this administration. The president rewards incompetency. And I am not surprised because the president himself is incompetent but does not realise it.What he does is to extend their stay in an office in which they have failed. We have seen it with the military. We have seen it with the police.He has retained the Inspector General of police after the expiration of his tenure. It is it for stellar performance? This is an IG of police the president told the whole country he did not go to where he was assigned to go in Benue State.What the president is essentially telling us is that the Nigerian life does not matter that much to him, otherwise he should be very aghast at the level of killings that happen.According to her :My greatest shock and one of my triggers for deciding to run for election not being a politician, as you all know, is that the debasement of the Nigerian life is the final straw that can turn us into a society of anarchy.For it to be that children will grow up in this society and just come to the understanding that killing a person is a normal thing; you know, you can just do it, there is no consequence. My goodness! What kind of impunity is that? That is a dangerous level of impunity.For me, I want to be the president of this country and be an effective commander-in-chief of our armed forces on the basis of competence, capacity and character. I would so do that work well that that the life of a Nigerian would be the epicentre of our development process. It has implications. It means that in terms of security, we would run the most efficient security system.We would reform the security infrastructure of the country. We would find those brilliant ones in our military establishment that have been hidden away in an era of incompetency and low productivity.We would also reform the systems within the military because when we look at the military anywhere, they are the basis of what is called management by objective.And that idea is that when resources are made available, resources should lead to performance. And they should lead to accountability, they should lead to reward and when you are not getting it, you should fix it. And the president is not known to fix things that have gone wrong.On the economy ,Ezekwesili said the president himself had rated his performance on the economy low and wondered why it took him four years to realise that his economic policies were bad, saying the ability to get the economy right was what the president lacked the capacity to do.She bemoaned the high level of poverty in the country and said as president she would focus on the right kind of policies, institutions that would promote investments and find innovative solutions to infrastructure deficit.Abdulrahman Dambazau, minister of interior, says more security personnel will be deployed in Zamfara to end the destruction of lives a...





Abdulrahman Dambazau, minister of interior, says more security personnel will be deployed in Zamfara to end the destruction of lives and property in the state.





According to Osaigbovo Ehisienmen, press secretary of the minister, Dambazau said this when he visited the state on Thursday.





He was received by Sanusi Rikiji, the states acting governor and other members of Zamfara executive council.





During the visit, the minister expressed President Muhammadu Buharis concern on the unrepentant attitude of the perpetrators of senseless killings in the state.





We are committed to working closely with the state government to deploy more security resources to the state, Dambazau said.





The statement said the minister was further briefed by heads of security agencies in Zamfara, in order to put in place additional proactive measures to restore peace needed to protect agricultural and mining interests in the state.





The minister was said to have visited the internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp and the headquarters of Tsafe local government area where a protest was carried out on Monday.



The governorship candidate of the Action Alliance, AA, Uche Nwosu, yesterday, gave reasons he did not end the sufferings of Imo pensione...

The governorship candidate of the Action Alliance, AA, Uche Nwosu, yesterday, gave reasons he did not end the sufferings of Imo pensioners as a Chief of Staff (CoS) to Governor Rochas Okorocha.





According to Nwosu, his role as CoS was advisory while the buck stopped at the table of his father-in-law who is the Imo state governor.





In a statement by Onwusanya Jones, his Campaign Director of Media and Publicity, Nwosu said that he was fully prepared to end completely, the sufferings experienced by pensioners in the state.





He said: My duty as Chief of Staff was to make suggestions, while the governor decides whether to implement such suggestions or not. I didnt have powers to do anything on my own. As governor, I shall implement those ideas that are beneficial to our people and make sure that our pensioners smile again.





I am pained that our senior citizens have to go through avoidable rigours before getting their legitimate entitlements. It is also unfortunate that after these rigorous verifications, they still do not get paid what they are entitled to and when they are entitled to them.









There is no reason why these senior citizens should not get paid for their years of service to our State. Some of them are the teachers who taught us, others served us in different capacities in the civil service. Now, that they are old and retired, they deserve to be paid without any hassles.The police have postponed the presentation of suspected killers of Alex Badeh, late former chief of defence staff, to the media in A...





The police have postponed the presentation of suspected killers of Alex Badeh, late former chief of defence staff, to the media in Abuja.





On Wednesday, the force had said it had arrested alleged killers of Badeh and would present them to journalists on Thursday.





Jimoh Moshood, force spokesman, who made the disclosure while addressing journalists on Thursday in Abuja, said five suspects were arrested for alleged involvement in the crime.





Moshood said the decision to postpone the presentation of the suspects to the media was to prevent other members of the gang from escaping.





It is of significance to note that the presentation of the two suspects and the three other gang members will not come up today so as not to jeopardise the ongoing investigation, he said.



The Nigeria police force has spoken on the house of representatives demand seeking the arrest of one of President Muhammadu Buharis a...





The Nigeria police force has spoken on the house of representatives demand seeking the arrest of one of President Muhammadu Buharis aides for alleged result forgery.





In an interview with TheCable, Jimoh Moshood, police spokesman, said the demand to arrest Okoi Obono-Obla, Buharis senior special assistant on prosecution, is yet to be carried out because the police have not been officially informed.





The house had asked Ibrahim Idris, inspector-general of police, to arrest and prosecute the presidential aide for allegedly being in possession of a fake West African Examination Council (WAEC) result.





The lawmakers adopted the recommendation of one of its committee which said it discovered irregularities in the Olevel result which the presidential aide has, following a petition to the house by the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA).

The presidential aide is said to have used the result in question to gain admission into the University of Jos where he studied and subsequently, the Nigerian Law School.





However, nothing has been heard of the issue since the recommendation was made.





Asked to comment on the issue on Friday, Moshood told TheCable the force has not received any correspondence from the national assembly regarding the matter.





We have not received any correspondence in that regard. We have not been informed of the development, he said.





Asked further if the police had learnt about the saga, he responded: What did they say he did? We have not been contacted.





Abdulrazak Namdas, spokesman of the house of representatives, was silent on whether the directive has been communicated to the police or not.





It was a resolution. The house having passed the resolution has done their part, he said over the phone.



Members of the Politburo "were asked to conduct criticism and self-criticism in light of work experience," at a meeting held on Tuesday and Wednesday, state news agency Xinhua reported. They were also questioned on "how they have taken the lead to implement Xi's instructions and key Party regulations and policies," it added.

A tool highly favored by Mao Zedong and taken to extremes during the Cultural Revolution, self-criticism sessions are back in favor under Xi's presidency as he seeks to consolidate power and tighten discipline in the upper party echelons.

Top Chinese leaders have been forced to undergo a self-criticism session, state media said Thursday, in a further sign of President Xi Jinping's efforts to enforce party loyalty amid signs of internal dissent over his handling of a trade war with the United States.

The center of power in China lies with the 25-member Politburo, though its role has lessened since Xi got the top job in 2012 and started concentrating powers in his own hands.

Analysts however say the president's authority has been contested over the last few months due to an economic slowdown triggered by an ongoing trade war with the U.S. Xinhua's report of the meeting does not say what self-criticisms the members of the Politburo were expected to make.

Self-criticisms were regularly carried out during the Cultural Revolution -- a period of intense social and political upheaval launched by Mao from 1966-76 -- and have returned under Xi.

Experts said top officials appear to have wavered from the political line imposed by the strongman president. Willy Lam, a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, described the meeting as "extraordinary" because the leadership is "admitting there is tension within its ranks."

"It means some of the Politburo members have done or said things contrary to Xi Jinping's interests," he added.

According to Xinhua, the leaders "were also urged to study the latest speeches given by Xi" as quickly as possible, and will have to "discipline themselves, their families and close aides at work".

Xi reportedly made a speech at the meeting, during which he lauded "democratic centralism" -- one of the founding principles of Leninism in which the top leadership is all-powerful -- and called for unity within the party.

Since he came to power, Xi has waged a campaign against corruption, punishing more than 1.5 million officials. Some observers however say the crackdown has targeted his internal opponents in particular.The national Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, says his party is confident of winning the 2019...





The national Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, says his party is confident of winning the 2019 election because Nigerians are not ready to give the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a second chance.





Mr Oshiomhole stated this Thursday in a short interview with State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa Abuja after he met with President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.





Mr Oshiomhole said although the PDP had said they will be in power for 60 years and that if Nigerians rejected them after just 16 years, it is a sign that the citizens are fed up with the party.





They wanted to do 60 years, but they were terminated, no employer will recall an employee dismissed due to gross misconduct and abuse of finances you dont recall the employee back, he said.

The APC chairman said even after their failure, all that the PDP could do was to apologise through its National Chairman, Uche Secondus.





I remember that the best Secondus had to say was that he was apologising to Nigerian people and I have not heard anybody say they have accepted the apology. People who have robbed you, they dont apologise and say allow me back into your store room, you dont do that, he said.





Mr Oshiomhole said even though the APC is not perfect, nothing can make Nigerians get so confused as to think that yesterday there was mismanagement and those who were at the heart of that mismanagement can be entrusted with providing leadership for tomorrow.





I dont think that is the question at all. PDP is out of this calculation as far as I am concerned. PDP is just not an option particularly when their candidate is not a new face.





Why Atiku Doesnt Deserve Presidency





Mr Oshiomhole also said the candidate of the PDP, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar does not deserve the votes of Nigerians.





He said Mr Abubakar had been part of the PDP years and does not, therefore, deserve the benefit of the doubt.





You can give benefit of the doubt to a stranger, not to someone who was at the heart, perhaps one of the most powerful vice president we have ever had. So I am clear that Nigeria will never ever have a basis to give PDP the benefit of the doubt, he said.





The APC chairman also spoke about the kick off of the partys presidential campaign slated for Friday at Akwa Ibom State.





He said the choice of South-south geopolitical zone as the first rally by Mr Buhari is particularly significant.



Lawmakers on Thursday passed a bill to strengthen support for defectors from North Korea who settle here.

The bill will extend the time they have to apply for resettlement benefits when they arrive here from one year to three.

Those who did not come straight to South Korea but lived abroad for 10 years or more will now be eligible for housing subsidies like other defectors, and given priority in public housing.

The same will apply to those who missed the three-year window to apply. The one-time cash subsidy paid to single refugees when they arrive will be raised from W6 million to more than W7 million (US$1=W1,121).Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.North Korean state media have published images of Christmas worship in the isolated country in an apparent effort to rebut U.S. accusations that it suppresses religion.

Ryomyong, a website run by the North's National Reconciliation Council, on Wednesday reported on Christmas worship at the Bongsu and Chilgol churches in Pyongyang.

"Prayers were said... wishing that the hard-won mood of peace on the Korean Peninsula wouldn't be disturbed by Satanists' obstructive maneuvers," it claimed.

"The religious freedom is certainly legally guaranteed in our republic," another post said. "Why is the U.S. haughtily presumptuous as if it were 'an inquisitor?'"

Earlier, the North's Korean Council of Religionists sent a Christmas video message to South Korean churches.

"Massive arms buildup and dangerous military exercises in South Korea are an apparent attempt to stand up to the North behind the facade of dialogue," the website added.

North Korean propaganda media have launched a new campaign of denunciations of the South Korean media as denuclearization talks came to a standstill.Executives and staff at Korean venture companies last year finally outnumbered staff at the country's top five conglomerates, according to a survey released Thursday by the Ministry of SMEs and Start-ups.

An estimated 762,000 people worked for the country's 35,187 venture companies, up 4.3 percent from 731,392 in 2016, the survey said, while Samsung, LG, Hyundai, Lotte and SK employed 756,000 people.

The average venture company had 21.7 employees.

A spokesman for the Korea Venture Business Association said, "The size of staff in struggling big industries like shipbuilding has fallen, but venture companies balanced things out to stabilize overall employment."

Venture companies posted a combined sales of W225.2 trillion last year, second only to Samsung (W258 trillion), thanks to a boom in semiconductors.

Their average operating profit rose 2.6 percent on-year to W267 million, though they suffered an 8.9 percent drop in net profit to W160 million.The employment rate for university graduates in 2017 was at an all-time low. Even graduates of technical colleges and graduate schools landed fewer jobs for the first time in three years.

The Education Ministry on Thursday released employment statistics as of the end of last year for 574,009 graduates of higher education institutions who finished their studies between August 2017 and February 2007.

The employment rate was 66.2 percent, down 1.5 percentage points from the previous year and the lowest in the six years since the statistics were first compiled. It was especially bad for university graduates, falling 1.7 percentage points to 62.6 percent.

The rate for graduates of technical colleges had been consistently rising from 67.8 percent in 2014 to 70.6 percent in 2016 but fell to 69.8 percent last year. Employment of graduate school graduates also fell for the first time in three years.Brand-building key to global competitiveness

From:ChinaDaily | 2018-12-27 10:43

China should improve the top-level design of a brand-building mechanism to promote and strengthen internationally influential domestic brands and intellectual property rights, said political advisors, government officials and media professionals at the 2018 China Brand Forum on Wednesday.

The government should have an overall design for China's brand-building system, crack down on intellectual property right infringement, and construct a system providing policy support in a number of fields including taxation, finance and technology, advised Gu Shengzu, vice-chairman of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

"Chinese companies should increase investment in technology innovation and business model innovation, and the government should guide capable large companies to create a strategic layout at the forefront of technological development," Gu said at the forum held by People's Daily, a Beijing-based national newspaper group.

He suggested Chinese companies should integrate international resources through overseas mergers and acquisitions, promote the development of corporate compliance management, and improve Chinese brands' international competitiveness.

Apart from guiding companies to adopt advanced international standards, the government should take innovative regulatory measures by using big data and cloud computing technologies, he said.

Key State-owned enterprises have significantly improved their brand management capabilities and internationalization in recent years, according to Xu Fushun, vice-chairman of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.

Next, the commission will launch policies to incentivize key State-owned enterprises to ramp up their brand-building efforts, strengthen performance appraisals of such efforts, explore reconstruction of an expert database to study brand-related policies, and establish a platform for business owners to share their experiences in this field, said Xu.

China will further promote business system reform to allow new companies, new products and new inventions to enter the market more rapidly, said Chen Gang, an official of the State Administration for Market Regulation.

The administration will also innovate regulatory measures to fight against IP infringement and strengthen the enforcement of antitrust and anti-unfair competition laws, Chen added.

Li Baoshan, president of People's Daily, called brand-building "a strategic, general and systematic project" that is related to China's high-quality development and supply-side reforms, as well as the country's international image and competitiveness.

He highlighted the importance of rooting brand consciousness deeply in the heart of every employee of a company, and to have brand awareness penetrate each segment of a value chain.

Having held the annual China Brand Forum since 2015, People's Daily launched the Chinese Brand Development Index on Wednesday to increase public awareness of the importance of brand-building.

The index will be compiled based on data analytics, expert ratings and customer feedback, under the supervision of a third-party certification institution.Big data, AI help manage traffic in east China city

From:ChinaDaily | 2018-12-27 23:37

JINAN, Dec. 27 -- Chinese ride-hailing giant DiDi Chuxing has partnered with traffic police and Shandong University in the city of Jinan to use big data and artificial intelligence to ease traffic.

An intelligent traffic management system named JTBrain was officially launched Wednesday, equipping the capital of east China's Shandong Province with a self-adaptive traffic-light control system.

The system can serve as a decision-making platform to increase traffic efficiency, according to Liu Xianghong, chief scientist of DiDi Chuxing's intelligent transport department.

JTBrain was designed to "learn and evolve" by modeling core algorithms and realize real-time control under different traffic conditions, according to Zou Nan, director of Transportation Study Center of Shandong University.

Zou added that the brain-like system, which now covers 36 streets and 450 crossroads, uses AI, big data and cloud-computing to search for optimal traffic solutions.

"JTBrain makes decisions by crunching data gathered from video footage on streets, and provides live recommendations through mobile phone apps and outdoor LED screens," said Li Yong, deputy director of the Intelligent Traffic System Office of Jinan Traffic Police.

In tests lasting over six-months, JTBrain helped cut the average morning and evening commute time by 10.7 percent and 10.9 percent, respectively, according to local traffic police.Talent pool the cornerstone of development

From:ChinaDaily | 2018-12-28 09:21

Suzhou Industrial Park offers preferential policies to attract investors and professionals from home and abroad

As the central government has attached greater importance to stabilizing employment - a key message delivered at the annual Central Economic Work Conference that concluded on Dec 21 - the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park has just revised its talent recruitment plan, which has been the cornerstone of its success over the past two decades.

According to a statement released after the conference, the Chinese job market's main structural problem should be addressed first.

This refers to the fact it is as hard to find high-end professionals with industry expertise and techniques, as it is to find the right hands for production lines, explained Chen Yu, deputy director of the China Association of Employment Promotion.

During an annual talent awards meeting held in the Suzhou Industrial Park on Dec 20, Wu Qingwen, secretary of the park's Party working committee, announced that the park will introduce 5,000 high-end professionals and another 1,000 overseas returnees every year. By 2020, the park is expected to be home to at least 500 science and technology industry leaders and 50,000 technology and industrial innovation talents.

Suzhou Industrial Park will also launch a talent fund in the near future to provide enough financing for the newcomers, said Wu.

"All the systems and mechanisms that hinder professionals' innovation should be eliminated. Industry plans should keep pace with talent recruitment plans. It is with the organic combination of industries, talents and key projects that we can seek major breakthroughs in technology and industrial upgrading," he said.

A total of 263 professionals were awarded at the meeting on Dec 20 for their contribution to the park over the past year. It is the ninth consecutive year that the Suzhou Industrial Park has hosted this meeting, providing recognition to 3,428 professionals in total, including founders of startup companies, and researchers and professionals working at universities, and cultural and financial institutions.

"As we are aiming to build Suzhou Industrial Park into a first-rate international high-tech industrial park, talent is crucial strategic resources. It is our responsibility to attract highly skilled people and provide enough room for their personal development so that they can be retained here," Wu said.

The park's administrative committee launched the Jinji Lake Double Hundred Talent Program in 2015 to attract 200 industry leaders in technology, the sciences and high-end services, as well as another 200 highly skilled professionals.

The authorities have offered numerous favorable policies, including compensation for relocation, rental costs, children's education, as well as training and streamlined immigration procedures.

In April, Suzhou Industrial Park renewed a program under which it will attract and nurture another 1,200 industry leaders in three years' time.

The efforts have paid off. The park has attracted more than 6,000 overseas returnees and 7,000 foreign experts over the past few years. About 500 research centers of leading multinational companies have set up facilities in the park, and another 4,000 technology startups have registered there.

Suzhou Industrial Park's GDP per capita topped 295,600 yuan ($43,000) in 2017, much higher than that of Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen.

More progress is on the way. According to the local administrator, another 200 companies in the park will be recognized as national level high-tech companies in 2019. Meanwhile, Suzhou Industrial Park will help to build two new offshore innovation centers and five company R&D centers next year.

"Talent is the cornerstone of the development of industries and the city's innovation. With that understanding, we have built an ecosystem over the past few years to integrate talent, technology, capital and information," said Lin Xiaoming, deputy director of the park's administrative committee.

The Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences set up its Suzhou branch in 2014. While only 20 people worked there at the very beginning, the headcount increased to nearly 400 this year, which, as the branch's deputy head Hu Yanfeng explained, can largely be attributed to the help from the Suzhou Industrial Park administrators.

"The park's administrative committee sets up a recruitment team every summer to help us seek the right talents all over the country. About 50 people in our branch at present have been hired in this way," Hu said.

With an adequate supply of talented professionals, the branch is able to reach into various areas, including edge computing, smart computing and cloud computing. The research team has successfully come up with a smart watch based on micro nano technology, which will be brought to consumers soon, he said.

Xi Youmin, executive president of Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, said that more than 10 percent of its 10,000 graduates chose to work at Suzhou Industrial Park last year, which was an important intellectual support to the park.

The university also works with local companies on innovating new materials and new biomedicine products, to create a research and production value chain.

Tongcheng Network Technology, an online travel agency, was launched in 2004. In the very early days, the company found it extremely difficult to attract candidates with user interface expertise in the local job market, according to the company's founder and CEO Wu Zhixiang. The administrative committee soon set up a team to search for such talents nationwide to solve the problem immediately.

Over the past few years, the local administrators have set up institutes in the park so that internet companies can send their employees there for training.

Based on past examples of support from local administrators, Tongcheng set up a post-doctoral research station at its headquarters last year, to many people's surprise.

"People may question if technology is a necessity for us. But the fact is, about 2 million people make payments on our platform every day, which puts a high requirement on the stability of our platform," said Wu.

"It is our prediction that artificial intelligence will play a key role in people's travels. Therefore, we are investing in this regard to prepare for the future," he said.We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription.Switzerland to launch a payment channel for Iran by mid-January

12/27/18

Source: Tehran Times

TEHRAN - Switzerland is going to launch a payment channel for Iran in mid-January 2019, which allows its companies to sell food, medicine and medical devices to the country, Sharif Nezam-Mafi, the chairman of Iran-Switzerland Joint Chamber of Commerce, announced.

He made the remarks in an interview conducted by Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) which was published on the portal of the chamber on Tuesday.



Nezam-Mafi said the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs has been in talks with the U.S. and Iranian authorities, as well as Swiss companies and the initiative will probably be launched within three weeks.



"Launching a direct financial channel which is separate from the European Union indicates how much Switzerland is determined to maintain its trade relations with Iran", he noted.



"60 percent of Iran's imports from Switzerland is comprised of food products and pharmaceuticals", he added.



Switzerland, which is not an EU member and has a large pharmaceuticals sector and a tradition of neutral diplomacy, has strong credentials to be a base for such mechanisms.



According to the chairman of Iran-Switzerland Joint Chamber of Commerce, in the sanctions era Switzerland will play a vital role in providing food products and medicine for Iran.The Western Regional Minister, Dr Kwaku Afriyie has expressed concern about the number of ghost names on the voters register saying that may affect the outcome of the referendum on the creation of six new regions.



Speaking to journalists whilst monitoring the ongoing referendum in the Western North area, which is to be carved out of the Western Region, Dr Afriyie said: "in some areas, I saw less than 30per cent turnout."



This according to the Minister was his observation by midday on the exercise which is ongoing and expected to close at 5pm.



Dr Afriyie together with some proponents and supporters of the proposed regions are not happy with what they say are "dead people still on the register of the Electoral Commission (EC)."



I was expecting a very massive turnout, it is still okay, Im not pessimistic, I think things are going well so they are doing fine but, I am saying that the arithmetic in the calculations is a bit difficult for me to accept," Dr Afriyie insisted.



Per the law, there should be at least a 50 per cent voter turn out and a more than 80 per cent YES vote to enable the proposed region to be created.



Sharing his thoughts on the exercise as of now, Dr Afriyie said: I have already explained dead people being in it [register] and I am talking about real dead people whose names have not been removed from the register.



"It will affect turnout, I believe the system is not fair because they [Electoral Commission] put the burden of removing people on relatives, communities, and people dont really care and it is coming home in this referendum, where a threshold has been put on 50 per cent, it is becoming very significant."



Dr Afriyie said the last universal voter registration exercise was done in the year 2012 and with a death rate in Ghana of about 1.2 to 1.5, and per the calculation of about 8 to 10 per cent of Ghanaians dead within the period, and I know they exhibited the register to take off dead people but Im telling you that they are still in there because I know some people personally.



"But you know what, the burden has been put on people to come and remove the names of their relatives and there is a burden on them. Sometimes they ask them to go and bring death certificates and in the villages, a lot of people get buried without death certificates. Sometimes you are even entreated to go and sign an affidavit and that is a big problem."



This one has brought it to the fore and I will say that the Electoral Commission should come with a better way of cleaning the register.



"I will suggest that maybe wherever every village committee meets, they should exhibit when people say that these people are dead, they should take it on the face value and then put them in a bank, so that if the dead person should resurrect, that is, if inadvertently somebody is pronounced dead, and it is not so, they can go back to the bank and let the person vote, but for now I see it as a big problem with regard to the 50 per cent turnout," the Regional Minister argued.



Dr Kwaku Afriyie commended the collaboration between the political parties in the area particular the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and described it as excellent.



He said the matter of the creation of the new Western North region was a generational thing and that they are not doing it for themselves but those coming after us.

Source: Graphic.com









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Featured VideoThe Volta regional branch of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has condemned the intimidation of journalists covering Thursdays referendum concerning the creation of the Oti Region.



The regional police command advised the media to vacate the area for their own safety, since, according to the police, it gathered intelligence that the locals were averse to the media coverage of the event and, therefore, likely to harm journalists within the enclave.



In a statement, however, the GJA-Volta said it finds the development unfortunate in view of Ghana being an icon of democratic growth and development, following the referendum that ushered in the Fourth Republic.



The statement, signed by the Regional Chairman A.B. Kafui Kanyi, said: A group of people cannot place a curfew on media coverage of public elections or determine how the exercise is covered.



Read the full statement below:



OTI REFERENDUM AND MEDIA CURFEW



The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA)-Volta has taken notice of directives from the Regional Police Command restricting media coverage of the Oti referendum to the collation centre at Jasikan.



The Polices argument of picking intelligence that the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) on the creation of Oti Region and the locals were uncomfortable with unknown faces, including the media observing and covering the polls and could attack them, is welcome.



GJA-Volta, however, finds the development unfortunate in view of Ghana being an icon of democratic growth and development, following the referendum that ushered in the Fourth Republic.



The country is also noted to have undertaken a number of major national elections and survived predictions of threats and violence unscathed.



We, therefore, see the alleged threats from the JCC and the locals, detractive, an act of intimidation and a means to muscle out the media from playing its watchdog role mandated by the 1992 Constitution.



It is our advice that tendencies that could set bad precedents are avoided as we approach the 2020 general elections. A group of people cannot place a curfew on media coverage of public elections or determine how the exercise is covered.



By this statement, the Association urges media practitioners covering the Oti referendum to be highly professional, conscious of their safety but not be intimidated. God bless our homeland Ghana and make her great and strong.



Signed



A.B Kafui Kanyi

Regional Chairman









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Featured VideoActor John Dumelo has said the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Hohoe constituency, his hometown in the Volta Region, wants him to run for the MP slot  although he would not say if he has decided to do so and when.



Mr Dumelo recently pulled out of the NDCs Ayawaso West Wuogon contest for personal reasons.



A few days later, Mr Dumelos opposite number in the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Rev. Edward Agyekum Kufuor, also an actor, withdrew from the race to represent his party in the January 31, 2019 by-election, which became necessary following the death of MP Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko in November this year.



Mr Dumelo picked nomination forms for the contest but failed to submit it and some of his opponents alleged that he was not a registered voter in Ayawaso-West-Wuogon was therefore disqualified.



Mr Dumelo himself did not offer any public explanation as to why he pulled out.



A Deputy National Communications Director of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mame Yaa Aboagye told Daily Graphic that Mr Dumelos decision to pull out from the contest had come at the heels of a revelation that he cannot contest the Ayawaso West Wuogon seat in the Greater Accra Region because he is not a registered voter in the constituency.



Some had also suggested that Rev Edward Agyekum Kufuor who is also an actor was in the race for the ruling NPP and that was why Mr Dumelo pulled out.



However in an interview with Class FM. Mr Dumelo said: It wasnt because of Kufuors son that I stepped down, I mean thats far from it, adding: JM [John Mahama] and [President] Nana Addo are friends but Nana Addo wont step down for JM, [and] JM wont step down for Nana Addo. Were all friends but its a battle, its a democracy, so that is why we will enter into it.



It was just on personal grounds, he stressed.



I mean if it was Kufuors son or anybody else who was standing up against me, I dont think they would have won. I think I would have won it hands down, [but] Gods time is the best.



Its Gods time; you dont rush into certain things. There are certain times that you know that it is right, there are certain times that you know that: Chale, this is not your time, its not right yet.



After all, I come from Hohoe, and Hohoe is my home and Ive been going there for the past three or four years and they, as well, want me to come and stand there, he told Class FM.



Asked if the NDC stood a chance of winning the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election, Mr Dumelo said: If we work hard, well be able to capture the seat, but you know how it is; I mean the NPP are in power at this point, and they will obviously bring all their machinery down to be able to win the seat. Same as the NDC but just that we are in opposition and theres always this incumbency thing that always plays  especially for by-elections, so, lets just hope that the NDC wins this by-election.







Source: Class News









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Featured VideoA set of twin sisters who refer to themselves as the worlds most identical twins have made a desperate plea to be allowed to marry their shared boyfriend.



Anna and Lucy De Cinque, 33, have been dating Ben Byrne for six years now and they believe they are ready to take the relationship to the next level. But the law in Australia where they live does not allow for polygamy.



Speaking at the same time on Australia TVs "Hughesy, We Have a Problem", the sisters said:



Okay, so we share a partner Ben and we would like marry him one day but the law in Australia says we cant, so what do we do? Theyve shared the clip on their own Instagram page with the caption: We share a unique problem. WE WANT TO MARRY THE SAME MAN.



Polygamy is indeed banned under the Marriage Act 1961, in the country. Yet the twins, from Perth, claim theyve always had the vision in mind with Ben, a mechanic. Ben lived a 40-minute drive away from the inseparable sisters, until he moved in with them and their mum in 2017.



Lucy added:



Ben treats us completely equally. If he kisses Anna, he kisses me right after, and holds both our hands when were out.



We all sleep together, but its not like a threesome as we dont get involved with each other. Some people say its disgusting, but it works for us.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video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.We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

Go to formCanadian astronaut Robert Thirsk smiles as he arrival at the Star City, outside Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009. The Canadian Space Agency wants to hire former astronaut Thirsk to help it figure out how to contribute medical expertise to a human mission to Mars. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Misha JaparidzeA part time public defender who claimed his boss fired him because he was the oldest employee in the office was awarded nearly $225,000 earlier this month by a federal jury who also reinstated him to his job.

Dennis Caglia, 62, has worked for 33 years at the Montgomery County Public Defenders Office in Norristown. He was drawing a part-time salary of $40,000 with full medical benefits when he was told he would have to start working full time. Caglia said he was offered crumbs to do so, according to court documents.

According to court papers, Chief Public Defender Dean Beer offered Caglia a junior-level position at $47,000 annually if he wanted to stay on. Caglia, who ran his own law office across the street, said he was the only one of 11 part-time defenders given the option of taking the low paying job or leaving. He refused the offer saying that $47,000 was what the office paid a public defender with only 12 years of experience.

In testimony, Beer said Caglia was the only part-time employee receiving full benefits and that the decision was solely for budgetary reasons. Caglia countered that another part-time defender with less tenure was offered a position with more power and money.

Caglia filed an age-discrimination case in Dec. 2016 with the Equal Employment Opportunity Office in a complaint that also alleged retaliation. Four days later, Beer allegedly fired Caglia.

On Dec. 18 after two hours of deliberation, a federal jury in Philadelphia sided with Caglia, and awarded $160,000 in damages for emotional distress, $31,290 in back pay, and about $33,000 in interest and miscellaneous damages.Wells Fargo & Co. will pay $575 million to settle state-level claims over the banks sales practices.

The settlement with 50 states and the District of Columbia announced Friday resolves state investigations into Wells Fargos practices from 2002 to 2017. The practices, which have previously been disclosed, include opening bogus accounts, charging improper mortgage rate-lock extension fees, and forcing insurance policies on auto-lending customers.

Wells Fargo is paying over half a billion dollars to the states because of conduct that caused widespread harm on a national level, in bank accounts, auto loans, and mortgages, said Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro in a statement. This bank opened millions of accounts for customers who didnt know about them, charged auto-finance customers for insurance policies they didnt want or need, and charged mortgage customers over $100 million in unwarranted fees. With this settlement, we are holding Wells Fargo accountable and changing corporate conduct to protect consumers.

Wells Fargos expenses surged over the past two years, driven by fines and legal costs as investigations into its consumer businesses multiplied. The scandal erupted in 2016 with the revelation that bank employees opened as many as 3.5 million accounts without customer approval in order to meet sales goals.

Wells Fargos corporate culture led to repeated breaches of its customers trust, said N.J. Attorney General Gurbir Grewal in a statement. This settlement should send a message to all financial institutions that they need to take steps to avoid similar consumer-protection violations, because we stand ready to hold the financial industry accountable.

The bank said in a statement that it had already set aside $400 million for the settlement and would take a $175 million provision in its fourth-quarter results. The company reached a $1 billion settlement with federal regulators earlier this year over some of the issues.

This agreement underscores our serious commitment to making things right in regard to past issues as we work to build a better bank, chief executive officer Tim Sloan said in the statement.Just before Christmas, longtime 6ABC Action News anchor Jim Gardner popped up on Jeopardy! to deliver a clue about the Franklin Institute. Its something Gardner has been doing just about once a month since September, when he was joined by his Action News colleagues to deliver clues under the category Philadelphia.

So imagine Gardners surprise when the vacationing news anchor happened to run into Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek during a tour of the historic Masada fortress in Israel on Christmas day.

Gardner, who is on vacation through next week, said Trebek happened to be visiting the historic site with his family. Trebek talked up the anchor , making sure to mention how much Philadelphians love Jeopardy! (Nielsen ratings confirm that).

He was very personable when many Philadelphians on our tour gravitated towards him. He took pics and all, Gardner said.

After sharing the photo and spending some time with Trebek, Gardner said he was surprised when he saw his Twitter feed flooded by comments from viewers a little miffed he wasnt wearing a Phillies hat during his trek through Israel.

Ive been buying other teams hats when I go to their stadiums since I was a kid. Thats a lot of hats, including the Houston Colt 45s, Gardner said, laughing off the criticism. I got the Tigers hat when my son and I visited University of Michigan and naturally, we went to a Tigers game.

I love that tweeters get exercised about things like that, Gardner added.

Maybe hanging around with a Philadelphia institution like Gardner will get Trebek back in the good graces of some viewers who werent thrilled with his performance as a debate moderator during the 2018 Pennsylvania gubernatorial campaign.

I thought that as moderator, I was to provide a certain light-hearted approach while still being able to challenge the candidates on their record or positions, Trebek wrote in a statement in October following the debate between Gov. Tom Wolf and his Republican challenger, Scott Wagner. I didnt realize I was to ask a simple question and then let the gentlemen go at each other  I offer my sincere apologies to the people of Pennsylvania, a state I dearly love.

In his 41st year as 6ABCs 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. news anchor, Gardner and the Action News broadcast remains a ratings powerhouse in and around Philadelphia. It certainly helps that Gardner is a familiar face to generations of local TV viewers, and that he shows no signs of letting up any time soon.

Theres a lot of fake news out there these days. So much fake news. But one man has always given it to us straight, talk show host Jimmy Kimmel said of Gardner last year. Jim has the gravitas of Walter Cronkite, the tenacity of Ted Koppel, and the mustache of Ron Burgundy. All the greats wrapped up into one.Interior at Danlu, 3601 Market St. As The Common, some of the seating will be changed but most of the bones will remain. Read more

Danlu, the high-style Asian restaurant that lasted six months in 2017 at 3601 Market St. in University City, is being retooled as an American restaurant with Mediterranean influences under the same ownership.

The Common is due to open in mid-January under chef-owner Patrick Feury and his partners, who also own Nectar in Berwyn.

Theyve brought in chef Lucio Palazzo, whose long resume includes the former Washington Square and James, before he worked in the Cook N Solo orbit at Zahav and Percy Street. Palazzo dove into Mexican cuisine with Xochitl, then owned by Cook N Solo. His next stops were with Tim Spinner and Brian Sirhal at La Calaca Feliz and Taqueria Feliz.

Redecoration includes changing the artwork and adding communal seating, plants, and ceiling fans for an overall lighter look, Feury said.

Palazzo said The Commons menu will be vegetable-forward, with house-made pastas, a fried shrimp sandwich, and salads. Breads will be brought down from Brooklyns Bien Cuit bakery, which will custom-bake a bun for the double-patty burger.

It will open for lunch and dinner.

A previous version of this article provided an incomplete description of the cuisine.Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh testifies on the first day of his confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill Sept. 4. Read more

Every columnist puts his or her own unique spin on the end of year column. Since I have a particular affection for poetry, I decided to channel the greatest writers in the English lexicon to help me comment upon some of the last years events.

To me, the most noteworthy thing that happened in 2018 was our newfound appreciation for the high school yearbook. Brett Kavanaugh was judged by what he wrote, what was written to him, the kind of hair gel he used in his photo, the beer stains on the albums cover, and the fact that he kept a monthly calendar tucked inside the cover. If Rudyard Kipling were to rework If to describe his epic confirmation hearing, it might have gone something like this:

If you can snag that job, when men around you

Are losing theirs, cause someone said #MeToo!

If you can trust yourself when women doubt you

And think youre much too cozy with the brew

If you can wait, and not be tired of waiting

Or being lied about, cut down to size

Or being hated, and the butt of baiting

As Spartacus from Jersey sits and sighs

If you can fill the unforgiving minutes

Until old Lindsey gives that great retort

Youll make Dianne and all the pink hats crazy

And you, my son, will end up on the court.

During the latter part of the year, we had President Donald Trump grappling with the Democrats who, due to some midterm victories, were going to make life very difficult for him in 2019 and beyond. One point of contention was the budget, and the wall that the president insisted must be included in any funding package. If Robert Frost were watching CNN, MSNBC and Fox on a loop, he might revise his Mending Wall for Donald:

Something there is that doesnt love a wall

That stops the human ground swell under it

And spills the children, crying, in the sun

And makes gaps that the desperate will exploit.

Before I built a wall Id ask to know

What was I walling in or walling out

And to whom I was like to give offence

Something there is that doesnt love a wall.

When the president wasnt talking about the wall, he was tweeting about some of his ex-friends who ended up tweeting to the feds. In particular, we were mesmerized by the saga of Michael Cohen, who went from being Trumps main cheerleader to Brutus with a Bronx accent. If William Ernest Henley were to revamp Invictus, here is how it might sound:

Out of the night that covers me

Black as a pit, and filled with loss

I thank whatever Feds there be

Who let me plead, and screw my boss.

Locally, there were a few other things that happened in 2018 that merit passing mention. For example, Pennsylvanias attorney general came out with a blistering grand jury report against a bunch of rogue Buddhist Temples. Only kidding, there was yet another investigation and castigation of the Catholic Church. If Emily Dickinson were to adapt I Never Saw a Moor to describe the grand jury proceedings where due process is at a minimum, she might put it this way:

I never saw reports

Of crimes they blamed on me

Yet know I that my guilt was based

On proof concealed from me

Then we had Larry Krasner, our district attorney, who decided that there was no such thing as a hardened criminal, and that people who are accused of stabbing other people in the back are just depraved because they were deprived. If Tennyson had changed The Charge of the Light Brigade to reflect the city and its citizens under Krasner, it might go like this:

Bullets to the right of them

Bullets to the left of them

Bullets behind them

North Broad to South

Aimed at with shots from hell

While blue-clad heroes fell

And our DA shrugs, Oh well.

Still locally, we had activists trying to convince the good people of Philadelphia that it was fine to have places where addicts could shoot up in broad daylight, even though federal law made that a crime. Here is what Lewis Carroll wrote in A Strange Wild Song, and since Safe Injection Sites are already nonsensical, I didnt have to change a word:

He thought he saw a Kangaroo

That worked a coffee-mill:

He looked again and found it was

A Vegetable-Pill.

Were I to swallow this, he said,

I should be very ill!

Happy New Year.Rick Krause, borough councilman for Magnolia, N.J. walking west on Evesham Road toward the White Horse Pike. He and other borough officials and residents are concerned about the slow pace of the state's $4.3 million effort to rebuild the intersection, where work began in 2015. Read more

For the last several years, life along the White Horse Pike in Magnolia has been disrupted by an intersection reconstruction project that so far has produced few visible improvements -- and seems to have no end in sight.

Traffic backups, bumpy blacktop, gravel sidewalks, missing curbs, shifting lanes, and periodic closures or detours have become facts of life for residents, businesses, and the estimated 50,000 vehicles that daily choke their way through the dangerous junction of Evesham Road and the pike, aka Route 30.

People in Magnolia, a salt-of-the-earth Camden County borough of 4,300 that promotes itself as One Square Mile ... of Friendliness, are unhappy. And as someone who regularly drives that part of the pike, I understand their frustration.

I mean, how complicated can this $4.3 million undertaking be? Dramatic progress on the states far more ambitious and expensive ($900 million) I-295/Route 42 "Direct Connection mega-project in nearby Bellmawr has been made in recent years, while an array of orange barrels and road work ahead signs decorates what looks like a largely unchanged Magnolia intersection.

People are constantly asking us whats going on at White Horse Pike and Evesham, said Mayor BettyAnn Cowling-Carson, who began lobbying for improvements to the intersection not long after she was elected in 1991. The project finally was announced in 2012 and contracts were awarded in December 2014.

Ive been told different answers numerous times about when it will be finished, but my understanding is that the water pipes and sewer pipes and drainage pipes are so old that something is always breaking, or is not marked outright, Cowling-Carson said.

Mairin Bellack, deputy director of communications for the state Department of Transportation, acknowledged the public frustration, but noted that while people might not see progress, the majority of the work is underground and is continuing.

The focus is to make the intersection safer" for drivers and pedestrians, she said, adding, We encountered some issues and utility work delays, but we will move forward with construction during the winter to get the project back on track and completed on time."

Bellack would not estimate when that would be but said the state is committed to finishing this project for the community.

Preparations for widening the pike and Evesham Road to accommodate dedicated left turn lanes -- these will be a most welcome improvement -- appear to have been at least partially completed. But every time they dig, they run into a problem and have to redraw [the plans]." Rick Krause, a borough council member and lifelong Magnolia resident, said. "And then they hit another problem.

Work may have dragged on and on, but the dramatic transformation of the nearby and nearly moribund Lions Head Plaza shopping center into the mixed-use Cooper Towne Center -- with nearly 200 new townhouses and 400,000 square feet of retail space -- has been completed. And Royal Farms opened its first South Jersey convenience store on the southwest corner of White Horse Pike and Evesham in November 2017.

But locally owned businesses said the state of the pike and the avenue has been a headache, if not a hardship.

Its been years, said Lori Trieu, who owns Sky Nails, a busy salon just west of Evesham Road. Sometimes our driveway is blocked. Sometimes they block a lane and traffic backs up. One day last year we had no power."

Said Amy Farry, owner of Woodchucks, a small-engine repair shop thats done business on the pike for 25 years and has had electrical or water service interrupted during the work: Its a very dangerous intersection. There are accidents every day. So Im glad its going to be better. But its taking way too long."

I couldnt agree more.

I also think its unfortunate that the intersections ragged appearance makes such an unappealing gateway to Magnolia.

Like many South Jersey towns, the borough is far more pleasant than it may seem from the highway. Magnolia has tree-lined streets, solid neighborhoods, and a lovely central green space, Albertson Park, dedicated when the municipality was incorporated in 1915.

The borough is even home to one of the seven classic McDonalds golden arches signs left on Earth. The famous sign is on -- where else -- the pike.

I just want to be positive about this project, said Cowling-Carson, who worked at the Magnolia McDonalds as a high school student. I just want to see it completed.Like much of the city, a stretch of Ninth Street in South Philadelphia that includes the Italian Market and the Pats and Genos cheesesteak joints has a litter problem.

One grassy lot there on Friday sported plastic bottles and bags, an empty Chick-fil-A drink carrier, Dunkin' Donuts and Wawa cups, a phone book, concrete blocks, and a Styrofoam takeout container. Strewn on another lot down the street were soda and beer cans, planks of wood, empty cigarette packs, even a pair of shoes and a sweater.

As of Friday, the area is officially a litter enforcement corridor"  one of 84 blocks and larger stretches of street the city has identified as habitual dumping grounds and where litterers are likely to face new levels of scrutiny and punishment.

More than 50,000 residents complained to the city last year about trashed vacant lots, illegal dumping, and trash and recyclable collection. Streets and sanitation topped the list of services that residents say the city most needs to improve, according to a survey.

State lawmakers last summer began allowing municipalities to designate litter enforcement corridors," where fines for throwing trash from vehicle windows can be doubled and fines for illegal dumping can be tripled. Current fines range from $300 to a few thousand dollars, depending on the offense.

In the new year, the city will begin installing cameras and signs that warn of the increased fines.

There are spots people have known for years: This is where you dump, said Nic Esposito, director of the citys Zero Waste and Litter Cabinet, an interdepartmental effort to reduce waste and combat litter. We know were not going to be able to arrest our way out of this problem. But we do need to make a statement and say: This is not going to be tolerated in Philadelphia."

Many of the newly designated litter corridors are familiar hot spots  blocks and stretches where people gather to shop, eat, or be entertained. They include Ogontz Avenue from Stenton Avenue to Cheltenham Avenue in West Oak Lane and East Mount Airy, and Broad Street from Pattison Avenue to the expressway, between FDR Park and the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia.

In October, City Council passed a bill making it easier for approved community groups to place privately maintained trash cans along city streets. The city is using the litter index launched this year to target hot spots for monitoring and cleanups.

City Councilman Bobby Henon, who introduced the bill designating the citys litter enforcement corridors, said he and neighborhood groups in his Northeast Philadelphia district have removed hundreds of tires and enough debris to fill several sanitation trucks during periodic cleanups. Popular dumping spots include Pennypack Park and along Frankford Creek, a tributary of the Delaware River.

Henon said a resident left him a voicemail over the Christmas holiday demanding to know what he was doing about illegal dumping. His constituents, Henon said, have no problem saying its long overdue.

They dont want their blocks being dumped on, their alleyways being blocked, the values of their homes going down, he said. "Theyre almost demanding that we do something. They are encouraged, but we have to show them that the city is serious about addressing the problem.

Among the other corridors the city is targeting: the 2900 block of East Tioga Street in Port Richmond; the 3400 to 3700 blocks of Germantown Avenue in North Philadelphia; and Ridge Avenue between Lehigh and Fairmount Avenues in North Philadelphia.Former coworkers of slain Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner stand beneath a new mural of him Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, in Philadelphia. The mural is painted on the side of the police station Faulkner worked at in the Chinatown section of the city. Daniel Faulkner was shot to death by Mumia Abu-Jamal on a downtown street in 1981. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Read more

A Philadelphia Common Pleas Court judge ruled Thursday that convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal can re-argue an appeal before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court because then-Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille did not recuse himself due to his prior role as Philadelphia district attorney when Abu-Jamal was appealing his case.

Judge Leon Tucker, however, denied for lack of evidence Abu-Jamals claim that Castille had personal significant involvement in Abu-Jamals case while Castille was in the District Attorneys Office.

Dustin Slaughter, spokesperson for District Attorney Larry Krasner, said in a statement that we are aware of Judge Tuckers opinion and are currently reviewing it. As such, we have no further comment at this time.

Judith L. Ritter, an attorney for Abu-Jamal, said in a statement that Judge Tucker recognized the unconstitutional bias involved with Justice Castilles sitting on the prior post-conviction appeals, and the need for a new appeal untainted by such bias. This was a straightforward application of federal and Pennsylvania law requiring cases to be decided by judges whose impartiality cannot reasonably be questioned.

Abu-Jamal, 64, a former Black Panther and sometime radio reporter, is serving a life sentence for the Dec. 9, 1981, shooting death of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner, 25, at 13th and Locust Streets.

Castille served as district attorney from 1986 to 1991, then joined the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 1994 and became chief justice in 2008 before retiring in 2014.

In October, Maureen Faulkner, the slain officers widow, was ejected from Tuckers courtroom after she disrupted a hearing with an emotional outburst decrying the judges granting Abu-Jamals lawyers an extension in a two-year-old appeal.

Abu-Jamals lawyers filed this appeal on Aug. 7, 2016, following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that year that found Castille was wrong to have participated in an appeal to the state Supreme Court by another convicted killer.

Tucker wrote in his 36-page opinion that under the Williams v. Pennsylvania decision, if a judge served as a prosecutor and then the judge, there is no separate analysis or determination required by the court, there is a finding of automatic bias and a due process violation."

Later, Tucker wrote, The public expectation of impartial justice is necessary. The slightest appearance of bias or lack of impartiality undermines the entire judiciary, hence the mandate of not only propriety, but the appearance of propriety.

Tucker added: Re-argument before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court would be best to perform the heart of the function of the appearance of justice. Argument only on the past submitted briefs will avoid the unacceptable danger of having the slightest appearance of impropriety."

In the second part of his ruling, Tucker said Abu-Jamals lawyers failed to present evidence that Castille had a significant personal involvement in a critical decision" over Abu-Jamals case while Castille was district attorney.

Tucker wrote that Castilles public statements, news releases, letters, and memos written while he was district attorney and showing his support of the death penalty were insufficient to show that Castille implemented a policy particularly because of Abu-Jamal.

The judge did note that the commonwealth failed to produce two documents it was obligated to preserve while Abu-Jamals appeals were active. The unavailability of the documents could be prejudicial to Abu-Jamal, but the commonwealths conduct was not egregious, Tucker wrote.

Staff writer Chris Palmer also contributed to this article.Judges and organizers involved in the Mummers parade have lunch and a meeting at the Mummers Museum December 28, 2018. Mummers parade judges meet every year for a lunch to prepare for the parade. Read more

Days before the Mummers strut up Broad Street from South Philadelphia to City Hall, the judges and division leaders gather inside the basement of the Mummers Museum in Pennsport to break bread and go over the ground rules.

On Friday, 32 judges continued the 35-year tradition of a pre-parade meeting to go over highlights; talk about whats new, whats different, and what to look out for; and officially begin the parade festivities.

The parade goes by fast, the parade runners tell the group of old and new judges, so write a few notes on your scorecard, put a grade, and move on.

Writing WTF doesnt help you, said Leo Dignam, a city assistant managing director who is in charge of this years parade. He said to add context, but keep it short: If you were bored by the end, say that. Started strong, but lost momentum.'

The judges dined on a spread including pasta, chicken piccata, Caesar salad, string beans, and chocolate cannoli. There are judges for every division: six for Comics, six for Fancy/Wenches, eight for Fancy Brigades, 12 for String Bands.

The division leaders sit among them during the lunch, but it wasnt always this way. They were afraid that if they lost, they would burn [the judges] house down, Dignam said.

Now they meet to go over duties and goals.

The identities of the judges are shrouded in secrecy to those outside the meeting.

An older man in a Flyers sweatshirt, who has been a Mummer all his life and a judge for the last few years, waved his hand when I asked for his name.

Dont tell anyone youre a judge, he said. I dont.

The old ones wear satin jackets. One wore a whistle hanging from a lanyard. There were a handful of women, one of whom was a person of color.

Many complained about bad press, angry about being accused of being racist, tone-deaf, and insensitive.

Theyre still reeling from a bad skit about Caitlyn Jenner in 2016. That led to Mummer sensitivity training. Now the different brigades have to submit their themes in advance to receive approval.

The Mummers are repeatedly told that they can make jokes about President Donald Trump or Mayor Jim Kenney, but not about minorities. The judges were instructed to make notes of any inappropriate behavior.

Lets make sure were not offending anyone, Dignam said. Lets have some fun."Sen. Cory Booker speaking in September during the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Booker won praise from progressives for his performance. Read more

These days, the political news cycle is measured in minutes, sometimes less than that if certain tweeting fingers get twitchy. It pays to step back for a little perspective. Here are seven significant 2018 Pennsylvania and New Jersey political stories that will continue to reverberate as the calendar turns to 2019:

1. Gerrymandering

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court caused a political earthquake in early 2018 when it declared the states GOP-drawn congressional map an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander and imposed a new one that upended the midterm campaign.

The decision, combined with President Donald Trumps dismal approval ratings in the Philadelphia suburbs amid long-term demographic changes there, helped pave the way for Democratic gains in November.

READ MORE: Pennsylvania, gerrymandered: A guide to Pa.s congressional map redistricting fight

New Jersey Democrats tried a last-minute heist of that states legislative map in a bid to entrench their power via a constitutional amendment. They dropped the proposal this month amid backlash from progressive activists and national Democrats such as former Attorney General Eric Holder.

This issue isnt going away. Former President Barack Obama said last week he would direct his energy toward redistricting reform.

2. Year of the Woman

It was a Year of the Woman in American politics: A record number of women were elected to Congress and state legislatures.

The story was similar here. In Pennsylvanias congressional delegation, all four newly elected Democrats are women, most from the Philadelphia suburbs. Previously, there were no women in the delegation.

Now the question is whether and how often the Democratic-led House will work with Trump or seek to keep him in check. We may get a read on that almost as soon as the new Congress is sworn in, as lawmakers have yet to reach a deal with Trump to end the partial government shutdown.

In Harrisburg, the General Assembly will be more diverse than ever next term. But the state isnt close to anything resembling gender parity. Even with significant gains this year, women will make up just 25 percent of the legislature.

READ MORE: After another Year of the Woman, how close is Pa. to gender parity in politics? (Not very)

3. Trump-like candidates lose, and Casey 2020 chatter begins

Democrats surfed a wave election across the country in 2018, propelled by dissatisfaction with Trump and his administration. U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat from Scranton seeking a third term, enjoyed the ride.

Casey easily defeated the Republican nominee, U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta of Hazleton, by 13 points. This despite Barlettas receiving publicity and fund-raising assistance through two visits to Pennsylvania by Trump, who recruited him for the race.

Republican gubernatorial nominee Scott Wagner, who like Barletta drew comparisons to Trump, also lost big, to Gov. Tom Wolf.

Caseys easy victory, in a year when his partys national successes were limited mostly to the House, sparked some discussion about his being a potential player in the 2020 presidential race.

Casey did not embrace or reject that talk, and deftly used a county-by-county analysis of how well he did in 2018 to illuminate a path for a Democratic presidential candidate to win Pennsylvania in 2020.

4. Clergy sex-abuse report

A Pennsylvania statewide grand jury in August stunned the Roman Catholic Church, releasing a report showing a cover-up of sexual abuse of more than 1,000 children by hundreds of priests, with some allegations stretching back as far as seven decades.

Two issues swiftly arose. Many of the pages in the nearly 900-page report were redacted to remove identifying information for two dozen or so clerics. And the states statute of limitations for many of the alleged victims to file civil lawsuits had expired.

Would there be more transparency? And would the General Assembly give alleged victims more time? The answer to both turned out to be no.

Despite calls from the grand jury to make the full report public, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in December ruled that the redactions would stay in place. And efforts to lift the statute of limitations stalled in the Republican-controlled state Senate.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro accused the Vatican of knowing about the abuse and the churchs efforts at a cover-up.

The Vatican had called the abuse criminally and morally reprehensible, and Pope Francis asked for forgiveness and pledged to better address sexual abuse allegations going forward.

Most of the dioceses in the state have started or will launch compensation funds for victims who have aged out of the statute of limitations. Other states have followed Pennsylvanias lead.

5. Bob Brady retires from Congress

U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, chairman of Philadelphias Democratic City Committee, called it quits in the U.S. House in January 2018 after two decades as a congressman.

Brady said his decision was driven by a desire to spend more time with his family and an anticipated redrawing of congressional district maps, not the federal investigation into campaign spending during his 2012 bid for reelection.

Brady was not charged with any crime and remains in charge of the local Democratic Party.

One of his campaign consultants, Donald D.A. Jones, pleaded guilty and testified against another, Ken Smukler, who challenged federal prosecutors in court and was found guilty on nine of 11 counts.

At the heart of the case was a federal claim that Bradys political action committee was used to funnel $90,000 through Smukler and Jones to induce a 2012 primary challenger, former Municipal Court Judge Jimmie Moore, to drop out of that race.

Smukler insisted the money from Bradys PAC was meant in large part to purchase a detailed poll commissioned by Moore, who cooperated with investigators and pleaded guilty to not reporting the money on campaign finance reports.

6. With Christie gone, N.J. Dems fight each other

Gov. Phil Murphy started the post-Chris Christie era in Trenton with some progressive wins, signing a pay-equity measure, college financial aid for some undocumented immigrants, and mandatory paid sick leave.

But hes been unable to push through the big-ticket ideas he campaigned on, such as legalizing marijuana and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. On these and other issues, he has hit roadblocks from members of his own party, notably Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin.

Its no secret that Murphy and Sweeney (who wanted to be governor) dont get along or even talk much. Things might get worse as the Democratic-controlled Legislature continues to investigate the Murphy administrations handling of sexual-assault allegations made against a former high-ranking official.

One development worth watching: whether New Jerseys debate over pot influences Wolf, who said this month that its time for Pennsylvania to take a serious and honest look at recreational marijuana. One roadblock? The Republican-led legislature is unlikely to agree.

7. Booker 2020?

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker had a solid 2018, winning praise from progressives for his combative performance during the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and championing a bipartisan overhaul of the criminal justice system.

In the new year, Booker (D., N.J.) is expected to announce his candidacy for president. About two dozen Democrats are said to be mulling a shot at taking on Trump, so it seems a little early to start handicapping Bookers chances.

Another well-known Jersey pol, Christie, ran in a crowded field in 2016 and flamed out early.

Whatever happens this time, were pretty sure Booker wont end up endorsing Trump.Pennsylvania state Senator-elect Lindsey Williams looks over a map and some photos as she settles into her new office in Glenshaw, Pa. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic) Read more

PITTSBURGH  The state Senates top Republican announced Friday he will recommend that Democratic Sen.-elect Lindsey Williams be seated with her fellow legislators on New Years Day, bringing to an apparent end a months-long GOP effort to disqualify the western Pennsylvanian over a residency dispute.

In a letter to Williams on Friday, Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati noted that the constitutional requirement that legislators must live in Pennsylvania for four years before being elected has not been settled by the courts and that no precise constitutional definition of residency exists, according to a release from his office.

Williams won the 38th District seat in Allegheny County by about 800 votes in November, but some Senate leaders said she had not lived in the state long enough to qualify and raised the possibility of barring her from taking office. A native of northeast Pennsylvania, Williams moved to Maryland in 2008 but maintains she moved back to Pittsburgh to take a job on Nov. 6, 2014  exactly four years before this falls Election Day. At the GOPs request, Williams submitted more than 100 documents that she said proved she met the requirement.

In his letter, Scarnati said that he presumed the documents to be truthful, but that if any conflicting information emerges, the issue could be revisited on the Senate floor.

Williams praised the GOP leaders as extremely fair and thorough and thanked them. I understand that they needed to take their time and do their due diligence and review the materials I submitted, she told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and I appreciate that. Im glad they came to the same conclusion Ive stated all along, that I do meet the residency requirements.

The apparent resolution of the dispute came on the same day activists held demonstrations across the state to demand she be allowed to take office, accusing the Republicans of seeking to subvert the will of voters. The residency questions were aired during the campaign.

Inside the Allegheny County Courthouse at noon, a group of demonstrators gathered  a few big political names in tow, including Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D., Allegheny)  to publicly remind the GOP to respect democracy.

We have elections in this country  they are often vicious. Theyre often tough. But at the end of the day, when the voters speak, thats when we congratulate the victor, said Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. "We accept what the voters say, even if we dont agree with it.

More than 3,400 people had signed a petition Friday morning circulated by Keystone Progress that calls on the GOP to stop trying to steal a Senate seat with a dubious, partisan claim.

Any attempt to deny her the seat she won is a desperate distraction by a shrinking caucus on the verge of losing all of its power, the petition reads.

The Pennsylvania Democratic Party had been asking activists to call Republican legislators and read from a phone script that includes the phrase, Put the partisan politics aside and let Lindsey Williams serve. If you dont, its Republican seats  not hers  thatll be in danger come next election!A city police officer was hospitalized in critical but stable condition Thursday after a patrol car crashed into a bridge support pillar in North Philadelphia, police said.

The crash occurred about 3:35 p.m. in the 2400 block of North 12th Street. TV news helicopters showed the cruiser, which was traveling south, with heavy front-end damage. The vehicle also briefly caught on fire.

The officer was transported to Temple University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

No one else was hurt. The cause of the accident was under investigation.The Rev. James Kenneth Echols, 67, of Philadelphia, a noted scholar and the first African American to serve as president of a North American Lutheran seminary and as the academic dean at the former Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, died Sunday, Dec. 23, from complications after falling in his Philadelphia home last week.

He was as well known for his quiet and reserved manner as he was for his vision and leadership, which brought together churches of different faiths to teach religion and serve those most in need.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pastor Echols attended public schools and was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in West Philadelphia. He then enrolled at Temple University, graduating cum laude, and attended Lutheran Theological Seminary, earning his masters degree in divinity. He attended Yale University, studying psychology, religion, and theology, obtaining another masters and his doctorate. In 1999 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Carthage College.

To know him was to love him, said his wife, Donna Skinner Echols. Mrs. Echols and her husband recently celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary.

It was a wonderful life, she said, noting an overwhelming number of visitors paying respects. He has just touched so many lives.

Donna Echols said she traveled with her husband, an expert on the history of American Christianity and the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., when he was invited to speak and teach around the world.

In 1982, Pastor Echols became the first African American professor at Lutheran Theological Seminary (now United Lutheran Seminary), and from 1991 through 1997 served as dean. He led the seminarys first globalization trip, to Namibia and South Africa in 1992, prior to the end of apartheid.

In 1997, he was appointed president of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, where he remained for 14 years. In 2017, the school awarded him a doctorate of divinity degree that recognized more than 37 years of service in parish ministry, theological education, and ecumenical and interfaith work. He was also recognized for his service to communities of color throughout the world.

In 2008, the James Kenneth Echols Prize for Excellence in Preaching was established at the Chicago school. In addition to honors and awards from Wagner College and Carthage, Pastor Echols received a Luther Institute Wittenberg Award in 2000 and a Wheat Ridge Ministries Seeds of Hope Award in 2005.

Pastor Donna Wright, a friend who worked with Pastor Echols in Philadelphia, said he had an immense intellectual gift and tremendous compassion. Although he was mild-mannered, she said, he could be driven by anger when he witnessed injustice.

In Chicago, Pastor Echols helped create the Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice. He held an endowed chair in Christian-Muslim studies and interfaith relations, and was an advocate for spiritual youth programs. He also served as director of the Theological Education and Networks Office of the Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America prior to his retirement.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by daughters Jennifer Hope Echols and Courtney Lynne Echols Penn; a granddaughter; and a brother.

A visitation will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 27, at the United Lutheran Seminary, 7301 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19119. A service will be held at the seminary at 9 a.m. Friday, Dec. 28.

Donations can be made to the United Lutheran Seminary at the address above or the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, 1100 E. 55th St., Chicago, Ill. 60615.

Arrangements are being handled by Jacob F. Ruth Funeral Directors.As 2018 draws to a close, its a good time to take stock of accomplishments (Hello, Super Bowl) and missed opportunities (Goodbye, Amazon).

Its also an opportunity to look to the days ahead, to be optimistic about what the future might hold. The Inquirers Opinion department has spent the last few weeks asking people from around the region: What is the most important change the Philadelphia region needs to see in 2019?

Rethink the criminal justice system

Philly has powerfully reformed criminal justice, reducing our jail population by almost 40 percent in three years. While weve made headlines as a model city for its progress, our beloved city has also generated national attention for commonsense reforms that have yet to be put in place  specifically around parole.

One out of every 22 Philadelphians is on probation or parole. A staggering 55 percent of people in Philly jails are held indefinitely on a detainer, with almost no chance at pretrial release, because they are accused, but not convicted, of some new crime or a small violation. They cannot be bailed out.

In a city where people receive decades-long probation terms, the risk of returning to jail on any accusation looms large. To keep people home where they belong, instead of in jail away from families, treatment, and employment, we must rethink this detainer and probation system. The time is now.  Malcolm Jenkins, Eagles safety and Players Coalition Cofounder

Dont waste money

Philadelphia has so much going for it, but we need to make sure that our local government doesnt hold back our city. Too often, city tax dollars are wasted, or used to benefit the connected few instead of the majority of our residents. People know this, and they want change.

By spending tax dollars more carefully and with the majority of residents in mind, Philadelphia would have more resources to invest in the biggest challenges facing Philadelphia  the opioid crisis, the trauma of gun violence, and our high rate of poverty. Government could then start rebuilding the trust weve lost from years of corruption and waste. And, the city would be able to provide better services to our residents.  Rebecca Rhynhart, Philadelphia city controller

Set up a safe injection site

Philadelphia has felt the negative effects of the opioid epidemic in a very real way. In 2017, 1,217 people died of an overdose in Philadelphia. But there is a way to reduce this carnage in the future: Set up a safe injection site.

At a safe injection site, users would bring their own drugs and needles and inject themselves in the presence of trained medical personnel. Before users take any drugs, they will have to meet with counselors who will urge them to get treatment and can immediately place them in a treatment program. If the users choose to take drugs, the trained medical professionals will be prepared to administer Naloxone, an overdose reversal medication, in the event that the user has a bad reaction, which is not uncommon given the level of fentanyl found in heroin in Philadelphia.

Experience in other cities shows that a safe injection site is likely to save somewhere between 25 and 75 lives per year.

Critics of safe injection sites have argued that sites would promote illegal activity and would violate the federal law designed to stop crack houses. I dont believe that the people who drafted this federal legislation intended to apply it to volunteer medical personnel trying to save lives. Additionally, because of the severity of the opioid epidemic in Philadelphia, I believe prosecutors should use their discretion and refrain from enforcing the law. Federal prosecutors do this routinely. Prevention Points needle-exchange program has been an unqualified success in its 25 years of operation and it too technically violates federal law, but no harm has been done to the community. Safe injection sites are the next step to stemming this crisis.  Edward G. Rendell, former governor of Pennsylvania

Pass gun laws to save lives

As Meek Mill said, "Despite all the adversity weve been through, it feels like our time is right now. You might think it odd for me to quote Meek, but hes absolutely right. Philadelphias time is now. But only if we seize it. Thats what 2019 is all about: seizing opportunity for everyone in our region, regardless of circumstance or zip code. One of the more startling things I learned in 2018 is that our children participate in active shooter drills at school. We must pass laws that save lives; we must ask more of our gun owners than we do of our children. These laws will not infringe on anyones Second Amendment rights. These laws will adhere to every individuals right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We need laws to keep guns out of the hands of those who should not possess them.  Madeleine Dean, congresswoman-elect for Pennsylvanias 4th District

Stop economic violence

Philadelphia has the highest child poverty rate among Americas biggest cities. Where there is poverty, there is greed among the business people who refuse to pay living wages, and cowardice among our leaders who allow this economic violence to continue. Adults of the region should stop pretending that charity is a solution. Charity is embarrassing for everyone. No one should suffer the humiliation of waiting in line for low-quality, secondhand food, or wait for hours at a community center for random donated holiday toys they take home in a trash bag. For those of us trying to prevent homelessness and despair, we need to do less case management and do more this year to generate collective power, where families can demand their right to food, to health, to prosperity, and to peace. Philadelphias children deserve better schools, safer neighborhoods, living wages for their parents, and more beautiful places to play and to be free.  Mariana Chilton, director of the Center for Hunger-Free Communities and co-principal investigator of Childrens HealthWatch

Repair the schools

We can and should measure the state of our city through the health and wellness of our young people. For the last year, the Philadelphia Inquirer has devoted its pages to the devastating impact of unhealthy aging school buildings. None of us can be complacent when reading stories about a third grader who was poisoned at his school because he ate paint chips off his desk to keep his space clean. Repairing schools is not just a School District concern. These are community investments, job opportunities, and a promise to our future. We need equitable, permanent funding sources to do this urgent work, including fixing the tax abatement program, which costs our children hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for their schools while some of the citys wealthiest neighborhoods remain the beneficiaries. We need all entities at the table to figure out solutions  business, higher education, health care, educators, and elected officials. We cant rest until every city school that reflects the promise of the children inside of them.  Helen Gym, Philadelphia city councilmember

Let Philadelphia be average

In the nine years since the recession, Philadelphia has added jobs every year, an average of 1.4 percent increase per year since 2010, our longest winning streak in decades. But these gains pale in comparison to the average annual growth of the 25 largest cities in America (2.3 percent per year) or even the national average (1.7 percent per year). Had we been average we would have had about 50,000 more jobs than we do today  the equivalent of Amazon coming to Philadelphia.

The recession devastated those limited in education or skills. Philadelphias poverty rate surged from 23.8 percent to 28.4 percent from 2007 to 2011. As we started adding jobs, the number in poverty declined by 4,600 each year; dropping the rate to 25.7 percent. Thats still appallingly high, but the message is clear: Grow jobs, reduce poverty.

So why do we grow so slowly? Two diverse tax commissions suggested looking in the mirror: Support government with high taxes on workers and business and both will leave. Rely more on real estate taxes, therell be more growth and more for schools. Among big cities, we have the highest wage tax and the highest poverty. Were the only big city taxing both gross and net incomes of business.

Better tax policy sounds boring. But its the best way to beat the averages, expanding growth citywide.  Paul R. Levy, president and CEO of Center City District

Forget best once in a while

Ive lived in Philadelphia since 2000 and experienced its boom  in housing, dining, the arts  in positive ways. But the fact is, a lot of people born and bred here are not experiencing the same Philadelphia that I am. Theres a big gap between those with enough wealth to enjoy the citys assets and those who cant pay their bills. When I read a headline about how Philly is the best city for millennials, say, or for empty nesters from the suburbs, I wonder: What did we sacrifice to be the best in that category? How can we make this the best city for everyone? For all of our accomplishments, were still the poorest big city in America. In 2019, Id like us to start talking about ways to meet somewhere in the middle, so that our new bests dont make life worse for those without wealth. Making progress doesnt have to mean being the best in something. It can also mean making things better than they were the day or week before, making the city more livable for more people.  Tiffany Tavarez, vice president of community relations at Wells Fargo

Use tax incentives to create change

Realizing the full impact of the new federal Opportunity Zones tax incentive is the most important effort that the Philadelphia region could undertake in 2019. This new tool gives private investors the ability to defer, reduce, and even eliminate capital gains taxes if they target their investments to designated low-income areas. With aligned public and philanthropic resources, this new tool could help raise and deploy private capital for investments in low-income communities. This could produce and preserve affordable housing, support female- and minority-owned businesses, revitalize former industrial properties, advance energy efficiency, and build wealth. Philadelphia has an enviable concentration of experienced practitioners in local government and entities like the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, the Reinvestment Fund, the Enterprise Center, and Shift Capital. These institutions and individuals could drive smart investments and create norms and models for the rest of the country to follow.  Bruce Katz, cofounder and director of the Nowak Metro Finance Lab at Drexel University

Dont forget diversity

The most important change we need is an embrace of economic growth strategies where people of color, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, and refugees are shaping policies and programs that directly impact our communities. By ensuring that decision-making bodies in government and business reflect our increasingly diverse population, we improve the odds of making smart investments in our education and workforce systems, health care and social services, infrastructure, housing, and transportation systems.

I look forward to 2019 with great optimism knowing that more than 75 dynamic people have recently completed the Welcoming Centers Immigrant Leadership Institute and have already begun to share their ideas and engage hundreds more in conversations with business leaders and elected officials. These exchanges have led to the development of new approaches for recruiting diverse talent, promoting English language learning, delivering health-care services, and supporting entrepreneurs in accessing capital to launch new businesses.  Peter Gonzales, president and CEO Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians

Eradicate homelessness in Philadelphia

Homelessness is a complex issue that is solvable in our lifetime, but surging social forces have put us on the verge of a new homeless crisis. The rise in addiction, coupled with growing poverty, mental illness, and young adults experiencing homelessness is elevating the issue to a whole new level.

The critical change Philadelphia needs to see in 2019 is our community coming together, forging critical partnerships to address the issues of addiction and other underlying causes of homelessness.

Project HOME understands the impact these new forces create and responded with MPOWER, a public-private partnership that draws on a powerful network of people and ideas to scale solutions. In less than a decade, MPOWER has multiplied Project HOMEs impact by 163 power. Through the partnership, Project HOME leveraged $25 million into more than $250 million, providing services to more than 15,000 people and ending chronic street homelessness for more than 2,000 people.

My wife, Leigh, and I share Project HOMEs bold goal of eradicating homelessness in Philadelphia, and we believe we can make tremendous strides by supporting the organizations work. Lets make 2019 the year we make it happen.  John Middleton, philanthropist, Phillies managing partner

Create a citywide, intersectional approach to dealing with poverty

We need to better address the disproportionate impact of poverty, unemployment, and homelessness on specific populations, including LGBTQ people of color and especially transgender women of color. Even when controlling for levels of education, these populations are still underpaid and underemployed.

While Philadelphia offers a wealth of services for underserved communities, we need to create and offer intentional resources to address the intersectional oppressions our communities often face. For example, when we provide job preparation programs, we could couple them with expungement clinics to address the over-policing of transgender people and communities of color. Additionally, being able to work requires being healthy enough to work, and we know that LGBTQ+ people, poor folks, immigrants, and people with disabilities face disparate health outcomes. My office and the Mayors Commission on LGBTQ Affairs provide resources to LGBTQ Philadelphians, but theres always more work to be done. Lets make it a citywide effort.  Amber Hikes, executive director, Office of LGBT Affairs, Office of Mayor Jim Kenney

Grow the next generation of leaders

Philadelphias success is rooted in the success of its people, and nowhere is this citys booming energy more evident than in the thriving start-up and tech communities. However, there can be financial and cultural barriers that make it hard for everyone who wants to be a part of these communities to learn and grow. This can make it hard to build the next generation of leaders.

Id like Phillys start-up and tech communities to focus on a cohesive growth strategy that includes collaboration between businesses, institutions, community organizations, politicians, and residents in order to truly move the entire city forward. Voices from all corners and communities deserve a seat at the table, even if that means building a bigger table.  Kiera Smalls, executive director of Philly Startup Leaders and cofounder of City Fit Girls

See Philly as a true international city

In 2019, one of Global Philadelphias major areas of focus will be the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We urge Greater Philadelphia businesses and communities to get behind these goals, which include eliminating poverty, providing quality education, taking care of the environment, and promoting gender equality, among others. Our collective work toward the SDGs will not only boost our regions economic and social well-being but also increase the Greater Philadelphia areas visibility internationally as a forward-thinking destination for commerce and tourism, and create more goodwill for our community as a force for inclusion, equality, and sustainability.

There is great opportunity and power in collaborating with the business sector to intentionally promote everything Philadelphia, the United States first World Heritage City, has to offer the world and effectively boost our regions international standing in the process.  Rob McNeill, chair, Global Philadelphia Association and Greater Philadelphia managing partner, Deloitte

Make kids health a top priority

While Philadelphia has much to celebrate, we cant lose sight of the fact that its a place where thousands of children struggle. Many of our youngest residents are hungry, homeless, and unhealthy. Some of these challenges are linked to their environment: The neighborhoods children live in and even the condition of their homes have a profound impact on their health.

Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia has many initiatives that address the crises our children face, including a partnership with the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation, that creates healthier housing for children with asthma.

In 2019, we will call on others to join us to combat issues such as behavioral health, obesity, and violence. Together, we can ensure that every child  no matter their zip code  has a fair chance at a healthy future.  Madeline Bell, president and CEO, Childrens Hospital of PhiladelphiaPresident Richard M. Nixon points to transcripts of White House tapes on April 29, 1974, after announcing that he would turn them over to House impeachment investigators. Read more

San Clemente, Calif., in 1978 was the Elba of America. I went there fresh out of college for a job working as a researcher for David Eisenhower, which quickly became a job as an editorial assistant to former President Richard M. Nixon, who had finished his memoirs and moved on to the two books I worked on, The Real War and Leaders.

Early in 1980, Nixon moved to New York, and I went with him, leaving in the fall for law school. I went back to California in 1989 at his request to oversee construction of his library in Yorba Linda, a second two-year stint with one of historys remarkable figures. Nixons oft-repeated view in his unique retirement: look forward. Always. There isnt any upside in replaying the past or its decisions, glories, and failures. He would occasionally write and talk about the past  for his memoir, with David Frost  and events long over informed his take on events happening in real time. But he had no bitter recriminations, no dwelling on what might have been, how he might have acted differently. Just look forward. In the 15 years I knew him, he was remarkably at peace and always focused on the future of the country and the world.

If Trump embraces that outlook, his prospects for reelection are excellent. Trumps record of accomplishments is long and real, and all the screaming on cable cant erase two Supreme Court justices, 30 federal appeals judges, a massive military rebuild begun, the crushing of the Islamic State, the huge tax cut and tax reform, bipartisan legislation on opioids and prison reform, repeal of the Obamacare mandate, withdrawal from the Iran deal and Paris climate accords, and a regulatory rollback across many agencies (most consequentially for the economy at the Environmental Protection Agency and Interior Department). Moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and the forging of the new entente among Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates  and Israel  has brought clarity to the standoff between Iran  the worlds greatest exporter of terrorism and instability  and its enemies in the region.

And, of course, the economy is cooking even as the stock market makes one of its periodic and inevitable corrections.

Given all that, Nixons attitude in retirement  that only today and tomorrow matter  would serve Trump well. Find a new secretary of defense quickly. Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.), former senator Jim Talent (R., Mo.) or former ambassador to Germany Robert Kimmitt would all be excellent choices who can do the crucial job well. The same for the Interior Department. Insist that attorney general nominee William P. Barr commit to not recusing himself from the supervisory role over the special counsel. Democrats will push for a recusal that he simply cannot give if the Justice Department is going to regain the confidence of that part of the country shocked by the actions of a handful of senior leaders in the FBI in 2016.

Next: Prepare a State of the Union that hammers on the costs of prescription drugs and the need and means of infrastructure repair done in partnership with state and local governments. Demand the Pentagon finally produce a plan to get from todays fleet of 280 to a 355-ship Navy. Keep the judicial nominations flowing. Count on Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R., S.C.) to blow through the obstructionism in the Judiciary Committee, and count on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) to deliver these lifetime appointments on the rapid  indeed, even faster  pace of 2017-2018.

Convene the true allies on the Hill who are also combat veterans  folks such as Cotton, Sens. Joni Ernst (R., Iowa) and Dan Sullivan (R., Alaska), Rep. Mike Gallagher (R., Wis.) and incoming Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R., Texas)  and talk through Afghanistan and Syria, Iraq and Yemen, and especially what China is about.

The abundant successes of the first two years cannot be erased by pundits and their over-the-top rhetoric. So just look forward, trust your best people, especially Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, the new AG and the new secretary of defense. Mainstream media reports of your mood are no doubt partially fiction and partially true. Whatever the mix, just toss them aside.

Judges, ships, regulatory rollback  thats Act Two. And thats reelection.

Hugh Hewitt, a Washington Post contributing columnist, hosts a nationally syndicated radio show and is author of The Fourth Way: The Conservative Playbook for a Lasting GOP Majority.Tourists look at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia from outside due to the landmark's closure on Saturday, Dec. 22, 2018. (Philly.com/TNS) Read more

In 1787, our Founding Fathers gathered in the building that is known today as Independence Hall and reached the Connecticut Compromise that made it possible for both small states and large states to support the newly drafted constitution. Ironically, that same hall has been closed to visitors in the past few days because of the inability of the White House to reach a compromise.

Since midnight between the 21 and 22 of December, about 75 percent of the government has been shut down over the White Houses demand that the federal budget include $5 billion in funding for a wall along the southern border.

That shutdown includes the historic sites of Old City that are part of the Independence National Historical Park operated by the National Park Service, a federal agency for which the funding expired on the night of Dec. 21.

That means that the shutdown does not just hurt 800,000 federal employees throughout the country who must work without pay or take an unpaid leave, but it has harsh implications for Philadelphia.

According to the Mayors Office, the week between Christmas and New Years is the second busiest time of the year for the park, with 70,000 to 100,000 visitors expected. The shutdown is not just disappointing to those visitors, but it has a real economic impact on the city. A 2017 report by the National Park Service estimated that annually, visitors to the park spent nearly $300 million in nearby communities. The report estimated that visitor spending supported 4,600 jobs locally and had an overall economic impact of $439 million.

Roughly translated, every day the park is closed costs the city and its businesses more than $1 million.

There is good news, though. Thanks to a donation from Visit Philadelphia, Independence National Historical Park will reopen on Friday for the duration of the weekend before New Years. The nonprofit operates as Philadelphias official tourism office and receives the majority of its funding from hotel tax revenues. On Thursday, Mayor James Kenneys office announced that Visit Philly will be donating $32,000 to the National Park Service to cover the operating costs of the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall throughout the weekend. The donation is expected to allow 25,000 visitors to enjoy the historic sites free of charge.

Visit Philadelphia should be commended for stepping in and helping out. Unfortunately, its not the first time the federal government  both the executive and legislative branches  has dropped the ball and put the onus on cities and states to solve big problems. Closed tourist attractions arent the same as an opioid crisis, or deep poverty, or gun violence which the city also must tackle  but the citys resilience is at the heart of all of them.

The White House should take advantage of Visit Philadelphias donation and visit Independence Hall over the weekend and before the new Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3. Maybe our president will be reminded of the value of compromise, and how much good can come of it.

-First lady Melania Trump, left, is seated on stage as President Donald Trump pauses as he speaks at a hanger rally at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018. In a surprise trip to Iraq, President Donald Trump on Wednesday defended his decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria where they have been helping battle Islamic State militants. Read more

President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw all U.S. forces from Syria is already having unintended consequences. The U.S. departure could lead to the release of 1,100 Islamic State fighters now held in detention camps in northeastern Syria  creating a dangerous new terrorist threat to the West.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)  the Kurdish and Arab proxy forces whom the United States armed and trained to fight the Islamic State  do not have the capacity to guard and feed so many terrorists without U.S. support. And the Washington Post reports that their home countries are refusing to repatriate their citizens, citing the risk that they would spread radical ideology or perhaps carry out attacks back home. If the SDF is abandoned by its U.S. patrons, it might have no choice but to release them.

How much damage could these terrorists cause? To put it in perspective, the Islamic State had only about 700 fighters left when President Barack Obama withdrew U.S. forces from Iraq in 2011  yet from that tiny nucleus, the Islamic State grew into the worlds largest and most powerful terrorist network, until Trump unleashed our military to beat the group back. Imagine what destruction an influx of 1,100 terrorists into the global ecosystem could wreak. The Islamic State detainees hail from 32 countries, including many believed to be from Europe. As a Syrian Kurdish foreign affairs official noted, the U.S. withdrawal would create a security vacuum that these criminals could exploit to escape and pose a danger to all of us, adding that they could make their way back to their home countries and carry out bombings.

The optimal solution would be for Trump to reconsider his withdrawal plan so that we can keep these detainees in Syria under the watchful eye of U.S. intelligence and Special Operations forces. But there is also another possible solution  one that would help the president keep another campaign promise:

Send them to Guantanamo Bay.

In January, Trump issued an executive order that authorized the U.S. military and intelligence community to transport additional detainees to U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay when lawful and necessary to protect the nation. During his State of the Union address, Trump asked Congress to ensure that, in the fight against ISIS and al-Qaeda, we continue to have all the necessary power to detain terrorists  wherever we chase them down, wherever we find them. And in many cases for them it will now be Guantanamo Bay. In March, Congress responded by approving more than $200 million in new construction for Guantanamo Bay as part of the omnibus spending bill. And this spring, the Pentagon formally authorized the station to receive new detainees who pose a continuing, significant threat.

There is little doubt that a number of the Islamic State fighters now held in Syria would make excellent candidates for detention at Guantanamo Bay. Trump should order the intelligence community to conduct a threat assessment for each of the detainees to see which ones would qualify for transfer. No doubt, a decision to move some of the prisoners from Syria to Guantanamo would create an uproar in Europe  particularly from countries whose citizens would be transferred. These would be the very same countries currently refusing to take custody of their citizens who went to fight for the Islamic State. Trump should give any complaining countries an ultimatum: Either take your nationals back, or they are headed to Guantanamo.

Transfer to Guantanamo is a less than optimal solution, because right now high-value detainees held on the battlefield in Syria do not have access to lawyers and cannot challenge their detentions in court  which means they can be effectively interrogated for intelligence purposes. But once transferred to Guantanamo, they would immediately get lawyers and the right of habeas corpus -- which dramatically reduces their intelligence value.

Instead of transferring these terrorists, we should keep them where they are  and continue supporting the SDF until the estimated 30,000 Islamic State fighters still at large in Iraq or Syria are all killed or captured. The Islamic State is not defeated  not by a long shot.

But this much is clear: We cannot allow more than a thousand dangerous terrorists to be released into the world so that they can return to the fight. They must be kept off the battlefield. Better to keep them in Syria than in Guantanamo, to be sure.

But better to keep them in Guantanamo than release them to carry out jihad against the West.

Marc Thiessen writes a twice-weekly column for the Washington Post on foreign and domestic policy. He is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and the former chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush. @marcthiessenU.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin give a joint news conference following their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16, 2018. (Mikhail Metzel/Tass/Abaca Press/TNS) Read more

At the end of 2018, there can be no more pretense about describing the main threat to U.S. security in 2019.

That threat can be summed up in the following five words: the psyche of President Trump.

At a time when a combative China is rising, a revanchist Russia is meddling, a terrorist threat still simmers, and technology is remaking the globe in ways that will upend our society, America is adrift. This is not because the United States is incapable of handling the threats it faces. Rather, the primary danger arises from the character of the man in the White House.

We have entered an era when long-range strategic thinking has never been more vital, but the United States has a president who thinks only of the short-term. He openly scorns our alliances and prefers one-on-one dealings with despots.

The biggest foreign-policy question of 2019 will be who, if anyone, can effectively confront Trumps dangerous delusions. The onus, I believe, rests on GOP senators who may have backed him but now recognize he threatens the republic. Perhaps only a real threat of impeachment can penetrate the foreign-policy bubble in which the president resides.

Trump has no comprehension hes been suckered over and over again by Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, North Koreas Kim Jong Un, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and others. On the contrary, he tweeted just before Christmas that AMERICA IS RESPECTED AGAIN!  oblivious to the disastrous impact his erratic moves have on Americas standing abroad.

But what is even more dangerous is the fact Trump believes he is a genius. He thinks he can make brilliant deals without advice from seasoned advisers (whom he fires almost as often as if he were still running The Apprentice).

With the mentality of a Manhattan real estate dealer, he views foreign policy as a series of disconnected transactions measured by whether America makes a financial profit (or whether his brand is burnished). The concept of an interconnected world, and a bigger strategic picture, seems to elude him.

Newly fired Defense Secretary James Mattis perfectly described the risk of this kind of transactional mentality, in July 2017: If you dont know where youre going, good luck when you take off on your journey.

A look back at some of Trumps key foreign-policy moves in 2018 shows the security threat he poses in the coming two years.

1. The Singapore summit with Kim Jong Un in June made clear how easily a dictator can play this ill-informed president. The president trumpeted that he had ended the North Korean nuclear threat, but in reality he got no promises from Kim to destroy his arsenal. Negotiations have stalled. But Trumps seal of approval to Kim gave Russia and China the green light to loosen sanctions, and the dangerous Kim is on his way to becoming an accepted nuclear power.

2. At the NATO summit in July, Trump displayed open contempt for Germany and other NATO members. There is nothing wrong with asking allies to up their defense spending (although Trump continues to spew fake numbers). But as Moscow and Beijing are openly trying to weaken America and Europe, NATOs value lies in uniting nations that respect democratic values. Trumps approach will fracture the alliance, to the glee of Putin and Xi.

3. After dissing NATO, the president went to a Helsinki summit with Putin, where he proclaimed he trusted the Russian leader more than he trusted his own U.S. intelligence agencies. Trump appears incapable of grasping how he is being manipulated by Putin, who is once again nibbling at Ukraine and expanding Russias influence in the Mideast.

4. Trumps tariff war with China confronts a real problem with the wrong tools. The best way to squeeze China into better behavior would be a multilateral approach with European and other allies who are also angered by Beijings technology theft and closed markets. Instead, Trump tries to go solo, and backs Xi into a nationalist corner with open threats.

5. Trumps off-the-cuff, Twitter decision to swiftly pull U.S. forces out of Syria, made without consulting any of his top military or civilian advisers or our Kurdish allies, sums up all his flaws. Acting alone, the president showed total ignorance of the cost of a precipitous U.S. exit. These include Turkeys lust to kill Kurds, and the benefits to ISIS and Iran of a U.S. retreat. His rash move will further convince Mideast and Asian allies that they cannot trust America, but must turn reluctantly to Moscow and Beijing.

To sum up, an ill-informed president who is easily manipulated by despots endangers the country (not to mention the economy, as he talks down the stock market). His solo policy-making could lead to unintended clashes with Beijing or Moscow. It definitely will undermine America in the long run, strengthening the illiberal, undemocratic trends promoted by Xi and Putin.

Whether GOP senators will have the guts to stand up to Trump is a huge question. If they dont, they will share the blame for Americas declining global influence. Trumps unchecked foreign-policy delusions will make for a dicey new year.Captain Carmen Maniaci Sr. center, dances with other members of the Avalon String Band during their 2018 performance. Clowns are usually a safe character. Read more

The 119th Mummers Parade will cakewalk down Broad Street on Jan. 1 a little less diverse than in recent years, but a little more politically correct.

Following several Twitter-fueled, exaggerated outrages that claimed affronts to various communities, in 2016 a few changes were grafted onto the parade, and the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations was ordered in like a CIA "clean team" to help wipe up the mess.

A "Philadelphia Division" was created to march alongside the traditional divisions  Comics, Fancies, Fancy Brigades, String Bands, and Wenches. The new division was an umbrella for nontraditional groups that wanted to participate in the parade (though "outsiders"  everything from Irish clog dancers to Falun Gong marchers  had long been welcome to strut with the Comics).

The parade attracted groups such as the Mexican heritage musical group San Mateo Carnavalero, the Puerto Rican musical group Bomberas de la Calle, the Asian group Southeast by Southeast, and the steel band known as the Philly Pan Stars Orchestra.

None of them will be marching in 2019, for various reasons, although some might return in the future.

The Philadelphia Division was dropped because it was seen as segregating newcomers, and now, as in the past, nontraditional groups are steered to the Comics. For his part, Chuck Tomasco, the president of Landi Comics, welcomes them with open arms.

The parade has always been open to outsiders, although most outsiders might not have known that. Trying to diversify the parade is laudable, but here's a dirty little secret: Being in the parade requires a lot of time for rehearsals, it requires money for costumes, food, and transportation, and it requires getting up very early in the morning to assemble on cold streets to entertain sparse crowds. Most people don't have the grit of dyed-in-the-wool Mummers.

This year's parade will be somewhat less "diverse" because some of the "diverse" people just aren't showing up.

That the parade is well over a century old and remains the largest spontaneous folk celebration in America speaks to Mummers' spirit.

The other change is the continuing oversight by the Commission on Human Relations. When this was first announced, I was wary. It smacked of political re-education camps found in China

But no, says George Badey, a saxophonist with the elite Fralinger String Band and spokesman for the Mummers. "When we get to the middle of the 21st century, I want people to look back at this era and see that this is when the Mummers embraced change and diversity," said Badey.

"The Mummers leadership agrees to vetting their ethnic themes with individuals or organizations that can advise them of the historical accuracy and the respectfulness of their presentations," said parade director Leo Dignam. When they can't find an expert, they meet with a representative of the commission.

That's what happened Monday night at the Mummers Museum at Second and Washington. Representatives of the Fralinger and Greater Overbrook String Bands and the Shooting Stars fancy brigade met with Dignam and commission deputy director Randy Duque.

Rather than a critique, "it's more like thinking things through, asking the question, 'Have you looked into this, have you looked into that?'" said Duque.

"We checked on costumes and makeup and music to make sure they were doing accurate representations of these cultures," added Dignam.

Fralinger is using a Polynesian theme, while Greater Overbrook and Shooting Stars have Native American themes.

"Any of the ethnic themes, they are required to meet with an expert on that particular culture," said Dignam.

So, OK  I changed my mind. If the "review" by the city will prevent accidental or even apparent offense, then it is good for the Mummers and puts the focus where it belongs  on the performance rather than any gaffe.Protesters gather outside the Criminal Justice Center after a court hearing for Mumia Abu-Jamal in Philadelphia, PA on October 29, 2018. DAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer Read more

Maureen Faulkner stood up in court Monday morning and cried out to the judge who had just given her husband's convicted killer 30 more days to appeal.

"With all due respect, your honor," Faulkner said to Common Pleas Court Judge Leon Tucker, her voice breaking. "I have another 30 days that I have to go through this pain and suffering?"

Tucker had just extended the appeal hearing of Mumia Abu-Jamal in the fatal shooting of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner on Dec. 9, 1981. Maureen Faulkner had flown in from California, hoping her long ordeal would come to an end.

Instead, Tucker granted a 30-day extension to Abu-Jamal's attorneys, who say they are trying to recover a document they claim helps to show that former state Supreme Court Justice Ronald D. Castille violated Abu-Jamal's constitutional rights when he did not recuse himself from appeal reviews.

As sheriff's officers pulled at the sleeve of her maroon sweater and pleaded with her to calm down, her voice rose toward the judge.

"I've been fighting back and forth!"

"Have a seat," Tucker said.

"I have been fighting!"

"Please remove her from the courtroom," Tucker said.

"Thirty-eight years!" Faulkner yelled as she was escorted out. "This is wrong!"

After her exit, the judge said, "The courtroom is sensitive to both sides.

"The court is not going to rush to judgment in this matter," he added. "So, just to be clear, no matter how long it takes, this court is going to do the right thing."

The now 64-year-old Abu-Jamal is serving a life sentence for the fatal shooting of 25-year-old Daniel Faulkner at 13th and Locust Streets.

Abu-Jamal, held at the State Correctional Institution-Mahanoy in Schuylkill County, did not attend the hearing.

"It's difficult," the judge said. "I'll be candid. It's a difficult case."

The core argument by Abu-Jamal's defense is that because Castille had been involved in the case as Philadelphia district attorney from 1986 to 1991, he should have recused himself as a Supreme Court justice during appeals.

The defense is hoping that Tucker finds that Castille was biased, and that Abu-Jamal gets a new appellate review by a higher state court and possibly a new trial.

The lawyers contend that two memos written by Castille when he was district attorney showed he had a significant involvement in pushing for Abu-Jamal to be executed. But Assistant District Attorney Tracey Kavanagh, supervisor of the District Attorney's Post Conviction Relief Unit, told Tucker that this allegedly missing memo hasn't been found.

Judith Ritter, one of Abu-Jamal's lawyers, said she sent a new right-to-know request to the Pennsylvania State Senate Judiciary Committee for documents. She said they are waiting on that request so the judge has all of the information.

They also point to a 2016 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a different case, in which a majority of the justices found that Castille was wrong to have participated in an appeal to the state Supreme Court by another convicted Philadelphia killer.

In a hallway after the hearing, Faulkner apologized for her outburst, but said she was tired of the prolonged pain.

"My emotions got the best of me," she said. "I mean, when is this case going to end for us?"

Meanwhile, more than a dozen protesters on both sides of the case demonstrated outside the courthouse.A view of the Philadelphia skyline can be seen from the top of the tower at City Hall. Read more

Tax abatements and other tax breaks cost the School District of Philadelphia $62 million in 2017, according to a study released Monday.

Good Jobs First, a think tank that monitors economic development subsidies, analyzed new abatement disclosure data from 5,600 school districts throughout the country and found that Philadelphia lost the second-highest amount of revenue. At the top of the list was the Hillsboro School District in the western suburbs of Portland, Ore., which lost $97 million in potential revenue to tax breaks last year.

Lee Whack, spokesperson for the Philadelphia schools, said it was not possible to gauge the net impact of the incentives. "Do tax breaks result in increased activity with benefits that outweigh the value of those tax breaks?" he said. "The study doesn't answer that question."

The report was compiled as the result of new accounting rules that require municipal governments and school districts to disclose for the first time the value of corporate tax breaks they grant in the name of economic development. Among its findings: Schools in 28 states lost at least $1.8 billion over the last fiscal year as a result of corporate tax subsidies; School districts in 10 states, including Pennsylvania, collectively lost nearly $1.6 billion.

The 414 school districts in Pennsylvania that were examined reported combined losses of $98 million in revenue, the majority of it in Philadelphia. Good Jobs First reported that the $98 million could have hired more than 2,000 teachers statewide at the average 2017 salary of $48,618.

Asked about the report, superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said he would comment after digesting it.

Philadelphia city government also disclosed the reduced tax revenue it gave up in 2017 as a result of its tax-abatement program and other tax breaks. In total, city tax revenues were reduced by $167.7 million, including $119 million in Keystone Opportunity Zone tax credits.

The Kenney administration, which took charge of the schools this year and has promised to give $547 million over five years to help the district avoid a financial crisis, declined to assess the findings of the study because of questions about its methodology.

In May, the Kenney administration released a study by Chicago-based real estate consulting firm Jones Lang LaSalle that found the 1997 residential construction tax abatement program is still spurring development and generating jobs in the city. Reducing or eliminating the benefit would thus reduce revenue overall, the study found.

The property tax-abatement program allows owners of newly constructed or rehabilitated properties to pay no property tax on the improvements for 10 years (they do pay tax on land value).

City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart released her own report around the same time and found that as of 2017, there were 14,345 properties with active abatements that received a tax benefit of $93 million. It also looked at records of 1,400 properties in 2016 and found the breaks cost the city expected revenue of $10.4 million, 55 percent of which would have gone to schools.

The controller's report did not consider possible reductions in development activity from eliminating the breaks.

Dunn said Tuesday that the administration has commissioned a separate study of business attraction and retention incentives and tax credits, expected to provide an analysis of the return on investment of existing economic development programs and provide recommendations.

"We remain committed to further discussions with our colleagues on City Council about the future of the abatement, including proposals that would see it modified," Dunn said.Humanoid communication robot Kirobo talks with Fuminori Kataoka, a Toyota Motor Corp. manager, at a media unveiling in Tokyo. As lawmakers seek to regulate new technologies, such as a proposal in New Jersey to require social media bots to disclose their non-human nature, lawyers and technologists warn those regulations could have unintended consequences. Could a law aimed at todays bots stop the malicious bots of the future? Or, on the flip side, could it unintentionally affect other technologies in the future? Read more

As part of a sprawling Russian influence operation in the 2016 presidential election  and since  armies of bots on social media helped spread fake news stories, drown out legitimate conversation, and exploit existing political and social tensions.

Lawmakers and tech companies have been scrambling to catch up.

Now, with a new presidential election season starting and information continuing to emerge regarding bots malicious influence, legislators have begun proposing regulations.

In New Jersey, Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker (D., Middlesex) this fall introduced a bill to require upfront identification of online communication bots  a term derived from the word robots to describe automated accounts that generate messages, particularly on social media. The bill won approval from an Assembly committee this month, and Zwicker is hopeful it could get a full vote early next year.

Im very strongly opposed to using technology to hide your true intentions, to use technology to deceive people in a way that is unfair to the person who doesnt know whats going on, Zwicker said in an interview. And I believe if that is your intent  to deceive people  you should disclose you are not a human being.

But legal experts and technologists warned that this proposal, and others like it, might not address the problems it seeks to solve, while also raising troubling questions about free speech: What exactly is a bot, and when is its speech distinguishable from the speech of its creator? What is political speech? Could disclosure lead to a loss of anonymity online? Could disclosure in the United States lead to censorship elsewhere?

This is a thoughtful effort to address a significant problem. But it has legal perils, said Toni M. Massaro, a constitutional law professor at the University of Arizona whose work in recent years has explored issues related to free expression and artificial intelligence.

What the bot bill says

Zwickers proposal is modeled on a new law in California that will require bot disclosure when it takes effect in July. At the federal level, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) has introduced a proposal that would similarly require disclosure by bots.

On its face, the New Jersey bill is straightforward and takes up less than two pages: You cant use a bot posing as a human to try to deceptively influence peoples purchases or votes, and bot accounts must identify themselves as such.

The average American is every single day online and doing things, said Zwicker, who chairs the Assembly science and technology committee and works at Princeton Universitys plasma physics laboratory. As big of a story as this has been in general in 2018, I think its going to continue to be a bigger story in 2019 and beyond, and its beholden on us to get a handle on the right public policies for just the everyday working person.

Legal issues raised

Legal and technological experts, while recognizing the desire to combat the malicious use of bots, said Zwickers proposal raises complicated free-speech concerns.

One of the most concrete examples is the potential unmasking of anonymous accounts, said Ryan Calo, a law professor at the University of Washington whose work on emerging technologies includes a paper this year examining bot disclosure issues.

A human behind an account accused of being a bot could be forced to reveal his or her identity.

So while on its face it doesnt require someone to say who they are, as enforced it has that potential, and it creates a tool to unmask people just by calling them bots, Calo said.

Even if that doesnt happen, Calo said, he worries about the chilling effect: What accounts might never get made, what persons speech might never get heard?

Calos coauthor, Madeline Lamo, speaking generally, said bot disclosure also raises questions of whether the government is unconstitutionally compelling speech.

Forcing disclosure also creates a structure that companies or other governments could exploit to censor some accounts, she said. For example, if bot disclosures are required in the United States, another country could use that to identify and completely block bots.

Any regulation we do will have a ripple effect around the world, Lamo said. So if you are requiring that bots that interact with the United States or a certain state here to disclose they are bots, you implement a structure that enables other entities, governments, etc., that dont value free speech in the same way to use and manipulate that information.

Would it even work?

There are also practical concerns.

For one, Calo said, if the concern is a foreign country using bots to interfere with an election, he said, then the real problem is the foreign country, not the technology.

And bots that effectively alter discourse largely do so at scale, such as by flooding a hashtag to hijack the conversation or retweeting fringe views to make them seem mainstream.

Knowing something is a bot doesnt stop it from swamping and skewing discourse, Calo said.

In addition, regulating bots as they are now could fail to encompass what bots do in the future. On the other hand, they could also unintentionally restrict technologies that have yet to appear.

We know how todays technology works, said Jeremy Gillula, technology projects director at the nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation, a civil liberties group focused on the digital world. Its a lot harder to predict how regulation will affect technology in the future. The group is neutral on this bill.

Massaro agreed that unintended consequences are a serious concern. That means lawmakers must be flexible, willing to adapt the law as circumstances evolve.

Lawmakers, she said, should always err on the side of caution when the downsides of legislation may include serious liberty losses or other harms. They should walk, not run, into the shadows.

What comes next

Zwicker said he recognizes his proposal is imperfect, but he hopes that the conversation it has sparked can help lead to reasonable measures to limit bad actors while still protecting freedoms and allowing new technology to flourish.

Im going to do what I can, but I dont know the absolute right answer, Zwicker said.

This month, the bill was passed unanimously out of a committee Zwicker chairs. It has not been scheduled for a floor vote in the Assembly, but Zwicker said he was optimistic it would pass the chamber in the early part of next year.

Its Senate counterpart was introduced by State Sen. Linda R. Greenstein (D., Middlesex) and referred to a committee.The Capitol is seen on a rainy morning in Washington, Friday, Dec. 28, 2018, during a partial government shutdown. President Trump is threatening to close the U.S. border with Mexico if Democrats in Congress don't agree to fund the construction of a border wall. Read more

WASHINGTON - With the partial government shutdown headed toward its second week and no resolution in sight, President Donald Trump on Friday issued a string of tweets in which he once again vowed to close the entire U.S. border with Mexico and halt aid to several Latin American countries unless Democrats agree to his demand for billions of dollars in wall funding.

Trump is also canceling plans to visit his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, and will remain in Washington over the New Year holiday, Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said.

About 25 percent of the federal government has been shut down since Saturday, with roughly 800,000 workers affected, including an estimated 350,000 who are on furlough at home.

"We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with," Trump said in a morning tweet.

In a reprise of his threat before the midterm elections to cut off aid to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador as a caravan of migrants was making its way toward the United States, Trump said that those three countries "are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money."

"Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it," he said, without providing further details. "We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries - taking advantage of U.S. for years!"

Despite Trump's threat, the United States this month announced a new collaboration with Mexico on a program to curb migration from Central American countries, with much of the $10.6 billion U.S. contribution to be drawn from existing aid programs.

Trump's tweets come as Congress has effectively given up on breaking the impasse over the president's demands for border-wall funding, all but ensuring that the partial government shutdown will stretch into at least the start of the new year.

The House and the Senate convened for just minutes on Thursday before gaveling closed until next week. During the brief session in the House, Republicans shot down a Democratic attempt to vote on legislation to reopen the government.

As he did Thursday, Trump remained out of public view on Friday. In an appearance on Fox News, Mulvaney said that the president had "canceled his plans for Christmas, and now he's canceled his plan for New Year's."

"He's staying in Washington, D.C., over New Year's," said Mulvaney, who is set to become Trump's acting chief of staff next month.

Even though Trump will be in town and Republicans control both chambers of Congress, Mulvaney acknowledged that little progress on a deal is expected until the start of the new Congress on Jan. 3, when Democrats will retake the House. Contending that Democrats "have simply shut down the discussions," he sought to place the blame on House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who is expected to be elected speaker in the new Congress.

"Nancy Pelosi, in fairness, does not have the votes for the speakership yet," Mulvaney said. "She cannot be seen by her party as being weak on negotiating with Donald Trump. So we fully expect that until she is elected speaker and has locked that vote up, we don't expect to hear from the Democrats again."

According to a Washington Post tally, Pelosi, who won the Democratic caucus's nomination for the speakership in late November, appears to have secured enough support to be elected speaker in January.

Pelosi's spokesman, Drew Hammill, said in a statement Friday that Democrats "are united against the President's immoral, ineffective and expensive wall - the wall that he specifically promised that Mexico would pay for."

Democrats will not consider any offers that have not been publicly endorsed by Trump himself, he said.

"While we await the president's public proposal, Democrats have made it clear that, under a House Democratic majority, we will vote swiftly to reopen government on Day One," Hammill said.

At the heart of the stalemate is Trump's demand for $5 billion in funding for his proposed wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. Congressional Democrats have rejected that figure and in recent weeks have refused to publicly endorse a figure above $1.3 billion, which continues existing funding levels and includes money for new border fencing and levee walls, but not the concrete wall Trump once demanded before he started more recently talking about "steel slats."

Mulvaney said Friday that "some folks use the term 'wall' and they mean different things."

"Everyone agrees that what we can and should be building on that southern border is that steel barrier that the president tweeted out. That's what he wants to build. The Democrats, believe it or not, don't call that a wall," he said.

The Washington Posts Erica Werner and Paul Kane contributed to this report.If a home with stucco-related or water intrusion issues falls within Pennsylvanias 12-year limitation and repairs are needed, Toll Brothers has committed to repair it, the company said in the statement.

Some homeowners have disputed Toll's assertion and have said they were denied when their homes were less than 12 years old.

Others wonder: If builders knew about this problem years ago, why did no one tell them something could be wrong with their homes?

"The problem isn't just how many cases [attorneys] are handling," said Peter Bryant, of Bochetto & Lentz, who represents several dozen homeowners in these cases. "The problem is, how many people are left out in the cold because of these latent defects that haven't shown up until 13 years, 14 years or later?"

Its something that the Goldsteins in Buckingham Forest think about often. They had seen rot around their front and back doors and ultimately replaced them in 2013. Had Mitch Goldstein known it was a sign of a bigger problem, his home  just 11 years old at the time  would have still been new enough to bring a claim under state law.

Instead, it was not until late 2016 that Goldstein began to hear whispers about water damage and see scaffolding rise. By that time, his home was more than 14 years old. He was out of luck.

So this year, he hired a construction company to rip the stucco and stone off his house and replace it with fiber cement board and some stone. The price: slightly more than $60,000.

They call themselves a luxury brand  but theres nothing luxurious about this, Goldstein said, sitting in his kitchen as crews drilled and hammered, shaking the walls of their house.

Since Goldstein discovered water intrusion in his home, he has passed out flyers, created a website, and contacted lawmakers in Harrisburg.

One of them, Rep. Bernie ONeill (R., Bucks), responded by proposing legislation.

In 2017, ONeill, who is retiring in January, introduced two bills: House Bills 1831 and 1833. The first would extend the amount of time a Pennsylvania homeowner has to file a lawsuit by three years. The second would require builders to notify homeowners of construction defects once they become aware of the problem.

ONeills bills are awaiting action in the Houses Local Government Committee, where they have sat  untouched  since they were introduced.

In the meantime, residents in the Philadelphia region say they are doing everything they can to get by.

My neighbor across the street, hes got a daughter in college and he said, Ive got to get her through school before I can do [repairs],  said Hagerich, the Toll homeowner in Bucks County who took out a home equity loan to pay for repairs. My daughters in high school.  Were not contributing to college, which is highly concerning.

I planned to put a roof on; I planned to replace the furnace, Hagerich said. I did not plan to replace the sides of my house.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly named the company that was ordered to compensate a Chester County couple over water damage to their property. The company was Misty Meadows Homes, which sold the house to the couple. The judge found that neither the builder, Megill Homes, nor Wayne Megill, were liable. The decision has been appealed.BANGOURAIN, CAMEROON Calls on Francophones and Anglophones to exercise restraint and refrain from hate speech and retaliation against one another; Demands on the government to immediately work with all parties to have a dialogue and end the Anglophone crisis.

The Center for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa is stunned by the trends of events in the Anglophone Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon and by the degeneration of events tending to affect neighboring Francophone Region of the West Region.

Because of these, CHRDA alerts the government of an impending hate crime, retaliatory ethnic conflict, indoctrination and violent extremism as a result of cross-regional attacks from armed separatist groups and villagers of affected communities.

Over the weekends preceding Christmas day, news from media and individuals reported an arson attack allegedly led by hundreds of armed men (reportedly 300 in number) from Bangolan (in Babessi sub-division in the Northwest Region) targeting a village in Bangourain, a sub-division in the neighboring Noun Division, which led to the destruction of dozens of houses (reportedly at least 85 affecting over 100 families), the death of at least one person, wounding several others, abduction of at least 15 persons and causing heavy material and financial losses of other infrastructures.

On 26 December, the previous weekend attack saw retaliation (as alleged by several other sources) by residents of the affected neighborhood in Bangourain, where two persons suspected to be arsonists were apprehended, lynched, before being dragged on the ground attached to motorbikes with chains.

This hate rhetoric on both sides must come to an end as it reminds us of America in 1998 when James Byrd Jr was killed by lynching and dragged by three white supremacists through the State of Texas. The nation as a whole condemned this repugnant act and found a solution for hate crime. Cameroonians are called upon to exhibit togetherness and condemn these happenings as a nation, regardless of their ethnic, religious, political, ideological, cultural or economic denominations.

The scenes and stories are horrible and should appeal to governments foresight to begin taking the Anglophone Crisis more seriously and engage in more genuine peace-building processes.

The governments continuous military operations in the Northwest and Southwest Regions which may be the fuel to the inhuman crimes perpetrated by both the defense and security forces and the armed separatist groups needs to come to an immediate cease-fire.

Francophones and Anglophones sharing similar boundaries in neighboring localities across Cameroon should exercise restraint and avoid involving themselves in actions that may further endanger human life, cause injuries, destroy private and public property, cause material and financial losses, and aggravate the already preoccupying tensions between the populace, government forces and separatist groups.

We hereby call on the government to initiate investigations into the happenings and seek justice where necessary, reparation, and reconciliation of parties to the conflicts.

Cameroonians of all persuasions believe it is time for the government to show compassion and put an end to military operations in both Anglophone Regions for fear that the remnants of the conflict may spread far beyond these Regions and affect a larger group of people.

Ballas Biography:

Agbor Nkongho aka Balla (born Felix Agbor Anyior Nkongho) is an Anglophone Cameroonian human right lawyer who is the president of the Fako Lawyers Association, vice president of the African Bar Association in charge of Central Africa, founder and chairman of the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa and founder of Agbor Nkongho Law Firm an activist and freedom fighter who was arrested on 17 January 2017. He was born on August 23, 1970. He is a leading member of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium (CACSC) which has been banned and its activities declared illegal in Cameroon.

RelatedIf you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found herePatagonia Gold Plc (PATAF.PK,PAT.TO,PGD.L), a mining company with gold and silver projects in the Patagonia region of Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, announced Friday that it has agreed to acquire four additional exploration property blocks located in the Province of Santa Cruz, Argentina, from Goldcorp Inc. (GG, G.TO).

Patagonia Gold has entered into an agreement to purchase the property blocks from Oroplata SA, a 100 percent subsidiary of Goldcorp, a large gold producer in the region.

The acquisition of the property blocks is in exchange for a 1 percent net smelter royalty of any future production, if and when the properties are put into production. The company noted that the properties are highly prospective with limited historical exploration activity.

Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, Oroplata SA will transfer ownership of the four property blocks compromising 20 mineral tenements to Minera Minamalu SA, a subsidiary of Patagonia Gold.

In the event Minera Minamalu decides, at its own discretion, to relinquish the properties, it must give forty-five days' notice to Oroplata SA, such that it may take the properties back. The acquisition will be formalised upon execution of a public deed and registered with the Secretary of Mines in Province of Santa Cruz.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business NewsAsian ended mostly higher on Friday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street. Buying interest was a bit subdued in some of the markets in the region, with investors staying cautious due to concerns about global growth and doubts about U.S. and China agreeing on a long-term trade deal anytime soon.

Australian stocks ended notably higher, led by gains by financial, healthcare and energy shares. Information , telecom, resources and industrials shares exhibited a mixed trend.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index ended up 57.10 points or 1 percent at 5,654.30 and the broader All Ordinaries Index closed with a gain of 53.90 points or 1 percent at 5,716.00.

Orocobre surged up 5.7 percent and Emeco Holdings gained 5 percent. Bega Cheese Limited shares ended 3.5 percent higher, Infigen Energy jumped 3.5 percent and Galaxy Resources added 3.3 percent.

The Chinese markets rebounded after the previous session's setback, with the Shanghai Composite Index rising 10.81 points or 0.4 percent to 2,493.90. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index inched up 25.32 points or 0.1 percent to 25,504.20.

The markets were led higher by gains by financial, consumer staples, utilities, electricity and hospitality industry stocks, while information technology, insurance, energy and telecom stocks moved to the downside.

South Korean stocks ended notably higher, with the benchmark Kospi climbing 0.6 percent thanks to gains recorded by shares from the chemicals, heavy industries, computer services and construction sectors.

On the other hand, the Japanese markets ended lower, as investors took profits after recent strong gains. Some disappointing economic data also contributed to the weakness in the market. The Nikkei 225 Index ended down 62.85 points or 0.3 percent at 20,014.77.

Shares from the pharmaceuticals, power and retail sections lost ground, while Fujikura surged up 3.6 percent, Furukawa Electric jumped 4.2 percent and Toshiba Corp. spiked 3.5 percent.

Mitsui Mining, Nissan Chemicals, Yahoo Japan, Okuma Corp., Sumitomo Metal Mining, Nitto Denko, Nippon Electric Glass, TDK, Sumitomo Chemical, Advantest Corp. and JTEKT Corp. also moved to the upside.

J Front Retailing was the worst performer in the Nikkei index, tumbling by 9 percent. Sumitomo Dainippon ended lower by about 5.5 percent, and Sapporo Holdings, Familymart, TOTO, Takashimaya, Aeon and Otsuka Holdings also moved significantly lower.

On the economic front, the jobless rate in Japan came in at a seasonally adjusted 2.5 percent in November, according to data released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Economists had expected the jobless rate to come in at 2.4 percent.

A report from the Ministry of Economy and Industry showed Japanese industrial production dropped by a seasonally adjusted 1.1 percent in November, exceeding expectations for a decline of 1.5 percent following the 2.9 percent jump in October. On yearly basis, industrial production was up 1.4 percent.

Meanwhile, retail sales in Japan declined by a seasonally adjusted 1 percent in November compared to a month earlier. That missed expectations for a decline of 0.4 percent following the 1.3 percent increase in October.

Taiwan's major Taiwan Weighted Index added 0.9 percent, while Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia were little changed.

The Indian stock market was higher, extending recent gains. The Sensex and the Nifty were both up by nearly 1 percent.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business NewsThe Western U.S. State of Wyoming is set to develop a blockchain-powered land registry system in partnership with Overstock.com's blockchain subsidiary Medici Land Governance (MLG), which focused on land administration. Wyoming will adopt blockchain to register and validate property ownership.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to this effect has been signed between MLG and Wyoming's Teton County to develop a blockchain-based land records and information platform in 2019.

Both the signatories of the MOU will work together to develop and implement the software needed for the county, which includes the town of Jackson. They will initially transfer and display information from its current land and property titling system to the new blockchain-based system.

The proposed blockchain-powered system will track, record, and make available to the public certain information related to real property for management purposes. The system will also automatically capture and record subsequent land administration transactions and updates to the blockchain.

All Teton County land records going back to 1996 will be recorded on the new platform, including mortgages, release of liens, and other similar documents.

The partnership between Teton County and MLG is supported by the Wyoming Legislative Blockchain Taskforce, and by other Wyoming-based groups that have recently begun advocating for the introduction of blockchain technology to existing processes and systems on a state-wide level, including the Wyoming Blockchain Coalition.

MLG was founded in 2018 to put the power of property ownership and equity into the hands of the masses by applying blockchain and other technologies to provide low-cost, easy-to-use land administration systems.

Last month, MLG signed and MOU with the Government of Rwanda to implement paperless, secure, corruption-proof, blockchain-based system of land governance and property rights management.

It also signed a deal with the World Bank in August to enhance access to secure land rights in developing countries by supporting the design, implementation, and evaluation of pilot programs that will create systems to ensure secure land tenure.

In late July, MLG signed an MOU with Zambian Ministry of Land and Natural Resources to build blockchain-powered land titling program. It will create systems in the southern African country of Zambia to collect and easily secure property ownership information using blockchain.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business NewsSymposium held in Ibb on popular steadfastness against aggression, its impact on Sweden's consultations [28/December/2018] Ibb, 28 Dec. (Saba) - A symposium entitled "Popular steadfastness against aggression and its impact on Sweden's consultations" was held in Ibb provicne Thursday.



The seminar was organized by the coalition of anti-aggression parties in the province, in the presence of the province Undersecretaries, namely Dr. Ashraf Al-Mutawakil, Qasim Al-Masawi and Ismail Sufyan.



During the symposium, Undersecretary Abdul Fattah Gulab stressed the importance of strengthening steadfastness in the face of aggression and accelerating the victory.



While the head of the coalition of parties against the aggression province Qassim al-Mousawa that the steadfastness of the sons of Yemen has imposed a new equation on the reality, as well as the remarkable attendance in the consultations of Sweden.



For his part, the head of branch of Haq "right" party in the province Ibrahim Al-Masawi said in the speech of the parties that the political parties against the aggression have contributed to strengthening the factors of social steadfastness and cohesion of the home front.



During the symposium, three papers were presented. The first paper dealt with the impact of the religious factor in enhancing the steadfastness of the people, presented by a member of the Association of Yemeni Scholars Taha Al-Hazzari, stressing that the Yemeni people faced aggression which should be deterred.



In the second working paper entitled "The steadfastness of the people and its manifestations ," the Vice President of the University of Ibb, Dr. Abdullah Al-Falahi reviewed the factors and manifestations that contributed to the strengthening of steadfastness, including the lies of the coalition of aggression and their failure to extend state authority in the occupied territories.



The third working paper, entitled "Outcome of Sweden's Consultations contain the declared and undeclared gains" presented by Shura Council member Tareq al-Mufti, reviewing the successes of the national delegation and the vision he had prepared in advance to participate in the consultations.



He also referred to the lack of credibility and transparency that the other side has had in terms of providing names of army and the popular forces' prisoners.



The symposium included interventions on the role of Yemeni women in promoting community resilience, presented by Nora Al-Saqqaf from the Women's Authority in Ibb together with activist and political writer Hamid Antar.





AA

Saba

Congress celebrates 134th Foundation Day India's oldest political party, Congress celebrated its 134th Foundation Day on Friday by hoisting the national flag and remembering some of its iconic leaders and freedom fighters. "Over the last 134 years of Congress history, we have stood for justice, equality, non-violence, unity, freedom and, above all, dialogue. For all the years to come, we will continue to uphold these values and stand with the people of our country," the party said in a tweet.



Congress President Rahul Gandhi celebrated the day by cutting a cake with former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and other senior leaders of the party.



The party said it will stand by values of non-violence, quoting in another tweet words of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, the first Home Minister of India, where he said, "the measure of our non-violence will be the measure of our success".



In another tweet, it quoted the ideal of "love and sacrifice" for the country espoused by Sarojini Naidu, an eminent poetess, freedom fighter and Congress leader.



The Congress was founded in 1885 by a British civil servant Allan Octavian Hume. Hume was a celebrated ornithologist and is considered to be "the Father of Indian Ornithology".



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Dec-28-2018 11:49 TweetFollow @OregonNews Radha Stirling Statement on Saudi Arabia Cabinet Shuffle Radha Stirling, Middle Eastern Criminal and Civil Justice Expert, Expert Witness and founder of Detained in Dubai issued the following statement in relation to Saudi Arabias cabinet shuffle:

Radha Stirling; Mohammad bin Salman al Saud

(LONDON) - Saudi Arabia announced a cabinet shuffle today that saw Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir demoted, though not altogether removed, and replaced by former Finance Minister Ibrahim Al Assaf. Many have commented that this change is little more than a damage-control PR maneuver by Mohammad bin Salman to distance himself from the murder of Jamal Khashoggi; but that may be a superficial analysis of the move. There is no doubt that the Khashoggi killing, as well as a few other controversies have tarnished the image of MBS and Saudi Arabia recently. There has been greater scrutiny of Saudis war in Yemen, for instance, and Al Jubeir took a controversial stance towards Canada over their criticism of Saudi human rights. He has been very visible as a defender of Saudi policy, and his removal will imply a change in policy. It is certainly a move by MBS to consolidate his position and his future by deflecting criticism through Jubeirs demotion. A successful shifting of blame for the Khashoggi murder, and the other controversies, along with the removal of the proverbial scapegoat, could help inoculate MBS from the continuing fallout connected to these scandals. But that is a fairly obvious reading of the cabinet shuffle. There are other factors at play here as well. Jubeir has been keen to support a strong US presence in the Middle East and to highlight the regional threat of Iran. This stance has helped to bring Saudi Arabia and Israel closer together in a kind of strategic alliance; and it has served as the rationale for the Kingdoms vicious military campaign in Yemen. However, US President Donald Trump has announced that the US will withdraw from Syria, and has signaled that the US will decrease its level of intervention in the region on all fronts; even indicating that he believes Israel is not facing any threats it cant handle (theyve been doing a very good job for themselves, Trump said). This is a policy change which will require a different style of foreign policy from Saudi Arabia; possibly less aggressive, less outspoken, and less confrontational. Jubeirs replacement will be Ibrahim Al Assaf who served as Finance Minister for twenty years, he is from the old guard, and has a deep knowledge of Saudi Arabias relationships and economic interests. I would expect his approach to be more low key and pragmatic, reflecting the changes in the strategic landscape in the wake of a diminished American presence. Russia has expressed concerns that the United States might try to interfere with the decision to remove Jubeir, because his demotion may open a door for the development of a more collaborative relationship between Riyadh and Moscow, particularly with regard to reconstruction in Syria. But, aside from Trumps announced withdrawal of US troops, there have been indications that the Americans are not comfortable with Saudi Arabias recent assertiveness in the region. Reportedly, the US intervened to prevent a Saudi invasion of Qatar, and serious concerns have been raised about the brutality of the Saudi-led war in Yemen. The US had been viewing Saudi Arabias foreign policy as an increasingly destabilizing force in the region even before the Khashoggi killing. Seeing the Saudis adopt a more conventional diplomatic relationship with their neighbours is unlikely to upset American interests; even if that means the Kingdom may become more cooperative with Russia. It seems wise for Saudi Arabia at this stage to draw down their enmity towards Iran, as they take on a role in the reconstruction of Syria. The UAE is opening an embassy again in Damascus, and the Saudis are going to have to normalize relations with the Syrian government to some degree for purely economic reasons, and this inevitably means decreasing the tension between Riyadh and Tehran, as Iran is a major player in Syria. It remains to be seen how this potential policy shift will impact Saudi Arabias relationship with Israel, particularly given the recent airstrikes by the IDF against targets in Damascus. But overall, the removal of Adel Al Jubeir seems to be a welcome return to form for Saudi foreign policy and will hopefully see their provocative role in regional volatility subside. _________________________________________ Radha Stirling, contributing writer, is Detained in Dubai founder and CEO, and a leading international expert on Human Rights and legal abuses in the UAE. Contact Radha: Radha@radhastirling.com Copyright  Radha Stirling Limited 2014-2018. Radha Stirling Limited, is registered in England and Wales under company number 11247852 with its registered office at 180 City Road, London EC1 2NX United Kingdom TAGS: #IbrahimAlAssaf #KSA #PrinceSalman #Syria #DonaldTrump #Russia #Yemen #AdelAlJubeir #MBS #SaudiArabia #RadhaStirling #DetainedinDubai _________________________________________

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Articles for December 27, 2018 | Articles for December 28, 2018 | Articles for December 29, 2018The last Parliament session for the year on Monday was very short.

As if the cancellation of the session prior to the final sitting of the year was not concerning enough in as far as Parliaments workload goes, there was obviously no rush from the Speaker of the House, Leaupepe Toleafoa Faafisi and the Government to get on with their work  the ones that require them to perform in session.

One can only feel sorry for all the public servants, getting paid by millions of hard-earned taxpayers money; who work so hard to ensure all the documents; bills and what have you are prepared for a session.

They only turn up to see their hard work gathering dust on the shelves as one more session is shortened and postponed until who cares.

To be quite honest, its almost a joke.

But thats the reality in Samoa today.

Which is why the developments last Monday was hardly surprising.

It was merely a continuation of the trend weve seen over the years where Prime Minister Tuilaepa and his one-party-state turn up to wish everyone a merry Christmas before they go their merry ways.

But there was one item on the agenda that was given priority and ironically it was about giving more money to public servants  including Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament - yes you heard that right.

Starting next week, the Government is paying public servants more money under the guise of the Cost of living salary adjustment (C.O.L.A.).

Announced by the Minister of Finance Sili Epa Tuioti, the payment will come from a $19.4 million Supplementary Budget that was tabled. Minister Sili explained they wanted a balance between the competing priorities of Government, and the provision of essential services for the citizens of Samoa is maintained.

Listen to him: The implementation of the C.O.L.A. will begin with a 5 per cent increase for all personnel from Principals and below and a 3 per cent increase for all ACEO positions up to below CEOs.

In January 2020, all Principals to below CEOs will get another 3 per cent increase while a 3 per cent increase will be introduced for CEOs, Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament and members of the Judiciary.

In January 2021, all public servants including members of Parliament will receive a final pay increase of 2 per cent to complete the implementation of the 2019 COLA.

The Minister went to say that the decision comes in light of the increasing cost of living, which has eroded the purchasing power of citizens. He added that, in choosing the right path, the Government has reshuffled many of its developments to make increase happen.

Now lets be brutally honest here. We find this absurd for the reason that we already have one of the highest paid public services in the Pacific  compared to our size and economy.

On top of salaries, when we sit down to account for the monies that are allocated for perks, benefits, travel, different allowances, vehicles and much more, we will find that this is perhaps one of the most expensive Governments to run.

The private sector can hardly compete with these sorts of salaries and offers.

Heres the thing, one can say that there is nothing wrong with that if the Government can afford it. Which is true.

But we all know the dire situation the Government has found itself in which is why it has been forced to take some extremely desperate measures to do the unthinkable and that is taxing the Church Ministers. We dont need to tell you that story.

Now isnt it also sad that when the Government talks about the increasing cost of living, which has eroded the purchasing power of citizens, what about some of poorest people in this country?

Do they ever think about them? What about the majority of workers who are still being paid the minimum wage of $2.30 tala an hour? Doesnt Government think that this too deserves attention? Or are they only concerned about paying themselves more money from public coffers?

This is sad, extremely concerning.

Write and tell us what you think!The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (M.C.I.T.) has a new Chief Executive Officer.

He is Talatalaga Fualau Matau.

He his poised to take over from outgoing long-serving C.E.O., Tuaimalo Asamu Ah Sam, who has held the position since April 2003.

The appointment was announced by the Minister of M.C.I.T., Afamasaga Rico Tupai, during their end of the year party last week, staff members present told the Samoa Observer.

Prior to his new role, Talatalaga had served as the Assistant Chief Executive Officer (A.C.E.O.) for the Policy Division in M.C.I.T. He had also served as an A.C.E.O. with Public Service Commission prior to moving to M.C.I.T.

It was not possible to get an official comment from the new C.E.O. yesterday.

The outgoing C.E.O. Tuaimalo had served five consecutive terms.

He had held the position when M.C.I.T. was formerly called the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (M.P.T).

According to the terms of the reference, the Chief Executive Officer is responsible to the Minister of Communications and Information Technology for the reviewing and update Communications Sector Policy, the development and review of a National Broadcasting Policy, also the monitoring of the implementation of Government policy in the Sector.

The C.E.O. is also to monitor the provision of postal, telecommunications, broadcasting and I.C.T. services and also provide of advice with regards the grant and operation of licences of postal, telecommunications and broadcasting services.

The C.E.O. is also tasked to assist the development of human resources capacity in the communications sector and fostering positive relations with international bodies of which Samoa is a member, such as International Telecommunications Union, Universal Postal Union, Asia-Pacific Telecommunity, Pacific Island Telecom Association and other relevant donor organisations.While the world was asleep on Christmas morning, seven mothers welcomed their newborns at the Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital in Motootua.

This was confirmed by Midwife, Tiara Tuulua. She said the day would forever be in the memories of the proud mothers who welcomed their babies on the day the world was celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.

Mrs. Tuulua said the first baby was born at 2:05 am on Christmas day.

The baby was a female and her mother was 28-year-old Merita Nicole from Faleula, she said, adding the newborn baby was Meritas first child.

Her weight was 2.58 kilogrammes, and she was delivered by midwives Siaulaiga Tupe and Mele Tuaniu.

Mrs. Tuulua said of the seven babies, five were females and two males.

The whole team was working that night, and it wasnt that busy. On Christmas Day we only delivered seven babies.The Chief Justice, His Honour Patu Tiava'asu'e Falefatu Sapolu, has granted the application by the suspended President of the Land and Titles Court, Fepuleai Atilla Ropati, to travel outside Samoa.

The decision was relayed in the Supreme Court on Monday where Fepuleai appeared.

Fepuleai told the Court he is taking his mother overseas but he was unable to provide the exact date of travel because they are still waiting for the visa to be approved.

The matter involving the suspended President is a longstanding one. It dates back to an incident where he allegedly assaulted a security officer during a party at Mulinuu.

Fepuleai, 55, allegedly struck the security officer with a bottle and threw a punch at him.

He was charged by the Police and he appeared before the District Court in July this year, where he pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm.

Following a full trial, the presiding District Court Judge, Alalatoa Rosella Papalii, discharged him without conviction.

But the Attorney Generals Office moved to appeal the matter.

In November 2018, Justice Leiataualesa Daryl Clarke upheld the appeal by the Attorney General and quashed the discharge without conviction.

He ruled that the matter should be remitted back to the District Court for a re-trial, with the direction that section 17 of the Sentencing Act 2016 is applied.

In response, Fepuleais lawyer, Aumua Ming Leung Wai, told the District Court they are filing a cross appeal on the move by the Attorney Generals Office.

Judge Alalatoa has since referred the matter to the Supreme Court for mention.

In Court on Monday, the Chief Justice granted the application on the condition that Fepuleai submits his return ticket to the Attorney Generals Office prior to his departure.The second gun amnesty for Samoa in 2018 has ended.

This was announced by the Commissioner of Police, Fuiavailili Egon Keil, last week who hailed the operation as a success.

We have officially come to the end of our gun amnesty, he said.

Since the amnesty was announced two months ago, Fuiava said the Police had received just under 100 firearms.

I would like to thank my people at the Samoa Police force for doing their jobs well, no one got injured or hurt and of course no one gets arrested if they turn in their firearms or any type of ammunition, he said.

It was a very successful exercise for the Samoan Police to ensure the safety of the Samoan people.

All the firearms have been documented and so sometime in the beginning of next year, we will show it to you and destroy those firearms and ammunitions that we have collected.

The process of handing in firearms was transparent and straight forward, he added.

The amnesty allowed people to return firearms, ammunition, explosives and unlawful weapons without questions being asked.

The next step, according to Fuiavailiili, is to work with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment so they can destroy the firearms appropriately.

The gun amnesty is done now, he said.

And so if you have in your possession firearms, ammunitions or explosives, it is against the law to have that in your possession or to sell it. If you are caught in possession of something like that you will be prosecuted.

It is unfortunate for someone to have that because we have given them the opportunity to turn it in but if they have not then they will suffer the consequences because we have been pushing from the beginning to turn in firearms and ammunition to keep Samoa safer.

As of right now it is done and over, we have not decided on whether to conduct another amnesty but I hope no one has in their possession any illegal firearms in Samoa.

He added that it was also an opportunity for people to bring in their firearms that were not registered.

We had a few people come in with unregistered and expired registration of firearms and it was a perfect opportunity to take care of that as well which some took advantage of that.

We would like to thank our community and country especially our Minister of Police, Tuilaepa Dr. Sa'ilele Malielegaoi for his support as well.

And we will continue to do our jobs as best as we can.Lagi Maulu Meafua Fai is one of the elites and among the people who believe in living life to the fullest.

At 91-years of age, the great grandmother continues to cheat death with her doctors placing her children, grand children and great grant kids again on vigil earlier this year to prepare for her eternal entry when her health deteriorated.

But on Christmas Day, Lagi was dancing away at her home in New Plymouth rejoicing in her miraculous recovery.

It was her way of thanksgiving to the Almighty. She is even more grateful with the arrival of two of her daughters and grandchildren from Sydney Australia to join her children in New Plymouth to celebrate the birth of Christ and the coming of the new year.

She is fortunate, says the Fagaloa and Taufusi native born to live a long, adventurous life.

She wasnt embarrassed to be an amateur, afraid to make mistakes along the way, or even frighten when most reasonable people might be.

She lives a simple life.

It doesnt take much to make her happya phone call, a card, a visit or a kiss before saying good night from any of her loved ones.

They are the most important people in the world to her. She lived to make their lives better and remains proud of all her children, grand children and great grandchildren.

She devoted her entire life to giving all her children and their children and great grand kids family values that remain important to her and late husband, Fai Maulu Meafua Fai.

And they may have been poor in material things but so very rich in many other ways based on her and Maulus resolve that the family is the heart and soul of everyone and if that is right, then all will be well.

The mother of eight children, Lagi and her late husband Maulu were uprooted from Apia by her eldest son Fai Falaniko and wife Sue over a decade ago to retire in New Plymouth.

And she admits that life since with the blessings of her Father in Heaven have been good to her.

It was not by design but by fate for the family to move to New Plymouth where their strength and will power to remain as a family is further strengthen.

And it has given the Great Grandmother all the more reason to re-cement her Catholic beliefs complemented by her upbringing to fear the Almighty which she says continues to play a leading role in the blessings that she and her family have received.

We have been blessed and with the Lord and the Almighty on our side, my family will prosper, says Lagi. Reminisced Lagi as she finishes her first glass of red wine to celebrate and commemorate Christmas with her huge family: A family is a circle of strength of love and with every new addition; the family circle grows and becomes stronger.

I am just an ordinary person who has been blessed with such a wonderful family. I love the way they all spoil me and I wish I could have given you more when you they were children. I gave them what I could and a stable family home to grow up in. Now it is their turn to provide those things to their children, my grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and let them enrich their lifes as they have enriched mine.Rob Cooper and girlfriend Lish Nguyen were looking for somewhere beautiful to spend the holidays.

They wanted somewhere close to home, and with beautiful beaches and natural surrounding.

Which is precisely what they have found in Samoa.

Five hours away from Sydney by plane, Rob and Lish say they have enjoyed their time here.

The main thing was one of the guys we know from Sydney who runs a game fishing charter we booked with him and which was one reason why we came.

But there were also disappointing moments.

Our first experience was probably not great because our flight was delayed, he said.

The flight was canceled and when we arrived, the hotel that were checked in to the guy who was supposed to let us in wasnt there so we spent whole two hours walking Apia trying to find somewhere to sleep.

But we managed to talk to a guy from another hotel who called the security and woke them up and we got in the room about three in the morning.

But its been great since that experience.

Weve had a good time in Samoa, we meet good people on our way to Matareva, Saletoga Resort and all the places we have been to.

Mr. Cooper said the laid back lifestyle of the island and the quietness are among the things they enjoy about Samoa.

This is our first time here in the Island and weve loved it, he said.

We are thinking about maybe trying to live here at some stage. We definitely see ourselves coming back.BAGHDAD (AP)  President Donald Trump's surprise trip to Iraq may have quieted criticism at home that he had yet to visit troops in a combat zone, but it has infuriated Iraqi politicians who on Thursday demanded the withdrawal of U.S. forces.

"Arrogant" and "a violation of national sovereignty" were but a few examples of the disapproval emanating from Baghdad following Trump's meeting Wednesday with U.S. servicemen and women at the al-Asad Airbase.

Trips by U.S. presidents to conflict zones are typically shrouded in secrecy and subject to strict security measures, and Trump's was no exception. Few in Iraq or elsewhere knew the U.S. president was in the country until minutes before he left.

But this trip came as curbing foreign influence in Iraqi affairs has become a hot-button political issue in Baghdad, and Trump's perceived presidential faux-pas was failing to meet with the prime minister in a break with diplomatic custom for any visiting head of state.

On the ground for only about three hours, the American president told the men and women with the U.S. military that Islamic State forces have been vanquished, and he defended his decision against all advice to withdraw U.S. troops from neighboring Syria, He said the U.S. was once again respected as a nation, and declared: "We're no longer the suckers, folks."

The abruptness of his visit left lawmakers in Baghdad smarting and drawing unfavorable comparisons to the occupation of Iraq after the 2003 invasion.

"Trump needs to know his limits. The American occupation of Iraq is over," said Sabah al-Saidi, the head of one of two main blocs in Iraq's parliament.

Trump, he said, had slipped into Iraq, "as though Iraq is a state of the United States."

While Trump didn't meet with any officials, he spoke with Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi by phone. A planned meeting between the two leaders was canceled over a "difference in points of view" over arrangements, according to the prime minister's office.

The visit could have unintended consequences for American policy, with officials from both sides of Iraq's political divide calling for a vote in Parliament to expel U.S. forces from the country.

The president, who kept to the U.S. air base approximately 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Baghdad, said he had no plans to withdraw the 5,200 troops in the country. He said Ain al-Asad could be used for U.S. air strikes inside Syria.

The suggestion ran counter to the current sentiment of Iraqi politics, which favors claiming sovereignty over foreign and domestic policy and staying above the fray in regional conflicts.

"Iraq should not be a platform for the Americans to settle their accounts with either the Russians or the Iranians in the region," said Hakim al-Zamili, a senior lawmaker in al-Saidi's Islah bloc in Parliament.

U.S. troops are stationed in Iraq as part of the coalition against the Islamic State group. American forces withdrew in 2011 after invading in 2003 but returned in 2014 at the invitation of the Iraqi government to help fight the jihadist group. Trump's visit was the first by a U.S. president since Barack Obama met with then-Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki at a U.S. base outside Baghdad in 2009.

After defeating IS militants in their last urban bastions last year, Iraqi politicians and militia leaders are speaking out against the continued presence of U.S. forces on Iraqi soil.

Supporters of the populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr won big in national elections in May, campaigning on a platform to curb U.S. and rival Iranian involvement in Iraqi affairs. Al-Sadr's lawmakers now form the core of the Islah bloc, which is headed by al-Saidi in Parliament.

The rival Binaa bloc, commanded by politicians and militia leaders close to Iran, also does not favor the U.S.

Qais Khazali, the head of the Iran-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia that fought key battles against IS in northern Iraq, promised on Twitter that Parliament would vote to expel U.S. forces from Iraq, or the militias would force them out by "other means."

Khazali was jailed by British and U.S. forces from 2007 to 2010 for managing sections of the Shia insurgency against the occupation during those years.

Trump's visit would be a "great moral boost to the political parties, armed factions, and others who oppose the American presence in Iraq," Iraqi political analyst Ziad al-Arar said.

Still, the U.S. and Iraq developed considerable military and intelligence ties in the war against IS, and they continue to pay off in operations against militants gone into hiding.

Earlier in the month, Iraqi forces called in an airstrike by U.S.-coalition forces to destroy a tunnel used by IS militants in the Atshanah mountains in north Iraq. Four militants were killed, according to the coalition.

A hasty departure of U.S. forces would jeopardize such arrangements, said Iraqi analyst Hamza Mustafa.

Relations between the U.S. and Iraq also extend beyond military ties. U.S. companies have considerable interests in Iraq's petrochemical industry, and American diplomats are often brokers between Iraq's fractious political elite.

Iraq's Sunni politicians have been largely quiet about the presidential visit, reflecting the ties they have cultivated with the U.S. to counterbalance the might of the country's Iran-backed and predominantly-Shiite militias.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Abdul-Mahdi accepted Trump's invitation to the White House during their call, though the prime minister's office has so far refused to confirm that.A United Nations intern in the U.N Development Programme, Troels Andersen, has told the Samoa Observer about his harrowing ordeal in Samoa on Christmas Eve.

The 27-year-old from Denmark was on the phone to his mother from his Motootua accommodation when a criminal broke into his house, wielding a knife and demanding money.

Mr. Andersen, who had three weeks left of his contract, was so frightened by what happened he left the country the next day.

I didnt hear anything because I had my headphones on, he told the Samoa Observer from Denmark. I was on the phone to my mother, and after a few seconds I realised whats happening. Initially I thought it was someone I knew playing a prank, but then you see a knife.

He said to me, where is the money, show me the money. I pointed to my coffee table where all my stuff is and said take what you want.

He took the contents of my wallet, about T$200 and then he took my portable speaker, all my shoes, my cigarettes, anything he could, and the keys to the car.

But it wasnt enough.

After threatening to kill Mr. Andersen should he tell anyone what happened, and leaving, the attacker returned, demanding more.

I told him no, thats all I have, so I he said Ill take you to an ATM and well withdraw some money.

Cooperating, Mr. Andersen was guided at knife-point down the stairs to his car, on loan from a colleague.

He said at that point, he just wanted to keep this man happy.

I dont think his English was very good. He was aggressive, and he got annoyed when he didnt understand me, which made it hard.

Together the attacker and victim journeyed to a nearby ATM, with Mr. Andersen in the passenger seat, the knife still pointed at him.

We get to the ATM and he tells me once you give me the money, Ill let you go, he said.

Hoping after the money is handed over the affair will be done, Mr. Andersen withdrew T$600 and passed it through the window.

But the attacker wanted him to get back into the car.

[Before], it was somewhat ok because he wanted the money, so if I cooperated it would be fine, Mr. Andersen said. But when he wanted me to get back into the car I got a really bad feeling. I had nothing more to give and he wouldnt tell me where were going.

At that point anything could have happened. The only thing I could do to put my own fate in my hands was to run.

So Mr. Andersen abandoned the car and the attacker, despite the mans efforts to get him back inside the vehicle.

He made it to the closest hotel where he hid for ten minutes; to be sure the man was gone.

On the way, he slipped on the wet wooden deck and cut his knee, which he wouldnt notice till much later.

Finally inside the hotel, two guests found Mr. Andersen and helped him with food and drink and called the police, who arrived shortly after.

He also contacted his mother to tell him he was safe  she would have heard the entire robbery taking place in his room, which interrupted their phone call.

Shes processing this as much as I am, Mr. Andersen said.

She was in shock at home. She doesnt know anyone in Samoa, so she was stuck there waiting to hear from me. Shes really happy to have me back at least.

Mr. Andersen consulted with his United Nations management, who both offered him their own homes, and helped him decide whether or not to go home to Denmark.

He opted to leave, booking a flight for the following afternoon.

Ive been mugged before, but the worst part of this is youre in the safety of your home and someone just walks in, thats a completely different experience, Mr. Andersen said.

It was a pretty long ordeal, like 45 minutes. It's a long time where you just dont know whats happening.

Contacted for a comment, the Police declined saying they are investigating the matter.

The Samoa Observer understands the car was crashed and abandoned, not far from the ATM. It is now in police custody.

The owner of Mr. Andersens apartment, and the hotel he ran to for help said the man who attacked him was probably drunk or on drugs.

Well be adding more security of course, but I am quite surprised. This has never happened before in my place, she said.

She said she was especially sad to see a visitor being attacked.

Hes here to try and help our country, to improve it.Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi has defended the Governments public tender process, in response to criticisms on social media.

During his weekly press conference, the Prime Minister said the process is lengthy and comprehensive.

There are criterias that companies must adhere and it is a comprehensive process.

The contractor must meet all the requirements of each standard, and if the contractor misses one criteria for any other reason, their bid will be disqualified, he said.

According to Tuilaepa, the Tenders Board Chairman is the Minister of Finance, Sili Epa Tuioti, and deputy chairman is Minister of Works, Infrastructure and Transport, Papali'i Niko Lee Hang. There are also representatives from the Ministry of Finance and the Attorney Generals Office.

There is a deadline for every tender and that late submissions will not be considered, and so when the time comes to open the bids, all the companies are present along with the Board.

These bids are publicly opened and so each company representative will know whether their bid was the highest or the lowest.

The second phase, according to the Prime Minister, is the technical evaluation by engineers and the Tender board.

After that assessment (if the project is funded by the World Bank, their input is also considered by the Tenders Board) then the recommendation to the Cabinet.

The majority of the recommendations by Cabinet, Id say 90 percent is approved while other decisions are questioned and rejected.

Keep in mind there are two Ministers sitting on the Tender Board versus 13 Cabinet Ministers and we always question their decisions, he added.

The Prime Minister said other issues the Board considers is whether the contractors who placed bids have had experience with previous projects.

They also consider the ability of the company in terms of equipment they have, also if these companies have enough civil engineers, these are all factors the Tenders Board considers, prior to submitting their recommendations to the Cabinet for final approval.

There are also companies who think they can cheat the system, by making the smallest bid with the intention to submit variations.

If the bid is submitted with a significant amount the Board will question why.

Furthermore, for every project that is awarded there is a time limit and if for any other reason the project is not completed, the Government will fine the contractors.

It can be the weather, or a land dispute in the village, while the project is on hold, the fine will accumulate, said Tuilaepa.

He also emphasised that the submission of a cheap bid does not necessarily mean the company will win the tender.

There are times the engineer of the contractor will try and make a shortcut or try and get the engineer of the Government to agree to a shortcut and this happens every in the world, he added, before using as an example a multistory building in town.

That project started off with a minimal price on the project. However, it was on hold due to the increasing of cost. In the end the work done on the building had to be restarted, given the condition of the building was not up standard. That is why the tender process is relatively important, to avoid similar situations, Tuilaepa said.A blue Toyota Hiace minivan ended up in the bushes along the Togitogiga Road yesterday afternoon, after the driver allegedly fell asleep on the wheel.

When the Samoa Observer team arrived at the scene  on their return to Apia from Lotofaga where they covered a church opening  a team of Police officers comprising two females and two male officers from the Poutasi police station were already there.

According to one Police Officer who only wanted to be identified as Sam, the incident occurred after 1pm when the man was on his way to deliver food.

The driver, Sam said, was already at the police station giving his statement. Meanwhile, when this newspapers photographer Misiona Simo attempted to take a photo of the van, the officers stopped him and pulled him inside their car.

Mr. Simo informed them that the incident occurred on a public road and he could take photographs, but they insisted he could not take pictures.

The Police officers were later ordered by their superiors to let the photographer go as he was just doing his job.Members of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa (C.C.C.S.) in Afega continued the celebration of their 50th Anniversary yesterday with the opening of its newly renovated church building.

The dedication service was conducted by Reverend Elder Fili Sia.

According to the Secretary of the Project Committee, Fata Paulo Seuseu, the total cost of the project was $389,936.80.

We started planning in 2015, he said.

We looked at the work that needed to be done for the church building which was not safe.

We considered that the roof was leaking, we also looked at the multipurpose building for the congregation because it was also not safe as well as the the pastors residence.

In 2016 we started the renovations works that is launched today.

The project included strengthening the structure of the building, a refurbished pulpit, new doors, paint, tiles, chairs, air conditioning among other things that needed to be improved.

Reverend Luapene Nepo of the C.C.C.S. thanked everyone that contributed to the funding of the church renovations.

He also took a moment to acknowledge the people who were there before his time.

This is a day of remembrance of those that were here before us, forefathers and ancestors that have lived and attended the church, he said.

He added that the celebration this week not only launches the project; it was also an opportunity for the people of Afega living in Samoa and abroad to come together as a family.

The congregation has more than 300 members.

After the church service yesterday, traditional formalities followed.

The 50th anniversary cakes were also distributed to Church leaders and members of the church present.It was a proud and happy moment for members of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa in Lotofaga as they opened their new church yesterday.

Present at the dedication service was the Head of State, His Highness Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II and the Masiofo, Faamausili Leinafo, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi, Deputy Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa, Members of Parliament and village group members from overseas, who donated to the project.

After Tropical Cyclone Evan destroyed their church in 2012, the congregation decided that they had to build a new one.

Fiame told the Samoa Observer the construction work began in February this year, after about seven years of trying to collect sufficient funds and resources.

We collected about $700,000 to construct this new church, she said.

We still have a bank loan with the National Provident Fund, over $600,000. I think we still might be able to clear it, which is a great thing for us.

Its not a very big congregation and most of the families, they are not employed and of course they are self-employed.

We received donations from our village groups overseas, and also through fundraisings. Their dedication to the church is very strong and they are still very much connected despite leaving Samoa.

It was also a humbling experience for the Deputy P.M. to see village members working together to complete the project, despite being mostly self-employed.

The fundraiser last night (Thursday) saw the groups from overseas were here and making more donations. So it is just the spirit of wanting to participate and contribute, she said.

People are very strong in their faith and they give generously and they really dont expect things in return.

Fiame highlighted the importance of good planning and having sufficient resources to complete such tasks.

These kinds of community projects, accountability is very important. Weve worked really hard as a committee  not only to account to our congregation because we set out a plan then we go and implement it  but because we are also collecting money and so forth.

Transparency is really important because it does build trust in the community and communication on whats going on, she added.

Its been amazingly easy, it was a matter of just collecting the funds because it was a contract work, and we couldnt really start until we had sufficient funds to do it.

Local firm Evaeva Construction undertook the construction, with Fiame indicating that although it was a business relationship, the company also accommodated and did the churchs other requests.San Diego Countys newest airline will not end the year on a high note  or in the air.

California Pacific Airlines, based in Carlsbad, said Friday that it would halt West Coast operations in January because of a pilot shortage. It called the move a temporary pause on operations, but did not give a firm deadline for when it would resume operations, only that it would start again once it had sufficient crew.

While a lack of pilots has been an issue across the nation, it is more bad news for the startup airline. It had a series of cancellations in early December because of mechanical issues that grounded its four-plane fleet.

All air carriers are feeling the impact of the shortage in some fashion, said Fernando Pineda, chief operating officer of the airline in a statement. We have been fighting this new reality and managed to reduce the impact on our customers until recently.

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California Pacific said customers should receive refunds automatically in seven to 10 days. The airline will still operate its other routes in South Dakota and Colorado.

Pilot shortages are frequent throughout the world. After the Sept. 11 terror attacks and the Great Recession, the airline industry consolidated. That meant jobs were scarce and years of low wages followed, said The Wall Street Journal. In recent years, world travel has increased, but the number of pilots has not.

However, airline industry analyst Henry Harteveldt said he doubted California Pacific would ever be back on the West Coast. He said a normal airline wouldnt just stop operations to look for more pilots, but would perhaps cut some flights while still looking and raise pilot wages, but totally ceasing operations was extreme.

You can stick a fork in California Pacific. Theyre done, he said. If they do come back on the West Coast, it will be an airline industry miracle.

Harteveldt said consumer relations were already very poor because of frequent cancellations (as evidenced by its Facebook and Yelp pages), making a return difficult. He said he doubted the airline was well enough financed to keep going. Harteveldt said if routes between South Dakota and Colorado are a success, the airline could possibly use that to try the West Coast again  but that the name California Pacific is probably too tarnished with consumers.

Flying out of McClellan-Palomar Airport, the airline was the vision of entrepreneur Ted Vallas, now 97 years old. He saw it as an alternative for residents of North San Diego County who did not want to make the roughly one hour drive to San Diego International Airport.

It took eight years for the airline to take flight after years of back-and-forth disputes with San Diego County, the owners of the airport it planned to use, and other issues. Its inaugural flight on Nov. 1 was canceled because of mechanical problems.

Its routes included San Jose, Las Vegas, Reno and Phoenix. Its fleet includes four Embraer ERJ-135 twin jet planes that are roughly 18 years old.

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phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1891 Twitter: @phillipmolnar

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UPDATES:

1:37 p.m.: Article updated with industry analyst.The federal government plans to release 174 asylum-seeking migrants from a detention center to San Diego but volunteers dont have enough beds for them, according to emergency shelter operators.

Were scrambling, said Norma Chavez-Peterson, executive director for the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial counties.

The San Diego Rapid Response Network, a coalition of non-profits, religious and humanitarian organizations including the ACLU, has two emergency shelters with enough room for 134 migrants in San Diego.

They have 44 people in the shelters, so that leaves 94 spaces for 174 people.

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Rapid Response Network volunteers, including Chavez-Peterson, are trying to find additional space for the asylum-seekers.

Nobody wants people to be in the streets, Chavez-Peterson said.

Volunteers spoke with civic and religious leaders in San Diego, Imperial Beach, and Chula Vista to try to find a more permanent shelter  either a vacant storefront, recreation space, event hall or anything with room to house people for a day or two.

They are also considering asking volunteers who have been vetted to house migrants in their homes.

Its unclear why Immigration and Customs Enforcement planned to release 174 migrants into San Diego late Thursday. Organizers in San Diego said the number of asylum-seekers released changes on a daily basis.

Federal authorities released 100 people on Wednesday and 50 on Tuesday, according to the Rapid Response Network.

This practice of dropping off migrants in bus stops began in October, after the federal government stopped giving vetted migrants time to make travel arrangements so they can stay with family members in the United States until their immigration cases are resolved. Instead, migrants are released from detention without finalizing travel arrangements and are left to fend for themselves.

The same situation is playing out at other busy border ports of entry.

On Christmas Day in El Paso, federal immigration officers released hundreds asylum-seeking migrants. Churches and non-profits scrambled to find food and shelter for them.

Volunteers in San Diego claim all of the migrants who were in federal custody, some of whom entered the country illegally, are cold and hungry when they are released.

All complain about the freezing temperature and inhumane conditions while in Border Patrol custody, the Rapid Response Network wrote in a statement. Most spend 3-5 days on Border Patrol holding cells that are not intended for detention.

Doctors at the emergency shelters send immigrants to the emergency room on a daily basis. The report seeing a woman coughing up blood, multiple children dehydrated, half a dozen chicken pox cases and a lot of upper respiratory complications during health screenings, Chavez-Peterson said.

This month, two Central American children died after being in federal custody. In the most recent case, an 8-year-old boy who had crossed the border illegally with his father died after being diagnosed with a cold and fever.

The Rapid Response Network tried to sound the alarm on Dec. 5, when they asked local and regional government officials for help securing a permanent shelter. At the time, volunteers said that without a permanent shelter, immigrant families would be on their own in the streets of San Diego.

The network said operating the shelter costs $300,000 a month. They have raised $125,555 online since Nov. 15. That money helps pay for staffing, security, maintenance and transportation costs.

On Dec. 20, the county provided staff to help deliver medical and public health services, according to the Rapid Response Network.

In November, the states Department of Social Services began providing support staff to help run the emergency shelter.

The Rapid Response Network has had to relocate the shelters five times in the last nine weeks. Those shelters include church halls or unused event spaces. When churches or organizations need those spaces, the temporary shelter is forced to move.

Volunteers are looking for any type of permanent space, ideally with a kitchen and showers.

Contact Gustavo Solis via Email or TwitterWoodstock, the legendary festival that drew nearly 500,000 young rock-music fans to upstate New York in 1969 to hear such greats as Jimi Hendrix, The Who and Joan Baez, could celebrate its 50th anniversary next summer with two rival events. Former Tijuana guitarist Carlos Santana, who played with his band at the original Woodstock festival and its 1994 sequel, has expressed his desire to do so again for the 50th anniversary. It is unclear, however, in which of the two anniversary festivals he might participate.

On Thursday, Live Nation announced and the global live brand storytelling agency INVNT announced they will co-produce the Bethel Woods Music and Culture Festival, Aug. 16-18. They are billing it as A new three-day festival of music, culture and community.

It will be held at the 15,000-capacity amphitheater at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, a non-profit cultural center located at the site of the original Woodstock festival in Bethel, N.Y. The first Woodstock  there were sequels in 1994 and 1999, at different locations in upstate New York  was held in Bethel Aug. 15-18, 1969, and is regarded as crowning moment for the counterculture movement that both blossomed and withered in the second half of the 1960s.

Meanwhile, Michael Lang  one of the producers of the original Woodstock Music & Art Fair and both its sequels  has been planning to stage his own 50th anniversary edition.

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While the original site in Bethel remains close to our hearts, it no longer has the capacity to hold a real Woodstock Festival, Lang told the Union-Tribune via email.

Im delighted that Bethel Woods is doing events in the coming year to celebrate what we brought to life in 1969 and I encourage people to visit the museum and concert venue.

Lang plans an announcement in the next few weeks about his plans for the real Woodstock 50th anniversary, which will strive to bring back the much needed spirit and energy of the 1969 original.

The fact that the Bethel Woods Music and Culture Festival does not include the name Woodstock suggests Langs event would go head-to-head with the Bethel Woods festival. Lang and fellow 1969 Woodstock co-promoter Joel Rosenman own the intellectual property rights to the Woodstock festival and its name and logo. (John P. Roberts, the original Woodstocks third co-producer, died in 2001. He, Lang and Rosenman also co-produced the festivals 1994 and 1999 editions)

In a Dec. 19 interview with The Poughkeepsie Journal, Lang said the 50th anniversary Woodstock festival he is working on will not be held at Bethel Woods. (The original Woodstock festival was set to be held in Woodstock, but was moved to nearby Bethel at the last minute  one of several reasons the event was so dramatically lacking in infrastructure of almost any kind).

Lang told The Journal that he did not yet have any specific date, location or performers he could disclose. In a mid-November interview, Lang told The Journal: We have definite plans. Im excited. I am indeed. These are plans. This is not a done deal yet. But its very close.

Former San Diego singer-songwriter Jewel performs on the final day of 1999 edition of the Woodstock festival on July 25, 1999, in Rome, N.Y. (Photo by Dave Duprey / AP)

The announcement of the Bethel Woods Music and Culture Festival does not include any artists, although a lineup and ticket information are both pending, according to the Bethel Woods Centers website.

A press release issued Thursday by the center states that the 2019 festival will offer three days of memorable experiences, including live performances from prominent and emerging artists spanning multiple genres and decades, and TED-style talks from leading futurists and retro-tech experts.

The state of New York has allotted nearly $700,000 to Bethel Woods to help commemorate the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, with an eye toward fueling tourism. The Museum at Bethel Woods will host an exhibition, We Are Golden: Reflections on the 50th Anniversary of the Woodstock Festival and Aspirations for an Aquarian Future (or WAGROTFAOTWFAAFAAF for short).

We are thrilled to partner with Live Nation and INVNT to produce Bethel Woods Music and Culture Festival, Darlene Fedun, CEO of Bethel Woods said in Thursdays release.

Fifty years ago, people gathered peacefully on our site inspired to change the world through music. As the stewards of this historic site, we remain committed to preserving this rich history and spirit, and to educating and inspiring new generations to contribute positively to the world through music, culture, and community.

Original Woodstock co-producer Lang, meanwhile, expressed his own Aquarian hopes for his 50th anniversary Woodstock festival, should it take place.

His goal, he told the Journal, is to build on the history and essence of what Woodstock was Were hoping to inspire people to speak up and get involved and get out and vote and help us save the planet. We are in trouble and it seems like weve been brought back in time in a lot of ways.

Its eerie how similar a lot of things are to the way it was in the late 60s, Lang continued. Lessons we thought we learned seem to be coming back, unlearned. The progress we learned in social justice seems to be going backwards.

It remains to be seen with whom Lang might be partnering to present his proposed Woodstock 50th anniversary festival.

Live Nation, which is co-producing next summers Bethel Woods festival, is the worlds largest concert and live events promoter. It owns and operates the North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre (formerly Mattress Firm Amphitheatre) in Chula Vista and House of Blues in downtown San Diego.

A handful of original Woodstock performers are still actively performing, including Santana, Joan Baez, the latest iteration of the Grateful Dead, Arlo Guthrie and Sha Na Na, whose leader Jocko Marcellino is a longtime La Jolla resident.

In a mid-December interview, Carlos Santana told Billboard magazine: Weve talked to Michael Lang, but we dont know if he has secured a place. If they invite me, Im in.

Make that in, with  possibly  several bands.

In a 2017 interview, Santana said he hopes to perform at the 50th anniversary of Woodstock with three or four bands, including the original and current editions of Santana, and another with Sly & The Family Stone alums Larry Graham and Greg Errico.

Fellow Woodstock veteran Baez, meanwhile, scoffed at the idea of performing at any 50th anniversary Woodstock anniversary festival.

I would not want to be part of another Woodstock, she told the San Diego Union-Tribune in an interview earlier this year. It couldnt exist! I mean, were all either on our old (age) paths, or dead.

Twitter @georgevarga

george.varga@sduniontribune.com

UPDATES:

9:53 a.m., Dec. 29: This article has been updated to include a quote from original Woodstock co-producer Michael Lang about his plans to stage a 50th anniversary Woodstock festival at a location separate from Bethel Woods, where the original Woodstock was held,.            2:3   .  ,              " "   ,     . " ,       .      ,      " ",        ...December 28, 1968 The San Diego Union

The San Diego Union-Tribune will mark its 150th anniversary in 2018 by presenting a significant front page from the archives each day throughout the year.

Saturday, December 28, 1968

Fifty years ago, as Apollo 8 and its three astronauts splashed down in the Pacific after its half-million-mile voyage to the moon, Arthur Anders and his wife Muriel, celebrated the safe return of their son, Bill, from their La Mesa home.

William "Bill" Anders was the pilot aboard Apollo 8, the first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon. Anders and crewmates Frank Borman and James A. Lovell Jr. entered lunar orbit on December 24, 1968 and broadcast the first images of Earth from space.

Here are the first few paragraphs of the story:

Anders Folks Proud, Happy At Splashdown

By Beverly Beyette

I guess hes out of the rookie class now, said the proud and happy father of first-time astronaut William A. Anders.

Anders parents, Cmdr. Arthur F. Anders, USN, ret., and Mrs. Anders, were talking with reporters in the patio of their Mt. Heix home just after splashdown and recovery of Apollo 8.

The first telephone call placed by the Anderses following completion of the nearly flawless flight was to Mr. and Mrs. Walter Schirra Sr. of Loma Portal, parents of astronaut Schirra.

HAPPY OVER TEST

Said Mrs. Anders, We told them how happy we were that Wally had tested the Apollo so well. (Schirra was command pilot on the first Apollo flight, Apollo 7, which ended Oct. 22).

Cmdr. and Mrs. Anders had been with the Schirras that day as they watched the splash down. Mrs. Schirra had said there were counting one anothers goose bumps.

Recalling that, Mrs. Anders admitted that those goose bumps had appeared again yesterday.

How did the Anders feel?

Very, very happy, said Anders. Mighty proud, said Mrs. Anders, that our son was one of the three who had the opportunity to make this flight.

She called the moon-circling mission a terrific accomplishment, something every American should be very proud of.

ANXIOUS MOMENTS

The Anderses admitted there had been a few anxious moments as Air Force Maj. Anders and his fellow astronauts had made their journey a quarter-million miles into space.

I wasnt nervous, said Anders, but every now and then I wondered if everything was going to be all right.

Both spoke of their great confidence in the space program, of their faith in the astronauts and the team.

View anniversary front pages online at sandiegouniontribune.com/150-years. For more from the Union-Tribune digital archives, go to newslibrary.com/sites/sdub. Searching is free, with registration. A fee is required to view full stories.Another migrant caravan  with estimates of as many as 15,000 participants  is preparing to leave Honduras on January 15, according to migrant rights advocates and Spanish-language media.

They say they are even bigger and stronger than the last caravan, said Irma Garrido, a member of the migrant advocacy group Reactiva Tijuana Foundation.

Meanwhile, thousands of Central American migrants from a caravan that left Honduras in October remain stranded at the U.S.-Mexico border and languishing in crowded Tijuana shelters while they wait out a lengthy process to file asylum requests with the United States.

Coordinators who helped direct the migrants on the 2,000-mile trek with bullhorns, arranging for buses and giving advice along the way, have mostly vanished. Many of the migrants say they feel abandoned and unsure where to turn next. Some are ready to return home.

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Garrido said this new, larger caravan will likely be joined by more people in El Salvador and in Guatemala, but she said they dont plan on coming straight to the Tijuana-San Diego border, where resources are already stretched nearly to a breaking point.

They will stay in the south of Mexico in Chiapas and Oaxaca. Their aim is to request work there, she said.

Mexicos President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has pledged visas and work in Mexico for Central American migrants. In his inauguration speech, he pledged public works projects like planting two million trees and construction of his Maya Train, a 1,500-kilometer railroad. It will link cities in the three Yucatan peninsula states as well as Tabasco and Chiapas.

The $8 billion project is expected to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the southern states of Mexico.

Last week, Mexico and the United States agreed to develop a plan to curb Central American migration. The plan includes a $25 billion investment from Mexico into its southern states over the next five years. The United States will contribute $4.8 billion to Mexico and $5.8 billion to the Northern Triangle of Central America, which is made up of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Most of the United States funding will be allocated from existing aid programs.

El Diario de Chiapas, a newspaper for the southern state of Mexico, reported that  like the last caravan  news about the groups plans to leave Honduras, their numbers and which routes they would be taking is spreading mostly by social media.

On Facebook, reaction in Chiapas to news of a second caravan was not all favorable.

Well, now the government does something. That work is for Mexicans that need it, said Anna Perez from Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico on Facebook. Opportunistic people who just want to take advantage of the Mexicans.

The caravan that left Honduras in October, drawing the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump and capturing international media attention, was not the first. Crowds of migrants often travel together in groups for protection from criminals that stalk the routes.

Pueblo Sin Fronteras has led migrant caravans from Central America for more than 15 years, usually bringing the largest crowds just before Easter.

The organization and its work was relatively unknown to most Americans until the president began tweeting about the caravan ahead of the midterm elections.

The El Diario de Chiapas newspaper reported some of the new caravan participants eventually plan to make their way north to Tijuana and try to enter the United States, but that would not be their initial destination.

In Tijuana, presence of Central American migrants has sparked protest and even violence.

Last week, two people threw a canister of tear gas into El Barretal shelter, according to Mexican federal police.

On Dec. 15, two Honduran teenagers were viciously beaten, tortured and killed by low-level members of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion, highlighting the dangers for unaccompanied minors in the caravan.

After the teenagers deaths, the Consulate of Honduras issued a warning: We reiterate the call to Honduran nationals that they not risk their lives and the lives of their families on the dangers that the migratory route represents, where migrants are exposed to being victims of traffickers, the statement read in Spanish.

Thousands remain stuck in Tijuana, a city with more than 2,000 homicides this year, leaving the Central American migrants almost as vulnerable as they were grappling with the gang violence that caused them to flee their homeland.Chris Burrous, an anchor on KTLA Channel 5s Morning News, died Thursday after Glendale police found him unresponsive in a motel room, authorities said. He was 43.

At about 1:15 p.m., police were called to a room at the Days Inn, where they found Burrous not breathing, the Glendale Police Department said. Paramedics took him to a hospital, where he died, the department said.

The original call to the Glendale Police Department indicated the deceased had possibly overdosed, the department said in a news release.

Police detectives are investigating the death. Los Angeles County coroners officials performed an autopsy Friday, but the cause of death has been deferred pending further investigation.

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In a statement, Don Corsini, president and general manager of KTLA, and Jason Ball, the stations news director, remembered the anchor as a great journalist and a wonderful friend to many.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Burrous family. Chris loved sharing the stories of Southern California and connecting with our viewers, the statement said. He brought a kindness to his work and will be deeply missed by the entire KTLA family.

Burrous earned a broadcast journalism degree from Chapman University and joined KTLA in 2011 after 14 years as a reporter and anchor at news stations across the country, mostly in the Central Valley.

Burrous helped expand Morning News to a seven-day program, anchoring weekends and covering breaking news on weekday mornings, the station said.

There are no words. When we took this picture during our show I had no idea it would our last time together. You made me laugh until I cried. My tears now are for your sweet little girl, your wife Mai and your dear parents. We will miss you so, his co-anchor, Lynette Romero, wrote on Twitter.

KTLA colleague Liberte Chan told the station, He was a master of live television. I miss him so much. Im sorry I dont have the words to express exactly how I feel but he was more than just a colleague, he was one of my best friends here and Im just so heartbroken over the loss of him.

An Azusa man trying to keep drains clear trudges through flowing mud past KTLA reporter Chris Burrous in February 2014. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

There are no words. When we took this picture during our show I had no idea it would our last time together. You made me laugh until I cried. My tears now are for your sweet little girl, your wife Mai and your dear parents. We will miss you so... pic.twitter.com/nkvtrzHcX3  Lynette Romero (@LynetteRomero) December 28, 2018

We have some sad news to report. Chris Burrous, a fixture on the KTLA 5 Morning News since 2011, passed away Thursday. He was a beloved member of the KTLA family and will be deeply missed. He was 43. https://t.co/HfDA1wTbOX pic.twitter.com/Qd0uz275pC  KTLA (@KTLA) December 28, 2018

Here's the thing. This is awful. Heartbreaking and horrible. What Chris Burrous did was connect - with all of us, every day, and most especially on the weekends. He deeply loved his wife and his daughter; and all of you who watched him. A large community is in mourning tonight. https://t.co/O4p6yaRFX3  Sam Rubin (@SamOnTV) December 28, 2018

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AleneTchekAn El Cajon group home resident accused of killing a man by hitting him in the head with a frying pan pleaded not guilty to a murder charge on Thursday.

Brad Masaru Payton, 24, is suspected in the Dec. 20 attack that proved fatal to Matthew McCarthy, 39.

Payton appeared for his arraignment at El Cajon Superior Court and through a deputy public defender pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder and an allegation that he personally used a dangerous weapon.

He faces 26 years to life in prison if convicted, Deputy District Attorney Carlos Campbell said out of court.

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Judge Daniel Lamborn ordered Payton to remain in jail and set his bail at $2 million.

El Cajon police said they went to check on a report of two residents fighting at an independent living home on Naranca Avenue, near Oro Street, about 4:50 a.m. the day of the incident. McCarthy was bleeding from head injuries and died at a hospital.

Payton was arrested at the home, operated by Living Solutions and Services, Inc. Witnesses told officers the two men had been arguing before the assault, according to police Lt. Walt Miller.

An employee at the home on Thursday said the company had no comment on the incident.

A county Health and Human Services Agency website lists Living Solutions and Services as providing transitional housing to single and low income individuals with a physical or mental disability.

Another online site described the nonprofit, which has several locations, as offering housing, support and other services including employment assistance and life skills training to help those who are recovering from addiction, returning from prison or who suffer from mental disabilities successful transition to self-sufficiency.

Our program lasts up to three years. Adults 35 to 60 who are or desire to be drug free will realize the greatest benefit, the site says.

pauline.repard@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @pdrepardCrews at Father Joes Villages in downtown San Diego are continuing to assess and repair damages to buildings flooded during a rainstorm three weeks ago, and the nonprofit is seeking donations to help in the effort.

There was extensive damage to a number of our offices, electronic equipment, a loss of computers, damage to walls and to floors, said Deacon Jim Vargas, president and CEO of the nonprofit.

Vargas said he was proud of his staff members who, in the midst of the chaos caused by the flooding of some rooms, still were able to convert a dining area into an emergency inclement weather shelter for 250 homeless people who otherwise would have been out on the streets.

The flooding happened during a downpour in the early evening of Dec. 6. News of the damage to Father Joes Villages was overshadowed by flooding that happened a few blocks away at a tented shelter operated by the Alpha Project, another nonprofit that serves homeless people.

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That flood led to the temporary evacuation of 260 people who took refuge at SDCCU Stadium in Mission Valley for about a week while the shelter site was cleaned and repaired.

Nothing that dramatic happened at Father Joes the night of the flood, and damage could have been much worse, said Ruth Bruland, chief program officer at the charity.

Staff members who otherwise would not have been in the office at night noticed the flooding after returning from a holiday event and immediately called other staff members to bring sandbags, she said.

We had a little water in the past and we dealt with it, but this time it really flooded, Bruland said.

Describing a chain of events that led to some of the worse damage, Bruland said problems began when a balcony overlooking a center courtyard took on a large amount of water at Father Joes Villages Joan Kroc Center at 1501 Imperial Ave.

Water from the balcony poured into an adjacent interior room and flowed down to the first floor, damaging the ceiling of the guest services department and causing its closures for two days..

Were going to have to do some pretty major fixes on that, Bruland said about the guest services department and the room a floor above. Weve done some stopgap things, but well have to raise some money to replace the flooring on both floors.

Floors and the elevator shaft were damaged by rainwater at the medical clinic in Father Joes Villages Paul Mirabile Center, also at 1501 Imperial Ave.

The entrance to the Joan Kroc Center is on the corner of 15th and Commercial streets, and Bruland said flooding that night was exacerbated by a fire hydrant that was knocked over on Commercial Street.

Adding to what she called a Bermuda Triangle-type situation, a storm drain a block away on 16th and Commercial streets was overwhelmed by the deluge, causing more flooding on the street, she said.

Several blocks to the north, the elevator shaft also flooded the former Toussaint Academy the nonprofit owns on 5th and Ash streets.

Repairs from the flood are estimate to cost between $15,000 and $20,000, Bruland said. Renovations to the building, including changes to the balcony to prevent it from flooding again in a rainstorm, are expected to cost another $15,000 to $20,000, she said.

Donations to Father JoesVillages can be made online at my.neighbor.org.

Homeless Playlist  On Now San Diego hepatitis outbreak continues to grow: 481 cases On Now Homeless entrenched in booming tent city along Santa Ana River On Now San Diego mayor agreed to homeless hub, then delayed, advocates say On Now Homeless outreach in San Diego On Now Video: Street Art: Portraits of San Diego's Homeless #8 On Now In poverty himself, 'Water Man Dave,' is the fearless saint of San Diego's homeless 5:41 On Now Video: Homeless living in cars find safe havens 2:21 On Now Street Art: Portraits of San Diego's Homeless #7 On Now Pitching a tent plan for San Diego's homeless On Now Homeless efforts get $80M boost for various services

gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

760-529-4939For homeless people dealing with drug addiction, life can be an endless loop of arrests and incarcerations, often leading back to the street to repeat the cycle.

In the near future, homeless people found to be under the influence of drugs when contacted by San Diego police officers will have a chance to break that cycle with an offer to meet with drug counselors rather than return to jail.

This is just the right thing to do, San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit said about Prosecution and Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion Services, or PLEADS, a pilot program being launched as a joint effort by the city and county.

Its the right thing for the community, the right thing to do for that person who is battling addiction and its the right to do for us on the prosecution side, he said.

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The goal of the program is to provide an incentive to get drug-users into rehabilitation by offering treatment as an alternative to arrest and jail time, Nisleit said.

He stressed that PLEADS was not a response to Proposition 47, passed by voters in 2014, which reduced some nonviolent offenses including simple drug possession and some property crimes  from felonies to misdemeanors.

Some law enforcement officials and others have said the proposition took away the courts leverage to offer people rehabilitation programs rather than stints in county jail or state prison.

Regardless of Proposition 47, if its here or not, I think wed still come to this conclusion, Nisleit said. That this is just a better means of doing business.

The cost of the $300,000 pilot program will be split between the city and county, with the citys $150,000 portion coming from $14.1 million it received as part of a one-time grant from the states $500 million Homeless Emergency Aid Program.

The money will fund counseling and case-management services, and other costs associated with the countys contract with the nonprofit McAlister Institute, a treatment center that serves more than 9,000 people annually in various rehab programs in San Diego and Napa counties.

Nisleit said the pilot program will operate primarily within the departments neighborhood policing division, which formed in March and focuses on helping homeless people get help while also cracking down on those who may be disrupting the quality of life of residents and businesses in certain neighborhoods.

The division includes homeless outreach team officers who sometimes go on patrol with staff members from local agencies and nonprofits to let unsheltered homeless people know about various services available to them.

Were really focusing on the neighborhood policing division because those are the ones that are working with our homeless, the more vulnerable folks, Nisleit said.

He added that homeless outreach team officers develop relationships with homeless people and will come to know who is using drugs and who would be likely to benefit from the new program.

The city has other diversion programs, such as Serial Inebriate Program, or SIP, which provides recovery services for alcoholics who are chronically homeless. While the program and others like it are court-ordered a person has been arrested and prosecuted, a person who agrees to treatment under PLEADS will not be arrested.

Instead, homeless people under the influence of a drug will be taken to McAlister Institutes downtown sobering center, where they will be assessed for eligibility in the program.

Nisleit said people must be cooperative, not enrolled in any other rehabilitation program, have no warrants issued against them and not be on parole or probation.

People can be offered the program up to three times in 90 days.

I think thats smart, Nisleit said about giving people up to three opportunities every three months. Weve learned through experience that on a lot of occasions, people battling addiction need a couple of bites of the apple before theyre willing to completely get on board and go through the process of getting their addiction addressed.

The program is similar to the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program, which was launched in Seattle in 2011. The program since has gone national, and in California is it in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The LEAD National Support Bureau reported that participants in Seattle are 58 percent less likely to be arrested after enrolling in the program.

The McAlister Institute operates a variety of services, including outpatient and residential drug and alcohol treatment programs. Jeanne McAlister, founder and CEO of the institute, said she could not comment on what services may be offered to PLEADS participants because the contract with the county had not been finalized.

San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott said the program is expected to be cost-effective because it will be less expensive than processing someone through the criminal justice system. Including the staffing time of police officers, court personnel, jail and judges, each arrest costs about $2,000 to prosecute, she said.

In comparison, if 30 people a month were served in the $300,000 program, the cost would be about $900 a person. Nisleit and Elliott, however, said they had not yet set a monthly goal.

In 2017, there were 888 arrests for being under the influence of a controlled substance in the city of San Diego, and Elliott said many were repeat offenders.

Theres no job satisfaction in prosecuting somebody whos got an underlying condition that can be addressed if we throw them a lifeline, she said. I refer to it as getting to the root of the problem. Whats really driving this person into our system, and can we offer them a service that can get them out?

Nisleit said PLEADS also will help keep officers on patrol rather than doing paperwork. Arresting someone for being under the influence of a controlled substance can take an officer off the street for two or three hours, if not longer, he said.

Under PLEADS, he said, he expects officers to be back on patrol in an hour after dropping someone off at the sobering center.

Homeless Playlist  On Now San Diego hepatitis outbreak continues to grow: 481 cases On Now Homeless entrenched in booming tent city along Santa Ana River On Now San Diego mayor agreed to homeless hub, then delayed, advocates say On Now Homeless outreach in San Diego On Now Video: Street Art: Portraits of San Diego's Homeless #8 On Now In poverty himself, 'Water Man Dave,' is the fearless saint of San Diego's homeless 5:41 On Now Video: Homeless living in cars find safe havens 2:21 On Now Street Art: Portraits of San Diego's Homeless #7 On Now Pitching a tent plan for San Diego's homeless On Now Homeless efforts get $80M boost for various services

gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

760-529-4939Richard Overton, the nations oldest World War II veteran who was also believed to be the oldest living man in the U.S., died Thursday in Texas, a family member said. He was 112.

The Army veteran had been hospitalized with pneumonia but was released on Christmas Eve, said Shirley Overton, whose husband was Richards cousin and his longtime caretaker.

They had done all they could, she said.

He died Thursday evening at a rehab facility in Austin, Texas, she said.

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Richard Overton was in his 30s when he volunteered for the Army and was at Pearl Harbor just after the Japanese attack in 1941. He once said that one secret to his long life was smoking cigars and drinking whiskey, which he often was found doing on the porch of his Austin home.

His recent birthdays drew national attention and strangers would stop by his house to meet him. Even well into his 100s, he would drive widows in his neighborhood to church.

With his quick wit and kind spirit he touched the lives of so many, and I am deeply honored to have known him, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement Thursday, calling Overton an American icon and Texas legend.

Richard Overton made us proud to be Texans and proud to be Americans, the governor added. We can never repay Richard Overton for his service to our nation and for his lasting impact on the Lone Star State.

Overton was born in 1906 near Austin and served in the all-black 1887th Engineer Aviation Battalion.

In 2013, former President Barack Obama honored Overton at a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

He was there at Pearl Harbor, when the battleships were still smoldering, Obama said of Overton. He was there at Okinawa. He was there at Iwo Jima, where he said, I only got out of there by the grace of God.Iraqi leaders are demanding U.S. troops leave the country after President Trumps surprise visit to Iraq, which lawmakers characterized as an arrogant affront to the nations sovereignty.

Trump made a three-hour sojourn in Iraq, traveling to Asad Air Base, some 115 miles northwest of Baghdad, but he did not meet with any Iraqi officials. And in Iraqs parliament, that perceived slight left both Washingtons allies and its foes fuming.

The visit confirmed U.S. disregard for other nations sovereignty, said Hamdillah Kaabi, spokesman for nationalist Muqtada Sadrs Sairoon party. Sadr, the Shiite Muslim cleric whose loyalists battled U.S. forces during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, now heads parliaments largest bloc. He campaigned to limit the influence of both Washington and Tehran in Iraqs affairs. Kaabi said Thursday the party had long sought to end Washingtons arrogance and disrespect in its dealings with Iraq.

Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, shown in October, was given two hours notice to meet with President Trump. (Hadi Mizban / Associated Press)

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Former Prime Minister Haider Abadi, the leader who worked most closely with the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, said in a statement Thursday that he rejected the method of Trumps visit, and that it was not appropriate to diplomatic mores and to relations with sovereign states.

Trump was initially set to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi at the military base. However, Abdul Mahdis invitation to join Trump there came with only two hours notice for security reasons, said White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, according to a pool report. Abdul Mahdi was in a different part of the country and unable to attend, she said.

Abdul Mahdis office issued a delicate statement insisting that due to differences in the points of view on arranging the meeting, the two leaders instead held a phone call in which they discussed developments after the U.S. presidents decision to withdraw from Syria.

Qais Khazali, an Iran-supported politician and head of the Asaib Ahl Haq militia, advocated a more forceful line with the U.S., vowing in a tweet Wednesday that Iraqs response will be with a parliamentary decision to expel [Trumps] military forces. He lauded Abdul Mahdi for refusing to meet Trump on such short notice.

Though Khazalis militia is backed by Iran, it recently fought in concert with the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State.

Qais Khazali, an Iran-supported politician and head of the Asaib Ahl Haq militia, threatened after Trumps Iraq visit to expel U.S. troops from the country. (Nabil al-Jurani / Associated Press)

And if they [U.S forces] do not go out, he threatened, we have the experience and ability to get them out in another way that is well known to your forces, which were forced to withdraw in humiliation in 2011.

More than 5,000 U.S. troops have been stationed in Iraq since 2014 as part of the coalition to defeat Islamic State. That year, the jihadis blitzed through wide swaths of the countrys northern region and swatted away government troops, many of whom threw down their weapons and ran away. Islamic State then established a so-called caliphate that straddled Syria and Iraq.

Since then, successive government assaults assisted by the coalition have clawed back all ground lost to the militants. U.S. troops continue to work with local Iraqi forces in an advise-and-assist capacity to chase remnants of the group.

Last week, Trump rocked the U.S. foreign policy establishment with an abrupt announcement withdrawing the approximately 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria, a decision that surprised many of his regional and international allies, not to mention members of his own administration.

He defended the decision to troops. Weve knocked out about 99% of the caliphate, Trump said.

Its time to bring [U.S. troops] back.

Trump said he had no plans at all to issue a similar order for troops in Iraq. In fact, we could use this as a base if we wanted to do something in Syria, Trump said.

If, I will say this, if you take ISIS and if we see something happening with ISIS that we dont like, we can hit them so fast and so hard, they wont, they really wont know what the hell happened, he told the U.S. troops, using an acronym for Islamic State.

Although U.S. troops are in Iraq ostensibly at Baghdads invitation and Islamic State remains a threat, many Iraqis blame the U.S. for the jihadis rise. The Iraqi news media often features stories claiming falsely that U.S. warplanes are dropping supplies to the jihadis, stoking anger toward the United States.

Many commentators view the U.S. military presence as a threat to Iraqs stability and a symbol of the weakness of its political class before foreign officials.

Trump visited Iraq without your knowledge, without giving you attention, and without asking you to give him permission. What sovereignty are you taking after this? tweeted Muntadhar Zaidi, an Iraqi journalist turned politician who once hurled his shoes at then-President George W. Bush when he was visiting Iraq in 2008.

Do you have any respect from the world or your people? Zaidi tweeted Wednesday. If we had known he was visiting, then Iraq would have prepared for him 30 million shoes.

Twitter: @nabihbulosMuslim Americans will reach a milestone next week when Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar join the House of Representatives. The Democrats from Michigan and Minnesota will be the first Muslim women in Congress, and many have hailed their election as a sign of rising diversity in politics.

On the other side of the aisle, a brewing controversy over a GOP leader in Texas targeted by fellow party members because of his Muslim faith is also drawing national attention. It has become a test case for an issue the Republican Party struggles with as voters in Texas and beyond grow more racially and religiously diverse: Is there room for Muslims?

Members of the Tarrant County Republican Party will vote Jan. 10 on whether Shahid Shafi, a 53-year-old trauma surgeon and city councilman in the Fort Worth suburb of Southlake since 2014, should be removed as a vice chairman.

A precinct chairwoman forced the vote after making unproven claims that Shafi, who has served as a delegate to several GOP state conventions, has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and terrorism and wants to impose sharia law. Other precinct chairs have joined in the calls to remove Shafi.

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Shafi, who has forcefully denied the accusations, declined to be interviewed. In a statement, he said he would not allow this small group of closed-minded people to damage our party.

I have never had any association with the Muslim Brotherhood  nor any terrorist organization, Shafi said. I believe that the laws of our nation are our Constitution and the laws passed by our elected legislatures  I have never promoted any form of sharia law.

Shafi was appointed Tarrant County Republican Party vice chairman in July. Thats when the accusations against him first appeared, initially via postings on conservative Facebook groups before spreading to anti-Muslim blogs.

Dorrie OBrien, a precinct chairwoman from Grand Prairie, called for the vote  under party rules, a single chairperson can propose an appointees removal  and is among those spearheading the campaign against Shafi. On a Facebook posting about him, OBrien appeared to say Muslims were inherently extremist.

ISIS is Islam with all the public fakery removed, she wrote, referring to the Islamic State militant group. In an interview, she said she and allies certainly have enough votes to oust Shafi.

OBrien declined to answer further questions and referred The Times to a December article on the website Jihad Watch that quoted her. The Southern Poverty Law Center lists Jihad Watch, which it says is based in Sherman Oaks, as an anti-Muslim hate group.

We believe that Dr. Shafi is unsuitable to be the face and voice representative for all Republicans in Tarrant County, OBrien says in the article. There are too many questions surrounding him on too many issues.

Aside from targeting Shafis religion, OBrien and her allies have questioned whether he is sufficiently pro-Israel and whether hes really a conservative.

In his statement, Shafi said he believes in Israels right to exist and listed his conservative credentials, including training local GOP candidates and founding a Republican club in Southlake.

In recent weeks, Shafi has appeared on CNN to defend himself and traveled to Austin to appeal to Texas Republican leaders for support. There, state party leaders this month passed a resolution to reaffirm our core values of religious liberty and the freedom to practice all faiths.

Prominent party members, including Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush and Sen. Ted Cruz, have spoken out in his favor. The party of Lincoln should welcome everybody & celebrate liberty, Cruz tweeted this month.

Muslim Americans have also come to Shafis defense, though some have questioned his loyalty to a party where hes an anomaly. Some dont understand how Shafi could belong to a party whose leader, President Trump, said during his campaign that Islam hates us and whose travel ban blocks most nationals of several Muslim-majority nations from entering the U.S.

There is no doubt that the Republican Party has lost American Muslim support, said Republican activist Suhail Khan, a Muslim who was a White House appointee under President George W. Bush and volunteered with Sen. John McCains presidential campaign. A corporate attorney living in Washington, D.C., Khan founded the Conservative Inclusion Coalition eight years ago to recruit Muslims and other racially and religiously diverse groups to conservative causes.

Khan called Shafi one of the most prominent sitting elected Muslim Republicans today. He described the politician as among a handful of remaining lines of defense for the Republican Party in a time when it has been accused of being anti-Muslim through its association with Trump.

Dr. Shafis situation is an unfortunate case of discrimination and bigotry, Khan said.

There are some people in our party who are plain anti-Muslim. Darl Easton, the Tarrant County GOP chairman who appointed Shafi

Darl Easton, the Republican Party chairman in Tarrant County who appointed Shafi to his position, agreed.

There are some people in our party who are plain anti-Muslim, Easton said.

But he and Khan both said the president was not to blame for anti-Muslim sentiment.

I dont think the president has had any effect on that, said Easton, who said he believed most Muslims around the world are peaceful.

Shafi, who was born in India and immigrated to the U.S. in 1990 from Pakistan, joined the Republican Party after becoming a citizen in 2009. He said in a statement to The Times that he has always felt welcomed in the GOP.

The call to remove me from the party of Lincoln and Reagan because of my religion is wrong for several reasons, Shafi said. First, discrimination based upon religion is illegal, immoral, unethical, un-American, and against the foundations of our country and the principles of our party. Second, it plays right into the false narrative of racism and bigotry fomented against the Republican party. Third, it distracts from our core value of religious liberty.

In his statement, Shafi touted his conservative values: I support our 2nd Amendment rights unconditionally, and I believe in the sanctity of life from conception onwards. I believe in small government, lower taxes, individual responsibility, religious freedom, school choice, energy independence, rule of law, and secure borders.

There are about 3.45 million Muslims in the U.S., mostly concentrated in urban areas and large states including Texas, Illinois, Florida and California. Because they make up just over 1% of the U.S. population, they cannot make or break major federal or state elections and are typically not a part of major outreach from Republicans or Democrats.

A Pew Research Center report this year found 13% of U.S. Muslim adults to be Republicans, compared with 66% of them who are Democrats, numbers that have remained steady for a decade.

Pew did not survey Muslim Republicans before 2007, through Muslim civil rights groups have often cited wider Republican support among their members before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Several Muslim groups, including the influential American Muslim Political Coordinating Council PAC, endorsed George W. Bush in the 2000 election. A Zogby poll after that election found a plurality of Muslim voters had supported the Republican candidate.

Experts said that changed after Sept. 11, when Muslim civil rights organizations decried the Bush administrations war on terror as unfairly targeting Muslims as suspects with the signing of the Patriot Act, the war in Iraq and the opening of a prison for terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.

Azhar Azeez, a Dallas-area Muslim leader who is friends with Shafi, predicted the controversy over the GOP leader could further turn Muslims away from Republicans.

Not only in Dallas or Fort Worth, but all around the country Muslims are talking about this case, said Azeez, 47, who was a Republican until 2001 and today votes for Democrats. The former president of the Islamic Society of North America, Azeez described Shafi as an honorable and respected man in the community.

Its very unfortunate that somebody is making a big deal out of an individuals faith, Azeez said. Hatemongers are making a big deal out of nothing.

Whether Shafi is ousted from his leadership position in the GOP will depend on who shows up for the vote next month. Easton, the Republican Party chairman in Tarrant County, says there are about 270 precinct chairs there and that Shafis removal would require a majority of those who attend the meeting at a Pentecostal church.

jaweed.kaleem@latimes.com

Twitter: @jaweedkaleem

More national headlinesClairemont is fast becoming a key battleground community in San Diegos efforts to shrink its homelessness problem and solve its affordable housing crisis.

A proposed 52-unit complex for formerly homeless people caused an uproar last spring, prompting community leaders to mobilize and eventually convince the developer to allow only senior citizens into the project on Mt. Alifan Drive.

Those same community leaders are now lobbying against a 450-apartment, low-income complex proposed for a nearby site on Mt. Etna Drive. Success has so far been more elusive the second time around.

Despite objections from hundreds of residents, the San Diego Planning Commission this month took the first step toward rezoning the land, which is necessary for the 450-unit project to move forward. Planning Commissioners said the project, which is near the intersection of Genesee and Balboa avenues, is in an ideal location near retail jobs and transit.

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They also said that San Diegos shortage of new housing, which has reached 150,000 units by some estimates, is driving local rents too high for ordinary people.

The commissioners criticized the Clairemont leaders for raising the same kind of objections that many other communities raise when they would prefer a much-needed project get built elsewhere.

Its always the same  good project, good goal, just not here, Commissioner James Whalen told the residents opposing the project.

Whalen warned residents to soften their stance or potentially end up with high-rise, low-income housing with zero parking spots that would be encouraged under proposed state laws aimed at solving Californias housing crisis.

Commissioner Vicki Granowitz noted that many other communities in San Diego have significantly more low-income housing units than Clairemont.

You need to start swallowing some of this and figuring out how you can make it work, Granowitz said.

Commissioner Bill Hofman suggested the problem was partly based on a misperception about subsidized housing with income restrictions, which city officials call affordable housing.

Affordable housing is for police officers, school teachers, young professionals and senior retired people, Hofman said. Id like to dispel that fear of what affordable housing really means. This isnt going to be a slum  it isnt going to be a ghetto.

The residents still contend the project would damage community character, worsen traffic congestion and crowd local schools.

Please dont make our community a slum just so investors can make more money, resident George Hagood said. We love Clairemont and we hate to see it messed up.

Residents also say the citys severe shortage of affordable housing is the fault of city officials who have allowed developers to pay fees instead of obeying laws that require 10 percent of units in new housing projects be reserved for low-income residents.

They say such in-lieu fees, which Council President Georgette Gomez has vowed to revise, have cost the city many thousands of income-restricted units, and that its unfair to make Clairemont bear the brunt of those mistakes.

The residents are part of a group called Clairemont Cares, which was formed last spring during the uproar over the 52-unit project proposed for Mt. Alifan Drive.

A separate group of Clairemont residents has also formed since then. That group, the Clairemont Coalition on Homelessness, has been more supportive of proposed housing projects.

We have to start somewhere, group member Judy Leshefka told the Planning Commission. Clairemont desperately needs affordable housing.

The 450-unit project is proposed for the former site of the County Sheriffs Department crime lab, which took over the site in 1994. The county acquired the 4-acre site in 1989 when the Clairemont General Hospital ceased operations.

No specific project has been proposed for the site, but county officials last spring selected a developer and began the process to re-zone the site for dense housing. The zoning change would allow a maximum of 448 units with a low-income housing density bonus.

While city Planning Commissioners endorsed that approach, they suggested ground-floor commercial space could help with traffic congestion because people living there could run errands at a dry cleaners, shop or other outlet on site.

The possible zoning change will be considered as part of a wider update to the growth blueprint for the entire community of Clairemont. Such efforts are called community plan updates.

david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrickHundreds of new California laws take effect on Jan. 1, imposing a raft of new mandates on scores of issues, including rules dictating when plastic straws will be handed out at restaurants, that workplace sexual harassment settlements are disclosed and that set new limits on the ownership of guns.

Some laws were the direct result of recent events  among them proposals crafted following the national #MeToo discussion and rules aimed at avoiding a repeat of recent catastrophic and deadly wildfires. A few laws taking effect in 2019 are holdovers from years past, with delayed implementation designed to smooth the transition for the states businesses and the public.

And some  including a new, official sport  are quintessentially Californian.

The environment

In full-service restaurants, youll only be given a plastic straw if you ask for one.

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California officials wont be able to approve new onshore facilities to process additional offshore oil drilling in federal waters, ensuring no expansion of operations by the administration of President Donald Trump.

California begins a historic effort to move toward 100 percent renewable energy.

After a federal effort was blocked, California enacts a state law to limit the use of certain refrigeration chemicals that are linked to climate change.

Gun rights

No one under the age of 21 can purchase a rifle or shotgun in California.

There will be a lifetime gun ban for anyone convicted of serious domestic assault.

There will be a lifetime gun ban for anyone hospitalized more than once in a year for mental health problems.

The state requires new gun safety training for anyone who obtains a concealed weapons permit.

Criminal justice

Many police misconduct records will be available for public inspection.

More police body camera footage available for public inspection.

An accomplice to a killing can no longer be charged with felony murder.

For the first time, California has a minimum age  12 years old  at which most children can be tried in court for a crime. Court would remain an option for those charged with violent crimes such as murder or rape.

Children under the age of 16 will no longer be tried in adult courts.

Workplace

Secret settlements with employers for sexual assault or harassment are now prohibited.

Theres now a ban on the use of non-disparagement settlements with employers for incidents that happened in the workplace.

State officials cant refuse a professional license to someone who has a low-level or nonviolent criminal record.

Any publicly traded corporation headquartered in California must have at least a small number of women on its board of directors.

Life online

Its now illegal for anyone to use an online bot for tricking Californians into thinking a real person is peddling a product or seeking to influence an election.

California will begin implementing its own net neutrality rules so that internet providers cant block content or alter the speed of internet traffic.

Lifestyle

Sidewalk food vendors will have new statewide protections while also being required to follow local rules.

The state will be required to help Californians clear marijuana-related convictions from their criminal records.

New and used cars must have a temporary, paper license plate before they are driven off the dealers lot.

When requested, the California Department of Motor Vehicles will issue driver licenses that dont have a traditional binary gender preference, and will instead mark that space with an X.

Hotel and bus company customer lists cant be given to immigration agents or others who arent California peace officers without court action.

Education and healthcare

Charter schools must have safety plans, as do neighborhood schools.

Charter schools must provide sex education programs, as do neighborhood schools.

State education officials must help develop media literacy programs to teach students how to spot fake news.

Pharmaceutical industry must pay for collection of used medication and needles.

Wildfire safety and funding

One billion dollars in state government funds will be spent on additional wildfire-prevention efforts, including tree- and brush-removal programs. Utilities will have new ways to mitigate the cost of fire-related payments.

New garage doors installed as of this summer must have a backup battery that can lift the door in the event of a power outage.

Homeowners will have new rules for creating defensible space, free of fire-prone brush or vegetation, to prevent more fires.

Wildfire victims have new flexibility in how to use insurance coverage for rebuilding their homes.

Wildfire victims will get an extra year  for a total of three years  to rebuild an insured home.

At the water cooler

Surfing is Californias official state sport.

Kids meals in most restaurants must have a milk- or water-based beverage as the default choice and a parent must request a soda for the child.

Adults can legally ride a motorized rental scooter without a helmet.

New rules will dictate how divorcing couples determine who gets the family pet.

State parks must now make clear on their websites if dogs are allowed.

Pet stores must sell only animals from shelter or rescue groups.A construction crew broke a natural gas line in Carmel Valley Friday morning, prompting police to block off a stretch of El Camino Real for more than 90 minutes, officials said.

The crew was working on a new construction project at the southwest corner of Del Mar Heights Road and El Camino Real.

San Diego police blocked off El Camino Real in a busy commercial district between Del Mar Heights Road and Neurocrine Place.

No one was injured and no buildings were evacuated.

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The 2-inch gas line rupture was reported about 9:40 a.m. San Diego Gas & Electric Co. crews arrived shortly after 10 a.m. and had the gas shut off in less than half an hour, a company spokesman said.

The roadway was reopened by 11:20 a.m., police said.

Repairs were expected to take several hours.

pauline.repard@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @pdrepardFor months, San Diego Police Department and other large law enforcement agencies have been quietly making assumptions about sexual orientation, gender, age and other characteristics of the people they stop as part of a state-wide, legally-mandated data collection effort to understand and curb racial and identity profiling.

The department was among the first California law enforcement agencies to start collecting data under Assembly Bill 953, a state law passed in 2015 that is intended to help understand and reduce racial profiling and other types of bias.

Starting July 1, a handful of agencies including San Diego police began collecting as many as 60 data points about most officer interactions with the public. The documentation extends well beyond traffic stops to include most occasions in which an officer detains or questions someone.

Some of the data officers must report about the people they stop is objective, such as the duration of the stop and any actions the officer took, according to the law. Other data points are entirely subjective and must be based on the officers perception of a stopped persons demographic characteristics, including age, gender and sexual orientation.

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Officers are not allowed to ask people questions to gather the information, and they may not use the persons drivers license or other forms of identification to collect data such as age and gender.

Officers must document their perceptions when they are formed and use their best judgment, San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit said in a training video released by the department.

The same rule applies to the data point regarding gender of the person stopped, Nisleit said in the video.

When an officer gets to the gender question, if an officer can identify if the person is a transgendered man/boy, or transgendered woman/girl based on their observation, then they shall select gender non-conforming when completing their data collection, Nisleit said.

The laws reliance on individual officers personal perceptions of people is by design, Joe Kocurek, a spokesman for the bills author, Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, said by phone on Thursday.

Were looking for facts but the facts were looking for is the officers perception and the circumstances surrounding the stop and the outcome of it, Kocurek said. The perception precedes the action of stopping a person.

Identifying information about the officer or person stopped is not reported to the state Department of Justice, according to SDPD training materials. Officers also are asked not to include the names, addresses or Social Security numbers of the people they stop.

Registered supporters of AB 953 included numerous organizations that advocate for civil liberties, such as the American Civil Liberties Union of California and Alliance San Diego, according to information about the legislation on the the California Legislative Information website.

Groups that advocate for LGBT civil rights, including Equity California, The National Center for Lesbian Rights, the Transgender Law Center and the Los Angeles LGBT Center were also among the laws registered supporters, according to the legislative information website.

Equity California specifically noted that it strongly supported the addition of the data point about officers perception of a persons sexual orientation, saying its inclusion is essential to addressing anti-LGBT bias and discrimination during police stops, according to the final statement of reasons for the legislation.

The ACLU also strongly supported the addition because the data can help identify patterns of bias against the LGBT community, which the ACLU said is distinct from bias on the basis of perceived gender identity, according to the statement of reasons.

Registered opponents of AB 953 included only law enforcement organizations, according to the legislative information website.

The requirement that the the law to fight police profiling requires officers to essentially profile people to guess their private information has given some law enforcement officers pause.

We take issue with recording an individuals perceived sexual orientation because it requires officers to profile what an LGBTQ person looks like and then document it forever in a database, according to an open letter Tony Montoya, president of San Francisco Peace Officers Association, sent to Senator Scott Weiner on June 25, 2018, and included in the associations newsletter for July 2018.

Other concerns law enforcement organizations have expressed about the law include the amount of time officers will have to spend inputting data and the possibility that it will cause officers to change their behavior.

Gone will be the days when you pull somebody over for going a bit too fast on a residential street to give him a warning and to remind him kids are at play, Mark Cronin wrote in a blog posted on the Los Angeles Police Protective League website in November 2017. Why would you? That stop will take at least another 30 minutes, not to mention force you to profile him: race, gender, sexual orientation, language, age  rather than just being able to tell him, Keep your speed down here, sir.

The San Diego Police Department has taken steps to cut down on the time officers must put aside for data entry, department officials said. The department plans to use a custom electronic data-collection tool developed by the San Diego County Sheriffs Department, which officers will be able to access on various electronic devices.

According to a police department email released through a public records request, the sheriffs tool has a function that tracks how long officers take to fill out a form. As of the email in June, the departments small test group of officers were completing the form in about 3 minutes.

morgan.cook@sduniontribune.comAbout a quarter of the federal government has been shut down for six days as of late Thursday, and neither party in Congress nor President Trump seems to see much of a reason to compromise, yet.

Capitol Hill is a ghost town; for most of the day, newspapers stacked up outside the closed door to the suite belonging to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). President Trump continued to fire off tweets signaling he was dug in on his demand for money to build a border wall. And Democrats tried a third time to get the House to approve a measure that the Senate approved unanimously last week, but which Trump rejected  because it lacked wall money.

Theres been no evident movement in Washington this week. Wondering how this standoff might end? Lets jump right in.

How long is this going to last?

Into 2019, its all but certain. The House and Senate both confirmed on Thursday that they will have no votes this week. Theyve promised 24 hours notice to lawmakers dispersed for the holidays.

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Even if members of Congress were summoned before New Years Day, its unclear how many would show up. (Remember, Democrats won a net gain of 40 House seats in November to take the majority; some Republicans who lost or are retiring havent had good attendance records in the weeks since.)

The new Congress will be sworn in on Jan. 3. Pomp and circumstance will take much of the day and then negotiations could begin. Because it takes a few days to get bills through both the House and Senate, reopening the shuttered government agencies in mid- to late January is possible. First, Congress has to have something both chambers can pass, and that Trump will sign.

Marc Short, Trumps former legislative affairs director, told CNN on Thursday that it could be a few weeks before a compromise is reached.

Arent they already negotiating in some smoke-filled room?

Leaving aside that smoking has long been banned in most of the Capitol, all signs point to no negotiations  only dueling news releases blaming the other party.

Really?

Really. Let me explain why.

Democrats have little incentive to compromise before they take control of the House next week  and gain a lot of leverage. Although Republicans will hold two more Senate seats than theyve had, their still-narrow majority means they will still need some Democrats votes to pass legislation.

Yet Trump and his hard-line allies among House Republicans have their own reason to stand their ground for now: These last days of Republican control of all three legislative levers  the White House, House and Senate  are likely the presidents last chance to get the funding he wants for his border wall.

He does not want to look like he is backing down from his campaign promise now. Thats just the argument that his allies in the conservative House Freedom Caucus successfully used to coax Trump into holding firm to his demand for $5 billion for the wall, and forcing the shutdown.

Remind us, how did we get here?

Congress passed the annual appropriations bills to fund about 75% of the government before the current fiscal year began Oct. 1. (Something it has rarely done in recent years.) Members gave themselves an extension into December to fund the rest, covering a number of federal departments and a handful of ancillary independent agencies that include NASA.

By December all sides had agreed on funding levels for those agencies, including $1.6 billion for border security, some of which would go toward wall construction.

With indications from the White House that Trump approved, the Senate unanimously passed that package and went home. It assumed the House would follow suit and the president would sign the legislation in time to avoid shutting down the government before Christmas.

But Trump, egged on by the conservative House Freedom Caucus and talk radio celebrities who said his legacy was at stake, reversed course. He announced he wouldnt accept less than $5 billion for the wall and would be proud to shut down the government if he didnt get it.

The hardliners had reminded Trump that he had already grudgingly signed a spending package in March with little of the full $25 billion he wanted for a wall, on assurance from Republican leaders that they would fight for more money in the next round of appropriations bills.

The House, rejecting the Senate-passed bill, narrowly passed a version that included more than $5 billion. The Senate, predictably, couldnt follow suit before the deadline at midnight last Friday.

Whats actually closed, and why should I care?

The departments or agencies that have closed include the departments of Homeland Security, State, Agriculture, Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice and Transportation, as well as independent agencies including NASA, the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.

None of the roughly 800,000 affected employees will receive a paycheck while the government is closed, though about 420,000 are considered essential and must report to work, including air traffic controllers and Border Patrol agents. (In the past, Congress has approved back pay, but that doesnt cover any late fees, interest or other costs people incur for missed or late bill payments.)

About 44,000 active-duty members of the Coast Guard are working without pay because they are the only branch of the military funded under the Homeland Security Departments budget rather than the Pentagons.

The Smithsonian Institution has announced that all museums and galleries will close Jan. 2, disappointing tourists from all over. National parks are closed, though some states are maintaining operations at the most popular parks. Trying to buy a home? The Federal Housing Administration and the IRS are less responsive because they dont have the staff needed to process and approve loans or provide needed tax information.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Wednesday that the National Flood Insurance Program cannot issue new policies, even though Congress passed legislation last week authorizing the program to operate through May. Proof of such policies is required to get some mortgages; the National Assn. of Realtors estimates that 40,000 home closings are delayed each month the agency cant issue flood insurance policies. FEMA will continue processing flood damage claims.

Want to start a business in the new year? The Small Business Administration cannot process new business loan applications. Need help financing crops this spring? The Agriculture Department has said it cant provide farm loans if the shutdown continues for longer than a week.

The State Department, however, will continue processing passport and visa applications as long as it has money to do so.

Most Americans have been distracted by the holidays. But as the shutdown drags on, more people will feel the effects as they require services or otherwise have to interact with the closed agencies.

Thats important. In past shutdowns, public sentiment  anger and disgust  has played a big role in pushing the parties to compromise.

The latest from Washington 

More stories from Sarah D. Wire 

sarah.wire@latimes.com

Follow @sarahdwire on TwitterSan Diego lawyer Michael Aguirre is asking the FBI to determine whether performance errors in the handling of radioactive waste by a Southern California Edison contractor at the San Onofre nuclear plant were more than a regulatory violation.

In a letter to the FBI San Diego field office supervisor, Aguirre said the findings and violations issued by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission late last month could be considered criminal under federal law.

There are compelling public interests that require an FBI investigation into whether the violations were willful, Aguirre wrote to Special Agent in Charge John Brown. The violations were frequent during the period January 2018 to August 2018. Indeed, Southern California Edison is a repeat offender.

An FBI official said this week that the request is under review.

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The letter and its accompanying attachments are currently being reviewed and evaluated for whatever action deemed appropriate, Special Agent Bradlee Godshall wrote in an email.

The utility, which co-owns the plant with minority partner San Diego Gas & Electric, said it prefers the case remain with federal regulators rather than criminal investigators. Crews are moving nuclear waste from above-ground storage to casks buried on the shore north of Oceanside, since the power plant failed in January 2012 and ceased operations.

NRC investigators were examining a near-miss accident from early August, when a 50-ton canister containing spent nuclear-fuel assemblies became lodged inside a storage cavity about 20 feet above where it was supposed to be placed.

Southern California Edison believes the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is the proper authority to oversee and determine matters relating to the Aug. 3 spent nuclear fuel canister-loading incident at San Onofre nuclear plant, the company said in a statement.

The unsolicited request from Aguirre for a criminal investigation by the FBI comes in response to a formal notice of violation issued to Edison by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission late last month. The agency said it is concerned about apparent weaknesses in management oversight.

When reviewing the near miss, federal inspectors found that Edison experienced a similar misalignment problem in July and failed to figure out what went wrong or develop corrective actions to prevent it from happening again.

They also concluded that contact between the canister and vault components frequently occurred and Edison failed to properly train workers responsible for transferring the spent fuel from cooling pools to so-called dry storage.

The rigger/spotter stated that he was not trained on and did not know his roles and responsibilities during the downloading evolution, investigators said.

Inspectors also found that Edison did not properly supervise transfer operations, nor did the utility report the Aug. 3 incident to the NRC within 24 hours as required by law.

Notification of the NRC operations center did not occur until the licensee was prompted by the NRC team on Sept. 14, 2018, the notice of violation stated. The condition was reported to the NRC headquarters operations center on Sept. 14, 2018.

The accident came to light during a community meeting Aug. 9, when a contractor named David Fritch described what happened and said he was worried about a lack of training and oversight at the transfer site.

Ive never even received (safety) training since Ive been on-site; thats not standard for a nuclear site, Fritch told Edisons community engagement panel. Were undermanned. Dont have the proper personnel to get things done safely.

Many of the experienced supervisors -- what we call CLSs, cask load supervisors -- once they understand the project, how everything works, are often sent away and we get new ones that dont understand, he said.

In its statement to The San Diego Union-Tribune, Edison did not address Aguirres allegations of possible willful violations. Spokesman John Dobken said the utility spoke with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission about the incident on Aug. 6, something the NRC characterized as a courtesy notification.

From that time, we had near daily interactions with the commission about this event, Dobken said.

Aguirre noted in his letter to Brown that Edison received a citation in 2013, after the failure of a $680 million plan to replace the steam generators at San Onofre, which was one of the states largest and most reliable power generators for decades. The plants shutdown in 2012 resulted from abnormal tube wear in the new generators, which leaked radiation. It was closed for good the following year.

This last violation resulted in the failure of San Onofres nuclear plant in January 2012 and its premature closure in June 2013, Aguirre wrote. The consequences of SCEs violations have and continue to threaten the health and safety of millions living in and around San Onofre.

The utility said the 2013 violations issued by federal regulators were completely unrelated to the findings issued last month.

Under the U.S. Atomic Energy Act, nuclear licensees like Edison are required to set up appropriate training and testing programs before transferring spent fuel from cooling pools into dry storage.

The law provides criminal sanctions in cases in which violations are determined to be willful, meaning licensees were aware of the rules but deliberately did not adhere to them.

It is imperative that the FBI and Department of Justice make an independent decision on whether the violations were willful, he wrote. The investigation should begin immediately in light of the risk of spoliation of evidence.

The spent fuel transfer, which began after the flawed steam generator replacement project, has been controversial from the start.

Environmentalists and residents who live near San Onofre want the 3.6 million pounds of waste moved to a less populated site  not buried in canisters on the coast. They suggested moving the waste out of state, or at least away from the San Diego County shoreline.

Three years ago, Aguirre sued the California Coastal Commission and Edison over the state permit that allowed the dry storage facility at San Onofre. The utility agreed to good-faith efforts to relocate the waste but no suitable alternative has emerged.

Edison halted transfer of the fuel storage in August, after the near miss. The program will not be reinstated until federal regulators determine the process is safe.

jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1708 @sdutMcDonaldNo, it wasnt a UFO landing, and it had nothing to do with the Ghostbusters.

The blue flash of light that lit up the citys sky on Thursday night  dubbed Astoria Borealis in social media  was caused by a malfunctioning voltage detector, Con Ed said Friday.

That piece of equipment failed in a very significant manner, said company chairman John McAvoy. And that resulted in significant fault current, electric current going to ground.

Of course, if as some Twitter users suggested the flash was a Men in Black-type memory-erasing brain neutralizer  how could anyone say otherwise?

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McAvoy said that when the 138,000-volt detector suffered its electrical fault, all the power it carried made the bright blue electrical arc that shut down LaGuardia Airport and the No. 7 train, flickered lights and lit up Queens and the other four boroughs.

About 500 people called 911 while the power arced at 9:12 p.m. In all, 911 operators fielded more than 3,000 calls about the flash, said police.

Reports of an explosion circulated widely after the flash. Some people thought it was a bomb, said NYPD Commissioner James ONeill.

Con Ed said it wasnt an explosion  but police and fire officials said Friday that an explosion and small fire did take place.

NYCs night sky turned bright blue by Con Ed transformer blast in Queens 

The arcing power caused a number of small blackouts in Queens, and electric\c systems at LaGuardia, Rikers Island and some nearby hospitals switched over to backup generators. Con Ed got power back to the airport and Rikers in less than two hours, McAvoy said.

Con Ed said no one was seriously hurt in the incident  though one substation employee complained the flash irritated his eyes.

Con Ed is doing an initial probe into the incident, but the city will also be looking into whether or not it impacted air quality in the area.

Gov. Cuomo ordered the state Public Service Commission to investigate the incident.

The electrical failure in Queens was more dramatic than destructive, but it understandably raised community concerns about the safety of the substation and Con Edisons equipment, Cuomo said.

Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio reassured New Yorkers that the flash was not, in fact, an alien invasion  though de Blasio hedged just a little bit.

I did not think it was a UFO, he said.

Astoria residents described being in a state of shock as details about the sky light continued to flow in.

Maya Noreddin, a lifelong Astoria resident, said at the time, she thought the world was ending.

It went from pitch black to clear blue, she said. It felt like it was 3 oclock in the afternoon.

It was frightening at first to not know what was happening. Honestly, it was just a mystery, said Megan Donovan, 33. I think all the neighbors were in shock also. But I think they got the word or pretty quick about what was going on, and people just kind of felt better.You wouldnt know it from the national discourse on immigration, but the number of Mexican immigrant workers in the U.S. continues to fall and nowhere is this more prevalent than in California. According to the American Community Survey, the number of California workers who are Mexican immigrants fell by 195,000 between 2007 and 2017, a dip of 7 percent. Californias decline of 195,000 Mexican immigrant workers was larger than the combined loss of 183,000 workers across the other 19 states that posted decreases between 2007 and 2017.

Yet the picture is much more complex in the country, but especially in California. Workers who are not naturalized citizens have declined, while those who are naturalized citizens have increased.

The major decline involves the largest and most traditional segment of Mexican immigrants  men who are not naturalized citizens  with 35 states experiencing a decline in this segment of the workforce. California led the way with the number of workers who are Mexican immigrant men without U.S. citizenship plunging by approximately 24 percent. There were 319,000 fewer noncitizen Mexican immigrant men workers in California in 2017 compared with a decade earlier.

The drop was consistent across the 2007-2017 period, aside from a minuscule uptick between 2013 and 2014. The descent was particularly noticeable with the start of the Trump administration. The California workforce of Mexican immigrant men who are not naturalized fell by 92,000 workers between 2016 and 2017 or an 8 percent decline, the most significant annual percentage dip across the last decade.

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The number of California workers who are Mexican immigrant women without naturalization status also dropped by more than 24,000 or a percentage decline of 4 percent, compared with most states that posted gains in this group. The California workforce decline among noncitizen Mexican women was especially noticeable in Trumps first year in office as the numbers fell by an unprecedented 8 percent between 2016 and 2017 or an absolute decline of more than 45,000 in the last year.

In contrast, California experienced an increase of about 149,000 Mexican immigrant workers who are naturalized citizens between 2007 and 2017, an upswing of 20 percent. The gain of 149,000 naturalized citizens could not offset the loss of 344,000 workers who are not naturalized citizens. The growth of Mexican immigrant workers who are U.S. citizens was widespread across the country with only seven states posting losses in this group of workers.

The major changes in Californias Mexican immigrant workforce has resulted in a significant shift in the demographic and socioeconomic profile of Mexican immigrant workers in the state. The sex ratio (number of males per 100 females) fell from 200 in 2007 to 164 in 2017. The percentage of Mexican immigrant workers who are naturalized citizens rose from 27 percent in 2007 to 35 percent in 2017. The percentage who are fluent in English increased from 50 percent in 2007 to 60 percent in 2017. The percentage of persons 25 and older who completed a high school degree or higher climbed from 44 percent in 2007 to 51 percent in 2017.

The decline in Mexican immigrant workers without U.S. citizenship is part of Trumps plan to round up and deport unauthorized immigrants and to keep out others from gaining entry. These measures to slash the number of immigrants, while being short-sighted and done for political posturing, come at a time when the nations white population, especially in California, is rapidly aging. Between 2007 and 2017, the California white workforce declined by 468,000 workers or a drop of 6 percent. The loss of white workers is widespread with 36 states having fewer white employees in 2017 than in 2007, led by California and including also Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida. The percentage of the California workforce that is white plunged from 46 percent in 2007 to 39 percent in 2017. Whites accounted for 63 percent of U.S. workers in 2017. The share of whites in the states and nations workforce will continue to slip in the coming decades.

Efforts to significantly curtail immigration in the U.S. will come back to haunt the country in the coming decades as it will undoubtedly have to import immigrants to sustain its workforce.

Saenz is a sociologist and demographer. He is a professor in the Department of Demography at the University of Texas at San Antonio.How will climate change and rising sea levels affect our San Diego region? What can be done to protect the Port of San Diegos cargo and cruise terminals, piers, beaches and marine ecosystems? Further, how will we prevent disruptions to the job-supporting businesses that operate along the waterfront? As the champion of the San Diego Bay waterfront, the Port of San Diego has a vital interest in answering these questions. And its tricky, because contingency planning must anticipate long-range scenarios affected by many variables. Thats why the Port has made it a priority to plan for sea level rise  and to do so collaboratively with other agencies.

With a focus on collaboration, the Port recently entered into a formal agreement with the Navy. The Port and Navy are the two biggest agencies with responsibility for managing San Diegos waterfront. The new agreement enables sharing of scientific information and modeling related to sea level rise. It also brings together the brainpower of both agencies to design adaptive policies and measures. Its the first agreement of its kind between the U.S. Navy and a West Coast port. The Port is also a founding member of the San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative, a network of public and private agencies, businesses, nonprofits and academic thinkers.

Its important to recognize that climate change is real and will impact the world around us in tangible ways. Climate change is already affecting large swaths of the world  bigger storms, stronger hurricanes, prolonged droughts, and severe coastal flooding are just a few signs of whats to come. Locally, the recent King Tides that flooded parts of Imperial Beach provide a preview of what could happen on a much larger scale.

To design viable solutions, the Port is completing a vulnerability assessment of how coastal flooding and rising sea levels are likely to impact San Diego Bays 34 miles of waterfront. This assessment is required by AB 691, a state law that lays the groundwork for statewide long-range planning and mitigation efforts. The study will examine the impacts of rising sea levels and climate change on San Diegos public facilities, infrastructure, businesses, marine ecosystems and beaches. The study will include fiscal projections and ways we can adapt the waterfront to the changes. The analysis will feed into the environmental review process of an ongoing comprehensive Port Master Plan Update (PMPU).

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Although planning for the future is the first step, we can also start implementing solutions where practical. In 2018, the Port brought in soil to raise the elevation of the Chula Vista Bayfront Project and also incorporated a raised ramp in the Shelter Island Boat Launch Ramp improvements. Elsewhere, the Port plans to stabilize the shoreline by installing a man-made reef populated by native oysters.

The Port is using the best available projections, but how much the sea will rise is uncertain. Depending on the levels, rising seas could affect cargo and cruise terminals, hotels and restaurants, marinas, museums, roadways and homes all along the waterfront. Adverse economic impacts could extend to fisheries, water-dependent commerce, and critical public infrastructure. Conservation of the areas diverse marine life and ecosystems is another concern. It all adds up to potentially major changes in a region reliant on its diverse and vibrant waterfront.

No one will be unaffected by climate change and rising sea levels. Ultimately, it is a worldwide issue. Now is the time for us to contribute to solutions.

Castellanos is chairman of the Port of San Diego.Thank bikers for those nice paved roadways

Re Bikes and cars do not belong on same streets (Dec. 26): The letter writer asserts incorrectly that bicycles have no place on public streets and never did. As a matter of historical fact, widespread paving of public roads did not come from the automobile industry, but from lobbying by cyclists supporting the Good Roads Movement in the late 1800s, well before automobiles were a common sight on our streets.

According to the writer, all this cyclists nonsense started with some councilperson. It actually started in the 1880s with the invention of the same-sized wheel safety bicycle, which supplanted the high-wheeled pennyfarthing and set the country in motion. The pioneering men and women who used the new two-wheeled invention were not naive, but were the vanguard that led to our current system of modern paved roads and highways.

Ray H. Ramage

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San Diego

In the letter to the editor, the writer suggested that bicyclists are selfish to believe they have a place on streets and highways where drivers of motorized vehicles are texting, drinking, talking on cell phones, angry or distracted.

Makes you wonder whos really more selfish, doesnt it?

Kate Baker Tilton

Poway

Roads are built to be shared by everyone

The letter writer derides naive cyclists [who] want to take their hobby to the streets. I applaud mixed use of streets. I like to see fire trucks and ambulances, produce deliveries, motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians. I think its great to have a parade down a street, or a farmers market.

Perhaps the letter writer has forgotten that the vehicle code was written so that streets could be used by all sorts of locomotive methods. Where I live downtown near the Government center, there are 7 lanes for traffic, 3 lanes for parking and one mixed-use trail for bike/walkers/scooters/perambulators. Does the letter writer s ire extend to motorcycle or automobile clubs who take their hobby out on the street?

God forbid a 5K fundraiser should occur in his neighborhood. I wonder if the letter writer even read his own letter, which ends a few selfish people should not dictate city policy. Looked in a mirror lately?

Brett Austin

San Diego

Letters and commentary policy

The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy. You can email letters@sduniontribune.com or leave a comment below.

Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook.Voters elected Trump to build the wall

Re Trump firm on border wall demand (Dec. 26): One of President Trumps major campaign promises was to build the wall. He won  obviously the people want the wall built.

There is a government shutdown (dont you wish you were one of the government employees getting extra paid vacation time), because Trump wants money to work on the wall.

Congress needs to respond to the will of the people and provide funding for the wall.

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The $5 billion is about one-tenth of one percent of the federal budget  a very very small price to satisfy the voters.

Dale Ranta

San Diego

GOP voters must notice theyve been lied to

Trumps promise, Mexico will pay for the wall, Mexico will pay for the wall.

So what happened?

Trumps new art of the deal, Make taxpayers pay for the shutdown again, make taxpayers pay for the shutdown again!

Got to love that brilliant GOP strategy.

Robert Tormey

Escondido

Dip into military budget for wall funding

If Central American refuges, mostly women and children, smuggling drugs across our southern border are the biggest threat to the defense of our country, then why not take 0.7 percent of the Department of Defenses budget of $7161 billion for the $5 billion to build the wall?

Robert Cain

Kensington

Many border walls and fences already exist

Re Trump just wants a wall to protect Americans (Dec. 22): Like most people who support this border wall, this reader has probably never been to the border. There is already a huge wall. It is manned day and night.

Since 9/11, security at all our borders hums like a bee hive. Border patrol officers are everywhere you look. It is not easy to get into the U.S. If not a wall than a fence stretches the length of the border.

Why is it that some Americans feel so threaten by immigrants? Murderers and rapists? Gang members? These are the very fears that have been leveled at every incoming migrant since the birth of this nation. The only people justified in hurling these accusations are Native Americans whose lands we robbed and overran in the name of Manifest Destiny.

Gregory Adams

San Diego

Dont waste money on ineffective structure

In the history of mankind, no country, ruler, or kingdom has ever built a wall that has deterred desperate or determined people from going through, around, under, or over it.

If the president really wants to spend $5 billion  probably much more  on a cement structure that wont accomplish much, heres my suggestion: Build a pyramid in one of our beautiful deserts. It wont have any more functionality than a border wall, but we know a pyramid will attract millions of tourists, which will be good for the local economy.

Richard Hicks

Cardiff-by-the-Sea

In a way, Mexico will pay for the wall

Weve all heard President Trump say Were going to build a wall and Mexico is going to pay for it! Its estimated that illegal aliens cost the U.S. government about $135 billion a year. They pay roughly $19 billion in taxes, which leaves a negative cost of $116 billion.

Hello Democrats! Give the president the $5 billion hes asking for and lets get the wall built and border security beefed up. The U.S. can save billions of dollars each year if illegals are kept out. So in a roundabout way, Mexico will pay for the wall.

Steve Aldridge

San Diego

Lets let the experts weigh in on the wall

I am for border security. Every nation needs border security; however, I am not sure the wall is the answer.

Ive never heard any meaningful discussion about the best way to secure our boarders. It seems that Trump gets an idea and pushes it without meaningful consultation or debate. I would like to hear a group of experts discuss the best way to secure our southern border and stop the flow of illegals into the U.S. These people need to be objective experts - not Trump yes people.

Ronald Harris

Scripps Ranch

Letters and commentary policy

The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy. You can email letters@sduniontribune.com or leave a comment below.

Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook.Video: Drawn to America: episode 3 U-T editorial cartoonist Steve Breen is going to Tijuana to get a clearer picture of why thousands of migrants would travel thousands of miles in a caravan to seek asylum in the United States. Read about the series here.Art exhibits on display in January around San Diego include Frida Frenzy, James Austin Murray: Black Desert and Ashton Gallery Pop Up Art Exhibition.

1.1-26: Illuminating Rhythms

A number of swirling watercolor works, alight with movement, and juried by award-winning artist Thomas Schaller.

San Diego Watercolor Society, 2825 Dewey Rd., Bldg. 202, Ste. 105, Liberty Station, 619.876.4550, sdws.org

1.4-31: Frida Frenzy

An homage to the brilliance of the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, through artist June Rubins whimsical watercolors and mixed media pieces.

June Rubin Studio/Gallery, 2690 Historic Decatur Rd., Barracks 19, Ste. 214, Liberty Station, 858.229.4571, junerubin.com

Frida with paintbrush, watercolor by June Rubin. (Courtesy photo)

1.8-26: Head to Toe

This open, judged art show features two- and three-dimensional works that feature shoes and/or hats.

Brandon Gallery, 105 N. Main Ave., Fallbrook, 760.723.1330, fallbrookbrandongallery.org

Head to Toe. (Courtesy photo)

1.12-2.9: Ashton Gallery Pop Up Art Exhibition

A few select, talented local and regional artists have been chosen to show off their creative works at this pop-up exhibit, hosted and organized by the Oceanside Museum of Art.

Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside, 619.894.9009, ashtonartgallery.com

Santos Orellana, Envuelveme Con Amor (Swaddle Me With Love). Acrylic paint on watercolor paper, 14 x 11. (Courtesy photo)

1.12-3.10: Manzanar: The Wartime Photographs of Ansel Adams & Wendy Maruyama: Executive Order 9066

A look at daily life in Manzanar, one of 10 Japanese-American internment camps in the United States during World War II, as seen through the lens of celebrated and respected photographer Ansel Adams and concurrently on view with work by Wendy Maruyama, who offers a contemporary analysis of these camps.

California Center for the Arts, Escondido, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido, 760.839.4138, artcenter.org

1.19-3.11: James Austin Murray: Black Desert

Artist James Austin Murray says his work as an artist is about searching and its a little like searching in a dark room with a flashlight that will only brighten a few inches in front of it. This exhibit also features the work of Mareo Rodriguez.

Madison Galleries, 320 S. Cedros Ave., Ste. 200, Solana Beach, 858.523.9155, madisongalleries.com

Mareo Rodriguez MELTS installation at Madison. (Gallery photo provided by Tim Hardy)

1.23-2.3: A Tribute to Pam Whidden: Models are to Artists Like Flowers are to Bees

The impact of art model Pam Whidden is highlighted in this exhibition, noting her as an exceptional and expressive sitter with a reliable work ethic for artists in the 1970s, teaching art modeling in the 1980s and creating The San Diego Artist Models Guild.

San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park, 619.236.0011, sandiego-art.org

A Tribute to Pam Whidden: Models are to Artists Like Flowers are to Bees. (Courtesy photo)

1.28: Founded on Japanese Art: What Vincent van Gogh Learned from Japanese Woodblock

This art lecture explores how van Goghs work was influenced by Japanese woodblock prints that he brought over by the hundreds during the winter of 1886 to 1887.

St. Peters Episcopal Church, 334 14th St., Del Mar, 619.232.7931, sdmart.org

Founded on Japanese Art: What Vincent van Gogh Learned from Japanese Woodblock. (Courtesy photo)

1.28-2.14: Spring 2019 Alumni Exhibition

With a goal to enrich and engage our community through art, the community college art department gives alumni a chance to display their creative work for the public.

San Diego Mesa College Art Gallery, 7250 Mesa College Dr., D101, Clairemont Mesa, 619.388.2829, sdmesa.edu

Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.Rockville, MD -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/28/2018 -- Camel milk is traditionally known to have many medicinal properties. Due to a growing trend for niche and nutritious products, camel milk market has witnessed a tremendous growth in the past few years. Camel milk market especially saw an upsurge, since many dairy companies have expanded their product portfolio to include camel milk. Camel milk is native to the regions where camels are found and reared extensively. But in recent times, the consumption of camel milk has become very prominent in other regions as well. Major markets, which are expected to register high growth in the camel milk market are U.S., U.K., Australia, Malaysia and India.



Know the methodology behind the report  https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=RM&rep_id=1083



The camel milk market is completely walled by growth opportunities as it is experiencing key developments in all major sectors such as the expansion of distribution outlets, product portfolio expansion, regional and global expansions and new establishment of the camel milk producing companies. Being supported by science, camel milk is also being increasingly recognized as a natural medicine to cure autism and diabetes and also for the treatment of diabetes type II, Hepatitis and autoimmune disorders.



Demand for camel milk has outpaced the supply. Owing to the huge demand in the U.S., the Australian camel milk producers are under pressure keeping up in the industry. These camel milk producers which initially began operating in the camel milk business as an alternative source of income have now become powerhouses in the Australian industry. Besides, the camel milk producers are also slowly aiming to expand the applications of camel milk other segments. Major producers are located in the Middle East & Africa and the Asia Pacific. Moreover, key players in the food and beverage industry are also extending their support to scale up the worldwide production of camel milk. For instance, in 2014, the company Chr. Hansen A/S launched a forum to publicize the camel milk and cheese production, in order to support and generate potential revenue for the small-scale camel owners in North Africa. It is also speculated that 50% of the annual camel milk produced in Kenya and Ethiopia is wasted owing to poor infrastructure and lack of proper storage facilities in North Africa. However, the camel milk market has been met with backlashes from the vegan community. The recent developments which are fuelling the growth of the camel milk market need to be scrutinized for to develop and organized plan for the market, which will boost the growth of the camel milk market.



Global Camel Milk Market: Key Players



Some of the key players operating in the camel milk market are Lokhit Pashu Palak Sansthan (LPPS), Aadvik Foods and Products Pvt. Ltd., Emirates Industry for Camel Milk & Products (EICMP), QCamel, The Camel Milk Co. Australia Pty Ltd., Desert Farms Inc., VITAL CAMEL MILK LTD, UK Camel Milk Ltd, Camilk Dairy, VeryRareOnline, Dandaragan Camel Dairies Pty Ltd, The Good Earth Dairy, DromeDairy Naturals and Al Ain Farms amongst others.



Global Camel Milk Market: Key Developments



In March 2018, the company Sarhad Dairy based in India began the operation of its first camel milk processing plant and the product will be marketed under the Amul brand. For the past few months, the India based company has been selling camel milk chocolates in India. Also, the company plans to process the unsold camel milk into skim milk powder and export it to the Middle Eastern region where the demand is high.



In February 2018, the company Camelicious (Emirates Industry for Camel Milk & Products) developed a special solution for the infant nutrition- camel milk baby formula. The product is especially targeted at the demo graph which is allergic to cow milk. In 2013, this company also won the European approval to market and distribute its camel milk products in Europe. Furthermore, the company is also focusing to develop camel milk formulae for the babies younger than age one.



Opportunities for Market Participants



Camel milk is nearly 7-8 times more expensive than cow milk and the first step is to educate and raise awareness amongst the high-end consumers. Known for its high functional ingredient profile, the camel milk products' popularity amongst the beauty-centric consumers has also helped to propagate the positive image of the camel milk in the market, as many products such as body lotions, shampoos, mainly soap bars and other personal care products made out of camel milk have been sold voluminously in U.S. and Europe. Many beauty magazines and salons especially market and promote such premier products amongst the target audience. This strategy may also help to further boost the growth of the camel milk market.



To know more about the Camel Milk Market Trends, Visit the link  https://www.factmr.com/report/1083/camel-milk-market



Brief Approach to Research



A modelling-based approach and triangulation methodology will be followed to estimate data covered in this report. A detailed market understanding and assessment of the applications, types, forms and end uses of the product segments covered in the study is followed by carrying out a demand-side approach to estimate the sales of target product segments, which is then cross-referenced with a supply-side assessment of value generated over a pre-defined period. The statistics and data is collected at a regional level, consolidated and synthesized at a global level to estimate the overall market sizes.



Key Data Points Covered in the Report



Some of the key data points covered in our report include:



An overview of the market, including background and evolution

Macroeconomic factors affecting the market and its potential

Market dynamics, such as drivers, challenges and trends

Detailed value chain analysis of the market

Cost structure of the products and segments covered in the study

In-depth pricing analysis, by key product segments, regions and by major market participants

Analysis of supply and demand, such as top producing and consuming geographies, imports/exports and overall trade scenario

Analysis of the market structure, including a tier-wise categorization of key market participants

Competitive landscape of the market, including detailed profiles of the top players in this market



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FactMR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market insights reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.



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Read Industry News at- https://www.industrynewsanalysis.com/A team of theoretical physicists at Uppsala University, Sweden, has devised a new model for our Universe  one that may solve the mystery of dark energy, a factor that appears to be causing the Universes expansion.

In the 1990s, astrophysicists found that our Universe is expanding at an increasing rate, implying that space is not empty and is instead filled with an enigmatic substance  called dark energy  that pushes matter away.

The nature of this energy is one of the biggest mysteries in fundamental physics.

It has long been hoped that string theory will provide the answer, said lead author Dr. Souvik Banerjee and colleagues.

According to this theory, all matter consists of tiny, vibrating stringlike entities.

The theory also requires there to be more spatial dimensions than the three that are already part of everyday knowledge.

For 15 years, there have been models in string theory that have been thought to give rise to dark energy.

However, these have come in for increasingly harsh criticism, and several researchers are now asserting that none of the models proposed to date are workable.

In their new paper, published in the journal Physical Review Letters, Dr. Banerjee and co-authors propose a new model with dark energy and our Universe riding on an expanding bubble in an extra dimension.

The whole Universe is accommodated on the edge of this expanding bubble, they said.

All existing matter in the Universe corresponds to the ends of strings that extend out into the extra dimension.

We also show that expanding bubbles of this kind can come into existence within the framework of string theory.

It is conceivable that there are more bubbles than ours, corresponding to other universes.

_____

Souvik Banerjee et al. 2018. Emergent de Sitter Cosmology from Decaying Anti-de Sitter Space. Phys. Rev. Lett 121 (26); doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.261301"... The committee has taken a very strong view and the committee notes specially that during vacations and festivals, some airlines are charging 8-10 times more," All India Trinamool Congress MP and Head of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture Derek O'Brien told reporters here.

New Delhi: A parliamentary panel has recommended to the government not to allow airlines to charge high fares during the festive and holiday seasons in the name of deregulation.

"So our strong message to the airlines, through the ministry is that we cannot allow this to happen in the name of deregulation."

According to the Parliamentary panel's other recommendations, airline's cancellation charges should not be allowed to exceed 50 per cent of the basic fare.

"The committee has recommended that an airline cannot charge more than 50 per cent of basic fare as cancellation charges," O'Brien said.

"The tax and the fuel surcharge should be refunded to the passengers Because airlines are charging too much, especially some private airlines."STR has almost completed his portions in Sundar Cs Vantha Rajavathaan Varuven. The actor is said to be playing a martial art expert in his next film Maanaadu so he will be soon flying to Bangkok for a special training session. STR is also planning to shed a few kilos for his character in the film which will be directed by Venkat Prabhu.





The principal shoot of Maanaadu will begin on February 3rd and the team is planning to release the film by the end of 2019. Touted to be a political action thriller, Maanaadu will have a lot of powerful punchlines against the awful things happening in the country.





Venkat Prabhu is currently working on the final draft of Maanaadu and he will also be soon revealing the rest of the cast and crew who will be working with him in the film. Meanwhile, the directors pending film Party is expected to release in early 2019.



As the two sat quietly and wiped away tears, Sarada, now 89, said she did not harbour any anger against anyone.

In a touching reunion, 93-year-old E K Narayanan Nambiar, who was imprisoned for participating in the 1946 violent peasant struggle in Kavumbayi village of Kerala, met his first wife after 72 years, leaving them both speechless and teary-eyed.

"I am not angry with anyone," she told Narayanan.

"Then why are you quiet? Why are you not saying anything?" said Narayanan as Sarada sat quietly with bowed head.

Sarada was 13 and Narayanan 17 when the two entered into wedlock.

Just ten months into their marriage, Narayanan and his father Thaliyan Raman Nambiar, who led the Kavumbayi agitation, went underground. They were caught two months later and imprisoned for taking part in the land struggle.

The young bride was sent to her parental home as Malabar Special Police knocked at her doors at odd hours in search of Raman and Narayanan.

"Their house was ransacked and set on fire," Narayanan's nephew, Madhu Kumar told PTI.

Narayanan was sent to prison for eight years. He served his term in three jails at Kannur, Viyyur and Salem.

His father was shot dead in Salem jail on February 11, 1950 and Narayanan, a living legend of the struggle, had 22 shells pierced in his body, of which three could not be removed, Kumar said.

A few years later, Sarada's family decided to marry her off to anther person.

After his release in 1957, Narayanan also got married again.

Years later, Sarada's son, Bhargavan, an organic farmer, bumped into relatives of Narayanan. As they discussed their family history, it dawned on them that their families were connected.

It was then decided that the long-lost couple should meet.

A meeting was arranged and Narayanan, now a widower, came to see Sarada at Bhargavan's home at Parasinikadavu along with some of his relatives.

At first, Bhargavan said, his mother refused to step out and talk to Narayanan, but after much coaxing, she agreed.

Both were quiet for some time and wiped away tears.

They were emotional, Bhargavan said.

Bhargavan's family also arranged a 'sadya' (elaborate lunch) for Narayanan and the two families promised to meet soon.

Sarada, who was widowed 30 years ago, had six children of whom only four are alive.

Narayanan's grand-daughter, Shanta Kavumbayi, has penned a novel on the Kavumbayi peasant struggle titled "December 30".

In December 1946, the people of Kavumbayi village in this district raised their demand for 'punam' cultivation. It is a type of shifting cultivation.

A strong police contingent was sent to the spot. The peasants resisted the armed forces which led to the killing of five farmers in the firing.Clinton, ex-presidential candidate, secretary of state and first lady, came third in the annual Gallup poll, with talk-show host Oprah Winfrey in second.

: Former United States first lady Michelle Obama has ended Hillary Clintons 17-year run as Americas most admired woman.

Obama, who is in the midst of book tour for her memoir Becoming, won big time.

She came in first with 15 per cent -- a whopping 10 points ahead of Winfrey at number two.

Clinton has come top of the list 22 times including the past 17 years in a row.

Although Oprah Winfrey has never finished top she has been second on 14 occasions.

Current First Lady Melania Trump came in fourth, and Queen Elizabeth II in fifth. Other names on the top 10 are Angela Merkel, Ellen DeGeneres, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Malala Yousafzai.

On the male side, former US President Barack Obama is the 'Most Admired Man' for the 11th year in a row.

US President Donald Trump came in at number two for the fourth year in a row.

George W Bush, Pope Francis, and businessman Bill Gates rounded out the top five.

The Gallup poll has been carried out every year since 1946, with the exception of 1976. The 1,025 adults surveyed were asked to name the man and woman living anywhere in the world whom they admire the most.System error

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context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951

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Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fe3b82fa0)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe4042900)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fe3b82fa0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe4042900)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fe3b92240)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe4042900)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe4042900)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe36af140)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fe3c17de0)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fe3c17de0)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0System error

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context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951

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Washington, Dec 28 (AFP) Dec 28, 2018



The Syrian army has not entered Manbij, the US military said Friday, after Syrian forces claimed they had gone into the key northern city and raised the national flag.

"Despite incorrect information about changes to the military forces in Manbij city, (the US-led coalition) has seen no indication of these claims being true," US Central Command spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Earl Brown said.

Manbij is a strategic city close to the Turkish border where Kurdish forces have been deployed since 2016.

US and French special operations troops are also stationed there, assisting the Kurds, but the Americans will be withdrawing under a surprise pull-out announced by President Donald Trump last week.

Brown called on all parties to respect the "integrity of Manbij and the safety of its citizens."

"Our mission has not changed. We will continue to support our coalition partners, while also conducting a deliberate and controlled withdrawal of forces, while taking all measures possible to ensure our troops' safety and that of our partners on the ground," he told AFP.

The US withdrawal from Syria has sent Kurdish forces scrambling to find allies to fend off a possible attack from Turkey, which views the fighters as "terrorists."

The Kurds have welcomed a regime advance in Manbij province, a pragmatic shift in alliances that will dash their aspirations for autonomy but could help them cut their losses.Optimization

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BISHOP SERGIJE: KRAJINA IS OUR KOSSOVO

BIHAC, December 27 /SRNA/ - The demographic downfall facing Serbs in the Krajina for almost three decades is threatening to wipe it off the map of a Serbian living space, says His Grace the Bishop of Bihac and Petrovac, Sergije.



In an article titled Krajina is our Kossovo published on the Internet page of the Eparchy of Bihac and Petrovac, Bishop Sergije says that Serbs in the Krajina, where they have resisted every sort of evil for centuries, in the past three decades have been brought to the brink of existence.



The claim that we are becoming a minority in our own country, foreigners in our homeland, the Bishop Sergije illustrates with data showing that compared to the year 1991, the number of Serbs in Bihac decreased by around 13,000, in Sanski Most by almost 20,000, and that out of almost 4,000 Serbs who lived in the area of Livno before the war, there are barely 438 of them now in that area.



There are less than 1,000 Serbs in the area of Kljuc, there are eight times less Serbs in Bosanska Krupa than 30 years ago, and the situation is the same or similar in other towns and villages of our Eparchy. In this case, statistics is our darkest mirror which reflects the depth of our abyss, says Bishop Sergije.



He says that Serbs have not settled in the Krajina recently, but long time ago, which is testified to by churches which they are proud of.



Ancient Rmanj, a silent witness to our existence, today is targeted by those who would like that it does not exist. New judges, just like during the Ottoman Empire, are destroying our spiritual heritage, Bishop Sergije has said.



According to him, Serbs are not allowed to build memorial churches at killing grounds in Susnjar and Garavice where Serbs were massacred so that they would keep the memory of victims alive for ever.



This is why Rmanj is our Gracanica, Veselinje is our Decani, Bihac is our Prizren, Livno is our Orahovac, Dravar is our Zvecan, Garavice is our GazimestanThe Lord did not bring us to history to be mere observers of our own national downfall, but to unite, to believe in God and to multiply, in order to preserve ourselves in the Krajina and to surrender it to the generations to come, Bishop Sergije has said.



Pointing out that the Krajina is today on the margins of our existence, Bishop Sergije says that the Krajina is like a caring old lady who, it seems, is forgotten even by her own children."



He says that the Krajina, devastated by wars, must not remain deserted, since there are many who owe it their identity which was preserved in much more difficult and crueler times.



This is why we must not give up our struggle for our rights in our Krajina, for our existence on the land of our forefathers. If we forget the Krajina, we will lose ourselves. Then the Krajina will be our end and not our beginning, as it has always been, says the Bishop of Bihac and Petrovac.



He asks whom we will remember if /Branko/ Copic is forgotten, and warns that there wont be freedom if /Gavrilo/ Princip is contemned, that Studenica will not be the same if Rmanj is lost, and that if we renounce the Krajina, we will be nobodies forever.



All eyes are directed at Srpska and Serbia, at Banjaluka and Belgrade, at their citizens and institutions. Our hope is our Lord, and the trust in brotherly aid lives. As long as we live, we, who live in it, will fight for the Krajina, but brotherly aid is of fateful significance so that we would not be left without a cradle, Bishop Sergije has said. /end/sgThe Gibraltar government began looking at the implications of a possible Brexit as soon as the EU referendum was announced in 2016, and throughout the negotiations with Spain and UK it has continued to make contingency plans in case Britain, and therefore Gibraltar, leaves without a deal - although this has always been seen as the worst scenario for the Rock.

Chief minister Fabian Picardo and his team, who negotiated the Gibraltar Protocol and Memoranda of Understanding, insist that the Withdrawal Agreement approved recently by the European Council provides Gibraltar with the best possible protection in the face of Brexit, and that no deal would be devastating for Gibraltar. Now, however, it looks as if the UK parliament will reject the deal negotiated by Theresa May and the dreaded no-deal scenario looks increasingly possible.

Picardo and deputy chief minister Dr Joseph Garcia, who holds the Brexit portfolio, flew to London the other day for talks with senior officials about the latest situation. When they returned, they said that Gibraltar, like the EU and UK would now be stepping up preparations for a potential no deal, but insisted there was no cause for alarm. "It does not mean that this is going to happen," said Dr Garcia.

Shortly after their return, however, the EU released its own contingency plans for a no-deal Brexit and included a blow for Gibraltar: those plans will not apply to the Rock. The government is now studying the impact of that decision in detail, but stresses that it is "not surprised" and that it doesn't reflect the view of the UK government. Meanwhile it has already published technical notices on passports, pet passports, driving licences and motor insurance as part of its contingency plans.English writer and Hispanophile Gerald Brenan moved into the Andalusian village of Yegen in January 1920. Brenan, then 25, had been demobilised from the British Army and had come to Spain searching for a tranquil spot in which to read and write. This tiny settlement, located in the Alpujarra region of Granada's Sierra Nevada natural park, immediately appealed: he liked its isolation, its clean running water and the fact that it appeared as if it had been "made out of the earth by insects".

Brenan as a young man. / SUR

The writer lived in Yegen, on and off, until 1934 and wrote about his experiences in South From Granada (1957), a book that delights with its affectionate characterisation of 'pueblo' life as much as its descriptions of the Alpujarra's incomparable beauty. But does the Yegen or the Alpujarra that Brenan knew still exist?

Visiting the writer's former stomping ground after reading South From Granada, it seemed to me that, in many respects, this remote pocket of Andalucia hasn't changed much since the early twentieth century. Getting off the bus in Brenan's former pueblo (a twice-daily service runs from Granada and takes you through some of the Sierra's most humbling landscapes), a few old houses on one side of the narrow road were the only indications that I'd arrived in a human settlement.

The fresh, clean air was laced with the scent of rosemary - also one of the first things about Yegen that Brenan noticed. In the 1920s, it was due to the fact that the women used bushels of thyme, lavender and rosemary as fuel for their stoves; but now it seemed to come solely from clumps of the herb growing on the hillside. Gas and electricity have presumably removed the need for this aromatic kindling.

A typical house in Yegen. / IDEAL

Still and silent

Leaving the "main" road, I took Calle Real into the village in search of the house now known as La Casa del Ingles. The village tumbles down a lush hillside, accompanied by streams of crystal-clear water, overlooking the Alpujarra's eastern plains. Brenan spoke of Yegen as being "washed by [an] ocean of air" - a phrase that perfectly captures the stillness, silence and freshness of the place.

Yegen, he wrote, "hugged life to itself.... The speaking tone [of the locals] was soft and... if anyone shouted, the sound was at once sucked up into the silence". This is still true today. All I saw on my way to the centre was a cat dozing outside a closed bar and a lady sweeping the street outside Brenan's former home. Nothing stirred or made a noise. But from behind closed doors, some of them bearing Christmas decorations, I heard and smelt the sizzling of onions and peppers (it was almost lunchtime) and lively conversations. I also heard TVs - the first small sign that, despite its far-flung location and rustic appearance, Yegen has welcomed some aspects of the modern world over the last hundred years.

Brenan's house is found just past Pension-Bar Fuente, where Calle Real meets Calle Era del Canamo. It is a sprawling, somewhat ungainly building, accessed by a wooden door on Calle Real and bearing a plaque commemorating its celebrated former resident.

The village square. / IDEAL

There was no sign of life as I lingered outside, just some builders renovating a dilapidated house opposite. Odd to think that this was Brenan's base for fourteen years - a home in which he hosted literary friends such as Lytton Strachey and Virginia Woolf (whose eventful visits are described in the book), read voraciously and recorded all aspects of life in 1920s Yegen.

Village life

A few steps beyond La Casa del Ingles is Calle Gerald Brenan - a flower-filled alleyway overlooking the immense spaces beyond Yegen. Walking on, I soon arrived at Plaza de la Ermita, where a bar had a few tables out in the sun.

Over tapas and beer, I watched locals come and go from a garage opposite: everyone who drove or walked past stopped for a chat, or shouted greetings to the chain-smoking mechanics. Yegen has a population of just 440 people, so everyone here must know each other, and probably far too much of each other's business too.

This close-knit way of life is something that Brenan loved about the village, yet the fact that a garage serves as one of its present-day focal points is another indication of change. Mules, not motor cars, provided transportation in 1920s Yegen, and households fetched water from fountains that doubled as social hotspots. Indeed, the gossipy richness of South From Granada concerns a pueblo life that has changed a lot since Don Geraldo's time.

Brenan wrote, for example, that "the prostitute was...an institution: every [Alpujarra] village had two or three". Maxima, a "very plain" such woman in her early thirties, lived a few doors down from Don Geraldo, perhaps on the flower-filled dead-end now named after the writer. In order to put food on the table for her several children, Maxima coupled with local men in exchange for a couple of eggs - "or when the hens were not laying, one egg". It's probably been a while since such a transaction took place in Yegen.

Mules to motors

Other changes to the Alpujarra since Brenan's time are more obvious. A high-quality asphalted road now links the region to Granada, and is wide enough for two vehicles to pass each other without problems. In the 1920s, it took a couple of days to reach the provincial capital from Yegen, on foot and/or donkey. And most villages in the western Alpujarra are now popular tourist destinations, chief among them Pampaneira, Capileira and Trevelez (all of which have nevertheless retained their beauty and charm).

But Yegen, and the eastern Alpujarra as a whole, is still of a "different character" from the west, as Brenan observed almost a century ago. Despite the arrival of TVs, gas cookers, electric lights and the odd foreign visitor, Don Geraldo's former pueblo remains unspoilt, contentedly adrift in its "ocean of air".Work on the new Hard Rock Cafe in Malaga is now in the final stages and sources close to the project claim that it will be finished in February 2019. Owned by the world renowned music cafe franchise, Hard Rock Malaga is situated in front of the Pompidou Centre on Muelle Uno in Malaga's port and it is expected to be inaugurated in time for the Easter Week celebrations in April.

The new restaurant will create 80 new job vacancies in the city, for which the company has already received more than 1,500 applications.

The restaurant, which will be decorated with the typical memorabilia of the world of rock and roll and Hollywood, will have a panoramic rooftop terrace overlooking the lighthouse and the port.As we prepare to enter the "Year of Brexit", it was heartening to hear this week that the Spanish government are being proactive in this respect. Anticipating the worst possible scenario come March 30th - namely, that the UK leaves the EU without an agreed deal on its withdrawal terms - Pedro Sanchez's administration is working on measures to protect the rights of British citizens living in Spain and Spaniards based in the UK. Appallingly, two and a half years after the Brexit referendum, this is still an issue surrounded by vagueness and confusion.

Sources close to Sanchez's plans, which are due to be unveiled next month, have told El Pais newspaper that foreign citizens' rights is the subject on which Madrid and London are in most agreement. Around 300,000 British people live in Spain and approximately 116,000 Spaniards have made the UK their home, so it's in both governments' interests to ensure a smooth transition for these groups. Especially if, as seems increasingly likely, there is no agreed Brexit deal by March 30th.

As a qualification of optimism, it should be noted that public confidence in politicians' ability to negotiate Brexit has drastically decreased since the 2016 referendum. Words by themselves are no longer enough to reassure or convince. Yet the Spanish government's new Brexit initiative is welcome news, and might be the most valuable thing Sanchez does during what is likely to be a short term in power.

UK prime minister Theresa May, on the other hand, has been consistently disappointing as regards Britain's withdrawal from the EU. Cast your mind back to beginning of December, when Simon Manley, the UK's Ambassador to Spain, sent out an open letter designed to assure British residents living over here. Published in SUR in English on December 7th, the letter cited the Withdrawal Agreement due to be voted on in UK parliament on December 11th: if approved, said Manley, the deal would mean "that the 300,000 British people who have chosen to make Spain their home have a legal guarantee that they will be allowed to stay here after the UK leaves the EU". This deal also specified an "Implementation Period", running from March 30th 2019 to December 31st 2020, during which things would essentially remain the same as they are now.

Never one to live up to expectations, though, May cancelled the December 11th vote, fearing a backlash from opposing MPs. The "meaningful vote", to give its cringey new nickname, is now tabled for mid-January, although whether it will actually happen then is anyone's guess. But as May dithers, at least Sanchez is preparing for the worst possible scenario come March 30th - a fact which should provide a little reassurance to British people in Spain and Spaniards in the UK.The foodie wires were buzzing last week with the news that Marbella's very own Dani Garcia plans to hang up his star-studded kitchen knives.

But why should 35-year-old Dani, with three restaurants in Marbella apparently doing good business, decide the world of the Michelin stratosphere is no longer tempting?

At the end of 2019 his 3-star 'Dani Garcia', in Puente Romano is scheduled to become a steak and hamburger joint. Those who criticise his 'betrayal' consider that he should not abandon his ambassadorial role for Marbella, the Costa del Sol, Spanish haute cuisine, etc...

Others cannot blame him for turning his back on the peculiar world of the little red guide. Dani will have come to the conclusion that he has no desire to spend the remainder of his professional life cooking for a certain type of customer, with the little fat tyre man looking over his shoulder.

What is referred to as the three-star system should be called the three-stress syndrome, and many chefs who work 18-hour days preserving, or attempting to attain, stars, must be envious of Dani's resolve. As he says, "I am not ready to give up my dreams for Michelin, nor for what my customers may think, nor even the Tourism Board or the Mayor of Marbella."

WINE OF THE WEEK Barbadillo Cava Beta Brut Most people have a view on champagne. They refuse to drink anything else, or worse, it must be vintage; they don't care whether it is cava or champagne; or, since most of it comes from Catalonia, forget it. Here is a compromise: an excellent cava from Barbadillo, made with Palomino and Chardonnay grapes from the sherry region. A really satisfying dry aperitif at around 7 euros.

The restaurant earned its third star in November, so is this the moment to consider converting it into a steak house? Perhaps here is a top chef whose priorities are not just fame and fortune. Dani needs to make up for lost time. When he was a child wonder after earning a Michelin star for Ronda's Tragabuches restaurant, he was just 25. Subsequently he was enticed into a series of schemes by investors that did not enhance his reputation as either chef or businessman. His New York restaurant closed and never reopened, but his partners did not inform Dani. When he arrived for work he found the doors shut.

It has not been until the more recent Marbella ventures that has he found his clogs, so let's hope his latest decision is right for him and his 50 employees.The Clinico Universitario hospital in Malaga city is currently holding an exhibition of the photographs which have been used for the Spanish Association against Cancer (AECC) 2019 calendar, called 'El arte de vivir' (The art of living).

The display can be viewed in the entrance to the consulting room area off the patio in the hospital's B tower. There are also information desks about the association and the calendars which feature these photographs can be purchased there as well.

To mark this initiative, volunteers and representatives of the AECC were recently invited to visit the biomedical research laboratory at the hospital, which is part of the Malaga Institute of Biomedical Research (Ibima). Those who took part in the guided tour of all the translational research departments included the manager of the AECC in Malaga, Pedro Gonzalez, and some of the volunteers and nurses from different departments in the Clinico hospital.

The photographs

This is the 14th year in which the photos from the annual calendar have been put on display at the hospital. This year 60 patients were featured in the 12 photos, most of whom are volunteers with AECC, and the aim was to reflect the positivity and determination of people who are affected by cancer to overcome their illness.

Each of the photos was inspired by classic works from famous creators, but they were given a personal and individual touch by the photographers, who provided their services free of charge.Winter storms batter large swaths of US



Chicago, Dec 28 (AFP) Dec 28, 2018



Large portions of the United States were contending with heavy snow, high winds and rain Friday, snarling air and ground transportation during a busy holiday travel period.

From the north central plains to the southwest, eight to 12 inches of snow has fallen in some areas or is forecast to fall in the coming days -- ruining New Year travel plans for thousands of Americans.

Meanwhile, southern regions were bracing for potential flooding from heavy rain.

More than 6,500 flights were delayed and some 800 more were canceled on Thursday alone, as blizzard conditions made travel treacherous, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.

Scores of roads were closed in the Dakotas, Minnesota and Iowa.

There were nearly 400 flight cancelations and more than 2,100 delays Friday morning, and growing, as the nation's air travel system struggled to recover.

Some airline passengers reported being stranded for days.

"I didn't want to spend three days in the airport, missing out on the holidays -- New Year's and all that," Anthony Scott told Texas television station KDFW Dallas-Forth Worth International.

"I have to go back to work the first of the year. So this is my time. This was my little vacation. I'm not trying to spend it in the airport."

Ground crews worked to clear roads in affected states, but many remained packed with snow and ice.

The South Dakota Department of Transportation said there were many no-travel advisories that remained in effect Friday.

"Roads are icy, blowing snow is still limiting visibility. Crews are working but mother nature is making safe travel tough this morning," the agency said.

North Dakota on Friday lifted a no-travel advisory that had been issued for the entire east side of the state Thursday, even as drifting snow continued to frustrate drivers.

National Weather Service (NWS) officials in Minnesota cautioned that road conditions in the upper Midwestern state were still deteriorating.

"All roads in southwest, western, central, and northeast (Minnesota) are covered with snow," the agency said.

The weather service predicted the misery would continue through the weekend.

Heavy snow was expected in the southwestern state of New Mexico from a new storm. As much as 18 inches was possible, NWS said.

To the south, heavy rains were forecast in the central Gulf Coast and stretching east to the mid-Atlantic.

A risk of flash flooding was possible in a few areas.

A colossal blizzard smothered the eastern United States in January 2016, shutting down New York and Washington, leaving 15 people dead and affecting some 85 million residents.

Forecasters said the storm -- dubbed "Snowzilla" -- dumped 22.2 inches in Washington and 25.1 inches in New York's Central Park, the third highest accumulation since records began in 1869.As 2018 draws to a close, heres a look at whats new at Essex Crossing. Its not all about Target and Trader Joes, you know.

Earlier this month, Delancey Street Associates, the development consortium, announced two new commercial tenants for 175 Delancey St., also known as the Francis Goldin Senior Apartments. The Lower East Side Partnership will be taking about 3,400 square feet on the fourth floor for its offices. Meanwhile, the Chinese American Planning Council is leasing 8,520 square feet on the third floor for its early childhood education programs.

The building is already home to a senior center and social enterprise business (The GrandLo Cafe) operated by Grand Street Settlement. Henry Street Settlement is moving its Workforce Development Center into 175 Delancey, as well. So four local nonprofit organizations will be huddled in Essex Crossings easternmost building. [NYU Langone is also located in the complex].

More Essex Crossing details in a Dec. 19 press release:

While Regal Cinemas was previously expected to open in another building, 125 Delancey St., in time for the holidays, the 14-screen theater is now aiming for a winter 2019 debut.

For the moment, developers are sticking to a spring opening for both the new Essex Street Market and the first phase of the Market Line, an underground shopping pavilion. As you might recall, the Essex Street Market was supposed to make the move across Delancey Street in October, but the date was pushed back due to construction delays. Vendors are now receiving a rent break from the city, which runs the facility.

Leasing is expected to begin next year for 98 market rate apartments at 125 Delancey. Another 98 apartments in the 26-story tower were claimed in an affordable housing lottery held earlier this year.

The developers report that 145 Clinton St. (better known as the Trader Joes building) is nearly fully leased. Theres apparently still a 2-bedroom/2-bath unit with a terrace available for $5,995 per month. A publicly accessible park adjacent to the building named The Rollins, will not open until the spring.

According to the press release, sales at Essex Crossings luxury condos at 242 Broome St. have surpassed 75%. There are 44 market rate units in that building. They went on the market in the fall of 2016. If StreetEasy is to be believed, you can pick up a 3-bedroom penthouse for around $7.3 million.

Essex Crossing is a 1.9 million square foot project in the former Seward Park Urban Renewal Area. Three more buildings are now under construction. The developers include BFC Partners, L+M Development Partners, Taconic Investment Partners, the Prusik Group and the Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group. Recently the Goldman Sachs CMBS group provided a $8.75 million loan (a refinancing) for the community facility space at the Francis Goldin Apartments.Unfortunately, The Content Is Not Here

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Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 28, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Auxly Cannabis Group Inc. (TSX.V: XLY) (OTCQX: CBWTF) ("Auxly" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Genevieve Young and Jean-Paul Gaillard as independent members of its board of directors, effective immediately. Following the appointments, Auxlys board will consist of five members, three of whom are independent from the Company. The newly appointed board members add a significant amount of depth to the board and bring complementary skill sets to Auxly.



Genevieve Young is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Global Public Affairs, Canadas leading privately held strategic communications and government advocacy consultancy representing some of Canadas largest and most dynamic organizations. Genevieve has two decades of experience in public affairs, leading national mandates and campaigns across jurisdictions and managing multiple stakeholders, government(s) and media. Genevieves focus has expanded to the emerging cannabis industry as the executive champion of Global Public Affairs Cannabis team guiding the practice as they rapidly scale to meet market and service evolution demand. Genevieve is responsible for all Global Public Affairs corporate functions, driving an aggressive growth trajectory across all existing and potential markets, practice and service lines. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Canadian Politics and an MBA from the Smith School of Business at Queens University.

Jean-Paul Gaillard is a seasoned executive with more than 30 years of experience leading large organizations as Chief Executive Officer. Most recently, Jean-Paul was the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Ethical Coffee Company where he was instrumental in turning the single serve-coffee from a monopoly into a free-market, effectively launching the fastest growing segment in the food and beverages sector. Prior to Ethical Coffee, Jean-Paul was the CEO of Movenpick Foods where he was responsible for the successful reorganization and sale of the company to Nestle. In addition, Jean-Paul spent 10 years as the CEO of Nespresso based in their global headquarters in Switzerland where he created and implemented the business model that has made Nespresso a world-renowned brand. Jean-Paul completed his studies in Business Administration at the University of California, Los Angeles in addition to the Lemania School of Business, Lausanne.

Chuck Rifici, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer commented: "We are incredibly pleased to see that Auxly's stature and success in the cannabis industry continues to attract high caliber professionals. Both Genevieve and Jean-Paul are highly regarded executives that bring a wealth of knowledge across a broad spectrum that is highly complementary to Auxlys objective of becoming a dominant international vertically integrated cannabis company. On behalf of the board of directors, we would like to welcome Genevieve and Jean-Paul to the Auxly family and look forward to their contributions."

The Company also announces that it has accepted the resignation of Mr. Brandon Boddy as a director of the Companys board of directors. The Company wishes to thank Mr. Boddy for his dedicated service as a founding board member and wishes him every success in his future endeavours.



"I am grateful to have been a part of this organization from the beginning and to have watched Auxly grow from a concept on paper to a vertically integrated cannabis company with a significant presence in the Canadian cannabis market and abroad. I wish the Auxly team and its partners much success in the future," said Brandon Boddy.



ON BEHALF OF THE AUXLY BOARD

"Chuck Rifici" Chairman & CEO

About Auxly Cannabis Group Inc. (TSX.V: XLY) (OTCQX: CBWTF)

Auxly is a vertically integrated cannabis company with diverse operations across Canada and Uruguay. The company was formed with the primary intent of providing financing solutions to cannabis licence applicants, and has evolved into a platform spanning the entire cannabis value chain. Auxlys management believes that a vertically integrated model, adapted for the cannabis space, allows for substantive control over its operations through increased operational flexibility, economic resiliency and improved product margin dynamics in an effort to create long term shareholder value. Auxly currently operates three distinct, yet synergistic, segments:

 Upstream  Auxlys diverse cannabis cultivation platform across its streaming partners, joint ventures and wholly-owned subsidiaries;

 Midstream  Auxlys processing and development platform focused on the development of proprietary cannabis-derived products and related intellectual property to address consumer needs through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Dosecann; and

 Downstream  Auxlys medical, recreational and international distribution platform.

Investor Relations:



For more information about investing in Auxly Cannabis Group Inc., please visit: http://www.auxly.com or contact our Investor Relations Team:

Email: IR@auxly.com

Phone: 1.833.695.2414



Stay Connected:

Follow up on Twitter @AuxlyGroup



Media Enquiries (only):

For media enquiries or to set up an interview please contact:

Sarah Bain, VP External Affairs

Email: sarah@auxly.com

Phone: 613.230.5869



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: the Companys ability to successfully expand domestic and international operations and obtain new investment opportunities. There can be no assurance that the Company will realize the anticipated benefits from the Companys business model.

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.

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.



Leading international players in advanced technologies, connectivity, broadband and digital transformation will be in Riyadh next year to take part in the second Saudi International Exhibition and Conference for Internet of Things (IoT).

The event will be held from February 13 to 15, at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre, in Riyadh.



Participants and visitors will have the opportunity to see the latest technologies, solutions and applications of IoT as well as investment opportunities, said the organisers.



Many experts see great potential in the Saudi Arabias capacity to adopt and embrace IoT due to the growth and investment in smart cities as part of the Kingdoms vision 2030, they added.  TradeArabia News ServiceTORONTO, Dec. 28, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MediPharm Labs Corp. (TSXV: LABS) (the Company or MediPharm Labs), a specialized, research driven cannabis extraction business licensed under the Cannabis Act, is pleased to announce its addition to the Horizons Marijuana Life Sciences Index ETF (TSX:HMMJ) (HMMJ or ETF). The addition of MediPharm to the HMMJ Index is a significant milestone and another important step in the Companys evolution as a leader in purified cannabis extraction.



HMMJ is an index (or passively managed) ETF, which seeks to replicate, to the extent possible, the performance of the North American Marijuana Index, net of expenses. This index is designed to provide exposure to the performance of a basket of North American publicly listed life sciences companies with significant business activities in the Marijuana industry. The North American Marijuana Index selects from a current universe of companies that have operations that may include one or more of biopharmaceuticals, medical manufacturing, distribution, bio-products and other ancillary businesses related to the Marijuana industry.

Rebalancing of the North American Marijuana Index, and consequently HMMJ, occurs each calendar quarter. At that point, all stocks eligible for inclusion are weighted by their respective market capitalization. However, no single stock can exceed a 10% weight of the North American Marijuana Index at the rebalance date. The holdings of HMMJ and its current portfolio weights are regularly updated and available at www.HorizonsETFs.com/HMMJ.

About MediPharm Labs Corp.

Founded in 2015, MediPharm Labs is a pioneer in the cannabis industry and has the distinction of being the first company in Canada to become a licensed producer for cannabis oil production under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR) without first receiving a cannabis cultivation licence. This expert focus on cannabis concentrates from its cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practices) and ISO standard-built clean rooms and critical environments laboratory, allows MediPharm Labs to work with its established, Health Canada-approved cultivation partners to produce pharmaceutical-grade cannabis oil with a competitive advantage. MediPharm Labs is research-driven and focused on downstream secondary extraction methodology, distillation, and cannabinoid isolation and purification. MediPharm Labs provides B2B contract processing of cannabis to Canadian authorized licensed producers and appropriate international growers, supplying integrity-assured cannabis oil to qualified companies for sale under their own brand. In addition, MediPharm Labs will supply raw materials, formulations, processing and packaging for the creation of ready-to-sell advanced derivative products. MediPharm Labs was awarded Start-Up Of The Year at the recent Canadian Cannabis Awards hosted by Lift & Co.



Through its subsidiary, MediPharm Labs Australia Pty. Ltd., MediPharm Labs has also completed its application process with the federal Office of Drug Control to extract and import medical cannabis products in Australia.

For further information, please contact: Laura Lepore, Vice President, Investor Relations & Communications Telephone: 705-719-7425 ext 216 Email: investors@medipharmlabs.com

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE 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.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION:

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. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, expected GMP certification and the establishment of operations in Australia. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates 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 factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the inability of MediPharm to obtain adequate financing; and the delay or failure to receive regulatory approvals. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Except as required by law, MediPharm assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change.New Delhi, Dec 28 (UNI) India and Bhutan on Friday reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen co-operation in all areas of mutual interest and to take the bilateral partnership to newer heights.

A Joint Press Statement issued on the occasion of visit of Bhutanese Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering said the two Prime Ministers - Narendra Modi and Mr Tshering - reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen co-operation in all areas of mutual interest.

"Recognizing the importance of further expanding economic co-operation, the two Prime Ministers reviewed the implementation of ongoing bilateral hydro-power projects in Bhutan, and agreed to expedite their implementation," the statement said.

Besides meeting between two Prime Minsters, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval also called the visiting dignitary.

Both Prime Ministers - Mr Modi and Mr Tshering - reiterated their commitment to jointly develop 10,000 MWs of hydropower generating capacity in Bhutan and in this regard discussed the Sankosh Hydropower Project.

The two Prime Ministers expressed satisfaction at the progress of the 720 MW Mangdechhu hydro-power project in Bhutan, and looked forward to its early commissioning.

"They welcomed the mutually beneficial understanding reached between the two sides on the tariff for the export of surplus power from Mangdechhu project in Bhutan to India", it said.

India pledged to provide Rs 4500 crore assistance for the 12th Five Year Plan of Bhutan.

In his statement, Prime Minister also said - "Space science is the new dimension of our cooperation".

"I am happy that Ground-Station being built by ISRO in Bhutan to reap the benefits of the South Asian Satellite is soon going to be completed," Mr Modi said.

Mr Tshering is on his maiden overseas visit after assuming office of the Prime Minister of Bhutan last month.

His visit takes place during the Golden Jubilee year of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The visiting dignitary called on Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu. He held delegation level talks with Prime Minister Modi, who also hosted a banquet lunch in honor of the visiting dignitary.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Minister for Commerce and Industries Suresh Prabhu and Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power R K Singh called on the Bhutanese Prime Minister.

UNI DEVN AR 2143Editor's note: 2018 was an incredible year for UTSA students, faculty, staff and alumni. It was a year of intense momentum as the university moved forward to become a model for student success, a great research university, and an exemplar for strategic growth and innovative excellence.

Join us as we look back at the top ten news stories of 2018, and experience our biggest accomplishments once again. These stories set a rapid pace of accomplishments going into 2019 and our 50thAnniversary celebration. Here's number four.

(Dec. 28, 2018) -- During an hour-long visit to The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) on Thursday, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayorthe first Hispanic justice appointed to the nations highest courtinspired, surprised, awed and entertained. More than 1,000 students, faculty, staff and special guests filled four different rooms between the Main and Downtown Campuses to watch her speak.

As a first-generation college student and Latina, Sotomayor talked about her struggles and subsequent accomplishments, resonating with the crowd and at times bringing people to tears. She walked among the seats in the auditorium, shaking hands while answering students questions. And at the end, President Taylor Eighmy presented her with a truly unique gift: a UTSA first-gen T-shirt. Ill be sure to wear it, Sotomayor said, exiting to a standing ovation.

Take a look at images from her visit.Reference is made to the minutes from the extraordinary general meeting held 4 December 2018, and the related stock exchange notice whereby the extraordinary general meeting in Marine Harvest ASA resolved to change the company's name to "Mowi ASA".

The new company name has now been registered with the Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises.

The company's shares will from 2 January 2019 (inclusive) be quoted on Oslo Brs with the new name and the new ticker "MOWI". The company's listed bonds will from 2 January 2019 (inclusive) be quoted on Oslo Brs with the new ticker "MOWI02".

ISIN and instrument ID for the company's listed securities remain unchanged.

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5 -12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.We're sorry, you encountered a page that doesn't exist.Beach Lifeguard Awarded the RLSSs Giovanni Sene Award 2018

Just before Christmas, the Minister for Education, Heritage, Environment and Climate Change, the Hon John Cortes presented Angelo Galdez with the Royal Life Saving Societys Giovanni Sene Award for the best trainee lifeguard to qualify for the National Vocational Beach Lifeguard Qualification.

In his address, Min Cortes congratulated Angelo for achieving this award and praised all the Lifeguards for the excellent and valuable work carried out by them every summer on our beaches and the Bathing Pavilion. President of the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) Gibraltar, Norbert Sene MBE, explained that after consultation with the other RLSS Trainer/Assessors and the Department of Environments Beaches Management team, Angelo had been selected due to his outstanding performance during the training and his exemplary attitude, reliability and diligence on beach. Also congratulated was last years recipient Jansen Barnes.

This year the Department of the Environment and the RLSS decided to recognise the exceptional work of the experienced Beach Lifeguards as well as Pool Lifeguards (employed at the Bathing Pavilion), Disability Attendants and Pavilion Attendants by expanding the number of awards:

Best Experienced Beach Lifeguard: Jake Moreno

Best Experienced Pool Lifeguard: Yassir Khazali

Best Accessibility Attendant: Leeroy Woodjetts

Best Pavilion Attendant: Romina Chipolina

From mid-February onwards, 22 first time Beach Lifeguard trainees (plus 4 that needed to renew their qualification) were trained as assessed for this years bathing season in order to gain the RLSS National Vocational Beach Lifeguard Qualification (NVBLQ). All the Beach Lifeguard trainees were trained and assessed by RLSS Beach Lifeguard Trainer/Assessors, Michael Sene, Stewart Bonavia and Norbert Sene. The candidates had to achieve a good, basic level of fitness and be competent in the water as well as showing proficiency in the principles of beach supervision and rescue.

The assessment is designed to determine the competence of anyone engaged at any time in the role of Beach Lifeguard or undergoing training towards this role.

The NVBLQ is the benchmark for the certification of Beach Lifeguards in the UK and Gibraltar; and is endorsed and aligned with the International Life Saving Federation competency framework.

Nine new Pool Lifeguard trainees were trained this year by RLSS Gibraltar, GSLA and individual Pool Lifeguard Trainer/Assessors. The RLSS National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) has been developed to improve the standards of lifeguarding in pools in direct response to comprehensive consultation with the swimming pool industry.

Trials and courses for this years squad will commence in early February.

The NVBLQ course requires a minimum 40 hours of training and is split into four modules.

 Module 1 includes principles and knowledge of beach lifeguarding: it involves learning about the beach environment, beach patrolling, working practices and communication.

 Module 2 includes life support and first aid: which involved administration of first aid and CPR learning the signs, symptoms and treatment of certain conditions. During the assessment the lifeguards also achieved the RLSS Life Support 3 certificate.

 Module 3 includes ocean skills: this involves beach skills including understanding the use of the flags, whistle, rescue tube and rescue board.

 Module 4 includes pool skills: this involves fitness and lifesaving technique competency and casualty identification. In the practical assessment a 400m timed swim in 8 minutes or less is incorporated which determines whether the candidate continued to the next stage of the assessment. These practical assessments involved good practice in beach rescues and techniques.

The assessment comprises of an assessment by multiple choice questions on the candidates theoretical knowledge and understanding of all the modules.

In the practical assessment, candidates can take the four module assessments in any order except the pool skills module, which they must complete successfully before doing the ocean skills section. This is for safety reasons and to assure the assessor that the candidate is competent enough to undertake the ocean skills module.

The NPLQ course requires a minimum 36 hours of training and is split into three sections

 Section 1 includes principles and knowledge of the Lifeguard, Swimming Pool and Supervision.

 Section 2 includes Intervention, Rescue and Emergency action Plan.

 Section 3 includes life support and first aid: which involved administration of first aid and

CPR learning the signs, symptoms and treatment of certain conditions.

The assessment comprises of an oral assessment on the candidates theoretical knowledge and understanding of all the sections, plus a practical assessment on pool techniques and first aid.Fort Polk, LA (71446)

Today

Some early morning breaks in the overcast, otherwise cloudy. High 76F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low 61F. Winds light and variable.NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

TORONTO, Dec. 28, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Goliath Resources Limited (TSX-V: GOT) (FSE: B4IE) (OTCQB: GOTRF) (the Company or Goliath) is pleased to announce that it has closed a non-brokered private placement of $172,500 flow-through units completed with institutions. This financing is in addition to the previously closed non-brokered private placements of $794,855 and $707,000 announced on December 14, 2018 and November 27, 2018 respectively for a total of $1,674,355.



This offering consisted of flow-through units ("FT Unit") priced at $0.10 per unit.

Each FT Unit will be comprised of one common share which is a "flow-through" share for Canadian income tax purposes and one half (1/2) share purchase warrant (each full warrant a "$0.20 Warrant"). Each $0.20 Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional common share which is not a "flow-through" share at the price of $0.20 for 24 months after closing. If at any time after four months after the date of completion of the offering the Company's Shares have a closing price equal to or higher than $0.40 per Share for ten (10) consecutive trading days on the TSX-V (as defined herein), the Company shall thereafter be entitled to give notice to the holders of all $0.20 Warrants, by news release, that such warrants will expire at 4:30 p.m. (Toronto time) on that date which is 30 days after the date of such news release unless exercised before the expiry of that period.

The Company paid a finders fee equal to 7% of the gross proceeds from a portion of the financing in cash in the amount of $7,000, and 7% finders warrants in the amount of 35,000. The finders warrants are based on the same terms and conditions as the warrants attached to the units sold in accordance with the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. The proposed private placement and finder's fees are subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance. All shares issued pursuant to the offering and any shares issued pursuant to the exercise of warrants will be subject to a four-month hold period from the closing date.

About Goliath

Goliath Resources Limited is a project generator of precious metals projects focused in the prolific Golden Triangle and surrounding area of northwestern British Columbia. It controls 100% four highly prospective properties that include Bingo, Golddigger, Lucky Strike and Copperhead covering over 44,000 hectares. All four properties have brand new discoveries that all have returned anomalous gold, silver and/or copper in grab and channel samples from exposed bedrock at surface. These new discoveries occurred in an area of glacial recession and snowpack melting in a world class geological setting where world class deposits have been found. Inaugural drill programs were completed this year at both the Lucky Strike and Copperhead properties.

Further information regarding Goliath Resources Limited can be found at: www.goliathresourcesltd.com

Contact Information:

Roger Rosmus

Chief Executive Officer

roger@goliathresources.com

+1-416-488-2887 x222

General Disclaimer

Goliath Resources Limited "Goliath" has taken all reasonable care in producing and publishing information contained in this news release and will endeavor to do so on a periodic basis. Material in this news release may still contain technical or other inaccuracies, omissions, or typographical errors, for which Goliath assumes no responsibility. Goliath does not warrant or make any representations regarding the use, validity, accuracy, completeness or reliability of any claims, statements or information on this site. Under no circumstances, including, but not limited to, negligence, shall Goliath be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, consequential, or other damages, including but not limited to, loss of programs, loss of data, loss of use of computer of other systems, or loss of profits, whether or not advised of the possibility of damage, arising from your use, or inability to use, the material from this news release. The information is not a substitute for independent professional advice before making any investment decisions. Furthermore, you may not modify or reproduce in any form, electronic or otherwise, any information on this site, except for personal use unless you have obtained our express written permission.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements, including but not limited to comments regarding predictions and projections. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these 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), nor the OTCQB Venture Market accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required.

Your Full Name: (optional)

Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required.TORONTO, Dec. 28, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited (BlackRock Canada), an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK), today announced the final December 2018 cash distributions for the iShares Premium Money Market ETF. Unitholders of record on December 31, 2018 will receive cash distributions payable on January 4, 2019.

Details regarding the final per unit distribution amounts are as follows:

Fund Name Fund Ticker Cash Distribution Per Unit ($) iShares Premium Money Market ETF CMR 0.07630

Further information on the iShares ETFs 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





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This article is old - Published: Friday, Dec 28th, 2018

The Prime Minister has recognised Dave Cooke for providing aid, education and healthcare programmes for disadvantaged children worldwide.

Dave launched the Christmas shoebox appeal in 1990, which has seen over 100 million boxes of aid distributed to disadvantaged children worldwide. Dave began the appeal to provide aid for Romanian orphans following the fall of Ceausescus regime, working with friends to lead a convoy carrying 600,000 worth of donated items.

Following this success, Dave established Operation Christmas Child to provide further humanitarian aid to communities in Eastern Europe. After 16 years working with the charity, which merged with American charity Samaritans Purse in 1995, Dave launched Teams4U in 2006, which continues to support children in Eastern Europe through shoebox appeals whilst also providing education and healthcare support to communities in Uganda and Sierra Leone.

The charity delivers educational programmes through vocational colleges, supporting more than 25,000 children in Uganda to learn a trade and basic skills, alongside a programme providing sanitary wear and menstrual health education to schoolgirls in the country to encourage them to stay in education.

Dave is the latest recipient of the Points of Light award, which recognises outstanding volunteers who are making a change in their community and inspiring others. Each day, someone, somewhere in the country is selected to receive the award to celebrate their remarkable achievements.

In a personal letter to Dave, Prime Minister Theresa May said: The Christmas shoebox appeal you pioneered has such a positive impact on the lives of many children. Your success in growing the annual appeal to deliver millions of boxes to disadvantaged children worldwide is a truly outstanding achievement.

You should be very proud of your continued work through Teams4U, which is making a real difference for communities in Uganda and Sierra Leone in helping lift children out of poverty.

Wrexhams MP Ian Lucas said: Im delighted to hear Dave has been honoured for his work. He has worked tirelessly to support disadvantaged children across the world and I cant think of anyone who deserves the award more. Congratulations, Dave!

Dave said: I feel honoured and privileged to accept this award on behalf of all the amazing volunteers who are the lifeblood of our charity and without whom we couldnt function.

Dave is the 1083rd winner of the Points of Light award, which has been developed in partnership with the hugely successful Points of Light programme in the USA. Over 6,000 Points of Light have been awarded in the USA, and former Presidents have publicly supported the partnership with Points of Light UK.

There is a similar cross-party approach to the UK programme and MPs from different parties often present their constituents with their Points of Light awards.GUYTON, Ga. (AP) - Two Georgia children found dead and buried in their father's backyard had been missing for months, but their disappearances were never reported.

News outlets report 14-year-old Mary Crocker disappeared in October and her brother Elwyn Crocker Jr. disappeared in 2016 when he was 14. The Effingham County School System says Mary and Elwyn were removed from school and transferred to a homeschool program.

The children were found last week, and their father, stepmother, stepgrandmother and the stepgrandmother's boyfriend are charged in their deaths. A living 11-year-old child with cerebral palsy was taken from the home and placed this week in the care of his mother, Rebecca Self, of South Carolina.

County Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie says despite noticing signs of possible abuse, neighbors and acquaintances didn't report their suspicions to authorities.

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

4 arrested after missing siblings found dead in Georgia

EFFINGHAM CO., GA (WTOC) - A death investigation is underway in the area of the Azalea Point subdivision in Effingham County.An explosion and fire at a power station in Astoria transformed the night sky over New York City into a strange turquoise light show on Thursday night.

A spokesperson for FDNY tells Gothamist that the explosion was first reported at 9:13 p.m in the vicinity of the Con Ed station on 20th Avenue. Since then, the fire department has received "several different reports of a flash of fire lighting up the sky, some sparks and crackles, a lot of things," the spokesperson said.

The ominous plume could be seen in all five boroughs across the city, and is reportedly causing scattered power outages in Queens. LaGuardia airport was temporarily shut down, though power appears to have been turned back on at Terminals C and D. A spokesperson for the Port Authority could not immediately be reached for comment.

We saw the sky turn a bright blue and then teal color. It was intensely bright and frightening, Jessica Kirk, a resident of East Midtown, told Gothamist. "It seemed unusual in color, and very oddly high in the sky.

The NYPD says that no injuries have been reported. According to the MTA, there are "extensive delays" on the 7 train as a result of the explosion.

There is presently no reason to believe that an alien invasion is imminent, according to both the mayor's press secretary and the NYPD.

UPDATE 10:50 P.M.: LaGuardia Airport has confirmed on Twitter that there are currently partial flight operations. Many flights are departing, some are not," a spokesperson for the airport said. Passengers are reporting that all flights out of American Airlines have been canceled.

Just spoke to Con Ed, they tell @WNYC that LaGuardia switched to a backup generator but all power lines to the airport are working now. https://t.co/z5wCewhArZ  Beth Fertig (@bethfertig) December 28, 2018

Just a little brief electrical fire causing a little transmission dip. Meanwhile it lit up the sky to Jersey and LGA has no power. GTFOH. https://t.co/N3zraKmzAP  Akash Goyal (@akashgoyal) December 28, 2018

Con Ed has also addressed the situation on Twitter, noting that "there was a brief electrical fire at our substation in Astoria which involved some electrical transformers and caused a transmission dip in the area." An investigation is underway.

UPDATE 11:30 P.M. Bill San Antonio was waiting to board a flight to Dallas when the lights in the American Airlines terminal went out, sometime around 9:45 p.m.

"Everyone went to the windows and that's when we saw a weird blue light in the sky, followed by flashes of white," San Antonio, 28, told Gothamist. "We didn't know what was going on. My girlfriend and I grabbed our bags and got out of there. I was a kid here on 9/11 and we tried to be as safe as possible to get out of there."

San Antonio said the lights in the airport were out for about 20 minutes. After the lights came back, San Antonio said he and his girlfriend were among the first to pass through the TSA screening. But shortly after clearing security, San Antonio said "another security agent told us to turn back around because all the American flights were canceled." They then proceeded with the other "unhappy" travelers to baggage claim to collect their luggage.

San Antonio was still at LaGuardia at 11:15 trying to get a ride back to his parents' home, while simultaneously scrambling to book a new flight. During a phone interview, a loud buzzer could be heard sounding, but San Antonio said the general mood was one of calm frustration.

"Alarms keep going off, it's sort of being ignored," he said

just landed to this at LGA. total blackout in the airport, emergency sirens blaring. nobody hurt but weird as fuck. looking fwd to seeing Agent Cooper walk out of the torn sky shortly https://t.co/Wx3FACJFWE  rachel handler (@rachel_handler) December 28, 2018

Meanwhile, Emilia Olsen's Delta flight from Madison, Wisconsin, landed at LaGuardia around 9 p.m. She was waiting on line at a ladies' restroom when the lights went out. "It flickered off and went black. Everybody laughed," Olsen said. "I figured someone hit a switch."

In the rest of the terminal, the lights were also out, with emergency lighting on. "I thought it was just the terminal," Olsen said. "There were no announcements, nobody was panicking.... Besides, it's also LaGuardia, so who knows?"

Olsen made her way to the baggage claim, which was "very eerie, because it was super dark with emergency lighting." Travelers were using their phone's flashlights to look for their bags.

Olsen only became aware of the transformer fire after she tweeted about LaGuardia being dark. "My friend told me about the blue light." She easily got a taxi back to her apartment in Brooklyn, and saw that the rest of the city looked fine. "I'm glad it didn't cause a panic, and no one was injured," she said.

Additional reporting by Jen Chung and John Del Signore.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A Tallahassee man is behind bars after he left a 6-foot cross outside FDLE's headquarters and threatened to carry out "God's law" by shooting FDLE agents.

Jeffery Savary, 44, has been charged written threats to kill, do bodily injury, or conduct a mass shooting.

According to an arrest report, Savary went to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Headquarters building in Tallahassee to report allegations of fraud. During the visit, Savary showed "moments of aggression and hostility."

"Savary spoke about God and that he was someone chosen by God to fight for individuals because of his knowledge," investigators wrote. An investigation was not initiated.

On Dec. 19, an FDLE employee discovered a 6-foot wooden cross at the front doors of the FDLE HQ. When investigators reviewed surveillance video, it revealed Savary had placed the cross at the front door early that morning and left.

Documents note that the cross had no markings or writing on it and that there was no reports of a stolen cross from the Tallahassee Police Department or the Leon County Sheriff's Office.

Between Nov. 27 and Dec. 21, Savary sent 37 emails to FDLE, one saying that he had a SKS rifle with a 200-round clip buried in the woods.

In another email he wrote, "I thought you would be wise enough to Repent and honor God's Choice !! None of you who watch are following God's will in this. Your (sic) going to be taught a lesson NOW !!"

Two days later on Dec. 21, FDLE agents and a deputy with the Leon County Sheriff's Office spoke with Savary, who told them that he was very angry with FDLE. Documents say he stated that "he had been to FDLE's HQ to file criminal charges against Sheriff McNeil and President Trump."

"Savary was very angry as he spoke," investigators wrote, "and felt like he had not been taken seriously."

He explained that he had sent around 30 emails to FDLE over the last few days but got no response, according to court documents. Savary told investigators that he had mentioned the semi-automatic rifle in his emails because FDLE had been conducting illegal surveillance of him.

Savary then said that he would carry out "God's law" and shoot FDLE agents. He told investigators that the rifle was buried in the woods, but refused to pinpoint where.

When he was informed that he was getting arrested, documents say Savary became enraged and began to scream, saying that law enforcement would have to kill him before he went peacefully. Eventually, officers handcuffed Savary and transported him to the Leon County Detention Facility.

As of Friday, he remains in jail with no bond.SNEADS, Fla. (WTXL) - A Florida Correctional Officer trainee is behind bars in Jackson County after a K-9 found marijuana inside his car while he was at work.

On Dec. 19, officers were notified of a K9 alert for a car on Apalachee Correctional Institution's property. The car belonged to correctional officer trainee Otis Pennywell, who signed a consent to search the car.

During the search, green plant material identified as "shake" was found in the passenger side floor board and in a box contained in the driver's side door. A grinder was also found above the radio of the car.

Pennywell was later placed under arrest and said he was the owner of the car along with his grandmother.

He stated his grandmother had not driven the car in a "very long while", yet his aunt did have access to the car and drove it occasionally.

Pennywell declined to provide the identity of his aunt and further stated he did not smell anything in the car and had no knowledge of what the substance was or how it got inside the car.

He is being charged with introduction of contraband, possession of cannabis, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Pennywell was taken to the Jackson County Jail.TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Florida's minimum wage workers will see a bit more money in their paychecks starting Tuesday.

Florida's minimum wage will jump 21 cents an hour starting in 2019, earning workers $8.46 an hour.

"Since Florida voters adopted and improved a constitutional amendment in 2004, Florida has adjusted the minimum wage for employers working in the state," said Vincent Palmer, with Career Source Capital Regional.

Palmer said employers must pay more than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. Meaning, Floridians working full time will earn at least $8 more every week.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says a family of four can get by on a food budget of about $140 a week.

However, for many, the new minimum wage is still not enough to meet basic needs.

"The capital regional's living wage, which pretty much goes into how much it would take for individuals to be able to live in this area, is $15 an hour," said Palmer. "So even though we have a slight increase of 21 cents, we still have a long way to go."

The new minimum wage for employees who receive tips will grow to $5.44, also a 21 cent jump per hour.

All of these changes go into effect, Jan. 1 2019.File photo shows workers go about their work at the Hawassa Industrial Park in Hawassa twon, 275 kilometres south of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, July 13, 2016. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia has earned 38 million U.S. dollars in export revenues from its flagship Chinese-built Hawassa industrial park in the last two years, an Ethiopian official said on Wednesday.

Built by China Civil Engineering Corporation (CCECC), the Hawassa industrial park located in Ethiopia's southern regional state, was initially completed in a record time of nine months back in July 2016.

CCECC has also constructed and commissioned Kombolocha and Adama industrial parks, while it has completed 70 percent of construction work for Bahir Dar industrial park.

Speaking to media, Mekonen Hailu, Public Relations Director of Ethiopia Investment Commission (EIC), said the 38 million U.S. dollars export revenue was earned from textile goods produced by 20 local and foreign firms located inside Hawassa industrial park.

Hailu further said Hawassa industrial park has created job opportunities for some 23,000 Ethiopians, who are also receiving practical skills training to build their capacities.

Ethiopia hopes to build and commission 30 industrial parks by 2025, as part of its efforts to make the country a light manufacturing hub and lower-middle income economy in the same period.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-27 23:47:41|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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SHANGHAI, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Wu Jianrong, former chairman and deputy Party chief of Shanghai Airport Authority, has been indicted on charges of taking bribes and concealing overseas bank deposits.

Wu was charged with accepting vast sums of money from others while using his positions, including deputy secretary general of the Shanghai municipal government and chairman and deputy Party chief of Shanghai Airport Authority, to seek benefits for them between 2006 and 2017, the No. 1 branch of the Shanghai People's Procuratorate said Thursday.

Wu was also charged with concealing and not reporting a large amount of overseas deposits.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 00:53:00|Editor: Chengcheng

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TRIPOLI, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chadian opposition militants on Thursday launched an attack on a camp of the eastern-based Libyan army forces in southern Libya, killing and injuring several soldiers.

The attack took place in Traghen town in southern Libya, which is located some 780 km south of the capital Tripoli.

One soldier was killed, six were injured, and seven others were taken hostages by the militants, dean of Traghen town, Abdussalam Shangla, told a local TV channel.

The militants withdrew towards the desert a few hours after the attack, Shangla said, confirming that the camp is currently under the army's control.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 00:53:00|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopia Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said on Thursday it has no information on border restrictions imposed by neighboring Eritrea.

Speaking to local and foreign media outlets, Meles Alem, Spokesperson at MoFA, said the Ethiopian government has no information on reports Eritrea has severely restricted movement of people and goods from Ethiopia to Eritrea.

"I have no information regarding reports Eritrea has restricted movement of people from Ethiopia to Eritrea, I will verify the information and get back to you," said Alem.

Recently, reports coming out of Ethiopia said Eritrea has imposed restrictions on one border point - the Rama-Adi-Quala border crossing.

There has been no immediate remark from Eritrean and Ethiopian officials on the reasons behind the restrictions on Ethiopian travelers planning to cross to Eritrea.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki re-opened the two countries common border on September 11, more than 20 years after it was shut with the outbreak of bloody war between the two nations.

Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a bloody two-year border war from 1998-2000, leaving an estimated 70,000 people dead from both sides, before a December 2000 Algiers peace agreement ended the war. However, the two countries had remained in a state of armed standoff until recently.

On June 5, the executive committee of the ruling party, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), passed a decision expressing commitment to an unconditional implementation of Algiers peace agreement with Eritrea.

Eritrea gave a positive response to Ethiopia's peace gesture two weeks later, and ever since then a series of rapid diplomatic moves has seen Ahmed and Afwerki visit their respective countries in July, formally ending two decades of mutual animosity.

The rapid diplomatic thaw between the two countries has also seen Ethiopia and Eritrea restore air links, telephone lines, trade routes and re-open their respective diplomatic missions.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 01:08:06|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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DOHA, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump has described Qatar as a great host for the largest U.S. military facility in the Middle East, local media reported on Thursday.

Trump made the remarks while holding a video teleconference Wednesday with Brigadier General Jason R Armagost and members of the U.S. military, Qatar-based English newspaper Gulf Times reported.

''Qatar was a fantastic host,'' Brigadier General Jason R Armagost, Commander of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, U.S. Air Force, based in Al-Udeid Air Base said.

He also mentioned that the 7,000 U.S. service personnel who are working "24x7, 365, on providing global strike intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, airlift, and cargo and tanker operations including defense of space controls well across the entire Centcom."

Earlier, in August, Qatari senior official announced that Qatar would expand two air bases including Al-Udeid.

Al-Udeid, which is considered the largest U.S. base in the Middle East, is home to the U.S. Air Force Central Command.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt cut diplomatic, trade and transport ties with Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism. Doha denies the charge.While responding to a call about downed wires, firefighters discovered two grow houses in a Bronx apartment building on Thursday afternoon. A resident told News 12, "You smelled it in the building. I mean you have the doors always broken, he's got people walking in and strangers in the hallway smoking marijuana, so you don't know if they're connected to whatever is happening."

The FDNY was looking for downed wires when firefighters smelled a possible gas leak at 1 Jacobus Place in Marble Hill. The Daily News reports, "The search for the gas leak led to two mini marijuana grow houses inside two fifth-floor apartments in the building. Since grow houses need more power for heat lamps, someone snaked electrical wires through the buildings dumbwaiter up to the apartments, a source said."

Authorities removed more than 100 marijuana plants. No arrests were made, and neighbors reportedly believe the grow houses were being maintained in vacant apartments.

Illegal marijuana grow house bust in the Bronx. This is just first batch confiscated by NYPD. FDNY initially responded to high gas levels in building, traced to 2 5th floor apts. Less than mile away from where FDNY Chief Michael Fahy was killed in marijuana grow house explosion. pic.twitter.com/h27nPIJhZM  CeFaan Kim (@CeFaanKim) December 27, 2018

Residents of the fourth and fifth floor were "temporarily evacuated" as the FDNY and Con Ed inspected the building, which is located a mile from the site of a grow house explosion that killed a battalion chief in 2016.

Another neighbor was frustrated it took so long for the grow house to be busted, telling News 12, "I even told the police that and they didn't listen to me ... I told them like a year ago."

The bust comes as New York State appears poised to legalize recreational marijuana next year, though many regulatory details remain unsettled.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 01:28:13|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ISLAMABAD, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- At least three laborers were killed and two others injured when part of a coal mine collapsed in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province on Thursday, officials said.

The miners were working in the deep cave when it collapsed in Dukki area of the province, senior police officer Sardar Hashim said.

He said a large number of laborers reached the site following the accident, and shifted the injured miners to a nearby hospital.

Pakistan has more than 184 billion tonnes of coal in reserve and it produces 4 million tonnes of coal annually. However, the mines are notorious for their unsafe working conditions and accidents are frequent due to lack of modern equipment.

According to the Pakistan Central Mines Labor Federation, about 100 to 200 laborers were killed or injured in coal mine accidents across the country every year.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 01:28:14|Editor: Chengcheng

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Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (L) and Sudanese Foreign Minister Al-Dirdiri Mohamed Ahmed attend a joint press conference in Khartoum, Sudan, on Dec. 27, 2018. Sudan and Egypt on Thursday reiterated the importance of enhancing security, stability and development of the Red Sea area through closer cooperation. (Xinhua/Mohamed Khidir)

KHARTOUM, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Sudan and Egypt on Thursday reiterated the importance of enhancing security, stability and development of the Red Sea area through closer cooperation.

In a joint communique issued in Khartoum at the conclusion of the second meeting of the quartet committee of Egyptian and Sudanese Foreign Ministers and Intelligence Chiefs, the two sides also agreed to continue coordination and support at all regional and international forums.

The two sides vowed to unite their visions of development and press ahead with proposals to establish structures that will bring them together to preserve their interests.

The two sides reviewed the steps made in support of the bilateral relations since the first quartet committee held in Cairo on Feb. 8 and the positive developments achieved as reflected in the exchange of visits by officials at all levels.

The meeting also reviewed the progress in some joint projects such as the electricity linkage, the studies relating to a railway linkage between the two countries, and the Egyptian industrial city at Al-Gaily area north of Khartoum, in addition to boosting cooperation in fields of capacity building and training in all sectors.

Sudan's Foreign Minister Al-Dirdiri Mohamed Ahmed told reporters that the two countries spoke about the importance of reactivating what they have agreed on through the joint technical committee, particularly implementing the projects approved and the agreements reached.

The Egyptian side, for its part, reiterated full support to Sudan's security and stability, saying it is inseparable from Egypt's national security.

Egypt always supports the stability of Sudan and all efforts to achieve security and preserve the gains of the Sudanese people, and it is always ready to offer support based on the priorities and polices set by the Sudanese government, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told reporters.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 04:13:34|Editor: Liangyu

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A picture taken on Dec. 25, 2018 shows a firetruck at the scene of an attack outside the Libyan foreign ministry headquarters in the capital Tripoli. (AFP Photo)

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Thursday condemned the "terrorist attack" on the Libyan foreign ministry building that killed three people and injured 10 others.

In a press statement, the council members reaffirmed "terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security."

They underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice, urging all states to cooperate with the Libyan government and authorities in this regard.

The attack occurred at 9:00 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) Tuesday, when a car bomb exploded right behind the Libyan foreign ministry building, an official of the ministry told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Afterward, a group of gunmen entered the building from the front and back entrances and exchanged heavy fire with the security forces, according to the official.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 05:08:46|Editor: Chengcheng

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DAMASCUS, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian private Sham Wings Airlines made its debut flight to Tunisia on Thursday, marking the first trip between both countries in years, according to the state news agency SANA.

The flight between the international airport of Damascus and the Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport in Tunisia reached its destination on Thursday afternoon with 150 Syrian passengers onboard, according to the report.

Osama Satea, the development manager in the Sham Wings, said the flight is a prelude to scheduled flights between Syria and Tunisia, adding the new destination is part of a plan to expand the network of destinations the company is scheduling.

This development is a part of what appears to be a new era in the Syrian-Arab relations after more than seven years of war in Syria which included stranded relations with other Arab countries.

Earlier in the day, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reopened its embassy in Damascus, just days after the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir visited Syria and marked the first Arab leader to visit the country in more than seven years.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 06:49:11|Editor: mym

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LONDON, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Britain's most senior police officer warned on Thursday that the public could be put at risk if the UK leaves the European Union (EU) without reaching an agreement.

Her warning came weeks ahead of the British parliament's vote on the Brexit deal reached between the British government and the EU.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick told local media that a no-deal Brexit would threaten access to EU-wide criminal databases which will make it harder to extradite people from abroad.

She also said that the Met was talking to other police forces across Europe about contingency arrangements if needed.

Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29 next year.

Dick said Britain's policing cooperation with the EU was based on a framework of "legal instruments" which would have to be replaced after its exit.

But she admitted that a no-deal scenario would make this very difficult to do in the short term.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 07:35:47|Editor: Yang Yi

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Folk artist Wang Xin (2nd L) teaches students to make dough figurines at a primary school in Zaozhuang City, east China's Shandong Province, Dec. 27, 2018. Students learn to create dough figurines under the guidance of folk artist to celebrate the coming new year. (Xinhua/Sun Zhongzhe)Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 11:00:00|Editor: Chengcheng

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by Abdul Haleem

KABUL, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Looking back at this year, security problems have topped all challenges facing the government in insurgency-plagued Afghanistan as militancy and counter-militancy have claimed countless lives including more than 8,000 civilians.

The beleaguered Afghan government, while keeping military operations ongoing, has stepped up its peace efforts to bring the Taliban outfit to the negotiating table to seek a political settlement to the country's lingering crisis, but much has been in vain as the insurgent group has utterly spurned the offer for talks.

Rejecting the government-initiated peace talks, the Taliban outfit has stepped up its anti-government activities across the conflict-riddled country.

BLOODIEST YEAR

In conflict-hit Afghanistan, according to officials, more than 20 insurgent groups are active in fighting the government here.

Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has reportedly said that 20 insurgent groups exist in Afghanistan and the most deadly ones include the Taliban, Islamic State, al-Qaida and the Haqqani network that are engaged in subversive activities in the country.

Taliban militants, according to the outfit's spokesman Zabihullah Majahid, are in control of 72 percent of the country's territory, a claim rebuffed by the government sources as baseless propaganda.

However, the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said in its report released in November that the Taliban outfit had expanded its hold since the drawdown of the U.S.-led coalition forces in late 2014 and the country's security responsibility was largely passed over to the Afghan forces in early 2015.

The Afghan government, according to the SIGAR report, currently controls 55.5 percent of the country's more than 400 districts.

Nevertheless, Afghan officials rejected the report, stressing that the militant groups' hold is limited and only restricted to some rural areas.

Taliban militants briefly overran Farah City, the capital of western Farah province and Ghazni City, the capital of eastern Ghazni province in May and August respectively.

A report released by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in October documented 2,798 civilian deaths and 5,252 injuries in the first nine months of the outgoing year.

Although there is no report about the exact number of government forces' casualties in 2018, on an average basis according to security officials, 20 security personnel lost their lives each day in Afghanistan.

President Ghani revealed in November that 28,529 Afghan security personnel had lost their lives since 2015, with the majority of them reportedly being killed in 2018.

Expressing concern over the increasing civilian casualties in Afghanistan, the United Nations Security Council in a statement very recently called upon all actors involved in the Afghan conflict to respect international laws and protect civilians in the war-weary country.

"No doubt, the year 2018 was the bloodiest year since the collapse of the Taliban reign in Afghanistan 17 years ago as anti-government militants, especially the Taliban and the Islamic State groups, have intensified activities elsewhere in the country," renown political and military analyst General (Rtrd) Atiqullah Omarkhil told Xinhua.

Both Afghan security forces and civilians, according to the analyst, have hugely suffered due to the increasing insurgency in the country in the outgoing year.

PEACE EFFORTS

President Ghani offered unconditional talks with the Taliban group in February, saying his administration would, among others, recognize the armed group as a legitimate political party if the group gives up its militant activities and join the government-initiated peace process to find a negotiated settlement to the country's lingering crisis.

However, the hardliner Taliban outfit has rebuffed the offer, claiming that the Afghan government "has no power to make the decision" and therefore it wants to hold direct talks with the United States as it is a major entity in the Afghan war.

Amid efforts to make some peace in Afghanistan, both the Taliban and government forces observed a three-day ceasefire on the occasion of Eidul Fitr, the second largest religious festival in June this year, which enabled hundreds of thousands of armed insurgents to come to cities and visit their families and friends.

According to Taliban sources and media reports, the armed outfit has twice held direct talks with U.S. envoys in Qatar's capital city of Doha. The third round of talks was held between the two sides in the absence of the Afghan government delegation in the United Arab Emirates on Dec. 17, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Majahid confirmed.

However, a Taliban delegation sat down at the same table with a delegation from the Afghan peace body, the High Peace Council, in a meeting hosted by Russia in Moscow in November. But the meeting failed to facilitate holding direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban outfit.

Omarkhil welcomed the recent impetus in the ongoing peace process and said with optimism that the "current regional cooperation, including the support of the United States and China for the peace efforts, would help make the Afghan peace and national reconciliation process successful."

Afghanistan, Pakistan and China have agreed at a recent meeting here to enhance trilateral cooperation to support Afghanistan's peace process.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 12:30:21|Editor: Yang Yi

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JAKARTA, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- A 6.1-magnitude earthquake rocked Indonesia's eastern Papua Barat province on Friday, but no tsunami warning was issued, the meteorology and geophysics agency said.

The quake jolted at 10:03 a.m. local time (0303 GMT) with an epicenter of 26 km underearth of southeast Manokwari, the country's meteorology and geophysics agency official Muhammad Fadila said.

"So far, we have not issued a warning for tsunami," he told Xinhua over the phone.

The jolts of the quake did not cause any damage or casualty, spokesman of the national disaster management agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

"The tremors only triggered panic, people were rushing outside their houses in Manokwari," the spokesman told Xinhua in a text message.

The shakes of the quake were strongly felt for five minutes, Sutopo said.

Indonesia is prone to quake as it lies on a vulnerable quake-affected areas called "the Pacific Ring of Fire".Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 13:15:27|Editor: Chengcheng

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Gun violence on campuses across the Unites States in 2018 reached records unseen in the past 20 years in terms of both the number of incidents and the degree of devastation, according to a report Thursday by the Washington Post.

The report said more than 4 million children in the last school year experienced school lockdowns caused by various threats, at least 61 percent of which were related to firearms. Many of the students, it added, were left traumatized.

The Post launched a database in April tracking incidents of gun violence on campuses since 1999. It found that so far in 2018, there have been 25 cases of school shooting nationwide; a total of 25,332 students were exposed to such carnage; 94 students were shot, among whom 33 were killed and 61 were injured.

The 2018 figures in all the above statistics categories have set new records in almost two decades. U.S. campuses, as a result, witnessed the most serious devastation brought by gun violence.

School systems in every U.S. state and the District of Columbia - irrespective of demographics or affluence, location or security - had several lockdowns in the last school year, which ran from the autumn of 2017 to the summer of 2018.

Buildings that were cordoned off contained varying numbers of students, ranging from as few as four to as many as 5,000, according to the report.

"In fact, on every schoolday between Labor Day in September 2017 and Memorial Day in May 2018, a campus in this country went into lockdown because of a shooting or the perceived danger of one," it said.

On Feb. 23, 2018 alone, 33 incidents were reported on campuses all around the country, triggering 67 lockdowns and affecting 50,427 students, a chart in the report illustrated.

Children affected by lockdowns during the last school year covered all age groups, the report said. More than 1 million elementary-age kids were witnesses of an incident, of whom at least 220,000 are kindergarteners or younger ones, meaning they are mostly under 7 years of age.

Experts of childhood trauma said they believe "a meaningful percentage of" the affected kids will sustain long-term consequences, including worsening academic and social progression, depression, anxiety, poor sleep, post-traumatic symptomatology and substance abuse, according to the report.

Regardless of how small an imminent threat is, it could be very challenging for school administrators in that they have to respond to the situation in a matter of seconds, the Post said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 13:25:30|Editor: ZD

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by Hu Yao

MACAO, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland and Macao have stepped up their cooperation on disaster prevention and relief work after typhoon Hato and typhoon Mangkhut hit the region in two consecutive years, helping the latter strengthen its capability to deal with natural disasters.

Powerful Typhoon Hato struck the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Aug. 23, 2017, resulting in the deaths of 10 people and injuries of more than 244 others, with a heavy loss of 11.5 billion patacas (about 1.42 billion U.S. dollars).

Typhoon Mangkhut struck the Macao SAR on Sept. 16, 2018, injuring 15 people, with a loss of 1.55 billion patacas (about 192 million U.S. dollars).

At the invitation of Macao SAR Chief Executive Chui Sai On, the National Commission for Disaster Reduction has sent teams of experts to the Macao SAR for dozens of times in the past year in a bid to help review and provide suggestions on Macao's disaster prevention and relief work.

The teams were divided into groups based on their specialities, such as architecture, water conservation, meteorology, telecommunication, electricity, disaster prevention and rescue.

At the end of March this year, a report written by the experts was published on assessing the overall impact of Typhoon Hato and offering suggestions for optimizing the mechanism for managing emergencies in the Macao SAR.

The report also offered practical advice on measures appropriate to the Macao SAR in relation to the prevention or mitigation of disasters, post-disaster relief measures, and the SAR's response mechanism for any public emergency.

Meanwhile, the government of the Macao SAR also enhanced its cooperation with Tsinghua University, North China University of Technology, and the Ministry of Civil Affairs' National Disaster Reduction Center.

Based on the report and the suggestions by the experts, the government of the Macao SAR stepped up its efforts on infrastructure construction, upgrading its disaster monitoring and early warning system, and improving people's awareness of disaster prevention and relief. It also enhanced its abilities of electricity and water supply, as well as flood controlling at the inner harbor.

On Sept. 16 this year, Typhoon Mangkhut struck the Macao SAR. The SAR government was well-prepared before the typhoon came, with multiple measures put in place.

The Marine and Water Bureau warned all ports and ships to be alert about the coming storm and operate with caution. Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak urged a 29-member civil protection management team and other public departments to pay particular attention to the preparations for the typhoon.

All departments of the SAR government took emergency plans to fight the powerful typhoon. People living in the areas near the sea were evacuated beforehand in case of floods caused by the typhoon.

Fortunately, all of the preparation work proved effective. There were only 15 people getting injured during typhoon Mangkhut, and the electricity and water supply remained normal.

Chief Executive of the Macao SAR Chui Sai On said in his Policy Address for the Fiscal Year 2018 that with the assistance of the experts from the National Commission for Disaster Reduction, the SAR government has strengthened its infrastructure construction, put into priority the life and property security of its residents, and enhanced its disaster prevention and relief work.

He said that the SAR government will enhance its planning for infrastructure construction, such as underground pipelines and windproof design for high buildings. It will also set up an information publishing platform, and train more meteorological personnel.

The SAR government will also seek to strengthen its cooperation with the mainland on disaster prevention and relief work, Chui added.

The SAR government is stepping up its efforts to advance Macao's overall capabilities for disaster prevention and mitigation, including amendment to the Civil Protection Law, the formulation of a 10-year plan for disaster prevention and mitigation (2019-2028), and the establishment of a new emergency command system.

The government will also strive to initiate an insurance system covering losses from major disasters, an overall emergency response plan, the construction of major fundamental infrastructure, and promotion of safety awareness of the public.Moving to a new city can be full of anxiety and excitement. When you feel scared, you cant enjoy the...

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Vaccine inequality is a major problem

By definition a pandemic is global. For our classics loving prime minister, the clue is in the name. Pan from the Greek for all and demos from the Greek for people. The word is used to describe something that effects allSource: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 13:50:36|Editor: ZD

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BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- A kindergarten teacher was sentenced to one and a half years in prison over child abuse by a court in Beijing on Friday.

The sentence, given by the People's Court in Chaoyang District, found that Liu Yanan, a teacher at the RYB Education New World Kindergarten in Chaoyang, used needles to prick four kids in November 2017.

Liu was also forbidden from working in juvenile nursing and education fields for five years, the court said.

The court said Liu's behavior severely damaged the physical and mental health of juveniles.

According to Chinese law, those who abuse juveniles, the elderly, patients or people with disabilities in their care can be given up to three years of imprisonment if the circumstances are serious.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 14:55:47|Editor: Liangyu

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KABUL, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- At least five militants of the Haqqani militant group have been killed following Afghan Air Force airstrikes in two eastern provinces, the Afghan Ministry of Defense said on Friday.

"Five members of Haqqani terrorist network were killed after Air Force struck militants' hideouts on the outskirts of Gardez, capital of eastern Paktia province and Gomal district of eastern Paktika province Thursday," the ministry said in a statement.

The Haqqani network, a Taliban-linked group which operated in eastern provinces and the capital Kabul, has been responsible for many high-profile attacks against security forces.

A militants' vehicle and a motorcycle were also destroyed during the raids.

The Haqqani network has not made a comment on the report yet.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 15:30:58|Editor: Li Xia

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HOHHOT, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region will publish visual dictionaries to save three endangered ethnic languages, according to the region's nationalities affairs committee.

The dictionary collecting the historical, cultural, religious and economic texts and files of the ethnic minority of Daur has been published and the other two dictionaries of Oroqen and Ewenki are in preparation for publication.

The dictionaries use colorful pictures, cartoons and illustrations to explain the words and phrases of the languages along with Mandarin descriptions and dialect pronunciation for each entry.

Language training classes are also being organized in communities of the three ethnic groups to encourage the younger generation, especially students in primary and middle school, to learn their ethnic languages and culture.

The three small ethnic minorities of Oroqen, Daur and Ewenki do not have their own written languages, and many of their records were in Manchu and Mongolian.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 15:30:59|Editor: zh

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ULAN BATOR, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga on Friday awarded the internationally known eagle huntress Aisholpan Nurgaiv with the Order of the Polar Star, one of the highest state honors in the country.

The 17-year-old received the order for her contributions to promote the ethnic Kazakh tradition of hunting with eagles internationally, according to the president's press office.

When Aisholpan was 13, she became popular for her hobby of hunting with eagles. She was trained by her father to hunt on horseback with a golden eagle, traditionally a male pursuit.

Israeli photographer Asher Svidensky became the first to discover the girl in 2013 and published a series of jaw-dropping photos of the eagle huntress. Inspired by these pictures, British Director Otto Bell shot a documentary "The Eagle Huntress," in which Aisholpan starred together with her eagle.

The eagle huntress was also one of the recipients of the Asia Game Changer Awards in 2017, which recognize those making a transformative and positive difference for the future of Asia and the world.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 16:01:11|Editor: Li Xia

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by Xinhua writer Liu Hongxia

BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- China has made "unprecedented" progress in the past 40 years via reform and opening-up, a policy that would lead the country to greater success, World Bank country director for China Bert Hofman said.

"Undoubtedly, continuous reform and opening-up has been and remains a key driver for China's success," said Hofman, a Dutch economist working for the World Bank for over 20 years.

Noting that the decision to reform and open up was "historic," Hofman said he was especially impressed with how China processed the idea.

"China did it in a gradual and pragmatic way," he said.

Having once served as the World Bank's chief economist for the East Asia and Pacific Region, Hofman was very familiar with such Chinese terms as "crossing the river by feeling the stones" and "practice is the sole criterion of truth."

"Gradual experimental reform was a pragmatic approach...If it works, the government would expand it to more regions and sectors. If not, then drop it and look for other reform. That's quite pragmatic," he said, adding that the Chinese government has always been in charge of when, where and how the reform would proceed.

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of reform and opening-up, China apparently accelerated its pace, in what some critics see as a compromise to external pressure.

"It is unfair to say that," Hofman said, noting that China's decision to further reform and open up goes in line with its economic fundamentals and national interests.

"Also, it's only natural to respond to people's call for better lives."

China's economy expanded by 6.7 percent year on year in the first three quarters, while economic indicators moderated or even declined, casting a cloud over its future growth.

"Even though China's growth rate is coming down a little bit, its contribution to global growth is not changing very much," Hofman said, adding that China's growth is still "respectable" and that "few economies do better than China."

"As long as the Chinese economy is driven by consumption, service and innovation, there is nothing to worry about."

China, in two recent high-ranking meetings, reaffirmed its commitment to reform and opening-up.

"That would not only mean a lot to China but also mean more opportunities for the rest of the world," Hofman said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 16:16:17|Editor: Xiang Bo

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- The cabinet of Brazil's President-elect Jair Bolsonaro announced on Thursday that it will review all policy decisions by its predecessor in its last 60 days of office.

In an 81-page document released to the press, Bolsonaro's transition team stated that the new government will determine the priority policies in 10 days after taking office.

Then, it will review all decisions made by the government of President Michel Temer in the last two months of its administration and determine whether the new government will carry them on.

The document, a guidebook for new cabinet members, also set forth a calendar of the first 100 days of the Bolsonaro administration.

Over the first month, ministers will elaborate on priority proposals, and decide which decrees and regulations of the previous government should be revoked.

The inauguration ceremony of Bolsonaro will be held on Jan. 1. Several foreign leaders have been confirmed to attend the ceremony.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 16:46:22|Editor: ZX

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by Raimundo Urrechaga

HAVANA, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- After a 1.2 percent economic growth this year, Cuba seeks to increase its efficiency and exports to reach greater development in 2019, amid financial tensions due to cash constraints and reinforced U.S. sanctions.

COMMENDABLE GROWTH

Although well below the expected 2 percent growth in the country's GDP, the figure is "commendable," according to Cuban government officials, after two years of very low growth and recession.

"It's an encouraging figure as the economy continues to recover within an adverse scenario," Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said recently at the closing ceremony of the country's parliament session.

Economic losses amounting to 13 billion U.S. dollars, due to hurricane Irma last year and the rains associated with tropical storm Alberto in mid-2018, harshly impacted the country's monetary plan.

Other negative elements included a shortage in hard currencies to pay foreign debts, Cuba's Minister of Economy and Planning Alejandro Gil told lawmakers.

Gil said the Caribbean nation is working on updating its economic model in a "complex scenario" marked by a setback in relations with the United States and "financial persecution" by Washington as it continues its six-decade old embargo.

The blockade causes an annual financial loss of 4.3 billion dollars, he said. "Our country would be able to grow much more if the United States lifts the blockade," he added.

CHALLENGES AHEAD

Key challenges for Cuba in the year ahead include drawing more foreign investments, increasing exports of its signature products and medical services, attracting more tourists and boosting efficiency in state-owned companies and factories, experts have said.

Accelerating the nation's investment rate, which currently is around 11 percent of the GDP, must be done next year in order to guarantee "dynamic and sustainable" development, Rodrigo Malmierca, minister of foreign trade and investment, said recently.

"Increasing foreign investment in Cuba is an essential factor to our economic growth as the country needs around 2 billion dollars a year of external capital to reach an investment rate of 20 percent of our GDP," Malmierca said.

Malmierca added that this year, 40 new joint or foreign projects were authorized for over 1.5 billion dollars.

"Since the approval of the new foreign investment law in 2014, around 5.5 billion U.S. dollars have been committed in different industries, particularly in the Mariel Special Development Zone," he said.

In terms of tourism, Cuba will close out this year with a new record in the arrival of international tourists reaching 4.75 million, a 1.3 percent increase from 2017, a senior official from the island's Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR) said at a press conference on Dec. 20.

"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," said Michel Bernal, MINTUR's development director.

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.

The number of tourists from Mexico and Brazil grew 23 and 16 percent respectively while the number of Chinese visitors increased 10 percent from last year, Bernal said.

PRIVATE SECTOR

A complementary aspect of the Cuban economy which becomes more important each year is the island's nascent private sector, which contributes around 13 percent of the island's annual budget.

Almost 600,000 Cubans, or 13 percent of the country's labor force, work in the private sector, according to the state daily Granma.

The Cuban government announced in July a package of new measures which aimed to address problems such as the black market, tax evasion and wealth inequality that have long haunted the country's private sector.

The measures, coming into effect in early December, included reducing the number of business categories from 96 to 28, and that of the work-related activities from 201 to 123.

"Private workers are not enemies of the revolution, they have emerged as a result of an update to our economic model, solving problems that represented a burden for the government," said Diaz-Canel at the conclusion of the parliament session.

This was the first major reform-oriented move taken by Diaz-Canel after his election in April.

A 1.5 percent GDP growth is forecasted for 2019, Diaz-Canel said, as Cuba seeks to slightly develop in areas like infrastructures, industries, sugar production and tourism, and reduce its foreign debts.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 18:01:36|Editor: Xiang Bo

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DAMASCUS, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army declared Friday entering the northern city of Manbij and raising the Syrian flag in it, following the withdrawal of Kurdish militia, according to the state TV.

"Out of the commitment of the Syrian army to handle its responsibilities, and upon the calls of the people of Manbij, the general command of the Syrian army declares entering Manbij and hosting the Syrian flag in it," the Syrian army said in a statement Friday.

The Syrian Armed Forces guarantee the security to all people in the area, the statement said, adding that "the army underscores the concerted efforts to dislodge the invaders and occupiers off of the Syrian soil."

Also on Friday, the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) invited the Syrian army to enter the city of Manbij to stand in the face of a planned Turkish campaign.

In a statement released Friday, the YPG said its forces have withdrawn from Manbij, urging the Syrian forces to assume control over that city in the northern countryside of Aleppo province near the Turkish border.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 18:16:41|Editor: zh

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MADRID, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Madrid, the capital city of Spain, is mulling the use of new ecological means of transport, which have emerged in the city in recent years, to wage a "mobility revolution," along with the decision of its City Council to restrict traffic downtown.

"We are moving towards to seeing mobility as a service. This is undoubted, we are moving towards a society where we no longer have a car as a property when it is an unused asset most of the time," said Jose Luis Zimmermann, the general director of the Spanish Association of Digital Economy (AEED).

"We have alternatives to solve this," said Zimmermann, referring to the emergence of car-sharing services since 2015, or similar services involving motorcycles or electric scooters.

"There are many business models that have emerged around this, with a clear goal: to stop using the private car as an asset in property and use it as a service," Zimmermann said.

However, one of the particularities of this "mobility revolution" happening in Madrid is its firm commitment to sustainability, with the vehicles offered being electric.

"These models propose more livable cities," Zimmermann said.

This business model fits perfectly with Madrid's decision to restrict the movement of cars in the city center, except for downtown residents, their guests, low-polluting vehicles or those who go to schools, among others.

This measure, called Madrid Central, began on Nov. 30 and it does not allow vehicles to enter the city center, which includes emblematic areas such as Gran Via, Puerta del Sol, Palacio Real, Plaza de Espana or the Bohemian neighborhoods of Lavapies and Malasana.

The Madrid City Council estimates that traffic will be reduced by 37 percent with the measure.

However, electric vehicles are allowed in downtown Madrid because they are eco-friendly, and the number of them is expected to increase in the coming months.

"Some Spanish cities such as Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia have already made decisions to restrict the private use of the car. Madrid Central is an example of all this; the City Council has raised awareness and everyone is aware that there is a problem with traffic," Zimmermann said.

European car-sharing platform Car2Go, now owned by German car maker Daimler AG, opened car-sharing services in Madrid in 2015, and is being used by Madrid residents.

Car2Go operates in more than two dozen cities and has a fleet of 400 cars, all electric-only, in Madrid. It has announced recently that it would double the fleet to 850.

The arrival of these new traffic means and the traffic restriction in the city center have been well received by Madrid residents.

"Madrid is a city where there is a lot of pollution because many people use their cars when they go to work, public transport is good, but they still prefer the car; if you have to move around the center, bicycles are a good alternative," Claudia Martinez, an 18-year-old student, told Xinhua.

Juan Rodriguez, a 33-year-old lawyer, said that everything that would help the environment and reduce pollution is positive.

However, others have said that the City Council must teach citizens how to use the new transport systems.

Gema Gomez, a bus driver with the Municipal Transport Company (EMT), which is responsible for public transport, said that "it is good" that people do not use cars thanks to the initiative of Madrid Central, but she said it would be a good idea to regulate the alternative transport systems.

"They should also regulate the use of scooters, especially because they do not know whether to use the pavement or the road," she said.

Two weeks ago, the City Council ordered the removal of hundreds of electric scooters parked in the middle of public roads because they prevented the normal use of the roads.

On Nov. 29, one driver of an electric scooter accidentally killed a pedestrian after running the victim over, causing a lot of controversy about the correct use of electric scooters in Spain.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 18:31:48|Editor: zh

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SEOUL, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's defense ministry on Friday expressed deep concern and regret over Japan's release of footage filmed by a Japanese surveillance aircraft on which Tokyo claimed a South Korean navy destroyer locked a fire-control radar.

Choi Hyun-soo, spokesperson of South Korea's defense ministry, told a press briefing that the destroyer was in the normal operation at the time to rescue a fishing boat of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the East Sea.

There has been no change in the fact that the South Korean military did not lock a fire control radar on the Japanese patrol plane, the spokesperson said.

The radar lock itself does no damage to a target, but it can be seen threatening as it is a step away from launching a missile against the target.

Japan's defense ministry released a footage earlier in the day, filmed on Dec. 20 by the Japanese P-1 patrol aircraft, to claim that the South Korean destroyer directed its fire control radar against it.

The Seoul spokesperson expressed deep concern and regret over the footage release as it came just a day after military officials of South Korea and Japan held a teleconference talks over the radar row.

During the working-level teleconference on Thursday, the two sides exchanged views over facts and technical analysis to remove misunderstandings, according to Seoul's defense ministry.

The ministry said in a statement that the talks were held in a friendly and sincere atmosphere and the two sides agreed to continue working-level consultations.

The spokesperson told the press briefing that it was very disappointing for the Japanese patrol aircraft to be in a low-altitude, threatening flight near the South Korean destroyer, which was focusing on the humanitarian rescue operation for the DPRK fishing boat.

The spokesperson said the released footage cannot be an objective evidence to support what Japan claimed as it simply included the Japanese patrol plane's turning and the pilot's dialogue, urging the Japanese side to provide concrete evidence to support its claim.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 18:56:52|Editor: zh

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TOKYO, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks closed slightly lower on Friday, the last trading day in 2018, due to profit-taking after the Nikkei index rose sharply the previous day.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average decreased 62.85 points, or 0.31 percent, from Thursday at 20,014.77.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange ended 7.54 points, or 0.50 percent, lower at 1,494.09.

The Tokyo stock market will reopen on Jan. 4.

According to traders, the Japanese stock market was firm throughout most of 2018, as economic recovery in the United States and robust corporate earnings in the United States and Japan fueled investor sentiment.

Factors such as concerns over possible slowdown of the world's largest economy and the planned resignation of U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis at the end of February contributed to the recent turbulence in the market.

By the close of play, pharmaceutical, retail, and oil and coal product issues comprised those that decreased the most, and falling issues outnumbered rising ones by 1,166 to 891 on the First Section, while 72 ended the day unchanged.

Oil refiner Idemitsu Kosan slid 50 yen, or 1.4 percent, to 3,610 yen, while supermarket chain Aeon decreased 70.0 yen, or 3.2 percent, to 2,149.50 yen.

On the main section on Friday, 1,195.06 million shares changed hands, falling from Thursday's volume of 1,576.42 million shares.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 19:11:55|Editor: zh

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DAMASCUS, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army declared Friday entering the northern city of Manbij and raising the Syrian flag in it, following the withdrawal of Kurdish militia, according to the state TV.

"Out of the commitment of the Syrian army to handle its responsibilities, and upon the calls of the people of Manbij, the general command of the Syrian army declares entering Manbij and hosting the Syrian flag in it," the Syrian army said in a statement Friday.

The Syrian Armed Forces guarantee the security to all people in the area, the statement said, adding that "the army underscores the concerted efforts to dislodge the invaders and occupiers off of the Syrian soil."

Also on Friday, the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) invited the Syrian army to enter the city of Manbij to stand in the face of a planned Turkish campaign.

In a statement released Friday, the YPG said its forces have withdrawn from Manbij, urging the Syrian forces to assume control over that city in the northern countryside of Aleppo province near the Turkish border.

"We invite the Syrian government forces ... to assert control over the areas our forces have withdrawn from, in particular Manbij, and to protect these areas against a Turkish invasion," said the YPG statement.

The YPG continued that it will focus on the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group on the east of the Euphrates River.

Handing over Manbij to the Syrian army comes in light of the recent Turkish threats to launch a wide-scale campaign against the Kurdish militia in northern and northeastern Syria.

Earlier this year, the Kurdish militia lost the northern enclave of Afrin to the Turkish forces after they rejected the entry of the Syrian government forces to assume control of Afrin.

The Kurdish militia seems to have learned from that lesson, which explains their decision to hand over Manbij to the Syrian army this time.

It's worth noting that U.S. forces still have a presence in Manbij.

Earlier this year, the U.S. agreed with Turkey to run joint patrols between Manbij and its countryside, which is controlled by the Turkish-backed groups.

Ankara has urged the U.S. to push the YPG to withdraw from Manbij and later the YPG said it had withdrawn from parts of it, a claim which didn't seem to have resonated with Turkey.

Turkey deems the YPG and the allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as terrorist and separatist groups due to their links with the Turkey-banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

But with the entry of the Syrian Army, Turkey would be stripped of the pretext to launch a campaign and to enter Manbij, which is the first area the Turkish forces are planning to enter.

The Kurdish militia groups, which have been controlling areas in northern and northeastern Syria since the early time of the more than seven-year-long war, have felt the pinch after the recent decision of the U.S. forces to withdraw from Syria.

The U.S. has provided the Kurdish-backed groups with substantial aid to consolidate their gains in northern Syria and to launch offensives to retake areas held by the IS group.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 19:41:58|Editor: Li Xia

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Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, addresses the opening of the 10th national congress of the China Film Association in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 28, 2018. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)

BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- A senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official on Friday called on China's film makers to join hands to make the country a power in the film industry.

Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks when addressing the opening of the 10th national congress of the China Film Association in Beijing.

Huang encouraged the film industry to "record and praise this great era and make remarkable productions with truthfulness and sincerity."

He praised the great development of China's movie industry during the past four decades since the implementation of reform and opening-up, as more high-quality productions were made, the market kept booming and the industry attracted large numbers of talented people.

All film makers must embrace the times and focus on and show the life of the people, Huang said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 19:57:00|Editor: zh

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DAMASCUS, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) invited the Syrian army on Friday to enter the city of Manbij in northern Syria to stand in the face of a planned Turkish campaign.

The YPG said in a statement that its forces have withdrawn from Manbij, urging the Syrian forces to assume control over that city in the northern countryside of Aleppo province near the Turkish border.

"We invite the Syrian government forces ... to assert control over the areas where our forces have withdrawn from, particularly Manbij, and to protect these areas against a Turkish invasion," the statement said.

The YPG added that it will focus on the fight against the Islamic State (IS) on the east of the Euphrates River.

Handing over Manbij to the Syrian army came in light of the recent Turkish threats to launch a wide-scale campaign against the Kurdish militia in northern and northeastern Syria.

Earlier this year, the Kurdish militia lost the northern enclave of Afrin to the Turkish forces after rejecting the entry of the Syrian forces to assume control of the region.

The Kurdish militia seems to have learned from that lesson, which explains its decision to hand over Manbij to the Syrian army this time.

It's worth noting that the U.S. forces have a presence in Manbij, which is controlled by the Kurdish-led Manbij Military Council.

Earlier this year, the U.S. agreed with Turkey to run joint patrols between Manbij and its countryside, which is controlled by the Turkish-backed groups.

Ankara has urged the U.S. to push the YPG to withdraw from Manbij. The YPG later said that it had withdrawn from parts of it, a claim which didn't seem to resonate with Turkey.

Turkey recently threatened to enter Manbij in its planned campaign against the Kurdish militia in northern and northeastern Syria, mainly in the eastern Euphrates River region.

This week, reports said that the Syrian army's convoys were seen entering an area on the western outskirts of Manbij with no comments from Damascus.

The Turkish side has for long opposed the growing influence of the U.S.-backed Kurdish militia in northern Syria near the Turkish border.

Turkey regards the YPG and their allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as separatists and terrorists, due to their links with the Turkey-banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

But with the entry of the Syrian army, Turkey would be stripped of the pretext to launch a campaign and to enter Manbij.

The Kurdish militia groups, which have been controlling areas in northern and northeastern Syria since the early time of the more than seven-year war, have felt the pinch after the recent decision of the U.S. forces to withdraw from Syria.

The U.S. has provided the Kurdish-backed groups with substantial aid to consolidate their gains in northern Syria and to launch offensives to retake areas held by the IS group.

The SDF succeeded to make important gains in the fight against IS in its last stronghold in the eastern Euphrates in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour province.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said late Thursday that the IS militants are taking their last breathes in the eastern Euphrates as a result of the campaign of the SDF, which has been ongoing since September.

Some local reports recently suggested that a delegation of the Kurdish militia visited Moscow where talks were taking place on the need for the Kurdish forces to hand over areas to the Syrian army.

For the Syrian government officials, all Syrian areas must be retaken by the Syrian army.

Ahead of the Turkish decision to launch a campaign and the U.S. surprise decision to withdraw from Syria, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said that a Kurdish federal rule or independence is totally rejected.

Local experts said that the only way to avoid a possible confrontation in northern Syria is to make Kurdish fighters return under the umbrella of the Syrian government.

It's not yet clear what will be the case in other Kurdish-controlled areas in northern Syria, but the Friday statement could be a prelude to finding a long-lasting solution to the situation of the Kurdish militia in northern Syria.File photo shows workers are seen at a construction site of an industrial park in Hawassa, Ethiopia, Feb. 3, 2016. (Xinhua /Michael Tewelde)

ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- China can advise African governments on the important aspects of skills and efforts that are required to make industrial parks attractive and effective, an Ethiopian scholar said Thursday.

Costantinos Bt. Costantinos, who served as an economic advisor to the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), told Xinhua on Thursday that "African governments can make good use of China's proven experience in the development of industry parks."

Ethiopia, similarly with other African economies, is presently exploring the best possible ways of employing its natural resources and its demographic dividend so as to transform its agriculture-dominated economy towards becoming the manufacturing hub of Africa.

According to Costantinos, China's development model of industrial parks could be seen as a proven lesson for Ethiopia as well as other African countries as they envisaged to transform their economies.

"Like the Chinese experience, these industrial parks will contribute better if capital (both local and foreign currency) is available for investors," Costantinos said.

File photo shows a worker goes about her work at Bole Lemi Industrial Park in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, April 6, 2017. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

Following China and other Asian economies' great industrial revolution, African nations are building industrial parks because they believe that these parks will bring employment and national income that create value, he added.

According to the expert, the flourishing industrial parks in Ethiopia are "vital elements of the infrastructure supporting the structural transformation in Ethiopia that can attract institutional investors."

Costantinos, also professor of public policy at the Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, however urged African countries to study China's experience that led to its success in the sector.

"When institutional investors descended into China's industrial parks, China had the right mix of macroeconomic and financial policies that allowed the institutional investors to operate profitably in the global market," he said.

"Africa needs to set this in motion immediately, otherwise the industrial parks will remain white elephants," the expert advised.

"China can advise African governments what kind of skill and effort is required to make an industrial park attractive, like they have accomplished in the already successful Dukem Park (Ethiopia's Eastern Industry Zone)," Costantinos said.

Costantinos also stressed that as an increasing number of Chinese companies currently investing their capital in Ethiopia's industry zones, mainly in the manufacturing sector, the East African country would benefit from the ongoing investment scenario.

Chinese companies inside these industrial parks will drive the development of the manufacturing sector, according to Costantinos.

At present, 15 industrial parks are under the pipeline across Ethiopia, most of which were built, operated, or under construction by Chinese companies.

Six of the industrial parks have been officially put into use over the past few years, attracting a large number of transnational companies from countries including China and India.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 20:22:03|Editor: zh

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ROME, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Italy is moving toward using blockchain -- a kind of cutting-edge crypto record-keeping technology -- to help guarantee the future of some of the country's most traditional artisan products.

Blockchain's history dates back about a decade. It uses a complex and decentralized series of records, each time stamped and linked to the previous record in the series. It is best known as the technological backbone for virtual currencies like bitcoin, but it is being used increasingly for other kinds of record keeping.

One of those, analysts told Xinhua, could be aimed at protecting "Made in Italy" products, all of which carry a mark to show they were planned, designed, manufactured, and packaged in Italy. The "Made in Italy" brand is used as a stamp of quality for some of the country's oldest and most traditional industries, ranking from artisan foodstuffs and wine to design and fashion.

The "Made in Italy" brand is considered more restrictive than similar initiatives in other countries, which allow some parts of production streams for products using the label to take place abroad. In Italy, every step of the production process has to take place on Italian territory.

"Italy has spent years making the point that a 'Made in Italy' seal is a guarantee a product was made with a high level of professionalism and quality," Pietro Azzara, an engineer and the founder of the Blockchain Forum Italia, told Xinhua.

As demand for products bearing the "Made in Italy" seal has grown, so has the practice of skirting the rules to mislabel packages for items made partially or entirely outside Italy. Employing blockchain technology will help curb that trend, Azzara and other analysts said.

"Eventually, every step in the production will be one of the 'blocks' in the 'blockchain,'" Azzara said. "Producers will use the technology to show where every element came from, and consumers will have a guarantee of the pedigree of any product that has the 'Made in Italy' mark on it."

Massimo Melica, an attorney specializing in technology issues with the Melica, Scandelin & Partners law firm, said utilizing the technology in this way will help producers as well as consumers.

"Not only will consumers know what they are getting, but the 'Made in Italy' brand will be protected from an association with products that don't meet the standards," Melica said in an interview.

Emiliano Marculi, an Italian tax agency official and frequent commentator on tax issues, said using blockchain will help put Italy -- often a laggard in the adoption of new technologies -- in the vanguard of a new technological wave.

"This is a technology that can make a difference in many areas," Marculi told Xinhua. "It can increase efficiency, help identify costs, make it harder to avoid taxes or take shortcuts in production, curb money laundering. There's a potential to do a great deal. But we have to see how it will actually be utilized."Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 20:37:05|Editor: zh

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THE HAGUE, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- In addition to the blacklist of the European Union the Netherlands has drawn up its own list of low-tax jurisdictions to help implement new measures to combat tax avoidance, the Dutch government announced on Friday.

"By drawing up its own stringent blacklist, the Netherlands is once again showing that it is serious in its fight against tax avoidance," said State Secretary for Finance Menno Snel in a press release. "And that's just one of the steps we're taking".

The Dutch list contains five jurisdictions that are already blacklisted by the European Union (American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Samoa, and Trinidad and Tobago and includes another 16 low-tax jurisdictions (Anguilla, the Bahamas, Bahrain, Belize, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Jersey, the Cayman Islands, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Vanuatu and the United Arab Emirates).

The mentioned jurisdictions either have no corporation tax or have a corporation tax rate that is lower than 9 percent. On Dec. 5, 2017 the European Union already published its first own first ever tax haven blacklist of 17 non-cooperative tax jurisdictions to fight tax evasion and avoidance, aiming to create a stronger deterrent for countries that according to the EU "consistently refuse to play fair on tax matters".

Following commitments made at a high political level to remedy the EU concerns as a result of the pressure felt by being on the list several jurisdictions were already removed from the EU list early this year.

The Dutch list will from now on be updated each year, while the EU list will be updated again in the first quarter of 2019. If, in the future, other jurisdictions are added to the EU list that are not on the Dutch list, the measures will also apply to these jurisdictions.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 20:57:08|Editor: Yang Yi

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Faculty staff and students get their parcels at a make-shift collecting point in an indoor tennis court at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA) in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, Nov. 13, 2018. China's express delivery sector has handled 50 billion parcels so far this year, the State Post Bureau (SPB) said on Friday. Boosted by booming e-commerce, the express delivery industry saw fast growth over the past few years, with the number of handled parcels increasing by 10 billion on average in each of the past three years, the bureau said. China has topped the world's market for five consecutive years, surpassing the combined amount handled in developed economies including the United States, Japan, and Europe. (Xinhua/Li Bo)

BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's express delivery sector has handled 50 billion parcels so far this year, the State Post Bureau (SPB) said on Friday.

Boosted by booming e-commerce, the express delivery industry saw fast growth over the past few years, with the number of handled parcels increasing by 10 billion on average in each of the past three years, the bureau said.

China has topped the world's market for five consecutive years, surpassing the combined amount handled in developed economies including the United States, Japan, and Europe.

Feng Lihu, SPB's spokesman, said the express delivery sector supports an annual e-commerce sales of nearly 6.9 trillion yuan (1 trillion U.S. dollars), or over 19 percent of the country's retail sales, a new economic growth momentum.

Seven express delivery companies have gone public, with annual revenues from one exceeding 100 billion yuan and four to five exceeding 50 billion yuan.

The sector has three cargo airlines, with a combined fleet of 113 cargo planes.

The use of big data and intelligent and autonomous equipment has greatly improved the efficiency of the delivery business, helping the industry players transition quickly from labor-intensive to tech-intensive, said Yang Daqing, a researcher with China Society of Logistics.

Wu Jian, a fruit grower in Zhouzhi County of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, said it used to take at least one week for his kiwi fruits to get to his customers before 2016. Now, it takes three to four days and sometimes even one day, Wu said.

"Without middlemen, fruits growers can earn more while customers can eat more fresh fruits," he said, adding that e-commerce helps him earn 20,000 yuan more per year.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 21:02:09|Editor: zh

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BERLIN, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- German companies exported weapons and military equipment worth 4.62 billion euros (5.30 billion U.S. dollars) until De. 13 of the current year, significantly down from a total of 6.24 billion euros in 2017, the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy revealed on Friday.

Following an inquiry by Green party politician Omid Nouripour, the economy ministry said that the biggest customer of the German arms industry was Algeria, which bought military equipment worth 802 million euros in 2018, followed by the United States with 506 million euros and Australia with 432 million euros. Saudi Arabia ranked fourth with imports of German military equipment worth 416 million euros.

This year marked the third consecutive one that would see German military exports decline. In 2015, military exports had risen for the last time and reached a record figure of 7.86 billion euros.

Green party politician Nouripour criticized, that "despite the announcements in the coalition agreement, the balance of export licenses for this year is devastating."

In March this year, the German government announced not to export military equipment to countries, which are "directly" involved in the Yemen war. Back then, however, the German government made an exception for contracts that had already been concluded.

More recently, Germany imposed a temporary export ban on arms exports to Saudi Arabia after the killing of government-critical Saudi journalist Jamal Kashoggi.

Hans Christoph Atzpodien, chairman of the Federation of German Security and Defence Industries (BDSV), urged the governing parties in Germany not to deal with "purely political topics" on the back of companies. "Of course, compensation claims are also conceivable in this context," Atzpodien told the German press agency (dpa) on Friday.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 21:17:11|Editor: zh

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MOSCOW, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Russia does not fully understand why the United States decided to withdraw troops from Syria, but thinks Washington may shift its responsibility in the war-torn country to allies, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.

"It looks like Washington wants to shift the responsibility onto its partners in the coalition on the ground, as there are also servicemen from France, Britain and Germany deployed there illegitimately, as well as air forces of the coalition," Lavrov said at a press conference after talks with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Dec. 19 that it was planning to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria after claiming a victory in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.

Lavrov added that after the withdrawal, Washington may also want allies in the region to take up the main financial burden for their mission in Syria.

He said that Washington's announcement has to be confirmed with real steps, as Washington has repeatedly announced its withdrawal from the al-Tanf region in southern Syria, but has failed to keep its promise so far.

Trump on Wednesday paid an unannounced visit to the American soldiers stationed in Iraq, defended his controversial decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and promised that he has no plan to pull the troops out of Iraq.

"The United States cannot continue to be the policeman of the world.... We don't want to be taken advantage of any more by countries that use us and use our incredible military to protect them. They don't pay for it, and they're going to have to," he said soon after landed in Iraq.

Moscow hoped to get explanations from Washington via available channels and expected it to confirm that the ultimate goal of all actions against terrorists in Syria is to restore its sovereignty and territorial integrity, Lavrov said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Dec. 20 that the establishment of the Syrian constitutional committee is reaching the final phase and that the actual political settlement in the country could start next year.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 21:42:14|Editor: zh

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MOSCOW, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Russia and Britain have reached in principle an agreement to gradually restore diplomatic staff starting January, Russian Ambassador to London Alexander Yakovenko said Friday.

"I'm not sure that we will manage to restore all employee numbers, but at least half of the embassy will be there," Yakovenko said in an interview with the Russia 24 TV channel.

In March, Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats over Russia's alleged role in poisoning former Russian agent Sergei Skrip in the British city of Salisbury earlier in the same month.

More than two dozens of countries, including the United States, announced the expulsion of Russian diplomats as a sign of solidarity with Britain.

Russia denied involvement in the poisoning case and expelled an equal number of foreign diplomats in response.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 22:17:18|Editor: zh

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ROME, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Friday said he counted on a robust economic growth next year, possibly exceeding the forecast included in the national budget upon which the government has lately agreed with European Union (EU) authorities.

"We have a manoeuvre (budget law) that evolves in the direction of growth, and that abides by the 1-percent forecast made by most domestic and international entities," Conte told during a year-end press conference broadcast live in the Italian capital.

He explained this did not mean the cabinet expected a weak expansion, because all necessary pre-conditions for growing had been provided, including "a robust investment plan, and structural reforms that will create a relevant stimulus."

"The one percent (growth target) is a minimum threshold, but we have to go much further than that," Conte stressed.

Answering to reporters from all Italian media, the prime minister downsized the possible risks linked to the country's public debt -- which was some 131.8 percent of gross domestic product in 2017 according to latest data by the Bank of Italy.

Italy's debt is the EU's second largest after Greece, and since long a source of major concern in the eye of the EU and of international economic bodies, in terms of solidity of the euro-zone's third largest economy.

"The fundamentals of our economic system are very solid, and this is an aspect on which I have strongly insisted during talks with (EU authorities in) Brussels," Conte said.

"We have lived with our public debt for many years: it is something that must be kept under careful surveillance, but it is not so dreadful."

He added this perspective was based on the awareness that several of the country' economic features, including the second largest manufacturing industry in Europe, and a high level of private savings, were "reassuring".

Finally, Conte pledged his right-wing government would avoid triggering the so-called safeguard clauses, averting value-added tax (VAT) and other levies hikes in 2020 and 2021.

Such clauses require the government to increase VAT and other indirect taxes, when its spending-review process is not sufficient to respect the budgetary goals, according to EU rules.

"I would like you to not overlook the fact that, in a few months, we had to find 12.5 billion euros (14.3 billion U.S. dollars) to neutralize the VAT increase in 2019," the prime minister explained.

"We will continue with this method in 2020 and 2021 as well, since we are committed to preventing the hikes."

As Conte delivered his year-end press conference, the lower house was engaged in the final voting of the controversial 2019 budget law, which has to be definitely approved by the end of the year.

The senate passed the draft last week, after the cabinet won a confidence vote on it. Yet, the fast track imposed with the confidence procedure made it impossible for lawmakers to review and debate the contents of the budget, and that sparked an outcry from opposition forces.

For this reason, the proceeding was shortly suspended on Friday, after lawmakers scuffled in the chamber of deputies.

Conte's cabinet agreed last week with the EU Commission on presenting the current version of the 2019 budget in order to avoid a disciplinary procedure for excessive deficit.

The revised budget lowered the deficit spending target for 2019 from the original 2.4 percent of GDP to 2.04 percent.U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive to speak to members of the U.S. military during an unannounced trip to Al Asad Air Base in Iraq on Dec. 26, 2018. (Xinhua/AFP)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump made use of his surprise visit to Iraq to achieve multi-layered objectives home and abroad, including asserting his influence over the military, gaining political capital and committing to defeat Islamic State (IS), observers said.

Trump's visit to Iraq on Wednesday was his first trip to U.S. troops deployed in a combat zone since he assumed the presidency in 2017.

It has been a long tradition for U.S. presidents to visit overseas troops during holidays. Trump's predecessors, Barack Obama and George W. Bush, all visited U.S. military troops in Iraq or Afghanistan several times during their presidencies.

Presidents need to visit the troops to show the soldiers that they are not forgotten, said Eliot Cohen, a professor of strategic studies at Johns Hopkins University.

Before the visit, Trump already drawn criticism for not paying a visit to U.S. troops stationed in combat zones, especially by using his "unbelievable busy schedule" as a pretext in a November interview.

Trump's Christmas visit to Iraq, to some extent, might help to alleviate those criticisms, observers said.

Given the president's recent decision to pull out U.S. forces in Syria despite broad objections from senior defense officials and military generals, this visit might also work to amend his relations with the Pentagon and the military.

The decision directly resulted in the resignation of Defense Secretary James Mattis, who is highly respected among the military, defense officials and lawmakers.

Shortly after, Trump picked Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan as the acting Pentagon chief, forcing Mattis to step down two months earlier than planned.

The president used his visit to assert his influence over the military at a moment of tremendous turmoil at the Pentagon, reports said.

The visit, amid a partial shutdown of U.S. federal government, might also serve Trump's interest as a diversionary tactic. It provided Trump "the opportunity to be photographed and filmed with members of the military, which can help politically," said an article of The Atlantic.

However, U.S. senior political analyst David Gergen tweeted that "it was a pleasant surprise that President Trump visited the troops in Iraq -- but one visit doesn't change the overall chaos of the last few weeks."

Trump's repeated claim of the territorial defeat of the IS and his decision to pull out U.S. troops from Syria also led to speculation about a possible adjustment of U.S. military presence in Iraq.

Trump's claim notwithstanding, the IS remains active along the banks of the Euphrates river near the Syria-Iraq border, and the number of IS members in Iraq and Syria is reportedly as high as 30,000.

A report issued by The International Crisis Group warned that a possible Kurdish and Turkish showdown followed by the abrupt U.S. withdrawal from Syria might allow the IS to make a resurgence.

During his stay in Iraq, Trump made it clear to friends and foes in the region that he had no plans to withdraw the some 5,200 U.S. soldiers from Iraq, a country he could use "to do something in Syria."

"We can use this as a base if we wanted to do something in Syria," Trump said. "If we see something happening with IS that we don't like, we can hit them so fast and so hard."Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 22:47:22|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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CAPE TOWN, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- South African authorities vowed on Friday to intensify fight against botched circumcision which has led to a spike in deaths of initiates recently across the country.

The national government and traditional leaders have committed themselves to curbing further deaths related with botched circumcision, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (DCGTA) said in its latest update on initiation-related deaths in the country.

Since the summer initiation season began in November, there have been 34 reported deaths of initiates, according to the department.

Of them, 20 were reported in Eastern Cape Province, the hotbed of botched circumcision, eight in the Free State, three in North West, two in the Western Cape and one in the Northern Cape, the department said.

The deaths were reported despite an intensified crackdown on illegal initiation schools in a bid to achieve the goal of zero deaths during the initiation season.

This prompted Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Zwelini Mkhize to convene an urgent meeting with the Eastern Cape traditional leadership on Thursday to discuss ways of curbing further deaths of initiates during the traditional ritual of cirucumcision.

Emerging from the meeting, Mkhize said the national government and traditional leaders were seriously concerned about the lives of the initiates and would try to avoid further deaths by all costs.

Traditional leaders are desperate to work with the government and medical doctors to curb the number of deaths which stands at about 400 since 2012, the minister said.

"There was also general consensus to revive and implement the agreement made between amakhosi (traditional leaders) and government departments which helped reduce fatalities in 2015. This is a positive step," said Mkhize.

The minister will convene another meeting to focus on ensuring zero-deaths and zero-mutilation at the second week of January 2019, the DCGTA said.

Circumcision is viewed as a sacred practice in African cultures, marking a male's transition from child to adulthood. According to the tradition, young males have to be circumcised as the passage to manhood.

Every year dozens of boys die and many more are hospitalized in South Africa as a result of botched circumcision.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 22:52:23|Editor: ZX

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MANILA, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte continues to enjoy the support of Filipinos, said an independent poll released on Friday.

A survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS), conducted from Dec. 16 to Dec. 19, found that 74 percent of adult Filipinos satisfied, 11 percent undecided and 15 percent dissatisfied with Duterte administration's performance.

Compared to September 2018, the SWS said that Duterte's gross satisfaction rating rose by four points from 70 percent.

"This brings President Duterte's 2018 annual average net satisfaction score to a very good level," the SWS survey said in a statement.

The Philippine Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said on Friday night that the Presidential Palace welcomed the survey result which registered an uptick of satisfaction rating in all socio-economic classes.

The polling body has so far conducted 10 surveys from September 2016 up to December 2018. Throughout his presidency, the SWS surveys showed that Duterte enjoyed eight times "very good" and twice "good".

Panelo said the approbation of a great majority of Filipinos will "encourage Duterte to continue waging battles against all forms of criminality and corruption, to further pursue his unrelenting dismantling of the drug apparatus and destruction of the drug syndicate, to crush once and for all rebellion, insurgency and terrorism, to keep improving the social services given to people and to end the assaults on our natural resources and environment".

The survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,440 adults nationwide, with sampling error margins of 2.6 percent for national percentages.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 22:57:24|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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MINSK, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Belarus will further lower export duties on crude oil and other oil products outside the customs territory of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) starting Jan. 1, the press service of the government said Friday.

The export duty on crude oil will go down from 135.1 to 89 U.S. dollars per ton, while the duty for straight-run gasoline will be reduced from 74.3 to 48.9 dollars per ton, it said in a statement.

Export duty on commercial gasoline will drop from 40.5 to 26.7 dollars per ton. The same rate will be applied to diesel fuel, benzene, toluene, xylene, lubricants, and other oils.

The export duties on crude oil and some categories of derivative oil products were previously revised down on Dec. 1.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 23:02:27|Editor: ZX

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ISLAMABAD, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa Friday confirmed death sentences to 22 "hardcore terrorists" who were involved in offenses related to terrorism in the country, the military said.

"Today, (Friday) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) confirmed death sentence awarded to 22 hardcore terrorists, who were involved in heinous offences related to terrorism," an army statement said.

The statement from the army's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations said the convicts were behind attacks on armed forces, law enforcement agencies of Pakistan, exploding of vehicle borne improvised explosive device to carry out sectarian killings, destruction of communication infrastructure, police check posts and educational institutions, and killing of innocent civilians.

On the whole, their terrorist activities resulted in death of 176 persons, including 19 armed forces personnel, 41 police officials and 116 civilians, while injuring 217 others. Arms and explosives were also recovered from their possession, the military said.

All these convicts belonged to proscribed organizations, which are blamed for violence in the country. They were tried by special military courts, who confessed their actions before the magistrates.

It is the third confirmation of death sentences to terrorists by the army chief in the past two weeks. Bajwa had also confirmed death sentences to 15 and 14 "hardcore terrorists" respectively on Dec. 16 and Dec. 21 over their involvement in terrorist activities.

The military courts were set up for a period of two years after the terrorist attack on an army school in December 2014 for the speedy trial of the terrorism-related accused. Nearly 150 people, including 132 children, were killed in the attack. In March 2017, the Pakistani parliament passed a special bill to grant two years extension of the courts.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 23:07:28|Editor: Yang Yi

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Hu Chunhua (C Back), a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and head of the State Council Leading Group of Poverty Alleviation and Development, speaks at a national meeting on poverty alleviation and development in Beijing, capital of China. The meeting was held in Beijing from Dec. 27 to 28, 2018. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua said Friday that efforts shall be made to lift another 10 million rural residents out of poverty in 2019 as it is a critical year in winning the battle against poverty.

Hu, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and head of the State Council Leading Group of Poverty Alleviation and Development, made the remarks at a national poverty reduction and development conference.

Hu called for implementing the spirit of the Central Economic Work Conference, carrying out targeted poverty alleviation and improving the alleviation work quality and efficiency to ensure the alleviation target is met.

He said the planning and construction of new homes for relocated poverty-stricken residents in the 13th Five-Year Plan Period (2016-2020) should be finished in 2019.

Hu ordered integrating poverty alleviation with the countryside rejuvenation strategy to boost the self-development ability of the poverty-stricken population to prevent them from returning to poverty after being lifted out it.

He also called for further promoting the booming east to help reduce poverty in certain places in the west and mobilizing social forces to join in the poverty alleviation campaign.

Over 10 million people in the countryside are estimated to be lifted out of poverty this year, with 2.8 million relocated. Over the past six years, over 80 million rural population have been lifted out of poverty, said Liu Yongfu, director of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 23:12:31|Editor: Yang Yi

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JERUSALEM, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Israel's renowned novelist Amos Oz died on Friday afternoon at the age of 79 after struggling with cancer, his family said.

"My beloved father has just died of cancer after a rapid deterioration," Oz's daughter, Fania Oz-Salzberger, said on Twitter. She added that he passed away peacefully in his sleep, "surrounded by his loved ones."

Israel's President Reuven Rivlin eulogized Oz, an Israel Prize laureate whose novels were published in 45 languages in 47 countries.

"(He was) a literary giant. Our most glorious artist. Rest in peace our dear Amos," Rivlin said in a statement released by his office.

Oz, one of Israeli most internationally famous authors, was born in 1939 in Jerusalem. He was a professor of literature at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba in southern Israel.

He has received numerous awards and honors, including the Goethe Prize, the Legion of Honor of France, the Prince of Asturias Award in Literature, the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, and the Heinrich Heine Prize.

His name was mentioned many times as a favorite nominee for the Nobel Prize for literature.

Oz was a prominent advocate of the Israeli peace movement and the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

He frequently spoke out against the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, denouncing them as a major violation of Palestinians' human rights and a hurdle for peace.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 23:37:38|Editor: Yang Yi

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BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- The last exhibition of the National Museum of China in 2018 kicked off Friday, featuring the Han tombs of Mancheng, discovered in north China's Hebei Province.

In 1968, the undisturbed tombs of the Zhongshan King of the Han Dynasty (202 BC - AD 220) Liu Sheng and his wife Dou Wan, were accidentally found during a defense construction project, marking one of the most prominent archeological discoveries of China during the 20th century.

Liu was an elder brother of Emperor Wu, whose reign represented one of the most prosperous periods in China's history. Liu Bei, founder of the Shu state during the Three Kingdom Period (220-280), was branded as the late king's descendant.

The exhibition was arranged based on Liu's life as well as the flourishing age of China at the time.

Half a century ago, excavation of the tombs lasted for 150 days, while a total of 10,633 cultural relics were found.

The exhibition showcases 722 pieces of cultural relics from Hebei's provincial museum and two pieces collected at the national museum, incorporating almost all of the most exquisite items discovered in the tombs, including Liu's jade burial suit.

Titled "Splendors of Great Han: Exhibition Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Excavation of the Han Dynasty Tombs in Mancheng," the exhibition lasts until March 28, 2019.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-28 23:47:40|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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RIGA, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Latvian mass media regulator on Friday fired Ivars Belte as head of the Baltic country's public television, accusing him of mismanaging taxpayers' money and providing advertising services to commercial clients, local media reported.

The National Electronic Mass Media Council also dismissed Sergejs Nesterovs as the public broadcaster's board member in charge of content development.

The regulator's decision took place with immediate effect on Friday. The broadcaster's board now remains with only one member in charge of finances.

The National Electronic Mass Media Council said it would appoint an acting board member to the public television next week. A tender to pick replacements for the sacked board members will be organized in January 2019.

According to a statement to the press released by the National Electronic Mass Media Council on Friday, the television's management failed to ensure a proper planning and supervision of strategic development projects in 2017 and 2018, resulting in the risk of mismanaging taxpayers' money.

An audit conducted in the public television revealed that the public broadcaster had been providing advertising services to commercial media in breach of its existing strategy, thus causing cross subsidizing risks, the regulator said.

"In this way, taxpayers' money has been used to maximize the profit of commercial media," Aurelia Ieva Druviete, a member of the National Electronic Mass Media Council ensuring the supervision of public television, said on public radio.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-29 01:07:54|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ADEN, Yemen, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Anti-bomb disposal units of the pro-government forces Friday began to defuse hundreds of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and landmines laid by the Houthi rebels in Yemen's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.

"Soldiers of the engineering teams and bomb disposal units backed by the Saudi-led coalition began a wide-scale operation aimed at clearing hundreds of landmines in many areas that witnessed fighting in Hodeidah," a local military official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Different types of landmines and IEDs were found along the main roads linking Hodeidah with the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa and successfully defused later by the bomb disposal teams, the official said.

He added that the main entrances of Hodeidah were also cleared from scores of Houthi-laid landmines in preparation for the return of displaced people to their homes.

The Houthi rebels have used IEDs to make roadside bombs and landmines for impeding the progress of the government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition in Hodeidah, but inflicted casualties on civilians.

Both the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels agreed to a cessation of hostilities following a deal brokered by the UN in Sweden last week.

The cease-fire deal signed between high-ranking officials of the two-warring rivals under the auspices of the UN demanded full withdrawal of all armed groups from Hodeidah and its strategic sea ports.

According to the deal, the UN will manage the port and supervise the re-deployment of neutral forces there to prevent military escalation, while local forces will help with the maintenance of law and order in the city.

On Wednesday, the UN-led team tasked with monitoring a cease-fire held the first meeting with the presence of retired Dutch general Patrick Cammaert, head of the joint committee which includes both government officials and representatives from the Houthi rebel group.

During the first days of the cease-fire that went into effect last week, tense calm was observed in the neighborhoods of Hodeidah despite heavy deployment of fighters of the two-warring sides inside and around the city.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi rebels overtook Sanaa and toppled the government of President Abd-Rabbuh Mansour Hadi. A Saudi-led coalition has been fighting the Houthis since 2015.

The war has killed more than 10,000 people and created a serious humanitarian crisis.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-29 05:28:36|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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by Marwa Yahya

CAIRO, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Bahrain said on Friday it will resume operations at its embassy in Syria about seven years after it shuttered its embassy in Damascus.

In a Foreign Ministry statement, Bahrain affirmed the importance of continued relations with Syria, emphasizing "the Arab role" in preserving Syria's independence and preventing dangerous regional intervention in its affairs.

On Thursday, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has reopened its embassy in Damascus and raised the country's flag.

"The moves are considered major steps toward welcoming Syria back into the fold of Arab countries," said Tariq Fahmy, professor of political sciences with American University in Cairo.

Syria was suspended from the Arab League (AL) shortly after the Syrian war broke out in 2011 and most Arab states closed their embassies in Damascus in protest against President Bashar Assad for his crackdown on the opposition.

Oman is the only Gulf Arab country to have kept its embassy in Damascus open throughout the civil war.

"However, it has becoming increasingly clear now that Assad is likely to stay in power. His regime is stable and could face any intervention," Fahmy told Xinhua.

The reopening of the embassies in the Syrian capital is the most significant public step to welcome Assad in the Arab world, the expert added.

"This move will prevent the dangers of regional interference in the Syrian affairs," the UAE Foreign Ministry said in reference to Iran's role in Syria, which is considered a major enemy by Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies.

Fahmy reiterated the move was not a surprise especially after recent efforts exerted by the UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia to keep regional problems within the Arab hands to avoid more intervention in Arab affairs.

He explained Egypt and UAE had grown skeptical about overthrowing Assad who stood firm against the spread of their shared Islamist enemies.

The Gulf states also feel worried about the infiltration of Islamic States remnants to its lands, the professor added.

"Arab countries are more open to restore ties with Syria," Iqram Bader, professor of international relation with Cairo University.

On Thursday, a passenger flight flew to Tunisia for the first time in nearly six years, with 150 Syrian tourists on board.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir earlier this month was the first Arab leader to travel to Damascus since 2011.

Syrian state media said earlier this week that Major General Ali Mamlouk, one of Assad's top security officials, has visited Cairo to discuss terrorism issues with his Egyptian counterpart.

In October, the Nassib border crossing between Jordan and Syria opened to people and goods after being closed for three years.

There is also increasing momentum for Syria to be readmitted into AL. Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, AL's chairman, said that Syrian's suspension had been "hasty" earlier this year.

"The AL's 2011 decision coped with the conditions at that time, and took the side of people rather than the leaders," Bader said, adding that the Arab uprisings carried noble plans of democracy and human rights.

Meanwhile, after longs years of sufferings, the Arab leaders fed up with international intervention and feared the repetition of the Iraqi scenario, Bader added.

Syria was an institutional country in the AL and its absence had negatively affected the work of the organization, he added.

Atef Seadawy, researcher with Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said Syria will restore its seat in the pan-Arab organization before March.

The next summit of the AL will take place in Tunisia in March.

He expected Jordan to follow the path of UAE and Bahrain.

The Russian-Syrian consensus and joint military actions paved the road for the diplomacy to resettle stability and peace in Syria and the region, Seadawy said.

He said some international and regional forces will be obstacles for political solution to take place in Syria, but the U.S. recent withdrawal from Syria meant better understanding and coordination with Russia.

He said the Russian presence in the region for the Arab and Gulf countries is good as it has limited the influence and intervention of Iran and Turkey.Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-29 05:43:39|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ABUJA, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Former Nigerian President Shehu Shagari died in the country's capital city of Abuja on Friday at the age of 93.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Shagari, president of Nigeria's Second Republic (1979-1983), died at the National Hospital Abuja while receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness.

Shagari's family immediately announced he would be buried on Saturday in his hometown in the northern state of Sokoto, in accordance with Islamic rites.

The former leader, born on Feb. 25, 1925, in Sokoto, worked as a teacher for a brief period before entering politics in 1951.

In 1954, he was elected to the federal House of Representatives.

He served seven times in a ministerial or cabinet post as a federal minister and federal commissioner from 1958-1975 before he was elected president in 1979.

Shagari was dethroned by a coup d'etat that brought in incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, then as a military head of state.

Buhari described the passing of the former leader as the departure of a patriot whose life of service and humility was widely acknowledged.

The president also said the Shagari was a role model whose qualities of integrity, diligence and humility have been the hallmark of "visionary leadership."Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-29 05:58:41|Editor: ZX

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CAIRO, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly Friday ordered the highest healthcare and treatment for those injured in a bus blast that left three Vietnamese tourists and their Egyptian tour guide dead.

A total of three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian tour guide were killed Friday when a home-made bomb hit a bus carrying foreign tourists in Marioutiya area near the Giza Pyramids.

At least 10 tourists and the Egyptian driver were also injured in the attack.

"The state will deal with iron fist with those who plot to harm the country's security and the safety of its people and visitors," Madbouly told reporters during his visit to the injured in a Cairo hospital.

Madbouly urged the international community to unite in the face of terrorism, noting that such incidents cannot stop the Egyptians' development.

The Egyptian prime minister revealed that the attack happened "because the route of the bus was changed," pointing out all tourist buses are always accompanied by police patrols.

Madbouly did not tell who or how the route of the bus was changed, but said an investigation to uncover the details of the incident has already been launched.

According to the Egyptian Interior Ministry, security forces moved to the scene and started an investigation into the attack.

Right after the attack, Egypt's general prosecutor also ordered an urgent investigation into the incident.

Egyptian state media reported that a team of the general prosecution and the supreme state security prosecution inspected the scene of a blast and collected samples from the site for more investigation to identify the perpetrators.

Meanwhile, the deadly attack was widely criticized by the Egyptian official and foreign countries.

Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Egypt Ivan Surkos strongly deplored the attack.

"The EU stands hand in hand with Egypt in the fight against terrorism," the EU envoy said in a statement. "Our condolences to families of the victims. Speed recovery to the injured."

The Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a cable to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, expressing Kuwait's condemnation of the explosion, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported.

He stressed Kuwait's support for Egypt and all the measures to protect its security and stability.

The Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also condemned the terror attack, affirming the kingdom's full solidarity with Egypt in its efforts to combat violence and terrorism of all forms, and vowed support to its efforts to enhance security and peace.

The attack came days before Egyptians celebrate New Year and Christmas, which is marked by Coptic Egyptians on Jan. 7.

Copts make up 10 percent of Egypt's 100 million population.

This week, Egypt's armed forces, in coordination with the Ministry of Interior, intensified measures to secure Christmas and New Year's celebrations nationwide.

The army and police said they have deployed forces to ensure the safety of citizens at places of worship and vital facilities, adding that all forces have been trained on how to deal with threats that may disturb the celebrations.

Egypt has been fighting against a wave of terror activities that killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the military toppled former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and his currently blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood group.

Terror attacks in Egypt had mainly targeted police and military men in North Sinai before spreading nationwide and targeting the Coptic Christian minority as well, leaving dozens of them dead.

Terrorists attacked two Coptic churches in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria in early April last year, killing a total of 47 people and wounding 106 others.

Most of the attacks were claimed by a Sinai-based group loyal to the Islamic State extremist group.New Delhi: The country's automobile sector, which attracted USD 16.5 billion in FDI between April 2000 and December 2016, is expected to attract USD 8-10 billion more in local and foreign investments by 2023, the government said Thursday.

The Year End Review 2018 of the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, which made the projections, said growth of the industry in India since early 1990s is an example of how industrial prowess supported by progressive policies and national economic growth can yield rewards to all stakeholders.

The government and the automotive sector articulated their objectives for the future of the industry through the Automotive Mission Plan 2016-26.

"The plan envisions that by the year 2026, India will be the third in the world after China and USA in engineering, manufacturing and export of vehicles and auto components," the ministry said.

Besides, it said collective efforts of all central public sector enterprises will help India become a USD 5-trillion economy in the next five years.Mumbai: As controversy erupted over upcoming film "The Accidental Prime Minister", a biopic on former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, lead actor of the movie Anupam Kher on Friday said that after certification of a film by the censor board, nobody has the right to ask for showing the film before its release.

Earlier in the day, Satyajeet Tambe Patil - President of the Maharashtra State Youth Congress, sent a letter to the producer of the film demanding a special screening before it is released. He raised objections to "incorrect presentation of the facts" in the film, the trailer of which was released on Thursday.

Sharing his view on the issue, Kher, who is narrating the character of Singh, told the media: "It's nobody's right to ask us to show our film to them before releasing it. The film is based on the book (by the same title), and it is based on facts.

"We have bought the rights and have followed all the legalities. Everything was in the public domain... Now, how can people have issues? Why should I screen it for anyone? We have shown it to the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification), that's enough."

However, he added: "If Dr Manmohan Singh asks us, we will show him for sure."

Directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, the film also features Akshaye Khanna, Aahana Kumra and Arjun Mathur, among others.

While many Congress members found the film objectionable, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promoted its trailer in social media.

"I have done more than 500 films...there are not even that many political parties. So how can one say that I made this film to support any party?" he responded when mediapersons asked if he is doing the film to extend support to the BJP.

Asked if this is one of the strategies to make a political statement ahead of the 2019 elections, the National award winning actor said: "Why not? What is the problem in releasing a political film around elections? We do release patriotic films on national holidays..."

The film is scheduled to release on January 11.New Delhi: Hit hard by the new e-commerce regulations, US retailer Walmart-owned Flipkart Thursday said the government should follow a consultative process in framing rules that have long-term implications, and any changes should be for driving the industry forward.

The comments came a day after the government appeared to have yielded to demands of domestic traders by putting in place new rules that would practically end discounts and cashback offers that online platforms with foreign investment were offering.

"Government policy changes will have long-term implications for the evolution of the promising sector and whole ecosystem. It is important that a broad market-driven framework through right consultative process be put in place in order to drive the industry forward," Flipkart said in a statement.

Flipkart and US-based Amazon -- the two largest players in the burgeoning Indian e-commerce sector -- are expected to be hit the hardest once the new norms come into effect from February 2019.

Amazon has said it is evaluating the circular.

Terming the new norms regressive, US-India Strategic Partnership Forum's (USISPF) President and CEO Mukesh Aghi said the amendment highlights the lack of transparency in policy making and is disruptive for business.

"The amendment to the FDI in e-commerce policy is regressive. The amendment announced by the government came out without any consultation with the multinational companies... This amendment highlights the lack of transparency in policy making and is disruptive for business as it creates unpredictability around business policy in India," he said.

Aghi said over the last few years, US companies have led investments into e-commerce platforms in India and have played a major role in helping Indian sellers and manufacturers in accessing domestic and international markets.

"This amendment to the FDI in e-commerce policy will most definitely have a negative impact on growth of online retail in India," he added.

The new rules bar online platforms from selling products supplied by affiliated companies, and from offering customers special discounts or exclusive products.

For retailers like Walmart, which shelled out USD 16 billion to buy 77 percent stake in Flipkart, the new rules may hinder selling products under their own private brands and bar them from using their own supply-chain expertise and clout with retailers to drive down prices.

With the new rules clamping down on exclusive deals, partnerships seen in the past including those with electronic and smartphone brands like ASUS, OnePlus, BPL and others could be hit.

Underlining the contribution of the Indian e-commerce industry in transforming how consumers connect with sellers and local manufacturers, Flipkart said the sector has also provided tremendous value to the country and spawned new jobs.

"The e-commerce ecosystem created innovations in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) manufacturing, supply chain, warehousing, packaging and digital payments and has created thousands of jobs already," it added.

Emphasising that this is just the beginning, Flipkart said the industry is set to be a major growth driver for the Indian economy and create millions of jobs in the future.

Smaller players like ShopClues and Snapdeal have welcomed the move, saying the development will "close the back door" that has been "blatantly exploited" by larger companies and provide a level-playing field for all.

ShopClues CEO and co-founder Sanjay Sethi said the introduction of these new norms is an acknowledgement that "all the major foreign players have been consistently violating the spirit of the policy from day one".

"Almost all the clarification points mentioned in this policy can be directly attributed to an active violation by these foreign players....We are happy that this clarification will finally close the back door that has been blatantly exploited by these players," he added.

Snapdeal co-founder and CEO Kunal Bahl said these changes will enable a level-playing field for all sellers, helping them leverage the reach of e-commerce.

"There are some specific points that need greater clarity, especially the fact that an entity having 'equity participation' by e-commerce marketplace entity or its group company, is not permitted to sell its products on the platform run by marketplace entity," said Darshan Upadhyay, Partner at Economic Laws Practice.

Upadhyay added that this could result in all vendors and suppliers where the marketplace entity (or its group) have insignificant holding being ineligible for selling their products.

Instamojo CEO and co-founder Sampad Swain said while the earlier regulations were bound by high caps, MSMEs in the country will now get a fair opportunity to come and participate in the digital economy.

"This new development creates a level-playing-field for smaller players... Now, all the micro-merchants of our country can participate without the fear of being left out," he added.

The decision came in the backdrop of several complaints being flagged by domestic traders on heavy discounts being given by e-commerce players to consumers. Many sellers had voiced concerns that the e-commerce giants were using their affiliates and exclusive sales agreements to create an unfair marketplace and offering some products at deep discounts.

According to the current policy, 100 percent FDI is permitted in marketplace e-commerce activities. It is prohibited in inventory-based model.

According to EY India National Leader (Policy Advisory and Speciality Services) Rajiv Chugh, e-commerce players will need to re-look their operating strategy in India.

"Going forward, the suppliers will not be permitted to sell their products on the platform run by such marketplace entity. This will impact back-end related wholesale Group entities and need to remove them from the e-commerce value chain. Time has come to look at franchise channels, rather than equity investments channels to do business in India," he said.The government has said that British authorities have informed that bank fraud fugitive Nirav Modi is living in the UK. Replying to a question on Nirav Modi in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh that the National Central Bureau of Manchester informed India that their investigations have led to the location of Nirav Modi in the UK, reported news agency PTI.

In August 2018, the government sent two requests, one from the CBI and the other from the Enforcement Directorate, to the authorities of the UK seeking the extradition of Nirav Modi to India, Singh further told Rajya Sabha, adding that the requests are currently under consideration.

Earlier this month, the Congress party had cited a report of the Income Tax department to allege that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had prior information about Nirav Modis plan to flee India.

Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala had said, Information that Nirav Modi is about to flee the country after fraud of Rs 23,000 crore was there with Modi government through I-T Dept report eight months before Nirav Modi ran away. If Modi ji and Jaitley ji knew about Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, then how did they run away?

Congress president Rahul Gandhi had also targeted Jaitley over the issue. Taking to microblogging site Twitter, the Congress chief had said, 8 months before they were allowed to flee, the IT dept. wrote a 10,000 pg report on Chota Modi & Choksis massive fraud. Govt had evidence to arrest them. But didnt because FM Jaitlies daughter was hired as Choksis lawyer. FM Jaitlie must resign immediately.

Nirav Modi has been absconding since the alleged Punjan National Bank fraud, by far the highest in the country in terms of value, came to light early this year and an Interpol arrest warrant was recently notified against him even as India is working to get him extradited from the United Kingdom, where he was last reported to have been based.

ED has also filed a charge sheet against him alleging that he laundered and diverted over Rs 6,400 crore of bank funds abroad to dummy companies that were under his and his families' control.New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a steep hike in minimum support price of copra by up to Rs 2,170 per quintal to Rs 9,521-9,920 for 2018-19 season.

The MSP (minimum support price) of ball copra has been increased by Rs 2,170 per quintal to Rs 9,920 per quintal for the 2018-19 season from Rs 7,750 per quintal in the last year, an official statement said.

The support price of milling copra has been raised by Rs 2,010 per quintal to Rs 9,521 per quintal for the current year from Rs 7,511 per quintal in the last year.

"The MSP of Copra is expected to ensure appropriate minimum prices to the farmers and step up investment in Coconut cultivation and thereby production and productivity in the country," an official release said.

The approval is based on recommendations of the government's price advisory body Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). CACP, an expert body, which takes into account the cost of production, trends in the domestic and international prices of edible oils, overall demand and supply of copra and coconut oil, cost of processing of copra into coconut oil and the likely impact of the recommended MSPs on consumers, while recommending the MSPs.

The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumer Federation of India Limited (NCCF) would continue to act as Central Nodal Agencies to undertake price support operations at the Minimum Support Prices in the Coconut growing states.

India's annual coconut production is about 2,395 crore from 20.82 lakh hectare and the productivity is 11,505 coconuts per hectare, as per the official data.New Delhi: The government has revised the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of 23 items of minor forest produce items and has introduced MSP for 17 new MFP items.

The 23 items whose MSP has been revised include those minor forest produce items which have been covered under the scheme since its inception in the year 2013-14. The revised MSP also includes those MFP items which were announced on October 2016 except Palash Flower (wet variety).

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, in a notification issued on Wednesday, asked all the state governments to bring these changes to the notice of state nodal agencies and the state implementing agencies.

TRIFED will be required to keep a watch on market prices and display on website besides sharing with the States to facilitate implementation of the scheme. There shall also be an endeavor to develop market linkage between State agencies, through State nodal department for bulk users/buyers.

In view of the general cost escalation on all fronts the question of revision of MSP of the MFP items had been under consideration of the Government for some time. Consequent upon receipt of recommendations of the MFP Pricing Cell for revision of MSP of the MFP items already existing in the scheme, as also the recommendation for the inclusion of additional MFP items, the Ministry, after due deliberation, has now decided to revise the MSP of the 10 MFP items which have formed a part of the scheme from its very inception..., an official release said.New Delhi: The income tax department seized assets worth Rs 992.52 crore during 2017-18, while 582 search and seizure operations were conducted during the financial year, Parliament was informed Friday.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla said the income tax department seizes unaccounted/undisclosed/ unexplained assets during the search and seizure operations.

The value of assets seized during the past two financial year is Rs 1,469.62 crore in 2016-17 and Rs 992.52 crore in 2017-18, Shukla said.

The total number of search and seizure operations conducted by I-T department stood at 1,152, and 582 during 2016-17 and 2017-18, respectively.New Delhi: Several urgent issues dominated the business headlines this year  from the Rs 13,000 crore Punjab National Bank scam that rattled the banking industry, to Jet Airways crisis, to Vijay Mallya's extradition case.

The Supreme Court's ruling on long-standing issue of mandatory linking of Aadhaar with essential government services also found prominence in 2018.

Here's a recap of what happened in the business world in 2018.

Vijay Mallya extradition

A Westminster Magistrates' Court in London ordered for the extradition of embattled liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya. He is wanted in India for alleged fraud and money laundering charges amounting to an estimated Rs 9,000 crores.

Under the Extradition Treaty procedures, the Chief Magistrate's verdict has been sent to UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid because it is the minister who is authorised to order Mallya's extradition and has two months within which to make that decision.

Meanwhile, Mallya's legal team has confirmed that he intends to file an application to appeal against a British court's verdict in favour of his extradition to India.

Nirav Modi-Mehul Choksi PNB Scam

Jeweller Nirav Modi and his maternal uncle Mehul Choksi and others are being probed under various criminal laws after the fraud came to light this year following a complaint by the Punjab National Bank (PNB) that they allegedly cheated the nationalised bank to the tune of over Rs 13,000 crore.

Modi and Choksi have been absconding since the alleged bank fraud, by far the highest in the country in terms of value, came to light early this year and an Interpol arrest warrant was recently notified against him even as India is working to get him extradited from the United Kingdom, where he was last reported to have been based. While Mehul Choksi has moved to Antigua.

ED has also filed a charge sheet against Modi alleging that he laundered and diverted over Rs 6,400 crore of bank funds abroad to dummy companies that were under his and his families' control.

Walmart-Flipkart Deal

World's largest retailer Walmart Inc picked up 77 percent stake of Flipkart in May this year for $16 billion, valuing the company at about USD 20 billion.

Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal exited the business by selling his entire stake of over 5 percent for around Rs 7,000 crore to Walmart immediately after the deal. However, in November another co-founder Binny Bansal steped down as the group chief executive officer following an independent probe into allegations of "serious personal misconduct".

The company has since rejigged its senior leadership team, including appointment of Sriram Venkataraman as chief operating officer (COO). The leadership changes announced span marketing, operations, engineering and product.

Jet Airways Crisis

Naresh Goyal-led Jet Airways, in which Gulf carrier Etihad holds 24 percent stake, is grappling with financial woes and has even delayed payment of salaries to staff. Jet Airways has been reporting losses since last three successive quarters.

Reports had earlier surfaced that Jet Airways is nearing a rescue deal with Indian conglomerate Tata Sons Ltd, but the latter said that talks are currently at preliminary level only.

Sources have also revealed that Goyal wants to retain the control in the airline and wants to explore alternative route of capital infusion, which became a roadblock in Jet Airways talks with Tata Sons for a possible stake sale.

Whatsapp Fake News

Whatsapp has drawn flak from the Indian government over fake and provocative messages being circulated on its platform. The rumours spread on the popular messaging platform which has over 200 million users in India have been linked to several lynching incidents in the country, forcing the government to send a stern message to the company.

The government has been demanding greater accountability from WhatsApp, saying that the government will not tolerate any misuse of the platform to spread fake messages.

Over the last several months, WhatsApp has made a series of changes including labeling forwarded messages to inform users when they have received something not from their immediate contact and set a limit on how forwarded messages can be sent.

US-China Trade Tariff

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Xingpin resorted to a tit-for-tat tariffs row since June this year, which had roiled world markets for months.

However, in a meeting in early December Xi and his US counterpart Trump decided to suspend imposing of any new tariffs for 90 days. Their decision for talks to address the trade dispute has put brakes on the escalating trade war between the world two largest economies.

But if there is no deal at the end of the 90-day grace period, the US will increase the tariffs on the USD 200 billions of goods from 10 percent to 25 percent.

India's new found rank in Ease of Doing Biz

India improved its ranking on the World Bank's 'ease of doing business' report for the second

straight year, jumping 23 places to the 77th position on the back of reforms related to insolvency, taxation and other areas.

The World Bank`s latest Doing Business Report 2019 released in October showed that various measures undertaken by the government had helped India improve its rank in six out of the ten parameters. The country had entered the top 100 last year with a bigger jump of 30 places. The World Bank put India among the top 10 economies to make the most improvements.

Twists and turns on Aadhaar

Aadhaar's mandatory linking with essential government services saw a lot of twists and turns this yearin 2018, led by the landmark Supreme Court ruling on the constitutional validity of Aadhaar

After last year's assertion that Indians have a right to privacy, SC in September this year ruled that Aadhaar can be used for payment of government benefits and taxation records but private companies were barred from accessing it.

In a 4-1 judgement delivered by the Constitution Bench, the Supreme Court held that Aadhaar would remain compulsory for the filing of Income Tax (IT) returns and allotment of Permanent Account Number (PAN).

However, Section 57 of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 that permitted private entities like telecom companies or other corporates to use the biometric data was struck down, dealing a body blow to the government's ambitions to make the world's largest biometric project mandatory for a slew of services.Amid the controversy triggered by the trailer launch of film The Accidental Prime Minister, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Friday said that he had no intention to impose any ban on any film. The statement by the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister comes even as the Congress party has alleged political motive behind the film, which is based on a book written by Sanjaya Baru, who was the advisor of Manmohan Singh during his tenure as Prime Minister.

Speaking to mediapersons over the controversy surrounding the film, Kamal Nath said, I do not have any intent to impose a ban or any prohibition on any movie.

The trailer of the film, starring Anupam Kher as Manmohan Singh, was released on Thursday and was shared on microblogging site Twitter by the official handle of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Sharing the trailer, the BJP wrote, Riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years. Was Dr Singh just a regent who was holding on to the PMs chair till the time heir was ready? Watch the official trailer of #TheAccidentalPrimeMinister, based on an insiders account, releasing on 11 Jan!

The Congress was quick to react to the same, with party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala referring to the movie as fake propaganda. Surjewala retweeted BJPs tweet and wrote, Such fake propaganda by BJP wont desist @INCIndia from questioning the Modi Govt on - Rural Distress, Rampant Unemployment, Demonetisation Disaster, Flawed GST, Failed Modinomics, All pervading Corruption! #ChowkidaarHiChorHai

On Thursday, the Maharashtra Youth Congress released a statement, demanding a pre-release screening of the film. The Maharashtra Youth Congress said that if some scenes of the movie found to be unfactual, the same would have to be deleted otherwise they would not allow the film to be released.

While Anupam Kher essays the role of Manmohan Singh, Arjun Mathur plays the character of Rahul Gandhi while Germany-born actress Suzanne Bernert is playing Sonia Gandhi. Suzanne has earlier featured in popular television serial Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat.By KT Alfie

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already launched preparations for the Lok Sabha elections 2019. As a part of its preparatory programme, the party paying special attention to the state of West Bengal and has planned to send a delegation of 20 members to the state to kickstart the same. BJP chief Amit Shah has appointed Rajya Sabha MP Bhupender Yadav to lead the delegation.

The 20-member delegation of the BJP, which is slated to reach Kolkata on Saturday, comprises media cell and IT cell experts. Sources told Zee News that top students of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Kharagpur, Hyderabad, Powai and Chennai have also been included in the team. The IIT students are believed to be IT and call centre experts.

According to the sources, Bhupender Yadav has the responsibility to compile a detailed report on 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal. Amit Shah wants a comprehensive report on how many seats the BJP could win in West Bengal. He also seeks information about the seats where the BJP unit is in a strong position and where the party is relatively weaker.

This comes just days after a division bench of the Calcutta High Court denied permission to the BJP for a rath yatra, scheduled to be spearheaded by Amit Shah. While a single bench of the High Court had given a go-ahead for the yatra, the division bench overturned the decision.

Following this, the BJP moved the Supreme Court to seek permission for the rath yatra, for which the Trinamool Congress government in the state had refused permission.

The Supreme Court, however, refused urgent hearing on the appeal by BJP, with the top court registrar refusing to accord urgent hearing before the vacation bench.

The lawyer associated with the plea had said that they had been informed by the apex court registry that the matter would be listed in the normal course.NEW DELHI: The Cabinet on Friday vowed to make punishment for those committing sexual crimes against children more stringent. In a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Cabinet accepted the proposal to amend the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 and make it punishable by death.

The POCSO Act was enacted to protect the children from offences of sexual assault, sexual harassment and pornography with due regard for safeguarding the interest and well-being of children. The Act defines a child as any person below eighteen years of age. It regards the best interests and welfare of the child as a matter of paramount importance at every stage. It also seeks to ensure the healthy physical, emotional, intellectual and social development of the child.

To discourage the trend of child sexual abuse, amendments were proposed seeking stringent punishment, including death penalty, for committing aggravated penetrative sexual assault crime on a child to protect the children from sexual abuse. The amendmemt was on Friday accepted by the Cabinet.

The amendments were also proposed to protect children from sexual offences in times of natural calamities and disasters and in cases where children are administered to attain early sexual maturity for the purpose of penetrative sexual assault.

Amendments have also been sought to address the menace of child pornography. It is proposed to levy fine for not destroying/or deleting/ or reporting the pornographic material involving a child. The person can be further penalised with jail term or fine or both for transmitting/propagating/administrating such material in any manner except for the purpose of reporting as may be prescribed and for use as evidence in court. Penal provisions have been made more stringent for storing/possessing any pornographic material in any form involving a child for commercial purpose.Bhopal: Taking a jibe at the functioning of the newly-formed Congress government in Madhya Pradesh, former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan alleged that the delay in the allocation of portfolios to the ministers is a "matter of concern".

Talking to reporters at his residence, Chouhan said, "I extended my wishes to the new government, but it is a matter of concern the way formation of cabinet was delayed and now portfolio distribution is being delayed."

"We are seeing media reports and various Congress leaders are insisting for particular departments causing delay in the allocation. Quota of different camps (of Congress) was fixed. This delay is historic and never happened in the state," he claimed.

Chouhan said, "It is the chief minister's prerogative to allocate portfolios, but Digvijay ji - veteran Congress leader Digvijay Singh - was replying on such issues claiming this work would be done today."

He said, "Senior Congress MLAs like Bisahulal Singh, KP Singh and others, who don't belong to any group in Congress, failed to get berth."

In a reply to a question, he said the Congress should implement farm loan waiver in accordance to their promise.

"There should be no condition in loan waiver. The farm loan up to Rs 2 lakh, as on November this year end, should be waived," he said.

Asked about the Congress' manifesto promise about 'banning' the RSS Shakhas in government premises, Chouhan said, "Nehru ji (Jawaharlal Nehru) and Indira ji (Indira Gandhi) had also banned, but they had to withdraw. The RSS is the biggest organisation of patriots and honest people."NEW DELHI: A day after the release of the trailer of The Accidental Prime Minister, which is based on the life of Manmohan Singh, the former prime minister was asked for his comments on the movie. However, Singh evaded the question as he stepped out of the car and went past the reporters.

With the film focussing on the tenure of the ex-PM, it has created immense buzz due since the time the first pictures of the shoot came out. Singh's character has been portrayed by veteran actor Anupam Kher. As can be seen in the trailer, Kher has mastered the mannerisms of the ex-PM and fits perfectly into the shoes of the economist who ruled the country from 2004 to 2014. It is based on a book written by Sanjaya Baru by the same name.

The Accidental Prime Minister: BJP defends tweet, Congress sees red

Sharing the trailer on Twitter, producer Hansal Mehta wrote, "In spite of differing political views of many of us I've never seen #TheAccidentalPrimeMinister as a film that takes sides. I see it as an important cautionary tale, a drama about a democracy that has always been bogged down by personality cults."

However, after the trailer released on Thursday, Maharashtra Youth Congress wrote to the makers of the political drama, demanding the screening of the film before its release. The youth wing said that if it is found that some scenes are not based on facts, they will have to be deleted else the outfit will not let the movie be screened anywhere in the country.

The movie also has German actor Suzanne Bernert essaying the role of UPA chief Sonia Gandhi, 'Lipstick under my burkha' actress Aahana Kumara will be seen as Priyanka Gandhi and Arjun Mathur plays Congress president Rahul Gandhi. The film is directed by debutant Vijay Ratnakar Gutte. The Accidental Prime Minister is all set to hit the screens on January 11.The anti-narcotics cell of the Mumbai Police crime branch has arrested four people for possessing a banned drug from Mumbai's Vakola area.

The four people were arrested on Wednesday. They were caught with the banned drug, Fentanyl, whose market price is estimated at Rs 1,000 crores.

Mumbai DCP (Anti Narcotics Cell), Shivdeep Lande said that 100 kgs of fentanyl drug was recovered after a tip-off. He added that the banned drugs were meant to be exported to foreign countries, especially Mexico.

"We have recovered 100 kgs of fentanyl drug worth Rs 1,000 crore, after a tip-off. It was meant to be exported to foreign countries, especially Mexico. Four people have been arrested in connection with the case," said Lande.

The four accused were produced before a court. They have been sent to police remanded till January 1.

Fentanyl is an opioid used as a pain medication and together with other medications for anaesthesia. It is also made illegally and used as a recreational drug, often mixed with heroin or cocaine.The Centre on Friday said in the Lok Sabha that there was no other option left with the Governor but to recommend President's Rule in Jammu and Kashmir as no party or alliance staked claim to form government and asserted that it was ready to hold assembly polls in the state.

Replying to a discussion on the resolution on a presidential proclamation about imposition of President's Rule in the state, Home Minister Rajnath Singh also rejected claims of some opposition parties that the BJP was propping up a regional party to form government. The resolution was adopted by a voice vote.

If the BJP wanted to indulge in horse-trading to form government, then it would have done so during the six-month Governor's Rule, he said.

The Home Minister said the then Governor N N Vohra had sent a report in June after speaking to leaders of all major parties that none of them had expressed any intention to form a government.

The Central government would take no wrong or immoral action in the state, Singh asserted, saying it is ready for assembly polls but the decision has to be taken by the Election Commission. "We are totally committed to democratic process," he said.Hours after the Centre and Odisha government rushed teams to help the 15 stranded miners stuck in a coal mine in Meghalaya's Jaintia Hills district, a Congress MP hinted that there is a strong chance that the miners might not be alive.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Congress Shillong MP Vincent H Pala said he came to know from the locals that there is no chance of survival inside the mines. He said he is "very sure that most of the people have died".

Taking a dig at the Centre he accused it of not taking the issue seriously in sending the pumps. He hoped that with the new pumps, that is expected to reach the accident site, the rescue teams will be able to pump the water out. The Congress MP added that it will take at least "2-3 days to retrieve the bodies".

"Im very sure most people have died. I came to know from local people that there is no chance of people there, those who survive, they run away since the mining was illegal. Earlier the Central government did not take seriously in sending the pumps. I hope with the new pumps coming they will be able to pump water. It will take minimum 2-3 days then we will be able to retrieve the bodies," said Pala.

Earlier, the Indian Air Force (IAF), Coal India Limited (CIL) and leading pump manufacturing company Kirloskar Brothers' Limited joined the rescue effort.

Two teams from Kirloskar Brothers reached the site Thursday, 15 days after the tragedy struck. "We are deeply concerned about the trapped miners in Meghalaya and are ready to help in whichever way possible. We are in touch with the officials of the Government of Meghalaya to offer our assistance in this regard," Kirloskar Brothers Ltd said in a statement late Wednesday night.

IAF and CIL teams are expected to reach the mine on Friday. IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh said the National Disaster Management Authority has requested the IAF to airlift rescuers from Bhubaneswar to either Guwahati or Shillong airport on Friday.

A 10-member team, including four engineers and six surveyors, are on their way to the site. Two top CIL officials also expected to reach.

"We have received a request from the Meghalaya government to help carry out search and rescue operations in the coal mine where some miners were trapped. Immediately we have mobilised the manpower within the organisation so as to reach the site as soon as possible," said J Borah, General Manager of CIL`s Northeastern Coalfields.

However, the equipment including pumps, pipes and survey tools will take some time to arrive as those are being sent by road from different CIL establishments, said Borah adding that the operations will be launched soon after all the equipment and manpower arrives at the site.

Search operations, which hit a wall on Monday, remained suspended for the fourth day in a row with the Meghalaya government requesting high-pressure pumps to drain out the water.

The two 25 hp pumps currently being used is inadequate, said National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Assistant Commandant SK Singh, who is heading the force in the operation.

NDRF also contradicted certain reports which claimed that the miners are suspected dead on the basis of the "foul odour" the rescue team encounters when they went inside the mine.

A senior government official told news agency PTI that the teams will assess the situation including the road condition leading to the mine in a remote area in the district and accordingly report to their office, which will then take a call on what equipment is required to launch a rescue operation.New Delhi: It is unlikely that there will be any major initiative to improve ties between India and Pakistan until Lok Sabha elections are held, official sources said Thursday.

However, they did not "definitively" rule out any positive development.

Last month, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, while calling for bettering ties between the two neighbours, had said that he was willing to wait for New Delhi's response till general elections are held in India. The Lok Sabha polls are due in April-May.

Asked about the latest episode of harassment of staff at Indian High Commission in Islamabad, the sources said India is not contemplating scaling down its strength in the mission.

They said Pakistan is yet to grant gas connections to the new residential building of its mission in Islamabad despite repeated requests by India.

"Our diplomats are facing harassment on multiple counts. Our High Commission buildings and projects in Islamabad are stalled for last 10 years. We moved people in the High Commission building with no gas supply," said a source.

They said furniture for new buildings are held up at the border and no telecom connections have been granted by Pakistan.

Recalling the "unprecedented levels" of harassment of officials of the Indian mission in Islamabad earlier this year, the sources indicated that India had given a tit for tat response.

"That resulted in them backing of real fast," said a source.

When asked about alleged harassment of Indian diplomats in the country, Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said Islamabad was facilitating the Indian High Commission to operate according to the international laws and diplomatic norms.

"Pakistan stands for upholding the Vienna Conventions on diplomatic relations and has always endeavoured to facilitate the working of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad within the diplomatic norm, international law and practices," he said during a media briefing in Islamabad.

On the Kartarpur corridor project, the sources said it was a cultural initiative and not a diplomatic or political one.

They said Kartarpur corridor initiative does not mean India was going to open dialogue with Pakistan on larger issues.

The corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur - the final resting place of Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev - with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district.

Pakistan has been projecting the initiative as its major diplomatic coup. On Thursday, Pakistan described it as the "high point of diplomacy" for the Imran Khan government.NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress are sparring over The Accidental Prime Minister, a day after the trailer of the movie released on Thursday. With the BJP tweeting the trailer of the movie from its official handle, the Congress is alleging a political motive behind the film.

"This is a BJP game, they know 5 years are about to complete and they have nothing to show to the people so they are using these tactics to divert attention," Congress MP PL Punia said on Friday.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also termed the movie as fake propaganda of the BJP. "Such fake propaganda by BJP wont desist @INCIndia from questioning the Modi Govt on - Rural Distress, Rampant Unemployment, Demonetisation Disaster, Flawed GST, Failed Modinomics, All pervading Corruption," he tweeted with the hashtag #ChowkidaarHiChorHai.

Such fake propaganda by BJP wont desist @INCIndia from questioning the Modi Govt on - Rural Distress,

Rampant Unemployment,

Demonetisation Disaster,

Flawed GST,

Failed Modinomics,

All pervading Corruption!#ChowkidaarHiChorHai https://t.co/ytXL4Yk8Da  Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) December 27, 2018

However defending the tweet, Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore questioned the Congress's stance on freedom. "Cant we extend our wishes for a film? Congress has been all for freedom, why is it questioning that freedom now," Rathore asked.

The BJP while tweeting the trailer of the movie wrote: "Riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years. Was Dr Singh just a regent who was holding on to the PMs chair till the time heir was ready? Watch the official trailer of #TheAccidentalPrimeMinister, based on an insiders account, releasing on 11 Jan!"

Riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years. Was Dr Singh just a regent who was holding on to the PMs chair till the time heir was ready? Watch the official trailer of #TheAccidentalPrimeMinister, based on an insiders account, releasing on 11 Jan! pic.twitter.com/ToliKa8xaH  BJP (@BJP4India) December 27, 2018

Meanwhile, Manmohan Singh chose to remain silent when asked about the trailer of the movie. Evading the questions over the movie, Singh stepped out of the car and went past the reporters.

Maharashtra Youth Congress had already raised objections to the Anupam Kher starrer movie asserting that if the film is released without prior screening for their office bearers, they will resort to "other options" to stop the screening of the film.

In a letter to the makers of the film, the party's Maharashtra youth wing has raised objections to the "incorrect presentation of the facts" and has demanded a special screening of the film to ensure that none of the scenes is factually incorrect.

"Looking at the trailer of the movie it is understood that the facts have been played with and presented in an incorrect manner with regards to Ex-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress Party to malign the image of Congress Party which is not acceptable to us," the statement read.

The statement also warned the makers of the film against releasing the movie without a prior screening and review by the party. "If the said movie is released without prior screening for our office bearers and without making necessary changes recommended by us, it will be understood that you are doing this deliberately and we have other options open to stop the screening of the same across India," the statement concluded.

The Accidental Prime Minister revolves around Singh's life as the Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014 under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. It is based on the book of the same name written by Singh's advisor Sanjaya Baru. The movie is slated to release on January 11, 2019.NEW DELHI: Former Norway prime minister Kjell Magne Bondevik's visit to Jammu and Kashmir a few weeks back had created an uproar in the political circles. Former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah had also questioned the motive of the visit. The question was again raked up in Parliament on Friday.

Quashing rumours over the visit, Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj told Rajya Sabha that the former PM was on a private visit to India. "Former Norway PM Kjell Magne Bondevik was on private visit to India at the invitation of Art of Living. He met several people including All Party Hurriyat Conference. The government was not involved in organising the visit," she said.

She clarified that India will not involve any third party to resolve issues with Pakistan. "There's no change in the government's consistent and principled position under Simla Agreement and as reiterated in Lahore Declaration. India and Pakistan are committed to address issues bilaterally. There's no scope for third party role," she added.

Senior separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who was among those who met the former Norway PM, had called the meeting a fruitful one. "As Norway is known to play a constructive role in conflict resolution across the globe, urged Bondevik to help in ending the daily killings and urgent resolution of the festering Kashmir dispute," Mirwaiz Umar Farooq had tweeted.

Geelani and Mirwaiz had told the former prime minister that the Norwegian government should make serious efforts to resolve the Kashmir dispute to mitigate the sufferings of the people and ensure lasting peace in South Asia. They said the leaders explained to the visiting dignitary the prevailing situation in Kashmir and termed it "very sensitive and fragile".

The former Norwegian prime minister-led delegation assured the separatist leaders that "they would use their good offices to ensure that a sustained and result-oriented dialogue between India and Pakistan begins so that an amicable solution to the Kashmir issue is found," the statement claimed.New Delhi: The ongoing cold wave, coupled with pollution, in Delhi may have made coughing common but there appeared something 'suspicious' about how many BJP workers were clearing their throats during CM Arvind Kejriwal's recent speech at an event here. The coughing got to a point where union minister Nitin Gadkari, also present at the event, had to intervene and ask audience members to maintain silence.

News agency ANI posted a video in which Kejriwal is heard making a speech which is interspaced with sounds of coughing from members in the audience. It is reported that most of these were BJP workers. "It would be nice if there is a bit of silence," Kejriwal requested, forced to veer from his speech. Sporadic coughing, however, continued unabated, prompting Gadkari to step in. "You (Kejriwal) please begin (the speech)," he said before asking members in the audience to maintain decorum. "Please maintain silence, this is a government event."

#WATCH BJP workers troll Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, start coughing when he begins to talk. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari intervened and Kejriwal began. pic.twitter.com/tABmZJcreS  ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2018

Kejriwal has often been mocked for incessant coughing - both on social media and offline, even though it is a medical condition and he has been to Bengaluru several times for treatment.

Kejriwal has also often been targeted by BJP on charges of having failed people of Delhi. But interrupting his speech by what may well be deliberate coughing is being seen as rather disrespectful to the chief-ministerial post and office. It is something that even Gadkari may have realised as he put aside political differences to ensure a government event is not made a mockery of.The year of 2018 was a year of major political developments in India. From the controversial dissolution of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly by Governor Satya Pal Malik to the resurgence of the Congress party in states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, India witnessed a string of developments that altered the political landscape of the country. Apart from these, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government, which was elected in 2014 with a thumping majority, also had to face a no-confidence motion, which also turned out to be the first major show of opposition unity against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Heres a look at 10 major political developments of 2018, which could even turn out to be the defining moments of the Indian polity in 2019, when the country witnesses its next Lok Sabha election:

1. Assembly elections 2018 - Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland: The results of the Assembly elections in northeastern states of Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland were declared on March 3, 2018. The most significant of the three was the result of Tripura Assembly elections, where the BJP decimated the Left Front by securing a comfortable majority. After a fierce campaign, the BJP managed to bag 35 seats, thereby securing a comfortable majority in Tripura. The two-decade old Manik Sarkar government was toppled and Biplab Kumar Deb was installed as the new Chief Minister of the state. In Nagaland, the government was formed by the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) while the National Peoples Party was voted to power in Meghalaya.

2. Assembly elections 2018  Karnataka: The most interesting electoral battle of 2018 was fought in the southern state of Karnataka, which witnessed a three-corner contest comprising the Congress, the BJP and the Janata Dal Secular (JDS). The BJP emerged as the single largest party by winning 104 seats while the Congress and the JDS bagged 78 and 37 seats, respectively. But even as the results were being declared, the Congress and the JDS sprung in action and declared that they would join hands to form a coalition government in the state. However, drama unfolded when Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala invited BJPs BS Yeddyurappa to form government in the state, and gave the party 15 days to prove its majority. The move was challenged in the Supreme Court, which conducted a midnight hearing. Though the top court declined to stop Yeddyurappas swearing-in ceremony, but reduced the time limit for floor test to just 24 hours. After days of resort politics, allegations and counter-allegations, Yeddyurappa-led BJP lost the floor test and he resigned after an emotional speech. JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy was later sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka.

3. Assembly elections 2018 - Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram: The results of the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh came as a shot in the arm for the Congress party ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The grand old party, whose political existence had been questioned by many, managed to snatch power from the BJP in the three states. The BJP, which had been in power in both Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh for almost 15 years, was dethroned by the Congress party. While the Congress managed to secure a comfortable majority in Chhattisgarh, it fell marginally short of majority in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Mayawatis Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) extended support to the Congress party, following which Kamal Nath and Ashok Gehlot were sworn in as the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Bhupesh Baghel was appointed as the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh.

In Telangana, which witnessed its first Assembly elections, K Chandrasekhar Raos TRS retained power by securing a thumping majority. Following the declaration of the results on December 11, KCR declared that he would play an active role in national politics in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections 2019. Mizoram Assembly elections results, however, came as a setback for the Congress party as it was voted out of power to lose its last northeast bastion. Zoramthanga-led Mizo National Front emerged victorious and formed government in the state.

4. No-confidence motion: In July 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre faced a no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha. The motion was moved by former BJP ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP), and backed by opposition parties including the Congress and the Left. Even as the motion was introduced, the NDA already had 313 members in the House, which suggested they would sail through the same comfortably. The country witnessed a 12-hour debate in Lok Sabha, including assertive speeches by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, among others. The issue of Rafale deal was also raised by the Congress president, who accused Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Prime Minister Modi of lying to the people of the country. Shortly after his speech during the no-confidence debate, the government of France issued a statement on secrecy pact between the governments of both the countries. While the government managed to defeat the motion comfortably, the opposition claimed that it was a fight between majority and morality.

5. Dissolution of J&K Assembly: In the month of June, the BJP decided to end its alliance with Mehbooba Mufti-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Jammu and Kashmir. The decision of the BJP-led central government to resume anti-terror operations after the holy month of Ramzan was considered to be the immediate breaking point for the unusual alliance. What followed was trading of charges between the two parties and resignation of the government. But five months after the development, a major political drama erupted in the state with Governor Satya Pal Malik deciding to dissolve the Assembly. His move came shortly after PDP supremo Mehbooba Mufti decided to stake claim to form government with the help of the National Conference and the Congress party. While the BJP backed the decision of the Governor, PDP, NC and Congress termed the move as undemocratic, citing that they had the required numbers for government formation. Jammu and Kashmir is slated to go for Assembly elections before May, 2019.

6. Tussle within NDA: The year has not been a comfortable ride for the BJP-led NDA government. The first setback for the alliance came in March when Telugu Desam Chief (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu decided to walk out of it over the issue of special category status for Andhra Pradesh. His move was triggered by Centres refusal to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh.

Another setback for the ruling alliance came from Bihar when Upendra Kushwahas Rashtriya Lok Samta Party left the NDA over the issue of seat sharing for Lok Sabha elections 2019. Accusing the BJP leadership of not paying heed to the demands of smaller parties, Kushwaha left the NDA even before the final seat sharing arrangement of the ruling alliance was announced.

The other factor that has been troubling the NDA for long is its constituent, the Shiv Sena. The party has been vocal in criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his governments policies. The latest issue that the Shiv Sena has taken up to target the NDA is Ram Mandir.

7. Mahagathbandhan in making: The BJP juggernaut, which started in 2014, made different opposition parties to join hands. They came together in an attempt to make the political permutations and combination adverse for the BJP and other constituents of the NDA. While the first show of strength of opposition parties was part of HD Kumaraswamys swearing-in ceremony, the real test happened in several byelections, held in seats like Gorakhpur, Phulpur and Kairana etc. The results of the byelections suggested coming together of opposition parties, who have usually been arch rivals  for instance the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party  would make things tough for the BJP, which has been riding on Modi wave. And this led to the concept of Mahagathbandhan, which is yet to be formally constituted, in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections 2019.

A significant figure with regard to the making of Mahagathbandhan in 2018 has been Telugu Desam Party supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. The Andhra strongman has travelled to different parts of the country and made leaders of almost all major opposition parties. In 2018, Naidu met presidents of several parties and a number of senior politicians, including Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, DMK president MK Stalin, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee.

Notably, Telangana Rashtra Samithi chief K Chandrasekhar Rao has also met several politicians, including Mamata Banerjee and BJDs Naveen Patnaik, in his attempt to form a non-BJP and non-Congress federal front.

8. BSP-SP alliance: One of the most remarkable political developments that happened in 2018, and that could also set the course of Indian polity in 2019, was the coming together of two arch rivals  the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP). The impact of the BSP-SP was clearly evident when the BJP was defeated in its bastions of Gorakhpur and Phulpur. While a party like BSP plays a key role in states like Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan as well, its joining hands with the Samajwadi Party makes the political battle in Uttar Pradesh extreme crucial. The state sends a total of 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha, and the SP-BSP alliance may decide the fate of the next government at the Centre.

9. Call for Ram temple ordinance: After the Supreme Court deferred the hearing in Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title case till January 2019, the clamour for an ordinance on the construction of Ram temple grew in all corners of the country in 2018. Right-wing groups like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) even converged to Ayodhya to assert their demand for speedy construction of the temple. Political parties like the Shiv Sena also organised a large-scale event in Ayodhya, demanding that an ordinance be brought by the government to start the construction of Ram temple. However, the BJP leadership and the government declared that they would wait for the hearing in Supreme Court and not take the ordinance route as of now.

10. Rahul hugs Modi: While the BJP-led NDA comfortably sailed through the no-confidence motion brought by the opposition parties in 2018, it was Rahul Gandhis hug to Prime Minister Modi that grabbed the headlines and prime time all over news platforms. After a fiery speech, wherein the Gandhi scion talked about Lord Shiva, Hindutva and Hindustan, he walked to the chair of the Prime Minister. He gestured Modi to stand up, but even before the latter could react to the situation, the Congress chief bent and gave a hug to the Prime Minister. The moment was caught on camera and went viral immediately across social media and news platforms. However, soon after the Gandhi scion returned to his chair, he winked, and that came as a shot in the arm for the BJP, which targeted him over frivolous and childish behaviour on the floor of the House.Zee Media, an Essel Group Entity, and Indias largest News network, is embarking on a talent hunt journey aiming to recruit future journalists and reporters Pan India.

The selection process into Zee Media will be extremely stringent, comprising multiple rounds including the following:

* A pan-India national written examination called the Zee Aptitude Test (ZAT) (Round 1)

* Submission of student assignments (Round 2)

* Interviews with Editorial and HR (Round 3)

The selected students will be trained to become multi-lingual, multi-format journalists skilled in the latest tools and techniques including Mobile Journalism (MoJo) and Artificial Intelligence.

Post their selection into the training program, students will be provided guaranteed job offer letters from Zee Media on Day 1 (subject to their successful completion of the training course).

The training period will be for a total of 9 months starting from April/May 2019, and shall be delivered by Zee Institute of Media Arts (ZIMA); for which students shall have to pay Rs 1.5 lakhs plus GST as fees.

The training includes 3 months of paid internship in Zee Media with a stipend of Rs 10,000 per month.

The first step of the selection process i.e. the Zee Aptitude Test is scheduled for 27th January 2019 (Sunday) from 10 am to 12 pm. The test will feature a combination of General Knowledge MCQs and subjective essay-based questions.

This all-India written test will be conducted in several cities across India including Agartala, Ahmedabad, Aizawal, Amritsar, Hyderabad, Bhatinda, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Gangtok, Guwahati, Gwalior, Haridwar, Hisar, Imphal, Indore, Itanagar, Kanpur, Kohima, Kottayam, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Meerut, Mumbai, Nashik, New Delhi, Noida, Panjim, Patiala, Prayagraj, Pune, Shillong, Srinagar, Varanasi, Vishakatapatnam. To be eligible for the entrance test, the student must hold a Bachelors Degree or equivalent and must have secured a minimum of 50% marks or equivalent CGPA. Students who are appearing for the final year of their bachelors degree and those who have completed their graduation degree requirements and are awaiting results are also eligible to apply.

Registrations for the entrance test will be INR 1,000/- per student which can be paid online through after filling the registration form in the link here: www.zimainstitute.com/zat-registration.aspx.

The initiative is the brainchild of Mr. Sidharth Balakrishna, Head-Innovation, Essel Group and Executive Director, Siti Networks. He said, We are happy that two of the Essel entities are coming together to benefit the youth of this country through a structured selection, training and onboarding program. It has the potential to be a true game-changer and will help ensure that students interested in media from across the country get a great opportunity. The inspiration for this initiative comes from the Group Chairman who always inspires us to dream and think big.

Debshankar Mukhopadhyay, CEO, Zee Learn, said, This 9-month training program launched by ZIMA in collaboration with ZMCL is a benchmark in journalism education in India. Individuals who want to make their career in journalism have got a good opportunity to learn all the skills and techniques of the new age journalism.

Sushil Joshi, CHRO, Zee Media, said, ZAT is Zee Media and DNAs National Talent Search for creative fresh graduates passionate to join our company as multi-format and multi-lingual journalist (capable of handling broadcast +print + digital news). It is a fantastic opportunity for students from the far corners of the country to build their careers in the media sector with one of Indias largest news networks.

For more information, log onto www.zimainstitute.com/zat-registration.aspx.SHILLONG: The Indian Air Force (IAF), Coal India Limited (CIL) and leading pump manufacturing company Kirloskar Brothers' Limited have joined the rescue effort to find and bring out the 15 stranded miners from an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya's Jaintia Hills district.

Two teams from Kirloskar Brothers reached the site Thursday, 15 days after the tragedy struck. "We are deeply concerned about the trapped miners in Meghalaya and are ready to help in whichever way possible. We are in touch with the officials of the Government of Meghalaya to offer our assistance in this regard," Kirloskar Brothers Ltd said in a statement late Wednesday night.

IAF and CIL teams are expected to reach the mine on Friday. IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh said the National Disaster Management Authority has requested the IAF to airlift rescuers from Bhubaneswar to either Guwahati or Shillong airport on Friday.

Odisha Fire Services team also left for #Meghalaya in a special aircraft to assist local authorities in the rescue of trapped coal miners pic.twitter.com/yo5Sr9e7ef  ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2018

A 10-member team, including four engineers and six surveyors, are on their way to the site. Two top CIL officials also expected to reach.

"We have received a request from the Meghalaya government to help carry out search and rescue operations in the coal mine where some miners were trapped. Immediately we have mobilised the manpower within the organisation so as to reach the site as soon as possible," said J Borah, General Manager of CIL`s Northeastern Coalfields.

However, the equipment including pumps, pipes and survey tools will take some time to arrive as those are being sent by road from different CIL establishments, said Borah adding that the operations will be launched soon after all the equipment and manpower arrives at the site.

Search operations, which hit a wall on Monday, remained suspended for the fourth day in a row with the Meghalaya government requesting high-pressure pumps to drain out the water.

The two 25 hp pumps currently being used is inadequate, said National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Assistant Commandant SK Singh, who is heading the force in the operation.

NDRF also contradicted certain reports which claimed that the miners are suspected dead on the basis of the "foul odour" the rescue team encounters when they went inside the mine.

A senior government official told news agency PTI that the teams will assess the situation including the road condition leading to the mine in a remote area in the district and accordingly report to their office, which will then take a call on what equipment are required to launch a rescue operation.

The ruling NPP-BJP (National People's Party-Bharatiya Janata Party) combine in Meghalaya said the state government was making all efforts to rescue the trapped miners.

Chief Minister Conrad Sangma confirmed that CIL and Kirloskar Brothers have offered their support to draw out the water from the 370-ft coal pit so that the rescuers can locate the trapped miners.

"We are expecting that the Coal India Limited (CIL) will airlift their water pumps to the accident site by tomorrow (Friday). Their (CIL) team of engineers and surveyors arrived in the state and meeting the government officials," Sangma told IANS.

"The main challenge that the state is facing now is how to get the logistics. Nonetheless, we are in touch with the central government and we have been assured of all their support," he added.

However, the relatives of the trapped miners are losing hope and are expecting a miracle to occur.

"It has been fifteen days since December 13 when they got trapped inside the pit without air. If God is willing, they may come back alive," said Adil Hussain, who was camping at the mining site seeing the rescuers doing whatever they can to bring the miners out.

Mining expert Jaswant Singh Gill had also visited the mine recently at the request of the Meghalaya government and suggested plugging the water entry points to the mine and using powerful pumps to drain out the water from the rat hole mine.Indian Navy divers were on Friday airlifted from Vishakhapatnam to join operations to rescue the miners who have been trapped in a Meghalaya coal mine since the last sixteen days. The Navy has confirmed that the divers will join the ongoing operation on Saturday morning.

Navy spokesman said in a tweet that a 15-member diving team from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh will reach the site in the remote Lumthari village in East Jaintia Hills district Saturday morning.

"The team is carrying specialised diving equipment including a re-compression chamber and remotely operated vehicles capable of searching underwater," he said. The Navy carried out an initial assessment on Friday to determine an effective response.

The miners are trapped in a 370-foot-deep illegal coal mine in the Ksan area of Lumthari village in Meghalaya since December 13.

The Indian Air Force (IAF), Coal India Limited (CIL) and leading pump manufacturing company Kirloskar Brothers' Limited are already a part of the rescue team trying to bring out the 15 stranded miners from the illegal coal mine in Jaintia Hills district.

Kirloskar Brothers Ltd and Coal India were jointly moving 18 high-powered pumps to drain water out of the 37-foot-deep mine. A team of surveyers from the two companies also conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the situation, reported news agency PTI.

A team of the Odisha Fire Services had also left on Friday for Meghalaya to assist in the search and rescue of the 15 labourers trapped in a flooded rat-hole coal mine in the northeastern state. Director General of Fire Services BK Sharma had said a 20-member team led by chief fire officer Sukanta Sethi left for Shillong in a special Indian Air Force aircraft with equipment, including high-power pumps.

"Get, set and go," Sharma tweeted as the selected members of the Odisha Fire Services team boarded the IAF plane. "They will assist local authorities in the rescue of the trapped coal miners," he said.

Stating that the team was carrying high-power pumps, an official said each pump is capable of flushing out 1,600 litre water per minute. The fire services personnel are also armed with several other high-tech equipment and gadgets for use during the rescue mission. The team will first study and analyse the situation at the site before working out plans for the search and rescue mission.

Meanwhile, PTI quoted official sources as saying that the Air Force has airlifted 10 pumps from Bhubaneswar. Its personnel have landed in Guwahati, 270 kilometres away from the coal mine.

Search operations had been suspended on Monday after which the Meghalaya government had requested high-pressure pumps to drain out the water. The two 25 hp pumps which was being used had been termed as inadequate by the NDRF.

NDRF also contradicted certain reports which claimed that the miners are suspected dead on the basis of the "foul odour" the rescue team encounters when they went inside the mine.New Delhi: Veteran actor Kader Khan has been put on ventilator after he suffered from breathlessness. Doctors shifted the actor from a normal ventilator to a special one, causing concern among his fans and well wishes. Khan is currently in Canada and is reportedly unable to talk and showing symptoms of pneumonia.

Legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan took to Twitter and expressed his concern over the actor's health. Senior Bachchan sends his 'prayers and duas' for Kedar's speedy recovery.

Taking to Twitter, the 75-year-old actor wrote, T 3041 - KADER KHAN .. actor writer of immense talent .. lies ill in Hospital .. PRAYERS and DUAS for his well being and recovery .. saw him perform on stage, welcomed him and his prolific writing for my films .. great company, a Libran .. and many not know , taught Mathematics!

T 3041 - KADER KHAN .. actor writer of immense talent .. lies ill in Hospital .. PRAYERS and DUAS for his well being and recovery .. saw him perform on stage, welcomed him and his prolific writing for my films .. great company, a Libran .. and many not know , taught Mathematics ! pic.twitter.com/yE9SSkcPUF  Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) December 28, 2018

According to a report published in Spotboye.com, Kedar, who has been residing with his son Sarfaraz and daughter-in-law Shahista in Canada, is suffering from breathing issues. His deteriorating condition reportedly forced doctors to put him on a BiPAP ventilator instead of a normal one.

Despite having a team of doctors who are dedicatedly working on his health, Kader's health continues to remain delicate, the report stated.

His son Sarfaraz told Spotboye that his father underwent knee surgery and was advised to walk after the surgery but he couldn't do so because of his ill health.

"The surgery did not go wrong. It was just that my father refused to get up after the surgery. We were told that he has to make an effort and try to start walking from the next day. He just didn't do that and..." He said.

Kader Khan is known for his roles in Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Lucky, Fun2shh, Jeena Sirf Merre Liye, Akhiyon Se Goli Maare, Joru Ka Ghulam, Haseena Maan Jaayegi, Anari No. 1, Aa Ab Laut Chalen, Aunty No. 1, Benarasi Babu, Judaai and Judwaa among others.

Here's wishing the actor a speedy recovery!New Delhi: Two of the biggest Khans of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan bring the house down whenever they are together! The two actors' camaraderie in Aanand L Rai's 'Zero' won a lot of hearts and was an absolute delight to witness!

In a video doing rounds on the internet, SRK and Bhai can be seen having a jamming session and it will give you Friday night feels!

Check out the video here, as shared by a fan club on Instagram:

King Khan's latest outing 'Zero' received mixed reviews from audience and critics. The film was heavily criticised due to its script and direction. However, what stood out was performances by all the actors in the film. SRK aced his role as Bauua Singh while Katrina and Anushka slayed as Babita Kumari and Aafia respectively.

The film is yet to enter the Rs 100 crores club and will be remembered for its noteworthy performances.

Talking about Salman, the actor will be seen in 'Bharat' which is slated for an Eid 2019 release. The film has an ensemble star cast with Katrina Kaif and Disha Patani as female leads. Popular television actor Aasif Sheikh , comedian-turned-actor Sunil Grover and popular film actress Tabu, to name a few, will be playing pivotal roles.

Details about the film are being kept under the wraps and 'Bharat' is one of the most-anticipated releases of next year.Baba Vanga, the blind Bulgarian mystic, might have passed away 22 years ago. But her predictions continue to live. And there's some forecast in store for 2019 too.

The clairvoyant from Southeast Europe, infamously known as the 'Nostradamus of Balkans', had allegedly correctly predicted the 9/11 attacks, Brexit crisis and the rise of ISIS.

Among several of her prediction, some are tilted towards politics.

One such forecast claims, Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to face some form of a threat from within. Previously, there have been a few reports of assassination bids against Putin being foiled by intelligence agencies.

Baba Vanga had also remarked on World War 3 and claimed that Russia will emerge more powerful than it currently is. Earlier this year, Kremlin-owned TV channel warned viewers to stock up on emergency supplies because a World War may be around the corner, based on Vanga's prediction. However, people close to the mystic claim that she made no such prediction on World War 3.

She also predicted that the 44th President of the United States would be the country's last chief. Taking into account that Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president, the prediction is yet to be fulfilled.

Yet another forecast states that a big calamity  like a mega-tsunami  will strike the world. This too is not surprising, with the series of earthquakes and tsunamis hitting Indonesia incessantly over the last few months.

While some continue to debunk the predictions as myth, many feel all the above will soon come true.London: Three men were found guilty of murder on Friday for causing an explosion in a shop in the UK city of Leicester that killed five people, including three members of an Indian-origin family. The Zabka Polish mini-supermarket and a flat above were completely destroyed in the blast on the evening of February 25, killing three members of the Ragoobeer family who had moved to the UK from Mauritius.

A trial at Leicester Crown Court concluded that shopkeeper Aram Kurd, 34, and his friends Arkan Ali, 37, and Hawkar Hassan, 33, plotted to destroy the shop in order to claim 300,000 pounds in insurance because the business was failing. Ali's girlfriend, Viktorija Ijevleva, who worked in the shop, was left to die in the blaze because she had been in on the plot and "knew too much", the jury was told.

Ijevleva and Mary Ragoobeer, 46, her teenage sons Shane and Sean, Shane's girlfriend, 18-year-old Leah Beth Reek all were killed in the blast. Mary Ragoobeer's husband, Jose, was out at work at the time of the explosion and their third son survived after he was rescued from the rubble. The three men used 26 litres of petrol in the basement of the shop to cause the blast, according to Leicestershire Police.

"It was so powerful it demolished the entire building and killed five people inside. One had been left in the shop and four others were in the flat above, enjoying a peaceful Sunday evening together," Prosecutor David Herbert told the court. He said that Kurd, Ali and Hassan intended to maximise the damage to the premises and "would have known" people were in the two-storey flat above, the home of the Ragoobeers.

Kurd remained in the shop and emerged soon after the blast, feigning shock and concern for the victims. In the aftermath, he also did a series of media interviews expressing concern for the people trapped inside the building. But soon police began to suspect the fire was started deliberately.

The investigation led Leicestershire Police to trawl through more than 700 hours of CCTV footage, and examine more than 2,500 exhibits, 1,000 witness statements and 4,000 different lines of inquiry.

At the end of a five-week trial, the jury found the three charged men guilty of murder.Days after reports in foreign media suggested that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) had military dimensions, apart from the economic aspect, Pakistan on Friday clarified that the economic corridor between the two countries had no military connection.

According to a report in Pakistan-based Dawn News, the military dimension reports were rubbished by Pakistans Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal during his last press briefing of the calendar year.

When asked about the reports, Faisal reiterated that CPEC was just a bilateral economic project, which was not aimed against any third country. He added that CPEC had benefitted the economy of the country significantly.

In August when Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf formed the government in the country, reports had said that the new administration would review the agreements with China under the CPEC. A top official of the Pakistan government had told UK-based Financial Times that the agreement of the project gave undue advantage to Chinese companies.

According to reports, Imran Khan had constituted a nine-members committee to analyse the $62 billion project. However, later during his maiden official visit to China, Khan had lauded CPEC and its impact on Pakistans economy.

In November, China and Pakistan launched a new bus service between the two countries as part of the CPEC project. Strong objection was raised by India over the same, which alleged that the bus service was a violation of Indias sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The protest was, however, dismissed by both China and Pakistan vehemently, with the latter claiming that entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is disputed.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang also brushed aside India's objection, saying, CPEC is an economic cooperation initiative which targets no third country. He had further said that Indias objection would not change Chinas position on the Kashmir issue.

The bus service was launched between Lahore in Pakistan and Kashgar in China via Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on November 13.DHAKA: Campaigning for Bangladesh`s general election at the weekend ended on Friday after weeks of violence, mainly against workers and officials from an opposition alliance, that has been criticised by the United States and others.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina`s Awami League is seeking its third straight term in Sunday`s election against the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which boycotted the last vote in 2014.

https://tmsnrt.rs/2SnmoDo

https://tmsnrt.rs/2Sl8rG1

The Awami League is promoting its economic record over the past decade but the BNP-led opposition alliance, many of whose leaders have been jailed, has vowed to remove curbs on the media, raise wages and freeze energy prices.

"The government has lost moral support," BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told a news conference late on Thursday, urging voters to "restore democracy".

"But the people are with us. They want change," he said.

The BNP`s preparations have been hamstrung by the February jailing of their chairwoman, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, on what they call trumped-up corruption charges.

Awami League leaders deny any misuse of power and say they will return to government with an overwhelming majority.

Hasina told supporters on Thursday they must "ensure victory of pro-liberation forces", a reference to Bangladesh`s independence from Pakistan in 1971 led by her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The Economist Intelligence Unit expects her party to win a third term.

The BNP said on Thursday more than 8,200 opposition leaders and activists from a coalition of about 20 parties have been arrested since the election schedule was announced early last month. Four workers were killed and more than 12,300 injured, it said.

The Awami League has in turn said the BNP and its partners were behind attacks that killed at least five of its workers over the past three weeks.

Police declined to confirm the figures.

Mahbub Talukdar, one of Bangladesh`s five election commissioners, has said there has not been a level playing field, although other commissioners have said they expected the election would be free and fair.

Earl Miller, the U.S. ambassador to Bangladesh, said all parties had been victims of violence, including women and minority candidates.

"However, it appears opposition party candidates have borne the brunt of most violence," he said in a statement after meeting Election Commission officials on Thursday.

Miller said all candidates and voters must be able to take part without "harassment, intimidation, or violence" and that an independent media must be allowed to cover the election.

The United Nations has made a similar call for a "peaceful, credible and inclusive poll".Ukrainian servicemen will use duty weapon during the new ceasefire in Donbas, which starts on December 29, if necessary, as the press office of the Joint Forces Operation reported on Facebook.

Joint Forces Operation Command reserves the right to use duty firepower in case of life- and health-threatening of the military and civilians, to repel the attack of the enemy at the positions of the Ukrainian military, to defend the objects of the military and civil infrastructure, which are under the protection and defence of the Joint Forces to avoid casualties among the staff, prevent terrorist attacks, attempts of forced acquisition of weaponry, military equipment, the message says.

Earlier, Yevhen Marchuk, the representative of Ukraine at the Trilateral Contact Group, said that the new ceasefire begins in Donbas on December 29.A 35-year-old man previously served with the Interior Ministry of Ukraine; in 2014, the native of Horlivka joined the illegal armed gangs of Russian mercenaries in eastern Ukraine

Open source

The Ukrainian military captured a fighter of pro-Russian militants in Donbas combat area. The press office of the Joint Forces Operation HQ reported that on Facebook.

'December 27, servicemen of a mechanized brigade from the Joint Forces captured a member of an illegal armed formation as they completed combat tasks on the contact line. The captive appeared to be the 35-year-old native of Horlivka, the former employee of the Interior Ministry [of Ukraine]', reads the message.

The man appeared to have served with the illegal armed gangs of Russian mercenaries in eastern Ukraine since 2014. In 2016, he was wounded and decommissioned due to health conditions. In November 2018, they drafted him again under the mobilization mode.

'Currently, the captive and his weapon are handed over to the staff of the Security Service of Ukraine. The investigation is underway', the Ukrainian military concluded.The 50-kilometers-long construction cost the Russian government almost three million U.S. dollars

Russian trooper on BTR, Russian flag on background RIA news

A fence appeared on the administrative border between the occupied Crimea and the mainland Ukraine. RIA Novosti news agency reported that with the reference to the press service of the Border Guard of Russia's FSB.

The Russian authority claimed that the fence construction was 'scheduled'. It includes a number of 'engineering solutions', and the 'complicated system of detectors in the area of Perekop neck'. The FSB stated that hundreds of detectors are planted in the fence.

The 50-kilometers-long construction cost the Russian government almost three million U.S. dollars. The local Crimean 'authorities' state this is the way to 'provide security' on the peninsula.

As we reported earlier, Ukraine introduced sanctions against the archaeologists who performed illegal excavations in the occupied Crimea. Vadym Chernysh, the Minister for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced People posted this on a social network.

A group of experts of the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences is now working on the occupied peninsula. Their activities coincided with the beginning of the construction works on the bridge over the Kerch Strait, and other major construction works on the peninsula.It is not the first time Trump threatens to close the border with Mexico

President of the United States Donald Trump threatened to completely close the U.S.  Mexico border, if the Congress wont approve the allocation for the construction of the wall, which will protect from illegal migration. Trump said on Twitter.

We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with. Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve! Trump claimed.

It should be noted that it is not the first time, when Trump threatens to close the border. Yet in October, he claimed to entirely close the border and send forces there. Later, the President commissioned the National Guard to protect the border but it hasnt been implemented. According to media, the United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen claimed she wouldnt close it, since it is impossible to make true.

As we reported earlier, the U.S. government has partially suspended working due to a fierce dispute over the demands of President Donald Trump that the Congress allocate USD five billion to build a wall along the border with Mexico.

Earlier, the U.S. Senate adopted the interim budget of the country until February 8, 2019. It is emphasized that the document does not indicate the five billion dollars that Donald Trump demanded the construction of a wall on the border with Mexico. He noted that the wall will be 'beautiful' and will provide the country with the security that 'citizens deserve.The first of them is Nyzhankovychi-Malhowice point, which can be released in two years

Ukraine and Poland consider the possibility of opening two new checkpoints on the joint border. In particular, they are talking about the opening of Nyzhankovychi-Malhowice checkpoint near Przemysl city in Poland, Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland Andrii Deshchytsia claimed, Ukrinform reported.

The task number one is the modernization of the existing entry points. Although it is possible to open Nyzhankovychi-Malhowice checkpoint near Przemysl within two years. For this to happen, there is a decision of the mixed commission for cross-border and regional development, there are funds in local budgets, in particular in Podkarpackie Voivodeship for the preparation of design estimates, he claimed.

The countries also discuss the prospect of opening four more checkpoints. One in the Volyn region, two in Lviv, and one more in the Zakarpattia region, where the borders of Ukraine, Poland and Slovakia come together.

There is an objective need to open the checkpoints here. Political decision and financial support are also needed, the Ambassador explained.

As we previously reported, one out of two pedestrian checkpoints at the border with Poland in Lviv region Dolgobychuv-Ugrynov will be closed for security purposes

The pedestrian checkpoint Dolgobychuv-Ugrynov opened in 2014 will pass the pedestrians only until the end of 2018.Experts of the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences started working on the occupied peninsula during the construction works on the bridge over the Kerch Strait

Open source

Ukraine introduced sanctions against the archaeologists who performed illegal excavations in the occupied Crimea. Vadym Chernysh, the Minister for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced People posted this on a social network.

'Ukraine imposes sanctions not just against politicians or businessmen of the Russian Federation. There are archaeologists on this list, too, as they illegaly performed excavations in Crimea. "Name and shame" is another principle: we talk about those breaching the regime of the occupied territories and spreading the negative image among the organizations that cooperate with them', Chernysh wrote.

A group of experts of the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences is now working on the occupied peninsula. Their activities coincided with the beginning of the construction works on the bridge over the Kerch Strait, and other major construction works on the peninsula.It was noted that Russia was trying to use information technologies against Ukraine and Moldova

Russia began implementing the scenario of direct interference in the electoral process, as the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said at the briefing in Odesa region, broadcasted by 112 Ukraine.

Unfortunately, Russia started implementing the scenario of a direct interference into the electoral process. I mean this 5th column, which is ready to run and conduct negotiations under the conditions of capitulation with Russia. I stress that nobody but us, the Ukrainians want peace, but peace under the conditions of the international law and national interests, not capitulation. Russia is trying to use modern informational technologies to discredit Ukraines and Moldovas authorities. Not only Ukraine and Moldova but also most of the EU member states are affected by such policy, Poroshenko noted.

Earlier, Poroshenko endured that the presidential elections in the country would be held on March 31, 2019. Martial law for 30 days was imposed in Ukraine due to Russias aggression in Kerch Strait.

Related video:112 Ukraine TV channel launches a unique project in the lead-up to the new year and presidential elections in Ukraine  the hosts become ideal presidential candidates

The TV channel has issued a calendar for 2019 in the style of the pre-election boards, where the candidates for the highest post are the news anchors. Only those, who work at 112 Ukraine TV channel from the beginning of its broadcasting, were able to participate in the project. The important part of this project is the slogans, which help the candidates to win. All campaign promises of the ideal candidates concern only the freedom of speech and draw attention to the situation with the closing of the TV channels in Ukraine one more time.

Thus, Anna Stepanets reminded the situation with putting pressure on the independent mass media in Ukraine in her pre-election slogan. She urged to give a resounding No to the interference in the work of the mass media. Besides, Inna Kercha reminded that The independent country should have independent mass media. Serhiy Huluyk supported the colleagues and noted that one of the main principles of the civilized society is Safety of the journalist is above all!.

No to authorities interference into work of mass media! (Hanna Stepanets) 112 Agency

Independent mass media for independent country! (Inna Kercha) 112 Agency

Security of a journalist is above all! (Serhiy Hulyuk) 112 Agency

TV hosts of the morning and evening programs alike expressed their principal stance. Viktoriya Kiose is the first to share the news with the audience at 6 a.m. every day, as she hosts 112 Minutes morning show. She urges for the free access to information for everyone. At that, the hosts of Evening Prime program marked the necessity to adhere to the European values. Pavlo Kuzheyev, for one, insists that the free expression of views and thoughts is the right of every person. Elina Beketova, then, states, that the freedom of speech is the key feature of the European state.

The authors of information projects of the TV channel, typically, are quite persistent. Volodymyr Poluyev, the host of the main political talk show is sure that there will be freedom of speech in Ukraine!. His colleagues from 112 Ukraines social talk show Challenge insist on Ukraines path to the democratic society. Tetyana Khmelnytska is confident that in this country, the fourth power is the guardian of the freedom of speech. Her counterpart Tetyana Ivanska remembers the well-known axiom of the democratic society without censorship in the media.

Free access to information for everyone! (Viktoria Kiose) 112 Agency

Freedom to express views and thoughts is a common right! (Pavlo Kuzheyev) 112 Agency

Freedom of speech is the main feature for a European country! (Elina Beketova) 112 Agency

Let there be freedom of speech in Ukraine! (Volodymyr Poluyev) 112 Agency

Fourth Estate stands on guard over freedom of speech! (Tetyana Khmelnytska) 112 Agency

Democratic society without censorship of media! (Tetyana Ivanska) 112 Agency

The representatives of the news sector of 112 Ukraine were rather concise. LIVE host Yuriy Bibik raised a question: Are you ready to tell the truth?. While Olexiy Ananov urges to give Freedom to independent media of Ukraine. Ivan Kostroba, the news anchor of 112 Ukraine, is very optimistic. He is sure that there will be More good news.

Are you ready to speak the truth? (Yuriy Bibik) 112 Agency

Freedom to independent media in Ukraine! (Oleksiy Ananov) 112 Agency

Certainly, the presidential race is not just about the candidates, it also involves teamwork! This project of 112 Ukraine TV channel confirms this idea. Nataliya Yakushyna, Elvira Dzyuba, Kateryna Oksamytna, and Mariya Skrypkina  the makeup artists of 112 Ukraine worked on the appearance of the participants along with Valeriya Semchuk, the stylist of the TV channel. The art-service of 112 Ukraine, including Andriy Makhno, Lyudmyla Bulak and Kateryna Gorban, was responsible for the calendar design. The idea of the project belongs to the PR-service of the TV channel  Yuliya Pavlenko, Anastasiya Mamotyuk, and Anastasiya Semenchuk. Famous Ukrainian photographer Vadym Yatsun was doing the shooting of the hosts. He created lots of the covers of different magazines and his works are shown and sold on the Ukrainian and foreign exhibitions and in the galleries.

The backstage which demonstrates the atmosphere and mood of the creation of the project was made by 112 Ukraine promotion service  Viktor Pokrasov, Anna Kapatsyna, and Vyacheslav Rykov.

It is important to mention that none of the anchormen nominated for the participation in the presidential elections, they are not going to do that in the future. All the images were created by the stylists special for each of the participants. Any similarity with prominent politicians is accidental.

112 Ukraine is an informational and analytical TV channel which broadcasts 18,5 hours per day on air and uses modern technologies to be the first channel to provide the unbiased information on important and interesting events going on in Ukraine and in the world. This is mentioned in the respective statement by Artem Marchevskyi, the Chief Producer, and Yehor Benkendorf, Director General of 112 Ukraine.Besides, the capability of the military units to implement tasks in different conditions and directions was checked. According to the Head of the General Staff, the results were positive

Viktor Muzhenko, the Head of the General Staff of Ukraines Armed Forces Reuters

The Head of the General Staff of Ukraines Armed Forces Viktor Muzhenko stated that the Ukrainian army estimated its capacity to implement tasks during martial law. He also emphasized that the soldiers were ready to carry out assignments the nation and the President give them. Muzhenko said it to the journalists, 112 Ukraine broadcasted the press conference.

During the martial law we managed to estimate our capabilities, and for today we are able to create relevant interdepartmental groupings in potentially dangerous directions with a defined system of military units for the reserve forces to react in case of a threat, enhancement of the relevant directions if necessary, Muzhenko stated.

Besides, the capability of the military units to implement tasks in different conditions and directions was checked. According to the Head of the General Staff, the results were positive.

Our groupings might be enhanced in some directions. Besides, first- and second-priority operative reserves and the territorial reserve units were trained along with the brigades of the territorial defence. Positive results as well. Now we can say that we are able to implement tasks the state and Ukrainian nation assign to us, Muzhenko noted.

He said next year, individual training of the forces will be a priority. For this, they will use a base, which was already created and which has a development prospect.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!)"You've got my support, but there's one condition: a corruption-free work environment," he said in his speech at the opening ceremony of Luis Antonio Eguiguren Bridge in Piura region on Thursday.

The Head of State assured that the only way a sound foundation can be laid for the country's development is by rooting out corruption.

"If this is achieved, we are going to have the country we need," the statesman added.

He said that just as he supported ongoing governors and mayors' administrations, he pledges to work in close coordination with newly-elected authorities , whose term will start on January 1.Presidente @MartinVizcarraC: Ahora, la senora Maria tiene un nuevo hogar al igual que muchas familias de Ferrenafe en esta entrega de viviendas como parte de la reconstruccion. Estoy feliz de estar presente en este momento tan importante. pic.twitter.com/TjJW4nQ4zCYEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. The man who was arrested in suspicion of killing a mother and her son in an Armenian town early morning of December 24 has been placed under pre-trial detention, the Investigative Committee said.

The victims were found stabbed to death in their home in the town of Berd, Tavush province. The criminal case was opened on double murder. The suspect is a 27-year-old local of the same province.

The motive of the murder wasnt immediately clear.

Authorities said the investigation continues.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi strongly criticized US President Donald Trumps visit to Iran calling it as disrespect towards the countrys sovereignty, IRNA reports.

Trump together with First Lady Melania Trump visited US troops in Iran on December 26. During an unannounced visit Trump said he has no plans to withdraw the troops from Iraq.

Slamming Trumps interfering and opportunistic statements, Qasemi said that regional nations will never allow aliens to foment discord among them.

Edited and translated by Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Armenian President Armen Sarkissian on December 28 hosted children from orphanages, care centers and boarding schools, reports Armenpress.

A New Year event, including different games, has been organized for the kids. With the help of specialists the children made baubles for decorating the hall and the Christmas Tree.

I want from Santa that all our kids be happy during the whole year, sing and receive good gifts. I want for those boys who dream of becoming a soldier, to become a soldier and defend our homeland, but without war, the President said.

He talked to the little guests, asked their names, age, about their dreams and noted: Each of you has a great future, I know that some of you dont have parents, some have, many live in difficult conditions. When I was in your age, I lost my father. This is difficult, but I am sure that you are stronger than the remaining children as you are able to overcome the difficulties from the early age. Do you understand that you are good, and in case of hard work, good study, you can become the President of Armenia: maybe you will have better job, Sarkissian said.

He asked the kids whether in their opinion there is a better job than that of the President, and the little guests said no. I think the work of the teacher is better. In some sense the president is also a teacher, but I am a teacher who meets with you once or twice a year, but they are so lucky that they communicate with you every day, Armen Sarkissian said.

He urged the kids to send him a letter in case of needing help.

Todays event has been held by the support of SOAR (The Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief) charity fund.

Edited and translated by Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Former President Robert Kocharyan will most probably not personally attend the court hearing on the motion requesting bail, spokesperson for the ex-presidents defense team Elen Arakelyan told ARMENPRESS.

Kocharyan, who is currently jailed pending trial, filed a motion to court requesting to be granted bail on December 26.

A court of general jurisdiction in Yerevan is expected to examine the issue today.

2nd President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, who ruled the country from 1998 to 2008, spent two weeks in jail in summer 2018, but was eventually freed. But on December 7, a higher court overruled the release and ordered him to be remanded into custody pending trial again.

At the time the court announced the verdict, Kocharyan turned himself in to authorities.

Kocharyan is charged for overthrowing constitutional order during the 2008 post-election unrest, when clashes between security forces and protesters left 10 people dead during his final days as president.

He vehemently denies wrongdoing.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received a group of retired military servicemen, his Office told Armenpress.

The guests introduced Pashinyan on their observations and proposals in connection with the decision adopted by government according to which 5 billion 705 million drams will be provided to the defense ministry in state assistance for servicemen in need of housing improvement.

According to the decision, the beneficiaries will receive apartment acquisition certificates valued 5.000.000 AMD each.

In fact, today we have nearly 1200 beneficiaries who are included in the list of receiving an apartment. We had a deadlock situation on this issue because no process was taking place, or just minor ones were taking place. Our task was to move forward this process. We have recorded that today the government can really provide 5 billion AMD and offer that assistance to the people, but this doesnt mean that we say take these 5 billion AMD and the accounts are clear. This means that there is such an opportunity, we are creating this opportunity. There will be people in this 1200 for whom this will not only be an opportunity, but also a solution of the issue, Nikol Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan said there may be people for whom this solution would not be beneficial. He added that the defense ministry will make a decision within a month with what principle and how this 5 billion AMD will be distributed. Pashinyan said all proposals in this regard should be presented to the respective commission. At the same time he accepted the proposal of the meeting participants and expressed readiness to include their representative in that commission. Pashinyan highlighted that he has put a task to implement the process maximally transparent.

Edited and translated by Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Armenias Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan has released a concept, in the form of an extraordinary report, of combating criminal subculture in correctional facilities in Armenia.

The Human Rights Defenders Office said they studied and monitored the prison subculture and its affect in the relations between incarcerated individuals and the prison system.

The goal of the concept is to identify possible pathways for ruling out favorable conditions for the subcultures existence, minimizing its effect and preventing its distribution, and to make recommendations for solving the problems.

Both practical and legislative complex recommendations requiring direct resolutions are included in the report.

The office said it attaches importance to the stance of the justice ministry in this issue.

Edited and translated by Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Acting foreign minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan today awarded the staff members of ARMENPRESS news agency and the Public TV for covering at best the recent 17th La Francophonie Summit held in Yerevan.

Director of ARMENPRESS Aram Ananyan and Executive Director of the Public TV Margarita Grigoryan have been awarded with MFA Honorary Medals.

The staff members of the news agency and the TV channel received certificates.

Acting FM Mnatsakanyan expressed confidence that the cooperation will continue. We will have new occasions for promoting Armenias reputation for which we have all capacities, a rich, huge human resource, he said.

The 17th Summit of the International Organization of La Francophonie was held in Armenia on October 7-12. Delegations from 84 countries arrived in Armenia to attend the Summit. Leaders of 38 states participated in the Summit.

: 

Edited and translated by Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. The Memorandum by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh on the issue of missing persons in the context of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict was disseminated in the United Nations Organization (UN) on December 11. The document was placed on the UN official website, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of Artsakhs foreign ministry.

The Memorandum, in particular, notes that the issue of missing persons in the context of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict emerged long before the full-scale war, which was unleashed by Azerbaijan against the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh Republic) in 1991. Individual cases of hostage-taking and kidnapping of persons of Armenian nationality were taking place in Artsakh already in 19881989. The issue of hostages and missing persons became more acute as the conflict escalated. The practice of taking hostage persons of Armenian nationality became widespread during Operation Ring for the deportation of Armenian villages of Artsakh in 1991.

Throughout the territory of Artsakh people were kidnapped, whereupon they found themselves in Azerbaijani prisons and other places of detention, where they were subjected to torture and other forms of cruel and inhuman treatment.

For eight months of 1991 only, 640 peaceful residents from different villages of Artsakh were illegally arrested or captured by Azerbaijani authorities; 127 Armenians were captured and sentenced on the ground of false accusations to different terms and 31 of them died as a result of widely practiced regular torture in Azerbaijani prisons and concentration camps, the document reads.

The Memorandum also contains many well-documented facts about the torture of Armenian hostages and prisoners of war by the Azerbaijani side during the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict and after the signing of the 1994 ceasefire agreement.

The document also notes that by raising the issue of missing persons and at the same time rejecting any cooperation to address it, Azerbaijan is obviously pursuing a hidden agenda.

In particular, the Azerbaijani side is trying to manipulate the issue of prisoners of war and missing persons with a view to justifying crimes, committed by citizens of Azerbaijan Dilham Askerov and Shahbaz Guliyev, in the territory of the Republic of Artsakh.

This campaign is part of a state policy of incitement of Armenophobia in Azerbaijan and promotion of hate crimes against Armenians that has penetrated all spheres of public life. The existence of racism and xenophobia towards Armenians in Azerbaijan has been also confirmed in the documents of several international organizations.YEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. The court of general jurisdiction of Yerevan postponed the trial on examining the motion of Kocharyans lawyers to change their clients pre-trial detention into release on bail until January 9, ARMENPRESS reports Kocharyans lawyer Aram Orbelyan told the reporters.

In fact, no session took place. The investigator wanted to submit a motion on judge Nelli Baghdasaryan to recuse herself and asked for time to examine the materials to understand if its necessary to submit a relevant motion , the lawyer said.

He added that Kocharyan did not attend the session, since it was a technical session and there was no necessity for his participation.

The court of general jurisdiction of Yerevan is examining the motion on changing Robert Kocharyan pre-trial detention into an alternative preventive measure, release on bail. The motion was submitted by his lawyers on December 26.

Edited and translated by Tigran SirekanyanGummi Fridriksson - a prominent supporter of the development of a modern literary culture in PNG

KEITH JACKSON

NOOSA - A year after the publication of My Walk to Equality, Papua New Guineas first-ever collection of essays, stories and poetry written entirely by women, the Paga Hill Development Company has awarded a writers fellowship to the books editor, Rashmii Bell.

The inaugural award was made to mark International Womens Day by the companys chief executive, Gudmundur (Gummi) Fridriksson, a prominent supporter of PNG literature.

The six-month fellowship will enable Ms Bell to attend literary events in Australia and continue to engage with authors, readers and festival committees to promote PNG women writers, PNG literature and explore opportunities to stage a literary event in PNG later this year.

The MWTE team is grateful for Paga Hill Development Companys ongoing recognition and support for our voluntary literary project, Ms Bell said.And so, having donated my time and talent to this organisation, it was with disappointment and regret to have it deny my sole and rightful authorship of Butterflies along the Track, the KTFs Kokoda75 commemorative childrens book, funded by Australias foreign affairs department.

While designated to act only in as a volunteer, all research, design, delivery and facilitation was assigned to me by the Foundation. On both occasions I achieved the assigned outcomes.

ON THE TRAIL - In 2017, I was invited by the Australian-based social enterprise, Kokoda Track Foundation (KTF), to facilitate two rural school book-making workshops in Oro Province.

The first of a series of articles about the need to improve the conditions and sustainable development of the tourism industry on the Kokoda Trail. The articles document my observations and conversations with Papua New Guinean guides, carriers, campsite owners and communities as I trekked the Trail from 617 August.

Kokoda trail or trial? Rashmii Bell's 10-day trek investigated who benefits from Kokoda tourism and why there's a need for urgent corrective action

Exacerbated by KTFs resistance to engage in public dialogue (nor to issue a formal apology) on this matter, my frustration increased at witnessing what I perceived as a conscious act of perpetuating the aid-dependent narrative of many projects in PNG.

Perhaps such strategies to insert oneself between aid funder and aid receiver are necessary for institutional survival masked as making a contribution to nation-building activities in PNG.

This incident shifted my attention to examining other activities of foreign entities in PNG. I was particularly on the lookout for acts of exploitation and dispossession of Papua New Guineans, especially in the rural and remote regions.

I saw an urgent need to critique the operations of such entities and the networks in which they function and benefit, specifically alert for activity directly affecting sustainable development, especially for girls and women.

It is this kind of advocacy that underpinned the nomination of the My Walk to Equality literary project as PNGs entry for the 2018 United Nations Girls and Women Education Prize.

So when Charlie Lynn OAM OL penned the scathing article Losing Kokoda, in Australian Spectator, it captured my attention.

A former Army officer, Australian state parliamentarian and long-time friend of PNG, Lynn has been consistently vocal about the importance of nurturing positive, people-to-people relations between Australia and PNG.

His trek company, Adventure Kokoda, has had a 27-year relationship with communities along the Trail, which he has walked no less than 93 times. Lynns commentary was deeply concerning.

The article was another chapter in Lynns efforts to highlight his observations of mismanagement and questionable operations of the Kokoda trek tourism industry. Most alarmingly, his commentary raised instances of exploitation of carriers by trek tour operators (many Australia-based). These could be seen as conscious acts of dispossession hindering the development of Papua New Guineans.

Lynns accounts illustrate a most troubling scenario, seemingly fostered by a defunct management body and its affiliated Papua New Guinean and Australian agencies, unable to properly discharge its mandated responsibilities including regulating trek operators, overseeing the distribution of benefits and ensuring the continued wellbeing of the Trails people.

As a Papua New Guinean who writes and publishes the writing of others to advocate social change, I sought on my own trek to observe first-hand, report and critique such disturbing claims. So I initiated contact with Charlie Lynn.

I was heartened when he responded by encouraging me both to undertake my first trek of the Trail as an investigative exercise but also to be immersed in an experience (regarded as akin to a pilgrimage especially by Australians) that many people had done before.

Lynn suggested I trek with Adventure Kokodas annual Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge (KYLC) group; a 16-member team of young and open-minded Australians from NSW RSL Clubs.

For 10 days I lived with and walked in comradeship alongside 16 Australians on the soil that is my homeland, all of us retracing the steps of the brave men who 75 years ago fought to ensure the freedoms that we near neighbours enjoy today.

With the immeasurable aid of Adventure Kokodas team of carriers, guide Big Joe and leader Charlie Lynn, we trekked the ever-changing environment along the 138 kilometres from Owers Corner to the Kokoda Plateau.

My own steps were observed closely and guided by De, my personal carrier, who became my lifeline in a setting that swiftly reveals weaknesses, demands unimaginable endurance and is unforgiving of a missed step.

I observed, interacted and listened to the lived experiences of those at the forefront of Trail tourism: the guides, carriers, campsite owners and people living in the villages along the way - all of whom should share the benefits generated by the tourism occurring around them.

I saw the Spirit of Kokoda unfold in the individuals of my trek group and the Papua New Guineans in the villages en route. I noted that my positive interactions and ease of access with the people along the Trail was enabled by the long established rapport Adventure Kokoda carriers had established with the communities.

It caused me to consider that whilst Papua New Guinean and Australian bureaucracy muddles its way through strategies to strengthen bilateral relations and improve people-to-people relations, strong relationships are an absolute necessity on the rugged Trail where the Koiari and Orokaiva people have long resided. Seemingly, strengthening relationships it is the only way Kokoda Trail trek tourism will survive.

For trek tourism to thrive, the Kokoda Trails management body (including affiliated Papua New Guinean and Australian agencies) have an immense amount of work to do with trek operators, their employees and communities.

Some of the issues raised in discussions whilst I was on the Trail that Ive submitted through a formal PNG channel include:

erosion, particularly along steep mountain climbs

lack of safety measures along the Trail, including safe and secure footbridges and a reliance on guides to construct temporary rope handrails

disjointed support and communication by operators for trekkers and indigenous communities

the inconsistent presence of rangers to monitor carriers pack weights

limited access to safe, hygienic and secure amenities for trekkers; on several occasions Australians trekkers opted to go bush instead of using the dismal pit latrine and other facilities available

absence of structured promotion to engage and educate trekkers of the Koiari and Orokaiva peoples cultures

absence of information (signage) about the fauna and flora of the Trail

community concern about disjointed engagement, infrastructure provision, program implementation and service delivery by Kokoda Track Authority, Kokoda Initiative and smaller non-government organisations

the inequitable and blatant imbalance of the benefits between trekkers and trek operators and the indigenous staff and trail communities

the marked imbalance of participation by indigenous women in comparison to that of indigenous men throughout the trails tourism activities and its offsets

the breakdown of service delivery intended by the PNG and Australian governments and affiliated organisation for communities and lack of responsiveness the Kokoda Track Authority and Kokoda Initiative to suggestions from community members

inconsistencies in the working conditions of carriers between the well-equipped Adventure Kokoda personnel and other tour operators including terrain-appropriate enclosed footwear, safety wear, adequate sleeping equipment and uniforms

At the core of this series of articles is a demand for responsible, ethical tourism ensuring professional support and strict regulation of operator activity to create a safe and satisfactory experience for trekkers and the well-being of the Papua New Guineans working on the Trail.

It is apparent that the Trails management body, including its network of affiliated Papua New Guinean and Australian agencies, needs marked improvements in its operations including enabling transparent dialogue with and accountability to all who access the Trail.The awarding of the fellowship by staunch supporter Paga Hill Development Company enabled a wide-ranging exposure to ideas, inspiration, discussion and debate for literary exposition.

The opportunities granted to me through the inaugural MWTE Writer Fellowship 2018 along with my first pilgrimage of the Kokoda Trail with trek tour operator, Adventure Kokoda.

Throughout this year, my personal challenge to widen the reach and impact of the My Walk to Equality project, has been to persist at taking risks; a decision to vary format and subject matter in my submissions to PNG Attitude.

BRISBANE - Against this stream of thought by American screen writer, producer and director Charlie Kaufman, I attempt to lay out a path of explanation for what I consider a milestone in how 13-year old PNG Attitude continues to evoke and develop the curiosity, imagination and writing technique of Papua New Guineans.

If what youre doing does not have the possibility of failing then by definition youre not doing anything new. If you know how to do what it is youre doing, and/or have seen it done before, then youre not doing anything new. So the only way to do anything new or interesting is to open yourself up to that risk of failing and in that sense I try to look at failure and success both as neutral thingsthis will be the way it will be worth anything at all, or it definitely wont be if I dont do that ( Charlie Kaufman, Masterclass moderated by Marit Kapl, 2 February 2011, Goteborg International Film Festival )

And whilst the objective of staging a writers festival in Papua New Guinea stagnated, readers of PNG Attitude were invited to experience vicariously the benefits of the six-month fellowship through eight articles. In which I shared my learning, observations and personal reflections about Australian and international writers and highlighting the possibilities for PNG.

Unbeknownst to me at the beginning, the fellowship also fostered the boldest of my literary risks published by PNG Attitude.

Returning from my first pilgrimage along the Kokoda Trail, I sought to report on what I had seen, heard and discussed on-trek with tour operator Adventure Kokoda under the leadership of Charlie Lynn OAM OL.

Without a background in journalism but with exercise books filled with my hand-scrawled trek notes, fellowship learning and wise counsel, guiding framework and masterful editing by Keith Jackson AM, the seven article-series, Trail of Woe, shared insights of observed reality and what I perceived to be the disarray and mismanagement that plagues the Kokoda Trail wartime tourism industry.

In writing the thousands of words of the fellowship articles and Trail of Woe, I was conscious, sometimes paralysed, by the possibility of failure - the fear of failing in seeking to convey an idea, a message or an opinion in writing.

And yet exploring new subject matter and attempting different writing technique curbed my apprehension as I considered the exhilaration of possibilities that lay beyond my previous repertoire.

In my four years as a contributor to PNG Attitude and its online community and small band of loyal and generous sponsors, I have been given opportunities to try something new and to share my experience with PNG Attitude readers.

Theyre like a lens, youre looking through them and everything changes and nothing can be the same again - a line from Tony Gilroys screenplay and film, Michael Clayton.

These words delivered by litigator Arthur to plaintiff Anna in a telephone conversation are memorable for the meaning they held in the moment I heard them.

I am not sure if Keith Jackson realised that agreeing (once again) to act as my benefactor for a recent Screen Queensland screenwriting event would translate to three consecutive days of me, sitting in a dimly lit room, munching my way through bags of M&Ms and sipping copious amounts of coffee as I watched hours and hours of film footage, including scenes from Michael Clayton.

The opportunity to spend hours of daytime in a cool dark space watching scenes from movies (with regular intervals to dissect and discuss with other humans) was truly living my ideal life.

Tony Gilroys resonant line emphasised not only my sense of belonging in that event but also my admiration for the lecturers quirky, heart-warming attachment to teaching using her well-worn VHS deck.

Having, as preparation, watched 80 full seasons of television series and countless feature films, American screenwriter, author and lecturer Wendall Thomas delivered the three-day screenwriting seminar, addressing elements for writers and film makers at all stages of the craft.

And as much as Ive heard the brilliant Charlie Kaufman often suggest that he feels restricted by a framework, Thomass rationale for her teaching on writing a screenplay was invaluable for a beginner.

Snapshot of a 3-Day Screenwriting Seminar with Wendall Thomas

DAY ONE: An equation for creating great relationships on-screen: In television series, a starting point from which storyline and characters is developed are the use of tropes like siblings/family, boss/employee, partners/co-workers, human/non-human, unrequited love/former lover and friends/neighbours.

Thinking to series including The XFiles, Mork and Mindy, Kath and Kim, The Sopranos, Friends, Dawsons Creek, and Downton Abbey, it is clear that the using a combination of tropes in a series ensures its longevity.

Like the use of tropes, a detailed formula also requires interplay of its various elements to create a lasting relationship between two characters.

Yet of all elements, I found most intriguing the importance of secrets (and the pace at which they are revealed), the necessity of outside pressures beyond the relationship, and encouraging the repetition of location as a means of conveying the relationship dynamic. Especially so when considering my favourite fictional character-relationship dynamic, Tony Soprano and his therapist Dr Jennifer Melfi in the television series, The Sopranos.

DAY TWO: Dialogue is the said and unsaid: Vocabulary, rhythm, content and context are to be mastered by the screenwriter as dialogue is developed. Stoic, stream of consciousness, clipped, dispassionate, sing-song, confessional, anguished, bizarre, philosophical, terse, staccato were volunteered by seminar participants to describe dialogue from a broad catalogue of feature films they had viewed.

Repetition was again highlighted for its value to dialogue in creating a sense of mania, anxiety or comedy. Think of the pattern of emotions evoked through actor Cuba Gooding Jnrs repetition of the infamous four-word line Show me the money in Jerry McGuire.

DAY THREE: Writing a scene: Thomas suggested that six questions should lead screenwriting and may be of particular help when re-writing. Why is the scene there? What are the physical circumstances of the scene? Are you using all the elements of the scene to your advantage? Does the scene have elements such as a secret? Why has the scene been placed in that particular spot in the screenplay? Do you have a transition?

All can be considered as a thread that weaves elements of a framework. Anchoring this concept for me is the singular scene from Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppolas, The Godfather.

In this scene, the camera pans across a decadent-sized bed, encased in in silk sheets. A man, dressed in equally luxurious silk pyjamas stirs from his sleep, responding to an eerie presence at the foot of his bed. In slow, steady pace, he peels back the sheets to reveal a thick trail of blood.

He continues to push the sheets away from him, toward the foot of the bed until coming into full view is the source of the blood. The severed head of one of his prized horses. The man lets out a harrowing scream.

The scene transitions to the bedroom balcony, then on to the outside, bringing into full view, one end of deceased horse owners majestic mansion. It is just on dawn with a breathtaking haze of pink and two-tone casts over the unseen horror within the grand walls.

Well, that is an elementary offering, my humble interpretation of the masterful scene writing by Puzo and Coppola, whom for those willing to try in the face of failure and/or success, may be interested in pursuing, if open to risk and trying something new.Image: HyperloopTT

Forget the day-long car trip; a new super-fast train could cut travel times from Melbourne to Sydney to just 40 minutes.

The proposed tube system would achieve speeds of 1,223 km per hour by using magnetically levitated capsules to reduce air pressure and friction. Solar panels would also help power the transport.

The ambitious plan was detailed in a submission to a federal government inquiry into the use of automation and land-based mass transit by LA company, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HyperloopTT).

Elon Musk pitched the technology in 2012, although he is not connected to HyperloopTT.

The system would extend from Adelaide to Melbourne and then up to Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne, meaning half the Australian population would have access.

The CEO of HyperloopTT, Bibop Gresta, described the technology as a game-changer for Australian transport.

The HyperloopTT solution is ready to be deployed to solve Australias long-standing regional transport inefficiencies, he said.

Problems like traffic congestion, population growth and poor air quality demand a solution, Gresta argued.

The current interstate transportation system in Australia is broken like other parts of the world  inefficient, environmentally unfriendly and expensive, the submission read.

Hyperloop represents a step-change solution to Australias urban growth and congestion challenges.

The submission does not include details about the cost or timeline, but notes it will have a full-scale prototype ready for testing in France in 2019.

Now read: How many pages should your resume be? Heres the science

Now read: This is how Westpac broke the law and made $650 million

Now read: 8 ways to save money on your cruiseExiled Chinese author Ma Jian joked that his children were puzzled to learn he was a corrupt spymaster after several media outlets used his picture in stories about his namesake who was just sentenced to life imprisonment. "Not content with sharing my name, the corrupt spy chief Ma Jian, who was vice minister of the agency responsible for banning me from China, has now stolen my face as well," Ma wrote on Twitter. The former deputy head of China's ministry of state security was on Thursday jailed for life for corruption and insider trading. Both men's names use the same Chinese characters. "My children are puzzled to learn that I am not the author of China Dream, who has just made them seaweed dumplings for supper, but am instead a former spymaster who has just been jailed for life for accepting 'extremely large bribes'," Ma said in one of several tweets linking to erroneous articles. The author was amused by the absurdity of the situation. "Am I a banned novelist dreaming that I'm a corrupt spy chief, or am I a corrupt spy chief dreaming that I'm a banned novelist?" he wrote. Ma's books were banned in China after his first novel about a young Chinese journalist's travels to Tibet was labelled by the government as "spiritual pollution". He recently had trouble finding a venue to host his talks during a literary festival in Hong Kong after an arts centre originally slated to hold the talks cancelled the event, but later backtracked. Ma has not been back to China since six years ago when he was granted special permission to attend his mother's funeral. The documents were signed by three deputy security ministers including one Ma Jian. "It was a bit Kafkaesque, Ma Jian signing off on Ma Jian," the writer posted on Twitter. Not a spy! Chinese author Ma Jian was amused to be mistaken for his disgraced namesake who was jailed for corruptionA charity rescue vessel carrying 311 mainly African migrants plucked off Libya docked in Spain on Friday, ending a traumatic journey which saw them spend Christmas at sea and several European nations denying the ship entry. The migrants cheered and applauded as the vessel docked in the port of Crinavis near the southern city of Algeciras. Proactiva Open Arms, the Spanish charity which runs the Open Arms vessel carrying the migrants, feted the arrival with a "Mission accomplished" tweet. The migrants come from 19 different countries, including Somalia, Syria and the Ivory Coast. More than a third of them, 139, are minors. By early afternoon all of the migrants had disembarked from the boat and received clothes and food, as well as medical tests if required, from Red Cross officials. Women and children left the boat first. "They are in good health in general," said Inigo Vila, who is in charge of emergencies for the Red Cross in Spain. Police will identify the migrants before moving them to shelters. The migrants were rescued on December 21 from three vessels but were denied entry by Italy and Malta. Libya, France and Tunisia did not respond to Proactiva Open Arms' requests for permission to dock, Madrid said. On Saturday, a newborn baby and his mother were helicoptered from the boat to Malta, while a 14-year-old suffering from a serious skin infection was taken to the Italian island of Lampedusa. - 'Lives in danger' - Photos and videos posted by the charity showed the rest of the rescued migrants celebrating Christmas at sea listening to music and singing. Some children wore red Santa hats as they huddled together on the small ship. "We are talking about lives in danger, of people who need help. And it is really deplorable to have to travel for eight days at sea to take them to a safe port when international rules say to go to the nearest safe port," said Proactiva Open Arms founder Oscar Camps. Proactiva Open Arms operates in the sea between Libya and southern Europe, coming to the aid of migrants who get into difficulties during the crossing from northern Africa. This was the first time since August that Spain has allowed a charity rescue ship to dock and unload migrants in the country. The Open Arms resumed its Mediterranean patrols off the Libyan coast in late November, along with two other boats run by migrant aid groups. It suspended its missions in August, accusing governments -- and hardline Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini by name -- of "criminalising" migrant rescue charities. Salvini has denied the groups access to Italy's ports, accusing them of acting as a "taxi service" for migrants. Malta too has been increasingly unwilling to host rescue vessels. "Your rhetoric and your message will, like everything in this life, end," Camps told Salvini on Twitter earlier. "But you should know that in a few decades your descendants will be ashamed of what you do and say." - Another ship still stranded - The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) meanwhile said Friday it was "concerned" for 32 migrants rescued by German NGO Sea Watch off the coast of Libya on December 22 and called for "their timely disembarkation at a nearby safe port". Sea Watch's ship was on Friday also looking for a boat carrying around 75 migrants which the Italian coastguard said was in distress off Libya, but has so far failed to find it, a spokeswoman from the charity said. The Libyan coastguard refuses to speak to Sea Watch and it was not clear if the migrants have already been rescued or if it was a false alarm, she added. 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 (IOM). That makes this stretch of the Mediterranean the most deadly for migrants attempting to cross to Europe. Spain meanwhile has become Europe's main entry point for migrants this year, overtaking Greece and Italy. More than 56,000 migrants have arrived in Spain by sea this year, and 769 have died trying, according to the IOM. A child who recently arrived in Spain on a migrant rescue ship that was turned away from several European nations The migrants were welcomed with applause from bystanders The migrants received clothes and food, as well as medical tests if required, from Red Cross officials The movements of the Open Arms migrant rescue ship before it was finally allowed to dock in Spain A member of Proactiva Open Arms organisation holds a new born baby rescued with her motherThe Brazilian military's central role in Rio de Janeiro state security is nearing its end, with a drop in some indicators of violence but a significant increase in people killed during police operations. "We have fulfilled our mission," General Walter Souza Braga Netto, who led the Rio state security forces under a presidential decree since mid-February, said on Thursday. Outgoing President Michel Temer took the drastic step of placing Rio security in the hands of the military, citing the police force's inability to control heavily armed drug gangs. Army patrols had already been used in the impoverished favelas but the military intervention saw generals replace civilian authorities in top security jobs, as well as an increase in the use of soldiers to back up police. The intervention was unheard of since the country's return to democracy in 1985 after 21 years of military rule. It ends as planned on December 31, but the next governor of the state, Wilson Witzel, who takes office the following day, has already indicated that he intends to take a hard line against drug traffickers, including targeting them with the help of snipers. His position is in line with far-right president-elect Jair Bolsonaro, a former soldier who sees guns as the answer to crime in a country with tens of thousands of homicides a year. Residents of Rocinha, a Rio favela which is Brazil's most populous, hesitated in talking about results of the military intervention. "This intervention is more political than effective, so I think nothing has changed," said Jose Luiz, a fashion designer, who sees "repressive politics" continuing. - 'Better not to talk' - "If I share my opinion about it, it will bring me serious problems. It's better not to talk," said Maria Goretti, a housewife. From March to November, with the military at the helm of Rio security, the number of intentional homicides dropped by six percent compared to the same period the previous year, with significant decreases in the last four months, official figures show. The data from Rio's Public Security Institute (ISP) also report a significant drop in the number of armed robberies of cargo-carrying vehicles, which were down almost 20 percent but still reached 6,675, compared to 8,301 during the same period in 2017. The number of people killed in police operations, however, has increased by about 38 percent, meaning that the total number of violent deaths remains close to two percent higher than 2017, at 4,871 victims. According to the ISP, 1,444 people have been killed by police since the beginning of the year, with December figures not yet available -- a record since this statistic began being compiled in 1999. Additionally, 94 police officers were killed in 2018, compared to 134 the previous year. From January 1, Witzel will manage security himself without the oversight of the military, but he has already pledged to use tough measures. These include the training of snipers to kill armed criminals even if they don't pose an imminent threat to police, as well as the use of drones from Israel that could fire on traffickers from a distance. Outgoing President Michel Temer took the drastic step of placing Rio de Janeiro security in the hands of the military in a bid to curb rampant violence Members of the Brazilian Military Police "choque" special unit patroled during an operation in Rio's Rocinha favela in March, 2018Workers in DR Congo on Friday began preparations for long-awaited elections just two days away as a pre-vote protest called by the country's opposition appeared to fail. In Kinshasa, about 20 black cases said to contain electronic voting machines were brought in under police escort to a polling station in the district of Matonge, an AFP reporter saw. Fears of election-day problems have soared after the electoral commission said a warehouse fire destroyed thousands of voting machines earmarked for the capital. The commission ordered the elections, already twice delayed, to be moved from December 23 to 30 to get more time to prepare. On Wednesday, it declared the vote would be postponed again in violence-hit parts of the country. However, the elections will still go ahead elsewhere and the new president will be sworn in on January 18 as scheduled, the commission said, without further explanation. The announcement prompted Lamuka, a coalition of parties supporting opposition candidate Martin Fayulu, to call for cities to be brought to a standstill on Friday. While the call had little support across the vast country, there was violence in the eastern province of North Kivu, one of the regions where voting has been postponed. One demonstrator was shot dead in the city of Beni and four were wounded, local sources said. In the province's capital of Goma, youths faced off with police in the rundown district of Majengo. Police there also seized camera equipment from a Congolese journalist working for the BBC. Around 1.25 million people in North Kivu and the southwestern territory of Yumbi are affected by the postponement, out of a national electoral roll of 40 million. The head of the Independent National Election Commission, Corneille Nangaa, met with candidates including Fayulu on Friday and reiterated that the vote would go ahead on Sunday. Another meeting between the candidates and observers will be held on Saturday. - Troubled past - The presidential election -- the Democratic Republic of Congo's first in seven years -- coincides with voting for municipal and legislative bodies. At stake is the future of a volatile giant that has never had a peaceful transition of power in 58 years as an independent state. It has twice been a battleground for regional wars in the past 22 years and is mired in poverty, despite mineral riches ranging from gold and uranium to copper and cobalt. President Joseph Kabila, 47, is stepping down after nearly 18 years at the helm. He took office in 2001 at the age of just 29, succeeding his president father, Laurent-Desire, who was assassinated by a bodyguard. But his long tenure has been come under heavy fire from human rights watchdogs and anti-corruption monitors. Three men are heading a field of 21 candidates in the presidential race. They are Kabila's hand-picked successor, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, a hardline former interior minister; Fayulu, until recently a little-known legislator and former oil executive; and Felix Tshisekedi, head of a veteran UDPS opposition party. But a question mark hangs over whether the vote will be credible. The authorities have permitted some election monitors from fellow African countries but refused any financial or logistical help from the UN or western countries. On Friday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on all sides "to continue working together to ensure an environment free of violence so that all eligible voters can cast their ballots peacefully on election day." - Opposition favourites? - If the elections are "free and fair," an opposition candidate will almost certainly win, according to Jason Stearns of the Congo Research Group, based at the Center on International Cooperation at New York University. Opinion polls indicate that Fayulu is the clear favourite, garnering around 44 percent of voting intentions, followed by 24 percent for Tshisekedi and 18 percent for Shadary, he said. However, "the potential for violence is extremely high," Stearns warned. Between 43 and 63 percent of respondents said they would not accept the results if Shadary is declared winner, he said. And between 43 percent and 53 percent said they did not trust DRC's courts to settle any election dispute fairly. The figure of Shadary is at the centre of a diplomatic storm between the DRC and the European Union that erupted into the open on Thursday. Foreign Minister Leonard She Okitundu gave the EU 48 hours to withdraw its representative -- retaliation for sanctions against Shadary and 13 other officials accused of cracking down on dissent. On Friday, EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said "nothing could justify this arbitrary act", adding that it was "totally counterproductive and harms the interests of the population". Independent National Election Commission (CENI) workers load a truck with voting materials for distribution to polling stations in Bukavu A polling official and Congolese policemen guard voting machines in Kinshasa The three candidates, from left: Felix Tshisekedi, head of a veteran UDPS opposition party; Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, Kabila's hand-picked successor; and Martin Fayulu, who has the support of an opposition coalition Democratic Republic of Congo compared on key socio-economic indicators with its regional neighbours. Opinion polls say Martin Fayulu is clear favourite to win, provided the elections are 'free and fair,' says Congo expert Jason Stearns Key presidential election candidates in the Democratic Republic of CongoIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Brazil's President-elect Jair Bolsonaro on Friday announced a nascent "brotherhood" between their countries that will boost economic, military and technological cooperation. The two issued the warm words to the media after a meeting in a century-old military fort on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach, at the beginning of the first-ever visit by an Israeli prime minister to Brazil. Netanyahu said Bolsonaro had accepted an invitation to make his own visit to Israel, without giving a date. The Israeli leader is to stay on through Tuesday to join other foreign dignitaries at the inauguration in Brasilia of Bolsonaro, a far-right, security-conscious politician and former army officer elected in October on pledges to crack down on endemic crime and corruption. Bolsonaro, sometimes called the "Trump of the tropics" for a similar style to US President Donald Trump and rejection of multilateral diplomacy, emphasized the bond he wants to build with Netanyahu, a firm US ally. "More than partners, we will be brothers in the future, in economy, technology, all that can bring benefit to our two countries," Bolsonaro said. He also spoke of cooperation in military and agriculture matters. Netanyahu, calling his visit "historic," also spoke of "the brotherhood, the alliance" the two planned as something that "can carry us to great heights." "It's hard to believe that we had no such contacts before," he said. - Embassy move - However there was no mention of Bolsonaro's post-election declaration -- later walked back -- that he intended to follow Trump in moving his country's embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Netanyahu had told reporters on his flight to Brazil that "you can be certain I will speak with him about that in our first meeting." But neither man raised the topic in their comments to media, and no questions were taken. An embassy move could put at risk lucrative Brazilian poultry and halal meat exports to Arab countries, which fiercely oppose any unilateral steps seen as cementing Israel's claim to all of Jerusalem as its capital. The Palestinians view east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, and most countries in the world back a longstanding consensus that Jerusalem's status can only be resolved through negotiations and as part of an Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Nearly 20 percent of Brazil's $5 billion beef exports go to 17 Arab countries. Brazil-Israel trade currently amounts to $1.2 billion. Bolsonaro said Tuesday he is looking to import Israeli technology to produce water for Brazil's parched northeast. - Rightward shift - Bolsonaro's ascent to the presidency represents a dramatic, rightward shift in Brazil's politics. For decades, the country has been under center-left and center-right rule and resolutely sought to carve out foreign policy independent of the United States. In 2010, the country recognized a Palestinian state, and it nurtured trade and investment relations with China. But Bolsonaro has spoken with hostility of China's investments in Brazil, and he and one of his politician sons have reached out to Trump and people in his orbit. He and his team have also excluded the far-left leaders of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from attending the inauguration in Brasilia, although Bolivia's leftwing President Evo Morales received an invitation. Other VIPs attending include conservative Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, Hungary's far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Bolsonaro later Friday attended a Rio synagogue with Netanyahu and told the congregation that Brazil intended to move forward in the world not only with Israel "but with other countries such as the United States that think and have a similar ideology to our own." - Meeting Pompeo - Netanyahu made his Brazil trip despite domestic political turmoil in Israel and a spike in military volatility in neighboring Syria. Pompeo and Netanyahu are to discuss Syria on the sidelines of Bolsonaro's swearing-in, an Israeli official and the US State Department said. US allies including Israel were caught by surprise by Trump's abrupt announcement last week that he was pulling US troops out of Syria, where Israel's arch-foe Iran has built up a significant military and political presence. Israel has made several aerial strikes in Syria against positions held by Iran and its Lebanese militia Hezbollah. Domestically, Netanyahu is maneuvering to extend his reign in Israel despite a slew of corruption allegations. On Wednesday, Israel's parliament approved a government decision to call early elections for April 9. The Israeli prime minister also serves as his country's foreign minister. Last year he visited Argentina, Colombia and Mexico. Benjamin Netanyahu is welcomed by President-elect Jair Bolsonaro to the first-ever visit to Brazil by an Israeli prime minister Israeli and Brazilian flags hang outside the building housing the offices of the Brazilian Embassy, in the Israeli city of Tel AvivAuthorities in Cape Town have criticised a private security company that allegedly ordered black beachgoers to leave a fashionable South African beach over the Christmas holiday. The city's mayor and a senior municipal official dismissed claims by the PPA security firm that it was working for the city authorities when patrolling the beach at Clifton, an upmarket coastal suburb. Beaches, like many public areas, were segregated under white-minority apartheid rule, and have since been a flashpoint of racial tension in South Africa. Beachgoers were told to leave Clifton beach by PPA guards last Sunday, two days before Christmas. "The city has at no stage given any authority to PPA to enforce by-laws," Cape Town's director for safety and security Richard Bosman said in a statement on Thursday. "The city has acted swiftly to address the conduct of PPA staff." On Friday Cape Town mayor Dan Plato reiterated that the security company "had no authority to ask anyone to leave Clifton beach", but added that "they asked people of all races to leave, and did not single out any race groups". But local activist Chumani Maxwele alleged that the guards had targeted black people on the beach, which attracts huge crowds over the holiday season. "These private security guards are hired by the Clifton (residents), they are actually briefed to not allow black people who appear to look like they are from the townships or criminals onto the beach," he told the News 24 website. - 'Barbaric and racist' - National government has weighed-in in the row, with Environmental Affairs minister, Nomvula Mokonyane saying on Friday that the "alleged interference and racial profiling of beachgoers by private security firms" is "unconstitutional and illegal". "South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white, and no spaces are for the exclusive use of any citizens based on their race, gender or creed," said Mokonyane in a statement. A lawmaker Phillemon Mapulane who heads a parliamentary committee on environmental affairs, condemned the ejection of beachgoers as "barbaric and racist". PPA chief executive Alwyn Landman said that the company's guards did not close the beach, but acted to protect local residents after alleged criminal activity caused "mayhem". The city has launched an investigation and urged persons who may have felt threatened or intimated by the security guards to call its emergency hotline or report to the police. Early Friday evening some protesters started gathering at the beach for a vigil. In 2016, South African estate agent Penny Sparrow likened black beach-goers to monkeys in a social media post, triggering widespread outrage. She was fined 150,000 rand ($10,500, 9,050 euros). In September, South African tourist Adam Catzavelos ignited another storm of protest after he used a racial slur in a phone video message from Greece, boasting that the beach had no black people on it. PPA guards allegedly told black beachgoers to leave Clifton beach in Cape Town (pictured 1999), claiming they worked for city authorities, which the city's mayor and a senior municipal official deniedSix men were arrested in central Vietnam for killing and eating an endangered monkey while livestreaming it on a social media site, police said Friday. The trafficking and consumption of rare and endangered species is widespread in Vietnam as many still believe in the healing and medicinal qualities of the animals' body parts. But the sale of the animals occurs on the black market, and consumers rarely broadcast the killing and eating of the creatures, which are protected under Vietnam's conservation laws. The six men, aged from 35 to 59, filmed themselves with a mobile phone eating a live langur monkey and streamed the gruesome video on Facebook on November 17. They were finally identified and arrested on Thursday. "It took time for us to figure out the suspects involved," a police officer in central Ha Tinh province told AFP. The men have been accused of violating regulations on protecting "endangered and precious animals" and they confessed to the crime, said a statement posted on Ha Tinh provincial police's website. One of the men had bought the monkey off a hunter for $49, said the statement. Leaf-eating langurs are among the most endangered primate species in the world and are only found in the northern part of Vietnam. The Southeast Asian country is also home to other endangered species, including the Red River giant soft-shell turtle, the mountainous Saola antelope, and the snub-nosed Tonkin monkey. But critics say conservation protection laws are not enforced effectively, and poaching continues unchecked -- feeding an appetite for rare and endangered species domestically and in neighbouring China. The trafficking and consumption of rare and endangered species, including monkeys, is widespread in Vietnam as many still believe in the healing and medicinal qualities of the animals' body partsA seemingly ordinary mugshot of an alleged car thief has gone viral as the public refuses to believe the mans age.

The mugshot of Murad Mansurovich, 19, shows a man with a receding hairline staring into the camera.

He was charged with three vehicular offences after running multiple red lights in a truck in Utah, in western US, local outlet Fox 13 reported.

But social media users were more shocked by his mugshot than the alleged crime.

The mugshot (left) of Murad Mansurovich (left and right) has gone viral. Source: KUTV 2 News per Salt Lake County (left)/KUTV 2 News (right)

People were stunned to discover Mansurovich, in spite of his appearance, was only 19 years old.

The revelation has sparked a raft of online comments from social media users questioning his age.

Hes listed as 19 but his hairline is definitely 52, one Facebook user commented.

This guy came out of the womb and he was already on his third divorce, another user said.

A local media outlet that published the image confirmed he was 19 years old based on court documents.Syrian troops deployed in support of Kurdish forces around a strategic northern city on Friday, in a shift of alliances hastened by last week's announcement of a US military withdrawal. Nearly eight years into Syria's deadly conflict, the move marked another key step in President Bashar al-Assad's Russian-backed drive to reassert control over the country. The Syrian army announced that it had raised the flag in Manbij, a strategic city close to the Turkish border where Kurdish forces have been deployed since 2016 and where US-led coalition forces are also stationed. A military spokesman said in a televised announcement that the army would be bent on "crushing terrorism and defeating all invaders and occupiers". More than 300 government forces deployed in the Manbij area, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Nura al-Hamed, deputy head of the Manbij local authority, told AFP that the regime deployment was the result of Russian-sponsored negotiations. "The regime forces will not enter the city of Manbij itself but will deploy on the demarcation line" with Turkish-backed Syrian groups, she said. Hamed said that US and French coalition forces stationed there remained at their positions and continued to conduct patrols. The US military said the Syrian army had not entered the city itself. "Despite incorrect information about changes to the military forces in Manbij city, (the US-led coalition) has seen no indication of these claims being true," US Central Command spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Earl Brown said. - Kurdish shift - The Syrian army's deployment creates a regime buffer arching across northern Syria that fully separates the Turkish army and its proxies from the Kurds. Turkey reacted to the deployment by warning "all sides to stay away from provocative actions" while a large convoy of its Syrian auxiliaries were seen moving closer to the western edge of Manbij later on Friday. US President Donald Trump's shock withdrawal announcement last week left the Kurds in the cold. The People's Protection Units (YPG) have been the backbone of an alliance that has spearheaded the US-backed fight against the Islamic State group in Syria. They are currently battling the last remnants of the jihadists' once sprawling "caliphate" in the country's far east, near the border with Iraq. A US withdrawal will leave them exposed to an assault by Turkey, which has thousands of proxy fighters in northern Syria and wants to crush Kurdish forces it considers terrorists. The Kurds welcomed the regime advance, a pragmatic shift in alliances that will dash their aspirations for autonomy but could help them cut their losses. "We invite the Syrian government forces... to assert control over the areas our forces have withdrawn from, particularly in Manbij, and to protect these areas against a Turkish invasion," the YPG said in a statement. After Manbij, the focus is likely to move to Raqa, a mostly Arab city that the Kurds liberated from IS last year and that the regime has vowed to retake. Turkey said Syrian Kurds "don't have the right" to seek regime help but Russia, the main foreign player in Syria since it intervened to rescue Assad in 2015, hailed the latest development. "Of course, this will help in stabilising the situation. The enlargement of the zone under the control of government forces... is without doubt a positive trend," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Peskov said the situation would be discussed on Saturday during a visit to Moscow by the Turkish foreign and defence ministers, to "clarify" the situation and "synchronise actions" between the two countries. This year the regime retook large swathes of territory with the help of Russian firepower, after three years ago controlling less than a third of the country. - Diplomatic drive - The government ousted rebels from their bastions in and around the capital Damascus and flushed out other pockets to reopen key transport and trade routes. With internal opposition in tatters and UN-backed political negotiations stillborn, Assad is now trying to shed his pariah status and looking for funds to rebuild the country. The US pullout from Syria risks opening a highway for other regional players such as Turkey and Iran, a prospect that some of Assad's erstwhile foes are keen to counter. On Thursday, the United Arab Emirates -- a Turkish rival in the region -- reopened its embassy in Damascus, nearly seven years after severing ties and recognising a now defunct opposition umbrella. The move was the latest in a series of developments building up to the return of Assad's Syria into the Arab fold. Bahrain also announced it would reopen its mission in Damascus and observers expect regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia to confirm that trend in the coming weeks. The Arab League has admitted that the reintegration of Syria, which was suspended from the regional body when it intensified its repression of anti-government protests seven years ago, is on the table. Syrian Kurds take part in a demonstration in the northeastern Syrian Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli on December 28, 2018 to protest against threats from Turkey to carry out a fresh offensive following the US decision to withdraw their troops Map locating the city of Manbij in Syria. A fighter from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) participates in a demonstration in the northeastern Syrian Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli on December 28, 2018 against threats from Turkey to carry out a fresh offensive A Turkish-backed Syrian fighter loads ammunition in the area of Sajour between the northern Syrian towns of Jarablus and Manbij on December 28, 2018 The US flag flies over an observation post on the the demarcation line separating pro-Turkish rebels and opposing US-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters oustide Manbij on December 26, 2018 The United Arab Emirates reopens its embassy in Damascus on December 27, 2018, ending a six-year rupture, the latest in a series of developments building up to the return of President Bashar al-Assad's Syria into the Arab foldPresident Donald Trump threatened Friday to seal the US-Mexico border "entirely" if Congress does not approve billions of dollars in funding for a wall. In a burst of early morning tweets, the president said the alternative to funding his controversial wall project would be total separation from Mexico -- including making US car companies pull out their factories based on the other side of the frontier. The threat yet again upped the ante in a political row that has led to a partial shutdown of the US government and seems set to dominate the start to the third year of Trump's presidency. "We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall," Trump tweeted. Trump said he would then take US-Mexican relations back to the days before the NAFTA agreement opened free trade across Canada, Mexico and the United States. That would "bring our car industry back into the United States where it belongs," he said. It was not clear how separating the two huge neighbors would work. Bilateral trade totaled an estimated $615.9 billion in 2017, according to US government figures. Neither did Trump make any mention of the new free trade agreement, known as the USMCA, which he only recently signed with the two neighboring countries to replace NAFTA and which he has repeatedly praised as a huge boost for American commerce. In Mexico, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador sidestepped Trump's threat, telling journalists: "We don't want to be imprudent and we don't think we should get into this." - $5 billion question - Trump wants $5 billion in funding for a wall along the more than 2,000-mile border, which he says is currently too porous to stop illegal immigration and which he claims has become a magnet for criminals, drugs and even terrorists. Opponents -- especially in the Democratic party but also some in Trump's Republican party -- say that a physical wall is impractical and that the idea is being used as a political tool to whip up xenophobia in Trump's right-wing voter base. Both sides have dug in. Democrats refuse to approve funding and the president -- who has made hardline immigration policies a centerpiece of his presidency -- has retaliated by refusing to sign off on a wider spending bill, leaving some 800,000 federal employees without pay. Negotiations on lifting that partial government shutdown, perhaps by providing some border security funding, have sputtered out and no new debate is scheduled before next Wednesday. The president, who had already scrapped a Christmas visit to his Florida golf resort, has also "canceled his plans for New Year's," his incoming chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, said on Fox News. Asked about the startling rhetoric, Mulvaney told Fox that Trump "is trying to draw light to the fact this is a crazy discussion to be having." For one Republican Congress member, Brad Wenstrup, the paralysis over the wall reflected "a lot of political posturing." "I would hope that it could be ended soon," he told CNN television. "If you sit down and talk about that, why is that such a hard thing to do?" - Caravan 'invasion' - Experts are divided on solutions to policing the long, often inhospitable border separating the world's biggest economy from the far poorer countries to its south. Although there is a huge cross-border drug trade and immigrants often enter illegally, others have genuine claims for asylum. Central Americans are also deeply integrated in the US economy, often performing physically demanding, low-pay jobs in construction, agriculture and other vital sectors. Trump has consistently painted the asylum seekers and economic migrants in outlandish terms, raising the specter of rapists, gang members and people with infectious diseases roaming freely across the border. Trump has latched particularly on to what have become known as the "caravans" -- groups of several hundred or even more migrants who make epic treks across Central America and Mexico to try to reach the United States. According to Trump, the "caravans" amount to organized attempts at invading the United States. In one tweet Friday, Trump warned: "word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it." As a result, he said, "we will be cutting off all aid" to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. The impoverished, often dangerous countries have long received American assistance to boost democracy, human rights, education and security. But according to State Department figures, the aid is already dropping steeply. Honduras is currently set to receive $65.7 million in 2019, down from $105.6 million in 2017, while Guatemala is slated for $69.4 million, down from $145 million. El Salvador received $88 million in 2017 and is set for $45.7 million next year. US President Donald Trump's threat to seal the Mexico border upped the ante in a political row over immigrant that prompted a partial shutdown of the US government The US Capitol in Washington, where lawmakers are locked in a row with the president over his demands to construct a border wall The border fence near New Mexico's Highway 9 near the town Santa Teresa Central American migrants who have been traveling in a caravan hoping to get to the United States cross the US-Mexico border fence from Tijuana to San Diego CountyBritain is treating the spike in migrants trying to cross the Channel in small boats as "a major incident", its interior ministry said on Friday. The move follows the interception of two more vessels carrying 12 migrants off the southeast English coast -- the latest in a sharp increase in such cases over the Christmas week. In the latest incidents, eight Iranian men were spotted in a small boat near the busy port of Dover at around 0900 GMT, and brought ashore for medical assessments and immigration interviews. About six hours earlier, border officials detained a Syrian and three Iranians encountered on a dinghy in a similar area. Interior Minister Sajid Javid held a conference call Friday with key officials, and has asked for an urgent call with his French counterpart this weekend, according to the ministry. He has appointed a commander to oversee the response to the incidents and asked for daily updates, it said. Javid is also assessing whether to deploy additional border enforcement vessels in the Channel amid fears it could encourage more people to try to make the crossing, the ministry added. Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes will visit Dover on Saturday to discuss the situation on the ground with border officials. On Thursday she called the rising number of migrant crossings "deeply concerning", following the discovery of 23 Iranians in three locations in Kent. Attempts to cross the English Channel -- one of the world's busiest shipping lanes -- have been increasing since October, with authorities on both sides struggling to stop them. Britain's Interior Minister Sajid Javid has asked for an urgent call with his French counterpart over a spike in migrants crossing the ChannelBrazil's incoming right-wing leader Jair Bolsonaro will visit Washington early next year as he finds common ground with President Donald Trump, a US official said Friday. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to attend Bolsonaro's New Year's Day inauguration in Brasilia and will discuss Trump's invitation to Washington, the official said. "We look forward to what will hopefully be his first official visit early in the year ahead," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity. The Trump administration sees a strong ally in Bolsonaro, who is following the lead of the United States in moving Brazil's embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and has been critical of international efforts to fight climate change. The US official noted that both Bolsonaro and Pompeo have warned of risks to Latin America from rising investment by China, whose financing of projects has turned into debt traps. "It's not always the case that when China shows up it is with good intention for the people they are showing up to ostensibly support," the official said. Bolsonaro, like Trump, has provoked outrage over the years with brash, swaggering statements, including telling a female lawmaker she was "not worth raping" and voicing nostalgia for the former military dictatorship's use of torture. The US official acknowledged "there has been some concern about older statements" but said Bolsonaro since the election has taken a "very strident and very forceful" approach to human rights in the region. "The president-elect has been very forward-leaning on Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua in his defense of the human rights and the freedoms and democracy for the people in those countries," she said. Pompeo heads after Brazil to Colombia, where he will speak with President Ivan Duque about taking a firm line against Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro. US President Donald Trump sees a strong ally in right-wing Brazilian President-elect Jair BolsonaroOne of the world's powder-keg countries faces a crunch test on Sunday when Democratic Republic of Congo heads into elections marred by delays, clashes and fears of polling-day chaos. The vote crowns two years of turmoil, sharpening worries that the fragile giant of central Africa may once more spiral into violence. Twenty-one candidates are vying to succeed Joseph Kabila, who aged just 47 has been at the helm for nearly 18 years. If all goes well, one will be sworn in on January 18 -- the very first time that the DRC will have achieved a peaceful transition of power since gaining independence in 1960. But the prospects of achieving this have dimmed as concern over the poll's credibility has risen, along with a diplomatic storm with Europe. Sunday's election will be the DRC's first presidential ballot in seven years. It should have been held in 2016 when Joseph Kabila, in power since 2001, reached a two-term limit. But he remained in office, invoking a caretaker clause under the constitution. It came at the cost of protests that were bloodily crushed, leaving scores of dead. Then came a string of three election postponements -- followed on Wednesday by a fourth delay in two regions hit by violence -- and a storm over the introduction of electronic voting machines. The turbulence has revived traumatic memories of the DRC's bloodied past. On Wednesday, the presidents of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and the neighbouring Republic of Congo called for "peaceful, free, democratic and transparent" elections and expressed deep concern at the violence. In 1996-1997 and 1998-2003, the DRC was the theatre of two terrible conflicts -- the second of which was called "the Great War of Africa" for the millions of dead and homeless that it left. The conflict drew in countries from around central and southern Africa and its legacy lies heavily today on the east of the country, where militias fight over resources. - Powerful trio - The presidential elections -- unfolding alongside legislative and municipal ballots -- have a field of 21 candidates, with three men leading the pack. They are Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, a hardline former interior minister; Felix Tshisekedi, head of the veteran UDPS opposition; and Martin Fayulu, a little-known legislator and former oil executive. But analysts also point to another power trio. None of their names are on the ballot sheets, but they are likely to wield much power behind the scenes regardless of who wins. One is Kabila himself, who personally selected the loyalist Shadary as his party's candidate -- a choice that has invited speculation of a comeback the 2023 elections. The others are former militia leader Jean-Pierre Bemba, 56, and Moise Katumbi, 53, a wealthy businessman and former mayor of Katanga province. Both were barred from contesting the elections and are supporting Fayulu behind the scenes. - Youth vote - Two-thirds of DR Congo's estimated 80 million population are under the age of 25, which means that a "Kabila Generation" could have a huge say on polling day. Despite the many problems surrounding the election, many young voters interviewed by AFP said they would turn out, and economic reform was uppermost in their minds. "We want things to change. We cannot live like this," said 24-year-old Kalumba Mwewa in Lubumbashi, capital of the mining province of Katanga. Mwewa said he trained as a mechanic but could not find work so instead earns a few dollars a day by illegally digging for copper and cobalt. He is considering voting for Fayulu. "Maybe if I vote for him, it will change," Mwewa said. Protest and hope: Sunday's elections will turn the page on the troubled era of President Joseph Kabila, in power for nearly 18 years Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary is on a list of 14 officials hit by EU sanctions for cracking down on anti-Kabila protests Anti-Kabila parties are divided -- Felix Tshisekedi of the long-running UDPS refused to rally behind Martin Fayuli as the opposition's single candidate Martin Fayulu has behind-the-scenes backing from two powerful figures -- former warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba and the ex-governor of mineral-rich Katanga province, Moise Katumbi Country factfile on the Democratic Republic of CongoNew Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Considerable clouds this morning. Some decrease in clouds later in the day. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 79F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds light and variable.Four days ago, a date came and went without much mention. Yet it was so significant.On December 16, 1773, some 30 to 130 protesters, mostly members of the Sons of Liberty, dressed up as Mohawk Indians, boarded three British ships (the Beaver, Dartmouth, and Eleanor), and dumped all its cargo of tea. In all, they dumped 342 chests of British East India Company tea, weighing over 92,000 pounds (roughly 46 tons) into Boston Harbor. The cargo was worth more than $1,700,000 dollars in today's money. Merchant John Andrews wrote in his December 18, 1773 letter,The British East India Company reported 9,659 worth of damage caused by the Boston Tea Party.The chests were smashed using an assortment of axes but aside from the tea and one broken padlock, historical accounts of the event record no damage was done to any of the three ships, the crew or any other items onboard the ships. The padlock was the personal property of one of the ships' captains, and was promptly replaced the next day by the Patriots. Nothing was stolen or looted from the ships, not even the tea. One participant tried to steal some tea but was reprimanded and stopped. The Sons of Liberty were very careful about how the action was carried out and made sure nothing besides the tea was damaged and they took great care to avoid any destruction of personal property. After the destruction of the tea, the participants swept the decks of the ships clean and anything that was moved was put back in its proper place.The point of this seemingly useless emphasis on detail is that the Sons of Liberty used the event as a protest, carefully and glaringly obvious as one aimed at the importation of the East India Company tea pursuant to the Tea Act. It wasn't a protest against Britain in general and it wasn't a protest against the East India Company. It was a protest designed to show the colonists' resistance to a law that was passed in abuse of government power. They were interposing to exert their liberty rights.The Boston Tea Party wasn't about the AMOUNT of tax on the tea, because in reality, the tax would have lowered the amount colonists would pay for tea. (In fact, King George thought the Tea Act would be welcome in the colonies because finally, it was going to save them money). No, the Boston Tea Party was about two things: (1) The Tea Act was passed by a legislature that did not allow any representatives from the colonies (in violation of the English Bill of Rights of 1689, with its precursor being the Magna Carta; the Magna Carta introduced the concept of "Taxation with Representation"), and (2) The Tea Act established a monopoly on the sale of tea, destroying the free market on the item and putting colonial traders out of business (or making criminals out of them should they dare to continue selling tea), thus highlighting the lack of procedures in government to protect and respect the rights of the colonies.I bring this last point up because, as you would have noticed by reading the list of grievances against King George III in the Declaration of Independence, gradually, the King and Parliament came to exert complete control and governance over the colonies and the colonists; the last straw came when, at Lexington & Concord, the Redcoats attempted to destroy the colonial arsenal of ammunition, and then the King sent a decree to all Royal governors and the Royal Navy to block all importation of guns and ammunition to the colonies, and then in Virginia (1775), when Royal Governor Dunmore disbanded the colonial legislature, seized ammunition stores, and sought to confiscate colonial stockpiles of ammunition (prompting Patrick Henry to introduce resolutions to raise colonial militias and to deliver his famous "Give me Liberty or Give me Death!" speech). The last and most valuable of the rights of the colonists (recognized in the English Bill of Rights) were their rights of self-defense and self-determination. They would be worth fighting for.Effective and responsive government in a free land is government that is closest to the people. A government that attempts to control people from a distant land (or a distant part of the country) is not responsible government. It is not what our Founders intended. That is why our Founders gave us a limited federal government; a federation of sovereign states. That is why we have the Tenth Amendment.In a speech Ronald Reagan delivered on October 27, 1964 in support of Barry Goldwater (the conservative candidate), this idea was put clearly to the American people. Reagan said:The Sons of Liberty, along with our great founding fathers, resisted, with every means possible, all attempts of the King and Parliament to concentrate power and control over the colonies and colonists from the far-off land of Great Britain. That control came at a huge cost - the loss of natural rights and rights specifically enumerated in the various charters of England and in its Bill of Rights.We as Americans are allowing that very same thing to happen to us - allowing almost all government control to be concentrated in DC, to be carried out by a group of corrupt human beings more beholden to a political party than to the people themselves. How can we justify this when our history is one defined by the Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution?We should be ashamed of ourselves.Anyway, I hope you will take the time to read my good friend Dave Benner's article on the Boston Tea Party. "Today in History: The Boston Tea Party" [https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2018/12/16/today-in-history-the-boston-tea-party/ ]. In that article, Mr. Benner writes:Although it was the most famous event called a "Tea Party," other states resisted the implementation of the act as well. In South Carolina, patriots dumped tea into the Cooper River. In Annapolis, a ship carrying loads of tea was put to the torch. In New York and Philadelphia, the ships bringing the tea were rejected and turned back to England.In Edenton, North Carolina, Penelope Barker organized a group of patriot women and signed a document of rebuke against the act and pledged to boycott British goods. They agreed to obstruct the policyEffectively, all states meddled with the enforcement of the law in the same ways they had resisted the Stamp Act, effectively nullifying it.As I hope most of us remember from our study of early American History, the British responded harshly to the Boston Tea Party. Parliament responded by passing a series of four acts collectively known as the Coercive Acts of 1774. The Acts were meant to punitive, to punish the Massachusetts colonists for their Tea Party protest. Parliament hoped these punitive measures would, by making an example of Massachusetts, reverse the trend of colonial resistance to parliamentary authority that had begun with the 1765 Stamp Act.The first of the four Acts was The Boston Port Act which closed the port of Boston until the colonists paid for the destroyed tea and the king was satisfied that order had been restored. This, of course, crippled the colony's maritime economy. The second of the Acts was The Massachusetts Government Act, which essentially abolished the colonial government. It unilaterally took away Massachusetts' charter and brought it under control of the British government, and for that reason, it provoked even more outrage than the Port Act. Under the terms of the Government Act, almost all positions in the colonial government were to be appointed by the governor, Parliament, or king. The act also severely limited town meetings in Massachusetts to one per year. The third act, The Administration of Justice Act, allowed the Royal governor to order trials of accused royal officials to take place in Great Britain or elsewhere within the Empire if he decided that the defendant could not get a fair trial in Massachusetts. And the fourth, the Quartering Act, allowed a governor to house soldiers in certain buildings if suitable quarters were not provided. Unlike the other acts, the Quartering Act applied to all the colonies.The Intolerable Acts were so harsh that the colonists referred to them as the Intolerable Acts.Quickly, the Intolerable Acts would set the colonies on a course that would lead to war and ultimately to our independence. Months after the Intolerable Acts were imposed on Massachusetts, the First Continental Congress was called in order to address the conduct by Great Britain towards her colonies. The First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia from September 5 - October 26, 1774. Three achievements came of that historic meeting: (1) The twelve colonies who sent representatives to the Congress agreed to boycott the import of British goods beginning on December 1, 1774: (2) The representatives called for a second Continental Congress to meet in May of the following year; and (3) The Congress approved a Petition to the King of England (King George III) which it sent before adjourning. That Petition explained to his majesty that if it had not been for the acts of oppression forced upon the colonies by the British Parliament, the American people would be standing behind British rule. It further appealed to the King to interceded on their behalf (in regard to their opposition to and subjugation under the Coercive Acts) and to call for their repeal.The colonists appealed to the King with these words:[The Petition can be read at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petition_to_the_King ] King George never gave the Colonies a formal reply to their petition. In fact, it is said he compared the colonists to petulant children who were rebelling rather than protesting. Although the Petition was not meant for Parliament, the King sent it there where it also received little attention and no response.On April 19, 1775, the first shots of the revolution were fired at Lexington and Concord after a contingent of British redcoats marched from Boston to arrest the tea party planners Samuel Adams and John Hancock and to destroy the munitions stockpiled at Concord. The following month, on May 11, the Second Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia, no longer to tasked with smoothing relations with Britain but now to plan and manage the war that was certainly coming.On June 14, the Second Continental Congress adopted a resolution to establish the Continental Army, to coordinate the military efforts of the colonies in their revolt against the rule of Great Britain, and five days later, on June 19, George Washington was appointed General of that Army. Still hoping to prevent war, the Second Continental Congress, on July 5, agreed to send a petition to King George asking him to reach an agreement with the Americans. This petition was termedThe following day, the Congress adopted theto follow the Olive Branch Petition and explain why the American colonies were fighting.Thewhich was written by John Dickinson but relying on language from Thomas Jefferson, would be the final attempt on the part of the colonies to avoid war with Great Britain. Just as the Petition asserted the year before, The Declaration of Causes affirmed American loyalty to Great Britain and beseeched King George III to prevent further conflict. Like the petitions presented to the earlier Kings of England, the one sent by the colonies listed their grievances (again reminding the King of their right to have representation when being taxed and their concerns over the growing tyranny over the colonies), gave their reasons for fighting the British, and stated that the American colonies are "resolved to die free men rather than live as slaves." When the Petition and Declaration arrived in August and were handed to the King, he refused to read them. Yet, on August 23, he proceeded to formally declare the colonies to be in a state of active rebellion against the Crown (Proclamation of Rebellion) and declared the colonists to be traitors.

Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, and House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, at a May 15 news conference. (CJ Photo by Don Carrington).

The 2017-18 session of the N.C. General Assembly wrapped up Thursday, setting a record by overriding the 22nd and 23rd vetoes of the biennium.Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper set a record of his own by rejecting 28 items of legislation during his first two years in office. Cooper easily surpassed Democrat Bev Perdue, who vetoed 20 bills over her four-year term.Republicans took advantage of the waning days of their supermajority to adopt measures passed earlier this month dealing with elections/ethics enforcement and a catch-all technical corrections bill. House Bill 1029 largely restored the State Board of Elections and the State Ethics Commission, which were separate agencies before a December 2016 law combined them into a single body. Senate Bill 469 included the usual end-of-session provisions cleaning up legislation which may have had some technical problems - and threw in a few policy items which might not have passed separately.The override vote for H.B. 1029 was 69-39 in the House and 28-12 in the Senate. The vote overturning the veto of S.B. 469 was 31-10 in the Senate and 71-39 in the House.An override requires at least 60 percent support from members present and voting in each legislative chamber.In his veto message , Cooper objected to a portion of H.B. 1029 which, he said, would block from public scrutiny investigations of campaign finance violations, allowing corruption to go unchecked.Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, last week countered with a statement noting that the bill didn't change penalties for violating campaign laws. As for the governor's complaint about a lack of transparency, Berger said the bill would keep campaign-finance complaints confidential unless the State Ethics Commission reviewed them and recommended criminal prosecution. At that point, the information would become public.The procedure, Berger said, would prevent innocent candidates and campaign organizations from having bogus allegations publicized.The bill also would require a new primary election in the 9th U.S. Congressional District if the State Board of Elections orders a do-over based on allegations of absentee ballot fraud.The bill restores a five-member State Board of Elections, with three members from the governor's political party. It creates an eight-member, bipartisan State Ethics Commission to handle ethics and campaign finance investigations. It also returns lobbying regulations to the office of the Secretary of State.During debate on the override, Sen. Dan Bishop, R-Mecklenburg, noted the changes resulted from a series of losses by the legislature in state court over separation of powers. Bishop quipped the bill - which initially passed the Senate 34-3 - should have given Cooper and Democrats chances to be "gracious winners."Instead, Bishop said, Cooper added a new charge, linking the investigation into the 9th District to the elections bill.Cooper said yesterday in a statement.Bishop called Cooper's charges false.Bishop said Thursday.Cooper had two objections to S.B. 469: a section dealing with wastewater regulations and a provision allowing employees of municipally run charter schools to join the state employees' pension and health plans.The legislature has allowed four Mecklenburg County municipalities to operate charter schools with state approval. None of the towns has applied.A separate provision in the bill would allow a local school district to operate a failing public school which otherwise would be transferred to the Innovative School District and operated like a charter school. Wayne County Public Schools wanted to take charge of struggling Carver Heights Elementary School in Goldsboro, which had been designated to the ISD. Parents and residents railed against state education officials for ISD assignment. Wayne County now can operate the school under ISD regulations.The session adjourned sine die about 4 p.m. Thursday. The 2019-20 session is set to convene Jan. 9 at noon. The Republican majority in the House will shrink by 10 seats, from 75-45 to 65-55. Republicans will control 29 of the 50 Senate seats; the GOP had a 35-15 majority in the 2017-18 session. Neither chamber has enough Republicans to override a potential Cooper veto with a straight party-line vote.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.My names Will Capers. For almost nine years, Ive blogged on various topics. I blogged as Blaque Ink first, and as Brotha Wolf second. The latter had a mu...

2 years ago

Yahoo! JAPAN



Yahoo! JAPANHundreds of Nicaraguans who took to the streets over the last eight months to protest President Daniel Ortega's corrupt government have been forced into hiding and, in some cases, to flee the country for their own safety. It's the end result of the Nicaraguan government's crackdown against protesters who voiced their outrage over Ortega's plans to gut the nation's social security system.

From The New York Times:

many people in this desperately poor Central American nation now live in a bleak new reality. They have exchanged their routine lives as lawyers, engineering majors, radio broadcasters and merchants for one of ever-changing safe houses, encrypted messaging apps and pseudonyms. They are hiding from an increasingly authoritarian state that is methodically tracking down those who participated in the large-scale and often violent protests against the government of President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo. "They are hunting us like deer," said Roberto Carlos Membreno Briceno, 31, a former legal clerk for a Nicaraguan Supreme Court justice, who gave up his law license and fled this year after his bosses saw a photo of him at a protest. He now lives in hiding on a ranch in Costa Rica with 50 strangers, including a ballet dancer who goes by code name "The Eagle."

Instead of listening to the concerned voices of his constituents, Ortega, paranoid, autocratic shitbird that he is, declared that the uprising had nothing to do with anything he was doing. Rather, the protesters were in the street, acting on behalf of "well-financed political parties" who wanted to toss him and his cronies out on their ass as part of a coup. Independent television stations and news websites have been forced to shut down, their editors arrested. Human rights advocates and other NGOs have been expelled from the nation. Under a new law, anyone who's ever taken to the street in opposition, peacefully or through violence, can be charged as a terrorist and arrested.

As The New York Times notes, "Rallies now require a permit, which no antigovernment group receives. People are afraid to carry the flag or sing the national anthem for fear of being viewed as a subversive." Upwards of 60,000 citizens have fled the country. Some are relieved to have escaped persecution. Others wait and organize, looking for the opportunity to return home and continue their anti-government protests.

The United States recently announced sanctions against Nicaragua designed to eat into Ortega's financesa protest against the civil rights abuses in the nation. More likely than not, the loss of revenue will put Ortega in a desperate position where holding on to the power he hasmaintained over the years through cronyism, bribes and fearwill prove more difficult.

The situation in the Central American nation is very likely to get far worse before it becomes any better.

Image: by C recordyus (talk  contribs)  Own work based on: Law About Characteristics And Use Of Patriotic Symbols of Nicaragua, Public Domain, LinkA man who until recently worked as Santa Claus at a Georgia Walmart has been arrested after the bodies of his two children were found buried in his backyard, say authorities.

Elwyn Crocker's two children were never reported missing.

The remains of the siblings, both of whom were 14 when last seen, were discovered Thursday in the rural town of Guyton by the Effingham Sheriff's Office.

From ABC News:

Elwyn Crocker Sr., 50, was arrested after sheriff's deputies went to his house in Guyton, Georgia, a suburb of Savannah, to conduct a welfare check on his 14-year-old daughter, Mary Crocker, authorities said. Effingham County Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie said that after questioning Crocker, he allegedly directed deputies to an area of his backyard, where they uncovered the bodies of Mary and her brother, Elwyn Crocker.

Until recently, Mr. Crocker  who turned 50 in jail this Christmas  was employed as a Santa Claus at a Walmart in Rincon, Georgia, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

The father, who turns 50 on Christmas and until recently played Santa at a nearby Walmart in Rincon, has been charged with child cruelty and concealing a death. The same charges have also been filed against his wife, Candice Crocker, 33, her mother, Kim Wright, 50, and Wright's boyfriend, Roy Anthony Prater, 55. All lived in the home and could face additional charges, authorities have said. They remain in the county jail without bond.

PHOTO: Elwyn Crocker Sr. (Effingham County Sheriff's Office)In a year-in-review post, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg said on Friday he is "proud of the progress we've made."

Yes, he really is that deluded.

I wonder what would have to happen for Zuckerberg to _not_ be proud of Facebook's record on privacy and trust? https://t.co/ebCQIbE1hL  Anil Dash ? (@anildash) December 28, 2018

Zuckerberg said some of Facebook's problems with misinformation and protecting users' personal data will take years to solve.

"We've fundamentally altered our DNA to focus more on preventing harm in all our services, and we've systematically shifted a large portion of our company to work on preventing harm," he wrote.

Zuck claims Facebook now has 30,000 workers focused on safety, or roughly one Facebook safety employee per every 75,600 monthly active users.

"Mark Zuckerberg used the word 'progress' six times in his year-end self-assessment," notes Ryan Mac. "That's one way of looking at Facebook's 2018."

From Ryan's Buzzfeed post:

Though much of what Zuckerberg wrote on Friday is not new  it is mostly rehashed from previous talking points  the Facebook chief's note underscored the notion that Facebook will never be perfect. Zuckerberg acknowledges that election interference and harmful speech "can never be fully solved" "That doesn't mean we'll catch every bad actor or piece of bad content, or that people won't find more examples of past mistakes before we improved our systems," he notes. As if to prove his point, one of the final scandals the company faced in 2018? An admission on Wednesday from one of its early investors, Reid Hoffman, who said he financed a misinformation campaign in the during the 2017 special election for an Alabama Senate seat. Facebook has not taken action against Hoffman's account and said an investigation remains ongoing.

Below, tweets today from former Facebook security chief Alex Stamos, and reporting by others on what's at stake with the social media giant as we enter 2019.

I think we need a new mental model that teases out the various parts of these products based upon the amplification each component gives individuals, and to apply rules to each level in a way that balances individual freedoms. A first-order disassembly of the Facebook *product*: https://t.co/PBIu97YSAt  Alex Stamos (@alexstamos) December 28, 2018

A reminder of the power and reach of Facebook. Given all that has transpired, it's still the platform for speaking to the masses. https://t.co/ywZEityupM  Brian Fitzgerald ? (@BryFitz) December 28, 2018

A BuzzFeed News analysis found that 50 of the biggest fake stories of 2018 generated roughly 22 million total shares, reactions, and comments on Facebook. https://t.co/1pfzmy8s4W  Lisa Tozzi (@lisatozzi) December 28, 2018

After spending two years launching fact checking programs, rolling out News Feed updates, and investing in other anti-misinformation initiatives, Facebook is still the home of viral fake news. Our annual rundown of the Facebook Fake News 50: https://t.co/qIM7DYMCFi  Craig Silverman (@CraigSilverman) December 28, 2018If the government shutdown extends beyond New Year's Day, Donald Trump's political tantrum will close the Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo in Washington, DC, among many other sites important to Americans.

After January 1, the museum network will be forced to close all its doors along the National Mall and at the National Zoo. The closures would go into effect on January 2, and continue until lawmakers reach a deal to fund the government.

This is just one of many ways people are feeling the shutdown, writes Dave Jamieson of the Huffington Post:

Because the museums have so far remained open, many people assumed the Smithsonian Institution was among the roughly three-quarters of government functions that Congress had already appropriated money for before the partial shutdown began on Dec. 22. But Smithsonian spokeswoman Linda St. Thomas explained that it had been running on last year's funds to get through the week between Christmas and New Year's  typically one of the busiest times of the year. The Smithsonian Institution receives its federal dollars through the Interior Department, which is among the unfunded agencies. "We used prior-year funding, and we can't continue to do that," St. Thomas said. "I think it was a great service to tourists, but on Jan. 2 and beyond we will be closed" until a deal is reached.

Affected institutions would include the American History Museum, the Air and Space Museum, the African American Museum and the Portrait Gallery, as well as more than a dozen others.News / Health

by Staff Re

HARARE - In the latest standoff between the government and striking junior doctors, senior medical personnel have now joined the industrial action by their juniors - leading to the suspension of major procedures at public health institutions across the country.This follows the government's ill-advised recent decision to suspend 530 junior doctors over their industrial action which was declared illegal by the Labour Court.In a statement over the Christmas holiday, the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) said middle level and senior doctors had now also embarked on an industrial action with immediate effect."Negotiations for doctors and other health workers' welfare take place in the Health Service Bipartite Negotiating Panel (HSBNP), guided by Statutory Instrument III of 2006."The employer has not taken this forum seriously and since 1 December, only three fruitless meetings have been held."To further show their lack of seriousness, the employer has failed to address issues, but instead taken the association to court and ordered members to resume work disgruntled," ZHDA said."Our membership has stated firmly that they will not risk the lives of patients by working under duress ... and will not return to work in potentially hazardous spaces."More so, the doctors did not receive their December salaries and are incapacitated to go to work. The response by the employer has been to suspend most of our members, pending hearings."This brutal, hard stance will not bring any fruit towards resolving the impasse, but instead is regressive," ZHDA secretary-general Mthabisi Bhebhe said."Following this move, middle level and senior doctors in nine provinces have withdrawn their services and will only resume work when these members are reinstated and meaningful negotiations are underway."The Health Service Board is playing politics with the lives of our fellow countrymen, throwing a legal charade whilst failing to address the issues affecting our health sector."It is our view that the ministry and the Health Service Board have failed their mandate, and we hereby call for the dissolution of the Health Service Board and the setting up of an independent Health Service Commission," Bhebhe added."We will only return to work when the government treats our health sector with the delicacy and professionalism it deserves," he said further.Junior doctors have been on strike for more than five weeks, protesting the severe shortages of pharmaceutical drugs at public hospitals, as well as the selling of available drugs in foreign currency by retail pharmacies among a host of other grievances.The government this week responded to their strike by suspending without pay 530 doctors  following a recent ruling by the Labour Court which declared the industrial action illegal.Bhebhe accused Health and Child Care minister Obadiah Moyo of "misleading" the nation on the state of the drugs situation at public hospitals.Moyo, who was not picking up his calls yesterday when the Daily News tried to reach him, has claimed that the government now has stocks of drugs and other essentials used in the health delivery system."The said drugs which have been supposedly stocked at Natpharm have not reached any of our government institutions."If indeed the drugs and protective clothing are there, our members have made it clear that these should be seen at hospitals."This comes against a background of several promises of medicines and equipment made by the ministry since January this year, with none being fulfilled."In addition, the stated stocks will not last our institutions long and we have requested the ministry to set targets and provide time lines as to when the target stocks will be reached, but to no avail," Bhebhe said.He also accused the government of negotiating in "bad faith" on the issue of their salaries."According to the collective bargaining agreement 2 (CBA2) of March 2018, our salaries and allowances are pegged in United States dollars (USD)."The employer has been countlessly breaching this CBA, firstly by applying it electively across the health workers ... secondly by implementing it unfairly  and unilaterally slashing on-call allowances of middle level and senior doctors."The ministry did not heed our call to rectify these but has gone on to unilaterally decide to pay us in RTGS. This is a clear violation of the CBA and all we ask is the employer to honour the legally binding contract and pay us in US dollars," Bhebhe said further.News / National

by Staff Reporter

DIVERSIFIED Botswana headquartered group Hangana Private Limited plans to establish a diamond cutting and polishing centre in Bulawayo as part of its long-term investment in Zimbabwe.Last week business executives from Hangana were in Bulawayo to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with their local counterparts so that they can start doing business together.The business people from the two countries intend to work together in different economic sectors and the MoU was facilitated by the office of Bulawayo Provincial Affairs Minister, Judith Ncube through the Bulawayo industry think-tank.In an interview after the signing of the MoU on fuel supply deal at Minister Ncube's offices at Mhlahlandlela Government Complex in Bulawayo, Hangana legal representative Mr Lewis Maunze who is resident in Zimbabwe said: "We are looking at setting up a diamond cutting and polishing centre in Bulawayo in the long term as we roll out our projects in different sectors. The advantage is that our partners are from Botswana, a country that is doing exceptionally well in the diamond industry."In that regard, if the diamond cutting and polishing centre is set up, we are guaranteed enough expertise, skills and experience in the diamond industry."Although, Mr Maunze would not be drawn into divulging the time frame for the proposed investment, he indicated that they were ready to tap into Zimbabwe's diamond sector.In a separate interview, Hangana director Retired Lieutenant Colonel Lekitlanye Ovuya also expressed their keen interest to invest in the local diamond cutting and polishing sub-sector. He said his organisation was licensed to deal in rough and precious stones in Botswana and the same licence was a legal document to extend their tentacles into Zimbabwe."Given that Zimbabwe has got all the minerals that we can tap into, we want to extend our diamond cutting and polishing service into the country. One of the pre-requesting for us wanting to do business here (Zimbabwe) is that one should be licensed."We are licensed in Botswana and that same licence allows us to do business in Zimbabwe and without that licence, we couldn't sit down and talk about diamonds," he said."Our main interest with that licence is in cutting and polishing, which is a long-term project. When we came here for our first meeting recently, we found out that there is an opportunity for polishing and that's why we want to go into that because so far Zimbabwe has got the diamonds but they don't have a polishing plant."The Botswana-based concern is also focused on setting up businesses in areas such as mining, manufacturing and the pharmaceutical industry.Minister Ncube confirmed having held discussions with the Botswana investors through Hangana in different sectors that include manufacturing, mining and pharmaceuticals.The Government has adopted the "Zimbabwe is open for business" policy with a view of attracting investments from across the globe.Before the ushering in of the new political dispensation in November last year, Zimbabwe's foreign direct investment inflows averaged $500 million, which was far below that of regional peers such as Mozambique and Zambia that ranged between $5 billion and $12 billion annually.As a result of the new political dispensation, which has taken a bold step towards rebuilding Zimbabwe's international relations with the global village, the country has so far attracted over $16 billion worth of proposed investment projects.(Bloomberg) -- Chinas alternative to the American-owned GPS extended its coverage beyond the Asia-Pacific region with a goal of becoming a dominating technology in the future, spurring gains in shares of related companies.

The service, called Beidou, is now available in some parts of Europe and Africa within Chinas Belt and Road initiative, spokesman Ran Chengqi told reporters on Thursday in Beijing. The company, which uses a series of satellites to provide users precision positioning with an error of about 10 meters, plans to launch 12 more satellites by 2020.

From today, wherever you go Beidou will be with you, anywhere, anytime, said Ran.

China stocks linked to Beidou advanced Friday. China Spacesat Co., whose products include navigation equipment based on Beidous technology, climbed as much as 5.2 percent in Shanghai trading. Beijing BDStar Navigation Co., Shanghai Huace Navigation Technology Ltd., and Guangzhou Hi-Target Navigation Tech Co. all gained as much as 10 percent in Shenzhen trading before giving up gains later in the day.

China started work on its own satellite navigation and positioning system in the 1990s to reduce its dependence on the Global Positioning System developed by the U.S. Named after the Chinese word for the Big Dipper star pattern, the Beidou system is now in its third stage and is capable of providing navigation and positioning services in different geographical regions. The goal is to have complete worldwide coverage by the end of this decade.

Beidou, which provides navigation and positioning for Chinas military and critical infrastructure, is finding increasing use in everything from mapping services to cars and smartphones. China launched the 42nd and 43rd Beidou satellites in November.

Most smartphone chips sold globally will be compatible with Beidou, the first navigation system to have built-in telecommunications features such as text messaging.

Beidou is among a slew of ambitious projects that the worlds second-largest economy is undertaking to sharpen its competitiveness in aerospace. Earlier this month, China sent a probe to the far side of the moon, a place no other countrys probe has ventured into. The nation is also developing civil passenger aircraft that could eventually rival models from Airbus SE and Boeing Co., while its private startups are racing to launch rockets to send satellites into orbit at low cost to meet demand for commercial space services.

Story continues

(Updates with share moves in 4th paragraph.)

--With assistance from Amanda Wang.

To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Dong Lyu in Beijing at dlyu3@bloomberg.net;Sharon Chen in Beijing at schen462@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Anand Krishnamoorthy at anandk@bloomberg.net, Lena Lee

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2019 Bloomberg L.P.Alberta Ballet artistic director Jean Grand-Maitre says being named to the Order of Canada, officially announced Thursday, is one of the highlights of his career  a career filled with some pretty spectacular highlights.

"It's the most emotional honour I've ever had," Grand-Maitre said in an interview with Radio-Canada.

Grand-Maitre learned about the honour two weeks before Christmas, through a phone call.

The choreographer and creative force behind Alberta Ballet since joining the company in 2002, Grand-Maitre's first reaction was to call his folks.

"The first emotion I had when I heard the news I was receiving Order of Canada was to think of my parents and how much they sacrificed for me to become an artist," he said.

The Governor General cited Grand-Maitre "for his creative contributions as a choreographer, and for his leadership as the artistic director of Alberta Ballet."

That includes creating, in collaboration with artists such as Joni Mitchell, Sarah McLachlan, kd lang and the Tragically Hip, a number of "portrait ballets" in recent years that helped draw international attention to the Calgary-based ballet company.

Alberta Balletg

Grand-Maitre also choreographed the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Prior to joining Alberta Ballet in 2002, Grand-Maitre danced with Montreal's L'Ecole Superieure de Dance du Quebec, Ballet BC and Theatre Ballet of Canada.

As a choreographer, Grand-Maitre has created new work for numerous international arts companies, including the Opera National de Paris, the Teatro alla Scala in Millan, the Stuttgart Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada and many others.

Grand-Maitre said he hoped that by recognizing a performing arts company based in Western Canada, that the designation would shine a spotlight on the creativity of the region.

"It's a celebration for the performing arts in Western Canada as well," he said.

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"There's lots of beautiful things happening there, so it's nice to be recognized on a national stage."

Grand-Maitre was one of eight Albertans to receive the Order of Canada designation Thursday.

The others were Indigenous activist Leroy Little Bear (Lethbridge), Olympic athlete Becky Scott (Canmore), philanthropists Charles Fisher and Joanne Cuthbertson (Calgary), mediator Roger Philip Kerans (Calgary), and Edmonton video game developers Raymond Alexander Muzyka and Gregory Zeschuk.

Charles Hope/Alberta Ballet

2019 National Tours

Grand-Maitre's Alberta Ballet will be busy in 2019, with tours planned for The Fiddle and the Drum, his portrait ballet co-created with Joni Mitchell, as well as for All of Us, the Tragically Hip-inspired ballet that Grand-Maitre described as "a post-apocalyptic ballet that's against fascism."

Once the announcement went out early Thursday morning, Grand-Maitre said he was overwhelmed with messages from artistic colleagues, friends and collaborators around the globe.

"You remember all the people you've worked with and all the artists who collaborated with you  designers, dancers composers  and you remember all the people who helped you in your career sustain your visions.

"And it takes a lot of people to make a dance company thrive."

With files from Fuat Seker, Radio-Canada.By Zandi Shabalala and Susan Taylor JOHANNESBURG/TORONTO (Reuters) - Barrick Gold Corp has made progress in talks with the Tanzanian government to resolve a nearly 2-year-long tax dispute, but it is premature to say a deal has been reached, a person familiar in the matter told Reuters on Wednesday. Government officials met last week with executives from Toronto-based Barrick and Randgold Resources Ltd, which Barrick is acquiring, to discuss the issue, said the source, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the talks. Acacia Mining, 63.9 percent owned by Barrick, is operating under a raw mineral export ban and faces a $190 billion tax bill from the Tanzania government. That meeting "appears to have gone well," but there is "nothing in writing," said the source. "The next week is crucial." Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that Barrick had reached an agreement with the government on a $300 million payment, which Acacia will make in installments, with terms under review by a Tanzanian tax working group. It was unclear if the payment resolved outstanding tax issues. Barrick, Randgold and Acacia declined to comment. Any agreement requires approval by Acacia's board of directors and shareholders. Tanzanian President John Magufuli, who has pledged to secure a bigger share of resource wealth and cut corruption, may also review the deal. Under an October 2017 framework pact that has yet to be implemented, Barrick Executive Chairman John Thornton and Magufuli agreed that Acacia would pay the government $300 million, give it 16 percent ownership and split the economic benefits of its mines. Randgold founder Mark Bristow, who is set to be the chief executive of Barrick after the merger closes in early 2019, has said he planned to intervene before the takeover closed and was confident he could break the impasse. "If the deal with the Tanzanian government goes through, we believe this would be a win for Mr. Bristow even before he officially takes the reins," said Credit Suisse analyst Fahad Tariq in a note on Wednesday. It would also "make investors more confident in his ability to resolve other issues in the region (i.e. negotiating with the Congolese and Zambian governments on revised mining codes), in our view." Bristow also told Reuters he wanted to pull together Tanzania's mining industry to address the increasingly acrimonious dispute. Acacia also faces dozens of criminal charges, from tax evasion to money laundering. (Reporting by Susan Taylor; Editing by Richard Chang)A well-travelled journalist with the BBC is one of six New Brunswickers announced as new members of the Order of Canada on Thursday morning.

Bathurst native Lyse Doucet, the BBC's chief international correspondent, heard about the appointment a few weeks ago, but even with the heads-up, the honour hasn't quite sunk in.

"Will it say something bad about New Brunswickers if it takes us a long time for things to sink in?" Doucet asked in an interview from Vietnam, where she is now based.

"Even though I have known then for a few weeks, I'm still  quite overwhelmed by the decision because I think there can be no great greater honour than being recognized by your own country."

Doucet is already an officer of the Order of the British Empire, a British honour of similar standing to the Order of Canada.

Hanoi via Youghall Beach

Redmond Shannon/CBC

Doucet has been a reporter for more than 30 years, and her career has sent her all over the world, far from her northern New Brunswick hometown.

She has reported from Pakistan, Israel, Egypt and India to name a few countries, but she remembers a project she did for her Brownies troop as her introduction to the outside world.

Each member of the troop had to pay tribute to another nation, and Doucet's Brownie leader noticed she was concerned about the country she was assigned.

People used to say the character of the train changes at Montreal going east because it always gets friendlier - Lyse Doucet, Bathurst native

"She saw that I was a little bit worried that I'd been given the flag of Guatemala and I couldn't pronounce Guatemala," asked Doucet.

"She said to me 'Do you want to change?'  I said 'No, no, no. I must take on this challenge."

Doucet calls herself "quintessentially" New Brunswickan, and her home province is never far from her mind.

"My first visit to Vietnam and when I was in Hanoi and I was by the water's edge, I really thought of Youghall Beach," said Doucet, remembering the popular beach along Bathurst harbour.

Story continues

"I thought 'Oh, this seems familiar.' I realized I was thinking of where I grew up."

Doucet believes the friendliness that small-town New Brunswick instilled in her has been a great asset.

"When I first went to university, first in Kingston' at Queen's' then to the University of Toronto, we used to take the train," she said. "People used to say the character of the train changes at Montreal going east because it always gets friendlier," said Doucet.

"I think that's very much part of who I am as a journalist and has very much defined my approach to [journalism.] There's a joke among my producers that you have to tell Lyse to stop smiling."

Existential crisis

BBC

Doucet's appointment to the Order of Canada comes at a time of peril for the news business as a whole.

While news organizations are still navigating their way through a changing digital landscape, the media in general has come under attack from some people in power.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly clashed with news organizations and reporters, going so far as to call the media "the enemy of the people."

Doucet said journalism is "facing nothing less than an existential crisis."

"Journalists are being attacked as the enemy of the [people,] journalists are being imprisoned, journalists are being killed," she said.

"If we absolutely believe, and we do, in the importance of journalism to a functioning democracy, to our real need to know what is happening in the world around us  I think journalists have to rise to the challenge, to these threats, to these attacks, to become even better at what we do."

A news release from the office of Gov. Gen. Julie Payette, said Doucet has been appointed to the order "for her commitment to journalistic integrity."

"I don't know whether I deserve the word, but integrity and respect is really what journalism is all about," Doucet said.

"I think it inspires all of us."

Former premier, artist also honoured

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press

Other than Doucet, five other New Brunswickers have been appointed to the order.Villagers in Koyandy, north of Kazakhstans capital of Astana, are forced to melt snow for water as potable water is inaccessible to those without cars, according to Current Time.

Suyumjan Dusenov, a resident of Koyandy, told Current Time that he transports between 100 and 150 liters of water each day for his home and that of his neighbors who dont have the means to travel. Additionally, water is consistently dirty, prompting resident to strain it through gauze before use. Another resident, Bakhyt Ayaganov, reports that water is often salty and potentially polluted with sewage.

The head of the village has said the issues stem from residents decisions to build on areas not intended for development. The water infrastructure will be improved, but not until 2021.

See shot list and translations below:

00:15  Tleuzhan Kuat, Resident of Koyandy

The waters never clear even though we try to strain it through a gauze. But its still not clear.

00:42  Suyumjan Dusenov, Resident of Koyandy

Every day, I bring home 100 to 150 liters of water, not just for myself but also for the neighbors. They dont have a car, so I bring water for them, too.

00:58  Bakhyt Ayaganov, Resident of Koyandy

The water is salty. It has some other impurities. It may have been mixed with sewage. We dont have spring water here, only ground water. The well is just five or six meters deep, and the sewage water gets in.

1:31  Aibek Yeseyev, Head of Koyandy

Local inhabitants have seized land [to build on] and are now asking for water, roads, and electricity. If this land had been granted as part of the general development plan, the way it should have been done legally, all these things would have been provided. Credit: Current Time via StoryfulI'm often asked how I ended up pursuing a career in marine biology. After all, I grew up in land-locked Alberta, though I was born in Vancouver. I often joke that I must have some residual seawater in my veins to thank for my love of the sea.

Fred Richardson/Provided by Brittany Conradi

What's more likely behind my decision to make the ocean my workplace is that my childhood on the prairies was punctuated by many summers spent camping with my family on the rugged beaches of Vancouver Island. Exploring the wondrous depths of the west coast tide pools sparked a lifelong passion that I've now followed to Newfoundland.

My love of scuba diving is a big part of that passion. I began diving with my father when I was 16, and took every opportunity I could to spend time underwater whether in Alberta's glacial lakes or southern Caribbean seas. My interest in marine biology deepened during my undergraduate and master's degrees, and I dreamed of using my dive skills to contribute in my field of study.

This year that dream became a reality.

Collecting local reef data for global use

Several years ago, I took a summer course with Memorial University associate professor Amanda Bates on Vancouver Island. I continued to follow her research over the years  first while working as an environmental consultant, then while completing my master's degree in Ireland.

Provided by Brittany Conradi

I got in touch with her while working on my thesis, and that is how I first learned about Reef Life Survey (RLS), a volunteer-driven citizen science program in which trained scuba divers do standardized biodiversity surveys of coral and rocky reefs around the globe.

Bates was in the early stages of planning the Canadian branch of the survey, which was developed at Australia's University of Tasmania 10 years ago and has produced nearly 12,000 surveys in 54 countries. Her excitement for the award-winning monitoring program is what initially sparked my own interest, and now I am a PhD student with Bates' incredible Physiological Diversity Lab team at MUN's Ocean Sciences Centre.

Story continues

Fred Richardson/Provided by Brittany Conradi

This October, after months of rigorous planning and scientific dive training, that team at the lab launched Reef Life Survey Canada. We will survey the marine life of waters of the north Atlantic, contributing what we learn to a global database that will be used to manage and protect reef habitats.

Understanding underrepresented ocean ecosystems

Despite having the world's longest coastline at more than 240,000 kilometres, the RLS data from Canada has so far been limited. But last month, RLS co-founder and University of Tasmania research fellow Rick Stuart-Smith led our team through an intensive week-long training workshop on applying the RLS methods to the cold waters off Newfoundland.

Provided by Brittany Conradi

Surveys involve a pair of divers recording fish and invertebrate species along a 50-metre transect line placed on the rocky sea floor. Photos are also taken at intervals along the line to identify smaller, immobile invertebrates, corals and algal cover. The data is submitted to a global online database used by researchers and policy makers around the world to inform reef management.

The launch of RLS Canada is an important step in improving our understanding of underrepresented northern temperate reef communities, which are significantly less studied than their southern counterparts. Beginning in Newfoundland, we are working to systematically quantify the abundance and biodiversity of marine life on the province's rocky reef ecosystems on a scale not previously attempted.

We have been incredibly privileged as a research team to have access to the world-class facilities at the Ocean Sciences Centre  including a heated dive truck for those chilly winter morning dives  and the extensive local dive knowledge and support of the Field Services Unit.

Jasmin Schuster/Provided by Brittany Conradi

Current projects in our lab rely on the data collected through RLS Canada and include investigating how shallow reef species deal with extreme cold temperatures and exploring the effects of the groundfish collapse on in-shore reef communities.

The goal is to circumnavigate the province and part of the Labrador coast over the next 10 years, conducting surveys in a wide range of locations and habitats while contributing to a global database. Bates is particularly interested in using the data collected in Newfoundland to explore the effects of winter climate change on local marine ecosystems.

Jane Adey with CBC's The Broadcast visited the marine science centre in Logy Bay to hear from scientists about what they're seeing on the ocean floor.

Reaching out to local dive community

Underwater surveys, however, only provide some of the data we need. Our lab recognizes the importance of involving citizen scientists and the local community in much of the work we do. No one has a more intimate knowledge of Newfoundland than Newfoundlanders themselves.

No one has a more intimate knowledge of Newfoundland than Newfoundlanders themselves. - Brittany Conradi

We've reached out to the local dive community, gathering log books for hundreds of dives around the province to determine fluctuations in temperature data on reef sites over time. As part of my work, I am looking to incorporate local and traditional ecological knowledge of the Newfoundland community to help quantify how the province's coastal reef ecosystems have changed over time in response to the collapse of the cod fisheries.

I'm excited about the opportunity to build on my dive experience, to learn new science-based skills underwater and to contribute to such an enormous global database. This work has connected me, and everyone else involved, to a wider team of biologists and divers around the world, and we hope it will lead to a greater understanding of northern temperate marine ecosystems like the one in this province.

If you are interested in providing dive log books, sharing stories of the regional history of the cod fishery, harvesting seaweed, or providing traditional ecological knowledge of the province's coastal reef systems, I would love to hear from you at bcconradi@mun.ca. For more information on Reef Life survey, visit www.reeflifesurvey.com.

Read more articles from CBC Newfoundland and LabradorKHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudanese security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades at anti-government protesters in Khartoum and other cities on Friday, the tenth day of demonstrations sparked by an economic crisis. Protests over rising prices, shortages of basic commodities and a cash crunch erupted in the city of Atbara over a week ago and quickly spread to cities across Sudan. Authorities have shuttered schools and declared curfews and states of emergency in several regions. Residents say police have used tear gas and sometimes live ammunition against demonstrators. Protesters have repeatedly targeted and burned the offices of President Omar al-Bashir's party and called for an end to his 29-year rule. Earlier on Friday, security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades at 300-400 worshippers as they left a mosque near the capital Khartoum after Friday prayers, a Reuters witness said. The group in Omdurman, across the River Nile from Khartoum, was fired upon as people exited the mosque chanting "peaceful, peaceful". Around 30 SUVs belonging to the security forces had surrounded the square outside the building before noon prayers. Protests were also held in Khartoum and other cities including Port Sudan and Dongola, witnesses said. According to official figures, at least 19 people have been killed, including two military personnel, but Amnesty International on Tuesday estimated the death toll to be nearly double that. The Sudanese Congress Party, one of the opposition parties which have been calling for protests, said security forces had detained its leader Omar al-Degair on Friday. "We affirm that the path of the December revolution will continue and will not be affected by arrest or repression," the party said in a statement. Civil society groups said the authorities raided a meeting of opposition leaders in Khartoum on Thursday evening and arrested nine people, including members of Sudan's Communist Party and the pan-Arab Ba'ath and Nasserist parties. Sudan has been gripped by a deep economic crisis that began in 2011 after the southern half of the country voted to secede, taking with it three-quarters of the country's oil output, and has been aggravated by years of overspending and mismanagement. Opposition groups blame Bashir, who has governed Sudan since 1989, for the mismanagement. A series of measures, including a sharp devaluation of the Sudanese pound in October, have failed to shore up the economy. Members of parliament this month backed a constitutional amendment to extend term limits that would have required Bashir to step down in 2020. SUNA cited a police spokesman as saying the situation across Sudan was calm on Friday "except for some scattered gatherings in some parts of Khartoum state" which he said were dispersed professionally and without financial or human losses. Two U.N. human rights experts expressed alarm at the escalating violence and urged the government to exercise restraint. "The Government should respond to legitimate grievances of the Sudanese people," Clement Nyaletsossi Voule, who reports to the U.N. Human Rights Council on the right to free assembly in Sudan, said in a statement. Aristide Nononsi, who reports to the council on human rights in Sudan, said governments had a duty to tolerate dissent. (Additional reporting by Tom Miles in Geneva; Writing by Yousef Saba and Sami Aboudi; Editing by John Stonestreet and Raissa Kasolowsky)The past year of diplomatic relations between Canada and the United States has been eventful, to say the least.

From flaring tempers to awkward silences to Twitter feuds and flying insults, months of North American trade deal talks pushed negotiators on both sides to the edge of decency. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump were not above bouncing snide remarks off of one another, either.

The two countries, along with Mexico, would eventually sign the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on Nov. 30, but not before trading a few rhetorical blows.

During the G7 summit in Quebec in June, Trudeau called the planned U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum insulting and said Canadians will not be pushed around.

And as the leaders competing interests on behalf of their countries led to stalemate after stalemate between Canadian and American negotiators, Trump  who could never claim restraint as a strength  was a wellspring of petulant, often inaccurate, comments and complaints.

From the impolite to the downright puzzling, here are some of the things Donald Trump said about Canada in 2018.A huge blue light flashed brightly over over the New York City skyline late Thursday night. New Yorkers filled social media with photos and videos of the phenomenon, which appeared to be centered over the borough of Queens. In short, people freaked out .

Con Edison quickly put everyones alien-conspiracy theories to bed. The utility company tweeted that what New Yorkers were seeing was the effect of a brief electrical fire that broke out at a substation in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens.

There was a brief electrical fire at our substation on 20th Avenue & 32nd Street in Astoria this evening, which caused a transmission dip in the area. All power lines serving the area are in service and the system is stable. Photo: Michael Friedl, New York Times pic.twitter.com/vq2Ao46rhk  Con Edison (@ConEdison) December 28, 2018

ConEd's explanation made sense, but questions remained. For starters, why was the light so big and blue? In a phone conversation with a Con Edison spokesperson, Mashable got to the bottom of what happened, which was initially reported to be a transformer explosion.

The failure was on a piece of equipment that monitors voltage, not a transformer explosion, explained a Con Edison spokesman. The failure caused a transmission dip so some people may have noticed their lights or TV flicker or go out. The grid is all interconnected. Anyone in New York City and possibly even Westchester County could have noticed an impact.

And the bright blue light?

There are failures of substation equipment that could result in an arc flash, the spokesman said. The failure results in the release of heat and light. The light is what folks saw last night.

An arc flash occurs when an electric current flows through the air in between conductors. This flash of light was what New Yorkers saw in the sky. Con Edison also tweeted a more accurate summary of last nights events in a tweet on Friday.

Story continues

SEE ALSO: Climate change made these 17 extreme weather events radically worse

The Con Edison spokesman added that the light phenomenon on Thursday night lasted for approximately 10 minutes. The blue tinted light may have been intensified due to the cloud cover over the New York City sky last night, some reports postulated.

This sort of thing doesnt happen all the time, said the spokesperson. But there was one that also got considerable attention during Hurricane Sandy .

So definitely not aliens. But "arc flash" lets you tick at least one term off your sci-fi checklist.The author is a professor at Bar Ilan Universitys Faculty of Law and the University of San Diego Law School, a senior fellow at the Kohelet Policy Forum, and a visiting fellow at the Project on the Foundations of Private Law at Harvard Law School.



Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh. blogspot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work.

.

..Times of Israel/Blog..27 December '18..For several hours last week, it seemed that Airbnb was abandoning its newly declared policy to ban West Bank Jews from its online short term rental service. On December 17, 2018, Senior Vice President Chris Lehane met with Israeli Minister of Tourism Yariv Levin, and at the conclusion of the meeting, according to Airbnbs Israel representative, the two sides issued a joint statement that that the new policy [against West Bank Jews] will not be implemented. Airbnb will continue the dialogue with the Israeli government on the issue.It didnt last long. After several hours, a US spokesman for Airbnb claimed that the earlier December 17 statement had been  released in error,  and that Airbnb will press forward with its boycott of Jewish properties in Israeli-controlled areas of the West Bank. The later Airbnb statement emphasized that Chris Lehane was in Israel to help implement the discriminatory policy; as the statement put it, Airbnb communicated that we are developing the tools needed to implement our [boycott] policy and that process includes continuing our dialogue with the Government of Israel and other stakeholders.This was hardly the first time Airbnb sowed confusion with its zigzagging pronouncements. From its very first announcement of its boycott on West Bank Jews on November 19, 2018, Airbnb has been reluctant to explain why it suddenly waded into the Arab-Israeli conflict with an act of illegal discrimination. Airbnbs initial announcement claimed it was implementing a general policy regarding listings in disputed regions, but the only disputed region where Airbnb has decided to implement the policy is the West Bank, and the only listings it has decided to ban in the disputed West Bank are those in Israeli settlements, i.e., Jewish properties On November 21, 2018, an Airbnb official claimed to the Times of Israel that the company might implement its policy regarding disputed regions in other places in the world, citing Western Sahara  a territory that has been illegally occupied by Morocco for four decades and to which Morocco claims sovereignty to the disapproval of all other states in the world. The official stated , Western Sahara is one example of a place where we will use this framework  for [banning] listings in occupied territories around the world. But a month later, Airbnb continues to list Moroccan properties in occupied Western Sahara, and it has not signaled any impending steps to boycott properties in Western Sahara or any other disputed areas in the world other than Jewish West Bank properties.Misinformation was also Airbnbs strategy when outgoing Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner asked Illinois Investment Policy Board to examine whether Airbnbs policy constitutes a boycott of Israel. Illinois law bars investments and certain kinds of state transactions with companies that boycott Israel, and the Investment Policy Board is responsible for examining whether companys actions constitute what the law defines as a boycott. Airbnbs Chris Lehane tried to ward off the legal penalty by telling the Board that not only is Airbnb following the same policy of banning properties in disputed territories around the world, its policy of banning properties in disputed territories is the same as that of US multinational hotel chains. Both of Lehanes claims are lies  Airbnb has not banned properties in any other disputed area in the world, and no US hotel chain has adopted Airbnbs policy of banning West Bank Jewish properties  and unsurprisingly the Investment Policy Board saw through Airbnbs falsehoods. On December 12, 2018, the Board voted to acknowledge that Airbnbs boycott is a boycott of Israel as defined by Illinois law.Nonetheless, Airbnb repeated its false claim not to be boycotting Israel only five days later in its second December 17, 2018 statement, claiming that it unequivocal[ly] reject[s] the BDS movement (the movement to boycott, divest from and sanction Israel) even as it reaffirmed Airbnbs intent to implement its new boycott policy directed solely at Israeli-administered territory.It should be clear to everyone now that Airbnb has decided to respond to legal actions against and criticism of its new discriminatory policy not by withdrawing the policy but by digging in and defending the policy with a campaign of misdirection and falsehoods. The misinformation strategy is as difficult to understand as Airbnbs decision to adopt the discriminatory policy in the first place. It is hard to see how Airbnb engenders good will or wins more business by violating the law and then lying about it. The only conceivable defense Airbnb can offer is no defense at all: its falsehoods have mostly been cleverly phrased evasions and misdirections rather than straightforward lies.By dissembling, Airbnb is adding to its already considerable legal liability. Airbnb has rendered itself ineligible for state business and investment in many places in the US by violating anti-boycott legislation. In Israel, Airbnb has rendered itself liable for the payment of money damages to victims of the companys boycott. Airbnb is already being sued in Delaware for its illegal discrimination against Jewish owners of properties in the West Bank.Given Airbnbs well-publicized intention to sell shares of the company on the market in an IPO next year, the lying exposes Airbnb to future lawsuits by investors for material misrepresentations made by the company in its attempt to defend its indefensible policy. Future investors will rightly be able to claim that Airbnb is not telling the truth about the regulatory liability created by its ill-considered policy against West Bank Jews or its even more foolish attempt to mislead regulators with false statements about the policy.In the meantime, officials in both Israel and the US would do well to exercise caution in their future dealings with Airbnb. It has unfortunately become clear that Airbnb is not only committed to violating the law, but also to lying to regulators and the public. In both countries, officials would be best advised to treat Airbnbs excuses and promises as presumptive lies until Airbnb can demonstrate that it is ready to start telling the truth.Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the National Childrens Science Congress to be held between 27-31 December at SOA (Deemed to be university) in Bhubaneswar, Odhisa. This is the 26th edition of the National Science Congress.

The focal theme of the 26th National Childrens Science Congress is Science, Technology and Innovation for a Clean, Green and Healthy Nation. The National Childrens Science Congress is being held at Odhisa for the second time. Children from across the country together with those from five Gulf and ASEAN countries are attending the event.

National Childrens Science Congress

National Childrens Science Congress is a nationwide Science Communication programme started in the year 1993. It is the programme of the National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC), Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.

National Childrens Science Congress aims at providing a forum for children from both formal school systems as well as from out of school of the age-group of 10-17 years to exhibit their creativity and innovativeness and more particularly their ability to solve a societal problem experienced locally, by using the method of science.

National Council for Science and Technology Communication

National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) is mandated to communicate science & technology to masses. Through its various programmes, the council aim to build capacity for informed decision making in the community. NCSTC encourages research in areas of Science & Technology communication, training of communicators, development of books, manuals, posters, exhibitions, films, radio programmes, and television programmes on different facets of science & technology and recognizing outstanding efforts through awards and incentives all over the country.Seamer Duanne Olivier completed an 11-wicket match haul as South Africaroared back into contention in the first test by bowling Pakistanout for 190 in their second innings at the close of day two at Centurion Park on Thursday.Olivier finished with 5-59 to go with his first innings figures of 6-37 as Pakistan set South Africa a victory target of 149. Thirty wickets have fallen on the opening two days of a game that has moved forward at a rapid pace.The home side will begin their chase on the third morning but with rain predicted for both days three and four.Olivier, in the side only because stalwart seamer Vernon Philander was injured, showed great pace and accuracy to help bowl Pakistan out in 56 overs of their second innings.The tourists had been on top when they went to tea on 100 for one with a lead of 58. They then lost their final nine wickets for the addition of only 90 runs as the South African seamers found movement on a wicket that is also showing variable bounce.Opener Imam-ul-Haq had looked rock solid at the crease for his 57 before he chopped an Olivier delivery on to his stumps, while number three Shan Masood crafted a fine 65 but holed out to Keshav Maharaj in the deep off Dale Steyn (2-34) as he began to run out of batting partners.No other Pakistan batsman made more than 12 in the innings and were easily picked off as they hung on the back foot, too wary of the pace and bounce in the wicket.That included a second duck of the match for captain Sarfraz Ahmed, who was caught at slip by Faf du Plessis off the excellent pace bowler Kagiso Rabada (3-47).South Africa had earlier labored to 223 in their first innings after starting the second day on 127 for five.Seamers Mohammad Amir (4-62) and Shaheen Afridi (4-64) were particularly impressive in getting the ball to move off the pitch, with seven of their eight scalps being caught behind the wicket.They will hold the key again for the tourists in trying to restrict South Africa's chase with the pitch offering little assistance to the spinners.Temba Bavuma top-scored for the home side with a fluent 53, showcasing some excellent cover drives and intelligent placement, but his stay was ended when Afridi induced an edge to Ahmed.Quinton de Kock (45) looked for quick runs at the death of the innings and pushed the lead to 42, but was deceived by a slower ball from Amir and caught at cover by Fakhar Zaman to be the last man out.India: National Fish Workers Forum to take up the issue with mainstream parties

December 28,2018 | Source: The New Indian Express

With barely months remaining for the Lok Sabha polls due next year, the fishing community is planning to put pressure on the mainstream political parties to include the demand for a separate Fisheries Ministry in the election manifesto.



While the National Fish Workers Forum (NFF) is planning to launch a nationwide campaign, Kerala Swatantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation (KSMTF) said it will persuade the state unit to take up the issue. Presently, Department of Animal Husbandry Dairying and Fisheries comes under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. With the 2019 polls just round the corner, NFF has decided to kick-start a nationwide campaign with focus on creating a separate ministry for fisheries, said T Peter, NFF general secretary.



According to him, the NFF general body meeting to be held at Veraval in Gujarat on January 29-30 will give a final shape to the campaign being planned.The proposed campaign, which will be launched from Gujarat to West Bengal via Kanyakumari, will begin on March 1 and conclude on March 25. The demand for a separate Fisheries Ministry will top the agenda at the general body meeting, said Peter.



He said a separate ministry will usher in remarkable changes to the fishers. It could implement several programmes for fishers welfare, besides addressing several issues faced by the community in a time bound manner. The fishermens demand is perfectly justified since they had encountered natural calamities like the 2004 Indian Ocean tidal tragedy and Ockhi cyclone, K V Thomas said. Also, it will help to boost fish farming and address concerns related to deep-sea fishing. KSMTF representative S Stephen said a separate ministry will help the fisherfolk to flag concerns, including commissioning of a shipping corridor and alleged cold-shouldering from authorities in times of disaster. Earlier, Union MoS Agriculture Krishna Raj, while replying to Shashi Tharoor MP in the Lok Sabha, said the Centre found the functioning of the Fishery Division of Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries satisfactory and hence there is no rationale for hiving off a separate Fisheries Ministry.Sri Lanka: Navy accused of chasing away 3000 Tamil Nadu fishermen from island waters

December 28,2018 | Source: Colombo Page

Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu have accused the Sri Lankan Navy personnel of snapping their fishing nets and chasing them back to Indian waters while they were fishing near the Katchatheevu islet. A fisheries official in Rameswaram told PTI that the nets of 35 mechanized boats were snapped after rounding them up allegedly by Sri Lankan naval personnel near Katchatheevu islet and over 3000 Tamil Nadu fishermen were forced to return without their catch.



The fishermen from Rameswaram had put out to sea in more than 500 mechanized boats and were fishing near Katchatheevu last night when Sri Lankan Naval men came in 20 boats and allegedly snapped the fishing nets and chased away the fishermen, the fisheries official said. On December 11, over 3,000 fishermen from the state were allegedly chased away by Lankan navy personnel when they were fishing near Katchatheevu islet.



Tamil Nadu fishermen poaching in Sri Lankan waters use destructive bottom trawling to catch fish, a practice banned by Sri Lanka, depleting Sri Lanka's marine resources.IMPORTANT NOTICE: It seems that Google made a few changes to the way images are shown on Google-powered blogs. Pictures and links to social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) will no longer be loaded if you are using an ad blocker. Please be advised that no commercial activity whatsoever (ads, links, etc.) is conducted by DPN on their website. Ads, if any shown, are selected and inserted on this page by Google, not by DPN. Disable your ad blocker if pictures and/or videos are no longer shown on DPN pages. Please note that this may not apply to all browsers.



None of the 62 prisoners on federal death row are from Kentucky, but that could change soon.





Two Louisville cases  including the Kroger killings and a January murder blamed on a drug ring  are among four that qualify as death eligible in Western Kentucky. Federal prosecutors in the commonwealth have been hesitant to seek the country's ultimate punishment in the past and haven't sent anyone to federal death row during the past three decades.





But there are new prosecutors and decision-makers in place appointed by President Donald Trump.





The man who would oversee Louisville's death penalty prosecutions, Russell Coleman, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky, was appointed by Trump a year ago. He declined to discuss specifics about the cases or his opinions on the death penalty.





Court records show there are currently four cases that could qualify for death penalty trials.





 The January fatal shooting of Vincente Rodriguez Ramirez in Okolona.





Three men are charged in the death: Charles Orlando Cater, Dwain Castle and alleged drug ring leader Javier Humberto Navarro Rodriguez.





 The October double homicide at a Louisville Kroger where two black victims were allegedly targeted because of the white suspect's racial hatred.





Gregory Bush, 51, has been indicted for federal hate crimes after allegedly telling a witness, "whites don't shoot whites," and after a video captured him trying to enter a predominantly black church in Jeffersontown before heading to Kroger. Maurice Stallard, 69, and Vickie Lee Jones, 67, were fatally shot Oct. 24 at the Jeffersontown store.





"Federal, state, and local law enforcement stand united to ensure that Kentuckians can shop, worship, or attend school without the specter of fear," Coleman said in a written statement following the federal charges.





 The slaying of Fort Campbell soldier Sgt. Brittney N. Silvers on the military base at the Kentucky-Tennessee border.





A neighbor who was walking his dog claims he saw the victim's estranged husband, Victor Silvers, shoot her in the head in front of her home. The Clarksville, Tennessee, man is charged with premeditated murder and with shooting the victim's friend, who tried to hide in the bathroom, in the leg.





The soldier, who filed for divorce, previously had gotten a restraining order against her husband.





 The 2017 fatal robbery at La Placita a Hispanic food market in Bowling Green on March 17, 2017





Jose Cruz, 31, a Bowling Green man who had come to the restaurant to pick up his children from his ex-wife, tried to intervene and was killed. Jose Adan Mejia Varela and Jonny Alexander Reyes-Martinez are accused of being inside the business during the armed robbery, with Martinez accused of shooting the victim. They are charged along with three alleged accomplices  Jorge Caballero-Melgar, Estrellita Soto and Lilian Duron.





The three men are accused of fleeing to Tennessee afterward and dividing the $12,000 in stolen money.





The fatal incident is one of at least a dozen robberies at small, privately owned stores across Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.





In federal court, unlike in state court, deciding whether to seek death is a complex and lengthy process. The decision isn't made in Kentucky.





Coleman will send memos to Department of Justice officials in Washington, D.C., detailing the allegations and evidence in the Louisville and Western Kentucky cases. He won't disclose whether he is recommending seeking death in any of the four cases, and those documents will remain sealed.





Department of Justice capital case review committees will review the memos and may ask Coleman to travel to D.C. to answer questions. Their recommendation will be forwarded to the U.S. Attorney General, who makes the ultimate decision on whether to seek the federal death penalty. That decision could fall to Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, but his appointment is being challenged.





Whitaker did release a statement after a federal grand jury indicted the suspect in the Kroger slayings.





"The crimes alleged in this indictment are horrific," he said. "We cannot and will not tolerate violence motivated by racism. We will bring the full force of the law against these and any other alleged hate crimes against fellow Americans of any race."





He didn't specify if that meant seeking a death sentence.





Since the reinstatement of the federal death penalty in 1988, 78 defendants across the nation have been sentenced to die; only three were executed  Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, 33; Texas drug kingpin and murderer Juan Raul Garza, 44; and Louis Jones Jr., 53, who kidnapped a 19-year-old soldier from an Air Force base in Texas before raping and beating her to death with a tire iron.





All were killed by lethal injection at the U.S. Penitentiary Terre Haute in Indiana.





Two Kentucky men, Brandon Basham and Chadrick Fulks, are on federal death row, but they were sent there by federal juries in South Carolina. The men escaped from a Kentucky jail in Hopkins County in 2002 and terrorized a various victims during a two-week crime spree that culminated with the kidnapping, rape and murder of a 44-year-old woman in South Carolina and the abduction and murder of a 19-year-old college student in West Virginia.





Kerry Harvey, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, said he decided the death penalty was merited in a few cases.





But no one was sent to death row during his tenure from 2010-2017.





He said once he didn't receive Justice Department approval, another time he reconsidered after learning more facts about the case and another time he decided a plea offer with the defendant forgoing the right to appeal was the best option.





"It is certainly something that weighs on your mind," Harvey said. "It's a heavy responsibility."





The death penalty is used more frequently in state court.





In Kentucky, there have been three executions since the commonwealth reenacted the death penalty at the state level in 1995. In the state system, local top prosecutors  Commonwealth's Attorneys  in each judicial circuit decide whether to seek it.





Currently, there are 30 state prisoners, including one woman, on death row.





"I support the death penalty in theory," Harvey said.





"But historically, a death-eligible defendant is about as likely to die of a lightning strike than to be executed by the federal government."

 | 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I am a retired newspaperman. I live in Poca, WV, with my wife of 44 years, Lou Ann. I grew up in Cleveland. Three kids. Grandfather.



Report all errors to DonSurber@GMail.comGrab should pay Vinasun VND4.8 billion ($208,000) for damage it has caused the top taxi firm, a court ruled Friday.

The Peoples Court of Ho Chi Minh City said in its verdict that Grab had committed many mistakes in its operations in Vietnam, tantamount to unfair competition, which damaged Vinasuns business.

Before 2016, Grab had registered almost 300 contract cars in Ho Chi Minh City, which increased to 23,000 by the end of last year. This led to a decrease in the number of active Vinasun cars, causing damage worth VND4.8 billion, the court found.

By June 2017, Vinasun had provided 1.1 million trips to its customers, while Grab had over 2 million. This shows that the number of Grab cars has continuously increased causing many Vinasun cars to stay unused in parking lots, the court said.

Grabs entrance into the Vietnamese market has also lowered Vinasuns market share, a damage of VND81 billion ($3.49 million).

Although its entrance has negatively affected Vinasun, the taxi firm could not prove that Grab was the only company to cause this damage, the court said.

For this reason, the court only required Grab to pay Vinasun the sum of VND4.8 billion for unused cars.

Change Grabs status

The court also proposed that Vietnamese authorities start defining Grab as a transport business.

Grab has said in many documents to Vietnamese authorities that it is only a technology company and not a transport company. It has also said it only provides electronic transactions and free technology for customers via electronic receipts, which has been approved by the Ministry of Transport.

But the electronic contracts that Grab mentioned did not confirm to definitions under Vietnams Law of Electronic Transactions, the court said.

It noted that Grabs contracts did not say who the parties to them were and there were no dispute resolution terms.

"Grab claims to be a company which provides technology and does not conduct a taxi business nor manage the drivers. But in fact, Grab does manage the drivers and charges transport fees," the verdict said.

"When customers order a ride, they transfer their money to Grab or pay via the driver a sum from which Grab takes a percentage. Grab also determines the bonus and punishment for drivers," it added.

Furthermore, Grabs business activities do not follow the law, which requires an automobile transportation business to ensure the number of vehicles and service quality, the court said. The law also requires the business to provide employees with labor contracts, traffic safety training and social security.

Grab does not follow these regulations and does not pay the taxes it should as a transport business, the court said.

Since 2016, the Inspectorate of the HCMC Department of Transportation has listed 29 violations committed by Grab concerning not having a business registration certificate, list of transport contracts, and taxi signs, the court said.

Grab has also ignored twice the Ministry of Transports documents asking the company to stop its service with contracted vehicles, it said.

The ride hailing firm has also violated the law in how it gives out promotions and increase and decrease transport fees multiple times a day, the court added.

Vinasun had filed the suit against Grab in June last year. It said Grab's illegal activities were responsible for nearly VND42 billion ($1.8 million) of the VND76 billion ($3.25 million) in losses it had suffered in 2016 and the first half of 2017.

The trial began in February, but was adjourned a month later to allow for more evidence to be gathered. Grab had protested the valuation of Vinasun's losses.

Last October, prosecutors asked the court to accept Vinasuns petition for compensation of nearly VND42 billion, rejecting Grabs claim it was a tech firm and not a taxi company.

Grab responded by writing to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, saying that identifying it as a taxi firm would be "a step backward from Industry 4.0."

The latest draft of a Ministry of Transport decree requires firms offering taxi services to register as taxi firms before they can apply ride-hailing technology.

This means that Grab and other ride-hailing firms have to register afresh as taxi businesses and comply with legal requirements related to operating licenses, drivers profiles and taxes.Saigon's first metro line off track, in crisis mode

Saigons first metro line, tangled in bureaucratic bungling, funding shortages and a personnel crisis, looks set to miss its 2020 deadline.

The state auditing agency says the HCMC administration and the management board of the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro line have made several mistakes regarding the project from 2007 to June 2016. Big project cost jump

Saigons first metro line is continually hampered by lack of funds. Photo by VnExpress/Huu Cong

Approved in 2007, Saigon's Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro line is to run 20 kilometers (12 miles) through the city's 1, 2, 9, Binh Thanh and Thu Duc districts, and the neighboring Binh Duong Province's Di An District. The project was initially approved with an investment of VND17.4 trillion ($747.6 million), but in 2009, consultants recalculated the investment needed at VND47.3 trillion ($2 billion). The city came up with the following reasons for this significant increase: an increase in the volume of the project to benefit from economies of scale (more locomotives, wagons, station equipment), an increase in price of raw materials, exchange fluctuations between the VND and the Japanese yen (JPY) and further risks associated with changing regulations. After consulting with the ministries, in August 2011, the Prime Minister allowed the HCMC People's Committee to approve the changes, with the new investment capital at $2 billion. However, other regulations had changed, so the project had to be submitted to the National Assembly for approval. As of now, the new investment estimate for the project has still not been approved. Work stoppage threat

The Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien Metro Line seen to the right of Cat Lai Intersection in the city's District 2. Photo by VnExpress/Huu Khoa

For the period 2016-2020, the project needed about VND28 trillion (over $1.2 billion). However, as of April, the Ministry of Planning and Investment had only allocated VND7.5 trillion ($321.89 million) for it, leaving the remaining VND20.5 trillion ($879.82 million) unpaid.

Without approval for the total investment sum and funds from the central government, the metro project fell repeatedly into debt, forcing the HCMC Peoples Committee to fork out its own funds four times to give the project management board money totaling VND3.3 trillion ($141.82 million) to pay contractors and workers. The prolonged state of indebtedness prompted Japanese Ambassador Umeda Kunio to send a letter to the government, ministries and the HCMC Peoples Committee requesting payment of $100 million and urging public agencies to push the matter upwards and ask for the earliest approval. "The pressure on our contractors has reached its limit. If these issues are not resolved by the end of December, I regret to inform that construction will have to be stopped," the envoy wrote. Invalid approval The state auditing agency has concluded recently that the approval given by the HCMC Peoples Committee for total capital adjustment of the project was invalid. The approval violated procedures and exceeded the administrations authority, the agency said. It noted that after 2010, projects exceeding VND35 trillion ($1.5 billion) had to be approved by the National Assembly. The citys adjustment of project completion time from 2017 to 2019 was also held to be in breach of procedures. If a project was extended for more than one year, the change had to be reported to the National Assembly.

Human resources crisis Deputy director of the projects management board Hoang Nhu Cuong has left the country to travel to the U.S. in early December without approval of the city Peoples Committee. Authorities are currently looking into this issue. The auditing agency has identified Cuong as having acted outside his authority in signing a 2014 decision approving a capital adjustment of VND7 trillion ($300.8 million). In addition, as of November, 50 personnel have quit the management board. In particular, the head of the board of directors Le Nguyen Minh Quang has handed in his resignation requests twice, as has project director Duong Huu Hoa, citing health issues, but neither request has been approved. After making a second resignation request, the head of planning and contracts, Phan Nhat Linh, unilaterally terminated his labor contract from December 31. 2020 start unlikely

The metro line is only 56 percent complete, and is most likely to be finished by 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh TranLaborers work at a construction of a low rise building in Hanoi on April 20, 2018. Photo by AFP/Hoang Dinh Nam

Some 35 million Vietnamese workers do not have social insurance, especially those working in the informal sector or are not organized.

This is equivalent to around 71 percent of the workforce. A resolution adopted by the Party Central Committee has set a target of increasing it to 35 percent by 2021 and 60 percent by 2030.

Nguyen Thi Lua, a native of Thai Binh Province in northern Vietnam, said she moved to Hanoi to work as a domestic help five years ago. Her VND5 million monthly income ($215) goes to cover her living costs and rearing her children.

She had thought only retired officials and civil servants were entitled to pensions, and did not know that anyone could sign up for social insurance and get a pension after they retire.

Phu Nu Viet Nam quoted her as saying: "We do not know if those working [in the informal sector] as a domestic worker or street vendor can enroll in the social insurance program."

Pham Thi Hai Ha, deputy director of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Department of Social Protection, told the newspaper migrant workers, especially women, are an integral part of the workforce, participating in both the formal and informal economy and contributing significantly to the country's socio-economic development.

But she admitted they are also a disadvantaged and vulnerable group and social security has not covered them so far, especially those working in the informal economy.

Many migrant women workers are ignorant about social security and their rights.

Ministry statistics show there are more than 50 million people in the working age but 35 million of them, mostly rural residents, seasonal workers, self-employed workers, and others lack social insurance.

Vietnam's social insurance goal is to have all workers aged 15 and above covered, meaning 20 years from now everyone gets a pension in their old age.

Comparing this with health insurance, he said poor households are fully supported and children under six and elderly people are also taken care of.

Near-poor individuals get 70 percent support, which is set to be increased to 90 percent, thus achieving universal health insurance.

As for social insurance, the premium is high, but the government contributes only 30 percent support to poor people. Bui Sy Loi, deputy chairman of the National Assembly's Committee for Social Affairs, suggested that the Government should increase this level to encourage everyone to sign up for social insurance.

A study on "Social security rights of female migrant workers in Vietnam" done by the Department of Social Protection and Aid for Social Protection Program Foundation Vietnam last month found that migration trends are becoming feminized, with 52.4 percent of migrant workers being women in the 15-59 age group.

Among this group of female migrant workers, 97.9 percent who are informal workers do not have social insurance.

Only 21 percent of the workforce benefits from social insurance while social assistance policies cover only 10-15 percent of the population, mainly the poor and most vulnerable, according to the 2015 Vietnam Human Development Report.

Therefore, lower middle income groups who cannot spare the money needed to pay premiums fail to get any form of social insurance.

The report recommended that Vietnam should ensure a minimum level of cover in the form of universal health insurance, a self-financed social insurance system and expanded social assistance based on life cycle entitlements.The Transport Ministry's aviation authority has placed budget carrier Vietjet under special monitoring for 18 days over recent mishaps.

In a directive on aviation security and safety issued Thursday, the ministry has decided to "strictly warn" the carrier for "letting multiple incidents threatening flight safety occur recently."

It noted that in the past three months, Vietjet has had seven incidents, five with technical issues and two "subjective problems" with its employees.

Saying that these incidents have affected service quality and passengers' confidence, the transport minister has tasked the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) with stepping up inspections of the carrier's compliance with operational regulations, especially those related to the qualifications, certification and flight time of its crew and technicians.

At a Thursday morning meeting between the ministry and other relevant parties, CAAV director general Viet Thang said his agency has set up seven groups to closely monitor Vietjet Air from Friday until January 15.

During this period, the groups will focus on inspecting the carrier's aircraft, its preparation and planning for flights, as well as its ground services and aircraft maintenance.

"At the end of this inspection, if Vietjet meets all requirements and ensures complete safety, the monitoring will be stopped. Otherwise, the CAAV will move to the second phase of special monitoring," Thang said.

Crew error

Regarding an incident last month in which a Vietjet plane lost its nose wheels while landing at the Buon Ma Thuot Airport in the Central Highlands, Thang said that initial investigations, including the analysis of black box data, suggest that it was the crew's fault.

A combination of photos show a Vietjet aircraft at Buon Ma Thuot Airport without the nose wheels on November 29, 2018.

The plane involved in that landing is still parked in Buon Ma Thuot for repairs, which is expected to take five to six months.

Speaking at the meeting, a VietJet representative said the carrier was receiving direct support from the plane's manufacturer Airbus, as well as from its engine manufacturer, to build and manage a safety and quality system, apart from monitoring and appraisal by international assessment organizations, insurance corporations and the CAAV.

The nose wheel incident injured six passengers.

On Tuesday, another Vietjet Air plane was forced to turn back several minutes after taking off from Cam Ranh Airport in the central province of Khanh Hoa due to a technical alarm. However, it mistakenly landed on an unauthorized runway that was yet to become operational.

Both incidents were deemed "serious," prompting Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to direct the transport ministry on Wednesday to review all existing aviation procedures, regulations and airport infrastructure, especially flight zones and flight management systems, to prevent any fatal accident from happening.

Vietnams aviation industry has experienced rapid growth in recent years. The country has served 106 million air passengers this year, up 12.9 percent over last year.Tourists join boat tours of Tam Coc-Bich Dong, a major draw in the northern province of Ninh Binh. Photo by Shutterstocks/hoangan

Vietnam has been named among the 10 most ideal places for budget-minded Australian travelers to go in 2019 by travel website Traveller.

Vietnam has always been popular among budget-conscious travelers, and with 2019 almost upon us, it is worth going back to a country where the best meal costs only $2.

The website says: "Thats whats on offer in Vietnam, not just on one rare occasion, but every time you sit down for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The food here is just so good and so cheap."

Traveller also recommends that Australian tourists should head to the Mekong Delta, famous for boat tours, to explore mangroves, cajuput forests, floating markets, and fruit orchards.

The Central Highlands town Da Lat, with its charming French colonial heritage, is also a must-visit place in 2019. It has gained popularity both as a romantic place for lovers and an oasis that offers cool climate in a country that usually sweats all year round, Traveller tells its readers.

Motorcyclists drive on road through pine forests with the rays of the sun in the early morning hours in Da Lat. Photo by Shutterstocks/Tonkin

The remaining countries in the list are Indonesia, South Africa, Georgia, Bulgaria, Italy, India, Bolivia, Mexico, and Turkey.

Booking data from Webjet, the largest online travel booking site in Australia, last October showed that Vietnam has overtaken Bali to become the most favorite travel destination for Australian tourists.

Volcano eruptions and earthquakes have deterred Australian tourists from returning to Bali, and the number of tours to the beautiful island has reduced significantly, news.com.au quoted Webjet's managing director John Guscic as saying.

Recently Australian news website Nine listed three destinations in Vietnam, Nha Trang, Da Lat and Hanoi, among its 10 cheapest locations for a budget journey.

Meanwhile, with the cost of living in Vietnam for expatriates ranging from $700 to $1,400 per month, the country is among the most affordable places for foreigners to settle down, according to a recent report by global cost of living database compiler Numbeo.Pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine on Moscow's sanctions list: Expert explains

The Kremlin expects that the move will spark a lively discussion in Ukraine and that people's stance toward the targeted officials will change.

If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter







[ night life ] 12.28.18 My Special Creature

I thought my boyfriend Richard went to Barcelona for his extra-curricular sight-seeing trip but hes speaking in Portuguese. The College Vacation Trip. Richard gets As with ease and I look at his essays he hangs on his wall. Those fucking As are going to take you places, baby. An A man can always have me because I deserve an A man. The other night I couldnt kiss him. We watched a movie and he closed his eyes, squinting at the screen. I felt physical about it. I was shaking. But these are just thoughts. We are not our thoughts and we are not our feelings. Unclear what we are but Im sure its very good. We are bodies. Not brains. We are vaginas. Not brains. I know I cant depend on him for happiness or self-worth. So what if my organs itch? Over time I am sure something will change. Hell know to put an extra blanket over me when I sleep in because I require just a little bit more than the average gal. A mind reading ability of sweetness. A blanket on me. But yeah, I couldnt kiss him. I couldnt touch his knee when we watched the movie. Why dont I just marry my forty-year-old boss who is twice divorced and has a penchant for dangerous sights? A man who conquers the world by stepping his boots on mountain tops and places a little flag with his company logo at the top. Our company logoa small man who is about to be crushed by a large boot. The boss always says the man is made of iron. People know that, right? He asks me. That the man cannot possibly be squished? My boss, a man who emails his employees the picture of him on the mountain and says, Were going everywhere. Everywhere together. So its not just him who climbs the highest peaks but its us. Looking in the mirror, feeling the lines on my face, and thinking soon, honey in a melodramatic tone. Looking in the mirror and pulling my cheeks back just enough to get that young face. How did you know you were in love with Devin? I ask Tiffany. What was the hat party, honey? I dont remember, says Devin. I require a thousand suns in my name, Richard. All dedicated to warming me. Your space heater is not enough and it is depressing. I am sick of the dampness of your carpet. What does it sweat? Before I go, Richard, I want you to know that after I break up with you Ill think about how I could have made it work with you if I had just tried harder. Ill think I just had to grow up a bit. I look at Devin and say, Pinata. He cracks up. I say, Cafe leche. Dulce de mi amigo. Lunar de pronto. He cracks up. I can make you laugh pretty easy, kid. You have no idea what you said. I know exactly what I said. Devin says, Que? We all laugh. Richard says to Devin there is a dog or he is saying but in Spanish. I think about it and he is saying but I think. My High School Spanish teacher took me outside the classroom once and pointed to the test I took. He said, You wrote dollo for the Spanish word doll. For the whole test I did that. Dollo. Toyo. Sheepo. I didnt know what to say. My feet were stiff. My knees side by side. I held my hand in my hand. I knew it was very funny so I smiled but I knew it wasnt right to smile. I felt hot in the face like tears were coming. For a long time, I thought I was stupid because I was stupid in school. For a lot of the time there were hot tears in my eyes as I tried to avoid teachers in hallways. They wanted to talk about something. I grabbed asses. That wasnt OK. I poured water on my tits in math class. You cant do that. I took the math teachers Altoids. I thought I was stupid for a long time. Where are we going? asks Tiffany. Good question, says Devin. I think we should just stay here, I say. We are alone. And it feels good to be alone. When alone I can feel my strength. Its only 11, babe, says Richard. I suppose youre right, I say. Just the other day my boss patted my back and said I was doing so well. He was making eye contact with me. It was intense because I kept the eye contact. I stared at him not knowing what the eye contact meant to him. Did he always look people in the eyes? Because I didnt. For him maybe it was a standard eye contact conversation. He sees me that way. Promising. He sees me that way. I can get there. He can make me think that an apartment is not about money. That getting guacamole is not about money. When my boss looked me in the eyes I was thinking about fucking him with a strap on. Like a small one because I care about him. Bending him over and making him say Im the best shit ever. That he cant even touch my shit. What is my shit like? Your shit is so good I cant even touch it. Am I impregnating you? Yes. I mean I dont know. I go all the way in so he stops thinking. We are having a baby, I say. I want a baby. I want to be alone with myself and cry for a while. I want to tell you that its been a long time since I have loved. I am not a fish in bed. I do not flop with my hands at my side. But with Richard I am a fish. Is that the real test? Do I flop or do I hold? There are women who take the ass of a man and push him inside of her quickly. Just come. Watch me, baby. Im a fucking werewolf. Ill own your night. Im going to steal your fucking boyfriend, baby. Devin. Are you going out tonight? I ask. I dont know. Im awfully tired. For Gods sake. Let it be known. This is my contract. My personal contract I am writing right now. I will wait for him. Whoever he is. Just fucking rad love. Engorged bellies. Laughing because it is good to laugh. Crying because I can trust him. Believing that the future is good again. Believing that the future has feelings and wants to fuck me again. I want. Another man. I want him. And go to hell. If you think its all a dream. Ill get it. Ill go for it. The way I go for it. Ill get it. Flight so eratic that we eventually land on something significant. Your head going right through the alien cruiser and pointing right at the sun. Going up to the sun. Not getting burned. Getting so warm that we fall asleep. Vacations that mean something. Trips to Rome where I hold his hand in public. Trips to Rome where I think the gelato tastes good. Relaxed. Chilling with him. Boredom a sign of progress. Creatures in the night wanting to take our babyleaning into us and creating a small thing in the universe that we go through. The rip we go through and are alone. I think Im going to go, I say. You want to come over tonight? asks Richard. What do you have in mind? He shrugs his shoulders.The syndicated loan, arranged by the EBRD, will cover 70% of the overall project costs.

Scatec Solar ASA of Norway has secured the needed funds for the 30-MW Kamianka photovoltaic (PV) project in Ukraine, construction of which will start in early 2019.

The project will receive non-recourse debt financing totaling EUR 24.5 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Dutch development bank FMO, according to RenewablesNow.

The syndicated loan, arranged by the EBRD, will cover 70% of the overall project costs. It includes an A Loan of EUR 12.25 million by the EBRD and a B Loan of the same amount by FMO.

Read alsoUkraine may see share of nuclear, thermal energy shrink due to technologies  media

Kamianka will require a total investment of EUR 35 million. Once up and running in the closing quarter of 2019, it will generate about 39 GWh of electricity annually. The park, built on leased public land in the Cherkasy region, will operate under the local feed-in-tariff (FiT) mechanism over a 10-year period.European Commissioner Oettinger: Nord Stream 2 can no longer so easily be stopped

The EU demands a "fair deal" from Russia's Gazprom as for further gas transit shipments via Ukraine.

If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+EnterThe Spanish government is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel in the long process of exhuming the remains of former dictator Francisco Franco from the Valley of the Fallen monument, located around 60 kilometers from the center of Madrid. A 12-page report from the central governments delegate in Madrid concludes that the body must not be interred in La Almudena cathedral, as Francos family wants, on reasons of public order, the risk of terrorist threats, and the possibility of confrontations between supporters and detractors in the crypt itself, a holy site where the police would not be able to enter.

The document will be used by the government of Socialist Party (PSOE) Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to reject the requests of the Franco family to use their crypt in the cathedral as Francos resting place, a move that threatened to make a mockery of the plan to move the dictators remains, given the central location of La Almudena, in the heart of one of Madrids main tourist districts.

The government has opted for a direct route, one that focuses on the defense of the fundamental rights of citizens

The move was one of Sanchezs star policies when he came to power in June, but since July the government has been forced to maneuver in order to deal with the opposition to the plan by the Franco family, which is fiercely opposed to their grandfather being removed from the Valley of the Fallen, and has been taking advice from top lawyers as to how to stop the process.

When the Franco family realized that they could not avoid the exhumation, they instead demanded the body be reburied in La Almudena, next to the grave of his daughter, Carmen Polo. The government decided that it could not let this happen under any circumstances  no European dictator currently rests in a Cathedral.

In response, Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo even traveled to Rome to address the issue in the Vatican with Pietro Parolin, the popes right-hand man. The government also sought to block the move by amending the Historical Memory Law, but this was not possible due to the opposition of other parties.

For now an alternative burial site has not been proposed, and the Franco family is unlikely to suggest one

In the end the government has opted for a direct route, one that focuses on the defense of the fundamental rights of citizens in order to stop the remains being moved to La Almudena.

The report points out that in 2018 a total of 366,000 people visited Francos grave in the Valley of the Fallen. The government believes that this number would only rise if the former dictator was in a more central location, especially on key dates such as November 20, the day of his death.

The report also points to an increased risk of conflict, citing ugly scenes that took place on November 18 of this year between Franco supporters who were demonstrating in the center of Madrid, and activists from the feminist group Femen.

For now an alternative burial site has not been proposed, and the Franco family is unlikely to suggest one. In that case, the government will decide on the site, and the most probable option at the moment is the Mingorrubio cemetery, where the dictators wife is buried.

The reports will now be passed to the family and the other concerned parties in this process, who will have 10 days to respond. Then the Cabinet will take a final decision, and Franco will be exhumed  assuming the Supreme Court does not object. But this is something that the government, which has closely examined all the legal aspects of the process, does not believe will happen.

English version by Simon Hunter.The Open Arms arrives in Algeciras. JON NAZCA (REUTERS)

The rescue ship Open Arms, operated by the NGO Proactiva Open Arms, arrived at the Spanish port of Crinavis, in Algeciras, at 9am today, carrying 311 migrants  139 of them children  who were rescued from three craft last week off the Lybian coast. The Spanish government authorized the ships docking on Saturday.

The Red Cross has so far confirmed that the migrants are from Ivory Coast, Mali, Somalia and Sudan

The sailing over the last few hours has been very comfortable, and we can now see Cabo de Gata off the starboard side, and the Sierra Nevada in the distance, explained Gerard Canals, the NGOs mission chief, on Thursday.

The rescued migrants have been taken to the on-site temporary migrant holding center. The Red Cross has so far confirmed that they are from Ivory Coast, Mali, Somalia and Sudan.

Before Spain gave permission for the Open Arms to dock, a number of other European countries had refused entry, including Italy and Malta. The latter country did authorize the evacuation of a woman and her newborn baby via helicopter.

The Italian interior minister, the far-right politician Matteo Salvini, posted a message on social media expressing his rejection of the ships docking. My answer is clear: Italian ports are closed! For human traffickers and those who help them, the party is over.

This is the second time that Algeciras has received the Open Arms, after it arrived in August with 87 migrants

One of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchezs first moves when he come to power in June was to offer safe port to the Aquarius migrant-rescue ship, which was carrying more than 600 migrants rescued from the sea by the NGOs MSF and Sos Mediterranee, but had been refused permission to dock by both Italy and Malta.

This is the second time that Algeciras has received the Open Arms, after it arrived in August with 87 migrants, also rescued off the Libyan coast.

While the number of migrants arriving on European coasts has fallen drastically since 2016, arrivals in Spain have doubled, reaching as many as a thousand people a week this year so far, according to news agency Reuters.

English version by Simon Hunter.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

Google Ad

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

They should not be positioned near civilian communities neither in Armenia nor in Artsakh

Humanitarian and human rights protection needed following the 2020 outbreak of hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh

Google Ad

Galaxy Group of Companies expands its activities in Belarus: a new TIME and Pandora store launched

I think its a good moment to invest in Armenia. Head of Markets at Symbiotics Vincent Lehner

Ameriabank has Raised USD 17.5M Tier 2 Capital

UNIGHT TO UNITE. UCOM CELEBRATED ITS REBIRTH

Ameriabank and HSBC Armenia to provide their customers access to each others ATMs without additional fees

Ameriabank. 62.5% Growth in Taxes YOY

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans have provided 300 million AMD to overcome the infertility in Armenia

UCOM has officially launched the sale of IPHONE 13

Six servicemen were wounded by the attack of the Azerbaijani armed forces in Artsakh, two of them in critical condition

S&P Improved the Outlook on Ameriabank to Positive

Ararat Mirzoyan to visit to Minsk

Foreign Minister of India visits the Memorial of Armenian Genocide

1217 new cases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

They should not be positioned near civilian communities neither in Armenia nor in Artsakh

Humanitarian and human rights protection needed following the 2020 outbreak of hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh

Google Ad

Galaxy Group of Companies expands its activities in Belarus: a new TIME and Pandora store launched

I think its a good moment to invest in Armenia. Head of Markets at Symbiotics Vincent Lehner

Ameriabank has Raised USD 17.5M Tier 2 Capital

UNIGHT TO UNITE. UCOM CELEBRATED ITS REBIRTH

Ameriabank and HSBC Armenia to provide their customers access to each others ATMs without additional fees

Ameriabank. 62.5% Growth in Taxes YOY

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans have provided 300 million AMD to overcome the infertility in Armenia

UCOM has officially launched the sale of IPHONE 13

Six servicemen were wounded by the attack of the Azerbaijani armed forces in Artsakh, two of them in critical condition

S&P Improved the Outlook on Ameriabank to Positive

Ararat Mirzoyan to visit to Minsk

Foreign Minister of India visits the Memorial of Armenian Genocide

1217 new casesEach of you has a great future - President Sarkissian to kids (video)

Armenian President Armen Sarkissian on December 28 hosted children from orphanages, care centers and boarding schools. A New Year event, including different games, has been organized for the kids. With the help of specialists the children made baubles for decorating the hall and the Christmas Tree. He talked to the little guests, asked their names, age, about their dreams and noted: "Each of you has a great future, I know that some of you dont have parents, some have, many live in difficult conditions. When I was in your age, I lost my father. This is difficult, but I am sure that you are stronger than the remaining children as you are able to overcome the difficulties from the early age. Do you understand that you are good, and in case of hard work, good study, you can become the President of Armenia: maybe you will have better job," Sarkissian said. Todays event has been held by the support of SOAR (The Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief) charity fund.Vardges Gaspari: Kocharyan can seek adventurism

Civil activist Vardges Gaspari, who was in front of Shengavit's general jurisdiction building today, said:"If Robert Kocharyan is in freedom, it is very likely that he will influence the preliminary investigation. It is so obvious that during his rule of the government all the courts, all legal processes were directed. Many decisions have been made, which are now being reversed in the ECHR, including my ruling." According to Gaspari, it is dangerous, and Kocharyan can seek adventurism and can really influence the investigation. It was also surprising to Gaspari that advocates could prove that Kocharyan will not influence the investigation. Gaspari said that he even recently sent a letter to the National Security Service (NSS) prisoner Kocharyan. "I have described that long ago, a person who considered himself Kocharyan's friend said he had gone to Artsakh. And he said that he was gone, he had robbed homes, and so on. And he said all this by torturing me. I have described and sent all this to Kocharyan," he explains. According to Gaspari, the name of the person represented by him is Tigran Tadevosyan, who is a criminal, a drug addict, who tortured him. "I was relieved of this situation only when the people of so-called SiPiTi came to the prison and changed my cell. And the situation changed for me," concluded Gaspari.A chance to clean up

Sporadic clean-up forays not enough for cleaner communitiesKyiv city to receive $100 mln from intl donors for modernization of heat and energy complex

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, municipal enterprise Kyivteploenergo and international partners  the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC)  have signed a memorandum on the development of the heat and energy complex, under which Kyiv city will receive $100 million.

The press service of the Kyiv City Administration reported on Thursday that the document envisages international cooperation in modernization and development of the Kyiv's heat and energy complex.

According to the report, under the memorandum, it is planned to build up an interim financial package of $100 million, which will finance the priority work on modernization.

"Kyiv lays the foundation for international cooperation in the modernization and development of the heat and power complex of the city. We are designing a plan to turn Kyivteploenergo into a European-level company that will provide high-quality services," Klitschko said.

Klitschko said that the city is ready to overcome possible risks and barriers, given the imperfection of the current legislation and the difficult situation in the sphere of the country's power system.

Foreign Service Officer at the USAID Farhad Ghaussy said that the United States actively supports the creation of an adequate level of Kyiv's energy security.

He said that the USAID is actively cooperating with Kyiv city. It will be very difficult for the city to carry out modernization of the heat and power complex, but thanks to the assembled team it would be possible to transform it, he added.The creation of a financial intelligence body will be the second stage of the reform of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine and would require amendments to the legislation, Ukrainian Finance Minister Oksana Markarova has said.

"The first stage is the creation of the tax and customs services. The second stage requires amendments to the legislation: this is the creation of a financial intelligence body, which will be named the FIS [the Financial Intelligence Service] or the NBFS [the National Bureau of Financial Security], but the main thing is that it will be an analytical and functioning body," she said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

The reform of the State Fiscal Service at the first stage is possible to implement without amendments to the law, Markarova said.

The finance minister said that the conditions of the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) do not require the creation of the body using the concrete model.

"The SBA does not focus on details of the name of each body. The main thing is that we share philosophy of changes and the top-level concept of how the reform should go on," Markarova said.The sanctions against Russia should block financial support of the Russian economy, but not touch citizens of this country working in Ukraine and not maintaining contacts with Russia, according to Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman.

"The sanctions are imposed on concrete entities with certain signs of cooperation with the Russian regime. If a person has a Russian passport, but works in Ukraine and has no relations with the Russian state, pays taxes here, I do not think that this person could be at risk," Groysman said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

The prime minister said that the essence of sanctions is blocking financial support of the Russian economy, which works for the armed vehicles or financing some terrorist organizations.

"The sanctions should target this. I believe that no other option is possible. The sanction policy works in this way," he said.Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said that Ukraine is interested in finding a strong partner for joint management of the Ukrainian gas transmission system (GTS).

"We are interested in finding a serious respected partner for joint management of the gas transmission system from the European Union, the United States," Groysman said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

"They are interested in receiving gas in Europe, and we are interested in ensuring the volume of transportation, therefore we are interested in joint management," the head of the Ukrainian government added.

The prime minister also said that he expects to receive the final schedule for unbundling from national joint-stock company Naftogaz Ukrainy in January, which will be approved by their supervisory board: monthly plan until January 1, 2020 with unbundling, with the new operator that we have created - Mahistralni Gazoprovody Ukrayiny (MGU, Trunk Pipelines of Ukraine).

"It [the new operator] should have been certified under European legislation prior to that date. I would like us to get a real strong player on the European gas market as a result," Groysman said, adding that this is precisely what the interest in finding a serious partner for the joint management of GTS in Ukraine is related to.Russian-led forces mounted eight attacks on Ukrainian positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, in the past 24 hours. One Ukrainian soldier was wounded in action, the press center of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) headquarters has said.

"On December 27, the Russian occupation forces violated the ceasefire eight times. In three instances, they used weapons prohibited by the Minsk agreements... Over the past 24 hours, one member of the Joint Forces was wounded in action," it said in a morning update on Facebook on Friday, December 28.

In particular, the enemy forces opened fire from 82-mm mortars to shell JFO positions near the village of Krymske in the Luhansk sector and near the village of Pisky in the Donetsk sector, while 120-mm mortars were used near the village of Hnutove in the Mariupol sector.

Ukrainian troops' strongholds were attacked with the use of grenade launchers of various systems, large-caliber machine guns and small arms near the village of Novozvanivka in Popasna district, near the town of Avdiyivka and the village of Berezove in the Donetsk sector, near the village of Pyshchevyk and the village of Vodiane in the Mariupol sector.

The Ukrainian units suppressed enemy fire using regular weapons, it said.

According to Ukrainian intelligence reports, one enemy fighter was killed and another two were wounded on December 27.

"Since Friday midnight, the enemy has opened fire from 82mm mortars on the positions of the Ukrainian military near the village of Novotoshkivske, which is in the Luhansk sector, and near the village of Hnutove in the Mariupol sector. There have been no Joint Forces casualties today," the JFO HQ added.Ukraine tightens control over several towns in Donbas in accordance to Minsk agreements  Muzhenko

Ukraine's Joint Forces have tightened their control over several towns in eastern Ukraine while acting in compliance with the Minsk peace agreements, Chief of the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces Viktor Muzhenko has said.

"The Ukrainian army strictly observes the Minsk agreements. We perform tasks within the framework of the Minsk agreements: we open fire only in response. This is about strengthening control over several settlements in the Joint Forces Operation zone," Muzhenko told journalists in Lviv region on Friday.

When asked to clarify which specific towns in the "grey zone" along the contact line in Donbas were retaken, Muzhenko said: "The village of Pivdenne, for example, the village of Oleksandrivka, and some other populated localities."

Yuriy Biriukov, an advisor to Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko, earlier said on Pryamiy TV channel that Ukraine's Armed Forces control the entire "grey zone" along the contact line between Ukrainian government troops and Russia-occupation forces in Donbas.Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze has expressed her disappointment with the results of Ukraine's fulfillment of the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement in 2018.

"I cannot tell you that I am very happy about the results of the implementation of the Association Agreement in 2018 because there are many parliamentarians who, I believe, have acted irresponsibly in carrying out the tasks declared by the political forces to move towards Europe," she said at a press conference in Kyiv on Friday.

She noted that this direction is a priority for the government. But if such an attitude is not shared by all the authorities, then selective measures will not bring the expected result.

"According to the results of nine months in 2018, we can say only half the tasks planned for 2018 have been fulfilled," she said.

Yet, the fact that a number of requirements for the previous periods have been fulfilled can be a little reassuring. "Therefore, we see the accumulated result of the Association Agreement implementation improving significantly," she added.French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on December 28 made a joint statement, in which they demanded that Russia should release the Ukrainian naval seamen captured during an incident in the Kerch Strait on November 25.

"We demand safe, free and unimpeded transit for all ships through the Kerch Strait and the immediate and unconditional release of all illegally detained Ukrainian seafarers," Merkel and Macron said in a joint statement.

"They too should be able to celebrate the upcoming festivities with their families," they added.

Merkel and Macron added: "The human rights situation in Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in violation of international law, and the use of military force by Russia in the Straits of Kerch and abusive controls in the Sea of Azov are also a source of great concern to us."

As earlier reported, on November 25, Russian border guards attacked and captured three Ukrainian naval vessels en route from Odesa to Mariupol near the Kerch Strait. The crews were then arrested and transported to Moscow. They are charged with illegal border crossing.

Kyiv has said Russia violated the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Ukraine-Russia Treaty on Cooperation in Using the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait.Ukraine is going to continue to use the Kerch Strait for passage of its ships, a statement published on the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's website says, quoting Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak as saying.

"It will always be because the Sea of Azov is part of Ukraine. Mariupol and Berdiansk are our ports, they are part of Ukraine, its part of our economy. And we will definitely not waive our right to free passage through the Kerch Strait in compliance with all the international norms and law," Poltorak said.

The Ukrainian defense minister said that the second passage, during which Ukrainian ships were attacked by Russian ships, and the Ukrainian sailors captured, was no different in terms of organization and preparation from the first one, which was successful in September of this year.

"The Russian Federation looked at the fact that our plans included further passages through the Kerch Strait and there was a desire [on our side] to strengthen our grouping in the Sea of Azov; therefore, they just exploited our second attempt to carry out a provocation involving our ships," he said.Ukrainians name Poroshenko politician of the year, establishment of OCU main event of the year

Ukrainian residents have said the establishment of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine has been the main event of 2018 and named president Petro Poroshenko the politician of the year (16%).

This can be seen from the results of an opinion poll conducted from December 19 to 25, 2018 by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation together with the Razumkov Center.

According to the results of the poll, 24% of Ukrainians said the establishment of the unified Orthodox Church of Ukraine was the main event of the year, 17% said it was the declaration of a state of martial law, 9% said it was the incident in the Kerch Strait, and 7% said it was the ongoing war in Donbas.

Some 16% of those polled said President Poroshenko was the politician of the year (in 2017, he enjoyed the support of 10% of the respondents). He is followed by Batkivschyna party's leader Yuliya Tymoshenko who received support from 12% of those polled, Radical Party leader Oleh Lyashko (6%), showman Volodymyr Zelensky (5%), and Opposition Platform  For Life leader Yuriy Boiko (4%).

At the same time, 25% of those polled did not name any politician.

A total of 2,017 people were polled in all the regions of Ukraine except for temporarily occupied Crimea and the occupied territories in Donbas. The margin of error does not exceed 2.3%.Anup Ojha is a reporter for The Kathmandu Post primarily covering social issues and human interest stories. Before moving to the social beat, Ojha covered arts and culture for the Post for four years.First Deputy Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament and Ukraine's envoy to the Trilateral Contact Group's (TCG) humanitarian subgroup Iryna Gerashchenko has said the Russian side has refused to participate in a video conference call on the release of hostages. She also criticized the OSCEs representative to the TCG Toni Frisch for his passivity.

"The Russians and their puppets in the occupied Donbas areas finally refused to hold a videoconference of the humanitarian subgroup on December 29 to agree on the release of the hostages. I was forced to state the passive position of the OSCE coordinator on the humanitarian subgroup," Gerashchenko said on her Facebook page on December 28.

Gerashchenko said Russia refused to respond to the initiative, adding that for several years Russia-led occupation forces have refused to respond to queries regarding more than 70 Ukrainians held prisoners in eastern Ukraine and in Russia.New administrative-territorial system may be created in Ukraine within five years  Groysman

Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said a new administrative-territorial system may be built up in Ukraine within the next five years.

"This Verkhovna Rada has done more for local self-government and decentralization than all the previous convocations taken together since our independence. There is a healthy core of people who understand what local governance is... Therefore, I think this Rada will be able to do this [pass amendments to the Constitution in parts regarding local governance]," Groysman said in an exclusive interview with the Kyiv-based Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

The prime minister said the Constitution should fix the ubiquity of local self-governance and the distribution of powers between levels of government on the principle of subsidiarity.

In addition, he said the financial self-sufficiency of local government, in particular, the financial model, which was introduced on January 1, 2015, must be guaranteed.

"I have reasons to believe that in the next five years there will be a unique chance to build up a new administrative-territorial model of a successful and self-sufficient Ukraine," he said.

As earlier reported, Groysman supports the establishment of a three-tier system of administrative-territorial arrangement (community, district, region) in the amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine.Irans ambassador to Iraq, who is a former IRGC Qods force commander, says that the Tehran has pulled out all its military advisors after Baghdad declared victory against the Islamic State (IS) group.

Iraj Masjedi has also criticized the United States that, Despite the end of Daesh (IS) it [U.S.] still has kept its forces in the region and instead of announcing an end to its military mission, is busy with reinforcing its bases and establishing new footholds.

The Iranian state-controlled ISNA reports that Masjedi made his remarks in a gathering of Iraqi students and media personalities in Baghdad. The news agency does not say when the ambassador made his remarks, but the report was published on Friday.

In the summer of 2017, Iraq announced the battle against IS to be over, but acknowledged that some areas were still under the control of IS supporters, who occasionally claim responsibility for terror attacks.

The U.S. led coalition announced a few months ago that as long as operations to stabilize areas captured from IS continue its forces will remain in Iraq.

Earlier this year, a U.N. fact-finding mission estimated that about 30,000 IS members still remained active in Syrian and Iraq.

The remarks by the Iranian ambassador coincide with Iraqi political groups strongly protesting the Christmas trip of U.S. President Donald Trump to Iraq to meet with a select group of U.S. troops. They complain that Trump did not meet the Iraqi prime minister and his sudden visit was a violation of Iraqs sovereignty.Former MP and reformist human rights activist Faezeh Hashemi says the one reason there has not been a regime change in Iran is that the people do not know what will happen to them and who will take over power after the Islamic Republic.

Faezeh Hashemi, the daughter of former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said in an interview with daily newspaper Mostaghel (Independent) in Tehran on Thursday, January 27 that the Islamic Republic has become devoid of content although no physical decline of the regime has happened yet.

She added that "the physical decline of the regime also could happen," adding that "although the Islamic Republic is deep rooted, its owes its strength mainly to intimidation and terror."

However, she explained that the Islamic Republic "no longer confronts dissent violently as it did in 2009" when the Islamic Revolution Guards attacked peaceful demonstrators killing, wounding and arresting many of them. She reminded that instead, activists are framed, put on trial, and the courts give them harsh sentences such as depriving them from work and education for years.

The outspoken politician who was jailed for six months following the disputed election in 2009 was Iran's most popular MP in mid 1990s in terms of the number of votes she won and the support she received from activists, particularly women.

The imprisonment made her more popular among new groups of activists including members of religious minorities she met in prison. She also has another six month prison term to serve because of her statements two years ago about mishandling of funds by Judiciary Chief Sadeq Amoli Larijani.

"Every group of people have some of their members in jail Many workers, teachers, truckers, women's right activists, environmentalists, university students, economic activists and others are either in jail or have a verdict that would land them in jail at one point," Faezeh Hashemi told the newspaper.

Ms. Hashemi has always been a reformist, with a more liberal touch, supporting women's rights, a more relaxed dress-code and lately advocating religious and ethnic minority rights. But it appears from this interview that she is less optimistic about the chances of change through reforms.

She also criticized the Rouhani administration for its inefficiency, saying,: "Although the probability of the Islamic Republic's decline is low, yet, inefficiency is everywhere. Mismanagement and lack of prudence is evident everywhere. Everything has been abandoned and no one is doing anything to solve the country's problems. And if they do anything, the situation gets only worse," adding, "There is no sign of improvement in any area."

Elsewhere in the interview Faezeh Hashemi expressed disappointment on elections in Iran. "Shall we go and vote once again? Shall we work harder to bring about reforms," she asked, answering that "Reformists' positions and performance have not been brilliant. What is an election good for when you elect someone and what happens in practice is not consistent with your choice? Have we got any tangible result from our votes in elections since 2013?" This was the year when Rouhani was first elected President of the Republic with the support Faezeh's father.

She maintained, "President Rouhani's government took power thanks to reformists' support. But his second government's performance is far from reformist criteria and the demands of those who voted for him."

"Rouhani may say he has never been a reformist. And he is right. He is a conservative, yet he has committed himself to reformists ideals," as they voted for him, Faezeh Hashemi continued.

Faezeh Hashemi named "the religious-nationalist" groups as Iran's only true reformists. "They stood firm on their principles although this cost them their place in power," she said, implicitly also excluding her own party the Executives of Construction from the reform movement.

The Executives of Construction are represented in Rouhani's cabinet by Vice-President Es'haq Jahangiri, but keep criticizing Rouhani for his "inaction, indecision and inefficiency," as it became evident in a recent interview by the party's leader Gholamhossein Karbaschi.Irans interior minister has tried to downplay the threat from protests by various groups in the past year, insisting that none of them were organized by political groups or unions.

Major protests rocked Iran between December 28, 2017 and early January 2018. Later, there were mass protests in June and August, in addition to crippling strikes by truckers, bazaar merchants and industrial workers in various parts of the country.

Speaking in the southern city of Bushehr on December 27, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli claimed that people were alert and would not follow any organized effort to destabilize the country.

Rahmani Fazli also argued that countries opposed to the Islamic Republic make the wrong analysis about protests in Iran, but none of these events threaten national security.

President Hassan Rouhanis minister added, Enemies made the same wrong analysis in 2009, but the authorities, relying on the guarantee of legitimacy and the people's "awareness" made the right political and security decisions and managed the situation.

After the controversial presidential elections in 2009, Iran witnessed huge protests against the decision to declare Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the winner. The authorities reacted with brute and overwhelming force against protesters, killing dozens and arresting thousands. Several detainees later died in custody and thousands of young and educated people left the country.

Prominent political personalities have been increasingly vocal in Iran about the precarious situation of the country and the ruling system, saying that mainly brute force keeps the Islamic Republic alive and have compared it to the Titanic.An Iranian Culture Ministry official says the messaging service Telegram is Iran's most popular media outlet.

Speaking at a seminar on media in Tehran on 26 December, Hamidreza Ziayiparvar, the ministry's director general for media studies and planning said Telegram has 40 to 45 million users in Iran.

Telegram was banned in Iran in the aftermath of January 2018 protest demonstrations in which the messaging service was used to mobilize protesters and organize widespread anti-government demonstrations. However, the ban had very little impact on Telegram's popularity as users quickly learned to use VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) to circumvent filtering.

In Iran, the state TV was for a long time believed to be the most popular and authoritative news outlet, but it lost its significance as "national media", as government officials like to call it, due to biased news coverage in favor of the hard core and conservative faction in the Islamic Republic.

Mr. Ziayiparvar now says that "Telegram, and not the state TV, is Iran's national media," adding that "Over 60 percent of Iranians, that is 55 million people, have access to the Internet, and between 40 to 45 million of them are actively using Telegram."

The official, a journalist by profession, stressed that people did not leave Telegram despite the ban imposed by the government.

He said Instagram and Twitter are Iran's second and third most popular social media platforms after Telegram. He added that Twitter, which has some 10 million users in Iran, is mainly used by the more educated strata in the country.

Other reports put the number of Iranian users on Instagram at 15 to 22 million, but the platform is used for sharing pictures of homes, food and pets although there some more serious content is also shared.

Telegram and Twitter are officially banned in Iran and there are discussions on the media about a possible ban on Instagram to be perhaps imposed soon. However, all of Iran's top officials including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani are active on Twitter.

Recently, officials at Iran's Cyberspace control center as well as some hardline clerics called for a ban on Instagram, if it refuses to give the government access to users' private data, most notably their geolocation, which reveals their whereabouts in case security agents want to arrest them.

Apart from private messaging, Telegram also offers channels some individuals, as well as government organizations and political groups use for their messaging.

Opposition forces based abroad as well as rival political groups inside Iran widely use Telegram for dissemination of information and disinformation while the public is not fully familiar with the idea of fake news. Nevertheless, Iran's state TV has been often criticized for being less popular and reliable than some of the news channels on Telegram. The same channels, on the other hand, are often criticized by intellectuals and media professionals for biased and inaccurate reporting.

In the meantime, the government's attempt to replace Telegram with homegrown messaging services failed due to their lack of popularity and recently the government stopped funding a project aimed at developing a national messaging service.

However, the government insists that only 79 percent of Telegram's initial users in Iran are still using the messaging service after it was banned in February.

In his Wednesday speech, Ziaeiparvar said that the government can no longer ignore social media. "On social media, a single user can create a media jolt single-handedly," he said.

The popularity of social media in Iran is in spite of the government's constant monitoring and occasional clampdown on activists using the empowerment it affords them. At least two social media activists have died in jail in the past five years, one in December 2018. International media freedom watchdog Reporters without Borderss have characterized the Islamic Republic of Iran as one of the five biggest jailers of journalists in the world in its 2018 report.Moscow, Dec 28, 2018 (AFP)

Moscow will early next year host the leaders of Russia, Iran and Turkey to discuss the Syrian conflict, Russia's deputy foreign minister said Friday, after the United States announced it was withdrawing troops from the country.

"It's our turn to host the summit... around the first week of the year. This will depend on the schedules of the presidents," Mikhail Bogdanov was cited as saying by Interfax news agency.

The meeting will be the latest step in the Astana peace process -- set up in early 2017 by Russia and Iran, who support President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, and opposition backer Turkey.

The Astana process was launched after Russia's military intervention in Syria tipped the balance in the Damascus regime's favour. It has gradually eclipsed an earlier UN-sponsored negotiations framework known as the Geneva process.

The last meeting between Russia's Vladimir Putin, Iran's Hassan Rouhani and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan took place in Iran in September with the fate of the rebel-held Idlib province dominating the agenda.

U.S. President Donald Trump in a shock announcement recently said he was pulling out some 2,000 American soldiers from Syria, claiming the Islamic State jihadists had been defeated.A sixteen-year old pregnant woman has died in Iran from self-immolation, the official government news agency, IRNA reported.

The incident happened in Dishmuk region, a mountainous, rural area where traditions in marriage and family relations regulate the life of individuals.

A ministry of health official in the area told IRNA that the young woman had burns on 95 percent of her body and could not be saved. He added that this is the fifth woman to have committed self-immolation in the last nine months in the region.

Earlier this year, Mohammad Noroozi, an education ministry official had also said that every three months a woman commits self-immolation in Dishmuk.

He had blamed forced early marriages as the main reason for desperation among young women.

Recently, it was reported that the Iranian parliament prevented legislation to ban marriage of girls younger than thirteen.

Dishmuk is in Kohgiluye and Boyer-Ahmad province, which ranks fourth in Iran in suicides.Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

Trend:

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevs rich political experience allows to effectively address present-day global issues, as well as support historical friendship existing between Russia and Azerbaijan, Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Oreshkin said in a congratulatory message addressed to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday.

I would like to especially emphasize your personal contribution to the friendly and neighbourly relations between our countries, Oreshkin's message said. These relations will undoubtedly continue to serve well-being of both the Azerbaijani and Russian peoples.

I sincerely wish you the best of health and every success in achieving your goals, he added.Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended the inauguration of the newly-built road connecting Ziya Bunyadov avenue with Balakhani-Binagadi highway in Baku.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of Azerbaijan Highway State Agency Saleh Mammadov informed the president of the work carried out on the newly-built road.

President Aliyev cut the ribbon symbolizing the opening of the road.Apex court wont issue interim order on Janaki Medical College case

The Supreme Court has decided not to issue an interim order on the case filed by Riya Shah and the medical students at Janaki Medical College (JMC), Birgunj, who have been deprived of appearing in the first years MBBS finals that started fromDecember 20.Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

By Elchin Mehdiyev  Trend:

The last plenary meeting of the Azerbaijani parliament will be held today, Trend reports on Dec. 28.

The amendments and changes to the Code on Administrative Offenses, Civil Code, Labor Code, Civil Procedure Code, as well as to the Law on Antimonopoly Activity, the Law on Electronic Commerce, the Law on Mandatory Insurance, the Law on Unfair Competition, the Law on the Protection of Foreign Investments and other regulatory documents will be discussed at the meeting.

In conclusion, the appeal of the Azerbaijani parliament in connection with the Solidarity Day of World Azerbaijanis will be approved.

In total, 52 issues are on the agenda.Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

Trend:

In line with the instruction of Azerbaijani president, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev, the activities are being continued to increase the combat readiness of military personnel of the Azerbaijani army, Trend reports with reference to the Defense Ministry Dec. 28.

Azerbaijans defense minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov and the leadership of the ministry recently took part in the opening of a new Training Center for drone specialists.

The minister was informed that the primary purpose of the center is to conduct training, making professionals for various types of drones used by the Azerbaijani army.

It was noted that the latest equipment and simulators installed at the training center, as well as theoretical and practical classes allow to organize the training process at a high level, ensure the functionality of the drone system in various operational, tactical and meteorological conditions and improve the skills of drone crews in a timely and efficient fulfillment of combat missions.

It was reported that the center also provides scientific and technical work, the study of best practices in this area and the testing of new drone systems.

The ministrys leadership got acquainted with the rooms for engineers, pilots, flight analysis, simulators, as well as other office and administrative premises.

During the inspection of local production multi-purpose drones stored in the hangar of the center, as well as a multifunctional station installed there, the defense minister was informed about their tactical and technical characteristics and possibilities.

Hasanov assigned the appropriate tasks for the command in connection with the expansion of the material and technical, as well as training base of the center.Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

Trend:

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree to approve the 2019 budget of the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ).

According to the approved budget, SOFAZs revenues for 2019 are set at 15,450,149,700 manats, expenditures are set at 11,595,238,400 manats.

SOFAZs revenues from the sale of profitable oil and gas are forecast at 13,218,752,600 manats, acreage fees at 4.692 million manats, income from oil and gas transit through Azerbaijan at 19.04 million manats.

Meanwhile, SOFAZs revenues from placement and management of assets are forecast at 1,442,495,100 manats, bonuses paid by investors within oil and gas agreements or in connection with their implementation at 765,170 manats.

A lions share in SOFAZ's expenditures will account for transfers to the state budget  11,364,300 manats.

Expenditures for improvement of living conditions of refugees are stipulated at 200 million manats.

The management expenses have been approved at 30,938,400 manats.

At the same time, 9,440,740 manats of expenditures will account for salaries, expenditures for the purchase of goods and services  4,819,425 manats, for grants and other payments  765,480 manats, for rental and paid services  20,000 manats, for banking costs  2,935,441 manats.

Expenditures for pensions and social payments are stipulated at 65,000 manats, for purchase of non-financial assets at 4,180,884 manats, while 20,378,341 manats are stipulated for other expenses.Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

Trend:

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree approving the main directions for using the funds and investment policy of the State Oil Fund (SOFAZ) for 2019.

According to the decree, the forecast aggregate value (weighted average volume) of investment portfolio of SOFAZ for 2019 is set at 67.4 billion manats.

In 2019, SOFAZ funds will be mainly used for financing some measures related to accommodation and improvement of social and living conditions of refugees and IDPs, and transfers to the state budget of 2019.

Under the decree, the currency structure of SOFAZs investment portfolio is as follows: up to 50 percent in US dollars, 35 percent in euros, 5 percent in British pounds, and 10 percent in other currencies.

Meanwhile, SOFAZs investment portfolio can consist of four sub-portfolios: a portfolio of debt instruments and money market instruments - 55 percent of total portfolio value, a portfolio of shares - 25 percent, a portfolio of real estate - 10 percent, and a portfolio of gold - 10 percent.Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

By Jeyhun Alakbarov - Trend:

Azerbaijan Railways CJSC will launch the Baku-Ganja-Baku express train services on Dec. 30, 2018, Trend reports referring to the company.

The express train will leave Baku on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 09:00 AM, and on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays the train will depart from Ganja at 09:00 AM.

Travel time of the train on the route is 4 hours 28 minutes.

The express train will also stop at Bilajari, Yevlakh and Goran stations.

The express train, consisting of four cars, has 367 seats - nine seats for the first class, 62 seats for the business class and 296 seats for the standard class.

Tickets can be purchased at railway ticket offices and online.Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.28

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Colombia can use Alat Free Economic Zone (FEZ) in Baku, Azerbaijan as a hub for exporting its goods to Central Asia, Hamid Zeynalov, charge d'affaires of the Azerbaijani embassy in Colombia, told Trend.

Colombia considers Azerbaijan as a hub. The country is interested in delivering its products to Azerbaijan and to Central Asia, as well as to Iran through Azerbaijan, thats to say, through the Alat FEZ. Colombia, for its part, can also serve as a hub for exporting Azerbaijani goods to Latin American countries, he said.

Zeynalov pointed out that there are a lot of goods that can be exported from Azerbaijan to Colombia and vice-versa.

Colombia can export coffee, flowers, meat, gold, emerald, leather goods, fruits and etc. to Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan, for its part, can export tea, textile, carpet, cognac, wine, silk products and dried fruits to Colombia, he said.

The diplomat noted that if the two countries manage to increase the volume of trade turnover, they can launch cargo transportation in the future.

In general, Colombia shows great interest in the development of economic relations with Azerbaijan. The new government of Colombia is interested in cooperating in the region namely with Azerbaijan, said Zeynalov.

The Free Economic Zone (FEZ) is being created in the Alat township on the basis of the presidential decree signed in March 2016. The territory of the new Baku International Sea Trade Port is also included in this zone.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_ZeynBaku, Azerbaijan, Dec.28

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) plays an important role in consolidating the role of Gas Exporters Countries Forum (GECF) in ensuring Europes energy security, GECF told Trend.

"The recent commissioning by Azerbaijan of the giant Shah Deniz 2 project, South Caucasus Pipeline Expansion and the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) is an important step to further consolidate this role of GECF countries in ensuring European energy security this year," said the organization.

In general, GECF said it believes that pipeline remains a key option to secure supply in Europe, and GECF countries play an important role in this regards.

"European consumers imported more than 90 percent of pipeline gas from five countries: Russia, Norway, Algeria, Azerbaijan and Libya, all of them are Members or Observers of the GECF. GECF is already well positioned in Europe in terms of supply of natural gas by pipeline and in LNG form. The new pipeline capacities of 143 billion cubic meters will represent 19 percent of the current European gas consumption," said the organization.

Based on projections from GECF Global Gas Outlook 2018, European demand for natural gas is projected to grow from 538 billion cubic meters in 2017 to 573 billion cubic meters in 2040, while indigenous supply is on long-term decline.

"Thus, we at GECF can understand concerns about security of supply and needs for diversification, which are central to the implemented EU Third energy package and Security of Gas Supply Regulation," said the organization.

GECF said that additional pipeline links contribute to improve this security of supply in two ways: first, they help to reduce dependence on a particular supplier, and second, they help to reduce dependence on a particular transit route. "It is worth mentioning that pipelines remain a very viable and competitive option for supplying Europe, often in more competitive way than LNG."

GECF said that there are persistent proposals from non-GECF countries to increase share of imported LNG in Europe to provide for energy security in the region.

"While some of those proposals might be competitive under certain conditions, the available numbers indicate that as a whole, proposals to ship LNG to Europe from non-GECF members remain not competitive on the market. Moreover, past experience shows that LNG can flow towards more attractive markets, in Asia particularly, and therefore might affect the security and affordability of gas supply in the region," said the organization.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_ZeynBaku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

By Taleh Mursagulov  Trend:

The STAR oil refinery of the Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR will supply its products to the market in January 2019, director general of STAR refinery Mesut Ilter said.

The refinery intends to reach full capacity in early 2019, Ilter added, Trend reports referring to the Turkish media.

Ilter also denied the information disseminated by media earlier about possible delay in reaching full capacity by the refinery.

"The work is being carried out upon the schedule," he added.

Investments of about $6.3 billion must be made in refinery and 90 percent have already been invested, he said.

However, Ilter added, that the total investments are planned to be increased up to $7 billion by 2021.

Additional investments are planned to be spent for the expansion of areas of warehouses and the creation of the second petrochemical complex, he said.

The STAR refinery will produce naphtha, ultra low sulfur diesel fuel, jet fuel, petroleum coke, liquefied gas and other products. The refinery will not produce gasoline and fuel oil. The plant plans to process such grades of oil as Azeri Light, Kerkuk and Urals.

Today, the share distribution in the project is as follows: 60 percent is owned by Rafineri Holding (the company is 100 percent owned by SOCAR Turkey Energy), which previously bought out all 18.5 percent of Turcas Petrol's share in the project, and 40 percent - by SOCAR.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @TalehMursagulovBaku, Azerbaijan, Dec.28

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Azerbaijan has proposed Colombia-Istanbul-Baku-Tbilisi route for increasing the tourist flow from Colombia, charge d'affaires of the Azerbaijani embassy in Colombia Hamid Zeynalov told Trend.

I held meetings with major Colombian travel companies and gave information about winter and summer tourism in Azerbaijan. Mostly tourists come to Azerbaijan from three large cities of Colombia, thats to say, Medellin, Cartagena and Bogota. Moreover, in January 2019, it is planned to hold meetings with Colombian travel companies that operate in all cities of the country. We have proposed the Istanbul-Baku-Tbilisi route to increase the number of Colombian tourists visiting Azerbaijan. It is planned to attract tourists not only to Baku, but also to other regions of Azerbaijan, he said.

In general, the diplomat noted that the flow of tourists from Colombia to Azerbaijan has increased this year compared to the last 3-5 years.

In this regard, the launch of direct flights from Istanbul to Bogota by Turkish Airlines helps a lot. The number of Colombian tourists visiting Turkey has greatly increased. Because of the long distance, Colombians visit Turkey, and from there other countries in Eurasia, he said.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_ZeynBaku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

In November 2018, 1.9 million tourists visited Turkey, which is 19.97 percent more compared to the same month in 2017, Trend reports referring to the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

In January-November 2018, 37.5 million tourists visited Turkey, which is 22.25 percent more compared to the same period in 2017.

In November 2018, 256,000 tourists visited Antalya, while over one million tourists visited Istanbul.

Over the 11 months of 2018, 12.2 million tourists visited Antalya, while 12.3 million tourists visited Istanbul.

In November 2018, 131,217 tourists from Germany and 55,200 tourists from Russia visited Turkey.

----

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizogluCase filed against 10 men for attacking bride

The District Police Office (DPO) has filed a case against 10 local youths who attacked and injured a bride at her wedding venue in Phedap Rural Municipality-3, Tehrathum, on Monday night.Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

In January-November 2018, 802,820 Azerbaijani tourists visited Turkey, which is 12.57 percent more than in the same period of 2017, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey told Trend Dec. 28.

The share of Azerbaijani citizens in the total number of foreigners who visited Turkey during the eleven months of 2018 was 2.24 percent, the ministry said.

In November 2018, 59,100 tourists from Azerbaijan visited Turkey, which is 9.51 percent more than in the same month of 2017, the ministry noted.

"The share of Azerbaijani citizens in the total number of foreigners who visited Turkey in November 2018 accounted to 3.01 percent. For comparison, this figure was 3.27 percent in November 2017" the ministry added.

In November 2018, 1.9 million tourists visited Turkey, which is 19.97 percent more compared to November 2017, according to the ministry.

As of January-November 2018, 37.5 million tourists visited Turkey, which is 22.25 percent more than in January-November 2017, the ministry noted.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizogluBaku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

In January-November 2018, 1.894 million Iranian tourists visited Turkey, which is 18.17 percent less than in the same period of 2017, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey told Trend Dec. 28.

The share of Iranian citizens in the total number of foreigners who visited Turkey during the eleven months of 2018 was 5.05 percent, the ministry said.

In November 2018, 105,200 tourists from Iran visited Turkey, which is 46.39 percent less than in the same month of 2017, the ministry noted.

"The share of Iranian citizens in the total number of foreigners who visited Turkey in November 2018 accounted to 5.35 percent. For comparison, this figure was 11.88 percent in November 2017," the ministry added.

In November 2018, 1.9 million tourists visited Turkey, which is 19.97 percent more compared to November 2017, according to the ministry.

In January-November 2018, 37.5 million tourists visited Turkey, which is 22.25 percent more than in January-November 2017, the ministry noted.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizogluAshgabat, Turkmenistan, Dec. 28

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev discussed priority areas of bilateral relations between the countries by phone, Trend reports with reference to the Turkmen TV channel Altyn Asyr.

The heads of state noted the presence of solid potential for building up partnership in fuel and energy, industrial sector, transport and communications, agro-industry and implementation of large-scale joint projects.

The parties exchanged views on topical issues of the regional and global agenda. In this regard, the continued commitment of the two countries to coordinated interaction and mutual support within the UN, the CIS and other international organizations for ensuring global peace, security and sustainable development was emphasized.

Trade between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan amounted to $177.3 million in 2017, according to statistics.

In April, the two countries signed contracts and memorandums providing for joint projects worth over $250 million.

Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, which have impressive hydrocarbon resources, favor diversification of energy flows.

The Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-China Gas Pipeline, which was put into operation in 2009, is a good example of this.

Recently, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov invited businessmen of Uzbekistan to participate in the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) Gas Pipeline project. Construction of the Turkmen section of the pipeline started in December 2015.

Uzbekistan was also invited to start developing oil and gas fields on the Turkmen shelf of the Caspian Sea.Tehran, Iran, Dec.28

Trend:

Iran and Iraq energy ministers have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to promote the ties in energy sector.

Iran Energy Minister Reza Ardekanian and his Iraqi counterpart Luay Al Khateeb agreed to expand cooperation in energy sector on Thursday,Trend reports citing IRNA.

"The memorandum of understanding is the result of intense negotiations between Iran and Iraq energy ministries," said Ardekanian.

The Iranian official noted the MoU would maintain long term framework of joint cooperation in energy sector, specially regarding gas and electricity imports to Iraq , reconstruction of Iraq power industry and collaboration of Iranian companies.

"Iranian companies would use their experience and knowledge in order to develop and reconstruct power industry in Iraq, while the MoU would prepare the grounds for infrastructure by the Iranian side," said Ardekanian.

The memorandum of understanding includes improvement of Iraq's power network, a management system. Meanwhile, Iran's experts are to train the Iraqis for subsequent work in the energy sector.

Iraq's Minister of Electricity Luay Al Khateeb also mentioned the importance of the MoU.

"Iraq's annual electricity needs had grown to 7 percent and the country requires energy sources , Iran is the closest and most trusted source to supply energy to Iraq," he said.Tehran, Iran, Dec.28

Trend:

Iran is in talks with Kuwaiti officials, organizing the release of two seized vessels from port of Mina Al Zour that, the cause of which, reportedly, was because of legal and technical disputes of contractors.

The Iranian vessels have been sized by Kuwait for almost 20 days. Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization is putting in efforts to have them released.

"The crew has sufficient fuel and food and we are negotiating to solve the problems," said the deputy chairman of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization (IMO), Hadi Haghshenas, Trend reports citing Fars News Agency.

"The disagreement is between a domestic contractor and a Korean company that intended to build a bridge in Kuwait," he said.

Due to legal disputes between Iranian and Korean companies the vessels are currently seized at the port, he said.

Haghshenas noted that the seized are a barge and a tugboat.Baku, Azerbaijan, December 28

By Azer Ahmadbayli  Trend:

The US is trying to strengthen its presence in Iraqi Kurdistan, and the US forces that will be withdrawn from Syria, will be located in Erbil province.

Several Kurdish media outlets referring to the Iraqi "Al-Hurra TV" channel, reported that based on the statement of the official representative of the US Department of Defense, Washington will soon evacuate 2130 soldiers from Syria and send them to Erbil province in Kurdistan.

According to ISNA news agency, Secretary General of the Ministry of Peshmerga of Iraqi Kurdistan Jabar Yavar said that media reports about the introduction and deployment of the US forces, withdrawn from Syria, in Erbil are false and unfounded, Iranian ParsToday.com reported December 24.

On Sunday, during a press conference, he also said: "Iraqi Kurdistan has not yet witnessed the arrival of any US military, and in case of such action, the approval of the Central Government of Iraq will be required."

According to a member of the Commission of the Iraqi Parliament on security and defense Karim al-Muhammadawi, American forces evacuated from Syria, without prior notice arrived in the province of Erbil, al-Anbar and Ninawa in Iraq, a ParsToday report said.

It is not known how reliable this information is, but if it comes out to be true, such a move can strongly affect the balance of power and the subsequent course of events in the region.

So, if this is not fake news, the US military will geographically be as close to the borders of Iran as possible since Erbil province is directly bounded by Iran.

What will they do there? There are several assumptions.

If there is a new revolution and change of existing state order in the country, and Iran again becomes a secular state, then there is a good chance to enter there first under the invitation of the Iranian people in an attempt to create a pro-American government. This is roughly reminiscent of the words of the former Soviet leadership about the introduction of the Soviet troops in Afghanistan in 1979: if we had not entered Afghanistan, the next day the United States would have entered there.

The second possible reason is of military-related character. If tomorrow it goes so far that the United States will have to choose a force-based scenario to solve the Iranian problem, then Washington fills in the blank: in the east there are troops stationed in Afghanistan, in the South, from the side of the Persian Gulf Iran is wrapped around by the US military bases in the Arab countries of the Gulf. Only the western border of Iran is left without the US control. And it is there, from Iraqi Kurdistan, that a new direct military threat to Iran arises.

If 2,000 American troops are deployed in Erbil province, no one can guarantee that their number will not, say, double in a year  and that makes an entire infantry brigade.

The US Syrian scenario is also seen real, but this time Iraqi Kurdistan can be the scene, where the US military instructors will conduct combat training of the Kurdish PJAK armed group and its affiliates, which for about fifteen years has been struggling against Iran, and supply them with weapons to fight the Iranian government forces.Morocco's navy coast guards rescued Thursday 367 illegal migrants in the Mediterranean, the Moroccan army said, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

The rescued were onboard several boats, the army added.

The majority of the rescued are from sub-Saharan African nations, the same source said, noting that they included many women and children.

The migrants were brought safely to the neighboring ports, the same source added.

Morocco has witnessed a significant hike in illegal migration attempts in 2018. According to the Moroccan Interior Ministry, the authorities have foiled over 76,000 illegal immigration attempts between January and November 2018.Bahrains embassy in Damascus and the Syrian diplomatic mission in Manama have been operating without interruption, the Bahraini foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday, a day after the United Arab Emirates reopened its embassy in Syria, Trend reports referring to Reuters.

The reopening of the UAEs mission was a diplomatic boost for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as it and other U.S.-allied Arab states had once backed rebels fighting him. The embassy had been shut since the early months of Syrias conflict nearly eight years ago.

Other Gulf and Arab states are expected to shift their positions and normalize ties with Assads government as concerns grow about Irans influence in the region. Syrias membership of the Arab League was suspended seven years ago.

The Kingdom of Bahrain has announced that work is continuing at its embassy in the brotherly Arab Republic of Syria, a statement carried by the state news agency BNA said.

It was not clear whether that meant the embassy had continued operating throughout the war, when most Gulf Arab states  including Saudi Arabia, with which Bahrain is closely aligned  broke off diplomatic ties.

The statement said it was important that Arab states work to prevent any regional interference in Syrias internal affairs, to help consolidate security and stability in the country.

BNA said flights had been operating between Bahrain and Syria without interruption, although again it did not say whether that had been the case throughout the war.

Gulf Arab states were the main backers of armed groups opposed to Assad, but Saudi Arabia and Qatar had the most prominent roles in the Syrian war. Emirati support has been associated with groups opposed to Islamist domination of the uprising, rebel sources in the region have said.

Unlike its neighbors, Oman maintained diplomatic ties with Damascus while Kuwait opposed arming rebels fighting to topple Assad and has led a humanitarian fundraising campaign for Syria through the United Nations.

After nearly eight years of war, Assad has recovered control of most of Syria with support from Russia, Iran, and Iranian-backed Shiite Muslim groups such as Lebanons Hezbollah.

His military advances gathered pace this year with the defeat of the last big rebel enclaves near Damascus and recovery of the southwestern region.The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the UAE, Anwar Gargash, said on Thursday that the decision to return Syria to the Arab League requires Arab consensus, Trend reports referring to Al Arabiya.

In private statements to Al Arabiya, Gargash stressed that everyone is convinced that there is a political path to resolve the Syrian crisis.

The UAE Minister of State pointed out that opening communication with Damascus would not leave the doors open for Iranian interference.

Gargash had tweeted earlier on Thursday saying that the decision of the UAE to return its political and diplomatic work in Damascus comes after careful reading of developments and it comes as a result of believing that the next stage requires Arab presence and communication with the Syrian file in the interest of Syria, its people, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The United Arab Emirates had announced earlier on Thursday the reopening of its embassy in Damascus. The embassy has been shut since the early months of Syrias conflict, which erupted in 2011.Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez sought on Friday to reassure Britons living in Spain, saying their rights would remain unchanged after Britains exit from the European Union, Trend reports referring to Reuters.

The government was working on measures to ensure Spain-based Britons would keep their rights even if Britain crashed out of the EU without a deal on March 29. Measures were however conditional on Spaniards getting the same treatment in Britain, he added.

Their rights will be preserved whatever the scenario, he told the prime ministers traditional end-of-year news conference.

Spain is the most popular European retirement destination for Britons and is home to around 300,000, mostly settled on the coast. Among foreign nationals, they are by far the biggest users of Spains state-funded, universal health care system.

Sanchez said he would by February present a law outlining the rights of citizens in the respective countries that would also lay out measures to protect bilateral commercial relations.

Spanish flag-carrier Iberia risks losing its right to operate in the European Union after the European Commission said airlines falling below the 51 percent threshold for EU ownership will not be able to operate in Europe in the event of no deal.

Iberia is owned by International Airline Group (IAG), which is also the parent of British Airways.Chandan Kumar Mandal is the environment and migration reporter for The Kathmandu Post, covering labour migration and governance, as well as climate change, natural disasters, and wildlife.Just a day after new elections were called, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left the campaign trail Thursday evening to spend five days in Brazil, to attend the inauguration of a man who said he wants to upgrade ties with Israel and move the countrys embassy to Jerusalem: Jair Bolsonaro, Trend reports referring to The Jerusalem Post.

This will be the first-ever visit of a sitting Israeli prime minister to Brazil, the worlds fifth most populous country and the worlds eighth largest economy. With an estimated Jewish population of some 120,000, it is also the second-largest Jewish community in Latin America  after Argentina  and the ninth-largest Jewish community in the world.

Netanyahu is being joined on this trip by his wife, Sarah, as well as his son, Yair. According to a Channel 10 report, the Netanyahu family said Yair is paying for his own flight and accommodations.

Netanyahus trip  a significant chunk of time at the very beginning of an election campaign  will begin Friday in Rio de Janeiro, where he is scheduled to meet for a 30-minute private meeting with Bolsonaro.

The two leaders will then be joined by the two men Bolsonaro has selected to serve as foreign minister and defense minister: Ernesto Araujo and Fernando Azevedo. At 5 pm he is scheduled to take part in an event at the Orthodox Kehilat Yaakov synagogue in Copacabana. Shabbat begins in Rio at 7:21.

During his trip, he also has scheduled meetings with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, and Chiles President Sebastian Pinera.Campaigning for Bangladeshs general election ended on Friday after weeks of violence, mainly against workers and officials from an opposition alliance, that has drawn criticism from the United States and others, Trend reports referring to Reuters.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas Awami League is seeking its third straight term in Sundays election against the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which boycotted the last vote in 2014.

The Awami League is promoting its economic record over the past decade but a BNP-led opposition alliance, many of whose leaders have been jailed, has vowed to remove curbs on the media, increase wages and freeze energy prices.

The government has lost moral support, BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told reporters on Thursday, urging voters to restore democracy.

But the people are with us. They want change, he said.

The BNPs preparations have been hamstrung by the February jailing of its chairwoman, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, on what the party called trumped-up corruption charges.

Leaders of the ruling Awami League deny any misuse of power and say they will return to government with an overwhelming majority.

Hasina told supporters on Thursday they must ensure victory of pro-liberation forces, a reference to Bangladeshs war of independence from Pakistan in 1971 led by her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The Economist Intelligence Unit expects her party to win a third term.

The BNP said on Thursday more than 8,200 opposition leaders and activists from a coalition of about 20 parties had been arrested since the election schedule was announced early last month.

Four workers were killed and more than 12,300 injured, it said.

The Awami League has in turn said the BNP and its partners were behind attacks that killed at least six of its workers over the past three weeks.

Police declined to confirm the figures.

Mahbub Talukdar, one of five election commissioners, has said there has not been a level playing field, although other commissioners have said they expected the election to be free and fair.

Earl Miller, the U.S. ambassador to Bangladesh, said all parties had been victims of violence, including women and minority candidates.

However, it appears opposition party candidates have borne the brunt of most violence, he said in a statement after meeting Election Commission officials on Thursday.

Miller said all candidates and voters must be able to take part without harassment, intimidation, or violence and that an independent media must be allowed to cover the election.

The Telecommunication Regulatory Commission ordered the shutdown of high-speed mobile internet services in a bid to curb the spread of confusing content, spokesman Zakir Hussain Khan told Reuters.

Facebook and Twitter said last week they had removed accounts and fake news pages linked to the government that had posted anti-opposition content.

The United Nations has called for a peaceful, credible and inclusive poll.Unlike the United States, Russia has no plans to interfere into the sovereign affairs of Croatia regarding energy issues, Russias ambassador to Croatia, Anvar Azimov, said in an article written in response to remarks of his US counterpart, Trend reports referring to TASS.

Earlier, US Ambassador to Croatia Robert Kohorst claimed that Russia was an unreliable supplier of gas. He also urged Croatia to abstain from purchasing Russian gas to be delivered via the Nord Stream 2 pipeline now under construction and opt for building an LNG terminal on the northern Adriatic island of Krk.

"Why does the United States spread the myth about Russia being an unreliable gas supplier? Its evident to us that Washington is resorting to all kinds of ways to squeeze Russian gas out of the European market and to make Europeans build terminals to process more expensive liquefied natural gas from the United States. It is also clear to us that the construction of the LNG terminal on the island of Krk is a part of this tactics. The fact that the Americans are not planning to invest a single cent into it speaks for itself," the Russian ambassador said.

"We are not planning to interfere into your sovereign affairs, we are not Americans. At the same time, you should understand that fuel prices will be affected if Russian gas is replaced with more expensive US-made LNG, and, as a result, prices for your goods and services will also rise," he went on.

The Russian diplomat added that at present, LNG terminals in Europe are operating at one fourth of their capacity, which is the minimal threshold for their operations. At the same time, the European Commission admits that there is no other way to increase the demand for LNG in the region other than through administrative measures.

"Russia and the United States are leading energy powers, which guarantee international security. Only through a joint effort we can satisfy the growing demand for energy worldwide. Russia is sure that its gas supplies to Europe are competitive, we are not afraid of competition with the United States and take no measures to prevent those supplies to Europe," Azimov said.

"We have always said that amid the ongoing gas market globalization, the consumer will benefit from having a wider range of suppliers. However, it is inadmissible to create artificial obstacles for those who can supply resources at a cheaper price or to use ones dominant political position on the international arena to gain unfair competitive advantages. At the very least, this is a demonstration of disrespect to the population of countries whom the United States calls its allies," the Russian diplomat said.

In September last year, LNG Croatia has invited bids to build an LNG-import terminal on Krk Island, based on a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), reviving Croatias long-stalled plans to diversify its energy supply and reduce its dependence on piped gas from Russia. The deadline was extended many times to receive "additional requests from interested terminal users."

The new LNG terminal in Krk in Croatia is expected to be operational by 2020. The investment is estimated at EUR 250 million, with the European Union to finance up to 30%.

Krk LNG terminals initial annual capacity is planned at 2.6 billion cubic metres (bcm). But local local media reported earlier this year that initial demand for the terminal had been rather low.Thirty Russian children will be evacuated from Iraq to Russia on December 30, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on his Telegram channel on Friday, Trend reports referring to TASS.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said at his annual news conference last week that Moscow would continue the effort on bringing Russian children from Syria. He noted that Kadyrov was conducting this effort.

"On December 30, the children will be taken from Iraq to Russia. A plane with 30 boys and girls onboard will land at one of the airfields in the Moscow Region. These are three children from Chechnya, one from Moscow and Penza, and 24 others from Dagestan," Kadyrov said.

According to the Chechen head, this is "the result of a tremendous effort carried out throughout the entire year" at the instruction of the Russian president. "This activity was not halted for a single day, but any word or incautious step could harm it. So, no details were revealed," Kadyrov said.Medical technologies for future lunar expeditions will be tested at the Russian Vostok station in the Antarctic, Chief Researcher of the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems, Doctor of Medical Sciences Yevgeny Ilyin told TASS on Friday, Trend reports referring to TASS.

"We have developed a concept of using the Russian Antarctic station Vostok as an analogue of the future long-term habitable base on the Moon," he said.

On November 1 this year, junior researcher of the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems Nikolai Osetsky set off for the 64th Antarctic expedition to carry out a whole series of studies, Ilyin said.

In particular, the scientists in the Antarctic are planning to test the technologies of medical provision for humans that will be used in lunar missions.

"Applied research will be conducted to deal with the practical issues of medical provision for the stay in the lunar base, render medical assistance and carry out diagnostics. There are plans to test the system of tele-medical control of the humans health condition during the work outside the lunar base," the researcher said.

A whole group of factors influencing Polar researchers at the Vostok station are similar to the factors that have their effect on humans in a space flight, for example, isolation, the autonomous mode, physical inactivity and frequent magnetic fluctuations, he noted.

The Russian Antarctic station Vostok is located at a distance of 1,230 km from the Earths South Pole at an altitude of 3,500 meters above the sea level. The average annual temperature there equals minus 55 degrees Celsius.Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 28

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Some 1.5 tons of narcotics were seized during the special operation held on the Turkish-Greek border in Turkey's Edirne province, Trend reports referring to the country's media.

Other details of the operation haven't been revealed.

Recently, 1,271 tons of narcotics were seized during the police operation carried out by the police in the province of Erzincan.

In January-February 2018, 3,722 kilograms of heroin were confiscated, the Turkish Interior Ministry said earlier.

During the reporting period, 16,802 kilograms of psychotropic substances and 202 kilograms of Bonzai drugs were confiscated in Turkey.

In total, 20,000 tons of heroin was confiscated in Turkey in 2017.

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu had said that the country is facing a great risk and must tighten the fight against drug addiction and drug trafficking.

The minister noted that during 2016, 520 people died from drug overdose in Turkey, and in 2017, the death toll reached 1,020 people.

"The death toll from drug overdose is growing every year," the minister said.

The minimum age of Turkish citizens who started using drugs is 13 years old, the average age  36 years old, the maximum age - 65 years old.

Thus, 2.9 percent of the country's population account for drug addicts aged 15-24, 2.8 percent - those aged 25-44, 2.3 percent - drug addicts aged 45-64.

There are 22 centers in the country where the drug addicts are undergoing treatment.

Some 18 percent of the total number of people arrested in the country in 2016 accounted for drug dealers. More than 300,000 people have been detained in Istanbul for using and selling drugs over the past four years.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizogluPresident Donald Trump made a surprise Christmas visit to US troops in Iraq on Wednesday, his first trip to a conflict zone nearly two years into his presidency and days after announcing a pullout of American troops from neighboring Syria, Trend reports citing Reuters.

Trump was looking for some positive headlines after several days of turmoil over his decisions to withdraw the 2,000 US troops in Syria, pull out half of the 14,000-strong contingent in Afghanistan, and push out Defense Secretary James Mattis two months earlier than planned for criticizing his policies.

Accompanied by first lady Melania Trump and speaking at the Al Asad Air Base west of Baghdad, Trump defended the withdrawal from Syria and said it was made possible by the defeat of Islamic State militants.

Our presence in Syria was not open ended and it was never intended to be permanent, he told troops wearing camouflage fatigues in a hangar at the base. He said some troops can now return home to their families.

Many Republican and Democratic lawmakers have heaped scorn on Trump over his Syria policy, saying the fight against Islamic State is far from over and the withdrawal leaves allies in the lurch.

One of those critics was Mattis, who said in a candid resignation letter last week that his views did not align with Trumps, particularly on the treatment of US allies.

Mattis had planned to leave at the end of February, but Trump forced him to go on Jan. 1 after his resignation letter was made public.

Trump has also drawn fire from some in the US military for not having visited US troops in conflict zones since taking office in January 2017, particularly after he canceled a trip to a World War One cemetery in France last month due to rain.

While there has been no full-scale violence in Iraq since Islamic State suffered a series of defeats last year, some 5,200 US troops train and advise Iraqi forces still waging a campaign against the militant group.

Trump spent a little more than three hours in Iraq. On his way home, he stopped for about an hour and a half at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where he shook hands and posed for pictures with some of the hundreds of troops lined up inside a hangar. After Ramstein, Trump headed back to Washington.

Trump was supposed to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi but in the end they only spoke by telephone.

Abdul Mahdis office said there was a disagreement over how to conduct the meeting. Iraqi lawmakers said the prime minister declined Trumps request to meet him at the military base.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the meeting could not be arranged due to security concerns and the short notice of the trip, but she said they had a great call and that Abdul Mahdi accepted Trumps invitation to the White House in the New Year.A transformer explosion in Queens sent an eerie blue light flooding the nighttime sky over New York City Thursday night as electricity flickered in homes and LaGuardia Airport was plunged into darkness, Trend reported citing NBC.

Con Edison says a brief electrical fire involving transformers broke out at the substation on 20th Avenue and 32nd Street in Astoria, causing a transmission dip in the area.

The explosion lit the sky so brightly that it briefly appeared to be daytime in neighborhoods like Astoria and Woodside, residents reported. Smoke arose from the source of the blue light, visible from as far as Manhattan.

Con Edison is investigating the cause of the transformer fire. Utility spokesman Bob McGee says no one was hurt.

"It did create a spectacular effect on the sky, and certainly caused a lot of concern," he told News 4, calling it an "abnormal event."

Firefighters responded along with the utility crews. They were initially called for a transformer fire there, radio transmissions on Broadcastify show.

"There's a high-voltage emergency going on the ConEd plant, heading that way now," one firefighter says. "Can we have a representative from Con Ed meet us out on 20th Avenue? It just seems like whatever it was just shut down. We'll meet them at the main gate."

"Yeah, whatever was arcing the skyline, it turned off, it seems like," he continued. "Just advise Battalion 49, we have a visible fire in the ConEd plant. We're going to enter off of 31st Street."

People in Queens reported the electricity briefly flickering off in their homes, and LaGuardia Airport saw a total blackout at one point. A News 4 staffer picking up his daughter in Terminal A said the lights started to flicker, then turned off completely while the emergency lights stayed on.

The FAA initially instituted a ground stop at LaGuardia until Friday morning, saying it wouldn't lift it until power was restored. The power came back on late Thursday night, but there were hourlong delays for both arriving and departing flights.

A pilot near JFK Airport described the stunning scene when the transformer exploded, dispatch recordings show.

"11 o'clock, it looks like a massive fire," he's heard saying in a dispatch with the JFK tower.

"JetBlue 1186, you see that light out there? You know what that is?" one voice is heard in the tower transmissions.

"Yes sir, and no, we do not, not at all, sorry," another voice responds.

"We see colors like that off the clouds."

In another tower transmission, a voice is heard saying, "Delta 1197 heavy, let me know if you're able to see what that light is out there."

The Delta pilot said, "It's on the ground lighting up the sky."

The tower responded, "You don't know what it is?"

"Negative," the pilot said. "Blue-green color, does not look like typical flames."

The NYPD is asking people to avoid the area of 20th Avenue and 31st Street in Astoria while they investigated.KYODO NEWS - Dec 28, 2018 - 20:52 | All, World

Japan's Defense Ministry released on Friday 13 minutes of video footage including radio communications with a South Korean warship which Tokyo claims locked its fire-control radar on a Japanese patrol plane in the Sea of Japan.

"Korean Naval Ship, Hull Number 971," a crew member of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force P-1 patrol aircraft said over the radio to the South Korean ship.

"We observed that your FC antenna is directed to us. What is the purpose of your act?" the Japanese officer asked.

The Japanese aircraft asked the question three times to the South Korean ship but received no answer before the end of the video.

[Video clip released by Japan's Defense Ministry]

Some subtitles were added to the video clip for explanation and some of the crew's exchanges were cut for security reasons, but the images were not edited, the ministry said.

It is rare for the Japanese Defense Ministry to release video recordings of the SDF's patrolling and surveillance activities.

In the video, one crew member says he detected fire-control radar directed at the MSDF plane that the ministry says was about 5,000 meters away from the South Korean ship.

The plane's captain then orders him to check the status of the destroyer's weaponry, saying, "We are moving away for now." The crew said there was no indication that the ship's weapon was pointed in the plane's direction.

"The sounds are extremely strong," the crew member also says, referring to the intensity of the radio waves from the destroyer.

Fire-control radar is designed to accurately measure the direction and distance of a targeted object before launching an attack. The intensity of its radio waves tends to be constant and strong.

The South Korean Defense Ministry said in a statement it has "deep concern and regret" over Japan's release of the video clip just one day after the two countries held a video conference to avoid any misunderstanding.

The ministry is disappointed that the Japanese aircraft flew low around the South Korean ship to threaten it while the vessel was just carrying out a humanitarian operation to look for a North Korean fishing boat in distress, it said.

It continued to assert that the South Korean destroyer did not use fire-control radar on the Japanese patrol plane.The champion athlete who has been fighting the case of her friend, has attacked the state government machinery for failing to defend the victim.Families of disappeared persons appeal government to find whereabouts of their kin

Families of the three persons, who purportedly went missing from the ashrams of controversial ascetic Ram Bahadur Bomjan, have appealed to the government to find the whereabouts of their lost family members.Prime Minister of Bhutan Dr. Lotay Tshering has landed in the national capital New Delhi on Thursday on a three-day official visit to India.The visit takes place during the Golden Jubilee year of the establishment of formal diplomatic ties between the two nations.Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale called on the visiting dignitary Thursday evening.

Dr Lotay Tshering was received warmly by MoS Finance Shiv P Shukla on arrival in Delhi for a 3-day State Visit at the invitation of PM Narendra Modi on the occasion of India Bhutan 50th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations this year.

DD news reports suggested that Dr Tshering will be accorded ceremonial reception at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday.Bhutanese Prime Minister will lay wreath at the Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat. He will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to further boost strategic cooperation between the two neighboring nations.

Soon after, the Bhutan Prime Minister will be called on by various union ministers including External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.The popular star Ram Charan starrer action movie Vinaya Vidheya Rama is one of the most awaited movie. Ram Charans fans are eagerly waiting for the film. Now, the filmakers have dropped the trailer of the film which looks promising.

The trailer suggest that Ram Charan seems to have a lot of whistle-worthy dialogues in this one. Vivek Oberoi plays a larger-than-life villain in the movie. This is his debut in Telugu in a negative role after the Tamil film, Vivegam.The stunning landscape of Azerbaijan is surely a visual treat. Ram Charan kicks, punches and is defiant throughout even when he is held in captivity. The rocky landscape complements the narrative. The cinematography as well as background score also impressive. A glimpse of Kiara Advani can also be seen in the trailer.

The film is directed by Boyapati Sreenu with music by Devi Sri Prasad. Ram Charan's name in the film is Ram Konidela. Well, Konidela is his family name in real life as well. The movie will hit the marquee on January 11 clashing with Nandamuri Balakrishna - Vidya Balan's NTR Kathanayakudu.Government News 28/12

Party chief: Interests of nation, people, Party must be put above all

Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong delivers the closing remarks at the 9th session of the 12th Party Central Committee on December 26





The interests of the country, the people and the Party must be placed above all, and honour is the noblest asset for each cadre and Party member, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong told the Party Central Committees 9th session.

In his closing remarks at the session on December 26, the Party leader urged each Party Central Committee member as well as each cadre and Party member regularly conduct self-assessment so as to avoid making the mistakes that cause loss to the Party, country and people, citing the lesson from the case of Tat Thanh Cang, the latest in a series of senior officials punished for wrongdoings.

The 9th plenum of the 12th Party Central Committee had decided to dismiss Cang from the post of member of the 12th CPV Central Committee, permanent Vice Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, member of the Standing Board of the municipal Party Committee for the 2015-2020 tenure for his very serious shortcomings and wrongdoings.

Within nearly three years since the beginning of the CPVs 12th tenure, over 60 officials under the management of the CPV Central Committee have been disciplined, including five incumbent members of the CPV Central Committee, with three of them expelled from the body.

It is heartbreaking, but we had to do it, and will continue to do it in the time to come for the sake of the Partys strict and clear discipline, the rule of law, the strength and prestige of the Party and the aspiration of the people, General Secretary and President Trong said.

At the 9th session, the CPV Central Committee affirmed that the Politburo and Secretariat are united collectives that stay consistent with Party goals and ideology, Marxism and Leninism, and Ho Chi Minh ideology.

They lauded the Politburo and Secretariat for conducting criticism and self-criticism and straightforwardly admitting existing shortcomings.

The committee asked the Politburo and Secretariat to acquire its feedback, thereby taking drastic and concerted measures to fulfill tasks for the coming years, especially the nine key tasks for 2019.

The committee also approved with high consensus the Politburos report on the outcomes of the vote of confidence on the Politburo and the CPV Central Committee Secretariat members.

Party leader Trong said each Politburo and Secretariat member should consider the vote of confidence a good chance to review themselves, make good use of their own strengths and fix shortcomings to accomplish assigned tasks, deserving the trust and expectations of the CPVCC, the entire Party and people.

The ninth session of the 12th CPV Central Committee took place on December 25 and 26. During the session, members of the Party Central Committee discussed the personnel planning of the CPV Central Committee for the 2021-2026 tenure, and conducted a vote of confidence on members of the Party Central Committees Politburo and Secretariat.

They gave comments on a review report on the leadership and instruction of the Politburo and Secretariat in 2018.

The Committee also decided disciplinary measures against officials with wrongdoings.

Vietnam, Laos further enhance traditional friendship

Representatives of the Laos-Vietnam Friendship Association and the Kaysone Phomvihane and Souphanouvong Museums are paying a working visit to Vietnam from December 24-30.

The Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association oganised a get-together in Hanoi on December 27 between the Lao delegation and Vietnamese who once served late Presidents of Laos Kaysone Phomvihane and Souphanouvong.

The Lao delegation was tasked with collecting documents to prepare for the celebrations of the 110th and 100th birth anniversaries of President Kaysone Phomvihane (July 13, 1909-2019) and President Souphanouvong (December 13, 1920-2020).

At the get-together, Maj. Gen. Huynh Dac Huong, head of the national Liaison Committee for Vietnamese Volunteer soldiers and Military Experts in Laos, recalled his memories with President Kaysone Phomvihane during his time in the neighbouring country.

Huong, who was head of the experts delegation and commissar of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers in Laos, told participants that at a meeting to review the outcomes of the Upper Laos Campaign in May 1970, President Kaysone Phomvihane reiterated the unstoppable power of the combat solidarity between the Vietnamese and Lao Parties, people, and armed forces. The campaign aimed to liberate Sam Neua in Laos Houaphan province and was a symbol of the Vietnam-Laos combat alliance.

Huong said Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and forces of the Vietnam Peoples Army were proud to fight side by side with the Lao army during the countrys past struggle for national independence.

Participants at the meeting highlighted their belief that under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, the younger generations of both nations will continue fostering their traditional friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation.

Thongvanh Thongdy, a representative from the Kaysone Phomvihane Museum, said the Lao delegation has so far visited a series of locations in Son La and Tuyen Quang, where President Kaysone Phomvihane once had revolutionary activities in Vietnam.

He said these visits and the gathering have helped the Lao delegates gain better understanding about their late presidents revolutionary activties in Vietnam and the close ties between the two countries.

Deputy PM welcomes newly-appointed Chinese ambassador

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (R) received newly-appointed Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo in Hanoi on December 27

The Vietnamese Party, Government and people always attach much importance to developing the friendly neighbourliness and comprehensive cooperation with China, said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.

Minh made the statement while receiving newly-appointed Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo in Hanoi on December 27.

Having praised the positive progress in Vietnam-China ties in the recent time, he congratulated Xiong on his appointment as the new ambassador to Vietnam.

Minh suggested Xiong work closely with Vietnamese agencies to maintain high-level visits and meetings between the two countries; promote practical cooperation fields; enhance people-to-people friendship; well control differences and accelerate the settlement of marine issues.

He expressed his belief that the ambassador will uphold his important role and make practical contributions to the friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties and nations in the coming time.

For his part, Xiong voiced his hope to receive support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other Vietnamese ministries, sectors, and localities during his tenure.

He vowed to do his utmost to enhance the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in line with the interests and development of each country.

PM: Vietnam, US should continue close multifaceted cooperation

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) shakes hands with US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel J. Kritenbrink





In 2019, Vietnam and the US should continue close cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, security, defence and international issues in the lead up to the 25th anniversary of the normalisation of bilateral ties, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

At a reception in Hanoi on December 26 for US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel J. Kritenbrink, PM Phuc expressed his thanks to US President Donald Trump and the US Congress for providing funds for the accomplishment of a toxic detoxification project at Da Nang International Airport and the deployment of a similar project at Bien Hoa airport.

The PM spoke highly of the ambassadors efforts in promoting the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership in 2018, meeting practical benefits of their people and contributing to peace, cooperation and development in the region.

Having noted with pleasure the fruitful development of bilateral trade ties and the rapid growth of the USs exports to Vietnam, PM Phuc thanked the US for creating favourable conditions for the Southeast Asian country to boost the export of several products such as tra fish, shrimps and fruits, to the US market.

The government leader also affirmed that Vietnam and the US have cooperated together well in regional and global issues of mutual concern.

For his part, Kritenbrink expressed his delight at the positive development of the bilateral relationship after PM Phucs visit to the US and US President Trumps trip to Vietnam in 2017.

He thanked the government, ministries and sectors of Vietnam for their endeavours in beefing up the bilateral relations, including the settlement of matters related to automobiles, agricultural products, e-payment and the law on cyber security raised by US enterprises.

The ambassador affirmed that the US will continue assisting Vietnam in dealing with the war aftermath and hoped to step up cooperation with the nation in all spheres, including security and defence.

The US considers Vietnam a leading important partner in the region and wants to develop its relations with Vietnam as well as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for regional peace, cooperation and development, he stressed.

Deputy PM urges stronger Vietnam-RoK cooperation





Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (R) and Korean Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Yoon Soon-gu (Source: dangcongsan.vn)

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has suggested that Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) should promote cooperation in all fields, including defence, security, economy, e-commerce, labour, innovation and creativity towards the target of 100 billion USD in two-way trade by 2020.

During a reception in Hanoi on December 26 for Korean Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Yoon Soon-gu, who is also head of SOM ASEAN of the RoK, Minh spoke highly of the positive development of ASEAN- RoK ties over the past years, affirming that Vietnam and ASEAN treasure relations with the RoK and hoping that both sides will continue stepping up their practical and effective ties for the sake of peace and prosperity in the region.

Towards the 30th founding anniversary of ASEAN-RoK dialogue relations in 2019, Minh stressed that Vietnam supports the organisation of the ASEAN-RoK Commemorative Summit and will work closely with ASEAN member states to ensure its success.

He also expected that Vietnam would continue receiving the RoKs support as the country will assume the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2020.

Yoon, for his part, affirmed that the RoK values ties with Vietnam and ASEAN in general. He highlighted Vietnams importance in the implementation of the New Southern Policy of Korean President Moon Jae-in and in the development of relations between the RoK and ASEAN nations.

According to statistics, Vietnam leads Southeast Asia in two-way trade, investment and people-to-people exchange with the RoK.

He expressed hope that Vietnam will continue boosting bilateral ties with the RoK via multilateral mechanisms such as the ASEAN-RoK, Mekong-RoK and joint work with the RoK in regional issues of shared concern.

Earlier, Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister and head of SOM ASEAN Nguyen Quoc Dung held a working session with the Korean delegation.

Dung said Vietnam in particular and ASEAN in general attach importance to the initiative to hold the ASEAN-RoK Commemorative Summit, considering it an important milestone in the relationship with the RoK and a practical contribution to building an East Asia region of peace, stability and prosperity.

He pledged to work with other ASEAN states to realize these initiatives, thereby further enhancing ASEAN-RoK relations.

Yoon talked about preparations for the ASEAN-RoK Commemorative Summit scheduled to take place in late 2019 in the RoK, saying that a series of events within its framework will afford both sides a chance to outline orientations for the development of bilateral ties in the future.

Vietnamese defence chief pays official visit to Cambodia





Defence Minister Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich





Defence Minister Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich is leading a high-ranking military delegation of Vietnam to make an official visit to Cambodia from December 27-29.

The visit is made at the invitation of Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Tea Banh.

It aims to further strengthen the traditional friendship between the two countries peoples and armies.

During the visit, the two sides will review results of the bilateral defence cooperation in 2018, and discuss orientations and measures to effectively implement their cooperation plans in 2019.



NCP Chairman Oli fails to convince party colleagues

Members of the ruling Nepal Communist Party Standing Committee have refused to accept the political document of the two chairmen after Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli refused to accept his weaknesses both as a party chair and head of the government.Researchers analysing soil from Ireland long thought to have medicinal properties have discovered that it contains a previously unknown strain of bacteria which is effective against four of the top six superbugs that are resistant to antibiotics, including MRSA.

Antibiotic resistant superbugs could kill up to 1.3 million people in Europe by 2050, according to recent research.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) describes the problem as "one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today".

The new strain of bacteria was discovered by a team based in Swansea University Medical School, made up of researchers from Wales, Brazil, Iraq and Northern Ireland.

They have named the new strain Streptomyces sp. myrophorea.

The soil they analysed originated from an area of Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, which is known as the Boho Highlands. It is an area of alkaline grassland and the soil is reputed to have healing properties.

The search for replacement antibiotics to combat multi-resistance has prompted researchers to explore new sources, including folk medicines: a field of study known as ethnopharmacology. They are also focusing on environments where well-known antibiotic producers like Streptomyces can be found.

One of the research team, Dr Gerry Quinn, a previous resident of Boho, County Fermanagh, had been aware of the healing traditions of the area for many years.

Traditionally a small amount of soil was wrapped up in cotton cloth and used to heal many ailments including toothache, throat and neck infections. Interestingly, this area was previously occupied by the Druids, around 1500 years ago, and Neolithic people 4000 years ago.

The main findings of the research were that the newly-identified strain of Streptomyces:

Inhibited the growth of four of the top six multi-resistant pathogens identified by the WHO as being responsible for healthcare-associated infections: Vancomycin resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Klebsiella pneumonia, and Carbenepenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumaniiThe U.S. stock market had a wild ride in 2018, but that didnt deter foreign companies from seeking capital and investors here.

Thirty-three Chinese companies went public in the U.S. this year, double the number from last year and the most since 2010. Chinese companies accounted for 17% of all U.S. IPOs this year, with the majority in the tech sector. Chinese tech IPOs have outstripped those from Silicon Valley for the third year.

U.S. exchanges are known for their comprehensive structure and access to an international investor base. But there are no guarantees that a U.S. listing will generate returns. Two-thirds of the newly-listed Chinese company stocks are finishing the year in red, with an average loss of 13% below their issue. China-related stocks first felt the pinch of the trade dispute between Washington and Beijing, and got hit further by the recent global sell-off.

Credit: David Foster/Yahoo Finance

With an IPO boom based on numbers, there was no mega deal like Alibaba. The e-commerce giant raised $21.8 billion in 2014 and remains the biggest of all U.S. IPOs. Four Chinese companies raised more than $1 billion this year. Among them is a Chinese online streaming platform iQiyi, which made the biggest deal with $2.3 billion in IPO proceeds.

A lot of the Chinese tech companies are already backed by U.S.-based VCs, which made it natural for them to think about going public in the U.S., Kevin Carter, founder of Emerging Markets Internet and Ecommerce ETF, told Yahoo Finance. Marketplace app Pinduoduo and electric vehicle maker NIO are both backed by Sequoia Capital China, a subsidiary of the California-based Venture Capital firm.

We believe that companies sought out the relative stability of U.S. capital markets in response to domestic volatility and a tightening credit environment in China, Renaissance Capital wrote in its annual review on the IPO market. Chinas domestic stock market has seen a more than 20% free fall in 2018.

Its easier to go public in the U.S.

Story continues

(David Foster/Yahoo Finance)

The multiple-class structure is very popular among tech companies, which allows founders to maintain considerable voting power even when shares are diluted. Among the nine Chinese companies listed in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2018, six have a dual-class structure.

But stock exchanges in mainland China and Hong Kong had largely said no to the structure, considering it too risky for investors. Alibaba walked away from the Hong Kong exchange mainly due to this.

Losing tech giants like Alibaba has pushed some global markets to rethink the rules. Right before Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi raised $4.7 billion in April, Hong Kong loosened requirements to allow dual-class share structures. Two months later, the Singapore Exchange followed suit.

This offers more options outside the U.S. for Chinese companies with such a structure. There is also increasing competition to U.S. exchanges from their foreign counterparts, Ken Fong, an analyst at Dealogic, wrote in a post in April.

(David Foster/Yahoo Finance)

Even mainland Chinese exchanges want a piece of the pie. Chinese regulators vowed earlier this year to bring foreign-listed Chinese companies home, but no major progress has been made since the domestic market crashed.

Its a paradox that most Chinese tech giants are listed in the U.S., where their users in China cant even invest in their shares, said Carter.

Investors are keeping a close eye on potential Chinese IPOs next year, including Didi Chuxing, a ride-hailing giant, and Ant Financial, the fintech platform partly owned by Alibaba. They are expected to list in either Hong Kong or New York, with a potential dual listing in Shanghai.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission also liberalized listing rules this year to pave the way for more domestic tech sector issuance, easing regulatory obstacles such as mandatory profit requirements. Listing reforms on both the mainland and Hong Kong should open the door for even more tech IPOs, analysts at BlackRock wrote in a note in November.

Krystal Hu covers technology and trade for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter.

Read more:

Amazon got over $42 million worth of free publicity from its HQ2 search

Shares of these U.S. suppliers are getting slammed in the wake of the Huawei arrest(John Lloyd co-founded the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford. His books include What the Media Are Doing to Our Politics and The Power and the Story. The opinions expressed here are his own.)

By John Lloyd

Dec 28 (Reuters) - The resignation of U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis stands not only as a radical disassociation from the actions of the president he served, but as a foreboding for the future, a warning for 2019  and beyond. And, for all the assurances that the world is getting better, such as Steven Pinkers Enlightenment Now, there are huge geopolitical challenges to face and master to make that optimism real.

The key passages of Mattis resignation letter include statements asserting that the United States cannot protect its interests or effectively serve its role as the indispensable nation in the free world without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to its allies.  e must use all tools of American power to provide for the common defense, including providing effective leadership to our alliances, says Mattis. It is clear that China and Russia want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model. These are implicitly harsh criticisms of Donald Trump, a president who has denigrated and insulted allies as close as Canada, Britain and Germany, and deferred to Russian president Vladimir Putin, often treating him as a friend. More, Mattis remarks are red flags signaling the prospective collapse of the institutions and common policies of democratic states  now in increasing peril.

As the United States under Trump retreats to Fortress America, China under Xi Jinping retreats behind that version of Marxism which brooks no competitor on the political or ideological levels. The Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang have over the past year seen many of their number taken to re-education camps to purge them of their devotion to Islam; some Chinese authorities have ordered Christmas displays in shopping and office centers to be taken down. Chinas news media have been squeezed into conformity with the Party line for the past few years. The internet and social media provide some space for dissent, but its usually quickly cut off  consistent, as Mattis might say, with Beijings authoritarian model.

Story continues

Putin both retreats and advances. He publicly embraces Orthodox Christianity and refers glowingly to the doctrine of Eurasianism which stresses Russias separation from Europe. At the same time, he advances  piling pressure on neighboring Ukraine, most recently in the Sea of Azov which lies between the two countries, where Russian warships fired on poorly-armed Ukrainian vessels  part of Moscows overall strategy to, as Orysia Lutsevych writes, prevent the Ukrainian state from delivering security, economic prosperity and closer integration with the EU and NATO for its citizens. Putin is also ratcheting up pressure on Belarus, the smallest of the three Slavic states, to integrate more closely with Russia  a move which the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, has so far resisted. Were Russia to bring Belarus back under direct Russian control and engineer a pro-Russian government in Ukraines capital Kiev, Putins new Slav empire would be a reconstruction of much of the Soviet Union.

India, forecast to be the worlds most populous nation in three years time, becomes at one both more populist and more authoritarian in the fifth year of Narendra Modis rule. The countrys democratic institutions survive and debate is often robust, but a relentless centralization of authority and a sapping of the strength of formerly relatively independent institutions  as, this month, the Central Bank of India  are warnings of potentially unchecked executive power.

The largest project of a different kind of power, the European Union, now learns the hard way that the soft powers of education, culture, democracy, civil society and common markets  all of which the EU actively champions  can go only so far without military power to underpin them. 2019 will be a huge test for the Union  not just because the U.K. is due to leave it at the end of March, but also because the EU parliamentary elections in May are likely to see a large influx of populist and Eurosceptic deputies, dedicated to returning centralized power to national parliaments.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union at the beginning of the 1990s, a new spirit went abroad. Call it the export of democracy: the certainty that democratic practices and the institutions of civil society  as non-governmental pressure groups, independent research centers, the news media  could, once released from servitude, rapidly change into free societies on the Western model. They would do so because their people wanted freedom  the revolutions in the former Soviet bloc and elsewhere seemed to prove it.

In the United Nations, steam built up behind a project named genocide prevention and the responsibility to protect  the view that all rulers had a duty to protect their citizens, and to refrain from subjecting them to war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. If leaders did descend to attacking their own people  as did Saddam Hussein of Iraq throughout much of his 24-year reign  then they would be the target of sanctions, and even military force. The debacle of Iraq, above all else, convinced many Western publics and leaders that idealistic imperialism led to disaster, and always would. Those espousing it  as had Hillary Clinton  faded. Both a liberal like Barack Obama and a populist like Donald Trump tacitly agreed that such foreign adventures were, on any large scale, a thing of the past. Thus, both the new soft power of the European Union and the idealistic imperialism to which the responsibility to protect gave birth have been seen to have demonstratively failed.

We are left with hard power in the ascendant  powers at whose summits are men (in every case) who use nationalism and the projection and growth of military force to bolster their popularity, and who saw liberal globalism as having offered a threat to their ruling strategies  but which is now ceasing to do so. And because large sections of the Western publics experienced marginalization, a loss of identity and no rises in income, they too turned against the liberal vision. (Reporting by John Lloyd)ABC/Randy HolmesShinedown has a busy year ahead of them in 2019, starting in February with the launch of a U.S. headlining tour featuring Papa Roach and Asking Alexandria. And if frontman Brent Smith fulfills his New Year's resolution, all of those shows will start on time. Or, at least, it won't be his fault if they don't.

"My New Year's resolution is I'm going to be on time," Smith tells ABC Radio. "Because I am the one in the band that makes everybody, like, 25 minutes late."

In fact, Smith isn't resolving to just be punctual -- he's hoping to arrive five minutes early for all of his obligations.

"So that's my New Year's resolution, is to be more mindful of time and show up on time and not be late," he says.

Shinedown's 2019 tour kicks off February 20 in Estero, Florida, followed by a group of more intimate "An Evening with" shows beginning in May. The band will be supporting their new album ATTENTION ATTENTION, featuring the singles "DEVIL" and "GET UP."

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.Nepal grants Americans 5-year multiple visit visa

The Cabinet meeting has approved a new visa regime between Nepal and the United States.(Bloomberg) -- Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg, criticized for months by lawmakers, privacy advocates and some investors, said he was proud of the progress weve made, fighting misinformation and protecting users personal data during one of the companys most tumultuous years.

To be clear, addressing these issues is more than a one-year challenge, Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post. For some of these issues, like election interference or harmful speech, the problems can never fully be solved.

This year was one of constant apologies for the social network, after multiple instances of broken trust with its users. Zuckerberg testified for the first time in front of Congress in April, explaining why Facebook allowed users data to fall into the hands of unauthorized third parties. In his reflection on Friday, he made the case that Facebook is now a changed company, and will be more proactive about problems.

Weve fundamentally altered our DNA to focus more on preventing harm in all our services, he wrote.

Read more: click here for a link to Zuckerbergs full post.

The blows to Facebooks reputation also have hurt the stock, which declined 24 percent this year through Thursdays close, while the S&P 500 dropped 6.9 percent. The shares fell about 1 percent to $133.28 at 1:32 p.m. Friday in New York.

In Zuckerbergs list of things Facebook accomplished in 2018, some remain undone, or already widely critiqued. For example, he writes that Facebook automatically takes down 99 percent of terrorist content before anyone reports it, without saying that the statistic only refers to content from the Islamic State and al-Qaeda. He also points to a clear history tool the company started building. Facebook announced the tool in May, but it will still be many months before it rolls out to users.

--With assistance from Jeran Wittenstein.

To contact the reporter on this story: Sarah Frier in San Francisco at sfrier1@bloomberg.net

Story continues

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jillian Ward at jward56@bloomberg.net, Andrew Pollack, Molly Schuetz

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2018 Bloomberg L.P.A view of the Goldman Sachs stall on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange July 16, 2013. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia is seeking $7.5 billion in reparations from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) over its dealings with scandal-linked state fund 1MDB, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing the country's finance minister.

Separately, Bloomberg reported that Singapore has expanded its criminal investigation of 1MDB to include Goldman Sachs, in a sign of increasing scrutiny of the bank's role in the suspected multi-billion-dollar money laundering scheme.

Malaysian prosecutors this week filed charges against Goldman Sachs in connection with its role as underwriter and arranger of three bond sales that raised $6.5 billion for 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), the first criminal action against the U.S. bank over the scandal.

Goldman Sachs has consistently denied wrongdoing and said certain members of the former Malaysian government and 1MDB lied to the bank about the proceeds of the bond sales.

In addition to the bonds' total value, Goldman Sachs should also return $1 billion to cover $600 million in fees paid to the bank and bond coupons that were "higher than the market rate", the FT quoted Malaysian Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng as saying.

Lim also told the FT that reparations should at least be more than $1.8 billion, the sum Goldman Sachs has told investors it had set aside to cover potential losses related to 1MDB legal proceedings.

"Their figure is $1.8 billion. Ours is $7.5 billion," Lim said.

Malaysia is not currently negotiating with Goldman, but charges filed on Monday could bring the bank to the table, Lim said.

In an emailed response to Reuters, a Goldman Sachs spokesman said the bank intended to "vigorously contest these charges."

"The 1MDB bond offerings were meant to raise money to benefit Malaysia; instead, a huge portion of those funds were stolen for the benefit of members of the Malaysian government and their associates."

"Certain members of that government and 1MDB lied to Goldman about the use of proceeds from these transactions," the spokesman said.

Story continues

Critics have said the fees earned by Goldman Sachs were far in excess of the normal 1-2 percent a bank could expect for helping sell bonds.

Goldman has said the outsized fees related to additional risks: it bought the unrated bonds while it sought investors and, in the case of a 2013 bond deal which raised $2.7 billion, 1MDB wanted the funds quickly.

Malaysia has sought jail terms and billions in fines from Goldman Sachs and four individuals who allegedly misappropriated about $2.7 billion from the 1MDB bond proceeds.

The U.S. Department of Justice alleges that a total of about $4.5 billion was misappropriated from 1MDB and used to buy, among others, real estate in London and New York, expensive jewelery and artwork, and a private jet.

EXPANDED PROBE

Citing unnamed sources, Bloomberg reported that Singapore has expanded a criminal probe into fund flows linked to 1MDB to include Goldman Sachs.

Authorities in Singapore are trying to determine whether some of the $600 million in fees that Goldman earned from the three bond deals flowed to the Singapore subsidiary, the report said.

Singapore police did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Bloomberg report.

A spokesman for Goldman Sachs said in a statement: "The firm continues to cooperate with all authorities investigating this matter."

Goldman Sachs (Singapore) PTE was one of the three units charged by Malaysia this week.

Shares of the U.S. investment bank fell to a two-year low this week after Malaysia filed the charges.

Two former Goldman Sachs bankers, Tim Leissner and Roger Ng, have been charged by Malaysia and the Department of Justice.

Singapore has banned Leissner, the bank's former Southeast Asia chairman, from its securities industry for life after he plead guilty in the United States for conspiring to launder 1MDB money and violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

The United States is also seeking extradition of Ng, who has been detained in Malaysia.

(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Additional reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi in Kuala Lumpur and Aradhana Aravindan in Singapore; Editing by Stephen Coates and Christopher Cushing)Carolina de Onis, general counsel at Teacher Retirement System of Texas.



The Teacher Retirement System of Texas is the largest public pension fund in Texas and the sixth largest in the United States. With offices in Austin and London, TRS has diversified assets totaling more than $155 billion and serves 1.5 million public education members and retirees. It also runs the two largest health care plans, outside of Medicaid, for the state of Texas.



Carolina de Onis is the systems general counsel.



Legal Team



de Onis oversees a legal department of 30, including 17 lawyers, as well as TRS compliance department.



With $155 billion in assets, we cant do it all in-house, but we try to keep as much in-house as we can, she said. As a general rule, we can do it better, faster and most cost-effectively in-house.



A substantial majority of the pension work is done in-house, while less investment work is kept in, although even in those agreements, we keep a pretty strong hand because our value-add is knowing the client and making sure that outside counsel understands what we need, de Onis said.



Outside Counsel



For investment counsel, de Onis turns to: DLA Piper; Foley & Lardner; Foster Pepper; Jackson Walker; Katten Muchin Rosenman; Purrington Moody Weil; Seyfarth Shaw; and Squire Patton Boggs. For pension, tax and health care work, she uses Ice Miller.



Daily Duties



I spend a lot of time working with my team: training the team, managing the team and supervising the team, de Onis said. I have a hand in the major legal decisions that need to be made, but I do like to delegate where I can.



de Onis also sets the strategic direction of the legal and compliance departments, noting that when she started at TRS, there was no official compliance department, so she created one out of whole cloth within the legal department.



In addition to advising the governor-appointed board of trustees, de Onis also sits on both the internal investment and pension management committees.



Its an interesting job because I have the investment side, I have the pension side, I have the health care side, and then I have all of the regular corporate-type duties, de Onis said, adding that these include labor and employment, litigation, contracts and ethics and compliance work.



What really takes up most of my time is the investment side because the legal issues there tend to be thornier, she said.



Route to the Top



After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law in 1996, de Onis clerked for two years for Judge Sam Sparks of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in Austin.



A fluent Spanish speaker, de Onis then spent six years as a high-stakes associate litigator in the New York office of Davis Polk & Wardwell, representing a number of Spanish and Latin American companies.



She then joined Barclays Investment Bank, where she was responsible for litigation, including the litigation that resulted from the financial crisis, as well as litigation related to Barclays acquisition of Lehman Bros. capital markets and investment banking businesses following the investment banks bankruptcy in 2008.



de Onis then took a year off to have children and return to Austin, where she joined TRS as GC in 2013.



The position is a nice mix of my Wall Street background with a public service component, she said.



Personal



de Onis and her French husband have two daughters, ages 9 and 7. The family loves to travel, including returning to France whenever possible. de Onis also enjoys spending time with her children and living the Austin lifestyle, including being outdoors.



Last Book



Nemesis, by Philip Roth, a novel that tells of a summer 1944 polio epidemic and its effects on a closely knit Newark community and its children.Per Reuters, Nissan Motor Company NSANY will slash vehicle production in China to survive the slackening economy. Over the three-month period beginning in December, the company is likely to reduce initial vehicle production by 30,000 units. However, the planned production target for the three months is not known yet. From December 2017 to February 2018, Nissan produced 400,000 units in China.



Reportedly, the Japanese automaker has plans to cut production at three of its factories in China, including plants in Dalian and Zhengzhou. The Dalian hub manufactures Nissans well-known Qashqai and Infiniti QX50 SUV crossover models, while X-Trail SUV crossover and Venucia models are manufactured at the Zhengzhou plant.



China is the second-largest auto market for Nissan, having contributed one-fourth of the companys annual global sales. In 2017, the company sold 1.5 million vehicles in China and has set a target to sell 2.6 million units by the end of 2022. Earlier in August, the company announced its plans to expand its vehicle manufacturing capacity in China by 40%. For this, the company planned to invest $900 million, of which, $8.73 billion will be allocated to expand its footprint in China.

Nissan Motor Co. Price and Consensus

Nissan Motor Co. Price and Consensus | Nissan Motor Co. Quote

However, plunging vehicle demand on the back of slackening economic growth, and the ongoing tariff-war between the United States and China are hampering the top line of many auto manufacturers, including Nissan. In the 11-month period ended November 2018, Nissans vehicle sales grew 3.9% compared to a 12% rise witnessed in the same period of 2017.



Apart from China, the company is also witnessing a sharp sales decline in the United States. During the year, a continuous plunge in sedan sales has trimmed Nissans top-line growth. In the first 11 months of 2018, the companys Versa sedan recorded a year-over-year sales decline of 30.7%. Waning profitability in the country prompted this automaker to cut vehicle production in North America by about 20%.



Nissan has plans to improve the bottom line by implementing production cuts in North America, in addition to raising sales in China, which is the biggest auto market in the world. However, the decline in Chinas auto sales over the past few months places Nissan in a strained situation.



Price Performance



Nissans stock has lost 18.5% over the past six months, underperforming 22.9% decrease recorded by the industry it belongs to.

Story continues



Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider



Nissan currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the auto space are Fox Factory Holding Corporation FOXF, Allison Transmission Holdings, Inc. ALSN and Cooper Tire & Rubber Company CTB. Fox Factory and Allison Transmission currently sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) while Cooper Tire carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



Fox Factory has an expected long-term growth rate of 5%. Shares of the company have rallied 24.6% in the past three months.



Allison Transmission has an expected long-term growth rate of 10%. Shares of the company have increased 7.8% in the past three months.



Cooper Tire has an expected long-term growth rate of 4%. Over the past three months, shares of the company have gained 12.1%.



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.No conflict in country, says talks team

After holding talks with 23 different groups in more than four months, the high-level political dialogue committee has submitted its report, concluding that there is no conflict in the country any more.Russia warned the U.S. against any effort to influence the royal succession in Saudi Arabia, offering its support to embattled Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whos under continuing pressure over the killing of a government critic.

President Vladimir Putins envoy to the Middle East said Prince Mohammed has every right to inherit the throne when the ailing 82-year-old King Salman dies.

Of course we are against interference. The Saudi people and leadership must decide such questions themselves, Mikhail Bogdanov, who is also deputy foreign minister, said in an interview in Moscow on Tuesday. The King made a decision and I cant even imagine on what grounds someone in America will interfere in such an issue and think about who should rule Saudi Arabia, now or in the future. This is a Saudi matter.

Senior U.S. lawmakers have blamed the crown prince the murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey, a conclusion they said was backed by the Central Intelligence Agency. The Saudi government has repeatedly denied the princes involvement and said he was killed by government agents in a botched plan to force his return home. Russia says it accepts the Saudi account.

Russia has built increasingly close ties to Saudi Arabia since King Salman appointed Prince Mohammed as his heir, turning the 33-year-old into the oil-rich kingdoms de facto ruler. The two countries have cooperated in limiting oil production to support prices under the OPEC+ arrangement and Putin is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia next year.

Last month at the G-20 summit in Argentina, Putin and Prince Mohammed greeted each other with broad grins and a high five handshake even as the Saudi crown prince faced a chilly reception from other leaders in the wake of the Khashoggi killing.

After the only surviving full brother of King Salman, Prince Ahmed, returned to Saudi Arabia from London in late October, speculation emerged that disgruntled members of the Saudi royal family might seek to install Ahmed, the crown princes uncle, instead of him as king. Prince Mohammed has steadily amassed more power since he became the heir to the throne in 2017, sidelining his rivals.

Senior U.S. officials indicated they might back Prince Ahmed as king, Reuters reported last month, citing unidentified people close to the Saudi court. While President Donald Trump has sought to emphasize the importance of the U.S. alliance with Saudi Arabia, prominent senators have come out against the crown prince, with one, Republican Lindsey Graham, describing him as crazy and dangerous.

Asked if Prince Mohammed has the right to succeed his father, Bogdanov said: Of course. Its all been decided, its all absolutely clear. We are in contact with the Saudis and we dont see any particular concerns about this.By Dave Sherwood

SANTIAGO, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Russia's state-owned nuclear power company Rosatom has offered Chile's government technology it says can boost output of lithium, a key ingredient in electric vehicle batteries, according to lobbyist transparency filings reviewed by Reuters.

In separate meetings in late November, lobbyists for the Uranium One Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rosatom, told officials at two Chilean agencies they could sustainably boost extraction rates of the ultralight battery metal from brine, improve its quality and net more money in royalties for Chilean coffers.

"If the Russian technology meets with your requirements and expectations ... Uranium One Group would be willing to introduce it ... for projects operated by SQM, Albemarle ... and other concessionaires, with the goal of increasing their production quotas," the lobbyists told Chilean officials in the Nov. 22 filings.

SQM and Albemarle, which operate in Chile's lithium-rich Atacama salt flat, are the world's top producers of lithium. Both have recently won approvals to boost their quotas of lithium production without using more brine, or saltwater, in the process.

Representatives from Rosatom pitched their plan to officials with Chile development agency Corfo and the Andean nation's Ministry of Mining.

Russia's interest in the South American nation's lithium industry comes as electric automakers worldwide seek resources for their batteries. Chile is the world's top copper producer and the world's No. 2 producer of lithium - both metals critical for the industry.

Automakers, governments, miners and other have increasingly lobbied officials here for access to Chile's coveted resources.

Rosatom said its technology would utilize residual brines left over after processing, and it would do away with the large, water-intensive solar evaporation pools that Chile's top miners use to produce lithium, the lobbyist records show.

The company also offered several other options to Chilean officials, including building a plant to convert lithium chloride to a battery-grade lithium hydroxide that it said is not produced in Chile but is increasingly coveted by automakers.

A more efficient, water-saving technology could help Chile stem an impending environmental crisis.

Uncertainty over just how much water remains beneath the surface of Chile's lithium-rich salt flats has increasingly sparked conflict between lithium and copper miners, and between industry and indigenous communities.

Any proposal from Rosatom, one of the world's largest producers of nuclear reactors, would likely face close scrutiny from Chilean regulators. Chile considers lithium a "strategic mineral," limiting its production and restricting use in nuclear applications. (Reporting by Dave Sherwood; Editing by Richard Chang)(Bloomberg) -- Sony Corp., the biggest maker of camera chips used in smartphones, is boosting production of next-generation 3D sensors after getting interest from customers including Apple Inc.

The chips will power front- and rear-facing 3D cameras of models from several smartphone makers in 2019, with Sony kicking off mass production in late summer to meet demand, according to Satoshi Yoshihara, head of Sonys sensor division. He declined to provide sales or production targets, but said the 3D business is already operating profitably and will make an impact on earnings from the fiscal year starting in April.

Sonys bullish outlook for 3D cameras provides much needed optimism to the global smartphone industry, which is suffering a slowdown as consumers find fewer reasons to upgrade devices. The Tokyo-based company has started providing software toolkits to outside developers so they can experiment with the chips and create apps that generate models of faces for communication or virtual objects for online shopping.

Cameras revolutionized phones, and based on what Ive seen, I have the same expectation for 3D, said Yoshihara, who has worked for more than a decade on wider industry adoption of cameras in smartphones. The pace will vary by field, but were definitely going to see adoption of 3D. Im certain of it."

Sony controls about half of the camera chip market and supplies customers including Apple, Alphabet Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., although Yoshihara declined to identify them by name, citing confidentiality agreements. Huawei Technologies Co. is employing Sonys 3D cameras in next generation models, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg earlier this month.

Sony isnt the only maker of 3D chips, with rivals Lumentum Holdings Inc. and STMicroelectronics NV already finding uses for them, such as unlocking phones through facial recognition or measuring depth to improve focus when taking pictures at night.

Story continues

Yoshihara said Sonys technology differs from the structured light approach of existing chips which have limits in terms of accuracy and distance. Sony uses a method called time of flight that sends out invisible laser pulses and measures how long they take to bounce back, which he said creates more detailed 3D models and works at distances of five meters. Other uses include mobile games, which could involve creating virtual characters that interact with and navigate real-world environments, or ones that use hand gestures for control.

To be sure, demand for Sonys technology is untested and it remains to be seen if consumer interest in 3D will be enough to snap the smartphone market out of its funk. Annual global shipments probably fell 3 percent in 2018 with growth of just 2.6 percent expected in 2019, according to IDC. Yoshihara also said there will only be a need for two 3D chips on devices, for the front and back, despite a trend by smartphone makers to have three or more cameras.

During the interview, Sony showed several examples using a custom phone with a 3D camera on its rear. In one app, users made specific hand gestures to cast magic spells inside a virtual game. In another, the phone calculated the depth of the room and accurately displayed a virtual goldfish swimming in-front of and behind real-life objects.

The most important thing in the coming year will be to get people excited, Yoshihara said.

To contact the reporters on this story: Yuji Nakamura in Tokyo at ynakamura56@bloomberg.net;Yuki Furukawa in Tokyo at yfurukawa13@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

2019 Bloomberg L.P.Pakistan has denied that a multibillion-dollar infrastructure project built and financed by China has a "military dimension."

A New York Times articleon December 19 reported that Islamabad and Beijing, key allies, were planning military projects as part of a massive infrastructure project known as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which seeks to connect China's western province of Xinjiang with Pakistans Arabian Sea port of Gwadar.

The CPEC effort consists of rail, road, and energy infrastructure and is part of China's $1 trillion Belt and Road initiative that stretches across some 70 countries.

The New York Times reported that the Pakistani Air Force and Chinese officials were finalizing a secret proposal to expand Pakistans building of Chinese military jets, weaponry, and other hardware.

The newspaper reported that the secret plan would also deepen the cooperation between China and Pakistan in space, a frontier the Pentagon recently said Beijing was trying to militarize after decades of playing catch-up.

But a spokesman for Pakistans Foreign Office said CPEC had no military dimensions.

The CPEC has helped Pakistan improve its economy, particularly energy and infrastructure sectors have improved under it," said Mohammad Faisal during a press conference on December 28. "The CPEC is a bilateral economic project, which is not against any country."

Based on reporting by Dawn and The New York TimesThree miners were killed after a gas explosion in a coal mine in southwestern Pakistan.

The explosion occurred on December 27 in the Chamalang coal mine in the district of Duki in Balochistan Province.

Local officials said the miners had suffered severe burns and their bodies were recovered after an hours-long search by rescuers.

The three miners were identified as Mohammad Baseer, Mohammad Dawood, and Rahmatullah.

The three men were Afghan nationals.

The incident is just the latest fatal coal mining accident in Pakistan.

In September, nine coal miners were killed and four others injured when the roof of a mine collapsed in northwestern Pakistan.

In August, at least 18 miners were killed after a blast at a mine near the southwestern city of Quetta.

Pakistan has suffered many coal-mine disasters, a situation that critics have blamed on poor safety standards.

The Pakistan Central Mines Labor Federation has said that an average of 200 miners a year die in accidents.

Based on reporting by Dawn and The NationWhat better way to start your first morning of 2019 than with some fresh air? And in case you forgot during the busy holiday season that you live in a beautiful place, local state parks are here to remind you.

Last year, the country saw nearly 55,000 participants of First Day Hikes, altogether logging more than 133,000 miles, reports the National Association of State Park Directors.

More than half of Colorados 41 protected preserves will showcase their inspiring nature with ranger-led hikes, including four here in the Pikes Peak region. Bring the kids, but leave the dogs at home, as theyre not allowed on these local park trails.

Cheyenne Mountain State Park has planned three hikes of varying lengths starting at 10 a.m. From the Limekiln parking lot, groups will embark on a tour of the wooded flats at the foot of the granite-pocked mountain.

Or opt for Mueller State Parks higher elevations, with slightly more vigorous adventures set for 9 a.m. Follow the entrance road to the visitor center and inquire about meeting points at various trailheads. Farther west in Teller County, Eleven Mile State Park also will welcome visitors at 9 a.m.

Ever been to Castlewood Canyon? This would be a good time to explore the surprising geology off Colorado 83, northeast of Larkspur. The Douglas County state park is hosting at least three hikes starting at 9 a.m.

Cheyenne Mountain State Park takes pride in its First Day Hikes  snow, sleet or shine. The other parks will post on their Facebook pages in case of cancellations.

For a more far-flung trip, consider these other Front Range gems, all less than a two-hour drive from Colorado Springs: Staunton near Morrison, Eldorado Canyon near Boulder and Golden Gate Canyon outside Golden.

At 9:30 a.m., meet at Stauntons group picnic area, where a cookout is planned. Six different adventures will depart at various times, including one 11-mile round trip to the beautifully frozen Elk Falls. For a rundown, go to https://bit.ly/2Q34Hag

Youll have time to get up to Eldorado for the 1 p.m. hike on the Fowler Trail, short and for all ages, followed by hot chocolate around a fire, if weather permits. Starting at 10 a.m., two hikes are planned at Golden Gate. Meet at the visitor center and be prepared for a 6-mile trek with great views.

All encourage sturdy shoes, warm clothing, water and something to munch on. You might want traction, too, in case of icy trails. $8 entrance per vehicle.No one will remain poor in the country: PM Oli

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the governments social security programme will leave no one poor in the country.Schoolyards teem with children by day. But what comes around when class is not in session?

Thousands of kids around the world have been asking that question for four years  and using camera traps to get some wild answers. In central India, students learned, tigers and endangered wild dogs called dholes tour their school grounds. In central Kenya, the rarely seen jaguarundi cat hunts on school property.

The images were captured in four countries by students ages 9 to 14 and their teachers, all participants in a study run out of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and North Carolina State University. And the wildlife they documented stunned even the researchers who'd armed them with the cameras.

"I was initially worried we'd just get stray cats and dogs," said Stephanie Schuttler, a research associate at the museum and lead author of a new paper on the study. "So we were really shocked by the diversity."

The collection of images  taken in Maharashtra state in India, across Laikipia County in Kenya, outside the Mexican city of Guadalajara and across North Carolina  features 83 mammal species, 15 of which are endangered. The images are being stored in a Smithsonian repository.

For the scientists, it amounted to proof that child "citizen scientists" can produce data that is useful to researchers, Schuttler said, and that wild animals roam all sorts of developed habitat.

"A lot of scientists don't study animals outside parks, but we really need to," Schuttler said. "People live in between, and we're going to have to understand how these animals are using these spaces."

For the kids, the study has been engaging, not to mention suspenseful, but in a good way. The paper describes students at one North Carolina school who were "so excited to check the camera traps that they counted down the days and 'screamed' with excitement when they viewed the images of the animals they had captured."

"They became very proud of their data," Schuttler said. "Most of these animals, people would never see."Nick Wright walks in blowing snow and freezing temperatures along Hwy 105 east of I-25 in this Gazette file photo. A cold, blustery storm passing through central, eastern and southern Colorado is expected to impact travels on the road and in the air Thursday into FridayJason Crow, the first Democrat to represent Colorados 6th Congressional District, on Friday announced that hes hired Maytham Alshadood, an Iraqi immigrant who served as a military translator and combat interpreter, to be his district director.

Crow, an attorney and Army Ranger veteran who unseated five-term Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman in November, said his campaign manager, Colorado native Alex Ball, will be his chief of staff and Katrice Traylor will be his director of constituent services.

As we work together to build a new generation of leadership in Washington, Alex and Maythams knowledge, talent, expertise and deep love of Colorado and its people put us in a position to succeed, Crow said in a statement.

Im thrilled to welcome them onboard to lead our team and look forward to working with them to take on the most important issues in our community and country.

Before he immigrated to the United States and settled in Arapahoe County, Alshadood worked with U.S. forces in Iraq as a translator during the formation of a new Iraqi army and the effort to rebuild the Iraqi government, including combat missions in northern Baghdad and military intelligence work, Crows office said.

Crow served three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Although his service overlapped with Alshadood in 2005 and 2006, they didnt know each other until recently.

After arriving in Colorado, Alshadood founded the nonprofit DRIVE Project, an organizing and advocacy group that works with refugee and immigrant communities in Aurora.

Hes served on the Denver Immigrant and Refugees Commission and worked as a nurse with University of Colorado Hospitals transplant unit.

Colorados 6th District wouldnt be the community that it is without the diversity within it, Alshadood said in a statement. As [an] immigrant, combat interpreter, and refugee advocate, Im thrilled to join Jasons team and see those experiences build and inform upon each other to create a better future for the families of 6th district.

He became a U.S. citizen in August 2014.

As soon as I was eligible, I submitted my naturalization application, he added.

Alshadood will run Crows district office at 3300 S. Parker Road in Aurora.

Ball, who grew up in Littleton and is a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder, has managed congressional campaigns around the country.

In the last midterm election, she was finance director for U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos of Illinois, who was recently named to chair the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Traylor, who will work out of the district office in Aurora, has worked for the abortion-rights advocacy group NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado and is a member of the Arapahoe County Citizens Budget Committee.

Crow will be sworn in to the new 116th Congress on Thursday in Washington, D.C.You have permission to edit this article.

Edit CloseNirmala rape, murder case: Police deny torturing suspects during interrogation

Nepal Police have outrightly denied that they tortured Pradip Rawal and Bishal Chaudhary while the two were kept in custody in relation to the high-profile case of Nirmala Pant, the 13-year-old who was raped and murdered on July 26.REHOVOT, Israel and NEW YORK, Dec. 03, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Todos Medical Ltd. (OTCQB: TOMDF), a clinical-stage in-vitro diagnostics company focused on the development of blood tests for the early detection of cancer, announced that it has entered into a Joint Venture Agreement (JV Agreement) with biotechnology holding company Amarantus Bioscience Holdings, Inc. (OTCPK: AMBS) to develop LymPro Test as a diagnostic blood test for Alzheimers disease. LymPro Test is an immune-based neurodiagnostic blood test originally developed at Leipzig University in Germany.



We are extremely pleased to be entering into this JV Agreement surrounding LymPro Test 2.0, which is positioned as potentially the first diagnostic blood test for Alzheimers disease, said Herman Weiss, MD MBA, CEO of Todos Medical. With LymPros focus on measuring immune markers that are directly linked to well established cell proliferation processes, we are expanding our understanding of how the bodys immune system responds to disease and how we can use this response to diagnose early and monitor the progression of Alzheimers disease. We believe this could be an invaluable tool for pharmaceutical companies development of novel treatments for Alzheimers, as well as a critical component to early diagnosis that may have a meaningful impact on the cost-curve associated with Alzheimers, estimated to be currently $250 billion annually in the US, and expected to grow to $1.2 trillion by 2050. The closing of this JV Agreement is subject to Todos Medical raising $1,000,000 from institutional investors.

Todos Medical has robust data sets and patent portfolios for the early detection of cancer, said Gerald E. Commissiong, President & CEO of Amarantus. With regulatory approval in Europe and niche markets in Asia, Todos Medical is preparing to commercialize its diagnostics markers, which is a key value inflection for any diagnostic company. LymPro will help Todos Medical build upon its deep understanding of the interplay between immune system and aberrant cell proliferation processes that lead to disease. We believe this combination will help drive the clinical and commercial plan for LymPro and deliver significant shareholder value for Amarantus.

Under the terms of the JV Agreement, Todos Medical will issue to Amarantus 19.99% of the outstanding ordinary shares of Todos Medical stock, in exchange for 19.99% of a newly- formed entity called Breakthrough Diagnostics, Inc., with an exclusive option to acquire the remaining 80.01% of Breakthrough Diagnostics in exchange for an additional 30.01% of Todos shares outstanding. All rights to LymPro and certain other diagnostic assets will be assigned to Breakthrough Diagnostics, as part of the transaction. Todos Medical's exclusive option will be exercisable upon Amarantus entering into an amended and restated license agreement with the University of Leipzig.

About Todos Medical Ltd.

Todos Medical Ltd. (OTCQB: TOMDF) an Israeli company headquartered in Rehovot, Israel, is a cancer in-vitro-diagnostic (IVD) company engaging in the development of a series of blood tests for the early detection of a variety of cancers. The company has developed two cancer screening tests based on TBIA (Todos Biochemical Infrared Analyses), a method for cancer screening using peripheral blood analysis. The TBIA screening method is based on the cancers influence on the immune system which triggers biochemical changes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and plasma. This proprietary and patented method incorporates biochemistry, physics and signal processing. The companys two cancer screening tests, TM-B1 and TM-B2 are CE marked in the EU.

For more information, the content of which is not part of this press release, please visit http://www.Todosmedical.com .

About the LymPro Test

The Lymphocyte Proliferation Test (LymPro Test) is a diagnostic blood test that determines the ability of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) and monocytes to withstand an exogenous mitogenic stimulation that induces them to enter the cell cycle. It is believed that certain diseases, most notably Alzheimer's disease, are the result of compromised cellular machinery that leads to aberrant cell cycle re-entry by neurons which then leads to apoptosis. LymPro is unique in the use of peripheral blood lymphocytes as a surrogate for neuronal cell function, suggesting a common relationship between PBLs and neurons in the brain.

About Amarantus Bioscience Holdings, Inc.

Amarantus Bioscience Holdings (AMBS) is a JLABS alumnus biotechnology company developing treatments and diagnostics for diseases in the areas of neurology, regenerative medicine and orphan diseases through its subsidiaries. AMBS wholly-owned subsidiary Elto Pharma, Inc . has development rights to eltoprazine, a Phase 2b-ready small molecule indicated for Parkinson's disease levodopa-induced dyskinesia, Alzheimers aggression and adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, commonly known as ADHD. AMBS acquired the rights to the Engineered Skin Substitute program, a regenerative medicine-based approach for treating severe burns with full-thickness autologous skin grown in tissue culture that is being pursued by AMBS wholly-owned subsidiary Cutanogen Corporation . AMBS wholly-owned subsidiary MANF Therapeutics, Inc. owns key intellectual property rights and licenses from a number of prominent universities related to the development of the therapeutic protein known as mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF). MANF Therapeutics, Inc . is developing MANF-based products as treatments for brain and ophthalmic disorders. MANF was discovered by the Companys Chief Scientific Officer John Commissiong, PhD. Dr. Commissiong discovered MANF from AMBS proprietary discovery engine PhenoGuard. The Company also re-acquired rights to the Alzheimers blood diagnostic LymPro Test , MSPrecise and NuroPro.

For further information please visit www.Amarantus.com , or connect with the Amarantus on Facebook , LinkedIn , Twitter and Google+ .

Forward-looking statements: Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements. For example, forward-looking statements are used when discussing our expected clinical development programs and clinical trials. These forward-looking statements are based only on current expectations of management, and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements, including the risks and uncertainties related to the progress, timing, cost, and results of clinical trials and product development programs; difficulties or delays in obtaining regulatory approval or patent protection for product candidates; competition from other biotechnology companies; and our ability to obtain additional funding required to conduct our research, development and commercialization activities. In addition, the following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements: changes in technology and market requirements; delays or obstacles in launching our clinical trials; changes in legislation; inability to timely develop and introduce new technologies, products and applications; lack of validation of our technology as we progress further and lack of acceptance of our methods by the scientific community; inability to retain or attract key employees whose knowledge is essential to the development of our products; unforeseen scientific difficulties that may develop with our process; greater cost of final product than anticipated; loss of market share and pressure on pricing resulting from competition; and laboratory results that do not translate to equally good results in real settings, all of which could cause the actual results or performance to differ materially from those contemplated in such forward-looking statements. Except as otherwise required by law, neither Todos Medical nor Amarantus undertakes any obligation to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. For a more detailed description of the risks and uncertainties affecting Todos Medical and Amarantus, please refer to their reports filed from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Amarantus Investor and Media Contact:

Howard Gostfrand

American Capital Ventures, Inc.

Office: 305-918-7000

Email: hg@amcapventures.com

Todos Medical Investor and Media Contact:

Daniel Hirsch

Investor Relations

Dan.h@todosmedical.com

(347) 699-0029

Source: Amarantus Bioscience Holdings, Inc.Toronto, ON, Dec. 27, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Amazonas Florestal, Ltd. (www.azflus.com) (OTC PINK: AZFL), a natural resources company dedicated to innovative, sustainable forest management, Industrial CBD Hemp and the certification and sales of carbon credits, today reported that it has moved its Corporate Offices to Toronto, Ontario, Canada and that as the first order of business at these new offices, the Company intends to apply for a Cannabis Retail License in Ontario, and that contingent to that licensing it will open a Cannabis Retail store that has already been secured in Etobicoke, near Toronto.



The Company added that more than one investment group has accepted its Business Plans and expressed that they expect to complete a commitment in the early part of January to fund the operations therein described which include a retail cannabis dispensary branded as Havanos Cannabis Boutique (Twitter: @HavanosC ) and a 10,000 square foot grow operation in southern Ontario.

Company auditors have notified management that the audits are completed and will be filed together with the 2018 Annual Report. The Company announced that it expects these measures will allow for the completion of plans to renew operations in Colorado where last year it almost gained $35 Million plus in revenues from its High CBD Industrial Hemp Plantations, having tested 1/10th of 1% too high for the legal THC limits of .3 to be classified as Industrial Hemp. The renewed operations are expected to achieve the planting and harvest of 50 acres using certified and proven genetic strains of High CBD Hemp.

Ricardo Cortez, Company Chairman, said, After a couple years in an uphill battle, I can say that the outlook for AZFL in 2019 is excellent. The company has finished its audits and has three solid business plans in the works, with serious investors in the process of commitments, any of which will allow the company to return to operations. We here at management feel that the company is poised for big things now in 2019; any inclusion of profitable operations will put us back on the map and allow us to build shareholder value again and grow.

Mr. Cortez went on to say, We now have partners and affiliates on location preparing to mount operations in both Colorado and Toronto. In Colorado we are preparing to make an offer in January on a 53 acres property where we could plant at least 32 acres in April. Nearby there are another 20 acres for lease that we also intend to secure to complete a minimum of 50 acres. Those operations are in addition to the operations in Canada where we already have moved our offices in preparation and where the dispensary location has been secured and consultants have been retained. We intend to file paperwork by January 7th and be included in the lottery that will determine in the phase 1 the first 25 retail licenses in the province of Ontario. If selected it will be huge, but otherwise our consultants at CannDelta are confident that more license applications will open in the next months and we stand a running chance to be one of them. These stores will be the only allowed to cater initially to more than 1.7 Million smokers expected to spend upwards of $3 Billion in the first year alone in Ontario only. A revenue potential of $30 Million per store that could surely help us recover last years losses were we to be one of them. This has become our corporate mission now and I can only hope that our following agrees and appreciates these new directions. There is still some opportunity for any investors interested in acquiring a piece of the Canadian retailer. Interested parties can contact us via corporate email: azflorestal@outlook.com. Last year 2017 was tough, this year filled with challenges and preparation; 2019 is shaping up to be the threshold for AZFL to be allowed to fully develop operations that promise substantial advancement for the company.

Also, the Company announced that it continues to make headway in the development of markets for Amazon Hemp CBD now being sold online through the Company website, as its spearhead brand for placing CBD products on the market. This activity is in preparation for the increased amounts of product that will become available for the Company to market next year through its new ventures. With this goal in mind, management has ordered the confection of an independent new website to platform the sales of the products on a larger level and independent to the corporate websites. The new site and products will be announced in January 2019. The Company reported finally that it expects to soon announce the new IR and marketing teams, that management is already in negotiations with, that will help coordinate these efforts.

About Amazonas Florestal Ltd.

Amazonas Florestal Ltd. is a natural resources company dedicated to innovative, sustainable management of large tracts of land in the rainforests of Amazonas, Brazil, that include the certification and sale of carbon credits and the growth, harvesting, research and development of Industrial Hemp and related high CBD products in the U.S. and internationally.

Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, AZFLs primary objective is to build shareholder value by becoming a leader in CBD production, Cannabis cultivation and the distribution of new innovative CBD and Cannabis products. Please visit the Company at: www.azflus.com

Forward Looking Statements

Forward-looking statements in this release regarding Amazonas Florestal Ltd. are made pursuant to the "Safe Harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, continued acceptance of the Company's products, increased levels of competition, new products and technological changes, the Company's dependence upon third-party suppliers, intellectual property rights, and other risks detailed from time to time in the company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.



Las Vegas, NV, Dec. 27, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Earth Gen-Biofuel (OTC:EGBB), EarthGen or the Company, announces that it has received a purchase order for 300 of its Park Model Homes for delivery starting in the first quarter of 2019.

Earth Gen and International Housing Concepts (IHC) an operating division of Earth Gen-Biofuel Inc. received a formal purchase agreement from HVHOMECENTR LLC, operating in the State of Oregon as Hope Valley Resorts. The purchase agreement calls for the purchase of 300 Park Model Homes that will accommodate the expansion of Hope Valley Resorts existing 100 home Community.

Robert Hayes CEO, stated, working with Hope Valley Resorts is an opportunity for Earth Gen and IHC to have a long term purchase agreement to support our manufacturing process for Park Model homes. We are starting the production of the 300 Park Model homes which are a unique design to meet the needs of the Hope Valley Resorts community. Earth Gen is receiving a series of substantial production deposit payments according to the terms of purchase agreement due to the specific design requirements of the purchase agreement.

To accommodate the needs of dedicated production facilities IHC is using a combination of a subcontractor and its own production facility to produce the homes purchased by Hope Valley Resorts. IHC is in the process of provisioning facilities to meet the 10 to 20 units a month delivery schedule for Hope Valley Resorts and also provide production capacity to support additional similar purchase agreements.

About EarthGen-BioFuel and its IHC Subsidiary

In June of 2018, Earth Gen Biofuel Inc. changed its management and the focus of its business operations to meeting the downsizing trend for living space for millennials and people approaching retirement age. Our housing designs and construction methods meet the need for affordable housing units. Our companys state of the art small Park Model Homes and Tiny House designs provide housing units that accommodate both on and off grid installation as well as mobile units, giving us access to a broad segment of the market. Our target markets include resort housing communities, Veterans communities, temporary housing for construction workers at remote locations, and emergency housing needs resulting from natural disasters.

Our goal is to deliver high quality, cost effective dwelling units that employ technology, sustainability and ease of maintenance requirements. We are working directly with real estate developers to create housing units that meet the need of each unique situation and community resident.

Web site at www.egbb.world .

About Hope Valley Resort

Hope Valley Resorts community is located in the famous Willamette Valley, one of Americas highly prized wine growing regions that has become a destination for tourists and those looking for a lifestyle that compares to the Napa and Sonoma wine areas of California. The 70 acre Hope Valley Resorts is an upscale, gated community of 100 homes with 194 finished home sites and expanding to a total of 400. The Hope Valleys resort-like atmosphere features all of the requisite amenities including a clubhouse, gym, sport courts, pine forests, walking trails, swimming pool/spa and additions as 300 plus homes are added in the coming 24 months. Hope Valley Resorts provides what people want, a Lifestyle with first class amenities, the beauty and ambiance of the surroundings, combined with a strong sense of truly belonging to a community.

Hope Valley Resorts was one of the first of its kind in the nation and the only such one in Oregon to feature full time living in a Park Model home. Hope Valley Resorts is uniquely positioned to attract people who are part growing trend where people from all walks of life are finding they desire to Downsize and Live Larger.

www.hopevalleyresorts.com



Forward-Looking Statement

This press release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In accordance with the safe harbor provisions of this Act, statements contained herein that look forward in time that include everything other than historical information, involve risks and uncertainties that may affect the Companys actual results. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and there are a number of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by the Company, including, but not limited to, plans and objectives of management for future operations or products, the market acceptance or future success of our products, and our future financial performance. Further caution is given as the Company is not current with its public disclosures and limited information about the Companys financial condition or operations is available to investors adding additional risk to potential investors.

Investor Relations ContactPHOENIX, Dec. 28, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via OTC PR WIRE -- After years of prohibition, industrial hemp has now been federally legal for a little more than a week. President Trump signed off on the 2018 Farm Bill December 20th, which means hemp is no longer a schedule one substance. This is a huge win and opportunity for SinglePoint, Inc. (OTC:SING). The companys subsidiary SingleSeed.com is an ecommerce-based business that sells and supplies industrial-based hemp cannabidiol (CBD) products. As hemp has become more mainstream and now a fully federally legal commodity the company plans to add more to its offering. Ranging from Biofuel to construction materials to extracting cannabidiol used to treat various ailments and wellbeing, industrial hemp now has an opportunity to be competitive in the global marketplace.



SinglePoint is currently exploring opportunities to produce industrial hemp through joint venture opportunities with leading hemp growers. The company is also exploring an investment in a development program in which strains of CBD extracted from hemp are grown in a photobioreactor which would greatly reduce the cost and time to produce a potentially pharmaceutical grade product. SingleSeed and its parent company SinglePoint are making major progress to quickly get in position to be a key company in the nascent industry, which is expected to top $20 billion by 2022. According to the Congressional Research Service, the U.S. has imported approximately $100 million worth of Hemp products on average each year. With the 2018 Farm Bill going into effect January 1st the doors will be opened for exponential growth in a new market with vast opportunities.

We are excited for these new opportunities in the hemp market and have been preparing the company to be in a position in the event the 2018 Farm Bill passed. Now that it has, its a matter of closing on the negotiations we have started. I intend and plan for SinglePoint to be a key player in the distribution of hemp products and sourcing the best products we can in the market, states Greg Lambrecht, CEO.

Looking ahead to 2019, SinglePoint management is seeking new deals and currently negotiating potential acquisitions across different sectors and will continue to grow revenue through its acquisition model. Management is confident revenue growth through hemp-based initiatives will be successful through 2019 and beyond.

For those interested in learning more about SinglePoint or are interested in a partnership, investment or acquisition please reach out to investors@SinglePoint.com

Connect on social media at:

https://www.facebook.com/SinglePointMobile

https://twitter.com/_Singlepoint_

https://www.linkedin.com/company/singlepoint

https://www.youtube.com/user/SinglePointMobile

For more information visit: www.SinglePoint.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. All statements, other than statements of fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential future plans and objectives of the Company, 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.

Technical complications, which may arise, could prevent the prompt implementation of any strategically significant plan(s) outlined above. The Company undertakes no duty to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.

Corporate Communication

SinglePoint Inc.

855-711-2009

investors@SinglePoint.com

SinglePoint.comTORONTO, Dec. 28, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Enssolutions Group Inc. (TSXV: ENV.H; OTC Pink Sheets: NSLSF) (the Company), a manufacturer and distributor of environmentally responsible emulsion products for a wide variety of industrial and commercial market demands, announced that effective today, it has ceased to carry on active business. The Companys employees were either terminated or given working notice so as to assist in the wind-down of the Companys operations. Accordingly, all members of the board of directors and management have resigned. The decision to cease operations was brought forward in the face of the Companys inability to carry on a profitable business.



Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, the words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "seek", "propose", "estimate", "expect", and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking statements with respect to, among other things, business objectives, expected growth, results of operations, performance, business projects and opportunities and financial results. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events based on certain material factors and assumptions and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, changes in market, competition, governmental or regulatory developments, general economic conditions and other factors set out in the Company's public disclosure documents. Many factors could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to vary from those described in this news release, including without limitation those listed above. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in this news release and such forward-looking statements included in, or incorporated by reference in this news release, should not be unduly relied upon. Such statements speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

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.

Enssolutions Ltd.

(844) 632-5256ashu2107 wrote:

Hey,

I have question. If order doesn't matter over here then why aren't we dividing it.

For task 1:

For task 2:Krishana Prasain is a business reporter for The Kathmandu Post covering markets. Before joining The Kathmandu Post in 2018, she spent 3 years in New Business Age magazine covering business.Quote:

1. The main purpose of the passage can be expressed most accurately by which of the following?



(A) To contrast the manner by which bacteria and viruses infect the human body and cause cellular damage



(B) To explain the operations by which viruses use cell machinery to propagate



(C) To argue for additional resources to combat drug-resistant bacteria and easily transmissible pathogenic viruses



(D) To highlight the good fortune experienced by the human race, in that the HIV pandemic has not been more lethal.



(E) To compare the relative dangers of two biological threats and judge one of them to be far more important.-



Ans :E

Quote:

2. It can be inferred from the passage that infections by bacteria



(A) result from asexual reproduction through binary fission - reproduction occurs this way,not the infection



(B) can be treated ex post facto by antimicrobial agents, unlike viral infections - Correct.Passage states:viral infections cannot be treated ex post facto in the same way as bacterial infections





(C) can be rendered vulnerable by a resistance cocktail such as NDM-1 - A resistance cocktail such as NDM-1 could bestow immunity to a bevy of preexisting drugs simultaneously, rendering the bacterium nearly impregnable. The statement is mentioned in passage.But again ,similar to A,does not talk about infection but something else.



(D) are rarely cured by currently available treatments, but rather only put into remission - Out of scope



(E) mirror those by viruses, in that they can both do critical damage to the host cell - Out of scope .



Ans:A

Quote:

3. According to the passage, intracellular obligate parasites



(A) are unable to propagate themselves on their own



(B) assemble their components randomly out of virions



(C) reproduce themselves through sexual combination with host cells



(D) have become resistant to antibiotics through the overuse of these drugs



(E) construct necessary reproductive structures out of destroyed host cells



Ans: A.

During review, it can be worth it to review the passage paragraph by paragraph. The first paragraph introduces bacterial "super-bugs" with some alarm. The second paragraph increases the alarm, noting how "many scientists argue that the human race has more to fear from viruses." This paragraph describes the way in which viruses hijack the cell, in order to illustrate how tough viruses are to treat. The last paragraph continues the comparison and puts a stake in the ground: "bacteria lack the potential for cataclysm that viruses have." This last point is illustrated by the "near-miss" we have had with the HIV pandemic.(A) We are never told how bacteria infect the body. This is one way in which the two "bad guys" (bacteria and viruses) are not treated in parallel ways in the text. Again, the way in which viruses infect cells is described in order to show how hard it is to kill viruses.(B) The hijacking process is certainly described, but to make a larger point: why it's hard to eradicate viruses, in comparison with bacteria.(C) After reading this passage, you may want to call up the CDC and donate money, but the passage itself only raises a warning, if even that: it is not a call to action.(D) The last paragraph does highlight our good fortune, but this is not the larger point of the whole passage.(E) CORRECT. This passage compares the two threats (bacteria and viruses) and judges viruses to be far more important (after all, viruses have the "potential for cataclysm")This Specific Detail question requires us to determine what is true about "intracellular obligate parasites" (or IOPs, to give them a temporary abbreviation). Going back to the passage, we read this: Whereas bacteria reproduce asexually through binary fission, viruses lack the necessary structures for reproduction, and so are known as intracellular obligate parasites. The word "so" toward the end tells us that the reason viruses are called IOPs is that they "lack the necessary structures for reproduction." We are looking for this idea, perhaps slightly restated.(A) CORRECT. If we know that viruses "lack the necessary structures for reproduction," then we know that they cannot reproduce (or propagate themselves) on their own.Also it states :Virus particles called virions must marshal the host cells ribosomes, enzymes, and other cellular machinery in order to propagate.This also implies it propages using virions.(B) What we are told about virions is that they are "virus particles" and that they "must marshal the host cell's... cellular machinery in order to propagate." However, we don't know that the viruses are themselves then assembled out of virions. Moreover, IOPs seem like a more general class of thing than viruses, and so we wouldn't be able to conclude that something true about viruses would necessarily be true of all IOPs.(C) We know that bacteria reproduce themselves asexually, in contrast to how viruses do so, but that doesn't mean that viruses necessarily do so sexually.(D) Certain bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics, but we don't know that this is true of IOPs.(E) This choice mixes up language from the passage. Viruses need reproductive structures, and they destroy host cells, but that doesn't mean that they first structures, and they destroy host cells, but that doesn't mean that they first destroy the host cells, then make reproductive structures out of the carcasses. (In fact, what they do is hijack living host cells, taking over their cellular machinery.)When the history of women began to receive focused attention in the 1970, Eleanor Roosevelt was one of a handful of female Americans who were well known to both historians and the general public. Despite the evidence that she had been important in social reform circles before her husband was elected President and that she continued to advocate different causes than he did, she held a place in the public imagination largely because she was the wife of a particularly influential President. Her own activities were seen as preparing the way for her husbands election or as a complement to his programs. Even Joseph Lashs two volumes of Sympathetic biography, Eleanor and Franklin (1971) and Eleanor: The Years Alone (1972), reflected this assumption.



Lashs biography revealed a complicated woman who sought through political activity both to flee inner misery and to promote causes in which she passionately believed. However, she still appeared to be an idiosyncratic figure, somehow self-generated not amenable to any generalized explanation. She emerged from the biography as a mother to the entire nation, or as a busybody, but hardly as a social type, a figure comprehensible in terms of broader social developments. But more recent work on the feminism of the post-suffrage years (following 1920) allows us to see Roosevelt in a different light and to bring her life into a more richly detailed context. Lois Scharfs Eleanor Roosevelt, written in 1987, depicts a generation of privileged women, born in the late nineteenth century and maturing in the twentieth, who made the transition from old patterns of female association to new ones. Their views and their lives were full of contradictions . They maintained female social networks but began to integrate women into mainstream politics; they demanded equal treatment but also argued that womens maternal responsibilities made them both wards and representatives of the public interest. Thanks to Scharf and others, Roosevelts activitiesfor example, her support both for labor laws protecting women and for appointments of women to high public officehave become intelligible in terms of this social context rather than as the idiosyncratic career of a famous mans wife.

Show Spoiler A

1. The passage as a whole is primarily concerned with which of the following?

Show Spoiler C

2. Which of the following studies would proceed in a way most similar to the way in which, according to the passage. Scharf's book interprets Eleanor Roosevelt's career?

Show Spoiler E

3. The author cites which of the following as evidence against the public view of Eleanor Roosevelt held in the 1970s?

Show Spoiler B

4. The author indicates that, according to Scharfs biography, which of the following was NOT characteristic of feminists of Eleanor Roosevelts generation?

Show Spoiler E

5. The author mentions which of the following as one of the contradictions ( highlighted ) evident in the lives of the women discussed in the third paragraph?

Show Spoiler C

6. The author credits which of the following for making possible the current understanding of Eleanor Roosevelt's career?

(A) Changes in the way in which Eleanor Roosevelts life is understood(B) Social changes that made possible the role played by Eleanor Roosevelt in social reform(C) Changes in the ways in which historians have viewed the lives of American women(D) Social changes that resulted from the activities of Eleanor Roosevelt(E) Changes in the social roles that American women have played(A) An exploration of the activities of a wealthy social reformer in terms of the ideals held by the reformer(B) A history of the leaders of a political party which explained how the conflicting aims of its individual leaders thwarted and diverted the activities of each leader(C) An account of the legislative career of a conservative senator which showed his goals to have been derived from a national conservative movement of which the senator was a part(D) A biography of a famous athlete which explained her high level of motivation in terms of the kind of family in which she grew up(E) A history of the individuals who led the movement to end slavery in the United States which attributed the movement's success to the efforts of those exceptional individuals(A) She had been born into a wealthy family.(B) Her political career predated the adoption of womens suffrage.(C) She continued her career in politics even after her husbands death.(D) She was one of a few female historical figures who were well known to historians by the 1970s.(E) Her activism predated her husbands presidency and her projects differed from his.(A) Their lives were full of contradictions(B) Their policies identified them as idiosyncratic.(C) They were from privileged backgrounds.(D) They held that women had unique responsibilities.(E) They made a transition from old patterns of an association to new ones.A) They pursued political aims for personal motives.B) They were idiosyncratic individuals who can nevertheless be seen as social types.C) They came from wealthy families but sought to remedy the problems of the poor.D) They demanded equal treatment for women but justified the privileges of wealth.E) They maintained female social networks but promoted women's participation in mainstream politics.A) The work of historians in the 1970sB) Accounts written by feminists in the 1920sC) Recent studies of feminists of her generationD) Official records of her husband's presidencyE) The discovery of the writings of her associatesJeremy123456 wrote:

I'm taking the GMAT for the first time. The schools I'm applying to have a 700 avg score or higher. If I get lower than that, should I still submit it or cancel?



I have a second test date scheduled so I'm going to retake the test regardless, but who knows if I'll end up scoring lower on the second one. Which is why I ask... How much lower than your target school's avg GMAT score warrants cancelling it? 20 points? 50 points? Never?





Follow up question: If a school sees two scores, one within their range and one below it, does the one below have any negative affect?



If not, I feel like I might as well submit this first test regardless, just so I have something on the board. After all, it could be my highest one.

Keep it irrespective of the score.I was scoring close to 700 before i took my first gmat; ended up with 590 in official gmat . Since we have 2 minutes to decide, i cancelled it but when i reached home i was confused whether i had scored 590 or 690. So i reinstated it . I knew I wasn't going to score less than 590 hence i kept it and eventually scored 700 in the next attempt.Dont go with a score in mind, just give the gmat. It is common to falter in the first attempt(you can check gmatclub for stories), hence it is ok to take multiple attempts and show an implicit improvement to the school.Without a single action from Congress, the ATF just moved to ban bump stocks nationwide.

To make this happen the agency has made some legally questionable moves.

Now, a grassroots pro-gun group in Virginia is starting to fight back.

The lawsuit was originally filed by the Gun Owners of America (GOA) [along with VCDL].

Now, both pro-gun groups are together seeking an injunction to protect gun owners from the sudden bump stock prohibition and to prevent hundreds of thousands of Americans from facing criminal charges.

Click here to see more GOA News articles like this one.

GOA attacks Bump Stock Ban as Illegal

Earlier this week, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) took a legally dubious step towards banning bump stocks.

Without the authority to create law, the ATF had to develop an opinion to maintain legal credibility for its actions.

To do so, the ATF announced they will classify bump stocks as machineguns, which are already prohibited in many cases.

This effectively bans bump stocks with the threat of criminal penalties if Americans dont comply.

That leaves hundreds of thousands of Americans at risk of criminal charges for possessing what was a legal accessory at the time.

An estimated half a million bump stock owners will have the difficult decision of either destroying or surrendering their valuable property  or else risk felony prosecution stated Eric Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America.

Pratt is also concerned that this might amount to a slippery slope.

The fear is that if the ATF implements this bump stock ban without major resistance, they may use it as a stepping stone to take action against other accessories and eventually semi-automatic weapons themselves.

The new ATF regulations would arbitrarily redefine bump stocks as machineguns  and, down the road, could implicate the right to own AR-15s and many other lawfully owned semi-automatic firearms stated Pratt.

ATFs new bump stock regulation clearly violates federal law, as bump stocks do not qualify as machineguns under the federal statute.

Currently the ATF has received well over 65,000 comments opposing the ban but has shown no sign of slowing its enforcement timeline.

At the time of this writing, the ATF rule change has been signed by the acting Attorney General and is scheduled to take effect in about 90 days.

Read More at New Virginia Press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.



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.



As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQUntouchability culture among Dalits weakens anti-discrimination drive

Tulasi Aauji, of Mangalsain Municipality-5, married Ruman BK, of Kamalbazar Municipality-6, four years ago when she was 21 years old. However, Rumans family did not accept Tulasi, and the couple had to flee to India.Although the protests are no longer breaking news in the West, they continue. Ilan Berman, Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council, writes, Although regime officials have renewed their calls for a resistance economy in the face of reinvigorated sanctions on the part of the United States, the Islamic Republic shows no sign of rethinking its extensive (and costly) foreign-policy priorities, which include helping to keep Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in power and providing military support for Yemens Houthi rebels.

Renewed economic pressure on Iran is the centerpiece of Washingtons regional policy. The White House seeks to compel Irans leadership with reimposed American sanctions, and is pushing Europe and Asia to reduce their trade with Tehran, as well.

The Islamic Republics spiral into economic crisis fuels its peoples anger, and calls for revolution increase. Therefore, the current protests are an extremely potent force for creating meaningful change within the Islamic Republic. So far, Irans leaders have been able to contain the ongoing protests through widespread arrests, pervasive censorship, and extensive repression. Their efforts are assisted by the absence of clear leadership or an organized agenda for action among the protesters themselves.

However, those who do not fully recognize the significance of the initial uprising may not know much about the major driving forces behind that unrest. Chief among these is the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK/PMOI), a pro-democracy opposition group that has been at the head of calls for regime change since the earliest days of the Islamic Republic.

When the nationwide uprising was at its peak, the Iranian regimes Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei actually delivered a speech in which he specifically credited the MEK with planning and organizing the anti-government demonstrations.

Despite the regimes efforts to simultaneously downplay and demonize the Iranian Opposition, the power and influence of the MEK has continued to grow, both inside Iran and throughout the world. When the President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, Maryam Rajavi, praised the initial protests and called for a year full of uprisings. The Iranian public immediately responded with resurgent demonstrations, and the regime has struggled to quell them ever since.

In fact, US President Trumps personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, addressed a rally in Paris held by the the MEK along with the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an umbrella coalition. We are now realistically being able to see an end to the regime in Iran, Giuliani told a crowd of about 4,000. The mullahs must go, the ayatollah must go, and they must be replaced by a democratic government which Madam Rajavi represents, Giuliani said. Freedom is right around the corner  Next year I want to have this convention in Tehran!Want my advice?

The prime minister and ministers should hire experts to provide counsel and ensure execution1. Yes. The new strain spreads quickly; experts are concerned. It might be in our area soon.

2. Yes. The new variant may be vaccine-resistant, which would be a huge threat.

3. No. Health experts have moved quickly to contain it; it may not reach our community.

4. No. Even if the variant arrives in Texas, researchers may have some answers by then.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say until experts have had a chance to monitor it for a while.

Vote

View ResultsYour tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all.

Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has wasted no time ripping up the body camera program proposed by his predecessor and coming up with his own. And his approach appears to address the cost concerns of the County Board of Supervisors, which must fund any plan.

Villanueva, who took office on Dec. 3, has outlined a plan that he says would cost $13 million annually. Former Sheriff Jim McDonnell said he needed $55 million a year, an amount that made the supervisors balk.

Villanueva also says he would need $15 million in one-time start-up costs -- $5 million less than McDonnell.

The sheriff's department is one of the last big law enforcement agencies that aren't using body-worn cameras.

During the election campaign Villanueva called them a "nicety" but not a "necessity." Nonetheless he has said he is committed to start deploying body cams in the coming year. McDonnell had called for a four-year rollout.

Some details are sketchy, but here's what we know at this point:

FEWER CAMERAS

The plan calls for equipping about 5,200 deputies with cameras - 800 or so fewer than McDonnell envisioned. Villanueva would reduce the number of cameras deployed in part by not outfitting deputies assigned to the courts, said department spokesman Deputy Robert Boese III. In addition, the department lost part of the contract to patrol the county's mass transit system, so fewer deputies will be deployed on trains and buses, he said.

FEWER HIRES

One area where Villanueva's plan would seem to hold down costs is in hiring. The sheriff said he expects only a "minimal" increase in staffing to deal with body cam video. McDonnell said he would need to hire 239 people, including forensic video specialists, detectives and clerical staff.

Villanueva's approach raises the question of whether current employees would be forced to take on the additional work of reviewing and cataloging body camera video.

That's what happened at the Los Angeles Police Department when the city council refused to provide funding for more staff. One captain described spending as much as 10 hours a week reviewing video of uses of force, car chases and episodes that sparked citizen complaints. He said he's assigned two other officers to help.

Any additional hires would come as the sheriff's department faces a deputy shortage that has been variously estimated at 500 to 1,500.

LESS RECORDING

Villanueva told LAist during the campaign that he'd like to move away from 24/7 recording. He didn't elaborate, but he did talk of mandating recording in "specific high risk scenarios."

The latest police body camera systems have one-minute buffers so they can record what happened up to a minute before they're turned on. Even so, sometimes deputies don't have time to turn on their cameras in high-risk situations, said Cal State Fullerton Criminal Justice Professor Philip Kopp, who studies body cams.

Less recording does mean less storage needs, he said, noting that storage costs are a huge issue for law enforcement.

"I mean you are talking about terabytes upon terabytes of data," Kopp said. "And all of that has to be kept for a specified period of time because it could be evidence ... there are statutes of limitations."

Villanueva told LAist during the campaign that he could cut costs by using "decentralized data storage." The plan would involve "working towards utilizing the best external storage solutions for secure evidence with backup of all data a safe distance away (over 500 miles)," Boese said in an email.

WHAT'S NEXT

To meet the sheriff's timeline of deploying the body cams within a year, the board of supervisors would have to sign off on a plan. Then the department would need to identify a vendor, sign a contract and build the infrastructure needed to support the cameras, such as docking stations where deputies can upload their information at the end of a shift.

The department already deals with a substantial amount of video captured by more than 1,000 cameras placed inside seven jail facilities. But it's a simpler system: the cameras are stationary and remain on at all times.

Another detail to be worked out is when the sheriff would release video to the public. McDonnell said he was moving toward a policy that would allow the release of most video to the public. Villanueva said he is still mulling over the issue. As of Jan. 1, a new state law will require law enforcement agencies to release body cam video of shootings and major uses of force within 45 days.

Some watchdog groups say the money spent on body cams would be better spent on treating the mentally ill population in the jails. But supporters of body cams say they build trust in police, hold officers more accountable and sometimes provide important evidence in criminal cases.

Departments that have deployed body cams around the country have seen a drop in lawsuits and fewer citizen complaints.

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Nearly every culture has traditions about what you should eat to ensure good luck in the new year. And by "good luck," we mean money, because most of these foods will supposedly bring you wealth. Happy eating in 2019!

Hoppin' John

There's an old Southern saying, "Peas for pennies, greens for dollars and cornbread for gold." All three are good luck foods. We're fond of Hoppin' John: black-eyed peas stewed with spices and a ham hock. History says, "The first recipes for Hoppin' John appear in cookbooks that date back to the 1840s, although the mixture of dried peas, rice and pork was made by Southern slaves long before then." They're perfect on top of a bed of rice with a side of collard greens and a slice of cornbread. It's all the good luck you need in a single meal.

Ozoni (Photo by kimubert/Flickr Creative Commons)

Ozoni

In Japan, the good luck dish for oshogatsu (new year's) is ozoni, a dashi broth with fish cakes, vegetables and those gooey, chewy rice cakes known as mochi. Ozoni perparation varies from region to region but Saveur says the mochitsuki tradition involves "pounding on a sticky mass of rice placed in a granite mortar" while someone turns the mochi between each blow. Japan also has plenty of other new year's culinary traditions including medicinal sake and soba noodles, which represent resilience and strength.

Bunuelos. (Photo by Juan Ramon Martin San Roman/Flickr Creative Commons)

Bunuelos

In Mexico, especially in Oaxaca, new year's involves eating bunuelos, crisp fritters sprinkled with cinnamon sugar or drizzled with a sweet syrup. Sometimes, after people eat their bunuelos, they smash the plate it was served to symbolize making a break with the past.

A picture taken on October 18, 2018 shows Nebbiolo grapes, which are used to make Barolo wine, during the harvest in the Langhe countryside in Barolo, near Alba, northwestern Italy. (Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP/Getty Images)

Grapes

"Eating 12 grapes at midnight on New Year's Eve is both a tradition and a superstition in Spain," says Food Republic. One grape for each month because you want every month to be lucky, right? They don't have to be special grapes. Standard table grapes will do.

Lentils and cotechino on New Year's Eve 2010. (Photo by Edsel Litte/Flickr Creative Commons)

Lentils And Pork

"Italians eat lentils on New Year's for wealth and prosperity because the flat legumes were believed to resemble Roman coins," according to Serious Eats. They're traditionally served with cotechino, a supersized pork sausage that's sliced and slowly simmered with the lentils.

Oliebollen from Dutch donutmaker Richard Visser are displayed in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, on December 27, 2013. (Photo by BAS CZERWINSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

Oliebollen

Oliebollen, which literally translates to oil balls, is a traditional Dutch treat. They're basically dense donut holes, sometimes studded with currants or raisins, and covered in powdered sugar. In the Netherlands, they're eaten on New Year's Eve, often from mobile food carts.

German chancellor Angela Merkel eats a pickled herring in eastern Germany on May 26, 2015. (Photo by JENS BUTTNER/AFP/Getty Images)

Pickled Herring

"In Germany, Poland and Scandinavia, it's believed that eating herring at the stroke of midnight will ensure a year of bounty," reports MNN. Sounds good but maybe do your kissing before your fish-eating.

Sabzi Polo Ba Mahi

Persian new year, known as Nowruz, is celebrated on the first day of spring. The main course at a Nowruz luncheon will usually be sabzi polo ba mahi, a dish of rice and green herbs, typically served with fish. The green herbs symbolize fruitfulness while the fish represents good luck. There are many other dishes at a Persian new year's feast, including asheh reshteh (a hearty noodle soup that's supposed to help you succeed in life) and kookoo sabzi (a souffle made with green herbs and vegetables).

An employee prepares a pomegranate juice at a new snack bar in Athens on January 29, 2014. (Photo by LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP/Getty Images)

Pomegranate

In Greek tradition, people hang a pomegranate, a symbol of fertility and prosperity, above their front door. At midnight on New Year's Eve, they smash the fruit against the door. The more seeds fall out, the more luck and fertility you'll have.

A woman sells dumplings in a street market in Beijing on November 16, 2014. (Photo by FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images)

Dumplings

Want to be lucky in the Chinese new year, which is celebrated in February and is also known as the spring festival? You've got your pick. Eat dumplings and spring rolls for wealth, fish for increased prosperity and the sweet rice balls known as tangyuan for family togetherness. You've also got lots of other options.

Members of a family make banh chung in the courtyard of their house in Chanh Khuc village in suburban Hanoi, February 7, 2002. (Photo by HOANG DINH NAM/AFP/Getty Images)

Sticky Rice Cakes

On Tet, or Vietnamese New Year, celebrated in February, people often eat banh chung and banh tet, sticky rice cakes filled with meat or beans and wrapped in leaves. Banh chung are square-shaped, to represent the Earth, while banh tet are cylindrical, to represent the moon. Other new year's foods include pork, red sticky rice (red is considered a lucky color) and dried candied fruits known as mut.

Employees of the Spreewaldmuller GmbH & Co KG company pose as they work on the production of sauerkraut pickled cabbage at the company's plant in Luebbenau, Germany, on November 8, 2018. (Photo by PATRICK PLEUL/AFP/Getty Images)

Sauerkraut

At midnight on New Year's Eve, Germans wish each other "prosit neujahr" ("may the new year turn out well"). Before the big moment, they eat the fermented cabbage dish known as sauerkraut, which supposedly brings blessings and wealth. "Before the meal," according to the German Food Guide, "those seated at the table wish each other as much goodness and money as the number of shreds of cabbage in the pot of sauerkraut."

You made it! Congrats, you read the entire story, you gorgeous human. This story was made possible by generous people like you. Independent, local journalism costs $$$$$. And now that LAist is part of KPCC, we rely on that support. So if you aren't already, be one of us! Help us help you live your best life in Southern California. Donate now.Call 2 Worship  December 27

ADVERTISEMENT

First AME Church welcomes the famous Florida A&M Universitys Marching 100 on Dec. 30, at 8:15 a.m., at 2270 S. Harvard Blvd., in Los Angeles, said Pastor J. Edgar Boyd. The public is invited to attend the bands performance as well as the FAME worship service, which start at 7:45 a.m. The band will also appear in the Rose Parade on Jan. 1. To learn more, call (323) 735-1251.

West Angeles Church of God in Christ holds New Years service on Dec. 30 at 9:30 a.m., where Earvin Magic Johnson will speak; and Watch Night Service on Dec. 31, at 10 p.m., followed by the Afterglow Breakfast in the Crystal Room. Call (323) 733-8300 for details.

Grace United Methodist Church plans New Years Eve Watch Service takes place on Dec. 31, at 12 p.m., at 4112 W. Slauson Ave., in Los Angeles, said Pastor Cedric D. Bridgeforth. To learn more, call (323) 294-6653.

Agape Church of Los Angeles sponsors a New Years Eve Service on Dec. 31, at 12 p.m., at Consolidated Plaza, 3725 Don Felipe Dr., in Los Angeles, said Bishop Craig A. Worsham, senior pastor. The theme is Crossing Over From Better to Greater based on Ephesians 3:20. Retired AME Bishop T. Larry Kirkland, Sr. will preach and Lady Rose Neale will sing. To learn more, visit agapela.org or call (323) 295-5571.

Miracle Temple Church of God Pentecostal presents New Years Eve Watch Service, featuring Minister Stevie Brown and Elder Artist Knox, on Dec. 31, at 10 p.m. For details, call (310) 419-7335.

Faith I Am Miracle Center hosts New Years Eve Black Eye Pea Watch Night Service on Dec. 31, at 10 p.m., at 645 W. Arbor Vitae St., in Inglewood, said Pastor Jynona Norwood. The service will focus on bill burning and debt cancellation. Also, hats, horns and a complimentary buffet will be available. For information, call (855) 772-9748.

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Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.  Los Angeles Alumnae Chapter offers scholarship to qualified high school applicants in the Los Angeles area. The deadline is Feb. 2, 2019. For information and applications, visit dstlachapter.com.Russias Secret Weapon

It is clear now that the 45thpresident of the United States is knowingly or unwittingly a tool of the Russian government. But for many years before the dumpster fire in the White House came into office, the Kremlin has been wielding a secret weapon against the land of the free.

This weapon is secret not because it is hidden, but because a large segment of the American public refuses to acknowledge its existence.

Recent news stories have focused on Russian hackers who have attempted to manipulate the sense of injustice that burdens Black Americans, but these stories fail to fully point out the comprehensive racial injustice that is inherent in Americas DNA.

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The focus of these stories is on the Russian meddling because that is of more concern to those media outlets than the racial injustice spotlighted by the Russian trolls. Typically, many Americans can be outraged by the use of American hypocrisy as a political tool but have little concern for the hypocrisy itself. These hypocrites see enraged African Americans as playing into the hands of the Russians. But they are the ones who support both the police officers who murder unarmed Black men and the politicians who conspire to disenfranchise Black voters  scenarios that provide fertile ground for effective Russian intervention.

A brief review of history can pull the curtain back on how Americas racial hatred has played into the hands of the Soviet state and later the Russian government.

In 1946, after African Americans returned home from fighting against tyranny abroad during World War II, two Black couples were lynched in Georgia. Moved to act, noted performer and activist Paul Robeson asked President Harry Truman to call for an anti-lynching bill. Truman told him that the time was not right to propose such a bill. On Dec. 17, 1951, Robeson presented to the United Nations an anti-lynching petition directed at the United States titled We Charge Genocide. A year later, Robeson was awarded the International Stalin Prize by the Soviet Union.

Paul Robesons career and political activism spanned several decades and cannot be fully addressed in this article, but without question, Robesons quest for justice for all people put him at odds with the American power structure, and the Soviet Union sought to take advantage of that.

Before Robeson, there was the case of the Scottsboro Boys. These nine African American youths, two of whom were only 12 and 13 years old at the time, were wrongfully accused of raping two White women in Alabama in 1931. Posters denouncing the blatantly unfair criminal proceedings against the Scottsboro Boys appeared in Russia and Americans were enraged, not by the unfair criminal proceedings, but by the fact that the Russians were denouncing the injustice.

In her book published in 2000, Mary Dudziak clearly laid out evidence that between 1945 and 1965 American officials realized that the countrys racial problems were ruining its image abroad. Of greatest concern was the message being projected to the newly independent African and Asian nations.

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President Dwight Eisenhower was not committed to civil rights until Secretary of State John Foster Dulles explained to him how the violent opposition to desegregating Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, was being witnessed around the world, exposing the lie of American fairness.

Like Eisenhower, President John F. Kennedy had no disquiet over racial injustice, but after it was made clear that the world had witnessed the church bombing and extreme police brutality in Birmingham, Alabama, and the spectacle of Alabama Gov. George Wallace blocking a young Black woman from entering University of Alabama, Kennedy realized that the countrys international image was giving credence to the Russian accusations of hypocrisy.

During this same time, diplomats from newly independent African nations were sending word back to their governments about the racism they were encountering from many white Americans. And every instance of racism and overt white supremacy was ammunition for the Soviet media.

No one should deny that the Soviet Union  and now, Russia  has tried over the years to capitalize on the racial strife in America in order to advance its own geopolitical interests. But the fact that Russia points out the obvious does not negate the obvious. America is, and has been during its entire existence, a nation state founded on racism and white supremacy. And as long as America continues to function on systemic racism, Russia will continue to use that fact to its advantage.

Americans should never allow any foreign government to try to interfere with its democratic process. But, each time a Philando Castile or a Sandra Bland or a Trayvon Martin suffers an injustice in the United States, we must ask ourselves, Who are we protecting American democracy for?

Oscar H. Blayton is a former Marine Corps combat pilot and human rights activist who practices law in Virginia.West Angeles CDC Conducts Annual Toy Giveaway

Nearly 300 families and children came out for the 15th annual Toy Giveaway sponsored by West Angeles Community Development Corporation on Dec. 20.

The nonprofit organization partnered with Sentinel Peak Resources, a new oil company in Inglewood, to provide much needed toys, groceries and other assistance.

Our annual toy drive has provided toys to children in low income families totaling over $1 million dollars of support to the South Los Angeles community, said Dr. Belinda Allen, WACDC executive director.

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We are motivated to do this by the families we serve. In these economic times, people need help with high rents and low employment rates. Its our way of giving back and saying thank you to our clients and our community members as well as brightening the faces of some of our youth, said Karen Downard, WACDC director of Community Services.

The mission of the West Angeles CDC is to increase social and economic justice, demonstrate compassion and alleviate poverty as a tangible expression of the Kingdom of God, through the vehicle of community development.Thursday, December 27, 2018

The Ohio Supreme Court (per Dan Trevas) has decided a bar discipline matter

The Ohio Supreme Court today suspended a Cleveland attorney for two years, with 18 months stayed, for neglecting the immigration matter of a Bulgarian ballroom dancer, then lying about his legal misconduct.

A divided Supreme Court suspended Harlan D. Karp and placed conditions on the stayed portion of his suspension. The Office of the Disciplinary Counsel, which charged Karp with 10 violations of the rules governing the conduct of Ohio lawyers, and Karp proposed that he receive a fully stayed suspension.

In a per curiam opinion, the Court stated it found that an actual suspension from the practice of law is particularly appropriate when an attorney has made deliberately false statements to a client.

Chief Justice Maureen OConnor and Justices Judith L. French and R. Patrick DeWine joined the lead opinion.

Justices Patrick F. Fischer and Mary DeGenaro concurred with the opinion and stated they also would require a period of law practice monitoring following the suspension as recommended by the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct.

Justices Terrence ODonnell and Sharon L. Kennedy dissented with separate written opinions. Justice ODonnell would grant the fully stayed suspension, but require the practice monitoring. Justice Kennedy stated she should would grant the fully stayed suspension.

Dancer Seeks Performer Visa

In 2015, a New Jersey dance studio filed a petition seeking an O-1B Visa for Veronika Gadzheva. The United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) granted the petition for the visa, which is allocated to someone with extraordinary artistic ability or achievement in film and television. Gadzheva entered this country with a visa that expired in February 2018, and soon received an offer from Patricia West, owner of a California dance studio, to work for her.

In July 2015, Gadzheva agreed to pay Karp $750 and a $325 filing fee to transfer her O-1B visa to Wests studio, and Karp told Gadzheva she could move to California and start working with West once the visa petition was filed. Karp also told Gadzheva that West would need to sign some forms and it could take about a week to file the petition.

Later in July, Gadzheva emailed him about 500 pages of information regarding her visa and paid the filing fee. In mid-August, Karp asked West to answer questions for the visa transfer and West responded a week later. Three weeks later, Gadzheva asked Karp if he had filed for the petition, and Karp falsely responded by email, Yes. Sent. A few weeks later, Gadzheva sent Karp his $750 fee.

In early October 2015, Gadzheva told Karp she was moving to California with hopes the transfer would be approved soon. Karp, who had not yet filed the petition, told her confirmation should be approved within the week and that he would inform her.

Dancers Visa Request Revoked

Later in October, the New Jersey dance studio requested that Gadzhevas original petition be revoked. Karp was unaware of the request and did not learn of the petition revocation until several months later.

Gadzheva continued to ask Karp what she was allowed to do while awaiting the visa approval. In December she asked if she could take a trip back to Europe when the papers still arent ready. Karp assured her it was safe to travel.

Through April 2016, Gadzheva and West continued to seek proof from Karp that the petition was filed and he consistently said it had. When West demanded Karp provide a receipt number for the petition, Karp filed the petition with USCIS the next day, seven months after he said he did. Karp also signed Wests name twice on the petition.

The USCIS sent Karp and West a common request for more information. In the document, the agency noted that Gadzhevas original employers petition had been revoked. A week later, Karp emailed a complete copy of Gadzhevas file to West with the belief that his representation of the two had ended, even though there was no evidence that they communicated such an intent to him or that the USCIS was informed. The agency sent Karp a second request for information that he did not respond to, and the USCIS denied Gadzhevas petition, deeming it as abandoned.

Client Hires New Lawyer

Gadzheva hired a new lawyer who filed a new petition for an O-1B visa, which was granted. Because her original petition was revoked, the immigration status that allowed her to be in the country until early 2018 was not valid. Gadzheva had to leave the country to activate her new visa. But Gadzheva stated she was afraid to leave the country because the revocation of her first visa may have caused her to accumulate days of unlawful presence in the United States, which could result in her being banned from three to 10 years.

Gadzheva filed a grievance with the disciplinary counsel against Karp. During the investigation of the matter, the disciplinary counsel questioned whether Karp had Wests permission to sign her name to the visa transfer and Karp indicated he did. Karp provided versions of the form that he said he filed with notations that he had Wests approval, but those were not the copies actually sent to the government.

The disciplinary counsel charged Karp with violating multiple rules, including not acting with reasonable diligence when representing a client; not informing the client of any decision or circumstance in which the clients informed consent is required; making a false statement in connection with a disciplinary matter; and engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation.

Board Consider Sanction

When the professional conduct board recommends a sanction, it considers aggravating circumstances that could increase the penalty it imposes and mitigating factors that could lead to a lesser sanction.

The board noted Karp committed multiple offenses and caused harm to Gadzheva by rendering her immigration status as extremely vulnerable. The board also found he acted with a dishonest motive and engaged in deceptive practices with his client and during the disciplinary process.

The board also concluded that Karp had no prior discipline, made restitution, provided evidence of his good character, and presented evidence of a qualifying mental disorder. Dr. Sherif Soliman, a psychiatrist, testified that Karp suffered from hypothyroidism and major depressive disorder.

The parties recommended to the board that Karp receive a fully stayed two-year suspension with conditions that he enter into a contract with the Ohio Lawyers Assistance Program (OLAP), comply with all treatment recommendations from OLAP and his treating professionals, and provide quarterly reports of his compliance.

The board indicated it was troubled by his failure to appreciate the gravity of his misconduct  which included a pattern of misrepresentations to Gadzheva, West, the federal government and relator [disciplinary counsel]  and the very serious consequences that his misconduct may have on Gadzheva and her immigration status. The board recommended suspending Karp for two years but staying 18 months of the suspension on the conditions proposed by the parties, with additional requirements that Karp not commit further misconduct, pay for the disciplinary proceedings, and serve two years of monitored probation when reinstated to practicing law.

Karp Objects to Sanction

Karp objected to the sanction, arguing a fully stayed suspension is appropriate. He maintained the board did not give sufficient weight to his mitigating evidence and that the fully stayed suspension is a comparable sanction to two other attorneys whom the Court found committed similar misconduct.

The Court rejected Karps arguments. It noted that he began taking medication for his depression in March 2017 and started psychotherapy in June 2017, but questioned whether Karp achieved the sustained period of successful treatment necessary for his mental disorder to qualify for maximum mitigating effect. It also noted the Karp exhibited dishonesty during the disciplinary investigation, and had several more aggravating factors involved in his case than the two cases Karp cited as similar.

The Court imposed the suspended sentence with the conditions recommended by the board, except it did not include the two-year period of monitored probation.

Justices Dissent

Justice ODonnell stated in his dissent that the majority failed to accord sufficient weight to the mitigating factors in the case, including Karps lack of prior discipline, payment of restitution and that he would adopt the sanction agreed to by the parties: a fully stayed two year suspension on conditions of an OLAP contract and a period of monitored probation. Recognizing that the purpose of sanctions in disciplinary cases is to protect the public, Justice ODonnell concluded that the foregoing measures would achieve that goal.

In her dissent, Justice Kennedy noted the disciplinary counsel described Karps behavior as blips in an otherwise nearly 30-year-admirable career, and provided ample evidence of good character and reputation.

She also maintained that the Court majority discounted the mitigating effect of Karps mental disorder. Contrary to the majority, she found that Karp established that he completed a sustained period of successful treatment for his depression and hypothyroidism. Further, she wrote that the expert testimony supported finding that Karps mental disorder caused both his neglect of the legal matter and his misrepresentations to conceal that neglect. She concluded that Karp is entitled to the full mitigating weight for his mental disorder and the appropriate sanction is the fully stayed suspension conditioned on compliance with an OLAP contract and orders from treating professionals.

2018-0254. Disciplinary Counsel v. Karp, Slip Opinion No. 2018-Ohio-5212.

View oral argument video of this case.

Our earlier reporting on the charges is linked here. (Mike Frisch)

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2018/12/the-ohio-supreme-court-the-ohio-supreme-court-today-suspended-a-cleveland-attorney-for-two-years-with-18-monthsstayed-for.html

Russia says it tested a new hypersonic glide vehicle this week. President Vladimir Putin observed the test. He declared that the vehicle cannot be stopped and will guarantee his countrys security for many years.

Putin spoke of the successful test of the weapon Wednesday during a visit to the defense ministry in Moscow.

The following day, the U.S. Department of Defense reacted to the Russian announcement.

While the United States has been the world leader in hypersonic system research for many decades, we did not choose to weaponize it, said a department official, Lieutenant Colonel Michelle Baldanza.

She added that the decision to make hypersonic weapons creates an imbalance that the department must deal with. She said the United States was considering options to answer the new weapons.

The hypersonic glide vehicle described by Putin is called the Avangard. It was tested on December 26 at the Dombarovskiy missile base in the southern Ural Mountains. Russian officials said the missile successfully hit a target in Kamchatka, about 6,000 kilometers away to the east.

The new weapon is called hypersonic because of its extremely high speed. It travels as fast as several times the speed of sound.

Putin called the test an excellent New Years gift to the nation.

His announcement comes at a time when relations between Russia and the United States are tense. Conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, as well as reports of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections have tested relations. Some observers say ties between the two sides are at their worst since the period known as the Cold War.

A rocket lifts the Avangard to a great height. The missile then glides back to Earth at speeds many times faster than sound.

U.S. Defense officials were not surprised by the announcement of the test. In a speech to Russians on March 1, Putin described a group of new weapons that, he said, could make others useless.

Among the weapons he spoke about were new nuclear weapons, including cruise missiles and underwater drones.

In his latest announcement, Putin said the Avangard is designed from composite materials. He also said it is able to resist temperatures of up to 2,000 degrees Celsius.

Putin said the Avangard would be ready by as early as 2019. It is not clear if it is able to carry a nuclear weapon.

Another hypersonic missile test reported

There were reports of another Russian hypersonic weapon test this month.

American broadcaster CNBC reported that Russia successfully tested a new anti-ship missile. The missile is said to travel eight times the speed of sound, or more than 9,800 kilometers an hour.

The missile is called Zircon, but little information about it is known. The magazine Popular Mechanics reported that the weapon can travel a distance of 300 kilometers and be launched from ships, which may include submarines.

Zircon may be similar to a hypersonic missile developed with India.

The U.S., Russia and China are all believed to have hypersonic weapons under development.

Im Mario Ritter, Jr.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

Mario Ritter adapted this story for VOA Learning English from AP, Reuters, VOA News and other websites. George Grow was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

decade n. a period of 10 years

option n. something that can be chosen, a possibility

glide v. to fly without engine power

composite adj. made of different parts or elements, especially in layersPlease enable cookies on your web browser in order to continue.

The new European data protection law requires us to inform you of the following before you use our website:

We use cookies and other technologies to customize your experience, perform analytics and deliver personalized advertising on our sites, apps and newsletters and across the Internet based on your interests. By clicking I agree below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. See our Privacy Policy and Third Party Partners to learn more about the use of data and your rights. You also agree to our Terms of Service.China enters trade talks said to begin early next month in Beijing having made concerted efforts to end the standoff with the U.S., and also unsure its done enough.

Since Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump came to a temporary truce almost a month ago, Chinas removed a retaliatory duty on U.S. automobiles and is drafting a law to prevent forced technology transfers. Its also slashed import tariffs on more than 700 products and began buying U.S. crude oil, liquefied natural gas and soybeans again.

Officials have been in constant contact with the U.S. to try to determine what else is needed to move things forward in January, according to people familiar with the talks. It appears to Chinese officials that the U.S. itself isnt clear on what it wants, said the people, who asked not to be named because the negotiations are private.

China wants the U.S. to remove the punitive tariffs that have been imposed and not add new ones, but suspects the U.S. will ask for more before it agrees to do that, the people said. Officials are working on alternative retaliatory measures in case the talks collapse, they said.

After the meeting in Argentina, the incentive for China to speed up opening up and reform has increased, said Lu Xiang, an expert in bilateral ties at the state-run Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing. The key obstacle to a deal is whether the U.S. demands are a bottomless pit.

The newly announced measures are a response to the appropriate U.S. concerns, he said, using the term in the Chinese truce statement which referred to some of the issues the U.S. has raised.

Chinas flurry of policy announcements since the Argentina meeting between Trump and Xi happened despite Canadas arrest of a top Huawei Technologies executive at the U.S.s request, and despite Xi delivering a defiant speech declaring China wouldnt be dictated to by anybody. China underscored its determination to implement the agreement by including it as a key goal in an important annual policy statement published last week.

Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish will lead the Trump administrations team heading to Beijing in the week of Jan. 7, people familiar told Bloomberg News on Wednesday. The group will also include Treasury Undersecretary for International Affairs David Malpass, the people said.

Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng confirmed in a regular briefing Thursday in Beijing that the two sides planned to sit down for talks next month. Gao provided no date and said both countries continue to maintain close communication.

News of the talks was followed by a potential source of renewed strain: a Reuters report saying Trump might declare a national emergency next month that would ban U.S. companies from using telecommunications equipment made by Huawei and ZTE Corp. Asked about the report Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said a certain country needed to address cybersecurity concerns with facts and stop politicizing national security issues.

China is eager to seal a deal while at the same time is intent on preserving its economic system, said Jonathan Fenby, chairman of China research at TS Lombard in London. It aims to give Trump enough to be able to claim victory by March, enabling it to get on with the business of modernizing its economy, he said. BloombergWe may remember 2018 as the year when technologys dystopian potential became clear, from Facebooks role enabling the harvesting of our personal data for election interference to a seemingly unending series of revelations about the dark side of Silicon Valleys connect-everything ethos.

The list is long: High-tech tools for immigration crackdowns. Fears of smartphone addiction. YouTube algorithms that steer youths into extremism. An experiment in gene-edited babies.

Doorbells and concert venues that can pinpoint individual faces and alert police. Repurposing genealogy websites to hunt for crime suspects based on a relatives DNA. Automated systems that keep tabs of workers movements and habits. Electric cars in Shanghai transmitting their every movement to the government.

Its been enough to exhaust even the most imaginative sci-fi visionaries. It doesnt so much feel like were living in the future now, as that were living in a retro-future, novelist William Gibson wrote this month on Twitter. A dark, goofy 90s retro-future.

More awaits us in 2019, as surveillance and data-collection efforts ramp up and artificial intelligence systems start sounding more human, reading facial expressions and generating fake video images so realistic that it will be harder to detect malicious distortions of the truth.

But there are also countermeasures afoot in Congress and state government  and even among tech-firm employees who are more active about ensuring their work is put to positive ends.

Something that was heartening this year was that accompanying this parade of scandals was a growing public awareness that theres an accountability crisis in tech, said Meredith Whittaker, a co-founder of New York Universitys AI Now Institute for studying the social implications of artificial intelligence.

The group has compiled a long list of what made 2018 so ominous, though many are examples of the public simply becoming newly aware of problems that have built up for years. Among the most troubling cases was the revelation in March that political data-mining firm Cambridge Analytica swept up personal information of millions of Facebook users for the purpose of manipulating national elections.

It really helped wake up people to the fact that these systems are actually touching the core of our lives and shaping our social institutions, Whittaker said.

That was on top of other Facebook disasters, including its role in fomenting violence in Myanmar, major data breaches and ongoing concerns about its hosting of fake accounts for Russian propaganda.

It wasnt just Facebook. Google attracted concern about its continuous surveillance of users after The Associated Press reported that it was tracking peoples movements whether they like it or not.

It also faced internal dissent over its collaboration with the U.S. military to create drones with computer vision to help find battlefield targets and a secret proposal to launch a censored search engine in China. And it unveiled a remarkably human-like voice assistant that sounds so real that people on the other end of the phone didnt know they were talking to a computer.

Those and other concerns bubbled up in December as lawmakers grilled Google CEO Sundar Pichai at a congressional hearing  a sequel to similar public reckonings this year with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other tech executives.

It was necessary to convene this hearing because of the widening gap of distrust between technology companies and the American people, Republican House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said.

Internet pioneer Vint Cerf said he and other engineers never imagined their vision of a worldwide network of connected computers would morph 45 years later into a surveillance system that collects personal information or a propaganda machine that could sway elections.

We were just trying to get it to work, recalled Cerf, who is now Googles chief internet evangelist. But now that its in the hands of the general public, there are people who [] want it to work in a way that obviously does harm, or benefits themselves, or disrupts the political system. So we are going to have to deal with that.

Contrary to futuristic fears of super-intelligent robots taking control, the real dangers of our tech era have crept in more prosaically  often in the form of tech innovations we welcomed for making life more convenient.

Part of experts concern about the leap into connecting every home device to the internet and letting computers do our work is that the technology is still buggy and influenced by human errors and prejudices. Uber and Tesla were investigated for fatal self-

driving car crashes in March, IBM came under scrutiny for working with New York City police to build a facial recognition system that can detect ethnicity, and Amazon took heat for supplying its own flawed facial recognition service to law enforcement agencies.

In some cases, opposition to the tech industrys rush to apply its newest innovations to questionable commercial uses has come from its own employees. Google workers helped scuttle the companys Pentagon drone contract, and workers at Amazon, Microsoft and Salesforce sought to cancel their companies contracts to supply tech services to immigration authorities.

It became obvious to a lot of people that the rhetoric of doing good and benefiting society and Dont be evil was not what these companies were actually living up to, said Whittaker, who is also a research scientist at Google who founded its Open Research group.

At the same time, even some titans of technology have been sounding alarms. Prominent engineers and designers have increasingly spoken out about shielding children from the habit-forming tech products they helped create.

And then theres Microsoft President Brad Smith, who in December called for regulating facial recognition technology so that the year 2024 doesnt look like a page from George Orwells 1984.

In a blog post and a Washington speech, Smith painted a bleak vision of all-seeing government surveillance systems forcing dissidents to hide in darkened rooms to tap in code with hand signals on each others arms.

To avoid such an Orwellian scenario, Smith advocates regulating technology so that anyone about to subject themselves to surveillance is properly notified. But privacy advocates argue thats not enough.

Such debates are already happening in states like Illinois, where a strict facial recognition law has faced tech industry challenges, and California, which in 2018 passed the nations most far-reaching law to give consumers more control over their personal data. It takes effect in 2020.

The issue could find new attention in Congress next year as more Republicans warm up to the idea of basic online privacy regulations and the incoming Democratic House majority takes a more skeptical approach to tech firms that many liberal politicians once viewed as allies  and prolific campaign donors.

The leave them alone approach of the early internet era wont work anymore, said Rep. David Cicilline, a Rhode Island Democrat poised to take the helm of the Houses antitrust subcommittee.

Were seeing now some of the consequences of the abuses that can occur in these platforms if they remain unregulated without meaningful oversight or enforcement, Cicilline said.

Too much regulation may bring its own undesirable side effects, Cerf warned.

Its funny in a way because this online environment was supposed to remove friction from our ability to transact, he said. If in our desire, if not zeal, to protect peoples privacy we throw sand in the gears of everything, we may end up with a very secure system that doesnt work very well. Matt OBrien, AP Technology Writer, APThis website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. AcceptThe amount of social security benefits and allowances provided by the Macau SAR for the coming year has been announced via Executive Order No. 307/2018 published in the Official Gazette. The amounts will take effect from January 1, 2019, according to a government statement.

According to the Executive Order, the old-age pension allowance will be set at MOP3,630 per month, the same amount as the disability pension.

The unemployment allowance will be set at MOP145 per day. The hospitalization sickness allowance will also be MOP145 per day, but the non-hospitalization sickness allowance will be MOP110 per day.

The Social Security Fund website notes that the payments of old-age pension, disability pension, unemployment allowance and sickness allowance cannot coincide with one another. If a beneficiary qualifies for more than one of the above-mentioned benefits, the individual can select whichever is the most favorable.

The government has also announced increases to several other benefits. The birth allowance, for which the application must be submitted within 60 days of the birth date or adoption date, will increase from MOP5,000 to MOP5,260 per application.

Meanwhile, the marriage allowance will increase from MOP1,957 last year to MOP2,060 per application and the funeral allowance will be set at MOP2,670 per application. The relief payment will be set at MOP2,385 per month, according to the Executive Order.Indonesian migrant groups and Caritas Macau have been holding a series of fundraising events to raise funds for the survivors of the recent tsunami that struck parts of western Indonesia last week.

At least 430 people were killed on Saturday when the tsunami, which was sparked by landslides from an erupting volcano, hit Sunda Strait. Some 1,500 people were injured and about 22,000 residents had to relocate from their homes in villages.

This led non-government organization Caritas Macau to set up an appeal to the public on December 24 to raise funds for these victims.

The organization allocated MOP200,000 for relief efforts, and is also allocating additional funds through its charity sales.

Speaking to the Times, secretary-general of Caritas Macau Paul Pun said that the fundraising activities would be ongoing for three months.

We are holding a three-month fundraising process. Tomorrow, we will hold a fundraising activity in Brito School. If possible, in this three months, we will plan a visit to the [affected] areas but not soon, said Pun.

Hopefully well be able to show that local people care for the survivors. Its still the Christmas season [so] I hope we do not forget those in areas who are suffering from natural disasters, he added.

Although Pun admitted that the organization is not expecting a significant amount of funds that will be raised, the official hoped that residents would be aware of the organizations efforts in raising resources for the victims of the tsunami.

Pun said that there have also been calls on its hotline from people willing to give their assistance to fundraising efforts.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Migrant Workers Union is holding a fundraising event on Sunday at Three Lamps Square, hoping to raise awareness for the victims.

According to Yosa Wariyanti, chairperson of the association, the association also held small gatherings at the square to raise funds for the victims of the previous natural disasters that occurred in Indonesia.

It is a bit of assistance to help relieve the burden of the victims. It would be used to purchase their basic needs including food, medicine and other necessities, said Wariyanti. LVChinese companies spent far less on German firms in the second half of this year as Chancellor Angela Merkels government moved to tighten its grip on foreign investment, according to data compiled by business services provider Ernst & Young LLP.

Chinese investment in German takeovers or in stakes in German companies plunged to USD311 million during the period from almost $10 billion in the first half of 2018. The number of transactions for the full year dropped to 34, compared with 54 in 2017 and 68 the previous year.

We expect the number to stabilize next year, Yi Sun, an EY China business specialist, was quoted as saying by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, which first published the figures. It will take some time before we see another slight increase.

Merkels cabinet this month agreed to lower the threshold for government probes of foreign stakes in German businesses to 10 percent, driven by concern about Chinas efforts to gain footholds in sensitive industries, such as those related to security and defense. Media companies are also included, while the previous 25 percent threshold remains in force for all other cases.

Germany has stepped up pressure for coordinated EU action since the takeover of robot maker Kuka AG by Chinas Midea Group Co. in 2016. That led the government to rethink its tools for shielding technology companies and securing German competitiveness.

German state-owned investment bank KfW agreed in July to temporarily acquire a 20 percent stake in 50Hertz Transmission GmbH, thwarting an attempted acquisition by a Chinese company. In August, Merkels cabinet stopped a Chinese bid for the first time by vetoing the potential purchase of machine-tool manufacturer Leifeld Metal Spinning AG.

EY is advising Chinese clients to avoid investing in German companies like aerospace suppliers, Yi Sun told the FAZ. Europes biggest economy nonetheless remains relatively open compared to the U.S. and Canada, and there are investment opportunities in machinery, auto parts, health care, pharma and chemicals, she added.

EYs figures for 2018 are inflated by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co.s acquisition in February of a stake of almost 10 percent in Daimler AG, FAZ said. APCount Japans own whalers among those unhappy with the governments plan to resume commercial hunts  but not in the bountiful whaling grounds around Antarctica.

A Japanese foreign ministry official told reporters yesterday in Tokyo that whalers were also upset with the plan. The briefing came a day after Prime Minister Shinzo Abes government drew international criticism with its decision to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission and resume commercial hunts in its exclusive economic zone.

The move to end scientific hunts in near Antarctica was opposed by the local whaling industry, the foreign ministry official said, declining to be identified according to ministry policy. The official called the decision to end hunts in the Southern Ocean  where Japanese whalers have sometimes clashed with environmental activists  a painful one.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters was among officials to object to the move Wednesday, calling whaling an outdated and unnecessary practice. Still, both New Zealand and Australia welcomed the end to the Southern Ocean hunting.

Japan says it kills about 600 whales a year and the industry employs fewer than 300 people. Yet the issue has an out-sized presence in the national psyche, which the foreign ministry official compared to matters like gun control and abortion in the U.S. Norway and Iceland  both members of the whaling commission  also hunt commercially.

Japan plans to use a method laid out by the commission to calculate a sustainable harvest. The first hunt is set to take place in July. Isabel Reynolds, BloombergLawmaker Lei Chan U has asked the government about the results of the citys tourism policies.

In March 2017, the Public Security Police Force (PSP) established a tourism police force. Currently, there are 60 tourism police officers, while in the beginning there were 30 officers.

In recent years, the number of Macaus tourist arrivals has been continuously growing. [] In the first ten months of this year, tourist arrivals increased 8.4 percent year on year. [.] However, there are only around 60 tourism police officers [], whether this scale [of tourism police officers] can cope with the continuously growing number of tourists makes people doubt, said Lei.

The tourism police has been established for nearly two years. Has the government authority reviewed the effect of the tourism police officers work? Can the current number of tourism police officers cope with the continuous growth of tourist arrival numbers? Will the government authority continue to expand the scale? What improvement plan or measures does the government have regarding the functions of tourism police officers? [] Will the government adjust the stationing of police officers, for instance, to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai- Macau Bridge? Lei wrote in his inquiry to the government.A separatist leader blamed for masterminding last months attack on a Chinese Consulate in Pakistan has been killed in a bombing in Afghanistan, Pakistani officials and the separatist group said yesterday.

Aslam Baloch, one of the leaders of the Baluch Liberation Army, and five of his associates were martyred in a blast, according to Jeeyand Baloch, a spokesman for the group. He did not provide further details. Pakistani security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Baloch was killed Tuesday in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar.

Mohammad Yousof Younosi, a provincial council member from Kandahar, said six people were killed when a suicide bomber attacked a house Tuesday in a wealthy subdivision of the city. He said the blast, which was a block away, blew out the windows of his home and several others in the neighborhood.

He said he knew one of the people killed, who hailed from Pakistans Baluchistan province, and had alerted authorities to their presence several weeks ago.

Their language and clothing was different from ours. I knew they were not from Afghanistan and I worried about who they were, said Younosi. Police arranged for them to relocate, but Younosi said they moved only one block away.

No one immediately claimed the attack. Several militant and separatist groups operate in Baluchistan.

Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of sheltering Baluch separatists, including those behind a deadly attack on the Chinese Consulate in Karachi last month. Afghanistan in turn accuses Pakistan of sheltering the Taliban and other Islamic extremists.

Three gunmen attacked the consulate in Karachi, triggering a shootout that left the assailants, two police officers and two civilians dead. APBy Damali Mukhaye.

Uganda police has banned the burning of tires in the middle of the road as they usher in 2019 on Monday.

Addressing journalists at the police headquarters in Naguru, the police spokesperson Emilian Kayima says that says that with only three days left to usher in the New Year, people tend to do terrible things which pose a challenge to security of the country.

He says that those who will be caught banning tires in the middle of the road or else were will be arrested.

He also says that people should be careful and sensitive to what happens as they welcome the year since some criminal elements might attack and injure victims whose alarms might be mistaken for excitement.A severe fire broke out at a Vang Kei Supermarket located on the Av. do Ouvidor Arriaga, at a junction with R. do Padre Antonio Roliz, at 2 a.m. yesterday.

The windows of the supermarket melted completely during the fire, with only their frames remaining afterwards.

The Fire Services Bureau (CB) used two jets to extinguish the fire. During the fire fighters operation, hazardous items were removed from the scene. The fire spread across an area of 10m by 20m around the vicinity of the supermarket.

According to the CB, the fire spread quickly due to the fact that the supermarket had an abundance of flammable goods.

In total, the CB deployed eight ambulances and 33 fire fighters to rescue operations, which were carried out smoothly.

One person felt discomfort after inhaling smoke, and was sent to Conde S. Januario Hospital for further medical assistance. Approximately 30 residents near the location left their buildings on their own initiative.

According to the CB, the fire might have been caused by a mechanical failure in one of the supermarkets fridges.

The owner of the supermarket and Chairman of the Board of Vang Kei Hong, surnamed Yip, felt fortunate that nobody was injured during the accident.

Yip said that, at the current stage, he could not assess the losses resulting from the fire.Thousands of Taiwanese, taking a page from Frances yellow vest movement, protested yesterday for the third time in a week to demand lower taxes and the fair handling of tax disputes.

Wearing yellow vests, they shouted slogans and blared air horns outside the Ministry of Finance in Taipei, the capital city, and waved banners calling Taiwans tax collection policies illegal. Some wore clear plastic raincoats over their vests in a light rain.

This is about our futures, said Joanna Tai, a 23-year-old English-language graduate student who plans to teach after graduation next year.

We look at wages in Hong Kong and mainland China. We want to know why theres so much of a gap with Taiwan, she said. Then a lot of my classmates want to start companies and be their own bosses but, because of taxes, a lot of small businesses have folded.

The Tax & Legal Reform League, an activist group, called the protest after marshaling about 20,000 people outside the presidential office in an initial demonstration a week ago, and another 10,000 on Saturday, according to organizers and Taiwanese media.

The organizers said they were inspired by the success of the recent French protests, which turned violent and were blamed for 10 deaths. The Taiwanese protests have been peaceful.

French President Emmanuel Macron eventually agreed to scrap a tax hike for gasoline and diesel and increase the minimum salary for full-time workers, as well as other steps.

We saw Macron and he wanted to soften up, so that gave us some encouragement to protest, so we hope the president here can hear our voices, Reform League media liaison Wang Chih-lan said. The Ministry of Finance is the major culprit. Its a big organization thats causing poverty in Taiwan.

A ministry spokeswoman said earlier this week that anti-tax activists have been pushing for lower taxes for about 20 years. Tsai Meng-chu said that the ministry has responded to some of their complaints on its website, including a rebuttal to allegations that the tax system contributes to poverty.

Their complaints are just that theyre not satisfied with the tax system, she said, noting that Taiwan offers payment deferrals to low-income individuals.

Protesters said they had received tax bills sent in error or asking for too much tax. An appeal costs too much, they said, and tax collectors sometimes keep hounding them for taxes even after losing in court. Income taxes add hardship to young people in low-paid, entry-level jobs, some said.

The average monthly wage in Taiwan is USD1,364, and the minimum wage is set to rise to $750 in January. During her campaign, President Tsai Ing- wen said she would work on wages and welfare for youth.

Taiwanese who earn less than $2.42 million New Taiwan dollars (about $78,500) a year pay no more than 20 percent in taxes, according to data compiled by professional services firm KPMG.

KPMG ranked Taiwan 33rd for the worlds highest taxes on a list of 135 countries and regions. France ranked 12th. Ralph Jennings, Taipei, APIt has been a wretched year for Pope Francis, whose blind spot on clergy sex abuse conspired with events beyond his control to threaten his legacy and throw the Catholic hierarchy into a credibility crisis not seen in modern times.

The latest development  a high-profile verdict in a far-away country  cements the impression that Francis simply didnt get it when he first became pope in 2013 and began leading the church.

Early missteps included associating with compromised cardinals and bishops and downplaying or dismissing rumors of abuse and cover-up. Francis finally came around in 2018, when he publicly admitted he was wrong about a case in Chile, made amends, and laid the groundwork for the future by calling an abuse prevention summit next year.

But damage to his moral authority on the issue has been done. Before his eyes were opened, Francis showed that he was a product of the very clerical culture he so often denounces, ever ready to take the word of the clerical class over victims.

The year started off well enough: Francis dedicated his annual Jan. 1 peace message to the plight of migrants and refugees. Soon thereafter, he baptized 34 cooing babies in the Sistine Chapel and urged their mothers to nurse, a typical Franciscan show of informal practicality amid the splendor of Michelangelos Last Judgment.

Then came Chile .

Francis January visit was dominated by the clergy abuse scandal there, and featured unprecedented protests against a papal visit: churches were firebombed and riot police used water cannons to quell demonstrations.

Chilean opposition to Francis had actually begun three years prior, when the Argentine-born pope appointed Juan Barros as bishop of the southern diocese of Osorno. Francis had dismissed allegations that Barros ignored and covered up abuse by Chiles most prominent predator priest, imposing him on a diocese that wanted nothing to do with him.

The day they bring me proof against Bishop Barros, Ill speak, Francis said on his final day in Chile. There is not one shed of proof against him. Its all slander. Is that clear?

Francis defended Barros because one of his friends and advisers, Chilean Cardinal Javier Errazuriz, defended Barros. Francis in 2013 had named Errazuriz to his inner circle, a formal parallel cabinet of nine cardinals who meet every three months at the Vatican.

Chilean victims, though, had long charged that Errazuriz had been deaf to their claims while he was archbishop of Santiago, giving cover to abusers and their enablers. Francis disregarded the victims concerns and appointed Errazuriz to the high-profile cabinet post.

In the wake of his disastrous trip to Chile, Francis slowly came around to the victims view, in part in response to reporting by The Associated Press. He ordered an in-depth investigation into the Chilean church, admitted to grave errors in judgment and personally apologized to the victims he had discredited. He accused the Chilean leadership of creating a culture of cover-up and secured the resignations of every active bishop there, Barros included. He vowed that the Catholic Church would never again hide abuse, and earlier this month the Vatican announced Francis had fired Errazuriz from the cabinet.

Also removed was Cardinal George Pell, who left his post as the Vaticans economy minister in June 2017 to stand trial for historical sex abuse offenses in his native Australia. Like Errazuriz, Pell had been the target of abuse victims ire for years, well before Francis brought him to the Vatican, given his prominent role in Australia and the churchs horrific record with abuse there.

Both men deny wrongdoing. But their continued presence on the Council of Nine, as the cabinet is called, became a source of scandal for the pope, who bid them farewell in October with a letter thanking them for their service. For Pell, the C9 removal suggests he wont resume work at the Vatican since his five-year term expires early next year.

They are not the only cardinals on the hot seat: The current archbishop of Santiago is under investigation in a broad criminal inquiry into sex abuse cover-up. Prosecutors in a dozen U.S. states are investigating church files. A cover-up trial in France has two cardinals as defendants, including the Spaniard who heads the Vatican office that processes sex abuse cases. The Holy See invoked sovereign immunity to spare Spains Cardinal Luis Ladaria Ferrer. But it has no such power to protect Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, the archbishop of Lyon, France, who is accused of failing to report a self-confessed abusive priest to authorities. Francis has said French justice should take its course but has praised Barbarin as brave.

Despite such problems, with the Chile scandal largely atoned for and decisions made to purge his inner circle of compromised members, Francis appeared by summer to be well on his way to steering himself out of the 2018 sex abuse crisis.

Then Round 2 hit.

In July, Francis removed U.S. Archbishop Theodore McCarrick as a cardinal after church investigators said an allegation that he groped a teenage altar boy in the 1970s was credible. Subsequently, several former seminarians and priests reported that they too had been abused or harassed by McCarrick as adults.

A month later, a grand jury report in Pennsylvania revealed seven decades of abuse and cover-up in six dioceses, with allegations that more than 1,000 children had been molested by about 300 priests. Most of the priests were dead, and the crimes far pre-dated Francis papacy.

But the combined scandal created a crisis in confidence in the U.S. and Vatican hierarchy. It was apparently common knowledge in the U.S. and Vatican leadership that Uncle Ted, as McCarrick was known, slept with seminarians, and yet he still he rose undisturbed up the church ranks.

Having removed McCarrick and approved a canonical trial against him, Francis should have emerged as the hero in the saga since he righted the wrong of St. John Paul II, the pope from 1978-2005 who had promoted McCarrick to begin with and whose record on abuse issues is far worse than Francis given his inaction.

But Francis get-tough victory lap was cut short when a former Vatican ambassador to the U.S. accused the pope himself of participating in the McCarrick cover-up.

In an 11-page denunciation in August, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano claimed that Vatican officials from the top on down over the course of three pontificates had known about McCarricks penchant for seminarians, and turned a blind eye.

Vigano wrote that he had told Francis in 2013, at the start of his pontificate, that McCarrick had corrupted a generation of seminarians and priests and that Pope Benedict XVI had eventually sanctioned him for his sexual misconduct.

Vigano claimed Francis disregarded his 2013 warning and rehabilited McCarrick from those sanctions, making him a key adviser and entrusting him with delicate missions to China and elsewhere.

Francis never responded to Viganos laundry list of claims. Instead, Francis took to blaming the devil  the Great Accuser  for sowing division and discord in the church, an indirect jab at Vigano that only fueled conservative outrage at Francis and demands that he come clean about what he knew about McCarrick and when.

The Vatican didnt help Francis standing any when, without providing any plausible reason, it blocked U.S. bishops from adopting accountability measures to try to restore trust with their flocks.

It now seems clear that Francis, at least at the start of his pontificate, was willing to overlook past sexual misbehavior or cover-up claims if those responsible had atoned. Francis launched his pontificate with his famous Who am I to judge comment, about a gay priest whom he had appointed to a top advisory position despite allegations he had had a string of lovers.

That comment, which won him plaudits from liberal Catholics and landed him on the cover of Advocate magazine, may now be his undoing. If he had judged his advisers more scrupulously at the start of his pontificate on their abuse and cover-up records, he might have retained more credibility in 2018.Nicole Winfield, Vatican City, APCredit: Sima Dimitric/Flickr

New research shows that a comprehensive, coordinated care program for people with dementia and their caregivers significantly decreased the likelihood that the individuals would enter a nursing home. The study also shows that the program saved Medicare money and was cost-neutral after accounting for program costs.

The research, conducted at the UCLA Alzheimer's and Dementia Care Program, was designed to evaluate the costs of administering the program, as well as the health care services used by program participants, including hospitalizations, emergency room visits, hospital readmissions and long-term nursing home placement.

"The findings of this study show that a health care system-based comprehensive dementia care program can keep persons with dementia in their homes and in the community without any additional cost to Medicare," said the study's senior author, Dr. David Reuben, Archstone Professor of Medicine and chief of the UCLA Division of Geriatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

The study was published Dec. 21 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The research focused on the UCLA Alzheimer's and Dementia Care Program. In the program, people with dementia and their caregivers meet with a nurse practitioner specializing in dementia care for a 90-minute in-person assessment and then receive a personalized dementia care plan that addresses the medical, mental health and social needs of both people. The nurse practitioners work collaboratively with the patient's primary care provider and specialist physicians to implement the care plan, including adjustments as needs change over time. A total of 1,083 Medicare beneficiaries with dementia were enrolled in the program and were followed for three years. The study compared them to a similar group of patients living in the same ZIP codes who did not participate in the program.

"The most striking finding was that patients enrolled in the program reduced their risk of entering a nursing home by about 40 percent," said lead author Dr. Lee Jennings, assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. Jennings began the project while on faculty at the Geffen School and finished it after arriving at Oklahoma.

There were no differences between the two study groups in hospitalizations, emergency room visits or hospital readmissions. However, cost was another important element of the study. Participants in the program saved Medicare $601 per patient, per quarter, for a total of $2,404 a year. However, after program costs were factored in, the program was cost-neutral and might result in savings in other settings, such as at other health care systems. That was good news to the study's authors.

"We found the study to be very exciting," Jennings said, "because it showed that an intensive intervention can delay nursing home entry without adding costs. The intervention isn't going to reverse dementia, but it allows us to provide high-quality care to help patients cope with the progression of this disease and stay in their homes for longer."

Jennings added that individuals with dementia typically have not received good-quality care. "Part of the reason," she said, "is that the care takes a significant amount of time, which primary care physicians don't have in abundance. In addition, pharmacologic treatments for dementia are limited, which makes community resources all the more important for both patients and caregivers. However, community programs tend to be underutilized."

The intervention featured in the study addresses those issues directly. The assessment looks not only at what the patient and caregiver need, but also at their strengths, such as financial security, family assistance and proximity to community resources. It is designed to be interdisciplinary and to address the needs of both patients and caregivers.

"This study aligns with similar studies of collaborative care models for other chronic diseases, such as heart failure," Jennings said. "It underscores that we need to be thinking differently about how we provide care to persons with chronic illnesses, like dementia. This study shows the benefit of a collaborative care model, where nurse practitioners and physicians work together to provide comprehensive dementia care."

Explore further Setting personal goals for dementia care

More information: Lee A. Jennings et al. Health Care Utilization and Cost Outcomes of a Comprehensive Dementia Care Program for Medicare Beneficiaries, JAMA Internal Medicine (2018). Journal information: JAMA Internal Medicine Lee A. Jennings et al. Health Care Utilization and Cost Outcomes of a Comprehensive Dementia Care Program for Medicare Beneficiaries,(2018). DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.5579Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the stem cell institute HI-STEM in Heidelberg have succeeded for the first time in directly reprogramming human blood cells into a previously unknown type of neural stem cell. These induced stem cells are similar to those that occur during the early embryonic development of the central nervous system. They can be modified and multiplied indefinitely in lab and represent a candidate for the development of regenerative therapies.

Pluripotent embryonic stem cells can multiply indefinitely and generate all conceivable cell types. In 2006, the Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka recognized that such cells could also be produced in the laboratory from mature body cells. Four genetic factors alone are sufficient to reverse the course of development and produce so-called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) with identical properties to embryonic stem cells. Yamanaka was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2012 for this discovery.

"This was a major breakthrough for stem cell research," said Andreas Trumpp, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and director of HI-STEM in Heidelberg. "This applies in particular to for research in Germany, where the generation of human embryonic stem cells is not permitted. Stem cells have enormous potential both for basic research and for the development of regenerative therapies that aim to restore diseased tissue in patients. However, reprogramming is also associated with problems: For example, pluripotent cells can form germline tumors, so-called teratomas.

For the first time, Trumpp's team has succeeded in reprogramming mature human cells in such a way that a defined type of induced neural stem cell is produced that can multiply almost indefinitely. "We used four genetic factors like Yamanaka, but different ones for our reprogramming," explains Marc Christian Thier, first author of the study. "We assumed that our factors would allow reprogramming to an early stage of development of the nervous system."

In the past, other research groups also reprogrammed connective tissue cells into mature nerve cells or neural precursor cells. However, these artificially produced nerve cells often could not be expanded and could therefore not be used for therapeutic purposes. "Often, it was a heterogeneous mixture of different cell types that might not exist in the body under physiological conditions," said Andreas Trumpp, explaining the problems.

Together with stem cell researcher Frank Edenhofer from the University of Innsbruck and neuroscientist Hannah Monyer from DKFZ and the Heidelberg University Hospital, Trumpp and his team have now succeeded in reprogramming connective tissue cells of the skin and pancreas as well as peripheral blood cells. "The origin of the cells had no influence on the properties of the stem cells," said Thier. In particular, the possibility of extracting neural stem cells from the blood of patients without invasive intervention is a decisive advantage for future therapeutic approaches.

Notably, the reprogrammed cells are of a homogeneous cell type resembling a stage that occurs during the embryonic development of the nervous system. "Corresponding cells exist in mice and probably also in humans during early embryonic brain development," said Thier. "We have described here a new neural stem cell type in the mammalian embryo."

These so-called induced neural plate border stem cells (iNBSCs) have a broad development potential. The iNBSCs are expandable and multipotent and can develop in two directions. On the one hand, they can take the path of development to mature nerve cells and glial cells of the central nervous system. On the other hand, they can also develop into cells of the neural crest, from which different cell types emerge, for example, peripheral sensitive nerve cells or cartilage and bones of the skull.

The iNBSCs thus form an ideal basis for generating a broad range of different cell types for an individual patient. "These cells have the same genetic material as the donor and are therefore presumably self-recognized by the immune system and are not rejected," explains Thier.

The CRISPR/Cas9 gene scissors can be used to modify the iNBSC or repair genetic defects, as the scientists have shown in their experiments. "They are therefore interesting both for basic research and the search for new active substances and for the development of regenerative therapies, for example in patients with diseases of the nervous system. However, until we can use them in patients, a lot of research work will still be necessary," says Trumpp.

Explore further Researchers develop a new method for turning skin cells into pluripotent stem cells

More information: Marc Christian Thier et al, Identification of Embryonic Neural Plate Border Stem Cells and Their Generation by Direct Reprogramming from Adult Human Blood Cells, Cell Stem Cell (2018). Journal information: Cell Stem Cell Marc Christian Thier et al, Identification of Embryonic Neural Plate Border Stem Cells and Their Generation by Direct Reprogramming from Adult Human Blood Cells,(2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2018.11.015This image shows a cross section of a kidney. Credit: Holly Fischer/Wikipedia

A study published in JAMA Network Open shows 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 better financial funding of nephrology as well as more efforts to raise awareness of kidney disease in the population.

The complexity of patients varies substantially between medical specialties. This is one of the findings of a Canadian retrospective population-based cohort study, involving more than 2.5 million participants. Another important finding is that nephrologists treat the most complex patients.

In this study, complexity was defined by nine markers:

the number of comorbidities the presence of mental illness the number of types of physicians involved the number of physicians involved the number of prescribed medications the number of emergency department visits the rate of adverse clinical outcomes (death, hospitalisation) the risk of being placed in long-term care 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 authors point out, payment to healthcare facilities is frequently based on patient volume rather than on patient complexity. In their view, policymakers 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 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."

Explore further Chronic kidney disease outcomes can be improved by expanding specialist care

More information: Marcello Tonelli et al, Comparison of the Complexity of Patients Seen by Different Medical Subspecialists in a Universal Health Care System, JAMA Network Open (2018). Journal information: JAMA Network Open Marcello Tonelli et al, Comparison of the Complexity of Patients Seen by Different Medical Subspecialists in a Universal Health Care System,(2018). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.4852

Provided by ERA-EDTA(HealthDay)A drug used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may actually be harmful, a new study suggests.

The high blood pressure drug prazosin is sometimes used to treat PTSD-related nightmares and insomnia that can increase suicide risk. But this small study suggests the drug may make nightmares and insomnia worse and not reduce suicidal thoughts in PTSD patients.

"I think we have to view this as not the final word on this, but it raises questions," said study author Dr. W. Vaughn McCall. He's chairman of psychiatry and health behavior at the Medical College of Georgia.

The study included 20 PTSD patients, including two military veterans and several civilian women who had been sexually assaulted. All had active suicidal thoughts, some had previously attempted suicide, and most were taking antidepressants and/or had them prescribed for the study.

For eight weeks, participants took prazosin at bedtime with an aim of preventing nightmares and suicidal thoughts. They were assessed weekly for severity of suicidal thoughts, nightmares, insomnia, depression and PTSD.

The drug "did not seem to do much for suicidal ideation and that was somewhat disappointing, but the thing what was mind-blowing was that it actually worsened nightmares," McCall said in a university news release. "Maybe it's not for everybody."

The unexpected increase in nightmares and insomnia might owe to the severity of a patient's PTSD or the once-a-day dose of prazosin, he said.

PTSD patients' nightmares often focus on the trauma that caused their PTSD, he said.

Two patients required emergency inpatient psychiatric care, but there were no suicide attempts or deaths during the study, which was published recently in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology.

Prazosin may help some PSTD patients, but may not be a good choice when suicide is an active concern, according to McCall, who is now seeking input from PTSD experts across the United States

Two larger studies in active and retired military personnel yielded mixed results as well, he noted.

"We need to reconcile how is it that we had 10 years of data saying prazosin is good for nightmares in PTSD, a big study this February indicating it has essentially no [effect] and now a smaller study showing it can worsen some aspects," McCall said. "We need to know what it all means."

The antidepressants sertraline (Zoloft) and paroxetine (Paxil) are the only U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved PTSD drug therapies, he said, adding that neither is widely effective.

Explore further Drug used for PTSD may worsen nightmares, not reduce suicidal thoughts

More information: The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has more on The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has more on PTSD

Copyright  2018 HealthDay. All rights reserved.Credit: Rebholz

Higher collective consumption of sweetened fruit drinks, soda, and water was associated with a higher likelihood of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD) in a community-based study of African-American adults in Mississippi. The findings, which appear in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN), contribute to the growing body of evidence pointing to the negative health consequences of consuming sugar-sweetened beverages.

Certain beverages may affect kidney health, but study results have been inconsistent. To provide more clarity, Casey Rebholz Ph.D., MS, MNSP, MPH (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health) and her colleagues prospectively studied 3003 African-American men and women with normal kidney function who were enrolled in the Jackson Heart Study.

"There is a lack of comprehensive information on the health implications of the wide range of beverage options that are available in the food supply," said Dr. Rebholz. "In particular, there is limited information on which types of beverages and patterns of beverages are associated with kidney disease risk in particular."

For their study, the investigators assessed beverage intake through a food frequency questionnaire administered at the start of the study in 2000-04, and they followed participants until 2009-13.

Among the 3003 participants, 185 (6%) developed CKD over a median follow-up of 8 years. After adjustment for confounding factors, consuming a beverage pattern consisting of soda, sweetened fruit drinks, and water was associated with a higher risk of developing CKD. Participants in the top tertile for consumption of this beverage pattern were 61% more likely to develop CKD than those in the bottom tertile.

The researchers were surprised to see that water was a component of this beverage pattern that was linked with a higher risk of CKD. They noted that study participants may have reported their consumption of a wide variety of types of water, including flavored and sweetened water. Unfortunately, the investigators did not collect information about specific brands or types of bottled water in the Jackson Heart Study.

In an accompanying editorial, Holly Kramer, MD, MPH and David Shoham, Ph.D. (Loyola University Chicago) noted that the findings hold strong public health implications. "While a few select U.S. cities have successfully reduced SSB [sugar sweetened beverage] consumption via taxation, all other municipalities have resisted public health efforts to lower SSB consumption," they wrote. "This cultural resistance to reducing SSB consumption can be compared to the cultural resistance to smoking cessation during the 1960s after the Surgeon General report was released. During the 1960s, tobacco use was viewed as a social choice and not a medical or social public health problem."

In an accompanying Patient Voice editorial, Duane Sunwold explained that he is a patient with CKD who changed his eating and drinking patterns to put his disease in remission. As a chef, he offers a number of recommendations to fellow patients trying to decrease their consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks.In the past year, tech and telecommunications companies in South Africa have battled one another, government agencies, and the industry regulator in court and in the media.

Some of the biggest battles in the local tech industry are listed below.

ICASA conducted an inquiry into the South African pay-TV industry and suggested several remedies to address MultiChoices dominance.

MultiChoice appealed to ICASA not to introduce regulations such as forcing it to offer its SuperSport content to other broadcasters, saying that DStv as a satellite pay TV service was already operating on borrowed time.

It stated that over-regulating will hand the South African market to global online streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon.

The broadcaster also argued that if ICASA insists on regulating the market further, Netflix must be subject to the same regulations.

ICASA introduced new End-User and Subscriber Service Charter regulations which prohibited all Internet service providers, including mobile networks, from charging subscribers for out-of-bundle usage without consent.

The regulations also require that networks offer the ability to roll over unused data, and allow for the transfer of data to another subscriber on the same network.

ICASA gave operators a month to comply with the new regulations, and declined a request to extend the deadline. Cell C applied for an urgent interdict to get the deadline extended. The matter was finally settled out of court nearly six months later.

Despite assurances to the contrary from the government, the initial draft of an amendment to the Electronic Communications Act proposed taking back spectrum from licensed operators to give to a wholesale open access network (WOAN).

Wireless operators opposed this, and while the final bill excluded this provision, it does require that operators get permission to refarm spectrum, and open up their networks should they be assigned new high-demand spectrum.

After a protracted public battle between the Eastern Cape and SITA, the Constitutional Court ruled that the provincial government did not act within the law when it piggy-backed on a Western Cape tender and appointed Liquid Telecom as its broadband provider.

The legal battle between Nkosana Makate and Vodacom over the invention of the Please Call Me got messy this year. As per a Constitutional Court ruling, Vodacom group CEO Shameel Joosub is yet to determine a suitable settlement amount.

Makates supporters have displayed signs over the N1 highway, at FNB Stadium, and in malls outside Vodacom stores.

There is an ongoing battle between network operators over their compliance with ICASAs regulations on toll free calling. All operators who offer voice services are required to conclude agreements with one another regarding the tariffs they charge to reverse-bill toll free calls.

However, the main issue is the price mobile networks charge for connecting subscribers to toll-free numbers compared their call rates and the wholesale termination rates as set by ICASA.

ZADNA is locked in a battle with the ZACR over the cost of .co.za domain registrations. ZADNA issued a request for submissions regarding a review of the wholesale fee structure for .ZA domains.

Parliament vs legislation

In the past year, Parliament has approved the Internet Censorship bill and the Cybercrimes Bill, both of which were heavily criticised and modified, and are still considered unworkable by legal experts.

The government has also declined to consider proposals to create regulations for online gambling, and instead wants to go after South Africans who gamble online by confiscating their winnings.

Now read: Biggest global tech stories of 2018South Africa has successfully launched into space the continents most advanced nanosatellite to date  the ZACube-2.

The ZACube-2 will provide cutting edge remote sensing and communication services to South Africa and the region.

This satellite will help us monitor our ocean traffic as part of our oceans economy and also monitor veld fires and provide near real-time fire information ensuring a quick response time by disaster management teams.

Science is indeed helping us resolve the challenges of our society. I want to congratulate our space team for great work and this achievement, Minister of Science and Technology Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane said in a statement on Thursday.

The Minister said she is proud that the satellite was developed by some of South Africas youngest and brightest minds under a programme representing the countrys diversity, in particular black students and young women.

According to the Department of Science and Technology, the satellite is a technology demonstrator for Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) that will provide critical information for the countys oceans economy.

It will monitor the movement of ships along the South African coastline with its automatic identification system (AIS) payload.

The Minister congratulated the team behind this historic moment, saying the launch of ZACube-2 represents a significant milestone in the nations ambition to becoming a key player in the innovative utilisation of space science and technology in responding to government priority areas.

The ZACube-2 took off at 04:07am with the Russian Soyuz Kanopus mission from the Vostochny spaceport. The cube-satellite left the earth together with small satellites from the United States, Japan, Spain, and Germany and is orbited as secondary payload in a launch mission designed for real-time monitoring of natural and manmade disasters and other emergencies, the department said.

Weighing just four kilograms, the ZACube-2 is South Africas second nanosatellite to be launched into space and three times the size of its predecessor, TshepisoSat.

It is regarded as the continents most advanced cube satellite and is in fact a precursor to the MDASat  a constellation of nine nanosatellites that will be developed to provide cutting-edge very high frequency data exchange communication systems to the maritime industry, the department said.

The departments entity, the South African National Space Agency (SANSA), in cooperation with the University of Montpellier, the French Embassy and the Paris Chamber of Commerce, manages the project.

In April this year, Minister Kubayi-Ngubane attended the send-off ceremony and met the team young people who worked on the Zacube-2 at CPUT.

The ZACube-2 will be given a new name soon, following a national satellite naming competition launched in April by the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA), an entity of the department. SAASTA received over 300 entries from Grade 4-12 learners. The results have been finalised and the new name of the nanosatellite will be announced in due course, the department said.

SANews

Now read: How much money you can make as a streamer in South AfricaThey can come anytime and ask ...When asked what she gets out of volunteering, longtime St. Helena resident Dolores Torrigino was modest. I dont know. It keeps me from being a sit-at-home, doing nothing. It keeps my mind going.

Torrigino has lived in town since 1980. She has three daughters and a son; six grandchildren and six great grandchildren, with the youngest being 14 months. Her son and his wife are living with her now, after having spent the past 15 years teaching in international schools. Torrigino visited them in Hong Kong and twice in Cairo, but not Myanmar, because it was considered too dangerous.

Torrigino said she has always been a volunteer and when she first knew about this interview, she thought about her first volunteer job. It goes back to high school, she said. In Berkeley during the war, in 1944-45. I was a junior volunteer and I would go with the gal in the truck and get leftover flowers from the florists. We would take them to the army air base on the weekends for the chapel. How about that?

Torrigino comes by her volunteering naturally. Although her father owned a grocery store, her mother would pick up people to go to different meetings or take them shopping or something, she said.

The great-grandmother spoke at the Rianda House Senior Activity Center, where she currently volunteers, and was joined by Julie Spencer, executive director of Rianda House.

Torrigino was remembering events that happened years ago, adding when her children were young, she was a den mother for the Cub Scouts. Another time, Torrigino spent two years at the Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

I worked in the development office, she said. There was an automatic typewriter and youd put in the paper and type Dear So and So and it would type the letter, Torrigino said. It stopped after typing Thank you for your donation of and Torrigino would punch in an amount. After that, the letter would finish printing. Of course today, its all computer, she added.

This past summer, Torrigino was able to go back to the reservation for a visit, reflecting that it had been 40 years ago. There were still a couple of people there, and I found a few of the sisters there who knew me, she said.

Wherever she lived, Torrigino set up libraries, including one for the St. Helena Catholic School. Additionally, she was a volunteer for different organizations that she belonged to, although she added, Ive forgotten what they are. Always, though, she volunteered for the Catholic church.

In St. Helena, she was parish secretary for three years, until 1983. Currently she serves on the altar society, is a lector and helps count the money.

In the past, she has volunteered at the St. Helena Public Library, where she was secretary and administrative assistant to the librarian. She was there long enough to earn a 10-year pin and then she volunteered with the Friends of the Library, where she was in charge of the bulk mailing.

Torrigino said she would deal with the books as they came in from other libraries, make sure she knew who they were for and put a note with the name in each book, although she says she doesnt do that anymore.

On this Tuesday afternoon in late November, Torrigino was sitting at a table after helping with the congregate meals, which are served Monday, Tuesday and Friday at Rianda House. Although there were only five people who showed up  the weather keeps it quiet, Spencer said  Torrigino said she acted as a hostess and helped get the conversations going.

Spencer said Torrigino also helped set up a nice table and helped in the kitchen by taking the temperatures of the food as it came from Suisun through the Meals on Wheels program through Community Action Napa Valley.

Torrigino has volunteered at Rianda House for the past 10 years, since 2008. Ive helped deliver meals for a while, mainly to get a friend of mine, who needed to get out and do things, to help me. Im also a calendar girl, she said.

Spencer said, When we first opened, we didnt have very many calendars that we put out, so we could afford to put a stamp on it. Then Dolores came to me and said we could save money by sending it bulk rate. She used to do the calendars at the library and brought her talents here to Rianda House. Torrigino taught Spencer how to mail the calendars with a bulk rate stamp. And she was head of the calendar girls for many, many years, Spencer added, although Torrigino has since passed on leadership of the group.

When Torrigino said, Thats about all Ive done here, Spencer disagreed. Youve also volunteered for Rally 4 Rianda and you manage our puzzles, which is a big hit around here. She keeps things flowing well, which puzzle is going to be the next one. It seems to be a treat for a lot of people, to come and spend a little bit of time on the puzzles.

People dont allow themselves the time at home to do those puzzles, but they do when they come here, she added.

When asked how many puzzles are finished in a year, Torrigino answered, It depends on how long it takes us to do them. The bigger ones we get them done in a month, some of the trickier ones, it could take us two, three or four months, depending on if its a big puzzle with tiny, little pieces. Boxes of puzzles are stored in the basement of the Rianda House and Torrigino takes the ones not needed to Jackies Consignment Shop in Napa. We get half of what she sells them for, Torrigino said. One time I got $2 and the last time I got $7. And the money goes to Rianda House.

Beyond that, Torrigino volunteers at Adventist Health St. Helena, where she does bookkeeping type of work, and she helps in the graphic arts department, collating papers and making sure the proper forms are parts of the different charts for patients. Theres a certain list of papers in the hospital for each procedure and when a person goes in, theres a certain list of papers that have to go into the chart, Torrigino said. Its just a kind of busywork.

In years past, Torrigino volunteered at the California Veterans Home in Yountville, doing bookkeeping work, and at the Lincoln Theater, where she was an usher. I couldnt afford the shows, but if youre an usher, you get to pick and choose which shows you go to, she added. I liked the music productions.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.A pivotal mayoral election, an ambitious analysis of the citys aging facilities, the closure of a few beloved St. Helena institutions, and the tragic death of a local mental health professional, wife and mother were among the stories that dominated the pages of the St. Helena Star in 2018.

Here are the top 10 St. Helena news stories of 2018, as voted by the Stars staff and editorial board.

1. Ellsworth defeats Galbraith for mayor

The mayoral campaign between incumbent Alan Galbraith and City Councilmember Geoff Ellsworth was a study in contrasts worthy of Spock and McCoy: Harvard-educated attorney with a mastery of technical details versus the St. Helena native son who had gained a passionate local following for his big-picture critiques of the effects of winery tourism on the towns quality of life.

The campaign revisited some of the same issues raised in last years unsuccessful recall campaign against Galbraith, such as fiscal management and the fairness of the new water rates. Ellsworth vastly outspent Galbraith, with an October filing showing more than $36,000 in expenses and $39,800 in outstanding debts for the Ellsworth campaign, compared with just over $19,000 in campaign expenses for Galbraith.

Galbraith led by 16 votes on election night, but Ellsworth gained ground as more ballots were counted, ultimately defeating Galbraith by 59 votes.

With Galbraith and his ally Peter White off the council, replaced by Anna Chouteau and a yet-to-be-appointed councilmember, St. Helenas city politics are sure to take on a different flavor in 2019.

2. Terra, Cindys close

St. Helena lost two of its favorite restaurants in 2018, a year that saw a wave of restaurant closures throughout the upvalley.

The Michelin-starred Terra closed in June, with co-owners Lissa Doumani citing difficulty in finding staff given the high cost of housing in the area. She said the local housing shortage had gotten even worse after the 2017 wildfires, and one cook was commuting 62 miles from Danville.

Her concerns were echoed by the owners of other restaurants that called it quits in 2018, from Redd in Yountville to Brannans in Calistoga.

Cindys Backstreet Kitchen closed in July after owner Cindy Pawlcyn and her business partner Sean Knight sold the building to restaurateur and winemaker Joel Gott.

Sometimes things just come up out of the blue and you have to act, Pawlcyn told the Star, explaining that Gott made her an offer she couldnt pass up.

Gott plans to use the former Cindys kitchen to prepare food for Gotts Roadside and a new convenience store at the Napa Valley Petroleum gas station.

St. Helena also lost The Big Dipper this year. Once a local favorite at its former location on Oak Avenue, the ice cream shop never found its footing on Main Street and closed in April after 40 years in business under several owners.

3. SHAPE Committee studies city facilities

Everybody knew that City Hall was run-down, a few public buildings on Railroad Avenue were underused, and the Adams Street property was vacant. But nobody had ever put those facts together and evaluated the citys options in a comprehensive way.

Nobody, that is, until the St. Helena Asset Planning Engagement (SHAPE) Committee came along and spent dozens of hours over seven months analyzing the citys finances and facilities, from Scout Hall to the little Head Start building at Crane Park.

The council-appointed committee toyed with some provocative ideas, such as moving City Hall offices into the library and building a hotel on Adams Street. But after the committee released its 117-page report in May, the council endorsed the more conservative option of rebuilding City Hall on its current site as part of a multi-use facility.

Consultants are helping the city ponder its next steps, and the council is scheduled to take further action early this year.

4. Housing study warns of shrinking middle class

Housing consultant Erica Sklar issued a report in June using statistics to paint a stark portrait of St. Helenas dwindling middle class.

The increasing cost of housing and the scarcity of developable land within the city limits are producing a town full of haves, have-nots, and not too many people in between, according to Sklars white paper.

The stats offered a bleak outlook for local workers. St. Helenas median home price of $1.09 million is too expensive for 70 percent of the citys residents. A home of that price would require an income of $215,000, far beyond the citys median income of $86,041.

Workers who cant afford to live in town are commuting in and out, creating more traffic and making it harder for businesses to hire qualified workers.

5. St. Helena mom killed in Pathway Home shooting

St. Helena resident Jennifer Golick and two of her colleagues were killed on March 9 at The Pathway Home in Yountville by a gunman whod been kicked out of the program that helped returning veterans readjust to civilian life.

Golick, 42, was a therapist who had devoted her career to helping soldiers cope with post-traumatic stress. In the days after the shooting, St. Helenans learned that shed also been a mother, wife, friend, runner, Giants fan, animal lover, and outspoken advocate for adolescent mental health.

More than 200 people participated in a candlelight vigil in her memory. Muir Wood Adolescent and Family Services formed a scholarship in her name, one of the only rays of light to emerge from the years saddest story.

6. SHFD hires full-time firefighters

Two years after St. Helenas firefighters became full-time employees, the fire department took another step away from its volunteer model in 2018 by hiring two full-time firefighters, Nick Solakian and Martin Macias.

It was becoming harder for the department to depend on quasi-volunteers to drop whatever they were doing and run to the firehouse on a moments notice, a model that had worked for 107 years. Increasing calls for service and a limited number of qualified drivers also contributed to the decision.

The hirings could nudge the city further in the direction of a fully professional department. The transition would be expensive, but it might be inevitable.

7. St. Helena Catholic School closes

The St. Helena Catholic School closed in June, citing declining enrollment, an increasing number of students relying on tuition assistance, and a lack of deep-pocketed donors whod helped keep the school afloat for 55 years.

When the closure was announced in January, parents were initially shell-shocked. But soon they banded together in an all-hands-on-deck effort to save the school, forming committees, raising money, and putting extra effort into the schools annual Seafood Extravaganza to compensate for another fundraiser that had been cancelled due to the 2017 wildfires.

Parents thought they had a chance to keep the school alive, but church officials announced in March that the closure was going ahead as planned. The last four eighth-graders graduated in June.

8. General Plan update nears finish line

City officials made real progress in 2018 toward finishing St. Helenas next General Plan, a process that had been stuck in neutral ever since the council tabled the plan in 2010.

With the help of consultants, the city issued an updated General Plan and a Draft Environmental Impact Report in October. Public comments and the citys responses will be incorporated into a Final Environmental Impact Report for another round of public hearings and possible adoption in early 2019.

9. City tries to help downtown businesses

The proliferation of empty storefronts was a sign that not all was well in downtown St. Helena.

The city hired a consultant that made various suggestions about how to help downtown retailers. Most of the recommendations were incorporated into a Downtown Economic Strategy aimed at supporting the citys economic base without sacrificing its quality of life.

St. Helena Jingle All the Way, a collaboration between the city at the Chamber of Commerce, brought an ice rink to Lyman Park. The City Council streamlined the permitting process for businesses and started allowing pop-ups, the first steps toward overcoming a widespread perception that St. Helenas city government has been unfriendly to business.

10. Dillon survives election challenge

District 3 Supervisor Diane Dillon fended off a challenge from grapegrower Cio Perez during a June election dominated by Measure C.

Perez supported C, which would have strengthened stream setbacks and limited the removal of oak woodlands. Dillon stayed neutral on the measure.

Dillon won and C lost, but the battle over vineyard development continues.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.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

Dec. 30 service will be at 10:30 a.m. only. Regular services, at 9 and 10:30 with Teen Group at 10 and Youth Program at 10:30 will resume the following week. Rev. Jay Lang's topic is "The Love and Light of the New Year." 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 Vision Board Workshop will also be held Saturday, Jan. 26 at 10 a.m. with Michelle Lang. A Course in Love book study and discussion restarts on January, Tuesdays at 6:15. Spiritual Cinema Night resumes Friday Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. A Foundations Class will begin Tuesday, Feb. 5 at 6:30 p.m. 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

Worship Services on Friday, Dec. 28 will be led by Rabbi Niles Goldstein at 6 p.m. Oneg Shabbat will follow at 7, hosted by Donna and David Mendelson, honoring the Bar Mitzvah of their Grandson, Yuto Oketani, and his parents, Leza Lowitz and Shogo Oketani of Tokyo. Saturday, Dec. 29, we will celebrate Yuto Oketani's Bar Mitzvah. At 10:30 a.m., Yuto will be called to the Bimah by Rabbi Bella Bogart with Music Director, Gordon Lustig. BYO lunch to Lunch and Learn on Jan. 2 at 11:45 a.m. at 1455 Elm Street, Napa, cbsnapa.org, 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

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. 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

We welcome you to come and experience a Sunday service at First Christian Church. This Sundays theme is joy. Our Sunday service is at 10 a.m. Kids Ministry has a great time planned for your kids (babies through 5th graders). Students@First for Middle and High Schoolers is at 6:30 p.m. 2659 First St., fccnapa.org.

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Please join us this week as Pastor David preaches, the sermon title is Whose Child Is This? with a scripture references of Matthew 1:18-25. Visitors are always welcome! We sing Christmas Carols at 9 a.m. and we have Presbyterian Day School tots singing for us this Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Our delicious Christmas Brunch will be in the gym from 9-11 a.m. Look for our greeters near the front doors to answer any questions. Childcare for newborn to age 4 is available each week. Our weekly Sunday School programs for this week are: The Friendship Class at 10; The Adult Bible Study meets at 10:30 a.m. 1333 Third St., 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. 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. 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. services. 625 Randolph Street.

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 join us this Sunday morning at 10 a.m. The passage will be Philippians 3:12-14. The title of the message is What is your dream? As we turn the calendar to a new year, it seems worthwhile to examine what the Apostle Paul says about living a life devoted to Christ and how we can apply his words to our own lives. Sunday school immediately after the service, childcare provided. Napa Valley Community church is a ministry of the Christian Reformed Church.

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. 30, 9:30 a.m. service is "Lynching in America--The Untold Story." Our discussion will center on the history of racial terrorism in the South at the end of the 19th century and how policies of racial control continue today through voter suppression and mass incarceration. The 11 a.m. traditional service, Lessons from This Past Year. is with Catherine Joseph and Sunday Service Assistant, Jeff Leles. On the threshold of a New Year, may we commit - to ourselves, to each other, to a broken and hurting world  that we will, always and everywhere, keep hope alive. Catherine presents a sermon from the Rev. Peter Friedrichs about maintaining perspective and hope in these turbulent and often distressing times. Infant care, child care, and religious education provided. 1625 Salvador Ave., Napa; 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: 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. 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

For the Sunday, Dec. 30, 10 a.m. Service, Unity welcomes Rev. Sonya Milton, her message is titledThe Burning Bowl. Her theme is The Burning Bowl, a powerful Unity tradition of welcoming the New Year. Join us for this meaningful service. Our musical director Lon Eakes will perform our Sunday Service music, specially chosen to accompany our ceremony. After a brief refreshment break, Rev. Milton will conduct a discussion, question/answer session at 11:40 a.m. with regard to her message. 3275 Hagan Road, Napa. Facebook.com/USCNV, UnitySpiritualCenterNapa.org, 255-6881.

YOUNTVILLE COMMUNITY CHURCH

This Sunday Dec. 30, at 10 a.m. we will have our weekly service. 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, doughnuts, 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. 6619 Yount Street, Yountville, 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.Mass gun violence repeatedly struck at U.S. communities throughout 2018, and the resulting protests spilled into Napa County  including when the community lost one of its own in November.

On the night of Nov. 7, a gunman struck the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, a Southern California hangout renowned for its country music and line dancing. When the shooting stopped and the attacker took his own life, 12 other people were dead  including Alaina Housley, an 18-year-old Pepperdine University freshman who had graduated from Vintage High School just four months before.

Back in Housleys hometown, students already had rallied earlier in the year to demand an end to gun violence following a deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Now, with a young womans life brutally snuffed out, the cause became a personal one to fellow Napans.

Five days after Housleys death, hundreds took part in The Heroes March Nov. 12, urging leaders to pass tighter firearms controls  especially for those with backgrounds of mental illness or crime  before staging a procession from Memorial Stadium to Veterans Memorial Park downtown. Signboards held aloft in the crowd promised to keep Housleys name alive  and mocked leaders offering only thoughts and prayers rather than policy change after each mass slaying.

I dont want to live in a world where mass shootings are an everyday occurrence and we have to ask which one, Raphael Genty, a march organizer, told the audience.

Dont forget. We move on too quickly, and we cant do that, added fellow organizer Michael Rupprecht outside the stadium. Its time to be heroes for this town, this state, this country, this family, their children, their childrens children.

Dedicated not only to Housley but to all victims of gun violence, The Heroes March culminated a year of student-driven activism in response to high-profile outbursts of bloodshed  starting with a shooting Feb. 14 at a Parkland, Florida high school by a former student that left 17 people dead.

A month after that massacre, children and teenagers across Napa County joined others across the country in the National School Walkout.

More than 75 sign-holding students at Napas private Blue Oak School made their stances silently but forcefully, assembling at Jefferson Street the morning of March 14 for a 20-minute vigil in view of drivers passing by. Having arranged to stand one minute for each victim in Florida, they extended the vigil by three minutes  in remembrance of each of the three female staff members of The Pathway Home in Yountville who were taken hostage and then killed by a former client of the therapy home for military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

We wanted to get across that we care, said Joshua Miles, a Blue Oak eighth-grader. There were more deaths near Napa, and we wanted to get across that its not just a national issue; its also a Napa issue.

Efforts to honor the Parkland victims took other forms elsewhere in Napa County. A quiet ceremony in a darkened Justin-Siena High School gymnasium featured the lighting of 17 candles and the ringing of a bell 17 times. Vintage High students wrote condolence letters to Parkland victims families and messages to lawmakers calling for changes to gun policy.

Upvalley, students at St. Helena High gathered under the flag at Rotary Field before heading out to Highway 29, chanting Enough is enough! to the horn-honking of supportive motorists.

Ten days later, local students reinforced their calls for stronger government action against gun violence. Young Napans joined forces with organizers of Womens March Napa Valley during the nationwide March for Our Lives demonstration, combining a town hall meeting with a rally, speeches and chants.

Among the several speakers in Napa was Juan Carlos Mora, a Justin-Siena junior who was moved to share the heart-to-the-ground fear he had felt March 9 as news broke of the Yountville shooting.

A short walk from the killings at Pathway was the Lincoln Theater  where some of Moras schoolmates were rehearsing a play. While the students escaped unharmed, the experience reminded him how even the most heinous mass killings have become so common as to be a numb reality, he told a crowd outside the Napa Valley Unified School District auditorium.

Year after year, America has failed to act. Year after year, more and more Americans die, said Mora, exhorting people to show compassion and show that they care. If you see someone being picked on, stand up for them. If you see someone sitting alone, sit next to them  a simple hello or how are you? could radically change a persons day.

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.A woman was caught stealing soup, then arrested Thursday after police tracked down the stolen rental car she was using, according to the St. Helena Police Department.

The Safeway in St. Helena reported at 9:30 a.m. Thursday that Xan Larhe Coleman, 49, had been coming in almost daily to fill her thermos with soup and leave without paying, police say. An employee took a picture of her white Ford Escape with Georgia plates and police determined it had been reported stolen by an Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

The car was rented in June, but never returned, police say. It's unclear whether Coleman personally rented the car.

Coleman told police she lives in Oakland but was passing through to visit family in Clearlake.

Coleman was arrested on suspicion of two felonies related to vehicle theft and embezzlement. She could also face two misdemeanor charges of driving without a license and shoplifting.

Coleman remained in jail as of Friday afternoon.Agents found a wanted gang member and felon, then arrested him and found a loaded pistol on his person, according to the Napa Special Investigations Bureau.

An undercover agent saw Napa resident Raul Ramirez Barragan, 23, walking near Shetler and Soscol Avenues on Thursday. The agent knew he had a warrant for his arrest and watched him enter and exit a home in the 2100 block of Harding Avenue, according to a press release. He was with Napa resident Jose Antonio Maciel, 22.

Agents tried to detain both men. They did not comply at first, but agents were then able to handcuff them without trouble at 3 p.m., according to the press release.

Agents found a loaded 9mm pistol with the serial number scratched off under Barragan's clothing, according to the press release. They found more ammunition at his apartment in the 2000 block of Wilkins Avenue, the bureau wrote.

Barragan was arrested on suspicion of nine felonies related to a prior drug arrest, violating probation, committing a gang crime and possessing a loaded, concealed gun without a serial number as an ex-felon and gang member, jail records show.

Maciel was arrested on suspicion of a felony related to violating parole.

Both men remained in jail as of Sunday.

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.Scarborough Leader

Funding for the project would come from a bond and through a capital campaign.The Democratic Party didnt really get off the ground until it found a leader in Thomas Jefferson. Similarly, the Republican Party amounted to almost nothing before Abraham Lincoln put it on the political map.

Now, with both major California political parties offering little besides extremism, polls show theres a widespread desire for a third significant political party here. Emblematic was an election-season survey by the Public Policy Institute of California, which asked the question In your view, do the Republican and Democratic parties  do such a poor job that a third major party is needed. By a 61-29 percent margin, those surveyed said theyd like to see another party.

How extreme are the existing parties here? The executive board of the state Democratic Party last summer opted to endorse termed-out former state Senate President Kevin de Leon for the U.S. Senate over the moderate Democrat Dianne Feinstein, who nevertheless won reelection handily. That proved the partys nominal leaders dont represent the majority of its registered voters. Rather, they come from the ultra-liberal Bernie Sanders wing of the party, which essentially packed party caucuses last spring in order to begin dominating the Democratic Party structure.

On the Republican side, several longtime members of Congress lost their jobs in tossup districts primarily because of their staunch support for President Trump, whose rhetorical backing of the far right is legend.

No wonder many voters in both parties are fed up and increasingly withdrawing their affiliations with any party, the number of no-party-preference voters now surpassing Republicans and gaining on the Democrats.

But will they get the new party theyd like to see?

History suggests they wont unless some major figure arises to lead a movement toward creating a significant new organization that can appeal to disgruntled moderates in both current big parties, shown by the PPIC survey to feel they are not being properly represented.

That goes for the national level, too. The Ballot Access Newsletter and blog last month reported that the number of voters registering with either existing big party nationally has declined steadily over the last 26 years, down from 81 percent in 1992 to 74 percent in 2008 to just 69 percent last fall.

For the first time since 1940, the portion of voters registered Democratic nationally was under 40 percent in 2018, while Republicans were at just 29 percent. The latest figures in California are similar, with Democratic registration here a bit ahead of the national proportion and Republicans somewhat behind.

But so far, nothing has happened to coalesce the obvious unhappiness with both of todays big parties into anything like a significant movement. Thats because no leader has appeared to galvanize the disgruntlement into something more than mere feelings.

The last time anything like an attempt at this occurred came in 1992, when billionaire businessman Ross Perot ran an independent campaign and siphoned enough votes away from Republican President George H.W. Bush to put Democrat Bill Clinton in the White House. Perot later founded the Reform Party, and in 1996 was its first presidential candidate, but he had far less impact that time. His party had a California organization, but lacked dynamic leadership, and so it faded away.

This history makes it clear that while any new party will first need a prominent leader and a statement of principles with wide appeal, it still cannot have lasting impact and really compete with Republicans and Democrats unless it also has a solid corps of local leaders to keep voters interested and organized.

So far, there are no signs of any organization like that arising in California, even though its plain that the majority of voters want it to happen.

That means vast numbers of voters will likely go on making choices between the lesser of what they consider two evils for the next election cycle and well beyond.

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.Its the Trump-GOP tax laws first anniversary and the wealthy are celebrating like it was Christmas all year, which it basically was for them. Working families, on the other hand, are less festive this holiday season: they werent invited to the party but are expected to pay for it.

The so-called Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was signed into law by President Trump last Dec. 22. The plan was misleadingly sold as a boon to the middle class despite ample evidence that it really catered to the well-off and well-connected. After 12 months, its clear the warnings were right: the real winners are big corporations and the rich.

But working families havent just been left behindtheyve been left holding the bag. Another falsehood asserted by the laws backers was that the huge package of tax cuts would somehow pay for itself. But its not: just as youd expect, cutting taxes has reduced revenue, which, in turn, has increased deficits. As a result, federal debt will balloon by nearly $2 trillion.

Even though working families got relatively little from the tax law, theyre the ones expected to pick up the tab. Conservative politicians have announced they plan to combat the deficits their wealthy tax cuts helped cause with funding cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other public services vital to the well-being of working Americans.

Another way workers are paying for the TCJA is through outsourcing encouraged by new corporate tax rules. American corporations are now effectively charged half the U.S. tax rate on foreign profits as on domestic ones. Another part of the law says the more factories corporations build overseas, the lower the taxes they pay on their foreign profits.

Its a recipe for American layoffs, which is just what General Motors has done by outsourcing production of the Chevy Blazer to Mexico and laying off nearly 15,000 workers in North America.

The figures behind all this unfairness are striking. This year, over one-fifth (21 percent) of the tax cuts are going to the richest 1 percent, who on average are expected to get a tax cut of $50,000. By the time the TCJA is fully implemented nine years from now, the share going to the top 1 percent will jump to an eye-popping 83 percent.

The corporate tax rate was cut by two-fifths, falling from 35 percent to 21 percent. As a result, corporations have paid $92 billion less in taxes in 2018 than in 2017  a drop of almost a third. The corporate tax cuts helped push up the deficit to nearly $780 billion while giving rocket fuel to corporate profits.

Another false promise of the TCJAs supporters was that corporate tax cuts would filter through to working families via higher wages. President Trump specifically guaranteed them a $4,000 raise.

But thats not happening: so far only 4 percent of employees have gotten any kind of pay bump tied to the tax law, according an Americans for Tax Fairness study. Nationwide, real hourly wages are up less than 1 percent over the past year.

Those tax-cut-boosted corporate profits are instead going in a more familiar direction: into the pockets of wealthy shareholders and powerful CEOs. Since the day their taxes were slashed by the GOP, corporations have announced more than $1 trillion in stock buybacks. Buybacks are a Wall Street strategy that inflates share prices, further enriching the already rich.

Prescription drug companies are spending about $65 billion on stock buybacks for CEOs and wealthy shareholders. Not a dime has gone to lower consumer drug prices.

One of the most disastrous effects of the Trump-GOP tax cuts is the potential gutting of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The tax law zeroed out the ACA penalty requiring people who do not purchase private health insurance to pay a tax. Getting rid of this requirement saved $314 billion, which was used to help finance Trumps corporate tax cuts.

Now, an activist GOP judge in Texas has seized on that provision to declare the entire ACA unconstitutional. If upheld, his decision will result in 17 million people losing private health insurance and Medicaid and eliminate protections for 130 million with pre-existing conditions.

The wealthy dont need another reason to pop the champagne this New Years Eve over the TCJA: they started partying before the presidents signature was even dry. But for the rest of us, the first anniversary of the Trump-GOP tax law is a good time to start trying to repeal everything thats wrong with it.

Frank Clemente is executive director of Americans for Tax Fairness. This column was distributed by American Forum.Once again, I write to you regarding the treatment of refugee children incarcerated by the Department of Homeland Security at your direction.

As you may be aware, on the day I wrote this, Christmas Day, the day Christians celebrate as the day Our Lord, Jesus Christ was born, an 8-year old boy died in your custody.

Many Americans attending the midnight vigil for the baby Jesuss birth know well that the Holy Family would soon find refuge in Egypt, fleeing the persecution of their king. As these Americans knelt in prayer to thank a merciful God for send a redeeming savior, a young innocent died lacking merciful treatment within our borders.

Previously I said I was ashamed, but now I am appalled at my government's treatment of refugees, particularly children. I have listened to the Department of Homeland Securitys explanations of the necessity for aggressive treatment of refugees. I concluded that your administrations policies and procedures are inhumane and are intended to coerce and intimidate refugees from lawfully requesting asylum.

With respect for the office that you hold and with confidence in your ability to achieve an honorable and humane conclusion to this matter, I implore you to correct this policy.

Commander Carliss R. Such, USNR (Ret.)

NapaI have been seeing articles about problems with labor (restaurants) and housing (affordability). The simple solution goes unmentioned: raising pay for workers.

Note the impressive contracts attained by workers at Marriott Hotels around the country. Unionized workers have benefits, retirement, seniority, and that's who bought houses in Napa after World War II.

Companies and government should encourage organizing so that workers have both rights and security. Otherwise, you'll cover every inch of open space with housing for low-paid workers who need public charity to survive.

Lauren Coodley

NapaOn a recent trip to Sonoma, I was meeting with Regina Martinelli to interview her for my new podcast.

Martinelli is the fourth generation of the Martinelli family who began growing and selling grapes in the 1880s. In our initial correspondence, I could not help but notice her title, The Great Granddaughter of the Original Jackass. I could not help but chuckle at the title and was determined to find out what that meant.

The Original Jackass is Reginas great grandfather Giuseppe Martinelli. At the age of 19, he and his 16-year-old bride, Luisa Vellutini, moved from Tuscany to California, looking for land to farm. With his viticulture knowledge, he planted a vineyard for a farmer and earned enough money to purchase his own land.

In 1900, he and Luisa bought a small two-and-a-half-acre piece of property that sits on a 60-degree slope. To give context, the scariest double black diamonds ski runs are at 60- to 75-degree slopes. But Giuseppe and Louisa worked side by side on this vineyard and planted Zinfandel and Muscat Alexandria vines.

Giuseppe passed away in 1918, leaving Luisa with three sons and a daughter to care for. The two older sons wanted nothing to do with the impossibly steep family vineyard, so they gave it to their younger brother Leno who was 12 years old. Leno wanted to be a farmer, and after finishing the eighth grade, took over. It was said that only a jackass would farm such a steep hill and the name stuck. Hence, the vineyard became the Jackass Hill vineyard. Jackass Hill is the steepest non-terraced hillside vineyard in Sonoma County. Leno, following in his fathers footsteps, became the second jackass to farm it.

Leno continued to manage the vineyard the way his parents had, using a horse and plow, until the 1950s. In the 1950s, a John Deere salesman tried to sell Leno a tractor. Leno said he would buy it if the salesman would drive it sideways across the steepest part of the hill. The salesman refused because he knew he was not a jackass. But the regional salesperson came to the property and volunteered to try. He succeeded, and Leno bought the John Deere Crawler that the family still uses today.

Leno was the only one allowed to manage the John Deere Crawler on Jackass Hill and did so until he reached the age of 89. At that point, he handed the vineyard over to his son, Lee, who is the current Jackass. Lee had been introduced to vineyard work as a child and had learned the traditional practices of his father and grandfather. He continues to manage 135-year-old Jackass Hill the way they did, without irrigation, pesticides or trellising.

Jackass Hill is a labor of love. For many years, the Martinelli family sold the grapes from Jackass Hill to Williams Selyem. But in the 1990s, they started to make Jackass Hill wine and today produce a total of 60 cases of Jackass Hill Zinfandel.

Still to this day, the only person who drives the tractor is the third generation, and likely the last generation, Jackass Lee Martinelli Sr., Lenos son and Reginas father. Aside from the steepness, the crawler slides because the vineyard consists of hard bedrock with a little dust on top. The Martinelli family is looking for a new, safer way to farm the hill, perhaps using a pulley system. They have to find a new system to farm the hill because Lees wife will not let Regina or her two brothers drive the tractor on that hill. After all, only a jackass would attempt to farm that hill.

Allison Levine is owner of Please The Palate, a marketing and event-planning agency. A freelance writer, she contributes to numerous publications while eating and drinking her way around the world. Allison is also the host of the wine podcast Wine Soundtrack USA. Contact her at allison@pleasethepalate.comThe Acting Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, returned from Moscow and immediately went on Facebook livestream broadcast to speak about his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Pashinyan informed that they discussed a very wide range of relations.

Todays [Thursdays] conversation was mainly related to the further strategy for the development of our relations, he noted. And I can record that, in essence, we have a complete understanding there as to what kind of strategic direction the development of relations between our two countries should have.

The acting PM noted that, by and large, this discussion of theirs was a summary of the discussions that were held up until now.

The climate of the meeting was very positive, he added. Our meetings with the president of the Russian Federation are taking place quite often, and this bespeaks the special and strategic nature of our relations.

Pashinyan said they had not discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, but they had a brief talk on the present-day situation at the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

Our position is that here we need institutional solutions so that such corrections should be made in the CSTO charter that dont envision this situation, he said, in particular.

Pashinyan stated no decision was made with respect to the future price of the Russian natural gas being supplied to Armenia.

The discussions on gas will continue in working order, he added. But, in general, Im optimistic, and I hope that there will be desirable developments for us here as well, or at leastthere will be no undesirable developments.

Nikol Pashinyan expressed a conviction that after every such meeting relations between Armenia and Russia were becoming richer with new content.

Or, more accurately, the de facto existing content gets a concrete formulation, he added. And wetogether with the President of the Russian Federationhave succeeded in achieving common understanding regarding that content.

The acting PM said this was a new period in the history of Armenian-Russian relations because, Those political events that took place in the Republic of Armenia in April and Mayreceived a summary in the December 9 [snap parliamentary] elections, the political situation was recorded, and we have to build new relations on this record.OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Desir, expressed deep concern over the new accusation against the Azerbaijani anticorruption blogger Mehman Huseynov, contact.az reported.

The OSCE Representative tweeted on the issue, expressing hope for his early release.

Mehman Huseynov was arrested in March 2017 and sentenced to two years in prison under a libel suit. On Thursday he was charged over beating a colony employee.

According to human rights activists, Huseynov is being persecuted for exposing corruption among high-ranking officials, as well as for criticizing the Azerbaijani authorities.Putin and Erdogan discuss Azerbaijan, Armenia, Syria, Libya, and Ukraine

Armenia and Poland FMs discuss regional security issues

Erdogan and Putin support coordination of efforts on Karabakh

UN launches campaign against Gender-based violence online

NEWS.am daily digest: 03.12.21

Azerbaijanis kill Nagorno-Karabakh resident captured today

Armenia deputy FM: Azerbaijan blatantly ignores core principles of international law (PHOTOS)

2-day workshop on Inclusive Development kicks off in Armenia

Armenia Prosecutor General to head for Egypt

Dollar ascent continues in Armenia

Union Against Genocide founder, chairman Ali Ertem dies in Germany

Karabakh resident captured by Azerbaijan is cattle breeder

Writer, statesman Vano Siradeghyans wake is held in Yerevan

'Venom: Let There Be Carnage' facing troubles in China

The Packaging of ARARAT Nairi Wins a Master Medal on a Famous British Competition

Armenia official on unblocking: Routes, procedures for crossing border still being discussed at this phase

Azerbaijan takes Karabakh citizen captive

Armenia President, Russia ambassador discuss regional security, stability

Ronaldo: Michael Carrick was a class act as a player and he can become a great coach as well

Canada FM expresses solidarity with Armenian people

EU envoy to Armenia on another Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting: We are in touch with both sides

UAE signs contract for 80 French Rafale fighter jets

Statements on Armenia army falsification of wartime orders to be sent to the investigative body

Armenia FM briefs Netherlands colleague on situation as result of Azerbaijan military aggression

Bruno Fernandes: Everyone is looking forward to work with the new coach

Protest staged outside Armenia consulate in Los Angeles (PHOTOS)

Benny Gantz believes US will support Israel in attack on Iran

Armenia MFA spokesman: FMs Mirzoyan-Bayramov meeting possible in Stockholm today

Armenia appoints permanent representative to Council of Europe

Passenger, 53, dies in hospital after accident on Goris-Stepanakert motorway

Young Karabakh filmmakers movie wins at Cannes Film Festival

President: 178 births registered in Artsakh in November

9th Khachaturian International Festival to be held in Yerevan

Artsakh film directors movie becomes winner at Cannes Film Festival

Barcelona intend sign two players in January

1 more person dies of coronavirus in Artsakh

"Spider-Man: No Way Home." Are you ready to pay 25 thousand dollars for a ticket?

Switzerland launches reform project for modernization of Armenia Vocational Education System in Agriculture

Nikol the traitor banner is placed on gate of Armenia consulate general in Los Angeles

Armenia, Greece FMs discuss need for returning all Armenian captives in Azerbaijan

399 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia PM makes new appointment

Large fire breaks out in Armenias Charentsavan, burnt body of elderly woman found in apartment (PHOTOS)

Mansion from Home Alone shared on Airbnb for rent (PHOTOS)

Atletico Mineiro claim Brazil championship title (PHOTO, VIDEO)

Artsakh President meets with relatives of soldiers who died in 44-day war last fall

Armenias Mirzoyan briefs Croatia FM on latest developments in Karabakh peace process

Armenia FM lauds Austria position on comprehensive settlement of Karabakh conflict (PHOTOS)

Valentino orders ad for Ukraine cat, Stepan

London Christmas tree becomes subject of ridicule

What are best breakfast options for weight loss?

Newspaper: Armenia parliament ruling majority faction holds night meeting

Newspaper: What did Armenia ex-President Kocharyan discuss with his political teammates?

Ronaldo scores 800th, 801st goals of his professional career

Premier League: Man United beat Arsenal, Ronaldo scores 2 goals

Serie A: Lazio play draw

Premier League: Tottenham win in London

Twitter removes over 3,000 foreign country-related accounts

Blinken discusses with Bayramov situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border

Armenian FM: Determination of Nagorno-Karabakh's status is subject to negotiations

EU fines four major banks totaling $390 million

Lavrov: Russian mediation on Karabakh settlement is welcomed by OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs

Armenian defense minister discusses Washington's role in OSCE Minsk Group

Arsenal ready to pay 85m for Fiorentina forward

Armenian PM discusses Sochi meeting with defense minister and ruling party MPs

Mirzoyan and Blinken discuss settlement of Karabakh conflict

Armenia and Lithuania sign military cooperation program

Eriksen has his first training session after heart surgery

Israel calls on to stop Iran nuclear talks

Taliban assures Iran border incident will not happen again

Lavrov and Cavusoglu discuss South Caucasus situation

Almost 9% of infected with COVID-19 in Armenia are vaccinated

NEWS.am daily digest: 02.12.21

HBO loses $ 30 million to unreleased Game of Thrones spin-off

Armenia premier confers on proposals for large-scale investment programs in urban development

Sebastian Kurz announces decision to quit politics

President, those in charge of several NGOs discuss Artsakh programs

Luciano Spalletti disqualified for two matches

Blinken: US hopes to work with Russia to resolve Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict

Apple Music Award announces Artist of the Year

Armenia President lauds dynamically developing relations with UAE

Dollar still going up in Armenia

Artsakh ombudsman: Azerbaijan shooting in direction of Karmir Shuka village lasted 10-15 minutes

Christmas tree to be installed at Republic Square of Yerevan this year

Armenia Security Council chief on deputy PMs Moscow meeting: Agreements not managed to be formulated yet

Biden urges Congress to approve nuclear force data transfer to Australia

Trump complains about loss of respect for the US

Hajiyev: Azerbaijan ready to start talks with Armenia on signing peace agreement

Mohammed Salah hopes to win Premier League and Champions League titles

Ben Affleck comments on reunion with Jennifer Lopez

Ivan Aivazovsky bust unveiled in Stepanakert

Josep Guardiola: Steven Gerrard is already a good manager

Why deaths from Covid are so high in Armenia?

Armenia electricity tariffs may increase as of February 2022

Exchange of fire occurs in area of Karabakhs Karmir Shuka village

Armenia health minister: Restrictive measures applied at the right time enable protecting economy too

Ardshinbank named the Best Bank of the Year by The Banker international magazine

Ex-President Kocharyan chairs meeting of opposition Armenia Faction in parliament

3 more die of coronavirus in Artsakh

Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan deputy PMs to continue work in coming days to open regional communicationsFormer Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Tofig Zulfugarov has proposed to wait for the deterioration of Armenian-Russian relations, and then to use force to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict.

The ex-FM told Minval.az that the Azerbaijani society had no illusions as to what extent the Karabakh peace talks will be promising. As per Zulfugarov, the positions of the parties are clear, and no one sees an opportunity for coming up with an intermediate position, or for a compromise solution within the framework of these positions.

In his statement, the [Azerbaijani] President places the emphasis on the thing that changes have taken place in Armenia, the Azerbaijan ex-FM said. And by electing [Acting PM] Nikol Pashinyan, the Armenian society has made a choice in the pro-Western direction of development. In my view, this is the Armenians rational stance in the context that the Russian side has given everything to Armenia, supported the annexation policy toward the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

But the Russian partner cant give development to Armenia, since there are no necessary investments, help, etc. So, the Armenian societys rational choice in favor of the West is substantiated. I believe this will sooner or later lead to the abandoning of [Armenias] cooperation with Russia.

In the Azerbaijan former FMs words, when the appropriate conditions are formed, our [Azerbaijans] decisive steps will be taken, probably at that time.YEREVAN.  Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a congratulatory message to Armenias second President Robert Kocharyan.

In his message, Putin congratulated Kocharyan on the New Year and Christmas holidays, informed the office of the second President of Armenia.

Warmly congratulating the retired President, the Russian President also wished Kocharyan good health, strong spirit, and fortitude.

To note, Armenias second President Robert Kocharyan is in custody since December 7.

With its ruling on December 7, the Criminal Court of Appeal of Armenia upheld the first instance courts July 27 decision on remanding Robert Kocharyan in custody. On the same dayDecember 7, Kocharyan handed himself over to a Yerevan penitentiary where he was arrested.

Armenias second President Robert Kocharyanalong with several other former officialshas been charged within the framework of the criminal case into the tragic events that transpired in capital city Yerevan on March 1 and 2, 2008and under Article 300.1 Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code; that is, breaching Armenias constitutional order, in conspiracy with others.

On March 1 and 2, 2008 the then authorities of Armenia used force against the opposition members who were rallying in downtown Yerevan, and against the results of the presidential election on February 19, 2008. Eight demonstrators as well as two servicemen of the internal troops were killed in the clashes. But no one had been brought to account for these deaths, to this day.Over 40 thousand people were forced to leave their homes amid tsunami that hit the coast of the Sunda Strait in Indonesia on Saturday, the AFP reported.

"We're recommending that people who lived near the beach be permanently relocated," said national disaster agency spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

The number of people evacuated after tsunami has nearly reached 40,000 while over 7,000 were injured in the disaster.

Authorities said 426 people had been killed - down from a previous tally of 430. Double-counting by different districts was blamed for the change. Two dozen people remain missing almost a week after the disaster, the source added.YEREVAN.  The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) will provide a $20mn loan to the Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA) company, in order to refinance the latters current loan obligations and to finance its ongoing activities (PHOTOS).

Vsevolod Smakov, Head of Project Block 1 at the EDB, and ENA General Director Karen Harutyunyan on Friday signed the respective loan agreement, in Armenias capital city of Yerevan.

The document envisions the provision of a renewable credit line.

The banks share in the funding of the investment program will be $40 million.

The loan is provided on a competitive basis, but not on a privileged basis.

The ENA investment program totals $726 million, but without VAT.YEREVAN.  Hayk Marutyan, the mayor of capital city Yerevan, received Charge dAffaires Rafik Mansour of the US Embassy in Armenia.

The mayor noted that the high level of Armenian-American relations was reflected also in the active cooperation between the cities of the two countries, the Yerevan Municipality informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Also, Marutyan pointed to the priorities of Yerevan, and expressed the hope that there will be opportunities for exchange of knowhow with American cities, with respect to these priorities.

US Charge dAffaires Mansour, for his part, said the Armenia-US friendship had a very long history, and stated that there is an open discourse between the two countries.

The interlocutors agreed to continue the mutual contacts between Yerevan and the US embassy.YEREVAN.- A Yerevan court of general jurisdiction is currently examining former President Robert Kocharyans motion on granting him bail.

2nd President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, who ruled the country from 1998 to 2008, spent two weeks in jail in summer 2018, but was eventually freed. But on December 7, a higher court overruled the release and ordered him to be remanded into custody pending trial again.

Robert Kocharyans attorneys have asked the Court of Cassation to determine the amount of the bail to be set.

With its ruling on December 7, the Criminal Court of Appeal upheld the first instance courts July 27 decision on remanding Robert Kocharyan in custody. On the same dayDecember 7, Kocharyan handed himself over to a Yerevan penitentiary where he was arrested.

Armenias second President Robert Kocharyanalong with several other former officialshas been charged within the framework of the criminal case into the tragic events that transpired in capital city Yerevan on March 1 and 2, 2008and under Article 300.1 Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code; that is, breaching Armenias constitutional order, in conspiracy with others.

On March 1 and 2, 2008 the then authorities of Armenia used force against the opposition members who were rallying in downtown Yerevan, and against the results of the presidential election on February 19, 2008. Eight demonstrators as well as two servicemen of the internal troops were killed in the clashes. But no one had been brought to account for these deaths, to this day.YEREVAN.  Charges have been brought against an Iranian citizen along the lines of the criminal case which the Investigative Committee of Armenia has filed into a bank robbery attempt in capital city Yerevan.

The investigation has determined that this Iranian national on Monday entered the Mellat Bank branch in downtown Yerevan, and with the intention of stealing money, the Investigative Committee informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

This Iranian citizen threatened the treasurer of this Iran-based bank with a taser and demanded money. Subsequently, he hit the chairs that are placed in the bank hall for clients.

But he was rendered ineffective by the police officers ensuring the security of this bank, and was taken to a police station

The Iranian national was detained on suspicion of committing a crime.

Criminal charges have been brought against him, and he has been remanded in custody.

The treasurer of this bank has been deemed as the injured party.

The investigation is still in progress.

Iran citizen breaks into Iranian bank in Yerevan, threatens with taser, demands moneyWe listen to local police and fire departments scanner traffic, but sometimes miss crimes, wrecks, fires or other incidents, especially if they happen overnight. If you know of something were not covering yet, please let Managing Editor Jeff Pownall know by emailing him at jpownall@lufkindailynews.com, or submit a news tip online by visiting lufkindailynews.com/tips.YEREVAN.- Former ranking security officialand former head of security of Armenias third President Serzh SargsyanVachagan Ghazaryan will remain under arrest. The Criminal Court of Appeal dismissed the complaint of Vachagan Ghazaryan's lawyer Armen Harutyunyan and upheld the decision of the court of first instance.

Until May 17, Vachagan Ghazaryan served as First Deputy Director of the State Protection Service; while in office, he was in charge of the security of then President Serzh Sargsyan.

On June 25, Ghazaryan was detained by the National Security Service (NSS) and placed under arrest. Two days later, he was charged with illicit enrichment and false asset declaration. He was remanded in custody pending trial on June 28.

He was detained for two months.

But by the decision of the Court of Appeal, Vachagan Ghazaryan was released on July 27, on a 1bn-dram (approx. $2,100,000) bail.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Brussels (AFP) - Two decades after Europe's core economies adopted a single currency, former Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem, argues that the euro is a source of stability against the rise of populism.

The former Dutch finance minister was chairman of the committee that runs the 19-country eurozone between 2013-2018, when it survived the Greek debt crisis.

Now, he says, the currency needs stronger buffers against future shocks, but still serves as an anchor at a time when Europe's political future has been clouded by the rise of nationalist forces.

Is the Eurozone ministers' council still the best decision-maker?

Dijsselbloem: "The Eurogroup has in the last decade proven to be one of the most efficient decision-making bodies in the EU. The ministers take decisions in unanimity, yet it never comes to a vote.

"Democratic legitimacy is anchored in the national parliaments and a link with the European Parliament could be developed further.

"The kind of, sometimes very intrusive, measures that were agreed in the Eurogroup in the context of country-specific programmes should be carefully avoided in the future.

"Whether we will successfully stay out of this kind of trouble, depends very much on national politicians dealing with the macro-economic imbalances in the member states."

In the crisis, was the guilder ever coming back, or is the euro irreversible?

Dijsselbloem: "No, there was never a moment in which I thought the guilder would come back. The only real threat we faced was the Greek drachma returning.

"Given the huge impact this would have had on Greece, first and foremost, but also on the future of the eurozone as a whole, it has been my aim to keep the whole eurozone intact, not leaving anyone behind.

"I believe that the very strong political will to do just that, also of course among government leaders, has been the most crucial element in our recovery."

Would a new debt crisis like the Greece one mean the end of the eurozone?

Story continues

Dijsselbloem: "A crisis of this sort, size and impact will not take place again. It came from an -- with hindsight -- unbelievably irresponsible credit boom.

"Many of the loans so easily provided, were not invested but consumed or were used to blow up even further the real estate and housing sectors.

"And all this while we deregulated the banking sector -- the biggest mistake of all.

"The eurozone is now so much better prepared, with better rules and regulations, better institutions and funds, which we can use in time of a crisis. We truly are in a very different situation now.

"The eurozone has been slow to get out of the crisis but has recovered strongly since. The next crisis will more likely come from the US again or from China.

"All we can do is to be prepared as well as possible. At this moment we have too little shock absorption capacity or, in plain English, too few buffers. More work will have to be done."

Why do eurosceptic countries -- such as Italy -- want to stay in the euro?

Dijsselbloem: "Because, very simply, the euro and its institutions are now a guarantee for stability -- and some politicians offer the opposite.

"We saw the same thing in Greece: people were understandably very unhappy about the ongoing recession and blamed, wrongly, Europe.

"But when the Grexit vote was 'nay', both the population and the politicians stepped back and said: Whatever happens we want to stay in the euro.

"The same step back was taken by French voters of Marine Le Pen, by Geert Wilders voters in The Netherlands and so on."

What needs to be done for the euro to survive another 20 years?

Dijsselbloem: "The key priorities, very simply, are to finish the banking union and create real capital markets union in Europe. We are still too bank dependent and need more equity investments.

"These two elements will hugely improve our investment climate and will make the monetary union much more shock proof. Public funds are not the best transfer mechanism in case of a shock, but private funds through capital markets are.

"It requires brave politicians that focus on what really matters when you want to achieve more growth."Anyone who has ever experienced a migraine knows how debilitating and painful they can be. For many sufferers  and there are an estimated 39 million of them in the United States alone, according to the Migraine Research Foundation  its a chronic condition that lasts for years.

For Jaime Sanders, who lives in Virginia and is known as the Migraine Diva, the throbbing headaches have been a long-term companion. I have lived with migraines for 38 years, she tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

Yasmin Coutinho, who lives in London, has coped with migraines since she was just 7 years old, according to a BBC article in which she was featured.

And Allison Biehn, who is from Utah and has a makeup channel on YouTube with nearly 4,000 followers, tells Yahoo Lifestyle that shes been suffering from migraines since high school.

All three told Yahoo Lifestyle that their migraines are incredibly painful and have had a significant impact on their lives. As Coutinho puts it, I always describe my migraines as being shot in the head. Other common symptoms include sensitivity to light and sound, as well as nausea and vomiting.

The pain takes its toll. Its definitely something thats really trying, says Sanders. For Biehn, it has meant missing many days of work. You always have to plan your life around the possibility of getting a migraine, Coutinho tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

To help prevent migraines, the women have sussed out their own personal triggers over the years, to help lower the chances of getting hit with head pain. Some have noticed that not getting enough sleep increases the risk. It usually occurs if Im really tired, Coutinho says. Others find that certain foods act as triggers. For Sanders, popcorn is a problem, while Coutinho says shes had to cut out dairy.

As for many other people, however, Biehns migraines are hormone- or stress-related, she says.

The holidays  from stress and travel to winter weather and certain foods  dont make it any easier on migraine sufferers. The holidays were a huge trigger for me when my kids were younger, says Sanders.

Story continues

One of the challenges with migraines is that although theyre debilitating, unlike other many health issues, theyre also invisible, which can make people less sympathetic to sufferers plight. I travel a lot during the holidays, but because migraines are such an invisible disability, people dont really have that compassion when youre traveling, Coutinho says.

For many migraine sufferers, finding that relief often involves trial and error with medications and lifestyle changes. While medications can help significantly, some people, like Sanders, find that they need to eventually switch medications. Sanderss migraines were so severe that she decided to get a neurostimulator implant  a device implanted at the base of the spine that sends electrical impulses to a nerve that is thought to help cause migraines. That worked pretty good for two years, she says, but then [my] migraine got hip to it and it transformed and moved to another part of my head.

Others have found less conventional methods have made a difference. Coutinho is trying to follow a more holistic approach, such as meditation and yoga  both of which help reduce migraine-inducing stress. Biehn found that when she got a daith ear piercing (on the harder, midsection of her ear), it helped reduce her migraines a lot. Some say that this is an acupuncture pressure point; however, although some people report relief anecdotally, the Cleveland Clinic says that this may simply be a placebo effect and that there is no medical research to support it.

Both Biehn and Sanders recommend that migraine sufferers do their own research to learn about the condition, the steps you can take to help prevent it, and migraine treatment options. Figuring out your triggers is also helpful: Actually keeping a diary, knowing your triggers and cutting them out, and doing little experiments, Coutinho suggests.

Understanding what sets off a migraine and the best ways to treat is different for everyone. Its learning how to navigate around it, says Sanders. You can manage it. It doesnt have to take over your life.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.A member of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) takes part in a demonstration against a threatened Turkish assault - AFP

Kurdish Syrian forces have asked the Syrian government for protection against a Turkish attack in a flashpoint town, triggered by a shock US decision to withdraw forces from the country which left them exposed.

Syrian troops erected the national flag in the outskirts of Manbij - the first time it has flown in the northern town for more than six years.

The aim is to ward off a Turkish offensive, said Ilham Ahmed, a senior Kurdish official. If the Turks excuse is the (Kurdish militia), they will leave their posts to the government.

A statement released earlier by the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) said they had invited government forces to the town, as they are obliged to protect the same country, nation and borders."

Kurdish YPG fighters still based there are part of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance battling Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil). The town has been governed for the last two years by the Manbij Military Council, which is allied to the SDF.

A convoy of American Special Forces and Syrian Democratic Forces fighters makes a stop during a patrol near the Turkish border in northern Syria on November 4, 2018. Credit: Sam Tarling for the Telegraph

It is the first major concession by the Kurds to the Bashar al-Assad regime since the YPG seized control of vast swathes of north and east Syria and created an area of self-rule and one which analysts called a major turning point.

Until last week the YPG had the support of the US, which had helped them stave off a threatened offensive by Turkey and Turkish-backed Syrian rebels and hold territory wanted by the Syrian regime.

A number of Syrian troops arrived in the area early Friday morning and deployed between YPG and Turkish-backed forces west of Manbij.

A Syrian army spokesman said in a televised statement that all Syrians must join efforts to preserve national sovereignty and defeat all invaders, with reference to Turkey.

The US-backed coalition had a number of special forces stationed in the city, where they have a base. It is understood they will withdraw in the next few days.

Men queue up to buy bread outside a bakery on the outskirts of Qamishli in northern Syria, Credit: Sam Tarling for the Telegraph

It is unclear of local residents will react to regime forces returning to the city.

Story continues

"No one knows what to think as the regime has not yet arrived," one resident of Manbij, who declined to be named, told the Telegraph. "Anyone with any connection to the revolution will probably try to leave soon, maybe for areas controlled by Turkey in the Euphrates Shield."

The town of some 100,000 people fell to moderate rebel fighters in the summer of 2012 before it was overrun by Isil jihadists in 2014. It was then captured by SDF in an anti-Isil offensive in 2016.

The Kurds have used the cover of the war to carve out an autonomous state in northeastern Syria. However, their project seems increasingly under threat as Assads regime looks to reclaim the whole of Syria.

Kurdish officials have told The Telegraph they would rather try their luck in negotiations with the regime than risk an all-out assault from neighbouring Turkey, which considers the YPG a terrorist group and has watched Kurdish expansion with growing concern.

The YPG accepts drinking the poison to stop a massacre. Do you prefer your people to be massacred by a brutal dictator like (Turkish president Recep Tayyip) Erdogan or be protected by a brutal dictator like Assad? tweeted Kamal Chomani, a non-resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy.

Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) run across a street in Raqqa during the offensive against Isil Credit: Reuters

Russia, which has long called for the withdrawal of US troops illegally in Syria, welcomed the news on Friday, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov describing the development as a "positive step" that could help "stabilise the situation."

Speaking in frank terms on Donald Trumps decision to withdraw 2,000 troops from Syria, Jeremy Hunt, Foreign Secretary, today said the US president makes a speciality of talking in very black and white terms about what's happening in the world.

"We have made massive progress in the war against Daesh (Arabic acronym for Isil), but it's not over and, although they have lost nearly all the territory they held, they still hold some territory and there is still some real risk," Mr Hunt told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

During a visit to Iraq this week, Mr Trump declared an end to the US role of being the world's "policeman".

Arab leaders have in recent days taken steps to rehabilitate the brutal Assad regime, with the UAE and Bahrain announcing they are to reopen embassies that had been shut since the beginning of the civil war.Shares of ABM Industries Incorporated ABM have gained 5.7% in the past six months, against the industrys decline of 15%.

The company delivered impressive fourth-quarter fiscal 2018 results, with earnings and revenues beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of 58 cents beat the consensus estimate by a penny and improved 56.7% on a year-over-year basis. Total revenues of $1.64 billion outpaced the consensus mark by $1.2 million and increased 10.1% year over year on the back of organic growth and contributions from the acquisition of GCA Services Group.

ABM Industries has a decent surprise history. It beat estimates in three of the trailing four quarters, the average being 1.2%. For the first quarter, the consensus estimate declined 3.6% in the past 30 days.

Whats Driving ABM Industries?

The buyout of GCA Services Group has enhanced the companys long-term financial and operational capacities primarily in the Technology & Manufacturing, Business & Industry and Education segments. Revenues related to the acquisition amounted to more than $1 billion in fiscal 2018.

ABM Industries is currently executing 2020 Vision, which outlines its long-term vision for the next five years. The strategic plan focuses on operational improvement and vertical realignment and is contingent on three primary phases. The company is currently focusing on the second phase. Post complete execution, the plan will boost long-term profits for ABM Industries on the back of an industry-based go-to-market approach.

As a component of the first phase of 2020 Vision, ABM Industries has introduced a platform for realignment of its operational structure to an on-site, mobile and on-demand market-based structure to deliver an end-to-end service model to clients. The realignment has improved the companys margin improvement opportunities.

Risks

Increasing expenses are a concern for ABM Industries and likely to dent bottom-line growth. The acquisition has led to operating expenses worth $682 million. These expenses have resulted in a significant rise of the companys operating expenses (17.7% y/y) in fiscal 2018.

Story continues

Further, the U.S. labor market is witnessing record low unemployment levels for skilled and unskilled labor since the beginning of 2018. While the economy continues to create new jobs despite the record low jobless rate, a tight labor market is compelling companies to hike payments to attract and retain employees. As labor costs account for majority of ABM Industries expenses, the labor-related headwind is likely to weigh on operations.

Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider

Currently, ABM Industries carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

A few better-ranked stocks in the Zacks Business Services sector are Mastercard Incorporated MA, Republic Services, Inc. RSG and Blucora, Inc. BCOR, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

The long-term expected EPS (three to five years) growth rate for Mastercard, Republic Services and Blucora is 18.1%, 10.7% and 17.5%, respectively.

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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.By Benet Koleka TIRANA (Reuters) - Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama replaced eight cabinet ministers on Friday amid a wave of student and anti-corruption protests, and urged his year-old government to think harder about how to make its term "one of achievements". Students seeking a halving of fees and a doubling of the university education budget have been protesting in their thousands since early December and have said they will not even talk unless the government accepts their demands in full. And since late November, residents whose houses are slated for demolition to make way for a ring road around the capital Tirana have also been protesting, angered still further by an illegal bid in the construction tender. The opposition Democratic Party joined those protests and, although the government accepted that the bid had been illegal and canceled the tender, it called for the government to resign. Announcing his reshuffle, Rama urged his Socialist Party to see the changes as "part of a necessary reflection to turn this mandate into one of achievements that will lead us to win a third". One of the triggers for the student protests is alleged corruption in the education bureaucracy. The education minister will be replaced by her deputy, whose first task will be to quell the student protests, due to resume on Jan. 7, which Rama said were "still hurting" the government. Rama urged his party to engage with those who were angry, to "boost capacities" and to banish nepotism from public administration. Unimpressed with the changes, the students left a broken steering wheel and a copy of the constitution at Rama's office. Rama campaigned for a second term a year ago by asking Albanians to enable him to be "alone at the wheel", without the encumbrance of coalition allies. "The wheel is a symbol of the accidents Rama had as a prime minister while the constitution is to remind him of the violations of the right of every Albanian to (higher) education," the organizers of the student protests said. Among the cabinet changes was the appointment of Anila Denaj, a former Finance Ministry official and commercial bank executive who now heads the fund for obligatory medical insurance, to replace Arben Ahmetaj as Finance and Economy minister. Belinda Balluku becomes energy minister, replacing Damian Gjiknuri; and Gent Caka, the deputy foreign minister, will step up to become minister, succeeding Ditmir Bushati. (Reporting by Benet Koleka; Editing by Kevin Liffey)We issued an updated report on Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ALXN on Dec 26, 2018.

Alexion is a biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the development and commercialization of life-transforming drugs for the treatment of patients with ultra-rare disorders.

The companys lead drug Soliris, the key growth driver, is approved for the treatment of two severe and ultra-rare disorders resulting from chronic uncontrolled activation of the complement component of the immune system  paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). Alexion is working on expanding Soliris label into additional indications.

The FDA had also approved the drug for the treatment of refractory gMG in patients who are anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive. The drug was approved in Europe as well for this indication. The initial uptake of the drug for this indication has been encouraging as the company continues to add new patients in the United States.

Alexion received a significant boost with the FDA approval of its long-acting C5 complement inhibitor, Ultomiris for the treatment of adult patients with PNH. The FDA approval comes well ahead of its action date set for Feb 18, 2019. The approval will strengthen Alexion's PNH franchise.

Alexion is also conducting a phase I study of subcutaneous ALXN1210, co-administered with Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc.s HALO ENHANZE drug-delivery technology, PH20. In the meantime, Strensiq and Kanuma are doing well and will boost revenues.

Meanwhile, Alexion is making strategic acquisitions to diversify its portfolio. The company acquired Sweden-based Wilson Therapeutics for $855 million. The acquisition added a late-stage candidate, WTX101 to Alexions pipeline. The candidate is currently in phase III for the treatment of Wilson disease, a rare genetic disorder.

Alexion also acquired clinical-stage biotechnology company, Syntimmune, for $1.2 billion. Syntimmune develops antibody therapeutics, targeting the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn). The acquisition will add a mid-stage candidate, SYNT001 to Alexions pipeline. Alexion announced a partnership with Complement Pharma to co-develop the preclinical C6 complement inhibitor, CP010, for neurodegenerative disorders.

Story continues

Share price of Alexion has decreased 21.1% year to date, narrower than the industrys decline of 25.6%.

However, pricing is likely to impact sales. Moreover, the company relies heavily on Soliris for growth.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

Alexion currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A couple of better-placed stocks in the healthcare sector include Bristol-Myers Squibb Company BMY and Exelixis, Inc EXEL. Both the stocks carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Bristol-Myers earnings per share estimates have increased from $3.84 to $3.87 for 2018 and $4.03 to $4.14 for 2019 over the past 60 days. The company delivered a positive earnings surprise in all the trailing four quarters, with average of 11.99%.

Exelixis earnings estimates have moved up from $1.03 to $1.30 for 2018 and from $1.09 to $1.25 for 2019 over the past 60 days. The company delivered positive earnings surprise in all the trailing four quarters with the average beat being 83.43%.

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Zacks Investment ResearchPresident Jolie 2020?

Academy Award Winner Angelina Jolie has hinted that she could follow in the steps of Donald Trump, and run for US President it she felt she was needed.

Serving as a guest editor on Fridays BBC Todays Programme, the 43-year-old admitted she wouldnt rule out running for office.

Presenter Justin Webb asked Jolie: Are you moving in the direction of politics?

Honestly, if youd asked me 20 years ago I would have laughed, I really dont know, the Hollywood star confessed.

I always say Ill go where Im needed  I dont know if Im fit for politics, but then Ive also joked that I dont have a skeleton left in my closet so Im pretty open and out there. I can take a lot on the chin, so thats good, she added.

Jolie continued to talk about her work with the UN, where she serves as a Special Envoy.

I honestly will do whatever I think can really make change and right now I am able to work with a UN agency to do a lot of work directly with people in need. I sit in a very interesting place of being able to get a lot done without a title and without it being about myself and my policies. So for now Ill sit quiet, she explained.

Jolie pictured with all six of her children in January 2018.

Webb concluded the topic by saying that hed added her to his list of potential Democratic politicians to run against President Donald Trump in 2020. Jolie simply responded with Thank You.

He went on to ask Jolie what she made of President Trumps America First narrative. She replied that was a Patriot, but saw a distinct difference between her beliefs and that and narrow Nationalism.

I am a patriot but I am also an internationalist and I love and value other people and other countries. To be a patriot is to be very proud of your country and even your country first but you do not think your country is better than others, she said.

Jolie has been widely praised for her humanitarian work over the years, and was presented an honorary damehood by the Queen in 2014 for her work fighting against sexual violence.

Story continues

She is currently separated from her third husband actor Brad Pitt, and they have six children together, three of whom were adopted internationally.





Read more

Angelina Jolie is focused on healing her family

Aretha Franklin owed million in debts, says IRS

Eddie Murphy poses with all 10 of his childrenApples AAPL iPhone XR launched on Oct 26 has been successful in attracting a higher number of Android users in the United States per a survey. Notably, Android is owned by Alphabet GOOGL.



A Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) report stated that 16% of users migrated from the Android platform during the 30-day period after the launch of the iPhone XR. This compares favorably with 11% users who switched from Android after the launch of iPhone X in November 2017 and 12% after the launch of iPhone 8 and 8 Plus in September 2017.



CIRP Partner and Co-Founder, Mike Levin notes that the lower-priced model and its features might have attracted Android users. Another CIRP report stated that Android users primarily incline toward low-cost iPhones due to the availability of cheaper Android phones. However, 40% of the switchers tend to pick Plus-sized iPhones due to larger displays of the Android models.



This follows reports that state Apple is battling production cuts due to lower demand for its iPhones.



Apple Inc. Revenue (TTM)

Apple Inc. Revenue (TTM) | Apple Inc. Quote



Cost Cuts, Brand Value to Boost iPhone Sales



Apple boasts a loyalty rate of 70% per a Merrill Lynch report while its major Android counter parts Samsung and Huawei had about 54% brand loyalty. Notably, the availability of low-priced Android sets might have caused a brand loyalty problem among users.



To cash in on its brand loyalty, Apple is introducing lower-priced models and slashing prices to encourage user switch and to eliminate any user churn. The company has also adopted new marketing strategies like promotional discounts and trade-ins to bolster iPhone sales in the holiday season.



Moreover, Apples move to initiate production of its high-end iPhones in India by partnering with Foxconn, per Economic Times, may further reduce iPhone prices in 2019 for users in India.



The move by Apple comes at a time when iPhone is struggling in the country. Sales of iPhone were flat in India in fourth-quarter 2018. Moreover, Counterpoint Research points out that sale of iPhone may further drop in the country by a quarter to 2- 2.5 million units due to significant competition from Chinese smartphone makers.



Although iPhone is struggling at the moment in India, its initiatives coupled with Indias growing smartphone user base may help the company attract more Android users. Android commands a market share of about 66% in India.



Notably, the number of smartphone users in the country is expected to reach 337 million in 2018 and grow to 490.9 million by 2022, per eMarketer.



Qualcomm Lawsuit Hits in China and Germany



However, Qualcomms QCOM ongoing feud with Apple may hinder its growth in China. A court in China banned the import and sale of most iPhone models for infringement of two Qualcomm patents. Notably, Greater China, one of Apples major markets, accounted for roughly 18% of Apples fourth-quarter 2018 revenues.



Moreover, the iPhone maker suffered another blow as a court in Germany found iPhones violating one of Qualcomms "envelope tracking" patents. Per Reuters, Apple said it will withdraw iPhones including iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 after it was prohibited to sell phones that have Qorvo, Inc. QRVO and Intel chips.



Apple 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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Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge.



With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research.



It's not the one you think.



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Zacks Investment ResearchThe Russian stock market was among the main gainers in 2018. Photo: Denis Tyrin\Getty Images

Some of the best performing stock markets in 2018 were in places you might least expect: Russia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brazil.

As US markets plunged deep into the red at the end of the year and many benchmark Asian and European indices endured bruising losses, a range of emerging markets held onto their gains.

Heres a selection of the top performers:

Russia

Russias benchmark MOEX index (IMOEX.ME)  previously called the MICEX index  rallied by about 12% in 2018 following years of sanctions-induced setbacks.

Oil giant Lukoil (LKOH.ME), the largest constituent in the index, saw shares surge by roughly 50% over the year. Gazprom (GAZP.ME), another powerful constituent, rallied by about 18%.

The Russian index was supported by broad gains in various commodities, even though oil prices were weak at the end of the year, said Bruno Pannetier, chief investment officer at Old Park Capital.

Overall, the Russian market has been a good performer compared to Western markets, he said.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabias Tadawul All-Share index (^TASI.SR) also posted gains of roughly 7% in 2018, but the rally wasnt necessarily supported by a rush of international investors, said Naeem Aslam, chief market analyst at Think Markets UK.

Disregard what happens in the Saudi market, he told Yahoo Finance UK. The market is completely supported by the fact that the government is trying to keep the market stabilised. That is just a plain fact. We havent seen any [foreign direct investment] into that country, any interest from international investors. any inflows into ETFs.

Qatar

Qatars main QE index (^GNRI.QA) also surged by nearly 21% this year, marking a comeback after the index had dropped by 18% in 2017 over a high-profile spat with its neighbours.

Saudi Arabia and its allies severed diplomatic and transport ties with the small Gulf nation in mid-2017 over the countrys alleged support of terrorism. Qatar has denied the accusations.

Qatar found workaround strategies and different trade routes after the incident, and shares in many Qatari companies have rebounded strongly.

Story continues

The Qatar National Bank (QNBK.QA), for instance, saw shares surge by roughly 55% in the past year. The bank is the largest constituent in the QE index.

Brazil

Brazils Bovespa index (^BVSP) also saw a strong 12% run-up this year as the nations economic prospects improved and international investors pushed money back into stocks.

The key message here  is that the Brazilian economy is recovering and will continue to do so next year, said Andres Abadia, a senior economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, in a research note.

The biggest losers

Key European and Asian stock markets experienced some of the worst selling of 2018. Tariffs and trade tensions have been blamed for spooking investors and leading to a more challenging business environment.

Germanys benchmark Dax (^GDAXI) endured losses of roughly 20% as US-China trade tensions and tariffs slammed the countrys automakers and other global exporters.

The Dax index in Frankfurt posted deep losses in 2018. Chart: Yahoo Finance UK

The Greek ASE and Irish ISEQ endured even larger losses, with both indices down by about 25%.

In China, the all-important Shanghai Composite (000001.SS) dropped by 25%.

US stock markets also suffered, but the losses werent nearly as dramatic. The main indices were down by roughly 5% to 7% since the start of the year.

READ MORE: Yahoo Finances 2018 Company of the Year

READ MORE: The stock markets buyers are out for the holidaysThe Boeing Company BA recently secured a $49.2-million contract under the Foreign Military Sales program to provide maintenance augmentation team services for the Qatari Air Forces AH-64E Apache aircraft. The contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, AL.



Work related to the deal will be performed in Mesa, AZ, and is expected to get completed by Jul 31, 2024.



A Brief Note on Boeings Apache AH-64E



Boeings AH-64 Apache is the worlds most advanced multi-role combat helicopter that is used by the U.S. Army and a growing number of international defense forces. Notably, AH-64E is the latest version of the AH-64 gunship and is equipped with new sensors, avionics and improved night operation capabilities. Also, it has infra-red suppressing exhaust system along with chaff and flare dispensers, which jointly reduce the chances of being hit by enemy air defense missiles.



Boeings Prospects in Qatar



Due to the ongoing diplomatic issues and conflicts between Qatar and Saudi Arabia along with other geo-political tensions across the Middle East, defense giants like Boeing tend to benefit the most. As a result of such rising instabilities, the Qatar government has been buying military aircraft from Boeing to strengthen the countrys defense arsenal and adopt appropriate counter measures at the time of crisis. In line with this, the Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF), in August 2018, ordered 36 F-15QA Eagle multi-role fighters from Boeing, worth $6.2 billion. The latest contract seems to have followed suit. Notably, such massive order growth is expected to provide the company with enormous opportunities to expand growth in Qatar, thereby bolstering its international sales.



What Favors Boeing?



Boeing's Defense, Space & Security (BDS) segment specializes in providing technical expertise and integrated fleet support to vertical lift maintenance, modifications and repairs. The segment also provides a broad spectrum of innovative products and services, which directly support and enhance capabilities of military rotorcrafts. Notably, its proven expertise in the field of technical services has enabled the company in clinching the deal.



Meanwhile, this year, the U.S. Senate approved the fiscal 2019 defense budget that provisioned major war fighting investments of $21.7 billion for aircraft. The budget also included a $1.3-billion investment for the production of 60 AH-64E helicopters. Such budgetary developments reflect solid growth prospects for the companys BDS segment.



Price Performance



Shares of Boeing have gained about 7% in a year, against the industrys decline of 9.5%. The outperformance was primarily led by significant demand for the companys military jets across the globe and robust long-term demand for its commercial aircraft.

Story continues





Zacks Rank & Other Stocks to Consider



Boeing currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).



A few top-ranked companies in the same sector are Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings AJRD, Teledyne Technologies Incorporated TDY and Lockheed Martin Corporation 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 came up with average positive earnings surprise of 19.27% in the last four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 earnings has increased 43.3% to $1.82 in the past 90 days.



Teledyne Technologies came up with average positive earnings surprise of 12.92% in the last four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 earnings has increased 6% to $8.75 in the past 90 days.



Lockheed Martin delivered average positive earnings surprise of 13.92% in the last four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 earnings has moved up 2.9% to $17.51 in the past 90 days.



Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars?



Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge.



With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research.



It's not the one you think.



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Zacks Investment ResearchThe Department for Exiting the European Union has been accused of hiding the realities of Brexit by responding to just one in five Freedom of Information requests. (PA)

The Department for Exiting the European Union has been accused of hiding the unpleasant realities of Brexit from the public, as new analysis suggested it only answered a fifth of Freedom of Information requests in full.

Research by the Peoples Vote campaign for a second referendum found DExEU refused to release any information for more than half of all requests, and only answered 21% in full between July 2016 and June 2017  the lowest percentage of FOI requests granted in full across all of Whitehall.

The Cabinet Office, Department for International Trade, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which all also deal with Brexit, answered 26%, 25% and 23% respectively of requests in full.

Peoples Vote found the Whitehall average to be 44%.

A view of the Department for Exiting the European Union in Downing Street, London.

Labours Peter Kyle, a supporter of the Peoples Vote campaign, said: The Governments astonishing lack of transparency around Brexit is a national scandal, and is part of the reason why weve ended up in the mess were in now.

The Government departments charged with dealing directly with Brexit are deliberately obfuscating and hiding the many unpleasant realities of the process from the public.

The truth theyre trying to hide is that the Governments proposed Brexit would severely harm our economy and is much worse than our existing deal inside the EU.

I have written to the chief executive of the Civil Service to demand urgent answers, because the British public deserve to have all the information about Brexit available to them.

Because of the failure to be open and transparent, the public have lost confidence in the Governments ability to handle the Brexit process properly. Thats why more and more people are rallying behind the calls for a Peoples Vote, to give the people the final say.

A Government spokesman said: This Government is committed to transparency which is why we are publishing more data than ever before. We publish data on everything from ministerial meetings to the money we spend on behalf of taxpayers.

However, it is important to balance the need to make information available with protecting national security and our ability to best promote the UKs position abroad.Hays says Canadian companies are having a tough time finding skilled workers

Record-low unemployment is pitting Canadian companies against each other, as they duke it out for new talent.

Employment agency Hays Canada says even though 63 per cent of employers surveyed say a strong economy will boost their bottom line, less than a quarter plan to bump salaries by more than 3 per cent. Hays found raises beyond the cost of living hit a five-year low.

Instead, companies will open up their wallets to entice new recruits. More than half of employers surveyed say they plan to hire permanent staff in the year ahead.

More than 60 per cent of employers surveyed admit they have hiked salaries to attract candidates, even at the risk of losing current staff.

A lack of raises could help push employees out the door, considering 41 per cent say they are seriously considering leaving for higher pay.

Good help is hard to find

The most movement is likely to occur in IT. Demand at tech companies continues to outpace the supply of skilled candidates. And yet, IT employees are the least likely to call their current salary competitive. Smaller companies could bear the brunt of a talent war.

We strive to be competitive with our salaries but know that we are up against big players that have endless resources, says Dinesh Kandanchata, Chief Operating Officer at Macadamian.

Kandanchata says hes had to be creative and uses company culture as a selling point.

Nearly three-quarters of employers say a shortage of skilled workers has resulted in heavier workloads and increased stress.

From an employers perspective, the job market is extremely competitive and without the right people in place, next years business goals could end up in doubt, says Rowan OGrady, President of Hays Canada.

OGrady says cutting back on raises for current staff isnt the solution.

The intent may come from a good place, but this is a band-aid solution, says OGrady.

OGrady suggests a more holistic approach to staffing.Michael Cohens cell phone pinged off cell phone towers in Prague during the summer of 2016, suggesting that Cohen was there meeting with Russian government officials as alleged in the infamous Steele dossier, McClatchy reported, citing four people familiar with the matter.

McClatchy also reported that electronic eavesdropping by an Eastern European intelligence agency picked up a call between Russians officials during which one said Cohen was in Prague. At the meeting, Cohen and Russians allegedly discussed how to hide the campaigns close relationship with the Russian government. Both revelations have been shared with Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating collusion between the Donald Trump presidential campaign and the Russian government.

While the cell phone data does not conclusively prove that Cohen met with Russian operatives, it certainly does not look good for Trump, who denies any involvement in election interference and continues to call the investigation a rigged witch hunt. Cohen is currently cooperating with the Mueller investigation and has already pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about Trumps attempts to build a Trump Tower Russia in addition to bank fraud, tax fraud, and violating campaign finance law.

But Cohens spokesman, Lanny Davis, denied Cohen made the Prague trip as recently as this week, saying Cohen has said one million times he was never in Prague, adding, One million and one times. Hes never been to Prague.  Hes never been to the Czech Republic. However, Davis is no longer a member of Cohens legal team and admitted he has not been briefed on what Cohen has revealed to Mueller.

Former prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks told McClatchy that these new revelations could be important to Muellers case. This is a very significant break, because it looks like a direct link between Donald Trumps personal fixer and Russians most likely involved in the disruption of our election, she said. It would prove that lying was going on, not only about being in Prague, but much beyond the Prague episode.Washington (AFP) - Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former attorney, denied Thursday that he had ever visited Prague, shooting down a report that he had a meeting with Russian officials there during the 2016 presidential election campaign.

"I hear #Prague #CzechRepublic is beautiful in the summertime," Cohen tweeted. "I wouldn't know as I have never been.

"#Mueller knows everything!" he added in a reference to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the former FBI director who is investigating whether Trump's campaign colluded with Russia to get him elected to the White House

Cohen's tweet came several hours after the McClatchy news service reported that cell phone records showed that Cohen was near Prague in the summer of 2016, supporting claims that he met there with Russian officials.

Cohen, who was sentenced to three years in prison this month after pleading guilty to tax evasion and other crimes, had denied previously ever visiting Prague.

Cohen has been cooperating for the past several months with the Special Counsel's office but details of his cooperation with the Mueller probe have not been publicly revealed.

Trump vehemently denies any collusion with Russia and has denounced the Mueller investigation as a "political witch hunt."

The purported meeting between Cohen and Russian government officials in Prague was first reported in a document with compromising material on Trump compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele.

According to what has become known as the "Steele dossier," Cohen had a clandestine meeting with Kremlin officials in Prague in August 2016 to discuss hiding links between members of the Trump campaign and Russia.

McClatchy, publisher of the Miami Herald and other newspapers, said a mobile phone traced to Cohen had briefly sent signals off cell towers in the Prague area in late summer 2016.

"The brief activation from Cohen's phone near Prague sent beacons that left a traceable electronic signature," it said.

Story continues

Citing "four people with knowledge of the matter," McClatchy said that the electronic record supports "claims that Cohen met secretly there with Russian officials."

"During the same period of late August or early September (2016), electronic eavesdropping by an Eastern European intelligence agency picked up a conversation among Russians, one of whom remarked that Cohen was in Prague," McClatchy cited "two people familiar with the incident" as saying.

"The new information regarding the recovery of Cohen's cell phone location doesn't explain why he was apparently there or who he was meeting with, if anyone," McClatchy said.

"But it adds to evidence that Cohen was in or near Prague around the time of the supposed meeting," it said.

McClatchy said the intelligence pointing to the presence of Cohen near Prague had been shared with the Special Counsel's office.

Among the crimes Cohen pleaded guilty to was lying to Congress about the status of a Trump real estate project in Moscow.

Cohen acknowledged that the talks to build a Trump Tower in Moscow continued until at least June 2016 -- six months longer than he had told Congress.Cigna Corp. CI looks well poised to growth with the recent acquisition of Express Scripts, the pharmacy benefits manager, which has transformed it into a diversified health services company. The companys existing businesses  administrative services, international operations, and disability and life insurance  are already performing strongly, and the addition of this new business will make it a sort of one-stop shop of healthcare needs.

The combination of Express Scripts pharmacy benefit business with Cignas health insurance business will help control drug pricing cost to a large extent, one of the biggest components of soaring medical cost. Cigna has better control over its medical cost than other players in the industry. The decline in medical costs should further aid its margins.

Another distinguishing feature of the company is its international business, which provides additional diversification opportunities. Only another company in the space, UnitedHealth Group, Inc. (UNH), has growing international business.

Cignas international business, which includes India, Hong Kong, Turkey and the Middle East, among others, has overall recorded double-digit revenue and earnings growth for the past seven years. The biggest international market for Cigna is South Korea, where it has been operating for more than three decades.

Moreover, the company has a chunk of revenues coming from the administrative services only (ASO) business, which though has lower profitability but is growing in size and provides opportunities for cross selling.

Another positive for Cigna is its strong capital position. Its cash flow from operations has been increasing consistently for the past four years and the trend continued in the first nine months of 2018. An increasing cash flow provides scope for investment in business. Though the companys leverage levels have increased due to the purchase of Express Scripts, the same should moderate by next year as the company repays debt.

Story continues

Cigna expects adjusted EPS in 2019 to gain in the double-digit range (this excludes any impact from transitioning of clients by Express Scripts specially Anthem). By the year 2021, Cigna projects adjusted EPS of $20 to $21, of which $2 to $3 will come from Express Scripts.

In a year's time, shares of the company have lost 6.1% compared with the industry's decline of 23.2%.

Cigna carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Some other stocks worth considering in the healthcare space are BioTelemetry, Inc. BEAT, Medpace Holdings, Inc. MEDP and AMN Healthcare Servcies Inc. AMN. While BioTelemetry carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), the other two carries the same Zacks Rank as Cigna. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

BioTelemetry beat estimates in each of the four quarters with an average positive surprise of 55.6%. Medpace and AMN Healthcare beat estimates in three of the four reported quarters with an average positive surprise of 22.8% and each, 23.97% and 4.17%, respectively.

Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars?

Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge.



With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research.



It's not the one you think.



See This Ticker Free >>



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



AMN Healthcare Services Inc (AMN) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Cigna Corporation (CI) : Free Stock Analysis Report



BioTelemetry, Inc. (BEAT) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Medpace Holdings, Inc. (MEDP) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment ResearchThe U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday it was searching for a British crew member who went overboard from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

Arron Hough, 20, went overboard 267 miles off the northwest of Puerto Rico on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Coast Guard 7th District told Reuters in a telephone interview. Hough was a cast member of the musical "Grease" which was being performed onboard the ship, according to the Miami Herald.

At the time the Coast Guard became aware of the incident, the Harmony of the Seas ship was traveling from its home port of Fort Lauderdale to its first stop of St. Maarten island on its seven-day Caribbean itinerary, the Miami Herald had reported https://hrld.us/2QTSl9S earlier.

The Coast Guard said it continued its search for Hough with an airplane and cutter ship.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd did not respond to a request for comment. Media reports cited a statement from the company saying Hough did not show up for work on Tuesday.

"We are saddened to report that after a review of the ship's closed-circuit camera footage, he was observed entering an area on Deck 5 at around 4am and was not seen again," Royal Caribbean told http://bit.ly/2QOhRNH Sky News.

"Local authorities were notified and a ship-wide search for the crew member was conducted."

The UK Foreign Office said it was providing assistance to the family of the missing person, Sky News reported. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by David Gregorio)(Reuters) - British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn told the Independent newspaper the Labour party's attempt to force a general election by tabling a no-confidence motion was a matter of "when, not if." Corbyn suggested the move would be unavoidable if British Prime Minister Theresa May fails to secure backing for her Brexit policies from parliament. "We've made clear it's a question of when not if we do a vote of no confidence in the government, and obviously we do (it) at a time when their confidence is the lowest ever, which I suspect will be after they've lost the vote", Corbyn told the newspaper https://ind.pn/2CAZymq in an interview. The Labour leader added that the party has selected candidates in all of its marginal seats in preparation for a snap election. A new election is not due until 2022 but one could be called if May fails to get her primary policy through parliament. Corbyn also urged May to recall parliament early during the new year to bring forward a critical vote on the Brexit deal. Late last week, Corbyn said he would push ahead with Brexit and seek to renegotiate the terms if he won a snap election next year. With Britain due to leave the European Union on March 29, Labour has been insisting it wants a permanent customs union with the EU and a close relationship with its lucrative single market. (Reporting by Vandana Shaw and Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom Brown)Lunaticoutpost.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program , anaffiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.Amazon, the Amazon logo, MYHABIT, and the MYHABIT logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.Don't be a pest to the forum.No profanity in thread-titles or usernamesNo excessive profanity in postsNo Racism, Antisemitism + HateNo calls for violence against anyone..This website exists for fun and discussion only. The reader is responsible for discerning the validity, factuality or implications of information posted here, be it fictional or based on real events. The content of posts on this site, including but not limited to links to other web sites, are the expressed opinion of the original poster and are in no way representative of or endorsed by the owners or administration of this website. The posts on this website are the opinion of the specific author and are not statements of advice, opinion, or factual information on behalf of the owner or administration of LunaticOutPost.Com. The owners or administration of this website can't be hold responsible for content hosted on sites that posters link to in; including, but not limited to, posts, signatures, private messages and such. This site may contain content not suitable for minors and if you feel you might be offended by such content, you should log off immediately.This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Users may make such material available in an effort to advance awareness and understanding of issues relating to civil rights, economics, individual rights, international affairs, liberty, science & technology, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.In accordance with industry accepted best practices we ask that users limit their copy / paste of copyrighted material to the relevant portions of the article you wish to discuss (no more than 50% of the source material) provide a link back to the original articleIf you are a legal copyright holder or a designated agent for such and you believe a post on this website falls outside the boundaries of "Fair Use" and legitimately infringes on yours or your clients copyright please contact [email protected] This website is owned by :Marco ZwaneveldDrijfriemstraat 522516 XR The HagueNetherlands.I will not rent, sell, share or otherwise disclose your personal information to any third party.We might contact you from time to time regarding your purchases or the services (like forums and announcement lists) you have subscribed to.Some of the 3rd party advertisers on lunaticoutpost.com may use cookiesto track peformance and/or to serve relevant ads.If you wish to read more and/or opt out of such cookies, please visit: http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/FIFA-Timeline-Handcuffs

Photo: Shutterstock.com





A collective gasp was emitted last week when Judge Emmett Sullivan excoriated Michael Flynn in a federal courtroom in D.C. As the news rippled into our national consciousness, we suddenly remembered that Flynn had done some really terrible things. We had rightly been focused on the help he has given in his 19 cooperating interviews with authorities, and on the decades of unblemished service he brought to bear on his side of the justice scale.







We are grappling as a country with the deepest challenges around sentencing, like: was it ok for General Flynns lawyers to argue in their sentencing brief that he was tricked into lying to the FBI, even as he relies for his sentencing relief on having taken full responsibility for his actions?







How do we feel, anyway, about so much of our evidence for crimes consisting of testimony of wrongdoers who themselves are getting relief from their own deserved punishment, or about the fact that a lot of our justice is up for bargain rather than fully deliberated in a trial? And in such a system, what happens to people who dont have information to trade or resources for their representation, let alone examples of good deeds to offset the reality of their worst acts?







Its hard to comprehend the complexity of sentencingmany judges say it is the hardest thing they have to do. No wonder it is the subject of intense biblical, mythical, and literary ruminations.







As citizens, and especially as lawyers, we bear responsibilityno matter whether we tinker with peoples liberties in our own practiceto insist that our system be as accountable to us as we are expected to be to it if we are ever called to the bar as a defendant.







My practice is to expand the awareness and use of alternatives to incarceration so that we stop using prison and jail as our main methods of holding people responsible for what we deem crimes. To deter or prevent people from acting in many of the ways we abhor, there are much less invasive, less expensive and more effective interventions.

Story continues







And since none of us is perfect, and we know our system is not either, we must try to identify the best practices so that we can at least do our best by the tens of millions of people who come into some kind of government custody each year in this country.







The nonprofit I work with, the Aleph Institute, harbors a vision we call Rewriting the Sentence, wherein the cultural and political shift that has already taken hold in this country produces a complete reordering of our punishment priorities. Once this shift is complete, we would view incarceration and other separation from community only as an option among many to be used sparingly, only when needed.







At present, we are such an outlying world incarcerator that we rank with the most heartless regimes on the planet. It always bears repeating that we are not 5% of the world population and yet are responsible for almost a quarter of the worlds imprisoned population. Across history, incarceration has not always dominated the punishment landscapeindeed, in Biblical law there is no such punishment as incarceration because of the inhumane collateral damage it wreaks.







We at Aleph think there are often legal and humanitarian reasons for the avoidance of custodial methods of correction at every stage of our systemfrom bail reform and law enforcement assisted diversion upfront to diversion programs, specialty courts and sentencing advocacy at the disposition stage to clemency, reentry support and compassionate release toward the back.







A system that uses evidence-based tools at each stage can deliver the optimal levels of supervision and services to allow each person to thrive and stay out of trouble. Ideallyand I truly get that this all of this sounds idealisticwe can use freed-up incarceration resources to support healthy communities, understanding that equity and thriving neighborhoods are the best prevention tools for crime.







What Aleph has learned from delivering care and support to thousands of individuals and families in prisons and jails all over the country for decades is that helping people function better is superior to an outmoded and misguided approach that inexorably leads to negative results, especially for the children left behind.







Heres why I am not idealistic, but actually a pragmatist. If we dont envision how we want the system to work, we will continue to incarcerate people none of us ever intended to incarcerate and to not know who we are incarcerating in a meaningful way.







We will continue to have a policy of separating people from their families for minor infractions, with nobody marching in the streets. We will continue to not comprehend the vast array of innovation flourishing in corners of our system of some 5,500 criminal courts, across jurisdictions large and small, that could be replicated elsewhere.







Nearly 20 years ago in Texas, I led a major effort to write and pass a landmark reform of the states public defense system as general counsel to then-Senator Rodney Ellis. The Texas Fair Defense Act of 2001 catapulted the state from a morass of sleeping lawyers and defendants stuck in jail for months at end with no attorney into a modern era of deadlines, guidelines and reporting requirements.







The reforms in the new law were transformational, but arguably the most meaningful impact is that the law shifted the culture in Texas courtrooms forever. A young attorney practicing in Texas today would not remember a day when dozens of arrestees would be marched into a courtroom to be pled out en masse by a prosecutor with no defense lawyers present.







Or when the only guidance a partisan elected judge needed to enlist when assigning attorneys to cases was his campaign contribution list. Indeed, a culture shift is a long game, and hard to control, and might roll backward sometimes, but it is mighty when it happens.







Perhaps my greatest feeling of achievement came more than a decade after the bill passed, when I learned that notoriously heavy-handed Harris County, home to my one-time city Houston, had finally adopted a true public defender (we were able to encourage but not mandate it in the compromise legislation). It took that long for the culture and politics to be ready for that next stage of reform. Now the Harris public defender is considered a model.







Why do I think I will see a true culture change in my lifetime on alternatives to incarceration too? Because we are already seeing the seeds of the change, to wit: in a recent meeting with the chief of alternatives for a major metropolitan district attorney, I was told that in recent years incoming prosecutors ask whether there are alternatives they can offer to defendants. In a decade, perhaps they will expect them.







So policy wonks and idealists alike, please stay tuned as we seek to rewrite a legacy of sentencing myopia. Aleph is convening criminal justice stakeholders next June at Columbia Law School for the Rewriting the Sentence 2019 Summit, and we will announce significant new initiatives thereafter. For more information, please visit askssummit.com.





Hanna Liebman Dershowitz is a criminal justice policy attorney based in New York and serves as director of special projects for the alternative sentencing division of the Aleph Institute, a national nonprofit.BERGEN COUNTY, N.J.  A New Jersey state trooper went for a wild ride early Thursday morning while trying to wrangle a cow that escaped from a cattle truck en route to a slaughterhouse.

The unknown state trooper tried to hold the cow, but it didn't exactly go as planned, said Paterson Police Director Jerry Speziale.

"He tried to get around it and hold it, and then he's riding it like a bull down Route 80," Speziale said.

The cow was caught running across Route 80, and almost all the on-duty officers responded to a call around 2:41 a.m. about an injured cow headed toward the city, Speziale said. He said the cow kicked open the door of the trailer she was in and jumped onto the highway from the upper level.

The attempt to get the cow back over the guardrail was caught on tape, and police officers could be seen trying to coax the cow. Police ended up using a tow strap after officer Brian Culmone's failed attempt to rope the cow and hold on to her.

The story continues below the video.

Speziale said he could understand why so many officers were dispatched to the scene in an effort to protect the public.

"That cow's at least 1,000 pounds," he said. "We could have had a major accident."

Weird news: 5 crazy animals that have been caught in North Jersey

The police director said he is grateful that no one was hurt or killed and that the cow was removed from the roadway.

The cow was hitched to the back of the tow truck to get her moving before Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue in Wantage took her to a veterinarian, according to the sanctuary's Facebook page.

More: Audubon Zoo closed after jaguar escapes exhibit, kills 6 other animals, officials say

This article originally appeared on North Jersey Record: Cow escapes cattle truck to slaughterhouse and bolts toward freedom. Police attempt capture in videoUtilities are one of the safest investment options, as they are domestic focused, regulated and enjoy consistent demand from customers. The U.S. water infrastructure is old and significant funding is required to maintain the existing water as well as wastewater systems.



However, funds generated from internal sources are not sufficient to conduct long-term projects and the utilities had to depend on credit market for funds. Consequently, rise in interest cost will increase the cost of capital for utilities that might limit their ability to pay dividends and buy back shares.



All regulated water utilities make constant investments to strengthen operations. A common phenomenon in water utilities is consolidation. Major water companies are trying to acquire small players and enhance the quality of services. It is easier for major companies to make arrangement for funds. Therefore, consolidation is likely to boost the necessary investments required for the aging United States water and wastewater infrastructure improvements.



In this article we do a comparative analysis on two water utilities  California Water Service Group CWT and Aqua America, Inc. WTR  to ascertain which is a better performer and a suitable hold option right now.



Zacks Rank & Market Cap



California Water currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). The company has a market capitalization of around $2.21 billion.



You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.



Aqua America currently holds a Zacks Rank #3. It has a market capitalization of $5.90 billion.



Growth Projections



The Zacks Consensus Estimate for California Waters 2019 earnings per share (EPS) is pegged at $1.42, reflecting year-over-year growth of 16.66%. Its long-term earnings growth rate is pegged at 7%.



The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Aqua Americas 2019 EPS is at $1.49, reflecting year-over-year rise of 5.67%. Its long-term earnings growth rate is pegged at 5.33%.



Price Performance



Shares of California Water have gained 3.2%, against the industrys decline of 6.3% in the past 12 months. Shares of Aqua America have lost 14.6% in the same time period.

Story continues



Dividend Yields



Currently, the dividend yield for California Water is at 1.63%, lower than Aqua Americas 2.64%. Aqua Americas dividend yield is better than the industrys 2.07% and Zacks S&P 500 composites 2.16%



Debt-to-Capital Ratio



The debt-to-capital ratio is a good indicator of the financial position of a company. The indicator shows how much debt is used to conduct the business. California Water has a debt-to-capital ratio of 50.08% compared with Aqua Americas 52.56%. Though the companys debt-to-capital ratio is higher than the industrys 42.70, California Water is in a better position.



The Verdict



While Aqua America has an edge in some of the above-mentioned parameters, our verdict goes to California Water considering better long-term earnings growth projections and price performances.

Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars?



Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge.



With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research.



It's not the one you think.



See This Ticker Free >>



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



Aqua America, Inc. (WTR) : Free Stock Analysis Report



California Water Service Group (CWT) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment ResearchThe daughters of a New York podiatrist who diagnosed now-President Trump with the bone spurs that exempted him from serving in the Vietnam War say their father may have done so as a favor to Fred Trump, Donald Trump's father, who owned the Queens building that housed the medical practice.

Dr. Elysa Braunstein and Sharon Kessel, the daughters of Dr. Larry Braunstein, who died in 2007, told The New York Times that their father often recounted the story of helping a then-22-year-old Donald Trump dodge the draft in 1968.

"I know it was a favor," Dr. Elysa Braunstein, 56, told the Times.

"What he got was access to Fred Trump," she continued. "If there was anything wrong in the building, my dad would call and (Fred) Trump would take care of it immediately."

Although no paper evidence has been found to corroborate the Braunstein family's story, the sisters also suggested that a second podiatrist, Dr. Manny Weinstein, was also involved in the diagnosis.

Dr. Weinstein, who died in 1995, lived in two Brooklyn apartments owned by Fred Trump, the first of which he moved into the same year Donald Trump received his exemption from military service, The New York Times reports.

The president's mysterious exemption has long been the subject of questioning. Trump himself told the Times during his 2016 campaign that he could not recall who had signed off on his medical documentation.

"I had a doctor that gave me a letter  a very strong letter on the heels," Trump said in the 2016 interview.

Dr. Elysa Braunstein told The New York Times that while her father, a lifelong Democrat who served in the Navy during World War II, was initially proud that he had helped a "famous guy" dodge the draft, he later grew tired of Donald Trump as he became a reality TV star and the subject of celebrity gossip.

Regardless, she said the story was frequently brought up in their household.

"It was family lore," said Dr. Elysa Braunstein. "It was something we would always discuss."House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has announced the creation of a new special committee to examine climate change when her party takes back control of the US House of Representatives next month.

Florida Democratic Representative Kathy Castor will lead the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis as chairwoman, Ms Pelosi said.

It is with great enthusiasm that I appoint Congresswoman Kathy Castor as the Chair of our new Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, Ms Pelosi said. She will bring great experience, energy and urgency to the existential threat of the climate crisis. This committee will be critical to the entire Congresss mission to respond to the urgency of this threat, while creating the good-paying, green jobs of the future.

It is with great enthusiasm that I appoint @USRepKCastor as the Chair of our new Select Committee on the Climate Crisis. We know she will bring great experience, energy & urgency to confronting this existential threat. https://t.co/PtKVsvvxXk pic.twitter.com/Ow3ukDfTuS  Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) December 28, 2018

Ms Castor, a seven-term representative for Tampa Bay, has been a long time sitting member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. The Florida Democrat has already promised, as chairwoman, to decline all campaign contributions from coal, oil or gas companies.

Congresswoman Castor is a proven champion for public health and green infrastructure, who deeply understands the scope and seriousness of this threat, Ms Pelosi added. Her decades of experience in this fight, both in Florida and in the Congress, where she has been an outstanding leader on the Energy and Commerce Committee and on the House Democratic Environmental Message Team, will be vital.

Story continues

Read more

Weather linked to climate change 'caused billions in damage' this year

Ms Pelosi has not yet specified what the committee will do in the upcoming Congress, but typically, House committees of this nature can hold hearings, write reports and bring awareness to political issues.

Several progressives and climate change activists have criticised House leaderships proposals for the panel. For instance, the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis will not be tasked specifically for establishing a Green New Deal, which calls for transition to a 100 per cent renewable electricity, and it will not have subpoena power.

My position is that the committee should have legislative authority and should have subpoena power, Ms Castor said. But I think that has been negotiated with the standing committee chairs, and were going to work together.

Progressives, including New York Democratic Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have also demanded that congressional representatives who received money from fossil fuel companies be banned from sitting on the panel. However, the new panel wont bar such lawmakers.

Ms Castor told the Hill in December that progressive can trust her with their climate change concerns, specifically the "Green New Deal" stimulus package that progressive members of the party have pushed for.

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Theres some fabulous proposals in the Green New Deal, and Im excited about all that. You may see some similar language. Clearly, the focuses are going to be the same, Ms Castor said. This will be a committee clearly in the spirit of the Green New Deal.

The incoming chairwoman also said pledgd to not take campaign donations from the fossil fuel industry, and will require her colleagues in the committee to do the same as a rule.

Im hoping that folks will come to this committee ready to take on the corporate polluters and special interests, she added. There shouldnt be a purity test, that if a member of Congress has ever accepted contributions.WASHINGTON - Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen is scheduled to travel to El Paso on Friday to see how the agency is conducting medical screenings and to review conditions at Border Patrol stations following the deaths this month of two migrant children who were in federal custody.

Nielsen has called the death on Christmas Eve of an 8-year-old Guatemalan boy in federal detention a "deeply concerning and heartbreaking" tragedy and cited U.S. immigration system failings for a growing border crisis.

The top Trump administration border security official spoke out after directing a series of actions to care for undocumented immigrants taken into custody after illegal Mexican-U.S. crossings. The moves include U.S. Customs and Border Protection medical exams for all children it holds in custody.

The statement and actions marked the latest federal response to the death of the boy identified by Guatemalan officials as Felipe Gomez Alonzo. He was pronounced dead at 11:48 p.m. MST on Monday after he fell ill while held in CBP custody with his father, Agustin Gomez.

Felipe was the second immigrant child to die while in federal detention this month.

Jakelin Caal, 7, also Guatemalan, died Dec. 8. at an El Paso children's hospital after being detained with her father and while preparing to travel by bus to a Border Patrol station in New Mexico.

The back-to-back deaths prompted an outcry from immigration activists, politicians and human rights groups and raised questions about the Trump administration policies that have separated children and parents and filled detention centers.

In a statement to the El Paso Times, BorderRAC Executive Director Wanda Helgesen said that at least 450 minors had been screened at regional medical facilities in the Border Patrol's El Paso sector, which includes New Mexico.

Nielsen's formal statement cited a recent jump in illegal border crossings by immigrant families and unaccompanied children. CBP apprehensions in those categories rose 86 percent  more than 68,000 family units and almost 14,000 unaccompanied children  over last years totals for the most recent two months along the Southwest border, she said.

Story continues

"Our system has been pushed to a breaking point by those who seek open borders. Smugglers, traffickers and their own parents put these minors at risk by embarking on the dangerous and arduous journey north," Nielsen said.

Nielsen said the changing immigration dynamic has been spurred by "an immigration system that rewards parents for sending their children across the border alone," without requiring the adults to face "consequences for their actions."

She cited an asylum process thats unable to provide swift help for qualified applicants and an immigration system that encourages fraudulent claims by border crossers. She noted nine of 10 asylum applications get rejected by immigration judges.

"This crisis is exacerbated by the increase in persons who are entering our custody suffering from severe respiratory illnesses or exhibit some other illness upon apprehension," she said. "Given the remote locations of their illegal crossing and the lack of resources, it is even more difficult for our personnel to be first responders."

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen testifies before the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Dec. 20, 2018.

The updated health testing directed by Nielsen marks a change in the handling of young children detained after entering the USA without required documentation and comes amid a partial shutdown of the federal government over President Donald Trump's demand for $5 billion to build a security wall at the nation's southern border with Mexico.

DHS officials have said the deaths of the two migrant children were "tragic but also "rare. They note that the deaths were the first in more than a decade.

Nielsen said six people have died while in Border Patrol custody during Fiscal Year 2018, which ended in September, but that none were children.

Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, said many questions remain unanswered regarding the deaths, but noted the "lack of adequate medical supplies, equipment and resources" at CBP detention facilities to treat migrants and the agents working there.

Castro also suggested that many more migrants were taking more dangerous paths into the country because of the Trump administration's policy of turning asylum-seekers away from legal ports of entry. This policy, he said, was "putting families and children in great danger."

Nielsen said the Border Patrol has detailed 139,817 migrants on the Southwest border in the past two months, compared to 74,946 for the same period last year. These include 68,510 family units and 13,981 unaccompanied children.

"Given the remote locations of their illegal crossing and the lack of resources, it is even more difficult for our personnel to be first responders," Nielsen said.

Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan says Border Patrol stations are not built for that group thats crossing today. CBP oversees the Border Patrol.

"They were built 30 to 40 years ago for single adult males, and we need a different approach," he told CBS News. "We need help from Congress. We need to budget for medical care and mental health care for children in our facilities."

Children who arrive unaccompanied by a parent are supposed to go to longer-term facilities operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. But HHS system is also strained. The Associated Press reported this month that 14,300 children were being detained by HHS, most in facilities with more than 100 kids.

Homeland Securitys inspector general examined nine CBP holding facilities earlier this year. In a September report, the IG said that the facilities complied with CBP standards and that people had access to food and water, toilets and sinks, and hygiene items  with the exception of inconsistent cleanliness of the hold rooms.

Just three of the nine facilities had trained medical staff to conduct medical screening and provide basic medical care, the report said. Showers were available for unaccompanied children at only four facilities.

Contributing: Doug Stanglin, Lindsay Schnell and Kevin McCoy, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DHS chief heads to southern border following deaths of migrant kids in federal custodyWhile most of the world celebrates New Year's Day on Jan. 1, there are many cultures that recognize the start of a new year on different dates.

Below are five New Year's cultural celebrations that occur throughout the year.

1) Lunar New Year - China

For 15 days, billions of people in China, as well as those from Asian countries including Indonesia and Vietnam, celebrate the Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival.

It gets the name Spring Festival' because the new year's first day marks the end of the most frigid part of winter, which means people can anticipate the start of the spring months.



Fireworks display

It's celebrated at the turn of the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar, which indicates both the moon phase and the time of the solar year.

"The date for the Lunar New Year changes each year," said Yi Wu, assistant professor of anthropology at Clemson University.

The new year's first day always falls on the new moon between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20, according to the Chinese lunar calendar, Wu said.

Each new year is named after one of 12 animals in the zodiac cycle. For instance, 2018 is the Year of the Dog.

Traditionally, celebrations run from the eve of the first day of the Lunar New Year to the Lantern Festival, which is held on the 15th day of the first calendar month and marks the festival's end.

2) Rosh Hashanah - Israel

Jewish people around the world celebrate the new year in September or October during Rosh Hashanah, which means "Head of the Year."

Rosh Hashanah is considered a time of rejoicing, introspection and celebrating the completion of another year. It's welcomed on the first two days of Tishrei, which is the seventh month on the Hebrew calendar.

The holiday is celebrated with traditions that include sounding the shofar, or ram's horn, in synagogue and eating foods like dates, leeks, beets and pomegranates.

Each food holds special meaning. For example, a popular Jewish tradition is eating honey-covered apples followed by prayer.

Story continues

Ancient Jews believed that apples had healing properties and that the honey signified hope for a sweet new year.

Tashlich, a word with stems from the phrase "to cast" in Hebrew, is another custom of Rosh Hashanah.

Jewish people will walk to a body of water to shake out their pockets, symbolically casting their sins into the water.

3) Nowruz - Iran

For 13 days, about 75 million people in Iran and 30 million people in Afghanistan celebrate the rebirth of nature for Nowruz, which means "new day," at the start of spring.

Also known as the Persian New Year, it's one of history's most ancient celebrations, having been celebrated for about 4,000 years.

"It is celebrated just like Christmas in Germany," said Clemens Sehi, travel writer and creative director of travel magazine Travellers Archive.

"In Iran, families come together and give presents," Sehi said. "It is also almost like Black Friday [in the United States], because shopping is an important event and wearing new clothes a must."

A major part of the holiday is a deep cleaning about three weeks before the vernal equinox, during which homes are tidied and cleared of clutter to make way for a fresh start.

"The 13th day [of celebrations] is traditionally spent picnicking in the open air with all kind of pastries; this is supposed to take the bad omen of the number 13," Sehi said.

In Afghanistan, the festival lasts three days and is celebrated with dance, music and kite flying, he said.

4) Pahela Baishakh - India

Bengali people celebrate Pahela Baishakh in April, and celebrations are held on the first day of Baishakh, which is the first month of the Bengali calendar.

"This is at the beginning of the harvest season," Sehi said. "The Bengalis perform cultural performances and [have] feast days, while the Sikhs celebrate with singing, dancing and reciting from their sacred book."

"Shubho Noboborsho," which translates to "Happy New Year," is the traditional greeting for the Bengali New Year.

5) Diwali - India

This festival of lights is enjoyed by millions of Sikhs, Hindus and Jains all over the world.

Diwali celebrations coincide with the Hindu New Year, last for five days and are usually held between mid-October and mid-November, depending on the Hindu lunar calendar.

Different cultures celebrate Diwali for a variety of reasons; to Hindus, for example, it signifies a celebration of triumph of good over evil after Rama, the lord of virtue, returned to his kingdom following 14 years of exile.

Festive fireworks mark the occasion, and families share sweets and gifts and give to those in need.

Similar to the Persian New Year, homes are traditionally cleaned and new clothes are worn for the festival.Encana Corporation ECA recently completed the divestment of its San Juan assets located in New Mexico to DJR Energy, LLC, which is a private Denver-based exploration and production company created in 2017. Per the deal, Encana vended 182,000 net acres, which accounted for 5,400 barrels of oil equivalent per day (72.2% liquids) of average production in 2017.

The proceeds from the $480-million divestment are expected to increase the companys financial strength. This will, in turn, enable it to stay on track with its $1.25-billion worth share repurchase program in 2019.

In early November, Encana agreed to acquire Newfield Exploration Company NFX through a transaction valued at $5.5 billion. The deal is expected to complete in first-quarter 2019, following which, the company plans to increase dividend payment by 25%. The proceeds from San Juan asset divestment are expected to support Encana in its plan to increase dividend payment. Currently, the company pays a dividend of 6 cents per share on an annualized basis.

Moreover, the deal advances the firms strategy to concentrate on its four core basins, namely Montney and Duvernay gas formations in British Columbia and Alberta, as well as the Permian and Eagle Ford shale plays in Texas. The transaction is in line with the companys strategy of streamlining its portfolio through the sale of non-core assets, which can help it to focus its production spending on core plays and fewer geographical areas.

Since a couple of years, Encana has successfully repositioned its asset base through a slew of acquisitions and divestitures. Last year, the company jettisoned its Piceance Basin assets for $735 million, in a bid to strengthen financials and deepen its focus on the four key shale plays.

Price Performance

Encana has lost 56.3% in the past year compared with 44.3% collective decline of the industry it belongs to.

Zacks Rank and Stocks to Consider

Encana currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Investors interested in the energy sector can opt for some better-ranked stocks as given below:

Story continues

Calgary, Canada-based Gran Tierra Energy Inc. GTE is an international oil and gas exploration and production company. Its bottom line for 2018 is expected to surge more than 300% year over year. The company delivered a positive average earnings surprise of 24% in the trailing four quarters. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Obsidian Energy Ltd. OBE is also a Calgary, Canada-based exploration and production company. Its bottom line for 2019 is expected to surge more than 80% year over year. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

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Zacks Investment ResearchBy David Shepardson and Diane Bartz

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is considering an executive order in the new year to declare a national emergency that would bar U.S. companies from using telecommunications equipment made by China's Huawei and ZTE, three sources familiar with the situation told Reuters.

It would be the latest step by the Trump administration to cut Huawei Technologies Cos Ltd [HWT.UL] and ZTE Corp, two of China's biggest network equipment companies, out of the U.S. market.

The United States says the companies work at the behest of the Chinese government and that their equipment could be used to spy on Americans.

Huawei and ZTE did not return requests for comment. Both in the past have denied that their products are used to spy.

Rural operators in the United States are among the biggest customers of Huawei and ZTE, and worry that they may also have to rip out existing Chinese-made equipment without compensation. Industry officials are divided on whether the administration could legally compel operators to do that.

The executive order, which has been under consideration for more than eight months, could be issued as early as January and would direct the Commerce Department to block U.S. companies from buying equipment from foreign telecommunications makers that pose significant national security risks, sources from the telecoms industry and the administration said.

While the order is unlikely to name Huawei or ZTE, a source said it is expected that Commerce officials would interpret it as authorization to limit the spread of equipment made by the two companies. The sources said the text for the order has not been finalized.

The United States and China are locked in a trade war that has disrupted the flow of hundreds of billions of dollars of goods.

The executive order would invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a law that gives the president the authority to regulate commerce in response to a national emergency that threatens the United States.

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The issue has new urgency as U.S. wireless carriers look for partners as they prepare to adopt next generation 5G wireless networks.

In August, Trump signed a bill that barred the U.S. government itself from using Huawei and ZTE equipment.

A White House official said the United States was "working across government and with our allies and like-minded partners to mitigate risk in the deployment of 5G and other communications infrastructure," but stated that the White House had nothing further to announce.

The Wall Street Journal first reported in May that the order was under consideration, but it was never issued.

China's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Thursday that she did not want to comment on the order as it had not been officially confirmed.

"It's best to let facts speak for themselves when it comes to security problems," Hua said.

"Some countries have, without any evidence, and making use of national security, tacitly assumed crimes to politicize, and even obstruct and restrict, normal technology exchange activities," she added.

"This in reality is undoubtedly shutting oneself off, rather than being the door to openness, progress and fairness."

HIT TO RURAL NETWORKS

While the big U.S. wireless companies have cut ties with Huawei in particular, small rural carriers have relied on Huawei and ZTE switches and other equipment because they tend to be less expensive.

Huawei is so central to small carriers that William Levy, vice president for sales of Huawei Tech USA, is on the board of directors of the Rural Wireless Association.

The RWA represents carriers with fewer than 100,000 subscribers. It estimates that 25 percent of its members had Huawei or ZTE equipment in their networks, it said in a filing to the Federal Communications Commission earlier this month.

The RWA is concerned that an executive order could force its members to remove ZTE and Huawei equipment and also bar future purchases, said Caressa Bennet, RWA general counsel.

It would cost $800 million to $1 billion for all RWA members to replace their Huawei and ZTE equipment, Bennet said.

Separately, the FCC in April granted initial approval to a regulation that bars giving federal funding to help pay for telecommunication infrastructure to companies that purchase equipment from firms deemed threats to U.S. national security, which analysts have said is aimed at Huawei and ZTE.

The FCC is also considering whether to require carriers to remove and replace equipment from firms deemed a national security risk.

In March, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said "hidden 'back doors' to our networks in routers, switches  and virtually any other type of telecommunications equipment - can provide an avenue for hostile governments to inject viruses, launch denial-of-service attacks, steal data, and more."

In the December filing, Pine Belt Communications in Alabama estimated it would cost $7 million to $13 million to replace its Chinese-made equipment, while Sagebrush in Montana said replacement would cost $57 million and take two years.

Sagebrush has noted that Huawei products are significantly cheaper. When looking for bids in 2010 for its network, it found the cost of Ericsson equipment to be nearly four times the cost of Huawei.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz and David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Sanders, Leslie Adler and Alistair Bell)A Georgia father and three other adults were arrested after the bodies of two young siblings were discovered buried in the backyard of their home last week.

The Effingham County Sheriffs Office found the remains of Elwyn Crocker Jr., who would have been 16, and Mary Crocker, 14, on Dec. 19 when responding to a tip about a missing child in Guyton, Georgia. According to police, the call was in relation to the whereabouts of Mary, who had not been seen since October 2018, although it was later revealed that Elwyn Jr. had not been seen since November 2016.

Neither child had an official missing person report filed after their disappearances, officials said.

Pictured: Mary Crocker (right) and Elwyn Crocker Jr. (left) (Photo: Effingham County Sheriffs Office)

The father of the two victims, 49-year-old Elwyn Crocker, initially told investigators that Mary had gone to see her mother in South Carolina, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. However, he eventually gave responding officers information that led to the discovery of the children's bodies. Police estimated Elwyn Jr. and Mary had been buried for two years and one month, respectively, when they were found.

"I've been doing this 41 years, and a while ago I almost broke down in tears," Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie said. "It's that bad. I cannot understand how you do children like this. It's horrible."



Pictured: Elwyn Crocker (Photo: Effingham County Sheriffs Office)

Crocker, who worked as a Santa at a Walmart in Rincon, Georgia, up until recently, was arrested and charged with concealing the death of another and cruelty to children in the first degree.

Two other adults, including the victims' stepmother, 33-year-old Candice Crocker, and their step-grandmother, 50-year-old Kim Wright, were arrested on the same charges. Wrights boyfriend, Roy Anthony Prater, 55, was also taken into custody, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.



Pictured: Candice Crocker (left) and Kim Wright (right) (Photo: Effingham County Sheriffs Office)

A third child who lived at the home and has special needs was taken into protective custody.

The Effingham County Sheriffs Office said the investigation is ongoing and more charges may be forthcoming.Norwalk Hospital.

Norwalk Hospital. Photo: Noroton via Wikimedia Commons



A 60-year-old nurse has filed a federal lawsuit against Norwalk Hospital, claiming he was fired because of his gender, age and religion.



Oliver Wellington, who filed the workplace discrimination lawsuit in Bridgeport Thursday afternoon in the U.S. District Court of Connecticut, claims he was treated differently because he was a man in a hospital where the vast majority of the nurses were female. Wellington, who is Jewish, also claimed the hospital was forcing him to work Saturdays, which is a holy day in his religion.



"He complained to management that he was being forced to work holy days," the lawsuit states. "Management refused to accommodate his requests to take certain days off for his religious observance."



The lawsuit asserts that Wellington, who was a nurse at Norwalk Hospital for almost 17 years until he was terminated in December 2017, was let go for what the hospital claims was a dangerous mistake regarding a patient. The lawsuit, though, claims the reason given for the termination was not true and that he was really let go because he was an older, Jewish male nurse.



According to the lawsuit, Wellington self-reported a medication discrepancy within an hour after he made the mistake in December 2017. The nature of the discrepancy is not clear in the lawsuit. While Wellington maintained the patient was not in danger, the hospital claimed otherwise. "The reason given for the termination was the self-reported event was dangerous beyond acceptance," the lawsuit says.



Wellington's attorney, Stratford-based solo practitioner Daniel Kryzanski, would not elaborate on the discrepancy, but the suit said the medications given by Wellington were "correct and achieved a fully therapeutic result and the patient was closely monitored by the plaintiff and the physician."



The lawsuit cites many examples of what Kryzanski told the Connecticut Law Tribune Friday were "a double standard" when it came to his client and female nurses. It states that Wellington, a Norwalk resident, "witnessed pervasive discrimination against male nurses and suffered discrimination on the basis of his gender on multiple occasions." While he was terminated for what the hospital said was a dangerous mistake, the lawsuit claims Wellington "witnessed a female nurse administer a potentially fatal dose of insulin by mistake and she was not terminated because of her gender." The lawsuit also says Wellington was reprimanded for using his cellphone when his female counterparts were not, and that he was reprimanded for sitting on the floor when there were no chairs available while his female colleagues were not reprimanded for the same thing.



While Wellington's lawsuit says he was fired primarily because he was a Jewish male, the lawsuit also notes alleged age discrimination. "The plaintiff observed the repeated departure of older nurses who were often replaced by nurses in their 20s," the lawsuit says.



Kryzanski, who is seeking a jury trial, said his client "is very upset with what happened. He was an outstanding employee. He was a good and hard worker who was loyal and dedicated." The lawsuit says Wellington "consistently received raises and above-average performance reviews."



The lawsuit seeks an undetermined amount of compensatory damages as well as emotional distress damages, economic damages, equitable damages, punitive damages and attorney fees and costs.



The lawsuit cites eight counts, including the section of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 dealing with discrimination based on religion.



As of Friday morning, the hospital had not assigned an attorney to the case. Its spokeswoman, Diane Burke, did not respond to a request for comment on Friday.Shay Roberson with her forever family; she was adopted at 24 by her former school resource officer. (Photo: Shay Roberson via Facebook)

At 24 years old, Shay Roberson was desperate for a mom. After aging out of the foster care system at 18, she wondered if having a family was a realistic option.

Shay, along with her two sisters, entered the child welfare system in 2005. She was 11 years old when she started to bounce from foster home to foster home, sometimes living with her relatives. Sometimes the siblings would return to their mothers care, but her addiction to crack cocaine ensured that Shay and her growing family, now five siblings, would reenter the child welfare system.

According to the IndyStar, Shays siblings were adopted by a relative, but not Shay. For years, the only constant in her life was Ginnie Wing, a school resource officer, whom she met when she was in the sixth grade. My only interactions with police officers were always bad, Shay told the outlet, so whether they were coming to my house or, you know, in my neighborhood or removing me from my parents.

But Wing was different. For one thing, she was the first female police officer Shay had met, and for another, Wing genuinely cared about Shay.

Wing and school counselor Anna Coyne became surrogate mothers to the teenager. The two women threw Shay a graduation party and even helped her move into the dorm at Indiana University. Over time, Wing visited during the universitys family weekends, and Shay joined the Wings for holidays.

Its clear that shes an amazing person that just has a light about her that lights up a room when she walks in, said Matt Wing, a sergeant with the Brownsburg Police Department, who has three biological children with his wife. Shes hard not to love, really.

About a year ago, while talking on the phone, Wing made an offhand comment to Shay: We should have just adopted you. Eventually, Shay worked up the courage to text Wing. Can you think about adopting me one day? she wrote, knowing she wouldnt be able to ask the question out loud. I really want a mom.

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Wing replied, You know I would in a heartbeat. Wing asked her family what they thought about the adoption, and her children said it was about time. An attorney cautioned against the adoption, so they got a new attorney. Shes ours and were hers. And we wanted that to become official, Wing said. Shay Roberson became Shay Roberson-Wing on April 20.

For this family, to accept me as their daughter and sister literally fills my heart. Never thought the police officer at my school would become my mom. Never thought I would be adopted at 24, Shay wrote on Facebook. Forever thankful for the Wing Family and their ability to help me trust and love again without putting my wall up!

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.



BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany on Friday cleared away legal hurdles for carmakers to upgrade exhaust emissions filtering systems on older diesel cars as a way to avoid vehicle bans, but failed to quell doubts among manufacturers and suppliers over the effectiveness of retrofits.

Carmakers have been forced to consider upgrading exhaust treatment systems on older cars after German cities started banning heavily polluting diesel vehicles to cut pollution from fine particulate matter and toxic nitrogen oxides.

The fight over refits is the latest fallout from an emissions cheating scandal triggered by Volkswagen <VOWG_p.DE> in 2015 after it admitted systematically hiding illegal pollution levels from regulators.

An environmental and regulatory backlash ensued and lawmakers and the auto industry are now at odds over how to clean up dirty air in inner cities.

Carmakers want customers to buy new cars with cleaner engines, while environmentalists and consumer groups argue that retrofitting older vehicles may be more cost-effective.

The transport ministry on Friday released a 30-page document setting out guidelines for getting regulatory approval to install upgraded exhaust filtering systems on older cars.

"Now it is the turn of the retrofit industry to develop effective systems to meet all limits and regulations," transport minister Andreas Scheuer said in a statement.

The Federal Motor Transport Authority would grant approval quickly so that the retrofit systems could be offered on the market as soon as possible, he added.

Baumot Group, which makes exhaust filtering upgrade kits, welcomed the guidelines. "Under a normal vehicle certification process, we believe we can deliver our system in 2019 in a timely fashion," said Marcus Hausser, the company's chief executive.

German auto lobby group VDA, however, said that customers should buy new cars rather than spend money on installing new exhaust filtering mechanisms on older vehicles.

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"We cannot give a guarantee for a vehicle in which third-party exhaust purification systems have been retrofitted," VDA president Bernhard Mattes told Die Welt newspaper. "If a customer has his vehicle modified, then he and the retrofitter are responsible for any consequential damage."

German environmental lobby group Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) won a landmark ruling in February to force diesel bans after it sued cities that failed to meet clean air rules.

Cities have considered banning older vehicles which do not conform to the latest Euro 6d engine emissions standards.

Hamburg has banned older diesel cars from the city center, and other cities, including Berlin and Stuttgart, the home of Germany's car industry, are set to introduce similar bans.

Of the 15 million diesel cars on Germany's roads, only 2.7 million have Euro-6 technology. Evercore ISI has estimated that upgrading the exhaust cleaning of just the Euro-5 fleet could cost up to 14.5 billion euros ($17.9 billion).

German carmakers have already agreed to spend up to 3,000 euros ($3,431) per vehicle to upgrade engine management software to make exhaust filtering systems more effective, but environmentalists say these measures are insufficient.

Carmakers are divided over who will pay the retrofit costs, given that most older diesel cars met clean air rules at the time when they were sold.

Volkswagen and Daimler <DAIGn.DE> announced they would cover some retrofit costs, while rival BMW <BMWG.DE> has refused, only proposing incentives to trade in old vehicles for new ones.

Volkswagen <VOWG_p.DE> said on Friday that customers may not benefit from installing new exhaust systems on older cars.

"All concepts known to us to date have disadvantages for our customers, such as increased fuel consumption and thus increased CO2 emissions and, in some cases, reduced performance," VW research and development head Frank Welsch said in a statement.

BMW said exhaust system upgrades that would not penalize fuel consumption or cause additional wear and tear could take up to three years to develop and certify.

Selling newer cars through incentives combined with the ramp-up of electric car charging infrastructure would bring down pollution levels in inner cities much faster than trying to retrofit older vehicles, BMW said on Friday.

Supplier Continental <CONG.DE> supported the carmakers' critical stance. A spokesman said developing retrofits for each model would be extremely costly and time-consuming.

Paris, Madrid, Mexico City and Athens have said they plan to ban diesel vehicles from city centers by 2025, while the mayor of Copenhagen wants to ban new diesel cars from entering the city as soon as next year. France and Britain will ban new petrol and diesel cars by 2040.

($1 = 0.8742 euros)

(Reporting by Arno Schuetze, Paul Carrel, Hans Seidenstucker, Jan Schwartz; writing by Edward Taylor; editing by David Evans and Adrian Croft)Visitors to Washington, D.C., who thought the Smithsonian museums were immune to the government shutdown are in for a big disappointment next week.

If the shutdown continues beyond New Years Day, the museum network will be forced to close all its doors along the National Mall and at the National Zoo. The closures would begin on Jan. 2 and continue until lawmakers reach a deal to fund the government.

Because the museums have so far remained open, many people assumed the Smithsonian Institution was among the roughly three-quarters of government functions that Congress had already appropriated money for before the partial shutdown began on Dec. 22.

But Smithsonian spokeswoman Linda St. Thomas explained that it had been running on last years funds to get through the week between Christmas and New Years  typically one of the busiest times of the year. The Smithsonian Institution receives its federal dollars through an appropriations bill that also funds the Interior Department, which is among the unfunded agencies.

We used prior-year funding, and we cant continue to do that, St. Thomas said. I think it was a great service to tourists, but on Jan. 2 and beyond we will be closed until a deal is reached.

A closure of the Smithsonian would be just one way that everyday Americans will feel the effects of the shutdown, even if they dont work for the federal government. The shuttered properties would include the American History Museum, the Air and Space Museum, the African American Museum and the Portrait Gallery, as well as more than a dozen others.

President Donald Trump has said the shutdown will continue until lawmakers agree to provide $5 billion for a wall along the southern border that he originally said Mexico would pay for. House Republicans have said they have no plans to hold a vote before the new year, leaving the shutdown with no end in sight. An agreement that meets Trumps full demands is even less likely after Jan. 3, when Democrats take over as the House majority.

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The shutdown has left 420,000 federal employees working without pay, and another 380,000 furloughed without a job. It will require an act of Congress to retroactively pay those workers once the government reopens. There is no guarantee that will happen, although it typically has in the past.

St. Thomas said roughly two-thirds of the Smithsonians employees are federal workers; the rest are paid through the Smithsonian trust. If the museums and zoo are forced to close, only certain workers like security and building maintenance personnel will remain on the job.

Many workers would be unlucky enough to lose their wages even if Congress approves backpay after the shutdown ends. Thats because they work for an outside contractor rather than the federal government. According to St. Thomas, the museum shops are run by the Smithsonian, but cafeteria workers are employed by an outside company called Restaurant Associates.

If the 2013 government shutdown is any indication, those workers may end up having to apply for unemployment insurance if the shutdown persists, as any day not working is a day without pay. A company spokesman declined to comment when asked how many Restaurant Associates employees would be affected by a shutdown.

Even though the zoo would be closed, St. Thomas said veterinarians and other workers who feed and care for the animals there would still be on duty throughout a shutdown.

The minute theres funding, we open, she said.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story mistakenly indicated the Smithsonian is receives its funding through the Department of Interior.

Also on HuffPost

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.WASHINGTON  The partial government shutdown that began last week appears all but certain to continue into the new year.

Officially, both the House and the Senate each are scheduled to reconvene Monday, New Year's Eve.

But those are expected to be little more than pro forma sessions based on the sharply articulated positions both sides have taken on funding of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border: President Donald Trump and most congressional Republicans demand the funding as part of a government spending bill, while most congressional Democrats oppose it.

The House and Senate returned to work Thursday for the first time since Saturday but quickly adjourned after scheduling no votes, signaling once again that little, if any, progress has been made toward resolving the budget impasse that has shut down a quarter of the federal government.

Appearing on FOX News Channels Fox & Friends on Friday morning, Mick Mulvaney, Trumps incoming chief of staff, predicts the stalemate wont be resolved until Democrats come back for the new Congress and likely select Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as their new speaker.

We fully expect that until (Nancy Pelosi) is elected speaker and has locked that vote up, we dont expect to hear from the Democrats again, he said. Pelosi is expected to be elected speaker Jan. 3.

Trump would remain in Washington through New Years Day, Mulvaney said.

Tourists look at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Dec. 22, 2018, as the government continues in a partial shutdown.

While Trump tweeted about "Democratic OBSTRUCTION" Thursday, White House Spokeswoman Sarah Sanders admonished Democrats for leaving town, though most Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress, were not in Washington either.

"The President and his team stayed in Washington over Christmas hoping to negotiate a deal that would stop the dangerous crisis on the border, protect American communities, and re-open the government. The Democrats decided to go home," she said in a statement. "The only rational conclusion is that the Democrat party is openly choosing to keep our government closed to protect illegal immigrants rather than the American people."

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Sanders said the president "does not want the government to remain shut down, but he will not sign a proposal that does not first prioritize our countys safety and security.

More: Why are Trump and Congress still getting paid amid a partial government shutdown?

More: Here's where Trump's border barriers will be built in 2019

On Friday, Trump continued tweeting his attacks against Democrats. He threatened Friday to close the U.S. border with Mexico if Democrats continue to oppose funding for his proposed wall, but he did not spell out how he would carry out such a policy or what it would mean.

"We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with," Trump tweeted.

Trump has made the threat before but has not offered details. Illegal crossings are at the heart of his dispute with congressional Democrats over funding for a proposed all along the U.S.-Mexico border.

It's also uncertain how closing the border would affect migration. Many people seeking to enter the United States claim political asylum, and the government is required to consider those request regardless of border closures.

Although the president is blaming Democrats for closing the government, Trump said he was willing to own the shutdown earlier this month during a combative meeting in the Oval Office with Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.

If we dont get what we want  we will shut down the government, Trump said during the Dec, 11 exchange which played out in front of news cameras and reporters.

On Thursday, Drew Hammill, a spokesman for Pelosi, disputed the president's characterization of Democrats as obstructionists.

Democrats have offered Republicans three options to re-open government that all include funding for strong, sensible, and effective border security  but not the President's immoral, ineffective and expensive wall," he said in a statement.

Pelosi is likely to become speaker after Democrats take control of the House of Representatives in January.

Contributing: David Jackson.

More: Trump: Most 'not getting paid' in government shutdown are democrats

More: Shutdown puts some programs on hold, but most government agencies continue running

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Government shutdown, Day 7: With no movement in House, Senate until next week, standoff expected to slide into new yearIt's official: The partial federal government shutdown will have interplanetary consequences.

As NASA's New Horizons spacecraft hurtles through the uncharted darkness of deep space, it's on target for a brief New Year's Day rendezvous with Ultima Thule, the most distant and primitive object ever to be explored by humankind.

The data gathered by the mission will help scientists understand what conditions were like when our solar system first formed billions of years ago.

But, due to the shutdown, those interested in tuning into the momentous event will be left almost in the dark: There will be no NASA-provided press releases, no social media updates and, perhaps most important to some, no live NASA webcast.

"What's really a shame is this is truly historic," New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern told FLORIDA TODAY Thursday. "It's the farthest exploration of worlds in history and without NASA able to get the word out, I think it's going to be very much diminished for the public and that's an unintended consequence of this shutdown."

Those wanting to follow New Horizons will have to tune into the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory's YouTube channel and the website (pluto.jhuapl.edu) for updates.

But Stern fears that APL's reach is not nearly as big as NASA's.

"What is going to go down in the history in spaceflight, maybe for a century, as the farthest exploration of all time is going to be the world's best kept secret because we don't have the reach," he said.

The end of the government shutdown appears to have no immediate end in sight as both parties refuse to budge on President Trump's border wall. About 14,500 NASA employees were sent home without pay while another 3,000 are either working or "on call," also without pay.

NASA is continuing operations of the International Space Station and other critical missions such as communications and emergency services.

Story continues

"There's a lot of talk about the 50th anniversary of Apollo and how great that all was. It was great, but you know that was like people's grandparents' time and I know a lot of people who think we can't do great things anymore," Stern said.

"Well, here we are, out exploring billions (of) miles beyond Pluto and looking at the very building blocks of the planets with a little American spacecraft that was launched 13 years ago all by itself and is operating perfectly after all this time."

New Horizons first made history when, on July 14, 2015, after a nine-year journey through our solar system, it flew within 8,000 miles of Pluto's surface and forever changed the way we think about the little planet.

Pictures taken during the flyby mesmerized audiences and ignited public imagination across the world. No longer was Pluto a lifeless, distant chunk of rock, but a stunningly beautiful world of heart-shaped regions and ice volcanoes covered in orange snow.

On New Year's Day, Pluto will no longer be the most distant piece of rock in our solar system on which we've cast our eyes. The plucky little probe  not much bigger than a grand piano  is set to fix its cameras on Ultima Thule, a planetary body about the size of Orlando in a region beyond Pluto.

Ultima Thule is what is known as a planetismal, a minute planet that could or did come together with many others under gravitation to form larger planets.

"It's one of the things planets are made of," Stern said.

Like Pluto, Ultima Thule lives in the Kuiper Belt, the region of the solar system beyond Neptune that contains hundreds of thousands of objects such as asteroids, comets and dwarf planets.

New Horizons probe

Under the plan, New Horizons will approach Ultima Thule three times closer than the Pluto flyby  2,175 miles at its closest  and will provide scientists with detailed photographs and data, including high-resolution geological maps.

Aside from studying Ultima Thule, the mission will also provide scientists with more information about the early formation processes of the solar system. Many Kuiper Belt objects have been undisturbed since the dawn of our celestial neighborhood.

"[Ultima Thule] is one of those objects that went into building small planets like Pluto, but also larger planets like Earth and Jupiter," Stern said. "But this one, because it was born so far from the sun, it's always been kept at nearly absolute zero temperature and that freezes its evolution, literally freezes it, which is what preserves it so well."

People can tune into Stern's twitter feed at @NewHorizons2015 or @AlanStern for live updates of the mission. APL will also broadcast on Periscope next week as the spacecraft approaches Ultima Thule and people can watch live press conferences starting Dec. 31 on their website.

Queen guitarist Brian May, who holds a doctorate degree in astrophysics, will debut a new song dedicated to New Horizons at midnight Jan. 1.

"This is a chance for parents to bring along their kids and see something that's not just historic, but fascinating," Stern said.

Contact Jaramillo at 321-242-3668 or antoniaj@floridatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AntoniaJ_11.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: The government shutdown is keeping NASA's New Horizons spacecraft in the darkYesterday, Great Wall Motors announced their second flagship vehicle under the company's new electric vehicle brand ORA: the ORA R1, which boasts a nearly 200-mile range, for less than $9,000.

Earlier this year, Great Wall Motors officially debuted their new electric vehicle brand ORA with the launch of the ORA iQ5 sedan. Less than a year later, the company has announced a second EV, the ORA R1.

If this compact car resembles the R1 concept vehicle that the company showed off earlier in 2018, the vehicle's range will be just under 200 miles, about 312 km, and it will be powered by a 33 kWh batter -- the same battery capacity of the 2017 BMW i3 which would have set you back over $40,000 at the time of its release.

Such a small battery will limit its top speed to about 62 mph, or 100km/h, which should be fine, as the car was designed with urban drivers in mind, and not drag racers.

The full price without incentives is 77,800 RMB, or about $11,300, and comes with a three-year or 120,000 km guarantee for the whole vehicle, and an eight-year or 150,000 km guarantee for core components.

Right now, the ORA R1 is only available in China, but mother company Great Wall has previously shown interest in going international.Friday, December 28, 2018



On this second-to-last full-length trading day of 2018 (New Years Eve, unlike Christmas Eve, will not be closing early Monday), we expected to see some new economic data  specifically Advanced Trade in Goods for November. However, due to the continuing U.S. government shutdown, now nearly a week old, this joins a growing list of data we will not have until the government reopens  likely not until after the start of the new year.



Its been a crazy final full trading week of 2018, with Thursday trading swinging over 800 points on the Dow  overcoming a 600+ point downslide, and the biggest intra-day swing in a decade  to finish up on the day. Todays pre-market looks to extend this bid-up into Friday, although these days it pays to keep close attention to these sorts of things.



Consider also that this is all happening without the benefit of big economic news events  such as a new trade agreement with China  or normal trading volumes, as many investors spend the holidays out of the office. The first truly meaningful market activity wont likely be with us until the first full week of January, when Q4 earnings reports begin to trickle in.



Harshing Aphrias Mellow?



More consolidation in the marijuana industry looks to be in the works, with one of the largest Canadian pot producers, Aphria, Inc. APHA, now being subjected to a hostile takeover bid by American cannabis firm Green Growth Brands. Currently, Green Growth  owned by the Schottenstein family, which has helmed such successful retail companies over the past 40 years as American Eagle Outfitters AEO and DSW DSW  has made a C$11 per share offer for Aphria, or just over $2 billion.



Aphria has already said the offer significantly undervalues its company, which operates in arguably the fastest-growing business in the Western hemisphere. APHA shares are currently up more than 12% in todays pre-market, and the offer represents a 40%+ premium from trading levels earlier this week. A review of the offer had been reportedly underway by the company, but now we see headlines that Aphria has rejected the offer.



We dont expect to see the last of this. Green Growth, with its significant retail experience, sees the U.S. market for cannabis only going up from here. Legal marijuana grew 33% from 2016 to 2017, according to Cannabis Business Plans, and as of our latest mid-term election cycle, we now have 32 states which have legalized medical use of cannabinoid products, including CBD  considered a wellness ingredient that does not include the intoxicating effects normally associated with marijuana use.



Ten states plus Washington DC have now legalized recreational cannabis use, which is a number that looks to escalate in 2019 and beyond. Recognizing how well the taxation of the still Schedule 1-classified narcotic (a clearly outdated terminology) on the federal level has served states like Colorado and California  two early adopters of the drug  cannabis benefits now appear to far outweigh the problems associated with it.



Not that this is anything our Founding Fathers didnt already know: George Washington and Thomas Jefferson freely grew hemp on their farms in Virginia. In fact, it didnt become illegal until the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 banned the substance  four years after prohibition of alcohol was deemed unconstitutional.



Mark Vickery

Senior Editor



Questions or comments about this article and/or its author? Click here>>

Story continues

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>>



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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By Harry Brumpton

(Reuters) - U.S. cannabis retailer Green Growth Brands Ltd <GGB.CD> said on Thursday it would make a hostile takeover bid for Aphria Inc <APHA.TO> in an all-stock deal valuing the Canadian pot producer at C$2.8 billion ($2.06 billion).

Several companies are looking to partner with or buy pot firms to explore opportunities in the Canadian cannabis sector after the country legalized recreational use of marijuana in October.

Green Growth would offer 1.5714 shares for each Aphria share, representing a premium of 45.5 percent over Aphria's closing price on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Dec. 24. The offer is based on a valuation of C$7.00 per Green Growth share.

Aphria did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Green Growth said its advisers reached out to Aphria last week after a meeting with the company and after having taken a tour of its facilities earlier this year.

Green Growth then arranged a call with the Aphria board that included a presentation laying out their offer, Green Growth CEO Peter Horvath told Reuters, adding that the company did not hear back from Aphria.

The rationale underlying the bid was recent market declines which also hit the cannabis sector. Among Green Growth's strengths are a U.S. market footprint and experience, and its $54 million in trailing 12-month revenue already outstrips Aphria's, Horvath said.

Green Growth said its retail strength and Aphria's low-cost cultivation and near-term production capacity would create a strong combination.

Earlier this month, Marlboro cigarette maker Altria Group Inc <MO.N> invested $1.8 billion in Cronos Group Inc <CRON.TO>, representing by far the biggest investment by a major tobacco conglomerate in a cannabis company.

Green Growth said it had engaged Aphria's board for a "friendly business combination" before launching the hostile bid and claimed it has the support of Aphria shareholders who hold about 10 percent of the outstanding shares.

Story continues

The company disclosed that it has acquired a "meaningful toehold position" in Aphria but did not reveal the size of the stake.

U.S. listed shares of Aphria <APHA.N> rose 23 percent after the bell.

Canaccord Genuity is Green Growth's financial adviser and Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP its legal adviser. Kingsdale Advisors is its strategic shareholder and communications advisor and depositary.

(Reporting by Munsif Vengattil and Rishika Chatterjee in Bengaluru and Harry Brumpton in New York; Editing by Arun Koyyur and Cynthia Osterman)We issued an updated research report on EnerSys ENS on Dec 28.



This energy solutions provider, especially for industrial use, currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). It has $3.3 billion market capitalization and a favorable VGM Score of B.



Lets delve deeper and discuss why investors should consider adding EnerSys stock to their portfolio.



Financial Performance & Outlook: EnerSys financial performances have been impressive in three of the last four quarters, with an average earnings surprise of 2.83%. Notably, the company delivered earnings surprise of 0.86% for the last quarter (ended Sep 30, 2018). On a year-over-year basis, the bottom line increased 11.4% backed by core sales growth.



In the quarters ahead, EnerSys top-line growth will be supported by sturdier sales secured from major businesses (like motive power), solid product portfolio and favourable pricing. This, along with restructuring moves and benefits secured from the enterprise resource planning system, will likely drive profitability.



For the third quarter of fiscal 2019 (ending March 2019), EnerSys anticipates adjusted earnings of $1.23-$1.27 per share. This projection  excluding the impact of 25 cents per share of charges related to the Alpha buyout and some restructuring activities  is higher than the $1.17 earnings recorded in the fiscal second quarter. Gross margin in the fiscal third quarter is predicted to be within the 25-26% range versus 24.4% in the fiscal second quarter.



Tactical Initiatives: EnerSys business streamlining and cost-saving initiatives are proving advantageous. The company, through its cost-saving moves, outpaced expenses incurred on new-product development and system enhancements in the fiscal second quarter. By fiscal 2021, the company aims at improving its operating margins by 200 basis points.



In addition, EnerSys policy of rewarding shareholders handsomely through dividend payments keeps momentum healthy investors. Here its worth noting that the company used $14.7 million for paying dividends n the first half of fiscal 2019.



Buyouts: Acquisitions can easily help penetrate unexplored markets, enhance product portfolio and expand geographical footprints. EnerSys, in December 2018, completed the acquisition of Alpha Technologies Group of Companies. Alpha Group primarily engages in providing state-of-the-art energy solutions for telecom, broadband, industrial, renewable and traffic customers across the globe.



The buyouts are anticipated to expand EnerSys product portfolio across the telecom, broadband, industrial and renewable markets and will also make it a fully-integrated energy and direct current power storage solution provider in the market. Synergies in excess of $25 million are anticipated on an annualized basis, while earnings accretion is predicted in the upcoming quarters.



Share Price Performance & Earnings Estimates: Impressive financial performance and optimism about the future prospects supported positive sentiment on the stock. Its worth noting here that the companys share price has yielded 2% return over the past six months. This share price gain is better than the industrys 14.7% decline during the same period.





Story continues





Moreover, EnerSys earnings estimates for fiscal 2019 (ending March 2019) have been increased by two brokerage firms in the past 60 days. Currently, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings per share is pegged at $5.11, reflecting growth of 2.8% from the tally recorded 60-days ago. The estimate for fiscal 2020 (ending March 2020) remained unchanged at $6.03 during the same time frame. Further, these earnings estimates represent year-over-year growth of 9.9% for fiscal 2019 and 18% for fiscal 2020.



Enersys Price and Consensus

Enersys Price and Consensus | Enersys Quote



Over the next three to five years, the companys earnings are projected to be up roughly 10%.



Others Stocks to Consider



As discussed above, EnerSys seems to be a suitable investment choice for investors seeking exposure in the machinery space. Some other top-ranked stocks in the Zacks Industrial Products sector are DXP Enterprises, Inc. DXPE, EnPro Industries, Inc. NPO and Rexnord Corporation RXN. While DXP Enterprises and EnPro Industries sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Rexnord carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.



Over the past 60 days, bottom-line estimates for the three stocks improved for the current year. Furthermore, positive earnings surprise for the last quarter was 17.95% for DXP Enterprises, 23.64% for EnPro Industries and 12.20% for Rexnord.



Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars?



Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge.



With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research.



It's not the one you think.



See This Ticker Free >>



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.Papa John's International, Inc. PZZA has been losing sheen of late. Unlike other pizza giants in the industry, Papa Johns have been struggling with declining revenues. Additionally, the company has been under the spotlight of negative publicity after its ex-CEO, John Schnatter, has been publicly denounced for making a racist comment.

A look at Papa Johns price trend reveals that the stock has had an unimpressive run on the bourses in the past year. Shares of the company have lost 27.1% against the industrys collective increase of 1.9%. This underperformance can be primarily attributed to a sharp fall in the companys bottom line over the last few quarters.

Moreover, the companys top and the bottom line missed the consensus mark in three of the reported quarters. Following the third-quarter results, Papa Johns trimmed its 2018 view, which has further increased investors apprehension. Also, earning estimate for the same year decreased by 2% over the past 30 days.







Dismal Comps Performance

Despite being a forerunner in the U.S. restaurant space, Papa Johns is unable to revive sales lately. Over the past couple of quarters, dismal comps performance has been a major concern for investors. In the first and second quarter 2018, comps had declined 6.1% each. At North America franchised restaurants, the metric fell 7.2% against comps growth of 2.3% in the second quarter of 2017. Comps at system-wide North American franchised restaurants decreased 5.7% versus comps growth of 1.1% in the year-ago quarter.

In the third quarter, domestic company-owned restaurant comps declined 13.2% versus 1.7% comps growth in the year-ago period. At North America franchised restaurants, comps fell 8.6% against comps growth of 0.7% in the quarter under review. At system-wide North American franchised restaurants, the same decreased 9.8% in contrast to 1% comps growth in the year-earlier quarter. Comps at system-wide international restaurants were down 3.3% as opposed to comps growth of 5.3% in the prior-year quarter.

Story continues

North America comps are expected to decline 6.5-8.5% compared with 7-10% decrease projected earlier. International comps are still anticipated between a negative 2% to up 1%.

High Costs

Apart from high labor costs associated with restaurant operations, Papa Johns has been bearing the brunt of high delivery and insurance costs for the company-owned restaurants. Despite increased focus on franchising, the companys earnings still remain under pressure. Increased costs for technology and marketing investments might continue to hurt the companys bottom line, going ahead.

In the last reported quarter, Papa Johns earnings fell 35.1% year over year due to weak operating results. For 2018, the company expects earnings to decline in the range of 4.5-12%. Subsequently, the consensus estimate for 2018 earnings is likely to moved south 43.9% from 2017.

Lackluster ROE

Papa Johns trailing 12-month return on equity (ROE) undercuts its growth potential. The companys ROE of negative 28% compares unfavorably with ROE of 7.5% for the industry, reflecting the fact that it is less efficient in using shareholders funds.

Competitive Environment

A broader look at the pizza space reveals that it has been growing rapidly, overshadowing independent restaurants. Papa Johns, however, is unable to strategize its business and gain from the favorable industry scenario. Consequently, it continues to face competitive pressure from pizza bigwigs like Dominos DPZ and Yum Brands YUM Pizza Hut. The company faces competition from Starbucks SBUX and other fast-casual restaurant chains as well.

Zacks Rank

Currently, Papa Johns carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).

You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars?

Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge.



With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research.

It's not the one you think.

See This Ticker Free >>



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.Parents are increasingly facing a problem that just years ago would have seemed unfathomable: their kids are addicted to vaping.

The rise in teen e-cigarette use has been reiterated in study after study this year  the latest from the National Institute on Drug Abuse showed a near doubling in the rate of high school seniors using e-cigarettes, jumping from 11% to nearly 21% in just a year. The study also showed more than 1-in-10 middle schoolers reported vaping in the past year.

As the surge in teen vaping continues and sales at the country's largest e-cigarette maker Juul Labs rise exponentially, parents are taking matters to another level to help protect their children. As a result at-home nicotine test kit makers are experiencing a sales spike.

Sales of at-home nicotine testing kits on Amazon have skyrocketed. The most popular testing kit, based on Amazons sales ranking, made by King of Prussia, Pennsylvania-based Devon Medical, has seen its health and beauty category sales ranking improve this past year. Back in January 2017, Devon Medical ranked 15,000 compared to 1,000 in November, according to e-commerce tracking firm Keepa. Sales rank is a frequently used measure by Amazons third-party sellers to track the relative performance of products since Amazon sales data is kept private.

Yahoo Finance

Amazon declined to comment on the rise in popularity of the nicotine test on its platform, but reviews left by customers on the products Amazon listing shed light on what was driving at least a portion of its purchases. The top-rated comment made it clear: fear.

My 16-year-old that has decided to start vapping [sic] hates these, it reads. Easy to use with quick results.

Another review of the $7 home test reads, Yes it works. I had to test my kid for vaping and this put the fear into him.

A customer, who purchased one for her 14-year-old, said it was a worthwhile last line of defense. Its rampant in the middle schools now and this was what worked best! she wrote.

Story continues

Requests for an interview with Devon Medical CEO Chip Ross went unanswered.

Treating the vaping addiction

Parents turning to at-home test kits to monitor their children isnt necessarily unexpected. As Boston Childrens Hospital Pediatric Addiction Fellow Dr. Nicholas Chadi told Yahoo Finance, parents have increasingly become desperate for treatment options. The hospitals addiction program he helps oversee has recently fielded six-times the call volume from parents and pediatricians looking for ways to help nicotine-addicted teens.

I've personally seen several teens with severe addiction to nicotine who had been using a Juul or other types of e-cigarettes for only a few months  who just aren't able to quit vaping, he said. There are several ways that doctors can help teens with vaping [or] Juuling problems, like referring them to a counselor, or prescribing a nicotine patch or gum, but most pediatricians and primary care providers aren't trained or don't feel comfortable doing it for teens.

Its also not necessarily as easy to measure ones nicotine consumption as it is with smoking traditional cigarettes as e-cigarettes are consumed by the replaceable pod. A single Juul pod can contain as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes.

After implementing regulatory changes with the top e-cigarette manufacturers in November, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb hinted Thursday at another wave of additional steps that could be taken to help curb teen vaping. Despite already moving to ban flavored e-cigarettes at retail locations and implementing stricter age verification for online sales, Gottlieb said hed be meeting again with top e-cig CEOs to discuss furthering efforts.

Im writing CEOs of e-cig manufacturers asking them to meet to discuss commitments they made last month, and why some are changing course. This is an urgent matter. We're at a critical juncture. The opportunity for harm reduction for adults could be lost for a generation. 3/5  Scott Gottlieb, M.D. (@SGottliebFDA) December 27, 2018

I'll be reaching out to CEOs to schedule new meetings, he wrote. Manufacturers and management are accountable for the youth epidemic.

Juul contends their popular e-cigarette was originally built to wean smokers off of traditional cigarettes. Ironically, it has now become the very device so many parents are hoping to wean their addicted teens off of. In a second layer of irony, and much to the chagrin of anti-tobacco groups, the FDA has scheduled a hearing for January to discuss drug therapies that might help underage users curb their vaping addictions.

The very fact that the FDA has to have a hearing like this underscores our concerns about the kids that have gotten hooked on Juul and other e-cigarettes and now need help quitting, a Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids spokesperson told Yahoo Finance.

Following a $12.8 billion investment from Big Tobacco firm Altria Group that valued Juul at $38 billion, its unclear if the e-cigarette behemoth that has grown to control roughly 75% of the e-cigarette market plans to do more than it already has to prevent its product from being used by children. Depending on what additional steps the FDA has in mind, it might not have a choice.

Zack Guzman is a senior writer and on-air reporter covering entrepreneurship, startups, and breaking news at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @zGuz.

Read more:

Juul is now worth more than SpaceX at a $38B valuation

How Juul became the FDAs latest target

Joe Camel illustrator: E-cig maker Juuls marketing seems more egregiousNEW YORK (AP)  The Latest on an altercation between a New York City police officer and homeless men (all times local):

9:45 p.m.

New York City police are adding to the charges a homeless man who battled an officer on a subway platform will face.

Police said Wednesday that three men will be charged in the incident. Two face riot and obstructing governmental administration. A third will face those counts in addition to attempted assault, attempted criminal possession of a weapon and menacing.

Footage of the altercation was viewed more than 4.75 million times on social media. It shows an officer using a baton and kicking at the men as they come at him. Two other men in the video appeared to be trying to break up the scuffle. They haven't been charged.

Police only initially cited the men for sleeping on the station floor. The Manhattan District Attorney's stopped prosecuting such violations in 2016.

___

7:35 p.m.

Authorities say three homeless men who battled a New York City police officer on a subway platform will face criminal charges after video of the encounter got attention.

Police said Wednesday two will be charged with riot and obstructing governmental administration. A third will face those counts and attempted assault.

Footage of the altercation was viewed more than 4.75 million times on social media. It shows an officer using a baton and kicking at the men as they come at him. Two other men in the video appeared to be trying to break up the scuffle. They haven't been charged.

Police only initially cited the men for sleeping on the station floor. The Manhattan District Attorney's stopped prosecuting such violations in 2016.

The charges announced Wednesday come after criticism from a police union.

___

9:20 a.m.

A New York City police union is upset that prosecutors aren't bringing criminal charges against five homeless men seen on video battling a police officer on a subway platform.

The Manhattan District Attorney's office blames police, saying the men "were not arrested for attacking an officer" in Sunday night's incident at the East Broadway station.

Story continues

Police only cited the men for sleeping on the station floor. The DA stopped prosecuting such low-level violations in 2016.

Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch says the DA's job "is to prosecute crimes, not to act like a social advocate."

A video viewed more than 4 million times on social media shows Ali using a baton and kicking at the men as they approach one at a time. One fell onto the tracks.Hyatt Hotels Corporation H announced the re-branding of Hyatt Regency Hangzhou as Grand Hyatt Hangzhou after 18 months of remodeling. Notably, this marks the first Grand Hyatt hotel in Zhejiang province and the 15th in China.

This 388-room hotel will have luxury accommodations along with a spectacular lake view. It has 35,520 square feet of event space with modern audiovisual equipment and facilities. According to Hyatt, this new property will have the best conference and banqueting facilities in the Zhejiang capital.

A glimpse at this company's price trend reveals that it has outperformed the industry in a years time. Shares of Hyatt have lost 7.4% compared with the industrys collective decline of 27.3%.

Expansion Strategies in Place

Hyatts continued expansion strategies across the globe will continue to drive growth. It further intends to open properties in the Asia Pacific, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. Expansion in these markets is expected to help the company gain market share in the hospitality industry and strengthen its business.

Meanwhile, the Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) companys new signings across its brands worldwide have consistently outpaced Hyatts openings. This trend is expected to continue in 2019. In third-quarter 2018, Hyatt registered net room growth of 7.6% on a year-over-year basis, which marked the 14th successive quarter of recording growth above 6%. Also, the companys development pipeline grew roughly 6% in the quarter compared with the prior-year quarter figure. For 2018, it expects unit growth (on a net room basis) to be roughly 6.5-7%, reflecting 60 hotel openings.

We believe Hyatts relentless expansion into various markets is an endeavor to mitigate intense competition in the industry. The company is constantly subjected to competitive pressure from the likes of Marriott MAR and Hilton HLT, each with its own aggressive expansion strategy in place.

Story continues

Stock to Consider

A better-ranked stock in the same space is Belmond Ltd. BEL, sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Belmond has an impressive long-term earnings growth rate of 15%.

Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars?

Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge.

With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research.

It's not the one you think.

See This Ticker Free >>



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment ResearchIndia May Legalize Bitcoin Under Strong Rules





India could be making a U-turn on its directives for cryptocurrencies. Per reports from the New India Express, a second interdisciplinary committee set up by the Indian government is considering making cryptocurrencies legal in the country again but with more stringent rules.



This revelation comes just a few months after a government panel suggested the creation of a new regulatory framework within the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that bans digital assets and declares crypto transactions illegal in India.

According to an unnamed senior official who spoke with the New India Express, the committee had met twice, but deliberations were still ongoing.

We have already had two meetings. There is a general consensus that cryptocurrency cannot be dismissed as completely illegal. It needs to be legalized with strong riders. Deliberations are on. We will have more clarity soon.

The first interdisciplinary committee on cryptocurrency was set up by the government of India back in March 2017, including Ministry of Finance officials. This committee consisted of various banking and state departments. Following a recommendation from the committee, the RBI directed all banks and other financial entities in the country to refrain from transacting with digital assets.

However, the second committee, which was convened by Subhash Chandra Garg, the Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, was set up to review the resolutions of the first and look into the viability of cryptocurrencies for the Indian economy.

Some members of the second committee also attended the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, where crypto measures such as taxation and increased regulation to combat the use of cryptocurrencies for money laundering were discussed.

The members will be meeting in January to discuss some of the insights gained from the summit, before presenting its recommendations to the government.

We have also taken inputs from cryptocurrency exchanges and experts and will be examining legal issues with the law ministry. Its a complicated issue. Once all aspects are decided, then we will have more clarity, the senior official explained in the report.

Story continues

While the committee might suggest softening the stance on cryptocurrencies, local government authorities have not been handling the sector with kid gloves since the ban was enforced.

Earlier this year, the developers of India's first bitcoin automated teller machine (ATM) and the founders of the country's first crypto exchange, Unocoin, were arrested by local Bangalore authorities on criminal charges, including criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery.



This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine.The late Aretha Franklin owed more than $6.3 million in back taxes, The Detroit News reports. However, an attorney for her estate claims that about half of those back taxes to the IRS have already been paid.

According to legal documents filed in Oakland County Probate Court in Michigan per The Detroit News, the unpaid income tax dates from years 2012 through 2018 and the filing states that no part of this debt has been paid and it is now due and payable to the United States Treasury at the Office of the Internal Revenue Service. It also says this debt has priority and must be paid in full in advance of distribution to creditors to the extent provided by law.

David Bennett, who represents Franklins estate, told Associated Press that the IRS is auditing the estate and the estate has paid at least $3 million of the back taxes to the IRS.

The IRS has filed its proof of claim in the ordinary cause of the estates proceeding, Bennett said in a statement via Franklins longtime publicist Gwendolyn Quinn given to The Detroit News. This is not a liquidated claim, and it is disputed by the estate. The vast majority of Ms. Franklins personal 1040 tax obligations were paid prior to her death  something she wished to occur. The estate is diligently working to resolve any remaining issues.

Franklin died of pancreatic cancer on August 16th. She was 76.Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel's army estimated on Thursday that a few weeks remain in its operation to locate and destroy Hezbollah attack tunnels crossing into its territory from Lebanon.

An army spokesman made the comments as he announced that tunnels found dug from the Lebanese town of Kafr Kila towards the Israeli town of Metula had been successfully destroyed by pumping sealing material into them.

He declined to say how many were found coming from Kafr Kila, but Israel has so far announced the discovery of five cross-border tunnels from different locations in Lebanon since the operation began on December 4.

The army distributed video and photos appearing to show the sealing material flowing out from a building in Lebanon.

"The footage that we have sent clearly indicates exactly what happened and shows beyond any doubt that the tunnels did indeed cross from Lebanon into Israel," army spokesman Jonathan Conricus told journalists.

He added that "we still have probably a few weeks, but that's an estimate ... The operation will end once all of these cross-border attack tunnels have been found and destroyed".

Israel says Hezbollah planned to use the tunnels as part of an attack in a future conflict against it and calls them a violation of the UN resolution that ended the 2006 war between them.

It says it holds the Lebanese government responsible and accuses Hezbollah of using civilian structures as cover to hide the tunnels.

On Wednesday, it said it had used explosives to destroy another cross-border tunnel dug from the Lebanese village of Ayta ash Shab.

The highly publicised operation has gone ahead without drawing a military response from Hezbollah.JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A former Israeli armed forces chief who opinion polls show poses the toughest challenge to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bid for reelection next year formally established a political party on Thursday. Details about Benny Gantz's Israel Resilience Party, leaked to local media after it was registered, gave little indication of its ideological tilt. Along with preserving Israel as "a Jewish and democratic country", the party pledged unspecified changes to priorities in national security and the economy. Polling has predicted an easy win for Netanyahu in the April 9 election, with his rightist Likud party taking around 30 of parliament's 120 seats and on course to form a right-wing coalition government similar to the current cabinet. The surveys, published after Netanyahu announced on Monday an election some seven months before one was due by law, gave second place to a then-hypothetical Gantz party. The polls forecast it would take around 15 seats. Netanyahu is running for a fifth term under the shadow of three corruption investigations in which police have recommended his indictment. He has denied any wrongdoing. Israel's attorney-general has still to decide whether to charge Netanyahu and it is unclear whether he will make his announcement before the election. Should Gantz emerge as a center-left candidate, that could work in Netanyahu's favor by further fracturing an already disparate opposition bloc. Gantz, 59, became Israel's top general in 2011 after stints as commander of forces on the combustible northern frontier with Syria and Lebanon and as military attache in Washington. During his four-year term he oversaw two wars in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. (Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Jeffrey Heller and Gareth Jones)Visions of Ecstasy (Credit: Axel Films)

Former Prime Minister John Major was in support of banning the only UK ever censored under blasphemy laws, according to government files.

The records, which have been publicly released, show Majors concerns about the film Visions of Ecstasy, a short film made by director Nigel Wingrove in 1989.

It was refused a certificate by the BBFC, which said that any exhibition of it in the UK could be punishable under blasphemous libel.

The 18-minute movie was about the Carmelite nun St Theresa, and her sexual fantasies about Jesus on the cross.

Britains former Prime Minister John Major (Credit: AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

At the time of the ban, Major called an appeal by Wingrove to the European Convention on Human Rights to have it lifted as wholly unacceptable.

Documents sent in 1994 by Major to the Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd and Lord Chancellor by Major, seen by the Daily Mail thanks to an annual release of cabinet office files, said: I must make it clear that I would not tolerate a position which required the Government or the BBFC to grant a certificate to this film or to others of a similar type.

This is a matter on which I feel sufficiently strongly to be prepared to consider a derogation from the European Convention on Human Rights if that were to be necessary in the final analysis.

I must say I find the position in which we find ourselves wholly unacceptable.

Though the filmmakers later made substantial cuts, it was still banned from release, though the ban was eventually lifted in 2008 after the blasphemy laws were repealed.

It was released in 2012 with an 18 certificate and no cuts.

Read more

Macaulay Culkin reprises Home Alone role for new ad

Worst movie plot holes of 2018

The stars we lost in 2018



WASHINGTON (AP)  The Latest on President Donald Trump and his trip to Iraq (all times local):

5:12 a.m.

President Donald Trump has returned to the U.S. from an unannounced trip to Iraq, his first visit to a danger zone abroad.

Air Force One landed at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland at 5:12 a.m.

Trump had been hearing from critics that it was past time for him to go abroad and see troops in harm's way. With secrecy typical of such presidential visits, the president's plane flew into Iraq on Wednesday with lights out and shutters drawn, coming overnight from Washington.

Trump stopped in Germany on his way back to greet troops at a U.S. air base.

Trump defended his decision to pull forces from neighboring Syria, declaring of Islamic State militants: "We've knocked them out. We've knocked them silly."

___

12:10 a.m.

President Donald Trump once said it wasn't "overly necessary" for him to visit troops in danger zones abroad. But now he's done just that, slipping into Iraq in darkness for a visit of three-plus hours.

Nearly two years into his presidency, Trump had been hearing from critics that it was past time for him to go abroad and see troops in harm's way. Trump also stopped in Germany on his way back to greet troops at a U.S. air base.

With secrecy typical of such presidential visits, Air Force One flew into Iraq with lights out and shutters drawn, coming overnight from Washington.

Trump defended his decision to pull forces from neighboring Syria, declaring of Islamic State militants: "We've knocked them out. We've knocked them silly."WASHINGTON (AP)  The Latest on the partial government shutdown (all times local):

7:30 p.m.

President Donald Trump is dining with his top advisers as he remains in Washington during a partial government shutdown.

Trump arrived at Vice President Mike Pence's residence at the Washington Naval Observatory on Friday evening. The White House says the incoming acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, and senior adviser Jared Kushner are joining the pair.

Trump called off his vacation to his private Florida club because of the shutdown. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers are furloughed, while even more are working without pay.

The budget impasse centers on Trump's demand for money for his proposed border wall and the refusal of Democrats to provide that. Both sides expect the stalemate to last into the new year.

___

6:30 p.m.

The Environmental Protection Agency will keep disaster-response teams and other essential workers on the job as it becomes the latest agency to start furloughing employees in the government shutdown.

Spokeswoman Molly Block says the EPA will implement its shutdown plan at midnight Friday. That will mean furloughing many of its roughly 14,000 workers.

The furloughs exclude emergency response workers for disasters. Other EPA employees who will be staying on the job include workers deemed essential to preventing immediate public health threats at more than 800 Superfund hazardous-waste sites across the country.

The EPA had enough funding to keep running a week longer than some other agencies. The partial government shutdown comes as President Donald Trump and Congress battle over money for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

___

1:20 p.m.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has reacted cautiously to a threat by President Donald Trump to close the border.

Trump tweeted Friday: "We build a Wall or ... close the Southern Border."

Disputes with Congress over funding for the border wall have already led to a partial U.S. government shutdown.

Story continues

On Friday, Lopez Obrador said: "We are always seeking a good relationship with the United States. We do not want to be rash." Referring to the border wall funding dispute, he said "we have not commented on this issue, because it is an internal affair of the U.S. government."

Trump also threatened to cut off aid to Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, countries from which many migrants have fled.

Lopez Obrador said Mexico will defend migrants.

___

11:25 a.m.

Democrats are holding firm in the standoff over a border wall, saying they won't seriously consider any White House offer to end the government shutdown until it has a public endorsement from President Donald Trump.

Drew Hammill, spokesman for House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said Democrats will not fund Trump's "immoral, ineffective and expensive wall." Hammill said Democrats are waiting for Trump to publicly endorse a proposal to end the shutdown because he "has changed his position so many times."

The White House is accusing Democrats of walking away from the negotiating table. Incoming acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said Democrats are ignoring an offer for border wall funding below Trump's original $5 billion request.

The shutdown began Dec. 22 and is idling hundreds of thousands of federal workers.

___

11:00 a.m.

The government is offering advice to federal workers saddled with bills they can't pay because of the partial federal shutdown that is expected to stretch into the new year.

Federal workers and contractors forced to stay home or work without pay are experiencing mounting stress from the impasse, which is hung up on President Trump's demand for money to build a border wall.

The Office of Personnel Management is advising furloughed federal workers to speak directly with landlords, mortgage companies and creditors to explain their lack of funds and work out reduced or deferred payment plans.

The OPM suggests that federal workers follow up the calls with letters that recount the conversation and share their phone number, address and the details of the call.

Sample letters can be found at www.opm.gov.

___

10:15 a.m.

President Donald Trump has canceled his New Year's plans and will not be traveling to Florida amid of a partial government shutdown that is expected to continue into the new year.

Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney says during a Friday morning appearance on Fox News Channel that the president was in D.C. "all weekend, all Christmas" and is "staying in Washington D.C. over New Year's."

Trump canceled a planned trip last week to his private Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, where he usually spends the holidays and many winter weekends.

Mar-a-Lago typically hosts a large, ticketed New Years' Eve party for dues paying members and their guests. In past years guests have included romance novel cover model Fabio and actor Sylvester Stallone.

___

9:10 a.m.

The White House says President Donald Trump and Democrats are "far apart" on reaching an agreement on ending a partial government shutdown, indicating it could continue for some time.

Press secretary Sarah Sanders tells CBS Friday of Democrats: "They've left the table all together, so of course we are far apart."

Incoming acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney complained that Democrats were ignoring an offer from the White House to agree to lower funding levels compared to Trump's initial goal of $5 billion to build the wall. Mulvaney said the offer was made on Saturday, but Democrats are no longer considering that option.

Mulvaney says: "There's not a single Democrat talking to the president of the United States about this deal."

Mulvaney adds of the shutdown: "We do expect this to go on for a while."

___

8:10 a.m.

President Donald Trump is threatening to close the U.S. border with Mexico if Democrats in Congress don't agree to fund the construction of a border wall.

Trump tweeted Friday morning that "We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely," unless a funding deal is reached with "the Obstructionist Democrats."

Trump's demand for money to build the border wall and Democrats' refusal to give him what he wants has caused a partial government shutdown that is nearly a week old. Congress adjourned for the week without a resolution in sight.

The shutdown is idling hundreds of thousands of federal workers and beginning to pinch citizens who count on some public services.

___

1 a.m.

It's looking increasingly as if the partial government shutdown will be handed off to a divided government to solve. This, as agreement eludes Washington in the waning days of the Republican monopoly on power.

Now nearly a week old, the impasse is idling hundreds of thousands of federal workers and beginning to pinch citizens who count on varied public services.

For example, the government says it won't issue new federal flood insurance policies or renew expiring ones until the budget for them is restored.

Congress is closing out the week without a resolution in sight over the issue holding up an agreement  Trump's demand for money to build a border wall with Mexico and Democrats' refusal to give him what he wants.Brexit Lawyer, Geraint Thomas, who was found dead on December 18. (LinkedIn)

An internationally renowned lawyer found dead on a beach in Wales had been accused of behaving inappropriately towards a colleague, it has been claimed.

Geraint Thomas, 47, worked for multinational law practice Eversheds Sutherland as a Brexit lawyer, giving advice to business owners ahead of the UKs exit from the EU.

It is understood that he drove to a clifftop car park at Southerndown near Bridgend shortly after visiting the firms London office on December 18, where he was informed that he was the subject of an investigation after formal complaints by female colleagues.

The substance of the complaints against Mr Thomas remains unclear, according to the Times.

Staff at the law firm were sent an email telling them of his death and offering them support and advice if needed.

Police said there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding Mr Thomas death. Stock image. (PA).

A specialist counsellor has been appointed for his colleagues.

An inquest into his death was opened and adjourned during a brief hearing at Pontypridds coroners court on Christmas Eve, six days after Mr Thomass body was found at Southerndown in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Police are not treating his death as suspicious.

A spokesman for South Wales Police said: South Wales Police is investigating the sudden death of a 47-year-old man from Cardiff who was discovered at Southerndown in the early hours of December 18.

The death is not being treated as suspicious. Next of kin have been informed and a file of evidence is being prepared for HM Coroner.

Lee Ranson, chief executive of Eversheds Sutherland International, described Mr Thomas as a truly exceptional lawyer and said staff at the law firm would be offered support.

Mr Ranson said: Geraint was a highly respected and esteemed lawyer who, having joined the firm in 1994, spent his entire career at the firm. A truly exceptional lawyer, he will be remembered for his dedication to his clients and to the firm in equal measure. He will be greatly missed.

Our sincere sympathies and thoughts are with Geraints wife, family and friends at this exceptionally difficult time. Many of Geraints colleagues have also been deeply affected by this tragic news. We are working with everyone to ensure they have appropriate, professional support in the coming weeks and months.

Story continues

As this is an ongoing investigation I am unable to provide further comment at this time.

Mr Thomass LinkedIn page states he studied at Jesus College at Oxford University between 1989 and 1992, before gaining a BA and a Masters degree in History.

A professional biography on his law firms website said he had worked there since 2003 and specialised in retail finance.

The website listed his expertise in consumer credit, mortgage regulation and savings and deposit products.

He was also one of the firms Brexit lawyers, who worked with clients to plan ahead of Brexit.Eder Militao is a man in demand.

Manchester United face competition from Liverpool in the hunt for Portos defender Eder Militao, according to reports.

The one-cap Brazilian international has been linked to United in the last two months, when Jose Mourinho was manager. The rumours have not dissipated since Ole Gunnar Solsjkaers arrival as caretaker manager.

Mourinho had wanted to bring in a central defender in the summer, but was denied the chance to arrange possible deals for Toby Alderweireld, Jerome Boateng and Harry Maguire, with reports that Ed Woodward did not consider any of them superior alternatives to Uniteds current central defenders.

United have conceded 31 goals in the league so far this season, the worst record of any team in the top half of the table.

However Jurgen Klopp now said to taking an interest in the versatile defender, who can play at right-back and through the middle of defence, as well as in midfield.

READ MORE: Premier League Christmas report card: YOUR team graded so far

READ MORE: Real Madrid agree deal with Manchester City for Brahim Diaz

READ MORE: Perfect Aubameyang is the Premier Leagues best striker, says Guendouzi

Amid the interest from two Premier League sides, Porto want to sign him up to a contract with an increased release clause despite signing a deal in the summer that runs until 2023. His current release clause stands at 42.5 million.

The Mirror reports that it is not just the Premier League rivals who are interested in the player, mentioning Manchester City, Barcelona, Roma and Borussia Dortmund as potential suitors.

While reports in Portugal suggest that United lead the race for his signature, Klopp is considering a move to bolster his squad following injuries to both Joe Gomez and Joel Matip, and a busy fixture schedule in the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League on the horizon.



Lockheed Martin Corp.s LMT business segment, Aeronautics, recently secured a contract for developing advanced hardware to support the F-35 Lightning II Technology Refresh 3 (TR3) System. The deal has been awarded by the Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland.

Details of the Deal

Valued at $712.5 million, the contract will cater to the U.S. Marine Corps, Navy and non-U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) participants. Under the agreement, the company will design the TR3 System with full flightworthy certification, production readiness review and fleet release to support low-rate initial production of the 15th Lot of F-35 jets.

Work related to the deal is scheduled to be over by March 2023 and will be carried out in Fort Worth, TX.

F-35 Program & TR3 System

The F-35 Lightning is a supersonic, multi-role fighter jet that represents a quantum leap in air-dominance capability, offering enhanced lethality and survivability in hostile, anti-access airspace environments. It is being used by the defense forces of the United States and 11 other nationschiefly owing to its advanced stealth, integrated avionics, sensor fusion, superior logistics support and powerful integrated sensors capabilities.

Considering the huge demand for its F-35 program, Lockheed Martin has been modernising the F-35 attributes to make it more combat friendly, enabling the company to secure more contracts worldwide. For this, in June 2017, Lockheed Martin announced that it has selected Harris Corp HRS to upgrade mission system avionics for the F-35 Lightning II as part of the Technology Refresh #3 (TR3) program, significantly boosting the aircrafts data storage, display processing and throughput capabilities.

What Favors Lockheed Martin?

The F-35 is Lockheed Martins largest program that generated 27% of its total sales in third-quarter 2018. The program drove annual revenue growth by 19.6% for the companys Aeronautics division. Keeping up with this trend, we may expect the latest contract win to enable the Aeronautics unit to deliver similar or even better performance in the upcoming quarters.

Story continues

Meanwhile, production of F-35 is expected to improve in the years ahead, given the U.S. governments current inventory objective of 2,456 aircraft for the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy along with commitments from the companys eight international partners, overseas customers and rising demand globally. Taking into account the F-35 programs solid estimated production rate, the latest contract win involving technological enhancement of these jets should further provide a boost to this program in the coming days.

These apart, the fiscal 2019 defense budget provisioned for a spending plan of $21.7 billion on aircraft. In particular, the budget hinted at a prospective improvement in Lockheed Martins F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, which has been allotted $10.7 billion and an additional funding for the procurement of 97 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. Such developments reflect solid prospects for Lockheed Martins F-35 program, which are likely to boost the companys profit margin.

Price Movement

In a years time, Lockheed Martins stock has lost 19.4% compared with the industrys 10.7% decline. The underperformance may have been caused by the intense competition the company faces in the aerospace-defense space for its broad portfolio of products and services, both domestically and internationally.

Zacks Rank & Other Stocks to Consider

Lockheed Martin currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Some other top-ranked companies in the same sector are Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings AJRD and Teledyne Technologies Incorporated TDY, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). 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 climbed 6% to $8.75 over the past 90 days.

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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.Paris (AFP) - The leaders of France and Germany on Friday reiterated their call for a "solid, full and permanent ceasefire" in Ukraine's conflict-torn east ahead of a planned cessation of hostilities.

Their remarks came a day after representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) announced that a fresh ceasefire would start Saturday morning.

More than 10,000 people have been killed since the Moscow-backed insurgency broke out in eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions in April 2014 following Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

The 2015 Minsk summit laid out a ceasefire and international monitoring in eastern Ukraine, but a pro-Russian insurgency has persisted.

In a joint statement, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed the latest ceasefire announcement.

"The approach of the New Year's and Orthodox Christmas holidays must serve as an opportunity for the stakeholders in the conflict in eastern Ukraine to focus on the needs of civilians, who have suffered all too long as a result of this conflict and its consequences," the leaders said.

"The guarantee of a safe and secure environment should enable the implementation of crucial humanitarian measures. We now call on the parties to assume their full responsibilities, especially with regard to civilians in the area."

On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced the end of martial law in the country's border regions, which was introduced last month after Russia's seizure of three of Kiev's navy vessels in the Sea of Azov.

Russian border patrol boats fired on, boarded and seized the three Ukrainian vessels, along with 24 sailors, in November off the coast of Crimea. The sailors are still being held in detention by Russian authorities.

Macron and Merkel said these "excessive inspections" were a source of "deep concern".

"We call for all ships using the Kerch Strait to be given safe, free, and unhindered passage, and for the immediate and unconditional release of the Ukrainian sailors. They too must be allowed to spend the holidays with their families."

In a separate statement, Merkel's office said the chancellor had also discussed the Ukrainian issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call Friday and urged the release of the sailors.Police officer Ronil Singh - Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department

A manhunt has been launched after an illegal immigrant gunman shot dead a California police officer during a traffic stop.

The suspect had been stopped for possible drink driving when he shot the officer, Ronil Singh.

Donald Trump said the incident showed why his proposed wall on the US-Mexico border needed to be built.

Mr Trump said: "There is right now a full scale manhunt going on in California for an illegal immigrant accused of shooting and killing a police officer during a traffic stop. Time to get tough on Border Security. Build the Wall!"

There is right now a full scale manhunt going on in California for an illegal immigrant accused of shooting and killing a police officer during a traffic stop. Time to get tough on Border Security. Build the Wall!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 27, 2018

The US government is currently partially shut down because Democrats have refused to grant Mr Trump billions of dollars in funding for the border wall.

Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson in California said authorities have identified, but won't yet name the illegal immigrant suspect.

They believed he was still in the area, around 100 miles southeast of San Francisco, and was armed and dangerous.

Sheriff Christianson said: "This suspect is in our country illegally. He doesn't belong here. He is a criminal.

"The sheriff's office will spare no expense in hunting down this criminal."

Fighting back tears the local police chief Randy Richardson said Mr Singh, 33, originally from Fiji, had a newborn son, and was an "American patriot".

The police chief said: "He came to America with one purpose, and that was to serve this country.

"Please help us find this coward. We need closure, his family needs closure.

"Please remember the man. Yes, he was a police officer, but he was a human being. His five-month old he will never hear talk, he will never see his son walk because a coward took his life."

Story continues

Mr Singh stopped the attacker in Newman, a town of about 10,000 people, on Wednesday as part of a drunken driving investigation and fired back to try to defend himself.

Police were looking for a man seen in surveillance photographs at a nearby shop shortly before Mr Singh was killed.

Mr Singh was shot a few minutes after radioing that he was pulling over a grey pickup truck that had no licence plate.

A truck believed to have been the one stopped by Mr Singh was later found in a garage in a mobile home park about four miles from the shooting.



From a heart-wrenching account of a legal careers toll on a young partner to a path-breaking mental health pledge signed by a growing list of the countrys largest law firms, the past year sharpened the industrys attention on attorney well-being, substance abuse and work-life balance. Expect the focus to intensify in 2019.



While it has long been the case that lawyers are more likely than the general population to suffer from depression, substance abuse and other mental health problems, those issues were again cast into painful relief in 2018.



In October, 42-year-old Sidley Austin bankruptcy partner Gabe MacConaill fatally shot himself near the firms Los Angeles office. Less than a month later, his widow, Joanna Litt, who had met her husband in law school, penned a personal essay for The American Lawyer describing the extreme stress and workload her husband faced, and how they might have contributed to his death. One phrase, Litt wrote, replayed in her head as she searched for answers in the weeks after MacConaills suicide: Big Law killed my husband.



The suicide and Litts writing propelled an ongoing discussion about lawyer well-being and mental health challenges as the year came to a close. But even before that, a sense of momentum had been building in the aftermath of a data-backed wake-up call in 2016, when a study funded by the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and the American Bar Association showed the legal industrys drinking and mental health issues were worse than previously thought. In 2018, key players in the profession committed to tackling those kinds of issues.



Strategies took different forms. Large firms rolled out wellness initiatives, such as Reed Smiths Wellness Works program, launched in January 2018 to help support the firms lawyers and staff as they manage stress and try to balance their work and personal lives. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, which started a wellness program in 2016, also expanded its offerings in 2018. Those firms, however, are hardly alone.



On an industrywide level, the ABA launched a pledge campaign in September aimed at reducing mental health distress and substance abuse among lawyers. The pledge asks law firms and other legal employers to adopt robust education for attorneys and staff on well-being issues, and to develop partnerships with outside resources and mental health experts. Following an initial group of 13 signatories, a total of 39 law firms have now committed to the wellness campaign and, toward the end of the year, 3M Co. became the first corporate legal department to sign on.



Taken together, issues surrounding well-being have a grip on the industry, according to Patrick Krill, an advocate for lawyer mental health who was instrumental in both the Hazelden study and the ABAs pledge campaign. Krill expects awareness will keep growing, and firms will continue to grapple with ways to ease the path for lawyers.



I think 2019, candidly, is going to be the year of well-being, Krill says.



Law school curricula and continuing legal education classes have already begun to take mental health into account, Krill says. He expects the trend will accelerate over the next year, and that a more firms will sign on to the ABA pledge and launch their own individual wellness initiatives. In his view, its now virtually impossible for firms to ignore the very real struggles facing many in the professionand people throughout the industry are searching for concrete ways to address structural issues.



Firms are looking for innovative solutions to bridge that gap, Krill says. And theyre going to have to continue to do that. More and more lawyers are expecting that from their employers. Even firms that dont want to engage with the subject are going to be forced toif for no other reason than remaining competitive."



Michael P. Maslanka, assistant professor of law, UNT Dallas College of Law.



Shoes polished. Suit pressed. Briefcase monogrammed. It's Day One of being a lawyer. Then the partner pops into your office and says, Here is a file. Go depose the opposing party. Say again? Deposing wasnt on the bar exam! Now what? Adopt this mindset: Ignorance is always curable. In that spirit, here is A Starters Kit to Deposing in the form of questions that are commonly asked but seldom answered.





Question No. 1: Who should I have with me at the deposition?





This is an interesting strategic call for the corporate defendant. Federal law allows more than one corporate rep. So say you are defending a whistleblower lawsuit: you can have both the in-house counsel as well as the manager accused of making the decision to fire the plaintiff. Take a copy of In re Terra International, 134 F. 3d 302 (5th Cir. 1998), with you to the deposition. Solid support.





Question No. 2: How do I leverage the presence of the corporate reps (Part 1)?





I call this the prophylactic effect. Sometimes a witness tells the truthnot because she fears God will strike her dead if she lies (the origin of the oath)but because someone is sitting across the table who knows the truth or at least a version of the truth that will help your client.



Question to witness: I will represent to you that Mr. Jones, sitting to my right, will testify that he said XYZ, not ABC. Are you testifying that he is making that up? Or ask, What facts do you have that Mr. Jones gave you Exhibit 5, a poor evaluation of your performance, because you are a woman? Our cognitive operating system dictates that people think in terms of conclusions, not facts. (Bonus advice: Never use this question for the ultimate issue, as in what facts do you have that you were fired for your race? unless you want an answer like a speech given by Mussolini on the balcony. Remember: Corporate reps are useful, they are not potted plants.





Story continues

Question No. 3: How do I leverage the presence of the corporate reps (Part 2)?







Canonize them. Elevate to sainthood. Do this at the start of the deposition (more on the start in a minute) before the witness gets all worked up over the injustice that was done to her. It is easy to be dismissive of someone who is not sitting in front of you. Ask: When I use the word 'professional,' what does that mean to you? Once the witness is committed, ask, And Mr. Jones was professional to you, isnt that correct? No-lose question. If he says yes, then play that out for all it is worth; if he says no, then take the answer to the limit and end up asking, so he had no redeeming qualities whatsoever? If the witness says thats right, that is good for you as well. In fact, that was the plaintiffs answer in McIntyre v. The Kroger Co., 863 F. Supp. 355 (N.D. Tex. 1994). It was a claim of disability discrimination. In granting summary judgment to the employer, the court observed (after quoting the question-and-answer) that the case was not so much about disability discrimination as it was about a personality conflict.







No. 4: What if the witness is not responsive to my questions?







Chill. Dont start objecting to nonresponsive. The witness is sizing you up and will think she is winning. Moreover, give the witness the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she just wants to get out everything she knows and is not being deliberately difficult. Maybe she is nervous. Juts say, Ms. Witness, I promise you that I will let you say anything you want in this deposition but it will go faster if you do your best to answer my questions as directly as you can. Is that OK? But be sure to follow up at the end of the deposition with a question that confirms that you kept your promise.







No. 5: How else do I end the deposition?







I sometimes like to ask the witness/litigant if he knows that, should my client prevail, he or it will be responsible for payment of my clients costs. Few lawyers alert their clients to this potential. I always figured it gave the lawyer and the client something to talk about in the elevator on the way down to the lobby.







But more critically, consider saying this: I want to thank you for your courtesy and professionalism in this deposition. I know it is not easy to be deposed. Only say this if you mean it, hand to heart. While our oath requires zealous representation of our clients, it also mandates zealous representation of our system of justice. A small gesture? Sure. But it is the small things, built up over time, that save us. So, go forth and depose!Username: Password: or Register

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Page: 1 2 Evidence That 5 Million Americans Have Been Disappeared By Obama Shocks Russia LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 477083

12-29-2018 12:25 AM











Post: #1 Evidence That 5 Million Americans Have Been Disappeared By Obama Shocks Russia

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A shocking new report released today by the Federal Security Service (FSB) states that as many as 5 million Americans have been disappeared by the Obama regime during the past 4  years and are presumed to be dead in the worst incident of mass genocide since the Cultural Revolution that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 to 1976 and claimed upwards of 20 million lives.



According to this report, a gravely concerning statistical anomaly in American death and missing persons records between the years of 2009-2013 was recently brought to the FSBs attention by noted historian Boris Borisov who in 2008 revealed in his American Holodomor research paper that a similar genocide of these peoples took place during the Great Depression where upwards of 7 million of them were, likewise, killed.



In a previous discussion about his American Holodomor research methodology, Professor Borisov noted:



Seven and a half million people does not mean the number of particular victims of the famine, but a general demographic loss, or the difference between the supposed population on the date of the census that was due to be held in 1940 and the factual number of people. In reality, the total demographic loss is bigger. The fact is not contested by anyone. The figure is more than ten million people.



However, when you start researching the subject, you find that there is a migration component  people were coming to the country and leaving. All can be calculated. It turns out then, that three million people can be subtracted at the cost of migration  in approximate figures, as it is not a scientific report.



Whats left is 7.5 million people still missing. The question is: where are they?



Voluntary defenders of U.S. values who venture to discuss the matter with me, normally begin with a statement that those people were simply not born. However, if we take the age pyramid and distribute the people according to their dates of birth, it becomes apparent that 5.5 million children and two million grown-ups are missing from the 7.5 million. So, those two million people could not have been non-existent  as they had been born. They could only die.



In his new research paper covering American deaths during the Obama regime, this FSB report continues, Professor Borisov relied solely upon the United States governments own statistics from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which puts their yearly death toll at 2.5 million (Death rate: 799.5 deaths per 100,000 population) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which lists over 650,000 of these people who have gone missing each year.



Of importance to note, Professor Borisovs research says, is that of the over 650,000 Americans who have been reported missing each year, the United States National Crime Information Centers (NCIC) only lists an average of 87,000 them as still active in their files per year leaving over 500,000, and again per year, unaccounted for.



Even more critical to note, Professor Borisovs research says, is that the 799.5 deaths per 100,000 per year the United States reports is a statistical anomaly not supported by the facts that similar industrialized nations in the European Union (EU) [same income, same demographics, same medical care] show a much lower rate; including the UK at 683 deaths per 100,000, France at 609 per 100,000 and Germany at 657 per 100,000.



Factoring into his statistics United States census data from 2000 showing an American population of 281,421,906, and 2010 US census data showing a population of 308,745,538, and then discounting the estimated 32 million deaths and reported missing over this same time period, Professor Borisovs research clearly shows a gravely concerning statistical anomaly that when extrapolated to todays date (2013) leaves over 5 million Americans unaccounted for, this FSB report says.



Most dire to note, this FSB report says, is that Larry Grathwohl, the former US Army Vietnam War hero and FBI undercover agent who in the 1970s warned the American people about the Obama genocide they would be facing, was mysteriously killed on 18 July two days after he had been contacted by Professor Borisov.



Professor Borisovs interest in contacting the former FBI counter terror spy Grathwohl, this FSB report says was related to Grathwohls infiltration of the American radical left terror group Weather Underground founded by President Obamas personal friends Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn.



The critical importance of Grathwohl to Professor Borisovs research, the FSB says, can be read in the introduction to his 1976 warning book to his fellow citizens titled Bringing Down America and which says:



In 1969, Larry Grathwohl stepped out of his life and became, according to Time magazine, the only FBI informant known to have successfully penetrated the Weather Underground.



For a year, Grathwohl ran with Americas most dangerous radicals. He watched them plan bombings, murders, and political assassinations. He moved in a world of Maoist brainwashing, drugs, and enforced sexual experimentation, with a gang of thugs dedicated to bringing down America.



This book was first published in 1976. At the time, nobody could have imagined that the criminal leaders of the Weather Underground would elude punishment and rise to positions of authority in American public life. But today, they are influential professors, national leaders in K  12 education reform, and advisors to President Obamas Recovery Act.



Even worse, this report continues, are that these same left-wing terrorists are also now in charge of what is known as the Obamacare plan, which if allowed to continue, Professor Borisov says, will allow the Obama regime to reach their target of killing the estimated 25 million Americans Grathwohl warned the Weather Underground was prepared to sacrifice in order to remake the United States into the communist/socialistic state they have long envisioned it to be.



To how soon the Obama regime is about to unleash even more terror upon the American people this report doesnt say, but according to the influential American dissident Susanne Posel of Occupycorporatism.com it is coming much sooner than later, and who this past July warned that the Obama regime knows the collapse is coming and is preparing for it now.



http://www.whatdoesitmean.com/index1718.htm Evidence That 5 Million Americans Have Been Disappeared By Obama Shocks RussiaA shocking new report released today by the Federal Security Service (FSB) states that as many as 5 million Americans have been disappeared by the Obama regime during the past 4  years and are presumed to be dead in the worst incident of mass genocide since the Cultural Revolution that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 to 1976 and claimed upwards of 20 million lives.According to this report, a gravely concerning statistical anomaly in American death and missing persons records between the years of 2009-2013 was recently brought to the FSBs attention by noted historian Boris Borisov who in 2008 revealed in his American Holodomor research paper that a similar genocide of these peoples took place during the Great Depression where upwards of 7 million of them were, likewise, killed.In a previous discussion about his American Holodomor research methodology, Professor Borisov noted:Seven and a half million people does not mean the number of particular victims of the famine, but a general demographic loss, or the difference between the supposed population on the date of the census that was due to be held in 1940 and the factual number of people. In reality, the total demographic loss is bigger. The fact is not contested by anyone. The figure is more than ten million people.However, when you start researching the subject, you find that there is a migration component  people were coming to the country and leaving. All can be calculated. It turns out then, that three million people can be subtracted at the cost of migration  in approximate figures, as it is not a scientific report.Whats left is 7.5 million people still missing. The question is: where are they?Voluntary defenders of U.S. values who venture to discuss the matter with me, normally begin with a statement that those people were simply not born. However, if we take the age pyramid and distribute the people according to their dates of birth, it becomes apparent that 5.5 million children and two million grown-ups are missing from the 7.5 million. So, those two million people could not have been non-existent  as they had been born. They could only die.In his new research paper covering American deaths during the Obama regime, this FSB report continues, Professor Borisov relied solely upon the United States governments own statistics from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which puts their yearly death toll at 2.5 million (Death rate: 799.5 deaths per 100,000 population) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which lists over 650,000 of these people who have gone missing each year.Of importance to note, Professor Borisovs research says, is that of the over 650,000 Americans who have been reported missing each year, the United States National Crime Information Centers (NCIC) only lists an average of 87,000 them as still active in their files per year leaving over 500,000, and again per year, unaccounted for.Even more critical to note, Professor Borisovs research says, is that the 799.5 deaths per 100,000 per year the United States reports is a statistical anomaly not supported by the facts that similar industrialized nations in the European Union (EU) [same income, same demographics, same medical care] show a much lower rate; including the UK at 683 deaths per 100,000, France at 609 per 100,000 and Germany at 657 per 100,000.Factoring into his statistics United States census data from 2000 showing an American population of 281,421,906, and 2010 US census data showing a population of 308,745,538, and then discounting the estimated 32 million deaths and reported missing over this same time period, Professor Borisovs research clearly shows a gravely concerning statistical anomaly that when extrapolated to todays date (2013) leaves over 5 million Americans unaccounted for, this FSB report says.Most dire to note, this FSB report says, is that Larry Grathwohl, the former US Army Vietnam War hero and FBI undercover agent who in the 1970s warned the American people about the Obama genocide they would be facing, was mysteriously killed on 18 July two days after he had been contacted by Professor Borisov.Professor Borisovs interest in contacting the former FBI counter terror spy Grathwohl, this FSB report says was related to Grathwohls infiltration of the American radical left terror group Weather Underground founded by President Obamas personal friends Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn.The critical importance of Grathwohl to Professor Borisovs research, the FSB says, can be read in the introduction to his 1976 warning book to his fellow citizens titled Bringing Down America and which says:In 1969, Larry Grathwohl stepped out of his life and became, according to Time magazine, the only FBI informant known to have successfully penetrated the Weather Underground.For a year, Grathwohl ran with Americas most dangerous radicals. He watched them plan bombings, murders, and political assassinations. He moved in a world of Maoist brainwashing, drugs, and enforced sexual experimentation, with a gang of thugs dedicated to bringing down America.This book was first published in 1976. At the time, nobody could have imagined that the criminal leaders of the Weather Underground would elude punishment and rise to positions of authority in American public life. But today, they are influential professors, national leaders in K  12 education reform, and advisors to President Obamas Recovery Act.Even worse, this report continues, are that these same left-wing terrorists are also now in charge of what is known as the Obamacare plan, which if allowed to continue, Professor Borisov says, will allow the Obama regime to reach their target of killing the estimated 25 million Americans Grathwohl warned the Weather Underground was prepared to sacrifice in order to remake the United States into the communist/socialistic state they have long envisioned it to be.To how soon the Obama regime is about to unleash even more terror upon the American people this report doesnt say, but according to the influential American dissident Susanne Posel of Occupycorporatism.com it is coming much sooner than later, and who this past July warned that the Obama regime knows the collapse is coming and is preparing for it now. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 455396

12-29-2018 12:36 AM











Post: #2 RE: Evidence That 5 Million Americans Have Been Disappeared By Obama Shocks Russia

What the f#ck are you bringing up 6 year old bunk for? LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 480525

12-29-2018 12:45 AM











Post: #3 RE: Evidence That 5 Million Americans Have Been Disappeared By Obama Shocks Russia

450,000 people disappear each year in the USA never to be seen again dead or alive.



.2 million people go missing each year in the USA.



1.25 million of them are found within one year.



250,000 found over the subsequent 10 years.



Despite that 450,000 US citizens disappear each year and are never found or located dead or alive.



This has been going on for decades not just the Obama years.





There is no greater high than drinking fresh adrenalized human Blood.



Just saying. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 352770

12-29-2018 12:48 AM











Post: #4 RE: Evidence That 5 Million Americans Have Been Disappeared By Obama Shocks Russia

what a load of bullcrap



does it ever end with you people? LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 471605

12-29-2018 01:04 AM











Post: #5 RE: Evidence That 5 Million Americans Have Been Disappeared By Obama Shocks Russia

LoP Guest Wrote: (12-29-2018 12:45 AM) 450,000 people disappear each year in the USA never to be seen again dead or alive.



.2 million people go missing each year in the USA.



1.25 million of them are found within one year.



250,000 found over the subsequent 10 years.



Despite that 450,000 US citizens disappear each year and are never found or located dead or alive.



This has been going on for decades not just the Obama years.





There is no greater high than drinking fresh adrenalized human Blood.



Just saying.

So they find an extra 1.05 million people a year? So they find an extra 1.05 million people a year? Spiddy

Registered User

User ID: 316264

12-29-2018 01:07 AM



Posts: 19,153









Post: #6 RE: Evidence That 5 Million Americans Have Been Disappeared By Obama Shocks Russia

LoP Guest Wrote: (12-29-2018 12:45 AM) 450,000 people disappear each year in the USA never to be seen again dead or alive.



.2 million people go missing each year in the USA.



1.25 million of them are found within one year.



250,000 found over the subsequent 10 years.



Despite that 450,000 US citizens disappear each year and are never found or located dead or alive.



This has been going on for decades not just the Obama years.





There is no greater high than drinking fresh adrenalized human Blood.



Just saying.

No corpse no crime.

Just sayin'. No corpse no crime.Just sayin'.

As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.





H.L. Mencken 1920. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 474729

12-29-2018 03:52 AM











Post: #7 RE: Evidence That 5 Million Americans Have Been Disappeared By Obama Shocks Russia

LoP Guest Wrote: (12-29-2018 12:36 AM) What the f#ck are you bringing up 6 year old bunk for?

sorcha faal just makes sh*t up ... as soon as I see its by faal its no longer worth reading because its fiction sorcha faal just makes sh*t up ... as soon as I see its by faal its no longer worth reading because its fiction LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 480217

12-29-2018 06:05 AM











Post: #8 RE: Evidence That 5 Million Americans Have Been Disappeared By Obama Shocks Russia

I'm very, very surprised that I'm still alive. The past 7 years have been so nightmarish that shooting me would be kind in comparison. Case being shoved under the rug by all sides. Upside Down

Just hangin out

User ID: 479653

12-29-2018 06:13 AM



Posts: 51,724









Post: #9 RE: Evidence That 5 Million Americans Have Been Disappeared By Obama Shocks Russia

No matter how much you Russian Trolls try, lie, and hack.



You won't bring down America.



Give up. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 477286

12-29-2018 09:07 AM











Post: #10 RE: Evidence That 5 Million Americans Have Been Disappeared By Obama Shocks Russia

LoP Guest Wrote: (12-29-2018 12:45 AM) 450,000 people disappear each year in the USA never to be seen again dead or alive.



.2 million people go missing each year in the USA.



1.25 million of them are found within one year.



250,000 found over the subsequent 10 years.



Despite that 450,000 US citizens disappear each year and are never found or located dead or alive.



This has been going on for decades not just the Obama years.





There is no greater high than drinking fresh adrenalized human Blood.



Just saying.

If these are Census Bureau figures then I would surmise that many people drop off the roles as homeless in encampments and street dwellings under cities and above ground.

Richer people just go off grid. It's not like the people they hire go to that great of lengths to track down to get a more accurate count.

Certainly many are children who are intentionally "lost" in the child welfare system and are runaways. Some are murdered and have no family to report them missing. If these are Census Bureau figures then I would surmise that many people drop off the roles as homeless in encampments and street dwellings under cities and above ground.Richer people just go off grid. It's not like the people they hire go to that great of lengths to track down to get a more accurate count.Certainly many are children who are intentionally "lost" in the child welfare system and are runaways. Some are murdered and have no family to report them missing. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 480567

12-29-2018 11:20 AM











Post: #11 RE: Evidence That 5 Million Americans Have Been Disappeared By Obama Shocks Russia

the death rate matches my local death rate and the common cause across usa and the higher rates is nexrad.europe doesnt have nexrad.the missing are mentally ill hypersensitive to microwave and the increased death rate from the cardiovascular issues.

nexrad became fully operational in the obama years. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 480354

12-30-2018 02:36 PM











Post: #12 RE: Evidence That 5 Million Americans Have Been Disappeared By Obama Shocks Russia





A lot of bunkum, that's what it means. Yeah, "what does it mean?"A lot of bunkum, that's what it means. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 480354

12-30-2018 02:59 PM











Post: #13 RE: Evidence That 5 Million Americans Have Been Disappeared By Obama Shocks Russia

LoP Guest Wrote: (12-29-2018 09:07 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (12-29-2018 12:45 AM) 450,000 people disappear each year in the USA never to be seen again dead or alive.



.2 million people go missing each year in the USA.



1.25 million of them are found within one year.



250,000 found over the subsequent 10 years.



Despite that 450,000 US citizens disappear each year and are never found or located dead or alive.



This has been going on for decades not just the Obama years.





There is no greater high than drinking fresh adrenalized human Blood.



Just saying.

If these are Census Bureau figures then I would surmise that many people drop off the roles as homeless in encampments and street dwellings under cities and above ground.

Richer people just go off grid. It's not like the people they hire go to that great of lengths to track down to get a more accurate count.

Certainly many are children who are intentionally "lost" in the child welfare system and are runaways. Some are murdered and have no family to report them missing. Or kidnapped andn sold a sex slaves in certain countries. Is this really impossible? Let's not think automatially think the worst, but let's be realistic. Or kidnapped andn sold a sex slaves in certain countries. Is this really impossible? Let's not think automatially think the worst, but let's be realistic. Elawnya

lop guest

User ID: 468498

12-30-2018 03:14 PM











Post: #14 RE: Evidence That 5 Million Americans Have Been Disappeared By Obama Shocks Russia

LoP Guest Wrote: (12-29-2018 12:36 AM) What the f#ck are you bringing up 6 year old bunk for?

Hello there, Bunky boy, thanks !



Allow me to think out loud to ya:



As this mega Body-Parts Industry grows, and is forced out of it's hush-hush status, those numbers, of yours, will grow to a garganntuous size, busting the seams of the hidden industry, thus spilling its own guts, for all to see and finally for all to know.



The poor, elderly, widows, and orphans, often mentioned in the Bible, as "fair-game", are very easy to be disappeared,

but soon that will not be enough . . .

you and yours, the agile, are next

Hello there, Bunky boy, thanks !Allow me to think out loud to ya:As this mega Body-Parts Industry grows, and is forced out of it's hush-hush status, those numbers, of yours, will grow to a garganntuous size, busting the seams of the hidden industry, thus spilling its own guts, for all to see and finally for all to know.The poor, elderly, widows, and orphans, often mentioned in the Bible, as "fair-game", are very easy to be disappeared,but soon that will not be enough . . .you and yours, the agile, are next LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 480750

12-30-2018 04:58 PM











Post: #15 RE: Evidence That 5 Million Americans Have Been Disappeared By Obama Shocks Russia

LoP Guest Wrote: (12-29-2018 12:45 AM) 450,000 people disappear each year in the USA never to be seen again dead or alive.



.2 million people go missing each year in the USA.



1.25 million of them are found within one year.



250,000 found over the subsequent 10 years.



Despite that 450,000 US citizens disappear each year and are never found or located dead or alive.



This has been going on for decades not just the Obama years.





There is no greater high than drinking fresh adrenalized human Blood.



Just saying.



And every time a democrat gets elected to a position..even more voters disappear. And every time a democrat gets elected to a position..even more voters disappear. Advertisement



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bitcoin drugs dark web cryptocurrency crypto

Law enforcement agencies in the United States have expressed worries that Chinese crypto channels are increasingly being used to launder money by Mexican drug cartels and other transnational organized crime groups.

This comes at a time when the size of Chinese exports such as chemicals and other ingredients used in making hard drugs to the U.S. has been growing, per Asia Times. According to a senior official at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Paul Knierim, a notable increase in money launderers from Asia has subsequently been observed:

The shift toward Chinese and Asian money launderers is believed to be, in part, due to the natural relationship created by the large volume of both licit and illicit trade goods and chemicals imported from China. The use of an Asian money broker simplifies the money laundering process and streamlines the purchase of precursor chemicals and paraphernalia utilized in manufacturing drugs for street sales.

Growing Sophistication

In a report issued a few weeks ago, the DEA pointed out that in the last eight years, a steady decline in the amount of cash seized throughout the United States had been recorded and this could mean that more discreet techniques of moving illicit cash were being employed.

Specifically, the DEA cited the Chinese Underground Banking Systems (CUBS) as a key laundering channel. The CUBS money brokers, the DEA noted, was turning to bitcoin both to launder money for drug traffickers and to assist Chinese nationals interested in moving amounts exceeding the allowed annual limit of US$50,000 outside the country:

CUBS money brokers sell Bitcoin to drug traffickers for cash earned from drug sales in the US, Australia, and Europe. This drug cash is then sold to Chinese nationals in exchange for Bitcoin the Chinese nationals use to transfer the value of their assets outside of China.

To avoid detection and traceability, these bitcoin trades are conducted over the counter with the Chinese brokers relying on foreign-based exchanges which have lax Know Your Customer and Anti-Money Laundering policies.

Story continues

Multi-Agency Problem

bitcoin money laundering crypto drug

Besides the Drug Enforcement Agency, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has also blamed Chinese transnational criminal organizations for the rise in the use of cryptocurrencies to launder money. This was made clear during a U.S. congressional hearing earlier in the month.

But while using cryptocurrencies to launder money may offer some advantages, the extent to which they can be used is limited due to the fact that, with the exception of privacy coins such as Monero and Zcash, transactions are transparent since they can be viewed on the respective blockchains.

Globally, the money laundering turnover is estimated to reach US$2 trillion, and the use of cryptocurrencies in cleaning illicit cash is tiny compared to other channels.

Featured Image from Shutterstock



The post How Mexican Cartels Use Chinese Crypto Brokers to Launder Drug Money appeared first on CCN.

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON, Dec 27 (Reuters) - More Americans blame President Donald Trump than congressional Democrats for the partial U.S. government shutdown, a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Thursday found, as lawmakers returned to Washington with no quick end to the shutdown in sight.

Forty-seven percent of adults hold Trump responsible, while 33 percent blame Democrats in Congress, according to the Dec. 21-25 poll, conducted mostly after the shutdown began. Seven percent of Americans blamed congressional Republicans.

The shutdown was triggered by Trump's demand, largely opposed by Democrats and some Republicans, that taxpayers provide him with $5 billion to help pay for a wall he wants to build on the Mexican border. Its total estimated cost is $23 billion.

Just 35 percent of those surveyed in the Reuters/Ipsos poll said they backed including money for the wall in a congressional spending bill. Only 25 percent said they supported Trump shutting down the government over the matter.

The shutdown, now in its sixth day, has a had limited impact so far, partly due to vacations for the 800,000 federal workers affected, though that could change soon.

Related: President Trump's border wall prototypes:

Government agencies began notifying the public on Thursday about service disruptions. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said the shutdown means it cannot process new flood insurance policies, possibly disrupting home sales.

The Office of Personnel Management, which oversees the federal workforce, offered advice to government employees on staving off creditors if paychecks lapse.

On Capitol Hill, the Senate and House of Representatives were set to reconvene late on Thursday, but no prompt action by them was expected. The lack of urgency fueled speculation among analysts that the shutdown could drag on well into January.

The wall dispute coincided with the expiration of funding for about 20 percent of the government. The remaining 80 percent is fully funded and is unaffected by the shutdown.

Story continues

The departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Agriculture, Commerce and other agencies, shut down "non-essential" operations on Saturday after a tentative funding deal collapsed over Trump's renewed insistence that wall funding be provided.

The House has approved a shutdown-ending spending measure that includes Trump's demand for $5 billion, but its prospects in the Senate were seen as poor.

Trump argues that his wall is needed to stem illegal immigration and drugs entering the country - a key plank in his 2016 presidential campaign.

Earlier this month, he said he would be "proud to shut down the government" over wall funding. On Twitter, since the shutdown started, he has tried to blame the Democrats.

In a tweet on Thursday, he framed the shutdown as a partisan issue, saying, "Do the Dems realize that most of the people not getting paid are Democrats?"

The assertion, for which Trump provided no evidence, drew immediate criticism from Democrats.

"Federal employees dont go to work wearing red or blue jerseys," Democratic Senator Mark Warner wrote on Twitter.

"Theyre public servants. And the president is treating them like poker chips at one of his failed casinos," Warner said.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online in English across the United States. It gathered responses from 2,440 adults, including 946 Democrats and 846 Republicans. It has a credibility interval, a measure of the poll's precision, of two percentage points for the entire sample and four points for members of either political party. (

Additional reporting by David Morgan, Makini Brice and Jason Lange in Washington Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Alistair Bell)By Chris Kahn and Ginger Gibson

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More Americans blame President Donald Trump than congressional Democrats for the partial U.S. government shutdown, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Thursday, as the closure stretched into its sixth day with no end in sight.

Forty-seven percent of adults hold Trump responsible, while 33 percent blame Democrats in Congress, according to the Dec. 21-25 poll, conducted mostly after the shutdown began. Seven percent of Americans blamed congressional Republicans.

The shutdown was triggered by Trump's demand, largely opposed by Democrats and some lawmakers from his own Republican Party, that taxpayers provide him with $5 billion to help pay for a wall that he wants to build along the U.S.-Mexico border. Its total estimated cost is $23 billion.

Just 35 percent of those surveyed in the opinion poll said they backed including money for the wall in a congressional spending bill. Only 25 percent said they supported Trump shutting down the government over the matter.

In a statement on Thursday, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said, "The president has made clear that any bill to fund the government must adequately fund border security."

The statement made no mention of Trump's proposed wall.

Showing little sense of urgency, both chambers of Congress convened for mere minutes late on Thursday, but neither took any action to end the shutdown before adjourning until next week.

Democrats and Republicans were still very far apart on resolving the impasse, said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer's spokesman Justin Goodman in a statement.

Democratic Representative Jim McGovern tried to interrupt the brief Republican-run session in the House of Representatives by offering a measure to reopen shuttered government agencies and keep them running through Feb. 8. But he was ignored and his microphone was soon cut off. The House session lasted less than three minutes.

Story continues

"That was a legitimate request and I should have been recognized," McGovern told reporters later. "They wouldn't even recognize me. This is the way they've been running this place."

SHUTDOWN CONTINUES

Inaction in Congress put the shutdown on track to continue into next week and possibly to drag well into January.

While its impact has been limited so far, partly due to holiday-season vacations underway for the 800,000 or so federal workers affected, that could change soon.

Government agencies began notifying the public on Thursday about service disruptions. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said the shutdown means it cannot process new flood insurance policies, possibly disrupting home sales.

The Office of Personnel Management, which oversees the federal workforce, offered advice to government employees on staving off creditors if paychecks lapse.

The wall dispute coincided with the expiration of funding for about 20 percent of the government. The remaining 80 percent is fully funded and is unaffected by the shutdown.

The departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Agriculture, Commerce, and other agencies, shut down "non-essential" operations on Saturday after a tentative funding deal collapsed over Trump's renewed insistence that wall funding be provided.

The House has approved a shutdown-ending spending measure that includes Trump's demand for $5 billion, but its prospects in the Senate are seen as poor.

The next firm action on the issue is likely to come on Jan. 3, when the Democrats take over majority control of the House. At that time, McGovern said, Democrats expect to offer a spending measure "plus probably disaster relief funding."

Speaking to reporters after the brief Senate session, Senator Pat Roberts said, "We on the Republican side do not want to vote for a bill the president won't sign."

'PROUD TO SHUT DOWN'

Trump argues that his wall is needed to stem illegal immigration and drugs entering the country - a key plank in his 2016 presidential campaign.

Earlier this month, he said he would be "proud to shut down the government" over wall funding. On Twitter, since the shutdown started, he has tried to blame the Democrats.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online in English across the United States. It gathered responses from 2,440 adults, including 946 Democrats and 846 Republicans. It has a credibility interval, a measure of the poll's precision, of two percentage points for the entire sample and four points for members of either political party.

(Reporting by Chris Kahn in New York and Ginger Gibson in Washington; additional reporting by David Morgan, Makini Brice, Jason Lange; writing by Kevin Drawbaugh; editing by Alistair Bell, Grant McCool and Rosalba O'Brien)After a year filled with dramatic revelations from prosecutors in the office of special counsel Robert Mueller, the investigation into Russian influence on the 2016 presidential election appears to be nearing a conclusion, with potentially huge consequences for Donald Trumps presidency in 2019.

Mueller issued major indictments this year documenting how a Russian troll factory manipulated American social media, and how Moscows military intelligence hacked thousands of Democratic Party emails and passed them to WikiLeaks, which made them public. But perhaps the most ominous development for the president to date was the guilty plea last month by former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who admitted lying to the Senate about efforts by the Trump Organization to build a Trump Tower in Moscow  a deal that was being discussed as late as June 2016, a year after Trump declared his candidacy for president and when he was already the presumptive Republican nominee.

Cohens plea also contained the stunning information that he had been in direct communication with a Kremlin official about securing land and financing for the project. At a minimum, that disclosure undermines Trumps comment during the campaign that he had no relationship to Russia whatsoever.

But there are still multiple questions about what other evidence Mueller possesses and what additional criminal charges he might bring. The special counsels prosecutors spent months wrangling with Trumps lawyers about questioning the president about his Russian ties before agreeing to take written answers. Mueller could still demand a face-to-face interview. Legal observers warn that such a move would almost certainly result in a protracted legal battle whose outcome is uncertain.

Muellers investigation also faced significant hurdles in 2018. One cooperating witness, George Papadopoulos, failed to provide evidence that the Trump campaign knew in advance about the Russian hacking of Democratic National Committee computers, and served only a nominal two-week sentence. Another key witness, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, agreed to cooperate after being convicted at a trial on tax fraud and bank fraud charges. But the cooperation agreement collapsed when, Mueller charged, Manafort lied about his contacts with a former associate, Konstantin Kilimnik, with ties to Russian intelligence, as well as his own contacts with Trump administration officials.

Story continues

Mueller still has one longtime Trump associate in his cross hairs: Roger Stone, who has been under intense scrutiny as a possible go-between with WikiLeaks before the site published hacked emails from the account of Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. Recently, Mueller formally requested and received an official transcript of Stones 2017 testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, an indication that he may soon indict the presidents longtime political advisor. But on other fronts, all signs suggest Mueller has largely completed his work. The postponement last week of sentencing for yet another Mueller cooperator, former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, underscored that point. One of Muellers prosecutors, Brandon Lang Van Grack, told the judge that  other than providing testimony in an unrelated case against former business associates who were illegally lobbying for Turkey  Flynn had already provided the vast majority of his cooperation with Russia probe. That signifies that Mueller probably doesnt have plans for him to testify against other Trump associates.

The biggest wildcard is Muellers report. Under the Justice Department regulation that governs his appointment as special counsel, Mueller is obligated to write such a report to the attorney general detailing the prosecution decisions he made. That report is likely to include his conclusions about whether Trump obstructed justice when he fired FBI Director James Comey and took other steps to interfere in the Russia probe. But who will now receive that report  and what becomes of it then  is unclear. Justice regulations dont require the report to be made public. The White House is likely to object to the release of at least portions of it by arguing that testimony by senior officials about conversations with the president is covered by executive privilege.

But the Democrats, who will now be in the majority in the House of Representatives, are certain to take a very different view, ensuring that the legal battles regarding Trump and Russia are far from over, even though Muellers work may soon be done.On Dec 27, we issued an updated research report on Navistar International Corporation NAV.



Increased demand for Class 6/8 trucks and buses helped Navistar to witness an increase in volumes across the United States and Canada. During fourth-quarter fiscal 2018, robust demand across markets aided the company to grow its market share in every vehicle segment, both on a sequential and year-over-year basis. In fact, Navistar saw a year-over-year increase in revenues and earnings per share in the quarter. Moreover, both earnings and revenues surpassed the respective Zacks Consensus Estimate.



The Lisle, IL-based commercial vehicle manufacturer launched new truck products to cater to increasing demand for new products. In the last fiscal, the LT series and A26 engines helped the company grow its Class 8 heavy market share. A wide product portfolio across its business units will drive the companys sales. Its lately launched HV and MV series for medium duty and vocational segments are expected to further boost the top line.

Navistar International Corporation Price and Consensus

Navistar International Corporation Price and Consensus | Navistar International Corporation Quote

Navistar expects the same trend witnessed in fiscal 2018 to continue in fiscal 2019 as well, driven by high replacement demand and growth in key economic sectors. In the industry, the company projects retail deliveries of Class 6-8 trucks and buses in the United States, and Canada between 395,000 units and 425,000 units in the current fiscal. Further, it anticipates revenues for fiscal 2019 within $10.75-$11.25 billion and adjusted EBITDA in the range of $850-$900 million.



Higher volumes across all business units strengthened Navistars cash flow in fiscal 2018. An improved free cash flow by offloading its debts and interest expenses strengthens the companys balance sheet, thus generating superior shareholder value. During the last reported quarter, its cash and cash equivalents improved to $1.3 billion from $706 million in the prior fiscal.



However, a continued rise in premium freight and commodity costs, along with product development and engineering expenses are straining the companys profit margin. Further, Navistar incurs additional costs to develop products that are in sync with the changing emission standards, which further increase product manufacturing costs.



The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2019 has moved down 0.3% over the past seven days. The stock has lost 31.9% compared with its industrys decline of 26.5% in the past three months. It currently holds a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).



You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Story continues





Stocks to Consider



Some better-ranked stocks in the auto space are Fox Factory Holding Corporation FOXF, Allison Transmission Holdings, Inc. ALSN and Cooper Tire & Rubber Company CTB. Fox Factory and Allison Transmission currently sport a Zacks Rank of 1 while Cooper Tire carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).



Fox Factory has an expected long-term growth rate of 5%. Shares of the company have gained 24.6% in the past three months.



Allison Transmission has an expected long-term growth rate of 10%. Shares of the company have increased 7.8% in the past three months.



Cooper Tire has an expected long-term growth rate of 4%. Over the past three months, shares of the company have gained 12.1%.



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Zacks Investment ResearchRio de Janeiro (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Brazil's President-elect Jair Bolsonaro on Friday announced a nascent "brotherhood" between their countries that will boost economic, military and technological cooperation.

The two issued the warm words to the media after a meeting in a century-old military fort on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach, at the beginning of the first-ever visit by an Israeli prime minister to Brazil.

Netanyahu said Bolsonaro had accepted an invitation to make his own visit to Israel, without giving a date.

The Israeli leader is to stay on through Tuesday to join other foreign dignitaries at the inauguration in Brasilia of Bolsonaro, a far-right, security-conscious politician and former army officer elected in October on pledges to crack down on endemic crime and corruption.

Bolsonaro, sometimes called the "Trump of the tropics" for a similar style to US President Donald Trump and rejection of multilateral diplomacy, emphasized the bond he wants to build with Netanyahu, a firm US ally.

"More than partners, we will be brothers in the future, in economy, technology, all that can bring benefit to our two countries," Bolsonaro said. He also spoke of cooperation in military and agriculture matters.

Netanyahu, calling his visit "historic," also spoke of "the brotherhood, the alliance" the two planned as something that "can carry us to great heights."

"It's hard to believe that we had no such contacts before," he said.

- Embassy move -

However there was no mention of Bolsonaro's post-election declaration -- later walked back -- that he intended to follow Trump in moving his country's embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

Netanyahu had told reporters on his flight to Brazil that "you can be certain I will speak with him about that in our first meeting." But neither man raised the topic in their comments to media, and no questions were taken.

Story continues

An embassy move could put at risk lucrative Brazilian poultry and halal meat exports to Arab countries, which fiercely oppose any unilateral steps seen as cementing Israel's claim to all of Jerusalem as its capital.

The Palestinians view east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, and most countries in the world back a longstanding consensus that Jerusalem's status can only be resolved through negotiations and as part of an Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Nearly 20 percent of Brazil's $5 billion beef exports go to 17 Arab countries.

Brazil-Israel trade currently amounts to $1.2 billion. Bolsonaro said Tuesday he is looking to import Israeli technology to produce water for Brazil's parched northeast.

- Rightward shift -

Bolsonaro's ascent to the presidency represents a dramatic, rightward shift in Brazil's politics.

For decades, the country has been under center-left and center-right rule and resolutely sought to carve out foreign policy independent of the United States. In 2010, the country recognized a Palestinian state, and it nurtured trade and investment relations with China.

But Bolsonaro has spoken with hostility of China's investments in Brazil, and he and one of his politician sons have reached out to Trump and people in his orbit.

He and his team have also excluded the far-left leaders of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from attending the inauguration in Brasilia, although Bolivia's leftwing President Evo Morales received an invitation.

Other VIPs attending include conservative Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, Hungary's far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Bolsonaro later Friday attended a Rio synagogue with Netanyahu and told the congregation that Brazil intended to move forward in the world not only with Israel "but with other countries such as the United States that think and have a similar ideology to our own."

- Meeting Pompeo -

Netanyahu made his Brazil trip despite domestic political turmoil in Israel and a spike in military volatility in neighboring Syria.

Pompeo and Netanyahu are to discuss Syria on the sidelines of Bolsonaro's swearing-in, an Israeli official and the US State Department said.

US allies including Israel were caught by surprise by Trump's abrupt announcement last week that he was pulling US troops out of Syria, where Israel's arch-foe Iran has built up a significant military and political presence.

Israel has made several aerial strikes in Syria against positions held by Iran and its Lebanese militia Hezbollah.

Domestically, Netanyahu is maneuvering to extend his reign in Israel despite a slew of corruption allegations. On Wednesday, Israel's parliament approved a government decision to call early elections for April 9.

The Israeli prime minister also serves as his country's foreign minister. Last year he visited Argentina, Colombia and Mexico.Investors in McDermott International, Inc. MDR need to pay close attention to the stock based on moves in the options market lately. That is because the Feb 15, 2019 $3.00 Put 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 McDermott International shares, but what is the fundamental picture for the company? Currently, McDermott International is a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) in the Oil and Gas - Mechanical and Equipment industry that ranks in the Bottom 11% of our Zacks Industry Rank. Over the last 60 days, no analyst has increased the earnings estimates for the current quarter, while two analysts have revised their estimates downward. The net effect has taken our Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter from 49 cents per share to 21 cents in that period.



Given the way analysts feel about McDermott International right now, this huge implied volatility could mean theres a trade developing. Oftentimes, options traders look for options with high levels of implied volatility to sell premium. This is a strategy many seasoned traders use because it captures decay. At expiration, the hope for these traders is that the underlying stock does not move as much as originally expected.



Looking to Trade Options?



Each week, our very own Dave Bartosiak gives his top options trades. Check out his recent live analysis and options trade for the NFLX earnings report completely free. See it here: Bartosiak: Trading Netflix's (NFLX) Earnings with Options or check out the embedded video below for more details:



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment ResearchManila Mayor Joseph Estrada on Friday vowed to clear Manila of prohibited drugs next year, similar to President Rodrigo Dutertes anti-drug campaign which the Manila chief executive blamed that illegal drugs as the root cause of rising criminality in Manila. Estrada made the statement during the gift giving and distribution of Noche Buena pack to the orphans of Asosacion de Dama De Filipinas in Paco, Manila, as he called on residence of Manila to cooperate with law enforcement agencies on the fight against illegal drugs in the city. I was able to make Manila debt-free, now my next move is to make Manila a drug-free city, Estrada said. However, Estrada said the fight against illegal drugs would not be bloody like the President Dutertes war on drugs but restrained with the support of the community and barangay leaders in the city. He said methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu remains the most abused drug by drug pushers and users, followed by marijuana and methylenedioxymethamphetamine or ecstasy.Among the cities in Metro Manila, the City of Manila has the highest number of drug-related killings in the first year of President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs, according to the Philippine National Police. During the event, Estrada said he wants to weed out illegal drugs in his level just like President Dutertes aim for the whole country. He said Manila cannot attain peace and order unless illegal drugs and other forms of criminality is stopped. Estrada, who is running for his third and last term as Mayor of Manila, said he wants to leave a legacy to the young generation, not just to Manila residents, but to the entire country, that the capital city of the Philippines is drug-free and a safe and secure place to live in.One in 10 organ donors opts out of donating their eyes, possibly because of the yuck factor (Picture: Getty)

When it comes to organ donation, while many people are happy to give up their heart, liver and kidneys, one in 10 opt out of donating their eyes.

Data from NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) show that 10.6% of people on the organ donor register choose not to donate their eyes.

On top of this, donors relatives also sometimes refuse consent for the donation of their loved ones eyes.

According to experts, it could be down to the yuck factor relating to eye donation, or also the old adage of eyes being the window to the soul.

Donating eyes as well as other organs can help restore the sight of 10 people (Picture: PA)

Emma Winstanley, lead nurse for NHSBTs Tissue and Eye Services, told the Press Association: It is a phenomenon which we call the yuck factor  some people are squeamish about eyes.

So what we find is some people are willing to donate organs and other tissues like heart valve, bone and tendons, but sometimes when you ask a family member about eyes they can say You can have anything you want, but not the eyes.

MORE: US Coast Guard suspends search for missing cruise ship worker Arron Hough

MORE: Shocking figures reveal more than half a million potholes reported to councils last year, says RAC

She said: Its within our culture about eyes being the windows to the soul but actually, when you really think about it, you could be saving somebodys sight or be giving them the gift of sight.

That kind of counteracts that feeling.

Donating ones eyes can help transform the lives of people in need of sight-saving operations, she said, with one donor helping to restore or improve the sight of up to 10 people.

But the eye is never transplanted whole but the cornea  the clear tissue on the front of the eye that help the eye to focus light  is one part that can be donated.

The sclera, the white part of the eye, can also be donated for reconstruction surgery, and other tissue is used for research and development.

But despite the need, figures show that NHS eye banks are running short of what is needed.

NHSBT needs around 350 corneas in its eye banks  which are in Manchester and Bristol  to meet patient need.

Story continues

But from the start of 2018 until November 23, the average number of corneas in the eye banks at any given time was 307.

NHS Blood and Transplant needs 90 donations a week to meet the demand for sight-saving transplants.

People can donate their corneas up to 24 hours after they die and, unlike organ donation, it is not necessary for them to die in a hospital intensive care unit or A&E department to become a donor.

Donation can take place after death in hospital, in hospices or in funeral home.

A wider pool of people can also be eye donors, including most cancer patients and people who have eye problems themselves such as the short-sighted.

Donors can also be almost any age, with an upper limit of about 85 in Britain, which is around the time the cell count drops on the corneas.President Trump is introduced at the World Economic Forum, Jan. 26, 2018, in Davos, Switzerland. (Photo: Evan Vucci/AP)

President Trumps second year in office was filled with plenty of dramatic moments. There were the public embraces of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin; clashes with reporters and lawmakers at the White House, and the responses to mass shootings, hurricanes and wildfires that affected millions of Americans in 2018.

In January, Trump delivered his first State of the Union address, a carefully crafted speech aimed at bringing the country together as one team, one people, and one American family. But the message did not seem to resonate, and the president spent much of the year lashing out at perceived enemies and political rivals.

And with staff shakeups; mounting investigations into the president and his orbit, and a reelection campaign already under way, 2019 promises a lot more drama for a president who seems to relish it. (Dylan Stableford/Yahoo News)

_____

See more images here:

President Trump gestures as he delivers his first State of the Union address in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 30, 2018. (Photo: Win McNamee/Pool via AP)

President Trump leaves the stage after addressing the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 26, 2018. (Photo: Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP)

President Trump leaves the White House to head to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Feb. 16, 2018. (Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

President Trump holds notes during a listening session with high school students and teachers in the White Houses State Dining Room on Feb. 21, 2018. (Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP)

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump listen at a funeral service for the Rev. Billy Graham in Charlotte, N.C., on March 2, 2018. (Photo: Chuck Burton/AP)

President Trump waves as he boards Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., to travel to West Palm Beach, Fla., on March 23, 2018. (Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Frances first lady, Brigitte Macron; first lady Melania Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and President Trump join hands at a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on April 24, 2018. (Photo: Evan Vucci/AP)

President Trump with the Easter Bunny at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on April 2, 2018. (Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shake hands on Sentosa Island in Singapore on June 12, 2018. (Photo: Evan Vucci/AP)

President Trump shakes hands with then Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in the East Room of the White House on July 9, 2018. (Photo: Alex Brandon/AP)

President Trump and Britains Queen Elizabeth inspect an honor guard at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, on July 13, 2018. (Photo: Matt Dunham, Pool/AP)

President Trump attends a meeting of the North Atlantic Council during a summit of heads of state and government at NATO headquarters in Brussels on July 11, 2018. (Photo: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP)

President Trump shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki on July 16, 2018. (Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

President Trump arrives at the national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Kansas City, Mo., on July 24, 2018. (Photo: Evan Vucci/AP)

President Trump points heavenward at a meeting with inner-city pastors at the White House in Washington on Aug. 1, 2018. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP)

President Trump holds hats as he walks across the South Lawn before leaving for a rally in Evansville, Ind., Aug. 30, 2018. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP)

President Trump speaks as he meets with business leaders at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., on Aug. 7, 2018. (Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP)

President Trump speaks to the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn at the White House on Aug. 17, 2018. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP)

President Trump speaks to first responders as he visits the Horry County Emergency Management Center in Conway, S.C., after Hurricane Florence on Sept. 19, 2018. (Photo: Evan Vucci/AP)

President Trump speaks to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House on Oct. 8, 2018. (Photo: Susan Walsh/AP)

Rapper Kanye West shows President Trump a photograph of a hydrogen plane during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on Oct. 11, 2018. (Photo: Evan Vucci/AP)

First lady Melania Trump, President Trump and Tree of Life Rabbi Jeffrey Myers visit a memorial for those killed at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, on Oct. 30, 2018. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP)

President Trump arrives at a campaign rally at the IX Center in Cleveland, Nov. 5, 2018. (Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP)

President Trump points to CNNs Jim Acosta during a news conference in the East Room of the White House on Nov. 7, 2018. (Photo: Evan Vucci/AP)

CNN journalist Abby Phillip asks President Trump a question outside the White House as he speaks with reporters before departing for France on Nov. 9, 2018. (Photo: Evan Vucci/AP)

President Trump views damage caused by wildfires as a city council member speaks in Paradise, Calif., on Nov. 17, 2018. (Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

President Trump tosses a coin before the Army-Navy NCAA college football game in Philadelphia on Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Matt Rourke/AP)

President Trump salutes the flag-draped casket of former President George H. W. Bush in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington on Dec. 3, 2018, as first lady Melania Trump looks on. (Photo: Patrick Semansky/AP)

President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence meet with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in the Oval Office of the White House on Dec. 11, 2018. (Photo: Evan Vucci/AP)

See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Twitter and Tumblr.SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  A suspected drunken driver accused of killing a California police officer who pulled him over was captured Friday as he tried to flee back to Mexico, where he lived before illegally crossing into the U.S., authorities said.

The sheriff leading the investigation blamed California's sanctuary law for preventing local authorities from reporting Gustavo Perez Arriaga to U.S. immigration officials for two previous drunken driving arrests. If he had been deported, the sheriff said, Cpl. Ronil Singh of the tiny Newman Police Department would still be alive.

"We can't ignore the fact that this could have been preventable," Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson told reporters, asking why the state was "providing sanctuary for criminals (and) gang members. It's a conversation we need to have."

Following a statewide manhunt, Perez Arriaga was arrested on a murder warrant in a house near Bakersfield, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of where Singh was shot Wednesday.

As a SWAT team prepared to raid the house, Perez Arriaga came out with his hands up and surrendered. He was sent north in the slain officer's handcuffs, Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said.

Perez Arriaga crossed the border in Arizona several years ago and had worked a variety of jobs as a laborer, including at several dairies. The 33-year-old Mexico native had gang affiliations and multiple Facebook pages with different names, Christianson said.

The shooting came amid an intense political fight over immigration, with President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats at odds over funding for a border wall that has forced a partial government shutdown.

Trump tweeted about Singh's killing Thursday, saying it was "time to get tough on Border Security. Build the Wall!"

California's sanctuary law limits cooperation between local authorities and U.S. immigration officials and has drawn scorn from the Trump administration. It includes more than 800 exceptions for violent crimes and felonies and bars police from asking people about their citizenship status.

Story continues

Former state Sen. Kevin de Leon, the Democrat who wrote the legislation, said it's unfair to blame the law for the officer's death.

Christianson, who was at a meeting with Trump and slams California's law in a video posted by the White House in May, said the measure prohibited his department from sharing Perez Arriaga's gang ties, "other active warrants" and past DUI arrests with federal immigration authorities. He didn't give details on the other warrants.

That suggests law enforcement could have apprehended Perez Arriaga previously, de Leon said.

"He should've been in the physical custody of law enforcement," de Leon said. To blame the law "is highly irresponsible."

Gov. Jerry Brown has said the law strikes a balance between protecting families and ensuring consequences for serious criminals. His spokesman said Friday that if the suspect was a known gang member, police could have provided that information to federal authorities.

"California law fully permits the sharing of information on dangerous gang members," spokesman Evan Westrup said.

A federal judge upheld the law earlier this year after a Trump administration challenge.

Christianson called for stricter laws at a news conference Friday as Singh's brother wept beside him.

Authorities also arrested five other people, including Perez Arriaga's brother, 25-year-old Adrian Virgen, and a co-worker, 32-year-old Erik Razo Quiroz, who lied to police to try to protect him, Christianson said. He said both men also were in the country illegally.

Three people also were arrested at the home near Bakersfield for helping Perez Arriaga, Youngblood said.

The 33-year-old officer was an immigrant, too, arriving legally from his native Fiji to fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, authorities said. Singh had a newborn son and joined the 12-officer Newman police force in 2011.

Newman Police Chief Randy Richardson called Singh a patriot.

"This is a man that loved his country. This is a man that worked hard for what he believed in. He believed in this community," the chief said at a Friday night community vigil honoring the officer.

Residents, friends, relatives and fellow officers held back tears as they eulogized Singh during the candlelight memorial.

Richard said Thursday that Singh, the department's first officer to die in the line of duty, drove more than two hours each way to attend the police academy in Yuba City. He joined the Merced County sheriff's office as a reserve officer and worked as an animal control officer in Turlock before being hired in Newman.

English was Singh's third language. He had a thick accent but took speech classes to improve his communication, the chief said.

___

Associated Press writers Daisy Nguyen in San Francisco, Amanda Lee Myers in Los Angeles and Kathleen Ronayne in Sacramento contributed to this report.Bamako (AFP) - Qatar has sent 24 armoured vehicles to Mali, army officials from both countries said Friday, as Doha pledges closer ties with the West African Sahel country locked in a battle with jihadist insurgents.

Qatari General al-Ghaffari said the vehicles would be used by the Malian army operating in areas with mines and improvised explosives.

"There will now be permanent cooperation between our armies in the fields of training, unit equipment and military exchanges between our countries," he told reporters in Mali's capital Bamako Friday.

Malian general Moustapha Drabo said the vehicles would help "protect our forces against ambushes, which is the tactic used by the terrorists".

Mali has been struggling to return to stability after Islamist extremists took control of the north in early 2012, prompting a military intervention by France.

The extremists were routed in the French operation in 2013 but large stretches of the landlocked African state remain out of government control.

Qatar has recently been looking to shore up allies outside its own region, where it is in a bitter feud with its Gulf neighbours.

"With this gesture, Qatar is clearly showing that Mali is among its allies in the Sahel, where Doha will be visibly more present," Malian sociologist Mamadou Samake said.

Qatar has found itself isolated since Saudi Arabia, along with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, severed diplomatic ties with Doha in 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism and fostering close ties with their regional rival Iran -- charges that Doha denies.Raytheon Companys RTN Missile Systems (MS) business division recently secured a $17-million modification contract for supporting the Standard Missile-2 (SM-2) with Zumwalt capability and design agent. The deal was awarded by the Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC.



Majority of the work related to the deal will be executed in Tucson, AZ, and Andover, MA. The entire task is expected to get completed by March 2022.



Advantages of the Standard Missile-2



The SM-2 system provides superior anti-air warfare and limited anti-surface warfare capabilities against advanced anti-ship missiles and aircraft. The missile is lethal against subsonic, supersonic, high-maneuvering, anti-ship cruise missile fighters, bombers and helicopters in an advanced electronic countermeasures environment.

Its upgraded Block IIIC is the newest variant that features an active radar seeker, and is designed to be even more effective in providing superior anti-air warfare and advanced anti-surface warfare capabilities against advanced anti-ship missiles and aircraft.



What Favors Raytheon?



In recent times, missile defense has steadily emerged to play a pivotal role for a nations defense strategy, due to the increasing geo-political tensions across the globe. To this end, Raytheon, a prominent U.S. missile-maker, has been clinching frequent awards from the United States and international customers, courtesy of its high-end, combat-proven missiles.



Inevitably, Raytheons growth prospects are expected to rise, owing to the technological advancements and services the company offers in missile defense. Notably, the companys MS division recorded third-quarter 2018 net sales of $2,082 million, reflecting a 7% improvement from the year-ago quarter. Considering this, we may expect the latest deal to instill further growth in this segment.



Interestingly, per the Markets and Markets research firm, the rocket and missile market is projected to see a CAGR of 4.74% from $55.5 billion in 2017 to $70 billion by 2022. This, in turn, should boost Raytheons growth prospects, going ahead.



Price Movement



Raytheons stock has lost 18.7% in the past 12 months, wider than the industrys decline of 5.3%. The underperformance may have been caused by the tough competition the company faces in the defense market.

Story continues





Zacks Rank & Other Stocks to Consider



Raytheon currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).



A few better-ranked companies in the same sector are Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings AJRD, Teledyne Technologies Inc. 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 came up with average positive earnings surprise of 19.27% in the last four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 earnings has increased 43.3% to $1.82 in the past 90 days.



Teledyne Technologies came up with average positive earnings surprise of 12.92% in the last four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 earnings has increased 6% to $8.75 in the past 90 days.



Lockheed Martin delivered average positive earnings surprise of 13.92% in the last four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 earnings has moved up 2.9% to $17.51 in the past 90 days.



Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars?



Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge.



With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research.



It's not the one you think.



See This Ticker Free >>



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Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (AJRD) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Raytheon Company (RTN) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment ResearchRLI Corps RLI share price rally makes the stock an investor favorite. Shares of the company have gained 11.1% year to date against the industry's decrease of 8.5% and the Zacks S&P 500 composites decline of 12%. With a market capitalization of $3 billion, average volume of shares traded in the last three months were 0.2 million.







Whats Behind the Upside?



RLI Corp. delivered positive earnings surprise in three of the last four quarters with the average beat being 3.98%.



This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) insurer is one of the industrys most profitable P&C writers with an impressive track record of underwriting profits in 37 of the past 41 years, particularly the last 22 years, reflecting superior underwriting discipline.



In fact, in its effort to boost underwriting results, RLI Corp has decided to drop underperforming products from its property business.



A diversified and compelling product portfolio, focus on new products, re-underwriting of several products, sturdy business expansion and operational strength have been aiding improvement in premiums.



Also, an improving rate environment, reflecting a strengthening economy, has been supporting better investment results.



Together, these have driven top-line improvement for the company.



The company also has an impressive inorganic growth story. Its strategic buyouts include Contractors Bonding Insurance Company, Rockbridge Underwriting Agency as well as a 20% stake in Prime Holdings Insurance Services, a specialty E&S company.



Lower tax rate due to the overhaul in tax policy, which slashed the tax rate to 21% from 35%, lent an additional boost to the bottom line.



A conservative underwriting and reserving policy continues to help insurers enjoy favorable reserve releases.



RLI Corps return on equity  a measure of profitability  is 11.4%, better than the industry average of 6.6%. This reflects the companys prudent usage of its shareholders funds.



The company also has a solid capital management policy in place. While the company has hiked dividend for the last 43 years, it has also been paying special dividend since 2011. Its dividend yield of 1.3% betters the industry average of 0.5%.



The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings and revenues for 2019 indicates year-over-year improvement of 1.9% and 5.6%, respectively.



Stocks to Consider



Some better-ranked property and casualty insurers are Mercury General Corp. MCY, National General Holdings Corp. NGHC and State Auto Financial Corp. STFC, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



Mercury General engages in writing personal automobile insurance in the United States. The company delivered positive surprise of 85.00% in the last reported quarter.



National General provides various insurance products and services in the United States. The company delivered positive surprise of 75.68% in the last reported quarter.



State Auto Financial engages in writing personal, business and specialty insurance products. The company pulled off a positive surprise of 62.96% in the last reported quarter.



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.

Story continues

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State Auto Financial Corporation (STFC) : Free Stock Analysis Report



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RLI Corp. (RLI) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment ResearchSteve Carell and Robert Zemeckis on the set of Welcome To Marwen (Universal)

Robert Zemeckis, the filmmaker responsible for some of the most iconic American movies of the last 40 years including Back To The Future, Forrest Gump, and Death Becomes Her, has a new film out in cinemas next week  Welcome To Marwen.

Its a dramatic retelling of the story first told in the acclaimed 2010 documentary Marwencol, of Mark Hogancamp, an artist whose life is changed forever when hes dealt a brutal beating by a gang of thugs.

The attack deprives Mark (played in the film by Steve Carell) of his memory and, as part of his therapy, the artist builds a toy WW2 town  Marwen  which he populates with dolls inspired by people in his life, and Hoagie, his doll avatar.

Zemeckis film brings the world of Marwen to life using state of the art performance capture technology and eye-popping CGI, making the film a visual treat.





We spoke with Zemeckis about how the film was brought to life, as well as probing him about the future of two of his most famous films.

Yahoo Movies UK: Why was Welcome To Marwen your next project?

Robert Zemeckis: When I saw the original documentary, I was very taken by this idea of the film speaking to the healing power of art, which is something that I was immediately attracted to, and identified with. I also think its a universal idea that people can understand, so that was the first thing.

The second thing was this world that was created by our hero, being this doll world. He was taking these still photographs, but there were these elaborate, traumatic stories that were taking place in his imagination. And I thought, wouldnt that be interesting to be able to put those on the screen.

So between those two ideas, that was what attracted me to the story.

With the story already told in the documentary, there were many different ways you could have done it as a drama, so how did you land on this narrative structure?

This image released by Universal Pictures shows the dolls of Marwen, from left, GI Julie, voiced by Janelle Monae, Carlala, voiced by Eiza Gonzalez, Suzette, voiced by Leslie Zemeckis, Roberta, voiced by Merritt Wever and Anna, voiced by Gwendoline Christie, in Welcome to Marwen. (Ed Araquel/Universal Pictures via AP)

I just always knew that I wanted the film to start in the imaginary doll world, and then id take us into the real world, and then we start to learn about this character. So by locking on to that as the start of the movie, created a narrative timeline that could only be done in one way. So I made the choice to have the audience understand the character from his emotional core, then to reveal exactly what happened to him later on in the story.

Story continues

How much input did the real Mark Hogencamp have in the film?

Mark was extremely respectful of our process and did not want to be a part of that. He understand that this was going to be a very loose dramatisation and not be his life exactly how it is in reality, and it couldnt be.

He read the screenplay and saw what we were doing, and saw the images, and the trailers. Steve and I went and spent time with him, so hes involved in that way but not in collaborating with developing the story.

How were the scenes in Marwen filmed?

It was done by using performance capture, but a much more advanced version of it than has been done before. So the actors play their doll characters, and they perform the entire performance for the dolls. We record them in a 3D volume, and then also lens cameras record their facial performance, and we digitally wrap it onto the doll avatar.

Did they have sets to work with?

No. And they didnt have costumes, it was grey mo-cap leotards with markers. Theres nothing in the set. So its like doing black box theatre, theres nothing in the set.

Obviously theres props and chairs and furniture that we put in the set, but as far as them having this world that theyre in, that is all done later virtually.

Did you use real life dolls for reference, Action Man or Barbies for example?

The inhabitants of Marwen (Universal)

Theres a more high end brand of action figure, than Action Man or Barbie, that are the ones that the real aficionados use, who collect them, and use them as hobbyists. Those are what we used more than the off-the-shelf dolls. The high end ones are like the ones Mark used in his work as well.

What was the most complicated part of the VFX process?

The most complicated part wasnt so much during the shooting, it was in the design of the movie. I wanted to make sure that people took the emotional essence of the actors performances and translate it into the doll. I thought it was important that the audience always feels that actress or actor was playing the doll character.

So that was where we spent a lot of time in R and D, and did a lot of testing to make sure that we were actually making that that the performance of the live action actor was being very specifically applied to the doll. That was the trickiest part.

They did a good job.

When the first trailer came out, another trailer came along quite quickly, which many suspected was a course correction for the marketing of the film, whats the story behind that?

I have to stay away from the marketing because I dont think Im good at it, because I have no objectivity. Im too close to the film. Every time I start to think about how the film should be marketed, everything that I like tests really badly. And everything that I find confusing, that tests very strongly. So its an art form that I dont understand.

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Steve Carell in Welcome to Marwen. (Ed Araquel/Universal Pictures via AP)

I think what happened on the trailers, there was a second trailer that came out that was done by the international division, and the first trailer was done by the marketing division, and so theyd both tested very high, and I liked them both, so they just said lets put both of them out.

The first one has a bit more humour in it than the second one, but they both worked perfectly fine.

Back To The Future topped a poll of films people want to see more of, youve been adamantly against a fourth film, are you still?

Oh god yes. But I think what the poll is saying they asked a specific question, so I guess they felt it was important to spend money to poll the world, and ask this question, but dont you think we could all have just given them the same answer? It confirms what we all know, but what I think the fans are really saying is that we really like this movie and if it were possible Id like more of it. But they understand that it cant be done.

Its the 30th anniversary of Who Framed Roger Rabbit this year. Youve said Disney isnt keen on a sequel, but surely in this era of streaming content, there must be room for it now?

I dont think so. I dont know where it fits in in their universe. Theres no princess in it, so I dont know where that would be.

Theres a wonderful script sitting at Disney that is really good, but I dont think its on their radar.

Welcome To Marwen is in cinemas from New Years Day, 1 January.

Read more

Back To The Future stars reunited

Classic movies that will never be remade

The best movies of 2018Moscow (AFP) - Russia said Friday it will host a three-way summit with Turkey and Iran on the Syrian conflict early next year, after Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov voiced scepticism about an announced withdrawal of US forces.

"It's our turn to host the summit... around the first week of the year. This will depend on the schedules of the presidents" of the three countries, deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov was cited as saying by Interfax news agency.

The last meeting between Russia's Vladimir Putin, Iran's Hassan Rouhani and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan took place in Iran in September.

Lavrov refused to comment Friday on the US announcement, saying he was "waiting for actions to follow words."

US President Donald Trump has said he will withdraw 2,000 US soldiers deployed in Syria, claiming that the Islamic State jihadists there had been defeated.

"The Americans don't always do what they promise, far from it," Lavrov said. "Washington clearly wants to pass on the responsibilities on the ground to its partners in the coalition."

A Turkish delegation that includes Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Defence Minister Hulusi Akar is due in Moscow on Saturday to discuss the US pullout.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov hailed the entry on Friday by Syrian forces into the key northern city of Manbij for the first time in six years after Kurds opened the gates.

"Of course, this will help in stabilising the situation. The enlargement of the zone under the control of government forces... is without doubt a positive trend," he said.

Kurdish forces who were left exposed by Trump's pledge to withdraw US troops have asked the Syrian regime for help to face a threatened Turkish offensive.

Ankara is opposed to Kurdish control of Syrian territory close to its border, saying it helps Kurdish separatists inside Turkey.

Peskov said the Turkish ministers' visit to Moscow would serve to "clarify" the situation and "synchronise actions" between the two countries.

Story continues

A three-way summit in January would be the latest step in the Astana peace process -- set up in early 2017 by Russia and Iran, who support President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, and opposition backer Turkey.

The Astana process was launched after Russia's military intervention in Syria tipped the balance in the Damascus regime's favour.

Lavrov said the "ultimate goal" of the Astana process is to "restore peace in Syria, with all ethnic and religious groups at ease and at peace, including the Kurds of course."Moscow (AFP) - Russia touted Thursday a new hypersonic missile said to hit speeds of more than 30,000 kilometres per hour, amid heightened tension with the US over arms control.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday tracked final tests of a hypersonic missile dubbed "Avangard," which he says would defeat all existing missile defence systems.

When Putin unveiled the new weapon during his state of the nation address in March, he said the missile was highly manoeuvrable and flew at 20 times the speed of sound.

Senior officials now say the intercontinental projectile is considerably faster.

"During tests, Avangard reached the speed of Mach 27," or roughly 33,000 kilometres (20,500 miles) per hour, Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov said in televised remarks.

Mach 1 is a unit of measurement equivalent to the speed of sound.

"At this speed not a single intercepter missile can shoot it down," Borisov said.

He also claimed it was impossible to predict the missile's movements, which meant "missile defence is practically rendered obsolete."

Putin termed the final test an "absolute success," and said Avangard would be deployed next year.

The Bell, an independent media outlet, said Putin was so excited about Wednesday's tests that he told Russian businessmen about them later in the day and said that no one could threaten Russia now because it has such advanced weapons.

Last week Putin laid out plans for Moscow to develop mid-range missiles banned under a Cold War treaty with the United States if Washington abandons the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty (INF).

The bilateral agreement forbids ground-launched short- and intermediate-range missiles, but not those launched from the air or sea.

Putin said that seaborne Kalibr and air-launched Kh-101 cruise missiles -- and another hypersonic missile dubbed Kinzhal (Dagger) -- would be adapted for ground launch if Washington ditched the INF treaty.

Russia and the US have accused each other of violating the agreement.The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System and National Irrigation Administration have formed an alliance to share their resources in support of the governments massive infrastructure program aimed at spurring economic development. Administrators Reynaldo V. Velasco of MWSS and Ricardo R. Visaya of NIA have agreed to solve water and food security problems of their stakeholders by undertaking joint projects, including those aimed at flood mitigation to maintain ecological balance and preserve the environment. Meeting with NIA officials, Velasco explained that while there is adequate water supply in Metro Manila and the nearby provinces covered by MWSS, additional water sources need to be developed to ensure water security. He revealed that of the water supplied to MWSS service areas, 96 percent comes from the Angat-Umiray Water system, three percent from Laguna Lake and one percent from ground water. Except for the Angat-Umiray Water system, MWSS has not developed new water sources for the past few decades. At present, MWSS is implementing several water infrastructure projects that include the Bulacan Bulk Water Supply Project and other projects collectively called the Angat Water Security Projects. Velasco noted that of MWSS 46 cubic meters per second (cms) of water rights, 15 cms is from the NIAs 36 cms water rights, pursuant to Resolution No. 03-0188 of the National Water Resources Board, leaving NIA with 21 cms equivalent to 1,814 million liters per day. NIAs Bustos Dam currently has 600 MLD water capacity, leaving 1,214 MLD that can be tapped for potable water supply.MWSS recently entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with ITP-JV Co. for the conduct of a feasibility study on the possible utilization of the untapped water. ITP-JV Co. has submitted an unsolicited proposal to extract an average flow of 800 MLD, of which 400 MLD will augment the water supply of Bulacan, and 400 MLD will be used by MWSS. As proposed, the water extraction will be done in two phases: Phase 1, which will extract 250 MLD, will be completed by 2020-2021 while Phase 2 which will extract 550 MLD will be completed by 2022-2024. This will be the first of the ABC Projects and will form part of the Angat-Ipo-Norzagaray Water Optimization Plan. Visaya lauded the plan saying it manifests both agencies support for the Build. Build, Build Program of the Duterte Administration. He added that through efficient partnerships among government agencies, and between the public and private sectors, the water sources for present and future needs can be developed. The other components of the ABC Projects are the Bayabas Dam Project and the Candaba Multi-Purpose Impounding Dam. The Bayabas Dam Project is located in Dona Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan. The completion of these projects will provide the desired water security level for Mega Manila at least over the next five to ten years. For NIA, it will also mean sufficient water supply for irrigation as it fulfills its objective of propelling agricultural productivity, economic growth, and food sufficiency.Madrid (AFP) - Unions for Ryanair's 1,800 cabin crew in Spain threatened Friday to strike in January unless the Irish low-cost airline agrees to improve work and pay conditions.

It was just the latest setback for the airline, which has faced a wave of strikes in several European countries in recent months.

The two unions representing the staff, USO and Sitcpla, called for 24-hour strikes on January 8, 10 and 13 because Ryanair had failed to reach an agreement with them during mediation.

The unions are demanding local contracts under local law rather than the Irish contracts Ryanair uses widely.

It was "disgusting" that Ryanair "continues to refuse to accept national law with all its consequences", USO representative Jairo Gonzalo said in a statement.

Europe's biggest low-cost airline only began recognising unions for the first time in its 30-year history in December last year, to avert mass strikes during the busy Christmas period.

In July, strikes by cockpit and cabin crew disrupted 600 flights in Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain, affecting 100,000 travellers.

Then on September 28, cabin crew walked out again in Germany, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain and in some countries pilots' unions also took action.

The budget carrier has so far managed to clinch labour agreements with staff in several countries including Britain, Germany, Portugal and Italy.

Spain is Ryanair's third biggest market. The airline has 13 of its 89 bases in the country.Caution: Police in Ohio shared this screenshot of the phishing email, which encourages subscribers to update their payment method. Source: Federal Trade Commission

Netflix users are being warned not to fall for highly-convincing phishing emails that ask them to update their payment details.

The fake emails claim to be from the streaming giant but are actually from criminals trying to steal customers money.

The message says: Were having some trouble with your current billing information. Well try again, but in the meantime you may want to update your payment details.

READ MORE: Netflix is adding almost as many subscribers in one year as HBO did in 40 years

At the end of the message, there is a red button that tells you to update account now. The link is to a fake website run by scammers who can use the information you enter to hack into your bank account.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a US government agency that deals with consumer protection, issued a warning urging Netflix users not to take the bait.

Scammers use your information to steal your money, your identity or both, it said. They also use phishing emails to get access to your computer or network. If you click on a link, they can install ransomware or other programs that can lock you out of your data.

READ MORE: Netflix is addicted to debt and investors should be terrified

The FTC offered the following tips to beat scams. Netflix users should:

Check it out. If you have concerns about the email, contact the company directly. Look up its phone number or website to make sure youre getting the real company, and not a scammer.

Take a closer look. Bad grammar and spelling can tip you off to phishing. Other clues: Your name is missing or you dont even have an account with the company. Listing only an international phone number is also suspicious.

Report phishing emails. For Netflix, forward the message to phishing@netflix.com. In the UK, you can also report messages to Action Fraud.



delaware court of chancery

Delaware Court of Chancery.



The Delaware Court of Chancery in 2018 sought to provide new guidance in appraisal litigation after two landmark rulings from the state's high court set a clear preference for deal price in determining fair value in corporate mergers.



The new developments followed major rulings last year from the Supreme Court in the Dell and DFC appraisal actions, which said merger price is the best metric for finding fair value when there is a "robust" sale process conducted in a well-functioning market for the target company's stock.



The rulings were widely seen as an unprecedented shift in the way Delaware handles what had become a vexing issue for the state's dockets. While Dell and DFC sent a clear message to litigators, it will be up to the courts to determine in 2019 what makes a transaction Dell compliant.



Both decisions, and some that have followed, have exposed a divide in Delawares legal community and generated criticism among attorneys for appraisal seekers, who argue that the result could effectively strip dissident investors of a statutory remedy available under state law.



Attorneys for the companies counter that the rulings were needed to stem the rising tide of appraisal arbitrage, where firms would buy up large amounts of companies stock on news that a sale was imminent in order to exercise appraisal rights under the Delaware General Corporation Law.



The next major shift in the appraisal landscape is likely to come from the Supreme Court in a hotly contested appeal from appraisal seekers who had withheld their support from Hewlett-Packard Co.s 2015 deal to buy Silicon Valley wireless networking company Aruba Networks Inc.



Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster in January dealt a striking blow to petitioners in the case, finding that the merger's $24.67-per-share deal price far exceeded Aruba's true value at the time. Laster later said that Dell and DFC had changed things, and that ruling was his best effort to grapple with Supreme Court precedent altering the decisional landscape and authorizing greater reliance on market value.



I reasoned through the issues as best I could and reached what I believe is the correct determination of fair value for purposes of this case. At this point, the proper institutional remedy for correcting any errors lies with the senior tribunal on appeal, Laster said in a May ruling denying motions for reargument on both sides.



The appeal, which is set to be argued in early 2019, is expected to parse out what exactly qualifies as a "robust" sales process. In DFC, Supreme Court Chief Justice Leo E. Strine indicated that a conflict-free and arms-length sale that featured a market search assessing both potential financial and strategic buyers would meet the mark.



However, the high court has since declined to set a clear rule governing appraisal cases.



Some scholars, like Lawrence Hamermesh of Widener University Delaware Law School, have argued for the use of the same tests developed in Revlon cases for determining whether a transaction would survive enhanced scrutiny. But absent further direction from the justices, attorneys and judges were left to sort through thorny issues as best they could in the trial court.



"I'm guessing this case Aruba will plumb that department a little more fully," Hamermesh said.



While Aruba could produce a sweeping statement from the Supreme Court, other issues in 2019 could be addressed incrementally. Particularly, attorneys and observers will look to see how the Chancery Court fleshes out deal synergies and their impact on a company's fair value.



Chancellor Andre G. Bouchard, in the case In re Appraisal of Solera Holdings Consolidation, ruled that financial buyers, and not just strategic purchasers, could benefit from synergies, though it remains unclear how the court will measure synergistic value. In Solera, Bouchard did, however, did embrace empiracle industry studies to help answer the question.



Writing for Delaware Business Court Insider in November, Morris James partner P. Clarkson Collins Jr. said it would ultimately be up to the Supreme Court to resolve "whether and how much" of a deal premium needs to be deducted from the merger price to determine appraisal fair value.



However, he said, one thing is clear at the moment: "Where the merger price was once thought to serve as a floor in an appraisal contest, it is now clear that it serves as a ceiling when the Dell market and process conditions have been established."Too much soap isnt good for your skin. Photo: Getty

If youre one for jumping into a nice hot shower every day after work then youre in for a shock.

It turns out showering every day is actually bad for you and having the opposite effect than what we thought on your skin.

Yes, you read that right  using soap too often is actually damaging the outer layer of your skin, and impacting what are known as microbes.

Microbes are there to keep our immune systems and heart functioning, and even help protect against acne breakouts, according to Her.

So using soap too often is having a negative effect on your overall skin health.

Dr Casey Carlos, a dermatology professor at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, actually suggests people only use soap in particular places such as the groin, armpits, and feet.

Our skin has the amazing ability to clean itself, she told LifeHack.

Studies have shown that the top layer of your skin is composed of dead skin cells that protect underlying skin layers and is held together by fats or lipids that are responsible for moisture.

Whenever you shower and scrub, youre breaking this layer apart, meaning the more showers you take, the more damage occurs in the top layer.

If you shower too often you are also giving your skin less time to repair between scrubs and preventing good bacteria from growing on your skin.

There is however no official word on how many times one should shower during the week. That would be hard to pin-point given the difference in peoples lifestyles.

Of course, if you work outdoors, in a mechanic workshop, or go to the gym daily, youre probably going to need a shower.

Sorry microbes.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for non-stop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyleUK.

Read more from Yahoo Style UK:

Bath or shower: Which is better for us?

Eczema sufferers should only shower four times a week

Your dirty shower could make you seriously illIt's now possible to trade the results of different snowfall amounts for New Year's Eve in 24 U.S. cities. TradeWx.com, offered by CX Futures Exchange, L.P. ("CX"), a United States regulated derivatives exchange, provides access to the CX snowfall exchange market, allowing trading on the results of every day of the year including New Year's Eve. Traders may purchase positions in this market for as little as $1.00 or for much larger amounts when hedging financial risk from too much or too little snowfall.

CX snowfall traders are encouraged to visit AccuWeather often to get the latest forecast data. Currently, AccuWeather is forecasting rain in New York City with temperatures in the 40s to near 50 F, for example. However, AccuWeather predicts that snow will fall in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, on New Year's Eve. Snow is expected to accumulate 1 - 3 inches in the area.



TradeWx Will it snow NYE?

Currently the estimated settlement price at TradeWx.com for 2.0 to 2.9 inches of snowfall in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, during the day on New Year's Eve is $6.76 for each contract (current cost is $2.00 per contract, excluding fees). Traders must visit TradeWx.com to see the current market price for their trades.

TradeWx.com is currently giving $10 toward trading when a new account is approved, which may be moments after the online application is submitted. See TradeWx.com for complete rules.

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CX is a registered trademark of CX Futures Exchange, L.P. or its affiliates in the U.S. and/or other countries.

AccuWeather provides weather-related data to CX Futures Exchange and is compensated for this data. AccuWeather is not registered with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission in any capacity. The weather-related data provided by AccuWeather does not constitute an offering of financial instruments, investment/trading advice or recommendations, and should not be considered solely sufficient information to make investment/trading decisions. AccuWeather shall have no liability as to the use of such data.

Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros on Friday described as a good milestone to cap off a productive year for the health sector the Supreme Courts decision dismissing a petition that challenges the validity of the measure. She said the high courts ruling clearly demonstrates that the law is faithful to the Constitution and validates the democratic processes that were conducted to craft it. With the decision, Hontiveros hopes it settles with finality all the legal challenges that might be raised by a few to undermine the spirit of the law. I now ask all stakeholders and relevant sectors to respect and commit to the full implementation of the law, said the opposition senator. Let us end the despicable practice of demanding any deposit or other forms of advance payment as a pre-requisite for admission or medical treatment of an emergency patient, particularly a poor person or pregnant woman, she said.Let us welcome the new year with a stronger commitment to provide adequate health care to our citizens, especially those who need it the most, added Hontiveros, principal sponsor and author of Republic Act No. 10932 or The Strengthened Anti-Hospital Deposit Law. The Supreme Court has dismissed a petition assailing the constitutionality of the law that increases the penalties for owners of hospitals and clinics and their physicians and personnel who request, solicit, demand or accept deposits or advance payments as a prerequisite not only for confinement or medical treatment but also for administering basic emergency care. In a decision released last week, the high court did not make a definitive declaration on the constitutionality of RA 10932, which was signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte on Aug. 3, 2017. Nonetheless, the Court ruled that the law enjoys the presumption of constitutionality, which the Court, at the first instance, cannot disturb in the absence of a prima facie showing of grave abuse of discretion and, upon delving into the merits, in the absence of a clearest showing that there was indeed an infraction of the Constitution.Electric car manufacturer Tesla has added new members to its board, to prevent CEO Elon Musk from making any more false and misleading statements.

The company said Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, and Kathleen Wilson-Thompson, head of human resources at Walgreens, had joined as part of a settlement with financial regulators who demanded more scrutiny and oversight of the 47-year-old tech entrepreneur, known for making headline grabbing statements.

Excited to have Larry Ellison & Kathleen Wilson-Thompson join the Tesla board, Mr Musk tweeted on Friday, as Tesla shares rose more than two per cent following the news.

Mr Musk fell foul of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) this summer after he claimed in a tweet he had secured funding to take the electric car company private at $420 per share.

The SEC said he he had misled investors intentionally, as funding had not been secured, according to the Associated Press. Shares of Tesla leapt by 11 per cent on the day of the tweet, but a few weeks later, Mr Musk said the plan to take the company private was no longer going ahead.

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He was charged with securities fraud.

In a settlement hammered out by his lawyers and the SEC, Mr Musk paid a fine of $20m and agreed not to serve as chairman for three years.

The company was also fined $20m, and undertook to appoint two new independent board members and put in place a series of charges to its management and governance.

Corporate officers hold positions of trust in our markets and have important responsibilities to shareholders, Steven Peikin, of the SECs enforcement division, said in September when the settlement was announced.

An officers celebrity status or reputation as a technological innovator does not give license to take those responsibilities lightly.Thousands more prisoners will be able to make phone calls from their cells following a 10 million cash injection (Picture: Getty)

Thousands more prisoners will be able to make phone calls from their cells as part of a 10 million funding boost from the Government.

As part of the 10 million roll-out, funded by extra money allocated to prisons in the Budget, the number of jails with phones in cells will rise to 50 by March 2020.

Currently, they are installed in 20 prisons in England and Wales.

The measure is part of Government plans to tackle violence and re-offending and aims to boost rehabilitation by helping inmates maintain family ties, tackle the flow of illegal mobiles and reduce tension on wings.

Phone calls  currently 20 prisons in England and Wales have in-cell phones (Picture: Getty)

Announcing the expansion, Justice Secretary David Gauke said: At this time of year more than any other were reminded of the importance of family, and there can be few groups that this applies to more than prisoners.

In-cell telephones provide a crucial means of allowing prisoners to build and maintain family relationships, something we know is fundamental to their rehabilitation.

MORE: Fresh appeal launched over death of Second World War veteran, 98, following robbery

MORE: Number of migrants trying to reach Britain deeply concerning according to immigration minister

Introducing them to more prisons is a recognition of the contribution I believe in-cell telephones make to turning prisons into places of decency where offenders have a real chance to transform their lives.

Prisoners pay to make calls on in-cell phones. All calls made on them are recorded and can only be made to a small number of pre-approved numbers.

If prisoners are suspected of using them for criminal activity, calls can be monitored and governors have the power to remove them from people who are misuising them.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) says the in-cell phones are part of efforts to bring stability by reducing tension which can arise from queuing to use communal phones, and by providing an alternative to illicit mobiles which fuel crime and violence.

The illegal use of mobiles is recognised as one of the most significant threats faced by jails.

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In the 12 months to March, there were 10,643 incidents where mobile phones were found in prisons, up 15% on the previous year.

The MoJ also argues that allowing inmates to make calls in private at times which fit with their families schedules helps them preserve relationships and improve their chances of rehabilitation  reducing reoffending.

It says the phones also provide easier access to support services such as the Samaritans and MIND, reducing the risk of self-harm.

Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UKUS$17 billion Thomson Reuters deal: In the biggest leveraged buyout of the year, and among the biggest deals since the financial crisis, a consortium including sovereign wealth fund GIC acquired a 55% stake in Thomson Reuters Financial and Risk business, now known as Refinitiv. The Blackstone-led consortium, which also included the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, paid Thomson-Reuters about US$17 billion (S$23 billion) in gross cash proceeds. Reuters News remains part of Thomson Reuters, together with its accounting, and legal and tax divisions.

Ant Financial CEO Eric Jing speaks at the fifth World Internet Conference (WIC) in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, China. (Photo: REUTERS/Jason Lee

2. US$14 billion Ant Financial deal: Chinas Ant Financial has become the biggest unicorn company in the world, after successfully raising US$14 billion (S$19 billion) in a funding round in which GIC and Temasek Holdings were among the main investors. Ant Financial operates Alipay, Chinas biggest third-party payment provider. The stake acquired was not disclosed. Other main investors in the private funding round included US equity firm Warbug Pincus, Malaysias Khazanah Nasional Berhad and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.

Dulux paint cans are filled on the production line inside AkzoNobels new paint factory in Ashington, Britain. (Photo: REUTERS/Phil Noble)

3. 10.1 billion Akzo Nobel deal: To refocus its businesses, Akzo Nobel, the maker of Dulux paints, sold its specialty chemicals business for 10.1 billion (S$15.7 billion) to GIC and the Carlyle Group, an American private equity firm. The Amsterdam-based Akzo Nobel is one of the biggest paints and coatings businesses in the world.

The logo sign of Accor Hotels, a French multinational hotel group. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

4. 4.6 billion AccorInvest deal: As part of an international consortium, GIC acquired a 57.8% stake in AccorInvest, the property business of mega French hotel chain AccorHotels, for 4.6 billion (S$7.2 billion). Consortium members include Saudi

Arabia sovereign wealth fund PIF, Credit Agricole Assurances, Colony NorthStar, and Amundi. AccorInvest has a portfolio of nearly 891 hotels, mostly in Europe, and operates the Novotel, Mercure and Ibis hotels.

Employees of German drugmaker Bayer AG that bought U.S. seed company Monsanto protest against plans to sell several business divisions and chop some 12,000 jobs at a Bayer plant in the city of Wuppertal, western Germany. The placard reads Good work! Are we!. (Photo:REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay)

5. 3 billion Bayer deal: Temasek Holdings bought a 3.6% stake in German drug maker Bayer for 3 billion (S$4.7 billion), raising its total stake in the pharmaceutical giant to about 4%. Temasek agreed to raise its shareholding to help Bayer raise funds for its proposed acquisition of Monsanto, a producer of genetically modified crops.Atme (Syria) (AFP) - Torrential rains have washed away hundreds of tents in camps sheltering displaced Syrians in the north of the war-wracked country, aid groups have said, as residents pleaded for help.

"On December 26... hundreds of tents were washed away in Atme, Dana, Sarmada and Qah in the northern countryside of Idlib," the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organisations said in a statement Thursday.

"Many shelters, food and water stocks were ruined by flooding," it said.

In the Omar camp in the town of Atme near the Turkish border, two days of heavy rains flooded flimsy plastic tents and turned nearby fields into pools of mud, said an AFP correspondent, who toured the area on Thursday.

Residents of the makeshift homes said the deluge destroyed their few belongings, including bedding, leaving them with nothing as temperatures plunged below zero.

"My tent has been flooded and the waters have carried away the mattresses and the carpets we used to sleep on," said Umm Adi, a widow and mother of four, who had sought refuge from the seven-year conflict in Omar camp.

"Even the spoons and the food are gone," she told AFP.

"Everything was lost in the floods. We have nothing left."

Tens of thousands of displaced Syrians in the north of the country depend on handouts from humanitarian aid groups, including food, blankets and heating fuel, to survive the cold winter climate.

Since 2011, Syria's war has killed more than 360,00 people and caused more than half the country's population to flee their homes.

Firas al-Modhi, 18, who fled the town of Halfaya in the central Hama province, also saw his family's tent in Omar camp destroyed by the downpour.

"The rain and the water submerged our tent. Everything is wet. We don't have a blanket left," he said.

With temperatures of zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) there was little to help him and his family stay warm, he said.

Story continues

"We appeal to aid groups to help us," the young man said.

The Union of Medical Care and Relief Organisations, a France-based coalition of non-governmental organisations, also urged the international community and aid agencies "to release emergency funding" for those stricken by the floods.

"People living in camps in northern Syria are facing difficult humanitarian conditions... The displaced people are humbly asking for help," it said in its statement.

It said rescuers were trying to assess the needs of the displaced and provide those affected by the bad weather with food aid.

Displaced Syrians in the north whose camps have been flooded are in need of "adequate shelter, heating, clothing, water and food," it added.BERLIN (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's criticism of the Russian-backed Nord Stream 2 pipeline is no reason to stop the project and any attempt to do so would be difficult now that it is being built, European Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said.

Trump has attacked Berlin for supporting the $11 billion gas pipeline spanning the Baltic Sea, accusing Germany in July of being a "captive" of Russia due to its reliance on Russian energy.

U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry said last month that Washington retained the option of imposing sanctions on companies working on the pipeline, which would bring Russian gas directly to Germany.

Berlin and Moscow have been at odds since Russia annexed Crimea four years ago, but they have a common interest in the Nord Stream 2 project, which will double the capacity of the existing Nord Stream 1 route from next year.

"I was never a great supporter of Nord Stream 2," Oettinger, the EU's budget commissioner, told German magazine Der Spiegel. "But the truth is the pipeline has long been under construction and can no longer so easily be stopped."

He added: "Trump's threats are no reason for that."

Germany refuses to join opposition to the project from many EU states and - thus far - from the EU executive, describing it as a private enterprise.

Washington is concerned that the pipeline, which will bypass Ukraine by running under the Baltic Sea, will strip Ukraine of important transit revenue and says Moscow is using the project to divide Europe.

Ukraine derives up to 3 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) from transit charges.

Construction of the project is progressing.

Oettinger, a German, pressed Russian gas giant Gazprom <GAZP.MM>, which is leading the project, to agree "a fair deal on the further use of the existing pipelines through Ukraine".

Gazprom is the sole shareholder in Nord Stream 2, shouldering half of the 9.5 billion euro ($10.89 billion) construction cost. Gazprom's European partners are Germany's Uniper <UN01.DE> and Wintershall <BASFn.DE>, Anglo-Dutch group Royal Dutch Shell <RDSa.L>, France's Engie <ENGIE.PA> and Austria's OMV <OMVV.VI>.

($1 = 0.8720 euros)

(Writing by Paul Carrel; Editing by Adrian Croft)By Michael Hirtzer and Tom Polansek

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S.-China trade war resulted in billions of dollars of losses for both sides in 2018, hitting industries including autos, technology - and above all, agriculture.

Broad pain from trade tariffs outlined by several economists shows that, while specialized industries including U.S. soybean crushing benefited from the dispute, it had an overall detrimental impact on both of the world's two largest economies.

The losses may give U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, motivation to resolve their trade differences before a March 2 deadline, although talks between the economic superpowers could still devolve.

The U.S. and Chinese economies each lose about $2.9 billion annually due to Beijing's tariffs on soybeans, corn, wheat and sorghum alone, said Purdue University agricultural economist Wally Tyner.

Disrupted agricultural trade hurt both sides particularly hard because China is the world's biggest soybean importer and last year relied on the United States for $12 billion worth of the oilseed.

China has mostly been buying soy from Brazil since imposing a 25 percent tariff on American soybeans in July in retaliation for U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods. The surge in demand pushed Brazilian soy premiums to a record over U.S. soy futures in Chicago, in an example of the trade war reducing sales for U.S. exporters and raising costs for Chinese importers.

"Its something that's crying for a resolution," Tyner said. "It's a lose-lose for both the United States and China."

Total U.S. agricultural export shipments to China for the first 10 months of 2018 fell by 42 percent from a year earlier to about $8.3 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The most actively traded soybean futures contract averaged $8.75 per bushel from July to December 2018, down from an average of $9.76 during the same period a year earlier.

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As of Dec. 28, futures in the last month of the year were averaging $8.95-1/2 a bushel. That was down from $9.61-3/4 for all of December last year.

To compensate suffering farmers, the U.S. government has allocated about $11 billion to direct payments and buying agricultural goods for government food programs, after consulting economists, including Tyner.

In North Dakota, which exports crops to China through ports in the Pacific Northwest, soy farmers face at least $280 million in losses because of Beijing's tariffs, said Mark Watne, president of the North Dakota Farmers Union.

"You could almost put another $100 million on top of this because all commodity prices are down and that affects North Dakota farmers indirectly," Watne said.

China's tariffs improved margins for U.S. soy crushers such as Archer Daniels Midland Co <ADM.N> by leaving plentiful supplies of cheap soybeans on the domestic market.

Chinese soybean mills, on the other hand, front-loaded soy purchases ahead of the tariffs. This led to an oversupply that reduced Chinese processing margins and led factories this summer to make the biggest cuts in years to the production of soymeal used to feed livestock.

China resumed purchases of U.S. soybeans in early December following a trade truce agreed to by leaders from the two countries during G20 summit in Argentina. But Beijing kept its 25 percent tariffs on the oilseed from America, which effectively curbed commercial Chinese buying.

"With the tariffs, the beans can't go into the commercial system," said a manager at a major Chinese feed producer, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The buying will have a very limited impact on the market."

China also suffered as products such as phone batteries were hit by U.S. tariffs, and customers began looking to buy from other countries.

A study commissioned by the Consumer Technology Association showed U.S. tariffs on imported Chinese products cost the technology industry an additional $1 billion per month.

The conflict also squeezed U.S. retail, manufacturing and construction companies that had to pay more for metal and other goods.

"Input price pressures remained elevated in part due to tariffs, particularly in manufacturing and construction, and firms were struggling to pass these higher costs onto customers," the Dallas Federal Reserve said.

The Big Three Detroit automakers - General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles  have each said higher tariff costs will result in a hit to profits of about $1 billion this year.

The pain is ongoing, economists say: Ford and Fiat expect a similar hit in 2019.

(Reporting by Michael Hirtzer, Rajesh Kumar Singh and Tom Polansek in Chicago, Ann Saphir in San Francisco, Humeyra Pamuk and David Lawder in Washington, Ben Klayman in Detroit and Hallie Gu in Beijing. Editing by P.J. Huffstutter and Jonathan Oatis)The Trump administration has a suggestion for federal employees worried about not being able to afford rent thanks to the government shutdown: work odd jobs for your landlord in exchange for rent.

While almost 800,000 government employees are impacted by the the presidents government shutdown, the Office of Personnel Management sent out a document with recommended three cover letter templates.

These three cover letterswhich are addressed to creditors, mortgage companies, and landlordsare intended to help employees affected by the shutdown to explain their financial situation and ask for assistance, lenciency, or extended time to make payments.

Feds, here are sample letters you may use as a guide when working with your creditors during this furlough. If you need legal advice please consult with your personal attorney. https://t.co/t6h6OzALsS  OPM (@USOPM) December 27, 2018

The most baffling, however, is what was suggested in the cover letter meant to address the landlords of furloughed employees.

I would like to discuss with you the possibility of trading my services to perform maintenance (e.g. painting, carpentry work) in exchange for partial rent payments, the cover letter read.

This enraged former White House officials, and social media users, online.

Read more

What happens during a government shutdown?

Furloughed workers are advised to ask landlords about the possibility of trading services to perform maintenance (e.g. painting, carpentry work) in exchange for partial rent payments, Chris Lu, former Deputy Secretary of Labour under the Obama administration, posted on Twitter. The US govt is the worlds most powerful organisation. This is what its been reduced to.

Furloughed workers are advised to ask landlords about "the possibility of trading services to perform maintenance (e.g. painting, carpentry work) in exchange for partial rent payments."



The U.S. govt is the world's most powerful organization. This is what it's been reduced to. https://t.co/2AEwJXbTny  Chris Lu (@ChrisLu44) December 27, 2018

This is pathetic, a former US government employee tweeted.  Ive been through a few of these shutdowns in my past career. This hurts every affected federal worker, regardless of their GS-level.

Story continues

But a Twitter user pointed out the obvious.

Just pay the workers, man, they tweeted. By the way, why is the senate, the house and [Donald] Trump getting pay.

Just pay the workers, man. By the way, why is the senate, the house and Trump getting pay.  Asha (@roti4so) December 28, 2018

Others are dumbfounded with the OPMs suggestion that furloughed employees should consult with their personal employees for legal advice.

If you see this tone-deaf tweet and actually need a lawyer, the words you want to google are LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION and [your location], one social media user tweeted. LSC provides free civil (as opposed to criminal) counsel to folks in need. Theres at least one office in every congressional district.

If you see this tone-deaf tweet and actually need a lawyer, the words you want to google are "LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION" and "[your location]". LSC provides free civil (as opposed to criminal) counsel to folks in need. There's at least one office in every congressional district.  Publius Clodius Thrasea Paetus (@PubliusCTPaetus) December 27, 2018

Its incredibly expensive to have personal attorneys on retainers, which is highly unlikely to be affordable to a furloughed employee on a government salary.

Support free-thinking journalism and subscribe to Independent Minds

The notion that the average government employee, now working without pay, has a personal attorney is the absurdity I was trying to highlight, another tweeted.

"Personal attorney?"



Sure thing, I'll just dip into my vast personal fortune.  Dan Hocson (@dochocson) December 27, 2018

Personal attorney? one posted on Twitter. Sure thing, Ill just dip into my vast personal fortune.

President Trump enacted a government shutdown when he could not reach a deal with Congress to fund his border wall on the US-Mexico Border -with $5 billion. Earlier this month, in response to concerns for furloughed employees, the president tweeted that most of the people not getting paid are Democrats.A member of the group tasked to review the Constitution for a shift to a federal government said Friday President Rodrigo Dutertes silence on the matter after the House of Representatives passed its version of a draft charter is deafening. The most important voice in this federal debate is the voice of the President and his silence is deafening. Perhaps he is biding his time because of the upcoming elections, Presidential Constitutional Commission member Julio Teehankee told ABS-CBN News Channels Early Edition program. This was after the Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 15 approved by lawmakers on third and final reading earlier this month deleted all of the proposed reforms in the Bayanihan Draft Constitution and those enshrined in the 1987 Charter, such as the anti-dynasty provision and term limits for elective positions. Dutertes consultative committee submitted its proposal to the President in July this year. The shift to a federal government is a centerpiece measure being advocated by his government. A political science professor at the De La Salle University, Teehankee said federalism might still be realized under this administration considering the possible reconfiguration of political alliances in time for the 2019 midterm and 2022 presidential elections. But the question is what kind of federalism its going to be and when? he asked.The House of Representatives version, Teehankee said, confirms the suspicion of most sectors that the chamber cannot rise above their partisan and personal interests and their political interests. Its just a hodgepodge of the PDP-Laban version and some parts of the Con-Com and they removed all the reformsIts not even full federalism, its half-baked federalism. Its still unitary in form and they removed all the prerequisites, the necessary reforms to make federalism really work, he said. Teehankee said as early as when they were consulting lawmakers for their version and the lawmakers them for their chambers own version, legislators have been vocal about removing provisions on term limits and prohibition of political dynasties. This is the Presidents draft. If you have any issues with it, you talk to the President, he recalled telling the lawmakers then. He said the Con-Com did its part by submitting the draft to Duterte, so now its in the hands of the President whether he will fight for the draft that we wrote for him, noting that according to Palace spokespersons, their draft is still considered the official draft constitution of Malacanang.By Humeyra Pamuk

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration on Friday said limits on mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants were unnecessary as they were too costly, sparking an outcry from environmentalists who feared the next step would be looser rules favoring the coal industry at the expense of public health.

Under the Mercury and Air Toxic Standards, or MATS, enacted under former President Barack Obama, coal-burning power plants were required to install expensive equipment to cut output of mercury, which can harm pregnant women and put infants and children at risk of developmental problems.

The Environmental Protection Agency left the 2011 emission standards in place but proposed using a different cost analysis to evaluate whether the regulation is needed, a move that paves the way for looser rules going forward. Its statement was issued on Friday during a partial government shutdown.

Since August, the Environmental Protection Agency has been reconsidering the justification for the rule. A coalition of electric utilities had said the looser rules were not needed since they have already invested billions of dollars in technology to cut emissions of the pollutant and comply.

EPA said it was "proposing that it is not 'appropriate and necessary' to regulate HAP (Hazardous Air Pollution) emissions from coal- and oil-fired power plants... because the costs of such regulation grossly outweigh the quantified HAP benefits."

It said its reassessment showed the cost of compliance with MATS was between $7.4 billion to $9.6 billion annually, while the monetized benefits were between $4 million to $6 million.

It also said the identification of unquantified benefits was not enough to support the standards. Among such benefits, environmentalists say are reduced healthcare costs, breathing cleaner air and drinking cleaner water.

"The policy (Acting EPA Administrator) Andrew Wheeler and (President) Donald Trump proposed today means more pregnant women, young children, and the elderly will be exposed to deadly neurotoxins and poisons, just so wealthy coal and oil barons can make a few extra bucks," Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign Director Mary Anne Hitt said in a statement. Wheeler is a former coal industry lobbyist.

Story continues

"Virtually every coal plant in the U.S. has already met this lifesaving standard, and now Trump is recklessly trying to roll it back," she said.

A study published this month by Harvard University's School of Public Health said coal-fired power plants are the top source of mercury in the United States, accounting for nearly half of mercury emissions in 2015. It said the standards have markedly reduced mercury in the environment and improved public health.

'PLEASE STOP HELPING'

Since taking office in January 2017, Trump has targeted rolling back Obama-era environmental and climate protections to maximize production of domestic fossil fuels, including crude oil. U.S. oil production is the highest in the world, above Saudi Arabia and Russia, after a boom that was triggered more than a decade ago by improved drilling technology.

The coal industry had challenged a 2016 conclusion by Obama's EPA that the rule was justified because savings to U.S. consumers on healthcare costs would exceed compliance costs. The calculations accounted for how pollution-control equipment would reduce emissions of other harmful substances in addition to mercury.

Trump's industry allies, including Robert Murray, CEO of private coal mining giant Murray Energy Corp, had complained that the MATS rule contributed to the demise of the coal business by triggering hundreds of coal-fired power plant shutdowns and driving coal demand to its lowest in decades.

U.S. coal-fired power generation has fallen more than 40percent since a peak in 2007, while natural gas-fired generation soared by about the same amount, according to the EnergyInformation Administration.

Utilities' demand for U.S. coal is projected to fall further this year, by around 2.5 percent to 648.2 million short tons, the lowest in 35 years, according to the EIA.

In July, electric utilities and utility groups favoring the rule asked the administration to keep it in place. They noted that billions of dollars in investments for anti-pollution equipment have already been made, and costs are being recovered from electricity customers through regulated pricing.

"This is like when your four-year-old kid tries to clean up your kitchen  it actually makes things worse. Please stop helping," said a utility industry lobbyist based in Washington, who asked not to be named. "The rule itself forced coal plant shutdowns, but they arent coming back."

EPA said it will take comment for the proposal for 60 days and will hold at least one public hearing.

(Additional reporting by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by David Gregorio)Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump threatened Friday to seal the US-Mexico border "entirely" if Congress does not approve billions of dollars in funding for a wall.

In a burst of early morning tweets, the president said the alternative to funding his controversial wall project would be total separation from Mexico -- including making US car companies pull out their factories based on the other side of the frontier.

The threat yet again upped the ante in a political row that has led to a partial shutdown of the US government and seems set to dominate the start to the third year of Trump's presidency.

"We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall," Trump tweeted.

Trump said he would then take US-Mexican relations back to the days before the NAFTA agreement opened free trade across Canada, Mexico and the United States.

That would "bring our car industry back into the United States where it belongs," he said.

It was not clear how separating the two huge neighbors would work. Bilateral trade totaled an estimated $615.9 billion in 2017, according to US government figures.

Neither did Trump make any mention of the new free trade agreement, known as the USMCA, which he only recently signed with the two neighboring countries to replace NAFTA and which he has repeatedly praised as a huge boost for American commerce.

In Mexico, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador sidestepped Trump's threat, telling journalists: "We don't want to be imprudent and we don't think we should get into this."

- $5 billion question -

Trump wants $5 billion in funding for a wall along the more than 2,000-mile border, which he says is currently too porous to stop illegal immigration and which he says has become a magnet for criminals, drugs and even terrorists.

Opponents -- especially in the Democratic party but also some in Trump's Republican party -- say that a physical wall is impractical and that the idea is being used as a political tool to whip up xenophobia in Trump's right-wing voter base.

Story continues

Both sides have dug in. Democrats refuse to approve funding and the president -- who has made hardline immigration polices a centerpiece of his presidency -- has retaliated by refusing to sign off on a wider spending bill, leaving some 800,000 federal employees without pay.

Negotiations on lifting that partial government shutdown, perhaps by providing some border security funding, have sputtered out and no new debate is scheduled before next Wednesday.

The president, who had already scrapped a Christmas visit to his Florida golf resort has also "canceled his plans for New Year's," his incoming chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, said on Fox News.

Asked about the startling rhetoric, Mulvaney told Fox that Trump "is trying to draw light to the fact this is a crazy discussion to be having."

- Caravan 'invasion' -

Experts are divided on solutions to policing the long, often inhospitable border separating the world's biggest economy from the far poorer countries to its south.

Although there is a huge cross-border drug trade and immigrants often enter illegally, others have genuine claims for asylum. Central Americans are also deeply integrated in the US economy, often performing physically demanding, low-pay jobs in construction, agriculture and other vital sectors.

Trump has consistently painted the asylum seekers and economic migrants in outlandish terms, raising the specter of rapists, gang members and people with infectious diseases roaming freely across the border.

Trump has latched particularly on to what have become known as the "caravans" -- groups of several hundred or even more migrants who walk on epic treks across Central America and Mexico to try and reach the United States.

According to Trump the "caravans" amount to organized attempts at invading the United States.

In one tweet Friday, Trump warned: "word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it."

As a result, he said, "we will be cutting off all aid" to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

The impoverished, often dangerous countries have long received American assistance to boost democracy, human rights, education and security.

But according to State Department figures, the aid is already dropping steeply.

Honduras is currently set to receive $65.7 million in 2019, down from $105.6 million in 2017, while Guatemala is slated for $69.4 million, down from $145 million.

El Salvador received $88 million in 2017 and is set for $45.7 million next year.Hundreds of businesses and retail investors are still counting the cost of bitcoins 80 percent drop from its all time high at the turn of the year. A Sky News special report has revealed that alongside investment portfolios, bitcoins price tank also claimed several mortgages, loans, marriages and even possibly university funds for some investors children in some cases.

While the damage wreaked by bitcoins price crash on Asian and American investors is well documented, the new report provides an insight for the first time into the extent of damage suffered by UK retail investors who began investing increasingly substantial amounts of money in bitcoin around the middle of 2017, culminating in the feeding frenzy that led bitcoin to the cusp of $20,000 before its sudden and sustained drawdown.

British Opportunists Get Rekt

According to the report,the typical bitcoin investment story by the affected UK buyers was not anchored in realistic or well thought-out strategies, but was generally driven by a fear of missing out as bitcoin skyrocketed in just a few months from being worth a little of $1,000 to more than $10,000. While some recognised the short-termist nature of their strategy and hoped to sell at a tidy profit before a crash, many went in with a hazily-defined set of expectations that essentially boiled down to getting rich very quickly while doing very little work at all.

Nowhere was this illustrated more starkly than in the registration of new companies purportedly involved in the blockchain ecosystem. According to the UK Companies House records, at least 340 such companies were liquidated or dissolved in 2018, compared to 139 in 2017. Of this number, over 200 were only registered in 2017, meaning that 58 percent of the blockchain related companies registered in the UK at the height of bitcoin mania did not survive the crash.

Speaking to Sky News about the situation on the ground during the period, cryptocurrency and blockchain entrepreneur Hugh Halford-Thompson said:

Story continues

There was a lot of people getting in, and I think for the first time I felt there were a large number of people who really didnt understand what they were getting into as well. So every Uber driver I had either had invested or was thinking about it. I had people asking me genuinely which coin to put their childrens university funds into. Thats not good. I didnt follow up with them, but I hope they didnt. For the first time a lot of normal people who didnt understand investments [were getting involved, and they] made or lost money in fairly big ways. Its a lot worse when its the general public.

The mania came to a predictable and well documented end at the turn of the year as bitcoin suddenly began shedding vast amounts of value, halving by March and eventually threatening to break $3,000 by early December after a year spent largely hovering between $5,000 and $7,000. By June, an average of one blockchain related company was being dissolved daily, with 60 percent of the 340 dissolved companies going out of business in the second half of the year.

As a result, for the first time, the number of such companies being dissolved is growing faster than the number being registered.

Dissolution of blockchain related companies is growing at a faster rate than registration of such companies

Perhaps most tragic are the stories of individual retail investors who remortgaged their homes or took out personal loans to invest in bitcoin  sometimes without even consulting their families or spouses  leading to destroyed personal finances and broken relationships following the crash.

In true opportunist fashion however, many businesses that were set up to take advantage of bitcoin mania have morphed into new iterations. According to Sky News, at least 50 of the companies which avoided dissolution have now changed their names to omit all reference to cryptocurrencies or blockchain technology.



The post UK Investors and Businesses Still Suffering Fallout of Bitcoin Crash appeared first on CCN.

Scientists at Nasa are preparing for a flyby of Ultima Thule, the most distant part of the universe ever to be explored by humankind

On New Years Day, the New Horizons interplanetary probe will pass just 2,200 miles from the object that is one billion miles further from Earth than Pluto, the distant dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt that itself is four billion miles from us. It will two years to send back all its data on the object officially known as 2014 MU69, but nicknamed Ultima Thule, a Latin phrase meaning beyond the borders of the known world.

Alan Stern, the missions principal investigator said that on December 15, the team had decided there were no rings or moons in the path of New Horizons.

I informed Nasa that we are go to fly by Ultima on the trajectory that yields the best science, he wrote on the Nasa website.

As a result, New Horizons will approach to within 3,500 kilometres (about 2,200 miles) of Ultima early on New Years Day. There is no longer any chance we will divert to a farther flyby distance with consequently lower-resolution images.

The #NewHorizons spacecraft is on final approach to #UltimaThule! Lots happening to get ready for our historic #NYE19 flyby in the #KuiperBelt. Get the latest from Mission Principal Investigator Alan Stern in this new blog post --> https://t.co/yDyVDmo4bf pic.twitter.com/cGjYCbaR6Q  NASA New Horizons (@NASANewHorizons) December 20, 2018

He added: What will Ultima reveal? No one knows. To me, that is whats most excitingthis is pure exploration and fundamental science.

Story continues

Nasa launched New Horizons in 2006. The size of a baby grand piano, it flew past Pluto in 2015, providing the first close-up views of the dwarf planet.

The Associated Press said that with the successful flyby behind them, mission planners won an extension from Nasa set their sights on a destination deep inside the Kuiper Belt. As distant as it is, Pluto is barely in the Kuiper Belt, the so-called twilight zone stretching beyond Neptune.

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Other than how far away it is, little is known about Ultima Thule. Indeed, it was only in 2014, that Marc Buie, New Horizons co-investigator from the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and others discovered Ultima using the Hubble Space Telescope in 2014.

In 2016, researchers determined it had a red colour. In 2017, a Nasa campaign using ground-based telescopes traced out its size  just about 20 miles across  and irregular shape when it passed in front of a star, an event called a stellar occultation, the AP added.

Mr Stern said the flyby  due to take place at at 12:33am EST on January 1  will provide huge amount of information. New Horizons will map Ultima, map its surface composition, determine how many moons it has and find out if it has rings or even an atmosphere, he wrote.

It will make other studies, too, such as measuring Ultimas temperature and perhaps even its mass. In the space of one 72-hour period, Ultima will be transformed from a pinpoint of light  a dot in the distance  to a fully explored world. It should be breathtaking.

He said that close approach images other kinds of data will already start to flow from New Horizons on flyby day.

We expect to have an image with almost 10,000 pixels on Ultima by that night, ready for release on January 2, he said.

By that first week of January we expect to have even better images and a good idea of whether Ultima has satellites, rings or an atmosphere.

Deputy project scientist Cathy Olkin, also of the Southwest Research Institute, said: From Ultimas orbit, we know that it is the most primordial object ever explored. Im excited to see the surface features of this small world.The search for Arron Hough, who went missing from the Harmony of the Seas on Christmas Day, has been suspended (Picture: PA)

Coast guards have suspended the search for a missing British cruise ship entertainer who reportedly went overboard on Christmas Day.

The United States Coast Guard said it has ended the search for 20-year-old Arron Hough at around 2.30pm on Tuesday.

CCTV footage shows Arron was last seen heading on to the deck of the Royal Caribbean vessel Harmony of the Seas at around 4am on Christmas Day, when the ship was 267 miles (430km) north-west of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.

Arron Hough was last seen on CCTV going on to the deck of the Harmony of the Seas at 4am on Christmas Day

Staff on board only realised he was missing when he didnt report to work later that day and the United States Coast Guard was alerted to his disappearance at 1.45pm.

Their ensuing search covered more than 3,700 square miles and a combined total of 83 hours, with the rescue mission involving three different aircraft and the Coast Guard Cutter Resolute.

MORE: Shocking figures reveal more than half a million potholes reported to councils last year, says RAC

MORE: Animals big and small counted in Yorkshire Wildlife Parks annual animal audit

Commander Christopher Douglas, Coast Guard Sector San Juan chief of response, said: Weve been in contact with members of Mr Houghs family throughout our search efforts and know this is a very difficult and painful time for them.

Suspending a search is one of the most difficult decisions we have to make as first responders, and it is never made lightly.

According to Arrons Facebook page, he attended the London-based drama school Urdang Academy, which has posted a message on Twitter saying it was praying for him and his family.

The Royal Caribbean website says Harmony Of The Seas, which can carry 6,780 guests and 2,100 crew, won the title of largest cruise ship in the world in 2016.

The vessel departed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Sunday for a seven-night cruise including calls at Philipsburg, St Maarten, San Juan, Puerto Rico and Labadee, Haiti.

Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UKVATICAN CITY (AP)  The Vatican's sexual abuse case against ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has expanded significantly after a man testified that the retired American archbishop sexually abused him for years starting when he was 11, including during confession.

James Grein testified Thursday in New York before the judicial vicar for the New York City archdiocese, who was asked by the Holy See to take his statement for the Vatican's canonical case, said Grein's attorney Patrick Noaker.

The testimony, which lasted about an hour, was difficult and stressful but Grein was proud to have done it, Noaker said.

"He wants his church back. He felt that in order to accomplish that end, he had to go in and testify here and tell them what happened, and give the church itself the chance to do the right thing," Noaker said in a telephone interview Friday.

Grein initially came forward in July after the New York archdiocese announced that a church investigation determined an allegation that McCarrick had groped another teenage altar boy in the 1970s was credible.

Grein's claims, first reported by The New York Times, are more serious. He has alleged that McCarrick first exposed himself to Grein when he was 11 and then sexually molested him for years thereafter.

Noaker said in the testimony Thursday, Grein also gave "chilling" details about alleged repeated incidents of groping during confession - a serious canonical crime on top of the original offense of sexually abusing a minor.

Grein had previously not made public those claims, but Noaker confirmed his testimony to The Associated Press. Grein also allowed McCarrick's defense lawyers to listen to his testimony by telephone.

Grein testified that McCarrick  a close family friend who baptized Grein  would take him upstairs to hear his confession before celebrating Mass for the family at home.

"He touched James' genitals as part of the confessional. That became the course, it happened almost every time," Noaker said. McCarrick would absolve Grein and "touch him on the forehead, shoulder, chest and genitals."

Story continues

Noaker said combining sexual abuse with a sacrament like confession haunts Grein to this day.

"People are vulnerable in the confessional. Very vulnerable," he said. "If you manipulate that, and try to sexualize that, it's extremely emotionally damaging."

McCarrick denied the initial groping allegation of the altar boy and has said through his lawyer that he looks forward to his right to due process. It wasn't clear when he would testify in the Vatican case.

The McCarrick scandal has sparked a credibility crisis for the U.S. and Vatican church hierarchies, since it was apparently an open secret for some that "Uncle Ted" slept with adult seminarians. Yet McCarrick still rose to the heights of church power, and even acted as the spokesman for U.S. bishops when they enacted a "zero tolerance" policy against sexually abusive priests in 2002.

Pope Francis initially ordered McCarrick removed from public ministry in June after he was accused of groping the teenage altar boy - the first known allegation against him involving a teen. A month later, after former seminarians and Grein came forward, Francis removed McCarrick as a cardinal and ordered him to live a lifetime of penance and prayer while the canonical process ran its course.

Now 88, the former archbishop of Washington is living at a Kansas religious residence.

The Vatican is under pressure to finalize its case against McCarrick before Francis hosts church leaders at a February sex abuse prevention summit, since Francis himself has been implicated in the yearslong cover-up of McCarrick's misconduct with adults.

If convicted by the Vatican, Francis could defrock McCarrick or give him a lesser penalty.

While victims have long complained about the way they have been treated during canonical proceedings, Noaker praised the judicial vicar, the Rev. Richard Welch, saying he was compassionate, respectful and patient during Grein's testimony.

Noaker said Welch gave Grein time to compose himself when he testified about an incident in which McCarrick allegedly masturbated Grein in a car. When McCarrick dropped Grein back at home, he allegedly told Grein's parents that the mess was caused by a spilled soda, so Grein's mother went to clean up the car seat.

"That was a really psychologically damaging moment," Noaker said, adding that Grein had to relive it during his testimony. "He closed his eyes. He was sitting in that car with McCarrick, and you could see it. It was moving and terrifying."

Grein has told AP in the past that he struggled for decades with immense shame and guilt over the abuse. He said he struggled with alcoholism, which broke up his marriage, and attempted suicide multiple times.

The AP does not identify people who say they have been victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission. Grein has gone public with his full name.

In addition to the canonical case against McCarrick, Noaker filed a police report against McCarrick in July in Virginia.New York (AFP) - Wells Fargo agreed to a $575 million nationwide settlement over its opening of millions of unauthorized customer accounts and other alleged predatory practices, the bank and US authorities announced Friday.

The agreement between the bank and attorneys general from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia covers a series of scandals that have dogged the big US bank since 2016, when it was fined $185 million by US regulators over its so-called fake accounts scandal.

Wells Fargo, which replaced its chief executive and overhauled its system for compensating staff in the wake of the debacle, said the deal "underscores our serious commitment to making things right in regard to past issues as we work to build a better bank."

In addition to the payments, San Francisco-based bank agreed to maintain a dedicated team and website to help consumers work through the problem and to periodically report to the states on the status of remediation efforts.

The agreement will help address conduct that was "unlawful and disgraceful," said California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, whose state will receive $148.7 million, by the far the largest settlement.

"Instead of safeguarding its customers, Wells Fargo exploited them, signing them up for products -- from bank accounts to insurance -- that they never wanted," Becerra said.

"This is an incredible breach of trust that threatens not only the customers who depended on Wells Fargo, but confidence in our banking system."

Wells Fargo has identified some 3.5 million accounts and 528,000 online bill pay enrolments that may have not been authorized by customers, according to allegations listed in the settlement.

Other alleged violations short-changed consumers on auto insurance, mortgage rates and collateral protection insurance.Wells Fargo & Company WFC is on track to continue performing operations smoothly post Brexit, as it recently obtained permission from the financial regulator of Luxembourg for expansion of its asset management business in the country.

With this move, Wells Fargo will be able to open new branches in Frankfurt and Paris and smoothly serve its existing European Union (EU) clients. Also, the company will be able to serve European institutional investors with discretionary portfolio management and investment advisory services.

Per the head of International Distribution for Wells Fargo Asset Management, Deirdre Flood, the strategic move will help Wells Fargo brace itself against the uncertainties surrounding Brexit.

He added, By strengthening the capabilities of WFAM in Luxembourg, along with dedicated WFAM branches in Frankfurt and Paris, we are well positioned to deepen relationships with our European client base, as well as with investors based in other international markets.

In October 2018, Wells Fargo had applied for an investment firm licence to the French regulator, which will be held by Wells Fargo Securities Europe S.A. in Paris. Through this branch, the company plans to offer a range of capital markets and investment banking services to its European and international customers that require access to the EU.

Both this announcements form part of the companys Brexit strategy, which is aimed at supporting the capital markets and investment banking needs of its customers in a post Brexit environment.

Notably, Wells Fargo finally attained the customary final court approval for settlement of the fake accounts scandal related to class action lawsuit that was filed against it by its shareholders in September 2016. The settlement amount of $480 million was approved by both the parties in May 2018.

Also, shareholders who bought Wells Fargos common stock in the period between Feb 26, 2014, and Sep 20, 2016, will be eligible to claim the refund. The San Francisco-based bank had fully reserved the amount as of Mar 31, 2018.

Story continues

Wells Fargo still has a long road ahead in clearing its reputation and convincing the Federal Reserve to pull back the asset cap that was placed in February.

The stock has lost 17.9% over the past six months compared with 15.4% decline recorded by the industry it belongs to.

Wells Fargo currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

Stocks to Consider

Equity Bancshares, Inc. EQBK has witnessed 2.1% upward estimate revision over the past 60 days. Also, the companys shares have risen nearly 4% in the past two years. It has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Old Second Bancorps OSBC estimates have remained stable for current-year earnings over the past 60 days. Also, the companys shares have risen nearly 15% in the past two years. It carries a Zacks Rank #2.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Amalgamated Banks AMAL current-year earnings has been revised 2.2% upward over the past 60 days. Also, the companys shares have risen nearly 14% in the past two years. It currently carries a Zacks Rank of 2.

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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment ResearchMore than 400 areas in Metro Manila were designated as firecracker zones in connection with the New Year celebration, the National Capital Region Police Office announced on Friday. The NCRPO also identified 55 community fireworks display areas for the revelry aimed to reduce fire incidents caused by fireworks and firecrackers. The designated firecracker zones, according to NCRPO chief Guillermo Eleazar, were made in compliance to President Rodrigo Dutertes Executive Order No. 28, which prohibits people from putting up their own fireworks displays or use firecrackers in their residences. Eleazar said the designated areas were identified by the five police districts under the supervision of NCRPO in close coordination with the respective barangays and local government units. Police assistance desks will be established in these areas and will be manned by police personnel, who will be augmented by NCRPO force multipliers. Quezon City Police identified 166 areas, the Northern Police District has 93, Manila has 73, Southern Police has 52, while Eastern Manila Police has 20 areas. The prohibited fireworks include Piccolo, Super Lolo, Atomic Triangle, Large Judas Belt, Large Bawang, Pillbox, improvised PVC cannons known as boga, Goodbye Philippines, Bin Laden, Mother Rocket, Lolo Thunder, Atomic Bomb, Five Star, Pla-Pla, Giant Whistle Bomb, Kabasi and Watusi. The list of firecrackers allowed inside the firecracker zones are Baby Rocket, Bawang, El Diablo, Judas Belt, Paper Caps, Pulling of Strings, Sky Rocket or Kwitis and Small Trianggulo.List of Pyrotechnic Device that can be used outside the firecracker zone: Butterfly; Fountain; Jumbo Regular and Special; Luces; Mabuhay; Roman Candle; Trompillo; Whistle Devices; all kinds of pyrotechnic devices (Pailaw); and other types equivalent to the foregoing pyrotechnic device. Thirty-four areas in Quezon City were among the 55 designated community fireworks display zones, 12 in EPD, five in SPD and two each in Manila and Northern Manila. Eleazar said that cities of Makati, Las Pinas, Muntinlupa, Marikina and the municipality of Pateros have not released a designated firework display zones due to the strict implementation of their respective city ordinances. The NCRPO will work hand-in-hand with concerned government agencies to ensure safe and secured celebration of the coming holidays. Our people can rest assure of our continuous vigilance for their protection and security and that we will not allow anyone that will disrupt the peaceful observance and celebration of the holiday season, Eleazar said. Eleazar directed the deployment of 10,000 cops on New Years eve aimed to achieve a zero-casualty record in cases of indiscriminate firing of guns.EL PASO  As the high-stakes immigration debates rage nationally over walls, U.S. border troops, caravans and a federal government shutdown, crowded buses roll into the downtown Greyhound station on San Antonio street.

That's where hundreds of migrant asylum-seekers were sent after federal detention centers hit full capacity as more and more people squeeze into ill-equipped border stations.

El Paso's Annunciation House, an immigrant shelter that coordinates local migrant assistance efforts, is spending about $150,000 a month to rent all the rooms at four local motels to house migrants.

The "migrant hospitality center" network has expanded to 15 sites in El Paso and five in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Shelters vary in capacity from 15 to 100 people.

Shelters recently have been taking in about 2,200 to 2,300 migrants a week. The goal is to expand the network to be able to accommodate 3,000 migrants per week, said Ruben Garcia, executive director of Annunciation House.

U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE ) dropped off over 100 migrants mostly from Guatemala at Phoenix Greyhound bus station on Dec. 27, 2018.

U.S. authorities released more than 1,500 migrants this week in El Paso, including 522 on Wednesday, the largest single-day release.

I am really, really disappointed when my government does things like this," Garcia said of mass releases earlier this week. "The bottom line is you dont release families with young children to the streets.

Advocates expressed concern that immigration authorities were rushing migrants through the asylum process following the deaths of two Guatemalan children this month who were in Customs and Border Protection custody.

Felipe Gomez Alonzo, 8, who died Christmas Eve, tested positive for influenza B, according to the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator.

Jakelin Caal, 7, also Guatemalan, died Dec. 8. at an El Paso children's hospital after being detained with her father and while preparing to travel by bus to a Border Patrol station in New Mexico.

Roberto Ramirez, 6, was in ICE custody with his father Gaspa Ramirez claims that treatment by officers was bad and children were getting sick because of cold weather.

The chaos at the border has also been complicated by the partial government shutdown over President Donald Trump's insistence on including funds for a border wall in the federal budget. The shutdown has particularly snarled attempts to get information from the key government agencies dealing with immigration and border security.

Story continues

Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen is scheduled to travel to El Paso on Friday to see how the agency is conducting medical screenings and to review conditions at Border Patrol stations following the two child deaths.

This Dec, 12, 2018, photo provided by Catarina Gomez on Thursday shows her half-brother Felipe Gomez Alonzo, 8, near her home in Yalambojoch, Guatemala. The 8-year-old boy died in U.S. custody at a New Mexico hospital on Christmas Eve after suffering a cough, vomiting and fever, authorities said. The cause is under investigation.

The scene in El Paso is being played out at many locations along the Texas-Mexican border as the flood of migrants from Central America seek asylum in the United States.

In Arizona, about 6,000 migrants have been dropped off since mid-October at a dozen churches in Phoenix, Mesa, Gilbert and Ahwatukee Foothills that house and feed migrant families before they travel to their next destination.

Most migrants are gone by the next day, jumping on another Greyhound bus or a flight to reunite with family members across the country. But the churches that host people remain overloaded.

"We need new facilities, additional facilities to open their doors, whether they be churches or community centers," said Susan Whetten-Udall, the LDS Immigrant Services Volunteer Coordinator who has been helping out in Phoenix.

Without way stations like Annunciation, says newly elected U.S. Rep.- Veronica Escobar, (D-Texas), migrants who have been processed by ICE would end up on the streets of El Paso homeless, hungry and without support.

"The federal government has an obligation to provide humane, temporary holding facilities for these migrants in their custody until they can be accepted by NGOs like Annunciation House," Escobar said. "Quickly ridding themselves of those in their custody is not a solution. In fact, it puts adults and children at grave risk, and creates a crisis in our community."

Annunciation House director Ruben Garcia holds a press conference to criticize ICE for releasing families to the streets of El Paso without prior notice.

In October, ICE released more than 200 asylum seekers on the city streets after saying they could no longer hold them for more than a few days.

After the incident, Garcia said, ICE and Annunciation House had reached a verbal agreement that ICE would let the nonprofit know about upcoming migrant releases and check capacity at the migrant shelters. ICE would then drop off the migrants at shelters where space was available.

Garcia said he doesn't know why ICE decided to drop migrants at the bus station this week.

To meet the demand, volunteer centers have learned to mobilize on short notice. When the ICE buses showed up at the Greyhound station earlier this week, so did volunteers bearing food and clothing.

More: We looked at every mile of the U.S.-Mexico border. Now you can, too

More: A 2,000-mile journey in the shadow of the border wall

On Monday morning, vehicles carrying the migrants who were brought in on Sunday trickled in to the bus station parking lot, dropping off families who had made contact with their relatives in the United States. Families, some with toddlers, walked into the bus station carrying their belongings in trash bags and reusable totes.

But by Monday afternoon, hundreds more migrants were being released at the bus station.

U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-Texas, was at a park near the downtown station on Monday, helping hand out food to incoming migrants. Officials estimated about 170 migrants were dropped off while he was there.

O'Rourke said that he had spoken to the director of ICE, who told him the unannounced releases were mistakes. ICE made a mistake yesterday," he said. "I don't think it was intentional. I think they made a mistake in not alerting the community.

The El Paso Democrat championed the cause of migrants during his unsuccessful run for the Senate against Republican Ted Cruz that has boosted his national profile.

O'Rourke, who has been mentioned as a potential presidential contender, has kept himself firmly in the spotlight as the president and Democratic lawmakers battle over Trump's long-sought border wall and a hot debate over whether migrants represent violent invaders or are families fleeing poverty and violence in Central America.

As the migrant wave builds, Annunciation House has put out an appeal to the community asking for donations of fresh fruit, especially tangerines and bananas, as well as new clothing, particularly bras, underwear and socks in all sizes. They also sought volunteers "willing to drive folks to the bus station and airport."

Garcia said immigration holding facilities on the border were initially set up to hold men  not families.

"It's inappropriate to be holding families in holding cells. It created pressure on the part of ICE to release" migrants, Garcia said, adding that it has also placed pressure on groups like his to find shelter for released migrants.

Garcia added that he had heard that women, especially those pregnant, were being released due to crowding at the women's detention area of one immigration detention center in El Paso.

More: 8-year-old Guatemalan boy who died in US custody had the flu, medical investigator says

More: 'They treated us like we are animals:' ICE drops more migrants at bus station as churches are overloaded

More: Donald Trump, venting fury over budget fight, threatens to close U.S.-Mexico border

More: Two children have died in US border custody this month. Before that, none in a decade. Why now?

In Arizona, ICE officials say the agency lacks the capacity to hold migrant families crossing the border daily in the southwestern part of the state. In response, they have begun releasing them to local churches in Phoenix and to nonprofits in Tucson and, for a while, in Yuma.

"What's happening now is the churches are at capacity or they're tapped out on resources," said Lydia Guzman, a Phoenix activist. Were trying to get new folks, a new network of churches to open their doors and provide services.

Estela Tomas Felipe was one of the more than 1,500 migrants released in El Paso this week.

At the Greyhound station, Felipe, with her one-year-old daughter strapped to her back, was in good spirits, freshly showered and wearing a new set of donated clothes. She was heading to Birmingham, Alabama, to meet her husband, who left Guatemala two months ago just after she became pregnant with their second child.

Despite the prospect of joining her husband, Felipe was not sure she would recommend the journey to people back home in her country.

She said she left a poor farming community in Guatemala 21 days ago. The typical work of harvesting corn, onions and fava beans is getting scarce.

There, "they take women and then they rape them or kill them," she said as she explained why she and her daughter made the harrowing trip by truck and other vehicles through Mexico and into the United States. "That's why I came here."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: While the US debates caravans and wall, thousands of migrants are dumped in border citiesFor Immediate Release

Chicago, IL  December 28, 2018  Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Eclipse Resources Corp. ECR, Gran Tierra Energy Inc. GTE, Unit Corp. UNT, Transportadora de Gas del Sur S.A. TGS and CrossAmerica Partners LP CAPL.

Here are highlights from Thursdays Analyst Blog:

Can Oil Prices Rebound in 2019? 5 Top-Ranked Picks

Oil prices staged a spectacular rebound on Dec 26, following a massive plunge on Christmas Eve. U.S. crude gained 8.7%, posting its best day since Nov 2016 after losing almost 7% on Dec 24. Analysts believe that the rebound was essentially a relief rally and much like Mondays plunge, lacked fundamental basis.

Currently, oil is poised to end the year on a weak note. Concerns over declining global demand and surging U.S. output had heightened oversupply fears significantly over October and November. And this led to a massive drop in prices despite Trumps decision to re impose U.S. sanctions on Iran.

However, analysts now believe that oil could experience a recovery in 2019. Fresh production curbs from OPEC and its allies will begin to have an impact on crude supplies, aided by Canada. Pipeline bottlenecks are also likely to impede U.S. production. This is why it continues to make sense to invest in select oil stocks.

Recent Plunge Had No Fundamental Basis

After a dismal plunge on Monday, oil prices rebounded strongly on Wednesday with both U.S. and Brent crude prices gaining around 8%. WTI crude increased 8.7% to close at $46.22, recovering from a 6.7% drop on Monday. Also, Brent crude gained 7.9% to end at $54.47. These were their largest one-day gains since Nov 30, 2016.

Significantly, on that date, OPEC had inked a historic deal to curb crude output. In any case, the recent plunge and subsequent recovery lacked any fundamental basis. Crude was dragged down by broader market weakness. This includes the current government shutdown, a tighter rate environment and the U.S.-China trade dispute.

Story continues

2019: A Tale in Two Parts?

Considering a longer-term perspective, oils outlook for next year can be divided into two equal parts. The likes of JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Barclays and the Energy Information Administration believe prices will rebound in the first half of 2019. Since October, crude prices have lost around 40%.

Overall, Wall Street thinks that the average price of Brent crude will come in at $68-$73 a barrel in 2019. Projections for U.S. crude are within a range of $59-$66 a barrel. The major driver for crude prices in the first half of the year is likely to be fresh production curbs from OPEC, effective from January.

Output cuts from Canada will also boost prices during this period. Meanwhile, pipeline bottlenecks will cap U.S. production increases, specifically in the Permian basin.

Fresh Headwinds Likely in 2H19

However, even though the outlook for 2019 is encouraging, the second half of the year could witness the arrival of several headwinds. U.S. output will surge during this period once the availability of Permian oil improves. Also, global economic growth is expected to decline during this period.

The most significant threat to crude prices is a slowdown in Chinas economy. This will likely intensify if the United States and China fail to reach a trade agreement. Meanwhile, China has recently been producing large volumes of gasoline which threaten to create a global glut of sorts.

Our Choices

The overall outlook for crude indicates a significant improvement from the current situation even though oil prices could slip in the second half of 2019. Fresh production curbs from OPEC and its allies and output cuts from Canada are likely to play a crucial role in boosting crude prices.

This is why it makes sense to invest in select oil stocks at this point. However, picking winning stocks may be difficult.

This is where our VGM Score comes in. Here V stands for Value, G for Growth and M for Momentum and the score is a weighted combination of these three scores. Such a score allows you to eliminate the negative aspects of stocks and select winners. However, it is important to keep in mind that each Style Score will carry a different weight while arriving at a VGM Score.

We have narrowed down our search to the following stocks, each of which has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and a good VGM Score. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Eclipse Resources Corp. is an independent exploration and production company.

Eclipse Resources has a VGM Score of A. The companys projected growth rate for the current year is more than 100%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved more than 100% over the last 30 days.

Gran Tierra Energy Inc. is an international oil and gas exploration and production company.

Gran Tierra Energy has a VGM Score of A. The companys projected growth rate for the current year is more than 100%.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 52.2% over the last 30 days.

Unit Corp. is a diversified energy company with U.S. operations.

Unit Corp has a VGM Score of A. The companys projected growth rate for the current year is 82.1%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved 4.2% over the last 30 days.

Transportadora de Gas del Sur S.A. transports natural gas in Argentina.

Transportadora de Gas del Sur has a VGM Score of A. The companys expected earnings growth for the current year is 16.8%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved more than 100% over the last 60 days.

CrossAmerica Partners LP engages in the wholesale distribution of motor fuels, consisting of gasoline and diesel fuel, and owns and leases real estate used in the retail distribution of motor fuels.

CrossAmerica Partners has a VGM Score of B. The companys projected growth rate for the current year is more than 100%.

In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top tickers to buy and hold for the entirety of 2019?

These 10 are painstakingly handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. They are our primary picks poised to outperform in the year ahead.Be among the first to see the new Zacks Top 10 Stocks >>

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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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Zacks Investment ResearchFor Immediate Release

Chicago, IL  December 28, 2018  Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: United Continental Holdings UAL, Delta Air Lines DAL, Spirit Airlines SAVE, Azul AZUL and Swire Pacific Ltd. SWRAY.

Here are highlights from Thursdays Analyst Blog:

4 Top-Ranked Airline Stocks that Could Fly Higher in 2019

The airline industry has struggled for the most part of 2018, thanks to rising oil prices. With fuel comprising a major chunk of the airline expenditure, an upswing in crude oil prices certainly does not bode well for the industry. Apart from escalating fuel prices, high labor costs have weighed on bottom-line growth of individual companies. The airline employees agitation against low pay scales has propelled frequent new labor deals across the industry.

However, this adversity was partly offset by strong demand for air travel, leading to higher passenger revenues and in turn, boosting the top line. Evidently, the top line of a majority of the carriers has shown a year-over-year improvement in the first nine months of 2018. To name a couple, United Continental Holdings and Delta Air Lines have shown top line improvements of 8.7% and 9%, respectively.

The Turnaround

The prime factor behind the airline industrys recovery can be attributed to the downward trend in oil prices since mid-October. To add to it, the oil price retreat coincided with the record-setting thanksgiving travel period. Backed by such an upbeat scenario, several major U.S. carriers have provided bullish fourth-quarter projections. Alaska Air Group anticipates fourth-quarter revenue per available seat mile in the range of 12.70-12.80 cents compared with the previous guidance of 12.60-12.80 cents. The revised estimate represents a year-over-year change of 4-5%. Notably, the carrier raised its unit revenue outlook twice within a few weeks span.

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Meanwhile, Spirit Airlines predicts the same to rise approximately 11% (past view had called for an approximate 6% increase). Spirit Airlines and Southwest Airlines have also lowered forecasts for fuel cost in the final quarter of 2018. While Southwest Airlines expects fuel costs between $2.25 and $2.30 per gallon (earlier view was in the $2.30-$2.35 band), Spirit Airlines estimates economic fuel cost to be $2.27 per gallon compared with $2.46 envisioned earlier.

Despite chances of oil prices rising again in 2019 and a global economic slowdown, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has provided a positive outlook for the industry. The research firm predicts global net profit of $35.5 billion in 2019 for the industry, above $32.3 billion expected in 2018. The industrys revenues are predicted to increase approximately 7.7% to $885 billion. Additionally, the passenger count and cargo tonnes are also forecast to rise, totaling 4.59 billion and 65.9 million, respectively.

With tight labor market conditions and a rising disposable income, demand for air travel is anticipated to remain strong. Notably, the IATA expects 8.2 billion passengers to take the sky route by 2037, doubling the current levels.

The Zacks Industry Rank of 24 (of 250 plus groups) carried by the Zacks Airline Industry further highlights the air of optimism surrounding the space. This favorable rank places the companies within the top 10% slot of the Zacks industries.

Given this bullish backdrop, it would be wise to capitalize on the situation and invest in some top-ranked airline stocks. To zero in on the stocks, we have chosen a few outliers that have performed well in 2018, overcoming all the hostilities.

4 Prominent Picks

Given the vastness of the sector, it is by no means an easy task to arrive at likely outperformers for the coming year. This is where the Zacks Rank, which justifies a companys strong fundamentals, can come in really handy.

Based on a favorable Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy), we have zoomed in on four airline stocks, which should be added to ones portfolio for handsome returns. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Spirit Airlinesis an ultra low-cost carrier based in Miramar, FL. The company flaunting a Zacks Rank of 1 has been making continued efforts to improve its operational efficiency by reducing non-fuel unit costs. Notably, unit costs (excluding fuel and special items) decreased 6.8% in the first nine months of 2018. For the full year, the company expects the same to decline in the 3.5-4% band year over year. Strong passenger revenues are further driving the companys growth. Passenger revenues jumped 25.6% in the first nine months of this year. Owing to these tailwinds, the stock has rallied a massive 28.8% so far in the year against the industrys 25.2% decline.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the companys current-year earnings has moved 18.8% north in the last 60 days. The same for 2019 has been revised 28% upward over the same time frame. Additionally, the stock carries a VGM Score of B. Here V stands for Value, G for Growth and M for Momentum and the score is a weighted combination of all three scores. Such a score allows you to eliminate the negative aspects of stocks and select winners. Our research shows that stocks with a VGM Score of A or B when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2 offer the best upside potential.

Azul, headquartered at Barueri, Sao Paulo, is one of the largest airlines in Brazil in terms of departures and destinations covered. The company has been benefiting from high passenger revenues on the back of strong air travel demand. Notably, passenger revenues augmented 19.6% on a year-over-year basis during the first nine months of 2018. Strong passenger revenues are anticipated to continue boosting the top line. The carriers traffic statistics in the first 11 months of 2018 also bear testimony to its solid travel demand. At the end of the first 11 months of 2018, the company registered a year-over-year increase of 16.7% and 16.3% in revenue passenger miles and available seat miles, respectively. With traffic growth outpacing capacity expansion, load factor (percentage of seats filled by passengers) improved 0.3 percentage points to 82.2%.

Shares of this #1 Ranked stock have appreciated 13% so far in 2018. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the companys earnings in 2019 have risen 13.3% over the last 60 days.

United Continental Holdingsis the holding company for both United Airlines and Continental Airlines based in Chicago, IL. Passenger revenues have increased 8.8% in the first nine months of 2018 at United Airlines, a subsidiary of United Continental. The carriers strong passenger traffic is evident from the seventh straight month of load factor increase this November. Also, this Zacks Rank #2 company has been making consistent efforts to expand operations in order to attract traffic and further drive revenues. In December 2018, it announced the largest international route expansion connecting San Francisco and Seoul, beginning Apr 1, 2019. Additionally, in November 2018, the carrier entered into a joint business agreement with Copa Holdings and Avianca (including several of its affiliates) to bolster its Latin American presence.

The carriers projections for current-year earnings are also encouraging. It now expects earnings in 2018 between $8 and $8.75 per share (earlier outlook projected earnings of $7.25-$8.75 in 2018). The carrier is well on track to achieve its 2020 adjusted earnings guidance of $11-$13.

Owing to these tailwinds, shares of the company have gained 24.3% on a year-to-date basis. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-quarter earnings has moved 1.4% up in the last 60 days. The same for 2019 earnings has been raised 4.3% over the same time frame. To top it all, the company has an impressive VGM score of A.

Swire Pacific Ltd. is one of Hong Kong's leading listed companies with diversified interests in five operating divisions: Property, Aviation, Beverages, Marine Services and Trading & Industrial. The aviation division grouped under Cathay Pacific group and the Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company ("HAECO") group includes airline, aircraft engineering, flight catering, cargo terminal operations and ground services operations. Shares of this Zacks Rank 2 company have risen 16.2% so far in the year. Also, the stock has a commendable Value Score of A. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 earnings has been revised 15.9% upward in the last 60 days. Also, the same for 2019 earnings has been nudged 1.1% up over the same time frame.



In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top tickers to buy and hold for the entirety of 2019?

These 10 are painstakingly handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. They are our primary picks poised to outperform in the year ahead. Be among the first to see the new Zacks Top 10 Stocks >>

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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/performancefor information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.



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United Continental Holdings, Inc. (UAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report



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Zacks Investment ResearchOn Dec 27, we issued an updated research report on Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc. ZBH. While strategic acquisitions and planned operational execution buoy optimism on the stock, issues like macroeconomic uncertainties, pricing pressure and unfavorable currency fluctuations adversely affected the companys sales. The company carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

In order to address several near-term challenges, management recently started to review its 2018 operating plan to clearly define its go-forward strategies in a number of key areas. In this regard, the company has identified several immediate opportunities to improve Zimmer Biomets operational execution.

First, the company has plans to continue with its efforts in completing its quality remediation work at the Warsaw North Campus. In this context, to support the quality compliance of its manufacturing network, Zimmer Biomet will consistently invest in developing a best-in-class quality management system.

Second, in order to revive accelerated sales recapture, the company aims to steadily focus on fully restoring the supply of certain key brands within knee, hip and SET categories.

Third, with respect to commercial strategy, Zimmer Biomets immediate priorities are to restore supply, engage with the sales channel and return to offense. In addition to sales recapture, the company will keep a close watch on the significant quantity of commercial releases scheduled in 2018. Per the latest update, Zimmer Biomet is on track to build a complete product portfolio in the back half of 2019.

Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. Price

Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. Price | Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. Quote

Also, the company is progressing well with its two largest commercial projects, namely the Persona Revision system and the Rosa robotics knee application. Moreover, management has notified that Zimmer Biomet is ahead of its schedule to perform its first case in Australia.

This apart, improvement in the companys global Knee and Hip sales performance and growth in the Asia Pacific region are encouraging. Banking on its priority goals like quality remediation, supply recovery efforts and product launches, Zimmer Biomet is constantly reporting solid top-line figures within its S.E.T arm.

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On the flip side, we are concerned about the escalating costs and expenses weighing on the companys bottom line. Also, declining dental sales at CER is a drag. Negative currency movements persist to be a major headwind for the company.

Over the past three months, shares of this leading musculoskeletal healthcare company have underperformed the industry. The stock has lost 4.5%, comparing unfavorably with the industrys 4.4% fall.

Key Picks

Some better-ranked stocks in the broader medical space are Integer Holdings Corporation ITGR, Surmodics, Inc. SRDX and Veeva Systems VEEV.

Integer Holdings has an earnings growth rate of 31.2% for the first quarter of 2019. The stock has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Surmodics long-term earnings growth rate is projected at 10%. The stock carries a Zacks Rank of 2 currently.

Veeva Systems long-term earnings growth rate is estimated at 19.5%. The stock flaunts a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

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With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research.



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.Here it is, the last indie film round-up of 2018! This marks another light week of releases on the indie front, but there are some big, highly anticipated ones in here (and yes, technically many of these films came out on Christmas Day, but I was busy). This week, Annapurna and John C. Reilly go head to head with themselves, and's most anticipated release of 2018 makes its debut on the big screen.The films listed are from studios other than the Big Six - Paramount, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Universal, Columbia and Disney. Note that some of the movies listed are in their first week or two of limited release in the USA, so it may take them a few more weeks (or months) to show up in your local arthouse theater or on VOD. Check out the posts from the past few weeks for more movies that may have just opened near you: December 21st : Nicole Kidman, Sebastian Stan, Toby Kebbell, Tatiana Maslany: Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi: Karyn Kusama: Action, Crime, Drama: A police detective reconnects with people from an undercover assignment in her distant past in order to make peace.: Director Karyn Kusama incorporates the sounds and sights of locations all over Los Angeles in this film. She and writer/husband Phil Hay say they actively seek to write and direct films set in LA.: NYC & LA: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell: Adam McKay: Biography, Comedy, Drama: The story of Dick Cheney, an unassuming bureaucratic Washington insider, who quietly wielded immense power as Vice President to George W. Bush, reshaping the country and the globe in ways that we still feel today.: To portray Lynne Cheney, Amy Adams stayed in character throughout the duration of the shoot for the first time ever.: Wide: Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, Sam Waterston: Daniel Stiepleton: Mimi Leder: Biography, Drama: The story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, her struggles for equal rights, and what she had to overcome in order to become a U.S. Supreme Court Justice.: As you may already know, Natalie Portman was originally attached to play RBG, but the project was stuck in development for years.: Select cities: John C. Reilly, Steve Coogan, Shirley Henderson, Danny Huston: Jeff Pope: Jon S. Baird: Biography, Comedy, Drama: Laurel and Hardy, the world's most famous comedy duo, attempt to reignite their film careers as they embark on what becomes their swan song - a grueling theatre tour of post-war Britain.: Reilly and Coogan were the first choices for playing Laurel and Hardy, who writer Jeff Pope idolized.: NYC & LA: Jung-Woo Ha, Sun-kyun Lee, Jennifer Ehle, Kevin Durand: Myung Chan Kang, Byung-woo Kim: Byung-woo Kim: Action: On the day of the U.S. presidential election in 2024, Ahab and his team of elite mercenaries embark on a secret CIA mission to abduct North Korea's Armed Forces Minister in an underground bunker below the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). However, they get caught in the crossfire which causes tensions to escalate to the brink of World War III.: Based on the novel by Sang-yeon Park: LA: Dawei Tong, Li Ma, Siyan Huo, Shan Qiao: Xiao Li, Huan Wang, Si Wang: Miao Yu: Drama, Comedy: Seven friends get together for dinner, and decided to play a game where they must share all messages and calls from their cell phones. Hilarity and drama ensue together as everyone's secrets are unveiled and the seven friends find themselves more like strangers to each other.: Its in Mandarin: Select citiesSource 1Jose Ma. Sison is just an armchair general, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Friday, slamming the exiled founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines for his ineffective directives made overseas after nearly 8,000 communist rebels have returned to the fold of law. In a Palace press briefing, Lorenzana acknowledged the leadership of Sison when he founded the CPP and its armed wing, the New Peoples Army. Jose Maria Sison, maybe he was a good leader before in the 1970s when they started CPP-NPA in 1968 up to 70s and early 80s. He was able to organize from a small group in Pampanga, then they ventured in Northern Luzon until they reached nationwide. Maybe he was good then and he was able to militate people. They were active back then against the government, especially with [former] President [Ferdinand] Marcos, Lorenzana recalled. According to the Defense chief, communist rebels reached their prime back in 1980s when it had at least 25,000 fighters all over the country. The CPP even used the dire poverty in different areas of the country such as in Bicol, Samar, and Negros to encourage people into rebelling against the government. But after Sison left the country in 1987, the top communist has since lost touch with his men on the ground, Lorenza said. He has been far from the country for so long. He left the country in 1987. He has not come back here, he hasnt returned. Is he still attuned with whats happening on the ground? I dont think so, he said. He makes himself relevant by having the peace talks in Norway. Remove that concept, he will lose his relevance, he added. Thats why the President is right to have the peace talks here. Why do we have to involve the other countries in our local problems? According to Lorenzana, Sison plans to make the decades-old riff between the government and communist rebels to reach the international scene. Its part of their strategies. They want to internationalize the issue even if the issue is not an international issue in the first place. It is our problem here in the Philippines, he said. Asked to describe Sisons leadership two days after the CPP celebrated its 50th founding anniversary, Lorenzana said Sison is just an armchair general. I call that an armchair general. Hes not going out of his chair and keeps on directing from there, which is not very effective, he said. I have more respect for these fighters on the ground even if we are fighting them. I have more respect for them because they are here having a hard time. They have their own set of ideas that theyre trying to fight with their own better ideas, the DND chief said. Meanwhile, Lorenzana stated that some 8,000 rebels have already surrendered to the government this year, attributing the success as a result of the localized peace talks. For the whole year, 8,000 rebels have surrendered, and we gave them assistance from the government like housing, livelihood, schooling of their kids, and medical care, he said, emphasizing that the government has provided solutions to the previous grievances of the rebel returnees which the CPP-NPA instilled in their minds. The government now is trying to address the problems one by one. We give lands to the landless. We provide jobs by tasking the TESDA to go around and train people to have their skills and productivity of the people honed, he added.The Department of Agriculture helps the farmers with the agriculture industry, Lorenzana said. The Department of Trade and Industry, meanwhile, goes all around to improve or to explore the investment in the area. Even our Build, Build, Build is actually jumpstarting the economy of our countryside by building roads, bridges, airports, all these infrastructures that the government is trying to build in all over the country, he said. The DND chief said the government provides rebel returnees a complete package so that they can live also normally within the communities. Lorenzana even underscored that the number of surrenderees only show that the communist leadership has no control over their men on the ground, attributing the localized peace talks to the dwindling number of active fighters. The mere fact that there are a lot of people bringing down their arms, surrendering to our troops and then trying to fit in into their communities is a good sign that our localized peace talks are working, he said. The strength of the active fighters, the cadres are dwindling down. I believe that the recruitment of the fighters is also down, Lorenzana added. For his part, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, who also chairs the governments negotiating peace panel, said on Thursday that the government will push through with localized peace talks in 2019. Peace negotiations between the government and communist rebels bogged down in November last year after President Rodrigo Duterte signed Proclamation 360, putting an end to peace negotiations with the NDFP. Duterte then has imposed a number of conditions prior to the revival of the talks. Sison, however, rejected the governments push for localized peace talks, labeling it as a cheap trick which has failed many times. In early December, in a bid to ensure an efficient and effective strategy to address the decades-old communist insurgency in the country, the President ordered the national task force seeking to end the local armed conflict with communist rebels. In his Executive Order No. 70, the President directed the government to create a national task force to end local communist armed conflict, aiming to institutionalize the whole-of-nation approach in inclusive and sustainable peace and adopt a national peace framework. The said EO provides that the national framework on peace, anchored on the whole-of-nation approach, aims to come to grips with the root causes of insurgencies, disturbances, and tensions such as poverty, historical injustice, social inequality and lack of inclusivity.Crude prices finished off the year with a small rally, and analysts are suggesting oil could climb even higher in the coming months.

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Wall Street: Oil prices will rebound.Most major investment banks are forecasting a rebound in oil prices in 2019. Price forecasts vary widely, but most have both WTI and Brent above current spot prices. Bank of America Merrill Lync, for instance, sees WTI averaging $59 per barrel in 2019. Citi is at the bearish end with a $49 price target. For Brent, Barclays says the benchmark will average $72, and a half dozen other investment banks have price estimates within a few dollars of that price.

Financial volatility continues. After suffering steep losses at the start of the week, financial markets rallied strongly on Wednesday and into Thursday, regaining all the lost ground from Monday. Weak industrial data from China released this week still shows signs of a slowdown.

Saudi shakeup leaves MbS still in control. King Salman reshuffled the Saudi cabinet on Thursday, swapping out top security personnel. But the maneuvers did not remove power from crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. The officials that were elevated are close to MbS.

Formal OPEC+ structure looks doubtful. After suggesting multiple times earlier this year that OPEC and its non-OPEC partners  led by Russia  would formalize a permanent governance architecture to coordinate their efforts, the group is now downplaying such a development. Russias energy minister Alexander Novak said that the increase in red tape, plus antitrust risks from the U.S. government, make the idea too risky. There is a consensus that there will be no such organisation. Thats because it requires additional bureaucratic brouhaha in relation to financing, cartel, with the U.S. side, Novak told reporters. Instead, Novak said they will continue to cooperate without institutionalizing the arrangement. This wont be an organisation, this is some mechanism of cooperation: to convene, to discuss, adopt some memorandums, joint resolutions, Novak.

Bank of England: Banks need to reduce climate risk. The head of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, says that banks need to do more to cleanse their balance sheets of climate risk. When asked by the FT if he is overstepping his institutions remit, he dismissed that notion. Absolutely not, he said. The issues around climate are wide ranging, and will touch virtually every sector. He said banks are already modeling the financial risk from climate change and adjusting portfolios, though they need to do more. Theyre looking at specific climate-related risks in their portfolio, [such as] their exposure to certain bits of the auto sector, he said. Like it or not, this stuff is coming mainstream.

Related: The Biggest Oilmen Of 2018

LNG shipments to Asia hit record. The volume of LNG shipments heading to Northeast Asia hit a record high in December, driven by demand from China and cold weather. LNG imports into the region  including China, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan  hit 20.5 million tonnes so far in December, or 5 percent higher than the previous monthly record.

Middle East oil producers hit by U.S. shale. As Bloomberg reports, U.S. shale is hitting major oil exporters from the Middle East on multiple fronts. For one, soaring production is lowering prices. But also, U.S. shipments of light crude to Asia are undercutting Saudi exports to the region. Moreover, U.S. exports of refined gasoline and naptha is creating a glut of those products in Asia, forcing prices lower.

Natural gas prices in Permian fell to zero, but rebounded. The glut of natural gas supply in the Permian basin  a byproduct of oil drilling  and the shortage of pipelines to take that gas to market, has led to a crash in prices. In November, natural gas prices traded near zero for much of the month, and even dipped into negative territory. Prices have since rebounded to $1.68/MMBtu in December. The inauguration of new oil pipelines next year could exacerbate the gas problem, as more takeaway capacity could lead to more drilling, which will lead to more gas production. Youll see things get worse and worse and worse as oil production grows and gas production grows alongside it, J.R. Weston, an analyst for Raymond James & Associates Inc., told the Wall Street Journal.

Related: Mnuchins Bizarre Statement Rattles Markets

Shell plans on Vaca Muerta development. Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) said that it plans to begin development of shale oil fields in Argentina after selling off refinery and retail fuel stations. Shells Vaca Muerta assets could produce 70,000 bpd by 2025.

Canadian production cuts set to take effect. Albertas mandatory 325,000-bpd cuts take effect in January. The decision to force companies to lower output has already provided a jolt to Canadian heavy oil prices. The province believes the full cuts only need to be in place for the first three months of the year. Thereafter, the province will try to unwind the cuts but do so in a way that corresponds with takeaway capacity.

EV sales in Norway reach 60 percent. Between September and November, 60 percent of all new vehicle sales in Norway were electric. EVs are rapidly gaining market share. In 2013, EVs had 3 percent of the market, but by 2017 that share reached 39 percent. For the full year of 2018, the figure looks set to be about 48 percent, even as EV sales accelerated in the final months of the year. Rystad Energy sees EVs capturing 90 percent of the market in Norway by 2022 and 100 percent by 2025.

By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:Things have been quite active in the Eastern Mediterranean lately, with Israel, Cyprus and Greece pushing forward for the realization of the EastMed pipeline, a new gas conduit destined to diversify Europes natural gas sources and find a long-term reliable market outlet for all the recent Mediterranean gas discoveries. The three sides have reached an agreement in late November (roughly a year after signing the MoU) to lay the pipeline, the estimated cost of which hovers around $7 billion (roughly the same as rival TurkStreams construction cost). Yet behind the brave facade, it is still very early to talk about EastMed as a viable and profitable project as it faces an uphill battle with traditionally difficult Levantine geopolitics, as well as field geology.

The EastMed gas pipeline is expected to start some 170 kilometers off the southern coast of Cyprus and reach Otranto on the Puglian coast of Italy via the island of Crete and the Greek mainland. Since most of its subsea section is projected to be laid at depths of 3-3.5 kilometer, in case it is built it would become the deepest subsea gas pipeline, most probably the longest, too, with an estimated length of 1900km. The countries involved proceed from the premise that the pipelines throughput capacity would be 20 BCM per year (706 BCf), although previous estimates were within the 12-16 BCm per year interval. According to Yuval Steinitz, the Israeli Energy Minister, the stakeholders would need a year to iron out all the remaining administrative issues and 4-5 years to build the pipeline, meaning it could come onstream not before 2025.

The idea of EastMed was first flaunted around 2009-2010 as the first more or less substantial gas discovery in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Tamar gas field in Israels offshore zone, paved the way for speculations about an impending gas boom. Then came the 535 BCm (18.9 TCf) Leviathan in 2010 and the 850 BCm (30 TCf) Zohr discovery in offshore Egypt five years later and suddenly it seemed that an Eastern Mediterranean gas expansion is inevitable. Yet over the years, the operators of Leviathan have already allocated part of their total gas volumes to domestic power generating companies and most notably NEPCO, the Jordanian electric power company (1.6-2BCm per year). Egypt has been concentrating on meeting domestic needs and getting rid of LNG imports, moreover once it bounces back to gas exporter status in 2019, it will only use its own 2 LNG terminals in Damietta and Idku. Related: Has Oil Hit Rock Bottom?

Thus, a pertinent question arises  whose gas would be used to fill the EastMed pipeline? If the pipeline starts in offshore Cyprus, then it would be logical to expect that Cyprus gas bounty would be somehow utilized. Yet Cyprus has been lagging behind Egypt and Israel in its offshore endeavors and so far lacks a clear-cut giant field to base its supply future on. The two discoveries appraised heretofore, the 6-8 TCf Calypso operated by ENI and the 4.5 TCf Aphrodite operated by Noble Energy, are not enough to support the construction of a relatively expensive gas pipeline  all the more so as Noble has signed a provisional deal to send Aphrodite gas to Egypts Idku LNG terminal, most likely by means of a subsea gas pipeline. If we are to judge the viability of the EastMed on the current situation, there is only Calypso and Israel to fill the pipeline, as Greeces gas export plans are close to zero on the probability scale.

The subsea section from Cyprus offshore zone to the island of Crete lies in depths of 3km and is stretched across a seismically active zone. But there is even more  should Turkey claim rights on Cyprus offshore hydrocarbon deposits (in February 2018 it sent warships to scare away ENIs drilling rig that was on its way to xxx), the project is all but dead. This is far from an implausible scenario as President Erdogan stated that Turkey would never allow for the extortion of natural resources in the East Mediterranean by means of excluding Ankara and Northern Cyprus. Cognizant of the risks inherent in an East Mediterranean gas pipeline, there has been no interest from oil and gas majors to participate in the project. This is worrying as the $7 billion are expected to be financed from private investors, of which there is a palpable dearth  despite the EUs 35 million funding to promote what it sees as a Project of Common Interest. Related: Wall Street Sees Oil Price Recovery In 2019

Yet even for the European Union, the EastMed gas pipeline presents a bit of a headache as its commissioning would render the Southern Gas Corridor, comprising so far only of Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) with a 10 BCm per year throughput capacity, irrelevant by creating a sort-of competitor. The price of the natural gas to be supplied via the EastMed pipeline might become the biggest obstacle of them all  if the cost of producing offshore Mediterranean gas turns out to be $4-5/MMBtu as expected, the addition of further transportation costs to it all would place EastMed supplied at the bottom range of European gas supply options (Russian gas supply is alleged to be profitable with price levels as low as $4/MMbtu). All this might change if any of the East Mediterranean countries were to discover a giant gas field, altering the economics of production or possibly even liquefaction.

In fact, 2019 will witness several key wells being drilled across Cyprus, Egypt and possibly even Israel. ExxonMobils testing of Block 10 in offshore Cyprus would largely point to the overall attractiveness of Cyprus as an oil and gas producing country  the drilling has already started, with results expected in Q1 2019. The ENI-operated Noor offshore field in Egypt, adjacent to Zohr, is a much hotter prospect with BP buying into it lately  most likely it will outshine all the other drilling sites in the Eastern Mediterranean, however, if a big discovery is confirmed, it would be most likely used for Egyptian purposes which run counter to the EastMed gas pipeline. Thus, EastMeds only hope is that Israel 2nd international licensing round, results to be announced in July 2019, will elicit a couple of Leviathan-like finds that would make pipeline construction profitable. Until then, the prospects are rather bleak.

By Viktor Katona for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:A charity rescue boat carrying 311 mainly African migrants plucked off Libya entered Spanish waters Friday morning and was set to berth in a southern port near Gibraltar. Proactiva Open Arms, the Spanish charity which runs the Open Arms vessel said the migrants -- who include pregnant women, children and babies -- were mainly from Somalia, Nigeria and Mali. The ship will dock in the port of Crinavis, in San Roque, near the city of Algeciras. "Good morning, Open Arms is already in the Bay of Gibraltar and is steering towards the only port available to it in the Mediterranean. Mission accomplished," tweeted the charity's founder Oscar Camps. The migrants were rescued on December 21 from three vessels but were denied entry by Italy and Malta. Libya, France and Tunisia did not respond to Proactiva Open Arms' requests for permission to dock, Madrid said. On Saturday, a newborn baby and his mother were helicoptered from the boat to Malta, while a 14-year-old suffering from a serious skin infection was taken to the Italian island of Lampedusa. Photos and videos posted by the charity showed the rest of the rescued migrants marking Christmas at sea listening to music and singing. Some children wore red Santa hats as they huddled together on the small rescue ship. Police will identify the migrants before moving them to shelters. - Spain new entry point - Proactiva Open Arms operates in the sea between Libya and southern Europe, coming to the aid of migrants who get into difficulties during the crossing from northern Africa. It will be the first time since August that Spain has allowed a charity rescue ship to dock and unload migrants in the country. The Open Arms resumed its patrols of the Mediterranean off the Libyan coast in late November, along with two other boats run by migrant aid groups. In August it had suspended its missions, accusing governments, and Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini by name, of "criminalising" migrant rescue charities. Salvini has denied the groups access to Italy's ports, accusing them of acting as a "taxi service" for migrants. Malta too has been increasingly unwilling to host rescue vessels. "Your rhetoric and your message will, like everything in this life, end," Proactiva Open Arms' founder Camps told Salvini on Twitter earlier. "But you should know that in a few decades your descendants will be ashamed of what you do and say." 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 (IOM). That makes this stretch of the Mediterranean the most deadly for migrants attempting the crossing to Europe. Spain meanwhile has become Europe's main entry point for migrants this year, overtaking Greece and Italy. More 56,000 migrants have arrived in Spain by sea this year, and 769 have died trying, according to the IOM.A dozen students from a top Chinese university staged a protest Friday after the school removed the president of an on-campus Marxist group amid an ongoing crackdown on student activists this year. The students gathered in an open area in front of an academic building where they held up signs and shouted slogans protesting the change in the society's leadership. But security moved in almost immediately and started pulling students away, forcing some to the ground while others were pushed towards a waiting black car. "Today, students of the Peking University Marxist Society who were holding signs and protesting were forcibly corrected," the group said in a statement. "Security personnel used violence to disperse students, who were pulled into the school building, many students were injured!" Peking University did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment. The university said Thursday that it "restructured" the student-run Marxist group, replacing core members and student leaders, including former president Qiu Zhanxuan, with their own picks. Many of the 32 new members are from the Communist Youth League or the Communist Party. The move came one day after Qiu was detained by police for "disturb(ing) the public order" on campus by singing and holding slogans. An eyewitness told AFP that Qiu was arrested for attempting to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Mao Zedong, whose legacy in China remains controversial. Though President Xi Jinping has called for a refocusing on Communist roots -- including a May speech which called for Marxism to be promoted in campuses and classrooms -- Beijing is increasingly wary of student-run Marxist societies, especially those that try to apply theory to practise. Over the summer, when university students joined efforts to organise a labour union for factory workers in southern Guangdong province, Chinese authorities flew into action. In August, a police raid swept up the student activists, beating several of them and confiscating their phones, according to the Jasic Workers Solidarity group, a labour rights organisation that the students joined. Several of them, including Yue Xin, a Peking University graduate who became known after co-authoring a petition demanding details of a sexual abuse case at the school, have not been heard from since. "From the detention of the student supporters of the Jasic workers to the crackdown on the students who are supporters of Marxism, we can see the irony of how the Chinese government is treating these young and devout advocates of Marxism," Patrick Poon, China researcher at Amnesty International told AFP. "It shows that the government can't even tolerate any dissenting opinions, from liberal to Marxist views."The Czech prime minister has hit back at the Chinese embassy in Prague after it claimed he said he did not want to ban products made by Huawei and ZTE.

Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Thursday that he took warnings about the two Chinese telecoms giants from the countrys cybersecurity watchdog very seriously and denied that he had told diplomats that the ban was a mistake.

I do not know what the ambassador is talking about. His communication is  very unusual, Czech Radio, a nation public broadcaster, quoted Babis as saying.

The saga unfolded after the Czech National Cyber and Information Security Agency on December 17 warned against using Huawei and ZTE , saying they posed a national security threat.

Babis subsequently announced that employees of the Czech government central administrative body would be barred from using Huawei and ZTE products, a ban copied by several other government ministries.

Babis met Chinese ambassador Zhang Jianmin on Sunday to discuss the ban, and a subsequent statement by the embassy claimed that the prime minister had said the warnings did not represent the Czech governments position.

The Czech Republic welcomes foreign companies, including those from China, to operate and invest in the Czech Republic, and will provide a good operating environment for them, he was quoted as saying.

The hasty decision of the Czech government to stop using Huawei products was influenced by the misguided warning [of the cybersecurity body], he allegedly said.

Zhang told Babis that the warning had made a very bad impact, and asked the Czech government to protect the legitimate interests of Chinese companies.

But Babis said on Thursday that the statement expressed the Chinese sides opinion and stressed that the ban was not a mistake.

The countrys security agency would present additional information to the government next month, he said.

Story continues

The controversy is one of a growing number surrounding Chinese tech companies since the arrest in Canada of Huawei chief executive Sabrina Meng Wanzhou.

British Defence Minister Gavin Williamson said on Thursday he had grave, very deep concerns about using Huawei equipment when the country starts upgrading its internet network to 5G next year.

Chinese defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian dismissed Williamsons comments, saying they were groundless.

The remarks just reinforced the deep-rooted ignorance, prejudice and anxiety among some British people, he said.

US President Donald Trump is considering issuing an executive order to ban Huawei and ZTE products from the country.

The European Unions technology commissioner Andrus Ansip has also warned member states, which include the Czech Republic, of the security risk surrounding Huawei, while leading telecoms firms in France, Germany and Britain are reassessing their use of Huawei equipment.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said allegations against the Chinese telecom companies were groundless and used as an excuse to block Chinese companies investment.

This article Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis hits back at Chinese diplomats Huawei and ZTE claims first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.

More from South China Morning Post:CEBU Archbishop Jose Palma has urged the faithful to pray for the blessings they received in 2018 and for President Rodrigo Duterte.He appealed to the public not to cheer on the chief executives unflattering

LOCAL furniture manufacturers aim to penetrate high-end niche markets overseas to boost export revenues.

We will be looking into the developments of Russia and Qatar. Very recently, we had a mission to Qatar. But of course, Dubai will always be a market for villas and we have some projects in Saudi (Arabia), said Myrna Bituin, Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport) trustee for the furniture sector.

She hopes exporters will band together to supply, to these high-end markets abroad, particularly indoor and outdoor furniture.

On home decor, Bituin said the Foreign Buyers Association of the Philippines (Fobap) is actively working with the local companies which could supply the market in the United States.

In the industry roadmap, furniture manufacturers expect the US market to continue to grow in the next five years.

Thats why our strategy is to find a niche, she said. We are (also) hopeful about Russia. Its very surprising. I was (also) shipping to Latvia.

As they tap into the high-end export markets, Bituin said some exporters are actively supplying a growing number of hotels in the country.

Ten or 12 years ago, we as an industry joined in marketing to the local hotels and developments in the Philippines. We are quite successful in condominium (projects). And today, a lot of hotels are refurbishing. We are going to look into this, she added. Philexport News And FeaturesTired of waiting for authorities to act, civil groups in Romania -- one of the EU's poorest members which takes over the bloc's presidency in January -- are taking matters into their own hands and drumming up cash for new roads and hospitals themselves. "When I saw around 30 children with cancer and their families having to queue outside a single toilet in a Bucharest hospital, I was so disgusted that I said to myself: 'Something's got to be done'," said Oana Gheorghiu from the charity Daruieste Viata (Give Life). She co-founded the charity with Carmen Uscatu. And in December 2017, the two women started fundraising for a new hospital for child cancer patients in Bucharest. "Within three weeks, we'd received four million euros ($4.6 million). It was a social phenomenon, an unprecedented outpouring of empathy and common action," Uscatu told AFP. A year on, dozens of workers have started building what will be Romania's first hospital financed exclusively through private donations -- "a slap in the face for the state", as Gheorghiu puts it. - Parents' despair - In another part of the capital, volunteers from the MagiCAMP charity are putting the finishing touches to a building to house families of child cancer patients. Many children are sent to the capital because of the lack of oncologists elsewhere. But their families often have nowhere to stay. "I felt the parents' despair, how tired they were after sleeping on park benches or train stations for months on end," says MagiCAMP's Melania Medeleanu. More than a million individuals, and many businesses, donated money and materials for the renovation. "It's remarkable that so many people joined in," said Medeleanu. However, "if the state had done its job, there wouldn't have been any need for our charity," she added. MagiCAMP had previously used an apartment to house parents, but it quickly became overcrowded. It has also organised holiday camps for more than 500 sick children. Although cancer survival rates in Romania are among the lowest in Europe and the infant mortality rate is twice the EU average, the country's health spending is less than a third of the bloc's average as a proportion of gross domestic product. In 2014, authorities promised to build four regional hospitals, paid for in part by EU funds. But four years on, not a single brick has been laid and the start date has just been pushed back to 2022. The current left-wing government raised eyebrows by saying that the use of EU funds would be "too expensive" -- even though the cash is made available free of charge -- and that the hospitals should be built via public-private partnerships instead. For one European source, that was just a way to escape EU scrutiny over how the money is spent, in a country where dozens of politicians have been convicted in recent years for the misuse of EU funds. - Incompetence and indifference - While Romania might appear reticent to use EU money in some areas, it has pressed for more of the bloc's cohesion funds, aimed at stimulating development in poorer member states. Nevertheless, of the 22.5 billion euros ($25.7 billion) allocated to Romania for the period 2014-2020, only 3.1 billion euros have so far been spent. The left-wing government complains that the EU's conditions for the funds are "discriminatory", even suggesting that Brussels wants to hold back development in the country. "Lots of countries wouldn't be happy to see Romania criss-crossed with roads," Darius Valcov, a senior economic advisor to the government, said recently. The health ministry insists that construction of the four regional hospitals "remains a priority". But Vasile Barbu, head of Romania's Patients' Association, said he has ceased to believe in official promises. "The state will never build a regional hospital because they're not capable of managing that sort of project," he said. "The authorities aren't concerned about patients' lives." It is not just in the health sector that citizens have given up on state provision. The residents of the northern village of Trestia, for example, complained of what they saw as the authorities' incompetence and indifference in the construction of a road linking it to two other villages. And with the government only managing to build 24 kilometres (15 miles) of motorway in the whole country in 2017, the villagers ended up paying for the road themselves. "Romania is the country where you're constantly told: 'That's impossible'," says Uscatu. "But we, an NGO, are showing that it's possible to get things moving".Thousands of Mongolians braved temperatures of minus 25 degrees Celsius in Ulaanbaatar to take to the streets in protest against graft and demand the resignation of the country's parliamentary speaker. It was one of Mongolia's largest demonstrations, prompted by corruption, bribery scandals and embezzlement of government funds that have triggered widespread anger among citizens over the past year. Organisers of Thursday's protest in the capital said around 25,000 people took to the streets in Ulaanbaatar, while local police capped their estimate at 5,000. "Our country's wealth has been robbed", said lawmaker Batzandan Jambalsuren during an opening speech at the protest. The two main political parties in Mongolia and parliamentary speaker Enkhbold Miyegombo have been "breaking the country into many pieces", he added. Enkhbold has been accused of selling government positions, such as vice minister and state secretary, to raise at least 60 billion tugrik ($24 million). Calls for Enkhbold to step down came after an unsuccessful no confidence vote by parliament last month, which sought to sack Mongolia's prime minister and his cabinet amid a corruption scandal implicating high-level politicians in a state fund embezzlement scheme. Political instability has been a constant problem for the young democracy, which passed its first constitution in 1992 after decades of Communist rule. The country has been through 15 different cabinets in the years since, each lasting an average of 1.5 years. Since the no confidence vote in November, 40 MPs have boycotted plenary sessions, and the Mongolian parliament has not been able to hold a regular session for five consecutive weeks, delaying legislation and the appointment of ministers. Mongolia has fallen for two years in a row in a Transparency International corruption index, and ranked 103 out of 180 countries in 2017.For Chinese guests at Marriott International hotels, the check-in process will soon get easier. The hotel giant announced last summer that it's developing facial recognition systems that will allow guests to check in at a kiosk in less than a minute via a quick scan of their facial features.

Half a world away, fearful of what such technological advances will mean to their future job security, thousands of Marriott workers across the United States voted this fall to authorize their union to strike. In addition to calls for higher wages and better workplace safety, they pushed for procedures to protect them from the looming impact of technological advancement. "You are not going to stop technology. The question is whether workers will be partners in its deployment or bystanders that get run over by it," the union's president told The New York Times.

Indeed, what many are calling "the Fourth Industrial Revolution" is already here, disrupting jobs and labor markets, largely because of the rise and advance of artificial intelligence and robotics. Tinglong Dai, a Carey Business School associate professor in the research track with expertise in how AI interacts with operations management, is among those experts who are optimistic about the long-term impact on workers.

"In industries where demand for a product or service will grow in response to increased productivity, the rise of AI/robotics can turn out to be a boon for the job market, stimulating consumer demand and expanding market size," he says, pointing to the success of Uber and Lyft as one obvious example. "They've created a new and larger market for taxi-like services."

While Dai acknowledges that advancing technology has killed (and will continue to kill) some types of jobs, he notes that new industries and job functions will be created and will make up for the loss of existing professions. "Part of the promise of AI/robotics has always been to liberate human beings from the '3Ds'dirty, difficult, and dangerous jobsso that they can focus on creative, personal, and original activities," says Dai. "I don't necessarily see AI/robotics as substituting for human skills; I see more opportunities for them to complement our strengths."

Dismissing doomsayers, Dai says he believes that issues such as widening skill gaps are short-term problems that will be righted. "I am extremely optimistic about the future," he says. "I believe in the unstoppable human desire to create a better world."

The issue, by the numbers

For its 2018 "The Future of Jobs Report," the World Economic Forum surveyed 313 chief human resources officers of large employers operating in multiple locations, representing more than 15 million employees around the globe. Over the next several years, they found, companies expect a significant shift on the frontier between humans and machines when it comes to existing work tasks. Currently, companies estimate that 71 percent of the total task hours are performed by humans and 29 percent are performed by machines. By 2022, companies predicted that humans would complete only 58 percent of total task hours and machines would complete 42 percent.

This shift will be accompanied, business leaders predict, by a need to "re-skill" the workforce. A predicted 54 percent of today's employees will require significant re- and upskilling by 2022.

The study also found:

35 percent of the workforce is expected to require additional training lasting up to six months

9 percent is expected to require additional training of six months to a year

10 percent will require training of more than a year

Nearly 25 percent of companies are undecided about or unlikely to pursue the retraining of existing employees

Nearly 66 percent of companies expect workers to adapt and pick up skills as they pursue new positions

More than half of companies are likely to turn to external contractors, temporary staff, and freelancers to address their skills gaps

A global scorecard

In a 2017 analysis that covers 46 countries comprising almost 90 percent of global GDP, the McKinsey Global Institute found that China faces the largest number of workers needing to switch occupationsup to 100 million if automation is adopted rapidly, or 12 percent of the 2030 workforce.

For advanced economies, the share of the workforce that may need to learn new skills and work in new occupations is much higher, up to 33 percent of the 2030 workforce in the U.S. and Germany and nearly 50 percent in Japan. About 50 percent of the tasks that workers perform and are paid almost $15 trillion to do in the global economy could be automated through the adapting of current technology, the analysis found.

But degrees matter. More than half of the occupations requiring less than a high school diploma are susceptible to being replaced through technical automation, whereas only 22 percent of jobs that require a college degree are susceptible. The career fields most likely to increase in demand in the period of the 2022 are those based on and enhanced by technology, including:

Data analysts and scientists

Software and applications developers

E-commerce and social media specialists

Also expected to increase are jobs related to understanding and leveraging emerging technologies, such as:

AI and machine learning specialists

Big data specialists

Process automation experts

Information security analysts

User experience and human-machine interaction designers

Robotics engineers

Blockchain specialists

Dai says the changing landscape of the global economy will produce opportunities for those who know where to look.

"Online streaming has not killed movie theaters, because at a fundamental level people want to go out instead of staying at home," he says. "For the same reason, the hope and desire for newness and excitement will lead people to a new world in which they have fulfilling and interesting work and lives."

Explore further Machines will do more tasks than humans by 2025: WEFA Galapagos marine iguana, pictured in January 2018, sunbathes next to tourists at Tortuga Bay beach on Santa Cruz Island

Fireworks have been banned on the Galapagos Islands to protect the archipelago's unique fauna, the local government said on Friday.

The local council said in a statement that it had agreed "unanimously a resolution that prohibits the importation, sale, distribution and use of fireworks or pyrotechnics in the Galapagos province."

Those fireworks that produce light but no noise have been excluded from the ban.

The islands are home to thousands of residents as well as being a tourist destination, and the measure comes just days before New Year celebrations in which many people traditionally set off fireworks.

"Ecosystems as sensitive as the Galapagos Islands are affected (by fireworks), principally its fauna that is unique," said the council.

It also wants to avoid any potential deterioration in air quality or pollution of water sources.

Animals have suffered from elevated heart rates, nervous stress and anxiety, which have "notably" changed their behavior and affected the survival of species inhabiting this World Heritage Site that belongs to Ecuador.

"This is a gift to conservation for Ecuador and the world," Lorena Tapia, president of the local council, said on her Twitter account.

A campaign to limit the use of fireworks on the Galapagos Islands was launched in 2017.

Single-use plastics have also been banned on the archipelago, about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) off the coast of Ecuador.

Known for its endemic species, the volcanic Galapagos Islands played a crucial role in British naturalist Charles Darwin's studies before he came up with his theory of evolution.

Explore further Tonnes of garbage cleaned up from Galapagos coast

 2018 AFPThe Pasay City Regional Trial Court Branch 112 has cleared Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of electoral sabotage, a case that stemmed from the alleged rigging of the 2007 senatorial elections. For failure of the prosecution to prove the guilt of accused Arroyo beyond reasonable doubt and moral certainty despite ample opportunity and even without evidence in favor of said accused, the demurrer to evidence is granted and the charge of electoral sabotage against accused Arroyo is hereby ordered dismissed, Judge Jesus Mupas said in an order dated Dec. 17. Mupas granted Arroyos Demurrer to Evidence, which means the former President never presented evidence in trial. The court doubted the credibility of the whistleblower, former Maguindanao provincial administrator Norie Unas, who said he heard Arroyo say It should be 12-0 in Maguindanao, even if you have to fix or change the results. The court said none of the other 12 prosecution witnesses was able to establish any element of conspiracy with respect to accused Arroyo. The court will return to Arroyo her P1-million bail. In October 2011, Unas and 15 other election officers from Maguindanao came forward to tell a joint panel of the Justice department and the Commission on Elections that there was cheating during the 2004 presidential elections and the 2007 senatorial elections. A Pasay court says there was sufficient evidence to prove that the election results in North Cotabato were altered, but it wasnt established that the instructions came from the former Comelec chief The electoral sabotage case eventually filed by the Justice department was the one that got Arroyo jailed in 2011, as she was put under hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center. Arroyo stayed at the VMCC for almost five years until July 2016, when the Supreme Court acquitted her of plunder.The court noted that Unas testimony was given on the condition that he enjoyed immunity from suit. Mupas doubted the credibility of Unas as early as 2012 when he granted Arroyo bail. Unas said Arroyos instructions were for former governor Andal Ampatuan Jr. to secure the landslide victory of her slate at the time, the so-called Team Unity. Unas said Ampatuan then instructed him to provide logistical support for former Maguindanao Election Supervisor Lintang Bedol to ensure the 12-0 victory. Bedol never testified during trial, though he was initially on the prosecutions list of witnesses. Without Bedol, the court said, Unas testimony remains uncorroborated and that the prosecution was not able to sufficiently explain how the cheating happened. There is no allegation in the information that accused Arroyo ordered, or even suggested, that election documents be tampered with, or that votes for any candidate be increased or decreased. This defect cannot be remedied by any testimonial evidence without violating the Constitutional rights of the accused, the court said. Rio Araja The court also sided with Arroyos argument that even if the instruction was proven, it could not constitute the crime of electoral sabotage alone. Among the 2007 Team Unity winners was Juan Miguel Zubiri. Koko Pimentel contested Zubiris narrow victory over him before the Comelec in 2007 and was declared the rightful winner in the senatorial elections in 2011. But a week before the Senate Electoral Tribunal reached the decision, Zubiri had already resigned as senator amid the electoral fraud allegations.Credit: Cepheia/Shutterstock.com

Late in 2018, the gravitational wave observatory, LIGO, announced that they had detected the most distant and massive source of ripples of spacetime ever monitored: waves triggered by pairs of black holes colliding in deep space. Only since 2015 have we been able to observe these invisible astronomical bodies, which can be detected only by their gravitational attraction. The history of our hunt for these enigmatic objects traces back to the 18th century, but the crucial phase took place in a suitably dark period of human history  World War II.

The concept of a body that would trap light, thereby becoming invisible to the rest of the universe, had first been considered by the natural philosophers John Michell and later Pierre-Simon Laplace in the 18th century. They used Newton's gravitational laws to calculate the escape velocity of a light particle from a body, predicting the existence of stars so dense that light could not escape from them. Michell called them "dark stars".

But after the discovery that light took the form of a wave in 1801, it became unclear how light would be affected by the Newtonian gravitational field, so the idea of dark stars was dropped. It took roughly 115 years to understand how light in the form of a wave would behave under the influence of a gravitational field, with Albert Einstein's General Relativity Theory in 1915, and Karl Schwarzschild's solution to this problem a year later.

Schwarzschild also predicted the existence of a critical circumference of a body, beyond which light would be unable to cross: the Schwarzschild radius. This idea was similar to that of Michell, but now this critical circumference was understood as an impenetrable barrier.

It was only in 1933 that George Lemaitre showed that this impenetrability was only an illusion that a distant observer would have. Using the now famous Alice and Bob illustration, the physicist hypothesised that if Bob stood still while Alice jumped into the black hole, Bob would see Alice's image slowing down until freezing just before reaching the Schwarzschild radius. Lemaitre also showed that in reality, Alice crosses that barrier: Bob and Alice just experience the event differently.

Despite this theory, at the time there was no known object of such a size, nothing even close to a black hole. So nobody believed that something similar to the dark stars as hypothesised by Michell would exist. In fact, no one even dared to treat the possibility with seriousness. Not until World War II.

From dark stars to black holes

On September 1 1939, the Nazi German army invaded Poland, triggering the beginning of the war that changed the world's history forever. Remarkably, it was on this very same day that the first academic paper on black holes was published. The now acclaimed article, On Continued Gravitational Contraction, by J Robert Oppenheimer and Hartland Snyder, two American physicists, was a crucial point in the history of black holes. This timing seems particularly odd when you consider the centrality of the rest of World War II in the development of the theory of black holes.

This was Oppenheimer's third and final paper in astrophysics. In it, he and Snyder predict the continued contraction of a star under the influence of its own gravitational field, creating a body with an intense attraction force that not even light could escape from it. This was the first version of the modern concept of a black hole, an astronomical body so massive that it can only be detected by its gravitational attraction.

In 1939, this was still an idea that was too strange to be believed. It would take two decades until the concept was developed enough that physicists would start to accept the consequences of the continued contraction described by Oppenheimer. And World War II itself had a crucial role in its development, because of the US government's investment in researching atomic bombs.

Reborn from the ashes

Oppenheimer, of course, was not only an important character in the history of black holes. He would later become the head of the Manhattan Project, the research centre that led to the development of atomic weapons.

Politicians understood the importance of investing in science in order to bring military advantage. Consequently, across the board, there was wide investment in war-related revolutionary physics research, nuclear physics and the development of new technologies. All sorts of physicists dedicated themselves to this kind of research, and as an immediate consequence, the fields of cosmology and astrophysics were mostly forgotten, including Oppenheimer's paper.

In spite of the decade lost to large-scale astronomical research, the discipline of physics thrived as a whole as a result of the war  in fact, military physics ended up augmenting astronomy. The US left the war as the centre of modern physics. The number of Ph.D.s skyrocketed, and a new tradition of postdoctoral education was set up.

By the end of the war, the study of the universe was rekindled. There was a renaissance in the once underestimated theory of general relativity. The war changed the way we do physics: and eventually, this led to the fields of cosmology and general relativity getting the recognition they deserve. And this was fundamental to the acceptance and understanding of the black holes.

Princeton University then became the centre of a new generation of relativists. It was there that the nuclear physicist, John A Wheeler, who later popularised the name "black hole", had his first contact with general relativity, and reanalysed Oppenheimer's work. Sceptical at first, the influence of close relativists, new advances in computational simulation and radio technology  developed during the war  turned him into the greatest enthusiast for Oppenheimer's prediction on the day that war broke out, September 1 1939.

Since then, new properties and types of black holes have been theorised and discovered, but all this only culminated in 2015. The measurement of the gravitational waves created in a black hole binary system was the first concrete proof that black holes exist.

Explore further Scientists detect biggest known black-hole collision

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Experts from the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Russia), the University of Oulu (Finland), and the St. Petersburg-based Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia) have compared the effect of cosmic ray solar modulation as recorded by neutron monitors and the PAMELA (Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light-Nuclei Astrophysics) satellite experiment.

According to the scientists, this will make it possible to predict radiation levels in near-Earth space more accurately, an important aspect of planning space missions. The results of this project were published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics.

Launched in 2006, the PAMELA satellite experiment aims to locate and record antimatter and to measure the spectrum bands of cosmic radiation components, as well as near-Earth radiation conditions, and to establish the origin of dark matter.

The research paper's authors compare the effects of the solar modulation of cosmic rays, recorded by the PAMELA international experiment and neutron monitors. These neutron monitors are a chain of ground-based units that have been operating since the 1950s and which record secondary particles generated during interaction between cosmic rays and atmospheric nuclei. Russian scientists used data recorded in real time by a neutron monitor in Oulu, Finland.

These results will help gauge the neutron monitors' correct response function during solar activity. This was only made possible after launching the PAMELA experiment, said Sergei Koldobsky, a senior lecturer with MEPhI's Institute of Nuclear Physics and Engineering.

"The correct responses of neutron monitors, as well as huge statistical records of uninterrupted operation over the past 70 years, allow us to predict radiation levels in near-Earth space, and this has tremendous significance for planning space missions," Sergei Koldobsky told.

Direct measurements conducted during the PAMELA experiment made it possible to check the accuracy of the neutron monitors' response function, which links the cosmic ray spectral band that reaches the top layers of the terrestrial atmosphere with the number of neutrons being recorded by a given monitor. The research paper also mentions the calibration of ground-based neutron monitors using PAMELA experiment data.

Explore further UNH to analyze 'bellwether' solar event data from European satellite

More information: Sergey A. Koldobskiy et al. A Solar Cycle of Cosmic Ray Fluxes for 2006-2014: Comparison between PAMELA and Neutron Monitors, Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics (2018). Sergey A. Koldobskiy et al. A Solar Cycle of Cosmic Ray Fluxes for 2006-2014: Comparison between PAMELA and Neutron Monitors,(2018). DOI: 10.1029/2018JA025516In this Oct. 2, 2012 file photo, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison gestures while giving a keynote address at Oracle OpenWorld in San Francisco. Tesla is naming Ellison and an executive from Walgreens to its board as part of a settlement with U.S. regulators who demanded more oversight of CEO Elon Musk. The company said Friday, Dec. 28, 2018, that Ellison and Kathleen Wilson-Thompson are the new independent directors, effective immediately. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

Tesla named two independent board members Friday as part of a settlement with U.S. regulators who demanded more oversight of CEO Elon Musk.

Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and Kathleen Wilson-Thompson, an executive vice president at Walgreens Boots Alliance, join the board as independent directors, effective immediately.

Musk got into trouble with the Securities and Exchange Commission in early August when he said in a tweet that he had "funding secured" to take the electric car company private at $420 per share.

The SEC accused Musk of committing securities fraud, saying that the funding had not been secured and that he had duped investors who drove shares of Tesla up by 11 percent on the day of the tweet. Several weeks later, Musk said the go-private deal was off.

Regulators initially wanted to force Musk out of his job as CEO, but agreed to accept $20 million in penalties from both Musk and Tesla. Musk did agree to step down as chairman for at least three years, but acknowledged now wrong-doing.

Despite the agreement, Musk has continued to clash with regulators.

Just days after settling the case, Musk taunted the government via Twitter, referring to the SEC as the "Shortseller Enrichment Commission."

Musk has had a long-running feud with short sellers, a category of investors that have bet that the price of Tesla stock will fall.

So far, Musk is winning that fight. Shares of Tesla Inc. are up more than 20 percent since his clash with the SEC.

Tesla named Australian telecommunications executive Robyn Denholm as board chairwoman last month as part of its agreement with the SEC. Although Denholm brings much-needed financial and auto industry expertise to Teslawhich has struggled to produce cars and make moneythere hasn't been a marked change in Musk's unorthodox behavior, at least when compared with other chief executives at major corporations that are publicly traded.

Tesla shares slumped 6 percent in early September after Musk was seen appearing to smoke marijuana during an interview that made the rounds on YouTube.

Earlier this month, Musk also dismissed the idea that Denholm could exert control over his behavior, saying in an interview with "60 Minutes" that "It's not realistic in the sense that I am the largest shareholder in the company."

And Ellison, one of the most recognizable names in Silicon Valley, revealed in October that not only was Tesla his second largest investment, but also that he and Musk are close.

"I'm very close friends with Elon Musk, and I'm a big investor in Tesla," Ellison said.

One other thing required of Tesla by the SEC as part of the settlement is that somebody vet Musk's tweets and other comments about the company before they are released to the public. Musk also shrugged off that provision, saying none of his tweets have been censored so far and the company does not review his posts to determine beforehand whether they could potentially affect the company's stock price.

Still, in an SEC filing Friday, Tesla said that it, "intends to certify to the Commission that it and Elon have timely completed each of their respective actions required pursuant to the Settlement."

Tesla shares rose more than 2 percent in midday trading.

Explore further Judge approves Elon Musk settlement with SEC

 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.The Singapore-based app disrupted the market which it launched in Vietnam in 2013

A Vietnam court Friday ordered ride-hailing app Grab to pay a cab company more than $200,000 for losses incurred due to competitiona judgement blasted by the firm as "a giant step backwards" for the country's tech community.

The Singapore-based app, which launched in Vietnam in 2013, has been embroiled in a lawsuit with Vinasun, a major taxi provider in the south of the country, since May 2017.

Vinasun blamed profit losses amounting to $1.8 million on its rival's entry into the market.

A court in Ho Chi Minh City ruled Friday that Grab must compensate Vinasun $206,000 in damages for "having seriously violated the law on transport business", a court clerk told AFP.

A local news outlet, which serves as a mouthpiece for the city's department of justice, said Grab's "activities caused losses to Vinasun".

But since there was a lack of concrete evidence to prove that Grab was the sole reason for the Vietnamese company's losses, the judge said there were no grounds to demand the full $1.8 million compensation, according to the news outlet.

Grab is Southeast Asia's most dominant ride-share company, operating across eight countries in a fast-growing sector with increasing competition.

The judgement sets a "bad precedent", said the company's Vietnam head Jerry Lim, allowing traditional companies to sue its competitors "instead of constantly innovating through technology to remain relevant" in the country's vibrant tech industry.

"...This is a defeat and giant step backwards for Vietnam's hardworking entrepreneurs and tech talents," he said in a statement.

"It is unfortunate that Vinasun's anti-competitive tactics as a reaction to their declining business profits have somehow prevailed."

He added the company was "intrigued" by the verdict, given the lack of "direct causal relationship" between Vinasun's losses and Grab's business activities.

Grab will be appealing to seek a reversal of the court's decision, and is also preparing to launch a defamation lawsuit against Vinasun "if there is no retraction of the baseless allegations made".

Vinasun could not be reached for comment on Friday.

Grab's ambitious ascent has not been without issues. Earlier this year the Competition and Consumer Commission in Singapore fined Grab and fellow ride-hailing app Uber a total of $9.5 million for merginga move it said substantially reduced competition in the island nation.

The region's ride-hailing market is expected to be worth $20 billion by 2025, according to research by Google and Singapore investment vehicle Temasek.

 2018 AFPA radar image of the Bhola cyclone, believed to be the deadliest tropical cyclone in world history, which struck Bangladesh on 12 November, 1970, resulting in upwards of 300,000 deaths. Credit: NOAA

Tropical cyclones, and the torrential rains and strong winds these storms bring along with them, threaten coastal communities around the world and are expected to increase in intensity due to climate change. But not every tropical cyclone becomes a natural disaster and not every natural disaster results in human fatalities.

Whether or not a natural hazard, such as a tropical cyclone, becomes a natural disaster depends on whether the hazard overwhelms existing human infrastructure in a particular country or region. But when does a natural disaster result in fatalities?

New research presented at the 2018 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C. suggests that at the country level, how effective the national government is, along with how much exposure to the natural hazard a particular region or community faced, are both important factors in answering this question.

Researchers often use a country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and poverty rates as indicators of tropical cyclone vulnerability and mortality. While these factors are often good proxies for determining vulnerability, they make it difficult to parse out what is actually causing vulnerability and often don't account for how much exposure to the natural disaster a particular community or region experienced, according to Elizabeth Tennant, a Ph.D. candidate in public policy at the University of Maryland, College Park, and a research associate at Clark University who presented the new findings.

"It's not just whether or not a country is rich or poor," Tennant said. "It's the institutions that are in place."

In the new study, Tennant created a global dataset of over a thousand storm events from 1978-2005, bridging socioeconomic data, like national government effectiveness, economic development and human capital with meteorological data, like the wind speed and rainfall associated with a particular storm event.

Tennant began by matching up tropical cyclones to a tropical storm, allowing her to model the wind and rainfall conditions of the storm, pinpoint how much exposure certain areas had to the natural disaster and then relate these factors to population and infant mortality data on a subnational scale.

How much exposure an area has to a natural disaster impacts the vulnerability of the region to disaster mortality, so accounting for exposure can help to improve precision and limit bias, according to Tennant.

Tennant then compared how government effectiveness, measured by the World Governance Index  an annual measure of governance around the world done put out by the World Bank  impacts tropical cyclone fatalities. She found countries with more effective governments experience lower mortality rates than those with ineffective governments.

"[The] effect is large, statistically significant," Tennant said about the finding.

But it's not just government effectiveness that matters when considering mortality rates. Tennant also found storm fatalities are higher when areas that are already vulnerable face higher exposure to a natural hazard.

This finding may seem like common sense, but most research into mortality occurs at the national scale, erasing how some areas of a country may be more vulnerable than others, Tennant said.

Understanding which areas are exposed to natural hazards due to tropical cyclones could be helpful for formulating new policies to minimize the vulnerability that some areas face, and Tennant hopes that her work could help to further these efforts.

"The same approach can also be applied to looking at other natural hazards, like earthquakes," Tennant said.

This story is republished courtesy of AGU Blogs (http://blogs.agu.org), a community of Earth and space science blogs, hosted by the American Geophysical Union. Read the original story here.The government will consider the recommendations of the US Department of Homeland Security on how to tighten security and safety measures at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport after the agency issued a travel advisory warning of lax practices there, the Palace said Friday, In a statement Thursday, the DHS said Manila does not maintain and carry out effective security consistent with the security standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization. In view of this finding and effective immediately, airlines issuing tickets for travel between the United States and MNL are directed to notify passengers in writing of this determination, the DHS advisory said. The US agency said its findings were based on the assessments made by a team of security experts from the Transportation Security Administration. Despite these findings, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo assured the public that the government was giving priority to carrying out strict security measures at the NAIA. Ensuring the safety of the traveling public is one of the Duterte administrations critical interests to fend off looming threat of terrorism, he added. We intend to utilize the inputs of our global partners, including international assessment bodies such as the International Civil Aviation Organization whose latest security audit findings were found to be generally satisfactory with ICAO standards of safety and security, he added. Panelo said the government plans to procure more X-ray machines, walk-through metal detectors and alarm systems, which will be installed by the second quarter of 2019. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, meanwhile, said the US advisory did not mean the NAIA was vulnerable to terrorist attacks.I think they just saw some lapses in NAIA. The manager of NAIA [told me] that they are addressing or trying to say that all those things are not true. But I believe that they are on track on addressing these concerns for us not be blacklisted, he said. He said airport security forces are always on the alert for any possible threats. Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Eddie Monreal said the US advisory should not be a cause for alarm, and said there was nothing in the advisory that could not be addressed. He said enhancements have been put in place to ensure secure flights for everyone. Senator JV Ejercito brushed off the travel advisory, saying the long lines at the countrys premier airport were proof of tight security. Passengers must go through at least two security checkpoints before entering the premises, he said. Those traveling to the US have to go through three checks. I dont believe our security at NAIA is lax. This can likely be the condition in our provincial airports, but not at NAIA, he said.Rappolovo, RussiaA lion that escaped from an airport, a crocodile found at a rubbish dump and an elk attacked by stray dogsall these animals have found refuge in an unusual private shelter in Russia. Dozens of bears have also passed through the Veles center, just outside Saint Petersburg, since it was opened in 2009 by businessman Alexander Fyodorov, who says he spent more than $1 million on the project. Our aim is to treat wild animals and get them back on their legs again in order to release them if thats possible, he said of the center in Rappolovo, 20 kilometers out of Russias second city. Some of the animals were found after accidents, others were abandoned. Sometimes their stories are like the plot of a film, said Fyodorov. One particularly dramatic story is that of a lioness called Elza, who escaped in Saint Petersburgs Pulkovo airport in December last year. Elza was sent from Grozny [the capital of Chechnya] by a Chechen businessman to his friend in Saint Petersburg as a New Years gift, Fyodorov said. But the sleeping pills given to the lioness before the trip stopped acting too early. In the airport, the lion broke her cage open and made a run for it. The lion was soon captured and later taken to her new owner, but he quickly realized that it was impossible for him to keep a lion and brought her to the shelter. At the time, keeping wild animals at home was not illegal, but a law was recently enacted that bans the practice from next year. Less is known about the background of the crocodile named Gena who was found at a rubbish dump north of the city. Keeping exotic wild animals as pets has long been fashionable among certain rich or novelty-seeking Russians but often ends unhappily with animals mistreated or escaping. Other animals come to the shelter after incidents in the wild. Two years ago, while still a foal, an elk called Alyuminka was badly hurt by stray dogs attacking her. Elks are still common in European Russia, living in forests. She now paces the enclosure in Rappolovo.Those animals that could not survive in the wild stay here, said Alexander Teplyakov, a 45-year-old volunteer at the center. Four staff and around 10 volunteers work in Rappolovo, where the animals are kept in huge cages or enclosures around a large stone building housing a medical facility. Despite Russias huge size, human activity is increasingly encroaching on the animals natural habitat and making it harder for them to survive in the wild. The state does little to support them, even as President Vladimir Putin gives speeches praising Russias natural heritage and enjoys occasional photo opportunities with wild animals. In Russia, you can count centers like this, where there is real help given to wild animals, on the fingers of one hand, said Svetlana Ilyinskaya, co-director of the Center for Legal Protection of Animals, a Moscow NGO. There are around 50 million abandoned pets in the country, particularly cats and dogs, that breed in the wild as owners often do not sterilize them, she said. For wild animals, road collisions are a frequent cause of death, with 161 vehicle accidents recorded in Russia last year involving large animals -- often elks. Ilyinskaya said that there is no effective plan to help wild animals in need. There are no shelters, nor (public) awareness of what you should do if you find a wounded animal in the wild. Theres also no law that could protect them against industrial development, she said. And for private shelter owners like Fyodorov, the costs are prohibitive. Im not sure how long we can go on, he said, explaining that profits at his construction business had been hurt by the economic crisis that hit Russia in 2014. You cant predict the future, he said, admitting that his friends think he is crazy for maintaining the shelter. American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved.

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 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research.Finding a new high school

By the end of September, Shana transferred the three youngest children to Brown Street Academy. For Zatalia, in fourth grade, she was returning to the school she left months before. Acurreous had never left.

Shana transferred Shnya to Lincoln Center of the Arts.

She didnt have an answer for Kravon. Picking yet another school felt like one more burden.

Rayshon Sykes



In 2013, he was enrolled at the Milwaukee Academy of Chinese Language for eighth grade, but transferred to the Achievement Center to finish the year.

Rayshon had come back to Milwaukee, this time for good it seemed. One unusually hot September afternoon, Shana was feeling despondent at the house. She couldnt afford to move. She couldnt afford gas for the car.

Rayshon was around that day. When she angrily threw her phone across the room, it skidded across his ankle.

Angela Peterson / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel A'curreous, 10, works on an assignment with his teacher, Erica Aponte.

You aint got to treat me like an animal just because youre angry, he snapped. I aint your dog.

But Shana was already rocking herself and sobbing.

This aint Shana. She rubbed her forearms and started to cry so hard that no words came out for a few seconds.

Im just gonna hurt myself. Nobody cares about me. I just dont want to be here no more.

Later that day, after they quarreled again, Rayshon stormed out and broke the front window of the house with his hand in frustration.

Often their arguments came down to money: Shana said Rayshon racked up bills, but didnt pay her enough when he was working. Rayshon bristled at giving his mother all his money and being her emotional support.

She didnt hear from him for days.

Increasingly stressed, Shana finally called the MPS enrollment office in October to find a new school for Kravon.

The representative suggested Alliance High School, a small charter school overseen by MPS. There were only about 125 students.

The school was created to be a safe haven for students who have been bullied. It caters to many who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. But in recent years, the school has become a haven for something else: mid-year transfers.

By October, when Shana was on the phone with the enrollment office, Alliance had already received 25 new students who had collectively attended a total of 75 schools before coming to Alliance.

When Kravon was added to the roster, that number ticked up to 76.

Angela Peterson / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Kravon attends class at Alliance High School, his second high school of his freshman year.

Rayshon Sykes



He started high school at Vincent, where he completed ninth grade and 10th grade. He started to repeat 10th grade at Vincent, but then moved to Appleton in 2017 and enrolled at West High as a junior.

An accident, a breakdown

All of this weighed on Shana as she drove down West Villard Avenue on the evening of Oct. 5: The schools, her ex, the rent, the house.

As for Rayshon, she was proud of him for landing a job nearby at Miller Park, where he worked as a cook at one of the food stands during the Brewers playoff games. She offered to pick him up from work that day and was headed to get him.

But suddenly, a truck barreled past, ramming into the side of her car. Shana lost control and careened into a tree, winding up in the front lawn of a church at North 51st St. The airbags deployed. It took her awhile to crawl out, dazed and scraped.

After a trip to the hospital to make sure nothing was broken, Shana spent a week on the couch feeling miserable. Her neck was so sore she could barely move it. Rayshon tended to the house and the younger kids.

Shanas mental turmoil was one thing. But the physical pain pushed her into a new dimension. Plus, now the car and the independence it afforded were gone.

On Oct. 12, a week after the accident, she found someone to take her to the MLK Heritage Health Center, on King Drive. When her ride pulled up, she was barely dressed and talking nonsensically.

After she was checked in by the nurse in kaleidoscope scrubs and checked out by the doctor, he escorted her into the elevator and down to the lower level. She kept pulling up the hoodie, as if to hide under it. The doctor buzzed into the glass doors of the behavioral health offices.

No therapists were there, but the receptionist told Shana one might arrive later if she could wait.

Relieved, Shana took a seat.

The receptionist grew more sympathetic after looking up Shana in the system. The clinic had canceled not one but two of her previously scheduled appointments, in July and August. When Shana had arrived, shed been turned away because there was nobody to see her.

The missed appointments coincided with the start of her mental down slide.

That was our fault, the receptionist said, adding apologetically that there had been some turnover among the staff.

Shana took in the information quietly. In that moment, she could have been angry. Instead, she talked about what it feels like to not be seen: She liked to think she could do everything alone, but that took its toll. Sometimes when she lashed out, she felt like a different person was operating her body. She wanted someone to be there for her, but they never were.

You know, you try to develop a lasting relationship with someone, and then they just up and move, she said, referring to the therapists.

You start to count on them to be there, and then they leave you.

Rayshon Sykes



Rayshon moved back to Appleton in 2017 to start 11th grade at West High. However, when he moved back to Milwaukee a month later, he was placed in the 10th grade at Banner Prep.

Epilogue

In her living room two days before Christmas, Shana reflected on her breakdown.

I just went completely off the grid, she said.

She is back meeting with a therapist regularly. Shes also back on a common prescription drug for people with bipolar disorder. The drug stabilizes her mood swings, but it makes her feel alternatively sleepy or anxious. She doesnt like it. But instead of stopping it, she talked to her therapist, who recommended she cut her pills in fourths until she can see her psychiatrist again in January.

The kids have had ups and downs.

Shnya received the first suspension of her life at Lincoln Center of the Arts. She struck a girl who had pulled her hair. Shana thought the discipline was unfair because the other girl touched Shnya first. She appealed to the district's central office, but was told, she said, that her daughter should make better choices.

She has not warmed to Alliance High School. But she doesnt have plans to move Kravon right now.

Angela Peterson / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Zatalia, 9, stays after tap class for one-on-one instruction with her teacher, Christal Wagner from Danceworks, at Brown Street Academy.

Angela Peterson / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Zatalia, 9, stays after tap class for one-on-one instruction with her teacher, Christal Wagner from Danceworks, at Brown Street Academy.

At Brown Street, her three youngest daughters are doing well. Zatavia received an award for the most-improved reader in 4-year-old kindergarten. Zyionna was named student of the month in 5-year-old kindergarten. In fourth grade, Zatalia is taking tap lessons through the Danceworks Mad Hot Ballroom & Tap program. She plans to compete in a citywide competition in January.

In fifth grade, Acurreous, who stayed at Brown Street consistently, has good and bad days. The school moved him out of the room for students who chronically act up because he was mimicking the behavior of the disruptive students. Hes much more calm now in a different room.

Shana admitted she has not always gotten along with the principal of Brown Street, Ava Morris. But she returned to the school because she thought Morris knew her best.

Shes a compassionate principal, Shana said. Thats why I sent my babies there. I wanted them to get some love.

Rayshon is living with a cousin now and works at Batteries Plus Bulbs. Hes back in his moms life as her personal care worker. He receives a small public stipend to stop in and make sure she gets dressed and takes her pills and organizes the children.

Shana is trying to lift the restraining order on the father of her youngest three daughters. He wants to spend more time with the girls, and Shana knows it would help her if he were more involved.

Shes also receiving support now from Community Advocates, a social service agency in Milwaukee.

Rayshon Sykes



In the fall of 2017, the district transferred him to Hamilton High School, but he dropped off the schools roster in October. In January, he was moved to Groppi High School, for at-risk students. He graduated in May.

He graduated in May

Return and follow another student



Angela Peterson / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Rayshon Sykes, 19, (left) and his mother Shana Sykes, 34, at their new home in Milwaukee.

Angela Peterson / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Rayshon Sykes, 19, (left) and his mother Shana Sykes, 34, at their new home in Milwaukee.

Shawanna Lindenberg, housing department manager, said Shanas challenges with housing, child care and schools are typical of their other clients. But her mental health presents an additional burden.

Shes a single mother. There doesnt seem to be a lot of family around to help. That all snowballs, Lindenberg said. We do what we can with our expertise, but theres certainly a gap in support services for her.

Shana plans to move again in January, to a smaller house with cheaper rent.

This time, she said, the children will stay at their schools.

Erin Richards can be reached at (414) 224-2705 or erin.richards@jrn.com or @emrichards on Twitter.

Patrick Thomas, a Marquette University student researcher, contributed to this report.

How we reported this story Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Erin Richards met Shana Sykes in the fall of 2016. At the time, Erin was interviewing leaders of several local charity groups to find families with kids who had switched schools a lot. Over the next two years, Erin followed the family through numerous homes and schools to try to understand the forces that drive student churn in Milwaukee and other cities. Shana shared the childrens academic and behavior and enrollment records. She also allowed Erin, photojournalist Angela Peterson, and journalism students from Marquette University to accompany her to school, eviction court, doctors appointments and other activities. All direct quotes in the story were heard and reported by Erin and Angela. Reported thoughts and other observations were based on extensive interviews."Of course there is politics in the joint venture." "Of course there is politics in the joint venture."

(Continued from Saturday) It was Velasco who first suggested the service contract in lieu of the concession system to projects involving the exploration, development and utilization of oil resources. He wrote, to quote: Concession for oil is similar to that for mining. Once a concession area had been identified for exploration, the private innovator would submit to the government estimates of the expected volume of oil that could be tapped and the cost to be incurred in the exploration. After selling the oil in the international market, the investor would recover his cost and then take his share of the profit, with the remainder paid to the government. Now, the problem was that given the very complicated accounting system. oil concessionaires usually had a lot of leeway to pad the costs, even to the point of claiming that they lost money, so that the government seldom receive anything from whatever oil was sold by these concessionaires. The service contract, on the other hand, was based on the concept of production sharing, which upheld the sovereignty of the producer-country over its own resources and guaranteed a share of the product itself without the royalties and that complicated accounting of the old concession system. At the same time, fair returns awaited firms (as service contractors) that assumed oil exploration risks and provided the necessary technology and capital. For exploration ventures that the Philippine government financed, a stipulated service fee was paid to the service contractors for having finished services and technology. If the service contractor financed the exploration, besides providing services and technology, the companys operating expenses would be reimbursed side from the service fee. Executive Order No. 131 virtually abrogated P.D. No. 334 creating the PNOC. Shell enjoyed the advantage because of Buenaventura. Other companies that joined the consortium at Malampaya gas wells like Chevron and EDC also enjoyed the restored concession system by the mere payment of royalty fees and by the numerous tax exemptions and discounts. In the MOU signed on Nov. 22, 2018 between Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin, Jr. and Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi He, some analysts insist that it should be one of service contract in the belief that it will serve to reaffirm our claim of sovereignty in the area. Be that as it may, the parties cannot draft an agreement interpreted as either a concession contract or service contract much that it was an agreement reached by two sovereign states. Neither of the two can be treated as a contactor or contracting party. In fact, the two states refrained from asserting the issue of sovereignty because it does not vest to any of the parties that right. The Philippines only enjoys the right to claim over that portion of the South China Sea as part of its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), but does not vest sovereign right over the area. Should we insist, it is possible that China can also claim portions of that area as part of its EEZ pointing to those islands it occupies as the starting point in demarcating that countrys EEZ. The two simply tried to focus on the resources that could be extracted with China respecting our 60-40 provision in our Constitution and this is pursuant to Deng Xiaopings dictum of settling disputes by setting aside the issue of sovereignty. Today, the interest of PXP Energy Corp., owned by Manuel Pangilinan of First Pacific Corp., to join the exploration alongside with PNOC and Chinas National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) poses a big question. Under what arrangement will it seek to have itself accommodated? Would Pangilinans participation alter the arrangement in view of the 60-40 sharing, or will it only affect the 60 percent share of the country to private energy company that officially stands as private subcontractor? Interpreting the original intent of the MOU, it is clear that the Philippines is expected to deal only with China except if Vietnam decides to join later. Nonetheless, should PXP Energy Corp. be allowed to join, the arrangement could no longer be called joint venture, notwithstanding whether China would allow a private oil company to join and enjoy a status equal that of PNOC and CNOOC which are government corporations tasked to carry out the project. There is also the problem of partition of the volume and value of oil and gas that may be extracted. Even assuming that China would allow that, most likely it will not allow its 40 percent share to be reduced, considering that it would shoulder the greater part of the financing, technical and exploration work. The 60-40 arrangement is in accordance with Section 2, Article XII of the Constitution, and the Philippines did not oppose it, for the fact that the area lies mostly within the countrys exclusive economic zone. We have to take it that there is politics in the joint venture. Without stating the obvious, it is doubtful whether China would allow the entry of foreign private corporations to benefit from the undertaking by way of assignment of contact. The 60-40 arrangement envisions a service contract that is exclusive to the Philippine government through the PNOC, and to Chinas CNOOC. Many could smell something fishy, for normally, private oil companies could only act after the Committee had worked out the mechanism outlined in the MOU. The PXP Energy Corp. cannot pre-empt the Department of Energy and PNOC-EC. Other corporations like Shell, Chevron or EDC could only act on that portion allocated to it by the country. Neither can they be allowed to decide on areas which have yet to be explored. To put it bluntly, private oil companies are licensed and are allowed to operate only in the Philippines and can only act on the rights and benefits given by the government. It cannot exercise those rights and benefits outside of what has been allocated to it by the government. This has to be clarified because the 60-40 sharing is based on the presumption that what will prevail is a service contract. This now explains why Executive Order Nos. 20, 131,171, 193, 211 and 279 ordered the transfer of functions of the Department of Energy and that of PNOC to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to purposely revive the royalty fee to private concessionaires paying only a minimal amount of income tax which is saddled with many exemptions. As explained by Atty. Dodo Dulay on how Shell Corp. benefitted in the Executive Orders crafted by Buenaventura, to quote:THERE are five years left before Shell Philippines Explorations (SPEX) service contract for the Malampaya deep-water natural gas project expires but this early, the British-Dutch oil and gas company and its consortium partners Chevron Malampaya LLC and PNOC Exploration Corp., are pulling out all the stops to have its operating monopoly over the Palawan gas field extended for another 10 years, or up to 2034. If that happens, the Philippine government and, ultimately, the Filipino people will again be placed at a considerable disadvantage. x x x. For the past 17 years since the Shell consortium began commercial operations in the Malampaya gas field, it has enjoyed a slew of incentives and benefits not available to other foreign investors such as a 40 percent share (a.k.a. service fee) of the net production, the reimbursement of up to 70 percent of the gross production to recover its investment costs, and an exemption from all taxes and duties for importation of materials and equipment for petroleum operations. As if that wasnt enough, the Shell consortium was also exempted from all taxes except income taxes. But for almost two decades now, the Malampaya operator has not paid a single centavo in income tax because under its service contract with the government, its income taxes are to be taken out of the share of the Philippine government. Effectively, therefore, it is Filipino taxpayers like you and me who end up subsidizing and paying for Shells income taxes. This absurd tax-dodging scheme certainly gives new meaning to the Filipino idiom iginisa sa sarili mantika (to be fried in ones own lard). X x x. By law, 60 percent of the income (or so-called royalties) from the net production of the Malampaya gas field is supposed to go to the Philippine government while the remaining 40 percent is to be allocated to the Shell consortium. Based on data from the Department of Energy (DOE), however, the actual royalty share of the government has been cut down to a mere 37.7 percent (of its 60 percent allotment) after deducting the incentives and benefits claimed by Shell like income taxes and branch profit remittance taxes, which amount to billions of pesos. X x x. Throughout the Malampaya fields 17-year gas production, the total proceeds from the reservoir reached approximately $22.9 billion. Of that amount, the Shell consortium was reimbursed $6.2 billion supposedly for the recovery of its investment costs, reducing the gross revenue to around $16.7 billion, as of the end of 2017. With the 60-40 split, the service fee income of the Malampaya contractor reached an aggregate sum of $7 billion while the total royalties due the government reportedly amounted to some $9.7 billion. Perhaps to justify the extension of its contract, Shell has been pushing the narrative that the Philippine governments share from the Malampaya deep-water gas-to-power project will soon breach the $10-billion mark. That, however, is grossly misleading and inaccurate. What the Shell consortium failed to mention is that its income taxes over the past 17 years amounting to around $3 billion were taken out of the governments royalties. This is on top of the deductions for the Malampaya contractors branch profit remittance taxes of $870 million and the assistance to LGUs amounting to roughly $2.4 billion, which whittled down the total royalty share of the government to a measly $3.4 billion, or just US$200 million annually since 2001. The bulk of the revenue from the Malampaya operationsa staggering $12.7 billion (consisting of service fees and reimbursements alone)went to the pockets of the Shell and its partners. Compared to the $28.1 billion foreign currency remittance of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in 2017 alone, the annual royalties paid by the Shell consortium to the government is a mere pittance. Even the business process outsourcing (BPO) industrys foreign exchange earnings$24.5 billion in 2017dwarfs Shells annual payment to our national coffers. With the expiration of the Malampaya contract in the horizon, theres a move by the current DOE leadership to place the operations of the Malampaya gas field in the hands of state-run PNOC Exploration Corp., which will then enter into farm-in deals (or an arrangement where it sells a stake in the service contract) with other energy companies, supposedly to enable the government to corner 100 percent of the royalties on gas production. Thanks to the role played by Cesar Buenaventura for completely defanging the Department of Energy and the PNOC for which he together with Jaime Zobel de Ayala, were subsequently knighted the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for their most disgraceful betrayal of the countrys interest to UK government. [email protected]"If left unchecked, the latter might spiral out of control." "If left unchecked, the latter might spiral out of control."

As the year was about to end, the international community was treated to what could be the biggest diplomatic crisis in recent years. This was after the Canadian government ordered the arrest and detention of Sabrina Meng Wanzhou, a top executive with the Chinese tech company Huawei, an offshoot of an extradition request from the United States. According to reports, Meng is wanted on charges of fraud, including the use of a Huawei subsidiary to conduct business with Iran, in violation of the sanctions the US had imposed on that country. Further, her company is being accused of using its technology to provide intelligence report on the US to the Chinese government. Upset over Mengs arrest and detention, China threatened revenge and unnecessary troubles for Canada if it did not release the Chinese CFO. In fact, China has since arrested two Canadian nationals: entrepreneur Michael Spavor, and former diplomat Michael Korvig. While, Canadas Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland called the detention of Spavor and Korvig arbitrary as opposed to what she called Canadas fair, unbiased and transparent legal proceeding with respect to Meng, even adding that Canada respects its international legal commitments, including by honoring its extradition treaty with the United States, Canada nevertheless relented, relesing Meng on a $10-million bail, with additional conditions that she live in one of her two Vancouver homes, restricted to that residence between the hours of 11pm and 6am local time, that she be monitored 24/7, that she surrender all of her passports, and that she wear an ankle bracelet around the clock. China reportedly has yet to respond to the Canadian governments demand for the release of the two detained Canadians has the backing of both the US State Department and the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs. However, an article published by Centre for Research on Globalization in its website www.globalrersearc.ca, claims ther was more to the arrest and detention of Meng than the allegation of possible espionage and dealing with Iran. Citing an expose by the Australian Pres which it claims have been ignored by major media outfits, the article talks of a supposed meeting of the Five Eyes intelligence network with Prime Minister Trudeau at an undisclosed location in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia this past summer. It went on to say that the intelligence chiefs spoke of threats coming from China. And since the meeting, the article continues, there has been an unprecedented campaign to ban Huawei technology from the emerging 5G networks in the Five Eyes countries, namely Canada, the US, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. As stated earlier, the argument is that Huawei would use advanced capabilities to provide intelligence to the Chinese government, making it a threat to national security. But then, independent sources add that the real reason behind the arrest and detention of Meng of Huawei is mainly due to the US losing out in 5G technology, thus the need to resort to foul tactics, but which has failed to stop Huawei from shipping 200-million units catapulting it to Number Two behind Samsung, and relegating US brand Apple to Number Three in the world market.Making it worse is the inability of the US to tap their allies to stop patronizing the Chinese product. And if these claims are true, then it is the US that is now bearing the brunt of the trade war it has called for against China and the arrest and detention of Meng might only be a facade for a far more deadlier attack, something the civilized world cannot afford. If left unchecked, the US-led trade war against China might spiral out of control. And well all end up losers. The other day, the US Department of Homeland Security issued an advisory directing airlines going to the Philippines to alert their passengers on the deficiency of security measures at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. According to the advisory, the Manila International Airport Authority, which is in charge of NAIA, does not maintain and carry out effective security consistent with the security standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization. In view of this finding and effective immediately, airlines issuing tickets for travel between the United States and MNL are directed to notify passengers in writing of this determination, the DHS advisory said. In response, the Department of Tourism issued a statement, saying that while the Philippine government respects the advisory, it nevertheless assures measures are being done to address the issue, and at the same time, guarantees the Philippines to be safe for both residents and visitors. Following is the statement of the DOT: The Department of Tourism respects the recent announcement of the United States Department Homeland Security and the findings of the Transportation Security Administration. The management and security officers of the Manila International Airport Authority, together with the Department of Transportation under the leadership of Secretary Tugade, have committed to positively address this concern. We are confident in their capabilities to handle this issue and we are ready to help them in any way to expedite the resolution. We are in close coordination with the Philippine National Police and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines tasked to oversee our aviation security. Both agencies have repeatedly assured the DOT of the readiness to assess and respond to threats to ensure the safety and security of our tourists, both domestic and international. With this, we assure the international community, that the Philippines remains a safe haven for our visitors and residents alike.The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will invest $200 million in 18 agricultural technology centers in Angola.

The investment, to be executed in about 5 or 7 years, aims at training the staff of the Agriculture and Forestry sector and the peasants in techniques of production, processing and commercialization of agricultural goods.

The project will be implemented in the countrys 18 provinces under a memorandum of understanding signed between the Angolan Ministry of Agriculture and Forestrys Institute of Agrarian Development (IDA) and the Sheiki Ahmed Office Dalmjook Al Maktoum of the UAE.

In a first phase, the centers will be set up in the provinces of Bie, Huambo, Luanda and Bengo.

All technological centers will have laboratories to analyze the soils of the different provinces in order to assess the need for nutrients, since there will be a fertilizer mix processing structure to satisfy each region.

IDA director David Tunga said each province will have a major center, while smaller centers will be set up at the level of some municipalities.

The centers management will be under the responsibility of the investors and after consolidation, they will be delivered to the Government of Angola for autonomous management.Where Persecution Comes From

There is a sharp contrast in the level of persecution faced by different groups of Christians in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Emirati society is fairly tolerant towards expatriate Christian communities and allows them to worship relatively freely. Converts to Christianity from Islam face the majority of persecution in the country, and they experience a great deal of pressure to recant their faith, both from their immediate families and society as a whole. While the government technically promotes religious tolerance, its promotion of Islam contributes to Christian persecution.

How Christians are Suffering

Depending on their backgrounds, different Christians in the UAE experience varying degrees of persecution. While expatriate Christian communities are relatively free to practice their faith, they also face restrictions. They are free to worship and practice their faith in private but are prohibited from expressing their faith, worshiping, preaching or praying in public. Proselytization of any sort is illegal, so Christians must exercise caution and self-restraint when interacting with Muslims. Meanwhile, converts from Islam often fear to reveal their conversion. Because most converts keep their faith a secret, we have few reports of Christians being killed or physically harmed for their faith.

Examples

In January 2016, local authorities arrested and deported three non-citizens accused of preaching a religion other than Islam in the emirate of Sharjah.

The government forces the countrys two primary internet service providers to block websites that are critical of Islam or dedicated to other religious topics.Thank you for reading!

Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.Education Reporter

Mathew Burciaga is a Santa Maria Times reporter who covers education, agriculture and public safety. Prior to joining the Times, Mathew ran a 114-year-old community newspaper in Wyoming. He owns more than 40 pairs of crazy socks from across the globe.You have permission to edit this collection.

Edit Close "Predictions of Dangerousness in Sentencing: Deja Vu All Over Again" | Main | Highlighting continued work (and optimism) on alternatives to incarceration 

A week ago the FIRST STEP Act was signed into law, and my first post celebrating this achievement stressed the challenging and critical work of implementing the law well. Today, this new Washington Examiner piece, headlined "Prisoners due for release under First Step Act stuck in limbo," spotlights that implementation difficulties have already begun. Here are excerpts:

President Trump shortened the sentences of thousands of prisoners by signing the First Step Act days before Christmas. But one week later, inmates and their frustrated families say they are afraid the gift wont be delivered in time to hasten release dates.

Silence from the Federal Bureau of Prisons is creating fear that foot-dragging will eat into reductions mandated by Trump's most significant bipartisan policy achievement. The new law gives many prisoners an extra seven days off their sentences for each year of good behavior, but it's unclear when authorities will make the calculations.

Literally, my brother has packed his stuff and is waiting for the call, said Veda Ajamu, whose brother Robert Shipp, 46, has served 25 years of a drug sentence. Shipp had a November 2019 release date, but Ajamu believes he may be going home immediately under the new law, which would shave off about 175 days, potentially making him eligible for a halfway house or home confinement, which is typical at the very end of sentences. Im thinking to myself, I dont know what to do. Im feeling anxious. I dont want to be at the wrong place when he calls, said Ajamu, who plans to pick up her brother.

Some families have loved ones who they know would be home tomorrow, said Kevin Ring, president of Families Against Mandatory Minimums and a former executive director for the conservative Republican Study Committee. People are very concerned about when this is going to get done. Congress has passed this. It's in effect."

Advocates estimate that 4,000 federal prisoners will be released almost immediately under the good-time expansion. A smaller number can petition courts for old crack cocaine sentences to be reduced.

For Craig Steven Houston, 48, the good-behavior change alone could mean 210 days off a 30-year crack cocaine sentence. He had an August release date, but the law means he could get out in just 22 days, on Jan. 19., according to his family. We want to be prepared and know what's going on, said Steve Henderson, who was raised with Houston and considers him a brother.

Concerned families are calling the Bureau of Prisons Designations and Sentence Computation Center, which calculates sentences. But some say calls havent been answered. When you have an infraction in prison, when they take the time away from you, they calculate it immediately... the next day it is gone, Henderson said. You have people across the country who are supposed to be home. All of a sudden DSCC isn't answering their phones.

Its unclear what effect the ongoing partial government shutdown is having. Bureau of Prisons spokespeople did not respond to multiple requests for clarification this week. Part of the delay may be explained by lack of implementation guidance. "We are currently reviewing the new legislation to determine implementation guidance for BOP and other DOJ components," said Justice Department spokesman Wyn Hornbuckle. Hornbuckle noted that more than 80 percent of the department workforce is working through the government shutdown, which began hours after Trump signed the First Step Act.Reuters

Canada still has some room for maneuver before the U.S. Senate votes on a proposed electric-vehicle tax credit for American manufacturers, a measure Ottawa opposes, Trade Minister Mary Ng said on Friday. Ng, speaking by phone from Washington after three days of lobbying against the measures, reiterated that Canada would "respond accordingly" if the credit were implemented. Canada fears the credit will undermine its own efforts to produce electric vehicles in Ontario - the country's industrial heartland - and also undermine the integrated North American auto industry.What is a Stern Warning?

A stern warning, often described as a slap on the wrist, is a warning issued to individuals in Singapore in lieu of prosecution after a criminal investigation is closed.

Stern warnings seek to deter individuals from committing offences and may be issued verbally or in written form. They do not come with any conditions attached.

In September 2020, Member of Parliament Raeesah Khan was issued a stern warning for her comments made on social media that allegedly promoted enmity among different racial and religious groups, and scandalised the court.

When May a Stern Warning be Issued?

A stern warning may be issued at various stages of criminal proceedings. For example, an individual may be issued a stern warning:

While being investigated for an offence (even if he is not ultimately charged with an offence); or

After being charged with an offence.

It is unclear how much evidence the authorities will need in order to decide to issue a stern warning. However, stern warnings are generally given only to individuals who have never been convicted of an offence before. Individuals who have previously been convicted of an offence are unlikely to receive stern warnings.

How is a Stern Warning Different From a Conditional Warning?

Apart from a stern warning, there is also a type of warning known as the conditional warning. Unlike stern warnings, conditional warnings come with conditions that the individual has to comply with.

For example, a condition of the conditional warning may require an individual to not commit any offence for a period of time (such as 12 months).

If any condition in the conditional warning is breached, the authorities have the right to prosecute the individual for the original offence that he had been warned for, and also for any fresh offences committed.

In April 2019, NUS undergraduate Nicholas Lim was issued a conditional warning for trespassing into a female washroom and filming a female student in the shower without her consent.

Story continues

What are the Consequences of Being Issued a Stern Warning?

Will the offence for which a stern warning was issued be part of the individuals criminal record?

A stern warning is not a criminal conviction.

Accordingly, individuals who have been given stern warnings in relation to certain offences will not have a criminal record for those offences.

However, records of stern warnings are maintained by the police. It is unclear how long these records will be kept for.

What happens if the individual had already been charged with an offence before receiving the stern warning?

If the individual had already been charged with an offence before receiving the stern warning, a Discharge Amounting to an Acquittal (DATA) will be issued. The DATA indicates that the individual is found not guilty of an offence, and the criminal charge will be dropped.

If the individual had been given a conditional warning after being charged with an offence, the DATA will be issued only after all conditions in the conditional warning have been complied with.

Can an individual who has been given a Discharge Not Amounting to an Acquittal receive a stern warning?

Apart from a DATA, it is also possible for an individual to receive a Discharge Not Amounting to an Acquittal (also known as DNATA or DNAQ).

An individual who has been given a DNATA may still be prosecuted for the offence in the future. This could happen if new evidence becomes available, for example.

However, it is possible for an individual who has been given a DNATA to later receive a stern warning if the prosecution decides to drop the charge.

Will offences for which stern warnings have been issued be taken as past criminal behaviour?

Stern warnings (and conditional warnings) have no legal effect and are not binding on individuals who have received them.

As a result, they cannot be treated as criminal antecedents (i.e. previous convictions) if the individual is being sentenced for a different offence later on.

Can the individual who has received the stern warning still be subject to private prosecution over the same conduct?

In a private prosecution, an individual (or his lawyer) will be the one prosecuting the accused, instead of a Public Prosecutor. You can read more about private prosecutions in our other article.

In Singapore, it is still an open question whether an individual who has received a stern warning can still be subject to private prosecution.

While this appears to be the case in the UK, it remains to be seen whether local courts will adopt a similar position.

Can the individual still be sued over the same conduct?

An individual who has been issued a stern warning can still be sued by the victim(s) in respect of his actions.

In some cases, the issuance of a stern warning may form part of the victims case in proving their cause of action.



We hope that this article has helped you better understand the issuance and consequences of stern warnings and conditional warnings in Singapore.

Nevertheless, given that there are many uncertainties with regard to the issuance of stern warnings, it might be best for those being issued with stern warnings to seek legal advice from a criminal lawyer on how to proceed.

The post Consequences of Receiving a Stern Warning in Singapore appeared first on SingaporeLegalAdvice.com.The first Sakae Sushi outlet was opened in Singapore in 1997. Source: Sakae Holdings

By Leslie Shaffer

Sakae Holdings

Sakae Holdings, best known in Singapore for its sushi outlets, tried to diversify into commodity trading, but its efforts to trade sugar quickly turned sour.

The tale started in mid-2017, when a representative for its subsidiary Sakae Capital (SCPL), whom Sakae hasnt publicly identified, brought in a potential 12,800 metric tonne sugar transaction.

The sugar was purportedly sold to two customers, which Sakae only identified as A and B. Customer A took delivery of 3,457 metric tonnes of sugar and paid SCPL US$1.6 million (S$2.2 million) in October 2017, but customer B took delivery of 9,343 metric tonnes of sugar with a sale value of US$4.3 million, in December 2017 and didnt pay, Sakae said.

In August of this year, the companys auditors appointed an independent corporate governance and internal audit firm to undertake a review. The shareholders and directors of the customer company are uncontactable, as is the representative appointed by Sakae to carry out the sugar trade.

Sakae filed a police report in September.

Sunpower Group is listed on the mainboard of Singapore Exchange since 2005. Source: Sunpower

2. Sunpower Group

Sunpower Group said in early December its executive chairman Guo Hongxin and executive director Ma Ming filed a report with the Commercial Affairs Department of the Singapore Police Force over unauthorised transfer of shares belonging to them.

The two executives had earlier each placed 14 million Sunpower shares, or around 1.89 percent of the companys total issued shares, as collateral for personal loans from America 2030 Capital. The loans were never disbursed and the two executives said the shares were no longer in the depository brokerage account designated by the lender.

Sunpower in a filing to the Singapore stock exchange on 8 Nov. said the two shareholders have commenced legal proceedings in the Supreme Court of Singapore to get back the shares, after earlier obtaining an interim injunction to prevent America 2030 Capital and related parties from dealing in the shares.

Story continues

America 2030 Capital said in a 14 Nov. statement it has initiated arbitration proceedings against the two executives of Sunpower and will aggressively defend its reputation and the enforcement of contracts executed by the two executives.

3. Stamford Land

In October, Stamford Land amicably settled an unusual lawsuit: The company and its directors had sued a minority shareholder, Mano Sabnani, for defamation.

That was over allegations he made in a Facebook post and a letter to The Business Times, and comments he made during two of the companys annual general meetings, one in 2016 and one this year over the companys corporate governance and investor relations.

The Facebook post, which was later blocked, was titled Stamford Land boards high-handed conduct at AGM leaves bitter taste. It included an allegation that when Sabnani asked for water at the meeting, he was told he could quench his thirst in the toilet.

Sabnani submitted a defence, saying his statements werent defamatory and that he was raising legitimate shareholder issues, including dividend policy and executive compensation.

The drama came to an end in October when the two parties reached what they called an amicable settlement of all differences, and that they would bring this unhappy episode to an end. Sabnani agreed to retract his comments and offered his apologies for the distress caused.

Photo of Noble Group logo at investor event. (Photo: Reuters File Photo)

4. Noble Group

Embattled commodity trader Noble Group didnt start out a small cap, but after a major commodity downturn and reports from Iceberg Research questioning its accounting, the share price and the companys fortunes tumbled.

Noble requested its shares be suspended from trading on 16 November as part of a restructuring process. The shares closed at S$0.081 on that day, a far cry from their height of around S$18.14 touched in early 2011.

The debt-for-equity restructuring plan was in the works for nearly two years but was thrown into disarray at the eleventh hour after Singaporean authorities last month started investigating the company and its subsidiary Noble Resources International for suspected false statements and breaching disclosure requirements.

In early December, Singapore regulators added that Noble wouldnt be allowed to transfer its stock exchange listing to the restructured entity New Noble amid what it said were significant uncertainties over the entitys financial position.

That forced Noble to push ahead with the restructuring by asking a Bermuda court to appoint an officer to facilitate the process.

On 20 December, Noble said it finally completed its protracted restructuring plan. Shareholders participating in the restructuring will still be getting their allotment of shares in New Noble, just without an exchange to trade them on.

5. Kimly

Singapore-style coffee shop operator Kimly took what analysts have said is an unusual step of not just divorcing a beverage distributor it bought, but of retroactively cancelling the acquisition.

In late November, Kimly said that Asian Story Corp. (ASC) which it had acquired in July for S$16 million had received notice that its manufacturing agreement with Pokka Corporation (Singapore) would be terminated with six months notice.

That led Kimly to rescind the deal. So far, ASCs seller, Wang Chia Ye, has repaid S$12 million of the acquisition price to Kimly, with a three-year payment plan for the rest, Kimly said.

The story hasnt ended there, with Singapore authorities requesting documents and equipment related to Kimlys IPO and the acquisition, as well as arresting Executive Chairman Lim Hee Liat and Executive Director Chia Cher Khiang for potential violations under the Securities and Futures Act related to false or misleading statements.

Both Lim and Chia have been released on bail and they will continue to assist in investigations and no formal charges have been made against them, Kimly said in an exchange filing on 4 December.

The authorities havent provided any further details of the investigation.

*Leslie Shaffer is an executive editor at Shenton WireA charity rescue vessel carrying 311 mainly African migrants plucked off Libya docked in Spain on Friday, ending a traumatic journey which saw them spend Christmas at sea and several European nations denying the ship entry. The migrants cheered and applauded as the vessel docked in the port of Crinavis near the southern city of Algeciras. Proactiva Open Arms, the Spanish charity which runs the Open Arms vessel carrying the migrants, feted the arrival with a "Mission accomplished" tweet. The migrants come from 19 different countries, including Somalia, Syria and the Ivory Coast. More than a third of them, 139, are minors. By early afternoon all of the migrants had disembarked from the boat and received clothes and food, as well as medical tests if required, from Red Cross officials. Women and children left the boat first. "They are in good health in general," said Inigo Vila, who is in charge of emergencies for the Red Cross in Spain. Police will identify the migrants before moving them to shelters. The migrants were rescued on December 21 from three vessels but were denied entry by Italy and Malta. Libya, France and Tunisia did not respond to Proactiva Open Arms' requests for permission to dock, Madrid said. On Saturday, a newborn baby and his mother were helicoptered from the boat to Malta, while a 14-year-old suffering from a serious skin infection was taken to the Italian island of Lampedusa. - 'Lives in danger' - Photos and videos posted by the charity showed the rest of the rescued migrants celebrating Christmas at sea listening to music and singing. Some children wore red Santa hats as they huddled together on the small ship. "We are talking about lives in danger, of people who need help. And it is really deplorable to have to travel for eight days at sea to take them to a safe port when international rules say to go to the nearest safe port," said Proactiva Open Arms founder Oscar Camps. Proactiva Open Arms operates in the sea between Libya and southern Europe, coming to the aid of migrants who get into difficulties during the crossing from northern Africa. This was the first time since August that Spain has allowed a charity rescue ship to dock and unload migrants in the country. The Open Arms resumed its Mediterranean patrols off the Libyan coast in late November, along with two other boats run by migrant aid groups. It suspended its missions in August, accusing governments -- and hardline Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini by name -- of "criminalising" migrant rescue charities. Salvini has denied the groups access to Italy's ports, accusing them of acting as a "taxi service" for migrants. Malta too has been increasingly unwilling to host rescue vessels. "Your rhetoric and your message will, like everything in this life, end," Camps told Salvini on Twitter earlier. "But you should know that in a few decades your descendants will be ashamed of what you do and say." - Another ship still stranded - The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) meanwhile said Friday it was "concerned" for 32 migrants rescued by German NGO Sea Watch off the coast of Libya on December 22 and called for "their timely disembarkation at a nearby safe port". Sea Watch's ship was on Friday also looking for a boat carrying around 75 migrants which the Italian coastguard said was in distress off Libya, but has so far failed to find it, a spokeswoman from the charity said. The Libyan coastguard refuses to speak to Sea Watch and it was not clear if the migrants have already been rescued or if it was a false alarm, she added. 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 (IOM). That makes this stretch of the Mediterranean the most deadly for migrants attempting to cross to Europe. Spain meanwhile has become Europe's main entry point for migrants this year, overtaking Greece and Italy. More than 56,000 migrants have arrived in Spain by sea this year, and 769 have died trying, according to the IOM.A senior researcher handling Chinas most sensitive technology  related to development of the countrys first home-grown aircraft carriers  is facing prosecution on corruption-related charges after a four-month investigation.

Jin Tao, 54, the former research head of the state-owned China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) 712 Institute, was detained in September by the Hubei provincial branch of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the Communist Partys anti-corruption body.

The watchdog said yesterday Jin had seriously violated party discipline and was suspected of a crime of duty causing huge loss to the national interest and that he should be dealt with sternly.

CSIC is currently working on the first Chinese-built aircraft carrier, the Type 001A, at its shipyard in the northeastern port city of Dalian, Liaoning province. The vessels design is based on the Liaoning, Chinas only fully operational aircraft carrier.

The CSIC 712 Research Institute, based in the central China city of Wuhan  Hubeis capital  is the countrys leading research body for marine electric propulsion and special batteries.

It is responsible for Chinas new Integrated Electrical Propulsion System, which can convert all of an engines output into electricity, enabling the deployment of hi-tech weapon systems and the worlds most advanced aircraft launch system.

The company is also developing a third aircraft carrier, the Type 002, which a source close to the PLA Navy said would be fitted with the cutting edge electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS), as used on the nuclear-powered USS Gerald Ford super carrier.

Jins downfall follows two other recent corruption scandals at troubled CSIC.

On Monday Bu Jianjie, a submarine scientist and former director of another CSIC research arm, was expelled from the party and placed under criminal investigation on multiple charges, while earlier this month former general manager Sun Bo was found guilty of trading power for financial gain and accepting bribes.

Story continues

Sources have told the South China Morning Post that investigators from the CCDI were looking into allegations Sun had passed on confidential information about the Liaoning to foreign intelligence agents.

Details of what kind of information Sun may have divulged are unclear, but the same sources said Sun could be facing the death penalty.

Since his arrest, scores of CSIC workers have been schooled in how to protect classified information.

Jin, who had served as head and deputy party chief of the 712 Institute for the past two years, previously spent 13 years as deputy head of CSICs 704 Research Institute in Shanghai, which is responsible for developing electrical power generation systems like those used by electromagnetic catapults like EMALS.

Scandal previously rocked CSIC in 2016, when its then head of discipline inspection Liu Changhong was expelled from the party following an investigation by the CCDI. It was announced in September last year that he would face prosecution on suspicion of taking bribes.

CSIC is under pressure to get its two aircraft carriers ready for military use in time for next years 70th anniversary celebrations of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China in October 1949.

Its Dalian shipyard is working day and night to upgrade the Liaoning, while also preparing to deliver the Type 001A as early as August next year, in time to mark the 92nd anniversary of the establishment of the Peoples Liberation Army.

This article Chinas aircraft carrier troubles continue with more researchers charged with corruption first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.A statue of former Chinese chairman Mao Zedong is seen in front of a residential building in Dandong New Zone, Liaoning province, China June 12, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer/Files

By Christian Shepherd

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese police detained a group of students on Friday who were protesting against a crackdown on a campus Marxist society, whose former head was held by police on the 125th birthday of the founder of modern China, Mao Zedong.China has an awkward relationship with the legacy of Mao, who died in 1976 and is still officially venerated by the ruling Communist Party.

But far leftists in recent years have latched onto Mao's message of equality, posing awkward questions at a time of unprecedented economic boom that has seen a rapidly widening gap between the rich and the poor.

In particular, students and recent graduates have teamed up with labour activists to support factory workers fighting for the right to set up their own union. Dozens of activists have been detained in a government crackdown that followed.

Qiu Zhanxuan, head of the Peking University Marxist Society, said he was approached on Wednesday morning at a subway station by plainclothes police who said they wanted him to answer questions about an event he was organising to celebrate Mao's birthday. Mao was born on Dec. 26, 1893.

When Qiu refused, the men took his phone, forced him into a car and drove him to a police station where he was questioned for 24 hours before being released with a warning, Qiu said, according to accounts provided by fellow students, who declined to be identified.

Late on Thursday, the university's extracurricular activities guidance office released a notice saying police had penalised Qiu and he "did not have the qualifications" to continue as head of the society.

The teachers in charge of guiding the group had determined its members had deviated from promises made to teachers when the group was registered and so had "restructured" the group, the office said.

The "restructuring" was an attempt to "scatter" the group after weeks of continuous harassment by campus police and attempts to cast its members as being involved in a "conspiracy", Qiu said, according to the accounts of his comments.

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Qiu declined additional comment to Reuters.

'PICKING QUARRELS'

None of the people on the new list of student leaders released by university authorities were previous members of the group, and many of them are members of the official Student Association that had been involved in harassing the group, Qiu said.

"We don't recognise this," he added, according to the accounts of his comments.

Later on Friday, a small group of students staged a protest against the action by the authorities, but were themselves detained by police, according to video footage sent to Reuters by one of the students.

The university referred Reuters to the statement issued by its extracurricular activities guidance office on why the Marxist group had been restructured.

The Ministry of Public Security did not respond to requests for comment.

Student unrest is highly sensitive, especially as next year marks 30 years since the bloody suppression of student-led pro-democracy protests in and around Tiananmen Square.

Qiu said his non-academic school adviser, a deputy secretary of the Social Sciences party committee, Shi Changyi, was with him while police questioned him and had advised him not to be "extreme" or "impulsive", according to the accounts of his comments.

Reuters was unable to reach Shi for comment.

Police gave Qiu a subpoena saying he was suspected of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble", which is a crime, but they declined to elaborate, he said, according to the accounts of his comments.

"This was, plain and simple, a plan to restrict my personal freedom and to use these inhuman and illegal means to stop me from going to commemorate Chairman Mao."

(Reporting by Christian Shepherd; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard and Cate Cadell; Editing by Robert Birsel)A Chinese kindergarten teacher was on Friday jailed for 18 months for abusing children with needles, a Beijing court said, sparking criticism online that the sentence was too short. Liu Yanan, who was a teacher at the RYB Education New World kindergarten, pricked four children with needles in November 2017, the Beijing Chaoyang Court said. The scandal triggered national outrage. An investigation into the kindergarten began when parents found needle marks on their toddlers who attended the high-end, bilingual Chinese-English school. There were also allegations that the children were made to take mysterious pills. "The circumstances were vile. Her behaviour has seriously damaged the physical and mental health of minors," the court said in a statement, adding that the abuse did not result in any lasting injury. Liu has also been banned from working with minors for five years after serving her sentence. RYB Education, a New York-listed company which runs the chain of kindergartens, apologised for the incident and stressed on their official social media account the abuse was carried out by an individual. However there was huge criticism of the sentence online, with many social media users angered that no officials have been punished. Three Beijing education officials were under investigation for "lack of supervision" but the case has not progressed. "The cost to commit a crime is too low! This is condoning crimes!" read one post on Weibo, China's Twitter-like platform, saying that Liu should have been given a lifetime ban from working in education. The incident prompted the State Council, China's top administrative body, to call for an "immediate" investigation into all kindergartens across the country. RYB Education owns some 500 kindergartens and nearly 1,300 learning centres across China for children up to the age of six, according to its website. The scandal was not the first to hit the company. RYB suspended the head of a Beijing kindergarten in April 2017 after videos surfaced of teachers throwing a child on a bed and kicking another in the back. In 2016, two teachers from a RYB kindergarten in northeast Jilin province were jailed for 34 months for jabbing children's heads, mouths and buttocks with sewing needles.Japan has made good on years of threats by bolting the International Whaling Commission, but its decision may also offer a way out of tensions that looked inextricable. Japan, which calls whaling part of its cultural heritage, said Wednesday it would withdraw from the seven-decade-old commission which since 1986 has banned commercial killing of the ocean giants. But while Japan vowed to forge ahead with full-fledged commercial hunts off its coast, it put a halt to its most provocative whaling -- annual expeditions to the Antarctic which use an IWC loophole that permits whaling for scientific research. Australia and New Zealand have been outraged by Japan's incursions into waters they consider a whale sanctuary and activists harassed the whalers in often dangerous chases. Patrick Ramage, a veteran watcher of IWC negotiations, called the announcement an "elegantly Japanese solution" that looks on the surface like defiance but will likely mean a much smaller hunt. "What this provides is a face-saving way out of high seas whaling. And it is difficult to see that as anything other than good news for whales and the commission established to manage and conserve them," said Ramage, program director for marine conservation at the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Ramage said that the IWC, where Japan will now have observer status, can focus on increasingly serious threats to whales such as climate change, plastic pollution, ship-strikes and accidental net entanglement from the soaring fishing industry. "It will be a net positive to allow the commission and its member countries to move beyond what has been a disproportionate and warping debate on whaling," he said. Norway and Iceland also hunt whales but remain within the IWC, instead formally registering objections to the ban. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which opposes any killing of whales and attempted to stop Japan's fleet forcibly in the Antarctic, declared victory over Tokyo's announcement but vowed not to accept any whaling by the three countries. - Mounting obstacles - For Japan, which generally prides itself on its contributions to international organizations, whaling has been a rare space in which it confronts its usual Western allies, with Japanese officials at IWC meetings railing against what they see as cultural imperialism. While whale meat is rarely eaten in modern Japan, whaling has become a matter of principle for the powerful fishing business and port cities such as Shimonoseki, the home base of conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. But Japan's whalers also faced serious obstacles outside the IWC. The Nisshin Maru, the world's only remaining whaler factory ship and flagship in the "scientific" expeditions, is 31 years old and set for replacement. Japan -- adamant that it has always followed the letter of the law -- also in 2014 lost a lawsuit filed by Australia at the International Court of Justice, which rejected Tokyo's argument that its whaling was for science, although the narrow ruling allowed Japan to reconstitute its program. And CITES, the global conference that governs wildlife trade to protect endangered species, in October reprimanded Japan for shipments of meat of sei whales, the main type it kills on the high seas. Japan's coastal whaling is expected to focus on minkes, the smallest of the great whales whose stocks are widely considered healthy. - Latest shift for IWC? - The Cambridge, England-based IWC was established after World War II to manage whaling, seeking to ensure meat for a hungry Japan and, less successfully, to contain the Soviet Union's prolific slaughter of whales. After the IWC voted for the moratorium, Japan sought to pack the commission with allies -- often small developing countries with no whaling tradition -- but has continuously failed to reach the two-third threshold it needed. As one of the earliest results of international environmental diplomacy, the IWC has advocates who say it must be preserved. Peter Stoett, a professor at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology who has written a book on the IWC, said Japan's withdrawal marked a setback for the commission which will no longer have universal membership. But he said Japan's absence could reorient the IWC once again to focus on science and diplomacy to address climate change and other urgent threats to whales and other cetaceans. "As dramatic as this is, the major threat to cetaceans today is not coming from harpoons," Stoett said. "The end of all whales could come, but that would be because the oceans are just too warm for the ecosystem support structure that they need," he said.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Brazil's President-elect Jair Bolsonaro on Friday announced a nascent "brotherhood" between their countries that will boost economic, military and technological cooperation. The two issued the warm words to the media after a meeting in a century-old military fort on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach, at the beginning of the first-ever visit by an Israeli prime minister to Brazil. Netanyahu said Bolsonaro had accepted an invitation to make his own visit to Israel, without giving a date. The Israeli leader is to stay on through Tuesday to join other foreign dignitaries at the inauguration in Brasilia of Bolsonaro, a far-right, security-conscious politician and former army officer elected in October on pledges to crack down on endemic crime and corruption. Bolsonaro, sometimes called the "Trump of the tropics" for a similar style to US President Donald Trump and rejection of multilateral diplomacy, emphasized the bond he wants to build with Netanyahu, a firm US ally. "More than partners, we will be brothers in the future, in economy, technology, all that can bring benefit to our two countries," Bolsonaro said. He also spoke of cooperation in military and agriculture matters. Netanyahu, calling his visit "historic," also spoke of "the brotherhood, the alliance" the two planned as something that "can carry us to great heights." "It's hard to believe that we had no such contacts before," he said. - Embassy move - However there was no mention of Bolsonaro's post-election declaration -- later walked back -- that he intended to follow Trump in moving his country's embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Netanyahu had told reporters on his flight to Brazil that "you can be certain I will speak with him about that in our first meeting." But neither man raised the topic in their comments to media, and no questions were taken. An embassy move could put at risk lucrative Brazilian poultry and halal meat exports to Arab countries, which fiercely oppose any unilateral steps seen as cementing Israel's claim to all of Jerusalem as its capital. The Palestinians view east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, and most countries in the world back a longstanding consensus that Jerusalem's status can only be resolved through negotiations and as part of an Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Nearly 20 percent of Brazil's $5 billion beef exports go to 17 Arab countries. Brazil-Israel trade currently amounts to $1.2 billion. Bolsonaro said Tuesday he is looking to import Israeli technology to produce water for Brazil's parched northeast. - Rightward shift - Bolsonaro's ascent to the presidency represents a dramatic, rightward shift in Brazil's politics. For decades, the country has been under center-left and center-right rule and resolutely sought to carve out foreign policy independent of the United States. In 2010, the country recognized a Palestinian state, and it nurtured trade and investment relations with China. But Bolsonaro has spoken with hostility of China's investments in Brazil, and he and one of his politician sons have reached out to Trump and people in his orbit. He and his team have also excluded the far-left leaders of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from attending the inauguration in Brasilia, although Bolivia's leftwing President Evo Morales received an invitation. Other VIPs attending include conservative Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, Hungary's far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Bolsonaro later Friday attended a Rio synagogue with Netanyahu and told the congregation that Brazil intended to move forward in the world not only with Israel "but with other countries such as the United States that think and have a similar ideology to our own." - Meeting Pompeo - Netanyahu made his Brazil trip despite domestic political turmoil in Israel and a spike in military volatility in neighboring Syria. Pompeo and Netanyahu are to discuss Syria on the sidelines of Bolsonaro's swearing-in, an Israeli official and the US State Department said. US allies including Israel were caught by surprise by Trump's abrupt announcement last week that he was pulling US troops out of Syria, where Israel's arch-foe Iran has built up a significant military and political presence. Israel has made several aerial strikes in Syria against positions held by Iran and its Lebanese militia Hezbollah. Domestically, Netanyahu is maneuvering to extend his reign in Israel despite a slew of corruption allegations. On Wednesday, Israel's parliament approved a government decision to call early elections for April 9. The Israeli prime minister also serves as his country's foreign minister. Last year he visited Argentina, Colombia and Mexico.The Causeway linking Singapore to Johor Bahru. (FILE PHOTO: Yahoo News Singapore)

Singapore has not received any official proposal from Malaysia on building a new road link between the two countries, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in a statement on Friday (28 December).

The statement was in response to comments reportedly made on Thursday by Johors Menteri Besar Osman Sapian, who was quoted by Malaysias Chinese-language press as saying that Johor will build a third link between Malaysia and Singapore next year. He added that the site of the Johor end of the link will be in the southeastern district of Pengerang, in the Kota Tinggi district.

Osman reportedly also said that Malaysia and Singapore will discuss their recent airspace and maritime territorial disputes at next months Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) for Iskandar Malaysia, which he will attend together with Economic Affairs Minister Azmin Ali.

No mandate to discuss maritime dispute

However, MFA said in its statement that the JMC for Iskandar Malaysia is a regular, institutionalised bilateral platform for both sides to review the progress of economic cooperation in Iskandar Malaysia. It does not have the mandate to discuss issues related to the Johor Bahru port limits issue.

It added, Singapore has also not received any official proposal or communications from Malaysia related to the construction of any new road link between Singapore and Malaysia.

Osmans comments on Thursday were only his latest on a possible Malaysia-Singapore third link. He had said in August that the Johor government was in talks with a company to erect a bridge linking Sungai Rengit in Pengerang to Pulau Ubin in Singapore. An undersea tunnel will take motorists from Pulau Ubin to the Singapore mainland, Osman added.

Singapore is currently linked to Johor by two land connections: the Causeway in Woodlands and the Second Link bridge in Tuas.

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Independent school fees to go down for students from lower- and middle-income familiesAmerican rapper Lil Pump is facing an ongoing backlash in China after apologising for a video he posted on Instagram that included racial slurs.

There had been hostility in the US as well as China from fans and fellow artists in response to Pumps post on December 16, in which he used the phrase ching chong and made a slant-eyed gesture, in racist caricatures of Asians.

That prompted an apology from the Colombian-American rapper  best known for his 2017 hit Gucci Gang  in another video on Christmas Day, but the apology has brought further criticism on social media.

I seen the whole thing going on on the internet and all that, says the 18-year-old, whose real name is Gazzy Garcia, in the second video. I came here to tell you from my part that Im sorry and I apologise for posting that.

It was not my intentions to hurt nobody or do none of that. I got Asian homies, you know. I f*** with everybody and I got nothing against nobody. Its all love, he says, smiling, before writing in the comments section: Happy holidays, spread love.

But a thread about the incident on Weibo, Chinas equivalent of Twitter, had been read over 35 million times by Friday, with more than 9,000 comments, most of them unforgiving. Many also continued to post on the rappers Instagram page.

The words ching chong were so clear, who would believe you if you said you didnt mean it? wrote one Weibo user. The apology is not an honest one, we do not accept and will not forgive.

In the initial post, in a 40-second preview clip of his new single Butterfly Doors, Pump included the lyrics: Smokin on dope, they call me Yao Ming cause my eyes real low! (Ching chong!). As he rapped, he pulled the corners of his eyes. The post was later deleted.

The song immediately roused online protest. Chinese rappers, including Sichuan group CD Rev, or Chengdu Revolution, hit back with songs of their own, posting them on Weibo and music streaming websites. Diss tracks, in which artists verbally attack each other, are a key part of hip-hop culture.

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CD Revs song, delivered in English, was titled F*** Lil Pump. Written by the groups Li Yijie, or Pissy, it attacks Lil Pumps racism, invoking the history of the United States and its treatment of black people and native Americans.

The fact is you and white racists the same / Respect yourself, youve suffered the pain / You dont know anything bout the history / Cuz you a nation of immigrants, and if you really wont take it serious, check it out on those Indians, he raps.

In a tweet that has since been removed, American rapper and Crazy Rich Asians actress Awkwafina also criticised Pump for the videos racist epithet.

This article Rapper Lil Pumps apology for racial slurs only fuels the backlash in China first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tongs comments on ministerial elicited a lot of strong reactions. (File photo: Dhany Osman/Yahoo News Singapore)

By Theresa Ellsworth

Singapores political scene was lively in 2018, with discussion and debate on topics ranging from leadership succession and ministerial salaries to hawker treatment and rights. Yahoo News Singapore looks at some of the more memorable quotes of the year.

1. First, we have to fight an election. We have to win the election and after that, if all goes according to plan, well, the succession happens within the PAP, there are no surprises.

 Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

Amid keen interest over leadership succession in the ruling Peoples Action Party (PAP), Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in December that he would lead the party in the next general election, although the fourth-generation (4G) leaders will very much be in the thick of things. In November, the PAP announced Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat as the partys first assistant secretary-general. Singapores High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Foo Chi Hsia said in a letter to The Economist on 18 December that Heng will be the countrys next PM if the PAP were to win the next general election. Singapores next GE must be held by 15 January 2021, though rumours are awash that it will happen much sooner.

2. Where do you want to get your ministers from? From people who earn only $500,000 a year, whose capacity is $500,000 a year? So (when) I look for Ministers, anybody who wants to be paid more than half a million, I wont take him. You are going to end up with very very mediocre people, who cant even earn a million dollars outside to be our minister. Think about that. Is it good for you, or is it worse for us in the end?

 Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong

Social media lit up in response to Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tongs comment during a dialogue with South-East District residents in August that Singapores ministers  already among the highest paid in the world  were not paid enough. He added that the proposal to cut ministerial salaries from current levels of some $1 million to fund pensions for elderly people would see civil servants earning more than ministers, and dissuade high-calibre candidates from coming forward to serve the country.

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3. While we have designed CareShield Life to be inclusive, it is equally important for the scheme to be equitable and sustainable. To that end, premiums must be actuarially sound.

 Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources Dr Amy Khor

The announcement of gender-differentiated premiums for Careshield Life  an enhanced version of national disability scheme ElderShield  sparked vigorous debate both in and outside Parliament, even prompting an online petition. Writing on Facebook, former Nominated Member of Parliament Calvin Cheng said, because this is a national insurance scheme, everyone should pay the same. In response, Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources Dr Amy Khor pointed to how women live longer and are likely to spend more years in severe disability.

4. Getting a good picture everybody? So we look nice and handsome and thin and perfect?

 US President Donald Trump

In what appears to have been a misplaced fat joke, US President Donald Trumps request to photographers at a working lunch with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dropped like a lead balloon. The lunch was the final session of a historic summit between the two countries held in Singapore in June. Kim looked suitably unimpressed, and the video went viral, prompting no shortage of reactions. Watch the North Koreans reaction here.

5. In fact, especially when you talk to the young, it appears to me that it is becoming very fashionable not to drive so much, maybe not even to own a car, and to take public transport more even to walk and to cycle.

 Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport chairman Sitoh Yih Pin

The retorts came fast and furious when Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport chairman Sitoh Yih Pin said in September that it was fashionable for Singaporeans to not own or drive a car, and that they were eschewing four wheels to embrace the WCR  Walk, Cycle and Ride  way of life. Some pointed to sky-high COEs, Singapores public transport system, and car ownership among ministers, and said unaffordable might have been a better word.

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The city-state was ranked 28th in Knight Franks Global Residential Cities Index report.

Residential property prices in Singapore rose 8.8 percent year-on-year during the third quarter of 2018, revealed a Knight Frank report.

The city-state was ranked 28th in Knight Franks Global Residential Cities Index Q3 2018, while Chinese city Xian topped the index with a price growth of 20 percent.

Get more details on the property market outlook for 2019 here

Five other Asian cities join Xian in the top ten rankings, including Hong Kong (seventh) and four Indian cities  Ahmedabad (second), Hyderabad (fourth), Bengaluru (fifth) and Surat (ninth).

Completing the top ten list are Budapest (third), Porto (sixth), Rotterdam (eighth) and Amsterdam (10th).

Analysis by world region shows cities in Asia Pacific have seen a surge in growth over the last 12 months, said Knight Frank.

On average, prices across Asia Pacific cities increased 6.2 percent over the 12-months to September 2018, up from 3.3 percent a year ago. Of the remaining world regions, only Latin America and Russia/CIS have seen price growth accelerate, all others, including Europe and North America, have registered slower growth.

Globally, home prices rose 4.5 percent on average.

The report noted that 123 of the 150 cities tracked registered a hike in residential prices, while several first tier cities such as London, Shanghai, Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur posted a drop in prices.

Stockholm, Tel Aviv and Turin represented the three weakest city markets during the period, with price declines of seven, eight and 13 percent respectively.

A mix of economic stagnation, high rates of new supply and affordability constraints are contributing to softening prices in a number of these urban markets, said Knight Frank.

Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email romesh@propertyguru.com.sgSyrian troops deployed in support of Kurdish forces around a strategic northern city on Friday, in a shift of alliances hastened by last week's announcement of a US military withdrawal. Nearly eight years into Syria's deadly conflict, the move marked another key step in President Bashar al-Assad's Russian-backed drive to reassert control over the country. The Syrian army announced that it had raised the flag in Manbij, a strategic city close to the Turkish border where Kurdish forces have been deployed since 2016 and where US-led coalition forces are also stationed. A military spokesman said in a televised announcement that the army would be bent on "crushing terrorism and defeating all invaders and occupiers". More than 300 government forces deployed in the Manbij area, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Nura al-Hamed, deputy head of the Manbij local authority, told AFP that the regime deployment was the result of Russian-sponsored negotiations. "The regime forces will not enter the city of Manbij itself but will deploy on the demarcation line" with Turkish-backed Syrian groups, she said. Hamed said that US and French coalition forces stationed there remained at their positions and continued to conduct patrols. The US military said the Syrian army had not entered the city itself. "Despite incorrect information about changes to the military forces in Manbij city, (the US-led coalition) has seen no indication of these claims being true," US Central Command spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Earl Brown said. - Kurdish shift - The Syrian army's deployment creates a regime buffer arching across northern Syria that fully separates the Turkish army and its proxies from the Kurds. Turkey reacted to the deployment by warning "all sides to stay away from provocative actions" while a large convoy of its Syrian auxiliaries were seen moving closer to the western edge of Manbij later on Friday. US President Donald Trump's shock withdrawal announcement last week left the Kurds in the cold. The People's Protection Units (YPG) have been the backbone of an alliance that has spearheaded the US-backed fight against the Islamic State group in Syria. They are currently battling the last remnants of the jihadists' once sprawling "caliphate" in the country's far east, near the border with Iraq. A US withdrawal will leave them exposed to an assault by Turkey, which has thousands of proxy fighters in northern Syria and wants to crush Kurdish forces it considers terrorists. The Kurds welcomed the regime advance, a pragmatic shift in alliances that will dash their aspirations for autonomy but could help them cut their losses. "We invite the Syrian government forces... to assert control over the areas our forces have withdrawn from, particularly in Manbij, and to protect these areas against a Turkish invasion," the YPG said in a statement. After Manbij, the focus is likely to move to Raqa, a mostly Arab city that the Kurds liberated from IS last year and that the regime has vowed to retake. Turkey said Syrian Kurds "don't have the right" to seek regime help but Russia, the main foreign player in Syria since it intervened to rescue Assad in 2015, hailed the latest development. "Of course, this will help in stabilising the situation. The enlargement of the zone under the control of government forces... is without doubt a positive trend," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Peskov said the situation would be discussed on Saturday during a visit to Moscow by the Turkish foreign and defence ministers, to "clarify" the situation and "synchronise actions" between the two countries. This year the regime retook large swathes of territory with the help of Russian firepower, after three years ago controlling less than a third of the country. - Diplomatic drive - The government ousted rebels from their bastions in and around the capital Damascus and flushed out other pockets to reopen key transport and trade routes. With internal opposition in tatters and UN-backed political negotiations stillborn, Assad is now trying to shed his pariah status and looking for funds to rebuild the country. The US pullout from Syria risks opening a highway for other regional players such as Turkey and Iran, a prospect that some of Assad's erstwhile foes are keen to counter. On Thursday, the United Arab Emirates -- a Turkish rival in the region -- reopened its embassy in Damascus, nearly seven years after severing ties and recognising a now defunct opposition umbrella. The move was the latest in a series of developments building up to the return of Assad's Syria into the Arab fold. Bahrain also announced it would reopen its mission in Damascus and observers expect regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia to confirm that trend in the coming weeks. The Arab League has admitted that the reintegration of Syria, which was suspended from the regional body when it intensified its repression of anti-government protests seven years ago, is on the table.After Tiananmen crackdown, Singapores Lee Kuan Yew said 200,000 influential Hongkongers should band together and bargain if Beijing interfered in citys affairs

Singapores founding father Lee Kuan Yew had a piece of advice for Hongkongers in the wake of the Tiananmen crackdown: band together 200,000 people on whom the citys success hinged and bargain with China by threatening to leave if Beijing interfered with Hong Kongs affairs.

The Southeast Asian strongman said China would have to listen to the views of Hong Kong if the city adopted a non-confrontational approach to dealing with Beijing, rather than fighting China.

Lee made the suggestion when he met a delegation of the citys Executive Council and Legislative Council members soon after the Chinese government forcibly suppressed pro-democracy protesters in Beijing in 1989. He said Hongkongers should plead or negotiate with China.

His remarks were documented in a note on October 20, 1989, written by Charles Powell, private secretary to then British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

According to files declassified this week from Britains National Archives in London, Lee, then prime minister of Singapore, discussed the situation in Hong Kong and China with Thatcher at a meeting in Singapore on October 20, 1989.

Powell wrote that contrary to press reports, Lee had not said he would urge Britain to open its doors to people from Hong Kong.

Rather, he had said he would not dream of offering gratuitous advice. His actual advice, to the Hong Kong delegation, was that they should not fight China; sovereignty was absolute in international law.

They should plead or bargain with China, and organise themselves so that they could do potential damage to Chinas interests, Powell wrote.

[Lee said] there are about 200,000 people in Hong Kong who really mattered. They should band together and threaten to leave Hong Kong, bringing down its administration and economic life, if the Chinese interfered, the records said.

The two leaders were attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in neighbouring Malaysia in October 1989.

Story continues

Lee told Thatcher he had met the delegation of executive councillors and lawmakers from Hong Kong earlier in Kuala Lumpur.

He said other countries would need to be ready to make the special arrangements for the 200,000 Hongkongers by granting them citizenship without a qualifying residential period.

[Lee said] this would allow them to stay in Hong Hong while all was going smoothly, but give them the right to leave if necessary.This was the way to deal with China, using a non-confrontational approach, and the Chinese would have to listen, Powell wrote.

The Singaporean leader said Hongkongers had to come to terms with the reality that there would be nothing to stop Beijing from doing what it wanted after the city returned to Chinese rule in 1997. When China is involved in a power struggle it could not care less about its international reputation, Powell wrote of Lees comments.

It would be a great mistake to challenge China over the pace of the introduction of democracy, Lee had said.

If there were fully democratic elections, China would simply send in the cadres, there would be clashes and confidence would decline, Powell wrote.

Lee said he recalled a statement by Chinas paramount leader Deng Xiaoping who had said whoever governed the former colony must love China and love Hong Kong.

But Lee also told the Iron Lady that the only way to win democratic local elections would be to love Hong Kong and hate China.

Lee maintained that the Sino-British Joint Declaration, signed in 1984, was the best agreement possible for the city.

In the 1991 and 1995 Legco elections, the pro-democracy camp won landslide victories on the platform of condemning the Tiananmen crackdown and opposing Chinese interference in Hong Kong.

According to National Archives documents declassified two years ago, Lee warned after the 1989 incident that Beijing would reject any assertion of a separate and democratically based Hong Kong identity.

He sounded the warning during a conversation with two senior British diplomats in Singapore in July 1989.

Lee wrote in his memoir, From Third World to First: The Singapore Story, that there was a wide and deep gap between what Hong Kong people wanted for themselves and the expectations of Chinas leaders.

In the book, published in 2000, just three years after the handover of Hong Kong to China, he said: Over the next 47 years both sides must move towards each other and converge. It may not be as difficult as Hong Kong people now fear.

It will be two more generations before they meet in one country, one system, he wrote, in a reference to one country, two systems, the principle by which Beijing governs Hong Kong.

Lee, who was prime minister of Singapore between 1959 and 1990, died aged 91 in March 2015.



This article After Tiananmen crackdown, Singapores Lee Kuan Yew said 200,000 influential Hongkongers should band together and bargain if Beijing interfered in citys affairs first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.President Donald Trump threatened Friday to seal the US-Mexico border "entirely" if Congress does not approve billions of dollars in funding for a wall. In a burst of early morning tweets, the president said the alternative to funding his controversial wall project would be total separation from Mexico -- including making US car companies pull out their factories based on the other side of the frontier. The threat yet again upped the ante in a political row that has led to a partial shutdown of the US government and seems set to dominate the start to the third year of Trump's presidency. "We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall," Trump tweeted. Trump said he would then take US-Mexican relations back to the days before the NAFTA agreement opened free trade across Canada, Mexico and the United States. That would "bring our car industry back into the United States where it belongs," he said. It was not clear how separating the two huge neighbors would work. Bilateral trade totaled an estimated $615.9 billion in 2017, according to US government figures. Neither did Trump make any mention of the new free trade agreement, known as the USMCA, which he only recently signed with the two neighboring countries to replace NAFTA and which he has repeatedly praised as a huge boost for American commerce. In Mexico, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador sidestepped Trump's threat, telling journalists: "We don't want to be imprudent and we don't think we should get into this." - $5 billion question - Trump wants $5 billion in funding for a wall along the more than 2,000-mile border, which he says is currently too porous to stop illegal immigration and which he claims has become a magnet for criminals, drugs and even terrorists. Opponents -- especially in the Democratic party but also some in Trump's Republican party -- say that a physical wall is impractical and that the idea is being used as a political tool to whip up xenophobia in Trump's right-wing voter base. Both sides have dug in. Democrats refuse to approve funding and the president -- who has made hardline immigration policies a centerpiece of his presidency -- has retaliated by refusing to sign off on a wider spending bill, leaving some 800,000 federal employees without pay. Negotiations on lifting that partial government shutdown, perhaps by providing some border security funding, have sputtered out and no new debate is scheduled before next Wednesday. The president, who had already scrapped a Christmas visit to his Florida golf resort, has also "canceled his plans for New Year's," his incoming chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, said on Fox News. Asked about the startling rhetoric, Mulvaney told Fox that Trump "is trying to draw light to the fact this is a crazy discussion to be having." For one Republican Congress member, Brad Wenstrup, the paralysis over the wall reflected "a lot of political posturing." "I would hope that it could be ended soon," he told CNN television. "If you sit down and talk about that, why is that such a hard thing to do?" - Caravan 'invasion' - Experts are divided on solutions to policing the long, often inhospitable border separating the world's biggest economy from the far poorer countries to its south. Although there is a huge cross-border drug trade and immigrants often enter illegally, others have genuine claims for asylum. Central Americans are also deeply integrated in the US economy, often performing physically demanding, low-pay jobs in construction, agriculture and other vital sectors. Trump has consistently painted the asylum seekers and economic migrants in outlandish terms, raising the specter of rapists, gang members and people with infectious diseases roaming freely across the border. Trump has latched particularly on to what have become known as the "caravans" -- groups of several hundred or even more migrants who make epic treks across Central America and Mexico to try to reach the United States. According to Trump, the "caravans" amount to organized attempts at invading the United States. In one tweet Friday, Trump warned: "word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it." As a result, he said, "we will be cutting off all aid" to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. The impoverished, often dangerous countries have long received American assistance to boost democracy, human rights, education and security. But according to State Department figures, the aid is already dropping steeply. Honduras is currently set to receive $65.7 million in 2019, down from $105.6 million in 2017, while Guatemala is slated for $69.4 million, down from $145 million. El Salvador received $88 million in 2017 and is set for $45.7 million next year.The wife of a detained Chinese human rights lawyer was on Friday barred from submitting a petition to a Beijing court over the handling of her husband's case. Li Wenzu, who earlier this week was blocked from attending her husband's trial in Tianjin, was prevented from entering the Hongshichun High Court in south Beijing by close to 50 officers. Wrapped in a colourful fur-lined coat, Li and several supporters brought a petition calling for accountability in the Tianjin court, which held her husband's trial behind closed doors citing "state secrets". They also called on the court in Beijing to investigate the Tianjin court's handling of the case, which they say has dragged on too long. But uniformed and plainclothes officers formed a circle around Li, moving her away from the courthouse. "Under these circumstances they wouldnt let us in... course they wouldnt let us in because we have never been able to enter in our last 30 attempts," Li told journalists, adding that she would make another attempt next week. Wang Quanzhang, 42, who defended political activists and victims of land seizures, disappeared in a 2015 sweep -- known as the "709" crackdown -- aimed at courtroom critics of Communist authorities. After he was charged in January with the "subversion of state power", Wang was not heard from until his court-assigned lawyer contacted Li on Monday to say his trial would be held in the northern city of Tianjin two days later. Li was stopped from leaving her Beijing apartment on Wednesday and the trial was closed to the public because of "state secrets", the court said. "I am very concerned that throughout the proceedings Wang Quanzhang has not been allowed access to lawyers of his own choosing," the German human rights commissioner Baerbel Kofler said in a statement. "Under these circumstances, a fair trial is impossible." Li had in May met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel -- a rare opportunity as world leaders often avoid making public statements about human rights during China visits. Wang will be sentenced at a later, undetermined date.Corporate America spent much of this year celebrating the tax cut that Republicans handed them by dumping truckloads of money onto their investors. Mostly, they did this by spending record amounts of money on stock buybacks.

Now that stocks are crashingthe S&P 500 is down about 17 percent from its September peaksome companies are looking like they overpaid. The Wall Street Journal reports Thursday that the shares Apple purchased are now worth $9 billion less than when they bought them. Wells Fargo and Citigroup also repurchased shares that have declined in value by billions.*

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This usefully illustrates one of the problems with share repurchases: Companies have a nasty habit of purchasing their own stocks at the top of the market.

When companies buy back their stock, they increase its value by reducing the number of shares outstanding on the market. The practice was effectively barred as a form of market manipulation until a rule change by Ronald Reagans Securities and Exchange Commission in 1982. Since then, buybacks have gradually become the primary way corporations reward their investors, far outstripping dividends in most recent years.

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Shareholders are generally just fine with this arrangement, since buybacks offer a nice jolt of instant financial gratification. You can either sell your shares and take a profit, or hold on to them and watch your net brokerage account fatten up without having to pay any capital gains taxes.

But buybacks also have their critics, a group thats unofficially led by William Lazonick, an economist at the University of MassachusettsLowell. The case against share repurchases generally comes in two flavors.

One line of argument says that buybacks are both a symptom and a cause of a business culture in which CEOs strip their companies bare by lavishing cash upon shareholders instead of investing in their operations or workerswhat Lazonick calls the legalized looting of the U.S. industrial corporation. The idea is that buybacks both make it easier to send money back to shareholders instead of invest, andunlike regular quarterly dividendstend to reward short-term investors who want the stock to pop quickly so they can make a quick buck selling it. Because CEOs are rewarded partly based on whether they hit certain stock price targets and are often compensated largely in stock options, there are also incentives for them to spend more on buybacks than they might on normal dividends.

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Ive always assumed that if buybacks were banned tomorrowwhich some Democrats would like to docompanies would find other ways to return cash to shareholders that didnt require them to increase their quarterly dividend (executives hate doing that, because decreasing a dividend later on when profits are down tends to bring a hellish rage from the market). For instance, they could just issue more special dividends, which are basically one-off cash payments. Point being, money always finds a way.

But then theres a second line of anti-buyback argument, which is basically that companies have a habit of doing them at the wrong time. In theory, companies ought to purchase their stock when its undervaluedbuy low, sell high (not that companies really sell their own stock these days; instead, they tend to use it as compensation for employees or to make acquisitions). But some CEOs may be tempted to execute buybacks at times that maximize the value of their stock options, whether or not its actually a good deal for the company. And more broadly, buybacks tend to be procyclical; they boom when profits and share prices are high, so a bunch of companies end up buying at the top of the marketjust like weve seen with Apple, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo this year.

Are buybacks really a root cause of our present economic ills? I dont know. What is clear is that buybacks incentivize corporations to play the market poorly, even as they keep investors happy.Grab your tinfoil hat and walk with me down sparkle way. In the Dec. 21 New York Times, Caity Weaver has a rollicking dispatch from the Glitterex glitter factory, which reveals the true nature of glitteraluminum metalized polyethylene terephthalatebefore hinting at a greater mystery: a top-secret industrial glitter use that accounts for most of the companys sales.

The following exchange ensues when Weaver asks Glitterex manager Lauren Dyer why she cant disclose this enigmatic buyer:

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Dyer: Because they dont want anyone to know that its glitter. Weaver: If I looked at it, I wouldnt know it was glitter? Dyer: No, not really. Weaver: Would I be able to see the glitter? Dyer: Oh, youd be able to see something. But its  yeah, I cant.

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On Twitter, Weaver followed up: Please ask the smartest person in your family what the glitter industrys biggest market is, and reveal their answers here.

I went one further: I asked Joe Colleran at Meadowbrook Inventions, the worlds leading glitter manufacturer. Its nothing so interesting, he says. Small manufacturers protect client information to protect business. Its really that simple.

Clearly, it was time to do some digging. But it wasnt really the perfect time, since its Christmas week, and everyone in America is on vacation. To make matters worse, the investigation requires a level of confidence in chemical and physical sciences to which I stopped aspiring in high school. The colleagues who would be able to answer my questions? Theyre on vacation too.

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And so I present to you a half-baked Friday afternoon inquiry: seven potential industrial uses of glitter (hat tip to sleuths on Twitter and Reddit) where the clients might not want you to know they were working with a glitter company.

Fighter jets. Most military aircraft are equipped with tubes of chaff, millions of tiny aluminum- or zinc-coated fibers, to boggle radar-guided missiles and tracking systems. Did someone say aluminum-coated fibers? According to an October Pentagon report, theres only one remaining supplier of chaff to the Department of Defense: Esterline Defense Technologies, which manufactures the stuff in North Carolina under the subsidiary Armtec. Unfortunately for us, Armtec says its chaff is made of metalized glass fibers. (An Esterline representative had not responded to Slate as of press time.)

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Spacecraft. The gold and silver sheets you often see on NASA equipment protect spacecraft from the temperature extremes of outer space. They are aluminized polyimidesclose cousins of the sheets that are chopped up for party decorations and makeup. If, say, a satellite-launching startup were looking for a Mylar substitute in small quantities without paying for the DuPont brand name or buying at the markups of the military-industrial complex, could it just turn to any old glitter factory? Maybe! Is it still glitter if it hasnt been chopped up into a million pieces? Maybe not! (The National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service couldnt be reached for comment; its closed because of the government shutdown.)

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Rocket fuel. Everyone knows NASAs Space Launch System uses aluminum powder (along with ammonium perchlorate) as solid rocket fuel. What this article presupposes is: Maybe they use glitter instead.

Sand. The world is running out of sand, in case you needed one more thing to worry about, so the construction industry is increasingly turning to manufactured sand (very fine crushed rock) as a component of concrete. Could the sand industry be spiking M-sand with glitter in search of the natural sparkle of Key Weststyle quartz sand for cosmetic uses like concrete floors, walls, or countertops? Maybe, but the vast majority of concrete never has to meet any aesthetic standard at all.

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Fishing bait. Glitter is certainly a component in many plastic fishing lures, but its not a secret, and Im not sure why it would be.

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Toothpaste. Earlier in the decade, online reviewers attested that Crest-brand 3D White Vivid toothpaste contained small plastic particles that were getting logged in brushers teeth and gums. In 2014, Procter & Gamble, which owns Crest, wrote to Snopes that the company (and its peers) were using limited amounts of small colored polyethylene specs in some toothpastesessentially microbeads, which were then common in soap and body wash, to give color. The ingredient was safe, P&G insisted, and to the extent it made people like brushing their teeth, it led to healthier dental outcomes. Arguing that consumer preferences had changed (there was also a federal law passed in 2015 against microbeads), Crest eliminated microbeads from North American toothpaste by 2016. Could glitter be providing some of that missing sparkle in toothpaste and other microbead-less cosmetics? (Procter & Gamble PR did not respond to a request for comment by press time.)

Money. Sure, why not? Glitter in money. To make it hard to counterfeit and give it a cool look.

Or, of course, we could take Meadowbrook Joe at his word and assume that the answer is the least-interesting one possible, like the shiny paint on a pack of cigarettes or a bottle of beer. A July Research and Markets industry report notes that the largest end-uses for metalized films include food packaging, decoration, and cosmetics.

If you have information about industrial glitter use, please contact us here.The latest installment of the dystopian tech anthology series Black Mirror, Bandersnatch, set in the 1980s, is a choose-your-own-adventure movie about the troubled, twitchy Stefan (Fionn Whitehead), a young man who is single-mindedly adapting a massive choose-your-own-adventure novel, Bandersnatch, into a choose-your-own-adventure video game. At various points viewers are prompted to decide what Alex should do: Eat Sugar Puffs or Frosties? Make his game at home or in the office? Jump off a balcony or not?

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A New York Times piece about Bandersnatch matter-of-factly explained Netflixs interest in this style of program: The idea behind the interactive push is simple: Viewers will care more if they are complicit. It then quoted a Netflix executive as saying If bad things happen, youll feel even more crestfallen, because you were responsible. If the character is victorious, youll feel even more uplifted because you made that choice.

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The notion that Black Mirrora series about the horror effects of techwould be pioneering a method that makes TV screens more addictive, while giving Netflix troves of data about its users choices, as it helps to further turn engagement into a closed loop where viewers play in inscribed and controlled ways masquerading as freedom is so darkly ironic. I could only hope that this irony was the actual subject of this episode of Black Mirror which it sort of is.

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I havent played through all (or much) of the episodeunlike in a CYOA book, you cant flip back and make another choice, and theres no fast forwarding or rewinding; i.e. you have much less freedom and controlbut its apparent from the jump that this episode is knowingly about choice or the absence thereof. Choose whatever you want; this adventure is getting very dark. Stefan feels like his every decision is being determined by some outside force, controlling the sort of cereal he eats or music he plays. Structurally speaking, certain decisions presented to the audience arent choices at all: you select one option, and it basically turns into another. Stefans video game mentor delivers a read of Pac-Man that pertains to the episode more generally: He thinks hes got free will but all he can do is consume. People think its a happy game, but its a fucking nightmare world, and its real and we live in it.

But just because Bandersnatch is about the illusion of choice doesnt mean it isnt also foisting the illusion of choice onto Netflix subscribers. Self-awareness isnt a value. The episode is the latest high-tech advancement being proffered to consumers as something that will give us more control at the expense of giving up control of our data, our details, our time, and our attention. Its tech were supposed to be able to boss around that bosses us around instead. In that way, its a perfect Netflix show.This recipe originally appeared on Food52.

It only took a few years of going out with friends to an expensive, crowded bar in New York City, waiting for the moment to scream 5-4-3-2-1, to convince me that Id much rather stay in for New Years Eve. Its less expensive, and involves a lot less planning.

But even if Im staying in, the last few moments of the year deserve celebration, too. This year, Im planning on welcoming 2019 with something that makes me feel happya big bowl of creamy pasta. And of course some champagne. Yep, my Champagne Alfredo with Crispy Prosciutto and Shrimp is exactly how I plan to spend New Years Eve. And heres how you can, too.

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Before you bundle up in your abode, pick up a nice bottle of bubbly. Since youre drinking and cooking with it, buy a bottle thats extra dry and mildly acidicnothing too fruity. And make sure you buy actual Champagne; I love sparkling wines and Prosecco, as well, but they tend to be a little too sweet for this dish. (Heads up: Youll need one cup of champagne to cook with, roughly 1/3 of the bottle, so plan accordingly.)

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Once youve popped the cork and poured yourself a glass (cheers!), bring a big pot of salted water to a boil. While your pasta cooks, youll make the sauce. Start by sauteing some shallots and garlic in a little butter. Once cooked, add a cup of Champagne to deglaze the pan and bring everything to a boil. You want to make sure you cook out the alcohol taste so that the Champagne aroma develops. Give it few minutes to boil.

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Next, add some heavy cream and a ladle of cooking water from the boiling pasta. Sure, the Champagne adds a pop to the dish, but starchy water is your magical ingredient. It not only seasons and thickens the sauce, but also helps the sauce stick to the pasta. After the sauce thickens, add the pasta, toss to coat, and remove it from the heat. Then, add parmesan cheese and toss until the sauce becomes smooth and creamy.

You can serve this dish a few different ways. I like to nestle some shrimp on top, which I saute in the pan before making the sauce to cut down on dishes to wash. For a salty bite and crunchy texture, I crumble a piece of crispy baked prosciutto over top of pasta. Lobster works well, toojust roughly chop some pre-cooked lobster meat and add it directly to the sauce. If you feel like extra-special treat (it is New Years Eve, after all) freshly grated white truffle would be straight up garnish goals.

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Whether you spend your evening watching the ball drop, stream one of your favorite movies, or quietly reflect on the past year, know that you dont have to follow the crowd to celebrate. A big bowl of pasta and treating yourself sounds like an amazing way to kick off 2019.

 8 thin slices of prosciutto

 1 pound pappardelle pasta (or any long cut pasta you prefer)

 Salt and pepper

 12 jumbo tail-on shrimp, shelled and deveined

 2 tablespoons olive oil

 1/2 cup butter 1 shallot, mined (about 1/4 cup)

 4 cloves garlic, minced

 1 cup champagne

 1/2 cup heavy cream

 1 1/2 cups finely grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

 1 handful parsley, minced, for topping

See full recipe on Food52.

More from Food52

The Absolute Best Bang-for-Your-Buck Champagnes, According to a Wine Expert

10 Dishes to Bring You Luck in the New Year

A 30-Minute Creamy Mushroom Pasta With a Secret Ingredient That Makes It

This Bolognese Cooks In The Oven (Yup, The Pasta, Too)

10 Ways to Make Store-Bought Tomato Sauce Taste 10x Better

The Legendary All-In-One-Pot Pasta Gets a Fall RefreshThis article originally appeared in Vulture.

Nearly every one of my favorite movies released in 2017 left me with one clear message: Call your mom. It was a directive, an imperative: Call your mom because you were a bratty, precious teenager. Call your mom because youre having relationship problems. Call your mom because Armie Hammer didnt eat the peach. (Or call her because youve just said good-bye to all six feet and five inches of him, and your heart is broken and youre crying at the train station and you need someone to pick you up.) Call your mom because holy shit, why would Darren Aronofsky expect you to enjoy a movie about rude houseguests eating babies?

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The movies of 2018 have also given me, personally, a lot: Lady Gaga punching a cop in A Star Is Born. Michael B. Jordan sneering Hey, Auntie in Black Panther. Nicholas Hoult saying that he likes to gossip in The Favourite. Bradley Coopers long hair and beard, and his deep Jackson Maine voice. Even Vicea movie that I didnt enjoygave me something. (A nap.) Twenty eighteen has also taught me a valuable lesson that I hope to never forget: Husbands are, at every opportunity and in every way, the freaking worst.

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Would you like to have your scheme to take over a foreign throne that you have a legitimate claim to thwarted? Good. Marry a man, he will fuck it up. Are you in the mood to finally recognize the humble humanity in your familys domestic worker? Perfect. Marry a man, he will leave you for another woman, destroy your family, and break your heart. (By my count there is only one truly suitable husband and thats Armie Hammer as Martin Ginsburg, but alas, in real life, Armie already has a perfect wife.)

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Its clearest in The Wife: Glenn Close plays Joan Castleman, the wife of acclaimed novelist Joe Castleman (Jonathan Pryce). When hes awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, they fly, along with their son, to Europe so he can accept it. Joan isnt exactly long-suffering, but she is deeply attuned to his every need or desire: She folds his clothes, strewn all over their hotel room, wordlessly. She listens in on all his calls like a dutiful assistant. She wipes crumbs from his beard. She also ignores his many affairs, and has been ghostwriting all of his novels. (He cant even recognize the name of a major character from his most famous books!) At the hotel room after the ceremony, Joan erupts: Hes getting all the credit for her work, and he has the audacity to feel bitter about her indignation, and smug about his own reviews.

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Ditto Colette, where Keira Knightley writes a series of books about a ravishing character under her husbands name. At first Willy (Dominic West) was the writer and the star, but once Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (Knightley) puts pen to paper, her work is clearly superior. Willy locks her in bedrooms and offices, making her write more and more. He doesnt even get the work, but he demands it.

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What do Collette and The Wife have in common? Husbands, and a few truly bizarre accents, but mostly husbands. If they are not cheating on you, they will plagiarize your work and use your personal life to buy another armoire that no one needs. They are, by all accounts, a liability.

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Everything is going well for Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) and Ally Campana (Lady Gaga) until they decide to get married. From the first night they met at a drag bar, he helps her find her voice and encouraged her songwriting. After theyre married by Eddie Griffin, however, things start to go south: He gets fussy about her pop music, and then pees himself onstage as she accepts a Grammy. Enough!

As Saoirse Ronan is planning her way to take over Englands throne in Mary Queen of Scots, she makes a critical misstep that is totally avoidable. Its really a shameshes a fair employer and formidable leader, and it really seems like shed make a great ruler. Early on, however, she falls for a cute boy from Dunkirk and agrees to marry him. Im not good at percentages, but I will say that approximately all of the movies next 90 minutes show her trying to recover from this mistake. Her husband sleeps with her gay best friend and then tries to usurp her. Meanwhile Margot Robbie, playing Queen Elizabeth, is basically doing papier-mache and scrolling through Into the Gloss, trying to figure out how to heal her face, pinpricked from smallpox.

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Elizabeth remained unmarried, and she also remained queen. Mary got married and was beheaded. Interesting.

All the husbands are dead in Steve McQueens heist movie Widows, and even from beyond the grave, they are causing problems. Alice, Veronica, and Linda are mourning their husbands deaths, when a local gangster turned politician demands that the women repay the money their outlaw spouses stole from him. So the women get in cahoots and repay their husbands debts. Theres another absent husband in Roma, where the familys doctor husband leaves them for another woman and cant even bring himself to be in the same room with the family he has abandoned. Jake Gyllenhaal isnt doing Carey Mulligan any favors in Wildlife, either: He runs off to chase fires, leaving her to figure out how to build a life for herself and their teenage son. In Green Book, Linda Cardellinis husband Viggo Mortensen leaves home for weeks at a time to drive Mahershala Ali around the South and lecture him about Little Richard and fried chicken. Okay, finethis one doesnt exactly fit the thesis, but if that movie didnt need a wife then Linda Cardellini wouldnt have had the misfortune of being in Green Book, so what do you have to say to that?

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Its not that all men are bad. (Although, honestly, I mean yesthey are kind of the worst.) Dads, especially the sensitive ones wearing soft, muted colors, are perfectly pleasing: In To All the Boys Ive Loved Before, John Corbett plays a compassionate single dad content to sit on a staircase drinking a glass of white wine and praising his daughter for being brave enough to open her heart to a wholesome, khaki-wearing lacrosse player. Josh Hamilton gives a similarly empathetic performance in Eighth Grade: He doesnt really get the social strata of his daughters middle school, but he tries to convince her that shes the very best person he knows, and that hes incredibly proud of her. There is no father more supportive than Colman Domingo in If Beale Street Could Talk: He holds his daughter in his arms through her middle-of-the-night cramps when shes pregnant, and enlists the whole family to hustle to free her falsely accused boyfriend from prison. Also, all three of these dads are attractive-to-hot, which certainly helps their case.

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I am sure there are certain advantages to being married: Someone is always around to laugh at your jokes, or turn off the bedroom light when you fall asleep reading or rewatching old episodes of Veep. If youre married, theres always someone else around to empty the trash. If youre married, maybe you will have kids, and one day in the future your child will watch Lady Bird and get in their feelings and call you to apologize for being so desperate and anxious when they were 17, but you will frown and say that you werent nearly as mean as the Laurie Metcalf character. (I have, over the course of the last year, spoken to nearly every one of my friends mothers about Lady Bird, and have also spoken to my own mother at length about Lady Bird, and this is the only thing all of them have said to me.) These are really the only advantages I can think of when it comes to having a husband. The cinematic evidence seems overwhelmingly in favor of never marrying.

See also: Pop Music Was 2018s Greatest Movie VillainListen to this episode of Studio 360 by clicking the arrow on the audio player below:

Get More Studio 360 Slate Plus members get extended, ad-free versions of our podcastsand much more. Sign up today. Join Slate Plus Subscribe to Studio 360 Copy this link and add it in your podcast app. copy link copied! For detailed instructions, see our Slate Plus podcasts page.

Some of our favorite stories from the past year. First, the musical equivalent of stock art: library music, where composers anonymously churned out some of the strangest, funkiest, and most recognizable music of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. The Dominos Pizza mascot, the Noid, was just part of a whimsical advertising campaignuntil it became part of a really dark story. And Kurt Andersen talks with Angelique Kidjo, a superstar of African music, about her recent album: a song-by-song cover of the 1980 Talking Heads classic, Remain in Light.

Studio 360 plugs:

Please remember to like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. Send your emails to incoming@studio360.org.As the partial government shutdown drags on, more Americans are blaming President Donald Trump than Democrats in Congress. Forty-seven percent of Americans say Trump is responsible for the shutdown, while 33 percent blame Democrats, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that was conducted Dec. 2125. Trump has expressed pride that the government has shut down due to his demand for a border wall, but only 35 percent say that should be included in a congressional spending bill. And only one-quarter of Americans say they support Trumps decision to shut down the government over the issue.

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There are also signs that the shutdown is costing Trump some popularity points. A Dec. 2123 survey by Morning Consult found that only 39 percent of registered voters approved of the presidents job performance while 56 percent disapprove. This marks the lowest approval rating for the president since August 2017, when Trump refused to strongly condemn the far-right protesters who had gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia.

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Despite the general unpopularity of the shutdown, there is no sign that it will be ending any time soon and now it looks likelier than ever that it will last into the new year. Lawmakers in the House of Representatives were told Thursday not to expect any votes this week. For now Democrats are working to draft legislation that would reopen the government once they take control of the House of Representatives on Jan. 3.

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The Democrats OBSTRUCTION of the desperately needed Wall, where they almost all recently agreed it should be built, is exceeded only by their OBSTRUCTION of 350 great people wanting & expecting to come into Government after being delayed for more than two years, a U.S. record!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 27, 2018

Trump also made it clear Thursday he is in no rush to compromise and sent at least six wall-related tweets blaming Democrats for the OBSTRUCTION of the desperately needed Wall. He also wondered whether Democrats realize that most of the people not getting paid are Democrats? In a subsequent tweet he referred to a manhunt going on in California for a man accused of shooting a police officer to death as an example of why the wall is needed. Time to get tough on Border Security, Trump wrote. Build the Wall!

AdvertisementThe polarized Brazilian presidential election, which ended in October, was a contest characterized by disinformation and attacks on the press. This war on truth was central to Jair Bolsonaros rise to power. The president-elect, who takes office on Jan. 1, has repeatedly called mainstream media outlets fake news, taking a page from Donald Trumps book and, more recently, went as far as to say that popular power no longer needs the intermediation of reportersan indication that he intends to emulate Trumps ubiquitous presence on social media.

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In Brazils case, the war was often physical. The Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism tracked more than 150 cases of violence targeting reporters, including threats against a Folha de S.Paulo reporter who exposed a pro-Bolsonaro campaign to spread fake news via WhatsApp and was recently featured as one of Time magazines People of The Year.

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In the final days before Bolsonaros inauguration, the Brazilian media has been preparing for what seems likely to be at least four years of a contentious relationship with the future administration. And independent journalists are setting up a host of new efforts to safeguard democracy and press freedom. To cover what will happen to Brazil in 2019, the initiatives aim to regain not only financial support, but the publics eroded trust.

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The Brazilian press didnt listen to the public and failed to identify the swing towards the far right, Silvia Lisboa, an editor at the Intercept Brasil and a researcher, said, attributing it to elitism and lack of diversity in newsrooms. The loss of credibility in journalism is a result of a widespread distrust of democratic institutions.

According to a Datafolha survey in June assessing Brazilians perception of the countrys institutions, 45 percent of interviewees said they have little trust in the media and 37 percent said they dont trust it at all.

Lisboa says the press will have to respond to an increasing demand for autonomy and transparency in the coming years. That scenario, she says, places outlets financed by nonprofits and the public at an advantage, since they are already seen as standing outside the countrys mainstream institutions.

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A total of 172 journalism projects in Brazil rely on the first and largest crowdfunding platform in the country, Catarse. Founded almost eight years ago, Catarse has helped raise and distribute roughly $650,000 from 26,000 supporters. According to Rodrigo Machado, the companys CEO and co-founder, Catarse saw a 33 percent increase in the number of subscriptions to independent journalism outlets on the platform in Octoberthe month of the election compared with the previous month.

The loss of credibility in journalism is a result of a widespread distrust of democratic institutions.  Silvia Lisboa

Leading up to the elections, the Intercept Brasil, which was launched in 2016 and is associated with the American site co-edited by Brazil-based American journalist Glenn Greenwald, had one of the most successful crowdfunding campaigns in the history of independent journalism in the country, managing to reach 135 percent of its established goal.

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Machado interpreted these numbers as a good indication of the potential of his most recent endeavor: to create a collectively financed fund for the promotion of independent journalism in Brazil. The project, called Multidao, or Crowd, was launched in November and will be open for contributions in early 2019. By inverting the usual crowdfunding logic of looking for creators and projects to be supported, Multidao wants to begin with the supporters and then search out projects worthy of funding.

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It comes as a response to the idea that journalism doesnt play a social role, that its partisan all the time and ideologically compromised, Machado said. He says the aim is not to be adversarial to the new president but simply to imbue reporting with credibility. We want to act to reduce the possibility that strategies like fake news and the discrediting of the media will thrive in the future.

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Some efforts along these lines had already begun throughout the campaign. During the elections, the independent left-wing digital newspaper Brasil 247 delivered the first voting poll financed by the public. The initiative, founder Leonardo Attuch says, came from a request from readers, who were skeptical of the traditional polling institutes, some of which are owned by large media groups. In a matter of four days, it managed to raise more than $25,000 from 2,800 people through crowdfunding.

Now, Brasil 247 hopes that same audience will embrace a brand-new ongoing campaign to support the work of the Journalists for Democracy, a group of a dozen experienced journalists who have held leadership positions in major newsrooms in the country and now use social media or personal blogs to distribute their content.

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Having started his career during the military dictatorship in the 1960s, Ricardo Kotschoone of the members of the Journalists for Democracy and the author of 19 bookswas until just recently a political commentator for Record, a media company owned by evangelical leader Edir Macedo. But when the outlet and its leadership grew closer to Bolsonaro during the campaign, Kotscho was fired. He says he fears others who dont adapt to the new times might have the same fate.

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The opposition has disappeared in Brazil, its hibernating, Kotscho said. Media companies that are critical to the government are afraid of retaliation or to lose advertisers and my colleagues on television are walking on eggshells when talking about Bolsonaro.

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The first nonprofit investigative journalism agency in Brazil, Agencia Publica has announced that for the next four years it will focus exclusively on investigations, hiring a full-time senior correspondent to cover the legislative and the executive branches from the capital.

The message is: In a time when the journalism we do becomes even more relevant, our decision is to do more, Natalia Viana, co-founder of Agencia Publica, said. Were not going to retract but work harder. That also means, Viana believes, preparing for what she calls virtual lynching and attacks on basic human rights, the focus of the agencys coverage, but without playing into the new presidents call for war.

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Politicians with authoritarian tendencies will try to say that there is a war if journalists are investigating them, Viana said. A ruler who comes to power wants to stay in power. The press publishes facts. Equalizing both is a disservice.

Nonetheless, for many Brazilian journalists, the election result felt like a personal blow. At the digital feminist magazine AzMina, part of the newsroom felt defeated and scared that the new presidents misogynist and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric might presage an actual rollback of rightsin the past, Bolsonaro has voted against legislation imposing harsher sentences for gender-motivated homicides and has sponsored a bill that would revoke provisions for rape victims in the health care system.

Co-founder Carolina Oms has started to plan for the year ahead. Besides raising the targeted monthly contribution of its ongoing crowdfunding campaing, the magazine, born in 2015, intends to strengthen the coverage of niche topics important to its core audience, including sexuality and gender identity, all the while trying to expand the dialogue with a broader public. Lately, AzMina has published stories about the women in Congress who will soon form the opposition to Bolsonaro and the effects of the elections, particularly on women and minorities.

The good thing about this model is that it doesnt demand anything in return except for good journalism, Oms said. In order to support that work, the editors have launched an advertising campaign, asking readers: We know that Brazil forces you to drink, but how about having two beers less every month and subscribing to AzMina?Since she lost her bid for a third term as a U.S. senator from Missouri, Claire McCaskill has been trashing the left to anyone wholl listen. Shes insulted Democrats who wanted her to be a more vocal critic of the president, Senate colleagues who questioned her opposition to banking regulations, and progressives who try to push their more moderate representatives to the left. In recent days, shes expressed even more pointed ire for young women, abortion-rights activists, and voters excited by upstarts like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Shes now talked about a lot, McCaskill said of the 29-year-old incoming congresswoman from New York in a CNN interview that ran on Monday. Im not sure what shes done yet to generate that kind of enthusiasm.

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Calling Ocasio-Cortez a bright shiny new object, McCaskill told CNN that Ocasio-Cortez, a democratic socialist who ousted a long-seated congressman in a primary upset, should pay attention to the whole lot of white working-class voters who need to hear about how their work is going to be respected, and the dignity of their jobs. She boiled down Ocasio-Cortezs appeal to her cheap  rhetoric, then remarked that getting results is a lot harder.

This potshot at a young woman of color whod already become a favorite target of the right came just a few days after McCaskill told The Daily that she wished pro-choice activists who pressed her to be more vocal on abortion rights would shut up. These are young women who have not spent any time outside of the group of people that agree with them, McCaskill said. Shame on them that theyre not working as hard as they can for me. If abortion-rights advocates were ever going to throw their unqualified support behind McCaskill, they certainly wont now that theyve been scolded for advocating for their issue.

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Its anyones guess what McCaskill expects to gain from this bridge-burning farewell tour, especially since she hasnt divulged any definitive post-Senate plans. (If she intends to run for office in Missouri again, she may be hoping that independents and moderate Republicans will be won over by her harsh words for members of her own party.) But the school of thought shes promotingone that blames progressives as much as conservatives for Democrats electoral lossescrystallizes the discomfort many prominent establishment Democrats have been feeling as they struggle to respond to calls for bold progressive policies while searching for a message that will resonate with voters who defected from Obama to Trump.

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McCaskills theory of electable moderation betrays a vision of leadership thats ill-equipped for the challenges of todays political climate.

McCaskills cranky tirades started ramping up in the last weeks of her campaign, when she appeared on Fox News to rebut opponent Josh Hawley and his supporters, including Trump, whod been painting the moderate Democrat as too liberal for the purplish-red state of Missouri. A radio ad for McCaskill assured voters that she wasnt one of those crazy Democrats. When Foxs Bret Baier asked her who the crazy Democrats were, McCaskill pointed to the activists who protested against White House officials in public places like restaurants. She declined to call any of her Senate colleagues by that moniker, then called out Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders in the same breath. Her message was clear: Directly confronting the president and his cronies with evidence of their immoral and unconstitutional misdeeds is so crazy, its worth bad-mouthing your own party about.

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It was a bit of a hypocritical point for McCaskill to make, considering that shes admonished progressives who fail to remember who their friends are and go on to criticize their fellow Democrats. When shes pressed on, say, her failure to mention abortion rights in her statement opposing Brett Kavanaughs nomination to the Supreme Courta glaring omission from a senator representing a state of more than 6 million where targeted regulations have left just one abortion clinic in operationMcCaskill claims that no one understands the position she was in as a Democrat in a state that went for Trump by more than 18 points. If Democrats want to win in states like Missouri, shes said, they need to welcome anti-abortion legislators into their ranks. In multiple interviews, she voiced the wish that abortion-rights activists would just be quiet, accept her solid pro-choice voting record as good enough, and let her try to appease her anti-abortion constituents by never mentioning the issue at all.

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But McCaskills devotion to moderation at all costs undermines the image of herself shes pushing: a Democrat committed to progressive ideals at her core, but one whos making tough compromises to win elections so she can legislate for the greater good. If she were truly as devoted to abortion rights as she claims, why denigrate the pro-choice activists who demanded leadership on an urgent issue that matters most to them, instead of the pro-life ones who voted for the purveyors of a threadbare health care policy that will endanger low-income mothers and an immigration policy thats killing children at the border? Why reserve her most vocal outbursts for the people who voted for her, instead of those who didnt?

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The fact is that McCaskill didnt win re-election; whatever capitulation she thinks she made to anti-choice voters didnt work, and it certainly wasnt the fault of outspoken pro-choicers who, if anything, made her seem like even more of a centrist renegade. Besides that, Missouri isnt the deep-rooted anti-choice landscape McCaskill has made it out to be. In 2014, 45 percent of Missourians supported legal abortion in all or most cases, while 50 percent wanted it illegal. U.S. support for abortion rights has risen since then. Now is not the time to be weakening the Democratic Partys platform on abortion rights, what with 58 percent of the nation placing themselves in the all-or-mostly-legal category and a new Supreme Court roster promising to roll back generations worth of protections for womens bodily autonomy.

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McCaskills theory of electable moderationand her belittling of those who contravene itbetrays a vision of leadership thats massively ill-equipped for the challenges and threats of todays political climate. In an interview with a Bloomberg reporter who once called her the best Democratic senator, McCaskill touted a bill that brought down the price of hearing aids as one of her major accomplishments that nobody wrote about. By contrast, she said, There is so much drama over that New York woman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, like shes the new shining object.  And some of us are passing good old-fashioned bills, and we get nothing. Gimme a break! Reducing hearing aid costs might save elderly and disabled Americans a few hundred dollars each, a great service to vulnerable populations who absolutely deserve a spot on any elected officials priority list. But politicians who laud incremental, bipartisan, widely popular accomplishments while scoffing at more sweeping, riskier legislative goals have no right to be angry when advocates for those goals are hailed as the future of a political party. In all her condescending remarks about Ocasio-Cortezincluding those about the importance of working-class whites and their jobsMcCaskill never once responded to the incoming legislators vision for a Green New Deal, a package of policies that would simultaneously address two of the countrys most pressing issues, climate change and economic disparities. Its the kind of jobs-focused policy idea youd think McCaskill would support if shed been able to see past the rhetoric (talk about cheap!) of the right.

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If McCaskill thinks its unfair that the media is more excited about a gutsy, grassroots-y newcomer with big ideas than it is about a hearing aid price-reduction bill, she might take the opportunity to extrapolate it into a lesson about what motivates voters. Those she encountered at her meet-and-greets might have said they cared most about policies that affect their prescription drug prices and health care, but Missouris voting record says otherwise. If Republicans and moderates voted based on practical policy and legislative priorities, they wouldnt have elected, by a margin of more than 18 points, a lying grifter with no political experience and an unwillingness to absorb basic facts about the economy. If their priority was health care, they wouldnt have gone for a Senate candidate from the party thats spent the past several years trying to shred the Affordable Care Act. Voters need a vision, a bold plan for change, and, yes, rhetoric as much as they need small policy wins. Trump and his supporters, including Sen.-elect Hawley, have been willing to exploit the racist fears of the electorate to promote their vision of a great America. Its despicable, galling, and terrifying for anyone who cares about the future of the nation. But its not the progressives fault.Out in the open: 2018 was a year full of heinous men doing, and often getting away with, heinous things. And yet, revelations about Jeffrey Epstein, who raped and trafficked underage girls, and the cushy deal he got from thenU.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta still managed to shock us. Its a reminder of the sick inner workings of male in-groups, but it also offers hope that open secrets will no longer go ignored, writes Lili Loofbourow.

Compelled speech: A lawsuit likely bound for the U.S. Supreme Court imperils Seattles innovative Democracy Voucher Program, which gave every voter $100 to contribute to political candidates. Mark Joseph Stern explains how the courts anti-labor ruling in Janus could be used to chip away at public campaign financing.

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Risk assessment: The First Step Act, the federal prison reform bill President Donald Trump signed into law on Friday, is an important effort to ease mass incarceration in the U.S. But its use of an algorithm to determine prisoners likelihood to re-offend must be monitored closely, and more evidence and safeguards are needed, writes legal scholar Brandon L. Garrett.

Lost horizon: Jon Lomberg, who worked with Carl Sagan on historic interstellar-message projects like the Voyager Golden Records, is not happy with NASAs current efforts. He explains why New Horizons, a wandering spacecraft that contains various U.S.-based paraphernalia, will provide a disappointingly narrow view of Earth to any potential extraterrestrials who may come upon it.

For fun: Vice has a post-credits scene?

Already beyond redemption,

VickyI worked at the Justice Department for 25 years, most of them as a line prosecutor. For the last seven and a half of those, I served as the U.S. attorney in the Northern District of Alabama. I didnt work in the Justice Departments headquarters building in Washington, or in the legendary U.S. Attorneys Office in the Southern District of New York, but I shared the same understanding with the prosecutors who didand with others across the countrythat our integrity was our most important asset. We were careful stewards of the publics faith in our offices so we could pass it along to those who came after us.

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We cannot permit recent news about the current and future leadership of the Justice Department to be relegated to the bottom of the stack after the holiday news cycle. Last week we learned that Trumps acting attorney general, Matthew Whitakerthe man Trump bypassed Senate-confirmed officials like the deputy attorney general and solicitor general to put in placewill not only ignore career ethics officials at DOJ who believe he should recuse from the Mueller investigation, but also had discussions with Trump about Michael Cohens ongoing prosecution in the Southern District of New York. Trump was directly implicated by prosecutors in that case as an unnamed participant in criminal conduct. The president told Whitaker he was angry with SDNY prosecutors and pressed Whitaker on why more wasnt being done to control the prosecutors, who he suggested were going rogue, according to CNN.

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That the president of the United States asked his acting attorney general to rein in prosecutors who are investigating the presidents conduct is mind-boggling. For Trump, prosecutors who do their job are rogues.

When Trump made his now-infamous Oval Office request to former FBI Director Jim Comey that he go easy on Mike Flynn, Comey understood it to be an order. There is no reason to believe Whitaker, who auditioned for the role of attorney general with television appearances that laid out how an attorney general could starve the Mueller investigation, is less perceptive at detecting an order given by the president. No attorney general should tolerate interference into a criminal investigation by someone who is a subject of that investigation. Yet Whitaker appears willing to do just that. Without fear or favor doesnt mean only when its easy. If the president is above the law, whos next?

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Prosecutors are charged with maintaining the rule of law and insuring that no one, not even the president, is above the law. This means their own conduct must be unimpeachable. Thats why prosecutors guard against both actual impropriety and even the appearance of impropriety.

In this context, the selection of the next attorney general is even more critical. News that Trumps apparent pick for the job, Bill Barr, sent an unsolicited 20-page memo to DOJ clearing the president of obstruction of justicewhich also made its way to the White Houseis deeply troubling. The country needs an attorney general it can trust, someone who will restore independence and integrity to the department.

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No matter what Barrs intentions, the appearance of improprietyof ingratiating himself with a president whose desire to install a wingman as attorney generalmeans that the public perception will always equate Barr, if confirmed, with Trumps desire to hold himself above the law. There will be no public confidence in decisions about potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, or about obstruction of justice. Such a significant loss of public confidence will inevitably erode the credibility of the departments work in other areas as well. The future of the Justice Department, and that of all Americans, will be impaired if it appears the department is being used as a tool to protect this president.

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Recusal is not a sufficient remedy for a faulty choice for attorney general at this critical juncture. Congress has the responsibility to deny confirmation to an attorney general who is not suited for the job. A worthy nominee faced with the knowledge that they, even inadvertently, had damaged DOJs credibility would make amends if possible, or take themselves out of the running to ensure the peoples faith in justice. It is hard to believe someone who makes serious missteps, as Whitaker and Barr both have, but remains unwaveringly in place will have the fortitude to pass the challenges Trumps next attorney general will certainly face.

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When prosecutors talk about integrity, they talk about a reservoir: It is slow to fill with water and takes years of careful nurturing to fill. One small leak can permit the water to escape and it is difficult if not impossible to refill the reservoir after that.

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If Congress confirms an attorney general nominee who is believed to work for the president, not the people, concern that DOJs independence from the White House is compromised will become a certainty. The implications of losing public confidence in our justice system are far greater than concerns about just this president. If people question the justice system itself and the integrity of the people who administer it, then DOJs reservoir will be empty long after this administration ends.

An attorney general selected because they would extricate the president from legal trouble should not be confirmed. The country has many fine conservative legal minds who are well-qualified to be attorney general. It should not be challenging to pick one among them, making it all the more suspicious when Trump only picks those who have spoken out in his favor.

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Senate Republicans have the opportunity to insist that the president send them a nominee who is impeccably qualified and ethically above reproach. They must refuse to confirm one who isnt. This is a red line the Senate must insist on. An attorney general cannot be a partisan or a protector of the president. They must commit to permitting investigations to go where the facts take them, to DOJs independence from the White House, and to the rule of law. Senate Republicans must themselves commit to these three principles, too, when they reconvene in January. There is too much at stake for them to permit DOJs integrity to be irrevocably sullied by this president.Few presidents have done as much to reshape the federal judiciary during their first two years in office as Donald Trump. Aided by the Federalist Society and former White House Counsel Don McGahn, Trump has packed the courts with staunch conservatives in record time. He has already installed two Supreme Court justices, 30 appeals court judges, and 53 district court judges, far outpacing Barack Obama. His pace may increase in the new year as Republicans gain a larger majority in the Senate. Most of Trumps judicial picks are white men, and many are in their 30s and 40s. If history is any guide, some of Trumps judges will still be serving in 2068.

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The vast majority of these nominees are loyal to the Federalist Society and adhere to its party line. They oppose abortion, affirmative action, campaign finance restrictions, gun control, and LGBTQ rights, while staunchly supporting executive power (at least when a Republican is in the White House) and religious liberty (at least for Christians). In 2018, conservative judges zeroed in on two clear priorities: abortion access and the right to bear arms. Theyve plainly concluded that a majority of the Supreme Court is ready to overturn Roe v. Wade and expand the Second Amendment. The question now is whether theyve calculated correctly.

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Trumps impact on the judiciary can be felt in two ways. First, theres the influence of his own nominees on the benchhow they shape the law with their own hands. Second, there are the reverberations that his Supreme Court selections have on lower courts. When Justice Anthony Kennedy served on SCOTUS, district and appeals courts recognized that they had little hope of reversing Roe or implementing an extreme view of the Second Amendment. As soon as Kennedy stepped down, however, some lower courts felt free to unleash their jurisprudential preferences, confident that Kennedys successor would veer sharply to the right.

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The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals illustrates both phenomena. Trump has appointed five judges to the court, transforming a conservative bench into a lions den of ultra-reactionary ideology. In July, weeks after Kennedy announced his retirement, Judge James Hoa Trump nominee to the 5th Circuitwrote an opinion condemning abortion as a moral tragedy. He then accused a district court judge of anti-Christian bias because that judge had ordered the Texas Conference of Catholic Bishops to respond to a subpoena on a Sunday. (Fathers Day, no less.) Ho alleged that this judge, a moderate Reagan appointee, was attempting to retaliate against people of faith.

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A month later, two judges on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declared war on Roe v. Wade. In an intemperate opinion, Chief Judge Ed Carnes described Roe as an aberration with no basis in the Constitution. He then begrudgingly struck down an Alabama law that, in his words, compelled a doctor to kill the unborn child before ripping apart its body during the extraction. Carnes admitted that the measure infringed on Roe because it would require dangerous injections that put women at risk of bleeding, sepsis, bowel or bladder injury, and cardiac arrest. But in the process, he signaled his disgust for Roeeven refusing to call abortion providers doctors because the object of their action is not healing but killing. In a separate opinion, Judge Joel Fredrick Dubina went further, directly urging the Supreme Court to overturn Roe. Carnes and Dubina, both George H.W. Bush appointees, appear extremely eager to help Trumps nominees topple the constitutional right to abortion access once and for all.

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As Brett Kavanaugh moved through the Senate confirmation process in September, that goal inched closer to reality. On Sept. 10, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Missouri law that is virtually identical to the Texas measure that the Supreme Court struck down in 2016s Whole Womans Health v. Hellerstedt. Like Texas, Missouri forced abortion clinics to meet complex, medically unnecessary architectural standards and directed abortion providers to obtain surgical privileges at a nearby hospital. The Supreme Court invalidated both Texas requirements, holding that they provided no medical benefits. Yet the 8th Circuit upheld both Missouri rulesopenly defying the Supreme Court in anticipation of Kavanaughs inevitable assault on abortion rights.

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Then, on Sept. 26, the 5th Circuit played a similar game, upholding a Louisiana law that imposed draconian standards on abortion clinics. The court reasoned that, because the law would close only one of the states three clinics, it passed constitutional muster. Again, this sophistry directly contradicts the Supreme Courts decision in Whole Womans Health. The 5th Circuit is simply banking on Kavanaugh refusing to adhere to that recent ruling.

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Conservative judges were equally adamant about extending the Second Amendment in the second half of 2018, following Kennedys retirement. Although the Supreme Court created an individual right to bear arms in 2008s D.C. v. Heller, Kennedy pushed for moderating language clarifying that the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited. With the swing justice gone, Trumps nominees wasted no time insisting that, in fact, even long-standing limitations on firearms are constitutionally suspect.

On July 20, four of Trumps nominees to the 5th Circuit announced their belief that a federal ban on interstate handgun sales violates the Second Amendment. They were in a slim minoritybut now a fifth Trump nominee has joined the 5th Circuit, potentially making their view one thats held by the majority. In a rambling opinion, Ho criticized the court for treating the right to bear arms as a second-class right, fuming that the Second Amendment must not give way to hoplophobia. (Hoplophobia is an irrational aversion to weapons.)

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Bibas, Ho, and others are taking their cues from Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch.

Four days later, two conservative judges on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a Hawaii law that bans most citizens from carrying loaded handguns in public. Then, in December, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld New Jerseys ban on large-capacity magazinesover the dissent of Judge Stephanos Bibas, a Trump nominee. Bibas wrote that, to justify the law, New Jersey must provide concrete evidence that magazine restrictions have saved or will save potential victims. Because the state had not provided empirical evidence proving a link between the high-capacity magazine ban and a reduction in mass shootings, Bibas believed the law must be placed on hold.

The majority pointed out that New Jersey had put forth evidence that high-capacity magazines can heighten the death toll during mass shootings and cited examples of intervention and escape permitted when shooters must pause more frequently to reload. But Bibas demanded more: not just evidence that more people die when mass shooters use high-capacity magazines but a concrete causal link  between these magazines and crime. That is an extremely heavy burden with no basis in Heller. As the majority countered:

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To take the dissents suggestion concerning the need for empirical studies to its logical conclusion, the State would have to wait for studies analyzing a statistically significant number of active and mass shooting incidents before taking action to protect the public.

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And if New Jersey has not yet experienced a statistically significant number of mass shootings, it will have to wait for more to occur before it can justify its ban on large-capacity magazines.

This time around, Bibas was in the minority. But Trump is poised to flip the 3rd Circuit, creating a majority of Republican appointees. Once that happens, conservative judges could adopt Bibas theory as the law of the circuit. At that point, a slew of gun restrictions in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware would be imperiled, as states scrambled to meet Bibas stringent standard of causation.

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Bibas, Ho, and others are taking their cues from Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch. In 2017, the two justices wrote that laws banning public carry are unconstitutional and bemoaned the distressing trend of the treatment of the Second Amendment as a disfavored right. Their opinion encouraged lower court judges to go maximalist on gun rights in the hopes that, in the future, a more aggressive SCOTUS might wipe out gun safety laws. Now that Kavanaugh, who believes assault weapons bans are unconstitutional, has joined the court, that future is now.

There is no doubt that the judiciary is about to lurch to the right on guns and abortion, as well as a slew of other issues. The question is how far, and how fast, Chief Justice John Roberts is willing to go. An institutionalist with a knack for compromise, Roberts is keen to preserve the courts standing and forestall the appearance of pro-Trump bias. He likely shares the aims of Trumps nominees but may feel obliged to balance them with his stewardship of the federal judiciary. In 2019, well learn what Roberts values more: executing the Federalist Societys agenda or saving the Supreme Court from a crisis of legitimacy.President Donald Trump is getting impatient with the partial government shutdown he created, and now is threatening to shut down the entire U.S-Mexico border if Democrats dont give in to his demands to fund the wall. We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with, the president tweeted at the beginning of the seventh day of the partial government shutdown.

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We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with. Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

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He then went on to write a series of tweets in which he said that closing the border would be a profit making operation because the United States loses soooo much money on Trade with Mexico under NAFTA. For Trump, there are two options: Either we build (finish) the Wall or we close the Border.

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....The United States looses soooo much money on Trade with Mexico under NAFTA, over 75 Billion Dollars a year (not including Drug Money which would be many times that amount), that I would consider closing the Southern Border a profit making operation. We build a Wall or.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

.....close the Southern Border. Bring our car industry back into the United States where it belongs. Go back to pre-NAFTA, before so many of our companies and jobs were so foolishly sent to Mexico. Either we build (finish) the Wall or we close the Border......  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

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The president also went on to threaten to slash aid to Central American countries. Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money. Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it. We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries - taking advantage of U.S. for years! he wrote.

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.....Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money. Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it. We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries - taking advantage of U.S. for years!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

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The words mark an escalation for the president who had previously said that if Democrats refused to build the wall then the government would remain partially shut. I cant tell you when the governments going to be open, Trump told reporters on Tuesday. I can tell you its not going to be open until we have a wall or fence, whatever theyd like to call it. This, however, was not the first time the president has threatened to close the southern border entirely.

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Mexico should move the flag waving Migrants, many of whom are stone cold criminals, back to their countries. Do it by plane, do it by bus, do it anyway you want, but they are NOT coming into the U.S.A. We will close the Border permanently if need be. Congress, fund the WALL!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2018

Even though the president seems to be doing his best to try to get Americans to blame Democrats for the partial government shutdown, it seems most arent buying it. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Thursday found that 47 percent of Americans blame Trump for the shutdown, compared to 33 percent who say Democrats are to blame.After attention-grabbing growth in 2017, cryptocurrency markets spent most of this year in turmoil as values alternated between slumping and plummeting. Around this time last year, Bitcoin hit a record value of $19,783.21 after several whirlwind months on the market. It is now worth about $3,700. Other cryptocurrencies had similar trajectories: Litecoin fell from $366 last December to $30 now. Ethereum fell from $1,400 to $130.

This was also the year that regulators like the Securities and Exchange Commission moved in to stymie the overwhelming number of cryptocurrency scams. Research indicates that up to 85 percent of initial coin offerings are scams, and the SEC in 2018 began more aggressively fining companies for failing to register their ICOs. There have also been reports that the Justice Department is investigating Bitfinex and Tether Ltd., major crypto players, for a wash-trading scheme that may have inflated bitcoin values in 2017. Even boxer Floyd Mayweather and music producer DJ Khaled have had to pay penalties for improperly advertising cryptocurrencies.

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Critics have pointed to cryptocurrencies paltry market performance and the preponderance of scams as proof that the technology is doomed. But how would you look at 2018 if you were someone who preaches the power of cryptocurrency? In order to find out, Slate spoke with prominent bitcoin evangelist Andreas M. Antonopoulos. A teaching fellow for the University of Nicosias digital currency program and a host of the Lets Talk Bitcoin podcast, Antonopoulos began immersing himself in the bitcoin community in 2012. Hes since then become one of cryptocurrencys most vocal advocates, encouraging laypeople to participate in the space through numerous books and speeches. Prior to the interview, Antonopoulos emphasized that his expertise is in computer science rather than investment.

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Below is a transcript of Slates conversation with Antonopoulos, which has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.

Slate: Looking at 2018, do you think we saw the crypto bubble burst?

Antonopoulos: We did see a bubble burst. This was the sixth or seventh bubble, depending on how you count it, in the cryptocurrency space, which is actually closely related to how the cryptocurrency markets work: causing cryptocurrency to grow in this kind of explosive way that results in sudden bursts followed by sudden contractions.

"Cryptocurrency is neutral politically. It doesnt do geopolitics. It doesnt do embargoes and sanctions and currency controls of the traditional currencies."  Andreas M. Antonopoulos

How would you characterize the state of cryptocurrency this year, beyond the crash?

It was a year of consolidation. We saw a lot of very interesting developments in a couple of different areas. 2018 was the year of rapid growth of a system called the Lightning Network, which is a micropayments network thats built on top of bitcoin.

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We also saw a bunch of consolidation around the crowdfunding activities that happened in 2017, when there was a lot of exuberance over crowdfunding, and a lot of that died down. Weve got a more rational market for that.

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So you see developments toward making cryptocurrency into more usable currency, rather than an asset for speculative trading?

Yeah, the technology continues to mature, and the amount of work thats happening in terms of technical developments has continued to grow at a very, very rapid pace across the whole space of cryptocurrencies.

One of the other important things we saw in 2018 was the impact that cryptocurrency had in some of the emerging markets where theyve had capital controls and currency crisesspecifically Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, and Turkey. So even while the general market of cryptocurrency reduced its volumes, in those countries volumes more than quadrupled through 2018.

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Youll hear, often, people ask what is the use case of these cryptocurrencies. And what were seeing the market respond is that, at this stage of its development, one of the key use cases and applications for cryptocurrencies is a capital protection during a currency collapse, which is very useful in emerging markets.

What about countries that are not facing a currency-collapse situation? Why is this useful as a currency?

Well, its not at the moment. Were not at the level of technological maturity where its particularly useful to developed nations. But then again, if you look at the number of countries that have currency criseshistorically most of the developing world has faced currency crisis after currency crisis every 15 or 20 years. So even though its primarily for emerging markets, thats an enormous application for [the crypto] market right there.

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Would you say that the success of cryptocurrencies is going to depend on a growing number of currency crises?

No, not necessarily. I think thats one of the applications that has emerged at the moment because of how effectively cryptocurrency can be transmitted across borders and how quickly you can move liquidity into areas where its needed, which is one of the key differentiators of cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrency is neutral politically. It doesnt do geopolitics. It doesnt do embargoes and sanctions and currency controls of the traditional currencies. That its mathematically neutral and borderless means that it has found a niche where its thriving.

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I think in the long term, however, the really interesting applications emerge when cryptocurrency can do things that you cant do with the current payment system. That means being able to settle payments across borders in milliseconds and making payments that are extremely small at a very low cost. The ability to make payments not just under a dollar, but less than a penny, in less than a millisecond, and have that settled across bordersI think thats where were going to see some really novel applications emerge in the future. The average American who uses Visa is not going to see an immediate use case for [crypto] other than speculation.

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So you want to get to a point where youre not looking at the purely speculative value of bitcoin.

[Speculative trading] is useful for generating excitement, but thats not really where the interesting aspects of this technology lie. The interesting aspects of this technology [appear] when you open up completely new application domains that havent existed before.

Was there anything about the declines in 2018 that concerned you about the potential for using cryptocurrency as an actual currency? For example, it seems like the volatility we saw this year would be a major barrier to implementing a micropayment system.

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No, not really because thats looking at it with a kind of circular logic: [Cryptocurrency is] too small to be big. The volatility is a factor of fairly limited adoption, fairly limited application use cases, and those application use cases are really not very affected by volatility.

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If and when the system grows in terms of available liquidity and adoption, volatility naturally goes down. The more people are using it, the more they use it for day-to-day applications, the less volatility you see because speculation isnt the primary driver.

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I use cryptocurrency on an almost daily basis in my business. And from my perspective, the volatility is irrelevant because I earn in cryptocurrency directly. When I earn in cryptocurrency at $300, and then I spend cryptocurrency at a price rate of $300 that same week, it doesnt make any difference. If instead of $300, its $3,000, it doesnt make any difference to me because, again, I earned that week. So when the price goes down, it costs me more on the spending side, but Im earning more on the earnings side so it doesnt really matter. Its a wash.

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What do you make of attempts by the SEC and other regulators to combat crypto scams? It seems like scams were still a major part of the cryptocurrency space in 2018.

My personal opinion there is that education is more effective at combating scams. Im not convinced that trying to regulate on a global basis on a very rapidly moving technology that is jurisdictionally very nimble is going to be effective. I think that it would be much more effective to look at providing clear guidelines for those who want to do it the right way and building more education.

What are you keeping an eye on for 2019 after the burst in 2018?

I dont want to be flippant, because I know that a lot of people made some poor investment decisions, which may have been quite painful. And I advise people to invest in education and skills technology, not to treat this as a speculative instrument, because its dangerous and its volatile.

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Ironically, these are the good times for those of us who were focused on the technology, focused on developing, focused on building new applications and new capabilities. This is the time when we get the most productive work done, because all of the distractions and the noise go away for a bit. I had that experience in 2014 and 2015, did some of my best work that year. And actually it was a year of tremendous innovation in the space because all of the loud speculative voices went away. The people who stay are obviously in it for not just the price.

So would you say that your 2018 was more productive than 2017?

Without a doubt. I published my fourth book, Mastering Ethereum, in 2018 because I had a chance to breathe and calm down and not be answering hundreds of emails and saying no to people who wanted me to be an adviser on their ICO. The silliness has stopped. Now we can get on with the serious work. The people looking at this from the outside see the noise dying down and theyre like, OK, cryptocurrency is dead. Well, guess what? Weve heard that before.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.A year of anniversaries turned into a year of changes, protests and surprises.

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The events of the year now drawing to an end prompted Slovaks to often ponder the question as to whether 2018 was a historic moment, just like most of the years ending with 8 in the past.

It was a year of protests and changes, Grigorij Meseznikov, a political analyst with the Institute for Public Affairs (IVO) think tank, told The Slovak Spectator.

These are the main events that triggered the changes:

Journalist and fiancee murdered

On Monday, February 26, the public learned about the unprecedented murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova. From the very start, the police linked the murder to Kuciak's work. The murder provoked a public outcry.

Read also:

Read also: Kuciak did not even have a computer as a child and he grew up to be an analyst Read more

I hope that I will never experience such a year again, Jakub Filo, deputy editor-in-chief of the Sme daily, told The Slovak Spectator, adding that 2018 was the most dramatic year for the journalistic profession in Slovakia.

As such, 2018 will enter Slovak history just like 1989, when Communism collapsed, and 1998, when the authoritarian-leaning leader Vladimir Meciar was ousted from government, Filo said.

Hopefully, we will be able to say that Slovakia became a better country, despite the tragedy, he opined.

Matus Kostolny, editor-in-chief of the Dennik N daily, speaks of 2018 as an extremely hard year all society, but especially for journalists.

Someone murdered our colleague and it changed everything, Kostolny told The Slovak Spectator, adding that journalists need to reconsider whether it makes sense to continue in their work and if fear will not stop journalists from doing their job.

(Source: Gabriel Kuchta, Sme)

When he looks back, Kostolny is convinced journalists did their job well: they brought reports about dozens of new cases and stories, and they kept asking questions.

I am convinced that it makes sense to continue, he said, adding that it seems the critical public can appreciate it after the events of this year.

In the wake of the murder, major newsrooms in Slovakia put together a team to share information and continue the unfinished work of Jan Kuciak. Investigative reporting focused again and journalists released several major stories, including the role of Slovak government in the abduction of a Vietnamese citizen from Germany (Dennik N) and the story of former SIS agent Lubos Kosik (Sme). SNS leader Andrej Danko also faced media pressure after he reacted to journalists questions about his rigorous thesis by hiding it from the public.

Civil society revived

A public gathering to commemorate Kuciak and Kusnirova and calling for the investigation of their violent deaths was organised on Facebook in various cities all around Slovakia within a few hours from the discovery of their bodies. A series of marches followed throughout March and April, co-organised by young people who previously organised anti-corruption marches in Bratislava.

In the wake of the murder and the subsequent scandals of the Robert Fico government, as well as links to the Italian mafia that came to light thanks to the unfinished work of Jan Kuciak, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Slovakia. The biggest gathering in Bratislava, in mid-March, reportedly exceeded the size of the demonstrations that took place in the Slovak capital during the 1989 Velvet Revolution, with an estimated 70,000 people in attendance.

Read also:

Read also: Enough of Fico, thousands of people shouted at gatherings across Slovakia Read more

The For a Decent Slovakia civic initiative that formed behind the protests is calling for a permanent change in the country, its organisers stated.

Jan Orlovsky, from the Bratislava branch of the Open Society Foundation, sees the development after the murder as good news that Slovak society has not descended into complete apathy and the people in power cannot rest assured that they can get away with everything.

I am happy to witness the advent of a new generation of engaged citizens, Orlovsky told The Slovak Spectator, but noted that the activism is a double-edged sword: civil society is becoming more active, but so is the part of society that feels human and civil rights in Slovakia do not belong to all citizens as our Constitution says.

While the For a Decent Slovakia initiative remained the most significant one, several others emerged. University students formed the Nie Je Nam to Jedno (We Do Care) initiative. The initiative played an important role, especially after the new government was formed and For a Decent Slovakia organisers cancelled the planned protests to give the new ruling politicians a chance. People were disappointed by the decision, but thousands of them joined the students and marched in the streets again.

(Source: Marko Erd, Sme)

Another initiative, Chceme Verit (We Want to Believe), connected the established non-governmental organisations Fair-Play Alliance, Via Iuris, Slovak Governance Institute, Human Rights League, Open Society Foundation, Pontis Foundation and Stop Corruption foundation.

They demand that the new government implement specific measures to ensure trustworthy leadership among the police and prosecutors, independence of police from political influences, opening the Prosecutors Office to public control and a trustworthy Constitutional Court.

Significant cultural personalities created the initiative Kulturny Reparat (Culture Resit) when Marek Madaric, former culture minister, stepped down from his post and Lubica Lassakova was appointed the new minister.

Government reshuffles

Protests in the streets led to changes in the government. After the resignation of Madaric, Robert Kalinak resigned as interior minister, and, eventually, Robert Fico resigned as prime minister, too.

Peter Pellegrini, who until then served as deputy PM, became prime minister.

Health minister Tomas Drucker (Smer nominee) replaced Kalinak as interior minister in the new cabinet, but left just a few weeks later, to be replaced by Denisa Sakova.

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Read also: Thirty days that shook Slovakia Read more

Justice Minister Lucia Zitnanska left the cabinet and was replaced by her colleague from Most-Hid, Gabor Gal.

Police corps president Tibor Gaspar also stepped down.

Ministers who were causing the most problems from peoples viewpoint left, Meseznikov told The Slovak Spectator, referring to Fico and Kalinak.

The personnel reshuffles in the government, however, did not bring about significant changes in the ruling style, Meseznikov said, mentioning the late-November arrest of Greenpeace activists and the police investigation of the For a Decent Slovakia protest organisers.

Pavol Babos, political analyst from Comenius University, considers the end of Robert Fico and Robert Kalinak as the most significant event of 2018. He mentioned the changes that started in the police corps after Kalinak left.

Tibor Gaspar, Robert Fico and Robert Kalinak (left to right) (Source: Jozef Jakubco, Sme)

The changes turned Kalinak into a toxic politician without a future and sent Fico onto the same trajectory, Babos told The Slovak Spectator, adding that Fico is trying to remain a relevant politician, but if he wants to win the elections, he would probably have the hardest task out of all democratic candidates.

Meseznikov opined that even though there are several politicians on the scene who are taking unbelievable steps and saying unbelievable things, Robert Fico turned himself into the most negative personality in the political spectrum. As a long-term prime minister and head of the strongest political party in Slovakia, he can cause great damage while playing dangerous games with conspiracy-theory narratives.

He acts like a suspicious, xenophobic, unsuccessful politician full of complexes, Meseznikov noted.

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Read also: All for Jan: The year of magical thinking in Slovakia Read more

As a positive example of a public figure, he mentioned President Kiska, who found himself in a very complicated situation but thanks to his principled attitude, helped changes to happen.

Kiska played an important part, as was expected from him, and he did not hesitate in key moments, Meseznikov explained.

Babos mentioned Bela Bugar (Most-Hid) as an example of a negative and positive person at the same time. Positive because he is ascribed the biggest credit for the fact that Robert Fico is not prime minister anymore. Negative because he makes concessions to Andrej Danko and his Slovak National Party (SNS) in geopolitics and political culture.

Municipal elections

The power of civil society translated into the results of the municipal elections in early November. For a Decent Slovakia decided to support some non-partisan candidates in the elections, despite their declaration that they would not go into politics. They earned criticism from both the coalition and opposition for their support.

Read also:

Read also: 5 most significant results of the municipal elections Read more

The initiative supported Matus Vallo running for the post in the Bratislava race, Marek Hattas in Nitra, and Peter Fiabane in Zilina. All three became mayors in their cities.

Non-partisan candidates strengthened their positions. It demonstrated the negative attitudes toward the current government. The protests have also shown that the opposition is likely to have a minor advantage in parliamentary elections, according to Meseznikov.

We are witnessing the developing shifts on the political scene and the municipal election should be viewed in this context as well, the analyst explained.

Marek Hattas, Matus Vallo and Peter Fiabane (left to right) (Source: TASR)

Babos described the results of the municipal elections as a continued trend from the past few years, when Smer started losing regional capitals. After the regional governors, they now also lost mayors.

Kocner arrested, Basternak pleads guilty

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Read also: Kuciak murder: One of the accused said that Kocner ordered the murder Read more

2018 was surprising in both negative and positive ways, Babos noted. One year ago, Slovaks would not have imagined that a journalist could be murdered, but neither did they expect that Marian Kocner would be imprisoned and Basternak a self-confessed fraudster. The two men were symbols of the arrogant and the untouchable. Kocner often featured in Kuciaks stories.

These steps may decrease scepticism, even though Meseznikov believes that these are only small steps and Slovakia will not see the biggest transformations until the government changes.

Read also:

Read also: Who is Basternak and why do they call him "our man"? Read more

Babos recognises two strong opposite tendencies. It seems like there are two groups of people fighting each other in police, justice system and state administration.

One cares about building the trust and working for the good of the country, while the second one makes incomprehensible decisions, he said referring to the imprisonment of Greenpeace activists.

With regard to peoples trust in the state in the long run, the important thing is which of the two groups wins the fight, Babos summed up.The murder of a journalist and his fiancee impacted Slovakia the most, according to Slovaks.

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The whole government to prison, a banner in the photo reads. (Source: Sme)

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Slovakia marked a centenary of the birth of Czechoslovakia in 2018. The anniversary was nevertheless shadowed by the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee back in February.

Their death tops the list of momentous events this year, based on a poll by the Focus polling agency for the Sme daily, asking people which events they regarded of utmost importance in the past 12 months.

1. Murder of Jan Kuciak & Martina Kusnirova

(45 percent)

The couple was murdered on February 21, 2018 in their house. Four people were taken into custody in autumn. It remains unknown who ordered the murder. Yet, controversial businessman Marian Kocner is believed to be the main suspect.

UPDATED: Investigative journalist killed in his house Read more

2. PM Robert Fico steps down (38 percent)

Prime Minister Robert Fico, chairman of Smer, resigned in March after the murder. Peter Pellegrini, who had served as a deputy PM for investments and informatisation, replaced him.

UPDATED: Fico is ready to resign tomorrow Read more

3. Protests after the journalist's murder (21 percent)

Following the murder, people walked out into the streets all around Slovakia and demanded the resignation of Interior Minister Robert Kalinak and Police Corps President Tibor Gaspar. Snap parliamentary elections did not occur despite the demand made by the 'For a Decent Slovakia' protesters.

UPDATED: Enough of Fico, thousands of people shouted at gatherings across Slovakia Read more

4. Businessman Marian Kocner arrested (18 percent)

The controversial businessman is currently in pre-trial custody. He is charged with faking promissory notes and other economic crimes. The police are also investigating him in connection with the Kuciak murder.

NAKA detains businessman Kocner Read more

4. Interior Minister Robert Kalinak resigns (18 percent)

Robert Kalinak (Smer) resigned three days ahead of Fico's resignation. Then Health Minister Tomas Drucker (Smer nominee) replaced him. However, Drucker resigned less than a month upon his request. Denisa Sakova (Smer) then took up the office, who had served as the state secretary at the Interior Ministry.

Kalinak resigns Read more

5. Centenary of Czechoslovakia (12 percent)

Czechoslovakia was established on October 28,1918. Slovaks proclaimed their independence from the Kingdom of Hungary two days after the Martin Declaration was signed. In 2018, October 30 was declared a one-off national holiday.

Slovaks celebrated the centenary of the Declaration of Slovak Nation  with Czechs Read more

6. President Andrej Kiska decides not to run for the presidency (10 percent)

Kiska will not run or leave Read more

7. Businessman Ladislav Basternak sentenced (9 percent)

Tax fraud suspect Basternak sentenced to five years Read more

8. Municipal elections (7 percent)

5 most significant results of the municipal elections Read more

8. Ex-ministers Janusek & Stefanov sentenced (7 percent)

Bulletin-board ministers go to prison Read more

8. Scandal over Speaker of Parliament Andrej Danko's dissertation (7 percent)

Why is an 18-year-old doctoral dissertation causing an uproar among the public? Read more

9. Fico's press conference with 1,000,000 on the table (4 percent)

Fico announced at the February 26 press conference that the government allocated 1 million for information that will help catch the murderers of Jan Kuciak and his fiance.

10. Marek Madaric leaves Smer (3 percent)Huawei consumer BG has announced that the Chinese manufacturer has sold more than 200 million smartphones in the year of 2018, outselling 2017 by nearly 50 million units, pulling ahead of Apple in terms of sales 3 quarters in a row, retaining its number 2 spot as the second best smartphone brand internationally. This is largely due to the out-of-the-box thinking and design philosophy that Huawei did in order to design and manufacture their smartphones while retaining a "consumer-centric" focus on innovation.

For example, the Huawei P20 Pro is the first smartphone of its kind to come equipped with a 40MP + 20MP + 8MP image sensor in the rear. Not only that, but the aforementioned device was also ranked number 1 on DxOMarks camera-centric website with a score of 109.

Huawei P20 series launch in Paris

As of the time of this writing, the Huawei P20 Pro has not been dethroned yet from its number 1 spot ever since it was listed on 27 March 2018. If you are interested, weve also done a video guide on how to take stunning pictures with the P20 Pro.

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro, on the other hand, introduces the worlds first reverse wireless charging technology which allows the phone to act as a portable Powerbank that can charge other devices that support the Qi Charging standard. Not only that, the device also comes equipped with the worlds first 7nm chipset, namely the HiSilicon Kirin 980 which is also fitted with dual NPU (Neural-network Processing Units).

Huawei Mate 20 series launch in Malaysia

Alongside the launch, the Mate 20 Pro also comes with the new and improved EMUI 9.0 which you can check out in our top 10 list on how to improve your user experience while using it. It is also best to mention that even though the device has only been released for a little more than 2 months, it has already sold more than 5 million units worldwide.

Lastly, the Huawei Nova 4 which is due to come out next year continues the legacy of being the smartphone that is catered towards a younger audience, as it is more heavily focused towards the design, fashionability and the camera.

Speaking of the camera, the recent Huawei Nova 3 comes with various features that would make you look as if you have your very own paparazzi crew. Here's a guide and some picture samples, if you're interested of course. By the end of this year, the Nova series has sold more than 65 million units worldwide, making it the best selling smartphone series ever developed by Huawei.

Huawei Nova 3 launch in Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur

On another note, Huawei's sister brand Honor is also well received by many due to the fashionable, yet functional smartphones such as the Honor 10 as well as the Honor V10. Moving forward, 2019 is definitely a year to look forward to as Huawei will be releasing the Huawei Nova 4, Huawei P30 series as well as what could be the first Huawei foldable phone. For more updates like this, stay tuned to TechNave.com.Samsung may be introducing a brand new innovation that is pretty nifty, might I add, over at CES 2019. Ditching the speaker grills, the Korean giant may just introduce their Sound on Display OLED panels which may be used on not only their smartphones but also their TVs.

The Sound on Display OLED panel basically changes the entire screen into a speaker, eliminating the need for speaker grills which takes up precious space for other features. It is rumoured that this bit of innovation may be added onto the Samsung Galaxy S10 which will be out in the first quarter of 2019.

In addition, the company will be unveiling a range of smart TVs equipped with Googles Assistant and their first ever 4K OLED displays for their notebooks. While were all excited to see this innovation released soon, do take this information with a fistful of salt. For more news on Samsungs latest innovations, make sure to add TechNave.com to your RSS feeds!In the context of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)'s landmark report on how health authorities worldwide have failed to protect patients from poorly tested implants, two Luxembourgish MPs have received a response concerning the Implant Files and Luxembourg.

Christian Social People's Party (CSV) MPs Jean-Marie Halsdorf and Martine Hansen submitted a parliamentary question highlighting the related statistics in the US, Germany, and France published in the ICIJ's study on Implant Files. The study reveals the pitfalls of new medical technology, highlighting the dangers of poorly tested implants.

Minister of health Etienne Schneider responded to the MPs question, but outlined a number of difficulties in ascertaining the specific number of incidents. In his response, Schneider explained that the ministry does not know the exact number of incidents that emerge from poorly tested implants or prosthetics.

He explained that many incidents are not even reported to the ministry and on some occasions, it is not clear whether the issue is specifically related to the implant in question.

The ordinary procedure for issues with medical technology is for hospitals to report the issue to the manufacturer, who then in turn signals the issue to the national authority in question.

As for patients and doctors, Schneider explained that they are not legally obliged to report issues to the ministry, although some do take that step. The minister confirmed that the idea of creating an online platform to facilitate such reports is one which is being considered within the ministry.

Weak global surveillance systems for medical devices mean local regulators struggle to identify patterns of failure. And, it's just one of the ways medical device harm can be obscured. https://t.co/hfoegOfzrg #ImplantFiles  ICIJ (@ICIJorg) December 27, 2018

In terms of statistics, Schneider explained that 56 cases concerning implant issues were reported to the ministry in 2017. One of those cases led to a death. He also cited that 264 correctional procedures took place in 2017, but stressed that these statistics should be taken with a pinch of salt, as it is not always clear whether the implant caused the issue in question.

Schneider was unable to confirm the costs of such incidents, which would include social security costs and the time spent in hospital, but confirmed that a future law would document all these costs in a more efficient fashion.

Since 2016, the ministry has been taking steps to better monitor the medical equipment market, including the creation of an internal department, a larger team, and plans to hire more people to supervise the market. To add to this, the ministry will also create a medication and health products agency as an institution to control the sector more strictly. Schneider did, however, state that the ministry would require more means to achieve this goal.

He went on to highlight the importance of transparency and confirmed that the ministry's annual report has been made public. In addition to this, Schneider highlighted the ministry's website as an important place to find regular information. All the same, Schneider explained that data protection is crucial in this regard and doctors have the right to professional secrecy.

Schneider ended the response by confirming that Luxembourg is a member of a European Database on Medical Devices (EUDAMED) and is actively working to improve quality within the sector. Luxembourg is also already following all the EU's recommendations, which only enter into effect in 2020.Moscow will early next year host the leaders of Russia, Iran and Turkey to discuss the Syrian conflict, Russia's deputy foreign minister said Friday, after the United States announced it was withdrawing troops from the country.

"It's our turn to host the summit... around the first week of the year. This will depend on the schedules of the presidents," Mikhail Bogdanov was cited as saying by Interfax news agency.

The meeting will be the latest step in the Astana peace process -- set up in early 2017 by Russia and Iran, who support President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, and opposition backer Turkey.

The Astana process was launched after Russia's military intervention in Syria tipped the balance in the Damascus regime's favour. It has gradually eclipsed an earlier UN-sponsored negotiations framework known as the Geneva process.

A Turkish delegation comprising foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and defence minister Hulusi Akar is due in Moscow on Saturday to discuss the pullout of 2,000 US troops from Syria announced last week by President Donald Trump.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday refused to comment on the move saying he was "waiting for actions to follow words."

"The Americans don't always do what they promise, far from that," he said. "Washington clearly wants to pass on the responsibilities on the ground to its partners in the coalition."

The last meeting between Russia's Vladimir Putin, Iran's Hassan Rouhani and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan took place in Iran in September with the fate of the rebel-held Idlib province dominating the agenda.

Trump in a shock announcement recently said he was pulling out some 2,000 American soldiers from Syria, claiming the Islamic State jihadists had been defeated.Splash Beach Resort, Mai Khao Phuket is positioned to become Indians favorite destination wedding venue in the region



(TRAVPR.COM) THAILAND - December 7th, 2018 - [Phuket, 6 December 2018] Kishore Samtani, an entrepreneur from Hong Kong, hosted a reception banquet and 5 day destination wedding celebration for more than 1,300 guests at his son's wedding in the 19-hectare [47-acre] grounds during November 28  December 3, 2018.

The wedding of Kunal Samtani, son of Kishore Samtani, to Divya Vaswani was the largest wedding ever held in Thailand with five-day of festivities held at Splash Beach Resort where a 3,200 square metres air-conditioned marquee, Thailands largest, was built for the wedding celebrations.

The wedding entourage occupied the entire resort of 615 rooms, villas, all function space and F&B outlets. Guests at the wedding reception were entertained by a number of world-class performances by international artistes, Akon, Jason Derulo, Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan. The resort served guests more than 25,000 meals, 12,000 coconuts, over 1,500 bottles of premium liquor and champagne including Dom Perignon, Yamazaki Single Malt throughout the 5-day celebrations.

It was a real honour and privilege to be the venue of choice for the wedding of Kunal and Divya. To be part of Thailand largest wedding ever was a great opportunity for Splash Beach Resort. Our team worked diligently and extremely long hours in the months leading up to the wedding to make everything perfect and memorable for every guest. says John Oshea, Managing Director, Splash Beach Resort.

One of the key features of the resort is the 1,000 square meter pillar-less Convention Centre, the largest single-structure conference facility on Phuket. The Convention Centre can flexibly cater to all types of events, the facility can seat 1,000 guests theatre style and cater up to 1,300 guests for a standing cocktail reception, adds Oshea.

###HANOI -- A Vietnamese court on Friday ordered ride-hailing firm Grab to pay 4.8 billion dong ($206,985) in compensation to a local taxi operator, ending an 18-month-long legal battle between the two firms, a Grab spokesman and state media reports said.

The case is a rare instance of a taxi firm suing a ride-hailing rival over profit losses. Vietnam Sun Corp, better known as Vinasun, was awarded just over 11 percent of the 41.2 billion dong in compensation it was seeking over what it said were Grabs unfair business practices.

A Grab spokesman confirmed to Reuters that the company had been ordered by the court to pay the compensation, but declined to give further details.

Vinasun did not respond to requests for comment.

The verdict found Grab violated Vietnamese regulations because it operates as a taxi company, and not just as a technology firm, the Tuoi Tre newspaper reported.

The judge presiding over the case also said there was a link between the operations of Grab and Vinasuns losses in revenue, but said Grab was not the only factor behind that decrease, the report said.

Grab said in a statement earlier this week that Vinasun needed to evolve and transform its business and should not reduce the contestability of the market and pursue a lawsuit that seeks to discourage the entry of innovative companies.

It is unreasonable for this court case to drag indefinitely just to allow Vinasun to build its case - when theres none at all, Grab said in the statement.VinMart+, a convenience store chain owned by mega-conglomerate Vingroup, is slated to open 117 new locations across the country in a single day.

The 117 new stores, ranging from 80 to 200 square meters each, includes 54 stores in northern Vietnam and 63 stores in the southern half of the country.

Discounts of up to 40 percent on several products will be offered for 15 days starting from December 31, when all of these new VinMart+ stores officially open for business.

The company hopes the new stores will give consumers easier access to high-quality products.

According to the company, each item sold in VinMart+ stores is tested at one of 33 food safety and hygiene testing stations in order to ensure it meets global standards.

VinMart+ also offers store-brand products in several categories, including cosmetics, cotton fabrics, dry foods, hi-tech agricultural products, pre-processed and processed foods at prices it claims to be 30 percent cheaper than products of equal quality sold by other retailers.

According to its data, by the end of December, VinMart+ will have been operating as many as 238 convenience stores throughout the country, increasing parent firm VinCommerces total retailing floor area to more than 400,000 square meters spread across a total of 1,700 stores.

Comparatively, other convenience store and mini supermarket chains such as Bach Hoa Xanh, Circle K, and Co.op Food operate just 300-400 stores each.

VinMart+ is operated by Vingroup subsidiary VinCommerce, the owner of several other retail brands including supermarket chain VinMart, home and beauty chain VinDS, and the e-commerce site Adayroi.com.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Your browser does not support the audio element.

Three college seniors at Quy Nhon University in the south-central province of Binh Dinh are proudly celebrating bagging the grand prize at a local start up competition for their cleverly designed smart-lights.

Vo Nguyen Duc Tri, Vo Thanh Nhan, and Nguyen Thi Diem Phucs voice-controlled invention was inspired by the need for a device to aid physically impaired Vietnamese in turning their lights on and off without the need for Bluetooth or an Internet connection.

The trio, all finance and banking majors, spent over a hundred hours recording voice samples of Vietnamese dialects from around the country before inputting them into an algorithm that allows the device to independently process speech for the control of neon lighting strips.

One of their inventions major features is that it is not activated when words resembling the stored commands are recognized in regular conversation.

In other words, operating commands must be made in isolation.

All of the materials for the smart-light device are readily available in Vietnam which helped the group keep their total costs at just VND20,000 (under US$1)  far cheaper than other products with the same function currently sold in Vietnam, Tri said.

Similar devices already sold in Vietnam can turn lights on and off by sensing human body temperature, motion, and hand clapping.

There are other products that can recognize voice commands but they rely on coupling with a smartphone through Bluetooth or Internet connection.

The students next goal is forming a company to mass-produce similar voice-controls for electric fans and sockets

The judges at the competition were not shy to give their blessing, saying the device holds great promise for commercial success.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Your browser does not support the audio element.

When Neil Laurence jokingly responded to his social media pen pals invitation for tea from his cozy home in Australia, he never expected it would lead to new life and new love in Vietnam.

Im drinking tea alone. Anyone want to join? was the status Nguyen Thi Van, a wheelchair-bound Hanoian woman who heads The Will to Live Center in Hanoi  an organization which helps disabled Vietnamese integrate into the larger community  posted to her Facebook one lonely day.

Jokingly, Laurence responded to her post saying hed love to."

OK. If you come to Vietnam, Ill take you to drink tea every day, Van answered.

Two weeks later, Laurence was on a Hanoi-bound plane ready to take her up on the offer.

I was shocked that he came for me. I assumed he was just trying to meet up with me during a business or leisure trip he was taking [to Vietnam], she said.

I didnt actually mean for him to take my invitation seriously.

Laurence, a divorce in his 50s, spent the rest of that first trip to Vietnam at Vans side, refusing to go sightseeing if it was not in the company of his 20kg girlfriend.

I came here to drink tea with her and look at her smile. She loves smiling, Laurence told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper in an interview.

Neil Bowden Laurence helps Nguyen Thi Van eat ice cream. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Laurence returned to Australia after that trip ready to begin a new chapter in his life.

He quit his engineering job, packed his things, and three months later was on a plane back to Vietnam  this time for good.

Vans an interesting person. The fact that shes confined to a wheelchair doesnt matter. I wanted to begin a new journey with her, Laurence said.

The couple has spent the last year living together and refusing to let Vans disability affect their love.

Laurence takes Van wherever she wishes to go, does the shopping, and takes care of the housework for his wife  jobs that he is more than happy to do despite the responsibility characteristically falling on women in Vietnamese culture.

Everyone has a choice for their own. They do what they feel happy about. I dont think these jobs are for women only. Laurence doesnt think so either, Van explained.

When they decided to get married six months ago, Vans parents were skeptical.

Eventually, however, they caved in and gave Laurence their blessing.

The two then got married but chose to skip a formal wedding despite the eagerness of Vans family to celebrate the milestone.

Neil Bowden Laurence carries Nguyen Thi Van. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Neil Bowden Laurence helps Nguyen Thi Van wear a sweater. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Neil Bowden Laurence helps Nguyen Thi Van wear socks. Photo: Tuoi Tre

He feels as though hes part of my family. He considers my family as his, she said.

In marriage, Van said, Laurence is still just as caring as he was when he was trying to win her heart.

I love you. I still love you today, he says to her every morning.

Van spends a typical day working in their home while Laurence sits in the corner unable to take his eyes off her.

They visit friends and relatives in their spare time and meet friends for tea on the weekend.

To them, each day with each other is a blessing.

Whenever a problem arises, Laurence stays calm and reminds his wife that they need to live happily in the present because the future is uncertain.

Neil Bowden Laurence and Nguyen Thi Van inside a lift. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Neil Bowden Laurence and Nguyen Thi Van in her wheelchair. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Neil Bowden Laurence and Nguyen Thi Van in her wheelchair along a street in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Neil Bowden Laurence washes the dishes in the couples kitchen. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Drinks prepared by Neil Bowden Laurence. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Passengers on a sleeper bus running from Hanoi to the north-central province of Thanh Hoa on Sunday narrowly escaped death when the vehicle crashed into a railway crossing barrier and became stuck on top of the track as a train approached.

The unlikely accident happened at around 12:30 pm on Sunday at a level crossing in Thanh Hoas Ha Trung District.

According to CCTV footage of the incident, boom gates had already been lowered to guard off vehicles from the railway track as preparation for an approaching train moments before the accident.

A few seconds later, a passenger bus moving parallel to the railway track swayed to avoid a motorcyclist and hit one of the barriers, causing the metal bar to pierce through the vehicles windshield and out one of its windows.

The bus became stuck on top of the track as passengers fled the vehicle, some through the already broken windows.

Within a minute, all passengers were safely evacuated to safety, and the driver managed to back the bus away from danger.

CCTV footage of a railway accident involving a sleeper bus in Thanh Hoa Province in north-central Vietnam.

No serious injuries were reported in the event, while the footage went viral on the Internet over the next few days, raising concerns about the safety of railway crossings in Vietnam.

Police in Ha Trung District on Thursday said they had issued administrative fines to the owner and driver of the passenger bus for violations of transportation rules.

The owner, Bui Khac Nham, was fined VND3 million (US$130) for handing his vehicle to an unqualified person to operate.

The driver, Le Van Phi, was fined VND12 million ($515) for inattentive driving and driving without a drivers license," as his license had been suspended before the crash.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Check out news you should not miss today, December 28:

Society

-- Doctors at a hospital in the northern province of Thai Nguyen on Thursday operated an endoscopic surgery for a 60-year-old patient who had nearly 400 gallstones in her gallbladder, with the biggest one measuring 1cm in diameter.

-- A woman in Thanh Khe District in the central city of Da Nang has donated VND280 million (US$12,115) to local underprivileged children and needy people after winning the VND13.3 billion ($571,820) jackpot of American-style computerized lottery Vietlott.

-- Police in the north-central province of Ha Tinh on Thursday detained six people who were seen in a viral video slaughtering a monkey and eating the animals brain and launched legal proceedings against them for violating the endangered and rare animal protection regulations.

-- Four workers died on Thursday due to suffocation while working at the Duyen Hai Thermal Power Plant at Duyen Hai District in the southern province of Tra Vinh, Tran Dat Thong, deputy chairman of the districts administration confirmed later the same day.

Business

-- Vietnams GDP grew by 7.08 percent in 2018, the fastest pace in 11 years, the General Statistics Office announced on Thursday.

-- The total remittance transferred to Vietnam from 1993 to 2018 has reached US$143 billion, with an estimated $15.9 billion sent this year alone, according to statistics released at a Thursday conference in the north-central city of Vinh.

-- Vietnams coffee export volumes for 2018 are expected to increase 20.1 percent from last year, while rice exports are estimated to rise 4.6 percent in the same period, Reuters reported, citing government data on Thursday.

Education

-- A group of seniors from Quy Nhon University has recently won the first prize of a provincial competition on entrepreneurship ideas with their device allowing its users to turn light on or off with voice with no requirement of Internet or Bluetooth connection.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Police in the southern Vietnamese province of Binh Duong have arrested a group of suspects for appropriating nearly VND20 billion (US$860,000) of goods meant for export from multiple container trucks.

The provincial Department of Police, in coordination with the Ministry of Public Security, confirmed on Thursday that they had apprehended and initiated legal proceedings against nine thieves, aged between 25 and 51 years old, for the crime.

According to Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Xuan Hau, a Binh Duong police official, officers first became aware of the case after receiving reports from local businesses with outsourcing contracts with famous shoe and clothing brands.

The victims said many of their finished products, all of which were meant to be exported to partners in foreign countries, had gone missing.

Multiple products are caught being stolen from a truck. Photo: Tuoi Tre

They later discovered that the goods had been stolen from container trucks on their way from the factories to seaports.

Investigators had their first lead following an arrest of three suspects for stealing 2,700 PUMA shoes worth nearly VND800 million ($34,400) in early October.

The investigation was later expanded and several other individuals were arrested.

Preliminary information from the case showed that the suspects had faked documents to pose as truck drivers.

An officer examines a pair of shoes stolen by the suspects. Photo: Tuoi Tre

These drivers then earned enough trust from the businesses to be tasked with transporting the goods, during which they and other ring members stole the shipments.

About 12,500 shoes and 20,000 shirts produced for popular global brands were confiscated.

Losses from the crimes are estimated at up to VND19 billion ($817,000), officers stated.

Colonel Le Ngoc Phuong, deputy head of the criminal police division under the Ministry of Public Security, asserted that the crime has negatively affected the credibility of Vietnamese firms as well as the countrys business environment.

Companies should raise alert to protect their products and their own reputation, said Col. Phuong.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Piloting errors are to blame in each of the two headline-grabbing landing scandals involving low-cost Vietnamese carrier Vietjet over the past two months, the countrys aviation watchdog announced on Thursday.

A Vietjet plane landed on an under-construction runway at Cam Ranh Airport in south-central Vietnam on Tuesday, while the front landing gear on a different Vietjet aircraft fell off moments before it landed at Buon Ma Thuot Airport in the Central Highlands in late November.

In all, Vietjet chalked up five technical and two human errors during the final quarter of 2018, the Ministry of Transport recapped at a meeting on Thursday morning.

The event was held to announce the preliminary findings of a probe into the two said incidents, both of which the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) says were caused by piloting errors.

Speaking at the meeting, CAAV director Dinh Viet Thang provided a detail analysis of each incident.

The decision by the pilot of a Ho Chi Minh City-bound Vietjet flight from Cam Ranh Airport to land on an under-construction runway on Tuesday, according to Thang, was prompted by an alert that the planes front landing gear was losing hydraulic pressure.

Upon receiving the alert, the aircrafts pilots decided to turn around just 20 minutes after taking off from Cam Ranh.

The Filipino captain, with 11,000 flying hours under his belt, kept a watch on the state of the landing gear while his Vietnamese co-pilot managed the deployment of the landing gear, Thang said.

Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The (left) at a meeting on December 27, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Thang went on to explain that the captain lost focus during the landing and missed the targeted runway.

The air traffic controller managing the landing from the tower saw the mistake and immediately instructed the pilots to land on the correct runway, but instead they chose to land on a separate, under-construction runway.

As for the the Vietjet flight that arrived at Buon Ma Thuot Airport, located in the namesake city, from Ho Chi Minh City on November 30, Thang shared that the pilots were at fault for their decision to deactivate the autopilot system too early.

The Airbus A321 eventually landed at Buon Ma Thuot with its nose wheel touching the ground first while it should have been the rear wheel to do so as per the aircrafts design, according to Thang.

Though they didnt break any procedural guidelines, pilots are expected not to deactivate the autopilot system too early under normal technical conditions, Thang said.

Thang also explained that the pilots could have attempted to avoid the shaking landing, sharing that it would have been possible to pull the landing gear up and abort the landing, but the flight team could not handle that, the director added.

Also at Thursdays meeting, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The called out Vietjet for the spate of incidents its aircraft have been involved in over the past few days and the widespread public concern it caused.

Dozens of people have texted and called the Ministry of Transport to share their worries over the state of flight safety in Vietnam, the minister said.

Besides his remarks at the meeting, The signed a directive, criticizing Vietjet for letting several incidents threaten flight safety.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Taiwanese authorities have tracked down 17 Vietnamese out of 148 who arrived on tourist visas over last weekend and became unaccounted for after checking in to hotels in Kaohsiung.

Five of those located told local police they had arrived in Taiwan with the intention of staying there to work illegally.

A total of 153 Vietnamese nationals arrived in Kaohsiung over that weekend, all but one of whom went missing after checking in to two hotels in Kaohsiung, according to Taiwan's National Immigration Agency (NIA).

The NIA later said it had established contact with one who was previously reported missing, while three others had apparently left the island before Tuesday, according to Taiwans Central News Agency.

With the arrest of 17 rogue tourists, the number of Vietnamese nationals remaining unaccounted for in Taiwan has been reduced to 131 as of Friday afternoon, Hong Kong-based newspaper Apple Daily reported the same day.

Police said they suspect an organized human trafficking ring is behind the missing tourists, who were issued visas under an initiative launched three years ago to attract more visitors to Taiwan from South and Southeast Asia.

A screen grab of a post on Taiwanese social media accusing the missing Vietnamese tourists of working as prostitutes at a brothel in Kaohsiung. Photo: SINA

Rumors have surfaced on Taiwanese social media claiming some of the Vietnamese women who went missing have been spotted working as prostitutes at a Kaohsiung brothel, Taiwanese news website ETtoday reported.

The place, known informally as the Sharks Fin Brothel,' is notorious for its shrouded prostitution activities that hide behind a skincare clinic.

A netizen on the Taiwanese online forum PTT revealed that a friend recently visited the infamous brothel and, for the price of US$52, received the services of a newly arrived Vietnamese sex worker, Taiwan News reported.

During a chat with the woman, she said that she had just gotten off the plane a few days earlier and she had been taken to work in Kaohsiung, the netizen claimed.

He estimated that the woman had started working in the brothel at about the same time when the Vietnamese tourists disappeared from two hotels in the city, and suspected that she was being exploited by a snakehead or human smuggling ring to work in the brothel.

However, after a raid on the facility on Thursday afternoon, Kaohsiung police confirmed none of the workers there were among the 148 rogue Vietnamese tourists.

Nine of the female employees who were working there at the time of the raid were of Vietnamese origin, but they are all naturalized Taiwanese citizens, police said.

As of 5:00 pm on Thursday, the original post of the netizen who accused the missing female Vietnamese tourists of working as prostitutes had been removed.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!A 29-year-old woman has had her face burned and eyes damaged following an acid attack in a suburban district in Ho Chi Minh City just ahead of her wedding day.

Officers in Cu Chi District confirmed on Thursday they were investigating the case.

Initial information showed that the victim, D.N.N., was riding her motorcycle along a street in Nhuan Duc Commune at around 8:30 am on Tuesday when an unidentified man, who was on another motorbike, splashed a glass of acid at her face before running away.

N. then collapsed on the ground as she suffered the pain and was later brought to the Cu Chi General Hospital by local residents.

The woman was then transferred to Cho Ray Hospital in District 5 for further treatment.

According to Le Van Loc, a senior doctor at the infirmary, N. suffered burns across her face, including her eyes.

The damage to her eyes is very severe and chances are that she will lose her sight, Dr. Loc said, adding that he and other doctors are trying their best to stop that from happening.

Police officers have collected a red plastic glass with a few drops of liquid, which has acid-like properties, from the scene of the incident.

They have also gathered statements from the victim and eyewitnesses.

At the hospital, N. told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that she lives in a poor family and is about to tie the knot with her boyfriend.

After the wedding, the couple plans to sign up for a labor export program to Japan, the victim said.

The acid attack could arise from a misunderstanding, N. continued, adding she was quite close to a male friend, who is already married.

I often talk on the phone with him and his wife became quite jealous on some occasions, she added.

Regarding the wedding, the couple may have to cancel it, N.s boyfriend said as he took care of her at the infirmary.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!As we all know, yesterday was Christmas Day with those luckier among us spending the time with our families, eating too much and receiving presents. However, other things did happen in the background as we munched our turkey.

A woman burglar, dressed as Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer got caught in the act on CCTV, Twitter was alive over Queen Elizabeth II's Christmas speech, homeless dogs were treated to a real Christmas dinner, a rare baby giraffe was born, and around 1,300 brave souls dived into the icy sea.

1 'Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer' caught robbing shop Fort Collins Police Services in the USA showed their funny side after a woman, dressed as Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer, was caught on camera robbing a shop. She also briefly removed the head of her costume, while glancing at the overhead security camera. Police posted the CCTV footage to Facebook with a suitable Christmas tune backing but did say they seriously want to catch the culprit so that they could inform Santa about the crime. She was definitely on the naughty list! 2 Christmas message from Queen Elizabeth II sparks controversy As always, the Queen delivered her Christmas message at 3 PM on Christmas Day. While she did speak beautifully on trying to find unity in the UK, with Brexit continuing to divide friends and family, unity was not what was on some peoples minds. Many headed to Twitter to make their voices heard about a speech by a billionaire in front of a gold piano, while many people are doing without this Christmas season. They said Her Majesty was a little out of touch with reality. One of the reasons that I despise the Royal Family.. yearly speech harping on about pulling together blah blah. This coming from a billionaire sat in front of a gold piano #QueensMessage  pic.twitter.com/9BYtL9HQRh  The Bearded Genius (@LukeRenton1989) December 25, 2018 3 Arrival of baby giraffe makes for a Merry Christmas at Yorkshire Zoo 4 Dogs at Manchester Dogs' Home have a very merry Christmas 5 Hundreds of swimmers take to the icy cold water in Wales

 ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDAcclaimed Israeli novelist Amos Oz, a tireless campaigner for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, has died of cancer at the age of 79, his daughter said on Friday.

One of the most widely-translated Israeli writers, who authored more than 20 books and some 500 articles, Oz died after a battle with cancer.

Over a 50-year career, Oz chronicled his country's rise from the ashes of the Holocaust and its struggles  among Jews and Arabs, secularists and zealots, conservatives and liberals.

His writing  witty, scholarly, and often moody and erotic  won international plaudits, and he was a frequent bookies' favourite for the Nobel Prize for Literature. But his political views sometimes stirred up rancour at home.

A dedicated peace activist, he was a lifelong supporter of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and urged restraint during Israel's recent wars in Gaza.

"To those who love him, thank you," his daughter Fania Oz-Salzberger wrote on Twitter.

Born Amos Klausner in Jerusalem to Eastern European immigrants, Oz moved to a kibbutz at 15 after his mother's suicide. He changed his surname to the Hebrew for "might".

Oz fought in the 1967 and 1973 Middle East wars, experiences that tinged his advocacy for territorial compromise with the Palestinians  though he was more circumspect about prospects for accommodation with Islamist group Hamas ruling Gaza.

"We cannot become one happy family because we are not one, we are not happy, we are not family. We are two unhappy families. We have to divide the house into two smaller next-door apartments," he told Deutsche Welle in an interview marking Israel's 70th anniversary this year.

"There is no point in even fantasising that after 100 years of bloodshed and anger and conflict Jews and Arabs will jump into a honeymoon bed and start making love not war."

Between friends with Amos Oz: Watch France 24s 2013 interview with the acclaimed author

Story continues

Oz studied philosophy and Hebrew literature at Jerusalem's Hebrew University. "Elsewhere, Perhaps", his first novel and an examination of relationships on a fictional kibbutz, was published in 1966.

In his later years, he taught Hebrew literature at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev while living in the nearby desert town of Arad, where he had moved to salve his son's asthma.

Among his dozens of books, widely translated abroad from Hebrew, was "A Tale of Love and Darkness," a memoir that actress and director Natalie Portman adapted for the screen in 2016.

Oz was the recipient of numerous awards in Israel and abroad, including France's Prix Femina, which he won in 1988 for his novel "Black Box".

"It was a tale of love and light, and now, a great darkness," Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said in a statement eulogising Oz. "Rest in peace, dear Amos. You gave us great pleasure."

(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)A roadside bomb hit a tourist bus on Friday near the Giza Pyramids, killing three Vietnamese and their Egyptian guide, officials said.

The bus was traveling in the Marioutiyah area near the pyramids when the crude roadside bomb, concealed by a wall, went off, Egypts chief prosecutor Nabil Sadeq said in a statement. The blast wounded 11 other Vietnamese tourists as well as the Egyptian driver.

The bus was carrying a total of 15 Vietnamese tourists, according to Vietnams Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It said that 10 were seriously injured.

Security services were immediately dispatched to the area, southwest of Cairo, and have opened an investigation into the explosion, the ministry added without giving further details.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Egypt Tran Thanh Cong visited the scene of the attack and Al Haram Hospital, where the victims were being treated, the ministry said.

As he visited the wounded in hospital, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli warned against "amplifying" the incident. "No country in the world can guarantee that it is 100 percent safe," he said.

Egypt has battled Islamic militants for years in the Sinai Peninsula in an insurgency that has occasionally spelt over to the mainland, hitting minority Christians or tourists. However, this is the first attack to target foreign tourists in almost two years.

The attack takes place as Egypt's vital tourism industry is showing signs of recovery after years in the doldrums because of the political turmoil and violence that followed a 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Hosni Mubarak.

It will likely prompt authorities to further tighten security around churches and associated facilities ahead of the New year's Eve celebrations and next month's Christmas celebrations of the Coptic Orthodox Church, the dominant denomination among Egypt's estimated 10 million Christians.

Over the past two years, militant attacks against Christians in Egypt  usually targeting churches or buses carrying pilgrims to remote desert monasteries  have killed over a hundred people.

(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP)A man walks outside a branch of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) firm Quanjian Group, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China December 27, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer

Thomson Reuters

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Authorities in China are investigating a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) firm linked to the death of a young girl with cancer, after the case was rekindled online and reignited widespread anger over perceived failings in healthcare.

An official at the Tianjin office of a food and drug safety regulator told Reuters that Quanjian Group was under investigation, with allegations including false marketing.

"We have already got involved and launched an investigation," said the official at the Market and Quality Supervision Commission of Wuqing District in Tianjin.

State media previously reported the case as involving a young girl who died in late 2015 after turning to a treatment made by Quanjian.

However on Tuesday, a related article published on healthcare platform DXY.cn sent the case viral, with one thread on microblog Sina Weibo being read 180 million times.

The DXY article said Quanjian used misleading advertising to attract patients with claims about its treatments.

Quanjian Group did not respond to Reuters' phoned and emailed requests for comment on Thursday. In a social media post, it said the DXY article was inaccurate and that the healthcare firm would take legal steps to protect its rights.

The firm also said in the post that a local court had previously ruled against complaints made by the girl's father in 2015.

China's food and drug regulator did not respond to a faxed request for comment.

The furor underscores sensitivities regarding healthcare in a country where often poorly run private hospitals, a lack of doctors, misleading advertising of "miracle cures" and corruption have long stoked patient anger.

The case also has echoes of an incident in 2016 when the death of a student drew attention to misleading advertising after he used search engine Baidu Inc to look for treatment for his rare form of cancer.

That prompted a major probe into healthcare advertising and led to a drop in Baidu's earnings.

Story continues

(Reporting by Adam Jourdan and Shanghai newsroom; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

See Also:China Type 055 destroyer

CGTN

China said it has produced a blade casting that could improve the performance of the heavy duty turbines that will power the latest generation of its guided-missile destroyers.

State Power Investment Corp (SPIC), one of Chinas largest state-owned power generator companies, said it could now establish its own production process for the core component of 330-megawatt gas turbines.

SPIC said on its website on Tuesday that the blade casting was Chinas first breakthrough in core components in heavy-duty gas turbines and the most important milestone achievement since 2015, when China launched a task force to develop a home-grown gas turbine.

To generate electricity, air and fuel are mixed and combusted, causing the turbine blades to spin, driving the generator. The blades are typically made of superalloys designed to endure the high stresses created within the turbine.

China Type 055 destroyer

Screenshot/YouTube

Chinas efforts to access critical but sensitive technologies  owned by foreign players such as General Electric in the US, Germanys Siemens, Japans Mitsubishi and Italys Ansaldo Energia  have been turned down over the past 50 years, putting China at risk of being choked by the neck, especially in the field of national energy security, Science and Technology Daily said in May.

The technical breakthrough was announced with China locked in a trade war with the US and Made in China 2025, a strategy aimed at transforming China into a technology and manufacturing superpower, drawing the ire of US President Donald Trump and Western governments.

Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie said the new component could be used on gas turbines that are designed to power later variants of Chinas most advanced surface ship, the Type 055 guided-missile destroyer. China has launched four over the past 18 months and four more are under construction.

The Type 055s are designed to serve as the primary escort vessels for the Peoples Liberation Army aircraft carrier strike groups.

Story continues

The original gas turbines used on Type 055 destroyers are not as powerful as the engines used by the Americans Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, Li said. But the gap between Chinese warships and their American counterparts will be narrowed as China overcomes the core technology [gap].

China Type 055 destroyer

CCTV

The first two Type 055s do not feature super efficient integrated electric propulsion systems (IEPS) because of their relatively low power supplies. The IEPS would allow warships to operate high-energy, hi-tech weapons such as rail guns, which can launch projectiles at speeds far beyond conventional weapons.

A source close to the Chinese shipbuilding industry said Beijings achievement on turbine blade technology development was made with the help of foreign counterparts, especially through a cooperation agreement signed between Russian United Engine Corp and Chinas state-owned Harbin Turbine Co in July of last year.

Russia needs China to retrofit its only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov-class carrier, whose hull, deck and other parts were all damaged following a series of accidents earlier this year, the source said.

Chinese shipbuilders in Dalian, Liaoning province, are capable of retrofitting the Admiral Kuznetsov-class carrier, based on their experience of refitting the countrys first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning.

China bought the Liaoning, a half-built Admiral Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier, from Ukraine in 1998, and spent about a decade refitting it, turning it into the countrys first commissioned aircraft carrier. The countrys first domestically built aircraft carrier, the Type 001A, was launched last year by the Dalian shipyard.

NOW WATCH: How US Navy carrier strike groups turn the world's oceans into a buffer between the US and war

See Also:Its the holiday season in Paris and the Cirque Mandingue has come to town. Theyve traveled from Guinea with a muscular message for migrants everywhere.

A crescendo of congas echoes across the Canal de l'Ourcq from the tent that is home to the Cabaret Sauvage in the north of Paris.

Inside twelve circus performers dance and somersault on stage under the watchful eye of the Cirque Mandingues director and founder, Yamoussa Camara.

I love seeing the pride on the faces of these artists when we return to Guinea after a successful overseas tour, Camara tells RFI.

Forming a family

Camara is an orphan and grew up on the streets of the capital Conakry in the 1970s and 80s.

He was able to feed himself by performing acrobatics on street corners. Camara came across like-minded street children and they choreographed more elaborate performances for passersby.

In 2009, he took his troupe to the Pan-African Festival in Algiers, and out of that came the Cirque Mandingue. Today the troupe is mainly made up of orphans.

The circus is a job that relies on trust. Its an unconditional love. We are a family, explains Camara in between perfecting the dancers routines.

Clandestine migration

Suddenly, things turn somber inside the Cabaret Sauvage. The only woman in the troupe  Fatou  breaks into a haunting chant. The men sing an eerie chorus as they follow Fatou across the stage to a small wooden boat. The performance centres around the polemic of clandestine migration.

Camara becomes visibly animated when talking about the exodus of artists and young people from Africa, and the perilous journey they make across deserts and seas to reach Europe.

Today migration is a global problem. Every day I see Africans experiencing misery in Algeria and Morocco on route to Europe, laments Camara.

The performance is a call for migrants to return to Africa, endure the hardships and use their skills to develop their countries.

On the beach

Camara prides himself on providing opportunities for young people in Guinea, but its not easy. The Cirque Mandingue had a circus school for a few years until it ran into financial trouble. Now they train on the main beach in Conakry.

Story continues

The Cirque Mandingue is all about physicality rather than equipment. The troupe form human towers, perform street dance routines and there are contortionists among them. These kinds of tricks require agility and strength rather than man-made apparatus. There are no bars, ropes or safety nets, just the sand on the beach to break their fall, if need be.

Beyond Ebola

Like the entire population of Guinea every member of the troupe knew someone who died from the Ebola virus. The Cirque Mandingue was not allowed to travel during the epidemic that lasted two years, from 2014 and 2016.

Fearing it could cease to exist, Camara would call his contacts in the Paris theatre world as often as he could afford phone credit. He kept the lines of communication open with Europe and he and his troupe were able to travel to Paris in 2017, a year or so after Guinea was declared Ebola-free.

We survived Ebola, so we can survive anything. We wont stop until we reach the level of Cirque Soleil, or higher, says Camara, as his performers take a break before their premier a few hours later.

The Cabaret Sauvage fills up, the performers burst on stage and the congas set the tempo for heart-felt show with a muscular message about the perils of clandestine migration.A cursed family have endured their FOURTH ruined Christmas in a row after thieves stole all their presents and food  including the TURKEY.

Charlotte Bell, 33, and husband Richard, 46, were left devastated when crooks stole 1,000 of gifts bought for their children on Christmas Eve.

The thieves fled with all of their presents, even swiping the turkey, gammon and vegetables, after breaking into a locked garage.

And sadly its not the first time the unlucky couple have fallen victim to festive heartache.

Charlotte Bell, whose family have been hit by a Christmas curse, for the fourth year after thieves stole their presents and turkey. (SWNS).

Every year since 2015, the pair have been hit by Christmas catastrophes  including the deaths of their parents.

Mum-of-three Charlotte, a trainee nurse, said she believes Christmas is cursed for them after disaster struck for a fourth time.

She said: We just couldnt believe it. Christmas is cursed for us.

Who stoops as low to stealing childrens Christmas presents let alone running off with a turkey?

Charlotte Bell, with Amelia, left, and Oscar, right, who have been hit by a Christmas curse, for the fourth year after thieves stole their presents and turkey. (SWNS).

All we seem to do is have bad Christmases.

Its supposed to be a time of love, happiness and goodwill but its magic went for us again this year.

I think Ive lost faith in Christmas ever being a happy time for our family. Its just been heartache after heartache.

Last year, Charlottes father Ken died a few days before the big day aged 64 and Richards mother Lynette, 64, died the year before that in 2016.

In 2015, her youngest daughter Amelia, three, was born prematurely and spent four months in intensive care in hospital.

Charlotte said her eldest son Dylan, 15, noticed the break-in at their house in West Heath, Birmingham when he went to put the bins out.

Charlotte, who is also mum to four-year-old Oscar, added: He came in and told us that somebody had broken into the garage and I just went numb.

All the presents for the kids were in there along with the turkey and gammon which were defrosting and all the vegetables.

They had smashed the lock and gone in and taken everything and ruined Christmas for us.

We worked hard all year to buy the presents and then this happens. You just think why us?'

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Friends and family clubbed together to lend the pair money to buy a replacement turkey from a supermarket.

Charlotte added: Luckily weve had some help, which we are eternally grateful for but obviously it wasnt the same.

Dylan knew what had happened, but the two youngest didnt understand it as they expect Santa to come down the chimney.

We did the best we could, but it wasnt as magical as it should have been. I was working Christmas Day anyway .

So you work hard, try and do good things for people and think you deserve some Christmas magic and then this goes and happens. It really does break you.

The police havent even been out to see us yet either. So we havent even had any help from them yet.

We dont have a lot of money, or live a lavish lifestyle but you have to count your blessings.

I am trying to look at the positives and we all happy and healthy and we have each other, so that counts for a lot.

I hope we can enjoy future Christmases together as a family. Id love to take the kids to Disneyland to give them one to remember forever as they deserve better than this.Police vehicle at a roadblock on Route 1 in Iceland, near the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon. Three British tourists, including a child, have died after the 44 they were in crashed off a bridge in Iceland.

Police have confirmed the identities of two British women and a child who were killed when the 44 they were travelling in ploughed through a bridge and crashed in Iceland.

The Toyota Landcruiser carrying seven Britons crashed from the bridge between the town of Kirkjubjarklaustur and Skaftafell, in the Vatnajokull National Park, at around 9.30am on Thursday.

Sarvesh Laturia, the brother of two men travelling in the car, has confirmed the fatalities were Rajshree Laturia  the wife of Shreeraj Laturia, their daughter 10-month old Shreeprabha Laturia, and Khushboo Laturia, who was married to Shreerajs brother Supreme.

Mr Laturia, his brother Supreme and two other children, aged seven and nine, are being treated in hospital for serious injuries.

Icelandic police said the women were born in 1982 and 1985.

They are all British citizens of Indian origin and there are unconfirmed reports the families may both have been from London.

Emergency services at the scene of a crash, in Skeidararsandur, Iceland. An SUV carrying seven members of a British family plunged off a high bridge Thursday in Iceland, killing three people and critically injuring the others, authorities said. (Adolf Erlingsson via AP)

The cause of Thursdays accident is not yet known, but in a statement on Friday police said the Toyota Land Cruiser seems to have turned on the bridge with the result that it went on top of the railing of the bridge, to the right, following it for a short distance and then turned over off the rail and the bridge.

There, the car fell down on the ground beneath the bridge.

Icelandic road experts have revealed the bridge at the centre of a lethal crash which left three Britons dead doesnt meet modern safety standards.

According to the Morgunblai newspaper, the design director of the Iceland Road Administration said the 46-year-old single lane bridge over Nupsvotn doesnt comply with modern safety standards in terms of the bridge and railing structures.

The director also believed the road may have been icy.



Icelandic police said they hope to speak to Shreeraj Laturia and Supreme Laturia on Friday but were unable to confirm whether or not they would be fit enough to be interviewed.

One of the first people on the scene was tour guide Adolf Erlingsson, who told BBC News he believed the driver had lost control.

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Mr Erlingsson said the car went through the railing and crashed down onto the bank.

Its kind of sandy, theres no rivers so it wasnt submerged in water. It just landed there on a sandy bottom and flipped over and was totally destroyed, he said.

He added that he got out of his van and went to see if he could help.

The car was a total wreck. When I got there four people were out of the car, one of them deceased. Then there were three people trapped in the car.

The driver was alive and trapped more or less under the dashboard. We were trying to get the people out of the car and helping them, it was a very difficult situation.

The UKs Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: We are supporting the family of several British nationals who were involved in a road traffic accident in Iceland and are in close contact with the Icelandic authorities.A prominent figure in the Ivorian community in Tunisia was stabbed to death in the capital, Tunis, on December 23. Following his murder, many sub-Saharan Africans living in Tunisia took to the streets to denounce what they say is a hate crime. Falikou Coulibaly, the president of the Association of Ivorians in Tunisia (AIT) was stabbed to death on Sunday night in La Soukra, a neighbourhood located in a northern suburb of Tunis. According to the Minister of the Interior, the murderer was trying to steal Coulibalys phone. Coulibaly had previously spoken out about the racism and violence that Ivorians experience in Tunisia. In August, he spoke to FRANCE 24's Observers team about attacks on Ivorian migrants and the ongoing violence in his neighbourhood, where he would be killed four months later: > The police tell us that the violence is a result of the high rates of crime in the neighbourhood. However, only Ivorians are targeted. So these attacks definitely have a racist element. The young people who carry out this violence target our community because they know they wont be punished. Coulibaly's body was flown home to Ivory Coast on December 27, for burial in his hometown of Oume. Falikou was like a brother to everyone Malicks Kamandie is a member of the AIT that Coulibaly led, and was one of Coulibalys friends. He was among the hundreds of people who paid tribute to Coulibaly at his home before his body was repatriated to the Ivory Coast. > We gathered in his home to welcome his body and to pay our last respects. We wanted to honour all the work he did to help sub-Saharan Africans living in Tunisia. We then accompanied his coffin to the airport. > > Falikou was like a brother to everyone. His work helped the entire sub-Saharan African community. He was a real fighter. So, it would have felt like a betrayal if we had just stayed at home. His murder sparked an unprecedented mobilisation among Ivorians living in Tunisia. On December 24, several hundred protesters gathered in front of Mongi Slim Hospital, where Coulibaly died, and marched to the Ivorian embassy. On December 25, they gathered on Bourguiba Avenue, which is located in the centre of the capital, to protest against violence targeting sub-Saharan Africans and the lack of response from Tunisian authorities. This protest was held on Bourguiba Avenue in Tunis on December 25. A banner held at the protest on Tunis's Bourguiba Avenue on December 25. Falikous spirit brought us together People continued to gather at Coulibalys home on Wednesday night, even after his coffin was taken back to the Ivory Coast, according to Ange Serisoka, vice-president of the Association of Ivorians Working in Tunisia, known by its French acronym ASSIVAT: > We set up chairs across from Coulibalys home. We shared a meal and talked. There were drums; it was a real Ivorian party. Thats our tradition -- once we stop crying, we celebrate. > > Coulibalys spirit brought all of the sub-Saharan Africans together. At the gathering, there were people from Ivory Coast, from Cameroon and from Mali, as well as some Tunisians. I spoke. I asked all leaders and groups to come together to continue the fight. Our brother, Falikou, was skilled at bringing people together. "Coulibalys death could change many things" According to Tunisian police, the suspect, who was arrested the day of the murder, admitted that he attacked Coulibaly in an attempt to steal his phone. But Serisoka says that xenophobia played a part: > When we saw that he had been stabbed multiple times and that the perpetrators left behind his cell phone, we knew it was a hate crime. > > Coulibalys death could change many things. He didnt die in vain. Coulibaly is a leader and his fight was to call for justice and to end the penalty system. Foreigners in Tunisia who fail to get a residency permit have to pay penalties when they leave the country. They are charged about 25 euros for each month that they lived in Tunisia without the proper papers. People were calling for an end to this system at each of the protests held in the wake of Coulibalys death. Many of the sub-Saharan Africans living in Tunisia do not have the proper papers. > Thats what makes racist attacks possible. Most people from sub-Saharan Africa in Tunisia are afraid of speaking up for fear of being arrested. [Editors note: because they are undocumented migrants]. > > If a person from sub-Saharan Africa [who doesnt have the proper papers] tries to demand that his employer pay him, then he risks being arrested. I know a girl who asked her boss for a day off and he called the police and she found herself at the immigration service. Most of us dont have leases where we live, because the landlords know that we are afraid to speak up because we dont have our papers.

A prominent figure in the Ivorian community in Tunisia was stabbed to death in the capital, Tunis, on December 23. Following his murder, many sub-Saharan Africans living in Tunisia took to the streets to denounce what they say is a hate crime.



Falikou Coulibaly, the president of the Association of Ivorians in Tunisia (AIT) was stabbed to death on Sunday night in La Soukra, a neighbourhood located in a northern suburb of Tunis. According to the Minister of the Interior, the murderer was trying to steal Coulibalys phone.



Coulibaly had previously spoken out about the racism and violence that Ivorians experience in Tunisia. In August, he spoke to FRANCE 24's Observers team about attacks on Ivorian migrants and the ongoing violence in his neighbourhood, where he would be killed four months later:



The police tell us that the violence is a result of the high rates of crime in the neighbourhood. However, only Ivorians are targeted. So these attacks definitely have a racist element. The young people who carry out this violence target our community because they know they wont be punished.



Coulibaly's body was flown home to Ivory Coast on December 27, for burial in his hometown of Oume.



Falikou was like a brother to everyone

Malicks Kamandie is a member of the AIT that Coulibaly led, and was one of Coulibalys friends. He was among the hundreds of people who paid tribute to Coulibaly at his home before his body was repatriated to the Ivory Coast.



We gathered in his home to welcome his body and to pay our last respects. We wanted to honour all the work he did to help sub-Saharan Africans living in Tunisia. We then accompanied his coffin to the airport.



Falikou was like a brother to everyone. His work helped the entire sub-Saharan African community. He was a real fighter. So, it would have felt like a betrayal if we had just stayed at home.

His murder sparked an unprecedented mobilisation among Ivorians living in Tunisia. On December 24, several hundred protesters gathered in front of Mongi Slim Hospital, where Coulibaly died, and marched to the Ivorian embassy. On December 25, they gathered on Bourguiba Avenue, which is located in the centre of the capital, to protest against violence targeting sub-Saharan Africans and the lack of response from Tunisian authorities.





Story continues

This protest was held on Bourguiba Avenue in Tunis on December 25.

A banner held at the protest on Tunis's Bourguiba Avenue on December 25.





Falikous spirit brought us together

People continued to gather at Coulibalys home on Wednesday night, even after his coffin was taken back to the Ivory Coast, according to Ange Serisoka, vice-president of the Association of Ivorians Working in Tunisia, known by its French acronym ASSIVAT:



We set up chairs across from Coulibalys home. We shared a meal and talked. There were drums; it was a real Ivorian party. Thats our tradition -- once we stop crying, we celebrate.



Coulibalys spirit brought all of the sub-Saharan Africans together. At the gathering, there were people from Ivory Coast, from Cameroon and from Mali, as well as some Tunisians. I spoke. I asked all leaders and groups to come together to continue the fight. Our brother, Falikou, was skilled at bringing people together.

"Coulibalys death could change many things"



According to Tunisian police, the suspect, who was arrested the day of the murder, admitted that he attacked Coulibaly in an attempt to steal his phone. But Serisoka says that xenophobia played a part:



When we saw that he had been stabbed multiple times and that the perpetrators left behind his cell phone, we knew it was a hate crime.



Coulibalys death could change many things. He didnt die in vain. Coulibaly is a leader and his fight was to call for justice and to end the penalty system.

Foreigners in Tunisia who fail to get a residency permit have to pay penalties when they leave the country. They are charged about 25 euros for each month that they lived in Tunisia without the proper papers. People were calling for an end to this system at each of the protests held in the wake of Coulibalys death. Many of the sub-Saharan Africans living in Tunisia do not have the proper papers.

A sacked security aide to French President Emmanuel is under fresh scrutiny amid media reports that he is still using a diplomatic passport and could be profiting from his former insider ...

The presidency confirmed Thursday it had written to Alexandre Benalla in the last few days demanding more details of his business trips to several African countries and telling him not to claim any links to the government.

Government officials are worried he may be profiting from his former insider status.

The news site Mediapart said Benalla was still travelling on a French diplomatic passport received as part of his former job.

The foreign ministry said on Thursday that it had asked Benalla in July to hand in the two diplomatic passports and was considering further steps.

Benalla attacked protester

The Benalla scandal  as it has become known  has reared its head again at the worst time for Macrons presidency as other policy issues have also piled up, including a stream of anti-government demonstrations staged by Yellow Vest protesters.

The scandal erupted in July after a video surfaced of Benalla, 27, viciously beating a May Day protester. Macron fired him, but was accused by political rivals of acting too slowly and being out of touch.

Visited Chad's president before Macron

Two weeks ago it emerged that Benalla travelled to Chad in early December and met with President Idriss Deby, shortly before Macron himself paid a visit to the African country.

Benalla said he was accompanying a "foreign business delegation" promoting major Middle Eastern companies.

But the fresh revelations have sparked questions in France over why he was granted such high-level access to an African leader.

Macron's office told AFP that Benalla had not informed the presidency of the trip until afterwards.

Macron 'forbids you from claiming ... support from the presidency'

In a strongly worded letter to Benalla dated December 22, Macron's office chief Patrick Strzoda warned the ex-bodyguard against divulging any confidential information gleaned during his previous job at the French president's side.

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"Let us be clear: we forbid you from claiming you have any kind of recommendation or tacit support from the presidency," Strzoda wrote.

"With regard to your current personal activities, we ask you to ensure they are conducted with strict respect for the confidentiality and ethical responsibilities of your time in this office."

Strzoda further demanded that Benalla provide details of "personal and private trips" during his time working with Macron, including any payments.

The presidency would be forced to respond to any previously undisclosed business dealings deemed "incompatible" with his former role, Strzoda warned.

Benalla 'won't keep quiet'

Benalla, who is subject to a judicial investigation, has denied boasting of insider influence to win work after his sacking and accused members of Macron's entourage of "trying to wreck" his life.

"I won't keep quiet any longer," he said in a statement.

The ex-aide has also been quoted in the French press as saying he was shocked and scandalised by suggestions that he has acted inappropriately.

Le Monde newspaper reported that Benalla had met in October with Congo's President Denis Sassou-Nguesso as well as with top officials in Cameroon as part of a business delegation.

Today Im a consultant. Ive been to around 10 countries in Africa, he told the leading French daily. Im not going to stop doing what Im doing.

Macrons approval ratings fell below 20 percent in early December, even as he responded to the Yellow Vest protesters' anger with an array of measures, including shelving an unpopular fuel tax hike and raising the minimum wage.The Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms said that its rescue boat, Open Arms, docked in the port city of Algeciras, Spain, on December 28, with more than 300 migrants on board.

Local media reported that the 311 migrants, including 139 children, arrived at the port of Crinavis after the Spanish government authorized the ship to dock.

The NGO said that the migrants were rescued while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Libya, on December 22. Credit: Proactiva Open Arms via StoryfulRussian President Vladimir Putin meets with British Prime Minister Theresa May as part of the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China, September 4, 2016. Sputnik/Kremlin/Alexei Druzhinin/via REUTERS

LONDON (Reuters) - Moscow and London have reached an agreement to return some staff to their respective embassies after they expelled dozens of diplomats early this year, the Russian embassy said on Friday.

The British Foreign Office and the Russian Foreign Ministry were not immediately available for comment.

"We have reached a general agreement that we will start to restore diplomatic staff in Moscow and in London some time in January," the TASS news agency earlier quoted Russia's ambassador to London Alexander Yakovenko as saying in a television interview.

"I am not sure that this would happen to all employees but at least half the staff would be in place,"

An embassy spokesman confirmed the remarks.

Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats over accusations the Kremlin was behind a nerve toxin attack in March on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury.

Russia, which denies any involvement in the poisoning, sent home the same number of British embassy workers in retaliation.

(Reporting by Maria Tsvetkova; Additional reporting by Michael Holden and Guy Faulconbridge in London; Editing by Catherine Evans and John Stonestreet)A new mall in Cote dIvoires capital aiming to attract the lower middle-class has seen more than 623,000 people through its doors since opening in October.

Its really the first one that went into a frontier market, says Cheick Sanankoua, the co-founder of HC Capital Properties, which led investment in the 26 million euro project.

Existing malls in Cote dIvoire target affluent neighbourhoods, but the Cosmos development is trying to appeal to a different demographic, Sanankoua told RFI in an interview. Its not a question of can people afford it, but instead shifting the way people consume, says the 35-year-old Ivorian.

The two-storey Yopougon mall boasts foreign brands such as Carrefour, Burger King, Orange and MTN as tenants. But it is also trying to bring in smaller local store owners as well as informal traders, according to Sanankoua, to help them bring their business to the next level.

Yopougon itself is home to more than one million people making it one of the countrys largest metropolitan areas, according to the 2014 census. The area, colloquially known as Yop City, is seen as middle-to-working-class people in terms of demographics. HC Capital Properties says the development will create 750 permanent jobs plus more than 900 jobs in the informal sector.

The mall features a space designed to replicate a market type environment for informal traders, says Sanankoua, who previously worked at US bank Merrill Lynch and Helios Investment Partners, a private equity firm focusing on Africa. It offers more flexible terms for leases and smaller kiosks designed to appeal to smaller businesses.

Demand for malls on the African continent

Malls on the African continent doubled between 2011 and 2018, says a report published in November by Sagaci Research, a market research firm. And the continent hosts almost 580 shopping malls.

International real estate company Knight Frank in 2016 described the sub-Saharan market for shopping malls as a major focus for development. Space for shopping centres in Cote dIvoire was set to more than double from 61,000 square metres to 138,000 square metres, according to the Knight Franks analysis of mall real estate and projects in the pipeline.

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Investment case

African consumers' appetite for mall shopping from has not been lost on international investors. HC Capital Properties, which has offices in London and Abidjan, financed the Cosmos mall through investment by private equity and large institutional investors as well as family offices.

Cosmos is HC Capital Properties first major property development and they have a number of other potential projects in West and Central Africa, according to Sanankoua.

Other companies have taken a different approach to raising cash for mall investments. The Real Estate Income Group (GRIT) floated on the London Stock Exchange in July 2018 raising 115 million euros with retail forming a key part of its strategy for investment in African property assets. Since being established in 2014, GRIT has acquired stakes in malls operating in Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique and Zambia.

The shopping landscape in Cote dIvoire is at the level where the Nigerian market was at four or five years ago, says Sanankoua, making comparisons with Africas most populous country. And the evolution of shopping malls in Cote dIvoire will depend largely on how they adjust to local tastes and tweak the shopping experience for the Ivorian market.

The feedback were getting is retailers are doing very well, says Sanankoua. We spent as much time vetting tenants as they spent vetting us, he adds, explaining how they targeted certain retailers to ensure a mix of local stores and established international brands.The Syrian army said it had deployed forces to the Manbij frontline in northern Syria on Friday after the Kurdish YPG militia urged Damascus to protect the town, where US forces operate, from the threat of a major Turkish offensive.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said the government forces had entered a strip of territory at the edge of Manbij, not inside the town itself, creating a barrier with Turkey-backed fighters nearby.

Manbij, which US-backed forces captured from the Islamic State (IS) group in 2016, has emerged as a focal point of new tensions after US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw US forces whose presence has effectively deterred Turkey.

After the Syrian army announcement, Turkey-backed Syrian rebels stationed in nearby territory said they had begun moving together with Turkish forces towards the town in readiness for "the start of military operations to liberate" it.

A witness said convoys of Turkey-backed insurgents, with armoured vehicles and machine guns, were moving towards the frontline.

Manbij, where US troops have a military base, is currently held by a local militia allied to the YPG which Turkey deems a security threat.

A spokesman for the US-led coalition fighting the IS group in Syria on Friday confirmed that regime forces were not inside Manbij, but rather on the outskirts of the city.

"Despite incorrect information about changes to the military forces in Manbij city, [the US-led coalition] has seen no indication of these claims being true," US Central Command spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Earl Brown said.

Kurds left in the cold

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has vowed to crush the YPG, said Turkish officials would visit Russia Bashar al-Assad's most powerful ally  on Saturday and discuss Syria. He indicated Turkey was not in a hurry to launch an offensive.

Trump's abrupt decision to withdraw troops from Syria has alarmed the Kurdish-led fighters who have fought the IS group alongside them for years.

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Kurdish leaders are scrambling for a strategy to protect their region stretching across the north and east, where the presence of some 2,000 US troops has so far kept Turkey at bay.

With US forces soon out of the picture, Kurdish leaders are hoping the deployment of Syrian government forces, backed by Russia, will complicate any offensive by Turkey and its Syrian rebel proxies.

Syrian state media circulated a video showing dozens of soldiers marching on a countryside road, chanting for President Bashar al-Assad. The military statement said troops had raised the national flag in Manbij on Friday and would guarantee security "for all Syrian citizens and others present".

A resident inside the town said nothing had changed and he had not seen any such flags.

The YPG said on Friday its fighters had withdrawn from Manbij months before to fight the IS group elsewhere.

"We invite the Syrian government, to which we belong, as people, land and borders, to send its armed forces to take over these positions and protect Manbij in the face of Turkish threats," it said.

In November, Turkish and US troops began joint patrols near Manbij after reaching a deal that includes the YPG exiting the town.

(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)Even though they do not belong to the White House any longer, the popularity of the Obamas has not diminished. This is the finding of the latest Gallup poll. Former first lady Michelle Obama has seized the title of the most admired woman from Hillary Clinton who held that honor for 17 years in a row. That is the result of the latest poll where 1,025 Americans participated. The popularity of her book Becoming must have played an important role in the choice.

According to Sky News, the poll shows 15 percent of the women admired Michelle Obama the most.

She is at present on a tour to promote her Book that is a best seller. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey was the second most admired woman with five percent rooting for her while Hillary Clinton and First Lady Melania Trump followed with four percent each.

Barack Obama also scores another hit

The Obamas are on a high. The latest Gallup poll reveals Michelle Obama to be the most admired woman and her husband, former POTUS Barack Obama has successfully held on to the title of the most admired man for the 11th consecutive year. He polled 19 percent of votes. He had been the president for two terms and had received the Nobel Peace prize that helped him to attain a stature of his own. During his term in office, he handled issues at both, home and abroad with equal aplomb that endeared him to the masses.

Barack and Michelle Obama are most admired people in U.S. - Gallup poll pic.twitter.com/H14JUYPPYB  Reuters Top News (@Reuters) December 27, 2018

Current US President Donald Trump followed him with 13 percent votes and former president George W Bush and Pope Francis came third with two percent votes each. Hillary Clinton had been the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee and a former US senator and secretary of state.

Discuss this news on Eunomia

She was the most admired woman for a total 22 times. Out of that, the past 17 years were in a row. In spite of such a past, the voters have favored Michelle Obama probably due to several factors, one of these being her approach to problems. She has mentioned about some of these in her book, which made it a bestseller.

The Gallup poll

The Gallup poll is a regular feature carried out every year since 1946, except in 1976. There were 1,025 adults surveyed during 3-12 December in the latest poll. It covered adults who had to name the man and woman whom they admired the most. They could be from anywhere in the world and from any discipline and reflect the perception of the people. The BBC adds The Queen secured a place in the top 10 for the 50th time. President Donald Trump finished second in the category of the most admired man in the world for the fourth consecutive year. Oprah Winfrey has been second on 14 occasions.The North Koreans never really believed the US offer to lift sanctions in return for stopping its arms program. They had no reason to. They witnessed how the US withdrew from the deal with Iran and its impact on Iran. The second factor is the volatile nature of US foreign policy. President Trump's temperament influences almost all US relationships with world leaders. For example, he recently snubbed Putin at the climate summit, while warming up to the Saudi leadership at a time when the Khashoggi murder is under investigation. Also, Trumps National Security Strategy Policy clearly considers North Korea as a threat.

The document puts the country in the same category as Iran.

North Korea is a tiny country with a powerful deterrent against a giant. That giant is the United States. Kim Jong probably thought and acted on this thought - "both our neighbors  South Korea and China share a great friendship with the US. We never know when they will turn against us. So, lets be careful."

US military presence in the Korean peninsula

There is a basis to North Korean fears. The US has 15 bases in South Korea, out of which one is inactive. Fifteen military bases is a large number for any country, let alone a tiny country like the South Korean peninsula. While they offer a strategic advantage to the US, letting it keep an eye on China, Japan, South China seas, and Asia - they are an expensive proposition.

Not only does the US invest in infrastructure and maintenance, but it also positions more than 28,000 troops in these bases. That is more than two percent of South Koreas 600,000 strong armed forces. Together, they offer a threat to North Korea, which cannot rely either on China or Russia for support in case of war.

North Korea is very isolated from international politics.

Discuss this news on Eunomia

It is not protected from opportunistic attacks by the US or China. The question is, will a beleaguered Trump government choose the path of sanctions and covert warfare over North Koreas belligerence or will it continue to negotiate a peace deal?

North Koreas strategy is astute. It has managed a prolonged negotiation with its southern counterpart and managed to get China and Russia to drop some sanctions while it kept the US talking.

While the US maintains that it is in no rush to drop sanctions against North Korea, the Koreans are hopeful. One good outcome is that the Korean Peninsula which was at a nuclear flashpoint in 2017 is now witnessing a modicum of peace.

Is peace still elusive in the region?

2017 was punctuated with Pyongyangs nuclear and other missile tests. There were six in all, which led to the ratification of sanctions against Korea at the UN. North Korea had to be starved of essentials in order to make them negotiate. Recently, CNN reported that new satellite imagery reveals that North Korea continues with its missile development program. Post a tentative peace deal, it may have partially destroyed a nuclear facility as per peace requirements, but the North has not stopped their arms exploration program.

Is North Korea simply buying time while it keeps its missile program afloat? Is it justified as the US has not signed the no first use policy for nuclear weapons? Not signing this policy gives the US the option of making a nuclear strike first and not in retaliation. China, however, has signed the policy of no first use. In the event of the US using a nuclear warhead on Pyongyang, will China ally with North Korea and retaliate? After all, a nuclear strike on the Korean peninsula will affect China the most.

According to Newsweek, Russia has started using laser weapons in active combat. With the US-Russia deteriorating relationships, North Korea may have an ally in Russia. What possible role will Russia play in the eventuality of a breakdown of negotiations between the US and North Korea?

The US on their part will keep Kim talking until he gives in to their demands or until they take him down.

What will USAs foreign relations focus on in the next few years of Trump Administration?

The US strategy is more or less like a strategy to deal with hostage takers or hijackers. Yet, logical indications are that the talks will be futile and continue until hostilities break out. In the current scenario, the US may not go to war, as several hotspots across the world witness its concentrated action. The US is likely to spend more resources in the Middle East, where it may assist Saudi Arabia and the UAE in action against Iran. Saudi Arabias growing relationship with Israel has won friends in the US.

The US does not oppose their action in Yemen and provides support against Houthi rebels and Irans Red Guard. The US interest in Afghanistan has waned. On the domestic front, the US has managed to contain South America and immigration issues. US attention in the South China Sea is high and a key reason for its bases in South Korea.

It is safe to conclude that the USA will not invite hostilities on the Korean peninsula as that will divide their attention. According to The Sun, Pyongyang talked tough again after the US slapped fresh sanctions due to human rights violations. The next few months will witness many such acrimonious issues amid a continued dialogue between the Koreas and the US. As the Koreans continue with growing military might, the US makes no move to lift sanctions.Photo: Peter Earl McCollough/The New York Times/Redux

When I first read Alice Walkers The Color Purple, I leaned into every word, inhaling Celies tragic and triumphant story. In Celie, I felt the presence and pain of my female family members brought up in rural Alabama. In Walkers unflinching descriptions of misogyny, domestic violence, homophobia, and incest, I saw an open accounting of issues buried deep within the larger southern black community  and within my own family.

Above all, I was drawn into The Color Purple because it was haunted by ghosts  the ghosts of Alice Walkers past. Eloquently and bravely, she was able to confront generational trauma by telling a universal tale that still felt faithful to her own story. And it was Walkers ability to throw open the shutters and allow her ghosts  our ghosts  into her writing that made it so revelatory. It cemented her standing as an acclaimed novelist, a civil-rights icon, and a formidable thought leader in the field of black feminism.

That changed abruptly two weeks ago, after the New York Times invited Walker to list her favorite books in its weekly By the Book column. She took the opportunity to promote David Ickes And the Truth Shall Set You Free, which contains some of the most hateful anti-Semitic lies ever to be printed between covers. As excerpted in the Washington Post, Ickes book alleged that a small Jewish clique had created the Russian Revolution and both World Wars, and coldly calculated the Holocaust to boot. Icke has also accused Jews (among others) of being alien lizard people. After a week of criticism, Walker doubled down in her assessment of Ickes indefensible work, calling him brave and dismissing charges of anti-Semitism as an attack on the pro-Palestinian cause.

Its chilling to think that such an acclaimed novelist could regard Ickes work as a curious persons dream come true, but it turned out that Walkers endorsement wasnt an isolated deviation. Readers soon unearthed her poem It Is Our (Frightful) Duty to Study the Talmud, published on her website in 2017, which confirmed that Walker had been indulging in virulent anti-Semitism, and that it permeated not just her thinking but her work.

The ghosts in The Color Purple helped me to better understand my own identity and the suppressed history of my ancestors  a journey Im constantly engaged in as a black Jewish woman. But the ghosts in It Is Our (Frightful) Duty leave me with more questions than answers. How did Walkers curiosity curdle into paranoia? How was her commitment to improving the human condition twisted into support for genocide apologists? How could the artist who helped America to better understand black women use her writing to promote the oppression of another group?

In her essay, The Black Writer and the Southern Experience, Walker writes that an extreme negative emotion held against other human beings for reasons they do not control can be blinding. Blindness about other human beings, especially for a writer, is equivalent to death. Lately it seems that Walker has willingly allowed herself to be blinded. It Is Our (Frightful) Duty is a terribly written poem filled with terrible things. It oozes deep paranoia, defensiveness, and rage. In every single way, its ugly.

The poem utterly fails as poetry. It isnt lyrical. Its lines and stanzas are choppy and graceless. Each stanza seems to end with an aggressive exhale, the kind that a person expels when they finish purging the awful thoughts that consume them. In some places, it reads like a rambling lecture delivered by a tenured professor who isnt afraid to offend her students anymore. At other times, it reads like a Breitbart article with line breaks. There is no artistry here, but there is plenty of trauma.

Walker writes that we must examine the root of our broken world. For her, the rabbinical commentaries in the Talmud are this root. She claims that the Talmud has provided justification for Jews making slaves of goyim (non-Jews), which world history proves to be untrue. She also claims that the Talmud permits the rape of young boys and 3-year-olds, which is a misinterpretation often used to justify anti-Semitism. Walker is unequivocally wrong about the root of the worlds evil. But how should we begin to search for the root of Walkers hatred? What ghosts lurk within her stanzas?

I have a deep abiding love for black women and all that we do. Because of that love, I feel betrayed by Walker, and like all scorned lovers, I find myself consumed with a need to understand why. Guided by a singular question (What the fuck happened?), I spent Christmas buried in her writings, trying to understand how Walker could turn on women like me.

The opening of the poem speaks of a male friend, a Jewish soul, who accused Walker of anti-Semitism because she didnt support the state of Israel. Walker refers to this anonymous friend with a great deal of intimacy; charged with anti-Semitism, she herself reacts like a lover betrayed. When she mentions the house that they shared in Mississippi  where black people often assumed he was a racist  it becomes clear that she is referring to her ex-husband.

In 1967, Alice Walker married a young Jewish civil-rights lawyer named Mel Leventhal. Their interracial marriage  the first such legal union in the state of Mississippi  was still illegal in Walkers home state of Georgia at the time. Leventhals mother was also deeply opposed to the union, and his other family members didnt allow Alice to attend family events. Leaving no question about how she felt about her sons marriage to a shvartse (a pejorative Yiddish term for a black person), Miriam Leventhal sat shiva for her son, mourning him as dead, Evelyn White writes in Alice Walker: A Life. A source who knows the family told me that Mel preferred to ignore rather than confront his familys bigotry. This caused Walker to feel increasingly isolated and resentful. The marriage ended in 1976, after the pair had one daughter together, named Rebecca.

From left: Mel Leventhal, Rebecca Walker, and Alice Walker, 1970. Photo: CSU Archives/Everett Collection

When writing of Mel in her essays, Walker links him inextricably to his Jewishness, as well as his occupation as a lawyer. Even when they are not arguing (frequently, according to her) about the abuses against Palestinians, each mention of him is some variation on white Jewish lawyer husband. Perhaps Walker is combining those disparate words  each a piece of his identity, yet each reductive  to make sense of his contradictions: How could he fight for the dignity of black people while allowing his white family to deny dignity to his wife and daughter? How could he be white, and yet not fully welcomed by white gentiles in Mississippi? How could he crusade for justice at home and dismiss her concern for Palestinians abroad?

I loathe the misogynist assumption that a womans faults must be the direct result of a mans actions, but I find myself incapable of separating Walkers fraught marriage from her hatred of Judaism. She doesnt separate the two either. In her 2014 book, The Cushion in the Road, Walker writes about meeting an elderly Palestinian woman in the Occupied Territories. The woman accepted a gift from Walker, and then bestowed a blessing upon her, May God protect you from the Jews, to which Walker responded, Its too late, I already married one.

Its telling that Walker feels she should reference her marital strife in such a context, even as a joke. In both this comment and in her poem, she seems incapable of reconciling the conflicts inherent to Leventhals identity  conflicts that put a strain on their marriage. Instead of accepting that white Jews can both oppress and be oppressed, Walker leaps to blaming all Jews (and the Talmud) for all oppression.

Walker writes in the poem of trying to educate the Jewish soul on the topics of dignity, justice, honor, and peace. She sets off each of these words with quotation marks, casting doubt on whether Jews are capable of learning these values. Walker is quite proud of her subsequent epiphany, insinuating that those (like her younger self) who believe that any Jew can desire peace, justice, and honor know Nothing. Nothing at all.

Walkers fights with Leventhal are not the only ghosts in this poem. There is also Rebecca Walker, Alices daughter. Rebecca and Alice havent spoken in many years, and Rebecca has publicly denounced her mother for being neglectful during Rebeccas childhood. I came very low down in her priorities, Rebecca wrote in 2008, after work, political integrity, self-fulfillment, friendships, spiritual life, fame and travel.

While Rebecca never addressed her mothers anti-Semitism, she is known for publicly embracing her Jewish identity, most notably in her book Black, White, and Jewish. How must Rebecca be feeling right now? How would it feel to have the whole world discussing your mothers hatred of your Jewish soul, your religious texts, your heritage?

As a black Jewish woman, I find the white Jewish communitys focus on black anti-Semitism hypocritical and distracting. Its negative impact is often exaggerated, and dwelling on it is counterproductive to racial justice and solidarity. But in an attempt to show compassion toward black people  especially black women  I sometimes find myself burying my own opinions about it at the expense of my soul. Recently, I was at an event where someone implied that Jews were naturally more conniving and exploitative. I shut down the conversation, but I wanted to flip the table in anger. What does that do to the soul of the black Jewish woman, who is often rejected by both the white Jewish community and  more rarely  by the sisters who are supposed to understand her?

In an interview for the PBS documentary Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth, Walker said she was hurt and confused by her estrangement with her daughter. You bring children into the world. You love them with heart and soul, she said. But, as (author) Tillie Olsen told me, You have your own children and do the best you can until they are able to get out in the world. And then the world takes over.

In the poem, Walker invokes her maternal status as a source of her authority over all of humanity. She refers to herself as an elder who went to Palestine to do my job / of keeping tabs / on Earths children. Its a particularly defensive stanza in an already-paranoid poem. I feel that she is trying to convince herself that she has done her job as an actual mother. Her claim on the Earths children reads like a deflection from the one child she has, who is surely bothered by her mothers hatred of Jews like herself.

Another source of the poems purported authority is age. Walker tells us that we will understand the evils of the Talmud as we get older. We must go back / as grown-ups now, / Not as the gullible children we once were  It is our duty, I believe, to study the Talmud. But Walker isnt talking to us. It feels like a plea to her child. A plea for what? Understanding? Forgiveness? Permission?

I can understand Walkers trauma: I live much of it. But I cannot understand how she could write such awful things. I understand that Walker experienced virulent anti-blackness from many in the white Jewish community  as I have  but I dont understand how she could spin that off into a hateful conspiracy. I dont understand why this poem was written. But I do understand that everything about it paints a picture of heartbreak. I see a person who has made terrible mistakes, and who is desperately trying to run away from them. I may not be able to forgive or excuse, but it is my frightful duty  as a black Jewish woman  to try to understand.

I spoke to a black Jewish woman who said that Alice Walkers anti-Semitic trolling needed to be called out, but also that Walker was a monster of [the white Jewish communitys] own making. She warned that a failure to address such racism would push more people  notably, Jews of color  to this extreme. I believe this; Ive already reported on the ways that racism was pushing black Jews away from the community. The impact of this dynamic on Walkers work is supported by her description of her writing process in the essay From an Interview:

All of my poems  are written when I have successfully pulled myself out of a completely numbing despair  Poems  even happy ones  emerge from an accumulation of sadness  I become aware that I am controlled by [the poems], not the other way around. I realize that when I am writing poetry, I am so high as to feel invisible, and in that condition it is possible to write almost anything.

Still, I wonder how Walker could put the burden of her trauma onto us  black Jewish women. What is her responsibility to her daughter, and what is my responsibility to Alice Walker? Many of my black and Jewish friends refuse to even judge her. Perhaps it is I who know nothing, nothing at all.

I know that I will not cancel Alice Walker. I cant erase the incredible work she created. I will continue to read The Color Purple and her other works. But I will never be able to rid myself of the ghost of this poem. It would be irresponsible and self-hating of me to do so. I will read and teach Walkers work with love, but this poem will always be there, fluttering in the wind like a torn-out page of the Talmud.past daily news Sep 13 (1) Sep 09 (15) Sep 06 (12) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (10) Aug 31 (17) Aug 29 (14) Aug 26 (13) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (12) Aug 19 (21) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (10) Aug 10 (10) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (10) Aug 06 (10) Aug 05 (8) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (14) Jul 29 (1) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (10) Jul 22 (11) Jul 19 (16) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (10) Jul 15 (13) Jul 12 (7) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (11) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (8) Jun 28 (7) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (8) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (9) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (9) Jun 18 (8) Jun 15 (9) Jun 13 (13) Jun 11 (11) Jun 09 (19) Jun 06 (10) Jun 04 (10) Jun 03 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (5) May 30 (5) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (7) May 26 (6) May 25 (4) May 23 (6) May 22 (6) May 21 (4) May 20 (7) May 19 (9) May 18 (4) May 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29 (1) Oct 01 (1) Jul 29 (1) May 11 (1) Jul 11 (1)Beto ORourke, Bernie Sanders Photo: Getty Images

The first skirmish of the 2020 Democratic primary, a wave of attacks on Beto ORourke by supporters of Bernie Sanders, took almost everybody by surprise. On the outside, it looks like one of those inscrutable, personality-driven online spats that characterize the Twitter era. But the feud is neither petty nor personal nor irrational. Its the first shot in a war that may well continue for the next year and a half.

I have opinions about the parties involved in this conflict that are not difficult to guess. But my aim in this article is not to persuade readers of the merits of my preferences, but instead to provide a descriptive account of an important conflict that I believe is being widely misunderstood. Indeed, I think the online warriors of the Bernie movement are getting too little credit, and their mainstream liberal antagonists would benefit from a better understanding of their motives and thinking.

The Sanders partisans who are attacking ORourke  like Zaid Jilani, David Sirota, Branko Marcetic, Elizabeth Bruenig  are not representative of Sanders voters as a whole. This distinction is the key to deciphering the whole episode. Sanders attracts the intense support of a small left-wing intellectual vanguard who see American politics in fundamentally different terms than most Democrats do. The primary struggle in American politics as they see it is not between liberalism and conservatism, but between socialism and capitalism.

Sanders labels himself as a socialist and frames his rhetoric in Marxian class terms, which sets him apart from other Democrats. (Even a progressive like Elizabeth Warren calls herself a capitalist to my bones.) Socialists  at least those who arent willing to settle for the incremental advances traditionally held out by liberal Democrats as their only option  see Sanderss presidential candidacy as uniquely compelling. The struggle between Sanders and other Democrats strikes them as far more significant than the contest between the non-socialist Democrats and the Republicans.

The voters who pulled the lever for Sanders, by contrast, are ideologically indistinguishable from the rest of the party. Among the minority of voters who identified as very liberal, the most left-wing choice, Sanders and Clinton performed about equally. In 2016, Sanders voters actually had more conservative views on economic inequality and changes to Social Security and Medicare than Clinton voters did.

Sanders built most of his support on personal contrasts rather than ideology. While Clinton was mired in scandals over fundraising, speaking fees, and the use of a personal email server, her opponent presented an earnest, scandal-free profile. Sanders dominated Clinton among young, white, and male voters.

The rise of Beto ORourke poses an obvious threat. The Texas congressman has replicated aspects of Sanderss appeal  his positivity and refusal to accept PAC money  while exceeding it in some ways. Sanders is charismatic in an unconventional way, the slovenly and cranky but somewhat lovable old uncle, while ORourke projects a classic handsome, toothy, Kennedy-esque charm that reliably makes Democrats swoon. Hard-core loyalists find the contrast irksome. Reading Karl Marx is cool, said Nomiki Konst, a Sanders loyalist and candidate for New York City public advocate, to NBC. Doing a livestream while youre doing your laundry is a gimmick. The comment sums up the lefts well-grounded fear that Sanderss hard-core ideological appeal can be easily disarmed with personal charisma.

And while ORourke has yet to decide on a presidential campaign, and would have to overcome an enormous field if he does, the Sandernistas are hardly paranoid to discern the kind of groundswell that could quickly propel ORourke to the front of the pack. Former Obama strategist and current Pod Save America host Dan Pfeiffer wrote a piece urging ORourke to run (without endorsing him). ORourke reportedly met with Obama, who favored him with public praise. What I liked most about his race was that it didnt feel constantly poll-tested, Obama said. It felt as if he based his statements and his positions on what he believed.

What Obama is describing here is ORourkes ability to speak naturally and with apparent conviction  one never knows if a politician is expressing genuine conviction or just performing it well  without taking hard-left policy stances. ORourkes short career has allowed him to avoid being pinned down on every item in the party platform. He generally occupies the center of the Democratic Party, and often expresses broad sympathy for left-wing policy goals while suggesting he favors a more pragmatic alternative. On health care, he advocates achieving universal health care coverage  whether it be through a single-payer system, a dual system, or otherwise  so that we can ensure everyone is able to see a provider when it will do the most good and will deliver health care in the most affordable, effective way possible.

One of the deeper strategic goals of the left is to equate progressive maximalism with authenticity, like Sanders did. They want candidates who take uncompromising left-wing positions to be seen as authentic, and candidates who adopt more moderate lines to be seen as calculating and phony. The socialist left will attack any non-Sanders candidate, but ORourke is especially dangerous to their project precisely because of his Obama-like personal appeal.

The frequently invoked comparisons between ORourke and the 44th president explain both ORourkes wide appeal within the party ranks and the mistrust he has inspired on the far left. Socialists generally regard Obama as a failure; Sanders often critiqued Obama implicitly, sometimes explicitly.

ORourkes burgeoning image as the next Obama is the very reason socialists reject him. I think they are suspicious of Beto because he has taken oil and gas money, hes becoming the darling of big donors, and Obama likes him, says historian Michael Kazin. Beto is a lot like Obama, true; writes Breunig, its perhaps time for left-leaning Democrats to realize that may not be a good thing. Of course, given that 95 percent of Democrats approve of Obama, this message has fairly limited utility as a line of attack.

The response to ORourkes leftist critics is tellingly devoid of ideological content. There are plenty of progressives who might run  from Beto and Bernie to Kamala and Booker and others, says Jon Favreau, a former Obama speechwriter Pod Save America host. And I think its more productive to focus our time and energy talking about why we support the candidates who inspire us. Notice that Favreau is bracketing all the candidates he names as progressives. That is accurate, but it also elides the distinction  between the socialist candidate (Sanders) and liberal ones (everybody else)  that the Sanders left finds so crucial.

Contrast Favreaus big tentism with this rebuke of ORourke by Jilani: He has become a uniting figure for Democrats, beloved by all and loathed by none. What kind of Democratic politician can be so adored? Maybe one who rarely, if ever, challenged the powerful. Liberals like Favreau are aiming to unite the party. To a leftist like Jilani, ORourkes ability to appeal across the breadth of the party is a reason to reject him. Turning the primary into a faction fight is not a pitfall to be avoided but the very goal.

Baffled liberals, many still nursing wounds from 2016, see the passionate intensity of the Bernie movement as a personality cult, propelled by unthinking devotion to him (or spite at the party that they believe rigged the primary against him). It is anything but. The socialist left belongs to Sanders simply because there is no other presidential candidate who meets their exacting ideological criteria. They see ORourke as a threat to their project because, in important ways, he is.James McAuley and Greil Marcus, and a reply by Mark Lilla in the New York Review of Books:

Something new is happening on the European right, and it involves more than xenophobic outbursts, Lilla writes. But in many cases, xenophobia is far from peripheral. The hatred of migrants and foreigners is the essence of the pitch that the contemporary European right has made to voters. How else do we explain the tendency of right-wing parties across the continent to focus on a so-called invasion of migrants, even as their numbers continue to fall? Arrivals are down to their lowest levels since 2015, when Europe experienced a historic influx of migrants and refugees that triggered a political crisis with no apparent end in sight. The leaders of far-right and, now, mainstream conservative parties across the continent are focusing squarely on immigration and the alleged threat to national identity it poses. In many cases, the rhetorical line between right and far right is increasingly difficult to delineate.

This is exactly the climate that has enabled the rise of Marion Marechalformerly Marion Marechal-Le Penthe twenty-nine-year-old scion of Frances, and probably Europes, best-known far-right dynasty. A darling of Steve Bannon, Marechal addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington this past February. Lilla quotes Marechals remarks in that speech extensively, as ostensible evidence of a new intellectual movement among a younger generation of European conservatives. But he selectively omits other lines from that same speech, which clearly situate Marechal in a right wing terrified by the prospect of a white majority apparently under siege. After forty years of massive immigration, Islamic lobbies and political correctness, she said at CPAC, France is in the process of passing from the eldest daughter of the Catholic Church to the little niece of Islam, and the terrorism is only the tip of the iceberg. Given that Lilla quoted so much else of what she said, readers of The New York Review deserve to read the extreme words from a woman Lilla presents as both calm and collected and intellectually inclined. Her speech was also fundamentally dishonest: according to most available estimates, Muslims count for no more than 10 percent of the total French population.

More here.Hugh Ryan in The Boston Review:

My partners and I were not the only queers, though, for whom gay marriage fell short of the Promised Land. More than many realize, a hefty share of the LGBT movements radical potential was lost or traded away so that they could say #LoveWon. For instance, in 2012, queer Minnesotans enjoyed a unique success when activists beat back an attempt to ban same-sex marriage in their state constitution, becoming the only state ever to defeat such an initiative at the ballot box. However, queer studies scholar Myrl Beam paints an instructive and troubling picture of the victory.

In his essay Whats Love Got to Do With It?, Beam describes what he calls the love pivot: in 2012 gay marriage activists across the country shifted from arguments emphasizing equality to arguments emphasizing love. According to focus group research funded by the major national players in the marriage movement (primarily the organizations Freedom to Marry and Third Way), a focus on discrimination and equality simply did not resonate with straight voters. Or, in the words of political strategist Richard Carlbom, when you talk about equality people STOP listening. Instead, activists were told to play up their life-long dreams of getting married and their desire to fit into the straight marriage moldregardless of how authentic those desires were.

More here.Former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper is as far from the orthodox ideological positioning in his party as Donald Trump was in 2016. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Part of the explanation usually offered for the extremely unlikely elevation of Donald J. Trump to the presidency is that he outflanked a huge field of bland Establishment conservatives and forced an astonished Republican Party to take a wild ride with him all the way through November. And its true things might have turned out differently if Establishment conservative voters had been consolidated by a single candidate (say, Marco Rubio) early in the primaries, or had a hard-core ideologue like Ted Cruz gotten into a one-on-one with Trump before the deal was all but done. Well never know, of course; its possible an angry God determined to subject America to a Trump presidency from the get-go as punishment for our sins.

But in any event, the likelihood of an equally large 2020 Democratic field is quite naturally encouraging fantasies about an equally unorthodox outcome in that contest. No, unless Oprah Winfrey changes her mind and runs, there isnt a Democratic analogue to Trump  i.e., an extremely well-known pop-culture icon who loosely embodies one partys values and viewpoint while offering some variations that are attractive to certain constituencies (in Trumps case, nativists, racists, globaphobes, and conspiracy buffs). But as Steven Teles argues, there could be enough clustering of candidates around the orthodox progressivism that Democratic activists prefer to create an opening for someone closer to the center:

More than a dozen candidates may run for the Democratic nomination in 2020: governors from the Plains states, senators from the coasts, billionaire entrepreneurs. But the most serious so farKamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, and Bernie Sandersrun the risk of falling into the same trap as the main Republicans did in 2015. All of themeven the previously ideologically flexible Cory Bookerare competing for the same section of the primary electorate, one that wants to trade in centrist triangulation for social democratic economics. Given the repeated failures of deregulation, fiscal conservatism, and crony capitalism, this is an understandable instinct. Any one of these candidates could win the nomination if he or she were the only one in the mix. But there are (at least) four or five of them, all clustered around the same positions; come next summer, they will be fighting for the same voters, and as a result, they could all lose. Its the same bad math that afflicted Cruz, Kasich, and Rubio four years ago, only now its on the other side.

For this to happen, of course, there has to be a conjunction of supply and demand for a different kind of politics. Teles thinks it could be what he calls (following a terminology created by Michael Lind) radical centrist politics:

[P]eople who are economically more left-wingangry about the powerful moneyed interests who, they believe, have rigged the economy in their favorbut more traditional on questions of social order and skeptical of the nations governing elites. New Americas Lee Drutman recently found that these kinds of voters make up 29 percent of the entire American electorate.

The radical centrists include most of those populist-oriented ObamaTrump voters Democrats lost in 2016. Teles describes a hypothetical candidate who could appeal to them via redistributive policies that dont require big government or its clientele-tending bureaucracies, while also taking crime and immigration concerns seriously without becoming Trump-y. And he argues that there are enough voters craving this mix of policies to win a Democratic presidential nomination if the field is as large and ideologically conventional as seems likely at this point.

But where is the candidate who could become, in effect, the Democrats own Trump? For Teles, it could be anyone who sees the opportunity and hasnt already cast her or his lot with the progressive ascendancy in the party:

Such a candidate may not exist. But the potential Democratic contenders, like Joe Biden or Amy Klobuchar, who have not yet fully attached themselves to the lefts agenda, could incorporate at least parts of this appeal. And there may be an opening for a purer version of this ideologically unorthodox Democrat, especially someone like outgoing Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper or former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who has not yet developed a clear political brand.

Would a standard-brand ClintonObama centrist of the non-radical variety like Biden generate the kind of grassroots excitement Teles thinks is out there to be captured? Its hard to say. A Suffolk-USA Today poll released just this week showed Democratic voters expressing roughly equal excitement about Biden and a hypothetical someone entirely new. Yes, the Democratic presidential nominating process with its strictly proportional delegate-award rules provides a clear path to respectability for any candidate who can win a consistent minority of primary or caucus voters. But then again, the heartland states most likely to support a radical centrist candidacy arent well-positioned early in the 2020 calendar. And the calendar  particularly now that California has moved up from June to early March  might well enable a progressive candidate to execute the voter consolidation coup that eluded Trumps opponents.

All in all, a big Democratic field could just as likely produce a front-runner who has high name ID and/or unusually broad support (descriptions that could match not only Biden but Beto ORourke or even Bernie Sanders) as some sort of ideological outlier. What Teles has described, after all, has happened just once in recent Democratic presidential history, with Jimmy Carter in 1976 coming out of nowhere to stampede the party in an unlikely direction. But this scenario is a reminder that ideological conformity within a political party has its limits. To the extent the major Democratic candidates sound like magpies reciting a formula of single-payerminimum-wage-job guaranteestop ICE, some voters may look for a different tune. And if there is a surprise nominee  left, center, or radical center  the horror of a second Trump term will likely keep Democrats in the harness despite their issues with the candidate.Five things to know before applying for a medical marijuana licenseWith any luck, the ABQ BioPark Zoo will host a pack of Mexican gray wolves in the near future, assuming theres wolf chemistry between Kawi and new resident Ryder.

Ryder, a 4-year-old Mexican gray wolf, was transferred earlier this month from the Binder Park Zoo in Michigan to join 4-year-old female Kawi. At the same time, 7-year-old male Apache was moved from the BioPark Zoo to his new home at the Brookfield Zoo near Chicago.

Flint, the last male we sent to Brookfield Zoo back in 2014 was successful at siring pups there, ABQ BioPark Zoo mammal curator Erin Flynn said Thursday.

The Mexican gray wolf is the rarest of all the subspecies of gray wolf, and the transferring of the animals from zoo to zoo is part of the Mexican Gray Wolf Species Survival Plan, intended to ensure their long-term sustainability and genetic diversity.

Its kind of like eHarmony for zoo animals, Flynn said. Kawi has not had any pups yet, and its getting close to breeding season, which is generally in the cooler months from January through April.

Mexican gray wolves, often called lobos, used to roam a territory stretching from central Mexico north into southern Arizona and New Mexico, and southwest Texas. By the mid 1900s, they had been hunted to near extinction, primarily by ranchers protecting their cattle and other livestock from the wolves, who looked to other food sources as their native prey dwindled.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Mexican gray wolf as an endangered species in 1976, and subsequently undertook efforts to save the species from extinction through a wolf recovery and reintroduction program.

In 1998, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, began reintroducing captive-reared Mexican wolves into the wild. The reintroduction area covers New Mexico and Arizona, roughly from Interstate 40 south to the Mexican border. As of 2017, the agency had recorded about 115 Mexican gray wolves surviving in that zone.

As part of that program, Flynn said, healthy pups born at zoos are switched in their dens with pups in the wild, which are located using various tracking devices and radio collars. This increases the genetic diversity and makes sure both populations are going strong, she said. Its a cool application that shows how zoo animals are helping their wild counterparts.

Wolves are inherently resilient animals, Flynn said. They are smart, live in packs that are family groups, and are incredibly social. They survive through cooperation while hunting, warning each other of danger and raising their young. Communication involves body language, vocalizations and marking their territory.

In the wild, packs can contain up to 35 members, depending on resources. They can weigh from 50-80 pounds, measure 5.5 feet from nose to tail and live 5-6 years. In facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, they often live an average of 11 years.

The relocation of Ryder to the BioPark Zoo and Apache to the Brookfield Zoo was aided by LightHawk, a group of volunteer pilots who shuttle the animals on direct flights and in temperature-controlled cabins to minimize stress on the animals.Shahid Shafi, the Fort Worth city councilman and practicing Muslim whose religion has spurred an effort to purge him from a local party post. Photo: Amanda Voisard/Austin American-Statesman via AP

The existence of anti-Muslim prejudice in a party whose leader once proposed stopping Muslims from entering the country isnt especially surprising. But most Republicans have sense enough to pay at least lip service to the First Amendment and to the religious liberty principles they profess when trying to defend the rights of conservative Evangelicals to discriminate against gay people. A noisy intra-Republican dispute down in Texas suggests there are significant exceptions, as the Los Angeles Times explains:

Members of the Tarrant County Republican Party will vote Jan. 10 on whether Shahid Shafi, a 53-year-old trauma surgeon and city councilman in the Fort Worth suburb of Southlake since 2014, should be removed as a vice chairman.

A precinct chairwoman forced the vote after making unproven claims that Shafi, who has served as a delegate to several GOP state conventions, has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and terrorism and wants to impose sharia law. Other precinct chairs have joined in the calls to remove Shafi.

There is zero evidence that Shafi, a Pakistani immigrant and a naturalized citizen, has been anything other than a loyal American, though the ringleader of the effort to oust him, one Dorrie OBrien, claims hes not a true conservative and insufficiently supports Israel, which are apparently litmus tests for Texas Republicans these days. OBrien has made it clear she doesnt think Islam is an actual religion:

This is not a case of religious bigotry, nor a personal attack on one man for his protected religious beliefs. Islam is primarily a political ideology that has advanced historically under its shield of religion.

The breathtaking ignorance of that assertion appears to have embarrassed many Republicans nationally and in Texas, who, all things considered, would prefer that their share of the Muslim vote (once a GOP stronghold) not drop to zero. The putative move against Shafi has now been condemned by Senator Ted Cruz, Land Commissioner George P. Bush, and Texas House Speaker Joe Straus. A recent meeting of the state GOPs executive committee generated a unanimous resolution reaffirming the partys commitment to religious freedom.

So in reporting this saga, are the media seizing on an unrepresentative and minor spasm of bigotry in an obscure place? Not exactly. For one thing, Tarrant County isnt some tiny primitive backwater in Yahooland; population-wise it is third largest county in Texas and the 16th largest in the U.S.

More importantly, this incident reflects bullshit anti-Muslim memes that have been rampant in conservative media and political circles for a long time. The idea that Islam is not a legitimate religion has been promoted by plenty of conservative Christian leaders (including Pat Robertson), by Trump ally Frank Gaffney, and by onetime Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, among others. And the bizarre claim that all Muslims are beavering away in secret to impose Sharia law on poor unsuspecting infidels has been popping up in Republican circles all over, with a major assist from nationally renowned demagogues like Newt Gingrich (who in 2016 proposed that all U.S. Muslims be quizzed about Sharia law and then expelled from the country if their answers werent satisfactory). Its hardly even newsworthy any more:

There have been legislative efforts in 43 states to ban the practice of Islamic religious law, or Shariah law; 24 bills were introduced in 2017 alone, according to the Haas Institute at the University of California, Berkeley. This year, Idaho introduced an anti-Shariah bill, bringing the number of measures introduced since 2010 to at least 217. Of those, 20 have been enacted.

The laws backers seem to see them as necessary stopgaps to protect against their imagined Muslim takeover of America.

Add in Christian nationalist thinking, which is also common among conservatives, and you quickly get to the kind of remark made by one of OBriens supporters in the drive to expel Shafi: Were patriots who dont allow jihadists to play in the fields of the lord.

If the more respectable Republicans dont want to be linked to this sort of anti-American bigotry, they really need to go beyond deploring it and debunk the fraudulent memes behind it, including those beloved by Trumps base. You cant feed hate to people day in and day out and act surprised when they turn hateful.Editors note: Lolita Pena Christobal passed away Dec. 14. This op-ed is written in loving memory of her. The opinions expressed here do not represent the Santa Ana Tribal Council or the All Pueblo Council of Governors.

Ammu Hanu Sicti, Ammu Hanu Sicti, she starts by speaking in Keres. Where the conscious memory begins, We pray for justice, and that these acts of terrorism will remind the world of the violence it took to take this land. My mother, Lolita Pena Christobal, born on Sept. 4, 1922, at Santa Ana Pueblo (Tamaya) and is, at the age of 96, the Pueblos matriarch, is speaking of the atrocities committed by the conquistador Francisco Vasquez de Coronado in the winter of 1540.

On Sept. 10, 2017, the Sandoval County Historical Society honored her as a Pueblo woman who has earned a much-deserved place in the history of the Southwest. Because of the Pueblo elders remarkable accomplishments, the Hanu  the People  have remained strong in identity and spiritual beliefs. Most importantly, the Keres native language continues to be spoken. Today, the 20 indigenous pueblos remain intact to tell their view of this horrific destruction of life. The Tigua nation in El Paso is the 20th member of the All Pueblo Council of Governors.

Spanish archives indicate there were 99 Indian pueblos in New Mexico. Eighty of the pueblos were destroyed and never again repopulated. There was a 90 percent decrease in population within a period of only 20 years. It must be acknowledged, our voices must be heard. The ancient pueblo of Ghufoor is evidenced today by a mound of dirt on Bernalillos westside. The Spanish altered its name to Coofor and later to Santiago. Currently, a housing development is on the site.

In 1980, work crews uncovered charcoal stains along the side of N.M. 528 near Santiago Pueblo. Metal artifacts found provided evidence of lead balls, cross bow arrow tips, steel dagger tips and copper used for body armor.

Conclusions of first contact! Coronados search for the fabled seven cities of Cibola was based on greed for gold, bloodshed and genocide. Demand is made that the state of New Mexico change the name of Coronado Historic Site. The name Coronado will forever symbolize political power and will greet visitors with a message of indigenous human suffering. We must revise the official history recounting Coronados contributions and stress the remarkable resistance of the indigenous peoples of New Mexico.

Today, we continue to live at Tamaya  old village  near present-day Zia Pueblo. When Juan de Onate colonized New Mexico in 1598, the area around Bernalillo was prime farmland and Spanish settlers began forcing our people off their ancestral lands.

A testament to our survival is evident today in an official scenic historical marker at the entrance to Tamaya, which documents only a footnote of history. It is not worthy of our survival. By 1690, Santa Anas population was at 90 survivors, according to Spanish archives.

A papal bull of Pope Alexander VI, the Doctrine of Discovery, granted the West Indies to the Kings of Castille through a form of colonial land policy called the Mercedes, whereby Spain took possession of indigenous lands. In English, the Mercedes are called the Spanish land grants. Whose land was it that Spain was granting so freely to Spanish settlers? It was stolen Indian land!

In 1709, and continuing through the 18th Century, Santa Ana Pueblo (Tamaya) successfully began buying its former lands back. Documents relating to Santa Anas land purchases are in the official records of the Spanish archives of New Mexico. Our ancestors made sacrifices so we might retain what little land we now hold in trust. Now it is our responsibility to carry on that struggle to protect our sacred lands from encroachment by the outside world. It is possible to be proud of our oral histories today. We can honor our ancestors reverence for the sacred land and people.

Oral history has its merit among indigenous peoples since time immemorial, long before any Spanish chroniclers written accounts. We shall endure as Hanu  the People  as the Creator intended for us, in this contemporary time. The Santa Ana Keresan-speaking people include Zia, Cochiti, Kewa  formerly Santo Domingo  San Felipe, Acoma and Laguna pueblos.

Today, we honor our elders. We are deeply indebted for much that is known today, for the elders preserve the oral history of the People. As pueblo people, we must secure our inherent rights to speak the truth, without fear of intimidation and retaliation.

It is time to speak the truth and de-colonize our pueblo minds.After 19 months, special counsel Robert Muellers investigation has charged a number of targets with almost every conceivable sin  except collusion with Russia to throw an election. Yet suspicion of collusion was the reason Mueller was appointed in the first place.

President Trumps former consigliere, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to lying to Congress. But as part of his plea deal, Cohen also confessed to a superfluous charge of a campaign finance violation.

Cohen allegedly negotiated a nondisclosure agreement concerning a supposed past Trump liaison with porn star Stormy Daniels. Yet no one alleges Trump used cash from his 2016 campaign account to buy Daniels silence.

Instead, the accusation is that Cohen and Trump used Trumps own money, but they did not report the payout as a contribution to his campaign. But Trump likely would have paid off Daniels anyway to protect his marriage, family and reputation, regardless of whether he was running for office.

Apparently, Cohen was leveraged by Muellers team to plead guilty to a crime that was likely not a crime. And in circular fashion, his confession was used as proof that the non-crime was actually a crime after all  and thus could serve as yet another way to find something on Trump.

Retired Gen. Michael Flynn, Trumps former national security adviser, pleaded guilty to giving false testimony about a crime that also apparently did not exist.

It was not a crime for Flynn to talk with the Russian ambassador during the presidential transition. Yet the Russian diplomat was being surveilled by American intelligence, perhaps to reverse-target Flynn by getting something on him on tape.

The secret taping was green-lighted by a federal court in the midst of the hysteria created by the Christopher Steele dossier paid for in part by presidential candidate Hillary Clintons campaign. Then, Flynns name was illegally leaked to the press.

The FBI sent two investigators to interview Flynn.apparently on the prompt of acting Attorney General Sally Yates. Yates, who served as the interim attorney general for 10 days, apparently came up with the ludicrous idea that Flynn might have violated the Logan Act. That law is an ossified 219-year-old statute about meeting foreign officials that has resulted in only two indictments over the years.

Next, former FBI Director James Comey broke normal protocol by sending investigators to interrogate Flynn directly without bothering with the usual administration intermediaries. Comeys deputy director, Andrew McCabe, misled Flynn into assuming the interview would be a friendly chat among allies. Flynn was told he would not need a lawyer.

Flynn complied, rightly assuming it was not a crime for a transition administration official to talk with a foreign ambassador. He also likely was not fully aware the FBIs intent was to have him say something that would contradict the FBIs secret transcripts of his talks with the Russian ambassador.

It gets worse. The FBI agents, who presumably had transcripts from Flynns talks with the Russian ambassador to compare to Flynns interview answers, expressed the belief that Flynn did not seem as if he was lying to them. To this day, the only real evidence that Flynn lied is his confession  and apparently the second thoughts of the FBI investigators, who reinterpreted their initial impressions in a much later official report.

Mueller seemingly wanted Flynn to testify about something that might prove the Trump administration colluded with Russia. When that did not work, Flynn was later leveraged to confess to having lied to FBI investigators, who originally thought he had not lied about a crime of talking about foreign policy with a Russian ambassador  an act that in itself was not illegal.

Once Flynn confessed he lied, his legal costs diminished. His son was not indicted by Mueller. He was promised little or no jail time by cooperating with the investigation.

One of Flynns investigators was subsequently fired FBI agent Peter Strzok, who had exchanged texts with his paramour, fellow FBI official Lisa Page, in which they shared their disdain for Trump and their desire to keep him from ascending to the presidency.

Add it all up, and we have reached the point where the Mueller team may be constructing more crimes than it is finding.

E-mail authorvdh@gmail.com. (c) 2018 Tribune Content Agency LLC.There was little doubt in the weeks following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack that an invasion of Afghanistan was the right thing to do. The Taliban regime played host to al-Qaida, the terrorist organization that carried out the attacks, and its leader, Osama bin Laden. It was also known for the torture of many in Afghanistan, its subjection of women, and its destruction of holy and historical sites.

And the war was successful at first. The U.S., along with NATO and Afghan rebel allies, ousted the Taliban in months. It would take almost another decade, but the U.S. also tracked down and killed bin Laden across the border in Pakistan.

But the U.S. and our allies have not been able to kill off the Taliban, which sought refuge in the mountains along the border and received some support from Pakistan, which was supposed to be an ally in the war on terror. And our troops have also had to battle al-Qaida fighters and those loyal to the Islamic State. So put a checkmark by goal No. 1, revenge/justice for 9/11. But the other U.S. goal  nation building a democracy  has hardly been a success.

According to Associated Press reports, 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 it  as responsible.

The U.S. hasnt had a clear exit strategy with achievable benchmarks since the war began. And so President Barack Obama began a drawdown in 2014, reducing U.S. and NATO forces from more than 100,000 to the 14,000 who remain. President Donald Trump intends to reduce that by half in the coming months. And where we are today is not where many hoped we would be back in the early days after the invasion.

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 countrys security is at its worst since 2014, when the initial drawdown took place and security was handed off to the Afghans, with the U.S. and NATO retreating into a training and advising role.

The Taliban again controls roughly half of the country and its leaders are rejoicing Trumps announced withdrawal. A U.S. pullout gives the Taliban one more bargaining chip in peace talks  either continue to hold out and refuse to negotiate until the U.S. is gone, or make additional demands of the weakened government. Momentum seems to be on the Talibans side for what many thought early in the war would be unthinkable  taking back control of the country. And Afghan generals have voiced a concern the news will be demoralizing to security forces. Afghan officials compare a U.S. pullout with the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam.

But what choices does the United States have?

The war in Afghanistan is already the longest war in our nations history, with a cost of nearly $1 trillion and 2,400 lives. And what has it accomplished? Almost 20 years in, shouldnt the fight to keep the Taliban from retaking power ultimately rest with the people of Afghanistan?

And yet, while you cant measure what hasnt happened, it bears pointing out there has not been another 9/11.

So the U.S. can remain in the country as protector against the Taliban and other Islamic extremists for an indefinite amount of time and at a cost of more American lives and money. Or the U.S. can cut its losses and risk the enemy that attacked us taking power in Kabul once again.

Trump is simply continuing what his predecessor started four years ago, based on the same choices Obama had. They were bad then, and they arent good now. And whats still missing almost two decades after the U.S. went in is a plan that makes either choice make sense to the Americans who have sacrificed life and treasure in Afghanistan.

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

Expect blizzard conditions across the Albuquerque area and the Sandia and Manzano mountains today into Saturday as strong to damaging east winds develop, gusting as high as 60 mph.

The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning Thursday afternoon for Albuquerque  possibly the first ever for the city  to be in effect until Saturday morning, with snow accumulations of 4 to 8 inches expected. The heaviest snow is expected on the West Side.

Between 12 and 20 inches of snow was forecast for the Sandia and Manzano mountains.

Forecasters also expect heavy snowfall along and east of the central mountain chain, the Jemez Mountains and Mount Taylor, where up to a foot of snow will be common, and heavier snowfall is likely along the eastern slopes.

Forecasters said winds would gust as high as 60 mph in and near mountain passes, including Tijeras Canyon, through this afternoon.

Travel will be very difficult to impossible, according to forecasters. Areas of blowing snow will significantly reduce visibility, and whiteout conditions are likely.

Jennifer Shoemake, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque, said residents should take this storm and its potential blizzard conditions seriously.

Any amount of snow with winds gusting to 50 and 60 mph will cause whiteout conditions, so folks shouldnt focus on the amount of snow, although we are expecting a significant amount of snow, which will cause very treacherous travel conditions, especially for the morning commute, she said.

Shoemake said forecasters were unable to find a record of a Blizzard Warning ever being issued for Albuquerque. A warning for the Sandia and Manzano mountains was last issued in 2009.

Forecasters recommended that those who must travel have a winter survival kit, and anyone stranded should stay with their vehicle.

Kirtland Air Force Base officials said that only mission-essential personnel were to report today. Emergency services personnel were to contact their duty centers for further instructions. The Eubank and Truman gates will be open.

Rio Rancho officials said municipal offices and facilities will operate on a two-hour delay today and will open to the public at 10 a.m. If conditions continue to worsen, updates will be posted on the citys website, rrnm.gov.

Temperatures will range from around 15 degrees above zero to 15 degrees below zero across most of northern and central New Mexico early today and Saturday.

The lowest temperatures since January 2013 are in store for the Albuquerque area through New Years Day. Record low temperatures are not expected, but readings will dip into the low teens tonight and Saturday night. Parts of the Albuquerque area along the Rio Grande may have temperatures below zero on a few nights, forecasters said.

The latest travel conditions are available atnmroads.com or by calling 511 or 800-432-4269.

Albuquerque officials said Thursday that they were ready for the storm.

About 90 pieces of equipment  50 snowplows and 40 salt spreaders  and 70 employees were be available for storm duty, which includes sweeping, plowing and salting the citys roadways, said Patrick Montoya, director of the citys Municipal Development Department.

We are always prepared in advance, Montoya said. We havent had a major storm since 2006  but we always prepare for a big storm because we want to be ready for the storms.

A storm on Dec. 29, 2006, dumped more than 11 inches of snow at the Albuquerque International Sunport, breaking the citys previous one-day record of 10 inches recorded at that site 47 years earlier. The storm was responsible for closure of Interstate 40 east of Albuquerque and cancellation of 75 flights in and out of the airport.

In addition to the 70 employees available for snow duty today, a 16-man crew will be on standby tonight to monitor the storm and respond to any changing street conditions.

Were not so much worried about being prepared, Montoya said, just worried about the unknown  how severe the storm is going to be. We know that (today) is going to be a very cold day.

About 16,079 cubic yards of salt/cinder and de-icer are ready to go for winter storms this year.

Matthew Whelan, director of the citys Solid Waste Management Department, said that if trash collection is canceled today, trash will be collected Saturday.Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

A state employee has filed a class-action lawsuit alleging New Mexico and a labor union violated his constitutional rights by deducting union fees from his paycheck over his objection, even after a landmark Supreme Court decision.

David McCutcheon, an information technology technician, is asking a federal court to strike down what he describes as an illegal scheme to collect union fees or dues from employees as a condition of employment.

He and his lawyers say hundreds of employees could be covered by the lawsuit and entitled to refunds.

The suit names two union groups  both affiliated with Communications Workers of America  and State Personnel Director Justin Najaka as defendants.

A spokeswoman for CWA said the union hadnt been served with the lawsuit and couldnt comment. The Journal wasnt able to reach a state official for comment.

McCutcheon is asking the U.S. District Court in New Mexico to declare that the defendants practices of forcing (employees) to pay fees to fund union activity of any kind violate the First Amendment and are an illegal conversion of their property.

Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges, the unions contract with the state government severely limits the opportunity for employees to revoke their permission for fee deductions. Employees have only two weeks each year in which to withdraw, a system that should be struck down, the suit says.

The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy group, is providing free legal help to McCutcheon.

Contrary to the wishes of New Mexico union bosses and their allies in state government, First Amendment rights cannot be limited to just a couple of weeks per year, the groups president, Mark Mix, said in a written statement. All civil servants should be able to exercise their rights to free speech and free association by cutting off union payments whenever they choose without interference by union officials.

A decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in late June shook up the legal landscape for union fees.

Union membership cannot be required under federal law. But union fees  up until the Supreme Courts decision  could be required as a condition of employment in unionized workplaces.

The required fees are sometimes called fair share payments. Unions must represent everyone in a collective bargaining unit, so everyone should pay their fair share for basic costs, even if they choose not to be members, supporters say.

But the Supreme Court ruled that government workers who choose not to join unions cannot be required to finance union activity.

Union leaders described the ruling as an attack on the funding mechanism that helps government workers band together for improved pay and working conditions.

In McCutcheons case, the lawsuit says he didnt have to pay union fees when he was assigned to work for the Governors Office. But upon returning to the Department of Information Technology, he was informed that he would have to either pay full union dues or pay nonmember forced fees as a condition of employment.

McCutcheons lawsuit contends he notified the union that he didnt want fees deducted from his paycheck but that the deductions continued over his objection  in violation of his First Amendment right to refrain from subsidizing unions.GUATEMALA CITY  New Mexico authorities say an autopsy performed on the 8-year-old Guatemalan boy who died in U.S. custody shows he had the flu.

The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator said in a statement late Thursday that more tests need to be done before a cause of death can be determined for Felipe Alonzo Gomez.

The father of the boy took his son to the border after hearing rumors that parents and their children would be allowed to migrate to the United States and escape the poverty in their homeland, the boys stepsister told The Associated Press.

Felipe died Monday at a New Mexico hospital after suffering coughing, vomiting and fever, authorities said. It was the second such death this month. Another Guatemalan child, 7-year-old Jakelin Caal, died in U.S. custody on Dec. 8. Both deaths are under investigation.

We heard rumors that they could pass (into the United States). They said they could pass with the children, said Catarina Gomez Lucas, the boys 21-year-old stepsister, explaining why Felipe and his father, Agustin Gomez, made the dangerous journey.

Gomez Lucas would not say who spread the rumors or who transported the father and son to the border from Yalambojoch in Huehuetenango province, a poor community of returnees from Mexico who had fled Guatemala in the bloodiest years of that countrys 1960-96 civil war. The stepsister spoke to the AP on Wednesday by telephone from Yalambojoch.

The boys death came during an ongoing dispute over border security and with the U.S. government partly shut down over President Donald Trumps insistence on funding for a longer border wall.

The Trump administration has long argued smugglers capitalize on vulnerable parents because of loopholes in American law, such as anti-trafficking legislation passed in 2008 that effectively prevents the immediate deportations of Central American children.

After hearing the rumors, Agustin Gomez thought he should take advantage of the opportunity to fulfill his sons dreams. He grabbed a few changes of clothing, bought the boy new shoes and left with what money he had, Gomez Lucas said.

Felipe always wanted a bicycle, and in the U.S. he wouldnt have to endure the poverty and lack of opportunity in Guatemala, she said.

The boys mother, 31-year-old Catarina Alonzo Perez, said she spoke with her son the day before they arrived at the U.S. border.

He wasnt sick on the way; he wasnt sick here, she said through her stepdaughter in the Mayan language known as Chuj.

Both Felipe and Jakelin came from rural communities with extreme poverty. Both were taken to the border by their parents and detained by the U.S. Border Patrol before they fell ill.

It appears Felipe got sick after authorities moved him from El Paso to Alamogordo, N.M., because of crowding.

He was very happy to leave on the voyage, Gomez Lucas said, so the family does not understand what happened.

She said the family stopped hearing from Felipes father on Dec. 18, when he and the boy were detained. On Dec. 25, he called to say the boy had died in a hospital.

He told us that (Felipe) was fine all day, that he was playing with other children. But then he said he felt bad and his stomach ached, the stepsister said.

Felipe told his father he did not know what was wrong with him and that it felt like something was stuck in his throat, Gomez Lucas said.

The father said Felipe asked him not to cry because he was not going to get better, according to the boys stepsister.

Felipe was taken to a hospital and the father said he gave the boy to doctors, who soon informed him his son had died.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the boy displayed signs of illness Monday and was taken with his father to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a cold and a fever, and prescribed amoxicillin and ibuprofen. He was released that afternoon, but returned in the evening with nausea and vomiting, and died there just after midnight, CBP said.

After the two deaths, the government announced that it would conduct additional medical screening for children and consider other changes.

Agustin Gomez was drowning in debt, Gomez Lucas said. He sold a piece of land, but the money was not enough, so he decided to take out a loan and travel to the U.S.

Felipe is survived by five siblings, two from his fathers first marriage, and three from his stepmother and father.

The boy lived with his fathers family in a small wooden house with earthen floors. It lacked basic services. Gomez Lucas said Felipes father earned about $6 a day, which was not enough to support the family.

As with Jakelins family, Felipes relatives now must deal with the death of a child, a debt and their continued worry about the fate of Agustin Gomez.

Oscar Padilla, the Guatemalan consul in Phoenix, confirmed that the father is still detained by the Border Patrol.Working long days and nights during production can take its toll on actors.

It all evens out in the end.

I just got back from two weeks in Argentina, says Arielle Kebbel, who stars as Olivia in NBCs Midnight, Texas. My boyfriend was playing polo down there, and it was a great time.

While in Argentina, Kebbel took time out of her vacation to log in to social media and tweet with Midnight, Texas fans from across the globe.

The series, filmed in Albuquerque, was given the ax from NBC on Dec. 21. According to reports, the series is being shopped around to other networks.

Last week, Kebbel posted on Instagram, You gave us an amazing season 2. Thank you to our incredibly loyal fans and to everyone who supported us along the way. Ill always have a special place in my heart for Olivia. Best cast. Best writers and producers. Best memories. So grateful for this experience. #midnighttexas #oliviacharity.

The supernatural thriller takes a journey into a remote Texas town where being normal is strange and only outsiders fit in.

Its a mysterious safe haven for those who are different, a perfect place for anyone looking to hide from the outside world.

Its home to a vampire, a witch, an angel, a powerful psychic and a hit woman.

Olivia is the hit woman, and over the course of season two, Kebbel was thrown in different directions.

This season has been very different for Olivia, she says. Shes still strong, and shes learning a new kind of strength. Shes being vulnerable, and its scary for her. Thats why she repressed it. Visiting her father and having a young girl as the weretiger and then being married to Lem. Everything is forcing her to revisit the childhood wounds. The beautiful thing is that she actually starts to heal them and is ready to let go of them.

During her time in Albuquerque filming, Kebbel lived on a farm and often went horseback riding.

This place is magical, which is why the show worked, she says. We were often inspired by what we saw and experienced. We became a family, and our bond is strong.

Midnight, Texas returned to Albuquerque to film the second season in June and finished filming in mid-September.

According to the New Mexico Film Office, the production employed about 400 New Mexico crew members, 40 New Mexico actors and about 1,600 New Mexico background talent.

Kebbel also credits the fans for the shows getting the second season. It was nearly a year between seasons, and she hopes the show will be saved by another network.

We have some die-hard fans, and they are the reason we got picked up for the second season, she says. The fans never wavered. They were vocal on Twitter and Instagram. Thats our core support group, and we are here today because of them.

SEND ME YOUR TIPS: If you know of a movie filming in the state, or are curious about one, email film@ABQjournal.com. Follow me on Twitter @agomezART.

On TV

The series finale of Midnight, Texas, airs at 7 tonight on NBC. The series was filmed in Albuquerque and housed at Albuquerque Studios.BEIRUT  Syrias military said Friday it had entered the key Kurdish-held town of Manbij in an apparent deal with the Kurds, who are looking for new allies and protection against a threatened Turkish offensive as U.S. troops prepare to leave Syria.

Turkey and American troops patrolling the town denied there was any change of forces in the contested area, contradicting the Syrians and highlighting the potential for chaos in the wake of last weeks surprise pronouncement by the United States that it was withdrawing its troops.

Since the U.S. announcement, forces have been building up around Manbij and further east, ushering in new alliances and raising the chances for friction. The Kurds invitation to Syrian troops shows theyd rather let Syrias Russian- and Iranian-backed government fill the void left by the Americans, than face the prospect of being overwhelmed by their top rival Turkey.

Meanwhile, a flurry of meetings is expected in the coming days as all sides of the conflict scramble to find ways to replace the departing U.S. troops. They include one Saturday in Moscow, where Russia will host top Turkish officials in a possible sign that the two sides could be working on a deal to avert a Turkish offensive into Syria. Russians officials have said they expect Syrian government troops to replace the U.S. troops when they withdraw.

Turkey considers the U.S.-backed Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, which now controls nearly 30 percent of Syria, a terrorist group linked to an insurgency within its own borders. Kurdish-controlled Manbij has been at the center of rising tension between the U.S. and Turkey.

There were conflicting reports Friday on the location of the Syrian troops, who said they had moved into Manbij and raised the Syrian flag in the town. The Kurdish militia said it has invited the Syrian government to take control of Manbij to protect it against a Turkish invasion.

But a Kurdish official said the government deployment has so far been limited to the front line with Turkey-backed fighters, based north and west Manbij. And U.S. officials in Washington said Syrian regime forces and some Russian forces had moved a bit closer to the city and were largely south or southwest of the city. The officials spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss the troop movements publicly.

The U.S.-led coalition said the announcement that government troops had entered the town was incorrect, and called on everyone to respect the integrity of Manbij and the safety of its citizens.

Russia and Iran, meanwhile, welcomed the Syrian announcement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called it a positive step that could help stabilize the area. Iran hailed it as a major step toward establishing the governments authority over all of Syria. Russia has signaled it expects the Syrian government to deploy where U.S. forces leave.

Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Syrian government move was a psychological act, and the situation in Manbij was uncertain. He spoke as Turkey-allied forces in Syria said they were fortifying their front line positions ahead of the possible military offensive.

But Erdogan also noted that his countrys goal is to oust the Kurdish militia from along his countrys borders. If terror organizations leave, then there is no work left for us anyway, Erdogan told reporters.

In Washington, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who broke with U.S. President Donald Trump on his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, tweeted that reports about the Kurds aligning with Assad were a major disaster in the making. Graham, a leading voice on foreign policy and national security issues in Congress, warned the development would be a nightmare for Turkey and eventually Israel. Graham tweeted that the big winners are Russia, Iran, Assad and Islamic State militants.

National Security Adviser John Bolton is expected in Turkey after the new year.

Fridays announcement by the Syrian military comes as Turkey and allied Syrian fighters have been sending in reinforcement to the front lines and threatening an offensive to dislodge the Kurdish forces. In response, the U.S. first warned against unilateral action and increased patrols and observation points in northeastern Syria.

Then, in a surprise move, Trump announced he was withdrawing troops from eastern Syria. He later said the withdrawal would be coordinated with Turkey.

The decision left U.S. Syrian Kurdish partners in a conundrum. With no backing from the U.S., the Kurdish forces looked to new allies to protect their Kurdish-administered areas. Partners since 2014, the U.S-led forces and the Kurdish group have liberated most of east Syria from Islamic State militants.

Ilham Ahmed, a senior Kurdish official, said an agreement is being worked out between the Russians and the Syrian government. She said the U.S. troops have not yet withdrawn from Manbij, but said Syrian troops would take over once U.S. withdrawal is complete.

The aim is to ward off a Turkish offensive, Ahmed said. If the Turks excuse is the (Kurdish militia), they will leave their posts to the government.

The Syrian government has said it welcomes the Kurdish group returning to areas under its authority. But government officials have stated they will not accept an autonomous area, a main demand for the Kurds.

The Syrian military declaration came shortly after the Kurds invited the government to seize control of Manbij to prevent a Turkish attack.

Pro-state Syrian al-Ikhbariya TV aired footage from inside Manbij of commercial streets on a rainy day, but didnt show any troops. It carried images of a military convoy driving late at night, purportedly to Manbij.

A timetable for the U.S. withdrawal has not yet been made public.

___

Associated Press writers Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow, Zeynep Bilginsoy in Istanbul and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

A widespread outage affecting CenturyLink customers across the country continued for a second day Friday, demonstrating just how dependent people are on internet and cellphone service.

Federal officials and authorities in at least one state said they were launching an investigation into the disruptions, which interrupted emergency service lines in some areas.

Everything is back up today, but CenturyLink failed on a huge scale Thursday, Lisa Adkins, chief operating officer of FatPipe ABQ, which offers co-working space Downtown for individuals and startup companies, said Friday. It seems odd that so much infrastructure went down and theyre still struggling to get it all back up. Its scary, because people dont realize just how interconnected everything is until it all goes away.

CenturyLink throughout the day Friday tweeted messages saying it was working on the issue and had teams working to restore affected services. The company has said that the problem involved a network element, but it has not provided details, nor has it said how many customers have been without service.

By Friday morning, much of the disruption in New Mexico appeared to be over.

In Albuquerque, the outage Thursday also affected Verizon customers because CenturyLink helps handle wireless network data traffic for Verizon. Verizon spokeswoman Jeannine Brew would not say how many customers the company has in New Mexico, but thousands of New Mexicans were unable to call, text or send emails from their phones.

The extensive impact of the outages demonstrates the vulnerabilities of todays dependence on connected networks, said John Mierzwa, CEO of CNM Ingenuity Software Labs, which operates at FatPipe.

It was a real wake-up call, Mierzwa said. Im sure there will be hell to pay in the shakeout from this whole event.

With more people giving up their landlines for cellphones, many in the Albuquerque area were unable to communicate with relatives, co-workers or others. For some, that inconvenience was exacerbated by a winter storm that barreled into the state late Thursday, forcing cancellation of flights at the Albuquerque International Sunport and causing hazardous driving conditions. Something as simple as catching a ride after a canceled or delayed flight proved difficult, because Lyft and Uber were inaccessible to those without cellphone service.

The outages directly affected FatPipes offices, at 200 Broadway NE, because they connect to the internet through CenturyLink, Adkins said.

Everything was down, Adkins said. We couldnt even buzz people into the building because the alarms and doors are connected to the Internet to be able to unlock the entrance remotely. Im also on Verizon, and without the wireless connection, even that wasnt working.

FatPipe couldnt reach any CenturyLink technicians throughout the day, despite repeated attempts.

In todays hyperconnected world, getting suddenly cut off can also be dangerous, said Patricia Knighten, former director for the Economic Development Departments Science and Technology Office.

When the outages started, Knighten and her husband were driving from Denver to Albuquerque. They stopped in Las Vegas, N.M., just as Thursdays winter storm was setting in.

When we got to town, none of the stores had internet, and no ones phone was working, Knighten said. I have AT&T, so I had coverage, but the bottom line is, if you dont have it, its worrisome. People can find themselves in dangerous, emergency situations, and no one has landlines anymore.

Daniel Porter said the many of the electronic devices in his home run on internet service and went dark because of the outage.

Its funny that we have become so technologically advanced that without these services our lives go back to square one without them, said Porter, interviewed at Little Bear Coffee in Albuquerque. Its really apocalyptic to think we could be without these services.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said Friday that the service problems were unacceptable and that the commission began investigating after reports of people getting busy signals when dialing 911. Authorities in Washington state also said they will open an investigation.

The outage affected emergency calling services from Massachusetts to Texas to Washington state. Although 911 service was interrupted in Albuquerque on Thursday morning, it was restored quickly.

When an emergency strikes, its critical that Americans are able to use 911 to reach those who can help, Pai said. The CenturyLink service outage is therefore completely unacceptable, and its breadth and duration are particularly troubling.WASHINGTON  The Trump administration has targeted an Obama-era regulation credited with helping dramatically reduce toxic mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants, saying the benefits to human health and the environment may not be worth the cost of the regulation.

The 2011 Obama administration rule, called the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, led to what electric utilities say was an $18 billion clean-up of mercury and other toxins from the smokestacks of coal-fired power plants.

Overall, environmental groups say, federal and state efforts have cut mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants by 85 percent in roughly the last decade.

Mercury causes brain damage, learning disabilities and other birth defects in children, among other harm. Coal power plants in this country are the largest single manmade source of mercury pollutants, which enters the food chain through fish and other items that people consume.

The proposal Friday from the Environmental Protection Agency challenges the basis for the Obama regulation. It calculates that the crackdown on mercury and other toxins from coal plants produced only a few million dollars a year in measurable health benefits and was not appropriate and necessary  a legal benchmark under the countrys landmark Clean Air Act.

The proposal, which now goes up for public comment before any final administration approval, would leave the current mercury regulation in place.

However, the EPA said it will seek comment during a 60-day public-review period on whether we would be obligated to rescind the Obama-era rule if the agency adopts Fridays finding that the regulation was not appropriate and necessary. Any such change would trigger new rounds in what have already been years of court battles over regulating mercury pollution from coal plants.

This move is the latest by the Trump administration that changes estimates of the costs and payoffs of regulations as part of an overhaul of Obama-era environmental protections.

Its also the administrations latest proposed move on behalf of the U.S. coal industry, which has been struggling in the face of competition from natural gas and other cheaper, cleaner forms of energy. The Trump administration in August proposed an overhaul for another Obama-era regulation that would have prodded electricity providers to get less of their energy from dirtier-burning coal plants.

In a statement, the EPA said Friday the administration was providing regulatory certainty by more accurately estimating the costs and benefits of the Obama administration crackdown on mercury and other toxic emissions from smokestacks.

Hal Quinn, head of the National Mining Association, charged in a statement Friday that the Obama administration had carried out perhaps the largest regulatory accounting fraud perpetrated on American consumers when it calculated that the broad health benefits to Americans would outweigh the cost of equipment upgrades by power providers.

Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware, the top Democrat on the Senates Environment and Public Works Committee, condemned the Trump administrations move.

The EPA has decided to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory after the successful clean-up of toxins from the countrys coal-plant smokestacks, Carper said.

He and other opponents of the move said the Trump administration was playing with numbers, ignoring what Carper said were clear health, environmental and economic benefits to come up with a bottom line that suited the administrations deregulatory aims.

Janet McCabe, a former air-quality official in the Obama administrations EPA, called the proposal part of the quiet dismantling of the regulatory framework for the federal governments environmental protections.

Coming one week into a government shutdown, and in the lull between Christmas and New Year, this low-key announcement shouldnt fool anyone  it is a big deal, with significant implications, McCabe said.The wall is a symbol, not a solution. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

As Americas government shutdown enters its sixth day, the debate in Congress has turned metaphysical. Now, it looks like 420,000 federal workers will have to get by without paychecks until our nations (philistinic excuse for) philosopher kings reach agreement on that age-old, ontological question: What is a wall?

As the New York Times reports:

[T]he impasse over funding a wall at the southwestern border has highlighted the debate over effective border security, with a breakthrough possibly hinging on a semantic argument: What is a wall?

While a final decision has not been made, Ms. Pelosi will most likely seek a swift vote on the legislation the House spurned before funding lapsed: the Senates stopgap spending bill would provide funding through Feb. 8, according to a House Democratic aide familiar with the negotiationsWhether Mr. Trump signs the bill might depend on whether he and Democrats can agree to disagree on what a border barrier is called. Democrats have accepted fencing in the past. Mr. Trump has taken to intermittently calling his barrier a wall or aesthetically pleasing steel slats.

At first blush, this impasse over what divides a wall from a fence might look frivolous. But the semantic controversy is rooted in a substantive one. Simply put, the reason Congress cant agree on what Trumps wall is is that Trump cant (honestly) say what its for.

Of course, the president has offered many dishonest rationales for his signature policy idea. Hes posited the wall as a means of keeping large numbers of Central Americans from seeking asylum in the United States, blocking dangerous narcotics from entering the country, and reducing illegal border crossings.

But building a giant wall across the southern border is not a rational policy solution to any of those (putative) problems. The migrant caravans that Trump loves to demonize dont aim to sneak across unguarded borderlands. Rather, they tend to march (in conspicuously large numbers) right up to heavily guarded ports of entry because they believe they have legal grounds for seeking asylum in the U.S. Reforming domestic and international laws on the rights of asylum seekers  and/or devising some kind of Marshall Plan for the Northern Triangle  would be plausible responses to Trumps stated concerns on caravans. Stacking concrete in the desert is not.

Similarly, illicit drugs typically enter the U.S. through the most heavily guarded segments of the border. As the Drug Enforcement Administration explained in a 2016 report, the most common method for smuggling narcotics into the U.S. involves driving them right through legal ports of entry, camouflaged with legitimate commercial goods. There is no reason to think that a border wall would meaningfully disrupt the North American narcotics trade, let alone stem the tide of opioid overdoses that is the formers most baleful consequence. In fact, some analysts suggest that Mexican cartels relish the prospect of America diverting limited border-security resources toward wall construction (and thus, away from more effective means of monitoring and deterring illegal activity along the border). Cracking down on Chinas exportation of fentanyl  and increasing access to medication-assisted addiction treatment  are plausible responses to Trumps stated concerns on illegal drugs. Aesthetically pleasing steel slats are not.

In truth, a giant wall isnt even a rational means of combating illegal border crossings. The legal and logistical difficulties of building a massive wall across rough, privately owned terrain are immense. Doing so would therefore require exorbitant investment of money and time  and thus, the cooperation of future presidents. For these reasons, among others, even the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS)  one of Americas leading restrictionist organizations and an early backer of Trumps candidacy  would prefer to see the president invest in alternative forms of border security. In its defense of Trumps position in the shutdown fight, CIS stipulates that a border wall is likely not the highest priority fix for border security nor the most effective, before arguing that failure to win on wall funding yet again threatens to seriously demoralize the Trump base.

The mismatch between Trumps official concerns about immigration and what his signature border-security proposal would actually achieve reflects a simple truth: Donald Trump did not propose the construction of a border wall because he wanted to minimize illegal immigration, but rather, because he wanted to establish himself as the most hawkish nativist in the 2016 Republican primary. In that context, the walls impracticality was a feature, not a bug; the proposals sheer idiocy kept mainstream Republican candidates from embracing it  and thus, from capitalizing on its symbolic potency. Trumps wall wasnt a viable means of deterring illegal immigration, and that made it a viable means of differentiating the mogul from his Establishment rivals.

And therein lies the reason that Congress cant agree on what constitutes a wall. Its hard to say what any object is, if you dont have a clear sense of what it is for. A stack of concrete is a wall, if one presumes that its meant to block movement across space; but it is a pedestal, if one presumes its meant to form the basis of a statue. If the unambiguous point of Trumps wall were to deter illegal crossings at stretches of the border that abut major American municipalities (which is to say, in areas where there is a halfway plausible technocratic case for the efficacy of physical barriers), then it would be much easier for Congress to determine whether a given proposal qualified as Trumps wall. Lawmakers could research whether a given border barrier would be likely to meaningfully reduce illegal crossings into San Diego. If so, that barrier would be Trumps wall, if not, itd be something short of that.

But the point of Trumps wall has always been symbolic. The policy was designed to give visceral expression to the far rights xenophobia  and thus, to trigger the libs, flummox the cucks, and authenticate Trumps solidarity with the GOPs perennially betrayed nativist contingent. The wall is meant to serve as a monument to red Americas triumph in one front of the culture wars. As such, the wall can never be realized through a grand, bipartisan bargain.

Earlier this year, Democrats offered to support $25 billion in funding for Trumps wall in exchange for a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers. Ostensibly, this should have been a no-brainer for the president; after all, he officially supported allowing DACA recipients to remain in the U.S. legally. Chuck Schumer was offering total surrender on Trumps signature issue, at the price of a concession that wasnt really a concession. But the president turned him down.

And not without cause. After all, the moment Democrats decide that a given iteration of Trumps wall is neither unacceptable nor demoralizing, it ceases to serve its core function; which is to say, it ceases to be Trumps wall.Attorney General Hector Balderas announced Friday that Wells Fargo will pay the state more than $7 million for alleged unfair and deceptive trade practices.

The settlement comes after Wells Fargo was accused of violating state consumer protection laws.

The banks New Mexico payment will go toward furthering consumer protection and education efforts across the state, according to a press release sent out by the AGs office.

New Mexico wasnt the only state to accuse the banking giant of violations. The bank settled recently for $575 million with all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The bank is accused of opening thousands of unauthorized accounts in New Mexico, enrolling customers into online banking services without their knowledge or consent and improperly charging auto loan customers for force-placed and unnecessary collateral protection insurance.

As the fiscal agent for the state, and a provider of banking services to thousands of New Mexicans, Wells Fargo violated the law and put New Mexicans at risk, Balderas said in the release. It is deeply troubling that a company with this much at stake in our state would mislead New Mexico consumers and allow unlawful profiteering.

Under the agreement announced Friday, the bank will also be required to create teams to review and respond to customer complaints about its banking and sales practices.

The bank has been under a cloud since 2015 when it acknowledged that employees had opened millions of fake bank accounts for customers in order to meet sales goals. It has also said that it sold insurance and other financial products to customers who didnt need them.

Wells Fargo has already been ordered to pay more than $1.2 billion in penalties and faced stricter regulationsFour members of a Carlsbad family have been found safe after they were reported missing during a hunting trip in Lincoln National Forest, State Police said Friday.

New Mexico State Police spokesman Dusty Francisco said the Otero County Sheriffs Office asked for State Police aid in searching for Cutter Rogers and his children, Chuck, 14, Kensie, 12, and Jase, 11, on Thursday.

The four went hunting near Cloudcroft on Christmas Eve and did not return to their hotel at a designated time, after which the sheriffs office was contacted, Francisco said.

State Police search and rescue teams assisted the sheriff and local fire department in searching for Rogers Dodge pickup, which was found in extreme inclement weather just before noon Friday, Francisco said.

The family was located safely in their vehicle off of Sunspot Highway, Francisco said. Its going to take a couple of hours for the family to be brought down from the mountain and they will be evaluated by (emergency medical services).

A GoFundMe campaign created Friday had exceeded its $25,000 goal, intended to pay for helicopter flyovers, supplies and medical expenses, by 12:30 p.m.

Dwight Koehn of the National Weather Service in Albuquerque said temperatures in that area have dropped below freezing the past few nights.

Between 12 to 14 inches of snow were on the ground as of Friday morning, with up to a foot more expected throughout the day and overnight, Koehn said.FARMINGTON  The Navajo Nation Council will consider in a special session starting Friday whether the tribe can petition the U.S. secretary of the interior to review and approve a federal charter of incorporation for the Navajo Transitional Energy Company.

Under the proposal, NTEC would become a for-profit corporation, also known as a Section 17 Corporation, under the Indian Reorganization Act.

NTEC is a tribal enterprise and was created in 2013 to purchase the Navajo Mine near Fruitland.

Besides owning the mine, the company acquired a 7 percent interest in the Four Corners Power Plant this year and is exploring options for the tribes potential purchase of the Navajo Generating Station near Page, Arizona.

This will be the tribal councils second special session this month in Window Rock, Arizona.

The special session will last two days, starting at 9 a.m. Friday and continuing at 10 a.m. Monday.

The five-page proposed agenda includes six pieces of legislation that were tabled by delegates at the special session on Dec. 20.

Among the tabled bills were three requests for supplemental funding from the Unreserved Undesignated Fund Balance.

The first bill requests approximately $4.3 million to construct a multipurpose complex in the Low Mountain Chapter in Arizona. The second request seeks about $2.1 million to build a bridge in Greasewood Springs, Arizona, and the third measure requests $551,667 for the tribes Division of Community Development to construct a senior citizen center in Ganado, Arizona.

Each request was tabled because the council was notified by the Office of the Controller that the available balance for the UUFB was approximately $47,000, according to the Office of the Speaker.

As of today, delegates continued to wait for an update from the controllers office about whether the funds balance has been replenished, according to the Speakers Office. The UUFB is made up of funds that are received in excess of the initial or current revenue projection for the fiscal year and from nonrecurring revenues. The tribe started fiscal year 2019 on Oct. 1.

Other bills on the proposed agenda center on approving expenditure plans for projects across the Navajo Nation and additional supplemental funding requests.

Noel Lyn Smith covers the Navajo Nation for The Daily Times. She can be reached at 505-564-4636 or by email at nsmith@daily-times.com.



2018 The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.)

Visit The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.) at www.daily-times.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.The Rio Metro Regional Transit District is bringing back its program that allows seniors to ride free on the Rail Runner Express every Wednesday.

Anyone age 62 or older with valid photo ID showing the birth date can ride any train at no cost every Wednesday in 2019, officials said in a news release.

This is a great opportunity for residents and visitors to explore New Mexicos outstanding local restaurants, museums and shops, as well as the great outdoors, said a statement by Dewey Cave, executive director of the Mid-Region Council of Governments.

Those taking advantage of the free train ride and planning on making a connection to an ABQ Ride, Santa Fe Trails or Rio Metro bus will need to ask the onboard ticket agent to print out a free bus transfer slip.

This has been such a popular promotion the past few years that weve decided to turn the tradition into a yearlong program, said Terry Doyle, director of the Rio Metro Regional Transit District.

Go to www.riometro.org to learn more about activities near the train stations in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

We welcome suggestions for the daily Bright Spot. Send to newsroom@abqjournal.com.The start-up venture ABQ in a Box now has new owners, who are expanding the business from a seasonal to a year-round operation.

Originally started by University of New Mexico business student Kyle Thordahl a few years ago, ABQ in a Box was a way for Duke City residents to send some of New Mexicos most unique items abroad to friends and family.

The new owners are Albuquerque Tourism & Sightseeing Factory co-founders Jesse Herron and Mike Silva, who met with Thordahl earlier this year and offered to revive the business after Thordahl let it lapse.

The new business launched earlier this month and quickly sold out of holiday edition boxes for Christmas, Herron said.

We interviewed Thordahl for a position a few years ago and on his resume, it said ABQ in a Box was one of his business ventures, Herron said. When it came out, we were fans of it and thought it was so cool  in a sense kind of jealous because we didnt think of it first.

Herron said he and Silva were judges this year in an Anderson School of Management competition at the University of New Mexico, where where they caught up with Thordahl and asked if he would be interested in selling ABQ in a Box.

He approached us several weeks after that, in early May, and we talked about the logistics of the company and essentially took it over, Herron said.

Many of the items the new owners are offering are similar to what Thordahl was selling, Silva said.

What makes this box different is we are using some local businesses that we have a relationship with  that know us, trust us, know our brand, Silva said.

Some of the items featured in the holiday box included local salsa, bizcochitos from Rude Boy Cookies, a New Mexico-shaped cookie cutter, pinon coffee from Sol Rio Coffee and a piece of green chile fudge.

Silva said his mom has lived in Japan for 24 years, but longs for New Mexican cuisine.

So every now and then, I would send her a box with salsa, green chile fudge, red chile blue corn potato chips, you know just a little taste of home, Silva said. After other people found out that we were doing this, they were excited because they didnt have to spend half a day going around town looking for and picking items from God knows how many stores.New Mexicos next governor will celebrate her first day in office with a public swearing-in ceremony, two inaugural balls and performances by a New Mexico-born reality TV star.

Michelle Lujan Grishams Jan. 1 inauguration day calendar begins at 9 a.m. with Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe.

At noon, she and Lt. Gov. Howie Morales get sworn into office at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center. The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 9 a.m. and entertainment starts at 9:30 a.m.

The ceremony will include an appearance by Farmington teenager Chevel Shepherd, who earlier this month won the TV singing competition The Voice. She will perform God Bless America, according to a news release from Lujan Grishams inauguration committee.

We are honored to have Chevel join us to mark this historic occasion after her incredible performance, Lujan Grisham said in a statement. She continues to make New Mexicans proud with her remarkable talent and stewardship in her community.

Shepherd is also scheduled to sing at Lujan Grishams two inaugural balls later in the day. One will take place at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center and feature a lineup that also includes Al Hurricane Jr. and Nos Otros. Tickets are $100 apiece.

A separate ball is set for the Eldorado Hotel, also in Santa Fe. Entertainment includes Judge Bob and the Hung Jury, Suavecito and Soul Kitchen. Individual tickets cost $500 each.

For more information or to buy tickets, go online to www.mlginauguration.comKentucky governor Matt Bevin wants to give public employees a lump of coal in their Christmas stockings. Photo: Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images

This lame duck period between the midterm elections and the beginning of the new year has already featured multiple Republican candidates for the role of Grinch. Kentucky governor Matt Bevin put in his audition yesterday by calling an instant pre-Christmas special session of the state legislature in order to cut public employee pensions. He waited until 4 p.m. local time to issue his call for a session to begin at 8 p.m. Monday, which didnt give some legislators from the Western part of the state time to get there, even if they were waiting by their cars with bags packed.

But the legislature convened, and after Republican leaders managed to achieve a late-night quorum, two bills were introduced by a GOP committee chair that constituted a revised version of a pension reform bill struck down last week by the Kentucky Supreme Court for violating transparency guarantees in the state constitution. This whole saga began last year when at the very end of the regular legislative session, Bevin and his legislative allies suddenly attached the pension bill to sewage-system legislation that was near passage. Teachers (among the public employees affected by the proposed pension changes) soon went on strike in many parts of the state, and won a closely related victory when legislators enacted a budget with education funding increases by overriding a Bevin veto.

The court ruling threatened Bevin and his allies with a complete defeat of his efforts to roll back public employee pension guarantees instead of more adequately funding the system. Had he waited until the regular 2019 legislative session to bring back his pension cuts, he would have needed a supermajority of legislators to enact them. And even though Republicans retained their legislative supermajorities in the November elections, at least one conspicuous pension reform supporter, House GOP leader Jonathan Shell, lost a primary to a teacher opposed to the bill and how it was enacted. So some lawmakers in Bevins own party are nervous about going back to the well again for this unpopular legislation, particularly since the nasty surprise of a pre-Christmas special session is highly reminiscent of the unsavory methods used to enact the bill in the first place.

Legislators arriving in Frankfort were regaled by quickly assembled protesters singing Christmas carols adapted for the occasion:

We wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas, We wish you a merry Christmas, and a happy new year.

We dont want a special session, we dont want a special session, We dont want a special session, so leave here right now!

Its unclear at this point if Bevins gambit will succeed. Even if pension legislation is enacted, it could be watered down by legislators fearing a backlash by teachers, other public employees, and plain citizens tired of the turmoil and reluctant to further damage Kentuckys public schools. Each version of pension reform has gotten a bit less draconian, as Sarah Jones observed last year when the legislature passed the bill the courts just struck down:

Each version has gotten less horrible because theres so much pushback, but its still a bad bill, said Jason Bailey, the executive director of the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy. S.B. 151 doesnt cut cost of living adjustments for retirees, unlike its predecessors. But it does end the current defined benefit plan for teachers hired after January 1, 2019, and moves them into a hybrid cash balance plan that pins benefits to market returns. According to Baileys analysis, that hybrid plan guarantees lower rates of return for teachers, and therefore reduces their lifetime earnings. Teachers also will no longer be able to put accumulated sick days toward retirement.

It also cuts a death benefit given to some state workers, if they were hired after 2014.

It has not been lost on anyone that Bevin will face voters in 2019. His two declared Democratic rivals are front and center in the pension fight: Attorney General Andy Beshear, who brought the suit that culminated in the Supreme Courts action, and House Democratic Leader Rocky Adkins, who is leading the resistance to Bevins measure during this special session. Both Democrats led the incumbent in a recent statewide poll. Bevins approval ratio as of October, according to Morning Consult, was 30/55. Trying to give public employees a lump of coal in their Christmas stockings probably wont help Bevin have a very happy New Year.CHICO, Calif. - There is a chance this weekend to celebrate Kwanzaa and the increasingly diverse community in Chico, with food, fellowship, music and dance performances.

The Amma-Culture organization is hosting 'Chico Honors Africa - A Taste of Kwanzaa' Sunday, Dec. 30, 2018, at the Chico Women's Club, from 2 -5 p.m.

A selection of Afro-Caribbean dances will be part of the celebration, including a Brazilian Samba and many other regional dance styles.

The event, say organizers, is to honor family, tradition, culture and observe the seven principals of Kwanzaa.

Given the Camp Fire and the recent stresses within the community, organizers say the principle of unity is especially important.

Amma-Culture founder, Anecia Johnson says the event is a good opportunity for people to come together in order to connect in a positive environment to support one another.

In addition to dance and music, there will also be a presentation by a local author and discussions of how various cultural groups can work together.

For more information, call (530) 354-7018.SAN QUENTIN, Calif. (AP) - The Latest on the San Quentin walk-away and carjacking (all times local):

10:55 a.m.

California authorities say an escaped San Quentin State Prison inmate suspected in a carjacking walked away from a work assignment outside the prison walls.

Prison spokesman Sgt. Robert Gardea said Thursday officials are still searching for 21-year-old Shalom Mendoza. He was last seen at the prison before 6 p.m. Wednesday and reported missing after 9:30 p.m.

San Rafael police say Mendoza is believed to have carjacked a victim in a nearby Home Depot parking lot after 9 p.m. Authorities believe he fled in a Toyota RAV4 with California license plate number 6STZZ50.

Mendoza arrived at the prison in April to serve a five-year sentence for using a deadly weapon during a Los Angeles County carjacking and evading or attempting to evade police while driving recklessly.

---

This story clarifies that Mendoza left from a work assignment, not a dormitory, based on new information from corrections officials.

---

8:54 a.m.

Authorities in California are searching for an inmate who escaped from San Quentin State Prison overnight and pulled off a carjacking.

San Quentin spokesman Lt. Samuel Robinson says the 21-year-old inmate, Shalom Mendoza, was reported missing at 9:35 p.m. Wednesday during an institutional count.

He says Mendoza is believed to have carjacked a victim shortly after, fleeing in a Toyota RAV4 with California license plate number 6STZZ50.

Robinson says Mendoza was transferred in April to the prison from Los Angeles County to serve a five-year sentence for use of a deadly weapon during a carjacking and evading or attempting to evade a police officer while driving recklessly.Pedestrian Killed on I-5 in Red Bluff

The southbound lane is shut down for a fatal crash investigation, just north of Adobe Road. The CHP says a man was standing in the middle of the lane and was hit by a big-rig at around 3 a.m. on Friday morning.

Manhunt Still Underway for Suspect in Stanislaus Officer's Killing

An intense manhunt is still in full swing for the suspect in the killing of a California police officer. Authorities believe the suspect was living in the country illegally. Investigators have not named him publicly, however, they believe he is hiding out somewhere in or around Stanislaus County. He is accused of shooting and killing officer Ronil Singh with the Newman Police Department, during a traffic stop on Christmas day.

Sheriff's Deputies Searching for Attempted Kidnapping Suspect

Sheriff Deputies in Oroville are searching for an attempted kidnapping suspect. They say a woman in her 40s tried to lure children into her black Toyota Tacoma on Knob Hill Avenue Wednesday. Separately, deputies arrested Jonathan Burg for trying to kidnap a 13-year-old girl on the same day.

Community Raises Concerns Over Proposed Debris Sorting Site in Oroville

The community is raising concern over the former Koppers Inc. Plant in Oroville being used as a Camp Fire debris sorting facility. The Butte County Environmental Council says a 1987 fire released a toxic cloud that led to several cases of pancreatic cancer. Neighbors are worried that using the facility could stir up and spread old toxins into the area. There is no word yet on when an official debris removal site will be announced.

Paradise Irrigation District Launches Drive-Through Service

Paradise Irrigation District is launching a new drive-through service to provide clean water for those living in Camp Fire areas. The limit is one case per day per household. The service is available from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. It will also be open Saturday.

Investigators On Lookout for Camp Fire Scammers on Craigslist

Investigators are looking out for scammers targeting Camp Fire survivors on craigslist. The scammers list fake rental properties and ask for cash down payments or confidential information. Local realtors reccomend driving by a listed house's address to see if there is a for sale sign up.Criteo S.A., the advertising platform for the open internet, released the State of Ad Tech 2019 report, which evaluates how marketers can successfully convert audiences throughout each stage of the purchasing journey. The Criteo-commissioned study conducted by Euromonitor, surveyed marketers across APAC in India, Taiwan, Australia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, and Korea to know how theyre connecting with their customers  and what works the best. The report also highlights the current Ad-Tech Landscape and some of the top trends for 2019.

Key Highlights of Ad-Tech Landscape:

More than 3.5 billion people are connected to the Internet and use it regularly.

On a global level, 40.2% of total ad spend is now going to digital.

By 2022, there will be 2.4 billion internet users in APAC, and 47% of internet users will have two or more connected devices.

APAC marketers will be spending 87% of their total marketing budgets on digital campaigns, to reach the increasing number of internet users.

Top 2019 Ad-tech Trends:

More E-commerce Companies becoming Ad Companies:

In 2019, ecommerce companies would rethink their strategy around brand partnership and product placement, and how these two can work together. With the use of sophisticated technology, it will be possible for ecommerce players to maximise revenue from all visitors on the website, if retailers can show value from impressions.

Transparency, and more Transparency

All the key stakeholders in the ad-tech ecosystem want more transparency. Marketers want to know where their ads are being placed and which ads are working and how much revenue each ad contributes. Publishers want to know how audiences interact with the ads on their websites and how much revenue is really being generated for partners. And finally, consumers want to know how their data is used. With the increasing demand for more transparency in the ecosystem, new solutions, strategies and partnerships will emerge in 2019.

Ads Wont Advertise, Theyll Tell Stories

Direct-to-consumer companies succeed not because of product offering, but through the story. By matching quality product with a unique and shareable story, these companies have carved out a niche in the market. This means creating a full funnel ad experience  through data. Therefore, in 2019, the best ads will not advertise product, but rather entertain, educate, and inspire consumers.Every year, Interbrand, the worlds leading brand consultancy, embraces the power of creative bravery as a force for good. This holiday season, it has partnered with UK non-profit Peace One Day. Interbrand India made 13 creatives, of which four were selected and displayed on the global network.

Peace One Days efforts in 2001 resulted in the United Nations unanimously adopting the first-ever annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence on September 21. This year, Interbrand mobilised creative teams across 17 offices around the world to participate by coming up with creative concepts, activating them through inspiring posters and videos, and taking them to the streets to inspire others.

The Interbrand Mumbai office utilised a powerful play on words, small change, big difference, to show how by taking out a letter or part of a word the entire meaning can be flipped  from something conflict-oriented to something peace-provoking.

Ashish Mishra, MD, Interbrand India, said: Interbrand India is the youngest in the global network, yet the fastest growing. We are proud to have been part of this global cause, and I am proud of the great work the team in India has done.

Borja Borrero, executive creative director, EMEA and LatAm, added: Interbrand Indias growth has been exemplary. India is a very important market and the work the team has done for this initiative is commendable. As a brand, we feel connected with this cause as peace should not be just be celebrated for a day but something we should continuously strive for.Elon Musk, avid computer user. Photo: Paul Harris/Getty Images

When Elon Musk, who was not instrumental in the rescue of 12 children from an underwater cave, accused cave diver Vern Unsworth, who was instrumental in the rescue of said children, of being a pedophile on Twitter, Musks defense boiled down to this: Well, if hes not a pedophile, why doesnt he sue me? Unsworth took him up on that, filing a defamation suit against Musk for $75,000 in California in September.

Now, seeking to dismiss the suit, Musks lawyers made an interesting claim in a court filing yesterday  essentially, everything on Twitter is opinion, not fact, and therefore nothing Musk could write on the platform could be taken seriously. Musks statements were just imaginative attacks; even if offensive, such speculative insults are by their nature opinion and protected by the First Amendment, according to the motion.

The whole motion is a hoot to read, if only for the high dudgeon Musks lawyers affect throughout, casting the CEO of a billion-dollar company as a poor, unwitting victim of a mean British cave diver. Musks lawyers take pains to show that Musk had sacrificed a lot to get his (unused) child submarine ready:

Dozens of engineers, and Musk himself, doubled down on their work, sacrificing their familial obligations and cancelling vacations, so that they could help the cave rescue efforts.

Furthermore, in that common schoolyard refrain, it was Unsworth who started all:

Yet, Plaintiff Vernon Unsworth decided to gratuitously attack them and insult their contributions. Unsworth appeared on CNN and, for reasons unknown, decided to pick a fight with Musk in spectacularly public fashion.

Musk, left with no other recourse, turned to the only option available to him: Twitter:

Shocked by Unsworths indefensible and baseless attacks, Musk answered to defend himself and the efforts of SpaceX, Tesla, and the Boring Company employees who had given up their days and nights to help find a solution. Musk took to Twitter  a social networking website infamous for invective and hyperbole  to respond. [] Referencing Thailands documented reputation, Musk said that Unsworth was sus for being aBritish expat guy who lives in Thailand. Later, referring back to these suspicions, Musk dubbed Unsworth pedo guy.

So Musk was essentially forced to call Unsworth a pedophile in order to defend the honor of himself and all his employees. I am sure all the engineers who worked on the project were thankful for their bosss support.

The real heart of Musks defense, and the reason why his legal team is asking for the dismissal of the case, is Musk could only have defamed Unsworth if he somehow possesed actual knowledge that Unsworth was, indeed, a pedophile:

Here, the reasonable reader would not have believed that Muskwithout having ever met Unsworth, in the midst of a schoolyard spat on social media, and from 8,000 miles afar  was conveying that he was in possession of private knowledge that Unsworth was sexually attracted to children or engaged in sex acts with children.

Which makes it even stranger that the motion then mentions that Musk actually did just that in an email to a BuzzFeed reporter:

Musk did not respond publicly. Instead, he sent an [o]ff the record email responding to BuzzFeeds inquiry and chewing out the journalist. As part of his insults, Musk included a hyperlink to a Google search of Chiang Rai child trafficking. Musk theorized that Chiang Rai isnt where you go for caves, its where you go for something else. Culminating this long wind up, Musk caricatured Unsworth as having a child bride who was about 12 years old. Musk closed by answering Unsworths lawyers threat: I hope he fucking sues me.

Now, to be fair, this was in an email that Musk said was off the record, but which BuzzFeed never agreed to keep off the record, and they subsequently published Musks email. And the email does sound like the words of a man who believed he was in possession of private knowledge that Unsworth was sexually attracted to children.

Again, as far as legal motions go, its a pretty fun read. Musks team also trots out that Musk used colloquialisms like no problemo, swore, and his tweets had typos, all of which meant that his tweets claiming Unsworth was a pedophile could not be defamatory.

By that logic, if I were to tweet, say, Elon Mush, a man known to hunt people for sport, is an unmedicated goddamn psycho in the midst of a slow-motion breakdown who most recently bawled like a baby on 60 Minutes after the SEC said no can do to him being extremely online all the time, that would be fair game. Because, after all, I used colloquialisms, cursed, made some typos, and its all just Twitter, so nothing means anything.Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier?

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Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page.CAIRO  Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohammad Abdel Ati announced a state of emergency Dec. 7 after a storm surge flooded the coastline in the governorate of Kafr El Sheikh.

The incident alarmed the state, which worried that climate change is contributing to rising sea levels and eroding Egypt's coasts.

In a Dec. 11 media statement, the head of the Egyptian Public Authority for Shore Protection, Mahmoud Saadi, said the authority has started implementing three projects to protect the coasts of Kafr El Sheikh, starting with the protection of the Kitchener Drain and the coastal area north of the fish farm in Berket Ghalyoun as a first step. This is in addition to coastline protection, including beach nourishment in the Shark al-Rous area, to the east of the basin. The Kitchener Drain, also known as the Gharbia Drain, passes through Gharbia, Kafr El Sheikh and Dakhalia governorates, with the majority of it in Gharbia.

Saadi said the authority is making great efforts to build new breakwaters in a bid to keep waves that have exceeded 5.5 meters (18 feet) at bay as well as to replenish beach sand and prevent the sea from further eroding the coast.

The cost of the three projects, aimed at protecting the northern coast of the governorate and stretching over 28 kilometers (17 miles), is 250 million Egyptian pounds (about $14 million), according to a Dec. 11 statement from Kafr El Sheikh governorate.

Kafr El Sheikh Gov. Ismail Abdel Hamid told Al-Monitor that the governorate has managed to protect several towns from further flood damage following the storm surge.

The beaches of the Baltim resort and other towns were nourished with sand.

He added that the governorate has been preparing every year for such incidents, given that Kafr El Sheikhs coastal areas are threatened with inundation as a result of climate change. He said towns along the coastline were not built much above sea level and therefore are threatened with flooding.

The governor also said Kafr El Sheikh is an agricultural governorate and that the sea water in the recent flooding made its way into the Abu Dukhan canal, which feeds agricultural lands in the area.

Engineer Mahmoud al-Saadi told Al-Monitor that the authority went on full alert following the Kafr El Sheikh inundation and announced a state of emergency for all the nations coasts, mainly for the delta beaches that are more prone to erosion due to violent thunderstorms.

He said the authority has set up a central operations room in its headquarters, operating 24 hours to monitor any storm surge and to follow up on coastal protection work through communication with all its departments.

Saadi said this time of year is critical, as thunderstorms and strong tides cause sea level surges and flood coastal areas.

He said the authority is implementing several projects in three governorates, including Damietta, Alexandria and Kafr El Sheikh, to protect shores from erosion, at a total cost of 1.8 billion pounds ($100.8 million).

Mohamed Suleiman, former director of the Coastal Research Institute (CORI), told Al-Monitor the Nile Delta is the most threatened delta in the world, as it is so low-lying and is gradually sinking.

He said the coast of the Nile Delta is sinking at a rate of 1 to 3 millimeters (0.04 to 0.12 inches) per year, which does not seem alarming. But he said that the Mediterranean Sea level is also rising by 2 millimeters (0.08 inches) a year and that this is what makes things worse in the delta. He said sea level is expected to rise by 50 centimeters (20 inches) over the next 50 to 100 years, which will inundate many areas along the coast.

Suleiman said climate change is evident in the increase of weather events involving high winds and major storms, which used to occur every 20 years on average. He said that after such events occurred only a couple of years apart, in 2013 and 2015, "The month of January 2018 saw two major storms, which threaten the Egyptian coasts.

He said many risks resulting from sea level rise are economic, as much arable land will become salinized in the affected governorates. He said it is unlikely that residents in the coastal governorates will be displaced at this time because the sea has not risen to a threatening level of complete inundation.

Suleiman also said methods of protection vary from one case to another, noting that beach said nourishment is the most practiced method in Egypt, followed by submerged or high breakwaters depending on the area. He said the areas that are most threatened with sinking are ones adjacent to lakes, including ones in the delta, because of human encroachments on them.

He called upon the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources to preserve the wall of Mohammed Ali, located in the Abu Qir Bay, as it protects the southern part of the area as well as Lake Mariout. He said the wall was the first means of beach protection used in Egypt.

Of note, the Egyptian government accepted a $31.5 million grant from the Green Climate Fund on Oct. 2 to protect the areas that are most affected by climate change. This is the biggest grant Egypt has ever received for environmental projects.

The Water Research Center of the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources held a meeting for the projects Steering Committee on Dec. 17. The project was implemented in the five most affected governorates, Port Said, Damietta, Dakahlia, Kafr El Sheikh and Beheira.CAIRO  Despite a warning from the EU that Egypt shouldn't help Syria get readmitted to the Arab League, the top security chiefs from both countries met for rare talks two days later in Cairo.

Syria's news agency, SANA, reported that the head of the Syrian National Security Bureau, Maj. Gen. Ali Mamlouk, visited Cairo Dec. 22 at the invitation of Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel. The men met to discuss common political and security concerns. Mamlouk apparently hadn't visited Cairo on state business since October 2016.

This recent meeting came just two days after the EU urged Egypt not to play any role that would bring Syria back to the Arab League. The warning came in the EU's position statement for the EU-Egypt Association Council in Brussels.

In consideration of Cairo's active role within the [Arab League], the EU seizes the opportunity to reiterate that now is neither the time to normalize relations with Syria, nor to reintegrate Syria into international bodies," the statement read.

A well-informed source at the Egyptian Foreign Ministry told Al-Monitor in an interview that the statement was perplexing.

The source, who preferred anonymity given the sensitivity of this issue and its Arab and international ramifications, said Egypt's vision of Syria's reintegration into the league is mainly based on Syria's return to the Arab ranks. This would only be achieved when a political solution is reached to the Syrian crisis, the [armed] conflict is ended and the will of the Syrian people is achieved. Syria is an Arab state and a major part of the Arab system.

This is the same vision announced by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in an October TV interview with RT (Russia Today) Arabic. Shoukry said Cairo hopes Syria will return to the Arab League when a peaceful political course that meets the aspirations of the Syrians is reached.

The Executive Committee of the Arab Parliament also called during its Dec. 14 meeting in Cairo for the Arab League to work on reintegrating Syria. The Arab League established the Arab Parliament in 2005. League member-states are represented in the Arab Parliament by four members of their individual parliaments. The Arab Parliaments permanent headquarters had been in the Syrian capital of Damascus but was moved to Cairo in December 2011. Without Syria, the parliament has 84 members rather than the original number of 88.

Syria's membership has been frozen since 2011 for its continued brutality against citizens demonstrating peacefully in favor of democracy. At that time, Yemen and Lebanon voted against suspending Syria, and Iraq abstained, but 18 countries voted in favor of the decision. The judgment also precluded Syrian delegations from participating in meetings of any Arab League organizations or bodies until Damascus ends the violence and protects civilians.

Saad al-Gammal, deputy speaker of the Arab Parliament and head of the Egyptian parliament's Arab Affairs Committee, told Al-Monitor, Egypt is very keen on bringing Syria back to the Arab League and will spare no effort to achieve this." He also said Egypt is working to reach a peaceful solution to the Syrian conflict.

Gammal, who chaired the Arab Parliament Executive Committee meeting Dec. 14, said, Syria's return to the Arab League is only a matter of time. It's obvious that it should fill its seat again.

Egypt isn't alone in demonstrating its support. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir touched down in Syria Dec. 16, in the first visit there by an Arab leader since the Syrian crisis began. Bashir's assistant, Faisal Hassan Ibrahim, said in Dec. 18 press statements that the visit was part of the president's initiative to unite the Arab ranks.

Also, the United Arab Emirates  which once supported the regime's opponents  reopened its embassy in Damascus Dec. 27.

Cairo has tried to play a role in calming the situation in Syria. More than once it has hosted delegations from the Syrian opposition. On July 30, Egypt persuaded some opposition factions in northern and eastern Syria to sign a truce agreement with Syrian President Bashar al-Assads regime, which at that time seemed to pave the way for a comprehensive political settlement.

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Tarek Fahmy, a political science professor at American University in Cairo, said, There are data indicating that the Syrian regime is greatly recovering. A number of Arab countries are opening up to Damascus, including Sudan, Jordan and even Iraq. Add to this Egypts continuous emphasis on the need for stability and the territorial integrity of Syria.

He argued, however, that other countries such as Iran could try to impede Syria's return to the Arab League. Tehran has been assuming a prominent role in Syria since the crisis broke out," he said. "Damascus comeback to the Arab arena or the Arab League could require from Syria a greater rapprochement with [Iran foe] Saudi Arabia. Syria could also be forced to adopt the Arab agenda, rejecting any role assumed by Iran in some Arab countries.

Commenting on Egypts efforts to reintegrate Syria into the Arab ranks, Fahmy said, Egypt is entitled to do so based on its keenness and constant emphasis on the unity of the Syrian territories and the need to end the crisis peacefully. Syria's return to the Arab League is a gain for Arab relations and has significant symbolic implications.

Fahmy expressed reservation about the EU warning Egypt not to assume any implicit role in bringing Syria back to the league. This is unacceptable interference in Egyptian affairs, he said. Cairo has full freedom to manage its foreign policy [without interference from] any foreign pressure by any country.Do not welcome this man to the #resistance. Photo: Anna Webber/Getty Images for The New Yorker

Donald Trumps rise fundamentally changed how Max Boot sees the world.

Before the moguls election, Boot was the kind of right-wing apparatchik who decried Brown v. Board of Education as an attack on the Constitution, and derided all dissent from neoconservative foreign policy as mindless isolationism. Today, Boot is the kind of very serious thinker who says that the conservative movement was wrong to oppose civil rights  and derides all dissent from neoconservative foreign policy as mindless isolationism.

The #NeverTrump apostate performs that latter task in a Washington Post column titled The Democrats need a new foreign policy  one that doesnt sound like Trumpism of the left. In said piece, Boot observes that Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders oppose some aspects of U.S. foreign policy that Donald Trump once pretended to oppose  and concludes that this means the far-lefts geopolitical vision is largely indistinguishable from the presidents.

Boots Exhibit A: Elizabeth Warren claims that Americas trade policies have advanced the interests of monied elites while hurting the working class  while many of Americas foreign policies have squandered precious resources on misbegotten wars that destabilized the Middle East:

President Trump has launched trade wars and undermined our allies while kowtowing to tyrants. And the Democrats? They dont have much of a foreign policy, and when the partys progressives propound one, the results sound like Trumpism of the left.

Here, for example, is Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) writing in Foreign Affairs: While international economic policies and trade deals have worked gloriously well for elites around the world, they have left working people discouraged and disaffected. Efforts to promote the United States own security have soaked up huge resources and destabilized entire regions, and meanwhile, U.S. technological dominance has quietly eroded  To fight back, we need to pursue international economic policies that benefit all Americans, not merely an elite few.

How is this different from what Trump says? The progressive wing of the Democratic Party is as ready to abandon free trade as the Trumpified GOP  and as willing to criticize money spent for nation-building abroad as a giveaway to foreigners that would better be directed toward domestic needs.

Boot never engages with the substance of Warrens claims. He does not produce evidence demonstrating that the major trade agreements of the past three decades prioritized the interests of all Americans above those of economic elites. He does not explain why Warren is wrong to believe that, under a different policy regime, globalization could work better for ordinary Americans. Instead, he simply asserts that the status-quo rules governing global commerce are synonymous with free trade  and thus, that anyone who criticizes those rules is a mindless protectionist, and thus, is just like Trump. Ironically, in its demagogic dishonesty, Boots argument is itself rather Trumpian!

In the very essay Boot cites, Warren makes her support for globalized trade quite clear; in fact, one of her critiques of Trumps renegotiation of NAFTA is that it is too protective of Americas pharmaceutical industry. By expanding patent protections for U.S. drugmakers both the new NAFTA and (the dearly departed) Trans-Pacific Partnership actually restricted free trade in prescription medicines. In many cases, modern free-trade agreements are less about freeing trade than legislating how the gains of trade will be distributed, and what legal rights investors, consumers, and workers will enjoy in the global economy (for example, the debate over TPP was, in part, a debate over whether investors should have the right to sue countries that implement regulations they dont like in a global super-court run by corporate lawyers). By conjuring a fictional choice between free trade and protectionism, centrist pundits like Boot suppress debate over what Americas priorities in trade negotiations should be.

Dont believe me? Here is how Warren summarizes her vision for trade in the essay that Boot cites:

Donald Trump campaigned against [a] rigged system. But after two years in office, it is clear that his economic policies are beyond inept; they are deliberately rigged in favor of his family and his wealthy friends. His renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement raises drug prices for consumers while doing little to stem the flow of good jobs going to other countries. His tariffs have hit farming communities hard and driven trading partners into the arms of U.S. competitors 

To make sure that globalization benefits middle-class Americans, trade negotiations should be used to curtail the power of multinational monopolies and crack down on tax havens. Workers should be meaningfully represented at the negotiating table, and the resulting agreements should be used to raise and enforce labor standards. Washington should also work with like-minded allies to hold countries that cheat to account.

Boots appraisal of progressive foreign-policy thinking is no more honest or incisive. After insinuating that Warren wishes to cut aid to foreigners (rather than to cut spending on Pentagon pork and preemptive wars), Boot complains that Warren fails to explain how she can stand up to authoritarian regimes such as China and Russia while cutting defense spending.

But this is flatly untrue. In her essay, Warren observes that the U.S. is spending more in real dollars on its annual military budget today than it did under Ronald Reagan. She then suggests that this excessive military spending is coming at the expense of investment in effective diplomacy and cybersecurity:

Some challenges, such as cyberattacks and nuclear proliferation, require much more than a strong military to combat. And other dangers, such as climate change and the spread of infectious diseases, cannot be solved through military action at all. The United States will spend more than $700 billion on defense in the 201819 fiscal year alone. That is more in real terms than was spent under President Ronald Reagan during the Cold War and more than all the rest of the countrys discretionary budget put together. But even as Washington spends more and more, U.S. military leaders point out that funding a muscular military without robust diplomacy, economic statecraft, support for civil society, and development assistance only hamstrings American national power and undercuts any military gains.

Boot never explains why the U.S. needs a $700 billion military budget to effectively stand up to authoritarian regimes. And it is not clear why the burden of proof on that score should rest with the politician arguing that this historically large budget can be pared back some  especially when one remembers that the Pentagon recently copped to losing track of $800 million.

Among Boots other arguments against Trumpism of the left: People who criticize Americas regime-change wars in the Middle East are irresponsible because ungoverned areas breed terrorism and crime. As he writes:

Far too often, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said at Westminster College in September, American intervention and the use of American military power has produced unintended consequences which have caused incalculable harm. Trump, too, wants to scale back foreign interventions. He is pulling out of Syria and drawing down in Afghanistan. Neither Democrats nor Republicans will make a principled argument for nation-building conducted by small numbers of soldiers, diplomats and aid workers: namely, that it is far cheaper to help foreign governments control their own territory than to deal with the terrorism, crime and disease that flourish in ungoverned areas.

One can coherently argue that progressives are unduly blithe about the consequences of abruptly withdrawing U.S. troops from misbegotten interventions. But one cant coherently argue that anyone who says, American military power has produced unintended consequences is foolish because failed states are dangerous. (The dangers inherent to failed states are precisely why American intervention has produced incalculable harm in the Middle East.)

Finally, Boot suggests that, if it is wrong for Donald Trump to blame Robert Mueller for Americas bad relations with Russia, then surely it is also wrong for Bernie Sanders to say that Americas decision to overthrow Irans democracy  and install a brutal dictator  played some role in empowering anti-American forces in that country.

Like Trump, who blames bad relations with Russia on former president Barack Obama and special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, the progressives sound as though many of the worlds problems are made in America  rather than in Moscow, Tehran or Beijing. Sanders even included in his Westminster speech a long list of U.S. misdeeds, such as the overthrow of the shah of Iran and of Salvador Allende in Chile.

Again, Boot never bothers to explain why it is wrong to believe that the overthrow of Mohammad Mosaddeghs government contributed to the worlds current problems, nor why it was wrong for Sanders to acknowledge U.S. misdeeds in a speech on U.S. foreign policy. Instead, he presents the fact that Sanderss claim shares a syntactical structure with something Donald Trump once said as dispositive evidence that the formers foreign policy is unserious, if not malevolent.

In sum, Max Boot deploys bald-faced misrepresentations of his opponents arguments, empty slogans with no concrete meaning, and appeals to American chauvinism to stigmatize all dissent from his own ill-considered intuitions.

The foreign-policy Establishment needs better public intellectuals  ones whose worldview doesnt sound like Trumpism of the center.The contested town of Manbij in northern Syria has become the latest flashpoint in the seven-year conflict, as its main stakeholders rush to fill the vacuum left by the announced US withdrawal. Bashar al-Assads forces claimed to have moved into the mainly Arab town on Friday at the invitation of US-backed, Kurdish-led forces worried about an imminent Turkish invasion.

But a spokesman for the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS) today dismissed as incorrect information the claim that the Syrian army had entered the city for the first time in six years. Instead, coalition sources tell Al-Monitor that regime forces were in Arima, just west of Manbij, and that they had merely increased their presence there.

Why it matters: The Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) wrested Manbij from IS control with coalition backing in August 2016. The United States promised Turkey that the YPG would move out as soon as the town was fully stabilized. But the Kurds have remained effectively in charge, wielding influence through YPG-friendly local administrative and military councils. This betrayal, as Ankara saw things, was among the main triggers for Turkeys own incursion into northern Syria shortly after and has poisoned US-Turkish ties.

Turkey has since repeatedly threatened to attack Manbij, which lies west of the Euphrates River. With President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw US forces from Syria, the Kurds fear that Turkey will make good on its threats to wade in.

Kurdish fears of a Turkish incursion may be overwrought. But well-informed sources told Al-Monitor that national security adviser John Bolton is not averse to a broader Turkish role in Syria to counter Iran and Russia. Turkeys main goal, however, is to torpedo the YPGs efforts to achieve greater autonomy under a new constitution.

Between a rock and a hard place: With US protection evaporating, the YPG has intensified talks with the regime, which it sees as a lesser evil than Turkey. Locals in Manbij are also opposed to a Turkish incursion, mainly because they fear a return of Turkish-allied Syrian Arab rebels whose short reign before IS took over was marked by violence, looting and instability.

Well-informed sources told Al-Monitor that the reason regime forces have not moved into Manbij proper is because the YPG objects to the armys insistence on raising the Syrian flag over government buildings. The claim could not be independently verified.

Whats next: The critical question is how the United States will react to Syrian army advances into areas where US special forces are present. The Assad regime is continuing to build up its forces around Manbij. And there are reports that it is transporting more troops and weapons to Qamishli airport, which remains under central government control. The question will be moot once all US forces are gone.

As for Turkey, its possible it wont mind the regime moving back in. After all, Damascus largely shares Ankaras aversion to Kurdish autonomy.

Know more: Read our piece from May on the long history of US-Turkish misunderstandings over Syria.

- Amberin ZamanJust one week after American officials reportedly met with a Taliban delegation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Secretary of Irans Supreme National Security Council Adm. Ali Shamkhani confirmed for the first time that Iran has also held talks with the Taliban. Shamkhani made the comments during a Dec. 26 visit to Kabul to meet with Afghan officials, including President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and national security adviser Hamdullah Mohib, to discuss regional and bilateral security issues.

According to Shamkhani, the purpose of the talks between Iran and the Taliban were conducted in order to solve security problems and the entirety of the talks with the Taliban were held with the knowledge of the Afghan government. He said the process of the talks would continue.

Stories of Iran-Taliban relations have circulated in recent years and are filled with accusations and mostly denials. The United States has previously accused Iran of having relations with and even funding the Taliban. In 2016, when a US drone strike killed Taliban leader Mullah Mansoor near the Iranian border, there were reports that he was returning from Iran. In May, Irans Ambassador to Afghanistan Mohammad Reza Bahrami confirmed that Iran had contacts with the Taliban but denied having relations, saying, We did not turn these contacts into relations because we did not want to legitimize the Taliban.

There could be many reasons for Shamkhanis confirmation. Iranian analyst Pir Mohammad Molazehi told Donya-e Eqtesad daily that the reported meeting between the Taliban and US officials on Dec. 17 in Abu Dhabi likely sparked this confirmation by Shamkhani. Representatives from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the UAE were present at the meeting, which was preceded by US Special Envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad holding talks with a Taliban delegation in Qatar.

Molazehi believes that if Iran, and even Russia, are kept out of talks with the Taliban, then more radical elements within the Taliban would take the lead on talks, which would conflict with Irans interests. He said Shamkhanis confirmation about talks with the Taliban shows Irans intentions to not be eliminated from the talks and also served as a reminder to all those involved in the negotiations of Irans role in the region.

Shamkhanis comments about talks with the Taliban could also be related to Irans fight against the Islamic State (IS) and concerns about their presence in Afghanistan. During his meetings with Afghan officials, Shamkhani warned against the possibility of IS fighters moving into Afghanistan. The enemies of regional peace and security, in an organized action, are pursuing instability in shared borders, meaning transferring Daesh [IS] to Afghanistan and spreading takfiri terrorism in this country, [inflaming war], bloodletting and insecurity in this region once again, Shamkhani said. He warned that neglecting the threat of IS could lead to a repeat of what happened in Iraq and Syria.

Kayhan newspaper, whose editor is appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameneis office, chose as its headline, Shamkhanis warning about transferring Daesh elements to Afghanistan. Javan Newspaper, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, chose as its headline, Talks with the Taliban, Confrontation with Daesh.

One of the methods Iran plans to use in its fight against IS is through the Regional Security Dialogue, which it hosted in September with the presence of the national security advisers of Iran, Afghanistan, India, Russia and China. Regarding this conference, which will be held next in Afghanistan, Shamkhani said, Creating mechanisms based on continuous talks and active participation regional countries, in security processes, can ensure stability and durability for the people of the region.

Shamkani also addressed the US presence in Afghanistan during a meeting with former President Hamid Karzai. America has never had good intentions for the people of Afghanistan, and the military presence of this country in Afghanistan will end in nothing but an increase in insecurity and instability, he said. In addition to the talks held with the Taliban, some believe that US President Donald Trump plans to leave Afghanistan sooner than 2020.

Whether Irans confirmation of talks with the Taliban is due to the recent US-Taliban meeting or the belief that the United States is on its way out sooner rather than later, I ranian media was quick to both highlight Shamkhanis comments about talks with the Taliban and also frame it as being in line with combatting IS. Former Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab Affairs and current adviser to the speaker of parliament Hossein Amir-Abdollahian summed it all up in a tweet, During the same moment that Adm. Shamkhani  with advanced warning  traveled to Afghanistan, which is full of danger, Trump traveled secretly to a not dangerous Baghdad. This is the reality of Iran and America.Pundits and election experts in Israel have already agreed that the elections scheduled for April 9 will focus on a single issue: the fate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His supporters will argue that Israeli law allows a prime minister to continue serving while under indictment, until a court finds him guilty. This is unlike all other ministers, who according to legal precedent must resign once indicted and subject to a hearing. Netanyahu's opponents will claim that it makes no sense to have someone continue to serve as prime minister when he is suspected of bribery, and his every effort will focus on saving his skin.

I am not trying to belittle the situation. It seems obvious that once Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, who is considered a Netanyahu supporter, decided to indict the prime minister for serious crimes, it made no sense that he would remain in office. That cannot, however, be the only issue in the upcoming election campaign. Before new elections are held, and before the parties realign themselves in a new coalition and opposition, with each then expected to vote accordingly, several other major issues must be debated and discussed. These issues lie at the heart of public debate in Israel.

Partition of the land

To partition or not to partition is the issue that divides Israelis the most. It serves as the basis of our political identities and has done so for the past 52 years. What makes the situation different today, however, is the urgency of a decision given the numerical parity of Jews and Arabs west of the Jordan River. According to the defense establishment, the two competing populations each consist of 6.5 million people.

The 21st Knesset will be forced to decide between two rival worldviews. The first contends that the goals of Zionism can only be fulfilled in a sovereign state with a Jewish majority and a minority that enjoys full and equal rights. The second contends that it is possible to maintain Israel as a Jewish and democratic state with a Jewish minority ruling over an Arab majority deprived of political rights.

The first approach was a key characteristic of Zionism as espoused by Theodor Herzl and his successors. The second is the messianic approach. Although it is advocated by a minority of the population, its supporters have managed to take control of the Likud, a party that once prided itself on its pragmatism. Under Prime Minister Menachem Begin, the Likud withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula. Under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, it withdrew from Gaza. Under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Likud withdrew from Hebron and agreed to retreat from 13% of the West Bank.

Netanyahu, like his predecessors, once supported a two-state solution. Now, however, he has become a subcontractor for the national-religious HaBayit HaYehudi. He opposes any arrangement with the Palestinians and ignores international law and national institutions in his efforts to expand the settlements and ultimately advance annexation of the West Bank.

These two worldviews  the establishment of a border between Israelis and Palestinians versus annexation  should lie at the center of the upcoming election campaign. Opponents of annexation must promise that within a specified time frame, they will partition the land, with or without an agreement with the Palestinians. Only this will put an end to the delusion that a Jewish minority can dominate an Arab majority. Only this will ensure that Israel remains a Jewish and a democratic state for many years to come.

Not liberal democracy

Under Israel's current coalition, Netanyahu has embraced the political formula adopted by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Characteristic of comments made by the prime minister and by his ministers is the idea that it is possible to assault minority rights, freedom of expression, freedom of creativity and international law while remaining a democracy in which the government can be replaced by majority vote.

For Netanyahu and his associates, the gatekeepers of democracy have become an obstacle to governing. Thus he and his cohorts are replacing liberal jurists with ideologically conservative and religious, traditionalist judges. Similarly, they are seeking to appoint legal counsel to the government based on loyalty to the ministers themselves rather than criteria established by a professional committee.

They have no problem coming to some arrangement over the fate of privately owned Palestinian lands occupied by settlers, because the settlers acted in good faith, meaning that there is no need to return the land to its owners. This, in fact, is the essence of the recently adopted Regularization Law.

Challenging the not liberal democracy approach is the position that there can be no democracy without an underlying liberal worldview. A democracy based entirely on voting, without consideration of minority or human rights, makes the act of voting itself undemocratic, since alternative positions cannot be expressed freely or voiced to convince voters of their validity. These differing approaches to democracy lie at the core of Israels very existence. They must therefore be examined and discussed before the next election day.

Relations with American Jewry

Israel's relationship with American Jewry goes to Israeli societys heart and soul. If Israel is really the nation-state of the Jewish people, the Jewish people have no right to abandon Jews who define themselves as such but are not defined as Jews by the Jewish state. Yet, Israel and American Jewry are growing further apart. Orthodox Jewry constitutes a minority of the Jewish people, but when it comes to the Law of Return  enabling anyone considered Jewish by Orthodox Judaism or descended of a Jew to become an Israeli citizen upon arrival  it has a monopoly on Who is a Jew?

During the current governments tenure, differences among Jews came to a head on more than one occasion. The climax was when Netanyahus government reneged on an agreement to let women affiliated with the Reform (Progressive Judaism) movement pray at the Western Wall, leading to feelings of alienation and to anger toward Israel among many American Jews.

In Israel, the debate is taking place between those who claim that the only true Jews are Jews according to traditional, Orthodox Jewish law and those who are unwilling to abandon any Jew, especially after the loss of one-third of all Jews in the Holocaust. The latter want everyone who identifies as Jewish to be considered a member of the Jewish people (absent extenuating circumstances and good reason to believe that the individual is being manipulative). The debate is between those who believe Israel must recognize the diversity of the American Jewish community, engage it in dialogue and reach understandings that take the needs of fellow Jews in America into consideration and those who have no interest in Jews different from themselves.

It is safe to assume that none of these debates will figure prominently in the next few months. Instead, the political debates will be personal: Is Netanyahu corrupt? Does former Israel Defense Forces chief Benny Gantz have enough experience to lead? Is Zionist Camp leader Avi Gabbay charismatic enough? Then, the day after the election, we will find ourselves in the perpetual stalemate, when a single vote in either direction decides our fate, when it comes to these truly important issues.On the eve of the last election in 2015, professor Manuel Trajtenberg was one of the most sought-after people in the political campaign. Every large and mid-sized party tried to recruit the popular economist. In 2011, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed Trajtenberg to head the Committee for Social and Economic Change, a group intended to restore calm after the masses took to the streets to protest the rising cost of living. The Trajtenberg Committee, as it became known, eventually published a detailed report. Some of its recommendations were even implemented. As a result, Trajtenberg became the most prominent socio-economic brand name in the entire country. He finally chose to join the Labor party, and they highlighted him as their candidate for finance minister and gave him the safe 11th spot on their list.

The 2015 election campaign was a direct consequence of the social protests, which began with the 2013 election when Itzik Shmuli and Stav Shafir, two leaders of the younger generation of protesters, were first elected to the Knesset. Without those protests, Moshe Kahlon, an icon of the Likud partys social awareness, would never have founded his own party in 2014, won 10 seats and been appointed minister of finance.

The social protests caused Israelis to abandon old, established voting patterns and replace security concerns with economic issues. Until then, generals were always the hottest commodities. As unbelievable as it is, about half of all chiefs of staff eventually entered politics, with two of them  Yitzhak Rabin and Ehud Barak  elected prime minister and many others serving as ministers. One general, Ariel Sharon, also served as prime minister. Some generals, like Rafael Eitan and Yigal Yadin, established their own successful political parties. All in all, dozens of senior officers eventually became politicians.

A quick glance at everything that has happened in the few days since early elections were called shows that the page has been turned back again and generals are once again sought-after brands.

Former Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz is the Trajtenberg of the current election campaign. All polls show that if he joins one of the existing parties, he could defeat Netanyahu and bring about a change of government. Last week, Zionist Camp Chair Avi Gabbay showed the members of his faction an internal poll that predicted the party would win 29 seats if Gantz took the No. 2 slot on the list and was their candidate for defense minister. Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid has similar polls. Both Gabbay and Lapid share the same weak point. They both come from civilian careers: Lapid as a television personality, and Gabbay from the world of finance. What they both lack is experience in defense.

That is why Gantz's decision to run at the head of a new party, named "Resilience for Israel, is nothing short of a devastating blow to both Lapid and Gabbay. Not only will Gantz split the center-left camp. He will also leave them exposed and without any security expert at a sensitive time for national security. They will remain vulnerable because Gantz is the man of the hour. There is no other Gantz in the market. The former chief of staff is a refreshing figure, seen as someone who could give Netanyahu a real fight. He ranks high in the polls without him having said anything yet. Previous chiefs of staff like Gabi Ashkenazi and Shaul Mofaz are already secondhand goods. Even if they do join the Zionist Camp or Yesh Atid, they will not have the same Gantz effect among the public.

According to a report by the Hadashot news agency on the evening of Dec. 26, Gantz is already in intense talks with former Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, who quit the Likud, about the possibility of running together. Yaalon, who is also a former chief of staff, is the head of a new independent party he founded on Dec. 25. The two men believe that if they join forces, they could appeal to voters on both the right and the left to defeat Mr. Security Netanyahu.

Tensions have recently resurfaced along Israels borders. Hezbollah has been digging tunnels along the Lebanese border to attack Israel. The United States is abandoning the campaign in Syria, leaving Israel all alone on that front. Terrorism has returned to the West Bank, while the next conflict with Hamas in Gaza is right around the corner. Meanwhile, Prime Minister and Defense Minister Netanyahu has been using these threats to benefit his own campaign to survive, as only he knows how to. With his in-depth understanding of the psychology of the average Israeli, he knows that existential fear in the face of a security threat trumps social struggles. All it takes is a quick look at his highly publicized visits to the northern front with top IDF commanders ever since he appointed himself minister of defense to see how much electoral potential lies in the images depicting him in full battle mode.

In the 2019 election, Israelis will vote on security issues first and foremost. Even Meretz Party Chair Tamar Zandberg realizes this. Lately, even she has been looking for a security expert to join her tiny left-wing party. It doesnt take in-depth polling to know that wide swathes of the Jewish population avoid voting for the Meretz Party. They fear its reputation as an incubator for movements like BTselem, which fight against the occupation by portraying soldiers in the IDF as being responsible for war crimes in the West Bank and Gaza. It is also worth noting that quite a few highly regarded generals align with the left and identify with the Meretz Party, so Zandberg could surprise everyone.

The right camp wants generals too. On the evening of Dec. 26, Brig. Gen. Gal Hirsch announced that he would be entering politics and joining a right-wing national party focusing on social issues. Sources tell Al-Monitor that Hirsch is actually planning to run in the Likud primaries and has already held talks about it. The Likud believes he will be a strong card not only because of the aura surrounding him as a security hawk, but also because of the battle he is currently waging against the Israeli Police. He claims senior police officials stymied his appointment as police commissioner three years ago. As far as Netanyahu is concerned, having someone to fight the police in his name is the ace in the hole that he is looking for.

The Likud is not concerned that Hirsch was once suspected of bribing the Georgian minister of defense (the case is expected to be closed soon). Furthermore, it is quite possible that he will be promised a safe seat on the Likud list, just as Minister of Internal Security Gilad Erdan suggested. All this means is that Hirsch has a good chance of integrating into the Likud. So does current Minister of Housing Maj. Gen. Galant (res.). He is expected to leave his current party, Kulanu, to compete in the Likud primaries. As a source close to Netanyahu told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, Netanyahu recognizes their potential and will do everything he can to ensure that they are part of the [Likuds] Knesset list.IDLIB, Syria  Mohammad Issa puts down the tiles he's been carrying on his shoulders, then begins stacking the bricks, placing layers of cement in between to build the foundation for an additional room to widen his small house.

Issa is a construction worker who has been living for two months with his wife and four children in this house. Once he completes his work, the house will have two rooms in addition to a kitchen and bath.

New Ratyan village, about 3 kilometers (2 miles) north of al-Dana city in Idlib governorate, is his home now. Displaced people originally from the town of Ratyan in northern Aleppo province have established their new village and named it New Ratyan to remind them of the place they were forced to leave in February 2016 after Syrian regime forces and allied militias seized control.

Cement spots stain Issas worn-out clothes. As he takes a short break, he tells Al-Monitor, Since our displacement from Ratyan in the Aleppo countryside three years ago, we started moving from camp to camp close to the Turkish borders. We had a rough time, and we suffered a lot. The tents neither protected us from the summer heat nor the winter cold.

Leaning against a cement bag, he adds, We lived in the Deir Hassan camp complex nearby until we [the inhabitants] decided to share a piece of land that is 2,000 square meters [about 21,500 square feet] to create a smaller version of our original town."

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates the number of displaced in Syria  those who left their homes but not the country  at 6.6 million.

Internal displacement in Syria has always been considered temporary. The displaced or migrants often rent houses or live in camps in the hope of returning home soon. But with this feeling dwindling, the situation has changed. The displaced are trying to settle down and find an alternative home.

Issa said, As long as our town is under the regimes control, we can't return. We're afraid of retaliation or arrest, and in the best-case scenario, we might be dragged into conscription within the regime ranks.

New Ratyan, where construction started in March, has expanded beyond the initial parcel of land. It includes a mosque and a small school and accommodates 500 people. All of these residents were displaced from Ratyan in Aleppo, according to Ahmad Tahan, head of the village council.

Tahan told Al-Monitor that low land prices encouraged them to proceed with the project. The initial parcel of land cost $4,000, an amount collected through inhabitants donations. The money was paid to the Deir Hassan council.

Although the houses they built are modest and small, covering no more than 50 square meters (not quite 540 square feet), and have limited services, their inhabitants find that this is their best option, compared with the tough living in tents, especially in winter.

In a quest to improve their living conditions and face the weather changes, the inhabitants spent their savings on these houses, feeling their temporary abodes were turning into permanent residences.

Omar Kawj told Al-Monitor, Building a small house with a surface area of 50 square meters with minimum services and technical conditions costs 1.5 million Syrian pounds [around $3,000].

Kawj sells food products in one of the rooms of his house overlooking the street. Sitting in a chair waiting for customers, he said, I spent everything I own to build this house. Still, I hope to return to my hometown. ... It's where I was raised. But to be honest, returning seems unlikely," at least for many years.

While New Ratyan is growing amid the influx of new displaced people, it is a slow process due to financial impediments. These people are building homes close to those of their old neighbors and friends. Wherever you look among the small houses, you find New Ratyan written on the walls. It is a constant reminder that old Ratyan is their hometown and that they have the right to return to it.

Preserving social ties constitutes a priority for the displaced, especially those who live in rural areas, as it makes them feel safe and stable.

Kawj says he is proud of the ethics of the people of his town. The people of our town are known for their goodness, and we help each other all the time in everything. We shared construction material and experience, each according to their capacity. I am happy because we managed to build a smaller version of our town, and even happier when a new family builds here.

Can the New Ratyan story happen elsewhere, as Syrians continue to be displaced from their hometowns to settle in others? Would that promote the demographic change policy President Bashar al-Assads regime is accused of in coordination with Tehran? Assad is said to be dismissing opponents, mostly Sunnis, from critical locations, especially Homs (in the country's center), on the coast and in the areas surrounding Damascus.

Idlib, which is still under the control of opposition factions, has turned into a shelter for refugees and the displaced following the advance of regime forces in central and south Syria. With the regime forces taking control of those regions, the displaced residents are trying to stick together in their new destinations to preserve their habits and norms.

Special camps for the displaced from Homs and eastern Ghouta have been established in Afrin, and residential complexes for the displaced from Deir ez-Zor have been built in al-Bab, in rural Aleppo.

Feeling that their chances to return to their hometowns in Syria are dropping, the displaced are seeking stability while preserving their old social ties.CAIRO  Egyptian tourism authorities have spent 2018 trying to boost tourism through different methods, including inviting 10 American bloggers to capture the images of the countrys natural and archaeological treasures and share them with the world. Ironically, the photo and video that has gotten most of the attention at the end of 2018  with more than 5.6 million views  outraged rather than pleased Cairo.

The images were taken by Danish photographer Andreas Hvid, who chose Egypts Great Pyramid of Khufu  commonly known as the Pyramid of Giza  as a venue for his Nude Arts album. In this album, Hvid captures "moments when human beings appear in their natural state  naked or having sex  at emblematic landmarks of global civilizations."

After several attempts to escape security  climbing the pyramids is forbidden  the daring Dane and his girlfriend climbed the pyramid late November and posted images of their naked embrace on his Instagram and YouTube accounts.

The Egyptian media described the photo and the video as pornographic," as the images went viral on line, with many comments from those supporting the act and others criticizing it.

Indignant Egyptian officials urged the Ministry of Interior to prevent Hvid from entering the country ever again. In two separate sessions, on Dec. 7 and Dec. 13, several Egyptian parliamentarians called on the parliament speaker to request the Ministry of Antiquities and Ministry of the Interior to ban Hvid and his girlfriend from entering Egypt again, and punish those who helped the couple climb the pyramid and record what they called a pornographic video and images. The members of parliament said the act was an insult to the 7,000-year-old civilization.

On Dec. 13, security forces arrested a number of officials responsible for ensuring the grounds of the pyramid to be secured at all times. The Egyptian Public Prosecution investigations had proved that employees accepted a bribe from Hvid to give him access to the area off-limits to the public.

Mahmoud Alwan, a legal adviser at a tourism company that he preferred not to name, told Al-Monitor that Hvid violated the provisions of Articles 2 and 5 of Law No. 2 of 1973 on Supervision by the Ministry of Tourism of tourist zones and their exploitation, in addition to the Egyptian Penal Code Article 107 on bribes and Article 278 on indecent acts in public spaces. Even if the judiciary assumes good intention because Hvid was not aware that he was committing a violation of the tourism laws and an indecent act in Egypt, he would still be accused of bribery, which confirms his intention to deliberately violate the law, Alwan said.

Some Egyptians thought that the whole thing was much ado about nothing. A TV host questioned why there was such a fuss. Is it that the couple climbed the pyramid despite the restriction, that they posted erotic photos or simply that the tourism police had proven inefficient in stopping them? Were [the officials] upset because the photographer only posted the three minutes of the lovemaking rather than the whole thing in detail, asked Osama Kamel, the host of "DMC Evening" airing Dec. 7 on DMC satellite channel. (Hvid later edited the posted video taking images of his naked embrace with his girlfriend out.)

In a Dec. 7 interview with Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet, Hvid said he understood the anger of some Egyptians against breaking the rules and the practice of what some consider an indecent act on top of the pyramid. He noted, however, that he did not mean to offend anyone and chose the Pyramid of Giza as a shooting location because he was infatuated by it. He also denied actually having sex on the pyramid.

A source close to Hvid, who requested strict anonymity, told Al-Monitor that those who regarded what Hvid had done as indecent is a small minority. Only a few people consider his photo or video footage on top of the pyramid as pornographic material and an offensive act, he said, implying others saw it as what it is  art.

He denied that Hvid had chosen the pyramid as a shooting site to attract attention to a pornographic photo or video as some claim. He argued, Pornographic films do not need a site like a pyramid to attract attention. Focus in such types of photos or videos is on a sexy male or female model. This is not the case in the images.

Many Egyptian photographers also said the photos were not pornographic, as some politicians and newspapers claimed, because the focus was the beauty of the view from the pyramid, not nudity or lovemaking.

Kareem Nabeel, a photographer, plastics artist and a photography lecturer at InFocus Photography Club, told Al-Monitor that the photo of the naked embrace is not pornographic. We respect all artistic viewpoints including nude photos, even if we disagree with them ethically or religiously, he said. I do not think that he intended to do harm or insult Egyptians. He was only seeking fame and social media hype.

For Ahmed Elsaaty, a professional photographer and director of documentary films, the first thing a viewer should feel when seeing Hvids photo is not sexual arousal since the photo is taken from a distance and the details are not very clear. This photo should stir curiosity about how the photographer reached the top of the pyramid and escaped the guard, he told Al-Monitor. This is what the photographer intended to capture. He wanted to document his adventure and success in achieving his goal after several unsuccessful attempts.

Al-Monitor also spoke with Mahmoud El-Iraqi, another professional photographer, who said, The part showing the sexual scene takes up only 5% of the photo frame size. This is not the most noticeable item in the photo. Iraqi believes that the most striking effect in the photo is the effort it took Hvid to install his camera and adjust the lighting and focus despite the wind strength at that time, noting that Hvid was using a remote control or a timer to take the photo.

He added that the clouds in the photo prove that Hvid used a slow shutter to accurately capture all details. This required effort and training since he and his partner had to stay in the exact same position, not flinching, for a long period of time.Over the past decade, Turkey has pursued a "break and dent" strategy against the Kurds, by which the Turkish government seeks to dismantle Kurdish groups and push resistant factions into neighboring Syria and Iraq. Turkey has now come to rely on this strategy outside its border, particularly in the northern Syrian region of Afrin. Based on this approach, Ankara aims to cleanse all northeastern Syrian territories held by the Peoples Protection Units, or the YPG. Yet this "break and dent" strategy is futile, and the Mahkmour refugee camp in Iraq, set up by Turkish Kurds banished from their native villages more than two decades ago, is an example of its futility.

On Dec. 13, a day after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced plans for a military operation east of the Euphrates in Syria, Turkish jets targeted Sinjar and Makhmour in Iraq. According to Ankara, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)  considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and much of the international community  is using the Makhmour camp as a base. Officials of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, the dominant political force in Iraqi Kurdistan, pointed out that UN rules require the camp to not harbor armed elements.

The camp is hardly an ordinary camp. Discussing its links with the PKK is meaningless, for its residents are families who have lost children fighting in PKK ranks. Armed units have taken up positions in self-defense in the area to protect residents from the Islamic State (IS). The Makhmour camp is essentially a lab demonstrating the failure of Turkey's security-centered policies.

More than 12,000 Kurds live in the camp, located on a slope of the Qarachokh Mountains. How they ended up there is a long and tragic story, which began in the '90s, when Turkey emptied and set on fire 4,000 Kurdish villages as part of a military campaign to root out the PKK.

The story of Sakir Tong, a 37-year-old resident of the camp, is more or less the story of the camp itself. In an interview with Al-Monitor, the father of six, who makes a living as a construction worker in Erbil and Sulaimaniyah, recounted how his family fled their village in 1993 and crossed into Iraq.

Tong was born in 1981 in southeastern Turkey, in the small village of Isikveren, known as Bileh in Kurdish, located a stones throw from Uludere and the Iraqi border. In the early '90s, the Turkish government escalated its extrajudicial killings of PKK members and sympathizers in the region. During that period, the PKK raided a military outpost in the nearby village of Tasdelen, which marked the onset of a harsh government crackdown, Tong recounted.

The Turkish government branded everyone terrorists, he continued. The road to Uludere was already closed for a year. We were meeting our needs from Zakho [in Iraqi Kurdistan]. The villages were shelled almost every night. We could not sleep and people got killed. Once a week, they would surround our village and search the houses for [PKK] guerrillas.

The villagers, Tong said, came under pressure to join the village guard, a government-armed militia backing the army against the PKK. They would keep people out in the snow and torture them. Youll choose either the mountain or the state, they would press. When the villagers refused to join the village guard, they said, Then you go away. The village had 75 households, and all of them, except seven or eight, fled in September 1993. Bileh was the first village to be emptied, he said, adding that other villages shared the same fate the following year.

The villagers went to Zakho across the border, where two camps were set up to harbor them, with the United Nations providing aid, Tong said. The refugees, he explained, had to move four more times until May 1998, when they settled outside Makhmour, a town 62 miles south of Erbil.

The location of the camp in Makhmour was not without reason. Turkey did not want the refugees near the border because it believed they would abet the PKK. The Kurdistan Democratic Party also saw the refugees as an extension of the PKK. The refugees then moved southward, toward Makhmour, out of the control of Iraqi Kurdistan but still within the boundaries of the US-enforced no-fly zone, which protected the Kurds from Saddam Hussein. In short, the place was a buffer zone. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, which had already granted the group refugee status, was responsible for running the camp. Provisions came to the camp as part of the UN Oil for Food program. In 2011, the aid was reduced before being terminated in 2013. The Iraqi government began sending monthly flour supplies. That assistance was scaled down to once every three or four months in the wake of Iraqi Kurdistans independence referendum in 2017. Apart from that, charitable people continue to provide food and fuel to the refugees.

The residents of the camp, which once resembled a prison, established committees to deal with all their affairs. Thus, the democratic self-rule promoted by the Kurdish movement was for the first time put into practice here, rather spontaneously and under the strain of harsh conditions. The camp is run by the following entitites: a local administration based on neighborhood assemblies; a popular assembly selected every two years; a three-member council selected by the assembly; and an executive body. In other words, Makhmour became a pilot scheme for democratic self-rule, even before the effort in Rojava in Syria.

According to information Al-Monitor obtained from the Makhmour administration, nearly 3,000 pupils attend four kindergartens, five primary schools, a secondary school and a high school built by the UN. Their diplomas are certified by the Iraqi Ministry of Education. Textbooks from Turkey are used in the curriculum. Volunteers from the camp serve as teachers. Those who wish to pursue higher education go to universities in Erbil, Sulaimaniyah and Dahuk. Graduates of medical schools work in the camps hospital, replacing the doctors appointed by Baghdad. The imams of the two mosques are also from the camp.

The Makhmour camp came under the spotlight when Ankara expressed its desire to open up peace talks with the Kurds. In a gesture of support for the peace process, a 34-strong group, including PKK militants from the Qandil Mountains and residents of the Makhmour camp, crossed to Turkey from Iraq in October 2009. The gesture, which was coordinated with Ankara, backfired and seven members of the group were eventually sent to prison on charges of affiliation with the PKK. The incident showed how risky the way back home could be, even with a greenlight from Ankara.

Among the camp's residents, only about 20 elderly people hold Turkish passports. They managed to renew their ID cards during trips to Turkey, before the peace process collapsed in 2015. Without a passport, a series of bureaucratic and legal procedures become impossible for camp residents. The camp residents received three-year residence papers from the Iraqi government in 2013, but the documents have yet to be renewed. Many work on construction sites in Kurdistan, while others raise livestock.

When it comes to the issue of armed men in the camp, the PKK sent guerrillas from Qandil to help rescue the camp after it was captured by IS, along with the town of Makhmour, in August 2014. The camps liberation was followed by the creation of a 300-strong self-defense force, and the PKK took defense positions in the mountain pass. The UN, which closed its office at the entrance of the camp in 2014, is now under pressure from Ankara to crack down on the camp. Ankara argues that the camp has been taken over by terrorists.

According to Tong, Turkeys Dec. 13 air raid hit a farming area adjacent to houses, killing a 14-year-old girl and three women, among them a woman in her 70s. About 75% of camp residents are women and children," Tong said. "All people here are relatives. There is great pain and anger.

Tong added that military officials came from Makhmour to examine the damage. They promised protection and went away," he said. "UN officials are coming every other day and saying they will reopen the office. There is indignation toward the UN for doing nothing.

According to Tong, The guerrillas came in 2014, but they left in 2016. Camp residents are now maintaining the security. People aged 18 to 60 are keeping watch, including women without children.

The round-the-clock watch in the camp stems from fears that IS might return. Daesh is still active in the Gani Hazali area, which is 3 kilometers from the camp, Tong said, using the Arabic acronym for the jihadi group. The US forces occasionally bomb Daesh targets. In 2016, Daesh attacked again, killing two people. The Daesh threat is not over.

The Makhmour camp holds a mirror to Ankara's failed Kurdish policies. In pursuing the break-up of the Kurdish regions in northern Syria, Ankara will reach yet another dead end.In a year-end story published on CNNs website, the news network named two Alabamians committed to helping homeless people, among others, as 5 people who inspired us this year  and the impact they continue to have.

Austin Perine of Birmingham, who turned 5 years old on Christmas Eve, and Rodney Smith Jr., a native of Bermuda who attended college and graduate school in Huntsville, are among the five average people whove found extraordinary ways to help others mentioned by CNN.

Austin, who wears a superhero cape and is often known as President Austin, was featured in numerous national stories for his wise-beyond-his years commitment to feeding the homeless. As soon as he learned there are people who dont have homes, says his father, T.J. Perine, Austin wanted to help.

Austin melts hearts as he hands out food to homeless people with his signature phrase, Dont forget to show love!

T.J. has created a nonprofit organization, Show Love Inc. A GoFundMe account, with the ultimate goal of establishing a shelter with programs for the homeless, has raised $87,280 of its $88,000 goal.

In the fall, T.J. and Austin visited cities around the country to show love, including Dallas, St. Louis, Portland, New Orleans and even San Juan, Puerto Rico. In Phoenix, they provided clothing for 200 low-income third-and fourth-graders.

On his Twitter page, which has nearly 12,000 followers, Austin describes himself as humanitarian and wrestler. In addition to his #ShowLove cause, hes a tough competitor when it comes to youth wrestling.

Rodney Smith Jr. of Huntsville, seen dressed as Santa on his recent Christmas tour, is one of two Alabamians included in a year-end wrap-up of inspirational people featured on CNN. (Twitter photo)

Rodney Smith Jr. started his Raising Men Lawn Care Service in 2016, providing free mowing, raking and snow-shoveling for those who couldnt do it themselves, including the elderly, disabled, single mothers and veterans. At the time, he was still a student studying computer science at Alabama A&M University.

His lawn-care project changed his career path. He earned a masters degree in social work this year and has continued to find new challenges for himself through helping others all over the country. In the summers of 2017 and 2018, he mowed lawns in all 50 states. Then he started a 25-day Christmas tour, where he again visited all 50 states to surprise homeless people by giving them what they wanted for Christmas.

His heartwarming Christmas visits are documented on Twitter, where he has 73,000 followers. He would arrive in a city and find a homeless person, then ask him or her what they wanted most for Christmas. A short time later, hed return and present them with their gifts, which ranged from shoes and jackets to cell phones, bus tickets and cash.

The last state he visited was Hawaii, where he found a man who had been homeless for seven years. As Rodney handed him gift after gift, the man lowered his head in disbelief. Thank you, he said. Well, theres still a lot of good people out there.

These people that supported me, said Rodney, they wanted you to have all these items.

At the end of his journey on Dec. 21, Rodney posted on Twitter that homelessness can happen to anyone. Before judging, get to know them and hear their story.

In 2019, the unstoppable Rodney plans to do some meet and mow events around the country. He encourages others to meet him and help do yard work, then continue helping with those yards as well as others.One person was taken to the hospital after being pulled from a fire at a vacant apartment complex off 20th Street South in Birmingham Thursday night, officials said.

The Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service was called to the former site of Plaza Square Apartment in the 1600 block of 20th Street South about 8:08 p.m., said Battallion Chief Sebastian Carillo. One man was found inside the apartment that was on fire, he said.

The male victim was taken to UAB Hospital with unknown injuries. His condition is unknown at this time.

Fire officials were able to control the fire in just a few minutes, he said.

This photo shows the traces of smoke where the fire was pic.twitter.com/8QQEHLASaN  Anna Beahm (@_AnnaBeahm) December 28, 2018

Carillo said the fire was contained to one unit on the top floor. Two units on either side of the burning unit sustained smoke damage.

Several block of 20th Street South were blocked by fire and police units. Drivers should seek an alternate route.

The fire is still under investigation. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.Report cards for Alabamas schools and districts are out, and overall, results look promising.

Statewide, district-level grades have improved in comparison with the 2016-17 district grades. And school-level grades also showed marked improvement.

Alabama Superintendent Eric Mackey unveiled the 2017-18 statewide grade of B to the states board of education on Dec. 13. He said he was happy with the grade because it shows incremental growth.

This is mostly the work of our teachers, Mackey told board members. When asked what the public should take away from the report card, Mackey urged caution.

The 2018 State Accountability report tells us something valuable about a school or school system, but it does not tell us everything about that school or system," Mackey stated in a prepared release issued Friday morning after the release of the grades for the schools and districts. "Based primarily on a particular assessment, it is a snapshot in time. When stacked together year after year, similar to snapshots of your family, these pictures of school academic performance can certainly can be used to monitor academic progress and growth. But when we describe our children, we use more than snapshots; we talk about their personalities, struggles, challenges, aspirations, successes.

Overall, we are pleased with the academic growth that we see across the state. It is a testament to the dedication of our teachers, principals, and all those who support their work that student performance continues to rise. As state superintendent, I am grateful for these hardworking individuals in our local schools who improve the trajectory of childrens lives every day. We believe that our best days and highest levels of achievement lie ahead of us, not behind, and we look forward to working with our state policymakers and lawmakers in 2019 to make sure that we are providing ever better resources and supports for our schools.

For example, Mackey stated, we have many excellent, hardworking teachers in lower-scoring schools just as we do in the higher performing ones. We have high-flying students who graduate from struggling schools every year. Again, the school grades tell us something  but certainly not everything  about a school. We appreciate our teachers, school leaders, and parents who work with our students to ensure their success and academic growth.

Alabama lawmakers passed the law requiring the use of letter grades for school and district report cards in 2012. For reasons including a change in which test was being used, the first round of report cards wasnt released until December 2016. Those had no letter grades and were considered a work in progress.

The first letter-grade report cards were released in February for the 2016-17 school year. Statewide, schools earned a 'C' that year.

Critics of grading schools say education is too complicated to boil down to a single letter grade. Proponents say the single letter grade is something parents can easily understand.

State Chief Academic Officer Daniel Boyd said while the report card is a good way to start a conversation about how to improve schools, There are a whole lot of other things that arent measured on the report card.

For example, he said, the extra effort outside of classroom instruction, including student participation in extracurricular programs, volunteer teacher tutoring, afterschool program participation, isnt measured but is part of the everyday work many schools are doing.

The state departments database containing the multiple components which factored into the grades, will be online on Monday, state officials said Friday.

Overall, there were:

15 As, up from 12 last year,

70 Bs, up from 52 last year,

42 Cs, down from 54 last year,

10 Ds, down from 19 last year.

There were no F districts and district scores improved an average of 2.6 points, but nearly 30 districts exceeded twice that average.

These six systems improved their score by double-digits:

Sheffield City  12 points, C to B

Midfield City  12 points, D to C

Fairfield City  12 points, D to C

Henry County  10 points, C to B

Winston County  10 points, C to B

Anniston City  10 points, D to C

Seven districts dropped a letter grade, 90 districts maintained their grades, and 41 raised their grades by one letter.

Heres a look at Alabamas public school district grades.

[A complete list of district grades can be seen by scrolling to the end of this article.]

School grades

Statewide, many schools improved their grades, with a marked shift towards the high end of the grading scale. The number of schools earning As rose from 137 to 202, and the number of Fs dropped from 104 to 39, 634 schools maintained their same grade from last year, but that includes the 21 schools that maintained Fs.

Another 499 schools raised their grade by one or two letter grades. Three raised their grades by three letters---all from Fs to Bs. Across the state, 110 schools dropped their grade by one or more letters.

The number of schools receiving grades rose from 1,247 to 1,319 in part due to federal requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA.

Heres a look at the grade distributions for Alabamas schools over the two-year period:

Here's a look at the distribution of school grades for the 2017-18 school year compared with the 2016-17 school year.

Four schools earned a perfect 100 this year, down from nine schools last year:

Cherokee Bend Elementary in Mountain Brook City schools,

LAMP High School in Montgomery County schools,

W.H. Council Traditional School in Mobile County schools, and

Eichold-Mertz School of Math and Science in Mobile County schools.

Grades are calculated based on multiple indicators.

This is the breakdown of how grades are calculated for schools and districts.

Academic achievement

The academic achievement indicator reflects the test results for grades that are tested. Students in grades 3 through 8 take tests in math and reading, and students in grades 5 and 7 also take a test in science.

The Scantron test was used in those grade levels, and after working with federal education officials to equate the ACT Aspire (last years test) with the Scantron results, Alabama students showed higher proficiency levels overall.

At the high school level, the ACT college entrance exam, given to all 11th graders, is used as the achievement measure. Three parts of the ACT---English, math, and science---are used in the calculation.

In previous years, the achievement measure was based on the 10th-grade PLAN, and results were generally poor statewide. This year, the ACT college entrance exam results were generally higher overall, giving high schools a boost as compared to previous years.

The numerical score for achievement, though, doesnt tell us how many students reached proficiency on the test. Scores for the achievement and growth indicators are weighted, meaning high-scorers earn a school extra points.

For example, on the achievement indicator, students at the highest level, Level 4, earn the school 1.25 points. Students at Level 3, meaning the student reached the proficient level, earn 1 point. Students at Level 2, those that are close to proficiency, earn 0.5 points toward the total.

So, for example, while Cherokee Bend Elementary in Mountain Brook schools received all available points, at each grade level that was tested---grades three through six---some students scored at Levels 1 and 2. But the high percentage of students who scored at Level 4 earned the school bonus points.

The only school in Alabama where every single student in the tested grades reached proficiency was Loveless Academic Magnet Program, or LAMP, in Montgomery County. LAMP is a selective magnet school, meaning all students must meet academic requirements prior to enrollment. High schools only test one grade, and at LAMP, 100 percent of 11th grade students reached proficiency in science on the ACT college entrance exam.

Academic growth

The academic growth measure reflects different information than last years, as additional tests were given to all students in grades 3 through 8 during the year to measure growth from the beginning to the end of the school year. Educators generally see growth as a fairer measure of their impact on student learning.

The growth measure is also weighted, meaning additional points are given for high growth, so a high score doesn't mean all students showed great improvement. The breakdown for how many students grew at which rates is not provided by the state department.

Graduation rates, college- and career-readiness rates

The other two categories of measures on the state report card are graduation rate and college- and career-readiness rate. Those measures will only be calculated for schools with a 12th grade.

Graduation rates will again be based only on four-year-cohorts, meaning it will measure the percentage of students who graduate with a diploma four years after entering high school as a 9th-grader. Plans to incorporate a five-year graduation rate were scrapped after data quality concerns were raised.

Education officials have stressed that the graduation rate and the college- and career-readiness rate for a school should be similar, showing that students who graduate from high school have accomplished one of seven college and career readiness indicators:

Earning a benchmark score in any subject area on the ACT college entrance exam,

Earning a qualifying score of 3 or higher on an Advanced Placement (AP) exam,

Earning a qualifying score of 4 or higher on an International Baccalaureate (IB) exam,

Earning college credit while in high school,

Earning a silver or gold level on the ACT WorkKeys exam,

Earning a career technical industry credential, or

Being accepted into the military.

Chronic absenteeism

The chronic absenteeism measure, which reflects the percentage of students missing 15 or more days of school in an academic year, rose statewide from 17.7 percent to 18.3 percent during the 2017-18 school year, meaning the percentage of students who were chronically absent went up---not the direction school officials are working toward.

Progress in English language proficiency

New to the 2017-18 report card is a measure for progress of students learning the English language. In schools where there are at least 20 students learning the English language in tested grades, five percent of a schools or districts score will be calculated from student progress.

A complete look at how each indicator was calculated is on the state departments web site.

Heres a look at school grades across Alabama. Each dot represents a school. Hover over a dot for more information about the school. Narrow down the view by clicking on the legend depicting a letter grade. Choose a system to narrow further. Included also is a slider allowing you to see only schools that are within a range of level of poverty.

Heres a full list of district grades, in alphabetical order, with last years data for comparison.

System name 17-18 grade 17-18 score 16-17 grade 16-17 score Alabaster City B 85 B 87 Albertville City B 82 C 78 Alexander City B 80 C 78 Andalusia City B 81 B 83 Anniston City C 78 D 68 Arab City A 93 A 92 Athens City B 80 B 81 Attalla City B 80 C 71 Auburn City A 91 B 89 Autauga County B 86 B 82 Baldwin County B 85 B 82 Barbour County D 61 D 62 Bessemer City D 67 D 64 Bibb County C 76 C 74 Birmingham City D 68 D 66 Blount County B 83 B 83 Boaz City C 77 B 80 Brewton City A 91 B 86 Bullock County D 64 D 65 Butler County C 70 D 69 Calhoun County B 80 B 80 Chambers County C 79 C 76 Cherokee County B 82 B 81 Chickasaw City D 68 D 62 Chilton County C 79 C 76 Choctaw County C 76 D 68 Clarke County B 81 C 75 Clay County C 79 C 78 Cleburne County A 90 B 85 Coffee County B 88 B 84 Colbert County B 84 C 77 Conecuh County C 74 C 73 Coosa County C 77 C 76 Covington County B 89 B 82 Crenshaw County B 81 C 77 Cullman City A 91 A 92 Cullman County B 85 B 80 Dale County B 89 B 84 Daleville City D 68 C 75 Dallas County C 73 C 70 Decatur City B 80 C 79 DeKalb County C 78 C 77 Demopolis City B 81 B 80 Dothan City C 79 C 79 Elba City B 82 B 80 Elmore County B 82 B 80 Enterprise City B 84 B 86 Escambia County C 79 C 78 Etowah County C 79 B 81 Eufaula City D 66 C 71 Fairfield City C 74 D 62 Fayette County B 86 B 80 Florence City B 87 C 79 Fort Payne City B 85 B 87 Franklin County B 81 C 78 Gadsden City C 75 C 73 Geneva City B 87 B 80 Geneva County B 82 C 76 Greene County D 69 D 62 Guntersville City B 88 B 84 Hale County C 77 C 73 Haleyville City B 86 B 80 Hartselle City A 92 A 91 Henry County B 88 C 78 Homewood City A 91 A 94 Hoover City A 90 A 92 Houston County B 83 B 84 Huntsville City C 77 C 75 Jackson County B 82 C 78 Jacksonville City B 85 B 84 Jasper City B 85 B 84 Jefferson County C 78 C 77 Lamar County B 86 B 80 Lanett City C 71 D 68 Lauderdale County B 89 B 85 Lawrence County C 79 C 79 Lee County C 79 C 78 Leeds City B 81 B 80 Limestone County B 82 B 83 Linden City C 76 C 71 Lowndes County C 77 C 72 Macon County C 72 D 67 Madison City A 92 A 95 Madison County B 86 B 85 Marengo County B 88 B 82 Marion County B 87 C 79 Marshall County B 82 C 79 Midfield City C 76 D 64 Mobile County C 77 C 76 Monroe County C 77 C 76 Montgomery County C 70 D 69 Morgan County B 82 C 79 Mountain Brook City A 98 A 98 Muscle Shoals City A 92 A 93 Oneonta City A 92 A 91 Opelika City B 84 C 78 Opp City B 82 B 82 Oxford City B 84 B 86 Ozark City B 83 C 78 Pelham City B 87 B 88 Pell City B 86 B 81 Perry County C 73 D 67 Phenix City C 78 B 80 Pickens County B 82 C 75 Piedmont City B 89 B 84 Pike County C 79 B 84 Pike Road City B 83 C 78 Randolph County C 79 C 75 Roanoke City B 86 B 83 Russell County C 79 C 72 Russellville City B 88 B 85 Saraland City A 92 B 88 Satsuma City B 89 B 86 Scottsboro City B 86 B 85 Selma City C 72 D 68 Sheffield City B 84 C 72 Shelby County B 88 B 88 St Clair County B 84 B 84 State B 80 C 79 Sumter County D 68 D 62 Sylacauga City B 82 B 82 Talladega City C 77 C 73 Talladega County B 85 B 81 Tallapoosa County C 78 C 75 Tallassee City C 77 C 75 Tarrant City D 66 D 65 Thomasville City B 81 B 81 Troy City B 82 C 79 Trussville City A 96 A 93 Tuscaloosa City B 80 C 78 Tuscaloosa County C 77 C 79 Tuscumbia City B 82 C 79 Vestavia Hills City A 94 A 96 Walker County C 78 C 79 Washington County B 80 C 73 Wilcox County C 73 D 64 Winfield City B 88 A 90 Winston County B 86 C 76

Heres a way to find the 2017-18 score for every school. The grade a school is assigned is on a typical 100-point scale. The school name is listed first, and you can narrow down the view by system.

7:50 p.m.: The number of Alabama school systems was corrected to 137. The state grade was incorrectly factored into the number of grades.Maybe the wall was the friends we made along the way. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Donald Trump entered the holiday season with a bulletproof plan for advancing his electoral and legislative goals: He would sabotage the basic functioning of the government that he presides over, so as to draw attention to the fact that the Democratic Party does not support an extremely unpopular immigration policy. Or, more concretely, he would refuse to fund the federal government until congressional Democrats agreed to appropriate upwards of $5 billion for his border wall (even though the Republican Senate had already signaled that it was willing to fund the government without such an appropriation, and Democrats would only need to wait a matter of days before they assumed control of the House).

And yet, somehow, the government has been (partially) shuttered for six days now  and the Democrats have yet to surrender.

The president took to Twitter Thursday morning to express his incredulity, writing, Have the Democrats finally realized that we desperately need Border Security and a Wall on the Southern BorderDo the Dems realize that most of the people not getting paid are Democrats?

The latter half of this missive makes little sense as a public argument for Trumps position. My political opponents are putting their principles above the special interests of their constituents is not typically an attack-line in American politics. The presidents observation that federal workers are more Democratic than Republican serves no argumentative purpose; it is, ostensibly, a mere expression of exasperation at his rivals perseverance (one reminiscent of another infamous spoiler of the Christmas season).

Alas, as Ive already insinuated, the causes of Chuck Schumers intransigence shouldnt be hard for the president to understand. The American public has long been inclined to blame presidents for any governmental dysfunction that transpires on their watch (this insight was the cornerstone of Mitch McConnells rationale for adopting a posture of unwavering obstruction during the Obama presidency). A large majority of Americans has long opposed both Trumps border wall, and the use of government shutdowns as a legislative tactic. So, the presidents plan to pin responsibility for this weeks chaos on Democrats was a long shot even before he announced, on live television, that voters should blame him for the shutdown.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll confirms that Trump has not been able to overcome a flawed strategy through the strength of his execution:

More Americans blame President Donald Trump than congressional Democrats for the partial U.S. government shutdown  forty-seven percent of adults hold Trump responsible, while 33 percent blame Democrats in Congress, according to the Dec. 21-25 poll, conducted mostly after the shutdown began.

 Just 35 percent of those surveyed in the Reuters/Ipsos poll said they backed including money for the wall in a congressional spending bill. Only 25 percent said they supported Trump shutting down the government over the matter.

Meanwhile, Trumps approval rating in Morning Consults polling just dipped below 40 percent for the first time since he defended the very fine neo-Nazis who marched in Charlottesville in the summer of 2017.

Granted, its possible that Trump never intended this shutdown to yield funding for his border wall, or a bump in his approval rating. The presidents aim may have been merely to retain the enthusiastic support of his base. Trump has long jealously guarded the adoration of those who attend his rallies, and the White Houses resident nativists have proven quite effective at persuading the president that any conciliatory gesture on immigration would irrevocably alienate his core supporters.

Nevertheless, a president with a 40 percent approval rating  who just suffered a historic rebuke in a midterm election  should not be sacrificing his standing with the general public for the sake of waging a doomed crusade on behalf of his loyalists.Alabama lawmakers will soon consider whether to join a national reform effort by repealing large sections of existing state laws that place restrictions on how convicted felons can find jobs.

The measure, sponsored by Senator Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, would remove 783 sections of the Alabama code which restrict jobs that people, who have served time in prison, can get.

You have 783 different spots in our code which put barriers in place for people to get a job if they have been to prison, regardless of the reason, said Ward, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. You cannot get a license and its stupid stuff. There is a place in there that if you ever served in prison for a felony, whatsoever, you cannot get a license in interior design. And, if youve been to prison whatsoever, you cannot be a utility line worker or a certain kind of hair dresser.

Ward said he wants to expedite the licensing process, and eliminate the barriers for convicted felons to re-enter the workforce while reducing recidivism. He said hes unsure how many convicted felons in Alabama would be affected.

The measure would not require a constitutional amendment, which can only be approved through a ballot initiative.

Its statutory, Ward said. What you dont want to do is repeal all 738 spots. If you do that, it creates a huge mess. What you would do is that if you fall into one of those licensures, the process will be expedited in a way that you can get your license and the prohibition will no longer be there.

Ward said his proposed legislation will be pre-filed after the new Legislature arrives to Montgomery for the first time on January 8. The spring legislative session doesnt begin until March.

Collateral consequences

The measure has been in the works for about a year, Ward said, as part of a national effort by the non-partisan, Chicago-based Uniform Law Commission. The groups mission is to look for areas in state laws throughout the country and determine what can be streamlined and uniformed into similar pieces of legislation.

The commissions work in 2018 has focused on licensing reform and the removal of so-called collateral consequences from state laws.

In Alabama, some of these 700-plus consequences represent prohibitions of convicted felons from doing the following, according to the National Inventory of Collateral Consequences of Conviction website:

Operating a billiard room

Operating an adult business

Purchasing and operating a recreational vehicle dealership

Purchasing a beer wholesale business

Working as a licensed physical therapist

Ineligible to host mixed-martial arts events

Working as a licensed as a private investigator

Selling vacation time-shares

In addition, convicted felons are prohibited from brewing beer, mead, table wine or cider for personal use. Also, they can be prevented from certification as an interior designer.

You are seeing these artificial barriers and they are just preventing people from a job, said Ward.

Ward said there are some barriers that need to be in place, saying that convicted sex offenders should be not be given a chance to operate a child care center or that someone convicted of a financial crime should not receive a license to operate a financial institution.

Thats a no-brainer, he said.

He said the specifics of the measure still need to be worked out. That includes specifying which agency will be charged with overseeing licensing requests.

Ward also said there would be no reason for a budget increase to pay for it.

We are looking at it in the judicial branch, said Ward. It would be an expedited hearing, so we dont think it would require a lot of work and its best to fit in the judicial. It wont be a full court hearing, but would be a quick review.

Justice reform

Alabama, if it takes up the measure, would join an increasing number of states looking to eliminate hundreds of provisions existing within their state codes prohibiting convicted felons from applying for various licenses or competing for various jobs.

In Minnesota, lawmakers approved a new law earlier this year that required the state to publish all collateral consequences  there were at least 150 of them  and enable people to know of their existence and that convicted felons can apply for a variety of occupational licenses.

Minnesota also set up a committee to look into the issue, similar to what the Alabama Law Institute (ALI) has had in place for two years. The ALI committee is drafting the legislation which Ward will sponsor, and is in charge of notifying various organizations about the proposed bill.

Civil rights groups appear supportive of the concept ahead of a legislative session in Montgomery that is expected to include a number of criminal justice reform measures. Some of the higher-profile issues will include civil asset forfeiture reform, curbs on racial profiling by police, and marijuana legalization.

There is no indication whether Wards bill will be weaved into an overriding criminal justice package. Massachusetts, for instance, included a new licensing law as part of a more general criminal justice reform bill.

Collateral consequences are penalties an individual faces in addition to any court-imposed punishment, said Frank Knaack, executive director of the Montgomery-based Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice. Alabama has hundreds of these counterproductive barriers, including arbitrary limitations on employment opportunities. When an individual with a criminal history has a job, they will contribute more to the tax based, purchase more goods and are less likely to committee a new crime, thus reducing the amount of money that state and local governments must spend on their criminal justice systems.

He called the measure a possible win-win in that it provides convicted felons who have served out their punishments a fair chance at a fresh start while bolstering state and local economies.

Shay Farley, senior policy counsel at the Southern Poverty Law Centers Action Fund, said her organization welcomes attempts by Alabama lawmakers in lowering the barriers for people to find jobs.

About 95 percent of those in prison will ultimately leave, and right now the state of Alabama and the federal government put roadblocks up to obtaining everything from housing to employment to public assistance, said Farley. Those roadblocks should be torn down, and this bill, by making more jobs available to the formerly incarcerated to obtain, is an excellent start.BAGHDAD  President Donald Trumps surprise trip to Iraq may have quieted criticism at home that he had yet to visit troops in a combat zone, but it has infuriated Iraqi politicians who on Thursday demanded the withdrawal of U.S. forces.

"Arrogant" and an "a violation of national sovereignty" were but a few examples of the disapproval emanating from Baghdad following Trump's meeting Wednesday with U.S. servicemen and women at the al-Asad Airbase.

Trips by U.S. presidents to conflict zones are typically shrouded in secrecy and subject to strict security measures, and Trump's was no exception. Few in Iraq or elsewhere knew the U.S. president was in the country until minutes before he left.

But this trip came as curbing foreign influence in Iraqi affairs has become a hot-button political issue, and Trump's perceived presidential faux-pas was failing to meet with the prime minister in a break with diplomatic custom for any visiting head of state.

On the ground for only about three hours, the American president told the men and women with the U.S. military that Islamic State forces have been vanquished, and he defended his decision against all advice to withdraw U.S. troops from neighboring Syria, He declared: "We're no longer the suckers, folks."

The abruptness of his visit left lawmakers in Baghdad smarting and drawing unfavorable comparisons to the occupation of Iraq after the 2003 invasion.

"Trump needs to know his limits. The American occupation of Iraq is over," said Sabah al-Saidi, the head of one of two main blocs in Iraq's parliament.

Trump, he said, had slipped into Iraq, "as though Iraq is a state of the United States."

While Trump didn't meet with any officials, he spoke with Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi by phone after a "difference in points of view" over arrangements led to a face-to-face encounter between the two leaders getting scrapped, according to the prime minister's office.

The visit could have unintended consequences for American policy, with officials from both sides of Iraq's political divide calling for a vote in Parliament to expel U.S. forces from the country.

The president, who kept to the U.S. air base approximately 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Baghdad, said he had no plans to withdraw the 5,200 troops in the country. He said Ain al-Asad could be used for U.S. air strikes inside Syria.

The suggestion ran counter to the current sentiment of Iraqi politics, which favors claiming sovereignty over foreign and domestic policy and staying above the fray in regional conflicts.

"Iraq should not be a platform for the Americans to settle their accounts with either the Russians or the Iranians in the region," said Hakim al-Zamili, a senior lawmaker in al-Saidi's Islah bloc in Parliament.

U.S. troops are stationed in Iraq as part of the coalition against the Islamic State group. American forces withdrew in 2011 after invading in 2003 but returned in 2014 at the invitation of the Iraqi government to help fight the jihadist group. Trump's visit was the first by a U.S. president since Barack Obama met with then-Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki at a U.S. base outside Baghdad in 2009.

Still, after defeating IS militants in their last urban bastions last year, Iraqi politicians and militia leaders are speaking out against the continued presence of U.S. forces on Iraqi soil.

Supporters of the populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr won big in national elections in May, campaigning on a platform to curb U.S. and rival Iranian involvement in Iraqi affairs. Al-Sadr's lawmakers now form the core of the Islah bloc, which is headed by al-Saidi in Parliament.

The rival Binaa bloc, commanded by politicians and militia leaders close to Iran, also does not favor the U.S.

Qais Khazali, the head of the Iran-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia that fought key battles against IS in northern Iraq, promised on Twitter that Parliament would vote to expel U.S. forces from Iraq, or the militias would force them out by "other means."

Khazali was jailed by British and U.S. forces from 2007 to 2010 for managing sections of the Shia insurgency against the occupation during those years.

Trump's visit would be a "great moral boost to the political parties, armed factions, and others who oppose the American presence in Iraq," Iraqi political analyst Ziad al-Arar said.

Still, the U.S. and Iraq developed considerable military and intelligence ties in the war against IS, and they continue to pay off in operations against militants gone into hiding.

Earlier in the month, Iraqi forces called in an airstrike by U.S.-coalition forces to destroy a tunnel used by IS militants in the Atshanah mountains in north Iraq. Four militants were killed, according to the coalition.

A hasty departure of U.S. forces would jeopardize such arrangements, said Iraqi analyst Hamza Mustafa.

Relations between the U.S. and Iraq also extend beyond military ties. U.S. companies have considerable interests in Iraq's petrochemical industry, and American diplomats are often brokers between Iraq's fractious political elite.

Iraq's Sunni politicians have been largely quiet about the presidential visit, reflecting the ties they have cultivated with the U.S. to counterbalance the might of the country's Iran-backed and predominantly-Shiite militias.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Abdul-Mahdi accepted Trumps invitation to the White House during their call, though the Prime Ministers office has so far refused to confirm that.Authorities are searching for a work-release inmate missing from his assigned job location in Mobile Thursday evening, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections.

The inmate, 31-year-old Curtis Singleton, left his assigned job location around 5 p.m., ADOC said. He was an inmate at the Mobile Work Release Center in Mobile.

Update: Curtis Cleveland has been recaptured

Singleton was last seen wearing a dark-colored shirt and blue jeans. He is a white male with brown hair and brown eyes. He stands 5-feet-5-inches tall and weighs about 130 pounds.

Singleton is serving a seven-year sentence for his conviction of manufacturing a controlled substance from Baldwin County, officials said.

If you see the inmate or have information that may lead to his recapture, call 911 or the ADOC at 800-831-8825.The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is scheduled to announce Friday that it will put the trispot darter fish, which is found in Alabama, on the endangered species list.

Being placed on the list makes it illegal for the freshwater fish to be caught or sold.

Development along the Coosa River in Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia threatens the fishs water quality due to stormwater runoff. The fish was believed to be extinct in Alabama for more than 50 years until it was discovered in Little Canoe Creek in 2008, according to the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity.

Protecting the trispot darter under the Endangered Species Act will safeguard this colorful little fish for future generations and help protect water quality for nearby communities, said Tierra Curry, a senior scientist at the center.

The wildlife service proposed a rule to put the trispot darter on the endangered species list in October 2017. The fish was first identified as needing federal protection in 1982, and the center sued the agency in 2015 to get a legally binding date for such protection.

The trispot darters critical habitat will include the Big Canoe, Ball Play, Mill and Coahulla creeks and the Conasauga and Coosawattae rivers in Etowah, St. Clair, Cherokee and Calhoun Counties in Alabama.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is scheduled to publish the ruling on Friday, with the fish formally going on the endangered species list in 31 days.Rain, rain and more rain has left flooded conditioned around Alabama.

The National Weather Service has issued multiple flash flood warnings and flood advisories, as well as a flash flood emergency notice in hard-hit Choctaw County. Go here to see all the warnings for your area.

Rainfall topped 5.67 inches in Pickens County and more than 5 inches in Tuscaloosa, Blount, Lamar and Shelby counties.

Several rounds of heavy rain are expected to continue through today with periods of rain through Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

You can go here to see the latest road conditions throughout Alabama.

Heres a look at what the flooding looks like around Alabama:

Flooding on Murphree Creek in Blount Springs (Hayes Road)... from @aarmstrong8 Posted by James Spann on Friday, December 28, 2018

The Areal Flood Warning for North Alabama has been extended until 11:15 AM. This is water coming off Chapman Mountain this morning in Huntsville. #alwx #valleywx pic.twitter.com/w5XG3FB4J9  Mike Wilhelm (@bamawx) December 28, 2018

Per @LauraChristmas1: Car submerged in a creek on CR 30 near CR 119 between Woodville and Scottsboro in Jackson County, #Alabama. Driver got out and is okay and a wrecker is on the way to take care of it. (Photos courtesy of Jackson County Sheriff's Office) #valleywx #ALwx pic.twitter.com/C7dcwp6X50  Christina Edwards (@ChristinaWHNTwx) December 28, 2018

Whitfield Canal in Demopolis this morning... from @michael_waw Posted by James Spann on Friday, December 28, 2018

Buck Creek in Old Town Helena today. (Please dont get close to the banks, very swift water, fall in and youre probably gone!)#HelenaAl @spann @jillgilardi pic.twitter.com/xQIdS1TT2Z  Mark R. Hall (@MarkRHall) December 28, 2018

BULLS TRAFFIC: If you are headed to the @TheBhamBulls game tonight, please be aware, we are adjusting the traffic plan due to overnight flooding issues. Everyone will enter the main Amphitheatre parking lot labeled LOT A. Thank you in advance for your patience! #PelhamPD pic.twitter.com/5Ep2UFXYbI  Pelham Police Dept (@PelhamPoliceAL) December 28, 2018

Greggs Two Falls at Little River Canyon National Preserve. pic.twitter.com/0HgKNxLitm  Barry Snapp (@basnapp) December 26, 2018A woman has been charged in the Christmas Eve shooting death of a 28-year-old mother inside a north Birmingham Piggly Wiggly.

Birmingham police have charged Sharonda James, 30, with murder charge in the Dec. 24 death of Jerika Manuel, who was killed while at work at the grocery store. James has a violent criminal history including an arrest earlier this year on kidnapping and assault charges as well as a 2010 charge of capital murder, which was later dismissed. She remains at large.

Manuel, a mother of four, was shot to death just before noon Christmas Eve inside the store at 2500 29th Avenue North.

Sgt. Johnny Williams said the shooting happened shortly before noon when the suspect  now identified as James - entered the store and started an altercation with the female employee who was fatally shot. He later updated that information to say Manuel and James were involved in a physical altercation just before the suspect shot the victim.

James fled the scene before police arrived. Police have not said what the two women were fighting about, but said James was a former Piggly Wiggly employee.

Williams said James should be considered armed and dangerous.

Bessemer police arrested James in July on charges of first-degree kidnapping, second-degree assault and leaving the scene of an accident, said Bessemer police Lt. Christian Clemons.

Officers responded about 9:10 a.m. Tuesday, July 24, to the 900 block of Academy Drive on an assault. Once on the scene, Clemons said, they actually found a traffic accident involving James and a female victim.

That investigation revealed a fight occurred between the two females, Clemons said, with James forcing the victim into a car. An accident occurred resulting in the victim suffering non-life-threatening injuries from being hit with a gun and James leaving the scene.

Officers quickly detained and arrested James. She was indicted on those charges in October and is awaiting trial.

In July 2010, James was arrested by Birmingham police on a capital murder charge in the shooting death of 31-year-old Melvin Bozeman, who was the father of her child. The deadly shooting happened July 16, 2010 in the 700 block of 47th Street North.

Police at the time said the shooting started with a domestic dispute inside a home there, and then the fight spilled into the street. Bozeman was shot multiple times.

The following month, the charge against James was dismissed after police deemed the shooting self-defense.

Anyone with information on James whereabouts is asked to call 911. Anyone with additional information about the crime is asked to call Birmingham homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.A teen is charged with capital murder in the September shooting death of a man in southwest Birmingham.

Birmingham police on Thursday announced the arrest of 18-year-old Terry Lee Skanes. He is charged with capital murder in the Sept. 8 slaying Marqueze Green, 21. He is also charged with attempted murder for the wounding of another victim in the same incident.

Both victims showed up at UAB Hospital about 12:30 a.m. that Saturday suffering from gunshot wounds. Green had been shot once in the back and was pronounced dead shortly after arrival at the hospital. The second victim was shot once in the arm.

Investigators said the two victims were sitting in a car in the 2400 block of Steiner Court S.W. when someone in another vehicle opened fire on them. Investigators believe the shooting wasn't random and that the victims were targeted.

Police have not released a motive in a deadly shooting.

Skanes was booked into the Jefferson County Jail shortly about 1:15 p.m. Thursday. At the time of his arrest, said Sgt. Johnny Williams, he was in possession of a stolen vehicle, narcotics and a firearm.

He is being held without bond.Bernie Sanders isnt the sole alternative to Hillary Clinton any more. Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

In 2016 Senator Bernie Sanders was a reasonably close runner-up to Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination. By losing that contest he evaded the blame for an unexpected loss to Donald Trump, and was also able to keep his political organization intact beyond Election Day. With Barack Obamas term wrapping up, moreover, Sanders looked suddenly prescient in taking left-bent policy positions that the president did not share but was no longer in a position to proscribe. And his most intense following in the primaries was among young voters that seemed to bond with him like baby ducks, following him henceforth as their political hero.

But as the 2020 presidential contest begins to unfold, Bernie Sanders is something of an afterthought, if not quite a has-been. Instead of initially clearing the field of major rivals like Hillary Clinton did in her return to the campaign trail after finishing second to Barack Obama in 2008, Sanders faces a historically large list of competitors if he runs. In scattered national polling, hes mired in the teens, well below Joe Biden and barely leading Beto ORourke. Hes not doing much better in the early states of Iowa and New Hampshire, where he invested so much time and so many resources in 2016. The candidates that he and his Our Revolution organization backed in the 2018 midterms had a mixed record at best.

As the New York Times suggests, Sanders seems to have lost his mojo:

Mr. Sanders may have been the runner-up in the last Democratic primary, but instead of expanding his nucleus of support, in the fashion of most repeat candidates, the Vermont senator is struggling to retain even what he garnered two years ago, when he was far less of a political star than he is today.

Whats happened to Sanders? I would cite six factors contributing to the decline in his support:

1) A lot of his 2016 support was due to his lonely resistance to a Hillary Clinton coronation. Yes, many Sandernistas were attracted to their candidates left-bent policy ideas, particularly tuition-free college and single-payer health care. But his candidacy was basically a catchment for Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents who had some reason for not supporting Hillary Clinton. Indeed, many were motivated less by ideology or policy than by the perception that a corrupt Establishment was forcing the front-runner on voters. Hes lost all that energy, at least until such time as an Establishment favorite emerges and dominates the field.

2) His message and policy positions are no longer all that distinctive. As the Times puts it, Sanders is the victim of his own success by modeling an agenda that others are now adopting. In 2016 he stood alone in advocating Medicare for All, a proposal that Clinton actively and vocally opposed. Now potential 2020 candidates Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, and Elizabeth Warren support the same proposal  and so, more obviously, do 2016 Sanders supporters and possible 2020 rivals Jeff Merkley and Tulsi Gabbard. If, as is often said, Sanders has helped move the Democratic Party to the left, then hes now part of a larger progressive band and not so much its conductor.

3) Hes mighty old. Yes, at 77 Sanders is just three-and-a-half years older than he was when he launched his 2016 effort, as is his putative general election opponent Donald Trump. But theres something a bit daunting about a presidential candidate who will turn 80 during a first term in office. Its a problem he shares with Joe Biden, though even the former vice-president is younger than Bernie. In a large field of candidates, there are plenty of options that dont involve consulting actuarial tables or worrying about a disabled or even deceased nominee.

4) The movement he founded is ready for a Joshua generation. Precisely because of his success and the emergence of like-minded progressives (and even self-proclaimed socialists), Sanders can be respected yet marginalized as the Moses who founded a movement that now needs Joshuas  a new generation of leadership. Sarah Jones articulated this viewpoint last year in calling on Sanders to eschew another presidential campaign:

If this resurgent left is to survive and flourish, it needs to prove that it can work without a personality to prop it up. This wont be news to longtime activists on the left, who organize mostly in obscurity on behalf of a constellation of progressive causes. It wont be news to Sanders either, who was an activist long before he was a politician.

5) Hes a white man in a party increasingly dominated by women and people of color. Sanders allegedly has a special appeal for the white working-class men that Democrats have been losing for decades. But he also showed some weakness in the 2016 primaries in relating to women and minorities, who ultimately lifted Clinton to the nomination. To the extent that Sanders is no longer ideologically unique, Democratic primary voters may prefer someone who is not only younger, but is more representative of the Democratic electorate itself.

6) His supporters are all over the place. As noted above, some 2016 Sanders supporters may actually run against him. Others are already involved in rival proto-campaigns like ORourkes. And as the polls indicate, many rank-and-file Sandernistas are looking elsewhere. Given his other issues, it wouldnt take too many false steps or setbacks to send a 2020 Sanders candidacy into a quick oblivion. Its not like Sanders fans have nowhere else to go.

The key question at this early stage is whether Sanders will persist in thinking hes as indispensable to his cause as he was when he improbably took on an unbeatable Hillary Clinton. Political history is littered with ideological prophets who were eventually dishonored in their own political homes. If Bernie Sanders has to fight to hold onto the mantle of progressive leadership, his time has surely past.Denial of the 1995 genocide in Bosnia has become mainstream among Serbian political and academic circles, analysts say.

When Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic stated in an interview with broadcaster Deutsche Welle in November that the massacre in Srebrenica was not a genocide, Bosnians werent surprised.

The denial of the genocide began as soon as it occurred in Bosnias UN-protected enclave in 1995, but many have remarked that it has become increasingly mainstream in Serbian political and academic circles.

That explains why an online petition has been launched in Canada by the Institute for Research of Genocide (IRGC), requesting the Canadian government to enact a law making Srebrenica genocide denial a punishable offence.

If the petition is adopted, Canada would join nine other countries in Europe including Switzerland, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia and Macedonia in prohibiting genocide denial.

The systematic murder of over 8,000 Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) in Srebrenica by Serb forces in July 1995 was ruled as an act of genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Court of Justice.

Theodor Meron, the presiding judge at the ICTY, stated in 2004 that by seeking to eliminate a part of the Bosnian Muslims, the Bosnian Serb forces committed a genocide.

They targeted for extinction of the 40,000 Bosnian Muslims living in Srebrenica, a group which was emblematic of Bosnian Muslims in general, he said.

Even after 23 years of the genocide in Srebrenica, remains of victims are still being discovered [Samir Yordamovic/Anadolu Agency]

Fourteen Serb war criminals were convicted of genocide and other crimes at the ICTY including former Military Commander Radislav Krstic, former President of Republika Srpska Radovan Karadzic, and Bosnian Serb Military Leader Ratko Mladic.

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IRGC says Canada as well as 30 other countries have adopted legally binding resolutions. Yet, genocide denial remains widespread among the Serb population.

I do not think that the terrible crime, the massacre in Srebrenica, was a genocide, Brnabic said in her interview with Deutsche Welle in response to comments that Serbias chances of joining the European Union are slim if the country refuses to recognise the genocide.

It wasnt done in the name of Serbian people. Serbs cannot be collectively blamed for what happened there, Brnabic said.

Convicted war criminals glorified as heroes

According to a poll this year, 66 percent of Serbs in Republika Srpska, Bosnias Serb-run entity, deny the genocide, while 74 percent of Serbs consider convicted war criminal Radovan Karadzic to be a hero.

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Earlier in December, the chief prosecutor at the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT) Serge Brammertz told the UN Security Council that glorification of war criminals and denial of war crimes in former Yugoslavia continues.

He added that judicial cooperation in war crimes cases between the countries in the region is at its lowest level in years.

Positive steps are undermined by irresponsible comments from other officials denying what has been established beyond reasonable doubt by the international courts, and portraying as heroes men who committed the most serious violations of international law, Brammertz said.

A Bosnian Serb vendor selling a T-shirt depicting convicted Serb war criminals Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic. It reads Serb Heroes: Is It a Crime To Defend Serb People [Milan Radulovic/AFP]

Not only are convicted war criminals and war crime suspects glorified, but they continue to hold public offices in Bosnia and Serbia.

Earlier this month, a veterans association of the Republika Srpska army sent a request to Milorad Dodik, the newly-elected Serb member of Bosnias presidency, to appoint Milan Jolovic as Bosnias minister of defence.

Jolovic was the commander of the notorious Drina Wolves paramilitary unit that participated in the mass killing of Bosniaks in Srebrenica.





We believe that Jolovic is a true patriot. He proved during the war that he will represent the interests of Republika Srpska in the best possible way, the letter by the veterans read.

Meron, president of MICT, has expressed deep concern that convicted war criminals are glorified as heroes.

The challenges are severe, Meron wrote in a 2017 pogress report to the UN Security Council.

Serbian General Vladimir Lazarevic, Bosnian Croat Dario Kordic and Bosnian Serb Momcilo Krajisnik were convicted for horrific crimes against humanity, yet they were given a heros welcome upon release from prison with government officials in attendance, the report noted.

All three, as senior officials and commanders, participated in ethnic cleansing and campaigns harming millions and devastating communities. The mentality that can regard those men as heroes is difficult to understand, Meron wrote.

A mural of Mladic is seen on a building in Gacko, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina [Dado Ruvic/Reuters]

Revisionism

Denial of facts established in the Tribunals judgments are widespread in the education system throughout former Yugoslavia, the report noted, where students are taught widely different and irreconcilable versions of the recent past.

In June 2017, Dodik, then president of Republika Srpska and a vocal genocide denier, banned any teaching about the Srebrenica genocide as well as the siege of Sarajevo, denying for the first time that Bosnian Serb forces besieged and targeted civilians in the capital for years.

Its impossible to use here the textbooks  which say the Serbs have committed genocide and kept Sarajevo under siege, Dodik was quoted as saying in local media.

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This is not correct and this will not be taught here.

Author and genocide researcher Hikmet Karcic told Al Jazeera that genocide denial was limited to specific Serbian academic circles and lesser-known political parties. Now, its more mainstream, he said.

[It has also become mainstream] among certain leftist circles in the West which is consistent with their support for [ex-Serbian president Slobodan] Milosevic in the nineties, Karcic said.

Islamophobia today is growing and is increasingly connected with genocide denial, relativisation and in some cases even justification.

No Serbian president has yet recognised the massacre in Srebrenica as a genocide. Even the Serb-elected mayor of Srebrenica, Mladen Grujicic, denies it.

Serb member of Bosnias tripartite state presidency, Milorad Dodik, is a vocal Srebrenica genocide denier [Talha Ozturk/Anadolu Agency]

Death threats

Canada has already adopted two resolutions recognising the Srebrenica genocide, launched by the IRGC.

However, its Director Emir Ramic noted that the process of adopting the first resolution took five years as the Conservative Party  under the influence of the Serbian and Russian lobby  had rejected the resolution.





Ramics work with the institute has made him a target of death threats and verbal abuse for years by genocide deniers.

He told Al Jazeera that the threats intensified as discourse changed from denial and relativisation to glorification and triumphalism.

However, he says it has made him all the more determined to make sure a law is enacted banning the denial of Srebrenica genocide. If adopted, Canada would make a major contribution in the fight against genocide denial worldwide, Ramic told Al Jazeera.

Denying the genocide in Srebrenica is very dangerous. We need to learn from history, recognise [what happened in Srebrenica] and call it by its real name, he said.

Pro-Mladic supporters in Belgrade wave flags reading Serbian hero. The rally was organised by the ultra-nationalist Serbian Radical Party in May 2011 [File: Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images]

Human rights are under attack worldwide, Ramic added. Bosniaks, as the only people in Europe who survived aggression and genocide [since the Holocaust], are exposed to unacceptable discrimination not just in the motherland, but in the diaspora as well.

The aggression and genocide in Bosnia have shown that  there arent adequate mechanisms in place to protect freedom and human rights.

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The IRGCs petition will be collecting signatures until January 10. Parliamentarian Brian Masse, who sponsored the drive, will then petition the government to reply within 45 days.

Weve seen this with Holocaust denial, weve seen this with denial for Rwanda and of course with Srebrenica, said Masse on the necessity of a law.

Its very hurtful for the victims and families of the survivors to continue to wrestle with something based on facts, so the initiative will help inpreventing denial and create awareness that we will never forget.Karam Fayyad, 26, was killed east of the Gaza city of Khan Younis and eight others were wounded.

A Palestinian man was killed by Israeli fire during protests near the border fence east of the Gaza Strip, the health ministry in the coastal enclave said.

Karam Fayyad, 26, was killed east of the city of Khan Younis, health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said. Eight other Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire during Fridays protests, he added.





Around 5,000 Palestinians demonstrated for the 40th consecutive Friday along various parts of the border between Gaza and Israel, a spokeswoman for the Israeli army said.

In a statement, Gazas National Authority for Breaking the Siege urged Palestinians to take part in the ongoing rallies, staging Fridays protest under the banner We will not forsake our right to live in dignity.

Protesters are calling for Palestinian refugees to be allowed to return to their former homes now inside Israel. They also demand an end to Israels 12-year blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has gutted the coastal enclaves economy and deprived its roughly two million inhabitants of many basic commodities.

At least 240 Palestinians have been killed since the demonstrations began.

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.More than 46 million people are registered to vote, the run-up to which was marked by deadly violence.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will hold its long-delayed general elections on Sunday.

The Congolese government said it couldnt hold the vote on time because it could not afford the $1.8bn bill needed for the elections.

The elections will be conducted nationwide, except three cities which are expected to vote in March 2019.

Current President Joseph Kabila, 47, has been in power since January 2001, after his father, former President Laurent Kabila, was assassinated by one of his bodyguards.

Kabilas second and final term in office ended two years ago, but he remained in power, thanks to a caretaker clause in the constitution. Observers are worried that he would try to stay on.

Deadly protests against his rule and pressure from the international community mounted until he recently announced that he will not be running in the election.

Twenty-one presidential candidates have been approved for the single-round contest. Voters will also cast their ballots for 34,900 candidates running for 500 national and 715 provincial seats.

More than 46 million people are registered to vote, the run-up to which was marked by deadly violence.

Fire destroyed about 8,000 electronic voting machines earlier this month, representing two-thirds of the total required for capital Kinshasa, according to the electoral commission.

The Congolese capital is home to about 15 percent of the electorate.Why is it that a superpower so rich in experts, scholars, pundits and policymakers keeps messing up?Last week, I lost a bet. Two days after the current protests started in Sudan on Wednesday, December 19, I said on Al Jazeera that I would be surprised if the regime of President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan lasted till Friday morning.

A week later, al-Bashirs troops are using brutal violence to suppress the protests. But I stand by my initial assessment. Having suddenly lost all residual legitimacy, the current regime is facing an apparently unstoppable surge of popular anger, even by earlier Sudanese standards. Massive violence will only make matters worse. Only a miracle, or a major miscalculation by protesters, will save it from its inevitable fate.

How Sudan got here

Al-Bashir came to power in a military coup in June 1989, promising to end a situation of food shortages and economic meltdown similar to the ones he is presiding over today, complicated by rising insecurity and escalating civil war. However, his regime then exacerbated the economic woes and escalated the civil war exponentially.

As if this was not enough, the regime engaged in various external adventures, supporting Saddam Hussains foray in Kuwait, alienating a large number of regional powers and facing accusations of supporting terrorism. The result was international isolation, with more adverse impact on the economy.

A number of developments saved the regime. In 1999, oil production started in South Sudan, slowly easing the economic hardship. A split within the regime that same year, ironically improved its chances of survival.

When religious leader Hassan al-Turabi, the regimes erstwhile Godfather, lost a power struggle, the impression was created that a more moderate wing of the ruling Islamists was now in charge. Discreet intelligence cooperation with the United States followed, coupled with overt cooperation on tackling the civil war. This eventually led to an internationally acclaimed peace agreement.

A new constitution was proclaimed in 2005, together with a government in which power was shared with former Southern rebels. Opposition parties were permitted to function openly and given seats in parliament.

However, just as the regime was coming out of isolation and revelling in a newly acquired legitimacy and relative economic prosperity, horrendous atrocities in a new war that broke out in Darfur in 2003 brought unprecedented international opprobrium. Al-Bashir was indicted in 2008 for war crimes by the International Criminal Court. Then South Sudan voted to secede in January 2011, in an uncanny coincidence with the Arab Spring.

Surprisingly, no massive protests erupted then, in spite of attempts by young activists to emulate their peers in other Arab countries in organising protests using social media. The response was remarkably lukewarm. On the appointed day, even the organisers failed to turn up. Muhammad Ibrahim Nugud, the late secretary-general of the Sudanese Communist Party arrived with a handful of his supporters to find the square empty. He sarcastically scribbled a note addressed to his supposed fellow protesters on a piece of cardboard which read: We called, but you werent in.

A more substantive wave of protests erupted in the capital Khartoum in September 2013. However, brutal action by the government swiftly put an end to those, at the cost of more than 200 lives in one week. This only intensified and broadened anti-regime anger. However, the protests also lost momentum because many were alienated by the violence that accompanied them. Pro-government media exploited that element ruthlessly (as it is doing today, but with less success).

The regime then launched a process of National Dialogue in early 2014. An apparent breakthrough happened when al-Turabi, who became the regimes bitterest and most effective adversary, suddenly agreed to join in. The process looked promising until al-Bashir showed his real hand and refused to give any meaningful concessions.

Participants wanted a new constitution and actual power-sharing. However, the regime insisted on holding a rigged election in 2015 to give al-Bashir a new term, ignoring opposition demands for a postponement, and arguments that the president had already served the two terms permitted under the 2005 constitution.

The whole process unravelled and things were back to square one. The economy went into a tailspin, in spite of the lifting of US sanctions by the Obama administration. The government made things worse by drying up cash in the banks to stem a downward spiral in the value of the currency. The majority of the Sudanese, who live on a pittance, were suddenly unable to access their own funds in the banks, which compounded their misery and induced an economic downturn.

The callous insensitivity of the regime to this misery and its preoccupation with getting the president a new term through amending the constitution fueled popular anger.

What will happen with the protests?

Ominously, the current uprisings started in the northern Sudanese town of Atbara, formerly a railway hub, and neighbouring Berber, which happens to be my hometown. It then spread to various northern riverain towns, before reaching other outlying towns, and finally Khartoum. This all happened within 24 hours.

The riverain region is widely trumpeted as (or accused of being) the regimes stronghold since most of its strongmen hail from there. Regardless of the validity of this claim, the fact that the protests were ignited there should be very worrying for al-Bashir and his circle. The regime depends mainly on a core of hardline Islamists but the majority of those have also deserted. The regime has compensated by enlisting an assortment of constituencies and a raft of opportunists, including a contingent of the notorious Janjaweed tribal militias that terrorised Darfur during the last decade.

However, the rhetoric of the bulk of the leaders of the revolution is harshly and uncompromisingly anti-Islamist. There is a reason for this. The regime has probably done much more to discredit Islamism than the usual anti-Islamist suspects in Egypt and the UAE.

For most Sudanese, Islamism came to signify corruption, hypocrisy, cruelty and bad faith. Sudan is perhaps the first genuinely anti-Islamist country in popular terms. But being anti-Islamist in Sudan does not mean being secular.

The bulk of protesters use a pious language of which even hardline Islamist would approve. However, the strident anti-Islamist rhetoric and threats of reprisals against all regime supporters might cause many of those to circle the wagons around the regime for self-protection. A vicious spiral might impose itself, with the regime using massive brutality as it feels cornered, thus intensifying the mass popular anger against it and fanning the flames of more protest.

The resulting polarisation would be disastrous for a country that needs peace more than anything else. The regime is trying to repeat the 2013 success: Threatening and using mass violence, while working hard to sow divisions among the people rising against it.

Its chances of success are slim, given it has nothing to offer other than fear and polarisation. Al-Bashir has been given more chances to redeem himself than any other ruler in the region. I once counted seven major occasions when he could have opted to bring the country together and move it forward. Each time he has chosen his narrow interest and that of the small corrupt clique around him.

If he wants to avoid the fate of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and other failed Arab despots, he would be wise to join deposed Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Jeddah and allow the country to heal and put itself together again without the unnecessary agony.

Sudans revolutionary experience

Sudan is a (largely neglected) school in democratic revolutionary practice, starting with its peacefully negotiated self-government in 1953 and independence three years later. The elite used exclusively peaceful protests and negotiations to achieve their goals.

It helped that Sudan was able to play the two colonial powers (Britain and Egypt) against each other. Interestingly, the self-government act promulgated by the British in 1953, was used, with slight modifications, as the constitution of all democratic governments in Sudan (1956, 1964 and 1985-6). The popular uprisings of October 1964 and April 1985 proceeded according to an almost identical script.

Student protests received the backing of trade unions and professional organisations, resulting in mass protests. Political parties then joined in, and influential sections within the military refused to take part in the repression, forcing the regime to cede power. A peaceful transition followed, with minimal disruption of the state or the economy, and no reprisals against former regime supporters. The process took one week in 1964, 12 days in 1985.

The current wave of protest is different in several important ways. This was not an elite-driven process, but a genuinely popular uprising, emanating from the periphery, not from Khartoum. It is thus virtually leaderless, much more so than the Arab uprisings, where media-savvy youth played a loose managerial role.

It is also a highly polarised affair. The current regime, unlike earlier ones, does have a residual core of popular support and a hard-core militant base, heavily armed and ready to fight. Political and civil society leaders are scrambling to replay the old script. On Christmas Day, they assembled a protest led by professional organisations, which voiced specific demands of regime change. Activists plan a campaign of civil disobedience and a series of mass protests and are working to forge consensus on change.

However, if no meaningful effort is made to win over the (largely Islamist) military and enlist disaffected Islamists, conflict may ensue. The difference between a popular uprising and a civil war is the degree of isolation of the regime.

It is a supreme irony that al-Bashirs current woes started only a couple of days after his return from a controversial visit to Syria, where he embraced his fellow genocidal despot, Bashar al-Assad. It is not known what advice he received from Damascus, but it is certain that Sudan cannot endure a Syrian scenario of protracted murderous carnage that would destroy what little the country has.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.Zalmay Khalilzad is likely not a happy man right now.

Khalilzad, the US special envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation, had been on an urgent mission: Launch a peace process with the Taliban, and launch it soon. With US President Donald Trump eager to wind down the war, Washington has been eager to get a deal to give the president cover for a withdrawal.

Khalilzad had made some progress. He facilitated several high-level meetings between senior US officials and Taliban representatives. The most encouraging exchange occurred in the UAE earlier this month.

They told me we cannot defeat you, Khalilzad said in an interview with the Afghan TV station Tolo News shortly after the UAE talks, referring to the Taliban. The insurgents told him that we should first sit with you, which means the US, then with Afghans, and resolve the issues through political means. Given that the Taliban representation included the head of its political office and chief of staff to supreme leader Mullah Akhundzada, such a conciliatory message is nothing to sneeze at.

And then, like a bolt from the blue, Khalilzads boss pulled the rug out from under him. Trump abruptly decided to withdraw nearly half of the 14,000-strong US troops in Afghanistan.

This move makes Khalilzads job much more difficult, as Washington seems to have lost ample leverage in future talks.

Trump squandered a precious opportunity

The US president has given the Taliban what theyve long demanded  a commitment to withdraw troops  and they didnt need to give up anything in return, much less conclude a deal. For the Taliban, the withdrawal decision is manna from heaven. For US negotiators, its a punch to the gut.

Getting the Taliban to agree to formal talks was a hard-enough sell before Trumps decision. The insurgents, who have pushed back hard against beleaguered Afghan forces and hold more territory than at any time since the 2001 US-led invasion, had little reason to stop fighting.

The Taliban has previously said it may be open to formal talks with the Afghan government to end the war once Washington commits to troop withdrawals. So why not view Trumps decision as an opening to launch a peace process?

Unfortunately, so long as Afghanistans current government remains in power, thats likely not in the cards. Even with a troop drawdown plan, the Taliban wont be itching to talk to the current Afghan government.

Ever since US forces expelled the Taliban from power in 2001, the group has denounced Afghan governments as illegitimate and puppets of Washington. The Taliban would argue that such crude characterisations apply particularly well to the present administration  a national unity government that is the product of a US-led negotiation, not an election.

After Afghanistans 2014 presidential election ended inconclusively, US Secretary of State John Kerry was dispatched to Kabul, where he hammered out a power-sharing deal between the two top vote-getters, Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah. These two men lead the current government.

So when Taliban statements, such as the one released in November, refer to the Afghan government as installed by the Americans and imposed on the Muslim Afghan nation, theyre not off the mark.

Ultimately, Trumps unilateral drawdown decision may have squandered Washingtons best chance to date to launch peace talks. The Taliban is poised to capitalise on the new battlefield advantage generated by a drawdown unaccompanied by a peace deal, and to step up its fight against a government to which it has no interest in talking.

What are Washingtons options now?

Ideally, Trump would walk back his drawdown decision and give Khalilzads diplomatic efforts more time. Its easier to justify a withdrawal if you can say that at least you tried to make peace first.

Realistically, Trump is unlikely to change course; hes never been comfortable remaining in Afghanistan. Additionally, the White House  especially with the impending departure of Defense Secretary James Mattis  has few remaining senior officials who support staying the course and are in a position to convince Trump to change his mind, or even to slow down the pace of the drawdown. Trump could well announce a full withdrawal in the coming months.

So what can Washington do to pick up the pieces of a shattered opportunity?

The first step is damage control. Top US officials should assure Kabul that despite imminent troop reductions, they arent abandoning Afghanistan. Washington should emphasise that it will continue to provide critical funding to Afghan security forces and to support efforts to expand the Afghan Special Forces, the crown jewel of Afghanistans army which is badly suffering from overexertion.

Such measures can ease Afghan concerns about US abandonment and limit the Talibans potential battlefield gains following US troop departures.

Second, if and when contacts with the Taliban resume, Washington should focus on getting the Taliban to formally renounce ties with al-Qaeda. Analysts have long feared that Afghanistan will revert to an international terrorism sanctuary in the event of a US withdrawal, and this fear may be one reason why a reluctant Trump agreed to keep troops in the country when he announced his Afghanistan strategy last year.

The same fear also drives the US negotiating strategy. In his Tolo News interview, Khalilzad said, If the menace of terrorism is tackled, the United States is not looking for a permanent military presence in Afghanistan. The Taliban is actively fighting a local affiliate of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS), but it retains ties to al-Qaeda.

Here is where Pakistan can be helpful. Washington should press Islamabad, which enjoys extensive influence over the insurgents, to take up the al-Qaeda issue with the Taliban, and to enlist key regional actors Russia, Iran, and China in this campaign, as well. These four countries dont get along with Washington, but they also have no interest in Afghanistan reverting to an al-Qaeda sanctuary.

There may be an opening. Tricia Bacon, a scholar who studies alliances between terror groups, has written that the Taliban is not as dependent on the operational and financial support it used to receive from al-Qaeda, while al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri enjoys less standing within the Taliban than did his predecessor, Osama bin Laden.

Third, Washington should extend its full backing to Afghan presidential elections scheduled for next year. Given security, technological, and logistical challenges, the poll will likely be flawed, but the chances of the Taliban talking to Kabul  and by extension, launching formal talks  are higher if Afghanistans leadership is the product of an election, warts and all, rather than an external US-led meditation.

In recent days, Afghan election officials have indicated the poll will be postponed by several months to fix technical glitches. In the best-case scenario, the delay would not only fix problems in the election process and make it more credible, but it would also allow for more time to build a blueprint for peace talks with the Taliban to begin once the new government takes office.

Amid a suddenly receding US role and presence in Afghanistan, Kabuls participation in a potential peace process has never been more critical. Khalilzad can limit the damage of his bosss rash decision by helping create the right conditions for an eventual launch of an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace process that Afghanistan and its long-suffering citizenry richly deserve.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.Deal master threatens to sabotage his own reelection if Democrats refuse to do his bidding. Photo: Yuri Gripas/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Donald Trump declared himself qualified for the worlds highest office in 2016, on the grounds that his exceptional deal-making acumen and economic expertise more than compensated for his lack of conventional credentials.

On Friday morning, the president tweeted that if Democrats refuse to fund his wall, he will engineer a massive recession (that would all but ensure Democratic victory in 2020)  because he is under the impression that the United States would profit by closing its southern border to all commerce, since the U.S. runs trade deficit with Mexico:

We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with. Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve!

The United States loses soooo much money on Trade with Mexico under NAFTA, over 75 Billion Dollars a year (not including Drug Money which would be many times that amount), that I would consider closing the Southern Border a profit making operation. We build a Wall or close the Southern Border. Bring our car industry back into the United States where it belongs. Go back to pre-NAFTA, before so many of our companies and jobs were so foolishly sent to Mexico. Either we build (finish) the Wall or we close the Border.

This is not the first time Trump has threatened to close the border if Congress defies his will. But until now, what the president meant by that phrase has been ambiguous. His latest tweets confirm that he has, in fact, been threatening to end (virtually) all commerce between the U.S. and Mexico, our nations third-largest trading partner. Upward of $30 billion worth of goods are shipped across the U.S. southern border on a monthly basis; interrupting that flow of goods for any significant period of time would paralyze major corporate supply chains, drive countless small businesses into insolvency, and terrorize global markets with the specter of American autarky.

Such a scheme would be so economically devastating  and politically suicidal  it is safe to assume that Trumps threat is entirely empty. Or, at least, that is what investors appear to believe; hours after the presidents tweetstorm, the Dow and S&P 500 were both up in early trading.

And yet, Trump would never do X because that would be stupid and politically counterproductive isnt the worlds most reliable heuristic. After all, the current (partial) government shutdown is itself the product of the president deciding that he could secure leverage over congressional Democrats by doing something stupid and politically counterproductive.

To review: Trump refused to support bipartisan legislation that would have kept the government open through the holiday season, in order to pressure Democrats into appropriating funds for his border wall. Which is to say, the president sabotaged the basic functioning of his own administration to draw attention to the fact that the Democratic Party does not support an extremely unpopular immigration policy, out of the ostensible belief that doing this would force Chuck Schumer to do his bidding immediately (instead of, say, waiting for Nancy Pelosi to collect the Speakers gavel next week).

This plan proved to be less than airtight. Recent polling shows that a large plurality of Americans blame Trump for the shutdown, and oppose his border wall. Meanwhile, the presidents approval rating in Morning Consults polling just dipped below 40 percent for the first time since he defended the very fine neo-Nazis who marched in Charlottesville in the summer of 2017.

Trumps threat to close the border appears to be a desperate attempt to secure some kind of leverage over negotiating partners who show no signs of caving. And it is (arguably) true that the president could at least temporarily shutter the U.S.-Mexico border by invoking his national security powers, and that this would inflict some economic pain on Democratic constituencies. It is also true that Trump has unilateral authority to initiate a thermonuclear armageddon, and that Nancy Pelosi would probably prefer to fund a border wall than perish in an atomic holocaust.

But our president is the kind of demented nihilist who threatens to use his national security powers to inflict suffering on the American people, for the sake of narrow legislative gains  not the kind who would actually do so! Or, probably not, anyway!

And that is apparently enough to persuade congressional Republicans that they have no responsibility to remove a demented nihilist from the Oval Office.Bahrain says it wants to strengthen the Arab role in Syria in order to combat regional interference in its affairs.

Bahrain has announced that work is continuing at its embassy in Syria, day after the UAE reopened its own diplomatic mission in the country.

The Bahraini embassy in the Syrian capital, Damascus, was closed following the start of a popular uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011, which escalated into a brutal and multifaceted war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people, displaced millions and destroyed the countrys infrastructure.

The Bahraini Foreign Ministry made the announcement in a statement on its website on Friday, saying it was anxious to continue relations with Syria and wants to strengthen the Arab role and reactivate it in order to preserve the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria and prevent the risk of regional interference in its affairs.

Syrias embassy in the Bahraini capital, Manama, is also operational and flights between the two countries are set to resume, according to the ministry statement.

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In October, Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa was seen warmly greeting his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Muallem at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Khalifa later defended the meeting in an interview, saying it was unplanned and calling Syria a brotherly, Arab nation.

What happens there concerns us more than anywhere else in the world. It is not right that regional and international players are involved in Syria while we are absent, Khalifa said.

Strengthening the Arab role

The embassy reopenings are the latest signs of a thaw in relations between Syria and other Arab countries [Omar Sanadiki/Reuters]

Bahrains decision came just hours after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reopened its embassy in central Damascus on Thursday.

Both Gulf countries were among several regional powers that initially backed opposition fighters in Syria, though their roles were reportedly less prominent than those of Saudi Arabia, Qatar or Turkey.





The moves are the latest indicators that some Arab countries are preparing to welcome Syria back into the fold after years of diplomatic isolation, which have seen the country expelled from the 22-member Arab League, and slapped with sanctions and condemnations of its use of military force against the opposition.

Trade between Jordan and Syria has resumed in recent weeks after the reopening of a border crossing in October and the first commercial flight from Syria to Tunisia in seven years took off on Thursday.

Earlier in December, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir became the first Arab head of state to visit Syria since the war began.

The warming relations come as regional and international powers jostle for position in Syria, following a year of advances by government forces, which has seen the defeat of the last sizeable rebel enclaves near Damascus.

An Arab role in Syria has become even more necessary to face the regional expansionism of Iran and Turkey, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said on Twitter on Thursday.

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Tehran has been a staunch supporter of Assads government and has expanded its military footprint in Syria throughout the course of the conflict. Along with Russia, which also supports Assad, and Turkey, which does not, Iran has played a central role in peace negotiations on Syria.

Meanwhile, in December, United States President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of all 2,000 US troops from Syria, clearing the path for Turkey to launch planned combat operations into northeastern Syria against an alliance of Kurdish and Arab groups that it views as an extension of an armed group fighting inside Turkey.

Trump also claimed that Saudi Arabia, Irans regional nemesis, had agreed to finance Syrias enormous reconstruction needs.

Saudi Arabia has now agreed to spend the necessary money needed to help rebuild Syria, instead of the United States, Trump said on Twitter.At least one naval officer killed as armed group seizes trove of weapons from two bases near Nigerian border with Chad.

Suspected Boko Haram fighters have attacked two military bases in northeast Nigeria, and briefly seized the headquarters of a multinational force comprising troops from Niger, Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon.

Nigerian authorities reported on Thursday that the fighters overran the multinational joint task force post (MNJTF) which lies in the fishing town of Baga, less than 10km from the Nigerian-Chad border, and sacked a naval base in Mile 3, some 5km from Baga.

A military source who asked not to be identified told the AFP news agency that Nigerian troops were overpowered and forced to withdraw, adding that the terrorists carted away gun trucks, ammunition and multiple rocket launchers from the base.

According to the source, the fighters from Boko Haram, who have repeatedly struck military outposts in the region in recent months, stormed Baga in several vehicles.

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Troops from the two bases withdrew to another naval base at Fish Dam on the shores of Lake Chad, the military source said, adding that they decided not to pursue them to avoid running into an ambush, a strategy Boko Haram often employs against the military.

Nigerian Army Spokesman Sani Usman confirmed the attack, adding that one navy officer was killed.

The troops along with their Nigerian Navy counterparts put up a very determined fight all night, he said, adding that the Nigerian Air Force component has also been mobilised and are engaging the fleeing terrorists.

Residents of the regional capital Maiduguri reported seeing six fighter jets flying towards Baga on Thursday.

Al Jazeeras Ahmed Idris, reporting from Calabar, Nigeria, said that the fighting around Baga continued on Friday morning.

The fighters have surrounded Baga town for a number of hours, some are talking about 24 hours, and the battle is ongoing in that area. The army can only confirm that yes, theres been some fighting, but it has not lost control of this town of Baga, which is a fishing community.

Some residents who have fled the town are saying that Boko Haram fighters were deep inside the town. One particular resident was saying that they even led morning prayers this morning in Baga town.

But the military is not giving many details, only confirming that one personnel was killed, and that they are on a search and rescue in certain areas, an indication that probably some of their soldiers have been dispersed by Boko Haram.

We were told by a military source that operations in that area are ongoing.

Millions forced to flee

In January 2015, Boko Haram overran the same MNJTF base and took control of Baga town.

Idris described those events as one of the worst Boko Haram massacres in Nigeria.

Boko Haram fighters overran that same military base, the multinational joint task force, he said.They took over arms and ammunition from that area and massacred more than 1,000 civilians.

Since Boko Haram launched its campaign in northeast Nigeria in 2009, the armed group has killed at least 27,000 people and forced more than two million to flee their homes.

Nigerias military has been fighting the group since then and despite the governments insistence that it is near defeat, northern Nigeria is still beleaguered by heavy fighting.

Over the years, Boko Haram, which wants to form a breakaway state, has kidnapped thousands of adults and children.

Boko Haram attacks are a major issue for President Muhammadu Buhari as he seeks a second term in the upcoming election in February.

After a recent series of deadly attacks on Nigerias military, Buhari and other officials have warned that the group has begun using drones as part of a resurgence.For nearly one year, soldiers carrying machine guns have been raiding some of Brazils most dangerous favelas.

Brazils military claims its crackdown on crime in Rio de Janeiro has been a success.

The controversial operation, due to end on Monday, targeted some of the states most violent areas  most of them in the capital.

But some residents say it failed to address the root causes of the problem.

Al Jazeeras Katia Lopez-Hodoyan reports.Security minister announces increase in police and army patrols in Toeni near Mali border after deadly attack.

Ten police officers were killed and three wounded in an ambush in northwestern Burkina Faso on Thursday, the West African countrys security ministry said.

The toll is 10 officers who have lost their lives and three wounded, the ministry said in a statement, adding that a police convoy from the Toeni region and reinforcements from the Dedougou area had been ambushed.

Security Minister Clement Sawadogo confirmed the toll on national television, announcing an increase in police and army forces patrolling the area.





The officers were attacked while heading to the village of Loroni, near the border with Mali, after a school had been attacked and textbooks torched by armed assailants, a security source told AFP news agency.

The wounded, including two in serious condition, were taken to a hospital in Dedougou, the source added.

A convoy of defence and security forces who were scrambled from Tougan to come to the scene of the tragedy  also hit an explosive device that ripped through the lead vehicle but fortunately did not kill anybody, Sawadogo said, adding that three of the four officers in the vehicle were wounded.

This is an area that has recently been the target of a number of attacks. Arrangements have been made for regular patrols but we are working to strengthen the security system on all the sensitive axes of the zone, he said.

Burkina Faso has been increasingly hit by deadly attacks over the last three years.

They began in the north of the country but have since spread to the east, near the border with Togo and Benin.

On Wednesday, a police officer died during an attack on his station in the northern town of Solan.

Most attacks are attributed to the armed group Ansarul Islam, which emerged near the Mali border in December 2016, and to the JNIM (the Group to Support Islam and Muslims), which has sworn allegiance to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

Those groups are believed to be responsible for more than 255 deaths since 2015.

The capital Ouagadougou has been hit three times and almost 60 people have died there.King Salman turns to a steady pair of hands in Ibrahim al-Assaf to draw in foreign investment amid Khashoggi crisis.

When he emerged on the political scene in 2015, 33-year-old Mohammed bin Salman, known by his initials MBS, was given a rock stars welcome by US politicians and Silicon Valley executives.

Saudi Arabias young crown prince had a vision for the kingdom: He planned to diversify the economy, improve public services, such as healthcare and education, and drastically reduce dependence on oil.

But nearly two years on, the worlds youngest defence minister and de-facto ruler of one of its last absolute monarchies, has failed to keep pace with most of his proposed reforms.

On Thursday, his ageing father, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, 83, reasserted his power as the kingdom struggles with its worst diplomatic crisis since the September 11, 2001 attacks.

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Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, who has repeatedly defended the monarchy following the brutal murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, was demoted to the position of minister of state for foreign affairs.

In return, 69-year-old Ibrahim al-Assaf, who was arrested last year during MBS so-called anti-corruption drive, was brought in as his replacement.

The other notable cabinet changes saw Prince Miteb bin Abdullah fired as the chief of the National Guard, while Khalid bin Qirar al-Harbi was named general security chief and Musaed al-Aiban was appointed national security adviser.

Western businesses have looked askance at what's been going on in Saudi Arabia. It's not just the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, but it's also the many other blunders that MBS has conducted - the first and most obvious being the terrible war in Yemen Bill Law, Middle East analyst

Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeeras senior political analyst, said Assafs appointment was a signal from Riyadh to the international community that it was open for business  literally.

The Saudis are trying to send a message that they want to change, they want to regain confidence and credibility in the international community, especially among the international business community.

And since Assaf was something of a star at the Davos summits and the World Economic summits in previous years, Riyadh reckons hes the man for the new challenge  which is to bring back business and much-needed investment.

MBS needs foreign investment

The outcry over Khashoggis brutal murder in October saw dozens of prominent CEOs and international media pull out of MBS Davos in the desert summit, the crown princes attempt to suck foreign investment into the Saudi economy.

The murder, as well as the Saudi governments shifting narratives, fractured Riyadhs relations with its Western allies, and according to Forbes, foreign investment in the local stock market  Tadawul  has been falling steadily.

International shareholders controlled 5.1 percent of all listed shares on September 27, Forbes said, but the list of shares fell to 4.7 percent by early November.

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The fall was not a surprise. The UN reported earlier this year that foreign direct investment had fallen by 23 percent in 2017 to $1.4bn, its lowest level in 14 years.

Western businesses have looked askance at whats been going on in Saudi Arabia, said Bill Law, a Middle East analyst.

Its not just the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, but its also the many other blunders that MBS has conducted  the first and most obvious being the terrible war in Yemen.

MBS has faced widespread criticism in recent months for the horrific humanitarian disaster unfolding in Yemen where more than 20 million people need some form of humanitarian assistance.

The kingdom has been heading a US-backed military coalition fighting against Houthi rebels since March 2015, and has launched more than 18,000 air raids on the impoverished country.

Schools and hospitals have not been spared from the bombardment, and according to Save the Children, an estimated 85,000 children under the age of five have starved to death as a result of the war.

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Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have also maintained a blockade on food and much-needed medicine in the Houthi-controlled regions of Yemen, resulting in a cholera outbreak.

If we recall what happened in November 2017, he [MBS] also rounded up 200 senior members of the ruling family and business people, these were all individuals with very good connections with western business, the very people he needs to get western investment coming in, Law said.

Many of them, including Prince Turki bin Abdullah, Prince Abdul Aziz bin Fahd and prominent businessman such as Mohammed al-Amoudi, are still missing and thought to be held in secret locations without access to legal advice.

With the price of oil sitting at around $50 a barrel, the Saudis urgently need to get it over $70 a barrel. Until then, he [MBS] needs foreign investment to kick-start the Saudi economy so it can live up to Vision 2030.

Vision 2030, the flagship programme of MBS, contains a list of ambitious aims including plans to start manufacturing 50 percent of all of its military equipment and for non-oil state revenues to increase five-fold.

Law added that Assafs appointment was intended as a statement to western businesses. Its like a hey, look we might have made a mistake here, but we need your investment, the past is the past, lets move forward, he said.

US Congress holds MBS fate

Besides Vision 2030, MBS has also announced several ambitious projects including Neom, a futuristic mega-city of self-driving cars and passenger drones.

Several foreign advisory board members, including British billionaire Richard Branson, have distanced themselves from the project following Khashoggis death.

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Rami Khouri, a non-resident senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, said Assafs appointment was King Salmans attempt at both consolidating his sons authority and steadying the Saudi ship.

Jubeir didnt do too well when talking about the Khashoggi murder, but then again, nobody in Saudi Arabia did. They were all saying things which turned out to be untrue.

So, its not as if Jubeir didnt carry the load, he did. He was a loyal servant and has been for the last 30 years or so.

But this is more of an attempt to show the world that changes are being made, despite there not being any real change in policy.

The latest changes in the cabinet have brought in a lot of younger princes who are close to MBS, so thats strengthened his grip on power to some extent, but its also brought in some experienced managers -Ibrahim Assaf and others.

This will help steady the ship in terms of the management of the affairs of state.

Several US senators, from both sides of the political divide, have expressed their anger over Khashoggis murder.

Riyadh has been a key ally of the US for decades and has grown closer with Washington under the Trump administration.

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Trump has pointed to a $450bn arms deal with Saudi Arabia and the kingdoms position as a bulwark to Iranian expansion in the region as reasons to continue close relations.

The US Congress is probably, right now, the single most important player [in determining MBS fate], Khouri said.

Ahead of the new Congress in January, they have taken several decisions which are critical of MBS and the Saudi leadership, [including decisions on] the Khashoggi murder, the war in Yemen and other issues  and it seems theyre not going to let go.

MBS is damaged goods but he is not out of the picture. He is still a very strong player. His father just reaffirmed support for him and hes brought in people who close to him, so theyre going to try and ride this one out.

So his [MBS] future is going to depend on a lot on what foreign capitals do in the next two months or so.Electoral commission says 20 percent of polling stations in the capital Kinshasa wont be open for Sundays election.

Kinshasa, DRC  The Democratic Republic of Congos electoral commission has said that 20 percent of the polling stations in the capital, Kinshasa will not open for voting on Sunday.

The electoral commission (CENI) told Al Jazeera 1,600 stations out of 7,939 in the city will not open for voting because of a lack of voting machines.

Voters will be directed to other polling stations in the city, CENI said.

Fire destroyed one of the commissions main warehouses in Kinshasa earlier this month.

CENI said the blaze destroyed 8,000 of 10,368 voting machines due to be used in Kinshasa.

The city is home to about 15 percent of the 46 million registered voters in the country.

The opposition Lamuka coalition said the decision not to open the stations was another tactic by the electoral body to deny voters the chance to exercise their democratic right.

All this is manoeuvre the electoral commission is doing to try and exclude some Congolese from voting. We want peaceful, democratic and fair elections to be held this Sunday in the whole country, Rudy Mandio, senior adviser to Lamuka leader Martin Fayulu, told Al Jazeera.

They are coming every day with new bad surprises. After Beni, Butembo and Yumbi, its now 20 percent of the people of Kinshasa who are excluded, Mandio added.

Meanwhile, in Goma, the provincial headquarters of North Kivu province, protesters unhappy with the postponement of elections in two cities in the province burned tires and blocked roads before security forces used tear gas and live rounds to disperse them.

CENI said voting in the cities of Beni and Butembo will take place in March next year due to an ongoing Ebola outbreak in the region.

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The outbreak, which was declared in August, is the second deadliest in history and has claimed the lives of more than 320 people.

The commission also delayed the vote in the western city of Yumbi until March following ethnic violence in the area that left at least 100 people dead.

The elections have been repeatedly delayed, leading to deadly street protests.

The vote was first scheduled to take place in 2016 but was postponed to December 23 after CENI said it did not have the resources to hold the polls.

Polls were then delayed by a week to December 30 over the ongoing Ebola outbreak and the lack of voter materials, following a fire at the commission warehouse.

As many as 21 candidates are running to succeed long-time leader Joseph Kabila, who is stepping down after 17 years in power.

DR Congo, a mineral-rich country in central Africa home to more than 60 percent of the worlds cobalt, has never had a peaceful transfer of power since it gained independence from Belgium in 1960.Israels settlements undermine viability of a two-state solution and the possibility of lasting peace, states say.

The European Union, United Kingdom, France and Turkey have condemned Israels latest approval to expand illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

On December 25 and 26, Israels Higher Planning Committee approved the construction of 2,191 housing units in Israeli settlements.

The EU stressed that Israels decision undermines the viability of the two-state solution and the possibility of lasting peace in a written statement on Thursday.

The European Unions position on Israeli settlement construction and related activities is clear and remains unchanged: all settlement activity is illegal under international law, the statement reads.

France on Thursday condemned the move and called on the Israeli administration to reconsider the decision which heightens tensions.

The settlements endanger the two-state solution, which is the only solution that would allow for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The UK said the recent decision is unacceptable and disappointing and urged Israel to cease such actions.

Such actions are illegal under international law and call into question Israels commitment to any future peace agreement with the Palestinians, Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt said.

196 illegal settlements

Early on Friday Turkeys Foreign Ministry issued a statement rejecting Israels illegal decision saying that it carelessly continues to violate international law, especially the relevant United Nations resolutions and the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Israels settlements in the West Bank are a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, according to the UN, which forbids states from transferring their citizens to occupied land, as well as a presumptive war crime under the 1998 Statute of Rome that set up the International Criminal Court.

Israels Planning Committee approved the nearly 2,200 new housing units a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced early elections for April 2019.

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Plans for 82 new homes in the Ofra settlement near Ramallah  where a shooting attack occurred earlier this month  have also reportedly received the green light.

According to Palestinian figures, roughly 640,000 Jewish settlers now live on 196 settlements (built with the Israeli governments approval) and more than 200 settler outposts (built without its approval) across the occupied West Bank.

The vast majority of the international community considers the West Bank and East Jerusalem as occupied territories and consider Israeli settlement-building activity there to be illegal.

The Israeli-Palestinian peace process collapsed in mid-2014 due to Israels continued refusal to halt West Bank settlement building and accept pre-1967 borders as a basis for a two-state solution.

While Israels settlement projects have regularly drawn condemnation from Palestinians and in Europe, the US administration under President Donald Trump has taken a largely uncritical public stand.

According to Michael Lynk, the UN special rapporteur for human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Israel has refused to comply with more than 40 UN Security Council resolutions and about 100 General Assembly resolutions.Twenty years since collapse of ultra-communist movement, policy hailed by Cambodia PM for ending war back in spotlight.

Anlong Veng, Cambodia  In late 1998, Peng Samonn, a war-weary Khmer Rouge cadre who had spent decades fighting in the jungles on the Thai border, got wind of a secret plot to desert the notorious ultra-communists and join Cambodias government forces.

A Khmer Rouge commander told me about divisions and that there would be a defection soon, so to spread the news, 70-year-old Samonn said earlier this month, sitting outside the same home he lived in under the Khmer Rouge.

But if another faction had found out, I would have been killed. I shared it with 10 families and we all fled.

Led by military leader Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge government had been overthrown almost exactly 20 years before that incident by Vietnamese-backed forces. Around 1.7 million Cambodians had perished in less than four years (1975-1979) as a result of starvation, illness, overwork and murder as the Khmer Rouges disastrous agrarian revolution unfolded.

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Despite their defeat, the Khmer Rouge continued to fight on, retreating to remote areas and controlling small pockets of the country up until late 1998. Anlong Veng was their final stronghold, overseen by the much-feared Ta Mok, a senior Khmer Rouge leader who died in 2006 while awaiting trial for genocide and crimes against humanity.

Yim Choeun experienced first-hand the ruthlessness of Ta Mok in the 1990s. The 61-year-old currently lives on a sizeable plot of land a short drive from Anlong Veng town, in what used to be called the Village of Swollen and Rotten Flesh  a term used for enemies and capitalists coined by Pol Pot decades before.

They accused me and my wife of selling pangolins to the Thais. I was put in a human cage, he said, adding that he was only released due to a need for manpower amid an offensive from government forces.

I did not expect to be alive.

Khmer Rouge soldiers line up before changing into government army fatigues in Anlong Veng [Courtesy Documentation Center of Cambodia/Al Jazeera]

Plans for Khmer Rouge defections to the government were cultivated long before 1998.

In 1991, 19 counties signed the Paris Peace Accords in an effort to end Cambodias civil war and put the country on the path towards democracy. Under the terms of the agreement, the United Nations would send a peacekeeping mission to Cambodia (UNTAC) until 1993  the first time the world body would govern a state  to supervise a truce and prepare the country for a new constitution and free and fair elections.

Many in the Khmer Rouge strongholds hoped that the accords could bring an end to the war. These hopes, however, were dashed when the Khmer Rouge leadership boycotted the 1993 national elections and vowed to continue the fight.

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The vote was won by Funcinpec, a royalist party led by Prince Norodom Ranariddh, but Hun Sen, of the Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP), managed to manoeuvre a power-sharing agreement. A former Khmer Rouge commander, Hun Sen had fled to Vietnam in 1977 to join forces opposing the group, before returning to Cambodia to serve as minister of foreign affairs after the Vietnamese installed a new government in 1979. He became a prime minister in 1985.

Confined in isolated areas, the Khmer Rouge grew weaker from year to year. By 1996, two other Khmer Rouge strongholds in Pailin and Malai had reintegrated with the government, raising alarm bells in Anlong Veng.

Ta Mok then attempted negotiations with Funcinpec royalists behind the back of Pol Pot. The move appeared to act as a catalyst for factional fighting between forces loyal to Funcinpec and to CPP in 1997, resulting in the latter securing full control until this day, in what many define as a coup detat.

Over the next year, the Khmer Rouge disintegrated further through infighting, as well as defections to the government under Prime Minister Hun Sens self-styled win-win policy which saw the peaceful reintegration of former fighters into Cambodian society.

On December 4, 1998, both sides reached an agreement marking the final chapter of the KR (Khmer Rouge) defection and ultimate dissolution of the KR remnants who had struggled against the government for nearly twenty-eight years, wrote Dy Khamboly and Christopher Dearing in A History of the Anlong Veng Community.

In addition, all former KR soldiers and civilians would be recognised as legal citizens of Cambodia, with the right to retain their current property as well as hold administrative positions in the area.

In a set of highly orchestrated reintegration ceremonies in Anlong Veng in early 1999, Khmer Rouge soldiers downed their weapons and changed into government army fatigues.

Hun Sens win-win policy was completed.

Khmer Rouge cadres stand in front of piles of weapons during a reintegration ceremony in Anlong Veng in early 1999 [Courtesy Documentation Center of Cambodia/Al Jazeera]

On Saturday, tens of thousands of people are expected to attend the inauguration of the Win-Win Monument in the capital, Phnom Penh, to celebrate 20 years since the Khmer Rouge finally fell and two of its leaders  Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan  visited Hun Sen for peace talks. Both are now serving double life sentences for crimes, including genocide.

Hun Sen has long credited the win-win policy for terminating the fighting, touting the end of the civil war as perhaps his greatest achievement. But while this was a landmark moment in recent Cambodian history, Hun Sen has also been accused of using the term for ulterior motives.

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Last year, shortly before the highly controversial dissolution of his only credible electoral threat, the Cambodia National Rescue Party, Hun Sen had told opposition commune councillors that they could hold on to their jobs if they defected to the ruling party.

This is a win-win policy, he said.

Sebastian Strangio, author of Hun Sens Cambodia, said the prime minister deserves credit for engineering the military offensives and political deals that led to the breakup of the Khmer Rouge.

However, he believes Hun Sen has since exploited its legacy for his own political objectives.

Of course, this achievement has since been rolled into a totalising political claim that raises up the CPP as the only legitimate representative of the Cambodian people, and paints its opponents as enemies bent on rekindling the civil war, he said.

While all the win-win talk is to an extent based on a real achievement, it is now used as a political cudgel to shut down debate and foreclose any feasible alternative to the current ruling party.

Political analyst Lao Mong Hay argued that, more than anything, the win-win policy was a display of political opportunism on the part of Hun Sen, who is one the worlds longest-serving prime ministers.

What he did was just a finishing touch to end the war. It was morally questionable, surrendering to evil then rewarding the evil doers, the Khmer Rouge, said Mong Hay, adding that the move was down to Hun Sens efforts to legitimise his rule after losing the 1993 elections to Funcinpec.

Mong Hay also argued it was an attempt to undermine UNTAC, which oversaw the 1993 ballot but failed to end the civil war.

The CPP lost the election, meaning its rule from 1991 was not legitimate and confirmed the acknowledgement by the international community that the regime was a puppet of Vietnam. That factor contributed to Hun Sen extolling his win-win policy, said Mong Hay.

It was like a molehill turned into a mountain.

A billboard of Prime Minister Hun Sen next to Ta Mok Lake in Anlong Veng [George Wright/Al Jazeera]

But in Anlong Veng, support for Hun Sen and his ruling party is widespread. Despite initial concerns about his assurances over the win-win policy, Samonn is thankful that himself and others were allowed to carry on with their lives in peace.

Right after the reintegration and win-win policy, I was sceptical because the Khmer Rouge technically lost the war and from my experience, when the Khmer Rouge came to power, they killed their rivals, he said.

But Hun Sen stayed true to his word.

Kheng Pha, a 64-year-old former Khmer Rouge official who is now a CPP village chief in Anlong Veng, agrees.

The win-win policy is a great policy, its one of a kind in this world, he said, speaking beneath a poster showing Hun Sen sitting in a rural field alongside the words, Our hope, our village, our country, our future.

We could all win and end the war, even the losers could not lose. Soldiers changed from communist to Democrats, we had salaries, he added.

Communism couldnt win against democracy.

Additional reporting by Phath BoraThree Indian astronauts will be sent to space by 2022, as part of Indias ambitious Gaganyaan project.

The Indian government has announced it is allocating 100 billion rupees ($1.43bn) for its first manned space mission, set to be launched by 2022.

Today, the Cabinet has given the go-ahead to the Indian Human Space Flight Initiative, Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters in New Delhi on Friday.

We will send a three-member crew for seven days into space. We are aiming to complete the pilot initiative within 40 months from now, he added.

India is aiming to expand the countrys influence in the competitive $300bn global space industry.





An unmanned test launch of the project is likely scheduled for December 2020.

The Gaganyaan project  Hindi for spacecraft  is part of the governments ambition to make India a global low-cost provider of services in space.

In 2014, India put a satellite into orbit around Mars, becoming the fourth nation to do so. Indias Mars Mission cost less than the budget of the Hollywood space blockbuster Gravity. In November this year, India fired a rocket carrying 31 satellites into space, many on behalf of foreign governments.

The Indian manned mission, announced in August this year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will aim to send a three-member crew to space for seven days. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has said it hopes to deploy its biggest rocket, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark III to transport the three Indians into space.

Deterrence measure

For the manned mission, ISRO has already inked collaboration agreements with Russias Roscosmos and Frances CNES space agencies.

A manned space mission is a natural progression in a countrys space journey. Commercial market space conservation is an important factor for India to develop its space capabilities. But over the last decade or so, India has attempted to make changes to its space policy, Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, the head of the Nuclear and Space Policy Initiative at the Observer Research Foundation, told Al Jazeera.

India has its own interests in space, beyond economics and development. Increasingly, there are military and security-related aspects driving Indias space programme. For instance, Chinas anti-satellite test in 2007 had given rise to new debate within India as to how it should develop its own deterrence measures, she added.

Indias neighbour China first sent humans to space in 2003.

New Delhis space programme was launched in the early 1960s but it remains a small player in the global space industry.

Both China and India have dedicated billions of dollars to their space programmes, but their budgets are still far below that of the United States, which is estimated at $40bn.

With their ambitious space exploration and Mars missions, China and India have become members of a select club of space-faring nations along with the US, Russia, France and Japan.

Despite its success, many have questioned the projects steep price tag, which they say is too high for a country that still has to deal with widespread hunger and poverty.Oz was known world-wide for a collection of novels, essays, and his memoir.

Amos Oz, one of Israels most famous authors, has died at the age of 79, his daughter confirmed on Twitter.

My beloved father, Amos Oz, a wonderful family man, an author, a man of peace and moderation, died peacefully today after a short battle with cancer, Fania Oz-Salzberger wrote on Friday.

Born in 1939 to a family of Eastern European Jews who moved to British-occupied Mandate Palestine, Oz fought in the 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli wars but was later a critic of Israels occupation of land captured in those conflicts.

The novelist advocated a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, for which he said painful concessions needed to be made on both sides.

In recent years he became a critic of what he called the growing extremism of his government, especially Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a position that made him the target of anger from Israels far right.

Amos Oz in 2005: "Israel and Palestineare like the jailer and his prisoner, handcuffed to one another. After so many years, there is almost no difference between them: the jailer is no more free than his prisoner. Such an absurd erasure of the structures of power was typical.  Ben White (@benabyad) December 28, 2018

Palestinians and their supporters also voiced criticism of Oz, who they say shielded Israel from criticism over its occupation and for his support of Israeli wars in Gaza, as well as the 2006 Lebanon War.

British author and pro-Palestinian activist Ben White said Ozs views echoed white South Africans anxieties during Apartheid.

He referred to an opinion piece written for the Guardian at the start of the second Intifada, in which Oz said: The Palestinian people are suffocated and poisoned by blind hate.

For Oz  a committed proponent of ethnic separation  a Palestinian majority in a single state was an apocalyptic prospect, White wrote.

As an author, Oz was critically acclaimed, earning plaudits, such as the Goethe Prize, the Legion of Honor, the Franz Kafka Prize, and the Prince of Asturias Award in Literature.

He published dozens of books and was best known for his memoir, A Tale of Love and Darkness, which actor and director Natalie Portman adapted for the screen in 2016.

It was a tale of love and light, and now, a great darkness, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said in a statement eulogising Oz. Rest in peace, dear Amos. You gave us great pleasure.

Author Amos Oz, one of Israel's leading intellectuals who did not shy away from expressing his pro-peace views despite public backlash, passed away today at 79. RIP pic.twitter.com/N8OiZTyydd  Elizabeth Tsurkov (@Elizrael) December 28, 2018There are issues galore such as the Angel Tax, but the Indian start-up ecosystem appears to be on a stronger footing. Rajan Anandan, the Vice President, South East Asia and India, Google, and the President of TiE Delhi-NCR, thinks Indian start-ups have entered a new phase and the ecosystem is "accelerating".

By acceleration, Anandan means scaling up. The number of unicorns or companies with over a billion dollars in valuation is growing at a fast clip.

"In 2018, we have had eight new unicorns. At the end of 2017, we had eight. We doubled the number of unicorns in just one year. Second, if you look at the ability of companies to go from zero to 10 million users or 20 million users on the consumer Internet side, it is accelerating," he told Business Today during an interaction.

ALSO READ:2018: A year of unicorns

There are many reasons why start-ups now are able to add this many number of users super quick. People are spending more time online; the management teams of many start-ups have experienced professionals or those who have worked with successful consumer Internet companies such as Flipkart before.

"The single biggest thing that has happened on the demonstration of acceleration is Udaan - the company went from founding to becoming a unicorn in two years," says Anandan. "That almost never happens in the United States. This is not a spun-off from an existing company. Udaan started from scratch. If you ask industry veterans, they will say it takes eight-ten years to become a billion dollars company. Now, companies can become billion dollars in two-three-four years. The time to becoming a unicorn is shrinking because the markets are getting larger and two, management teams are more seasoned. They have seen the movie of how to build a scale company quickly," he adds.

Udaan, a B2B trade platform, was founded by three former Flipkart executives, Vaibhav Gupta, Amod Malviya and Sujeet Kumar.

A second trend in the Indian start-up ecosystem is what Anandan calls "broad-basing". A Nasscom-Zinnov report titled 'Indian Start-up Ecosystem 2018: Approaching Escape Velocity' says there are over 7,500 start-ups. About 12 per cent or more could be B2B companies or Software as a Service (SaaS) companies.

"B2B has made a revival. You will see massive amounts of activity in this space. So we are seeing a broad-basing within tech and broad-basing on geographies," he says.

ALSO READ:Oyo to invest $200 million in India; to focus on building capacity than profit, says CEO Ritesh Agarwal

For the first time in the last 18 months, companies such as Ola, OYO, and Paytm have expanded beyond India.

While B2B is making a revival, there would be fewer unicorns in this space. That's because it is harder for a B2B start-up to scale. "It takes longer. You have to hire sales people to sell. You cannot do digital marketing and discounting. You have to expand either to the US or South East Asia and other places," Anandan says.

Anandan, an angel investor, doesn't measure B2B firms with the unicorn metric. He has two other proxies - founding to one million annual revenue run rate (ARR) and one million to 10 million ARR.

"In the US, you can go from zero to one million in 18 to 24 months. Then you can go from one million to 10 million in two-three years. In India, it takes much longer. So if it's a 10 million revenue for a B2B SaaS company in India, it is worth $80 million to $100 million. That's how B2B is valued or eight-ten times revenue. That means, you have to get to $80-100 million revenues before you can become a unicorn."

ALSO READ:Online tutoring app Byju touches $3.8 billion valuation, fifth most valued startup

B2B companies now have deep vertical expertise, Anandan says. A few other challenges such as customers not wanting to buy and pay are getting sorted as well.

"There are at least five B2B SaaS start-ups that get $10 million just from India. My view is that the next big wave has started but this wave would take longer to get to the kind of scale we have seen on the consumer Internet side," Anandan concludes.While vowing to carry out hunts off its coast, Japan halted its most provocative whaling: annual Antarctic expeditions.

The Japanese government has made good on years of threats by bolting the International Whaling Commission (IWC), but its decision may also offer a way out of tensions that looked inextricable.

Japan, which calls whaling part of its cultural heritage, said on Wednesday it would withdraw from the seven-decade-old commission which since 1986 has banned the commercial killing of the ocean giants.

But while Japan vowed to forge ahead with full-fledged commercial hunts off its coast, it put a halt to its most provocative whaling  annual expeditions to the Antarctic which use an IWC loophole that permits whaling for scientific research.

Australia and New Zealand have been outraged by Japans incursions into waters they consider a whale sanctuary and activists harassed the whalers in often dangerous chases.

Patrick Ramage, a veteran watcher of IWC negotiations, called the announcement an elegantly Japanese solution that looks on the surface like defiance but will likely mean a much smaller hunt.

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What this provides is a face-saving way out of high seas whaling. And it is difficult to see that as anything other than good news for whales and the commission established to manage and conserve them, Ramage, programme director for marine conservation at the International Fund for Animal Welfare, told AFP news agency.

Ramage said that the IWC, where Japan will now have observer status, can focus on increasingly serious threats to whales such as climate change, plastic pollution, ship-strikes and accidental net entanglement from the soaring fishing industry.

It will be a net positive to allow the commission and its member countries to move beyond what has been a disproportionate and warping debate on whaling, he said.

Norway and Iceland also hunt whales but remain within the IWC, instead formally registering objections to the ban.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which opposes any killing of whales and attempted to stop Japans fleet forcibly in the Antarctic, declared victory over Tokyos announcement but vowed not to accept any whaling by the three countries.





Mounting obstacles

For Japan, which generally prides itself on its contributions to international organisations, whaling has been a rare space in which it confronts its usual Western allies, with Japanese officials at IWC meetings railing against what they see as cultural imperialism.

While whale meat is rarely eaten in modern Japan, whaling has become a matter of principle for the powerful fishing business and port cities such as Shimonoseki, the home base of conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

But Japans whalers also faced serious obstacles outside the IWC. The Nisshin Maru, the worlds only remaining whaler factory ship and flagship in the scientific expeditions, is 31 years old and set for replacement.

Japan  adamant that it has always followed the letter of the law  also in 2014 lost a lawsuit filed by Australia at the International Court of Justice, which rejected Tokyos argument that its whaling was for science, although the narrow ruling allowed the Japanese government to reconstitute its programme.

And CITES, the global conference that governs wildlife trade to protect endangered species, in October reprimanded Japan for shipments of meat of sei whales, the main type it kills on the high seas.

Japans coastal whaling is expected to focus on minkes, the smallest of the great whales whose stocks are widely considered healthy.





Latest shift for IWC?

The Cambridge, England-based IWC was established after World War II to manage whaling, seeking to ensure meat for a hungry Japan and, less successfully, to contain the Soviet Unions prolific slaughter of whales.

After the IWC voted for the moratorium, Japan sought to pack the commission with allies  often small developing countries with no whaling tradition  but has continuously failed to reach the two-third threshold it needed.

As one of the earliest results of international environmental diplomacy, the IWC has advocates who say it must be preserved.

Peter Stoett, a professor at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology who has written a book on the IWC, said Japans withdrawal marked a setback for the commission which will no longer have universal membership.

But he said Japans absence could reorient the IWC once again to focus on science and diplomacy to address climate change and other urgent threats to whales and other cetaceans.

As dramatic as this is, the major threat to cetaceans today is not coming from harpoons, Stoett said.

The end of all whales could come, but that would be because the oceans are just too warm for the ecosystem support structure that they need, he said.Roadside bomb hits bus carrying tourists near Egypts famed Giza pyramids, killing four and wounding 11 others.

A roadside bomb has hit a tourist bus near the Pyramids of Giza, south of the capital Cairo, killing three Vietnamese and their Egyptian guide, officials said.

The bus was travelling in the Marioutiyah area near the pyramids on Friday when the crude roadside bomb, concealed by a wall, went off, Egypts chief prosecutor Nabil Sadeq said in a statement.

The blast wounded 11 other Vietnamese tourists as well as the Egyptian driver.

The bus was carrying a total of 15 Vietnamese tourists, according to Vietnams Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It said that 10 people were seriously injured.

The tourists were heading to a sound and light show at the pyramids, which they had visited earlier in the day, said Lan Le, 41, who was also on board the bus but remained unhurt.

We were going to the sound and light show and then suddenly we heard a bomb. It was terrible, people screaming, she told Reuters news agency, speaking at Al Haram Hospital, where the injured were taken.

I dont remember anything after.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.

Deadly attacks

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli visited the injured tourists in hospital, where he announced that the tour guide had died from his wounds.





Madbouli urged against amplifying the incident as he insisted that no country in the world can guarantee that its 100 percent safe.

Its possible at times that an individual incident takes place here or there, he told journalists. We have to know that its possible that it would be repeated in the future.

Madbouli also told a local television channel that the bus had deviated from a route secured by the security forces, an assertion also made by the owner of the company that organised the bus tour.

The driver, however, denied the claim to local media.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Egypt Tran Thanh Cong also visited the scene of the attack and Al Haram Hospital, where the victims were being treated.

The bombing is the first deadly attack against foreign tourists in Egypt for over a year and comes as the tourism sector, a vital source of foreign currency revenue, recovers from a sharp drop in visitor numbers since a 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Hosni Mubarak.

Egyptians and tourists have been targeted in recent years as the countrys army and police try to suppress armed groups in the Sinai peninsula.

The government says the battle against such groups is a priority as it works to restore stability after the years of turmoil that followed the 2011 protests.

The last deadly attack on foreign tourists in Egypt was in July 2017, when two Germans were stabbed to death in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada.The US military calls parties to respect the integrity of Manbij and the safety of its citizens.

The Syrian army has not entered Manbij, the United States military has said after the former claimed they had gone into the key northern city and raised the national flag.

Despite incorrect information about changes to the military forces in Manbij city, (the US-led coalition) has seen no indication of these claims being true, US Central Command spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Earl Brown said on Friday.

Manbij is a strategic city close to the Turkish border where Kurdish forces have been deployed since 2016.

American and French special operations troops are also stationed there, assisting the Kurds, but the US military will be withdrawing under a surprise pull-out announced by President Donald Trump last week.

Brown called on all parties to respect the integrity of Manbij and the safety of its citizens.

Our mission has not changed. We will continue to support our coalition partners, while also conducting a deliberate and controlled withdrawal of forces, while taking all measures possible to ensure our troops safety and that of our partners on the ground, he told AFP news agency.

No sign of Syrian forces

The Syrian government announced earlier on Friday that it had entered the town of Manbij and raised the national flag there.

It also pledged to guarantee full security for all Syrian citizens and others present in the area, according to Syrian state-run news agency SANA.

However, Al Jazeeras Mohammed Adow, reporting from Gaziantep on the Turkish border, said residents of Manbij, which lies 30km south of the Turkish border, dispute the Syrian armys claim.

Manbij residents who we spoke to have said that they have not seen any sign of Syrian forces in their city but what we know is that Syrian government troops have already been on the outskirts of the city, where they were part of an international coalition that is fighting remnants of ISIL, he said.

Nura al-Hamed, deputy head of the Manbij local authority, told AFP that the regime deployment was the result of Russian-sponsored negotiations.

The regime forces will not enter the city of Manbij itself but will deploy on the demarcation line with Turkish-backed Syrian groups, she said.

Shift in alliance

The Syrian armys deployment creates a government buffer arching across northern Syria that fully separates the Turkish army and its proxies from the Kurds.

Turkey reacted to the deployment by warning all sides to stay away from provocative actions while a large convoy of its Syrian auxiliaries was seen moving closer to the western edge of Manbij.

The US withdrawal from Syria has sent Kurdish forces scrambling to find allies to fend off a possible attack from Turkey, which views the fighters as terrorists.

The Kurds have welcomed a Syrian government advance in Manbij city, a pragmatic shift in alliances that will dash their aspirations for autonomy but could help them cut their losses.

The Peoples Protection Units (YPG) have been the backbone of an alliance that has spearheaded the US-backed fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL, also known as ISIS) in Syria.

We invite the Syrian government forces to assert control over the areas our forces have withdrawn from, particularly in Manbij, and to protect these areas against a Turkish invasion, the YPG said in a statement.

Al Jazeeras correspondent said the YPGs appeal was a tactic by its fighters to avoid confrontation with the Turkish forces who they, of course, know they are no match for.

Following the conflicting reports regarding Manbij on Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayipp Erdogan said Turkey will have no reason to be in Manbij once terrorist organisations leave.Crimeas de facto authorities say the fence aims to protect the peninsulas population from Kievs crazy antics.

Russia has built a 60km fence on the border with Ukraine on the north of the Russian-annexed Crimea, according to the de facto Crimean authorities.

Yefim Fiks, a spokesman for the de facto Crimean parliament, told the Russian news agency Ria Novosti on Friday that the move was necessary to protect the local population from the crazy antics of the current Ukrainian government.

He claimed that everything can be expected from the authorities in Kiev.

Even if these provocations do not come from the authorities, inadequate radicals can do it, Fiks said.

Andriy Demchenko, the spokesman for Ukraines border guard service, told Reuters news agency that the measure was mere propaganda.

It is more likely a propaganda move by Russia to demonstrate strengthening security, separating from Ukraine and to make sure that, as they say, sabotage groups wont be able to cross the border in future, he said.

Ukraine divided  personal stories from warring sides

I hope that neither this fence nor other actions by occupants will lead to limitation of Ukrainian citizens right to visit the peninsula.

The European Union regards Russias annexation of Crimea as a violation of international law and insists on the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

The conflict between the Moscow-backed separatists and the Ukrainian army in the east of the country has killed more than 10,000 people since 2014, according to the United Nations.

In the period until shortly before Christmas, 104 dead have been counted so far this year.

Holiday truce

In the area of conflict, a truce has been called for on Saturday starting at 0:01am (22:01 GMT).

Yevgen Marchuk, the Ukrainian ambassador to the peace talks with the rebels, said: We stressed that this ceasefire must be used as much as possible for the repair of critical infrastructure facilities that are damaged. Unfortunately, there are several such facilities.





The ceasefire does not have a time limit and is not just until Orthodox Christmas on January 7, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said on Friday.

Welcoming the truce deal, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron pressed Russia in a joint statement on Friday to release Ukrainian sailors captured over a month ago in time for the new year and Orthodox Christmas.

They also vowed to keep up pressure to implement a 2015 peace deal for eastern Ukraine.

The long-simmering conflict between Russia and Ukraine that started with Russias annexation of Crimea escalated on November 25 when the Russian coastguard fired upon and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews.Anti-government protests staged after Friday prayers in capital Khartoum and other cities following oppositions call.

Sudanese police have fired tear gas and stun grenades on hundreds of protesters in several cities, including the capital Khartoum, as opposition groups urged for more anti-government protests.

The protests, which entered their 10th day on Friday, were staged after the weekly prayers in some areas of Khartoum, its twin city Omdurman, Port Sudan, Atbara and Madani, witnesses said.

Hundreds of worshippers emerged from the mosque in Khartoums twin city of Omdurman on the west bank of the Nile to protest, but anti-riot police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Worshippers also marched in the eastern city of Atbara, where the deadly protests against a rise in the prices of bread and fuel first began on December 19.

Ten days of deadly protests

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Sudan has been rocked by 10 days of anti-government protests sparked by rising prices, shortages of basic commodities and a cash crisis.

The protests came as opposition groups called for more anti-government rallies to be held over the next few days.

The Sudanese authorities responded by arresting at least nine opposition leaders and activists, according to a civil society group.

The head of the media office at the National Intelligence and Security Service denied any knowledge of the arrests.

At least 19 people have died during the protests, including two military personnel, according to official figures. However, rights group Amnesty International put the death toll at 37.

The opposition leaders were arrested late on Thursday after security forces raided their meeting in Khartoum according to a statement by a committee of professional organisations involved in the protests.

The nine arrested included Siddiq Youssef, a senior leader of Sudans Communist Party, as well as leaders from the pan-Arab Baath and Nasserist parties, the statement said.

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The raid came after opposition groups called for more protests after the weekly noon prayers on Friday.

Fourteen leaders of one of Sudans two main opposition groupings were briefly held last Saturday.

Al Jazeeras Hiba Morgan, reporting from Khartoum, said the protests were getting increased backing from political and civil society groups.

It is not clear if the government would allow the protests to go, we have seen on Tuesday how they responded with tear gas and live ammunition, she said, adding: And this is basically what might be happening today again that more live ammunition and tear gas will be used and that the death toll will rise.

Economic crisis

Protests initially started in towns and villages more than a week ago and later spread to Khartoum, as people rallied against the government tripling the price of a loaf of bread from one Sudanese pound to three ($0.02 to $0.06).

Demonstrators have also been marching against Sudans dire economic situation and some have called for President Omar al-Bashirs resignation.

Doctors and journalists have launched a strike in support of the protests.

Sudan has been gripped by a deep financial crisis since 2011 when the southern half of the country voted to secede, taking with it three-quarters of the countrys oil output.

The crisis was further aggravated by years of overspending and mismanagement.

Opposition groups blame Bashir, who has been in power since a 1989 coup, for the mismanagement.

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A series of economic measures, including a sharp devaluation of the Sudanese pound in October, have failed to shore up the economy.

In January, Sudan was shaken by rare nationwide protests triggered by high bread prices.

But the recent protests that began on December 19 appear to be more serious.

Since the demonstrations began, police have used tear gas and sometimes live ammunition against demonstrators, according to residents.

The authorities have shuttered schools and declared curfews and a state of emergency in several regions.

Journalists at the daily Al-Sudani said one of their colleagues was beaten by security forces after protesters passed next to the independent newspapers offices.The protests have resulted in dozens killed and even more injured.

Sudans government says 19 people have been killed since anti-government demonstrations began more than a week ago.

Journalists went on strike on Thursday in solidarity with demonstrators, who are angry over the rising cost of living and are calling for President Omar Al Bashir to step down.

Al Jazeeras Hiba Morgan has more from the capital Khartoum.Reported troop entry into Manbij comes after Kurdish YPG asked for government help in preventing a Turkish invasion.

Syrias army says it has entered the flashpoint city of Manbij, according to state media, after the countrys main Kurdish armed group invited government forces to take control of the northern area and protect it from a threatened Turkish offensive.

State-run SANA news agency said the Syrian army raised the national flag in Manbij on Friday and pledged to guarantee full security for all Syrian citizens and others present in the area.

However, Al Jazeeras Mohammed Adow, reporting from Gaziantep on the Turkish border, said residents of Manbij, which lies 30km south of the Turkish border, dispute the Syrian armys claim.

Manbij residents who we spoke to have said that they have not seen any sign of Syrian forces in their city. But what we know is that Syrian government troops have already been on the outskirts of the city, where they were part of an international coalition that is fighting remnants of ISIL, he said.

Ilham Ahmed, a senior Kurdish official, also told the Associated Press news agency that government troops had arrived at the front lines of Manbij, but have not taken over the city.

The Syrian military declaration came moments after the Peoples Protection Unit, or YPG, requested President Bashar al-Assads government to prevent a Turkish invasion in the area.

That appeal follows a US decision it would withdraw all its troop from Syria.

We invite the Syrian government forces to assert control over the areas our forces have withdrawn from, in particularly Manbij, and to protect these areas against a Turkish invasion.https://t.co/OAkymO8s9Q  Peoples Defense Units (@DefenseUnits) December 28, 2018

The YPG, which Turkey regards as a terrorist group, said its fighters had previously withdrawn from Manbij to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).

With the YPG at its forefront, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) seized Manbij in 2016 from ISIL, a milestone in the US-backed battle against the armed group.

Ahmed, the Kurdish official, said that US troops who patrol the city have not withdrawn from the city, adding that an agreement was being worked out with the Syrian government and the Russians to allow government troops to take over in case of a full US withdrawal from the area.

The aim is to ward off a Turkish offensive, Ahmed said. If the Turks excuse is the [Kurdish fighters], they will leave their posts to the government.





Last resort

Turkey had threatened a military operation against Manbij to remove the Kurdish-led forces there. Turkey and its allied fighters have been amassing troops around the city in recent days.

Our correspondent said the YPGs appeal was a tactic by its fighters to avoid confrontation with the Turkish forces who they, of course, know they are no match for.

Following the conflicting reports regarding Manbij on Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayipp Erdogan said Turkey will have no reason to be in Manbij once terrorist organisations leave.

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The Turkish threats triggered the US announcement that it would withdraw troops from Syria.

A timetable for the withdrawal has not yet been made public. But the surprise US decision rattled allies and the US Syrian Kurdish partners, who scrambled to find new allies to protect their Kurdish-administered areas in northern Syria.

Assads government has said it welcomes the Kurdish group returning under its authority. But government officials have stated they will not consider an autonomous area, a main demand for the Kurds.

There was no immediate response from the United States.

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Russia welcomed the Syrian armys entry into Manbij.

Of course, this will help in stabilising the situation. The enlargement of the zone under the control of government forces  is, without doubt, a positive trend, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Sami Nader, director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Studies, said Syrian troop entry into Manbij, if confirmed, was a significant development.

It is a solution all regional powers can accept because Turkey doesnt want US troops in Manbij, while the other players dont want Turkish troops there, he told Al Jazeera from Beirut, Lebanon

The YPG invitation was a last resort because they are squeezed and they fear an Afrin scenario, he said, referring to a Turkish assault earlier this year which expelled the YPG from the border town of Afrin.The ruling Awami League has been hard-selling development to millions of voters ahead of the December 30 poll.

Dhaka, Bangladesh  As election campaigning draws to a close, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged Bangladeshis to vote for the boat  a symbol of her ruling party that has dominated Bangladeshs political scene for the past decade.

Loudspeakers have been blurting out pro-government campaign songs to woo voters, while the streets of Dhaka have been emblazoned with posters of Hasinas Awami League (AL) party and the Grand Alliance coalition.

In contrast, the opposition has remained largely silent ahead of Sundays elections, citing intimidation and threat of arrest by law enforcement agencies.

On Friday, the streets were comparatively quieter as the parties ended their near month-long bitter campaign marred by violence.

The main opposition, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), whose leader Khaleda Zia was jailed in February for corruption, said thousands of supporters have been arrested ahead of the poll, and scores of its candidates have been attacked.

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In order to remove Hasina, the BNP has joined forces with Kamal Hossain, a leading lawyer who was previously a close ally of Hasinas father, also Bangladeshs founding president.

Critics, including Hossain, have accused Hasina, who is seeking office for a third consecutive term, of authoritarian rule, noting increased curbs on press freedom.

But Hasina, who wrapped up her campaign with a warning to voters to remain alert to subversive activity of the BNP and its cohorts, has promoted a different narrative  Bangladeshs impressive economic growth in the past decade under her rule.

GDP has grown, but if you look at the inequality, it has intensified according to credible studies and data Asif Nazrul, professor of law at the University of Dhaka

From darkness to prosperity

Since she took power in 2008, Bangladeshs per capita income has seen a three-fold increase. The countrys gross domestic product (GDP) stood at $250bn in 2017, according to the IMF, and last year clocked a growth rate of 7.28 percent.

I promise to build a more beautiful future by learning from the past. We will build a non-communal golden Bangladesh free from hunger, poverty and illiteracy as cherished by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina said at the launch of her party manifesto two weeks ago.

The ALs manifesto promises to make Bangladesh, one of the worlds most densely populated countries with a population of 160 million, a middle-income nation by 2021 and triple its current per capita income of $1,750 in the next decade.

The garment industry has emerged as one of the main pillars of the economy, providing jobs to 4.5 million people. It makes up 14 percent of the GDP and nearly 80 percent of the countrys exports worth $35bn.

Nearly 2.5 million Bangladeshi expatriates send home about $15bn annually in remittance.

201331152359691295

The South Asian nation has performed well on most human development index indicators by controlling its population growth, improving infant mortality drastically that has resulted into higher life expectancy, which at 72 years, has surpassed those of India and Pakistan.

Mahbubul Alam Hanif, a senior AL leader, said there has been development in every sector under Hasina.

Sheikh Hasina brought the country out of darkness to prosperity, AL Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said. The country has totally transformed in the last 10 years.

Khondokar Ibrahim Khaled, an economist, acknowledged the high growth rate, but added that much more was needed to develop the banking sector, which he said has suffered from non-performing loans.

The devastating situation in the banking sector was not properly dealt with. Even after 80 percent bad loan at the Basic Bank no action was taken. There are bad loans still in government banks. This was simply looting, Khaled said.

BNP has joined forces with Kamal Hossain, a leading lawyer, to remove Hasina [Mahmud Hossain Opu/Al Jazeera]

Development over democracy

Entrepreneurs have lauded the government for its pro-business policies but some lamented the slow pace of infrastructure.

Syed Almas Kabir, president of the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), the biggest umbrella organisation representing the countrys IT sector, said: the government has been sincere about supporting local businesses.

Asif Nazrul, professor at University of Dhaka, says inequality has risen in the last decade [Mahmud Hossain Opu/Al Jazeera]

But many critics and opposition leaders have raised their concerns at inequitable growth that they say has favoured the countrys wealthy class.

Asif Nazrul, professor of law at the University of Dhaka, says that inequality has risen in the last decade.

It is true that the GDP has grown. But if you look at the inequality, it has intensified according to credible studies and data, the Dhaka professor said.

Professor Nazrul said the ruling party is promising development minus democracy.

If you read our constitution and the history of our liberation movement, does it say anywhere: you can enjoy fruits of development if you are ready to sacrifice your democratic rights.

On Friday, the streets were comparatively quieter as parties ended their month-long campaign [Mahmud Hossain Opu/Al Jazeera]

Who has given the government the right to proclaim that we have given you development, do not bother about democracy.

A restaurant owner in Dhakas Kawran Bazaar area echoed that sentiment, saying his business has not grown much, in the last five years.

The 30-year-old, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal, told Al Jazeera: I am not happy with the government  Many supporters of the ruling party visit my restaurant and ask us to vote for them. I cant tell you which party I am going to vote for.

INTERACTIVE: Understanding Bangladesh elections 2018 [Al Jazeera]

No one can survive wrath of ruling party

Mouri Huq (not her real name), 31, who works in the education sector and supports BNP, described Hasinas decade-long rule as a long nightmare.

No one could survive the wrath of the ruling party if they had a different political position than the government. I can cite so many examples of this from my experience, she said.

The enforced disappearances left the families of the victims wondering if their loved ones are alive or dead. A situation like that never existed before.

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Many critics and opposition supporters Al Jazeera spoke to said they feared to express their opinions in the public.

Editors have adopted self-censorship as the government passed a Digital Security Act that has been dubbed as draconian by rights groups. Under the law passed in September, police officials can search or arrest anyone without a warrant.

The arrest of renowned photographer Shahidul Alam in August for expressing his opinion against the government caused an outcry. He is since out on bail but if he is convicted under the ICT law, he might face up to 14 years in jail.

The opposition, which has accused Hasina muzzling press freedom, has pledged to take down the media laws passed by the government if it comes to power.

But Asaduzzaman Noor, the minister of culture, rejected the charges against Hasina as nothing but blame-game.

She belongs to the people, she belongs to the soil, and she is the daughter of the father of the nation, said the 72-year-old actor-turned leader.

Her commitment is to improve the quality of lives of people of Bangladesh. To achieve that, she has to fight against many odds, but some people think she is authoritarian, but its not so, he added.

She is fighting for the people, not for the vested interests.The storm follows the same track as 2013s devastating typhoon Haiyan.

A tropical depression is bringing torrential rain to the Philippines.

The downpours started in the western part of the country, with Guiuan reporting 61mm of rain in 24 hours before the storm made its landfall.

Guiuan was completely destroyed by super typhoon Haiyan, which devastated the Philippines in 2013. The Mayor of Guiuan, Christopher Gonzales, had put it at that time: Its total damage, 100 percent damage.

The current storm, known in the Philippines as Usman, is following the same path as Haiyan, which killed over 8,000 people according to Reliefweb, part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The city of Tacloban also suffered widespread devastation in Haiyan, with a team of researchers from the University of Tokyo saying the massive waves on top of the storm surge had left water marks 14 metres above mean sea level.

Storm Usman is also likely to drive water into San Pablo Bay and could cause flooding around Tacloban, but the storm is far, far weaker, so the flooding is not expected to be severe.

Instead, the main problem from the tropical depression is likely to be caused by the amount of rain it brings.

It is expected to take 36 hours before it eventually clears the island of Palawan in the west of the country. This slow progress will ensure the country endures a prolonged onslaught of wet weather.

As much as 300mm of rain is expected in some areas, which is approximately the amount that usually falls in the entire month of December.

That much rain could cause rivers and streams to overflow their banks, triggering flash flooding, and could also lead to mudslides in the hilly terrain.

The Philippines is no stranger to tropical cyclones, with an average of 20 affecting the country and its surrounding waters each year.

The storms can hit in any month, but usually, June to September are the most active.Donald Trump said the alternative to funding his controversial wall project would be total separation from Mexico.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to seal the United States-Mexico border entirely if Congress does not approve billions of dollars in funding for a wall.

In a burst of early morning tweets on Friday, Trump said the alternative to funding his controversial wall project would be total separation from Mexico  including making US car companies pull out their factories based on the other side of the frontier.

The threat yet again upped the ante in a political dispute that has led to a partial shutdown of the United States government and seems set to dominate the start to the third year of Trumps presidency.

We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with. Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall, Trump tweeted.

Trump said he would then take US-Mexican relations back to the days before the NAFTA agreement opened free trade across Canada, Mexico and the US.

That would bring our car industry back into the United States where it belongs, he said.

It was not clear how separating the two huge neighbours would work. Bilateral trade totalled an estimated $615.9bn in 2017, according to US government figures.

Neither did Trump make any mention of the new free trade agreement, known as the USMCA, which he only recently signed with the two neighbouring countries to replace NAFTA and which he has repeatedly praised as a huge boost for American commerce.

Democrats and some Republicans view the wall as a costly, unneeded and ineffective project, but some Republicans support the idea and back Trumps demand for $5bn in partial funding.

Democrats, on the other hand, have refused to approve funding and Trump, who has made hard line immigration policies a centrepiece of his presidency, has retaliated by refusing to sign off on a wider spending bill, leaving some 800,000 federal employees without pay.

In Mexico, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador sidestepped Trumps threat, telling journalists: We dont want to be imprudent and we dont think we should get into this.The trailer of Anupam Kher-starrer 'The Accidental Prime Minister' has stirred commotion in the political corridors of the country and might have stepped on some toes in the process. The trailer paints Manmohan Singh as a victim of the politics by the Congress during his dual tenure as the Prime Minister in UPA-I and II governments. Reports on Friday afternoon suggested that the silver screen recollection based on the book of the same name might be prohibited from releasing in Madhya Pradesh.

However, the Congress party, which came into power in Madhya Pradesh after the recent State Assembly elections, has denied any ban on the film in the state. "This is incorrect. M.P Govt has taken no such decision," posted Congress MLA Randeep Singh Surjewala on Twitter.

This is incorrect. M.P Govt has taken no such decision. Fake propaganda by BJP won't desist us from questioning the Modi Govt on- Rural Distress, Unemployment, Demo Disaster, Flawed GST, Failed Modinomics, All pervading Corruption! Nation wants Governance, not diversion! https://t.co/ArKOALpS09 - Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) December 28, 2018

The movie The Acccidental Prime Minister revolves around Dr Manmohan Singh, the economist and politician who served as the Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014 under the United Progressive Alliance.

The trailer of the film, which was released on Thursday, has already generated quite a buzz on social media after it showed Singh as the victim of the inside politics during the Congress-led UPA government regime. Based on the former Prime Minister's media advisor Sanjaya Baru's book, the movie has created a political stir that showed a controversial relationship between Dr Singh and the Congress party.

The political controversy was sparked after the three-minute long trailer of the film was shared by the official Twitter handle of the BJP, @BJP4India.

Riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years. Was Dr Singh just a regent who was holding on to the PM's chair till the time heir was ready? Watch the official trailer of #TheAccidentalPrimeMinister, based on an insider's account, releasing on 11 Jan! pic.twitter.com/ToliKa8xaH - BJP (@BJP4India) December 27, 2018

ALSO READ:Instagram accidentally rolls out major change in app, pulls it back

The tweet garnered a lot of attention, with many criticising government for endorsing a Bollywood movie based on the opposition and a previous government.

Many in the Congress have raised objections over the the film, while the BJP has praised it as a "riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years".

In one of his tweets, Surjewala said it that it was a part of fake propaganda by the BJP ahead of the 2019 general elections. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has not made any comment on the film.

Directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, the film is a biographical political drama, presented by Rudra Production (UK), Bohra Bros in association with Dr Jayantilal Gada (Pen India Limited). Written by Mayank Tewari, the film will hit cinemas on January 11.

Edited by Chitranjan KumarLebanon had elections seven months ago after a hiatus of nine years but a political stalemate has ensued ever since.

It was a Christmas of protests in Lebanon. The formation of a government was the promised gift, but those elected failed to iron out their differences, forcing people out onto the streets to demonstrate against the many problems crippling the country.

A number of civil society groups have organised protests over the last 10 days, marching in Tripoli and Nabatieh, while the capital, Beirut, drew one of the biggest gatherings.

The protests were focused on an economic crisis, which has led to falling living standards, and has worsened since May due to political instability caused by the inability of political factions to form a government.

Those taking part chanted slogans demanding an end to corruption and better civic facilities, as well as reminding politicians to do what they had been elected to do and run the country.

Scuffles broke out between Lebanese soldiers and those marching in Beirut  with some protesters burning rubbish and throwing rubbish bins in the direction of the soldiers.

Hasan Shaaban, a photographer with the English-language newspaper Daily Star, was one of those attacked by soldiers.

The soldiers kicked me to the ground, punched me, and hit me anywhere they could, he said.

Shaaban said that while he was randomly picked, the soldiers specifically targeted photographers who were documenting attacks on unarmed civilians.

I saw 10 soldiers hitting and kicking one guy, he said. They beat up innocent bystanders who just stepped out of a restaurant to see what was happening.

That afternoon, the army released a statement emphasising that while they respected the right of civil protest, freedom of expression, and the right to make demands, demonstrators must not vandalise private and public property.

Shaaban said that he had covered many protests and seen protesters throw rubbish bins to block the streets.

Each time, he said, riot police intervened to clear up the situation peacefully. This time, he said, the army did not let the riot police handle the situation.

The Lebanese army intervened themselves. They were aggressive because the protest was independently organised and there were no political parties to back the protesters, he said.

Instead, the protests were organised on social media by citizens and social activists. The latest took place on December 26.

Some protesters even wore yellow vests  seen in anti-government protests in France recently  but with a cedar tree, Lebanons national symbol.

The Lebanese PM-designate Saad Hariri had assured Lebanese citizens that by Christmas or the New Year they would have a government.

I think the pressure that we have from the economic crisis is pushing more and more (politicians) to form the government, he said.

But these hopes seem quashed as the wrangling over cabinet positions in Lebanons unity government has thwarted all attempts at compromise.

Government needed for economic stability

Lebanon had elections seven months ago after a hiatus of nine years but a political stalemate has ensued ever since.

Mired in debt and a stagnant growth rate, Lebanon needs a government to implement economic reforms all sides agree are needed to encourage foreign investment.

Vicky Khoury of the Sabaa political party, who attended the protest, said that she and her colleagues had been staging sit-ins in front of several government ministries over the last week and demanding those elected take responsibility for tumbling finances in the country.





They are just busy fighting over their share of power and who gets what, she said. Seven months is not a joke. We cannot afford to live without a government.

The International Monetary Fund estimated Lebanons gross domestic product (GDP) growth to be at one percent this year, whereas it needs at least six percent annually to provide jobs to the roughly 30,000 Lebanese citizens joining the labour market each year.

Amy Sheaito, an accountant by profession and a protester, said that joblessness is one of the biggest problems bringing people out to protest.

Everything is messed up. There are no jobs for young people, she said. The protests will go on as long as things do not change.

Earlier this month the World Bank called for an end to the impasse in Lebanon and for the building of a climate of confidence for donors and investors.

Currently, projects worth millions of dollars are stuck in limbo because the caretaker government in place cannot take major decisions regarding the economy.

Against parliamentarians

While the protesters want a functioning government, they do not think existing MPs can fix the countrys problems.

They were all warlords, they are all corrupt, Amy, a protester said. Adding: Our slogan is, return the stolen money, thats what they have stolen from the people.





Khoury, the Sabaa party politician, said that politicians opposed to the current status-quo have demanded a law, under which parliamentarians must declare their assets before and after coming to power.

Like Amy, she too accused the leaders of exploiting their positions to accumulate personal wealth.

The greater struggle for the protesters is replacing the current crop of politicians with civil society candidates or technocrats.

But in the last elections, just one such candidate managed to win and secure a place in the parliament.

Amy said that it may take time but Lebanon will get there. She said, for now, some sort of a government is needed so at least basic governmental tasks can be performed.

At least the administration will be running when a government is in place, thats really all that we can expect, she said.

On Wednesday, a day after Christmas, tens of Lebanese people again marched in central Beirut.

They said that more protests are coming. One of them held a placard which read, They can take our lives but they can never take our freedom.Dozens were killed in a fire at a prison last month, but experts say it was an accident waiting to happen.When we dig into history books, we can hardly find people or countries that have gone out of existence for as long as 2,000 years and then reappeared and been reborn. Thus, it is indeed accurate to say that the rebirth of Israel, this beautiful ancient culture, people, and land, is truly a miracle from God.

I believe that the time has come to unite all Israel. Historically and biblically, both Judea and Samaria undeniably have been part of the heritage of the Jewish people. They belonged to Israel 2,000 years ago, and they belong to Israel now. Arabs have absolutely no historic ties to Judea and Samaria. Historic ties are the basis of assertions to a geographic area.

Annexation of these two historical Jewish lands will stipulate a strong and well defined standing for West Bank Arabs. Israeli equal justice under the law will apply to all people. All terrorists' infrastructures will be eradicated. The residents of those regions will be subjected to Israeli rules and regulation and will be dealt with in the same fashion that all countries deal with domestic insurgent, treachery, and lawless organizations.

"The Jewish people didn't wake up one day saying 'Jews are connected to the Land of Israel.' The whole story, the history and the destiny of the Jewish people, is geared toward the idea that we were there and we are coming back."

Let us clarify this now and forever: historically and otherwise, there has never been a Palestinian state, nor a political body that is owned by Palestinians. According to the advancement of international agreements from 1917 until 1947, the land of Israel was renamed Palestine by the Romans in the 2nd century. It was later divided into three states: Jordan, a Jewish state, and an Arab state. While the Jews swallowed this excruciating deal, shrinking the size of their ancestral land by over 75%, the Arabs snubbed and rejected it altogether. As a result, the Arabs launched an invasion against the newly established State of Israel in 1948. Jordan managed to occupy the area of Judea and Samaria and illegitimately annexed it.

Let's keep in mind that the Palestinian claim to Judea and Samaria started when the Israelis captured these regions from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War. Recall, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (the PLO) was created in 1964 before Israel's capture of the West Bank, because they wanted to establish a Palestinian state in Israel's place, without any references to the land of the West Bank, which was annexed by Jordan. They started their false claim over the West Bank only when it was in Israeli's possession.

Implications of the Application of Israeli Sovereignty over Judea and Samaria

According to Institute for National Security Studies:

[T]he voices calling for the application of Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria have recently grown louder. The proposals vary in scope: some relate to the entire area; others relate to Area C, i.e., the area outside the Palestinian urban areas and villages governed by the Palestinian Authority (Areas A and B); and some propose that sovereignty be extended over a portion or all the Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria. The application of the Israeli law over the territory is, in essence, the application of sovereignty, and the application of sovereignty is, in essence, annexation. The difference in terms is a matter of political sensitivity and semantics, but there is no material legal difference between them.

Another fact we must consider as gospel truth is that one of the Muslims' goals in this world is to destroy Israel. Unfortunately, there is nothing Israel can do to erase this historic dilemma. And their intention to destroy Israel is not necessarily because Islam is a "Religion of Hate," and the Quran directly orders Muslims to kill the Jews; it is because they see Israel as a bastion of Western civilization, which directly threatens their Islamic values.

A Historical Fact

This is not the place, nor is it necessary to provide exhaustive documentation of the historical suffering of the Jewish people.

However, contrary to Islamic dogma, the Persian people are proud of their historical friendship with the Jewish people. The bond of friendship goes back to the landmark action of King Cyrus the Great of Persia. In 537 B.C., having conquered Babylon, the benevolent King Cyrus freed the Jews from captivity and empowered them to return to their promised land to build their temple and have a peaceful life and worship their God. The return of the Jews to their promised land did not mark the end of their ordeal. Successive waves of ill wishers, notably the Romans and then belligerent Muslims, unleashed their unjustified wrath on the Jews. The Jewish people, despite suffering huge losses at the hands of their enemies, remained resilient and outlived their tormentors. The Pogroms in Russia, the ghettoization in much of Europe, and even genocidal Nazism failed to wipe out the Jews.

The Jews' journey from their early beginnings to the present has been fraught with great suffering. It is a tribute to the indomitable spirit of the Jewish people that they persisted in their valiant struggle to gather again in the land of their birth. They should also be applauded for affording millions of Israeli Arabs opportunities denied to them in many other lands.

Now the time has come for Israel to formally annex Judea and Samaria, the remaining Jewish land, back to the bosom of the motherland. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is a savvy and articulate politician, and he knows that President Trump, who has been dubbed the next "Cyrus the Great," will stand for the rights of the Jews, as well as equal rights under the law for any and all religious and secular people in Israel.

In short: Judea and Samaria should be returned to their rightful owners.There are, I believe, positive developments -- even reasons for cautious good cheer  as 2019 faces conservatives, even as the assault on our constitutional order continues (and I use this phrase advisedly).

The most obvious positive result is to be found in the results of the midterm elections. True, the GOP lost the House, yet on the positive side, Paul Ryan -- who played a key role in slowing down the House investigations into the Russia Hoax and even, as it turns out, the initial dissemination of the Clinton campaign's "dossier" -- is gone. That alone is a positive development, as is the emergence of a more unified Republican caucus.

On the Senate side the news is even better. The GOP majority has been expanded -- an historically unlikely achievement. Traitorous members have been discarded -- McCain, Flake, Corker -- and replaced by either more conservative new senators or new senators who owe their election to Trump's remarkable campaign effort and who will therefore be in his debt. This bodes well for confirmations, both of judges -- including very possibly another seat on the Supreme Court -- but also for perhaps the key cabinet position: the confirmation of a new attorney general to replace the feckless Jeff Sessions.

Already, in that regard, we have good news. Matt Whitaker, the acting AG, has been cleared by an internal ethics review at DoJ to supervise Team Mueller. Of course, emboldened by their success with Sessions, the usual Democrat suspects brought forward the by now standard demands for recusal, citing Whitaker's past criticisms of Mueller. Whitaker, despite anonymous DoJ sources suggesting recusal out of "an abundance of caution," wisely and out of a strong sense of principle refused to recuse himself. The notion that anyone who has paid attention to ongoing events in the public life of the nation and who has both an opinion and the gumption to express that opinion should recuse himself from a position of authority is too bankrupt for serious consideration.

The stage is now set for Whitaker to play an active role in oversight of Team Mueller. If the Democrats have a problem with that, there is a ready solution. They can try their luck with Bill Barr by allowing his confirmation as AG to proceed expeditiously.

Barr is, as former AG Michael Mukasey wrote in "The Phony Attack on William Barr", "probably the best-qualified nominee for U.S. attorney general since Robert Jackson in 1940... Mr. Barr has already served as attorney general under George H.W. Bush, as well as assistant attorney general in charge of the Office of Legal Counsel [OLC], the authoritative voice within the Justice Department on issues of law throughout the government."

Official portrait of William Barr as Attorney General

Beyond his obvious qualifications, Barr has demonstrated over the past few years a degree of principle and even courage in his concern for the public weal that recommends him for the position of Attorney General. For a lawyer of his accomplishments, to have remained silent at his stage in both his life and his career would have been easy. Instead, he has spoken out forcefully regarding what he has been able to discern of the direction that Mueller has been leading his team of Clinton partisans. Even more notable in a way, Barr took the unusual step of embodying his views not in an op-ed piece but instead in a tightly reasoned 19-page memo to Rod Rosenstein and Stephen Engel (the Ass't AG currently in charge of OLC).

In this memo Barr takes Mueller to task for what Barr describes as a theory of obstruction of justice (regarding the firing of James Comey) that is "fatally misconceived." Mueller's theory, says Barr, is "premised on a novel and legally insupportable reading of the law." And he goes on to examine Mueller's theory in detail, analyzing both the relevant statutory law as well as the past positions on obstruction that DoJ itself has taken.

Barr's sense of public duty and principle as well as his courage in expressing views that are bound to be unpopular with the Washington establishment that knows him well, speaks volumes about his character. Predictably, the release of this memo has been greeted with howls of outrage and calls for his preemptive recusal from all matters concerning Team Mueller. I'm not much of one for predictions, but in this case, I'll go out on a limb a bit. I predict that Barr will refuse to offer any sort of preemptive pledge of recusal, and I further predict that, when confirmed, he will not recuse himself but will instead examine Team Mueller's legal theories and their prosecutorial practices with a critical eye focused on justice.

Those qualities of principle, sense of public duty, and courage were on display late last year, as noted by the New York Times, when the paper questioned former AGs regarding Trump's continued calls for investigation of Hillary Clinton:

Of 10 former attorneys general contacted Tuesday, only one responded to a question about what they would do in Mr. Sessionss situation. There is nothing inherently wrong about a president calling for an investigation, said William P. Barr, who ran the Justice Department under President George Bush. Although an investigation shouldnt be launched just because a president wants it, the ultimate question is whether the matter warrants investigation. Mr. Barr said he sees more basis for investigating the uranium deal than any supposed collusion between Mr. Trump and Russia. To the extent it is not pursuing these matters, the department is abdicating its responsibility, he said.

Regarding the utterly predictable and unprincipled calls for Barr's recusal or rejection as AG, former AG Mukasey stated, with a touch of irony:

The logical implication of opposing Mr. Barrs appointment or seeking his recusal because he has opined on a matter of substantial public concern is that the only people suitable for public office are those who are ignorant of public issues or indifferent to them. That in itself should silence his critics.

All this, I submit, offers reason for hope.

Mark Wauck is a retired FBI agent who blogs on philosophy, religion, and national security at meaning in history. In his previous life he had over two decades of experience in counterintelligence matters.President Trump's decision to pull out of Syria has invoked endless commentary. Powerful forces are against this, including nearly the entire political and foreign service establishments and big money interests like Wall Street.

So how popular is Trump's Syrian (and Afghan) wind-down with the public  i.e., the voters? Forget polls  they can be manipulated. Besides, many respondents' answers for now may be casual and off the top of their heads, given little reflection. With that in mind, I offer this thought experiment. Focusing on the GOP, come the 2020 primaries, what candidate will argue with Donald Trump on Syria?

Oh, there may be one or two. But how do you think their arguments will fly with the voters? Like a lead balloon. Those primaries will further underline the disconnect of the elitist establishment from the American people on foreign policy. Then advocates for military interventions like the neocons Max Boot and Bill Kristol will again be exposed as politically naked, as two lunatics beings shepherded into the observation ward.

As for the Democrats, for now, they may criticize the Syrian wind-down because it is Trump who is doing it. But the fact is, the Democrat base does not look favorably on foreign military interventions. Remember, Barack Obama was twice elected promising to "end stupid wars." His first presidential victory was against the warmonger par excellence, John McCain, and his second was against the ticket of the dual globalists of Romney-Ryan.

In 2020, no candidate is likely to openly support the neocon agenda of having the U.S. play the role of world's savior. This poses a dilemma for those who want above all else to maintain America's far-flung de facto empire. So instead of trying to make their argument honestly to the American people, look for an attempt to implement it by stealth. In the GOP primaries, this would involve a globalist candidate tiptoeing around the issue with vague statements about national defense while behind the scenes stocking up with foreign affairs experts the very same people who helped create the mess in the Middle East in the first place with military interventions in Iraq, Syria, and Libya. Although it's not in the Middle East, include Afghanistan in this list, too.

Such a stealth strategy might have worked well in the past, but not now. Trump has highlighted the issue. The ensuing back-and-forth on America's overextension and its cost has educated the public as never before. There can be no hiding in 2020. And although the Democratic media have been desperately seeking a candidate to challenge Trump, none has come close to making the grade. The Syrian and Afghan pullout won't help them challenge Trump, either.

In 2020, Trump will make an issue of reckless military interventions abroad, whether they are based on premises of so-called national security or faux humanitarian concerns. As Daniel L. Davis writes in the National Interest:

[O]ccupying foreign lands with U.S. combat troops is almost the default position of the foreign policy's elite group-think. One of the problems from which Mattis  and other establishment thinkers  suffer is a disconnect from how a majority of Americans think.

For the globalists and neocons, winter is coming. This, among other things, shows how far ahead of the political curve President Trump is.On December 27, 2018, the Valencia Isles Israel Club had Zionist pro-Israel activist Alan Bergstein as its guest speaker, discussing "Will Israel Survive?" at Sharei Shalom Synagogue in Boynton Beach, Florida. Not one Jewish person praised him or agreed with him after hearing his unique and courageous lecture that demonstrated the truth about modern anti-Semitism, predominantly coming from the left and Islamists.

After the lecture, one person said, "He didn't have a nice personality." I wondered, even if it were true, what that had to do with the content of his lecture, stating that Israel has little support around the world, far less than it did years ago. Another person said to Alan, "Don't you have anything nice to say?" I wondered, Is a happy ending more important than the truth? Then an audience member declared, "Alan, you have to have faith!" I thought that during the Holocaust, Jews boarded the boxcars that would take them to the extermination camps after being told they would be resettled somewhere in the East and that the living conditions would be better than in the ghettos and that they would be able to work. Those Jews wanted and needed to believe these lies.

Today's Jews still want to have faith, even knowing how they were lied to when they were promised showers and handed a tiny bar of soap. Even the gas chambers themselves had fake shower heads designed to deceive Jewish victims to the very last second.

That was then; this is now. Have faith? "Faith" in the people who want to destroy you, and kill you, as

part of some obscene religious obligation? Should we have faith in our brethren who will turn on Israel when the Israelis have to respond to large-scale rocket attacks from both Southern Lebanon and Gaza?

American Jewry live in a plastic bubble of their own making: wishful thinking, accommodation, and acquiescence at all cost! "We must have peace!" is a strong sentiment I hear over and over. Yet there is no Palestinian equivalent to "J Street." No organization called "Imams for Human Rights."

When an eyewitness described Auschwitz in 1943 to Supreme Court justice Felix Frankfurter, himself a Jew, the judge replied, "I know that you believe what you are telling me is the truth, but I cannot believe it." Here it is, three quarters of a century later, and the attitude of the vast majority of American Jews is exactly the same.

Last week, I spoke with a college student from Syracuse University who witnessed an anti-Semitic image of a "Star of David" with a slash mark across it displayed in her college halls. She wrote about the incident in The Algemeiner and was surprised to receive student texts from a "trained pro-Israel activist supporter" explaining that bringing anti-Semitism to the public will only make things worse.

Why is it that Jews' solution is to hide their oppression instead of strongly advocating for themselves? It is not just the Nazis coming for them anymore  their timidity has caused the world to come after them.Richard Overton, the nation's oldest living veteran, died at the age of 112 in Austin, Texas yesterday.

A veteran of World War II, Overton served three years in the Army and moved to Austin after the war, where he lived in the same house for 70 years.

Fox 4:

Family says Overton was admitted to the hospital last week with pneumonia. He died Thursday. ... He gave credit to God for his longevity, but he always said cigars and whiskey helped. "I been smoking cigars from when I was 18 years old, I'm still a smoking 'em. 12 a day," he said. The distinction of being the nation's oldest veteran brought quite a few visitors to his front porch. One person that graced that porch was former Gov. Rick Perry on Memorial Day in 2013. "I just wanted to come by and visit with you," Perry said at the time. On Veterans Day the same year, former President Barack Obama honored Overton in front of thousands in Washington. "His service on the battlefield was not always matched by the respect that he deserved at home. But this veteran held his head high," Obama said.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, around 496,777 American veterans from the war were estimated to still be alive in September 2018. More than 16 million Americans served during that war. The V.A. also says that about 361 veterans of that conflict die every day.

The "Greatest Generation" argument will continue, but it cannot be denied that those who lived through those times certainly lived through a lot. They did what they had to do to survive and prosper, and in the process, they saved freedom, destroyed evil, and created astonishing wealth. That succeeding generations have squandered much of what they built is not their fault.

Overton was 11 when the U.S. declared war on Germany. He was 35 when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. He was 74 when Ronald Reagan was elected and 103 when Barack Obama took office. It's amazing to contemplate the history he lived during those 112 years  almost half the 230 years that the American constitutional republic has existed.Governor Jerry Brown as he leaves office is warning that California and its public agencies are on the road to "fiscal oblivion" if pension benefits can't be adjusted down.

The media have been celebrating Governor Brown's management skills at reversing the $27-billion state deficit he inherited from in 2010 from his predecessor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to leave office in January with a $13.8-billion surplus and a $14.5-billion rainy-day fund balance.

But Brown recently told reporters that California could be financially distressed again if the California Supreme Court rules in a case titled Cal Fire Local 2881 v. California Public Employees' Retirement System against Brown's 2012 California's Public Employees' Pension Reform Act that stopped the state and local selling of "airtime" that allowed public employees to spike their pension benefits by purchasing up to five years of unworked service credit seniority.

California drastically increased public employee pension benefits in the fall of 2003, when the state allowed employees to purchase "airtime." Prior to the pension spike, a 50-year-old fireman making $89,000 a year could retire at age 50 after 30 years of service and collect an $80,100-a-year pension with life expectancy of 76.3 years.

But under "airtime," the fireman could purchase extra years of seniority at a cost per of $0.18022 per year for every $1 of salary. For $80,197.90, the fireman could increase his pension by $13,350 to $93,450. Such an investment in "airtime" would return a spectacular income stream of $351,105 over the next 26.3 years of life expectancy.

With many California public employees purchasing "airtime" to retire at 50 and make more than when employed, Democrat Brown ended the practice in 2013 for new hires after criticism that the practice amounted to a "gift of public funds" to his union allies.

Stanford University's Institute for Economic Policy Research found that despite the state terminating "airtime" for new employees in 2013, the annual cost of funding the California Public Employee Retirement System (CalPERS) rose by 400 percent from 2003 to 2018 and would be up by 704 percent by 2030.

With an estimated unfunded pension liability of $464.4 billion in 2015, Stanford researchers estimated that the average unfunded liability per California household jumped from $9,127 in 2008; jumped to $21,491 in 2015; and would be over $40,000 in 2030.

The California Supreme Court heard testimony in Cal Fire v. CalPERS on December 5 over claims by the union that a 1955 decision set a precedent, referred to as the "California Rule," that bars state and local government from reducing any promised retirement benefits without equivalent new compensation.

Lawyers for the state argued that the California Constitution is not a "straitjacket" and that making pension benefit changes should not be illegal under the California Constitution:

If the impairment is limited and does not meaningfully alter an employee's right to a substantial or reasonable pension or if it is reasonable and necessary to serve an important public purpose, it may be permissible under the contract clause.

The biggest challenge for Brown's effort to eliminate the California Rule is that he successfully lobbied the state legislature to pass collective bargaining for public employees in 1982, just as he was retiring from his second four-year term as governor.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that average cost for the average private sector employee contribution for retirement and savings was 3.9 percent, and the average public-sector cost was 11.6 percent.

But even if the California's Public Employees' Pension Reform Act survives it Supreme Court appeal, CalPERS' 2018 average cost for pensions as a percentage of worker compensation was 20.4 percent for State Industrial; 21.5 percent for State Safety; 43.5 percent for State Peace Officer/Fireman; and 55.2 percent for Highway Patrol.

The California Supreme Court is expected to release a decision regarding the California Rule in early 2019, just after Brown leaves office on January 7.Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government on Friday doubled export incentives for onion farmers to 10 per cent, in wake of sharp decline in onion prices in the recent weeks.

"The government today increased the export incentives granted for onions under the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) from existing 5 per cent to 10 per cent in the interest of farmers," according to a statement released by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.

The move will result in better price for onion in domestic markets, the Ministry said.

The government has taken this decision keeping in view the falling onion prices due to increase in supply of new crop from major onion producing centres in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

In a bid to contain the situation, the government has decided to encourage exports of onions so that the domestic prices stabilise, the Ministry said.

Also Read: Angry farmer sends his earnings of Rs 1,064 for 750 kg of onion to PM Modi

The export incentive for fresh inions was zero before July, 2018. During July, 2018, the government had introduced incentives at the rate of 5 per cent. Now, with the current increase, onions enjoy one of the highest incentives for agro-exports, said the Ministry.

The Ministry further said that this timely intervention would help the farmers who have recently harvested their produce and who have sowed their seeds, expecting better prices.

Also Read: Maharashtra announces Rs 150 crore relief to onion growers after farmers' unique protest

In a similar development, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has increased the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Fair Average Quality (FAQ) of "Milling Copra" to Rs 9,521 per quintal for 2019 season from Rs 7,511 per quintal in 2018.

Among others, the CCEA has also hiked MSP of "Ball Copra" to Rs 9,920 per quintal for 2019 season from Rs 7,750 per quintal in 2018.

Edited by Chitranjan KumarThe nonpartisan OpenSecrets website that tracks political spending revealed that Wall Street Democrats crushed Main Street Republicans in 2018 midterm fundraising by $385.4 million.

Final campaign filing reports demonstrate that 1,435,474, or about only 1 out of every 221 of America's 321,418,820 residents, made a reportable contribution of $200 or more to a candidate or political action committee in the 2017-2018 federal election cycle. But this tiny 0.45-percent sliver of the American population accounted for $3,825.3 billion, or 71.1 percent of the $5.2 billion in 2017-2018 reportable contributions.

Democrats also beat Republicans in the number of total contributors to their candidates and in every other major category of fat-cat giving.

The concept of individual donors giving to both parties is essentially dead, with only 7,349 donors nationwide giving at least 33 percent of their contributions to candidates from both parties. That works out to about 1 out of every 43,736 Americans.

Democrat candidates received 667,912 reportable contributions totaling $1,642.9 billion. That compares to just 364,109 contributors totaling $1,186.1 billion for Republicans. As a result of 83 percent more contributors, Democrat candidates had a $456.8-million, or 39-percent, funding advantage from individuals over Republican candidates.

Progressives and the media tend to argue that Democrats, as the party of social justice, must collect more small contributions from the poor to be competitive with their fat-cat Republican opponents. But Democrats pocketed $110.5 million more from contributors who gave between $2,700 and $9,999; $120.9 million more from contributors between $10,000 and $99,999; and $9 million more from contributors giving $100,000 or more.

Most Democrats ran on a promise to overturn the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United free speech decision in order to supposedly keep big money out of politics. But Williams College Political Science professor Darrel Paul commented after analyzing the richest 15 percent of congressional districts, "the big story of the 2018 election is the swing of the rich toward the Democrats."

Paul found that before the 2018 midterms, Democrats held 38- to 28-seat advantage over Republicans in the 15 percent of wealthiest House districts. But after the election, 56 of those 66 richest districts are now held by Democrats. Paul added that wealthy district-flipping contributed to about half of the Democrats' gain of 39 congressional seats and control of the House of Representatives.

According to Reason.com, three of the biggest fat-cat Democrats picked up governorships in 2018. Jay Robert "J.B." Pritzker, worth $3.2 billion as heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune, became Illinois governor; Edward M. "Ned" Lamont, Jr., worth up to $300 million as heir to the J.P. Morgan banking fortune of his great-grandfather, was elected Connecticut governor; and Jared Polis, worth up to $400 million as the heir to Blue Mountain Arts greeting cards fortune, took the governor's mansion in Colorado.

Democrats went all in with Wall Street and Silicon Valley fat-cat cash to gain control of the House in the midterms, but the "blue cash tsunami" did not prevent Main Street-friendly Republicans from enhancing Senate control by flipping two Democrat seats.

Main Street took a beating during the Obama administration, with net annual job creation for companies less than one year old tanking to less than 2.8 million, down over 1 million jobs annually under President George W. Bush, according to the Labor Bureau.

But Main Street's prospects are booming under President Trump, according to the latest Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index that jumped in the fourth quarter of 2018 to an overall Index score of 129. That was 11 points higher than the prior quarter and the highest score the Index survey's 15-year history.

Eighty percent of small business respondents rated their financial situation as very good or somewhat good, and 84 percent expect their financial situation to remain good. A record 55 percent of business owners reported increases in revenue this year, and 62 percent estimated revenue increases next year. Cash flow was reported as good by 74 percent and an even stronger 78 percent better cash flow next year.

In great news for American workers, businesses for the third straight quarter said hiring and retaining staff is their top challenge. With 35 percent of businesses expecting to increase jobs in the next year, Main Street Republicans may be looking good for 2020.All that good P.R. China got for its "one belt, one road" infrastructure-building in third world countries - so much more constructive than America's military spending, see - is starting to look like something entirely different now that Kenya is about to fall to China and its very humorless bill collectors. Here's what Taiwan News is reporting.

China may be preparing to seize some major assets in the African nation of Kenya, as a result of debt-trap diplomacy. African media reports that Kenya may soon be forced to relinquish control of its largest and most lucrative port in Mombasa to Chinese control. Other assets related to the inland shipment of goods from the port, including the Inland Container Depot in Nairobi, and the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), may also be compromised in the event of a Chinese port takeover. Kenya has reportedly taken extremely large loans from the Communist government for the development of some major highways, and especially for the SGR, which forms a crucial transport link to and from Nairobi for the import and export of goods through Mombasa.



In November, Moodys noted that Kenya is at high risk of losing strategic assets because of debts owed to Beijing.



Local media began to express concern that Chinese lenders may be angling to seize assets, since it does not appear the Kenyan government will be capable to repaying the loans.

Beijing, of course, is denying it. But that was a couple days ago. And its only argument begs the question. China insists that the project, out there in deepest Kenya, will indeed make money, effectively suggesting that it won't need to expropriate the port. It doesn't say what will happen if the project doesn't make money, which is what Moody's is focusing on.

That follows a recent report from the New York Times, that China has gotten Ecuador so in hock to it, through a big dam infrastructure project, that it will never be able to repay its debts. What's more, it won't get much of a dam, either, given the still-unfinished dam's 6,000-plus cracks and the inevitability of a nearby volcano going off, which ought to junk it for good. But the Chinese debts for Ecuador shall stand eternal, and that's going to keep the country underdeveloped. We noted the same sort of Chinese debt collection going on in hellhole Venezuela, which wrecked its oil industry through socialism and then took Chinese loans to keep it going. Like Ecuador, Venezuela can't pay, but that doesn't mean it's not time to pay the piper. And don't forget that illegal immigrant-exporting El Salvador has pulled the same stunt with China, throwing it in our faces. I wrote about that here.

All that embracing of China (and cheerleading from leftists in the West) seems to be turning into a nightmare for nations dumb enough to embrace the smiling dragon.

Now Kenya is about to lose its most important and strategic port, no small thing given that Africa's linear coastline means very few ports.

China likes that sort of thing - getting a nation in hock, building junk infrastructure, and then taking over the good stuff, and that's for strategic reasons. Already, it's forcing in-hock Pakistan to allow its foothold there to turn into military purposes, once again, because Pakistan can't pay its debts. The New York Times has an excellent article and infographic map of the whole thing.

The Times reports that seventy countries have embraced China and its loans through its "one belt, one road," trillion-dollar infrastructure loan program, meaning there are a heckuva lot of countries that are in hock and now can't repay - and that will see major parts of their infrastructures taken over to pay debts. The Washington Post names Laos, Burma, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Montenegro, as all trapped now. Seems corruption and bribes, on which a lot of these were premised, is a great way to get an empire.

Didn't the U.S. and Britain use to get criticized a hundred years ago for going to war over badly-run South American nations that failed to pay their debts? Looks like China is viewing that as a how-to guide.

But this is the age of the Internet, and mass media, the parallels aren't as exact as the late-19th and early 20th centuries. Perhaps these countries can get out of their contracts by exposing the bribery that brought them into being. Perhaps they can prove in court that they bought lemons and need a refund. Perhaps the U.S. can bundle them together and use them as a wedge to force China to play fair for all countries.

Because right now, a new global dawn is on us, the era of the Chinese debt-forced empire. That alone should be a stick with which the U.S. can use on China over all its bad practices that will inevitably lead to a crude new empire. It's fortunate that just about the only American president with the guts to challenge this long-running scam is President Trump. He's what we have now, and it seems that's for a reason.In another quiet little reform to chip away the Obamacare and health care monolith, the Trump administration is forcing hospitals to post their prices online.

Here's how Quartz described the news:

Astronomical hospital bills are a trope of American health care. Hospitals in the US are known for charging exorbitant fees for simple procedures, and for adding baffling entries to discharge bills. Notorious examples include the woman who was charged $40 to hold her newborn, and the $18,000 emergency-rom bill that a family received after their baby was treated with some milk and a nap. The surprise factor, at least, may soon be changing. On Jan. 1, a new regulation takes effect requiring hospitals to post the prices of their services online. Announced by health and human services secretary Alex Azar in April, the provision is called Inpatient Prospective Payment System rule. Under it, hospitals will have to share the prices of standard services online, as well as make medical records more easily accessible by patients themselves, and shareable between medical practices.

It's not an entirely friendly report, but at least they covered it, unlike, say, most of the major media outlets. Plus, they didn't try to tell readers it was all negative news, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's report rather questionably did.

Actually, if you buy Obamacare or many other kinds of services, you now have a bit more power. You can choose and estimate how much that necessary hospital stay is going to cost and weigh it with what your insurance covers (a calculator works pretty well with this, contrary to the naysaying reports), compare it to the quality of your own needs (do you need a top-rated research hospital for a common minor procedure, or will an ordinary neighborhood place without national ranking but better pricing work better?) and compare what you pay with what you receive.

That in turn, as Quartz notes, will foster something welcome in the health care field - competition, and the economic concept known as comparative advantage. Each hospital will get more business in what consumers consider the fields it does best, and less business in what it does less well.

It's a win-win for both sides, consumer and hospital, because customers can comparison-shop, not just with hospital rankings, but with hospital prices, and hospitals will respond in a market way, by looking to new efficiencies that can cut prices and bring in consumers. That's better than the alternative, which is strange surprise high pricing, and no warning to consumers who, as they count their pennies, rue the fact that they could have gone elsewhere, but had no way of knowing where.

This is pretty important news, yet if you search Google on it, you don't see the majors reporting on it at all. Just the little local presses, and the main papers in non-coastal mid-market cities, such as Cincinnati and New Orleans, whose readers will find this information very empowering and interesting. If that doesn't show how out-of-touch the press is, what does? The big presses spend all their space on one thing: telling us how great Obamacare is and how more government in health care is always good thing. This move, which involves a regulation, must throw them for a loop, given that it's a regulation, yet it empowers consumers more than bureaucrats. That's not their "narrative."

President Trump deserves thanks for once again, looking out for the little guy.The north slope of Alaska is loaded with oil. It's all over the place. Look at this map. There are dozens of oil fields on the north slope. Prudhoe Bay is just the most famous.

Just to the east of these fields on Alaska's north slope is the small part of the misnamed Arctic National Wildlife Refuge that President Trump got Congress to open to development. Alaskans have been trying to do this for thirty-five years. Trump got it done in his first year in office.

If there's not oil there in quantity, I'll eat my mukluks. Leasing could begin as early as July. The oil companies have been waiting for this for years. They're ready to get on with it. The north slope is a tough place to do business, and this is going to take a while, but before too long, the Trans Alaska Pipeline will be filled with ANWR oil.

But don't we already have enough oil for energy independence? What do we need all this new ANWR oil for?

The answer is ready-made, and it is the residue of pork-barrel political pressures. The best way to transport north slope oil is by land. It's much more environmentally friendly, and the route east, and down the McKenzie River valley, leads right to the American market. That's where the pipeline should have gone. But Alaska boomer Wally Hickel was secretary of the interior, and Alaskans wanted an all-Alaskan line  for the jobs and the money. To hell with the environment. Hickel didn't care about it.

So the line ends in Valdez, on Alaska's southern coast. From this particular spot on the planet, only one oil destination in the world makes any economic sense: Japan.

That's where Prudhoe Bay oil should have gone, except for irrational political pressure. Sometimes we had ships from Valdez going through the Panama Canal to deliver on the Gulf Coast! They'd wave at the tankers from Venezuela going the opposite way, headed for Japan. It was nuts. We won't do that again. ANWR oil will go to Japan, number one. If there's some left over, maybe South Korea will be number two. There could be one hell of a lot of oil in ANWR. And it will flow for a very long time.

With secure American energy, Japan is more firmly than ever in our economic orbit. Relations with Japan will become even closer. As it turns out, our two cultures complement one another. With Japan, and our Anglosphere allies, the American alliance will rule the waves, and thus the trade, of the world in this century.

This is what President Trump means when he talks of energy dominance. Trump thinks geopolitically. He wants Japan as our number-one ally in Pacific. He knows that the Japanese need oil. He learned of the oil in ANWR. He put two and two together and got ANWR opened.

Trump is making things happen in this world, world-historical things. Most Americans haven't got a clue to what he's up to. But he's doing a masterful job.

Fritz Pettyjohn was a state senator in Alaska. He blogs at ReaganProject.com.We know two things about Vladimir Putin and Nicolas Maduro. Putin loves to navigate in choppy waters and stick it to the U.S. Maduro is desperately looking for a sugar daddy.

We learned that Russia is active down in Venezuela, to say the least:

In exchange for modest loans and bailouts over the past decade, Russia now owns significant parts of at least five oil fields in Venezuela, which holds the world's largest reserves, along with 30 years' worth of future output from two Caribbean natural-gas fields. Venezuela also has signed over 49.9 percent of Citgo, its wholly owned company in the United States  including three Gulf Coast refineries and a countrywide web of pipelines  as collateral to Russia's state-owned Rosneft oil behemoth for a reported $1.5 billion in desperately needed cash. Russian advisers are inside the Venezuelan government, helping direct the course of President Nicolas Maduro's attempts to bring his failing government back from bankruptcy. They helped orchestrate this year's introduction of a new digital currency, the "Petro," to keep oil payments flowing while avoiding U.S. sanctions on the country's dollar transactions. Venezuela's still-formidable defense force, once an exclusively U.S. client, is now equipped with Russian guns, tanks and planes, financed with prepaid oil deliveries to Russian clients. Maduro scoffed last year at President Trump's public threat to use the U.S. military to bring him down, saying Venezuela, with Russian help, had turned itself into a defensive "fortress."

When will we see Russians walking around Caracas or enjoying the beaches as they did in circa 1961 Cuba? As my parents used to tell me, the big joke in Cuba back then was about the super "white skin colors" of the new visitors. Cubans were asking each other whether anybody in Russia ever got a suntan.

What's Putin up to? What military advantage is there in placing bombers in Venezuela? Wouldn't they be taken out within minutes in the event of a crisis?

What's Maduro up to? I spoke with several of my local Venezuelan friends, and they don't see much upside for Maduro.

First, it's going to take a lot of cash to bail out Venezuela, and I'm not sure that Putin has it or is that generous.

Second, Venezuelans are already furious with the Cuban presence. What makes you think they are going to love their new Russian suitors? At least they can argue with the Cubans and tell them where to go in "expletive deleted" Spanish.

Third, what about the legal implications of Citgo used as collateral? Are there investor lawsuits in the future?

Again, my friends in Venezuela are hoping this is the opportunity for President Trump to intervene. I don't think that will happen, but it depends on what Putin's intentions are.

Putin in Caracas? Something to keep an eye on.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.New unsourced details have now apparently leaked regarding no fewer than three smartwatches and five Android tablets to be launched over the coming months, according to Samsung-specific tech blog SamMobile. The information primarily concerns the color configurations each device is set to be offered in by the Korean tech giant. Several of the devices listed have already appeared in prior rumors or leaks such as a new Samsung Galaxy Tab A currently predicted to launch at MWC 2019 in late February. That tablet is expected to appear under the model numbers SM-P200 and SM-P205 with 7.0-inch and 10.5-inch display-variants packing mid-range hardware and performance. A minimum of 32GB of storage is expected to0, while the latest information suggests those will be available in both black and gray colorations.

Three other tablets, bearing model designations SM-T515, SM-T720, and SM-T725 are expected to arrive in the near future too. The latter two will most likely be variants of the same device brand based on their similar model numbers. Those will also be available in black or gray with 64GB and 128GB of internal storage while the Galaxy-branded SM-T515 tablet is predicted to be available with a silver configuration option instead of the gray seen in its counterparts. For wearables, one device is codenamed Pulse under model designation SM-R500 and expected to be a follow up to the Samsung Gear Sport. That will be available in black, gold, silver, or green color schemes. Presently, thats thought to be undergoing a rebranding as the Samsung Galaxy Sport and to include Bixby out-of-the-box, possibly representing the first Samsung smartwatch to include the AI assistant software. Wearables under the model numbers SM-R370 and SM-R375 are predicted to eventually launch under the Samsung Galaxy Fit branding as more affordability-focused fitness trackers. Those will be made available to consumers in black, silver, white, or yellow.

Other appearances expected at MWC 2019

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Most of the new devices are predicted to arrive during MWC 2019, running from February 25 through February 28 in Barcelona. Samsung is also expected to launch its latest flagship series smartphones under the Galaxy S10 brand at the same event. No fewer than four of the new mobile devices have been rumored to be in the works including one that is a step above the usual fare and includes 5G networking and another that steps down for better affordability. At the budget end of that spectrum is the tentatively named 5.8-inch Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite. If rumors are to be believed, that will feature a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, 4GB RAM, a flat panel and a total of three cameras with two at the back and one selfie snapper.

The more typical Samsung Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ will be made available at 5.8-inches and 6.44-inches, respectively, and will ship with 6GB and 8GB RAM. The Samsung Galaxy S10 is expected to arrive with a similar camera configuration while the larger plus variant will double up on the front cameras. Each of those is predicted to arrive with a curved-edge and Infinity-O panel using display holes instead of notches for the cameras and front-facing sensor hardware. Just above that and expected to cost well over $1500 is the 5G variant that would have an even larger display, three cameras at the back and two at the front.

Relaunching the entire Galaxy ecosystem

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Taken alongside the other more recent leaks, Samsung appears to be readying itself to relaunch its entire Galaxy brand from wearables to tablets at the upcoming mobile event. The company is also expected to rebrand at least 4 different model designations under newly revitalized Samsung Galaxy M and Galaxy A families. The restructuring of its assortment of electronics is relatively obvious but it may or may not turn out to be the case that MWC 2019 is going to be the platform for that relaunch. The event is currently only a couple of months away and both rumors and leaks would typically have outlined substantially more detail about products that close to launch. So it may be the case that Samsungs ongoing transformation happens over the entire year rather than at any one mobile event.A mysterious Nokia-branded smartphone has just surfaced online, and it does not sport a notch or display hole. This is not the Nokia 9 PureView, though, at least it doesnt seem to be, as its considerably different than the design that weve seen for the Nokia 9 PureView. This smartphone is also made out of metal and glass, but it has a thinner top bezel than the Nokia 9 PureView, and it comes with three cameras on the back, compared to five on the Nokia 9 PureView. We have no idea what this phone may end up being called, but judging by the source of the leak (Weibo), and the fact that this phones UI is in Chinese, were guessing that it will arrive in China first. This phone comes with Nokias branding below the display, which is imprinted on a chin. This phone does have some bezel on the sides and above the display as well, but its not as thick as its chin. Three cameras are included on the back, and theyre vertically-aligned and centered at the top of the phones back side, while Nokias branding is included on the back as well. All the physical keys sit on the right-hand side of this phone, and some of you are probably wondering where is this phones front-facing camera, as its not visible in the provided leak. Well, this is not the sharpest image out there, but its possible that it is included in the lower-right or lower-right portion of the phone, but we cant see it due to the resolution of the image while on the other hand, its even possible its above the display, in the phones bezel, as that bezel is not exactly razor-thin. It is also worth noting that the phones display sport rounded corners.

Now, these two images which are showing the front and back side of the phone are a nice indication as to what the phone will look like, but the source also shared some spec info when it comes to this device. If the provided info is to be believed, the phone will be fueled by the Snapdragon 845 64-bit octa-core SoC, so it will not be a flagship-grade phone, but it wont be far from it either. This actually suggests that the Nokia 9 PureView may end up shipping with the Snapdragon 855 after all. In any case, the source also claims that the phone will include a fingerprint scanner, and as we cant really see it on the sides or on the back of the device, it will probably be placed under the display.

Mysterious Phone Vs Nokia 9 PureView

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The Nokia 9 PureView is expected to arrive at the end of next month, according to the latest info, and most rumors suggested that it will ship with the Snapdragon 845, but that may change, as it would make more sense for it to include the Snapdragon 855 at this point in time. This mysterious phone, on the other hand, will end up being a mid-range device, it seems, but a mid-range device that is almost a high-end offering. Both phones will be made out of metal and glass, and both will be curved on the back, well, theyll have a similar curve as well, according to leaks. This mysterious phone will have less rear-facing cameras, and the design of its front will be somewhat different. The phone will have thicker side bezels than the Nokia 9 PureView, but its top bezel will be thinner than the one on the Nokia 9 PureView. The bottom bezel will be approximately the same on both phones, at least if the provided leaks are anything to go by. We have no idea when will this mysterious phone arrive, but its possible it will arrive in early 2019 as one of the companys mid-rangers. It will probably launch in China first, and then arrive to global markets during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in February, thats just a guess, though.Sony is optimistic about sales of its time-of-flight (ToF) 3D camera sensors and has increased production in spite of downturns in overall mobile shipments, the head of Sonys sensor division Satoshi Yoshihara indicated in a recent interview. ToF sensors depend on a LiDAR-based method much more typically found in self-driving cars and similar technologies that generate 3D depth models. Laser pulses are sent out and computations centered around the known speed of light are used to determine much more precisely how far away a given object is as well as how far away various parts of that object are. Its most common mobile uses include measuring the curves of faces for facial recognition that works in the dark and regardless of whether the user is wearing a hat, sunglasses, or other accessories. Its also commonly used to sense depth for improved nighttime or low-light mobile photography. Mr. Yoshihara says that Sony expects the technology to continue being implemented at an increasing rate and to have a similar impact on the mobile market to that of cameras themselves.

Demand is growing in spite of market downturns

Exact details about the increase were not provided but mass production started in the summer of 2018 and the resulting bolster for Sonys earnings isnt expected to be seen until the end of the first yearly quarter in 2019. Currently, Sony provides sensors for around half of the worlds smartphones including those from top brands such as Samsung, Huawei and Huawei subsidiary HONOR, and others. HONOR is among the most recent OEMs to have already included Sonys 3D ToF sensors in its devices, with the HONOR View 20. Although information about its implementation alongside the 48-megapixel shooter in that phone is relatively slim, Mr. Yoshihara has inadvertently indicated that only two 3D chips are required for that device. One of those is required at the back and another for the front. Samsungs as-yet-unannounced 6.7-inch Galaxy S10 5G  codenamed Beyond X  is also expected to ship with the modules for both its rear-facing quad camera and forward facing dual shooter. Thats all in spite of a downward trend in shipments and sales globally over the past several years.

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Shipments for the third quarter of 2018, according to IDC, fell by around 6-percent year-over-year. For the full year, the drop was around 3-percent and 2019 isnt expected to be much better with a growth of around 2.6-percent. Sonys own revenues have continued to grow in spite of the downturn in 2018, driven primarily by sales of hardware related to camera sensors. That growth rate came in at around 12.4-percent according to IDC, marking a return to positive growth from 2017. Sony is hoping to generate excitement to combat the downturn more widely, outside of its own figures, through software features that are really only currently possible with the accuracy of ToF 3D camera sensors. Mr. Yoshihara indicates that the revolutionary nature of those features may be the most important area of focus for manufacturers looking to create excitement moving forward.

3D models and gesture-based experiences

To highlight the range of features possible with ToF 3D camera sensors and the subsequently generated 3D models, Sony also took the opportunity to show off some of its own ideas during its interview. Those ranged from gesture controls to gaming and more. One demonstration showcased how two users could use the sensors in the primary camera to play a game that involved casting spells at one another, with effects and animations shown more accurately over top of the real world. It also highlighted that accuracy using a virtual goldfish that was able to be placed within the room and to swim around and interact with objects in the room.

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The company has also started providing toolkits for developers so that its chips can be used more effectively to meet its ambitious goals. Those can be used to create similar experiences to those the company itself has demonstrated or go far beyond that. Sony provides further examples like helping shoppers fit products to their homes using virtual versions of those and AR or the creation of avatars and face models for use in communication apps. Gesture controls that dont require touch input or more interactive and creative navigation-type applications could also be created using the sensors, in addition to AR games that more accurately show virtual characters in the real world. Some of those features have already been taken advantage in the above-mentioned HONOR-branded handset but all of that should mean an interesting year to come for smartphones from manufacturers that choose to take advantage of the latest Sony innovations.The government is likely to infuse Rs 28,615 crore into seven public sector banks (PSBs) through recapitalisation bonds by the end of this month, sources said on Thursday.

The amount infused will help the banks meet regulatory capital requirement, and its disbursement might take place before December 31, sources said.

Out of these seven PSBs, Bank of India is likely to get the highest amount of Rs 10,086 crore, followed by Oriental Bank of Commerce, which might get Rs 5,500 crore through recapitalisation bonds, sources added.

Other banks that are likely to receive capital infusion in this round included Bank of Maharashtra which may get Rs 4,498 crore, UCO Bank (Rs 3,056 crore) and United Bank of India (Rs 2,159 crore).

ALSO READ:Expert panel formed to determine size of RBI reserves, Bimal Jalan named chairman

The government had earlier announced an 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.

Earlier this month, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the government would put an additional Rs 41,000 crore in PSBs over and above what was announced earlier.

On December 20, the government sought Parliament's approval for infusion of an additional Rs 41,000 crore.

The recapitalisation, the finance minister said, would enhance the lending capacity of PSBs and help them come out of the Reserve Bank of India's Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework.

Eleven out of the total 21 PSBs are under the RBI's PCA framework, which imposes lending restrictions on weak banks.

These are Allahabad Bank, United Bank of India, Corporation Bank, IDBI Bank, UCO Bank, Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Dena Bank and Bank of Maharashtra.The last day to submit job applications for 39 positions of Deputy Manager-Internal Audit (Specialist Cadre officers) at State Bank of India (SBI) is today. The applications and application fee have to be submitted at SBI's official website sbi.co.in to complete the registration process.

The entire process will be online, meaning that the applicants do not need to send physical copies of any document to the bank. SBI too will send the admit cards and contract letters to the candidates via e-mail only. The admit cards for the online test will be dispatched on January 5, 2019 and the test will be held on January 27, 2019.

Admission to the online test will be on provisional basis. Candidates will be required to get their documents verified once they reach the Interview/Group Discussion stage. Selected candidates will undergo institutional and on-job training for not more than 12 months. They will be given independent assignment of branch/office audit after completing their training.

Candidates selected as Deputy Manager (Internal Audit) will be eligible for promotion based on the promotions policy for specialist officers of the SBI within the Audit Department based on Career Development Scheme of the bank.

ALSO READ:PSU banks fined customers over Rs 10,000 crore in three and a half years

Below are the details for SBI Recruitment 2018:

Vacancies: Deputy Manager-Internal Audit (Specialist Cadre officers), 39 posts

Eligibility criteria: The applicant must be a qualified Chartered Accountant with a degree from the ICAI.

Age limit: The applicants must fall under the age bracket of 21 to 35 years.

Important dates for SBI Recruitment 2018

Online application starts: December 4, 2018

Online application ends: December 28, 2018

Admit card release date: January 5, 2018

Examination date: January 27, 2018

Application fees for SBI Recruitment 2018

For General category applicants: Rs 600

For SC/ST category applicants: Rs 100

How to apply for SBI Recruitment 2018

a. Log on to the official SBI website- www.sbi.co.in/careers

b. Complete the registration process.

c. Pay the application fees online.

d. Scan and upload your photograph and signature.

ALSO READ:SBI took action against 1,287 officials over fraud in past three years

Edited by Vivek PunjWhoever wished to believe the confused and contradictory ways in which Ciudadanos have chosen to define themselves ideologically throughout their twelve years of existence (liberal centre-left, progressive liberal, transformative centre-right, centre-centre regenerationist, or the most incisive, "neither right nor left: Spanish"), they were well within their rights to do so. However, one must assume that now, following their pact with the PP and Vox[1] in forming a government in Andalusia, the time has come to end this drawn out, ideological fancy-dress parade. From the day the party made its first public appearance at the Palau de la Musica on September 16, 2006, with a poster featuring a largely-unknown Albert Rivera, naked with his hands covering his genitals, Ciudadanos has been a far-right party. It hasnt ceased to be one for a single day. The same can be said of the PP, which from its beginnings as AP [Alianza Popular] has been home to various strands on the Spanish right, including the most extreme. It was supposed to be a way of keeping them contained, but for some time now (since the Aznar government) the hardest and most extreme right calls the shots within the party.

Someone might object to the fact that the PP, and more so Ciudadanos, electoral programs and congressional documents contain social measures which are in line with social democracy. They also form part of the program they have agreed in Andalusia. However, we must not forget that most authoritarian governments, and even totalitarian ones, include measures of this nature. Franco provided financial assistance for the elderly and for families, as well as bonuses, council houses, farmers mutual societies and a range of collective measures. The various declarations by the far-right feature restrictions on and the persecution of fundamental freedoms. However, such a position does not rule out a certain state architecture which guarantees the protection of other rights, as long as they are properly supervised by those who are in power. This is in keeping with the "Keep your nose out of trouble and we'll leave you alone" approach.

What really identifies the far-right for what it is, is the practice and promotion of hatred. The main difference between the PP and Ciudadanos on the one hand, and Vox on the other, are the recipients of this hatred. The two "constitutionalist" parties have always espoused the most primal form of anti-Catalanism (in the case of Ciudadanos, it was the reason the party came into existence in the first place), which in recent years, from the bitter debate over the Statute and its subsequent consolidation by the Constitutional Court, has become increasingly extreme. It is a form of hate-speech one could call homegrown, for Spanish consumption. Vox also practices it, but it also adds the characteristic hatreds of European right-wing extremists: immigrants, women and homosexuals. Ciudadanos doesnt feel entirely comfortable with these add-ons, but it still signed up for a pact of hatred in Andalusia, with the aim of repeating the formula throughout Spain. It is worth remembering that it was the most voted party in the most recent Catalan elections.

[1] Translators Note: Vox is a far-right party aligned with European right-wing populismThe signed codeshare and mutual cooperation agreement between the two carriers, the effectiveness of which is subject to receipt by Turkish Airlines and IndiGo 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.

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 network.

Bilal Eksi, Turkish Airlines CEO and deputy chairman of the board 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.

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.The Lao People`s Armed Forces (LPAF) receive a new self-propelled howitzer (SPH) armed with the Soviet-/Russian-made D-30A 122 mm howitzer on the chassis of the Ural-4320 6x6 all-terrain truck, the press department of the LPAF said.



LPAF Ural-mounted D-30 122mm Howitzer. (Picture source: Soha News )

"The military is taking the deliveries of the new 122 mm SPH that is armed with the D-30A gun. The weapon will boost the combat capacity of mechanized infantry," the LPAF said in a statement. The military did not disclose the number of new guns to be delivered to its mechanized units.

A source from the LPAF told TASS that the troops would receive some 100 SPHs. "The armed forces now lack firepower. The delivery of these artillery systems will allow the military to increase its field fire support capabilities in a rapid manner," he said. According to the source, the SPH is not fitted with a digital fire control system (FCS). "It is just a D-30A howitzer mounted on the Ural-4320 truck. The system carries no optical-electronic units; however, it can be coupled to an automated FCS," he said.

The 122 mm D-30A howitzer is an updated variant of the world-known D-30. The D-30A is intended for destruction of manpower, hardware, engineering installations, artillery systems and mechanized units. According to the official specifications, the howitzer has a range of fire of 4-15.3 km, a rate of fire of six to eight rounds per minute, an elevation angle between -7 and +70, a traverse angle of 360, a combat weight of 3,200 kg, and a crew of six servicemen.

 Copyright 2018 TASS / Army Recognition Group SPRL . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.All eyes are now on France. Despite the legal hurdles, restitutions are possible but only through a drawn-out process. President Macrons decision earlier this month to return 26 plundered items to Benin without delay will have to be approved by parliament. Similarly, when the Museum de Rouen discovered a toi mokoa tattooed head of an ancient Maori warriorin its collection in 2011, restitution to New Zealand had to be approved by a special act of parliament, which took four years.  The Art NewspaperLast years tree arrived half-dead, shedding needles and nicknamed Spelacchio (Mangy)  yet people grew so fond of it that they attached handwritten notes to it and created a Spelacchio Twitter account. This years tree is 65 feet tall, lush, covered with 60,000 lights, and sponsored by Netflix. (The ornaments have red Ns on them.) Journalist Ilaria Maria Sala argues that this is all too fitting.  The New York TimesIn my Dec. 8 post analyzing the plans for what turned out to be a (literally) incendiary protest demonstration at the Whitney Museum, I pinpointed the artwork that for me was the most haunting work in that museums current Andy Warhol retrospective (to Mar. 31):

Andy Warhol, Mustard Race Riot, 1963, Museum Brandhorst, Munich

Photo by Lee Rosenbaum

Little did I know when I saw it at the Election-Day press preview that this painting would gain more relevance in the context of the confrontation at the Whitney on Dec. 9 between protesters and authorities.

What most transfixed me about Mustard Race Riot was not the grim subject matter (which I saw anew through the perspective of our current racially charged moment), but Warhols uncanny prescience about our media-saturated world, in which we feel compelled to ogle, over and over again, a disturbing, riveting image of death and destruction. (Case in point: the repetitive broadcasts of the collapse of the World Trade Center towers, which might well have been one of Warhols Disaster subjects, had he lived long enough to silkscreen it.)

From the ceaseless repetition of shocking images in newspapers, on television and online, our mental focus starts to fade and degrade, until it eventually goes blank, just as happens in Warhols depiction of the Birmingham melee.

Thats my personal, perhaps idiosyncratic take on his treatment of an incident that was inescapable at the time (1963) when it happened. Andy once said, Everyone has their own America (the first line in the Whitneys introductory wall text). Its equally true, I think, that everyone has his own Warhol.

The celebrity-flattering portraitist is the aspect of his diverse oeuvre that most delights mea liking of his likenesses that Im sure is shared by many. For culture-lovers of my generation, this knockout array of Warholized performing-art stars and visual-art stars is suffused with the glow of nostalgia:

Warhol Portraits Gallery at the Whitney

Photo by Lee Rosenbaum



The Whitneys other big showstopper is its wow Mao, derived from the frontispiece image in Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung. For me, this triggered memories of the Chairmans imposing presence overlooking Beijings Tiananmen Square:



Mao (as installed at the Whitney), 1972, Art Institute of Chicago

Photo by Lee Rosenbaum

Tiananmen Square in 2010

Photo by Lee Rosenbaum

The pull of this well known but ultimately unknowable designer, illustrator and (above all) colorist, a magnetic manipulator of those who came into his orbit, is that Andy didnt let on about what emotion (if any) he felt for his subjects, or about what meaning he ascribed to his seductive paintings and haunting films.

In this vacuum, we are left with the task of imparting significance to the seemingly inconsequential. Warhols lack of affect impels everyoneacquaintances, curators, critics, museum visitorsto fill the blank spaces with insights from our own takes on art and life, revealing more about our own passions and preoccupations than about enigmatic Andys.



Although a goal of the shows organizerthe Whitneys esteemed deputy director and senior curator, Donna De Salvowas to provide new insights into this already exhaustively explored body of work, my personal Race Riot epiphany was my only major new takeaway.

Donna De Salvo, speaking at the Whitneys Warhol press preview

Photo by Lee Rosenbaum

Having seen umpteen Warhol presentationsmost notably, the comprehensive exploration of his oeuvre (including the early I. Miller shoe advertisements) at the Andy Warhol Museum in his native PittsburghI did not make many new acquaintances at the Whitney. Instead, the press preview was an occasion for re-encountering old friendssome writers whom I hadnt seen in a while, as well as a representative selection of soup cans, soda bottles and scouring pads:

Installation shot of the opening gallery

Photo by Lee Rosenbaum



While Warhols Time Capsules came as a revelation to some, the Pittsburgh museums then director, Tom Sokolowski (who performed a spot-on Warhol impersonation) had in 2010 ushered me into a whole room of those storage boxes, showing me the contents of one that was being catalogued:



Warhol Time Capsules, as stored in 2010

Photo by Lee Rosenbaum

It appears that the Warhols Time Capsule accommodations have been considerably refreshed since my last visit. Heres a current image from the museums website. (Click on Floor 3):



Warhol Museums Archive Study Center

Photo by Dean Kaufman

For its show, the Whitney managed to unpack a Time Capsule that included an invitation to its own landmark 1974 Flowering of American Folk Art exhibition (the yellow card at the bottom of the photo).

Very meta:



Photo by Lee Rosenbaum

One of the people I bumped into was a seasoned critic who had been by my side during a brief, inconsequential chat that we had with artist back in the 70s (my 15 seconds in the presence of Warhol, an experience shared by everyone then in the artworld). Echoing what I had been thinking about the Whitney show, she called it, both overwhelming and underwhelming.

For me (and, I suppose, for her), there werent many revelations in the current showcertainly not the repeatedly emphasized fact that Andy was gay. (The Whitney also saw its recent Grant Wood retrospective through a gay lensa perspective already explored in the National Portrait Gallerys 2010 Hide/Seek show.)

This label text for the painting below is one of the variations on the theme that Pop art was a rebellion by gay artists against the macho men of Abstract Expressionism:



Warhols decision to use Superman as a subject may offer a biting commentary on the heroic machismo associated with Abstract Expressionist action painting, or a queer reading of the Man of Steel, or both.



Superman, 1961, Private Collection

Photo by Lee Rosenbaum

I dunno. What, then, are we to make of the twice-married (to women) Roy Lichtensteins Men of Steel?

The Whitney applies the same (il)logic to the Oxidation Paintings on which Warhol and others urinated (or, as in the example below, poured urine):

Oxidation Painting, 1978, The Brant Foundation

Photo by Lee Rosenbaum

According to the labels Oxidation explanation: Warhols use of an allover drip technique can be seen as both an homage and a queer send-up of the machismo of Jackson Pollocks canonical Abstract Expressionist works. To me, it reads as a not-so-subtle metaphor for a golden shower. The Whitney display doesnt go there: Titled, Andy WarholFrom A to B and Back Again, the show doesnt fully grapple with his Triple-X.

I got a good look at that aspect in the temporary exhibition that had just opened at the Warhol in Pittsburgh when I visited in 2010Dirty Art: Andy Warhols Torsos and Sex Parts. As confirmed to this wide-eyed writer by Sokolowski, the show was a strong contender for Most X-Rated Show in that museums history.

Thomas Sokolowski, then director of the Andy Warhol Museum, in front of a (non-explicit) band of Elvises

Photo by Lee Rosenbaum

Dirty Art included not only Warhols relatively unshocking paintings of genitalia, but also his unsparingly explicit, small black-and-white snapshots of men caught in acts of oral and anal sex. As I then commented on my blog: Move over, Mapplethorpe!



Ive gotten myself into enough hot water for now. In a future post, I hope to let you know what I most enjoyed about From A to B and Back Again, and what most troubled me.The climate and geographical location of Southeast Asia is ideal for coffee cultivation. Moreover, the regions coffee culture and expertise in coffee production has contributed to the emergence of a thriving coffee industry in ASEAN.

Some Southeast Asian countries have become coffee exporting giants such as Vietnam, Indonesia and Laos. Thailand also continues to attract business and investment due to its increasing coffee demand. In addition, the Philippines is determined to revive its coffee industry in order to target niche markets and the growing domestic demand for specialty coffee.

In this article, we provide an overview of the coffee production and culture in these countries and their present status in the regions coffee trade industry.

Vietnam

Vietnam is currently the second largest coffee exporter in the world, after Brazil. In 2017, total coffee production resulted in 29,500,000 bags of 60kg weight, followed by Indonesia with a total production of 10,902,000. Robusta and Arabica are prime coffee sources found in the southern and northern parts of Vietnam respectively.

According to global market research and consulting firm Ipsos, domestic consumption of coffee in Vietnam constitutes only about 6 percent and the rest is sold internationally which makes it one of the countrys top export commodity.

Latest reports from January to November 2018 indicated that Vietnams export revenue would edge up to 3.3 billion dollars. Exports mainly include green beans, roasted and ground and instant coffee. Major export destinations are Germany, the US and Italy while imports come from Laos, Indonesia, Brazil and the U.S.

Both total coffee exports and imports are expected to slightly go up by 2018-19.

USDA Foreign Agricultural Services forecast report showed total exports at about 27.9 million bags for 2018-19 while imports are expected to slightly jump to 1.16 million bags compared with 1.06 million in 2017-18.

To augment coffee production, the government of Vietnam has targeted to have an area of 500,000 hectares under coffee plantations by 2030, with a focus on four key provinces  Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Dak Nong and Gia Lai.

Vietnams domestic market is facing a fierce competition because of specialist coffee franchising companies such as Starbucks, Gloria Jeans and Dunkin Donuts among others. However, local chains like Trung Nguyen, Phuc Long and Highlands remain competitive due to their own traditional coffee products which are very suitable for the Vietnamese taste.

The market share of foreign entities has surged over the past three to four years with enterprises having some level of foreign investment of about 60-65 percent of the total coffee exported each year. Because of this, the Ministry of Industry and Trade banned foreign entities from directly purchasing coffee from farmers and establishing coffee buying networks in Vietnam.

Vietnamese locals enjoy a classic coffee called ca phe sua da or just literally coffee, milk, ice combination. The strong and bitter taste of coffee created from Robusta coffee beans is balanced by sweetened condensed milk. Other popular coffee types are coffees mixed with yogurt or beaten egg yolks.

Indonesia

Indonesia is well-known for the most expensive coffee in the world called kopi luwak which comes from coffee cherries eaten and defecated by the Asian palm civet, a cat-like animal that eat only selected cherries. Kopi luwak can cost about US$700 per kg and produced mainly on the islands of Sumatra, Java, Bali and Sulawesi.

Indonesia is forecast to export 7.2 million bags for 2018-19. However, export figures for 2017-18 fell to 5.64 million bags from 8.72 million bags for 2016-17 due to poor weather conditions that affected Robusta and Arabica production. An increasing domestic demand also led to this decline. On the other hand, trade data indicated record-high green beans imports during January-March 2018, but it is expected to drop in relation to increasing domestic supplies. Meanwhile, foreign ownership in plantations including coffee is kept at 95 percent, after a proposed 30 percent cut down was withdrawn.

Coffee demand in Indonesia especially for young people is growing heavily because many Indonesians who study abroad adopt coffee habits from countries like Australia and the US. In particular, sales of Java Arabica produced largely in West Java region is rising significantly in the domestic market.

Coffee in Indonesia is brewed in a cloth pouch and is rarely washed in order to develop a distinct savory flavor. The best traditional coffee is called Kopi Tubruk which is mostly made up of Robusta beans. In a predominantly Muslim nation, coffee is the social drink of choice, replacing alcohol.

Laos

Following Vietnam and Indonesia, Laos is also a top coffee producer and exporter in Southeast Asia but distinctive for its production of higher quality Arabica. In fact, Laos is moving to produce higher-value Arabica rather than the lower-value Robusta. The Lao government plans to extend the Arabica plantations in order to score fairly with the production of Robusta.

According to the World Bank, the coffee industry is among the top 10 revenue generators in the countrys economy. In 2017, Lao coffee exports exceeded US$112 million worth value compared to 2016. Main export destinations include Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, Spain, Poland, Germany, the US, France, Belgium, and Sweden. In April 2018, Dao-Heuang Group, the top coffee producer in Laos, concluded a trade agreement with Chinas Kunming Kanglin Food Import and Export Trading Co., Ltd. to expand its coffee business in China.

Laos coffee industry continues to flourish with increasing exports to various countries. The government expects to achieve growth in domestic sales and exports of coffee amounting to no less than 137,500 tons. The International Coffee Organization latest statistics revealed that total coffee production in Laos reached 475,000 bags of 60kg in 2017 compared to 465,000 in 2016.

Although Laos is a coffee-growing country, Lao people are more accustomed to drinking powdered or heavily sweetened coffee which is often found in instant coffees. Coffee tourism is also encouraged where visitors can walk through a coffee plantation in Paksong.

Thailand

Thailand is relatively a young industry in coffee-making apart from its top neighboring exporters. Total average consumption for 2016-17 was also quite lower at 1,300,000 bags of 60kg. However, Thailand maintains a huge potential to grow high-quality coffee by means of its production processes and favorable breeding conditions.

Thailand exports only about 7 percent of its total production each year. It is basically a net importer of coffee covering a heavy import tax for as high as 81 percent outside the quota. Thai manufacturers had called on the government to waive tariff for imported coffee beans particularly from Australia, decrying that the country does not produce enough coffee and relies mostly on imports of about 50,000-60,000 tons per year. The figure is much higher than what Thailand can produce annually at 25,000 to 26,000 tons. There is a higher demand for coffee compared to supply which causes the fluctuations in Thailans coffee market.

Thai traditional coffee called Kafae Boran is quite similar to Vietnamese coffee except for the differences in brewing method. Kafae Boran stalls remained as a symbol of Thai culture despite the emergence of specialty coffee in the late 90s. The country intends to create more specialty products in order to improve Thailands competitiveness.

Philippines

The Philippines is stepping up to compete in the coffee industry due to local demand. ICO data indicated that domestic consumption for 2016-17 was at 3,000,000 bags of 60kg, notably higher than Thailand (1.3 million) and Vietnam (2.4 million).

In the recently held 3Philippine Coffee Conference, the Department of Trade & Industry together with the Department of Agriculture gathered all coffee stakeholders to revitalize the coffee industry in the country. The Philippine Coffee Industry Roadmap (2017-2022) was developed and approved in order to implement various programs associated with the coffee market.

The Philippines lies on the so-called coffee belt that has a favorable climate for growing all four varieties of coffee namely, Robusta, Arabica, Excelsa and Liberica. An assessment of the coffee market in the Philippines cited that the period of July-September 2017 produced about 65.2 percent Robusta, 27.1 percent Arabica, 6.9 percent Excelsa and 0.9 percent Liberica. Almost seven decades ago, this tropical country became the third largest coffee producer in the world after Brazil and Colombia.

In 2017, the countrys coffee production was 203,000 bags, lower than the previous year. Nonetheless, the government guarantees the expansion of the countrys coffee plantations in order to cut reliance on imports and allow coffee farmers to export. By 2022, coffee plantation is expected to cover 14,548 hectares with an average yield of 1 ton per hectare.

In the Philippines, the continued growth of coffee shops is seen as potential for business and investment. Many multinational companies such as Starbucks, Seattles Best, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Gloria Jeans and UCC Coffee actually dominate the specialist coffee market.

Compared to other ASEAN countries, Filipino locals seldom drink tea and have a much greater preference for coffee. The traditional coffee called Barako is black coffee, normally green beans brewed and roasted fresh on the day they were bought.What to Wear on New Years Eve

How to Look Your Best on New Years Eve

The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service.

New Years Eve with friends, family, and those you love is one of those nights of the year for which people go all out. Whether its Gatsby-inspired champagne- and caviar-fueled parties or simple shindigs with the closest of friends, chances are, if you dont have plans most nights of the year, you will on this one. Often required (or at least implied) with these gatherings is that you dress up to ring the new year. Since we all know if it isnt on Instagram, it didnt happen, you should assume youll be seen by many during the final hours of 2018.

Related: How to Travel in Style

If youre wondering where to begin, let us break it down for you. There are three events that are typical of New Year's Eve: The casual get-together, the semi-formal event, and the black-tie affair. As you might imagine, each warrants a different variation on a theme. If you are going casual, look to still bring your best, just with a more relaxed, friendly attitude. Should you be going somewhere that requires dressing up, but nowhere did your invite use the words formal or black tie, count on wearing a suit. No, ifs or buts or what-abouts  just count on wearing a suit. And if you are going the black tie route, youre in for a good-looking night. If there is only one night out of the year to dress to the nines, then let it be New Years Eve.

Casual Get-Together

AskMen

Gathering with your closest mates around snacks and TV to reflect on the past year might sound like the perfect way to usher in 2019. That said, you should think before you dress, and make sure to add an exclamation point to that outfit of yours. Who knows, you may make your way to the bars after the ball drops and you would hate to be underdressed for your first outing of the last decade of the 2010s.

Corduroy Blazer

Grabbing a simple yet statement-making blazer is the way to go when meeting friends to count down with. If you wanted to ring in the new year in your PJs, you should have probably stayed home. Amping it up for the night (and into the morning) will start your new year off poised for sartorial success.

We recommend Bonobos Italian Corduroy Blazer, $400.00 at Bonobos.com

Cashmere Turtleneck

Cashmere turtlenecks are the tuxedos of sweaters. Theyre sophisticated and stylish, so you tend to see these rolled out on more special occasions than you do crew or V-necks. Thats because they have a certain air of class. So when you show up in one  anywhere  you will look and feel more upscale, even if it is just another cozy sweater.

We recommend Buttoned Down Cashmere Turtleneck Sweater, $99.00 at Amazon.com

Dressy Denim

Just as a turtleneck takes an ordinary sweater up a notch, the same goes for a crisp pair of dark denim. Sure, jeans are comfortable and casual, but as soon as they are presented in a dark wash and trim fit, they become the dress pant for guys who hate dress pants. They look awesome brand new, and only look better over time as they take on their own unique character.

We recommend Uniqlo Stretch Selvedge Slim-Fit Jeans, $49.90 at Uniqlo.com

Hiking Boot

Sure, dress sneakers have largely replaced dress shoes in dressed up versions of casual wear, but something that will always work is the trouser-friendly hiking boot. No, a style like this isnt intended to go off-roading, but they are meant to look great while being comfortable as hell. Refined hiking boots look great with jeans, chinos, and even add a casual attitude to boring dress trousers.

We recommend Danner Jack Boot, from $112.46 at Amazon.com

Semi-Formal Event

AskMen

Probably not as common as a casual get-together for New Years Eve, but likely more common than an all-out black-tie affair, the semi-formal event warrants semi-formal attire. We recommend a classic suit and tie. Its an evening to celebrate, so if there is any doubt that wearing jeans wont be enough, go for the suit. Its safe, its sexy, and itll set you up for success as you kiss your way into the new year.

Navy Suit

Every man should have a navy suit hanging in his closet by now. They are standard for job interviews, weddings, and, of course, special evenings. If you are heading somewhere that you know is going to be nice but isnt going to be a crowd of top hats and tails, then your safest bet is going to be a classic navy suit. Always remember when suit shopping, nothing ever fits quite as well as it could off the rack (or out of the box). Not sure where to start? May we suggest our Shopper's Guide to Buying a Suit?

We recommend Brooks Brothers Regent Fit Wool Suit, $778.00 at BrooksBrothers.com

Dress Shirt

When grabbing your shirt for a dressed-up night out, go for a spread or cutaway collar to pair with your suit and tie. This keeps your shirt nestled nicely under your suit lapel, ensuring you look put together all night  both when you arrive with your tie neatly knotted, and after midnight, when youve managed to loosen up a little.

We recommend Buttoned Down Classic Cutaway Collar Shirt, $39.00 at Amazon.com

Solid Tie

We think its better to keep your suit and tie tonal, keeping your semi-formal look less semi and more formal. After all, you only get one New Years Eve a year, and you want to be ready for anything. Keeping your look crisp and classic keeps you in style year after year, just about anywhere the after-hours partying make take you.

We recommend Calvin Klein Solid Navy Tie, from $24.99 at Amazon.com

Sophisticated Shoes

If youre wondering what your feet need to celebrate the dawn of a new year, a double monk style is a safe bet. This sturdy shoe gives your suit a little something extra over that stylish  albeit stale  lace-up Oxford in your arsenal. Pairing a double monk will add interest without distracting when, inevitably, you look back through everyones feeds in years to come. Bonus: These look great with jeans.

We recommend To Boot Grant Double Monk, $395.00 at Nordstrom.com

Black-Tie Affair

AskMen

Black tie means only one thing: tuxedo. Sure, you may see Black Tie Optional on your invitations from time to time, but you better believe, if you show up and you arent wearing a tux, youll be in the minority. When you dress for a formal event, you are showing off that you not only know how to play by the sartorial rules, but you intend to win. If youre nervous that wearing a plain black tuxedo might make you look like every other guy in the black-tie crowd, make sure yours is tailored to perfection. Thats the best way to stand out among other black tie-clad guys because, trust us, good tailoring wont go unnoticed.

Classic Tuxedo

Every man should own a tuxedo in a forgiving wool fabric (allowing it to ebb and flow with your waistline) and classic style. These bright navy or winter white styles are great, but we imagine if youre like most guys and arent in need of tuxedos every season of the year, getting one that will remain in style for the foreseeable future is your best bet.

We recommend Suitsupply Lazio Tuxedo, $599.00 at Suitsupply.com

Pique Shirt

To wear an ill-fitting shirt under a sharp jacket does you and your tux a disservice. Make sure its tailored too, and in a modern style. That little wing collar and ecordian bib look a little high school prom rental these days, so youre better off getting yourself an updated spread collar shirt with a pique bib. After all, its a lot easier to swap your shirt than your tux.

We recommend Proper Cloth White Pique Tuxedo Shirt, $85.00 at ProperCloth.com

Self-Tie Bow Tie

Speaking of high school prom, under no circumstances should you wear a pre-tied bow tie to anything  ever. Do you still wear clip-on ties? Probably not, so why wear a bow tie thats been glued together? There are plenty of how to tie a bow tie tutorials out there on the internet (we prefer this one) that can get you from start to finish pretty easily. Take the extra five minutes and youll look a lot more like an adult.

We recommend John William Tuxedo Bow Tie, $21.99 at Amazon.com

Tuxedo Shoes

There is a lot of debate on whether you can wear your black dress shoes with your tuxedo. We always go with no. There are tuxedo-specific shoes for a reason, so opting for the same old daily black Oxfords just seems a little half-assed to us. Why not finish off that penguin suit of yours with a sophisticated style of cap toes that are meant for the nicest of evenings, and give your day-to-day numbers the night off?

We recommend Florsheim Formal Oxford, from $94.95 at Amazon.com

You Might Also Dig:

AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. To find out more, please read our complete terms of use.Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.CPEC have no military dimensions: FO

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday made it clear that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) had no military dimensions.



Foreign Office spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal, during his last weekly press briefing of the current calendar year, had been asked to comment on a report published in a section of US media alleging that the CPEC was not only about economy and trade but had military dimensions as well.



Mr Faisal said the CPEC was an economic project between Pakistan and China. The CPEC has helped Pakistan improve its economy, particularly energy and infrastructure sectors have improved under it. The CPEC is a bilateral economic project, which is not against any country, he said.



Answering a question, he said the recent four-nation visit of the foreign minister was essentially part of the government policy to strengthen relations with all neighbours and regional countries and added that as part of the same effort the foreign minister would soon visit Qatar.



The spokesman said Pakistans long-standing position to give peace and reconciliation a real chance in Afghanistan had become the basis of an international consensus.



Recent developments in Afghanistan have all led to this widely acknowledged agreement. This new opening in Afghanistan and willingness of all countries who agree on Pakistans important role as facilitator has provided us a significant opportunity to also strengthen our bilateral relations with all the neighbours, especially for promotion of trade, economic and people-to- people linkages, he said.



The visit also provided an opportunity to listen to views of the leadership of these countries for promoting a joint regional approach towards Afghanistan and explore realistic possibilities of regional integration in economic terms, he said.New Orleans police initially responded to a call of a drive-by shooting. The teen told them that he had been shot at from a passing blue Honda Civic and that the bullet had grazed his arm, NOLA reports. The outlet doesnt say whether the boy provided any reason for the alleged shooting or if he claimed itd been a random act, but he did mention there was a group of people inside the car when it happened.Officers later found the vehicle, based on the boys description, and discovered it had been reported stolen and had been involved in a hit and run. When they came across it, it had crashed into a parked car in the driveway of a residential area.As the investigation progressed, it was determined that the boy had made the shooting up, to cover up for his involvement in stealing, driving and later crashing the car. The alleged bullet wound was an injury he sustained in the crash. He will now have to face charges for that, but also for lying to the police and deliberately trying to pervert the investigation.Officers later determined that the boy had been driving the car and his injury was sustained during the crash, rather than a shooting. No one else was injured in the crash, NOLA reports. The 14-year-old was arrested and booked into the Juvenile Justice Center with charges of possession of stolen property, criminal mischief and obstruction of justice.Because of the boys age, his identity will not be made public. The report doesnt note whether he has any priors or the kind of punishment he faces.Technology of all kinds has progressed massively in recent years, allowing our society to evolve past its wildest dreams. Were currently on track to switch to greener energy, there are huge steps forward being made in medical research and countless plans are in place for humanity to conquer the solar system.If we get that far, that is. The same technological advancements are responsible for the creation of a new breed of weapons, and their rise in these times of political uncertainty is as dangerous as it gets.The resurgence of the Cold War between the U.S. and Russia is no longer news. The two have already accused each other of aggressive actions these past few years, and whats more troubling is that neither side makes any secret of preparing to go to war with the other.In March 2018, Russian president Vladimir Putin even presented a simulation of Russian Sarmat missiles striking the Mar-a-Lago resort, Donald Trumps crown jewel.That simulation was a preview of a real test conducted at the end of December in southwest Russia. The missile flew for 3,700 miles (5,950 km) and destroyed its intended target after reaching speeds of Mach 27, or about 20,700 mph (33,300 kph).If true, that speed would make this weapon the fastest of its kind and completely immune to the United States defenses.As per Putins official claims, the new weapon, called Avangard, will be delivered to the Russian military as soon as 2019"The new Avangard missile system is invincible for today's and future air defense systems and missile defense systems. This is a big success and a big victory," Putin said according to Sky NewsMurad Mansurovich Kurbanov was arrested this week on suspicion of stealing a U-Haul truck and other motoring offenses, but hes become a viral star for an entirely different reason. You can probably guess it if you check out his mugshot and bear in mind that hes only 19 years old.Police have identified the suspect as 19-year-old Murad Mansurovich Kurbanov, who is facing three charges, CBS affiliate KUTV reports. Kurbanov was arrested for felony theft of a rental vehicle, felony failure to stop or respond at the command of police and a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving.Police were able to track him down after someone called in to report a U-Haul truck running red lights and driving dangerously. Kurbanov was at the wheel, but he refused to pull over when the officers summoned him. When they eventually apprehended him, it was established that the truck was a rental which he had failed to return  which makes it stolen under Utah law.After KUTV posted about the arrest on Facebook, the story started picking up. Again, it wasnt the mans crimes that drew attention, but rather the fact that he looked, as one commenter put it, 19 going on 42, thanks to an unfortunate combination of receding hairline, bad skin and a sour expression that seems permanently itched on his face.Since then, comments have been pouring in, one funnier than the other. People simply cant believe the dude is only 19, which prompted KUTV to do some digging to find out his real age. Indeed, Kurbanov was born in 1999.Instead of helping matters settle, this has only added to the hilarity. His birthday must be on leap year, one user says. He must be paying his own child support, another adds. At least hes never running the risk of getting carded, another, more practical commeter adds.To think that some people will snap hundreds of selfies / food pics a day to get this kind of attention.National Security Advisor John Bolton will arrive in Israel late next week for talks with Prime Minister Netanyahu on President Trump's decision to pull U.S. forces out of Syria, Israeli and U.S. officials said.

"We want to try to make lemonade out of those lemons."

 Senior Israeli official

Why it matters: Israel is very concerned the move will deepen Iranian influence and military retrenchment in Syria. Israeli officials tell me they want to discuss with Bolton the details and timetable of the U.S. withdrawal, and what can be done to use the move to create more pressure on Iran.

Netanyahu was one of the few allies Trump spoke to about his Syria move before announcing it. He is currently visiting Brazil, and will meet on Tuesday in Brasilia with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The State Department issued today a special statement backing Israeli air strikes against Iranian targets in Syria, with the last one coming only a few day ago:

"Iranian support of and supply to terrorist groups in Syria and across the region that have the clear intent and capability to strike Israel are unacceptable. The United States fully supports Israel's right to defend itself against the Iranian regimes aggressive adventurism, and we will continue to ensure that Israel has the military capacity to do so decisively. The commitment of the Trump Administration and the American people to ensuring Israels security is both enduring and unshakable."

 State Department

Go deeper...Imran Khan approved new private airline from Sialkot International Airport

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday granted approval for the launch of a new private airline from Sialkot International Airport. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Youth Affairs Usman Dar, AirSial Chairman Fazal Jillani and other members of the local business community met with the prime minister and Minister for Privatisation and Aviation Muhammad Mian Soomro in Sialkot, Dar told DawnNewsTV.



The airline is to be launched through cooperation with local traders and businessmen. The chairman of AirSial said the airline would become operational within the next year.



The businessmen thanked the premier for the government's assistance in the launch of the airline. The prime minister remarked that Sialkot is fast becoming a major hub for investment and that the government would provide additional facilities to the area.



"The airline's launch will create jobs and stimulate business activity in the region," the premier said.



The business community in Sialkot in 2009, after establishing the international airport in the export hub on a self-help basis, had decided to launch the airline to provide a cheaper travelling facility to the region's traders along domestic and international routes.



The airline was to be established under the joint supervision of the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and Sialkot International Airport. The Sialkot business community has also planned to set up a food and vegetable processing/packing centre close to the airport to boost exports.The 8-year-old Guatemalan boy who died on Christmas Eve while in U.S. custody tested positive for influenza B, the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator said, per USA Today.

Details: Felipe Gomez Alonzo and his father had been detained for a few days when a border agent "noticed Felipe was coughing and had 'glossy eyes,'" USA Today reports. He was then sent to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a cold and fever, and observed for 90 minutes by U.S. Customs and Border Protection before being released on Monday afternoon. Hours later, he returned to the hospital for nausea and vomiting, and later died. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen plans to travel to El Paso, Texas, on Friday to observe CBP's medical screen process.

Go deeper: U.S. Customs orders medical checks after second immigrant child diesHani Khoja, a partner at the American consulting firm McKinsey & Co., was arrested in the fall of 2017 by Saudi Arabian officials and has yet to be released, the Wall Street Journal reports. In recent months, he has reportedly been "beaten repeatedly."

Details: Khoja is a Saudi national, and his arrest coincided with what the Saudis labeled a sweeping crackdown on corruption. He was reportedly arrested by the Saudis because of his relationship with Adel Fakeih, the economy ministry's chief, who was also arrested.

Khoja became a partner at McKinsey after the firm purchased a consulting company he co-founded, Elixir Creative Solutions Co., the Journal reports, which "did work for the Saudi Ministry of Economy and Planning."

A spokesman for the firm told the WSJ that, as of earlier this year, Khoja is no longer an employee at McKinsey.

The spokesman added that the firm doesnt know where Khoja is and was not informed that he was physically abused: We have sought information from the authorities. We are anxious to know more and are in regular touch with Mr. Khojas family."

McKinsey has continued its work with the Saudi government despite Khoja's arrest.

The backdrop: The news comes as the world is still reeling from the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered at the Saudi consulate earlier this year.The Democratic Republic of Congo's electoral commission has postponed voting in three opposition strongholds  officially because of concerns over Ebola and insecurity  ahead of Sunday's vote, sparking a furious reaction from an opposition convinced the election is being rigged.

Why it matters: The DRC, a massive country in the heart of Africa and home to 83 million people, has never had a peaceful transfer of power.

Per the BBC, "With President Joseph Kabila's successor due to be sworn in next month, it appears the votes of more than a million people could be discounted." The national vote was already delayed by a week after a fire destroyed most of the voting machines set to be used in the capital, Kinshasa.

The latest: In the eastern city of Beni, protesters angry over the delay attacked an Ebola clinic. According to the Guardian, "armed men fired live rounds and teargas at protesters" there. Meanwhile, the foreign ministry expelled the EU's ambassador over the extension of sanctions on the ruling party's candidate, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, among others.

The big picture: Kabila faces constitutional term limits and should have given up power in 2016. He didn't, and elections have been continually delayed. His hand-picked successor, Shadary, faces a divided opposition deprived of two leading candidates who were ruled ineligible. Still, his election is not a sure thing.

Asked about the decision not to allow voting in the three areas, Kabila told the BBC: "Don't worry. ... I don't think there will be any major issues as far as the one point something million voters that you are talking about." The voters seem to disagree.

2019 lookahead: Four of the world's eight largest countries by population  home to 2 billion people  will hold general elections in the next few months, starting with Bangladesh on Sunday. Nigeria, Indonesia and India will follow early next year.Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin did not reach an agreement on the price of Russian natural gas imported by Armenia when they met in the Kremlin on Thursday.

There is no decision on the gas topic and [Russian-Armenian] discussions on gas will continue in a working regime, Pashinian said in an overnight Facebook transmission aired on his return to Yerevan.

Of course, it was noted [at the meeting] that this is an extremely sensitive issue for bilateral relations and the governments of both Armenia and Russia are conscious of that sensitivity, he went on. But by and large I am optimistic about this topic and hope that there will be desirable developments for us here as well or that least there wont be undesirable developments.

Since 2016 Armenia has paid $150 per thousand cubic meters of Russian gas under a bilateral deal that runs until the end of this month. The Armenian government hoped in the run-up to Thursdays talks that the Russians will not raise this price, which is set well below the cost of Russian gas supplied to European Union member states.

Putins press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters on Friday that Putin and Pashinian agreed to intensify talks on the new gas price. Unfortunately, until yesterday we could not note active negotiations between our Gazprom and Armenian colleagues, he said, according to the TASS news agency.

Peskov also made clear that the talks cannot last long because we are in time trouble.

Gazprom announced, meanwhile, that its chief executive, Alexei Miller, met with Armenian Deputy Mher Grigorian in Saint Petersburg on Friday. A statement by the Russian gas monopoly said they discussed gas supplies to Armenia in 2019 but did not give any details.

Putin and Pashinian also discussed the thorny issue of who should be the new secretary general of the Russian-led Collective Security Organization (CSTO). The vacant post was held by a retired Armenian army general, Yuri Khachaturov, until last month.

Khachaturov was sacked after being controversially charged by Armenian authorities in connection with the 2008 post-election violence in Yerevan. Moscow strongly criticized the charges.

Yerevan has been trying to ensure that another representative of Armenia is allowed to complete Khachaturovs three-year tenure which was due to expire in 2020. However, at least four other CSTO member states -- Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan -- want a Belarusian nominee, Stanislav Zas, to become the next secretary general.

Pashinian said he and Putin had a brief discussion on the situation in the CSTO but did not clarify whether they reached any understandings on who should run the defense alliance. Instead, he stressed the need for amendments to the CSTO statutes that would prevent such disputes in the future.

The Armenian leader also noted a very positive atmosphere in his meeting with Putin. I can conclude that we have a full understanding on the strategic direction of development of relations between our countries, he said, adding that they did not discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Putin began the meeting by congratulating Pashinian on his My Step alliances convincing victory in the December 9 parliamentary elections. The Russian president has still not congratulated Pashinian in writing, fuelling Armenian media speculation about his discontent with the new authorities in Yerevan.

In his opening remarks publicized by the Kremlin, Putin also praised the truly allied relations between the two nations and growing trade between them. I think that the dynamic is good, he said. It must be maintained.A national association representing Armenias judges on Friday condemned what it called growing insults and threats publicly voiced against some of its members, saying that they pose a threat to judicial independence.

Lately the hate speech against judges has surpassed the limits of admissibility set by international legal documents, the Union of Judges said in a statement.

In particular, it claimed that in recent days some members of the public have used the press and social media to insult and even threaten judges and demand explanations for rulings handed down by them.

The union urged Armenian authorities, political and civic groups as well as ordinary citizens to refrain from demanding that such explanations, discrediting judges or exerting any pressure on them. It said that such behavior undermines the independence of the entire judicial system and the rule of law.

The statement did not specify rulings that triggered the hate speech. It most probably referred to public reactions to high-profile court cases involving former senior government or military officials accused of corruption.

One of them, former Deputy Defense Minister Manvel Grigorian, was freed from pretrial detention by a Yerevan court last week. The courts decision provoked angry street protests in the town of Echmiadzin where Grigorian lived before being arrested in June.

Ever since he came to power in May Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has repeatedly stated that Armenian courts are no longer pressured by the government or law-enforcement agencies. At the same time he has made a case for transitional justice in the country, saying that the Armenian judiciary is still rife with corruption.

Speaking at an August 17 rally in Yerevan, Pashinian said that many judges execute orders from representatives of the former corrupt authorities. Come to your senses and dont mess with the people, he warned them.

The remarks prompted serious concern from Pashinians political opponents. Some of them accused Pashinian of seeking to gain control over courts through new and unconstitutional bodies.

Justice Minister Artak Zeynalian dismissed those concerns, saying later in August that the possible introduction of new legal mechanisms would not contradict the Armenian constitution or international conventions signed by Armenia. No courts will be dissolved and no courts of courts will be set up, he said.By Leman Mammadova

The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) has an unquestionable competitive advantage over the traditional route from the Baltic countries to India, Russian expert Leonid Khazanov told Trend on Thursday.

He noted that this corridor may reduce the time and cost of delivery of goods by 35-40 percent, and the distance  twice.

Khazanov added that the cargo turnover between Russia and Azerbaijan may increase due to the North-South project.

The potential cargo turnover by this corridor can be estimated at 20-30 million tons per year, and Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran will play the main role in it, he said.

However, it is necessary not only to develop the ports on the Caspian Sea, but also to accelerate customs clearance for the practical implementation of the project, said the expert.

However, the projects that are being implemented today allow us to look at the future of the North-South project optimistically as it is beneficial for many countries, and Russia and Azerbaijan will be able to get great advantage from it, added Khazanov.

Moreover, as the expert noted, the North-South may have three different paths at once: the western (actually passing along the historical Caspian trade route), the eastern (through Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan) and the Trans-Caspian.

INSTC is designed for the transportation of goods from India and the Gulf countries to Russia, Western Europe, the Baltic and Scandinavian countries.

The North-South transport corridor was established in 2000 within the Intergovernmental Agreement between Russia, Iran and India. The main purpose of the agreement is to increase the efficiency of transport communications in the organization of freight and passenger transportation, to create conditions for member states to enjoy the international rail, automobile, sea, river and air transport services, to assist in increasing the volume of international transportation. The project envisages connecting India with the Middle East and the Caucasus, Central Asia and Europe.

In total, 13 countries have ratified the Agreement. Azerbaijan joined this Agreement in 2005. The purpose of the corridor is to reduce the delivery time to three weeks from India to Russia, as well as to North and Western Europe as the current route takes more than six weeks (through the Persian Gulf, the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean Sea to Helsinki).

Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia signed an agreement in 2005 on the construction of 375 km long Astara-Resht-Qazvin railway project envisages the construction of a new railway line in Iran, which will connect Astara, Azerbaijan to the Iranian cities of Astara, Rasht and Qazvin as well as the reconstruction of an existing railway in Azerbaijan.

The railway between Astara regions of Azerbaijan and Iran has been already completed. Qazvin-Rasht part of railway has been launched in November. The construction of the Rasht-Astara railway will be completed in two years.

The expected volume of cargo on the corridor passing through the territory of Azerbaijan is 3 million tons at the first, 5-8 million tons at the second and 15 million tons at the third stage.

Last year, Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia lowered the tariffs by 50 percent for the activation of cargo transportation via the North-South international transport corridor. In 2017, the increase in cargo transportation through the territory of Azerbaijan between Russia and Iran was 68 percent.

Recently, Azerbaijan Railways CJSC has been identified as an authority that will acquire land plots for state needs that fall under the construction of a railway line on the 56-kilometer Gasimly-Astara section of the INSTC.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Abdul Kerimkhanov

Russia remains the main export market for the non-oil sector of the Azerbaijani economy, while fruits and vegetables occupy leading positions in the export of products.

Azerbaijan exported tomatoes for $ 162.2 million in January-November 2018, thus becoming a leading commodity in the non-oil sector, according to data from the December Export Review, Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communications.

Gold came in second place in terms of exports - by $ 107.2 million, persimmon settled in third place - $ 89.1 million.

In general, Azerbaijan exported fruits and vegetables for $ 495 million in January-November 2018.

The main market for Azerbaijani non-oil goods remains Russia - $554 million. Then comes Turkey with $321.3 million, Switzerland - $123.3 million, Georgia - $117.1 million and Kazakhstan - $41.1 million.

At the same time, the highest growth rates in the non-oil sector were recorded in Kazakhstan - 42 percent, Turkey - 22 percent, Russia - 12 percent, decline in exports is traced to Switzerland - 8 percent and Georgia - 3 percent.

In general, exports of the non-oil sector for the period amounted to $ 1.5 billion, which is $ 145 million, or 10.5 percent more than the same period last year.

The Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communications was established by Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated April 20, 2016. The purpose of the Center is to develop proposals, as well as medium-term and long-term forecasts for the implementation of economic reforms through analysis and research at the macro and microeconomic level.

The main priority sectors in the development of the Azerbaijani non-oil sector are agriculture, tourism, information and communication technologies, and the manufacturing industry.

For the development of agriculture in the country, consistent state programs are being implemented, reforms are being carried out, and the newest technologies are being attracted.

The general situation in Azerbaijan, stability, development further stimulates local and foreign investors. It is no coincidence that over the past 15 years, an investment of $ 250 billion has been invested in the country's economy.

The main goal of the reforms carried out in Azerbaijan is to make the economy competitive so that it is characterized by such an indicator as exports of high value-added products to the world market. This ensures the inflow of foreign currency earnings, strengthens the economy, reliably protects the national currency from devaluation, creates the conditions for creating highly skilled jobs.

---

Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzNarmina Mammadova

Azerbaijan, a country rich in mineral resources, started industrial production of gold in July 2009. About 900 fields were registered in Azerbaijan's state and territorial balance of reserves of mineral resources.

AzerGold CJSC has produced 45,490 ounces of gold and 77,340 ounces of silver in 2018, AzerGold said at the presentation, held with the participation of management and employees of the company.

The processes of mining, refining, reserves of the Chovdar deposit, indicators of gold extraction were discussed at the meeting.

The company noted that the hourly production capacity of the ores crushing and grinding areas has been increased from 100-150 tonnes to 200-250 tonnes as a result of the performed optimization works. Meanwhile, as a result of the application of modern technologies and optimization work, the use of chemical reagents decreased by 20-30 percent, while mining increased by 33 percent compared with the previous year.

During the event, the participants had extensive discussions around further optimization of mining, increasing the operational lifetime of the Chovdar deposit, the work being carried out at the Tullallar and Agyohush sites, production forecasts for 2019 and 2020.

Large-scale geological exploration is being carried out in order to increase the reserves of exploited areas and the commissioning of new fields.

Currently, the drilling of 32 exploration wells with a total depth of 6,000 meters has been completed. It was carried out in order to increase reserves of sulphide ores from the Chovdar deposit of the Dashkesan region.

The information collected in the framework of exploration will be used by international consulting company Micon International in the development of a feasibility study for the project.

The Chovdar deposit is located in northern Dashkasan district, which includes special and complex gold fields.

Starting from June of the current year, based on the obtained positive results, control and assessment drilling operations are being carried out from the potentially promising Agyohush site discovered by geologists of AzerGold.

Geophysical work is undergoing at the Narchal-Agyohush site, located on the far flanks of the Chovdar deposit. On the Kapaz site, located on the territory of the Goygol region, ground geophysical studies will be carried out next year.

In order to conduct joint drilling operations at the Tulallar gold-bearing site located in the Goygol region, an agreement was signed with the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and drilling is already underway.

Intensive drilling operations have also been carried out at the gold-bearing and copper-prospective section of Ortakkend-Khanag, located on the territory of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, since July.

By the end of this year, a preliminary assessment document on the Filizchay polymetallic deposit located in the Balakan region will be prepared by the influential international consulting company SRK Consulting. This deposit is of strategic importance not only for Azerbaijan, but also for Europe. At the moment, prospects for the development of nearby fields Mazymchay, Katsdag and others are being considered within the framework of the Filizchay project.

The commissioning of new fields will significantly increase production in the coming years. According to preliminary estimates, only the operation of the Filizchay deposit, as well as the oxide and sulphide phases of the Chovdar deposit, will bring the country's economy more than 10 billion manats in revenue.

AzerGold CJSC started operating in July, 2016 and is engaged in studying, research, investigation, management of deposits of precious and non-ferrous metals, their production, processing and sale, and also application of new technologies in this sphere, improvement of material and technical base and implementation of other work related to the development of this field.

Azerbaijan has its rich gold deposits. Gold mostly is produced in Dashkasan (AzerGold CJSC) and in Gadabay (Anglo-Asian Mining, Britain) regions of the country.

About 900 fields were registered in Azerbaijans state and territorial balance of reserves of mineral resources.

The Ministry for Ecology and Natural Recourses estimates that the country is able to produce about 10-15 tons of gold per year.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Leman Mammadova

Arkhangelsk region of Russian Federation will organize a business mission to Azerbaijan in May 2019.

The future participants may apply until January 20 to present their products in Azerbaijan.

This is stated in the information posted on the website of the Government of the Arkhangelsk region, which is the organizer of the event, AZERTAC reports.

One of the goals of the business mission is to establish partner relations between the producers and trade partners of the Arkhangelsk region and Azerbaijan to develop the economic cooperation.

Arkhangelsk region and the Republic of Azerbaijan have long-standing friendly relations. Today Azerbaijan is an important trading partner of the Arkhangelsk region. The volume of bilateral trade amounted to $ 24.6 million in 2017.

Earlier in the autumn of 2018, the delegation of Pomorye (Arkhangelsk) took part in the Russian-Azerbaijani business forum for the third time.

Orlov, Governor of the Arkhangelsk Region, said that the trade turnover between the region and Azerbaijan increased by 40 percent over the year. He also noted that it is possible to get Arkhangelsk products in Baku, for example, beds for children.

Shipbuilding, hydrocarbon production, agriculture and tourism are, in Orlovs opinion, promising areas for mutually profitable partnership.

Azerbaijan is one of the main economic partners of Russia among the CIS countries. The trade turnover between two countries amounted to $2.14 billion in 2017. Azerbaijan invested more than $1 billion in the Russian economy, and Russia invested about $4 billion in the economy of Azerbaijan.

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.

Arkhangelsk region, located in the far north of the Russia, is a forest region that has great potential in woodworking, biochemistry, biotechnology as well as rich in diamonds and hydrocarbons, shipbuilding and tourism.

At present, several Azerbaijani public organizations, the regional branch of the All-Russian Azerbaijan Congress, the Azerbaijani diaspora of the Arkhangelsk region and the regional public organization of the Azerbaijani community "Karvan-Karavan" in Kotlas operate in Pomorye.

The Azerbaijani diaspora in Arkhangelsk holds the days of the culture of Azerbaijan, takes an active part in the work of the Council of Nationalities, is engaged in the restoration and opening of a mosque in Pomorye.

It should be noted that Arkhangelsk region of Russia will import 50 tons of sugar beet per month from Azerbaijani region, Imishli. Furthermore, Arkhangelsk region and Azerbaijan will sign a cooperation agreement. This was agreed on the sidelines of the 7th Azerbaijan-Russia interregional forum in Baku. The agreement will embrace trade, economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation between the governments of Arkhangelsk region and Azerbaijan.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Abdul Kerimkhanov

Khankendi, the center of Upper Karabakh, the region of Azerbaijan, was occupied by Armenian armed forces on December 28, 1991 and a separatist regime was created. The last Azerbaijani families were expelled from Khankendi on that date.

Khankendi is a developed industrial center of Azerbaijan, located on the coast of the Gargar river, in the eastern foothills of the Karabakh ridge, 329 km of Baku. There are light and food industry enterprises in the city. Such enterprises as electrical engineering, car repair and asphalt concrete plants, furniture factory, construction materials, industrial, manufacturing and educational production combines.

According to historical documents, Khankendi was set up as a residence for the rest of Karabakh khanate's Khan. Karabakh khanate was one of the independent states of Azerbaijan in the late 18th century. And the name of the city came from here. By the year 1813, Armenians were not living in Khankendi, and then the policy of ethnic cleansing was carried out by the Russian Empire and Armenians were deported there from Iran.

The policy of ethnic cleansing against the Azerbaijanis in Khankendi during the USSR strengthened, and the number of Armenian families in the city artificially increased. Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region was formed as part of Azerbaijan with the capital Khankendi in 1923. Then, the policy of Armenianization of the province was activated. Taking into account the appeal of Armenians on October 6, 1923, the name of Khankendi was renamed Stepanakert in honor of Stepan Shaumian, a genocide committed against the Azerbaijani people. The Armenians were promoted to leadership positions in the Autonomous Province. Thus, the Khankendi began to fall under Armenian occupation.

During the former USSR, the Azerbaijanis living in Khankendi gradually were forced out of there. When the events of 1988 began, the Armenian population in Khankendi was considerably larger than Azerbaijanis. At that time, the number of Azerbaijanis was about 17,000, while the Armenians had risen to 40,000. Khankendi was already the center of Armenian separatism in 1988-1989. Last Azerbaijanis were expelled from Khankendi on December 26, 1991. And the occupation of the city was completed.

As many as 34 people were killed and 150 injured in various battles for the Karkijahan and surrounding areas. Three of the martyrs were women and two were children.

Before the occupation, the population of Karkijahan village was 1,796 people. As many as 350 households, two secondary schools, one kindergarten, a library, a club, an automatic telephone exchange, 10 shops, a polyclinic, five production workshops and other household objects were destroyed in Karkijahan.

Today, after more than a quarter-century have passed since the occupation of Khankendi, Azerbaijani internally displaced people still wait for the return to their native places. Regrettably, their desire remains unnoticed by the world community  Armenia keeps ignoring four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions.

Azerbaijan tries to resolve the conflict as soon as possible, while the aggressor Armenia does the opposite by making every effort to preserve the status quo in Nagorno-Karabakh. Currently, 20 percent of the Azerbaijani territories remain under Armenian occupation and over 1 million refugees and IDPs have to live far away from their homes in hope of returning there someday.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzImran Khan should have been trained if he was to be given govt: Asif Zardari

GARHI KHUDA BUX: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday launched a broadside at the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, saying price-hike tsunami had sunken the entire economy and those who had pledged to give 10 million jobs and five million houses had increased gas and electricity tariffs instead.



Addressing a gathering of hundreds of partys workers and activists, who had come there to observe the 11th martyrdom anniversary of his slain mother and ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto, the PPP chairman said, Prime Minister Imran Khan should have been trained if he was to be given government.



A countrys future cant be changed with chicken eggs, said Bilawal in a jibe at PM Imrans idea of improving the countrys economy through poultry business.



Bilawal said that Imran wanted to end 18th Amendment and crush provincial autonomy, which would never be allowed. PM Imran was brought in to reintroduce one-unit system in the country, he alleged and asked: What was the purpose of running campaigns for Kalabagh Dam when three provincial assemblies had rejected it? It seems that reservation of Sindh is being thrown in the dust bin, but those in powers seemed to be least concerned, he added.



Referring to the report of the Supreme Court-mandated Joint Investigation Team in the money laundering case, the PPP chairman said that the JIT report was nothing but a pack of lies.



If institutions were investigating benami accounts then they should also investigate benami accounts of Prime Minister Imran Khan. We hope that courts will discard the misleading report. Neither public nor I accept report, said the PPP chairman.



I want to send this message to all powers that I will fight your conspiracies and will fight your arrogance, said Bilawal. He said that PPP Jiyalas were his biggest asset.



He said Shaheed BB was still awaiting justice and asked when killers would be brought to justice. He said that ideology of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and vision of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto both were the key to a modern and brighter Pakistan.



In his address, former president Asif Ali Zardari said that his party and its leadership were not scared of the tactics being applied by ladla, the favoured one and they would face them in the courts.



The PPP co-chairman said that he faced the opponents tactics earlier too and will not back down from facing them again.



They have started to sound like a broken record. Apart from uttering gibberish on television, they dont know what to do, he remarked.



He said that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is his and Benazir Bhuttos son and no one could scare him and vowed to fight his political opponents in court and everywhere else.



Zardari, who made scarce mention of his late wife in a speech meant to mark Benazir Bhuttos 11th death anniversary in Garhi Khuda Bukhsh, criticised the incumbent PTI government and claimed that it pales in comparison to the PPP.



They did nothing in their 100 days, he said, reminding the party supporters that he had ousted Gen Musharraf and launched the Benazir [Income Support Programme] card, among other things, in his own first 100 days as president.



They will be unable to run the country despite foreign support by friendly countries, he said.By Trend

Despite the longstanding negotiations on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan was offering positive proposals, however, unfortunately, Armenia always reacted negatively to them, Tural Ganjaliyev, chairman of the Azerbaijani Community of the Nagorno-Karabakh Region of Azerbaijan, told Trend Dec. 27.

He was commenting on the words of David Babayan, who calls himself "spokesperson" of the "head" of the separatist regime.

Ganjaliyev said that as a result of the conflict, 20 percent of Azerbaijani lands was occupied, more than a million refugees and IDPs, including more than 80,000 Azerbaijanis of Nagorno-Karabakh, were expelled from their native lands.

The four resolutions of the UN Security Council dated 1993 require the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the invading forces from the territory of Azerbaijan and the return of people expelled from these lands, he added. We, the Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, are ready to restore contacts with the Armenian community and a constructive dialogue in peace and within the internationally recognized borders and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. The time has come to make progress in resolving the conflict.

He said that the continuation of the aggression policy towards Azerbaijan left Armenia aside from the projects being implemented in the region.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

An event dedicated to the Azerbaijani Solidarity Day and the first anniversary of the California Azerbaijan Friendship Association (CAFA) was held in the San Diego, California on December 21, 2018, Trend reports referring to the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles on Dec. 27.

Organized jointly by the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles and CAFA, the event was attended by members of the Azerbaijani community, representatives of government, culture and media of San Diego.



Opening the event, Executive Director of CAFA Kimiya Mammadova welcomed the guests and expressed her appreciation to all for attending this special celebration. On behalf of the community, she congratulated the people of Azerbaijan and 50 million Azerbaijanis living around the world on the Azerbaijani Solidarity Day.

Kimiya Mammadova highlighted CAFAs successful first year and noted that the organization will continue its efforts in strengthening the Azerbaijani community in California as well as contributing to advancement of relations between California and Azerbaijan in various fields.



Speaking afterwards, the Consul of the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles Orkhan congratulated all our compatriots on the upcoming Azerbaijani Solidarity Day and the New Year and wished every success to CAFA in their future activities.



The events speakers also included the Executive Director of San Diego-Baku Friendship Association Martin Kruming and the Chairman of the Los Angeles Interfaith Council Bishop Juan Carlos Mendez. They also congratulated the people of Azerbaijan on this special celebration.

Proclamations declaring Dec. 31 as Azerbaijani Solidarity Day in the City and County of San Diego were presented at the event.

Following the speeches, Azerbaijani music and dance performances by Laman Musayeva were presented. The guests were also treated to authentic Azerbaijani dishes and pastries prepared by famous Azerbaijani chef of San Diego and co-owner of the citys renowned restaurant Cafe21 Leyla Bayramova.

The event was received with much applause and admiration by all attendees.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevs rich political experience allows to effectively address present-day global issues, as well as support historical friendship existing between Russia and Azerbaijan, Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Oreshkin said in a congratulatory message addressed to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday.

I would like to especially emphasize your personal contribution to the friendly and neighbourly relations between our countries, Oreshkin's message said. These relations will undoubtedly continue to serve well-being of both the Azerbaijani and Russian peoples.

I sincerely wish you the best of health and every success in achieving your goals, he added.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Leman Mammadova

At present, the damage of transport vehicles to the environment is one of the most pressing problems in the world. Automobile transport holds leading position in environmental pollution by more than 90 percent.

Many countries have already realized the serious damage caused by automobiles and view using alternative kind of transports as a solution to this challenge.

One of the ecologically clean transports is trams. Trams and electric trains are the most important vehicles in all developed cities around the world. Trams have been adopted in almost all cities in Europe with population above 200,000 people. The main reasons are that they are efficient and ecofriendly.

The first trams in the world were the main vehicles of cities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Touching upon the benefits of trams it should be noted that contruction of tram system requires less cost, it has high capacity of passenger transportation, additional wagons can be connected to the tram at peak hours, and its service life makes more than 40 years.

Trams are very convenient for people in cities where there are a lot of tourists.

The revival of tram lines in Baku has long been rumored and discussed.

It is planned to distribute transportations by types of transport and to ensure the interaction of different types of it in 2019-2022, Trend reports referring to the State Program on Road Traffic Safety in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2019-2023, approved by Presidential Decree dated December 27, 2018.

An action plan will be developed to ensure the interaction of different types of transport, as well as a common transport strategy of Azerbaijan for the purpose of increasing the service life of the motorways in Azerbaijan and reducing the load, improving the safety and quality of transport, overall traffic safety and accelerating the socio-economic development of the regions, optimal distribution of passenger and cargo transportation by type aimed at the development of tourism.

In addition, it is planned to develop the existing public transport infrastructure, increase the number of urban public transport, investigate the possibilities and economic efficiency of tram, cabotage passenger and cargo shipments, and make proposals in this field.

The main executive body is the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies, and other executive bodies are the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Baku Transport Agency, Baku Metro, Azerbaijan Railways, Azerbaijan Airlines and Azerbaijan Caspian Sea Shipping Company.

The Baku tramway network had been operating for 80 years.

The Baku tram line network was operating between 1889 and 2004. A horsecar line was opened in Baku in 1889. On 8 February 1924, an electric tram line was launched in Baku, which lasted until 2004.

In February 2012, the government of Azerbaijan announced that it is planning to restore the tram line in Baku, which had to be laid along the seaside promenade of Baku Boulevard in central Baku as part of the Baku White City development project.

Unlike the former network, the new line had to be considerably shorter in length and it hadn't had to serve within the main road networks of Baku as was the case with the former tramway network.

Recently, Alstom, a major French engineering company, suggested the cooperation on restoration of tram line in Baku. Alstom is waiting for Baku city administration to decide on implementation of the project on restoration of the tram lines in the capital of Azerbaijan. The project proposes construction of a new tram line from the Olympic Stadium to the Port Baku and then to the Flag Square.

Alstom is a one of the world leaders in production of power equipment and railway transport.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

The last plenary meeting of the Azerbaijani parliament will be held today, Trend reports on Dec. 28.

The amendments and changes to the Code on Administrative Offenses, Civil Code, Labor Code, Civil Procedure Code, as well as to the Law on Antimonopoly Activity, the Law on Electronic Commerce, the Law on Mandatory Insurance, the Law on Unfair Competition, the Law on the Protection of Foreign Investments and other regulatory documents will be discussed at the meeting.

In conclusion, the appeal of the Azerbaijani parliament in connection with the Solidarity Day of World Azerbaijanis will be approved.

In total, 52 issues are on the agenda.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

Oil prices fell on Thursday, retreating from an 8 percent rally in the previous session as Wall Street stocks also fell and the oil market focused on signs of faltering global economic growth and record production of crude.

Brent crude LCOc1 futures dropped 4.24 percent, or $2.31, to settle at $52.16 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 futures fell $1.61 to settle at $44.61 a barrel, down 3.48 percent.

The market is giving back some of its gains from yesterday that were brought along with the euphoria in the stock market, said Andrew Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates in Houston.

Prices surged on Wednesday, tracking a spike on Wall Street after President Donald Trumps administration attempted to shore up investor confidence.

US stocks retreated on Thursday, dragging oil prices. [.N]

Brent and WTI have lost more than a third of their value since the beginning of October and are heading for declines of more than 20 percent in 2018.

Concerns about slowing global economic growth have dampened investor demand for riskier asset classes and pressured crude futures.

Market participants are worried about a glut of crude. Three months ago it looked as if the global oil market would be undersupplied through the northern hemisphere winter as US sanctions removed large volumes of Iranian crude. But other oil exporters have compensated for any shortfall, depressing prices.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, along with Russia and other producers, agreed this month to reduce output by 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd), equivalent to more than 1 percent of global consumption.

But the cuts will not take effect until January and oil production has been at or near record highs in Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United States, now the worlds top crude producer pumping 11.6 million bpd.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said the country will cut its output by between 3 million and 5 million tonnes in the first half of 2019. It then will be able to restore it to 556 million tonnes (11.12 million barrels per day) for the whole 2019, on par with 2018, he added.

Although US sanctions have put a cap on Irans oil sales, Tehran has said its private exporters have no problems selling its oil.

US crude inventory data will be released from the American Petroleum Institute after settlement on Thursday and from the US Energy Information Administration on Friday. [API/S]

A Reuters survey estimated that US crude inventories dropped 2.9 million barrels in the week to Dec. 21. [EIA/S]

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Leman Mammadova

Turkey imported about 6 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Azerbaijan in January-October of the current year.

The Turkish Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA) has published this information, AZERTAC reported.

According to the report, as of October 2018, Turkey imported 771 million cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan. Thus, Azerbaijan is the second largest gas exporter to Turkey after Russian  1.65 billion cubic meters.

The third place is occupied by Iran which exported 588 million cubic meters of natural gas to Turkey in October.

In January 2018, Turkey imported 594.15 million cubic meters from Azerbaijan, in February - 536.61 million cubic meters, in March - 591 million cubic meters, in April - 292.04, in May - 601 million cubic meters, in June - 578 million cubic meters, in July - 595 million cubic meters, in August - 636 million cubic meters. 749 million cubic meters, and 771 million cubic meters in October.

Thus, in the first 10 months of this year, 5.9 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas were exported to Turkey.

Last year, Turkey imported a total of 55.2 billion cubic meters of gas.

Turkey imports natural gas from Azerbaijan via the South Caucasus Pipeline (Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum) and TANAP. The South Caucasus Pipeline commissioned at the end of 2006 is currently supplying Shahdeniz gas to Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey.

TANAP, along with TAP, is a part of Southern Gas Corridor project that envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijani Shah Deniz-2 gas field to European markets. TANAP gas pipeline was put into operation on June 12 in Eskisehir, Turkey. The first gas transportation to Turkey started on 30 June. So far, TANAP has transported about 800 million cubic meters of Shah Deniz gas to Turkey. TANAP will transport 2 billion cubic meters in 2019 to Turkey, 4 billion cubic meters in 2020, and 6 billion cubic meters of natural gas will be transported in 2021.

Turkey now imports liquefied gas from Algeria, Qatar and the US, except Russia, Azerbaijan, and Iran.

Since Turkey's energy security is dependent on foreign energy resources, Turkey has been continuously exploring new hydrocarbon reserves offshore and onshore.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Abdul Kerimkhanov

Irans budget is least tied to oil production among OPEC member countries, and country's macro policy is to reduce dependence on oil revenues, said Iran's oil minister Bijan Zanganeh.

He stressed that although Irans budget is least tied to oil among OPEC member countries, Iran is in good condition compared to neighboring countries.

Zanganeh noted that the Iranian government takes into account the price of $ 54 per each barrel of oil in the budget for next year.

He stated that in some cases, the estimated price will change, giving an example of the price at $ 70 per barrel this year, despite the estimated price of $ 55, adding that $ 54 is the balanced price for the next year.

Meanwhile, the representative of the Iranian parliament, Bahruz Nemati, forecasts that next year the country will export 1.5 million barrels of oil per day starting March 21, 2019.

The Iranian oil industry has a significant impact on the economic development of the state as a whole. The country is among the top five world oil powers and ranks fourth after Saudi Arabia, Russia and the United States.

The oil sector is concentrated in one large state-owned company - the National Oil Company of Iran (Sharkat Malli Naft Iran, NIOC). The most famous place of accumulation of Iranian oil is the oil and gas basin of the Persian Gulf.

Depth horizons of oil have not been studied yet due to the lack of modern search technology. The current oil reserves of Iran at the current level of production will be enough for 95 years.

Iran is part of OPEC, for this reason, all production and export of "black gold" is controlled by quotas. All extracted oil is subdivided into light and heavy. Light oil is considered better. Iran is trying to modernize the current oil industry and develop new fields to increase the level of exports outside the country.

Oil export is carried out directly through the terminals, which are located on the Persian Gulf islands. The largest among them are the islands of Kharg, Sirri and Laban. From there, the petroleum product is delivered to Japan and the countries of Europe. Export revenues are the main source for Irans economic growth, and they contribute to the formation of the state budget revenues.

Iran's largest oil producing companies are National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), Petronas European subsidiaries, Shell and Total.

---

Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

Iran and Iraq energy ministers have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to promote the ties in energy sector.

Iran Energy Minister Reza Ardekanian and his Iraqi counterpart Luay Al Khateeb agreed to expand cooperation in energy sector on Thursday,Trend reports citing IRNA.

"The memorandum of understanding is the result of intense negotiations between Iran and Iraq energy ministries," said Ardekanian.

The Iranian official noted the MoU would maintain long term framework of joint cooperation in energy sector, specially regarding gas and electricity imports to Iraq , reconstruction of Iraq power industry and collaboration of Iranian companies.

"Iranian companies would use their experience and knowledge in order to develop and reconstruct power industry in Iraq, while the MoU would prepare the grounds for infrastructure by the Iranian side," said Ardekanian.

The memorandum of understanding includes improvement of Iraq's power network, a management system. Meanwhile, Iran's experts are to train the Iraqis for subsequent work in the energy sector.

Iraq's Minister of Electricity Luay Al Khateeb also mentioned the importance of the MoU.

"Iraq's annual electricity needs had grown to 7 percent and the country requires energy sources , Iran is the closest and most trusted source to supply energy to Iraq," he said.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abd Al-Mahdi said his country would expand relations with Iran in the field of electricity, Trend reports with the reference to IRNA.

Al-Mahdi made the remarks in a meeting with Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian in Baghdad on Thursday.

Iran's Ambassador to Iraq Iraj Masjedi and Iraq's Minister of Electricity Luay Al Khateeb were also present in the meeting.

The Iraqi Prime Minister said Baghdad is ready for cooperation with Tehran to find suitable solution to expand relations with Iran in energy.

He said Iraq should succeed in electricity generation.

Ardakanian and Al Khateeb on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for energy cooperation after two days of intensive talks.

The Iranian minister extended Iranian president Hassan Rouhani's congratulation to Iraqi Prime Minister for formation of new Iraq government.

He said Iran is fully ready to supply energy to Iraq, contribute to its power plant establishment and reconstruction projects and train necessary workforce for the purpose.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzIndia has no role to play in Afghanistan: FO

Islamabad: The Foreign Office has stated that India has no role to play in Afghanistan and assured that Pakistan will continue to play a constructive role for promoting peace and reconciliation process in the restive western neighbour.



Responding to media questions at his press briefing in the Foreign Ministry, FO spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal said the purpose of Foreign Ministers whirlwind visit was two-fold, including strengthening of regional consensus on Afghanistan and exploring possibilities of a win-win framework for regional connectivity and economic development to help achieve the ultimate objective of economic growth and prosperity in the region.



The spokesman said Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshis visits to Kabul, Tehran, Beijing and Moscow would help generate consensus among all stakeholders and would advance the peace process in Afghanistan.



The visit was essentially a part of governments policy to strengthen relations with all neighbours and regional countries, he remarked.



The spokesman confirmed that Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi would be visiting Qatar soon. Later, speaking to Daily Times, Qureshi said he would visit Qatar on December 30, 2018. The foreign minister said the visit to Qatar was a part of the shuttle diplomacy covering four countries of the region.



Further speaking at the press briefing, the FO spokesperson said international community has recognized Pakistans efforts for peace and stability in the region, including Afghanistan. He said Pakistans longstanding position to give peace and reconciliation a real chance in Afghanistan has become the basis for an international consensus.



The spokesman said due to Pakistans cooperation and active diplomacy, successful round of talks took place recently, including Moscow Format Consultations, Geneva Conference on Afghanistan, and the Abu Dhabi meeting between UN and Afghan Taliban.



The spokesman said this shuttle diplomacy by the Foreign Minister provided an opportunity to listen to views of the leadership in Afghanistan, Iran, China and Russia, for promoting a joint regional approach on Afghanistan and explore realistic possibilities of regional integration in economic terms in the future.



Dr Faisal strongly condemned the fresh wave of violence by Indian forces in Occupied Kashmir where some five hundred civilians have been killed in 2018.



The spokesman called upon the international community to press India to immediately stop its atrocities in the occupied valley.



The spokesperson said the issue of Jammu and Kashmir is at the top of Pakistans list of priorities in its foreign policy, and Pakistan will continue to expose the true Indian face in occupied Kashmir at all international forums.By Abdul Kerimkhanov

The volume of exports of non-oil products from Iran in March-November increased by 13 percent compared to the same period last year, Hamid Zadbum, deputy head of the Iranian Trade Facilitation Organization for the Development of the Export Market, said in the city of Hamadan in western Iran.

"Many exporters have focused on 13 neighboring countries since the beginning of the Iranian year," he added.

Zadbum said that the Minister of Industry, Mines and Commerce also prepared a plan for this, adding that the best way to avoid U.S. repressive sanctions is to increase non-oil exports.

Regarding exports to Iraq, he said that Iran's exports to this country in March-November 2018 amounted to $6.4 billion, and this year it increased to $6.7 billion.

Zadbum also noted that in addition to neighboring countries, the main export markets of Iran are China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.

Iran's exports to China in March-November 2018, amounted to $ 20 billion, and the trade balance between the two countries during this period amounted to $ 6 billion in favor of Iran.

Despite unilateral U.S. sanctions against Iran, the export of Iranian oil and non-oil products continues.

Iraq, China, Afghanistan and India are the most important buyers of Iranian goods.

Iran has managed to increase non-oil exports by almost 15 times for 30 years. Almost a third of non-oil sector exports are products of the petrochemical industry. It certainly works to create a balanced economy, to reduce dependence on crude oil exports.

If Iranian exports in recent years have become clearly reoriented to the Asian market, Iranian imports are focused mainly on European countries. The largest weight in Iranian imports is occupied by Germany, France, and Italy; in recent years, imports from China, Korea, India, as well as small European countries  Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, and Belgium  have increased.

The share of imports from the United Arab Emirates, through which mainly European and American products come to Iran, increased to almost 20 percent. Thus, the sanctions adopted by the UN Security Council to restrict imports to Iran to a greater extent affect the interests of European countries. The interests of the Asian countries are mainly related to energy supplies from Iran.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzMaryam Nawaz met Nawaz Sharif in prison

Maryam Nawaz said on Thursday that she met her father Nawaz Sharif in prison on Thursday and the former premier was in high spirits there. I went to see Mian Nawaz Sharif at Kot Lakhpat jail today. He was MashaAllah in high spirits, the former first daughter said in her tweet.



The former premier however asked for his wifes photos, she said.



I asked him if he needed anything from home and he said, Yes, Kalsooms photos, Maryam added.



Earlier in the day, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders and his relatives met Nawaz at the prison. Maryam and Nawazs nephew Hamza Shehbaz were among those who visited him at the jail.



PML-N leaders Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Ahsan Iqbal and Rana Tanvir also visited the prison to meet the party supremo.



Sadiq, while talking to reporters outside the jail, expressed the partys reservations over the judgement. He said that a bail application would be moved soon and expressed his hope that they would secure bail for Nawaz Sharif.



He claimed that the decision did not specify financial corruption done by Nawaz, and commended the former premier for honouring the supremacy of law.



The three-time prime minister had been appearing before a joint investigation team. There is no such precedent in the past, nor would be in the future, he added.You can reach Sam Morgen at 661-395-7415 or smorgen@bakersfield.com. You may also follow him on Twitter @smorgenTBC.BCSD summer school enrollment

2018: 5,375 enrolled, with 3,361 showing up on the first day of summer school and 2920 on last day of school.

2017: 7,177 enrolled, with 4,952 on the first day and 4, 119 on the last day.

2016: 8,160 enrolled, 5,652 on the first day. No data available for last day.

Source: Bakersfield City School DistrictNames of 172 ppl identified by JIT in fake accounts case

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry announced on Thursday that the government would place the names of all 172 personnel identified by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the fake accounts case on the Exit Control List. These include Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari.



The decision was announced by Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry in a press briefing held after a federal cabinet meeting. I hope Zardari will take the JIT seriously. This is not the old Pakistan where people were used to making compromises, he said. The independent accountability process will continue. When a reporter referred to Zardaris counsel Lateef Khosas statement that the PPP leader would be arrested before December 31, the minister replied, God Willing. What else can I say about the matter?



It is ridiculous how they [opposition parties] launder public money and then call upon the public to protest over alleged injustice with them. How can they ask people of Sindh to protest for them after having looted their money? asked the minister. Further, the information minister said polls for FATAs provincial assembly will be held in June.



FATA will get constitutional rights. We wanted to take FATA into the mainstream as soon as possible, he said, adding that all basic necessities would be provided to the general public.



Regarding former MQM leader Ali Raza Abidis murder, he said that the federal cabinet had examined the law and order situation in Karachi, adding that the murder was part of attempts to disrupt peace and security of the metropolis. Karachis peace is interlinked with Pakistans economy, he stated, adding that various criminal groups have been reactivated in the city.



There are South African gangs involved in Karachi violence. Foreign office has been advised to take the matter with the South African government, he said.



Regarding threats being given by the MQM leader Altaf Hussain, he vowed that the matter would be raised with the British government as Abidi had been murdered following his threats.



We have seen Altaf Hussains video where he is inciting violence, and giving orders from Britain to disrupt peace and commit murders here, he said.



The minister expressed displeasure over the performance of CCTV cameras installed in Karachi. Cabinet approves Farrukh H. Sabzwaris name for SECP chair



Earlier, the federal cabinet met here on Thursday with Prime Minister Imran Khan in chair and approved the appointment of SECPs commissioner Farrukh H. Sabzwari as the chairman of the commission.



Sabzwari was appointed commissioner at the SECP on November 15, 2018. He would take charge of the chairmanship following the issuance of notification by the Ministry of Finance. Currently, Tahir Mehmood has the acting chairmans charge.



Sabzwari is an MBA in finance with more than 25 years of professional experience in the capital markets in Pakistan and abroad. Before joining the SECP as a Commissioner in December 2018, he was the CEO of BMA Capital Management, one of Pakistans largest firms dealing in financial services.The Michigan Board of Osteopathic Medicine revoked the license of Traverse City, Mich.-based pain management physician Jonathan Gale Robertson, DO, after sexual assault allegations emerged against him, the Traverse City Record Eagle reports.

Here's what you should know:

1. Dr. Robertson allegedly made inappropriate sexual contact with at least two of his patients.

2. The two patients said Dr. Robertson allegedly exchanged prescribed narcotics in exchange for sexual favors. The incidents allegedly happened from October 2014 to April 2015.

3. Dr. Robertson faces 22 total charges including 10 charges of criminal sexual conduct.

4. His future court proceedings have not yet been scheduled.Medscape released its Physicians of the Year 2018 Best & Worst report bestowing honors and reviewing travesties.

Here's how this year's best physicians stacked up:

1. Arti Hurria, MD, was an oncologist who was killed in a car crash. Dr. Hurria was a leader in geriatric cancer care.

2. Daniel Christidis, MD, PhD, was a surgical registrar in Queensland, Australia who was killed in a shark attack. He was remembered as a devout surgeon with a deep sense of empathy by his brother.

3. Aditya Shah, MD, is an infectious disease fellow who treated a patient on a flight from London to Minneapolis. She practices as Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic.

4. Paul Farmer, MD, PhD, is a physician and humanitarian from Harvard Medical School in Boston who won the National Academy of Sciences' Public Welfare Medal.

5. Nunilo Rubio, MD, is an endocrinologist from Presence Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center in Chicago who was killed in the Philippines while on a three-day medical mission.

6. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, MD, ano ffensive lineman for the Kansas City Chiefs, graduated from the McGill University Faculty of Medicine in Montreal, Canada with his doctor of medicine degree.

7. Milton Edgerton, MD, a plastic surgeon who started the first academic center for sex affirmation surgeries, died at 96. He was the first official plastic surgery resident at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins and later served as the American Society of Plastic Surgeons president.

8. T. Michael Redmond, PhD, chief of the National Eye Institute Laboratory of Retinal Cell and Molecular Biology, received the 2018 Antonio Champalimaud Vision Award.

9. Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp, MD, the CDC's associate director for children with special healthcare needs, won the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America medal.

10. Daniel L. Kastner, MD, PhD, scientific director of the division of intramural research at the National Institutes of Health, won the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America medal.

Read more here.Pineville, Ky.-based Southeastern KY Medical Center administrators said an error from Medicare caused a delay in paying employees, CBS-affiliated television station WYMT reports.

The hospital's employees said they are six days late in receiving their paychecks.

The delay comes from an error with Medicare that created a $200,000 shortfall, administrator Kevin Couch told WYMT.

The hospital is working to ensure any issues with payers are resolved. The hospital expects to distribute paychecks by Dec. 29.In a fireside chat hosted by VisitPay CEO Kent Ivanoff at the Becker's Hospital Review 7th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable, Todd Craghead, vice president of revenue cycle at Intermountain Healthcare, recounted the health system's decade-long journey toward a patient-centric financial experience.

The story begins in 2008, when the Salt Lake City health system made the auspicious commitment to fundamentally transform the payment experience for patients. "Little did we know what was going to happen in the healthcare space between 2008 and 2013," said Mr. Craghead.

From 2008-13, Intermountain noticed self-pay balances and receivables ticking up. This proved to be a microcosm of larger national trends. The historically modest and manageable self-pay population exploded. Within a few short years, patients collectively comprised the largest non-government payer group in healthcare.

This seismic change had  and for many health systems, continues to have  two primary side-effects. First, a significant number of patients struggled to manage medical obligations that have grown to the size of a mortgage payment. Second, health systems began shouldering significantly more bad debt  and had few consumer-friendly tools at their disposal to carve a pathway to manageable reimbursement. Working within already tight margins, this whiplash change in healthcare financing represented an existential perfect storm.

Waking Up to a New World

Intermountain was working with a vendor to create propensity to pay scores, a methodology used to determine a consumer's likelihood to meet their financial obligations. However, the vendor didn't offer a way to seamlessly incorporate this information into the health system's workflow or make it actionable. Complicating matters was the fact that Intermountain was undergoing a major implementation of a Cerner EHR system.

"The accelerated pace of patient responsibility really introduced an interesting dynamic," Mr. Craghead said. Following up to collect from self-pay patients became a beast in its own right. "We could only throw so many bodies after some of this work."

Meanwhile, VisitPay, the developer of a revolutionary, cloud-based patient financial experience platform, was helping a neighboring health system grapple with similar issues.

"It was clear that there was this new dynamic emerging and that enterprises like Intermountain Healthcare were a bigger lender in the markets they serve than regional banks that were built for that purpose," Mr. Ivanoff said.

Scoring and segmentation were part of VisitPay's arsenal, but the platform differentiated itself with ability to address other challenges Intermountain identified: Consolidated digital billing to help patients understand and manage bills for themselves or their families; advanced analytics that went beyond propensity-to-pay to help the health system apply a personalized approach to payments; and workflows that aligned with and optimized Intermountains EHR investment.

"There are some health systems that do the same thing for everybody," said Mr. Ivanoff. By contrast, Intermountain takes a different approach, applying analytics to data drawn from Intermountain's own systems of record to identify the different approaches individuals take to managing their billing obligations.

Intermountain knew that it wanted to give patients a tailored financial experience, so it formed a partnership with VisitPay.

Into the Breach

This ethos of consumer individuality has driven many of the health system's decisions around payments. Here are four ways Intermountain and VisitPay have updated the patient payment experience for the individual consumer:

1. Engagement and insight early on. The health system uses propensity-to-pay scores on the back end to understand how to best engage with patients to help satisfy financial obligations, and it is actively working with VisitPay to move even more of this work upstream.

Intermountain works to provide patients with estimates of their financial responsibility as soon as possible by creating a payment plan based on patients' credit. For elective procedures, the discussion on financial liability begins six days before the scheduled service.

A comprehensive approach to patient payments helps patients understand what they owe and provides the tools they need to make incremental and manageable payments. This not only improves a health system's yield and cash flow, but also positively impacts non-economic metrics, including patient satisfaction and Net Promoter scores. In addition, the right approach reduces the risk of patients avoiding necessary care simply because theyre worried about cost or how they can pay.

2. Tailored payment plans. Intermountain's philosophy is to engage the patient, understand their needs and set up a payment plan that is meaningful and flexible. The health system had offered payment plans prior to engaging with VisitPay, but the process was manually driven and inefficient, according to Mr. Craghead. The VisitPay platform has enabled them to better define and set exacting parameters around consumer situations, while still providing a unique experience. "We are trying to meet consumers where they're at, and then offer solutions that makes the most sense for both the health system and the patient," Mr. Craghead said.

With a better understanding of patient types and the use of VisitPay's advanced analytics, Intermountain can configure sustainable, longer-term financing strategies that meets patients' needs, while remaining fully compliant with THRs credit risk policies and national regulations.

Choice extends even to whether patients use the VisitPay platform at all. Patients are effectively "pre-registered" for digital payment, but they must opt in to activate their account. Intermountain currently provides patients information on how opt in on patient statements, but also continues to offer more analog payment options for patients who prefer not to use the digital platform.

3. Online account management. Once patients opt into Intermountain Bill Pay (the whitelisted VisitPay portal), they have better visibility of their financial responsibility. Here are a couple items the account helps automate:

Benefits reconciliation. For members of Intermountain's Select Health plan, the system is able to present the explanation of benefits inside VisitPay so patients can easily reconcile charges with their health plan. St. Luke's Health System in Boise, Idaho, one of VisitPay's first clients, has embedded EOBs for 900 payers, and every one of their bills goes out within the platform, according to Mr. Ivanoff.

Financial assistance. Intermountain charges interest for long-term payment plans except if patients have had financial assistance in the past. The VisitPay system streamlines this process by identifying and incorporating information for patients who have submitted a manual charity application or who qualify for presumptive charity.

4. Consolidated statements. The VisitPay platform can capture all charges under the Intermountain umbrella for a guarantor in one place.

This allows parents in Utah with large families to see a consolidated bill that includes charges for every family member that received care, including adult children and aging parents, in a single place. "That's very difficult to do inside of our system today unless we have a tool like VisitPay, which gives us the opportunity to do that in a controlled, secure environment with permission on both sides," Mr. Craghead said.

Results

Intermountain, powered by its partnership with VisitPay, has been able to meet the self-pay challenge by offering consumers more options to pay their bills that make sense to them. With easy online access, the system delivers insight into patient liability early on, offers flexible payment plans and delivers visibility across a consolidated statement. This transparency, flexibility and convenience is driving results. "The bad debt rates we're seeing coming through the VisitPay platform are well below our rates from before," Mr. Craghead said.

The system has seen nearly 30 percent yield improvement on patient payment, when risk-adjusted for propensity to pay. The best part? "There's not a collection call involved in that," Mr. Ivanoff said.

With the help of the VisitPay patient financial engagement platform, Intermountain discovered that a better billing experience translates into better bill-pay results and patient satisfaction.Mercy, a St. Louis-based health system with more than 40 acute care and specialty hospitals, will close its hospital in Fort Scott, Kan., by Dec. 31.

Mercy announced plans in October to shut down the facility, citing declining patient volume and shrinking reimbursement as the reasons for the closure of the 46-bed hospital.

"Despite the tireless efforts of everyone, Mercy Hospital Fort Scott has continued to experience declines in patient volumes and revenue, as well as the additional challenge of recruiting and retaining physicians," reads a statement from the hospital on its Facebook page.

When the hospital closes at the end of the year, 327 employees will be laid off, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice filed by Mercy. Some employees may transfer to other Mercy facilities, officials told KOAM-TV in October.

Mercy said all current primary care physicians at Mercy Clinic Fort Scott have agreed to continue practicing in the area with Pittsburg, Kan.-based Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas. CHC will take over Mercy's clinics in the area in early 2019, according to Fort Scott Biz.

More articles on healthcare finance:

CHS to close 2 hospitals: 3 things to know

Nurses claim they're paying for supplies at Oklahoma hospital

14 latest hospital bankruptciesAdvocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest, Ill., and Advocate Trinity Hospital in Chicago appointed Rashard Johnson president, according to a Weekly Citizen report.

Here are three notes:

1. Mr. Johnson previously oversaw three hospitals in Houston.

2. He also has experience leading two hospitals and 16 hospital-based clinics in Dallas.

3. He holds a master's degree in health administration from the University of Central Florida in Orlando.Pakistan-UK signed pact on transfer of prisoners

Pakistan UK signed pact on transfer of prisoners. The agreement will give prisoners the opportunity to serve their sentence in the home country, and allow them to prepare for reintegration into the home community once theyre released from the prison.



The agreement was inked on Thursday at a ceremony attended by the British High Commissioner Thomas Drew and Pakistan Interior Secretary Major (R) Azam Suleman Khan in Islamabad.



The agreement was approved in principle during the visit to Pakistan of British Home Secretary the Sajid Javid MP in September this year. It restores and updates a previous agreement between the UK and Pakistan, and also includes strengthened assurances that all transferred prisoners will serve the appropriate sentence before being released. Speaking at the signing ceremony, British High Commissioner Thomas Drew said he was delighted to sign this updated prisoner transfer agreement which will allow prisoners to serve their sentence closer to home.From a West Virginia hospital facing a federal kickback lawsuit to an ambulance company settling a false billing investigation, here are the latest healthcare industry lawsuits and settlements making headlines:

1. CHS, Steward battle in court over unpaid bills in 8-hospital deal

Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems filed a lawsuit Nov. 2 alleging Dallas-based Steward Health Care failed to pay over $10 million in costs related to the acquisition of eight CHS hospitals.

2. Lawsuit claims Arkansas Medicaid work requirements stripped coverage from 17,000

Nearly 17,000 Arkansas residents have lost Medicaid coverage due to new work requirements, according to a court filing.

3. Ambulance company pays $300K to resolve false billing probe

Providence, R.I.-based Professional Ambulance agreed to pay $300,000 to settle allegations it billed Medicare and Medicaid for medically unnecessary ambulance runs between 2012 and 2015.

4. Flowers Hospital settles lawsuit 5 years after data breach

A lawsuit filed against Dothan, Ala.-based Flowers Hospital involving a 2014 data breach was dismissed in a settlement.

5. West Virginia hospital, CEO hit with federal kickback suit

The Department of Justice partially intervened in a whistle-blower lawsuit against Wheeling (W.Va.) Hospital, the hospital's CEO and business consulting group R & V Associates.

6. Owner of medical equipment company sentenced to 3 years for billing fraud

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.

7. Illinois nurses receive $7.9M settlement after hostage incident

A nurse at Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva, Ill., collected $7.2 million from a lawsuit settlement with Kane County, Ill., after she was held hostage and sexually assaulted by a hospitalized inmate.

8. Minnesota home health nurses left patient's body in bed for 2 days, lawsuit says

The family of a stroke patient who died in early 2017 is suing nurses at Minneapolis-based Alliance Home Healthcare, claiming the providers failed to take life-saving actions.

9. Kaiser settles allegations it called for mental health patients to drop insurance

Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente's health plan settled a case alleging the healthcare giant urged mental health patients to cancel coverage.

10. Massachusetts psychiatric hospital lost info of over 1,500 people, lawsuit charges

A lawsuit filed by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey's office alleges Belmont, Mass.-based McLean Hospital lost personal and health information of over 1,500 patients, employees and brain donors.

More articles on legal and regulatory issues:

Healthcare accounted for bigger portion of 2018 DOJ false claims recoveries

Former Cleveland Clinic executive gets prison time in $2.7M fraud scheme

Pharmacy owner gets prison time for role in $8.4M billing fraud schemeRiverdale, Ga.-based Southern Regional Medical Center intends to file a lawsuit against a family who claims they received the wrong ashes of a cremated patient, according to NBC 11.

The family of deceased patient Patricia Bradley and their attorney, C.K. Hoffler, claim the body that was sent by the hospital to a funeral home was not the right person. The family also said "they didn't find out until the body had already been cremated until they had already held her memorial and received the ashes," according to NBC 11.

Southern Regional Medical Center denies these claims and told NBC 11 it has provided documentation they provided the right body.

"Attorney C.K. Hoffler has been informed of the verification that the correct remains were provided to the funeral home," the hospital said in a statement cited by NBC 11. "Southern Regional offered to provide C.K. Hoffler information and documentation exonerating the hospital but they declined."

Southern Regional Medical Center is accusing Mr. Hoffler of defamation claims, false statements and preparing a lawsuit.

More articles on legal and regulatory issues:

Nurses allege Legacy Health denied breaks, pay for overtime

10 latest healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements

Ambulance company pays $300K to resolve false billing probeThe actor Jennifer Lawrence visited pediatric patients at Louisville-based Norton Children's Hospital during Christmas, according to the Courier Journal.

In 2017, Ms. Lawrence donated $2 million to establish the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Norton Children's Hospital.

"My family and I have met so many wonderful children on our visits to the hospital. Their strength and courage is inspiring," Ms. Lawrence said in 2017, according to the Courier Journal.

Ms. Lawrence has visited pediatric patients at the hospital since 2013.

More articles on patient engagement:

Chicago hospital cafeteria worker buys toys for dozens of sick kids

Obama wears Santa hat to deliver gifts to children's hospital patients

Nurse makes ugly Christmas sweaters for newborns at Magee Women's HospitalSome public hospitals in Washington are turning to respite programs to address the state's worsening homelessness issue, reports The Seattle Times.

Here are four things to know:

1. In summer 2018, 200 homeless people in western Washington spent an average of 82 days in the hospital after they no longer required inpatient care, a Washington State Hospital Association working group found. Many homeless patients also end up back in the hospital shortly after discharge, according to WSHA President Cassie Sauer.

"Some patients come to the hospital ER a hundred times a year, or more," she told The Seattle Times. "A volume that you and I can't fathom."

2. Seattle-based Harborview Medical Center is helping keep homeless patients off the streets and out of the hospital through a respite program. The Edward Thomas House is a 34-bed respite care center across the street from Harborview's main entrance. The center is designed for homeless patients who are healthy enough to leave the hospital, but not ready to return to the streets or a shelter.

3. Respite programs like the Edward Thomas House emerged in the 1980s, but really picked up steam in the last decade. At present, about 80 such facilities exist nationwide. Washington state has four respite care programs, more than every other state besides California, according to the National Healthcare for the Homeless Network's directory cited by The Seattle Times.

4. Harborview's respite program allows patients to stay for up to three months, although the average stay is about three weeks. The Edward Thomas House costs $400 a day per patient, compared to about $2,000 a day at Harborview Medical Center. The program allows the hospital to not only cut costs, but also help keep patients out of the hospital. Past research shows homeless people who receive respite care subsequently spend fewer days in the hospital than those who did not receive such care, according to The Seattle Times.

More articles on patient flow:

Alabama hospital sets records for surgeries, ER visits after Dec. 6 move

CMS extends deadline for voluntary readmissions measure to Jan. 4

St. Cloud Hospital staff gave birth to 32 babies in 2018A 92-year-old patient died from pneumonia after being treated for Legionnaires' disease at Hastings, Mich.-based Spectrum Health Pennock Hospital in late November, MLive.com reports.

The patient was treated for the disease and discharged from the hospital to a rehab center where he died.

The 92-year-old's case was "very complex" and although he died from chronic aspiration pneumonia, it is not possible to determine if it was linked to Legionnaires' disease, said Barry-Eaton District Health Medical Director Daniel Woodall.

The hospital tested its water Dec. 12 after the November case was confirmed. The results came back positive for Legionella bacteria.

Another Pennock Hospital patient was treated for Legionnaires' disease in September, Barry-Eaton District health department officials said in a press release obtained by MLive.com. Health officials discussed steps to eliminate the Legionella bacteria from the hospital's water system.

The hospital is using alternative water sources and water filtration to protect patients from the bacteria, according to health department leaders.Daniel Goldberg, CEO and creative director of Gold Medical Marketing, discusses the biggest trends and opportunities for healthcare providers in marketing and patient acquisition heading into 2019.

Question: What are the biggest marketing mistakes private orthopedic practices need to avoid in 2019?

Daniel Goldberg: There are two very distinct mistakes orthopedic practices need to avoid. The first is not understanding the need for a direct-to-patient marketing strategy. Patients are becoming more research-oriented and relying less on referrals from primary care providers for orthopedic care. With this being the case, practices need to have a strategy to capture new patients and can no longer rely solely on referrals and outdated marketing strategies.

The second mistake orthopedic practices must avoid is not having a defined marketing budget each year. Not having a defined budget often leads to practices spending impulsively without a longer-term strategy, which results in disjointed messaging and marketing and no tangible return on investment.

While many orthopedic groups see marketing as an ancillary expense, they should be seeing it as a revenue-generating opportunity. If practices responsibly allocate a budget toward marketing, and the marketing is executed correctly, the ROI should far outweigh the initial budget.

Q: What are the biggest marketing challenges facing private practice orthopedic groups in 2019?

DG: The most significant challenge for orthopedic practices in 2019 is continued hospital acquisitions of both primary care and referring practices as well as the increasing numbers of hospital-employed orthopedic surgeons. These acquisitions allow the hospitals to control the entire continuum of care and keep it inside the hospital system and reduce leakage.

This means that independent practices need to make sure they are aware of these acquisitions and are engaging in their own direct-to-patient marketing efforts so that they are not dominated by these larger systems.

Q: How can private practices overcome these challenges?

DG: While many hospital systems have marketing budgets that are far higher than a private orthopedic practice, it does not mean that orthopedic practices cannot compete. The key is being agile and looking at areas for opportunity in marketing. Also, it means that marketing budgets need to be spread across multiple mediums and not relegated solely to billboards or print ads to ensure the practice is reaching potential patients in new and unique ways.

Q: What are the biggest areas of opportunity for marketing orthopedic surgeons in 2019?

DG: By now, most are aware that digital platforms like Google and Facebook are collecting massive amounts of data about their users. And while this can be disconcerting for some, it shows no sign of slowing down. One of the most important aspects of this data is that orthopedic practices can use it to serve highly specific ads, content, video, etcetera, to potential patients in their area. Understanding the online behaviors of patients in need of orthopedic care will allow practices to create highly refined and accurate digital ads that bring in new patient volume at a lower cost per acquisition than traditional advertising.

Daniel Goldberg is the CEO and creative director of Gold Medical Marketing, the only firm in the country that focuses exclusively on orthopedic, spine and neurosurgery practice marketing. Daniel Goldberg has lectured at some of the most esteemed orthopedic and spine conferences across the country, including the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, Becker's Orthopedic and Spine as well as the American Alliance of Orthopaedic Executives. He is also a frequent contributor to several orthopedic and spine publications.Gaetano Scuderi, MD, a spine surgeon at Jupiter (Fla.) Medical Center, discusses the big trends and opportunities for orthopedic surgery growth in 2019.

Question: What are the top two to three challenges orthopedic surgeons face heading into 2019?

Dr. Gaetano Scuderi: I believe a mutiny is building that is going to embroil all healthcare providers, including orthopedic surgeons. Patients are getting frustrated if not outright angry. Over the past several years insurance companies have been extracting increasing monthly payments out of consumers. In the face of increasing out-of-pocket expenses, it is only a matter of time before patients/consumers finally revolt. We are getting less and less for our healthcare expenditures as insurers continue to secure increases in compensation for their high-level executives and increasing stock prices for their shareholders.

More and more I observe patients' frustration following the rejection of needed diagnostics or therapeutics as ordered by their provider. They are more willing to pay for their imaging studies or injection procedures out of pocket. When will our political representatives actually do something about that for their constituents?



Q: What technology are you most excited about in the future?



GS: Utilization of biologics instead of archaic hardware systems to debride, drill or extract cartilage. Specifically, biologic treatments such as alpha-2 macroglobulin, which plays a major role in protease inhibition and cartilage regeneration, have taken a foothold in patient care, as patients are learning more and more about this technology and opting for biologics instead of surgical treatment, by searching out providers who use this technology.



Q: What is your best opportunity for growth?

GS: As a solo practitioner who does not take any insurance, but has become one of these providers [that uses advanced technology], opportunities for growth are astronomical. By positive and longer interactions with my patients and utilization of social media's multiple platforms, I can reach out to patients throughout the U.S., and I can provide a medical tourism option right here in the U.S.!

To participate in future Becker's Q&As, contact Laura Dyrda at ldyrda@beckershealthcare.com.

For a deeper dive into the future of orthopedics, attend the Becker's 17th Annual Future of Spine + Spine, Orthopedic & Pain Management-Driven ASC in Chicago, June 13-5, 2019. Click here to learn more and register.Four spine surgeons share the most insightful professional lessons they learned this year.

Ask Spine Surgeons is a weekly series of questions posed to spine surgeons around the country about clinical, business and policy issues affecting spine care. We invite all spine surgeon and specialist responses.

Next week's question: What are the key elements of patient selection for outpatient spine surgery?

Please send responses to Anuja Vaidya at avaidya@beckershealthcare.com by Wednesday, Jan. 5, at 5 p.m. CST.

Question: What is the most important career-related lesson you learned this year?

J. Brian Gill, MD. Spine Surgeon at Nebraska Spine Hospital (Omaha): You are only as good as the last patient that you care for as each patient is unique and offers a different set of certain circumstances. As a physician, I feel pressured to come up with a diagnosis and treatment plan quickly. This can sometimes diminish the amount of quality time I can spend with patients. Thus, I try to continue to improve my listening skills and communication skills while demonstrating empathy.



Ali Araghi, DO. Orthopedic Spine Surgeon at The CORE Institute (Phoenix): In my last 20 years as a spine surgeon, not only have I reaped the benefits of this career decision, but over the last year it has become clear to me that this indeed was the most important decision of my career, and not just one of patient treatment. This is called 'the acid test' in the jewelry world, and it was taught to me by my fellowship director, Richard Guyer MD. Anytime you have to treat a patient, pretend it is your own family. This will ultimately lead to the wisest and best treatment, regardless of whether it is with respect to surgical or nonsurgical decisions, patient communication or even certain financial decisions within the practice. Simply put: patient-centric care.

Rob D. Dickerman, DO, PhD. Director of Neurosurgery at Presbyterian Hospital of Plano (Texas) and Director of Spine Surgery at Medical Center Frisco (Texas): Adapting to change is inevitable.

Payam Farjoodi, MD. Orthopedic Spine Surgeon at Spine Health Center at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center (Fountain Valley, Calif.): To maintain focus on what we all know is the most important thing in our profession: taking excellent care of patients. We are too often distracted by the busy work of medicine: administrative tasks like filling out forms etc., as well as doing peer-to-peer challenges of our patient care plans and dealing with hospital forms. These are increasingly a necessary evil of our profession, but shouldn't take away from keeping our patients' best interests in mind and doing everything we can to assure them the best possible outcomes.

Brian R. Gantwerker, MD. Founder of the Craniospinal Center of Los Angeles: Trust but verify. And also find it out for yourself. We are in the process of changing billers, and a mistake that started many years ago was carried forward for eight years in terms of one of our agreements with a payer. It cost us somewhere over $10,000-$20,000 and maybe more. We are rectifying it, thankfully, but it was not until we were ready to move on that we found this problem.UUP MLA Andy Allen- MBE for services to veterans and their families in Northern Ireland. (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

An Afghanistan war veteran turned Northern Ireland politician has said he felt "extremely humbled" to be notified that he will receive an MBE.

Andy Allen, 30, served in Helmand Province with the Royal Irish Regiment.

He lost his legs and was partially blinded at the age of 19 in 2008 after a Taliban IED detonated close to his position.

After returning home, he dedicated his life to helping other veterans and set up the charity Andy Allen Veterans' Support (AAVS).

In 2015, he entered politics and became a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

In June, he received the Inspiration medal at the Soldiering On Awards.

Mr Allen, who represent East Belfast as an MLA, told Press Association that the news he will receive an MBE came as a "pleasant surprise".

"I am extremely humbled and privileged to receive this honour," he said.

"It came as a pleasant surprise when I received the letter.

"It is an honour to be in a position to try and make a positive impact in the lives of service personnel, veterans and their families.

"None of which would be possible were it not for my wider family who have supported me every step of the way - colleagues and volunteers of AAVS who work tirelessly behind the scenes.

"I regard the MBE as recognition of their support and work and will be forever indebted to them for all they do."

Ulster Unionist leader Robin Swann has congratulated Mr Allen.

"The award of an MBE is further recognition of the selfless work that Andy does on a daily basis for the betterment of others, and it will be the source of great pride amongst Andy's friends and colleagues in the Ulster Unionist Party and far beyond," he said.

"He truly is an inspiration to us all."Pakistan was committed for peace in Afghanistan: COAS

Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa said on Thursday that Pakistan was committed to efforts for peace in Afghanistan. He was talking to Commander Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan General Austin Scott Mille, who called on him in Rawalpindi.



During the meeting, the two military men discussed matters of mutual interest pertaining to regional security and ongoing Afghan reconciliation process.



Both agreed that political resolution of Afghan situation was imperative, and underlined that only an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led inclusive process could lead to peace in the region.



They also reaffirmed the need for continuing harmonised efforts against terrorists and for effective border management.



Separately, Russian Ambassador to Pakistan, Alexey Yurevish Dedov also called on the COAS on Thursday. Both leaders discussed matters related to regional security and bilateral cooperation, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).



The visiting dignitary conferred Order of Friendship, Medal for Courage in Salvation and Medal for the Common Wealth in Rescue to 10 officers and two soldiers of Pakistan Army in recognition of their cooperation, commitment and audacity during a search and rescue operation at Latok-1 to rescue Russian mountaineer Alexander Gukov, the ISPR statement said.



The Russian mountaineer Alexander Gukov was rescued by Pakistan Army from 20,650 feet on Latok I peak in the Biafo glacier region in July 2018. The rescue mission, which spanned over six days, was carried out by the Army Aviation under the most hostile and challenging conditions.Pak Army successfully rescues Russian climber from Karakoram peak in death-defying mission.An ambulance has been destroyed in a blaze after catching fire outside a hospital in Newry.

The fire happened on Friday morning outside Daisy Hill Hospital. Residents in the area reported hearing an "explosion".

The vehicle was a private ambulance operated by ProParamedics.

In a statement on its Facebook page the company said: "Due to the rapid action of the crew the ambulance was placed to cause least damage and Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service arrived on scene very rapidly and extinguished the fire.

"No one was hurt. The vehicle is being recovered and the incident will be fully investigated. There is no break in our provision of assistance due to back-up vehicles. A big thank you to our emergency service colleagues."

It is understood the fire started due to an electrical fault in the engine, and escalated after an oxygen tank inside the ambulance exploded on the Hospital Road.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Ulster Unionist councillor Glenn Barr said: "Thankfully nobody was injured and thanks to the Fire and Rescue Service for their response.

"Hopefully the people involved were not too badly shaken and can get back to doing what they do best, serving the people of Newry."

Sinn Fein MP Mickey Brady for Newry and Armagh said: "Reports of an incident involving an ambulance at Daisy Hill Hospital Newry are very concerning. At present we hope that all staff involved are safe and the situation is brought under control as quickly as possible."

The Fire Service said it was called to the scene just after 9am.

"Firefighters were called to an incident involving an ambulance on fire," a spokeswoman said.

"The cause of the fire was accidental, started by an electrical fault within the engine. An oxygen cylinder inside the ambulance was involved in the fire. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus quickly contained and extinguished the fire. There were no reports of any casualties."

A spokesman for the the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said: "This morning there was a fire on an ambulance belonging to ProParamedics, a private contractor, within the grounds of Daisy Hill Hospital. We understand there was no patient onboard and the crew were able to get out of the vehicle safely. The NIFRS attended the scene and were able to extinguish the vehicle."Boarding schools in the Republic are seeing an increase in enrolment off the back of what is being described as a 'Brexit bounce' (stock picture)

Boarding schools in the Republic are seeing an increase in enrolment off the back of what is being described as a 'Brexit bounce'.

The spike comes as a result of families opting for schools in the Republic over those in the United Kingdom.

The Irish Times reports fee-paying schools have seen a boost from Spanish and German families who have shifted their focus across the Irish Sea in anticipation of Britain leaving the European Union at the end of next March - with Irish schools representing an opportunity for children to be educated in English.

A survey carried out by the newspaper also found enrolment in private schools in the Republic was on the rise on account of Irish parents' increasing incomes.

It was also found fee-paying schools across the Republic had increased their fees in line with the rising demand.

Salaries at private schools in Ireland are generally lower than those in the mainland UK, due to schools in the Republic paying teachers out of a public salary pot of around 90m.

Brexit is expected to have a broader impact on the costs in the education sector in the United Kingdom and across Europe.

A new government analysis published earlier this month revealed that Northern Ireland students studying in the Republic could expect to face higher fees after Brexit.

The joint effort between the governments of Northern Ireland and the Republic found the number of students from Northern Ireland studying at higher education institutions south of the border fell by almost 40% between 2011/2012 and 2015/2016.

It is reported that non-EU students studying after Brexit could pay non-EU fees, which range from 9,750 up to 54,153 - substantially higher than the 3,000 a year fees are capped at for students from the EU.The attack happened on a Glider bus in west Belfast on Thursday night.

A bus driver and ticket inspector have been attacked by a gang of youths while working on a Glider bus in west Belfast.

The incident, which happened on Thursday night, saw the ticket inspector assaulted and dragged off the bus by a group of six to eight youths.

When the driver tried to help him a larger group of youths joined in the attack and hit the driver with a brick.

Davy Thompson, of the Unite Union which represents Translink workers, called on the public to come forward to help identify those involved in the assaults.

He said: "Yesterday evening a Customer Revenue Protection Officer who challenged rowdy behaviour by a group of approximately six youths was attacked and dragged out of the bus and beaten while the driver, who attempted to help, was struck with a brick and the pair were then assaulted by a bigger crowd of up to twenty before the arrival of Translink support and the police."

Mr Thompson said the incident happen on the Glider service heading into Belfast, close to the Twin Spires after the Falls Road.

The thoughts of everyone in Unite are with those workers who were hospitalised in this assault," he said.

"We hope that they make a swift and full recovery."

Mr Thompson said the incident shows that public transport workers face an "increased threat" at their place of work.

"Workers have the right to go about their days work entirely free from the threat of assault  the right to leave their homes in the expectation that they will be to be safe," he added.

This assault on these workers is an attack on every worker in Northern Ireland. Our union stands in close solidarity with those attacked.

Only last month, Unite highlighted the upsurge in assaults on bus and rail drivers and inspectors across Translink services and called on management to provide greater protections at work.

"While body-cameras help secure convictions they do not stop those determined to attack workers. Those responsible must face the full weight of the law."

The Glider service has proven to be a huge success since it was launched three months ago - it has transformed the public transport infrastructure of Belfast.

"Those who provide that service need to feel safe in their place of work. We have to ask ourselves - is this the type of society we want to live in where elderly people, young couples with young children are scared to get on a bus?

"Anyone in the local community who has knowledge of those responsible to come forward and help Translink and the police in their investigations.

Police said they received a report of an incident on a bus in the Northumberland Street area of the city at around 8.50pm.

A number of youths who had boarded the bus were reported to have become rowdy and two members of staff were subsequently assaulted," PSNI sergeant Connollly said.

Anyone who witnessed what occurred should contact police on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 1443 of 27/12/18.

Paul Maskey, Sinn Fein MP for the area, condemned the attack and urged anyone with information come forward.

"This attack on the driver and ticket inspector on Northumberland Street on Thursday night is shocking and I condemn it utterly," he said.

"This must have been a very frightening experience for the driver and inspector and I wish them a speedy recovery from their injuries.

"No one should have to face incidents like this and people should be able to go about their business free from fear or intimidation.

"I would encourage anyone with information on this incident to bring it forward to the PSNI."

Translink has also condemned the attack as serious and offered a reward to anyone who brings forward information that results in a conviction.Firefighters at the scene on Castle Street near Hercules Bar. Credit: David Harrison.

Firefighters have been called to a blaze at the Hercules Bar in Belfast city centre.

The Northern Ireland Fire Service was called to the premises on Castle Street at around 4pm.

Two appliances were sent from Central Fire Station.

One eyewitness told the Belfast Telegraph he understood the blaze began in the kitchen of the bar.

Expand Close Firefighters at the scene on Castle Street near Hercules Bar. Credit: David Harrison. / Facebook

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Whatsapp Firefighters at the scene on Castle Street near Hercules Bar. Credit: David Harrison.

A NIFRS spokesperson said: "Firefighters were called to an incident involving a small fire on the 3rd floor of a commercial premises.

"Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus extinguished the fire, there are no reports of any casualties.

"The cause of the fire was determined as accidental."

Firefighters left the scene of the fire at 4.33pm.The congregation at May Street is to be amalgamated with Malone Road worshippers

One of Belfast's most historic churches will be ringing out the old - as well as ringing in the new - on Sunday.

A special Dawning Of A New Era service at May Street Presbyterian in the heart of the city will mark the end of worship by the existing congregation after 190 years.

But the church isn't closing; the baton is instead being passed to Central Belfast, a new city centre church under the auspices of Carnmoney Presbyterian Church.

May Street congregation will be formally amalgamated with Fisherwick Church on the Malone Road, and Central Belfast will take over the old premises.

The service at 2pm will be conducted by the Rev Ivan Steen, Moderator of South Belfast Presbytery, and the preacher will be the Rev Jack Lamb from Townsend Street.

During proceedings Arthur Acheson, clerk of session of May Street, will ceremonially pass on a special baton to Dave Dickinson, Leader of Central Belfast.

Among the readers will be Fr Michael McGinnity PP from nearby St Malachy's Catholic Church, with which May Street has long been associated. Guests of honour include Sir Nigel Hamilton, the Deputy Lieutenant of the City of Belfast, and councillor Carole Howard, High Sheriff of Belfast.

Mr Acheson said a shrinking congregation means it's time to hand over the building to a new church.

"In many ways this will be a sad moment as it means the break-up of our loyal and steadfast congregation, but we are excited to see the witness in this building being revitalised," he said.

"Everyone will be welcome at this special service, in particular those with family, historical and other links to May Street Congregation over the years."

Dave Dickinson from Central Belfast said May Street is ideally positioned for outreach.

"We have tried to become a community that keeps Jesus in focus and we prioritise discipleship, worship and witness as we proclaim the Kingdom of God in the centre of Belfast," he said.

"It is a huge blessing to have our own home and we look forward to playing our part in the transformation of Belfast."

May Street Church opened in October 1829 and its first minister was Dr Henry Cooke, the famous Black Man of Belfast. Its buildings are used by charities including Belfast Street Pastors and Teen Challenge.

Central Belfast now intends to partner with Storehouse and develop a Christians Against Poverty programme within May Street.The Irish reaction to the Chinook helicopter crash in which the cream of British military and policing intelligence died in 1994 showed how much relations had improved, British officials said.

Irish sympathy after a helicopter crash killed the cream of British military and policing intelligence showed how much security cooperation had improved, British officials said.

In June 1994, the Chinook fell from the sky in thick fog on the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland and killed 29 people. Among them were senior Army, RUC and RAF officials.

Details were contained in a state file from the time released by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI).

These public reactions illustrate the change in attitudes towards security cooperationBritish Government official

A British Government official wrote: A few years ago we could have expected an embarrassed silence from the Irish at such a disaster involving acknowledged members of the intelligence community.

These public reactions illustrate the change in attitudes towards security cooperation.

Then taoiseach Albert Reynolds said the crash was a dreadful tragedy for the families of the dead and those who worked in public service.

Tanaiste Dick Spring said it was a setback in the common task of protecting human life against violence.

Garda commissioner Patrick Culligan said he was deeply saddened, knew many of those killed personally and valued their advice and cooperation in counteracting terrorism and crime at every level.

Passengers onboard the helicopter comprised 10 senior members of the RUC and nine Army staff officers of various ranks engaged on counter-terrorism activities, together with six civilian security specialists working in the NIO.

Four RAF crew members also died.

Expand Close Then prime minister Sir John Major paid tribute to the Chinook victims. He said their skill and determination had helped to save many lives in Northern Ireland (John Giles/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Then prime minister Sir John Major paid tribute to the Chinook victims. He said their skill and determination had helped to save many lives in Northern Ireland (John Giles/PA)

The flight was not unusual, in an aircraft with a long-established reputation for safety and widely used in Northern Ireland, briefing lines contained in the archived file said.

The aircraft was en-route from one secure base to another.

A weather radar was not considered essential, the document said.

A personal statement from then prime minister Sir John Major in June 1994 said: These officers and officials from the RUC, the Army, the RAF, the Northern Ireland Office and other departments were all in their different ways, carrying out work of importance to Northern Ireland.

As I know from meetings during my visits to the province, they made light of the risks in their daily lives.

Their skill and determination had helped to save many lives in Northern Ireland.The iconic slogan painted at the height of the civil rights campaign in January 1969

The man who first painted 'You Are Now Entering Free Derry' on a gable wall in the city has died.

Liam Hillen was just a teenager when - at the prompting of civil rights activist Eamonn McCann - he took a paintbrush to write the soon-to-be-famous slogan on the wall of a house in the city.

Bogside man Mr Hillen was 69 when he died on Christmas Day. He had been ill for some time.

On Facebook, Mr Hillen's nephew Gerard wrote: "My uncle Liam will be at the gates of heaven writing 'You are now entering free heaven!'"

And last night socialist firebrand McCann, now aged 75, paid tribute to Mr Hillen, whom he described as "a modest man" who never made a fuss about his role in the creation of the iconic slogan.

Mr McCann told the story of how the slogan painted on one of the most intense nights of the civil rights campaign was inspired by US student protests at the University of California, Berkeley.

"The slogan was taken by me from Berkeley college in California where they had a thing up reading 'You Are Now Entering Free Berkeley', to do with the free speech movement among students there in the 1960s," he said.

"Liam was around with a paintbrush as we were talking about putting up slogans - it was actually in a house in Wellington Street at about half two, three o'clock in the morning on the fifth of January, 1969.

"I came up with the idea of 'You Are Now Entering Free Derry' - not original, stolen from the American one - and Liam went and got a pot of paint and painted it. He was the first person to inscribe that on the wall."

The former People Before Profit MLA said that in the past he had failed to acknowledge Mr Hillen's role in the making of the historic wall painting - something Mr Hillen himself brought to the political activist's attention many years later.

"To my distress, I was one of the people who denied him acknowledgement," said Mr McCann.

"I have written quite a lot about the period, and it was not until about 20 years ago that Liam came up to me in the Gweedore Bar in Waterloo Street and said to me, 'I've got a bone to pick with you - why didn't you give me my due acknowledgement?'

"I said, 'Well I will,' and I have written about it a couple of times since, including in a book I've just had published.

"In the preface I apologise to Liam, saying I wanted to acknowledge that it was Liam Hillen who first inscribed that slogan."

Mr Hillen had been an activist in the civil rights movement in the late 1960s.

"He would have been quite young at the time, in his mid teens. In my memory of him he would have been around 14 or 15," said Mr McCann.

"Every teenager around the place was active at the time.

"The most remarkable thing about Liam was that even though that wall became such an iconic thing, used and misused for commercial and political purposes, Liam never made much of a fuss.

"He was a very modest man."

Arrangements for Mr Hillen's funeral have not yet been made public.A man has received a cut to the head after a gang wielding bars and a hatchet broke into his Co Down home.

The incident happened at a property in the Queens Park area of Saintfield in the early hours of Thursday morning.

At around 12.40am, it was reported three men approached the property, two of which were armed with bars and a third man armed with a hatchet.

The resident of the house opened the door to the gang and was struck on the head by the man with the hatchet.

The small cut he received to his head is not believed to be serious.

Detective Sergeant Bell said: One of the males is described as being 60 in height with short dark hair and wearing a dark hooded top and tracksuit bottoms.

"The second male is described as being 56 tall, of heavy build with a navy hooded top and tracksuit bottoms. The third male is described as being 58 in height, slim build and wearing dark clothing.

Enquiries are continuing and we would appeal to anyone with any information or who saw anything suspicious in the area to contact detectives on 101, quoting reference number 86 27/12/18. We are particularly keen to speak to anyone who saw a dark coloured Renault Clio with R plates in the area at the time of the incident."

Information can also be given to independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.Police are appealing for information after a crash in Co Londonderry which left a 71-year-old pedestrian with serious injuries.

The pedestrian was hit by a black Nissan Navara on Coleraine Street, Kilrea at around 9am on Wednesday, December 19.

"If you were in the area close to Shields Chemists and witnessed the collision, or have any relevant Dash Cam footage or CCTV, then please contact police on 101 and quote reference number 250," said police in an appeal for information.Police are examining PlayStation consoles as part of an investigation into a 17-year-old Co Antrim youth charged with sex offences against a number of teenage girls - two aged 13

Police are examining PlayStation consoles as part of an investigation into a 17-year-old Co Antrim youth charged with sex offences against a number of teenage girls - two aged 13.

The boy, who cannot be named because of his age, appeared at Ballymena Magistrates Court yesterday via videolink from Woodlands Juvenile Justice Centre where he was previously remanded on 21 charges.

The charges include rape, engaging in sexual activity with a child, blackmail, distributing indecent photos of children, possessing such photos, inciting children to take incident photos, disclosing private sexual photos, harassment and unauthorised access to computer material.

A previous court was told the boy allegedly told police: "All young girls nowadays are sluts."

It was alleged that a 16-year-old girl had taken a pregnancy test after the youth grabbed her by the throat before raping her in a bathroom.

At the earlier court it was also alleged a girl aged 13 had been sent an indecent image by the defendant via Snapchat showing his privates. When he told her he knew where she lived, she felt pressured to send a photo which the boy then sent to the girl's mum via Facebook.

The court was told the defendant had also been in a relationship with a girl aged 17, and uploaded images to social media saying: "I have ruined your life."

In another incident, a 13-year-old girl with a learning disability was contacted on Snapchat and sent a photo of the defendant naked. He later contacted her when she was playing the online game Fortnite and told her he knew she slept with her "blinds open". It is alleged the youth then tried to blackmail her by asking for 500 or else he would send her mother indecent images.

A defence barrister told the previous hearing his client denied rape and had insisted any sexual contact was consensual. The lawyer said exchanging explicit photos was becoming "more prevalent" and added that as regards his client allegedly contacting mothers, that was what was "rather crudely termed 'revenge porn'".

At Ballymena Court yesterday, a police officer said examination of a phone, iPad, PlayStation devices and hard drives had still to be completed. The officer said another potential victim also had to be spoken to as well as alleged witnesses, and CCTV was being looked at.

The court heard the youth had not given a PIN code for a mobile phone which District Judge Nigel Broderick said could "slow up" the investigation.

The youth is expected to apply for High Court bail in the "next couple of weeks", his lawyer said. He was remanded in continuing custody and the case was adjourned to January 24.Qatar opened visa facilitation centre in Islamabad

Qatar has opened a visa facilitation centre in Islamabad to facilitate acquisition of visas by members of the Pakistani work force, Radio Pakistan reported on Friday.



Syed Zulfikar Bukhari, special assistant to the prime minister on overseas Pakistanis and human resource development, and Qatar's Ambassador to Pakistan Saqar Bin Mubarak inaugurated the centre.



With the development, Pakistan has become one of the eight countries to have a Qatari visa facilitation centre for swift processing of workers' visas.



Bukhari, while speaking to the media after the ceremony, said that Doha had promised 100,000 jobs for Pakistani workers and the process in this regard has been initiated.

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The adviser added that the government was also in talks with Doha to adjust in Qatar skilled members of the labour force returning from Saudi Arabia.



The Qatari ambassador said that visa process had been handled by the Qatari government in the past but now applicants could get their visas processed and approved through the centre in Islamabad.



Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammad bin Abdul Rahman Al-Thani had, in a meeting with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in November, offered 100,000 jobs for skilled and semi-skilled workers from Pakistan.A male runner has died in the Mourne Mountains.

In a post on social media, the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team said they received a request for assistance in the area just after 12.00am on Thursday and began a search operation.

"Following a request for assistance just after midday today, the team were involved in the search and subsequent recovery of a missing runner," they wrote.

"In conjunction with local police and police air support, a total of 17 members responded and stood down at 5.30pm.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with family, friends and all involved today."

There are no further details at this time, however police said the man's sudden death is not being treated as suspicious.

A PSNI spokesperson said: "Police attended the scene of the sudden death of a man in the Newtown Road area of Rostrevor on Thursday, 27th December.

"A post mortem examination will be carried out in due course, however, the death is not being treated as suspicious at this time."A shot has been fired through the window of a house in Co Armagh.

The incident happened between 10.30pm and 11pm on Thursday night in the Connolly Place area of Lurgan.

Detective inspector Trevor Stevenson said police received a report at 11.20pm about a bullet hole in the window of the property.

On arrival of police it was established a shot had been fired at the premises. Its believed this occurred between 10:30pm and 11pm last night," he added.

While there was no one in the property at the time of this incident, whoever carried out this reckless attack showed a total disregard for other residents in this built-up residential area. "

"Police would appeal to anyone who has any information, no matter how insignificant you may think it is, to contact detectives in Lurgan on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference 1590 of 27/12/18."

Information can also be given anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.Adams and Clinton during the US Presidents visit to Dublin in 2000

US President Bill Clinton (right) meeting then Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams at Queens University, Belfast in 1995

The extent of fury within the British Government at the decision of then US President Bill Clinton to allow Gerry Adams into America has been laid bare in newly-released files.

The Sinn Fein president was controversially granted a headline-grabbing visit to New York to speak at a conference on Northern Ireland between January 31 and February 2 in 1994.

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A blistering note from then Prime Minister John Major's private secretary Roderic Lyne, sent to US national security adviser Tony Lake, claimed Mr Adams "has long been a leading figure" in a movement responsible for thousands of deaths.

The memo is contained in hundreds of files made public today in Belfast, Dublin and London. The previously classified documents cover some of the key moments in the years leading up to the first IRA ceasefire in 1994, including the ongoing violence and the moves towards peace.

One of the big stories of 1994 was the decision by President Clinton to grant Mr Adams a visa to visit the US.

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Government papers detail the depth of UK anger at the move.

Mr Lyne refers to Mr Adams's alleged links to the IRA. Mr Adams has always denied being a member of the terror group.

It refers to IRA murders, including that of Lord Mountbatten in 1979 and those of MPs Anthony Berry and Ian Gow in 1984 and 1990.

His note reads: "The movement in which Gerry Adams has long been a leading figure has murdered not only thousands of its own countrymen, but also one member of our royal family, one Cabinet Minister's wife, two close advisers to Margaret Thatcher and Members of Parliament, two British ambassadors - and small children in our shopping centres."

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Mr Clinton, who had been US President for around a year, took "full responsibility" for the decision, which was described as a "difficult matter of judgment" in another file.

Mr Major wrote to Mr Clinton expressing dismay. According to a draft letter, he said: "Tony Lake will, I am sure, have told you how strongly we disagree with the decision to admit Gerry Adams to the United States.

"He has been closely associated with terrorism for two decades. In the Joint Declaration, he was offered a route into the democratic process, and into negotiations with us and with the Irish Government. He and his movement have not taken it.

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"As you will know, the evidence is that the IRA intend to continue their strategy of terrorism, and do not have courage to make peace and compete in the democratic arena."

Another file contains notes of a meeting between the US ambassador to the UK and the Prime Minister's private secretary, which said: "Unless Mr Adams' visit is followed by a rapid and permanent end to the IRA's violence, there is no question that it will have done huge damage to the (Joint) Declaration."

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The Downing Street Declaration between the UK and Irish governments in 1993 laid the framework for the peace process.

Mr Clinton was under pressure from influential Irish-American politicians in the US, most notably senator Edward 'Ted' Kennedy, who is named in multiple files as instrumental in pushing for Mr Adams's admission.

In a letter to the President in January, senators Kennedy, John Kerry - later Barack Obama's Secretary of State - Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Christopher J Dodd, make the case for the visit.

The letter said: "While no one can be certain that a visa for Mr Adams will result in the IRA's accepting the condition established by Ireland and Great Britain for participation in the peace process, the United States cannot afford to ignore this possibility and miss this rare opportunity for our country to contribute to peace in Northern Ireland."

The note from Mr Lyne to Mr Lake refers to the killing of Mr Kennedy's brothers, John and Robert, adding: "It is sad, paradoxical, and misguided of the Kennedys, having lost two brothers to acts of terror, to be pressing you to admit a terrorist leader without an end to terrorism or even a commitment to end terrorism".

A cable dated February 10 from Peter Westmacott, then a British diplomat in Washington, adds details garnered from Jane Holl, then of the US National Security Council, who was present for a subsequent phone call between Mr Major and Mr Clinton.

It reads: "Dr Holl said that the discussion on Northern Ireland was very brief. The President had raised the subject. He had taken full responsibility for the decision to give Adams a visa. It had been a difficult matter of judgment on which the two governments had evidently differed".

Also attached to the bundle was a missive from Canberra suggesting that a potential visit by Mr Adams to Australia might go ahead in light of the US decision.

The new releases are part of a bi-annual publication of government files. Since 1976, records held by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland which were 30 years old have been reviewed annually with a view to making them publicly available - a process known as the 30-year rule.

In September 2011 the Assembly accepted a legislative consent motion to reduce the time limit for release from 30 years to 20 years, in line with the practice London.

The 20-year rule is being phased in, with two years of records released each year.

Records released today in Dublin - which operates under the old system - are from 1988.John Hume expressed concern about the speed with which the Irish Government released IRA prisoners after the paramilitary ceasefires, the files state.

Nine inmates were to be freed before Christmas 1994.

Mr Hume discussed his concerns with a senior British Government official.

In November 1994 the official wrote: "He was a bit concerned about the speed with which Dublin was moving on the prisoners issue.

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"Mr Hume had been repeating publicly his view that those were all things that needed to be settled down the road."

A British Government note said none of the inmates being freed by Ireland were sought by UK police.

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Mr Hume was given the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the violence in Northern Ireland.

His conversations with Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams in the late 1990s had begun to shift republican thinking on the conflict.

Mr Hume founded the SDLP in 1970 and led it from 1979.

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Early release of prisoners was a central demand of Sinn Fein, in exchange for the IRA ending its violent campaign.

It would take place in Northern Ireland following the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

Former senior Ulster Unionist Sir Jeffrey Donaldson walked out of the Good Friday Agreement talks at the 11th hour over the early release of prisoners.The RUC had concerns over how the border was policed.

Farmyard security measures on the Troubles-era hard Irish border prompted disputed allegations of discrimination against Catholics, the files reveal.

Roads in Co Fermanagh leading into Co Monaghan in the Republic were closed because of the IRA threat.

They were effectively being opened to limited vehicle access by allowing landowners to make detours through lockable gates on their farmland, a decades-old British Government archive note said.

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Northern Ireland Office official Peter Smyth explained: "The privilege of being allowed to install such gates is apparently not extended to the Roman Catholic community and has caused considerable resentment in the area.

"Old allegations of Royal Ulster Constabulary collusion with the unionist community are reviving."

Roslea is a village close to the border, around 25 miles to the south-east of Enniskillen.

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In 1994 some nationalists living there felt Protestants were receiving favourable treatment when it came to accessing cross-border land, an archived British Government note released by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland in Belfast said.

The dispute highlighted the localised impact of an Irish border, which had been closed for years because of the danger of republican attacks.

The official record from 1994 surrounded a meeting with an influential member of the community in Fermanagh, Gerry Lynch, and highlighted some of the social sensitivities around the 310-mile frontier.

Mr Lynch claimed Catholic farmers had approached the RUC to secure access through lockable gates, but been refused.

Mr Lynch maintained: "Any attempts by Catholic farmers to create temporary bypasses for purposes of bringing in crops quickly attracted the wrath of the police."

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The NIO official added: "All the bypasses he knew of had been granted to Protestant farmers and the perception was growing that, once again, the local Catholics were being treated as second-class citizens."

Mr Smyth said the RUC considered applications for gates on a case-by-case basis.

He added: "I have no doubt I was given a fairly subjective account of the situation but there was no mistaking Mr Lynch's sense of injustice.

"Relations between the nationalist community and the security forces are always delicate around Roslea and Mr Lynch has worked harder than most to keep things on an even keel.

"He feels that he has gone out on a limb for the past two or three years and is genuinely disillusioned by the apparent failure of the local RUC to make some gesture of reciprocity."

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The records also discussed security concerns about a future IRA attack on a police station in Co Tyrone using an improvised border crossing created by a farmer to straddle a stream on his land.

A four-wheel drive vehicle had been employed in previous attacks and the RUC wanted to excavate the stream to make it impassable to traffic.

The farmer suggested an alternative involving blocking access to the field, but was unable to ask local contractors to do the work for security reasons.Gerry Conlon and his sister Ann outside the Old Bailey in London after his release in October 1989

Toaiseach Charles Haughey privately pleaded with the UK Government for "some generous gesture" such as clemency over the Birmingham Six, Guildford Four and other cases.

Mr Haughey raised the issue with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at a meeting in Brussels in February 1988 after he had received a personal plea for help from Guildford Four member Gerry Conlon.

Mr Conlon and three others - Paul Hill, Carole Richardson and Paddy Armstrong - were sentenced to life sentences for the attacks in Guildford, Surrey, which killed five people and injured 65. Their convictions were overturned in 1989.

The Birmingham Six also had their convictions for the murders of 21 people in two pub bombings in 1974 quashed.

Mr Conlon, in a letter to Mr Haughey from prison, begged for Irish Government help.

"We spent nearly 14 years in English prisons for something I not only did not do but did not even know anything about," he wrote.

"Mr Haughey, my father died in an English prison after years of neglect and ill treatment, he died an innocent man. I ask you to speak out on our behalf and on behalf of the Maguire family and the Birmingham Six.

"I ask you and your Government to take our case to the European Court of Human Rights."

Mr Haughey raised the issue with Mrs Thatcher.

"I know your feelings on these subjects but I must press you. If you were to make some generous gesture," he said to her.

"I must emphasise to you the very keen sense of injustice rampant in Ireland at present. If there any possible movement or any gesture you can make? A small move would go a long way. Could I ask you to look at the question of clemency? What I am concerned with is clemency - not pardon but clemency."

Mrs Thatcher warned she could not interfere.

Mr Conlon also claimed a letter he tried to send to the Irish Embassy complaining about discrimination in prison was suppressed and was the reason behind his transfer to another prison.

Mr Conlon was told in early 1988 by the prison's governor he was being moved from HMP Long Lartin after seven years to Full Sutton Prison in York after the letter of complaint was seen by prison officials.

A private letter dated May 11, 1988 sent to the Department of Foreign Affairs, said Mr Conlon appealed for the Irish Government's help to be transferred back.

Breifne O'Reilly, the third secretary, wrote to Ray Bassettsaying: "After submitting the letter to the censors, Conlon claims he was summoned to the Governor's office that afternoon and was told he would be transferred."

Mr Conlon died in 2014.Margaret Thatcher warned Charles Haughey during a series of heated exchanges that Irish unity would spark the worst civil war the world had ever seen.

The two leaders - desperate to improve Anglo-Irish relations in the wake of several atrocities in Northern Ireland and a major extradition row - clashed repeatedly over security issues.

Mr Haughey bluntly warned the Conservative leader: "If you keep on belittling what we are doing, we lose heart. We get no credit for what we are doing."

However, Mrs Thatcher said Ireland had the greatest number of terrorists in the world outside of Lebanon.

Government papers released in Dublin today - marked 'Most Secret' - detailed hard-hitting exchanges during a summit meeting in Hanover, Germany, on the fringes of the European Council on June 28, 1988.

The meeting took place after the killing of three IRA members in Gibraltar by the SAS, the Milltown Cemetery attack by loyalist terrorist Michael Stone, and the execution of two corporals who were attacked, stripped and beaten by a mob after driving into a republican funeral cortege.

Two of the incidents unfolded in front of TV cameras.

"On devolved government, the world's harshest battles are not between black and white but between people who are like each other and who live beside each other like the Greeks and Turks, the Seikhs and Hindus, the Arabs and the Israelis," Mrs Thatcher warned. They keep their hatred alive.

"I will never be prepared to walk out and let the terrorists win.

"You talk of unity and I ask would that be better? I say: 'No' - there would be the worst civil war in history - and it would spread to the mainland."

The Taoiseach repeatedly tried to interrupt the Prime Minister to stress that his Government had "expressed our horror" at atrocities over the border and was doing its best to improve security co-operation.

However, Mrs Thatcher said recent events had made Northern Ireland a byword for terrorist outrages.

She, in other documents, warned there were times when Northern Ireland made her "berserk", such was the sheer savagery of the violence.

Secret documents revealed she admitted watching the footage of the incident involving the two Army corporals.

Derek Wood and David Howes had driven into the funeral cortege of Caoimhin Mac Bradaigh, who had been killed by Stone during his attack on mourners at the Gibraltar Three funerals in Milltown Cemetery.

When they tried to reverse away, their car was blocked and then surrounded.

The two soldiers were overpowered, dragged from the car, beaten and then driven away from the scene.

They were stripped and then executed by an IRA unit.

Their desperate attempt to get their vehicle away from the funeral cortege was caught by TV cameras.

Reports released in Dublin indicated Mrs Thatcher was horrified by what she witnessed on television.

"The savagery was unbelievable - and don't think the people who did it were contrite. Not the least bit," she told Mr Haughey.

Three months later the IRA used Libyan Semtex to blow up a van used by off-duty soldiers involved in a fun run in Lisburn. Six were killed.

In a letter to Mr Haughey, Mrs Thatcher said she appreciated the sympathy of the Irish Government.

But she said she wanted greater intelligence sharing.

"Their importance and urgency need no emphasis given the sharp rise in IRA attacks in the past few weeks and the quantities of arms now in their hands," she said.

She added: "We are facing a major terrorist offensive and it is crucial we step up our joint efforts to counter it."The UK's chief legal adviser emerged from anaesthetic after cardiac surgery and shouted that then-DUP leader Ian Paisley needed to be killed for progress to be achieved in Northern Ireland, Irish State papers report.

The extraordinary incident involving Attorney-General Sir Michael Havers is detailed in previously classified Irish diplomatic documents.

The revelation came during a bizarre 1987 lunch between Richard Ryan, an Irish Embassy official in London, and Ian Gow, a Tory MP later murdered by the IRA. Mr Gow was highly thought-of in Dublin, and had very close UUP links.

Read More

The briefing document, dated January 13, 1987 and marked 'confidential - by courier service', detailed a conversation between both men about Northern Ireland. It has been made public as part of the 1988 State papers release in Dublin.

During the lunch, the duo were approached by Sir Michael.

Mr Ryan wrote to his superiors: "At this point we were joined by the Attorney-General Sir Michael Havers, who stayed for an hour [and that ended the private conversation with Gow].

Read More

"Havers said that when he came out of the anaesthetic after his heart operation [his wife and the surgeons were there] he immediately shouted: 'We must kill Paisley!' He cannot explain it, he said, but 'wouldn't it confirm everything Paisley accuses us of?'"

Sir Michael's comment came after Mr Gow had expressed disillusionment over lack of progress in Northern Ireland.

Mr Ryan described Mr Gow as "depressed" and said he was "getting absolutely nowhere with his unionist clients".

Read More

Mr Gow said the current unionist leadership was "hopeless" and he felt that UUP leader James Molyneaux had "slipped off the hook" in an attempt to get him to meet with the Taoiseach, Charles Haughey.

Mr Ryan wrote that Mr Gow felt the UUP leader had "chickened out" because of his concern about being re-elected as MP.

He added: "He, Gow, if given such - or any - marching orders by his constituency 'would tell them to go to hell'. [But] he has no spark of hope left."

Mr Gow was murdered by the IRA in a car bomb outside his home in East Sussex in 1990.The UVF held secret talks with the IRA army council in 1988 to discuss the prospect of a federal Ireland, state papers in Dublin have claimed.

The meetings were facilitated by Father John Murphy, a chaplain in the Maze Prison, documents marked "secret" reported.

The memo, to the Taoiseach's office in November 1988, said that Fr Murphy was anxious to keep the meetings secret and listed the three opponents as "the NIO, the RUC and the DUP".

Read More

"Fr Murphy was frankly surprised at the speed with which events had moved and was particularly surprised at the signs of apparent flexibility being shown by the UVF in this exercise where they demonstrated a willingness to at least talk about a wide range of possible future arrangements for Ireland, not excluding concepts like a federal Ireland," Brendan Mahon, of the Anglo Irish Division wrote.

Mr Mahon said Fr Murphy's understanding of the concept of a federal Ireland was "based on the four provinces including a nine-county Ulster with a separate province-type arrangement for Dublin similar to the District of Columbia in the US".

Read More

Federalism is a process by which a central and regional government share power over the same geographical area, indicating Dublin would have a say in a Stormont government. It is not specified if the UK would still have a role in NI.

"John Murphy has informed me on a highly confidential basis that these talks have now moved outside of the confines of the prison and that the army council of the IRA and the leadership of UVF have now agreed to separate talks with the chaplains outside of the prison," Mr Mahon wrote. The papers state that neither the UDA nor the INLA were involved in the talks, which were indicated to have started in the summer of 1988.

The UVF indicated to exclude the UDA due to confusion within the organisation and "fears regarding the level of security force penetration of the UDA".

Read More

However, it was indicated that former Unionist leader James Molyneux knew about the talks and Fr Murphy "did not expect any trouble" from him.

Fr Murphy also claimed that the flexibility being shown by the UVF was "indicative of the general uncertainty among loyalists as regards their future in a changed Anglo/Irish relationship".

The religious hierarchy were also kept in the dark. The memo reads that the bishops were not aware the talks had moved outside the prison, and that knowledge was confined to "the leadership of the IRA and UVF, two chaplains and now, ourselves".

Read More

The support of the bishops was apparently being held off until their backing was needed "to forestall any attempt by other political interests to derail the initiatives".

Fr Murphy was said to seem "optimistic" about the prospects.

"It is nonetheless an extremely interesting development entailing, as it does the military leadership of the IRA (as distinct from Adams etc) in talks with the most hardline loyalist paramilitary organisation."Police at the scene of the fatal accident, which happened on the Moy Road, Co Armagh

Tributes have been paid to a father-of-three from Co Armagh who died after being hit by a car in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Terence (Terry) Fox had been walking in the Moy Road area at around 5am when he was struck by a car.

The 46-year-old died as a result of his injuries.

The road remained closed for several hours yesterday as investigations continued, with diversions put in place at the Drumcairn and Cabragh Roads.

Mr Fox, who was an engineer, is survived by his three daughters, Lauren, Stephanie and Emma and the wider family circle.

Sinn Fein councillor Garath Keating expressed his sadness at the news.

"There is a deep sense of shock in the local community at the news of this tragic incident," he said.

"Foremost in our minds right now are the deceased man's family and friends, who will be devastated at this harrowing news. Our thoughts and prayers are with them."

SDLP councillor Mealla Campbell said she was also deeply saddened by the tragedy.

"The whole community has been left shaken on hearing that a local man has been killed in such tragic circumstances on a busy road," she said.

"My thoughts and prayers are with all the families and friends affected by this tragedy. Any news like this coming to your door at any time is devastating, but it's particularly poignant at Christmas."

Many tributes have been paid to Mr Fox on social media, describing him as "an absolute gentleman" and "a good friend".

The PSNI is appealing for witnesses or anyone who may have dash-cam footage to contact police on 101.Jamas nos callaran



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Cerveza Polar







Algun dia Colombia volvera a la ideologia de Bolivar







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LOS REVOLUCIONARIOS NO TOMAN CACA-COLA No se trata solamente de un capricho, sino de una sana actitud en todos los sentidos. Desde la solidaridad con el pueblo colombiano donde la empresa Caca-Cola ha cometido los mas grandes abusos contra sus trabajadores incluyendo el presunto secuestro y asesinato de los dirigentes del sindicato, hasta la proteccion de la salud de nuestros hijos, enviciados por ese jarabe de cola y azucar, que les produce obesidad prematura. Pensemos tambien los revolucionarios, que ese dinero que gastamos en los refrescos es utilizado por esas empresas para financiar el terrorismo en nuestro pais. Es cierto, no se trata solo de la Caca-Cola, sino tambien de la cerveza, de los cigarrillos y todos esos articulos innecesarios y mas que eso, daninos para nuestra salud. Podriamos incluso pensar en un dia de parada para cada uno de ellos. Es cuestion de irnos organizando. Pero para empezar, que tal si dejamos de comprar Caca-Cola y sus similares?



























Cuando lo extraordinario se vuelve cotidiano...



Discurso del Acto de Grado en Barinas en 12 de Febrero del 2005 Queridos Graduandos:



Mas que un discurso, quiero dirigirles algunas palabras que escribi anoche, despues de visitar en las clinicas, a los estudiantes heridos, a consecuencia de los enfrentamientos con la policia de hace apenas dos dias.



Me ha tocado por razones del destino, ser la persona que les otorgue el titulo que bien merecieron con sus estudios. Y me siento sumamente orgulloso de serlo. Me consta que la Universidad de Los Llanos Occidentales Ezequiel Zamora, a pesar de lo dicho por los enemigos de esta universidad, es una universidad de primera.



No tendremos la mejor planta fisica, en los salones hace calor. En el comedor hace calor. Pero no es en lo material que las cosas deben valorarse. El mayor capital es el ser humano. Y en eso, nuestra UNELLEZ, lo digo con conocimiento de causa, esta sobrada. Los llaneros venezolanos son nobles, valientes, de coraje.



En la UNELLEZ hacen vida, en este momento, aproximadamente 67000 personas. El 97% de ellas son estudiantes. Jovenes que, como Ustedes hasta el dia de hoy, buscan ese titulo, que constata los anos de dedicacion y de estudio.



Los jovenes son el rio de la vida, ustedes graduados deben ser los capitanes de esos barcos que naveguen por el rio de la vida.



Nuestra Patria atraviesa momentos muy dificiles porque decidio dejar de ser esa matrona de edad vetusta y complaciente, para ser joven, rebelde y altanera. Nuestra imagen ya no es la de una acaudalada ricachona mayamera. En nuestro rostro brilla ahora la sonrisa del Che Guevara, con su diente delantero torcido, su pelo largo y su boina con la estrella.



Entender esto, a mi me ha tomado practicamente toda la vida. Tengo 53 anos, y ya perdi mi oportunidad de derramar sangre joven a causa de un ideal.



Ustedes son jovenes, estan en la flor de la vida. No cometan por favor el error de renunciar a su instinto de rebelion. El Che Guevara fue Ministro de a Economia en Cuba. Los billetes y las monedas se adornaban con su rostro. Nada de eso le importo. Primero fue a Angola donde paso un penoso ano de combate. Despues se fue a Bolivia, donde encontro la muerte. El Che era el ultimo que comia, el que cargaba la mochila mas pesada. Siempre se sacrificaba por los demas en un estoicismo que mas parecia fervor religioso que ideologia marxista.



Si quieren un modelo de vida. Ahi lo tienen.



Dije hace unos momentos que el 97% de la poblacion de la UNELLEZ es estudiante. Se imaginan Ustedes la Universidad que podriamos tener si todos los estudiantes tuvieran la abnegacion, la combatividad del Che?



Los momentos que se avecinan van a requerir de una gran unidad del pueblo venezolano. La alternativa de continuar siendo libres o regresar a la pobreza se nos planteara en los proximos dias de forma enmascarada, o quizas peor, desenmascarada, vestida con uniforme de soldado del Imperio.



Por nuestra parte podemos esperar lo mejor. La macroeconomia no podria ir mejor, la justicia social ha mejorado notablemente. Las misiones ocupan un papel muy importante en el pago de dicha justicia social. Aqui en Barinas ya hemos cumplido con dos de las misiones, la mision Robinson y la mision Sucre. No hay analfabetismo y no hay exclusion en la educacion superior, en estas tierras de Zamora.



Pero ay malhaya! Son precisamente estos exitos los que nos hacen mas antipaticos al Imperio. Para ellos, somos inclusive un mal ejemplo que se esta contagiando al resto del continente y cuidado sino al resto del mundo.



Nunca venceremos al Imperio. Estara siempre ahi, acechando. Por lo menos hasta que el mismo no se autodestruya. Porque, sepanlo senores, el neoliberalismo es canibal. Cuando le ataque el hambre, se devorara a si mismo.



Ustedes, queridos graduandos, a partir de hoy pasan a conformar la elite profesional que debe sostener este pais en los proximos cuarenta o cincuenta anos. Anos decisivos para el logro de nuestra libertad y del rescate de nuestra Soberania.



No se dejen comprar. No se dejen corromper. No se dejen gritar. No se dejen pisar. Que nadie les diga que comer, o que vestirse, o que leer. Sean siempre autenticos, rebeldes, contestatarios. Pero eso si, profundamente patriotas, dignos de ser hijos de Bolivar.



Muchas gracias y que Dios los bendiga.





Alguna duda?



Medio siglo de Holocausto Palestino



Oscar Zanartu Nacio en Caracas en 1960. Ha realizado exposiciones individuales en las galerias Minotauro, Clave y San Francisco, y en salas de Coro, estado Falcon, y Puerto Ordaz, estado Bolivar. En Paris su obra ha sido exhibida en el Centro Cultural Tanagra, en la Exposicion Cite Internationale des Arts, en las galerias De Mars y Arver Space, al igual que en la Galeria Municipal Levallois, en Levallois Perret (Francia). En muestras colectivas, su obra se ha expuesto en Belgica, Francia, Estados Unidos y Venezuela; en Caracas intervino en la exposicion "Del genesis a la memoria", 1995, organizada por la Fundacion La Previsora. En 1982 obtuvo el Premio Nacional Critven y en 1990 la Mencion de Honor Jose Antonio Paez, en la Embajada de Venezuela en Paris. En 1991 se le concedio el primer premio de Pintura Itinerante, en Levallois Perret, Francia.



OZ1



OZ2



OZ3



OZ4



Homenaje a Jason Galarraga



La Victoria de Samotracia



Odalisca



Mas fotos de la nevada del pasado agosto 2008



























La Sierra Nevada de Merida



Nuestro precioso Churum Meru



Homenaje a Picasso



Autoretrato



Sabes lo que bebes en una Coca-Cola?

La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.

Mi profesion?

Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.

Sal en la Coca Cola?

A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.

De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:

Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gusto

Acido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)

azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)

Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantas

Mucha Cafeina

Conservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o Potasio

Dioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebe

Sal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracion

El uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.

Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.

Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.

En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).

Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.

La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.

Bebidas Light?

Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el

Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.



Publicado por loretahur



En realidad, la formula secreta de la Coca-Cola se puede detallar en 18 segundos en cualquier espectrometro optico, y basicamente la conocen hasta los perros. Lo que ocurre es que no se puede fabricar igual, a no ser que uno disponga de unos cuantos millones de dolares para ganarle la demanda que te metera la Coca-Cola ante la justicia (ellos no perderian).La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gustoAcido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantasMucha CafeinaConservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o PotasioDioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebeSal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracionEl uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el aspartamo , despues de tres semanas mojado, pasa a tener gusto de trapo viejo sucio.Para evitar eso, se agregan una infinidad de otros productos quimicos, uno para alargar la vida del aspartamo, otro para neutralizar el color, otro para mantener el tercer quimico en suspension porque sino el fondo de la gaseosa quedaria oscuro, otro para evitar la cristalizacion del aspartamo, otro para realzar el sabor, dar mas intensidad al acido citrico o fosforito que perderia su sabor por el efecto de los cuatro productos quimicos iniciales... y asi sucesivamente.Un consejo final !!Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.Publicado por loretahur

MARGARINA o MANTEQUILLA La margarina fue producida originalmente para engordar a los pavos; cuandolo que hizo en realidad fue matarlos.Las personas que habian puesto el dinero para la investigacion quisieronrecobrarlo asi que empezaron a pensar en una forma de hacerlo.Tenian una sustancia blanca, que no tenia ningun atractivo como comestible,asi que le anadieron el color amarillo, para venderselo a lagente en lugar de la mantequilla.Que tal esa?... Ahora han sacado algunos nuevos sabores para vender mas alos incautos como usted y yo.CONOCE USTED la diferencia entre la margarina y la mantequilla?Siga leyendo hasta el final... porque se pone bastante interesante!Comparacion entre mantequilla y margarina:

1.- Ambas tienen la misma cantidad de calorias.

2.- La mantequilla es ligeramente mas alta en grasas saturadas: 8 gramos,comparada con los 5 gramos que tiene la margarina.

3.- Comer margarina en vez de mantequilla puede aumentar en 53% el riesgo deenfermedades coronarias en las mujeres, de acuerdo con un estudiomedico reciente de la Universidad de Harvard.

4.- Comer mantequilla aumenta la absorcion de gran cantidad de nutrientesque se encuentran en otros alimentos.

5.- La mantequilla provee beneficios nutricionales propios mientras lamargarina tiene solo los que le hayan sido anadidos al fabricarla.

6.- La mantequilla sabe mucho mejor que la margarina y mejora el sabor deotros alimentos.7.- La mantequilla ha existido durante siglos mientras que la margarinatiene menos de 100 anos.

Ahora... sobre la margarina:

1.- Es muy alta en acidos grasos trans. (Si, esos que recien ahora loscientificos descubrieron que son malisimos y los gobiernoscomenzaron a prohibirlos) .

2.- Triple riesgo de enfermedades coronarias.

3.- Aumenta el colesterol total y el LDL (el colesterol malo) y disminuye elHDL (el colesterol bueno).

4.- Aumenta en cinco veces el riesgo de cancer.

5.- Disminuye la calidad de la leche materna.

6.- Disminuye la reaccion inmunologica del organismo.

7.- Disminuye la reaccion a la insulina.

Y he aqui el factor mas inquietante (AQUI ESTA LA PARTE MAS INTERESANTE! ):A la margarina le falta UNA MOLECULA para ser PLASTICO...!!Solo este hecho es suficiente para evitar el uso de la margarina de porvida, y de cualquier otra cosa que sea hidrogenada (esto significaque se le anade hidrogeno, lo cual cambia la estructura molecular de lassubstancias).Usted puede ensayar lo siguiente:Compre un poco de margarina y dejela en el garaje o en un sitio sombreado.Dentro de unos dias notara dos cosas:

* No habra moscas; ni siquiera esos molestos bichos se le acercaran (esto yale debe decir a usted algo).

* No se pudre ni huele mal o diferente porque no tiene valor nutritivo; nadacrece en ella. Ni siquiera los diminutos microorganismos puedencrecer en ella.Por que? Porque es casi plastico!!



No a la guerra, Si a la Paz



Misterios de la ciencia...



Los costos de la guerra



medicos y capitalismo...



Capitalismo...



medicos (2)



Quien educa a nuestros hijos?



Los Medios...



Sin Palabras...



Chistes feministas

- Cual es el problema, Eva?

- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz...

- Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.

- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...

- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.

- Que es un hombre?

- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.

- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.

- Cual es el truco?.

- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.

- Cual?

- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.





Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Un dia, en el Paraiso, Eva llamo a Dios: Tengo un problema.- Cual es el problema, Eva?- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.- Que es un hombre?- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.- Cual es el truco?.- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.- Cual?- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Ellas...



Ellas (2)...



Tres venganzas femeninas VENGANZA NUMERO 1

Hoy mi hija cumple 21 anos y estoy muy contento porque es el ultimo pago de pension alimenticia que le doy, asi que llame a mi hijita para que viniera a mi casa y cuando llego le dije:

-Hijita, quiero que lleves este cheque a casa de tu mama y que le digas que: Este es el ultimo maldito cheque que va recibir de mi en todo lo que le queda de su puta vida!!! Quiero que me digas la expresion que pone en su rostro.

Asi que mi hija fue a entregar el cheque. Yo estaba ansioso por saber lo que la bruja tenia que decir y que cara pondria.

Cuando mi hijita entro, le pregunte inmediatamente: -Que fue lo que te dijo tu madre?

-Me dijo que justamente estaba esperando este dia para decirte que no eres mi papa!



VENGANZA NUMERO 2

Un hombre que siempre molestaba a su mujer, paso un dia por la casa de unos amigos para que lo acompanaran al aeropuerto a dejar a su esposa que viajaba a Paris.

A la salida de inmigracion, frente a todo el mundo, el le desea buen viaje y en tono burlon le grita:

- Amor, no te olvides de traerme una hermosa francesita Ja ja ja!!

Ella bajo la cabeza y se embarco muy molesta.

La mujer paso quince dias en Francia.

El marido otra vez pidio a sus amigos que lo acompanasen al aeropuerto a recibirla.

Al verla llegar, lo primero que le grita a toda voz es:

- Y amor me trajiste mi francesita??

- Hice todo lo posible, - contesta ella - ahora solo tenemos que rezar para que nazca nina.



VENGANZA NUMERO 3

El marido, en su lecho de muerte, llama a su mujer. Con voz ronca y ya debil, le dice: - Muy bien, llego mi hora, pero antes quiero hacerte una confesion.

- No, no, tranquilo, tu no debes hacer ningun esfuerzo.

- Pero, mujer, es preciso - insiste el marido - Es preciso morir en paz.

Te quiero confesar algo.

- Esta bien, esta bien. Habla!

- He tenido relaciones con tu hermana, tu mama y tu mejor amiga.

- Lo se, lo se Por eso te envenene, hijo de puta!!!



machismo y cibernetica



Chiste machista La NASA ha enviado al espacio una mision experimental tripulada por dos monos y una mujer.Apenas abandona la atmosfera, se establece comunicacion con Houston.

-Atencion, simio 1, verifique sistemas hidraulicos, controle adecuada presion de los propulsores de arranque. A 60.000 pies disminuya un 25% la velocidad.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, simio 2, nivele al cruzar la estratosfera y active sistemas anticongelantes. No olvide monitorear sistemas de comunicacion e indicadores de presion. Comprendido?.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, Houston llamando a mujer: no se olvide.

-Mujer: Si, si, ya se! -interrumpe enojada- que no me olvide darles de comer a estos monos de mierda y que no se me vaya a ocurrir tocar nada!.



.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti.

Un abogado mantiene un romance con su secretaria.Al poco tiempo, esta queda embarazada y el abogado, que no quiere que su esposa se entere, le da a la secretaria una buena suma de dinero y le pide que se vaya a parir a Italia.Esta pregunta: Y como voy a hacerte saber cuando nazca el bebe ? El abogado responde: Para que mi mujer no se entere, tan solo enviame una postal y escribe por detras: Spaghetti. Y no te preocupes mas, que yo me encargare de todos los gastos.

Pasan los meses y una manana la esposa del abogado lo llama al bufete, algo exaltada: Querido, acabo de recibir el correo y hay una postal muy extrana viene desde Italia. La verdad, no entiendo que significa.El abogado, tratando de ocultar sus nervios, contesta:Espera a que llegue a casa, a ver si yo entiendoCuando el hombre llega a casa y lee la postal, cae al suelo fulminado por un infarto.Llega una ambulancia y se lo lleva. Ya en el hospital, el jefe de cardiologia se queda consolando a la esposa y le pregunta cual ha sido el evento que precipito tan masivo ataque cardiaco.

Entonces la esposa saca la postal y se la muestra diciendole: No me explico, doctor; el solamente leyo esta postal. Vea usted mismo lo que trae escrito.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti."Tres con salchicha y albondigas y dos con almejas



Gol !!!!



Chistes de Borrachos Entra un borracho a su casa todo manchado con lapiz labial por todos lados hecho un desastre, y la mujer le pregunta:-Hombre que te paso?Y el borracho le responde:-No me vas a creer, me pelee con un payaso!



Este es un borracho que entra en un bar y le dice al camarero:-Me da cinco copas de whisky?Al rato:-Me da cuatro?Al rato:-Me da tres copas?Despues:-Me da dos copas?Luego le dice:-Me da una copa?Y le dice al camarero:-Ves? Cuanto menos bebo, mas borracho estoy!

A Liverpool fan who was left with catastrophic injuries after being attacked outside Anfield earlier this year is now eating independently, his family has said.

Sean Cox, 53, from Dunboyne, Co Meath was assaulted by a Roma fan less than an hour before kick-off at the Champions League semi-final in April.

The father-of-three was left with brain injuries, and his wife Martina said their lives had been turned upside down.

Expand Close Sean Coxs wife Martina (Peter Powell/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Sean Coxs wife Martina (Peter Powell/PA)

Mr Cox has been recovering at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire, where his wife says he is making progress.

He no longer has a feeding tube so is starting to eat and drink again with the help of the wonderful nursing staff, she said.

Sean has some more words and is trying very hard to sing along to familiar songs; these are encouraging and proud steps for us all.

Mrs Cox said they have shown him social media posts, press clippings and videos from fundraising events in England and Ireland to show him the public support he has received.

While it has been an exceptionally difficult time, what has helped me and the kids get through it has been the overwhelming goodwill of Seans family, friends, supporters and the general public, she said.

The Support Sean campaign has witnessed huge generosity and has raised 1.1 million euro (992,045) to date.

People whom we have never met have been there for us in so many, many ways, alongside our family, friends and local community.

While we have a battle ahead again in 2019, our burden is lightened by this love and support for Sean.

Roma fan Filippo Lombardi, 21, from Rome, was cleared of inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mr Cox in October, though he was jailed for three years for violent disorder.

Daniele Sciusco, 29, from Rome, admitted violent disorder ahead of the match and was jailed for two-and-a-half years in August 2018.Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum, a daughter of Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, left, meets Mary Robinson, a former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and former president of Ireland in Dubai (Credit: United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation via AP)

Former Irish President Mary Robinson has issued a statement after she came under fire for describing a "missing" Arabian princess as a troubled young woman following a meeting between the pair at the behest of her family to help solve a dilemma.

Photographs of Ms Robinson and Sheikha Latifa  the daughter of the billionaire ruler of Dubai  were issued by the United Arab Emirates government last week after they met on December 15.

Officials in Dubai said Ms Robinson was assured Latifa was in "the loving care of her family".

The photographs prompted speculation about the princess and how her meeting with Ms Robinson came to pass.

Ms Robinson spoke about the meeting for the first time on Thursday on BBC radio  and said Latifa was receiving medical care.

Ms Robinson's interview attracted criticism on social media, with campaigners asking how she could make such a sound judgment on Latifa's mental health after only spending a few hours with her.

She responded to the backlash through a statement on Friday morning, adding she would not be making any further comment at this time.

"I am dismayed at some of the media comments on my visit and I would like to say I undertook the visit and made an assessment, not a judgment, based on personal witness, in good faith and to the best of my ability," Ms Robinson said.

Explaining how the meeting came about, the former UN Commissioner for Human Rights said she visited Dubai on December 15 at the request of Princess Haya bint Hussein, one of the wives of the UAE Prime Minister.

"I have known and worked with Princess Haya for many years in her capacity as a member of the UN Global Humanitarian Forum and as a UN Messenger of Peace. I was aware of the international concern over Sheikha Latifa and that she had not been seen for many months so when Princess Haya asked me to go to Dubai to meet with both of them I agreed, without hesitation.

"On my arrival in Dubai I received extensive briefings and it was clear to me that Princess Haya had particular concern for the welfare of Sheikha Latifa whom she described as troubled and quite vulnerable. During my time with her Sheikha Latifa presented a a very likeable young woman with a wide range of interests but her vulnerability was apparent," she added.

The welfare of Latifa sparked massive concern amongst human rights groups following her failed attempt to escape the UAE in March.

Yesterday, Ms Robinson shed light on the meeting while discussing climate change on the BBC's 'Today' programme.

In the interview, she said her friend Princess Haya asked her to meet with her stepdaughter Latifa to help with a "family dilemma".

"I was asked by Princess Haya, who I've known for a long time, who's also married to the ruler of Dubai [Latifah's father], she's not directly related to the princess Latifa, but she asked me to come to Dubai and help with a family dilemma.

"And the dilemma was that Latifa is vulnerable, she's troubled. She made a video that she now regrets and she planned an escape or was part of a plan of an escape, it's under circumstances that I think need to be examined because immediately there was a very big demand note for $300m and $30m right away, and then she was taken off the boat and is now in the care of her family.

"And I had lunch with her. She's a very likeable young woman but clearly troubled, clearly needs the medical care she's receiving," Ms Robinson said.

Prior to her meeting with Ms Robinson earlier this month, Latifa was last seen in March aboard a yacht off the coast of India. A former French spy allegedly helped her to plot escape from Dubai, and seek asylum abroad.

But this plan was thwarted after Indian and Emirati security forces boarded the yacht and took Latifa back to Dubai, according to two people who were involved in the plot.

A video made by Latifa was posted online shortly after the return to her family. She recorded the video before her attempt to flee in March.

In the recording, she claimed she was tortured and imprisoned for three years after a previous attempt to flee in 2002. "If you are watching this video, it is not such a good thing. Either I'm dead or I'm in a very, very, very bad situation," Sheikha Latifa said in the recording.

When pressed if she believed she was able to have a frank conversation with the princess given the circumstances in which she met her, Ms Robinson said she believed she was.

Reassurances

"I was able to assess the situation. She wasn't with her wider family. She was with Princess Haya and some of Princess Haya's younger family and two other people. It wasn't a big number.

"I also sent a report that evening to Michelle Bachelet, the current UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and while I was in Dubai, I had a telephone conversation with the most recent High Commissioner Zeid who is also a good friend. These are good friends of mine."

When asked if she was able to give reassurances that Latifa was safe and well, Ms Robinson said she was able to give such assurances.

"I think it's a very complicated situation. I understand the concern. I've also been in an email exchange with Ken Roth, the head of Human Rights Watch, because I know they've been very concerned, but I think you have to bear in mind that this is a troubled young woman who has a serious medical situation."

However, Mr Roth later tweeted: "Mary Robinson says UAE Princess Latifa is 'troubled', suggesting a pre-existing condition though I'd be troubled too if I tried to escape a gilded prison and was kidnapped back. Would Robinson know the difference?"The Irish Government queried Sinn Fein receiving a postal discount for sending bulk mail to the US over concerns it was helping to fund the IRA.

Sinn Fein wrote to various companies and people appealing for donations to the party, and has received millions in funding over the last three decades.

Declassified documents released in Dublin show that an Irish Government minister queried whether he could prevent a discount deal between Sinn Fein and An Post for sending bulk mail to the United States.

Read More

There were concerns that some of the funds raised in the US would be used to support the IRA rather than to "fill the election coffers of Sinn Fein".

A confidential letter sent in November 1988 shows that the then Communications Minister Ray Burke sought to use his powers under the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act 1983 to order An Post not to make an arrangement with the party.

Read More

The letter from assistant secretary Dermot Gallagher also noted that a direction by the minister "may create trouble in terms of Sinn Fein propaganda or even court actions".Competence of An Garda Siochana was queried by Margaret Thatcher in tense exchanges with Taoiseach Charles Haughey

Margaret Thatcher claimed the Irish did not have a "highly professional police force" and that she had "failed" in a row over the border.

According to state papers released in Dublin, Taoiseach Charles Haughey launched an impassioned defence of An Garda Siochana after Mrs Thatcher questioned the force's competence.

Read More

Mrs Thatcher said she wanted better training of the Garda with international forces as an urgent part of the Anglo-Irish Agreement.

A June 28 meeting between Mr Haughey and the Conservative leader saw her raise major concerns over Garda competence in the wake of the alarming upsurge in IRA violence in Northern Ireland and its success in smuggling weapons and explosives from Libya.

The seizure by French authorities of the Eksund complete with 120 tonnes of Libyan weapons and Semtex explosives prompted the Taoiseach to personally write to France's Jacques Chirac with Ireland's thanks.

Read More

However, Mrs Thatcher was not impressed with the Irish police, complaining: "We do not get intelligence from the gardai. They are not the most highly professional force.

"We deal with the Amsterdam and the French police and the Brussels police. Each of them is highly professional.

"Israel is a small country yet it has one of the best police forces in the world.

"The IRA is not an amateur organisation."

Read More

Mrs Thatcher said that while she understood Ireland's reluctance to allow gardai to undergo specialist counter-terrorism training in the UK, such training was available in other countries.

"Will you not consider better training for your gardai?" she asked. "I understand if you do not want to use our facilities - I spoke with (Canadian Prime Minister) Brian Mulrooney while I was in Toronto and discussed the matter with him.

"I am not concerned about where they get the training as long as they get it."

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However, Mr Haughey defended the Garda's record and said that, unlike the RUC, it patrolled right up to the border.

He also said the Garda had successes in identifying IRA arms dumps and was in the process of trying to infiltrate the Provos in the Louth area.

Mr Haughey said other police forces at times compared less favourably to the Garda.

"We called in the help of the Dutch police in connection with an art robbery some time ago in which there was a Provo involvement - they made a complete mess of it."

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However, Mrs Thatcher was adamant that she wanted better security and intelligence liaison between police forces.

She also queried how, when the Irish Government wanted, specific republican targets could be pursued relentlessly.

"You got (Border Fox Dessie) O'Hare alright when you wanted him," she said. "You went after him in no uncertain manner."

Mr Haughey countered by insisting that O'Hare had "rampaged about the country for a week before he was caught".As the countdown continues to Brexit on March 29, heres what been happening over the past week.

How many days to go: 91

What happened this week: Jeremy Corbyn wanted a recall of Parliament so MPs could vote on Theresa Mays Brexit deal. Met Police chief Cressida Dick warned of the risk to public safety of a no-deal break.

What happens next: Ministers return to Westminster early from their Christmas break for a special Cabinet meeting on Wednesday to discuss no deal planning.

Expand Close Jeremy Corbyn has called for the recall of Parliament (Stefan Rousseau/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Jeremy Corbyn has called for the recall of Parliament (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Good week: Voters. A weary public was largely spared another week of Brexit wrangling by their politicians as most finally piped down for the festive season.

Bad week: Business. Another seven days gone and firms looking to plan ahead were still none the wiser as to what to expect after March 29.

Quote of the week: Ghastly. What I minded were those pictures of the way he was holding the Prime Minister. I did not like that. When I used to go to the EU for meetings, I often had a terrible cold to insist that I didnt get enveloped in a bear hug  Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd on European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker.

Tweet of the week:

British politics for the next generation will divide into those who resisted Brexit, & those who promoted or appeased it. I will never fully trust or respect anyone who wasnt in the resistance from the beginning  Andrew Adonis (@Andrew_Adonis) December 27, 2018

Word of the week: Brexmas.Police are appealing for witnesses to a fatal crash in Bridge of Allan (Andrew Milligan/PA)

A pedestrian has died after being knocked down near Stirling.

The 29-year-old man was struck by a Land Rover in Cornton Road, Bridge of Allan, at around 11pm on Thursday.

Emergency services were called but the man died at the scene.

The driver of the Land Rover Discovery stopped after the collision and spoke to police, but officers are appealing for any witnesses to contact them.

https://t.co/tCdISUZYz6



We're appealing for info following a fatal collision in Bridge of Allan last night where a 29-year-old male pedestrian was killed.



If you can help with our inquiries please contact us & quote incident number 4280 of the 27th December.  Stirling Police (@StirlingPol) December 28, 2018

Inspector Andrew Thomson, from the Road Policing Unit in Stirling, said: Our deepest sympathies are with the family of the pedestrian at this time and we will continue to provide them with all the support they may require.

The driver of the Land Rover stopped immediately following this incident and we have noted a statement from them, but we are keen to hear from other motorists or members of the public who may have been in the area and witnessed exactly what happened.

If you believe you have information that can assist with this investigation then please contact police immediately.The horrifying moment that Corporals Derek Wood and David Howes came under attack by a mob at an IRA funeral in 1988

MPs demanded to withdraw from Ireland to let "the Irish get on with butchering each other" in response to the killing of two British army undercover corporals at an IRA funeral in west Belfast, according to confidential files.

Newly declassified records, released under the 30-year rule, show the murders of David Wood and Derek Howes of the Signals Regiment provoked outrage among MPs at Westminster.

The two soldiers were surrounded by a crowd when they drove into the funeral cortege of an IRA man who had been killed by loyalist Michael Stone days earlier.

The confidential note, entitled "mood at Westminster", was written by Irish Embassy official Richard Ryan after he spoke to some 20 MPs of "all shades" days after the murders in March 1988.

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The diplomat said many MPs who did not take an active interest in Irish affairs became "puffed with outrage and conviction" about doing something in response to the killings.

He said suggestions ranged from demands for a tougher and revised policy of policing funerals to a demand for internment throughout Ireland and, in "more cases than previously", to a demand to setting a date for withdrawal from Ireland "in order to let the Irish get on with butchering each other".

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Mr Ryan also said people across Britain wrote to their MPs demanding greater action against terrorists.

The two plain-clothed British soldiers inadvertently drove into the path of the funeral before mourners pulled them from the car and were beaten before being shot dead by members of the IRA.

The murders happened days after the funerals of the three IRA members who were shot dead by the SAS in Gibraltar.

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Mr Ryan said after meeting backbenchers at Westminster, he was struck by their exasperation and anger "without any proper sense of how to ventilate it" while there was a resurgence of "frustrated patience" with Ireland.

"The complexity of the issues elude their instinctual approach to policy questions, that of self-interested pragmatism and this further fuels their primary response to events such as last Saturday's," he added.

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"It has to be said that no amount of violence toward the UDR, the RUC and Northern Irish or Irish civilians of any religious persuasion could come anywhere near provoking the same reaction in Britain to Saturday's killings - and the sort of killings they were - of their own English soldiers."

He later said there was a risk the Anglo-Irish relationship and the Agreement may be "caught in the net" when MPs look for the reasons behind the murders.

Days after the killings, the Secretary of State Tom King, made a speech to the House of Commons in which he described the "horrific events" that shocked the world.

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In a separate memo from Mr Ryan following a meeting with Conservative MP Edward Leigh, he said the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was left "very distressed and very angry" by the soldiers' murders.

Mr Leigh indicated that MPs held special meetings to call for support for "much tougher and direct action" by the SAS and other special units against terrorists.

"He stressed several times that he was not exaggerating the mood generally", Mr Ryan wrote.

Mr King told Mr Leigh during a meeting they had reason to believe the IRA was "planning a serious offensive", however he did not elaborate further than this.The night sky of New York was lit up in blue following a transformer explosion (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

A bright blue light lit up the New York skyline on Thursday night after a transformer exploded at an energy facility.

The blast prompted a brief fire at a sprawling Con Edison facility in Queens  but no injuries  and a spectacular illumination that generated a flurry of online commentary.

The explosion affected subway service in the area and caused a brief ground stop at LaGuardia Airport, which experienced power outages.

Governor Andrew Cuomo described a major electrical failure at the electrical substation along the East River, near the Rikers Island prison complex and across a small bay from LaGuardia.

Power had been largely restored to LaGuardia by 11pm and the airport was resuming normal operations.

The lights caused a stir on social media as several witnesses posted photographs and videos of a bright, blue flash that filled the nights sky.

Expand Close Blue light was cast over New York, as seen from Manhattan (Jay Reeves/AP) AP / Facebook

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Whatsapp Blue light was cast over New York, as seen from Manhattan (Jay Reeves/AP)

The Manhattan skyline and iconic East River bridges were suddenly silhouetted against a backdrop of pulsating light.

People flocked to social media to find out what happened and to share their views of the plumes of smoke pouring from the transformer.

I also would like to know what is happening. pic.twitter.com/Hx9OOUoP6P  John Mulaney (@mulaney) December 28, 2018

It was pitch black outside and then suddenly the whole side of the eastern sky was lighting up and changing colours, said Madeleine Frank Reeves, who saw the lights from her Upper West Side apartment. It lasted a couple of minutes.

Some observers wondered whether aliens were invading and joked that the trend of gender reveal parties had finally gone too far.

Expand Close In this image taken from video, the night sky is illuminated in a bright, blue color after an explosion in the Queens borough of New York, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2018. New York police say a transformer exploded at a Con Edison facility in Queens. The explosion caused a bright, blue light that illuminated the New York skyline and caused a stir on social media. (AP Photo/Sophie Rosenbaum) AP / Facebook

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Whatsapp In this image taken from video, the night sky is illuminated in a bright, blue color after an explosion in the Queens borough of New York, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2018. New York police say a transformer exploded at a Con Edison facility in Queens. The explosion caused a bright, blue light that illuminated the New York skyline and caused a stir on social media. (AP Photo/Sophie Rosenbaum)

Television host Keith Olbermann referred to the episode as the Blue Light Special.

Something insane is happening in the sky above Manhattan right now, New York University sociologist Eric Klineberg wrote on Twitter under a video of the flashing sky.

Mayor Bill de Blasios spokesman Eric Phillips tweeted that the lights were attributable to a blown transformer.

Not aliens, Phillips tweeted.

*Not* aliens. Blown transformer at Queens Con-Ed facility. Scattered power outages, including LGA. Con-Ed, FDNY, PD, OEM all working on it. https://t.co/xX60Ph8SWw  eric phillips (@EricFPhillips) December 28, 2018

John Tebbett, who lives two blocks away from the facility, told NY1 the explosion was followed for about five minutes by a loud roar.

The blast had caused the lights in his home to flicker off and on, he said.The days between Christmas and New Year have a curious, other-worldly quality all of their own. The wild excess of gift-giving and feasting is over, but most people are still off work. If you venture outside you find the roads are almost empty, apart from die-hard spenders rushing to the post-Christmas sales - as if there hasn't been enough spending already. There's nothing much to do except eat leftover turkey sandwiches or sip another glass of Baileys, if you still have the stomach for it.

These quiet days are a good time for reflection, for weighing up the past year and looking forward to the next one.

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Which is why, in this post-Christmas lull, the humane thoughts of Michael Longley are particularly welcome. The renowned poet, now in his 79th year, has been talking to the BBC. In a wide-ranging interview with William Crawley he examined many aspects of history, culture and identity. But the comment that has grabbed the headlines - perhaps inevitably - is Longley's claim that unionists "should embrace" the Irish language.

"We're very lucky on this island to have two languages," Longley said.

"It should be something that unionists should embrace and indeed they did - the United Irishmen, the northern Presbyterians in the 1790s were among the most vigorous promoters of the language. I think a lot of anti-Irish language unionists don't know what they're missing."

In the interview Longley expressed particular disgust at the DUP's Gregory Campbell's crude parody of the Irish language in 2014, when he addressed the speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly with the phrase: "Curry my yoghurt can coca coalyer." Longley said he loathed the "mocking of this beautiful language".

"A healthy society, a healthy political scene would celebrate Ulster-Scots and especially the Irish language," he said. "It is such a huge loss if humanity loses a language."

The poet is not coming at the issue from the perspective of an Irish language activist; indeed, he does not speak Irish himself. He said that he'd been promising himself to learn it for the last 60 years but had never got around to it.

Rather Longley, drawing on a lifetime's experience, is making a plea for tolerance, for open-mindedness and receptivity to ideas and beliefs that are not one's own. It is not a revolutionary plea, but it is a necessary, timely one. And it goes far beyond these shores.

This year has seen political discourse thoroughly debased during the rows over Brexit. The vote to leave the EU has unleashed the worst characteristics on both sides: rampant self-interest, dumb sloganeering, petty brinkmanship and - running throughout - the wilfully deaf ear of political intransigence.

The extremity of the language being used is appalling: there has been repeated talk of stabbing, hanging and suicide. For instance, I'm in profound disagreement with Prime Minister Theresa May on most issues, but it's revolting to hear her described as "on her knees" in Brussels, enduring a "kicking" from EU leaders.

Since when has it been acceptable to use violence against women as a suitable metaphor for political humiliation?

Politicians and large sections of the Westminster commentariat have clearly lost the run of themselves.

It's as if the worst of Northern Ireland politics - the thuggishness, the ignorance, the utter lack of collegiality, except when it comes to strategic carve-ups for mutual benefit - has been magnified to a national level.

Longley makes a reasonable point about unionists and the Irish language.

Instead of treating Irish as some kind of totemic bugbear, to be feared and resisted at all costs, it would be healthier, as well as smarter, for unionists to sidestep the republican provocations and actively celebrate the rich linguistic heritage we all share.

Likewise it would be great if republicans and their hangers-on in other political parties felt able to view unionists as something more than blundering bigots, morally and socially rooted in the 17th century. But the world would have to shift on its axis for these radical things to happen.

It would require a country-wide transfusion of confidence, generosity and imagination on both sides, and that's exactly what we haven't got.

With Brexit as a backdrop, and all the viciously polarised tribal politicking going on as a result of that, what chance does a potentially resurrected Stormont have?

Longley's voice is a cry in the dark, at the darkest time of the year.

For things to change, and begin to get better, more of us need to start listening.The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust is one of the most remarkable voluntary organisations in Northern Ireland. Set up by Newry man Colin Bell in memory of his son who died in a hit-and-run accident in New York, it brings home bodies of people from all over this island who have died suddenly while abroad, often in tragic circumstances.

Amazingly this past year it has dealt with 200 such cases, a figure which is rising year on year. Colin has gained invaluable expertise in dealing with the various agencies and airlines required to repatriate a body and that eases the problems for families at a time of great trauma. It is also a fabulous memorial to his son.At first glance, state papers from the first half of the 1990s, which were released in Dublin, London and Belfast, show little evidence that the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement was just a few years away.

Inclusive, multi-party talks are deemed impossible. There is fury from the British Government at the visa granted to Gerry Adams for a speaking tour of the USA. There is British hostility to President Bill Clinton's wish to appoint a peace envoy.

There is absolute reluctance by Peter Brooke, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, to respond to enquiring letters from Martin McGuinness. And there is the rancorous, endless Anglo-Irish issue of the "hard border", whether in the shape of closed roads in Fermanagh or vexed policing of Carlingford Lough.

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Yet papers belonging to the Talks Process Unit (TPU) in the Northern Ireland Office show plans emerging throughout the violent year of 1992 that already foreshadow the shape of the Agreement arrived at six years later.

In April 1991 inter-party talks had begun, facilitated by Mr Brooke, in an attempt to reintroduce devolved government, woo alienated unionism and weave north-south and east-west strands into a hoped-for deal.

Memos and correspondence within the TPU reveal Civil Service discussions about elections to a possible new Assembly, the electoral methodology to be used and constituency boundary reforms. There is discussion of a constitutional Bill which "might include arrangements for a new, all-Ireland body".

There is debate about the use of referenda - one to occur in the Irish Republic, offering dissolution of articles two and three of the constitution, and one held in Northern Ireland to seek assent for an overall agreement.

The idea of holding the referenda on the same day is proposed.

By October 1992 concern is expressed to the TPU by Government officials in London about Scottish reactions to a devolution settlement in Northern Ireland.

The TPU is counselled to make a "commitment to discuss" the matter with the Scottish Office to ensure that, "we do not affect their interest" and enable preparation for a "defence briefing" against Scottish devolution.

Further correspondence refers to the difficulty of justifying a referendum in Northern Ireland when a "wider UK referendum is withheld on Maastricht".

The Maastricht Agreement in February 1992 had consolidated the internal structure of the European Union, but a group of Tory MPs known as the "Maastricht rebels" had opposed the Conservative Government's implementation of the treaty.

The TPU also discusses the prospect of "radical change in the machinery of government" if direct rule is superseded.

Officials flag up the possibility of a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland and debate whether a "summit-cum-signing ceremony might seal the deal".

They also note a possible "damage hiatus" between conclusion of an agreement and its implementation, in which case the British Government would have to engage in "fire-fighting".

Officials from the TPU's "presentation and implementation group" suggest that lessons should be learned from the Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985: the hostility that it caused among unionists bedevilled the new talks and would play a role in their downfall in November.

One memo warns of a repeat of the protests against the Anglo-Irish Agreement should the new agreement "fall on an unsuspecting public", who would be asked to vote without being properly informed.

Back in 1985, the writer warns, "opinion was not shaped in advance". He makes the suggestion that "this time, we need to do some more positive marketing, perhaps through a professional marketing company".

An opposing argument is spelt out, reminding colleagues that "packaging" would never have helped to sell the Anglo-Irish Agreement.

So, a discussion occurs about how to win over local public opinion, civic leaders, opinion-formers and captains of industry - a "letter box-drop to all householders with heads of agreement" could, perhaps, be undertaken and a simple "child's guide to any agreement" could be considered as a useful tool, although, as one memo-writer warns, perhaps playfully, "an Irish-language version would be a bridge too far at this stage".

Discussion also touches on whether the Royal Coat of Arms printed on the final command paper presented to Parliament would be inappropriate, given nationalist sensitivities.

The TPU need not have fretted over such matters; the talks initiated by Brooke broke up in November.

But it is possible to see them as significant, though not just for the three-stranded approach, which would be central to future advances towards local governance.

Arguably, a host of other ideas for structure and strategy were mooted back then by the TPU and merely rebooted six years later, when the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement was constructed and offered to voters for their assent.

Philip Orr is an historian and writerIndonesian police and soldiers gather outside the Surabaya Center Pentecostal Church after a series of blasts struck houses of worship in East Java province, May 13, 2018.

Indonesian authorities have arrested almost 400 suspected militants in 2018, the nations police chief said Thursday, as he predicted that terrorism will remain a significant threat to public security next year.

In May, Indonesia suffered suicide bombings that targeted three churches and a police headquarters in Surabaya, the nations second largest city, killing 24 people, including children who allegedly joined their parents on a terror spree that took their own lives.

Those back-to-back attacks spurred the Indonesian Parliament to fast-track an anti-terror law that allows police to detain suspects for 21 days without charge.

Now we are stronger to do counter strike and preventive strike, rather than waiting for evidence of a committed crime, Gen. Tito Karnavian, chief of the national police, told a news conference.

Tito was referring to the revised Anti-Terrorism Law that also allows authorities to hold suspects for another 200 days after filing charges against them, giving police sufficient time to gather evidence before handing the case to prosecutors.

Out of the 396 suspects arrested this year on suspicion of terror links, 141 people had been charged in court, Tito said. By comparison, he said, police arrested 176 terror suspects last year.

Tito attributed the significant statistical jump to what he described as intensive counter-terrorism operations prior to hosting of international multi-sport events, such as the Asian Games on Aug. 18 to Sept. 2 in the capital Jakarta and Palembang city.

Honestly, the operations to arrest terror suspects after the Surabaya attacks were possible after the law was issued, Tito said. So, while the Surabaya case is a tragedy, at the same time it is a lesson, too.

The attacks in Surabaya became the first suicide bombings involving family members in the worlds largest Muslim-majority nation of more than 260 million people.

Tito told reporters in September that within four months after the bombings, police had arrested at least 352 members of the local branch of the Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), a network of Indonesian militants with Islamic State (IS) links.

During the past 12 months, security forces also shot dead 25 men in separate gunfights that took place when the suspects refused to be arrested, according to a police report. It said eight officers were killed and 23 were injured in those anti-terror operations.

The Surabaya attacks occurred a few days after terrorist inmates rioted over a food complaint at the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) detention facility, a maximum-security prison in West Javas Depok district, leaving five police officers and an inmate dead.

IS has inspired cells of radical groups in Indonesia, Tito said. The extremist group once held vast territories that straddled parts of Iraq and Syria and ran a so-called caliphate in the Syrian city of Raqqa until it was routed by U.S.-backed forces last year.

While they are not completely gone, they will try to mobilize their network. Like in Europe, in America, including in Southeast Asia, Tito said, referring to the IS.

More than 600 Indonesians, including dozens of women and children, traveled to Syria to join IS, according Indonesian counter-terrorism officials. Since 2015, about 430 Indonesians have been deported from Turkey after trying to cross into Syria to join IS, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told reporters in June.

The possible return of more deportees and the Surabaya bombings have revived fears about ISs attempts to spread its influence in Indonesia.

But Tito expressed confidence that with the doubling in size of the countrys counter-terrorism task force  from 600 to about 1,300 personnel  and also the establishment of a Terrorism Task Force in each police region, authorities can improve efforts to eradicate terrorism.

Even though there are still potential threats  we will be able to overcome them, he said.Unidentified gunmen shot dead a radio announcer before dawn Friday in the central Philippines, but police said they were still trying to establish if the murder was related to his job.

Gabriel Alburo, 50, was on a motorcycle on his way home after watching a cockfight in La Libertad town, Negros Oriental province, when two men on another motorcycle opened fire, hitting him 13 times, investigators said.

A police report said Alburo, known as Commander Aguila on his radio program on DYJL AM radio station, was running as a candidate for local councilor in the upcoming May elections, but was not known to have political enemies.

Philippine news website Rappler quoted police as saying that Alburo figured in a verbal squabble with somebody over a cockfighting bet.

The victim claimed he won, the other also thought he won, Senior Superintendent Raul Tacaca, director of Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office, told reporters.

Alburo is the second media practitioner to be killed in the province this year, after the death in April of Edmund Sestoso, a crusading journalist who tackled corruption in his radio program.

A month after Sestosos murder, unidentified gunmen also shot and killed Dennis Denora, a local newspaper publisher in southern Davao del Norte province. Police said they believe that Denoras death was tied to his job.

Alburos death brings to 13 the number of journalists killed since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office in 2016, and the 186th since democracy was restored in 1986 after a civilian-backed military revolt led to the downfall of authoritarian ruler Ferdinand Marcos.

Luis Liwanag in Manila contributed to this report.Four motorcyclists were wounded Friday when a small bomb blew up in a province of Thailands insurgency-wracked Deep South, where suspected insurgents also planted explosives in several areas and attacked a security detachment using rifles and grenade launchers, police said.

The eruption of attacks across Narathiwat occurred two days after a pair of bombs exploded at a beach in nearby Songkhla province, damaging an iconic bronze statue of a mermaid but causing no injuries.

On Friday evening, a bomb blast slightly injured four people on motorcycles at a bridge in Narathiwats Si Sakhon district, provincial police chief Maj. Gen. Dusadee Chusangkij told BenarNews.

I told all police stations to stay alert to prevent more attacks, Dusadee said. I believe the attackers are insurgents active in the areas.

In Ra-ngae district, about 40 km (25 miles) northwest of Si Sakhon, security forces traded gunfire with suspected insurgents who opened fire at a defense outpost at a small village, Dusadee said.

The attackers used rifles and M-79 grenade launchers, but there were no reports of casualties from both sides, he said.

They exchanged fires with rifles and M-79 grenade launcher for about a half hour, Dusadee said. The attackers finally retreated into the darkness.

No insurgent group had claimed responsibility for the attacks, he said.

Police also recovered six small bombs attached to lamp posts or randomly planted on the sides of streets in Chanae and Tak Bai districts, he said, without providing details.

Almost 7,000 people have been killed since 2004 in violence related to the insurgency in the Buddhist-majority nations so-called Deep South, a predominantly Muslim and Malay-speaking region. The troubled region encompasses the provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and four districts of Songkhla.

At least 10 officials, including members of security forces, have been killed since October in attacks blamed on insurgents, Col. Tanawee Suwannarat, the deputy spokesman for the Internal Security Operations Command Region 4, told BenarNews.Will this meeting bring some peace to Syria, a country plagued by civil war?

A few weeks before Christmas, Syrian tribal chiefs and dignitaries met in Berlin for a peace conference. When and where exactly remains secret. Almost 20 representatives of all religions and ethnicities spent the day trying to explore ways out of the crisis in Syria.

At the meeting, Sunnis, Alawites, Kurds, Christians, and Druze discussed ways of settling the social tension between the ethnic groups in Syria. Some of them would be in mortal danger if dictator Assad or leaders of the partly Islamist rebels were to learn of their participation in this secret meeting in Berlin.

The difference between us and the processes of the UN in Geneva and Russia in Astana is that this is a social process of reconciliation, whereas the others are trying to find political solutions between the regime and the opposition, Sheikh Amir Al-Dandal  who comes from the east of the country  explained to BILD.

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An Alawite dignitary from the region of Tartus  who must remain anonymous  explained to BILD that the meetings, which have been held since 2016, always in Berlin, are mainly about making it clear to the other representatives that not all Alawites in the country support dictator Assad. There are rather significant differences within this group.

The man in his 50s gave a depressing example of what this conference is trying to fight against: A Syrian child, born in 2005, has spent more than half of its life in war. It is told, especially if its a refugee, that the Alawites hate the Sunnis, and the Sunnis the Alawites. We have to teach this 13-year-old child from scratch that there is ONE Syrian society with different groups.

The conference participants also want to abolish further prejudices. Abdallah Rifail, a Syrian Christian from the region of Homs, told BILD: It is a big lie that Bashar al-Assad protects the minorities in Syria. Prior to Hafez al-Assads (Bashar al-Assads father) seizing power, there were approximately 20 percent Christians, he explained. When the dictator took over, many minorities fled Syria. When the revolution started in 2011, the amount (of Christians, ed.) had already halved.

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Mahan Air German government stops the Mullahs' terror airline BILD has learned that, after consultations, the German government has decided to stop the operations of Mahan Air at German airports.

As KGB spy in Dresden Putins secret Stasi ID discovered 28 years after the end of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), the Stasi Records Agency (BStU) thought it knew all the secrets from the past.

The Christian Rifail explained that Assad has abused the minorities genocide argument in order to consolidate his power. Most Christians fled the country because they didnt want to fight for, or against, Assad. Neither the Islamists nor the regime are good options for us. If we had the freedom, we would choose neither side.

The solution that has been preferred by the US until recently  a rule of the Kurdish militia YPG (often called Syrian Democratic Forces) in North-East Syria  would not necessarily lead to a pacification of the region. This is the view of Sheikh Ahmad Schahin, himself a Kurd from Kobane. He told BILD that YPG only represents a small minority of Kurds, not the majority. They use violence to force their will upon the people. The initiative in Berlin endeavours to rebuild the ethnic representation in the region from before the war  but without the Assad dictatorship.

Prince Mulhim Al-Schibli explained how the reconciliation in Syria could work in practical terms, and how the recent meeting in Berlin has contributed to this. He told BILD that the participants managed to break free from the logic of the vendettas between the Central Syrian tribes. At the beginning of the war, Assad managed to hire men from Alawite villages in order to fight for him. This resulted in men from nearby Sunnite villages also taking up arms to fight.

This allegedly led to several massacres, since  according to the tribes traditional logic  the entire family of an attacker is responsible for the crimes of an individual. Assad used this fact to his benefit. It cost thousands of lives. Prince Al-Schibli continues: For us, it was therefore extremely difficult  seven years later  to now convince our people that Alawites and Assad-supporters are not two sides of the same coin.

In Berlin, they succeeded in convincing 30 to 40 percent of our tribes in Homs that Assad militia and Alawites are two different things. The consequent principle of responsibility, not vengeance between the tribes was written down in a Charter of Conduct. This is a very important step for us. If there is a political solution one day, this charter between the ethnic groups will be extremely important.

The paper condemns both the Assad regime and the armed opposition. The signatories demand an equitable process of reconciliation between all ethnic groups in the country.

At the end of the conference, the Sunni prince and an Alawite representative shook hands as a sign of reconciliation. The Alawite dignitary summed up: We want to overcome the differences and hostilities that were injected into us and finally become one people. Only then will the refugees return.

As long as Assad controls large parts of the country and foreign powers such as Turkey, Iran, Russia, and the US, call the shots in Syria, this is not possible, he said. Nevertheless, the Berlin meeting sends an important signal to the ethnic groups in Syria. At least here in Berlin, they were able to meet eye to eye and free from political power games.For Immediate Release, December 28, 2018

Contact: Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky, Columbia Riverkeeper, (503) 929-5950, jasmine@columbiariverkeeper.org

Jared Margolis, Center for Biological Diversity, (802) 310-4054, jmargolis@biologicaldiversity.org

Sixteen Environmental, Public-health Organizations Oppose Greenwashing of Fracked Gas-to-methanol Refinery

KALAMA, Wash. Environmental and public-health organizations sent a clear message of opposition to the proposed Kalama methanol refinery today with comments submitted on a draft climate report for the project.

The organizations, including Sierra Club, Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, the Center for Biological Diversity and Columbia Riverkeeper, disputed claims made by the refinerys backers about the climate benefits of building the worlds largest fracked gas-to-methanol refinery. More than 25,000 comments from the public were submitted in opposition to the methanol refinery.

Governor Inslee and the Washington Department of Ecology need to be climate champions and deny this project, said Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky, senior organizer for Columbia Riverkeeper. Were calling on Governor Inslee and Ecology to scrutinize the corporations misleading and incomplete evaluation of building the worlds largest fracked gas-to-methanol refinery and see the project for what it is: a mega climate polluter.

Its appalling that were even still considering this disaster of a project, said Jared Margolis, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. This dirty refinery would harm communities and wildlife along the Columbia River and fuel the climate catastrophe Washington is supposed to help curb, not escalate. Governor Inslee shouldnt let corporate profits come before our neighbors health.

Highlights from the draft supplemental environmental impact statement comments include:

The draft study relies on an implausible methane leakage rate of 0.32 percent to evaluate the amount of greenhouse gases that will be emitted by upstream activity, including producing, processing and transporting gas to the Kalama refinery.

The draft relies on discredited and outdated bottom-up methane leakage evaluation metrics that underestimate the climate-disrupting impact of methane rather than a more recent top-down approach. Bottom-up studies use an estimate of the average emissions from an individual piece of equipment or an individual event.

The draft uses unsupported claims that the gas received at the Kalama facility would be from Canada, primarily from the Montney formation in British Columbia. A similar environmental review for the proposed Tacoma LNG facility made the same questionable claim and was met with skepticism from the Washington attorney general. Both reviews were conducted by the same environmental consulting firm.

The draft fails to use the proper 20-year global warming potential of methane gas  the primary ingredient in natural gas  and instead relies on the long-term 100-year impact. Twenty years is a far more relevant time scale for discussing climate impacts due to methane pollution than 100 years. Using the 20-year GWP of methane significantly increases the life cycle of greenhouse gas emissions attributable to the Kalama methanol refinery.

The draft relies on highly speculative assumptions about global methanol markets and Chinas use of coal-based methanol production. The report relies on a series of questionable assumptions about global methanol markets, energy commodity prices, Chinese government policy and U.S.-China trade relations to conclude the project results in a net climate benefit.

The study fails to properly account for the greenhouse gas impacts of methanol as a fuel source, a probable use of the methanol produced in Kalama. An April 2017 China Daily article quotes We Lebin, the chairman of the Kalama projects parent company, saying that the plants output could replace diesel, coal and gas with methanol to power vehicles. Lebin doubled down on the claims in a December 2017 Reuters article, saying that, [the company] also wants to drive use of methanol as a transportation fuel for cars and ships. Yet the report does not analyze the greenhouse gas impacts of using the facilitys methanol as fuel in comparison to non-fossil alternatives such as electric vehicles.

The following organizations submitted the comments: Columbia Riverkeeper, Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity, Stand.earth, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, Food and Water Watch, Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, 350 PDX, Rogue Climate, 350 Seattle, 350 Tacoma, 350 Eastside, Bark, Green Energy Institute, Center for Sustainable Economy and Cascadia Wildlands.

The comment period on the draft study closes today at 5 p.m. Lifecycle Associates, the environmental contractor hired by Northwest Innovation Works to complete the report for the Port of Kalama and Cowlitz County, will produce a final study, called a final supplemental environmental impact statement. Cowlitz County and the Washington Department of Ecology will review it. Commenters are calling on the county and ecology department to deny the Shoreline Conditional Use permit requested by Northwest Innovation Works.

Resources:

Background

A subsidiary of the Chinese Academy of Sciences called Northwest Innovation Works seeks to build methanol refineries at Kalama, Washington, and Port Westward, Oregon, to take advantage of the regions cheap fracked methane gas, electricity and water. The refineries would convert stunning volumes of fracked gas into methanol for export to China, to make plastics or fuel Chinas growing fleet of automobiles.

According to Northwest Innovation Works own estimates, the Kalama facility would consume 270,000 dekatherms of fracked gas per day  increasing Washingtons total fracked gas consumption by over one third. In addition, the ramped-up extraction and transportation of the fracked gas needed to supply this facility would result in increased emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas that is 87 times more powerful than carbon dioxide during the time it remains in the atmosphere.

Legal Overview

In 2017 the Washington Shorelines Hearings Board ruled that the environmental impact statement for the methanol refinery violated the law because it failed to consider the full climate impacts of the project. The case was brought by Columbia Riverkeeper, the Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity represented by Earthjustice. The board overturned the permits for the methanol refinery. The new EIS issued today attempts to comply with the boards order to evaluate the full climate impacts.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Reciba en su email: noticias de ultima hora, analisis tecnicos o el cierre de mercado

Email no valido Nombre requerido Recibira las informaciones mas relevantes del dia en tiempo real Que informacion desea recibir? Noticias de Ultima hora Boletin Cierre de Mercado Boletin analisis tecnico Boletin Fundsnews Debe seleccionar un tipo de boletin Acepto la Politica de privacidad Debe aceptar la politica de privacidad Responsable EMPRESAS DEL GRUPO WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Finalidad La remision de informacion, novedades y promociones Establecimiento o mantenimiento de Relaciones Comerciales. Legitimacion Consentimiento del interesado. Interes legitimo en el desarrollo de la relacion comercial Destinatario Empresas del Grupo WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Derechos Acceso, rectificacion, supresion, limitacion, oposicion y portabilidad Informacion adicional Politica de Privacidad de nuestra pagina Web + INFORMACIONWelcome Guest! You Are Here:If youre planning a trip into Winnipeg, you might want to consider filling up the tank while youre there.

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This article was published 28/12/2018 (1071 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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If youre planning a trip into Winnipeg, you might want to consider filling up the tank while youre there.

The average price of regular unleaded gasoline in the provinces capital sat at 89.8 cents a litre on Thursday, compared to 101.6 cents a litre in Brandon, GasBuddy.com reported.

Shane Thompson fills up his car at the Heritage Co-op gas bar on 18th Street Thursday. (Bud Robertson/The Brandon Sun)

It was unsettling news for some motorists in Brandon as they filled up their vehicles Thursday afternoon.

"Its 89 there right now?" Shane Thompson asked incredulously as he braved the cold at the self-serve pump at the Heritage Co-op gas bar on 18th Street, where regular gas was 101.9 cents per litre.

"Well, gas is a big ripoff," he shrugged. "The rich keep getting richer, thats all it is."

Thompson added he has planning a trip into Winnipeg this weekend, and he might have to fill up with the cheaper gas there.

Another motorist, at the Canadian Tire gas bar across from Shoppers Mall, said its just not fair.

"Its not my fault that I live in the country and they choose to live in the city," said Raisa, who would only give her first name.

"It would be nice if it were right across the board, no matter where you live," said the woman from Rossburn.

The highest-ever recorded average gas price in Brandon was 143.1 on Sept. 15, 2008, GasBuddy reported. The highest average price in Brandon this year was 131.3 on June 7.

Winnipeg is not that far off.

Dan McTeague, a senior petroleum analyst at GasBuddy.com, said gasoline prices are at near-18-month lows because of global oil prices that have tumbled over the past two months on worries of an economic downturn, a U.S.-China trade tiff and concerns that members of the OPEC oil cartel wont live up to production cuts.

Despite a brief oil price rally on Wednesday, average regular gasoline prices remain about 17 cents lower per litre than a year ago in Alberta and Ontario, 12 cents lower in Manitoba, six cents lower in Quebec, 11 cents lower in Nova Scotia and three cents lower in Newfoundland and Labrador.

U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate oil prices plunged to US$42.53 on Christmas Eve, down 44 per cent from US$76.41 per barrel on Oct. 3. They rallied to US$46.22 on Wednesday but trended lower Thursday.

McTeague said "extreme volatility" in oil markets are expected to continue to wreak havoc on gasoline prices in Canada in the early part of 2019.

"I think what were seeing here where oil prices  and pump prices as a corollary  are going up and down five and 10 per cent in a given week, much of this is really a harbinger of what were likely to see in 2019, extreme price movements," he said.

 brobertson@brandonsun.com, with file from The Canadian Press

 Twitter: @BudRobertson4The yellow-vest protest movement has reached western Manitoba, with organizers hoping hundreds of truckers will join a truck rally between Virden and Brandon next Saturday.

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CP Oil and gas industry supporters gather at a pro-pipeline rally at Calgary City Hall earlier this month. The so-called "yellow vest" protest movement will hit Westman on Saturday. (The Canadian Press)

The yellow-vest protest movement has reached western Manitoba, with organizers hoping hundreds of truckers will join a truck rally between Virden and Brandon next Saturday.

"Its because of all the decisions the government has been making and shutting pipelines down, and not making very smart decisions for oilpatch companies and people who depend on the oilpatch to make a living," said organizer Rick Walker, a trucker who hauls oil.

The truckers will meet at Sparks Sand and Gravel just off the Trans-Canada Highway at about 10:30 a.m., Jan. 5, leaving for Brandon at noon.

The convoy will come into Brandon via the Kemnay bypass around the Pioneer elevator, make a loop around and return to Virden.

"Its been happening all over Canada," Walker said, adding hundreds of trucks have been joining rallies in other places.

The group put out the call for people to join the rally on the organizations Facebook page.

"When were not working, we cant make a living," Walker said, adding its not just those working in the oil industry who are affected.

"You take Virden," he said. "Theres a lot of oil in Virden. A lot of people depend on the oil for their jobs and then if theyre not making any money, well then theyre not buying as much groceries and vehicles.

"It affects everybody."

The movement was inspired by yellow-vest protesters in France, who have clashed with police in recent weeks. The protests there began with anger over a rise in taxes on gasoline and diesel, which is why the protesters wear the fluorescent emergency vests all French motorists are required to carry in their vehicles. Other countries have since created their own yellow vests movements for a variety causes.

The movement, which has sprung up in communities across Canada, is more focused on the federal carbon tax, stalled pipeline projects and layoffs in the oilpatch.

 brobertson@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @BudRobertson4Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/12/2018 (1071 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Green Party Leader Elizabeth speaks to reporters outside the B.C. Supreme Court, in Vancouver on Monday, May 28, 2018. Finishing fourth in a byelection is not usually cause for celebration. But celebration was in the air for Elizabeth May and the Green Party of Canada when their candidate's fourth place result in the recent byelection in the Eastern Ontario riding of Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Island and Rideau Lakes. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

OTTAWA - Finishing fourth in a byelection is not usually cause for celebration.

But delight was in the air for Elizabeth May and the Green Party of Canada over their candidate's fourth-place result in the recent byelection in the eastern Ontario riding of Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes.

Not because they came anywhere close to taking the seat  Conservative Michael Barrett cruised to an easy win  but because the Greens finished just 24 votes shy of the NDP.

"Virtual tie between the Greens and the NDP," screamed the headline on a news release issued the next day.

The tally was 883 to 859, each drawing about three per cent of the vote. But for the Green party it was a sign they are now sitting at the big-kids' table and maybe, just maybe, will be competing for more than scraps come next October.

"The wind is in our sails," May said in an interview with The Canadian Press shortly before Christmas.

It has been a long time coming for a party that many still consider a fringe entity. The Green party has existed in Canada on paper since 1983 but has just one MP ever elected: May won in both the 2011 and 2015 elections in the Vancouver Island riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands.

The party has many times polled well between elections but when voting day comes, their vote scatters to other parties Canadians feel have better shots at victory. In 2015, May admits, they lost half their vote in the final week of the campaign. She won her seat again but the Green candidate in Victoria, who had been polling well, ended up a disappointing second to the NDP's Murray Rankin, nearly 7,000 votes behind.

But with nine Greens elected at the provincial level in four provinces, and the party leading the governing Liberals in recent polls in Prince Edward Island, the Greens are enjoying a new kind of momentum and confidence, not to mention public profile, that is putting a spring in their step.

The Greens are also rising as the NDP and their new leader, Jagmeet Singh, are struggling to find their place. May, who has been the Green leader since 2006, appears to be better known nationally than Singh. The two were tied in a recent Abacus Data poll, with 11 per cent of Canadians backing each as their preferred prime minister. In a Nanos Research poll in October, May was ahead of Singh when Canadians were asked who they thought best suited to deal with mercurial U.S. President Donald Trump.

The NDP still outpoll the Greens in voting intention but some political insiders are openly wondering if May and the Greens are going to be the spoilers for Justin Trudeau's effort to win a second election.

"I'm starting to think that Justin Trudeau's great threat is Elizabeth May, not Jagmeet Singh," tweeted Abacus Data CEO David Coletto a few weeks ago.

The pollster said the Greens are still polling relatively poorly, somewhere near seven or eight per cent. But he said more than one-third of Canadians are willing to consider voting Green, and the next election is going to be fought with climate change as a top issue, which is the Greens' bread and butter.

"The environment is potentially ripe for the Greens to make a breakthrough," he said. Though, he added, "it doesn't mean they will."

Nik Nanos, chief data scientist and founder of Nanos Research, doesn't think the Greens are poised to take over from the NDP as the main alternative to the Liberals on the left. He said for that to happen Singh and the NDP would need to implode. But he said the Greens could be the "stealth" vote in the next election, as Canadians look for alternatives to the status-quo parties in an era of voter fatigue with traditional politics.

"From all the numbers I watch, I'm actually watching the Green party the closest," Nanos said.

Nanos said May very likely will have company after next October, with British Columbia and Quebec the two places ripest for them to win another seat or two.

May is hoping that the strategic voting she blames for losing so many potential votes in 2015 won't matter next time, when there isn't a progressive-voter push to defeat a Conservative government. She is counting on former Conservative Maxime Bernier and his new People's Party of Canada being enough to take votes from the Conservatives to leave voters free to choose who they really want among the other parties on the left.

"We're excited about what 2019 looks like for us," said May.OTTAWA - The Canadian Space Agency says it wants to hire former astronaut Robert Thirsk to help it figure out how to contribute medical expertise to a human mission to Mars.

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OTTAWA - The Canadian Space Agency says it wants to hire former astronaut Robert Thirsk to help it figure out how to contribute medical expertise to a human mission to Mars.

Thirsk is a medical doctor who holds the Canadian record for time spent in space, thanks to an extended mission on the International Space Station in 2009. Those are two of the qualifications the space agency considers essential for the $94,500 contract it made public Friday, saying Thirsk is the only person on Earth who fits the bill.

Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk smiles as he arrival at the Star City, outside Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009. The Canadian Space Agency wants to hire former astronaut Thirsk to help it figure out how to contribute medical expertise to a human mission to Mars. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Misha Japaridze

"As such, Dr. Thirsk is uniquely positioned to provide the CSA with the perspective of a crewmember and medical officer with regards to health and performance requirements during long-duration flights, as well as the associated capabilities to meet these requirements," the space agency said in a public posting Friday.

It issued an "advance contract award notice," essentially an open call for anyone who thinks they can meet the agency's needs better than Thirsk to speak up.

As those needs are defined in the posting, nobody could.

Former astronaut Roberta Bondar is a physician, but she spent eight days in space to Thirsk's almost 205. Dave Williams is a doctor who led NASA's space and life-sciences directorate and did a stint in charge of space crews' health and safety, but his two missions added up to 28 days in space.

Chris Hadfield, probably Canada's most famous astronaut, spent 166 days in space on two shuttle missions and a long stay on the International Space Station  but he's a pilot, not a doctor.

Another noteworthy Canadian astronaut, Julie Payette, is otherwise engaged for the next two years as Governor General, while Marc Garneau, currently federal transport minister, is looking to get re-elected to the House of Commons next fall.

Even if either wanted the job, neither has the precise qualifications the agency is after.

The job involves spending the next two years determining what Canadian scientists and health experts can do to help astronauts beyond low Earth orbit, and sell the public on the benefits of investing in space-health science.

Thirsk would work with "the Canadian biomedical, health and performance communities so that space health care solutions contribute to the improvement of remote health care delivery on Earth, in addition to other terrestrial health care benefits," the posting says.

Thirsk is also to work with NASA "to secure a critical and visible role in the area of astronaut health and performance."

The first year of the contract is worth $45,000. A second optional year is worth $49,500.

Thirsk did not respond to a request to talk about the work Friday.

The United States is contemplating a mission to Mars, likely in the early 2030s when the two planets will be closest. NASA's administrator recently visited Ottawa to solicit Canadian help for preliminary steps, including a platform to orbit the moon for a human mission there.

Long space missions degrade astronauts' muscles and bones, expose them to hard radiation and can even damage their senses. An astronaut who gets acutely ill or hurt in Earth orbit can be sent home fairly quickly; one who's halfway to Mars can't.

A voyage to Mars would take at least six months each way, long enough for serious problems to set in  especially if the astronauts making the trip want to arrive ready for physical work on the surface.

Thirsk led the agency's expert panel that recommended work on minimizing these dangers should be how Canada helps the human race explore space, in a report that hasn't been released yet.

Why are the qualifications for the contract so narrowly drawn?

"The contract in question is being put in place to further develop elements of the health-care vision outlined in the Expert Group Report (forthcoming) which incorporates the results of consultations with national and international experts," Canadian Space Agency spokeswoman Arielle Mathieu said by email. "Dr. Robert Thirsk, former CSA astronaut, has been identified as having the unique qualifications, experience and availability to complete the work.

"Suppliers who consider themselves qualified may still submit a statement of capabilities for consideration, before Jan. 31, 2019."

Thirsk called on the federal government to "restore adequate funding" to Canada's space program "as a means to stretch our national capabilities and rally our citizens," in a submission this fall to the House of Common's finance committee.

The committee's final report included a recommendation that the federal government commit in the 2019 budget to "significant, ongoing investments" in the space agency and to "contribute to space exploration and science."VANCOUVER - Family and colleagues of a professor at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C., who went missing in Colombia say he has been found dead.

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VANCOUVER - Family and colleagues of a professor at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C., who went missing in Colombia say he has been found dead.

Colombian police recovered the body of Ramazan (Ramo) Gencay outside of Medellin, university president Andrew Petter said in a statement to faculty and staff on Wednesday.

"Ramo will be deeply missed by the SFU community, and our hearts go out to his family, friends and SFU faculty, students and staff who worked with him," he wrote.

"I know how distressing this news is for the SFU community, and I wish to reassure everyone that we will continue to do everything we can to support Ramo's family at this sad and difficult time."

Carole Gencay posted a short statement on Facebook on Thursday confirming her husband died this month.

"You may already know that he suffered an untimely death in Medellin, Colombia. I will be in touch with celebration of life details," she said.

Gencay was in Colombia to attend seminars and his wife has said he was last seen at a salsa night club on Dec. 6.

His friends and family turned to social media earlier this month to spread the word that he was missing.

Global Affairs Canada said it was providing consular assistance to the family of a Canadian who died in Colombia.

"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of a Canadian citizen who died in Colombia," spokesman Philip Hannan said in a statement.

"Canadian consular officials are in contact with local authorities to gather additional information."

In a statement issued by the university, Petter said everyone at the school "will be saddened by the tragic news of Professor Gencay's death."

"He was an outstanding contributor to the university community and will be sorely missed by all who knew him."HALIFAX - A lack of access to primary health care is an ongoing problem in Nova Scotia and the province's opposition leaders say they will push the Liberal government to improve the situation in 2019.

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Tim Houston speaks to reporters after being elected the new leader of the Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative Party at the PC leadership convention in Halifax on Saturday, October 27, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Ted Pritchard

HALIFAX - A lack of access to primary health care is an ongoing problem in Nova Scotia and the province's opposition leaders say they will push the Liberal government to improve the situation in 2019.

Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston says with the province spending over $4 billion a year on health care, there is a need to be innovative in order to fix systems he says just aren't working.

The province has grappled with persistent doctor shortages and emergency room closures in recent years.

Houston points to the provincial wait list, which saw only its second slight decrease in the past year as of Dec. 1, with 55,801 people registered without a family doctor.

While he doesn't offer a specific solution, Houston said a discussion is needed about how to get people health care where and when they need it.

"We are going to be raising those issues and making sure the government understands that it has a responsibility to do better," he said in a year-end interview with The Canadian Press.

Houston said the current system was designed to address acute care and needs to focus more on chronic conditions and prevention given the province's aging population.

He also believes throwing more money at problem areas isn't a panacea for what ills the system.

"Before you just spend more money you should understand what you are spending," he said.

Houston said he believes health care spending should be "tightened up" to eliminate waste before more money is committed.

He said areas his party will watch closely in 2019, include the development of the one-patient-one-record system and the estimated $2-billion redevelopment of the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax. The government announced in October that the bulk of the hospital project would be funded through a public-private partnership.

"We can't take our eye of the ball on that one," said Houston. "We need to make sure that it's done in a good and effective manner and question whether it is improving health care."

NDP Leader Gary Burrill believes access to mental health services is the emerging need in the health system and is something that requires a "significant reconfiguration of priorities."

Last fall, the NDP introduced a mental health care bill of rights that calls for the province to spend 10 per cent of its health budget on mental health by 2025.

The 10 per cent figure is a target established by the World Health Organization. Nova Scotia currently spends about four per cent of its overall health budget on mental health care and programs.

Burrill said the province's health system should address mental health stress with the same urgency it does a broken leg or a heart attack.

"This is possible to do, but we have to reallocate funding within our health care funding," he said.

On another front, Burrill said the government's announcement in June of the closures of the Northside General Hospital in North Sydney, N.S., and New Waterford Consolidated Hospital amounted to a "critical mistake" because of a lack of consultation with the communities.

"It's been a big focus of our work to be holding the government's feet to the fire on this," he said.PORT COLBORNE, Ont. - York Regional Police in Ontario have charged a 59-year-old man with historical sex offences allegedly involving two children.

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PORT COLBORNE, Ont. - York Regional Police in Ontario have charged a 59-year-old man with historical sex offences allegedly involving two children.

Police say Richard Rose of Port Colborne, Ont., was arrested Dec. 14 and charged with four counts each of sexual assault and sexual interference.

Richard Rose is shown in a York Regional Police handout photo. York Regional Police in Ontario have charged a 59-year-old man with historical sex offences allegedly involving two children. Police say Rose of Port Colborne, Ont., was arrested Dec. 14 and charged with four counts each of sexual assault and sexual interference. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-York Regional Police MANDATORY CREDIT

He's due to appear in court on Jan. 18.

Police say the investigation began earlier this month when an adult came forward about an alleged incident that occurred when he was a young child.

Officers from York region, just north of Toronto, subsequently took over the investigation of additional incidents that allegedly occurred in Port Colborne in 2017 and had been reported to Niagara police.

Police say the accused "had access to children in multiple areas of his life."

They say from 1991 to 2015 he lived in Markham, Ont., where he worked as a pastor and managed a hockey team.

In a news release, police say a daycare operated out of his family home.

Police say the accused also has ties to Nova Scotia, Montreal and Rimbey, Alta., southwest of Edmonton.

Investigators said they have released an image of the accused in an effort to ensure there are no other alleged victims.By next summer, banners bearing the faces of Minnedosa veterans could be lining the towns main street.

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By next summer, banners bearing the faces of Minnedosa veterans could be lining the towns main street.

"We actually got the idea from the Legion magazine," said Duane LaCoste, president of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 138, adding that a couple legions on the East Coast were featured in the organizations national magazine and it seemed like a good idea to Minnedosa members.

Duane LaCoste, president of Royal Canadian Legion Hugh Dyer Branch 138 in Minnedosa. The legion is planning to put up banners of local veterans in downtown Minnedosa next summer. (Submitted)

LaCoste said he knows of no other communities in Manitoba that have undertaken a project such as this.

The heavy-duty vinyl banners are about a half-metre wide by just over a metre long. They feature photos of the veterans, along with their service unit and dates they served, and are hung on poles in communities for everyone to look up at and admire.

A committee formed about a month ago to explore the idea of doing the same in Minnedosa, and LaCoste said the reaction from legion members and others in the community has been positive.

"They are looking for the framing that would be necessary to hold (the banners) on the poles," he said.

From May to around August, the town hangs potted plants on the poles, and after November they hang Christmas decorations.

"We though we could fill that space in between the flowers and the Christmas decorations with our banners," LaCoste said.

The town has agreed to put the banners up and take them down again, he said.

The committee is now looking for sponsors to pay for the banners, which cost approximately $300 each.

"Usually they are family members, but they could be businesses or friends who could pay for the banners.

The local branch would take care of any other costs, such as the framing.

"Hopefully, it will all come to pass and we would have them up for this coming summer," he said.

"As we go along and see where were at, then we would put the call out to any families that are interested in having their loved ones on the banner and well go from there."

LaCoste added community members have already been expressing interest in the project.

"Weve had a number enquiring already," he said.

"I know one family, a couple of months ago I mentioned it, and they were prepared to give me the money right away," he chuckled.

Another committee member has already received emails from out-of-town families who are interested in the banners.

"Im sure as soon as we put the call out, there will be a number (of interested parties)."

In the communities out east, LaCoste said, they started with fewer than two dozen banners, then doubled by the next year, LaCoste said. "They keep adding them."

Minnedosas banners would hang on poles along the main street first, then move to a side street past the cenotaph and then others as the demand grows.

"Well see how it goes," he said. "That might take two or three years to get there. The thing to do is to get going the first year."

The first banner will feature Gen. Hugh Dyer, who served in the First World War. It will fly outside the local legion branch, which is named after Dyer.

LaCoste said the banners are not only a good way to honour the communitys veterans, and would also be good draw for visitors in the summer.

"Im sure it will bring people to the community to just go up and down our streets and see the people," he said.

"We think its going to be a win-win situation. Its a great way to honour our veterans and a great way to get people to our community."

 brobertson@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @BudRobertson4Providence Resources now plans to begin its much-anticipated multi-well drilling programme at the Barryroe oil and gas field, off the Cork coast, in the third quarter of next year.

The Tony O'Reilly Jr-led exploration company had planned to begin drilling at its flagship asset in the second quarter.

However, it last month relinquished a site survey permit after environmental agency An Taisce brought legal proceedings against the Government, challenging the legality of its granting of the permit.

An Taisce's court challenge has been adjourned to January 15 and Providence - via its Exola subsidiary - will apply for a new site survey permit "as early as practicable" in 2019.

Providence landed a long-awaited development partner for Barryroe - in the form of a Chinese consortium led by Beijing-based investment company APEC Energy - in March.

Providence's chief executive Tony O'Reilly Jr said next year's planned work will act as a roadmap towards bringing Barryroe to delivery stage.

He also said Barryroe's development is important for Ireland's energy supply future.

The future development of Barryroe will, in tandem with existing production from Corrib, further facilitate national energy independence at a time of growing geopolitical risk within global energy markets.

"Importantly, the development of Barryroe will also reduce Ireland's impact on global carbon emissions, through reduced importation of hydrocarbons," he said.

Providence also updated on two other assets. It said talks with potential development partners for its highly-rated Newgrange prospect, off the south-west coast, are continuing and could facilitate a drilling round taking place in 2020.

It also said it is preparing for a 2019 site survey at the Dunquin South prospect, which is required for any future drilling activity.

That prospect lies close to the failed Dunquin North prospect which was drilled in 2013.

"We have the portfolio, partners, people and financial resources in place to advance our portfolio through exploration and appraisal drilling...and to progress energy independence for Ireland," said Mr O'Reilly.2018 has been a bumper year for tourism in Ireland - but there are warnings that challenges lie ahead.

Ireland earned an estimated 6.9 billion from overseas tourism this year, with 25,000 new tourism jobs created.Irish shares ended higher as banks that had suffered badly tapped into a very late-year rally in Europe.

At the end of a bizarre week in which US stock markets slid and surged and fell again in successive sessions, the Iseq Overall Index closed 2.2% higher.

That helped lift the Iseq from its 12-month low which it had hit earlier in the week, but the index has nonetheless lost 24% of its value from its year high, in late January.

All major European stock markets rallied. Frankfurt's Dax and the Cac in Paris rose by 1.7%, while the Ftse-100 in London was up by almost 2.3%.

"European markets have enjoyed a strong day, but on Wall Street the final day of this shortened week has begun with some losses after the surge into the close [on Wednesday]," said Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online broker IG. But Mr Beauchamp again said that the week's rollercoaster in the US could point to trouble.

"The bounce of the past few days has taken place while the economic and macro backdrop remains frozen, with little movement on the trade wars, Brexit and now the [US] government shutdown debates that have been such drivers of sentiment and flows over the past year or more," he said.

Shares in Bank of Ireland and CRH, which had fallen earlier in the week, rallied strongly.

Bank of Ireland surged 2.4% but is facing into the new year having lost 31% of its value in 2018. It is now valued at under 5.3bn.

AIB shares gained slightly but they too have lost over 30% of their value this year. It is now valued by the market at under 9.8bn.

Among the other heavyweights, CRH rose over 3% to pare its losses for the year to 21%. Shares in the 18.8bn global building products firm have been hit by investors turning sour on growth stocks that rely on the US for a significant slice of their earnings.

A 1% gain for Kerry helped the international foods firm pare its losses in the past year to almost 7.5%. It's now valued by stock markets at almost 15.2bn.

Shares in Glanbia-- which expanded its operations in the US during the year--have gained 11% in 2018, to value it at over 4.8bn.Rising revenue and a record number of overseas visitors made 2018 a highly successful year for Irish tourism, but industry chiefs are warning of upcoming threats to the sector in the form of Brexit and an impending VAT hike.

To help offset the challenges, the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) has called on tourism agencies to roll out a Brexit fund for business, similar to that of Enterprise Ireland and Bord Bia.

Expansion in air and ferry services would also help with the growth of Irish tourism in 2019, the ITIC says.

ITIC chief executive, Eoghan OMara Walsh, warned that the Government has withdrawn a key enabling factor for the sectors success by hiking up the VAT rate in the tourism and hospitality sector from 9% to 13.5% as of January 1.

The decision by the Government to increase the tourism VAT rate by 50% on January 1 imposes a 466 million tax on the tourism and hospitality sector next year.

This is at the worst possible time with Brexit looming and tourisms competitiveness diminished and ITIC repeats its call for this VAT hike to be deferred, Mr O'Mara Walsh said.

In his Budget address last October, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said a review of the 9% VAT rate had found that the measure had "done its job".

He said in the new economic reality it is appropriate to increase the rate of VAT in the tourism sector to 13.5% from January 2019.

Mr O'Mara Walsh identified Brexit as the biggest threat to Irish tourism: A hard Brexit would be very damaging to the Irish tourism and hospitality sector and it is estimated could cost Irish tourism 390 million in its immediate aftermath. 3.6 million British visitors came to Ireland this year and a hard Brexit is likely to knock the UK economy as well as impacting on aviation and regulatory regimes."

Mr OMara Walsh identified the return of a hard border as anathema to Irish tourism: Tourism by its very definition is the free movement of people and a hard border across the island of Ireland would be extremely damaging and we urge the EU and UK to do everything possible to avoid [it]."

Ireland earned an estimated 6.9 billion from overseas tourism this year, comprised of 5.2 billion spent by overseas visitors when in Ireland and 1.7 billion spent with Irish airline and ferry companies. According to ITIC, an additional 1.9 billion is likely to have been generated in domestic tourism revenue, with a further 350 million earned from Northern Ireland visitors.

Expenditure by international visitors to Ireland was up 7% on the previous year with 25,000 new tourism jobs created in 2018.

It is expected that 9.6 million international tourists will have visited Ireland in 2018, with double-digit growth from North America and Europe.

ITIC estimates earnings from tourism for 2018 accrued 2.1 billion to the exchequer through direct tourism-related taxes. It estimates growth will continue in 2019 and that the sector can increase 5%-7% in volume and 6%-8% in value.The Defence Forces conducted almost 200 operations in support of An Garda Siochana this year, including bomb disposals and escort duties.

In addition, it made available more than 1,200 personnel, including engineer specialist search teams to assist in various Garda search operations.

On international tasks, nearly 1,700 personnel served on United Nations' missions in 14 countries, with 650 currently on tour.

It was another year of State ceremonial duties, participating in more than 50 significant events in 2018, including the centenary of World War I and the inauguration of President Michael D Higgins.

In a statement of operations for 2018, citing provisional statistics, the Defence Forces said there was 197 'aid to civil power' operations in support of An Garda Siochana.

This includes Explosive Ordnance Disposal (bomb squad) call outs, prisoner escorts, explosive escorts, major cash escorts and search operations.

It said members continue to provide a permanent armed guard at the country's only high-security prison, at Portlaoise, as well as the Central Bank and Irish Industrial Explosives Limited.

Defence Forces' experts also supported the National Cyber Security Centre, attached to the Department of Communications.

The statement said 1,222 personnel, including members of Engineer specialist search teams, were deployed to assist Garda search operations.

It said 2,861 personnel assisted civil authorities during various operations, including combating gorse fires in Dublin, Wicklow, Limerick, Tipperary, Wexford, Down and Armagh.

Members also transported medication, staff and volunteers to deliver meals and evacuate people from cars and homes and assist in snow clearance throughout storm Emma.

The Defence Forces deployed 3,364 personnel in support of State visits and the Papal visit last August.

The Air Corps conducted in excess of 160 maritime surveillance patrol flights in 2018. It said notable operations included a multinational counter-narcotics surveillance operation.

This related to a surveillance operation on a catamaran, named Nomad, across 200 miles of waters before British border units brought it into harbour in Cornwall and seized over one tonne of cocaine.

The Navy conducted 740 boarding operations and detained seven vessels for alleged fishing infringements. Its diving section was deployed in 21 operations, including five search operations for the Gardai.

Internationally, some 1,692 personnel served on UN peace support and security operations in 14 countries and one sea, the largest in South Lebanon with 462 personnel serving in UNIFIL.West Ham have tied Declan Rice down to a new long-term contract.

Rice, who has been given a March deadline by new Republic of Ireland boss Mick McCarthy to decide on his international future, has signed new terms until 2024, with the club having an option of extending the deal by another year.

The sought-after youngster is at the centre of an international tug-of-war between the Republic of Ireland and England.

The 19-year-old midfielder, who has made 51 first-team appearances for the Hammers, had turned down their initial offer earlier this season.

His previous contract expired at the end of next season, sparking fears the club could have lost one of their brightest talents for nothing.

Joint-chairman David Sullivan said: "Signing Declan to a new long-term contract is something we have been planning for and working round the clock on and I, the board, the manager and Declan himself are all very happy that everything has now been completed."

Rice, who can also operate at centre-half, put in another commanding defensive midfield performance as West Ham came from behind to beat Southampton 2-1 on Thursday night.

Rice said: "I'm absolutely delighted to have got the contract done, signed and to commit my future to the club until 2024. I'm absolutely ecstatic".

"Without a doubt, the plan was always to stay at West Ham. I've had the support from the fans, from the players and from the manager and now, to get it done and commit myself to this club is a very special moment.

"I'm still young, so to put more years on my contract and keep developing here is the best thing for me to do now. With the support of the manager, the players, everyone, it was the right thing to do."Social media and property prices helped a South American "fly-in-fly-out" criminal syndicate, whose members allegedly stole more than $1.2 million worth of goods, find targets in Vaucluse, Rose Bay and other affluent areas of Sydney.

Over the past eight weeks, NSW Police's Strike Force Merengue has arrested and charged a number of Chilean nationals in Australia on student and tourist visas. They allegedly stole cash, gold and designer goods from shops and homes over a period of several months.

"It was very well planned, they were researching the premises, the areas. This is what we will allege in court," robbery and serious crime squad commander, Detective Superintendent Daniel Doherty told reporters on Friday morning.

Australian authorities were alerted by their Canadian counterparts to the group, who are suspected of committing similar crimes in Victoria, the ACT, Queensland, the US and Canada.This year's New Year's Eve celebrations in Sydney will be the biggest yet, with more pyrotechnics, pulsating fireworks and a tribute to the late queen of soul, Aretha Franklin.

A total of 8.5 tonnes of fireworks will be blasted into the sky to mark 2019, 500 kilograms more than in 2018, the event's executive producer, Anna McInerney, said.

Fortunato Foti prepares fireworks for the big night. Credit:AAP

The celebrations will be backed by music from Franklin who died this year at the age of 76.

"She was a fabulous woman who we wanted to pay our respects to, so we included her as part of our midnight fireworks soundtrack," Ms McInerney said."What we dont accept in the city is operators just turning up and essentially plonking their products down on city streets and footpaths. "We would prefer people to come up and talk to us and the disappointing thing is that Lime did talk to us and theyve chosen to set up anyway." What we dont accept in the city is operators just turning up and essentially plonking their products down on city streets and footpaths. Council transport director Alton Twine Mr Twine said council needed to undertake a study of the operation before approving the use of Lime scooters, holding concerns over increased foot traffic and grey areas involving liability with crashes. "We need, first of all, to consider public safety because essentially its a new form of transport (and) review whats happened in other cities and bring a report back to council," he said.

"Were concerned about overcrowding on footpaths anyway. Loading "We have areas, particularly on the coastal part, where we have a lot of users so adding even more is something which we need to consider properly." Speaking with Brisbane Times on Friday, Mr Price said Lime had not received any notice to remove scooters within two hours. Its funny they say they werent advised the scooters would be launched on the Gold Coast even though the first meeting we had with them was in July, he said.

We have had a number of meetings with council since and sent them an email last week of the launch. We advised them that if they failed to do something about the other e-scooters already being used on the Gold Coast for the past two weeks then we would proceed with the launch. "We even spoke to two councillors this morning and there was no mention of this issue." Mr Price accused the council of playing politics with scooters and "being out of step". They hadn't done anything to stop that company and now this heavy-handed approach from council towards our scooters, taking their resources to remove them is very disappointing," he said.

Mr Price said scooters on footpaths were not illegal in Queensland. "This is where council has got themselves caught into a loophole is whether you're able to path the scooters," he said. "If the scooter is deemed to be inappropriately parked, our team will move it. "Two hours is enough time for us to ensure the work is done but we have not been sent an email to take the scooters off the street. "I call on the Gold Coast council to talk to us, lets sit down and work to find a solution instead of being the cops and saying no."

Mr Price said congestion and parking were significant barriers to locals and tourists enjoying the coast that scooters could alleviate. "Why can't council have a better use of the ratepayers' money to help with congestion rather than removing scooters off the street? "I am on The Esplanade right now and the streets are congested and cars parked incorrectly but council hasn't got a solution." Despite a safety push from Lime, scooter riders can still be seen zipping around Brisbane at high speeds without helmets. The Queensland government set out new rules for scooter riders, including a speed limit of 25km/h for "rideables" and helmets must be worn.

A new fine of $130 was created for the "incorrect use of personal mobility devices", while speeding will incur a $174 fine. Loading According to Gold Coast City Council, Lime was the second e-scooter business that had tried to set up in the city in December. Mr Twine said this was a great concern to council, especially because it was illegal to operate a business in a public space without receiving permission. "Public safety is our number one concern and this is entirely new to us ...thats why these things need to be considered with due process and not just undertaken on the fly."An officer was injured when riot police were pelted with rocks while arresting six African-Australian youths at Sunshine railway station on Thursday night.

Authorities were alerted to a large gathering of youths at the train station just before 10:30pm.

Stills from a video showing a brawl between two gangs in St Albans on Christmas Eve.

Police believe the six males arrested were involved in affray and robbery offences in St Albans, in Melbourne's west, over the past two weeks.

As police were detaining them other teenagers at the station began throwing rocks, injuring one officer from the Public Order Response Team.Sign up for our PoliticsNY newsletter for the latest coverage and to stay informed about the 2021 elections in your district and across NYC

It was the year of live and let live!

Brooklynites outdid themselves not killing each other in 2018, which clocked a historic low of 97 homicides with roughly five days left in the year  the first time on record that Kings County murder stats dipped into the double digits, according to District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.

This year featured 13 less homicides than in 2017, which, with only 110 tragic murders, is now the boroughs second-most peaceful year on record, Gonzalez said.

And although the 97 homicides are worse than zero, they are lower than the 222 killings across the borough in 2010, and far fewer than the outrageous 792 slayings in 1991, Brooklyns deadliest year since the city started recording murders by borough in 1970.

A big chunk of the crime drop can be attributed to Coney Islanders, who managed not to kill anybody in the neighborhood this year, after eight murders occurred there in 2017.

East Flatbush also clocked a double-digit decline in murders, dropping from 17 last year to six in 2018, and the number of killings in East New York similarly decreased from 11 to six in the same time.

And its not just murders that are down  crime across Kings County fell in seven categories, including an 8.2-percent drop in robberies, a 4.1-percent drop in burglaries, and 11.3 percent fewer car thefts.

Rapes, unfortunately, went the other way, with 15.9 percent more this year than last, according to the district attorneys statistics.

Gonzalezs office also prosecuted 98 percent fewer marijuana-possession cases this year than in 2017, after expanding the non-prosecution policy his late predecessor Ken Thompson instituted back in 2016, he said.

Jail admissions also plummeted by 58 percent since April, when local prosecutors began requesting judges release defendants on trial for misdemeanor violations without bail, according to the district attorney.Sign up for our PoliticsNY newsletter for the latest coverage and to stay informed about the 2021 elections in your district and across NYC

Cops cuffed a man for breaking into a seniors Coney Island home and beating her up on Christmas Day, police said on Friday.

The 50-year-old suspect entered 88-year-old Lyubov Fainshteyns apartment inside a building near Surf Avenue and West 25th Street through her unlocked front door just before 7 am, authorities said.

He forced Fainshteyn into her bedroom and onto her bed before rifling through her belongings, and punched her in the face when she tried to leave the bed, according to cops, who said the victim then managed to activate an emergency-medical alarm, prompting the suspect to hit her in the face once more before he fled.

Fainshteyn sought treatment to bruising at Coney Island Hospital following the incident, said cops, who do not yet know what, if anything, the man stole from her.

Authorities slapped the suspect with charges including robbery, assault, and burglary after his arrest, according to police.

Reach reporter Julianne McShane at (718) 2602523 or by e-mail at jmcsh ane@c ngloc al.com . Follow her on Twitter @juliannemcshane.All motor vehicles will come fitted with tamper-proof high security registration plates (HSRPs) from April 1 to protect against counterfeiting, Parliament was informed Thursday.

"The ministry has notified ... mandating that HSRP including the third registration mark, wherever required, shall be supplied by manufacturers along with the manufactured on or after April 1, 2019 to their dealers," Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari told Lok Sabha in a written reply.

Gadkari said the proposal to amend the concerned rule in Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 and revision of the HSRP Order, 2001 was placed in the public domain for soliciting objections/suggestions and was discussed in a meeting on June 5, 2018.

He said transport department officials of states, representatives from testing agencies like Automotive Research Association of India, Central Institute of Road Transport, Central Road Research Institute, and Society of Indian Automobile Manufactures, attended the meet and supported the proposal.

"HSRPs have certain security features and are protected against counterfeiting. The plates are fastened with non-removable/non-reusable snap lock fitting system," Gadkari said.

Manufacturers or suppliers of HSRPs, if so authorised by the state concerned, may also supply the HSRP for old vehicles after placing the registration mark, he said.

An HSRP is a chromium-based hologram applied by hot stamping on the number plates both at the front and back besides laser-branding of a permanent identification number, an official said.

Third registration mark refers to a chromium-based hologram sticker affixed on the inner side of the vehicles' windshield which will have the details of registration, the official added.Dear Reader,

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Digital EditorThe opening of the Kartarpur corridor that was based entirely on cultural and religious issues would not change India's stance on the resumption of peace talks with Pakistan, sources have confirmed.

The agreement to open the Kartarpur corridor was widely viewed as a major stride towards the resumption of a dialogue between the two neighbouring countries. Both and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had reached out to Prime Minister Imran Khan for peace talks before he assumed the office of the Pakistan Prime Minister in August. However, sources said that the talks could not move forward owing to Khan's inability to curb terror from his country.

Speaking more on India's diplomatic relations with Pakistan, sources have also confirmed ANI that according to India, Pakistan has not done any favour by releasing Indian Hamid Ansari, who went to Pakistan to meet a woman whom he had befriended through social media. India believes that Ansari has returned to India after completing a prison sentence of three years in a Pakistani jail.

However, with regards to the Kulbhushan Jadhav case, India is not very optimistic and it is a matter of concern, sources further said. India has rubbished all allegations and claims by Pakistan that Jadhav, arrested from Balochistan, was allegedly involved in espionage and subversive activities for India's intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

Sources also noted that Indian diplomats based in Islamabad are unprecedently harassed in Pakistan on multiple counts. Furthermore, guests visiting diplomats are also facing a volley of hostile questions allegedly by Pakistan's secret service agents. Surveillance has also increased, as diplomats are being followed bumper to bumper, according to sources.

Speaking on India's diplomatic relations with the Maldives, sources have confirmed that India has not sought the establishment of a military base in the Maldives in exchange for the $1.4 billion financial aid.

Earlier, media reports claimed that India wanted to open a military base in the Maldives following the aid granted to the island nation during President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's maiden visit here earlier this month. However, sources close to the developments quashed the rumours, claiming that India has made no such request, adding that India has provided financial aid and there is no quid pro quo.

Forging stronger relations with the East, sources further informed that India will soon be negotiating a logistics sharing deal with Japan that would allow the armed forces of both the countries to share each other's military facilities. The logistics pact called the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA), is expected to enhance the strategic depth of bilateral security and defence cooperation between the two countries.

The deal, seen as a way to counter China's expanding presence in the Indian Ocean, will also allow both India and Japan to have access to their respective ports and bases.

Meanwhile, according to sources, India has also urged China to adhere to established mechanisms overbuilding infrastructure across the Indo-China border. Sources said India-China border mechanisms are working in an efficient manner, with border meetings and flag meetings taking place normally. India and China have been trying to address the boundary question through various mechanisms, with the Special Representative mechanism being the highest level.

In addition to this, India also expects China to "walk the talk" on addressing trade imbalance and allowing import of agricultural products and IT services from India, the sources added.

Sources also informed ANI that India is not ready to sign an agreement with the United Kingdom (UK) on the deportation of illegal immigrants as the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) does not facilitate the extradition of fugitive economic offenders, including Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi.

Sources also told that the decision regarding the grant of consular access to the British High Commission for Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland scam, has not been taken yet.The Congress-led government in Madhya Pradesh Friday said it has not banned the film 'The Accidental Prime Minister', in which plays former Prime Minister

The Department of Public Relations of Madhya Pradesh government tweeted that there is no decision by the government to ban the film, adding that media reports announcing the ban were not factual.

The film has sparked a row over alleged distortion of facts.

The clarification came after a section of media reported that the film, based on the book of the same name by Singh's media advisor Sanjaya Baru, has been banned in the state.

ALSO READ: Manmohan mum over 'The Accidental Prime Minister'; Cong cries 'propaganda'

The film, whose trailer was released recently, has a motley of actors playing the key players of the Nehru-Gandhi family and Kher stepping into the shoes of DrPresident Friday said false impressions were being created and spread about that it pertains to only a few people or a specific community.

The President, who was in Mumbai to deliver the keynote address at an event organised to celebrate the centenary of the Institute, added that belongs to all and binds everyone.

"False impression are being created and spread about Yoga that it pertains to only few people or a specific community. But this is not the truth. Yoga is a way to make body, mind and soul healthy and this binds everyone," he said.

Kovind said that going for morning walks was also a part of Yoga and doing it regularly prevents illnesses as it enriches one's immunity.

"Yoga is the best way to cure high blood pressure, hypertension, asthma etc if someone does it regularly," he said.

Kovind hailed Yoga Institute's contribution in keeping scores of people healthy by popularising Yoga all over the world.

"I have been told that the Yoga Institute has devised a new aasan (posture) to cure spine problems among truck drivers caused by sitting for hours at the steering wheel. This aasan's name is truckaasan," he said.

Recalling his visit to Suriname last year, Kovind said, "When I and the President of Suriname were doing Yoga, it was the first time that the heads of state of two countries were doing Yoga at the same time on one platform."

Kovind also told the gathering about his interaction with the President of Cuba on the topic of Yoga.

"Cuba is a Communist country and people in Communist countries do not see Yoga favourably. However, the (Cuban) President and the the First Lady told me how both had become staunch followers of Yoga and were practising it diligently," Kovind said.

Among those present for Friday's event were Maharashtra GovernorC Vidyasagar Rao,state Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union AYUSH Minister Shripad Naik and spiritual leader Swami Chidanand.

Addressing the gathering, Fadnavis lauded the institute for playing an outstanding role in spreading Yoga, adding that the ancient practice had the power to erase differences between individuals and nature as well as fight problems caused by modern day lifestyle.The can bid for operating and managing the Thiruvananthapuram airport at the time of leasing out the aerodrome, the Civil Aviation Ministry said Thursday.

The Centre's decision to lease out the Thiruvananthapuram airport on public private partnership basis has been opposed by the

In November, the central government approved leasing out six airports for operation, management and development under public private partnership. These are Airports Authority of India (AAI) aerodromes at Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram and Mangaluru.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation told the Lok Sabha that the can be a bidder for the Thiruvananthapuram airport.

To a query on whether the Kerala government has requested the Centre to re-consider the decision and allow forming a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to run the airport, Sinha replied in the affirmative.

"In response to the same, the government has offered State Government of Kerala to be one of the bidders," the minister said.

Earlier this month, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan appealed to the Centre not to lease out the Thiruvananthapuram airport and requested it to entrust the aerodrome's management with the state government.

The six airports are to be leased out through the Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC).

"An Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGoS) has been constituted under the chairmanship of CEO, NITI Aayog to decide on any issue falling beyond the scope of PPPAC," Sinha said in the written reply.Prime Minister Narendra Modi is considering three options for a relief package to help farmers suffering because of low crop prices at a cost of as much as Rs 3 trillion ($42.82 billion), according to three government sources. The possibilities are a direct payment to all landowning farmers, compensation for those who sold produce below government prices, and a loan forgiveness program. Modi aims to claw back support among 263 million farmers and their many millions of dependents after his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost power earlier this month to the opposition Congress in ...A paucity of urea is worrying farmers for the past few days in several states in north India and the situation  temporarily normal in some places  could aggravate. About 1.6 million tonnes of imported fertilisers, of which 0.9-1 million tonnes is urea, is stuck in ports for want of transportation as of December 24, said sources.

This could go up, as more incoming consignments are on their way and the old stock is yet to be cleared. The affected states are Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Punjab. According to industry estimates, about 4.5 million tonnes of urea is stuck ...Various initiatives taken by the government have yielded results, with the bad loans of public sector declining by over Rs 230 billion from a peak of Rs 9.62 trillion in March 2018, said a senior ministry official.

At the same time, public sector (PSBs) have also made a record in recovery of Rs 607.26 billion in the first half of the current financial year, which is more than double the amount recovered in the corresponding period last year.

"Gross non-performing assets (NPAs) of have started declining after peaking in March 2018, registering a decline of Rs 238.60 billion in the first half of the current financial year," Financial Service Secretary said.

According to the latest ministry data, non-NPA accounts overdue by 31 to 90 days (Special Mention Accounts 1 & 2) of have declined by 61 per cent over five successive quarters - from Rs. 2.25 trillion as of June 2017 to Rs 0.87 trillion in September 2018.

"This has substantially pared down credit at risk," he said.

Talking about various initiatives, Kumar said, recognition of restructured standard assets as NPAs, initiated with in 2015, and discontinuation of restructuring schemes, the recognition exercise is nearly over with such assets declining from the peak of 7 per cent in March 2015 to 0.59 per cent as of September 2018.



He also said that the resolution process has been strengthened by changing the creditor-debtor relationship through the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and debarment of wilful defaulters and connected persons, which has resulted in record recovery this year.

"Reforms have accompanied recapitalisation in the form of a comprehensive PSB reforms agenda that addresses the root causes of poor asset quality, and commits to clean lending and rolling out of next-generation services by leveraging benefits of technology and formalisation of the economy," the secretary said.



Banks have got capital support of over Rs 3 lakh crore since commencement of clean-up in 2015-16.

Earlier this month, Minister said the government will invest an additional Rs 410 billion into state-owned lenders over and above what was announced earlier to strengthen their capital base. This would enhance the total recapitalisation in the current fiscal from Rs 650 billion to Rs 1.06 trillion.

On December 20, the government sought Parliament's approval for infusion of an additional Rs 410 billion into the lenders.

Jaitley had said that this would enhance the lending capacity of and help them exit the Reserve Bank of India's Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework that imposes curbs on certain business operations at the banks.The year 2018 was an eventful one for which is going to crucial polls on Sunday but it may not see the "battling begums" in direct contest as jailed ex-premier Khalida Zia is unable to challenge Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose government maintained steady ties with India.

The two women - Hasina, the 71-year-old daughter of the country's founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and Zia, the 73-year-old widow of military dictator Ziaur Rahman, have been political royalty - begums - since the 1980s.

While Hasina is seeking re-election for a fourth term as the prime minister in the upcoming polls, her rival Zia, who is reportedly partially paralysed, faces an uncertain future in a Dhaka jail.

Zia, the two-time former prime minister, boycotted the 2014 elections, saying it was rigged in favour of Hasina and her ruling Awami League party. Zia's Nationalist Party (BNP) alleges that the AL-led government is engaged in a crackdown against its workers aiming at derailing its election campaign.

The first woman prime minister in the country's history and second in the Muslim-majority countries after Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto, Zia was in November ordered by a court to stay behind bars for more than a decade for graft. The convictions mean she cannot contest the poll.

Zia's supporters say the charges against her are politically motivated. Her son Tarique Rahman, the acting party head, was also sentenced to life behind bars.

The BNP had decided not to take part in the polls while its top leader was in jail. But the legal obligations forced the party to take part in the elections as the party could have lost its registration with the Election Commission if it would have abstained from polls for a second consecutive time.

The emergence of the National Unity Forum (NUF) as a joint opposition platform was a landmark event in Bangladesh's political front this year after Zia's imprisonment in February.

The alliance created hope for the BNP to have a pre-polls dialogue with the government. A former Awami League stalwart and eminent jurist, Kamal Hossain leads the NUF. He, however, preferred not to contest the polls himself.

Several Western diplomats and political analysts inside the country said the emergence of the NUF created a win-win situation for all stakeholders and paved the way for the BNP to return to Parliament.

Unlike the 2014 elections, major foreign powers appeared appreciative of the current political course despite their worries about the rights situation in the country.

The zero use of the anti-India rhetoric during the election campaign came as a respite to New Delhi, which in the past was accused of intervening in the country's politics.

Analysts said the BNP over the years preferred to get New Delhi as an ally, burying the old hostile attitude, a development which some of them preferred to call "bipartisan consensus" regarding the next-door neighbour.

Bangladesh's ties with India this year grew steadily, with high-level visits from both sides. Hasina visited India in May during which she held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The last few years have been a "golden chapter" in India- relationship when complicated issues of land and coastal boundaries were resolved, Modi said at the time.

Echoing his views, Hasina hoped that the remaining issues will also be resolved in a "friendly atmosphere".

India signed a revised travel agreement with Bangladesh during Home Minister Rajnath Singh's visit to Dhaka in July



Under the Revised Travel Arrangement (RTA)-2018, freedom fighters and elderly Bangladeshi nationals will get five-year multiple visa from India.

During the year, the two countries launched many development cooperation projects, including the construction of the Akhaura-Agartala rail line and the restoration of Kulaura-Shahbazpur section of railway line.

The two countries jointly inaugurated the construction of 130-km Bangladesh-India Friendship Pipeline between Siliguri in West Bengal and Parbatipur in Dinajpur. India also announced a three-year visa for Bangladeshi students willing to study in the country. The issue of Teesta water sharing issue, however, remained unresolved.

Most analysts feel that the crucial bilateral ties now witnesses a new trajectory since the Awami League assumed power in 2009 and they expect the relations to grow further in 2019 irrespective of the outcome of Bangladesh's elections.

The Rohngya crisis remained a major issue in Bangladesh this year. The country rallied huge support to put pressure on Myanmar to take back minority Muslim Rohingyas who fled the country following a military crackdown.

After several rounds of talks, Myanmar agreed to start the repatriation. But the planned beginning of the repatriation of thousands of Rohingyas which was set for November 15 faced a setback amid concerns over their safety once they return to their homeland in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

Some foreign relations analysts said Dhaka was a bit upset with India's role in the Rohingya crisis particularly for not mounting pressure on Myanmar to take back 1.1 million people, who were forced to take refuge in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh set a bad track record in terms of human rights this year, drawing massive criticism for incidents of "forced disappearances" and deaths in the hands of law enforcement agencies.

As Bangladesh is getting ready to install a new government, the new year promises a lot of action not only on the political front but also on foreign policy front.Cell phone records show that was near Prague during the summer of 2016, supporting claims that Donald Trump's former attorney met there with Russian officials during the presidential election campaign, McClatchy news service has reported.

Cohen, who was sentenced to three years in prison this month after pleading guilty to tax evasion and other crimes, has denied ever visiting Prague.

Since then, however, Cohen has turned on his former boss and has been cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the former FBI director who is investigating whether Trump's campaign colluded with Russia to get him elected to the White House.

Details of Cohen's cooperation with the Mueller probe have not been publicly revealed and Trump vehemently denies any collusion with Russia.

The purported meeting between Cohen and Russian government officials in Prague was first reported in a document with compromising material on Trump compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele.

According to what has become known as the "Steele dossier", Cohen had a clandestine meeting with Kremlin officials in Prague in August 2016 to discuss hiding links between members of the Trump campaign and Russia.

McClatchy, publisher of the Miami Herald and other newspapers, said a mobile phone traced to Cohen had briefly sent signals off cell towers in the Prague area in late summer 2016.

"The brief activation from Cohen's phone near Prague sent beacons that left a traceable electronic signature," it said.

Citing "four people with knowledge of the matter", McClatchy said that the electronic record supports "claims that Cohen met secretly there with Russian officials."



"During the same period of late August or early September (2016), electronic eavesdropping by an Eastern European intelligence agency picked up a conversation among Russians, one of whom remarked that Cohen was in Prague," McClatchy cited "two people familiar with the incident" as saying.

"The new information regarding the recovery of Cohen's cell phone location doesn't explain why he was apparently there or who he was meeting with, if anyone," McClatchy said.

"But it adds to evidence that Cohen was in or near Prague around the time of the supposed meeting," it said.

McClatchy said the intelligence pointing to the presence of Cohen near Prague had been shared with the Special Counsel's office.

Among the crimes Cohen pleaded guilty to was lying to Congress about the status of a Trump real estate project in Moscow.

Cohen acknowledged that the talks to build a Trump Tower in Moscow continued until at least June 2016 -- six months longer than he had told Congress.Pakistan has said that the (CPEC) is a bilateral economic project and has no military dimensions.

Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said this at the weekly media briefing here on Thursday when asked about a US media report that alleged that China has hatched a secret plan to build fighter jets and other military hardware in Pakistan as part of the $60 billion project.

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. China last week dismissed as untrue the report.

Responding to the report, Faisal said the is an economic project between Pakistan and China, the Dawn reported.

"The has helped Pakistan improve its economy, particularly and infrastructure sectors have improved under it. The is a bilateral economic project, which is not against any country, he was quoted as saying by the daily.

ALSO READ: Beijing asks Pak to safeguard Chinese working on CPEC after Karachi attack

The CPEC, which connects in with China's province, is the flagship project of Chinese Xi Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

ALSO READ: Pakistan building fighter jets for China as part of a 'secret plan': Report

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.In a glass conference room at its California headquarters, Facebook is taking on the bonfires of hate and misinformation it has helped fuel across the world, one post at a time. The social network has drawn criticism for undermining democracy and for provoking bloodshed in societies small and large. But for Facebook, its also a business problem. The company, which makes about $5 billion in profit per quarter, has to show that it is serious about removing dangerous content. It must also continue to attract more users from more countries and try to keep them on the site ...Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud reshuffled his cabinet on Thursday, appointing a new foreign minister less than three months after an crisis was unleashed by the murder of Saudi journalist in the country's consulate in Turkey's Istanbul.

Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al-Assaf, who was finance minister until 2016, was chosen by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who is also the prime minister at the same time, as the new minister of foreign affairs, replacing Adel Al-Jubeir who was demoted to the post of minister of state for foreign affairs, according to a royal decree.

Al-Assaf was among dozens of detainees in the huge operation against corruption carried out by Saudi authorities in November 2017 in which princes, politicians and powerful business leaders were detained for weeks in a luxurious hotel in Riyadh before reaching financial agreements with the government, Efe reported.

Shortly after he was released, Al-Assaf was appointed as a minister of state and a member of the Council of Ministers, and led the Saudi delegation that attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January 2018.

The outgoing foreign minister, Al-Jubeir, was during recent years one of the main exponents of the Middle Eastern kingdom's policies as well as a staunch defender of the war in Yemen and his country's role in the case.

The prominent Saudi Arabian journalist, a Washington Post columnist, was killed on October 2 inside his country's consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul where he had gone to fill out the paperwork needed for his upcoming marriage.

was a member of the Saudi elite, however, he fled his country in September 2017 and became renowned for his criticism of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman's administration.The UK National Crime Agency (NCA) is examining accusations that an employee leaked information to a suspect for money, undermining a probe into a network of insider trading suspects in Europe, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. The NCA, which usually focuses on tackling serious and organised crime, is investigating whether a government translator with access to wiretap recordings tipped off the target of an insider-trading investigation, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Britain's markets watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), ...An impeachment process against President Trump now seems inescapable. Unless the president resigns, the pressure by the public on the Democratic leaders to begin an impeachment process next year will only increase. Too many people think in terms of stasis: How things are is how they will remain. They dont take into account that opinion moves with events. Whether or not theres already enough evidence to impeach Mr. Trump  I think there is  we will learn what the special counsel, Robert Mueller, has found, even if his investigation is cut short. A ...A roadside explosion here on Friday claimed lives of two Vietnamese tourists and injured a dozen other tourists, the Egyptian Interior Ministry has confirmed.

According to CNN, the bomb blast targeted a tourist bus in the Giza region near Cairo, famous for its pyramids.

The Egyptian Interior Ministry stated that the tourist bus was occupied with two Egyptian citizens, including the bus driver and the other one representing the tourism company, while the rest of the passengers included 14 Vietnamese people.

The Interior Ministry also said that further investigation into the matter is underway.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Megastar Amitabh Bachchan sent out wishes and prayers for Kader Khan's wellbeing and recovery.

He took to his Twitter handle to share the sad news, writing, "KADER KHAN .. actor writer of immense talent .. lies ill in Hospital .. PRAYERS and DUAS for his well being and recovery .. saw him perform on stage, welcomed him and his prolific writing for my films .. great company, a Libran .. and many not know , taught Mathematics."

According to various media reports, the 81-year-old actor has been admitted to a hospital overseas, after complaining of breathlessness. The actor has now been put on a BiPAP ventilator. He is unable to talk and is also showing signs of pneumonia.

Reportedly, he suffers from progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a degenerative disease that causes loss of balance, difficulty in walking and dementia. Kader also underwent surgeries for his knees in 2017.

Big B and Kader have shared screen space in movies including 'Do Aur Do Paanch', 'Muqaddar Ka Sikandar', 'Mr. Natwarlal', 'Suhaag' and 'Coolie'.

Born in Kabul, Afghanistan on October 22, Kader Khan is known for his work as an actor and a writer in several films. He has been part of numerous blockbusters including 'Khoon Bhari Maang', 'Biwi Ho To Aisi', 'Bol Radha Bol', 'Main Khiladi Tu Anari', 'Judwaa', 'Dulhe Raja' and 'Haseena Maan Jayegi'.

He was last seen in 2015 in 'Ho Gaya Deemag Ka Dahi'.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Anupam Kher, the lead actor in the upcoming movie 'The Accidental Prime Minister', on Friday cited freedom of expression to defend the film based on former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, even as a controversy raged because of the Congress' objections.

The movie, whose trailer has just been released, is based on the tenure of Singh as chronicled in a book by Sanjaya Baru, the Prime Minister's Media Advisor between 2004 and 2008.

Singh was the Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014, heading the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

Talking to ANI, Kher questioned the objections raised by Congress leaders, saying their own party President Rahul Gandhi had vouched for freedom of expression over the web series 'Sacred Games' which had a mention of his father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

The 63-year-old veteran actor, who is playing Manmohan Singh, said the protests against the movie will result in increased publicity.

"If they (Congress) think their political party is above the law, then the law will decide on it," said the actor, while noting that both the film and the trailer have been approved by the Central Board of Certification (CBFC).

The film is being objected to by the opposition Congress, contending that it has "incorrect representation of the facts."

Maharashtra Youth Congress has threatened that if the movie is released without prior screening for their office bearers, they will resort to "other options" to stop the release of the film.

Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Syed Zafar said his party won't let the movie to be released in the state without watching it first.

"Manmohan Singh is an intellectual leader. Using words like accidental prime minister is very wrong and we will not allow such a film," he said.

"If such a film is released in Madhya Pradesh, Congress will protest against the film. And we will not allow the film screening to take place here," he added.

On being asked what are they objecting to in the movie, he responded saying, "We have a problem with the film's title as well as the film's trailer. The film's title is really wrong. Congress will first see the movie and only after that, it will get released. "

He also stated that he has written a letter to the director regarding the film's title and the content of the movie.

Commenting on the Congress objections, Kher said, "The film is based on their leader. They should be happy."

He noted that the movie is based on a book which was out since 2014 but there were no protests since then.

"I recently came across Rahul Gandhi's post in which he stated that 'the freedom of expression must not be policed and controlled'. So, I think he himself should condemn and stop those who are protesting against the film. He should tell them that what they are doing is wrong," Kher said.

"An actor's job is to act, the filmmaker's job is to make a film and take it to the people and it's the job of these organisations to protest. So, we should not give so much of importance to them," Kher said.

The film is due to be out on January 11, ahead of the high-stakes 2019 General Elections.

Speaking about the release timing of the film, the star of 'A Wednesday' movie said, "When we make films on a subject like patriotism, we release it around January 26 or August 15. If the film is about politics, it will be released during elections. Why should anybody object to it?"

The Congress has contended that the movie does not project Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi in positive light.

Congress MP PL Punia, while commenting on the movie, said, "This is a BJP game. They know 5 years are about to end and they have nothing to show to the people. So they are using these tactics to divert attention."

Responding to the criticism, Kher said, "If we make a film on the issue of Jallianwala Bagh or The Holocaust or any historic incident, we can't change the history or the facts. That's what we have done here."

He went on to add, "The book is written by a man who was very close to the prime minister at that time. This book was either ignored or people moved on after its release. So why this hue and cry now?"

Kher further said he is just an actor in this movie and has tried to play his part in the most efficient way. "I have worked so hard in this movie for my look and everything that even my mother could not identify in this look," he added.

The Congress also objected to tweeting of the trailer by the BJP.

.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In a bizarre request, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP on Friday demanded a house for Lord Ram under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).

BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh Hari Narayan Rajbhar has sent a letter to Ayodhya District Magistrate, stating that the Hindu God "has been living in a tent" hence, a house should be allotted to him.

This comes at a time when the controversy over Lord Ram and construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya has been hogging headlines.

Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had said that only BJP can build Ram temple in Ayodhya.

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy had also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce the construction of Ram temple on the disputed land in Ayodhya.

The Babri Masjid, built by Mughal Emperor Babur in 1578 in Ayodhya was on December 6, 1992 demolished allegedly by a group of Hindu activists, claiming that the mosque was constructed after demolishing a Ram temple that originally stood there. Since then several hearings have been held in the Supreme Court to resolve the issue.

On January 4, the top court will decide is scheduled to take up a clutch of petitions in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case for hearing on January 4. The matter is listed before a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice S K Kaul.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday hit out at the BJP alleging that their Rath Yatras are "Danga Yatras" in which people get killed.

Banerjee's statement came days after the BJP decided to approach the vacation bench of the Supreme Court against the order of the Calcutta High Court's division bench which barred the party from holding Rath Yatra in West Bengal.

While speaking at an event, she said, "ISKCON does Rath Yatras, they carry out Jagannath Rath Yatra, they do not carry out yatras to kill people. Those who carry out yatras to kill people indulge in Danga Yatras. There are yatras for Lord Krishna and Lord Jagannath, we take part in those Rath Yatras. It is the central government's responsibility to support the state, not set a fire in the state."

A division bench of the Calcutta High Court had earlier quashed the order of a single bench allowing the BJP to hold its 'Rath Yatra' programme. The division bench, headed by Calcutta High Court's Chief Justice Debasish Kar Gupta, was hearing a plea filed by the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government.

The single bench of the High Court had allowed the BJP to proceed with its yatra in the state and directed that the administration should ensure there is no breach of law and order.

Banerjee further hit out at the central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that they have not provided the state with the 26 per cent of the fund that they had committed three years ago for the construction of Tajpur Bridge.

"We had asked the central government to build the Tajpur Bridge. They had asked us to give 74 per cent of the cost to which we agreed, but they have not replied in three years. They are neglecting the state. They want to make us (feel like) beggars, but we will make our future bright ourselves," Banerjee added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against two persons and some other unknown people over charges of trafficking young girls to Kenya on the pretext of providing employment.

Two of those who have been identified and charged are Kala alias Emmanuel Masih and Aryan, residents of Punjab and Delhi respectively.

The case was registered on Thursday under Section 120B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) read with Section 370 (buying or disposing of any person as a slave) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 5 (procuring, inducing or taking person for the sake of prostitution) of the Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act, 1956.

A complaint copy of the premier investigators read, "It is submitted that a preliminary inquiry (PE) was conducted with regard to the rescue of three girls who were trafficked to Kenya and coerced into prostitution".

The complaint further stated that the trafficked girls were harassed and forced to smoke, consume alcohol and work as a bar dancer in Kenya's Mombasa against their wishes. It also said that their passports were also seized by the bar owner.

"Enquiry also revealed that on the basis of a tip-off, the Kenyan Police raided the bar and rescued the aforesaid three girls. They were handed over to the High Commission of India, where they narrated their sordid tale of affairs. Thereafter, all the girls were repatriated to India," the complaint read.

Further investigation in the matter is underway.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A special CBI court has said that the CBI had presented a "pre-meditated theory" with the intention to implicate political leaders in the alleged fake encounters of gangster Sohrabuddin Sheikh, his wife Kaushar Bi and aide Tulsi Prajapati.

Judge S. J. Sharma, in his judgement on the case, said that the CBI had presented "a pre meditated theory and a script intended to anyhow implicate political leaders. And the agency there after nearly did what was required to reach that goal rather than conducting an investigation in accordance with law".

In 2005, Sohrabuddin and his wife Kausar Bi were killed in alleged fake encounters by a joint team of Gujarat and Rajasthan police, while Prajapati was killed in another encounter a year later.

The CBI took over the case from the CID in 2010, with Special CBI public prosecutor BP Raju submitting that most of the evidence in the case was collected by the CBI. Raju also said that the prosecution was hampered because 92 witnesses turned hostile.

On December 21, the court acquitted all 22 accused in the case citing unsatisfactory circumstantial evidence.

In his judgement, Judge Sharma clarified that by saying the witnesses had turned hostile, he only meant that the witnesses did not depose as per their respective statements collected by the CBI. He further stated that the witnesses' deposition "clearly reflected" that "they were speaking the truth".

"It clearly appears that the CBI was more concerned in establishing a particular pre conceived and pre meditated theory rather than finding out the truth," Judge Sharma said, adding that his predecessor had termed the CBI investigation to be "politically motivated".

While saying that "it is no doubt a matter of regret" that the reported killings of Sohrabuddin, his wife and Tulsiram are "going unpunished", Judge Sharma said that "the accused cannot be punished holding them guilty on moral or suspicion grounds".

"I have therefore no options to conclude that the accused are not guilty and are to be acquitted" the Judge said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Escalating the controversy over 'The Accidental Prime Minister', an upcoming movie based on Dr. Manmohan Singh's tenure as prime minister, the Congress party on Friday hit out at the BJP for sharing the trailer of the political drama on its Twitter handle.

Speaking to the media, Congress leader PL Punia said: "This is a BJP game, they know their five years are about to complete and they have nothing to show to the people so they are using these tactics to divert attention."

Brushing aside Congress' allegation, Union Minister and BJP leader Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore asked, "Can't we extend our wishes for a film? Congress has been all for freedom, why is it questioning that freedom now?"

The trailer of the movie, which recently came out, drew a lot of flak from the Congress party which poked holes in the portrayal of the former prime minister.

The political controversy over the movie caught media attention after the BJP on Thursday shared its trailer calling it a "riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 years".

On Thursday, Maharashtra Youth Congress raised objections over the movie and demanded its special screening to ensure that none of the scenes are factually incorrect.

The Anupam Kher starrer flick releases on January 11.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Chairman of Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee Sampooranand has written a letter to the state police raising objection over its recent notice asking the companies and offices in Noida to ensure that their employees do not offer namaz in public places.

Sampooranand, in a letter to Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh, asked as to why such notices are not issued for RSS Shakhas.

"Have written to a letter to DGP, why does the rule not apply to RSS Shakhas, why only namaz not allowed in public places? This was an unnecessary order from UP administration. It is about rule of law," he told ANI.

"In every government or non-government office and educational institutes the RSS is organising its shakha without permission in which they preach how to create a rift in society," he said in the letter.

Hitting out at the BJP government in the state, Sampooranand said that the former always tries to project that it is against the Muslim community in order to polarise Hindu votes in its favour.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)As the political row over the upcoming film 'The Accidental Prime Minister' intensifies, its lead actor Anupam Kher on Tuesday stated that the protests against the movie will result in increased publicity.

The film is being criticised by the opposition Congress as "incorrect representation of the facts," Kher, however, is seemingly unfazed by the barbs.

The actor, in an exclusive interview with ANI, responded to Maharashtra Youth Congress' objection that the recently released trailer of the film, based on Dr. Manmohan Singh' tenure as India's prime minister, has distorted the facts.

The organisation on Thursday also asserted that if it is released without prior screening for their office bearers, they will resort to "other options" to stop the release of the film.

"An actor's job is to act, the filmmaker's job is to make a film and take it to the people and it's the job of these organisations to protest. So, we should not give so much of importance to them," Kher said.

He added that both the film and the trailer have been approved by the Central Board of Certification (CBFC). "If they think their political party is above the law, then the law will decide on it," said the actor.

'The Accidental Prime Minister' is based on facts as chronicled in a book by Sanjaya Baru-- Manmohan Singh's media advisor between 2004 and 2008. It revolves around Singh's life, the economist and politician who served as the Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014 under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

While speaking with ANI, the 63-year-old also pointed out a tweet by Congress president Rahul Gandhi in which he supported freedom of expression over the mention of Rajiv Gandhi in the web series 'Sacred Games'.

"I recently came across Rahul Gandhi's post in which he stated that 'the freedom of expression must be policed and controlled'. So, I think he himself should condemn and stop those who are protesting against the film. He should tell them that what they are doing is wrong," stressed Kher.

The film is due to be out on January 11, ahead of the high-stakes 2019 General Elections. Speaking about the release date of the film, the 'A Wednesday' star clarified, "When we make films on a subject like patriotism, we release it around January 26 or August 15. If the film is about politics, it will be released during elections.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Criticising the recent arrest of 10 terror suspects by the NIA, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Friday said that "declaring suspects as terrorists is premature".

" security is supreme. But declaring suspects as terrorists on the basis of Sutli bombs, associating with the dreaded IS is premature. It has already devastated their lives and families. NIA must learn from earlier episodes in which the accused were acquitted after decades," Mehbooba tweeted.

On December 26, the NIA busted an ISIS-inspired module Harkat-ul-Harb-e-Islam and arrested 10 people following multi-city raids. The module was allegedly planning to carry out major terror attacks ahead of the Republic Day

The NIA sleuths carried out coordinated raids at 17 places including six in Delhi and 11 in Uttar Pradesh, and recovered a large quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives, including 12 pistols along with 150 rounds, a country- made rocket launcher, according to a top official of the agency.

Important personalities, including politicians, vital installations and crowded places were on the hit list of the terror module which was planning to strike very soon, the official had added.

Earlier, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the NIA for busting the terror module calling it a "big success".

Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju also lauded the investigating agency, terming the crackdown on the terrorist module a "huge success". "NIA has done a good job. They're a professional organisation. NIA has been doing a wonderful job since it was constituted. Catching hold of the plot before any untoward incident, is a huge success," said Rijiju.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)New Delhi [India], December 28 (ANI): The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, is expected to discuss acquisition proposals worth over Rs 5,000 crore at a high level meeting likely to be held in the next few days.

One of the proposals likely to be made pertains to the acquisition of three naval cadet training ships for training young cadets of the maritime force, defence sources told ANI.

The ships would be required to be built under Make in India in the defence category and Indian shipyards would be allowed to participate in the tender.

The tender is being reissued by the Navy as a private shipyard had earlier failed to deliver the vessels under a contract signed around five years ago. Due to the delays, the Navy is being forced to restart the acquisition process again.

Cadet Training Ships are used by the Navy to train its young officers and sailors along with those of the Indian Coast Guard.

During the meeting, a Coast Guard proposal to acquire six maritime surveillance aircraft for enhancing security along the coastal areas of the country is also likely to be discussed.

The surveillance equipment for these six aircraft would be developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and would be equipped on a transport plane likely to be acquired by the Indian Air Force for replacing its Avro aircraft.

The Air Force is also likely to place a proposal related to its Modernisation of Air Field Infrastructure (MAFI) project, under which all the air bases will be upgraded for operating all types of fighter aircraft.

After her elevation as Defence Minister, Sitharaman had decided to hold the DAC meetings twice every month to clear all the pending proposals of armed forces for acquiring weapon systems.

The DAC is the highest Defence Ministry body to take decisions on all matters related to acquisition of weapon platforms and systems.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday attached immovable properties worth Rs. 42.19 crores of ABW Infrastructure Ltd and its group companies in an alleged illegal land acquisition case in Haryana under the charges of Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The investigation conducted by the ED revealed that the real estate company, allegedly acquired land from farmers at throwaway prices, under the threat of acquisition by the government between 2004 and 2007.

The group further procured plots from other land-owning companies and obtained licenses for various construction projects in an allegedly fraudulent manner in connivance with officials and bureaucrats of the Haryana government.

The company also allegedly earned undue profits worth more than Rs. 160 crores by selling some of the licenses at exorbitant prices and in order to evade the applicable taxes it entered into fake agreements to sell the different land portions with different entities, officials say.

According to the press release by the ED, selling-agreements were cancelled and false cancellation-cum-settlement agreements were prepared and amount to the extent of 6 to 7 times to the amount agreed in the selling agreement was shown to be paid to these entities as compensation for cancelling the agreements.

This compensation was credited to the bank accounts of these entities and was taken back as cash later.

Further investigation in the matter is still underway.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday said that the goal of 'Health for All' must be integral to the country's programmes and policies.

Inaugurating the '12th Global Healthcare Summit' organised by the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, the President acknowledged the professionalism and excellent reputation of doctors of Indian origin in the US.

He said that India and the US shared complementarities in the pharmaceutical field - in clinical research, drug discovery and manufacture, adding that both countries can work together to address common challenges posed by lifestyle diseases.

President Kovind underlined that the goal of 'Health for All' must be integral to the nation's programmes and policies. He noted the several initiatives of the central government, which he said were intended to make healthcare in the country more holistic and affordable for all citizens of the country.

Earlier in the day, the President addressed the 'Yoga Institute' in the city which is celebrating its centenary. President Kovind said that yoga belongs to entire humanity and should not be associated with a specific community.

Underlining that yoga is a means to living a healthy life, the President said that due to the initiatives taken by India, the global community is showing enhanced interest in yoga.

President Kovind stated that yoga is an extremely important example of India's soft power.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Friday questioned state Governor Satya Pal Malik's decision of dissolving the state assembly.

He asserted that despite the Conference-People's Democratic Party-Congress alliance coming together to stake a claim in forming the government in the state, Governor Malik did not wait and dissolved the state assembly.

Speaking at a debate on the statutory resolution for the proclamation of President's Rule in Jammu and Kashmir in the Lok Sabha, Abdullah said: "The fax machine of Jammu and Kashmir Governor was not working. His phone was not working and I would like to say that Governor House is not the place to prove majority but the assembly is. Governor did not wait and dissolved it."

The 87-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly was under suspended animation since June 19 when the PDP-BJP coalition government collapsed and the Governor dissolved the House late on November 21 night.

Malik's action came shortly after competitive claims were presented by PDP leader and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and People's Conference (PC) leader Sajjad Lone for the formation of a government in the state which is under Governor's rule since June.

While on the one side arch-rivals PDP and NC joined hands with the Congress to stake a claim for government formation, on the other side PC also staked the claim citing the support of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Governor Malik's action had triggered a major political row but he justified his decision by saying that he apprehended horse-trading for government formation. He stated that he did not want the formation of a government by any "unholy alliance".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)



Kathmandu, Nepal: Chairman of Federal Socialist Forum Nepal (FSFN) Upendra Yadav, who is also Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health and Population, has expressed serious dissatisfactions over the government allies, particularly its head Nepal Communist Party (NCP) for dillydallying to amend the constitution.





Our party had joined the government after reaching an understanding with the NCP that the constitution would be amended to address the grievances of Madhesi and Janajaties, which are yet to be done, Yadav said while speaking at an interaction organized by Nepal Reporters Club in the capital on Friday.



The central government was not involved in organising the visit and meetings of former Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik to Jammu and Kashmir, and he was on a private visit to India, clarified External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday.

The response came after Bondevik paid 'surprise' visits to top separatist leaders in Jammu and Kashmir including Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq last month.

Responding to the matter in Rajya Sabha, Swaraj said: "According to available information, former Prime Minister of Norway Kjell Magne Bondevik was on a private visit to India at the invitation of the Art of Living International Centre (Ved Vigyan Maha Vidya Peeth), Bengaluru. He reportedly visited Jammu and Kashmir on November 23 and met representatives of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jammu and Kashmir Youth Development Forum, All Party Hurriyat Conference. Government of India was not involved in organising the visit and meetings."

"It has also been reported that he (Bondevik) visited Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from November 24-27," she added.

Underlining that there is no scope for any third party role or mediation in the Kashmir issue, Swaraj further said: "There is no change in the government's consistent and principled position that under the Simla Agreement (1972) and as reiterated in the Lahore Declaration (1999), both India and Pakistan are committed to address all outstanding issues bilaterally".

Bondevik's visits to Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir raised eyebrows, with Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah and his father and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah expressing concerns over the Norwegian premier's visit.

"What are the Norwegians up to in Kashmir? Would either @SushmaSwaraj ji or Doval ji care to put the visit of the former Norwegian PM to both sides of the divided state in the correct context or do we have to rely on rumours & conjecture?" Omar Abdullah had tweeted.

Furthermore, Farooq Abdullah urged the central government to clarify Bondevik's purpose of visit, saying he could not have come if they did not want him to. He also asked if the government will hold talks with the separatists.

"The government of India knows, he couldn't have come if they didn't want him to. So he has been there, he has talked to separatists, we do not know what talks have taken place, what is going to be the effect of it. The government of India must explain on what initiative did he come, what will be the outcome of it and whether they (government) will also talk to separatists, that is more important," Farooq Abdullah had said.

India considers Kashmir as a bilateral issue and has not extended an invitation to any foreign leader or diplomat to visit the strife-torn region and meet the separatist leaders in the last few years, as per reports.

Bondevik, who is the chief of the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights, served as the Prime Minister of Norway, from 1997 to 2000, and again from 2001 to 2005.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Mumbai court on Friday deferred the order on the anticipatory bail application filed by actor Alok Nath in the Vinta Nanda rape case for December 31.

The Dindoshi Sessions Court postponed the decision as the dictation of the order was not completed.

The actor had filed the plea for bail application in the Mumbai court on December 14.

On November 21, a rape case was registered against Nath by the Mumbai Police, based on a complaint filed by the writer-producer, who accused him of raping her 19 years ago. The FIR was booked under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Amidst the #MeToo movement, Nanda had narrated her horrifying ordeal in a Facebook post in October. She was the writer and producer of teleserial 'Tara' in the 90s, in which Nath played a lead role.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Queen Elizabeth is facing an online backlash for her Christmas message video, which features a gold piano in the background.

In the clip, the queen was filmed sitting at a desk at the Buckingham Palace, delivering a message in which she encouraged people to treat others with respect, reported Fox News. But it was the gold piano, in the background, which caught people's attention.

Taking offence at the piano, people started expressing their displeasure on Twitter.

Scottish National Party politician James Dornan, in a not-so-subtle sarcastic tweet, suggested that a sing-along around the gold piano might cheer up the hungry and homeless people.

"'So sad all those people going to foodbanks and sleeping on the streets. So to cheer them up I suggest we gather round my gold piano with a rendition of My Old Man's a Dustman. That'll take their mind off the cold and hunger for a while. Do you see how hard being Queen is now?'" Dornan tweeted.

Asking exactly what needs to be asked, a user inquired if the piano is made out of gold. "Multi-billionaire tells people to be nice to others at #Christmas. A decade of austerity, massive homelessness and food bank usage, yet no irony in a room dripping in gold as the setting for #Queen's speech. Is that piano made out of gold? How many homes could that have paid for?" the tweeted read.

"Ah the Queen's message. I love getting yelled at by an old publicly-funded billionaire with a gold piano that we should all be happier and less angry," read another tweet.

While some called the queen out for showing off her wealth, others defended her.

Asserting that it should not surprise that the queen has a gold piano, a user tweeted, "Look personally I love the Queen's gold piano, is she supposed to stage a fake room for her Christmas address with IKEA furniture in it? she's the Queen."

"She's the freakin' Queen. If anyone should have a gold piano, it's her. Or Liberace," another user tweeted. (ANI)

.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Hopes of evacuating 15 workers trapped in a flooded coal mine for over two weeks were raised on Friday with the impending arrival a diving team of the Navy along with specialised equipment, including high-pressure pumps.

The Indian Air Force also provided two aircraft to the Meghalaya government for airlifting specialist personnel of the Disaster Response Force (NDRF) from Odisha for helping in the rescue operations.

The Defence Ministry has said it is prepared to provide any help to the state government.

The 15 miners have been trapped in a 370-feet deep illegal mine in Lumthari village here since December 13, when water from the nearby River Lytein flooded the mine.

A 15-member diving team of the Navy from Vishakhapatnam is expected to reach the site here in Meghalaya tomorrow.

The team will have specialised diving equipment including a re-compression chamber and remotely operated vehicles capable of searching underwater.

"The situation is hopeful, the high-pressure pumps are arriving on site, I don't want to comment on when they will arrive, but I am hopeful," Assistant Commandant Santosh Kumar Singh from the 1st Battalion of NDRF told ANI on Friday.

"The earlier pumps were not working well, so as soon as the pumps arrive, we are hopeful the water level will recede and we will further operate," he added.

He said a team of divers dived into the flooded coal mine to gauge the water level which has not changed since yesterday.

He said his team have not found any sign of the trapped miners yet.

Singh said he was not aware if any other teams or agencies will join the rescue operation, adding that a few senior officials from Coal India had come to the site earlier today and assessed the situation.

"The state had called them, they will send their report to the state soon," Singh said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)India will contribute Rs 4,500 crore to Bhutan for the 12th five-year plan, announced Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Stating that India will always play the role of a trusted friend and partner, the Prime Minister said that the contribution will conform to the needs and priorities of Bhutan.

The announcement comes during the official three-day visit of Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering.

In a statement, Prime Minister Modi said: "Collaboration in hydro projects has been an important part in the long history of cooperation between India and Bhutan. Today we reviewed our cooperation in all related projects in this important sector".

He also revealed that the Mange-Dechchu project will soon be completed and the tariff of the project has also been agreed upon.

Announcing a new dimension in India-Bhutan cooperation in space science, the Prime Minister stated that the Ground Station being constructed in Bhutan by ISRO to benefit from South Asian Satellite will soon be completed.

"Completion of this project will help in receiving weather information in the remote areas of Bhutan, telemedicine and disaster relief," Prime Minister Modi said.

The Prime Minister also revealed that the Bhutan government has decided to launch RuPay Cards soon.

"The Bhutan government has decided to launch RuPay Cards soon. Excellency, I express my heartfelt gratitude for this decision. I believe that this will give more emphasis on people-to-people relations between the two countries," he asserted.

Prime Minister Modi further stated that Bhutan Prime Minister shared his "narrowing the gap" vision for Bhutan which resonates with his own 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' vision.

Prime Minister Modi also congratulated the government and people of Bhutan for the successful operation of the third General Elections in Bhutan.

Welcoming Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering and his delegation to India, Prime Minister Modi stated that he hoped that his visit will strengthen and give momentum to India-Bhutan relations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Apollo Hospital on Friday demanded constitution of a medical board comprising doctors and medical professionals to examine the medical records of late former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.

In an affidavit filed to the A Arumugasamy Commission, the hospital raised the demand citing that errors crept in due to inability of typist to comprehend and type correct medical terms.

Apollo Hospital further said that words like 'intubation' were recorded as 'incubation' and such fatal errors to the commission's understanding of facts about her treatment repeatedly appeared.

Earlier in the day, the commission, that is probing Jayalalithaa's death, summoned London-based intensivist Dr Richard Beale and is expected to appear before the panel through video-conferencing on January 9.

State health minister C Vijayabaskar and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam have also been summoned to appear before the commission on January 7 and 8 respectively, for the purpose of enquiry into the death of the former chief minister. Lok Sabha speaker M Thambidurai has also been asked to appear before the probe panel on January 11.

The commission was given additional four months by the Edappadi K Palaniswami-led Tamil Nadu government in October this year, after extending its tenure twice earlier - in June and December last year.

In September last year, Justice Arumughaswamy was appointed to head the probe into the death of Jayalalithaa.

Popularly known as 'Amma', Jayalalithaa was taken to Chennai's Apollo hospital on September 22 last year and treated in the hospital for 75 days before she breathed her last on December 5.

Following her death, allegations of foul play began to do the rounds and state Forest Minister Dindigul Sreenivasan even claimed that all cabinet ministers had misled the people about hospitalisation and death of the AIADMK supremo.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)London-based intensivist Dr Richard Beale has been summoned by the panel probing the death of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. The doctor is expected to appear before the panel through video-conferencing on January 09.

State health minister C Vijayabaskar and Deputy CM Panneerselvam have also been summoned to appear before the Justice A Arumughaswamy Commission on January 07 and 08 respectively, for the purpose of enquiry into the death of the former chief minister. Lok Sabha speaker M Thambidurai has also been asked to appear before the probe panel on January 11.

The Commission was given additional four months by the Palaniswami-led Tamil Nadu government in October this year, after extending its tenure twice earlier - in December 2017 and June 2017.

In September last year, Justice Arumughaswamy was appointed to head the probe into the death of Jayalalithaa.

Jayalalithaa, popularly known as 'Amma', was taken to Chennai's Apollo hospital on September 22 last year and treated in the hospital for 75 days before she breathed her last on December 5.

Following her death, allegations of foul play began to do the rounds and state Forest Minister Dindigul Sreenivasan even claimed that all cabinet ministers had misled the people about hospitalisation and death of the AIADMK supremo.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)American TV star Jenelle Evans' husband David Eason has been served with criminal summons for tampering with a vehicle and damaging personal property.

It's not the first time Davis is getting in trouble with the police. Earlier this month, he posted a video on his YouTube of himself illegally towing a truck, reports E online.

"Learn the right way to deal will a$$holes who think it's cool to block you in a parking space," He wrote in the description section. Adding to that, "good thing my trailer has a folded tongue that allowed me to get my truck out so I can tow him out of the way, in order to move my boat," Evans' husband wrote.

After this incident, a man was about to sue Eason but after talking to the American star he changed his mind.

Later this week, a Twitter user asked the City of Wilmington, N.C. Police Department on Twitter, "What is the latest update on your Golden Boy David Eason and his wife @PBandJenelley_1, breaking the law multiple times and your department doing nothing???"

Responding to this, "Eason was served with criminal summons for tampering with a vehicle and causing injury to personal property. The next step is for Eason to appear in court. And, just for clarification, this is the first instance of Eason breaking the law within our jurisdiction." the police department tweeted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Congress-JD(S) alliance in Karnataka, saying while the people of the state wanted corruption-free development, but "those in power were only interested in development-free corruption."

He made the remarks while interacting with Karnataka BJP booth workers from Belagavi, Bidar, Davanagere, Dharwad and Haveri, via video conferencing.

"The poor want care, but those in power are only interested in cabinet berths. Can our party become the voice of the poor? The common man wants development, but those are only interested in dynasty Can our party become the voice of the common man?" the Prime Minister said.

Prime Minister Modi asserted that if Congress-JD(S) alliance had formed the government "by hook or crook", the people of the entire country, including Karnataka is watching them and would teach them a lesson for their "misgovernance."

"Those in power think that just because they have formed the government by hook or by crook, they can get away with anything. But the people of Karnataka and India are watching them and their actions. People will soon teach them a lesson for misgovernance," he told booth party workers.

Underlining that BJP is not family-controlled and the party stood for development, Prime Minister Modi further said: "When the people come to us to volunteer, we should welcome them with open arms and open minds. There is no identity card needed to serve a great cause. It is natural for professionals to come to BJP as we are not family controlled and it stands for development."

Further taking a jibe at the alliance, the Prime Minister asserted that while the government is not interested in the welfare of the people, it is BJP's duty to become the voice of the common man.

"When the people in power have given up all responsibility of governance, the responsibility of our party towards the people increases," he further said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Air Force on Friday airlifted a Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team along with equipment from Bhubaneswar to Guwahati for the rescue operation being undertaken by the Meghalaya government to free the miners trapped in a coal mine.

According to Defence Ministry spokesperson Col Aman Anand, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is keeping a close watch on the operation in case any help is needed.

He said the Defence Minister got a call from the Meghalaya government on Thursday requesting assistance from the ministry in the rescue operation.

Following the request, two aircraft - C 130 and AN 32 - of the Eastern Air Command were kept on standby, said Col Anand.

"Today a C-130 transport plane took off from Bhubaneswar at 0830 hrs carrying NDRF personnel and equipment and reached Guwahati at 1200 hrs," he said.

Col Anand added, "The Meghalaya government has taken the operation from here??? but the Air Force is keeping a close watch should there be any requirement we are ready to help."

As many as 13 miners have been trapped in a coal mine in the East Jaintia Hills of Shillong since the last two weeks. So far, attempts by rescuers to reach them have yielded no result.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Indian Navy is deploying a 15-member diving team from Visakhapatnam to assist in the rescue operations for the missing miners in Meghalaya.

The team is carrying specialised diving equipment including a re-compression chamber and remotely operated vehicles capable of searching underwater, a Navy spokesperson said.

The team is expected to arrive on site tomorrow. An initial assessment to determine an effective response was undertaken by the Navy today.

Earlier in the day, the Indian Air Force has provided its aircraft to the state government for airlifting specialist NDRF personnel from Odisha for helping in the rescue operations.

Defence Ministry spokesperson Col Aman Anand has also stated that the Defence Ministry was keeping an eye on the situation and would be prepared to provide any help to the state government for this task.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Amid ongoing controversy surrounding the upcoming Bollywood film 'The Accidental Prime Minister', Madhya Pradesh's Congress leader Syed Zafar stated that they won't let the movie release in the state without watching it first.

The leader, in an exclusive interview with ANI, claimed that "Manmohan Singh is an intellectual leader. Using words like accidental prime minister is very wrong and we will not allow such a film."

"If such a film will release in Madhya Pradesh, Congress will protest against the film. And we will not allow let the film screening to take place here," he added.

On being asked what are they objecting to in the movie, he responded saying, "We have a problem with the film's title as well as the film's trailer. The film's title is really wrong. Congress will first see the movie and only after that, it will get released. "

He also stated that he has written a letter to the director regarding the film's title and the content of the movie.

"I have written a letter to the director, we strongly object to the name and what was shown in the trailer," said Zafar.

Besides, Madhya Pradesh government, the Maharashtra Youth Congress has also raised an objection to biographical film and asserted that if the movie is released without prior screening for their office bearers, they will resort to "other options" to stop the screening of the film.

Meanwhile, Anupam Kher, who portrays the role of Manmohan Singh in the biopic, said they can't change the facts.

"If we make a film on the issue of Jallianwala Bagh or The Holocaust or any historic incident, we can't change the history or the facts. That's what we have done here," the 63-year-old told ANI.

"The book is written by a man who was very close to the prime minister at that time. This book was either ignored or people moved on after its release. So why this hue and cry now?" Kher had questioned.

He also added that both the film and the trailer have been approved by the Central Board of Certification (CBFC). "If they think their political party is above the law, then the law will decide on it," said the actor.

The actor also took to his Twitter handle and said, "I am not going to back off. This is my life's best performance. #DrManmohanSingh will agree after seeing the film that it is a 100% accurate depiction. Will meet the media at 5.30pm at Actor Prepares, Film Industry Welfare Trust, Santacruz. #TheAccidentalPrimeMinister."

The trailer of the movie, which recently came out, drew a lot of flak from the opposition Congress party which poked holes in the portrayal of the former prime minister.

'The Accidental Prime Minister' is based on facts as chronicled in a book by Sanjaya Baru-- Manmohan Singh's media advisor between 2004 and 2008. It revolves around Singh's life, the economist and politician who served as the Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014 under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

Helmed by debutant Vijay Gutte and written by Hansal Mehta, the flick is slated to release on January 11, 2019.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In what is certain to create trouble for Islamabad's anti-India lobbying efforts in the United Kingdom, the Pakistani authorities detained Lord Nazir Ahmed at Islamabad airport for several hours on Christmas Day.

A member of the British House of Lords, Nazir remained a puppet for Pakistan to raise the Kashmir issue in UK. He used to hold anti-India protests in London to mislead the international community.

Nazir was not allowed to enter the Pakistani territory as his National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) was expired. Sources reveal that he was given 72-hours landing permit after having heated arguments with the authorities.

He reached Islamabad by Qatar Airways. Pakistan Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials told him that a valid NICOP is must for entry into Pakistan.

"We know you very well and respect your status but law is law and no one is above the law. Firstly, we can't allow you to enter the city with invalid NICOP, secondly, if we hypothetically give you permission, it would become a hot news for media and unnecessary controversy will start", Pakistani media quoted the officials.

Lord Ahmed said that it was very humiliating and embarrassing moments for him and it happened only because of wrong information floated by none other than PM Imran Khan's personal advisor Zulfiqar Ahmed Zulfi who told in London last week that NICOP is not necessary to travel to Pakistan.

"I shall advise to every overseas Pakistani to be vigilant and well informed before travelling. Thoroughly check and complete all necessary documents before starting their journey to Pakistan", Lord Ahmed stated.

"These PTI punters should not misguide their overseas countrymen and I shall bring this saga into knowledge of PM Imran Khan if I get a chance to meet him", said The Nation while quoting Lord Ahmed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Retorting to controversy around movie 'The Accidental Prime Minister', Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Friday clarified that no movie will be banned in his state.

His statement comes after MP's Congress leader Syed Zafar stated that his party will not let the movie release in the state without watching it first.

The leader, in an exclusive interview with ANI, claimed that "Manmohan Singh is an intellectual leader. Using words like accidental prime minister is very wrong and we will not allow such a film."

He also stated that he has written a letter to the director regarding the film's title and the content of the movie.

Earlier Congress The Maharashtra Youth Congress raised objections to the Anupam Kher starrer and asserted that if the film is released without prior screening for their office bearers to ensure that none of the scenes is factually incorrect, they will resort to "other options" to stop the screening of the film.

'The Accidental Prime Minister' revolves around former prime minister Manmohan Singh's tenure as prime minister, and is based on the book of the same name written by Singh's advisor Sanjaya Baru.

Earlier today, in an exclusive interview with ANI, Kher responded to the Youth Congress' protest saying, "The protests against the movie will result in increased publicity."

Also, Congress leader PL Punia escalated the controversy over the upcoming movie as he hit out at the BJP for sharing the trailer of the political drama on its Twitter handle. Speaking to media, he said: "This is a BJP game, they know their five years are about to complete and they have nothing to show to the people so they are using these tactics to divert attention."

Helmed by debutant Vijay Gutte and written by Hansal Mehta, the flick is slated to release on January 11, 2019.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Anupam Kher has refused to the opposition Congress' demands of a special screening of his upcoming film 'The Accidental Prime Minister.'

Kher, in a press conference on Friday, was responding to the assertions made by the Maharashtra Youth Congress that objected to the recently released trailer of the political drama.

The organisation has also demanded a special pre-release screening of the film - based on Dr. Manmohan Singh's tenure as India's prime minister.

When asked by the media when the makers plan to hold a screening ahead of its January 11 release, the veteran actor retorted, "Why should we? Then what is the use of the Censor Board?"

He added, "The only person, if he asks me, that I would like to have a screening - not to sort of ask if it is right or not - is Dr. Manmohan Singh."

Following the release of the trailer on Thursday, the official Twitter handle of BJP called it a "riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years".

When asked if it isn't unusual for a political party to do that, the 63-year-old replied, "How can we stop somebody to say whatever they want to say?"

'The Accidental Prime Minister' is based on facts as chronicled in a book by Sanjaya Baru-- Manmohan Singh's media advisor between 2004 and 2008. It revolves around Singh's life, the economist and politician who served as the Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014 under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The opening of the Kartarpur corridor that was based entirely on cultural and religious issues would not change India's stance on the resumption of peace talks with Pakistan, sources have confirmed.

The agreement to open the Kartarpur corridor was widely viewed as a major stride towards the resumption of a dialogue between the two neighbouring countries. Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had reached out to Prime Minister Imran Khan for peace talks before he assumed the office of the Pakistan Prime Minister in August. However, sources said that the talks could not move forward owing to Khan's inability to curb terror from his country.

Speaking more on India's diplomatic relations with Pakistan, sources have also confirmed ANI that according to India, Pakistan has not done any favour by releasing Indian Hamid Ansari, who went to Pakistan to meet a woman whom he had befriended through social media. India believes that Ansari has returned to India after completing a prison sentence of three years in a Pakistani jail.

However, with regards to the Kulbhushan Jadhav case, India is not very optimistic and it is a matter of concern, sources further said. India has rubbished all allegations and claims by Pakistan that Jadhav, arrested from Balochistan, was allegedly involved in espionage and subversive activities for India's intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

Sources also noted that Indian diplomats based in Islamabad are unprecedently harassed in Pakistan on multiple counts. Furthermore, guests visiting diplomats are also facing a volley of hostile questions allegedly by Pakistan's secret service agents. Surveillance has also increased, as diplomats are being followed bumper to bumper, according to sources.

Speaking on India's diplomatic relations with the Maldives, sources have confirmed that India has not sought the establishment of a military base in the Maldives in exchange for the USD 1.4 billion financial aid.

Earlier, media reports claimed that India wanted to open a military base in the Maldives following the aid granted to the island nation during President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's maiden visit here earlier this month. However, sources close to the developments quashed the rumours, claiming that India has made no such request, adding that India has provided financial aid and there is no quid pro quo.

Forging stronger relations with the East, sources further informed that India will soon be negotiating a logistics sharing deal with Japan that would allow the armed forces of both the countries to share each other's military facilities. The logistics pact called the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA), is expected to enhance the strategic depth of bilateral security and defence cooperation between the two countries.

The deal, seen as a way to counter China's expanding presence in the Indian Ocean, will also allow both India and Japan to have access to their respective ports and bases.

Meanwhile, according to sources, India has also urged China to adhere to established mechanisms overbuilding infrastructure across the Indo-China border. Sources said India-China border mechanisms are working in an efficient manner, with border meetings and flag meetings taking place normally. India and China have been trying to address the boundary question through various mechanisms, with the Special Representative mechanism being the highest level.

In addition to this, India also expects China to "walk the talk" on addressing trade imbalance and allowing import of agricultural products and IT services from India, the sources added.

Sources also informed ANI that India is not ready to sign an agreement with the United Kingdom (UK) on the deportation of illegal immigrants as the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) does not facilitate the extradition of fugitive economic offenders, including Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi.

Sources also told that the decision regarding the grant of consular access to the British High Commission for Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland scam, has not been taken yet.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)An Indian Air Force transport carrier 'C-130J Super Hercules' with 20 Odisha Fire Services personnel onboard have left for Shillong from Bhubaneswar on Friday morning to rescue the trapped miners in Meghalaya.

At least 15 miners have been trapped in a coal mine in East Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya for more than two weeks. The attempts by other rescuers including Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team and state authorities to reach the miners have yielded no success so far.

"The 20 member team of Odisha Fire Service which is headed by chief fire service officer is meant to assist the local authorities in rescue operations. They are carrying all equipment and pumps along with them so they can take out water from the inundated mine," said the Director General of Odisha Fire Service, Bijay Kumar Sharma.

The Odisha Fire Service team is equipped with 15 high pressure pumps to drain out water from the mine in which the miners are trapped.

Odisha's Special Relief Commissioner had sought the help of Fire and Emergency Service for assistance in the rescue operation following which the Director General of Odisha Fire Service selected a team of 20 trained personnel who have worked during Kerala flood and deputed them on the emergency duty.

According to authorities, the high water level is proving to be the main obstacle in the rescue efforts.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Pakistan court has declared a foundation linked to the movement of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen a terrorist group, media reported on Friday.

The foundation was running a network of schools, which the court said should be handed over to the Turkish Maarif foundation, responsible for Turkey's education activities abroad, according to the Anadolu news agency.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry praised the Pakistani court's ruling, noting that this decision should establish a precedent for other countries.

"The decision, which we consider as the manifestation of mutual cooperation based on strong bonds between Turkey and Pakistan, should set a precedent for all countries," the ministry said in a statement, as quoted by the news agency.

Ankara refers to the Gulen movement as the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO). Ankara accuses the movement of masterminding the 2016 coup d'etat attempt and has arrested thousands of military personnel, activists, officials, journalists, legal and educational workers over the suspected links to the group. Gulen, who lives in exile in the United States, has denied the accusations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay a day-long visit to Varanasi and Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh, where he is slated to inaugurate a number of development projects and will participate in a summit.

During the visit, the Prime Minister will inaugurate International Rice Research Institute South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC) and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) at the campus of Seed Research and Training Centre (NSRTC) in Varanasi. It will serve as a hub for rice research and training in South Asia and SAARC region, read an official statement.

The first international centre in eastern India is expected to play a major role in harnessing and sustaining rice production in the region.

India's association with IRRI dates back to 1960s, and Prime Minister Modi was the first Indian Prime Minister to visit IRRI headquarters in Manila in November last year, where he discussed agricultural innovations and research advances for the rice sector.

Prime Minister Modi will attend the One District, One Product Regional Summit at Deendayal Hastakala Sankul (Trade Facilitation Centre and Crafts Museum) in Varanasi. 'One District One Product' scheme is aimed at enhancing the skills of local people and increasing the reach of the indigenous trades, crafts and products from small towns and small districts in the state, the statement added.

These include handicrafts, food processing, engineering goods, carpets, readymade clothes, leather goods, etc which not only earn foreign exchange but also provide employment to the people.

A commemorative postal stamp on Maharaja Suheldeo will be released by the Prime Minister in Ghazipur where he will also address a public rally.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)As Bangladesh prepares to go for polling on December 30 to elect a new Parliament in the country, armed forces have been deployed in 389 'upazilas' or administrative region till January 2.

Dhaka Tribune reported that the security and law enforcement agencies of the country have unveiled various measures, to ensure an environment free of violence, intimidation and coercion before and after the 11th Parliamentary elections scheduled to be held on Sunday.

Security forces including Bangladesh Army troops, members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) are reportedly patrolling the streets and have set up security check-posts over different locations in Dhaka.

Meanwhile, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has been given the responsibility of maintaining security and stability before and after the general elections.

Dhaka Tribune quoted the DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia as saying, "The DMP has already established a well-coordinated and strong security system to make the election free of violence, safe and joyful."

"Our cyber team is working to prevent rumours online. If there is any obstruction, then we will take immediate action. Police also have ensured adequate security arrangements for 14 points from where ballot papers will be forwarded to polling centres," he added.

The DMP has also prohibited the movement of vehicles from Saturday midnight to Sunday midnight apart from emergencies including ambulance services. The Dhaka police have also confirmed that the people who are travelling to some local or international destinations should carry proper identity proofs and necessary documents with them.

"The traffic department has been directed to take necessary steps," Asaduzzaman noted.

"Vehicles will be checked. The measures are to ensure that no one can create disorder and disrupt balloting," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Uttar Pradesh government has ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT)-monitored probe into a graft case involving personal secretaries of three state ministers.

The said staff members were caught on camera allegedly seeking bribes, against favours like transfers, in a sting operation by a media house.

The three accused have been suspended and a police case has also been registered against them.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the SIT to record the statements of all the parties' and complete the investigation within a span of 10 days. The SIT team, formed under Additional Director General (ADG) of Police Lucknow Rajiv Krishna will also be assisted by Special Income Tax officer Rakesh Verma.

Meanwhile, the Secretariat Administration Department has also been directed to review if there are any more such cases.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Amid all the controversy surrounding the trailer of 'The Accidental Prime Minister', Rishi Kapoor has congratulated his friend Anupam Kher, beforehand, for the film.

"@AnupamPKher your passion for your craft is what I hope you teach at your film school. And how smashing does our Akshay Khanna look! Congratulations beforehand!" Kapoor wrote on Twitter.

It did not take long for Kher to respond to Kapoor's kind words that he poured in for his upcoming film. "Thank you so much, dearest Rishi Kapoor, for your love and appreciation. New York mein saath mein dekhenge (We'll sit and watch the film together in New York)," Kher responded.

'The Accidental Prime Minister' revolves around former prime minister Manmohan Singh's tenure as prime minister, and is based on the book of the same name written by Singh's advisor Sanjaya Baru.

Kapoor's word of appreciation comes a day after Maharashtra Youth Congress raised objections over the film stating that the trailer features incorrect representation of the facts. The youth wing also demanded a special screening of the film to ensure that none of the scenes is factually incorrect.

Earlier today, in an exclusive interview with ANI, Kher responded to the Youth Congress' protest saying, "The protests against the movie will result in increased publicity."

Helmed by debutant Vijay Gutte and written by Hansal Mehta, the flick is slated to release on January 11, 2019.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Facial recognition is set to take the commercial route. The is on its way to being used by China-based home-sharing company to deliver more secure access.

Xiaozhu, the Chinese version of Airbnb, is planning to add facial recognition-enabled door locks to 80 percent of its listings in the city of Chengdu, Quartz reported.

With facial recognition, the company expects to make the shared-homes business safer and more secure. Xiaozhu has already added the from Alibaba to door locks in 40 cities.

Xiaozhu is not the only company incorporating the facial recognition Popular food joints such as KFC in China, boarding airplanes, and Alipay's 'Smile to Pay' service use the technology as an important feature.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Some political parties delayed the Triple Talaq Bill for their vote bank of caste and communalism, said BJP leader Anurag Thakur.

Speaking to ANI, Thakur said, "I think we have tried to give justice to the women who were fighting for their right but unfortunately, some political parties just for their vote bank in the name of caste, communalism, have been trying to delay and not to support it."

He further went on to thank all the political parties and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for passing the Bill in the Lower Hose. "It is a very big victory for those women who roam here and there for justice," he added.

Speaking about the issue of absentee parliamentarians, Thakur said, "I am aware of the situation because many MPs spoke to me before taking the leaves. We will look into the matter"

The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Triple Talaq Bill which makes instant divorce, practiced by a section of Muslims, a criminal offence with a provision of three-year jail term for the erring husband.

The proposed legislation, which replaces an Ordinance in September, was passed by the Lower House of Parliament after the government asserted that it should not be seen from the prism of as 20 Islamic countries have already banned the practice.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)US President Donald Trump, who was on his maiden visit to Iraq, met military troops stationed in Baghdad and claimed that he gave them a 10 per cent pay raise and called it the first hike in more than a decade. However, the soldiers will actually receive a 2.6 per cent raise in 2019, and not 10 per cent as claimed by Trump.

"You protect us. We are always going to protect you. And you just saw that, because you just got one of the biggest pay raises you've ever received. You haven't gotten one in more than 10 years. More than 10 years. And we got you a big one. I got you a big one. I got you a big one," Trump was quoted by CNN as saying.

The Pentagon has hiked the pay at around 1 per cent every year for the past decade, The Hill reported citing figures from the US Defense Department.

However, according to CNN, the military pay has been hiked every year for more than three decades. It was first raised 2.4 per cent in 2018 and then 2.6 per cent in the 2019 National Defense Authorisation Act, and not 10 per cent as Trump claimed.

Interestingly, this is not the first time Trump has made false or misleading claims on a number of issues.

Trump and First Lady Melania Trump made an unannounced visit to American troops stationed in a combat zone in Iraq on Wednesday. The trip came amid the partial government shutdown back in the US and a week after Trump decided to pull out troops stationed in Syria and Afghanistan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on December 5, adopted a Russian resolution on international information security (IIS) titled "Developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security."

"Russia and India have joined their efforts for achieving democratic, inclusive and transparent United Nations negotiation process on security in the use of information and communications technologies," a press release from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation read.

The resolution was supported by several countries and co-authored by over 30 countries.

Opening a new page in the global discussion on international information security which was launched 20 years ago, the issue of international security was first placed on the UN's agenda in 1998 at Russia's initiative.

"It is notable that breakthrough decisions aimed at strengthening IIS have been adopted in the anniversary year of 2018. These decisions aim to protect the interests of all countries in the sphere of cyber security regardless of their level of technological development," stated the press release.

The document includes a number of innovations, starting with a provisional list of 13 international rules, norms and principles of responsible behaviour of states in this sphere.

"These are crucial provisions, such as the commitment to use information and communications technology (ICTs) exclusively for peaceful purposes, to respect the sovereignty of states in the information space, to cooperate in the fight against the criminal or terrorist use of ICTs, and to prevent the proliferation of malicious ICT tools and techniques and the use of harmful hidden functions," the statement asserted.

Russia has also recommended making the United Nations negotiation process on security in the use of information and communications technologies more democratic, inclusive and transparent.

With this aim in view, Russia has proposed convening open-ended working group (OEWG) acting on a consensus basis.

"This means that all UN member states without exception will be able to take part in its activities. We are convinced that the era of "club" arrangements is over and that all countries, regardless of their level of technological development, have a right to take a direct part in talks on IIS at the UN and to influence the decision-making process. Every vote counts and must be taken into consideration. Only in this way can we create the basis for a fair and equal order in the digital sphere," the press release emphasised.

According to the release, the OEWG will be authorised to consider the entire range of issues related to IIS. It will continue, as a priority, to further develop the rules, norms and principles of responsible behaviour of states in information space, study how international law applies to the use of ICTs by states and build up the digital capability of the developing countries. The OEWG will offer an opportunity to all countries to contribute to discussions and decision-making on these subjects.

"Moreover, the status of discussions on IIS at the UN has been enhanced. Unlike the previous UN group of governmental experts on IIS, the OEWG will be a fully-fledged body of the UN General Assembly with the right to draft and recommend any documents to member states, including drafts of international treaties," stated the press release.

The OEWG will also analyse different options for creating a permanent UN negotiating body on IIS.

Russia also noted that this resolution was supported by several countries excluding the Western countries, primarily the United States and the EU.

"By doing this, the Western countries have set themselves off against the international community. It is indicative that these very states are promoting an atmosphere of mistrust in the media and accusing other countries of cyber attacks. This leads to the conclusion that they have only their own mercenary goals in mind and have no interest in looking for objective and pragmatic solutions to the problem of information security, or in ensuring that talks on this topic are open and transparent for all parties," Russia stated.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)United States President Donald Trump once again blamed the Democrats in the House for obstructing the building of a border wall with Mexico, a project that he called 'desperately needed', amid the partial shutdown of the government which may continue till 2019.

The US President personally took to twitter saying, "The Democrats OBSTRUCTION of the desperately needed Wall, where they almost all recently agreed it should be built, is exceeded only by their OBSTRUCTION of 350 great people wanting & expecting to come into Government after being delayed for more than two years, a U.S. record!"

"'Border Patrol Agents want the Wall.' Democrat's say they don't want the Wall (even though they know it is really needed), and they don't want ICE. They don't have much to campaign on, do they? An Open Southern Border and the large scale crime that comes with such stupidity!," the US President added.

The previous week, Trump stated that he is prepared for a long government shutdown over funding for his proposed border wall. The shutdown was triggered by a lack of consensus between lawmakers and the US President on the funding for the wall which was one of Trump's electoral promises.

Placing the blame on the Democrats, Trump, earlier this week, had also threatened a shutdown tweeting, "Shutdown today if Democrats do not vote for Border Security!"

The Hill reported that the Republicans in the House had passed a funding bill that would add more than USD five billion for the border.

Meanwhile, the Democrats in the House have vowed not to support a bill that includes funding for Trump's border wall, increasing the likelihood of a partial government shutdown at midnight.

Trump's accusation on Democrats comes after he organised a televised Oval Office meeting Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-New York) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-California) saying that he would own any shutdown over border security.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Five monks were assaulted in a Church here, out of which one is reported to be critical. The monks were held captive in the church, where they were tied up and gagged.

According to Euronews, a manhunt has been launched by the Police and a helicopter has been deployed in the area. Public transport controls are also looking for the two suspects, who are reportedly absconding.

According to Vienna police spokesperson Harald Soros, the suspects raided the Maria Immaculata Church and one of the suspects carried a gun.

Police wrote in the statement that the assaulters told a 68-year-old monk to lie on the floor where they punched, kicked and hit him with "tools", causing "severe head injuries".

The victims were taken to nearby hospitals. The motive for the attack is yet to be ascertained known, but terrorism had been ruled out, police wrote on Twitter.

One of the perpetrators was thought to have "demanded valuables and cash," it added.

"It's really open right now it could be anything from maybe a robbery. One gunman threatened one of the brothers that live in the church with a gun. One man was carrying a gun, he just used the gun to threaten the first victim. He never shot the gun, no fires were heard," Euronews quoted Soros as saying.

.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd is quoting at Rs 255.6, up 1.15% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The stock is down 38.94% in last one year as compared to a 3.29% jump in NIFTY and a 1.01% jump in the Nifty Energy index.

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd is up for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 255.6, up 1.15% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.9% on the day, quoting at 10876.7. The Sensex is at 36125.45, up 0.89%. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd has gained around 5.23% in last one month.

Meanwhile, Nifty Energy index of which Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd is a constituent, has gained around 0.18% in last one month and is currently quoting at 14284.6, up 0.76% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 37.35 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 78.13 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark January futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 252.1, up 2.5% on the day. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd is down 38.94% in last one year as compared to a 3.29% jump in NIFTY and a 1.01% jump in the Nifty Energy index.

The PE of the stock is 5.9 based on TTM earnings ending September 18.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Kansai Nerolac Paints has entered into Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) to acquire 100% equity stake in Perma Construction Aids as on the closing date ( i.e. the day on which the transaction would be consummated) for a total consideration of Rs 29.10 crore. This is subject to adjustments for borrowings, working capital and fixed assets as at the closing date. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 27 December 2018.

Ashoka Buildcon said that the committee of the board of directors approved the allotment of 1,500 Un-Secured, Redeemable, Listed, Rated Non-Convertible Debentures (Debentures) of the face value of Rs 10 lakh aggregating Rs 150 crore on a private placement basis. The coupon rate is 9.80% per annum, payable annually. The company will use the proceeds for refinancing of existing debt, capital expenditure, long term working capital and for general corporate purposes. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 27 December 2018.

Lemon Tree Hotels agreed to enter into a joint venture with Magnolia Grove Investment, an affiliate of Warburg Pincus group. The joint venture company i.e., Hamstede Living will construct, acquire, develop, operate and lease short- and long-stay real estate projects, with a primary focus on student housing, co-living for working professionals/adults and multi-family users. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 27 December 2018.

Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) received applications worth Rs 551.38 crore pursuant to its rights issue of equity shares. Valid applications were received for 110.74% of the aggregate issue of up to 49,75,76,833 equity shares of face value of Re 1 each at an issue price of Rs 10 per share. Upon completion of the rights issue, the paid-up share capital of the company stands enhanced to Rs 151.30 crore from Rs 101.55 crore and the promoter/ promoter group shareholding in the company has increased to 33.12% from 27.80%. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 27 December 2018.

The Central Government has informed its decision to invest Rs 2159 crore in the equity capital of the United Bank of India by Preferential Allotment. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 27 December 2018.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Kansai Nerolac Paints rose 1.15% to Rs 485.35 at 09:21 IST on BSE after the company entered into an agreement to fully acquire Perma Construction Aids for Rs 29.10 crore.

The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 27 December 2018.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 233.10 points or 0.65% at 36,040.38

On BSE, so far 387 shares were traded in the counter, compared with an average daily volume of 18,000 shares in the past two weeks. The stock hit high of Rs 486.25 and a low of Rs 484 so far during the trading session.

Kansai Nerolac Paints said that it has entered into a Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) to acquire 100% equity stake in Perma Construction Aids for a total consideration of Rs 29.10 crore. This is subject to adjustments for borrowings, working capital and fixed assets as at the closing date. Perma Construction Aids, incorporated in the year 1997, is engaged in construction chemical business with product range encompassing water-proofing, adhesives, epoxy and admixtures.

Commenting on the acquisition, H.M. Bharuka, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Kansai Nerolac Paints said that Kansai Nerolac is expanding its range so as to provide complete solution to customers. Construction chemical is complementary to paints and has synergies with paints distribution networks. The company will be strengthening its existing product portfolio with this acquisition.

Kansai Nerolac Paints' net profit fell 15.65% to Rs 121.99 crore on 10.71% increase in net sales to Rs 1286.25 crore in Q2 September 2018 over Q2 September 2017.

Kansai Nerolac Paints manufactures a diversified range of products ranging from decorative paints coatings for homes, offices, hospitals and hotels to sophisticated industrial coatings for most of the industries. The company markets decorative paints under the Nerolac brand.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)NIIT Technologies announced that with reference to the Scheme of Amalgamation (Scheme") for transfer and vesting of PIPL Business Advisors and Investment Private ("Amalgamating Company 1") and GSPL Advisory Services and Investment (Amalgamating Company 2") into NllT Technologies ("Amalgamated Company"/ Company"), as sanctioned by Hon'ble National Company Law Tribunal, New Delhi Bench vide its order dated 12 November 2018 read with order dated 26 November 2018.

Pursuant to the Scheme, the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on 28 December 2018 (which commenced at 10:00 AM. and concluded at 01:45 PM.) has approved the allotment of:

1. 21,75,911 fully paid up equity shares of the face value of Rs.10/- each at par to the shareholder of Amalgamating Company 1; and

2. 21,75,911 fully paid up equity shares of the face value of Rs.10/- each at par to the shareholder of Amalgamating

Further, 43,51,822 equity shares held by Amalgamated Companies in the share capital of the Company got cancelled pursuant to the Scheme.

Company 2.

There is no change in equity shareholding (Promoter/Public) of the Company, post allotment/cancellation of equity shares.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Peninsula Land gained 4.35% to Rs 11.28 at 15:15 IST on BSE after the company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement to acquire 86% stake in Rockfirst Real Estate.

The announcement was made during market hours today, 28 December 2018.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 258.68 points, or 0.72% to 36,065.96

On the BSE, 5.70 lakh shares were traded in the counter so far as against average daily volume of 90,000 shares in the past two weeks. The stock had hit a high of Rs 12.10 and a low of Rs 11.17 so far during the day.

Peninsula Land said that the company has entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement to acquire 86% of the equity shares of Rockfirst Real Estate thereby making it a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company. Further the company has also, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Peninsula Holding and Investment Private (PHIPL) entered into Securities Purchase Agreements to acquire 86% equity shares of Goodhome Realty and Truewin Realty thereby making them step-down wholly-owned subsidiaries of the company.

Peninsula Land is an integrated real estate company. The company's projects include pioneering retail ventures, world-class commercial projects and residential complexes.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)United Bank of India jumped 8.67% to Rs 12.53 at 12:10 IST on BSE after the Central Government announced investment of Rs 2159 crore in the equity capital of the bank by preferential allotment.

The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 27 December 2018.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 332.91 points or 0.93% at 36,140.19

On the BSE, 2.02 lakh shares were traded in the counter so far as against average daily volume of 65,000 shares in the past two weeks. The stock had hit a high of Rs 12.85 and a low of Rs 11.80 so far during the day.

The bank proposes to secure the shareholders' approval to the proposed preferential allotment by a Special Resolution by convening an Extraordinary General Meeting conducting Postal Ballot shortly. Till such time all formalities are completed and allotment made, the amount shall remain in Share Application Money account, United Bank of India said.

United Bank of India reported net loss of Rs 883.17 crore in Q2 September 2018 compared to net loss of Rs 344.83 crore in Q2 September 2017. Total income rose 0.6% to Rs 2600.47 crore in Q2 September 2018 over Q2 September 2017.

The Government of India held 92.255% stake in United Bank of India as per the shareholding pattern as on 30 September 2018.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Six Indian nationals were arrested in Nepal for duping locals on the pretext of forging new ornaments and waxing gold, the police said.

The accused, all hailing from Bihar, were caught in possession of Aqua Regia, a chemical composition of hydrochloric acid and nitric acid, used to dissolve real gold, the Himalayan Times reported on Friday.

Police officials said that the men lured the locals by promising them to shape their ornaments and polish the gold jewellery. They, however, exchanged the original gold items with fake ones.

Law enforcement officers intercepted the accused while they were fleeing the district, the report said.

--IANS

soni/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Aam Aadmi Party's stand on a tie-up with the Congress in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections remained unclear on Friday as AAP leaders attacked the Congress for its "conditional" farm loan waiver while not completely ruling out chances of an alliance.

Speaking to the media after a meeting of party's national executive on today, AAP Delhi convener Gopal Rai said, "The party will monitor the situation in the coming days and will take a decision accordingly", when asked about the chances of alliance with the Congress.

AAP's Punjab convener Bhagwant Mann termed the question of alliance "hypothetical." The AAP is in opposition in Punjab and the Congress is in power.

"Have you ever heard of an opposition party joining hands with the one in power? What will we tell people if we joined hands?" Mann said.

The AAP leaders attacked the Congress over "conditions" imposed by the party for loan waivers in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh where it came to power a few days ago.

"The farmers are being exploited by both Congress and BJP. Before the 2014 elections, the BJP had promised that they would ensure corrections in crop prices. But they failed. Similarly, the Congress too had promised a complete loan waiver," Rai said.

"The Congress is also not able to fulfill its promise of a loan waiver in the three states where it won the Assembly elections. Only some selected farmers will get the benefit," Rai said.

AAP's Rajasthan leader Rampal Jat also attacked the Congress.

"The congress has promised that it will give a complete loan wavier to the farmers within 10 days of coming to power in the three states. Now, they have imposed several conditions. Both the parties (Congress and BJP) are exploiting the farmers," Jat said.

The AAP demanded the Congress implement a complete loan waiver.

Briefing the media about the other decisions, Rai said the AAP will contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections with its full strength with an aim to defeat the 'Modi-Shah' combine.

"We will contest on all those seats where we can defeat the Modi-Shah duo," Rai said without giving details of the seats.

"The way the Modi-Shah are disturbing the fabric of democracy and trying to establish dictatorship is dangerous for the people."

The AAP will have a national council meeting on Saturday and will discuss all aspects of Lok Sabha election campaign, Rai said.

"The national council members and convenors from different states will take part in the meeting on Saturday," Rai said.

The members, in the meeting, will decide the party's strategy for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The party will also decide on the number of seats it will contest and any possibility of alliance, Rai added.

Amid speculation that the party was planning to amend the AAP's constitution in order to allow Arvind Kejriwal to continue as the party's convener, Rai said, "There is no such agenda for the meeting".

According to AAP's constitution, no member can hold the same post as an office-bearer for more than two consecutive terms of three years each. AAP was founded on November 26, 2012. Senior party officials said Kejriwal's tenure as convener is due to end in April 2019.

--IANS

nks/prs

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)As controversy erupted over upcoming film "The Accidental Prime Minister", a biopic on former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, lead actor of the movie Anupam Kher on Friday said that after certification of a film by the censor board, nobody has the right to ask for showing the film before its release.

Earlier in the day, Satyajeet Tambe Patil - President of the Maharashtra State Youth Congress, sent a letter to the producer of the film demanding a special screening before it is released. He raised objections to "incorrect presentation of the facts" in the film, the trailer of which was released on Thursday.

Sharing his view on the issue, Kher, who is narrating the character of Singh, told the media: "It's nobody's right to ask us to show our film to them before releasing it. The film is based on the book (by the same title), and it is based on facts.

"We have bought the rights and have followed all the legalities. Everything was in the public domain... Now, how can people have issues? Why should I screen it for anyone? We have shown it to the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification), that's enough."

However, he added: "If Dr Manmohan Singh asks us, we will show him for sure."

Directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, the film also features Akshaye Khanna, Aahana Kumra and Arjun Mathur, among others.

While many Congress members found the film objectionable, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promoted its trailer in social media.

"I have done more than 500 films...there are not even that many political parties. So how can one say that I made this film to support any party?" he responded when mediapersons asked if he is doing the film to extend support to the BJP.

Asked if this is one of the strategies to make a political statement ahead of the 2019 elections, the National award winning actor said: "Why not? What is the problem in releasing a political film around elections? We do release patriotic films on national holidays..."

The film is scheduled to release on January 11.

--IANS

aru/nir

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A house belonging to a Hindu family in Bangladesh was allegedly set on fire, making it the third such recent incident targeting the religious minority, ahead of the general election on Sunday.

Ananda Chandra Barman's home at Jhapartali village in Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila caught fire around 10 p.m. on Thursday, said the area's fire service station master Mofidar Rahman Khan.

"I saw my house on fire and I smelled petrol. The huts burned down in five to seven minutes," Barman told bdnews24.com.

"Someone used petrol to set my house on fire to scare our Hindu community and keep us away from voting in the upcoming election," he added.

According to the report, so far three homes (including this incident) belonging to Hindus have been torched.

Akhanagar Union Parishad Chairman Nurul Islam sought support from the police against the perpetrators of the torching of the minority community's homes.

The police said they were investigating the incidents.

--IANS

soni/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The countdown to the national election began in Bangladesh on Friday as campaigning ended amid complaints of clashes and inequality in the parliamentary contest to be held on Sunday.

More than 100 million voters will cast their ballots to elect the next Bangladesh government on December 30.

Sheikh Hasina, 71, of the ruling Awami League was favoured to remain the Prime Minister after a bloody election campaign that opposition activists described as the most stifled in the 47 years since her father became the country's first leader, reports say.

If Hasina wins, it would be a record third consecutive term to a Prime Minister who has overseen one of the fastest growing economies in the world, but whose government is accused of human rights abuses.

Scores of opposition figures including Hasina's major rival, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), were jailed or disappeared in the months leading to the election. International election monitors and press freedom groups complained of unnecessary delays in issuing visas.

The previous election held in 2014, which saw the Awami League return for a second consecutive term, was boycotted by the then BNP-led opposition alliance.

Zia was recently sent to prison for 12 years on corruption charges and her son, Tarique Rahman, was sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia in October for a plot to assassinate Hasina. Rahman lives in exile in London.

The Awami League brought an estimated 300,000 cases against the major opposition party in the run up to the election.

"The police harassment of opposition activists has reached unprecedented levels," Kamal Hossain, a human rights lawyer who is serving as the candidate of the joint opposition, told the Guardian newspaper.

He said around 70 candidates from an alliance of opposition parties were too afraid to campaign in their constituencies after a spate of attacks on rallies and party offices by armed thugs.

On Sunday, voting will be held in 299 constituencies across Bangladesh from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. There are 300 seats in Parliament. More than 1,800 candidates, including independents and members of 39 registered parties, are competing in the election.

The Bangladesh Army has been deployed to join civil law enforcing agencies to tighten security during the polls.

The Election Commission said all measures to ensure peaceful voting have been taken. "We are fully prepared. There is a bit of heat because of so many competing parties but there is no cause for worry, said Election Commissioner Shahadat Chowdhury.

Bangladesh authorities also severely restricted Internet services across the country on Thursday in an effort to fight "propaganda" ahead of the election. The services resumed on Friday morning after a 10-hour blackout, but could be suspended again, officials said.

There were reports that Facebook had taken down 15 pages that it said were spreading pro-Hasina fake news in the run up to the poll.

Twitter said it had suspended 15 accounts in Bangladesh, most with fewer than 50 followers, "for engaging in coordinated platform manipulation".

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The ruling BJP on Friday swept the bypolls for the vacant seats in different municipal bodies and Agartala Municipal Corporation, bagging 66 of the 67 seats, polling for which were held on Thursday, officials said.

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Pabitra Kar said that a rally would be organised on Saturday to protest the "total farcical civic elections and murder of democracy in Tripura by the BJP governemnt".

A senior official of the Tripura State Election Commission (TSEC) said that the candidates of Bharatiya Janata Party won 66 of the 67 seats through the elections and the party had earlier won 91 seats unopposed.

"The lone seat in the Panisagar Nagar Panchayat went in favour of the opposition CPI-M," the official told the media.

The TSEC last month declared the by-elections to the 158 seats in 14 municipal bodies, including the Agartala Municipal Corporation.

CPI-M state secretary Gautam Das told the media that "due to intimidation, violent attacks and prevention" their candidates could not submit nominations for most seats facilitating the BJP candidates to win without any contest.

"In places where some of our candidates submitted their nominations, BJP and their hoodlums attacked them, their houses and properties while the police and the State Elections Commission remained as spectators," he said.

"On Thursday, during the day of polling, in allmost all places, most of the polling agents including women, were forced out from polling booths to turn the balloting a complete farce. Not only the workers and their goons, BJP leaders including its MLA Dilip Das attacked the Left party workers and agents," Das said.

He said BJP workers also assaulted former finance minister and incumbent Public Accounts Committee Chairman Bhanulal Saha in Bishalgarh in Western Tripura on Thursday.

"Despite our repeated requests to all authorities including the Director General of Police and State Election Comminnserner, with the active connivance of the officials of the TSEC and security personnel, the elections were rigged in Udaipur, Belonia, Santir Bazar in southern Tripura and Kumarghat, Kailashahar, Panisagar in northern Tripura besides in Agartala," said Das, a member of the CPI-M central Committee.

West Tripura District secretary of CPI-M Pabitra Kar said that a rally would be organised on Saturday to protest the "total farcical civic elections and murder of democracy in Tripura by the BJP government".

Congress leaders Harekrishna Bhowmik and Tapas Dey told the media that the party has demanded a re-poll in almost half of the total of 67 seats as the BJP members have totally controled the elections with the help of the administration.

BJP spokesman Nabendu Bhattacharjee rejected the allegations of the CPI-M and the Congress, saying that "people have already turned their face away from these parties as they lost the public support in the recent assembly polls."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Seguin, TX (78155)

Today

Rain showers this morning with some sunshine during the afternoon hours. High near 80F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 62F. Winds light and variable.The cabinet has approved the submission of second Biennial Update Report (BUR) to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), giving India's national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory of 2014, the government said on Friday.

The cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the approval duirng its meeting on Thursday.

As per an official statement, in 2014, a total of 26,07,488 gigagram (Gg) CC-2 equivalent or around 2.607 billion tonnes of CC-2 equivalent of GHGs were emitted from all activities, excluding 'land use, land use change and forestry' (LULUCF) in India.

"The net national GHG emissions after including LULUCF were 23,06,295 Gg COa equivalent or around 2.306 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

"Out of the total emissions, energy sector accounted for 73 per cent, industrial processes and product use (IPPU)8 per cent, agriculture 16 per cent and waste sector 3 per cent," it said adding that about 12 per cent of emissions were offset by the carbon sink action of forestland, cropland and settlements.

As a party to UNFCCC, India is mandated to submit biennial update reports containing updates of national greenhouse gas inventories and information on mitigation actions, needs and support received.

The BUR contains five major components - National Circumstances; National Greenhouse Gas Inventory; Mitigation Actions; Finance, Technology and Capacity Building Needs and Support Received and Domestic Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) arrangements.

As per the report, India is on course of achieving the target for emission intensity of the economy and share of non-fossil fuel-based power capacity

Under the Paris Agreement, India made three commitments- reducing greenhouse gas emission intensity of its GDP by 33-35 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, 40 per cent of India's power capacity would be based on non-fossil fuel sources and create an additional 'carbon sink' of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of Co2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.

--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 Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the listing of six Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE) on stock exchange through initial public offering (IPO) and one Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) to issue follow-on public offer (FPO).

"Seven PSUs of the government of India will be listed on the National Stock Exchange through the IPO/ FPO route to unlock their potential to enhance their value and encourage investor participation," Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Friday.

The seven PSUs are Telecommunication Consultants (India) Ltd, RailTel Corporation India Ltd, National Seed Corporation India Ltd, Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Ltd, Water and Power Consultancy Services (India) Ltd, FCI Aravali Gypsum and Minerals (India) Ltd, and Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd (KIOCL).

All PSUs will be listed through the IPO route except KIOCL, which will come out with an FPO.

"The Cabinet has taken a very effective step towards reforms. Trade in shares of PSUs will help find its correct value. This is a new start," Prasad said.

Further, the Cabinet has empowered Alternative Mechanism comprising Finance Minister, Minister of Road Transport & Shipping and the minister of concerned administrative ministry to decide on extent, mode of disinvestment, pricing, time, etc of the listed CPSEs.

Besides, the scope of eligibility criteria for listing of CPSEs has been expanded. CPSEs with positive net worth and net profit in any of the immediately three preceding financial years will be eligible for listing on the stock exchange, an official statement said.

In Union Budget 2018-19, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had proposed the divestment target for the current fiscal to be Rs 80,000 crore. He had also said the government plans to list 14 CPSEs, including two insurance companies, on the stock exchanges.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The CBI on Friday said that it has registered a case against five persons including a woman from Punjab for trying to traffic minors to the United States for an "educational trip".

According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR, the case was registered after a complaint was made by the US embassy and a preliminary enquiry was conducted.

The CBI has named Balraj Singh, owner of Kings Punjab Travels, Gagan Gupta, a resident of Pathankot, Chetan Sabharwal, a resident of Chandigarh, Lovepreet Singh, a resident of Tarn Taran and Tilak Raj of Hoshiarpur in Punjab and other unknown persons.

In its email complaint to the CBI on February 7, 2018, the US Embassy's Assistant Regional Security Officer-Investigator William J. Aylward said that on August 10, 2017, a United Airlines security official posted at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in Delhi contacted the US embassy officials to report that a woman by the name of Gagan Gupta was attempting to travel to the US with four children.

"The United Airlines officials stated that the children and Gupta were unable to corroborate the reason for travelling to the US and the physical appearances of the children did not match with the photos in their passports."

The CBI registered a preliminary enquiry on April 28, 2018.

During investigations, it was found that Gupta was attempting to traffic the children namely Amanpreet Singh Multani, Akashdeep Singh, Mohit and an unidentified child under the assumed names of Karanveer Singh, Sambhav, Milan Mehra and Inderdeep to the US as students of St. Joseph's Convent School.

"She misrepresented herself as principal of St. Joseph's Convent School, authorised to take the minors for an 'educational trip' to the US," the agency said.

The CBI also found that Balraj Singh helped in arranging the visas and school identity cards for the children, while Sabharwal had earlier approached the school for facilitating an "education tour" to the US for its students. He had also facilitated interviews for the students and staff members with the US embassy in New Delhi.

Lovepreet Singh and Tilak Raj were booked for helping in bringing the children from Punjab to New Delhi and arranging for their accommodation and tickets to the US.

The agency charged them under sections of criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and human trafficking.

In a similar case of trafficking, the CBI also registered a case against Kala, a resident of Punjab and Aryan, a resident of Delhi, over illegal trafficking of minor girls to Kenya on the pretext of providing employment.

Three girls were rescued by the Indian High Commission in Kenya.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The use of a Christmas tree could soon go beyond the festive period as researchers have found that useful products such as paint and food sweeteners can be made from the chemicals extracted from pine needles used in the tree.

"The tree that decorated your house over the festive period could be turned into paint to decorate your house once again," said researcher Cynthia Kartey from the University of Sheffield in Britain.

Christmas trees have hundreds of thousands of pine needles which take a long time to decompose compared to other tree leaves. When they rot, they emit huge quantities of greenhouse gases which then contribute to the carbon footprint.

The major component (up to 85 per cent) of pine needles is a complex polymer known as lignocellulose. The complexity of this polymer makes using pine needles as a product for biomass energy unattractive and useless to most industrial processes.

"My research has been focused on the breakdown of this complex structure into simple, high-valued industrial chemical feedstocks such as sugars and phenolics, which are used in products like household cleaners and mouthwash," said Cynthia.

The new research showed that with the aid of heat and solvents such as glycerol, which is cheap and environmentally friendly, the chemical structure of pine needles can be broken down into a liquid product (bio-oil) and a solid by-product (bio-char).

The bio-oil typically contains glucose, acetic acid and phenol. These chemicals are used in many industries -- glucose in the production of sweeteners for food, acetic acid for making paint, adhesives and even vinegar.

The process is sustainable and creates zero waste as the solid by-product can be useful too in other industrial chemical processes, the University of Sheffield said in a statement on Thursday.

Fresh trees and older, abandoned Christmas trees can both be used, according to the researchers.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)India's oldest political party, Congress celebrated its 134th Foundation Day on Friday by hoisting the national flag and remembering some of its iconic leaders and freedom fighters.

"Over the last 134 years of Congress history, we have stood for justice, equality, non-violence, unity, freedom and, above all, dialogue. For all the years to come, we will continue to uphold these values and stand with the people of our country," the party said in a tweet.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi celebrated the day by cutting a cake with former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and other senior leaders of the party.

The party said it will stand by values of non-violence, quoting in another tweet words of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, the first Home Minister of India, where he said, "the measure of our non-violence will be the measure of our success".

In another tweet, it quoted the ideal of "love and sacrifice" for the country espoused by Sarojini Naidu, an eminent poetess, freedom fighter and Congress leader.

The Congress was founded in 1885 by a British civil servant Allan Octavian Hume. Hume was a celebrated ornithologist and is considered to be "the Father of Indian Ornithology".

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Dismissing reports of banning upcoming political film "The Accidental Prime Minister" in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress on Friday dubbed the movie on former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as "fake propaganda by the BJP" and asserted it will not desist from questioning the Narendra Modi government on key issues.

"The news of ban on the movie 'The Accidental Prime Minister' by Madhya Pradesh government is wrong and misleading," the state Public Relations Department said in a tweet.

The biographical political drama, scheduled to release on January 11, has already raised political temperatures with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) latching on to it to hit out at the Gandhi family, while the Congress has questioned the BJP's motive behind "promoting the film" and raised objections to the "incorrect presentation of the facts" in the film, the trailer of which was released on Thursday.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, too, dismissed reports of ban. He said: "This is incorrect. Madhya Pradesh government has taken no such decision."

The clarifications from the Kamal Nath-led Congress government and the party came following local party leaders objecting to the "distorted portrayal" of the Gandhi family, particularly UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and threatened to not allow its screening unless it was showed to the party before its release.

The Maharashtra Youth Congress, too, has raised similar objections and written to the film's producers demanding a prior screening of the movie.

"If the said movie is released without prior screening for our office-bearers and without making necessary changes recommended by us that we find out after viewing the movie, it will be understood that you are doing this deliberately and we have other options open to stop the screening of the same across India," state Youth Congress President Satyajeet Tambe Patil said in his letter to the producers.

Taking to Twitter, Surjewala called the movie a "fake propaganda".

"Such fake propaganda by BJP won't desist Congress from questioning the Modi government on - rural distress, rampant unemployment, demonetisation disaster, flawed GST, failed Modinomics and all pervading corruption.

"Nation wants governance, not diversion," tweeted Surjewala in reply to the BJP's official Twitter handle posting the trailer of the movie.

"Riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years. Was Dr Singh just a regent who was holding on to the PM's chair till the time heir was ready? Watch the official trailer of 'The Accidental Prime Minister', based on an insider's account, releasing on 11 Jan," the BJP tweeted along with the movie trailer.

On the other hand, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore defended BJP for "extending wishes" for the film.

"Can't we extend our wishes to a film? Congress has been all for freedom, why is it questioning that freedom now?" Rathore told the media outside Parliament.

Meanwhile, informed party sources said that the Congress top leadership has asked its members and leaders to refrain from reacting to the movie in social media or public platforms.

"Manmohan Singh's image is too big to be sullied by such cheap attempts. Why should we fall trap to BJP's propaganda by reacting to the movie?" said a party source.

Following the party's instructions, the Maharashtra Youth Congress is likely to come down on its diktat of a pre-screening of the movie.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Communist Party of India-Marxist on Friday raised a demand in the Lok Sabha to immediately pass the long pending Women's Reservation Bill and also staged a protest outside Parliament over the issue.

The demand raised by the CPI-M's P.K. Sreemathi Teacher during Zero Hour got support from parties including the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and others.

"Women's presence in Lok Sabha remains 11.7 per cent and 11.4 per cent in Rajya Sabha. The state Assemblies display a similar gender imbalance. As Speaker, you have also spoken in defence of the Bill, including women's rights to minimum representation in the highest decision making bodies," Teacher said.

"We make a appeal for a bill on this issue that has been pending since over 20-25 years. I request the Prime Minister and other ministers to pass the bill immediately," she added.

BJD's Bhratruhari Mahtab supported the demand.

"Our Chief Minister (Naveen Patnaik) has written letters to the presidents of 27 political parties and the chief ministers seeking their support for the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill. I support what Teacher has said and request you to find time to have discussion in this session," he said.

Patnaik had also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to initiate steps to pass the Bill.

A.P. Jithender Reddy of the TRS supported it and demanded that the Bill be passed at the earliest.

Before the House met in the morning, the CPI-M members also protested in the Parliament house complex near Mahatma Gandhi's statue in support of the Bill.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has also written to the chief ministers of the states where the party is in power or in a coalition to have a resolution passed in their respective Assemblies, seeking one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and the state legislative assemblies.

The Constitution (108th Amendment) Bill, commonly known as the Women's Reservation Bill, was introduced in the Parliament in May 2008 by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

The Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010 but lapsed after the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha in 2014.

The Bill seeks to reserve one-third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state Legislative Assemblies.

It also provides that one-third of the total number of seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes shall be reserved for women of those groups.

Similar bills have been introduced thrice before in the late 1990s but lapsed with the dissolution of their respective Lok Sabhas.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Palermo (Italy), Dec 29 (IANS/AKI) A total 42 migrants disembarked at the western Sicilian port of Trapani overnight after they were rescued in the Strait of Sicily, port officials said on Friday.

The migrants were picked up off Pantelleria by an Italian police motor launch and a Tunisian youth was taken to hospital on the island, according to the officials.

The other rescued migrants who came ashore in Trapani were taken to a reception centre in Milo, in the province of Catania, said the officials.

There was no immediate information on the nationalities of the migrants or from where they set sail on the North African coast.

--IANS/AKI

vc

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Former Tripura Chief Secretary under previous Left Front Government Radha Krishna Mathur would be the Advisor of Tripura's BJP Chief Minister Biplob Kumar Deb, an official said on Friday.

According to an official of the Chief Minister's secretariat, Matur would replace Bhai Vijay Chhibber, a retired IAS officer and ex-Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor of the Union Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways.

Recently Chhibber, a Manipur-Tripura cadre 1978 batch IAS officer, quit his post and senior officials of the Tripura civil secretariat remained tight-lipped about why he stepped down.

The official said that Mathur, a 1977 batch Tripura-Manipur cadre IAS officer, as new advisor to the Chief Minister would enjoy the status of a cabinet minister.

As Chief Secretary of Tripura for three years from December 2003 under former Left Front government's Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Mathur was the former Defence Secretary and Chief Information Commissioner of India.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In a New Year gift to onion farmers, the government on Friday increased the export incentives granted for onions under the merchandise exports from India Scheme (MEIS) from existing five per cent to 10 per cent, Agriculture Ministry said.

In an official release it said that the decision will result in better price for onion in domestic markets.

The ministry also pointed out that the onion arrivals have increased in the market due to which the prices in the 'mandis' are subdued.

"To contain the situation, it has been decided by the government to encourage exports of onions so that the domestic prices stabilize," it said.

"Thus, export incentive for onions have been doubled to 10 per cent from what is being currently provided under MEIS scheme. The export incentive for fresh onions was zero before July, 2018," it said.

The ministry said during July, 2018, the incentives were introduced at the rate of 5 per cent. "Now, with the current increase, onions enjoy one of the highest incentives for agro-exports," it said.

"This timely intervention would help the farmers who have recently harvested their produce and have sowed or recently transplanted their seeds," the ministry added.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)ABC/Image Group LAAfter playing Nashville's Music City Midnight celebration last year, Maren Morris thought she'd take it easy this New Year's Eve -- until her phone rang.

"I was so excited to get that call, because I hadn't planned on playing a show this year on New Year's Eve, because I did the Nashville one last year with Keith [Urban]," she explains. "So I was just gonna take the day off."

"But to do Dick Clark['s New Year's Rockin' Eve], like, that is just so iconic," she continues. "I've grown up watching the ball drop since I was a kid. So even though we're doing the New Orleans show, and not in New York... to be a part of that and with FGL, it'll just be like a really great day."

Maren and Florida Georgia Line will both join NYRE live from the Crescent City, where they'll be playing the Allstate Fan Fest ahead of the Sugar Bowl.

"The Middle" hitmaker admits she's got her fingers crossed for some warmer temperatures than her Nashville show last year.

"I love New Orleans, so I'm hoping the weather will not be freezing cold, like it would be in New York," Maren laughs. "But honestly, the show we did last year was three degrees, and it was outside, so I think I can handle anything at this point."

"So that's like a huge bucket list thing," she adds.

Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest kicks off at 8 p.m. ET Monday on ABC, with plenty of other country stars set to join Maren and FGL.

Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini and Lauren Alaina will perform at the Hollywood Party, while Dan + Shay will be right in the middle of all the action in New York City's Times Square.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.Personal information of nearly 1,000 North Korean defectors in South Korea has been leaked as a computer at a state-run resettlement centre was hacked, the unification ministry said on Friday.

The names, birth dates and addresses of 997 North Korean defectors were leaked last month through a personal computer infected with a malicious code, and the government learned of the leak on December 17, Yonhap news agency reported.

"Recognising a possibility of one personal computer at the Hana Centre in North Gyeongsang Province having been hacked, we carried out an on-site probe on December 19 in cooperation with the provincial government and the centre and confirmed the computer was infected with a malicious code," the ministry said.

"In that computer, there was a file containing personal information of North Korean defectors. The file was confirmed to have been leaked," it added.

Hana centres are tasked with facilitating North Korean defectors' settlement in South Korea.

There are 25 such centres across South Korea to provide support for the roughly 30,000 North Korean defectors who live in the country.

Probes into computers at other centres were conducted but no additional hacking or data leaks have been confirmed, the ministry said.

This is the first such large-scale information leak involving North Korean defectors, the ministry said.

The affected defectors have been notified of the leak, the ministry said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said the corruption case against YSR Congress Party leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy might be back to square one with the bifurcation of the High Court at Hyderabad.

He told reporters here that the division of the court between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana had come at a time when the case against Jaganmohan Reddy was coming to the trial stage.

"Now with the division of the court between two states, the judge will be also transferred and case will have to restart," said Naidu while indirectly hinting at a conspiracy by the Central government to save the Leader of Opposition.

Jagan, as the YSR Congress chief is popularly known, is the prime accused in the cases relating to alleged investments made by various private firms and individuals in his businesses as a quid pro quo for various favours bestowed on them by the government of his father Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy in undivided Andhra Pradesh between 2004 and 2009.

The High Court at Hyderabad was serving as the common court for both the states since the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014.

The Centre on Wednesday issued a notification which said that Andhra Pradesh will have its own High Court from January 1 at its capital Amaravati while the existing High Court in Hyderabad will become the High Court of Telangana.

Naidu found fault with the Central government for not giving time for the court employees to move from Hyderabad to Amaravati.

He said the Centre should have given 15 days to two months after issuing the notification so that the employees could mentally prepare themselves and necessary arrangements could be made for the buildings for the court and the accommodation of the judges and staff.

"Is this the way Centre should conduct itself," asked the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief.

He said the High Court would function from the old building of Chief Minister's Camp Office till the new building was ready. He said suitable accommodation for the judges and court officials was being arranged in hotels and other buildings.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu on Friday clarified that he has no undisputed tax payable and that he is a law abiding citizen complying with all fiscal legislation.

The legal team of the actor released the statement a day after the Goods and Service Tax (GST) commissionerate, Hyderabad attached his two bank accounts for failing to pay service tax of Rs 18.5 lakh for the financial year 2007-08.

According to the commissionerate, the accounts were seized to retrieve Rs 73.5 lakh including interest and penalty.

A statement from Mahesh Babu's team said the GST commissionerate attached the bank accounts for a disputed tax demand of Rs 18.5 lakh claiming Rs 73.5 lakh towards tax interest and the penalty for brand ambassador services rendered during 2007-08.

The actor pointed out that the brand ambassador services were not taxable as the same were brought in the statute book only in 2010.

"The GST commissionerate, Hyderabad has carried out the attachment without notice when several judicial pronouncements on this issue are in favour of the taxpayer and more so when the dispute is pending before the high court," said the statement from Mahesh Babu's team.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The (IBC), which turned two this month, remains a work in progress despite creditors getting record recoveries and a rise of never-before opportunities to exit and buy businesses in India.

To explain IBC's birth, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) Chairperson M.S. Sahoo last week recalled a dialogue in a novel by Ernest Hemingway -- 'How did you go bankrupt?' and the response is 'Gradually and then suddenly'.

This was to illustrate the fact that the insolvency reform was in the works since 1992 but was suddenly made operational from December 1, 2016 with no prior experience of a regime that should be proactive, incentive-compliant, market-led and time-bound.

While the insolvency reform was 'gradual and then sudden', IBC, which in Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's words was hurriedly put in place due to necessity because every other solution had effectively failed, will achieve its objective gradually.

"The road to success is always under-construction," Sahoo said. IBBI is responsible for implementing the Code and regulates both the profession and the processes. has been undergoing changes including two major amendments in 2018.

While Amendment Act 2018 replaced an earlier ordinance on Section 29A that debars loan defaulters from bidding for stressed assets, the second change through an ordinance gave rights to homebuyers to be the financial creditors.

Even as major changes and fine-tuning continue in the regulatory framework and the ecosystem, Jaitley said, "the first two years have been more than satisfactory. It has worked on at a reasonable pace The early harvest has been reasonably good."

Till date, has resolved cases involving debt of Rs 3 trillion comprising Rs 1.2 trillion at the pre-admission stage, another Rs 1.2 trillion through 60 resolved cases and about Rs 600 billion NPAs that turned standard accounts.

The average recovery in the 60 resolved cases is around 47 per cent as against 26 per cent under the earlier Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR). Of the total 9,000 cases, 4,800 are resolved or under active resolution.

Jaitley, in his recent address to fund houses and law firms in New York, said India's bankrupt companies offer a never-before opportunity to the global investors to ride the country's exceptional growth trajectory - thanks to the IBC.

"Given the future potential of the Indian economy and the fair process followed under the Code, it is a great opportunity for investors who are seriously thinking about investing in India," he said via video conferencing at the event.

Tata Steel acquired Bhushan Steel through its subsidiary for about Rs 370 billion in May 2018 under the IBC. Tata Sons Chairman N. Chandrasekaran recently said IBC window gives an opportunity as putting greenfield projects is not easy.

Another major resolution nearing completion is that of Essar Steel, for which the world's largest steelmaker, ArcelorMittal, has proposed an upfront payment of Rs 420 billion to its lenders and an additional Rs 80 billion towards capital expenditure.

However, the resolution process for has extended beyond 270-day deadline of April 29, 2018. Several cases are getting delayed mainly due to recalcitrant promoters who are using legal shields to drag on the resolution process.

It was the fear of losing control of one's company under IBC that forced promoters pay off their dues at the pre-admission stage, recovering Rs 1.2 lakh crore. But IBC's success will be in danger if cases remain entangled in litigation and the fear evaporates.

Fortunately, the Supreme Court's recent pronouncement on the frivolity of certain appeals is likely to expedite the resolution process and, therefore, the money which is otherwise lying blocked can be efficiently ploughed back into the system.

Other hurdles delaying the resolution processes are lack of infrastructure and absence of specific provisions under the Code. Besides, some rules under the Code have been questioned in court and these may have wide ramifications.

Bankruptcy courts and require more benches and staff, and the number of Debt Recovery Tribunals (DRTs) has to be increased. The number of members are being raised to 60 from the present 32 with additional hands in Delhi and Mumbai.

Considering delays and concern for assets that lose value rapidly, the IBBI is weighing a proposal to introduce pre-packaged insolvency resolution, as prevalent in countries like the UK, where a stressed company will submit a pre-agreed resolution plan.

Some rules that have been questioned are Section 29A for its definition of 'connected person', excessive legislative powers to banks as compared to operational creditors and the allegation that homebuyers as financial creditors will make resolution difficult.

The IBC, which triggered RBI's February 12 circular bringing in the one-day default norm and abolishing the other debt resolution mechanisms, strikes at the root of the Rs 10 lakh crore NPA crisis even as it improved the creditor-debtor relationship.

The IBC's success as a game-changer in the Modi era may be gradually recognised as it grows to become a complete code offering resolutions finalised mostly outside court.Christmas should help people lead lives with values like 'samvedana' (sensitivity) and 'karuna' (compassion), which form the ethos of the Indian civilization, Goa's Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao said in his annual civic reception address on Friday.

"May he lead our lives along the paths of 'samvedana' and 'karuna' and enable us to live according to these profound values enshrined into the ethos of our Indian civilization," Ferrao said.

The civic reception held at the Bishop's House in Panaji on Friday evening, was attended by top functionaries of the state including Goa Governor Mridula Sinha, top ministers, bureaucrats, among others.

Ferrao said that the Church in Goa, which serves as the religious and spiritual guide to more than a quarter of the state's population, had dedicated 2018 as a year for the "poor and underprivileged" and exhorted Catholics to celebrate Christmas by including the poor in the festive celebration.

"If there is one season why we need to intensify our 'samvedana' and 'karuna' to the poor around us, it is this holy season of Christmas, when we contemplate the divine child being born in total poverty and being laid in a manger, thus identifying himself with the poorest of the poor and the homeless, and beckoning us to do the same," Ferrao said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)India and Bhutan on Friday reviewed the progress of hydroelectric projects in the Himalayan kingdom during a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bhutanese counterpart Lotay Tshering here.

"Development of hydrolectric projects is an important part of the long history of India's aid to Bhutan," Modi said in a joint address to the media with Tshering after the meeting.

"Today we reviewed our aid for all related projects in this important sector," he said.

India is a leading development aid partner for Bhutan. There are a number of institutional mechanisms between India and Bhutan in areas like security, border management, trade, economy, hydroelectricity, development cooperation and water resources.

New Delhi has set up three hydroelectric projects in Bhutan with a total capacity of 1,416 MW, which are operational. About three-fourth of the power generated is exported to India and the rest is used for domestic consumption.

Stating that space science is a new area of cooperation between the two countries, Modi said that a ground station will be soon be developed in Bhutan by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to the reap the benefits of the South Asian Satellite.

He also expressed happiness at Tshering conveying him the news that Bhutan will soon launch the RuPay cards.

Appreciating Tshering's vision of "Narrowing the Gap" on ties between India and Bhutan, Modi said that it complements India's Neighbourhood First Policy.

On his part, Tshering said that the main aim of his visit, taking place on the golden-jubilee year of India-Bhutan diplomatic ties, is to take the bilateral relationship to much greater heights.

He also said that there are "many, many miles to go" India's aid for development of hydroelectric projects in Bhutan.

He invited Modi to visit Bhutan at the earliest.

Earlier, Tshering was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also called on the visiting dignitary.

Tshering arrived here on Friday on a three-day visit to India, his first official trip abroad after assuming office in October.

Tshering's Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) party, formed in 2013, won 30 of the 47 National Assembly seats in the elections in the Himalayan kingdom held in October.

The country of 800,000 people, located between India and China, has chosen a different party to rule at each election since the end of absolute monarchy in 2008.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Expressing alarm over the rising crime chart in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Uttar Pradesh, the Congress on Friday claimed there is "jungle raj" in the state in the absence of any governance or law and order.

"There is nothing in the name of governance in Uttar Pradesh, there is nothing in the name of law and order. There is jungle raj where no one is safe. From women to common people, all are unsafe," Congress General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad told the media here.

Flaying Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his administration over the killing of police Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh during a mob violence in Bulandshahar earlier this month, Azad said goons and criminals enjoy political patronage in the BJP regime.

"The real goons are escaping the hands of the law and the innocent persons are facing police encounters and arrests for their affiliation to opposition parties," added Azad.

Congress spokesperson P.L. Punia said the police in the northern state were afraid of taking on criminals.

"Wherever the BJP is in power, whenever people related to BJP/RSS are involved in a crime, no action is taken against them and the government makes efforts to protect them at any cost.

"Incidents of rape are taking place every other day in Uttar Pradesh, but the Yogi government is helpless to take any action against these criminals. Police do not have the courage to point a finger at these criminals," he added.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Hundreds of devotees on Friday had to return without 'darshan' of deities at the Jagannath Temple in Odisha's Puri after servitors refused to open the gates as they protested the assault on them by the police.

The rituals of the deities at the 12th century shrine got delayed following a standoff between the police and servitors, said an official.

However, the daily rituals resumed in the evening following a discussion between the servitors and the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), said temple chief administrator Pradipta Mohapatra.

Puri Collector Jyoti Prakash Das said the gates of Jagannath temple will remain open till midnight to facilitate devotees to have 'darshan'.

A group of servitors and police personnel had a face-off over the entry of two devotees on Thursday evening.

Police personnel had allegedly prevented three devotees from West Bengal from entering the temple suspecting them as not Hindus. Only Hindus are allowed to enter into the temple.

Temple priest Bhawani Shankar Mohapatra, who was trying to take three devotees inside the temple, argued that they were Bengalis while police did not allow them to enter the shrine. The argument led to a scuffle.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Lok Sabha on Friday passed amid din a statutory resolution approving the proclamation of Presidents Rule in Jammu and Kashmir even as the Opposition parties objected and termed it "unconstitutional".

After the passage of the resolution moved by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan allowed a brief discussion, saying although it has been passed and already been adopted, she was allowing a discussion on it as a "special case".

Initiating the debate, Shashi Tharoor of Congress opposed the resolution saying the state was put under Governor's Rule without any floor test.

"It was done despite the fact that Congress, the PDP and the National Conference had come together to form the government. Why did the Governor not conduct a floor test in the Assembly. The exercise (of the Governor) was improper and the act was unconstitutional," he said.

He also sought to know from the government whether the Governor gave reasons in writing as required by the Supreme Court in the S.R. Bombai case and asked the government to share the reasons with the Parliament.

TMC's Saugata Ray also opposed the President's Rule terming it arbitrary and unconstitutional and demanded immediate election in the state.

NCP's Supriya Sule said the government should explain the reason behind the imposition of its rule and sought to know the need of President's Rule when there was a good percentage of the voting in panchayat elections as described by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself.

"This in not the time for bullet, it is the time for election," she said.

CPI-M's Mohammed Salim demanded establishment of a popular government in the state and hit out at government of its "ill-thought and misleading policy" with regard to Jammu and Kashmir.

Intervening in the debate, Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office, Jitendra Singh explained the political situation in the state that led to the imposition of President's Rule.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)For the second consecutive day, the Lok Sabha on Friday ran its full session amid uproar over various issues, with lawmakers allowing discussion on President's rule in Jammu and Kashmir and the government introducing the Jallianwala Bagh Bill.

A host of private Bills were also taken up.

With the beginning of the Zero Hour after the first adjournment in the Question Hour, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan asked the members to lay papers to conduct the business of the House and wished Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over his birthday.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar introduced the Jallianwala Bagh National (Amendment) Bill, 2018, and Home Minister Rajnath Singh moved the statutory resolution for discussion on proclamation issued by the President on December 19 under article 356 of the Constitution in relation to Jammu and Kashmir.

The House passed the resolution approving proclamation of Presidents Rule even as the opposition parties objected and termed it "unconstitutional".

After the passage of the resolution, Mahajan allowed a brief discussion, saying although it has been passed and already been adopted, she was allowing a discussion on it as a "special case".

Initiating the debate, Shashi Tharoor of Congress said the state was put under Governor's Rule without any floor test.

"It was done despite the fact that Congress, the PDP and the National Conference had come together to form the government. Why did the Governor not conduct a floor test in the Assembly?" he said.

He also sought to know from the government whether the Governor gave reasons in writing as required by the Supreme Court in the S.R. Bombai case and asked the government to share the reasons with Parliament.

TMC's Saugata Ray also opposed the President's rule terming it arbitrary, unconstitutional and demanded immediate election in the state.

NCP's Supriya Sule said the government should explain the reason behind imposition of President's rule. She said it came at a time when there was good voting in panchayat elections.

CPI-M's Mohammed Salim demanded installation of a popular government in the state and hit out at government of its "ill-thought and misleading policy" on Jammu and Kashmir.

Intervening in the debate, Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office, Jitendra Singh explained the political situation in the state that led to the imposition of President's Rule.

While speaking over the issue, the Minister blamed former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for the crisis in Jammu and Kashmir, saying if he had not interfered in the functioning of Sardar Patel (then Home Minister), the situation would have been different in the state.

Singh launched a veiled attack on Congress calling it a "rasoighar ki party (party of kitchen)".

Singh said the reason to implement President's rule in the state was that no party came forward to stake its claim to form government there.

Explaining the political situation in the state that led to the imposition of President's Rule, he said that the BJP formed a coalition with People's Democratic Party (PDP) amid a fractured mandate.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist also raised a demand in the House to immediately pass the long pending Women's Reservation Bill and also staged a protest outside Parliament.

The demand raised by CPI-M's P.K. Sreemathi Teacher during the beginning of the Zero Hour got support from parties including the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and others.

BJD's Bhratruhari Mahtab supported the demand.

A.P. Jithender Reddy of the TRS supported it and demanded that the Bill be passed at the earliest.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has also written to the party's chief ministers to have a resolution passed by their respective Assemblies on one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

The Constitution (108th Amendment) Bill, known as the Women's Reservation Bill, was introduced in Parliament in May 2008 by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

The Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010, but lapsed after the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha in 2014.

The Bill seeks to reserve one-third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies.

"Women's presence in the Lok Sabha remains 11.7 per cent and 11.4 per cent in Rajya Sabha. The state Assemblies display a similar gender imbalance. As Speaker, you have also spoken in defence of the Bill, including women's rights to minimum representation in the highest decision-making bodies," CPI-M's P.K. Sreemathi Teacher said.

"We appeal to you for a Bill on this issue that has been pending since over 20-25 years. I request the Prime Minister and other ministers to pass the bill immediately," she added.

BJD's Bhratruhari Mahtab supported the demand.

"Our Chief Minister (Naveen Patnaik) has written letters to the presidents of 27 political parties and the chief ministers seeking their support for the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill. I support what Teacher has said and request you to find time to have discussion in this session," he said.

Before the House met in the morning, CPI-M members also protested in the Parliament House Complex near Mahatma Gandhi's statue in support of the Bill.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A team of officials from Coal India Limited (CIL) on Saturday conducted a preliminary investigation on how to dewater an illegal 370-ft coal pit to rescue 15 miners trapped inside an illegal coal mine for 16 days now.

A 21-member team of fire fighters from Odisha, who was airlifted by Indian Air Force's C-130J Super Hercules from Bhubaneswar to the Guwahati airport, are proceeding towards the site at Ksan village in East Jaintia Hills district.

A 15-member diving team of the Indian Navy will also be joining the rescue operation on Saturday.

A 10-member CIL team, including four surveyors and six technical engineers, arrived at the site and conducted a preliminary inspection of the mining area.

"We first need to survey the entire mining area before pumping out the water from the pit. Our eight pumps of 100 HP each and other equipment are on the way," said General Manager of CIL's Northeastern Coalfields J Borah.

"The Odhisha firefighters were requisitioned by National Disaster Management Authority. They are on the way with several high-tech equipment, including 10 high-power pumps to be used in search and rescue operations," said district police chief of East Jaintia Hills Sylvester Nongtnger.

N. Mahapatra of Kirloskar Brothers' Limited said the team will submit its reports and recommendation to the district administration on how to dewater the pit.

"We require a good number of powerful pumps to suck out the water and this has been informed to our senior officials," Mahapatra told IANS.

Meanwhile, a six-member team of the opposition Congress in Meghalaya assembly on Friday visited the site and found several lacunae in the arrangements made by the district administration.

The legislators led by Ampareen Lyngdoh expressed their surprise over district magistrate F.M. Dopth going on leave in spite of the tragedy of such a scale.

"Precious lives are at stake but the officer in-charge of the rescue operations has been allowed to go on leave," she said, demanding that the district magistrate be immediately recalled.

Lyngdoh said the state government should task a senior-level officer with the rescue operations.

"A senior-level officer at the level of Commissioner and Secretary should be put in charge of the entire rescue operations and to coordinate with the national and state teams," she said.

They also demanded that an Inspector General of Police level officer should be deputed at the site to coordinate among the NDRF, SDRF and the state police. The legislators also said that a small medical team should be at hand 24x7.

The district administration has temporarily suspended pumping of water from the coal pit since December 24. However, the NDRF rescuer team dived inside the main shaft of the coal pit, but could not locate any of the miners.

"Our men dived this morning to locate the trapped miners, but could not find any of them. There is nothing in the main shaft of the coal pit. We have used all our equipment with us, including SONAR, to find out if any of the miners is trapped in the main shaft," said NDRF Assistant Commandant Santosh Kumar Singh.

Asked if the rescuers have lost hope, Singh said, "Rescuers never lose hope. We are all putting our best efforts to rescue them."

On Thursday, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma had met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal and sought immediate Central support to evacuate the trapped miners.

The accident inside the coal pit on December 13 morning occurred despite the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordering an interim ban on 'rat-hole' coal mining in the state from 2014.

Coal mine accidents are common in the mountainous state because of unscientific mining procedure, commonly known as "rat hole mining".

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Ridiculing the Karnataka government scheme to waive farm loans, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said it benefited a handful of farmers and the decision will go down in history as one of the "most cruel jokes" on them.

Interacting with BJP booth workers from Belagavi, Bidar, Davangere, Dharwad and Haveri in Karnataka through video conference, the Prime Minister also lashed out at the Karnataka government for the tussle over allocation of portfolios between the JD-S and the Congress ministers and accused them of indulging in corruption while ignoring governance.

"The farmers want attention. But those in power in Karnataka are steeped in arrogance. The common man wants development but those in power want only development of dynasty. People want corruption-free development, but they want development-free corruption," he said.

The Prime Minister was responding to a query of a party worker from Belagavi who sought to know his views on the plight of farmers and other communities under the Karnatak government.

"What they have done in the name of loan waiver for the farmers will go down in history as one of the most cruel jokes on farmers. After six months in power, reports say the government could only benefit a handful of farmers with the loan waiver scheme. These people go around the country, claim credit for what they have done for the farmers. Will they also take credit for the farmers committing suicide?" Modi said.

His remraks come at a time when the BJP-led government at the Centre, which has a stated goal of doubling farmers incomes by 2022, is planning sops for the farmers as their plight has become a major cause for concern ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

The Congress has been portraying Modi-government as "anti-farmer" and had wooed voters in the recently concluded assembly polls in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan with farm loan waivers.

The Congress has promised farm loan waiver in Karnataka. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, whose JD-S is a Congress ally, in his maiden Budget had announced that Rs 2 lakh farm loan till 2017 will be waived.

During his interaction, Modi also took a jibe at Congress for the ongoing tussle over allocation of portfolios among Congress ministers.

"Everyday there is in news as to who happy and who is unhappy. And for what? For some ministerial posts. It seems as the people in power in Karnataka are only there to play musical chair. The poor want care but those in power are only interested in cabinet berths," he said.

The Prime Minister said those in power think that just because they have formed a government by hook or by crook, they can get away with anything.

"The people of Karnataka and the people of India are watching. They will soon teach them a lesson," he said.

He said when those in power have given up all the responsibilities of governance, the BJP's responsibility towards the people increases.

"In such a situation, it is the duty of our party to voice the aspirations of the people and wake up the government. When those in power are not interested in the welfare of the people, it is the duty of our 'karyakartas' to become the voice of the people," he said exhorting the party workers ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

During his interaction, Modi also touched upon several key issues concerning the people of Karnataka and the country at large.

Comparing the state of affairs in Karnataka with rest of the country under the BJP-led governments, he described numerous measures and initiatives taken by his government in sectors like MSMEs, tourism and education that have transformed these sectors.

Concluding his wide-ranging interaction at Haveri, he talked about the approach of his youth-led governance policies having four core elements, a 4E approach -- Education, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Excellence.

"Such a multi-level approach addresses the main issues that the youth of our country are faced with and empowers them to succeed in life," he said.

--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 will visit Varanasi and Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday to inaugurate development projects, besides addressing a rally.

He will dedicate the 6th International Rice Research Institute South Asia Regional Centre campus to the nation at Varanasi, his parliamentary constituency.

He will also attend 'One District, One Product' regional summit at Deendayal Hastakala Sankul in Varanasi.

An official release said the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) South Asia Regional Centre is located on the campus of National Seed Research and Training Center (NSRTC) in Varanasi and will serve as a hub for rice research and training in South Asia and SAARC region.

"It is the first such international centre in eastern India and is expected to play a major role in harnessing and sustaining rice production in the region," the release said.

India's association with IRRI dates back to the 1960s. Modi had visited IRRI headquarters in Manila in November 2017 and had discussed agricultural innovations and research advances for the rice sector.

Modi will attend the 'One District, One Product' Regional Summit at Deendayal Hastakala Sankul (Trade Facilitation Centre & Crafts Museum) in Varanasi.

The release said that 'One District One Product' scheme is aimed at enhancing skills of local people and increasing the reach of the indigenous trades, crafts and products from small towns and small districts in the state.

At Ghazipur, Modi will release a commemorative postal stamp on Maharaja Suheldeo and also address a rally.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Madhya Pradesh government on Friday dismissed reports of having banned the upcoming political film "The Accidental Prime Minister", based on former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in the Congress-ruled state.

"The news of ban on the movie 'The Accidental Prime Minister' by Madhya Pradesh government is wrong and misleading," the state's Public Relations Department said in a tweet.

The biographical political drama, scheduled to release on January 11, has already raised political temperatures with the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) latching on to it to hit out at the Gandhi family while the Congress has questioned the BJP's motive behind "promoting the film" and raised objections to the "incorrect presentation of the facts" in the film, the trailer of which was released 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.)Rapper Iggy Azalea has spoken out about a backup dancer who suffered a seizure after collapsing on stage, saying the situation was under control.

Fans of Iggy Azalea were left stunned on Thursday night when one of her three backup dancers suffered a seizure on stage while she was performing "Black Widow" in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Though Azalea, 28, called a medic, fans were shocked when she continued on with the show. A number of fans recorded the incident as many questioned why the star chose to finish out the concert, reports people.com.

Shortly after the moment went viral, Azalea gave an update on the dancer's condition and defended her decision to continue performing.

"Hey guys, just want to let everyone asking know my dancer is OKAY!" Azalea wrote on her Instagram Stories.

"The lights and heat caused her to have a seizure. She is backstage feeling much better. I thought she had just fallen/twisted her ankle. And it may sound harsh but; you keep singing until music stops and ask for a medic which is what I did. We are all really shaken up by what happened & just thankful she is okay," she added.

The rapper also encouraged her fans to not turn the incident into a joke. "I know it's easy to make memes of someone 'passed out' but someone having a seizure isn't funny, it's really scary! So I hope my fans do not repost some of the memes I'm seeing about my dancer," she said.

The incident comes over a month after Azalea was involved in an altercation with 15-year-old rapper Bhad Bhabie, whom she has been feuding with for some time.

According to Azalea, Bhabie (whose real name is Danielle Peskowitz Bregoli), known for her viral appearance on Dr. Phil and her "Cash Me Outside" catchphrase - threw a drink on Azalea at the party, soaking half of her blonde locks.

The alleged incident took place days after Bhabie clapped back at Azalea, who had seemingly thrown shade about the teen's upcoming tour on Instagram by questioning if a friend was attending Bhabie's concert.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A 15-member diving team of the Indian Navy will join the rescue operations on Saturday to evacuate 15 miners, who are trapped inside an illegal coal mine for 16 days now in Meghalaya.

Defence spokesperson, Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh, said that the diving team from Visakhapatnam will assist in the rescue operations for the miners trapped inside the 370-feet coal pit in Ksan village of Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district.

He said the team will be carrying special diving equipment, including a re-compression chamber and remotely operated vehicles capable of searching underwater.

"An initial assessment to determine an effective response was undertaken by the Indian Navy on Friday," Singh said.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has used sonar system and underwater camera to detect the trapped miners. However, the system failed to locate any of those trapped in the main well due to poor visibility.

Incidentally, the National Green Trubunal (NGT) had ordered an interim ban on "rat-hole" coal mining in the state from April 17, 2014.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Friday blamed former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for the crisis in Jammu and Kashmir, saying if he had not interfered in the functioning of Sardar Patel (then Home Minister), the situation would have been different in the state.

Intervening during a debate in the Lok Sabha on a presidential proclamation imposing President's Rule in Jammu and Kashmir, Singh launched a veiled attack on Congress calling it a "rasoighar ki party (party of kitchen)".

Singh said the reason to implement President's rule in the state was that no party came forward to stake its claim to form government there.

Explaining the political situation in the state that led to the imposition of President's Rule, he said that the BJP formed a coalition with People's Democratic Party (PDP) amid a fractured mandate.

"It was the people's mandate. Had we not formed the government, the people would had blamed us that we fled and did not form the government," he said.

As Singh was speaking, Congress Mallikarjun Kharge suggested the minister that the BJP should learn from the history what Nehru did.

Singh aggressively countered it.

"The current situation in Kashmir is an outcome of a series of blunders of successive Congress governments in the state starting with the Nehruvian blunder," he said.

"If Nehru had not intervened in the functioning of Patel, the situation in Jammu and Kashmir would have been different today," Singh said.

Referring to the Central government's view towards Jammu and Kashmir and attacking the Congress, Singh said: "We are ready for elections. We are not a party of kitchen where things are decided by mother and son while eating their food.

"Elections in Jammu and Kashmir were opposed by those who ruined the state in over 50 years," he said.

He said BJP's history was linked with the state, and that its leader Shayama Prasad Mukherjee's sacrifice was the biggest example of that.

--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 Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government over the custodial death of a 30-year-old Dalit man in Amroha district, officials said.

Taking suo motu cognizance of media reports that a man was arrested by the police on December 23 and that he died in police custody at Dhanora Mandi police station, the human rights panel has given the state government, the chief secretary, director general of police (DGP) four weeks to explain in detail about the incident.

The man was arrested on charges of theft and the family alleged that the police had demanded Rs. 5 lakh as bribe to let him off. Failure to do so led to his custodial death, the family said.

"The Commission has observed that the contents of media reports, if true, amount to gross violation of human rights of the victim," the notice said.

The NHRC has also asked the state government for an explanation as to why the mandatory intimation with regard to this death in police custody has not been given to the NHRC in pursuance of its guidelines on the subject.

The report should also indicate whether any monetary and other relief has been provided to the family in accordance with the SC/ST (POA) Act and Rules, the notice said.

The state government has so far suspended 11 police personnel, including the SHO of the police station concerned.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In 2018's last weekend, discover what French playwright Jean-Claude Carriere learnt about the Mahabharata from his notes from his India trip; flick through tarot predictions made for your health, wealth, career and love in 2019 and read a marine engineer's fictional story as she battles storms in the sea and her love life.

The IANS bookshelf this weekend has these final reads for the year.

1. Book: Big Bhishma in Madras: In Search of the Mahabharata with Peter Brook; Author: Jean-Claude Carriere; Translator: Aruna Vasudev; Publisher: Speaking Tiger; Price: Rs 499; Pages: 125

Originally published in 1997 in French, the book is a compilation of the notes of the India travels (1982-85) of Oscar recipient and cinema-theatre legend Jean-Claude Carriere when he was researching with director Peter Brook the 'Mahabharata' timeless epic. Carriere's colourful illustrations also run across its pages.

"Together they travelled across India, searching for all possible theatrical forms of the great poem. The result was an epic play -- 9 hours with two intermissions -- later made into a film and a TV series, which has become a landmark in theatre," the book's synopsis sa.

In the book, the journey of Carriere's need "to see and to hear India" begins in September 1982, when he arrived at the Delhi airport "in the dead of the night".

"The 'sacred frenzy' of Theyyam in a Kerala village and the intricacies of Kathakali are interwoven with their encounters with the aged Shankaracharya of Kanchipuram, a 'one-in-three saint', and the legendary Satyajit Ray in Kolkata. Here they also meet Professor P. Lal, who has been working for twenty years on translating the Mahabharata into English. It is vignettes like these that make their search for the epic into a journey that shows India, through Carriere's words and sketches, in a way it has never been seen before."

2. Book: Tarot Predictions 2019; Author: Karmel Nair; Publisher: HarperCollins; Price: Rs 250; Pages: 206

Life is full of surprises, and horoscope predictions claim to acquaint readers with them. Forewarned is forearmed, says "Tarot Predictions 2019". It is the fifth book of Karmel Nair, who worked as a radio jockey before embarking on a career in tarot fortune-telling.

"A new-age guide to help predict your future with the help of magical Tarot cards, it tells you what's in store for you professionally as well as in your personal life; whether health will be a cause for concern; whether you will be struggling financially or come into wealth soon," the synopsis says.

The book is divided as per the 12 zodiac signs, and gives out monthly love, health, wealth and career predictions for each sign.

3. Book: Anchor My Heart; Author: Nyari Nain; Publisher: HarperCollins; Price: Rs 250; Pages: 186

"Anchor My Heart" is a fictional tale written by Nyari Nain, who is a marine engineer and as per the book, "one of the very few women in shipping". It revolves around the protagonist Lehar Saxena, the fourth engineer on board the ship MV Orchid, who has has no time to "prissy up in front of a mirror or flirt with the boys".

Amidst the machines, sweat and testosterone surrounding her loom thoughts of her long-distance relationship with Sameer, a doctor who is always too busy at the OPD. As she steers across the violent and pirate-infested high seas, Lehar must focus on her work -- even as Veer, the handsome second officer who recently joined the crew, proves to be a pleasant distraction. He may be just what she needs as the journey grows even longer, and far more dangerous.

4. Book: Windhorse Warrior; Author: RC Friedericks; Publisher: Niyogi Books; Price: Rs 795; Pages: 468

"Windhorse Warrior", written by RC Friedericks -- who founded a hospital in Nepal -- offers an inside look at the struggles and aspirations of the Tibetan people during the 1950s. It is a tale that weaves together the politics of occupation and resistance, an other-worldly romance between a Chinese communist and an educated Tibetan woman, and the soaring vision of the Tibetan spiritual heart.

The fictional protagonist, Chuang Wei Ming, a young zealot from Shanghai, arrives in Lithang on the eastern Tibetan plateau with a mission to prepare the people for Maoism but soon outgrows its limiting worldview. Chuang falls in love with the beautiful and intelligent Dechen, who introduces him to the richness of Tibetan Buddhism. Palden Rinpoche, Dechen's spiritual teacher, includes Chuang in their plan for a general spiritual awakening based on the Legend of King Gesar of Ling. Together, they pursue a pure communism infused with Buddhist teachings to create an 'enlightened society'.

The story is based on the events leading up to the general uprising against Chinese occupation in Lithang in 1954, which spread across Tibet and culminated with the Dalai Lama going into exile in 1959, the author writes in the book's introduction.

--IANS

sj/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A massive evacuation was ordered from the coast along Indonesia's western Sunda Strait on Friday after the warning of a possible second tsunami triggered by the eruption of the Anak Krakatau volcano that claimed over 400 lives last week.

Indonesia's National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) on Friday put the total number of evacuees from danger zones at 40,386 people in the provinces of Banten and Lampung, from some 20,000 the previous day.

A joint task force has been conducting the search and rescue for the victims trapped under the debris after the tsunami struck the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra without warning late Saturday, shortly after the Anak Krakatau volcano erupted in the Sunda Strait dividing the islands.

Meanwhile, the number of those injured in the tsunami jumped from over 1,400 people to 7,202 people, BNPB spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho was cited as saying by Xinhua news agency.

Indonesian volcanologists and disaster authorities advised locals and tourists not to indulge in activities within a radius of 1 km from the coast along the strait between the Java and Sumatra islands for fear of a fresh tsunami.

During last week's tsunami, tidal waves up to 5 metres high destroyed at least 1,296 houses, 78 hotels and villas, 434 ships and other infrastructure, with the worst-hit area in Pandeglang district of Banten province.

So far, 430 people have been confirmed dead in the tsunami.

The casualty figure may go up as many victims have not been recovered and some affected areas have not been reached by search and rescue teams, said Sutopo.

Volcanologists raised the alert on the Anak Krakatau volcano to the second highest level and extended the no-go zone to 5 km from the crater from the previous 2 km after its eruption triggered Saturday's tsunami.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo promised to purchase devices for the crucial early warning system to warn of danger from the volcano, which is surrounded by tourist resorts, the country's strategic industrial zone, a busy shipping lane and residential areas.

Meanwhile, an earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale rocked Indonesia's Papua Barat province on Friday. There was, however, no report of any casualty.

--IANS

soni/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on December 28, 2018

2018/12/28

At the invitation of Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat of the African Union Commission, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Alpha Barry of the Republic of Burkina Faso, Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara of the Republic of the Gambia and Foreign Minister Sidiki Kaba of Senegal, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will pay official visits to the aforementioned countries and organization from January 2 to 6, 2019.

Q: For over 20 years, the Foreign Minister of China has been choosing Africa as the destination for his first overseas visit each year. What is the main goal of State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit this year?

A: Each year the Chinese Foreign Minister will choose Africa as the destination for his first overseas visit. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi's upcoming visit to Africa is a continuation of this fine tradition, which once again speaks volumes about the high priority China consistently attaches to developing its ties with Africa. This is also the Chinese Foreign Minister's first visit to Africa after the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was successfully held in September this year. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi's upcoming visit will follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy and uphold the principles of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith and upholding justice while pursuing shared interests to strengthen communication and alignment with the African countries, implement the important consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and African leaders and jointly follow through on the outcomes of the 2018 FOCAC Beijing Summit so as to move forward the bilateral ties between China and relevant African countries and China-Africa relations as a whole.

Q: The Maldives' Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Shahid said in an exclusive interview on December 27 that under the Belt and Road Initiative, many projects for social welfare including the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge and public housing have flourished. The Maldivian government will continue its cooperation with China under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative to create better and more favorable space for bilateral cooperation. What is your comment?

A: Foreign Minister Shahid's positive evaluations of China-Maldives relations and the cooperation between the two countries under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative reflect the good will of the new Maldivian government towards developing China-Maldives relations. We appreciate that.

You have seen that in recent years, on the basis of mutual respect and equal treatment, China and the Maldives have promoted cooperation in infrastructure and livelihood projects such as bridges, airports and housing, which has played a positive role in promoting the Maldives' economic transformation and upgrading and the improvement of its people's living conditions. In particular, in August this year, the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge was completed and opened to traffic, realizing the century-old dream of the Maldives to have a cross-sea bridge. It not only promoted the infrastructure connectivity and development of the Maldives, but also greatly facilitated the travel of local residents, thus warmly received by the Maldivian people. China is willing to work with the new Maldivian government to consolidate traditional friendship, strengthen the alignment of our respective development strategies, make good plans for bilateral pragmatic cooperation, and advance the win-win cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative so as to enrich and inject new impetus into the future-oriented China-Maldives comprehensive friendly and cooperative partnership.

Q: Do you have any other information about the Canadian citizen who is due to go on trial in Dalian tomorrow on drug-smuggling charges? For example, when was he arrested and could you offer some details about the drug-smuggling he is accused of? What communications has China had with Canada about this case?

A: I have taken note of the notice that an appeal on the drug-smuggling charges against Robert Lloyd Schellenberg will be heard by Liaoning High People's Court. I would refer you to the competent authority for specifics. China and Canada maintain unimpeded consular communication. We will provide necessary assistance for the Canadian side to fulfill its consular duties.

Q: According to reports, on December 26, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi , when attending the National Conference of Directors General of Local Foreign Affairs Offices, announced that in 2019, the Foreign Ministry will support the work relating to local foreign affairs in six practical aspects. Could you tell us what the six practical aspects are?

A: We have issued the readout on State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi's attendance at the National Conference of Directors General of Local Foreign Affairs Offices in Anhui.

State Councilor Wang Yi said that the local foreign affairs offices, when engaging in the work relating to local foreign affairs in the new era, should implement the spirit of the Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs in a profound manner, raise political awareness, strengthen the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC over the work relating to local foreign affairs, act on the requirements of seeing Party self-governance exercised fully and with rigor, leverage local resource advantages and make all-out efforts to serve China's overall diplomacy and high-quality development so as to open up new prospects and break new grounds. Like you said, State Councilor Wang Yi also announced that in 2019, the Foreign Ministry will support the work relating to local foreign affairs in six practical aspects. One of the important missions of the Chinese diplomacy is to help and serve local development and serve as a bridge for the exchanges and cooperation between China and other countries at the sub-national level. Meanwhile, we have been playing an important and positive role in promoting the communication and cooperation between the diplomatic envoys and local governments. In the coming new year, we will continue to hold the promotional events to present Chinese provinces to the world, showcase the remarkable achievements over the past 70 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China and demonstrate that stepping up foreign exchanges and expanding opening-up at the sub-national level hold a promising future.

********

The regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be adjourned on December 31, 2018 (Monday) and January 1,2019 (Tuesday) for the New Year holiday, and resumed on January 2 (Wednesday). During the adjournment, journalists could send questions to the Spokesperson's Office by telephone, e-mail or fax.

This is the last regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2018. Over the past 12 months, you have witnessed, together with all of us, the pioneering progress of China's diplomacy featuring openness, cooperation, responsibility and perseverance. Dear journalists and friends, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to your active participation in and support for the regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We look forward to continuing with our close communication and cooperation with you in the coming new year. I believe we will continue to get along quite well. Also on behalf of all of my colleagues at the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy New Year in 2019. I wish you all good health, every success at work, and happiness at home!It was a year Congress President came into his own as a campaigner and strategist, emerging as a powerful voice in the Opposition against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He also earned his electoral spurs in tough Hindi heartland battles, helping his party win three states that will have ramifications in the Lok Sabha elections a few months away.

began the year as Congress President, having taken over the post from his mother Sonia Gandhi last December at the culmination of party's organisational elections.

The path was full of challenges as barring Karnataka -- where it is the junior partner in the ruling coalition -- the Congress was virtually starved of electoral victories since its Lok Sabha debacle in 2014. It had also not beaten the BJP in a straight contest anywhere in four years.

Gandhi went about the task methodically by identifying weaknesses and bridging gaps. He sought to beat Modi at his own game by expanding social media outreach and connecting with the audiences through witty, hard-hitting tweets and posts.

Gandhi consistently attacked Modi on issues linked to the common man -- corruption, unemployment, farmers distress, demonetisation, price rise -- and stepped up his efforts to portray the BJP leader as a "friend of the rich".

He attacked the BJP on security -- a key plank of the ruling party -- highlighting how the government had been "silent" on the Chinese build up near the Doklam site and its "failure" over the continued infiltration from Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir.

Gandhi sought to demolish the perception that Modi was "personally incorruptible" by taking repeated jibes at him over the Rafale fighter jet deal with France. He single-handedly made Rafale deal a issue through press conferences, tweets and speeches and attacked Modi with "chowkidar is chor" (the guard is the thief) barb.

He travelled abroad to counter Modi's outreach among the diaspora. Gandhi's consistent articulation of issues, including job losses caused by demonetisation and the slowing down of economy due to "flawed implementation" of the Goods and Services Tax, seemingly put the government on the defensive.

The GST, which was simplified in the run-up to the Gujarat assembly polls last year, has been further eased after the BJP lost power in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Gandhi aggressively clamoured for farm loan waivers and several state governments are likely to opt for the measure before the 2019 general elections.

Gandhi had been attacking Modi earlier too but his elevation as party chief sharpened his attacks. Simultaneously, he addressed organisational issues, effecting changes in his team at the All India Congress Committee to create a combination of experience and youth.

Thus, the Old Guard, including Ambika Soni, Ahmed Patel and Motilal Vora are part of the AICC team that also has several young leaders such as Jitendra Singh and R.P.N. Singh as in-charge of states. Gandhi strove to give the party general secretaries one state each to bring more focus on their work and ensured that party secretaries, mostly young leaders, were given specific responsibilities.

Realising that the Congress would need as much support as possible to oust the BJP-led Democratic Alliance from power, Gandhi changed the Congress stance of projecting him as the prime ministerial candidate for the 2019 elections and said the decision will be taken after the polls.

He has been interacting with opposition leaders to build a common platform against the Modi government, a role which was initially perceived to be that of his mother and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

To improve the party's outreach among the vast informal sector, he created All India Unorganised Workers Congress. He also strengthened party's efforts to get the support of youth, women, professionals, fishermen, tribaIs and scheduled castes.

A Data Analytics Department was created to study voters, workers and ground-level issues in a better way.

The thought to detail in working of the party is evident from the way All India Unorganised Workers Congress has been shaped with separate coordinators for NGOs and government projects, legal matters, auto rickshaw, rickshaw pullers, construction workers, the self-employed and domestic workers.

Gandhi also reached out to people directly through the social media.

"You cannot control social media. Gandhi has been gaining followers and his messages and posts are widely followed. Earlier BJP was setting the agenda and Congress was responding but now it is the reverse," a Congress leader who did not want to be identified said.

As party chief, Gandhi has run far more elaborate and sustained assembly election campaigns than did Sonia Gandhi, who helmed the Congress for 19 years.

He sprang a surprise in his efforts to project the BJP as divisive and made its leaders angry when he walked to Modi during the debate on no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha and hugged him.

He also openly said that BJP leaders may call him "pappu" but he does not hate the party.

Realising how the Congress could not form governments in Goa and Manipur despite being the single-largest party, Gandhi moved swiftly in Karnataka earlier this year and entered into alliance with Janata Dal-Secular to keep the BJP out of power.

But the challenges that remain for him are herculean.

The Congress lost six assembly elections this year - Telangana, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland - despite the three wins in Hindi heartland and scraping through in Karnataka. It is not in power in any state in the northeast, a party stronghold only four years ago. It is weak in the crucial states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and needs allies to win seats.

Next year is likely to be a make or break year for Congress, as the country goes to general polls.It was a year Congress President Rahul Gandhi came into his own as a campaigner and strategist, emerging as a powerful voice in the opposition against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He also earned his electoral spurs in tough Hindi heartland battles, helping his party win three states that will have ramifications in the Lok Sabha elections a few months away.

Rahul Gandhi began the year as Congress President, having taken over the post from his mother Sonia Gandhi last December at the culmination of party's organisational elections.

The path was full of challenges as barring Punjab and Puducherry, where it had stormed back to power as also Karnataka -- where it is the junior partner in the ruling colaition -- the Congress was virtually starved of electoral victories since its Lok Sabha debacle in 2014. It had also not beaten the BJP in a straight contest anywhere in four years.

Gandhi went about the task methodically by identifying weaknesses and bridging gaps. He sought to beat Modi at his own game by expanding social media outreach and connecting with the audiences through witty, hard-hitting tweets and posts.

Gandhi consistently attacked Modi on issues linked to the common man -- corruption, unemployment, farmers distress, demonetisation, price rise -- and stepped up his efforts to portray the BJP leader as a "friend of the rich".

He attacked the BJP on national security -- a key plank of the ruling party -- highlighting how the government had been "silent" on the Chinese build up near the Doklam site and its "failure" over the continued infiltration from Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir.

Gandhi sought to demolish the perception that Modi was "personally incorruptible" by taking repeated jibes at him over the Rafale fighter jet deal with France. He single-handedly made Rafale deal a national issue through press conferences, tweets and speeches and attacked Modi with "chowkidar is chor" (the guard is the thief) barb.

He travelled abroad to counter Modi's outreach among the diaspora. Gandhi's consistent articulation of issues, including job losses caused by demonetisation and the slowing down of economy due to "flawed implementation" of the Goods and Services Tax, seemingly put the government on the defensive.

The GST, which was simplified in the run-up to the Gujarat assembly polls last year, has been further eased after the BJP lost power in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Gandhi aggressively clamoured for farm loan waivers and several state governments are likely to opt for the measure before the 2019 general elections.

Gandhi had been attacking Modi earlier too but his elevation as party chief sharpnened his attacks. Simultaneously, he addressed organisational issues, effecting changes in his team at the All India Congress Committee to create a combination of experience and youth.

Thus, the Old Guard, including Ambika Soni, Ahmed Patel and Motilal Vora are part of the AICC team that also has several young leaders such as Jitendra Singh and R.P.N. Singh as in-charge of states. Gandhi strove to give the party general secretaries one state each to bring more focus on their work and ensured that party secretaries, mostly young leaders, were given specific responsibilities.

Realising that the Congress would need as much support as possible to oust the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance from power, Gandhi changed the Congress stance of projecting him as the prime ministerial candidate for the 2019 elections and said the decision will be taken after the polls.

He has been interacting with opposition leaders to build a common platform against the Modi government, a role which was initially perceived to be that of his mother and UPA chairpeson Sonia Gandhi.

To improve the party's outreach among the vast informal sector, he created All India Unorganised Workers Congress. He also strengthened party's efforts to get the support of youth, women, professionals, fishermen, tribaIs and scheduled castes.

A Data Analytics Department was created to study voters, workers and ground-level issues in a better way.

The thought to detail in working of the party is evident from the way All India Unorganised Workers Congress has been shaped with separate coordinators for NGOs and government projects, legal matters, auto rickshaw, rickshaw pullers, construction workers, the self-employed and domestic workers.

Gandhi also reached out to people directly through the social media.

"You cannot control social media. Gandhi has been gaining followers and his messages and posts are widely followed. Earlier BJP was setting the agenda and Congress was responding but now it is the reverse," a Congress leader who did not want to be identified said.

As party chief, Gandhi has run far more elaborate and sustained assembly election campaigns than did Sonia Gandhi, who helmed the Congress for 19 years.

He sprang a surprise in his efforts to project the BJP as divisive and made its leaders angry when he walked to Modi during the debate on no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha and hugged him.

He also openly said that BJP leaders may call him "pappu" but he does not hate the party.

Realising how the Congress could not form governments in Goa and Manipur despite being the single-largest party, Gandhi moved swiftly in Karnataka earlier this year and entered into alliance with Janata Dal-Secular to keep the BJP out of power.

But the challenges that remain for him are herculean.

The Congress lost six assembly elections this year - Telangana, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland - despite the three wins in Hindi heartland and managing to be a partner of the ruling coalition in Karnataka. It is not in power in any state in the northeast, a party stronghold only four years ago. It is weak in the crucial states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and needs allies to win seats.

Next year is likely to be a make or break year for Congress, as the country goes to general polls.

(Prashant Sood can be contacted at prashant.s@ians.in)

--IANS

ps/vsc/vm/hs/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A day after the trailer of 'The Accidental Prime Minister', was released on Thursday, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore defended his party for 'extending wishes' for the film, and hit out at the Congress asking why the party, which has been a champion of freedom, is now questioning that freedom.

"Can't we extend our wishes to a film?" Rathore told the media outside Parliament on Friday.

Attacking the Congress, the Minister said, "Congress has been all for freedom, why is it questioning that freedom now?"

Meanwhile, Manmohan Singh, who earlier in the day arrived at the Congress headquarters to celebrate the party's foundation day did not comment when asked by the media for a reaction to the trailer of the movie based on the book by his former media advisor Sanjay Baru.

The controversy over the movie erupted after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday evening promoted the trailer of the movie from its official Twitter handle.

The BJP tweeted the movie trailer saying, "Riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years. Was Dr (Manmohan) Singh just a regent who was holding on to the Prime Minister's chair till the time heir (Rahul Gandhi) was ready? Watch the official trailer of The Accidental Prime Minister, based on an insider's account, releasing on 11 January."

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also criticised a Congress youth leader in Maharashtra for opposing the release of the film without a preview.

"Dr Singh's record and legacy won't be the product of one single movie or book," he said.

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Abdullah continued, "Can't wait for (the film) 'The Insensitive Prime Minister'. So much worse than being the accidental one."

The film, which will be released on January 11, stars Anupam Kher as Manmohan Singh, the economist and politician who served as the Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014 in the United Progressive Alliance.

--IANS

aks/oeb/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Russia held talks with Jordan on Friday in a diplomatic effort to try and stabilize the situation in war-torn Syria after the US announced its troop withdrawal from the country.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met his Jordanian counterpart Ayman al-Safadi to instigate a process of so-called bridge building between Syria and other countries in the Middle East.

"Today we agreed to discuss in detail the circumstances in the Middle East region with an emphasis on stabilizing the Syrian situation and we very much appreciate Jordan's role in this," Lavrov was quoted as saying by TASS news agency.

He said it was important to try and restore trust in the troubled region and it was in this sphere of action that Russian-Jordanian cooperation was important.

"We hope that today's meeting will be a major contribution to this cooperation," Lavrov said.

"We also believe it is right to contribute to the emerging trend of restoring relations between the Syrian Arab Republic and other Arab countries," he added.

The United Arab Emirates reopened its embassy in Damascus on Thursday after having shut it down following the outbreak of military hostilities in the country.

Syria has been ravaged by war since 2011, with many opposition groups and terrorist organizations attacking the Syrian Arab Army in an attempt to topple the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

--IANS

soni/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The US Senate on Thursday failed to reach an agreement to fully reopen the federal government, about 25 per cent of which has been shut down due to lack of funding for six days, and it reported that its members will not meet again until January 2.

The only senator to come in to the Senate on Thursday, Pat Roberts, said that the upper house will suspend its activities until December 31, when there will be a pro forma session. Senators will meet again on January 2 at 4 pm to continue their negotiations to try and find a way to fully reopen the government.

In a speech lasting less than three minutes, Roberts, a Republican representing Kansas, said that the discussions are continuing among his colleagues on how to overcome the current impasse, but he provided no details about a potential accord, Efe reported.

The shutdown of the government affects only about 25 percent of federal employees, although other important government functions -- like Pentagon operations -- have been funded through September 2019.

Nevertheless, the paralysis affects agencies within 10 government departments, including Transportation and Justice, as well as dozens of national parks, which are usually a huge tourist draw over the Christmas holidays and throughout the year.

Some 800,000 of the 2.1 million federal employees are idled, or furloughed, at present and they will not receive paychecks as long as their departments are without funding.

The government could remain partially shut down until Democrats are slated to retake control of the House of Representatives in late January, when they could approve financing for the administration albeit without allocating funding for President Donald Trump's much-touted wall along the border with Mexico, something that he is demanding.

On the day that the government partially shut down due to lack of funding, Trump said that it could be a "long" shutdown if Senate Democrats don't approve the $5 billion he wants to build portions of the border wall, although the current Republican-controlled House has already approved those funds.

This is the third government shutdown since Trump came into office in early 2017. The first occurred in January 2018 and lasted three days and the second came in February and lasted only a few hours.

--IANS

vc

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The entire CBI investigation in the politically sensitive Sohrabuddin Shaikh-Tulsiram Prajapati and Kausar Bi's alleged encounter killings case was targeted "to act upon a script" and "anyhow implicate political leaders", the case judgement delivered on December 21, and made available on Friday, said.

"The entire investigation was thus targeted to act upon a script to achieve the said goal and in the process of its zeal to anyhow implicate political leaders, anyhow the CBI created the evidence and placed statements purported to have been recorded under Sec.161 or Sec. 164 of the Cr.PC of witnesses in the chargesheet," said Special CBI Judge S.J. Sharma in a strong indictment of the CBI.

"It clearly appears that the CBI was more concerned in establishing a particular preconceived and premeditated theory, rather than finding out the truth," said Special Judge Sharma.

The verdict delivered last week acquitted all 22 remaining accused, including 21 policemen from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh, drawing curtains on the 12-year-old high-profile case.

Mauling the CBI, the judgement said the statements of the witnesses were wrongly recorded as part of the probe, "I have no hesitation in recording that during the investigation of these offences, the CBI was doing something other than reaching the trutha"

He said that the "premier investigating agency like CBI" pursued its theory and a script to somehow implicate political leaders, and "thereafter, did what was required to reach that goal, rather than conducting an investigation in accordance with law."

In his final order, the Special Judge said that when he referred to witnesses having 'turned hostile', it meant that they didn't depose as per their respective statements recorded by the CBI.

"However, I had the occasion of seeing the deposition of the witnesses while they were in the witness box in this court which clearly reflected that they were speaking the truth before this court," Special Judge Sharma said.

In this context, the Special Judge referred to his predecessor (ex-Special Judge M.B. Gosavi), who while giving a discharge to the accused No. 16 (referring to Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah) "clearly recorded that the investigation was politically motivated."

"It is no doubt a matter of regret that there is a reported killing of Sohrabuddin and Tulsiram and it is going unpunished. As also Kausar Bi (wife of Sohrabuddin) disappeared and the script of the CBI that she was killed and set ablaze is lacking in evidence, and (it) is also going unpunished."

However, merely for the sake of record, the accused cannot be punished holding them guilty on moral or suspicion grounds and "I have therefore no options but to conclude that the accused are not guilty and are to be acquitted," ruled Special Judge Sharma, in his last major judgement before retirement this month.

Special Judge Sharma noted that the (witnesses') statements would not withstand the judicial scrutiny of the court and the witnesses whose statements were purportedly recorded (by CBI), "deposed fearlessly before the court", clearly indicating that the earlier purported versions were wrongly recorded by CBI to justify its script to implicate politicians.

He also noted the "negligence of the CBI" towards the material parts of the probe, which clearly indicated that "they hurriedly completed the investigation" by using replica of the earlier recorded probe and implicated police personnel who had no knowledge of any conspiracy at all, "rather they appeared innocent."

There were a total of 38 accused in the Sohrabuddin and Prajapati alleged fake encounter cases of 2005 and 2006, besides Kasuar Bi's disappearance, rape and murder in 2005.

Among them, 15 accused including politicians like Shah and senior IPS officers, were discharged by the Special Court, Mumbai in Dec. 2014, one accused discharged later by Bombay High Court and the remaining 22 were acquitted last week.

--IANS

qn/prs

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday called on visiting Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering here during the course of which important aspects of the India-Bhutan relationship came up for discussion.

Sushma Swaraj congratulated Tshering on his assuming pffoce, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

"Warm exchange of views on important aspects of our bilateral relationship," he added.

Tshering will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in the day.

Earlier, the Bhutanese Prime Minister was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

Tshering arrived here on Friday on a three-day visit to India, his first official trip abroad after assuming office in October.

Tshering's Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) party, formed in 2013, won 30 of the 47 National Assembly seats in the elections in the Himalayan kingdom held in October.

The country of 800,000 people, located between India and China, has chosen a different party to rule at each election since the end of absolute monarchy in 2008.

India is a leading development aid partner for Bhutan. There are a number of institutional mechanisms between India and Bhutan in areas like security, border management, trade, economy, hydroelectricity, development cooperation and water resources.

--IANS

ab/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Syrian Army entered the key city of Manbij on Friday for the first time in six years and raised the national flag on it following the withdrawal of Kurdish militia, according to the state TV.

A Kurdish militia controlling the area withdrew and invited Syrian forces to retake the city amid fears that Turkish troops would launch a new offensive, the BBC reported.

Turkey considers the the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and the allied Syrian Democratic Forces as terrorist and separatist groups due to their links with the Turkey-banned Kurdistan Workers Party. The request by the US-backed Kurds followed US President Donald Trump's announcement on withdrawal of American troops from Syria.

"Out of the commitment of the Syrian Army to handle its responsibilities and upon the calls of the people of Manbij, the general command of the Syrian Army declares entering Manbij and hosting the Syrian flag on it," the Syrian Army said in a statement.

The Syrian Armed Forces guarantee the security to all people in the area, the statement said, adding that "the Army underscores the concerted efforts to dislodge the invaders and occupiers off of the Syrian soil".

In a statement, the YPG said its forces withdrew from Manbij, urging the Syrian forces to assume control over that city in the northern countryside of Aleppo province near the Turkish border.

"We invite the Syrian government forces ... to assert control over the areas our forces have withdrawn from, in particular Manbij, and to protect these areas against a Turkish invasion," it said.

The YPG continued that it will focus on the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group on the east of the Euphrates River.

Handing over Manbij to the Syrian Army came in light of the recent Turkish threats to launch a wide-scale campaign against the Kurdish militia in northern and northeastern Syria.

Earlier this year, the Kurdish militia lost the northern enclave of Afrin to the Turkish forces after they rejected the entry of the Syrian government forces to assume control of Afrin.

The American forces still have a presence in Manbij. Earlier this year, the US agreed with Turkey to run joint patrols between Manbij and its countryside, which is controlled by the Turkish-backed groups.

The Kurdish militia groups, which have been controlling areas in northern and northeastern Syria since the early time of the more than seven-year-long war, have felt the pinch after Trump's decision of pulling out American forces from Syria.

The US has been providing the Kurdish-backed groups substantial aid to consolidate their gains in northern Syria and to launch offensives to retake areas held by the IS group.

--IANS

soni/sed

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)US President on Friday threatened to close the southern border amid an ongoing partial government shutdown, resuming his push for the funding of a long-promised US-Mexico border wall.

"We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall and also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with," Trump tweeted on Friday morning, reports Xinhua.

"We build a Wall or close the Southern Border," the president said, accusing Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador of "taking advantage" of his country for years."

"No end in sight to the President's government shutdown," Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois tweeted Thursday. "He's taken our government hostage over his outrageous demand for a $5 billion border wall that would be both wasteful and ineffective."

Drew Hammill, a spokesman for Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi, tweeted on Thursday, "Democrats have offered Republicans three options to re-open government that all include funding for strong, sensible, and effective border security -- but not the President's immoral, ineffective and expensive wall."

The US Senate convened briefly Thursday afternoon before adjourning until next week, with no signs of a deal to end the budget impasse that has shut down a quarter of the federal government.

The upper chamber will convene on Monday, December 31, for a pro forma session only, and then return to the Capitol Hill to renew budget deliberations on Wednesday, January 2, a day before Democrats are set to take control of the House.

"We will vote swiftly to reopen government and show that Democrats will govern responsibly in stark contrast to this chaotic White House," Pelosi, the incoming House Speaker, has said in a statement.

In an earlier tweet, Trump accused the Democrats of opposing his border wall just for political gain. "This is only about the Dems not letting and the Republicans have a win," he said.

Trump's approval rating dropped slightly to 44 per cent in December amid the shutdown, a two-point fall from last month, according to a Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll survey, The Hill reported on Friday.

According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Thursday, 47 per cent of Americans hold the president responsible for the shutdown, while 33 per cent blame Democrats in Congress. Seven percent of Americans blame congressional Republicans.

The shutdown, currently in its seventh day, has affected nine federal agencies, forcing about 420,000 federal employees, who are deemed essential, to work without pay, while 380,000 are expected to take unpaid leave.

The Environmental Protection Agency, which had enough funding to remain open for a week after the shutdown, is prepared to begin furloughing employees midnight Friday, US media reported.

Coast Guard officials said earlier this week that they need emergency legislation by the end of Friday in order to process paychecks on time for their regular release on January 1.

The Office of Personnel Management issued draft letters Thursday for federal employees to hold off creditors during the shutdown. The office's guidance suggests that workers call their landlord, mortgage company or creditor to speak about their situation before sending a letter.

The Smithsonian, which has been operating on prior-year funds, said Thursday that all of its museums, research centers and the National Zoo will close starting January 2 unless the stalemate is resolved.

Trump has cancelled his New Year's plans in order to stay in Washington DC until a deal over border wall funding is reached, White House Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney told "Fox & Friends" on Friday.

--IANS

vcPresident Donald Trump on Friday said that the US will eliminate all economic assistance to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador in retaliation for the caravans of Central American migrants arriving at the southern border.

"Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador are doing nothing for the US but taking our money. Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it. We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries -- taking advantage of US for years!," the US President wrote on Twitter.

Trump made a similar threat in October, when he said he would "substantially" cut aid to countries making up the Northern Triangle of Central America, but his words were not followed by any action, Efe reported.

During the 2018 fiscal year, which ended September 30, the US allocated $84 million in assistance to Guatemala, $58 million to Honduras and $51 million to El Salvador, according to figures from the State Department.

Some those funds was channelled through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), while the Pentagon provided a total of $42 million across Central America in 2017 to support the war on drugs.

The White House's proposed 2019 budget includes $69 million in aid to Guatemala, $66 million to Honduras and $46 million to El Salvador, a reduction of 29 percent from the levels of fiscal 2018.

The president cannot unilaterally block the disbursement of aid authorized by Congress for the region, according to the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), a think-tank.

Immigration to the US from the countries of the Northern Triangle has increased in recent years.

Since October, at least 9,000 Central Americans, mainly from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, entered Mexico in several caravans hoping to reach the US border and apply for asylum.

Roughly half of them are gathered in Tijuana, just across the border from San Diego.

--IANS

vc

(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 partial shutdown of the US federal government is set to drag into next week after lawmakers made little progress in resolving a budgetary stalemate over funding for the border wall proposed by President Donald Trump.

A nearly empty Senate convened for just a few minutes on Thursday, only to announce that there would be no action in the upper chamber and that it would renew budget deliberations on January 2, a day before a divided Congress will be sworn in.

The funding dispute has left hundreds of thousands of federal employees either on unpaid leave or not knowing when they will get paid.

Trump has said he will not compromise on his demands for funding to build a border wall between the US and Mexico to tackle illegal immigration and drug trafficking. He has refused to sign a wider spending package, forcing large parts of the government to shut down, CNN reported.

But opposition Democrats -- who will take over the House of Representatives in January -- and some within Trump's party, the Republicans, insist they won't give the President the $5 billion for the wall and have slammed the proposal as an "inefficient, unnecessary and costly" solution to strengthening border security.

The situation has added to concerns over the outlook for the US economy in 2019, leading the stock market on a roller coaster ride in recent days.

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise said that "no votes were expected" in the lower chamber this week.

The partial shutdown has affected nine of 15 Cabinet-level departments including State, Homeland Security, Transportation, Agriculture and Justice as well as dozens of agencies. More than 420,000 federal employees deemed essential have to work without pay during the shutdown and roughly 380,000 have been given leave without pay.

Both sides tried to pin blame on the other over the stalemate on Thursday.

In a statement released after the Senate session, the White House accused Democrats of "openly choosing to keep our government closed to protect illegal immigrants rather than the American people", adding the President will not sign a proposal "that does not first prioritize" the country's safety and security.

"No end in sight to the President's government shutdown," Democratic Senator Dick Durbin tweeted. "He's taken our government hostage over his outrageous demand that would be both wasteful and ineffective."

Drew Hammill, Deputy Chief of Staff to House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, tweeted that Democrats, when taking over the House on January 3, "will act swiftly to end" the shutdown and "will fight for a strategic, robust national security policy, including strong and smart border security".

According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, 47 per cent of Americans hold Trump responsible for the shutdown, the third time for this year, while 33 per cent blame Democrats in Congress. Seven percent of Americans blame congressional Republicans.

--IANS

soni/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Young designer Nishant Raj, a student of NID-Ahmedabad and winner of third edition of Wool Runway, wishes to see the fashion industry becoming more rooted, responsible, ethical and sustainable.

"As a young designer, I sincerely wish that the fashion industry, in its entirety, becomes more rooted, responsible, ethical and sustainable. The industry is made up of both big and small stakeholders who I believe need to work with same principles and standards," Raj told IANS in an email.

"Also, I hope in the future there is a stronger culture of open and fair collaboration, wherein resources, expertise and ideas are consciously shared for innovation and progress of all," he added.

Raj was announced the winner of the fashion design competition that celebrates the best emerging talent from design campuses across India.

An initiative by The Woolmark Company, Wool Runway invites tertiary students to design an outfit, made from the premium fibre Merino wool. The competition aims to not only raise awareness, but also educate the next generation of wool consumers and inspire emerging fashion designers to work with Merino wool.

The designer, who feels that that it is imperative for platforms like Wool Runway to exist and flourish now more than ever before, says that the fashion industry is more open for young faces now.

"I feel now there are more opportunities and means to make something of your own than following the existing pattern, irrespective of where you come from. It is quite empowering to witness and experience the support and belief showered by the industry on the new, young designers.

"Fashion is quickly becoming a force to reckon with, acknowledged by even those individuals and institutions who aren't directly related to it," he said.

So what all plans he has for future?

"I plan to pursue research led innovation in the industry. For far too long we have been stagnating in the growing homogeneity of our design and material culture. I plan on challenging that and working towards an Indian design identity that is both local and global.

"And about being original, I don't think such a thing exists because each one of us is an aggregate of our times. So, I just do what everyone does with the same values, which my family, teachers and friends have instilled in me," he said.

--IANS

nv/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)I was 11 years old when my grandparents sold their house in Jabalpur and came to live with us. The place had been their home for 39 years. After retiring from the Signals Training Centre there, my grandfather had chosen to live on in Madhya Pradesh instead of returning to his village in Punjab. I have not seen a place where people are this secure, he would often say.

Farmers would leave their tools behind in the fields at night and people didnt bother locking their homes. My grandparents house was on a small hill on the edge of the city. There werent many ...The Centre Friday said in the Lok Sabha that there was no other option left with the Governor but to recommend President's Rule in as no party or alliance staked claim to form the government and asserted that it was ready to hold assembly polls in the state.

Replying to a discussion on the resolution on a presidential proclamation about imposition of President's Rule in the state, Home Minister also rejected claims of some opposition parties that the BJP was propping up a regional party to form the government.

The resolution was adopted by a voice vote.

If the BJP wanted to indulge in horse-trading to form government, then it would have done so during the six-month Governor's Rule, he said.



The Home Minister said the then Governor N N Vohra had sent a report in June after speaking to leaders of all major parties that none of them had expressed any intention to form a government.



The would take no wrong or immoral action in the state, Singh asserted, saying it is ready for assembly polls but the decision has to be taken by the

"We are totally committed to democratic process," he said.Only 11 states and all Union territories except Delhi have adopted the Clinical Establishments Act, aimed at streamlining healthcare services in India, despite repeated appeals by the central Health Ministry to states to adopt it, the government said Friday.

"The Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010 is applicable in 11 states who have adopted it.

"The states Sikkim, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Assam and Haryana and all UTs except Delhi have adopted the Act," Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel told Lok Sabha.

The Act has to be adopted by other states under Article 252 of the Constitution of India. The provisions of the Act shall become applicable in the remaining states only after adoption, she said.

Health being a state subject, the enforcement and implementation of the Clinical Establishments Act, 2010 is with the states and UTs.

"The central government is continuously persuading the states to adopt the Act and ensure its strict implementation from time to time," Patel said.

The Clinical Establishments Act was enacted by the Centre to provide for registration and regulation of all clinical organisations in the country with a view to prescribe the minimum standards of facilities and services provided by them



The Act is applicable to all types both therapeutic and diagnostic of clinical establishments in public and private sectors.

Under the Act, standard treatment guidelines are specified for 227 diseases, including dengue, chikungunya and malaria. The hospitals are supposed to abide by minimum standards in terms of infrastructure, services, staff, equipment and lighting arrangements.

A technical committee is to be set up to decide on charges for treatment of diseases and procedures at clinical establishments, including private hospitals.

Health facilities are to display the charges for each procedure and facility to keep the patient informed in advance. Failure to adhere to these guidelines would result in penalty.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Congress Friday hit out at the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led TRS government in Telangana over "delay" in the process of newly-elected members of the assembly taking oath as MLAs.

"In the history of India, can you find any state where even 18 days after declaration of results, MLAs have not taken oath?," the Congress in-charge of Telangana affairs, R C Khuntia told PTI.

"It requires the attention of the nation that even 18 days after results have come, MLAs have not taken oath. The Ministry has not been formed. How is at that even after 18 days, nobody is taking oath", he asked.

Elections to the 119-member Assembly were held on December 7 and results declared on December 11.

The TRS returned to power for the second consecutive term, winning 88 seats, pushing the main opposition Congress to a distant second position with 19 seats.

Rao was sworn in as Chief Minister on December 13. Member of the Legislative Council, Mohammed Mehmood Ali was the only Minister to take oath. He was allocated the Home portfolio.

The Cabinet is yet to be expanded. TRS (Telangana Rashtra Samiti) sources said the Chief Minister is expected to undertake the exercise of inducting more Ministers in January first week.

On December 14, the TRS chief appointed his son K T Rama Rao as the party's Working President.

The move came amid firm indications that Chandrasekhar Rao is keen to play a role in national

Last Sunday, he embarked on a trip to promote his idea of a non-Congress, non-BJP federal front of regional parties.

Rao this week met Biju Janata Dal chief Naveen Patnaik and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, as part of the exercise. He currently is in Delhi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Pump manufacturing company Kirloskar Brothers Ltd and Coal India on Friday are jointly moving 18 high-powered pumps to a remote coal mine here where 15 diggers have been trapped since its flooding a fortnight ago, officials said.

The Indian Air Force joined the rescue operation and airlifted 10 pumps from Bhubaneswar. Its personnel have landed in Guwahati, 270 kilometres away from the 370-foot-deep illegal coal mine, they said.

Two surveyors from Kirloskar Brothers Ltd arrived at the site Thursday night from Pune and 10 pumps of the company are on the way to Shillong, East Jaintia Hills district Superintendent of Police Sylvester Nongtynger told PTI.

General Manager of North Eastern Coalfields J Bora arrived with two officers of the company in the afternoon and they were followed by a 10-member team of experts of the Coal India (CIL) to the site to begin the assesment of the situation, he said.

The illegal rat-hole coal mine is located at Lumthari village near Khliehriat, the headquarters of East Jaintia Hills district. It got flooded when water from nearby Lytein river gushed into it on December 13, trapping the 15 diggers.

Bora said CIL has mobilised eight high-powered pumps from its establishments across the country and the pumps will be transported to the site by road.

The farthest place from where a pump has been mobilised is Bilaspur in Chhatisgarh and the truck carrying it will take three to four days to arrive, Bora said.

The CIL team, he said, will conduct all necessary exercises prior to the arrival of the pumps and it will take about eight hours to complete the fitting of each pump before it can be put into operation.

"We are waiting for the initial 10 high-powered pumps. They will be brought here in the evening today," the SP said.

The high-powered pumps will be transported in trailers from Guwahati till about two kilometres from the accident site. From there vehicles have been requisitioned to carry them to the mine, a senior district official said.

Meanwhile, a 20-member team of the Odisha Fire Services Friday left for Shillong with equipment, including high-powered pumps, high-tech equipment and gadgets to assist the local administration in the search and rescue operation, a report from Bhubaneswar said.

Pumping of water from the mine was suspended on Saturday last as there was no visible receding of the water level in it. The district authorities had written to the state government seeking high-powered pumps as the two 25 hp pumps, which were being used, were found to be inadequate, an official of the NDRF, which is involved in the rescue operation, said.

Kirloskar Brothers had volunteered to provide equipment to drain out the water from the mine to facilitate resumption of the halted search and rescue operation in the rat-hole coal pit.

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in the national capital Thursday over the coal mine issue.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi had on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the incident.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) had on Thursday contradicted media reports which quoted it as saying the trapped minors were suspected dead on the basis of the foul odour the force's divers had smelt when they had gone inside the mine.

It said in a statement that the foul smell could be due to the stagnant water in the mine as pumping had been halted for more than 48 hours.

Two NDRF teams are engaged in the search and rescue operation.

Rat-hole mining involves digging of narrow tunnels, usually 3-4 feet high, for workers to enter and extract coal. The horizontal tunnels are often termed "rat-holes" as each just about fits one person.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Finding ways to hide information in text, unveiling state-sponsored trolls, a plane with no moving parts, wood as strong as titanium and even efforts to go beyond the corporeal to life beyond death... there was seemingly no end to tech innovations in 2018.

It was a year that saw take a quantum leap to touch virtually every aspect of our lives, and even beyond it maybe, from terrestrial to the skies above.

In a first, a plane with no moving parts -- no turbines, propellers or even fans -- took flight in November.

Developed by researchers at US' Massachusetts Institute of (MIT), the small prototype was powered by "ionic wind" -- the flow of ions produced by the plane that generates enough thrust to push it through the air for a sustained, steady flight.

This is the first-ever sustained flight of a plane with no moving parts in the propulsion system," Steven Barrett, associate professor at MIT, said in a statement.

Another development likely to benefit the aviation industry is an autonomous flying drone that can safely herd birds away from airports.

A team of engineers at US' California Institute of were inspired by the 2009 "Miracle on the Hudson", when a plane was forced to land on the Hudson River after losing all its engines to a bird strike just after takeoff.

In February, engineers at the University of Maryland announced they have found a way to make wood as strong as titanium alloys.

"Soft woods like pine or balsa, which grow fast and are more environmentally friendly, could replace slower-growing but denser woods like teak in furniture or buildings," said Liangbing Hu from the University of Maryland.

Technology also found its way into the written word.

A new font, called Sans Forgetica, can help people better remember what they read.

Developed by a team at Australia's Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), the font consists of individual letters that have omitted segments, forcing the reader to pay more attention.

Another team at Columbia University in the US found a way to hide information in plain text.

Their FontCode allowed for embedding hidden information in ordinary text by ever-so-slightly changing the shape of characters in a font. The receiver could then decipher the code by noting the font perturbations.

The field of artificial intelligence (AI) has been constantly evolving in the last few years, making its presence felt in all fields.

A group at Shree Devi Institute of Technology in Karnataka explored the idea of using AI to digitally resurrect the consciousness of people, allowing one to conduct virtual communications with departed loved ones.

At a more tangible level, researchers at Google developed an AI application that can predict heart disease by analysing pictures of the retina.

It focuses on retinal blood vessels that might offer hints of a cardiovascular episode. Researchers reported that the app is 70 per cent accurate in tests, roughly equivalent to blood tests.

Another machine learning platform was developed by a team at the University of California - Davis in the US which can verify multimedia rumours online.

The new tool is meant to distinguish between real and rumour by leveraging the semantic similarity of information sources.

The hope is that such applications will help reduce the number of rumour-based online news stories or fake news'.

Another developing field of technology known as quantum computing got a major boost this year with researchers reporting the first proof that quantum computers would have significant advantage over traditional systems.

According to the team at Germany's Technical University of Munich, Canada's University of Waterloo in Canada and IBM, scientists and engineers earlier worked on quantum computer development based on just the belief that the research would eventually pay off in next-level computer systems.

While in the last decade solar and wind energy has seen significant advancements, the problem of storing energy harvests from these sources on cloudy days, or when there is no wind, remains a challenge.

A group of engineers at MIT developed what they described as a "sun in a box" -- a renewable energy store for the grid.

Their conceptual system stores both solar and wind power and delivers that energy back to the electrical grid on demand. The system would also be large enough to power a small city during periods when the sun is obscured or the wind is not blowing.

A collaboration between researchers from Cypress University of Technology, University College London, the University of Alabama and Boston University resulted in an investigation of state-sponsored trolls.

By analysing data from Twitter and Reddit, they were able to trace the activities of bad actors over time. They found the majority were from Russia and Iran, and they generally attempted to pose as legitimate users from a host of countries around the globe.

The year also saw the end of Moore's law a notion that computing power doubles every year.

A trio of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University noted that the famous Moore's law has ended and speculated about what might come next to increase the speed of future computers.

Their review includes possible innovations that are likely to make a mark, but they note that some as-yet unknown technology is required.

Irrespective of what the future may have in store, the year 2018 has ushered humanity towards an era of next generation technology, demonstrating that there is no looking back in scientific innovations.: Aiming to inspire young minds to develop interest in chemical sciences, a three-day residential chemistry camp for school students began at the Indian Institute of Science and Research here Friday.

Popularly known as Salters' Chemistry Camps, the programme has been jointly organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry India, Salters' Institute, U.K and the IISER, Thiruvananthapuram.

The camp activities are conducted in the state local language Malayalam, an IISER press release said.

Seventy two ninth standard students from various parts of Thiruvananthapuram are participating in the camp.

The Salters Chemistry Camps India, part of the "Inspirational Chemistry Programme" project in India, is supported by Dr Yusuf Hamied (Non-executive Chairman- Cipla Ltd), a leading Indian philanthropist and a pioneer in the pharmaceutical Industry, who has committed to provide Rs eight crore for this five-year programme, which includes training school science teachers also, the release said.

This is the first chemistry camp being conducted at the IISER campus here.

Totally, 22 Salters Chemistry camps have trained over 1,200 students from over 400 schools across 14 states since the launch of the programme in 2015, the release said.

Prof Sir John Holman, Chairman, Salters Institute and past President of the Royal Society of Chemistry said 'The camps have been very successful in the UK as a way of sparking interest and enthusiasm among young people for the future study of chemisry".

Inaugurating the camp, Dr Mahesh Hariharan, Associate Professor, School of Chemistry, IISER,said the students should make best use of the opportunity to interact with scientists from IISER to learn more about science.

Dr Reji Varghese of IISER, Thiruvananthapuram, said the camp was aimed at reaching out to the less previleged, but bright young minds of society, who have a zeal to learn and know key scientific concepts through experimentation.

"The camp will help develop the scientific temparament of such students and they will get hands-on experience in our state-of-the-art chemistry labs," Dr Verghese said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Three men were found guilty of murder on Friday for causing an explosion in a shop in the UK city of Leicester that killed five people, including three members of an Indian-origin family.

The Zabka Polish mini-supermarket and a flat above were completely destroyed in the blast on the evening of February 25, killing three members of the Ragoobeer family who had moved to the UK from Mauritius.

A trial at Leicester Crown Court concluded that shopkeeper Aram Kurd, 34, and his friends Arkan Ali, 37, and Hawkar Hassan, 33, plotted to destroy the shop in order to claim 300,000 pounds in insurance because the business was failing. Ali's girlfriend, Viktorija Ijevleva, who worked in the shop, was left to die in the blaze because she had been in on the plot and "knew too much", the jury was told.

Ijevleva and Mary Ragoobeer, 46, her teenage sons Shane and Sean, and Shane's girlfriend 18-year-old Leah Beth Reek, were all killed in the blast. Mary Ragoobeer's husband, Jose, was out at work at the time of the explosion and their third son survived after he was rescued from the rubble.

The three men used 26 litres of petrol in the basement of the shop to cause the blast, according to Leicestershire Police.

"It was so powerful it demolished the entire building and killed five people inside. One had been left in the shop and four others were in the flat above, enjoying a peaceful Sunday evening together," Prosecutor David Herbert told the court.

He said that Kurd, Ali and Hassan intended to maximise the damage to the premises and "would have known" people were in the two-storey flat above, the home of the Ragoobeers.

Kurd remained in the shop and emerged soon after the blast, feigning shock and concern for the victims. In the aftermath, he also did a series of media interviews expressing concern for the people trapped inside the building. But soon police began to suspect the fire was started deliberately.

The investigation led Leicestershire Police to trawl through more than 700 hours of CCTV footage, and examine more than 2,500 exhibits, 1,000 witness statements and 4,000 different lines of inquiry.

At the end of a five-week trial, the jury found the three charged men guilty of murder. They will be sentenced on January 18.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Three secretariat staff attached to Uttar Pradesh ministers were suspended on charges of graft following a sting operation by a channel, according to a state government release.

They were suspended on orders of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who also directed officials to register a police case against them, the release said.

It said as per the chief minister's direction the matter will be probed by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and it will submit its report within 10 days after taking statements of all parties in the case.

The SIT will be led by Additional Director General of Police, Lucknow Zone, Rajiv Krishna, the release issued on Thursday said.

Directives have also been issued to the secretariat administration for review of such matters so that such cases do not recur, it said.

According to reports in a section of the media, a sting operation was conducted by a TV channel purportedly showing three personal secretaries of ministers allegedly seeking bribe in return for favours such as transfers and issuing of contracts.

The chief minister had earlier issued clear instructions to adopt complete honesty in the government's functioning and clarified that the government had zero-tolerence policy towards corruption, the release said.

In the sting operation, Om Prakash Kashyap, personal secretary of Backward Welfare Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar is purportedly seen seeking Rs 40 lakh for a transfer.

Rajbhar, who is a minister from the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), said he has removed his personal secretary and written a letter to the chief minister for stern action against him.

In the same sting operation, an aide of Minister of State for Mining Archana Pandey, is shown allegedly striking a deal with the channel's reporter for getting him mining contracts in about six districts.

Santosh Awasthi, personal secretary to the MoS Basic Education Sandeep Singh, is also seen in the sting operation allegedly working out a deal for a contract for books and seeking his own cut.

Singh is the grandson of former UP chief minister and current Rajasthan governor Kalyan Singh.

The sting operation also produced alleged recordings of a secretariat staff assuring the reporter, who posed as a contractor, that a school bag and uniform contract would be swung in his favour.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Around 65 state-run schools in West Bengal will introduce English medium teaching at primary and secondary levels from the next academic session, a senior government official said here Friday.

Of the 65 schools, 44 in primary section and 21 in the secondary section, the official said.

minister Partha Chatterjee had said earlier this month, the state-run government schools will offer English based from the next academic year starting March/April 2019, to benefit students.

While English medium will start in 50-60 state-run schools initially in Kolkata and other districts of West Bengal, the government will introduce English teaching in other state-run schools gradually, Chatterjee had said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The meeting of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national executive got underway Friday morning to discuss a host of issues, including the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Ahead of the meeting, AAP's Delhi unit convenor Gopal Rai said, "All issues, including the Lok Sabha elections, will be discussed in the meeting."



The second highest decision making body of the AAP has 24 members, including AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The executive meeting will be followed by a meeting of the National Council of the party on Saturday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The AAP national executive Friday decided to contest parliamentary polls in the states where the BJP can be defeated and monitor the emerging situation in the country before taking a call on joining the grand alliance.

Aam Aadmi Party leader and Lok sabha MP from Punjab Bhagwant Mann said no "formal or informal" talks were going on with the Congress for an alliance and the party was capable of contesting elections independently in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Goa and Chandigarh.

The consensus in the national executive was that the "autocracy" of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah in the country is "dangerous" for the people and the freedom of the country, AAP Delhi convenor Gopal Rai told reporters after the meeting.

"We will fight the autocracy of Modi and Shah across the country and will campaign against it. AAP will contest elections in the states and those constituencies where it can defeat the BJP by focusing its energy on it," Rai said.

When asked about AAP's participation in 'Mahagathbandhan', he said, "We will monitor the situation in the country and take a decision accordingly."



Mahagathbandhan is a grand alliance of opposition parties against the BJP for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Mann rejected any talks with Congress about an alliance while saying that his "personal opinion" was that "secular parties" should come together to contest the next Lok Sabha polls in the country.

"There are no formal or informal talks of any alliance with the Congress. The AAP is capable of fighting elections on its own in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Goa and Chandigarh. We are in Opposition in Punjab and the Congress is in power. Have you ever heard of Opposition and ruling party have come together. How will we face people after that," he said.

On the question of Mahagathbandhan, Mann said it was his "personal opinion that secular parties should be united".

The executive of AAP also discussed condition of farmers in the country.

"The BJP has cheated the farmers. The Congress that won elections in three states on loan waiver promise can be now seen backtracking. The loan waiver announced by the Congress will have partial benefits for the farmers," Rai said.

AAP's Rajasthan leader Rampal Jat said the Congress has "cheated" farmers in the three states in the name of loan waiver.

The second highest decision making body of the party has 24 members most of whom were present in the meeting.

A notable exception was disgruntled AAP leader Kumar Vishwas whose close aide claimed that he was not asked to attend the meeting.

The highest decision making body of the party, National Council, will Saturday morning to ratify decisions of the executive body.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)"The Accidental Prime Minister", starring as Manmohan Singh, is BJP's propaganda against their party, Congress leaders said on Friday as the former prime minister evaded comment on the growing controversy over the film on him.

Congress leaders said propaganda against the party would not work and the truth shall prevail.

The trailer of the film, based on the book of the same name by Sanjay Baru who served as Singh's media advisor 2004 to 2008, was released in Mumbai on Thursday.

The trailer shows Singh as a victim of the Congress' internal ahead of the the 2014 general elections.

Riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years. Was Dr Singh just a regent who was holding on to the PM's chair till the time heir was ready? Watch the official trailer of 'TheAccidentalPrimeMinister', based on an insider's account, releasing on 11 January," the BJP said on Thursday night.

Responding to the BJP, Congress chief spokesperson said on Twitter that such fake propaganda by the party would not stop it from asking the Modi government questions on "rural distress, rampant unemployment, demonetisation disaster, flawed GST, failed Modinomics, all pervading corruption.

Asked by journalists to comment on the film at the Congress' foundation day function at the party headquarters on Friday, Singh walked away without saying anything.

Congress leader and Rajasthan Chief Minister said propaganda against the Congress and its leaders would not work and the truth shall prevail.

His colleague, Congress leader P L Punia, accused the BJP of evading answers on its mis-governance after having failed on all fronts.

This is the handiwork of the BJP. They know that time has come to give answers after completion of five years and they are now trying to divert attention by raising such issues and evade answering to the public after its government failed on all fronts, he said.

Conference leader Omar Abdullah also tweeted on the film, saying, "Can't wait for when they make The Insensitive Prime Minister. So much worse than being the accidental one."

Directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, the film stars Kher as and Akshaye Khanna as Baru.Social activist Piyush Manush Friday appeared before a a court here in connection with a defamation case filed by Isha Yoga Foundation.

The foundation, headed by Jaggi Vasudev, had filed the case against Salem-based Piyush for accusing Isha Foundation of encroaching upon and constructing buildings on elephant corridors and questioning the effect of 'Rally for Rivers', a major programme to desilt and link rivers across the country.

Referring to his post in social media, the foundation had filed the case which came for hearing in the Judicial Magistrate Court-I.

After hearing the arguments from both the parties, the Magistrate Kumarasivam posted the case for further hearing to February 1.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Army commander, Northern Command, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh Friday reviewed the prevailing security situation and the operational preparedness of the forces in Kashmir, a defence spokesman said.

Lt Gen Singh arrived in the Kashmir valley to review the prevailing security situation, he said.

The army commander, accompanied by Chinar Corps Commander Lt Gen A K Bhatt, visited the forward areas in the frontier districts of Kupwara and Baramulla, where he was briefed by the commanders on ground as regards to the operational preparedness.

During his interaction with the troops, Lt Gen Singh lauded their professionalism, high morale, sharp vigil along the Line of Control (LoC) and exhorted them to remain alert for any eventuality, the spokesman said.

Later in the day, the spokesman said, the Army commander visited the hinterland formations and was briefed about the current situation and recent counter-militancy operations.

The Army commander complimented the troops for their remarkable successes and also commended them for their dedication to duty.

Lauding the excellent synergy amongst all the security forces, he asked all ranks to maintain a safe, secure and peaceful environment for the people of Kashmir, the spokesman said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Ahead of the first anniversary of the Koregaon-Bhima caste clashes on January 1, Pune police are on alert to ensure that there is no recurrence of the violence witnessed on the first day of 2018.

The year began on an inauspicious note for Maharashtra with violence marring bicentenary celebration of the battle of Koregaon-Bhima and its repercussions haunting the state for the next few months.

Tension prevailed ahead of the 200th anniversary of the battle as some right-wing organisations had opposed the celebration of a victory which ended the Maratha rule.

As Dalits thronged the Jay Stambh (victory pillar) at Koregaon-Bhima, 40 km from Pune, on January 1, clashes broke out. Mobs torched vehicles and shops and ransacked houses.

The battle was fought between forces of the East India Company and the Peshwa, the erstwhile ruler of Pune, in 1818.

The winning forces of the East India Company included soldiers from the Mahar caste, then considered untouchable.

As the battle ended the rule of Peshwa, a Brahmin, Dalit leaders look at it as a symbol of emancipation.

After Dr B R Ambedkar visited the monument on January 1, 1927, it became a site of annual pilgrimage for Dalits.

While the annual event used to be low-key earlier, Dalit organisations decided to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the historic battle in a big way.

But a few Hindu right-wing leaders opposed the celebration, contending the battle which ushered in British rule was nothing to be proud of.

The violence over the 200-year-old battle once again exposed caste fault lines in the 21st century Maharashtra.

Dalit organisations gave call for a shut-down across the state after the events of January 1 in which a person lost life. The 'bandh' disrupted life in Mumbai and elsewhere.

A case was registered against right-wing Hindu leaders Sambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote with Pune rural police for allegedly instigating the violence.

The accusations against Bhide, in particular, assumed political overtones as the octogenarian is known to be respected by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many BJP leaders.

In the aftermath of the violence, Prakash Ambedkar, Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh president and grandson of Dr B R Ambedkar, became the voice of Dalit community which sought action against Bhide and Ekbote.

The chain of events leading to the violence had begun on December 29 with the destruction of the tombstone of a Dalit man at Vadhu Budruk, 30 km from Pune.

In February, the BJP-led state government appointed a judicial commission headed by a retired high court justice Jai Narayan Patel to conduct inquiry into the violence.

The commission is conducting hearings at present.

While Ekbote was arrested and later released on bail, Bhide was never arrested.

A staunch right-wing Hindu activist and ardent admirer of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Bhide came into national limelight when at an election rally in Sangli in October 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had come to seek the blessings of Bhide Guruji, his "inspiration".

While on one hand Dalit leaders blamed upper caste elements for fomenting violence, the matter took another turn when a case was registered with Pune police alleging that the Elgar Parishad conclave organised by left-wing activists on December 31, 2017 led to the violence at Koregaon-Bhima.

The complaint by city-based builder against six persons including Sudhir Dhawale of the Kabir Kala Manch, one of the organisers of Elgar Parishad, said provocative speeches at the conclave promoted communal enmity.

Dalit MLA Jignesh Mevani, JNU leader Umar Khalid, Rohit Vemula's mother Radhika Vemula and former HC judge B G Kolse-Patil were among those who participated in the conclave.

The case led the Pune police to arrest ten left-wing activists in countrywide raids, in June and August.

Those arrested included lawyer Surendra Gadling, Nagpur university teacher Shoma Sen, Dhawale, human rights activist Sudha Bharadwaj and Telugu poet Varavara Rao.

Police claimed that Maoists had funded Elgar Parishad in order to mobilise Dalits against the government.

Police also said that the correspondence between Maoist leaders and some of the accused revealed that Maoists were planning "Rajiv Gandhi-type incident to assassinate prime minister Modi.

As another anniversary of the battle of Koregaon-Bhima nears, Pune police are on on their toes to ensure that there is no trouble this time.

Heavy security is being deployed in and around Jay Stambh, Superintendent of Police, Pune Rural, Sandip Patil told PTI.

But the real question is whether the state will be able to bury the ghost of caste which the events of Bhima Koregaon unleased.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Days after a Noida park was declared out of bounds for religious activities, only a dozen people turned up there for the Friday namaz but found parts of the ground waterlogged and the police keeping a vigil.

Early this month, the Nodia Police had issued orders stating that Friday prayers cannot be held at the government plot as there was no requisite permission.

A fire tender was also deployed outside the park on Friday.

The local authorities had watered the park, which served as a venue for collective Friday namaz for the past few years and where hundreds used to turn up every week.

Those who came for the prayers but could not offer namaz expressed disappointment, claiming that it was only the last and this Friday that water was released into the park since it started hosting the prayers.

A Noida Authority official said watering in the parks is done by maintenance contractors and they decide when to do this. "The maintenance of the parks is looked after by contractors. They decide when to water it, trim the grass and clean it," the official, who did not wish to be named, told PTI.

Scores of personnel including those from Sector 58 and nearby police stations and the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) were deployed in and around the park. A fire tender was also stationed outside it.

Adil Rashid, one of the organisers of the Friday prayers at the park since 2013, had Thursday appealed to the Muslims not to go to the park, saying permission for religious gatherings had been denied by the administration.

Cleric Noman Akhtar, who had been leading the prayers over the years, had also said he will not be joining the namaz on Friday in the park.

Mohd Mushtaq Khan, who works in a private company in adjoining Sector 59 and turned up for the namaz, said he had been coming to the park for over five years now.

"There is no other space where we can go. I come at 1.30 pm and everyone gets done offering namaz by 2 pm."



"It's only today and last Friday that the park has been watered. Otherwise, there would be arrangement of water at a corner in the park for 'wajoo'," the 33-year-old told PTI.

He said since there was no permission for holding namaz there they could not enter the park.

Meraj Ahmed, who also came for offering nanaz, said going to far off places looking for a mosque was not possible in a half-hour lunch break. He said that on Fridays he gets a one-hour break from his company considering the prayers, but even that "does not solve my problem".

"There is no provision by the companies also, so we used to come here. I don't know what will we do next Friday," Ahmed, 27, said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A parliamentary panel has termed the Ayushman Bharat scheme a modification of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), and said that over half of its proposed beneficiaries already stand covered by existing government supported programmes.

The committee stated this in its 112th report on the action taken by the government on the recommendations/ observations contained in the 106th report on Demands for Grants 2018-19 of the Department of Health.

It said the National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS), also known as the Ayushman Bharat scheme, was announced in the 2018-19 budget and it was the world's largest government- funded healthcare programme with 50 crore prospective beneficiaries.

"The new scheme is just a modification of the earlier scheme, RSBY. Over half the target beneficiaries proposed to be covered under the NHPS already stand covered today by existing government supported schemes," it said.

"What would indeed have been a step forward is if it covered out-patient treatment as well, but that is lacking. Many states have in fact opted out of the RSBY in favour of the state-run schemes and some states are trying out the trust-based model," it added.

The parliamentary committee said a recent comprehensive review on various studies related to the RSBY revealed that in the majority of studies there was an increase in out-of-pocket expenditure related to the scheme, while only two of 14 studies showed a reduction in expenditure.

The NSS data on the RSBY showed that enrolment was quite low, only 57 per cent of those eligible were enrolled and less than 12 per cent of the eligible people got their hospitalisation covered through the programme, it said.

The committee, thus, recommended that the government form a panel to analyse the failures of the RSBY and ensure that inadequacies plaguing its operation and implementation were not repeated.

It also recommended that the NHPS must have first claim on the proceeds collected from health and education cess and fund constraint should not be allowed to come in the way of its implementation.

The committee observed that the impressive economic progress made during the last two decades had not resulted in commensurate investment in the health sector as a result of which India continued to lag behind many developing countries on health indicators on the global comparison matrix.

The lack of financial commitment for translating healthcare goals into action was evident from the fact that though the government expenditure on health sector had marginally increased as a per cent of the GDP over the years, it has stagnated at around 1.2 per cent of GDP, it said.

The panel said the current pace of the year-on-year budgetary allocation for health was unlikely to reach the targeted level of 2.5 per cent of the GDP by 2025.

"Due to the low government expenditure on health, most spending on healthcare is paid out of pocket. Due to which out-of-pocket expenditures have emerged as a major cause of poverty for low and middle income families," it said.

Recognising this, the committee, while making its recommendation in the report, highlighted that the allocated funds would not only fall short of meeting the current requirements for certain proposed/ongoing health schemes, but also impinge upon achieving the target of 2.5 per cent of the GDP as public health expenditure by 2025.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Campaigning ended on Friday for Bangladesh's December 30 general election as army troops patrolled the streets along with paramilitary forces and police with intensified nationwide security 48 hours before voting.

"I expect the law enforcement agencies to ensure security so the people cast vote freely to their desired candidates and return home safely," Chief Election Commissioner Nurul Huda said as the military and paramilitary forces set up makeshift camps across the country after being called out on election duty.

Huda asked security agencies to keep an extra vigil on religious minority communities during the voting on Sunday as media reports said at least three Hindu households were set on fire by miscreants between December 16 and 26.

"The elections particularly in 2001 and 2014 appeared as a nightmare as far as minority communities were concerned, the situation is good this time barring the three arson attacks in Feni and Thakurgaon," Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council spokesman Kajol Debnath told PTI.

He said minority community leaders held a series of meetings with the Election Commission and law enforcement agencies who promised to pursue a 'zero tolerance' policy against any attack or intimidation.

Law enforcement agencies in major cities are checking vehicles as part of their vigil as some 600,000 security personnel including several thousand soldiers and paramilitary border guards were deployed across the country.

But overnight violence saw the death of an activist of the ruling Awami League and arrests of several opposition workers as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina seeks to retain power for a third consecutive term while Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of jailed ex-premier Khaleda Zia is its main rival.

The BNP has stayed out of the parliamentary process since 2014 when it boycotted the last general election over its demands for a poll-time non-party government.

It returned to parliamentary politics as part of a new alliance - National Unity Front (NUF) - that was cobbled together three months ago with eminent lawyer Kamal Hossain as its convener.

But the party is in a state of disarray in the absence of its two top leaders Zia and her fugitive son Tarique Rahman who is the acting party chief.

Zia, 73, is serving a 10-year prison term on graft charges while Rahman is living in London ostensibly to evade the law as a court has sentenced him to life imprisonment for masterminding a grenade attack on a rally in 2004 that killed 24 Awami League leaders and activists.

The opposition, however, said they are facing violent attacks and intimidation, including arrests that has affected their electioneering.

Awami League's election posters are plastered on walls and poles across the country but those of opposition candidates are barely visible as they alleged that the police have created an atmosphere of fear to debar their supporters from staging street campaigns.

At least six people have been killed in poll-related clashes since the campaigning began as Awami League claimed that five of them were its supporters while BNP alleged that over 12,000 opposition activists including several candidates were injured in attacks by the ruling party's activists.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The NDA government in Bihar on Friday drew flak from the opposition over a missive issued by the state police chief wherein he had expressed the need for steps to improve "public perception" about the force.

In the communication issued earlier this week, Director General of Police K S Dwivedi had expressed dissatisfaction over lack of adequate thrust on prevention of crimes in districts and directed respective SSPs/SPs to take remedial measures. He had also expressed displeasure over instructions for better policing, issued in the past, going unheeded.

Reacting to the episode, leader of the opposition in the state assembly Tejashwi Yadav tweeted "the Bihar DGP has questioned functioning and working style of his own police".

The RJD leader, who is a former Deputy CM, also targeted Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who holds the Home portfolio and alleged "police stations are being auctioned to highest bidders" - alluding to corruption in transfers and postings.

Senior Congress leader Prem Chandra Mishra said "the tone of the DGP's letter to district police chiefs indicates a sense of helplessness on his part. Such an officer does not deserve to be in the chair".

The ruling JD(U)-BJP combine, however, rubbished the opposition's allegations, claiming the DGP's gesture was "positive".

"If the man heading the state police is taking such an active interest in day-to-day functioning of the department, it is a positive response and deserves to be appreciated", BJP spokesman Nikhil Anand said.

JD(U) spokesman and MLC Neeraj Kumar hit back at the RJD blaming the spurt in crime in the recent past on "patronage to criminals" by the opposition party.

"Its MLA Raj Ballabh Yadav got disqualified from the assembly following conviction in rape case and yet the party has not shown the decency to expel him from the party", the JD(U) leader said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Billie Lourd paid homage to late mother Carrie Fisher two years after her death.

Fisher passed away on December 28, 2016, after suffering a heart attack during a flight from London to Los Angeles. One day later, Fisher's mother veteran actor Debbie Reynolds died as well.

"It has been two years since my Momby's death and I still don't know what the 'right' thing to do on a death anniversary is (I'm sure a lot of you feel the same way about your loved ones). So I decided to do something a little vulnerable for me, but something we both loved to do together sing. This is the piano her father gave her and this was one of her favourite songs," Lourd wrote in the caption alongside a video which features her seated at a piano, performing a cover of the song "These Days", originally written by Jackson Browne.

She said "These Days" was "one of her favorite songs."



"And as the song says, we must 'keep on moving. I've found that what keeps me moving is doing things that make me happy, working hard on the things that I'm passionate about and surrounding myself with people I love and making them smile," Lourd wrote.

"I hope this encourages anyone feeling a little low or lost to 'keep on moving.' As my Momby once said, 'take your broken heart and turn it into art' -- whatever that art may be for you," she added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Parameshwara Friday accused the BJP of trying to destabilise the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in the state, which was facing discontent from within, but asserted that the ruling dispensation would complete its full five-year term.

The saffron party, he alleged, was trying to destabilise the government through another 'Operation Lotus,' "a tactic which will not work this time".

He admitted there was discontent within the coalition government on cabinet expansion and portfolio allocation, but claimed it was 'minimal' and could be managed.

"Discontent is just only minimal...It is just minimal, we can handle it, no problem. It is not that big to remove the government," he told reporters after attending the 134th Founding day celebrations of the Congress party at the DCC office here.

'Operation Lotus' refers to the controversial exercise carried out by the BJP during Yeddyurappa's tenure as chief minister when opposition MLAs were made to resign and join the BJP before getting elected again on the saffron party ticket,



"The BJP earlier did Operation Kamal. They were successful then.Same attempt is being made but ultimately they will not be successful. The tactic will not work this time.

(Because) we are very strong. Our alliance is very strong and we will definitely complete our five-year term," he said.

Senior BJP lawmaker Umesh Katti had on December 26 claimed that 15 disgruntled MLAs from the ruling coalition were in touch with him and that the saffron party would form the new government in Karnataka by next week.

His statement came a day after senior BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa ruled out any attempts by his party to destabilise the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka.

The leader of the opposition in the assembly had said his party would take the "appropriate decision" if there was political instability in the state.

Parameshwara also said there were "no discussions" within the Congress-JD(S) coalition on internal arrangement of providing Chief Ministership to the Congress after two-and-a-half years.

"There were no discussions like that. We have agreed to complete five years and will complete the term," he said when asked whether H D Kumaraswami would step down after two-and-a-half years to pave the way for a Congress leader to take oath as Chief Minister.

The Congress leader said that the Congress-JD(S) coalition had agreed "in-principle" to fight the coming Lok Sabha elections together.

"The formula on seat-sharing has to be worked out," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Despite lacking the numbers, the BJP, supported by NCP corporators, won the election for Mayor in the Ahmednagar Municipal Corporation in Maharashtra, leaving the ally Shiv Sena licking its wounds.

The Shiv Sena had won the highest number of seats in the recent civic election but did not have a majority.

Amid high drama, the BJP, the Sena's senior alliance partner in the state, managed to install its candidate Babasaheb Wakale as Mayor.

All the newly-elected 18 corporators of the NCP voted for the BJP by defying the party diktat.

The BJP has only 14 members in the 68-member civic body against Shiv Sena's 24. But the BJP candidate polled 37 votes in the mayoral election.

Apart from NCP corporators, four members of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and an independent corporator too voted for Wakale.

Left red-faced, the NCP issued a show-cause notice to its corporators.

State NCP chief Jayant Patil claimed that clear instructions had been given to the corporators not to vote for either the BJP or the Sena.

"We are considering taking disciplinary action against them," Patil said.

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said the party had contested the December 10 election to the civic body in alliance with like-minded parties.

"The party corporators had been warned against voting in favour of either BJP or Sena in the election for mayor," Malik said.

High drama was witnessed during the polling when controversial independent corporator Shripad Chhindam rose to raise his hand in support of the Sena candidate.

It enraged Sena corporators who pushed and shoved him inside the house.

Chhindam later aired a purported taped conversation between him and a senior Sena corporator who he claimed had sought Chhindam's support for the election for mayor's post.

Chhindam, a BJP corporator in the earlier house, was sacked from the saffron party after he made a controversial remark about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Friday's development could be embarrassing for the NCP as the Sharad Pawar-led party is in talks with the Congress and other like-minded parties for an anti-BJP alliance for the the Lok Sabha polls.

A BJP minister said while requesting anonymity that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had called Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray offering an alliance in the Ahmednagar corporation.

"However, NCP legislator Sangram Jagtap and BJP legislator Shivaji Kardile are accused in the murder of Sanjay Kotkar, Sena's former city vice-president, and party worker Vasant Thube. Therefore Thackeray rejected our proposal," the BJP leader said.

Commenting on the development, Sena leader Anil Rathod said, "People had voted for the Sena. However, to protect the murderers of our party-men, the NCP and BJP came together.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Three bags containing cash and ammunition were stolen from the car belonging to an Asian Games silver medalist para-shooter while he had parked his vehicle outside the office of National Rifle Association here, police said Friday.

The incident took place on Tuesday at around 2.30 pm when Deepak Saini (31) had gone to the office of National Rifle Association after parking his vehicle outside the building in south Delhi's Tughlakabad area, they said.

"I usually practice shooting at Tughalakbad. I had come with two of my other friends who are also shooters. I will be leaving for Germany in January to participate in a shooting competition there. So, I had come to collect some documents required for the same," Saini, the silver medalist told PTI.

When he returned, Saini said, he was shocked to see the windowpanes of his car smashed and three bags containing ammunition, cash and valuables were also stolen from the vehicle.

Saini won silver medal in Asian Games Para shooting held this year.

Confirming the incident, police said, a case has been registered at the Ambedkar Nagar police station and a probe is underway.

However, since no CCTV camera was installed in the nearby area, police are trying to ascertain the exact sequence of event with a preliminary enquiry at the local level, the officer said.

The accused has not been identified yet, police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The CBI has registered four separate cases related to alleged bank fraud to the tune of nearly Rs 74 crore in the Union Bank of India, officials said Friday.

All these cases have been reported from mid corporate branches in Kaushambi and Ghaziabad against separate companies, they said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked promoters and directors of SM Enterprises, Geneius Impex,



JBR Impex and JR Foods for causing loss to the bank by alleged loan defaults, the officials said.

All the defaults were reported as non-performing assets and then frauds by the bank. The bank later asked the CBI to take over the investigation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)State-owned Central Bank of India Friday said it will raise about Rs 200 crore by issuing shares to staff under the employee stock purchase scheme.

The board of directors of the bank at their meeting held on December 28, 2018 approved the proposal to raise capital by issuance of shares to employees through Employee Stock Purchase Scheme (ESPS) to the extent of approximately Rs 200 crore, the lender said in a regulatory filing.

The Committee of Directors will decide all operative steps, including convening of extra-ordinary general meeting of shareholders to pass the resolution and determination of pricing methodology and discount, Central Bank said.

Last week, Syndicate Bank had informed about raising up to Rs 500 crore by issuing 30 crore shares to its staff under the employee stock purchase scheme.

Punjab National Bank said it has mobilised Rs 500 crore through ESPS.

The government in March 2017, had 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.

Shares of Central Bank of India closed 0.96 per cent down at Rs 36.05 apiece on BSE.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Lok Sabha on Friday adopted a resolution on imposition of President's rule in Jammu and Kashmir, with the Centre asserting that it was committed to democratic process in the state after the Opposition termed the decision to dissolve the Assembly as "unconstitutional".

The Statutory Resolution on imposition of President's Rule in Jammu and Kashmir, which requires Parliament's approval, was adopted with voice vote amid din in the House.

However, after members insisted, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan allowed a discussion on the issue as a "special case".

As opposition parties, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress and NCP questioned imposition of President's Rule and dissolution of J-K Assembly, Home Minister Rajnath Singh told the House that no party was in a position to form government even a day before December 19 when the Governor took the decision.

He also rejected claims of some opposition parties that the BJP was propping up a regional party to form government, saying if his party had such an intention, it would have done so within six months of the Governor's Rule.

"The government doesn't conduct elections but the government is ready for election. It is the responsibility of the Election Commission to hold elections... we are totally committed to democratic process," he said.

The Minister assured the House that security requirement of the Election Commission will be met for free and fair assembly election in the state.

Soon after imposition of the Governor's Rule in June, Singh said, the Governor's report of June 19 to the President indicated that no party or coalition of parties in the state was in a position to form government.

The Governor's rule was imposed in these conditions, he said, adding the Assembly was not dissolved for six months in anticipation of formation of government in the state. However, no party staked claim to form government and the Governor had to recommend President's Rule.

President's rule in Jammu and Kashmir follows if the Governor's rule extends beyond six months. The Statutory Resolution will now go to Rajya Sabha for approval.

Initiating the debate, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said Governor Satya Pal Malik acted in "gross violation" of the Supreme Court order in S R Bommai case that had stated that whether an alliance has a majority or not can be decided only on the floor of the assembly.

Malik's decision to impose Governor's rule after the NC, PDP and the Congress made a move to form the government in the state was also in "violation" of the Sarkaria Commission's guidelines on Centre-state relations, he said.

Trinamool Congress' Saugata Roy termed the governor's decision as "arbitrary" and claimed the Centre had propped up a rival alliance led by Sajjad Lone, who had the support of "only two MLAs".

As Singh was speaking, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah interjected, saying, "The PDP approached our party and we agreed to provide them support along with the Congress. But the irony was that the fax and phone of the Governor were not working."



Referring to the decision to dissolve the Assembly without giving an opportunity to the proposed NC-PDP-Cong alliance to form government in the state, he said, "Governor's House is not the place to prove majority but the Assembly is. Governor didn't wait and dissolved it."



The Home Minister, however, asserted said that no party was in a position to form government even a day before the Governor took the decision about dissolution of the Assembly.

"Our intentions should never be doubted on Jammu and Kashmir. If the BJP had to form the government, we could have done it within six months of the Governor's Rule," he said.

As far as the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, he said, it is an old problem. The government is trying to improve the conditions by taking various steps like creating more employment for the people of the state.

Grassroots democracy is being strengthened, he said, noting that local bodies elections have been held after a gap of many years. Elected representatives of the local bodies are being given administrative and financial powers, he added.

Biju Janata Dal's Bhartruhari Mahtab supported the resolution, saying the Governor's rule in the state had become necessary and noted that two main regional parties, the NC and PDP, boycotted the panchayat polls. He said assembly elections should be held in the state along with 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

AIADMK's P Venugopal expressed his party's opposition to the imposition of Governor's rule as a matter of principle and asked the Centre to explain the reasons for taking such an "extreme" step.

Supriya Sule of the Nationalist Congress Party called for holding elections in the state.

Expressing anguish over the situation in J-K, Abdullah said the state is going through great "turmoil" which does not seem to end.

"The solution to the problems of the state is not through the police and the Army.... Something has to be done immediately," the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said.

"For the sake of India, Kashmir needs to be given priority. The state has been suffering a lot," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former attorney, denied Thursday that he had ever visited Prague, shooting down a report that he had a meeting with Russian officials there during the 2016 presidential election campaign.

"I hear #Prague #CzechRepublic is beautiful in the summertime," Cohen tweeted. "I wouldn't know as I have never been."



"#Mueller knows everything!" he added in a reference to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the former FBI director who is investigating whether Trump's campaign colluded with Russia to get him elected to the White House.

Cohen's tweet came several hours after the McClatchy service reported that cell phone records showed that Cohen was near Prague in the summer of 2016, supporting claims that he met there with Russian officials.

Cohen, who was sentenced to three years in prison this month after pleading guilty to tax evasion and other crimes, has denied ever visiting Prague.

Since then, however, Cohen has turned on his former boss and has been cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the former FBI director who is investigating whether Trump's campaign colluded with Russia to get him elected to the White House.

Details of Cohen's cooperation with the Mueller probe have not been publicly revealed and Trump vehemently denies any collusion with Russia.

The purported meeting between Cohen and Russian government officials in Prague was first reported in a document with compromising material on Trump compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele.

According to what has become known as the "Steele dossier", Cohen had a clandestine meeting with Kremlin officials in Prague in August 2016 to discuss hiding links between members of the Trump campaign and Russia.

McClatchy, publisher of the Miami Herald and other newspapers, said a mobile phone traced to Cohen had briefly sent signals off cell towers in the Prague area in late summer 2016.

"The brief activation from Cohen's phone near Prague sent beacons that left a traceable electronic signature," it said.

Citing "four people with knowledge of the matter", McClatchy said that the electronic record supports "claims that Cohen met secretly there with Russian officials."



"During the same period of late August or early September (2016), electronic eavesdropping by an Eastern European intelligence agency picked up a conversation among Russians, one of whom remarked that Cohen was in Prague," McClatchy cited "two people familiar with the incident" as saying.

"The new information regarding the recovery of Cohen's cell phone location doesn't explain why he was apparently there or who he was meeting with, if anyone," McClatchy said.

"But it adds to evidence that Cohen was in or near Prague around the time of the supposed meeting," it said.

McClatchy said the intelligence pointing to the presence of Cohen near Prague had been shared with the Special Counsel's office.

Among the crimes Cohen pleaded guilty to was lying to Congress about the status of a Trump real estate project in Moscow.

Cohen acknowledged that the talks to build a Trump Tower in Moscow continued until at least June 2016 -- six months longer than he had told Congress.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)BSP MLA Sanjeev Singh alias Sanju Friday said that the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh should be more "generous" towards legislators of other parties and independents as it has got a majority in the assembly due to their support.

Out of the 28 legislators who had taken oath as ministers in the Kamal Nath-led government in the state, there is only one independent MLA.

"The Congress government in the state and its leadership should be more sensitive towards them. They should be respected and given their due. The ruling party should be more generous and kind towards its allies," he told PTI.

In a nail-biting finish to the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls announced earlier this month, the Congress got maximum 114 seats in the 230-member state assembly, closely followed by the BJP with 109 seats.

With the support of two Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs, one Samajwadi Party MLA, along with a few other MLAs, the Congress crossed the majority mark and managed to form a government in the state.

Sanju's remarks came at the time when allocation of portfolios in the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh continued to be in limbo, three days after 28 cabinet ministers were sworn in on Christmas.

While the Congress officially claimed there was no delay in the allocation of portfolios, sources in the party as well as the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party have maintained that power tussles and groupism were creating hurdles.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)CPI(M) Tamil Nadu secretary G Balakrishnan and senior leaders of the party were Friday stopped from meeting farmers agitating near here against the installation of high-power lines in their fields, leading to a protest by over 100 party workers against the police.

Balakrishnan, along with former MP P R Natarajan and former MLA K C Karunakaran, had reached the venue to meet the farmers, who are on hunger strike, to extend solidarity with them.

But, the police prevented them from going to the stage.

However, the workers accompanying Balakrishnan raised slogans against the police, leading to heated arguments.

In the melee, Balakrishnan and others reached the venue and discussed the issue with the farmers.

Later talking to reporters, Balakrishnan said the state government should not indulge in such tactics of preventing political leaders from meeting the ryots.

Stating that the powerlines were laid through underground cables across the world including in Chennai, he said the government, instead of terrorising the farmers, should take steps to protect them and their land.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Police on Friday captured an armed man who held eight people hostage at a bank in the central Czech town of Pribram, police said, adding that nobody was injured.

"A special police unit entered the bank and detained the man," Pribram police spokeswoman Monika Schindlova told public broadcaster Czech Television.

"All hostages are OK," she said, adding the hostage-taker was born in 1990 but refusing to disclose further details about his identity.

The gun-toting suspect was detained about two-and-a-half hours after the hold-up began.

Schindlova told AFP earlier the man had released one hostage before the special operations unit arrived in Pribram, a town some 50 kilometres (30 miles) southwest of the capital Prague.

"Before the negotiator arrived, the man had said he didn't want to hurt anyone and that this was no bank robbery," said Schindlova.

"He wanted to negotiate and to file some criminal complaint," she added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Gujarat MLA and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani was not allowed to meet Bhim Army activists at a jail here as he had come after visiting hours, officials said Friday.

The Bhim Army is a Dalit outfit based in Uttar Pradesh and its activist are lodged at the Muzaffarnagar district jail in connection with the April 2 violence here.

Mevani had come to meet the activists after visiting hours on Thursday evening, therefore, he was not allowed a meeting, Jail Superintendent A K Saxena said.

He said the MLA had come to meet Vikas Medun, Upkar Bawra and Arjun Kumar.

Bawra is the Dalit outfit's district unit president.

They have been booked under the stringent National Security Act in connection with the violence, Saxena said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A parliamentary panel has told the Health Ministry to decide the location of new AIIMS keeping in mind the existing healthcare infrastructure in the vicinity of earmarked area, so that duplication of facilities is avoided.

The committee in its 111th report on the Functioning of New AIIMS (Phase-I) under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) expressed concern at the duplication and concentration of tertiary care services at a particular place.

"In the places that have been selected for setting up of AIIMS-like institutions, the critical gap in the tertiary healthcare is already being filled by private sector," the department-related parliamentary standing committee on health and family welfare said.

"The committee strongly believes that AIIMS should be located in an area with low human development index that lags behind in tertiary healthcare," it said.

According to the panel, site selection for any AIIMS-like institution requires a detailed assessment of the geographical location and the demographic distribution. Easy accessibility and transportation availability is one major concern, it said.

At several places like Guwahati, Patna and now in Madurai, where a new AIIMS was recently announced, the government had already selected government medical colleges for upgradation programme under the PMSSY, it noted.

"The committee strongly recommends that the ministry, while deciding the location of the new AIIMS, must take note of the already existing healthcare infrastructure in the vicinity of the earmarked area so that duplication of healthcare facilities is avoided," it said.

The committee suggested that the healthcare system should be such that delivery of medical facility and care is regionally distributed and even the remotest region is well within its outreach to address regional imbalances in provision of healthcare facilities.

Expressing dissatisfaction at the failure of the ministry to monitor the timely completion of the project, mainly the construction activities in all the new AIIMS-like institutions, the panel recommended that the ministry should ensure proper planning and timely execution for its completion.

According to the committee, careless selection of the project consultants did more harm than good and caused unwarranted delays in the construction activity.

The committee also feels that AIIMS-like institutes and hospitals should be excluded from the National Building Code guidelines or some amendments in the guidelines can be made so that AIIMS-like institutions are allowed to carry out vertical expansion.

"This will not only ensure the optimum utilisation of land but also resolve the delays caused due to unavailability of land," it said.

The committee in its report stated that it also came across several discrepancies in the procurement exercise and expressed concern over AIIMS-like institutions having purchased the same medical equipment at a higher cost than their counterparts in the health industry.

"Despite similar CMC/training/warranty conditions, a substantial price differential has been observed in the procurement of the same medical equipment by the private corporate hospitals and the new AIIMS," it said.

It has recommended that the ministry should carry out a detailed assessment in all such cases where price differential is more than 10 per cent in the procurement of equipment by private/corporate hospitals and AIIMS-like institutions.

The panel also expressed disappointment over the performance of Procurement Support Agency and recommended strong monitoring of its functioning along with quarterly submission of a status report on the procurement of medical devices to the committee under the PMSSY scheme.

It also underlined the need to follow a competitive tendering mechanism for procurement of any equipment rather than a single bid tender procurement.

The panel further recommended that the other AIIMS- like institutions should emulate AIIMS Bhubaneshwar that has procured 130 medical equipment with ISO.BIS certification.

This would not only minimise the cost but also promote the domestic manufacturers, boosting government's flagship Make in India campaign, it said.

Aggrieved at the shortage of faculty and non-faculty staff in all the AIIMS-like institutions, the panel asked the ministry to address this acute shortage as it has a direct impact on the quality of health service and medical education in the institutes.

It has also sought to be apprised of the number of faculty that have been employed from other premier medical institutes and asked new AIIMS-like institutions to submit a status note on the number of applicants and number candidates employed and rejected.

The panel also sought to know the reasons for the rejection of such candidates.

The panel mentioned a CAG report which highlighted that in six new AIIMS -- Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Jodhpur, Patna, Raipur and Rishikesh -- shortage of faculty posts ranged from 55 per cent to 83 per cent. Similarly, the shortage of non-faculty posts ranged from 77 to 97 per cent.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Delhi Police on Friday become the first police force in the country to digitize all malkhanas, rooms for keeping seized arms and ammunition, across every police station in the state, an official release said.

Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik inaugurated the e-malkhana project of the remaining 10 districts at Chinamaya Mission here.

Underlying the importance of the project, Patnaik said that digitization of service delivery mechanism will definitely make the whole system faster, smoother and easier, the release stated.

The Commissioner of Police also commended the efforts of the personnel involved in the project and presented certificate of merit to 14 personnel -- one from each district.

A booklet on e-malkhana functioning was also released on the occasion and a short film on how the project was executed was shown.

Speaking at the event, Sandeep Goel, Special Commissioner of Police, said digitisation of case properties would give a boost to the prosecution and the judicial system by making it easier to maintain, locate and retrieve case properties, the release stated.

According to the release, around 3,11,600 case properties have been encrypted in digital form across all the police stations in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Girls of a shelter home in were allegedly abused by its staff, following which an FIR was registered by the police, the Commission for Women (DCW) said Friday.

During an inspection of shelter homes in on Thursday, the members interacted with girls aged 6-15 to understand their experience of residing at a shelter home, a statement said.

Some elder girls at a shelter home in Dwarka area alleged that the female staff put chilli powder in their private parts as punishment. They were also forced to have chilli powder, it said.

Any sort of defiant behaviour from the children would be met with "serious and grave punishment" because of which they had become submissive, it said.

The teenage girls were also forced to wash utensils and clothes, clean rooms and toilets, and perform other kitchen chores, as the home did not have adequate staff. There was only one cook in the home for the 22 girls and staff, and the quality of was not good, the statement said.

The teenage girls complained that they were beaten with scales for not keeping their rooms clean and not listening to the staff. They were not permitted to go home during summer and winter vacations, it said.

The committee members shared the allegations with chief who immediately reached the home at 8 pm.

Maliwal immediately called the Dwarka deputy commissioner of police, who sent a team of senior officers to the home and recorded statements of the children. An FIR has been registered by the against the staff, the DCW said.

The DCW chairperson and the members of the expert committee stayed in the home till early morning, the statement said.

A team of DCW counsellors as well as police have been deputed in the home 24/7 to ensure the safety of the children. The DCW shall continue to monitor the condition of the shelter home, it added.

Earlier, the DCW had set up an expert committee in consultation with the Delhi on shelter homes to inspect various private and government-run shelter homes and give suggestions for their improvement.An Egyptian court has sentenced a 25-year-old woman to three years in prison for "sexually harassing" a monkey in the country's north, state daily Al-Ahram reported Friday.

A court in Mansoura city charged Basma Ahmed with "inciting debauchery" and "committing an obscene act in public", a judicial source told the newspaper.

She was arrested in October after a 90-second video of the incident went viral, Al-Ahram said.

The video shows Ahmed laughing while touching the genitals of a monkey at a pet shop in the Nile Delta city and making sexual innuendos as people around her chuckle.

At court she "confessed... to the incident but said she did not mean to commit an indecent act and that she had been tickling the monkey".

The video sparked a fierce backlash online.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)and 2006s Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. For a more serious movie such as 2015s Oscar-winning The Big Short, about the abuses in the US mortgage market, McKay employed different kinds of gimmicks, including breaking down the fourth wall and such. Adam McKay is a filmmaker who likes gimmicks. They worked well for him in silly popular comedies such as 2004s Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundyand 2006s Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.

Narrated by Kurt (Jesse Plemons), whose significance is revealed late in the film, Vice (Annapurna) is another story altogether  in more ways than one. While the The Big Short was about a painful subject, it was also enlightening and brought about the potential for healing. Vice, on the other hand, is as true a story as it can be given former Vice President Dick Cheneys secretive history. Add to that the fact that he was, and probably still is, one of the most unlikeable and unsympathetic characters in modern American history, and you have to wonder who will be going to see this movie. If its his small number of devotees, theyll probably be surprised that this is far from a loving portrait of the man.

As some of us have guessed (and even witnessed), on the morning of September 11, 2001, it was Cheney (played with several extra pounds by Christian Bale) who was in control, as confusion, fear and uncertainty plagued the White House. He saw an opportunity from which he could benefit, and thats how a monotone bureaucratic Vice President came to power, forever changing the course of history.

The earliest representation of Cheney is in 1963, when hes in his early 20s. Hes engaged to Lynn (a severe Amy Adams) who is getting straight As in college whereas Dick, a hard-drinking, smoking neer do well, got kicked out of Yale. Hes been arrested for DUI twice and Lynn, whos upset and doesnt want to have a bad marriage like her parents had, gives him an ultimatum. He promises not to disappoint her again.

In 1968, Cheney is enrolled in the congressional internship program, where he hears Donald Rummy Rumsfeld (Steve Carell) speak, and the rest, as they say, is history. Rumsfeld, who takes Cheney under his wing, wants his lackey to keep his mouth shut, do what hes told and always be loyal. So, the so-so student and mediocre athlete, became a dedicated and humble servant to power. We follow Cheney in and out of the Nixon white house, as he becomes a political consultant and DC insider with wild and extreme ideas.

All the while he strives to be a decent and loving family man and a devoted father to his young daughters, Liz and Mary, who grow up to be dedicated to him. We witness his ongoing struggles with health (heart) issues, which is odd for someone who prided himself on being heartless. As it turns out, its Cheneys love of his daughters, particularly lesbian Mary (Allison Pill), that prevents him from seeking the Presidency. Its that relationship with his daughters, as well as the one with Lynn, in which we see him at his most human (or whatever you want to call it).

Nevertheless, the unapologetic Cheney who profited from war, tax cuts for the rich, the rise of Fox News, and the implementation of the Unitary Executive (look it up!), remains as abhorrent as ever. But that was probably writer/director McKays goal from the start.

Rating: BAn armed man was holding eight people hostage at a bank in the central Czech town of Pribram on Friday, insisting he wanted to file a criminal complaint rather than rob the bank, a police spokeswoman said.

"We still have eight hostages. A police negotiator is here, he is talking to the armed man," Pribram police spokeswoman Monika Schindlova told AFP, adding that the man was carrying a gun.

She said the man had released one hostage before the special operations unit arrived and that none of the hostages had been injured.

"Before the negotiator arrived, the man had said he didn't want to hurt anyone and that this was no bank robbery," said Schindlova.

"He wanted to negotiate and to file some criminal complaint," she added.

The hold-up, in the town about 50 kilometres (30 miles) southwest of the capital Prague, took place around 1330 GMT.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)As Facebook tries to control the "bonfires of hate and misinformation it has helped fuel across the world", its moderators are often "mistakenly" told to take down comments critical of religion in India, with certain guidelines making an incorrect reading of Indian laws, a US media report has said.

"Every other Tuesday morning, several dozen Facebook employees gather over breakfast to come up with the rules, hashing out what the site's two billion users should be allowed to say. The guidelines that emerge from these meetings are sent out to 7,500-plus moderators around the world," the New York Times report said.

NYT was provided with more than 1,400 pages from the rulebooks by a Facebook employee who said he feared the company was exercising too much power, with too little oversight and making too many mistakes.

The report said an examination of the files revealed numerous gaps, biases and outright errors.

In India, moderators were mistakenly told to take down comments critical of religion, the report said.

It said legal scholar Chinmayi Arun identified mistakes in Facebook's guidelines in India.

"One slide tells moderators that any post degrading an entire religion violates Indian law and should be flagged for removal. It is a significant curb on speech and apparently incorrect," the report said. Arun however added that Indian law prohibits blasphemy only in certain conditions such as when the speaker intends to inflame violence.

Another slide says that Indian law prohibits calls for an "independent Kashmir", which some legal scholars dispute. The slide instructs moderators to "look out" for the phrase "Free Kashmir" though the slogan, common among activists, is completely legal, the NYT report said.

"Facebook says it is simply urging moderators to apply extra scrutiny to posts that use the phrase. Still, even this could chill activism in Kashmir. And it is not clear that the distinction will be obvious to moderators, who are warned that ignoring violations could get Facebook blocked in India," it added.

The report noted that Facebook's rules for India and Pakistan both include a diagram explaining that the company removes some content to avoid risk of legal challenge or being blocked by governments.

Citing other examples, the report said that moderators were once told to remove fund-raising appeals for volcano victims in Indonesia because a co-sponsor of the drive was on Facebook's internal list of banned groups.

In Myanmar, a paperwork error allowed a prominent extremist group, accused of fomenting genocide, to stay on the platform for months.

"The closely held rules are extensive, and they make the company a far more powerful arbiter of global speech than has been publicly recognised or acknowledged by the company itself," the report said.

The report noted that the Facebook employees who meet to set the guidelines are mostly young engineers and lawyers, who try to distill highly complex issues into simple yes-or-no rules.

The company then outsources much of the actual post-by-post moderation to companies that enlist largely unskilled workers, many hired out of call centres.

Those moderators, at times relying on Google Translate, have mere seconds to recall countless rules and apply them to the hundreds of posts that dash across their screens each day.

"When is a reference to 'jihad', for example, forbidden? When is a 'crying laughter' emoji a warning sign?" the report asks.

The report said that moderators express frustration at rules they say don't always make sense and sometimes require them to leave up posts they fear could lead to violence.

"You feel like you killed someone by not acting," one said, speaking on condition of anonymity as he had signed a nondisclosure agreement.

Facebook executives say they are working diligently to rid the platform of dangerous posts.

"It's not our place to correct people's speech, but we do want to enforce our community standards on our platform," said Sara Su, a senior engineer on the Feed. "When you're in our community, we want to make sure that we're balancing freedom of expression and safety," she said.

Facebook's head of global policy management Monika Bickert said the primary goal was to prevent harm and to a great extent the company had been successful.

"We have billions of posts every day, we're identifying more and more potential violations using our technical systems," Bickert said.

"At that scale, even if you're 99 per cent accurate, you're going to have a lot of mistakes," she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav Friday said his outfit won't be part of any grand alliance, or 'mahagathbandhan', of opposition parties for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls as such a bloc is no alternative to the BJP-led dispensation.

He said rural distress and unemployment will be key issues in the next polls and dubbed the Modi government as "anti-farmer".

Yadav said "farmers' anger" ousted the BJP from power in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.

"Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) is not an alternative at all to the present dispensation and it has not posed even a single issue so far. It has no policy frame, no vision and no dream at all," Yadav said.

"This is why our party will not be part of any such alliance," he said, interacting with media persons at an event in the Mumbai Press Club.

He said the upcoming Lok Sabha elections will be fought on the plank of farm distress, an issue which caused the BJP's rout in the three Hindi-speaking states.

"Farmer issues are now at the centre stage in the national political after 30 years. The next election will be fought on rural and farmer distress and if elections take place on these issues, then BJP seems to be in deep trouble," Yadav said.

The is the most "anti-farmer" government ever and it doesn't have anything to show in term of achievement, he maintained.

Yadav said the next important election issue will be unemployment.

"If the Manmohan Singh government was of jobless growth, then the Modi-led government has been of job-lost growth," he said, adding this is why a big chunk of youths have lost faith in the BJP-led administration.

Yadav said in the next Lok Sabha polls, the BJP may win 150-200 seats and "if you think it can get closure to 250, then I don't find any path forward to it".

The saffron party had won 282 seats out of the total 543 in 2014.

In all likelihood, the Shiv Sena post-poll will support the BJP despite its constant criticism of its senior ally, said the former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader.

The 55-year-old political activist said among the three Hindi-speaking states which saw change of government early this month, the Congress posted outright victory only in Chhattisgarh.

"Sense of anti-incumbency was strong in Rajasthan and a little less in Madhya Pradesh. In Chhattisgarh, Congress was in a position to offer an alternative government with its promise of a loan waiver and higher MSP for paddy and thus connected with farmer issues," Yadav said.

It was "farmers anger" that ousted the BJP government in the three states, the Swaraj India leader said.

Yadav said the BJP entirely banks on 5Ms - Modi, machine (booth-level management), media, money and mandir.

Yadav launched his party's nationwide initiative, "ICan19", in Maharashtra, which he said, aims to encourage ordinary citizens to intervene in electoral

"This Indian Citizens' Action for Nation, 2019 (ICan) is like a national election duty for Indians through which one can contribute meaningfully in giving a new direction to the nation's politics," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Transgenders will now be given protection against sexual harassment under the penal law, the police has informed the Delhi High Court.

If a transgender makes a complaint of sexual harassment, FIR would be lodged against the accused, Delhi Police told the court.

The submission was made before a bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Sangita Dhingra Sehgal on December 17 while it was hearing a transgender's plea alleging that police lodged no FIR on her complaint of sexual harassment against one of her male classmates.

The 21-year-old Delhi University student had claimed in her plea before the high court that the police declined to consider her complaint as she was not a woman.

The petitioner had told the court that though she was assigned the male sex at the time of birth, after growing up she had decided to undergo a sex reassignment surgery.

Her plea had alleged that she was subjected to "lewd and sexually coloured remarks" by her male classmate for her "feminine gender expression" and he had also made "unwelcome sexual advances" towards her.

She had said that she was traumatised by the incidents and had approached the police with her complaint, but she was not heard by them.

On December 17, the Delhi Police told the court that in the instant case an FIR for sexual harassment has been lodged on the transgender person's complaint and investigation was underway.

Besides, it said the Commissioner of Delhi Police has issued directions that "if a cognizable offence, under the provision of section 354-A IPC (sexual harassment), is made out on the complaint of a transgender, the same shall be registered in accordance with law in view of SC verdict in NALSA case".

Taking note of the submission by Delhi Police that petitioner had withdrawn her plea which had challenged the constitutional validity of certain clauses of section 354A of IPC, to the extent they were being interpreted to exclude victims of sexual harassment who were transgenders.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says that Moscow hopes to receive clarifications from the United States regarding its upcoming withdrawal from Syria.

US President Donald Trump's announcement last week that American troops will pull out of Syria has caught US allies Kurds by surprise.

The Syrian military announced Friday that they have entered the key Kurdish-held town in the country after the main Syrian Kurdish militia invited the government to take control to prevent a Turkish attack.

Lavrov, who was hosting the Jordanian foreign minister on Friday, told reporters that Moscow hopes to receive "concrete explanations" from US officials of the reason behind the decision to pull out.

Lavrov also said that "it appears that Washington wants to shift the responsibility" on other partners in the anti-Islamic State group coalition who will remain on the ground.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Former British prime minister Clement Attlee told the US ambassador to the UK in June 1947 that he believed Bengal would opt to be an independent state instead of joining either India or Pakistan, according to a media report on Friday.

Dawn said in a report from Washington that historical documents released recently by the US State Department show that the US was the first country that Attlee briefed on his plans to divide India.

On June 2, 1947, the US Ambassador in the UK, Lewis Williams Douglas, sent an "urgent and top secret" telegram to Secretary of State George Marshall, stating that the same afternoon Attlee had called him to his office and shared with him "advance information" about the partition plan.

The next day, Viceroy Louis Mountbatten broadcast the plan to the Indian people while Attlee presented it to the British parliament.

Attlee told Ambassador Douglas he wanted elected representatives from Punjab and Bengal to decide which of the two major dominions these provinces would join.

If they failed to do so, those two provinces would be partitioned between India and Pakistan. Attlee said he thought a division of Punjab is likely, but added that there was a distinct possibility Bengal might decide against partition and against joining either Hindustan or Pakistan.

In that event Bengal might form a separate dominion , an alternative also open to Punjab, but which he thought it improbable that it would elect to do, Attlee told Ambassador Douglas.

The envoy noted that the British prime minister was in sober mood, at times tinged with sorrow while discussing the partition plan with him.

In his own words he has been working on the Indian problem for 21 years and that the viceroy would make one last attempt to secure acceptance of the Cabinet mission's plan.

Failing such acceptance, which Attlee believed most unlikely, the viceroy would lay before Indian leaders a procedure for the partition of India into a Hindustan dominion and a Pakistan dominion.

Attlee told the US ambassador that power might be transferred to Hindustan sometime in August. Pakistan, being without administrative machinery, power transfer to it might be delayed until this was available, the prime minister said.

If India was divided, Attlee told the ambassador, such problems as the partition of gold holdings, army, etc would be carried out by joint commissions of Indians representing the several Indian dominions. The British PM was hopeful that there will be no bloodshed, but feared that there will be.

He told the US ambassador that in its efforts to restore order, the Indian Army would be acting under orders of the interim Indian government's defence minister.

The British prime minister told the US ambassador that he thought opposition in British parliament would not object to appropriate legislation and that it would therefore go through promptly, the Pakistani daily said.

I thanked the prime minister warmly for his courtesy in providing the US with this advance information, courtesy which so far as I know has not been extended to any other power, Ambassador Douglas wrote.

On June 20, 1947, Secretary Marshall sent a telegram to the US embassy in New Delhi, showing that the United States continued to oppose India's partition.

In that telegram, Secretary Marshall referred to a June 19, 1947, dispatch by Reuters agency, reporting that Karachi had been selected as Pakistan's capital and the US was willing to open an embassy there.

The agency's report quoted Holdsworth G Minnigerode, US consul at Karachi, as telling its correspondent that the question of establishing an American embassy here is engaging the attention of US authorities.

The Department of State appreciates fact that Minnigerode may have been misquoted, but wishes to avoid a premature indication that the US intends to establish additional diplomatic missions in India or that this question is engaging [attention of] US authorities at this time.

Minnigerode informed the State Department on June 23 from Karachi that the Reuters dispatch was utterly false and that he had limited his June 17 remarks before a delegation of eight journalists to the comment that he had no information on the subject of establishing an American embassy at Karachi and was unable and unauthorised to make any statement.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The leaders of Germany and France are pressing Russia to release Ukrainian sailors captured over a month ago in time for the new year and Orthodox Christmas.

In a joint statement Friday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron also vowed to keep up pressure to implement a 2015 peace deal for eastern Ukraine.

The long-simmering conflict between Russia and Ukraine that started with Russia's annexation of Crimea escalated November 25 when the Russian coast guard fired upon and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews.

In Friday's statement, Merkel and Macron renewed calls for the "safe, free and unhindered passage of all ships" through the Kerch Strait that separates Crimea from mainland Russia and urged the "immediate and unconditional release of all illegally detained Ukrainian sailors.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The police in Ghaziabad have decided to slap the stringent Gangsters Act and the Goonda Act against those repeatedly involved in killing cows, even as three men have been arrested for alleged cow slaughter earlier this week.

At a meeting Wednesday night, Senior Superintendent of Police Upendra Agarwal ordered all Station House Officers (SHOs) in the district to identify those who have been involved in cow slaughter and have cases registered against them in the last five years.

Police will also monitor the present activities of the accused and book them under the Gangsters Act and the Goonda Act, in case they are still involved in cow slaughter, the SSP said.

The decision follows the recovery of cattle remains from a forest area in Loni on December 23.

BJP MLA from Loni, Nand Kishore Gurjjar, along with his supporters had then staged a sit-in.

On Thursday, three men were arrested in connection with the case and knives recovered from their possession, police said.

Kaab from Vyapariyan Mohalla, Asif and Irfaan of Jamaal Pura were arrested from near a culvert in Nithoura village of Loni, the SSP said.

The three confessed to the crime and throwing cow carcass in the jungle.

The arrested accused will be booked under the Gangsters Act and the Goonda Act, the police official said.

During the sit-in, the MLA supporters raised slogans against police and demanded that Loni SHO be suspended. The SDM had reached the spot and assured the MLA and villagers of early arrest of the accused.

SSP Agarwal had also sent SHO Umesh Kumar and Loni Tiraha chowki in-charge Sheesh Pal Bhardwaj to police lines.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah Friday questioned in the Lok Sabha the Jammu and Kashmir Governor's decision to dissolve the state assembly.

Voicing concern over the situation in the Kashmir Valley, he also advocated talks with Pakistan for restoration of peace.

The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister made these remarks while participating in the debate on the statutory resolution for proclamation of President's Rule in Jammu and Kashmir.

Referring to the proposed NC-PDP-Cong alliance to form government in the state, he said, "The fax machine of the J&K governor was not working, his phone was not working and I would like to say that Governor's House is not the place to prove majority but the assembly is. Governor didn't wait and dissolved it."



Expressing anguish over the situation in the Jammu and Kashmir, he said the state is going through great "turmoil" and the turmoil does not seem to end.

"The solution to the problems of the state is not through the police and the Army. The unfortunate killing of civilians needs to be stopped, it further worsens the situation. Something has to be done immediately," he said.

Advocating talks with Pakistan, Abdullah reminded the ruling BJP of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's remarks that "we can change our friends but not our neighbours".

"For peace...we have to find some way of talking to the neighbouring country (Pakistan)," he said.

"For the sake of India, Kashmir needs to be given priority. The state has been suffering a lot. It can suffer more. I urge all of you here to please help us get the state back to normal," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Seeking to provide relief to coconut growers, the government Friday announced a steep hike in minimum support price of copra by up to Rs 2,170 per quintal to Rs 9,521-9,920 for 2018-19 season.

A decision in this regard was taken in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, held Thursday.

The MSP (minimum support price) of ball copra has been increased by Rs 2,170 per quintal to Rs 9,920 per quintal for the 2018-19 season from Rs 7,750 per quintal in the last year, an official statement said.

The support price of milling copra has been raised by Rs 2,010 per quintal to Rs 9,521 per quintal for the current year from Rs 7,511 per quintal in the last year.

The approval is based on recommendations of the government's price advisory body Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).

CACP recommends the hike, taking into account the cost of production, trends in the domestic and international prices of edible oils, overall demand and supply of copra and coconut oil, cost of processing of copra into coconut oil and the likely impact of the hike in MSPs on consumers.

The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumer Federation of India (NCCF) will continue to act as Central Nodal Agencies to undertake price support operations for the MSP in the coconut growing states.

India's annual coconut production is about 2,395 crore from 20.82 lakh hectare and the productivity is 11,505 coconuts per hectare, as per the official data.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)(WB) A group of 29 Senate Democrats led by Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) is calling on the U.S Office of Personnel Management to restore to its website guidance ensuring fair treatment of transgender federal employees, which was deleted during the week of Thanksgiving.

In a letter dated Dec. 19 to Acting OPM Director Margaret Weichert, the senators write to express our serious concern about removal of the guidance from the website.

We request that you immediately make the guidance available online, so the managers, supervisors and employees are equipped with accurate information and fully understand their responsibilities in the federal workforce, the letter says.

Among the 29 senators who signed the letter are Sen. Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), the only out lesbian in the U.S. Senate, and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee.

As Think Progress reported last month at the time the guidance was deleted, the information was put in place during the Obama administration and spelled out the definition of terms for transgender identities and exceptions for respecting transgender employees. The guidance ensured transgender people could dress according to their gender identity, be addressed by their preferred gender pronouns and use restrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity.

But the Trump administration deleted that guidance from the OPM website the week of Thanksgiving. What replaces it is a 404 notice indicating Page Not Found on the OPM website.

The removal of the guidance is consistent with Trump administration efforts to exclude transgender people from federal initiatives and policy. Other such efforts include the transgender military ban, the revocation of Obama-era guidance assuring transgender kids can use the restroom consistent with their gender identity, a Justice Department memo excluding anti-trans discrimination from enforcement of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Department of Health & Human Services plan reported by the New York Times to limit the definition of sex in U.S. government policies to biological gender.

An executive order signed by President Obama in 2014 barring discrimination against transgender employees  as well as workplace discrimination both on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity among federal contractors  remains in effect. Additionally, OPM recognized June as Pride month in a blog post asserting the importance of a federal workforce that is aware, accepting, inclusive and respectful of our diversity.

The senators urge OPM to continue this commitment by making the original guidance supporting transgender employees available online in order to promote safe and positive workplace conditions across the federal government. The letter also calls on Weichert to provide information on further actions shell take to ensure the privacy and rights of transgender federal employees.

The Washington Blade has placed a request with OPM seeking comment on the senators letter.The government Friday said talks are underway with the US over 25 per cent tariff it has imposed on steel imports.

In March, US President Donald Trump imposed 25 per cent import tariff on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium.

"We are in dialogue (with the US)...we have made a request let us see how it progresses...our industry is a niche industry which exports to the US and we definitely need to look after their interest," Steel Secretary Binoy Kumar told reporters on the sidelines of a SAIL event.

Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh had earlier expressed concern that the US tariff can indirectly affect the domestic sector as many steel making countries may end up dumping their products into India.

In July, a team comprising officials from commerce and steel ministries held talks with US administration regarding the tariff on steel imports.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Former prime minister of Norway Kjell Magne Bondevik reportedly visited Jammu and Kashmir on November 23 and met representatives of various organisations, including All Party Hurriyat Conference, the government has said in Parliament.

Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj also told Rajya Sabha on Thursday that the "government of India was not involved in organising the visit and meetings".

"According to available information, former Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik was on a private visit to India at the invitation of the Art of Living International Centre (Ved Vigyan Maha Vidya Peeth), Bengaluru," she said in a written reply in response to a question.

"He reportedly visited Jammu and Kashmir on November 23, 2018 and met representatives of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jammu and Kashmir Youth Development Forum, All Party Hurriyat Conference," the reply said.

In the written reply, Swaraj said, it has also been reported that he "visited Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from November 24-27, 2018".

"There is no change in the government's consistent and principled position that under the Shimla Agreement (1972) and as reiterated in the Lahore Declaration (1999), both India and Pakistan are committed to address all outstanding issues bilaterally. There is no scope for any third party role or mediation," she added.

In response to another question, the minister said, continued cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan "remains a core concern for India".

"The government of Pakistan has been consistently called upon to abide by its commitment not to allow any territory under its control to be used for terrorism against India in any manners," she said.

India has made it clear that for holding a meaningful bilateral dialogue, "onus lies on Pakistan" to create a conducive environment free from terror, hostility and violence, Swaraj said.

In response to another question, Minister of State for External Affairs, V K Singh told Rajya Sabha on Thursday, the "ministry is not in receipt of any proposal for the establishment of Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Kerala."



"No information has so far been received from the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in New Delhi with regard to this issue," he said in a written reply.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Sharad Kalaskar, a suspected right-wing Hindu activist arrested in an arms haul case, has sought bail contending that the Maharashtra government is more interested in ensuring smooth conduct of the Sunburn festival than conducting his trial.

Kalaskar, Avinash Pawar and Shrikant Pangarkar, all arrested in August, moved a special court here Friday seeking bail. Judge D E Kothalikar will hear the pleas on January 7.

The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of state police has arrested a total of 12 people under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) following raids at multiple places and seizure of arms and explosive materials.

The bail applications of Pawar and Pangarkar contended that the material on record does not contain any evidence against them, not does it prove any offence under the UAPA.

Kalaskar said in his plea that "social media reports suggest that the state home ministry is too busy with preventive actions for ensuring a smooth conduct of the Sunburn festival next week (at Pune)."



"Such smooth conduct has taken priority over smooth and speedy trial. There is no seriousness for the State...to conduct this case. The liberty of accused cannot be curtailed for satisfying whims and fancies of political rulers who prioritise their resources for their own cultural and political agenda," the plea added.

According to the ATS, the accused had planned, among other things, to target Sunburn, an annual EDM (electronic dance music) festival, because it is "against Hindu culture".

The accused men were allegedly members of right-wing outfits such as the Sanathan Sanstha and wanted a 'Hindu Rashtra', the ATS said in a charge sheet.

They wanted to target the individuals who speak or write against the 'Hindu Dharma', it said.

Kalaskar was later arrested by the CBI in connection with the murder of anti-superstition activist Dr Narendra Dabholkar in 2013.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has pushed for expediting the suburban railway network for Bengaluru city and called upon the state government to give early clearance to facilitate implementation of the project, officials said Friday.

A delegation led by former prime minister HD Deve Gowda and Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy met Goyal on Thursday when they discussed several projects in the state.

During the meeting, Goyal pointed out that the suburban project was pending for several years. He said it was a priority for him and he approved it within a year, according to the source.

The minister had held several meetings on this subject with the stakeholders to give a concrete shape to the project.

Goyal said the state government should work expeditiously and give clearance and agree for grant of higher FSI (floor space index), TDR (transfer of developments rights) to fund railway's share of project, according to the source.

Kumaraswamy, the source said, said that his government will give all necessary clearances, the source said.

The first concrete step towards providing sub-urban rail facility for Bengaluru was taken with the signing of an MoU between the Ministry of Railways and the Karnataka government on January 16 last year.

The RITES submitted a pre-feasibility report in November 2017 titled as "Bengaluru Elevated Rail Corridor - Pre-Feasibility Report". The report studied three options to explore alternative means of enhancing commuter rail capacity of Bengaluru City with minimum land acquisition.

The government announced in the union Budget 2018-19 a suburban network for Bengaluru area costing approximately Rs 17,000 crore to cater to the growth of Bengaluru Metropolis subject to mandatory approvals and sanction.

The formation of an SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) in accordance with the Indian Railway Sub-urban Policy 2017 (under modification in 2018) for construction of Bangalore Sub-urban Railway system is in advanced stage, the source said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Days after authorities declared a Noida park prohibited for "unauthorised" religious gatherings, only a dozen people turned up there for the Friday 'namaaz' and found parts of the ground waterlogged and police keeping a vigil.

Two weeks ago, Noida police issued orders stating that Friday prayers cannot be held at the government plot as there was no requisite permission. They cited a 2009 Supreme Court order and said there is a clear ban on unauthorised use of public places for religious activities.

The local authorities had watered the park, which served as a venue for collective Friday namaaz for the past a few years and where hundreds used to turn up every week.

Those who came for namaaz but could not offer prayers expressed disappointment, claiming it was only during the previous and this Friday that water was released into the park.

A Noida Authority official said parks are watered by maintenance contractors and they decide when to do it. "The maintenance of the parks is looked after by contractors. They decide when to water it, trim the grass or clean it," the official, who did not wish to be named, told PTI.

Scores of personnel, including from Sector 58 and nearby police stations and the Provincial Armed Constabulary, were deployed in and around the park.

A fire tender was also stationed outside it.

Adil Rashid, one of the organisers of the Friday prayers at the park since 2013, Thursday urged Muslims not to go to the park, saying the administration has denied permission for religious gatherings there.

Cleric Noman Akhtar, who had led the prayers for several years, also did not turn up.

Mohd Mushtaq Khan, who works at a private company in the adjoining Sector 59 of the city and turned up for the namaaz, said he had been coming to the park for over five years now.

"There is no other space where we can go. I come at 1.30pm and the namaaz is offered by 2pm."



"It's only today and the last Friday when the park was watered. Otherwise, there would be arrangement of water in a corner of the park for 'wajoo'," the 33-year-old said.

He said since namaaz prayers could not be organised at the park, they could not enter it.

Meraj Ahmed, who also came to offer namaaz, said going to far off places looking for a mosque was not possible during the half-hour lunch break. He said he gets one-hour breaks from his company on Fridays for the prayers, but even that now "does not solve my problem".

"There is no provision by companies also, so we used to come here. I don't know what will we do next Friday," Ahmed, 27, said.

A senior police official said they did not receive any reports of conflict on Friday.

"We had told them that a proper channel has to be followed, that is get permission from the administration and then we don't have any problem. They agreed," Circle Officer, Noida City 2nd, Rajeev Kumar said.

Shadab Ansari, 28, said the namaaz on Jumma (Friday) is considered significant than other days and it is also believed the more people join you, the better it is and an open space is preferred.

"However, for people like us in the corporate world it is not easy to find space for prayers. Those who go to open spaces don't do it just for the sake of it, it is because the mosques are far and time restrictions are to be followed," the software engineer said.

He said the namaaz hardly takes 20 minutes and on fears of communal violence on such issues, "I tell you the Friday prayers are the most peaceful. There have hardly been any incident during Friday prayers".

Noting that some people claim mosques could be built in public parks if namaaz is allowed, he said construction on "illegally occupied land" is considered bad in Islam.

Ansari, who works in a multinational firm in Noida, said there are several companies, like his, where employees get ample space for prayers.

Gurinder Pal Singh said offering prayers in public spaces might lead to problems and the companies or establishments can help it.

"My company and a couple of others nearby have provided a separate area for Muslims to offer prayers," Singh, 27, said.

A software engineer, Singh said his colleagues use a designated space within the building to offer prayers everyday and no one has objected to it.

"If they go out and use public space, it may lead to encroachment and others may follow suit. So, it is also for the companies to ensure facilities for their employees," he said.

Hindu Yuva Vahini district president Chainpal Bhati said the government's intention is not to hurt anybody's religious sentiments.

"The order to not use unauthorised public spaces for prayers is good and should be complied with. Nobody would object to namaaz being offered in mosques, or katha being held in temples," he said.

Federation of Noida Resident Welfare Associations president N P Singh said any activity on public land should be done with official permission only.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The state Assembly on Friday passed the Haryana Police (Amendment) Bill, 2018, paving way for selection of the DGP by the state government.

The Bill was passed in the evening in the day-long winter session of the Assembly here.

As per the amendment, the State Police Board is required to be substituted with State Security Commission. There is no procedure for selection of Director General of Police, as per the Bill.

The Bill amended certain provisions of the Haryana Police Act, 2007.

For the appointment of Director General of Police, who is responsible for administration controlling and supervising the police service to ensure its efficiency, effectiveness, responsiveness and accountability in the State, a transparent procedure needs to be adopted, the Bill says.

Though, as per direction, the minimum tenure of DGP was two years, yet, it is felt that the period of minimum two years would be a long period and in order to rule out the possibility of absolutism and complacency, it should be kept adaptable, it further says.

Hence, the term of DGP is proposed to be prescribed as not less than one year extendable to one more year, the Bill says.

The Bill proposed that the removal of DGP be made in consultation with the State Security Commission, the apex body to take broad policy decisions.

Notably, with the passage of the Bill, the state government will have absolute powers to select the state's DGP.

Under the amended Act, a State Security Commission, headed by the chief minister and comprising among others, Leader of Opposition, Advocate General, a retired HC Judge, the chief secretary, home secretary and incumbent DGP and two non-political persons, will have the powers to appoint the state police chief.

The DGP will be selected from a panel of "at least three eligible DGP rank officers" selected by a committee headed by chief secretary and comprising home secretary and outgoing DGP.

Moving the amendment in the Police Act, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who also holds the home portfolio,said, "For the appointment of the DGP, a transparent procedure needs to be adopted."



The Vidhan Sabha also passed nine other Bills including the Faridabad Metropolitan Development Authority Bill, 2018.

The Faridabad Metropolitan Development Authority (FMDA) would develop a vision for the continued, sustained and balanced growth of the Faridabad Metropolitan Area through quality of life and reasonable standard of living provided to residents, the House was informed.

It would also provide for integrated and coordinated planning, infrastructure development and provision of urban amenities, mobility management, sustainable management of the urban environment and social, economic and industrial development, the House was told.

The Bill endeavours to "redefine" urban governance and delivery structure in coordination with local authorities in the context of the emergence of Faridabad as a rapidly expanding urban agglomeration.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Haryana Assembly on Friday paid rich tributes to former Union minister Ananth Kumar and other noted personalities and martyrs from the state who passed away recently.

The day-long winter session began with the House paying tributes to those who passed away between the end of the monsoon session and the beginning of the winter session.

The members of the House also observed a two-minute silence to pay homage to the departed souls.

Haryana Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kanwar Pal paid tributes to the departed souls and read obituary resolutions.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who is also the Leader of the House, paid tributes to former Union minister Kumar, who passed away last month in Bengaluru. He also paid tributes to former members of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha, freedom fighters, martyrs of the state and other prominent personalities, who passed away recently.

Leaderof Opposition Abhay Singh Chautala and Congress Legislature Party Leader Kiran Choudhry also paid tributes to the departed souls and read obituary resolutions on the behalf of their respective parties.

The Assembly also paid tributes to former Haryana Minister Narain Singh, former Minister of State, Satya Narain Lathar, former Minister of State, Shiv Charan Lal Sharma, freedom fighters from the state, among others.

The House also paid tributes to eight persons who were killed in a fog-triggered road accident near Badli bypass in Jhajjar recently.

Homages were also paid to martyrs of the state who showed indomitable courage and sacrificed their lives while safeguarding and protecting the unity and integrity of the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Madras High Court Friday declined to stay implementation of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's March, 2017 regulations and tariff order relating to fixation of charges for free and pay channels.

Rejecting the interim prayer plea in a petition filed by a cable TV association, Justice S Vaidyanathan issued notice to the TRAI and posted the matter to January 3 for further hearing.

The Chennai Metro Cable TV (CAS) Operators Association, in its petition, sought to quash two notifications on the new regulations issued through media releases on November 19 and December 18 fixing December 29 as the deadline for implementing the tariff order.

It also sought an interim stay on implementation of the regulations vide the impugned press releases.

The TRAI counsel submitted that the matter was already raised before the Supreme Court and the authority itself has now extended the deadline for implementation to January 31 to enable the service providers to ensure smooth transition of subscribers from old to new regulatory frame work.

The petitioner association submitted that objections were raised by a social activist after the first communication was issued on November 19.

However, the TRAI without considering the objections passed the second impugned release, issued on December 18 specifying the deadline, it said.

Contending that proposed system was not consumer friendly, the petition claimed that the new arrangement under which each local cable operator (LCO) will have to ask consumer to choose the channel and collect the required fees was "unworkable".

Presently, consumers can view all channels at a fixed price. But the new system compels the consumers to see only certain channels and this would affect their fundamental right and curtail rights to see all channels, it claimed.

Besides, it would lead to collapse of livelihood of the LCOs and result in chaos, the petition submitted.

The TRAI, in March, 2017, had notified the new regulatory framework for Broadcasting and Cable services and re-notified it on July 3, 2018, prescribing the implementation schedule.

The Supreme Court had on October 30 dismissed a plea challenging the new regulation.

Taking note of speculation that there may be a blackout of subscribed channels when the new regulations come into force, the TRAI on Wednesday said it has advised broadcasters and LCOs to ensure that "any channel that a consumer is watching today is not discontinued on December 29."



The Lok Sabha was also told on Wednesday that the new regulatory framework for broadcasting and cable services that comes into force this week will provide "freedom of choice" and give consumers "direct control" on their monthly bill for television services.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Delhi High Court has sought the Centre's response on a visually impaired man's plea that he be appointed on a group D railway post he has qualified for but could not join as sufficient opportunity was not given to him to get his documents verified.

Justice Suresh Kumar Kait also asked the Indian Railways to be ready with its stand by the next date of hearing, January 10, or its Chief Personnel Officer will have present himself in the court that day.

The direction came on a plea by Ranjit Kumar Gupta -- an Other Backward Class (OBC) candidate who suffers from 100 per cent visual impairment -- who claimed that he was not informed in time that the verification date of his documents would be August 12, 2016.

He has said his call letter was also uploaded on the Railway Recruitment Cell (RRC) on that day only.

As a result, he was unable to reach Kolkata where the verification was to be carried out on August 12, 2016, he has said in the petition, filed through advocate Arpit Bhargava.

Gupta's claims were denied by the RRC.

The candidate has sought that he be again issued a call letter and be appointed to the group D post for which he had qualified.

He has also sought a vigilance enquiry in the case.

In his plea, the candidate has claimed that according to the Railway Board guidelines on exams, a second date was to be given for document verification if a candidate could not appear in the first one.

When he sought a second date, the RRC declined his request, the petition has said, adding that subsequently he had filed a complaint before the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities.

The commissioner, however, after some hearing, disposed of his complaint without giving any reasons, the petitioner has alleged.

Thereafter, he had moved the high court which in March this year had asked him to make a representation before the RRC which was directed to deal with it by passing a reasoned order.

The petitioner has claimed that RRC did not pass a reasoned order and merely rejected his representation after which he met the railway minister also, but got no relief and, therefore, he moved the high court again.

In his petition, Gupta has alleged that while other candidates who missed their respective first date for document verification were granted a second opportunity, he was not given the same benefit in violation of the Railway Board guidelines.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The new director of the Log Cabin Republicans is urging LGBT Republicans to be out, loud and proud.

Jerri Ann Henry, explained that after events she attends several LGBT Republicans will come up to her and say Im a Republican like you, but shhh!

Henry, who is a married lesbian, recently took the helm of the LCR from Gregory T. Angelo.

Henry explained to the Daily Beast what she would do if she had the opportunity to meet President Trump.

I cant let my frustrations with Trump force me away from a solution I am not interested in a meeting just for the sake of a meeting but I would take a meeting to work on policy and theres a lot of work that can be done.

She also added that in the near future if anyone wants to get anything done that both sides will need to work together to get anything accomplished.

Its all punchy and calling each other out and everyone acting as warriors against each other who can find no compromise, she said. This needs to stop.

Henrys long-term vision for a more inclusive Republican Party will require getting through at least two more years of the Trump administration first.

According to the Pew Research Center a considerable number of Republicans are now in favor of LGBT rights. Some LGBT people are themself Republicans, Pew data indicates that 18 percent of lesbian, gay and bisexual voters lean to the right.

Locally Congressman Carlos Curbelo, who is straight, is also a Log Cabin Republican ally. Congressman Curbelo grew up in Miami and has been a co-sponsor on the Respect for Marriage Act, the Safe Schools Improvement Act, and the Fair and Equal Housing Act. Curbelo also voted for the LGBT-inclusive Amd.

In the article Henry urged LGBT conservatives to speak up to have their voices heard if they want a more inclusive Republican Party.The Delhi High Court has sought the AAP government's response on a murder convict's plea seeking refund of the amount deducted from his wages towards a victim welfare fund.

Justice Najmi Waziri issued a notice to the Delhi government directing it to file a response by January 21 on the plea of a man who is serving life imprisonment at the Rohini jail here for a murder in 2009.

The court also directed the government to mention in the reply the deductions made in the wages of the murder convict who is behind bars since August 2014.

The inmate -- Rahul Dev -- moved the high court 10 days after it put on hold the Tihar Jail practice of deducting 25 per cent of the salaries of prisoners towards the victim welfare fund.

In his plea, filed through advocate Akshay Bhandari, Dev has contended that the amount deducted from his salary since his incarceration be refunded to him as the money has not been utilised at all.

The court on December 3 had stayed the deductions until February 8, 2019, the next date of hearing in a PIL which has opposed this practice in the Tihar Jail.

The PIL has sought quashing of an August 2006 notification and the Delhi Prison Rules of 1988 which mandate the deduction.

In the PIL before a different bench of the court, it has been contended that of the over Rs 15 crore collected since 2006 from wages of convicts lodged in the Tihar Jail, approximately only Rs 80.73 lakh has been disbursed to 194 eligible victims and the remaining over Rs 14 crore lay unused.

The rule for deducting 25 per cent of wages of prisoners was inserted in the Delhi Prison Rules when there was no provision for compensating victims under the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

However, in 2009, a provision was inserted in the CrPC for putting in place a scheme for compensating victims or their dependants and after the December 16, 2012 gangrape case, the Delhi government had created a Victims Compensation Scheme.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Health Ministry has filed an FIR against unidentified people for allegedly misappropriating its funds amounting to Rs 2.5 crore, police said Friday.

The FIR was registered by the economic offences wing on Thursday after the ministry approached the Delhi police with a complaint on learning about the alleged fraud during its financial audit, they said.

According to the complainant, fraudulent transfers of money from the accounts of Pay and Accounts Office were made by creating bogus identities of officials involved in the chain of processing and sanctioning bills and transfer of payments, police said.

Five fraudulent transactions amounting to Rs. 2.53 crore were done digitally via Bank of Baroda to multiple accounts in different banks, a police officer said.

The bank accounts in which the fraudulent payments were credited have been freezed. After the alleged fraud came to light, all fund transfers from the ministry have been stopped, the officer added.

However, no arrest has been made yet. An investigation is underway, police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Hollywood star Sandra Bullock says she ''constantly has to override'' her fears about her children as she gets panicked a lot when it comes to their safety.

The 54-year-old actor, who has eight-year-old Louis and six-year-old Laila, said she gets scared when she has to give a certain level of freedom to her kids.

"You get so good at saying no and you're so panicked about everything. You literally have to stop and say, 'Why did I just say no? Why don't we just play hooky from school one day and just go enjoy life?' I'm constantly having to override my fear," Bullock told People magazine.

The actor previously revealed she can be ''a little neurotic'' when it comes to her kids, as the current state of the world leaves her ''afraid every day'' of what might happen to her children whilst they are at school.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Challenges before the aluminium industry, the need for growth and the use of latest technology are among the issues to be discussed at an international conference here, beginning January 31.

Over 700 delegates, including about 300 from abroad, are likely to attend the four-day 7th International Conference on Aluminium (INCAL-2019), being organised by the Aluminium Association of India (AAI) under the aegis of the mines ministry.

"This event will provide a mega platform to exchange ideas on latest technological advances, Aluminium Roadmap 2030, upstream and downstream integration... many more pertaining to aluminium industry vis-a-vis the challenges and opportunities," NALCO CMD, T K Chand, told reporters.

Alongside the conference, there will be an exhibition on the theme 'Aluminium India', organised by Reed Exhibitions, Germany, in association with AAI.

The conference is also being planned to focus on 'Think Aluminium: Think Odisha', to promote Odisha as a destination for aluminium industries and the aluminium capital of the country.

The event conference will be attended by top executives of global aluminium industries like ALCAN of Canada, ALCOA of USA, CHALIECO and CHINALCO of China, EMAL of Emirates, DUBAL of Dubai, among others, Chand said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)has opened nearly 1.9 million accounts since January 2017 when it launched operations, Parliament was informed Friday.

According to inputs from the Department of Posts (DoP), since its inception on January 30, 2017, India Post Payment Bank (IPPB) opened a total of 1,896,410 accounts till December 24, 2018, Minister of State for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

As many as 975,806 transactions took place till December 20 this year, the minister said.

The had kicked-off its operations by rolling out pilot services in Raipur and Ranchi on January 30, 2017.

In 2016-17, a total of 1,654 accounts were opened of which 967 were in Chhattisgarh and 687 were in Jharkhand. In 2017-18, it opened 7,735 accounts of which 3,874 were in Chhattisgarh and 3,861 were in Jharkhand, Shukla said.

Till December 24, 2018, the number of accounts opened by reached 1,896,410 in states like Bihar, Odisha, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand.

Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh which got priority over others in account opening during first two financial years, however, lagged behind when compared to states with maximum accounts till date, the minister said presenting the state-wise data.

Whereas Jharkhand has 66,762 accounts, Chhattisgarh has 18,804 accounts as on December 24, 2018.

ALSO READ: India Post payments bank gets 77,000 customers in Goa, Maharashtra

Bihar and Odisha top the list with 423,000 and 324,000 accounts respectively.

Shukla said has been launched with a vision to build the most accessible, affordable and trusted bank for the common man and with the intention of spearheading the financial inclusion agenda by removing barriers for the unbanked and under-banked population.

"IPPB leverages the vast network of DoP...it is offering a bouquet of product and services, such as savings and current accounts, remittances and money transfer, direct benefit transfer, bill and utility payment and enterprise and merchant payments," the minister said.Indian Navy divers on Saturday will join the operation underway to rescue 15 miners trapped inside a flooded rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya since December 13, officials said Friday.

The Navy spokesman said in a tweet that a 15-member diving team from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh will reach the site in the remote Lumthari village in East Jaintia Hills district Saturday morning.

"The team is carrying specialised diving equipment including a re-compression chamber and remotely operated vehicles capable of searching underwater," he said.

The Navy carried out an initial assessment on Friday to determine an effective response.

Pump manufacturing company Kirloskar Brothers Ltd and Coal India were jointly moving 18 high-powered pumps to drain water out of the 37-foot-deep mine. A team of surveyers from the two companies also conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the situation.

They will submit a report to East Jaintia Hills district authorities on the technicalities about positioning pumps for effectively carrying the operation, officials at the site said.

The team would carry special diving equipment including a remote-operated vehicle capable of conducting underwater search.

The Air Force has airlifted 10 pumps from Bhubaneswar. Its personnel have landed in Guwahati, 270 kilometres away from the coal mine, official sources said.

The mine got flooded when water from the nearby Lytein river gushed into it on December 13, trapping the 15 diggers.

A PTI reporter who went to the site on Friday reported that the mine is located on top of a hillock fully covered with trees. To reach the mine, a person has to pass the 30-foot wide Lytein river three times.

No habitation was found nearby and 80-90 illegal coal mines dot the area.

The reporter was told by locals that the illegal private mine was closed for a long time and opened for mining 2-3 days before the the miners were trapped on December 13.

The mine is owned by Krip Schullet, a local who has been arrested since the incident came to the adminstration's knowledge, state officials said.

General Manager of North Eastern Coalfields J Bora arrived with two officials of the company Friday and they were followed by a 10-member team of experts of the Coal India (CIL) to the site to assess the situation, they said.

Bora said CIL is arranging eight high-powered pumps for the rescue operation.

"We are waiting for the initial 10 high-powered pumps. They will be brought here this evening," the Superintendent of Police said.

The high-powered pumps will be transported by road from Guwahati till about two kilometres from the accident site. From there, vehicles have been requisitioned to carry them to the mine, a senior district official said.

Meanwhile, a 20-member team of the Odisha Fire Services Friday left for Shillong with equipment, including high-powered pumps, high-tech equipment and gadgets to assist the local administration in the search and rescue operation, a report from Bhubaneswar said.

Pumping of water from the mine was suspended on Saturday as there was no visible receding of the water level in it. The district authorities had written to the state government seeking high-powered pumps as the two 25 hp pumps, which were being used, were found to be inadequate, an official of the NDRF, which is involved in the rescue operation, said.

The incident has become a political issue after Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted about it and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help save the miners.

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in the national capital Thursday.

The National Disaster Response Force on Thursday contradicted media reports which quoted it as saying the trapped minors were suspected to be dead on the basis of the foul odour the force's divers had smelt when they had gone inside the mine.

It said the foul smell could be due to the stagnant water in the mine as pumping had been halted for more than 48 hours.

Rat-hole mining involves digging of narrow tunnels, usually 3-4 feet high, for workers to enter and extract coal. The horizontal tunnels are often termed "rat-holes" as each just about fits one person.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)An Indian-origin man has been sentenced to 19 weeks in jail after he smashed his parents' television into pieces in a drunken rage at their home in the East Midlands region of England.

Sherinder Dhindsa, the son of Derbyshire's Police and Crime Commissioner Hardyal Dhindsa, picked up the TV at his parents' home at Allestree in Derby last month and smashed it into a radiator as his "frightened" parents looked on. The police official said he and his wife had no choice but to press charges against their 31-year-old son as it was the latest in a string of alcohol-fuelled incidents, 'The Derby Telegraph' reports.

"We still love him. I want to help him we want our son back but we can't have him living with us, for our own safety," Hardyal said in a statement.

"We do want to support him, but in a structured way outside of our home. We hope he continues to get help for his addiction and problems inside his head. We still want to have contact with him. We just don't want him to come to our own home," he said.

Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court heard how the incident came just weeks after the accused had been handed down a suspended sentence for a car accident while under the influence on alcohol. He was also handed a 40-month driving ban following the incident in September.

"He initially put his fist through the screen and continued to generate an argument with his parents. He then picked the TV up and threw it at a radiator, smashing it into pieces," Prosecutor Mark Fielding told the court in reference to the subsequent incident on November 30.

The court was told that Sherinder Dhindsa had become "addicted" to alcohol after splitting from his partner and taking over a pub.

The court has imposed a two-year restraining order on him, which prohibits him from going to his parents' house. His eight-week sentence coupled with the previous 11-week suspended sentence means Sherinder must serve a 19-week sentence.

During the court proceedings, his Defence lawyer, Pardeep Kalyan, appealed for his client to be spared jail time.

"Rehab is something he knows he needs. He went into a rehabilitation unit last year. It did work for a short period of time, but unfortunately he relapsed," the lawyer told the court.

"He knows alcohol has to be defeated and he is keen for it not to win over him," he said.

Presiding Magistrate Keith Robinson decided on a custodial sentence because the incident occurred just 10 days after a suspended jail sentence, which is predicated on good behaviour.

"You would have been fully aware of what would happen if you failed to stay out of trouble," the judge told Sherinder Dhindsa.

He must serve at least half of the 19 weeks behind bars and the rest on parole.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das completed four years in office on Friday, announcing a scheme to help the girl child and also gave a report card of the achievements of his government during this period.

Das announced 'Mukhya Mantri Sukanya Yojana' for girl child from January 1 next year at a press conference here. He was sworn in as chief minister of Jharkhand on December 28, 2014.

"Mukhya Mantri Sukanya Yojana will be launched with the government depositing Rs 5,000 in the account of the mother as soon as a baby girl is born and subsequently the same amounts will be deposited when the girl is admitted to Class I, V, VIII, X and XII and Rs 10,000 will be deposited when the girl attains the age of 18-20 years," Das said.

He said, "If the girl wants to continue further studies the government will help her. If she wants to get married then the government will give Rs 30,000. From birth to marriage this scheme will help end dropout and child marriage.

The chief minister said more than 35 lakh jobs and self-employment opportunities have been given to the people of the state in the past four years.

About one lakh youths were given government jobs with 95 per cent belonging from Jharkhand and the process of recruitment for 50,000 is on, he said.

Das said the priority of his government is not only to double the income of farmers by 2022 but help them to make it four times.

Under MUDRA loan scheme, 14.5 lakh youths were given self-employment while 90 per cent women got jobs in the textile industry, he said.

Das said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Palamu on January 5 to lay the foundation stone for the long-pending Mandal dam project that would help meet water requirement in the Palamu and Garwha districts.

Construction, renovation and deepening of 5,000 ponds will also be taken up, he said.

Crediting the achievements of the last four years of his rule to 'Team Jharkhand', comprising his Cabinet ministers, officials, police, the government employees and the people, Das said political stability enabled the government to do several developmental works.

"Jharkhand was known as scam Jharkhand, naxal Jharkhand and corrupt Jharkhand earlier. But in the last four years, the image has changed as there are no corruption allegations, no naxal problem, peace and stability. Where there is peace, development takes place and development in the state is on the rapid path," the chief minister said.

The state government is working for every section, including tribals, Dalits, the exploited, deprived, women and the minority, he said.

Speaking on the government's pledge to empower women, Das said rural women have become entrepreneurs after forming 'Sakhi Mandals' and the government is helping them in their endeavour.

As many as 47 lakh women were given free gas cylinders and oven and 13 lakh more women will be provided with gas/oven by March next year, he said.

"So long village economy is not strengthened the states economy will not be strengthened. So, the government is also focusing to strengthen the rural economy," he said.

Road network is being laid in the villages and by 2022 all villages will have drinking water through pipe lines, he said.

At par with new India, he said the state government has also embarked upon new Jharkhand, under which all the homeless in rural and urban areas will get houses and to start with 27,000 dwellings will be given to the homeless in Ranchi from January, 2019.

To provide job opportunities, the state government has underlined Rs 700 crore to make the youth skilled and on January 10, one lakh youth will be given jobs, he said.

The chief minister congratulated the electricity department for achieving the target in electrifying every home by December 31 - solar power was being provided in remote villages.

Jharkhand State Andolankaris are being given a pension amount between Rs 3000 and Rs 5000 for their role in the statehood agitation, he said.

"We are a developing state and through good governance, confidence of people, we will become a developed state," Das added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Karnataka government has requested the Centre to include the Siddi community of the state in the list of Scheduled Tribes, Parliament has been informed.

The Siddis, believed to be the descendants of the Bantu people in East Africa, inhabit the Belgaum and Dharwad regions of the state.

Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Sudarshan Bhagat replied in the affirmative when he was asked in Rajya Sabha if the Karnataka government has requested for inclusion of the Siddi community in the Scheduled Tribes list.

Bhagat said the central government has laid down modalities for deciding the claims for inclusion or exclusion of communities in "orders specifying Schedules Castes and Scheduled Tribes lists".

"As per the modalities, only those proposals which have been recommended and justified by the state government/UT administration concerned and concurred with by the Registrar General of India and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes are to be considered and legislation amended," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched a blistering attack on the JDS-Congress coalition government in Karnataka, alleging it was interested only in "development-free corruption".

He also said the agricultural loan waiver announced by the H D Kumaraswamy government was the "most cruel joke" on farmers.

"People want corruption-free government, but Karnataka government wants development-free corruption," Modi told BJP's booth-level workers of the state during an interaction with them through video conferencing as part of the party's 'Mera Booth Sabse Mazboot' programme.

The outreach is aimed at engergising party cadre ahead of next year's Lok Sabha elections.

Modi said people of Karnataka had reposed faith in the BJP and it was the duty of the party workers to become the voice of people if the government was neglecting their welfare.

"It seems people in power in Karnataka are playing the game of musical chair. When people in power are not interested in the welfare of people, it is the duty of our workers to become the voice of people," he said, and referred to reported strains between the ruling coalition partners.

Responding to a question about farm distress and farmers suicide in the state, Modi said only a handful of agriculturists benefited from the government's loan waiver programme.

"Those who go around the country claiming credit for the farm loan waiver will they also take the blame for farmers suicide?" he asked.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)by Giorgio Marengo*

Mongolias Catholic community got ready to relive "the great mystery of Incarnation" through a moment of retreat and reconciliation. Consumerism and untrained relationship to money are new dangers.

Arvaiheer (AsiaNews)  Today's Mongolia is a country undergoing great changes. Since we arrived 15 years ago as Consolata missionaries we have seen a rapid transformation. The country has gone from seventy years of communism centred on state atheism and almost total isolation from the rest of the world to the mirage of economic development based on exploiting its huge mineral reserves, managed more or less well by a new ruling class.

In the 1990s, Christmas was unheard of. In December, only New Years Eve mattered, a tradition introduced by the Russians in previous years. Until the early 2000s there was no visible sign that 25 December was anything special; in fact, it was a working day like any other.

Today, however, as the Mongolian economy opens up to the world, the commercial trappings of Christmas have arrived, without people understanding them. People exchange gifts wrapped in shiny paper but they dont know why. It is a paradox that, among other things, favours new forms of consumerism that harm traditional customs in people not used to managing money carefully.

In essence, the End-of-Year celebrations remain more important than the religious event in a country where Christians represent only 2 per cent of the population, including a small number of Catholics. The real New Year is the much-celebrated lunar new year, which falls between the end of January and the middle of February, a timeless tradition linked to natures cycle signalling the beginning of the end of winter and the coming new spring.

Still, for Mongolias small Catholic community the great mystery of the Incarnation is something they experience with great intensity. The sacramental celebration of that encounter changed their lives, opening up the possibility of a personal relationship with the living God who frees from fears and guarantees true closeness. The pastoral context helps us identify with the events of Bethlehem. We have real shepherds who watch over the flock and easily recognise the surprise caused by a God born in a manger.

We too feel this, together with them. For us missionaries, to relive this is a great gift, together with our Mongolian friends who have opened their doors to Christ for the gift of salvation that comes to meet us. Accompanying and supporting them in faith is also a challenge, given the many trials they have to go through to maintain and strengthen their faith in a very particular context, which often frowns upon their choice of becoming Christian.

This year, Mongolian Catholics celebrated Christmas without the one pioneer who led them for 26 years, the man who was there at the birth of the Church. Mgr Wenceslao Padilla passed away suddenly, one September evening, from a heart attack, extending a veil of sadness on Christmas, yet with the confident hope that God will provide for his people as they wait for a new pastor.

For our part, as Consolata missionaries, we continue to sink our roots deeper in Ulaanbaatars northern suburbs, a big and chaotic capital (the coldest in the world). Likewise, we continue to serve the Apostolic Prefecture. In Kharkhorin  the ancient capital of the Mongol empire  we are engaged in interfaith dialogue (especially with our Buddhist friends) and in historical-cultural research.

In Arvaiheer, the small Christian community is a small sprout of the Church, born with us in the past few years, in a place where Catholics were absent. At present, it has rediscovered the peace of forgiveness received and offered. We experienced a moment of retreat and reconciliation, to "shake off"  with the help of Grace  the incrustations that inevitably weigh down our walk in the holiness that is the secret of true happiness. Catechesis and permanent education take a great deal of energy and demand a certain coherence of life from us.

So we celebrated the gift of Emmanuel again with simplicity and intense participation. The world outside may be focused on New Year's Eve, but for us Christians it was Christmas Eve, in which we prayed that the God-with-us may bring so much peace and brotherhood to a country with a rich history and culture, immersed in a present that is uncertain in so many ways.

* Consolata missionary in ArvaiheerThe Gaja cyclone that barrelled through the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu leaving in its wake a trail of destruction of monumental proportions, the death of Dravidian legend M Karunanidhi, and political churnings made 2018 an extraordinary year for the state.

The ruling AIADMK led by Chief Mininster K Palaniswami weathered many a political storm as it saw off the second year since the demise of J Jayalalithaa, its charismatic leader, despite doomsday predictions by rebels and arch rival DMK.

The party won a key legal dispute when the Madras High Court upheld the disqualification of its 18 MLAs who had sided with sacked leader TTV Dhinakaran in a bid to topple the Palaniswami government.

The government, however, faced acute embarrassment when the CBI conducted searches at the premises of a senior minister and the state police chief, among others, in the multi-crore rupees Gutkha scam, while the principal opposition DMK kept hurling graft accusations against it.

Violent protests against Sterlite copper plant in Tuticorin over pollution concerns led to the killing of 13 people in police firing and prompted the state government to order its permanent closure, but the National Green Tribunal set aside the action.

Putting to rest speculations of a possible thaw in the DMK's ties with the BJP, Karunanidhi's son M K Stalin, who took over the reins of the party after his death, made a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him "fascist" at a party event that was attended by a galaxy of opposition leaders.

He plumped for long-time ally Congress president Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate of the opposition, but the proposal did not find any takers from national opposition parties and regional outfits.

New actors emerged on Tamil Nadu's political stage that was dominated for decades by Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi, with veteran filmstar Kamal Haasan launching his party Makkal Needhi Maiam in February.

His contemporary in the film industry superstar Rajinikanth, however, kept his fans guessing about the timing of his party's launch a year after he announced his decision to take the political plunge.

Cyclonic storm 'Gaja', which puzzled the weatherman by changing course all the while before landfall, hit Tamil Nadu coast near Vedaranyam town in Nagapattinam district, about 350 km from here, on November 16.

Packing wind speed of 110-120 kmph, it caused death and destruction in the Cauvery delta region,the state's rice bowl, claiming 52 lives and flattening a staggering three lakh thatched houses, uprooting hundreds of thousands of trees, electric poles and mobile phone towers, and damaging crops in vast swathes of land.

Nagapattinam, Thiruvarur, Thanjavur and Pudukottai districts in the heart of the delta bore the brunt, while eight more were also hit by the cyclone that rolled inland after landfall, in one of the worst natural calamities to have hit the state in recent years.

Farmers, whose lives turned topsy-turvey in a trice, say it would take years for them to pick up the pieces and get back on track.

Chief Minister Palaniswami met Modi in Delhi and sought an assistance of nearly Rs 15,000 crore for relief and rehabilitation.

Karunanidhi (94), who strode the state's political landscape like a colossus in a public life that spanned over seven decades, died on August 7 after prolonged illness, barely 20 months after the demise of Jayalalithaa, his long- time political foe and another bright star that faded away from Tamil Nadu's political firmament on December 5, 2016.

A host of national leaders including Modi and Rahul Gandhi were part of the veritable the sea of humanity that descended on the state capital to pay last respects to Karunanidhi, who was laid to rest near the Marina Beach after the high court settled a bitter row with the government over his memorial in the DMK's favour.

The DMK, perceived to be on a strong wicket for the 2019 polls in the absence of Jayalalithaa, geared itself to play a lead role at the national level.

Stalin, long considered Karunanidhi's political heir, consolidated his position by scripting a smooth takeover of the DMK, frustrating a bid by his estranged elder brother M K Alagiri, who was expelled from the party years ago by their father.

The AIADMK, meanwhile, battled the challenge posed by Dhinakaran, nephew of V K Sasikaka, jailed party leader and a confidante of Jayalalithaa, and the resurgent DMK which kept targeting the government over alleged corruption.

The September ruling of the high court upholding the disqualification of 18 AIADMK MLAs loyal to Dhinakaran came as a shot in the arm for it. The MLAs had expressed lack of confidence in Palaniswami in August, 2017.

The AIADMK also faced repeated allegations by the DMK and other opposition parties that it was subservient to the BJP, which continued efforts to strengthen its base in the state with the prime minister interacting with polling station-level party workers through video conferencing.

The Palaniswami government suffered a set back when the Madras High Court ordered a CBI probe into the infamous Gutkha scam in which Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar, Director General of Police TK Rajendran and others were questioned.

The inquiry by the one-man judicial commission into the death of Jayalalithaa picked up pace with a host of people, including officials and doctors, making depositions.

The vexed Cauvery issue reared its head again with the state moving the Supreme Court against the Centre's consent for preparing a detailed project report for constructing a dam at Mekedatu proposed by Karnataka, drawing protests in Tamil Nadu.

The state assembly passed a resolution demanding that the Centre withdraw its approval for preparing the report and direct Karnataka to desist from taking up any construction activity across the inter-state river.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.): In a major boost to the startup ecosystem, the Kerala government Friday granted sanction to its departments and autonomous institutions to invite startups registered under the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) in implementation of their IT projects that cost upto Rs one crore.

According to the Government Order (GO) in this regard, the departments, boards, local self-government institutions, corporations and universities can rope in start-ups through limited tender for design, development and implementation of their IT projects costing above Rs 20 lakh and below Rs one crore.

The decision comes close on the heels of Kerala receiving the honour of 'Top Performer' in the annual States Startup Ranking 2018 in New Delhi recently, an official press release said.

A total of 27 states and three union territories had participated in the ranking exercise, the release said.

Kerala is the first state in the country to give permission to its departments for direct procurement from startups to encourage them to take up innovative projects, it said.

Recently, the state government had increased the cap on direct purchase of software products, services and mobile app by its departments from the ventures cleared by KSUM from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 20 lakh, the release said.

The new Government Order will significantly help the growth of the startup ecosystem in the state. This step will bring excellent opportunities for startups, besides helping the state attract such ventures from other states," the release quoted chief executive officer of KSUM Dr Saji Gopinath as saying.

B2G (business to government) market in Kerala is high and the opportunity for start-ups in implementing their innovative projects in the government departments is a solid way of validating their products, the release said.

Till date, around 40 startups have been working with different government departments, it said.

This has eased the functioning of departments as well as helped prompt delivery of services by the government departments, it said.

Startups from across the country can pitch their products to government departments if they are registered in Kerala, the release said.

Earlier, in a letter to the state government, Dr Gopinath had requested to issue orders for selecting startups for the procurement of all types of products and services beyond Rs 20 lakh through limited tender from among the startups registered under KSUM, it said.

KSUM is the nodal agency of government of Kerala for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Koregaon-Bhima caste violence in Pune district, arrest of Left-wing activists for alleged Maoist links and of members of Hindutva outfits after seizure of explosives made in Maharashtra in 2018.

The year began on a violent note after caste riots at Koregaon-Bhima in Pune district on January 1.

In the 1818 Koregaon-Bhima battle, the then Peshwa rulers were defeated by the British army comprising a large number of Dalit soldiers. Every year, the battle anniversary is marked by thousands of Dalits marching from Pune to the war memorial at Koregaon-Bhima.

Activists Sudhir Dhavale, Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Shoma Sen and Mahesh Raut were arrested on charges of inciting the Koregaon-Bhima riots, in which one person was killed and several others were injured.

In November, the Maharashtra police filed a 5,600-page chargesheet at a Pune court. It went beyond the caste violence and alleged a Maoist conspiracy to stage violent attacks, including a plot to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Police filed evidence including purported seizures from raids on the activists, letters, call record details, statements of police officers and people involved in the organisation of Elgar Parishad - an event held on December 31 in Pune to mark the anniversary of the Koregaon-Bhima battle.

In December, the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad filed chargesheet against 12 persons, saying they purportedly conspired to use ammunition including country-made pistols and bombs to target those who speak or write against the 'Hindu Dharma'. The ATS said a significant amount of ammunition was seized from the accused in several raids.

The accused were influenced by a book titled Kshatra Dharma Sadhana, published by the Sanatan Sanstha, which calls on Hindus to unite to establish a Hindu Rashtra, the ATS said.

On July 1, five men of a nomadic tribe were lynched by a mob in Dhule district on suspicion of being child-lifters. They were pounced upon, stoned and thrashed with sticks and chappals. Police said altogether 10 persons were lynched in the state in July-August.

In a big success for anti-Naxal operations, 37 Maoists were killed in two separate encounters in Gadchiroli district on April 22 and 23.

In May, the suicide of Additional Director General of Police Himanshu Roy in Mumbai came as a shocker to many in the police department. The 1988-batch IPS officer and former state ATS chief shot himself with his service revolver.

The custodial death of a 26-year-old youth at Sangli in western Maharashtra prompted the National Human Rights Commission to seek a report from Maharashtra police chief.

Karti Chidambaram, son of former Union Minister P Chidambaram, was brought to Mumbai to confront Sheena Bora murder case accused Indrani Mukerjea in connection with the INX media probe.

In May, Beed constable Lalita Salves four-yearlong battle against the system and with herself ended with a gender reassignment surgery at St Georges Hospital in Mumbai.

Salve, 29, grappled with gender identity issues for years but was determined to live life, and work, as a man. The surgery lasted about three hours.

Now Lalita has became Lalit and works in Beed as a male police constable.

In a shot in the arm for investigating agencies here, an aide of underworld don and 1993 Mumbai serial blasts prime accused Dawood Ibrahim was extradited to India. Farooq Takla was deported from Dubai and brought to Mumbai in March.

In August, a property in Mumbai belonging to Dawood Ibrahim Masulla Building, known as Amina Mansion on Pakmodia Street was sold to the Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust for Rs 3.51 crore in an auction.

In September, the body of HDFC Bank vice president Siddharth Sanghvi, who was missing for a week, was found in Mumbai and the man who killed him was arrested. The 39-year-old was suspected to have been killed in a robbery.

In September, in a major breakthrough in the unsolved rape and murder cases of 2010, involving two juvenile girls in Kurla, the Navi Mumbai police arrested 34-year-old Rehan Abdul Rashid Qureshi. The 'serial rapist was nabbed from Nalasopara in connection with other half a dozen cases of sexual assaults in Navi Mumbai in last three years, police said.

In December, a former aide of Maharashtra minister was arrested in connection with the murder of a diamond trader who was found dead in a forest in Raigad district. A popular television actress was also detained.

Police identified the accused as Sachin Pawar, former personal assistant of BJP minister Prakash Mehta.

A Christian gathering was attacked on December 23 during Sunday prayers in a small village in Kolhapur district. The incident took place at the New Life Church in Kowad village ahead of Christmas.

A group of around 40 people was offering prayers when around 15-20 people barged into the church. With their faces covered, they threatened the victims and attacked them. Twelve people were injured in the attack, police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Lauding the slew of initiatives undertaken by American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) in the country, President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday said there are templates from the US that can be adapted for the benefit of patients here.

He cited the example of the system of first responders and paramedics that is well developed in US and said it can help meet a medical situation at a very early stage and save lives as well prevent the need for more complicated interventions.

"This is a mechanism the government has been working hard to put in place in India as well," he said at the XII Global Health Care Summit here.

Noting that the association has imparted first responder training in several states of the country, including Maharashtra, he said ,"such training can be of immense use after road accidents or when dealing with an emergency. I would urge you to take this process further and deeper, especially in rural areas, where there may be a considerable distance between the patient and a well-equipped multi-speciality hospital."



Likening public health and its provision to a perfect triangle of quality, cost and access, he said one of the ways it can be achieved is by building alliances, between doctors and patient groups, between civil society and industry, between researchers and practitioners and ultimately between countries.

"India's experience with producing affordable but high quality drugs and medicines offers a huge advantage as the world and America itself seeks to drive down the cost of health-care and health insurance," he said.

The President further said the countries can also collaborate to seek answers to global pandemics and emerging zoonotic diseases.

Another shared challenge is that of lifestyle diseases, such as diabetes and obesity, and he pointed out the and management of lifestyle diseases offers scope for collaboration with traditional Indian wellness practices.

Speaking of improving the education, he pointed out that to expand and reform it, several new medical colleges are being set up and the Medical Council of India has been superseded by new Board of Governors consisting of eminent doctors.

He added that under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana, more than 4,600 medical stores have been set up across the country to provide quality generic medicines at affordable prices to all, particularly the poor and disadvantaged.

Besides, the cost of medical implants and several life saving drugs has also been reduced, he said.

"However, the most far reaching initiative in healthcare is the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, recently launched by the government...It is particularly aimed at those at the bottom of the pyramid, the less-than-privileged 40 per cent of our fellow citizens," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Right-wing organisations Friday staged a demonstration against academician and author



K S Bhagawan, accusing him of depicting Lord Ram in poor light in his book and making derogatory references.

The Kannada book "Rama Mandira Yeke Beda" (Why Ram temple is not required) claims Ram was not a God and he suffered from weaknesses just as any other human being.

Bhagawan, who had courted controversy by making certain references to the Bhagavad Gita that are termed as "offensive" by right-wing outfits, has made unflattering observations about Ram's character in his book.

The author, however, defended his work, saying it was based on Valmiki's Ramayana.

Pro-Hindu activists staged a demonstration in front of his house Friday and courted arrest.

BJP's Karnataka unit also targeted Chief Minister



H D Kumaraswamy over his "silence" on the issue and demanded that Bhagawan be arrested immediately.

"Will @hd_kumaraswamy govt that arrested Journalist Santosh Thammaiah for speaking against fanatic Tippu also dare to arrest K S Bhagawan for abusing Lord Ram & his cheap statements on Hinduism. Why govt is protecting this offender by providing security instead of arresting?" the party tweeted.

State senior BJP leader and MLA S Suresh Kumar said in a Facebook post that the state government had two choices "either it should jail Bhagawan or send him to mental hospital".

Meanwhile, Kannada channel journalist Ajit Hanamakkanavar received death threat from the operators of a Facebook page "Mangalore Muslims" for allegedly hurting their religious sentiments while debating on the book written by Bhagawan Thursday.

The admin of the Facebook page threatened the journalist to seek apology within two days in a live programme or else he would be killed.

As the book snowballed into a big controversy, police strengthened security around Bhagawan's house and asked him to avoid going to any place alone.

Speaking to PTI, Hanamakkanavar said he had decided to lodge a police complaint and seek protection.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Discontent within the ruling coalition in Karnataka has once again come to the fore, with senior JD(S) minister H D Revanna Friday saying his brother and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy will "tolerate things as long as he can".

The PWD minister also hit out at the Congress for reportedly taking away the home department from a SC leader like G Parameshwara, who is also the deputy chief minister.

"Kumaraswamy will tolerate as long as he can, but one day what will happen? We are not sitting here fearing (about losing power)," Revanna told reporters here in response to a question about a Congressman expected to be appointed as the chief minister's political secretary.

Asked whether he was saying that the chief minister was tolerating despite Congress's 'high handedness', he tried to evade the question, saying the party leadership decides all issues and he will not interfere.

"Why should I say there is lack of coordination between JD(S) and Congress. Everything will be discussed and decided by JD(S) supremo Deve Gowda, chief minister, Congress leaders and their general secretary KC Venugopal," he added.

Revanna's remarks have come at a time when JD(S) workers and local leaders have asked the leadership to contest all 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the coming parliamentary polls, unhappy over the Congress's attitude towards the ruling coalition in Karnataka.

Expressing displeasure about Parameshwara reportedly being moved out of the Home Ministry, Revanna rubbished the reports blaming him for it.

He, however, indicated that some people within the Congress party were behind it.

"I know what kind of pressure Parameshwara was under from his own party. Parameshwara is from the SC community, what (wrong) did he do as home minister? Was it necessary to remove him from the post? As deputy chief minister, he should have both," he said.

Pointing out that Parameshwara has toiled for Congress for eight years as its president and done good work as Home Minister for six months, Revanna said he has great respect for him.

"Why they (the Congress) did it? What are the reasons behind it? I don't know, but I had never interfered in his department. If any issues were there from my district I have discussed, that's all," he said.

He said if Parameshwara's party cannot tolerate a SC community leader as deputy chief minister, "What can I say?"



"Why blame me for his removal as home minister? Why allege that he was listening to brothers (Kumaraswamy and Revanna), so he was removed? What do we have to do with his removal?" he questioned.

As per the recommendation sent to Chief Minister Kumaraswamy by Congress general secretary in-charge of Karnataka K C Venugopal, the Home Ministry has been allocated to M B Patil, who was inducted into the cabinet on Saturday.

According to reports, the meeting between top party leaders here on Wednesday to decide on portfolios was not cordial, as Parameshwara expressed displeasure over being asked to give up some key portfolios, especially home ministry that he has, by Siddaramaiah.

However, both Siddaramaiah and Parameshwara had rubbished the reports they had squabbled over the issue.

Revanna has been constantly accused by the Congress of interfering in other ministries.

Recently several local level leaders of the Congress party had petitioned CLP leader Siddaramaiah about alleged ill-treatment to them under coalition government and working style of a few JD(S) ministers, especially Revanna.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Allahabad High Court has permitted two tanneries in Kanpur and Unnao to operate on the condition that they do not discharge effluent in the Ganga, its tributaries or drains emptying into the river, in view of the Kumbh Mela.

The mela on the banks of the Ganga in Allahabad will begin on January 15 and end March 4 on Shiv Ratri. It is expected to be attended by crores of people from several countries.During the congregation lakhs of people take dips in the sacred river.

The tanneries in two separate petitions have said the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) has asked them not to operate between December 15 and March 15, 2019, in view of Kumbh Mela.

They contended that the closure would lead to several people loosing their jobs.

The court's Lucknow bench directed that the factories will make their own arrangements for the use of discharged water, which will be as per norms of the UPPCB or the Central Pollution Control Board.

The bench of justices RR Awasthi and Rajeev Singh has asked the Uttar Pradesh government to submit a detailed reply on the issue by January 4.

The interim order was passed Thursday on separate petitions moved by Rahman Industries Ltd and Mirza International Ltd.

The petitions said on the directions of the state government, the UPPCB had issued an order on November 26 closing the tanneries in Kanpur and Unnao from December 15 to March 15 in view of the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad.

On account of the order, the petitioners said they had to close the tanneries.

It was said due to closure of the tanneries 20,000 people could become jobless.

The government will also incur revenue losses of crores of rupees due to this closure, the petitioners contended.

"We will also have to suffer losses of crores of rupees for not being able to deliver the consignments to clients due to closure," they said.

Responding to the petitioners' concern, the UPPCB submitted that its only concern was that during the period of Kumbh Mela, the water in the river should remain clean and usable and it must not lead to any untoward incident.

The UPPCB also submitted that in case the petitioners were giving an undertaking that they were not going to make any discharge of effluent during the Kumbha Mela period in the river water, it has no objection if the factories were run.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Landmark judgements on contentious issues ranging from gender equality to sexual autonomy and clean chit to the government on the Rafale jet deal hogged the limelight in 2018 in the Supreme Court, but the revolt by four senior-most judges against the then Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra shocked the nation.

The year, which commenced on a controversial note with four senior-most judges holding an unprecedented presser on January 12 raising a litany of allegations against Justice Misra, in November-end saw one of the judges again dropping a bombshell by saying "someone from outside controlled the then CJI.

While Justice Misra, who retired on October 2, maintained a stoic silence, two of the four judges -- Justice J Chelameswar and Justice Kurian Joseph -- have since retired and Justice Madan B Lokur will demit office on December 30.

The other rebellious judge -- Justice Ranjan Gogoi -- has succeeded Justice Misra as the CJI.

After his retirement, Justice Joseph has been on record that after the presser, things have changed for good and the new CJI is taking forward the issues raised by them.

Notwithstanding the controversies surrounding him, Justice Misra would be remembered for delivering several key verdicts by the constitution benches headed by him, including the upholding validity of the Centre's flagship Aadhaar scheme, the world's largest biometric identification project.

The year also saw a host of progressive verdicts leading to decriminalisation of consensual gay sex, scrapping of a colonial era law that made adultery a crime and allowing women of all age groups into Kerala's Sabarimala temple.

While most of the path-breaking judgements came days before his retirement, Justice Misra had to face more than once on the judicial side the issue of powers of the CJI in allocation of cases which was raised by the four judges in their presser.

The issue was raked up by some civil rights groups which had failed to get favourable order for probe into the death of special CBI judge B H Loya, who was hearing the Sohrabudduin Sheikh alleged fake encounter case.

The Loya case had a far-reaching impact as the judge, who was assigned the case by the then CJI to look into it, had reportedly expressed his unhappiness over the allegations by the four judges and the rights group that there was some bias by him in dealing with the case.

Justice Misra was also the cynosure of all eyes as a bench headed by him was hearing the politically-sensitive Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case and some of the senior advocates, affiliated to the Congress and representing one of the litigants in the matter, repeatedly urged him to postpone the hearing till the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The Muslim litigants insisted that the court has to first take a call on whether to refer to a larger bench the "questionable observation" in its 1994 judgement that "mosque is not an essential part of the practice of Islam".

A bench headed by Justice Misra, by a 2:1 majority, declined to refer the issue to a larger bench and after his retirement, the matter has gone to a bench headed by CJI Gogoi which has declined early hearing and is scheduled to take it up for allocating it before an appropriate bench.

Justice Gogoi as the CJI had to face criticism of opposition parties for the judgement in the Rafale fighter jets deal in which a bench headed by him did not find any irregularities in the purchase of 36 aircraft from France.

The verdict has already snowballed into a controversy with a paragraph in the judgement saying that the CAG report on pricing details has been placed before Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

The Centre moved the court for correction in the verdict where a reference has been made about the Comptroller and Auditor General report and the PAC, saying "misinterpretation" of its note has "resulted in a controversy in the public domain".

The top court also witnessed a never-seen feud between CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana.

Both the warring officers were sent on leave by the Centre which termed their spat as "Kilkenny cats' fight" before the top court, which has reserved its verdict of Verma's plea challenging the government's order divesting him of his duties and sending him on leave.

The CBI also faced flak for filing an appeal after 13 years in the politically-sensitive Rs 64 crore Bofors pay-off case and the apex court dismissed its plea against the Delhi High Court 2005 verdict discharging all the accused, including the Hinduja brothers.

However, the Bofors case is still alive in the apex court as the agency has been allowed to raise all grounds in the appeal filed by advocate Ajay Agrawal, a BJP leader who had contested the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Rai Bareilly seat against the then Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

The political fight between the Congress-JD (S) combine and the BJP over the Karnataka assembly polls also had its echo in the apex court which held a pre-dawn hearing in the matter.

While sensitive constitutional and political cases were regularly finding space in the media, the Supreme Court kept itself busy with environmental issues and banned the use of firecrackers other than "green crackers" and allowed its bursting to two-hour only on Diwali and other festivals.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)BJP and Shiv Sena corporators opposed a proposal to construct an abattoir at a cost of Rs 20 crore in Bhiwandi in Maharashtra's Thane district.

A delegation of leaders from the BJP, Sena and other organisations Thursday met Bhiwandi-Nizampur City Municipal Corporation Commissioner Manohar Hire and submitted a memorandum opposing the move.

Commissioner Hire assured the delegation that the issue would be kept in abeyance till consensus is reached among all parties on how to move forward.

Bhiwandi, a powerloom town, has been a communally sensitive area with an almost equal proportion of Hindus and Muslims.

In late 1983, plans by a private firm to construct an abattoir near Sawande village in the township were met with large scale protests, resulting in widespread rioting and arson.

Subsequent police firing led to the death of four persons.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A suspected smuggler was arrested with 22 kg of poppy husk in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district on Friday, police said.

A police party intercepted a truck on a highway near Shan Palace in Ramban town. The driver, however, tried to drive away, but the police managed to stop the vehicle after chasing it for a little distance, the police said.

Poppy husk packed in 44 carry bags and weighing about 22 kg was recovered from the stepney of the vehicle, the new modus operandi for transporting the narcotics, the police said.

The accused, Sandeep Kumar, a resident of Kathua district, has been taken into custody. A case has been registered and an investigation is underway, the police added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The man suspected to have shot and killed an Indian-origin police officer during a traffic stop in the US State of California was living illegally in the country, according to a media report.

Corporal Ronil Singh, 33, of the Newman Police Department was shot and killed during the traffic stop on December 26.

The Stanislaus County Sheriff's department has identified a suspect but did not released his name.

The man suspected to have shot and killed a police officer during a traffic stop in Newman, California, was in the country illegally, Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson was quoted as saying by the FOX13.

"It's not appropriate for me to identify (the suspect) until we absolutely are 100 per cent certain that we have the right name," Christianson added.

According to the surveillance images, the suspect is a broad and strongly built man with dark complexion, with closely cropped hair. He took off in a silver or gray extended-cab pickup truck, the police said.

The truck was recovered later Wednesday as detectives served a search warrant at an address near Newman, the sheriff's department said.

In photos provided by police, the suspect is wearing a hoodie and a thick silver chain around his neck.

The California Highway Patrol has described him as Hispanic.

President Donald Trump referred to the incident as the "time to get tough on border security."



"There is right now a full scale manhunt going on in California for an illegal immigrant accused of shooting and killing a police officer during a traffic stop. Time to get tough on Border Security. Build the Wall!" he tweeted.

Singh, a Fiji native, was with the 12-member Newman Police Department since July 2011.

Police Chief Randy Richardson urged anyone with useful information to help investigators "get this cop killer off the streets."



"He was an American patriot," Richardson said. "He was not born in this country but came to this country for one purpose -- to serve this country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Enforcement Directorate Friday said it has attached assets worth over Rs 420 million of an NCR-based real estate firm in connection with a money laundering case wherein land was acquired in "illegally" with alleged connivance of senior government functionaries and bureaucrats.

Several farmers and land owners are alleged to have been cheated to the tune of about Rs 15 billion in the case, in which former chief minister is one of the accused.

The central agency said immovable properties of ABW Infrastructure Limited (ABWIL), and its group companies were provisionally attached as part of the latest order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The company could not be reached for comments.

"It was alleged that farmers and land owners of villages in Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnaula (also known as Nakhrola) had ancestral land of about 688 acres. They were compelled to sell approximately 400 acres out of the said land to private persons at throwaway prices under the threat of acquisition by the government between August 27, 2004 and August 24, 2007," the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said.

The agency had filed a PMLA case in the alleged land scam deal in September, 2016 on the basis of a CBI FIR.

The ED had also carried out raids in this case last year.

It added that an investigation under the PMLA revealed that the real estate firm and its group companies "illegally acquired land from farmers at throwaway prices and ABW group also procured the land from other land-owning companies and further obtained licences for residential/commercial/group housing in a fraudulent manner in connivance with officials and bureaucrats of different departments of government."

The company ABW, the ED said, "sold some of the licences at exorbitant prices and earned undue profits, generating thereby proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 1,692,515,648 (1.69 billion)".

The CBI FIR had alleged that initially the Haryana government issued a notification under the Act (section 4) for acquiring land measuring about 912 acres for setting up an industrial model township.

After this, all the plots had allegedly been grabbed from the land owners by private builders at meagre rates.

It was also alleged that an order was then passed by the the competent authority, which is the Director of Industries, on August 24, 2007 releasing this land from the acquisition process in violation of the government policy, in favour of the builders, their companies and agents, instead of the original land owners.

The CBI has alleged in its FIR that in this manner, land measuring about 400 acres, the market value of which at that time was above Rs 40 million per acre, was allegedly purchased by the private builders and others from the innocent land owners for only about Rs 1 billion.Days after a pregnant woman contracted HIV after allegedly being transfused contaminated blood supplied by a blood bank here, a five-member medical team from Chennai visited the Sivakasi government hospital Friday for conducting a probe into the medical negligence.

The team headed by Dr Madhavi inspected the blood bank, which supplied the HIV-tainted blood to the Sattur Government Hospital, where the 24-year-old woman had undergone blood transfusion.

It held enquiry with the doctors, nurses andblood bank employees.

The shocking incident had prompted the Tamil Nadu government to order examination of stocks in the state's blood banks.

An FIR has been registered against doctors and nurses involved in the transfusion of blood besides blood bank workers for medical negligence under relevant IPC sections.

The woman, who was eight months pregnant with her second child, had gone for a check-up at a private clinic in Sattur in Virudhunagar district, where doctors had advised her to have a blood transfusion citing haemoglobin deficiency.

Subsequently, she underwent blood transfusion at the Sattur government hospital (GH) and the blood was brought from Sivakasi.

It later emerged that the donor was HIV positive, officials had said, adding the recipient's blood was also tested, which confirmed that she too had got infected by the virus.

Police had said that the 19-year-old donor, on coming to know about the incident, allegedly attempted to commit suicide by consuming poison.

He has been admitted to a hospital.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A notorious DR Congo militia chief whose men have been accused of systematic rapes has been arrested, the army said on Friday.

Isaac Chirambiza was seized on Tuesday with three of his men in a military operation in South Kivu province, regional spokesman Captain Dieudonne Kasereka told AFP.

One soldier died in the operation, which unfolded in a forest, he said.

Chirambiza's militia is a sub-group of Raia Mutomboki, an organisation that portrays itself as defenders of the Congolese against the FDLR, a Rwandan Hutu force that became established in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2000.

In March, AFP visited a clinic for rape victims run by Dr Denis Mukwege, who this year was co-awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work.

Several victims said they had been raped by Raia Mutomboki men, including a girl aged 10.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A minor girl was allegedly gang raped by four students at an apartment in here, police have said.

The accused persons -- a bachelor of business administration and three engineering students -- were detained, Superintendent of Police (City) Sanjiv Suman said.

They will be put under arrest after their interrogation is completed, he said Thursday.

The girl alleged that on Tuesday, she had gone with her friends for shopping when she met one of the accused persons, he said.

The person asked her to come with him to his flat. The pretext is not yet clear, the officer said.

Suman said the girl alleged that she was assaulted and raped by the youths for hours and then, they left her near the Babupurwa police station.

Based on a complaint from the girl's father, a sub-inspector, a case was registered, he said.

The girl was sent for medical examination.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Tearing into the Congress-JDS coalition government in Karnataka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accused it of being "steeped" in arrogance and interested only in "development-free corruption".

Targeting the ruling coalition over its contradictions and power struggle, Modi said it seemed as if they were in power "only to play musical chair", and mocked its much vaunted loan waiver scheme as one of the "most cruel jokes" on farmers.

Modi said those in power think that just because they had formed a government "by hook or crook" they can get away with anything, but people would soon teach them a lesson for misgovernance.

"People want corruption-free government, but Karnataka government wants development-free corruption," Modi told BJP's booth-level workers of the state, while mounting a trenchant attack on the ruling dispensation.

The interaction with the BJP's polling booth-level functionaries through video conferencing was part of the party's 'Mera Booth Sabse Mazboot' outreach aimed at galvanising the organisational apparatus ahead of next year's Lok Sabha elections.

Referring to reported squabbles between the ruling alliance partners, Modi said,"I can understand the pain of the people of Karnataka. Every day there is only about who is happy or who isunhappy. And for what? For some ministerial posts.

"It seems as if people are in power in Karnataka only to play musical chair," Modi said.

He told party workers that when those in power were not interested in the welfare of people, it was their duty to become "the voice of the people".

The prime minister asked BJP workers to "wake up" the government from slumber.

Talking about agrarian distress and farmer suicides, he accused the H D Kumaraswamy government of being "steeped in arrogance".

Targeting the state government over its much touted loan waiver scheme, he said, "What they have done in the name of loan waiver will go down in the history as one of the most cruel jokes on farmers.After six months in power, reports say the government could only benefit a handful of farmers."



The government had announced a massive Rs 44,000 crore loan waiver scheme in July but its implementation has been tardy, drawing criticism from the BJP which is cooling its heels in the opposition despite emerging as the single largest party after assembly elections.

The state government had admitted in the recently concluded assembly session that only about 800 farmers had benefited from the scheme.

"These people go around the country claiming credit forwhat they have done for farmers. Will they also take credit for the farmers committing suicide in Karnataka?" Modi said.

It was an apparent riposte to the announcement by the newly formed Congress governments of Hindi heartland states-- Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan--to write off agricultural loans following the party's victory in the recent assembly elections.

Modi also attacked the Karnataka government over 52 people, including 17 women and 4 children, allegedly being subjected to bonded labour in Hassan district, calling it "inhuman".

"Did you hear any words of empathy from anyone in power about the brutal treatment given to dalits? Those in power think that just because they have formed a government by hook or crook they can get away with anything.

"But the people of Karnataka and people of India are watching them and their actions. The people will soon teach them a lesson for misgovernance," he said.

When a party worker said many people who were not even BJP members wanted him to become the prime minister for a second time, and asked him how the cadre should respond to it, Modi thanked him for the "encouraging" words.

"If 'karyakartas' (cadre) are life blood of our party, the spiritof volunteerism is the oxygen in the blood. When people come to us to volunteer, let us welcome them with open arms and openminds. No ID card is needed to serve a great cause," he said.

Modi said it was natural for professionals to veer towards the BJP as it was not a family controlled party and stood for development.

The prime minister said such volunteers would further strengthen the BJP and help it establish better rapport with common people.

During the interaction that lasted around 30 minutes, Modi also talked about a slew of initiatives of his government to help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) and the youth by following the principle of four 'Es'--education, employment, entrepreneurship and excellence.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In a rare incident, three planes of three foreign airlines, carrying hundreds of passengers, came perilously close in the flight information region and collisions were averted after multiple auto generated warnings and intervention from ATC, an official said Friday.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has started a probe into the incident, which happened on December 23.

Flights of Dutch carrier KLM, Taiwan's Eva Air and the US-based Airlines were involved in the incident, the official said.

The incident happened in the Flight Information Region (FIR).

An FIR refers to a specified airspace where flight information and alerting services are provided. Generally, an FIR can be land and sea territory as well as any international airspace as defined under global norms.

According to the official, at the time of the incident, Airlines' flight NCR 840 was on its way to Hong Kong from Bagram in while the KLM Flight KLM 875 was heading to from Amsterdam.

The Eva Air flight EVA 061 was flying to from Bangkok, the official said.

"First it was NCR 840, which was flying at flight level 310 (31,000 ft) and EVA 061 at flight level 320 (32,000 ft) which breached mandatory separation. The pilots of both the aircraft were alerted by the onboard TCAS warning system," the official said.

Around the same time, the KLM flight was at 33,000 ft, he added.

Following the TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System) warning, the pilot of NCR 840 sought to climb to 35,000 feet but was told to remain at that current level till the time it gets a go-ahead.

"However, when the air traffic controller (ATC) observed it climbing, it was immediately asked to take a left turn. In the meantime, EVA also continued climbing at flight level 330, a level at which KLM was already flying, and at this time, another TCAS warning went off, alerting the pilots to steer the aircraft to a safer distance," the official said.

As the NCR 840 again descended to flight level 330, it came across the EVA flight , triggering another TCAS alarm, the official said.Personal details of nearly 1,000 North Korean defectors living in the South have been leaked in a hacking case, officials said Friday, exposing them to potential threats from the North.

This is the first time that personal details including names and addresses of North Korean defectors have been stolen on such a large scale, the Unification Ministry said.

The hack was made at a centre which is tasked with helping North Korean defectors settle in and get accustomed to its capitalist society.

The classified data was leaked through a personal computer. It was infected with a malicious code when an unsuspecting staff member opened a mail at the Hana Centre in the North Gyeongsang Province.

There are 25 such centres across the country which provide support for the roughly 30,000 North Korean defectors who live in the country.

After confirming the hack last week, authorities conducted an emergency inspection of all computers at Hana Centres but no other leaks were found.

"We apologise to defectors from the North. We will make utmost efforts to protect their personal information and prevent any recurrence of such an incident", the ministry said in a statement.

North Korea's state media have threatened to silence defectors who actively engage in anti-Pyongyang activities such as launching leaflets to the North by balloons.

Yi Han-yong, a nephew of Song Hye Rim -- the first wife of late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il -- was shot to death outside his house in Bundang, south of Seoul, in 1997.

His assassination by two attackers, who were never caught, followed the publication of his tell-all book about the private life of the Kims.National Medical Devices Promotion Council, set up under the Department of Industrial Promotion and Policy, will help promote growth of the sector and pave way for affordable access to good quality pharma instruments to people, CII said Friday.

The industry chamber said that it was a long-standing need of the medical devices industry in India.

"Time has come for the medical technology sector to have an exclusive promotion council that will safeguard the interests of the patients, industry and all stakeholders," said Himanshu Baid, Chairman of the CII Medical Technology Division (CII MTD) in a statement.

He said that this council will provide anchorage and an environment for conducive growth for this sector.

"We are looking forward to seeing strong Indian presence in the global medtech map in the next few years," he added.

CII MTD is an industry association comprising of over 50 major domestic and global medical device companies.

The council is aimed at boosting manufacturing, attract investments and promote exports of the fast-growing sector.

The industry plays a critical role in the healthcare ecosystem and is indispensable to achieve the goal of health for all citizens.

Although the industry has been growing in double digits, it is predominantly import-driven, with imports accounting for over 65 per cent of the domestic market.

The council will undertake several activities including holding seminars and workshops to garner views of industry and understand best global practices.

It would also identify redundant processes and render technical assistance to the agencies and departments concerned to simplify the approval processes involved in the sector.

The council will be headed by the Secretary of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion.

Besides the concerned departments, it will also have representatives from healthcare industry and quality control institutions.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed what he said would be a "new era" in ties with "great power" Brazil ahead of meeting Friday with the Latin America's country's incoming far-right leader, Jair Bolsonaro.

Netanyahu also stressed that he would press Bolsonaro on an announcement -- since walked back -- that Brazil would follow the United States in moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

"The president-elect (Bolsonaro) announced he would (transfer the embassy). You can be certain I will speak with him about that in our first meeting," Netanyahu, speaking Hebrew, told reporters on his flight before it landed in Rio de Janeiro.

Netanyahu was to meet Bolsonaro for lunch in Rio on Friday on what was the first-ever visit to Brazil by an Israeli prime minister. He will be one of the most prominent leaders attending Bolsonaro's swearing-in on Tuesday in the capital Brasilia.

Other VIPs who will be there include Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Bolsonaro and his team have excluded the leaders of leftwing-ruled nations Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua from the inauguration.

Netanyahu was making the Brazil trip despite domestic political turmoil in Israel and a spike in military volatility in neighboring Syria.

Pompeo and Netanyahu are to discuss Syria while in Brasilia, an Israeli official and the US State Department said.

US allies including Israel were caught by surprise by President Donald Trump's abrupt announcement last week that he was pulling US troops out of Syria, where Israel's arch-foe Iran has built up a significant military and political presence. Israel has made several aerial strikes in Syria against positions held by Iran and its Lebanese militia Hezbollah.

Domestically, Netanyahu is maneuvering to extend his reign in Israel despite a slew of corruption allegations. On Wednesday, Israel's parliament approved a government decision to call early elections for April 9.

Both Netanyahu and Bolsonaro admire Trump, and are keen to forge closer relations between their countries. Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton said the US president and Bolsonaro were "like-minded" individuals.

Netanyahu said Bolsonaro represented a "big change" for Brazil, which for decades had center-left and center-right governments that aligned with international consensus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the status of Jerusalem. In 2010 the country recognized a Palestinian state.

Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its capital, while the Palestinians see eastern Jerusalem as the capital of its future state.

After his October election, Bolsonaro reaffirmed an election promise to move his country's embassy to Jerusalem, earning praise at the time from Netanyahu, who called it a "historic" announcement.

But Bolsonaro later backtracked by saying "it hasn't been decided yet." An embassy transfer could put at risk lucrative Brazilian poultry and halal meat exports to Arab countries.

Flying in to see Bolsonaro and raise the embassy issue, Netanyahu was laudatory.

Brazil, he said, "is an immense country with enormous potential for Israel from an economic, security and diplomatic point of view."



He added: "We are happy to be able to start a new era between Israel and a great power called Brazil." His visit includes a day off on Saturday to observe Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest. Netanyahu is to fly back to Israel early on January 2, an Israeli official said.

The Israeli prime minister also serves as his country's foreign minister. Last year he visited Argentina, Colombia and Mexico.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme  La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza.



Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres.



M Srinivas Friday took charge as Station Director of the Madras Atomic Power Station, Kalpakkam.

An outstanding Scientist, he was earlier the station director of Rajasthan atomic power station units-5 & 6, an official release here said.

"A Chemical Engineer, Srinivas has more than 34 years of experience in nuclear industry in the areas of commissioning, operation and maintenance of nuclear power plants," it said.

He has also served in the Kaiga generating station Units-1 & 2 and Units-3 & 4, it added.

Srinivas will replace R Satyanarayana, who has been transferred to Kaiga as its site director.

The Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) is located about 80 km from here.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The NHRC Friday issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh government over the death of a Dalit man allegedly in police custody in Amroha district, while the UP SC/ST Commission ordered a probe into the matter and action against those guilty.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) noted that the incident amounted to "gross violation of human rights" of the victim.

Taking suo motu cognisance of media reports that Balkishan, 30, died in police custody at the Dhanora Mandi Police Station on December 26, the human rights watchdog issued notices to the state's chief secretary and the director general of police, seeking a detailed report within four weeks.

It asked why the NHRC was not intimated about his death in police custody.

Balkishan was arrested by the police in connection with a case of theft on December 23. His family members have alleged that police personnel asked for a bribe of Rs 5 lakh to let him off, which they could not arrange and, therefore, he was "tortured".

Hours after the NHRC issued the notices, Chairman of Uttar Pradesh Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Commission Brij Lal directed the Amroha superintendent of police to conduct an inquiry and punish those guilty.

Taking suo motu notice of the published in the media, the commission said in a release that its chairman has directed the SP to fax him the compliance report within three days.

The NHRC observed that the contents of media reports, if true, suggest "gross violation of human rights" of the victim.

It said the report from the UP government should also indicate whether any monetary and other relief was provided to the family in accordance with the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Rules.

The family members of the deceased have alleged that he was picked up while they were returning home from a wedding. He was kept in the lock-up without any complaint and was subjected to atrocities.

As many as 11 police personnel, including the SHO of the police station concerned, have been placed under suspension, the NHRC said in an official release.

Six policemen, including an inspector and a sub-inspector, were booked Wednesday on charges of "killing" the Dalit in their custody, Amroha Superintendent of Police Brijesh Kumar Singh had said.

Those booked are in-charge Inspector Arvind Mohan Sharma, Sub-inspector Manoj Upadhyay, Head Constable Ravindra Rana and constables Vinit Chaudhary, Jitendra and Vivek.

The SP had said that on a complaint of the victim's relative, Jai Prakash, the six policemen were also booked on various charges under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The victim's wife Kunti, meanwhile, demanded damages for the killing of her husband and a job for herself from the Uttar Pradesh government.

The police registered a first information report (FIR) against the six police officials after hundreds of people from the victim's village held a day-long protest at the nearby national highway, disrupting traffic.

The crowd also damaged several vehicles during the protest, warranting police to deploy PAC personnel to contain the mob, sources said.

As per the complaint lodged with the police in the case, Balkishan, a resident of Basi Sherpur of Mandi Dhanaura in Amroha, was picked up by the police Sunday for questioning in a case of a stolen motorcycle's purchase and he was thrown behind bars.

On deterioration of his health on the night intervening Tuesday and Wednesday, he was rushed to a hospital where he was declared "brought dead". The victim's wife alleged her husband died due to thrashing by the police in custody.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The National Human Rights Commission Friday issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh government over the death of a Dalit man allegedly in police custody in Amroha district, noting that it amounted to "gross violation of human rights" of the victim.

Taking suo motu cognisance of media reports that the 30-year-old Balkishan died in the police custody at the Dhanora Mandi Police Station on December 26, the NHRC issued notices to the state's Chief Secretary and the Director-General of Police, seeking a detailed report within four weeks.

It sought an explanation on why no intimation with regard to this death in police custody was given to the NHRC.

The Dalit man was arrested by the police in connection with a case of theft on December 23. His family members have alleged that police personnel asked for a bribe of Rs 5 lakh to let him off, which they could not arrange and, therefore, he was "tortured".

The NHRC observed that the contents of media reports, if true, suggest "gross violation of human rights" of the victim.

The NHRC said the report from the UP government should also indicate whether any monetary and other relief have been provided to the family in accordance with the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Rules.

The family members of the deceased have alleged that he was picked up while they were returning home from a wedding. He was kept in the lock-up without any complaint and was subjected to atrocities.

As many as 11 police personnel, including the SHO of the Police Station concerned, have been placed under suspension, the NHRC said in an official release.

Six policemen, including an inspector and a sub-inspector, were booked Wednesday on charges of "killing" the Dalit in their custody, Amroha Superintendent of Police Brijesh Kumar Singh had said.

Those booked are in-charge inspector Arvind Mohan Sharma, sub-inspector Manoj Upadhyay, head constable Ravindra Rana and constables Vinit Chaudhary, Jitendra and Vivek.

The SP had said that on a complaint of the victim's relative Jai Prakash, the six policemen were also booked on various charges under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The victim's wife Kunti, meanwhile, demanded damages for killing of her husband and a job for herself from the Uttar Pradesh government.

The police registered the first information report against the six police officials after hundreds of the victim's co-villagers held a day-long protest at the nearby national highway, disrupting traffic.

As per the complaint lodged with the police in the case, Balkishan, a resident of Basi Sherpur of Mandi Dhanaura in Amroha, had been picked up by the police on Sunday for questioning into a case of the purchase of stolen motorcycle and was thrown behind bars.

On deterioration of his health on the night intervening Tuesday and Wednesday, he was rushed to a hospital where he was declared "brought dead".

The victim's wife alleged her husband died due to thrashing by the police in custody. The police were also demanding money from her for his release, she alleged.

Sources said that on intimation of Balkishan's death in police custody, hundreds of his co-villagers descended on the adjoining national highway on Wednesday morning and blocked traffic, resulting in huge traffic jam.

The crowd also damaged several vehicles during the protest, warranting police to deploy PAC personnel to contain the mob fury, they added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The National Human Rights Commission Friday issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh government over the death of a Dalit man allegedly in police custody in Amroha district, noting that it amounted to "gross violation of human rights" of the victim.

Taking suo motu cognisance of media reports that the 30-year-old man died in police custody at the Dhanora Mandi Police Station on December 26, the NHRC issued notices to the state Chief Secretary and the Director-General of Police, seeking a detailed report within four weeks.

It sought an explanation on why no intimation with regard to this death in police custody was given to the NHRC.

The Dalit man was arrested by the police in connection with a case of theft on December 23. His family members have alleged that police personnel asked for a bribe of Rs 5 lakh to let him off which they could not arrange and therefore he was "tortured".

The NHRC observed that the contents of media reports, if true, suggest "gross violation of human rights" of the victim.

The NHRC said the report from the UP government should also indicate whether any monetary and other relief have been provided to the family in accordance with the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Rules.

The family members of the deceased have alleged that he was picked up while they were returning home from a wedding. He was kept in the lock-up without any complaint and was subjected to atrocities.

As many as 11 police personnel, including the SHO of the Police Station concerned, have been placed under suspension, the NHRC said in an official release.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)British authorities have informed India that bank fraud fugitive Nirav Modi is living in the UK, the government has said.

Replying to a question, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh told Rajya Sabha that National Central Bureau of Manchester conveyed to Indian agencies that their investigations have led to the location of Nirav Modi in the UK.

"In August 2018, the government sent two requests, one from the CBI and the other from the Enforcement Directorate, to the authorities of the UK seeking the extradition of Nirav Modi to India," he said.

He said the requests are presently under the consideration of the authorities concerned of the UK.

In June, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had written to several European countries seeking help in tracing Nirav Modi.

Nirav Modi is wanted in connection with Punjab National Bank fraud case.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Writer-director Vinta Nanda, who has accused Alok Nath of sexual harassment and rape, Friday said she is aware that maybe there is no end to her battle with Nath but it's the support of people that keeps her going.

The director said she came out during the #MeToo movement without thinking about her next step.

"We all know there is no end to this. I cannot bring any evidence, he cannot prove he has not done it and even I cannot prove it he has done it. So what are we fighting for in the courts? Why are we wasting time of the court? There is no law to support what happened 20 years ago, there is no precedence," Vinta said at a panel discussion on #MeToo organised by Screenwriters Association in partnership with Laadli initiative.

The panel discussion was moderated by actor Renuka Shahane.

Nanda said she was also driven to see other's desire to bring about a change.

"Sometimes I feel like getting out of all this as it is going no where and then I get driven my somebody telling me, I am doing something good and that change will take place," she said.

Recollecting her meetings with associations like Cine And TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA) and Indian Film & Television Directors' Association (IFTDA), she said, "In the meetings with CINTAA I was able to speak my mind. But with IFTDA it was a dramatic situation. I did break down. It took me about two weeks to come back to my fight against it.

"CINTAA had summoned him thrice but he did not respond favourably and they suspended him. With IFTDA it is yet to see what will happen."



She said she filed a complaint with the police after Nath's wife filed defamation case against her both civil and criminal.

"The complaint that I had filed led to filing of FIR as the police kept summoning him for investigation and he did not turn up. Then it went to applying for anticipatory bail (from his side). That hearing was like trial," she said adding that she was portrayed as a delusional person in love with Nath in their bail application.

"It was so bizzare," she added.

Nishtha Jain, a documentary filmmaker, who has accused of Vinod Dua of sexual misconduct, said defamation lawsuit were being used to silence victims.

"The biggest weapon they (perpetrators) used against us is the defamation case. After three defamation cases it seems the whole movement has fizzled out and it is real fear. You just want to able to bring closure to the matter. We have to create an environment where they are forced to apologise," she added.

Director Onir said he was heartbroken after hearing actor Saloni Chopra's story of sexual allegations against Zain Durrani. Durrani made his debut in Onir's "Kuch Bheege Alfaaz".

Lawyer Heema Shirvaikar, said there was a need for more special courts to resolve such cases.

"In 2013, our criminal laws were changed, we have fast track courts for rape and sexual harassment cases. The problem is implementation, the dockets of courts are full, we need mechanisms like need for more special courts. With the number of cases increasing there will be a way to deal with it."



The panel also touched upon the lack of female representation in a panel from the Hindi film industry which met PM Narendra Modi recently.

"It is very strange that none of the men said it is a mistake and that next time we will make sure we have women," Onir said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Despite the unwanted publicity of a criminal trial for one of their main suppliers, business is booming at Pyongyang's 'Singapore shops,' which sell everything from Ukrainian vodka to brand-name knock-offs from China.

The stores stock many of the very things United Nations' sanctions banning trade in luxury goods are intended to block and provide a nagging reminder that not all potential trade partners are lining up behind the UN's pronouncements or the Trump administration's policy of maximum pressure on the North.

Especially when there's a buck or a few million bucks to be made.

The stores are anything but secret.

They are well marked, open to walk-ins and distribute their own membership cards to reward regular customers.

Until recently, the name of their Singaporean partner, the OCN Group, was printed on the Bugsae shop's plastic shopping bags.

And while being the focus of the court case that could land OCN's former director in prison for a very long time, they continue to unabashedly specialise in imported products perfumes, fine jewelry, wines, clothing and cosmetics that would appear to blatantly violate UN restrictions.

Formally known as the Potonggang Ryugyong Shop and the Bugsae Shop, the stores are a fixture of the upscale shopping scene in Pyongyang, catering to the capital's elites, Chinese businessmen and members of the diplomatic corps.

Purchases can be made in dollars, euros and Chinese yuan.

The price in each is displayed digitally on the cash register.

Both stores have been substantially renovated since last summer.

The Ryugyong store now has a coffee shop behind the imported shoe section on its second floor.

The Bugsae shop has installed dark wood panelling and glass casing for its wines and spirits corner, which was recently dominated by vodkas from the Ukraine.

It has separate display areas for snacks and soft drinks from Japan, Malaysia and China, a row dedicated to fancy shampoos, and a section in the rear for imported electronic appliances and household goods.

The well-stocked shelves belie the hit supplies must have taken with the arrest of their former Singaporean trading partner.

Ng Kheng Wah, 56, faces 80 charges of violating United Nations sanctions for allegedly supplying USD 6 million worth of luxury goods to the Bugsae Shop from 2010 to 2017.

This includes watches "clad with a precious metal," jewelry, musical instruments and wine.

While OCN is not mentioned, the charges accuse Ng of trying to defraud banks through another of his companies, T Specialist International.

Ng, who stepped down as an OCN director in March, also faces 81 charges for working with a partner identified as Wang Zhi Guo to deceive DBS, the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. Ltd and Malayan Banking Berhad to carry out his deals, issuing false invoices for the sale of Watari Instant Noodles to T Specialist, most amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Ng was charged on July 18 and granted bail of 500,000 Singapore dollars ( USD 364,645).

A pretrial conference is scheduled for January 17.

For each offense under the UN sanctions act, Ng faces a maximum sentence of five years in jail and a 100,000 Singapore dollars (USD 72,929) fine.

Each cheating charge comes with an additional maximum jail term of 10 years and an unspecified fine.

Singapore authorities have accused another Singaporean and a North Korean man of helping to supply luxury goods to Pyongyang.

They are also investigating a Singaporean businessman who is facing criminal charges in the United States for allegedly violating sanctions against North Korea.

Ng denied any wrongdoing in an interview with the Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times shortly after reports of possible violations became public.

He said OCN was the sole distributor of the popular Japanese Pokka brand canned drinks in North Korea from 2000 and 2012, but claimed OCN dropped that when Japan imposed sanctions banning such exports.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Minister Arun Friday replied in negative to a question whether the government was not satisfied with the functioning of the

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, the minister quoted a report of International Monetary Fund (IMF) which said the supervision and regulation by the RBI was strong and improved in recent years.

"No, madam," said to a question whether the government is not satisfied about the functioning of the RBI.

The government and the RBI under the previous Governor Urjit Patel were at loggerheads on several issues, including over appropriate size of reserves which the central bank should hold.

ALSO READ: Govt vs RBI: What data says about shadow banks' debts, credit flow to MSMEs

There were also differences over the lending to the small and medium enterprises, and norms concerning supervisory action over public sector under Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) of the RBI.

The differences reached a flash point with Patel suddenly quitting the RBI on December 10.

Patel's resignation was being speculated right from the time the government cited a never-before-used provision of the RBI Act to get him to consider its views on relaxing lending norms for segments such as small and medium enterprises, appropriate size of reserves the central bank must maintain and easing norms for weak

Earlier, RBI Deputy Governor Viral Acharya had raised concerns over the autonomy of the central bank, triggering speculations that the government and the central bank were not same page on many issues.The chief of the Madhya Pradesh unit of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), student wing of the Congress, has warned theatre owners that they will be responsible for the consequences if they screened the controversial film "The Accidental Prime Minister".

The warning by state NSUI chief Vipin Wankhede came even as the Congress-led government in Madhya Pradesh said earlier Friday that the film has not been banned in the state, contrary to some reports.

The Congress has termed the film, based on former prime minister Manmohan Singh's media advisor Sanjaya Baru's book, as a part of BJP's propaganda. The film centres around Singh's tenure as prime minister.

"If theatres screen this film which has falsehoods, their owners will be responsible for the damage," Wankhede said in a veiled threat on Facebook.

He could not be contacted for comments despite several attempts.

Reacting to Wankhede's warning, BJP spokesperson Umesh Sharma demanded that Chief Minister Kamal Nath order police protection for all theatres where the Anupam Kher-starrer film will be screened.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The contentious 'triple talaq' bill is likely to face stiff resistance from opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha which are united in their demand for sending the legislation to the Select Committee for further scrutiny.

Sources said the numbers are stacked slightly in favour of the Opposition in the Upper House.

The UPA has 112 members in the Upper House and the NDA 93. One seat is vacant. The remaining 39 members of other parties are unattached to either NDA or UPA and are likely to play an important role in the passage of the contentious legislation.

Though the NDA is way short of the half-way mark of 123 in the 245-member House, it had emerged victorious in the election of Rajya Sabha deputy chairman, with its nominee Harivansh of the Janata Dal (United) bagging 125 votes against 101 polled by the Opposition-backed Congress member B K Hariprasad.

The government has expressed hope that the bill, which criminalises the practice of instant divorce by Muslim men, will find support in the Rajya Sabha, whose approval is necessary for the bill to become the law.

The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha for the second time in less than a year after a heated debate on Thursday.

According to the sources, opposition parties have held discussions on raising the demand for referring the bill to the Select Committee on Monday -- when it is likely to come up for consideration in the Upper House.

The sources said all Congress members in the Rajya Sabha would also meet in Parliament on Monday morning, ahead of the start of house proceedings, to evolve its strategy on the issue.

CPI member D Raja said the Opposition has the numbers and would press for referring the bill to the Select Committee.

"Opposition parties are asking for referring the triple talaq bill to the Select Committee for further scrutiny when the bill comes up for consideration in the Rajya Sabha on Monday," Raja told PTI.

He alleged that the government wants to use the bill for political purposes.

"They are not genuinely interested in gender equality and gender justice," Raja alleged.

Another leader claimed that opposition parties are united in referring the bill to the Select Committee as the proposed legislation needs to be examined properly.

Opposition leaders claimed they would not allow the passage of the bill in any case.

The government had not agreed to the opposition demand for sending the earlier bill to the Select Committee, when it was brought before the house in the Monsoon session of Parliament.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.): Over 2 kg of smuggled gold worth Rs 66 lakh was seized from the international airport and a passenger detained in this connection, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) said Friday.

The gold was smuggled by concealing it in an oven by the passenger who arrived here by an Oman Airlines flight from Dubai on Thursday, a DRI press release said.

The yellow metal was in the form of 46 plates coated with silver and fixed in the transformer of a microwave oven, the release said.

After melting the plates, 2,045 gm of gold was recovered, it said, adding that it was worth Rs 66 lakh.

Inquiries revealed that the passenger had received the oven in Dubai and the appliance was meant to be handed over to an unknown person in Hyderabad, it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Pakistan Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has confirmed death sentences handed down to 22 "hardcore terrorists" by military courts, a report said on Friday.

The terrorists were convicted by military courts which were set up after the 2014 Peshawar school attack that killed 150 people, mostly schoolchildren, Radio Pakistan reported.

Their terrorist acts resulted in the deaths of 176 people, including 19 armed forces personnel, 41 police and levies officials and 116 civilians and injured 217 others, it said.

Besides those given death sentences, 15 convicts were imprisoned while two were acquitted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)DMK president M K Stalin has



alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi united the two warring factions in the ruling AIADMK by holding "kangaroo court", which he said was a role played by a "political broker".

Lashing out at Modi for describing the DMK-Congress alliance as "opportunistic", Stalin, addressing a party meeting here Thursday night, said the prime minister was making such remarks as he had been "jolted" by the defeat of BJP in the recent assembly elections in three states.

"I am asking if the prime minister should hold a kangaroo court? Is this a task that should be done by the Indian Prime Minister, this is something that should be done by a political broker," he said.

Repeating his 'kangaroo court' barb made by him in the past, Stalin accused Modi of "dividing" the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) into factions led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami and his now deputy O Panneerselvam after the death of party supremo



J Jayalalithaa in 2016.

Later Modi made the two leaders sit together at the negotiating table and "held their hands together" which was similar to that of holding a kangaroo court, he alleged.

The DMK leader's sharp attack comes days after he proposed Congress president Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate of the opposition alliance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections to defeat "fascist" Modi government.

Referring to the prime minister's criticism of the



DMK-Congress alliance, Stalin claimed Modi was attacking the two parties in view of the political turnaround at the national level which he (Modi) had not expected.

Referring to the outcome of polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief said the Congress had won in states that were considered BJP bastions and this had given a jolt to Modi.

He said the recent results of assembly polls in five states demonstrated that Modi-led BJP regime at the Centre would be dislodged and a similar fate awaited the AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu.

Following the death of Jayalalithaa in December 2016, the AIADMK split into two factions led by Panneerselvam and V K Sasikala, the trusted aide of the late AIADMK supremo.

After Sasikala was jailed in February last year in a corruption case, the faction led by her regrouped under Palaniswami and eventually both the factions merged.

Sasikala and her family members, including nephew



T T V Dhinakaran, were removed from the party.

The DMK had earlier also accused the BJP of meddling in the internal affairs of AIADMK.

Stalin had last year alleged Modi orchestrated the merger of the two factions by holding "kangaroo court".

The opposition party had also been taunting the AIADMK, saying it was being subservient to the BJP, a charge rejected by the ruling party which has maintained that it wanted cordial relations with the Centre.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Ahead of the 201st anniversary of the battle of Koregaon Bhima, the Pune rural police have prohibited several persons including Hindu right-wing leader Milind Ekbote, members of the cultural organisation Kabir Kala Manch and others from visiting the war memorial and the surrounding area.

The memorial of the 1818 victory of the East India Company's forces which included Dalit Mahar soldiers over the Brahmin Peshwa's army is visited by Dalits every year on January 1.

However, the place, 40 km from Pune city, witnessed violence during the bicentennial commemoration of the battle on New Year's day in 2018.

"So far we have issued notices under section 144 (2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure to several people and barred them from visiting Koregaon Bhima area," said Superintendent of Police Sandip Patil.

Notices were issued to all those against whom cases of serious nature were registered with regard to the violence of January 1, he said.

Right-wing leaders Sambhaji Bhide and Ekbote are accused of instigating the violence as they were opposed to the celebration of the British victory in the 1818 battle.

On the other hand, some members of the left-leaning cultural group KKM are accused of involvement in the Elgar Parishad conclave. According to the police, provocative speeches at the conclave, funded by Maoists, triggered violence at Bhima Koregaon the next day.

Meanwhile, the Pune city police are issuing notices to those who can create law and order trouble ahead of January 1, said joint commissioner of police Shivaji Bodakhe.

Asked whether permission has been granted to Bhim Army chief and Dalit leader Chandrashekhar Azad's rally in the city on December 30, Bodakhe said the decision will be taken Saturday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A political row erupted Friday over "The Accidental Prime Minister", a film based on Manmohan Singh's tenure as India's prime minister from 2004 to 2014, with the Congress alleging it was the BJP's propaganda against their party.

The film is based on the book of the same name by Sanjaya Baru, who served as Singh's media advisor from 2004 to 2008.

The trailer of the film was released in Mumbai on Thursday.

"Riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years. Was Dr Singh just a regent who was holding on to the PM's chair till the time heir was ready? Watch the official trailer of 'TheAccidentalPrimeMinister', based on an insider's account, releasing on 11 January," the BJP said after the launch of the film's trailer.

The Congress termed the film as "BJP's propaganda" against their party, even as the former prime minister evaded comments on the growing controversy over the film on him.

The Congress leaders maintained that such propaganda against the party would not work and the truth shall prevail.

Actor Anupam Kher, who essays Singh's role in the film, called "The Accidental Prime Minister" his "life's best performance". He also said the film should be seen as a creative endeavour and not an attempt to support a political party.

The film's trailer shows Singh as a victim of the Congress' internal politics ahead of the 2014 general elections.

Responding to the row, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said on Twitter, "Such fake propaganda by the party would not stop it from asking the Modi government questions on rural distress, rampant unemployment, demonetisation disaster, flawed GST, failed Modinomics, all pervading corruption".

Asked by journalists at the Congress' foundation day function at the party headquarters here Friday to comment on the film, Singh walked away.

Congress leader and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said the truth shall prevail.

His colleague and party leader P L Punia accused the saffron party of evading answers on its "mis-governance".

"This is the handiwork of the BJP. They know that time has come to give answers after completion of five years and they are now trying to divert attention by raising such issues and evading answering to the public after its government failed on all fronts," he said.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah tweeted, "Can't wait for when they make The Insensitive Prime Minister. So much worse than being the accidental one".

Kher said in Mumbai that playing former prime minister Manmohan Singh was the most challenging role of his career and he was initially reluctant to take up the project as he was aware it would land into controversies.

"I felt that it is a very powerful story of modern India's political decade and I am getting a chance to be a part of it as an actor. I am someone who has always reinvented himself as an actor," he said at a press conference, which he had called after the Maharashtra Youth Congress asked for a screening of the film prior to its release, a demand they later withdrew.

On the Maharashtra Youth Congress having withdrawn its demand, Kher said, "It is good if they have changed the thought process. It is fantastic. It is a great sign of maturity".

The 63-year-old actor also dismissed that the film was his way of supporting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). His wife, Kirron Kher, is a BJP MP from Chandigarh.

"I have done 515 films, there are not even as many political parties. If I have to support a party I can do it on any platform. I will not try to make a film for that," he said.

Earlier in the day, Kher tweeted that he was not going to "back off" due to the controversy.

"I am not going to back off. This is my life's best performance. Dr Manmohan Singh will agree after seeing the film that it is a 100 per cent accurate depiction," he tweeted.

Amid reports of the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh banning the film, Chief Minister Kamal Nath said he did not have any intent to impose a ban on any movie.

On the BJP tweeting the trailer of the film, Union minister Rajyavardhan Rathore asked whether his party did not have the freedom to extend wishes to a film.

Directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, the film stars Kher as Manmohan Singh and Akshaye Khanna as Baru. It is slated for release on January 11.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet next week in Brazil with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Washington prepares to withdraw troops from Syria, the State Department said Thursday.

Pompeo and Netanyahu will meet in Brasilia where both will be attending the New Year's Day inauguration of president-elect Jair Bolsonaro, a right-wing firebrand who has vowed to move Brazil closer to Israel and US President Donald Trump.

Netanyahu has met frequently with Pompeo and enjoys a warm relationship with Trump, happy about his withdrawal from a denuclearization deal with Iran and his landmark shift of the US embassy to Jerusalem.

But Netanyahu has for the first time found himself at odds with Trump after the US leader's sudden announcement last week that he will bring home all 2,000 American troops from war-ravaged Syria, where Israel saw Washington's presence as a bulwark against Iran and counterweight to the influence of Russia.

Israel has been measured in its public response, saying it respects Trump's decision, which led to the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria that it says are targeting Iranian forces and their Hezbollah allies.

Trump has said that US troops were solely focused on fighting the Islamic State jihadist group, which he has declared to be "largely defeated."



Pompeo will also meet in Brazil with Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra and afterward fly to Cartagena to hold talks with Colombian President Ivan Duque.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Senior Congress leader D K Shivakumar Friday said fresh allocation of portfolios to newly-inducted ministers would not cause any dismay among the incumbents in the Congress-JDS coalition government.

He also said he was expecting Congress President Rahul Gandhi to announce the portfolios of all the 22 Congress ministers today.

"Allocation of portfolios to eight newly-inducted ministers will not cause any dismay among the incumbent ministers including me in the coalition government," he told PTI.

Noting that the Congress was a "disciplined party," he said, "The blackmailing tactics of Ramesh (Jarkiholi) and his group will not work out.. We value discipline very much."



After Jarkiholi was dropped from the ministry, he has threatened to quit as Congress lawmaker and is likely to announce his decision soon amid reports that he might join the BJP.

The audio of a conversation purportedly involving Jarkiholi was aired by local TV channels on Sunday where he is heard talking about his plans to quit as Congress MLA, fuelling speculations about him defecting to BJP.

Jarkiholi, who has allegedly been cosy with BJP leaders and not attending cabinet and party meetings, was replaced by his brother Satish Jarkiholi.

Asked about media reports on the rift between Deputy Chief Minister G Paraeshwara and Congress-JDS coalition coordination committee head Siddaramaiah over giving up of additional portfolios, Shivakumar said, "I am not aware of that."



According to reports, the meeting between top party leaders on Wednesday to decide on portfolios was not cordial, as Parameshwara expressed displeasure after Siddaramiah asked him to give up some key portfolios.

However, the Deputy Chief Minister had later clarified that he would abide by the decision taken by the party high command.

Parameshwara currently holds the departments of home, Bengaluru city related affairs, youth affairs and sports.

Reacting to JDS leader Basavaraj Horatti's allegations that the Congress was not allowing Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to function in peace, Shivakumar said it was "false."



"The allegations are false.. We (Congress party) are not interfering.. We want a stable government. We want Kumaraswamy to be strong. At no point of time will I be a backstabber," he said.

Horatti has been upset with the Congress after he lost out to the party's Prathap Chandra Shetty in the race to occupy the legislative council chairman's seat.

Horatti, who was pro-tem chairman of the council, was one of the front-runners for the post.

He had also claimed that the Congress announced appointment of heads to 20 boards and corporations without consulting Kumaraswamy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The allocation of portfolios in the



Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh continued to be in limbo, three days after 28 cabinet ministers were sworn in on Christmas.

While the Congress officially claimed there was no delay in the allocation of portfolios, sources in the party as well as opposition BJP have maintained that power tussles and groupism were creating hurdles.

Incidentally, Chief Minister Kamal Nath was in Delhi for four days prior to the December 25 swearing-in of the state government to hold discussions with the Congress top leadership and state bigwigs like former chief minister Digvijaya Singh and poll campaign head and Guna MP Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Party sources said after inducting loyalists into the cabinet, all camps wanted 'good' portfolios, and these tussles were causing a delay.

They said portfolios like Home, Finance, Urban Administration and Development and Public Works Department were the most in demand.

Congress sources pointed out that of the 28 cabinet ministers sworn in on December 25, the maximum number (10) were from the Digvijaya camp, nine were close to Nath and eight loyal to Scindia.

The lone minister not belonging to the above three camps was Sachin Yadav, younger brother of former MPPCC chief Arun Yadav, they said.

Meanwhile, Congress leaders, on condition of anonymity, said a consensus had been arrived for most of the portfolios.

Speaking to PTI Friday, Congress media cell chairperson Shobha Oza refuted allegations of delay in portfolio allocation or factionalism in the party.

"Today is only the third day after the swearing-in of ministers. There is no delay as completion of any process takes time. The chief minister is discussing this issue and will allocate the portfolios suitably. The allocation may take place soon," she said.

On Thursday, former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan took a swipe at the Congress over the delay in portfolio allocation.

Talking to reporters at his residence, Chouhan said, "I extended my wishes to the new government, but it is a matter of concern how the formation of cabinet was delayed and now portfolio distribution was being delayed".

"We are seeing media reports and various Congress leaders are insisting on particular departments, causing delay in the allocation. Quota of different camps (of Congress) was fixed. This delay is historic and never happened in the state," he had said.

Oza, however, hit back at Chouhan, saying the ex-CM should not be worried about the Congress government in the state.

"The BJP should rather select a leader of opposition at the earliest and play the role of an opposition party. We will fulfil our promises made in the manifesto," she added.

Another Congress spokesman, Pankaj Chaturvedi, also dismissed factionalism (in the party) as "propaganda of the opposition", adding that the Congress was united.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)President Ram Nath Kovind will visit the Rann of Kutch and go for a lion safari in the Gir forest during his tour of Gujarat starting Saturday, the state government said Friday.

Kovind will visit the Tent City, established in the Rann of Kutch, Saturday and spend the night at the white desert, Tourism Minister Ganpat Vasava told reporters.

The president will spend the night in the tent and also enjoy sunset and sunrise, he said.

The next day, Kovind will visit the Gir forest and go for a lion safari, he said.

The president is also likely to visit Somnath Temple during his tour, temple officials said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Leaders from different political parties Friday urged the Centre to promulgate an ordinance or bring in a legislation on Reservation Roster for teaching positions in higher education institutions (HEIs).

In July, the appointment of academic staff in HEIs was put on hold by the University Grants Commission (UGC) till the Supreme Court issued its verdict on the special leave petition filed by the HRD Ministry against a court order curtailing reservation for SC/ST and OBCs.

The UGC had announced in March that an individual department should be considered as the base unit to calculate the number of teaching posts to be reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates following an order by the Allahabad High Court in April last year.

Higher education has not seen such crisis in India as before, Sitaram Yechury, leader of CPI(M), said at a press conference organised by the Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA).

"Assault on higher education is connected to the ideological project that is being pursued by this government under the direction of the RSS.

"The whole effort is to convert the study of Indian history into the study of Hindu mythology. If you want to assert Hindu mythology as the only history of India then the inherent would be caste biased," Yechury added.

When the roster issue had come up, we all protested in Parliament, he said, adding five of the central universities where the advertisements were issued, there were not even a single position for SC, ST and OBCs.

"We raised the issue and the minister concerned assured that there will be an ordinance to overcome the Supreme Court direction. They have issued a notification suspending any recruitment till the issue is resolved. Now they have withdrawn the suspension and if recruitments begin now, a large number of deserving SC/ST will not fight," Yechury said.

Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha said he has asked for a short duration discussion in Parliament on the roster issue.

"The education policies implemented under the Modi government are geared towards pushing the marginalised section outside the ambit of higher education.

"Commercialisation of public funded higher education is yet another way to deny education and jobs to Dalit-Bahujan samaj. We have asked for a short duration discussion on the roster," he said.

Congress leader Rajeev Gowda accused the central government of destroying the democratic and constitutional values in the country and dividing the country for "petty political gains".

"We urge the government to bring in an ordinance (roster issue) immediately after the session finishes or bring a bill within the next eight days," he said.

The BJP government has failed the people of India on the issue of reservation in teaching positions, Binoy Viswam, member of Rajya Sabha, said.

Udit Raj, Lok Sabha MP, expressed support to the DUTA and raised the issue of discontinuation of the Rajiv Gandhi fellowship to SC/ST by the government and demanded reservation in judiciary.

There should be a nationwide movement on this issue as the government's inaction on the matter was intentional, alleged Sharad Yadav of Loktantrik Janata Dal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The government has readied a proposal to strengthen autonomous councils in tribal areas in the Northeast, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said Friday in Lok Sabha.

Responding to a private member's bill moved by Vincent Pala of Congress, the minister said: "There is a good We have prepared a cabinet note. Soon we will bring a bill in the House".

Rijiju, who was speaking on the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2015 introduced by Vincent, said that there was a demand to increase the number of elected members in these councils particularly in Meghalaya and Assam and the ministry has agreed to that.

He said the demand of giving mines and minerals to these councils cannot be fulfilled as it will be violative of constitutional provisions.

The minister said that the government never interferes in the way tribals live in these regions.

The main purpose of the Constitution amendment bill is also to increase representation of women, he said.

"We have made provisions for that. Women should be properly represented in these councils," the minister said.

He also said that after the passage of the bill, elections of these councils would be conducted by state election authorities and "we have also put provisions for disqualifications".

On the demand for special financial provision, Rijiju said there will be a provision of special budgetary allocations for these councils.

State finance commission would also inform about the amount to be given to these councils.

Talking about the issue of Northeastern states, the minister said security is a major challenge and the government has taken several steps to promote development of these states.

He alleged that during the Congress governments, "no one worked on the root cause of increasing militancy in these states".

"There was nobody at that time in Delhi to listen to the concerns of these people. But this government has ensured that now no one can go back without meeting government representatives here," he added.

He said that this government started dialogue with militant organisations and those "who are not listening, we are taking tough actions".

He alleged that the earlier governments committed a lot of mistakes and "we are improving those".

"The Prime Minister and ministers regularly visit these states. No development happened but now we are focusing on that. Tourism is flourishing there now," he said.

He urged Pala to withdrew the bill, which was agreed to by the Congress member.

In a lighter vein, the Minister said, "Pala ji should come to the BJP to work for the Northeast".

The minister said that it is a record of sorts that a private member's bill has been discussed for such a long time as it was introduced in 2015.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Coming down heavily on the BJP for its proposed Rath Yatras in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said such yatras are typically conducted in the name of God, and not meant to indulge in "danga" (riot).

The Supreme Court on Monday declined an urgent hearing on a BJP plea challenging a Calcutta High Court order disallowing its Rath Yatras in the state.

"There are yatras for Lord Krishna and Lord Jagannath, we take part in those rath yatras. Those who carry out yatras to kill common people indulge in 'danga' yatras," Banerjee said at a public distribution programme here.

"We don't insult anybody. We respect everyone irrespective of their religious affinity," she added.

The three-phased Rath Yatra, also being called the 'Save Democracy Rally', was scheduled to be held this month, covering all the 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state. The rallies were to be flagged off by BJP president Amit Shah.

Banerjee also hit out at BJP leaders, calling them 'bhogis' (people indulging in material enjoyment) and said the party was no authority to decide on what religion people should follow.

"These so-called 'yogis' (holy men) are not 'yogis' but they are 'bhogis'. They've suddenly started giving diktats to people on religion. Who are they to decide?



"My faith is my choice. We are secular, pray to all Gods and respect all religions. We love the Hindu religion as much as Islam, Sikh religion and Christianity," she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Myanmar's army accused rebels on Friday of attacking and killing "some" of its soldiers, the first skirmish acknowledged by the military in the wake of it unprecedented ceasefire with ethnic armed groups.

The military announced last week it would suspend "all military movements" in the troubled northern and eastern regions for four months, a move observers say is unprecedented.

Halting a simmering decades-long civil war could be a way to coax ethnic armed groups into a fractious peace process, which has been marred by continuous fighting in restive border areas.

But the Tatmadaw, the military's Myanmar name, said their soldiers stationed in Shan state were attacked on Thursday by troops from the Shan State Army (SSA) -- also known as the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS).

"Some Tatmadaw men were killed and some injured in the attack were sent to the military hospital... for treatment," said a statement Friday from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief.

"The Tatmadaw will strongly stand by its...ceasefire declaration and respond in line with the law to the attacks of the SSA."



The army also hit out at local outlets for publishing reports of skirmishes between the Tatmadaw and other armed groups, threatening "action in accordance with the law", said a statement posted Thursday by the military's information team.

No representative from the RCSS could be reached for comment.

Even with the army's declaration of a ceasefire, Myanmar's border regions are subjected to fighting between opposing armed groups.

The situation on the ground is "very complicated", said Brigadier General Tarr Phone Kyaw, a spokesman for the Taaung National Liberation Army (TNLA) -- one of the larger ethnic armed groups battling the military in the northeast.

While the TNLA is still battling the RCSS, Tarr Phone Kyaw said they are honouring the ceasefire with Myanmar government troops and there has been "no offensive" against them.

"We have been instructed to stay in our own area," he told AFP.

Conflicts have been festering in the border areas since independence from Britain 70 years ago, with various armed groups fighting for autonomy, identity, resources and territory.

The peace process has been defacto leader Aung San Suu Kyi's stated priority since her party swept to power in landmark elections in 2015, as the country opened up following half a century of military rule.

But she has had no say over security policy, with the military retaining key government posts in a delicate power-sharing arrangement.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Union minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani Friday asserted that there is no role of religion in government.

She said the Sabarimala temple issue, where became a matter of national debate after the Supreme Court allowed entry of women of menstrual age into the famous hill shrine in Kerala, is being used as a "political tool".

The Union Textiles Minister was speaking at the 48th edition of IIT Bombays annual cultural festival 'Mood Indigo' here.

"There is no role of religion in government. There has to be a distinction between governence and politics. But, a fine balance between the two can serve the country well," Irani said.

To a query on the raging debate over entry of women in 10-50 age group into Sabarimala temple, she said every religion and temples have their own practices and the freedom to follow one's own faith is enshrined in the Constitution.

"The Sabrimala issue is being used as a political tool. One needs to study reasonable restrictions in context to the Constitution and not make it a fulcrum of every other debate on equal rights," the minister said.

Asked to comment on the MeToo movement, the minister said children should be taught to have mutual respect for fellow human beings in their growing years.

"Speaking up for the victim is the way forward. A woman just needs an equal opportunity so that she can empower herself," Irani said.

"Let's respect people for being themselves and not judge or punish or humiliate them because their views differ," she maintained.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Britain's Royal Mail apologised on Friday over a commemorative stamp design for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings in France next year that instead showed US troops landing in what is now Indonesia.

The design was part of a series of special issues showcasing the "Best of British" and was to be released in time for the anniversary of the Allied landings on June 6, 1944.

The image, which was previewed on Thursday, was labelled "D-Day Allied soldiers and medics wade ashore".

"We would like to offer our sincere apologies that our preview release for our 2019 Special Stamp programme included a stamp design which had been incorrectly associated with the D-Day landings," a Royal Mail spokesman said.

The image selected instead showed US troops disembarking in what was then Dutch New Guinea in May 1944. Twitter users were quick to point out the mistake.

"Please correct this or you will look like idiots," Paul Woodadge, a D-Day historian, wrote to Royal Mail.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Gujarat government Friday asked the Vigilance Commissioner to probe the allegations of corruption in carrying out projects at religious sites by the pilgrimage development board and ordered suspension of an officer.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani ordered the suspension of an officer whose audio clip brought the issue of alleged corruption in the board to the fore.

In an official release, the government said the CM has asked the Vigilance Commissioner to probe the allegations of corruption against the Gujarat Pavitra Yatradham Vikas Board.

The issue came to the fore after a purported audio clip, having conversation of a senior government officer and an RTI activist, went viral on social media platforms.

In the purported clip, Anil Patel, additional secretary in the state panchayat department, can be heard admitting large-scale corruption in the board where he was once posted.

Patel can be heard saying that corruption took place in carrying out various works at pilgrimage places such as Pavagadh, Rameshwar, Bahucharaji, Shabri Dham and Dwarka.

As per the government release, Rupani has asked the Vigilance Commissioner to submit preliminary inquiry report as early as possible.

The CM also asked the corruption watchdog to take action against those found guilty during the probe.

Terming Patel's conduct as "inappropriate", the CM has ordered his suspension for engaging in "indiscipline", said the release.

Patel has violated various provisions of the service conduct rules by "criticising the government" and providing information "without having any authority" to do so, it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Unions for Ryanair's 1,800 cabin crew in Spain threatened Friday to strike in January unless the Irish low-cost airline agrees to improve work and pay conditions.

It was just the latest setback for the airline, which has faced a wave of strikes in several European countries in recent months.

The two unions representing the staff, USO and Sitcpla, called for 24-hour strikes on January 8, 10 and 13 because Ryanair had failed to reach an agreement with them during mediation.

The unions are demanding local contracts under local law rather than the Irish contracts Ryanair uses widely.

It was "disgusting" that Ryanair "continues to refuse to accept national law with all its consequences", USO representative Jairo Gonzalo said in a statement.

Europe's biggest low-cost airline only began recognising unions for the first time in its 30-year history in December last year, to avert mass strikes during the busy Christmas period.

In July, strikes by cockpit and cabin crew disrupted 600 flights in Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain, affecting 100,000 travellers.

Then on September 28, cabin crew walked out again in Germany, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain and in some countries pilots' unions also took action.

The budget carrier has so far managed to clinch labour agreements with staff in several countries including Britain, Germany, Portugal and Italy.

Spain is Ryanair's third biggest market. The airline has 13 of its 89 bases in the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Expressing distress over the falling prices of onions in Maharashtra, the Friday asked why cannot be given their due if the state government can implement the 7th Pay Commission.

The Sena, in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana', pointed out that onion in Aurangabad's Vaijapur Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) were getting as little as 20 paise per kilogram for their produce.

"These onions could become bombs and explode," the Sena editorial warned.

It said the true picture of the condition of cultivating onions, cotton and tomatoes was yet to come before the government, adding that the government would not have "thrown assurances" at them if it knew their plight.

The Sena said all that the farmers were demanding was money to cover the cost of production.

"But the government distances itself from the demands citing lack of funds and other technical problems. The government borrows Rs 5 billion from Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust in Shirdi for its pending projects. It also can spare two to five hundred crore for the bullet train project," it said.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party said it was happy that the government had formally agreed to implement the 7th Pay Commission from January 1 and claimed it was the right of government employees.

"Similarly, onion farmers should also get their dues. Are they not citizens of Maharashtra? Are they not humans?" it asked.

The Sena said a large amount of onions lying in APMCs are perishing because of lack of takers and said they would finally have to be discarded.

The Thursday approved the implementation of 7th Pay Commission recommendations from January 1, a move that will benefit more than 2 million employees and pensioners.

The cabinet approval to the pay hike of government employees, which will cost the state exchequer Rs 386.55 billion, comes just months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The state will face Assembly polls in the second half of 2019.

The Sena is a constituent of the BJP-led governments in Maharashtra and at the Centre.Six Indian nationals have been arrested from Nepal's Bhojpur district for allegedly duping local villagers on the pretext of forging new ornaments and exchanging them with gold coated ones, said a media report on Friday.

The accused, all hailing from Mothari district in Bihar, lured the innocent locals and promised them to shape their ornaments and polish the gold jewelries. However, they exchanged it with fake gold, the Himalayan Times reported.

The accused were in possession of Aqua Regia, a chemical composition of hydrochloric acid and nitric acid which was used by them to dissolve real gold, a duty officer at Bhojpur district police office was quoted as saying by the paper.

The police intercepted them while they were about to flee the district. They have been taken into custody and an investigation has been initiated, police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The CBI probed the alleged fake encounter killings of gangster Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his wife Kausar Bi and his aide Tulsi Prajapati with a 'pre-conceived and premeditated' theory to implicate political leaders, a special CBI court has said.

Special CBI Judge S J Sharma made the remarks in a 350-pages judgement on December 21, while acquitting all the 22 accused in the case.

The court acquitted the accused due to insufficient evidence and expressed sorrow over the loss of "three lives."



While the judgement copy was unavailable Friday, media was given access to portions of the judgement.

In his order, Judge Sharma said his predecessor (Judge M B Gosavi) while passing an order of discharge in the application of accused number 16 (BJP president Amit Shah) recorded that the investigation was "politically motivated".

"Having given my dispassionate consideration to the entire material placed before me and having examined each of the witnesses and the evidence closely, I have no hesitation in recording that a premier investigating agency like CBI had before it a premeditated theory and a script intended to implicate political leaders," the judgement said.

The order said the CBI, during its probe into the case, was doing something other than arriving at the truth of the offences in question.

"It clearly appears that the CBI was more concerned in establishing a particular pre-conceived and premeditated theory rather than finding out the truth," the judgement said.

It said the CBI did what was required to reach that 'goal' instead of conducting a probe in accordance with law.

"The entire investigation was thus targeted to act upon a script to achieve the said goal and in the process of its zeal to implicate political leaders, CBI created evidence and placed witness statements in the charge-sheet," the judgement said.

Such statements could not withstand the judicial scrutiny of the court and the witnesses deposed fearlessly before this court clearly indicating that their statements were wrongly recorded by CBI to justify its script to implicate political leaders, the court said.

The court noted that there was negligence on part of the CBI towards material evidence which clearly indicated that the agency "hurriedly" completed the investigation.

"...the CBI thus implicated police personnel who had no knowledge of any conspiracy... rather they appeared innocent," the court said.

The judge said he is not oblivious to the agony and frustration caused to the families of the deceased persons and to the society in general when a crime of such a serious nature goes unpunished.

"...but then the law does not permit the court to punish the accused on the basis of a moral conviction or on suspicion alone. The burden of truth in a criminal trial never shifts. The burden is always on the prosecution to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt," the court said.

The court noted that there is 'regret' that three persons were killed, which was going unpunished. It added that it has no option but to conclude that the accused are not guilty.

The order said there was no evidence to prove CBI's theory that the three deceased were abducted by a police team.

"The CBI has also failed to establish presence of the accused police personnel at the spot of the alleged incident," the order said, adding that no witness was examined to show that the policemen were issued service weapons.

Of the 22 accused, 21 were junior police officers from Gujarat and Rajasthan, who the CBI said were part of teams which abducted and killed the three in staged encounters. The court said there was nothing to show if service weapons of the accused policemen were used in the killings.

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 night of November 22-23, 2005. The couple were taken in one vehicle and Prajapati in another.

CBI 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.

The CBI had charged 38 persons, including 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 examined 210 witnesses, of which 92 turned hostile.

Before the December 21 verdict, 16 people, including Shah, Kataria, Vanzara and Pande were discharged by the CBI court due to lack of evidence.

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.

The December 21 verdict was Judge Sharma's last judgment of his career as he is set to retire on December 31.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Sri Lanka's Office on Missing Persons (OMP) on Friday said that it will provide financial assistance to carry out Radiocarbon dating as part of its investigation of the human remains at a mass grave site found in north eastern Sri Lanka.

In March this year a suspected mass grave was found in Mannar when a new building was being constructed at the town's old cooperative store.

"Some 278 human skeletal parts had been found over 118 working days of digging at the site. They include remains of women and children," Dr Samindra Rajapaksha, Consultant Judicial Medical Officer of the General Hospital in Mannar, said.

The OMP will provide financial assistance for the Radiocarbon dating to find out the timing of the mass grave.

"The OMP will provide financial assistance to carry out carbon dating as part of its continued support to the investigation," the statement said.

Radio carbon dating calculates the amount of carbon-14 in bone and teeth samples and establishes the approximate time when an animal or plant was alive.

OMP Chairman Saliya Peiris said that it is imperative for the OMP to assist the investigation of the remains excavated.

"The samples from the Mannar site are to be sent to a laboratory abroad which specialises in bomb pulse carbon 14 technique, Peiris said.

It is expected that bomb pulse carbon dating can provide a narrower range of time periods in which the deaths occurred.

From December 18 to 21, the OMP had observed the process of selecting six bone samples for radio carbon dating at the Mannar mass grave.

The OMP came into operation this year with its mandate to search for and trace missing persons.

They can recommend compensation to the next of kin of the missing while also helping out in other legal formalities to trace them.

A government appointed probe committee on disappearances in 2014 said that over 19,000 people had disappeared alongside 5,000 more from the security forces during various conflicts in the island since the late 1980s.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Sri Lanka's ruling UNP has no intention to go for an early snap general election, a party spokesman said Friday, ending weeks of speculation that the government may dissolve parliament before the end of its term.

Ajith P Perera, a United National Party (UNP) spokesman, said no parliamentary election would be held before February 2020 when President Maithripala Sirisena could sack the assembly.

"We must make it very clear that the UNP has not expressed any willingness to dissolve parliament before its term ends," Perera said.

The decision is contrary to the expectations of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's new political party Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).

Buoyed by the excellent showing in the local council elections held in February, the SLPP leadership insists for an early election to gain control of the government.

They won over 70 per cent of the 300 plus local councils by thrashing both major parties of Sirisena's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the UNP of prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Mano Ganesan, a government ally and a minister said the decision that the general election will be held only when they are due in August 2020 was taken at a high level meeting held last night.

"The President if he so wishes could call an early presidential election, but all other elections would be held on schedule," Ganesan said.

Sri Lanka faced a major constitutional and political crisis which lasted over 50 days after Sirisena took a controversial decision of sacking Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister to replace him with Rajapaksa in late October.

The Supreme Court court in a landmark ruling said that Sirisena's subsequent action to dismiss parliament and set a fresh parliamentary poll for January 5 was illegal.

He was then forced to restore Wickremesinghe in office as Rajapaksa was not able to prove his majority in parliament.

Rajapaksa's SLPP has been clamouring for an early poll which they claim would be the key to end the political crisis and an unstable government resulting due to the never-ending rift between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe.

"We challenge the prime minister to dissolve the assembly with two thirds majority to hold an early election. We will support that resolution," Rajapaksa's elder son and legislator Namal Rajapaksa said.

The SLPP and Sirisena now find fault with the 19th amendment to the Constitution which took away powers of the President to dissolve parliament at his wish.

As per the amendment, he cannot do so until parliament has seen off four and a half years of its term.

However, parliament could resolve with two thirds to dissolve the assembly to call a snap election.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Bombay High Court Friday permitted a surrogate mother to terminate her 24-week pregnancy after it was found that the foetus has multiple cardiac abnormalities.

A vacation bench of Justice Bharati Dangre was hearing a petition filed by a Pune-based woman seeking permission to terminate her 24-week pregnancy.

According to the petition, the woman had entered into an agreement with a Pune-based couple to conceive their baby through the Assisted Reproductive Technology.

The baby was conceived but later, during a routine check-up, it was learnt that the foetus had multiple cardiac abnormalities.

The woman along with the parents then approached the high court seeking permission to terminate the pregnancy as it had gone beyond the 20-week period.

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act prohibits abortion of pregnancy beyond the 20-week period unless a direction to that effect is given by a high court after considering report from an expert medical team of any state-run hospital.

Last week, the woman was examined by a medical team of the B J Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital in Pune which submitted a report noting that clinical examination revealed multiple cardiac abnormalities in the foetus.

The report further noted that if the baby is born then it would require multiple surgeries with high morbidity and mortality.

"The medical team has therefore opined that the pregnancy may be terminated," the court said in its order.

On Wednesday, when the petition was heard, Justice Dangre said that the present case was "peculiar" in nature as the petitioner is a surrogate mother and that the baby was conceived by applying the Assisted Reproductive Technology.

The court then directed for the intended parents to appear before it to accord consent.

"As directed, the intended father appeared before the court on Friday and gave his consent to the abortion procedure. The court recorded the same and granted permission," said woman's advocate Meenaz Kakalia.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A suspected militant was killed in an exchange of fire with police at Maibang area in Assam's Dima Hasao district Friday, a police officer said.

A police team and members of a suspected militant group exchanged fire in the early hours of Friday. After the firing stopped, police recovered the body of a suspected militant, the officer said.

The police team also recovered ammunition from the spot, the officer said, adding that search is on the apprehend the other members of the group.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Syrian army has not entered Manbij, the US military said Friday, after Syrian forces claimed they had gone into the key northern city and raised the national flag.

"Despite incorrect information about changes to the military forces in Manbij city, (the US-led coalition) has seen no indication of these claims being true," US Central Command spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Earl Brown said.

Manbij is a strategic city close to the Turkish border where Kurdish forces have been deployed since 2016.

US and French special operations troops are also stationed there, assisting the Kurds, but the Americans will be withdrawing under a surprise pull-out announced by President Donald Trump last week.

Brown called on all parties to respect the "integrity of Manbij and the safety of its citizens."



"Our mission has not changed. We will continue to support our coalition partners, while also conducting a deliberate and controlled withdrawal of forces, while taking all measures possible to ensure our troops' safety and that of our partners on the ground," he told AFP.

The US withdrawal from Syria has sent Kurdish forces scrambling to find allies to fend off a possible attack from Turkey, which views the fighters as "terrorists."



The Kurds have welcomed a regime advance in Manbij province, a pragmatic shift in alliances that will dash their aspirations for autonomy but could help them cut their losses.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Thousands of youngsters from across the country will hold a march in the national capital on February 7 to demand and jobs, a youth organisation said Friday.

The youth will be marching under the Young India National Coordination Committee, which came into existence with the coming together of more than 50 youth movements, student unions and organisations.

According to Jawaharlal Nehru Students' Union president N Sai Balaji, the youngsters will take out the Young India Adhikar March from Red Fort to Parliament to demand their rights.

"Like the kisans of the country, the youth will now call out the bluff of the Modi government. We have been denied our rightful education, dignified employment and when we raised our voice, we were called anti-national. In the last five years all of us have struggled, now we will unitedly march and challenge the present government," he added.

The Charter of Young India was also released.

"Fill all vacant government jobs and end the regime of paper leaks and corruption in recruitment. Spend at least 10 per cent of the budget on Stop the policy of school closure, seat-cut, fund-cut, fee-hike and reservation-cut in higher education," the charter read.

"End gender discriminatory rules, ensure girls' hostel and effective anti-sexual harassment cells. End saffronisation of Ensure academic freedom and freedom of expression in campuses. Fulfil constitutionally-mandated reservation. Institute anti-discrimination cells in all campuses," it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A college student was raped at knifepoint in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district earlier this week, following which three accused have been arrested, police said Friday.

The incident took place on December 25 when she had gone for a walk with her male friend on Gochar road in Karnaprayag, station house officer, Karnaprayag, Chitragupt said.

The three men accosted them and threatened them with a knife, asking him to leave. When the student's friend left, the accused took turns to rape her at knifepoint, he said.

She lodged an FIR the next day, police said, adding that the three accused were arrested Thursday.

The accused -- Manoj, Chhotu and Rohit -- were living in Haridwar's Chandi ghat area. They were natives of different states and had been working as ragpickers in Karnaprayag for the last few days, they said.

The medical examination has been conducted, the SHO said, adding that the knife used by the accused was also recovered.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Three persons were injured Friday after a DTC cluster bus allegedly hit four cars, an e-rickshaw and a scooter parked on the left side of the road near a metro pillar in Dwarka's Uttam Nagar area, police said.

The incident took place at around 4 pm, they said.

The injured, identified as Simran, 26, Mohammad Alam ,32, and Ashwini ,21, were admitted to a nearby hospital, where there condition is stated to be stable, a senior police officer said.

Investigations revealed that the DTC cluster bus met with an accident in which it damaged the vehicles that were parked at the left side of the Arya Samaj Road, he said.

Police said the driver, identified as Swait Singh, 42, did not seem to be under the influence of alcohol. However, a medical examination is being conducted to verify it.

The bus driver told police that the accident happened due to a technical glitch in the break, the officer said, adding that the mechanical examination of the vehicle is being carried out to verify the same.

A case has been registered at the Bindapur police station and the bus driver has been arrested, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Seven members of a UK-based Indian-origin family were involved in a freak accident in Iceland when their SUV crashed off a bridge on Thursday, killing two women and a child.

Four others, including two British Indian brothers and two young children, remain in critical condition after being airlifted to a hospital in Iceland's capital Reykjavik.

The family was reportedly on holiday in the Nordic island country when their hired Toyota Land Cruiser slammed through a railing while crossing a high single-lane bridge at Skeidararsandur, a vast sand plain in the southern part of the country.

The Indian Ambassador to Iceland, T Armstrong Changsan, visited the injured at Landsptali hospital, where he spoke to hospital staff and the chaplain before contacting family members in India.

"The situation is very bad. Three people have died and one of them is an infant. There were seven people, he told local media.

The holidaymakers from the UK included two couples in their thirties and three children, aged around three, eight and nine. While the youngest girl was killed on the spot, the other girl remains in surgery. According to local reports, the two adults killed in the crash were the wives of the two British Indian brothers.

Chief Superintendent of South Iceland Police Sveinn Kristjan Runarsso confirmed the four survivors have been taken to hospital with serious injuries and that "we haven't been able to talk to them about what happened".

The crash site was described as "horrifying" by tour guide Adolf Erlingsson, who was among the first on the scene with two police officers.

"The car was totally smashed up after flying off the bridge and plunging down there, he told Icelandic radio station Bylgjan.

"The car seemed to have hit the ground many metres from where it stopped. We struggled getting everyone out," he said.

Police officers have said that humidity could have made the surface slippery but said it remains unclear what caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle.

Temperatures were around freezing at the time of the accident, which occurred hours before the North Atlantic island saw sunrise at nearly 11.30 am local time.

The vehicle the family were travelling in slammed through a railing while crossing a high single-lane bridge over the Nps river at Skeidararsandur.

The bridge is described as "really narrow" and the vehicle plummeted on to the dry riverbed below and landed on its roof.

Iceland's national ring road, also known as Route 1, is popular among tourists from around the world and the site of the crash was near Skaftafell in the south-east of the country, which is made up of mountains, glaciers, waterfalls and beaches.

Of the 18 people who have died in traffic accidents in Iceland this year, half of them have been foreign nationals.

The UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We are supporting the family of several British nationals who were involved in a road traffic accident in Iceland and are in close contact with the Icelandic authorities."



Local police have only identified the victims as British, with their names and ages not yet released until formal identification.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A tilt of the head leads people to look more at the eyes, making them more approachable and less threatening, a study suggests.

Every time we look at a face, we take in a flood of information effortlessly: age, gender, race, expression, the direction of our subject's gaze, and even their mood.

Faces draw us in and help us navigate relationships and the world around us, according to the study published in the journal Perception.

Understanding how facial recognition works has great value -- particularly for those whose brains process information in ways that make eye contact challenging, including people with autism.

Helping people tap into this flow of social cues could be transformational.

"Looking at the eyes allows you to gather much more information. It's a real advantage," said Nicolas Davidenko, an assistant professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz in the US.

By contrast, the inability to make eye contact has causal effects.

"It impairs your facial processing abilities and puts you at a real social disadvantage," Davidenko said.

People who are reluctant to make eye contact may also be misperceived as disinterested, distracted, or aloof, he noted.

Scientists have known for decades that when we look at a face, we tend to focus on the left side of the face we are viewing, from the viewer's perspective.

Called the "left-gaze bias," this phenomenon is thought to be rooted in the brain, the right hemisphere of which dominates the face-processing task.

Researchers also know that we have a terrible time "reading" a face that's upside down.

It is as if our neural circuits become scrambled, and we are challenged to grasp the most basic information.

Much less is known about the middle ground, how we take in faces that are rotated or slightly tilted.

"We take in faces holistically, all at once --not feature by feature. But no one had studied where we look on rotated faces," said Davidenko.

He used eye-tracking technology to get the answers, and what he found surprised him: The left-gaze bias completely vanished and an "upper eye bias" emerged, even with a tilt as minor as 11 degrees off centre.

"People tend to look first at whichever eye is higher," he said.

"A slight tilt kills the left-gaze bias that has been known for so long. That is what is so interesting. I was surprised how strong it was," said Davidenko.

More importantly for people with autism, Davidenko found that the tilt leads people to look more at the eyes, perhaps because it makes them more approachable and less threatening.

"Across species, direct eye contact can be threatening," he said.

"When the head is tilted, we look at the upper eye more than either or both eyes when the head is upright. I think this finding could be used therapeutically," Davidenko said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A top CPI leader said Friday he has received an invitation from the TMC to attend its rally of opposition parties in Kolkata, but has turned it down.

The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) has called a rally of opposition parties on January 19 in the West Bengal capital.

The TMC has sent invitations to all opposition parties, including the Congress, for the event.

"She (Banerjee) has sent me an invitation. But, I have decided not to participate in it," CPI General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy told PTI Friday.

Explaining the reasons for skipping the event, he said the relationship between his party and the TMC was not good in West Bengal.

"Her party leaders and her 'goondas' have taken over our party offices (in West Bengal), they are attacking Left parties physically; political criticism is different; so I have decided not to participate in it," Reddy said.

The CPI is not attending the rally has come as no surprise as it and other Left parties are the main political rivals of the TMC in West Bengal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The government expressed hope Friday that the triple talaq bill, which criminalises the practice of instant divorce by Muslim men, will find support in the Rajya Sabha, whose approval is necessary for the bill to become law.

The contentious triple talaq bill was passed by the Lok Sabha for the second time in less than a year after a heated debate Thursday.

"I appreciate the maturity of the Rajya Sabha and also the sensitivity of the issue. We believe that we will get support in the Rajya Sabha," Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters during a Cabinet briefing.

The bill should not be about "political opposition" as it talks about justice for woman victims of triple talaq, he said.

The passage of the bill in the Upper House is likely to be a difficult task for the government as it lacks a majority there unlike in the Lok Sabha.

Opposition parties, including the Congress, and some regional parties such as the AIADMK, which has often supported the government in Parliament, have already expressed their reservations against the bill.

Prasad rejected arguments made by opposition parties against The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill.

Everybody said that triple talaq is wrong but they (opposition) also added that don't make it a criminal offence, he said, terming this a "strange logic".

Prasad noted when women file for divorce against their husbands, they at times also slap a case of cruelty which, he added, is a criminal case.

"It was also said that this does not happen in other religions. But the fact is that the practice of triple talaq is not in any other religion," he said.

The Lok Sabha Thursday passed the bill with 245 voting in its favour and 11 opposing the legislation. Most opposition parties staged a walkout.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Tripura government has paved way for replacing the state school syllabus prevalent under the pervious Left Front regime with NCERT curriculum in all state-run and aided schools from the next academic session, beginning April 2019.

A meeting of the state cabinet late Thursday evening gave its nod to the proposal to change the curriculum.

The BJP-Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) government shortly after coming to power in March after ending the 25 year-rule of the Left Front had set up an expert committee for reviewing the school syllabus.

Minister Ratan Lal Nath told reporters that the change would enable the students of the state to be as "competitive" as students of the other states. He said the change in curriculum will also take the state's system to the national level.

The minister had earlier alleged that the Left regime indulged in "communalisation of school curriculum by teaching wrong lessons to students".

He said his department had already procured over 2 lakh new books of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and 64,000 books will soon be reaching the state.

The expert committee set up by the BJP-IPFT government had recommended NCERT curriculum for schools in the state. It had also suggested the implementation of the Central Board of Secondary (CBSE) syllabus across all government and government-aided schools in the state.

The state cabinet had also asked the education department to examine whether the school timings could be changed.

Currently, all government and government-aided schools have two shifts -- morning and afternoon.

Nath said the government had decided to bring an ordinance to constitute a state-level higher education board in accordance with the directives of the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).

"If the board is not put in place, the MHRD may curtail the outlay under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Tripura Cabinet has given its nod to a proposal to introduce the NCERT curriculum in all state government and aided schools from the next academic session, beginning April 2019.

The Department of has initiated the process to introduce the NCERT curriculum to replace the existing one prescribed by the State Council of Educational Research and Training, Minister Ratan Lal Nath told reporters after the Cabinet meeting on Thursday. The meeting ended late in the evening.

The minister said the department has already procured over 2 lakh new books and 64,000 books will soon be reaching the state. The change in curriculum will take the state's system to the national level, he added.

Shortly after coming to power in March this year, the BJP-Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) government set up an expert committee for reviewing school syllabus.

The panel had recommended the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) curriculum for schools in the state.

The panel had also suggested the implementation of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) syllabus across all government and government-aided schools in the state.

The state Cabinet has also asked the education department to examine whether school timings could be changed.

Currently all government and government-aided schools have two shifts -- the morning shift and the afternoon shift.

Nath said the government has decided to bring an ordinance to constitute a state-level higher education board in accordance with the directives of the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

"If the board is not put in place, the MHRD may curtail outlay under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.): The Telangana Rashtra Samiti's fresh push towards forging a non-Congress, non-BJP federal front may have fallen short of the party's expectations, but the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led outfit is not losing heart.

As part of renewed efforts to bring like-minded regional parties on board, the Chief Minister had embarked on the mission a week ago, meeting Biju Janata Dal chief Naveen Patnaik and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee.

The Chief Ministers of Odisha and West Bengal remained non-committal -- at least in public -- but TRS sources claimed that it's early days and the party would persist with its efforts to build a federal front.

Rao was also scheduled to meet Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati, but that was not to be.

Yadav had said in Lucknow that he would meet Rao in Hyderabad after January 6 and appreciated his efforts to build such an alliance.

TRS deputy floor leader in the Lok Sabha and Karimnagar MP B Vinod Kumar said that Rao could not meet Mayawati due to paucity of time and added that the Chief Minister would hold discussions with her in the first week of January.

Rao headed back home from New Delhi today.

"You can't expect results within a day or two, it's an ongoing process...to sell this idea of a federal front is not easy. Otherwise, someone else would have done this long back", Vinod Kumar told PTI.

"Everybody is thinking it (the idea) seriously", he claimed.

The Congress and the CPI have alleged that Rao's initiative is only aimed at splitting the anti-NDA votes, a charge repeatedly rejected by the TRS.

AICC in-charge of Telangana affairs, R C Khuntia said Rao is not "anti-BJP". "He is working as a 'B' team of (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi", he said.

On every issue, including demonetisation, GST, Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections, the TRS had supported the NDA, Khuntia said.

CPI General Secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy said: "We feel that this (Rao's efforts on federal front) is being organised on behalf of Narendra Modi to break the opposition unity."



Rao is "trying to find those who are not very happy with the Congress and whether there is a possibility to try and woo them".

Till now, there has been no support to his federal front, Reddy said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A truck driver disappeared with the vehicle which was loaded with cigarettes worth around Rs 5 crore, police said Friday.

The driver, Salim Khan Khyamkhyani, employed with a transport company, has been booked for criminal breach of trust, they said.

The case was registered Thursday evening at the Ganeshpuri police station.

The truck was on its way to Ahmedabad in Gujarat from Pune when it disappeared mid-way this week, the police said.

The vehicle, packed with cigarettes worth Rs 4.93 crore, had left Ranjangaon, an industrial area near Pune, on December 21, they said.

The driver vanished with the truck when it was in Thane district on way to Gujarat, the police added.

A search has been launched for the cigarette-laden truck and its driver, they 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 threatened to "entirely close" the Southern border with Mexico and change the immigration laws if the opposition Democrats did not agree to his demand of funding for a border wall.

As part of the partial government shutdown headed to enter the new year, Trump also threatened to end all US aid to three Latin American countries--Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras-- arguing that these nations have done nothing to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the US.

"We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with. Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve," Trump said in a series of four tweets.

Trump is asking more than USD 5 billion to build a border wall which he argues is essential to end the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States.

"The United States looses soooo much money on Trade with Mexico under NAFTA, over 75 Billion Dollars a year (not including Drug Money which would be many times that amount), that I would consider closing the Southern Border a 'profit making operation'," the US President tweeted.

"We build a wall or close the Southern Border. Bring our car industry back into the United States where it belongs. Go back to pre-NAFTA, before so many of our companies and jobs were so foolishly sent to Mexico. Either we build (finish) the Wall or we close the Border..," Trump said.

Democratic leader, Nancy Pelosi, who is the Speaker-designate to the House of Representatives beginning January 3, said that her party which will have a majority in the lower chambers next year will vote for a responsible end to the ongoing government shutdown.

"We will vote swiftly to reopen government and show that Democrats will govern responsibly in stark contrast to this chaotic White House," Pelosi said in a statement.

The New York Times and other media outlets reported that the Democrats are considering ways to end the shutdown without giving Trump the funds for a border wall.

Trump also threatened three Latin American countries to end US aid.

"Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money. Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it. We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries - taking advantage of US for years," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Haryana Assembly Friday witnessed pandemonium over loan waiver and other issues pertaining to farmers, with sharp exchanges taking place between state minister Krishan Kumar Bedi and Leader of Opposition Abhay Singh Chautala.

The first half of the day-long winter session of the Assembly was lost to noisy scenes.

Chautala raised the farmers' issue, saying many states had waived loans of the peasants and sought to know whether ruling BJP in the state would do the same.

"There is hardly any farmer who is not under debt. Moreover, under this regime, the farmers have not even got adequate price for their produce," Chautala claimed.

Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu hit out at Chautala, asking him to remember the time when "farmers used to face bullets" for seeking their rights.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ram Bilas Sharma then started detailing various welfare measures taken by the Khattar government for benefit of farmers, but was interrupted by INLD MLAs.

Congress Legislature Party leader Kiran Choudhary also kept interjecting on farmers' issue.

As the ruckus continued, Agriculture Minister O P Dhankar said that Congress governments in states such as Punjab and Madhya Pradesh had "deceived the farmers in the name of loan waiver".

"Our government is pro-farmer, we will not let farmers be deceived in this manner by them. They made tall promise on loan waiver and said all types of loans will be waived, but in fact they have deceived the farmers," Dhankar said. Hitting out at the Congress, he demanded that the party chief Rahul Gandhi apologise to the peasants of the country.

Former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda sought assurance from the chief minister whether farmers' loans will be waived or not.

As the ruckus continued, the Congress members staged a brief walkout.

Before walking out, Kiran Choudhary and former Speaker Kuldeep Sharma raised slogans in the House asking the Khattar government to waive farmers' loans.

Independent MLA Jai Prakash told the ruling BJP benches that on one hand their government talks about doubling farmers' income while on the other it was not waiving the farm loans.

As the pandemonium prevailed, the Speaker told INLD members that they had given Calling Attention Notice pertaining to sugarcane farmers and they should resume their seats to allow discussion over the issue.

Abhay Chautala again raised the issues of loan waiver for the farmers and small traders, the SYL canal, Dadupur Nalvi canal and Mewat feeder canal issues. Emphasizing the importance of these issues, he asked the government to clear its stand.

Khattar told Chautala that precious time of the House was being wasted because his party members were not relenting to allow issues to be taken up.

As the ruckus continued, the Speaker asked Capt Abhimanyu to take up other business, which angered INLD members who again started raising slogans against the government and entered the Well of the House.

Minister Ram Bilas Sharma tried to persuade the opposition members to resume their seats and as Chautala was allowed to take up his Calling Attention Notice, he was interrupted by a BJP member following which heated arguments ensued.

Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Bedi also jumped into the verbal duel and was accused by the INLD benches of making some personal remark against Chautala.

INLD MLA Kehar Singh Rawat targeted Bedi as verbal duel between the two sides escalated, the main opposition members led by Chautala walked up aggressively to the minister's seat.

Bedi was surrounded by his party MLAs as Chautala and his party members exchanged heated duel with him. As the situation almost came to blows, Speaker summoned the House Marshals.

However, INLD MLAs continued to raise slogans and the House started taking up some bills. The INLD members staged a walkout and the Speaker adjourned the House for lunch break.

Earlier, Chautala accused the chief minister and the government of treating the Speaker "like a department of the government" and issuing instructions as to how the House should be run.

He urged the Speaker to assert and ensure that his instructions are followed so that the dignity of the House is maintained.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In order to ensure uninterrupted power supply during the Gangasagar Mela, the state power department has taken up several measures to increase the capacity of the substation at Rudranagar, near here, in South 24 Parganas district.

The state power department have been working hard to increase the capacity of the 33/11 kV substation, a senior official of the department said.

"We are working on war footing to increase the capacity of the substation at Rudranagar. This is being done for the last few months to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the Gangasagar Mela scheduled to be held in January," the official told PTI.

It has been decided to ensure uninterrupted power supply to 54 points within the mela premises and surrounding areas, he added.

In the previous years, 40 points in and around the mela used to get uninterrupted power supply, the official said.

Work related to laying of underground cables between Kachuberia and Rudranagar have been undergoing to ensure automated power supply through the diesel generated (DG) system in case of any problem related to power supply in any area, the IAS said.

In fact, the state administration made elaborate arrangements to ensure the security of the extra high-voltage (EHV) substation in Kakdwip, which has been kept on stand-by.

The power department had nearly doubled the power supply from 8.9 million units per day to 16 million units per day, during the Gangasagar Mela last year, the official added.

An additional 800 KW of power, excluding 250 KW generated by the State Electricity Board at the mela ground, 150 KW power at Chemaguri and 170 KW power at Kachuberia, would be generated as well, the official said.

The official also said that proper arrangements have also been made to provide adequate power supply to the pilgrims when they will camp near the Maidan area in Kolkata for a few days, before beginning the last leg of their journey to Gangasagar.

"Arrangements have been made to ensure that the pilgrims do not face any problems during their stay at the ground before going to Gangasagar and while going back to their respective destinations," he said.

Every year, on the day of 'Makar Sankranti' (January 14), thousands of pilgrims from various parts of the country gather at the Sagar Island to take a dip at the confluence of the Hoogly river and Bay of Bengal and offer prayers at the Kapil Muni Ashram.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Calling "The Accidental Prime Minister" his "life's best performance", actor on Friday said the film should be seen as a creative endeavour and not an attempt to support a political party.

The actor said playing former prime minister Manmohan Singh is the most challenging role of his career and he was initially reluctant to take up the project as he was aware it will land into controversies.

"I felt that it is a very powerful story of modern India's political decade and I'm getting a chance to be a part of it as an actor. I am someone who has always reinvented himself as an actor," Kher said here at a press conference, which he had called after Maharashtra Youth asked for a screening of the film prior to its release, a demand they later withdrew.

When informed that Maharashtra Youth had withdrawn its demand, the actor said, "It is good if they have changed the thought process. It is fantastic. It is a great sign of maturity."



Kher dismissed that the film is his way of supporting the

"I have done 515 films, there are not even as many political parties. If I have to support a party I can do it on any platform. I will not try to make a film for that," he said.

Earlier in the day, Kher had tweeted that he was not going to "back off" due to the controversy.

"I am not going to back off. This is my life's best performance. Dr Manmohan Singh will agree after seeing the film that it is a 100 per cent accurate depiction," he tweeted.

The trailer of the film, based on the book of the same name by Sanjay Baru who served as Singh's media advisor 2004 to 2008, was released on Thursday.

It depicts Singh as a victim of Congress' internal politics ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

The trailer drew sharp reactions from the Congress, which dubbed it a "propaganda film", but Kher said it was a bold attempt to look at real events through the medium of the biopic for the first time in India.

"For the first time in independent India, we made a revolutionary film on real people with real names...This is the age of biopics; why can't we make a film on what happens inside the PMO."



Citing the example of Oscar-winning actors such as Ben Kingsley, Daniel Day-Lewis and Meryl Streep, the actor said they have received appreciation for playing political figures, "Then why is my work not seen as art?... It is the most difficult role of career. I researched for six-seven months before taking up the role."



Kher had earlier referred to president Rahul Gandhi's recent statement that freedom of expression is a fundamental right. This was in response to a party leader objecting to the language used to describe his father, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, in the Netflix series "Sacred Games".

In the press conference Kher retiterated his earlier comments saying, "We talk about freedom of expression, but when we practice our right, people try to curb it. Cinema has to move on, we have to move on with maturity and allow people to make films. Why can't we make a film on politics?"



On Thursday, the controversy began after BJP's official Twitter handle shared the link to the trailer of the film.

"Riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years. Was Dr Singh just a regent who was holding on to the PM's chair till the time heir was ready? Watch the official trailer of 'TheAccidentalPrimeMinister', based on an insider's account, releasing on 11 January," the party said.

Responding to the BJP, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said on Twitter that "such fake propaganda" by the party would not stop it from asking the Modi government questions on "rural distress, rampant unemployment, demonetisation disaster, flawed GST, failed Modinomics, all pervading corruption.

Singh evaded questions on the film at the Congress' foundation day function at the party headquarters on Friday.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah also tweeted on the film, saying, "Can't wait for when they make The Insensitive Prime Minister. So much worse than being the accidental one."



Directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, the film stars Kher as Manmohan Singh and Akshaye Khanna as Baru.The Congress on its 134th foundation day on Friday said it will continue to fight the propagators of hate with peace, unity and love.

On the occasion, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi hoisted the party's flag at its headquarters here on Akbar Road and acknowledged the selfless service and contribution of leaders and workers in building the party.

The Congress also said over the last 134 years of its history, "we have stood for justice, equality, non-violence, unity, freedom and, above all, dialogue. For all the years to come, we will continue to uphold these values and stand with the people of our country".

The event was attended by senior party leaders, including former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former defence minister AK Antony.

Top party leaders Ahmed Patel, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Motilal Vora and Kapil Sibal were also present on the occasion during which a cake was also cut.

"For the Congress party, love is always the answer. We will continue to fight the propagators of hate with peace, unity and love, the Congress said on its official Twitter handle.

On Congress Foundation Day let us celebrate and acknowledge the selfless service and contributions of millions of Congress workers, men and women, who have helped build and sustain the Congress party over the ages.

"We owe these unsung heroes our gratitude and respect. I salute them all, Gandhi said on Twitter.

A cake was also cut by Antony, whose birthday happens to be today.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Calling "The Accidental Prime Minister" his "life's best performance", actor Anupam Kher on Friday said he will not back off from the snowballing controversy over the film on former prime minister Manmohan Singh.

The actor, who plays the title role in the movie, also took a swipe at Maharashtra Youth Congress' threat to stop the release unless it is first shown to them, saying they should be happy a film has been made on their leader.

"I am not going to back off. This is my life's best performance. #DrManmohanSingh will agree after seeing the film that it is a 100% accurate depiction," Kher tweeted.

The trailer of the film, based on the book of the same name by Sanjay Baru who served as Singh's media advisor 2004 to 2008, was released here on Thursday.

It depicts Singh as a victim of Congress' internal politics ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

The trailer drew sharp reactions from the Congress, which dubbed it a "propaganda film". The party's Maharashtra youth wing wrote a letter to the producers of the films to demand a special screening.

"They should be happy that a film has been made on their leader. They should bring the crowd to watch the film as it has dialogues such as 'Will I sell my country?' which shows how great Manmohan Singh ji is," Kher told television channels.

"The more they protest, the more publicity they will give to the film. The book has been out since 2014, no protests were held since then, so the film is based on that," he said.

Kher also referred to Congress president Rahul Gandhi's recent statement that freedom of expression is a fundamental right. This was in response to a party leader objecting to the language used to describe his father, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, in the Netflix series "Sacred Games".

"I had read Rahul Gandhi ji's tweet where he spoke about freedom of expression. So I think he should scold these people and tell them they are doing wrong."



BJP's official Twitter handle has shared a link to the trailer.

"Riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years. Was Dr Singh just a regent who was holding on to the PM's chair till the time heir was ready? Watch the official trailer of 'TheAccidentalPrimeMinister', based on an insider's account, releasing on 11 January," the party said.

Responding to the BJP, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said on Twitter that "such fake propaganda" by the party would not stop it from asking the Modi government questions on "rural distress, rampant unemployment, demonetisation disaster, flawed GST, failed Modinomics, all pervading corruption.

Singh evaded questions on the film at the Congress' foundation day function at the party headquarters on Friday.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah also tweeted on the film, saying, "Can't wait for when they make The Insensitive Prime Minister. So much worse than being the accidental one."



Directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, the film stars Kher as Manmohan Singh and Akshaye Khanna as Baru.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)members, including TMC's Derek O'Brien and Congress's Rajeev Gowda, on Friday assured the community they will not let the Persons Protection of Rights Bill pass the upper house in its present form and ensure it is sent to the select committee for modifications.

Calling the bill a dangerous piece of legislation that ignores the critiques made by them, members of the community on Friday staged a protest against the bill at in

Gowda said a "massive injustice" is being perpetuated through the bill.

"We saw that without much discussion a bill was passed in Lok Sabha. The bill which claims to protecting the rights of the transgender community is actually doing the exact opposite," the spokesperson said.

"When it comes to Rajya Sabha, there is a whole group of us gathered across party lines who will send it to select committee. That will give us a chance to sit with it, to work on improving it and to counter all the negativity infused by the government into the bill," he said.

Tiruchi Siva, a DMK member, said the bill is "absurd".

"The government does not even have an idea as what is a transgender. Going through a medical test to prove that you are a transgender is an insult rather than a right given through the bill," he said.

He said the bill will not get passed in in its current form.

Derek O'Brien promised that the bill will not get passed in Rajya Sabha.

"The movement carried out by the community against the bill is very good and transgenders are loved in Bengal. My message is that don't worry, is the third-largest party in Rajya Sabha and 47 MPs from the party promise that the bill will not be passed in Rajya Sabha. We also have support from other parties. This bill will go to select committee," O'Brien said.

CPI(M) MP Elamaram Kareem also expressed support for the bill and promised they would not let it pass in its current form.A 33-year-old woman was arrested in Maharashtra's Thane district for allegedly being involved in three house-breaking thefts here, a senior police official said Friday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Deepak Deoraj Friday said the accused, identified as Shirin Noor Ali Shaikh, had broken into three houses in Ulhasnagar and Ambernath in the district and looted cash, gold and silver totalling Rs 13 lakh.

He said that 38 'tola' (a tola is around 10 grams) of gold and over 58 grams of silver had been recovered from her.

"She moved around in a burkha and surveyed locked houses. She then carried out house-breaking thefts mostly between 12 noon and 3pm," the official said.

She was nabbed by Unit IV of the Thane Crime Branch from the Wimco Naka area in Ambernath, he informed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The prestigious St Xavier's College, which is kicking off the sesquicentennial year celebrations Saturday, is looking at massive fund-raising to open satellite campuses, build a 300-bed-strong girls' hostel, and set up endowment chairs as it crosses another milestone.

The first college to become autonomous under the Mumbai University back in 2010 and looking to upgrade itself to be a university, the college was founded by the German Jesuits on January 2, 1869.

The Jesuits also run about 100 other schools, 24 colleges, and innumerable non-formal and adult centres across the country.

Father Keith D'Souza SJ, the rector and vice- chairperson, told PTI that the sesquicentennial celebrations will begin with a liturgical service (holy mass) in the college chapel Saturday.

Another key event of the year-long celebrations is the fund-raising dinner being hosted on January 3 at the Taj Mahal hotel, for which he is inviting alumni and leading corporate leaders. The college is also inviting two Nobel Peace laureates, Muhammad Yunus of the Gramin Bank fame of Bangladesh and Kailash Satyarthi, next month as part of the 150th year celebrations.

Some of the notable alumni names include the Godrej brothers Adi and Nadir, Anu Aga, Soli Sorabjee and Fali S Nariman, the late adman Alyque Padamsee, Swati Piramal, Sunil Gavaskar, Himanshu Roy (ex-Mumbai top cop who committed suicide recently), Vidya Balan, Ashish Bhasin, Dentsu Aegis South Asia chairman, Rajdeep Sardesai, writer Amish Tripathi, and adman Gerson da Cunha, among others.

On the proposed satellite campuses, the vice-principal Father Roy Pereira SJ, the college had its first layman principal in Agnelo Menezes who retired in May this year and the first non-Christian principal in Rajendra Shinde since then--said the move is necessitated by the acute space crunch at the Fort campus which is now a heritage property.

"We Jesuits run over a dozen educational institutions in the island city alone, including schools, colleges, engineering colleges etc. As part of the expansion of this iconic college, we are planning to have a few satellite campus at our sister-institutions. The first such facility could come either at the St Xavier's School nearby or the St Mary's High School," Pereira said, adding however, "nothing has been finalised yet as we have to first secure the funds."



When asked about the requirement, he said nothing is worked out yet. "We will spend more time after the sesquicentennial year celebrations".

He said looking beyond the heritage Fort campus through extension campuses will give a boost to the college's aspiration of attaining the university status which it has been pursuing for a year now.

On the need for a girls' hostel, Father D'Souza said Xaviers' was began as a boy's college in 1859 by the German Jesuit missionaries and it remained so till 1912, but today girls are a little over 70 percent of total student intake.

"We are looking at constructing a 300-bed-strong hostel for the girl students within the heritage campus itself, as most of these girls come from outside the city," D'Souza said.

He also said the college is seeking direct finance or funding to set up endowment chairs in various faculties, which alone may cost the college around Rs 1 crore. He was quick to add that in the past the college had received some funds from the Tatas and the Godrej group. It is looking at setting up such endowment chairs in the field of research and teaching.

On expanding the academic offering, Pereira said the college is planning to expand the masters offering in arts such as economics, psychology, sociology etc, to three more subjects, apart from more postgraduate degrees in science, commerce and management.

D'Souza said the college badly needs to raise funds as it is incurring loss of around Rs 1 crore annually, primarily due to the salaries and other overhead expenses.

This was primarily because the state government not only had stopped funding around 30 years ago but has also barred minority institutions like Xavier's from raising tuition fees.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's cabinet has approved a plan to list six government-owned companies and dilute stake in Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd (KIOCL) through a share sale, the government said on Friday.The cabinet gave approval to list Telecommunication Consultants Ltd, RailTel Corp India Ltd, National Seed Corp India Ltd, Tehri Hydro Development Corp Ltd, Water & Power Consultancy Services Ltd and FCI Aravali Gypsum and Minerals Ltd, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters. Prasad did not elaborate on the timing of the proposed share sales. The government said it would reduce ...China has opened the door to imports of rice from the United States for the first time ever in what analysts took to signal a warming of relations between the world's two biggest economies after a frosty year marked by tensions and tit-for-tat tariffs. The green light from Chinese customs, indicated in a statement posted on the customs authority's website on Friday, comes in the run-up to talks between the countries in January after US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to a moratorium on higher tariffs that would affect trade worth hundred of ...BEIJING (Reuters) - China has opened the door to imports of rice from the United States for the first time ever in what analysts took to signal a warming of relations between the world's two biggest economies after a frosty year marked by tensions and tit-for-tat tariffs.The green light from Chinese customs, indicated in a statement posted on the customs authority's website on Friday, comes in the run-up to talks between the countries in January after U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed a moratorium on higher tariffs that would affect trade worth hundred of ...(Reuters) - Troubled African carrier Fastjet Plc said on Friday its CFO Michael Muller will leave the company in March next year.The company, which has been struggling to secure cash to continue operations, said Muller has resigned as a director of Fastjet effective immediately. (Reporting by Sangameswaran S in Bengaluru)(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The Indian government on Friday doubled export incentives for onion farmers to 10 percent, following steep drops in recent weeks in the prices for onions, a staple food in India.The move will result in better prices for onions in the domestic market, the government said in a statement.The export incentive programme allows farmers to get a credit from the government, which can be used to pay various taxes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is currently trying to win back support from farmers ahead of a general election, due to be held by May. The farmers have been angry about ...NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India is in talks with the United States over exemptions on steel tariffs, the country's steel secretary said on Friday.India will also seek relief from Canada over quotas and tariffs next month, Binoy Kumar, the top most bureaucrat in India's steel ministry, told reporters, as Indian steel companies have been affected by Canadian tariffs."We need to look after the interests of the domestic steel industry and hence made a request for exemption," Kumar said. (Reporting by Neha Dasgupta)(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business ...India is in talks with the United States over exemptions on steel tariffs, the country's steel secretary said on Friday. India will also seek relief from Canada over quotas and tariffs next month, Binoy Kumar, the top most bureaucrat in India's steel ministry, told reporters, as Indian steel companies have been affected by Canadian tariffs. "We need to look after the interests of the domestic steel industry and hence made a request for exemption," Kumar said.MUMBAI (Reuters) - Indian bond yields jumped 10 basis points in late afternoon trade on Friday after Reuters reported that the government was considering three options for a farm relief package that could cost up to 3 trillion rupees ($42.82 billion).India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is considering a direct payment to all landowning farmers, compensation for those who sold produce below government prices, and a loan forgiveness programme, according to three government sources.The benchmark 10-year bond yield ended at 7.39 percent, up 11 basis points on the day and 1 basis point below the ...By Noah BrowningLONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Friday, shedding early gains on profit-taking ahead of the New Year holiday as global crude benchmarks moved back towards their lowest levels in more than a year. Brent crude oil fell 56 cents to a low of $51.60 a barrel before recovering some ground to trade around $52.05 by 1300 GMT, having earlier risen more than 3 percent. The futures contract dropped 4.2 percent on Thursday.U.S. light crude was last up 30 cents at $44.91, after rising 3.6 percent in early trade.Oil prices fell to their lowest in almost 18 months this week and are down ...By Sonam Rai and Ben Klayman(Reuters) - Tesla Inc on Friday named Oracle Corp co-founder Larry Ellison, a shareholder and self-described close friend of Chief Executive Elon Musk, to its board to the provide independent oversight demanded by U.S. regulators after Musk tweeted about taking the electric carmaker private. Tesla said Ellison and Walgreens Boots Alliance's global head of human resources, Kathleen Wilson-Thompson, joined the board as independent directors, effective Dec. 27. (https://bit.ly/2SqAbJm) Musk on Aug. 7 tweeted that he was considering taking the company private and ...Firm global cues and buying in financial and pharma counters helped domestic benchmark indices settle in the positive territory for the third consecutive session on Friday.

The S&P BSE Sensex gained 269 points or 0.75 per cent to close at 36,077 while the NSE's Nifty50 index ended at 10,860, up 80 points or 0.74 per cent. Out of 50 constituents on the index, 38 ended in the green and rest 12 in the red.

Volatility benchmark India VIX declined over 6 per cent to 15.03, indicating lower volatility in the market.

As many as 8 stocks hit 52-week high on NSE including names such as Bata India and SPL Industries. On the contrary, 48 securities hit their one-year low.

Among individual stocks, Lemon Tree Hotels ended 9 per cent higher at Rs 75 apiece on BSE after the company has formed a joint venture (JV) with an affiliate of Warburg Pincus, a leading global private equity firm, to create a co-living platform. The stock climbed as much as 12 per cent in the intra-day trade.

Real estate developer Peninsula Land surged 12 per cent in the intraday trade after it entered into an agreement to acquire 86 per cent of equity shares of Rockfirst Real Estate, thereby making it a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company. The stock eventually settled at Rs 11.34 apiece on BSE, up 5 per cent .The Cabinet has approved a plan to list six government-owned companies and dilute stake in Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd (KIOCL) through a share sale, the government said on Friday.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared plans to list Telecommunication Consultants Ltd, RailTel Corp India Ltd, National Seed Corp India Ltd, Tehri Hydro Development Corp Ltd, Water & Power Consultancy Services Ltd and FCI Aravali Gypsum and Minerals Ltd.

Also read: Gaganyaan mission gets Cabinet nod, ISRO to send three Indians into space for Rs 10,000 crore

The government said it would reduce its stake in KIOCL through a follow-up offering.

"The listing of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) on the exchange shall unlock their value and encourage investor participation in the CPSEs. Further, Alternative Mechanism comprising of the Finance Minister, Minister of Road Transport & Shipping and the Minster of concerned administrative ministry has been empowered to decide on extent, mode of disinvestment, pricing, time etc. of listed CPSEs (including CPSEs to be listed in future)," the government said in a press release.

The government faces the risk of missing its divestment target for the year, having garnered less than half the Rs 80,000 crore targeted amount.

As against the budgeted disinvestment target of Rs 80,000 crore, the government has so far raised Rs 34,000 crore by selling minority stake in CPSEs and ETFs.

Edited by Aseem ThapliyalIn shopping malls, it's common to find people outside the shops than inside them. Several of them select the clothes too, but eventually order it from online platforms offering attractive discounts.

It is to prevent this consumer behaviour and create a level playing field between offline and online retail that seems to be the underlying thought behind the circular on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in e-commerce.

"It is a strategic decision from the government to promote business and create livelihoods by keeping competition alive and protecting small retailers," says Pranav Jain, Partner at law firm MDP & Partners.

In line with this thought, the draft prohibits e-commerce entities providing marketplace to influence the sale price, directly or indirectly. It allows only the sellers to determine the discount. The circular extends its scope by saying marketplaces cannot sell the inventory it has a stake in, directly or indirectly, through any of its group companies on its own platform.

Read More: Is it necessary to ban e-commerce marketplaces from selling exclusive brands or promoting a particular vendor?

The impact of these clauses will have a significant impact on multi-brand, multi-product retailers like Flipkart and Amazon.

Over the years, for better inventory management and faster delivery, several of these platforms have invested in a joint venture or a subsidiary. For instance, Amazon has Cloudtail, which is essentially a wholeseller that stocks goods and when an order is placed, it delivers. They have a huge buying capacity and hence get better discounts from brands, which offline dealers cannot negotiate. As a result, several users flock to online channels to make purchases.

What has also happened is these marketplaces have started investing in their own brands. Amazon has launched in-house brands such as Amazon Basics, Mix. Myntra also owns several brands such as Roadster, Mast & Harbour, HRX, Here & Now etc through its another company Myntra Fashion Brand. Private labels offer better margins, control over supply chain and distribution as against third-party brands.

As per the circular, the marketplace cannot have any "'equity participation" or "control" over the sellers, so, the inference is Amazon cannot sell products of Amazon Basics on its platform.

Jain says that since the circular is effective only in February 2019, these companies will negotiate with government. "They might go under approval route for their platform-owned sellers and propose a charter to work around this problem and may start offering more incentives to other sellers on its platform."

The circular also puts the responsibility on the marketplace to ensure no seller sells more than 25 per cent of its products on its platform. This will ensure each seller is listed on at least four or more marketplaces and does not remain exclusive to one or two, says Vinayak Burman, Managing Partner of Vertices Partners.

Burman adds, "The underlying theme of the draft is limiting marketplace entities with foreign investments or who want to receive FDI to offer only services such as technology, logistics, warehousing and refraining them from entering into core retail, that is, buying and selling of goods."

Indian companies like Reliance Retail, Tata CliQ, Chroma that do not have any foreign investment are outside its scope.

"There has to be a balance maintained between investor's interest and Indian retailers," says Burman. Currently, the draft is heavily tilting towards Indian retailers. He suggests, it could be considered to provide a clause that limits the exposure of foreign investors to a significant minority so domestic shareholders are always in control of the entity.

"There is still a lot of subjectivity and loopholes in the draft and it is all inference-based as of now. This will start a negotiation process between the government and the companies to reach a middle ground," says Jain.

Also Read: FDI in e-commerce: Why new policy won't stop Amazon, Flipkart from offering discountsThe rapid pace of change is keeping companies, individuals, even governments, paranoid about the next moment, next hour and the next move. They need to constantly rebrain and rewire, else they risk being left behind. Here are some watershed moments of 2018 that changed the course of India Inc:

Ban on Bitcoins/cryptos

After years of lobbing the ball between the various financial regulators in the country, it is the banking regulator Reserve Bank of India which finally took the decisive call on whether Bitcoins/crypto currencies are to be allowed in India. RBI's ban was upheld in July, 2018 by the Supreme Court of India. The move eventually killed a flourishing industry that was already doing business worth between Rs 100-200 crore per day and had over 4 dozen bitcoin/crypto exchanges. There's some hope though. The inter-disciplinary committee set up to examine bitcoins/cryptos is believed to be of the view that cryptos may be allowed-with riders. Will RBI bring back Bitcoins/cryptos in 2019?

Punjab National Bank scam

The $2.3 billion Nirav Modi-Mehul Choksi led Punjab National Bank scam shook up India's banking system to the harsh realities of economic frauds and runaway fugitives. It triggered a crackdown on banks that had still not automated their systems or linked their core banking software with the international SWIFT software; created new guidelines to prevent such frauds in the future and even banned Letters of Undertaking. Companies and banks had to rewire quickly to deal with the fallout. Exporters, specifically, needed to switch to costlier Letters of Credit to continue their business.

Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill 2018

The escape of the Modi-Choksi duo and the previous escape of Vijay Mallya together prompted the government to enact the Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill 2018 that aims to prevent such offenders from fleeing the country to evade the law. Their assets can now be confiscated expeditiously if they fail to present themselves before the law. This marks a turning point in India's economic offences history as offenders will feel the long arm of the law wherever they may be in the world.

NPA circular

The RBI circular in February that mandated all banks to report unpaid loans beyond 90 days as NPAs was a watershed moment in 2018. Not only did it raise India's NPAs by over 25 per cent in one shot (to over Rs 10 lakh crore), it was also the beginning of the end of an uneasy relationship between the RBI and the Centre. It triggered a string of unilateral initiatives by both the Centre (Sashakt scheme to defer bad loans) and the RBI (strict move against weak banks through Prompt Corrective Action rules). Neither side consulted the other. This spat led to the Centre invoking Section 7 for the first time in the central bank's history. A series of verbal duels and a tense board meeting finally led to the resignation of RBI Governor Urjit Patel.

Artificial Intelligence came into its own

Artificial Intelligence and data analytics came into their own in 2018. In India, new business models using AI began emerging in industries as diverse as HR, e-commerce and healthcare. Across the world, AI is beginning to get mainstream, not just through intelligent home speakers from the likes of Amazon, Google and Apple but also through driverless cars, automobiles and trains. China has joined the US in the race to be the world's premier AI tech nation. It even unveiled the world's first AI enabled news anchor in 2018. With its billion-plus population churning out enormous data-the lifeline of AI-China poses a huge challenge to the US dominance in AI. This race is set to ride into 2019 with equal vigour.

Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal

The Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal unearthed that CA had harvested data of millions of Facebook users without their consent. It was a moment of betrayal for Facebook users against the social media giant. The event led to a significant fall in the company's share price and the examination of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg by the US Senate. Facebook has since been involved in more data breaches through the year. The world's largest social media platform better watch out. Users may not take data breaches lightly in 2019.

Departure of top bankers

Hiding non-performing assets, keeping dodgy accounts and alleged impropriety led to the premature departure of several of India's high profile bank CEOs including Axis Bank's Shikha Sharma, Allahabad Bank's Usha Ananthasubramanian, ICICI Bank's Chanda Kochhar, and Yes Bank's Rana Kapoor. The departure of top bankers even culminated in the resignation of banking regulator RBI's Governor Urjit Patel following a string of differences with the Centre.

Walmart buys Flipkart

The world's largest retailer Walmart's decision to buy Flipkart in a $16 billion deal brought the famous Walmart-Amazon rivalry to Indian shores. The deal has intensified rapidfire investment to capitalise Indian entities to outlast each other in cash burn. However, a new press note re-defining the guidelines for FDI in e-commerce at the end of the year has spooked all foreign retailers as the Centre aims to curb indiscrimate discounting in the domestic market whose predatory pricing was allegedly killing local businesses. While this will be a setback for industry leaders Walmart/Flipkart and Amazon, it's a gaping opportunity for the laggards Snapdeal, Shopclues and others to bounce back.

Personal Data Protection Bill 2018

Srikrishna Committee report outlining India's Data Protection Policy caused an intense debate over the ownership, use and storage of data. The policy, however, has too many loose ends: an individual has no right to be forgotten; the clause asking for data to be stored locally has left a loophole; policy makes individuals liable for withdrawal of consent to use data; and violation of policy will attract lenient fines. With the government still to present the bill in Parliament, the discussions around how India will protect the data of its citizens is only just beginning.

Aadhaar verdict

After years of raging debate over the validity of Aadhaar for various services availed by the Indian citizens, it was the Supreme Court verdict in September that finally put the lid on the heated debate. The SC held Aadhaar constitutionally valid by a 4:1 verdict but barred banks and telecom companies from asking for Aadhaar from their customers. But it did make it mandatory to avail government benefits and to file Income Tax returns. Going by the Centre's intent to bring more legislations for Aadhaar, the debate around the controversial ID are far from over.Shares of Ashoka Buildcon rose nearly 2 per cent in early deals on Friday after the road infrastructure company said that its board has approved the allotment of 1,500 un-secured, redeemable, listed, non-convertible debentures, worth Rs 150 crore.

"The committee of the board of directors at its meeting on Thursday, approved the allotment of 1,500 un-secured, redeemable, listed, rated non-convertible debentures of the face value of Rs 10 lakh aggregating Rs 150 crore on a private placement basis," Ashoka Buildcon said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Following the announcement, shares of the company gained as much as 1.60 per cent to touch an intra-day high of Rs 126.40 apiece on the BSE, after opening marginally higher at Rs 124.90, against previous closing price of Rs 124.40.

In a similar trend, stocks of the company were trading at Rs 125.45, up 1.13 per cent, on the National Stock Exchange.

Also Read: Lemon Tree Hotels stock rises over 12% on joint venture with Warburg Pincus arm to develop rental housing projects

According to data available with BSE, a total of 1,770 shares have changed hand over the counter in early morning trade as compared to two week average of 79,000 shares.

The Coupon Rate, the rate of interest the company offers to pay the debenture holder, is 9.80 per cent per annum, payable annually, the company informed the exchange.

Ashoka Buildcon further said that it will use the proceeds for refinancing of existing debt, capital expenditure, long term working capital and for general corporate purposes.

The company proposes to get the Debentures listed on WDM Segment of BSE Limited in the prescribed time, it added.

Earlier this month, the engineering and construction company had secured letter of acceptance (LoA) from Rail Vikas Nigam Limited, for projects in Bihar and Jharkhand. It had also emerged as lowest bidder for rural electrification works in Jharkhand. "The bid value of the project is Rs 214.21 crore, with a completion period of 18 months."

Meanwhile, the BSE 30-share barometer, Sensex, was trading at 36,149.93, down 342.65 points, or 0.96 per cent, tracking a rally on the Wall Street.

Edited by Chitranjan KumarThe Modi government really hates selling off what it considers to be the Family Silver. Even if it is actually not silver but merely German Silver, and heavily tarnished at that. It is loath to give up on ownership of anything, no matter the cost. That has characterised all its disinvestments so far. It gets one big PSU to buy another, and pretends that the disinvestment is complete. Essentially, it might transfer direct ownership - but it keeps the company very much under its control. Meanwhile, the company making the acquisition coughs up the cash, though it may not find much synergy in the takeover.

Trying to retain ownership if you are serious about fixing problems at the company is not necessarily bad. You may have a long term vision about what needs to be done - make management changes and essentially take steps to turn around an organisation. Unfortunately, the Modi government has not shown any great desire to fix legacy problems in several of its portfolio of bad companies while also being reluctant to sell them off.

This can be seen in its lacklustre efforts to ask for bids for Air India. The ailing carrier is a millstone around the necks of the tax payers given that ultimately they pay for its endless and ever mounting losses. But the government has never seemed serious about getting someone to take the ailing carrier off its hands and use the tax payer money for something better - such as improving healthcare, agriculture or infrastructure.

ALSO READ: Air India: Govt to invest Rs 2,345 crore to revive debt-ridden national carrier

One case like Air India is bad enough. Much worse is the case of the 11 public sector banks put under prompt corrective action (PCA) by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Initially, the government had hoped to persuade the central bank to part with a third of its reserves and use it to recapitalise these banks and make them capable of going about their normal business of lending again. (And also meet the strict Basel III norms). After the enormous amount of controversy it generated, and the abrupt resignation of Urjit Patel as RBI governor, the government is now going a bit slow and following what should have been done in the first case - create a panel with impeccable credentials to decide how much reserves the RBI actually needs to keep at any time. The panel with former RBI governor Bimal Jalan as head, and former deputy governor of RBI Rakesh Mohan as vice-chair is exactly the right panel to make those recommendations. But they will take some time to give their report and in the meantime, the government is desperate to get the banks under PCA to start lending again - especially to small and medium entrepreneurs (MSEs), who have been hurt by the twin shocks of demonetisation and GST, and who are finding credit hard to come by in the current environment. That is why the government has announced that it will recapitalise the banks - with its own funds if it can't find any other means.

ALSO READ: Expert panel formed to determine size of RBI reserves, Bimal Jalan named chairman

The problem is not recapitalistion of the banks per se - the problem is that the government has shown no desire to fix the original problem of these banks: A demotivated staff, too compliant to political whims and fancies, not enough attention to risk management, and lax controls at every level. It hired two outside professionals to head and fix Bank of Baroda, then changed its mind and pushed for its merger with two other banks. Similarly, it created the Bank Board Bureau and then lost all interest in it. The Modi government may have drawn attention to "phone banking" as it dubbed it, but there is no indication that government pressure on the banks is reducing under this government. The push to give SME loans quickly is just another loan mela of the kind that Congress governments of yore used to unveil from time to time. There is nothing wrong with encouraging SMEs - in fact, the SMEs form the backbone of Indian manufacturing and trade. The problem is that pushing banks to give them loans, whether they meet the risk profile or not, is of little use if you have not fixed their core problems through other means. (And that means fixing the lingering issues with GST, and making it easier to get refunds quickly so that working capital does not get blocked for long stretches).

ALSO READ: Public sector banks to get Rs 28,615 crore in capital infusion from govt

In the absence of fixing the core management problems of public sector banks, the government is only ensuring that it throws more tax payer money into a bottomless pit.The account holders of State Bank of India (SBI) have three days before their magstripe debit and credit cards are permanently blocked. Following a mandate by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to phase out old magstripe cards, the biggest lender in India has asked its customers to upgrade to EMV chip cards by December 31, 2018.

SBI is offering to replace old ATM cards for its users with the new EMV chip cards without any charges. "Get the ultimate shield! As per RBI mandate, replace your Magstripe Card with the EMV Chip Card and continue availing debit card facilities. Apply before 31st December 2018 and get it for free," SBI posted in a recent tweet.

Get the ultimate shield! As per RBI mandate, replace your Magstripe Card with the EMV Chip Card and continue availing debit card facilities. Apply before 31st December 2018 and get it for free.#SBI #StateBankOfIndia #StateBank #Switch2EMV #SBIEMV #BankerToEveryIndian #DebitCard pic.twitter.com/KHBJZqeLaF - State Bank of India (@TheOfficialSBI) December 26, 2018

The EMV chip is a microprocessor that stores user data in a more secure way than the magnetic stripe on the older debit or credit cards. The EMV chip technology, named after its founders Europay, MasterCard and Visa, uses both dynamic and static authentication, to create dynamic data every time the debit card is used for a transaction. This makes cloning the card or skimming user data off it impossible.

ALSO READ: Public sector banks to get Rs 28,615 crore in capital infusion from govt

Considering these benefits, the Reserve Bank of India has asked the banks to ensure that their customers migrate to debit and credit cards with EMV chips by the end of this year. The RBI notification states that all cards will have to be migrated irrespective of their validity by December 31, 2018.

To identify if your debit card is an EMV chip card look for a chip located on the center-left positionof the front of the Debit Card. If there is no such chip, then it is a magstripe card.

If you do need to get an EMV chip card, you can either have one issued from your home branch, or visit the SBI online portal to place a request for a replacement card.

ALSO READ: Banking sector outlook 2019: Key trends that will shape New Year for banks

Here's how you can place the request online.

1. Go to SBI netbanking website - onlinesbi.com

2. Log in to your SBI Internet Banking account

3. Go to eServices

4. Select ATM card services

5. Request ATM/Debit card

If you have already placed a request for a new EMV chip debit card online, but have not received one, visit your SBI home branch for further information about the dispatch status.

ALSO READ: Modi govt needs to stop throwing good money after bad

Edited by Vivek PunjBy Tanner Brown / Dec 27, 2018 04:30 PM / Politics & Law

A court in China sentenced Ma Jian to life in prison Thursday, three years after the controversial former vice minister for state security was first investigated for corruption.

Ma was convicted of charges including bribery and insider trading, according to the Dalian Intermediate Peoples Court.

The court also said that Ma had provided help to now-fugitive billionaire Guo Wengui.

Developing...

Related: Who Greased Palms of Felled Insurance Regulator?by Paul Wang

The action will be repeated on 30 December. We want to let mainland Christians know that we have learned of what has happened and we strongly support them, said one Hong Kong Christian.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews)  Hundreds of Hong Kong Protestants turned up for prayers dressed in black on Sunday as an expression of solidarity with Christians facing persecution in mainland China.

The idea of wearing mourning black in solidarity with suffering fellow Christians spread online over the past few days. The action will be repeated next Sunday.

According to the organisers, at least 47,000 people were reached by the message on social media.

Four of the five Christian groups that organised the dress-in-black action were founded after Hong Kongs 2014 Occupy movement, a civil disobedience campaign for greater democracy in the city.

The goal of this action is to raise awareness of the fate of many Protestant communities in China.

In recent weeks, three unofficial Protestant churches have been closed, namely the Zion Church in Beijing, the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, and the Rongguili Church in Guangzhou.

Wang Yi, the pastor in Chengdu, and his wife, were arrested along with a hundred other members of the community on charges of "inciting subversion against state power". In reality they only wanted to worship outside state-controlled official communities.

With respect with Sundays action one Hong Kong Christian said We want[ed] to let mainland Christians know that we have learned of what has happened and we strongly support them.Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.

Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing.

You are our people. You Care. We Care2.Photo: CTV News

UPDATE: 4:20 p.m.

The driver in a fatal hit-and-run crash in Vancouver early Thursday morning has turned himself in to police.

Just after 3 a.m., police were called to Kingsway near Glen Drive for a report of a man who appeared to have been hit by a vehicle.

The 39-year-old man was rushed to the hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries.

Later in the day, a 54-year-old man turned himself into police.

The 54-year-old driver in this case eventually did the right thing by coming forward, said Sgt. Jason Robillard of the Vancouver Police Department. He has been released pending further investigation. Charges will be determined once a thorough investigation has been completed.

The 54-year-old man's vehicle was seized by investigators.

The fatal crash was Vancouver's eighth pedestrian fatality of the year.

ORIGINAL: 11:05 a.m.

A pedestrian has been hit and killed by a vehicle in East Vancouver, and police are urging the driver to come forward.

Police say the victim was found by a passerby on Kingsway near Glenn Drive just after 3 a.m. Thursday.

The 39-year-old man was rushed to hospital, but did not survive.

Police say it appears a vehicle was heading east on Kingsway when the unnamed victim was hit, but the vehicle left the scene and the driver has not been identified

Investigators say the vehicle was damaged and that includes a broken headlight.

The death is Vancouver's eighth pedestrian fatality in 2018.

Anyone with information is asked to call Vancouver Police at 604-717- 3012 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477.Photo: NASA Illustration shows New Horizons spacecraft at Ultima Thule.

Frederic Pelletier is boldly predicting he and his team will get the New Horizons spacecraft exactly where it should be on New Year's Day  1.6 billion kilometres beyond Pluto to rendezvous with a space rock known as Ultima Thule.

The goal of the NASA mission is to pass by the region known as the "Kuiper Belt" and send data back to Earth that can help explain the origins of the solar system. The flyby of Ultima Thule is being described by the space agency as the "farthest exploration of any planetary body in history."

NASA says by exploring the region beyond Pluto, scientists can learn more about comets, small planets and other material dating back to the era when planets were formed  4.5 billion years in the past.

By the time the New Horizons spacecraft makes its closest approach to Ultima Thule  scheduled for 12:33 a.m. eastern standard time on Jan. 1, 2019  the vehicle will be 6.6 billion kilometres from Earth.

"It's very difficult, we don't have much information about (Ultima Thule)," Pelletier said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press. "I'm a bit nervous, but I feel confident ... all the stars are aligned."

NASA contracted Montreal's Pelletier to be the chief navigator of the spacecraft for the New Horizons mission, whose original plan was to fly past Pluto. The team reached its goal when the vehicle successfully flew by the dwarf planet on July 14, 2015, and sent back data "that resulted in profound new insights about Pluto and its moons," according to the space agency's website.

The voyage beyond Pluto to the Kuiper Belt is part of the extended mission.

Pelletier said scientists estimate Ultima Thule to be about the same size as Washington D.C.

"It's estimated to have a diameter of 30 kilometres right now," Pelletier said. "We suspect that it's not going to be spherical, that it's going to have some weird shape to it. There's also the possibility that it will be a binary asteroid  two objects touching each other or in close formation."Waste Connections, the city of Clevelands contracted residential solid waste service provider, donated 35 bicycles to the Boys & Girls Club of the Ocoee Region. Board members and leadership of the Boys & Girls Club, as well as Vice Mayor Avery Johnson and City Manager Joe Fivas, participated in the celebration.



Growing up in Cleveland, I was a member of the Boys & Girls Club. Im proud the Club continues to play an instrumental role in the lives of our youth in Cleveland, said Vice Mayor Avery Johnson. Im thrilled Waste Connections took this initiative to become an even better community partner.



"We are extremely grateful for the donation of bikes that will benefit our youth. It was very moving to see and hear the excitement from the kids the moment they saw that trailer full of bikes pull up to the Club. Christmas is my favorite time of year because we get to witness thoughtful and generous people. Waste Connections blessed a lot of kids this Christmas season and I am grateful for that, said Derrick Kinsey, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of the Ocoee Region.



This was Waste Connections first time doing something of this magnitude in Cleveland, said Robert Neel, site director for Waste Connections in Cleveland. Seeing the delight and appreciation from the children truly made this occasion special and a tremendous way for us to make a positive impact in this community.



I appreciate the kindness and generosity from Waste Connections. We recently completed a bike track at the Tucker Unit and the donated bikes, helmets, knee pads and elbow pads will fill that void. We are extremely blessed to receive these incredible items from Waste Connections, said George Gray, Boys & Girls Club of the Ocoee Region president.A complete list of lane-closure activity due to construction or maintenance operation on state-owned roads within the 24 middle and east Tennessee counties of TDOT Region 2.

December 27, 2018  January 2, 2019 SPECIAL NOTE: Road construction wont delay travelers during the Christmas and New Years holidays. TDOT is halting all lane closure activity on interstates and state highways in anticipation of higher traffic volumes across the state. No temporary lane closures will be allowed for construction on Tennessee roadways beginning at 12:00 p.m. Friday, December 21, 2018 until 6:00 a.m. Wednesday, January 2, 2019.

DISTRICT 27

CUMBERLAND COUNTY SR-101 (Peavine Road) grading, drainage, and paving from Firetower Road to Westchester/Catoosa Boulevard: As grade work progresses, motorists should be alert for shifts in traffic patterns to allow for construction activities. Current activities include paving activities, utility relocation, grade work, storm drain, base stone, and curb and gutter. Temporary lane closures and traffic stoppages may be needed to support ongoing work. Motorists should reduce speeds on Peavine Road and be alert for construction personnel and equipment entering and exiting the roadway.Estimated project completion date is November 2020.

[Rogers Group, Inc./Bradley/CNQ921]

FENTRESS COUNTY SR-52 resurfacing from east of the Obey River (LM 5.48) to west of SR-154 (LM 11.00): Contractor is scheduled to continue paving operations, weather permitting. Contractor will use intermittent lane closures and flaggers to accommodate this work. Motorists are encouraged to use caution through work zone and watch for construction signs and equipment in the roadway. Note: lane closures will not be permitted after 12 PM on 12/21/18 through 6 AM 01/02/19. RESTRICTIONS: Loads wider than 10' should seek alternate route.Estimated project completion date is January 2019.

[Rogers Group Inc./Moore/CNS239]

OVERTON COUNTY SR-52 grading, drainage, signals and paving from near Oakley-Allons Road (LM 6.58) to SR-111 (LM 10.23): Contractor is scheduled to be on site to continue work on punch list. Shoulder closures will be used to allow contractor to work. Motorists should use caution through the work zone and watch for equipment on the shoulder.Estimated project completion date is January 2019.

[J & M Grading Division LLC/Moore/CNP114]

PUTNAM COUNTY I-40 interchange lighting at the junction of Mine Lick Creek Road (LM 15.56): Contractor is installing pole foundations and trenching conduit throughout project. Motorists should expect temporary lane closures and traffic stoppages during this time.Estimated project completion date is April 2019.

[Stansell Electric Company, Inc./Cookeville/CNS252]

WHITE COUNTY Permitted Work on SR-111 (STATE HWY. 111) both directions from LM 7.0 to LM 7.3: SR-111 will be closed between log miles 7.0 to 7.3 just south of the Walmart entrance for replacement of the railroad crossing. Detour routes will be signed. Motorists should use caution and follow posted detour routes. Oversize/over dimensional loads should seek alternate routes. RESTRICTIONS: 14-foot vertical clearance on detour route.

WHITE COUNTY SR-111 resurfacing from the Van Buren County line (LM 0.00) to Shady Oak Road (LM 4.20): The contractor will be installing pavement markings and fog seal throughout the project. This will result in mobile lane closures both directions during daytime hours. Motorists are advised to use caution and be alert to all construction signage.Estimated project completion date is January 2019.

[Rogers Group, Inc./Cookeville/CNS180]

WHITE COUNTY US-70 (SR-1) resurfacing from the SR-111 overpass (LM 7.69) to near Luther Road (LM 10.61); US-70 (SR-26) resurfacing from east of Creekside Place (LM 9.82) to Moore Street (LM 10.79); SR-84 resurfacing from US-70 (SR-1) (LM 0.00) to near College Street (LM 0.12): The contractor will be working on punchlist items throughout the project. Motorists should expect temporary lane closures and traffic stoppages during this time.Estimated project completion date is January 2019.

[Rogers Group, Inc./Cookeville/CNS917 ]

DISTRICT 28

BLEDSOE COUNTY SR-101 bridge repair over Bee Creek (LM 8.98): Work on this project is underway. For the safety of the traveling public, the bridge will be reduced to one 10 foot lane and controlled with temporary signals.Estimated project completion date is September 2019.

[Jamison Construction, LLC/Voiles/CNS266]

FRANKLIN COUNTY SR-127 the construction of a concrete bulb-tee beam bridge over the Elk River (LM 6.21), including grading, drainage and paving: Work on this project continues with various activities occurring that may require intermitting temporary lane closures. Motorists should be alert for construction vehicles entering and leaving the area along the construction location. Both 12ft. travel lanes with 8ft. shoulders are now open to traffic. RESTRICTIONS: All lanes are open to traffic and the temporary light has been removed.Estimated project completion date is January 2019.

[Simpson Construction Company, Inc./Hussein/CNR044]

FRANKLIN COUNTY SR-476 bridge repair over the Elk River (LM 3.39) and Hurricane Creek (LM 7.40): Progress work on this project has completed. Intermittent lane closures may be used to allow the contractor to complete punch list items.Estimated project completion date is January 2019.

[Mid-State Construction Company, Inc./Hussein/CNQ930]

FRANKLIN COUNTY US-64BR (SR-15) resurfacing from US-41A (SR-16) (LM 13.7) to west of Money Lane (LM 18.3): Progress work on this project is complete. The contractor may have lane closures in order to complete Punch List items. Motorists should use extreme caution and be alert to construction equipment and workers. Safety personnel will be present.Estimated project completion date is January 2019.

[Tinsley Asphalt, LLC/Hussein/CNS240]

MARION COUNTY Rock fall mitigation on I-24 westbound at MM 136.2: Left shoulder, left lane (Lane 1), and right shoulder closed. Roadway is reduced to two lanes (Lane 2 and 3) with a lane shift for duration of project.

[PENDING/Hussein/PENDING]

MARION COUNTY TDOT Contractor on I-24 westbound from MM 136.2 to MM 136.2: Marion County, I-24, Westbound, Slide Repair/Rock Slide @ 136.2 MM near Monteagle, from 12/7/18-01/09/19 from 7 AM-12 AM Daily. Two lanes are open for traffic traveling westbound at the 136.2 MM until this slide/rock fall area can be addressed and completed.

MARION COUNTY SR-156 over Running Water Creek (LM 25.58) bridge rehabilitation: SR-156 is reduced to one lane across Running Water Creek Bridge and controlled with a temporary traffic signal while the bridge is repaired.Estimated project completion date is October 2019.

[Mid-State Construction Company, INC/Voiles/CNS905]

WARREN COUNTY SR-288 construction of a concrete bulb-tee beam bridge over Collins River (LM 4.97), including grading, drainage and paving: The bridge is currently reduced to one 10.5-foot lane to allow the contractor to construct the new bridge. While the bridge is down to one lane, traffic will be maintained and controlled by a temporary signal for the safety of the traveling public. Motorists should expect periodic delays and use caution in the work zone. RESTRICTIONS: 10.5-foot max width

[Palmertree Construction Company, LLC/Parnham/CNQ270]

WARREN COUNTY SR-8 over Collins River (LM 8.14) Bridge Repair: The bridge is currently reduced to one 11-ft. lane to allow the contractor to repair the existing bridge. While the bridge is down to one lane, traffic will be maintained and controlled by a temporary signal for the safety of the traveling public. Motorists should expect periodic delays and use caution in the work zone. RESTRICTIONS: 11-ft max width.Estimated project completion date is August 2019.

[Jamison Construction/Parnham/CNS254]

DISTRICT 29

BRADLEY AND MCMINN COUNTY SR-312 (Bradley Co.) misc. safety improvements from the Hamilton Co. Line (LM 0.00) to Quill Dr. (LM 5.27); US-11 (SR-2) (McMinn Co.) misc. safety improvements from Sanford Rd. (LM 4.05) to Chapel Rd. (LM 12.32): Work on this project is underway. The contractor will work in McMinn County on US11 (SR2) during this report period. There will be intermittent lane closures. Flaggers will assist with traffic control.Estimated project completion date is June 2019.

[Superior Traffic Control, LLC/Curtis/CNS287]

BRADLEY COUNTYTDOT Maintenance on SR-60 (GEORGETOWN RD. N.W.) both directions from Eureka Rd (LM 20) to Hamilton County Line (LM 25): Beginning on 01/02/19 and lasting through the month of 02/28/19, TDOT crews will be performing maintenance on the ditches and pipes on State Route 60 (Georgetown Rd.) from Eureka Rd. (LM 19.94) to the Hamilton County Line (LM 25.06). This work will take place between 8 AM and 4:30 PM on weekdays and will require intermittent lane closures as the work progresses. Estimated project completion date is February 2019.

[TDOT Operations/Maintenance/R2MAINT]

HAMILTON COUNTY I-24 East and West drainage improvement from MM 173 to MM 175: This project is complete excepting punch list items. There might be shoulder closures, but no lane closures.Estimated project completion date is January 2019.

[Talley Construction Company/Micka/CNS324]

HAMILTON COUNTY US-27 (I-124) widening from I-24/US-27 interchange to north of the Olgiati Bridge over the Tennessee River, including widening the Olgiati Bridge: Work on this project continues with activities occurring on the west side of southbound US-27. Motorists should be alert for construction vehicles entering and leaving the area along the access ramps for east and westbound M. L. King Boulevard. The speed limit for the access ramp is 35 MPH. The 12th Street tie-in ramp to US-27 South has been temporarily closed. This closure will be in place until further notice. Additionally, the southbound ramp from W. Main St.to southbound US-27 has been temporarily closed and will remain so until further notice. Detours are posted. Motorists should pay close attention to the detour signage posted. The speed limit on US-27 in the construction zone remains 45 MPH. Weather permitting, the contractor may implement temporary lane/shoulder closures on weeknights between the hours of 7 PM and 6 AM. At least one lane will remain open in each direction on US-27. RESTRICTIONS: I-124 (US-27)Northbound Exit 1C 4th St Off Ramp No oversize/over dimensional loads I-124 (US-27) Southbound Exit 1A-B Martin Luther King Blvd. Off Ramp No oversized/over dimensional loads I-124 (US-27) Southbound On Ramps from Martin Luther King Blvd. No oversized/over dimensional loads Estimated project completion date is January 2020.

[Dement Construction Company, LLC/Micka/CNP230]

HAMILTON COUNTY Utility Work on SR-2 (BROAD ST.) eastbound from LM 6.4 to LM 6.4: TAWC will be making a connection to existing water main under sidewalk. Lane closure between W 32nd St & W 31st. 4 of the 5 lanes will remain open. Barrels, signs, arrow board, will be used for safety. 12/13/18 - 12/20/18 From 9am to 3pm

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-153 resurfacing from I-75 (LM 0.00) to Shallowford Road (LM 2.60), including bridge deck repair: This could involve lane closures on SR-153, M-F (9 AM - 3PM) to support pavement marking activities.Estimated project completion date is January 2019.

[Wright Brothers Construction Company, Inc./Micka/CNS251]

HAMILTON COUNTY cleaning of the McCallie Tunnel on US-11 (US-64, SR-2), the Stringers Ridge Tunnel on US-127 (SR-8), and the Bachman Tubes on US-41 (US-76, SR-8): The McCallie Tunnel & Stringer's Ridge Tunnel will be closed for cleaning on Wednesday, 12/18/18 (8 PM to 6 AM). At the McCallie Tunnel, this will involve a flagging operation, with one way traffic. Additionally, Bachman Tubes will be closed for cleaning on Thursday, 12/19/18 (8 PM to 6 AM). Both Stringer's Ridge and Bachman Tubes will be signed for detours.Estimated project completion date is June 2019.

[Diamond Specialized, Inc./Micka/CNS206]

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-111 (LM 1.5) Replacement of a collapsed 42" corrugated metal pipe, including grading, drainage, and paving.: During this report period, the roadway will be restricted to one (1) lane in the southbound direction & the speed limit will be reduced. The Contractor may have additional lane restrictions while performing repairs. Flaggers will assist with traffic control as needed.Estimated project completion date is April 2019.

[Thomas Brothers Construction Co., Inc./Pruett/CNS348]

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-320 (East Brainerd Road) grading, drainage, installation of signals, construction of seven retaining walls and paving from east of Graysville Road to east of Bel-Air Road: During this report period, the contractor will have intermittent lane closures between 9AM-2PM. This work may affect either direction of East Brainerd Road or side streets from Graysville Road to Hamlet Drive. Flaggers will assist with traffic control as needed.Estimated project completion date is January 2019.

[Jones Bros. Contractors, LLC/Pruett/CNN383]

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-58 miscellaneous safety improvements at the intersection of SR-312 (Birchwood Pike) (LM 15.70): Contractor will be completing various safety improvements at the intersection of SR-58 & Birchwood Pike Monday thru Saturday between 5 AM and 6 PM. No southbound traffic restrictions will be allowed between 5 AM and 9 AM. No northbound traffic restrictions will be allowed between 3 PM and 6 PM. Flaggers will assist with traffic control as needed.Estimated project completion date is April 2019.

[Talley Construction Company, Inc./Pruett/CNS273]

HAMILTON COUNTY US-11/64 SR-2 (Brainerd Rd./Lee Hwy.) resurfacing from east of Moore Road (LM 13.85) to east of Airport Road (LM 15.84): During this report period, the contractor may have intermittent lane restrictions while adjusting utility manhole covers & handicap ramps. This operation will take place Monday thru Friday, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. This work may affect either direction of SR-2 (Brainerd Road/Lee Highway) and between Moore Rd & Airport Rd. Flaggers will assist with traffic control as needed.Estimated project completion date is January 2019.

[Wright Brothers Construction Co., Inc./Pruett/CNS228]

MCMINN COUNTY SR-30, grading, drainage and paving on SR-30 from Jackson Street to east of Knight Road in Athens: Beginning Tuesday, 12/11/18, all traffic will be shifted into its phase two configuration. This will involve traffic using of the newly built east bound portion of SR-30. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction with turning lanes provided at critical intersections and business access. Please be aware of this change in conditions.Estimated project completion date is October 2019.

[Talley Construction Company, Inc./Micka/CNR078]

POLK COUNTY US-64 (SR-40) construction of a concrete bulb-tee beam bridge over Branch and TOHA Old Line railroad (LM 24.85), including grading, drainage and paving: The contractor has shifted traffic onto the new bridge. There will be intermittent lane closures as the contractor continues to work on the retaining wall.Estimated project completion date is May 2019.

[Talley Construction Company, Inc./Curtis/CNQ900]

REGION WIDE

REGION 2 TDOT Maintenance drainage work: There will be possible short-term lane and shoulder closures at various locations in Region 2 in order to clean rock and debris from ditches on an as-needed basis. One lane will be maintained at all times.

[TDOT Operations/Maintenance/R2MAINT]

REGION 2 TDOT Maintenance mowing and brush removal: There will be possible short-term lane and shoulder closures at various locations in Region 2 in order to perform contract mowing and brush removal on an as-needed basis. In addition to performing the work, regional Operations crews will also provide traffic control.

[TDOT Operations/Maintenance/R2MAINT]

REGION 2 TDOT Maintenance pothole repair and pavement patching: There will be possible short-term emergency lane closures at various locations in Region 2 in order to repair potholes and patch pavement on an as-needed basis. Depending on location and severity these repairs may be done during the day or at night. In addition to performing the work, regional Operations crews will also provide traffic control.

[TDOT Operations/Maintenance/R2MAINT]

REGION 2 on-call cable barrier repair on various interstate and state routes: The contractor may have short term shoulder closures in order to perform cable rail repair. Both travel lanes will remain open to traffic at all times on the Interstate during any work that is performed.Estimated project completion date is January 2019.

[RMD Holdings, LTD DBA Nationwide Construction Group/Parnham/CNR262]

REGION 2 on-call guardrail repair and new guardrail installation on various interstate and state routes: The contractor may have short term shoulder and/or lane closures in order to perform guardrail repair. These closures will take place on the interstate nightly from 7PM to 6AM Sundays through Thursdays and daily on State Routes. At least one travel lane will remain open to traffic at all times on the Interstate, and flaggers will be present on State Routes during any work that is performed.Estimated project completion date is June 2019.

[Cumberland Guardrail, Inc./Parnham/CNS928]

REGION 2 preventative and unscheduled maintenance of Chattanooga SmartWay Intelligent Transportation System: The contractor may have short term shoulder and/or lane closures in order to perform preventative or unscheduled maintenance to the local SmartWay Intelligent Transportation System. Work hours are 9AM to 3:30PM. At least one travel lane will remain open to traffic at all times. Flaggers will assist with traffic control as needed.Estimated project completion date is October 2019.

[NABCO Electric Company, Inc./Pruett/CNQ287]

REGION 2 sweeping and drain cleaning on various interstate and state routes: There will be mobile lane closures supporting a sweeping operation along regional interstates and highways through this reporting period. The sweeping activity will happen Sunday - Thursday (8PM - 6AM).Estimated project completion date is February 2019.

[Blevins Enterprises, Inc./Micka/CNR292]

REGION 2 On-call concrete pavement repair: During the week the contractor will be working on I-24 at exit 175 & 174.Estimated project completion date is March 2019.

[Vulcan Materials/Voiles/CNS233]

RESTRICTIONS

FENTRESS COUNTY - CNS239: Loads wider than 10' should seek alternate route.

WHITE COUNTY - : 14-foot vertical clearance on detour route.

FRANKLIN COUNTY - CNR044: All lanes are open to traffic and the temporary light has been removed.

WARREN COUNTY - CNQ270: 10.5-foot max width

WARREN COUNTY - CNS254: 11-ft max width.

HAMILTON COUNTY - CNP230: I-124 (US-27)Northbound Exit 1C 4th St Off Ramp No oversize/over dimensional loads I-124 (US-27) Southbound Exit 1A-B Martin Luther King Blvd. Off Ramp No oversized/over dimensional loads I-124 (US-27) Southbound On Ramps from Martin Luther King Blvd. No oversized/over dimensional loadsThe Boys & Girls Clubs of Chattanooga announced today that Jim Morgan will become its next chief executive officer effective Jan. 1, 2019. Mr. Morgan comes to the BGCC after a corporate and non-profit career in the Chicago area, and was hired after a nationwide search by the board following the retirement of the organization's CEO Michael Cranford, who has been with the organization for more than 50 years.Mr. Morgan joins the BGCC after serving as the executive director of Genesys Works, a leading non-profit social enterprise in Chicago that provides pathways to career success for high school students in underserved communities through skills training, meaningful work experiences and impactful relationships. "In this role, Mr.Morgan established a proven record of building programs that transformed the lives of hundreds of high school students every year by ensuring they finished high school equipped and empowered with the knowledge and skills required to achieve career success and a lifetime of economic self-sufficiency," officials said.Jim is an exceptional leader who has the necessary experience and background to help the Boys & Girls Club develop innovative programs that will help all young people in our community  especially those in our underserved communities  realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens, said Charlie Brock, board member and chairman of the search committee for the Boys & Girls Club of Chattanooga. We are extremely pleased and truly excited to find someone of Jims caliber to lead the Boys & Girls Club of Chattanooga going forward.Before joining Genesys Works, Mr. Morgan was the chief operating officer at PSA Solutions, an asset management firm in Chicago, and previously worked in corporate leadership roles at JPMorgan Chase and Navigant Consulting."Morgan also brings a strong background of advocating for underserved youth," officials said. "For more than 25 years, Morgan has been actively involved with and served as a board member for Link Unlimited, a leading academic and mentoring program in Chicago that connects high potential African American high school students with mentors, resources and foundational skills required for success as they advance into, through and beyond college. Jim also served as a board member for Christopher House, a childrens social service agency and charter school supporting 1,300 underserved students in Chicago."It is a tremendous privilege to lead the Boys and Girls Club of Chattanooga and be part of a team that continues to reshape the future of our youth today and help those who need it the most to reach their full potential, said Mr. Morgan. I look forward to working with our talented staff, committed board members, volunteers, and our corporate and community partners to explore new ideas that will enable us to serve more children more effectively.We have a great opportunity in front of us. In the coming months, I plan to explore how we can implement some of the innovative programs and educational curriculum that different Boys and Girls Clubs across the country are using today to support their local school system and improve the educational outcomes of our youth.Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area hosted a Lunch and Learn event in the Alton Park Villages Community on Saturday, Dec. 8.



Our Southside Habitat homes provide a great atmosphere for young families, the elderly and even single individuals, said Tenasa Lucas-McGhee, director of Family and Mortgage Services, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area. This is a special community that is enjoyed by neighbors at every stage of life.



The Lunch and Learn event took place at the South Chattanooga YFD complex and featured guest speakers including: Erskine Oglesby, City Councilman, District 7; Danna Vaughn, Chattanooga Police Department; Tershia Hayes, assistant principle at Calvin Donaldson; Cornelia Johnson, Villages Habitat owner; and tepresentatives from the Chattanooga Fire Department, Station #14

"Habitat Homes that are built in the Alton Park Villages feature attractive two, three and four bedroom updated homes," officials said. "Residents of the community enjoy scenic views of Lookout Mountain with easy access to public transportation and other amenities. Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area, offers Affordable Housing and a secure investment to your future.

"Habitat Homes are equipped with HVAC systems and duct work designed specifically for maximum efficiency that corelates with EPB standards keeping electric bills affordable. They also come with low maintenance siding, Laminate Flooring, Grade I insulation packages, Energy Star rated refrigerator and dishwashers, and washer/dryer hook ups. Habitat incorporates these energy efficient features into every new home built. The spacious baths are tiled and provide extra storage space in easily accessed closets. Oversized windows provide natural lighting and a view of the front porch, a rear patio, private drive and surrounding landscaping."Melva Andrews smiles during her retirement reception. I feel good about my 46 years, she said. I think Ive done the best that I could do  Ill put it that way. Ive always said dont give me a policy if you dont want to enforce it because if its on my watch, were gonna enforce it the best we can. - photo by Mitch Talley

Melva Andrews watches a slide show of photos recalling her career with Whitfield County over the years. Looking on are her grandchildren, Sadie and Lucy, and her sister-in-law, Karen Wilson. - photo by Mitch Talley

Former Whitfield County Administrator Lenard Whaley hired Melva Andrews, then Melva Arnold, to work for the county in 1972. Shes just a fine young lady, he said during a reception for Andrews, who will be retiring Dec. 31. I dont know how anyone could ask for any more than Melva. Hard worker, never missed any days of work. She was always there. Matter of fact, I tried to be in the office by 7:30 every day, and most of the time, Melva would beat me there! She was dedicated to her job. - photo by Mitch Talley

Melva Andrews gets a hug from Whitfield County Commissioner Harold Brooker during her retirement reception on Dec. 14. Brooker was on the board in 1972 when Andrews began her career with the county 46 years ago - photo by Mitch Talley

When Melva Andrews reported to work at the Whitfield County Courthouse on June 19, 1972, she didnt realize it was just the first day of what would go on to become one of the longest-lasting careers in county annals.

Fast forward some 46 years later, though, to Dec. 14, and you would have seen co-workers (past and present), friends, and family members come together to honor Melva with a retirement reception at the same courthouse where it all began (kind of  since the building has been renovated and expanded over the years).

I never really thought about being here forever, Melva says with a laugh. It just never entered my mind. It was a job I came to, and I dont know where time went. But all of a sudden, youve got all these years behind you, and you think where did those years go? I dont know.

The early 1970s were eventful for young Melva Arnold. She graduated from North Whitfield High School and married Jerry Smith in 1971, then worked for a year at a now-defunct carpet store before making the career choice that would shape her life so much.

I had a friend that I went to church with, she recalls of how she came to work for Whitfield County. She was in my wedding and her mother was working for the county at the time, so they told me they were thinking about adding another position

It turned out to be a perfect fit for Melva.

In high school, you know how you think about what you want your career to be, she says. Well, I always said I was just gonna be a secretary, so I took every business course there was in high school, so of course when I came here, shorthand and all that stuff played a factor in it. Id taken bookkeeping in high school, shorthand, business English, that whole nine yards. But I never thought Id be strictly in finance. It just happened. I just kinda worked my way into it just from being here and helping out and seeing the process and was fortunate enough to get the finance job when it came open and Ive been doing it ever since.

While some of the names of her many co-workers over the years have now faded from her memory, she does remember all the commissioners who were in office when she was hired  Harold Brooker (whos still serving as a commissioner), Stan Maples, A.H. Bud Griffin, Newt Bryant, and Tom Tate.

Faithful employee is the way Commissioner Brooker described her during the reception held in her honor.

In 1972, this young girl came in, and she was very impressive, recalled Commissioner Brooker, who had just won his first term as county commissioner that year and is now working on his sixth term since then. Lenard Whaley was the administrator at that time, and we all wholeheartedly approved him hiring her. Forty-six years later, Im still on the board with her, and tears roll down your eyes when she leaves. Shes been a good one. Trustworthy, honest, couldnt beat her. I just hate to see her going. Whitfield County is losing a good employee.

Mr. Whaley remembers Melva well and praised his long-ago hire at her retirement reception.

She was one of my students when I was teaching eighth grade social science at Pleasant Grove, Mr. Whaley recalled. You have a way of never forgetting some of these kids that you teach.

By 1972, though, her former teacher had moved on and had already been serving as county administrator for four years, a position he would eventually hold for 32 years from 1968-2000.

We were needing another employee in the office, and somebody told me about Melva. I said, is that that little girl that got me out of the teaching profession? Mr. Whaley said with a chuckle. They said, well, it may be, but shes got a job now but shes looking for a better job. So we sat down and talked.

Shes just a fine young lady, he said. I dont know how anyone could ask for any more than Melva. Hard worker, never missed any days of work. She was always there. Matter of fact, I tried to be in the office by 7:30 every day, and most of the time, Melva would beat me there! She was dedicated to her job.

Melvas duties in those first days including a lot of typing on an old typewriter, she recalls with a laugh. Back then, we had to produce a purchase list for the board, so it was hand typed. After the bills were paid, I would line up the checks in alphabetical order, and I would actually hand type the vendor, what we had bought and the amount, and total it up and tell the board: This is the purchases for the month.

Ms. Andrews has witnessed a lot of growth in county government over the years, remembering that in the beginning, she was one of just three workers in the office, not counting Whaley, and they all worked out of the basement of the courthouse, right under the stairwell, near where the tax assessors office is today.

When you looked out the windows, I could see the sky, she remembers. You could see people walking on the sidewalk and you could see the bushes there and the sky, but we were kind of under the ground.

She doesnt remember much about the countys budget back in those days, but jokes that she made about $5,000 a year, whatever the minimum wage was back then, I dont know. Id have to look at what I made in 72, but it wasnt a lot!

Her career took a turn more in the direction of the finance department in 1977 when Betty McBrayer, who was the payroll clerk and handled a lot of the financial duties, decided to transfer to the sheriffs department after her friend Jack Davis was elected sheriff.

Actually, calling it the finance department in those days was a misnomer since Melva was the only member. I did the payroll, I did the payables, I did the W2s, I did everything to do with finance, she laughs.

In the late 1980s, she actually served a short stint  maybe six months  as human resources director, a job she quips wasnt my thing.

Then it was back to finance, where she has thrived for the rest of her career, eventually becoming the assistant finance director.

I guess Ive done a little bit of everything here, she says. Ive worked on budgets and finance and secretarial and a little bit of HR  I wouldnt do HR now  you couldnt pay me enough to do that. I like to be behind the scenes. I dont like to be in the limelight. I dont like attention.

"So just know I dont like attention, she reminds this writer with a smile.

Instead, Melva prefers to let her work speak for itself, and shes earned a reputation among her fellow workers as a dedicated employee whos not afraid to put in the time to do her job to the best of her ability.

In fact, Carol Roberts, who will be taking over for Melva starting Jan. 1, says Melva may have little feet, but she is leaving behind very big shoes to fill! I know better than to try to be another Melva - there could never be another Melva, but I will try to follow her example the best I can.

With the county growing so much over the past half-century, Melva has seen the finance staff increase along with it, from two to eight. Oh, theres more purchases now, theres more regulations, theres more people, theres more everything, she says. Its just grown by leaps and bounds. We have 600-and-something employees now.

She says she would be afraid to guess how many county employees there were in 1972, but its not near like what weve got now.

Melva has also seen quite a change in the way the finance department does its job.

I cant remember how many years we had what was called an NCR bookkeeping machine, she says. It was probably as big as this table, and you had ledger cards that had magnetic strips on them, and thats what we did payroll on. Youd put NCR copy paper in it, and youd put your ledger sheet in front of it and you would put your information in, and youd hit all these buttons, and it would go kerclunk, kerclunk, kerclunk, kerclunk, and it would print all your stuff and your check and then youd take your check out and then all the information was on that magnetic card. Weve still got some of those old payroll cards that we have to go back to sometimes for payroll information. We called that machine the old clunker  it made a lot of noise!

As she reflects on her career, Melva doesnt have to think long when asked the favorite part of her job. Audit! she says quickly. I like the day to day, but I like the audit. I like bringing it all together and producing the year-end financial reports  the CAFR. That was my project that I just always enjoyed and making sure that all the Is are dotted and all the Ts are crossed. You close out in December, and then youve got your process of getting everything done for the audit. Its due June 30, and it does take a while to get things gathered for them to come and do the audit.

Always the dedicated employee even in her last few days, Melva was worried during this interview about helping make sure the final payroll of 2018 went off without a hitch since Christmas Eve and Christmas were on Monday and Tuesday. By the way, she and the other staff members had the payroll completed in plenty of time on the day after Christmas so everyone could get paid on Dec. 28!

As her final days with the county neared, Melva said she has mixed emotions about leaving. She and her second husband, Randy Andrews, had planned on retiring together at the end of 2018, but unfortunately he passed away from cancer late last year.

Im really thinking, am I going to stay busy? Am I gonna be lazy? Am I gonna be bored? Am I gonna regret it? I thought, well, you know, Im not gonna worry about it. Theres always something to do. If I want to go back to work part-time somewhere, I can do that, but right now Im not planning on it.

Shes already been asked to help out more at her church, and of course she will be able to go visit her granddaughters  Sadie, 5, and Lucy, 3  whenever she likes, without having to worry about work.

I feel good about my 46 years, Melva said. I think Ive done the best that I could do  Ill put it that way. Ive always said dont give me a policy if you dont want to enforce it because if its on my watch, were gonna enforce it the best we can.

Her time with the county already ranks among the longest tenure of any employee ever. I could work four more years, and I know that 50 years would definitely be a record, Melva says with a laugh. But Im not gonna do that.  Im not gonna do that!Micah Johnson, communications director for Senator Bob Corker, announced that she, with others, will be launching a public affairs and government relations firm early in 2019.

She said it will have offices in Chattanooga, Nashville and Washington.

Ms. Johnson said Todd Womack, who has been an aide to Senator Corker since he was mayor of Chattanooga, will also be part of the firm.



Ms. Johnson served eight years in the Corker office.

Her last day will be Jan. 2.

Today, Tennessee Governor-elect Bill Lee announced two appointments to his cabinet - Maj. Gen. Jeff Holmes, Department of Military and Ret. Lt. Col. Courtney Rogers, Department of Veterans Services.We are pleased to add two experienced military leaders to our cabinet today, said Governor-elect Lee. Our veterans and active duty personnel will be in good hands with these appointments and I look forward to working with them.Maj. Gen. Jeff Holmes, of Carroll County, currently serves as the Deputy Commanding General of First Army which provides training and readiness oversight to reserve component units deploying worldwide.He has previously served as the Deputy Adjutant General of the Tennessee National Guard. He has commanded Tennessee National Guard units at all levels and has served in multiple combat deployments. His experience in command at the brigade level includes commanding the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, headquartered in Knoxville, and the 194th Engineer Brigade, headquartered in Jackson. He has also served in several national level positions serving as Deputy Chief of Engineers at the Pentagon. Maj. Gen. Holmes is a registered architect and currently resides in Rutherford County.Ret. Lt. Col. Courtney Rogers, of Sumner County, currently serves as the director of Recruiting and Retention for the Tennessee State Guard, the all-volunteer arm of the Tennessee Military Department. In addition to her 28 years of military service with the Air Force and the Tennessee Air National Guard, she also served three terms as a State Representative for the 45th district in the Tennessee General Assembly. In her time in the legislature, Ret. Lt. Col. Rogers, who was a member of the Tennessee Legislative Veterans Caucus, developed a record of support for Tennessees veterans, including work on tax breaks for veterans who were 100 percent disabled.On Nov. 7, the transition unveiled a new website - transition.billlee.com. The site includes detailed information about the Governor-elects policy priorities, a section where Tennesseans can submit their resumes to potentially join his team, and a section where Tennesseans can share their ideas with the Governor-elect and his team.Since launching the site, officials said the Lee Transition Team has received information from over 1,400 applicants who are interested in serving in the administration and more than 2,300 ideas for bettering state government.The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is now accepting entries for its 2019-20 photo contest for publication in Tennessee Wildlifes annual calendar issue. All interested photographers are invited to submit up to 10 of their best photos on fishing, hunting, boating, and wildlife species native to Tennessee.

The photos will be reviewed for publication in the annual calendar edition of Tennessee Wildlife, which is the summer issue. If a photo is selected for the calendar edition, the photographer will receive a cash stipend of $60.

Photographers must submit their photo entries by the March 20, 2019 deadline. Photos must be horizontal (landscape), in JPEG format, and submitted on a CD. They must be sized to print no smaller that 8-1/2x11 and resolution should be at least 300 pixels/inch.

Photographers must be sure to provide their name, address, phone number, and e-mail address with their disk. Disks cannot be returned.

Entries may be mailed to:

Tennessee Wildlife

Calendar Issue

P.O. Box 40747

Nashville, TN 37204

Tennessee Wildlife is the official magazine for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Subscription rates are $10 for a year, $17 for two years and $25 for three years.

State Senator Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga) announced that he is filing legislation calling for pay equity for school board members in Tennessee. The legislation requires that pay and benefits for school board members be set at the same rate provided to individuals serving on the local governing body. He said, Serving on the board of a school district is a huge responsibility ... (click for more)

The Hamilton County Health Department reported one more coronavirus death on Thursday and 107 new positive cases, up from 81 on Wednesday. The total number of cases in the county now stands at 65,721. The death total is now at 702. It was reported at 680 on Wednesday, but due to a reporting issue with an area hospital, there has been a delay in reporting COVID deaths. Twenty-one ... (click for more)As his time in Congress comes to a close, Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Friday announced that Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) will take the helm of congressional efforts to combat modern slavery and human trafficking worldwide.

For years, Senator Portman has been a champion in Congress in the fight against human trafficking here at home, and I can think of no one better to take up the mantle in the global fight against this scourge on humanity as I depart the Senate, said Senator Corker. With passage of the End Modern Slavery Initiative Act and launch of the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery, we have made great progress in this fight, but much more work remains. While I plan to continue to play a role in this fight as a private citizen, I am incredibly grateful that Rob has agreed to take the helm in Congress to ensure this important work continues as we strive to end modern slavery once and for all.

I am honored that Senator Corker has entrusted me with this role and I want to thank him for his tireless and courageous efforts to combat this horrific crime around the globe, said Senator Portman. Over the past decade we have made progress but there is much more to do both in the U.S. and in other countries to help end this scourge once and for all.

More than 27 million people are enslaved around the world, more than at any time in history. While U.S. government agencies and non-profit organizations have taken significant steps to end this scourge on humanity, much more work remains. Recognizing the United States could not meet this challenge alone, three years ago, Senator Corker proposed a bold, bipartisan initiative to end modern slavery and human trafficking worldwide.

Not unlike the role PEPFAR has played in fighting AIDS across the globe, the End Modern Slavery Initiative Act was designed to leverage limited foreign aid dollars and galvanize tremendous support and investment from the public sector, philanthropic organizations, and the private sector to focus resources responsibly where the crime is most prevalent. With broad support from countless individuals, organizations, and faith-based institutions, authorizing legislation for the End Modern Slavery Initiative was included in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2017 (NDAA), which overwhelmingly passed the Senate on December 8, 2016 and was signed into law by the president soon after.

Passage led to the creation of the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery (GFEMS), a non-profit, grant-making foundation in the District of Columbia that is funding programs and projects outside of the United States that will:

 Contribute to the freeing and sustainable recovery of victims of modern slavery, prevent individuals from being enslaved, and enforce laws to punish individual and corporate perpetrators of modern slavery;

 Set clear, defined goals and outcomes that can be empirically measured; and

 Seek to achieve a measurable 50 percent reduction of modern slavery in the areas the foundation operates.

The foundation seeks to raise $1.5 billion over the next decade, more than 80 percent of which will come through matching funds from the private sector and foreign governments. To date, more than $105 million has been contributed to the fund, including:

 $46 million from the U.S. State Department (September 14, 2017)

 $25 million from the United Kingdom (September 19, 2017)

 $25 million from a private donor

 $11.6 million from Norway (December 18, 2018)

Progress of the funds success will be tracked against baseline data with a goal of achieving a 50 percent reduction in modern slavery in the areas where the fund is working. Projects that fail to meet goals will be suspended or terminated. The foundation is required to comply with the Government Accountability Offices mandate to conduct financial audits and program evaluations.

During his time in the Senate, Portman has authored six federal anti-trafficking laws designed to better serve victims and help law enforcement end this crime  including most recently the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA). The law, which President Trump signed on April 11, is helping to curb the explosion of online sex trafficking and give victims the tools they need to hold accountable websites that knowingly facilitate the trafficking of women and children online.Asia Bibi's neighbors want her dead: There is no forgiveness for insulting Muhammad Christian Post Contributor | 28 December, 2018 by Stoyan Zaimov

Asia Bibi's former neighbors believe she deserves to be executed for allegedly insulting the Islamic prophet Muhammad even though her confession was coerced.

"She confessed her crime in front of them, how can they forgive her?" asked 50-year-old Mohammad Bota in an interview with The Telegraph on Thursday.

Ittan Wali in rural Punjab, Pakistan, is where Bibi, a Christian mother of five, was first accused nearly 10 years ago by fellow Muslim laborers of having insulted the Islamic prophet, a charge she has always denied.

The accusation of blasphemy, one of the most serious crimes in the Islamic-majority country, led to Bibi's imprisonment on death row for eight years before she was finally acquitted by the Pakistani Supreme Court in October and granted freedom, though she is still being detained and unable to leave the country.

The controversial decision to free Bibi sparked widespread unrest and protests by Islamic hardliners in the country who declared their opposition to international pressure influencing the judges.

While persecution watchdog groups and human rights organizations have condemned Pakistan for its blasphemy laws, the villagers in Ittan Wali told the Telegraph that Bibi confessed to insulting their faith at the time and her death sentence should stand.

"I would die in the name of my religion and if someone has committed blasphemy, then they are not forgiven," said 62-year-old farmer Shawkat Ali. "If the Supreme Court has some faith in religion and if they are Muslims, they should execute her."

The villagers insist that after arguing with her co-workers, Bibi was sent to a local cleric to explain her words, which is where she allegedly confessed to insulting the Islamic prophet.

Qari Muhammad Salam, the cleric in question, argued that the Supreme Court's ruling was "very disappointing," and said Bibi "deserves the death sentence according to the law."

"If you start forgiving people on this issue, then it will become routine that people will commit blasphemy and just ask for forgiveness," he said.

"We wish that if she had not uttered such remarks, and she had been living like before it would have been peaceful. But if someone says this, then there's no compromise on the dignity of the prophet [Muhammad]. Being Muslim, we believe that these are testing times and we should be ready for them."

Bibi's family continues to live in danger in Pakistan where they spent Christmas waiting for an asylum offer from another country.

In October, Eisham Ashiq, one of Bibi's daughters, thanked God and Christians worldwide for praying for her mother and her family.

"Thank you everybody for praying for my mother. I'd also like to thank the brave judges and the Pakistani justice system that recognize my mother's innocence," Ashiq said in a video supplied by Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.

"Thanks God, she (Bibi) is free and I hope our entire family is finally happy and free. Thanks to all of you for praying for my mother and persecuted Christians," she added.

Earlier this month, Mike Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and Southern Baptist pastor, issued a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump asking him to grant Bibi and her family asylum.

Read more about Asia Bibi on The Christian Post.Coptic Christians plan protests demanding justice as targeted killings continue in Egypt Christian Post Contributor | 28 December, 2018 by Stoyan Zaimov

Coptic Christians will be staging protests in multiple cities at the end of the month to bring attention to the ongoing persecution their communities suffer in Egypt.

The Australian Coptic Movement Association said on Facebook Friday that protests on Dec. 30 are scheduled in at least three cities: Sydney, Melbourne, and Darwin.

The Coptic community has faced several tragedies in 2018. It's still reeling from the murder of father and son Emad and David Kamal Sadiq who were killed on Dec. 12 by a police officer who had been tasked with guarding a Christian church.

Al-Monitor reported on Thursday that Sgt. Rabie Mostafa Khalifa has officially been charged with premeditated murder in the shooting deaths of the believers after he opened fire while guarding Nahdet al-Qadasa Church in the Minya governorate.

The shooting occurred after the officer got into an argument with the men, who were working at the time as contractors removing the ruins of a demolished house facing the church.

Hundreds of mourners attended their funerals, Middle East Eye reported, demanding justice from the Egyptian government for the series of attacks they have suffered in the past couple of years.

A similar outcry of grief and anger followed the killings of seven believers at the hands of Islamic militants near a monastery in Minya in November.

Egyptian police said at the time that they pursued the militants and killed 19 of them in a shoot-out into a desert area west of Minya province.

The victims included one Anglican and six Copts, with mourners chanting at the funerals: "With our souls, with our blood, we will defend the cross!"

The Australian Coptic Movement Association said that Christians are being forced to accept "reconciliation" instead of justice over the violence against them, and are suffering from other forms of persecution as well.

"Egyptian authorities, particularly in Southern Egypt, continued to conduct 'customary reconciliation' sessions between Muslims and Christians. In ALL cases, we have the Muslim majority attacking the local Christian minority and the local authorities and Muslim and Christian religious leaders at times have abused these sessions to compel victims to abandon their claims to any legal remedy," the association added.

"Dismayingly, in some cases, Christian families have been forced to leave their villages and sell their property."

Ahead of the protests on Dec. 30, the group made several urgent requests of the Egyptian government.

It called for the establishment of a special inquiry to examine and investigate all sectarian attacks that have occurred and bring those responsible to justice.

It demanded an end to the forced "reconciliation sessions," and separately urged protection for Egyptian Christian women and girls, which it said are at risk of being kidnapped and forcefully converted.

Read more about Egyptian Christianity on The Christian Post.Witches outnumber Presbyterians? Christian Post Contributor | 28 December, 2018 by Mark D. Tooley

Media reports over the last several months have trumpeted that witches in the U.S. now outnumber Presbyterians.

It's great religious click-bait but the assertion, to the extent it's based on anything, rests on a false comparison.

In 2014 Pew Research Center estimated that 0.4 percent of Americans, about 1 to 1.5 million people, identify as Wiccan or Pagan. This statistic, cited in all the media reports, is evidently the most recently available data, although it is four years old. But faddish stories can sometimes be ginned up based on old numbers.

Media reports have compared this number of supposed Wiccans/Pagans with 1.4 million Presbyterians, hence the provocative headlines. Witches and other adherents of natural religion outnumber a major Christian tradition in America.

Pew's Wiccan estimate includes all persons who identify with Wiccan type beliefs. The Presbyterian number is based on the enrolled membership of the Presbyterian Church (USA), which is the largest Presbyterian denomination in America.

This comparison does not involve equals. A more accurate assessment would compare enrolled members of covens with the enrolled members of all Presbyterian denominations.

Of course, there is no registry of covens or other pagan groups. Wiccans don't tend to have institutions with formal membership. They are mostly individualistic and, although claiming ties to ancient pagan beliefs, are very American and modern in their pursuit of their own mostly self-created nature-based spirituality. "Wicca" as a term dates to the mid to late 20th century.

A more accurate comparison would liken total self-identified Wiccans with total self-identified Presbyterians, not just enrolled church members. According to a 2016 Gallup Poll, two percent of Americans self-identify as Presbyterian, which would equal about 6.6 million Americans, or 5 times as many Wiccans.

The total number of enrolled members in Presbyterians denominations would include not just the 1.4 million of the Presbyterian Church (USA). There are also the Presbyterian Church in America with 375,000, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church with 145,000, the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians with 121,000, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church with 71,000, the Korean Presbyterian Church in America with 55,000, and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church with 31,000. Counting other smaller denominations there are maybe 2.1 or 2.2 total Presbyterian church members in America.

Far more people typically identify with a church tradition, based on their past, family ties or occasional involvement, than are actively formal church members. But sometimes splashy headlines are based on false comparisons between self-identification of a non-Christian movement with formal members of a Christian denomination.

For example, sometimes an estimated number of persons who identify as at least culturally Muslim are compared to a Protestant denomination's formal membership as evidence of surging Islam in America.

As denominationalism continues to recede, and more even active Christians identify less with traditional denominations, these comparisons will become likely even more common, even though they are apples and oranges.

This particular story of witches and Presbyterians apparently began with an October 4 Quartz article headlined: "The US Witch Population Has Seen an Astronomical Rise," mostly based on the Pew study and an even older study from Trinity College in Connecticut in 2008.

Quartz did not reference Presbyterianism. But my friend Carmen Fowler LaBerge tweeted the article with this comment:

As mainline Protestantism continues its devolution, the U.S. witch population is rising astronomically. There may now be more Americans who identify as practicing witches, 1.5 mil, than there are members of mainline Presbyterianism (PCUSA) 1.4 mil.

An October 10 Christian Post article cited Carmen's quote, accurately including the PCUSA reference. But this piece evidently sparked subsequent witch/Presbyterian comparisons in other media that omitted specific reference to PCUSA membership, instead making blanket witch/Presbyterian comparisons.

On December 17, The Daily Caller ran the headline: "Witches Now Outnumber Presbyterians In The US," declaring: "Self-identified practitioners of witchcraft in the U.S. outnumber Presbyterian Christians, thanks in part to Millennials' embrace of New Age spirituality." But the story in the second paragraph did specify the comparison was between Wiccan self-identification versus PCUSA membership.

More vaguely, a November 18 Newsweek article, headlined "Number Of Witches Rises Dramatically Across U.S. As Millennials Reject Christianity," claimed: "With 1.5 million potential practicing witches across the U.S., witchcraft has more followers than the 1.4 million mainline members of the Presbyterian church."

Even more vaguely, Breitbart on December 22, just in time for Christmas, amplified the claim with headline: "Witchcraft Booming in America, 'More Witches than Presbyterians.'" It read: "The number of self-declared witches in the United States now exceeds the total number of Presbyterians, the Telegraph declared Friday."

Read more from "Witches outnumber Presbyterians?" on The Christian Post.NAIROBI, Kenya, December 28, 2018 (Morning Star News)  In 24 hours earlier this month, a convert to Christianity in eastern Uganda lost his livelihood, wife and children to irate relatives and other Muslims, sources said.

In Masaba village, Sironko District, a leader of the village mosque on Dec. 7 led a mob to Muhamud Gusolos banana plantation and destroyed it after Gusulos father objected to him leaving Islam for Christ. His father, Mujenya Gusolo Zibail, had told him in November that he would not receive his inheritance and issued a stern warning not to set foot again on the family land, he said.

My father confronted me for being a disgrace to the family as a result of my conversion to Christ, the 28-year-old Gusolo told Morning Star News. Since my expulsion from the community, no one in my community has come to my aid. My father has openly denied me as his son, and the community has openly threatened me, saying, No burial rites for you, a kaffir[infidel].

Seeing how area Muslims threatened his life after the attack on the plantation, his wife, a Muslim, refused to join him when he left home the next day, Dec. 8, he said.

My wife and children also turned against me, he said. I am a very frustrated man with no family. After being ostracized from my community, I have appealed for help to the government administration, but this has fallen on deaf hears. I am very far from my family and reside in a lonely environment in another village.

His wife and six children, two from a previous marriage that dissolved while he was still a Muslim, had been living under the care of his father until last week. But Gusolo said his father last week began questioning her after hearing the children sing Christian songs and has also made her life difficult as one suspected of being associated with Christianity.



She and the children have been forced to move to a rented home in Sirongo town, Gusolo said, and have no means of support. The children range in age from 1 to 10 years old.

Gusolo, who put his faith in Christ in late 2017, saw his life begin to crumble when he began holding evening Bible study and worship with other former Muslims at his home in October.

In the village (undisclosed for security reasons) where he is now living, there are no Christians, and the pastor who led him to Christ is too far away to help in any regular way, he said.

For now, he seeks odd jobs to try to support himself and his estranged family.

Since my wife and the children are having problems now, I have to think on how to support them, Gusolo told Morning Star News.

A source said Gusolo, also known as Simon, needs prayer for Gods intervention and access to his family.

The Dec. 7 attack on his plantation was the latest of many cases of persecution of Christians in eastern Uganda that Morning Star News has documented in the past six years.

Ugandas constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate ones faith and convert from one faith to another.

Muslims make up no more than 12 percent of Ugandas population.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.

If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/?

This article was originally published by Morning Star News. Used with permission.

Photo courtesy: PixabayDid you catch all of the most-read CT articles from 2018?

Here's a look back at what readers kept clicking this past year, ranked with No. 20 at the top and No.1 at the bottom.Technology challenges to the Church: Relearn embodied human existence, Christian professor argues

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Churches have forgotten the importance of embodied human existence in response to the growth of modern technology, according to a recent book by a Christian college professor.

Craig M. Gay, professor of interdisciplinary studies at Regent College in Vancouver, Canada, wrote Modern Technology and the Human Future: A Christian Appraisal to warn people about the harms associated with modern technology and social media, while stressing the need for people to critique such technological trends from a biblical perspective.

I am not a Luddite. I am not anti-technology. But I am concerned about it, and particularly about the directions it appears to be heading, wrote Gay in the books preface.

 my sincere desire is that you will find this book useful in judging what measure of harm and of profit you stand to gain by employing modern automatic machine technologies.

While Gay notes in his book that biblical Christian theology has the answer on how to combat the harms of modern technology, churches by and large have not stressed enough or even have forgotten those keys points.

Modern technological developments apparent trend away from ordinary embodied human existence should have triggered alarms in our churches, wrote Gay.

Our churches seem to have forgotten the centrality of embodied human existence within the gospel of Jesus Christ. Indeed, what appears to account for the churchs failure to protest both the mechanical modern outlook as well as the modern tendency to objectify and enframe the natural world is that we have fallen out of the habit of reflecting uponand living out ofthe implications of core Christian convictions.

In an interview with The Christian Post last Friday, Gay explained that he believed that this trend was common throughout Western Christianity, stating that Catholics suffer from this just as much as Protestants.

My hunch is that its happening to all of us in all kinds of subtle ways. Its a feature of modernity. Modernity and modernization tends to disconnect people from their religious or theological traditions, said Gay.

However, Gay did believe that some congregations were trying to combat the harms of modern technology through a renewed emphasis on teaching Christian principles.

Catechism, I think, has become a thing again. People are talking about it again. Whereas for at least a generation, it hasnt really been something that happened in many large churches. And now its beginning to happen again, said Gay to CP.

I think the reason that is, is because people are realizing people just dont know what the Christian faith is and how it holds together in terms of basic conviction.

Examining modern technology with a biblical perspective

Gay explained to CP that he wanted to critique technological advancements like social media using the basic truths of the Christian religion.

These convictions involve recognizing that the world is not just a collection of stuff that happens to be there, but rather it is a creation thats been quite crafted by a good God and it has been ordered to fruition, to flourishing, to thriving.

God delights in seeing his creatures thrive. And then the human task then within the creation is to facilitate this thriving. Both in terms of each other, in terms of human creatures, but also in terms of everything else. Our job in a sense, is to enable things to come most fully into being, explained Gay.

With that framework, Gay went on to explain when critiquing technology, people should ask questions like does it help us to become the kinds of people that God desires us to become? and is it enabling us to be, for example, more present to each other?

If the technologies are, and many of them do, then fantastic! We should use them, we should celebrate them, and we should be thankful for them, Gay continued.

But if they arent, if they are not helping us become who we desire to become, if theyre somehow interfering in our engagement with reality, then no, we shouldnt use them. Why would we? Thats where I am hoping to leave the reader at the end of the study, is beginning to look at the world in that way.

The disaster of Virtual Reality churches

The concept of virtual reality churches has been the subject of debate, with at least one Los Angeles, California-based entity, named VR Church, planning to offer such services.

Our mission is to explore and communicate God through virtual reality, augmented reality, and next generation technologies. All are welcome to attend our services, stated the VR Church.

Gay told CP that he considered the idea of virtual reality churches to be a disaster that runs contrary to the coming of Jesus Christ on Christmas.

It seems to me that the very thing that we celebrate this time of year, which is the incarnation of God in Christ and this huge endorsement of embodied human being in the world that that has to mean at the very least that we emphasize, that we prioritize always face-to-face embodied actual interaction, Gay explained.

That especially when it comes to meeting together at the church and celebrating the sacraments and doing all the things we do in churches.

With his objections noted, Gay did believe that the concept of virtual reality churches could work as a last resort for those who arent able to come for whatever reason.

Sure lets make it possible for them to join in and lets use technology to help, acknowledged Gay. But for all of the rest of us, no. We need to actually be together.Despite yellow vest protests and terrorist attacks, Paris is open for business

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PARIS  Many of my friends and family couldnt believe I was coming here in the wake of ongoing protests by the yellow vests, or gilets jaunes in French, and the recent terrorist act in Strasbourg.

They assumed the city wasnt safe. Yes, the protests continue, but Paris is open for visitors.

I am excited for my third Parisian Christmas. As I recently wrote, the holidays are a great time of the year to visit Paris and other big cities. Generally speaking, crowds are minimal and all of the attractions and sights are open.

As an Anglican, I will worship Christmas Eve at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, better known as the American Cathedral and the seat of the Episcopal bishop in Europe. Located on the fashionable Avenue George V, the Gothic Revival edifice dates to the 1880s.

As with everyone else who goes to Paris I will also visit The Louvre  after all, its a must-visit  but instead of trying to see everything I am only going for A Dream of Italy: The Marquis Campanas Collection, a special exhibit that runs through mid-February. Afterwards its off to the City of Paris Museum of Fine Art. One of more than a dozen museums historically run by city hall, the Musee des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, as it is called in French, isnt as overwhelming as The Louvre. Best of all, admission to the world-class museums permanent collection is free.

Two other museums on my list are the Musee de Cluny with its medieval religious art and the Cite de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine, or the Museum of Heritage and Architecture in English. The latter is known for its collection of casts from the facades of old churches and cathedrals.

While I have other plans on my schedule, including visits to several old favorites, including the 13th century Sainte-Chapelle, I will follow the example set by American visitors in the 19th century  long before Hemingway and the Lost Generation  as best told by David McCullough in his book The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris and embark upon long, rambling walks.

And who knows, one of my walks may just take me to Harrys Bar, which, like every old bar once patronized by Hemingway, claims to have been his favorite.

Where to stay

I chose the Intercontinental Le Grand Hotel, which has welcomed guests since its opening by Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, in 1862. Just be mindful that an extensive renovation is underway. Nevertheless, I highly recommend the hotel, which stands in the shadow of the palatial and similarly old opera house. Rooms start at about 300 euros (about $340) per night.

Spires and Crosses, a travel column exclusive to The Christian Post, is published every week. Follow @dennislennox on Twitter and Instagram.Notorious 'career criminal' now preaches Jesus to prisoners: 'Abundant life can be found in the jailhouse'

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A former drug addict-turned-pastor who was arrested 35 times and sentenced to prison five times for eight felony convictions has opened up about the series of events that led him to Christ and why his mission is to tell others that abundant life is possible, even in prison.

The first time Scott Highberger got arrested he was just 12 years old. Growing up in Michigan City, Indiana, he was surrounded by dysfunction and substance abuse from a young age  and it wasnt long before he began to adopt the habits surrounding him.

I was a really angry kid who learned how to solve my problems through violence and fighting, and I ended up in a juvenile detention center at 12 years old, he told The Christian Post. Around that time, I started drinking, and that started a domino effect of committing crimes and abusing drugs and alcohol.

Unable to stay out of trouble, Highberger dropped out of school in the ninth grade. By the time he was 17, hed been arrested so many times that authorities placed him in an adult prison instead of trying him as a child. From there, he became trapped in a constant cycle of drinking, drugs, and prison stints, culminating in a 12-year sentence for selling drugs.

I lived a very haphazard life with no real target or purpose, he said.

While living in a halfway house following his release from prison, Highberger began dating a woman who eventually gave birth to their son. One time, the couple went to a movie theater to watch The Exorcism of Emily Rose, a film about a demon-possessed girl. Shortly into the film, Highberger said he experienced the fear of God for the first time in his life.

I didn't know anything about God, but I knew it was God and it was just really crazy, he said. I ended up going out in the parking lot, breaking down, crying my eyes out. I went home and got the Yellow Pages and started looking around for a church.

But God had different plans for Highbergers life: The very next day, he was arrested on a warrant he didnt even know about and found himself in prison yet again. This time, Highberger spent two weeks studying the Bible and eventually gave his life to Christ during a church service conducted in prison.

I thought everything would change once I got out, he said. I thought, Im born again, things are going to be different. Im going to marry my girlfriend, and were going to have this incredible life together.'

After returning home, however, Highbergers girlfriend told him she was leaving him and taking their son with her. Devastated, Highberger returned to his former lifestyle, looking to drugs and alcohol for comfort. He ultimately attempted to kill himself, ending up with 40 stitches in his arm.

But the lowest point of his life, Highberger said, was the night his ex-girlfriend allowed him to take care of their son by himself.

I had begged her to let me take him for a night, and she finally let me, he recalled. He was about 1-and-a-half years old. I got drunk and ended up driving to the ghetto to a crack house. I locked him in the car and got drugs, got back in the car, and drove home, smoking crack the whole way home with him in the backseat.

She found out about it, and was understandably livid, he continued. She told me I could never see my son again.

With multiple charges pending against him and nowhere to turn, Highberger once again attempted to kill himself by taking over 100 sleeping pills. When that proved unsuccessful, he fled the state and wound up homeless, traveling from Florida to Arizona.

I would sleep in dumpsters and on the street and just beg for change to buy the next drug, he said. Id hit rock bottom. I was just so tired of my life.

Eventually, he returned to Indiana where he was once again arrested. But this time, things looked different.

Jeremiah 29:13 says, If you seek me with your whole heart, you'll find me, he said. At my lowest, I sought God  and I found Him in prison, and He just began to radically change my life.

Highberger developed an overwhelming thirst for the Bible, and after his release from prison would bike through sleet and snow to attend church services, volunteering wherever he could. Determined to save others from the life that nearly destroyed him, Highberger approached church leaders about starting a prison ministry.

What started as a one-week service for inmates led to four services a week  and today, Highberger, along with his wife Danielle, ministers to thousands of prisoners, leading them to freedom in Jesus Christ.

Looking back, I see that all those years were God setting me up for a comeback, to become desperate for Him, he said. To the outside world, prison is a place for punishment. For me, prison was a place to be alone with God, to begin a recovery process, to be away from negative influences, and to be stripped of everything. I found freedom in prison, and I want others to, as well.

Highberger shares his powerful story in his book,Behind the Wire: A Prisoner's Journey to the Pulpit. In it, he details practical, biblical steps individuals can take to find true freedom.

"I've handed out thousands of books to prisoners, and I've received so many letters from people sharing how it's changed their lives," he shared.

Freedom isn't just about a physical location; it's a spiritual condition, he explained. There's an invisible prison that holds many in its grip, and the only way out of that is through Jesus.

Today, Highberger serves as the outreach and prison pastor at Road to Life Church in Michigan City. Now reconnected with his son, the pastor says his message is simple: New life is possible through Christ  even for a career criminal.

What I really preach from the rooftops is that Jesus leaves the 99 for that one, he said. He left those 99 for me and he grabbed ahold of my life in prison. There is hope for that drug addict, the alcoholic, the career criminal, the one that is so far gone that you think they can never be redeemed.

Abundant life, he added, can be found right there in the jailhouse.Pastor lists 7 things depressed Christians can do to navigate Christmas

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The holidays can be hard on those who struggle with depression.

The thought of mixing with happy people fills you with dread. The thought of remembering lost loved ones fills you with gloom. How can people be so happy when you are so sad? How can people celebrate when you are in mourning? It jars your soul and scrapes your tender wounds, doesnt it? said David Murray, professor of Old Testament and practical theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary and pastor of Grand Rapids Free Reformed Church in Michigan, on Crossway.org.

The pastor, who is also an author, warned that hiding away or lashing out will not help with depression, but will only make it worse. With that in mind, he proposed seven suggestions for Christians to navigate Christmas that will also help with their healing.

Murray started off with what he called the too obvious suggestion to pray, but said that sometimes people miss the obvious.

Plead: Lord, I am weak, I need your power, I need your patience, I need your joy. Promise: I will rely on you alone to carry me and even use this time for my help and healing. Its amazing how the gospel can turn the greatest pain into the greatest therapy, he wrote.

Next, those struggling should share with their friends and family about their depression and ask for prayers and protection from those who dont understand what theyre going through.

Thirdly, he urged Christians to make plans carefully over Christmas, warning that too much withdrawal from social events will only depress you further; but so will total immersion.

So, plan ahead and choose wisely which social occasions you will go to and how long to spend there. Perhaps try to avoid going to too many gatherings on consecutive days or evenings. You need downtime to be quiet and to refuel, he pointed out.

Murray then talked about the importance of having a regular routine, which he said is vital for those struggling with depression.

Your body, mind, and soul flourish when you are following a predictable pattern of sleeping, eating, working, and relaxing. All this is threatened by the irregularity and unpredictability of the holidays, he noted.

"You will have to accept a degree of change in this area in these weeks, yet still fight to maintain as much regularity as you can. You dont want to waste all your good work in this area.

The pastor also mentioned the benefits of exercise and how hard it is to be consistent in this regard over the holidays. He said that with so much sitting around and so much food, it is important to continue to be active for ones physical, mental and spiritual health.

Those with depression should also try to preach to themselves.

Youre going to be tempted in the next few weeks to write a chapter that dwells on the present estrangement with your daughter and how much you miss her at family occasions, he offered as an example.

While we cant deny the reality of this, and we continue to pray and work toward reconciliation, can I suggest that you write another chapter in parallel with it? Write a chapter on the way God has reconciled you to his Son through his death on the cross (Eph. 2:1418; 2 Cor. 5:1821), he noted.

Fixing your mind on this greatest estrangement and reconciliation story will help you to balance a bitter experience with the sweetest experience, and will also give you hope in Gods reconciling power. Its amazing how the gospel can turn the greatest pain into the greatest therapy.

Finally, Murray advised believers to preach to others as well.

The unbelievers in your family will be looking to see how you react to your recent losses and how you are responding to your depression. They will see you are sad and they will ask how you are doing. How about this for an answer: Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing (2 Cor. 6:10). That should startle them! he wrote.

But it will also start some profitable conversations that give you an opportunity to testify to Gods grace to you in these days.

Recently, Pastor J.D. Greear of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, criticized the way some churches deal with depressed Christians.

"Sometimes, I think we can be too quick with our answers in church: Are you feeling sad? Life got you down? Well, that can't be from God! Just pop on some K-love, cause everything in the Christian life should be positive and encouraging all the time," Greear wrote on his website in October.

"But when you are experiencing depression, you don't need a quick encouragement. You need a God who walks through pain with you."Asia Bibi's neighbors want her dead: There is no forgiveness for insulting Muhammad

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Asia Bibis former neighbors believe she deserves to be executed for allegedly insulting the Islamic prophet Muhammad even though her confession was coerced.

She confessed her crime in front of them, how can they forgive her? asked 50-year-old Mohammad Bota in an interview with The Telegraph on Thursday.

Ittan Wali in rural Punjab, Pakistan, is where Bibi, a Christian mother of five, was first accused nearly 10 years ago by fellow Muslim laborers of having insulted the Islamic prophet, a charge she has always denied.

The accusation of blasphemy, one of the most serious crimes in the Islamic-majority country, led to Bibi's imprisonment on death row for eight years before she was finally acquitted by the Pakistani Supreme Court in October and granted freedom, though she is still being detained and unable to leave the country.

The controversial decision to free Bibi sparked widespread unrest and protests by Islamic hardliners in the country who declared their opposition to international pressure influencing the judges.

While persecution watchdog groups and human rights organizations have condemned Pakistan for its blasphemy laws, the villagers in Ittan Wali told the Telegraph that Bibi confessed to insulting their faith at the time and her death sentence should stand.

I would die in the name of my religion and if someone has committed blasphemy, then they are not forgiven, said 62-year-old farmer Shawkat Ali. If the Supreme Court has some faith in religion and if they are Muslims, they should execute her.

The villagers insist that after arguing with her co-workers, Bibi was sent to a local cleric to explain her words, which is where she allegedly confessed to insulting the Islamic prophet.

Qari Muhammad Salam, the cleric in question, argued that the Supreme Court's ruling was very disappointing," and said Bibi "deserves the death sentence according to the law."

If you start forgiving people on this issue, then it will become routine that people will commit blasphemy and just ask for forgiveness, he said.

We wish that if she had not uttered such remarks, and she had been living like before it would have been peaceful. But if someone says this, then there's no compromise on the dignity of the prophet [Muhammad]. Being Muslim, we believe that these are testing times and we should be ready for them.

Bibi's family continues to live in danger in Pakistan where they spent Christmas waiting for an asylum offer from another country.

In October, Eisham Ashiq, one of Bibi's daughters, thanked God and Christians worldwide for praying for her mother and her family.

"Thank you everybody for praying for my mother. I'd also like to thank the brave judges and the Pakistani justice system that recognize my mother's innocence, Ashiq said in a video supplied by Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.

"Thanks God, she (Bibi) is free and I hope our entire family is finally happy and free. Thanks to all of you for praying for my mother and persecuted Christians," she added.

Earlier this month, Mike Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and Southern Baptist pastor, issued a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump asking him to grant Bibi and her family asylum.

The United States is without question the safest place of refuge for Asia Bibi and her family. We have a 230-plus year commitment to religious freedom and tolerance, read an email by My Faith Votes, the organization seeking to encourage people to vote based on their convictions.

That the United States isnt being mentioned as her ultimate destination is a betrayal of those principles and an abdication of our responsibilities, it warned.Coptic Christians plan protests demanding justice as targeted killings continue in Egypt

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Coptic Christians will be staging protests in multiple cities at the end of the month to bring attention to the ongoing persecution their communities suffer in Egypt.

The Australian Coptic Movement Association said on Facebook Friday that protests on Dec. 30 are scheduled in at least three cities: Sydney, Melbourne, and Darwin.

The Coptic community has faced several tragedies in 2018. It's still reeling from the murder of father and son Emad and David Kamal Sadiq who were killed on Dec. 12 by a police officer who had been tasked with guarding a Christian church.

Al-Monitor reported on Thursday that Sgt. Rabie Mostafa Khalifa has officially been charged with premeditated murder in the shooting deaths of the believers after he opened fire while guarding Nahdet al-Qadasa Church in the Minya governorate.

The shooting occurred after the officer got into an argument with the men, who were working at the time as contractors removing the ruins of a demolished house facing the church.

Hundreds of mourners attended their funerals, Middle East Eye reported, demanding justice from the Egyptian government for the series of attacks they have suffered in the past couple of years.

A similar outcry of grief and anger followed the killings of seven believers at the hands of Islamic militants near a monastery in Minya in November.

Egyptian police said at the time that they pursued the militants and killed 19 of them in a shoot-out into a desert area west of Minya province.

The victims included one Anglican and six Copts, with mourners chanting at the funerals: "With our souls, with our blood, we will defend the cross!"

The Australian Coptic Movement Association said that Christians are being forced to accept reconciliation instead of justice over the violence against them, and are suffering from other forms of persecution as well.

Egyptian authorities, particularly in Southern Egypt, continued to conduct customary reconciliation sessions between Muslims and Christians. In ALL cases, we have the Muslim majority attacking the local Christian minority and the local authorities and Muslim and Christian religious leaders at times have abused these sessions to compel victims to abandon their claims to any legal remedy, the association added.

Dismayingly, in some cases, Christian families have been forced to leave their villages and sell their property.

Ahead of the protests on Dec. 30, the group made several urgent requests of the Egyptian government.

It called for the establishment of a special inquiry to examine and investigate all sectarian attacks that have occurred and bring those responsible to justice.

It demanded an end to the forced reconciliation sessions, and separately urged protection for Egyptian Christian women and girls, which it said are at risk of being kidnapped and forcefully converted.

As we approach a New Year, we also take time out to remember and pray for the hundreds of families who have been impacted by previous massacres that have occurred at this time, it said.

From El-Kosheh to Alexandria, we have many hundreds of families celebrating New Year's and Coptic Orthodox Christmas without loved ones at their dinner table. In the majority of cases, the murderers are roaming the streets freely as no one is ever sentenced for these terrible crimes.Denying virgin birth, treating it like 'unscientific nonsense' denies Christs divinity: pastor

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Going along with secular theories that deny Jesus was born of a virgin is to deny Christs divinity and impeccability, an evangelical pastor has warned.

Stephen Kneale, pastor of Oldham Bethel Church in the U.K., said Monday on his website that much of secular society treats the concept of Mary being a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus as "unscientific nonsense."

He said that on one hand, since the Hebrew word translated as virgin can mean young woman, some believers also justify abandoning that belief while still maintaining "the main shape of the Christmas narrative."

Kneale, who says that he subscribes to the traditional tenets of evangelicalism, warned that there are several concerns with taking such an approach.

For instance, it denies the miraculous work of God, and the accounts of Joseph, Mary's husband, as recorded by Matthew in the Bible, he said.

What is more, the pastor argued that the denial also goes against claims of Christ's divinity.

"If there was no virgin birth, Jesus was born in a usual way that every other man is born. But this has the knock-on effect of limiting Jesus to nothing more than a mere human," he continued.

He said that it means Christ would not have been able to pay the "infinite punishment for sin."

Kneale also argued that if Jesus was born like everyone else, it denies His impeccability, as He would have inherited the same sinful nature as all the children of Adam.

"As such, He would have sinned like any other man. As a result He could offer no perfect sacrifice on behalf of His people. There would be no perfect life to impute to anyone else because He would not have been capable of living the perfect life that God demands, he added.

What is more, the pastor insisted that denying the virgin birth means "denying a savior who can save."

"If Jesus is neither God nor impeccable, then there is no salvation from sin. The one presented as the only means of atonement is simply incapable of providing it. We lose scripture as a faithful record of Gods revelation to man and we lose a Savior who has even the remotest capability of saving anybody, he wrote.

On Christmas Day, the Pew Research Center retweeted a study from December 2017 which found that fewer Americans believe the birth of Jesus occurred as depicted in the Bible.

The survey found that 66 percent of respondents say that He was born to a virgin, which was down from the 73 percent share when the same question was asked in 2014.

Theologians have long warned about the importance of maintaining faith in the virgin birth, however.

Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, wrote in an op-ed in The Christian Post in 2004 that a person cannot reject the virgin birth and call themselves a Christian.

"Even if the virgin birth was taught by only one biblical passage, that would be sufficient to obligate all Christians to the belief. We have no right to weigh the relative truthfulness of biblical teachings by their repetition in Scripture," Mohler positioned back then.

"We cannot claim to believe that the Bible is the Word of God and then turn around and cast suspicion on its teaching."Fulani Muslims kill 7 Christians day after Christmas; media narrative of clashes is false, watchdog says

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Islamic Fulani radicals murdered seven Christians in a Nigerian town the day after Christmas, according to persecution watchdog group International Christian Concern.

The ICC, which has been documenting the targeted killings of believers in Nigeria, said that armed Fulani militants attacked the town of Rawuru in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State on Wednesday.

The village suffered another deadly incident in June, when 230 Christians were murdered by militants.

The size and coordination of those attacks showed that this could not just be another small local clash. It was clearly a well thought out and preplanned attack meant to kill as many people as possible, ICC said.

These types of attacks are not the normal farmer-herder conflict that the Nigerian government has been trying to claim they are, they continued, referring to both government and international mainstream media reports attempting to portray the murders as a result of clashes between nomadic Fulani herdsmen and Christian farmers.

They are clearly meant to kill, terrify, and displace local villagers from their land. If the Nigerian government does not end this conflict sometime soon, there could be continued violent conflict which turns into a civil war.

AFP also reported on the attack in Rawuru, though it said that five people were killed, while another two were injured.

State police spokesman Tyopeeve Terna said the victims were returning home late Wednesday from a birthday party in the neighboring Pugu village when they were ambushed.

Terna vowed that police will hunt down the killers and bring them to justice.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who is preparing for elections in February, has been criticized by Christian leaders in the country for failing to protect citizens and stand up to the Fulani militants.

The Rev. Dacholom Datiri, president of the Church of Christ in Nigeria, revealed that he delivered a report to Buhari in November highlighting the slaughter of 646 Christians in Plateau state between March and October.

The devastation in terms of massacre of lives and destruction of property is unimaginable. Pastors and members in their thousands have been killed in cold blood, either shot dead or slaughtered like animals or burned to death. Houses and businesses have been burned or looted and farmlands have been destroyed, Datiri said, reflecting on years of attacks.

The proficiency and mode of operation in all of these attacks, as testified by the surviving victims, leaves us in no doubt of the complicity of the military being used as hired mercenaries by the Fulani militias, he added.

On this, we are disappointed, and sadly so, that the government has not delivered on her constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and property.

ICC said that by its estimates, 1,700 people were killed in 2018 at the hands of Fulani radicals, though other Christian leaders have said that thousands more believers have been massacred.

The watchdog group said that the 1,700 number alone is already three times as many deaths as those committed by Boko Haram, the terror group that has been killing Christians and other civilians en masse since 2009.YouTube changes 'abortion' search results after accusation of being too pro-life

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YouTube has changed the ranking of its search results for abortion after a writer at a liberal website complained that the top content list was "biased" in favor of pro-life videos.

According to an article published by Slate on Dec. 21, a YouTube search of the word abortion produced numerous pro-life results. These results included videos of former abortion-provider-turned pro-life activist Antony Levatino and one by conservative commentator and editor of The Daily Wire Ben Shapiro.

When you Google abortion, the top results are relatively staid considering the divisiveness of the topic in American life, wrote April Glaser of Slate.

If, until recently, you did the same over on Google-owned YouTube, it felt like you were searching in a whole other universe," Glaser lamented, suggesting that facts about abortion procedures should be suppressed and hidden from the public.

After Slate contacted YouTube about its search results, the popular video-sharing site responded by down ranking the pro-life videos.

According to Glaser, YouTube didn't explain how it changed the search results, with the site stating that it gives a platform for free speech where anyone can choose to post videos, subject to our Community Guidelines.

The Christian Post did its own YouTube search of the word abortion on Wednesday. The top result was a 4-year-old video titled The Fake Abortion Clinics of America: Misconception, by the left-leaning pro-choice VICE News.

The top 10 results from CP's search included videos that featured news stories relating to abortion, a BuzzFeedVideo providing demographic information on the average abortion recipient and abortion statistics, some of which are debated, and a 16-minute commentary on abortion laws from liberal pro-abortion comedian John Oliver.

National Review staff writer Alexandra DeSanctis described Glasers efforts as a censorious mission, referring to the videos that used to be the top the search results as every pro-abortion activists worst nightmare.

Because they reveal the unmistakable details of what takes place in every abortion  details that Glaser rightly, albeit dismissively, describes as gore  theyre written off as dangerous misinformation, wrote DeSanctis in column on Saturday.

Lest unsuspecting viewers risk running across this gore and oppose abortion as a result, true believers like Glaser insist that this type of content should be drowned out by videos from news outlets and credible reproductive health care providers whose mission is to airbrush away the reality of abortion.

In February, a pro-choice writer with Gizmodo reported that Google Maps was directing women who are seeking abortions to pro-life pregnancy centers instead of abortion clinics.

"I contacted 20 people in cities and states across the U.S. to ask them to go to Google, either on desktop or on their phones, enter 'Where can I get an abortion near me?' and then click on the resulting map to see what happens in their locations," noted Robin Marty of Gizmodo earlier this year.

"In all but two (Little Rock, Arkansas and Queens, New York) crisis pregnancy centers were offered up as abortion clinic options whenever that sentence was entered."

Marty blamed Google Maps' "mostly unmonitored and unlimited user intervention" for the site preference for pregnancy centers over abortion clinics.

"The star rating system offers another way to create a more visible CPC and a less visible abortion clinic, with abortion opponents offering two and one star reviews for local abortion providers, and writing three and four star reviews for the pregnancy care centers," added Marty.Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

A modern verification of an ancient event and tangible evidence of an ancient person. And once again, biblical history is verified.

Our team of thinkers and writers at the Colson Center are archaeology nerds. Seriously, we get giddy whenever another archaeological discovery sheds light on biblical narratives or confirms their historical accuracy. And even more fun, it seems to happen all the time these days.

Keep in mind that biblical faith is grounded in historical events, events to which the Bible testifies. This is one of the factors that sets the Bible apart from other religious texts. Recently, two announcements made illustrate the truthfulness of Scripture, one in a spectacular way and the other more quietly.

The spectacular illustration was the subject of a recent presentation at the annual meeting of the American Schools of Oriental Research, held here in Colorado. At the meeting, Archaeologist Phillip J. Silvia of Trinity Southwest University reported on what his team found in Jordan just north of the Dead Sea.

Samples from the site show that an extremely hot, explosive event, in all likelihood an exploding meteor, leveled an area of almost 200 square miles including the Middle Ghor  a circular plain to the north of the Dead Sea. The blast not only destroyed 100 percent of the Middle Bronze Age cities and towns in the area, it rendered the area unsuitable for agriculture for about six centuries.

Now unless you dig things blowing up, you might be wondering Whats the big deal? After all, in 1908 a similar blast in Siberia leveled more than 500 square miles.

Well, what makes this extremely hot event extremely cool is the date and location. Silvia and his team are convinced that the explosive event occurred around 3,700 years ago, which is about the same time that Abraham and his nephew Lot were sojourning in the area. And in that area is the Bronze-Age site of Tall el-Hammam, which Silvias colleague at Trinity Southwest, Steven Collins, believes could be the site of the biblical city of Sodom.

While this discovery cant tell us whether, in Forbes words, someone, perhaps a deity, [ordered] an asteroid hit on Sodom, its yet another reminder that the biblical writers were not making things up. They purposely wrote of historical events that took place in the real world, not in some mythical setting.

Now many scholars doubt that Sodom ever existed, much less that it was destroyed in some divinely-ordained cataclysm. This puts us a bit closer to establishing that it did exist and that it was destroyed in a cataclysm around the time the biblical narrative reports.

Less spectacular but not less important was another discovery of a ring bearing the inscription of Pilates in the ruins of Herodium in the West Bank. The ring was excavated in 1969, but only recently did advanced photographic techniques enable researchers to read the inscription on it.

Unlike Sodom, Pilates existence was never in doubt. The discovery of the Pilate stone in 1961 convinced researchers that New Testament references to the Roman prefect who ordered Jesus crucifixion werent made up.

Still, apart from the New Testament and the writings of the first-century Jewish historian Josephus, we know very little about Pilate.

Part of the significance of this discovery is where Pilates ring was found: in the ruins of Herods fortress, hence the name Herodium. And so, we have physical evidence of two biblical characters carrying on in the way the New Testament tells us that they did.

Another word for that is history.

Both the Apostles and Nicene creeds assign Pontius Pilate a central role in the story of our salvation. Hes one of only three people named in the creeds along with the Virgin Mary and our Lord. Its obvious why the latter two are in there, but why is Pilate included?

Because the reference to Pilate anchors our confession in human history. Jesus did not suffer, die, and undergo burial in some gauzy once-upon-a-time, but in actual history on the orders of a real person who even left evidence of his existence.

Unlike other religions, our salvation is grounded in history, and the restoration for which Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate will also take place within history. In other words, Christianity is the real deal.

Editors note: Dr. Silvias paper, The 3.7kaBP Middle Ghor Event: The Catastrophic Termination of a Bronze Age Civilization posits that a cosmic airburst event obliterated civilization in the Middle Ghor area around 1700 B.C., the paper itself does not mention the biblical city of Sodom. Dr. Silvias colleague (and one of the papers co-authors), Dr. Steven Collins, has published elsewhere his belief that one of the sites wiped out by the airburst, Tall el-Hammam, was indeed Sodom. We have amended the above commentary to clarify.

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Media reports over the last several months have trumpeted that witches in the U.S. now outnumber Presbyterians.

Its great religious click-bait but the assertion, to the extent its based on anything, rests on a false comparison.

In 2014 Pew Research Center estimated that 0.4 percent of Americans, about 1 to 1.5 million people, identify as Wiccan or Pagan. This statistic, cited in all the media reports, is evidently the most recently available data, although it is four years old. But faddish stories can sometimes be ginned up based on old numbers.

Media reports have compared this number of supposed Wiccans/Pagans with 1.4 million Presbyterians, hence the provocative headlines. Witches and other adherents of natural religion outnumber a major Christian tradition in America.

Pews Wiccan estimate includes all persons who identify with Wiccan type beliefs. The Presbyterian number is based on the enrolled membership of the Presbyterian Church (USA), which is the largest Presbyterian denomination in America.

This comparison does not involve equals. A more accurate assessment would compare enrolled members of covens with the enrolled members of all Presbyterian denominations.

Of course, there is no registry of covens or other pagan groups. Wiccans dont tend to have institutions with formal membership. They are mostly individualistic and, although claiming ties to ancient pagan beliefs, are very American and modern in their pursuit of their own mostly self-created nature-based spirituality. Wicca as a term dates to the mid to late 20th century.

A more accurate comparison would liken total self-identified Wiccans with total self-identified Presbyterians, not just enrolled church members. According to a 2016 Gallup Poll, two percent of Americans self-identify as Presbyterian, which would equal about 6.6 million Americans, or 5 times as many Wiccans.

The total number of enrolled members in Presbyterians denominations would include not just the 1.4 million of the Presbyterian Church (USA). There are also the Presbyterian Church in America with 375,000, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church with 145,000, the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians with 121,000, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church with 71,000, the Korean Presbyterian Church in America with 55,000, and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church with 31,000. Counting other smaller denominations there are maybe 2.1 or 2.2 total Presbyterian church members in America.

Far more people typically identify with a church tradition, based on their past, family ties or occasional involvement, than are actively formal church members. But sometimes splashy headlines are based on false comparisons between self-identification of a non-Christian movement with formal members of a Christian denomination.

For example, sometimes an estimated number of persons who identify as at least culturally Muslim are compared to a Protestant denominations formal membership as evidence of surging Islam in America.

As denominationalism continues to recede, and more even active Christians identify less with traditional denominations, these comparisons will become likely even more common, even though they are apples and oranges.

This particular story of witches and Presbyterians apparently began with an October 4 Quartz article headlined: The US Witch Population Has Seen an Astronomical Rise, mostly based on the Pew study and an even older study from Trinity College in Connecticut in 2008.

Quartz did not reference Presbyterianism. But my friend Carmen Fowler LaBerge tweeted the article with this comment:

As mainline Protestantism continues its devolution, the U.S. witch population is rising astronomically. There may now be more Americans who identify as practicing witches, 1.5 mil, than there are members of mainline Presbyterianism (PCUSA) 1.4 mil.

An October 10 Christian Post article cited Carmens quote, accurately including the PCUSA reference. But this piece evidently sparked subsequent witch/Presbyterian comparisons in other media that omitted specific reference to PCUSA membership, instead making blanket witch/Presbyterian comparisons.

On December 17, The Daily Caller ran the headline: Witches Now Outnumber Presbyterians In The US, declaring: Self-identified practitioners of witchcraft in the U.S. outnumber Presbyterian Christians, thanks in part to Millennials embrace of New Age spirituality. But the story in the second paragraph did specify the comparison was between Wiccan self-identification versus PCUSA membership.

More vaguely, a November 18 Newsweek article, headlined Number Of Witches Rises Dramatically Across U.S. As Millennials Reject Christianity, claimed: With 1.5 million potential practicing witches across the U.S., witchcraft has more followers than the 1.4 million mainline members of the Presbyterian church.

Even more vaguely, Breitbart on December 22, just in time for Christmas, amplified the claim with headline: Witchcraft Booming in America, More Witches than Presbyterians. It read: The number of self-declared witches in the United States now exceeds the total number of Presbyterians, the Telegraph declared Friday.

Breitbart was referencing British newspaper The Telegraph , which on December 21, under the headline, Witchcraft moves to the mainstream in America as Christianity declines  and has Trump in its sights, declared:

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 fact, the Pew study did not compare Wiccans with Presbyterians. The Telegraph made no reference to the PCUSA, nor did Breitbart.

With now wide international coverage, the witches/Presbyterian story escalated. Even George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley, a prominent television commentator on judicial issues whos not typically focused on religion, blogged with the headline: Report: Witches Now Outnumber Presbyterians in the United States.

Turleys news hook was President Trumps complaints about the witch hunt in Washington. Other stories about the supposed surge in witchcraft noted witches had placed hexes on Trump and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Witch talk is fun, and spuriously claiming witches now outnumber Presbyterians was too delicious to avoid, along with hyperbolic assertions about Christianitys implosion and paganisms surge.

Widely circulated on social media, the witches/Presbyterians headlines were cute and, if taken seriously, alarming. But their claims were false. Self-identified Presbyterians seemingly outnumber Wiccans by about five to one.

Whatever Americas challenges and problems, witches and Wiccans, who remain very few in number, are likely not chief among them. Much more numerous Christians in America likely cause far more trouble than witches.

Originally posted at Juicy Ecumenism.This Christmas, don't forget suffering Syrian refugees, implores Christian aid group

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For many Americans, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year  but thats not the reality for millions of refugees living in overcrowded displacement camps across the Middle East.

Vernon Brewer, founder and CEO of the Christian humanitarian organization World Help, recently traveled to refugee camps near the Jordan-Syria border to deliver aid to those displaced by war and violence.

While distributing essentials, including towels, diapers, hygiene kits, nonperishable food items, winter coats and space heaters to refugees, Brewer witnessed suffering that will forever be etched in his memory.

These people are still living in tents with their families in sub-freezing temperatures and rain and wind. They dont know how theyre going to face the freezing weather ahead, he told The Christian Post. Families work long hours in fields just for a few dollars to buy a meager meal. There's a shortage of food and medical supplies because they've been forgotten. Their homes, schools, and communities have been destroyed but it seems that the rest of the world no longer cares.

Refugees aren't just suffering physically; they're struggling emotionally too. Brewer recalled meeting one little girl living in a refugee camp with severe burns across her entire body. Shed been in the kitchen with her mother when an ISIS bomb exploded through a window, causing hot oil on the stove to scald her little body.

She was so traumatized by what happened, she could barely speak, he said. These people are suffering in ways most of the world cant even imagine.

According to statistics from the U.N. Refugee Agency, over 5.6 million people have fled Syria since 2011, seeking safety in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and beyond. Millions more are displaced inside Syria and around 70 percent live below the poverty line.

Through their latest initiative, Christmas for a Refugee, World Help is calling on people to help provide relief to refugees during these harsh and difficult winter months. Every $35 gift, when combined with grants and generous corporate donations, enables World Help to deliver $189 worth of aid  providing food, survival essentials and medicine to thousands of refugee families.

A simple donation can literally save lives, Brewer shared. I met one woman who had lost her sight in one eye and was on the verge of being paralyzed on an entire right side just because of an autoimmune disease that was treatable, but the injections are $140 a week for six months. Her husband was crying and begging and pleading with us, and we were able to provide the needs for her and give her hope.

We've already helped 132,000 refugees and there's many, many more that still need help, he added.

Through trained counselors, the organization also provides mental and emotional support to those traumatized by war.

"Our trauma counselors have helped countless children, Brewer said. So many of them are hopeless; theyve witnessed people dying in the streets, their neighbors beheaded and all kinds of trauma.

But most importantly, when refugees see genuine love and compassion in action, he added, theyre drawn like a magnet to Christ.

Were not actively evangelizing, but we're seeing many of these refugee families become Christians, he said. Its because theyre seeing people that love and care about them. As we serve as the hands and feet of Christ, these people are witnessing His love.

This Christmas, Brewer is issuing an urgent call to Christians in America: Remember the poor and needy, as instructed in Galatians 2:10. He acknowledged that as the plight of refugees is no longer plastered across TV screens, its easy to forget their bleak reality.

Many of us in America have short attention spans, he said. We're not seeing the horrific images; it seems weve lost interest.

As he departed the Jordan-Syria border, refugees left him with a final request, Please do not forget about us.

Those words, emphasized, should resonate with those who believe in bringing physical help and spiritual transformation to the least of these.

I would just appeal that, during this time of Christmas, please do not forget about these men and women who are just a few miles from the place where Jesus was born, he said. Remember: Jesus Himself was a refugee who was forced to flee His home.

We need to pray for them. Jesus came to bring hope to the world. This Christmas, lets bring hope to those in a hopeless situation.7 Christians murdered by Fulani radicals day after Christmas

Islamic Fulani radicals murdered seven Christians in a Nigerian town the day after Christmas, according to persecution watchdog group International Christian Concern.

The ICC, which has been documenting the targeted killings of believers in Nigeria, said that armed Fulani militants attacked the town of Rawuru in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State on Wednesday.

The village suffered another deadly incident in June, when 230 Christians were murdered by militants.

"The size and coordination of those attacks showed that this could not just be another small local clash. It was clearly a well thought out and preplanned attack meant to kill as many people as possible," ICC said.

"These types of attacks are not the normal farmer-herder conflict that the Nigerian government has been trying to claim they are," they continued, referring to both government and international mainstream media reports attempting to portray the murders as a result of clashes between nomadic Fulani herdsmen and Christian farmers.

"They are clearly meant to kill, terrify, and displace local villagers from their land. If the Nigerian government does not end this conflict sometime soon, there could be continued violent conflict which turns into a civil war."

AFP also reported on the attack in Rawuru, though it said that five people were killed, while another two were injured.

State police spokesman Tyopeeve Terna said the victims were returning home late Wednesday from a birthday party in the neighboring Pugu village when they were ambushed.

Terna vowed that police will hunt down the killers and bring them to justice.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who is preparing for elections in February, has been criticized by Christian leaders in the country for failing to protect citizens and stand up to the Fulani militants.

The Rev. Dacholom Datiri, president of the Church of Christ in Nigeria, revealed that he delivered a report to Buhari in November highlighting the slaughter of 646 Christians in Plateau state between March and October.

"The devastation in terms of massacre of lives and destruction of property is unimaginable. Pastors and members in their thousands have been killed in cold blood, either shot dead or slaughtered like animals or burned to death. Houses and businesses have been burned or looted and farmlands have been destroyed," Datiri said, reflecting on years of attacks.

"The proficiency and mode of operation in all of these attacks, as testified by the surviving victims, leaves us in no doubt of the complicity of the military being used as hired mercenaries by the Fulani militias," he added.

"On this, we are disappointed, and sadly so, that the government has not delivered on her constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and property."

ICC said that by its estimates, 1,700 people were killed in 2018 at the hands of Fulani radicals, though other Christian leaders have said that thousands more believers have been massacred.

The watchdog group said that the 1,700 number alone is already three times as many deaths as those committed by Boko Haram, the terror group that has been killing Christians and other civilians en masse since 2009.

Courtesy of The Christian PostFor many migrants heading for the US, faith is their compass

Since setting out from Honduras in the hope of reaching the United States, Nicolas Alonso Sanchez has worn a simple wooden cross around his neck  a quiet reminder of the Roman Catholic faith that propels him forward.

"God gave me the strength to get all the way here," Sanchez, 47, says at a temporary shelter where he is staying in the Mexican border city of Tijuana.

On the long journey from Central America to U.S. soil, many migrants have taken solace in their religion.

Several 'caravans' of mostly Honduran migrants who made the trek this year faced arduous conditions, braving fierce heat by day and searching for a safe place to sleep at night.

Many regard their faith as their compass.

For migrants far from home, the street often becomes their place of worship. On a warm afternoon in late November, pastor Jose Murcia, a Salvadoran who lives in the United States, preaches outside a temporary shelter in Tijuana to a cluster of men.

Later, Murcia joins a pair of men kneeling in the middle of the road, their heads bowed in prayer.

On their way to the U.S. border, the migrants walked the length of Mexico. Here, the Virgin of Guadalupe - an image of the Virgin Mary who devotees believe appeared to an indigenous man in the 16th century - looms large. As if seeking her protection, a man drapes himself with a banner depicting her as he crouches before a phalanx of riot police in Tijuana.

The migrants face a future of uncertainty. The United States said this month that many asylum seekers may be forced to stay in Mexico while their claims are processed. Some Mexican border towns are perilous places to wait, plagued with crime and violence.

But many migrants, bolstered by their faith, say they are undaunted.

"God always takes care of me," says Osmel Efraim, an 18-year-old Honduran migrant in Tijuana. "Thanks to God, I am here, safe and healthy."Women's college changes policy to accept men who identify as female

America's second oldest women-only college has announced it will begin accepting admission applications from transgender candidates, explaining that the school has "expanded its definition of womanhood."

In a statement, Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, announced that it will be admitting male students who identify as women  but will exclude trans men  beginning in the fall of 2019.

The college's new policy says, "The college's undergraduate residential women's program will continue to admit and enroll students who are women and who live as women, just as it always has. It will also admit and enroll students who were not born female, but who identify and live as women; those students will need to provide legal documentation that they are legally women or that they are transitioning to female."

"Because the college has expanded its definition of womanhood to include both sex and gender, it is logically consistent that it also acknowledges both sex and gender in its definition of manhood. As a result, the college will stop admitting and enrolling students who were born female but who now identify as men or who are transitioning from female to male."

The updated policy goes on to explain that the "world's understanding of and definition of womanhood is changing, and Stephens is evolving  just as it always has  to ensure that it continues to provide the extraordinary experience of a Stephens College education to all women who seek and will benefit from it."

In recent years, issues of gender, identity and inclusion have become front and center at women's colleges across the U.S. Since 2014, over half of such institutions in the country have developed formal admissions policies for transgender students, according to Vox.

The decision to include transgender and non-binary students at Stephens College, a 185-year-old institution, was made unanimously by the Board of Trustees, according to an explainer released by the school.

A timeline from the college shows that the policy has been under consideration since 2014, shortly after the Obama administration issued new administrative guidance defining "gender identity" as an individual's "internal sense of being male or female," and defining a transgender person as someone "with a gender identity that is different from the sex assigned them at birth."

"It asserts that transgender students are protected from gender discrimination under Title IX (backed by a 2016 statement by the Justice Dept.)," the website continues.

These actions led "women's colleges to begin exploring the legal issues related to the admittance (or not) of transgender students," the school's website says.

Admitting that the decision will "satisfy some and displease others," the school board says it aims to prepare women "for the lives that have awaited them."

"Today, she is evolving into a women's college for the world in which we live  one ready to admit, educate and empower women for generations to come," it states.

While some students at the college applauded the move, others took issue with the newly announced policy.

"We are required to live on campus, so how are the dorm arrangements going to go?" Stephens College student Sally Russell told KOMU-TV. "If someone has male genitalia and is living within the women's dorms, people have been really scared since a lot of people on campus have roommates and share bathrooms."

Russell added that the details of the policy remain murky, leaving students with questions about what it will mean long-term.

"Since the school has been so quiet about it, I feel like people haven't been able to learn about it, which has been a problem. This was announced and we've heard nothing really other than the announcement," she said.

Courtesy of The Christian PostThe U.S. oil industry is delivering a one-two punch to Middle East producers already reeling from a collapse in prices.

A tussle is playing out in the market for so-called light oils, which have a lower sulfur content and are less dense than heavier varieties. When processed, these grades typically yield a higher amount of fuels like gasoline and naphtha. And now, American supplies are weighing on prices for such crudes as well as fuels made from them.

Light oil pumped in U.S. shale fields is increasingly making its way to Asia, undercutting sales by the likes of Saudi Arabia. Additionally, America is exporting a record amount of refined fuel, contributing to a global glut in gasoline and naphtha. Thats hurting some of the biggest members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries as they prepare to curb crude output in a bid to stabilize the market.

Middle East producers -- still the dominant suppliers to Asia -- are being forced to tackle American crude competition by lowering their oil pricing to defend their market share. The refiners, meanwhile, are contending with booming U.S. fuel shipments dragging down their returns from making processed products.

It is no surprise that Middle Eastern producers are having to cut light crude prices, said Virendra Chauhan, an analyst at industry consultant Energy Aspects Ltd. Over the course of 2018, the key sources of global oil-output growth have included light crude from U.S. shale fields and Saudi Arabia, he said.

While Middle East producers such as Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi are reducing the pricing for their lighter crudes, American exports to Asian nations such as India and South Korea are surging. Even a temporary halt by China due to its trade war with the U.S. hasnt significantly dented overall flows this year.

While the rivalry between Middle Eastern producers and sellers of U.S. oil has intensified since 2016, with even relatively heavier American crudes such as Mars and Poseidon coming to Asia, the competition is particularly stiff for lighter grades. Abu Dhabis Murban and Saudi Arabias Extra Light have similar fuel yields and chemical characteristics as shale crude.

State-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. cut the premium for 2019 term supplies of Murban crude to 16-18 cents a barrel over its monthly official selling prices, down from about 25 cents in 2018. Government-run Saudi Aramco slashed the premium of its Arab Extra Light grade over Middle Eastern benchmarks to the lowest level in 16 months. They are not only competing with shale flows, but also with new regional varieties such as Umm Lulu and Kuwait Super Light.

Despite the recent price reductions, Middle Eastern light crudes remain relatively handicapped versus American oil ahead of 2020, when new international rules mandating the use of less-polluting fuel in ships take effect. The sulfur content in grades such as Arab Extra Light and Murban is still higher than levels in U.S. crude, meaning they need to be processed a bit more to yield cleaner fuels.

Shrinking Profits

On the refined products front, rising shale production and its use in U.S. refineries are leading to a domestic surplus of fuel that either gets exported to international markets, or displaces cargoes that move from Asia to buyers elsewhere such as Latin America.

Average U.S. exports of oil products have risen 7 percent so far this year, data from the Department of Energy show. Americas surplus of gasoline is estimated to swell by 80,000 barrels a day in 2019 as demand plateaus and domestic output climbs, according to ESAI Energy LLC, pushing daily exports of finished and blending material to over 1 million barrels next year.

Excess U.S. gasoline volumes will face stiff competition in an oversupplied global market, Ian Page, an analyst at industry consultant ESAI Energy, wrote in a Dec. 19 note. These barrels are expected to find their way to Latin America and other markets, displacing the imports from Europe and Asia, he said.

Refining margins in Singapore, Asias trading hub, fell to the lowest level in over 4 years earlier this month, according to data from Oil Analytics, due to factors including a rise in oil-product supplies in the Atlantic Basin as well as higher exports from China and South Korea. Returns from making fuels were at 77 cents a barrel as of Dec. 21, compared with an average of $2.71 over the past 12 months.

Average monthly flows of U.S. light distillates such as naphtha and gasoline components to Asia were at about 552,000 metric tons this year, almost triple the volume over the last two years, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Oil-product markets have felt the ill effects of more light crude supplies for some time, with gasoline margins under-performing, said Energy Aspects Chauhan. Thats limiting the ability of refiners to process incrementally lighter barrels.Arena Energy will fill a large portion of CB&Is former headquarters at 2103 Research Forest Drive in The Woodlands.

The privately held independent oil and gas producer, which got its start in The Woodlands nearly 20 years ago, has signed a lease for 87,231 square feet in Lake Front North in Hughes Landing, the Howard Hughes Corp. announced.

Howard Hughes Corp. recently acquired the two building, 258,058-square-foot campus on the east side of Lake Woodlands. The seller was CB&I, which moved out after being acquired by McDermott International this year.

Arena Energy, which operates in the shallow-water Gulf of Mexico along with its Arena Offshore affiliate, will move into floors 2 through 4 of Building 1 in mid-September. The four-story building has a fitness center with locker rooms on the first floor, and access to a waterfront park. The new headquarters is about a mile from its current location.

We view this move as a steppingstone to recommit to our employees in our long-term Gulf of Mexico perspective, Arena Energy managing director Michael Minarovic said in an announcement. We are looking forward to creating an environment for collaboration in a newly designed space and taking advantage of the amenities that Hughes Landing has to offer.

The Lake Front North campus also has a six-story building with a multipurpose conference room, executive conference room and a data center, and 4.2 acres for future development.

Separately, McDermott International announced a lease for Energy Center Five on Eldridge Parkway in the Energy Corridor. The company will consolidate five of its 10 leased locations in Houston to the 524,000-square-foot building next year.

katherine.feser@chron.com

twitter.com/kfeserWASHINGTON  Exxon Mobil Corp. is pressing the Environmental Protection Agency to maintain key elements of the Obama administration policy restricting methane emissions from oil and gas drilling.

In a recent letter to the agency, the Texas oil company said that while it is interested in finding cost-effective ways to regulate the greenhouse gas, the administration should maintain programs including the leak monitoring and enhanced standards to cut emissions that escape from pneumatic devices and storage tanks. Methane, the main component of natural gas, is a potent greenhouse gas.

We believe the correct mix of policies and reasonable regulations help reduce emissions, further supporting the benefits of natural gas in the energy mix, Gantt Walton, an Exxon Mobil vice president, wrote. Overall we are pursuing initiatives that will result in a 15 percent decrease in company methane emissions by 2020.

The letter from Exxon Mobil is another example of what appears to be the companys changing attitude on climate change. Exxon Mobil, like other oil and gas companies, had long discounted the role of fossil fuels in global warming and raised doubts about climate science. But more recently, Exxon Mobil has announced efforts and joined initiatives aimed at slowing the pace of global warming, largely blamed on production and burning of fossil fuels, which release greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane.

Among other policies, Exxon Mobil has come out in favor of a so-called carbon tax, which levies taxes or fees on products that produce carbon dioxide. Such a tax is viewed by its supporters as a market mechanism that would provide incentives for businesses and consumers to choose energy that emits the least carbon dioxide.

Earlier this year, Exxon Mobil, along with U.S. oil companies Chevron and Occidental Petroleum of Houston, joined Oil and Gas Climate Initiative, an organization launched four years ago by European energy giants including Royal Dutch Shell and BP, to reduce greenhouse gases from oil and natural gas. The group, which includes more than a dozen companies, recently pledged to cut methane emissions by 20 percent by 2025.

Exxon Mobil is also part of an initiative to cut methane emissions launched by the American Petroleum Institute.

Exxon Mobil has come under intense pressure to address climate change. The New York Attorney General has sued Exxon Mobil, alleging that it misled investors about the impact of climate change on its business  a claim the company denies. Other groups also have gone to court, seeking to hold Exxon Mobil and other oil companies responsible for potential damages caused by climate change.

Shareholders, in addition, are putting pressure on the company reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Institutional investors have filed a resolution pushing Exxon Mobil to set and disclose greenhouse gas reduction targets for its products and operations. The resolution  the first of its kind at Exxon Mobil  calls on the company to set short-, medium- and long-term emissions reduction targets in line with the Paris Climate agreement, a pact signed by about 200 countries to work to slow the pace of global warming.

Environmentalists, meanwhile, praised Exxon Mobils move to support EPA regulations limiting methane emissions from oil and gas operations.

Reducing methane emissions from oil and gas operations is a critical, cost effective action in the fight to maintain a livable planet, Danielle Fugere, president of the activist group As You Sow, said. Exxons statement in support of sound regulations underscores the unreasonableness of the proposed rollbacks.

Marissa Luck contributed.

james.osborne@chron.com

jordan.blum@chron.comJust two months after filing for bankruptcy, Sears plans to close 80 more stores throughout the United States in March, including one of its Houston-area stores.

The regional store that is closing is at Central Mall in Port Arthur.

Eddie Lampert, the company's chairman, proposed earlier this month to buy Sears out of bankruptcy through his hedge fund, ESL Investments, for $4.6 billion. Lampert has a deadline to submit his offer by 3 p.m. Central on Dec. 28.

If Lampert's or no other bids are received, Sears could be liquidated.

RELATED: American retail icon Sears files bankruptcy

Calls to Sears corporate office to confirm the closure of the stores, which include its Kmart-branded stores as well, have not been returned.

The embattled department store chain, once the world's largest, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in New York on Oct. 15.

To stay afloat, Sears sold most of its top real estate, shuttering nearly 400 stores over the past year alone. Locally, Sears has closed stores at Baybrook Mall, Greenspoint Mall, Memorial City Mall, its longtime location in Midtown, San Jacinto Mall, The Woodlands Mall, West Oaks Mall and Westwood Mall.

LATEST CLOSINGS: The list

Seven Sears stores remain in the Houston area that are not on the current list: Willowbrook Mall, North Shepherd, Deerbrook Mall, Plaza Paseo Mall in Pasadena, Mall of the Mainland in Texas City, and Parkdale Mall in Beaumont.

Sears represents the latest and perhaps the most storied brick-and-mortar retailer to fall victim to the rise of big-box and e-commerce competitors. The 125-year-old company, which survived the Great Depression and two World Wars, joins Toys "R" Us, Gymboree, Payless ShoeSource and rue21 in declaring bankruptcy in recent years.

Sears' long-rumored bankruptcy filing did not surprise retail analysts. Sears has failed to turn a profit for seven straight years, and has lost more than $24 billion in market value since 2007.MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I want to share this with each of you during this special time of the year.

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on a sheet of paper, leaving a space between each name. Then she told them to write down the nicest thing they could about each one. This exercise took the entire period and the students turned in their papers. That Saturday, the teacher took and listed each student with those comments about each child. On Monday, she gave all the students the list she had complied for them. Before long, all the kids were smiling and saying really -I never knew that I meant anything to anyone? I didnt know others liked me so much were most of the comments. No one ever mentioned those papers in class again.

The exercise had accomplished its purpose. Several years later, one of the students was killed in Veitnam and his teacher attended his funeral. She had never seen a military funeral before and noticed how handsome he looked in the coffin.

The Church was packed with his friends. One by one, they passed his coffin for the last time. His teacher was one of the last to bless the coffin. As she stood there, one of the soldiers acting as a pallbearer came up to her? Were you Marks math teacher one year? He talked about you a lot. After the funeral, many of his former classmates were at the luncheon. Marks mother and father were there wanting to talk to her. We want to show you something Marks dad taking out his billfold. They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it. Opening the billfold he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones which she had listed all the good things each of Marks classmates had said about him.

Thank you so much of doing that Mark really treasured it. His mother said. All of Marks former classmates started gathering around her, his mother and father. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said I still have mine  its in the top drawer of my desk at home. Chucks wife said Chuck asked me to put his list in our wedding album.

Then Vickie, another classmate, took her list out of her pocketbook and showed the group her worn, frazzled copy. She said I think we all saved our list.

The teacher sat down and cried for Mark and all her former classmates whom she may never see again. The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will end one day. And we dont know when that day will be. So please tell people you love and care for, that they are special and important. Tell them before its too late. God bless!

- Larry Hall

Send Del Lago news to Larry at lhall71749@gmail.com.Montgomery County Sheriffs Office deputies are looking for the truck an apprehended murder suspect was seen fleeing in  a vehicle which authorities say contains evidence.

The truck is like a gun in a homicide, said Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Lt. Scott Spencer said.Palestinian politician: Israeli "Grinch" steals Christmas. The go ahead to the project comes at the end of a two-day discussion that took place on December 25 and 26. 1451 new housing units will be built and another 837 planned. Activists and experts speak about the electoral strategy of the Netanyahu government in view of the early elections in April.

Jerusalem (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Israeli Defense Ministry has approved the construction of over two thousand new housing units in the West Bank, raising the protest of local politicians and international activists. Palestinian diplomat Saeb Erekat, former Arafat loyalist, compared Israel to the "Grinch" who, through the occupation plan, "decided to steal the Christmas spirit from the Palestinian people".

Local sources confirm that the discussion in the Israeli administrative authority took place on December 25 and 26, coinciding with the traditional Christian festival. At the end came the resolution approving the construction of 1451 new housing units in the West Bank and laying the foundations for the construction of another 837 additional units, some of which in isolated locations.

Activists and international experts point out that the go-ahead for new settlements is part of the election campaign of outgoing premier Benjamin Netanyahu to secure the right's vote ahead of the (early) elections of April 2019. "Illegal actions of this kind - adds Erekat - constitute a deliberate campaign to destroy the two-state solution "and" the world must act before it is too late ".

The settlements are communities inhabited by Israeli civilians and military and built in the territories conquered by Israel after the Six Day War in June 1967, in the West Bank, in East Jerusalem, in the Golan Heights and in the Gaza Strip. In 1979 Israel withdrew from settlements in Sinai after signing the peace agreement with Egypt, and in 2005 Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ordered the dismantling of 17 Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip.

At the moment the colonies are located in East Jerusalem, in the West Bank and on the Golan Heights. According to data from the Israeli Interior Ministry, the recognized settlements in the West Bank are at least 133 - in addition to a hundred "outposts" - and host about 500 thousand people, about 300 thousand Israelis live in East Jerusalem and 20 thousand in the Golan Heights.

Under the (outgoing) Netanyahu government there has been a considerable increase in Israeli settlements. In the last five years, the number has increased by 20%, also due to the interruption in 2014 of peace talks and the subsequent escalation of violence, in the face of which the inertia (or impotence) of the international community has become increasingly evident.No arrests have been made after police responded to reports of gunshots Friday at the Villages at Meyerland apartments in the 8900 block of Chimney Rock Road, Houston police said.

Department spokeswoman Jodi Silva said police couldn't find any victims on the scene, and officers were checking local hospitals. The shots were reported at 10:05 a.m in a parking lot.You know that relatable desire to bring a box of replica rocket-propelled grenade launchers onto your flight to Hawaii ?

No ? Good, because 99.9 percent of the population doesn't feel that. Most people use the power of common sense to keep their replica weapons of war at home on the family vacation.

RELATED: See some of the things that people tried to sneak past the TSA onto flights in 2017

And yet, rocket-propelled grenade launchers were among a trove of dangerous or downright weird items people tried to sneak past the Transportation Security Administration in 2018.

The TSA's Instagram page shows those items and includes warnings about the potential consequences. In some of the more severe cases, like when one genius brought a test IED explosive through security in Newark, the agency has the authority to assess civil penalties of up to $13,000. Travelers are also subject to arrest by local police.

The traveler who brought the test IED was on his way to Florida in September for a training event on explosives. The test device caused several checkpoints to close and stalled hundreds of travelers. He was eventually arrested by Port Authority police.

"He knew full well that the inert IED he was transporting was a test item that was built and designed to mimic a fully-assembled bomb when viewed on an X-ray monitor," the TSA said in its Instagram post. "He should have known better than to bring an inert IED to an active TSA checkpoint."

When it comes to weapons, guns are the biggest issue for TSA, which discovered a record 3,957 of firearms in carry-on bags last year. About 84 percent of those guns were loaded.

People can travel with firearms, as long as they are placed in checked bags and declared to the airline. TSA hasn't yet released annual firearm statistics for 2018, but some small-scale data has stood out.

RELATED: TSA's new web series shows the weirdest objects found at checkpoints

For example, the agency discovered a record-breaking 104 firearms in carry-on bags around the country from Feb. 5 to Feb. 11, breaking the previous record of 96 set in July 2017.

Travelers can visit the TSA blog or Twitter account to find out what you can and can't bring onto flights. View the gallery above to see some of the most ridiculous items people tried to sneak past TSA in 2018.

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Spring ISD will revamp its middle schools to retain more students who are opting to attend schools outside of the district.

Among parents chief concerns are safety, smaller class sizes, and more academic programs, said Tiffany Dunne-Oldfield, chief communications officer for the district.

(Youre) sending your kids from an elementary where theyre very kind of protected  you know they walk down the hallway with their teacher  to this open middle school environment, she said.

Based on a school quality survey for the 2017-2018 school year, about 60 percent of parents rated the districts middle schools as excellent or good, while elementary schools were at 83 percent.

To obtain feedback, the district conducted eight listening sessions in September and October with parents whose children attend fourth and fifth grade.

We have seen a trend where our elementary students, our parents of elementary children, from fifth grade to sixth grade were choosing to opt out, chief academic officer Lupita Hinojosa told the board of trustees.

Data collected on Spring ISD middle schools since the 2012-2013 school year indicates about 5 percent, or between 77 to 140 students, opt out of Spring ISDs middle schools each year after completing elementary school.

Instead, parents are seeking other options and enrolling their children elsewhere instead of in the districts current seven middle schools.

Primarily, that could be charter schools, Dunne-Oldfield said.

The major charter organizations that have moved into the Houston area are KIPP, YES Prep, Harmony Public Schools and, most recently, International Leadership of Texas.

Currently, about 6 percent of students across the state attend charter schools.

One of the strategies Spring ISD is rolling out to prevent losing more students is to implement two new middle schools with specialized programs.

Spring ISDs middle schools currently house approximately 900 to 1,300 students, according to enrollment figures from the 2017-2018 school year by the Texas Education Agency.

The district will be addressing class sizes in the new campuses it plans to open next year.

We heard from parents that they want more academic vigor in the classroom, so that was one of the things. Smaller learning environments. One of the things that our parents want is more choice, Dunne-Oldfield said.

Currently, only Roberson Middle School, which is being rebuilt in a new location, offers a specialized program in science, math and fine arts, to which students can apply for admission and are chosen by lottery.

The new middle school 8, which is under construction, will be named Springwoods Village Middle School and offer an International Baccalaureate program for up to 800 students when it opens in 2019.

Once the current Spring Early College Academy moves to Lone Star College-North Harris, the building will be converted into another middle school that will focus on leadership.

The new school will be named Spring Leadership Academy and will be the smallest campus with up to 400 students who will be chosen based on a lottery system.

Another concern parents raised during the listening sessions was campus safety, Dunne-Oldfield said.

When they were talking about safety, a lot of the time they were talking about bullying, she said.

In October, the district launched an online bullying reporting tool to investigate allegations.

The district is also investing in safety and security packages for all of its campuses and buildings as part of the $330 million bond approved by voters in 2016.

The first campus that will have upgrades will be Wells Middle School. Upgrades will include card readers on exterior doors, more controlled building access and additional video monitoring.

Other campuses will also also have upgrades, including fences and improving visibility by eliminating brush.

mayra.cruz@chron.comThe seven members of The Woodlands Township Board of Directors kept very busy in 2018, and after four incumbents were re-elected on Nov. 6, 2018, the board will remain the same in 2019.

Here is a look at the biggest stories in local political news in The Woodlands and Montgomery County.

November election sees all 4 incumbents victorious

The 2018 mid-term election was not expected to be any different than in prior mid-term elections, however a variety of political issues, the presidency of Donald J. Trump and an excited electorate from all parties made 2018 different than the previous eight mid-term elections.

For The Woodlands, the high interest resulted in a record-breaking number of voters for a mid-term election, but that large turnout did not lead to any significant changes as all four incumbents  Gordy Bunch, John Anthony Brown, Bruce Rieser and Brian Boniface  won re-election handily.

Rieser, who was seeking his second term on the board, focused his campaign on several themes, including flood and storm drainage issues, traffic congestion solutions and continuity in regard to the incorporation process. His opponent, Dargavage, took a strong stance against the township incorporating at this time, repeatedly claiming the process was shrouded in secrecy and was unneccesary.

Bonifaces largest obstacle to re-election seemed to be his attendance at township meetings, including the Board of Directors and on the DSC. Boniface had missed many meetings over 2018 and when he was in attendance, he often arrived late. Boniface was also chastised by a local resident  Enrique Rosero  who spoke during the public comment of a township board meeting, confronting Boniface about a social media post Rosero claimed was offensive. Boniface did not respond at the time, but later admitted the posting in question was his but it was merely a joke between friends and he did not view it as offensive.

Treva Taglieri, Bonifaces opponent in the Novmber election, did not incorporate the issue into her campaign, however her campaign manager also chided Boniface about his posting during a later board meeting, albeit saying that she was not speaking on behalf of Taglieri but from her private citizen role as a longtime resident of the community.

Both Rieser and Boniface easily won re-election despite their challengers efforts to earn a seat on the seven member township board.

The other two incumbents, Bunch and Brown, ran uncontested and also won re-election easily.

However, Browns seat on the board carried some additional drama after a local resident  Luis Granados applied to be a candidate in the Nov. 6 township election. However, Granados did not fill in two mandatory boxes on his candidacy form where the length of residency of both Texas and The Woodlands needed to be filled in. The error led to Granados application being reviewed by the Texas Secretary of State office, where offficials rejected his application and he was removed from the ballot.

Unfortunately for Granados, the rejection notice came too late for him to reapply to be a candidate, resulting in Brown having no opponent. Granados filed an appeal of his removal from the ballot  which was the first time in the history of The Woodlands a candidate was removed from an election  with the Secretary of State office, but it was rejected after no wrong-doing was discovered.

The debacle led to township Board of Directors Member John McMullan to ask for changes to the townships election policies, which were approved in December. Among the changes are quicker notification to a candidate if their application was rejected, as well as a more thorough review of candidate applications in an effort to catch errors such as what Granados did.

2018 begins with DSC controversy

In late December, 2017, the township board decided to not renew the terms of two members of The Woodlands Township Development Standards Committee  Deborah Sargeant and Chris Florack  instead choosing to replace the duo with two members of the townships board: John Anthony Brown and Brian Boniface.

The move to replace Sargeant and Florack proved controversial, as numerous local residents spoke out against the appointments of Brown and Boniface, claiming the township had allegedly violated protocol in placing them on the seven-member DSC. Sargeant spoke at a meeting about the changes, claiming it was inappropriate and even suggesting she may take legal action.

Brown and Boniface joined the DSC, and over the duration of 2018, were credited by township officials with helping resolve several thorny issues, including a dispute with St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church as well as the infamous monster house on North Longspur Drive in The Village of Grogans Mill.

In May, one member of the DSC resigned  Ron Harris  and he was replaced by Arthur Bredehoft. Following the November township board election, Boniface tendered his resignation from the DSC citing the need to focus more time on his family and new job. In December, the township board re-appointed Walter Lisiewski and Bredehoft to the DSC and tabbed Bala Iyer as a replacement for Boniface.

Doyal loses out to Keough, who becomes county judge

In Montgomery County, the biggest story was the defeat of incumbent County Judge Craig Doyal by Mark Keough in the Republican primary election in March. Keough, a former state representative, knocked Doyal out of the running for another term in a closely contested battle to compete against Democratic challenger Jay Stittleburg.

In the Nov. 6 general election, Keough easily defeated Stittleburg, who mounted a vigorous campaign with public outreach.

jeff.forward@chron.comPaul Elizondo, a mainstay on the Bexar County Commissioners Court since 1982 and roundly acknowledged as one of San Antonios major power brokers over the decades, died unexpectedly at home early Thursday.

He was 83.

He was my closest friend, period, said Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, who served with Elizondo on the court for more than 17 years. We had a number of significant accomplishments, and he played a major role in every one of them. Im going to miss him terribly.

Elizondo recently survived the closest challenge of his 32 years as a county commissioner earlier this year, beating Democratic primary opponent Queta Rodriguez by about four points. When he won Novembers general election, it was his ninth consecutive term.

His death sparked an outpouring of memories and condolences across the city.

For over a generation, Paul Elizondo was an icon of the West Side and a force in Bexar County government and politics, said Mayor Ron Nirenberg. His influence will be felt for decades to come. My thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.

A statement issued by Elizondos family said the commissioner had just celebrated Christmas with his family and his passing was unexpected.

Funeral services are pending.

Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje is a staff writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | mstoeltje@express-news.net | Twitter: @mstoeltjeA man has been charged in a Wednesday shooting that injured an 8-year-old outside of a south Houston tire shop this week.

Royce Jackie Thomas, 25, an employee of the tire shop at 1313 South Loop West, is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He's accused of shooting Demariyae Daniel in the left arm during a customer-service dispute with the boy's father.Police arrested a man in southwest Houston early Friday after they found him hiding in a tree at the end of a pursuit.

The chase began when a DWI officer spotted the man driving erratically near Fondren and I-69 around 12:30 a.m., said Lt. Larry Crowson of the Houston Police Department.Google Maps

A man is wanted in the shooting and assault of a man at a northwest Houston apartment complex on Wednesday.

Police said a man known as Pops pulled into the complex at 2303 West Tidwell Road, and after an apparently unprovoked confrontation, shot 39-year-old Aaron Selders in the leg.Authorities are searching for a suspect who fled from Harris County sheriff's deputies Thursday with his young daughter in tow.

Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle near the North Freeway at West Gulf Bank Road around 3 p.m., according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option.Missouri landowners and environmentalists are urging a federal agency to sanction a levee district on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River, arguing that the earthen barrier has been built above its authorized height, worsening flooding for its neighbors.

Great Rivers Habitat Alliance, a river conservation organization based in St. Louis, sent a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency in October urging the agency to take action if the Sny Island Levee District in Illinois fails to reduce its levee height. FEMA didnt respond to the alliance but told The Associated Press it is working to resolve the issue.

Missouri residents have complained for years that the Sny has been built several feet too high in some spots. The 60-mile (96.5-kilometer) system is north of St. Louis and protects roughly 115,000 acres of fertile Illinois farmland.

The upper Mississippi River is lined with levees that protect towns, businesses and hundreds of thousands of acres of agricultural land. But in times of flooding, water that would naturally flow over a flood plain is boxed out and forced elsewhere. Such redirecting of floodwater is especially concerning given the increasing volatility of the river, which has seen damaging flooding far more frequently in recent decades.

These levees have a maximum height because in some instances theyre supposed to be topped, said David Stokes, executive director of the Great Rivers Habitat Alliance. You dont want to sacrifice a city to keep the farmland dry.

A study by the Army Corps of Engineers in 2017 found that 40 percent of the 205 miles (330 kilometers) of levees from central Iowa to St. Louis were built above their authorized heights. Missouri, Iowa and Illinois all had levees in violation.

The Sny is the longest of those systems and, some Missouri residents say, the biggest violator. The Corps has said the Sny is up to 4 feet (1.2 meters) above authorized levels in some spots.

In January 2016, FEMAs Mitigation Division asked leaders of the three Illinois counties responsible for the Sny  Pike, Calhoun and Adams counties  to show permits proving that raising the levee was authorized.

Three years later, it remains unclear if any permits were provided.

Mike Reed, superintendent of the Sny district, said in an email to The Associated Press that the levee district is working with FEMA to clear up questions that may remain as to the authorized levee elevation.

FEMA spokeswoman Cassie Ringsdorf said in an email that the agency has been working with the state of Illinois and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to determine the best course of action to address those issues.

In the Oct. 8 letter to FEMA Mitigation Division Director Mary Beth Caruso, Stokes urged FEMA to cut off availability of insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program to Illinois property owners behind the Sny unless the levee height is reduced.

Its time to crack down, he said.

Local farmer Nancy Guyton agreed. Guyton and her husband grow corn and soybeans on 1,500 acres in the flood plain of Pike County, Missouri, directly across from the Sny. She said the too-tall Illinois levee means more significant damage to the family farm as the murky and often toxic water sticks around longer during a flood.

Its just a real mess and FEMA can do something about it, Guyton said. Theyre dragging their heels. They should have taken care of this matter several years ago.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.BROOK PARK, Ohio -- Khloe Nida was only 8 years old when a car swerved into her yard and fatally struck her in September, but she remains larger than life.

With the help of a family friend, Amanda and Mitchell Nida have created Khloe's Klub to honor their daughter and embrace all of Brook Park's children through community events and activities.

"Our mission is to bring youth together," Mitchell said. "That little girl touched so many people's lives."

A third-grader at Brook Park Memorial Elementary School, Khloe loved reading, science, softball and cheerleading. Friendships and camaraderie brought her great joy, which is what Khloe's Klub strives to achieve for children ages 5 and older.

"We want kids to come and socialize with other kids, to try something new while they're together," Amanda explained. "Creating this club and doing all of these things definitely keeps me busy in a positive way and allows us to be able to give back to the community for everything they have done."

Large crowds attended a candlelight vigil after the accident and also made monetary donations in Khloe's memory. Her school created a reading area called Khloe's Korner. School district PTAs donated money to the school library for books.

"Everybody coming together and helping us through that time made getting up every day a little bit easier," Amanda said. "It was such a bizarre tragedy, but something good has to come out of it. We're all in this together."

Eileen Mason became Amanda's close friend as a result of a Facebook message Mason posted after the accident.

"I got to hold my babies that night, and I knew I had to do something," Mason explained. "I didn't know Amanda and Mitchell before, but we had this idea for a club. We needed to do something positive for all the kids and also for the adults."

Click on this flyer for details about the Khloe's Klub youth science fair that will take place in March.

A Khloe's Klub youth science fair for grades K-12 has been scheduled for March 10 at the Brook Park Recreation Center. Pre-registration is required by going to signupgenius.com and searching for khloesklub8@gmail.com.

For more information about Khloe's Klub or an event schedule, send an e-mail to khloesklub8@gmail.com. Flyers also are available at the recreation center.

Monetary donations in Khloe's memory may be made to Brook Park Memorial School Library Fund, 16900 Holland Road, Brook Park, OH 44142.CLEVELAND, Ohio  President Donald Trumps steel and aluminum tariffs have affected business in Northeast Ohio, but it appears they havent suffered the widespread negative impact many feared.

When Trump imposed a 25 percent tax on steel imports and 10 percent tax on aluminum imports last spring, many in manufacturing feared there would be immediate fallout in Northeast Ohio. They also were concerned about the impact of retaliatory tariffs from Canada, China, Mexico and the European Union on metals, as well as on a diverse array of American goods, ranging from soybeans to washing machines.

For now, the tariffs appear to not have drastically affected manufacturing or supply businesses' bottom lines, according to some business owners. For example, Northeast Ohio seems to have avoided the layoffs many had feared. Many reasoned that fewer orders would have been filled as a result of higher prices because of the tariffs. So far, manufacturing employment has increased. It is up by 10,600 jobs in Ohio, between November 2017 and November 2018, according to Ohio Department of Job and Family Services data.

However, there are also signs of concern. The idled Republic Steel plant in Lorain was supposed to reopen in September. It hasnt.

Many steel and aluminum producers, as well as the workers in these industries, were counting on the tariffs being good for business. The United Steelworkers union was hoping for 80 workers to be recalled at the Lorain plant. Officials said about 60 of its workers were called back last fall before more than half of them were later laid off. The company didnt respond to The Plain Dealers requests regarding the plant.

As we have in the past, the USW will continue working with Republic Steel to revitalize their operations in Lorain, wrote Patrick Gallagher, USW District 1, sub-district director, in an email, about the plant that once had 700 workers several years ago. In addition to preserving the current jobs, our goal is for the Lorain plant to thrive and grow into the integrated operation it once was, addressing the challenges ahead so that Republic remains a viable employer for our members and future generations of steelworkers.

Morgan R. McIntosh is president of OmegaOne in Willoughby, which relies on European steel to make stainless steel tube and pipe fittings. He expected tariffs to lead to higher costs for the company. However, because the mill distributor absorbed some of the costs for raw materials, McIntosh saw a 20 percent increase in the raw material. Despite this, he said tariffs havent been bad for business because more people are thinking about sourcing locally.

The economy has been robust this year, and when that is true, people are more willing to spend more for a domestic product, or to expedite an item or pay more from you if you have it and their normal supplier doesnt, he wrote in an email. All of those things have resulted in a significant increase in business for us this year so far.

Jack Schron, Jr. is president of Jergens, Inc. in Cleveland, whose products include electric screwdrivers and industrial fasteners. He saw increases in metal, including imported specialty steel, which went up 20 percent and domestic steel, which went up 10 to 15 percent. Still, Schron said, business hasnt suffered.

The tariffs have not had much impact at this point regarding our sales, he wrote in an email. We sell both domestically and internationally and the impact on both have been minimal so far. With the overall economy being strong, we have been able to enjoy increased sales worldwide. Most American manufacturing businesses have not been this busy in years.

Traffic was down at the Port of Cleveland because of the Trump tariffs and the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, being renegotiated. However, Port officials are only viewing the reduction as temporary.

We know that tariff uncertainties resulted in the diversion and delay of some steel cargoes from Europe and Canada this year; which led to a slight decrease in general cargo tonnage through Nov. 30th," wrote Jade Davis, vice president of external affairs at the Port of Cleveland, in an email. Given the progress made with new trade agreements, it is our hope that diverted cargoes will return to the Port of Cleveland in 2019.STOW, Ohio -- A man pleaded not guilty Friday after being accused of crashing into a Macedonia police officers cruiser while driving drunk on Christmas Eve, according to Stow Municipal Court records.

James J. Marshall, 56, of Cuyahoga Falls, is charged with two counts of driving under the influence, having open containers of alcohol, speeding and failure to move over for a safety vehicle, court records show.

Macedonia police had pulled over a different driver about 6:30 p.m. Monday on Interstate 271 northbound, north of Aurora Road, after the driver changed lanes without signaling, according to police dashboard camera footage.

Two officers asked the driver to perform sobriety tests, but were impeded by an apparent language barrier. The officers had him sit in the back of a police cruiser for about 10 minutes, dash-cam footage shows.

During that time, a third officer responded to the scene. Marshall, driving a white 2016 Toyota Camry, rammed into the rear drivers side of the police cruiser about 7:05 p.m., according to the Summit County Sheriffs Office.

Police concluded the traffic stop, telling the man who was initially pulled over to get out of here, go, just go - weve had an accident here, according to dash-cam footage.

Macedonia EMS brought the officer to a hospital, where he was treated for injuries to his back and hand. Paramedics also treated Marshall on the scene, according to a police report.

Marshall had a strong odor of alcohol on his person and performed sobriety tests poorly, according to a police report.

Officers found open containers of vodka, as well as bottles of orange juice and apple juice containing vodka, in Marshalls Camry, the police report says. His car was towed from the scene.

Officers brought Marshall to the Macedonia Police Department, where he agreed to a test of his blood alcohol content and registered at .309 - nearly four times the legal limit, according to police.

Stow Municipal Court Judge Kim R. Hoover set Marshalls bond Friday at $2,500 and ordered that he refrain from drugs and alcohol, court records show. He is out on bond.

Marshall is due back in Stow Municipal Court on Jan. 7 for a pre-trial hearing, court records show.

To comment on this story, visit Fridays crime and courts comment section.CLEVELAND, Ohio  A Cuyahoga County Jail inmate is on life-support at a hospital after trying to commit suicide in his cell, officials told cleveland.com on Friday.

County spokeswoman Mary Louise Madigan said an inmate had tried to hang himself Thursday and was taken to MetroHealth. Jail documents obtained by cleveland.com identified the inmate as 27-year-old Brenden Kiekisz.

Sheriffs deputies on Friday morning told Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Donnelly that Kiekisz was in critical condition and on life-support, Donnelly said in an interview.

Reached by telephone, Kiekiszs brother, Brett, told cleveland.com that medical staff give Brendan a low chance of recovering.

Hes going to be a vegetable the rest of his life or were going to have to pull the plug," Brett Kiekisz said.

Six inmates died in the countys downtown Justice Center jail earlier this year, three of them having hanged themselves. A seventh inmate died in a suburban jail operated by the county.

After reviewing the countys jail operations, the U.S. Marshals Service reported last month that conditions at the downtown jail are inhumane and that 55 other inmates have attempted suicide in the past year.

Kiekisz was booked into jail on Christmas Day on suspicion of violating the terms of his court-ordered drug intervention program, court records show. If he had completed the program, he would have erased his 2016 conviction for heroin and fentanyl possession.

At a hearing on Thursday, Donnelly ruled that Kiekisz had not violated the terms of the program, which would have reinstituted the felony charge. Instead, Donnelly ordered that Kiekisz be sent from the jail to an in-patient treatment center in Highland Hills.

But Kiekisz was not immediately transferred to the treatment center. Hours later, at 10:56 p.m., he was found hanging in his cell, according to a grievance document in which corrections officials detailed the attempted suicide.

Kiekisz also had attempted suicide two days before he was booked into the jail, according to the grievance document obtained by Cleveland.com.

Kiekisz suffered from mental illnesses, including bipolar disorder and depression, according to the records.

Kiekisz was placed in a cell in a upper-level bunk at the jail, according to the records. The cell was in what is known as a double-podded area, where one corrections officer was responsible for supervising Kiekisz and about 100 other inmates at the same time.

Issues with double- and quadruple-podding in the jail has been a concern as the daily population of the jail has increased in the wake of the county taking in suspects arrested by Cleveland police.

Correction officers have filed numerous grievances over double-podding, arguing that it jeopardizes the health and safety of themselves and inmates.

Double-podding is caused by understaffing, a problem the county has been aware of for some time and is trying to address. In its Nov. 21 report, the U.S. Marshals Service identified understaffing as one of dozens of issues that contribute to inhumane conditions at the jail.

Cuyahoga County prosecutors have called several people with knowledge of the jail to testify before a grand jury, including former jail medical official Gary Brack. He was removed from his job in May after speaking publicly about concerns over inmate health care and other conditions at the jail.

The county has taken steps since the U.S. Marshals report to remedy some issues, however, none have involved changes in medical or mental healthcare. The county is partnering with MetroHealth to take over all medical operations at the jail. MetroHealth currently oversees some medical staff at the jail, and the county oversees nursing.

During Thursdays court hearing, Donnelly said, Kiekisz reported that he had overdosed on heroin and was taken to a hospital, where deputies arrested him for failing to report to his probation officer as part of his intervention program.

The only question Kiekisz asked in court, according to Donnelly, was how long it would take deputies to transfer him from the jail to the treatment center in Highland Hills.

I had no indication he would take any measure like that, Donnelly said. I wish I knew what was going through his head and I could go back and say something to him, or take action.

At the hearing, Donnelly also ordered Kiekisz to be screened for possible entry into the courts specialized docket for defendants suffering drug addiction.The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now.

Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market.

In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender.

India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex.

Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted.

But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted?

Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner.

If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems.

I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now.

I want more variation in masturbation

I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own.

If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end.

What is sex toys for Indian?

Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation.

It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms.

They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable.

Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner.

The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner.

It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past.

In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping.

Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order.

In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing.

Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome.

Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own.

But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance.

More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around.

Sextoy situation in India

Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years.

In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India.

Mumbai

Kolkata

Bangalore

Delhi

Chennai

Hyderabad

These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India.

In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well.

If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too.

If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it.

What are Sextoys for beginner?

Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms.

Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy.

I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion.

I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy.

If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma.

Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it.

Advantages of using sextoy for Indians

There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians

You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways.

Can have stimulating sex

Can develop new sexual zones

If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern.

However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways.

You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation.

Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever.

There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure.

This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it.

When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems.

It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms).

For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles

[Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou...

Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India.

Sextoy for beginner men in India

So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners.

For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men!

The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men

Masturbator

Cock rings

Love Doll

Sex Lubricants

Toys for the prostate

Lets check each one in detail.

Masturbator

The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products.

It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands.

Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands.

They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.)

Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much.

Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! !

Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa   SEXToys India PR  (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018

Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood.

If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here

Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ...

[For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien...

Cock Ring

A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis.

It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow.

It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber.

In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection.

Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction.

It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it.

Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time.

Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function.

Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy.

You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect.

[Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat...

Love Doll

Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex.

There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women.

Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price.

The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true.

You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste.

There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice.

You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls.

If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here

Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to...

Sex lubricants

Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules.

It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution.

Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse.

There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent.

Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent.

If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here.

What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many...

Toys for the Prostate

Another sextoy for men is prostate toys.

The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line.

Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men.

Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men.

What is the prostate?

The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm.

You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus.

By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms.

Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.)

The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation.

Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure.

sextoy for beinner women in India

The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy.

The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy.

Vibrator.

Dildo

Electric Masserger

Lets check out what each one is in detail.

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.

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I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it.COLUMBUS, Ohio  A firearms law will change in favor of gun owners and the Ohio General Assembly is getting pay raises, thanks to a rare, post-Christmas session lawmakers held Thursday to override vetoes by Gov. John Kasich.

Also on Thursday, lawmakers attempted to override a Kasich veto of a fetal heartbeat abortion ban, but failed. They also announced that they are not going to override an 18-month-old Kasich veto of a freeze on Medicaid expansion enrollment, which keeps the program intact.

The Ohio Constitution states a three-fifths' vote in each chamber is necessary to override a governors veto. Both chambers are dominated by Republicans.

Gun measure

House Bill 228 shifts the burden of proof in self-defense cases from the shooter to prosecutors. It also expands gun access in government subsidized housing and for off-duty police, among other provisions.

The House voted to enact the bill over Kasichs objection Thursday morning, 67 to 22. Later in the Senate, the vote was 21 to 11.

Ohio is the only state that places the burden of proof on shooters, meaning during an investigation of a shooting, the gun owners have to prove they were acting in self-defense.

Lawmakers who supported the bill argued that the provision is antiquated and needed to change to align with the other states.

Although the votes were largely on party lines, there were some notable exceptions of Republicans who sided with Kasich in the gun fight.

Sen. John Eklund, a Geauga County Republican, has been arguing against the bill for weeks and said again on Thursday that no one has offered him a compelling reason why Ohio should change the burden of proof. He said that aligning Ohio to other states isnt an explanation of why it is necessary.

Im telling you, youre causing a great deal of disruption in the jury system, he told lawmakers before casting his nay vote.

Sen. Peggy Lehner, a Dayton-area Republican, also argued lawmakers should support the veto. She said that shooting deaths of police officers are up because of gun violence.

Under the bill, it would be up to prosecutors in use-of-force cases to prove that a defendant did not act in self-defense. The bill formerly contained stand-your-ground provisions, which eliminated the duty for gun owners to retreat. But lawmakers recently removed that provision.

Kasich vetoed the bill because he didnt like the shift in burden. He also is disappointed lawmakers didnt consider a red flag bill that would temporarily remove gun rights from people who could be a harm to themselves or others.

Pay raises

In its original form, Senate Bill 295 extended benefits for families of fallen police and firefighters.

However, lawmakers amended and passed the bill around midnight Dec. 14 with provisions giving pay raises to a number of public officials, including lawmakers.

The veto override passed the Senate, 25 to 6. The House then passed it, 70 to 16.

Kasich thought extending the benefits to survivors was admirable. But described the pay raise part of the measure as a grubby money bill."

Other provisions

In addition to veto overrides, lawmakers acted on other measures.The North Korean Council of Religionists, which includes all officially recognised religions, sent a video with a message of peace and prosperity to its South Korean brothers and sisters, walking hand in hand towards peace and unification, filled with blessings by Christ the Lord.

Seoul (AsiaNews)  Representatives of North Koreas five authorised religions have sent a very rare video to wish Merry Christmas to South Korean Christians.

The North Korean Council of Religionists, which includes Buddhists, Muslims, Taoists, Catholics and Protestants, sent wishes of peace and prosperity to their "South Korean brothers and sisters" and urged them to walk together, hand in hand towards peace and unification".

The video starts with a series of pictures of Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and photos of this years North-South Korean summits.

This is followed by a brief speech by the head of the Council. "I send congratulatory and peaceful greetings for Christmas to South Korean brothers and sisters," says Kang Ji-young.

The message goes on to say, We hope North and South Korean religionists, who go hand in hand towards peace and unification, filled with blessings by Christ the Lord.

Approved by the South Korea Unification Ministry, the video was delivered to the South Korean Commission on Faith and Order of Korean Churches.

In North Korea, the cult of the late Kim Jong-Il and his father Kim Il-Sung is the only form of worship allowed.

The regime has always tried to stop religious activities, especially Buddhism and Christianity, and requires religious believers to register with Party-controlled organisations. Anyone who is not registered or engages in missionary activities is liable for brutal repression.

Since the establishment of the Communist regime in 1953, about 300,000 Christians have gone missing. All priests and nuns have suffered the same fate, killed during the persecution.

Religious believers were forced into long death marches, resulting in the death of the last men and women religious.

In North Korea, the authorities have categorised society into 51 social groups. Those who engage in religious activities outside government control are at the bottom of the hierarchy with fewer educational and employment opportunities than others, denied food subsidies and constantly brutalised.

North Korea claims that its constitution guarantees freedom of religion. According to official government data, the country has some 10,000 Buddhists, 10,000 Protestants and 4,000 Catholics, i.e. only the people who are members of recognised associations.

There are three churches in Pyongyang, two Protestant and one Catholic, built in the 1980s. In 2006, thanks to the good offices of the Russian embassy in North Korea, the authorities allowed the construction of an Orthodox church.

According to people who have visited some of these churches, only regime propaganda is allowed in them. The so-called priests in charge compare the "Dear leader" Kim Jong-Il to a demigod.

The only Catholic church has no priest but a group prayer is held once a week.Next week will see thousands of people arrive in Katowice, Poland, for the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, otherwise known as COP24.

Taking place between December 2 and 14, a lot is riding on the summit.

"The upcoming climate talks are the most important round of negotiations since the Paris Agreement was reached three years ago," Lou Leonard, the World Wildlife Fund's senior vice president for climate change and energy, told CNBC via email.

The Paris Agreement, reached at COP21 in 2015, will loom large over events at Katowice. It was at COP21 that world leaders committed to making sure global warming stayed "well below" 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. They also agreed to pursue efforts to limit the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

According to the United Nations, COP24 is important because this year marks the deadline agreed by signatories of the Paris Agreement to adopt a "work program for the implementation" of the commitments they made in 2015.

Other commitments made in Paris include increasing financing for climate action and the development of "national climate plans" by 2020.

"People from around the globe will be watching to see what world leaders accomplish at this round of negotiations," Leonard added. "It's the biggest test we've seen of countries' commitment to the Paris Agreement."The European Union is phasing out the use of in transport fuel, triggering criticism of trade protectionism and threats of retaliation from major producers Indonesia and Malaysia.

The European move comes after years of activist campaigns about the vegetable oil associated with rampant deforestation and labor abuses, highlighting how consumer concerns about sustainability are increasingly influencing businesses.

According to Eyes on the Forest, a coalition of environmental non-governmental organizations co-founded by the World Wildlife Fund, the large Indonesian island of Sumatra lost 56 percent of its 25 million hectares (250,000 square kilometers, or bigger than the size of the U.K.) of natural forests over 31 years.

The palm oil industry, with its national epicenter on that island, is thought to be one of the biggest drivers of that loss, the coalition said.

France and Norway have become the first few countries to start curbing use of palm oil in the last month, driving fears in major Southeast Asian producing countries, where the cash crop has powered economic growth. Indonesia and Malaysia together produce over 80 percent of the world's palm oil.

More broadly, the EU agreed in June to phase out the use of palm oil in transport fuel from 2030 as part of a broader plan to increase the share of renewables in the bloc's energy production. The EU is one of the world's top consumers of palm oil, which is used in a wide range of products from baked goods to detergents.

"This is a most unwelcome decision and goes against the very principles of free and fair trade. The vote by the (French) parliamentarians is alarming and deserves the strongest condemnation," said Malaysian Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok, news agency Bernama reported.

Indonesia has threatened retaliation numerous times over such a move by the EU, with the country's trade minister going as far as saying that the EU is asking for a "trade war" with its palm oil curbs, the Nikkei Asian Review reported.

Versatile and widely used, palm oil has suffered a patchy reputation.

"One of the most significant risks to the palm oil sector resides in its poor sustainability records and negative reputation in developed markets, which pose threats to future demand," said Fitch Solutions in a recent note. "Although some large plantation companies are making efforts to improve their sustainability records ... we note that the reputation of the global palm oil industry has not improved."

High-profile companies catering to consumers are taking steps to stem any fallout to their businesses.

Other than the EU tightening its regulations, large food and drink companies are moving towards procuring sustainable palm oil in the short term and are putting increasing pressure on their traditional providers that are unable to comply with sustainability standards, added Fitch Solutions.

Food giant Nestle has set a goal to procure 100 percent sustainable certified palm oil by 2020. The Swiss company addresses questions and issues about sustainability on its website, including explaining how they have suspended or ended partnerships with specific suppliers who may have questions hanging over ethical sourcing.In the corporate world, negotiating for the best outcome is a fact of life for many. For Claudine Collins, the managing director of the U.K.'s largest media planning and buying agency, she's definitely no stranger to this. Having worked in the industry for over two decades, Collins is renowned for her negotiating skills with many having said she's changed the face of media buying in Britain. MediaCom U.K., where Collins works, defines itself as "The Content + Connections Agency," whereby it plans, researches and buys across different types of media platforms. One job Collins is responsible for at MediaCom is to help assist in the relationships between clients and media owners.

Claudine Collins is the Managing Director of MediaCom UK, the largest media planning and buying agency in the UK. Credit: Chris Hopkins

When she started out in the trade, Collins described it as very male-dominated and at times aggressive, with her having witnessed shouting between some buyers and salespeople. Instead of following the crowd however, the businesswoman chose to take an alternative response. "When I started dealing with people at my level and slightly higher, we'd be polite to each other, I'd go through the figures, I'd be quite charming with them  and I seemed to get much better deals than my older, male colleagues," said Collins, MediaCom U.K.'s managing director, to CNBC Make It. Even though Collins has been described as a "formidable negotiator," she admits that she has previously hit impasses during the deal-making process. When a resolution doesn't come easy for Collins however, she has an extra card to play if needed: change the environment. "I remember I was negotiating with someone from (U.K. newspaper) the 'Mail on Sunday'," she said, recalling how the pair kept on failing to reach a solution. "(One time,) he walked into the office and I said 'Uh-uh, turn around. Out. We're going to The Ritz for tea' and he went 'What?' and I said, 'I booked a table, we're going to The Ritz for tea. There's a car waiting, come on, we're going.' And we got there, and within about half an hour, we'd done the deal," Collins added. "I think it's just about taking yourself out of your normal environment," she added when talking about going the extra mile, explaining how the client was "a bit on the back-foot as he wasn't expecting that" response from her.As an emergency room physician, Richard Zane often considers how software can help him with patients. The problem is that engineers and doctors are from different worlds.

Zane, who's also the chief innovation officer at UCHealth in Colorado, said that most technologists he's met have never seen the inner workings of a hospital and don't have a deep understanding of what doctors want and need.

"We found that tech companies more often than not had a preconceived notion of how health care worked," Zane told CNBC. They've "gone very far down the path of building a product" without that input, he said.

Zane decided one way to bridge the gap was by inviting in developers from companies to see how he works. For now, that involves monitoring how he uses computers and other software tools to document and make decisions, but keeping them out of the operating environment and away from patient information.

However, "if there were a good reason to do it, like we wanted to build a surgical tool, we would ask patients for their consent," Zane said.

Across the country, as more funding than ever pours into digital health, technologists are realizing that selling to doctors is more challenging than they expected. So spending time with clinicians by observing medical procedures and sitting in on consultations are some of the ways they're getting up to speed.

Big companies are going even further. Apple, for example, is hiring dozens of doctors for their expertise, and others are using experts to help make design decisions and to better understand how to sell into hospital networks.Most people pursuing public service loan forgiveness discover at some point that they don't qualify, for one technical reason or another.

That may be because their loan type is ineligible or they're not in the right repayment plan.

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program was signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2007 and allows not-for-profit and government employees to have their federal student loans erased after 10 years of on-time payments.

Just 206 applicants for the debt relief have been approved, according to recent Education Department data. More than 40,000 have applied.

What's more, about 25 percent of American workers are in public service and could, in theory, be eligible. In practice, student loan servicers are delaying and denying borrowers access to the forgiveness program, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

As a result, you shouldn't rely just on your lender for information on the program, advocates say. Here are some other helpful and reliable resources.Phillip Frost attends the Phillip And Patricia Frost Museum of Science Opening and Dedication Ceremony at Frost Art Museum at Frost Art Museum on May 8, 2017 in Miami, Florida.

Dr. Philip Frost, a biotech billionaire and former chairman of Teva, agreed to a proposed settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission in a civil case that the agency called "lucrative market manipulation schemes" worth $27 million, according to a news release.

In the proposed settlement, filed Thursday, Frost did not admit or deny the SEC's allegations. Frost is currently CEO and chairman of Opko Health.

As part of the proposed settlement, which is subject to court approval, Frost will pay $5.5 million to the SEC and is permanently barred from participating in offerings of penny stocks, with exceptions, according to court documents.

Frost, Opko Health and the Frost Gamma Investments Trust, of which Frost is the trustee, were among the 10 people and 10 associated entities charged in September.

Opko Health and Frost Gamma also agreed to proposed settlements and neither admitted nor denied the SEC's allegations. Opko agreed to pay a $100,000 penalty and to some undertakings with regard to investments and SEC compliance, according to court documents

"We have reached agreement with the SEC that will end a potentially expensive, contentious and time-consuming litigation and I am happy that we can focus on an exciting and productive 2019 for OPKO Health," Frost said in a statement issued by Opko. He will continue to serve as CEO and chairman of the company.

Frost and Frost Gamma's lawyer, Robert Anello, a partner at Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello, directed CNBC to Opko, which declined to comment beyond its news release.

The SEC did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

"[F]rom 2013 to 2018, a group of prolific South Florida-based microcap fraudsters led by Barry Honig manipulated the share price of the stock of three companies in classic pump-and-dump schemes. Miami biotech billionaire Phillip Frost allegedly participated in two of these three schemes," the SEC said in a press release issued in September.

Two of those charged were John O'Rourke, former CEO of Riot Blockchain, and Honig, once Riot's largest shareholder. The charges are not related to Riot Blockchain, and it is not named or referenced in the complaint.

"Honig was the primary strategist, calling upon other Defendants to buy or sell stock, arrange for the issuance of shares, negotiate transactions, or engage in promotional activity," according to the initial SEC complaint. "In each scheme, Honig orchestrated his and his associates' acquisition of a large quantity of the issuer's stock at steep discounts, either by acquiring a shell and executing a reverse merger or by participating in financings on terms highly unfavorable to the company."U.S. Marines place concertina wire at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in California on Nov. 11, 2018.

If President Donald Trump follows up on his threat to close the southern border, it could potentially result in millions of dollars in losses to local businesses in regions such as San Diego County. A border closure also could disrupt thousands of truckloads of fresh produce, parts and other products that flow back and forth every day from Mexico to the U.S.

"It would be very damaging to border areas like San Diego," said Lynn Reaser, chief economist for the Fermanian Business and Economic Institute at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. "There is a tight nexus between the southernmost part of California, for example, and Mexico."

During 2017, California exported an average of $127 million per day of merchandise to Mexico, according to the economist. She said the state also imported an average of about $73 million per day of goods from south of the border.

The San Ysidro port crossing between Tijuana, Mexico, and San Diego, where more than 20,000 people and nearly 50,000 cars cross daily, is one of the busiest in the nation. There's also another port of entry about 8 miles east in Otay Mesa, California, where about 3,500 trucks cross daily.

The San Ysidro crossing briefly shut down for a few hours in late November after a caravan of refugees from Central America made their way to the border to request asylum. One estimate released in November by the San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce put the losses from that shutdown at $5.3 million.

Trump tweeted the threat Friday morning, writing "we will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with."

California's Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom responded, tweeting: "$558 billion worth of goods flow across our America's southern border. BILLIONS of dollars  MILLIONS of jobs depend on our border. The President of the United States playing games with our economy and threatening to shut down our border is irresponsible, irrational and absurd."

https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom/status/1078722608583958528

Newsom, a Democrat, is set to take office on Jan. 7.

"San Diego's economy is very much linked with Baja California's economy," said Democratic California Assemblyman Todd Gloria, who represents the San Diego area. "A border closing would be a dagger at the heart of our local economy and many of our job creators and many of our businesses."

Gloria said a study was done a few years ago estimating what cross-border wait times do to the economy and the study showed it was "like not having multiple Super Bowls a year in terms of negative economic impact. Closing it down would just be horrendous in terms of negative economic impact to San Diego."

The closing could have ripple effects along the southern border from El Paso and Laredo in Texas to Otay Mesa and San Ysidro in California. More than one-third of the annual truck crossings take place in Laredo and roughly 15 percent are from the Otay Mesa crossing, according to U.S. Department of Transportation.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection referred questions to the White House for comment. The White House didn't immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.Streaming giant Netflix released a new interactive show Friday that allows users to choose how the story develops and ends. At 3:01 a.m. ET on Friday, the California company unveiled an extended 90-minute episode of the British TV series "Black Mirror" to showcase the new technology. When the episode is accessed by computer for the first time, a short tutorial instructs viewers to "keep your mouse or trackpad close at hand," as different storyline options are presented throughout the viewing.

Source: Netflix

Viewers are offered simple "Yes" or "No" choices as to what might befall characters in subsequent chapters. Netflix also said that should a user stop the show and opt to resume from the beginning all previous plot choices will be erased.

Source: Netflix

"Black Mirror" stories often focus on fears associated with rapid tech adoption in the modern world. The latest "choose your own adventure" episode is called "Bandersnatch" and follows the tale of a young coder who helps create a computer game inspired by an adventure novel. "Bandersnatch" is also the title of a real-life 1984 game that was developed for the ZX Spectrum computer but was never released.WASHINGTON  Richard Arvin Overton, America's oldest World War II veteran and the third-oldest man in the world, died Thursday afternoon from pneumonia. He was 112 years old.

Overton was born before Henry Ford introduced the Model T, before the Titanic embarked on her doomed maiden voyage and before New Yorkers watched the first ball drop in Times Square.

He was born on May 11, 1906, in Bastrop County, Texas, about an hour outside of Austin. Overton was the grandson of a slave and grew up in one of America's darkest periods. He witnessed the repeal of Jim Crow laws, the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the election of the first black president of the United States.

He began his military career with the Army on Sept. 3, 1940, at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio.

In December 1941, he was sent to Hawaii immediately after the devastating surprise attack by Japanese forces on Pearl Harbor. Like the rest of the nation, Overton was thrust into World War II.

He served in the Pacific Theater with the Army's segregated 1887th Engineer Aviation Battalion from 1942 to 1945. He held a series of jobs in the military, including burial detail, base security and driver for an officer.Check out the companies making headlines before the bell:

Procter & Gamble, IBM  The two companies separately announced that former American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault will retire from the boards of both companies. Both exits are effective February 13.

Lockheed Martin  The defense contractor was awarded a $712 million defense contract to develop advanced hardware for the F-35 Lightning II aircraft.

Apple  D.A. Davidson reiterated its "buy" recommendation on Apple, with a price target of $280. The firm points to the stock's pullback, reports of new manufacturing within India, and planned moves to mitigate the effect of tariffs.

Sony  Sony is increasing production of next generation 3D camera sensors in response to interest from Apple and others, according to a Bloomberg report. A Sony executive is quoted as saying the sensor business is turning a profit and will positively impact earnings next fiscal year.

Sinclair Broadcast Group  The New York Yankees are in separate talks with Sinclair and Amazon.com about teaming up to bid for the YES network, according to The Wall Street Journal. YES is among the 21st Century Fox assets that Walt Disney will be required to sell for government approval of its deal for Fox assets. The Journal said the Yankees have also approached cable operator Altice USA.

Aphria  The Canadian cannabis producer is the target of a hostile takeover bid from U.S. pot retailer Green Growth Brands. The stock swap proposal is valued at $2.06 billion.

Amazon.com, Walmart  The retail giants could be impacted by new restrictions on foreign e-commerce companies operating in India. New rules that make inventory management for those companies more difficult will go into effect on February 1.

Spirit Airlines  Spirit was on time more often than any other U.S. airline in October, according to new government data, and its flights have been on time about 81 percent of the time this year. That's in contrast to Spirit's general reputation of drawing more complaints from consumers than any other airline.

Comcast  The Justice Department will not step up its investigation of Comcast's 2011 purchase of CNBC parent NBCUniversal, according to a report in the New York Post.

First Republic Bank  The bank will join the S&P 500 prior to the opening of trading on January 2. First Republic will replace SCANA Corp., which is in the process of being acquired by Dominion Energy.

Dell Technologies  Dell will begin trading today on the New York Stock Exchange, returning the computer maker to the public markets. That follows the buyout of Dell's tracking shares in software maker VMWare. The stock is rated "overweight" in new coverage at JPMorgan Chase with a price target of $60 per share.

Philip Morris  Philip Morris is the subject of positive analyst comments at Piper Jaffray, which said the current price level for the tobacco producer's stock represents a buying opportunity given strong underlying earnings growth.

Wingstop  Wedbush upgraded the restaurant operator's stock to "outperform" from "neutral," pointing to Wingstop's same-store sales growth prospects and profit margin improvement.Investors are fearful the stock market is signaling that a recession could be on the way either because of a Fed policy misstep or trade wars, but that doesn't have to be the case.

Not all big market declines have signaled a recession, but once a market decline reaches 20 percent, the odds are higher, according to Bespoke Investment Group. Of the 13 bear markets for the S&P 500 since World War II, eight of them overlapped with some part of a recession.

Bespoke is not counting the current decline in the S&P 500 as a bear market, since on a closing basis it is only 19.8 percent from its September high to the Dec. 24 close of 2,351. On an intraday basis, the S&P has been down 20 percent, a bear market level.

Source: Bespoke

"More often than not a bear market accompanies a recession," said Bespoke co-founder Paul Hickey. "The bear market usually comes first. We also looked at 'near bear' markets where the S&P falls 19 percent but it doesn't fall 20 percent ... there have been five of those so far ... only one occurred in conjunction with a recession."

But still, while economists say a recession is unlikely next year, not everyone will rule it out.

"I'm real worried about a recession next year because the Fed seems to have a tin ear with respect to what its quantitative tightening and rate projections mean for the markets and global risk taking," said Joseph LaVorgna, chief economist Americas at Natixis. "The Fed is too focused on domestic data. ... The vast majority of the macro data looks solid but that's almost always the case before the economy goes into a recession."

LaVorgna said the Fed will have to signal soon that it is more flexible about policy tightening. For instance, following the central bank's December rate hike, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said its program to shrink its balance sheet was on "autopilot."

That spooked investors even though New York Fed President John Williams said several days later that the Fed was flexible on the program which reduces the balance sheet through an almost reverse quantitative easing. In essence, the Fed allows securities it holds to mature, and roll down the balance sheet.

The Fed has also forecast two rate hikes for 2019, while some market pros are betting it will not be able to do any.

James Paulsen, chief investment strategist at Leuthold Group, said the Fed could slow its pace of tightening because of a slower economy, expected to grow in the low 2 percent range next year.

Paulsen said that even with this week's wild market volatility, he is now a buyer of stocks on the dips and that he has become bullish again because he does not expect a recession. The recovery of the stock market, from its steep correction, will also depend on the economy.

"The whole key is recession. Some of those are deep. 1990 is a great example where you had a recession and you barely had a 20 percent correction," he said. "Typically there tends to be a correlation with how bad the recession is both in terms of length and depth with how deep a bear market is."

Paulsen said the stock market may be able to avoid the negative impact of a trade war since both the U.S. or China would be concerned about the economic repercussions of continuing the impasse. However, a pickup in tensions could send the market tumbling.

"If the [U.S.] data is going weak and China is already a mess, I don't think the trade war is going anywhere," he said.

LaVorgna said there are other warning signs that a recession could be on the horizon. He pointed to the decline in consumer confidence, which fell to 128.1 from 134.4 in large part because of a steep drop in consumer expectations. The Conference Board said the back-to-back declines in expectations in November and December signal concern about a slowing economy in 2019.

"The crux of it is the most forward-looking data tends to be measures of sentiment which themselves are heavily influenced by what's happening in financial markets," LaVorgna said. "The question is what is going to stabilize the equity market, so we don't have a recession next year. Other than a sharp snap back in growth overseas, which seems unlikely at this point, it has to be a meaningful relent by the Fed."

LaVorgna said the Fed has prevented steep declines in the market from turning into even steeper bear market corrections accompanied by recessions. For instance, in 1998, the Fed cut rates after the failure of Long Term Capital Management, helping to avoid a recession then.Tesla has registered a financial leasing company in China, a local business registration filing shows, in the latest sign the U.S. electric car maker is attempting to speed up its push into China.

The California-based carmaker, led by billionaire Chief Executive Elon Musk, has opened a wholly owned financial leasing unit in Shanghai's free trade zone with registered capital of $30 million, according to China's National Enterprise Information Publicity System.

Its scope includes leasing and consultancy, the document said, which listed the firm's legal representative as Zhu Xiaotong, Tesla's boss in China.

Tesla declined to comment.

The company has opened a tender process to build its Shanghai Gigafactory and at least one contractor has started buying materials, Reuters reported earlier this month.

The $2 billion factory, Tesla's first in China, marks a major bet by the U.S. electric vehicle (EV) maker as it looks to bolster its presence in the world's biggest auto market where it faces rising competition from a swathe of domestic EV makers and its earnings have been hit by increased tariffs on U.S. imports.

President Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen has had a long year.

It started with reports that raised new questions about his role in facilitating hush money payments to women alleging affairs with the president.

It ended in a federal court in Manhattan, where he was sentenced to three years in prison for those payments, as well as a range of other crimes including lying to Congress.

Meanwhile, close observers of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe can't stop talking about whether Cohen has ever visited Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic.

Cohen tweet

The visit would be noteworthy because of where it was first reported: a salacious document that has become a central talking point for those following the Russia investigation.

Christopher Steele, a former British spy, wrote in his infamous but unverified intelligence dossier compiled during the 2016 election that Cohen traveled to the city in August of that year to meet with "Kremlin officials" to discuss possible payments for hackers working against Trump's electoral rival Hillary Clinton.

Steele has said that he believes between 70 and 90 percent of the dossier is true. Republicans have criticized the FBI for citing the dossier as part of an application to wiretap Trump's former foreign policy advisor, Carter Page, though the surveillance was approved by four judges appointed by Republicans.

WATCH: Trump underreported payments to Cohen in disclosuresPresident Donald Trump threatened on Friday to close the southern U.S. border unless Congress agrees to provide $5 billion in taxpayer funds for a border wall with Mexico, blaming Democrats for a partial government shutdown that he previously said would be on him.

A dispute over funding for Trump's proposed wall has led to "non-essential" operations at numerous agencies being closed for lack of funding, and with Congress adjourned until next week there was no prospect of a quick resolution.

"We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with," Trump tweeted.

"Either we build (finish) the Wall or we close the Border," he added.

@realDonaldTrump "We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with. Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve!"

The standoff over Trump's demand for money to help fund the border wall, estimated to cost about $23 billion in total, was in its seventh day and was widely expected to drag into January when Democrats take control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Asked about Trump's border-closing threat, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters it was an internal U.S. government matter. "We take great care of the relationship with the government of the United States," Lopez Obrador said.

"Of course we will always defend our sovereignty ... We will always protect migrants, defend their human rights," he said.

Earlier this month, the Republican president said he would be "proud" to shut down the government over border security.

In television interviews on Friday, Trump aides sought to blame Democrats for the continuing shutdown, contending that they have refused to negotiate since the White House made an offer last weekend.

"We're here, and they know where to find us," Mick Mulvaney, the White House chief of staff, said in an interview with Fox News Channel. "Where is Chuck Schumer? Where is Nancy Pelosi? They're not even talking right now," he said. Schumer is the top Democrat in the Senate and Pelosi is the incoming speaker of the House of Representatives.

A spokesman for Schumer said the White House has been told that there are three existing federal funding proposals containing funds for border security that could pass both the House and the Senate - and that Trump should accept one of those.

At present, however, the two sides remain far apart, Schumer's office said.

Democrats have offered support for $1.3 billion in funding for general border security, but have long opposed the building of a wall.President Donald Trump has cancelled his New Year's plans and will stay in Washington, D.C., as the government shutdown continues, incoming acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said in an interview with "Fox & Friends" on Friday.

"He cancelled his plans for Christmas, now he's cancelled his plans for New Year's," Mulvaney said. "The president is very heavily engaged in this."

The partial government shutdown began on Dec. 22 after Congress was unable to negotiate a spending bill with the president, who has demanded $5 billion for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. With no signs from the Capitol or the White House about a potential deal, the shutdown is expected to extend into next year.

Trump had planned to spend Christmas and New Year's Eve at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, as he has done in previous years. This year, he was the first president since Bill Clinton to spend Christmas at the White House. Former President George W. Bush went to Camp David every year, while former President Obama returned to his home state of Hawaii.

On Christmas Eve, the president lamented the fact that he was stuck in the White House and blamed Democrats for the shutdown. "I am all alone (poor me) in the White House waiting for the Democrats to come back and make a deal," he tweeted.

tweet

Despite the negative impacts of an extended government shutdown, Trump seemed to double down on his demands for a border wall on Friday. "We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall," he tweeted.

tweet

According to Senate estimates, more than 420,000 government employees will be working without pay during the shutdown, while over 380,000 workers will be furloughed.

WATCH: This is what happens when the U.S. government shuts downPresident Donald Trump participates in the signing ceremony for the First Step Act and the Juvenile Justice Reform Act in the Oval Office of the White House December 21, 2018 in Washington, DC. Win McNamee | Getty Images

As the partial shutdown of the federal government continues, workers are grappling with a looming worry: How will they pay their bills? While members of Congress and President Donald Trump remain at an impasse over funding for a border wall, about 800,000 federal employees are expected to be furloughed or working without pay. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management's verified Twitter account posted sample letters for affected federal workers to use with landlords and creditors as they request relief from any monthly payments during the stoppage. Tweet "This isn't the first time there's been a shutdown, and it won't be the last," said Marguerita M. Cheng, a certified financial planner and CEO of Blue Ocean Global Wealth in Gaithersburg, Maryland. She is keenly aware of this as her husband is a federal employee, but his agency  the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.  is remaining open. Click here for a list of federal agencies and their contingency plans amid the shutdown. Here's how federal workers can shore up their finances and get through the lean times ahead.

Hit the phones

Getty Images

Get in touch with the federal agency you work for to determine whether you are being furloughed and find out what resources are available. In some cases, federal credit unions are offering furlough relief loans to help affected workers remain afloat in the short-term. For instance, the Congressional Federal Credit Union has a relief line of credit with an initial rate of 0 percent for 60 days. After that, the rate on the remaining balance is 4 percent.

Take stock of spending

Geber86 | E+ | Getty Images

If you're about to be less flush heading into January, draw up your monthly budget and see what you can slash during the shutdown, said Cheng. If you have outstanding loans, including mortgages and student debt, be sure to contact your creditors to make them aware of your situation. "Most agencies also have a process in place for employees that they can use to reach out to creditors and landlords to ask for some relief," said Patrick Amey, a CFP at Aspyre Wealth Partners in Overland Park, Kansas.

Your cash sources

PeopleImages | E+ | Getty Images

If you're unsure about your next paycheck, this is the time to turn to your emergency fund as a backstop. The standard rule of thumb is to maintain enough cash to cover three months to six months of expenses, said Bryan Beatty, a CFP and partner at Egan Berger & Weiner in Vienna, Virginia.

The next best alternative could be a zero-interest furlough loan or line of credit from a federal credit union, Beatty said. Remember, the zero-interest period runs for a limited amount of time  typically up to 60 days. If you already have a home equity line of credit open and available for draw-down, this might be a potential source of emergency funding. Consider that the average rate on a so-called HELOC is 5.64 percent, compared to the average credit card rate of 17.56 percent, according to Bankrate.com. The downside of taking out a HELOC is that the interest rates tend to be variable. Further, if you're using the line of credit for purposes other than renovating your home, you won't be able to deduct the interest on your taxes.

Risky business

Thanasis Zovoilis | Moment | Getty Images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.By Trend





Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevs rich political experience allows to effectively address present-day global issues, as well as support historical friendship existing between Russia and Azerbaijan, Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Oreshkin said in a congratulatory message addressed to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday.

I would like to especially emphasize your personal contribution to the friendly and neighbourly relations between our countries, Oreshkin's message said. These relations will undoubtedly continue to serve well-being of both the Azerbaijani and Russian peoples.

I sincerely wish you the best of health and every success in achieving your goals, he added.Singapore Police tighten security at Marina Bay on New Years Eve

Singapore Police Force have tightened the security in the Marina Bay area as a massive crowd is expected on New Years Eve. They are not taking any chances to keep Singapore safe during the celebrations. Besides, the deployment of specialist police officers, a vigil will be maintained through Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV).

The crowd management across the area is also crucial as several countdown events are being held simultaneously at the Marina Bay area and the Civic District this year.

Organisers are expecting a crowd of 400,000 to 500,000 which also turned up last year.

About 700 police officers will be deployed in the area including specialist officers from the Emergency Response Teams, In-Situ Reaction Teams and Special Operations Command.

About 700 police officers will be deployed in the Marina Bay area as a massive crowd is expected on New Years Eve. Photo courtesy: Wikipedia

They will conduct high-visibility patrols at pre-identified locations with either high foot traffic or large congregations.

For maintaining vigil in the area and to keep an eye out for suspicious elements in the crowd, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) will also be deployed. It can travel at 20m per second and will rove over the Marina Bay area.

It has a high-definition camera that can capture and transmit pictures of the ground to the police command post.

It also has blinkers, search lights and an audio warning system to allow the police to communicate with the public if necessary.

For smooth movement of the human and vehicular traffic in the area, the police will also install more than 20km of yellow fences and barricades.

The Infrastructure Protection Act has also come in force which gives security personnel powers to deal with threats in areas surrounding Singapores critical infrastructure and iconic buildings, such as Marina Bay Sands.

The Act has provisions for special powers that allow the police and even auxiliary police to do random bag checks when required, and also to eject people who are deemed to be suspicious.

Meanwhile, event organisers of the Marina Bay Carnival are also taking measures to assist the police in managing the crowd including bag checks, designated exit and entry points and strict crowd control.

They advise visitors bring smaller bags to the event so they can clear the security bag check at the entrance more quickly.By Trend





Iran is in talks with Kuwaiti officials, organizing the release of two seized vessels from port of Mina Al Zour that, the cause of which, reportedly, was because of legal and technical disputes of contractors.

The Iranian vessels have been sized by Kuwait for almost 20 days. Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization is putting in efforts to have them released.

"The crew has sufficient fuel and food and we are negotiating to solve the problems," said the deputy chairman of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization (IMO), Hadi Haghshenas, Trend reports citing Fars News Agency.

"The disagreement is between a domestic contractor and a Korean company that intended to build a bridge in Kuwait," he said.

Due to legal disputes between Iranian and Korean companies the vessels are currently seized at the port, he said.

Haghshenas noted that the seized are a barge and a tugboat.Singapore submits first report to UN committee about measures undertaken to eliminate racial discrimination

Singapore is known all over the world for its multiracial, multicultural and cohesive society as it takes various measures to eliminate racial discrimination. Now, the country has submitted its first report on the measures it has taken to eliminate racial discrimination to a United Nations committee that monitors the implementation of an international convention on this matter.

The report is a requirement that needs to be submitted by the countries that are parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD). Singapore signed this convention in October 2015 and ratified in November 2017.

This international convention condemns racial discrimination based on race, colour, descent, nationality or ethnic origin, and calls upon states parties to pursue a policy of eliminating racial discrimination in all its forms.

Children celebrating Racial Harmony Day in Singapore. Photo courtesy: Wikimedia

Singapore's report describes the Government's holistic approach to preserving and strengthening social cohesion, which has three pillars, said Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) of Singapore in a press release.

These pillars are: Legislation that safeguards racial and religious harmony, policies that foster social integration and programmes that mobilise the community to work together for the common good, added MCCY.

In addition to this, the report also highlights the Singapores government measures that has been undertaken to eliminate racial discrimination and strengthen racial harmony.

Some of these measures include the roles of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights which scrutinises bills and subsidiary legislation to ensure they do not disadvantage any racial or religious community; ethnic-based self-help groups, which provide assistance to low-income people; and the Ethnic Integration Policy, which aims to ensure a balanced ethnic mix across public housing estates, said MCCY.

Racial harmony has been a key factor of Singapore society. As of June 2017, 74.3 per cent of Singapore's resident population were Chinese, 13.4 per cent Malay, nine per cent Indian and 3.2 per cent from other ethnic groups.

"Racial harmony has been a key part of Singapores identity since independence. This did not come about by chance  it is the result of hard work and deliberate effort to forge unity across disparate ethnic communities, through policies that strengthen social cohesion and build trust over time, said MCCY.

Ratifying the ICERD underscores Singapores longstanding commitment to work towards a society free of racial discrimination, it added.

Singapore Government consulted a wide range of people, including youths, academics, religious and community leaders, community organisations and civil society organisations while preparing the report.We are analyzing the site. Please wait a few seconds..The global data centre market is expected to see an 11 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) increase between 2016 and 2020, with data storage requirements expected to grow 40 per cent year-on-year, a report said.



An increase in the demand for data centres is expected in the Mena region, added the White Paper titled Hyperactive Hyperscale: The next step of digital revolution from leading international construction consultancy, Linesight.



Ciaran McCormack, regional director for the Middle East, Linesight, said: The increase in demand for data centres, particularly towards hyperscaled centres that can simultaneously process data on thousands of servers, is directly linked to a 28 per cent annual increase in data traffic. Internet users globally continue to grow, with an additional one billion users expected by 2020.



You only have to look at the main players in the market, who invested US$26 billion in hyperscale data centres in 2015, to realise the full extent of the opportunities for the construction industry. In the Middle East, we are already seeing an increase in demand from several companies looking to get ahead of the curve by developing larger data centres that are capable of coping with the increasing demand. added McCormack.



Linesight has seen a 30-40 per cent increase in the number of data centre developments around the world in the last 3 years. To date the company has provided its expertise in the development of over 180 projects worldwide including providing cost management services on the first modular DC project in the GCC region.



The company has already completed data centre projects worth over $250 million, in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.



Since opening our Middle East regional office in Dubai in 2008, weve become the go-to experts for the implementation of data centres in the Middle East. Our expertise in cost estimation, tender management and appointment as well as strategy implementation has resulted in several high-profile project wins, said McCormack.



We understand the challenges faced when delivering this critical infrastructure and are able to deliver a seamless process while also delivering cost savings and efficiencies to the client, he added.



Linesight has a global reach, with staff located in 20 offices around the world including Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and the USA. The company is currently working in 150 countries on project developments worth in excess of $10 billion.  TradeArabia News ServiceBy Najiya O, TwoCircles.net

The joint state conference of the Students Islamic Organisation and the Girls Islamic Organisation was held at the Al Jamia al Islamiya at Santhapuram in Malappuram on December 22 and 23. The conference titled the power of faith for a beautiful life was inaugurated by Dr Thaha Mateen, national leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami. The chief address was delivered by VT Abdulla Koya Thangal, Kerala assistant amir of the JIH. State leaders of the SIO and GIO spoke at the session presided over by GIO president Afeeda Ahmed. More than 3,000 students from different parts of the state attended the conference.

Several topics were discussed at the conference in various sessions, including liberal cultures and the Islamic life, the Islamic civilization and contributions to knowledge, the method of Islamic preaching, the future of student politics and art and aesthetics in Islam. The JIH state secretary Shihab Pookottur, AL Jamia rector Dr Abdussalam Ahmed, MES Engineering College vice-principal Dr Badeeuzzaman, Dr V Hikmatullah etc spoke at the event.

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Fatima Nafees, mother of Mohammed Najeeb who has been missing from the JNU, inaugurated the art exhibition titled Oodum Pavum arranged at the Conference venue. The exhibition themed defend the racist looks was noted for its distinct nature  it had set the rooms of Mohammed Najeeb and Rohit Vemula who had committed suicide in the HCU following caste discrimination by the university authorities, symbolic graves for those killed in state atrocities in Kashmir as well for those killed in mob lynching, representation of the Muslim woman as stereotyped by the mainstream public and media etc. The exhibition was organised by the students of the Al Jamia al Islamiya.

The new leaders of the student organisations were also announced. Salih Kottappally is the new president of the state SIO and Binas TA is the general secretary for the year 2019-20. Afeeda Ahmed is the president of the GIO and Nasreen P Naseer is the general secretary.President Trump made an unexpected visit to Iraq on Christmas where he reaffirmed his decision to pull all American troops out of Syria.

According to CBN News, President Trump and the first lady flew out to Iraq on Christmas Night.

The outlet reports that this is the first time the President had gone out to visit an active combat zone.

Upon arriving at the U.S. military base in Iraq, Trump stood before the troops to wish them a Merry Christmas, a prosperous New Year, and to thank them for the work they have done to combat ISIS.

In his speech, Trump thanked The courageous men and women at al Asad airbase noting that they are on the leading edge of our fight to vanquish Americas terrorist enemies.

The other reason Im here today, the president continued, is to personally thank you and every service member throughout this region for the near elimination of the ISIS territorial Caliphate in Iraq and in Syria.

Trump then recalled looking at a map that showed the reach of ISIS two years ago when he first became president. Two years ago, when I became president, they were a very dominant group Today, theyre not so dominant anymore, he said as the crowd erupted in cheers and applause.

The President went on to thank the men and women stationed at al Assad for the work they have done to achieve the defeat of ISIS in Iraq and in Syria. Trump also affirmed that all of the U.S. troops in Syria would be leaving, noting that some will go home to their families, while others will be stationed in Iraq.

He said, I made it clear from the beginning that our mission in Syria was to strip ISIS of its military strongholds, were not nation-building.

Our presence in Syria was not-open-ended and was never intended to be permanent, the President added.

The Presidents decision to pull troops out of Syria was met with widespread backlash from both fellow republicans and democrats. Notably, this decision has been pegged as one of the leading factors in Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resignation.

Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Pool

Video courtesy: Global NewsHugh Riley, the Caribbean Tourism Organizations secretary general, pointed to a bright future for the Caribbean in his New Year's letter.

"Regarding the cruise sector, most ports have been repaired and cruise calls have already returned to normal levels. Indeed, regional cruise visits grew in each month since May, with the region registering growth of 13.7 percent during the May to September period and 17.1 percent in the third quarter of 2018," Riley said.

In October, the region launched a new digital awareness campaign The Rhythm Never Stops on social media platforms, coinciding with increased airlift for the 2018-2019 winter season.

"For 2019, the outlook is bright for our destinations. Were quite excited about declaring 2019 as the Year of Festivals in the Caribbean," Riley said. "Simply stated, theres a rhythm to the region that cannot be replicated anywhere on earth. Theres no escaping the melody of nature, as gentle breezes and free-flowing fronds combine beautifully in perfect harmony; no getting away from the heavenly choruses of tides caressing magnificent world class beaches; no missing the cadence of our conversation, the tempo of our movement."

Overall, tourism was still down in 2018, Riley cautioned.

"Despite all there is to celebrate in 2019, we must also approach the New Year with a degree of caution since theres still much work to be done," he said. "While preliminary data from our member countries revealed increased demand for travel to the vast majority of the 24 reporting countries, and despite a 9.1 percent increase in arrivals in September 2018 when compared to the same month in 2017, overall our performance was still down in 2018. A third quarter decline of 3.2 percent made this our best quarter, and the rate of tourist arrivals is now expected to slow to -1.0 percent to -2.0 percent - a definite sign that the tide is turning. Cruise passenger arrivals are projected to grow at an accelerated rate of around 6 percent to 7 percent."Bridgeports Cititrust building is under new ownership.

A letter sent to residents Thursday said that the apartment complex at 955 Main St. has been sold to a group of investors CV DB LLC, Transmark DB LLC, CCEP II DB LLC, Bordentown DB LLC, UK DB LLC, and TEI DB Investors LLC.

No transaction price has been listed yet.

(The) new owner has assumed all of the obligations under your lease accruing from and after this day, including any obligations to return your security deposit in accordance with the terms of your lease, the letter, dated Dec. 27, said.

Bridgeport-based Crestwood Management Group are the new property managers.

Rent payments are expected to be paid to Bordentown DB LLC at the start of 2019.

Jordan.grice@hearstmediact.com.Every year brings unique and sometimes wacky new workplace initiatives. 2018 brought us examples such as such as implanting microchips in employees and allowing them to only expense vegetarian food but there are also important trends that will help you become a better employer. Some of the more progressive initiatives we can learn from are Vermont offering an incentive of $10,000 for remote workers to move there and an insurance firm in New Zealand conducting an academically rigorous trial of a four-day work week with great success.

From welcoming a new generation into the workforce to embracing the growing mobile workforce, these are the five biggest workplace trends that your organization should be ready for as we move into 2019:

1. The competition for Gen Z talent is starting.

Gen Z is the first generation to grow up entirely in an internet-centric society and they rapidly joining the workforce, with the oldest members of the generation being 23 years old. Theyre estimated to comprise up to 36 percent of the global workforce by 2020. Companies need to adapt their people strategies to attract and retain young digital natives who expect strategic use of software and technology in the workplace.

To make yourself an appealing employer for Gen Z, have a software strategy and appropriate training to support it. Offer flexibility and wellness-oriented benefits, and have frequent conversations about performance and development opportunities with your young employees. If your company wont engage them, theyll find somewhere else that will. Listen to their ideas and be transparent with them from day one. Realistic job previews and employer branding also go a long way to make your workplace a good fit for everyone.

Related: 8 Strategies to Avoid Wasting Your Company's Gen-Z Talent

2. Plan for the 100-year Life span.

In addition to focusing on young employees joining the workforce, a similar emphasis must be put on shifting career and life paths across all generations. More and more people in developed nations with access to effective healthcare are reaching their 100th birthday, meaning people will have longer careers than weve ever seen.

With people changing careers and jobs more frequently, companies need to prepare for a more dynamic workforce with workers looking to continually expand their skillsets cross-functionally. Consider moving employees horizontally across your organization instead of just thinking of them for the next promotion in their department. Businesses also need to plan for rising retirement ages by reviewing the role of pensions, benefits and physical or schedule accommodations for older and more senior employees.

Japan, which expects half of today's babies to live to or past 100, is taking the idea of the 100 Year Life seriously. Prime Minister Shinzo Abes cabinet worked between September 2017 and June 2018 to create a formalized structure for a Human Resources Revolution.

Related: This Startup Aims to Help Older Professionals Find Jobs

3. Be better than good. Period.

With a tumultuous global political climate, and governments responding glacially to crises with little accountability, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become more important than ever.

As a lot of tech and retail giants have seen recently, doing okay isnt good enough. Societal expectations and employee demands are the rules by which companies operate. We must be willing and ready to respond to these new demands. Weve seen livable wage initiatives, such Amazon and Target setting minimum wage targets of $15/hour following public outcry. Ethics also have an increasing presence in strategy, an example being when Google scrapped a Pentagon cloud computing proposal after employee outcry over the possible weaponization of AI.

Younger workers prefer companies with missions that align with their values, but there is a significant gap between societys demands and corporate readiness. Fiftysix percent of organizations dont have CSR as a priority and steps must be taken to bridge this gap. CSR comes in many forms -- paying livable wages, environmental sustainability initiatives, facilitating community programs, or getting a certification of social responsibility (i.e. becoming a B Corp).

Wondering which initiative is best for you? Ask your employees to determine their values and keep up with current events.

Related: Corporate Social Responsibility Can Actually Be a Competitive Advantage, So Where's Your CSR Program?

4. Prepare for the shorter employee life cycle.

Its no secret that many companies are seeing turnover increase. Between low engagement in many companies and younger employees who more likely to leave within five years than to stay beyond five years, it is evident that businesses must respond.

Some businesses, instead of trying to keep employees around longer, are reducing turnover costs by embracing the new shorter lifecycle of employees. Businesses that hire for high-turnover seasonal and low-skill jobs are putting more effort into cost-effective onboarding, training and offboarding processes to get the most out of employees while theyre still there. Some businesses have shortened the hring process to a single interview, or done away with interviews entirely.

Be cognizant of the risks of shorter-term employment, particularly with the rise of the gig economy and contract work. Contract work in low-skill positions often results in underpaid employees and less job security, resulting in lower levels of job satisfaction and engagement. Embracing high turnover can be beneficial but you dont make your employees feel they can be easily replaced.

Related: 10 of the Highest Paying Gig Economy Jobs of 2018

5. Embrace HR tech

Employees today expect good technology to do their jobs effectively and data is increasingly important for performance. With software-as-a-service (SaaS) business models prevalent in fast-growing businesses, you need to scale up software capabilities as your company grows. Single-purpose software wont cut it anymore -- end-to-end software suites are becoming a business necessity. When considering SaaS vendors or creating your own in-house software, ensure that systems are able to "speak" to each other and share their respective data sets to maximize value.

In addition, organizations are using technology to win the competition for talent. People analytics derived from these integrated systems can improve hiring and employee engagement, increase productivity and improve strategic decision-making. SaaS is surging in the people space by enabling companies to track and analyze data relating to workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding, learning, development and talent management, among other uses. Effective software reduces burdensome administrative work, gives employees more discretion over how they engage with HR and allows them to focus their efforts on more strategic initiatives that drive your bottom line.

Dont get caught off guard. Staying on top of industry best practices will allow you to maintain an engaged workforce, attract and retain talent, foster innovation, improve productivity and build or maintain your competitive advantage.

Related:

A Survival Guide to Global Workforce Trends in 2019

Why Firing Some of Your Employees Could Be the Best Thing You Can Do for Your Business

Here's How an Organized Transportation System Can Contribute to Employee Productivity



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reservedSTORY LINK GBP to USD Exchange Rate Holds Above Week?s Opening Levels Despite Concerns about UK Consumer Activity

GBP Exchange Rate Strength Limited as Brexit Uncertainties and UK Economic Outlook Weighs

The fast-paced evolution of consumer preferences has left retailers struggling to adapt business models swiftly enough to meet customers heightened expectations. A laser-like focus on strategic transformation will emerge as the overriding priority for many retailers heading into 2019.

USD Exchange Rates Weaker on US Political Jitters and Expectations for Slowing Global Growth

GBP/USD Exchange Rate Forecast: PMIs and US Job Stats Ahead, US Politics in Focus

Like this piece? Please share with your friends and colleagues:

Investors bought the British Pound to US Dollar (GBP/USD) exchange rate on Friday, keeping the pair above the weeks opening levels despite a lack of Sterling appeal. The US Dollar has been weak for most of the week due to US political uncertainties and signs of slowing global growth. A weak Pound has simply been unable to capitalise on USD weakness.Since opening this week at the level of 1.2632, GBP/USD has trended largely with an upside bias. GBP/USD touched on a fortnight high of 1.2766 in the middle of the week before slipping, but at the end of the week still trended slightly higher than the weeks opening levels. GBP/USD trended near the level of 1.2690 at the time of writing.2018 will end with UK politicians and economists still filled with uncertainties regarding how the Brexit process will unfold.The UK is set to formally leave the EU just over three months from today, and the nations politicians have still not agreed to how exactly the Brexit process will end.Will the UK leave the EU with a close deal and partnership with the bloc? Will it leave with no deal at all and leave the nations connections walking off a cliff-edge? Could the deal be changed or may there not even be a Brexit at all?Despite well over a year of difficult UK-EU negotiations, all of these possibilities remain as UK MPs dont appear to support UK Prime Minister Theresa Mays negotiated deal.This has left markets jittery at the end of 2018, and the Pound remains unappealing with the future of Britains economy seeing even deeper uncertainty than ever.Sterlings gains versus the US Dollar this week were largely due to US Dollar weakness, but GBP/USD gains were even further limited by signs that Britains retail sector had an underwhelming holiday season.Amid reports that Britains music retail chain, HMV, was entering administration following the holiday period, analysts warned that more must be done to protect the retail sector, one of the biggest job sectors in Britain.According to Richard Lim, Chief Executive from Retail Economics:Its been a bearish week for the US Dollar, which has helped the Pound to US Dollar exchange rate to rise despite the Pounds broad weakness.Throughout the week, the US Dollar has been pressured by US political uncertainties amid a lasting US government shutdown.The shutdown began at the end of last week as US President Donald Trump failed to find enough votes to pass a funding bill through the US Senate. He insisted that the bill contain funding for his controversial border wall plan, which lacks bipartisan support in the Senate.As the US shutdown persists despite Congress meeting again on Thursday, analysts no longer expect the shutdown to be resolved this year.On top of US political jitters, the US Dollar has been weakened by market expectations that global growth will slow in the coming year.The US economy benefits strongly from global growth. This, as well as uncertainty about the Federal Reserves 2019 monetary policy outlook, has worsened the US economic outlook and weighed on the US Dollar.Next week could be a vital one for the US Dollar, as multiple datasets showing how the US economy performed at the end of 2018 will be published and the US House of Congress will reconvene with its new Democratic Party majority.During the US mid-term elections in 2018, the US Democratic Party won control of the House of Congress. This will come into effect next week, on the third of January.Markets are hoping that this will help bring the US government shutdown to an end, which could strengthen demand for the US Dollar and knock GBP/USD lower again.While US political developments and any potential UK political news could be particularly influential, upcoming major US data and some notable UK stats could also influence GBP/USD.Following closed markets to observe New Years Day, markets will reopen on Wednesday and UK and US manufacturing PMIs will be published throughout the day. US manufacturing data is more likely to be influential.It will be followed on Friday by UK services PMI data, and US Non-Farm Payroll results from December. This means the Pound to US Dollar exchange rate is more likely to see a big shift towards the end of next week.

International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements.

TAGS: Pound Dollar ForecastsErie has a child care 'crisis.' But help could be on the wayUprooted Palestinians are at the heart of the conflict in the M.E Palestinians uprooted by force of arms. Yet faced immense difficulties have survived, kept alive their history and culture, passed keys of family homes in occupied Palestine from one generation to the next.From lounging on unicorn pool floats to flaunting abs in the mirror at the gym, many of us are guilty of posing for cliched Instagram snaps.

But luckily Delaware-born comedian Ashley Hesseltine is here to remind us all not to take all those 'basic' poses too seriously.

Founded in 2014,her Bros Being Basic Instagram feed features men imitating the kind of snaps that probably appear on their girlfriend's accounts.

Opening up about her latest set of snaps to Bored Panda, she explained that the idea behind the project is to 'pay homage' to women rather than mock them.

'I'm a female and a feminist, so I'm naturally able to create content that's not going to be offensive to women,' she explained.

'On top of that, our awesome female followers are able to laugh at themselves and their own 'basic' tendencies.'

Bros Being Basic Instagram account parody the 'basic' poses women love to post on Instagram, including the obligatory summer snap on a unicorn pool float

Just casually hanging out in my bikini! A bearded man was happy to don some stripey bottoms in the name of poking fun at cliched Instagram snaps

Was it even a workout if you didn't take a selfie? This guy got the casual hair pull gesture down to a tee as he posed up a storm in the gym

Some images include a group of men posing by the beach with their backs to the camera as they wave their bikini tops in the air.

Another shows a man on his own wearing just a pair of bikini bottoms looking out at the horizon while standing on a balcony.

And a male wearing a white robe and with a towel wrapped around his head to mimics photos people take when they check into hotels.

The images are all paired with witty captions, with some poking fun at proposals, pregnancy announcements and hen parties, while others mock 'basic' phrases such as 'B***h don't kill my vibe'.

'Brochella': A picture of a group of men dressed up to the max for the famous festival in the Colorado Desert has racked up almost 20,000 likes on the Bros Being Basic Instagram page

If it's your birthday, then you'd best make sure everyone knows about it with an over the top snap complete with cake, balloons and a revealing outfit

Cheeky! This image of five men clasping at one another's bottom while waving their bikini tops in the air will be familiar to anyone who's spent time lingering over other people's holiday snaps

Ashley set up the account in November 2014, and in four years it has already racked up a massive 876k followers.

The creator has revealed her inspiration for the page came from herself, and when the term 'basic' emerged she decided to upload pictures of men copyign how women act on online platforms.

She explained: 'I had an idea for a post on my blog, What If Guys Acted Like Girls on Instagram?'

Christmas jumpers at the ready! Nothing says festive like playfully posing in a Christmas tree with your pals

What a show off! If you want to prove how well you did at Christmas then donning every single present for an Instagram snap is clearly the way to go

'I recruited all my guy friends to create the photos for me, and when the blog started going viral, the idea for the Instagram account was born. I (with the help of my friend Travis May) launched the account on Thanksgiving Eve and it blew up immediately.'

Male contributors to Bros Being Basic recreate some of the most typical pictures that can be found on Instagram while giving them an ironic - and often incongruous - twist.Advertisement

Move over Christian Grey, there is a new kid on the block - literally.

Inspired by the iconic 50 Shades of Grey series the ladies behind lucrative decorating business Three Birds Renovations transformed a rundown red brick house into a coastal-like entertainer's dream.

It has a sprawling back veranda with ample space for guests, and the kitchen window extends into a handy bar situation with stools lined up on the exterior.

 Slide me  Inspired by the iconic 50 Shades of Grey series the ladies behind lucrative decorating business Three Birds Renovations transformed a rundown red brick house into a coastal-like entertainer's dream

It has a sprawling back veranda with ample space for guests, and the kitchen window extends into a handy bar situation with stools lined up on the exterior (pictured)

Most classic of all are the grey bricks and the grey kitchen benchtop to give the home an added depth that sparkling white just can't do.

Built in Northmead, near Parramatta in NSW, the home originally had lemon-coloured walls and a gaudy timber staircase before marble accents and rattan furniture replaced it.

Best friends and mothers Bonnie Hindmarsh, Lana Taylor and Erin Cayless purchased the home with the intention of bringing it back to life - before selling it on to another lucky owner.

BEFORE: Most classic of all are the grey bricks and the grey kitchen benchtop to give the home an added depth that sparkling white just can't do

AFTER: Best friends and mothers Bonnie Hindmarsh, Lana Taylor and Erin Cayless purchased the home with the intention of bringing it back to life - before selling it on to another lucky owner

'Fifty Shades of Grey was the inspiration for this transformation with Bonnie making a statement with a grey kitchen to match our grey clad feature stairwell,' their website read

'Fifty Shades of Grey was the inspiration for this transformation with Bonnie making a statement with a grey kitchen to match our grey clad feature stairwell,' their website read.

'We went cladding-crazy in this house and tried to create a little slice of heaven in a street that was just a stone's throw from the main road.

'We opted for two gas-strut windows this time for double wow and tried out a new type of decking that we'd never seen before.'

BEFORE: 'We went cladding-crazy in this house and tried to create a little slice of heaven in a street that was just a stone's throw from the main road,' they said

AFTER: 'We opted for two gas-strut windows this time for double wow and tried out a new type of decking that we'd never seen before,' they continued

A free standing bath and touches of aquamarine give the home an almost beachy feel to it, despite the fact it's kilometres away from the closest waterway

A free standing bath and touches of aquamarine give the home an almost beachy feel to it, despite the fact it's kilometres away from the closest waterway.

Interior plants that require little to no attention bar occasional watering also amplify the nature-filled scene, tricking the homeowner into thinking they're actually in a holiday retreat.

While the Three Birds Renovations don't reveal the final costs of their designs and plans, the trio do help others build their own dream houses via The Reno School.

While the Three Birds Renovations don't reveal the final costs of their designs and plans, the trio do help others build their own dream houses via The Reno SchoolIn Francis' Christmas message, Israelis and Palestinians, Koreans of the North and South, Syrians and Yemenis, Venezuelans, Ukrainians and Nicaraguans and those who are deprived of religious freedom. "The universal message of Christmas" brought by the Child is that "God is a good Father and we are all brothers".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Rediscovering each other as all God's children, as different as happens in families, but no less united. Rediscovering this about Israelis and Palestinians, Koreans from the north and south, Syrians and Yemenis, Venezuelans, Ukrainians and Nicaraguans and all those living where there are conflicts. And to those Christians who experience opposition to their faith. Pope Francis Christmas message was a hope for greater fraternity, pronounced before the "Urbi et Orbi" blessing, given from the central lodge of the Vatican Basilica.

After his "Merry Christmas", Francis said that "that God is a good Father and we are all brothers and sisters.This truth is the basis of the Christian vision of humanity. Without the fraternity that Jesus Christ has bestowed on us, our efforts for a more just world fall short, and even our best plans and projects risk being soulless and empty. For this reason, my wish for a happy Christmas is a wish for fraternity. Fraternity among individuals of every nation and culture. Fraternity among people with different ideas, yet capable of respecting and listening to one another. Fraternity among persons of different religions. Jesus came to reveal the face of God to all those who seek him."

With his Incarnation, the Pope continued, God "tells us that salvation comes through love, acceptance, respect for this poor humanity of ours, which we all share in a great variety of races, languages, and cultures. Yet all of us are brothers and sisters in humanity!Our differences, then, are not a detriment or a danger; they are a source of richness. As when an artist is about to make a mosaic: it is better to have tiles of many colours available, rather than just a few!".

May this Christmas help us to rediscover the bonds of fraternity linking us together as individuals and joining all peoples. May it enable Israelis and Palestinians to resume dialogue and undertake a journey of peace that can put an end to a conflict that for over seventy years has rent the land chosen by the Lord to show his face of love".

"May the Child Jesus allow the beloved and beleaguered country of Syria once again to find fraternity after these long years of war. May the international community work decisively for a political solution that can put aside divisions and partisan interests, so that the Syrian people, especially all those who were forced to leave their own lands and seek refuge elsewhere, can return to live in peace in their own country".

"My thoughts turn to Yemen, in the hope that the truce brokered by the international community may finally bring relief to all those children and people exhausted by war and famine".

"I think too of Africa, where millions of persons are refugees or displaced and in need of humanitarian assistance and food security. May the Holy Child, the King of Peace, silence the clash of arms and allow a new dawn of fraternity to rise over the entire continent, blessing the efforts of all those who work to promote paths of reconciliation in political and social life".

"May Christmas consolidate the bonds of fraternity uniting the Korean peninsula and help the path of rapprochement recently undertaken to continue and to reach agreed solutions capable of ensuring the development and well-being of all".

"May this blessed season allow Venezuela once more to recover social harmony and enable all the members of society to work fraternally for the countrys development and to aid the most vulnerable sectors of the population".

"May the Newborn Lord bring relief to the beloved land of Ukraine, yearning to regain a lasting peace that is slow to come. Only with a peace respectful of the rights of every nation can the country recover from the sufferings it has endured and restore dignified living conditions for its citizens. I am close to the Christian communities of the region, and I pray that they may develop relationships of fraternity and friendship".

"Before the Child Jesus, may the inhabitants of beloved Nicaragua see themselves once more as brothers and sisters, so that divisions and discord will not prevail, but all may work to promote reconciliation and to build together the future of the country".

"I want to mention, too, all those peoples that experience ideological, cultural and economic forms of colonization and see their freedom and identity compromised, as well as those suffering from hunger and the lack of educational and health care services".

"A particular thought goes to our brothers and sisters who celebrate the Birth of the Lord in difficult, if not hostile situations, especially where the Christian community is a minority, often vulnerable or not taken into account. May the Lord grant that they, and all minorities, may live in peace and see their rights recognized, especially the right to religious freedom".

"May the little Child whom we contemplate today in the manger, in the cold of the night, watch over all the children of the world, and every frail, vulnerable and discarded person. May all of us receive peace and consolation from the birth of the Savior and, in the knowledge that we are loved by the one heavenly Father, realize anew that we are brothers and sisters and come to live as such!".With radiant skin and an enviable physique with washboard abs, Elle Macpherson has stunned many with her age-defying looks.

And with the party season in full swing, the Australian supermodel has revealed how she preps herself ahead of the New Year's Eve celebration.

In her monthly column for Get The Gloss, the 54-year-old shared her health and beauty regime, including the men's fragrance she uses as her 'signature scent'.

With radiant skin, an enviable physique and not a single wrinkle in sight, Elle Macpherson has stunned many with her age-defying looks

Her go-to products include RMS Beauty 'Un' Cover-Up concealer, $52 (left), for under her eyes and RMS Beauty 'Lip2Cheek', $52, (right) for her lips - both available at Mecca Australia

Elle - who's based in Miami with her family - said for healthy glowing skin, she starts her beauty routine by nourishing her body from the inside.

'Nothing I put on my skin works as well as what I put inside my body,' she explained.

She adds two teaspoons of her brand Welleco's Super Elixir Greens to water, coconut water, almond milk or smoothie once a day.

Elle said she also drinks collagen to maintain her luscious hair and nails.

When it's time to get ready for New Year's Eve, she often goes minimal with makeup.

'I don't wear a lot of makeup, just very subtle touches to naturally define my face, brow and lips,' she revealed.

Elle - who's based in Miami with her family - said for healthy glowing skin, she starts her beauty routine by nourishing her body from the inside

To achieve her trademark beachy waves, Elle said she sprtiz Sam McKnights Cool Girl Barely There Texture Mist, $49, (left) through her roots - and the last thing she puts on as her 'signature scent' is a French men's fragrance called Vetiver by Guerlain (right)

Her go-to products include RMS Beauty 'Un' Cover-Up concealer ($52), for under her eyes and RMS Beauty 'Lip2Cheek' ($52) for her lips - both available at Mecca Australia.

To achieve her trademark beachy waves, Elle said she sprtiz Sam McKnights Cool Girl Barely There Texture Mist ($49) through her roots.

'[I] work it to the ends then tie it up into a topknot. When I eventually take it down, it is a messy wave,' she said.

For her outfit, Elle said always opts for white - something that's 'easy, floaty and sexy'.

'I often wear white, its become a sort of tradition for me,' she said.

And the last thing she puts on as her 'signature scent' is a French men's fragrance called Vetiver by Guerlain, which retails for $93 online.

The scent includes citrus fruits such as orange and lemon, bergamot, tonka bean, vetiver, tobacco, nutmeg and pepper.Melania Trump was her usual glamorous self as she landed back at the White House yesterday after a surprise visit to Iraq with her husband, but one element of her outfit left fans a little confused.

The First Lady, 48, looked chic in an emerald green buttoned coat with nude leather pants, but the colour seemed to baffle some onlookers who thought it looked as if she wasn't wearing anything on her lower half.

It wasn't long before a Twitter debate broke out with people playfully poking fun at the outfit.

'Holy c***. That is a MINI, mini-skirt', one wrote, while another added: 'Melania wearing only green coat and underwear. No trousers or skirt.'

Melania Trump looked glamorous in a green Prada coat and leather pants as she arrived back at the White House following a surprise visit to Iraq, but her outfit choice left some people a little confused

The color of the First Lady's leather pants left some Twitter users confused, as they claimed it looked as if she wasn't wearing anything on her bottom half

Another tweeted: 'It looked like Melania was pantless, until you see the wrinkles in the fabric, as she walked down the stairs.

The First Lady chose a green double breasted Prada coat, and held on to her husband's hand as she walked across the South Lawn and into the White House.

She was first spotted in the $2,480 number last December on a visit to Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, DC.

While some followers were quick to comment on Melania's outfit, others hailed her 'a brave woman' for visiting the war zone, as this was the pair's first trip to a combat zone in Trump's two years in office.

Some Twitter users even thought Melania had gone barfeoot for the occasion as she completed her outfit with a nude pair of pointed toe pumps

A separate fan tweeted: 'The First Lady Melania Trump is the fist Frist last to visit the troops in a war zone in 60 years. What a brave woman.'

After greeting soldiers and military leaders in the Middle East Wednesday morning, they headed out  but made yet another stop in Germany to wish the servicemen and women their happy holidays.

They touched down at Ramstein Air Base at 4am local time to refuel and meet with US military there, before hopping back on Air Force One to head back to DC.

Melania sported a green belted coat which some confused as a dress when they did not notice she was wearing tan pants

It's not the first time the mother-of-one has caused something of a stir with her choice of outfit.

In July this year, she famously wore a $39 statement jacket from Zara emblazoned with the slogan: 'I really don't care, do u'.

She donned the controversial jacket for a visit to children separated from their families at the Mexico border.

Onlookers believed Melania had braved the cold in just a mini skirt and nothing on her bottom half

the First Lady made the festive trip to visit US troops with her husband Donald Trump

It wasn't until onlookers noticed the creases in the trousers they realised Melania had indeed covered upA high-flying mother-of-two has told how her confidence was shattered when her hair fell out following the birth of her second child.

Kimberley Coke, 35, from from Apsley, Hertfordshire, began to lose large clumps of her hair after she stopped breast-feeding her five-month-old son Jonah.

She would brush out large quantities of locks after her shower each morning and her hairline became noticeably thinner.

Kimberley works as a restaurant concierge in London, booking tables at some of the most famous restaurants in the world for wealthy clients.

Her work brings her into contact with famous TV chefs such as Marcus Wareing and Michel Roux Jr.

Transformation: Kimberley Coke, 35, from from Apsley, Hertfordshire, began to lose large clumps of her hair after she stopped breast-feeding (left) but she has since regained the shine and volume in her hair after trying a supplement made from pea shoots (right)

Her hair loss happened just a few months before she was due to return to work - and she was worried how this would affect her self-confidence.

She said: 'Image is important in my job. I am booking the very best restaurants in the world for elite clients. They are the kind of tables where there is a waiting list for months if you have not got the right connections. I am out all the time meeting clients and it is vital that I look my best.

'My hormones were all over the place after having Jonah, so to add hair loss into the equation so soon before I returned to work was an absolute nightmare. I was really worried about going back with my hair so thin and lacklustre.'

Around 8 million women in the UK suffer from hair loss at some point in their lives - including 300,000 a year like Kimberley who have post-partum loss in the first five months after giving birth.

Kimberley began taking GROW by Hair Gain - a new supplement derived from organic pea shoots, which makers claim 'restores shine and vitality to hair', making it visibly fuller and thicker within month.

Kimberley with celebrity chef Marcus Wareing. Her hair loss happened just a few months before she was due to return to work - and she was worried how this would affect her self-confidence

Kimberley's work brings her into contact with famous TV chefs such as Marcus Wareing and Michel Roux Jr (pictured)

The product has been scientifically formulated using vitamins, minerals, botanicals and aminos said to boost healthy hair growth.

Kimberley said: 'I was prepared to try anything because I was so worried about my hair. I had always been very lucky with my hair before having Jonah.

'It has always been very full and thick and I have often got compliments about my lovely long, blonde hair.

'So to see it so thin particularly at the front, and to be greeted each morning with fresh clumps of it falling out after my shower, was very depressing.

Kimberley (pictured with her two sons) researched a range of remedies online before another mum recommended GROW, and says regrowing her hair has boosted her confidence

Kimberley's hair when it was at its thinnest. The mother-of-two would brush out large quantities of locks after her shower each morning and her hairline became noticeably thinner

'I started taking the supplements and within a month I could see the difference and after three months it was just like it was before my pregnancy. I was stunned at the difference and I could feel my self-confidence surging as I prepared to go back to work.'

Kimberley had no problems with post-partum hair loss following the birth of her first child Finlay three years ago.

All seemed fine, too, after Jonah's birth in October last year - until she stopped breastfeeding.

She recalled: 'I know post-pregnancy hair loss is a big problem but I hadn't given it a thought before the recent problems.

Kimberley had no problems with post-partum hair loss following the birth of her first child Finlay three years ago, and thankfully her tresses have now been restored to their former glory (pictured with a full head of hair earlier this year)

Kimberley, who has now returned to work, says: 'I love my boys to death but I have really missed the restaurant scene. It will be fab to return with my hair back to its best'

'I had been fine with Finlay. I breastfed Jonah immediately after the birth but I wanted to switch him to a bottle in the months leading up to my return to work.

'As soon as I stopped breast feeding my hair began to fall out. At first it was quite slow and then great clumps were coming out in my brush after my shower in the morning.

'There was a hormonal change in my body after I stopped and this affected my hair. It wasn't just hair loss - my hair became thinner and lank. It lost all of its natural sparkle.

'I was struggling at the time to return to my pre-birth weight. When you add a return to work into that mix, it all adds up to a lot of stress. I wasn't in a good place.'

Speaking about how her confidence has soared, Kimberley says: 'I was struggling at the time to return to my pre-birth weight. When you add a return to work into that mix, it all adds up to a lot of stress. I wasn't in a good place'

Kimberley researched a range of remedies online before another mum recommended GROW, and her hair is now thicker than ever (pictured)

Kimberley had no problems with post-partum hair loss following the birth of her first child Finlay three years ago, and her hair is now back to normal (pictured)

Kimberley researched a range of remedies online before another mum recommended GROW.

Her husband Jon, 35, director at a private school, is delighted her hair problems have been sorted.

She said: 'Jon is a very supportive husband and obviously he was worried about me when my hair started falling out.

'He really encouraged me to be positive and pro-actively find a solution. He loves the fact that the old me is well and truly back.'

Kimberley added: 'I love my boys to death but I have really missed the restaurant scene. It will be fab to return with my hair back to its best.'A Target employee who went above and beyond is getting props from a shopper on social media.

Brianna Lelos, 22, was at a Target in Wilmington, Massachusetts, last week when her toddler daughter began throwing a temper tantrum, sitting down on the floor.

Before she calm the tyke down by herself, an employee named Lianna sat down right next to the little girl to cheer her up.

Wow! Brianna Lelos was at a Target in Wilmington, Massachusetts last week when her toddler daughter, Bella, threw a tantrum. An employee named Lianna sat with Bella to calm her

Brianna was clearly a bit exasperated with her daughter Bella when she caused a scene, but was blown away by Lianna's helpfulness.

She took to Twitter on December 21 to give her a shout-out.

'To Liliana of the Wilmington, MA @Target store,' she began, unintentionally misspelling Lianna's name. 'Thankyou.

'I *think* every parents knows the feeling of their toddler/any age child having a tantrum in the middle of the store......

'@Target thank-you for having kind, caring, humans working at your stores. Its appreciated. [sic]'

Above and beyond: Target was glad for the positive feedback and promised to pass it on so the employee would be recognized

Thanks! Brianna was grateful that such a kind person was there to help

Later, Lianna's mom, Lynne Booth, caught sight of the tweet - and revealed that Lianna has children of her own, who she is also incredibly patient with.

'She's a great kid and this is how she is with all the children... even her own!' she wrote.

'Thanks for recognizing her kind heart...it means a lot to me....and her!'

Target recognized the young woman's dedication, too, writing: 'We strive to provide great guest service and we are excited to hear what a great job our team member did.

'We will forward this awesome feedback to our Wilmington Store Leadership team.'A Southern California baker has wowed social media users with her positively gorgeous pies, which look almost too pretty to eat  though she promises that doesn't stop her from digging in.

Liz Joy, a self-styled 'Sugar Artist,' has a way with baked goods, and sells her artistic cookies, cakes, and macarons through her company, Inspired to Taste.

Lately, she's been earning even more attention for what she calls her 'narrative pies,' which feature characters in detailed scenes that seem ripped right from the walls of a museum.

What big teeth you have! Liz Joy, a self-styled 'Sugar Artist,' makes some truly incredible pies, like this blueberry one inspired by Little Red Riding Hood

Under the sea! They're not just gorgeous, though certainly this Little Mermaid one makes for a pretty picture. Each one is also delicious, and she gets to try them all

Seriously skillful! Liz, who is based in Southern California, said she's only recently begun experimenting with these 'narrative' pies, like this one with Ursula the sea witch

Liz had already posted pictures of quite a few gorgeous pies with fruity and floral designs before she decided to start telling a story with the dessert's surface.

Over the summer, she collaborated with fellow Instagrammer @thepieous, who has her own 50,000-strong social media following for her impressive pies.

While @thepieous made a Big Bad Wolf pie, Liz made one with Little Red Riding Hood, showing the little girl's crimson-caped back as she walked into a dark forest with a swirly, Van Gogh-esque blueberry sky.

She went on to make more narrative pies, including a 'Rockford Peaches Pie' with a scene from A League of Their Own.

She's also done Ursula from The Little Mermaid with blackberries and blueberries, as well as Ariel herself, perched on a rock and looking out at a sunset made of raspberries and peaches.

For Christmas, she plucked a scene from The Nutcracker, painting a ballerina inside a wreath and topping the whole thing with a snow globe dome made of berry-flavored isomalt (a sugar substitute).

There's no crying in pie eating! Each one, including this 'Rockford Peaches Pie' with a scene from A League of Their Own, takes two to three days to make

Magical! For Christmas, she made this one with an actual edible snow globe made of a sugar substitute

Liz, who is entirely self-taught, said she figured out how to bake and decorate by incorporating things she'd learned from blogs and YouTube videos.

It also helps that she has a background in art, having spent a decade as an Art Director at a Hollywood agency before launching Inspired to Taste.

Speaking to DailyMail.com, she said that each of her pies take a lot of work from start to finish.

'Pies generally take me at least a couple of days from concept to completion,' she said. 'That's assuming I don't destroy anything in the process.

'I'm always interested in learning new techniques and materials, and the trial-and-error process can tend to be a bit time consuming and chaotic. I generally learn the most through trial-and-error and sheer stubbornness.'

Such a chic dessert! She also takes a lot of inspiration from fashion, modeling this pie off a runway look

Yum! She said she learns through trial and error and bakes the pieces separately

Something that's nice about pies, she said, is that the general shape is dictated from the get-go.

'One of the things I like about pie art is that I know I'll be working with a round canvas. So I'm always keeping that in the back of my mind, and I stay on the lookout for ideas that fit into that curved frame,' she explained.

For each pie, she starts with a loose sketch so she can figure out all the different design elements. With that in mind, she then figures out flavors, materials, and techniques.

'I then make templates for all the pieces, which I hand-cup and bake separately,' she said. 'I usually blind bake the bottom crust, make the filling(s) stovetop, then piece the whole edible scene together once the individual elements have been decorated.

'I attach the decorations with either chocolate, white chocolate, or melted caramel, depending on what coordinates best with the given pie.'

'I've been lucky enough to eat at least a couple slices of almost every pie I've posted to Instagram,' she said

Keeping a record: She doesn't mind slicing into them as look as she has taken a picture first

So popular! Her confections, including cakes and cookies, have earned her a huge social media following

So far, her Little Red Riding Hood pie from over the summer is her favorite that she's made.

'It was the first narrative-style pie I created, and I was super excited with the outcome. I'm also pretty pleased with the recent snow globe-inspired pie I made for the holidays,' she added.

Though many of her sweets are made for clients  like the sneaker-shaped cookies she's cooked up for Louboutin  most of her pies have been made simply to expand her own skillset. That means she actually gets to dig in and enjoy them.

'I've been lucky enough to eat at least a couple slices of almost every pie I've posted to Instagram,' she said.

And while some people would be loath to slice a knife through such a gorgeous confection, she's not worried once she has a picture to remember it by.

'As long as I have photos of my dessert designs, I'm generally A-okay cutting into them, and more than happy to partake in the consumption. I create my treats to taste good as well as look cool and I really want for them to be enjoyed.'A revolting experiment has today laid bare how much worse it is to smoke cigarettes than to vape, in the hope of encouraging thousands to kick the habit.

Public Health England conducted the test using jars of cotton wool exposed to tobacco smoke, e-cigarette vapour or normal air.

The grim results showed the jar exposed to 320 cigarettes turned brown and sticky, while there was just a light mist in the vaping scenario.

Officials at PHE warn nearly half of smokers don't realise how much healthier e-cigarettes are and warned it would be 'tragic' if smokers stuck to tobacco because of 'false fears' about the safety of vaping.

However, experts warn there growing concerns about electronic cigarettes contributing to heart disease.

Scientists compared the effects of tobacco and vaping on the lungs by seeing how cotton wool balls are affected by the different chemicals  the smoking wool (left) is significantly more damaged and the tar could be smeared onto paper after around 320 cigarettes

Public Health England says e-cigarettes are definitely a healthier option than cigarettes (right, a jar filled with smoke from 16 packs of cigarettes) and dramatically reduce the risk of lung cancer

E-cigarettes are claimed to be helpful in the fight against cancer-causing cigarettes.

But PHE warns some 44 per cent of smokers believe vaping is equally as harmful as tobacco or don't realise how much healthier e-cigarettes are.

In a lab experiment scientists revealed how much more damage 16 packs of cigarettes does to cotton wool than the same amount of e-cigarette vapour.

'We need to reassure smokers that switching to an e-cigarette would be much less harmful than smoking,' said Professor John Newton, director of health improvement at PHE.

'We want to encourage more smokers to try and quit completely with the help of an e-cigarette, or by using other nicotine replacement such as patches or gum, as this will significantly improve their chances of success.'

Public Health England bosses claimed 'false fears' over the vaping devices are deterring thousands of people from using them.

The campaign repeats the controversial claim that e-cigarettes are 95 per cent safer than cigarettes  a statistic revealed by scientists funded by the e-cigarette industry.

PHE's move has been criticised as being 'way out of step with the rest of the world'.

Experts, while admitting the lung cancer risk is lower with e-cigarettes, have other safety fears which have yet to be explored and concerns about young people using them.

E-cigarettes contain a liquid form of nicotine that is heated into vapour to be inhaled, avoiding the harm caused by tobacco smoke.

Cotton wool exposed to tobacco smoke (pictured) turned dark and had liquid tar on it in Public Health England's experiment, showing how much more damage cigarettes can do to the lungs

The wool exposed to vapour from an e-cigarette (pictured) were unstained and looked like those which were just exposed to clean air to be used for comparison  English public health officials say e-cigarettes are a healthier option and should be used to help people quit smoking

Around three million adults in Britain have used e-cigarettes in the decade or so they have been on the market.

Health experts agree the devices are much safer than smoking tobacco and the gadgets are thought to have helped 22,000 people quit smoking each year.

But Professor Martin McKee, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, a long-term critic of the promotion of e-cigs, has reservations.

He said there are 'growing concerns' about the risks of vaping on heart disease and argued the devices are not yet proven to be an effective quitting aid.

'While there are lots of anecdotal accounts of people using them to quit, we have yet to see any good evidence from clinical trials, the gold standard method, that they work,' Professor McKee said.

'We expect e-cigarettes to have a lower risk of cancer but there are growing concerns about the risk of heart disease.

'Importantly, it seems that those who use both, which is very common, are at greater risk than with either on their own.

Debate over how harmful vaping is leads to confusion E-cigarettes have the potential to benefit some people, by helping them quit smoking. But scientists still have a lot to learn about whether e-cigarettes are truly effective for quitting smoking and what the long-term risks are. Nicotine is already known to be highly addictive and harm adolescent brain development, which continues into the early to mid-20s. E-cigarettes produce an aerosol by heating a liquid that usually contains nicotine. Aerosol is inhaled into the lungs and can contain potentially harmful substances, including heavy metals like lead, volatile organic compounds, and cancer-causing agents. US health officials, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are investigating an outbreak of e-cigarette or vaping, product use associated lung injury (EVALI). The mystery illness has swept across the states. Officials have identified Vitamin E acetate as a chemical of concern. THC is present in most of the fluid samples collected from the lungs of ill people, and most patients report a history of using THC-containing e-cigarette, or vaping, products. 'Popcorn lung' is the nickname for bronchiolitis obliterans, a condition which damages the smallest airways in the lungs and has been linked to people with vaping-related breathing problems. However, theres no good evidence that e-cigarettes could cause the lung condition, according to Cancer Research UK. The flavourings in electronic cigarettes may damage blood vessels in the same way as heart disease, according to research published in June 2018. The chemicals used to give the vapour flavours, such as cinnamon, strawberry and banana, can cause inflammation in cells in the arteries, veins and heart. They cause the body to react in a way that mimics the early signs of heart disease, heart attacks or strokes, the study by Boston University found. Other recent studies have also suggested smoking e-cigarettes could cause DNA mutations which lead to cancer, and enable pneumonia-causing bacteria to stick to the lungs easier. Researchers at New York University subjected human bladder and lung cells to e-cigarette vapor, which is marketed as being healthier than tobacco. They found the cells mutated and became cancerous much faster than expected and mice exposed to the vapour also suffered significant DNA damage. In another study, scientists at Queen Mary University, London, found vaping makes users more likely to catch pneumonia  just like smoking tobacco or breathing in traffic fumes. The vapour from e-cigarettes helps bacteria which cause the condition to stick to the cells that line the airways, they said. The effect occurs with traditional cigarette smoke and those who are exposed to air pollution high in particulates from vehicle exhausts. An April 20202 study found vaping damages the arteries and blood vessel function much like smoking traditional cigarettes. The team studied measures of blood vessel function in e-cigarette and dual users who had been using e-cigarettes for at least three months. All e-cigarette users were former cigarette smokers. Advertisement

'The World Health Organisation has stated that it is impossible to place any figure on how much safer e-cigarettes are, while it is still far too early to know about long-term effects.

'Now that we have seen what is happening in the USA, with an explosive growth in e-cigarette use among young people, it is clearer than ever that England is way out of step with the rest of the world.'

The public health campaign, launched online today, urges people to take up vaping to quit smoking.

PHE's Professor Newton said: 'It would be tragic if thousands of smokers who could quit with the help of an e-cigarette are being put off due to false fears about safety.

'This demonstration highlights the devastating harms caused by every cigarette and helps people see that vaping is likely to pose only a fraction of the risk.'

Dr Lion Shahab, a smoking cessation academic from University College London said: 'The false belief that vaping is as harmful as smoking could be preventing thousands of smokers from switching to e-cigarettes to help them quit.

'Research we and others have conducted shows that vaping is much less harmful than smoking and that using e-cigarettes on a long-term basis is relatively safe, similar to using licensed nicotine products, like nicotine patches or gum.

'Using e-cigarettes or nicotine replacement such as patches or gum will boost your chances of quitting successfully.'

But even the Government's different health agencies are divided on e-cigarettes.

Public Health England has backed the devices since it declared in a landmark report in 2015 that they should be prescribed on the NHS.

In October 2017 it controversially promoted e-cigarettes in 30-second television advertisements as part of its annual 'Stoptober' quit smoking campaign.

However, another official body  the clinical guidelines watchdog NICE  has told GPs not to recommend e-cigarettes because there is limited evidence over whether they are safe.

NICE guidelines circulated to family doctors last year instructed them to offer patients nicotine patches and counselling instead.

The Department of Health has adopted a more cautious middle ground.

In its Tobacco Control Plan last year pledging to 'evaluate critically' the evidence around e-cigs and to 'provide clear communication about what is known and unknown about the short and long term risks'.

Dame Sally Davies, the Government's Chief Medical Officer, has been more critical, warning: 'People need to recognise that they are not risk free, and therefore they should only be used as a means to help smokers quit and stay quit.'People are shying away from donating their eyes because of the 'yuck factor', the NHS has warned amid a shortage.

One in 10 organ donors opts out of donating their eyes, data from NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) revealed - despite them being willing to donate their hearts, livers and kidneys.

As well as being too squeamish, families often refuse to consent to their loved ones' eyes being taken.

Emma Winstanley, lead nurse for NHSBT's Tissue and Eye Services, said this could be due to the old adage of 'eyes being the window to the soul'.

People are shying away from donating their eyes because of the 'yuck factor', the NHS warned amid shortage of the organs for sight-saving operations

One donation can help restore or improve the sight of up to 10 people, but the NHS are not currently receiving enough eyes.

NHSBT needs around 350 corneas in its eye banks - situated in Manchester and Bristol - to meet patient need.

But from the start of 2018 until November 23, the average number of corneas in the eye banks at any given time was 307.

'It is a phenomenon which we call the 'yuck factor' - some people are squeamish about eyes,' Ms Winstanley told the Press Association.

'So what we find is some people are willing to donate organs and other tissues like heart valve, bone and tendons.

'But sometimes when you ask a family member about eyes they can say 'You can have anything you want, but not the eyes'.

'It's within our culture about eyes being the 'windows to the soul' but actually, when you really think about it, you could be saving somebody's sight or be giving them the gift of sight. That kind of counteracts that feeling.'

Donating one's eyes can help 'transform' the lives of people in need of sight-saving operations, she said.

In the last year 3,504 people in England have had their sight restored through cornea transplants.

The eye is never transplated whole from one person to another.

The cornea - the clear tissue on the front of the eye that help the eye to focus light - is one part of the eye that can be donated.

The sclera, the white part of the eye, can also be donated for reconstruction surgery. Other tissue is used for research and development.

People can donate their corneas up to 24 hours after they die and, unlike organ donation, it is not necessary for them to die in a hospital intensive care unit or A&E department to become a donor.

Donation can take place after death in hospital, in hospices or in a funeral home.

A wider pool of people can also be eye donors, including most cancer patients and people who have eye problems themselves, such as the short-sighted.

And donors can be almost any age, with an upper limit of about 85 in Britain, which is around the time the cell count drops on the corneas.

Paediatrician Dr Victoria Parsonson almost lost her sight before she received a cornea transplant.

The 35-year-old, from Birmingham, said she was 'given the gift of sight' and the operation 'completely changed' her life.

She was diagnosed with keratoconus, a progressive eye disease which causes distorted and blurred vision, when she was 16.

'I was devastated, all I ever wanted to be was a doctor,' she said.

But in 2001 she had the cornea transplant at Bristol Eye Hospital.

Dr Parsonson added: 'Having a transplant completely changed my life. It helped me to help other people.

'I like to think that I have been given the gift of sight and I hope in my career I am able to also give something back to people.

'My donor and their family are amazing and I can't thank them enough for what they have done for me.'

With the opt-out organ donation system, intended to be in place by 2020, hundreds more lives could be saved, as well as eyesight.

An NHS Blood and Transplant spokesman said: 'There is evidence from countries which have introduced an opt-out approach that it can have a positive impact on the number of organ and tissue donors, which in turn leads to increasing the number of lives that are saved or improved.

'Whatever system is in place it will always be important that people have conversations with their family about whether they wish to donate so that their decision is clear. This can make things easier for families at a very difficult time.'Ebola patients have escaped from a treatment centre at the heart of an outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Two dozen potentially contagious people broke out of a medical centre in Beni, in the north-east of the African country, when it was attacked yesterday.

Seven of the 24 have been tracked down but the search is on for the remaining 17 who, if infected, could spread the virus if back out in public.

At least 336 people have died in the ongoing outbreak, which began in August and has infected more than 500 people.

Violence has been making it difficult to stop Ebola spreading and things worsened when a general election was postponed this month.

At least 336 people are now believed to have died since August in an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with more than 500 people catching the disease so far

People protesting election delays (pictured) attacked a Doctors Without Borders camp where medics are working to control an Ebola outbreak, and 24 patients believed to have the disease escaped during the violence

Photos released by Reuters have shown families grieving at the funerals of children, in Beni in the North Kivu province, who died of suspected Ebola

The patients who escaped were being held in a camp with suspected Ebola but hadn't yet been confirmed.

Demonstrators attacked the camp after elections planned for Sunday, December 23, were postponed because of fears of violence and the Ebola outbreak.

'Of 24 patients, 17 had tested negative (for Ebola) once. They had to be tested a second time before being discharged,' said a spokeswoman for DRC's health ministry.

'Four of them went home. Three other suspected cases were in too serious a case to flee.'

But some of the demonstrators went into contaminated zones of the camp, according to one aid worker, adding more potential for the spread of the virus.

As well as fears Ebola will spread into other regions of DRC, the neighbouring countries of Uganda and South Sudan are on high alert.

Health workers in those countries have been given vaccines against the virus to try and prevent it spreading via people who travel across the borders.

Confirmed figures show 512 people have been struck down with Ebola, with a 288 confirmed to have died of it  the remaining cases are still being tested.

Experts warn the infection is spreading because people are moving in and out of the region, while some communities are not engaging with health workers.

The provinces of North Kivu, which includes the heavily populated cities of Beni, Kalunguta and Mabalako, and Ituri remain the centre of the outbreak.

Aid workers face the threat of attack from armed groups and resistance from locals in a region which has never had an Ebola outbreak before.

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.

Tracking suspected contacts of Ebola victims is also challenge in areas controlled by dangerous rebels.

Ebola damages the body by attacking white blood cells and reducing the blood's ability to clot, which then sends the immune system into overdrive, making it target the organs and cause serious, potentially fatal damage

A woman cries next to the coffin of a child who is believed to have died of Ebola in the ongoing outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo

UNICEF said more than 400 children have been left orphaned or unaccompanied in this outbreak, as patients can spend weeks in treatment centres

Ebola can be transmitted between humans through blood and other bodily fluids of people who have been infected, and by touching infected surfaces.

The elections scheduled for earlier this month would have used touch screens and hand sanitiser was sent to polling stations to try and avoid the virus spreading that way.

Voting has been suspended until March in Beni and the nearby city of Butembo, but the rest of the country is expected to go to the polls this weekend.

In a world-first, four experimental drugs are being used to try and combat the disease  mAb 114, ZMapp, Remdesivir and Regeneron.

Patients will each be treated with one of the four and scientific researchers will conduct a study on how well each of them works.

Dr Jeremy Farrar, director of Wellcome, a UK charity which has funded research into the vaccine being used in the DRC, told MailOnline last week: 'The Ebola vaccine and now also potential treatments available as part of clinical trials are having a huge impact.

'But, we are in a crucial phase and it is an incredibly challenging and frightening environment for health workers. The next month, over Christmas and New Year, will be critical to what happens to this outbreak.'

A worrying development happened earlier in December when the virus appeared to have taken hold in another major city, Butembo, 35 miles (56km) away from Beni.

Experts warned the quick spread makes tackling the virus more complicated because containing it has been challenging enough in the one city.

They fear experimental vaccines which have been doled out to thousands of people will run out.

Dr Farrar added: 'This Ebola outbreak is taking hold in an incredibly complex region and extends into dangerous conflict areas.

'The number of cases and deaths is concerning but the DRC public health teams, WHO and other international partners continue to provide an incredible response.'The fall last month that caused Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to fracture three ribs may have saved her life.

After undergoing a CT scan, doctors found two cancerous nodules in the Supreme Court justice's left lung.

They were removed on Friday at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and there is 'no evidence of any remaining disease', the Supreme Court press office said in a statement.

Doctors say that most lung cancer cases are caught at a much more advanced stage when there is no cure and that if the 85-year-old hadn't fallen, she might have suffered the same fate.

Doctors say the fall that caused Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (pictured, November 2018) to fracture three ribs may have saved her life

After undergoing a CT scan for her ribs, doctors found two cancerous nodules in Ginsburg's left lung, which were removed on Friday at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Pictured: Ginsburg, right, with NPR's Nina Totenburg, December 15

According to a press release, Ginsburg fell in her office at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, November 7 and was hospitalized the next day.

NPR reported that it was while doctors were taking a CT scan of her ribs that they spotted an abnormality in one of the five lobes of her lung.

Surgeons performed biopsies and found non-small cell cancerous growths.

Dr John Heymach, chairman of thoracic, head and neck medical oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston - who did not treat Ginsburg - told DailyMail.com that this is how many cancers are diagnosed.

'For example, if a patient falls and has a CT scan or X-ray, the doctors are looking for something else and notice an abnormality and that's usually how the cancer is caught,' he said.

Dr Heymach said it's most likely that one of the tumors is a primary lung cancer, meaning it originated in the lung, and the second is a satellite tumor that grew alongside it.

The procedure that Ginsburg underwent is called a pulmonary lobectomy, in which the cancerous part of the lung is removed as opposed to the entire organ.

This prevents the cancerous tissue from potentially spreading to the rest of the lung or throughout the body.

When diseased tissue is isolated to just one portion of the lung, it means that it is either pre-cancerous or in the early stages of cancer.

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in men and women but only 16 percent are diagnosed in the early stages. When lung cancer has spread to other organs, the five-year survival rate is five percent. Pictured: Ginsburg in 2014, left, and in 1977, right

Dr John Heymach of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston says if the lung cancer had been caught after it presented symptoms, it's much less likely it would have been cured. Pictured: Ginsburg works out with her personal trainer in the RBG documentary

'When [lung cancer] is detected early, it's usually curable with surgery,' said Dr Heymach.

'Unfortunately, the problem is only a minority are diagnosed in the early stages. When it presents symptoms, it usually means it's spread outside the lung.'

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in men and women and the leading cause of cancer death.

More than 154,000 Americans are expected to die from lung cancer this year, which will account for 25 percent of all cancer deaths in 2018.

According to the American Cancer Society, more people die of lung cancer every year than colon, breast and prostate cancers combined.

If lung cancer is detected when it has not metastasized, the five-year survival is 56 percent.

However, a mere 16 percent of lung cancer cases are diagnosed during the early stages, according to the American Lung Association.

When lung cancer has spread to other organs, the five-year survival rate is five percent.

'There's a good possibility that scan for her ribs saved her life,' Dr Heymach said.

'If [the cancer] had grown to develop symptoms, it's much more likely it wouldnt have been cured.'

Ginsburg has battled cancer twice before. In 1999, she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and, in 2009, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Pictured: Ginsburg, December 15

She has been given the nickname 'The Notorious RBG' - a reference to the late rapper The Notorious BIG - and is the subject of a new film On the Basis of Sex, which opened on Christmas Day. Pictured: Armie Hammer as Marty Ginsburg, left, and Felicity Jones as Ruth Bader Ginsburg in a scene from On the Basis of Sex

This is the justice's third battle with cancer since then-President Bill Clinton appointed her to the bench in August 1993.

In 1999, Ginsburg underwent chemotherapy and radiation after she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

Then in 2009, she had surgery for early-stage pancreatic cancer, also at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

In November 2014, she had a stent placed in her right coronary artery after she felt discomfort while exercising with her personal trainer.

Throughout her 25 years of service, Ginsburg has yet to miss a Supreme Court argument.

NBC Connecticut reported that from her hospital bed at Memorial Sloan Kettering, Ginsburg voted against the request of the Trump administration that restrictions be imposed to prevent migrants who crossed the US-Mexico border illegally from seeking asylum.

She has been given the nickname 'The Notorious RBG' - a reference to the late rapper The Notorious BIG - and is the subject of a new film On the Basis of Sex, which opened on Christmas Day.

Dr Heymach says that the general public could learn a great deal from Ginsburg's case.

'If you do get an X-ray and are told there's an abnormality, follow up on it because lots of people don't,' he said.

'Second is that this highlights that there are many who could benefit from get screenings early such as those who have a history of smoking even if they quit a long time ago.'The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to meet top-level executives of e-cigarette makers, the agency's chief said on Thursday.

Director Scott Gottlieb hinted that some companies seem to be backing away from commitments related to youth's access to e-cigarettes.

'There's no reason manufacturers must wait for FDA to forcefully address the epidemic,' he said on Thursday in a tweet.

'Yet some already appear to back away from commitments made to the FDA and the public.'

FDA director Scott Gottlieb hinted that some companies seem to be backing away from commitments related to youth's access to e-cigarettes

In November, the FDA announced sweeping restrictions on flavored tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes popular among teenagers, and restricting sale of fruity or sweet flavors at retail outlets.

Tobacco giant Altria Group Inc (MO.N) and Juul Labs Inc, among other e-cigarette makers, have said that they supported efforts to limit access to e-cigarettes.

In a rare move last week, the US Surgeon General Jerome Adams issued an advisory urging aggressive steps against e-cigarette use among teens, which he said has become an 'epidemic'.

For young people, 'nicotine is dangerous and it can have negative health effects,' Adams said in an interview with the Associated Press.

'It can impact learning, attention and memory, and it can prime the youth brain for addiction.'

Federal officials are scrambling to reverse a recent explosion in teen vaping that public health officials fear could undermine decades of declines in tobacco use.

An estimated 3.6 million US teens are now using e-cigarettes, representing one in five high school students and one in 20 middle schoolers, according to the latest federal figures.

Separate survey results released last Monday showed twice as many high school students used e-cigarettes this year compared to last year.

Since 2017, FDA officials had discussed e-cigarettes as a potential tool to wean adult smokers off cigarettes, but in September the FDA reversed course and warned the industry to address the problem of surging teenage e-cigarette use or risk having their flavored products pulled off the market.

Gottlieb said then that the agency did not predict an 'epidemic addiction' among youth, mainly driven by flavored products.

The FDA's new restrictions were earlier reported by The Washington Post.

Gottlieb says there are no plans to limit the sale of menthol flavored vapes, since those are the ones most commonly used by adults trying to give up smoking.

'Would you give a recovering alcoholic a whiskey-flavored drink? No. So we don't want to leave smokers with only tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes,' Gottlieb told Politico's Pulsecheck podcast.A mother of triplets had to carry two of her babies to full term - even though they died just 16 weeks into her pregnancy.

Bernadette Murphy, 29, could not have her two dead sons removed because the third one  James  was still growing healthily.

James's brothers did not survive because of a rare condition called twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), which causes deadly problems with the placenta.

After the two boys had died, Ms Murphy had to take regular antibiotics to prevent an infection and was told her body could reject the entire pregnancy at any time.

Ms Murphy said 'it never felt strange' carrying all three of the boys - but she was hit by a wave of emotion when she gave birth in April 2014.

Bernadette Murphy, 29, carried two of her triplets to full term after they died to ensure the survival of her third son, James

TTTS happens when two or more identical babies share a placenta and there is an abnormal blood supply to the foetuses.

The effects of this can range from a minor difference in fluid in the amniotic sac to the death of one or both of the babies.

James was protected from the condition because he had his own placenta and therefore his own unaffected blood supply.

Ms Murphy said: 'It never felt strange carrying all three of them  it was a comfort even though Joseph and Niall had passed  it was when I gave birth that I felt worse.

'When they were born the realisation they were no longer with me really hit me.

'When I was carrying them it felt like I was protecting them the whole time. I just wanted to have them at home with me.'

Ms Murphy, a teacher from Liverpool, was overjoyed when she and her ex-partner found out she was pregnant with not one but three boys in July 2013.

But devastation struck when she was told two of the boys, identical twins Joseph and Niall, who shared the same amniotic sac, passed away at 16 weeks.

James was still alive and would not be able to survive outside the womb until he was carried to full term.

So Ms Murphy continued with her pregnancy so James would be healthy enough to be brought into the world.

She said: 'In my first scan the doctors thought I was having twins and later realised that it was triplets.

Ms Murphy was overjoyed when she and her ex-partner found out she was pregnant with not one but three boys in July 2013, but only one  James  would be born alive nine months later

Ms Murphy said it 'never felt strange' to be carrying two dead babies alongside her living son, James (pictured), and that she felt like she was protecting them

James (circled) was in a separate amniotic sac while the other two boys shared one (right). They were affected by twin-twin transfusion syndrome in which two babies sharing a sac have an abnormal blood supply  it can cause only minor effects or be fatal for both children

'I was so happy and at first, everything seemed to be fine but my consultant warned me it could be a very complicated pregnancy.

'Within the first three months I was in and out of hospital due to severe sickness and excessive bleeding, carrying three babies.

'I attended my 12 week scan where there was a concern with the growth of Niall compared to his identical twin Joseph.

'I went for weekly scans in order for my consultant to monitor the twins.'

After 15 weeks Ms Murphy was told doctors suspected she had TTTS, so she was referred for emergency tests.

Around 300 children in the UK die from the condition each year, and it affects around 6,000 in the US.

'When I went for my 16 week scan I explained I had experienced cramps down my left side and some kicking motions since my previous scan,' she said.

'I knew something was not right, I remember the consultant grabbing my hand and I was told the twins had passed away.

'I was by myself and I remember just wanting my family to be with me.

'I immediately asked if James was okay and was told that he was developing well but there could be potential complications down the line.'

Ms Murphy was told the entire pregnancy could fail at any time, meaning James would die, too, but she carried him to 37 weeks.

She gave birth on April 2, 2014, at Whiston Hospital in Merseyside to a healthy 6.5lbs James, as well as having stillborn boys Joseph and Niall.

'Joseph was fully formed but Niall had been partially absorbed into the placenta but I was just so happy that I got a chance to see them,' Ms Murphy said.

She was able to keep the boys ashes after allowing doctors to conduct research and, as James grew, she could explain how he had two very special siblings.

James, now four, is 'full of energy' and did two 1km runs this year for charity in memory of his brothers (James is pictured holding the medals from the runs)

The mother and son remember Joseph and Niall every year by lighting a candle on their anniversary and also mark Twin To Twin Transfusion Day every December.

And this year James, now four, completed two 1K runs for charity as a tribute to his brothers.

Ms Murphy said: 'I wanted him to know that he had two brothers but it was a tricky to explain at first and extremely sensitive as I needed to ensure I was strong enough emotionally.

'I didn't want him to think it was his fault. I explained that they were sick and they were now up in the sky.

'I remind him how special and unique he is and that their blood flows through him always. They are always with him.

'He loved doing the runs as he is so full of energy and he will always know he had two special brothers.'Surgeons make more mistakes in the operating room when they are under stress or are distracted, a study has found.

Researchers tracked the electrical activity of one surgeon's heart for signs of stress and video recorded his work to spot mistakes.

They found he made up to 66 per cent more mistakes when he was stressed, which can cause bleeding, tears or burns in patients.

Surgeons make more mistakes, up to 66 per cent, in the operating room when they are under stress, a study at Columbia University has found

'I was surprised by that, as well as by the amount of distractions in the operating room,' said lead author and master's student Peter Dupont Grantcharov, of Columbia University.

'Many machines have alarms that go off periodically, equipment malfunctions, side conversations take place, people walk in and out of the OR - I could go on.

'My hope is that other researchers will build upon our work to make further strides in learning about the causes of stress on surgical personnel.'

WHAT REALLY GOES ON IN OPERATING THEATRES? Surgeons and their assistants argue, flirt, throw things across the room and poke fun at their patients while they are under the knife, research suggested in July 2018. The social structure of a surgical team has even been compared to that of a family of monkeys. A researcher from Emory University, Atlanta, sat in on 200 operations and recorded 6,348 conversations. She found just over one in every 40 interactions between surgical staff is a fight or argument. Staff also throw rubbish across the room into bins, dance to music and rub each other's legs flirtatiously. One reportedly called an unconscious patient 'gigantic' and said they would need 10 people to move her. Another stormed out of an operating room when an assistant accidentally squirted him in the eye with bodily fluids from an infectious patient. The study suggests status and 'ego' is a main cause of arguments in the theatre, which are most likely to occur when high-ranking male surgeons try to exert their dominance. The main surgeons are almost always responsible, being the cause of 118 out of 175 arguments in the investigation. Advertisement

Mr Grantcharov added: 'If our study helps make the OR a safer place for patients, I'd be thrilled.'

He used one participant, Dr Homero Rivas, a surgeon and professor at Stanford Medical Center, for the study.

Dr Rivas wore a Hexoskin Smart Shirt under his scrubs while he operated, which was able to take electrocardiogram (ECG) measurements of his heart's activity.

Stress triggers could have been anything from a negative thought, an alarm or phone going off, or a distracting conversation.

Video recordings were taken of all 25 of the surgical procedures, including gastric bypasses. They lasted for an average of 96.7 minutes.

The clips were later reviewed and Dr Rivas's mistakes were documented using existing frameworks for assessing surgical performance.

Both his stress levels and surgical errors were time stamped so that Mr Grantcharov could correlate the two - which led to his findings.

The research did not conclude what the possible triggers of stress would have been for Dr Rivas.

But Mr Grantcharov said it is now critical to investigate how to manage the potential disruptions which can be controlled.

The results of the study were published in the the British Journal of Surgery.

It comes amid an NHS crisis, whereby pressures continue to mount on medical staff, with stress causing many medics - including surgeons - to reconsider their futures.

Medical errors cause between 250,000-440,000 deaths annually in the US, and as many as 22,300 deaths annually in the UK.Injecting alcohol directly into the prostate gland could shrink it and avoid the need for men to get up in the night to urinate, a study has claimed.

Ethanol jabs through the rectum shrink the prostate by more than a third and relieve pressure on the bladder and penis.

Doctors said the development is 'excellent news' and believe it could be as effective as treatments already used by the NHS.

Millions of men in the UK and the US have enlarged prostates and have trouble urinating as a result.

Researchers from University Hospital Caracas in Venezuela found injecting pure alcohol (ethanol) into a man's prostate could shrink it by 35 per cent and reduce urination

Researchers from University Hospital Caracas in Venezuela found the injection  for which they used a 25cm needle  could shrink swollen prostates as well as drugs.

And it reduced their needs for night-time toilet visits by almost half, The Sun reported.

If someone's prostate is swollen it can put pressure on the bladder, increasing the need to urinate, while also blocking the urethra so making it more difficult.

The condition is called benign prostate enlargement and affects the semen-producing gland which is located inside the pelvis between the penis and bladder.

'The reduction in the size of the prostate with ethanol was significant,' said lead researcher and urology specialist Alessandri Rafael Espinoza.

WHAT IS BENIGN PROSTATE ENLARGEMENT? Benign prostate enlargement (BPE) is a common condition in which the prostate becomes swollen. BPE affects approximately 50 per cent of over-50s and 90 per cent of over-80s. The prostate is a walnut-sized gland within the pelvis which is involved in producing semen  only men have one. It becomes gradually larger as men get older but, if it gets too big, it can cause trouble with urinating because it is situated between the penis and bladder. When enlarged the prostate can press on the bladder, making a man need to urinate more often, while at the same time pressing on the urethra, meaning it becomes more difficult to urinate. Men can find they need to get up often in the night to urinate. Treating the condition can involve cutting down on caffeine, alcohol and fizzy drinks, exercising regularly and drinking less in the evening. There are also medications which can help to shrink the prostate. Source: NHS Choices Advertisement

'Ethanol injection can be an effective, non-surgical alternative in treatment of patients with [an enlarged prostate].'

The scientists tested the therapy on 60 middle-aged men by injecting nine shots of pure alcohol  ethanol  directly into their prostates through the rectum.

Their prostates were around 35 per cent smaller on average.

Doctors suggest this reduction is caused by the alcohol killing off unwanted cells, shrinking any swelling.

And the men suffered from 48 per cent fewer symptoms, which can include difficulty urinating and needing the toilet frequently.

There were no severe side-effects of the jab, whereas some currently-used drugs can reduce men's sex drives.

Around half of over-50s  two million men in the UK  have enlarged prostates and some 45,000 have surgery every year to treat the condition.

At least 14million men in the US are thought to have enlarged prostates.

It is not thought to increase the risk of prostate cancer but can be painful and, in some cases, lead to impotence or reduced fertility.

'It looks to be a very promising treatment,' Professor Raj Persard, of Bristol Urology Associates, told The Sun. He was not involved with the research.

'Because of difficulties and complications with standard prostate surgery, we have looked at a wide range of treatments ... But none of these is a perfect solution and the search goes on.

'Alcohol injection seems to provide good results in "unblocking" the bladder and improving quality of life, and these new results are comparable if not better than other treatments which is excellent news.'A 50-year-old man was left unable to urinate after being bitten on the foot by a black widow spider.

The unnamed man, of Ontario, Canada, was bitten on the foot while walking through tall grass near his home, a case report said.

He didn't think much of it, until he was left so ill he went to hospital with excruciating pain and the inability to urinate.

It is believed to be the first time the symptom has been recorded, according to the medics who published the tale.

The spider's venom is already known to cause high blood pressure, heavy sweating and muscle pain - all of which the man had.

A 50-year-old man was left unable to urinate after being bitten on the foot by a black widow spider, pictured, while walking near his home in Canada

In Canada, black widow spiders are rare because they live in warmer climates, so it is possible it didn't occur to the man that it was a deadly spider.

After two hours, he began to feel pain. It gave him a restless night sleep and in the early hours he awoke with agonising abdominal pain.

Doctors at his local emergency department initially thought his abdominal pain was caused by kidney stones and sent him home, Dr Matthew Carere, author of the case report, told Live Science.

The man told doctors about his spider bite, but they thought it was nothing more than a coincidence.

The man returned later that day because his abdominal pain had worsened, so doctors sent him to the larger Ottawa Hospital, for more extensive tests.

By the time he had arrived to the emergency room, where Dr Carere treated him, he was sweating heavily and both of his eyelids were swollen.

His blood pressure was extremely high and a CT scan revealed that his bladder was massively distended, which means it was swollen and giving the sensation of needing the toilet but nothing is released.

When a catheter was inserted, it drained approximately one litre of clear urine, the case reported.

Doctors found no evidence of a bite or rash when they carefully examined his skin.

They suspected the man was bitten by a northern black widow spider, a species found in southern Ontario.

He was treated with various drugs and opioids to control the pain, and by the second day he was able to use the toilet again.

Latrodectism is the medical term for the illness caused by a spider bite.

The venom from a black widow spider contains a variety of toxins including alpha-latrotoxin.

This toxin leads to a release of various neurotransmitters, which communicate messages in the body, which may have been responsible for the man's range of symptoms.

The release of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine may be the reason the man developed urinary retention, Dr Carere said.

Changes in the level of acetylcholine, which activates muscles and helps with arousal, short-term memory, and learning, can have significant effects all over the body, including the ability to urinate.

The doctors can't definitively prove that the spider bite was the cause of the man's urinary retention, Dr Carere said.

The man was likely to have an enlarged prostate condition due to his age, which could have been the reason behind his difficulty to use the toilet at that time, Dr Carere admitted.

'Black Widow spider bites are exceedingly uncommon in Canada,' the authors wrote in the Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine.

'However, because of climate change and the necessity for a warmer climate for spider reproduction, we may encounter more cases of latrodectism in the future.'

Black widows are found throughout the US, mostly in the south and west, keeping hidden in barns, sheds, stone walls, fences, woodpiles, porch furniture, and other outdoor buildings.

While these spiders' bites can cause fatalities in humans, they rarely do, according to the National Institutes of Health.Soil found in rural Northern Ireland could hold the key to fighting antibiotic resistance, researchers believe.

Doctors and scientists are desperately searching for new ways to kill superbugs  and the new finding could pave the way.

A study found dirt from County Fermanagh can stop the growth of drug-resistant bacteria, such as the hospital superbug MRSA.

The discovery has been hailed as an 'important step forward' in the progress against antibiotic resistance, considered one of the biggest threats to humanity.

The new bacteria discovered in the soil from County Fermanagh, streptomyces sp. myrophorea (pictured under a microscope) can halt the spread of superbugs including MRSA

The soil from the highlands around the village of Boho, near the border with the Republic of Ireland, has been used as medicine for many years.

It was traditionally wrapped in cloth and used to heal toothache and throat infections, among other ailments, according to historians.

Now, scientists led by a team at Swansea University have discovered it can combat four out of the six most common antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The dirt can stop the growth of MRSA, Klebsiella pneumoniae, vancomycin resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) and carbenepenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumanii.

It is not known whether the soil could have the same effect on the other two common resistant bacteria species, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacteriaceae.

But it was also found to be able to stop differently structured bacteria, including gram negative bacteria, which are more likely to be drug-resistant.

'Our discovery is an important step forward in the fight against antibiotic resistance,' said Professor Paul Dyson from Swansea University.

WHAT IS ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE? Antibiotics have been doled out unnecessarily by GPs and hospital staff for decades, fueling once harmless bacteria to become superbugs. The World Health Organization (WHO) has previously warned if nothing is done the world is heading for a 'post-antibiotic' era. It claimed common infections, such as chlamydia, will become killers without immediate solutions to the growing crisis. Bacteria can become drug resistant when people take incorrect doses of antibiotics or if they are given out unnecessarily. Former chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies claimed in 2016 that the threat of antibiotic resistance is as severe as terrorism. Figures estimate that superbugs will kill 10 million people each year by 2050, with patients succumbing to once harmless bugs. Around 700,000 people already die yearly due to drug-resistant infections including tuberculosis (TB), HIV and malaria across the world. Concerns have repeatedly been raised that medicine will be taken back to the 'dark ages' if antibiotics are rendered ineffective in the coming years. In addition to existing drugs becoming less effective, there have only been one or two new antibiotics developed in the last 30 years. In September, the WHO warned antibiotics are 'running out' as a report found a 'serious lack' of new drugs in the development pipeline. Without antibiotics, C-sections, cancer treatments and hip replacements will become incredibly 'risky', it was said at the time. Advertisement

'Our results show that folklore and traditional medicines are worth investigating in the search for new antibiotics.

'Scientists, historians and archaeologists can all have something to contribute to this task.

'It seems that part of the answer to this very modern problem might lie in the wisdom of the past.'

The researchers, from Wales, Brazil, Iraq and Northern Ireland, were led by Dr Gerry Quinn, who used to live in Boho and knew of the soil's healing properties.

They found bacteria in the soil  named Streptomyces sp. myrophorea  could inhibit the reproduction of the antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but have not yet worked out how.

Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses or fungi are exposed to a drug so often or incorrectly that they learn to resist being killed by it.

For example, if people do not finish courses of antibiotics or take in small amounts of medicines through eating animal products.

When pathogens are exposed to amounts of drugs too small to kill them, they can learn how to survive treatment.

One high profile infection is gonorrhoea, of which one strain has already become completely resistant to front-line antibiotics.

Experts warn superbugs could kill 10million people a year worldwide by 2050, with people succumbing to once-harmless bugs.

Dr Quinn said: 'The discovery of antimicrobial substances from Streptomyces sp.myrophorea will help in our search for new drugs to treat multi-resistant bacteria, the cause of many dangerous and lethal infections.

'We will now concentrate on the purification and identification of these antibiotics.

'We have also discovered additional antibacterial organisms from the same soil cure which may cover a broader spectrum of multi-resistant pathogens.'

The team's research was published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology.The man had extensive testing which all showed he was in normal health

Crying blood is a very rare medical condition known as haemolacria

A man who cries blood has baffled doctors as they have been left scratching their heads as to the cause of the bizarre phenomenon.

The 22-year-old went to hospital after red tears streamed down his face twice - but tests revealed there was nothing wrong with him.

Crying blood is medically known as haemolacria, and has a number of underlying causes, according to doctors who wrote in the BMJ Case Reports.

The rare condition was concluded to be a mystery in the case of the unnamed man.

A man who cries blood has baffled doctors on South Andaman Island as they struggled to work out what the cause was when tests revealed the man was in full health

'Haemolacria is a condition in which the patient has bloody tears, instead of normal watery tears,' lead author Dr Robert James wrote in the report.

'It is a symptom of a number of diseases.'

The man went to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Institute of Medical Sciences in Port Blair on South Andaman Island, India.

The island is not far from North Sentinel, where US missionary John Allen Chau, 26, was killed by a hail of arrows shot by tribesmen last month.

At the hospital, the young man who was crying blood was put through extensive testing to see what may be wrong with him.

WHAT IS HAEMOLACRIA? Haemolacrica is a rare condition in which the body mixes blood with tears, which are then cried out. It is not clear how many people are affected by the gruesome-looking condition, and it can be caused by a number of things. Infections in the eyes, facial injuries, swelling, tumours in or around the eyes, or nosebleeds can all produce tears containing blood. The blood can come from a bleeding injury and mix with tears, from being pushed through the tubes connecting the eyes and nose, or from leaking blood vessels inside the tear ducts. The condition likely looks worse than it is, and it can usually be treated by tackling the underlying infection or other cause. But it can be caused by high blood pressure, cancer or a serious injury so should be examined by a doctor. Advertisement

His liver function test came back as normal, the report said. While he showed no signs of any bleeding or clotting. And Dr James revealed his capillaries were not deemed as 'fragile' in tests.

The doctors even ruled out genetic diseases, such as von Willerbrand disease, dengue fever and leptospirosis.

They decided his haemolacria was idiopathic, meaning the cause is unknown.

This accounts for about 30 per cent of cases where the cause of crying blood is unknown.

'It may be indicative of a tumour in the lacrimal [glands behind the eye] apparatus,' Dr James said. 'Severe bacterial conjunctivitis or local injury to the eye can present with haemolacria.

'In women ectopic endometrial tissue deposition in the lacrimal duct can give rise to bloody tears during the menstruation.'

Infections in the eyes, facial injuries, swelling, tumours in or around the eyes, or nosebleeds or blood disorders can all produce tears containing blood, which normally looks worse than it seems.

However, in one story told in the New England Journal of Medicine, a man who was crying blood was found to have a non-cancerous tumours underneath his eyelids.

The man's bleeding happened two hours before he made it to the hospital and again in the waiting room, and only lasted for a few minutes.

Doctors in Italy gave the man eyedrops for the tumours, called haemangiomas.Kids get increasingly violent until they reach three-and-a-half years old - before mellowing out, according to new research.

Toddlers exhibit physical aggression which declines before primary school and as they grow up, say psychologists.

But a few are unusually prone to this form of antisocial behavior into adolescence, say psychologists.

And that may put them at increased risk for violent crime, social maladjustment and alcohol and drug abuse.

The researchers said that their findings could lead to the development of better preventative measures to nip delinquency in the bud - from infancy.

The researchers at the University of Montreal in Canada said that their findings could lead to the development of better preventative measures to nip delinquency in the bud - from infancy

Child development specialist Professor Richard Tremblay said: 'Family characteristics at five months could be used to target preschool interventions aimed at preventing the development of boys' and girls' chronic physical aggression problems.'

He says identifying the factors which stop young children turning into responsible adults is key.

The study, published in JAMA Network Open, was based on 2,223 boys and girls whose behavior was tracked between the age of 18 months and 13 years old.

It found the frequency of physical aggression increased up until they were three-and-a-half. Thereafter, it gradually decreased overall.

But different patterns were identified between boys and girls - along with several risk factors. These included having less well off parents with lower education higher depression and higher number of siblings.

Prof Tremblay, of the University of Montreal in Canada, said: 'Interventions during pregnancy and early childhood may help to prevent high physical aggression in children in high-risk families.'

The findings were based on a series of interviews with mothers, teachers and the Canadian participants themselves once they were old enough.

Last year Prof Tremblay was awarded the Stockholm Prize - known as the 'Nobel Prize in criminology' because of its prestige in the global scientific community.

He spends much of his time teaching at University College Dublin and is founding director of the Research Unit on Children's Psychosocial Maladjustment, known by its French acronym GRIP.

Prof Tremblay said his results back previous studies suggesting aggression begins in the first couple of years of life and reaches a peak between two and four.

He said: 'In most cases, this high frequency of physical aggression declines before children enter elementary school according to parent reports and continues to decline thereafter according to teacher and self-reports.

'However, a small proportion of children maintain an atypically high frequency of physical aggressions during middle childhood and adolescence.

'This high physical aggression trajectory is associated with a range of negative outcomes in adolescence and adulthood, such as increased risk of violent crime, school maladjustment and school failure, alcohol and drug abuse and social maladjustment.'

The participants were scored for levels of physical aggression on the basis of 'gets into fights,' 'physically attacks others' and 'hits, bites, kicks other children.'

Respondents rated the descriptions on a scale with 'never' worth one point, 'sometimes' and 'often' three.

Prof Trembay said, as expected, girls' average level of physical aggression at each assessment was substantially lower than that of the boys on a high trajectory.

However, the girls on the highest physical aggression trajectory represented almost one-third of the sample (25.5 percent).

Mother's and father's education, household income, maternal and paternal depression, socioeconomic status, number of siblings at birth and at 17 months, and father's antisocial behavior during his own adolescence were all risk factors.

Prof Tremblay said: 'These results indicate that risk factors during pregnancy and early childhood are good predictors of a substantial number of girls who will have more problems with the use of physical aggression from early childhood to adolescence.

He added: 'These girls are at high risk for important problems with school achievement, nicotine use, early pregnancy, and intimate partner violence.'

Also unexpectedly, the six percent of boys who were on the high physical aggression trajectory from teacher and self-ratings between ages six and 13 were were not like this when they were younger - according to their mothers.

Prof Tremblay said: 'These boys were from the start living in family conditions of very high risk.

'The present study indicates that boys and girls have different patterns of the development of physical aggression.

'One explanation for this difference in the results between boys and girls is that mothers of boys living in high-risk families may not be the most reliable raters of their son's physical aggression frequency.'A daily glass of small wine or half a pint of beer doesn't appear harmful for pensioners with heart failure and actually helps them live longer, a new study revealed.

The over 65s who drink moderately live more than a year longer than those who give up the booze completely following a heart failure diagnosis, a new study has found.

The findings suggested drinking moderately was safe for patients - but cardiologists warned their data was observational and did not establish a cause and effect link.

Dr David Brown at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis said patients often ask if they have to stop drinking. His new research confirms they do not have to - and perhaps shouldn't

Heart failure is a long-term condition common in elderly people where the heart becomes too weak or stiff to pump blood around the body properly.

It can be triggered by a heart attack or other chronic conditions such as diabetes or kidney disease.

Senior author, Professor of Medicine David Brown at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis said: 'My patients who are newly diagnosed with heart failure often ask me if they should stop having that glass of wine every night.

'And until now, I didn't have a good answer for them.

'We have long known that the toxic effects of excessive drinking can contribute to heart failure.

'In contrast, we have data showing that healthy people who drink moderately seem to have some protection from heart failure over the long term, compared with people who don't drink at all.

'But there was very little, if any, data to help us advise people who drink moderately and have just been diagnosed with heart failure.'

He said the study showed a 'survival benefit' for moderate drinkers compared with those who abstained from alcohol.

On average, their life expectancy was just more than a year longer than abstainers - a difference the researchers said was 'statistically significant'.

The findings, however, did not suggest that nondrinkers should start imbibing after a heart failure diagnosis, the researchers warned.

Prof Brown said: 'People who develop heart failure at an older age and never drank shouldn't start drinking.

'But our study suggests people who have had a daily drink or two before their diagnosis of heart failure can continue to do so without concern that it's causing harm.

'Even so, that decision should always be made in consultation with their doctors.'

The data did not prove moderate drinking - one serving of alcohol for women, two for men - was actively protective.

Prof Brown said it was possible another factor or a combination of them common to moderate drinkers led to their longer survival rates.

The findings came from analysis of data from 5,888 adults who took part in the Cardiovascular Health Study from 1989 to 1993.

With an average age of 79, slightly more than half of the heart failure patients were women, and 86 percent were white.

The researchers found an association between consuming seven or fewer drinks per week and an extended survival of just over one year, compared with the long-term abstainers.

This was after taking into account lifestyle factors and the extended survival came to an average of 383 days and ranged from 17 to 748 days.

The greatest benefit came from drinking 10 drinks per week, but so few patients fell into that category that the data were insufficient to draw definite conclusions.

Of the participants, who were all on Medicare - the US's national health insurance program - 393 developed heart failure during the nine-year follow-up period.

Slightly more than half of the heart failure patients, who had an average age of 79, were women, and 86 percent were white.

They were divided into four categories for the analysis: people who never drank, people who drank in the past and stopped, people who had seven or fewer drinks per week, and people who had eight or more drinks per week.

The researchers defined one serving of alcohol as a 12-ounce beer, a 6-ounce glass of wine or a 1.5-ounce shot of liquor - the equivalent to 0.6 of a pint or a 175ml glass of wine.

Researchers took into account important lifestyle factors in the analysis including age, sex, race, education level, income, smoking status, blood pressure and other factors.

The study has been published in JAMA Network Open.A two-year-old boy has a rare form of epilepsy that left him in tears for 15 hours straight and triggered painful outbursts of hiccups and hysterical laughter for six months.

Jack Trotter was born in Atlanta, Georgia July 2016 - a seemingly healthy baby after a smooth birth.

But a day after his mother Leah, 30, took him home to his father and sister, things changed: he began crying consistently and as his cries intensified, he became inconsolable.

Initially Leah, a special needs advocate, wasn't worried. Babies cry, this is normal.

But this was merely a hint of a much more serious condition that would take more than a year to diagnose.

As pediatricians insisted Jack was just 'irritable', the little boy endured painful episodes once a month of laughter or hiccups or tears.

At three months old, in October 2016, they thought they had found an answer - a terrifying one: a doctor misdiagnosed Jack with terminal Mitochondrial disease which usually proves fatal.

However, two months later, Jack was finally diagnosed with Pyridoxine Dependent Epilepsy (PDE), a rare cause of stubborn, difficult to control, seizures appearing in newborns, infants and occasionally older children.

It is treatable - but without care and medication it can be life-threatening, and his mother Leah is now fighting to get more kids tested at birth to avoid preventable deaths.

Jack Trotter hasn't had a seizure for more than a year now that he has been diagnosed with epilepsy and is on medication - but getting there was a painful, months-long ordeal

At first, parents Cliff and Leah (who also have daughter Rowan, right) were dismissed by doctors who said Jack's day-long crying was just irritability

'We went through six months of hell and our son almost died from a treatable condition that could be tested at birth. So, that is my first order of business,' Leah said.

'I try to advocate through social media platforms for PDE and I have since helped a mother in Brazil obtain access to the specialists necessary to treat her daughter with PDE.

'I would like other mothers in similar situations to know that they control the narrative. Don't let a doctor dictate the way you feel about the diagnosis being given to your child.

'I hope that all mothers faced with these situations won't become overwhelmed with the heavy diagnosis and medical terminology being thrown around, but instead will use the opportunity to rise up and make the best quality of life for their child.'

Leah, says she 'was on top of the world' when Jack, her second child, was born.

'He was perfect at eight pounds and three ounces, 22 inches long. He nursed perfectly right off the bat,' Leah said.

It all went smoothly. She gave birth on a Saturday morning and was home by Monday afternoon.

'Everything was perfect. He ate well, he slept well, he was an easy and happy baby,' she explains.

But things shifted abruptly on Tuesday evening when Jack started cry.

Leah and Cliff (pictured after Jack was born in July 2016) are fighting to get more babies tested for this form of epilepsy at birth

One doctor told the Trotter family that Jack had a terminal disease - but that was a misdiagnosis

It took months after Jack's official diagnosis for him to stabilize but now, at two-and-a-half years old, he is getting stronger

Leah insists she wasn't concerned at first ('I rocked him, loved him and knew he would feel better soon. We had our routine follow-up with his pediatrician on Wednesday.')

But she wasn't aware then that they were embarking on a long arduous journey to get a diagnosis.

'Jack had still not stopped crying by that time. No exaggeration, Jack cried for 15 hours straight. He cried the entire time at the pediatrician's office.'

After their appointment, they went home, and the crying didn't stop until about 8pm that evening. Jack had still been eating throughout all the crying, but when stopped crying he stopped nursing.

Then something new started - and Leah was sure it was something like a seizure.

'I cannot explain it, although I have told the story to more doctors than I can count,' she explains.

'Jack did not look quite right after the crying stopped. Keep in mind, he was barely five days old at this time so it was hard to say if he was just brand new or if he was acting strange.

'Babies are strange; they have strange movements. But something was neurologically not right, and I knew it.

'He did not look like he was seizing (not in the sense that I thought a seizure looked like at that time at least), but something told me he was having little seizures.

Leah admitted she had never been so scared in her life as Jack's body went rigid

Jack has six therapies a week and lots of work at home. He still has many delays and a few new diagnoses, but he has a great quality of life

'He was slightly shaking, jittery as they called it in the hospital, and then he would startle and throw his left arm out and turn his head to the left simultaneously.

'There is no way to explain this act, you just had to see it. I tried everything to see if I was imagining it or if something wasn't right.

'I was so blind to the true hardships in life and without warning, my life changed in an instant. Did I even blink? Had I been dreaming all along?'

In the morning, Leah's mother helped her to give Jack a little sponge bath. He seemed rigid, and by that point Leah was very concerned.

'I was done. I called the pediatrician and we went back in the next morning. Jack was just five days old.'

Despite Leah's worry, she says the staff at the hospital didn't take her concern very seriously, until a nurse approached them and noticed something wasn't right.

'Before I knew it there were six or seven nurses in the room, all crowded around Jack trying to help him and my husband and I faded into the background as they worked,' Leah said.

'I have never been so scared in my life.'

It was soon decided that Jack needed to be sent to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA), the best pediatric specialists in the state.

'I was terrified because this confirmed that something bad was happening to our newborn son,' Leah said.

Leah says their support network has been key to making it through - and now she hopes to pay it forward

Jack only got worse. He was in and out of the hospital with hard-to-control seizures, put on a myriad of medications, and still no answers.

When he was almost three months old, he was in status again and admitted to the PICU.

That's when a neurologist ordered an MRI and concluded that Jack had Mitochondrial disease. The doctor told Leah her son's brain has begun to atrophy and would continue to until he died.

'They told us there was no hope,' she said.

That changed a few days later when the results from their genetic tests came back.

His form of epilepsy is rare but manageable - but doctors warned that if he'd been diagnosed any later, he could have suffered sinister consequences.

'His treatment for the first six months of his life had been all wrong, almost detrimental to him,' Leah said.

'We immediately saw a neurologist, genetics, nutrition, all the specialists we needed to get Jack on the right track.

'We have been working so hard ever since with six therapies per week for Jack and lots of work at home. He still has many delays and a few new diagnoses, but he has a great quality of life.'

Jack has had numerous types of seizures in the first six months of his life such as; tonic-clonic, partial, focal, absence, gelatic, dacrystic and even some where he just has constant hiccups, but it's under control now.

Leah says their support network has been key to making it through - and now she hopes to pay it forward.

'Everyone has been incredibly supportive throughout the entire journey and still are. We could not have made it through any of this without our amazing support system.

'I have a few things that I am incredibly passionate about and want to work on in the future. First and foremost, I want PDE added to the new-born screening.'A couple who were surprised with 2,000 to pay for their IVF treatment had their second daughter on Saturday.

Marisha Chaplin, 26, gave birth to Isla after a group of Facebook mums secretly raised the money to fund the former cancer patient's IVF.

She and her fiance, Jon Hibbs, 29, have been together more than 10 years and already have one daughter but couldn't afford a second round of the treatment.

But members of a Facebook group for women who gave birth in May 2016, which Ms Chaplin joined after the birth of her first child, Evie, raised the money for them.

Ms Chaplin said having their second child was 'better than we ever imagined' and thanked the group of generous mothers who have never even met her.

Marisha Chaplin, 26, gave birth to her second daughter, Isla (pictured) on Saturday after mothers in a Facebook group secretly raised the money for her second round of IVF

Ms Chaplin and Mr Hibbs, from Cotgrave in Nottinghamshire, met in a cancer treatment centre in 2007.

She was having treatment at the time while he had returned for a routine check-up.

'I saw him and said to our Clic Sargent worker "I fancy him" basically, and she said she could give him my MSN address,' Ms Chaplin told the BBC.

After the pair got together, Ms Chaplin knew she would have to have children while young if she wanted them at all, because of the toll of her cancer therapy.

'I was told by the time I was 23 my ovaries would give up,' she said.

'At 16 my gynaecologist said "You need to try for children sooner rather than later if you want them".'

Ms Chaplin and her partner, Jon Hibbs (centre), had their first daughter Evie (left) from IVF in 2016 and used a frozen embryo from the first cycle for her sister, Isla, meaning they are biological sisters

Both chemotherapy and radiotherapy  common forms of cancer treatment  can leave people infertile because they damage healthy cells as well as tumours.

The couple started trying for a baby when Ms Chaplin was just 16 years old but were not successful, and switched to IVF seven years later using donated eggs.

Evie was born in May 2016 and, after the group of mothers on Facebook raised the funds to pay for Ms Chaplin's second round, the couple used embryos from the same cycle, meaning the two girls are biological sisters.

The 'May babies' group revealed they had secretly raised the 2,000 in a Facebook Live video in July last year.

Ms Chaplin rushed to thank her online friends after Isla was delivered by c-section.

'It's amazing, it really is,' she told the BBC. 'It's better than we ever imagined and we didn't think we would ever get to this point.

'We didn't ever think we had the chance to have another little one and the fact she's here is so surreal.'Chinese scientists who edited human genes have lost touch with the patients they treated, according to a new Wall Street Journal report.

The claim has sparked widespread concerns in the scientific community about ethics and unintended consequences just weeks after another Chinese scientist claimed he modified the DNA of twin girls to make them resistant to AIDS - and that he is working on another pregnancy.

CRISPR, which was first described in 1987, offers incredible opportunities for scientists to circumvent diseases and genetic glitches.

But Jennifer Doudna, the UC Berkeley professor who streamlined CRISPR into a two-step process, warns the follow-up to an experiment is just as crucial as the experiment itself.

'Since we do not fully understand the human genome and are still developing knowledge of Crispr-Cas technology, we need to monitor the intended and unintended consequences over the lifespan of patients,' Doudna told the Journal.

The scientific community is concerned about ethics and unintended consequences just weeks after another Chinese scientist claimed he modified the DNA of twin girls to make them resistant to AIDS - and that he is working on another pregnancy

Western scientists are not the only ones crying foul after Dr He Jiankui claimed in November that he modified the DNA of twin girls to make them resistant to infection with the AIDS virus.

China's Vice Minister of Science and Technology has condemned the 'unacceptable' research, and said ministry is strongly opposed to the reported experiments.

The Chinese government has ordered a halt to work by the entire medical team that claimed to have helped Dr He in his research.

Universities and police are also investigating.

And a group of leading scientists declared that the world isn't ready for gene-edited babies following Dr He's shock claims.

Many argued it was irresponsible to alter the genes of eggs, sperm or embryos except in lab research because not enough is known yet about its risks or safety.

Controversial researcher Dr Jiankui's remarks sparked outrage from the global scientific community, with some experts calling the work 'monstrous'.

Researchers at the conference in Hong Kong - where he revealed his experiment - echoed these concerns, saying it was still too soon to make permanent changes to DNA that can be inherited by future generations, as Dr He claims to have done.

This graphic reveals how, theoretically, an embryo could be 'edited' using the powerful tool Crispr-Cas9 to defend humans against HIV infection

There is no independent confirmation of what Dr He says he did.

In fact, Doudna says, we cannot be sure it happened or what Dr He did, since his paper was not peer-reviewed.

The private hospital where Dr He performed the work accused him of forging the paperwork needed to approve his experiments.

Harmonicare Women and Children's Hospital in Shenzhen said it had asked the police to investigate.

Whatever happened, several prominent scientists said the case showed a failure of the field to police itself and the need for stricter principles or regulations.

'It's not unreasonable to expect the scientific community' to follow guidelines, said Professor David Baltimore, a Nobel laureate from California Institute of Technology who led the panel.

There already are some rules that should have prevented what Dr He says he did, said Dr Alta Charo, a University of Wisconsin lawyer and bioethicist and a conference organiser.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE DOUBTS SURROUNDING DR HE'S CLAIMS? Several scientists reviewed materials that Dr He provided to the AP and said tests so far are insufficient to say the editing worked or to rule out harm. They also noted evidence that the editing was incomplete and that at least one twin appears to be a patchwork of cells with various changes. 'It's almost like not editing at all' if only some of certain cells were altered, because HIV infection can still occur, famed Harvard University geneticist Professor George Church said. Church and Dr Kiran Musunuru, a University of Pennsylvania gene editing expert, questioned the decision to allow one of the embryos to be used in a pregnancy attempt, because the Chinese researchers said they knew in advance that both copies of the intended gene had not been altered. 'In that child, there really was almost nothing to be gained in terms of protection against HIV and yet you're exposing that child to all the unknown safety risks,' Dr Musunuru said. The use of that embryo suggests that the researchers' 'main emphasis was on testing editing rather than avoiding this disease,' Church said. Even if editing worked perfectly, people without normal CCR5 genes face higher risks of getting certain other viruses, such as West Nile, and of dying from the flu. Since there are many ways to prevent HIV infection and it's very treatable if it occurs, those other medical risks are a concern, Dr Musunuru said. There also are questions about the way Dr He said he proceeded. He gave official notice of his work long after he said he started it - on November 8, on a Chinese registry of clinical trials. It's unclear whether participants fully understood the purpose and potential risks and benefits. For example, consent forms called the project an 'AIDS vaccine development' program. The hospital linked to the controversial project denied approving the procedure and accused Dr He of forgery. Advertisement

Dr He's claims sparked outrage this week from the global scientific community, with some experts calling the work 'monstrous'. Pictured is the scientist speaking in November during the Human Genome Editing Conference in Hong Kong

The audience reacts as He Jiankui, a Chinese researcher, speaks during the Human Genome Editing Conference in Hong Kong in November

He Jiankui speaks during an interview at a laboratory in Shenzhen in southern China's Guangdong province. The Chinese scientist claimed to have helped make the world's first genetically edited babies

'I think the failure was his, not the scientific community,' Dr Charo said.

Gene editing for reproductive purposes might be considered in the future 'but only when there is compelling medical need,' with clear understanding of risks and benefits, and certain other conditions, said Dr Victor Dzau, president of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, one of the conference sponsors.

'Not following these guidelines would be an irresponsible act,' he added.

Despite a wave of backlash following his first announcement, Dr He then revealed that a second gene-edited pregnancy was underway.

The second potential gene-edited pregnancy is at a very early stage and needs more time to see if it will last, Dr He said.

Gene editing is banned in Britain, the US many other parts of the world, largely because its long-term effects on mental and physical health are poorly understood.

The technique carries the risk that altered DNA will warp other genes - potentially dangerous mutations that may be passed down to future generations.

Speaking Wednesday, Dr He, of Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, said he was 'proud' of his work.

He added that 'another potential pregnancy' of a gene-edited embryo was in its early stages.They say everything is big in Texas.

And this baby just broke a record as one of the biggest ever born in the Lone Star State.

Ali James Medlock was born in Arlington on December 12 weighing 14 pounds, 13 ounces, stretching 21.5 inches long, according to USA Today.

To put that in perspective, most babies weigh between six and eight pounds, and measure under 21 inches long.

Jennifer and Eric Medlock, both music teachers at a local high school, were stunned at little Ali's size after he was born via C-section on December 12

After a week in intensive care they were able to take him home to meet his two-year-old sister Annabelle

Ali required intensive care after his C-section delivery, partly due to his size.

The newborn's blood sugar was dangerously low, as were his platelet levels, and he was short of breath.

But after a week, his parents Jennifer and Eric, both music teachers at a local high school, were able to take him home to meet his two-year-old sister Annabelle.

Annabelle had been a big baby - weighing a little over nine pounds - so they expected something similar. But not this.

'We did not expect 14 pounds,' Jennifer told the site. 'Nobody did.'

Indeed, the doctor said in 30 years of delivering babies he'd never encountered such a large baby.

The biggest baby ever born in the world was in Seville, Ohio in 1879, weighing 23 pounds. The boy died 11 hours later.

The biggest ever born in Texas was JaMichael Johnson, weighing in at 16 pounds after his delivery in 2011.

If a baby is particularly big, it's likely the mother had diabetes, so doctors get straight to work monitoring the child's blood sugar levels and examining their organs.As if the border security line wasn't fun enough.

Passengers who landed in Newark, New Jersey on Christmas Eve may have been exposed to measles, health officials warn.

A traveler who flew into Liberty International's Terminal B from Brussels has been diagnosed with the disease.

Anyone who was on that flight, or was passing through passport control between 12pm and 4pm, should be on the alert for symptoms until at least January 14, officials said.

In the days since, passengers at other nearby airports, including New York's JFK, have been treated to a warning video about measles and its symptoms.

Anyone who was at Newark Liberty International on Christmas Eve between 12pm and 4pm should be on the alert for symptoms until at least January 14, officials said

'Anyone who has not been vaccinated or has not had measles is at risk if they are exposed,' New Jersey epidemiologist Dr Christina Tan told ABC7.

'We urge everyone to check to make sure they and their family members are up-to-date on measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine and all other age-appropriate immunizations.'

Measles is a highly contagious infection caused by the measles virus.

When someone with measles coughs, sneezes or talks, infected droplets are sprayed into the air, where other people can inhale them and are then infected.

Symptoms present themselves between 10 to 14 days after infection and include fever, cough, runny nose, and a total-body skin rash.

Once common, the disease is now rare due to the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends children receive the first dose at 12 to 15 months old and the second dose at four to six years old.

Before the measles vaccine was available, more than 500,000 cases were diagnosed in the US every year, with about 500 annual deaths.

According to the CDC, as of September 8, 2018, 137 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 24 states and Washington, DC.BOOK OF THE WEEK

THE ROYAL ART OF POISON

by Eleanor Herman (Duckworth 14.99, 320 pp)

As the good people of Salisbury know all too readily, assassination by poison is alive and well in the digital age, thanks to the Russians.

The Russian secret service on the orders of Lenin set up a poison laboratory in Moscow in 1921, which still exists, according to Eleanor Herman in her gruesome book.

Alexander Litvinenko was murdered in 2006 by radioactive particles of polonium-210, which is a million times more lethal than cyanide.

And only in March this year, Sergei and Yulia Skripal, living quietly in Wiltshire, had the nerve agent novichok daubed on their door handle.

Eleanor Herman explores assassinations and stories of poison in a new book. She points out that Vladimir Putin (pictured) is the only world leader who employs a personal food taster

As is pointed out in The Royal Art Of Poison, Vladimir Putin is the only world leader known to employ a personal food taster as the kings of old did  and medieval and Renaissance times were indeed a boom period for the splashing about of toxins.

The Medici in Renaissance Florence built magicians chambers to concoct deadly elixirs from arsenic, mercury, lead and various herbs. A nasty trick was to disguise poison as holy water in glass vials. They made use of condemned prisoners as guinea pigs.

The Venetian state sponsored political poisonings and, in France, thanks to continuous rumours of intrigue, jealous brothers-in-law and rival claimants to the throne, queens and royal mistresses were always collapsing, with pain like a thousand red-hot knives slashing and burning at their innards.

Versailles was filled with the screams of people writhing in agony in a tangle of sweat-soaked bedsheets.

Such was Louis XIVs fear of being poisoned that the monarch employed 324 servants whose job it was to monitor his meals. These Officers of the Goblet ran their tongues and fingers around cups, dishes and cutlery and rubbed the tablecloth and napkins against their skin.

If their lips didnt itch or swell, they assumed the items were poison-free. And if the royal intestines did go into an uproar, the servants would be tortured as suspected traitors.

Imagine if His Majesty had ordered a vindaloo from the takeaway the night before.

Over in England, Henry VIIIs safeguards extended to an inspection of cushions, bedlinen and clothes, particularly underpants, in case the fabric had been deliberately impregnated with any harmful substance.

Henry VIII (pictured) ensured his lavatory seat, underpants, clothes and even bed linen was inspected to avoid being poisoned

It was one poor fellows task to examine the kings lavatory seat (the toilet at Hampton Court was grandly known as the Great House of Easement). Queen Elizabeth I retained these customs. Her perfumes and cosmetics were tested on ladies-in-waiting before being dabbed on the royal wrist.

Poison was once found on the pommel of her saddle and during the religious wars there was a concern about poisonous clouds of incense during church services.

It is at this juncture in her book, however, that Eleanor Herman makes a very interesting suggestion. While sinister stories of poisoned gloves and elaborate plots and stratagems about political murder always make for popular reading  who doesnt love a good conspiracy theory?  may it simply be the case that when a VIP had an apoplectic fit and croaked dramatically, it wasnt homicide? Maybe the sequence of abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, headaches, confusion, dehydration, coma and death was perfectly natural, given the way everyone lived?

Indeed, when matters are looked into, between 1431 and 1767 there were only 34 attested examples of political poisoning in Venice  and, of those, 11 attempts failed outright, 12 outcomes were not recorded and, conceivably, nine came off, unless the intended victims died of natural causes anyway.

It is important to remember that, in the heyday of poison rumours, there was no refrigeration, pasteurisation or health and safety food inspectors.Antibiotics werent developed until the 1940s, so food poisoning was a common killer. Flush lavatories werent commonplace until the 1880s. With little sanitation, cesspits burst through walls, leaching into the water supply and triggering cholera outbreaks. Graveyards saturated the ground with human putrescence, killing passers-by with methane and hydrogen sulphide vapours.

Queen Elizabeth I (pictured) followed the same cautions as Henry VIII to avoid being poisoned with the addition of having her perfumes and cosmetics tested on ladies-in-waiting

As Elizabeth I lay in state, awaiting the arrival of James I from Scotland, her coffin exploded, spewing foul-smelling gases, such were the perfunctory embalming procedures.

People didnt wash. The belief was that dirt stopped illnesses from entering the body. Isabella of Spain washed twice in her whole life.

Knickers and vests were worn for months at a stretch.

If the Tudor court moved from palace to palace every few weeks, it was so that the vacated premises could be scrubbed clean of urine and faeces.

So, assuring us that scientists and pathologists in the present day have been busily cracking open mouldy coffins and performing medical tests on rotten bones and ghastly mummies, Herman tells us that what was once confidently ascribed to deliberate poisoning may more prosaically have been malaria, tuberculosis, perforated gastric ulcers, anthrax and typhoid  the latter easily contracted from eating raw oysters or swimming in the cesspool of the Thames. Everyone routinely had worms.

THE ROYAL ART OF POISON by Eleanor Herman (Duckworth 14.99, 320 pp)

When queens and consorts died not long after giving birth, as did Henry VIIIs third wife Jane Seymour, this was sepsis from contaminated medical instruments  rather than a secret plot.

Indeed, if there are villains to be found, they are practitioners of the medical profession. Their treatments were more dangerous than illness itself  sulphuric acid enemas; quicksilver rubbed into ulcers; laxatives known as thunder-clappers; and the pointless and excessive cupping and bleeding.

Nevertheless, while it is gripping to be told King Herod had gangrenous private parts, Salisburys recent dramas do show poisoning cant be shut away in a Hammer House Of Horrors quite yet.

Herman might like to write a sequel, tracing toxins from World War I battlefields to the present-day resurgence, where the goal seems to be to find recipes for new poisons that leave absolutely no trace.

This is truly scary. Though not as scary as being administered a sulphuric acid enema.BIOGRAPHY

GERMAINE

by Elizabeth Kleinhenz (Scribe 20, 480 pp)

My favourite lines from Germaine Greers 1970 feminist classic, The Female Eunuch, proclaim that: The struggle which is not joyous is the wrong struggle. The joy of the struggle is . . . the sense of purpose, achievement and dignity.

Joy was a vital currency to Greer because, as Elizabeth Kleinhenzs biography makes clear, she experienced precious little of it growing up.

Born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1939, Greer was five years old when her father returned from the war.

She retained only hazy memories of Reg Greer, but she did know that, while he was away, her pretty young mother, Peggy, had enjoyed good times with jovial American soldiers.

Elizabeth Kleinhenz shares key moments from the life of Germaine Greer (pictured) who turns 80 next month in a new biography

If little Germaine hoped the return of a heroic dad would deliver stability, she was painfully disappointed. Invalided out of the army with severe anxiety, 39-year-old Reg looked like an old man, smoking in silence while Peggy applied her make-up to go sunbathing on the beach.

Growing up, Germaine longed for her father to love her, says Kleinhenz, but when she tried to hug him or climb onto his knee, he would push her away, time after time, until she finally gave up.

Aged ten, Greer came back from school holding hands with a strange man. She was spotted by Reg, who called the police. By the time they arrived, she and the man had disappeared into some bushes and had to be hauled out.

Told by the police that the man was well known to them, and merely simple, Regs reaction was extraordinary: he told them they shouldve let him get on with it . . . Then he couldve been charged.

Peggy then tore the toaster cord out of its socket and whipped her daughter with it while Reg looked on.

Feeling herself too tall, too clever, too noisy, Greer later wrote of having a head filled with straw. I won scholarship after scholarship . . . I read books the way other people sniff glue, to get out of my own miserable self.

Brilliant and bold, with a dazzling wit and a streak of mean, Greer flew through Sydney academia, before whooshing on to a PhD on Shakespeare at Cambridge.

In her adopted home, she developed three distinct and wildly contrasting personae: she was the scholarly Dr Greer; she was an actress, appearing in comedy sketches with Kenny Everett; and she was a leading light in the London counterculture, burning the Australian flag in protest against the Vietnam war and writing about the pleasures of group sex.

In 1968, Greer married building worker Paul du Feu, whom shed met outside a pub, but bolted after three weeks.

GERMAINE by Elizabeth Kleinhenz (Scribe 20, 480 pp)

Publishers offered Du Feu a bigger advance for his memoir of their brief marriage than Greer got for The Female Eunuch. In a draft dedication to that book, she wrote: I had made it in a mans world . . . I enjoyed other peoples husbands without risk to my freedom . . . I mocked the women who had sacrificed their liberty for security. Yet she wrote her book for them.

The Female Eunuch galvanised the Second Wave of Feminism by encouraging women to enjoy their own minds, bodies and lives without shame. The idea that women could become the heroines of their own lives thrilled those depressed by decades of passivity.

But the joy was short-lived for Greer. She yearned to become a mother, but miscarried. Her rueful 1984 book, Sex And Destiny, explored the negative fallout of the free love she had once promoted.

Then, in her 40s, Greer discovered that her dad had lied about most of the details of his early life. An adopted child named Eric Greeney, raised in the Australian island state of Tasmania  not South Africa, as he claimed  he had sailed to the Australian mainland and reinvented himself at 17. Did Reg keep his clever daughter at arms length for fear she would see through him?

Kids who are told serious lies often grow into adults driven to expose truth at any cost. Or what they believe to be the truth.

Greer hasnt always got it right: she hasnt been consistent and has sometimes been nasty. She continues to court controversy with out-of-step opinions on younger feminists, transgender rights and, most recently, rape.

But I closed Kleinhenzs book in awe of the womans physical, intellectual and emotional energy.

In the past decade, Greer  who turns 80 next month  has devoted much of that energy (and around 3 million) to the rehabilitation of the Australian rainforest. Theres real joy in that.Land Rover has confirmed that its new long-awaited next-generation Defender model will be fully revealed during 2019 with first customer deliveries from 2020.

As the rugged new 4X4 continues its testing phase - already seen on UK roads under camouflaged disguise - the British manufacturer said prototypes have arrived on US soil in the New Year as part of the off-roaders world-wide extreme capability testing.

Available in short- and long-wheelbase versions, prices are expected to start from around 40,000 - but there's a good chance it won't be built in the UK.

Not built in Britain: Land Rover has yet to confirm it, but it's widely believed that production of the new Defender will take place at the firm's new state-of-the-art facility in Slovakia

Although Land Rover has yet to make an official announcement on production, it is widely believed that the new off-roader will be built abroad at the firms massive new state of the art factory in Nitra, Slovakia.

The new would be another blow to the firm's UK workforce, following a series of job cuts - the latest coming just before Christmas - and voiced concerns about the impact of Brexit by Jaguar Land Rover.

The respected international journal Automotive News Europe reported earlier this month: The Defender will be built in JLR's 1.4-billion-euro plant in Nitra, Slovakia, which opened in October, IHS Markit has said.

The plant has a capacity of 150,000 vehicles with the possibility of doubling that with further modifications.

The factory already builds the Land Rover Discovery large SUV, which moved from its former production site of Solihull in the Midlands.

Production of the iconic Defender ceased at the Solihull plant on Friday 29 January 2016

The Defender is legendary, and a firm favourite of Queen Elizabeth II, pictured here driving her Defender 110 to the stables in Sandringham

The next-generation Defender is expected to be priced from around 40,000

In a statement the firm said: Land Rover UK today announces something to celebrate in the New Year; the new Defender will be revealed during 2019 and on sale in 2020.

It noted: Testing of the new vehicle is already underway around the world with the first development mules and prototypes reaching North American shores earlier this month.

Testing on the continent provides valuable data to engineers given the wide variety of terrain and surfaces available in America.

The car will be unveiled in its final production form towards the end of 2019. It's likely to take place at a special Land Rover event filled with glitz and glamour

The utilitarian 4x4 will be on sale in 2020, Land Rover UK officials have confirmed

Prototypes, like the one seen here, are being extensively tested in North America ahead of its arrival to the US market

Land Rover said its engineers will subject the vehicle to rigorous test extremes to make sure the new Defender is the most off-road capable Land Rover vehicle ever.

Test vehicles will operate in temperatures as low as -40 Celsius and as high as 48 Celsius and at altitudes of 13,000 feet above sea level.

Jaguar Land Rover UK managing director Rawdon Glover said: We are enormously excited to be revealing the first member of the Defender family during 2019 with UK customers taking delivery in 2020.

The Defender nameplate stands for durability and alongside Range Rover delivering ultimate luxury and Discovery offering the best versatility in the market, we will have an SUV for every customer requirement.

Assessments are being carried out to ensure the Defender is 'the most off-road capable Land Rover vehicle ever', according to the manufacturer

Test vehicles will operate in temperatures as low as -40 Celsius and as high as 48 Celsius

The car will also be put through its paces at extreme heights, with prototypes taken 13,000 feet above sea level

With the judgment of faithful Defender purists in the balance, Land Rover says the next-generation Defender will bea revolutionary product with broad appeal, an all-new exterior and interior design, which nevertheless is respecting Defenders unmistakable shape' - as you can see from the images.

Land Rover said: When it debuts in 2019, the new model will represent 70 years of innovation and improvement; honouring the models heritage for rugged durability, while remaining a Defender for the 21st century.

Prices are set to start from around 40,000, though Land Rover is expected to have a range of models under the famed moniker.

The next-generation Defender will be available in short- and long-wheelbase versions

A hotter SVR model could also appear, with Land Rover hoping to create a family of Defender models

It means prices for the robust offroader could scale as high as 70,000, according to reports

As well as short- and long-wheelbase versions, there could also be a high-performance SVR model and other more luxurious takes on the Defender, with prices estimated to rise as high as 70,000 for the offroader.

The previous Defender, launched originally in 1948 as a Land Rover Series 1, ceased production in January 2016.

Second hand values have since become collectors items and rocketed in value - forcing owners to safeguard their vehicles with car thieves targeting the in-demand classic.

Billionaire British tycoon Sir Jim Ratcliffe is also planning a back to basics 4X4 to fill the gap left by the original Defender.

When the Defender does go on sale, it will be the first time it has been available as a new model for 4 years

These images show it is in-keeping with the design of the model it succeeds, with a very boxy silhouette

Land Rover said: The Defender nameplate stands for durability and alongside Range Rover delivering ultimate luxury and Discovery offering the best versatility in the market, we will have an SUV for every customer requirementFrench investors are snapping up a controlling stake in the UKs second-busiest airport, in a major vote of confidence for the UK ahead of Brexit.

The 2.9billion deal will see Vinci take 50.01 per cent of Gatwick Airport, leaving a consortium led by Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) with the remaining 49.99 per cent.

Bosses at Vinci said they saw potential to expand capacity and sell more products to travellers.

French investors Vinci will take 50.01 per cent of Gatwick Airport, leaving a consortium led by Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) with the remaining 49.99 per cent

Gatwick, located off the M23 south of London, is already the busiest single-runway airport in the world, with up to 950 flights per day last year. But there are plans to make better use of its standby runway.

Nicolas Notebaert, president of Vinci Airports, dismissed concerns about a no-deal Brexit and said that Gatwicks prospects are strong.

Some air industry lobbyists have warned there could be severe disruption to flights if Britain crashes out of the EU without a deal in March.

But Notebaert said: We do not think it changes the capacity of London to attract international visitors, who make up half of traffic for Gatwick.

There are also so many potential travellers in the Greater London area, so it is very robust and resilient.

Vinci already owns many airports, including five in the US, six in Japan and 12 in France.

It has been buying infrastructure to bolster its income, amid a slowdown in the construction arm.

The Gatwick takeover has been in the works for several months but its announcement was delayed until yesterday because of chaos at the airport in the run-up to Christmas over drone sightings.

Around 1,000 flights were affected, causing misery for more than 140,000 passengers.

Stewart Wingate, Gatwicks chief executive, yesterday said the airport had learned from what happened and had taken steps to ensure no repeat.

He said: I know this unprecedented criminal activity caused huge inconvenience to thousands of people, many of whom missed important family events.

We have appreciated the understanding and tolerance shown at what was a really challenging time for everyone, and we are grateful that passengers recognised that we should never do anything that might jeopardise their safety.

Vinci, which controls 46 airports overall, said that Gatwicks senior management would remain the same.

Other backers included in the remaining 49.99 per cent stake in Gatwick include Abu Dhabi and Australian sovereign wealth funds and international pension firms.

It is hoped the takeover could see Gatwick expand beyond the 220 destinations it serves.

The airport has been locked in a long battle for the right to build a new runway, but this year lost out to bitter rival Heathrow.

Previously, it was run by the GIP-led consortium. GIP also owns Edinburgh Airport.Chinese investors have ploughed nearly 60billion into the UK since 2005, sparking calls for tougher scrutiny of what tycoons from the Communist state can buy.

Some of the biggest areas of spending were property, banking and logistics, says data from the American Enterprise Institute think-tank.

Energy, technology and transport companies were also snapped up as 59.7bn was invested by Chinese entities in Britain over the past 13 years.

Some of the biggest areas of spending were property, banking and logistics. Energy, technology and transport companies were also snapped up

The spree has prompted calls for the Government to monitor the inflow more closely.

It comes as Huawei, the Chinese telecoms giant, faces controversy on both sides of the Atlantic, with politicians in London and Washington questioning whether its equipment can be used for spying.

Its finance chief, Meng Wanzhou, has been detained in Canada by request of US officials over claims Huawei defied trade sanctions on Iran.

Huawei faces controversy on both sides of the Atlantic, with politicians in London and Washington questioning whether its equipment can be used for spying

China has criticised tougher investment rules in countries such as the US and Australia, saying they have been introduced without evidence.

But Sir Gerald Howarth, a former British defence minister, said the UK must also approach large Chinese investments more cautiously.

He said: 'China is a Communist state with a leader unaccountable to anyone, no parliament to speak of, no free press and has flouted international laws by militarising islands in the South China Sea.

There is a recognition that it is eyeing up our technology, not simply for commercial purposes but also for military ones, so it is absolutely imperative we give Chinese investment more scrutiny.

The Government needs to spend 2019 getting a grip on this.'

The Government is planning to beef up foreign investment rules so ministers can protect parts of the economy, such as defence and technology.Long-suffering investors lost more than 300billion as European bank stocks slid this year amid money-laundering debacles, Brexit fears and a slowdown on the Continent.

The sell-off has sent the value of large listed lenders down an average 25 per cent since January, making it the worst year since 2011 when the eurozone crisis was in full swing.

It has wiped out an estimated 300billion of shareholder value.

A sell-off has sent the value of large listed lenders down an average 25 per cent since January

Scandal-hit Deutsche and Danske banks are the biggest fallers, following major criminal investigations.

In Britain, the big four High Street players have seen their value slump by 53billion over fears the economy will be damaged if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal.

Barclays has been the biggest British victim, with shares down almost 28 per cent, and it has also had to contend with a scandal which saw chief executive Jes Staley fined 642,000 for wrongly trying to unmask a whistleblower.

It is braced for a power struggle with corporate raider Ed Bramson, one of its largest shareholders with a stake of more than 5 per cent.

He makes his money by activism  winning a seat on the board and then forcing radical changes.

The 67-year-old New Yorker is thought to want Barclays to sell its prized investment banking arm, but has yet to declare his hand.

Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland have suffered too, largely because of political turmoil as MPs refuse to back Theresa Mays Brexit deal. It is feared that if the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the economy, house prices and employment will be hit.

This would make it harder for banks to turn a profit  and if Britain slumps into a recession, it could lead to major losses.

HSBCs focus on Asia has helped shares fare better than rivals with a fall of 15.6pc this year. This is likely to be more linked to concerns that the global economy is slowing as China and the US wage a trade war.

But the UK woes are dwarfed by the biggest drops among Continental lenders. After a brief growth spurt, the eurozone has slowed down again and is facing fresh fears over its future.

Riots in France, the election of Eurosceptic political leaders in Italy and rows with hardliners in Eastern Europe suggest Brussels is losing its grip.

The mood is so dark that few large investment groups are willing to buy stock that is up for sale. Richard Buxton, boss of Merian Global Investors in London, told the Financial Times: Everyone hates European financials at the moment.

Even in Germany, the blocs economic powerhouse, growth and confidence has slumped, with the economy actually shrinking in the third quarter. Deutsche, with shares down 56 per cent, was the worst performer in Europe. Not even the firing of boss John Cryan in April could stop the collapse.

Replacement Christian Sewing is trying to turn Deutsche around through 1,700 job cuts and drastic cost savings, such as banning fruit bowls, but his efforts have so far been in vain.

Prosecutors last month raided Deutsches Frankfurt HQ in a money-laundering probe.

In Denmark, Danske Bank is at the centre of a massive row. It lost its chief executive following revelations it had handled 180billion of suspicious Russian transactions, with toxic funds linked to the Putin family allegedly funnelled into Britain through a network of companies served by Danskes Estonian branch.

Danske shares are down 47 per cent.Former Barclays boss John Varley and former senior colleagues are accused of giving bungs to Qatar

Former Barclays boss John Varley will go on trial next month in a blockbuster fraud case set to grip the City.

Varley and former senior colleagues are accused of giving bungs to Qatar in exchange for a 6billion investment which saved Barclays from collapse in 2008.

The bankers, who are being prosecuted by the Serious Fraud Office, will be on trial at Southwark Crown Court from January 9.

As well as the 62-year-old ex-chief executive, others in the dock are Roger Jenkins, 63, then-head of the investment bank; Richard Boath, 60, who was joint head of finance; and 63-year-old Thomas Kalaris, who ran Barclays wealth management arm.

They all deny wrongdoing.

The so-called Barclays Four are the most senior British bankers to face criminal proceedings over the near-collapse of the financial system a decade ago.

There has since been widespread anger that so few senior figures were held to account for the disaster.

Barclays is not being prosecuted, after a case against it was thrown out by the High Court in October.After President Trump claimed that federal workers are behind him, saying many have told him 'stay out until you get the funding for the wall,' union bosses have denied his claim said many employees are worried about losing their homes because of the government shutdown.

Around 800,00 people have been effected by the shutdown which was on its sixth day Thursday, and many people concerned they will not be able to feed their children, and that falling behind on bill payments will affect their future.

One union boss said in response to the American leader's claim - which without an explanation - that people were anxious to known when it would end.

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The Capitol Dome is seen from the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington DC, pictured during a partial government shutdown

President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump make their way across the South Lawn of the White House on Thursday. Trump claimed that federal workers are behind him

'They're all by far worried about their mortgages,' Steve Reaves, president of Federal Emergency Management Agency union, said.

He said he hasn't heard from any employees who say they support the shutdown and warned that financial problems now could negatively effect government employees in future.

Missed payments could stop them from getting security clearance when applying for future jobs.

David Dollard, a Federal Bureau of Prisons employee and chief steward for the American Federation of Government Employees Local 709 union in Colorado, added that at least two agency employees lost their homes after the 2013 shutdown.

With his agency already understaffed they are some of the 420,000 workers deemed essential and forced to work unpaid, unable to take any sick days or vacation.

An additional 380,000 are staying home without pay.

A statue of Benjamin Franklin is seen in an empty corridor outside the Senate at the Capitol. Chances look slim for ending the partial government shutdown any time soon

'You start out at $44,000 a year, there's not much room for anything else as far saving money for the next government shutdown, so it puts staff in a very hard situation,' Dollard said. 'We've got single fathers who have child support, alimony. It's very hard to figure out what you're going to do.'

While furloughed federal workers have been given back pay in previous shutdowns, it's not guaranteed.

The Senate passed a bill last week to make sure workers will be paid. The House will probably follow suit, the Associated Press reported.

'Unfortunately, 800,000 federal workers are in a panic because they don't know whether they'll get paid,' said Representative Jim McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat, who tried to offer the bill. 'That may make the president feel good but the rest of us should be terribly bothered by that, and should work on overtime to end the shutdown now.'

Minimum wage worker Ethan James, 21, says he can realistically miss work for three of four before he's struggling.

The office worker at the Interior Department said: 'I live check to check right now. I'm getting nervous.'

James said the contracting company he works for gave its employees a choice: take unpaid leave or dip into paid time-off entitlements. But James doesn't have any paid time off because he started the job just four months ago. His only option is forgoing a paycheck.

'This is my full-time job, this is what I was putting my time into until I can save up to take a few classes,' the budding teacher said. 'I'm going to have to look for something else to sustain me.'

Empty corridors around the Senate are seen at the Capitol Thursday. Lawmakers are away for the holidays and have been told they will get 24 hours' notice before having to return for a vote

Candice Nesbitt, 51, has worked for 1  years for the U.S. Coast Guard, the only branch of the military affected by the shutdown. About 44,000 Coast Guard employees are working this week without pay; 6,000, including Nesbitt, have been furloughed.

Nesbitt worked for a contractor but took a pay cut in exchange for the stability of a government job. She has a mortgage, is the guardian of her special needs, 5-year-old grandson, and makes about $45,000 a year, she said. Any lapse in payment could plunge her into debt. 'It shakes me to the core,' she said.

Mary Morrow, a components engineer on contract for NASA, is in the same predicament. In addition to caring for a family largely on her own, she's got a mortgage.

'I have three teenage boys, it's near Christmas time and we just spent money, there are credit card bills and normal bills and it's really nerve-wracking,' she said. 'It's scary.'

President Donald Trump has made a seemingly unfounded claim that the shutdown over his border wall mostly affects Democrats.

He spent part of the day tweeting about the shutdown, insisting 'this isn't about the Wall,' but about Democrats denying him 'a win'.

'Do the Dems realize that most of the people not getting paid are Democrats?' he asked in one tweet.

With reporters seeking comment, Republican Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, departs after he opened and closed a brief session of the U.S. Senate amid the partial government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday

Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, responded: 'Federal employees don't go to work wearing red or blue jerseys. They're public servants.'



House Democrats tried Thursday to offer a measure to re-open government, but they were blocked from action by Republicans, who still have majority control of the chamber until Democrats take over January 3.

The House and Senate gaveled in for a perfunctory session Thursday, but quickly adjourned without action. No votes are expected until next week, and even that's not guaranteed.

Lawmakers are mostly away for the holidays and will be given 24-hour notice to return, with Republican senators saying they won't vote until all parties, including Trump, agree to a deal.

It has already caused a lapse in money for nine of 15 Cabinet-level departments and dozens of agencies, including the departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, Interior, Agriculture, State and Justice.

For example, the government won't issue new federal flood insurance policies or renew expiring ones.A former deputy intelligence chief of China was yesterday sentenced to life in prison for taking bribes, 'coercive' business deals and insider trading.

Ma Jian, once a vice minister at the Ministry of State Security, took more than 100 million yuan (11.46 million) in bribes through his work between 1999 and 2014, a court said.

Ma is one of the most senior security officials to be jailed in China since the former domestic security tsar Zhou Yongkang was ensnared in a graft scandal and jailed for life in 2015.

In this image made from Dec. 27, 2018, CCTV video, China's former deputy intelligence chief Ma Jian appears in a courtroom in the north-eastern port city of Dalian, China

Ma's case is linked to that of China's most wanted fugitive, exiled tycoon Guo Wengui, who lives in New York and has courted international attention with his explosive claims about the leadership of the ruling Communist Party.

The Dalian Intermediate People's Court said in a statement on its website that it had reached the verdict on the grounds that Ma had taken a 'particularly enormous' amount of bribes, and that his collaboration with Guo's company were 'particularly serious'.

Between 2008 and 2014, Ma used his position to conspire with Guo and to help businesses Guo controlled by using threats to bring about illegal transactions such as compelling individuals to transfer company shares, the court said.

The court said Ma Jian was found guilty of crimes including accepting bribes and insider trading. Ma was the former vice minister at the Ministry of State Security of China

Ma's case is linked to that of China's most wanted fugitive, exiled Guo Wengui (pictured)

Ma had received more than 100 million yuan (11.46 million) in property for his work and earned nearly 5 million yuan from trading stocks based on insider information, the court said.

Ma said that he accepted the ruling and would not appeal, according to the court said.

It was not possible to contact Ma for comment. Guo could not immediately be reached for comment.

Ma is one of the most senior security officials to be jailed in China since the former domestic security tsar Zhou Yongkang (file photo) was ensnared in a graft scandal and jailed for life

Ma was put under investigation for corruption in 2015 and expelled from the Communist Party the following year after prosecutors accused him of interfering in unspecified law enforcement activities.

Dozens of senior officials have been investigated or jailed since President Xi Jinping assumed power in 2012, vowing to root out corruption and warning that the problem threatens the Communist Partys grip on power.

The powerful state security ministry spies on its citizens and foreigners domestically and internationally. It is one of the most opaque agencies in China and does not have a public website or spokesman.A popular former Israeli military chief jumped into the political fray Thursday, announcing he would run for office in the upcoming election and instantly injecting a potent challenge to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's lengthy rule.

Retired Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz has been polling favorably in recent weeks, emerging as a fresh, exciting face in Israel's staid political landscape. By officially registering his new party, 'Israel Resilience,' Gantz shakes up a snap three-month election campaign that has been widely seen as Netanyahu's to lose.

Even before officially announcing his candidacy, several polls showed Gantz's hypothetical party coming in second only to Netanyahu's ruling Likud in a crowded field of contenders in the April 9 vote. A second-place finish would position Gantz for either a top Cabinet post in a Netanyahu government or to be a high-profile opposition leader.

Former Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz says he is running in the upcoming election

Gantz has yet to comment publicly on the new party. Though he has yet to lay out his worldview or political platform, he flaunts stellar military credentials - a must in security-centric Israel - and a squeaky-clean image to contrast Netanyahu's corruption-laden reputation.

Although still short of the kind of widespread support likely needed to become prime minister, Gantz's candidacy captures a yearning in Israel for a viable alternative to emerge against the long-serving Netanyahu, who has been in office for nearly a decade and is seeking a fourth consecutive term.

With a commanding lead in the polls, and a potential indictment looming against him, Netanyahu called early elections this week, seeking to pre-empt possible corruption charges and return to office to become the longest serving premier in Israeli history.

Police have recommended charging Netanyahu with bribery and breach of trust in three different cases. Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing, dismissing the allegations as a media-orchestrated witch hunt aimed at removing him from office.

Israel's attorney general is now weighing whether to file criminal charges. Analysts say that Netanyahu hopes to win re-election before a decision is made, believing it would be much more difficult for the attorney general to charge a popular, newly elected leader.

Even with Netanyahu's legal woes, he remains popular in opinion polls, while Israel's established opposition remains splintered and unable to produce a viable challenger.

On Thursday, Gantz said he is running for office in the April 9 elections and registered his new party, 'Israel Resilience'

Like most retired security officials, Gantz is believed to hold moderate positions toward the Palestinians, which would set him apart from Netanyahu, who has largely ignored the issue while focusing on Iran's influence in the region. But Gantz has been cagey about voicing his opinions, wary of alienating conservative voters crucial for a political upheaval.

Early opinion polls indicate that Gantz would take away votes from all the major parties and may not tip the scales away from Netanyahu just yet. But the emergence of the tall, telegenic ex-general with salty hair makes things more interesting, as he could spark new alliances with other moderate parties to give the hard-line Likud an honest fight.

'It's too early to tell, but he definitely strengthens the center-left camp,' said Mina Tzemach, a leading Israeli pollster, whose most recent survey gave Gantz's new party as many as 16 seats in the 120-seat Parliament. 'He projects security and integrity. And the fact that he looks good doesn't hurt either.'

Gantz, 59, was a paratrooper who rose up the ranks to head special operations units and other various commands before serving as military attache to the United States and ultimately becoming Israel's 20th military chief between 2011-2015. His term was marked by two wars with Hamas militants in Gaza and a covert air campaign in Syria against Iranian arms shipments to Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.

Like most retired security officials, Gantz is believed to hold moderate positions toward the Palestinians, which would set him apart from Netanyahu

Since his discharge, he has been aggressively courted by several Israeli political parties, but ultimately decided to go it alone for now as the leader of his own party.

Despite his impressive pedigree, Gantz remains a political unknown, which explains part of his appeal in such a highly partisan climate.

'There seems to be about 20 percent of the public that is fed up with what's out there. He appeals to those who don't want Netanyahu but can't bring themselves to vote for the others either,' said Reuven Hazan, a political science professor at Jerusalem's Hebrew University. 'He's the flavor of the election.'

Police have recommended charging Netanyahu with bribery and breach of trust in three different cases. Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing

Israel is no stranger to such would-be saviors. In the 2013 elections, former TV anchor Yair Lapid came out of nowhere with his centrist Yesh Atid party to capture 19 seats and become Israel's second-largest faction.

Last time, in 2015, Moshe Kahlon's economy-focused Kulanu became the unlikely kingmaker. Both, however, decided to join Netanyahu's coalition rather than oppose him and their years in the system have taken off some of the shine since then.

Polls currently reflect a dichotomy in which most Israelis don't want Netanyahu to continue to be their prime minister while simultaneously saying they see no preferred candidate to replace him.

To finally topple Netanyahu, Gantz will likely have to team up with a combination of Lapid, Kahlon, the venerable Labor Party and others. Opposition leader Tzipi Livni has called on the various candidates to 'put their egos aside' and unite against Netanyahu.Butterflies made a comeback with the dry weather from May onwards, which encouraged the spread of pests

cold snap in February killed huge numbers of shellfish, including lobsters, starfish and fish on the East coast

This year's 'Beast from the East' and hot summer was a 'rollercoaster' year for wildlife, says the National Trust

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A 'rollercoaster' year of wild weather extremes has hit some species hard while others thrived, says the National Trust.

While freezing temperatures triggered by the 'Beast from the East' saw UK seabirds suffer, the scorching summer was a boon for other types of wildlife.

In its review of 2018, the Trust said this year's 'winners' were many bats and butterflies, species which had previously suffered huge drops in numbers in recent years.

Losers included guillemots, shags, fulmar and kittiwakes as the cold snap at the end of February killed huge numbers of lobsters, starfish and fish on the East coast, which the birds, including the puffin above, feed upon

Belted Galloway cattle feeding on hay in winter at Crickley Hill, Gloucestershire. Other winter animals were not so lucky, goat numbers were down as few kids survived the icy blasts at the start of the year

Bats benefited from a warmer than average January and were still on the wing at the end of October. Fungi also sprouted more than usual in the past 12 months.

The migrant silvery moth was seen in its highest ever numbers at Mount Stewart in Northern Ireland.

New species also arrived including the dark green fritillary, also recorded at Mount Stewart, while a rarely-seen purple emperor was spotted in Norfolk for a third year running in July.

The deer population also benefited from strong growth of vegetation.

Natterjack Toads, pair in amplexus underwater. On the north-west coast at Sandscale Haws, the rare natterjack toad population struggled as the heat dried out their pools

Other species attracted to this most south-westerly point of the country included various dragonflies. A 'rollercoaster' year of wild weather extremes has hit some species hard while others thrived, says the National Trust

Losers included guillemots, shags, fulmar and kittiwakes as the cold snap at the end of February killed huge numbers of lobsters, starfish and fish on the East coast, which the birds feed upon.

Goat numbers were down as few kids survived the icy blasts at the start of the year.

Wading birds were hit in summer as the Fenlands dried out in Cambridgeshire. However, nettle-feeding butterflies such as the small tortoiseshell and red admiral also suffered despite good weather.

Dr David Bullock, head of species and habitat conservation at the National Trust, said: 'This year's unusual weather does give us some indication of how climate change could look and feel, irrespective of whether this year's was linked to climate change.'

While it was cold in the UK, it was even chillier in continental Europe in February and March  and birds seeking refuge here included the fieldfare, redwing, golden plover, lapwing, snipe, jack snipe and woodcock.

A scattering of Arctic redpolls were also seen in the east of England, and numbers of ducks such as goosander, red-breasted merganser and scaup in the north-west were higher than normal.

While it was cold in the UK, it was even chillier in continental Europe in February and March  and birds seeking refuge here included the fieldfare, redwing, golden plover, lapwing, snipe, jack snipe and woodcock. Above, a Brambling male in the snow

Snowfall at the lake at Stourhead, Wiltshire. In its review of 2018, the Trust said this year's 'winners' were many bats and butterflies, species which had previously suffered huge drops in numbers in recent years

Wiltshire horn ewes in the snow at Stourhead, Wiltshire. While freezing temperatures triggered by the 'Beast from the East' saw UK seabirds suffer, the scorching summer was a boon for other types of wildlife

Snowy owls  an Arctic species, and a rare visitor to the UK  were also seen at Scolt Head Island in Norfolk in February and St David's in Wales in late March.

Meanwhile, some 40 rose-coloured starlings were spotted at Lundy and Trevose Head in Cornwall.

Seal pups at both Blakeney and the Farnes have had record years, thought to be largely due to a lack of disturbance and mild weather.

But on the north-west coast at Sandscale Haws, the rare natterjack toad population struggled as the heat dried out their pools.

Warm weather also resulted in the rare sight of northern blue fin tuna off Lizard Point in Cornwall, and record numbers of Mediterranean gulls.

Other species attracted to this most south-westerly point of the country included various dragonflies.

Rarer butterflies such as the large blue and silver-studded blue also had bumper years.

Animal ecologist Peter Brash said: 'This year's weather has been the most remarkable of my lifetime, with a bitter March leading into a pleasant spring and a heatwave summer which actually exceeded the famous 'long hot summer' of 1976, and an exceptionally mild autumn.

'The impact on wildlife has been massive, with many species reacting in an unprecedented manner such as large blue butterflies which had a record-breaking year ...'

Above, a mating pair of Silver studded blue butterflies were pictured in June at Great Orme, Clwyd. Rarer butterflies such as the large blue and silver-studded blue also had bumper yearsMargaret Thatcher admitted 'sending young boys to their deaths' during the Troubles and that she did not want Irish people in Britain, newly released files reveal.

Documents from 1988 reveal the then prime minister conceded she did not know what to do about the Irish border as the country teetered on the brink of civil war.

She said the region contained the 'biggest concentration of terrorists in the world' and that she did not want Irish people in Britain.'

'Your people come over to us. I wish they wouldn't,' she said. 'They come looking for housing and services. It's the same in Northern Ireland.

Margaret Thatcher (pictured in Northern Ireland in 1989) conceded she did not know what to do about the Irish border as the country teetered on the brink of civil war

Following a 14-day period of violence she clashed with Irish Taoiseach Charles Haughey, demanding more intelligence on the IRA and fretting about the border.

Mrs Thatcher and Mr Haughey held an 'unusually tense' tete-a-tete during a European Council meeting in June 1988, files from the National Archives in Dublin show.

During the summit in Hanover, Germany, Mrs Thatcher condemned the 'savagery' of the IRA after the murder of two undercover British soldiers.

The records show she told Mr Haughey: 'I do not know what to do about the border.'

The revelations come as concerns grow over the prospect of a hard border being introduced at the frontier between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

Days later, the IRA pulled two undercover British soldiers from their car, beat them (pictured) and shot them dead after they drove inadvertently into the funeral procession of one of the Milltown victims

The topic has dominated Brexit talks, amid fears it could end the peace brokered with the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

Mrs Thatcher's comments followed a spate of violence that began in March of 1988, when three IRA members believed to be planning a car bomb attack were killed by the SAS in Gibraltar.

The men were later found to be unarmed and no bomb was discovered.

Three mourners at their funeral at Milltown cemetery in Belfast were then killed by loyalists in a gun and grenade attack.

Days later, the IRA pulled two undercover British soldiers from their car, beat them and shot them dead after they drove inadvertently into the funeral procession of one of the Milltown victims.

Mrs Thatcher and Irish Taoiseach Charles Haughey (pictured) held an 'unusually tense' tete-a-tete during a European Council meeting in June 1988, files from the National Archives show

'Those two corporals were among the worst things in my life,' Mrs Thatcher told Mr Haughey.

'The savagery was unbelievable.'

She said a move towards a united Ireland would spark 'the worst civil war in history' that would 'spread to the mainland'.

Mrs Thatcher (pictured in South Armagh) said she was 'not winning the battle with the IRA', sending in troops had been 'useless' and she had 'lost' unionists in the north

If there was a vote tomorrow they would vote to stay with us.' Several times she pleaded with Mr Haughey  who denied suggestions he was soft on violence  for more pre-emptive intelligence about the IRA, and better training for the Irish police.

'If we don't defeat the IRA, I don't know what I'm going to do,' she said. 'We can't have the border open as it is now.

'They are using the border to carry on an effective campaign.'

She returned to the border as being central to her despair several times during the meeting, saying the IRA was using it to move bombs over from the Republic or to flee from security forces in the north.

'I can't seal the border,' she said. 'There is no way we can patrol the 500 miles. Everywhere there is an open border.'

Mrs Thatcher said the area contained the 'biggest concentration of terrorists in the world' and 'despite technological and other surveillance we lose them'.

'So, yes,' she added, 'I must send more young boys over to their deaths. I ask myself, am I entitled to do it? There is a border line ... but it is not an effective border.'

During the exchanges, she said she was 'not winning the battle with the IRA', sending in troops had been 'useless' and she had 'lost' unionists in the north.

'So I have failed,' she said. 'I have to deal with guns, bombs, beating people to death with sticks and many other barbaric acts.'The chief legal adviser to Margaret Thatcher woke from heart surgery screaming: 'We must kill Paisley!'

Attorney general Michael Havers' outburst came at a time when the loyalist politician was a thorn in the side of Margaret Thatcher's government.

'Havers said that when he came out of the anaesthetic after his heart operation  his wife and the surgeons were there  he immediately shouted 'we must kill Paisley!',' an Irish diplomat reported.

Reverend Ian Paisley, (pictured) who died in 2014, founded the Democratic Unionist Party and was a prominent figure during the Troubles

Reverend Ian Paisley, who died in 2014, founded the Democratic Unionist Party and was a prominent figure during the Troubles.

He clashed with Margaret Thatcher over the Anglo-Irish Agreement, which gave Dublin a consultative role in Northern Ireland for the first time.

Richard Ryan, who was based at the Irish embassy in London, revealed he was told the story at a meeting.

At the same gathering in January 1987 was Tory MP Ian Gow, who Mr Ryan said looked 'very depressed'.

Attorney general Michael Havers' (pictured) outburst came at a time when the loyalist politician was a thorn in the side of Margaret Thatcher's government

He resigned as Treasury minister in protest over the Anglo-Irish Agreement, but later concluded the unionists were 'hopeless' and lacked stature.

He was killed in 1990 by an IRA car bomb.

Sir Michael, father of actor Nigel Havers, was attorney general from 1979 to 1987, and was later made a peer and lord chancellor. He died in 1992.

Declassified files also reveal Sir Michael wanted to prosecute over an alleged shoot-to-kill policy used in Northern Ireland.

Ian Paisley clashed with Margaret Thatcher (pictured) over the Anglo-Irish Agreement, which gave Dublin a consultative role in Northern Ireland for the first time

Sir Michael had been 'prepared to send the police into 10 Downing Street on a point of law', according to the files released by the Irish National Archives  but the decision was overturned by his successor as attorney general, Patrick Mayhew.

Former police chief John Stalker was asked to investigate Royal Ulster Constabulary shootings of six people, but he was removed from the inquiry shortly before it was due to report in 1986. Its findings were never made public.

In February 1988, Sir Michael told Mr Ryan the decision not to prosecute anyone in the RUC over a number of killings was wrong.

'Havers said that the more he looks at what is happening, the more he believes that Patrick Mayhew should have gone for prosecution and 'damn the consequences',' he said.Margaret Thatcher's chief legal adviser was prepared 'to send the police into 10 Downing Street' over an alleged shoot-to-kill policy used by police in Northern Ireland, declassified files reveal.

Attorney General Sir Michael Havers wanted to prosecute over the policy which he suspected was covered up by 'MI5 and people within the Cabinet'.

But the decision was overturned by his successor as attorney general, Patrick Mayhew. The British government has always denied any shoot-to-kill policy.

Attorney General Sir Michael Havers (pictured) wanted to prosecute over the policy which he suspected was covered up by 'MI5 and people within the Cabinet'

Former police chief John Stalker was asked to investigate Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) shootings of six people but was removed from the inquiry shortly before it was due to report in 1986.

The inquiry was taken over by another English police chief Colin Sampson. Its findings were never made public.

In February 1988, Sir Michael told an Irish diplomat in London that a controversial decision not to prosecute anyone in the RUC over a number of killings was wrong.

'Havers said that the more he looks at what is happening, the more he believes that [his successor Patrick] Mayhew should have gone for prosecution and 'damn the consequences',' Richard Ryan of the Irish embassy reported back to Dublin.

'He (Havers) was last year prepared to send the police into 10 Downing Street on a point of law, and his position then, determination to implement the law, was accepted by Mrs Thatcher (although he was in no doubt that she did not like it).

'Mayhew was, in his view, 'not in any way bound to take the course he did.'

In January 1988, Mr Mayhew announced that 11 RUC officers named in the Stalker/Sampson shoot-to-kill investigation would not be prosecuted, citing 'national security'.

In a private discussion after the announcement, Sir Michael told the diplomat 'there was enough on the file to warrant prosecutions up to superintendent or chief superintendent level in the RUC, but [chief constable John] Hermon himself was not involved'.

Then Secretary of State Tom King (pictured in 1990) looked on 'extremely discomfited' when Lord Alderdice suggested the RUC were being scapegoated

He said if he was still attorney general 'he could not have taken the same decisions as those announced by Patrick Mayhew.

'He could certainly not go along with the suppression of prosecutions in the case of perversion of justice. He was very strong on that point.'

Mrs Thatcher was 'visibly angered' when questioned in February 1988 about the suspected cover-up, according to the files released by the Irish National Archives.

Lord Alderdice, who had met with the Prime Minister just days beforehand, told her the decision not to prosecute over shoot-to-kill was 'absolutely wrong', he told a diplomat.

Her response was 'curt' and she 'harangued him' saying the 'decision was taken for national security reasons and that she would not ask the attorney general to change his mind'.

Then Secretary of State Tom King looked on 'extremely discomfited' when Lord Alderdice suggested the RUC were being scapegoated.

'[Mrs Thatcher] demanded that he tell her who in the RUC told him this,' the diplomat reported.

'Was it, she asked, Chief Constable Hermon?' Lord Alderdice denied it was anyone in particular and both Mrs Thatcher and Mr King were 'at pains' to put across the 'problem was confined to the RUC'.

'Alderdice told me that he had very good information from people close to the RUC leadership that the people whom Mayhew was seeking to shelter were the MI5 and people within the Cabinet who had agreed MI5's involvement in the operations in Northern Ireland,' the diplomat wrote.

Mrs Thatcher interjected during their meeting to say that 'she would always have to consider the lives of her 'boys over there'.' Lord Alderdice took this to mean MI5, according to the files.

They show he was struck by the 'many untruths and simple errors' in Mrs Thatcher's arguments.

'Secretary of State King had to intervene on a number of occasions to correct her when Alderdice drew attention to the inaccuracies.. the latter could only conclude that she had a very poor grasp of the current situation in Northern Ireland.' Mr King was 'somewhat embarrassed' afterwards.

Sir Michael was Attorney General from 1979 to 1987, and was later made a peer and Lord Chancellor. Lord Havers, the father of actor Nigel Havers, died in 1992.Advertisement

Sir John Major (pictured) seems to have seized the chance to peruse them  but sadly for us, his government deemed the contents so explosive that they put off their public release until 2063

Given how dramatic the Press reports were, Whitehall's secret files on the Profumo affair must make for some rather racy reading.

Sir John Major seems to have seized the chance to peruse them  but sadly for us, his government deemed the contents so explosive that they put off their public release until 2063.

The scandal rocked the establishment when it emerged minister John Profumo had enjoyed liaisons with 19-year-old Christine Keeler, who was also having an affair with a Soviet attache.

Stephen Ward, a society osteopath and Keeler's alleged pimp, was on familiar enough terms with the Duke of Edinburgh to be allowed to draw his portrait.

Amid myriad allegations of high-level sex, sleaze and security risks, respected judge Lord Denning was invited to pursue an ultra-confidential one-man inquiry into the affair.

He concluded in his report published in September 1963 that there had been no security risks. It was viewed by some as a typical Establishment whitewash.

The very evidence he gathered  assumed to have contained deeply embarrassing allegations about the upper crust  was suppressed, with Lord Denning himself asking for it to be destroyed.

However, this task was never undertaken.

Continuing secrecy, despite many calls for transparency over the years, has been blamed on an assumption that figures named in the dossier are still alive.

The scandal rocked the establishment when it emerged minister John Profumo (pictured) had enjoyed liaisons with 19-year-old Christine Keeler, who was also having an affair with a Soviet attache

Whitehall was sitting on the material three decades later in 1993, meaning the documents should have been publicly released according to the '30 year rule'.

At this point, then prime minister Sir John and the Lord Chancellor, James Mackay, were invited to revisit the issue.

Writing to Sir John, Cabinet Secretary Sir Robin Butler revealed that the material 'is stored in the strongroom in my office'.

He said the Lord Chancellor, as well as the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, agreed it should be kept secret for another 70 years.

They believed 'it would be wrong to destroy the papers ... they reflect an extraordinary episode and evoke the character of the 1960s in a very powerful way ... on the other hand, given Lord Denning's assurance to witnesses, it would not be appropriate to open the material after 30 years'.

Stephen Ward, a society osteopath and Keeler's (pictured in 1964) alleged pimp, was on familiar enough terms with the Duke of Edinburgh to be allowed to draw his portrait.

Newly-released files show Alex Allan, principal private secretary to Sir John, noted on the letter: 'Prime Minister, content?'

He added cheekily: 'It is very tempting to suggest that you could not take such a decision without studying the evidence personally!'

Days later, Mr Allan informed Sir Robin that Sir John was 'content with the decision that the evidence should be withheld for 100 years'. However, he added cryptically: 'There is one point he would like to discuss with you.'

Mr Allan's handwritten addition two days later appears to reveal the point he wished to raise. He wrote: 'No problem if PM wants to go round to [Butler's] office and read extracts.'

Sir John's Major's office declined to comment.Advertisement

John Major's Downing Street had little time for Rupert Murdoch, believing his print empire had 'ceased to make rational criticisms of policy' in favour of highly personalised attacks.

The Australian mogul was not thought to 'regularly' read his British papers, instead depending on a daily call from the editor of The Sun, which had the effect of leaving him 'very poorly informed', newly released briefings show.

Relations were so chilly that No 10 even banned the Cabinet from attending a News Corp jamboree at Banqueting House on Whitehall to celebrate a 1993 Sky TV launch.

John Major's Downing Street had little time for Rupert Murdoch, believing his print empire had 'ceased to make rational criticisms of policy' in favour of highly personalised attacks. Mr Major is pictured outside No 10 in 1993

The invitation caused consternation, with 'alternative draft replies' constructed by press secretary Gus O'Donnell being offered to the Prime Minister.

'Do you want me to discourage other Cabinet ministers from attending the launch?', he asked. 'Yes', Major replied, with a double underline.

However a hand-written note from Private Secretary Roderic Lyne reveals: 'Home Sec, alas, has accepted. I have hinted that he might contract a diplomatic illness. We'll see'.

The Home Secretary, Michael Howard, explained in cringing terms why he thought it best to attend, in a handwritten note to Major.

Kelvin MacKenzie (left) and Rupert Murdoch holding copies of The Sun at the paper's print works in Wapping in January 1986

He pointed out he was holding a press conference the morning after the party, so faking an illness was off the cards, and besides, his attendance was only a 'harmless, costless gesture'.

'More fundamentally, though, this does raise the question of what tactics we should adopt towards the Murdoch press...we should need them at the next election.'

He added: 'I have no idea whether politicians from other parties have been invited but I don't think it would do us much good if e.g. Blair was there but no minister.'

Howard did attend the bash, and Downing Street noted with relief his attendance 'was noted but not hugely exploited'.

Relations were so chilly that Mr Major's No 10 (pictured) even banned the Cabinet from attending a News Corp jamboree at Banqueting House on Whitehall to celebrate a 1993 Sky TV launch

A further signal example of the dislike of Major administration for Murdoch has also been released.

In a briefing sent by O'Donnell to the PM in August of 1993, the mandarin also made stinging claims about Murdoch's (pictured in 1985) understanding of British current affairs

In a briefing sent by O'Donnell to the PM in August of 1993, the mandarin also made stinging claims about Murdoch's understanding of British current affairs.

'Overall, Murdoch's views are very much anti-union, pro-free market and floating exchange rates', he wrote.

'I was surprised to learn, give the worldwide scale of his business, that he phones [then Sun editor] Kelvin MacKenzie most days to keep up to date on the British scene.

'God alone knows that Kelvin tells him, as he is often very poorly informed.. This explains why Murdoch frequently obtains very biased views of what is happening here.'

'It is also clear', he added, 'that Murdoch is aware, in outline terms at least, of the line taken by his papers.

'However, I very much doubt whether he reads them regularly'.

In an annex to the document, which was composed ahead of a meeting between Major and Murdoch, O'Donnell even comments on Murdoch's choice of Times editor.

'The Times is the paper that should be worrying Murdoch the most...It has had five editors in the last 10 years.

'Rupert Murdoch must be wondering whether he should have held out for his first choice, Paul Dacre, who has increased the Daily Mail's circulation by 5%, instead of [Peter] Stothard.'A Chilean crime syndicate that allegedly stole more than a million dollars worth of luxury items and sent them overseas has been brought down by police.

The complex operation was uncovered after more than 80 homes were broken into across Sydney during September and October.

Authorities charged eight people allegedly involved in the organised theft syndicate and are using it as a warning for people to properly secure their homes and cars during the holiday season.

A Chilean crime syndicate that allegedly stole more than a million dollars worth of luxury items and sent them overseas has been brought down by police

The complex operation was uncovered after more than 80 homes were broken into across Sydney during September and October

Police allege the five men and three women broke into homes in Vaucluse, Rose Bay, Five Dock and Castle Hill and took $1.2 million worth of jewellery, cash and luxury clothing.

The Chilean tourists and students also allegedly stole luxury items from designer stores across Melbourne and Sydney.

The stolen items were then sent back to their home country or sold for cash that was then transferred overseas.

One of the individuals includes 19-year-old Chilean Anastassia Saavedra Urzua (pictured), who was sentenced to 30-days behind bars after pleading guilty

In November, detectives with the NSW Crime Command's Robbery and Serious Crimes Squad established Strike Force Merengue and began to investigate the continuous break-ins.

Inquiries lead to a series of arrests in November and December, with two individuals arrested at Sydney International Airport.

Their charges included making a false statement to an officer for purposes of Migration Act, aggravated break and enter, and knowingly dealing with proceeds of a crime.

Three more people were arrested at a unit in Sydney Olympic park and were charged with aggravated break and entering a dwelling in company with intent to steal.

Another two suspects believed to be involved in the complex operation were arrested in Melbourne in early December after a week-long crime spree at shopping centres in Chadstone, Ringwood, Knox and Doncaster.

The Chilean tourists and students also allegedly stole luxury items from designer stores across Melbourne and Sydney

Police allege the five men and three women broke into homes in Vaucluse, Rose Bay, Five Dock and Castle Hill and stoke $1.2 million worth of jewellery, cash and luxury clothing

More than 600 sporting goods were stolen from Rebel Sport, 36 purses and bags from TK Maxx and other items worth more than $27,000, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

One of the individuals includes 19-year-old Chilean Anastassia Saavedra Urzua, who was sentenced to 30-days behind bars after pleading guilty in Melbourne Magistrates Court.

She is also believed to have been involved in a group that stole Victoria's Secret items from a mall in California.

After an extensive investigation, a 41-year-old woman was arrested at a home in Leppington on December 18 and charged with seven offences, including two counts of shoplifting and receive property from serious indictable offence.

In November, detectives with the NSW Crime Command's Robbery and Serious Crimes Squad established Strike Force Merengue and began to investigate the continuous break-ins

Strike force investigators have been working together with Chilean authorities in an attempt to retrieve the packages with stolen goods.

More than 30 international money transfers were made to unknown recipients in Santiago, Chile of amounts adding up to $75,000.

'This has been a sophisticated and meticulous investigation; spanning not just across Australia but across the Pacific Ocean,' Detective Superintendent Daniel Doherty said.

'We want to hear from anyone who may have information that can assist us in dismantling this syndicate.'

He also reminded the community to properly secure their homes and cars during the holiday season, and have someone check on the property if it's left empty.The terrifying moment the driver of a German luxury SUV tried to force another car off the road on a busy Melbourne motorway has been caught on camera.

Dashcam footage uploaded on ViralHog shows a dark Holden Commodore overtaking a silver Mercedes Benz M-Class SUV during school pick-up hours on November 16.

The motorist of the four-wheel drive, which switched to the middle lane, was intercepted again by the Holden sedan, leading to the dangerous altercation.

Two disgruntled drivers in a Holden Commodore and a Mercedes Benz M-class attempted to dangerously swerve each other off a busy motorway

The Mercedes-Benz SUV appeared to speed up to the Holden and nearly forced it off the highway on to the emergency lane.

The driver of the Holden was captured yelling at the SUV driver and pointed an arm outside the window.

The Mercedes-Benz SUV then made a second attempt to ram the car off the highway, nearly forcing a terrifying collision.

A parent was driving their kids home from school when the incident was captured.

'I was driving to get my kids from school and witnessed some road rage that almost resulted in a huge accident,' they said.

A black car overtook the driver of a silver SUV in the right lane during school pick up hours

The Mercedes-Benz SUV sped up to Holden and nearly forced it off highway on to emergency lane twice

'I applaud their healthy release of anger. So much better than keeping it bottled up,' one user wrote.

A Victoria Police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia no arrests have been made in relation to the road rage.

Police are investigating the incident.Shalom Mendoza, 21, was first reported missing on Wednesday at approximately 9.35pm during a routine headcount

A massive manhunt is underway for the first prisoner to escape the notorious San Quentin prison in 18 years.

Shalom Mendoza, 21, was first reported missing on Wednesday at approximately 9.35pm during a routine headcount.

Lt. Samuel Robinson, with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said that the prison activated its emergency operations and escape plan to try to find Mendoza.

It was during that time that investigators learned that a nearby motorist had been carjacked at the time of the escape.

A motorist who was driving a Toyota Rav4 with a California license plate 6STZ502 may have been carjacked by the man.

A positive identification is still being confirmed for the suspect involved in the carjacking, said California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations Press Secretary Vicky Waters.

Mendoza arrived at the state prison on December 20, 2017, to serve a five-year sentence

Mendoza arrived at the state prison on December 20, 2017, to serve a five-year sentence for use of a deadly weapon during a carjacking or attempted carjacking and evading or attempting to evade a peace officer while driving recklessly, reports Patch.com.

He was convicted in Los Angeles County.

Mendoza is described as being five-feet-five inches tall and 177 pounds. He has short brown hair and brown eyes.

The last time someone attempted to break out of the infamous prison was in 2000 when Paul Tuilaepa, Tiequon Cox and Noel Jackson rushed guards in an effort to break free.

They were ultimately detained, according to SF Gate.A father-of-two has been given 18 years in prison for crashing and killing his four-year-old son while drunk and high.

Christopher Small, 31, had two shots of Fireball and smoked marijuana before he picked up son Lucca from his Woodland Park, Colorado, daycare on February 20.

He was driving 75mph in a 50mph zone on the way to pick up his daughter when he lost control and crashed on Colorado 67.

His ex-wife, Ashley Whittemore, delivered an emotional statement to the court as Small was sentenced, describing what had happened to her helpless child.

'My baby did not die: He was killed,' Whittemore, told the court. She added Lucca 'laid in the snow with a broken neck, a swollen brain and a stopped heart'.

Lucca's mother, Ashley Whittemore, told how her child 'laid in the snow with a broken neck, a swollen brain and a stopped heart' during her impact statement in a Colorado court Thursday

Small was found to have a blood alcohol level of 0.09 four hours after the incident. A laboratory would have testified that he was two times over the legal limit at the time of the crash  at least 0.19.

He was also found to have 3.5 nanograms of THC  the principal psychoactive of cannabis - in his system, showing he was both drunk and high when his son was killed.

Small had picked up his son from daycare and was on his way to collect his daughter from school in Woodland Park when the incident occurred around 3pm that day.

The grieving mother's father, Mike Whittemore added about the death of his grandson: 'This was not a tragic accident. This was reckless, narcissistic behavior.

Christopher Small, 31, got an 18-year sentence for killing his son Lucca while driving drunk and high in February

'Lucca didn't die in a horrible accident  he died at the hands of his father.'

He told investigators he had two shots of Fireball whiskey after leaving his job in Limon but the 18th Judicial District stated evidence showed he drank more.

Small's 2012 Lexus RX350 was fitted with a booster seat at the back which Lucca was in when the driver lost control at a curve on Colorado 67 in Douglas County.

It's believed Small made no attempt to use the breaks before the collision.

Small pleaded guilty in October to vehicular homicide.

Deputy District Attorney Dan Warhola noted that the father should get the maximum sentence after he was arrested on a DUI charge in November while out on bail.

'A father is a provider and a protector. This defendant was the exact opposite of that on Feb. 20,' Warhola argued at the sentencing. 'Killing his own son wasn't enough to stop him.'

The Douglas County District Court Judge Shay Whittaker gave Small two years less than the maximum sentence.

Small was driving at 75 mph on a 50 mph road and there's was no sign he attempted to use the breaks before the collision that killed his son Lucca

'To this court, what is most devastating is  he made a decision to consume alcohol and get behind the wheel of a car and consciously made a decision to alter previously set plans and go and pick up his children,' Whittaker said.

'What is even more horrifying is that it could have been worse  he was on his way to pick up his daughter.'

District Attorney George Brauchler reassured the public that Small was unlikely to be let out every early.

'There are no words to capture the magnitude of this loss. A fathers selfish and reckless decision leads to the death of his innocent 4-year-old son,' Brauchler said.

'Coloradans should know that he will be eligible to be paroled from prison in only 5-6 years, but he will likely never be paroled from the knowledge that he killed his sweet boy. Like Luccas death, those nightmares are forever.'Meghan Markle boasted to friends about giving out marijuana in party bags at her first wedding, it has been claimed.

In leaked emails seen by The Sun, the Duchess of Sussex revealed how she would serve the illegal drug to guests as she tied the knot with Trevor Engelson in Jamaica.

When Meghan's friend advised her to buy a special bag for the cannabis, she allegedly replied: 'Already ordered 'em. And teeny ones for the pot that say 'shh'.'

Meghan Markle allegedly boasted to friends about giving out marijuana in party bags at her first wedding to Trevor Engelson in 2011 (pictured)

In leaked emails the future Duchess of Sussex apparently revealed how she would serve the illegal drug to guests (pictured dancing at the wedding on a beach in Ocho Rios)

Guests hoist the bride and groom in the air on deck chairs during 'wild and boozy' celebrations

The 37-year-old American former actress was referencing small muslin bags she ordered to put the drugs inside, according to the newspaper.

Sources claim Meghan even helped guests at the wedding roll joints and inserted filter tips before placing them in the party bags.

And guests reportedly said Meghan and her first husband, a Hollywood producer, purchased the marijuana through a hotel staffer.

Meghan and Mr Engelson married on a Jamaican beach in September 2011 but divorced two years later.

Earlier this month, Meghan's father Thomas revealed wedding guests were given marijuana at the wedding. At the time, possession of the drug was illegal in Jamaica.

Award-winning TV lighting director Mr Markle said at the time that he did not smoke his welcome gift, adding: 'It's illegal, but it's no big deal in Jamaica.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive at St Mary Magdalene Church for a Christmas Day service at Sandringham on Christmas Day this week

Meghan is pictured at church in Sandringham on Christmas Day this week with other royals

'It's almost customary down there. I don't smoke weed and to the best of my knowledge nor does Meghan.'

Mr Markle, who lives by the beach in Mexico, said: 'I don't know what I did with mine. I think I gave it away. I kept the bag and I use it to keep the sea air off one of my Emmys.'

Meghan booked all 55 rooms at the luxury Jamaica Inn for the wedding. It was attended by 100 guests including the cast of Suits, the TV legal drama series in which she starred.

Earlier this year Mr Markle, who is now estranged from the Duchess of Sussex, revealed details of the four-day ceremony in order to rubbish claims that he had failed to attend.

He showed the Mail on Sunday the 'save the date' invitation which shows his daughter entwined with Mr Engelson on a beach next to palm trees and a bottle of Red Stripe beer.

And he unearthed a photograph of him with his arm around Meghan moments before he walked her down the aisle.

Meghan's first wedding was a far cry from the Royal Wedding in May this year. Here, she gracefully waves on her lap around Windsor

Mr Markle, 74, explained that he did not appear in any of the official pictures from the event because he asked the photographer to focus on the younger guests in their bikinis.

He said: 'There are no pictures out there of me at the wedding because it was on the beach and everyone else was in their 30s and I was in my 60s.'

Guests were offered 'beach yoga' sessions with Miss Markle's mother Doria Ragland and the couple hosted a 'beach Olympics' with events such as tug-of-war and kayaking.

Mr Markle helped pay for the celebration and hosted a brunch on the final day. He also received a special 'thank you' for his 'incredible generosity'.

He did not attend his daughter's wedding to Prince Harry in Windsor in May after apparently suffering two heart attacks in the weeks before.

Meghan's nephew Tyler Dooley (pictured with mother Tracey) is a cannabis farmer in Oregon

He has been accused of faking the episode out of embarrassment over staged paparazzi pictures taken shortly before the ceremony.

But Mr Markle showed a series of private medical bills and letters, saying they proved he was too ill to travel to Britain.

He added: 'I had two attacks, the second of which the doctor called a widow-maker and nearly killed me.'

Earlier this year, it emerged that Meghan's nephew Tyler Dooley, 25, was a cannabis farmer in Oregon.

After the Royal Wedding in May, he launched a strain called 'Markle Sparkle' to capitalise on Meghan's new marriage.A Downing Street aide told John Major he should not refer to the Queen as 'priceless' in the Commons - since it might invite jokes about her tax-exempt status.

The mandarin was commenting on a draft Commons statement which Major was to deliver to acknowledge the Queen's relatively low key Ruby Jubilee in 1992.

But one of Major's Private Secretaries, the eagle-eyed William Chapman, circled the word 'priceless', asking 'is this quite the mot juste?', a new document shows.

Former Prime Minister John Major receiving the Companion of Honour from the Queen in 1999

'In view of the Queen's tax exemption it would indeed be said that her contribution has been without price'.

'Might someone pick this up?', he asked, evidently sensitive to an uptick in republicanism.

He also jotted: 'Cheap at the price, I would have said!', besides the draft statement, prepared by Major's Principal Private Secretary Andrew Turnbull.

'How about 'unique', 'unparalleled', 'incomparable' part with HM has played...and shouldn't 'citizens' be 'subjects' in this context.'

The mandarin was commenting on a draft Commons statement which Major (pictured) was to deliver to acknowledge the Queen's relatively low key Ruby Jubilee in 1992

In the event, Major delivered his scripted statement to the Common on 6 February 1992, accepting the sage's advice to replace 'priceless' with 'incomparable'.

'At the Cabinet meeting today, your Majesty's Ministers agreed that I should convey to your Majesty our warmest good wishes on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of your accession to the throne', he said.

'This was in recognition of the incomparable contribution Your Majesty has made to the life of our nation throughout your reign.'

The Queen only began to voluntarily pay income tax the following year, following public concern over the cost of the monarchy, and members of the Royal Family mired in negative headlines.Comical memos show John Major's fusty Downing Street being encouraged to connect to the internet for the very first time - amid fears that young upstart Tony Blair may beat them to it.

A note written by Damian Green in August 1994 encouraged Alex Allan to move forward with 'signing up', correctly predicting that 'internet users will be a growing group of opinion-formers'.

'Various MPs who are computer-literate have made the point to me that it would be advantageous for No 10 to be seen to be up with developments in this area.

John Major's fusty Downing Street being encouraged to connect to the internet for the very first time - amid fears that young upstart Tony Blair (pictured) may beat them to it

'Specifically, connecting No 10 with the Internet would keep us up with the White House, which has made a big thing of the modern way the Clinton/Gore administration deals with communication', Mr Green opined in the newly released document.

'Internet users will be a growing group of opinion-formers, and I can just imagine Tony Blair showing how he belongs to a new generation by signing up', he added.

Back in 1994, only just over 1% of the population were connected to the internet, according to World Bank figures. In just six years the figures surged to above 25%.

In another memo, Alex Allan, Major's Principal Private Secretary, mused on the benefits of unveiling a public email address for the Prime Minister.

A letter released by the National Archives showing how Damian Green urged John Major's government to embrace the internet in 1994 to catch up with the White House and stay ahead of young Labour leader Tony Blair

'I do not believe we would get a huge volume of E-mail in the long run, but we could expect an initial flood as people around the world tried it out for fun', he commented.

Another memo sent by Allan the previous year tends to suggest that Downing Street was not always at the forefront of technology, however.

In the November 1992 note, Allan reveals the PM's private office at No 10 had no direct fax line, despite the technology being widely used by business, government and in the home.

He wrote: 'I have to say that I do think that a direct fax line would be sensible. We must be the only office in the public or private sector who does not have one, so I do not believe that the security problems of people misdirecting faxes would be significantly increased.'

He concluded: 'I should be grateful if you could investigate with the Cabinet Office for the scope of having at least one direct fax line in.

'I would suggest that we kept the knowledge of the number restricted to a small group of people as possible, primarily other Private Offices.'Every prisoner is to be given a telephone in their cell in a 17million move to cut reoffending.

All inmates, including killers and rapists, will be able to speak to friends and loved ones in private any time, day or night.

The move is part of a radical plan from Justice Secretary David Gauke to help rehabilitate offenders and stop them returning to crime when freed. Landlines will be installed in 50 jails by March 2020, then extended to all 118 prisons in England.

Justice Secretary David Gauke, pictured, wants to install landlines into each jail cell in an effort to reduce criminality, allowing criminals to call friends and families at any time

Tory MP Andrew Rosindell condemned the scheme, saying: I thought the idea was to punish criminals and take away their freedom and creature comforts.

Prison becomes less of a deterrent when the authorities do things like this. Its time to think of the welfare of the victims.

In most prisons, inmates have to queue to use communal phones. This leads to friction and violence, as well as a booming trade in illicit mobile phones.

Around 20,000 phones and Sim cards are confiscated each year. They are often used to run crime gangs, smuggle in drugs and arrange the intimidation of witnesses. Officials hope the scheme will help inmates maintain family ties and reduce the risk of reoffending.

It will also make it easier to speak to the Samaritans and mental health charities, reducing the risk of self-harm  another major challenge for jails.

The government wants in cell phones fitted to 50 jails by March 2020 before being extended to all 118 prisons in England

Already in place at 20 prisons, the phones are subject to strict security measures. All calls are recorded, users can dial only a small number of approved numbers and active monitoring can be introduced if there is suspicious activity. Inmates will need to buy phone cards to pay for calls.

Governors can remove the phones  or impose restrictions  if they believe they are being misused.

Mr Gauke hailed the launch of the scheme, saying: At this time of year more than any other were reminded of the importance of family, and there can be few groups that this applies to more than prisoners.

In-cell telephones provide a crucial means of allowing prisoners to build and maintain family relationships, something we know is fundamental to their rehabilitation.

Introducing them to more prisons is a recognition of the contribution that I believe in-cell telephones make to turning prisons into places of decency where offenders have a real chance to transform their lives.

But David Green, a former Home Office adviser and chief executive of the Civitas think-tank, said: While there is some evidence of retaining family links leading to less reoffending, giving prisoners phones assumes that their family is a good influence. Thats not always the case.

Sometimes they are a bad influence. Common sense says that there is a danger phone calls will be abused. They could be used to oversee continuing criminal activity or collaborate with others about keeping stolen goods or proceeds of crime hidden.

If things go wrong witnesses could be intimidated or paid off. They could be used to settle scores or for retaliation. Also, a prison sentence has been meted out by the court so this could be seen as relaxing the punishment.

Harry Fletcher, director of the Victims Rights Campaign pressure group, said: Some people might be angry at this. But illegal mobile phones smuggled into prison are already used to organise crimes on the outside and are a source of violence inside.

If landlines reduce illegal activity and disorder it will be a step in the right direction. However, they must be monitored carefully so inmates dont use in-cell phones to harass or intimidate victims or witnesses or plot crimes.

The roll-out builds on the expansion of in-cell telephones announced over the summer as part of a 30million package of measures to boost safety and security across the prison estate.

Other measures taken by ministers to tackle mobile phones in prisons include security measures such as body scanners and improved searching techniques.

The Government is also bringing in legislation to allow prisons to use interference technology to disrupt mobile telephone signals and prevent illegal use of mobiles by prisoners.

Peter Dawson, who is director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: This is very welcome news for prisoners families, who are very often the key to a crime free future for people leaving prison.

David Gauke is right to point to other benefits too. Access to legitimate in-cell phones can reduce tension and self-harm. It also undermines the market for illegal mobile phones in prison, and all the violence associated with it. This is a big step in the right direction.

Serious criminals such as murderers and rapists would not be automatically excluded from the scheme. Two of the jails getting in-cell phones before 2020  Belmarsh and Manchester  are Category A.

Comment  Page 16A family has been left fuming after a thug who stomped on a man's head in a 'vicious and unprovoked attack' has been released from jail early because he hasn't been using drugs behind bars.

Kahu Vincent was brutally beaten up and had his head stomped on by Ahu Taylor and Leon Rowles, 37, as he lay motionless on the floor of the Wanaka Night 'n Day store, in New Zealand, on May 9 2015.

Mr Vincent was savagely delivered a total of 81 blows during the horrific assault, leaving him in a coma for three weeks and in hospital for nearly three months.

Kahu Vincent (right) was brutally beaten up and had his head stomped on by Ahu Taylor and Leon Rowles, 37

The court heard that Taylor stomped on Mr Vincent (left) 23 times and would hold himself up to stomp on him with both feet

Mr Vincent was savagely delivered about 81 blows during the horrific assault leaving him in a coma for three weeks, and in hospital for an overall of 10 weeks

The court heard that Taylor stomped on Mr Vincent 23 times and would hold himself up to stomp on him with both feet.

He was convicted of attempted murder.

Rowles was sentenced to eight years' jail but upon appeal it was reduced to seven years and one month.

At the time of the attack he had mixed benzos (tranquilisers) with alcohol.

He was released with three and a-half years on his prison term left to serve, NZ Herald reported.

The court heard that Taylor stomped on Mr Vincent 23 times and would hold himself up to stomp on him with both feet

While he still suffers from fatigue and social anxiety, Mr Vincent set up his own Gib-stopping business

Rowles faced the Parole Board in November and his behaviour while in prison was commended.

'He has remained drug-free in prison and wishes to abstain from alcohol and drug use in the future,' Judge Edwin Paul said.

He has since been employed as a plasterer and found accommodation upon his release.

'Obviously he's not the same as he was before ... we're just happy he's alive,' Mrs Vincent said

Mr Vincent's wife, Jade Vincent told the Otago Daily Times that she was shocked of Rowles's early release.

She said they didn't focus on the attackers and were instead focusing on Mr Vincent's health and progress.

While he still suffers from fatigue and social anxiety, Mr Vincent set up his Gib-stopping business.

'Obviously he's not the same as he was before ... we're just happy he's alive,' Mrs Vincent said.Commuters could soon travel between Sydney and Melbourne in as little as 40 minutes in a new ultra-high speed tube.

The 'capsule' in the tube-based system would run from Adelaide to Brisbane at around 1,1223 km/h and pass through major cities along the way, The Herald Sun reported.

Travelling from Adelaide to Melbourne or Sydney to Brisbane would take just over 30 minutes.

A trip from Melbourne to Canberra is expected to take 23 minutes, and passengers could travel from Canberra to Sydney in only 14 minutes.

Scroll down for video

The 'capsule' in the tube-based system would run from Adelaide to Brisbane at around 1,1223 km/h and pass through major cities along the way (artist impression)

From Adelaide to Melbourne travel time would be just over 30 minutes; Melbourne to Canberra, 23 minutes; Canberra to Sydney, 14 minutes; and Sydney to Brisbane, only 37 minutes

The proposal for the 'ultra-high speed, tube-based inter and intra-city' transportation system was presented to the Federal Government.

Big shot Elon Musk first pitched the land-based technology known as the 'Hyperloop' back in 2012.

This time around, Los Angeles-based Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (Hyperloop TT) submitted the plan in response to a government inquiry into automation and land-based mass transit in October this year.

'A Hyperloop serving Australias Eastern seaboard and connecting Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane addresses a population of over 10 million people,' the submission read.

'Adding Adelaide, Canberra, the Southern Highlands and extending the route to the Gold Coast increases the number to well over half of the Australian population, in a 2000km stretch of relatively flat, seismically stable terrain and creating new business, passenger and freight transport opportunities to millions of Australians each year.'

According to the submission, the tube will be optimised to transport freight and better connection regional towns.

'When offered in combination with the HyperloopTT passenger system, freight and cargo operations supplement the needs of regional freight systems.

'Moving people and goods at ultra high-speed enables people to be more mobile between population centers.'

The futuristic transport system comprises of capsules magnetically levitating in a tube on pylons, the ground or underground.

Air pressure is lowered to reduce friction and allow the capsule to move at high speed.

The proposal for the 'ultra-high speed, tube-based inter and intra-city' transportation system was put forward to the Federal Government (artist impression)

The entire system would also run on solar power.

As far as the submission goes, Hyperloop TT did not predict how long the tube would take to construct or how much it would cost.

Though the company seems certain in its ability to deliver the out-of-this-world system.

They plan to have a full-scale prototype operating in France in 2019.

According to its website, the company already has 11 global government agreements.

However, just last year the Queensland government rejected a proposal from Virgin Hyperloop One.

Hyperloop TT's rival company proposed a route from Sydney to Tamworth to Toowoomba to Brisbane and even the Gold Coast.

Their proposal was dismissed as it had no 'business case'.A woman who was falsely told she had rectal cancer with just days left to live says the wrong diagnosis has left her scarred.

Six months after New Zealand woman Killarney Jeffares was diagnosed with rectal cancer, doctor's told her it had spread and there was nothing they could do.

She was immediately rushed into palliative care and for four days Mrs Jeffares was on her deathbed with funeral arrangements in place, NZ Herald reported.

Six months after New Zealand woman Killarney Jeffares (pictured) was diagnosed with rectal cancer, doctor's told her it had spread and there was nothing they could do

She was immediately rushed into palliative care and for four days Mrs Jeffares was on her deathbed with funeral arrangements in place (pictured with one of her daughters)

Now, the 50-year-old says those 96 hours scarred her for life and she feels like her trauma has been 'swept under the carpet' after her complaint to the ACC was denied.

'I'm pretty gutted. I don't know what path to take now,' she said.

On June 10 last year, Mrs Jeffares came out of what was meant to be a seven hour surgery after two hours and was told she didn't have long left.

Family immediately flew from Australia to be with her, wills were finalised and funeral arrangements were in place.

Four days later, doctors told the grandmother there had been a mistake and samples from the surgery revealed she actually had ovarian cancer.

Now, the 50-year-old says those 96 hours scarred her for life and she feels like her trauma has been 'swept under the carpet'

With the cancer in its early stages, Mrs Jeffares immediately sprung into action with tests and scans, and started chemotherapy.

In January this year, the New Zealand woman was told she was clear of cancer but the traumatising 96 hours still haunt her to this day.

'It is reliving the moment when they said there's basically nothing we can do except manage it and seeing my family's faces - they were breaking down and my husband was crying. I will never regain those four days. Never,' Mrs Jeffares said.

'I've never been so pleased that someone's got something wrong.'

With the ovarian cancer in its early stages, Mrs Jeffares immediately sprung into action with tests and scans, and started chemotherapy

While those involved in the misdiagnosis have been sympathetic to her, Mrs Jeffares wants to hold someone responsible.

Following an investigation by the Hawkes Bay District Health Baord, the 50-year-old lodged a complaint to New Zealand's Accident Compensation Corporation.

The ACC denied Mrs Jeffares' claim, saying they believed she didn't suffer a treatment injury, mental or physical.Hundreds of thousands of small businesses face a VAT shock if Theresa Mays Brexit deal goes through, campaigners claimed last night.

Small firms currently do not have to charge VAT on goods and services if their annual taxable turnover is less than 85,000  but an EU directive, expected to come into force next year, would reduce this to 76,700.

The Peoples Vote campaign  which wants a second referendum  claims Britain would have to implement this directive if MPs back Mrs Mays withdrawal agreement.

Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan could see small firms paying VAT for the first time

If Britain leaves the European Union as expected in March 2019, it will not be able to veto EU tax rules during the transition period

This is because Britain would have to abide by EU rules during the transition period, without having the power to veto changes we do not like. The transition period lasts until at least the end of 2020.

Peoples Vote said the change would force many traders to slap VAT on their products and services for the first time.

Labour MP Chris Leslie said: Nobody put Pay More Tax of the side of their bus in the referendum campaign. This is another thing that none of us could possibly have known about back in 2016 and whatever way you voted then you werent voting for more taxes and bureaucracy on small business and the self-employed.

The Prime Ministers plan makes the UK a rule-taker and removes our say round the table. The VAT shock was revealed in a little-noticed parliamentary report, released on Christmas Eve.

It warned if the Withdrawal Agreement is ratified and the changes to EU directives go through, the UK would be forced to lower the threshold even if Brexit has happened. The report, by the Commons EU Scrutiny Committee, said the UK would lose its veto over any change if it leaves the EU as planned on March 29. Britain would be required to implement the directive until the end of the transition period, which could last until December 2022.

Meanwhile, MPs seeking another Brexit vote could curtail the Governments power to collect taxes unless Mrs May agrees to call a second referendum.

Their plan is contained in a report by the Best for Britain campaign group in the event that Mrs Mays deal is not approved by Parliament. One of their four options is to force the Government to replace no-deal as its default option with a referendum.

To do so, MPs would try to amend the finance Bill when it returns to the Commons on January 8. The Government needs this Bill to authorise the collection of taxes. But under the plans, pro-EU MPs would table an amendment making future taxation conditional on holding a referendum (with an option to remain).Delays caused by leaves on train lines have soared by more than three quarters in less than a decade.

Passengers endured almost 6,500 hours of delays because of leaf falls in the past year  up 78 per cent from nearly 3,650 hours in 2009/10, according to figures from Network Rail.

In the worst-hit areas, there has been an even bigger rise.

Rail companies impose speed restrictions on services during the autumn because of leaves

Over the past 12 months passengers have endured 6,500 hours of delays due to leaves

The delays include all hold-ups attributed to leaf falls, including speed restrictions imposed on rail operators every autumn as tracks become more slippery. Problems are often caused by trees being allowed to grow too close to tracks or rail workers failing to clear leaves from train lines quickly enough.

It comes at a time of widespread disruption by strikes, signalling faults, broken overhead cables and over-running engineering works.

The biggest rise in leaf-related delays was on the Grand Central line, where they soared 876 per cent from 41 minutes in 2009/10 to just over six and a half hours in 2017/18. On Chiltern, they rose more than five-fold from 16 hours to 82.

On Great Western Railway they surged by 140 per cent from 289 hours to 695, and on South Western by 184 per cent from 274 to 777.

Station signs on right track Waiting for a delayed train is bad enough. But its even worse when platform signs claim the service is on time. Now new technology is set to change all that. A GPS tracking system will be introduced by five operators from next month, replacing the current system which measures train locations at fixed points more than five miles apart. Chiltern, Grand Central, LNER and parts of Northern and ScotRail will be the first to use the system which is accurate to within a few metres. The technology is due to be used nationally by 2024. Advertisement

Northern, which serves passengers across Northern England, was the hardest hit with 1,202 hours of delays. This was a 13 per cent rise from 1,061 hours in 2009/10.

Wes Streeting, a Labour member of the Treasury committee, said: It beggars belief that rail companies in the 21st century havent managed to crack the challenge of few leaves falling from trees in the autumn. The resulting delays are totally unacceptable. The industry has blamed the increase in delays on a rise in the number of services and more extreme weather.

But figures from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) show the number of scheduled journeys has risen by only 7 per cent over the past decade from 6.8million to 7.3million.

Separate figures in a report commissioned by the Government show there were 19,000 vegetation related incidents  including fallen trees, branches and leaves  in 2017/18, up from 11,500 in 2009/10.

The ORR launched enforcement action against Network Rail last week over its inability to restore services quickly after incidents.

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents operators and Network Rail, said: The industry is continually assessing new ways to reduce the impact autumn conditions have on train service punctuality.President Donald Trump has blasted CNN and the 'Fake News Universe' for criticizing him for signing hats for servicemen and women during his surprise Christmas visit to a U.S. military base in Iraq.

Trump took to Twitter on Thursday night and asserted that the White House had not given the troops serving overseas the hats during Wednesday's visit to the Al Asad air base.

'CNN & others within the Fake News Universe were going wild about my signing MAGA hats for our military in Iraq and Germany,' he said in the Thursday tweet.

'If these brave young people ask me to sign their hat, I will sign. Can you imagine my saying NO? We brought or gave NO hats as the Fake News first reported!'

Trump asserted in a tweet on Thursday that the White House had not supplied the military with hats during Wednesday's visit to the Al Asad air base

President Donald Trump signed campaign hats for members of the military during an unannounced trip to Al Asad Air Base in Iraq on Wednesday

Trump's role as president also makes him commander-in-chief of America's armed forces. Since he's a civilian, the military's rules barring active duty servicemen and women from some political activity don't apply to him.

He may have put soldiers and airmen at risk of violating the regulations by jovially signing the hats that some men and women in uniform brought with them when they heard they would meet the president.

A pool reporter on the scene noted that Trump also 'signed an embroidered patch that read "TRUMP 2020"'  a seemingly direct endorsement.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told DailyMail.com on Thursday that the soldiers brought their own souvenirs for autographs.

'We didnt bring any of the items with us. They were personal items of the service members,' she said in an email.

Sanders had blasted CNN on Twitter for airing segments about the controversy.

'CNN will attack anyone who supports President Trump, including the brave men and women of our military who fight everyday to protect our freedom,' she wrote.

Trump critics are seizing on the blurred line between official government business and campaign activity to say Trump broke military rules by putting his signature on something bearing his 'Make America Great Again' slogan

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders blasted CNN for what she said was an attack on U.S. troops

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr said it makes a difference whether Trump's aides brought the hats to the military base or whether the soldiers had their own on hand; it turned out the latter was true

Former Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, a CNN analyst, said it was 'completely inappropriate for the troops to do this'

Politicizing events that feature men and women in uniform 'puts the soldiers  truthfully, all of the military personnel  in a very bad position,' retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling said during one CNN broadcast, 'because the military has regulations against doing exactly that.'

In an earlier broadcast, CNN White House Correspondent Jim Acosta played the unusual role of devil's advocate for the Trump White House.

'Is this just, a soldier is there and he's got a hat in his locker, and he runs over and says, "Hey, when am I going to have another chance for the president to sign one of these things"?' Acosta asked.

The network's veteran Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr suggested that if the soldiers already had the hats, it would be a less serious situation than if the White House had passed them out. the former turned out to be the case, Sanders said.

But still, Starr claimed, senior officers in Iraq should have prevented it.

'What commander allowed that to really happen?' Starr asked. 'Because this is very much against military policy and regulation. Troops are not supposed to be involved in political activities. The U.S. military is not a political force.'

The president signed one hat after another on Wednesday

Trump hsa a disproportionate number of fans in the military, including one soldier who told the president that he came back to active duty because of him

Politicizing events that feature men and women in uniform 'puts the soldiers  truthfully, all of the military personnel  in a very bad position,' retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling said

Retired Rear Admiral John Kirby, a former Defense Department spokesman and a paid CNN military analyst, said a hat bearing Trump's slogan 'is a campaign item, and it's completely inappropriate for the troops to do this. Not supposed to do this, and I'm sure that their boss is seeing that. They're not going to be happy about it.'

Kirby claimed Trump 'has to take some ownership of this too. Every time he's around military audiences, he tends to politicize it.'

A 79-year-old federal law called the Hatch Act prohibits using an official office for political purposes, but it explicitly carves out exemptions for the president and vice president.

Still, according to Air Force Lt. Col Reggie Yager, deputy director of legal policy for the Pentagon's office of under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, the president should be concerned that he's encouraging the rank and file to break their own rules.

An Army Lieutenant Colonel whose specialty is legal ethics warns that presidents who politick on base could be opening up the rank and file to military discipline

'It would be imprudent, Yager wrote in a presentation hosted on the Pentagon's website, 'for a sitting president to campaign on a military installation as it would expose individuals to violations of [military] rules.'

The military's regulations, however, are unclear about how those rules might apply.

They say the Department of Defense's policy is to 'encourage' servicemen and womn 'to carry our the obligations of citizenship.'

That includes specific permission to put political bumper stickers on their cars, sign nominating petitions, make political donations, write letters to the editor in support of candidates, and attend fundraising meetings and political conventions.

All those activities and others like them are allowed as long as 'no inference or appearance of official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement can reasonably be drawn.'

Military rules against engaging in partisan politics are by no means hard and fast; this list shoes what men and women in uniform are allowed to do, as long as they don't give anyone the idea that the Pentagon officially shares their endorsements

It's not clear from video footage that the base command or the Pentagon did anything to publicly endorse Trump, or that the soldiers who brought their red caps believed they would be shown doing it publicly in a way that would create that perception.

But the regulations direct that '[a]any activity that may be reasonably viewed as directly or indirectly associating the

Department of Defense or the Department of Homeland Security (in the case of the Coast Guard) or any component of these Departments with a partisan political activity ... shall be avoided.'

The Pentagon did not respond to a request for information on Thursday about whether any of the uniformed personnel photographed and videotaped with Trump slogan hats on Wednesday would be disciplined.More than half a million potholes were reported by members of the public to local authorities for repair last year.

Data released by councils following a Freedom of Information request has provided a snapshot of the crumbling state of Britains roads.

More than 512,000 potholes were reported to the 161 authorities who provided comparable figures, up 44 per cent on the 2015 figure of 356,000 potholes from 152 councils.

More than 512,000 potholes were reported to 161 local authorities over the past year

According to the RAC, the number has jumped by a third over the past two years

After extrapolating the numbers to take account of the 51 councils unable to provide data, the RAC estimated that pothole reports have increased by a third (33 per cent) over two years.

The motoring group, which submitted the information request to 212 councils, described this as shocking, and said it provides further evidence that the condition of our roads is worsening. Damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs and distorted wheels are among the most common vehicle problems caused by potholes.

Nicholas Lyes, the RACs head of roads policy, said: Our own analysis of breakdown data shows the damage suffered by motorists is a constant source of frustration and expense, but the scale of the problem is obviously far greater than the numbers show.

He added that the figures were just the tip of the iceberg as thousands of potholes go unreported every year.

One in five local roads in England and Wales is in a poor condition and the frequency of resurfacing has declined, the latest report by the Asphalt Industry Alliance warned. It estimated that it would take town halls across England and Wales around 14 years and 9.3billion to complete a backlog of repairs. The severe winter, including the freezing Beast from the East weather front in February and March, caused many potholes to open up. But the summer heatwave also triggered a rise in breakdowns as more families headed off on staycations around the UK without carrying out proper checks on cars. The AA has said a pothole epidemic has driven the number of breakdowns to a 15-year high.

Local councils and Highways England  which oversees motorways and major A-roads  have been criticised for leaving potholes for weeks or even months before filling them in.

But cash-strapped local authorities complain they simply do not have enough money.

They say they are 556million short of funds needed to maintain roads properly this year. The Commons transport committee is investigating.

The AA has even called for learner drivers to prove they can spot potholes to pass the driving test. Martin Tett, the Local Government Associations transport spokesman, said councils were fixing a pothole every 21 seconds but need more funding.Rocks have been hurled at police in Melbourne, injuring one officer as they arrested six teenagers over a brawl and robbery.

Police were called to Sunshine railway station following reports of a large gathering of youths about 10.30pm on Thursday.

They identified two males believed to have been involved in an affray on Christmas Eve, and four thought to have been involved in a robbery on December 19 in St Albans, but were attacked by members of the gathering as they carried out the arrests.

Vietnamese shops owners in St Albans were filmed fighting off the alleged thieves with chairs.

Shopkeepers in St Albans, about 15 km from the Melbourne CBD, were seen fighting off thugs outside their stores last week in footage that has gone viral

The six males are in custody and are expected to be charged in relation to the affray and robbery.

Five will front a children's court at a later date. The sixth person arrested will appear in the Sunshine Magistrates Court on Friday.

Another two boys, 16, believed to be involved in the St Albans and Christmas Eve incidents were arrested by Brimbank detectives on Thursday morning after warrants were issued. Both will also front a children's court on Friday.

Young Vietnamese people are vowing to take action after the video of their elders being attacked by thugs went viral.

The shocking footage shows shopkeepers defending themselves with chairs against a group of men of African appearance.

Screaming, shouting and smashing can be heard as the group of Vietnamese people try to push back against the group, who allegedly attacked them after asking for a cigarette and being rejected.

The clip left many young Vietnamese people in the area furious, and they have vowed to band together and fight back.

'Guys, I usually don't post much, but enough is enough,' one man said after sharing the video to his social media account.

'We gotta make a stand together as a whole and stick up to these situations.

'Rally up and stand together to fight against these people who think they can walk all over us.'

The man said the job could not be completed alone, and encouraged his friends and followers to stand up against 'bullies'.

'If you guys have pride in your community, let's do it together,' he wrote.

Another Vietnamese man said it was 'time to prove who we are'.

'This message to all Vietnamese people in west Melbourne!

'You rather just stand there and watch your children or family member been [sic] robbed, bashed, raped then do nothing - or join us to protect our love [sic] one from this.'

Young Vietnamese people are vowing to take action after video of their elders being attacked by thugs went viral. One Australian man said he would also get involved

The alleged dispute began when a Vietnamese shopkeeper declined to share his cigarettes with a younger man of African appearance

A message chain obtained by Daily Mail Australia alleges a Vietnamese man was hospitalised with 'fractures, mild amnesia and internal bleeding' after the fight.

Another message claims the men of African appearance had come back after the fight and stolen from customers.

'They went into the shop... and stole people's handbags and phones that are table,' the message read.

'And now today they're sitting outside [the] door ... Not letting customers in.'

One Vietnamese woman said she had been at the restaurant with her young son during the fight.

'It's sad to feel unsafe in your homeland. The Vietnamese community stuck together and defended themselves,' she said.

Video from the brawl shows shopkeepers arming themselves with chairs as they try to fight off the younger men

The woman claimed the men of African appearance did not 'deserve' to be in Australia, and claimed her immigrant community had done a better job of assimilating than the one the alleged attackers belonged to.

'Why we let them in, feed them and give them money for making trouble to us, what is the Australia law?' she wrote.

'It's not fair - we are working hard, paying tax and support these mother f***ers.'

One Vietnamese woman told 7 News she was 'very terrified' and 'really scared' to be working on the strip.

'Everyday we worry, really worry, everyday they will come,' she said.

Other foreign business owners said they were worried the constant conflict would impact their businesses.For more than half her long life, Sister Wendy Beckett lived in a small, chilly caravan in a copse in the grounds of Quidenham, an enclosed Carmelite monastery in Norfolk.

Her daily routine was one of contemplation, solitude and total silence. She rose at 1am  the optimum time, she insisted, for prayer  worked for a couple of hours, perhaps translating medieval manuscripts, took in Morning Office and Mass, wrote spiritual meditations on contemporary art and prayed for seven hours before turning in at 6pm, sharp.

She had no telephone, no TV or radio and her only human contact was the arrival of a nun from the convent bringing a basket containing a flask of coffee, salad, biscuits, soft cheese and, perhaps, some Baileys, which Sister Wendy liked to swig straight from the bottle.

For more than half her long life, Sister Wendy Beckett lived in a small, chilly caravan in a copse in the grounds of Quidenham, an enclosed Carmelite monastery in Norfolk

Sister Wendy, pictured, was relatively unknown until she met Delia Smith, who is a connoisseur of fine religious writing and pointed her towards a broadcasting career

Im not an adventurous person, she once said. I am a dull, sit-at-home kind of person which my life is beautifully adapted towards. I prefer not to talk. I dont speak all day apart for a few words to the sister who does the post.

And thats how Sister Wendy, who has died aged 88, lived for several decades. Until her passion for art and a chance friendship with Delia Smith  who as well as a cook and fervent Norwich FC fan, is a connoisseur of fine religious writing  led to the publication of some of her works, a move into TV and the launch of a very different Sister Wendy.

Her world-famous alter ego was a cult figure with a high voice, huge glasses and very large teeth who presented series such as Sister Wendys Odyssey (1992), Sister Wendys Grand Tour (1994) and Sister Wendys Story of Painting (1996) which often drew a 25 per cent share of the British viewing audience and saw her hailed by critics as the best talking head on art since Kenneth Clark.

Because as well as being exceptionally clever and perceptive, she was a natural broadcaster  needing neither script nor autocue, she became known as One-Take-Wendy  and made art fun, inspirational and, for a nun who has sworn a vow of chastity, surprisingly accessible.

Take her comments on Botticellis Venus: You cant imagine her doing the washing up.

Or her assessment of Stanley Spencers Self-portrait With Patricia Preece. I love all those glistening strands of his hair, and her pubic hair is so soft and fluffy.

Wendy Beckett was born in Johannesburg on February 25, 1930, the daughter of Aubrey Beckett, a banker-turned-doctor and his wife Dorothy

Not, perhaps, something youd expect most Carmelite nuns to say, but Sister Wendy just beamed beatifically with her gentle toothy grin  she once said her teeth were so big, she couldnt actually close her mouth  and we all loved her.

Even more so, when veteran feminist Germaine Greer rubbished the idea of a nun discussing sexuality in art and Beckett replied, quick as a flash, that it wasnt necessary to experience things to understand them.

Look at Jane Austen, she replied. She was a virgin!

Wendy Beckett was born in Johannesburg on February 25, 1930, the daughter of Aubrey Beckett, a banker-turned-doctor and his wife Dorothy.

The 12th-century saint and martyr, Thomas a Becket, was an ancestor and Samuel Beckett the playwright and author a distant cousin. She spent her early childhood in South Africa, before the family moved to Edinburgh to further Aubreys medical training.

Wendy was a solitary, sickly child with a weak heart, a plain face  I was an extremely unattractive child she said  and a name created for the character in Peter Pan that she hated because it sounded too trivial. She was anything but.

Wendy was reading the Scotsman newspaper cover to cover from the age of four; she loved school and, later, sang the lead role in all the end of term operettas.

Sister Wendy, pictured, was a distant relative of Irish playwright Samuel Beckett

Her connection with God started when she was barely three and eating her Sunday sausages to the strains of a military band in the Meadows area of Edinburgh.

I realised then that God was there and life was going to be wonderful, she said.

Her parents were not overtly religious, but the nuns at school inspired her. It was clear to me that this was what people did who wanted to belong completely to God, she said.

Her faith never wavered and, aged 16, and with her parents blessing (Its just as well you look good in black, said her mum ), joined the Sisters of Notre Dame in East Sussex. She took the name Sister Michael and didnt see her family again for three years.

After six months, I was given the habit  oh glorious day! she said.

After four years, she was sent to read English at St Annes College, Oxford, where  perhaps aided by the fact she studied in a nuns hostel with a vow of silence that forbade her to talk to her fellow students  she came top of her year, won a congratulatory first and was wooed unsuccessfully by J.R.R. Tolkien, the author and Oxford don, who wanted her to pursue a career in academia.

But nothing could divert her from her chosen course.

So she returned to her Sisters where she hoped to lead a solitary life of contemplation, but was asked to teach, first in Liverpool and later in South Africa.

This was her first big test. Because while she adored being a nun and had no problem with the vow of chastity (she never wanted to marry or have children), teaching did not suit her. She found it stressful and oppressive: I was doing something I didnt like, but I was happy because I was doing what God wanted, she said.

It was only in 1970, when she started suffering stress-induced epileptic fits that she was allowed to return to England as a Reverend Mother to live a contemplative life of prayer in the teeny second-hand caravan she bought for 50 and parked in the grounds of the Carmelite monastery.

There, on top of her meditation and hours of prayers, she started translating Medieval Latin to make a contribution towards the monasterys overheads.

She completed five full volumes before suffering a heart attack. When she recovered she was given permission to write spiritual meditations on contemporary art  her great passion.

Some were circulated among a small circle of acquaintances and came to the attention of Delia Smith, a Catholic who became a great friend. Delia took her to art galleries and was so impressed by Wendys writing that, in the late Eighties, persuaded the Catholic Herald to publish them.

It was during a gallery visit that Wendy was overheard discussing art by a film crew who asked to record her and showed their video to a BBC producer. That was the beginning and Sister Wendys Odyssey was an instant hit.

She was refreshing and unafraid to speak her mind, whether about Leonardos preference for boys, or denouncing modern British artist Damien Hirst as really pathetic and his Turner Prize-winning dead sheep and sharks, as not worth a second look.

However tight the filming schedule, she always had the entitlement to attend Morning Mass built into her BBC contract, but juggling her two lives must have been tricky.

Not least, because she embraced a surprising amount of non-sacred behaviour in her showbusiness life that could not have been more removed from a pious hermit.

Such as smoked salmon sandwiches at the Ritz, hearty meals at the Savoy Grill and wine in lieu of water whenever she was flagging.

She also adored horse racing (studying the form in the Racing Post but never placing a bet) and became a passionate Star Trek fan after coming across it on a hotel bedroom television, loving its serious moral message.

She certainly seemed to love the attention  both on and off the screen  and everywhere she went was accosted by fans who insisted shed changed their lives.

But she yearned for her caravan solitude. I never wanted to do it in the first place. If Id known how much time it would take, I would never have started it, she once said of her media career.

She always insisted her fellow nuns felt sorry for her, having to trail around the world with a camera crew. Certainly her Sisters might have blanched at some of her comments.

Particularly when it came to gay marriage  she would often question the Catholic Churchs code on sexual ethics as a distraction from the important issues of inclusivity and Godliness.

But nothing fazed her. Not fame, not unkind comments about her teeth, nor modern societys obsessions with sex.

Sexual organs, she insisted, were just part of the apparatus God made for us and nothing to get embarrassed about.

She carried on broadcasting until 2001  her last series was made for U.S. viewers  but then retreated full time to the calm of her caravan, before it fell to bits and she moved into the monastery.

She was not remotely afraid of death. I dont want to slip across, she said. I want to be conscious. I want to say: This is death and I give it to you, God. A toddler who was forcefully ejected from a thee-wheel motorcycle she sped off in while unattended outside her Florida home has survived the life-threatening accident.

Surveillance footage captured from outside a Westar gas station in Northeast Miami-Dade early Wednesday evening shows the child traveling westbound on 6th Avenue at a high speed.

The young girl flew off the chopper after she crossed the street and just missed traffic. She rolled several times on the pavement during the fall.

A toddler was forcefully ejected from a thee-wheel motorcycle she sped off Wednesday in Northeast Miami-Dade

The young girl flew off the chopper after she crossed the street, just missing traffic, then rolled several times on the pavement. Her father is seen rushing after her

The dad sprinted after her and picked her up from the ground

Her father, who rushed after her and hopped on the bike after he heard the motorcycle running from inside the home, also fell off.

He sprinted after her and picked her up from the ground before she was transported via air rescue to the Joe DiMaggio Childrens Hospital.

The child suffered severe head trauma. Authorities said she will survive.

The father suffered minor injuries.

The child suffered severe head trauma. Authorities said she will survive

The father, who also fell from the bike, suffered minor injuries

Miami-Dade Police Department Detective Lee Cowart said in a statement the dad arrived home with food for his family when the toddler got on his motorcycle while he was inside.

The family told police they heard the motorcycle running, when the father sprinted outside after her.

Neither names have been released.

The Florida Department of Children and Families is currently investigating.Melania Trump is headed back to Florida Thursday evening to be with her son Barron at Mar-a-Lago, her office said, after a whirlwind visit to Iraq.

The first lady spent three days over Christmas with her husband at the White House and then joined him on 29-hour trip to Iraq to visit U.S. troops stationed abroad.

President Donald Trump remains at the White House where he elected to stay during the partial government shutdown.

Melania Trump has returned to Florida after she and President Donald Trump visited troops in Iraq

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greet military personnel at the dining facility during an unannounced visit to Al Asad Air Base

Melania Trump boarded a plane in Palm Beach on Monday afternoon to come to Washington

The first family was originally to spend 16 days at the Summer White House, as Mar-a-Lago is known, but plans changed with the shut down.

The White House announced over the weekend President Trump would stay at the White House and the first lady, who was already in Florida that point, would return to spend the holidays with him.

She flew from Florida on Monday solo, with the couple's 12-year-old son remaining at Mar-a-Lago.

It's unknown how long she and Barron will remain in Florida.

On Christmas Eve the president and the first lady took calls from children phoning into NORAD's Santa tracker.

She told one caller Santa was in the Sahara.

Several minutes later, she reported that Santa was far away in Morocco but would be at the caller's home on Christmas morning.

'Helping children across the country track #Santa is becoming one of my favorite traditions! @Potus and I enjoyed working with @NORADSanta - #ChristmasEve' the first lady tweeted about the event.

Melania Trump flew back from Florida today to be with the president as they surprised children calling the NORAD Santa Tracker hotline

First lady Melania Trump joined the president and told a caller Santa was in the Sahara.

President Donald Trump kisses First Lady Melania Trump as he speaks to members of the military during an unannounced trip to Al Asad Air Base in Iraq

The first couple then attended Christmas Eve mass at the National Cathedral.

President Trump and Melania joined in singing Christmas hymns like 'O Come, All Ye Faithful' at the cathedral that bills the Christmas Eve Holy Eucharist as 'one of the most beautiful services of the year'.

Later they slipped out of the White House to make a secret flight to Iraq to visit U.S. troops stationed abroad at Al Asad Airbase.

They took selfies with the troops and met with military leaders in Iraq.

Melania appeared to be in great spirits for the meet-and-greet, and stood beside her grinning husband as they took selfies with a handful of service members.

She clearly chose her outfit carefully for the occasion, dressing up plain black pants with the sunny military coat, a $995 Victoria Victoria Beckham find.

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attend a Christmas Eve church service at the National Cathedral

On the way home: The Trumps left Air Force One hand in hand after their trip to see the troops, which began late on Christmas evening

Not used to it? Though she wore a pair of flat hiking boots, she seemed unaccustomed to being out of heels and stood on her toes for a picture

Instead of heels, she favored a pair of flat, practical Timberland hiking boots - but seemed a tad unaccustomed to holding her feet in that position, and stood up on her tip-toes in the shoes for some pictures.

On the way back to the United States, they made their second unannounced visit to U.S. troops on the German base of Ramstein.

They returned to the White House early Thursday morning.An alleged troll farm, that was recently indicted in connection to the Russian probe, claimed that Robert Mueller has 'obtained a nude selfie' in his investigation.

Concord Management and Consulting filed a motion in court claiming that the special counsel is unlawfully keeping materials from the company while the investigation is underway.

The picture was mentioned briefly in the filing but information pertaining to it was minimal, the New York Post reports.

Concord Management and Consulting filed a motion in court claiming that the special counsel is unlawfully keeping materials from the company

The allegations against Mueller were written up by the company's lawyer, Eric Dubelier.

The company's lawyer, Eric Dubelier, mentioned that Mueller obtained the nude briefly in the filing but would not clarify any additional information pertaining to it

'Could the manner in which he collected a nude selfie really threaten the national security of the United States?' Dubelier asked in his memo.

Dubelier claims that Mueller is preventing the company from looking over sensitive documents and 'now seeks to completely obliterate any remaining rights of Concord to defend itself.'

The company is accused of conspiring against the US by using fake social media accounts to 'sow discord' in the country.

The filing also refers to the case as 'make-believe' and listed Mueller's efforts as being 'novel adventures.'

Concord Management is based in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Troll farms are made up of many social media users who work together to spread information or disinformation in a bid to impact public opinion.Jeremy Corbyn (pictured) has been accused of failing to tackle the racism among his supporters

The anti-Semitism scandal has dogged Labour since Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader in 2015.

Here is a timeline of the controversies:

April 2016:

Labour MP Naz Shah is suspended for anti-Semitic posts - including one in which she appeared to endorse calls for Israelis to be deported to the US.

She apologised and was given a formal warning.

Ken Livingstone goes on the radio to defend Ms Shah - but sparks fresh controversy by claiming that Hitler supported Zionism.

He is suspended by Labour but refuses to apologise and has repeated the claim many times.

He eventually quits Labour two years later, saying his suspension has become a distraction.

June 2016:

A two-month inquiry by civil liberties campaigner Shami Chakrabarti finds that Labour is not overrun by anti-Semitism.

But the launch is overshadowed when Jewish Labour MP Ruth Smeeth flees it in tears after being accused by Corbyn supporter Marc Wadsworth of colluding with the press.

Critics accuse the report of being a whitewash and Ms Chakrabarti is widely criticised for accepting a peerage from Jeremy Corbyn shortly afterwards.

October 2016:

The Home Affairs Select Committee says Labour is guilty of incompetence over its handling of anti-Semitism and of creating a safe space for people with 'vile attitudes towards Jewish people'.

March 2018:

It is revealed that Jeremy Corbyn defended an artist who painted an anti-Semitic mural and said the offensive art should be removed.

He apologises saying he did not properly look at the picture before he made the post.

Jewish leaders take the unprecedented step of holding a demonstration outside Parliament protesting Mr Corbyn's failure to tackle anti-Semitism.

Several Labour MPs address the crowds.

April 2018:

Marc Wadsworth is expelled from Labour after being accused of anti-Semitism.

Meanwhile, Labour Jewish MPs tell of the anti-Semitic abuse they have suffered in a powerful parliamentary debate - and round on their leader for failing to tackle it.

July 2018:

The Labour leadership sparks fresh anger by failing to fully adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism

Peter Willsman, a strong ally of Jeremy Corbyn, is secretly taped ranting that Jewish 'Trump fanatics' invented the anti-Semitism storm engulfing Labour.

In an angry diatribe at a meeting of Labour's ruling executive committee, he said he was 'amazed' there was evidence party members hated Jews.

He claimed 'some of these people in the Jewish community support Trump  they are Trump fanatics' before shouting: 'So I am not going to be lectured to by Trump fanatics making up duff information without any evidence at all.'

August 2018:

Jeremy Corbyn issues a video insisting he is committed to tackling the racism - but it is panned by Jewish leaders.

Corbynistas mount a social media campaign to get deputy Labour leader Tom Watson to quit after he criticises the party's handling of anti-Semitism.

The Daily Mail exclusively publishes photos of Jeremy Corbyn holding a wreath at a ceremony where a terrorist linked to the Munich massacre was honoured.

The Labour leader insists he was there to honour others killed - but faces fresh calls to quit over the scandal.

February 2019:

Nine MPs including Luciana Berger, Joan Ryan and Ian Austin are among those who quit the Labour Party with broadsides at inaction over anti-Semitism under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership.

Berger, the Jewish Liverpool Wavertree MP, had faced a barrage of attacks from members of her own local party as well as wider abuse, said Labour had become 'institutionally anti-Semitic'.

Enfield MP Joan Ryan was attacked because she was the chairwoman of Labour friends of Israel. And Dudley's Ian Austen, who adoptive father was Jewish, said he had become 'ashamed' of what the party had become under Mr Corbyn's leadership.

November 2019:

MP Chris Williamson, a close ally of Mr Corbyn, quits the party after being blocked from restanding in his Derby North seat at the general election. He had been suspended after saying that Labour had been 'too apologetic' about anti-Semitism.

Mr Corbyn later faced an anti-Semitism row of his own after a major intervention by the Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis. He accused the left-winger of allowing the 'poison' of anti-Semitism to take root in Labour. His comments were later backed up by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Mr Corbyn declined repeatedly to apologise to British Jews in a searing interview by the BBC's Andrew Neil and said that Mr Mirvis was 'wrong'.A year in which Australia was rocked by hard-hitting stories is drawing to a close.

Some of the more noteworthy incidents included the revival of a high-profile cold murder case, a horrific rape and the mystery of needles appearing in strawberries, sparking a nationwide recall of the fruit.

Knife-wielding terrorist Hassan Khalif Shire Ali left Melbourne reeling in November after he stabbed three people, including the fatal stabbing of Sisto Malaspina and a spate of vicious shark attacks occurred at the Whitsunday Islands.

Daily Mail Australia takes a look at the most ground-breaking stories across Australia in 2018.

NEW SOUTH WALES

UNDERWORLD: Former Comanchero boss Mahmoud "Mick" Hawi is gunned down outside a gym, years after he stepped away from his colourful life in Sydney's underworld. (Feb) Two members of the rival Lone Wolf club and a third man are charged with the killing months after Hawi's extravagant funeral.

FIRE: Bushfires rip through idyllic holiday village Tathra on the state's south coast, cutting the only road out of town and raining embers down on homes. More than 60 houses are destroyed and asbestos is strewn throughout the town, prompting a massive and ongoing recovery effort. (March)

FAREWELL: Family and friends of Matthew Leveson, who disappeared in 2007, lay the young man to rest at an emotional ceremony in Sydney years after their son's then-lover, Michael Atkins, was arrested, prosecuted and acquitted of his murder. (March)

Former Comanchero boss Mahmoud "Mick" Hawi (pictured) is gunned down outside a gym

Bushfires rip through idyllic holiday village Tathra on the state's south coast cutting the only road out of town and raining embers down on homes

Family and friends attended the funeral of Matthew Leveson, who disappeared in 2007

MURDER: Millionaire property developer Ron Medich is sentenced to 39 years in prison for the execution-style murder of his business foe Michael McGurk in 2009 and the intimidation of his victim's widow a year later. (June)

DROUGHT: NSW is declared 100 per cent in drought as years of below-average rainfall bite across primary production areas. (August)

DESPAIR: A three-week search of bushland around the home where William Tyrrell disappeared unearths no trace of the toddler who went missing in 2014. Detectives hoped the fruitless search would put pressure on locals withholding information as they announce the case will be handed to the NSW coroner. (Sept)

Millionaire property developer Ron Medich (pictured) is sentenced to 39 years in prison

NSW is declared 100 per cent in drought as years of below-average rainfall bite across primary production areas

A three-week search of bushland around the home where William Tyrrell (pictured) disappeared unearths no trace of the toddler who went missing in 2014

YOUTH POLITICS: The NSW Nationals are embroiled in political turmoil after young conservative members allegedly pair up with neo-Nazis to stack a branch and assume control of the party's youth wing. Dozens are expelled as the internal war spills into the media spotlight. (Oct)

POLITICS: NSW Labor leader Luke Foley resigns in disgrace after pressure from his political enemies triggers ABC journalist Ashleigh Raper to break her silence about allegations he indecently touched her at a Christmas party. Foley briefly threatens legal action but later backs down as Michael Daley replaces him as opposition leader. (Nov)

MURDER: Former Newtown Jets rugby league star Chris Dawson is charged with the 1982 murder of his wife Lynette after new evidence emerged and the cold case was thrust into the public consciousness by The Teacher's Pet podcast. Dawson was recently granted bail and permitted to return to his third wife Susan and his home on the Gold Coast. As part of his strict bail conditions, the 70-year-old is required to check in to Maroochydore police station daily until he faces court again in the New Year. Dawson was arrested on the Gold Coast earlier this month and extradited to NSW where he was charged with murdering wife Lynette Dawson, who went missing from Sydney's northern beaches in 1982.(Dec)

The NSW Nationals are embroiled in political turmoil after young conservative members allegedly pair up with neo-Nazis

NSW Labor leader Luke Foley resigns following allegations he allegedly indecently touched ABC journalist Ashleigh Raper

Chris Dawson (left) was charged for the 1982 murder of his Lynette (right) after new evidence emerged

Dawson (pictured) was recently granted bail and permitted to return to his third wife Susan and his home on the Gold Coast

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

FAMILY MASS MURDERS: At a farm near Margaret River, grandfather Peter Miles shoots dead his wife Cynda, their daughter Katrina and her four children then kills himself. It is Australia's worst gun crime since the Port Arthur massacre. (May) Two months later, 19-year-old Teancum Vernon Peterson-Crofts allegedly kills his mother Michelle Petersen, sister Bella and brother Rua at their Perth home in Ellenbrook. Another two months later, Anthony Robert Harvey, 24, allegedly kills his wife Mara Harvey, mother-in-law Beverley Quinn and three young children Charlotte, Alice and Beatrix at their Bedford home in Perth.

ASSISTED SUICIDE: Australia's oldest scientist, 104-year-old David Goodall, did not have a terminal illness but says he stopped enjoying life at about the age of 90. The West Australian travels to Switzerland, where it's legal to take his own life. The England-born Member of the Order of Australia says in an open letter he would have preferred to end his days in "the country of my adoption". (May)

CLAREMONT SERIAL KILLINGS: Telecommunications worker Bradley Robert Edwards, 49, pleads not guilty to murdering Jane Rimmer, 23, Ciara Glennon, 27, and Sarah Spiers, 18, in 1996 and 1997, plus separate sexual offences in 1988 and 1995. He is expected to face a lengthy judge-alone trial, starting next year, following what is believed to be Australia's longest-running and most expensive police investigation. (June)

A grandfather shoots dead his wife, their daughter and her four children then kills himself

Australia's oldest scientist, 104-year-old David Goodall (pictured middle), did not have a terminal illness but says he stopped enjoying life at about the age of 90

Telecommunications worker Bradley Robert Edwards (pictured left), 49, pleads not guilty to murdering three people to separate sexual offences

TASMANIA

ELECTION: Liberal Premier Will Hodgman is re-elected, his party winning 13 seats in the state's 25-seat House of Assembly. Labor claims 10 seats, the Greens two. (Mar)

SPEAKER: Liberal MP Sue Hickey shocks parliament when on the first sitting day of the year she votes with Labor and the Greens to become Speaker, trumping the government's nomination. Ms Hickey votes as an independent and has since crossed the floor to pass contentious transgender rights reforms. (May)

DARK MOFO: Performance artist Mike Parr receives global attention when he's buried in a steel container under a Hobart street for three days during Dark Mofo. The controversial winter festival draws the ire of some Christians when massive inverted crosses are erected along Hobart's waterfront. (June)

Liberal Premier Will Hodgman (pictured) is re-elected, his party winning 13 seats in the state's 25-seat House of Assembly

Liberal MP Sue Hickey (pictured) shocks parliament when on the first sitting day of the year she votes with Labor and the Greens to become Speaker

Performance artist Mike Parr receives global attention when he's buried in a steel container under a Hobart street for three days during Dark Mofo

TORSO FIND: Jack Harrison Vincent Sadler, 26, and Gem Clark, 25, are charged over the alleged murder of Jake Daniel Anderson-Brettner, 24, whose torso is found in bushland outside Launceston. (Aug)

DERAILMENT: Two people are injured by flying debris when an out-of-control driverless train is forcibly derailed in Devonport. The 1132-tonne train travelled 21 kilometres after it became unresponsive to controls while being loaded with cement. (Sept)

BREACH: Primary Industries Minister Sarah Courtney reveals she has started a relationship with her head of department Dr John Whittington. Ms Courtney is shifted to new portfolios after an investigation finds she breached ministerial code of conduct. (Oct)

GENDER: Landmark transgender reforms that would make mentioning gender on Tasmanian birth certificates optional pass the state's lower house. The legislation is expected to be debated by the legislative council in March. (Nov)

Jack Harrison Vincent Sadler (left), 26, is charged with murder while Gemma Elizabeth Clark (right), 25, is accused of being an accessory

Two people are injured by flying debris when an out-of-control driverless train is forcibly derailed in Devonport

Primary Industries Minister Sarah Courtney (pictured) reveals she has started a relationship with her head of department Dr John Whittington

Landmark transgender reforms that would make mentioning gender on Tasmanian birth certificates optional pass the state's lower house

NORTHERN TERRITORY

HORROR: A two-year-old girl is raped in Tennant Creek, highlighting the town's and the wider NT's child protection and social problems. (Feb) Strict alcohol measures are imposed. The NT Children's Commissioner says the horrific attack was foreseeable, given the family's problems were well known. Former PM Malcolm Turnbull visits the town after pressure by local media. A man is later charged.

CYCLONE: Severe Tropical Cyclone Marcus hits the NT and Kimberley. (Mar). It was stronger than Cyclone Tracey, which levelled the town in 1974. Fortunately, unlike Tracey, there are no deaths. Darwin is shut off with school, events and flights cancelled and power cut off to 26,000 homes.

FRACKING GREEN LIGHT: The Labor government lifts its ban on fracking - or hydraulic fracturing - in which a rock is fractured by using a pressurised liquid to access natural gas. The government insists it did so only after a scientific inquiry found the risks could be reduced, but there are claims the federal government pressured them do so in order to receive $260 million extra in GST. (April)

A two-year-old girl is raped in Tennant Creek, highlighting the town's and the wider NT's child protection and social problems

Severe Tropical Cyclone Marcus hits the NT and Kimberley and was stronger than Cyclone Tracey

The Labor government lifts its ban on fracking - or hydraulic fracturing - in which a rock is fractured by using a pressurised liquid to access natural gas

DISGRACE: The Territory's former police commissioner John McRoberts becomes the second top cop in Australian history to be jailed. (June) He is guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice after he was found to have interfered with an investigation into his former lover, NT Crime Stoppers chairwoman Xana Kamitsis, who was jailed for committing fraud as a travel agent. He is sentenced to three years.

VISIT: Shinzo Abe becomes the first Japanese PM to visit Darwin since his country's military bombed the city. The attack 76 years ago, in which at least 243 people were killed, was the biggest assault on Australia. Mr Abe and Australian PM Scott Morrison lay wreaths at the Darwin cenotaph in what's seen as a highly symbolic moment. The two leaders announce closer military ties and strategic partnerships. (Nov)

John McRoberts is guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice after he was found to have interfered with an investigation into his former lover

Shinzo Abe (pictured left) becomes the first Japanese PM to visit Darwin since his country's military bombed the city

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

CORRUPTION: Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Bruce Lander delivers a damning report into the Oakden nursing home scandal, declaring it a "shameful chapter in the state's history". (Feb)

MYSTERY: In a renewed search for the Beaumont Children, who disappeared in 1966, police converge on a factory site in Adelaide amid speculation it was where Jane, 9, Arnna, 7, and Grant, 4, were buried. The dig only uncovers animal bones. (Feb)

POLITICS: Liberal leader Steven Marshall ends 16 years of Labor rule in South Australia. His party wins 25 seats in the 47-seat House of Assembly to Labor's 19, with three going to independents. (Mar)

Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Bruce Lander delivers a damning report into the Oakden nursing home scandal

Police converge on a factory site in Adelaide amid speculation it was where the Beaumont Children were found

Liberal leader Steven Marshall (pictured) ends 16 years of Labor rule in South Australia

CRIME: Steven Graham Peet is jailed for 36 years for the 2016 murders of his partner Adeline Yvette Wilson-Rigney and her two children, with a judge describing his actions at deplorable and incomprehensible. (April)

TERROR: Zainab Abdirahman-Khalif is found guilty of being a member of terror group Islamic State with evidence against her including 127 video files and communication with three young African women involved in a terror attack in Kenya. (Sept)

COLD CASE: The disappearance of Colleen Adams 45 years ago is resolved with the discovery of her skeletal remains under a concrete slab at a Yorke Peninsula property and the charging of her husband, Geoffrey Adams, with murder. (Sept)

Steven Graham Peet is jailed for 36 years for the 2016 murders of his partner Adeline Yvette Wilson-Rigney (pictured) and her two children

Zainab Abdirahman-Khalif (pictured) is found guilty of being a member of terror group Islamic State

Disappearance of Colleen Adams 45 years ago is resolved with the discovery of her skeletal remains under a concrete slab

QUEENSLAND

GAMES: The Gold Coast Commonwealth Games is hailed a success, however it ends on a sour note with organisers criticised for not televising the entrance of the athletes to the closing ceremony. (April)

COURT: Rick Thorburn is sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his 12-year-old foster-daughter Tiahleigh Palmer in 2015. (May)

JOGGER: The bizarre case of the "poo jogger" who defecated over 60 times on Brisbane footpaths. It turns out to be corporate executive Andrew Douglas Macintosh after a disgruntled neighbour caught him in the act, snapping a picture after lying in wait for three nights. (June)

The Gold Coast Commonwealth Games is hailed a success, however it ends on a sour note

Rick Thorburn (pictured) is sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his 12-year-old foster-daughter Tiahleigh Palmer

Andrew Douglas Macintosh 'poo jogger' defecated over 60 times on Brisbane footpaths

COURT: Shock jock Alan Jones is slapped with a record defamation payout of $3.7 million. (Sept)

CRIME: Toyah Cordingley, 24, is found murdered at a beach north of Cairns, sparking a major investigation, with her killer still at large. (Oct)

POLITICS: Laws to remove abortion from the state's criminal code pass state parliament. (Oct)

Shock jock Alan Jones (pictured) is slapped with a record defamation payout of $3.7 million

Toyah Cordingley (pictured) went missing as she was walking a dog in Wangetti Beach

Laws in Queensland to remove abortion from the state's criminal code pass state parliament

STRAWBERRIES: Needles discovered in supermarket strawberries spark a nationwide recall. Queensland Health officials issued a safety warning on September 12 after the discovery of needles hidden inside a punnet of strawberries. Needles were then found in packets of strawberries nation-wide and the contamination was dubbed 'food terrorism'. Brands effected included Donnybrook Berries, Love Berry, Delightful Strawberries, Berry Obsession and Berry Licious. Farmers across Australia were forced to lay off staff as a result of plummeting sales, with people terrified to purchase fruit. (Sept) Former strawberry farm worker, My Ut Trinh, is charged over the initial contamination incidents, however police are still hunting for several copycats. My Ut Trinh, known as Judy, was arrested on Sunday after a two-month police investigation linked her DNA to the first discovered needle, which police allege was found in a punnet from Queensland's Berrylicious/Berry Obsession farm. The woman reportedly worked as a farm supervisor and was unhappy with the way she was being treated.(Nov)

SHARKS: Victorian doctor Daniel Christidis dies after being mauled by a shark at Cid Harbour in the Whitsundays. Daniel Christidis, 33, worked as a trainee urologist and was killed after being attacked by a shark on a sailing holiday with friends. (Nov) There are two non-fatal attacks in the same area in September. Tasmanian tourist Justine Barwick and Melbourne schoolgirl Hannah Papps were attacked by sharks within just 24 hours of each other. The Queensland government soon after released a 'catch and kill' order on predators in the area, resulting in the culling of five tiger sharks and one other.

FIRE: A record-breaking extreme heatwave leads to an unprecedented start to the bushfire season. While numerous buildings and properties are damaged, there are no thankfully no deaths. (Dec)

Needles discovered in supermarket strawberries spark a nationwide recall with one woman charged

Daniel Christidis (pictured with friend) dies after being mauled by a shark at Cid Harbour in the Whitsundays

Tasmanian tourist Justine Barwick and Melbourne schoolgirl Hannah Papps were attacked by sharks within just 24 hours of each other (pictured: Justine Barwick with husband)

VICTORIA

POLITICS: A damning Ombudsman report finds 21 Victorian Labor MPs breached parliamentary guidelines in a $388,000 rort at the 2014 state election. (March). It leads to an active police investigation into what is now known as the red shirts affair, implicating up to 21 MPs, including six ministers. (Aug)

POLITICS: Daniel Andrews' Labor government is re-elected for a second term in a landslide victory. Three days later he unveils his new front bench, with half of ministerial positions going to women. (Nov) Opposition leader Matthew Guy and state Liberal Party President Michael Kroger resign in the wake of the thumping. (Dec)

COURT: James Gargasoulas is found guilty of six murders after mowing down pedestrians on Melbourne's Bourke Street in January 2017 after what he described as a "premonition from God". (Nov)

A damning Ombudsman report finds 21 Victorian Labor MPs breached parliamentary guidelines in a $388,000 rort

Opposition leader Matthew Guy (pictured) and state Liberal Party President Michael Kroger resign in the wake of the thumping

James Gargasoulas (pictured) is found guilty of six murders after mowing down pedestrians on Melbourne's Bourke Street in January 2017

TERROR: A knife attack on Bourke Street launched by Hassan Khalif Shire Ali kills Italian restaurateur Sisto Malaspina and injures two other men. Ali, 30, crashed his car on the busy shopping street before setting it on fire, knifing bystanders - one fatally - and slashing at the two officers who tried to stop him. Officers arrived within 90 seconds, foiling Ali's other plan of knifing many more people to death. One of the officers eventually shot him in the chest. He later died of his wounds in Royal Melbourne Hospital. Malaspina is remembered for his warmth and "out there" fashion sense at a state funeral. (Nov)

MEDICAL: Surgeons at Melbourne's Royal Childrens Hospital successfully separate conjoined Bhutanese twins Nima and Dawa in a six-hour operation. A team of up to 25 doctors helped to separate the 15-month-olds, who were joined at the torso and shared a liver. (Nov)

COURT: Three men - Hamza Abbas, Abdullah Chaarani and Ahmed Mohamed - are found guilty of plotting a Christmas Day 2016 terror attack in Melbourne. (Nov)

Knife-wielding terrrorist Hassan Khalif Shire Ali kills one and injures two other men

Ali, 30, crashed his car on the busy shopping street before setting it on fire, knifing bystanders - one fatally - and slashing at the two officers who tried to stop him

Surgeons at Melbourne's Royal Childrens Hospital successfully separate conjoined Bhutanese twins Nima and Dawa in a six-hour operationWild Oats XI has slipped into controversy following its win in the Sydney to Hobart race amid allegations a race rule was broken.

The nine-time winning yacht is said to have had its Automatic Identification System (AIS) turned off, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Second-placed Black Jack owner Peter Harburg said the race rules deemed the AIS transponder had to be on.

'The AIS means there are no secrets. We know where everyone is, they know what speed we are doing, what direction we are going,' Harburg said.

Wild Oats XI (pictured) has slipped into controversy following its win in the Sydney to Hobart race amid allegations a race rule was broken

The nine-time winning yacht (pictured) is said to have had its Automatic Identification System (AIS) turned off

Harburg said the blackout put him and other racers at a disadvantage.

Without the right information he could not keep track of Wild Oats during the race.

Even so, Harburg and skipper Mark Bradford said they did not intend to protest the win.

Though they urged the race committee to look into the situation.

Boats have up to six hours after finishing to lodge an official protest.

Wild Oats navigator Juan Vila said he turned on the AIS transponder and thought it had been on for the entirety of the race.

The controversy is the latest in a string of stuff-ups to surround the yacht.

Only last year Wild Oats crossed the finish line first, though was slapped with a time penalty for an infringement.

A one hour penalty was handed down after the boat had a near collision with competitor Comanche near the start of the race.

An embarrassed crew had to subsequently hand over their win to their rival as a result.

Though this year the controversial yacht seemed to safely hold onto its win.

Wild Oats managed to outpace her rivals in the home stretch of the race.

Skipper Mark Richards and his 20-strong crew pulled the yacht ahead of her rivals and stole the yacht's fastest time on the Derwent River.

The winning yacht sailed into Darwin just after 8am on Friday to steal the line honours.

'It's a day of redemption for us that's for sure. We're so happy with the result,' Richards said.

Wild Oats Skipper Mark Richards (pictured) and his 20-strong crew pulled the yacht ahead of her rivals and stole the yacht's fastest time on the Derwent River

Skipper Mark Richards with crew, family and friends as they celebrated the win on Friday

The winning yacht finished the race in one day, 19 hours, seven minutes and 21 seconds.

Outsider Black Jack was just 28 minutes behind, followed narrowly by Comanche and Infotrack.

All four supermaxis were in the River Derwent at the same time in one of the closest races in the event's history.

This year marked the first time four maxis raced in close quarters.

'It was an amazing contest all the way until the end and I take my hat off to all of the maxi boats,' Richards said.

The quartet was at times separated by just a few nautical miles down Tasmania's east coast on Thursday before Wild Oats XI made an overnight gamble to sail a wider route. It paid off.

'We got a little break at Tasman light,' Richards said.

'We basically sailed around the opposition and got ourselves into a position where the breeze filled in from the southwest - this morning we were in the right spot.

'That was a game-winning manoeuvre right there.'

Richards and his crew were greeted by hundreds of fans at Hobart's Constitution Dock at the conclusion of the race's 74th edition.

Meanwhile, Tasmanian-owned yacht Alive is leading the race for handicap honours.

This year's fleet has been reduced to 80 yachts, with Calypso retiring due to steering issues late on Thursday night.

Wild Oats has collected nine fastest time victories, two overall wins and two race records throughout her lifespan.Wanda Barzee is now living two blocks from an elementary school in Salt Lake City, Utah

Kidnap victim Elizabeth Smart says people with a history of child abuse and sexual violence like the one who helped abduct her should be housed as far away from schools as possible.

Smart issued the statement Monday after learning that the woman who helped abduct her when she was a teenager is living in a Salt Lake City apartment a couple of blocks from a school.

Wandaa Barzee, is living just two blocks from Parkview Elementary School only three months after being released from prison for her part in a teenager's kidnapping and rape in 2002.

Now 73, Barzee is based in a run-down property only two tenths of a mile from the grounds where pre-kindergarten to fifth graders are educated in Utah, RadarOnline reports.

Smart said every possible caution and protection should be taken to protect children from offenders, including housing them as far away as possible from schools, families and community centers.

Barzee is not allowed on the premises of licensed daycare or preschools, primary or secondary schools, community parks and public playgrounds since her early prison release in September.

Barzee is also not allowed to contact Smart or her family members now she's free and living in downtown Salt Lake City.

Smart, 31, is now married to Matthew Gilmour, and they share children Chloe, two, James, 10 months, and a newborn daughter Olivia.

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Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped for nine months in 2002 aged 14 in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is pictured in March 2018

Smart is pictured with her two children in this festive snap she shared to Instagram last week

Barzee, is living just two blocks from Parkview Elementary School (pictured) only three months after being released from prison for her part in a teenager's kidnapping and rape in 2002

Smart spent nine months being held hostage by Barzee and her spouse, street preacher Brian David Mitchell, between 2002 and 2003.

Mitchell was a handyman who had been at her home in Salt Lake City.

For nine months, they held her in the woods where she was repeatedly raped and drugged before she was rescued on the street.

Wanda Barzee (right, pictured with Brian David Mitchell) is living two blocks from an elementary school. Barzee was released from prison in September. She is pictured afterwards, right, in a photograph taken as part of her parole conditions

Barzee is pictured leaving court in Salt Lake City in November 2010

Smart praised mother and father, Lois and Ed, earlier this month for her still being here.

Speaking about her children, Smart captioned an Instagram image: 'I just want them to remember the feelings of always being loved, always knowing theyre special to someone, and always knowing Matthew and I are here for them.

'Im alive today because my parents instilled those same feelings in me from the day I was born.'

Elizabeth Smart with her husband Matthew Gilmour, with their children Chloe, two, James, 10 months and newborn Olivia who was born before Thanksgiving, with her parents Lois and Ed

Smart left this emotional caption paying tribute to her parents alongside the image

Smart has spoken in the past how she maintained hope by visualizing her parents and memorizing their every feature in case she never saw them again.

'My mom wasnt going to stop loving me because Id been kidnapped or because Id been raped.

'I found something to hold onto. I was going to do whatever it took to survive,' she said in April this year.

Elizabeth's parents Ed and Lois are pictured speaking with the media in June 2002 after her disappearance

Mitchell is still in prison but Barzee was controversially released earlier this year despite protestations from Smart and other kidnapping victims.

Smart was just 14 when the pair abducted her from her bedroom

Barzee pleaded guilty in 2010, seven years after being arrested.

She pleaded guilty to kidnapping and sexual assault and was sentenced to 15 years behind bars.

Shockingly, in September this year, the parole board granted her attorney's request for the first seven years she spent in prison before the plea deal to be counted as time served.

Smart was pregnant with Olivia at the time.

She made repeated public appeals to stop Barzee's release but her efforts were unsuccessful.

Smart met her British husband in Paris in 2009 during a Mormon mission trip. Over the last 10 years, she has worked as a motivational speaker and author.

They live with their children in Park City, Utah.

Her parents still reside in Salt Lake City but in a different home to the one she was abducted from.For 70 years, Denis Norden, who died this year, was a British comedy institution. But, as yesterdays extract from his magical memoirs revealed, his own life was as riotously funny as his infamous TV bloopers and out-takes. Today, in our final extract, he reveals hilarious moments from a little-known period of his life  when he was a cinema manager in the heyday of the majestic Dream Palaces where millions flocked to watch the silver screen . . . or misbehave in the back row!

The larger cinemas in the Hyams chain featured top-line variety acts alongside the films and one undimmed memory is of Edna Squire Brown, a dignified lady who did a genteel striptease, employing trained white doves. They would flutter above her, only alighting on her whenever and wherever concealment was required

Cinemas during the Forties often saw more scenes of a sexual nature enacted in the audience than on the screen, and usherettes at the chain of London picture houses where I was in training as a manager were instructed to exercise particular discretion when shining torches along the back row, known to GIs as Hormone Alley.

Scenes played in shadows or darkness were particularly conducive to such action and I have often wondered whether this might account for the prevalence of film noir during this period.

Whatever the truth of that, a body of back row folk-wisdom had certainly developed among the more venturesome males of the period, some of its tips more helpful than others.

Of the only two I remember, one was the initiatory manoeuvre that could be described as slide of hand, while the other strongly recommended beginning the proceedings by kissing the nape of her neck.

Not only was it believed to promote arousal, it also allowed you to watch the picture at the same time.

According to Denis Norden, pictured, cinemas during the Forties often saw more scenes of a sexual nature enacted in the audience than on the screen

My entree into this world had come in 1939. I was brought up in Hackney, East London, where my parents had saved to send me to private school only for me to declare at 17 that I was leaving full-time education to become a highly paid Hollywood screenwriter. The only person I could think of who might possibly have some access to that world was the father of a girl I had recently taken out.

His name was Sid Hyams and together with his two brothers he owned and operated picture palaces of Renaissance-style grandeur in some of the poorest and dreariest parts of London.

He agreed to see me and suggested I come along to his office at the Gaumont State, Kilburn (Europes Newest, Largest and Most Luxurious Cinema).

I think he must have had a word with my parents in the interim, because he nodded the manuscripts I showed him into an in-tray and made a counter-proposal.

Before launching into a career as a writer for the cinema, might it not be prudent to spend some time learning the predilections of audiences by working for a while as a cinema manager?

With that end in mind, he was prepared to put me through a training programme that would leave me conversant with every aspect of the cinema.

Starting with a course in looking after the boilers, I would progress to electrician, stagehand, projectionist, member of the front-of-house team, to Assistant Manager and, finally, General Manager.

I accepted his offer and it seemed I had made the right decision when it was announced that the Royal Command Performance, due to take place in November that year, was to be produced for the first time by Hyamss organisation.

Their plans for it were typically ambitious. It would be staged at the Gaumont State and, with the intention of bringing Hollywood to Kilburn, American vaudeville star Eddie Cantor would be flown over to compere a bill that would include Shirley Temple, a song-and-dance duet by Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, and comedy from Laurel and Hardy.

Cinema presentations of the day invariably featured what was known as the organ interlude, prompted by the need to keep audiences entertained while the safety curtain was lowered and raised in accordance with fire regulations

For the finale, we would see Deanna Durbin, alone on a darkened stage and lit only by a pin-spot, singing Ave Maria, while 400 choirboys, each bearing a lighted candle, would descend from the upper circle to the stage on specially built ramps attached to the side walls of the vast auditorium.

That was the scene I was looking forward to most. But then came September 3.

So my apprenticeship began at the Gaumont State in wartime, and my blue boiler suit brought my mother close to tears every time she saw me leave the house in it. (Is this what all the sacrifices have been for?)

There I was sometimes told to raise the temperature inside the cinema to promote the sales of ice cream and soft drinks. It would generally happen when the feature film was set in the tropics or the desert and it always resulted, I was told, in a rise in sales.

Superintending those sales proved one of my more difficult duties when, in 1940, I moved to the Trocadero, Elephant and Castle, as Assistant Manager. In addition to my less than perfect grasp of the monetary side, I had the daily responsibility of nominating the usherettes charged with carrying the ice cream trays.

When fully loaded with tubs and wafer-bars, the trays were a considerable weight, so it was a job the girls hated. To alleviate this, we had instituted an alphabetical rota system to ensure the work was shared out fairly.

The snag was that they could be excused this duty if it happened to be their time of the month. Accordingly, at the daily general assembly in the main foyer before the doors opened, when all the front-of-house staff would be inspected for clean uniforms and fingernails, I would consult my rota-list and read out: Miss Robinson, your turn for the front stalls ice cream tray.

Not infrequently, Miss Robinson would answer: Not today, sir. Time of the month.

I would consult my list again. But, Miss Robinson, you said that two weeks ago.

Like as not, she would fix me with that bold Elephant & Castle stare and answer: So?

Barely 18 years old and wearing my fathers dinner-suit, I was aware  as were they all  that I did not know enough about the mechanics of the matter to pursue it.

Many mothers used their local cinema as a creche, a warm and safe place to deposit their young whenever there was a need to offload them for a few hours

All right, Miss Robinson. Excused ice cream tray.

A prodigious amount of eating went on during the early evening programmes in suburban cinemas then. Mothers with baskets of food would pick up their children from school and feed them their tea while they were all watching the movie.

The consequent chomping, munching, slurping and muttered instructions were a measure of the way in which going to the pictures in those days was regarded as a family experience. Indeed, many mothers used their local cinema as a creche, a warm and safe place to deposit their young whenever there was a need to offload them for a few hours.

I still treasure the memory of a small boy tugging at the sleeve of one of our tall Trocadero doormen to ask: Please, Mister. Mum says what time is the big picture over three times?

The larger cinemas in the Hyams chain featured top-line variety acts alongside the films and one undimmed memory is of Edna Squire Brown, a dignified lady who did a genteel striptease, employing trained white doves. They would flutter above her, only alighting on her whenever and wherever concealment was required.

Although it didnt happen on my watch, I was warned about certain occupants of the sixpenny seats who used to turn up for her Saturday night performances carrying packets of birdseed.

One week, the Trocaderos on-stage attraction was a full-scale circus. The first problem was finding suitable accommodation for all the performers and animals in wartime South-East London. Our never-fazed stage manager Jim Pitman accomplished this successfully until it came to the question of housing the three forest-bred lions. After being turned down by every warehouse and factory in the neighbourhood, Jim was driven to keeping their cages in the back-stage area, flush up against the rear wall.

When a boilerman experienced the heart-stopping sensation of a large, furry paw silently reaching out to him while he was going from one side of this darkened area of the stage to another, I had notices hastily printed warning staff and visitors to exercise caution when crossing the stage.

What made this makeshift arrangement really memorable, however, was that we were showing an MGM movie that week.

Every time the films opening came on screen and MGMs Leo emitted his trademark roars, from somewhere behind him came a trio of answering roars. It impressed audiences no end, while Jim and I enjoyed some time-wasting sessions trying to guess what the visitors were saying to Leo.

Rear Row Rita once contacted our Lost Property with a view to recovering a missing pair of pale pink panties, we never once received an inquiry in respect of missing shoes

One mystery I never managed to solve was the inordinate number of ladies shoes that found their way into a cinemas Lost Property cupboard at the end of each day.

My apprenticeship as an usher had shown me how many female patrons would gratefully slip off their footwear as soon as theyd settled in their seats, and that the steep rake of the auditorium could see their shoes slide forward underneath the row in front and sometimes further. But how could they neglect to retrieve them when the lights went up?

To deepen the mystery further, in all the hours I spent bidding a managerial farewell to patrons as they made their way out of the cinema, I never came across one who emerged shoeless.

Whats more, although a regular Saturday night patron known to the Gaumont, Watford, staff as Rear Row Rita once contacted our Lost Property with a view to recovering a missing pair of pale pink panties, we never once received an inquiry in respect of missing shoes.

They would pile up in the cupboard and every now and again we sent a representative batch of them to the Salvation Army.

Cinema presentations of the day invariably featured what was known as the organ interlude, prompted by the need to keep audiences entertained while the safety curtain was lowered and raised in accordance with fire regulations.

It was sometimes a laboriously slow process so, as the curtain descended, up from the circular pit in front of it, to the strains of the organists signature tune, would rise the Mighty Wurlitzer.

The organ itself could verge on the spectacular. Shaped like an enormous, intricately fluted jelly mould, its panels were illuminated from within, in constantly changing pastel colours that nicely set off its occupants white dinner jacket.

However, an incident that revealed the Wurlitzer could occasionally be something less than Mighty happened one afternoon when I was acting as relief manager at the Troxy, Limehouse. At the end of the interlude, the organs lift mechanism failed and the organist had to remain perched up in the air during the film, while all staff searched for the winch handle that would wind him down manually.

After I had been at the Gaumont, Watford, for a while, the trade magazine Kine Weekly printed a few paragraphs about me, headed: Britains Youngest Cinema Manager. That was mainly because most of the other managers were now in the forces and, sure enough, late in 1942, I received my own call-up papers.

I attained the dizzying rank of Leading Aircraftman and as I moved around Britain with the RAF, I learned a popular trick for saving money on the obligatory telephone call home to let your family know you were safe.

This was to make it a personal call to your own name. That way they knew it was you putting in a call and in reply to the operators I have a personal call for Mr D. Norden, they would simply deny you were there and the call would cost nothing.

It worked several times for me, though I gave it up after my mother answered the call and said to the operator: No, Im sorry hes not here but please tell him he should wear his overcoat in this weather.

Adapted from Clips From A Life by Denis Norden, published by HarperPerennial at 10.99  Denis Norden 2008. To order a copy, visit mailshop.co.uk/books or call 0844 571 0640.Police officer Ronil Singh spent every second he possibly could with his loved ones on Christmas before he began what would be his final shift.

Heartbreaking photos show the 33-year-old hero cop from the Newman Police Department in California with his wife Anamika, their five-month-old son and his beloved dog.

They are beaming on the floor of his home in Modesto in front of the unwrapped presents under their tree for what would have been the youngster's first holiday season.

A few hours later, Singh was shot dead by an illegal immigrant during a DUI traffic stop.

His colleagues are now part of a massive manhunt to track down the killer, while President Trump has seized on the slaying to help fuel his argument to build the wall.

'There is right now a full scale manhunt going on in California for an illegal immigrant accused of shooting and killing a police officer during a traffic stop,' Trump tweeted.

'Time to get tough on Border Security. Build the Wall!'

Officer Ronil Singh, of the Newman Police Department, is survived by his wife, Anamika, and a five-month-old son, who are pictured next to him on Christmas

The late cop is pictured in another heartbreaking photo with his family, just hours before he was shot dead during a traffic stop

Newman police said Thursday evening that detectives performed a search warrant at a property in El Nido of Merced County, but had no luck.

'The suspect was not located at the property and the investigation remains fluid. We will have no details at this time regarding the search warrant,' the department said.

Sheriff Adam Christianson said the suspect 'doesn't belong here' and that 'he is a criminal'.

President Donald Trump on Thursday seized on the case of the illegal immigrant cop-killer to renew his argument that the U.S. should erect a wall on its southern border.

Singh had pulled over a gray pickup truck in the small town 100 miles south of San Francisco, after noticing it had no license plate.

Signh fired back to defend himself, Christianson said.

Trump also quoted a 2011 tweet from former President Barack Obama, who was repeating a line from his State of the Union address when he wrote: 'I strongly believe that we should take on, once and for all, the issue of illegal immigration.'

'I totally agree!' Trump added Thursday, before tying Singh's murder to the hot-button issue.

Singh was killed by an unidentified suspect. The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department said Singh was conducting a traffic stop early Wednesday in the town of Newman, California when he called out 'shots fired' over his radio

Police are hunting a man who is in the US illegally and is accused of killing a California police officer on Wednesday, after finding the truck believed to belong to the suspect (pictured)

Authorities released surveillance images of the suspected gunman sought in the shooting death of Singh

Christianson has flown in Trump's orbit before.

He sat next to the president during a May 16 event at the White House focused on opposition to 'sanctuary city' policies that prohibit law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

'There shouldn't be anybody interfering with a sheriff's ability, a chief's ability, or anybody in this room at this table today from defending people against those who exploit and victimize them,' he said then.

'There should be no interference in our ability to protect our communities, to protect our national security.'

Authorities in California's central valley have found the truck believed to belong to the unnamed suspect who remains at large.

The vehicle, believed to have been the one stopped by Singh, was found in a garage in a mobile home park about four miles away from the scene of the shooting.

The silver extended-cab Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck was seen in the area at the time of the shooting, and had paper plates on the vehicle, which read 'AR Auto.'

The president is facing a short window of time to secure border wall funding before the next Congress is seated and Democrats take over the House of Representatives on January 3

Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson (left) identified the fugutive suspect as an illegal immigrant. Christianson sat next to Trump in May at the White House during a roundtable event focused on opposition to 'sanctuary city' policies

President Donald Trump used the manhunt to argue for his border wall

Trump also quoted a 2011 tweet from Barack Obama, who sounded Trumpian in his opposition to illegal immigration during his 2011 State of the Union address

Working from several tips from the public, police discovered it about 13 hours after the shooting at a River Road mobile home park just south of Azevedo Road, where law enforcement officers were serving a search warrant.

Police confirmed the pickup was the one believed to have been driven by the suspect.

Crime scene tape was seen inside the mobile home park, where several media outlets from surrounding counties converged late Wednesday afternoon.

'There's lots of potential evidence,' a police spokesperson said. 'Fingerprints, DNA, gunshot residue and physical evidence. We'll be processing the truck to get any evidence to help in the prosecution.'

The unidentified suspect, who was pictured on security camera footage entering a store shortly before the fatal shots were fired, remains a fugutive.

Singh was found with multiple bullet wounds, and was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The sheriff's office released surveillance stills of the suspect and the gray pickup truck found near the location of the shooting.

The suspected gunman appears in the images in an unzipped hooded sweatshirt and wearing a gold chain while purchasing items in a store.

Singh was found with multiple bullet wounds, and was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead

Police investigate the scene of a shooting that took the life of Newman Police Officer Singh

Singh was a native of Fiji and the father of an infant son. He joined the Newman police force in 2011.

Earlier in his career, Singh worked as a deputy with the Merced County Sheriff's Department.

'He was living the American dream,' said Stanislaus County Sheriff's Deputy Royjinder Singh, who is not related to the slain officer but knew him.

'He loved camping, loved hunting, loved fishing, loved his family,' the deputy said.

On his Facebook page, Singh posted Christmas Eve pictures from a deep-sea fishing trip that produced a big haul of crabs and fish.

The profile picture shows him smiling as he stands at a patrol car with a dog  the same photograph of the officer released by the sheriff's department.

Outgoing California Gov. Jerry Brown offered condolences to Singh's family and said flags at the state Capitol would fly at half staff in his honor.

'Our hearts are with the entire community of Newman and law enforcement officers across the state who risk their lives every day to protect and serve the people of California,' Brown said.For many he was an anti-apartheid hero.

But Nelson Mandela's oratory powers were seemingly lost on Margaret Thatcher.

For the Prime Minister was left disappointed by her first telephone conversation with the world leader and decided he had a 'rather closed mind', according to secret documents held by the National Archives.

Nelson Mandela shakes hands with Margaret Thatcher in July 1990 at Downing Street

Her opinions were formed during an early morning call they shared ahead of a formal meeting of the two leaders scheduled for July 4, 1990.

The direct exchanges were documented, as reported by The Guardian: 'The prime minister commented to me afterwards that she was a bit disappointed with Mandela, who seemed to have rather a closed mind,' Powell's memorandum recorded.

During the phone call Mr Mandela sought assurances from Mrs Thatcher about the UK Government's attitude towards South Africa

'For his part, he will now have experienced first hand the prime minister's strong views on the armed struggle and on sanctions, and this will no doubt influence his approach to the meeting on July 4th.'

A memo written about their interaction details how Mr Mandela called officials late one night to organise an a conversation with the Prime Minister about lifting sanctions on South Africa.

During the phone call Mr Mandela sought assurances from Mrs Thatcher about the British Government's attitude towards South Africa ahead of a forthcoming European Council meeting in Dublin.

But  in a damning note at the bottom of the confidential log  the Prime Minister's private secretary wrote: 'The Prime Minister commented to me afterwards that she was a bit disappointed with Mandela, who seemed to have rather a closed mind.'Richard Overton, the nation's oldest World War II veteran who was also believed to be the oldest living man in the US, died Thursday in Texas aged 112.

The Army veteran had been hospitalized with pneumonia but was released on Christmas Eve, a family member said.

'They had done all they could,' Shirley Overton, whose husband was Richard's cousin and his longtime caretaker. said.

Pictured May 2018, aged 111, Richard Overton the nation's oldest World War II veteran died Thursday in Texas

Overton celebrating his 107th, said that one secret to his long life was smoking cigars and drinking whiskey, which he often was found doing on the porch of his Austin home

He died in the evening at a rehab facility in Austin.

He once said that one secret to his long life was smoking cigars and drinking whiskey, which he often was found doing on the porch of his Austin home.

His recent birthdays drew national attention and strangers would stop by his house to meet him.

Pictured April 8 (left), Overton was the third oldest man on the planet and a US Army veteran (right)

He visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture - NMAAHC - in April, assisted by family friend Martin Wilford, and his third cousin Volma Overton, pushing chair

Even well into his 100s, he would drive widows in his neighborhood to church.

'With his quick wit and kind spirit he touched the lives of so many, and I am deeply honored to have known him,' Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement Thursday.

Overton was in his 30s when he volunteered for the Army and was at Pearl Harbor just after the Japanese attack in 1941.

Abbott called Overton 'an American icon and Texas legend'.

'Richard Overton made us proud to be Texans and proud to be Americans,' the governor added.

'We can never repay Richard Overton for his service to our nation and for his lasting impact on the Lone Star State.'

Richard met President Obama at the White House for breakfast on November 11, 2013

In 2013, former President Barack Obama honored Overton at a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. He is pictured with Earlene Love-Karo, in the Blue Room

Vice President Joe Biden talked with the pair in Washington DC

Overton was born in 1906 near Austin and served in the all-black 1887th Engineer Aviation Battalion.

In 2013, former President Barack Obama honored Overton at a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

'He was there at Pearl Harbor, when the battleships were still smoldering,' Obama said of Overton.

'He was there at Okinawa. He was there at Iwo Jima, where he said, "I only got out of there by the grace of God".'A meeting with Sir Ian McKellen appears to have spurred then prime minister John Major into pushing for the lowering of the age of consent between homosexuals.

Mr Major met the celebrated actor in September 1991 to discuss gay rights - and within three years parliament had voted to drop the consenting age from 21 to 18.

Following the meeting, the 'grey man' of British politics wrote: 'I have to say that, whilst fully recognising the sensitivities of the subject, I had considerable sympathy with some of Sir Ian's points on the grounds of simple, straightforward equity.'

Mr Major met the celebrated actor (pictured) in September 1991 to discuss gay rights - and within three years parliament had voted to drop the consenting age from 21 to 18

Sir Ian raised concerns affecting the gay community like 'criminal law', 'police harassment' and 'abusive language in the press' at the meeting in Number 10, according to government files released by the National Archives in Kew, west London.

The documents show Number 10 wanted to make the meeting as informal-feeling as possible after being advised that one of the greatest actors of his generation 'lacked self-confidence (!) in discussing these issues and might be slightly overawed by a meeting with the Prime Minister'.

During the meeting, Sir Ian said: 'If two men merely showed affection for one another in public, they could be charged under the gross indecency laws or for a breach of the peace.'

A government note said this was an 'extreme reading of the law' but acknowledged that the police sometimes used this legal loophole as 'an excuse for harassment' against gay men.

Following the encounter, Sir Ian wrote warmly to Mr Major: 'It's been encouraging to note the overwhelmingly positive response throughout the media.

'There seems to be a general acceptance that the concerns of lesbians and gay men should now be firmly on the political agenda.'

Mr Major replied: 'I too was pleased to see the generally positive response in the media - although I am afraid that my postbag has contained more critical than sympathetic letters.'

Mr Major was advised to tread carefully over giving an 'enlightened lead to public opinion' on the issue of gay rights in another document.

A handwritten note, which appears to be from political adviser Sarah Hogg, reads: 'Prime Minister - I would be concerned that you should not get too far ahead of public opinion before a general election.'

In a Foreign Office speech in 2017, the former prime minister, now Sir John, spoke about the backlash he received for the meeting.

He said: 'When I wished to consult Ian McKellen on the concerns of gay people, there were subterranean rumblings that I should never even have spoken to him - let alone invited him into No 10!

'Such an attitude was simply astonishing. Personally, I never regretted that meeting - and learned a great deal from it.'

In 1994 the age of consent was lowered from 21 to 18 by parliament.

Sir John added in his speech: 'Two years later, with my encouragement, Parliament voted to lower the age of consent to eighteen - not quite the sixteen that the now Sir Ian McKellen had advocated, but a lowering nonetheless.'Boat migrants crossing the Channel must be sent straight back to France to avert a tragedy, according to a former senior Home Office official.

David Wood, who was head of immigration enforcement, warned lives would be lost unless the Government adopted a new approach.

There were a further 34 attempted crossings overnight yesterday, bringing the total number rescued from the Channel since November to 300 and 82 since Christmas Day.

The French Patrolman of Gendarmerie boat, the Athos, rescued 11 migrants 15 miles off Calais at 1.45am yesterday

The migrants' dinghy was spotted by passenger ships in French waters around midnight

A migrant seized off a Channel boat yesterday is escorted through Dover by officials

A rib boat seized by officials earlier this month after it brought migrants across the Channel

It is feared people smugglers are targeting the holiday period because they believe there will be fewer patrols. Just one cutter is patrolling UK waters, aided by two smaller craft.

'We have to stop this or it will grow and grow. It will escalate. The answer is to return them to France as soon as they are picked up,' Mr Wood said. 'If we did that straight away, they would realise that paying 5,000 to the people smugglers would achieve nothing.'

Criticising the Home Office's handling of the crisis, Mr Wood told the Daily Telegraph: 'As far as organised crime is concerned, it's de-risked their business.

'They know they don't have to get right across the Channel and land, they can get half way across and the migrants will be taken the rest of the way.

'Given that the immigrants travelled from France, it would not be unlawful if the French agreed. In theory, under the Dublin agreement, there are circumstances when immigrants can be returned to France even when landed in the UK.

'Britain's border force, coastguards and lifeboats are being used as a taxi service for the migrants. There will be a hue and cry when a boat full of 12 migrants sinks and they die.'

Nine Iranians, including three children, were found on a beach in Kent yesterday after crossing the world's busiest shipping lane in darkness in a 13ft dinghy. Another 14 Iranian men were stopped in two boats near Dover, and French authorities intercepted another 11 people as they set out from Calais, where five needed treatment for hypothermia.

The boats have also been helped by calm seas and a full moon.

Nearly eighty migrants on ten boats and dinghies have tried to cross from France since Christmas morning

Migrants are brought about a Navy boat by officials after being found in the Channel yesterday

The beach at Sandgate, where the migrants came ashore at around 2am this morning

Tim Loughton, a senior Tory MP on the Commons home affairs committee, last night said Home Office resources had been drained by Brexit preparations and fixing mistakes made with the Windrush generation.

He suggested that more coastguard cutters were needed to avoid 'the impression of being a soft touch again'.

Immigration minister Caroline Nokes admitted the numbers were 'deeply concerning' and blamed organised gangs.

In the latest cases, five Iranian men, one woman, two boys and a girl were found on the beach at Sandgate, near Folkestone, in the early hours. Coastguards spotted their boat. The children were handed over to social services and the adults were transferred to immigration forces.

The Home Office failed to respond to questions from the Mail on whether there had been fewer Border Force patrols during the Christmas break.

Conservative MP for Dover, Charlie Elphicke, called on the Home Office and NCA to get more involved, demanding authorities 'get a grip' and step up patrols by cutters in the Channel.

Immigration minister Mrs Nokes blamed illegal people smugglers for some of the recent dangerous crossings, adding that British and French police were 'working together 24 hours a day' and the National Crime Agency (NCA) was working to 'stop people smuggling at source'.

As the full scale of the problem emerged, it was revealed that yesterday alone:

At around half past midnight, nine migrants including three children, were detained near Battery Point near Sandgate in Kent after crossing the English Channel in a dinghy.

At 1.45am French authorities stopped a boat contain 11 would-be migrants in a small boat off Sangatte in northern France, and returned the passengers to Boulogne.

At 8.30am a small inflatable craft containing six adult male migrants was met by UK Border Force officers on Shakespeare Beach in Dover.

And at 8.45 eight men in a dinghy off the coast of Dover were stopped by immigration officers.

Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes blamed people traffickers for some of the recent crossings

RNLI Lifeboats were scrambled at 12.30am yesterday to reports that a small RIB (rigid-hulled inflatable boat) was in the water off the coast of Folkestone.

A coastguard helicopter from Lydd in Kent illuminated the scene by searchlight helping RNLI volunteers from Littlestone lifeboat station find the 13ft boat, which by the time they arrived was ashore at Sandgate, just west of Folkestone.

Charlie Davies, operations manager of RNLI Littlestone, told MailOnline that his crew found the dinghy on the beach, adding: 'The persons on the rib had gone ashore, and were apprehended by Border Force and Kent Police.'

Home Office confirmed they attended to nine Iranian migrants - five men, one woman, two boys, and one girl - who are being processed by immigration officials.

Each of the migrants have been given a medical assessment and transferred to immigration officials for interview - in the case of the adults - or into the care of social services.

Eleven migrants were rescued by French authorities in a small boat which was spotted by passenger ships in French waters off Calais around midnight.

The French coastal authority, the Maritime Prefecture of the English Channel and North Sea, said a Patrolman of Gendarmerie (PCG) boat, the Athos, was sent to rescue the migrants.

Dover MP Charlie Elphicke demanded that authorities get a grip on the situation and increase patrols

She located their semi-rigid boat 15 nautical miles north west of Calais.

The Athos recovered eleven adults - including five in a state of hypothermia - at 1:45am yesterday and returned all aboard to Boulogne for treatment and processing.

Each migrant has been given a medical assessment and transferred to immigration officials for interview.

Charlie Elphicke, Conservative MP for Dover, has demanded that authorities 'get a grip' on Christmas crossings asking why the National Crime Agency - often called Britain's FBI - did not seem to be more involved.

He said: 'With well over 100 migrants having broken into Britain in recent weeks the [Home Office and NCA] need urgently to explain what they are doing to put a stop to these crossings.

'This is an incredibly dangerous crossing to make in the middle of winter. Our volunteer lifeboat crews are being called out nearly every day.

'The British and French authorities must get a grip and find and stop the traffickers... before there is a tragedy.'

He added: 'It's time the Home Office took this problem more seriously and stepped up resources along the Kent coast  with more cutters and patrol craft.

'We need to see more investment in stronger borders, all the way along our coast.'

On Christmas Day French authorities intercepted this rubber dinghy (pictured) off the coast of Calais carrying nine migrants after the engine on their boat failed in a bid to cross the Channel

A total of 40 migrants were taken into custody by British officials on Christmas Day

It emerged last month that people smugglers are charging migrants up to 13,000 each to cross the Channel by dinghy.

One family of would-be asylum seekers was charged 40,000 for the dangerous night-time sea crossing.

So-called 'agents' have already charged families to reach the French coast. Many fly from Iran to countries such as Serbia or Turkey, before being smuggled across borders to make overland journeys across Europe.

People traffickers then demand a further fee to get them to British soil. Individuals pay as much as 13,300 a head (15,000 euros) to board rubber dinghies for the freezing night journey.

Pictured: French authorities rescuing a boat containing nine migrants in the Channel on Christmas DayAdvertisement

Post-holiday travelers were finding driving and flying difficult as a winter storm dumped heavy snow and whipped up gusty winds across parts of the United States on Wednesday, Thursday and into Friday morning, killing two.

A 58-year-old woman from Ponchatoula, Louisiana, died after a tree fell on her camper trailer on late Wednesday night, Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards explained to CNN affiliate WDSU.

The National Weather Service said that 11 inches of rain hit parts of the South specifically in Louisiana and Mississippi.

More than 300 flights were cancelled in Dallas as planes were also left stranded or delayed at Chicago and Houston's airport - with nearly a quarter of the flights being held up at the latter.

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The National Weather Service said that 11 inches of rain hit parts of the South

Several road closures have had to be issued in the Midwest, making ground transportation difficult

Up to 11 inches (28 centimeters) of snow had fallen in the Moorhead-Alexandria area of western Minnesota by mid-afternoon Thursday, and it was still snowing, said meteorologist Tyler Hasenstein of the Twin Cities National Weather Service.

The line of snow ended just northwest of the Twin Cities around Elk River, Hasenstein said. The snowfall peaked around 3 inches (8 centimeters) at the Minneapolis airport, then rain starting early Thursday melted the snowpack.

Officials in North Dakota issued a no-travel advisory for the eastern part of the state due to icy roads and reduced visibility. Blustery winds were causing blizzard conditions in Jamestown, North Dakota, and in northern South Dakota, where transportation officials reported visibility was down to a quarter-mile along a stretch of Highway 10.

By Friday, the weather system will bring heavy rain and strong storms to the eastern Gulf and the Southeast

It will then move up the I-95 corridor, from Raleigh, North Carolina, into Washington, DC, and north to Boston

Flooding makes it nearly impossible to make it through the Louisiana streets

Bus service for Fargo, North Dakota, and neighboring Moorhead, Minnesota, was suspended Thursday afternoon because of worsening road conditions. Service is expected to resume Friday with a normal schedule.

Flash flooding could be expected from New Orleans to Atlanta in addition to strong winds all throughout the Southeast.

Several road closures have had to be issued in the Midwest, making ground transportation difficult.

A motorist was killed in Kansas on Thursday along Interstate 70 near the city of Oakely and prompted the Kansas Highway Patrol to shut down a portion of the major east-west artery.

People shovel snow off their sidewalks in effort to make their lives easier

Bus service for Fargo, North Dakota, and neighboring Moorhead, Minnesota, was suspended Thursday afternoon because of worsening road conditions

'Please stay off the roads and stay safe, give (the Kansas Department of Transportation) time to clear ... them, it's not worth your life,' Trooper Tod Hileman, the highway patrol's public information officer, said on Twitter.

No other details were immediately available on the collision; the name of the victim was not released. Hileman said roads were expected to remain snow-packed and icy into Friday.

The fatality came as parts of the U.S. Midwest and Southeast were inundated with the first wave of heavy snow and rain expected in the central United States through the weekend, said Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Service is expected to resume Friday with a normal schedule in North Dakota

An East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's deputy speaks with a stranded motorist

Heavy rain is expected to wash over the East

'Through this morning there have already been amounts as high as 6 to 10 inches across those areas and additional snowfall of 10 inches is possible throughout the day and tonight,' Chenard said. 'Travel is going to be very difficult across the areas under weather and blizzard warnings.'

Three airplane passengers were also injured in the air over Texas on Wednesday as Storm Eboni caused treacherous flying conditions across the US.

The Dallas-bound American Airlines flight managed to land safely at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Wednesday night, despite initial reports suggesting it had been damaged by ferocious winds.

A passenger and a flight attendant were hospitalized with complaints of knee pain and neck pain, and one other person was treated at the scene - a spokesperson for the airline revealed.

Storm Eboni is the first wave of heavy snow and rain expected to strike the US through the end of the holiday weekend.

Three airplane passengers were injured in the air over Texas on Wednesday as Storm Eboni caused treacherous flying conditions across the US, in the first wave of weather expected to impact travel over the end of the holiday week. Several ambulances (shown) were on the scene at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Wednesday night

A passenger and a flight attendant were hospitalized with injuries and one other person was treated on the scene

The 75 passengers on board the flight, which was returning to the US from Mexico, stayed in a hotel in Austin on Wednesday night, to be transferred back to Dallas on Thursday.

Thousands of flights were grounded in Midwestern airports over Christmas due to heavy snowfall, with forecasters warning the worst is yet to come as the storm sweeps across the country.

Airlines are waiving ticket change fees for passengers due to fly to, from or through several airports in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Horrifying footage posted on Twitter by a passenger on another Texas-bound flight, Jen Vaughn, showed huge lightning storms turning the sky purple as she flew just hours after the American Airlines plane was forced to land in Austin.

Heavy snow and rainstorms from Storm Eboni are also predicted to create dangerous road conditions for millions of travelers heading out after Christmas.

Footage posted on Twitter by another passenger, Jen Vaughn, showed scale of the huge lightning storms from the window of another Texas-bound flight

Storm Eboni has caused freak weather conditions across the US with massive thunderstorms and up to a foot of snow leading to travel disruption for millions

Winter Storm Eboni brought both rain and snow to the Wyoming-Kansas- Missouri-Nebraska area on Thursday morning

Severe storms are expected to hit the south and other areas of the US, with heavy snow anticipated in the north, as the week goes on, according to Yahoo! News.

The same storm system that dropped two inches of rain in Southern California and up to two feet of snow on parts of the West Coast over Christmas weekend is now moving out of the West, into the Plains.

As a result, 15 states between Arizona and Michigan have been under winter storm warnings and advisories.

Starting in Texas, the severe weather is expected to pass through Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee in the early hours of Thursday morning, according to CNN.

Severe storms are expected to move into the eastern Gulf Coast and Deep south as well, bringing damaging winds and flash flooding.

From Nebraska to Minnesota and Wisconsin, heavy snow and strong winds will continue to batter the area.

The same storm system that dropped two inches of rain in Southern California and up to two feet of snow on parts of the West Coast over Christmas weekend is now moving out of the West, into the Plains. Snow and rain forecasts for midday Thursday are shown

Severe storms are expected to move into the eastern Gulf Coast and Deep south by Thursday, bringing damaging winds and flash flooding. From Nebraska to Minnesota and Wisconsin, heavy snow and strong winds will continue to batter the area

By Friday, the weather system will bring heavy rain and strong storms to the eastern Gulf and the Southeast, before moving up the I-95 corridor, from Raleigh, North Carolina, into Washington, DC, and north to Boston

By Friday, the weather system will bring heavy rain and strong storms to the eastern Gulf and the Southeast, before moving up the I-95 corridor, from Raleigh, North Carolina, into Washington, DC, and north to Boston.

Western Nebraska and eastern Colorado are expected to receive 8-12 inches of snow, with the weather system anticipated to pivot into northern New England as millions head back to work.

Large hail, strong gusts and isolated tornadoes could tear through that part of the country in the afternoon and evening on Friday.

Some flash flooding will be possible, with the South and the East Coast likely to see between 2-4 inches of rain throughout the duration of the week.

By Friday, the weather system will bring heavy rain and strong storms to the eastern Gulf and the Southeast, before moving up the I-95 corridor, from Raleigh, North Carolina, into Washington, DC, and north to Boston

CNN estimates that up to four million people could be stranded because of the post-Christmas blizzard conditions. The outlook for New Year's Eve is shown

New England may also see some snow, and snowfall totals in the Northern Plains and upper Midwest could surpass a foot.

CNN estimates that up to four million people could be stranded because of the post-Christmas blizzard conditions.

The number of people traveling is up 4.4 percent for 2018  a record increase according to the American Automobile Association.

A whopping 102.1 million people will be driving or riding in a car, approximately 6.7 million were believed to be traveling via an aircraft and the remainder are expected to make their way to where they need to be on buses or boats.

Snow accumulation is shown on the day after Christmas at Big Bear Lake in California

South Jordan (left) and Salt Lake City (right) in Utah were affected already by Wednesday

4 million people traveling after Christmas could be affected by the weather in the center of the country

Large hail, strong gusts and isolated tornados could tear through the SouthA Sydney bus driver has been sprayed in the face at least six times with capsicum spray in an attack described by police as 'despicable' and 'cowardly'.

The State Transit Authority bus had stopped on Oxford Street in Surry Hills about 10.40pm Thursday evening when the man, believed to be English, tried to enter the bus.

However, the driver, 38, stopped him from boarding, explaining the bus was full and he'd have to wait for the next one to arrive.

But police allege the man refused to leave, sitting on the dash of the bus and abusing the driver - before spraying him in the face with a chemical agent believed to be capsicum or pepper spray and running away.

A Sydney bus driver has been sprayed in the face at least six times with what's believed to be capsicum spray in an attack described by police as 'despicable'

Superintendent Police Commander Gavin Woods said the man sprayed the driver in the face at least six times.

'As a result of that spraying, the bus driver was incapacitated, he wasn't able to complete his shift. He wasn't able to complete the route on his bus.'

The 38-year-old began having trouble breathing and was treated at the scene by paramedics.

Authorities are asking for the public's assistance in finding and identifying the man as he fleed the scene almost immediately.

'It is despicable behaviour obviously by a coward,' Supt Wood said.

'The male bus driver was out working hard, working for the community, driving a bus full of commuters and for that, he's attacked.'

A State Transit Authority bus stopped on Oxford Street in Surry Hills, Sydney's inner city, about 10.40pm Thursday evening when a man tried to enter the bus

The spray is being examined but police are saying the symptoms the driver experienced were consistent with those of capsicum spray.

State Transit head of safety Wayne Potter said the 38-year-old man is in shock after the incident but is in good shape and is back at work.

He said there has been an escalation in anti-social behaviour on buses which 'needs to stop'.

'This sort of behaviour is just outrageous,' he told reporters on Friday.

NSW Police Minister Troy Grant said it was 'unacceptable behaviour' and urged the man to hand himself in to police.The body of a 22-year-old carer who vanished from a packed beach, leaving a young boy wandering the shore on his own, has been found.

Nischal Ghimire was missing for almost 24 hours after he took a 10-year-old child he cares for to Glenelg beach in Adelaide.

The disability carer had gone to a home in Edwardstown to collect the boy about 4pm on Thursday, before heading to the beach.

After a 17-hour search his body was found floating in the water near a boat ramp at nearby West Beach.

Mr Ghimire has a pair of brothers who live in Nepal with their parents. The brothers had planned to fly out from Nepal on Friday to help with the search.

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A desperate search was conducted for Nischal Ghimire (pictured) who was missing for almost 24 hours

Mr Ghimire is believed to have gone swimming at Adelaide's Glenelg beach on Thursday night. Pictured, police search the beach for signs of the missing man

After he failed to return with the child, the pair were reported missing to police.

The young boy was later found wandering on his own along The Esplanade, Glenelg North, by a nearby resident about 12.30am on Friday.

Mr Ghimire was the preferred carer for the young boy, who was non-verbal.

He worked for aged-care and disability services provider Assured Home Care, a co-worker remembering him as a 'bloody hard worker'.

North Esplade resident Zac Curnow and his friends were shocked when the missing boy knocked on their door.

'About midnight we had a knock at the door... and we opened the door and this kid was screaming and ran straight into our apartment. He was dripping wet and naked,' he told the Adelaide Advertiser.

'He sat on the couch and we gave him a towel and... rang the police. He looked pretty shaken up.'

South Australia police said in a statement the child's appearance led them to believe the pair had been swimming.

But, due to the child's disability, they have been unable to speak to him.

He was safely returned to his parents.

Emergency services have been searching for Mr Ghimire after he failed to return to an Edwardstown home

Mr Ghimire's white Mitsubishi Colt was found near where the little boy was located.

An extensive search by foot, air and sea was launched to find Mr Ghimire, who was wearing a t-shirt, long pants and glasses when he was last seen.

Relatives and friends of Mr Ghimire gathered at the beach early on Friday to help in the search.

They said that while he loved the beach, he didn't know how to swim.

Mr Ghimire's drowning is the fifth at Glenelg Beach in recent years.

In December 2017, 15-year-old Elias Nimbona drowned while at a birthday party. The Burundian immigrant was found underneath the jetty at the beach.

Only a week earlier, Indian student Nitisha Negi, also 15, drowned after she was swept off the rocks.

In January a year earlier, Burundian boys Frank Ndikuriyo and Thierry Niyomwungere, both only 11, drowned near the breakwater.An evacuated tenant of Sydney's troubled Opal Tower says the incident 'ruined Christmas' and forced him to sleep in his car.

Retired financial worker John only moved into the 'cracking' tower a month ago - and he liked it because you can 'wake up with the sunrise'.

Half of his possessions were still in boxes when he was forced to evacuate the 'white elephant' $165 million, 38-storey building on Christmas Eve with hundreds of others.

Retired financial worker John only moved into the 'cracking' tower a month ago, and he liked it because you can 'wake up with the sunrise'

An evacuated tenant of Sydney's troubled Opal Tower says the incident 'ruined Christmas' and led him to have to sleep in his car and pay for his own hotel accommodation

A shocking photo from inside the building showed a plaster panel collapsed in a heap and a crack down the length of the wall

'It's already ruined Christmas,' he said.

He had been hoping to have his children over, but his apartment was one of 51 that could not be reoccupied after damage was found.

'I spent Christmas Eve in a park and in a shelter.'

He had to sleep in his car and now a hotel room, which he had to paid for.

'They tell you there is a meeting in half an hour and you have to rush from the hotel to here,' he said, shaking his head.

One positive is he has got to know his neighbours and have a meal together.

The retiree never saw any visible damage in the building and as a renter, did not receive any emails or text messages about the crisis.

He has been told he will be reimbursed for his costs and has provided his details to building management.

Meantime, as residents moved their belongings out - including pets, mattresses and stuffed toys - Airbnb guests from Wisconsin arrived with little idea of what was going on.

The retiree never saw any visible damage in the building and as a renter, did not receive any emails or text messages about the crisis

Opal Tower was build on reclaimed land that used to be a swamp. It is less than 300m from another mangrove swamp

Meantime, as residents moved their belongings out - including pets, mattresses and stuffed toys - Airbnb guests from Wisconsin arrived with little idea of what was going on

The retiree never saw any visible damage in the building and as a renter, did not receive any emails or text messages about the crisis

J. J. Grube told Daily Mail Australia he and his family had just flown in to Sydney from San Francisco this morning to stay at Opal Tower.

The Wisconsin clan were meant to stay for five nights through New Year's Eve but their Airbnb host did not tell them the apartment could not be occupied.

'Wow', he said when shown headlines on the city's major news websites. 'With Airbnb it's more the host (that's responsible)'.

A friend who had traveled up from Melbourne was aware a building had been evacuated but did not realise it was the one she was meant to live in.

ICON'S FOOD AND ACCOMMODATION ALLOWANCES FOOD ALLOWANCES HOTEL: Breakfast is included with your room. Lunch and dinner can be charged to your room which will be paid directly by Icon. This is limited to $50 per meal / per person (i.e., $100 per day / per person for lunch and dinner). If you choose to eat at an alternative location, this will be reimbursed. SERVICED APARTMENT: As breakfast is not included, Icon will reimburse you to a value of $120 per day / per person. Please keep your receipts for the reimbursement. ALTERNATIVE ACCOMODATION: As per Serviced Apartments ACCOMMODATION ALLOWANCES Should you choose to seek your own accommodation, reimbursements are based on the number of bedrooms in the apartment you are currently residing. 1 bedroom apartment: $220 / night

2 bedroom apartment: $300 / night

3 bedroom apartment: $400 / night

4 bedroom apartment: $500 / night A reimbursemen form will be uploaded to the Waterpoint App to facilitate this process and no tax invoices are required for the above allowances. Further details will be included on the form. Advertisement

J. J. Grube told Daily Mail Australia he and his family had just flown in to Sydney from San Francisco this morning to stay at Opal Tower

A friend who had traveled up from Melbourne was aware a building had been evacuated but did not realise it was the one she was meant to live in

Design engineering firm WSP Australia confirmed the building is no longer in danger of collapsing.

'The damaged section of the building on Level 10 has now been reinforced as a precautionary measure,' the statement said.

Developer and director of Icon Constructions, Bassam Aflak issued a grovelling apology to residents on Thursday.

'I wanted to first extend our deepest sympathies for the difficulties, upset and inconvenience you and your families have endured in the past 72 hours as this quite incredible situation has unfolded,' the apology said.

'We hope to rebuild that with you in the coming days, and want to reassure you that your wellbeing is our top priority.'

Icon has also stayed on site to answer questions that tenants have, and are providing food and accommodation allowances to anyone inconvenienced.The University of Missouri has claimed that a male asking a female out on a date could be sexual harassment  if she is smaller than him.

Mizzou officials made the claim as doctoral student challenged them in a lawsuit surrounding his suspension in 2016 for the romantic proposal to his student dance instructor Annalise Breaux.

The college claimed that posing the question could violate Title IX, which serves to prohibit sexual discrimination on any federally funded education program, after Jeremy Rowles sued them for racial and sexual discrimination.

Jeremy Rowles asked dance instructor Annalise Breaux on a date in 2016 and was hit with allegations he had violated Title IX

The University of Missouri claimed that a male asking a female out on a date could be sexual harassment  if she is smaller than him

The university's claim was revealed in a motion for summary judgement filed on Sunday, after a judge approved his lawsuit in July agreeing that the black student had done nothing more than make his fellow student - a white woman feel 'uncomfortable'.

Rowles had his suspension time cut in half to two years when he claimed it was 'part of a larger pattern and practice' of racial discrimination. He was also banned from his gym and residence halls permanently.

The university was the setting of 2015 protests over workplace benefits and leadership related to race that led to the resignations of the president of the University of Missouri System and the chancellor of the flagship Columbia campus.

Rowles said that 'applying the same disciplinary standards differently to students of different races was unreasonable.'

Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Cathy Scroggs, who left in 2017, had claimed asking someone on a date more than once was an 'unwanted sexual advance'.

It is claimed Breaux did not firmly say 'no' in reply to date requests. She eventually asked him to 'stop making romantic advances' but also encouraged him to continue taking dance classes.

However he says she began avoiding him soon after and when he said a letter apologizing for being awkward about his 'sincere feelings' the matter was escalated.

She accused him of 'bizarre' behaviour.

Later the university accused him of exerting 'power or authority' to harass Breaux, in reference to his 'physical size'. They also accused him of using similar behavior with three other student employees who haven't spoken out against him.

When asked if authority meant hierarchical, Scroggs replied 'I didn't interpret it that way'.

Current assistant vice chancellor for civil rights and Title IX, Andy Hayes said in her deposition: 'I think there could be a feeling of that [abuse of "power"] just by the nature of your gender.'

Assistant vice chancellor for civil rights and Title IX, Andy Hayes said in her deposition: 'I think there could be a feeling of that [abuse of "power"] just by the nature of your gender'. Former director of investigations and deputy Title IX coordinator Salama Gallimore (right)said it's not necessarily in reference to being 'physically larger'

Former director of investigations and deputy Title IX coordinator Salama Gallimore, who left the college shortly after Scroggs said in the deposition that 'power or authority' is having 'some sort of evaluative or supervisory capacity' over accusers and that it's not necessarily in reference to being 'physically larger'.

However she allegedly told Rowles in a previous Title IX investigation that he 'looked like someone who might commit sexual assault'.

Rowles was accused of having 'insinuated' he would help a female undergraduate student cheat in return for 'sexual favors' but won his case.

Various figures of authority disagreed on what constituted a violation of Title IX and Hayes admitted they couldn't communicate a consistent answer to students.A seven-year-old boy who was killed when the truck his father was driving crashed into another semi-trailer and burst into flames has been described as a 'beautiful boy who loved to be with his Dad'.

Ryan Pringle was declared dead at the scene of the crash on Thursday afternoon on the Gore Highway 65km west of Toowoomba.

His father Ben Pringle was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition after their truck overturned and caught fire at the scene - trapping his son inside.

The boy's grandmother Ingred Impekoven her family will 'never be the same' following Ryan's death.

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A seven-year-old boy (pictured) who was killed when the truck his father was driving crashed into another truck has been described as a 'beautiful boy who loved to be with his Dad'

Ryan Pringle was declared dead at the scene of the crash on Thursday afternoon on the Gore Highway near Toowoomba. His father Ben Pringle (left) was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition.

Ryan's (pictured) grandmother said : 'My grandson is the angel who has gone to heaven. He (her son) didn't think he would be working today, he was supposed to be off until New Year.'

She told ABC News: 'My grandson is the angel who has gone to heaven. He (her son) didn't think he would be working today, he was supposed to be off until New Year.

'He loves his children so much, we don't know how bad he is yet but he will never be the same.'

Police said both vehicles had been travelling south and the crash happened when one of the the trucks attempted to turn off the highway onto Gilgai Lane at Pampas.

The boy's father, 31, was taken to Toowoomba Hospital following the crash at about 5.10pm on Thursday afternoon.

He was airlifted to the hospital from the scene, a Queensland Ambulance Service spokesman said.

The boy's grandmother Ingred Impekoven said her son had not originally planned to work on Thursday and added he will 'never be the same' following Ryan's death (one of the trucks pictured destroyed at side of road after bursting into flames)

In honour of the seven-year-old, truck drivers across Queensland will drive with their lights turned on on Friday.

A spokesman for the father's employer BW Metcalf confirmed the paramedic's report the boy had become trapped in the crashed truck.

The spokesman said he would not comment on the matter further to Daily Mail Australia.

The driver of the other truck, 62, is reported to be in a critical condition at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane.

The Gore Highway near Gilgai Lane was closed to all traffic overnight.

Toowoomba Region mayor Paul Antonio, whose electorate includes Pampas, said there were some difficulties with the road surface's construction - although he would not speculate on the cause of the crash.

He told Daily Mail Australia: 'I drive past that junction every day to get to my property - the road is built on a plain very close to the Condamine River so it's wet and dry in places and can be hard for road users.'

Queensland Trucking Association chief executive Gary Mahon said the organisation did not know the full circumstances of the crash yet.

'It's devastating what has happened. The little boy has been out for the day with his dad and tragically died,' he said.

He said the road was a particularly popular stretch of the state's highways for truckers.

'Clearly there's a lot of people who have felt strongly about this,' he said of the accident.

The boy's father, 31, was taken to Toowoomba Hospital following the crash at about 5.10pm on Thursday afternoon (pictured paramedics treat one of the two men on a stretcher at the scene)

One of the trucks had burst into flames and been destroyed, with footage taken at the scene showing its wreckage smoldering by the side of the road.

The road reopened on Friday morning at about 7am.

The Forensic Crash Unit is investigating and officers spoke to witnesses at the scene.

Police are appealing to any members of the public who witnessed the incident or who have relevant dash-cam footage to contact police.The father of an eight-year-old Guatemalan boy who died in US custody took out a $7,000 loan to fund the pair's journey across the border.

Felipe Gomez Alonzo died while in the custody of United States ICE immigration officials in New Mexico.

He crossed the border along with his father, Agustin Gomez, and they were detained 3.29 miles from the port of entry in El Paso, Texas, on December 18.

The boy's sister, Catarina Gomez, said her 47-year-old dad needs to be able to join his brother in Virginia to work and pay off his $7,000 debt.

She told CNN: 'He was going to work to repay the loan and give his son a better future.'

New Mexico authorities said last night that an autopsy performed on the boy shows he had the flu at the time of his death.

The youngster passed away at Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center in Alamogordo, New Mexico, on Christmas Eve after falling ill.

Felipe Gomez Alonzo is the second migrant child to die in the custody of immigration officials this month. He and his father illegally crossed into El Paso, Texas, on December 18

It was just six days after he and his father crossed into the United States without legal documentation.

Authorities say Felipe Gomez Alonzo died at a New Mexico hospital after suffering coughing, vomiting and a fever.

The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator says in a statement last night that more tests need to be done before a cause of death can be determined.

Felipe was transported to a local hospital after showing possible signs of influenza on Monday and developed a 103 degree fever.

He was released at 2:50pm and was removed from the detention facility at 10pm to be taken back to the hospital after he appeared weak and nauseous.

The boy got to the medical center at 11pm and was declared dead 48 minutes later.

Another Guatemalan child, seven-year-old Jakelin Caal, died in US custody on December 8. Both deaths are under investigation.

Authorities say Felipe Gomez Alonzo (left and right) died at a New Mexico hospital after suffering coughing, vomiting and a fever

Agustin Gomez took his son to the border after hearing rumors that parents and their children would be allowed to migrate to United States, according to the boy's stepsister, who spoke on Wednesday, two days after his death.

Catarina Gomez Lucas, the boy's 21-year-old stepsister, would not say who spread the rumors or who transported the father and son to the border.

They came from a poor community of people who fled Guatemala during that country's civil war.

Felipe's mother, Catarina Alonzo, 31, said her husband left Guatemala to try to reach the United States, hoping to take their son to make it easier for the pair to get in to the country.

She said: 'Lots of them have gone with children and managed to cross, even if they're held for a month or two. But they always manage to get across easily.

'We heard rumors that they could pass [into the United States]. They said they could pass with the children.

'He wasnt sick on the way, he wasnt sick here. I'm sad and in despair over the death of my son.'

Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center in Alamogordo, New Mexico, where eight-year-old Felipe died on Christmas Eve

Marta Larra, a spokeswoman for Guatemala's Foreign Ministry, said smugglers known as 'coyotes' often encourage migrants to take children as a form of 'visa'.

She added: 'According to interviews [with migrants], the coyotes are saying 'it's now or never' because the wall is going to be built, and it won't be possible to cross.'

The father and son had been traveling from their home in Nenton, a village about 280 miles from Guatemala City and were planning to go to Johnson City, Tennessee.

Felipe's father is currently being detained at the Alamogordo Station pending transfer to the ICE (Enforcement and Removal Operations).

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has yet to give an official cause of death for the boy, prompting Democratic lawmakers to intensify calls for an investigation.

The Department of Homeland Security, which said the boys were the first children to die in CBP custody in a decade, would step up medical checks of migrant children to try to prevent any more deaths.Internet trolls have targeted a jockey and father-of-three who could be left quadriplegic after a freak accident.

Sydney-born jockey Tye Angland was speared head first into the grass after the starting gun fired at Hong Kong's Sha Tin racecourse on November 25.

He lay motionless only metres from the gates but remained conscious throughout, later diagnosed with a spinal fracture, dislocated spine and a spinal cord injury.

But those opposing horse racing have taken aim at the 30-year-old father online, likening his injury to those suffered by stallions in the past.

Sydney-born jockey Tye Angland (left, with wife Erin) was speared head first into the grass

Internet trolls have targeted the injured jockey and father-of-three who could be left quadriplegic after the freak accident

'I suppose the only logical thing to do now is kill the horse for the jockey falling off,' one racing antagonist wrote.

'That jockey was put down on the track,' wrote another, alluding to horses who are euthanased on the track after breaking their leg.

Another shared the sentiment, asking: 'Dose (sic) this mean he was put down?'

But that comment was met with vitriol for supporters of the jockey, who told the troll to 'have some respect'.

'Please don't comment like that, it's very serious.

'It's not a (sic) accident he will recover from quickly at all.'

'But your (sic) more then willing to do it to a horse?' one commenter asks an Angland supporter

Angland (left) was left with a fractured and dislocated spine after the horrific accident

Irish horse Cliffsofmoher was euthanased behind tarp at the 2018 Melbourne Cup (pictured)

Irish horse The Cliffsofmoher was euthanised after injuring his right shoulder during the first 600 metres of the 2018 Melbourne Cup.

The death of the five-year-old Irish racehorse, ridden by jockey Ryan Moore, tarnished the 157th Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday of November.

The horse was agitated before the start, with one commentator describing him as 'melting like an ice cream'.

Angland was injured when his horse, Go Beauty Go, stumbled out of the gate.

Paramedics took all precautions in moving him after the accident, spending 10 minutes fitting him for a neck brace before whisking him to hospital.

After a host of tests and scans, he underwent a lengthy surgery the following day and recovered in Hong Kong's Prince of Wales Hospital, where he remained in intensive care for two weeks.

A father-of-three, Angland has now returned to Australia to continue his treatment

Those opposing horse racing took aim at the jockey, likening his injury to those suffered by stallions in the past

His wife, Erin, confirmed he had returned to Australia in the days before Christmas through the Australian Jockeys Association's social media.

'Since returning to Australia, Tye has undergone a second surgery for his injuries. Tye currently remains in Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney,' the post read.

'As a result of the fall, Tye had a fracture and dislocation of the spine as well as a spinal cord injury. The spine has been stabilised and realigned.

'Tye's doctors advise the long-term prognosis for injuries of this nature are always hard to diagnose in the early stages. However, there remains a likelihood of Tye's outcome being quadriplegic.

'His wife Erin, and the couple's three children Alexis, Addison and Rylan have been overwhelmed by the support they have received and wish to say thank you to everyone who has reached out to them.

'The family has requested their privacy as they deal with this very difficult situation.'Bill Clinton was blasted by British officials for letting Gerry Adams visit the US in 1994.

The Sinn Fein president was controversially granted a headline-grabbing visit to New York to speak at a conference on Northern Ireland between January 31 and February 2 in 1994.

A blistering note from then prime minister John Major's private secretary Roderic Lyne sent to US national security adviser Tony Lake is part of around 500 Cabinet Office files released by the National Archives in Kew, west London.

Bill Clinton was blasted by British officials for letting Gerry Adams visit the US in 1994 (the pair are pictured together during Mr Clinton's visit to Dublin in 2000)

It reads: 'The movement in which Gerry Adams has long been a leading figure has murdered not only thousands of its own countrymen, but also one member of our Royal Family, one Cabinet Minister's wife, two close advisers to Margaret Thatcher and Members of Parliament, two British ambassadors - and small children in our shopping centres.'

Mr Clinton, who had been president around a year, took 'full responsibility' for the decision which was described as a 'difficult matter of judgment' in another file.

Mr Major wrote to Mr Clinton expressing dismay before the visit, according to a draft letter, he said: 'Tony Lake will, I am sure, have told you how strongly we disagree with the decision to admit Gerry Adams to the United States.

'He has been closely associated with terrorism for two decades. In the Joint Declaration, he was offered a route into the democratic process, and into negotiations with us and with the Irish Government. He and his movement have not taken it.

Gerry Adams is pictured addressing the Special Conference on Northern Ireland in New York in 1994 (left), and is also shown meeting Mr Clinton in Belfast in 2000 (right)

'As you will know the evidence is that the IRA intend to continue their strategy of terrorism, and do not have courage to make peace and compete in the democratic arena.'

Mr Clinton was under pressure from influential Irish-American politicians in the US, most notably senator Edward 'Ted' Kennedy, who was named in multiple files as instrumental in pushing for Mr Adams's admission.

In a letter to the president in January, senators Kennedy, John F Kerry - later Barack Obama's secretary of state - Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Christopher J Dodd, make the case for the visit.

The letter said: 'While no one can be certain that a visa for Mr Adams will result in the IRA's accepting the condition established by Ireland and Great Britain for participation in the peace process, the United States cannot afford to ignore this possibility and miss this rare opportunity for our country to contribute to peace in Northern Ireland.'

A police escort for Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams as he arrives at New York JFK airport in 1994 ahead of a 10-day visit

The note from Mr Lyne to Mr Lake added: 'It is sad, paradoxical, and misguided of the Kennedys, having lost two brothers to acts of terror, to be pressing you to admit a terrorist leader without an end to terrorism or even a commitment to end terrorism'.

A cable dated February 10 from Peter Westmacott, then a British diplomat in Washington, adds details garnered from Jane Holl, then of the US National Security Council, who had been present during a subsequent phonecall between Mr Major and Mr Clinton.

It reads: 'Dr Holl said that the discussion on Northern Ireland was very brief. The President had raised the subject. He had taken full responsibility for the decision to give Adams a visa.

Mr Major (shown in 1992) wrote to Mr Clinton expressing dismay before the visit, according to a draft letter

'It had been a difficult matter of judgment on which the two governments had evidently differed'.

Also attached to the bundle was a missive from Canberra suggesting that a potential visit by Mr Adams to Australia may go ahead in light of the US decision.

Mr Lyne has scrawled on the typed document: 'I hope the Aussies realise this would be the end of Anglo/Australian relations!'

Mr Adams was denied entry to Australia in 1996 but later visited in 1999 following the Good Friday Agreement a year earlier.

The row over Gerry Adams came after Sir John apologised to Mr Clinton in 1992, following Home Office inquiries into whether he applied for UK citizenship while at Oxford University to dodge the draft in Vietnam.

The then Prime Minister said sorry for any 'mischief' caused after a press report cast the matter as the British government searching for 'potentially damaging information' about Mr Clinton during the US presidential campaign.

On December 6, 1992, Mr Major wrote the following to president-elect Clinton: 'I am disturbed by the reports which have appeared about enquiries by our Home Office relating back to your time at Oxford.

'What happened, as I hope Robin Renwick will have explained to your people, is that during the campaign our Home Office were asked a number of questions by journalists about whether you had applied for British citizenship while in this country.

'In accordance with their normal practice, they refused to make any on-the-record comment but, having checked the facts, they sought to guide the press on a background basis that there was absolutely nothing in the story.

During his stay in New York, Mr Adams attending several meetings and fundraisers, including this Friends of Sinn Fein public event

'I am only sorry that it has been played up now in a mischievous way. I hope the mischief will be short-lived.'

The same day a story had appeared in the Washington Post headlined: 'Critics blast Major on file search.'

It read: 'Opposition leaders today sharply criticised the government's search of Home Office files during the US presidential campaign for potentially damaging information about Democratic candidate Bill Clinton, saying the episode might cast a chill over relations between the president-elect and Prime Minister John Major.'

A Government document from the released files explains the background to the issue, showing queries were first raised by a lobby reporter from a British newspaper.

It states: 'The story was regarded as rather silly but it could have led to unfair speculation if left unanswered.

'A simple "no comment" or "we do not discuss individual cases" would have fuelled the unfair speculation.

'For this reason, it was decided by press office and agreed with the FCO to brief The Standard that the story was not worth following up. The story was not covered by the UK press.'

It adds that the same guidance was later issued to the Washington Post.

The Home Office search found 'No record of an application ... in Mr Clinton's name'.Royal Mail has been accused of insulting veterans after releasing a stamp marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day  with an image of US troops in the Pacific.

The company announced it would bring out a set of 11 commemorative stamps next June to mark 75 years since the Allies invaded Nazi-occupied Europe.

However one stamp released by the postal service yesterday morning - labelled 'D-Day Allied soldiers and medics wade ashore' - featured the wrong type of boat.

The image on the incorrect Royal Mail stamp is archived on the US National WWII museum website and featured in a 1944 issue of the American naval magazine All Hands

Historians pointed out it was actually a photo of GIs landing in what is now Indonesia on May 17, 1944  almost a month before D-Day.

The image on the incorrect stamp is archived on the US National WWII museum website and featured in a 1944 issue of the American naval magazine All Hands.

Military historian Andy Saunders wrote on Twitter: 'What a shambles... Wrong theatre, wrong date, wrong vessel, wrong troops. This gross insult to veterans and those who didn't make it should be withdrawn.'

Mark Simmer, a military history author, responded to Mr Saunders saying: 'Shocking! Can't understand why they don't temporarily hire an historian for these projects. Plenty around who would gladly assist, I'm sure.'

Paul Woodadge, a Second World War Normandy-based filmmaker, added: 'Oh dear oh dear. What's odd about this is that New Guinea landings photos are probably a lot harder to find online than actual Normandy landings photos.

'It's like they have tried to f*** up lol. Hopefully Royal Mail will correct this.'

A spokesman for Royal Mail told the Times: 'We would like to offer our sincere apologies that our preview release for our 2019 Special Stamp programme included a stamp design that had been incorrectly associated with the D-Day landings.

'We can confirm that this image will not be part of the final set which will be issued in June 2019.'

The Royal Mail declined to tell MailOnline whether any historians were consulted on the stamp before it was revealed.

According to The Spirit of Normandy Trust this is not the first time an incorrect image has been used in relation to the D-Day landings.

Ian Stewart, vice chairman of the trust, said: 'The problem with most of these things is that research has got to be thorough and done well ahead of time.

'It's very unfortunate, but research is absolutely critical and it's not the first time it's been done about D-Day. People think that it doesn't matter who's in the photograph.'

The 'Best of British' collection will feature 11 stamps to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

Royal Mail will also release stamps to mark the bicentenaries of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

A range of birds of prey have been photographed for Royal Mail, including the red kite (pictured), golden eagle and kestrel, and will be featured on stamps being issued in April

A celebration of the UK's birds of prey was also among the new stamps issued by the Royal Mail for 2019.

It will also release stamps to mark the bicentenaries of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and a set to celebrate British engineering.

A range of birds of prey have been photographed for Royal Mail, including the red kite, golden eagle and kestrel, and will be featured on stamps being issued in April.

Forests and Royal Navy ships will mark special stamps being issued later in the year.Former prime minister John Major (pictured in London in February) described the state of affairs as 'wholly unacceptable'

John Major supported the banning of the only film ever to be censored in the UK under blasphemy laws, newly-released government files show.

The then prime minister felt 'sufficiently strongly' about the case of Visions of Ecstasy, a controversial erotic art-house movie about Christ, he inquired about the possibility of Britain being exempted under the European Convention on Human Rights if that proved necessary.

The 18-minute video depicted Carmelite nun St Teresa's sexual fantasies about Jesus on the cross. It was judged unfit for distribution by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) because of its treatment of a 'sacred' subject.

When director Nigel Wingrove applied to take the case before the European Court of Human Rights, arguing it breached his freedom of expression, Mr Major described the state of affairs as 'wholly unacceptable'.

Visions of Ecstasy was a controversial erotic art-house movie from 1989 about Jesus Christ

The video depicted Carmelite nun St Teresa's sexual fantasies about Jesus on the cross

In a document dated August 1994 sent to senior government figures including the Foreign Secretary and Lord Chancellor, Mr Major writes: 'I must make it clear that I would not tolerate a position which required the Government or the BBFC to grant a certificate to this film or to others of a similar type.

'This is a matter on which I feel sufficiently strongly to be prepared to consider a derogation from the European Convention on Human Rights if that were to be necessary in the final analysis.

How Mr Major praised Mary Whitehouse for morality campaigns Also in the papers released was an admiring letter from John Major to the moralist and clean-up campaigner Mary Whitehouse (pictured) as she retired as president of the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association. It read: 'Your campaign has played a crucial part in highlighting the widespread concern that we should not lower our standards of what is acceptable viewing on film, television and video; and you have been instrumental in warning of the perils if these standards fall. 'You yourself are one of the best examples of how it is possible in a free country like Britain for a private citizen with energy, initiative and commitment to carve out a distinctive and valued niche in our national life.' Whitehouse, who crusaded against violence and explicit sex on TV from the 1960s to the 80s, died in 2001. Advertisement

'I must say I find the position in which we find ourselves wholly unacceptable.'

In a reply, then Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd warned about doing anything 'likely to weaken the fabric of the convention', adding that 'we cannot, in practice, derogate from it except in cases of war or threats to the life of the nation'.

It states: 'We certainly do not want to find ourselves in a situation in which Government intervention on moral issues in Britain is dictated by international organisations.

'At the same time, the European Convention on Human Rights is one of the core agreements enshrining western standards of behaviour.

'It is particularly important as the countries of eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union undertake the task of adapting to our standards.'

However, in a surprise ruling, Britain's blasphemy laws were backed by the European Court of Human Rights when it threw out the claim two years later.

The 1989 film, the only video ever be banned on grounds of blasphemy in the UK, was finally given an 18-rated certificate in 2012 after the common law offence of blasphemous libel was abolished in England and Wales in 2008.

The documents are part of the annual release of Cabinet Office files at the National Archives in Kew, West London.Advertisement

The family of the sisters-in-law and young child who were killed on a bridge in Iceland have spoken of their 'horrifying shock' at the car tragedy.

Rajshree Laturia, her daughter Shreeprabha - who was not strapped in a car seat - and her sister-in-law Khushboo died when the 4x4 Land Cruiser plunged from a road crossing in the south of the country on Thursday morning.

The sisters-in-law, Rajshree and Khushboo, were married to two brothers Shreeraj, who was driving, and Supreme. All four adults, British citizens of Indian origin in their 30s, have worked in the City of London.

The Laturias, named in the UK Asian Power Couples Hot 100 list in 2015 for their expertise in finance and charity work, were on a four-day Christmas holiday together.

A family statement tonight said: 'The fatal car crash near Skaftafell in Iceland on the morning of December 27, 2018 has come as a horrifying shock for the entire family and friends.

'The Indian, British and Icelandic authorities have been extremely cooperative and extended appropriate support. 'Our family is deeply saddened so we request you to kindly respect our privacy and give us the space to grieve in peace at this difficult time.

'Special thanks to the local authorities for airlifting and ensuring timely medical facilities were provided. Thank you for your prayers and understanding on this matter.'

Scroll down for video

Khushboo Laturia, pictured right during her wedding to Supreme Laturia, left, was killed in the crash in Iceland yesterday

Rajshree Laturia, pictured left with her husband Shreeraj (pictured right holding their child Shreeprabha), was killed in the Iceland bridge crash along with her sister-in-law and her daughter during a family holiday

Pictures have emerged of British woman Rajshree Laturia who was killed in the Icelandic bridge crash. She is shown with her financial trader husband Shreeraj Laturia, who was injured in the crash

Three British tourists including a child were killed after the SUV they were in plunged off a bridge in Iceland yesterday. All of the injured have been transported from the scene in a Coast Guard helicopter (pictured) and taken to a hospital in the capital Reykjavik

Emergency services personnel are pictured at the scene near the crumpled remains of the Toyota Land Cruiser, which was carrying seven people

Witnesses described horrifying scenes at the crash site, where a silver-coloured SUV lay crumpled on its roof beneath the bridge

Tour guide Adolf Erlingsson was among the first on the scene, and said it appeared the car (pictured) had hit the ground several yards from where it stopped

Pictured is the exterior of the east London home of one of the families caught up in the Icelandic bridge tragedy

The 11-month-old baby, whose father Shreeraj was driving and was injured in the crash, was not in a car seat at the time, Southern Iceland's police chief Sveinn Kristjan Runarsson said today.

Runarsson told local media it was not clear why the infant was not in a child seat and that it was difficult to say how much difference using one might have made in this case - but he pointed out that they are known to give children good protection.

Last night there were claims that the seven-seat SUV was being driven 'wildly' before it crashed through barriers and fell more than 26ft in freezing temperatures nearly two hours before sunrise. There were also claims that some of those in the car were not wearing seat belts.

Spanish au pair Monica Fontam, 20, who was working for both couples in London, told MailOnline this morning: 'I'm still in a terrible state of shock, we all are.

'I've only been with the family for the last couple of months, and they've welcomed me and treated me as one of their own. They all live here and they're all very close.

'They were all here last night discussing what to do. A family friend is organising everything for them and staying here to see them through this.'

Shreeraj and wife Rajshree have a nine-year-old daughter who was injured and a baby daughter who was killed in the crash, according to the Indian embassy in Iceland. The embassy said Kushboo and Supreme Laturia have a son aged seven or eight.

Lopa Patel, who was awarded an MBE in 2009 for services to the Asian community in Britain and knew the family, said: 'This is a terrible tragedy for a lovely family. They are very community minded and support several charities. I am very saddened by this.

Ms Patel, who is behind the UK Asian Power Couples Hot 100 list, included Shreeraj and Rajshree in the compilation in 2015 for their expertise in finance and charity work.

The list reveals Shreeraj has a successful track record in trading and financing and is a trader and portfolio manager working at RBC Capital Markets. He is a graduate of the Science and Technology University of Indian and is a qualified chartered accountant.

In a LinkedIn profile, Shreeraj Laturia is described as Director, Trader at RBC Capital Markets, a financial services firm in London.

Between 2008 and 2011, he was an Elected Member of The Schools Forum - a statutory government body managing distribution of funds in excess of 200 million per year from the Learning Trust to more than 50 primary and secondary schools in Hackney. He has also served as a School Governor for the De Beauvoir Primary School in Hackney.

Rajshree Laturia qualified in accountancy and worked at Barclays Capital from 2006 - 2009 as Assistant Vice President for its funds linked equity derivatives. She then joined Morgan Stanley as its Vice President in the Valuation Review Group.

In Facebook pictures, Rajshree posted doting family pictures which appear to show they travelled widely to destinations including France, Hungary and India.

Financial trader Shreeraj Laturia (left), believed to be from London, was injured in the crash which left his wife, Rajshree, and daughter Shreeprabha (right with her father) dead

A Coast Guard helicopter transferred the patients to the National Hospital & Emergency Room Fossvogur (pictured) in Reykjavik

A further four Britons - two of them children - were critically injured in the accident, which took place at Skeidararsandur, a vast sand plain in southern Iceland, at around 9.30am (file picture shows the bridge where it is understood the crash happened)

Casualties from yesterday's crash arrive in an emergency helicopter at a hospital in Iceland's capital, Reykjavik

Her husband ran the London marathon this year, raising almost 5,000 for the for Friends Of The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.

Afterwards, he thanked his supporters, saying their 'love gave me the energy when none was left.'

'Thank you all my friends for lending me a patient ear as I bored you with my ramblings about training plans, nutrition and injuries. A special thanks to my lovely family for sticking with me through many months of training; I ran out (pun intended) at every hint of the household chores.

He added: 'Onwards and upwards with the adventure that is life!'

His sister-in-law Khushboo Laturia had previously posted a Facebook picture of the O2 arena from across the Thames, along with the caption: 'The view in front of our home.'

Bridge 'did not comply to latest standards' The bridge at the centre of the tragedy did not comply to latest standards, a transport official has claimed. Railings were similarly not up to modern standards, the design director of the Iceland Road Administration said. According to Icelandic media, it has seen 14 accidents since 2000, two of them serious. Gumundur Valur Gumundsson said he wants to get rid of the country's single-lane bridges, such as the one involved in yesterday's crash, altogether. There are said to be 715 single-lane bridges in Iceland. Gumundsson said steel barriers on the bridge did not meet safety standards and the steel mesh over the wooden surface can often be slippery when wet, Reykjavik grapevine reports. He added: 'Single-lane bridges can invite accidents, and as such it is the goal of our transportation plans to get rid of them altogether.' The bridge was built in 1973 and is 420 yards long, making it the second-longest in the country. Advertisement

A family friend told The Sun that the seven relatives had been 'so excited' ahead of their trip to Iceland.

'They were all so sharp, even the kids. So intelligent. A popular and much loved family by so many people, I still can't believe they are gone and that this has happened,' the friend said.

The children injured in the crash have been described as 'child geniuses' by the mother of one of their classmates.

Shreya Zaveri told MailOnline the injured boy is a 'brilliant child', adding: 'I don't know how he's going to handle the loss of his mother.

'He's a child genius, as is his cousin.

'They're such a lovely family. It's so sad. 'I haven't been able to tell my daughter... about what's even happened yet.'

Kiran Bhanaut, a friend of Rajshree and Shreeraj Laturia, told Mail Online: 'They were the nicest people you could wish to meet, always smiling and great parents.

'My husband Vijay was head master of a school in East London and Shreeraj became a governor just because he wanted to help the children and said he wanted to give something back to the community.'

Mrs Bhanaut added: 'He raised money for Great Ormond Street Hospital and ran the London Marathon and kicked off the fund raising by making a big donation himself.'

This afternoon, local police confirmed in a statement that two British women and a baby had died after the 4x4 they were in crashed off a bridge.

'The individuals involved in a traffic accident at Nupsvotn yesterday are all British citizens,' the statement said.

'The individuals were two brothers travelling around Iceland with their families. The deceased were two women born in 1979 and 1980 and an infant born in 2018.'

The statement from police in Iceland added: 'The cause of the accident is unknown and under investigation by the police and the investigative committee for transport accidents. It is clear that the car was driven past the cameras at Hvolsvollur early that same morning.

'The car was driven to the east, along the Sudurlandsvegur road, and seems to have turned on the bridge with the result that it went on top of the railing of the bridge, to the right, following it for a short distance and then turned over off the rail and the bridge.

'There, the car fell down on the ground beneath the bridge.'

Earlier, it was reported that the SUV is said to have overtaken cars at above the 50mph speed limit as it drove towards the single-track bridge.

Tour guide Adolf Ingi Erlingsson was among the first on the scene in a barren, rocky area of the country known as the 'black desert'. He told The Sun: 'People say they had been overtaken by the Toyota being driven wildly at very high speed.'

A further four people were critically injured in the accident, in Nupsvotn, south of Vatnajokull glacier at around 9.30am

Skeidararsandur sand plain: A huge, barren wasteland surrounded by glaciers and volcanoes Yesterday's crash, which killed four people, happened in freezing conditions nearly two hours before sunrise. It took place on a bridge over Skeidararsandur, a vast sand plain of 808 square-miles. The area was formed by deposits carried in melt water from the nearby Vatnajokull glacier. Virtually nothing grows on Skeidararsandur, which has a rocky terrain by the glacier itself before becoming sandy and muddy towards the sea. It was a major barrier to Iceland's Route 1, leading to the bridge where yesterday's incident took place being built in 1973. The structure was badly damaged in 1996 after flood water and debris cascaded through its base in 1996 following an eruption of the nearby Grimsvotn volcano. Advertisement

Mr Erlingsson said four people were outside the car, one of whom was dead. Another three were trapped inside, only one of whom was alive.

'It was horrible,' he said. 'The car seemed to have hit the ground many meters from where it stopped. We struggled getting everyone out.'

Mr Erlingsson told local newspaper Frettabladid: 'I was driving when just before I got to the bridge I saw a flashing light and then a police car arrived.

'I went to check to see if I could help, and with the two policemen went into the car to try and pull people out. It was naturally horrific - there was a man with two little children lying on either side of him, who were still conscious.

'The man thought he was dying and could not move. One of the officers was trying to calm him down, give him a drink, and get him to stay awake.'

Mr Erlingsson said the driver was stuck under the dashboard. 'He was talking so I told him to save his energy and be quiet,' he said.

According to the Times, Mr Erlingsson said it appeared that some of the group had not been wearing seatbelts.

He said: 'One of the deceased was a young child, around three years old. At first I thought another child had died, but it was actually a small woman.'

Police say it remains unclear what caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle. Pictured: One of the casualties arrives at hospital in Reykjavik

One of the casualties is wheeled over the tarmac and into the hospital as Coast Guard officers brief medics on the situation

A police vehicle at a roadblock on Route 1 in Iceland, near the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon, near where yesterday's incident took place

Police said the road was not thought to be icy but humidity could have made the surface slippery for the SUV, which was driving eastbound.

The vehicle slammed through a railing on the 46-year-old, one-lane crossing, before landing on a rocky river bank.

Indian ambassador Armstrong Changsan visited the survivors in hospital and said: 'The situation is very bad. Three people have died and one of them is an infant.

'There were seven people. Two couples in their thirties and three children. The other two children are aged 8 and nine and are a girl and boy. The girl is in surgery.'

He said it was too early to establish the cause of the tragedy, and police had given him no indication of what had happened to cause the vehicle to go off the road.

City of London high-flyers who were on a dream family getaway The two families had travelled to Iceland for a four-day Christmas getaway from their homes in London. Couples Shreeraj and Rajshree Laturia and Supreme and Khushboo Laturia were all said to have worked in the City. Shreeraj is a Director, Trader at RBC Capital Markets, a financial services firm in London while his wife was qualified in accountancy and worked at Barclays Capital from 2006 - 2009 as Assistant Vice President for its funds linked equity derivatives. She then joined Morgan Stanley as its Vice President in the Valuation Review Group. Together, the pair were named on the UK Asian Power Couples Hot 100 list in 2015 for their expertise in finance and charity work. Shreeraj was also a keen runner and fundraiser, taking part in the London Marathon in April and raising 5,000 for the for Friends Of The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel. Khushboo Laturia her husband Supreme are understood to live in the Canary Wharf area with Supreme believed to work for a bank. Advertisement

He added: 'I believe the family had come to Iceland to see the glaciers. There is a popular tourist site there.'

Changsan, who went to visit some of the survivors in hospital, told the Times of India: 'They are British citizens of Indian origin with families in India. Their brother is in India. He needs an urgent visa to come here. Iceland officials are trying to help out on this.

'Friends of the accident victims have rushed from the UK to Reykjavik. The condition of the survivors is now stable. The British Embassy here is taking care of matters.'

The Times of India said the brother referred to by Changsan was called Sarvesh Laturia.

He told the newspaper: 'It was my two brothers and their wives - they are British people. They were on vacation in Iceland and their car met with an accident in which my two sister-in-laws passed away, and my niece passed away. My two brothers are in a critical condition in hospital.'

Yesterday, Chief Superintendent Sveinn Kristjan Runarsso said the four injured have been taken to hospital with serious injuries, but added that 'we haven't been able to talk to them about what happened'.

All of the injured have been transported from the scene in a Coast Guard helicopter and taken to a hospital in the capital Reykjavik.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said last night: 'We are supporting the family of several British nationals who were involved in a road traffic accident in Iceland and we are in close contact with the Icelandic authorities.'

The bridge was built in 1973 and is 420 yards long, making it the second-longest in the country.

Mr Erlingsson said the crash occurred in an area that was 'the most popular destination on the south coast'.

The crash happened just south of Skaftafell National Park, part of the Vatnajokull National Park, which was nominated for inclusion in Unesco's World Heritage List in 2018.

The Vatnajokull glacier is the largest in Europe, covering 8% of Iceland's landmass including the island's tallest peak Hvannadalshnjukur at 2,200 metres tall (7,218ft).

Tourists flock to the area to enjoy hiking, camping and sightseeing flights.

South of the national park is the Skeidararsandur, a vast sand plain formed from alluvial deposits, with little vegetation, with the Nupsvotn glacial lakes on its western boundary.

The British Foreign Office website urges tourists to monitor the country's road safety and weather websites due to often difficult conditions.

Officials say 18 people have died on Iceland's roads this year, half of them foreigners.A British bride who flew to Las Vegas to get married to her new groom despite having never met him had revealed how he won over her 'conservative' parents in a 30-minute phone call.

Sarah Edwards, nee Elliott, 34, matched with Paul Edwards, 36, on dating app Bumble on December 15 and within days decided to get hitched.

The pair spoke for the first time on December 22 and a day later had already decided to marry - despite never meeting face-to-face.

Meeting for the first time at Gatwick Airport on Christmas Eve, the duo boarded a plane in full wedding gear and jetted off to Las Vegas to get married later that day.

Sarah told Good Morning Britain how her 'traditional' parents were nervous about the idea, but were eventually won round by Paul during a phone call.

Meeting for the first time at Gatwick Airport on Christmas Eve, the duo boarded a plane in full wedding gear and jetted off to Las Vegas to get married

'My parents are very traditional and conservative,' she said. 'I told them what's going to happen and they were concerned.

'The next day they said they wanted to talk to him and they spoke to him over the phone and it says a lot about him that after half an hour he had won them over.

'The same with your children and family, who I haven't met yet, but I can't wait to meet them.'

The couple were asked if they loved each other, to which they replied that they would 'grow to do so', Sarah adding that she already 'loved him utterly as a person'.

Sarah added: 'We are learning to be in love. Rather than that silly head-over-heels thing, that is all about lust, this is more about actual love for who someone is.'

It's all about who someone is on the inside. You can marry the gorgeous man of your dreams, and next week he could get disfigured.'

Mrs Edwards, a nanny originally from New Zealand but who lives in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, said: 'We've done all the normal things in previous relationships which haven't worked out.

'We thought why not start a relationship from a place of true commitment and loyalty and openness?'

Sarah told Good Morning Britain how her 'traditional' parents were nervous about the idea, but were eventually won round by Paul during a phone call

The couple after their wedding, posing in front of a fountain at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas

The couple pictured meeting in public for the first time at Gatwick Airport (left) and with their luggage as they prepare to board a flight to Las Veas

Paul, who hails from Chichester in West Sussex and has two teenage daughters from a previous relationship, added: 'Mystery is the best part.

'If you look at any relationship you get in to, the first few years are the most exciting time you've got. So why not start on that and build on it?

'We are always holding hands and hugging and kissing, it's like I've known her all my life, it's the missing link.

'Our first kiss was our wedding kiss. There's not many couples who can say that they never kissed before they made that commitment to each other.

'The whole idea of Married at First Sight came up as we texted; I hadn't seen it before but we connected on so many levels that the whole meeting and physical attraction didn't matter that much.

'We'd both been on dating apps and were bored of them and things were fake, once we started talking, that seemed a lot more important than that physical attraction.'

Mrs Edwards and her new husband, who works in broadcasting, met online on dating app Bumble and instantly hit it off.

Mr Edwards was due to marry in March last year, but his fiancee left him four weeks before the wedding.

Sarah Elliott, 34, and Paul Edwards, 36, at their marriage in Las Vegas in the US. They first matched online on December 15

Mr Edwards places the engagement ring on his soon to be wife's finger. He told how he was due to marry in March last year, but his fiancee left him four weeks before the wedding

He said it had taken him 'quite a while to get back to who I am' after he was said to have been jilted by Teri Shurety, 29, a month before their planned wedding in March - allegedly leaving him 20,000 out of pocket.

Miss Shurety, who runs a pet services firm in Farnham, Surrey, had posted on Facebook on March 10 last year: 'A year to the day I get to marry my best friend!'

Talking about his previous bad experience, Mr Edwards claimed: 'My fiance left me four weeks before the wedding so that was 20,000 down the drain and I didn't get a penny of it back. It's taken me quite a while to get back to who I am.'

Meanwhile, Mrs Edwards broke up with her ex in February - however they are still living together, but are in the process of selling the house they own.

Paul Edwards, pictured with his ex-fiance Teri Shurety, who he was due to marry in March

She said: 'I saw his profile, thought he looked nice and loved what he had written about being open and honest.

'When we matched, I sent him a message.

'I thought it was funny that his name was Paul as I currently share a house with two other people called Paul - so I said: 'I've already got two Paul's in my life, why not add a third?'

'He replied to my message saying: 'Apparently the third Paul is always the best and I don't have a Sarah in my life so I guess that would make you number one.'

'We spoke on the phone on Saturday night for two-and-a-half hours and then again on Sunday morning for an hour-and-a-half.

'Sunday evening we were chatting away on the phone and calling each other for three hours.

'I can't remember who brought it up, but one of us said: "We get on so well - maybe we should get married".

'The other one went: "Yeah, maybe we should" and it literally spiralled from there.

'There was a moment between us where we both thought: "We totally could do this. How amazing would it be if we got married on our first date?"

Miss Shurety, who runs a pet services firm in Farnham, had posted on Facebook on March 10 last year: 'A year to the day I get to marry my best friend!' But the wedding never happened

The couple get to know each other after their first meeting at Gatwick Airport

'By Monday morning - three days after we'd first started talking - we'd agreed to get married. We both just thought: "Let's do this".'

Sarah knew the idea was 'crazy' but has decided to let her heart rule over her head.

She said: 'I know it's totally crazy - hardly any of my friends are supporting me, in fact, a lot of them are disowning me.

'I haven't told my family yet. As they're on the other side of the world we don't talk as often as we should.'

Father-of-two Mr Edwards, from Chichester, West Sussex, has two daughters aged 13 and 15.

Mr Edwards said: 'There was no awkwardness it was very natural.

'We continued the next day - chatting for two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening.

The couple take a selfie with the ring on the flight from London Gatwick to Las Vegas

The newlyweds both met at the airport in their wedding gear before boarding a plane to Las Vegas (left) and (right) one of the early text messages between the pair in which one writes: Let's get married then'

'We talked about our past experiences and what we wanted in the future - and I really opened up to her, more than I have with anyone before.

'I felt a very strong connection from that moment. We decided to video chat so we knew we were real people.

'I think the whole idea came about because I asked her what she was doing for Christmas.

'She told me she thought she was going to a friend's house but she wasn't too sure.

'I said I'd probably be doing the same as my family are all away in Egypt over Christmas.

'I said to her: "How about we have our first date on Christmas Day? I'll come and meet you". She said: "That sounds really nice".

'Then I had another light bulb moment and suggested: 'How about we go away on holiday for our first date?' Life's too short.

'The subject of marriage came up and Sarah said: "I have always thought about going on that program where couples get married at first sight".

Mrs Edwards sits down for a drink after meeting her soon to be husband at Gatwick Airport

The couple, seen here chatting before they boarded the plane, say they couldn't be better suited to one another

'I laughed and said: "Let's get married then". She said: "Don't tempt me". But later that day she called me and said: "I've bought the wedding dress".

'I said: "Are you serious?" and she told me: "If I say something I mean it".

'She asked me if I still wanted to get married and I thought: "Yeah, why not?" I couldn't imagine anyone being better suited to me.' It's absolutely mental.

'We just carried on talking and planning and deciding where we could go and get married at such short notice.

'We looked at the Caribbean, New York and Las Vegas and Vegas just seemed to stick, it's the place to run away and elope.

'I was supposed to get married in March this year, but everything happens for a reason - I'm a true believer in that.

Mrs Edwards has been married before, but it only lasted for six months.

The new couple moments after they tied the knot. They are now hoping to move in together when they get back to the UK - but she still lives with her ex partner, and they are in the process of selling their houseThe son of one of Britain's police and crime commissioners has been jailed after his father decided he had no choice but to press charges after he destroyed his TV during a drunken rampage.

Sherinder Dhindsa picked up a 400 LED smart TV in the bedroom of his parents' house in Allestree, Derby, and threw the gadget at a radiator, smashing it to pieces.

His father Hardyal Dhindsa, who became the PCC for Derbyshire in 2016, said he and his wife had no choice but to pursue a prosecution as it was the latest in a string of alcohol-fuelled incidents involving their son.

Sherinder Dhindsa (left) picked up the TV in his father Hardyal Dhindsa's house, leading to him being convicted of criminal damage. Both of these images are undated

Weeks before, the 31-year-old had been charged for refusing to take a police breathalyser test following a car accident.

That incident in September saw him handed a suspended jail sentence and a 40-month driving ban.

After Sherinder was jailed for 19 weeks following the second incident, Mr Dhindsa used the case to highlight the need for more resources to help fight the scourge of addiction on society.

On November 30, he turned violent so his parents went into their bedroom, Southern Derbyshire Magistrates Court heard.

But he came inside and put his fist through the wall-mounted TV before throwing it at a radiator.

The court heard how Sherinder Dhindsa had become 'addicted' to alcohol after splitting from his partner and taking over a pub.

Prosecutor Mark Fielding said: 'On this particular evening, he had been drinking again, which rather disappointed his parents.

'He was making various threats to them, so they adopted their usual tactic of disengaging with him by retreating to their bedroom.

'He followed them and they continued to ignore him. He then turned his attention to a television. He initially put his fist through the screen and continued to generate an argument with his parents.

'He then picked the TV up and threw it at a radiator, smashing it into pieces.'

Mr and Mrs Dhindsa were so 'frightened' they called the police and had their son arrested.

They also applied for a restraining order as they have 'simply had enough', according to Mr Fielding.

On November 30, Sherinder turned violent so his parents went into their bedroom, Southern Derbyshire Magistrates Court heard. Pictured: A GV of their road

Mr Dhindsa provided a statement to the court that explained their decision to press charges.

This said: 'We still love him. I want to help him - we want our son back but we can't have him living with us, for our own safety.

'We do want to support him, but in a structured way outside of our home. We hope he continues to get help for his addiction and problems inside his head.

'We still want to have contact with him. We just don't want him to come to our own home.'

Magistrates imposed a two-year restraining order on Sherinder Dhindsa that prohibits him from going to his parents' house.

He was jailed for eight weeks. In addition, magistrates activated an 11-week suspended sentence handed to him during his previous court appearance.

It meant Sherinder Dhindsa received a 19-week prison sentence in total.

Defence solicitor Pardeep Kalyan appealed for Sherinder Dhindsa to be spared jail.

He told the court: 'Rehab is something he knows he needs. He went into a rehabilitation unit last year. It did work for a short period of time, but unfortunately he relapsed.

'He has been living with his parents for most of his life. There have been ups and downs - that happens in most houses.

'He appears to be at a point where he is no longer welcome at that address, but that is not the end of the relationship.

'He knows alcohol has to be defeated and he is keen for it not to win over him.'

Presiding magistrate Keith Robinson explained to Sherinder why he was being sent to prison.

'This incident was carried out only ten days after a suspended sentence was given to you, he said. You would have been fully aware of what would happen if you failed to stay out of trouble.

'Therefore, we are going to activate the suspended sentence and add a further eight weeks [for the criminal damage].

That amounts to 19 weeks. You will serve half of the time in custody and the rest on licence.'

Following the hearing, Mr Dhindsa said of his son's sentencing: 'This is a personal matter for my son who will of course take responsibility for, and accept the consequences of, his actions.

'Those consequences are, rightly, a matter for the criminal justice system. That is as it should be and I hope that you understand that I do not wish to say anything further about this incident.

Mr Dhindsa said society needed to do more to help rehabilitate people addicted to alcohol and drugs.

This is why I will continue to call for more resources to be invested in local and national support programmes, he said.

Enforcement alone will never solve the problem, this is a health issue which unfortunately can turn into police matter.

'As I'm sure you will appreciate this has been a particularly stressful time for my family and we would all be grateful to have some privacy in which we can come to terms with recent events.'Germany's military is drawing up plans to recruit nationals from other European countries as part of a drive to beef up the armed forces.

Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen announced plans to recruit Poles, Italians and Romanians, magazine Der Spiegel said, citing a ministry document.

The German military, or Bundeswehr, has stepped up its recruitment efforts as part of a broader reset following Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Last year, Germany said it would increase the size of its armed forces to 198,000 active soldiers by 2024 from 179,000.

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Germany committed to boosting the size of its army from 179,000 to 198,000 troops last year

German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen (pictured at a CDU conference earlier this month) announced plans to recruit from other EU nations in ministry documents

Pressure on Berlin mounted again in July when U.S. President Donald Trump told a NATO summit that Washington could withdraw support for the alliance if Europe did not boost military spending.

According to the classified ministry document, some 255,000 Poles, 185,000 Italians and 155,000 Romanians, aged between 18 and 40, live in Germany - about half all foreign EU nationals.

If 10 percent of them could be interested in the Bundeswehr, that could generate 50,000 new applicants, it said.

It did not say if they would serve alongside Germans in regular regiments, or would form their on units akin to the French Foreign Legion.

There was no comment available from the ministry when it was contacted by Reuters.

The German ministry plans to target other EU nationals already living in Germany and who have prior knowledge of the language

The Defence Ministry wants to limit the group of potential recruits to those who have already lived in Germany for several years and speak fluent German, Der Spiegel said.

Such limits would aim to minimise concern among other European Union countries about Germany luring their potential soldiers by offering better pay.

The ministry had sounded out defence attaches in other EU countries about the plan in recent months with 'very different results', Der Spiegel said, with Eastern European countries particularly worried about the impact on their own recruitment.

Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz told the magazine that military service was 'closely tied to nationality'.

To help attract new recruits, the Bundeswehr is also targeting youngsters in Germany, where the army remains a sensitive career choice more than 70 years after World War Two.Jeremy Corbyn (file) has demanded Parliament is recalled early from its Christmas holiday to vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal

Jeremy Corbyn renewed his threat to call a no confidence vote in Theresa May if her Brexit deal is defeated today.

The Labour leader has demanded Parliament be recalled early next week to hold the postponed showdown.

The vote is due in mid January and it is still widely expected to result in a major defeat for the Prime Minister.

Mr Corbyn insisted it remained a matter of 'when not if' he tries to remove the Government with a motion of no confidence.

His intervention comes despite a debacle before Christmas when he tried and failed to hold a symbolic vote despite having the power to call a real one at any time.

The Prime Minister has promised to reschedule the vote once she has new legal assurances on how a backstop plan for the Irish border works. She said before Christmas it would be held in the week beginning January 14.

MPs are due to return to the Commons on January 7 after a two-week Christmas break, and will begin a new debate on Mrs May's deal on January 9 - with a vote expected to take place the following week.

Downing Street dismissed Mr Corbyn's 'silly demand' and accused him of betraying the referendum result.

In an interview with the Independent, Mr Corbyn insisted: 'We've made clear it's a question of when not if we do a vote of no confidence in the government, and obviously we do at a time when their confidence is the lowest ever, which I suspect will be after they've lost the vote.'

He would not be 'tied to a date', but said if Ms May loses the vote 'we will obviously make our views clear in the House'.

'I'm not certain what the result would be,' he added. 'We would obviously put a case of no confidence with the government at an appropriate time.'

Mr Corbyn said it was in Mrs May's hands whether she should recall Parliament a week early, on January 2, to have the vote.

'I want us to have a vote as soon as possible, that's what I've been saying for the past two weeks, and if that means recalling parliament to have the vote let's have it,' he told the paper.

'But it looks to me the Government has once again reneged on that and tried to put it back another week.

'We need to have that vote so a decision of parliament can be made. What I suspect is that it's a completely cynical manoeuvre to run down the clock and offer MPs the choice of the devil or the deep blue sea.'

The Labour leader accused Theresa May (pictured on Christmas Day in Maidenhead) of trying to 'run down the clock' and forcing MPs to vote on the deal as late as possible to force MPs to choose between it and no deal at all

Mr Corbyn refused to say whether he extend Article 50 to keep the UK in the EU for longer so he could renegotiate the deal.

He said: 'Lots of things are possible, the EU has longform on reopening and extending negotiations, but let's not jump too many hoops when we haven't arrived at them.'

A Downing Street source labelled Mr Corbyn's call a 'silly demand', and said: 'Following debate in the Commons, in the week commencing 14 January MPs will vote on the Brexit deal.

'Instead of making silly demands, Jeremy Corbyn should be honest with voters that he has no alternative plan, and only intends to frustrate Brexit - ultimately betraying the referendum result.'

His comments came as John McDonnell dismissed 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.

MPs (pictured at the final PMQ of 2018 earlier this month) are due to return to the Commons on January 7 after a two-week Christmas break, and will begin a new debate on Mrs May's deal on January 9 - with a vote expected to take place the following week.

The shadow chancellor told the Financial Times such a move would 'run the clock down even further towards March 29', when Britain is due to leave the EU.

Elsewhere, Gunther Oettinger, the European Commissioner and a member of Angela Merkel's CDU party, warned that the remaining EU member states would have to stump up if Britain does not pay the 39 billion divorce bill.

Asked what impact a no deal Brexit would have on the EU budget, he told the German newspaper Westfalische Rundschau: 'It depends on whether, following a disorderly Brexit, the British would be prepared to fulfill their rights and obligations as contributors by the end of the financial year 2019.

'If this is not the case, next year a medium three-digit million amount will be added to Germany.'

But he said it was not 'entirely unlikely' that MPs would vote for Mrs May's deal next month.A Chinese kindergarten teacher was jailed for 18 months today for abusing children with sharp objects.

Liu Yanan, who was a teacher at the RYB Education New World kindergarten in Beijing, pricked four children with needle-like objects in November 2017, a court said. The scandal triggered national outrage.

An investigation into the kindergarten began when parents found needle marks on their toddlers who attended the high-end, bilingual Chinese-English school in Beijing's Chaoyang district.

An investigation into the kindergarten began when parents found needle marks on their toddlers who attended the high-end, bilingual Chinese-English school in Beijing (pictured)

There were also allegations that the children were made to take mysterious pills, but this was not mentioned by the court.

In a statement today, the Beijing Chaoyang Court described the circumstances of the case as 'vile'.

The court said Liu's behaviour 'has seriously damaged the physical and mental health of minors,' adding that the abuse did not result in any lasting injury.

Liu has also been banned from working with minors for five years after serving the sentence.

The court did not give further information about Liu, such as Liu's age or gender.

A police statement from November last year said Liu was female and 22 years old. She was said to have punished the pupils after they failed to sleep, according to the statement.

The head of the education commission of Beijing's Chaoyang district (centre) is surrounded by media and parents as he receives an interview last year after the 'needle scandal' was exposed

RYB Education, a New York-listed company which runs the chain of kindergartens, apologised for the incident and stressed on their official social media account the abuse was carried out by an individual.

However there was huge criticism of the sentence online, with many social media users angered that the punishment on Liu was too light and that no officials have been punished.

Three Beijing education officials were under investigation for 'lack of supervision' but the case has not progressed.

'The cost to commit a crime is too low! This is condoning crimes!' read one post on Weibo, China's Twitter-like platform, saying that Liu should have been given a lifetime ban from working in education.

The incident prompted the State Council, China's top administrative body, to call for an 'immediate' investigation into all kindergartens across the country.

Dozens of curious onlookers crowded outside the RYB Education New World kindergarten last year after parents found needle marks on their toddlers who attended the school in Beijing

RYB Education owns some 500 kindergartens and nearly 1,300 learning centres across China for children up to the age of six, according to its website.

The scandal was not the first to hit the company.

RYB suspended the head of a Beijing kindergarten in April 2017 after videos surfaced of teachers throwing a child on a bed and kicking another in the back.

In 2016, two teachers from a RYB kindergarten in northeast Jilin province were jailed for 34 months for jabbing children's heads, mouths and buttocks with sewing needles.This shocking footage shows how huge flames ripped through a town centre building and even prompted a funeral home to evacuate bodies.

Firefighters worked throughout the night to tackle the large building blaze after being called to the scene in Jamaica Street, Greenock, Scotland just after 5pm on Thursday.

Roads remain closed as emergency services deal with the fire in the Inverclyde town.

Green Oak Funeral Services also announced that they had moved bodies out of the funeral home and to another site as a precaution.

Photos shared to social media showed the flames ripping through town centre building in Greenock, Scotland

Firefighters were originally called to the scene just after 5pm on Thursday but battled the inferno throughout the night

Two crews were still at the scene at 7am on Friday morning dampening down hot spots in the building, which is thought to be a furniture shop.

A fire service spokesman told Mail Online: 'The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service was alerted at 5.07pm on Thursday, December 27 to reports of a building fire in Greenock.

'Operations Control mobilised a number of fire engines to the town's Jamaica Street, where firefighters were met by a large and well developed fire.

'Crews have now brought the fire under control, but are currently working towards eliminating any remaining hotspots.

'There are no casualties.'

In a post on its Facebook page, Green Oak Funeral Services said its landlines were unavailable but 'all loved ones were being cared for in our Port Glasgow premises'.

The post said: 'Many of you will be aware of the fire in Jamaica Street.

'We would like to reassure our families that we have taken appropriate measures and all loved ones are being cared for in our Port Glasgow premises.'Clowns have slammed politicians for undermining the circus by making a mess of Brexit.

David Konyot, a former Zippos chief clown, said attacks on the 'Brexit circus' were offensive to him and other circus people.

He insisted that contrary to the political debacle over Brexit, a circus is a carefully choreographed team activity.

And the former co-chairman of the Association of Independent Showmen insisted that if clowns had been put in charge of Brexit 'we would have done it two years ago'.

David Konyot (file image), a former Zippos chief clown, said attacks on the 'Brexit circus' were offensive to him and other circus people

Instead, Theresa May issued the Article 50 notification in March 2017 - starting a two year countdown to exit - but only set Britain's negotiating position in July 2018.

In between the Prime Minister called a general election which cost her the Tory majority and dependent on the DUP.

Mrs May then brought home a Brexit deal opposed by more than 100 of her own MPs as well as the entire opposition - leaving it facing near certain defeat with just 91 days to go.

Mr Konyot, 71, a former co-chairman of the Association of Independent Showmen and former chief clown with Zippos circus, told The Times: 'Over the past 20 years, they've started using the word 'circus' to describe a chaotic political mess. You couldn't find anything further from a mess.

'A circus relies on 100 per cent co-operation and teamwork, it relies on everybody knowing their job and doing it.

'You look at the 40-odd big circuses in England alone. They have to pull down the big tent, the seating structure, couple up the transport, move it up to 100 miles, build it all back up again and put on a show.'

Instead of putting the circus in charge, Theresa May (pictured at church on Christmas Day) issued the Article 50 notification in March 2017 - starting a two year countdown to exit - but only set Britain's negotiating position in July 2018

Turning his fire directly on reports about 'Brexit clowns' in Westminster, he said: 'We are artists and performers.

'None of this is taken into account when they say ''these Brexit clowns''. If circuses and clowns had organised Brexit we would have had it done two years ago.

'It's insulting and very offensive to circus people.'

To underline his point Mr Konyot, who lives in Norfolk, said that in 1906 the US military contacted Barnum & Bailey's circus to say that an army quartermaster would accompany them to learn 'up to date methods of moving men, animals and baggage'.Pistorius at his sentencing hearing back in 2016

Oscar Pistorius has become a spiritual leader and is converting inmates at his South African prison - his father has revealed.

The former Paralympic gold medallist, who is serving a life sentence for the 2013 murder of his model girlfriend Reva Steenkamp, 29, is now the leader of a bible group at the Atteridgeville correctional centre in Pretoria.

Henke Pistorius told the Times that his son had 'always been a child of God' and was 'making a difference to others' within the prison walls.

'I have no doubt that Oscar has changed the environment in the prison for the better, he is helping to mediate between people and is having a positive influence,' Mr Pistorius said.

'He can feel he is making a difference to others who really needed a difference to be made  to give their lives meaning, purpose and some hope. As a result, things have also improved for him. It's a wonderful story.

'They are hardcore chaps, the problem people in the prison, but now they are all meeting to follow the Bible once or twice a week.'

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Pistorius is currently serving a life sentence at Atteridgeville Prison (pictured) in Pretoria, South Africa

Pistorius is serving a 15-year-sentence for the murder of his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp

The Weekend Argus quoted a source in the Department of Correctional Services who claimed Pistorius was a model prisoner who was 'humble and caring'.

The source said: 'The Oscar I've come to know in jail is kind-hearted and cares for his fellow inmates. He buys food for those who can't afford it or those who are far away from their relatives. And he does this without asking for anything in return.

'Oscar also doesn't deny what he did and shows remorse every day without faking it or to manipulate people's opinions. This is the side he shows in jail and people should stop judging him'.

The source said that Pistorius keeps a low profile behind bars and did not enjoy any preferential treatment adding: 'He likes his privacy and spends a lot of his time reading and visiting the prison library. He's a real bookworm.'.

Murdered Reeva's mother June Steenkamp, 71, recently told local media that she had forgiven Oscar for murdering her daughter but believed that he should still be punished.

A rare glimpse of Oscar Pistorius as he covers his face arriving at the memorial service for his late grandfather in Centurion yesterday

Pistorius was refused permission by the South African Constitutional Court earlier this year to make any more appeals against his conviction or sentence for murdering Reeva.

The Blade Runner was the first double amputee to race in the Olympics competing in the 2012 London games becoming a role model for the disabled worldwide.

The following year Pistorius plummeted from grace after being arrested for the brutal murder of Reeva shooting her four times including a fatal wound to the head.

Reeva's parents English born June from Blackburn, Lancs, and her South African born retired horse trainer husband Barry, 75, were always convinced she was murdered.

The couple told a TV channel that they believe Reeva had packed her bags and told Pistorius she was leaving him on the evening of her death and that he killed her.Advertisement

This perfectly-timed photo shows the split second moment a US Air Force jet created its own cloud - thanks to a rare combination of speed, temperature, humidity and pressure.

Amateur photographer Wayne Lewis, 38, captured the split-second moment the F15 'Strike Eagle' jet from RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk created and then emerged from the white fluffy cloud.

It is a rare phenomenon which only occurs in a fraction of a second when there is the perfect combination of air speed, temperature, humidity and pressure.

Amateur photographer Wayne Lewis, 38, captured the split-second moment the F15 'Strike Eagle' jet (pictured) from RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk created and then emerged from the white fluffy cloud. The bizarre phenomenon occurs when an aircraft travelling at very high speed passes through a pocket of humid air

A change in pressure around the plane - caused by its high speed - can make water condense around the vehicle, creating an odd conical shape. This increase in air pressure makes water in the surrounding atmosphere instantly condense, creating the spectacular effect (pictured)

Mr Lewis, a teacher from Welshpool, shot the pictures in a military low-fly area in the mountains of North Wales near to Dolgellau - which was known as Cad West earlier this year. American and RAF jets often use the Wales low-fly areas and routinely fly at speeds of up to 575mph and 500ft from the ground as they perform high-G manoeuvres

Often mistaken as the effect of a 'sonic boom', it happens when water vapour in the humid air is instantaneously condensed into droplets.

What is a vapour cone and how is it created? A vapour cone, also known as a a 'shock collar', is created by a plane in specific atmospheric conditions while travelling at high speeds. It occurs when an aircraft travelling at very high speed passes through a pocket of humid air. The change in pressure can cause water to condense around the vehicle, creating an odd conical shape. The increase in air pressure caused by the planes pressure envelope makes water in the surrounding atmosphere instantly condense, creating the spectacular effect. Vapour cones are often incorrectly said to mark the moment a plane passes the sound barrier. However, they are not related to breaking the sound barrier or sonic booms. This association comes from the fact that they are created by planes travelling at high speeds - often those that are capable of travelling faster than the speed of sound. That moment of breaking the sound barrier is accompanied by a 'sonic boom', which will be heard by observers as the plane passes them. Advertisement

Mr Lewis, a teacher from Welshpool, shot the pictures in a military low-fly area in the mountains of North Wales near to Dolgellau known as Cad West earlier this year.

He said: 'I shot the photos from the top of a hill above a valley, hoping that the aircraft would pass. 'From there I managed to be almost at eye-level with the pilots.

'I was incredibly lucky to get this photo. The photos have been extremely popular with the people I have shown.'

These type of clouds are often mistaken as the effect of a 'sonic boom' - when the aircraft breaks the sound barrier at 767mph.

But are in fact caused by a rapid change in pressure that results in condensation - and last between three and five seconds.

American and RAF jets often use the Wales low-fly areas and routinely fly at speeds of up to 575mph and 500ft from the ground as they perform high-G manoeuvres.

Nearby there is a location known as The Machynlleth Loop - which is located in a set of valleys in Wales near Barmouth and is commonly used as practice grounds for low-flying jets.

There is also an area known as Cad East in Snowdonia National Park where plane enthusiasts often gather to take pictures of F-15 Eagle fighters as they completed the Mach Loop.

Despite being designated a Royal Air Force base, RAF Lakenheath hosts units and personnel from the United States Air Force.

RAF Lakenheath and nearby RAF Mildenhall serve as the two main U.S. Air Force bases in the UK, while the 48th Fighter Wing is the only U.S. Air Force F-15 fighter wing in Europe.

Mildenhall and neighbouring Lakenheath were re-opened after the second World War to host B-29 Superfortresses and have hosted US airmen ever since.

Lakenheath is currently home to the 48th 'Liberty' Fighter Wing and Mildenhall to the 100th Air Refueling Wing.

RAF Lakenheath and nearby RAF Mildenhall serve as the two main US Air Force bases in the UK, while the 48th Fighter Wing is the only US Air Force F-15 fighter wing in Europe. Pictured is an F15 'Strike Eagle' jet from the base - which can reach top speeds of 1,875mph (MACH 2.5 plus) and has a wingspan of 42 feet

The F-15 (pictured) has a laser designator which can lock in a target 10 miles away, while also having LANTIRN (Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night) which is beneficial for attacking on the ground. It has space for a pilot and weapon systems manager. In the rear cockpit there are four screens displaying information from the radar, infrared sensors and weapons status, along with othersA former bodyguard who protected John F Kennedy and the Queen's cousin Earl Mountbatten has recalled his shock and sadness when they were assassinated.

Mick McElkenny from Washingbay, Co Tyrone, trained as a sniper in the Irish army and served as a police officer before he was assigned to protect high-profile visitors.

The 86-year-old, whose career is the subject of a documentary, said he is in the 'unusual' position of having provided security to two prominent figures who went on to be murdered, highlighting just how dangerous the job is.

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Mick McElkenny, 86, a former bodyguard from Co Tyrone, Ireland who protected John F Kennedy and Earl Mountbatten of Burma has recalled his shock and sadness when they were assassinated

In the programme, the former bodyguard also revealed a strange quirk of fate linking himself the President Kennedy's driver on the day of the assassination.

Mr McElkenny was driving through Stewartstown - the same town Kennedy's driver on that day in Dallas was originally from - when he heard the news.

'Isn't that a coincidence?' Mr McElkenny said about the seismic event 55 years ago.

'I was driving through Stewartstown, which is four miles from here, and I had the radio on and there was a newsflash that John F was shot.'

Despite hearing of the shooting, it was only later that Mr McElkenny found out Kennedy had died.

'Well I thought then that it wasn't too serious, till later on the news came that he was dead

'Very painful, very painful, to know that I was in his company a few months ago before that.

'The whole world was shocked, especially in Ireland anyway. Everybody that came out to see him felt the same way I suppose.'

The 86-year-old, who features in a new documentary about the extraordinary lengths bodyguards go to to protect their charges, described the emotions of knowing two of the people he was assigned to were later assassinated (American President John F Kennedy is given a warm welcome on his return to Dublin to receive the Freedom of the City, 1963)

He added: 'When you're doing bodyguard you don't want anything to happen. You have to give your life should it be for his safety. And it was unfortunate that it did happen. And I'm thinking of his bodyguards then. Very, very sad.'

But the former soldier was able to speak fondly of his times with Kennedy.

'We had a wonderful time guarding the president,' he said.

'He was a very humorous person and everybody adored him, and they all listened to his speeches. He was lovely to listen to.

Mr McElkenny also guarded Lord Mountbatten before his assassination by the IRA in 1979 and Pope John Paul II.

In the programme, the former bodyguard also revealed a strange quirk of fate linking himself the President Kennedy's driver on the day of the assassination. Mr McElkenny also guarded Lord Mountbatten before his assassination by the IRA in 1979 and Pope John Paul II

'I did a lot of security work,' he said, recalling his assignment protecting the Pope during the pontiff's trip to Ireland in 1979, and his role as part of Lord Mountbatten's security in the picturesque Irish harbour village of Mullaghmore in Co Sligo.

The Pope survived an assassination attempt in 1981.

Lord Mountbatten, who enjoyed summer holidays for decades at nearby Classiebawn Castle, was killed in an IRA bomb on board the pleasure boat Shadow V after he set out from the harbour along the Atlantic coast to pick lobster pots and fish in 1979.

The beloved great uncle of the Prince of Wales was 'very friendly' and well-liked by locals, Mr McElkenny said, as he described guarding the entrances to the castle.

'We would be up at night and all day long. He had to get 24-hour security. So we would be up there and Lord Mountbatten would be in the house and they would have friends coming in,' he said, adding that Lord Mountbatten would come out for a chat.

Mr McElkenny said Lord Mountbatten, who Charles described as 'the grandfather I never had' was very fond of Mullaghmore, adding: 'All the people were very fond of him. Because he was a great asset to the community.'

Of Lord Mountbatten's murder, Mr McElkenny said: 'It gives you a shock when you hear that news, that he's dead.'

Mr McElkenny said his army marksman training gave him the skills for his bodyguard roles.

'They pick the best to guard him, to do his security,' he said, adding: 'They must have thought I was a sharp shooter when I was asked to do this protection.'

He added: 'It's dangerous, because you could be shot yourself.'

Asked what he would like to be remembered for, Mr McElkenny said: 'That I did a good and faithful job, and I did my best, I didn't shy away from anything.

'I did it to the best of my ability.'

Filmmaker Ryan Coney, 27, from Coalisland, made a documentary about Mr McElkenny called The President's Bodyguard which was screened at the 2018 Belfast Film Festival and later for locals at the Craic Theatre in Coalisland.

Mr Coney said: 'I have nothing but complete respect and awe for Mick, he is the finest example of what is meant by real masculinity.

'I spoke to lots of people while filming this documentary, from all walks of Mick's life, they spoke in glowing terms about Mick.

'Two things that people noted to me recurred time and again, were Mick's humour and his ability to stay cool no matter what the situation.'

Mr McElkenny lives with his wife Kathleen in the area of the Glenshane Pass and has three daughters and five grandchildren.Former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson has been accused of touting Dubai's official line over a princess who was reportedly kidnapped and forced to return to the emirate.

Mrs Robinson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that princess Latifa is a 'troubled young woman' who regretted making a video in which she announced her intentions to leave Dubai, alleging that she 'did not have freedom of choice' and was being confined against her will.

Mrs Robinson's comments yesterday came just days after the UAE released photographs of her with princess Latifa in response to rights groups' concerns over the 33-year-old's whereabouts and welfare.

Former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson (right) has been accused of touting Dubai's official line over princess Latifa (left) who alleges she is being held in the emirate against her will

Mrs Robinson was invited to have lunch with Dubai's ruling family after a BBC documentary revealed Latifa's attempted flight from the emirate last March.

Latifa's father, Sheikh Mohammad Al Maktoum, is the ruler of Dubai and the Maktoum family, which has major horse-racing interests in Ireland.

In a statement, the UAE ministry of foreign affairs and international co-operation said the photographs were a response to 'false allegations' and claim they are evidence that Her Highness Sheikha Latifa was at home and living with her family in Dubai.

Until the photographs of their lunch emerged, Latifa had not been seen in public in the nine months since her attempted escape and her Instagram account had been shut down.

Mrs Robinson said that the princess is now 'receiving psychiatric care' and is in 'loving care of her family'.

But before reportedly fleeing Dubai, Latifa had warned that her sisters and others who disagreed with the regime are frequently heavily medicated and described as mentally ill.

Mrs Robinson made the comments not long after photographs of her and the princess were released by the UAE in an effort to address human rights groups' concerns over her whereabouts and welfare

The former president told the BBC: 'The dilemma was that Latifa is vulnerable, she's troubled. She made a video that she now regrets and she planned an escape, or what was part of a plan of escape.'

'I had lunch with her. She's a very likeable young woman but clearly troubled, clearly needs the medical care that she is receiving.'

Mrs Robinson said the family do not want her to 'endure any more publicity'.

But Kenneth Rose, executive director of Human Rights Watch, yesterday challenged Mrs Robinson's views.

He tweeted: 'Mary Robinson says UAE Princess Latifa is 'troubled,' suggesting a pre-existing condition, though I'd be troubled too if I tried to escape a gilded prison and was kidnapped back.'

Women's rights campaigner Aisha Ali-Khan said Mrs Robinson was being used to 'whitewash' the escape bid of Latifa.

Other campaigners want to know what independent evidence the former president and UN High Commissioner on Human Rights saw before she spoke out.

Campaigners say Latifa was snatched from a yacht after trying to flee with the help of French former spy Herve Jaubert and long-time friend Tiina Jauhiainen.

She changed her clothes and sunglasses, and along with Ms. Jauhiainen crossed into Oman.

They then headed out into international waters by inflatable boat and jet ski to meet Mr Jaubert in a yacht flying the US flag.

The trio set sail for India, where Latifa hoped to claim political asylum in the US, but were stopped by armed men just 30 miles from the coast and taken back to Dubai.

Latifa was last seen on March 5 being dragged into a rubber boat by Indian and Emirati forces, according to those who were with her.

Her plight was the subject of a December 6 BBC documentary, Escape From Dubai: The Mystery Of The Missing Princess.

'If you're a female your life is so disposable,' Latifa says in the film.

The Princess (left) escaped with Ms Jauhiainen (right) and planned to start a new life in America but three weeks into her escape bid, their yacht Nostromo was surrounded by Indian forces

'If you're watching this video, it is not such a good thing. Either I am dead or I am in a very, very bad situation.'

Toby Cadman, the barrister tasked by Detained in Dubai to represent Sheikha Latifa, said last night: 'It is quite disappointing to see a person of Mrs Robinson's stature brushing over what are very serious complaints. There are credible allegations that a number of individuals were unlawfully attacked in international waters.'

Mrs Robinson and her foundation have not yet replied to a request for comment.A senior Tory MP who spent his life savings defending himself against false rape claims today demanded legal aid cuts be reversed.

Nigel Evans - who voted for the reforms in 2012 - said his own experience of being prosecuted had been a 'road to Damascus' moment on the issue.

He said it was 'completely wrong' to send people into the courts system without proper and expert legal representation.

The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (Laspo) imposed strict curbs on the availability of public funding for people who need lawyers.

Nigel Evans (pictured arriving at court in 2013) - who voted for the reforms in 2012 - said his own experience of being prosecuted had been a 'road to Damascus' moment on the issue

Mr Evans was cleared at Preston Crown Court of nine sexual offences in April 2014. He quit his job as Commons Deputy Speaker to fight the charges and had to cover most of his own legal costs.

Mr Evans told the Guardian: 'If I had my time again I would stand up and argue against the implementation of Laspo.

'It's wrong, completely wrong, to remove people's right to have expert legal representation, and now I've gone through it I can see that clearly.

'We're definitely talking about justice being denied as a result of Laspo.'

He added: 'My experience of being falsely accused, and losing my life savings to defend myself proving that, was a road to Damascus moment for me.

Another Tory MP, Bob Neill (file) - who chairs the Commons justice committee - has also called for the Laspo reforms to be looked at again

'I'm a changed person now, in terms of Laspo and sympathy for all those who now have to go through the legal system without expert help, support and advice.'

Mr Evans said: 'I'm not just talking about those accused in the criminal courts like me, but everyone affected by Laspo.

'Parents going through the family courts, tenants fighting landlords, patients fighting hospitals and so on. Laspo is clearly not working. It needs to be overhauled.'

He added: 'Laspo financially punishes innocent people for the crime of being wrongly accused.'

At Mr Evans' trial, it took the jury less then six hours to acquit him of the sex offences against seven men.

Following the verdict. Mr Evans clasped his hands and wiped away tears as he heard the verdict and said he'd gone through '11 months of hell'.

Another Tory MP, Bob Neill - who chairs the Commons justice committee - has also called for the Laspo reforms to be looked at again.

He said: 'The evidence is pretty compelling that changes are needed  We cannot expect people who often have multiple problems in their lives necessarily to be able to resolve such things on their own.'No deal would be 'cataclysmic' for Britain, Jeremy Hunt warned today as he urged MPs to back Theresa May's Brexit deal.

The Foreign Secretary said he supported the deal - subject to Brussels giving new legal assurances the controversial backstop was in fact 'temporary'.

Brexiteers told MailOnline no deal would in fact be 'cataclysmic' for the EU because it would not get the 39billion divorce payment from Britain.

MPs are expected to finally vote on the deal in mid January. A first vote cancelled amid a vast Tory rebellion that would have consigned it to a landslide defeat.

Mr Hunt insisted there was a 'version' of Mrs May's deal that could overcome the opposition and get through the House of Commons.

His intervention came as Jeremy Corbyn urged the PM to cut the Christmas recess short and recall Parliament so MPs can vote on the Brexit deal.

The Cabinet will meet next week to further discuss no deal planning. In their final meeting before Christmas, ministers activated all no deal contingency plans - including putting 3,500 troops on standby and warning the public to make preparations for themselves and their families.

No deal would be 'cataclysmic' for Britain, Jeremy Hunt (pictured in Downing Street earlier this month) warned today as he urged MPs to back Theresa May's Brexit deal

MPs are due to return to the Commons on January 7 after a two-week Christmas break, and will begin a new debate on Mrs May's deal on January 9  with a vote expected to take place the following week.

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

Mr Hunt told the Today programme: 'The EU has agreed that the backstop is temporary and what we need them to do is define what temporary is.

'So my view is this is not the time to be talking about what other major changes we might be faced with making because actually we can get this through.

'We can get this through, absolutely can.'

Mr Hunt reiterated the need for the EU to define the temporary nature of the backstop, adding: 'Because if it is temporary then Parliament can live with that, but you need to show us.

'So I am a supporter of Theresa May's deal with those qualifications to the backstop and I think MPs, as they reflect on how close we are to an agreement, but also how cataclysmic it would be if we didn't end up having an agreement we could get through Parliament, the best thing is to put our heads down and make sure we have a version of this agreement that we can through Parliament.'

Asked if he was interested in becoming Conservative Party leader, Mr Hunt replied: 'I think we have a very good leader of the Conservative Party, a very good Prime Minister, frankly, doing probably the most difficult job of any leader in the Western world right now, and what we need to do  as she's battling for Britain  is get behind her.'

Mr Hunt's intervention came as Jeremy Corbyn urged the PM to cut the Christmas recess short and recall Parliament so MPs can vote on the Brexit deal

Responding to Mr Hunt's claim, Tory MP Nigel Evans told MailOnline: 'It would be cataclysmic for the EU who will lose 39 billion from us in three months.

'It is in the interest of the EU to come to a sensible arrangement with the UK in order that they can continue to have 95 billion trade surplus with the UK.

'We need to get the legal clarity which the PM said she would get from the EU and get the DUP back on board - otherwise we cannot govern without their support and that would be truly cataclysmic.'

What is in the Brexit deal? The Brexit divorce deal contains a raft of agreements and compromises - many of which are bitterly opposed by Eurosceptic rebels. It includes: A two year transition period from March 29, 2019, where most rules stay the same

A 39billion divorce payment

Bilateral protections for EU citizen in the UK and Britons living in Europe

A backstop to keep open the Irish border if a final trade deal cannot be negotiated before the end of transition

Promises to negotiate a final trade deal as soon as possible in line with a 'political declaration' on what it should look like Advertisement

Mr Corbyn, in an interview with the Independent, refused to be drawn on whether Labour would seek to extend Article 50 to keep the UK in the EU for longer, and said: 'Lots of things are possible, the EU has longform on reopening and extending negotiations, but let's not jump too many hoops when we haven't arrived at them.'

Mr Corbyn also said it was in Mrs May's hands whether she should recall Parliament a week early, on January 2.

'I want us to have a vote as soon as possible, that's what I've been saying for the past two weeks, and if that means recalling Parliament to have the vote let's have it,' he told the paper.

'But it looks to me the Government has once again reneged on that and tried to put it back another week.

'We need to have that vote so a decision of parliament can be made. What I suspect is that it's a completely cynical manoeuvre to run down the clock and offer MPs the choice of the devil or the deep blue sea.'

A Downing Street source labelled Mr Corbyn's call a 'silly demand', and said: 'Following debate in the Commons, in the week commencing January 14 MPs will vote on the Brexit deal.

'Instead of making silly demands, Jeremy Corbyn should be honest with voters that he has no alternative plan, and only intends to frustrate Brexit  ultimately betraying the referendum result.'

What is the Irish border backstop and why do Tory MPs hate it? The entire Brexit deal has been stalled over the so-called Irish border backstop in the divorce package. This is what it means: What is the backstop? The backstop was invented to meet promises to keep open the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland even if there is no comprehensive UK-EU trade deal. The divorce deal says it will kick in automatically at the end of the Brexit transition if that deal is not in place. If effectively keeps the UK in a customs union with the EU and Northern Ireland in both the customs union and single market. This means many EU laws will keep being imposed on the UK and there can be no new trade deals. It also means regulatory checks on some goods crossing the Irish Sea. Why have Ireland and the EU demanded it? Because Britain demanded to leave the EU customs union and single market, the EU said it needed guarantees people and goods circulating inside met EU rules. This is covered by the Brexit transition, which effectively maintains current rules, and can in theory be done in the comprehensive EU-UK trade deal. But the EU said there had to be a backstop to cover what happens in any gap between transition and final deal. Why do critics hate it? Because Britain cannot decide when to leave the backstop. Getting out - even if there is a trade deal - can only happen if both sides agree people and goods can freely cross the border. Brexiteers fear the EU will unreasonably demand the backstop continues so EU law continues to apply in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland MPs also hate the regulatory border in the Irish Sea, insisting it unreasonably carves up the United Kingdom. What concessions did Britain get in negotiating it? During the negotiations, Britain persuaded Brussels the backstop should apply to the whole UK and not just Northern Ireland. Importantly, this prevents a customs border down the Irish Sea - even if some goods still need to be checked. The Government said this means Britain gets many of the benefits of EU membership after transition without all of the commitments - meaning Brussels will be eager to end the backstop. It also got promises the EU will act in 'good faith' during the future trade talks and use its 'best endeavours' to finalise a deal - promises it says can be enforced in court. What did the legal advice say about it? Attorney General Geoffrey Cox said even with the EU promises, if a trade deal cannot be reached the backstop could last forever. This would leave Britain stuck in a Brexit limbo, living under EU rules it had no say in writing and no way to unilaterally end it. AdvertisementThe Syrian army entered Manbij for the first time in six years on Friday, after the Kurdish YPG milita urged the government to protect the city from the threat of Turkish attacks.

A Syrian army spokesman said in a televised statement that the national flag was raised in Manbij, a key northern city about 19 miles from the Turkish border.

The spokesman said the government would guarantee security 'for all Syrian citizens and others present in the area'.

Syrian Kurds hold a portrait of President Bashar al-Assad during a demonstration in the northeastern city of Qamishli on December 23, 2018, seeking protection by the Syrian army against Turkey following a shock US decision to withdraw its troops

The Kurds were left exposed last week when their key ally, the U.S, suddenly pledged to pull out its own troops.

The People's Protection Units (YPG) then asked for the Assad regime's help to face a threatened Turkish offensive.

The YPG, the main Kurdish militia in Syria, asked government forces to deploy in Manbij, an area it withdrew from earlier this year to fight Islamic State jihadists in eastern Syria.

'We invite the Syrian government forces... to assert control over the areas our forces have withdrawn from, in particularly Manbij, and to protect these areas against a Turkish invasion,' the statement said.

The US flag flies over an observation post on the the demarcation line separating pro-Turkish rebels and opposing US-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters oustide Manbij on December 26, 2018

It was unclear whether the government forces had spread out in the town, where U.S. forces operate and have a military base.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the troops had deployed only along the edges of Manbij, standing between the town and Turkey's rebel allies.

With the YPG at its forefront, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) seized Manbij in 2016 from Islamic State, a milestone in the U.S.-backed battle against the jihadists.

The Manbij Military Council, fighters allied to the SDF, hold the town in northern Syria, which lies on a front with Turkey-backed rebels.

President Donald Trump's abrupt decision to pull out some 2,000 U.S. troops, whose presence has deterred Turkey, has alarmed the SDF.

Turkey deems the Kurdish fighters a threat and has vowed to crush them.

Pro-Assad forces and Kurdish-led forces have fought each other elsewhere in Syria and the government opposes the Kurds' demands for autonomy. However, they have a common enemy and a mutual interest in blocking Turkish advances.

The announcement that government troops had entered Manbij was quickly welcomed by the Kremlin, whose spokesman Dmitry Peskov called it a 'positive step' that could help stabilize the situation.Advertisement

Britain could face another Beast from the East early next year amid fears of heavy snow in the next few weeks.

Met Office forecasters have warned of an increasing chance that temperatures will turn colder than average as the UK moves into the New Year thanks to an atmospheric event known as Sudden Stratospheric Warming.

This is where the temperature suddenly rises high up in the stratosphere, between six and 30 miles above the North Pole, and it can result in a chain reaction that leads to very cold conditions from eastern Europe and Russia.

Joggers make an early start this morning and enjoy the scenery at Arne Nature Reserve near Wareham in Dorset

The cold spell dubbed 'the Beast from the East' was caused by a jump in temperatures high over the Arctic, known as 'sudden stratospheric warming'. This is where the temperature suddenly rises high up in the stratosphere, between six and 30 miles above the North Pole, and can result in a chain reaction that leads to very cold conditions from eastern Europe and Russia

The sun rises on a misty morning from Shipstal Beach at Arne in Dorset today as the UK has above-average temperatures

The Red Rose 30120 steams through Corfe Castle on a bright sunny morning in Dorset today amid a chilly start to the day

Early morning mist in the Dorset town of Bridport today, on a morning after fog were issued in the South West of England

Beautiful red mist hangs over Bridport in Dorset today as parts of England continue to enjoy above-average temperatures

The same thing happened early this year which led to the UK's coldest spell of weather since 2013 when the Beast from the East forced hundreds of schools to close, disruption transport services and left motorists stranded.

What is Sudden Stratospheric Warming? Severe conditions that hit Britain early this year were described by the Met Office as a 'cocktail of weather events'. The cold spell dubbed the 'the Beast from the East' - which also coincided with the arrival of Storm Emma - was caused by a jump in temperatures high over the Arctic, known by meteorologists as 'sudden stratospheric warming'. The phenomenon, which in Britain usually leads to cold periods, begins 30 miles into the atmosphere in the high altitude jet stream, which usually flows from west to east, bringing relatively warm and wet air from the Atlantic into the UK. A disturbance hits the jetstream, pushing its waves down towards the Arctic and reversing the stream from east to west. As the air is compressed over this region, it begins to warm. This leads to high pressure over the North Atlantic, blocking the usual flow of mild air that flows into Britain from the west. Instead, colder air from the east is sucked over the British Isles, resulting in colder temperatures. Advertisement

Met Office forecaster Nicky Maxey told MailOnline today: 'At the moment there is a Sudden Stratospheric Warming taking place. The effects of that are felt some time after because it's happening high in the atmosphere.

'So it takes at least two weeks for that to be felt at ground level, but at the moment it's far too early to say what the effects might be.

'In the past they have been responsible for the Beast from the East and the cold and the snow.

'But that doesn't necessarily mean that's what will happen. We may have many few effects or we may see something more dramatic - we may have cold weather with no snow - it's just a little bit too early to say.'

Last week, Met Office modelling climate variability manager Jeff Knight had warned of 'a very high likelihood of an SSW happening', adding that it would increase the chances of colder-than-average weather in January.

In terms of snowy conditions next few weeks, the Met Office only expects some hill snow in northern areas next week, before snow to lower levels is also possible throughout the rest of January.

Before then, Britain continues to experience above average temperatures. The conditions are being caused by an area of high pressure over France, bringing mild but cloudy weather northwards to Britain.

The mercury in central and southern England is set to reach a maximum of 12C (54F) in southern areas today and tomorrow, and 13C (55F) on Sunday, before falling back to 10C (50F) on New Year's Eve.

Further north, between 10C and 12C (50-54F) is expected. The normal average daily maximum temperature for the end of December is just 6C (43F).

This satellite posted by the Met Office this afternoon shows a North/South split, with the best of the sunshine across the North

Your browser does not support the <code>iframe</code> HTML tag. Try viewing this in a modern browser like Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Internet Explorer 9 or later.

Temperatures over the next few days are expected to be slightly above average for the time of year in Britain

Sudden Stratospheric Warming sees the temperature suddenly rise in the stratosphere, six to 30 miles above the North Pole

The mercury in central and southern England is set to reach a maximum of 12C (54F) in southern areas today and tomorrow (shown is Dorset today), and 13C (55F) on Sunday, before falling back to 10C (50F) on New Year's Eve

Britain enjoys its second sunniest year since records began in 1929 with 1575 hours of sunshine as forecasters say climate change will make long hot summers more likely

Britain has enjoyed its second sunniest year since records began with 1575 hours of sunshine - as forecasters say climate change will make long hot summers more likely in the future.

The figure means 2018 beats the 1566 hours clocked in 1995 - although the last week of December looks unlikely to provide enough rays to overhaul 2003's record of 1587 hours.

A sustained spell of high pressure made May the brightest ever, with 246 hours of sunshine, and this system continued through the long days of June and July, contributing significantly to the annual total.

The sun rises over Arne in Dorset this morning as the news emerged that 2018 will be the second sunniest on record

By contrast, December has been the dullest month  with only 34 hours of sunshine so far.

The UK mean temperature in 2018 will be somewhere between 9.4 and 9.5 C.

The last few days of December will make all the difference between 2018 finishing just inside or just outside the top ten warmest years on record.

If 2018 does make it in to the top ten, it will mean that every one of the hottest ten years will have been in this century.

The Met Office told MailOnline it was impossible to attribute one weather event to global warming, but that the phenomena was likely to make similar summer heatwaves more likely in the future.

The hottest month of 2018 was July, with an average temperature of 17.3 C, with February coldest at an average 2.4 C.

The map on the left shows sunshine duration in 2018 compared to the average for 1981 to 2010. The one on the right details the difference between average temperatures in 2018 compared to the same time period

A sustained spell of high pressure made May the brightest ever, with 246 hours of sunshine. Pictured is the sun rising this morning over Shipstal Beach at Arne in Dorset

Although it has been a drier than average year, it has not been exceptionally dry overall, with the UK receiving close to 90% of average annual rainfall.

The rainfall amount in 2018 compared to the average for 1981 to 2010

Winter and spring were somewhat wetter than average, but were followed by an extended summer dry spell.

June was the driest month, with an average of 35mm falling across the UK  but parts of southern England were particularly dry, experiencing the lowest rainfall for over 100 years.

January was the wettest, with 134mm of rain.

Dr Mark McCarthy, head of the Met Office National Climate Information Centre, said: 'The last week of December will be of significant interest to us in finding out where 2018 ranks in terms of historic average annual temperatures.

'We experienced some memorable extremes of hot and cold weather this year  the summer heatwave contrasted sharply with the freezing conditions during the so-called 'Beast from the East' in February and March.

'However, even if the last few days of December are cool enough to keep 2018 out of the all-time hottest top 10, the overall story for the year fits into the general warming trend we have seen in the century so far.'

Sunshine records for Britain date back to 1929.A wooden sledge that was used during Sir Ernest Shackleton's Nimrod Expedition to the South Pole 110 years ago is to be auctioned for 100,000.

The 11ft long sledge carried vital supplies like food and equipment and was towed by ponies during the historic trek across Antarctica.

It belonged to Eric Marshall who was one of the four-man party who, alongside Shackleton, set out to become the first to reach the South Pole.

A wooden sledge that was used during Sir Ernest Shackleton's Nimrod Expedition to the South Pole 110 years ago is to be auctioned for 100,000. It belonged to Eric Marshall who was one of the four-man party who, alongside Shackleton, set out to become the first to reach the South Pole (Eric Marshall, second right, with Shackleton, second left, on the Nimrod Expedition)

The 11ft long sledge carried vital supplies like food and equipment and was towed by ponies during the historic trek across Antarctica. Although they failed in their mission, the expedition did reach farther south than any human had done

Although they failed in their mission, the expedition did reach farther south than any human had done. Remarkably, Marshall brought the sledge back from Antarctica with him.

He later gifted it and his sledge flag to his old public school, Monkton Combe School in Somerset, where the items have been ever since.

But they have now decided to sell both as they say they don't have the facilities to display the sledge.

Remarkably, Marshall brought the sledge back from Antarctica with him. He later gifted it and his sledge flag to his old public school, Monkton Combe School in Somerset, where the items have been ever since

They are coming up for auction in London with Bonhams. The striped sledge flag has a pre-sale estimate of 50,000.

Matthew Haley, head of books and manuscripts at Bonhams, said: 'Few of the sledges used during the Nimrod expedition survive; of those that do this appears to be the only one with a direct link to one of the four Southern Party explorers.'

The party spent months carrying out important geological and zoological before Shackleton, Marshall, James Boyd Adams and Frank Wild, set off for the South Pole in October 1908.

In order to reach and return from the pole they had to cover over 1,4000 miles, an average of 13 miles a day.

They are coming up for auction in London with Bonhams. The striped sledge flag has a pre-sale estimate of 50,000

Two of the four sledges they took with them were left where two of their ponies has to be put down and used as depots for their return journey.

The two remaining sledges went further south with them but after two months of trekking they were forced to abandon their quest just 97 miles short of the pole.

It is not known if the sledge now for sale is one that made it the entire distance on the record-breaking journey.

Mr Haley added: 'The sledge is made out of hickory and ash wood and was designed to flex over snow and ice.

Sir Ernest Shackleton's expeditions to cross the ice of Antarctica Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. Born in County Kildare, Ireland, his first experience of the polar regions was as third officer on Captain Scott's Discovery expedition from 1901 to 1904. He had to leave the voyage early for health reasons after the group set a new southern record by marching to latitude 82S. During the second expedition on board the Nimrod, between 1907 to 1909, he and three companions established a new record Farthest South latitude at 88S - 97 geographical miles from the South Pole. Shackleton returned in 1914 on board the Endurance and became trapped in the ice trying to travel from sea to sea via the the South Pole. After being rescued during the ill-fated trip, he later went back again in 1921 but died of a heart attack while his ship was moored in South Georgia. Advertisement

'We know Marshall took on the southern journey and returned from the expedition with it.

'It is not the sort of thing you would retain. It's not like a glove or sweater. It weighs a fair bit and takes a bit of effort to move.

'The sledge flags were designed as morale boosting things. The men put them up for photographs and celebratory day like Christmas.

'Both of these items were donated to Marshall's old school and they have had them since the 1950s.

'They have looked after them for many years but they don't have the facilities. The flag has been displayed but the sledge has been in storage.

They want to see them accessible to a wider audience.

'The sledge's rarity gives it its value. Eight of these sledges are in museums but I haven't been able to find one that has sold at auction before. The provenance is also fantastic.

'I think it will be of great interest to collectors.'

The sale takes place on February 6.A bus driver suffered a cut to his forehead from flying glass after gunshots were fired at a double-decker bus outside a north London bus station in the early hours of the morning.

Police have been seen scouring a nearby common for clues after the red double-decker came under fire at Turnpike Lane station on Green Lanes in Wood Green.

Shots were fired at the 221, headed to Edgware, leaving the glass shattered.

A bullet hole (circled) is clearly visible in the windscreen of the 221 to Edgware which was fired upon shortly after midnight last night

The 221 to Edgeware Road was shot at shortly after midnight this morning leaving the glass shattered

The red double-decker came under fire at Turnpike Lane Bus Station on Green Lanes in Wood Green

Armed officers from the Metropolitan Police arrived at the scene shortly after being called at 24 minutes past midnight this morning, and have found evidence of firearms use.

The station in Wood Green has bus stands where drivers swap shifts and one was found with minor injuries to his forehead from 'glass shattering'.

A bus driver, a man in his 50s, was taken to hospital following the shooting, but was not seriously wounded.

He is reported to have superficial injuries to his head caused by the shattered glass and is being treated in a North London hospital.

Police have since been seen searching a nearby common.

Police search Ducketts Common after a London bus was shot at with a firearm at Turnpike Lane bus station at 00.24am

Officers ave cordoned off Ducketts Common this morning, after the shots at Turnpike Lane last night

Officers scoured the area looking for clues. Scotland Yard has said they have found evidence of firearms use

Scotland Yard said there have been no arrests. A crime scene remains.

A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police said: 'Police were called on Friday, 28 December at 00:24 hours to reports of shots fired outside Turnpike Lane Station.

'Local officers and armed police attended.

'A bus driver aged in his fifties had suffered superficial injuries to his forehead from glass shattering.

'London Ambulance Service attended and the bus driver was taken to a north London hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

'Evidence of a firearms discharge was found at the scene. There are no reports of any other persons injured. No arrests. Officers remain on scene and enquiries are ongoing.'

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: 'We were called at 00:24am this morning (28 December) to Green Lanes, N15 to reports of an incident.

'We sent an incident response officer, an ambulance crew and two single responders to the scene. We also dispatched London's Air Ambulance response car.

'We treated a man at the scene and took him to hospital as a priority.'

Earlier road closures reported by Transport for London have since been lifted. The Piccadilly Line, which Turnpike Lane station is served by, was unaffected.The Indonesian volcano that triggered a devastating tsunami last Saturday that killed over 400 people has been in a near-constant state of eruption today, as authorities urged residents to stay away from the shore for fear of another deadly wave.

Anak Krakatau was emitting columns of ash that reached more than a mile upwards, causing all flights around the volcano to be rerouted.

Indonesia's disaster management agency (BNPB) has imposed a three-mile exclusion zone and raised the alert level from two to three because of the heightened volcanic activity - which amounts to almost one eruption per minute.

Mount Anak Krakatau volcano spews hot ash as seen from Sunda Strait, Lampung Province, Indonesia, 28 December 2018. The volcano was erupting almost once a minute today, renewing fears that it could trigger another deadly tsunami

The eruptions, as well as rainy weather, high seas, poor visibility from the clouds of ash, have all hampered efforts to assess the likelihood of another tsunami.

The conditions have also made it harder for rescuers to reach the worst-hit areas.

Earlier, radar data from satellites, converted into images, showed that Indonesia's Anak Krakatau island volcano is dramatically smaller following a weekend eruption that triggered a deadly tsunami.

Satellite images revealed on Friday show the Anak Krakatau volcano has shrunk significantly since the series of eruptions

Anak Krakatau erupted on Satrurday last week, causing a tsunami after undersea landslides occurred due to volcanic activity

Satellite photos aren't available because of cloud cover but radar images from a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency satellite taken before and after the eruption show the volcano's southwestern flank has disappeared.

Dave Petley, head of research and innovation at Sheffield University who analyzed similar images from a European Space Agency satellite, said they support the theory that a landslide, most of it undersea, caused the tsunami on Saturday evening.

Indonesian authorities said on Friday more than 7,202 were injured in the disaster, an increase of 5,707, as they trimmed the official death toll to 426 - down from 430.

Previously, the number of displaced - including many left homeless - stood at 22,0000 but that figure has now jumped to just over 40,000, according to the latest tally. Some 7,202 people suffered injuries, jumping from 1,495.

Anak (child) Krakatoa volcano erupting, as seen from a ship on the Sunda Straits. Authorities raised the alert level for the erupting volcano to the second-highest

'The challenge now is to interpret what might be happening on the volcano, and what might happen next,' he wrote in a blog.

Indonesian authorities are warning people to stay away a kilometer (less than a mile) from the Sunda Strait coastline because of the risk of another tsunami.

JAXA's post-eruption image shows concentric waves radiating from the island, which experts say is caused by ongoing eruptions.

Anak Krakatau, which means child of Krakatau, is the offspring of the infamous Krakatau volcano that affected global climate with a massive eruption in 1883.

Anak Krakatau first rose above sea level in 1929, according to Indonesia's volcanology agency, and has been increasing its land mass since then.

Authorities have warned that the crater of Anak Krakatau, or child of Krakatau, remains fragile, raising fears of another collapse and tsunami, and have urged residents to stay away from the coast.

The volcano has been rumbling on and off since July but has been particularly active since Sunday, spewing lava and rocks, and sending huge clouds of ash up to 3,000 metres into heavily overcast skies.

The national geological agency, in raising the alert level to the second-highest, set a 5km exclusion zone around the island.

Antonius Ratdomopurbo, secretary of the geological agency, said: 'Since December 23, activity has not stopped, We anticipate a further escalation.'

Anak Krakatau, 'Child of Krakatoa', is surrounded by a small group of islands and located in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra

The tsunami hit Sunda strait at Sumur village in Pandeglang, Banten province, Indonesia, where homes were left devastated by the 16ft wave

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, national disaster agency spokesman, said: 'There is a danger of more eruptions. People [near the volcano] could be hit by hot rocks, pyroclastic flows and thick ash.'

Authorities raised the crater's status to high alert, the second-highest warning on the country's four-point danger scale, while aviation officials ordered flights to be redirected away from the area.

Kus Hendratno, a senior official at the Krakatoa observatory, said: 'We've raised the status of [the volcano] since this morning because there's been a change in the eruption pattern.'

The new flows posed no immediate danger to area towns as the volcano sits in the middle of the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra islands.

But the status change sparked new fears with many residents already scared and refusing to return to their communities over fears of another tsunami.

Survivors resting at a relief centre in Kalianda in Lampung province after the devastating tsunami struck on SaturdayMinisters were accused of using their powers to protect Brexit documents from exposure under freedom of information laws today.

The biggest Brexit departments release less than a quarter of documents asked for under the law. Across all of Whitehall, the release rate is less than half.

In many cases, only some information asked for is released new research shows.

Requests for information can be refused on cost grounds, if the same person makes repeated demands, or in some cases because it would undermine Government policy.

Refusals can be appealed first to the department that blocks a request and then to the Information Commissioner.

Ministers were accused of using their powers to protect Brexit documents from exposure under freedom of information laws today

The People's Vote campaign today wrote to the Cabinet Office demanding an explanation for the high number of FOI requests being rejected partially or in full.

Labour MP and People's Vote campaign Peter Kyle said: 'The Government's astonishing lack of transparency around Brexit is a national scandal, and is part of the reason why we've ended up in the mess we're in now.

'The Government departments charged with dealing directly with Brexit are deliberately obfuscating and hiding the many unpleasant realities of the process from the public.

'The truth they're trying to hide is that the Government's proposed Brexit would severely harm our economy and is much worse than our existing deal inside the EU.'

According to the figures, the main Brexit department run Stephen Barclay (centre) - known as Dexeu - answered just 21 per cent of requests in full

Mr Kyle added: 'Because of the failure to be open and transparent, the public have lost confidence in the Government's ability to handle the Brexit process properly.

'That's why more and more people are rallying behind the calls for a People's Vote, to give the people the final say.'

Labour MP and People's Vote campaign Peter Kyle said the lack of transparency was a 'national scandal'

According to the figures, the main Brexit department - known as Dexeu - answered just 21 per cent of requests in full.

The Foreign Office answered 23 per cent, the international trade department 25 per cent and the Cabinet Office  which is responsible for adherence to FoI legislation across Whitehall  26 per cent.

In contrast the Department for Transport answered 62 per cent of queries in full and the Department for Education 59 per cent.

A Government spokesman said: 'This government is committed to transparency.

'However, it is important to balance the need to make information available with protecting national security and our ability to best promote the UK's position abroad.'by Vladimir Rozanskij

Russia could become the protector of the country and of Christians. But in the meantime international powers - such as Britain and France - and regional powers - like Turkey and Israel - are claiming areas of influence, opening up new fronts of confrontation and insecurity for its population and Syria. Two days ago Israeli aircraft attacked a Syrian military base in Qatifah, about 40 km northeast of Damascus.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - President Donald Trump's annnouncement of the withdrawal of US troops from Syria has handed the role of main defender of the nation and protecter of Christians in the Middle East. But it also creates an imbalance that gives space to international powers - such as Britain and France - and regional powers - like Turkey and Israel - to establish and claim areas of influence, opening new fronts of confrontation and insecurity for the country and its population. Two days ago Israeli aircraft attacked a Syrian military base in Qatifah, about 40 km northeast of Damascus (see photo). Tel Aviv responded with silence to the charges laid by the Syrian government and the criticism of Moscow. An anonymous Israeli security official confirmed the raids yesterday evening, saying that they were targeting some Iranian weapons depots destined for Hezbollah. Yesterday, Russia criticized the aerial bombardments, saying that they put some civilian flights at risk. Moscow did not specify which flights, but said that one of them had to make an emergency landing in Beirut and another in Damascus.

The situation in Syria is again uncertain and full of concerns. The announcement of US President Donald Trump on the "definitive victory" over ISIS, and the withdrawal of American troops, makes Christmas this year a time to ask whether it is really appropriate to celebrate triumph, or instead prepare for new torments.

The celebrations of Christians are rather varied and staggered; in Syria there is little more than 1.5 million Christians (almost 10% of the total population), which belong to different rites and traditions. The Syrian land preserves the memory of primitive Christianity, being the theater of the first great apostolic mission, that of St. Paul and of St. Peter himself. The ancient capital of Antioch could have competed with Rome, as the primatial seat of the universal Church, after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans at the end of the first century. The tradition of the "Syrian fathers" constitutes the true ancient Christian East, whereas Greeks and Latins were the two "Western" variants. It is the culture closest to the Semitic origins of Jesus and the apostles, today witnessed by Catholics and Orthodox, but also and above all by the most eastern rites of the Chaldeans, Jacobites, Armenians and others.

Among the many victims of the war of recent years between the so-called "Islamic State" and the various opposing powers (United States, France, Turkey, Russia), Christians are among those who have suffered most, ending up between the anvil of extremists and the hammer of the government. Their presence in the region is strongly at risk, so much so that it pushed the Orthodox patriarch of Moscow Kirill to accept the historic meeting with Pope Francis in Havana, in February 2016, precisely to join forces in defense of the Christians of Syria and Iraq. The disappearance of Christianity in Syria, in addition to the martyrdom of many, would in fact constitute an irreparable loss for the whole Christian world.

The Christians are not alone in their concern for the departure of thousands of US special forces soldiers, with the many artillery and territory control bodies. The main allies of the Americans, the Syrian Kurds, are now alone to face the possible invasion of the Turks, their historical adversaries. Moreover, Trump's decision is not accompanied by the pacification of the region, where there are pockets of terrorists led by the unknowable leader Al-Baghdadi.

The Americans, together with their allies, currently control a little more than a quarter of the Syrian territory, torn from ISIS in recent years, dividing it from the rest of the country by tacit agreement with Russia, the other power present in Syria. An agreement, moreover, that is rather precarious: not infrequently there were isolated conflicts between the "Americans" and the "Russians", even with episodes of armed conflict. Russia along with the Syrian government, which it supported, has repeatedly called for the withdrawal of American troops from the country, since "no one invited them". Americans have always responded that they were acting on the principle of self-defense, in the war against Islamic terrorism, annihilating anyone who tried to enter the territory controlled by them.

Trump's decision therefore seems to be a total transfer of control to Russia, even as the Kurdish allies are attempting a last assault on the Isis stronghold, between the Euphrates River and the Iranian border, where Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi himself is believed to be in hiding. Trump would have recognized the inability of the Americans to finish this job, leaving him in the hands of the Russians and the Syrians. In the north, the Turks are pressing, eager to take control of the Kurdish lands.

The Western allies, Europeans and Israel, immediately protested against the "retreat" announced by Trump, while the Kurdish representatives spoke of "stabbing in the back". Only the Turkish president Erdogan praised the American decision, taken immediately after a phone call between Trump and Erdogan himself. The British and French have announced that they will remain in the area until the final defeat of ISIS, but their contingents are too limited to hope to be able to dominate the situation, even if at least the support of the American airforce should remain.

The only possibility of avoiding a Turkish invasion of Kurdistan, in reality, would be the extension of the Russian protectorate to the entire Syrian territory, which has always been Putin's goal. This would sanction the centrality of Russia as a decisive superpower for the world balance, returning to the splendor of Soviet times. For international balances this could prove to be a big problem, but the Christians of Syria would certainly be grateful, willingly recognizing Russia as the title of "first global Christian power" , suspended between East and West.Last week, US President Donald Trump said that the US military no longer has a reason to stay in Syria, and Washington is starting to withdraw its troops from there. It's obvious now that the ISIS caliphate (banned in the Russian Federation) will never be established in the territory of Syria and Iraq. But what forced Washington to withdraw its troops? Who will gain the most from it? Columnist of Vestnik Kavkaza Mamikon Babayn believes that everyone wins.

It's expected that withdrawal of American troops will be carried out in two phases over the next two months, while employees of the US State Department hastily leave Syria. Keeping US troops in Syria costs an impressive amount of money - over $7 trillion. However, Syria's problems could have been avoided altogether if at one time Washington had not provided funds to pro-American opposition forces while trying to overthrow President Bashar Assad.

Further deployment of American forces in Suria is meaningless. Today, it's important for Washington to normalize its relations with countries of the Middle East region, which have become an important resource base for China. White House is trying to cut off Beijings energy security sources by trying to halt growing potential of China in the Middle East.

Before introduction of the latest US sanctions against Tehran, up to 25% of oil supplied to China came from Iran. The main goal of the United States in Iran is not to stop implementation of its nuclear program, but to replace current leadership with more flexible and loyal regime in relation to the West and American presence in the Middle East. Washington can support its allies in the region by selling its modern weapons to them. Washington is quite happy with return to pre-war military-strategic positions in the Middle East - Pentagon can limit itself to military presence at its Middle East bases in Qatar and Bahrain. American forces concentrated there can quickly participate in military operations throughout the region.

Obviously, grandiose plan of the United States to change the Middle Eastern borders failed, because Syrian leadership had enough strength to hold on against terrorists for several years, and at a critical moment Russia provided its support. Opposition forces, including military Kurdish groups, didn't become what the United States hoped they would.

After withdrawal of the United States from Syria, forces of Russia, Turkey and Iran will remain there, and they will have to help complete consolidation of Syrian society, form new constitution of Syria, as well as resolve local conflicts.

Withdrawal of the US troops may contribute to normalization of dialogue between Washington and Ankara. Turkey has become Russia's closest partner in the Middle East over the past two years. Ankara is interested in buying Russian strategic weapons, and, perhaps, their cooperation will results in purchase of not just S-400 systems. Two countries are implementing large-scale joint energy projects, such as the Akkuyu nuclear power plant and the Turkish Stream.

Situation in the region has led to the fact that Turkey turned from reliable ally for the United States into a full-fledged geopolitical rival, successfully participating in all Middle Eastern summits and forums, and the Astana format is a clear confirmation of this.

Turkey is the most important player and military ally in the Middle East for Americans, so the US State Department will soon approve sale of the latest American weapons to Ankara, thereby contributing to decline of anti-American sentiments in the country.

Despite financial losses, America withdraws its troops from huge territory of Syria to the east of the Euphrates, and this territory has three quarters of all oil and gas fields in Syria. Washington can redistribute financial flows, stop arming the Kurds, and simply sponsor "moderate opposition."

Withdrawal of American troops doesn't mean that airstrikes of the international coalition will stop, and there will still be American military advisers in Syria. History of the United States has many examples of times when Washington could afford to influence course of events in various states without actual presence there: like wars in Angola (1975-2002) and in Afghanistan (1979-1989). At that time, American military instructors trained soldiers in camps in Pakistan, explaining in detail how to combat Soviet troops.A mechanic who lost his arm in a motorbike accident 36 years ago is set to ride again after replacing his limb with one from an old mannequin in a clothes shop.

Steve Robinson, 55, discovered the fully-jointed wooden arm on a display model while browsing through a Hawes and Curtis suit store last month.

The motivational speaker had previously received two prosthetic arms from the NHS but found both of them 'uncomfortable'.

Seeing the potential in the wooden limb, he begged the store to sell him the display model, which the store manager finally agreed to part with for 69.

Steve Robinson discovered the fully-jointed wooden arm on a display model while browsing through a Hawes and Curtis suit store last month

The keen engineer fixed the arm onto a vest and also created a specially-designed hand that allows him to grip onto the handlebar of his motorbike (shown)

Mr Robinson was injured in 1982 when he collided with another motorcyclist and ripped his right arm from his shoulder socket

Mr Robinson, from Leeds, has been a keen motorcyclist since we was a teen (pictured)

The keen engineer then fixed the arm onto a vest and also created a specially-designed hand that allows him to grip onto the handlebar of his motorbike.

He said: 'When I saw these jointed arms in the shop, I thought they were amazing and I knew I could use them to change my life.

'No matter what they cost - whether it was 40 or 400 - I knew I was going to find a way to buy them.

'It was a spur of the moment decision but I realised I could make a new arm and use it to get on my bike again for the first time in over 30 years.

'People are always surprised I make my own arm but the surprising thing to me is other people don't create their own arms or legs.'

Mr Robinson was injured in 1982 when he collided with another motorcyclist and ripped his right arm from his shoulder socket.

Prior to his accident, Mr Robinson had restored motorbikes, cars and jukeboxes and was able to adapt a newly-purchased motorbike to fit his DIY prosthetic.

Speaking about the first time he got back on a bike, Mr Robinson said: 'I was scared when I took my first ride.

The motivational speaker (pictured as a teen, left) had previously received two prosthetic arms from the NHS but found both of them 'uncomfortable'

Prior to his accident, Mr Robinson had restored motorbikes, cars and jukeboxes and was able to adapt a newly-purchased motorbike to fit his DIY prosthetic

HOW DOES THIS PROSTHETIC ARM WORK? Mr Robinson's fully-jointed wooden arm that he bought from a clothes shop works in a similar way to other, more conventional prosthetics. Existing prosthetic arms can be controlled electronically, and rely on a patient twitching the muscles in the stump of their damaged arms. Scientific advances in recent years have even opened up the possibility of having prosthetic limbs that can be controlled by the brain. The exact details of how Mr Robinson's wooden arm works are currently unclear. However, it is likely to be controlled by at least some body power. Ottobock, a manufacturer of prosthetic limbs, say such prostheses rely on using a harness with cables - operated using other, larger muscles - to move the limb. Or, Mr Robinsons prosthetic could have been adapted by specialists to contain an electrical power unit that works alongside his body power. Advertisement

'The last time I was on a bike, I had my arm ripped off and I didn't think I would ever be able to ride again.

'I only rode around a local car park but instantly I forgot what happened in my accident and felt so much excitement to be back riding again.'

Mr Robinson has continued to restore jukeboxes and other vintage pieces from his home since his accident, where he also created the new wooden right arm.

He said: 'I didn't have a design in mind, or really know how I was going to make the arm.

'The shop owners thought it was a pretty odd request but I knew I wanted them because I was determined to ride again.

'I made a unique connection bar between the arm and my shoulder which allows the arm to disconnect if I am in a dangerous situation on the bike again.'

He added: 'The arm was more of a challenge because I had never done anything like that before.

'Once I finished, I tested the bike up and down the driveway. I was frightened at first because to test the bike properly I had to do five or six laps to get used to riding again.

'I had to go off the driveway and into a car park to change gears. I was scared because I didn't know if the new arm, or if the brakes would even work.

'But once I got used to it again, it felt natural.'

Mr Robinson, from Leeds in West Yorkshire, became UK's first one-armed pilot in 2015.

During a lesson, the NHS prosthetic arm came off mid-air which led him to create a homemade arm out of fibreglass and aluminium he could use to fly.

He said: 'I had to wait a year for the NHS to make another arm after the first one came off.

'The second one I got was very uncomfortable to wear so I made my own out of fibreglass and aluminium which is probably worth about 50.

'Waiting for another arm through the NHS delayed the completion of my flying course; I ended up getting my licence after three years.'A 32-year-old man has been arrested at Luton Airport on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts, Scotland Yard has said.

Police say the man, who was arrested after landing on an inbound flight to London, was taken into custody over Syria-related offences and not for any offences at the airport.

The man has been taken to a police station in the Bedfordshire area and remains in custody.

A 32-year-old man has been arrested at Luton Airport on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts, Scotland Yard said. Police say the arrest is Syria-related and not related to any offence at the airport

A Met Police spokesperson said: 'At approximately 20:30hrs on Thursday, 27 December, officers from the Mets Counter Terrorism Command arrested a 32-year-old man after he arrived at Luton Airport on an inbound flight.

'He was arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts, contrary to Section 5 Terrorism Act 2006 and has been detained under PACE.

'He was taken to a police station in the Bedfordshire area where he remains in custody.

'The investigation is being conducted by detectives from the Mets Counter Terrorism Command.

'The arrest is Syria-related and not related to any offences at the airport. Enquiries continue.'Aram Kurd gave interviews to media outlets describing how he was lucky to escape the shop explosion in Leicester in February

A shopkeeper who helped cause a huge shop explosion which killed five people in a botched 300,000 insurance scam lied about escaping from the 'hellish' blaze just hours after it took hold.

Store owner Aram Kurd, 33, is facing life in jail after being convicted of murder along with Arkan Ali, 37, and Hawkar Hassan, 32, following a five-week trial.

The devastating blast obliterated the Zabka Polish supermarket in Leicester, killing a mother and her two sons, as well as one of the teenager's girlfriends.

The gang even left their co-conspirator, Viktorija Ljevleva, 22, who worked in the shop to die in the blaze, while brazen Kurd shamelessly gave TV interviews describing how he was lucky to escape the explosion.

Kurd said shortly after the blaze on February 25: 'I couldn't breathe. Everywhere I could see fire, like I was inside hell. It was a big noise. I found myself going up and then to the floor.

'For two or three minutes I couldn't feel anything. I was shouting 'Viktorija, Viktorija'. I can't believe what has happened. I don't know how I survived. For some reason God has decided to keep me alive. I know I am extremely lucky.'

Kurd, pictured in a witness interview, has now been convicted of murder after the fire

(From left) Hawkar Hassan, Arkan Ali and Aram Kurd who caused a huge shop explosion which killed five people in a botched 300,000 insurance scam have been found guilty of murder

Mary Rajoobeer (centre) and two of her sons, Sean (left) and Shane (right), were killed

Viktorija Ljevleva (left) and Shane's girlfriend, Leah Reek (right, pictured together), also died

A court heard the scheming trio callously caused the explosion by dousing the shop in 'many, many litres of petrol' which sent a fireball tearing through the building.

Care worker Mary Ragoobeer, 46, and her two sons Shane, 18, and Sean, 17, perished in the inferno at their two-storey flat above the store.

Leah Beth Reek, 18, from Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, who was Shane's girlfriend, and Ms Ljevleva, from Oldham, were also killed.

Ali, Kurd and Hassan were convicted of five counts of murder as well as conspiracy to commit fraud after a jury deliberated for 11 hours and 20 minutes.

The jury was previously told the men caused the massive blast 'out of greed' so they could fork in hundreds of thousands of pounds from a bogus insurance claim

A court artist's sketch of (from left) Hussan, Ali and Kurd in the dock at Leicester Crown Court

Molly Reek pays tribute to her late sister Leah outside Leicester Crown Court today

The three men showed no emotion in the dock at Leicester Crown Court while the verdicts were read out.

Timeline of the callous shop explosion plot Late January: Viktorija Ljevleva and Arkan Ali visit an insurance brokers in Oldham but fail to get the shop cover Early February: Along with Hawkar Hassan, they visit another insurance company in Oldham - returning five days later to finalise their cover February 21: Ms Ljevleva and Ali drive to Leicester and they inspect rubbish in the rear yard. Ali moves a CCTV camera away from the basement steps. They are then caught on camera buying smoke alarms from B&Q and white spirit from a Wilko store. February 23: Ali, Hassan and Ms Ljevleva set off from Coventry towards Leicester, stopping at a petrol station where Hassan filled up a container with 26 litres of unleaded petrol. The car they were driving was a diesel February 25 afternoon: Ms Ijevleva walks to the supermarket and is in mobile phone contact with Ali, Hassan and Kurd who are in the city centre. 6.10pm: Kurd rejoins Ms Ijevleva in the shop, and Ali and Hassan are seen in the local area, waiting for darkness 6.30pm: Ali walks towards the back of the supermarket 7pm: Cameras pick up Ali leaving the rear of the shop, where someone had lowered the shutters at the entrance 7.10pm: The petrol is ignited, causing the explosion and fire which killed five Today: Kurd, Ali and Hassan are convicted at court of murder and plotting to claim insurance payout January 18: Trio due to be sentenced Advertisement

Family members of the victims wept in the public gallery, while outside court Ms Reek's sister Molly described the victim as 'beautiful' and said: 'A light went out of our world on that terrible night, and it is so difficult to put into words how much we miss Leah.'

The jury was previously told the men caused the massive blast 'out of greed' so they could fork in hundreds of thousands of pounds from a bogus insurance claim.

It was claimed they were fully aware that Ms Ljevleva, who was in on the scam, would perish in the explosion but let her die anyway as 'she knew too much'.

The three men had previously claimed for loss of stock, contents and future loss of business before the explosion took place.

Scotty Ragoobeer, 15-year-old brother of Shane and Sean, was rescued from the rubble and survived. Passerby Thomas Lindop, 56, was also seriously injured.

CCTV and traffic camera footage released by police at the end of the trial shows people escaping from a nearby takeaway moments after the explosion, and rubble being blasted into the roadway as cars pass by.

Footage recovered by police from a neighbouring business showed Ali in shot three days before the blast - moments before the camera angle was moved.

Further images from the same CCTV unit a day before the fire showed a gloved hand moving the camera angle again - at a time when all three defendants were nearby.

Kurd was also recorded on a security camera as he escaped from the scene at the rear of the shop.

Ali, Hassan and Ms Ljevleva bought 26.6 litres of unleaded from a petrol station the day before the blast.

The devastating blast obliterated the Zabka Polish supermarket in Leicester on February 25

The three men had previously claimed for loss of stock, contents and future loss of business before the explosion took place

CCTV shows people escaping from a nearby takeaway moments after the explosion

CCTV footage released by police shows rubble being blasted into the roadway as cars pass by

Ali and Ms Ljevleva also purchased smoke alarms from B&Q and four litres of white spirit from Wilko.

During the trial, David Herbert QC, prosecuting, said the blast was so loud that people living near by thought that a bomb had gone off.

He added that it 'did not bother these defendants one bit' that a family were in the flat enjoying their Sunday evening.

He said: 'It was an explosion caused by many, many litres of petrol. It was deliberate.

Kurd (circled) was recorded on a camera as he escaped from the scene at the rear of the shop

Hassan fills a petrol can. Around 26 litres of petrol was used to start the fire in the basement

CCTV also captured Hassan paying in cash for the petrol, which triggered a massive explosion

'It was a plan to profit from a false insurance claim for loss of stock, contents and future loss of business from the shop that was on the ground floor.

'Evidence indicates that had the crime been successful the insurance claim would have been in the region of 300,000.

'In part it boils down to greed. It is a case of murder.'

High Court judge Mr Justice Holgate remanded all three men in custody until sentencing in mid-January.

After the case, Detective Chief Inspector Michelle Keen, of Leicesteshire Police, said: 'The people responsible for carrying out this financially-motivated atrocity will now feel the full weight of justice.

Kurd (pictured after the blast) intended to claim against an over-inflated insurance policy

The Zabka Polish supermarket, which was destroyed, is pictured prior to the explosion

'Their crimes have caused unspeakable grief to the families of those killed and injured, and brought utter chaos and devastation to the many residents and businesses of Leicester's Hinckley Road.

'I praise the community which responded so bravely, sensitively, and calmly to the horror of that night.

'I praise all the emergency services, hospital staff, paramedics, city council, and voluntary and other community groups who helped respond to the tragedy with such fortitude, conviction and professionalism.

'I praise my investigation team, whose determination to bring those responsible to justice was unstinting.

'And my heart goes out to the families and friends of all those who died and were injured in the blast and subsequent fire that night. I hope that they can take some small solace from the outcome of these judicial proceedings..'

'A light went out of our world': Families pay tribute to blast victims

The family of Leah Reek, who was killed in the explosion in February, have today released the following statement in tribute to her memory. Her parents, Jo and John, and sister Molly, said: Leah Reek, 18 'Where do we begin? 'We have been asked to try and explain the impact on our lives after losing Leah in such horrific circumstances. The light went out of our world on that terrible night, no parent should ever have to arrange a funeral for their child. It is so difficult to put into words how much we miss Leah. She was an amazing inspirational young lady who had only turned 18 last July. She was just starting out on her life adventure. 'In her 18 too short but wonderful years, she made a lasting impression on everyone lucky enough to know her. She was beautiful inside and out and she truly shone when she entered a room. 'She was never aware of the impact she had on so many people just by smiling at them. We will always miss that smile, her laughter and those beautiful curls. She had such a mischievous sense of humour and could always find something to laugh about. Her happy outlook on life was contagious. 'She was so excited to be starting her university course in September after receiving an unconditional offer for Adult Nursing. She was proud and happy that she had found a vocation that suited her caring and compassionate ways. She volunteered at LOROS and was determined to become a palliative care nurse. 'We used to joke that we would have 'Leah' lessons upon her return from the hospice which inspired her so much. She told us about how important it was to face death. Everybody dies she said, you just have to make it the best journey you can for the patients and families. She even tried to explain to us about grief, how the colour goes out of life for a while and eventually returns. Well, the colour and Leah's bright light has certainly left our world. 'Leah was very aware of others and insisted on joining the family in giving blood as soon as she was able. She also carried an organ donation card. We were all so proud of our precious girl. She was such a kind girl who had a wide varied circle of friends. She was always ready to listen and give her very honest opinion - a trait which we so admired. 'She was always true to herself and was a great judge of character, even if it meant sometimes not going with the easy option. She had a strong sense of right and wrong and a knack of reaching out to people if she saw them struggling or alone. She was wise beyond her years and could talk to anyone, making them feel at ease and comfortable. She was a total one off who had charisma and an enthusiasm for life. Jose Ragoobeer, the husband of Mary, and father of Shane and Sean who were killed in the explosion in February, has today released the following statement in tribute to his family: Sean, 17, Mary, 46, and Shane Rajoobeer, 18 'I came to England in June 2004. Mary and the boys came over in July 2006. I was working in a care home in Radlett and part-time at the Abbey Lodge in London Colney, whereas Mary worked for the Westminster Diocese in London Colney. The boys attended the St Bernadette Catholic School. Shane later went to Nicolas Breakspears. 'We moved to Leicester in 2011. Shane and Sean attended the New College in Glenfield Road while they were on the waiting list for a place at the English Martyrs in Anstey Lane. They were both happy to have joined English Martyrs and did not find it difficult to integrate because they were warmly welcomed by everyone at the school. I started to work all weekends to keep up with the rent and the bills whereas Mary dealt with the shopping and all the boys' clothes and other household things. We were married for 22 years and have known each other for 28 years. 'Mary was a hard-working, loving mother and wife who was devoted to her family. She had two jobs so she could look after the boys to make sure that they had everything they needed. She always made sure that the boys had the latest gear including football kits for the teams they supported. 'Shane was a good person and loving son who was always willing to help family and friends. He was kind, caring and always respectful. Shane was a very keen Liverpool FC supporter. He also played football for local football teams, Aylestone and Quorn FC. Shane was in a relationship with a lovely girl called Leah. They were so happy together. Leah was a lovely girl who bought so much joy and happiness to our home. 'Sean was a good person and loving son who like Shane was always willing to help family and friends. He was looking forward to going to University and to study French and History. He was hard working and had a part-time newspaper round. He also loved football and was a keen Manchester United supporter. He was very close to my son Scotty and was much loved as was Shaun by all his friends and family. 'Every day they will all be missed by myself, Scotty and our family and friends. Our lives will never be the same. What happened has affected so many people's lives. I would like to thank everyone that has helped myself, Scotty and our family since our lives changed forever.

'We miss her terribly, every second of every day we carry the pain of losing Leah. She has left a Leah shaped hole in our hearts that nothing will ever fill. She was too special for anyone that didn't know her to fully understand the impact her death has had on so many. We are broken. She simply stood out. We feel empty and desperately sad that we have been robbed of such a free spirit who loved wearing her leopard clothes. She was a typical teenager living and loving her life as she should have done.

'We know Leah worshipped Shane and they adored each other when they were taken from this world. We are so grateful to the Ragoobeer family for making Leah so welcome, she loved being there and knowing she was always happy there, gives us some comfort.

'Leah's death has not just left us heartbroken, but it has had such a ripple effect on so many; friends, family and the Ragoobeers. Our village Asfordby and local town Melton Mowbray have given us such amazing support and shown such kindness in our dark time. We are truly grateful.

'Leah was a very rare find, a genuine diamond who shone so brightly and made such a difference in society. It makes us angry and breaks our heart that we will never get the chance to see Leah reach her true potential in life. We will never see her proudly graduate to become a nurse or follow her dreams, get married or have children. All of this has been taken away from us and Leah.

'We only have our precious happy memories which no one can ever take away from us. We feel truly blessed that Leah left us with an amazing legacy of love which we will treasure. We will try to make her proud until we meet with her again.

'Leah, we will always love you and the world was definitely a brighter, happier place with you in it. Love you forever, Mum, Dad, Mol and the family circle xxx'

Leicester shop blast killers 'were motivated by purely financial greed and personal gain' A trio of killers who lit 26 litres of petrol in the basement of a shop to benefit from a 300,000 pay-out were motivated purely by greed. Arkan Ali, Hawkar Hassan and Aram Kurd intended to claim against an over-inflated insurance policy on the Polish supermarket on Hinckley Road in Leicester after the devastating explosion. The investigation into the men led police to trawl through over 700 hours of CCTV footage, and examined more than 2,500 exhibits, 1,000 witness statements and 4,000 different lines of inquiry. Leicestershire Police said shopkeeper Kurd, who gave an account to the media after the blast, 'probably felt there was a need' to tell his story in a deceitful bid to cover his tracks. Emergency services at the scene of the explosion in Leicester in February this year Speaking of the explosion itself, Detective Chief Inspector Michelle Keen, who led the investigation, said: 'The evidence we have identified is that this was a significant amount of petrol - significant such that it caused that level of devastation and five people lost their lives.' Describing the CCTV evidence, Ms Keen continued: 'We know there were acts of planning - we don't know whether they knew about the cameras. 'Certainly some cameras were moved in an attempt to avoid detection but we will never truly know what was in their mind as they haven't told us.' Asked about Kurd's accounts to the media, Ms Keen said: 'Clearly, at the outset, the devastation was such that it was unknown as to what the cause was. 'There were a number of possibilities - one of those was a criminal act, but in those early stages we really didn't know what caused it. 'As part of that a number of people were spoken to, and certainly at the scene he (Kurd) was spoken to as a witness and obviously, at that time, he also gave an account to the media as well.' Ms Keen added: 'It was clearly deceitful and a bid to almost cover up what had actually gone on and what his knowledge and involvement was.' Addressing why Kurd chose to speak to the media after the explosion, Ms Keen said: 'There's probably a curiosity as to where the investigation is going and what we know. 'Also, social media and the media is so much more high profile and available that he probably felt like there was a need to put some sort of account across in some way to portray their innocence at an early stage.' Speaking of the motive behind the killings, Ms Keen said: 'The motive would seem to be purely financial greed and personal gain. 'The intention was to claim against an over-inflated insurance policy for business interruption and contents. 'There was significant investment into the shop's set-up and it is evident that it wasn't as profitable as expected. This led to the subsequent fire and explosion.' When asked about victim Viktorija Ljevleva's involvement in the insurance claim, Ms Keen continued: 'Of course, Viktoria sadly lost her life as a result of this incident so we are unable to understand exactly her full knowledge of what was to come. 'And, the fact is, she is unable to be complicit in her own murder.' Advertisement

Tragic Leicester owner helped father whose wife and sons died in the blast

A heartbroken father whose wife and two sons were killed in the Leicester explosion told how the late Leicester FC helped him through his own darkest hours.

Speaking after the death of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha in a helicopter crash outside the King Power Stadium in October, Jose Ragoobeer delivered a tearful tribute.

Mr Ragoobeer's wife Mary, 46, and two sons Shane, 18, and Sean, 17, were killed in the explosion in February, leaving him devastated.

Jose Ragoobeer (left, outside Leicester Crown Court today) was supported by Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha (right), who later died in a helicopter crash in October

In the days that followed, Mr Srivaddhanaprabha, who died in a tragic helicopter crash moments after taking off from the city's home ground on Saturday, offered the family help.

And Mr Ragoobeer told ITV: 'I recently lost my wife and sons in a fire and they have been good to me

'They've been very supportive. They even gave me the hall for the wake and this is a big shock for me.'Aaron Pix (center) and his kids Will and Sophie

A father-of-two became seriously ill after coming into contact with the world's deadliest marine animal on a Christmas Eve trip to the beach in Australia.

Aaron Pix, 42, was rushed to hospital for treatment after a blue-ringed octopus was found in his pocket - having crawled out of a shell given to him by his 11-year-old daughter Sophie.

Perth youngster Sophie was swimming at a on Western Australia's south-west coast with her younger brother Will, seven, on Monday when she found the shell.

She decided to keep the shell and gave it to her dad Aaron who put it in his pocket.

Mr Pix didn't discover the octopus until he was cleaning out the shell when they returned home from the beach.

He became unwell and was rushed to hospital after his leg came in contact with the tentacles of the world's most venomous marine animal hidden inside his pocket.

'Sophie had picked up this shell and was swimming with it and in so many ways this could have turned out to be disastrous,' Mr Pix told Perth Now.

Mr Pix was given the shell by daughter Sophie, 11, and put it in his pocket. Pictured: The deadly octopus in the pocket of his swimming trunks

'It is pretty scary to think I could have been bitten and died in front of my kids on Christmas Eve.

Mr Pix spent three hours under observation in hospital before he was given the all clear.

He regards himself as very lucky.

'It makes you think there must be more of them out there and it's the sheer lack of awareness that worries me now,' he told Perth Now.

Mr Pix's terrifying ordeal follows a spate of incidents involving blue-ringed octopuses in Western Australia in recent weeks.

Daughter Sophie found the shell (pictured) on the beach in Western Australia but had no idea there were octopuses hiding within

The latest incident has prompted beachgoers to be vigilant.

Found in tide pools and coral reefs, blue-ringed octopuses can be identified by their yellowish skin and characteristic blue and black rings that change color dramatically when threatened.

They are relatively docile but they are dangerous to humans if provoked and handled because of their deadly venom.

One bite can produce enough enough venom to kill 26 people and are often painless, with many victims not realising they have been bitten until they are struck down with paralysis.

Pictured: the Octopus after it was removed from Mr Pix's skin following a trip to hospitalThis is the adorable moment a toddler walks up to every mannequin in a shop to shake hands.

Kassandra Dela Cruz, two, greeted every clothes dummy inside a mall in Taguig City, the Philippines on December 23.

In the footage, she also performs the pagmamano honouring gesture, the Filipino custom of placing the forehead into an older person's hands to show respect and ask for their blessing.

Proud mother Marvie, a bank clerk, said: 'Her father is a soldier and he taught her how important it is to show respect to elders, but we were surprised to see her do that to mannequins.

'She's so polite. It's really cute. Everybody has said how adorable and well mannered she is in the video.'

Kassandra walks through the shop with her parents trailing behind her.

Adorable Kassandra Dela Cruz, two, shakes hands with every mannequin she comes across in the footage

She also performs a Filipino honouring gesture and places her forehead onto an older person's hands to show respect

A woman, thought to be her mother, is recorded the little girl as she stops to greet every mannequin she passes.

The woman giggles as she films the little girl, who stops three times to greet mannequins.

A male voice, thought to be the girl's father, also speaks and appears to be giving Kassandra instructions.A journalist has died after setting himself on fire in Tunisia over the country's economic difficulties, sparking days of protests across the nation.

Abderrazak Zorgui, 32, set himself ablaze this week in the town of Kasserine, in west central Tunisia, after filming a shocking last message just moments before the self-immolation took place.

Protesters clashed with police for a third consecutive night in Tunisia after a journalist set himself on fire and died this week to denounce the economic problems engulfing the North African nation.

Journalist Abderrazak Zorgui, 32, (pictured) filmed his final moments before he set himself on fire this week

People take cover from tear gas grenades during clashes following prtoests in Kasserine on Tuesday, where Zorgui's self immolation took place

National Guard spokesman Housameddine Jebabli said Thursday that protests took place in six different towns including Kasserine and several policemen had been injured in the clashes.

Interior Ministry spokesman Sofiane Zaag said 14 people were arrested overnight, in addition to the 18 arrests announced Wednesday.

Protests started after Zorgui posted a video online before his self-immolation describing his desperation and calling for revolt.

'For our people who have no means of subsistence, today I start a revolution,' Zorgui said in his final moments on camera.

'Whoever wishes to support me will be welcome. I am going to protest alone. I am going to set myself on fire and if at least one person gets a job thanks to me, I will be satisfied.'

He expressed frustration at the country's high unemployment and the unfulfilled promises of Tunisia's 2011 Arab Spring revolution.

Tunisian policemen fire teargas towards protesters during a demonstration on December 25

Zorgi, 32, died from his wounds after setting himself on fire on Monday due to unemployment and the worsening economic situation in Tunisia

A similar self-immolation, by a street vendor lamenting unemployment, corruption and repression, led to nationwide protests fueled by social media that brought down Tunisia's long-time authoritarian president in 2011.

That ushered in democracy for Tunisia and unleashed similar movements around the Arab world.

Tunisia's journalists union has called for a general strike on Jan. 14 to mark the eighth anniversary of the revolution, and to protest the 'deplorable condition' of media workers in the country.

Meanwhile, local authorities in Kasserine said another individual who threatened to kill himself was arrested by police on Thursday.

Six police officers have been injured and several protesters arrested after violent protests across the countryA woman whose 100ft trees left her neighbours feeling 'depressed and imprisoned' in their own home has won a battle to avoid having to cut them down.

Susan Rhodes has been locked in a dispute with Ian Walker for more than five years over massive trees on her property, which are said to block natural light from entering through the upper floor windows.

Mr Walker - who has complained the trees left him feeling 'depressed' - occupies the upper floor of a Victorian villa while Miss Rhodes owns the ground floor.

A woman whose 100ft trees left her neighbours feeling 'depressed and imprisoned' in their own home has won a battle to avoid having to cut them down. Susan Rhodes was told by Dundee council to trim her trees previously after Ian Walker complained, however the ruling has been quashed (pictured in 2012)

Mr Walker had used high hedge legislation to force his neighbour to take action after several attempts at resolving the issue failed.

Dundee City Council agreed and ordered the trees be chopped down to 23ft but Miss Rhodes appealed the ruling to the Scottish Government insisting the trees did not form a barrier to light and do not affect the Walkers' property.

However, government reporter Sue Bell has now quashed the council's ruling and said the trees do not apply to high hedge laws.

In a written judgment, Miss Bell said: 'I consider that the trees/ shrubs should be considered as individual specimens and not as constituent parts of a hedge.

'I viewed the effect of the trees on light levels entering the southern-facing windows.

'The upper parts of some of the trees were clearly visible opposite the windows, and given the southern aspect of the window, would act to block direct sunlight and reduce light levels.

Susan Rhodes has been locked in a dispute with Ian Walker for more than five years over massive trees on her property, which are said to block natural light from entering through the upper floor windows

'However, the obstructions were caused by the canopies of individual trees and there were significant gaps between the canopies of each tree opposite the windows reducing the overall effect as a barrier to light.

'The purpose of the High Hedges (Scotland) Act 2013 is to enable the control of hedges, and not for the management of individual over-large trees or shrubs.

'When considered in their totality, I conclude that for the reasons set out above, the trees/shrubs do not meet the definition of a hedge, as set out within the High Hedges (Scotland) Act 2013.

Government reporter Sue Bell has now quashed the council's ruling and said the trees do not apply to high hedge laws

'That being the case, I quash the High Hedge Notice issued by the City of Dundee Council and do not need to consider the other grounds of appeal further.'

Mr Walker had earlier complained the trees left him and his wife feeling 'depressed'.

He said: 'My wife and I have lived in our upper storey flat for 35 years and are depressed and saddened by the deteriorating circumstances of our living conditions.

'This high hedge acts as a barrier, blocking natural light as we are acutely aware of our front rooms darkening yearly.

'The trees are 20-30 metres high, positioned close to the house, of considerable spread and still growing.'

He had also claimed the trees posed a safety risk, adding: 'The height and closeness of these trees adds to a claustrophobic feeling of being imprisoned and takes away from being at ease in our own home.

'This loss of a sense of openness is added to by the outlook from our windows being so restricted.'

High hedge laws were designed to address disputes between neighbours.

Common complaints include lack of sunlight, dampness and claims tall trees are dangerous.Wayne Davies (pictured above) began harassing Joleyn Ireland when their relationship ended

A company director left his ex-girlfriend living in fear of him after he began harassing her when they broke up, a court heard.

Wayne Davies had previously paid for Joleyn Ireland to have her hair and nails done for a birthday present.

However on the day of the appointment the 52-year-old turned up outside the salon and demanded that she pay him the money back.

Tameside Magistrates' Court heard that Davies had felt he had been used for his money, but that he now realises the relationship is over.

Over a five day period Davies, who runs an alloy and titanium supplies firm near Oldham, Greater Manchester, would turn up at the post office and same shops as mother-of-two Miss Ireland.

He also turned up at her workplace, repeatedly drove past her beeping the horn of his car and waving and texted her to say: 'Your hair looks nice - keep smiling.'

Police were called after Miss Ireland - who is in her 40s claimed she found Davies' behaviour 'frightening' and said she was 'scared to walk anywhere in case he drives past.'

Davies later told officers he had been trying to get back with her.

Wayne Davies (left) pictured with ex-girlfriend Joleyn Ireland during their relationship

Joleyn Ireland (pictured above) is believed to work at a launderette

At Tameside magistrates court Davies from Royton, who takes home 1,900 a month from his business admitted harassment but claimed he had also paid for Miss Ireland and her mother to have spa day in Wales.

The reason for the couple's break up is unknown. The court heard the pair began dating in January 2018 but broke up last November 2.

Prosecutor Irene Rogers said: 'He had not taken it well. He continued to contact her text, call and email, and would turn up at her address and workplace. She told him to leave her alone but he still continued after that, texting her and trying to get back with her. He said he wanted her back and thought he was being nice and supporting her.

Wayne Davies (left) had previously paid for Joleyn Ireland (right) to have her hair and nails done for a birthday present

'He was paying for things for her like a hair appointment and drinks at the pub. She wanted nothing more to do with him. On 6th she attended a hair appointment that he had previously booked for her birthday but he turned up and wanted his money back for it.

'The manager of the hairdressers said he had been out there since 8:30 that morning. Miss Ireland went out to give him his money, and he left. But at 11:30am she walked across to the post office and he was there. He texted her after saying her hair was nice, and to keep smiling.

'She was in the pub that evening and he came in, bought a drink and sat down with her. She told him he had his money and she just wanted to be alone with her friend. But on the 7th she was with her daughter shopping and he drove past, and beeped and waved at her. He waved at her on a few days and would text her after. He was always in places she was.

Wayne Davies (right) said he had previously paid for a spa day for Joleyn Ireland (left) and her mother

'On 9th she finished work and en route home she saw him drive past a couple of times within a few minutes, she thought he was following her.

'On 14th she saw him again and he beeped his horn. She just wants this over now and doesn't want to be with him again. It was too much of a coincidence to see him that often so she told the police and he still continued to turn up at the post office and shops when she was there.

'She ignored his texts about meeting up. She wants a restraining order. He is of previous good character.

Joleyn Ireland (pictured above) had told Wayne Davies that the relationship was over

'He told the police he just wanted the relationship back again. He said they had broken up before and got back together, I think he realises it is now over. He said it was good in the beginning but things were coming to an end in November.

'He didn't do anything threatening but it was just getting out of hand. Miss Ireland found his behaviour frightening. She said he drove past her but he just didn't listen. She is scared to walk anywhere in case he drives past.'

Davies was conditionally discharged for 18 months and ordered to pay 105 in court costs. He was banned from contacting Miss Ireland, who is believed to work in a laundrette, for 18 months under the terms of a restraining order.

The reason for the split between Joleyn Ireland (left) and Wayne Davies (right) was unknown

His lawyer Greg Kemp said: 'He is a man of good character who is still confused as to why he is here. The relationship started in January 2018 and was very enjoyable. On two occasions they broke up but they got back together.

'He believed they did not finish on 2nd or 3rd November as he paid for her to get her nails done on one day, and took her and her mum on a spa day in Wales on the other - both of which he paid for. He doesn't know why or when it ended.

'He felt he may have been used for his money, but he did also want the relationship to continue. He didn't know where he stood. She did say it was over but he wanted to know why. There were no threats or insults. He may have made her feel uncomfortable but not threatened.

'He has not been out of his house since he was charged, as his bail conditions said he could not be within 100m of where she was, so he couldn't go to the shops or pub just in case. He earns 1900 take home a month. He feels very embarrassed to come to court and won't find himself before the court again.'This afternoon Home Secretary Sajid Javid declared the growing number of migrant Channel crossings a 'major incident' and broached the possibility of recalling British cutters from the Mediterranean to deal with the crisis.

His intervention came after 12 more migrants were rescued in two separate incidents from small boats earlier today after they were intercepted by Border Force.

Yesterday 34 migrants, in four different vessels, were picked up in the space of eight hours overnight trying to make the crossing from France to the UK.

The total number of people caught trying to come into the UK illegally over the Christmas period has now reached 89 - and 300 intercepted since the beginning of November.

Today at 3am the Coastguard received reports of a rigid hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) containing four people off the coast of Dover. A Border Force patrol boat was deployed and four men, three Iranian and one Syrian, were brought in to the port.

And at 9am the Maritime Intelligence Bureau were notified of a small boat with eight people on board. Border Force brought eight Iranian adult males to Dover. All the migrants have been given a medical assessment and transferred to immigration officials for interview.

Twelve boats carrying 89 migrants have been intercepted since Christmas Day. It is feared they are taking advantage of calm seas, a full moon, and reduced patrols over Christmas

Home Secretary Sajid Javid has faced calls to recall cutters from the Mediterranean - where they are helping with the migrant crisis flowing from North Africa - to patrol the Channel after it emerged only two cutters are available to Border Force and only one is actually in the waters between England and France.

Late this afternoon he declared the rising number of migrants attempting to cross the English Channel a 'major incident' and has asked for an urgent call with his French counterpart.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid has held a conference call with Border Force officials, Immigration Enforcement and the National Crime Agency

The Home Office said Mr Javid had 'taken control of the response to the rising number of migrants attempting to cross the Channel in small boats'.

It said there was 'concern that it is only a matter of time before people lose their lives'.

Mr Javid has held a conference call with Border Force officials, Immigration Enforcement and the National Crime Agency.

The department said: 'He has insisted the Home Office treat the situation as a major incident and has appointed a Gold Commander and asked for daily updates.

'The Home Secretary has also asked for an urgent call with his French counterpart over the weekend to reaffirm the continuing need for the UK and France to work closely together to tackle the problem.

'He has also commissioned detailed options from Border Force about the provision of additional vessels in the Channel, including another Border Force cutter, and whether this is likely to encourage more people to try and make the crossing rather than act as a deterrence.'

The flurry of Home Office activity came after Dover MP Charlie Elphicke said: 'Over the past two months we've seen an unprecedented number of migrants breaking into Britain on small craft. Around 200 have arrived on the Kent coast since the start of November.

'Yet we have just two cutters in operation to patrol more than 7,000 miles of coastline. It's no wonder more and more people are attempting this perilous crossing.

'That's why we must bring our Border Force cutters back from the Med now to tackle this crisis  before there is a tragedy in the English Channel. It's time to bring back our boats.'

And shadow foreign secretary Diane Abbott told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'It may be that we should be increasing the patrols', before adding the priority should be stopping people traffickers at source.

Yesterday it emerged that one one navy cutter was patrolling the Channel during the Christmas period, aided by two smaller boats

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's The World At One this lunchtime, Damian Collins, MP for Folkestone proposed 'going out and getting them at sea if we canunder maritime law we are required to bring them back to the nearest port.

'So what we should see really is much closer enforcement of the French coast so they are return to the French ports.

'But ideally effective police action to identify the gangs and stop the boats getting in the water in the first place.'

He added: 'We need to stop this happening. And one of the ways to stop this happening is to make it clear to the gangs they will be caught and face criminal action, and for the migrants themselves this isn't an easy way into the country.

'We need that deterrent in place to stop people being prepared to risk their lives, probably all the money they have got, to put their lives in the hands of people traffickers.'

'The most effective role these boats could play would be to spot these small craft much earlier in these journeys. If we spotted them when they were closer to the French coast, under maritime law they should be returned to the nearest safe port.'

He argued there was a relatively small number of landing spots and launch sites.

Damian Collins, MP for Folkestone, (left) said the priority should be to stop smuggling gangs getting boats in the water in the first place and Yvette Cooper MP, Chair of the Home Affairs Committee, (right) said it was crucial that the system for refugee family reunion was working properly so refugees did not risk their lives crossing winter waters

Timeline: 12 boats carrying 89 migrants have been intercepted in the last four days Dec 25, 2.40am: A group of eight migrants, including a young girl arrived in Folkestone. Dec 25, 5.50am: A Border Force cutter was sent to the Channel to intercept a dingy carrying seven men and one woman. Dec 25, 7.00am: Border Force officials spotted a dinghy off the coast of Deal, Kent shortly before 7am carrying 13 people including a child. Dec 25, 9.20am: Border Force officials were assisted by Maritime and Coastguard Agency officials in an incident in the Channel before 9.20am involving two people in a small boat travelling towards the UK. Dec 25: In another incident in French waters, nine migrants were rescued and are now in the UK after the engine of the vessel they were travelling in failed. Dec 26, 00.15am: The Home Office confirmed three people men were picked up from a small boat off the coast of Dover just after midnight.They claimed to be Iranian and had been rescued by French authorities and then handed over to Border Force agents. Dec 27, 00.30am: Nine Iranian migrants including three children, were detained near Battery Point near Sandgate in Kent after crossing the English Channel in a dinghy. Dec 27, 1.45am: French authorities stopped a boat contain 11 would-be migrants in a small boat off Sangatte and returned them to Boulogne. Dec 27, 8.30am: A small inflatable craft containing six adult male migrants was met by UK Border Force officers on Shakespeare Beach in Dover. Dec 27, 8.45am: Eight men in a dinghy off the coast of Dover were stopped by immigration officers. Dec 28, 3.00am: A Border Force patrol boat intercepted a dinghy off Dover and four men, three Iranian and one Syrian, were brought in to port. Dec 28, 9.00am: The Maritime Intelligence Bureau were notified of a small boat with eight people on board. Border Force, brought eight Iranian adult males to Dover. Advertisement

Yvette Cooper MP, Chair of the Home Affairs Committee, said: 'For families and children to end up in small boats in the Channel in the middle of winter is incredibly dangerous. There is a real risk of tragedy if urgent action isn't taken.

'We need to know what action the Home Office is taking, with the French government and other European governments, to prevent these perilous, illegal journeys, to ensure people seeking asylum can do so safely, that dangerous smuggling gangs are tackled, and that vulnerable people are protected.

'This means essential work through Europol and cross border policing and Europe wide cooperation cross border to ensure individuals have early access to asylum claims, as well as warmth and shelter this winter, and making sure the system for refugee family reunion is working properly so refugees don't end up risking their lives as the only way to re-join relatives in the UK.'

She said smuggling gangs had been active in migrant camps 'over many years' and called on more coordinated cross-border action to tackle them.

David Wood, former head of immigration enforcement, also warned lives would be lost unless policy was changed.

He said: 'We have to stop this or it will grow and grow. It will escalate. The answer is to return them to France as soon as they are picked up. 'As far as organised crime is concerned, [Home Office policy] has de-risked their business.

'They know they don't have to get right across the Channel and land, they can get half way across and the migrants will be taken the rest of the way.'

He told the Telegraph: 'Given that the immigrants travelled from France, it would not be unlawful if the French agreed. In theory, under the Dublin agreement, there are circumstances when immigrants can be returned to France even when landed in the UK.

Yesterday Immigration minister Caroline Nokes blamed illegal people smugglers for some of the recent dangerous crossings.

She added that British and French police were 'working together 24 hours a day' and the National Crime Agency (NCA) was working to 'stop people smuggling at source'.

The French Patrolman of Gendarmerie boat, the Athos, rescued 11 migrants 15 miles off Calais at 1.45am yesterday

Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott (file image) warned the Government there was a duty to help people stranded in the water

Nine Iranians, including three children, were found on a beach in Kent yesterday after crossing the world's busiest shipping lane in darkness in a 13ft dinghy.

Another 14 Iranian men were stopped in two boats near Dover, and French authorities intercepted another 11 people as they set out from Calais, where five needed treatment for hypothermia.

The boats have also been helped by calm seas and a full moon.

Shadow foreign secretary Diane Abbott told the Today programme the focus had to be on 'saving lives'.

She said: 'We need to stop them making the crossing in the first place.'

The shadow home secretary added: 'It may be that we should be increasing the patrols.

'But that's only a palliative. You have to stop making the crossing in the first place.

'And you have to recognise that once they're in British waters they're entitled to claim asylum.'



The migrants' dinghy was spotted by passenger ships in French waters around midnight

A migrant seized off a Channel boat yesterday is escorted through Dover by officials

A rib boat seized by officials earlier this month after it brought migrants across the Channel

Migrants are brought about a Navy boat by officials after being found in the Channel yesterday

The beach at Sandgate, where the migrants came ashore at around 2am this morning

Tim Loughton, a senior Tory MP on the Commons home affairs committee, last night said Home Office resources had been drained by Brexit preparations and fixing mistakes made with the Windrush generation.

He suggested that more coastguard cutters were needed to avoid 'the impression of being a soft touch again'.

Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes blamed people traffickers for some of the recent crossings

Immigration minister Caroline Nokes admitted the numbers were 'deeply concerning' and blamed organised gangs.

In yesterday's latest cases, five Iranian men, one woman, two boys and a girl were found on the beach at Sandgate, near Folkestone, in the early hours. Coastguards spotted their boat. The children were handed over to social services and the adults were transferred to immigration forces.

The Home Office failed to respond to questions from the Mail on whether there had been fewer Border Force patrols during the Christmas break.

As the full scale of the problem emerged, it was revealed that yesterday alone:

At around half past midnight, nine migrants including three children, were detained near Battery Point near Sandgate in Kent after crossing the English Channel in a dinghy.

At 1.45am French authorities stopped a boat contain 11 would-be migrants in a small boat off Sangatte in northern France, and returned the passengers to Boulogne.

At 8.30am a small inflatable craft containing six adult male migrants was met by UK Border Force officers on Shakespeare Beach in Dover.

And at 8.45 eight men in a dinghy off the coast of Dover were stopped by immigration officers.

RNLI Lifeboats were scrambled at 12.30am yesterday to reports that a small RIB (rigid-hulled inflatable boat) was in the water off the coast of Folkestone.

A coastguard helicopter from Lydd in Kent illuminated the scene by searchlight helping RNLI volunteers from Littlestone lifeboat station find the 13ft boat, which by the time they arrived was ashore at Sandgate, just west of Folkestone.

Charlie Davies, operations manager of RNLI Littlestone, told MailOnline that his crew found the dinghy on the beach, adding: 'The persons on the rib had gone ashore, and were apprehended by Border Force and Kent Police.'

Home Office confirmed they attended to nine Iranian migrants - five men, one woman, two boys, and one girl - who are being processed by immigration officials.

Each of the migrants have been given a medical assessment and transferred to immigration officials for interview - in the case of the adults - or into the care of social services.

Eleven migrants were rescued by French authorities in a small boat which was spotted by passenger ships in French waters off Calais around midnight.

The French coastal authority, the Maritime Prefecture of the English Channel and North Sea, said a Patrolman of Gendarmerie (PCG) boat, the Athos, was sent to rescue the migrants.

She located their semi-rigid boat 15 nautical miles north west of Calais.

The Athos recovered eleven adults - including five in a state of hypothermia - at 1:45am yesterday and returned all aboard to Boulogne for treatment and processing.

Each migrant has been given a medical assessment and transferred to immigration officials for interview.

Dover MP Charlie Elphicke demanded that authorities get a grip on the situation and increase patrols

Charlie Elphicke, Conservative MP for Dover, has demanded that authorities 'get a grip' on Christmas crossings asking why the National Crime Agency - often called Britain's FBI - did not seem to be more involved.

He said: 'With well over 100 migrants having broken into Britain in recent weeks the [Home Office and NCA] need urgently to explain what they are doing to put a stop to these crossings.

'This is an incredibly dangerous crossing to make in the middle of winter. Our volunteer lifeboat crews are being called out nearly every day.

'The British and French authorities must get a grip and find and stop the traffickers... before there is a tragedy.'

He added: 'It's time the Home Office took this problem more seriously and stepped up resources along the Kent coast  with more cutters and patrol craft.

'We need to see more investment in stronger borders, all the way along our coast.'

On Christmas Day French authorities intercepted this rubber dinghy (pictured) off the coast of Calais carrying nine migrants after the engine on their boat failed in a bid to cross the Channel

A total of 40 migrants were taken into custody by British officials on Christmas Day

It emerged last month that people smugglers are charging migrants up to 13,000 each to cross the Channel by dinghy.

One family of would-be asylum seekers was charged 40,000 for the dangerous night-time sea crossing.

So-called 'agents' have already charged families to reach the French coast. Many fly from Iran to countries such as Serbia or Turkey, before being smuggled across borders to make overland journeys across Europe.

People traffickers then demand a further fee to get them to British soil. Individuals pay as much as 13,300 a head (15,000 euros) to board rubber dinghies for the freezing night journey.

Pictured: French authorities rescuing a boat containing nine migrants in the Channel on Christmas DayPresident Donald Trump returned Friday to a threat to close the nation's southern border if he doesn't get his wall money from Congress.

Trump warned as the weekend began that he'll close every port of entry, if he doesn't see progress not only on his wall, but on a total immigration overhaul.

'We build a Wall or close the Southern Border,' he declared.

He claimed in tweets in the last day that Democratic opposition to his wall is totally political in nature and is untethered from their assertions that his desired border barrier would be impractical. The president said they should work harder to end the current shutdown, because it mainly affects their voters.

Trump also said once more that he could cut off aid to Central America as he raged about the formation of a new caravan.

His incoming chief of staff announced from the White House lawn that he thought the president's threat to close the border at least was serious.

'I think he is,' Mick Mulvaney said on 'Fox & Friends.'

President Donald Trump returned Friday to a threat to close the nation's southern border if he doesn't get his wall money from Congress

The federal government is partially shut down in Washington and remain that way until next week at least. Lawmakers have avoided the capital since Christmas in recognition of the reality that they are nowhere ending the fight with Trump over his border wall

Trump warned as the weekend began that he'll close every port of entry, if he doesn't see progress not only on his wall, but on a total immigration overhaul

His rant wandered into the arena of trade and an agreement with Mexico and Canada

Trump also said once more that he could cut off aid to Central America as he raged about the formation of a new caravan

The federal government is partially shut down in Washington and will remain that way until next week. Lawmakers have avoided the capital since Christmas in recognition of the reality that they are nowhere near ending the fight with Trump.

Mulvaney accused them of 'walking away from the table' on Friday as he outlined the president's latest offer. He wouldn't dive into the details of the negotiations, but he affirmed that Trump 'came off' his $5 billion border request 'slightly' to a lesser number.

'The Democrats have simply shutdown the discussions,' he contended. 'They did not even counter us.'

The Office of Management and Budget director who starts Jan. 2 as Trump's acting chief of staff revealed that nothing was happening behind the scenes at this point.

He said the White House expects the stalemate to continue until Nancy Pelosi locks up the votes to become the next speaker.

Her caucus will control the House in the new year, and she's expected to stay their leader. She's faced headwinds as she vies for the position, though, and the White House claimed Friday that it's preventing her from making a deal.

Appearing on Fox, the White House official designated to do the president's bidding for the day repeatedly steered the discussion to Pelosi's delicate position in the lower chamber.

'Is Nancy Pelosi's speakership worth shutting the government down? Is Nancy Pelosi's speakership worth leaving the border unprotected? That is the discussion that we wish people were having,' he said, 'because that is exactly what is happening in Washington, D.C.'

Fill-in hosts on the program wanted to talk about the president's latest wall request, however, and have a conservation about whether or not he's 'caving' on his original demand for $5 billion for a concrete border wall that he now claims can be steel-slated fence.

'We're not compromising on the importance of border security, just how much money we're gonna spend on it,' Mulvaney responded.

Mulvaney said that Democrats rejected the White House's most recent border security request on Thursday evening and did not provide a counter offer.

'Again, the president is here, the president cancelled his plans  where is Chuck Schumer. Where are Nancy Pelosi? They're not even talking right now. And we don't think they will until the new Congress is sworn in,' he stated.

The president hasn't been seen in person since early Thursday morning, when he was returning to the White House from Germany and Iraq. The last time he addressed reporters from the White House was Christmas morning.

Mulvaney insisted on Fox that the president is 'pretty good at communicating' and 'his message is getting out there' via his tweets.

'I'm the OMB director, I'm the incoming acting chief of staff, I'm not the person who's going to tell the president the best way to communicate,' he rebutted. 'He's pretty good at it.'

The president hasn't been seen in person since early Thursday morning, when he was returning to the White House from Germany and Iraq

His incoming chief of staff announced from the White House lawn that he thought the president's threat to close the border at least was serious. 'I think he is,' Mick Mulvaney said on 'Fox & Friends'

Before Mulvaney went on air, the president went on a tear against 'Obstructionist Democrats' who are blocking his agenda.

'We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with,' he said in a long tweet. 'Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve!'

Another message in the missive said: 'The United States looses soooo much money on Trade with Mexico under NAFTA, over 75 Billion Dollars a year (not including Drug Money which would be many times that amount), that I would consider closing the Southern Border a profit making operation.

'We build a Wall or close the Southern Border. Bring our car industry back into the United States where it belongs. Go back to pre-NAFTA, before so many of our companies and jobs were so foolishly sent to Mexico,' he asserted. 'Either we build (finish) the Wall or we close the Border.'

He went on to say that he would slash aid to Central America countries, where the migrant-filled caravans are originating from, countering his State Department's $5.8 billion pledge in aid earlier this month.

'Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money. Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it. We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries - taking advantage of U.S. for years!' he asserted.

Trump argued Thursday afternoon in tweets that 'everybody knows' that walls 'work perfectly' and his point of view would be vindicated in 2020.

'This isnt about the Wall, everybody knows that a Wall will work perfectly (In Israel the Wall works 99.9%). This is only about the Dems not letting Donald Trump & the Republicans have a win,' he proclaimed. 'They may have the 10 Senate votes, but we have the issue, Border Security. 2020!'

The president spent the afternoon haranguing Democrats for the 'stupidity' that he said was driving them to oppose his strategy for keeping out illegal immigrants with the border wall that he says he needs at least $5 billion to finish.

'They dont have much to campaign on, do they? An Open Southern Border and the large scale crime that comes with such stupidity!' he wrote in one of the tweets.

Donald Trump said Thursday afternoon, as the Senate was poised to reconvene, that Democratic 'obstruction' was not only forcing a government shutdown but a historically-long waiting list for his federal nominees

He also put the blame for the current situation on the 9th Circuit, which he said blew up a deal that might otherwise have been struck earlier in the year

He harangued Democrats several minutes later for the 'stupidity' that he said was driving them to oppose his strategy for keeping out illegal immigrants

A statement his White House press secretary sent concurrently claimed that Democrats are the cause of the partial government shutdown that's on its seventh day.

Sarah Sanders did not mention the president's wall at all in the message that talked about a potential border security arrangement.

Instead, she said, 'The President has made clear that any bill to fund the government must adequately fund border security to stop the flow of illegal drugs, criminals, MS-13 gang members, child smugglers and human traffickers into our communities  and protect the American people.

'The Administration understands this crisis and made a reasonable, common-sense solution to Democrats five days ago - we've not received a single response,' she claimed. 'The President and his team stayed in Washington over Christmas hoping to negotiate a deal that would stop the dangerous crisis on the border, protect American communities, and re-open the government. The Democrats decided to go home.'

Democrats had responded to the president, and apparently called Mulvaney again after the White House put them on notice to reject the president's latest appeal for his border wall.

Party leaders blasted him for 'chaos' in the market in a Christmas Eve statement that said they were frankly confused about border security request that began with a $5 billion demand for a wall and moved to somewhere in the ballpark of $2 billion.

A spokesman for Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday afternoon that Trump's comments didn't pass the 'laugh test' as he mocked the president's wall funding request

Trump confused the ask further when he said in a tweet this week that the border wall money was in addition to $25 billion he claimed had already been approved by Congress. The larger pot he was referring to is part a bill that died in the United States Senate.

A spokesman for Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday afternoon that Trump's comments didn't pass the 'laugh test' as he mocked the president's wall funding request.

The Senate gaveled in and out at roughly the same time for the week in an acknowledgement that there was no deal to be had in the post-Christmas workdays.

Rules Committee Ranking Member James McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat, said in a statement that his own attempt to bring up a bill in the House to fund the government through February 8 was also shot down.

'It is outrageous that Republicans once again blocked our attempt to debate a bill to end the Trump Shutdown and reopen the government,' he said. 'Federal workers should not be held hostage by the presidents demand for a useless and offensive border wall that he promised Mexico would pay for.'

He pledged that House Democrats would move swiftly on January 3, when they are in the majority, to reopen it.

Until the Republican-held Senate agrees to open to the government, though, the partial closure will remain in effect. McConnell has said that he will not hold another vote on a spending bill until Democrats and the White House hash out an agreement.

The White House didn't outline its current request in Sanders' statement, Mulvaney's Fox appearance or in Trump's tweets.

A request for clarification Thursday on whether Trump wants the $5 billion his incoming chief of staff has used as a price point or the $5.7 billion that's in a House-passed bill went unanswered.

In Sanders statement, she said that the president does not want the government shut down but will not sign a bill that doesn't put Americans' safety first, without defining what he'd like to see in proposed legislation.

'The only rational conclusion is that the Democrat party is openly choosing to keep our government closed to protect illegal immigrants rather than the American people. The President does not want the government to remain shut down, but he will not sign a proposal that does not first prioritize our countys safety and security,' she said.

In addition to turning up the heat on Democrats after letting the fire dwindle while he recovered from a covert trip to Iraq, Trump seemed to be putting new pressure on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to throw out the rules requiring 60 votes and go 'nuclear' so that he can force through his border wall with a simple majority.

'I wish all our options were open. We need folks to talk to us,' Mulvaney said Friday on Fox.

Earlier in the day, he fired a new shot across Democrats' bow claiming that they should feel motivated to end a six-day-old partial government shutdown because most of the out-of-work federal employees are part of their political base

In his tweets on Thursday, which had come after nearly seven hours of silence following Trump early-morning return to the White House, Trump complained that the fillibuster rule was allowing Democrats to keep his nominees in limbo.

'The Democrats OBSTRUCTION of the desperately needed Wall, where they almost all recently agreed it should be built, is exceeded only by their OBSTRUCTION of 350 great people wanting & expecting to come into Government after being delayed for more than two years, a U.S. record!' he charged.

Trump claimed in another message that judges on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals shared in the blame for the stalemate in Washington that could last for more than two weeks.

'The reason the DACA for Wall deal didnt get done was that a ridiculous court decision from the 9th Circuit allowed DACA to remain, thereby setting up a Supteme Court case. After ruling, Dems dropped deal - and thats where we are today, Democrat obstruction of the needed Wall.'

Nine minutes later he sent the message out again with 'Supreme Court' instead of 'Supteme Court' in a correction.

DACA refers to the program that Barack Obama started for illegal immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children. It was a bargaining chip in immigration discussions earlier this year but has dissipated as an issue since a 9th Circuit opinion protected it.

President Donald Trump, pictured at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on his way back from Iraq, tweeted upon his return to Washington that his congressional adversaries should give him billions of dollars to fund his U.S.-mexico border wall because the federal employees affected by a partial government shutdown resulting from the funding statement are mostly Democrats

The president tried to set the news agenda by putting pressure on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi as the partial shutdown entered its dixth day

Trump hosted Pelosi (left) and Schumer (right) in the Oval Office earlier this month for what turned out to be a public airing of resentments about border security that served to harden positions on both sides of the standoff

Trump claim that most federal employees furloughed in the partial government shutdown are Democrats is borne out by campaign contribution records

Even in the Defense Department, 6 out of 7 dollars donated by employees in 2016 went to Hillary Clinton; the Education Department's lopsided ratio was 332-to-1 against Trump

Earlier in the day, he fired a shot across Democrats' bow in a tweet that claimed they should feel motivated to end the six-day-old partial government shutdown, because most of the out-of-work federal employees are part of their political base.

'Have the Democrats finally realized that we desperately need Border Security and a Wall on the Southern Border. Need to stop Drugs, Human Trafficking,Gang Members & Criminals from coming into our Country,' Trump tweeted. 'Do the Dems realize that most of the people not getting paid are Democrats?'

He first praised America's troops in the Middle East, saying the Iraq-based servicemen and women he visited are 'incredible people' who 'know how to win!'

It's unclear what percentage of furloughed federal workers are registered Democrats. But a late 2016 analysis of political donations among self-identified federal government employees, conducted by The Hill, showed that about 95 per cent of their presidential campaign contributions went to Hillary Clinton.

Trump and the first lady made an unannounced trip late on Christmas Day to Al Asad Air Base in Iraq

Last Friday night's partial shutdown, the third since Trump took office in January 2017, came after the White House and congressional Democrats reached an impasse over funding for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Trump vowed in Iraq that he would stick to his guns in order to resolve the shutdown in Republicans' favor, telling reporters that hell do just about anything to secure funding for his wall.

He declined to say how much he would accept in a deal with congressional Democrats and how long he would wait to get it.

'Whatever it takes. We need a wall. We need safety for our country,' he said.

He said on the ground at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq, 'You have to have a wall, you have to have protection.'North and South Korean officials took part in a ceremonial groundbreaking Wednesday, signing a wooden railroad tie and linking the tracks of what the nations hope will one day be a train system to bring prosperity to Northeast Asia.

As Fortune writes in the article North and South Korea Hope to Leave Hostility Behind With a New Railroad Linking the Peninsula, the railway will not become a reality if U.S.-led sanctions against North Korea persist. Officials had to obtain United Nations approval just to hold Wednesdays ceremony since it required transporting vehicles across the border to the North Korean border town of Kaesong.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed a peace pledge with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last summer, where Kim promised to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, but details of the agreement were vague, and actual moves towards denuclearization seem to have stalled.

Despite the international concerns over the Norths weapons program, Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in have moved towards cooperation over hostility lately, with the railway representing a literal and figurative link between the nations.

The railways will not only reduce time and space but also the distance between the hearts of the South and North, South Korean transport minister Kim Hyun-mee said at the ceremony, according to PBS News.

Officials conducted a joint survey of North Korean railways this past fall (a trip that also required U.N. approval), with experts saying the northern rail lines will require a massive amount of investment to update. Reports say Seoul plans to conduct further surveys of North Korean railways and roads before creating a detailed blueprint.

Actual construction will be pursued in accordance with progress in the Norths denuclearization and the state of sanctions against the North, South Koreas Unification Ministry said in a statement, according to the Associated Press.

Government officials and relatives separated by the 1950-53 Korean War were present at Wednesdays ceremony, along with Russian officials, Chinas ambassador to South Korea, and the executive secretary of the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.The owners of a Cuban restaurant have accused the police of 'political censorship' after an officer gave them a dressing down over their flag of left-wing pin-up Che Guevara.

The couple behind El Cuba Libre, which is attached to The Sportsman pub in Hyde, Greater Manchester, say they have been flying the iconic flag for five years, due to Guevara's link to the communist Caribbean country.

But they were bizarrely visited by a police licencing officer last week and told someone had complained about the image of the revolutionary leader. It is thought they took exception to Guevara's political views.

Revolutionary: Geoff Oliver and wife Maria are angry after a police licencing officer suggested they take down a Cuban flag emblazoned with the face of Che Guevara after a complaint

Proud: The flag has hung in the window of the Cuban restaurant attached to their pub for years

Pub landlord Geoff Oliver said the comments offensive to his Cuban wife Maria, known as Cangui, 54, who he met in Havana.

Mr Oliver said: 'I just find it unbelievable. Every day people, including many of our customers, walk around with Che Guevara's image on T-shirts and other memorabilia and using this logic they are not allowed to do that either.

'He's just an iconic figure. He's also been dead for 50 years so he's not going to do anyone any harm. I just don't understand how anyone could find it offensive.

'In Cuba he's a national hero and seen one of the founding fathers. Cangui was very upset when we were asked to take it down.

'But ultimately for a police officer to tell us what political symbols we can and can't display inside our own establishment is just wrong.

'The implications of that are wide-ranging and quite sinister.'

Banner: The flag is visible in the window of the restaurant and pub in Hyde near Manchester

Icon: Guevara (pictured in 1964) was a central figure in the Cuban Revolution in 1959. He has since become an icon to left-wingers around the world

Greater Manchester Police have declined to comment on the licensing officers visit, although a source insisted they were merely making him aware of the complaint and did not tell him to take it down.

Police licensing officers advise pubs and the council on issues that could led to revocation of their right to serve alcohol.

Mr Oliver is standing up for his right to free speech and has refused to remove the banner.

Guevara was an Argentinean-born revolutionary who guerrilla war against Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista in the 1950s. He later became an ambassador for Cuba but was executed in 1987 after joining revolutionary forces in Bolivia.The family of a 16-year-old girl who has been missing for a week fear she may have been taken by a 'County Lines' drug gang days before Christmas.

Andrea Bardas hasn't been seen since December 21 when she went to school in the morning and didn't return home or contact her parents.

Her stepfather Philip said they have endured a desperate search to bring their daughter home safely, with him searching in Barnet, North London, and Andrea's mother handing out thousands of missing girl leaflets in Manchester.

His worst fear is that Andrea has been taken in by a so-called 'County Lines' drug gang.

Such gangs can use young and vulnerable people to help with their drug dealing networks across county lines.

The family of a missing 16-year-girl who fear she may have been taken by a County Lines drug gang have revealed they spent Christmas sleeping near the front door waiting for her to return. Andrea Bardas hasn't been seen since December 21 when she went to school in the morning and didn't return home or didn't contact her parents

'I think that's what may have happened,' he said. 'It all stems from social media. When they [young people] have social media at that age that is the catalyst for things like this.

'We have been astounded by the social media activity of children today. Hundreds of pointless Snapchats, Instagrams. Most with what can honestly be said as useless and bad meanings.'

Her stepfather added: 'She is a lovely daughter and has an incredible future ahead of her and we are so worried about her having been drawn into another world until this week we did not know existed.'

Philip said they had taken her phone away at 10pm and gave it back to her for school, while at weekends she is never away from the house for more than a few hours during the day.

He added: 'She is a 16-year-old girl who has a happy family home and nothing to worry about in life other than the usual things a 16-year-old might be concerned with.

'Christmas was two days of her parents sleeping in our lounge close to the front door in the hope that she would come back home.

Andrea (pictured) went to school on Friday, December 21 and left her house at 7.30am. She was supposed to be home by 1pm that day

'We have never left the house empty at any time [so someone is there if she comes homes] and just want her to return safely.'

Andrea went to school on Friday, December 21 and left her house at 7.30am. She was supposed to be home by 1pm that day.

But it got to 4pm and her family saw she had left her mobile phone at home.

Police are in close contact with the family and Philip says they have been great, but now the family needs the wider public's help to keep an eye out.

If Andrea is reading this, she can text or call charity Missing People on 116 000 for free at any time of the day or night. If you see her or know anything about her whereabouts, let police know on 101 or contact Missing People on 116 000.Nathaniel Lewis, 34 (pictured), from Pennsylvania fired at family and officers while barricaded in his home over Christmas and refused to surrender until a SWAT team member sang him 'White Christmas'

A Pennsylvania man who fired at family and officers while barricaded in his home over Christmas refused to give himself up until a SWAT team member sang him a Christmas song.

Nathaniel R. Lewis, 34, of Spring City, had holed up in his Chester County home and was allegedly letting shots ring out from the second floor, until he asked a member of the East Vincent Township SWAT team to sing him 'White Christmas.'

Once an officer belted out the song, Lewis kept his word and turned himself in to authorities on Wednesday.

'It's as close to a Christmas miracle as you're gonna get,' Chester County District Attorney Thomas Hogan told CBS. 'All the SWAT guys got to go home to their families, and the defendant got taken into custody, but he wasn't killed.'

Lewis, who Hogan said was stressed by the process of separating from his wife during the holidays, now faces 11 counts of attempted homicide of a police officer.

He will also be charged with attempted murder related to shooting at his sister-in-law, who was not injured, Hogan said.

Lewis was found barricaded in his Chester County home at around 7.30pm (pictured) on Christmas day by his sister-in-law, who busted in and was chased out

The standoff started at around 10.30pm on Christmas night, authorities said.

Lewis' sister-in-law had gone to check on him about three hours earlier, at his home on Aftons Circle at 7.30pm because he wasn't responding to family members, the Inquirer reported.

When she arrived, Lewis had already barricaded himself inside, but she busted in before he chased her out and fired four shots, police said.

Lewis was stressed by the process of separating from his wife over the holidays, Chester County District Attorney Thomas Hogan (pictured) said

About an hour later, Lewis's estranged wife called asking police to conduct a wellness check.

Once the Chester County Regional Emergency Response Team arrived at the scene, a negotiator called Lewis using his wife's cell phone.

Once in communication, Lewis talked about 'killing police and shooting up the neighborhood,' according to an affidavit of probable cause for his arrest.

At 12.47am on Wednesday emergency responders reported hearing several gunshots from a second-floor window, as well as a shot fired from inside the house.

Lewis's estranged wife called asking police to conduct a wellness check, leading to the stand-off beginning at around 10.30pm. The damaged door to Lewis' home is pictured

Lewis fired shots from the second floor, striking an armored police vehicle (pictured), at 6.05am, prompting police to fire once into Lewis' home

Lewis shot at police again at 6.11am and 6.15am, with police firing back both times. The bullet hole in the police vehicle is shown

And then, at around 7am, Lewis asked to hear the Nat King Cole version of 'White Christmas' (album cover pictured) and a negotiator with more than a decade of SWAT team experience began to sing

Lewis fired shots again from the second floor, this time striking an armored police vehicle, at 6.05am, prompting police to fire once into Lewis' home.

Lewis shot at police again at 6.11am and 6.15am, with police firing back both times.

And then, at around 7am, Lewis asked to hear the Nat King Cole version of 'White Christmas,' Hogan told WGAL, and a negotiator with more than a decade of SWAT team experience began to sing.

With that, Lewis came out and surrendered.

Police entered the home and went up to the second floor, where they found shell casings on the floor, a rifle and two magazines on the master bedroom bed.

No one was injured throughout the 12-hour ordeal.

Lewis was taken into custody and remains in the Chester County Prison after failing to post bail.

He has a preliminary hearing on January 7.

Lewis' home, where standoff took place, is located near Pottstown in East Vincent Township.

After Lewis came out, police entered the home and went up to the second floor, where they found shell casings on the floor, a rifle and two magazines on the master bedroom bed. Lewis was taken into custody and remains in the Chester County Prison after failing to post bail. He has a preliminary hearing on January 7Two men from the same city have died while on their Christmas holidays in Bali within hours of each other.

Chris Taylor, a father-of-two from Perth, died in unknown circumstances on the popular holiday island Thursday local time.

Only hours later, 69-year-old Ashok Joshi, also from Perth, drowned in Seminyak Beach.

Father-of-two Chris Taylor (pictured with his son) died 'suddenly' on a family holiday in Bali

Mr Taylor was on holidays with his wife Ebony (pictured together) and their two sons

Mr Taylor was on holidays with his wife Ebony and their two sons.

Details of his death are currently unknown, though it has been reported he was drinking.

His family are now planning on bringing his body back to Australia, though they have run into financial difficulties due to a lack of coverage by their travel insurance.

A GoFundMe page has been established to help cover the cost of repatriation.

'It's with a shattered heart that we have to make this post. Chris Taylor tragically and unfairly passed away in Bali on 27 December. We don't have many details to share,' family friend Beth Parker posted on the GoFundMe page.

A father-of-two, Mr Taylor (pictured) has been remembered by friends as a 'bloody legend'

'Unfortunately their travel insurance won't adequately cover accidental death or repatriation.

'We are asking for help to bring him home, whatever you can spare, to ease this strain on Ebony and Chris' family.'

The page has already raised more than $23,000, with friends of the family remembering Mr Taylor as a 'great bloke' and a 'bloody legend'.

Ashok Joshi (pictured) also died under tragic circumstances in Bali, only hours after Mr Taylor

Mr Joshi had arrived in Bali only hours before he drowned, planning a six-day holiday over New Year's Eve with his wife, son, daughter-in-law and her extended family.

He and his grandchildren were swimming in the beach when he got caught in a strong current on Wednesday, authorities told News Corp.

Lifeguards were able to reach the man and drag him back to shore, but he could not be resuscitated.

He was officially declared dead at 7.30pm at the Bali International Medical Centre Thursday night.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement they were providing consultation to the family.Authorities have identified a suspect in the death of a 20-year-old man who was shot by a crossbow outside his Michigan home.

The body of Marcus Olmstead was discovered by his twin brother Maxwell in the family's driveway in Norton Shores on Wednesday evening.

The victim's death was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner after an autopsy was completed on Thursday morning.

Detectives identified and arrested a suspect in nearby Grand Rapids hours later.

'It was learned that the suspect a 20-year-old male from Grant MI, discharged a crossbow at the victim striking him in the torso and killing him in his driveway,' Norton Shores police said in a press release.

'The suspect knew of the victim and this was not a random act. The suspect was lodged at the Muskegon County Jail on a charge of OPEN MURDER. The suspect will be identified after arraignment in 60th District Court.'

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Marcus Olmstead (right), 20, was shot with a crossbow and killed outside his home in Norton Shores, Michigan, on Wednesday and his body was discovered by his twin brother Maxwell (left) about an hour later. A 20-year-old male suspect, whose name has not yet been released, was arrested and charged with Marcus's murder on Thursday

The victim's stepmother Michelle Olmstead said Marcus had gone outside to wait for a female friend at around 8.30pm Wednesday. About an hour later his brother Maxwell returned home from work and found Marcus lying in the driveway (above) with an arrow in his torso

Michelle (above) told WoodTV the family has been left wondering who would have wanted to kill Marcus and why they used a crossbow. She said police seized Marcus's cellphone, adding: 'He was on that phone all the time and obviously was involved with some nasty people'

In the hours leading up to his death, Marcus had been playing fantasy board games at a friend's house, his stepmother Michelle Olmstead told WoodTV.

'They do the gaming a lot,' she said. 'They have friends come over and family. It's a wholesome thing.'

The stepmother, who described Marcus as 'child-like', said that after he got home he was texting with a girl and then went outside around 8.30pm to wait for her.

An hour later, Maxwell returned home from work and found his twin 'lying there in the driveway', Michelle said.

'He goes over there, starts shaking him, rolls him over and that's when he realizes there's an arrow sticking out of his abdomen, like something you'd see in a movie or on CSI or something,' she continued.

Michelle, a registered nurse, attempted to revive Marcus with CPR but said: 'He was already passed. He was cold.'

The day after Marcus's death, his twin shared a photo of the two of them on Facebook with the caption: 'I will always love you my brother.'

Maxwell (right) shared an undated photo with Marcus (left) on Facebook the day after the twin's death, writing in the caption: 'I will always love you my brother'

'Max had the strongest bond to Marcus than anybody,' the twins' stepmother said.

'He's devastated. He's very angry. He's a 20-year-old young man. He's got a flow of emotions. He lost half of himself  his twin.'

Loved ones have been left wondering who would have wanted to kill Marcus and why they used a crossbow to commit the alleged murder.

'Maybe because it was quiet, and so we wouldn't hear a gunshot,' Michelle speculated. 'I don't know.'

She said police seized Marcus's cellphone, adding: 'He was on that phone all the time and obviously was involved with some nasty people.'

Police say the suspect discharged a crossbow into Marcus's torso, but it is not clear why that particular weapon was used (stock image)

Investigators have not released any information regarding the suspect's relationship to Marcus or what his motive may have been.

Marcus, who was working at a Menard's home improvement center at the time of his death, was described by his stepmother as 'a very outgoing person' and 'a gentle soul'.

'He did have some emotional problems, but deep down, he was a kind soul,' she told WoodTV.

The 2017 graduate of Mona Shores High School toured Europe with the school choir during his senior year. 'That was probably the proudest moment in his life,' Michelle said.

Anyone with information or surveillance video in the area is asked to call the Norton Shores Police Department at 231.733.2691 or Silent Observer at 231.72.CRIME.Incoming White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney says that President Trump will remain in Washington until the end of year, ending speculation that he could make a break for Mar-a-Lago amid the partial government shutdown.

Trump typically spends his New Year's holiday at the lavish estate he owns in Palm Beach.

He'll remain in D.C. through next week, Mulvaney said Friday on 'Fox and Friends,' as he declared Trump's trip to Florida 'cancelled' for the upcoming holiday just as it was for Christmas.

'He's staying in Washington, D.C. over New Years,' Mulvaney said. 'He's cancelled his plans for Christmas, now he cancelled his plans for New Year's.'

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders later said that Trump has 'no plans as of now' to go to Mar-a-Lago at all in the next few days.

President Trump typically spends his New Year's holiday at the lavish estate he owns in Palm Beach

Incoming White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney says that President Trump will remain in Washington until the end of year, however

The shutdown has kept President Trump in Washington for the past week, aside from a secret trip to pump up the troops in Iraq.

Mulvaney claimed Friday that Trump, who'd spent the morning tweeting about his border wall, has been following the shutdown news on an almost 'minute-by-minute basis,' as well as the manhunt for an illegal immigrant suspected of killing a cop in California.

He called the shooting a 'heartbreaking' story and said it's 'one of the reasons that the president is still here fighting for border security.'

First lady Melania Trump had went on to Florida without her husband. She returned to Washington to be with him on Christmas Day and participate in his covert trip abroad.

She was back in Florida on Friday and was expected to spend the New Year's holiday there, too, as she'd already left their son Barron to come back to the White House once.

Her spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham confirmed to DailyMail.com, 'She is back in a Florida with her son.'

Most of the president's immediate family spent the Christmas holiday in Palm Beach at the Trump-owned resort.

President Trump's daughter, Ivanka, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, both of whom serve as unpaid advisers to the White House, had been photographed by DailyMail.com at Mar-a-Lago on Christmas Day.

After the photos circulated, Kushner was spotted three times in Washington, D.C., including by DailyMail.com on Friday.

President Trump's daughter and son-in-law, both of whom serve as unpaid advisers to the administration, had been photographed by DailyMail.com Mar-a-Lago earlier in the week

After the photos circulated, Jared Kushner was spotted three times in Washington, D.C., including on Friday

Kushner had been part of the negotiating team, along with Mulvaney and the vice president, that the president sent to Capitol Hill last Friday in hopes of averting a fiscal crisis.

They were unsuccessful, and the Senate adjourned over the weekend until Thursday, when only one senator, Kansas Republican Pat Roberts, showed up to work to gavel in and gavel out the work week's only session.

Returning lawmakers were not expected to be in Washington until the first few days of January, which brings about the beginning of a new legislative session.

Anticipated House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to hold a vote to reopen the government as soon as Congress changes hands on Jan. 3. The earliest the Republican-controlled Senate would take a vote is the following day.

Mulvaney indicated on Fox that neither side was ready to make a deal on Friday.

In the meantime, Mulvaney said, the president and his staff would be ready and waiting for an offer that could reopen closed areas of the government.

'We're here, and they know where to find us,' he told reporters at the White House after his Fox News appearance.

Mulvaney was among a smattering of White House officials who had been seen on the property at all this week as the president's aides spent the holidays with their families.

Other White House officials were kept off the job in the shutdown, because their positions were categorized as non-essential.An official protest has been lodged against Sydney to Hobart winner Wild Oats XI amid claims it breached regulations - making it the second year in a row the yacht's first place finish has been questioned.

Second place Black Jack, who finished 28 minutes behind the leaders, have told the Race Committee that Wild Oats XI did not have their automatic identification system (AIS) transmitting throughout the entire race.

It is the second year in a row that Wild Oats XI has had a protest lodged against their win - last year Comanche successfully lodged a complaint against the yacht and was subsequently awarded line honours.

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Wild Oats XI skipper Mark Richards holding the Sydney to Hobart trophy after crossing the finish line first on Friday

Second place Black Jack have told the Race Committee that Wild Oats XI did not have their automatic identification system (AIS) transmitting throughout the entire race

The race organisers, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA), confirmed it had received the protest from the Race Committee.

'The Race Committee is independent of the organising authority of the race to ensure objectivity is maintained and seen to be maintained in circumstances such as this,' the CYCA Commodore, Paul Billingham said.

The protest hearing will be held on Saturday at 1pm at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania.

Black Jack owner Peter Harburg said the race rules deemed the AIS transponder had to be on.

'The AIS means there are no secrets. We know where everyone is, they know what speed we are doing, what direction we are going,' Harburg said.

Wild Oats XI (pictured) has slipped into controversy following its win in the Sydney to Hobart race amid allegations a race rule was broken

The nine-time winning yacht (pictured) is said to have had its Automatic Identification System (AIS) turned off

Harburg said the blackout put him and other racers at a disadvantage.

Without the right information he could not keep track of Wild Oats during the race.

Even so, Harburg and skipper Mark Bradford said they did not intend to protest the win.

Though they urged the race committee to look into the situation.

Boats have up to six hours after finishing to lodge an official protest.

The race rules state that the 'AIS transponder shall be carried and be switched on, such that it is receiving and transmitting.'

Wild Oats navigator Juan Vila said he turned on the AIS transponder and thought it had been on for the entirety of the race.

The controversy is the latest in a string of stuff-ups to surround the yacht.

Only last year Wild Oats crossed the finish line first, though was slapped with a time penalty for an infringement.

A one hour penalty was handed down after the boat had a near collision with competitor Comanche near the start of the race.

An embarrassed crew had to subsequently hand over their win to their rival as a result.

Though this year the controversial yacht seemed to safely hold onto its win.

Wild Oats managed to outpace her rivals in the home stretch of the race.

Skipper Mark Richards and his 20-strong crew pulled the yacht ahead of her rivals and stole the yacht's fastest time on the Derwent River.

The winning yacht sailed into Hobart just after 8am on Friday to steal the line honours.

'It's a day of redemption for us that's for sure. We're so happy with the result,' Richards said.

Skipper Mark Richards with crew, family and friends as they celebrated the win on Friday

The winning yacht finished the race in one day, 19 hours, seven minutes and 21 seconds.

Outsider Black Jack was just 28 minutes behind, followed narrowly by Comanche and Infotrack.

All four supermaxis were in the River Derwent at the same time in one of the closest races in the event's history.

This year marked the first time four maxis raced in close quarters.

'It was an amazing contest all the way until the end and I take my hat off to all of the maxi boats,' Richards said.

The quartet was at times separated by just a few nautical miles down Tasmania's east coast on Thursday before Wild Oats XI made an overnight gamble to sail a wider route. It paid off.

'We got a little break at Tasman light,' Richards said.

'We basically sailed around the opposition and got ourselves into a position where the breeze filled in from the southwest - this morning we were in the right spot.

'That was a game-winning manoeuvre right there.'

Richards and his crew were greeted by hundreds of fans at Hobart's Constitution Dock at the conclusion of the race's 74th edition.

Meanwhile, Tasmanian-owned yacht Alive is leading the race for handicap honours.

This year's fleet has been reduced to 80 yachts, with Calypso retiring due to steering issues late on Thursday night.

Wild Oats has collected nine fastest time victories, two overall wins and two race records throughout her lifespan.ISIS jihadist and recruiter Neil Prakash has been stripped of his Australian citizenship as he faces 15 years in a Turkish prison.

The Melbourne-born 27-year-old was told of the Australian government's decision on December 21.

He is the 12th dual national to have their citizenship revoked over associations with overseas terror groups.

ISIS jihadist and recruiter Neil Prakash (pictured) has been stripped of his Australian citizenship as he faces 15 years in a Turkish prison

Prakash has been in custody near the border with Syria since 2016 after he attempted to enter Turkey with false documents

It is understood Prakash holds Fijian citizenship through his father, The Weekend Australian reported.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said the safety and security of Australian was his main priority.

'This government is determined to deal with foreign terrorist fighters as far from our shores as possible,' Mr Dutton said.

'Islamic State is opposed to Australia, our interests, values, democratic beliefs, rights and liberties.'

Earlier this year Mr Dutton said he hoped Prakash rotted in a Turkish jail after a court rejected the Melbourne-born terrorist's extradition to Australia to face justice.

Prakash has been in custody near the border with Syria since 2016 after he attempted to enter Turkey with false documents.

The Melbourne-born jihadi has spent two years and two months in a H-Type maximum-security prison in Gaziantep, Turkey

ISIS jihadist and recruiter Neil Prakash will have his Australian passport revoked after Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton's decision

He is facing charges of committing crimes against Turkey by being a member of Islamic State - which could result in him spending 15 years in prison.

Prakash has previously admitted being a member of ISIS.

The former rapper from Melbourne had featured in ISIS videos and has been linked to a failed Melbourne plot to behead a police officer.

He is considered Australias most wanted terrorist, with connections to a number of Australian jihadis.

He is considered Australias most wanted terrorist, with connections to a number of Australian jihadis

The Melbourne-born jihadi has spent two years and two months in a H-Type maximum-security prison in Gaziantep, Turkey

Prakash has also been linked to another attack in which two officers were stabbed outside a Melbourne police station.

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.

Yet he was caught crossing the Syrian border into Turkey and arrested by police after an Australian tip off in October 2016.President Donald Trump returned to his pre-election threat to end all aid to three Central American countries whose citizens have helped make up migrant caravans  although funds have been appropriated by Congress.

The president went after Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, which all have struggled economically and suffered turbulent politics that have been linked to U.S. interventions.

The countries have also been the origins of migrant 'caravans' that Trump blasted during the campaign, and brought up once again in the midst of a partial government shutdown that could now run through the new year.

The three countries 'are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money,' Trump railed on Friday.

President Donald Trump threatened to cut off funding for three Central American countries amid a partial government shutdown, accusing them of 'taking our money' and failing to stop another caravan

'Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it. We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries - taking advantage of U.S. for years!' the president tweeted, after earlier railing about a border wall with Mexico that is the source of the standoff with congressional Democrats.

The countries get funds through USAID, a development agency that is one of many programs under the auspices of the State Department.

According to a Bloomberg News report from October, the U.S. gave $175 million in foreign aid to Honduras last year, with another $249 million going to Guatemala and $115 million to El Salvador.

The U.S. aid is meant to bolster strong governance and fight corruption  in part to improve the region's economy and also to discourage some of the mass migrations that have inundated border checkpoints.

Honduran migrants take part in a caravan heading to the US with Honduran and Guatemalan national flags in Quezaltepeque, Chiquimula, Guatemala on October 22, 2018

Trump fumed that the trio of Central American countries were 'taking our money' and 'doing nothing' about caravans

Under current law, there is a mechanism for the State Department to hold back a quarter of funds if the secretary doesn't certify progress in lowering illegal immigration. Up to half of all funds can be held back if the administration determines they are violating anti-corruption practices.

Earlier Friday, Trump returned to a threat to close the nation's southern border if he doesn't get his wall money from Congress.

The federal government is partially shut down in Washington and remain that way until next week at least. Lawmakers have avoided the capital since Christmas in recognition of the reality that they are nowhere ending the fight with Trump with a spending deal.

Trump warned as the weekend began that he'll close every port of entry if he doesn't see progress not only on his wall but on a total immigration overhaul as he claimed once more that the dispute is totally political in nature and has nothing to do with their claims that his desired border barrier would be impractical.

'We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with,' he said in a long tweet. 'Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve!'

Trump made a similar declaration about the politics of the argument on Thursday afternoon, claiming that 'everybody knows' that walls 'work perfectly' while offering a prediction that his point of view would be vindicated in 2020.

'This isnt about the Wall, everybody knows that a Wall will work perfectly (In Israel the Wall works 99.9%). This is only about the Dems not letting Donald Trump & the Republicans have a win,' he proclaimed. 'They may have the 10 Senate votes, but we have the issue, Border Security. 2020!'

The president spent the afternoon haranguing Democrats for the 'stupidity' that he said was driving them to oppose his strategy for keeping out illegal immigrants via a wall that he says he needs at least $5 billion to finish.

'They dont have much to campaign on, do they? An Open Southern Border and the large scale crime that comes with such stupidity!' he wrote in one of several tweets that he sent over a three-hour period.Advertisement

New York City's electric utility Con Edison this morning sought to shed some light on an eerie flash of blue light that illuminated the night sky on Thursday, revealing that it was due to a phenomenon similar to lightning known as an 'electrical arc'.

Con Edison said in a previous statement that a common transformer explosion at a substation in Astoria was responsible for illuminating the skies over New York a dazzling shade of blue.

In a follow-up statement released early Friday morning, the utility said that an electrical fault in equipment that carries 138,000 volts of electricity 20 feet up in the air at one section of the the Astoria East and North Queens power plant caused 'a sustained electrical arc flash.'

An electrical arc is a visible plasma discharge between two electrodes - the one from which the current originates called the cathode and the one toward which electrons flow called the anode - that is caused by electrical current ionizing gasses in the air.

Controlled electrical arcs have many industrial and commercial applications, including in welding, plasma cutting and heating.

Con Edison spokesman Bob McGee compared the electrical arc to a thunder and lightning event in nature and said that it subsided on its own within minutes.

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Thunder and lightning: Con Edison said Friday that an electrical fault at its Queens plant caused what is known as an electrical arc, which turned the night sky a dazzling shade of blue Thursday

The explosion occurred around 9.20pm and no injuries have been reported

Buildings stand as the night sky is illuminated by blue light in New York

The Astoria East and North Queens Con Edison power plant where the electrical arc originated is pictured about 40 minutes after the malfunction

An electrical fault in equipment that carries 138,000 volts of electricity 20 feet up in the air produced the lightning-like phenomenon

The incident lasted all of three minutes but resulted in power being cut to many addresses in Queens, including nearby La Guardia Airport, which was forced to ground all flights for more than an hour during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.

Officials at the notorious Rikers Island jail were also forced to use backup generators when their electricity shut off for 25 minutes, and there were delays on the No 7 subway line.

Bewildered residents took to the streets and shared images on social media after the haze filled the sky at around 9.20pm.

There were no injuries in the blast, the fire was quickly contained, and many saw the lighter side of the odd display in the sky.

The NYPD jokingly confirmed that aliens had not invaded, while others shared memes comparing it to scenes from science-fiction films.

A Con Edison plant lit up after the electrical malfunction on Thursday night

Con Edison likened what happened on Thursday in Queens to a thunder and lightning event

The NYPD 114th informed on what was happening with the explosion while the 43rd Precinct had a little fun with the news

The incident unfolded when Big Apple residents streamed onto Twitter, Instagram and Facebook with their clips and pictures of the blue cloud hovering over the city.

Many people were initially confused at what was going on, and questioned whether the lights were coming from a concert venue.

Some also reported hearing weird sounds coming from the blast site.

The NYPD then put the conspiracy theories to bed and confirmed that the blast had been caused by a power surge at the substation.

'Investigating a transformer explosion at Astoria East & North Queens Con Ed power plant,' the NYPD 114th Precint said on Twitter. 'Please avoid 20th Ave & 31 st.'

NYPD News posted: 'ADVISORY: The lights you have seen throughout the city appear to have been from a transformer explosion at a Con Ed facility in Queens. The fire is under control, will update as more info becomes available. Follow @fdny, @NYPD114pct and @conedison.'

Con Edison said on Thursday night that it was working with the NYPD on the matter and would provide updates over time.

Initial figures suggested that only 76 homes may have suffered a blackout as a result of the blast.

'The NYPD and the FDNY are on scene at a Con Ed facility in Astoria where an apparent transformer explosion just lit up the sky over the city,' said Mayor Bill de Blasio. 'As soon as we have more information, we will share it.'

NYC Fire Wire confirmed that a explosion had occurred in the North Queens neighborhood at a Con Edison subplant

People stand at the gate of a Con Edison facility watching as personnel rush to handle the explosion

Views from the Upper West Side of Manhattan show blue light between the buildings

Law enforcement personnel stand in front of Con Edison grounds to monitor passersby

Reports soon came in that La Guardia had lost power and that the airport had closed as a result.

'Small, blue explosion near LaGuardia has knocked out power at the airport and surrounding area,' said user Mason Mccoy. 'Unclear what the cause is.. everything (exiting, boarding, security, etc.) is frozen until they figure it out. #lga'

The user would later update Twitter when the airport had restored its power.

'Update: Power has been restored but activity still at a stand still,' he added. 'Passengers are able to de-plane via stairs. Looks like departing passengers are being held back until security check points are back up and running.'

A man named Nick Riccardo shared a video of the actual explosion as it took place outside his window

The bright blue light is seen on the rooftops over Queens on Thursday evening

Residents walked out onto the streets in Queens to catch a glimpse of the bizarre sky

According to the utility outage map for Con Edison, there were only 76 who were said to have lost power

Both Con Ed and Mayor Bill de Blasio posted that the fire was being worked on by a joint coalition

Spectators were mesmerized by the bright flashes of blue that illuminated the cloudy night sky. Folks all the way out in Jersey City reported seeing the flashy lights.

A man named Nick Riccardo shared a video of the actual explosion as it took place outside his window.

'The transformer explosion in Astoria was... right outside my window,' he said. 'So bright I couldnt look directly at it.'

One user said: 'Anyone else see this blue light in the sky just now in Brooklyn or NYC? #trippystuff #Skyline.'

Karol Markowicz said: 'Wtf if this insane bright blue light over Brooklyn?!?'Trade negotiators from the United States and China are planning to meet in early January for talks, the Chinese commerce ministry said on Thursday, as the world's two largest economies advance efforts to resolve a months-long trade war.

As Aljazeera writes in the article US and China plan to hold talks amid thaw in trade war, "intensive" telephone calls will continue in the meantime, Gao Feng, the ministry's spokesman told reporters, adding that consultations had been progressing steadily despite the Christmas holiday in the US. "Even as the US side is in the Christmas holiday period, China and the US economic and trade teams have been in close communication, and the consultations are progressing in an orderly manner as scheduled," Gao said. The comments come a day after Bloomberg reported the US planned to send a delegation to Beijing in early January. The team will be led by Deputy US Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish and include David Malpass, the Treasury undersecretary for international affairs, according to the report.

The meeting, thought to be scheduled for the week of January 7, will be the first face-to-face talks between US and Chinese officials since US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to a 90-day truce in their tariff war, following a meeting at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina on December 1. "The two sides have indeed made specific arrangements for face-to-face consultations in January in addition to continuing intensive telephone consultations," said Gao, without confirming the date of the planned meeting.

Ceasefire called

For months Washington and Beijing have exchanged tit-for-tat tariffs on more than $300bn in total two-way trade, locking them in a conflict that has begun to eat into profits and contribute to stock market plunges. Trump initiated the initial tariffs because of concerns - shared by others including the European Union and Japan - over Chinese trade practices. Following the meeting in Buenos Aires, Trump and Xi agreed to stop escalating tariffs and to launch new talks aimed at resolving the dispute and the US delayed a tariff increase planned for January 1 until March.

In response, China said it will suspend additional tariffs on US-made vehicles and car parts for the same period and has resumed purchasing US soybeans for the first time in six months, even though hefty tariffs on US cargoes remain in place.

On Tuesday, another conciliatory sign came in the form of a so-called "negative" list, issued by China. The list specifies industries where investors - domestic or foreign - are either restricted or prohibited. The unified list is seen as an effort to address concerns from Western investors that there is no level playing field in China. Investment in key Chinese sectors, however, is still prohibited.

Foreign investment

A day later, Beijing unveiled a draft of a foreign investment law for public consultation, which proposes a ban on forced technology transfer and illegal government "interference" in foreign business operations - practices that have come under the spotlight during the trade war. While China has frequently denied accusations of engaging in such practices, it has pledged to improve market access for foreign investors and better protect their rights in the face of growing complaints and reduced foreign investment. The draft law said China would reserve the right to retaliate against countries that discriminate against Chinese investment with "corresponding measures". It will likely go through several readings before being submitted to China's parliament for formal approval, which could take another year or more.

Heaping some uncertainty in the way of the bilateral trade talks was the recent arrest of the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies in Canada at the request of the US. US prosecutors accuse Meng Wanzhou of misleading multinational banks about Iran-linked transactions, putting the banks at risk of violating US sanctions. Meng, who is the daughter of Huawei's founder, has said she is innocent.Remainers have launched a new plot to stop Brexit and hold another referendum - threatening to block the Government from raising taxes unless it caves in to their demands.

Remainer MPs are gearing up to embark on parliamentary guerrilla warfare on all fronts as they try to seize on the disarray in No10 to block Brexit.

The anti Brexit campaign group Best for Britain last night published a four-point plan which details how MPs will use their power to try to halt the UK's withdrawal.

They are threatening to stop the Government from being able to change taxes unless they agree to hold another referendum or kill off a no deal Brexit.

They would do this by tabling amendments to the Finance Bill - which enacts the Budget - which is being voted on soon after MPs get back from their Christmas holidays on January 7.

And they are also planning to try to vote down Theresa May's Brexit plan when it goes to the Commons to be voted on the following week.

If they are able to defeat the PM's Brexit blueprint, they then want to pass a new Bill which would commit the UK to hold a second referendum.

It lays bare their plans to launch a parliamentary blitz over the next three months as they ramp up their bid to stop Brexit before Britain formally leaves on March 31.

The report, entitled Road Not yet Explored: Routes to a Final Say, lays out four plans to try to force another vote.

Remainers have launched a new plot to stop Brexit and hold another referendum - threatening to block the Government from raising taxes unless it caves to their demands (pictured, anti Brexit rally in London in October)

Tory MP and leading Remainer Dominic Grieve (pictured in the Commons earlier this month) said the tactics detailed in the report a re worthy of consideration

Writing in it, Tory MP and leading Remainer Dominic Grieve said: 'The Government finds itself in an impasse of its own making.

'There are routes not yet properly explored, examined or voted upon which the Prime Minister appears to be attempting to close off.

'Instead Downing Street threatens a catastrophic 'No Deal' should the Prime Minister's deal fail to be delivered through Parliament.'

He said the tactics detailed in the report are 'worthy of consideration'.

The report says Remainer MPs must vote down Mrs May's Brexit deal when it comes to the Commons for the crunch vote next month and then rule out a no deal.

They should then turn up the pressure to try to force through a second vote by passing a Referendum Bill.

Under one of the plans, MPs will table amendments to the Finance Bill which would aim to stop the Government from being able to raise or lower taxes unless another referendum is held.

Theresa May (pictured heading to Church on Christmas day in Maidenhead) is bracing herself for a New Year battle against her Brexit plans

Best for Britain says that if not enough support can be found for these amendments, then hardline Remainers should join with moderates to tone down the amendments so that they killed of a no deal Brexit.

These amendments have already been tabled Tory MPs Nicky Morgan and Sir Oliver Letwin and Labour's Yvette Cooper and Hilary Benn.

It means the PM is braced for a New year Brexit battle as some of her backbenchers unite with Labour MPs to try to kill off no deal.

The report explains: 'It would work by removing the power to collect the annual taxes unless either a deal had been approved according to the terms of the existing legislation (namely passing a resolution and an implementation Act) or a referendum had been arranged.

'The effect of passing the amendment would be, if MPs vote down the deal, to afford the public a Final Say on the deal instead of defaulting to a no deal as the next option on the agenda.

'The Government could conceivably tough the situation out and bring forward an emergency budget in the five days between Exit Day and the end of the current tax year, but the markets would not be impressed, especially in the chaotic first week after exit.

'The Government's other options would be: carry on trying to get the agreement through the House without the support of MPs who want the public to have a Final Say on the deal; concede to a public Final Say on the deal; or resign.

'The Government has no way to stop a vote on these amendments. They would, however, need to be selected by the Speaker.'

As it stands, Britain will leave the EU without a deal if Parliament fails to approve one before March 29 2019.

The report also sets out three other plans it hopes will heap political pressure on the PM to perform a radical U-turn and call another referendum.

It urges MPs to call debates in the Commons Chamber and to table amendments calling for another referendum which may not be legally binding, but they hope will help their campaign.

It also urges MPs to defeat the PM's deal when it is voted on, or agree to back it only if Mrs May agrees to hold another referendum with remaining in the EU an option on the ballot paper.The family of a New Zealand man who has been missing for almost a month in Australia are fearing the worst.

Howard John Mahu, called Ray by family and friends, was last heard from on December 3 after disappearing from his girlfriend's house in Perth, Western Australia.

A former NZ soldier, the 33-year-old grew up in Ngaruawahia, a town in the North Island, before relocating to Perth with his family.

His older brother Hayden Mahu has released an emotional plea for Ray to contact his family.

Howard John Mahu (pictured), called Ray by family and friends, was last heard from on December 3 after disappearing from his girlfriend's house in Perth, Western Australia

'I would just say come home,' Hayden told the NZ Herald.

'I am (worried about him) because I'm so far from there.'

Hayden said he last heard from Ray around the time he disappeared and his brother told him he loved him - which wasn't out of character.

'We always talk. He would say he was good, but what is good?' Hayden said.

Ray served in the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment's 1st Battalion, following his father Howard who served as a driver in the New Zealand Special Air Service Squadron.

Hayden believes his younger brother, who spent six months in Afghanistan, was affected by the reality of war, notably the death of his friend Corporal Douglas Hughes who committed suicide in Afghanistan in 2012.

A former NZ soldier, the 33-year-old grew up in Ngaruawahia, a town in the North Island, before relocating to Perth with his family

Five months later, Ray drove through a police checkpoint and was convicted for failing to stop and refusing a blood sample.

Ray returned to Perth after leaving the army and began work as a mobile diesel mechanic.

Hayden said it was not uncommon for Ray to go out of touch for a period of time but almost a month was out of character.

If Ray is still missing in February, Hayden intends to travel to Australia to search for his brother.

Police are seeking information on Ray's whereabouts and have urged members of the public who see Ray or his car to contact police

Ray's Facebook has been inundated with comments from worried family and friends who want to know he is okay.

Police are seeking information on Ray's whereabouts and have released an image of the 33-year-old.

Ray is described as 182cms tall, with a medium build, brown skin and tattoos on his left arm, short black hair and brown eyes.

Authorities believe he could be driving a silver 2002 model Nissan Pulsar hatchback, registration number 1BGZ696.A woman has pleaded no contest in a brick beating attack that left a 91-year-old grandfather hospitalized.

Laquisha Jones, 30, entered the no contest plea to one count of elder abuse inflicting injury on Thursday in Los Angeles, in connection with the Forth of July attack on Rodolfo Rodriguez.

As part of the negotiated plea deal, a charge of attempted murder was dropped, according to Deputy District Attorney Frank Dunnick.

Jones also admitted to a special allegation that she used a dangerous weapon in the crime, and that she had a prior conviction for making criminal threats in 2017, the district attorney's office said.

Laquisha Jones, 30, is seen wielding a brick during the savage July Fourth attack. She pleaded no contest to one count of elder abuse inflicting injury on Thursday in Los Angeles

A woman in the area caught the terrifying incident on cell phone video and said four men joined the mom in beating the grandfather

Jones will now face up to 15 years in prison at a sentencing hearing on February 28. She had faced up to 29 years if convicted of the original charges.

Although a witness claimed that Jones had screamed 'go back to your country' while attacking Rodriguez, a Mexican national, prosecutors did not pursue hate crime charges.

Investigators said that the attack was prompted by Jones' belief that Rodriquez had bumped into her daughter while walking down the sidewalk.

Rodriguez, who is now 92 and recovered from his injuries, denied that he had bumped into the girl.

The vicious attack unfolded at around 8pm on the Fourth of July in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Willowbrook.

Witnesses said Jones exploded in fury, shoving Rodriguez to the ground, picking up a brick and hitting him in the face with it.

Rodriguez (pictured above in hospital) is a legal US resident and 92-year-old grandfather who was attacked with a brick

Rodriguez, who is now 92 and recovered from his injuries, denied that he had bumped into the gir

A woman in the area caught the terrifying incident on cell phone video and said four men joined the mom in beating the grandfather.

Misbel Borjas told the Sacramento Bee that the mother told Rodriguez: 'Go back to your country, why are you here?'

'When I tried to videotape her with my cell phone,' Borjas said of the woman pictured holding the brick, 'she threw that same concrete block, tried to hit my car.'

The eyewitness said she called the police and asked the mother why she attacked the man, and was told by the mother that Rodriguez had tried to touch her daughter. The woman who witnessed the attack said that was a lie.

His family said Rodriguez suffered a broken jaw, broken cheekbones, two broken ribs and bruises on his face, back and abdomen.

Rodriguez, who doesn't speak English and is a legal US resident, said he doesn't understand why the mob attacked him.

Rodolfo Rodriguez thanks well-wishers for their help, as he talks to the media gathered outside his home in Los Angeles on July 11

Rodriguez is seen above aided by his daughter, Aurelia, outside his home in Los Angeles

Misbel Borjas (right) witnessed the vicious attack against Rodriguez

He told reporters that he doesn't know why he was attacked and is grateful for the outpouring of community support and well wishes he's received.

'I'm just a poor old man; I don't deserve it,' he told reporters in Spanish outside his home.

As for Jones, he said she's in the right hands.

'I'll leave it to the law,' he said in Spanish.

'I'm not qualified to say she deserves five years or 10 years - that's not going to heal anything or heal me.

'What's going to heal me is Jesus Christ. They'll give her the punishment she deserves.'

Jones is being held in the Century Regional Detention Facility. She is due in court for sentencing on February 28.A seven-year-old boy was taken to the hospital on Christmas after he was testing out a toy laser gun gift and the battery exploded in his face, injuring his eye.

Home security footage shows Kempton Kirkwood tinkering with his brand new Sharper Image laser tag gun when the battery got stuck and it began to overheat.

The boy can be heard saying: 'The batteries are hot' before he suddenly drops the toy, places his hands over his face and unleashes pained sobs as his mother rushes to his aid.

Kempton was brought to the emergency room in Farmington, Utah, where doctors determined he'd suffered corneal abrasions from the exploded battery acid.

His mother Lesha Kirkwood said he should make a full recovery without long-term damage if he uses eye drops and ointment for the next week or so.

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Home surveillance footage shows the moment a brand new laser gun toy overheated and its battery exploded, injuring seven-year-old Kempton Kirkwood as he tested out the present on Christmas Day in Farmington, Utah

Kempton's eye was injured by battery acid after the Sharper Image laser tag gun malfunctioned. The seven-year-old (above after the incident) is expected to recover fully

The gun's scorched battery compartment is pictured after it exploded. The family suspects that the malfunction was a result of a problem with the gun rather than the battery they used

Describing the incident to local TV station KSL, Kempton said: 'Today, it was Christmas. I hurt my eye.'

Kempton and his 11-year-old brother Peyton both found the laser gun gifts under the Christmas tree this year and were eager to try them out.

Both boys put batteries in their new gadgets and Peyton's began working immediately while Kempton's appeared to have something wrong with it.

'When I was getting the battery out, I saw stuff come out of it into my eye. It hurt a lot,' Kempton said.

'It was scary and I was brave.'

Lesha Kirkwood added: 'It just kind of popped and exploded in his face.'

Kempton can be seen clutching his face after the battery acid flew into his eye on Christmas

The boy's mother Lesha Kirkwood rushed to his aid before taking him to the emergency room

Lesha and Kempton recounted the incident in an interview with local TV station KSL (above)

The mother said she knows it was a rare accident but wants to warn other parents just in case

The mother said she knows the explosion was a rare accident but is warning other parents to be careful just in case.

'If you sense something going wrong, kind of just trust your instinct. If theres a battery and its heating up, get as far away from it as possible,' she told KSL.

The family suspects that the malfunction was a result of a problem with the gun and not the battery they used because a similar incident was reported in San Antonio involving a different brand of battery.

The toy manufacturer, Merch Source, has requested receipts for Kempton's medical bills.

A company representative said it has sent the family a box for them to return the guns in and that it will conduct a full investigation into what caused the malfunction.

The Kirkwoods are not planning to file a lawsuit.

The toy's manufacturer, Merch Source, is conducting an investigation into what may have caused the explosion. An illustration on the box shows how the toy is intended to work (above)A couple who were well-known Sioux Falls philanthropists were killed when their single-engine plane crashed in a residential neighborhood of South Dakota's largest city.

The Minnehaha County coroner positively identified the victims as Vaughn and JoAnn Meyer of Sioux Falls, police said. Both were 68 years old.

The small plane crashed at around 5pm Tuesday in the backyards of four homes in Sioux Falls, causing significant damage to two of the homes but not injuring anyone on the ground, authorities said.

Police Capt. Loren McManus said at a news briefing that the two people who were on the plane were killed. He later said authorities do not know who was piloting the plane.

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South Dakota philanthropists Vaught and JoAnn Meyer, both aged 68, were killed when their small plane crashed in Sioux Falls on Christmas Day

First responders survey the scene where the Meyers' plane crashed into four homes in Sioux Falls, which caught fire and had to be evacuated

A fireball is seen at the sight of the crash on South Birchwood Avenue on Tuesday evening

The Meyers were known for their charity work, the Argus Leader reported. Sioux Falls Lutheran School announced earlier this year it was naming a new 400-seat chapel and performing arts center after the couple after they donated more than $1million to the project.

Vaughn Meyer was a retired plastic surgeon who, according to Federal Aviation Administration records, received his pilot's license in 2010, the newspaper reported. His wife was a retired speech pathologist.

The couple met in college and had been married for 47 years. They are survived by their three grown children and five grandchildren.

Vaughn and JoAnn had been married for 47 years and raised three children. In their retirement, they focused their attention on charity work in Sioux Falls

McManus said the debris field stretches for blocks along South Birchwood Avenue and asked that anyone who comes across mechanical wreckage or 'biological debris' to call 911 so that officers can take care of it.

Fire Rescue Division Chief Steve Fessler said residents of two of the four houses that were evacuated following the crash have not returned to their homes. Fessler said the plane came down in the backyards of the four houses, with two of them sustaining significant damage.

Firefighters were able to 'knock down' the fire that resulted from the crash within 10 minutes, he said.

Jim Lang, who lives nearby, says he felt the ground shake and heard what sounded like a vehicle accelerating rapidly. He looked out his window and saw 'a yellow ball of fire.'

Two of homes were hit with heavy damage and the Red Cross has been contacted about sheltering the two families from those residences

Many in the area rushed to the scene to see if any of the families needed any help

Max Jamison, another local resident, shared that he rushed to the area of the explosion to see if anyone needed any assistance.

'Many many neighbors out to help and flames as high as the home in the picture,' he added on Twitter. 'Sounded like a plane did a "nose dive" into the ground. Not much more info than that.'

Joe Harris, who was with his parents for the holidays, also rushed to the scene to help.

'I was at Christmas gathering with my parents when we heard the explosion and saw the fire,' he said. 'We ran about 3 blocks to the site.'

The National Transportation Safety Board has been called to the area to investigate the crash.A Southern California mayor is defending his city's decision to destroy old police shooting and internal investigation records.

The city of Inglewood made the decision to shred the records at a City Council meeting earlier this month, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times.

The move came ahead of the implementation of a new state law that could allow the public to access those records for the first time.

The law, which goes into effect January 1, makes public internal investigations of officer-involved shootings, other major uses of force, and confirmed cases of sexual assault and lying while on duty

Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. told the Times on Sunday that there's no connection between the new law and the decision to shred the old records.

Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr., a former Santa Monica police chief, was elected in 2011

'This premise that there was an intent to beat the clock is ridiculous,' said Butts, a former Santa Monica police chief.

He said city officials would have nothing to fear from the records approved for destruction because some of them date as far back as 1991.

'How would they be embarrassing to me?' said Butts, who became part of city government when he was elected mayor in 2011. 'I wasn't even here for those records. The records are what they are.'

Civil liberties advocates who pushed for the new law said they were troubled by Inglewood's decision.

California requires keeping records officer-involved shootings and misconduct only five years, but the Inglewood Police Department (shown) has kept records going back to 1991

(It) undermines police accountability and transparency against the will of Californians,' Marcus Benigno, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, said in a statement.

He said the law was passed 'because communities demanded an end to the secrecy cloaking police misconduct and use of force.'

Although California law requires police departments to retain records of officer-involved shootings and internal misconduct investigations for five years, Inglewood has kept some records much longer than that.

The City Council approved the destruction of records that have been in the police department's possession  more than 100 cases  longer than required by law.

Mayor Butts said city officials would have nothing to fear from the records approved for destruction

City documents say the records are 'obsolete, occupy valuable space, and are of no further use to the police department.'

It's unclear whether the records have been destroyed.

Releasing the records, no matter how old they are, could reveal new avenues of legal redress and provide families with important details about what happened to their loved ones, said Earl Ofari Hutchinson, a longtime community activist who has worked with the families of those killed in encounters with Inglewood police.

He said the documents also would allow the public to review how well the department handled internal investigations and how seriously it has embraced reforms.

'This action sends a terrible message that lack of transparency is still the policy in Inglewood,' Hutchinson said.

Police departments in California have a long history of destroying records to avoid scrutiny.

In the 1970s, the Los Angeles Police Department destroyed more than four tons of personnel records after defense attorneys began requesting them as part of criminal cases against their clients.

The move resulted in the dismissal of more than a hundred criminal complaints.Advertisement

A car enthusiast has dedicated seven years of his life to restoring the unassuming Ford Capri he brought almost 30 years ago - and it's now one of the oldest of its kind.

Chris Taylor, 48, bought the now-vintage model in 1990, when he was just 20 and intended to just use it as a daily 'runner' car.

The mk1 Ford Capri 2000 GT XL spent almost a decade unused, sitting first in a garage and then left in a field for five years.

Chris Taylor (pictured with his mk1 Ford Capri 2000 GT XL), 48, bought the now-vintage model in 1990, when he was just 20 and intended to just use it as a daily 'runner' car. But now, almost 30 years ago he has restored the vehicle and it's worth 14,000

Mr Taylor's 'pre-facelift' model - the mk1 Ford Capri 2000 GT XL - is much rarer and harder to come by than the more popular 'facelift' mk2 and mk3 Capris that Ford manufactured in the 1970s

The work has taken Mr Taylor and his friend, classic car enthusiast Lee Reynolds, seven years to complete. A new vinyl roof has been added, the engine (pictured) totally remade and the upholstery redone

When Mr Taylor and Mr Reynolds first started restoring the car it was basically a shell and so they had to go through a lot of boxes and find all the pieces. Mr Taylor recalled that many were also in tins - and although most of them were labelled, some had worn of

But now, the 1969 model is approaching its big 50th anniversary next year - making it one of the oldest in the UK.

Mr Taylor's 'pre-facelift' mk1 model is much rarer and harder to come by than the more popular 'facelift' mk2 and mk3 Capris that Ford manufactured in the 1970s.

He has fully restored the light-blue Ford vehicle, complete with original clocks, dashboard and central console, in time for the anniversary.

The work has taken Mr Taylor and his friend, classic car enthusiast Lee Reynolds, seven years to complete.

Mr Taylor, from Camerton, Somerset, said: 'It has been a task. We tried to keep her as original as possible and most bits are. The seats are the original but have just been reupholstered.

'The dashboard, all the central console, the clocks are all orignal. I even managed to find a guy that had a 1969 radio.

'She's certainly been through it. Once you start you have committed and you have to keep going,' he added.

But Chris certainly never intended his Ford Capri to be a flashy collectible when he first brought it in 1990.

He said: 'I bought it 28 years ago just as a runner. I just used it as a daily car and after a while the MOT was due and it needed some bits doing.

'I put it in the garage out of the way for a while. I moved from house to house and got divorced and it got stuck in the garage for a very long time.

'Eventually I moved to Camerton where I am now and it got left in a garage for a few years and then unfortunately it just got left in a field for five or six years.'

Mr Taylor certainly never intended his Ford Capri to be a flashy collectible when he first brought it in 1990. When he first had the vehicle he used it as a daily car, but when its MOT came around it needed too much work doing

Mr Taylor has fully restored the light-blue Ford vehicle, complete with original clocks, dashboard and central console, in time for the anniversary

Mr Reynolds, a classic car enthusiast, has worked on a number of vintage vehicles - but as he had never taken this model apart before he also found the project difficult

The original Capri was first made in Germany in 1968 and was brought to the UK a year later. Mr Taylor's car is a 1969 model, making it one of the oldest in the UK as the big anniversary approaches

He continued: 'About seven years ago, I knew the anniversary was creeping up and I thought I better start doing some work on it.

'It spurred me along to get it done and thought I had loads of time. We got it to a point where it was totally sprayed - but then it just stood in here for another 12 months.'

That was when Mr Reynolds stepped in - and helped Mr Taylor completely take apart the car and then put it back together.

Mr Taylor said: 'All the pieces were in tins and most of them were labelled but some had worn of. It was a bit of a guessing job.

'We've had a new vinyl roof, the engine totally remade, the upholstery redone. It's a really rare model.'

And Mr Reynolds, who has worked on a range of classic cars, added: 'It is very difficult to put a car back together that you haven't taken apart.

'I came over here in February and it was basically a shell, so we had to go through loads of boxes and find all the pieces.

'There's a couple of big car meets that we're looking to get to with the anniversary coming up.'

Ford began making mk2 version in 1974 and mk3 versions in 1978. Mr Taylor also has a mk3 Capri, and is desperate to get his hands on a mk2 to complete the set

The car (pictured) can reach 60mph in 10.6 seconds, has a top speed of 106mph and has a classic cars magazine price guide of 2,500-14,000

Mr Taylor doesn't get out in the car much at the moment, but he and Mr Reynolds have had a great day out at a racetrack in Surrey as part of a photo shoot for Classic Cars magazine

The original Capri was first made in Germany in 1968 and was brought to the UK a year later.

Mr Taylor's car is a 1969 model, making it one of the oldest in the UK as the big anniversary approaches.

Ford began making mk2 version in 1974 and mk3 versions in 1978. Mr Taylor also has a mk3 Capri, and is desperate to get his hands on a mk2 to complete the set.

The car can reach 60mph in 10.6 seconds, has a top speed of 106mph and has a classic cars magazine price guide of 2,500-14,000.

Mr Taylor doesn't get out in the car much at the moment, but he and Mr Reynolds have had a great day out at a racetrack in Surrey as part of a photo shoot for Classic Cars magazine.

He said: 'We took her to a test track in August. We took her up on a trailer because it was a long way to go but that was very good.

'We got on the front cover of classic car magazine. Other than that it was just a run-around car.'

Mr Taylor added: 'When I bought it I didn't think I'd still have the car now.

'Would I have done it if I had known it had been this much work? Parts of me say yes I would and parts of me say no.

'You don't really know what you're taking on, you just do it. Stripping every bit of paintwork off was the hardest job we've done.'Attorneys for a former Minneapolis officer who fatally shot an Australian woman last year have been given approval to inspect the police vehicle from which the shot was fired.

Mohamed Noor's lawyers asked for access to the SUV on Friday because the moon will be in the exact same phase as it was on the night in July 2017 when he fatally shot Justine Ruszczyk Damond.

A Hennepin County judge approved the request on Thursday.

Authorities say Noor shot Damond after she called to report a possible sexual assault happening in an alley behind her Minneapolis home. Damond rushed outside in her pajamas to meet the officers when they arrived and Noor opened fire.

Mohamed Noor's (above) lawyers asked for access to the SUV on Friday because the moon will be in the exact same phase as it was on the night of the shooting in July 2017

Justine Ruszczyk Damond called police to report a suspected rape behind her home in July 2017, and was shot by Noor when he responded to the call for service

Sitting in the passenger seat, Noor fired past his partner, who was behind the wheel, as Damond approached the driver-side window.

Noor's attorneys have indicated he will plead not guilty to charges of second- and third-degree murder and manslaughter.

The second-degree murder charge was added earlier this month, after prosecutors said evidence shows Noor intended to kill Damond when he aimed and fired at her.

State prosecutor and head of the County Attorney's office, Mike Freeman, has previously said that there was 'no evidence' that Noor was threatened by Damond.

'In the short time between when Ms Damond-Ruszczyk approached the squad car and the time Officer Noor fired the fatal shot, there is no evidence that officer Noor encountered a threat, appreciated a threat, investigated a threat or confirmed a threat that justified his decision to use deadly force,' he said.

The scene of the shooting is seen in July 2017. Lawyers for Noor want to recreate the scene under the precise phase of the moon

'Instead, Officer Noor recklessly and intentionally fired his handgun from the passenger seat in disregard for human life. Such actions violate the criminal law.

Damond's family said in a written statement that they're pleased that Freeman decided to bring charges.

They said they hope a strong case will be presented and Noor will be convicted, calling the charges 'one step toward justice for this iniquitous act'.

'No charges can bring our Justine back,' Damond's father John Ruszcyzk and partner Don Damond said in the joint statement.

'However, justice demands accountability for those responsible for recklessly killing the fellow citizens they are sworn to protect.'China's third home-made passenger plane completed its maiden flight today as the country moves one step closer to its trillion-dollar aviation dreams.

The Chinese authorities are planning to replace all 6,000 to 6,800 of its western aircraft at a cost of around $1 trillion (788 billion), and most of the replacements are expected to be the single-aisle made-in-China jet.

Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC), a Chinese state-owned aviation manufacturer based in Shanghai, spent 11 years and $6.5 billion (5 billion) developing C919, which has been lauded as China's answer to the Boeing 737 and Airbus 320.

The third prototype of China's home-built passenger jet C919 takes off during its first test flight from the fourth runway at Shanghai Pudong International Airport around noon today

COMAC is currently assembling three other C919 planes and all of them are expected to complete their first flights next year. It is also developing a wide-body plane, the C929, in cooperation with Russia's United Aircraft Corp.

The third narrow-body, twin-engine C919 successfully landed at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 12:45pm today after flying for 98 minutes, according to a social media statement from COMAC.

The first two C919s took to the skies for the first time on May 5 and December 17 last year respectively. Both of them are undergoing further flight tests in order to obtain flying certification.

Sporting white, blue and green livery, the third C919 was manned by pilots Xu Yuanzheng and Zhang Jianwei.

The first-ever C919 is unveiled in Shanghai on November 2, 2015. The single-aisle, made-in-China jet has been lauded as Beijing's answer to the Boeing 737 and Airbus 320

The narrow-body, twin-engine airliner is built by Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC), a Chinese state-owned aviation manufacturer based in Shanghai

It took off at 11:07am from the fourth runway of the Shanghai Pudong International Airport. It also carried one observer and two engineers on board.

A comparison of the C919 with similar models offered by Boeing and Airbus. Estimates predict that China's new model is significantly cheaper than 737 and A320

COMAC said the plane completed 21 test points during the flight. It is expected to undergo further tests in Xi'an after today's flight.

Footage of the flight was released by Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television Station.

COMAC is yet to reveal more details of the maiden flight, such as the plane's height or speed. In May last year, the first C919 reached 10,000 feet with a maximum speed of 170 knots (196 miles per hour or 315 kph) during its maiden flight.

The C919 flight is Beijing's first step toward independence from Boeing and Airbus.

China is a massive battleground for Boeing and Airbus, with the country's air travel market expected to surpass the United States by 2024, according to the International Air Transport Association.

The aircraft has a flight range of up to 3,451 miles (5,555 kilometres), which means it can fly non-stop from Shanghai to Jakarta or from Paris to Montreal.

It can fit 158 to 168 seats. In comparison, different models of Boeing 737 can seat 85 to 215 passengers; while an A320 can accommodate 100 to 240 people.

COMAC is yet to release the price tag of the jet, but a report by China National Radio predicted that C919 was likely to be sold at 33 million ($43 million), much cheaper than a Boeing 737 or an Airbus 320 which each cost around 62 million ($80 million) and 77 million ($100 million) respectively.

International Air Transport Association estimated that 927 million people would travel to or from China by air in 2025 - compared to the 904 million passengers to and from the United States.The young man who claims he was sexually assaulted by Kevin Spacey back in 2016 at a Nantucket bar did not film evidence of the actor groping him or touching him in an inappropriate manner, according to court testimony.

In a court hearing on December 20, the actor's lawyer tore apart one of the claims made in the police report filed by State Trooper Gerald Donovan.

The claims in that report were all based on interviews with the alleged victim and eyewitnesses at the bar that night.

In that report, Donovan writes: '[Redacted] said his girlfriend did not believe him so that's when he snapchatted the video.'

That claim, which was submitted with the criminal complaint and filed in Nantucket District Court, led to multiple outlets reporting that there was evidence of the alleged assault, but as Donovan himself testified last week that is not the case.

'What the video shows is a person's hand make contact with the shirt, correct?' Spacey's lawyer Alan Jackson is heard asking in audio obtained by the Boston Globe.

'Yes,' responded Donovan.

'Okay. Not the -- any body part,' asked Jackson.

'Correct, you don't see any body parts,' confirmed Donovan.

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That summer: A court hearing on December 20 debunked the claim that the victim in the Kevin Spacey sex assault case filmed the actor while he groped him at a Nantucket bar (Spacey above in Nantucket with a fan not involved in the case in 2016)

Location: In that report, Trooper Gerald Donovan writes: '[Redacted] said his girlfriend did not believe him so that's when he snapchatted the video' (exterior of The Club Car in Nantucket, where the alleged assault took place)

The case stems from an incident that allegedly occurred in the early morning hours of July 8, 2016 at The Club Car in Nantucket.

The then-18-year-old-man accused Spacey of trying to 'jack him off' after the Oscar winner allegedly unzipped this fly, stuck his hand in his pants and began to rub his penis.

Jackson questioned why the victim allowed himself to be assaulted by the actor for three minutes, stating: 'Thats an incredibly long time to have a strange mans hands in your pants.'

He also used the hearing to address the fact that the alleged victim lied about his age, claiming he was 23, and was drinking heavily when the alleged assault took place.

'He may have been so drunk that he was black out drunk, but he didnt black out at the Club Car, he may have blacked out once he got home,' said Jackson while Donovan was on the stand.

'That's correct,' replied the trooper.

Jackson may soon have a second case on his hands with Spacey as well, which would put him back on his home turf.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles District Attorney's office revealed that a probe into Spacey's alleged criminal behavior that was launched back in August is still ongoing at this time.

A previous investigation was ultimately dismissed by the DA.

Jackson is familiar with the workings of that office, having spent close to two decades as a Deputy Assistant for the same office before going into private practice.

A spokesperson for the organization spoke with DailyMail.com and said: 'A sex assault case was presented yesterday to our office by the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department involving Kevin Spacey. It remains under review.'

This news comes a year after the two-time Oscar winner was accused of sexually assaulting a then-underage Anthony Rapp at his Manhattan apartment.

Spacey responded by coming out as gay and entering a rehab facility in Arizona, where he remained for weeks.

The incident that spurred Spacey's downfall allegedly took place at Spacey's apartment in 1986 when the actor invited Rapp to a party while they were both appearing on Broadway.

In an interview with Buzzfeed, Rapp said that he found himself alone in the apartment at the end of the night and that Spacey then began to make his move.

'He picked me up like a groom picks up the bride over the threshold. But I don't, like, squirm away initially, because I'm like, 'What's going on?' And then he lays down on top of me,' said Rapp, who detailed being pressed up against the bed before being able to squirm away and ultimately leave the house without being assaulted by Spacey.

Spacey made the decision to come out of the closet in a statement apologizing to actor Anthony Rapp, who said in an interview that the actor attempted to sexually assault him in 1986, an incident Spacey says he does not remember.

Rapp was 14 at the time while Spacey was 26.

House of cards: Spacey will be arraigned on one count of Indecent Assault & Battery when he appears in a Nantucket courtroom early next month (Spacey above in his now-cancelled Netflix show House of Cards)

Trying time: The alleged victim's mother, Heather Unruh (above), said last year that her son was eventually able to get away when a woman walked over to him while the actor was in the bathroom and said: 'Run!'

It was in the aftermath of Rapp sharing his story that the mother of the victim in the Nantucket case, a former news anchor in Boston Heather Unruh, came forward on Twitter and later went public.

Spacey will appear in court next month to be arraigned on the charge of Indecent Assault and Battery. He is facing up to five years in jail.Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin six times this year, expressed the opinion that the Russian-Azerbaijani relations have developed very rapidly in 2018.

Summing up the results of 2018 in an interview with Russia 24, he said that bilateral relations are characterized by very dynamic development, stability and predictability: "We are good neighbors and reliable friends. This has been proven more than once, and this high level of trust and, first of all, political interaction contributes to the implementation of many projects. President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and I have met six times this year, including during my official visit to Russia and his visit to Azerbaijan. We have also met at international events. Each of these meetings produced results. We approach the issue of increasing our turnover very seriously and have adopted roadmaps for the development of different areas of cooperation. I am glad that both Azerbaijani and Russian businessmen are investing in the economies of our countries. Favorable conditions are being created for increasing the turnover and for the creation of joint productions. Russian banks are financing important industrial projects in Azerbaijan worth hundreds of millions of dollars. This is an indicator of our relations and also of the fact that Azerbaijan is a country in which banks are not afraid of losing money. We always honor our obligations."

Ilham Aliyev said that plans for 2019 had already been defined. "Recently, a regular meeting of the Russian-Azerbaijani intergovernmental commission was held in Moscow. Also this year, a Russian-Azerbaijani interregional forum was held in Baku in the presence of the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan. This is also an important area of our cooperation - active cooperation with Russian regions and building trade and economic relations with them. I think that our joint transport initiatives will give a serious boost to bilateral trade. The North-South project is already being implemented. This year alone, we are seeing a tenfold increase in transit of goods from Russia through Azerbaijan and to Russia. Our shippers are also using this transport artery very actively. So we have a comprehensive approach to our relations. The foundation is our historical friendship. On this foundation, we have built a strong basis for political relations and have a clear understanding on the development of trade, economic, transport, energy relations and, of course, relations in the humanitarian sphere. I must also say that Russians are ranked first for the number of tourists to Azerbaijan. This year, more than 800,000 Russians have visited our country. They feel very much at home here. In other words, our relations are quite extensive and, I think, are a good example of how neighbors should build relations," Ilham Aliyev noted.

According to him, Baku has very close and friendly relations with the absolute majority of Eurasian Union member-states, including those in the trade and economic sphere: "We have free trade agreements with these countries. Of course, our main trade and economic partner is the Russian Federation. We also have a free trade format. Therefore, we will certainly expand the potential for cooperation. At this stage, this cooperation is more bilateral, sometimes trilateral, but not broader. Time and specific results will show how events will unfold next year. But, ultimately, as a country chairing the Non-Aligned Movement, we will increase our role in the international arena and, of course, strive to ensure that Azerbaijans partner-countries receive the same level of support from us that they are providing us with."A mob of Yellow Vest protestors has tried to storm the holiday home of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Around 50 members of the anti-government movement arrived at the medieval fort of Bregancon, on the Riviera coast near Toulon on Thursday, and remained close by on Friday.

They shouted 'Macron Resign' as they tried to get into the heavily armoured building, where they claim Mr Macron, 41, is enjoying a vacation with his wife, Brigitte Macron. 65.

The Yellow Vests - who are named after their trademark high visibility jackets - managed to pose for pictures close to Bregancon, but were then kept away by armed police and gendarmes.

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Dozens of protesters wearing the characteristic yellow vests were stopped by police as they tried to storm the fortress

A Yellow Vest protester sits with a French tricolore gazing at the island of Bregancon from the mainland

Aerial view of the Fort de Bregancon in Bormes-les-Mimosas on the French Riviera, Macron's holiday home

'It's madness,' said local mayor Francois Arizzi. 'For people who want more democracy, they should start by respecting other people's property.

'They have been trying to cross private land, and say they are going to have another go on Friday. This is unacceptable.'

Bregancon became a symbol of anti-government protest in the summer, after Mr Macron installed a swimming pool there for his family members who did not want to use the sea to bathe.

The pool cost more than 30,000, with Mr Macron saying the cost was justified because he and Brigitte did not like to be pictured in their beachwear by the paparazzi.

Today presidential sources would not say whether the Macrons were in residence at Bregancon, which is one of at least 10 presidential properties available to them all year round.

Mr Macron is said to be enjoying a vacation with his wife on the island at the moment

Protesters shouted 'Macron resign' as they marched towards the heavily protected building

President Macron was said to have been at the house for his Christmas holidays. Pictured: Macron meeting members of the public near the house in August

But they confirmed that they had cancelled a ski trip to La Mongie, in the Pyrenees, which Mr Macron used to visit as a child.

Thousands of Yellow Vests have been arrested across France over the past two months as they campaign for Mr Macron to resign.

They started off as group protesting against fuel price rises caused by ecological taxes.

Last Saturday there were almost 150 arrests for public order offences during Vest protests in Paris alone, while at the end of November some 700 were held in custody on a single day.

Mounted police, water cannons, and 14 armoured vehicles capable of spreading high-intensity tear gas have been used against them constantly in the French capital, where they vandalised public monuments including the Arc de Triomphe.

French gendarmes were vigilant and followed the protesters during their march as they walked chanting slogans against the President

The Yellow Vests - who are named after their trademark high visibility jackets - managed to pose for pictures close to Bregancon

Bregancon became a symbol of anti-government protest in the summer, after Mr Macron installed a swimming pool there for his family members

The French police have failed to prevent widespread disorder over the past few weekends, with more trouble predicted on Saturday.

The Vests have been joined by extremists from the far Right and the ultra-Left, as well as anarchists intent on causing as much damage as possible.

Crisis-ridden Mr Macron has not only climbed down on imposing green surcharges on petrol and diesel, but increased the national minimum wage by seven per sent, and scrapped tax on bonuses.

But the Yellow Vests said their protests would continue indefinitely as they campaign for even more concessions.

The independent Mr Macron, leader of the Republic On The Move party, won the French presidential election in a landslide in 2017, but he is now dubbed the 'President of the Rich' with polls showing his popularity rating down to just 18 per cent.University of Minnesota professor Aaron H. Doering, 47, was arrested after he allegedly strangled his fiancee on Wednesday

A University of Minnesota professor and climate change expert has been arrested after he choked his fiancee during an argument, cops say.

Aaron H. Doering, 47, violently strangled his fiancee and left her fearing for her life on Wednesday, according to criminal charges filed on Thursday.

He was arrested and charged with two felony counts of domestic assault by strangulation and is in Hennepin County jail on $40,000 bail.

When cops arrived to the Minneapolis home of the tenured professor and his fiancee, they found the two arguing and the victim with red marks on her forehead and bruises in the shape of fingers on one side of her neck, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

He dragged her through the apartment by her hair, beat her and choked her until she was unable to breath, according to the criminal complaint.

Doering, a tenured professor and climate change speaker, was charged with two felony counts of domestic assault by strangulation and is in Hennepin County jail on $40,000 bail

Doering is the director of the University of Minneapolis' Learning Technologies Media Labs and has led several climate change and sustainability projects

She alleged that it was not the first time he physically assaulted her and she gave cops pictures of prior injuries.

'Victim believes [Doering] will kill her if he returns to the apartment,' the criminal complaint says.

Doering is a tenured professor in the College of Education and Human Development and is the director of the University of Minneapolis' Learning Technologies Media Labs.

He's also a speaker on climate change who has led expeditions and projects in Siberia, Nepal, and Norway.

Doering often speaks to media outlets on climate change and sustainability, pictured above in the Arctic before appearing on the Weather Channel

The University says that Doering's employment status at the school has not changed in light of the incident. He is pictured speaking at a different college

He's a fellow for the Royal Canadian Geographic Society and often speaks to media outlets on climate change and sustainability.

Doering's latest project included an Emmy-nominated documentary entitled The Changing Earth about a 137-mile journey through the Arctic.

According to his social media, he's also a father to a young son.

The University says that Doering's employment status at the school has not changed in light of the incident.

'We're aware of the situation, and will be reviewing the matter,' the University's Assistant Director of Public Relations Lacey Nygard said to the Tribune.

Doering is due to make his first court appearance in the case on Friday.A 12-year-old Connecticut boy accused of stabbing his twin sister to death has been released from a hospital and transported to a juvenile detention center as state officials grapple with what to do with him.

The boy, whose name has not been released because he is a minor, allegedly stabbed his sister Brigid Curtin twice in the neck and torso before stabbing and critically wounding their mother JaneMarie Murphy at the family's home in a wealthy West Hartford neighborhood on December 17.

After the attacks, the suspect, who sustained minor injuries, was taken to Connecticut Childrens Medical Center, where he was arraigned last week.

He faces charges of murder with special circumstances and first-degree assault in Brigid's death as well as assault for stabbing Murphy. Police have not revealed a motive in the stabbings.

The boy was released from the hospital this week and is currently being held at the Juvenile Detention Center in Hartford, sources confirmed to the Hartford Courant on Thursday. He is in the custody of Connecticut Judicial Marshals.

A 12-year-old boy accused of stabbing his twin sister to death at their home in West Hartford, Connecticut, on December 17 was reportedly released from a hospital and transported to the Juvenile Detention Center in Hartford (above) earlier this week

The boy's mother JaneMarie Murphy (left and right) called 911 on the afternoon of December 17 and said her son had stabbed her and her daughter, Brigid Curtin. Murphy, a 56-year-old government lobbyist, is recovering from the attack at St Francis Hospital and Medical Center

The grieving community held a prayer vigil for Brigid four days after the attacks last week at St Patricks and St Anthony R C Church. Loved ones are pictured arriving at the service

Police vehicles are seen parked outside the family home on Stoner Drive in the upscale Connecticut neighborhood of West Hartford as investigators collect crime scene evidence

Judicial officials and attorneys have been struggling to determine where the boy - one of the youngest murder defendants in Connecticut history - should be placed as the juvenile detention center is not considered to be a long-term solution, the Courant reports.

The case will be tried in juvenile court and kept sealed because of his age.

According to Deputy Chief States Attorney Kevin Lawlor, the maximum punishment for a person 14 or younger would be 30 months of probation supervision with or without residential placement, minus any time spent in pretrial detention.

After the boy serves his juvenile sentence, the state could ask a judge to commit him to the state's children's psychiatric center if he is considered a danger to himself or to others. Should that happen, he could be held in the psychiatric facility until he is 20 years old.

Speaking about this particular case, a state juvenile official told the Courant: 'Coming up with an appropriate response to a young child charged with a serious crime such as murder presents a difficult challenge for the court because it is uncommon and because the court has to determine the needs of the child and at the same time balance the need to protect public safety.'

Police were called to the home on Stoner Drive on December 17 and found both victims and the suspect at the scene. Brigid and Murphy were rushed to the hospital where the young girl died of her injuries

The maximum punishment for juvenile offenders under the age of 14 was knocked down to 30 months from a previous limit of 48 months when a series of new laws went into effect on July 1 of this year.

Those laws have limited the options state courts have available when determining the best course of action with the boy's case.

Prior to July 1, the court would have had the option to commit the boy to the Department of Children and Families for placement in a residential treatment facility, including the Connecticut Juvenile Training School (CJTS) for boys.

However, that school was closed under the new laws and the state now does not have a secure facility designated for the treatment of serious juvenile offenders.

Sources familiar with the juvenile system told the Courant that the state is looking into alternative plans for serious juvenile offenders.

The judicial branch does have treatment programs and services for delinquents who require secure housing within the two state-operated juvenile detention centers, but the capacity of those programs is limited at a total of 24 and there is a substantial waiting list.

Judicial department spokeswoman Melissa Farley told the Courant this week: 'The judicial branch continues to work toward contracting for smaller contracted secure facilities in the community, which will reduce reliance on the detention centers.

'In addition, the judicial branch has awarded contracts for two staff-secure facilities with a total capacity of 20 beds, which began taking clients at the beginning of the month.'

Once the West Hartford suspect's juvenile sentence is completed, the state could ask a judge to commit him if he is still a danger either to himself or to others. Under that scenario, he could be placed in a psychiatric facility until he is 20, sources said.

Juvenile defenders who are diagnosed with mental health issues can be sent for evaluation and treatment at a state psychiatric center for children - the Solnit South campus in Middletown.

The Courant reports six residents attempted suicide at the state-run children's psychiatric center between November 2017 and March 2018.

Authorities spent two days collecting evidence from the Murphy-Curtin's two-story home

Blood stains could reportedly be seen in the driveway and inside the garage at the home

Both state officials and the boys attorney, Trent LaLima of the Hubert J Santos Law Firm, have declined to comment on the suspect's current location.

His parents, mother JaneMarie Murphy and father Timothy Curtin, are being represented by Hartford attorney John Droney, who also declined to comment Thursday.

It's been nearly two weeks since Murphy called 911 and told the dispatcher that she and her daughter were stabbed by her son shortly after the seventh-graders returned home from Sedgewick Middle School on the afternoon of December 17.

Police arrived on the scene at around 3.30pm and both victims were rushed to the hospital, where Brigid succumbed to her injuries.

Murphy, a 56-year-old government lobbyist, is still recovering from stab multiple wounds at St Francis Hospital and Medical Center.

Authorities have released very little information regarding the incident and denied media requests for the 911 tape.

Blood stains were seen in the driveway and the garage as police spent two days gathering evidence from the two-story home on Stoner Drive that had been decorated for Christmas.

Flowers and white ribbons have been placed near the house in the upscale West Hartford community that is still reeling from the 'unspeakable tragedy'.

A vigil for Brigid was held last week at St Patrick-St Anthony's church, where the young girl used to attend services with her family.

A vigil for Brigid was held at St Patrick-St Anthony's church (above) four days after her death

Grieving friends and family are seen embracing outside the church Brigid used to attend

Fr Tom Gallagher sent an email informing parishioners that a prayer and healing service would be held for the Murphy-Curtin family.

The priest hailed the Murphy-Curtins as a 'wonderful family' and said Brigid and her brother were baptized at the church, had their first communion there, and were involved in the parish's religious programs.

Gallagher remembered Brigid as a 'kind, delightful young girl' to the Hartford Courant.

Students at Sedgwick Middle School honored Brigid's memory last week by wearing shirts in her favorite color, blue, and drawing blue hearts on their hands and arms.

'This is truly an unspeakable tragedy,' family friend Chuck Coursey said at a news conference on December 18.

West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor released the following statement on behalf of the Murphy-Curtin family to Pix11.

'Our family, friends, and community are all suffering tonight. We are all enduring a very painful and unimaginable loss. Our family will never be the same. Our daughter was a beautiful child and we will remember forever her smilelaughterand remember her for the way she loved and lived. We thank you all for your condolences and prayers,' the statement said.

'Please understand that this loss is not contained to our family. Our children attended West Hartford schools and have so many friends that are hurting tonight as well. West Hartford is a strong community,' it added.

According to Murphy's biography on her employer's website, the mother is an 'expert in state and municipal government and public interest negotiations'.

She formerly worked as a legislative assistant to the State Senate Majority Office and Senior Legislative Aide to the Senate President Pro Tempore of the Connecticut General Assembly.

Flowers and white ribbons have been laid at the entrance to Stoner Drive in West HartfordThe mother of slain Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts has taken into her home a Mexican teenager who had lived and worked with her daughter's accused killer.

The Washington Post reported on Friday that not long after her 20-year-old daughter was found stabbed to death in a cornfield outside Brooklyn, Iowa, in August 2018, Laura Calderwood welcomed into her home 17-year-old Ulises Felix.

He is an undocumented immigrant whose family had worked on the Yarrabee Dairy Farm alongside Mollie's suspected killer, 24-year-old Cristhian Bahena Rivera.

Rivera has been living in the US without a visa and working as a farmhand so he could send money to his parents in his native Mexico.

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New house guest: Laura Calderwood, the mother of Mollie Tibbetts, who police say was killed by an illegal immigrant, has taken in 17-year-old Ulises Felix, who was the murder suspect's co-worker and is also living in the US illegally

Tibbetts, 20, was killed in July 2018 while out for an evening jog in Brooklyn, Iowa

Following Rivera's arrest on murder charges in August, Felix's parents fled to Illinois to escape the outpouring of anti-immigrant vitriol, leaving their teenage son behind so he could finish high school.

Mollie's younger brother, Scott, who attended the same school as Felix and was friends with the teen, immediately said he could stay in his mother's spare bedroom.

After briefly grappling with the decision, Calderwood, 55, concluded that her late daughter, who in life was welcoming to all and supportive of the rights of immigrants, would have wanted her to help Felix.

Over the course of the last few months, Calderwood has learned that her young houseguest's ties to Rivera were closer than first thought: Felix's female cousin was the mother of the 24-year-old suspected killer's young daughter.

Felix also revealed to Calderwood that both of Rivera's parents were in Mexico, and that before the arrest, Felix's mother had taken it upon herself to look after him and feed him every night, since he had almost no other family in Iowa.

Cristhian Bahena Rivera (left), 24, was arrested in August and charged with stabbing Tibbetts (right) to death and then dumping her body in a cornfield

Rivera was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in late August, a month after Tibbetts she went out for a solo run and never returned.

Right-wing Republican politicians, led by President Trump, quickly seized upon Tibbetts' case to call for tougher immigration laws and increased border security.

At a rally that was staged shortly after Rivera's arrest, Trump told his supporters that 'the incredible, beautiful young woman's death should never have happened.

You heard about today with the illegal alien coming in very sadly from Mexico and you saw what happened to that incredible, beautiful young woman, Trump said, referring to Rivera and Tibbetts.

'Should have never happened. Illegally in our country.

It was Mollie's younger brother, Scott (pictured left as a toddler), who offered Felix to stay at his mother's home; the two teens attended the same school and are friends. Scott is pictured here with brother Jake and sister Mollie

Mollie's family, including her father, Rob (pictured with his daughter), have been railing against right-wing politicians, led by Donald Trump, who have used Tibbetts' murder to advance their anti-immigration agenda

Iowas Republican governor Kim Reynolds sounded a similar note, tweeting that a 'broken immigration system allowed a predator to live in our community...'

Tibbetts family were horrified by the thought that Mollies brutal death was being wielded as a cudgel to attack undocumented immigrants.

Tibbetts' father, Rob, later published a scathing op-ed in the Des Moines Register, excoriating right-wing politicians and pundits for using his daughter as a pawn' to advance an anti-immigrant agenda that he said his daughter believed was 'profoundly racist.'

And ultimately, it was Mollie Tibbett's open and accepting nature that inspired her mother to open her home to another illegal immigrant, Felix.

In September, Rivera pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. His trial is set for April 16, 2019.

If convicted, the 24-year-old will be sentenced to life in prison.The chiseled Mr. December of the New York City Fire Department's beefcake calendar has been charged after he allegedly cracked a beer bottle over the head of a patron at a Queens bar.

Francisco Espadas, 32, is facing charges of assault and harassment for the altercation with Matthew Dowd, 21, of Long Island, at the Bourbon Street restaurant and bar on Friday morning, the New York Daily News reports.

Things got heated between Espadas and Dowd at the entrance of the Bayside, Queens, establishment, according to police, and the firefighter smashed the glass bottle over Dowd's head.

Dowd was taken to North Shore Manhasset Hospital with a deep laceration.

Francisco Espadas, 32, the December model for the FDNY Calendar of Heroes, was arrested for a bar fight in Queens on Friday morning

For his part, Dowd was also arrested and charged with punching the firefighter in the face.

Espadas was not seriously hurt, according to officials.

A member of Ladder Company 124 based in Brooklyn, Espadas is a model in the FDNY Calendar of Heroes (Men).

Bourbon Street, a bar in Bayside, Queens, where Espadas and Dowd got into a fight that led to the arrest of both men

FDNY Battalion 28, Engine 271 and Ladder 124 firehouse in Brooklyn. Espadas is a member of Ladder Company 124

Francisco Espadas was not seriously hurt himself in the bar fight, according to officials

In his calendar photo, Espadas can be seen wearing his firefighter bunker pants with helmet held to his hip and nothing else.

'Staying fit is a lifestyle which requires hard work and dedication, which I attribute to being a Firefighter,' Espadas is quoted in a FDNY Foundation Instagram post of his calendar entry. 'This job is my childhood dream and I'm very blessed to be able to say that I truly love what I do.'

Sales from the FDNY calendars, one featuring men and another women, benefits the FDNY Foundation, the official non-profit organization of the New York City Fire Department which aims 'to promote fire and life safety education and help the FDNY better protect New York.'House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was spotted at a luxury hotel in Hawaii just before the partial government shutdown entered its seventh day Friday, with little sign of progress to end it.

The likely speaker didn't appear to miss out on any negotiations, as talks between the White House and Democratic congressional leaders appear to have ceased, even as hundreds of thousands of federal employees remain on furlough.

Pelosi's office says the White House hasn't contacted them since December 11, when Trump said at a tense meeting he would claim the 'mantle' of a shutdown.

The White House came out with a double-barreled attack on Pelosi Friday  not for being out of town, but for being unwilling to compromise and even claiming she was more interested in her own fortunes than protecting 'American lives.'

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was spotted at a luxury hotel in Hawaii amid the government shutdown

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was spotted at a luxury hotel in Hawaii Thursday. The partial government shutdown hit its seventh day on Friday

The attacks came as Incoming White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney stressed that President Donald Trump had called off his planned 16-day vacation at Mar-a-Lago and was working on the shutdown on a 'minute-by-minute basis.'

Mulvaney claimed there was a split among Democratic congressional leaders that is preventing a resolution to the shutdown.

And White House press secretary Sarah Sanders blasted Pelosi as 'more willing to protect that than she is to protect our borders and protect American lives.'

'The Presidents been here, by the way, all weekend, all Christmas,' Mulvaney told Fox News from the White House. 'Hes staying in Washington D.C. over New Years, hes cancelled his plans for Christmas, nows cancelled his plans for New Years.'

It wasn't the same story for many senior aides, whose West Wing offices were dark on Friday early afternoon. Some other White House aides are themselves on furlough.

Pelosi's Hawaii getaway is at a luxury resort that has a dazzling oceanfront pool and even a 'Spa Without Walls'

Standard rooms go for $799

Pelosi was seen at a Fairmont property on Hawaii's big island

Litter spills out of a public dustbin next to the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington DC on December 24, 2018 amid the government shutdown

As the White House turned up the heat on Pelosi, it was revealed that the Democratic lawmaker was vacationing at the tony Fairmont Orchid on Hawaii's big island where standard rooms go for $899 per night.

The pool has a dazzling oceanfront pool and even a 'Spa Without Walls.' She was spotted there on Thursday, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

Mulvaney, who Trump named his 'acting' chief of staff with the immediate departure of chief of staff John Kelly, claimed Friday that Pelosi was holding back on a potential deal because of her upcoming election to become speaker  although all signs in recent weeks are that she has locked down the post.

'The Presidents been here, by the way, all weekend, all Christmas,' Incoming White House chief of staff Mulvaney told Fox News

Incoming White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney claims there is a split between Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi that is preventing a deal to reopen the government

The hotel features a pool, ocean views, and a spa

Pelosi's office didn't comment on her whereabouts.

Her counterpart, Schumer is in New York spending time with family, including his new grandson, 'on the phone with staff, members and Leader Pelosi constantly.' (His daughter Jessica gave birth to a boy last month).

In what looked like an attempted divide-and-conquer via TV interview strategy, Mulvaney floated the theory of a split between the two leaders, who together clashed with Trump in a caustic televised Oval Office meeting days before the shutdown began.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders also sought to turn up the heat on Pelosi, telling reporters at the White House Pelosi was 'unwilling to actually do anything until she gets her speakership. She's more willing to protect that than she is to protect our borders and protect American lives.'

He said of Senate minority leader Charles Schumer: 'My gut was that he was really interested in doing a deal and coming to some sort of compromise, but the more we're hearing this week is that it's nancy Pelosi that is preventing that from happening,' Mulvaney told Fox News in an interview from outside the White House Friday.

SUNNY GETAWAY: President Trump's daughter and son-in-law, both of whom serve as unpaid advisers to the administration, were photographed by DailyMail.com Mar-a-Lago earlier in the week

He then argued that Pelosi was cornered into her position by her own need to prevail on the House floor Jan. 3 when she must stand for speaker.

'She cannot be seen by her party as being weak on negotiating with Donald Trump," Mulvaney said. 'So we fully expected that until she's elected speaker and has locked that vote up, we don't expect to hear from the Democrats again."

Asked about his claim, Pelosi's office responded that the White House hasn't reached out to Pelosi since Tuesday Dec. 11th, following the tense Oval Office meeting.

'Democrats are united against the Presidents immoral, ineffective and expensive wall  the wall that he specifically promised that Mexico would pay for,' said spokesman Drew Hammill.

'Republicans control the House, the Senate and the White House. House Democrats have repeatedly gone to the House floor  including yesterday  to try to force a vote on a clean bill to re-open government,' he continued.

'The last time there has been any outreach to Pelosi directly from the White House was Tuesday, December 11 when President Trump phoned her after the White House meeting that morning.'

Hammill said 'given that the President has changed his position so many times, we would not consider any offers from the White House that the President has not publicly endorsed. While we await the Presidents public proposal, Democrats have made it clear that, under a House Democratic Majority, we will vote swiftly to re-open government on Day One.'

Mulvaney stressed that Trump has been working in Washington and missed his planned Christmas and New Year's getaway at Mar-a-Lago. Trump typically spends his New Year's holiday at the lavish estate he owns in Palm Beach

Mulvaney's comments came on a seventh day of a partial government shutdown

Mulvaney brought up that lawmakers have skipped town. On day 6 of the partial government shutdown boxes and furniture wait to be moved from Republican to Democratic offices in the US Capitol building on Capitol Hill in Washington DC on Thursday December 27, 2018

Democrats are considering several options once they take over the House next month: passing a short continuing resolution to fund the rest of the government, a long-term continuing resolution, or funding all of the government at current levels other than the Homeland Security Department, Politico reported earlier this week.

Pelosi mocked Trump's evolving statements on what the wall would look like or be called in an interview this week in USA Today.

'First of all, the fact ... that he says, "We're going to build a wall with cement, and Mexico's going to pay for it," while he's already backed off of the cement  now he's down to, I think, a beaded curtain or something, I'm not sure where he is," Pelosi quipped.

Mulvaney also vouched for President Trump being hard at work, even as Congress essentially skipped town.

'The president's been here by the way all weekend, all Christmas. He's staying in Washington, D.C. over New Years,' Mulvaney said. 'He's cancelled his plans for Christmas, now he cancelled his plans for New Year's.'

Mulvaney said Friday that Trump has been closely following the shutdown as well as the manhunt for an illegal immigrant suspected of killing a cop in California.

'The president is very heavily engaged in this on an almost 'minute-by-minute basis,' Mulvaney said. He said he spoke to the president hourly.

'They told us last night that they are not countering our last offer,' Mulvaney said of congressional Democrats.

Mulvaney also praised 'that steel slat fence that he sent the picture out,' in reference to the border barrier Trump tweeted out with spiky points on top, saying experts consider it the 'ideal border barrier.'

'We are not giving up on that - it's why the government is closed,' Mulvaney said. But he said it 'makes sense' to sit down across the table with another party to negotiate.A home carer has been caught on camera abusing her 79-year-old client on Christmas Day.

The disabled grandmother, from the city of Jinhua in eastern China, was trying to stand up after falling onto the floor at her home when the alleged assault happened.

Instead of helping her client, the carer is seen deliberately and repeatedly dragging her to the floor before savagely pulling her along the floor by the arm.

The carer from China tries to push her client to the floor as the pensioner struggles to stand up

She drags the 79-year-old grandmother along the floor by pulling the elderly woman's arms

The carer had been sacked by the pensioner's family and she abused the elderly woman on her last day at work, a family member of the pensioner accused.

Surveillance footage shows the pensioner trying to grab onto the leg of a table as the carer attempts to drag her back down to the floor.

Upon realising that the pensioner is resisting, the carer starts to use all her strength and at one point presses the elderly woman to the floor to ensure she stays put.

The pensioner's family members discovered the carer's shocking behaviour when they were reviewing footage from their home monitor.

They also heard the pensioner desperately shouting her children's names in the footage while being roughly handled by the carer.

The family have called the police.

Horrified family members called the police after seeing the incident on surveillance footage

The pensioner's grandson, Mr Huang, told Chinese media Btime.com that the carer had worked for them for a few months when the incident happened.

Mr Huang said his grandmother was disabled in the legs and suffered from urinary incontinence, therefore his family decided to hire a home carer for her.

The man said he had been informed by neighbours of the carer's bad attitude towards his grandmother, but when he saw the footage he was horrified.

'We had dismissed her and it happened on her last day,' Mr Huang told Btime.com yesterday.

The carer denied the accusations put forward by the family and said she was simply trying to stop the pensioner from leaving her home, Mr Huang said.

The case is under investigation.A two-month old baby is being worshipped as a god in India because she has three hands.

The infant girl was born in the Bilaspur district of the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh on November 2.

Though otherwise healthy, she has a small additional arm and hand growing out of the right hand side of her chest.

The unnamed baby girl was born November 2 in central India with three hands, with the third one coming out of the right hand side of her chest

Her concerned mother, Radhika Sahu, brought her for a check-up at the local health centre but it appeared the extra limb was causing her no harm.

In fact, she has become the talk of the town, and some villagers are even worshipping the baby girl as a god.

But Dr. B.P. Singh, head of Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Science, recommended an operation to remove the one-in-a-million extra hand, which would allow the girl to live a normal life.

Babies born with extra limbs in India are often worshipped as reincarnations of Hindu deities.

Depictions of Hindu Gods often show them with multiple arms, which emphasizes their superhuman power and ability to perform many tasks at once.

Occasionally a deity is portrayed with more than one head, which shows the multifaceted nature of the God and their many characteristics.

Babies born with extra limbs in India are often worshipped as reincarnations of Hindu deities because the resemble depictions of the Gods, who often have multiple extra limbs which convey their power

Last year a baby boy from Yamunanagar was described as a 'gift from God' because he had two heads.

In 2015, a baby boy born with eight-limbs was believed to be the reincarnation of Ganesh, the popular elephant-headed God of wisdom, success and good luck.

Thousands of devotees flocked to the remote town where he was born to get a glimpse of the baby.

And in 2014, a six-year-old boy found himself an object of reverence in his tiny Indian village after growing a foot-long tail, which his family and locals believed was a sign that he is connected to the Hanuman, a monkey-like Hindu deity.The Trump administration on Friday said limits on mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants were unnecessary as they were too costly, sparking an outcry from environmentalists who feared the next step would be looser rules favoring the coal industry at the expense of public health.

Under the Mercury and Air Toxic Standards, or MATS, enacted under former president Barack Obama, coal-burning power plants were required to install expensive equipment to cut output of mercury, which can harm pregnant women and put infants and children at risk of developmental problems.

The 2011 Obama administration rule led to what electric utilities say was an $18 billion clean-up of mercury and other toxins from the smokestacks of coal-fired power plants.

Overall, environmental groups say, federal and state efforts have cut mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants by 85 percent in roughly the last decade.

Mercury causes brain damage, learning disabilities and other birth defects in children, among other harm. Coal power plants in this country are the largest single manmade source of mercury pollutants, which enters the food chain through fish and other items that people consume.

Ripping up the rules: An Obama-era curb on mercury emissions's justification will be withdrawn under plans from the Trump-era Environmental Protection Administration

The Environmental Protection Agency Friday left the 2011 emission standards in place but proposed using a different cost analysis to evaluate whether the regulation is needed, a move that paves the way for looser rules going forward. Its statement was issued on Friday during a partial government shutdown.

Since August, the Environmental Protection Agency has been reconsidering the justification for the rule.

A coalition of electric utilities had said the looser rules were not needed since they have already invested billions of dollars in technology to cut emissions of the pollutant and comply.

EPA said it was 'proposing that it is not 'appropriate and necessary' to regulate HAP (Hazardous Air Pollution) emissions from coal- and oil-fired power plants... because the costs of such regulation grossly outweigh the quantified HAP benefits.'

It said its reassessment showed the cost of compliance with MATS was between $7.4 billion to $9.6 billion annually, while the monetized benefits were between $4 million to $6 million.

It also said the identification of unquantified benefits was not enough to support the standards. Among such benefits, environmentalists say are reduced healthcare costs, breathing cleaner air and drinking cleaner water.

'The policy (Acting EPA Administrator) Andrew Wheeler and (President) Donald Trump proposed today means more pregnant women, young children, and the elderly will be exposed to deadly neurotoxins and poisons, just so wealthy coal and oil barons can make a few extra bucks,' Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign Director Mary Anne Hitt said in a statement. Wheeler is a former coal industry lobbyist.

'Virtually every coal plant in the U.S. has already met this lifesaving standard, and now Trump is recklessly trying to roll it back,' she said.

A study published this month by Harvard University's School of Public Health said coal-fired power plants are the top source of mercury in the United States, accounting for nearly half of mercury emissions in 2015. It said the standards have markedly reduced mercury in the environment and improved public health.

Since taking office in January 2017, Trump has targeted rolling back Obama-era environmental and climate protections to maximize production of domestic fossil fuels, including crude oil. U.S. oil production is the highest in the world, above Saudi Arabia and Russia, after a boom that was triggered more than a decade ago by improved drilling technology.

The coal industry had challenged a 2016 conclusion by Obama's EPA that the rule was justified because savings to U.S. consumers on healthcare costs would exceed compliance costs. The calculations accounted for how pollution-control equipment would reduce emissions of other harmful substances in addition to mercury.

Trump's industry allies, including Robert Murray, CEO of private coal mining giant Murray Energy Corp, had complained that the MATS rule contributed to the demise of the coal business by triggering hundreds of coal-fired power plant shutdowns and driving coal demand to its lowest in decades.

U.S. coal-fired power generation has fallen more than 40 percent since a peak in 2007, while natural gas-fired generation soared by about the same amount, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Utilities' demand for U.S. coal is projected to fall further this year, by around 2.5 percent to 648.2 million short tons, the lowest in 35 years, according to the EIA.

In July, electric utilities and utility groups favoring the rule asked the administration to keep it in place. They noted that billions of dollars in investments for anti-pollution equipment have already been made, and costs are being recovered from electricity customers through regulated pricing.

'This is like when your four-year-old kid tries to clean up your kitchen - it actually makes things worse. Please stop helping,' said a utility industry lobbyist based in Washington, who asked not to be named. 'The rule itself forced coal plant shutdowns, but they aren't coming back.'

On their way out: The Dave Johnson coal-fired power plant in Glenrock, Wyoming is one of the survivors of a collapse in use of the fuel for electricity generation. Utilities say coal is not coming back but the mining industry has pushed for the rule change planned by Trump's EPA

However, it challenges the basis for the Obama regulation, calculating that the crackdown on mercury and other toxins from coal plants produced only a few million dollars a year in measurable health benefits and was not 'appropriate and necessary' - a legal benchmark under the country's landmark Clean Air Act.

The proposal, which now goes up for public comment, is the latest Trump administration move that changes estimates of the costs and payoffs of regulations in arguing for relaxing Obama-era environmental protections.

It's also the administration's latest proposed move on behalf of the U.S. coal industry, which has been struggling in the face of competition from natural gas and other cheaper, cleaner forms of energy.

The Trump administration in August proposed an overhaul for another Obama-era regulation that would have prodded electricity providers to get less of their energy from dirtier-burning coal plants.

In a statement, the EPA said Friday the administration was 'providing regulatory certainty' by more accurately estimating the costs and benefits of the Obama administration crackdown on mercury and other toxic emissions from smokestacks.

Hal Quinn, head of the National Mining Association, charged in a statement Friday that the Obama administration had carried out 'perhaps the largest regulatory accounting fraud perpetrated on American consumers' when it calculated that the broad health benefits to Americans would outweigh the cost of equipment upgrades by power providers.

Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware, the top Democrat on the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee, condemned the Trump administration's move.

The EPA has 'decided to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory' after the successful clean-up of toxins from the country's coal-plant smokestacks, Carper said.

He and other opponents of the move said the Trump administration was playing with numbers, ignoring what Carper said were clear health, environmental and economic benefits to come up with a bottom line that suited the administration's deregulatory aims.

Janet McCabe, a former air-quality official in the Obama administration's EPA, called the proposal part of 'the quiet dismantling of the regulatory framework' for the federal government's environmental protections.

Coming one week into a government shutdown, and in the lull between Christmas and New Year, 'this low-key announcement shouldn't fool anyone - it is a big deal, with significant implications,' McCabe said.

EPA said it will take comment for the proposal for 60 days and will hold at least one public hearing.The brother of Ronil Singh - a cop killed just after Christmas - delivered a tearful speech on Friday as California authorities announced they had arrested the illegal immigrant suspected of taking his life.

The deceased 33-year-old's sibling Reggie broke down in tears before taking to the microphone in a news conference as police informed the public that Gustavo Perez Arriaga, 32, was arrested in Bakersfield that morning on suspicion of killing the Newman Police Department Corporal on the morning of December 26.

Singh's relative was so emotional he had to be physically held up by authorities for support as he showed gratitude for a man being taken into custody in the case of his brother's slaying.

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During a press conference on Friday, Officer Ronil Singh's brother Reggie Singh wept as he thanked local law enforcement for capturing the suspect, Gustavo Perez Arriaga

Reggie showed gratitude for a man being taken into custody in the case of his brother's slaying

Singh's relative was so emotional he had to be physically held up by authorities for support

'Please bear with me, this is not easy for me. Ronil Singh was my older brother. Yes, he's not coming back but...' he wept. 'There's a lot of people out there that miss him and a lot of law enforcement people that I don't know that worked days and nights to make this happen. I'd like to thank you from the bottom of my heart.'

Clutching the left side of his chest, Reggie's appeal to the public was mostly a show of appreciation for the investigating cops.

'I wish I could thank all the law enforcement agencies, Homeland Security in San Francisco, everyone. Bakersfield team...' he continued to sob. 'I was waiting for this to happen. I'd like to thank you for working day and night to make this happen. Thank you.'

He appeared at the Stanislaus County Sheriff's department in Modesto, California with Newman Police chief Randy Richardson and Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson

Christianson identified Arriaga on Friday afternoon at a press conference saying he illegally entered the U.S. via Arizona several years ago and had two previous DUI arrests

Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson said Arriaga is a Mexican national who illegally entered the U.S. through Arizona several years ago and was a part of the notoriously violent Surenos street gang.

He was placed in Corporal Singh's handcuffs when he was caught trying to flee back to Mexico on Friday, according to the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department.

Cops also arrested Arriaga's brother Adrian Virgen, 25, and co-worker Erik Razo Quiroz, 32, on Thursday for allegedly helping Arriaga escape police on charges of accessory after the fact to a felony.

'We had them in custody (Thursday) and asked for their cooperation and they lied to us,' Sheriff Christianson said at a Friday press conference.

He added they were also in the country illegally.

Arriaga, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, was arrested Friday morning in Bakersfield, California suspected of killing Singh just after Christmas. He is pictured above being taken in

Gustavo Perez Arriaga, 32, (left) was arrested for allegedly killing Newman Police Department Corporal Ronil Singh, 33, (right) on December 26

Christianson said that the motive behind the shooting is not clear and cops believe Arriaga was alone at the time of the suspected murder.

Arriaga worked various farm labor jobs and had a track record of two previous DUIs.

A friend of the corporal posted a picture of Arriaga's arrest on Friday afternoon with the caption: 'The long arms of the law found you...He is caught.'

Arriaga was arrested in Bakersfield, about 280 miles southeast of Newman, where Singh was shot. He was found in a home that was being monitored by law enforcement.

Sheriff Christianson blamed California's sanctuary laws from preventing police from reporting Arriaga to federal immigration officials following his previous DUI arrests. He said if Arriaga was deported, Singh could still be here today.

Cops at first did not release Arriaga's name or age saying that he goes by several aliases and has several Facebook pages under different names and had to be identified by fingerprint with police, according to The Modesto Bee.

Cops also arrested Arriaga's brother Adrian Virgen, 25, (left) and co-worker Erik Razo Quiroz, 32, (right) on Thursday for allegedly trying to divert police from capturing Arriaga

On Friday morning cops announced a press conference and 'significant developments' in the manhunt for the man who killed Corporal Singh

Kern County Sheriff's Donny Youngblood announced in a separate press conference Friday afternoon that three additional people - Bernabe Madrigal Castaneda, 59; Erasmo Villegas, 36; and Maria Luisa Moreno, 57 - have been arrested in South Valley for aiding and abetting Arriaga elude capture. They were in the home where he was arrested.

For Newman Police and Singh's family, Arriaga's arrest is a step towards justice.

Corporal Singh was killed after he pulled over Arriaga on suspicion of driving under the influence just before 1am on December 26.

He stopped the car after noticing it had no license plate as part of a DUI investigation.

After he approached Arriaga's gray Dodge pickup truck in Newman, a small town 100 miles south of San Francisco, he called 'shots fired' over his radio.

Singh fired back to defend himself. He was found with multiple bullet wounds and was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Suspected gunman Arriaga then fled the scene before backup arrived.

Authorities launched a massive manhunt for the shooter after Singh was killed.

Cops launched a massive manhunt for the suspect and his Dodge pickup truck (above) which was found 13 hours later abandoned at a River Road mobile home park

Authorities released surveillance images of the suspected gunman sought in the shooting death of Newman Police Department Corporal Ronil Singh, 33

Police pictured above investigating the scene of the shooting on December 26

The Sheriff's office released surveillance photos of the suspect shopping at a local store and pictures of his Dodge pickup truck.

The suspect's Dodge truck was found 13 hours later abandoned at a River Road mobile home park registered to a man named Conrado Virgen Mendoza. Cops didn't confirm if that name was one of the suspect's aliases.

The car gave investigators plenty of evidence including fingerprints, DNA, and gunshot residue.

Investigators identified the subject but didn't immediately release his name as he had several aliases.

In the Friday press conference Sheriff Christianson said that Arriaga was a member of the Mexican-American street gang Surenos.

In several photos on his social media and pictures shared by police, a tattoo on his right arm affiliates him with the notoriously bloody gang.

Arriaga worked various farm labor jobs after illegally entering the U.S. through Arizona several years ago and had a track record of two previous DUIs

The suspect has a flaming skull tattoo on his right arm with the phrase '$ur3no$' which means Surenos, the name of a Mexican-American street gang linked to murders and human smuggling along the U.S.-Mexico border

This photo compilation on social media shows a closer look at the Surenos tattoo

In one of the photos a flaming skull tattoo with the word '$ur3no$' is visible on Arriaga's right arm, which according to police in Washington is Spanish for 'southerners'.

'Surenos are a group of Mexican-American street gangs with origins in southern California. The gang has allegiance to the [California] prison gang, Mexican Mafia, aka "La Eme," according to a gang recognition guide.

The group is located in southern California which is just south of Bakersfield. The gang has been linked to murders and human smuggling crimes along the U.S.-Mexico border.

On several of Arriaga's Facebook pages, the Surenos tattoo is visible. One profile shows him in several photos posing with a pistol.

Sheriff Christianson identified the fugitive suspect as an illegal immigrant, leading President Donald Trump jump on the case and rally for a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border.

'There is right now a full scale manhunt going on in California for an illegal immigrant accused of shooting and killing a police officer during a traffic stop. Time to get tough on Border Security. Build the Wall!' Trump tweeted.

'This suspect is in our country illegally. He doesnt belong here. He is a criminal,' Christianson said.

Ronil Singh was killed Wednesday morning after he pulled over a car he suspected of driving under the influence

Singh was married and has a five-month-old son with his wife Anamika

Singh was a native of Fiji and lived in Modesto with his wife Anamika and their five-month-old son

Singh was a native of Fiji and lived in Modesto with his wife Anamika and their five-month-old son. He joined the Newman police force in 2011.

Earlier in his career, Singh worked as a deputy with the Merced County Sheriff's Department.

'He was living the American dream,' said Stanislaus County sheriff's Deputy Royjinder Singh, who is not related to the slain officer but knew him.

'He loved camping, loved hunting, loved fishing, loved his family,' the deputy said.

Outgoing California Gov. Jerry Brown offered condolences to Singh's family and said flags at the Capitol would fly at half-staff in his honor.

'Our hearts are with the entire community of Newman and law enforcement officers across the state who risk their lives every day to protect and serve the people of California,' Brown said.

A memorial fund has been set up by the police department in his honor.American President Trump defended his decision to pull U.S. troops out of Syria during his surprise visit to a U.S. military base in Iraq on Wednesday. Trump, giving remarks at the Al Asad Air Base, disputed reports that he announced the drawdown in Syria without prior warning.

The Hill cites President Trump in its article Trump defends decision to leave Syria during visit to Iraq: "You know, the way it was reported was like I just pulled out," Trump said, according to a White House transcript of his remarks. "I didn't just pull out. I've been talking about it for a year and a half. I said, 'Let's get out of Syria. Let's bring our young people home,'" he continued.

Trump claimed that he made numerous requests with officials to pull troops out over the 18 months. Trump last week announced that the more than 2,000 U.S. soldiers in Syria would be returning home soon. The decision prompted backlash from both Republicans and some Democrats, who argued that withdrawing from Syria would leave a power vacuum for Iran and Russia, two prominent backers of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. Trump has claimed that Turkey will continue to fight ISIS in the region, the U.S.'s stated purpose for its presence.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of Trump's staunchest allies in the Senate, spoke out against the decision, calling it an "Obama-like mistake." "Well, I had a good debate with Lindsey Graham in front of a lot of people," Trump said on Wednesday, adding, "We agree on many things." "I think that a lot of people are going to come around to my way of thinking," the president said. "It's not fair when we burden the  when the burden is all on us, the United States." Trump repeatedly said he believed it was time to bring the "young people" home. "I've been signing plenty of letters, and I don't like sending those letters home to parents, saying that your young man or your young woman has been killed," Trump said. And I don't like doing it. We've been doing it long enough."

The president later added that he had "no plans at all" to pull the more than 5,000 troops out of Iraq. "No plans at all, no," Trump said. "In fact, we could use this as a base if we wanted to do something in Syria. I will say this, if you take ISIS and if we see something happening with ISIS that we don't like, we can hit them so fast and so hard, they won't -- they really won't know what the hell happened."

Trump also sought to downplay claims that the U.S.'s withdrawal of troops from Syria could endanger its neighbor and a U.S. ally, Israel. "Well, I don't see it," Trump said. "And I spoke with [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] Bibi. I told Bibi. And, you know, we give Israel $4.5 billion a year. And they're doing very well defending themselves, if you take a look."An Ohio serial killer appeared emotionless as he was sentenced to death on Friday for murdering a woman who was a family friend, along with her two adult daughters.

George Brinkman, Jr. pleaded guilty in November to killing 42-year-old Suzanne Taylor, 21-year-old Taylor Pifer and 18-year-old Kylie Pifer at their home outside of Cleveland in June of 2017.

Court records obtained by Cleveland 19 News revealed Brinkman slit the mother's throat, smothered Taylor and strangled Kylie to death with a telephone chord.

Brinkman, 46, is not expected to appeal the decision, his attorneys said at the sentencing hearing before a a three-judge panel.

His execution has been set for January 15, 2020.

Brinkman has outstanding charges in Stark County for allegedly fatally shooting a couple at their Lake Township home where he was house-sitting just says after he killed Taylor and her two daughters.

Ohio serial killer George Brinkman, Jr. appeared emotionless as he was sentenced to death on Friday for murdering Suzanne Taylor, 42, along with her two adult daughters in June of 2017. Brinkman is pictured in court in Cleveland as the sentence was handed down on Friday

The bodies of Suzanne, Taylor and Kylie were found on June 11, 2017, by Taylor's boyfriend, who called Suzanne's boyfriend, Scott Plymale, who alerted authorities to their deaths.

The two men hadn't had contact with them since the day before, on June 10, when Taylor's boyfriend and Plymale had each talked to their significant others.

The women's bodies were cold to the touch, 'face down in bed all lying right next to one another,' according to a police report obtained by Cleveland 19.

The bodies of 42-year-old Suzanne Taylor (center), 21-year-old Taylor Pifer (right) and 18-year-old Kylie Pifer (left) were found on June 11, 2017, by Taylor's boyfriend, who called Suzanne's boyfriend, Scott Plymale, who alerted authorities to their deaths

Suzanne's boyfriend, Scott Plymale (pictured in June of 2017), said he believed he was at the women's home when Brinkman was there on June 10, but he didn't go inside

Though he seemed unmoved at his sentencing on Friday and while informing the judge he did not plan to appeal, Brinkman (pictured) was tearful at his initial arraignment on the charges on June 15, 2017

Plymale said he believed he was at the women's home when Brinkman was there on June 10, but he didn't go inside.

He said he spoke to Suzanne on the phone at around 3pm, and then stopped by her home in North Royalton at around 4.30pm.

He went there to give Suzanne flowers that he ended up leaving on the doorstep, and noticed Brinkman's van parked outside but the door was locked.

Plymale said he suspected Brinkman may have murdered his girlfriend Suzanne out of jealousy, and didn't think the young women had anything to do with the heinous crime.

'Susie always told me that George would always ask her "How do I get a girl like you?"' Plymale told Cleveland 19 days after the women's bodies were found, speaking through tear-strained eyes.

Plymale said his lover's relationship with family friend Brinkman began to deteriorate as their romance progressed.

Brinkman was taken into custody after a nine-hour standoff on June 12 at a home in Brunswick, CBS reported.

Though he seemed unmoved at his sentencing on Friday and while informing the judge he did not plan to appeal, Brinkman was tearful at his initial arraignment on the charges on June 15, 2017, Cleveland.com reported.

Brinkman slit the mother's throat, smothered Taylor and strangled Kylie to death with a telephone chord. Suzanne (left), Taylor (center) and Kylie (right) are pictured

The women's bodies were cold to the touch, 'face down in bed all lying right next to one another,' according to a police report. Kylie (left), Taylor (center) and Suzanne (right) are pictured in a photo shared to social media

Plymale said he suspected Brinkman (left and right) may have murderer his girlfriend out of jealousy, and didn't think the young women had anything to do with the heinous crime

At the time of his daughters' deaths, Brian Pifer issued a statement to the news site.

'We have all suffered a great loss. Taylor and Kylie were deeply loved - not only by me, but by our families and so many friends,' Brian said on June 12, 2017.

'We are absolutely devastated. Taylor and Kylie were beautiful, strong, intelligent young women.'

Brinkman is also accused of killing married couple 71-year-old Rogell 'Gene' and Roberta 'Bobbi' John, 64, with a gun during an alleged robbery. Their bodies were found on June 12, 2017, the same day Brinkman was taken into custody for the triple murder in Cleveland.

The couple was found by their son, the Canton Repository reported.

Brinkman was indicted on aggravated murder charges in connection with the deaths of the Johns in Stark County court on November 14.

He has not yet been arraigned on those charges, a court clerk told DailyMail.com.This is the shocking moment a savvy neighbour caught a 'porch pirate' after he stole a package from outside a house.

Footage shows a thief putting up his hood and approaching a home to pick up a delivery at lunchtime on December 15 in Kenmore, Washington State, USA.

As the bandit, who has covered up his face, sneaks off he is caught by a savvy neighbour and chased on foot and then in a car.

But now the clip has gone viral, after being hilariously edited with the 'chase' music from Benny Hill added to it.

Pat Folger teamed up with another neighbour, a 19-year-old student at the University of Washington, who chased the suspect on foot, Kiro7 reported.

Mr Folger told the outlet: 'We chased him for like 10 minutes. We went up and down the street back and forth through people's yards.'

Footage shows a thief putting up his hood and approaching a home to pick up a delivery - and as the bandit who has covered up his face, sneaks off he is caught by a savvy neighbour and chased on foot and then in a car

Another neighbour described the student as the 'hero Kenmore needed' after taking down the thief.

The suspect, 29, was arrested and all the packages were returned to their owners after neighbours called 911.

Sgt. Ryan Abbott said of the suspect: 'He'd been involved with residential burglaries before.

'He's been convicted along with some other vehicle prowls and drug offences as well.'

But he added that police do not recommend chasing burglars, as 'you don't know if they're armed'.

'No package is worth risking your life. You should always call 911 first' Abbot added.

The suspect, 29, was arrested and all the packages were returned to their owners after neighbours called 911Shamed ex-Labour MP Fiona Onasanya today vowed to stay in Parliament and 'fight against injustice' - just a week after she was convicted of lying to police to avoid a speeding fine.

Ms Onasanya, 35, was found guilty of perverting the course of justice after she colluded with her brother Festus to evade the speeding fine.

The Peterborough MP was suspended by Labour following her conviction and the party urged her to stand down from Parliament.

But in a column for her local paper Ms Onasanya - who compared herself to Jesus to her Labour colleagues after her conviction - pledged to stay as an MP.

And she also failed to even mention her criminal conviction in the extraordinary column for the Peterborough Telegraph.

Instead she bragged about the work she has been doing in Parliament on Brexit and Universal Credit.

She wrote: 'Its an honour to be your voice for change over an incredibly consequential period of British politics. This year, I have been consistently intervening in debates on Brexit in Parliament.

'There have been many opportunities to do so as this government has continued to falter during negotiations.'

She said she has been calling for reform to the controversial Universal Credit welfare reforms, and to raise concerns a bout the condition of workers at Amazon warehouses.

She added: 'While it has been a successful year fighting back against these injustices, there is still much more to be done, and you can rest assured that I will continue to do so as your representative in the corridors of power.'

Onasanya was elected as a Labour MP as part of the 2017 general election, which took place just a few weeks before the car was seen speeding

The remarkable column does not contain a single mention of her conviction at the Old Bailey just over a week ago.

The solicitor turned MP faces being sent to jail - and could be automatically kicked out of Parliament if she is given a sentence of 12 months in prison or longer.

The editor of newspaper, Mark Edwards, defended his decision to run the column despite her conviction for lying to the authorities.

In a note accompanying the column, he wrote: 'We have been asked why the PT is publishing Fiona Onasanyas columns following her conviction at the Old Bailey.

'The PT offers columns to the two sitting MPs covering Peterborough if they choose to submit one.

'While she is still the MP - and therefore the elected representative - we believe it would be wrong to deny our readers the chance to read what she has submitted.

'To censor the column would, in my view, be wrong, and in my experience our readers are quite capable of making their own minds up about the columns submitted by local politicians.'

The MP, who was elected in June last year, had tried to avoid prosecution for the offence by claiming that her former lodger Aleks Antipow was the driver of the Nissan Micra.

Festus Onasanya (right), the 33-year-old brother of ex-Labour MP Fiona Onasanya, was accused of colluding with his sister (left) to pervert the course of justice

But Mr Antipow was at home with his parents in Russia 1,800 miles away.

Ms Onasanya had claimed she left the form at her mother's house and had no idea who was driving the car.

She 'mistakenly' claimed she was in London when the speeding ticket was issued - but mobile phone records placed her at the scene.

But the MP has not apologised and remains unrepentant - even comparing herself to Jesus in leaked WhatsApp messages to her Labour colleague.

She wrote: 'What I do know is that I am in good biblical company along with Joseph, Moses, Daniel and his three Hebrew friends who were each found guilty by the courts of their day,' she wrote.

'While God did not save them from a guilty verdict he did save them in it and ensured that their greatest days of impact were on the other side of a guilty verdict.

'Of course this is equally true of Christ who was accused and convicted by the courts of his day and yet this was not his end but rather the beginning of the next chapter in his story.'A roadside bomb has struck a tourist bus near the Giza Pyramids in Egypt, killing at least four people and injuring 12 others.

Three Vietnamese visitors died when the homemade device ripped through the bus after it was concealed behind a wall, officials said.

The Egyptian tour guide who had accompanied them was killed in the explosion at 6.15pm local time (4.45pm GMT) while the driver, also Egyptian, was injured.

Another 10 of the 14 tourists from Vietnam were hurt in the explosion while only one without physical injuries.

A roadside bomb has struck a tourist bus near the Giza Pyramids, killing at least two people

Police at the scene of the explosion, with the shattered windscreen of the tourist bus visible after the roadside bomb ripped through the vehicle on Friday evening

Armed police secure the scene of a bus blast in Giza which killed several Vietnamese tourists

Pictures from the scene showed the side of the bus ravaged by the explosion, near the country's historic landmarks.

Officials said the bus was travelling in the Marioutiyah area near the pyramids on Friday when the roadside bomb went off.

The improvised explosive device was placed near a wall along a street, officials said this evening.

Security services were immediately dispatched to the area and have opened an investigation into the explosion.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack and it was not clear whether the vehicle had struck the bomb or whether it was launched from the side of the road.

Egypt has battled Islamic militants for years in the Sinai Peninsula in an insurgency that has occasionally spilled over to the mainland, hitting minority Christians or tourists.

However, this is the first attack to target foreign tourists in almost two years.

Western tourists have been warned of the dangers, with Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office advising that an attack in Egypt was 'very likely'.

The wreckage of the tourist bus which was blown apart by the explosion in Egypt on Friday

Security personnel inspect the scene of the bomb explosion in northern Egypt on Friday night

Security forces stand near the tourist bus after the roadside bomb in an area near the pyramids

Armed police inspect the scene of the bus blast in which two Vietnamese tourists were killed

Police at the scene of the blast in Giza where a bus carrying Vietnamese tourists was attacked

The FCO has stopped short of advising against any travel to Cairo and Giza but has warned of threats to foreigners posted on websites and social media.

Visitors are also warned that 'tourists at high-profile sites like the Giza Pyramids may be confronted aggressively for money or business'.

Meanwhile the U.S. State Department also urges caution, saying terrorists 'have targeted religious sites, to include mosques, churches, monasteries, and buses traveling to these locations'.

Both countries advise against any travel to the northern Sinai peninsula nearest Israel due to the threat from terrorism.

Egypt's vital tourism industry had been showing signs of recovery after years in the doldrums amid political turmoil and violence after a 2011 uprising.

It will likely prompt a further tightening of security ahead of the New year's Eve celebrations and next month's Christmas celebrations of the Coptic Orthodox Church, the dominant denomination among Egypt's estimated 10 million Christians.

Over the past two years, militant attacks against Christians in Egypt - usually targeting churches or buses carrying pilgrims to remote desert monasteries - have killed over a hundred people.

Security personnel inspect the scene of the bomb explosion involving Vietnamese tourists

Authorities cordon off the site of the bomb blast after the attack which has killed two peopleAngelina Jolie will join the BBC for a series of special programmes to introduce young people to truth rather than opinion.

The Hollywood star and United Nations special envoy is to work with the BBC World Service as a producer for a series of educational shows for children.

Jolie will seek to improve media literacy with the partnership on the new programme, Our World, with the piloted current affairs show planned to span 10 weekly episodes.

The actress and humanitarian campaigner has spoken of the need for reliable source in a media landscape clouded by fake news.

Angela Jolie, pictured left with presenter Justin Webb on Radio 4's Today programme. The Hollywood star has spoken of the need for reliable source in a media landscape clouded by fake news

The United Nations special envoy is to work with the BBC World Service as a producer for a series of educational shows for children

She said: 'There has never been a time when it was more important to introduce the next generation to objective, impartial news and factual explanation of the events and issues shaping our world'

She said: 'There has never been a time when it was more important to introduce the next generation to objective, impartial news and factual explanation of the events and issues shaping our world.

'Children today are exposed to a lot of opinion, but not necessarily to information that is fact-based and reliable.

'As a mother, I am very pleased that the BBC World Service is taking this step. It is also important to me that the project is global, and will help young people in different countries to be connected to each other and to have greater awareness and understanding of the news on an international basis.'

The programme will be aimed at children aged seven to 12, and will attempt to offer an international awareness, as well as providing the tools to critically assess media.

The BBC announced it will seek to spread the programme format around the world to increase the number media literate young people.

BBC World Service director Jamie Angus added: 'No parent can completely isolate their child from fake news. But what we can do is give kids the tools to distinguish the genuine from the false and encourage them to develop critical thinking.'

'If Lara Croft can't sort the world out, who can?': Radio 4 listeners react as Angelina Jolie hints at move into politics during her Today programme guest-editor stint

Listeners of Radio 4's flagship Today programme have reacted to Angelina Jolie's guest editing stint where she hinted at a move into politics.

The Hollywood star, who played Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider series, joked that she has no skeletons left in her closet, but added that she wasn't sure whether she was 'fit for a role in politics'.

Speaking to presenter Justin Webb, who questioned whether the star would be moving into politics she said: 'I always say I'll go where I'm needed. I don't know if I'm fit for politics with ... but then I've also joked that I don't know if I have a skeleton left in my closet.'

Nicole Bourcier said if 'Lara Croft can't sort the world then who can'

Neil Winton seemed as though he didn't enjoy Jolie's guest stint on the programme

Jolie is currently working with UN aid agency UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) and said that this has helped her work directly with people in need. She said: 'I'm also able to work with governments ... so I sit in a very interesting place of being able to get a lot done, without a title and without it being about myself or my policies. So for now I'll sit quiet.'

Many social media users reacted positively to Jolie taking the reins of the Today show from 6-9am, calling the discussion 'interesting', while others felt she was misplaced to discuss certain issues due to her celebrity status as she discussed topics such as US politics, social media, sexual violence and the global refugee crisis.

One Twitter user Hitesh Patel, tweeted that it had been 'interesting listening to Angelina Jolie' on the programme.

He said: 'Her world view is informed by visiting other countries, witnessing the lives of others. Important to remember in these times that the world is small and a lot of places aren't that far away. She's also a fan of Joe Strummer.'

This is while Nicole Bourcier said: 'Just heard on the radio that Angelina Jolie may get into politics. If Lara Croft can't sort the world out who can!'

Another user tweeted: 'Great programme today edited by Angelina Jolie. A real discussion of important issues. Painful listening at times but so educational. Congrats #r4today.

However others criticised the show and said hinted that the episode was a 'cliche'. Tony Winton wrote: '.@BBCr4today #r4todayat least we're getting every righton cliche in the book. @angelinajolie has learned 'everything' from her children. Please enough already.'

Hitesh Patel tweeted that it had been 'interesting' to listen to the programme with Angelina Jolie guest editing

Barry Collins tweeted that the programme had been an 'extended advert' for Jolie

'WeActivateTheFuture' congratulated the Today programme on the show

Christodgers said that most Hollywood celebrities are 'tedious bores'

Angelina Jolie (centre) said she didn't feel as though she had changed much since her youth

John Pockett said it had been a 'truly superb edition' of the programme

This is while Barry Collins said that the programme had been an 'extended advert for Jolie'.

Another user '@christodgers' said: 'Most of these celebrities are tedious bores. The sheer arrogance of these people to think that the real world beyond Hollywood actually cares about their views.'

During the show she told presenter Justin Webb that she can 'take a lot on the chin' and when asked if she was moving in the direction of politics she hinted that she would always 'go where I'm needed'.

'Kris' said that it would be great if Jolie edited the programme every day

'If you asked me 20 years ago I would've laughed. I really don't know.

'I always say I'll go where I'm needed. I don't know if I'm fit for politics with ... but then I've also joked that I don't know if I have a skeleton left in my closet.

'So I'm pretty open and out there,' the actress, who had an acrimonious split with Brad Pitt, said.

'I can take a lot on the chin so that's good. But I honestly will do whatever I think can really make change.'

The 43-year-old Oscar winner and special envoy for UN refugee agency the UNHCR, added: 'Right now I am able to work with a UN agency ... to do a lot of work directly with the people in need.

'I'm also able to work with governments ... so I sit in a very interesting place of being able to get a lot done, without a title and without it being about myself or my policies. So for now I'll sit quiet.'

The US actress laughed as Webb suggested she could be on the list of 30 to 40 Democrats running for the party's presidential nomination.

Angelina Jolie's stint on Radio 4's Today programme Guest editing Radio 4's Today programme the actor discussed all things from US politics, social media, sexual violence and the global refugee crisis. Jolie started by talking about the work she does helping people who do not have a Hollywood life. 'When I went out and started to meet refugee families I changed my view of so many things in the world I met these extraordinary survivors people that have comes through the most extraordinary odds and were protecting each other and the humanity that rises within these communities is like something you have never seen before because you don't on a daily basis meet people who are so bare, s connected to just being able to find basic needs and survive and how full of care and love they are. 'It's really very moving. One of the things that I would encourage people to do is look at the movements of people as a barometer to understand what is happening in our world, not the less than 1% that is trying to cross our border of a developed country that is not the focus it should be what is happening to these people, why is this happening, how do we have that many people uprooted and what are the causes.' Questioned on whether or not Jolie is aware that she is an extremely wealthy woman commenting on issues that she has never been a direct part of, she said it was something she was 'well aware of' and that governments need to support border countries which are carrying the burden for others. 'We have to support them or we risk them becoming unstable, this should not be seen as a headache for people, we need our leaders to be thinking about balancing our world, we have to bring the numbers down. 'Everyone that is concerned and doesn't want someone in their neighbourhood and doesn't want someone coming across their border should be wondering why we are not doing enough to stabilise countries and return people. The absolute majority of refugees would rather be home.' Moving on to the topic on sexual violence and Jolie described an experience she had with a doctor in the Congo who was healing a fistula patient. 'He had to sew her up, and he started with 'well we are all adults here aren't we' and I thought well yes this is right we are going to talk about these things and I say that because you are absolutely right it is uncomfortable, but we are adults enough to know there is nothing sexual about this so just that in itself is what PSVI (The Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative) wants to accomplish is just to certainly take the stigma off the victims and help people to understand why it's being used in a very calculated fashion to destroy people and community.' Justin Webb then asked Jolie whether or not she thought it was important that victims had the space to say what had happened to them. She said: 'Yes you want to empower victims to speak but then and what I think we have to be very careful of around the world is when these brave victims come forward what happens often still around the world is some communities they still encourage the rapist to marry the victim in many communities they treat the young woman as if she is now dirty. 'Nothing happens to the men that commit these crimes and so we live in this culture of impunity, so we do need to encourage people to speak up but we do need to have the legal framework and the will and the changes necessary in these communities to back them up.' They then moved on to discussing how people could be made to feel uncomfortable with cultural norms and Jolie said she doesn't think there should ever be a cultural norm accepted that abuses women. 'That's not acceptable we are talking about basic human rights, we aren't talking about our opinions on whether or not somebody feels they have the right to marry a child and possibly impregnate her young and put her life in harm's way against her will, it is not something that we can sit back and think of as somebody else's business.' Webber then highlighted the widespread abuse of children by forces in Afghanistan and said that some foreign soldiers believe they should not meddle in local matters. Jolie, who has spent a lot of time in Afghanistan said it's all about educating people to behave better. 'I love Afghanistan and I love Afghan people and I've spent a great deal of time there and have made many friends, I do not want them to become like us, it's not about being anything like us its about helping those there that are feeling oppressed and harmed to know their rights and helping to educate those who are abusing those rights. 'Do the people that are abusing, do they think because there has been no accountability that in fact there is nothing wrong with what they are doing? But maybe the fellow officers can be very very clear and that's why NATO are taking such a strong stand on these issues is important.' Advertisement

Jolie admitted being wild and a 'bit of a young punk' in her youth but said: 'I don't feel I've changed much at all'.

Speaking about her children, three from Cambodia, Ethiopia and Vietnam, and three biological offspring she said: 'They are from different backgrounds... They celebrate the difference.'

She told the show: 'Shiloh, for example, is the one that's learning Mad's (Maddox's) country's language, and Vivienne wants to live in Zahara's country.

'So just because they're from a place doesn't mean that that's everything that defines them.'

Jolie added: 'When my daughters were little, Zee (Zahara) and Shi (Shiloh), we got them each a baby doll.

'I got Zizi a little black doll and I got Shi a little white doll, and they switched dolls.

'I had that immediate reaction of one of them not liking the way they are and wanting the other colour or wanting the other... then I realised that's just who they see every day.

'They see the other, so to them family wasn't the one that looked like them, it was the other...'

Speaking of the work she has done to help refugees and people less fortunate Jolie said that meeting these families had changed her perspective on a lot of things.

'When I went out and started to meet refugee families I changed my view of so many things in the world I met these extraordinary survivors people that have comes through the most extraordinary odds and were protecting each other and the humanity that rises within these communities is like something you have never seen before because you don't on a daily basis meet people who are so bare, s connected to just being able to find basic needs and survive and how full of care and love they are.

'It's really very moving. One of the things that I would encourage people to do is look at the movements of people as a barometer to understand what is happening in our world, not the less than 1% that is trying to cross our border of a developed country that is not the focus it should be what is happening to these people, why is this happening, how do we have that many people uprooted and what are the causes.'

Questioned on whether or not Jolie is aware that she is an extremely wealthy woman commenting on issues that she has never been a direct part of, she said it was something she was 'well aware of' and that governments need to support border countries which are carrying the burden for others.

'We have to support them or we risk them becoming unstable, this should not be seen as a headache for people, we need our leaders to be thinking about balancing our world, we have to bring the numbers down.

'Everyone that is concerned and doesn't want someone in their neighbourhood and doesn't want someone coming across their border should be wondering why we are not doing enough to stabilise countries and return people. The absolute majority of refugees would rather be home.'

They then moved on to discussing how people could be made to feel uncomfortable with cultural norms and Jolie said she doesn't think there should ever be a cultural norm accepted that abuses women.

'That's not acceptable we are talking about basic human rights, we aren't talking about our opinions on whether or not somebody feels they have the right to marry a child and possibly impregnate her young and put her life in harm's way against her will, it is not something that we can sit back and think of as somebody else's business.'

Webber then highlighted the widespread abuse of children by forces in Afghanistan and said that some foreign soldiers believe they should not meddle in local matters. Jolie, who has spent a lot of time in Afghanistan said it's all about educating people to behave better.

'I love Afghanistan and I love Afghan people and I've spent a great deal of time there and have made many friends, I do not want them to become like us, it's not about being anything like us its about helping those there that are feeling oppressed and harmed to know their rights and helping to educate those who are abusing those rights.

'Do the people that are abusing, do they think because there has been no accountability that in fact there is nothing wrong with what they are doing? But maybe the fellow officers can be very very clear and that's why NATO are taking such a strong stand on these issues is important.'

Webber was keen to point out that the UK Foreign Officer had played a part in reducing the team that was involved in the initiative and to that Jolie said it was important to remember that the country had gone through different foreign secretaries in that time period and that there was now a new one in place.

'To the British people and the British government, I am so grateful as an American that the British government has taken such a strong stand and I think British people should be so proud because it is worthwhile cause it has made a difference in the field.

'I have met victims who finally got reparations when they didn't have them before. It is growing and growing and growing the reason why NATO I believe is getting involved in a stronger way, and that's with the leadership of the British government.

'If anything I don't think the question should be what the British government is doing it should be what America isn't doing on this issue, when someone American is the co-founder.'

Webber questioned whether or not Jolie thought other nations were lacking in their efforts and had not 'stepped up to the plate' the way the British had.

'Not in the way that the British have, but many are and I want to be clear. We have many many countries who have signed on, over 150 countries has signed on to do this and let me be clear about one thing about this, here is one specific example of something that was changed.

'In the past when countries would sit together and they could decide their peace agreement and say the war is over we are going to have a peace agreement, they were able to take sexual violence against women off the table.

'They were allowed to just remove it and not have to talk about it as part of their peace agreement and now with PSVI (The Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative) if you are a signatory you are not allowed to do that, you must keep it on the table.'

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and the Nobel Peace Prize winner and Congolese gynaecologist Denis Mukwege were among those to feature in Jolie's programme.

Previous guest editors over the years have included Prince Harry, Sir Lenny Henry and Sir Richard Branson.

Veteran broadcaster David Dimbleby, who stepped down as the host of Question Time after 25 years, was the first of this year's guest editors.A 26-year-old political journalist has died one day after she was found unconscious and barely breathing at her apartment in Southern California and placed into a medically-induced coma.

Bre Payton, a staff writer for right-wing news website The Federalist and a frequent TV commentator, was admitted into the ICU at a hospital in San Diego on Thursday morning.

After hours of tests doctors determined she was suffering from the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, as well as possible meningitis, according to a CaringBridge page set up for her.

News of her hospitalization broke Friday morning. Just before noon Pacific, Federalist publisher Ben Domenech confirmed on Twitter that she had died.

'Bre has passed. We are devastated. Last we saw her, she was her funny, smart, vivacious self. Now lost to us so suddenly,' Domenech wrote.

Journalist Bre Payton passed away at the age of 26 on Friday, one day after she was hospitalized with the H1N1 flu virus and possible meningitis in San Diego, California. A friend had found Payton (left and right) unconscious and barely breathing on Thursday morning

Payton's death was confirmed on Twitter by Ben Domenech, publisher of The Federalist, where she had worked as a staff writer for more than three years

Payton's friend Morgan Murtaugh, who found her unconscious and barely breathing on Thursday at around 8.30am, first revealed the journalist's hospitalization on Twitter Friday morning.

'24 hours ago I found my friend unconscious and called 911,' Murtaugh wrote. 'Shes been in a coma since and really needs a miracle right now. Please, if youre religious at all, send prayers this way. We really need them.'

The CaringBridge site description said: 'The doctors are concerned that her neurological signs are not great at this point and have informed us the next 24-48 hours are going to be critical for her.

'At this time we're just asking that you lift Bre up in prayer and ask for a healing miracle and a full recovery.'

However, by midday Friday she had succumbed to the illness.

Payton's friend Morgan Murtaugh, who found her unconscious and barely breathing on Thursday at around 8.30am, broke the news of her hospitalization on Twitter Friday morning

Payton, who had been a staff writer for right-wing news site The Federalist for more than three years, received an outpouring of support in the hours after the news broke Friday

Payton, who had been on the Federalist staff for more than three years, received an outpouring of support from the community in the hours since the news broke.

Domenech tweeted: 'I am asking you all to pray this morning for our own @Bre_payton, who is battling a horrible and sudden medical condition.'

The CaringBridge site has been visited nearly 100,000 times as of Friday afternoon.

Payton was widely recognized for her appearances on national networks including Fox News, MSNBC and CNN. She had also been a guest host on One America News Network.

Domenech had tweeted asking for prayers for Payton's recovery earlier of FridayIsraeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man during the latest of weekly protests along the border with Israel on Friday, Palestinian health officials said.

Karam Fayyad, 26, was killed and six other people were wounded with live Israeli fire during Friday's protests that went ahead despite stormy weather.

An Israeli military spokesperson said that troops resorted to live fire after confronting 5,000 rioters who launched rocks and grenades.

She added that two Palestinian protesters briefly crossed the fence before returning into Gaza.

Palestinian protesters run during clashes with Israeli forces across the border fence following a demonstration near the border east of Gaza City

Health officials in Gaza, which is run by the Islamist Hamas movement, say more than 220 Palestinians have been killed since they began weekly border protests on March 30 to demand the easing of Israel's blockade on the territory and the right to return to land lost in the 1948 war of Israel's founding.

Israel has ruled out any such right, concerned that the country would lose its Jewish majority.

Alarmed at the bloodshed, Egypt, the United Nations and Qatar have sought ways to improve conditions in the enclave.

Israel withdrew settlers and soldiers from Gaza in 2005 but maintains tight control of its land, air and sea borders.

The wider Israeli-Palestinian peace process has been stalled for several years.House committees gearing up to investigate President Trump are experiencing a boom in applications.

Some have posted job applications like one that CNN discovered for the Oversight Committee that outwardly advertised a need for staffers with 'executive branch investigative counsel.'

Democrats on those committees have received unsolicited applications, as well, they've said.

New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who sits on the Oversight committee, told CNN: 'They are people with law degrees and experience just wanting to be part of this historic moment.'

House committees gearing up to investigate President Trump are experiencing a boom in applications

Trump's party lost dozens of seats in November's elections, putting Congress firmly under Democratic management in the next legislative session

Expected Intelligence Committee Chairman and Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff said he's been 'deluged' with resumes from esteemed candidates.

Trump's party lost dozens of seats in November's elections, putting Congress firmly under Democratic management in the next legislative session.

A CNN report on Friday said that the new majority will be doubling the number of staffers in response to the sea change, and they currently taking applications in advance of the session that starts on Jan. 3.

A help wanted ad popped up on a job board the day after the election, CNN says. It advertised for an 'investigative counsel to conduct congressional investigations and advise on policy matters related to oversight of the executive branch' for an unidentified committee.

'Responsibilities include staffing letters and subpoenas, conducting interviews, organizing and staffing hearings and preparing memos, talking points, statements and reports as necessary,' the ad reportedly said.

Republicans will have a 53-seat majority in the United States Senate, but even some of the president's party members in the upper chamber have expressed an interest into taking a formal look at Trump's foreign policy decisions.

Senators have vowed to hold hearings on his sudden announcement that he's pulling more than 2,000 U.S. forces out of Syria and grill whomever he taps to replace outgoing Defense Secretary James Mattis.

In the House, the president's taxes are likely to be investigated by the Ways and Means Committee. And his is financial ties to Russia and Saudi Arabia could be probed by the Oversight and Intelligence panels.

Schiff says he'll be looking at the Trump Organization and whether it was involved in illicit money laundering operations.

Lawmakers have also indicated that they have questions for the president's top aides, including his daughter Ivanka, whose name came up in conversations about building a Trump Tower in Moscow.

It would have housed an Ivanka-branded spa.

Incoming House Oversight Committee chairman Elijah Cummings is hiring up -- and had already started requesting documents from the White House

And then, there's her husband, Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to the president whose top secret security clearance has been under review since the beginning of the administration, because of his financial holdings.

Incoming Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings submitted a letter to the White House asking for documents pertaining to the process.

Lawmakers also want to know more about Kushner's involvement in a June 2016 meeting with a group of Russians at Trump Tower. They promised to provide dirt on Hillary Clinton, leading to allegations of Russian collusion.

Legislators will also be coming for Cabinet secretaries like Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Brock Long. Their taxpayer-funded travel has raised eyebrows and could be probed.

Trump's acting attorney general, Matthew Whitaker, may also be scrutinized for comments he made about the special counsel investigation before he was in his current role and allegations that he inflated his resume.

Anticipated House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has committed her caucus to investigating the deaths of two migrant children in the past month while they were in U.S. custody.

A dozen congressional probes into Trump and his administration could be up and running in the new year, and for that, Democrats will need a slew of lawyers.

They're staffing up generally on Capitol Hill to keep up with their net gain of 40 seats in the 2018 mid-term elections.

'There are a lot of Democratic refugees out there after the Republicans took over the House, the Senate and the White House,' House Armed Services Committee member Adam Smith told CNN.

He said of the surge in applications, 'They're finding us.'A mother has been sentenced to 10 years in prison over the shotgun blast death of her five-year-old son, who died when he was left at home alone with his young siblings and loaded firearms.

Bobbie Jo Scott, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree child endangerment causing death on Thursday in Hartville, Missouri in connection with the July 2 death of Timothy Deatherage Jr.

Scott was immediately sentenced to 10 years of prison in the Missouri Department of Corrections.

Bobbie Jo Scott, 27, pleaded guilty to first-degree child endangerment causing death on Thursday in Hartville, Missouri. She is seen above with her son Timothy in an undated photo

Scott (left) and her live-in boyfriend Cory Gass (right) were each originally charged with three counts of first-degree child endangerment

According to investigators, Scott and her live-in boyfriend Cory D.H. Gass left three children, ages three, five and seven, alone in their home in the Ozarks while they went to pick up a paycheck in a town about 45 miles away.

Scott and Gass had asked a neighbor to check on the children, but did not have anyone physically responsible to care for them, a police report said.

While they were gone, Timothy suffered a fatal blast from a 12 gauge shotgun.

Police found a loaded shotgun and loaded .22 caliber rifle in the room that the children were in.

Gass and Scott (together above) left the three young children home alone as they drove to pick up a paycheck in a town about 45 minutes away, they told police

According to his obituary, Timothy loved dinosaurs, dragons, and the Incredible Hulk

Gass told investigators that the shotgun was his and that it was stored on the floor behind the chair in the living room where Timothy's body was found.

Gass also said that three weeks prior to the incident he took the child outside and showed him how the shotgun worked.

Scott and Gass were each originally charged with three counts of first-degree child endangerment.

According to his obituary, Timothy loved dinosaurs, dragons, and the Incredible Hulk. 'He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him,' the obituary said.

Gass is scheduled to enter a plea and be sentenced on January 25.Bitcoin trader Troy Woody distracted his girlfriend in their Philippines apartment so his friend could creep up on her from behind and suffocate her with a plastic bag, the dead woman's father believes.

'That's how I see it happening from all I have heard,' oil and gas pipeliner Shawn Masters, 45, told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview.

His daughter, Tomi Masters, 23, was fished out of a Philippines river, naked, bound with duct tape and with a plastic bag over her head two days before Christmas. Her body was in a large box.

Woody and his friend Mir Islam, a convicted fraudster who calls himself 'Josh the God,' are both being held in connection to her murder.

'It would explain how she and Woody both had scratches on their bodies. She fought but she couldn't do anything about Islam, the coward, coming from behind,' Masters said.

Tomi Masters, 23, was fished out of a Philippines river, naked, bound with duct tape and with a plastic bag over her head two days before Christmas

Tomi's boyfriend Troy Woody (left), a Bitcoin trader, and his friend Mir Islam (right), a convicted fraudster, are both being held in connection to her murder

Police in the Philippines say Woody, 21, and Islam, 24, both admit to disposing Tomi's body in the Pasig River, but each blames the other for her death

Tomi's father Shawn Masters (pictured with his partner) told DailyMail.com he believes Woody distracted Tomi so Islam could creep up on her and suffocate her. He believes Islam was the mastermind behind Tomi's death because she wanted to return home and take Woody with her

Tomi, who quit her job at a medical marijuana facility in California to join Woody and Islam in the Philippines, had planned to return home to Indiana, her father confirmed.

She and Woody, who had been dating for some time, were due to fly back on December 17 but never made it.

Six days after that missed flight, the family was told by a representative of the US embassy in Manila that she was dead.

Masters said he had briefly met Woody  who he knew as TJ  just once.

'He was shy and quiet and never made eye contact. He had a real soft handshake. I would never have thought of him as the monster he is,' he said.

Masters said he believes Islam was the mastermind behind his daughter's murder and killed her because she wanted to return to the United States and take her boyfriend with her.

'Islam needed TJ  he was the brains behind whatever it was they were doing,' he said.

'I know she was talking TJ into coming home. She was quickly realizing how great and how safe the United States is compared to other places.'

Masters said Woody and Islam had gone to the Asian country because laws on trading and Internet fraud are more lax than in the States. 'TJ's full intent when he went was never to come back,' he said.

'He wanted to go there, do whatever it is they do because there are fewer restrictions there so they could do the c**p that they were doing.'

According to her family, Tomi realized that life in Manila was far different from her previous homes in Hagerstown, Indiana, the even-smaller Modoc, Indiana, and Lancaster, California

Masters said Woody and Islam had gone to the Asian country because laws on trading and Internet fraud are more lax than in the States. Pictured: The trio, Woody (left), Islam (center) and Masters (right), in Manila

Mir Islam (pictured) is a convicted fraudster and calls himself 'Josh the God'

But Tomi soon realized that life in Manila was far different from her previous homes in Hagerstown, Indiana  a town of fewer than 2,000 people, 45 miles east of Indianapolis  the even-smaller Modoc, Indiana, and then Lancaster, California.

'As a child she had always said that as soon as she graduated, she was going to move to California, and by God, that's what she did,' her father said.

'She loved it there, so I was surprised when she said she was going to quit her job and go to the Philippines.'

Tomi's grandmother, Sandy Morris, told DailyMail.com that she had pleaded with her to stay in the United States.

'She wanted to see the world and get out of the cold. So she went to California to be near the ocean.

'That's when she met him,' she added, referring to Woody. 'I never trusted him and when she said she was going abroad with him, I begged her not to go.

'But he promised her the world. He said he would take her to Italy and a lot of other places. She was just too trusting.

'I don't know what those two men were into, but I'm sure it wasn't just Bitcoin trading.'

Morris, 64, called the suspected killers 'cowards'. 'Why wouldn't they let her come home? I'm sure she would have kept her mouth shut about whatever she knew,' she said at her single story brick home in Hagerstown.

'She had told her father she wanted to come back here to Indiana. She had just got tired of the life she lived out there.'

Police in the Philippines say Woody, 21, and Islam, 24, both admit to disposing Tomi's body in the Pasig River, but each blames the other for her death.

Woody had a huge social media presence. In Twitter comments from 2017 he wrote: 'If you're in a toxic relationship the best thing to do is cut them off and move on'

Tomi's grandmother, Sandy Morris, told DailyMail.com that she had pleaded with her to stay in the United States. 'That's when she met him,' she added, referring to Woody. 'I never trusted him and when she said she was going abroad with him I begged her not to go'

Morris said her granddaughter hooked up with Woody after she moved to California, some three years ago.

Morris said it was true that after a few months in the Philippines, Tomi was tiring of the life there and wanted to return to her small-town Indiana roots, rather than go back to California.

Shortly before her death she deleted all pictures of herself with Woody from her social media pages and said online that she wanted to return home.

On her Instagram page, she described herself as 'Queen of Switzerland.'

Morris, 64, described her granddaughter  who lived with her for a while  as a free spirit. 'She said she had a hippy-go life. She lit up the room, she was friends with everyone.'

The family is still making arrangements to get her body back to the Midwest. She said a GoFundMe page with a target of $20,000 has been set up to help the family. By Friday noon, it had raised $798.

The GoFundMe page described Tomi as 'a beautiful soul taken so brutally and far to (sic) soon.'

It added: 'Tomi was always giving a contagious smile and a wonderful energy everywhere she went! She loved to explore and be her own strong independent self, but she was taken from her family, friends, and so many people who admired and cared about her just a few short days ago.'

Tomi, who quit her job at a medical marijuana facility in California, to join Woody and Islam in the Philippines, had planned to return home to Indiana, her father confirmed. She and Woody, who had been dating for some time, were due to fly back on December 17 but never made it

Islam and Woody are shown placing the brown box into the cab they took to the Pasig River, where Masters' body was found, after their driver called authorities and reported their suspicious behavior

Islam and Woody can be seen here handling the large brown box before placing it in the cab

Her father told DailyMail.com he did not intend to go to the Philippines himself to accompany his daughter's body home.

He said many details of how Tomi died are unclear. It is known that after her death Woody and Islam took a Grab car  similar to a Lyft or Uber in the United States. Video shows the two men loading a large box, believed to contain Masters's body, into the back of the minivan.

After they dumped the box in the river the Grab car driver became suspicious and went to police.

She was found in the river in Mandaluyong, a crowded eastern suburb of the Filipino capital Manila. The city's police chief, Senior Supt. Moises Villaceran said an autopsy revealed suffocation as the cause of her death.

Reports show there were scratch marks on her naked body and she was bound with duct tape.

Police said that Masters and the two alleged killers had arrived together in Manila during a vacation earlier this year. It is believed she was killed inside the condominium unit she was sharing with Woody in Mandaluyong.

Woody and Islam were arrested at a condo in Ermita, the financial district of Manila, shortly after the body was found. They described themselves to police as 'chief executive officers of Luxr Limited Liability Co., a lending firm based in the United States.'

Woody had a huge social media presence with some 200,000 followers on Instagram and 17,000 on Twitter. In Twitter comments from 2017 he wrote: 'If you're in a toxic relationship the best thing to do is cut them off and move on,' and 'A true heartbreak is one of the worst things someone can go through in life.'

Tomi's mother Michelle Masters (pictured together) shared a status on Facebook mourning the loss of her daughter

Michelle Masters wrote of her 'beloved babygirl: 'She was & is a truly beautiful lil young lady, who was like "A pocket full of sunshine" & was so contagious with her smile & free loving spirit (& aunry [sic] lil laugh)!'

He came from California, and filled his social media pages with pictures of luxury items and exotic destinations. 'Anyone can be successful, set goals, dedicate your time working towards accomplishing your goals,' he wrote in a tweet in November last year. 'If you truly dedicate everything towards it you'll be successful.'

In other tweets Woody, who called himself an 'Early Crypto Investor' wrote 'Always love yourself,' 'Never stop believing in yourself,' and 'Never give up on your dreams.'

In September 2017, he claimed to have made $24,000 profit on a $40,000 investment in Litecoin in just 11 days.

Islam was one of 24 people arrested in 2012 by the FBI in connection with what was described at the time as 'the largest coordinated international law enforcement action in history directed at 'carding' crimes.'

Preet Bharara  who at the time was the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York  described carding as 'offenses in which the Internet is used to traffic in and exploit the stolen credit card, bank account, and other personal identification information of hundreds of thousands of victims globally.'

A press release issued by Bharara and the FBI said Islam used the alias 'JoshTheGod.'

He was given a two-year prison sentence in 2016 for swatting and cyber stalking.

His website gave out home addresses and credit reports of celebrities including Kim Kardashian, P. Diddy and Justin Timberlake as well as former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, NBC reported at the time.

His crimes included 'swatting'  calling in false reports to police so homes would be raided by police SWAT teams. One of his victims was NRA chief Wayne LaPierre, who was briefly detained by cops. Another case led to a four-hour lockdown at the University of Arizona because he was fixated on a student there.

During his sentencing, Islam told the judge he spent 18 hours a day at his computer. He said he'd change after he had served his sentence.'

As well as calling himself Josh The God, Islam has also used several other aliases including Josh Leroux, Raidon, Josh Matthews, Nick James, Robert Whiteaker, Milo Matthews and Josh Dotnet.

His Bitcoin Wiki page says: 'At age 15, Josh Leroux earns respect from allies, his recognizable ability to 'rapidly assimilate information was a gift from God,' and nick-named him 'Josh The God.' ' It also said he founded a group called the Underground Nazi Hacktivist Group, or UGNazi.

The page describes his current residence as 'Manila City Jail.'Bahrain resumed operations at its embassy in Syria, which has been shut since 2011.

Bahrains Foreign Ministry said the reopening of the embassy affirms the importance of continued relations with Syria.

In a statement, the ministry stressed "the Arab role" in preserving Syrias independence and preventing dangerous regional intervention in its affairs - an apparent reference to Irans strengthened foothold there, the AP reported.

Yesterday, the United Arab Emirates reopened its embassy in Damascus. The concerted moves come seven years after Gulf Arab states recalled their ambassadors and shuttered their embassies in Syria to isolate Assad.Another migrant caravan will soon be making its way north from Honduras with an estimated 15,000 people, according to new reports.

As the thousands of migrants who fled the Central American country in October remain stranded at the Mexico border waiting to enter the US, the even larger group is prepared is preparing to depart for the north on January 15.

'They say they are even bigger and stronger than the last caravan,' Irma Garrido, a member of the migrant advocacy group Reactiva Tijuana Foundation, told the Los Angeles Times.

Garrido said the latest caravan will likely pick up even more people from El Salvador and Guatemala as it heads toward Mexico.

Like the last caravan, the group plans to share its progress, including which routes they will be taking, on social media, Mexican newspaper El Diario de Chiapas reported.

However, unlike previous groups, Garrido said that the members of this caravan are planning to stop short of the US and find work in Mexico, given that shelters in Tijuana are already overcrowded with migrants waiting to apply for asylum in San Diego.

Another migrant caravan is expected to depart from Honduras on January 15 and make its way north, according to immigration advocates and Central American media outlets. With an estimated 15,000 people, the new caravan will be much larger than the one that arrived at the US-Mexico border in October (pictured)

The migrant with this fall's largest caravan have been left suspended in uncertainty as they wait out the lengthy asylum-request process.

In October, the caravan was faced with a choice: continue to the US southern border or stop and put down roots in Mexico, where the government offered to let them stay.

Pueblo Sin Fronteras, a group of 40 Mexican and US activists escorting the caravan, warned the migrants that the offer might be too good to be true and called a voice vote on whether to continue.

'Let's keep going!' the crowd yelled amid applause.

Now thousands are stuck in the border town of Tijuana, where they are likely to be camped for months or longer with no easy way to get into the United States, creating what is fast becoming a humanitarian crisis in this overwhelmed city plagued by protests.

Migrants who arrived with the October caravan are waiting out the lengthy asylum-seeking process at over-crowded tent cities in Tijuana, Mexico, as seen above on Christmas Day

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (left) vowed to provide visas and work to migrants in his inauguration speech earlier this month. His message was in stark contrast to that of President Donald Trump (right), who has made it clear throughout his presidency that he does not intend to provide additional aid to migrants fleeing violence and poverty

While Trump administration has been clear that it will not welcome the immigrants, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has pledged to provide work visas to migrants who fled violence and poverty in their home countries and came north in hopes of finding a better life.

In his inauguration speech at the beginning of the month, Lopez Obrador promised to implement public works projects including the planting of 2 million trees as well as the construction of his $8billion Maya Train.

The train, which will link cities in the three Yucatan peninsula states as well as Tabasco and Chiapas, is expected to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in Mexico's southern states.

Mexico and the US agreed last week to develop a plan to curb Central American migration, which will include a $25billion investment from Mexico into its southern states over the next five years.

Under that plan, the US will contribute $4.8billion to Mexico and $5.8billion to the Northern Triangle of Central America, which consists of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.Fingerprints found on the damaged drone recovered from near Gatwick Airport do not match those of any known eco warriors, MailOnline can reveal.

Sussex Police ran the prints through the National Fingerprint Database but they drew a blank.

It means detectives are no nearer to tracking down the culprit who grounded 760 flights at Britain's second biggest airport by continuously buzzing drones over the airfield last week in the run up to Christmas.

Scroll down for video

Sussex Police are pictured at Gatwick Airport. Detectives are no nearer to tracking down the culprit who grounded 760 flights at Britain's second biggest airport

Despite a huge manhunt, the mystery drone pilot continued to taunt Army snipers dotted along the runway, helicopters and 20 police units

With fears a drone could take down a passenger jet, the airport was shut down twice and the army scrambled with strict orders to shoot down any drones straying too near.

Officers revealed last weekend they had found a broken drone in a field near the airport that they thought may have been responsible for the disruption.

However police source revealed: 'The fingerprints found on that drone belong to a clean skin - someone unknown to the police.

Counter drone equipment was deployed on a rooftop at Gatwick airport last weekend as the airport and airlines worked to clear the backlog caused by the incident

Sussex cops were criticised for arresting married couple Paul and Elaine Kirk-Gait on December 21 before releasing them without charge 36-hours later

'Sussex Police have been working alongside the Met, who hold the National Fingerprint Database, which contains, among others, the biometric information of thousands of extremists from terrorists to far right activists and eco warriors.

'The prints found on the drone did not match any of those on the Yard's database.

'It's a blow because police were hoping this may give them a new lead in the case.'

Sussex cops were criticised for arresting married couple Paul and Elaine Kirk-Gait on December 21 before releasing them without charge 36-hours later.

Mr Gait, who lives a mile from Gatwick, used to fly drones and model aircraft outside his house.

However his boss was able to confirm that he was at work - as part of a three man team fitting windows - during most of the drone sightings.

The couple said their 'privacy and identity' had been 'completely exposed' after being named in the media and their home searched.

Mr Gait, who lives a mile from Gatwick, used to fly drones and model aircraft outside his house. Mr Gait and his wife, from Crawley, West Sussex, later added: 'Those that knew us didn't doubt us for a second'

Mr Gait said: 'We are deeply distressed, as are our family and friends, and we are currently receiving medical care.

'The way we were initially perceived was disgusting.

Mr Gait and his wife, from Crawley, West Sussex, later added: 'Those that knew us didn't doubt us for a second.'

In the wake of the arrests, Chief Superintendent Jason Tingley of Sussex Police made the bizarre claim that there may never have been a drone but quickly followed it up by saying another theory was that the disruption may have been sparked by the damaged drone.

Chaos was caused by drone sightings at Gatwick Airport on December 19 as passengers were left stranded

Speaking last Sunday, he said: 'Always look at it with an open mind, but actually it's very basic common sense that a damaged drone, which may have not been there at a particular point in time has now been seen by an occupier, a member of the public, and then they've told us, 'we've found this'.

'Then we go and forensically recover it and do everything we can at that location to try and get a bit more information.'

More than 350,000 people had their Christmas travel plans thrown into chaos, with several forced to sleep on the terminal floor at Gatwick for two nights after local hotels reached full capacity.

Passengers trying to get home for the festive season were trapped in the airport and on planes as police were called in

The runway was shut down and airport bosses had to warn passengers not to come before checking with their airline.

Despite a huge manhunt, the mystery drone pilot continued to taunt Army snipers dotted along the runway, helicopters and 20 police units.

The person behind the chaos, is rumoured to be a 'lone wolf eco-warrior' or an organised expert rather than a 'hobbyist'.

Transport secretary, Chris Grayling, said police had 'not handled their communication response well' while Tory MP John Woodcock said: 'This whole sorry episode shows why we need a nationally agreed and understood robust procedure for dealing with incidents like this.

'The country has been caught on the hop. There may be a case for a different police force [to get involved].'DJay David McKenzie, 29 (pictured), has been arrested this week after it's believed he filmed himself masturbating in front of young girls while driving naked in a suburb of Portland

An Oregon man has been arrested after allegedly filming himself masturbating in front of young girls in a suburb of Portland.

Videos on the phone belonging to DJay David McKenzie, 29, appear to show him driving around nude while committing the sexual act with his car stopped near female children on at least two occasions, in November and December, the Oregonian reported.

He was also found to be in possession of child pornography - images of girls between the ages of four and eight were found on his phone, police said.

McKenzie stands accused of public indecency and 15 counts of first- and second-degree encouraging child sexual abuse.

Police are asking anyone who might have witnessed McKenzie exposing himself to children to contact Detective Adam Wright at 503-618-2233 or by email at adam.wright@greshamoregon.gov.

It's believed the activity may have occurred in Gresham, Southeast Portland or Clackamas County in recent months.

The videos and images on McKenzie's phone came to the attention of officers on December 20.

A friend of McKenzie's called authorities after she saw them on his phone while looking for his insurance information.

She said she had accompanied him to Mount Hood Medical Center in Gresham because McKenzie was in need of medical care, and he gave her his phone and pass code to unlock it so she could help him retrieve that information.

The videos and images on McKenzie's phone came to the attention of officers on December 20 when a friend of McKenzie's called authorities after she saw them on his phone while looking for his insurance information. She said she saw them when she had accompanied him to Mount Hood Medical Center in Gresham because McKenzie was in need of medical care, and he gave her his phone and pass code to unlock it so she could help him retrieve that information

Police obtained a search warrant for McKenzie's phone on Wednesday and found the videos, which appear to show McKenzie recording himself while driving naked up to young girls, stopping his blue sedan next to them and masturbating on November 9 and December 4. At least one of the encounters occurred near the intersection of Southeast 65th Avenue and Flavel Street in Portland (pictured), the affidavit states

Police obtained a search warrant for McKenzie's phone on Wednesday and found the videos.

They appear to show McKenzie recording himself while driving naked up to girls, stopping his blue sedan next to them and masturbating on November 9 and December 4.

At least one of the encounters occurred near the intersection of Southeast 65th Avenue and Flavel Street in Portland, the affidavit states.

The probable cause affidavit for his arrest states the girls appear to be aware of what he's doing in the videos.

McKenzie said that he drinks all day long, to the point that he's unable to work due to his drinking problem, authorities said.

Authorities also said that McKenzie indicated to police that the naked body and the car in the videos appear to be his, the affidavit states.

Police also found images of underage girls in sexual situations on McKenzie's phone, which appear to have been obtained by taking screenshots from a 'sharing program,' the affidavit states.

McKenzie was booked into Multnomah County jail early on Thursday, where he is currently being held in lieu of $305,000 bail.A Colorado man receiving a felony conviction was finally brought down by a Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) investigation into illegal hunting and running an unlicensed outfitting business.

Andrew Pashley, 35, of Evergreen, Colorado, pleaded guilty to the illegal sale of big game wildlife, a Class 6 felony, as well as illegal possession of a mountain lion in Jefferson County District Court last month, according to a CPW release.

The plea brings two years of supervised probation and a court-ordered suspension of all hunting, fishing and trapping related activities in the state. He also loses his pickup truck, cash he accepted for the illegal hunt and any hunting equipment used for his hounds.

Due to the felony conviction, Pashley can no longer own a firearm or other weapon, even for the purposes of hunting.

Andrew Pashley, 35, was convicted of a felony in the illegal hunting of mountain lions in the state of Colorado

Pashley's conviction comes with the price of losing his truck (shown), his ability to own firearms and his hunting, fishing and trapping privileges in Colorado

He may also get a lifetime ban from all hunting, fishing and trapping privileges in Colorado and the 47 other states in the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact to be determined at a later date.

'We investigate crimes like this both to protect the wildlife of the state, but also to protect the interests of legal and ethical hunters and outfitters in the state,' said CPW Wildlife Officer Joe Nicholson.

'Illegal and unethical actions like what Mr. Pashley participated in put a black eye on hunters, outfitters and houndsmen,' Nicholson added. 'Pashley's actions are those of a poacher, not a hunter, and it is good to bring somebody like Pashley to justice.'

Mountain lion hunting is legal in Colorado but is specifically regulated for season and location

Investigators had been looking at Pashley for years when the case broke in January of last yea. A hunter presenting a mountain lion for inspection 'aroused the suspicions' of Officer Nicholson, according to the CPW.

Mountain lion hunting is legal in specified areas and season with a license in Colorado, and the carcass has to be presented to CPW within five days of the kill, according to the Denver Post.

Outfitting services (guiding and providing equipment and supplies for hunters) is licensed through the Office of Outfitters Registration with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies.

Nicholson, with fellow Officer Scott Murdoch, confirmed the unnamed hunter was lying about where and how he procured the mountain lion and uncovered a connection to Andrew Pashley.

A month later they served a search warrant on Pashley and seized wildlife he possessed illegally and the evidence he was providing illegal outfitter business for hunters.

The unnamed hunter that paid Pashley pleaded guilty to misdemeanor hunting on private property without permission, illegal possession of a mountain lion and illegal method of hunting in exchange for his testimony.

He also received probation and a suspension from hunting, fishing and trapping.Trace Adam Riff, 31, was arrested on Sunday at a Dillons grocery store in Wichita, Kansas

A meth user wearing cowboy boots has been arrested after allegedly kicking a black boy to the ground while yelling racial slurs and declaring himself a white supremacist.

Trace Adam Riff, 31, was arrested on Sunday at a Dillons grocery store in Wichita, Kansas, where Lashantai Whitaker says he perpetrated the bizarre attack on her son Jhavii Fry.

Whitaker, 29, is pregnant and was at the store at about 7.20am with Jhavii and her 11-year-old daughter when the incident occurred, she told the Wichita Eagle.

'It happened so fast,' she recalled, saying that she heard her daughter scream and turned around to see Jhavii on the ground, with her daughter screaming that a man had kicked him.

Jhavii Fry, one, was at the store with his mother and sister when Riff allegedly kicked the boy

Whitaker said that Riff was screaming and ranting, using the 'n-word' and saying that he was a white supremacist. 'He sounded like a madman,' she said.

The man tried to flee the scene, but was tackled by bystanders until police arrived, Whitaker said.

Whitaker said that a witness at the store came forward to say he saw Riff kick the boy. It's unclear whether security cameras may have captured the incident.

Thankfully, young Jhavii was found to be uninjured by paramedics, who said that the boy's thick winter coat may have protected him from more serious harm.

Riff was charged with misdemeanor battery with bias motivation, as well as resisting arrest. He was freed on a $3,500 bond within hours of the arrest.

Whitaker, 29, (above) is pregnant and was at the store at about 7.20am with Jhavii and her 11-year-old daughter when the incident occurred

At the time of the incident, Riff was on probation for a methamphetamine conviction in Oklahoma.

Court records show that Riff's criminal history dates back to 2002, when he was 15 and led police on a chase in a stolen car.

His record includes an extensive history of drug and alcohol related charges, mental illness, and homelessness.

Whitaker expressed her shock that Riff was freed on bail so quickly after the attack.

'He could attack someone else's kid,' she said. 'If he's out and he's everywhere.'Jermaine Massey, 34, posted footage of himself on Instagram shortly after the incident in Portland, Oregon, on Sunday

The DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Portland, Oregon, where an African-American guest claimed he was racially profiled last week for talking on the phone in the lobby, on Friday issued an apology and revealed that the staffers involved in the exchange have been suspended.

Jermaine Massey, 34, posted a video of Sunday's incident on Instagram showing his confrontations first with hotel employees, and then a Portland police officer who was summoned to the hotel by the staff.

In the clip, Massey can be heard attempting to explain to staff that he had been on the phone to his mother when he was reported by Hilton porters in the lobby.

In response to media scrutiny sparked by Massey's video going viral, the hotel issued a statement Wednesday that described what happened between the guest and the DoubleTree staff as 'unfortunate.'

DoubleTree Portland on Friday tweeted out an apology and revealed that the staffers who ejected Massey from the hotel have been put on leave

Massey has since retained two attorneys, who said that their client was only guilty of 'calling his mother while black' and demanded that the hotel issue a public statement explaining why the hotel guest was approached by a security guard to begin with, reported KPTV.

The Portland hotel on Friday responded by issuing an unqualified apology to Massey on Twitter and stating that the workers involved in the incident have been placed on leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation.

'We sincerely apologize to Mr. Massey for his treatment this past weekend, and deeply regret the experience he endured,' the follow-up statement read. 'It was unacceptable and contrary to our values, beliefs and how we seek to treat all people who visit our hotel.

'We have a zero-tolerance stance on discrimination of any kind, and do not tolerate behavior of that nature.

Massey had checked into DoubleTree Portland after traveling from Washington state to attend a concert

'We are seeking the counsel of community leaders, and will engage a third-party to conduct a full investigation into the incident  reviewing our internal processes, protocols and trainings to ensure we are creating and maintaining a safe space for everyone.'

Massey, a resident of Kent, Washington, who had traveled to Portland to attend a Travis Scott concert, claimed he was targeted by a security guard because he is black and that this led to him being ejected from the hotel on December 22.

In the recording of the incident Massey posted, the guard says that he was calling the cops because Massey was loitering, despite Massey's holding his room key card.

Portland police then arrived and escorted the man off the premises. He said he was allowed to retrieve his belongings from his room and check out at the front desk while police waited.

'Tonight I was racially profiled and discriminated against for taking a phone call in the lobby of my hotel,' Massey wrote on Instagram.

'He [the security guard] said that I was a safety threat to the other guests and that I was trespassing and said that I was a disturbance because I took a personal phone call from my mom in a more remote area of the lobby.

Other videos posted by Massey show him talking to hotel staff at the Hilton DoubleTree as he was kicked out of the hotel

He then filmed as police showed up to the scene and told him to pack his things and leave the establishment

'I cannot believe the level of professionalism that this hotel property had with me tonight. It is never ok to discriminate against guests for the color of their skin and to prejudge them based on your own bias against that race.'

The officer who responded to the hotel reportedly told Massey that staffers demanded that the guest be arrested for trespassing if he refused to leave.

The cop then offered to give Massey a ride to another hotel, but the 34-year-old man told the officer he had a car of his own and did not wish to be transported in the back of a patrol vehicle.

The DoubleTree in Portland claimed soon afterwards that the entire incident took place because of a 'misunderstanding'.

Paul Peralta, general manager of the DoubleTree, told OregonLive Monday that he has reached out to Massey to try to amend the situation.

'Safety and security of our guests and associates is our top priority at the Doubletree by Hilton Portland,' Peralta said in the initial statement. 'This unfortunate incident is likely the result of a misunderstanding between our hotel and guest.

'We are sorry that this matter ended the way it did. We are place of public accommodation and do not discriminate against any individuals or groups.'A 60-year-old man has been charged after two young girls were allegedly sexually assaulted while swimming at a popular beach.

The two girls, aged eight and 10, were at North Cronulla Beach in Sydney's south on Friday.

They were in the water at 4pm when they noticed the 60-year-old man swimming nearby.

A 60-year-old man has been charged after two young girls were sexually assaulted while swimming at North Cronulla Beach (pictured)

The two girls were in the water about 4pm when they noticed the 60-year-old man swimming nearby (stock image)

As the girls continued swimming, the man began to move closer before allegedly touching them both inappropriately.

A member of the public who was nearby claimed they noticed what the man did and called for help from a lifeguard.

The lifeguard pulled the man out of the water and restrained him while they contacted police.

Authorities from Sutherland Shire Police Area Command rushed to the beach where they arrested the 60-year-old man.

He was then charged with intentionally sexually touching a child under 10 years, and intentionally sexually touching a child between 10 and 16 years old.

The 60-year-old Cronulla man was granted conditional bail and is due to appear at Sutherland Local Court on February 7.A deli owner has been left with serious head injuries after a man allegedly jumped the counter of his shop and smashed his skull with a hammer before making off with cash.

Police later arrested a man, 25, after setting up a cordon in the area following the alleged attack in Elizabeth Grove, Adelaide, at about 1.30pm on December 28.

The shop owner, 49, was taken to the Lyell McEwen Hospital with a suspected fractured skull.

A deli owner has been left with serious head injuries after a man allegedly jumped the counter of his shop, smashed his skull with a hammer before making off with cash (stock image)

The suspect also allegedly stole cigarettes and a mobile phone.

The 25-year-old, of no fixed address, has been charged with aggravated robbery and aggravated assault causing harm.

He has been refused police bail and is expected to appear in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court on December 31.Married in Las Vegas on Christmas Eve, honeymooners Sarah and Paul Edwards insist  perhaps a little too vehemently  that they are floating on cloud nine.

Mornings, they say, consist of lazy breakfasts gazing into each others eyes, days are spent sightseeing hand in hand, and as for the nights, Pauls happy verdict is yes, yes, yes and yes again!

Yet less than a week ago, broadcasting lighting technician Paul, 36, and nanny Sarah Elliott, 34, were complete strangers. They met for the first time on the day before their wedding.

Paul and Sarah Edwards only met for the first time in Gatwick Airport having matched on a dating app nine days earlier. Now they are man and wife having flown to Las Vegas to get married by an Elvis impersonator during their first date

Sarah hastily purchased a bridal gown for 100 on eBay before jetting off to Las Vegas with her now husband Paul. The groom (left), wearing a new 271 three-piece suit from Moss Bros, dropped to one knee at check-in to present her with a vintage 800 diamond cluster engagement ring

The pair were matched by a dating app on December 15 and just nine days later, on Christmas Eve, Sarah was sweeping into departures at Gatwick in a designer bridal gown hastily bought on eBay for 100, after a series of intense exchanged messages and phone calls with Paul.

Nerves calmed by a quick pint, the groom, wearing a new 271 three-piece suit from Moss Bros, dropped to one knee at check-in and presented his bride-to-be with a vintage 800 diamond cluster engagement ring, watch and bouquet before jetting off to the U.S.

Such was their enthusiasm, only another drone attack could have prevented their arrival in Vegas, where they were married that evening by mobile minister Roland August in an outdoor ceremony in front of the fountains of the Bellagio hotel.

They kissed for the very first time after being legally declared man and wife, and consummated their marriage that night.

Their honeymoon is now a crash course in getting to know you, including such finer details as Sarahs love of mayonnaise and Pauls favourite colour (baby blue).

The couple have denied their rapid relationship is part of a publicity stunt claiming they are two ordinary people who are both looking for serious and lasting love

Given that others who have married at first sight  usually as part of a tacky TV experiment  ended up bitterly regretting it, youd think the odds were surely against them in the long term, despite their euphoria over what Sarah describes as the happiest day of my life.

So is this a crazy publicity stunt or are the pair of them plain crazy?

They insist the answer is neither; that they are two ordinary people looking for serious, lasting love who reckon this is the best way to secure it.

If someone had told me Id end up marrying someone Id never even met before, I would never have believed them, says Paul, who concedes that his shocked family and friends thought he was bonkers when he told them.

There were a few moments when I got cold feet but now I think its the best thing Ive ever done.

Paul Edwards, right, got down on one knee on Christmas Eve in departures at Gatwick Airport to propose with Sarah Elliott, who he had only 'met' on the dating app Bumble nine days earlier

As for Sarah, she is convinced their marriage will last the distance and is looking forward to telling their future children the remarkable story of their courtship  or rather, lack of it.

For even the new Mr and Mrs Edwards, now the most famous newlyweds in Britain following widespread publicity, admit the word whirlwind barely does justice to their relationship.

After what they describe as hundreds of hours of phone conversations in less than a fortnight, they decided to skip the dating stage and tie the knot, despite never having met.

Sarah wasnt even sure what her intended husband looked like because when they Skyped he was sitting in a poorly lit room, but was relieved to discover he was very handsome in the flesh.

Paul handed Sarah and antique 800 engagement ring before they boarded their flight

Paul suggested I look at his Facebook page to check him out but I didnt want to do that. Anyway, too much emphasis is placed on looks, she says.

Their decision to wed appears to have been based instead on gut instinct, blind faith, trust and what Sarah describes as a deep connection, plus a shared history of past relationship traumas.

Sarah, who has one failed marriage behind her and still lives with an ex-partner in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, says: I cant remember who brought it up, but one of us said, We get on so well  maybe we should get married.

Paul, a father of teenage girls aged 15 and 13 who lives in Chichester, West Sussex, says: I think the whole idea came about because I asked her what she was doing for Christmas and I said, How about we have our first date on Christmas Day?

Then I had another lightbulb moment and suggested, How about we go on holiday for our first date? Lifes too short.

The subject of marriage came up and Sarah said, Ive always thought about going on that programme where couples get married at first sight. I laughed and said, Lets get married, then.

Thankfully, after that first meeting the ten-hour transatlantic flight served only to cement their determination to marry, and they arrived at 2.30pm local time to prepare for the evening wedding.

Even minister Roland August, who starred as Elvis in the Katy Perry music video Waking Up In Vegas, found it all stranger than fiction, telling me: They are the first couple I have ever married on their first date.

Its quite unusual, even in Vegas! But Sarah and Paul seem made for each other and I wish them all the best in life.

Indeed, the new Mr and Mrs Edwards do seem likeable, down-to-earth, intelligent and considerate characters who both sound terribly sincere about making this marriage work.

Sarah, pictured, picked up a designer wedding dress in the internet for 100

But are they in love?

There is a slightly awkward whatever love means moment, reminiscent of Prince Charless reply when he was asked the same question at a press conference announcing his engagement to Lady Diana Spencer.

There was a definite spark when we first met at the airport, says Sarah, choosing her words carefully. What is important to us is the commitment, from which love will develop and grow. Weve both had relationships where we did it the normal way round and it didnt work out, so why not do it this way instead? In many ways it feels more traditional, choosing to commit based on shared values, interests and morals rather than just physical attraction.

Paul adds: We are not in love yet. Were still getting to know each other  that will come with time. But yes, we do fancy each other, which helps.

Our wedding night wasnt awkward because wed talked about it at length beforehand, sharing with each other what we liked and disliked, so there would be no misunderstandings. We both have a high sex drive.

Rather than viewing their union as a madcap adventure, the couple prefer to compare it to wartime marriages, which often had the briefest of courtships but, based on solid, realistic foundations, stood the test of time.

Their families, however, took some convincing.

Sarah, who moved to Britain from New Zealand when she was 18, says: My parents were very shocked and urged me to wait, saying, Why dont you just go on holiday instead?

The pair had been corresponding online for only nine days before first meeting

They insisted on speaking to Paul on the phone, and after 30 minutes they felt much more reassured. Im looking forward to introducing my husband to my family and friends  if I have any friends left after this, because most of them have disowned me.

Likewise, Pauls father advised caution, especially as Paul was still recovering from a broken heart after his girlfriend of eight years broke off their engagement in February, just four weeks before their planned 20,000 country house wedding.

I was very upset, says Paul, but Im grateful to my ex-fiancee now because if she was unhappy with me our marriage wouldnt have lasted.

I can see there wasnt enough balance in my life, I sometimes worked 80-hour weeks and put my relationship second. But I was ready to commit to one person for ever and although I was disappointed that relationship broke down, it didnt change that core belief.

Sarah, who had a happy childhood in Wellington, New Zealand, says she always longed to emulate her adoptive parents by having a long, happy and stable marriage, though the ideal has so far eluded her.

Moving to Britain, where she worked as an estate agent before becoming a nanny, she says she fell into an abusive relationship before meeting her first husband, a dry-stone waller, when she was in her early 20s.

They dated for more than four years before agreeing to marry, their blessing witnessed by Sarahs family in New Zealand in 2012. Just six months later, however, the marriage was over.

My first husband was very kind and gentle but we were more like best friends than husband and wife. I think I only married him because I felt my parents expected us to, she says.

The couple pictured meeting in public for the first time at Gatwick Airport (left) and with their luggage as they prepare to board a flight to Las Veas

Shortly after their wedding, Sarah also discovered she was infertile and says: I felt very guilty that Nick might never be able to have children with me and I might have prevented him marrying someone who could.

After we split up, he went on to meet someone else and have a family, and hes happy now, so I feel it was the right decision to end the marriage.

Moving from the North of England to Kent, Sarah next had a long-term relationship with an electrician that lasted for three-a-half years. After splitting up, they decided to carry on living together until the house could be sold  but in the meantime Sarah threw herself into internet dating, which proved soul-destroying.

Youd go for a date and never hear from the guy again, or hed treat you with no respect, she says. I felt I deserved better, so I decided to give up and only saw Pauls message when I logged on one last time to close my account.

From the moment we first spoke, there was a connection Id never felt before.

We could be completely honest with each other about our histories. There was a mutual respect.

Raised by his father after his parents split up when he was two, Paul told Sarah about his misspent youth, which led to him leaving home at 16 and ending up homeless at 17, living on the streets for six months.

Taken in by a church, he was helped back on his feet and worked as a nightclub lighting technician before moving into broadcasting.

Mrs Edwards sits down for a drink after meeting her soon to be husband at Gatwick Airport

The couple, seen here chatting before they boarded the plane, say they couldn't be better suited to one another

His first daughter was born when he was 21, but his relationship broke up and he had a second daughter by a subsequent relationship which also didnt last.

His daughters live with their mothers but Paul says he sees them regularly and took them out for lunch separately to break the news that he was marrying a woman hed never met. Both accepted the news with a maturity beyond their years.

My elder daughter  when shed stopped laughing  said it was cool. My younger daughter didnt laugh but was also supportive, says Paul.

Sarah is looking forward to meeting them and hopes that, with the help of IVF, she and Paul will one day add to the family, once they have sorted out where they are going to live as a couple.

Five days into their marriage, Paul proudly reports that they havent had a single row yet and are filled with optimism for the future, even though Sarah has already told her new husband to ditch his Next suits because her ex used to favour them.

So far I have absolutely no regrets. More people should do it, he says, before adding: But ask me again in a year.Sajid Javid last night declared a major incident over the surge in Channel boat migrants.

Amid mounting criticism of his handling of the crisis, the Home Secretary announced he was taking personal control of borders.

However he is still on holiday with his family in South Africa  6,000 miles away. Aides refused to say whether he would curtail his Christmas break.

Following a conference call with police and senior officials, Mr Javid appointed a gold commander to oversee the response and asked for talks with his French counterpart. In other developments:

UK Border Force cutter arriving at Dover Harbour with eight migrants and their inflatable tied alongside after being rescued from crossing the English Channel

The Home Secretary resisted pressure from Conservative MPs to reinforce Border Force operations in the Channel, where only one cutter is on patrol; 12 more migrants were rescued from boats off the English coast and taken to Dover yesterday; It emerged that 121 have tried to cross since December 23  90 of them reaching Britain.

Politicians from all parties lined up to criticise Mr Javids handling of the migrant crisis yesterday as he faced accusations of sleeping on the job. Ed Davey, Lib Dem home affairs spokesman, said: It is time the Home Secretary stopped sleeping on the job and woke up to the reality of what is happening at our borders.

A ministerial source said Mr Javid must get a grip on the situation while Tory MP Charlie Elphicke, who represents Dover, said the Home Office had not taken the issue seriously enough. The crisis has continued to escalate to unprecedented levels, he said.

Eight migrants brought ashore at Dover Harbour by the UK Border Force officials by a rib

He welcomed Mr Javids intervention but added: We need a clear strategy to defeat the traffickers. Lets start by bringing back our cutters to the English Channel.

It is not the first time Mr Javid has faced criticism for being absent during political crises. Last year, as communities secretary, he came under fire for staying on holiday amid uproar over a planned increase in business rates.

A year earlier he was forced to return from a trip to Australia when the future of the Port Talbot steel works was in the balance.

The Home Office released a detailed statement yesterday outlining the steps Mr Javid is taking after the conference call with officials in Border Force, Immigration Enforcement and the National Crime Agency.

The eight migrants were wrapped in blankets and brought ashore by Border Force officials

Mr Javid is thought to be resisting pressure to deploy one of the Border Forces four other cutters because it could encourage more migrants to make the crossing in the hope they would be picked up. Another Tory backbencher, Damian Collins, who represents Folkestone, called for a closer watch to be kept on small vessels leaving the French coast. He said: If we spotted them when they were closer to the French coast, under maritime law they should be returned to the nearest safe port.

Yvette Cooper, Labour chairman of the Commons home affairs committee, called for urgent action to prevent illegal crossings, adding: The problem is clearly getting worse.

For families and children to end up in small boats in the Channel in the middle of winter is incredibly dangerous. There is a real risk of tragedy if urgent action isnt taken.

The most senior politician in northern France yesterday called on Britain to provide a permanent maritime surveillance brigade.

Xavier Bertrand, president of the Hauts-de-France regional council, said the British should stop leaving all the work to the French. When will there be proper surveillance of the Channel? he demanded. When will truly firm action be taken against people smugglers on the British side?

Around 150 migrants are living in squalid conditions on an industrial estate close to the Calais ferry port. The makeshift camp is being raided by police at least every two days. Hundreds more migrants live in small camps dotted nearby.

One Iranian, who gave his name as Tariq, said: We know how dangerous it is to go out in a boat. But we would rather die at sea then stay here any longer.

Times are hard, the nights are freezing and getting colder and French police are destroying our homes. They dont care about us. This is all we have  anything is better than this.

I have tried getting on to a boat before. One time I got a boat but tried to fill it up with petrol which spilled on my body and burnt me.

Its hard to get on the ferry now because the police dogs will catch you, so smaller boats are the better option. But you need a lot of money to pay the people smugglers.

In the first incident yesterday, three Iranian men and a Syrian were found in the early hours in a rigid inflatable boat off the coast of Dover. And at 9am eight Iranian men were rescued from another small vessel and taken to the same port to be processed.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said about his readiness to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to him, such talks can be held in Sochi or Moscow.

"Tomorrow morning our delegation will go to Moscow. Foreign ministers, intelligence, and defence ministers will discuss the situation from all angles there," he said. "After that, I will hold phone talks with Putin. My visit to Sochi or Moscow is also possible," Sputnik cited Erdogan as saying.

Erdogan called the Syrian militarys entry into Manbij a "psychological act."

"I spoke with my friends, with intelligence, etc., about an hour ago and there is nothing certain at this moment," the AP cited him as saying.

Erdogan also argued that Turkey has been working for Syrias territorial integrity and said Turkeys goal remains the defeat of the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, or the YPG. Turkey considers it a terrorist group linked to an insurgency within its own borders.

"If terror organizations leave, then there is no work left for us anyway," Erdogan said, noting that Turkeys military was continuing its preparations.

At the same time, Moscow welcomed the reports that the Syrian government troops have gained control of Manbij earlier held by Kurdish formations, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"No doubt, this is a positive step towards stabilizing the situation," the spokesman noted. The expansion of the zone of the Syrian government troops control "is a positive trend," Peskov said.

The deputy head of the Council of the Russian Diplomats Association, Andrey Baklanov, speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that the Syrian crisis settlement is at a turning point now. "Manbijs strategic importance is extremely high, as the city is located close to Aleppo and the Turkish border. This is a link between different areas under the control of the Kurds, he warned.

"I think that the only way to prevent contradictions from escalating into a new conflict with the use of military equipment is to relieve Turkish concerns about Kurdish military's actions," Andrei Baklanov stressed

"A lot depends on whether we can succeed in converting the Sochi and Astana summits, as well as the established close relations with Turkey, into the possibility of addressing these Ankara's concerns and preventing the growth of military confrontation in the north of Syria," the diplomat added.

"If we talk about Russia's position on Manbij, we consider the main role in the task of confronting ISIS was played by the Syrian government and elected president of the country. We support the government. On the other hand, we realize that the crisis and the civil war is far from completing, which forces us to seek common ground with other parties, including Turkey," Andrei Baklanov concluded.This is the family torn apart in a crash while on a dream Christmas holiday to see the Northern Lights.

Rajshree Laturia and her 11-month-old daughter Shreeprabha were killed alongside her sister-in-law Khushboo when their 4x4 vehicle careered through a safety barrier and off the edge of a bridge in Iceland.

Their husbands  who are brothers  and their two other children were seriously injured. Officials said the baby was not in a child seat or strapped in.

Rajshree Laturia and her 11-month-old daughter Shreeprabha (pictured) ere killed alongside her sister-in-law Khushboo when their 4x4 came off a bridge in Iceland

The 45-year-old single-lane bridge is a notorious accident black spot and officials admitted yesterday that the surface and safety barrier do not meet current safety standards.

Last night, Iceland's prime minister gave a damning assessment of the country's roads.

Family of Iceland bridge victims speak for first time since horror crash A family statement last night said: 'The fatal car crash near Skaftafell in Iceland on the morning of December 27, 2018 has come as a horrifying shock for the entire family and friends. 'The Indian, British and Icelandic authorities have been extremely cooperative and extended appropriate support. 'Our family is deeply saddened so we request you to kindly respect our privacy and give us the space to grieve in peace at this difficult time. 'Special thanks to the local authorities for airlifting and ensuring timely medical facilities were provided. Thank you for your prayers and understanding on this matter.' Advertisement

Katrin Jakobsdottir said: 'This is a terrible accident and it's so incredibly sad to get this news over Christmas. Of course, we are aware that the road system in Iceland has had limited funds in the years after the bank crisis in 2008 and we are behind the latest standards.'

She promised these single-lane bridges would now be the focus of an extra 27million of funding.

Police said the cause of the crash was not yet clear but said the seven-seater Toyota Land Cruiser 'seemed to have turned on the bridge' and went on top of the railings before falling 25ft on to a riverbed below. Chief Superintendent Sveinn Kristjan Runarsson said the road, near Skaftafell, was not thought to have been icy, but humidity could have made the bridge's steel surface slippery.

The two women from London were married to brothers, Shreeraj, 39, and Supreme Laturia, 37. The couples lived together with their children and au pair in a 1.5million apartment on the banks of the Thames.

The family, who all worked in banking and finance, were on the final day of a four-day trip when the accident happened at 9.30am on Thursday, two hours before sunrise. They were travelling along the bridge on the national Route 1 when the driver lost control. Rajshree, 36, was in the back seat of the rental car with Khushboo, 33, and baby Shreeprabha, officials said. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

Left: Supreme Laturia, who is severely injured, is the the husband of Khushboo Laturia (right) who died in the horror crash

The two brothers and the other children, a boy aged seven and girl of nine, were airlifted to hospital in the capital Reykjavik, about 124 miles away, where they were in a stable condition last night.

Gudmundur Valur Gudmundsson, of the Iceland Road Administration, said neither the bridge nor the railings complied with latest standards. There have been 14 accidents there since 2000.

Sisters in law Rajshree Laturia and Khushboo Laturia, both in their 30s and lived together with their husbands brothers, Shreeraj, 39, and Supreme Laturia, 37

Yesterday, as relatives and friends from the UK and India travelled to Iceland to support the two men, tributes to their wives flooded in from around the world.

Financial trader Shreeraj Laturia has survived the crash and relatives and friends from the UK and India travelled to Iceland to support him and his brother

In 2015, Rajshree, who worked for Morgan Stanley, and her husband Shreeraj, who is a trader at RBC Capital Markets, were named in the UK Asian Power Couples Hot 100 for their work in finance and for charity.

Months ago, she told how having a baby had helped pull her through 'the pain and sorrow' of a difficult year, which saw her mother die and brother diagnosed with cancer.

Khushboo also worked in finance and was a company director alongside her husband Supreme, an investment banker. Their son is aged seven.

Family friend Pramila Bajaj, 40, of Harrow, north-west London, said: 'There are no words to explain. They achieved so many things at such a young age. They are an amazing family that everyone aspires to. There is no lady in the family now, I don't know how both brothers will manage.'Christmas for Lene Pearce and her five-year-old daughter was, quite simply, magical. Yet there was a sharp poignancy to the scenes of excitement at their Nottingham home as an excited Lexi-Ann tore open her presents. For, heartbreakingly, it is likely to have been Lenes last.

And although she is willing herself to survive for as long as possible, Lene has written her daughter a card for next Christmas  a message of comfort to her only child  just in case she does not make it.

Always know that I love you from the bottom of my heart and that Ill be looking down over you, it reads. Enjoy Christmas time with fun, laughter and family, and I will always be an angel alongside you. Forever in my heart and soul, love always Mum.

At just 41, Lene is living on borrowed time. She has motor neurone disease (MND), a rare and incurable degenerative condition that affects the brain and nerves and is slowly robbing her of her ability to move and speak. Last September doctors told her she had about a year to live.

When Lene was told this would be her last Christmas, her first thoughts were for the little girl shell leave behind. Her inspiring solution? Poignant cards and letters to be opened for decades to come  in the ultimate legacy of love

Yet fierce maternal love is keeping her alive. I wouldnt be here if it wasnt for Lexi, she says. She gives me a reason to carry on.

However, she is planning for her imminent death, for the years Lexi will spend without her, and has written birthday cards to take her daughter right up to the year 2053  by which time she will have turned 40.

Too weak to hold a pen for any length of time, Lene spent hours dictating the messages to a carer, before laboriously signing a wobbly signature of Mummy x for each one.

The messages in the cards are fond, tender and touching. Often funny and always affectionate, they chart a mothers enduring love.

They anticipate her little girls progress through adolescence to adulthood  and their poignancy is sharpened because Lexi will be reading them long after her mum has gone.

Although Lene Pearce is willing herself to survive for as long as possible, Lene has written her daughter a card for next Christmas  a message of comfort to her only child  just in case she does not make it

For her daughters tenth birthday, Lene writes: Enjoy your last year at primary school because next year the hard work begins! My love and thoughts are with you always. Hugs and kisses, Mummy.

At 18, Lexi will receive a message  addressed like all the others to my beautiful, gorgeous daughter  reminding her she is now allowed to have a drink.

And if youre your mothers daughter, you will. But if youre your dads daughter, you wont. But whichever it is, know Im there with you to celebrate this special day.

And when she opens her 21st birthday card, a photo of Lene at her daughters age will accompany her mums wish that Lexi seeks out adventures. I hope youre travelling the world, she writes.

On her wedding day, Lexi will open a parcel containing an eternity ring and a teddy bear  both wedding day gifts to Lene from her own mother, Ann-Marie, 67.

Lene is planning for her imminent death, for the years Lexi will spend without her

She has written birthday cards to take her daughter right up to the year 2053  by which time she will have turned 40.

Then, at 40, in her final card Lene sends a hope that her daughters life will be happy and settled.

I cant believe Im sitting here writing your 40th birthday card, she tells her. Have an extra special day and a glass of wine for me. I hope life has treated you well and still is. I hope you have everything you wanted  whatever that may be.

Lene, a former nanny who later worked as an airport check-in agent, stopped her cards at 40 knowing there would be a lot to look back on and hoping Lexi would by then be busy with her own children.

Today she and her daughter, a tornado of energy and animation, live in a specially adapted bungalow in Nottingham.

Lenes strength lessens daily. She can no longer lift a cup, dress or feed herself, and her voice is slurred and faltering. But sparks of her old humour and zest for life remain.

Since her diagnosis last year she has crammed Lexis life with adventures  a trip to Australia in a campervan for three weeks in July was a highlight  and they marked her daughters fifth birthday in April with a visit to Disneyland, Paris.

These days Lene is confined to a wheelchair  she stands with difficulty and only for short periods  but just five years ago, when Lexi was born to her and husband, Ryan  from whom she is now separated  life could not have been better.

From day one, Lexi was the most beautiful, sparky, smiley little girl who lit up everyone around her with her infectiously positive personality. Life felt pretty much perfect, Lene says of the time when the family were living in Kent.

Just five years ago, when Lexi was born to Lene and husband, Ryan  from whom she is now separated  life could not have been better

But, less than 18 months later, although Lene felt healthy, a series of disquieting symptoms began.

I was going to the gym four times a week and swimming 50 lengths a day. Id never been fitter, she recalls. Then my knee started giving way, and I fell in the road while taking Lexi to playgroup. That fall prompted me to go to the doctor. I had a scan and they said Id torn a cartilage and prescribed pain killers, but I continued to walk with a limp.

I went for blood tests and the nurse said: Your gait doesnt look right. She got me an emergency appointment for the next day and they did some neurological tests and asked if there was multiple sclerosis (MS) in the family. There isnt.

Multiple sclerosis is a lifelong condition affecting the brain and spinal cord, causing problems with vision, movement and balance. Though MS can cause serious disability, unlike MND it is often treatable.

The nurses words jolted me, says Lene. By then Id begun to lose the use of my right arm. I struggled to put a plug in a socket.

Then I was fooling around with Lexi on the sofa and I fell off it. I hadnt got the strength to get up. Next I had a series of falls at work. I loved my job as a check-in agent at Gatwick airport and it was a very worrying time. Id smashed my face and damaged my leg and I was walking with a stick.

Another time I fell in front of a gate full of passengers. I felt blood on my face  Id bitten my lip and had a black eye.

My best friend, Lisa, has MS, so I knew how tough that can be and I worried that I had it, too.

Meanwhile, Ryan, 40, a diver with the Port of London Authority, struggled to cope with the disconcerting change in his wife, and could not bear to confront the fact that she could be grievously ill.

It was taking its toll on our relationship, Lene recalls. I wanted to go back to Nottingham to be near my family and friends. Ryan loved his job and he didnt want to leave it and come with me.

'To my beautiful, gorgeous 17 year old... I hope those boys are treating you well! You're not quite legal for everything yet!!!'

When I said I was going, he agreed that we should separate.

In October 2015, Lene and Lexi moved to Nottingham, leaving Ryan behind. Lene got a job at East Midlands airport, but by February 2017 she recalls: I kept falling. I fractured both my cheekbones and suffered a haematoma in my arm.

By July she was too ill to work and two months later  after countless blood tests, a lumbar puncture and nerve conduction tests  she was called for a hospital consultation.

Although still clinging to the slender hope that she may have MS, Lene feared the worst  that, in fact, she had MND, a much rarer, terminal disease, for which there is no cure.

My mum is a retired Army nurse and had two friends who died of MND. She said she was afraid all the signs pointed to that.

She was crying when she told me, but wanted me to be prepared. I was petrified.

But I still felt I had a 5 per cent chance this might not be MND and I might live to see Lexi hit all her milestones  hug her when her first boyfriends turned out to be rubbish, watch her perform in plays and recitals, be there when she walked down the aisle; all those moments you cant put a price on.

She knew her mummy wasnt well, but neither of us knew what the future held.

Finally, after years of worry and uncertainty, the doctors confirmed Lenes worst fears.

Lisa was with me when I went to hospital last September. The consultant asked me what I thought it was. I told him MND, and he said: Yes, all the signs point to that. 

Next, came the hardest question of all. I asked: How long have I got? and he said: Do you really want me to go into that today? and I said I did, because I had a young daughter. Then he told me: Most patients last a year from diagnosis, but I think youll be here a little bit longer. I was heartbroken.

She cries again at the memory. I broke down. All I wanted to do was hug Lexi, but I didnt want to go home and have to tell my mum, she sobs.

'I know it will be hard this Christmas as I am not there to share it with you but always know I love you from the bottom of my heart and that I will be looking down over you'

And when I did, she just kept saying how sorry she was. She cried and cried and said if she could only take it from me and have it herself, she would.

It took the best part of two weeks for the news to properly sink in. All I could do was think about not seeing Lexi grow up. Then I rang Ryan. He was devastated.

He drove straight up to Nottingham to help me and Lexi deal with the diagnosis.

But the hardest part  the almost impossible task  was framing the awful truth into words that Lexi might understand.

I hardly slept for nights on end. I cried in my room so Lexi didnt see me in pieces. Eventually, I told her that I was very poorly and would be going to heaven soon.

She replied: When Im eight? and I said it could be sooner, and she asked: When Im six? No child her age can understand the finality of death, what it really means, until that massive hole has been left in their life.

When I meet Lexi she is understandably more interested in rummaging through her dressing-up outfits than talking about Lenes illness. If you could have one wish, what would it be? I ask. That Mummy wasnt poorly, she says.

And another? That I had hair down to my bottom like Rapunzel, she says, pulling out a favourite doll from her toy box.

Do you get sad? I ask her. I do, but I dont like to talk about it, she replies briefly.

Grief has many different manifestations and Lexi is often angry. Its purely because I cant do things other mums do, Lene explains. Before we went to Disneyland, Lexi said: You might not be able to come. You might be dead, and that hurt me, of course.

She doesnt say unkind things now, but when shes angry she slams doors. She does lots of little helpful things for me, too, like putting my coat on, shutting doors, turning lights on and off and putting a blanket over me if Im feeling cold. But I just want her to be a child.

Carers attend throughout the day to help Lene wash, dress and eat, but this will soon be Ryans role. Though they have not been a couple for three years, he has taken a sabbatical from his job and is moving to Nottingham to be Lenes carer: he will look after her in her final days and be with their daughter. He has been a wonderful support to me and has never failed as a dad. I see him as a very close friend, says Lene.

When we took Lexi to Australia it was bittersweet because I knew Id never go again. I saw my cousin Tracey, who lives there, and it was a heartbreaking goodbye because I knew it would be the last time Id see her.

But Lexi had a wonderful time. She swam in a lagoon and loved sleeping in the roof of the van.

Ryan did pretty much everything for me. He lifted me into the campervan, washed me, dressed me and fed me. Nothing fazed him, so I know hell cope well as my carer. I asked him: Will you come and look after me? and he agreed. He hasnt got anyone else in his life and he says he doesnt think he ever will. But I hope he will.

All Ive asked is that Lexi doesnt call anyone else Mum. And hes promised that would never happen. Because you only have one mum, dont you?

 Lene has also received care at Nottinghamshire Hospice https://www.nottshospice.org/

Additional Reporting by Matthew BarbourThe number of care home beds available for vulnerable pensioners has plunged by 8,000 in just three years, figures reveal.

This represents a fall of 2 per cent in the total number of beds  despite rapidly increasing demand for support as the population ages.

In another alarming sign of Englands deepening social care crisis, there has also been a 6 per cent decline in the number of residential and nursing homes operating in England since 2014. It means there are nearly 1,500 fewer operators to choose from.

The shortage of places is exacerbating the problem of hospital bed blocking because the NHS is often unable to discharge people to a place in a care home. This means thousands of elderly people are left stuck in hospital unnecessarily.

The number of care home beds available for vulnerable pensioners has plunged by 8,000 in just three years, figures reveal (stock image)

Others are left in their own houses with insufficient home help cover when they would benefit from a place in a care home. The net number of care home beds registered with the Care Quality Commission has fallen by 8,636 in three years, figures uncovered by Labour show.

At the end of 2014 there were more than 468,000 places, but by the end of last year there were fewer than 460,000. The net number of care home locations registered with the Care Quality Commission fell by 1,430 over the same period to just over 16,100.

Care homes are being forced to close in part because councils cannot afford to place people in them.

Labour social care spokesman Barbara Keeley said: Short-sighted cuts by the Conservative Government have dangerously destabilised our residential care home sector at a time when it has never been needed more. Tory cuts to local government budgets of 40 per cent mean councils are able to offer less and less to care homes to provide care  and thats seen over one thousands homes leave the sector.

Surging demand for social care from our growing ageing population, many with dementia, means we need more care not less but the Tories continue to kick the vital issue of social care funding into the long grass by continuing to delay publication of their unnecessary green paper.

At the last election Labour pledged an additional 8billion to ease the pressure facing the residential care home sector and to lift access to care for all vulnerable older adults and young disabled adults who need it. The falling number of care home places comes despite the fact that demand for care is rising.

The shortage of places is exacerbating the problem of hospital bed blocking because the NHS is often unable to discharge people to a place in a care home

A total of 1,843,920 requests for support were received from new clients by local authorities in 2017/18, up from 1,824,415 in 2016/17. It equates to an average of 5,052 requests received each day, up from 4,998 the year before.

The average cost for a care home resident paying for themselves in 2016 was 846 a week  nearly 44,000 a year. By contrast, local authorities pay far less, around 621 a week. The Competition and Markets Authority believes that parts of the care home industry are unlikely to be sustainable in the long term because of the low rates that local authorities pay.

Last week the Daily Mail revealed that thousands of elderly people could be left on their own in hospital over the festive period.

An analysis by Labour found that more than 4,600 beds in hospitals will be occupied unnecessarily this December.

This is because cuts to council budgets have forced many town halls to slash the social care services, such as home helps, that they provide.

Despite the problems, the Governments long-awaited social care green paper has been repeatedly delayed.A duck believed to be extinct for 15 years has been given a new lease of life on a remote lake in Madagascar.

Some 21 Madagascar pochards, thought to be the rarest bird on Earth, spent a week in the safety of the world's first floating aviaries on Lake Sofia in the country's north.

This pioneering approach is designed to let the birds to become accustomed to their new surroundings, increasing the chances they will remain at the site after release.

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A duck that was thought to be extinct for 15 years (pictured) has been brought back from the brink and given a new home on a remote lake in Madagascar

The state of the wetlands in Madagascar is so poor they will likely not survive if they leave the lake, said Gloucestershire-based WWT, who are behind the project.

The ducks were released from the aviaries earlier this month and very quickly adapted to the lake, diving and flying, associating with other wild ducks and returning to the safety of the floating aviaries to feed and roost.

Experts from WWT, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, The Peregrine Fund and the Government of Madagascar have spent years laying the foundations for the birds' introduction.

With a wild population of just 25, this duck may be the rarest bird on the planet.

Nigel Jarrett, head of conservation breeding at the WWT, said: 'It takes a village to raise a child, so the old African proverb goes, but in this case it has taken a village to raise a duck.

'We have been preparing for this moment for over a decade.

'The logistics of working in a remote part of Madagascar - where access to the lakes by vehicle is only possible for three months a year - have been an enormous challenge, requiring us to come up with novel approaches.

'Working with local communities to solve the issues which were driving this bird to extinction has been essential to giving the pochard a chance of survival.

'If we can make this work, it will provide a powerful example not just for of how save the planet's most threatened species but how communities can manage an ecosystem to benefit people and wildlife, especially in areas of significant poverty.'

Some 21 Madagascar pochards (part of the group pictured) spent a week in the safety of the world's first floating aviaries on Lake Sofia in the north of the country

Conservationists have been meticulously planning their release since the surprise discovery of a small group of pochards in 2006. Madagascar pochard ducklings at the floating aviaries at Lake Sofia

With a wild population of just 25, this duck may be the rarest bird on the planet. Members of the WWT conservation team releasing the Madagascar pochard ducklings

Conservationists have been meticulously planning their release since the surprise discovery of a small group of pochards in 2006.

Faced with an endless set of logistical hurdles, they have had to consistently think outside the box.

Madagascar pochards spend almost all their time on water and, importantly, feed underwater.

For this reason, a plan was conceived to convert Scottish salmon-farming cages into the world's first floating aviaries.

After successful trials in 2017, the aviaries were shipped from the UK to Madagascar and assembled on Lake Sofia this summer.

WHAT IS THE MADAGASCAR POCHARD? Madagascar pochards are diving birds that probably feed on aquatic plants and invertebrates in shallow water. Males have a distinctive white iris. In late 2006, it was announced that the Madagascar pochard, last seen in 1991 and feared extinct, had been rediscovered by biologists. Unlike previously known populations, which inhabited marshy, densely vegetated lakes, the small colony of pochards located by The Peregrine Fund team was found in a heavily forested volcanic lake. Although this has raised hopes that the species is holding on in other areas as well, intensive surveys have so far not found any further populations. In the past, the Madagascar pochard was found in the Lac Alaotra basin. This region is a major rice-growing centre and the lake, its reedbeds and the wildlife that lives there have suffered from burning and hunting. The pochard, like many other waterbird species, was unable to compete with introduced fish at Alaotra and other suitable wetlands. The tiny population recently discovered is living much further north, on a lake where there has been much less human disturbance  the area is not suitable for rice cultivation and there are no fish. In 2009 it was estimated that there were only 20 Madagascar pochards left in the world. The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, The Peregrine Fund and the Madagascar Government began an emergency operation to save the species from extinction. Three clutches of eggs were collected from the wild and 23 ducklings were reared. These birds will now form the basis of a captive-rearing project in Madagascar with the aim of one day returning this duck to other parts of Madagascar. Advertisement

Ducklings hatched in October were transported 124 miles to the lake along a dirt road and reared in lakeside aviaries.

Then, in early December, just before they were able to fly, they were moved into the floating aviaries.

Other floating equipment - feeding stations and loafing rafts - have also been specially designed and installed on the lake to give the birds the best possible chance of survival.

With much of the wetlands across northern Madagascar severely degraded due to human encroachment, conservationists have also been working to improve the condition of Lake Sofia.

Dr Glyn Young, head of birds at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, said: 'The idea that we could be releasing pochards into the wild only 12 years after rediscovery pays remarkable testament to the dreams and hard work of many people from Madagascar, Jersey and the UK, who have worked tirelessly to see this remarkable bird get a chance of survival in a changing world.'

After successful trials in 2017, the aviaries were shipped from the UK to Madagascar and assembled on Lake Sofia this summer

This pioneering approach is designed to let the birds to become accustomed to their new surroundings, increasing the chances they will remain at the site (pictured) after releaseMadagascar pochards are diving birds that probably feed on aquatic plants and invertebrates in shallow water. Males have a distinctive white iris.

In late 2006, it was announced that the Madagascar pochard, last seen in 1991 and feared extinct, had been rediscovered by biologists.

Unlike previously known populations, which inhabited marshy, densely vegetated lakes, the small colony of pochards located by The Peregrine Fund team was found in a heavily forested volcanic lake.

Although this has raised hopes that the species is holding on in other areas as well, intensive surveys have so far not found any further populations.

In the past, the Madagascar pochard was found in the Lac Alaotra basin. This region is a major rice-growing centre and the lake, its reedbeds and the wildlife that lives there have suffered from burning and hunting.

The pochard, like many other waterbird species, was unable to compete with introduced fish at Alaotra and other suitable wetlands.

The tiny population recently discovered is living much further north, on a lake where there has been much less human disturbance  the area is not suitable for rice cultivation and there are no fish.

In 2009 it was estimated that there were only 20 Madagascar pochards left in the world.

The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, The Peregrine Fund and the Madagascar Government began an emergency operation to save the species from extinction.

Three clutches of eggs were collected from the wild and 23 ducklings were reared.

These birds will now form the basis of a captive-rearing project in Madagascar with the aim of one day returning this duck to other parts of Madagascar.Our footsteps echo around the otherwise silent chamber and our shadows lengthen across its ancient walls. But the most incredible thing is not the intricate hieroglyphics etched across the 1st century BC Temple of Kom Ombo, but that we have the place to ourselves.

It's no surprise. Egypt has not had a smooth ride recently. Tourists have been staying away. But in the not-so-distant past, the temples, tombs and beaches drew plenty of visitors.

Thanks to my Egyptian-born father, I've been visiting since I was old enough to walk (like an Egyptian): happy childhoods spent climbing the Pyramids and feasting on kushari (a dish of rice, lentils and macaroni) cooked by Aunty Venos.

Plain sailing: Traditional Egyptian boats, Fellucas, dock at Aswan on the River Nile

As a boy, I longed to sail down the Nile to places that quicken the pulse: Aswan, Luxor, the Valley of the Kings ... The time had finally come. With my dad, Ramsis, in tow, we embarked on a father-and-son cruise along the world's mightiest waterway.

The Oberoi Zahra, our home for the next four nights, stands out among the other less attractive boats moored along the busy corniche in Aswan. Gleaming and modern, it has just 27 cabins plus a spa and a pool.

'It's the very best boat on the river,' says our guide Ahmed. Before setting sail, we swap the Zahra for something a little smaller: an old felluca (a traditional wooden sailing boat). We cruise along, warm wind in the frayed sails. Around us, grey herons land on giant boulders and children splash in the shallows.

The very best: The Oberoi Zahra is gleaming and modern with 27 cabins, a spa and pool

Aswan has a golden past. Once one of the richest cities in Egypt, it sat on an important trading route with merchants peddling everything from ivory to spices.

It remains a place of commerce.

In the marketplace, busy with donkeys pulling carts of watermelons and men in billowing jalabiyas (full-length robes), vendor Sayed invites us into his shop enthusiastically. The overhead fan swirls aromas in the air: exotic tea leaves, strong spices and sickly sweet dates.

Leaving Aswan, we stroll around the ruins of Edfu and while away hours playing backgammon on deck as my dad attempts to teach me Arabic.

Next up was the town of Esna, formerly an important stop for the camel caravans crossing the desert between Cairo and Sudan to the south. The minarets were lovely, as was the temple dedicated to the Nile Gods, Khnum and Satet, and abandoned by the Romans.

The Temple of Kom Ombo dates to the first century BC. Its walls are lined with hieroglyphics

The most anticipated stop came at the end. In a previous life, Luxor - divided in half by the Nile and formerly known as Thebes - was the capital of the Egyptian Empire during the 16th century BC. Spread across the West Bank is the fabled Valley of the Kings, scattered with underground tombs of past pharaohs built over 500 years.

It remained undiscovered until 1922 when a sloping tunnel revealed the final resting place of Tutankhamun, the youngster's blackened body on display in one of the valley's more modest tombs.

The most anticipated stop of the trip, a line of sphinxes overlook the Luxor Temple complex

Across the river, in the heart of the modern city is Luxor Temple, a complex that dates back to 1392BC and is separated from the Karnak Temple by the 3kmlong Avenue of the Sphinxes. We walk among the carved columns and 25metre-tall pink granite obelisks which flank the entrance. We study primitive calendars carved onto the walls.

Dad eventually breaks the silence. 'I can't believe this is my country,' he whispers. Neither can I. And in that one simple moment, I've never felt prouder to be Egyptian.Venice is full of samey canals, the Egyptian pyramids are too small and the Louvre has too many exhibits.

They may seem like absurd complaints to make.

But well-travelled tourists have made them nevertheless - on an internet thread dedicated to heart-wrenchingly disappointing attractions they've visited.

Tourists have been revealing the most disappointing destinations they've ever been to. One said Venice didn't live up to expectations as all the canals look the same

The discussion started on online forum Quora, where one user posed the question: 'What is the most disappointing tourist destination youve ever visited?'

And destinations in Italy were among the first to be criticised with Drussila Holland saying Venice didn't live up to expectations.

George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin had their wedding there, but for Holland, it's nothing but a 'tourist trap' with too many canals. That all look alike.

She wrote: 'Venice is nothing but a tourist trap. At first, when you see the famous canals cutting the city, sure! Its actually quite interesting.

'But thats it. Once youve seen one canal, youve seen them all. Theres nothing else to Venice.'

While an anonymous contributor wrote how they did not enjoy their visit to Florence - the Renaissance time-capsule that's home to the Duomo cathedral, the Galleria degli Uffizi  which houses the worlds greatest collection of Italian Renaissance art  and the Museo del Bargello, which harbours a collection of sculptures by Michelangelo and an entire hall of Donatellos.

But this contributor wasn't at all impressed, explaining: 'Really, the only thing to do is walk around miles and miles in squares (the way the city is designed, you are constantly turning back to where you just came from) or buy tours.

One tourist criticised the pyramids in Giza, saying they were a lot smaller than they thought they would be

'We did both of these things and were disappointed with the results.

'Since the area is so tourist developed, you cant really see what life is like for residents, which is what we really wanted to discover on our trip.'

For Ina Abdul, it was the pyramids in Giza that were disappointing.

They are the sole remaining wonder of the Seven Wonders of the World, with the Great Pyramid constructed from over two million stone blocks by 100,000 people.

But for Abdul, they were simply 'not that tall and wide as I had pictured in my imagination'.

One Quora user said that all there is to do in Florence, pictured, is 'walk around in squares'

Next up was Colin Marestsky, whose brow was furrowed by Koh Phi Phi island in Thailand.

He said: 'It cannot be overlooked that the island itself is being destroyed by huge amounts of plastic, numbers of boats, and people ripping coral out of the ocean.

'Its like that story of the tourists all grabbing and taking pictures with a baby dolphin so much that it died, except this time, the dolphin is an island.'

While Badari Panuganti wrote about Bali: 'Beaches are not the best. If you really travel away here and there and do lot of research you might find some.

One traveller contributed to the thread saying Dubai is nothing but a 'concrete jungle'

'But, if you instead go to Phuket in Thailand, you will get better beaches, almost anywhere. Water I felt was better in Phuket.'

Eulises Quintero said the worst place he ever visited was the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.

He explained: 'I actually heard some hotel guests at the lobby trying to get in contact with the police because they had just been robbed, and apparently they were having troubles getting someone at the police station to take their case, the hotel staff just told them: "Let it go, people get robbed around here all the time."'

Traveller C. Nthenya contributed to the thread saying Dubai is nothing but a 'concrete jungle'.

He explained: 'Everything about this place is/feels manufactured. Everything! Well besides the sand and the sweltering heat.

'It's like a giant theme park where they've borrowed bits and pieces from just about every developed country in the world, and replicated it out there in the desert on a grand, and obscenely extravagant scale.'

For Nadhiya Athaide, Tokyo was similar.

She added: 'The entire city felt like plastic to me.'

While Kristin M Wilson was furious with Santorini, known for its idyllic beaches, blue-topped buildings and volcanic landscape.

She said: 'I think Santorini, Greece, is the most disappointing place Ive ever been. Its not much different than the thousands of other islands in Greece except that its more expensive and crowded.'

Charles Tango joined in too, slamming the Louvre - the world's largest museum and home to tens of thousands of paintings dating from the sixth to the 19th century.

For Mr Tango, it was 'ridiculously overcrowded'.

One Quora user said that Santorini, pictured, was the most disappointing place she'd ever visited

The Acropolis in Athens didn't impress one tourist, who said it was just a crumbling ruin

THE TOURIST DESTINATION HALL OF SHAME Venice - 'tourist trap - and once you've seen one canal you've seen them all' Florence - 'the only thing to do is walk around in squares' Pyramids of Giza - 'not that tall or wide' Koh Phi Phi island - 'it's being destroyed by plastic' Bali - 'beaches are not the best' Phnom Penh - 'full of robbers' Dubai - 'concrete jungle' Santorini - 'expensive and crowded' Louvre - 'ridiculous' Acropolis - 'just a crumbling ruin and a few smaller ruins' Times Square - 'sad' Source - Quora users Advertisement

He said: 'The real thing that ensures I will never re-enter the Louvre again is the sheer ridiculousness of it.

'Yes, it has a collection of antiquities that is unparalleled, but it is completely lost in the number of items on display.'

For Graham Stephens, the ancient Acropolis in Athens did not live up to expectations.

Unesco describes it as a 'symbol of the classical spirit and civilization and... the greatest architectural and artistic complex bequeathed by Greek Antiquity to the world'.

But Mr Stephens said it's just a 'crumbling ruin'.

He said: 'You slog up to the top of the hill in the early morning to beat the queues and find the Parthenon is just a crumbling ruin surrounded by a few smaller ruins.

'Admittedly its under renovation but that will take decades at the current rate of progress. Scaffolding is everywhere.'

While for Amish Agarwal, he was left wondering what all the hype is about when it came to Times Square in New York.

He explained: 'It is nothing but a big claustrophobic street made for filthy rich shoppers. It might seem charming at first, but soon it turns sad.'Brits flying to Spain for a New Year getaway may face disruption because of an ongoing strike by airport workers who claim their clothing doesn't keep them warm enough.

Striking security officers at Spain's busiest airport have told their bosses they are too cold to work outside or in drafty areas and have pledged to continue their industrial action throughout Christmas and the New Year.

Around 300 workers with the concessionary company Eulen went on strike at the Adolfo Suarez Madrid Barajas airport on December 21 and say they will not resume work until at least January 21.

Around 300 workers with the concessionary company Eulen went on strike at the Adolfo Suarez Madrid Barajas airport (pictured earlier this year) on December 21 and say they will not resume work until at least January 21

The strike has been called by the union Alternativa Sindical and affects all security officers who patrol inside and outside the airport, including around its borders.

The union says the 'law of prevention of occupational hazards' is being contravened because the company is not providing the security officers with adequate warm clothing during extreme weather.

It also alleges that workers have not been paid a bonus as promised during early negotiations.

The strike has been called by the union Alternativa Sindical and effects all security officers who patrol inside and outside the airport, including around its borders

The strike committee says negotiations have failed to reach an agreement and is accusing Eulen management of 'contempt' for the working conditions of its staff in Barajas, alleging the company 'persists in its breaches' in wages and labour.

It also criticises the attitude of the management of the airport and of the airport authority, Aena.

Eulen itself says the strike is 'almost imperceptible' but the unions claim this is because it has brought in extra staff and has criticised the Spanish Government's ruling that even during industrial action, 95 per cent of the services should be covered.

Eulen declined to comment.

Meanwhile, Ryanair staff in Spain are calling for a new round of strike action in early January after giving the airline an ultimatum over claims for better pay and conditions.

The two unions representing the staff, USO and Sitcpla, say they had given the no-frills operator until 3pm on December 21 to respond but it had failed to do so. Just a few hours later, they confirmed there would be at least three walkouts in the New Year.Advertisement

You can live like a real Lion King in this cottage - where you will live less than a metre from big cats.

GG Conservation in Harrismith, South Africa, is offering guests the chance to rent a three-bedroom house at the sanctuary, with 77 lions prowling the grounds. Stays are listed on Airbnb from 82 per night.

Suzanne Scott, 50, the conservation director, says the rental is perfectly safe thanks to strong electric fences surrounding the building.

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GG Conservation in Harrismith, South Africa, is offering guests the chance to rent a three-bedroom house at the sanctuary, with 77 lions prowling the grounds. Stays are listed on Airbnb from 82 per night

Suzanne Scott, 50, the conservation director, says the rental is perfectly safe thanks to a strong electric fencing surrounding the building and a novelty is the nightly chorus of roars

From the outdoor patio you can barbecue while listening to the massive mammals roar, as well as the chorus of birds all around you.

Suzanne, who is originally from Leeds, Yorkshire, says guests get so close to the lions that they will feel 'part of the pride' and that it's perfect for viewing their behaviour.

The wildlife enthusiast explains: 'You are very close, less than one metre from a lion when stood at the fence. From the step, porch or patio of the house you are two metres away.

'It makes you feel that you are almost living among them, as part of the pride. The best part is being able to hear the nightly roars of 77 lions in surround sound, it is truly awe inspiring to listen to.

'The properties where we live are surrounded 360 degrees by lion camps hence the "surround sound".'

GG Conservation is a non-profit sanctuary and booking fees from the Airbnb go directly to the charity to help it conserve the lions. Statistics show that lions are at severe risk of extinction due to a combination of hunting, poaching and habitat loss

Guests can enjoy a drink while watching the lions slink by (left), Suzanne showcases just how close the lions can get (right)

Guest safety is ensured by regulation fencing.

She says: 'The lions are all in lion camps - enclosures - behind strong fencing which is all to South Africa Nature Conservation standards for captive predators.

'We also have electric fencing on the inside and top of all the camps. This is a necessary precaution to take for the lions' safety, as lions can kill each other through fences if they wanted to.

'The electric shock from the fences makes the lions stay away from the fences and keeps them safe from each other.

'The added benefit of electric fences is also extra security for guests.'

Game drives can be arranged for an extra cost on request and 'magnificent walks' are also possible in the neighbouring nature reserve. Above, Suzanne with a friend looking out over the land

The reserve is also home to wild antelope, zebras, elands (ox-like African antelope), ostriches, impalas, wildebeests and bontebok, which is a special kind of antelope found in South Africa, Lesotho and Namibia.

Game drives can be arranged for an extra cost and 'magnificent walks' are also possible in the neighbouring nature reserve.

Along with three bedrooms, the Airbnb boasts an indoor log fireplace, a fully-equipped kitchen, a master bathroom, barbecue grill and internet access.

GG Conservation is a non-profit sanctuary and booking fees from the Airbnb go directly to the charity to help it conserve the lions.

Statistics show that lions are at severe risk of extinction due to a combination of hunting, poaching, habitat loss and disease.

Within 50 years the lion population has dropped from half a million to 20,000 today - making them officially endangered and their existence critical.

Suzanne left her sales job in the UK to be the director of the conservation four years ago

Suzanne left her sales job in the UK to be the director of the conservation four years ago and is keen for visitors to experience the magic of Lion House.

She concluded: 'Guests can just live among the lions, observing first-hand the majesty of the lion species.

'They can watch their natural behaviour, and see the interaction between the lions and their pride mates which is often very interesting, heart-warming and amusing.

'We are unique in that we are an ethical lion sanctuary with no breeding or public interaction allowed.

'But people can watch lions being lions very close up, whilst also knowing their booking fees to our non-profit organisation are helping to keep the lions safe and protected. It's a win win!

'One can also witness beautiful African sunrises and sunsets.'Ryanair staff in Spain are calling for a new round of strike action in early January after giving the airline an ultimatum over claims for better pay and conditions.

The two unions representing the staff, USO and Sitcpla, say they had given the no-frills operator until 3pm on December 21 to respond but it had failed to do so. Just a few hours later, they confirmed there would be at least three walkouts in the New Year.

They also accused Ryanair of 'absurd and childish behaviour' and 'throwing tantrums' for not coming to an agreement during mediation but say there is still time for the company to reconsider and 'abide by Spanish legislation' when it comes to labour contracts.

Ryanair staff in Spain are calling for a new round of strike action in early January after giving the airline an ultimatum over claims for better pay and conditions

They claim around 1,800 Ryanair staff at Spanish bases 'suffer every day, with worse working conditions than the rest of the workers because Ryanair does not apply Spanish legislation'.

Criticism has also been levelled at the Spanish Government for 'failing to tell Ryanair that it has to comply with the law in the country where it operates and from which it obtains a large part of its benefits in Europe'.

The unions are officially registering their intention to hold a strike ballot and are suggesting 'several days of strikes in the first weeks of January'.

'From Sitcpla and the USO, we hope that the company will reconsider and agree to comply with Spanish legislation,' they said in a joint statement.

Criticism has been levelled at the Spanish Government for 'failing to tell Ryanair that it has to comply with the law in the country where it operates and from which it obtains a large part of its benefits in Europe'

The unions say a new date for another negotiation meeting will be announced in the next few days and they hope Ryanair will 'show humility which hasn't been obvious over the last few months during this tense struggle for workers' rights'.

On September 28, a 24-hour strike by Spanish Ryanair staff affected 30,000 passengers and 250 flights were cancelled.

The unions later hailed the strike as a success although Ryanair said the disruption caused had been minimal and 92 per cent of its services had operated as normal.

Ryanair has been asked for an official comment.Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered the government to declare the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) a terror group and ban its affiliated schools in the country.

The court directed the Interior Ministry to declare FETO-linked Pak-Turk International Cag Education Foundation (PTICEF) a "proscribed organization" and include its name in the list of terrorist outfit, Anadolu Agency reported.

A bench of the apex court also ordered to hand over FETOs "all the movable and immovable assets", schools, colleges, education centers and other similar entities to Turkiye Maarif Foundation.

In addition, the court directed the countrys financial institutions to immediately freeze the bank accounts of FETO-linked foundation and give custody of the such assets to Turkiye Maarif Foundation.

The Supreme Courts verdict also directed police and other law enforcement agencies to extend full support to Turkiye Maarif Foundation in taking control of the education institutions.She married her husband Alesandro Ljubicic in March this year, before jetting to Savusavu, Fiji to film Australian Survivor.

And over the weekend, Monika Radulovic took to Instagram to celebrate the one-year anniversary of her hen's night.

The 28-year-old model shared a bikini-clad throwback snap of herself posing in a swimming pool at a Bali resort.

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From Survivor to paradise! Monika Radulovic flaunted her incredible figure in this throwback snap from her Bali holiday, which she posted to Instagram over the weekend

The former Miss Universe Australia put her enviable figure on display in the photo, pulling suggestively at her bikini bottoms.

'One year ago today my girls and I were in Bali celebrate my hens. Oh take me back!' Monika captioned the photo.

Despite her sizzling display, Monika admitted she was feeling insecure about her body at the time.

Daring display! The former Miss Universe Australia put her enviable figure on display in the photo, pulling suggestively at her bikini bottoms

'Also on a side note - I remember not feeling like my body was "good" enough while on the trip,' she added.

'Looking back - I looked amazing! I should been thanking my body for everything it was doing for me - healthy, mobile, strong and able.

'So many of us are so hard on ourselves - I'd personally never criticise anyone else the way I sometimes criticise myself!'

Wedding bells: Monika married her artist partner Alesandro Ljubicic (left) in March this year. She posted the bikini snap to mark the one-year anniversary of her hen's night in Bali

Blushing bride! Monika is pictured on her wedding day

In the lengthy caption, Monika went on to share an inspiring message about body confidence.

'Instead of focusing on our perceived "flaws" (that nobody else even notices or cares about, trust me) let's focus on the amazing people, experiences, and things (including our able bodies) we have to be grateful for,' she wrote.

'I'm not perfect - I still have negative, self-deprecating thoughts at times but I am so much quicker to recognise them and call bulls**t and get back to my positive mindset.'

Monika concluded: 'My message to you, beautiful: You are enough exactly the way you are, and nobody else could ever be you. That is your strength, so make sure you remember that and never allow others (or yourself!) to dull your sparkle.'Tammy Hembrow's mother Nathalie Stanley has responded to rumours her family are getting their own Kardashian-style reality show.

The Gold Coast brood have been compared to the famous American reality stars, due to their flawless appearances and glamorous lifestyles.

And on Monday, Nathalie, who is the spitting image of Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner, shared her thoughts on having her very own family reality series.

Tammy Hembrow's mum responds to rumours they're getting their own Kardashian-style reality show.... and she looks just like Kris Jenner

'Oh my I would be the clumsiest person and the most uncomfortable person that you would think that I didn't like people,' Nathalie responded to a fan who raised the idea of a Hembrow reality show.

Nathalie also reflected on raising her family, writing: 'Yeah they are cute now.

'Lots of sleepless nights raising them but they are turning out alright.'

'Oh my I would be the clumsiest person and the most uncomfortable person': Nathalie didn't seem keen on the idea of having a reality show

Socialites: The Gold Coast-based Hembrow family are considered Australia's answer to the Kardashians. Pictured (left to right): Emilee, Tammy, Amy and Starlette

Fitness entrepreneur Tammy, who boasts nine million followers on Instagram, isn't the only social media star in the family.

Emilee Hembrow, 26, who is currently pregnant with her second child, boasts 935,000 Instagram followers of her own.

Tammy's sister Amy, 28, and half-sister Starlette, 18, also have public profiles online.

Seeing double! Nathalie (left) is the double of momager Kris Jenner (right)

Internet sensation: Fitness entrepreneur Tammy boasts nine million followers on Instagram

Amy is the oldest Hembrow and has earned modest social media fame thanks in part to her younger siblings, Emilee and Tammy.

She's the general manager of clothing brand Saski Collection and has previously worked as a marketing coordinator and graphic designer.

Unlike her sisters, Amy's modelling resume is limited to a few small campaigns.

The youngest of the Hembrow clan is 13-year-old Ava.

When asked why Tammy's brother and Ava don't appear online often, Nathalie commented: 'They are shy when they want to be and I have to respect that.'

Coming soon! Emilee Hembrow, 26, who is currently pregnant with her second child, boasts 935,000 Instagram followers of her own

Dream team! Amy (left) is the oldest Hembrow at 28, and has earned modest social media fame thanks to her younger sisters Tammy (centre) and Emilee (right)

Tammy made global headlines in August for partying too hard during Kylie Jenner's 21st birthday party at celebrity hotspot Delilah in West Hollywood.

The mother-of-two was identified by The Blast as the mystery blonde who was escorted from the venue in a stretcher and rushed to a nearby hospital.

She was strapped face down on the gurney while being attended to by medics, possibly in a bid to conceal her identity.Imogen Anthony has her fair collection of tattoos.

And on Monday, she headed to a Lennox Head tattoo parlour with pals to add to her expanding collection.

In a video shared to her Instagram story, the girlfriend of Kyle Sandilands showed off her bizarre new ink.

Did you get the right one this time? Imogen Anthony reveals bizarre new raindrop tattoo months after she was left red-faced when she tattooed the wrong quote

Wearing only a cowboy hat and denim skirt, Imogen was filmed by a male friend who stood behind the glamour model filming so fans could see her collection and new addition.

She initially was showing one of her earlier works of art before turning to show underneath her left bicep.

The written tattoo read: 'Tasty like a raindrop'.

Fresh ink! Wearing only a cowboy hat and denim skirt, Imogen was filmed by a male friend who stood behind the glamour model filming so fans could see her collection and new addition

It had a hollow line tattoo of a raindrop to correspond with the capitalised text.

The line is a lyric from Roxette song The Look.

In June, the 26-year-old was left red-faced after getting the wrong quote by English occultist Aleister Crowley tattooed on her back.

Her body artwork read 'by the power of truth, I, by living have conquered the universe' - while the actual quote is 'by the power of truth, I, while living have conquered the universe'.

Adding to the collection: Imogen already has an extensive collection of tattoos, including a dragon, bird, unicorn, a cobra, a naked lady and a goat

Seemingly unaware of her cringeworthy gaffe, Imogen even used the incorrect quote in the caption of an Instagram snap of her tattoo.

She proudly posted several snaps of the artwork after her visit to a Sydney tattoo shop.

Imogen already has an extensive collection of tattoos, including a dragon, bird, unicorn, a cobra, a naked lady and a goat.

She has previously revealed that 'there's a story behind every inking', claiming every artwork was there to 'symbolise or remind me of certain things'.Renovations are are underway at Roxy Jacenko's $6,515,000 on a lavish new home in Sydney.

The PR maven took to Instagram Stories to give her fans a sneak peak inside the Vaucluse property.

While the work is still very much in progress, with the site visit showed little more than building materials, rubble and sawdust, Roxy did reveal what's in store.

A home cinema, a hair and makeup room, a private gym and pool: Inside the extensive renovations underway at Roxy Jacenko's luxurious new $6.5 million family home

One clip of a room in progress is captioned with the words 'hair and makeup room' indication there will be a space purely for Roxy to glam herself up in.

Another video shows the 'gym underway' according to the caption, with the private workout space being building especially for Roxy's husband Oliver Curtis.

The family will also be able to watch movies in the privacy of their own cinema, the clips revealed.

Have a look! The PR maven took to Instagram Stories to give her fans a sneak peak inside the Vaucluse property. One clip of a room in progress is captioned with the words 'hair and makeup room' indication there will be a space purely for Roxy to glam herself up in

Watch out! The family will also be able to watch movies in the privacy of their own cinema, the clips revealed

For hubby: Another video shows the 'gym underway' according to the caption, with the private workout space being building especially for Roxy's husband Oliver Curtis

Roxy captioned one video of a room in progress with the words, 'cinema looking good!'

A glimpse at the pool in the backyard and the front of the property were also shared in the video.

The entrepreneurial blonde explained she would be installing a vanity room, a children's playroom, and a room just for her Hermes Birkins.

Looking good! Roxy showed off the front of the new house in one of her clips

Take a swim! A glimpse at the pool in the backyard was also shared in the video

The business guru told Daily Mail Australia in September: 'I have a hair and makeup room going in, a full gym for (husband) Oli and I, a bigger cinema and a playroom for the kids'.

The massive house, situated in the exclusive suburb of Vaucluse, was bought by the high-profile couple at auction.

Roxy has revealed she would be working with renowned interior designer Blainey North to get the home to her liking.

Fancy: The massive house, situated in the exclusive suburb of Vaucluse, was bought by the high-profile couple at auction

Dressed up: Roxy has revealed she would be working with renowned interior designer Blainey North to get the home to her liking

Luxury: The sprawling mansion contains luxurious features such as enviable harbour views and a steam room

Swim or hit the beach: The family home was built just 10 years ago and is just a few minutes walk from several private beaches

And it is nothing but the best for the Sweaty Betty boss and her businessman beau, with the sprawling mansion containing luxurious features such as enviable harbour views and a steam room.

Making it easy to soak up the views are ample floor-to-ceiling windows and roomy balcony space - which will also come in handy for entertaining.

Meanwhile, the kitchen contains state-of-the-art appliances and the living areas will easily accommodate the family of four and feature an aesthetically pleasing layout and expert finishes.

Moving in: The couple, along with children Pixie, seven, and Hunter, four, are expected to move into their refurbished house in the new year

The family home was built just 10 years ago and is just a few minutes walk from several private beaches in the area and is billed as 'offering a fantastic lifestyle that only few get the pleasure of enjoying'.

Roxy and Oliver currently live in the coastal suburb of North Bondi but are giving up their rental their for their dream home.

The couple, along with children Pixie, seven, and Hunter, four, are expected to move into their refurbished house in the new year.Stunning new photos of Sam and Snezana Wood's (nee Markovski) intimate Byron Bay wedding last month were published in Vogue Australia on Monday.

And thrilled with her own appearance in the glossy fashion bible, the bride's older sister Lidija randomly likened herself to the Kardashians.

In an Instagram post, the 39-year-old wrote: 'I made Vogue people.'

'Had to ride my sister's coattails to get there but so did Kourtney and Khloe!' Snezana Markovski's sister likens herself to the Kardashians after Sam Wood revealed his new wife wants a reality show

'Yes, had to ride my sister's coattails to get there but f**k it, so did Kourtney and Khloe!

She continued: 'So save, share, screenshot, whatever you need to do because like the Blood Moon earlier this year, this is something that will only be seen once in our lifetime.'

Lidija has always been supportive of her sister's relationship and gushed over her engagement to Sam Wood in 2016.

Even before they made the decision to tie the knot, Lidija was posting to Instagram after the 2015 finale of The Bachelor in which Sam picked Snezana.

Wedding bells! Lidija shared a photo of Snezana and Sam Wood's wedding and mentioned the Kardashian family

'Australia's Hottest New Couple @snezanamarkoski and @samjameswood Congratulations On Your New Found Love,' she captioned.

Meanwhile, fitness guru Sam, 38 revealed last week that Snezana would consider starring on Kardashians-style reality show together with their daughters, Eve, 13 and one year-old Willow.

Big sis love: Lidija, 39 has always been a huge fan of Sam, even taking to social media after the 2015 finale of The Bachelor writing, 'Congratulations On Your New Found Love'

'Our house is a madhouse with all the cats, dogs and kids,' he told Woman's Day.

'There's never a dull moment that's for sure and I think it would make for quite interesting television viewing out lives.'

However he did say that he thinks it's hard enough going about his daily life, let alone with a camera following him.

'But maybe she could twist my arm - never say never,' he said.She recently returned from filming Bachelor In Paradise.

And Alex Nation put on a cheeky bikini in a snap shared to Instagram on Monday.

The 26-year-old paraded her figure in a tiny red bikini at the bottom of a waterfall while tagging her location as Maui, Hawaii.

'Where to next?' Alex Nation wades into a waterfall in Hawaii wearing a red bikini after returning from filming Bachelor In Paradise

The photo is believed to be a throwback snap.

The swimsuit's high-cut bottoms highlighted her pert derriere.

Her blonde hair was slicked back as she stood knee-deep in the water.

'Where to next,' she captioned the holiday snap.

Back to reality television! Alex previously starred on The Bachelor in 2016

Meanwhile Daily Mail Australia recently obtained photos which showed Alex and her Bachelor In Paradise co-star Bill Goldsmith, 31, kissing and cuddling while on a romantic stroll.

An onlooker said: 'They looked like any ordinary couple - and certainly weren't trying to hide anything. The producers won't be very happy!'

When contacted by telephone earlier this month, Bill refused to confirm or deny the relationship.

New man? Daily Mail Australia recently obtained photos which showed Alex and her Bachelor In Paradise co-star Bill Goldsmith, 31, kissing and cuddling while on a romantic stroll

'Speak to my publicist': When contacted by telephone earlier this month, Bill (pictured) refused to confirm or deny the relationship

'You'll have to speak to my publicist,' he said, before swiftly ending the conversation.

Alex rose to fame after she won The Bachelor and Richie Strahan's heart in 2016.

After they split, she came out as pansexual and began dating another woman - Maegan Luxa - but that relationship was also short lived.

She is the mother to Elijah, who recently turned eight.Jay Leno had plenty of feline friends over for the holidays.

The legendary comedian, 68, turned his Burbank, California hangar he uses for classic airplanes and vehicles into a kitten wonderland on Christmas.

The former host of The Tonight Show and his wife Mavis hosted the event, coordinated by FixNation.org.

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Meowy Christmas! Jay Leno, 68, turned his Burbank, California hangar he uses for classic airplanes and vehicles into a kitten wonderland on Christmas; pictured in 2015

The spacious garage was seen decked out with Christmas trees and a white picket fence around an area filled with kittens and toys for them.

Leno's philanthropic cause on Christmas mirrored that of one of his longtime rivals in show business, Howard Stern. The SiriusXM personality has fostered hundreds of kittens with his wife Beth at his New York homes in Manhattan and the Hamptons.

So cute: The spacious garage was seen decked out with Christmas trees and a white picket fence around an area filled with kittens and toys for them; picture from stock

Beth, who works with the North Shore Animal League America, told the New York Post of the shock jock in 2016, 'Hes the one who wants us to foster more cats even after I say no. Howard helps me socialize the kittens and he has been known to clean litter boxes. The kittens love his hair!

'Sometimes, I get jealous when hes not listening to me but loving the cats!'Danny Dyer has insisted he is in 'a good place' following his extended break from EastEnders after reportedly having several drunken outbursts.

The actor, 41, reached an agreement with show bosses and jetted off to South Africa but now has revealed he is feeling better than ever.

Speaking to The Sun, he said: 'I was a car crash. I had a few nutty years. When you have a bit of fame you have a responsibility to speak up.'

Back on track: Danny Dyer, 44, reached an agreement with show bosses and jetted off to South Africa but now has revealed he is feeling better than ever

Danny reckons the change of heart was natural as he has become more mature and added that he thinks it takes longer for men to grow up.

He said: 'It comes with maturity. It comes with experience. It takes us a long time to grow up as men.

'I have been reaping the rewards now and I am in a good place. It is all good.'

Mature: Danny reckons the change of heart was natural as he has become more mature and added that he thinks it takes longer for men to grow up

Danny, who previously admitted to drinking on set, first appeared as Mick - the landlord of the iconic Queen Vic pub in Walford - in December 2013, after which he became a show favourite.

The Sun reported that Danny stated backstage at the NTAs in 2017, while clutching a bottle of beer, that he had failed in attempting to give up drink after just one month.

However the TV star has turned things around with his daughter Dani Dyer, 22, confirming this year that her father is now teetotal.

Change: He said: 'I was a car crash. I had a few nutty years. When you have a bit of fame you have a responsibility to speak up'

The father/daughter team have been starring alongside each other in Nativity! The Musical at the Hammersmith Apollo with comedian Jo Brand.

Dani spent the festive period with boyfriend Jack Fincham, 26.

The couple, who won this year's series of Love Island, briefly split in recent weeks before reuniting.

Romance: Danny's daughter Dani, 22, spent the festive period with boyfriend Jack Fincham, 26.

Dani shared a loved-up snap of the pair and wrote that she loved her other half 'so so much'.

Jack also spoke about their romance as he shared a selfie with their pet pooch and penned: 'Happy Christmas from me and little Sandy , what a year it has been! Met friends for life met @danidyerxx and my life has completely changed !

'Thank you to everyone who has supported me have a fantastic Christmas and an amazing new year xxx'.Tom Hanks movie about beloved TV personality Fred Rogers finally has a name after months of being referred to as the untitled Mr. Rogers/Tom Hanks Project.

The film, in which the 62-year-old actor plays the lead character of Mr. Rogers, will be called A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood, according to Variety on Thursday.

The name pays tribute to the popular children's show, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which ran from 1968 until 2001.

Playing the part: Tom Hanks in character as Fred Rogers in a movie about the host of the beloved children's show, which is now titled A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

The film is inspired by the real-life friendship between Rogers and award-winning journalist Tom Junod, with Matthew Rhys, 44, playing Lloyd Vogel, a fictionalized version of Junod.

It follows a cynical journalist who begrudgingly accepts an assignment to write a profile piece on the beloved icon and finds his perspective on life transformed.

The man himself: Fred hosted children's show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which ran from 1968 until 2001. He died of stomach cancer in 2003, aged 74

Chris Cooper, Tammy Blanchard and Sakina Jaffrey also star in the movie.

Fred died of stomach cancer in 2003, aged 74, leaving his wife of 51 years Joanne Rogers and grown sons James ad John.

A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood is due for release on October 18.

Out and about: Tom and his wife Rita Wilson, both 62, at the event celebrating the restoration of the Saban theater in Los Angeles on December 4

Meanwhile, Tom has two other movies set for release next year.

Hell star in WWII Navy tale Greyhound, which will debut on March 22.

And he'll reprise his role as the voice of cowboy Woody for the much anticipated Pixar animation Toy Story 4 due out on June 21.Offset is desperately trying to win back his estranged wife Cardi B, after the rapper announced recently that their 15-month marriage was over.

And following several public attempts at a reconciliation, speculation is growing that Offset, 27, could follow Cardi, 26, overseas when she begins her first tour of Australia.

The female superstar is expected to arrive Down Under on Saturday before embarking on two major festival performances.

Will Offset crash Cardi B's Australian tour? The U.S. rapper is jetting Down Under this week as her estranged husband desperately attempts to win her back with publicity stunts. Pictured in in Las Vegas on April 26, 2018

Cardi is scheduled to perform at Origin Fields Festival in WA on December 30 and Sydney's Field Day 2019 on January 1. Afterwards, she will fly to New Zealand for two further concerts.

Offset was originally booked to perform at the same Australian festivals as Cardi with his group Migos, but they pulled out shortly after the couple's split was announced.

But it now seems Cardi's estranged husband is doing everything in his power to win her back - including crashing a recent concert in America.

G'day! Cardi is booked to perform at two upcoming festivals in Perth and Sydney, which Offset's group Migos recently pulled out of after the couple's marriage split was announced

'Take me back, Cardi': Since their break-up, Cardi's estranged husband is doing everything in his power to win her back, including crashing her concert in Los Angeles on December 16

Offset stormed the stage during Cardi's performance at the Rolling Loud Festival in Los Angeles on December 16 with a huge cake reading, 'Take me back Cardi'.

Despite being widely criticised for the stunt, the couple 'hooked up' just days later during a family trip to Puerto Rico with their five-month-old daughter Kulture.

'I just needed to get f**ked,' Cardi said in a recent Instagram Live while discussing their trip, but confirmed they were not back together.

'I just needed to get f**ked': Despite Offset being widely criticised for the stunt, the couple 'hooked up' just days later during a family trip to Puerto Rico with their daughter Kulture

Offset then went on to shower his estranged wife with expensive gifts over the Christmas holidays.

Cardi's high-class haul consisted of diamond-encrusted bracelets, Louboutin heels, and half a dozen designer handbags.

'Yo, those are some bad b*****s,' she said on Instagram while showing off the presents, which included four Hermes Birkin bags.

Big spender! Offset then went on to shower his estranged wife with expensive gifts over the Christmas holidaysTwenty seven years have passed since the occupation of Kerkijahan settlement, which is of significant strategic importance for Khankendi city of Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region and surrounding areas. Khankendi turned out fully occupied after the capture of the Kerkijahan settlement on December 28, 1991.

Defense of Kerkijahan was organized by self-defense units formed of villagers, the newly established group of military police and the National Army of Azerbaijan.

As a result of Armenians attack with military vehicles and heavy weapons, those who defended Kerkijahan had to retreat. Azerbaijani families who had suffered Armenias attacks left Khankendi and took refuge in Aghdam, Shusha, Khojaly, and other neighboring areas of the country.

As a result of the occupation of Kerkijahan by the Armenian armed groups, 34 of 1,796 habitants of the village, including three women and two children, were killed and 150 people were wounded. Armenian troops destroyed two schools, a kindergarten, library, club, ATS, 10 shops, a hospital, 15 production facilities, etc.Kylie Jenner still isn't done unwrapping her Christmas presents.

The reality star, 21, took to Instagram Thursday with a clip in which she showed off a slew of unwrapped Christmas gifts under her bountiful golden tree.

She narrated the clip: 'Home, to finish unwrapping all these gifts ... my Christmas is not over!'

Work to do: Kylie Jenner, 21, took to Instagram Thursday with a clip in which she showed off a slew of unwrapped Christmas gifts under her bountiful golden tree

It was a big holiday season for the youngest daughter of Kris and Caitlyn Jenner, as it was her first as a mom.

The Keeping Up with the Kardashians starlet and her boyfriend Travis Scott, 26, welcomed daughter Stormi Webster on February 1 at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles.

She matched with the 10-month-old tot in silver ensembles as they attended the family's $500,000 Christmas party held at Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's Hidden Hills, California home.

The lavish bash had a star-studded guest list that included Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez, Sia, Dave Chappelle, Kimora Lee Simmons, Tyler the Creator and Paris Hilton, with John Legend playing seasonal music.

Bountiful: It was a big holiday season for Kylie, as it was her first as a mom

Close: While at Kim's bash, Kylie and Stormi posted for shots with Khloe Kardashian, 34, and her eight-month daughter True

Parenting: Kylie subsequently left the luxe get-together prematurely to tend to her adorable tot

While there, Kylie and Stormi posted for shots with Khloe Kardashian, 34, and her eight-month daughter True.

Kylie subsequently left the luxe get-together prematurely to tend to her adorable tot.

'This is me leaving the party early to go give my baby a bath (while wearing this dress because I couldnt get it off by myself) and put her to sleep and it was the best xmas eve yet,' the Kylie Cosmetics proprietor wrote in an Instagram Stories post accompanied by a shot of the mother-daughter.It's never a good idea to film yourself doing something potentially illegal.

Jenelle Evans, 27, and her husband, David Eason, 29, found that out the hard way after David was reportedly charged with vehicle tampering and causing injury to personal property, thanks to a video recorded by his wife, according to a summons released Sunday.

The Teen Mom 2 star documented her husband towing another truck that prevented him from driving his boat away in a video posted on December 19.

Vigilante justice: It's never a good idea to film yourself doing something potentially illegal. Jenelle Evans, 27, and her husband, David Eason, 29, found that out the hard way after David was reportedly charged with vehicle tampering thanks to a video recorded by his wife

Bad idea: The Teen Mom 2 star documented her husband towing another truck that prevented him from driving his boat away in a video posted on December 19

In the video, posted by David to YouTube, he's seen towing a white pickup truck that was too close to his own boat, preventing him from pulling away.

The vehicle was still in park and was pulled by force.

It's also clear from the video that the towed truck was well within the parking lines, and David's boat engine went beyond the allotted parking space.



Their own fault: It's clear from the video that the towed truck was well within the parking lines, and David's boat engine went beyond the allotted parking space

Happier times: The criminal summons for Jenelle's husband indicated that the towing had caused transmission damage. David is required to be in court on January 28 to address the matter; pictured in December

Along with the video of his exploits, David bragged about the towing operation.

'Learn the right way to deal will a******* who think it's cool to block you in a parking space,' wrote David on YouTube. 'Good thing my trailer has a folded tongue that allowed me to get my truck out so I can tow him out of the way, in order to move my boat.'

The criminal summons for Jenelle's husband indicated that the towing had caused transmission damage.

David is required to be in court on January 28 to address the matter.

One thing after another: These legal troubles come a little over a month after the reality stars stoked controversy with an Instagram video of David draped in the Confederate flag at the Grand Canyon; shown in November

These legal troubles come a little over a month after the reality stars stoked controversy with an Instagram video of David draped in the Confederate flag at the Grand Canyon.

He wrote, 'Just planting my flag in all 50 states!' on an accompanying photo, followed by the hastags #merica and #rebel.

In response to a comment, David replied, 'If someone thinks it has to do with racism or slaves they arent thinking enough. More racist people fly the beloved American flag, which was the flag flying on the American slave shipsNo concern there?'

Despite his certainty, the Confederate flag is widely considered a symbol of the Confederacy's devotion to ensuring the survival of slavery.

David was fired from Teen Mom 2 in February after tweeting homophobic and transphobic sentiments.She has been welcomed into the Kardashian clan after vacationing with her boyfriend Scott Disick and his ex girlfriend Kourtney.

And Sofia Richie is taking another leaf out of the famous family's book - as she flashed her abs on Instagram.

The 20-year-old daughter of Lionel Richie flaunted her slender waistline in a mirror selfie on Thursday.

Taut: Sofia Richie is taking another leaf out of the famous family's book - as she flashed her abs on Instagram

She wore a cropped breton top, which draped over her top half and left her middle exposed.

Pale blue combat style pants were low sling on her hips to complete her 1990s style.

The beauty allowed her voluminous hair to cascade over one eye, revealing only a pout and half of her pretty face.

Bundled beau: Scott Disick, meanwhile, tested a cream coat with black trim, which nearly covered his entire face

She appeared to be with Scott, 35, who was at the other end of the clothing scale as he tried on a quilted jacket.

The father-of-three tested a cream coat with black trim, which nearly covered his entire face.

Sofia is heard laughing as the self-styled Lord joked about in the outdoor wear.

Going somewhere cold? She appeared to be with Scott, who was at the other end of the clothing scale as he tried on a quilted jacket

Good audience: Sofia is heard laughing as the self-styled Lord joked about in the outdoor wear

The couple recently returned from Cabo, Mexico, where they had shared a sunshine vacation with Scott's ex Kourtney and their three children.

Sofia and Kourtney were seen getting along well as they flanked Scott poolside.

She also attended the KarJenner Christmas party which was held at Kim's house on Christmas Eve.She split from Stella Maxwell just weeks ago.

But Kristen Stewart continued to look like she has moved on as she was once again spotted with rumored new girlfriend Sarah Dinkin.

The 28-year-old actress flaunted her lean legs in white shorts as the two stepped out together in Los Angeles.

New love? Kristen Stewart continued to look like she has moved on as she was once again spotted with rumored new girlfriend Sarah Dinkin

Kristen also revealed a hint of her midriff underneath a cropped black shirt, and she through a black a zippered black jacket over top.

Looking like she was dressed for a day that would be spent on the move, the Twilight star sported sporty black Adidas.

Her bleached blonde tresses were spiked straight up and she shaded her eyes with tortoise shell sunglasses.

Sarah, meanwhile, went with a casual chic ensemble that also showed off a hint of her taut midriff.

She wore a pink, sleeveless top and medium grey trousers and rolled up their bottoms.

The 28-year-old actress flaunted her lean legs in white shorts as the two stepped out together in Los Angeles

The couple appear to have been spending a lot of time together over the holiday season.

They were spotted in a nail salon as well as shopping for groceries together.

News of Kristen's split from model Stella Maxwell made headlines last week; since then Kristen and Sara have been spending a lot of time together, and have even been sharing clothes.

Moving on: Stewart and Maxwell  who had been romantically linked since 2016  broke up around one month ago, according to Us Weekly 's insiders

Stewart and Maxwell  who had been romantically linked since 2016  broke up around one month ago, according to Us Weekly's insiders.

The site claimed that Kristen and Stella drifted apart in recent months.

'They stopped seeing eye to eye and were living very different lives,' said an insider.

They were last seen together in October at an airport in Amsterdam, so perhaps her sweatshirt is a hidden message to the beauty.

The former couple had been notoriously secretive about their relationship over the years, both refraining from mentioning one another to the media.

Adrift: The site claimed that Kristen and Stella drifted apart in recent months

Changing it up: It got a tad bit chilly in Los Angeles later in the day, and Kristen threw on some white sweatpants to combat the coldLove Island's Eyal Booker was giving back to those in need recently, as he travelled to the Cagayan Province to build houses for those affected by typhoons.

The 23-year-old hunk was seen playing with a two-month old baby as he travelled to the remote region in the Philippines, where he learned how to build the new homes.

It came after Eyal managed to add some steamy drama to the recent Love Island Christmas reunion, after he shared a kiss in the pool with Kendall Rae Knight.

Sweet: Love Island's Eyal Booker was giving back to those in need recently, as he travelled to the Cagayan Province to build houses for those affected by typhoons

Eyal was seen travelling to the Cagayan Province with the charity World Vision to assist with rebuilding homes, in an area when many of the villagers houses had been destroyed by typhoons.

The reality TV star helped to deliver the materials needed, before unloading them and journeying by boat to the river to transport them to a distribution centre.

Eyal then met the families of those whose homes had been destroyed in the typhoon - including the parents of a two month old baby who had the roof of their house ripped off when Mangkhut hit.

Casual: The 23-year-old hunk journeyed to the remote region of the Phillipines to help with the effort to rebuild the houses

Low-key: Eyal travelled to the area to work with the charity World Vision, helping to deliver building supplies by boat

Helping hand: The reality TV star helped to deliver the materials needed, before unloading them and journeying by boat to the river to transport them to a distribution centre

Vital supplies: Eyal then helped to plough some of the fields, as 80% of the areas crops were destroyed in the typhoon

Cute: The star even got to feed some adorable baby piglets as he visited some of the homes

Helping hand: Sharing details about his venture, the star also visited a school to speak about his work

Proud: Eyal rose to public attention earlier this year when he appeared on Love Island

After getting a little tour of the home, Eyal then assisted in ploughing a field, after 80% of the crops in the province were destroyed in the typhoon.

Given that the area is one of the country's main producers of corn and rice, the typhoon had a severe impact.

Helping to replant some of the crops that had been lost, Eyal then proceeded to learn how to rebuild the house from scratch.

Fun time: As he met some of the families affected by the typhoon, Eyal played with some of the children in the Province

Helping hand: He was then taught how to build a house from scratch, after some people lost theirs in the typhoon

How to do it: The Cagayan Province is one of the main producers of corn and rice in the country

Happy to help: Despite his newfound platform, Eyal proved he wanted to use his celebrity for good through the charity venture

Assisting: After being taught how to fix the roof, Eyal also learned how to build a new home from scratch

Impassioned: He followed in the footsteps of fellow Love Islanders Camilla Thurlow and Jamie Jewitt who also made a similar trip last year

His trip to the region came as part of the Build Back Better programme which would mean communities and houses will be better protected when the next typhoon hits.

Eyal's trip came just before he joined many of his Love Island co-stars in reuniting for the festive season, and even shared a cheeky kiss with fellow Island star Kendall.

The pair grew close after sharing a steamy exchange in the swimming pool, but fans weren't convinced that the romance wasn't a set up - nor could they get past that Eyal dangled his legs in the pool with his jeans still on on.

Helpful: His trip to the region came as part of the Build Back Better programme which would mean communities and houses will be better protected when the next typhoon hits

Important work: Eyal's journey came just before he reunited with his Love Island co-stars for the Christmas reunion

Stunning: The star was joined by some incredible wildlife on the trip

Delighted: Eyal became known for his impassioned nature throughout his time on Love Island

When the pair decided to jump in, he removed his shirt but kept continued to wear his jeans.

'Eyal is so weird putting his whole leg in the hot tub with jeans on what the hell,' one person posted on Twitter.

Another agreed: 'Oh my god Eyal just slapping his feet into the hot tub and not taking his jeans off. Absolute savage.'

'Eyal wearing jeans in a hot tub is the worst thing thats happened in 2018,' came a third post.As a founding member of The Wiggles, he is fondly remembered by children growing up in the '90s and 2000s.

And after leaving the group in 2012 following a health scare, fans may be surprised to learn that Jeff Fatt still plays an active role behind the scenes.

Speaking to ABC News earlier this year, the 65-year-old revealed that he remains a director on the board of Wiggles Pty Ltd, has regular meetings at Wiggle headquarters and even writes material for the band.

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What happened to Jeff Fatt from The Wiggles? The original band member has revealed how his life has changed since leaving the group in 2012. Pictured during one of his last performances with the group in Miami Beach, Florida on August 3, 2012

'I don't really stop being a Wiggle because people still recognise you and I don't have a problem with that,' Jeff said.

The musician still visits The Wiggles' head office in Sydney's Bella Vista on a regular basis to deal with business matters.

'I still feel very connected to the Wiggles,' he added. 'I'm always running into Anthony [Field] if he's not on tour and the other new Wiggles in the studio.'

Following his decision to quit the group in 2012, Jeff helped fellow founding member Anthony, 55, choose the 'new Wiggles' who would tour alongside him.

Behind-the-scenes role: Speaking to ABC News earlier this year, the 65-year-old revealed that he remains a director on the board of Wiggles Pty Ltd, has regular meetings at Wiggle headquarters and even writes material for the band

Emma Watkins, Lachlan Gillespie and Simon Pryce were soon revealed as the new members of the band.

It was during a business meeting in February 2012 that Jeff - along with two other original members, Greg Page and Murray Cook - made the decision to quit.

'It was spurred on a bit by Jeff,' Murray, 58, told The Australian in May 2012. 'He was the one saying it was time to pull up stumps.'

Original line-up: It was during a business meeting in February 2012 that Jeff - along with two other original members, Greg Page (far left) and Murray Cook (far right) - made the decision to quit. They are pictured with Anthony Field (front), who remains in the touring band

'We talked about it a little bit, just the two of us. I was thinking it would be a good time to do that, too,' he added.

Murray's reason for quitting was that he found himself spending too much time away from his own children.

Greg, 46, was initially reluctant to step away but eventually decided it would be best for the three of them to leave together.

Health scare: It was a health scare in July 2011 that inspired Jeff's decision to quit. He was rushed to hospital for emergency heart surgery after blacking out behind the wheel of his car

It was a health scare in July 2011 that inspired Jeff's decision to quit.

He was rushed to hospital for emergency heart surgery after blacking out behind the wheel of his car and crashing into a tree.

Eventually, he was diagnosed with arrhythmia - an irregular heartbeat - and was fitted with a pacemaker after surgery.

Following the procedure, doctors also discovered a blood clot in his neck.

Jeff told Perth Now in October 2011: 'There have been a few complications with the recovery. I still have a blood clot in my neck and I'm on blood thinners but I'm feeling really good.'As one of the most glamorous stars in Hollywood, she is hardly best known for her radio roles.

But then Angelina Jolie was not taking to the airwaves to discuss her film career.

In fact, the 43-year-old actress turned the tables by grilling presenter Justin Webb as she guest-edited this morning's Today programme on Radio 4.

The 43-year-old actress turned the tables by grilling presenter Justin Webb as she guest-edited this morning's Today programme on Radio 4

Miss Jolie pre-recorded the special episode of the breakfast show.

Photographs showed her presiding over the pre-programme news conference and carrying out other off-air tasks.

She said her aim was to help 'bring people together' to tackle poverty and the refugee crisis.

As one of the most glamorous stars in Hollywood, she is hardly best known for her radio roles. But then Angelina Jolie was not taking to the airwaves to discuss her film career

Jolie is seen out in Los Angeles, California, earlier this week. Miss Jolie pre-recorded the special episode of the breakfast show

She told Today: 'For me, the biggest challenge I have had in my work is trying to understand how all the pieces come together.

'And with the state of the world we are all living in, with so much instability and the numbers rising on refugees, we're at 68million people displaced, and with all the many, many things your audience is aware of, how do we get to the core of what is happening and who are the different people that are offering solutions.'

Previous Christmas week guest editors of Today have included Prince Harry, artist David Hockney and boxer Nicola Adams.

Miss Jolie pre-recorded the special episode of the breakfast show. Photographs showed her presiding over the pre-programme news conference and carrying out other off-air tasksFormer Olympic swimmer Geoff Huegill has split from his publicist wife Sara after 13 years together.

The couple, who share two young children, announced they had 'amicably' ended their marriage on Friday in a statement released via Instagram.

The separation follows a difficult year for the Huegills, after Sara was arrested for shoplifting in May before the charge was dropped three months later due to her 'mental health issues'.

It's over! Former Olympic swimmer Geoff Huegill has split from his publicist wife Sara after 13 years together. Pictured on November 13, 2012 in Sydney

Geoff said in the statement: 'It's with a heavy heart that after 13 years together, Sara and I have made the decision to amicably separate.

'We continue to remain friends as our focus will always be on providing a positive, loving and beautiful future for our girls.'

Geoff and Sara married in Bali, Indonesia in 2011 and share two children: daughters Gigi, six, and Mila, four.

'We continue to remain friends': The couple, who share two young children, announced they had 'amicably' ended their marriage on Friday in a statement released via Instagram (above)

'Our focus will always be our girls': Geoff and Sara married in Bali, Indonesia in 2011 and share two young children: daughters Gigi, six, and Mila, four (pictured)

The retired athlete thanked his fans, friends and family for their ongoing support as he and his estranged wife enter 'the next chapter' of their lives.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Sara Huegill for further comment.

Earlier this year, Sara was accused of stealing a pair of Bassike trousers from a clothing store in Byron Bay on Mother's Day and was later charged with shoplifting.

But in August, the magistrate found that Sara had a mental illness and was suffering from 'adjustment, depressive, eating and substance abuse disorder'.

The magistrate also acknowledged the socialite's remorse and dropped the charge on mental health grounds.

Sara's lawyer had previously said in a statement in May that she was being treated for issues related to anxiety and depression.

Trying times: The separation follows a difficult year for the Huegills, after Sara was arrested for shoplifting in May before the charge was dropped three months later due to her 'mental health issues'. Pictured: Sara and Geoff leaving Waverley Local Court in Sydney on May 14, 2014 regarding an unrelated legal matter

The last post: In June, Geoff expressed support for Sara on Instagram before her shoplifting charge was eventually dropped. It would be his last post referencing his wife before announcing their separation on Friday

In June, Geoff expressed support for Sara on Instagram before her charge was eventually dropped. It would be his last post referencing his wife before announcing their separation on Friday.

'For now, my primary focus is to make sure that the health and well-being of my best friend is managed, so she can be the best person she can be for herself and for our family,' he wrote at the time.

'At times, good people make poor choices. We all trip over and make mistakes and unfortunately, we let others down. But that doesn't make us bad people. I want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to those who have supported us and those who continue to support us in these challenging times.'

'Naturally there are two sides to every story, and there will be a time, when we as a family will share our side,' Geoff concluded.

Sara has not been pictured with Geoff on her personal Instagram account for several months.

Making headlines: The former couple have experienced their fair share of scandals over the years. In 2014, they were arrested for cocaine use at Sydney's Randwick Racecourse and later pleaded guilty to drug possession

Meanwhile, the estranged couple have experienced their fair share of scandals over the years.

Geoff and Sara were arrested for cocaine use in 2014 while at Sydney's Randwick Racecourse.

Both pleaded guilty to drug possession and were handed six-month good behaviour bonds.

Rivals: Known for her on-again, off-again friendship with Roxy Jacenko (pictured), Sara also made headlines last year when she left Roxy's company Sweaty Betty PR for a second time

Known for her on-again, off-again friendship with Roxy Jacenko, Sara also made headlines last year when she left Roxy's company Sweaty Betty PR for the second time.

She had initially worked for the 37-year-old businesswoman until 2010, when her employment was abruptly terminated for 'disloyal conduct'.

But after rekindling their friendship in 2017, Sara was rehired as a senior publicist, before parting ways with the firm less than three months later.

If you or someone you know needs help, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636

Have they been separated for months? Sara has not been pictured with Geoff on her personal Instagram account for several monthsKourtney Kardashian is back in Los Angeles after spending the Christmas holiday in Mexico, spotted stopping by a friend's house.

The 39-year-old reality star was looking svelte in an all-black ensemble while visiting a friend in West Hollywood on Thursday.

Kardashian, who was seen chatting with her friend, highlighted her pert derriere in the skintight bottoms.

Kourtney in WeHo: Kourtney Kardashian sported black leggings on Thursday in West Hollywood

Kardashian stepped out wearing all black, with a black zip-up jacket, black yoga pants and black sunglasses with black running shoes.

She also had her hair tied back in a bun, while carrying a large Essentia water bottle during her visit.

Kourtney's friend was wearing a black top under a furry coat with ripped blue jeans and leather boots.

Stepping out: Kardashian stepped out wearing all black, with a black zip-up jacket, black yoga pants and black sunglasses with black running shoes

This WeHo visit comes just days after spending the Christmas holiday in Mexico with her family.

She spent her trip with kids, Mason, Penelope and Reign, with their father and her ex, Scott Disick, and his new girlfriend Sofia Richie.

Disick and Richie were also spotted out in L.A. today, getting coffee in Woodland Hills after their exotic vacation.

Kourtney and friend: She also had her hair tied back in a bun, while carrying a large Essentia water bottle during her visit

Kourtney was also joined by Disick and Richie at Kris Jenner's annual Christmas bash in Hidden Hills on Sunday.

While Kris Jenner still served as host of the annual party, which has been an annual tradition for 35 years, the party was moved to Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's Hidden Hills home.

Others in attendance included Selma Blair, who played Kris Jenner on the FX series American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson.

All smiles: She also shared the very low-cut dress she wore to the family Christmas bash on Instagram; pictured with True, Khloe Kardashian's daughter

Kourtney recently celebrated the birthdays of her children Mason and Reign, who both turned nine and five respectively, but still share the same birthday.

All of the Kardashian and Jenner siblings recently announced that all of their apps will be deactivated in 2019.

She also shared the very low-cut dress she wore to the family Christmas bash on Instagram.He revealed his love of man's best friend when he rescued his dog Kuma from the wreckage of Hurricane Harvey back in June.

And Justin Theroux continued to show his love for his new pup as he took him for a walk in New York City, despite chill temperatures.

The 47-year-old actor cut a cool figure in a black and red ensemble as he stepped through a park.

Best friend: Justin Theroux continued to show his love for his new pup as he took him for a walk in New York City, despite chill temperatures

Justin bundled up in a heavy, zippered, black jacket and wrapped a dark scarf around his neck.

He donned skinny, dark rocker jeans along with suede black boots, while he lead Kuma with his leash.

The Leftovers star pulled a short, bright red beanie over the top of his head and shaded his eyes with dark sunglasses.

Keeping warm: The 47-year-old actor cut a cool figure in a black and red ensemble as he stepped through a park

Theroux first shared Kuma's story back in June, when he rescued the dog from Texas in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

He started his own Instagram story for Kuma, dubbed Kuma's story, where he gave fans some insight into the dog's life.

'MEET KUMA,' Theroux began. 'There are too many people to thank for Kuma . @jesslee81 and William and everyone @chancetobloom.'

Wonderful day for a walk: Justin bundled up in a heavy, zippered, black jacket and wrapped a dark scarf around his neck

'You are the heroes who took Kuma from death and loved her back to life,' Theroux added. 'Also @austinpetsalive for steering me towards a new adoption.'

'And also  of course Katie and Ryan and all the pilots with @pilotsnpaws. Showing that ALL breeds can fly. Especially the ones most in need.'

Since adopting Kuma in June, the actor has showcased the pooch numerous times, showing the dog growing on social media.Russia and Armenia will intensify their talks on gas, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said,

He recalled that this topic was touched upon at the meeting of Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Armenia's acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Moscow on December 27.

"It was agreed to intensify the conversation on gas, because until yesterday, unfortunately, we could not state active negotiations between our Gazprom and Armenian colleagues," the Kremlin spokesman said.

According to him, certain deadlines for the completion of these negotiations have been set. "The time frame for the talks have been defined, because we are running out of time," TASS cited Peskov as saying.She is set to make her reality television debut on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in February.

But Denise Richards was going about her everyday life on Thursday as she grabbed coffee her husband Aaron Phypers.

The 47-year-old actress cut a casual figure while showing off her slender legs in black leggings.

Coffee run: Denise Richards was going about her everyday life on Thursday as she grabbed coffee her husband Aaron Phypers

She donned an intricately stitched cream-colored sweater on top and tied a puff white jacket around her waist.

Denise let her long long blonde tresses tumble freely across her shoulders in messy waves.

The World Is Not Enough star shaded her eyes dark sunglasses and donned black boots.

Out and about: The 47-year-old actress cut a casual figure while showing off her slender legs in black leggings

Aaron and Denise are currently bunking up at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in Beverly Hills after evacuating their home in Malibu.

'Can't wait to be back home. Still remedying the smoke damage, but thankful we have our home,' she wrote on Instagram just days ago.

'So grateful for all the firefighters and rescue workers working so hard to put our gem of a community back together.'

Newlyweds: The couple started dating in December 2017 and got married in Malibu this past September

The couple started dating in December 2017 and got married in Malibu this past September.

The ceremony was filmed for an episode of Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills, which Denise joined just recently.

The pair have both been married beforeDenise to Charlie Sheen from 2002 to 2006 and Aaron to Desperate Housewives star Nicolette Sheridan from 2015 to 2018.They just used their giant home in Hidden Hills, California for an outlandishly opulent holiday party.

And it seems Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are about to add another property to their real estate portfolio.

According to Page Six, the famous couple recently agreed to purchase a unit in Miami's famed Faena House building.

Expanding: It seems Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are about to add another property to their real estate portfolio: a condo in Miami

The property, which is 18 stories tall and beach-adjacent, is home to one-per-centers like Ukrainian oligarch Len Blavatnik, Goldman Sachs tycoon Lloyd Blankfein and hedge-funder Ken Griffin.

The unit is 4700 square feet and reportedly offers up four bedrooms, five and a half baths and a 'wraparound terrace.'

It seems KimYe may have scored a good deal, as the condo was originally on the market for $15.5 million.

A source told the outlet that 'Kim and Kanye have been spotted viewing the property in the last month, and they are now in contract to buy it for $14 million. The sale is expected to close in January.'

Fancy! Apparently the famous couple recently agreed to purchase a unit in Miami's famed Faena House building

Nifty neighbors: The property, which is 18 stories tall and beach-adjacent, is home to one-per-centers like Ukrainian oligarch Len Blavatnik, Goldman Sachs tycoon Lloyd Blankfein and hedge-funder Ken Griffin

Wheeler dealers! It seems KimYe may have scored a good deal, as the condo was originally on the market for $15.5 million

While Miami may raise some eyebrows, as the couple is a fixture in the upper echelons of Los Angeles' social circles, they do have some connections to the Florida city.

It was one of the first locations for Kim, Kourtney and Khloe's DASH storefront.

Of course those were all shuttered earlier this year so the women could each focus on new ventures.

Old ties: Miami was one of the first locations for Kim, Kourtney and Khloe's DASH storefront

Very merry! They just used their giant home in Hidden Hills, California for an outlandishly opulent holiday party

Meanwhile, Kanye West is a huge fan of the Art Basel art fair which takes place in Miami every December.

While it's not clear what Kim and Kanye plan to do with the new property, surely their neighbors hope they keep the partying to a minimum.

They recently went all out for their holiday party, decking out their entire property in Hidden Hills with snow.She's been seen embracing the Yuletide season with much enthusiasm, having put up an enormous Christmas tree in her house back in November.

And Catherine Tyldesley has kept the celebrations going, jetting off for a lavish trip to sun-kissed Dubai with her husband Tom Pitford and their three-year-old son Alfie.

On Thursday, the Coronation Street star, 35, looked fab in a flowing floral frock as she visited Geales restaurant at the glitzy Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa.

Jetsetters: Catherine Tyldesley was spotted Dubai with her husband Tom Pitford and their three-year-old son Alfie on Thursday evening

Her colourful, floor-length gown of choice featured long sleeves and a high neckline and boasted a host of vibrant shades, including cerise and buttercup yellow.

With her chestnut brown locks falling beyond her shoulders in glossy waves, she highlighted her natural good looks with a rich palette of makeup.

Meanwhile, Tom  who tied the knot with Catherine in 2016  cut a dapper figure in a sky blue shirt with khaki trousers, which he teamed with a pair of grey loafers.

Fab in floral: The Coronation Street star, 35, looked fab in a flowing floral frock as she visited Geales restaurant at the glitzy Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa

Vibrant: Her colourful, floor-length gown of choice featured long sleeves and a high neckline and boasted a host of vibrant shades, including cerise and buttercup yellow

Hair we go: With her chestnut brown locks falling beyond her shoulders in glossy waves, she highlighted her natural good looks with a rich palette of makeup

Stepping out in style: Meanwhile, her husband cut a dapper figure in a sky blue shirt with khaki trousers, which he teamed with a pair of grey loafers

Sporting a tan from his time in the sunshine, he carried his adorable offspring Alfie, who looked cool in a black plaid shirt, denim shorts and white trainers.

In the run-up to the festive season, Catherine  who departed her role as Eva Price on Corrie last year to spend more time with her family  shared snaps of her grand Christmas tree on social media.

Filled with glamorous silver baubles and decorative pieces, including snowflakes and reindeer antlers, the effortlessly chic looking tree fills the stars living room.

Adorable: Sporting a tan from his time in the sunshine, Tom carried his adorable offspring Alfie, who looked cool in a black plaid shirt, denim shorts and white trainers

Family first: Actress Catherine departed her role as Eva Price on Coronation Street last year to spend more time with her family

Stylish: Catherine teamed her ensemble with glittering flat sandals and a large cream handbag

Sporting a festive theme of cream and silver, Catherine continued the stream of colours throughout her abode, with a pretty garland running up her modern, glass banister.

Meanwhile, 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 recently laid out her plans to travel as a family with her husband and her young son.

Doting: The proud parents doted on their cute offspring as they took him out for a family meal

Popular addition: The actress was a popular addition to the Coronation Street cast, remaining in her role for seven years until 2018

Love: Tom and Catherine tied the knot in 2016, two years after announcing their engagement

Big plans: Since leaving Corrie, Catherine has revealed that she plans to travel with her family

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 added: 'In between there will hopefully be some exciting projects for me as well.'

Holiday: The couple recently jetted off for their break, after celebrating Christmas in the UK

Wonderland: Catherine turned her stylish house into a Winter Wonderland for her son Alfie, as she offered fans a glimpse on Instagram of her beautiful home

Festive: Showcasing her festive spirit early, the actress, who recently hinted she could be in the running for next years Strictly Come Dancing, had her enormous tree up in NovemberEastEnders star Laila Morse has posed with her Hollywood A-lister brother Gary Oldman in new rare snaps from their Christmas festivities.

The Big Mo actress, 73, jetted to sunny Palm Springs, California, to join her sibling and his wife and children for the big day - the first since the death of their mother Kathleen earlier this year.

Pictures shared on Instagram by Garys fifth wife Gisele Schmidt showed the soap star poke fun at her Oscar-winning brother as he shared a sweet kiss with his partner.

Funny: EastEnders star Laila Morse has posed with her Hollywood A-lister brother Gary Oldman in new rare snaps from their Christmas festivities

The actress, real name Maureen Oldman, is also seen making a proper English Christmas dinner - as captioned by Gisele - with Laila, Gary, and their sister Jackie cooking up a storm in one snap.

The pictures offer a rare glimpse into the famous siblings lives - who often surprise fans with their family connection, which first came to predominant attention following Gary's awards win at the beginning of the year.

The Oldman siblings were joined in the shots by two out of three of the Darkest Hour stars sons; Gulliver, 21, and Charlie, 19, as well as Gisele's son William, 10, and her parents.

Festive spirit: The Big Mo actress, 73, jetted to sunny Palm Springs, California, to join her sibling and his wife and children for the big day

Family affair: Pictures shared on Instagram by Garys fifth wife Gisele Schmidt showed the soap star enjoying a Christmas dinner with her sibling

It is the family's first Christmas without their mother, Kathleen, who died aged 98 - just three months after seeing her son win the Best Actor Oscar for Darkest Hour.

A statement posted to the Instagram account shared by Gary and his wife Gisele confirmed the news in June this year, stating: 'Kathleen Oldman 1919 - 2018.'

It continued with a heartfelt tribute, referring to Kathleen as 'Kay' - as she was known affectionately by her loved ones.

The tribute read: 'It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Kay Oldman, Mother of Gary Oldman, Jacqueline Wyles, and Maureen Lesley Bass.

Heartbreaking loss: It is the family's first Christmas without their mother, Kathleen, who died aged 98 - just three months after seeing her son win the Best Actor Oscar for Darkest Hour (pictured in 2011)

A statement posted to the Instagram account shared by Gary and his wife Gisele confirmed the news in June this year, stating: 'Kathleen Oldman 1919 - 2018.'

Thankful: In March, Gary thanked his mother as he clutched his Oscar in front of Hollywood's best and brightest in Los Angeles

'Kay was a woman of great talent and mirth, keeping her loved ones smiling with her quick wit and ready repartee until the end. For her family and friends she was a source of warmth, inspiration, amusement, support and she will be deeply missed.'

In March, Gary thanked his mother as he clutched his Oscar in front of Hollywood's best and brightest in Los Angeles, delivering an emotional speech and dedicating his award to her.

'Put the kettle on mum, I'm bringing Oscar home,' he said, to much applause, as Kathleen watched from home.

Glorious food: Laila, real name Maureen Oldman, is also seen in the festive shots making a proper English Christmas dinner - as captioned by Gisele - with Gary, and their sister Jackie

Fun times: The Oldman siblings were joined in the shots by two out of three of the Darkest Hour stars sons; Gulliver, 21, and Charlie, 19, as well as Gisele's son William, 10, and her parents

The actor's mother was a retired cafe owner who has lived with him in Los Angeles for 20 years since he moved her out of the familys home in South East London.

Of her, he said in his speech: 'She is older than Oscar. She is 99 years young next birthday. And she is watching this from the comfort of her sofa.

'I say to my mother, thank you for your love and support. Put the kettle on, Im bringing Oscar home.

Afterwards Oldman told the Daily Mail his mother was his champion  she raised him and his two sisters alone after her husband walked out when Oldman was seven, and encouraged her son to take up acting.

Siblings: The pictures offer a rare glimpse into the famous siblings lives - who often surprise fans with their family connection

Earlier this month, Laila shocked EastEnders fans after making a surprise appearance in the new Hellboy trailer.

Taking to Twitter, many film and soap fans alike shared their delight at seeing the 73-year-old actress, in a brief scene where she asks the titular hero for ID.

During her brief appearance, Laila can be seen behind the counter of a classic London fish and chips shop, which sees the arrival of Hellboy (played by Stranger Things star David Harbou), Ben Daimio (Daniel Dae Kim) and Alice Monaghan (Sasha Lane).

Look who it is! EastEnders fans were sent into a tailspin after Laila made a surprise appearance in the new Hellboy trailer

Spotlight: During her brief appearance, Laila can be seen behind the counter of a classic London fish and chips shop, which sees the arrival of Hellboy

Iconic: Laila is most well known for her part as 'Big Mo' Harris in EastEnders, after reprising her role in the soap earlier this year

The hard-as-nails character - acting as a front for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense - says: 'Sorry I'm going to need to see some ID,' which leads the demon to respond: 'Are you serious?'

Her cameo sent EastEnders fans wild as they filled Twitter with some hysterical jokes about how Big Mo will whip Hellboy into shape.

One wrote: 'Well, anything scores at least part of a point for featuring Laila Morse, surely?'She's currently enjoying a festive getaway with her family.

And Sam Faiers shared a 'twinning' picture with her daughter Rosie on Friday after receiving backlash over a picture of herself kissing her son Paul, three, on the lips.

Appearing to ignore the trolls' comments, the former TOWIE star, 27, took to her Instagram to share a sweet picture of herself and the one-year-old wearing matching swimsuits.

So sweet!: Sam Faiers shared a 'twinning' picture with her daughter Rosie to Instagram on Friday where they both wore matching swimsuits

The items of swimwear were white with a low scoop back with pink floral detailing on the hems.

Sam captioned the picture with: 'A Dream Come True twinning with my daughter 28.12.18.'

The Mummy Diaries star has been enjoying a festive break with her partner Paul Knightley, his mum Gaynor and their two children.

However, Sam was joined by her mother, Suzanne Wells, on Thursday as she took to her Instagram stories to celebrate the moment.

Backlash: The former TOWIE star's, 27, picture comes after she caused a stir amongst her fans, as she shared a picture of herself kissing her son Paul, three, on the lips, captioned her 'lover'

Family: Sam has been enjoying a festive break with her partner Paul Knightley, his mum Gaynor and their two children... with her own mum, Suzanne Wells, joining them on Thursday

Sharing a picture of her mum and Gaynor holding their grandchildren, she said: 'Yay mumma has arrived.'

While Suzanne took to her own Instagram to share a candid photograph of herself, taken by Sam, getting out of the idyllic ocean.

She said: '@samanthafaiers papping me and @gaynorknightley.'

Sam's sweet posts come after she caused a stir amongst her fans, as she shared a picture of herself kissing her son Paul, three, on the lips, to her Instagram.

Grandma duty: Suzanne took to her own Instagram to share a candid photograph of herself, taken by Sam, getting out of the idyllic ocean with Gaynor and Paul

According to The Sun, the Mummy Diaries star, 27, had called him her 'lover' in the caption on Thursday, which she has since changed to hearts.

Some fans had spotted the caption before she had changed it though, and trolled her for it in the comments section.

One wrote: 'Probably edit that, it's not right to call your little boy your lover. Lovely photo tho'

While a different person said: 'I wouldn't all my son my lover just say (sic)'

Criticism: Sam's sweet posts come after she caused a stir amongst her fans, as she shared a picture of herself kissing her son Paul, three, on the lips, to her Instagram

But Sam's fans rushed to defend the reality star, as they hit back at the people criticising her.

One wrote: 'well right now you just look stupid because all everyone can see if hearts... She probably changed it as people feel the need to comment on something that could have been an error... Even if it wasn't she can call HER SON what she wants. I'm pretty sure she won't miss you if you unfollow her (sic)'

While another hit out: 'What is wrong with you? That is her son. Grow up.'

One user took a more diplomatic approach, as they said: 'She did put lover but then edited it cos I thought lover was a bit to much prob just ment to put love but corrected it (sic).'

Hitting back: But Sam's fans rushed to defend the reality star, as they hit back at the people criticising her for the snap and the 'lover' caption

Sam's festive getaway comes as she left scandal at home, as 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. and Rosie 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 series that she stars in with her sister Billie Faiers and even her new clothing line.

Controversy: Meanwhile Sam's fans threatened to 'boycott' her ITVBe show The Mummy Diaries after she was accused of ripping off a small family business and copying their designs

Spot the difference: Sam has been accused of RIPPING OFF a 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

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'.'

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.

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, has been 'living in' the designs and has been wearing them throughout filming of 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.She lost her $3.28million Malibu home to the Californian wildfires last month.

But Camille Grammer put her worries to one side as she enjoyed a spot of paddleboarding in Hawaii on Wednesday.

The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills, 50, who has been spending the festive holidays on the island after losing her home, concentrated as she surfed the waves on the stand-up paddle board.

Out at sea: Camille Grammer enjoyed a spot of paddleboarding in Hawaii on Wednesday

Camille displayed her tremendous pins in a pair of tiny black board shorts, which she paired with a green wet-suit top.

She tied her blonde hair back in a loose ponytail and showed off her golden tan by opting to forego make-up.

Camille appeared to be having the time of her life out at sea but after riding a few waves, the reality star struggled to keep her balance, eventually toppling over and crashing into the sea.

Catching a wave: The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills, 50, who has been spending the festive holidays on the island after losing her home, concentrated as she surfed the waves

Hawaii is close to Camille's heart, with the RHOBH beauty wedding David C. Meyer in late October on the romantic island.

Her holiday abroad comes after Camille revealed she has been forced to move in with her parents after losing her home to the wildfires.

Her lawyer Richard Rohan explained in a letter to the court: 'The last few weeks have been particularly difficult for my client.

'Ms Grammer lost her residence in the recent California wildfires and is dealing with both the psychological aspect of losing her home as well as logistically working on her relocation.

Going, going, gone: After riding a few waves, the reality star struggled to keep her balance, eventually toppling over and crashing into the sea.

'Until recently she has been moving from hotel to hotel or staying with friends, and she just moved in with her parents and is trying to find something permanent.'

Camille has been sharing her devastation at the fire to social media.

'It has been an emotional and stressful couple of weeks,' she wrote on Instagram. 'I have been going through the items I retrieved from what is left of my home. The pictures of my children put a smile on my face.'

Camille originally bought the 6,000-square-foot, gated community property in April 2015 following her 2011 divorce from Kelsey Grammer.

Prior to being evacuated, the reality star managed to grab all her 'jewelry, documents, birth certificates, and passports.'

'I also took some photographs that meant something to me,' she told PEOPLE. 'We packed as much as we could into three cars.'She is currently soaking up the sun in Barbados on a Christmas break in the Caribbean.

And turning heads on her latest beach jaunt, Lady Victoria Hervey dazzled as she paraded her slender frame in a shimmering white bikini on Thursday as she continued her idyllic getaway.

Sporting a bronzed glow, the model, 42, had all eyes on her as she strolled along the beach, before taking to the water on a jet ski.

Stunning: Lady Victoria Hervey, 42, dazzled as she paraded her slender frame in a shimmering barely-there white bikini on Thursday while hitting the beach in Barbados

Lady Victoria's scanty swimwear favoured a triangle bikini top, that framed her bust and came complete with a halter-neck style.

It as paired with matching briefs that tied together in bows at her hips and drew attention to her taut stomach.

Leaving her honed pins firmly on display, the 'IT' girl wore her blonde locks down in a swept over style and favoured a minimal make-up look for her latest sunbathing session.

She sported a gold necklace with an anchor pendant and looked perfectly content as she cooled off from the heat with a walk along the shoreline.

Showing off her more adventurous side, Victoria was later seen donning a life jacket and taking a jet ski for a whirl out on the water.

Fun-loving: Showing off her more adventurous side, the British model was later seen donning a life jacket and taking a jet ski for a whirl out on the water

She has been staying on the Caribbean island over the Christmas break, revealing that she has treated herself to a 10-day getaway in Barbados on her Instagram page as she shared a bikini-clad selfie with her followers.

To mark Christmas Day, Victoria shared a stunning shot of a sunset on the beach - penning alongside her post: 'Wishing everyone a merry Christmas #loveandlight.'

Although she has been travelling all over the world, the socialite has recently discussed her future plans to settle down and become a mum after realising her dream to have a baby.

Victoria revealed to The Mail On Sunday in January that she has frozen her eggs in a fertility clinic, costing her 11,000, as she hopes to have a child before she is 45.

She explained at the time: 'I had six eggs removed from my ovaries and frozen in a fertility clinic. At the end of this month, I intend to go through the exhausting procedure again in the hope that I will produce another half-dozen or so eggs.

Lovely! She has been staying on the Caribbean island over Christmas - revealing on Instagram she has treated herself to a 10-day getaway in Barbados while sharing a bikini-clad selfie

Beautiful: To mark Christmas Day, Victoria shared a stunning shot of a sunset on the beach - penning alongside her post: 'Wishing everyone a merry Christmas #loveandlight.'

'It will, I hope, fill what has become rather a hole in my life.'

Victoria confessed that she would like 'two children' and turned to freezing her eggs - a decision prompted by Stacey Solomon, whom she met while competing on The Jump in 2015 - following her fears she has 'left it too late' to become a mother.

Explaining that she wants the 'emotional aspect' of a relationship, rather than favouring a sperm donor, Victoria added: 'I'm hoping science might be able to stop the clock until I find the right man to be a father to my babies.

'A major part of the problem is that I'm still single. Despite some intense relationships in my early 20s, they all fizzled out eventually.'

'I do have a back-up plan if my Prince Charming doesnt materialise,' Victoria claimed. 'Ive got friends whove said theyd be prepared to father my child, and Im considering that option very seriously.'Rebel Wilson has arrived in Aspen, Colorado ahead of celebrations New Year.

And the Australian actress met up with a surprising friend for the festivities - Mariah Carey, who was also at the popular ski destination, on Friday.

The Pitch Perfect star took to Instagram to share a snap of herself and friend Carly Steel with the All I Want For Christmas Is You hitmaker.

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Who knew they were friends? Rebel Wilson shared a snap of herself up with pop diva Mariah Carey at an upscale restaurant in Aspen. The Australian actress and her friend Carly Steel (left) flanked the glamorous music icon who flaunted her plunging neckline

Rebel and her gal pal flanked both sides of the glamorous music icon, who flaunted her plunging neckline for the photo.

Rebel captioned the post: 'Ice Queens Of Aspen'.

She also took to her Instagram Story to share another photo with Mariah, along with the festive caption: 'We're two days late but we got her,' along with a heart emoji.

The singing sensation looked glamourous in the photo, wearing a fur coat and glittering butterfly necklace.

Still feeling festive! Rebel also took to her Instagram Story to share another photo with Mariah, along with the festive caption: 'We're two days late but we got her'

Carly also posted a photo of the trio, and tagged their location at the upscale Caribou Club restaurant.

Earlier, Rebel shared a clip of herself and Carly in an SUV driving them to their hotel suite where they were going to stay as they prepared for New Year celebrations.

Inside the hotel, she gave her fans a quick glimpse of their rooms of which all appeared to have their own fireplaces.

Christmas angels: Carly also posted a photo of the trio, and tagging their location at the upscale Caribou Club restaurant

Winter wonderland: Rebel continued the tour of her hotel suite and showed the balcony, telling her followers 'it's very winter wonderland here. That's why you need the oxygen' before breathing on an oxygen boaster

She went on to also show the balcony, telling her followers 'it's very winter wonderland here.'

'That's why you need the oxygen,' she added before breathing on an oxygen boaster.

Rebel's trip to the Aspen comes after she celebrated Christmas Day at Disneyland with her sister Annachi and close friend, actor Hugh Sheridan.She started her acting career at the tender age of nine when she starred alongside Penelope Cruz and Johnny Depp in 2001's Blow.

And Emma Roberts looked every inch the stylish A-lister as she headed to Peppermint Club in West Hollywood, California on Thursday night to watch a performance by comedian Dave Chappelle and musician John Mayer.

The actress, 27, sported a blue corduroy jacket and matching T-shirt which she teamed with eye-catching leopard print trousers.

Stepping out in style: Emma Roberts headed to Peppermint Club in West Hollywood, California on Thursday night to watch a performance by comedian Dave Chappelle and John Mayer

The Scream Queens star toted her belongings in a black leather bag which matched her patent boots.

The blonde beauty gave her hair a side parting and teased it into a simple ponytail, while opting for natural makeup.

Emma completed her look with low-key jewellery for her night out.

The starlet, who is the niece of Hollywood megastar Julia Roberts, 51, had her big break when she starred in the Nickelodeon show Unfabulous at the age of 13.

Wild thing: The actress, 27, sported a blue corduroy jacket and matching T-shirt which she teamed with eye-catching leopard print trousers

The show aired for three years, between 2004 and 2007, and Emma went on to star in 2006 flick Aquamarine for which she won the Young Artist Award for her role as Claire Brown.

She also dabbled in the music industry and released her album Unfabulous And More in 2005.

Despite being busy, Emma enrolled and began her studies in Sarah Lawrence College in 2011, but a few months later revealed she had put her studies on hold to concentrate on work commitments.

Chic: The Scream Queens star toted her belongings in a black leather bag which matched her patent shoe boots

Aside from acting, the Scream Queens actress co-runs Belletrist, an online outlet that gives monthly book and bookstore recommendations.

Next year the star will star in fantasy film Paradise Hills and animated comedy UglyDolls alongside Kelly Clarkson and Nick Jonas.

The blonde is currently loved-up with fellow actor Evan Peters, 31, who she met while filming comedy Adult World.BBC have axed the long-running Film show after the review programme appeared on our nation's screens for 47 years.

Film was broadcast annually as the popular BBC show reviewed movies that had been released over the past year.

Strictly's Claudia Winkleman, Jonathan Ross and the late Barry Norman are among the long list of stars who have stepped up to host the show in the past.

Surprised? BBC axed long-running Film show after 47 years on TV hosted by stars Claudia Winkleman (pictured in 2017), late Barry Norman and Jonathan Ross

Barry, who died age 83 in 2017, stayed in the post for 26 years and the late film critic was succeeded by Jonathan.

Jonathan presented the show for 11 years while Claudia followed on from him and hosted the programme for just six years before she called in quits in 2016.

Black Mirror's Charlie Brooker, Strictly: It Takes Two's Zoe Ball, Clara Amfo and Edith Bowman also walked in the shoes of the Film presenter over the years.

Unveiled: Strictly's Claudia Winkleman, Jonathan Ross and the late Barry Norman are among the long list of stars who have stepped up to host the show in the past

With the absence of Film, the BBC asked film fanatics to take notice of BBC's other programmes such as weekly The Film Review and Radio 4's The Film Programme.

A spokesperson for the BBC said in a statement: 'We are constantly looking at how we present the arts to ensure we are serving all audiences in the best way possible.

'In 2019, we will be creating an enhanced offer for lovers of film both on television and online which will be a more consistent approach across the year and will replace the "Film" show.

Pictured: Barry, who died age 83 in 2017, stayed in the post for 26 years and the late film critic was succeeded by Jonathan

'We're still working through the details and will have more news about what this will look like soon.

'Those interested in film can also watch and listen to other film-programming across the BBC; from BBC News's weekly The Film Review and Radio 4's The Film Programme and film features on Front Row.'

The show was initially only broadcast in the south east of England but after proving to be a popular choice it was made available everywhere from 1972.Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Zhejiang Yinglun Automobile Co., Ltd (Zhejiang Yinglun), one of subsidiaries of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely Holding), saw its first new energy complete vehicle TX5 come off the production line on December 25, according to local media.

The NEV plant, located in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, is invested by Zhejiang Yinglun. Involving a total investment of RMB7.2 billion, the program is designed to locally produce the UK-born TX5 new energy taxi that carries Geely's NEV powertrain. Two platforms weighing 2.5 tons and 3.5 tons respectively are created to manufacture 6 series of the TX5 model in total, including new energy PVs, new energy logistics vehicles and pickups, etc., with a planned annual capacity of 10,000 vehicles.

In February 2013, Geely Holding bought London Taxi Company, the UK-based manufacturer of London's municipal cabs. In March 2017, the first TX5 taxi rolled off the production line at the Ansty Park plant in Coventry after Geely launched the prototype in U.K. in 2015. It is reported that the Coventry-based plant focuses on developing zero-emission and ultra-low-emission taxis for London as well as zero-emission electric commercial vehicles featuring lightweight technologies.

The TX5 is a PHEV model that adopts a brand-new aluminum body to reduce the vehicle weight. Offering a comfortable seating room, the taxi can hold up to 6 passengers.A 23-year-old man has been injured as a result of a nightclub shooting in Armenias Ararat province today.

According to the source, the injured was taken to Yerevan's Astghik medical center.

The shooter was identified as a 32-year-old David P.

An investigation has been launched, Shamshyan.com reported.Vincent Cassel, 52, is 'expecting his first child with wife Tina Kunakey, 21,' four months on from their idyllic French wedding.

The Black Swan actor and the model are preparing to welcome a new arrival in 2019 after tying the knot in south-west France in August following a two-year relationship, Just Jared reports.

The happy news has come to light after Tina debuted her baby bump when the couple were pictured in Orly, France, on Monday, ahead of the festive period.

Bumping along: Vincent Cassel's wife Tina Kunakey, 21, debuted her baby bump when the couple were pictured in Orly, France, on Monday, ahead of the festive period

Model Tina bundled up in a furry coat to meet her friends for lunch at Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris as Vincent arrived in France.

She layered the coat atop of a tartan checked shirt and black jumper, which showed off her fuller figure.

Vincent, who had flown from Bahia, Brazil, appeared delighted to be back in his home country as he strolled through Orly Airport in a navy coat, jeans and trainers.

Pregnant: The actor, 52, and model Tina are said to be expecting their first child together (pictured in October)

High spirits: Vincent, who had flown from Bahia, Brazil, appeared delighted to be back in his home country as he strolled through Orly Airport in a navy coat, jeans and trainers

Exciting: The couple are reportedly preparing to welcome a new arrival in 2019 after tying the knot in south-west France in August following a two-year relationship,

Just earlier this month, the loved-up couple hit the red carpet for the L'Empereur De Paris film premiere in Paris.

The actor appeared smitten as he wrapped his arm tenderly around his striking other half's waist as they posed for photos at the event. Tina covered up her figure in an all-black ensemble.

MailOnline has contacted Vincent and Tina's representatives for comment.

Newlyweds: The loved-up couple tied the knot in a romantic ceremony in south-west France back in August, after two years of dating

Vincent and Tina married in a private ceremony at the city hall in Bidart, south-west France on August 24.

Tina looked breathtaking in a strapless ivory gown, which had a plunging strapless sweetheart neckline and a full princess skirt.

The couple, who live in Brazil, were first linked back in July 2016 when Tina, then 19, shared a social media snap of herself cuddling up to the actor, then 49, while smoking a cigarette.

Red carpet appearance: The loved-up couple hit the red carpet earlier this month for the L'Empereur De Paris film premiere in Paris

Vincent rose to fame in Matthieu Kassovitz's 1995 film La Haine (Hate) and starred in Ocean's Twelve and Ocean's Thirteen, as well as Eastern Promises and Black Swan.

He married Italian actress Monica Bellucci, 53, in 1999 after meeting on the set of their 1996 film The Apartment.

The couple welcomed two daughters, Deva, 13, and Leonie, eight, before divorcing in 2013 after 14 years of marriage.Their budding romance was revealed by MailOnline in November.

And now Courtney Green has finally gone Instagram official with her new boyfriend Callum Bushby after her dramatic Myles Barnett split earlier this year.

The TOWIE star, 23, took to Instagram on Thursday to share a sweet black and white photo of herself with the Essex recruitment consultant wrapping his arms around her.

Sweet: Courtney Green has finally gone Instagram official with her new boyfriend Callum Bushby after her dramatic Myles Barnett split earlier this year

Paying tribute to Callum, she captioned the post with: 'My big mate.'

The post sent Courtney's 552K followers and her TOWIE co-stars into meltdown as they flocked to her comments section to gush about the two.

One person said: 'Yes girl!  You deserve so much happiness!'

A different user put: 'So happy for you .'

Former flame: The TOWIE star, 23, recently had to endure her ex Myles flaunting his new relationship with newcomer Kady McDermott (Courtney and Myles pictured together in 2017)

Another account commented: 'When she upgrades with class!!! Yasssss.'

While a different fan added: 'Aw Courts I am so happy you found someone you are such a strong also gorgeous babes keep smiling cutie.'

Just hours earlier, Courtney had spent the day documenting a shopping trip with her new boyfriend onto her Instagram stories.

The brunette beauty repeatedly shared several cryptic videos of Callum as he spoke to a friend, shopped and she sat on his knee.

So sweet: The post sent Courtney's 552K followers and her TOWIE co-stars into meltdown as they flocked to her comments section to gush about the two

Her final post of the day was of the handsome recruitment consultant carrying her dog into the house from outside.

MailOnline has contacted Courtneys representative for comment.

The confirmation comes after a friend of Courtneys told MailOnline in November that the pair have been dating for three months, and she has been spending nights at his family home in Wanstead, Essex.

'Shes got every right to brag about it,' they revealed. 'In fact I cant believe that she hasnt shouted it from the rooftops. Shes dating Callum Bushby, whos handsome and a lovely guy. They were both single, so why not?'

Yet it seems the couple will be keeping their romance low-key for the time being, as Callum has no desire to become famous.

Doting girlfriend: Just hours earlier, Courtney had spent the day documenting a shopping trip with her new boyfriend onto her Instagram stories

'Hes already been asked to go on TOWIE but he doesnt want to,' Courtney's pal revealed. 'Hes really down to earth and he runs his own recruitment consultancy with a friend so hes not interested.

'They met three months ago through mutual friends. They stay at his place together every night. I see her Range Rover Evoque parked outside his Wanstead familys home in Essex, where he lives, all the time.'

At the time, the couple hadn't publicly announced that theyre an item, with Courtney posting cryptic Instagram pictures of them together on several occasions

The pair haven't just been hiding away together, and have been making a real effort to connect with each other's families.

New beau: The brunette beauty repeatedly shared several cryptic videos of Callum as he spoke to a friend, shopped, carried her dog and she sat on his knee

Courtney's pal continued: 'Two weeks ago she went to his parents house for a roast dinner with his whole family. They took his mum out recently to Camden Market in North London.

'They took her mum out too and hes met all of her family. Theyre both family orientated and they both get along really well with each others families.

'Theyre always eating out at their favourite restaurant, Bel-Sit, so Im amazed that theyve managed to keep their relationship a secret for so long.

Moving on: Courtney's new romance comes after she recently had to endure her ex Myles flaunting his new relationship with newcomer Kady McDermott (pictured)

'Callums not into designer labels. He likes nice clothes, but hes not a flashy, typical Essex boy at all. I think that shes started dressing edgier and more like him as a result of being with him. In fact she calls him her "edgy boy".

'Shes away filming ITVs Celebs on the Farm for the next two weeks. I think theyll miss each other as they spend all their free time together...

'Shes a really nice girl whos been messed about in the past. I couldnt be happier for them. They make a lovely couple.'

Drama: In the TOWIE season finale, Courtney  who split with Myles in July after refusing to join him on a make-or-break holiday after he called her a 'slag'  witnessed the new couple fawning all over each other in fancy dress at a costume party

Courtney's new romance comes after she recently had to endure her ex Myles flaunting his new relationship with newcomer Kady McDermott.

In the TOWIE season finale, Courtney  who split with Myles in July after refusing to join him on a make-or-break holiday after he called her a 'slag' and a 'dirty dog'  witnessed the new couple fawning all over each other in fancy dress at a costume party.

The girls had already previously shown that there was no love lost between them when they had had an explosive row, in which Courtney branded Kadys best friend Jodie a hoe.

Courtney previously told MailOnline she 'forgot who she was' as she hit out at her ex for callously introducing Kady to the show a mere three months after their break-up.EastEnders has seen a slew of familiar faces return to Albert Square this year, from Mel Owen to Ruby Allen and more of the Slater clan, including Kat Moon.

But who is likely to make a comeback to Walford in 2019?

According to reports and executive producer Kate Oates, the BBC soap is set to a see a slew of old characters return next year. While the characters in question are still yet to be confirmed, it has been speculated Ben Mitchell, Vincent Hubbard and even Sean Slater could be in the running.

Set for a return: Following confirmation that Lola Pearce will be returning to EastEnders next year, speculation has been rife that Ben Mitchell (above in 2017) will soon follow

Ben Mitchell - (Harry Reid)

Following confirmation that Lola Pearce (played by Danielle Harold) will be returning to EastEnders next year, speculation has been rife that Ben Mitchell will soon follow.

Billy's granddaughter Lola bowed out of Walford in July 2015, after seeking a new life in Newcastle with daughter Lexi, following her split from Jay Brown.

However, her return to Albert Square with daughter Lexi, now six, could prompt a comeback for Ben, who is Lexi's father, in the hopes of reconnecting with his daughter.

He had fled Walford for France in January after stealing the cash from Aiden Maguire's ex Ciara, he was caught by Mel Owen and later left empty-handed after opening his rucksack to find the money had been replaced by newspapers.

Since leaving, Ben has been mentioned and his dad Phil Mitchell has been going to see him. With connections still in Walford, could he make a return and get revenge?

Connection: Lola's return to Albert Square with daughter Lexi could prompt a comeback for Ben (above with Jay Brown) in the hopes of reconnecting with his daughter

Is he still alive? Vincent was seen attempting to leave Albert Square in April in a bid to protect Kim Fox and their daughter Pearl, but was kidnapped and left at gun point

Vincent Hubbard - (Richard Blackwood)

Vincent was seen attempting to leave Albert Square in April in a bid to protect Kim Fox and their daughter Pearl after attempting to make deals with the police by feeding them information about Aiden and Phil's planned heist.

Despite being convinced by Kim to stay, Vincent was kidnapped by a corrupt police officer working for Aiden - who pulled a gun on Vincent in the car, yet viewers were left in the dark when it came to his fate.

Richard Blackwood has teased that all will be revealed in 2019 about what really went on with Vincent's exit, revealing on This Morning: 'I think the door is slightly ajar... if they asked me to come back, of course I would, it was definitely good for me.'

Family calls? Sean hasn't been seen in Albert Square since attempting to drown himself and Roxy Mitchell, but will the return of sister Stacey and more of the Slater clan bring him back?

Sean Slater - (Robert Kazinsky)

Sean hasn't been seen in Albert Square since the drama that unfolded between himself and Roxy Mitchell. After finding out he wasn't the biological father of Roxy Mitchell's daughter Amy, he attempted to drawn himself, Roxy and Amy - who's dad is Jack Branning - in a lake.

But since then, a number of members from the Slater family have returned, leading to speculation Sean could be next. His sister Stacey is back in the square, along with his mother Jean, Kat Moon and Big Mo, and his ex-girlfriend Ruby Allen has also made a comeback - returning to Walford earlier this year.

Could Sean be next?

Way in: His ex-girlfriend Ruby Allen (pictured above in 2006) has also made a comeback - returning to Walford earlier this year

Iconic: Janine was at the centre of rumours she was returning to Albert Square earlier this year - she was last seen four years ago after being cleared of Micheal Moon's (above) death

Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks)

Janine was at the centre of rumours she was returning to Albert Square after a fake picture of a woman standing in heels outside of the Queen Vic began circulating online.

The image teased a Christmas Day return, with many fans immediately suggesting Janine was going to make a comeback. She hasn't been seen in Walford since being cleared for the murder of Michael Moon - who she shares daughter Scarlet with - four years ago.

First starting out on the soap in 1999, she has been at the forefront of major storylines including the death of Barry Evans where she memorably pushed him off a cliff and prostitution where she was seen blackmailing Ian Beale after sleeping with him for money.

Actress Charlie, who plays Janine, hasn't ruled out a return, saying in May: 'Who knows what the future holds and I'd never say never.

'I loved playing Janine. I always think about what she could be up to, what might she be doing. It's a bit like going home  the idea of going back there but there is no talks of it at the moment.'

Building bridges? First starting out on the soap in 1999, Janine (above in 2011) has been at the forefront of major storylines, including Barry Evans' death

Motherly duties? Bianca (above with Ricky Butcher in 2008) could be set for an explosive return to EastEnders as her daughter Tiffany is back in Albert Sqaure and has been at the centre of a grooming storyline

Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer)

Bianca could be set for an explosive return to EastEnders as her daughter Tiffany Butcher (played by Maisie Smith) is back in Albert Sqaure and has been at the centre of a grooming storyline, that has seen her serve as a drug mule.

Bianca had left Walford for a new life in Milton Keynes with boyfriend Terry and hasn't been seen on EastEnders since 2014, but could be tempted back by Tiffany, Whitney Dean and her brother Robbie Jackson.

Dean Gaffney who plays Robbie has championed Bianca's return, telling The Sun in October: 'I wish it was [Bianca returning] because that would be really amazing.'

Comeback: Dean Gaffney who plays Robbie has championed Bianca's return, telling The Sun: 'I wish it was [Bianca returning] because that would be really amazing'

MailOnline have contacted a BBC spokesperson for comment.

Fans have been sent into overdrive following producer Kate teasing in recent months that she will bring back 'three legendary' EastEnders characters.

Speaking to Daily Star, she said: 'Ive only been [at EastEnders] a few weeks but were already making our plans. Were going to be bringing some people back. So thats exciting.

'I havent made the calls yet but there will definitely be two, possibly three old faces returning. Youll probably see them in the first quarter of the new year.'She's just celebrated Christmas with her family in her native Melbourne.

And Shanina Shaik has jetted off to Bali for her New Year's celebration with husband DJ Rukus, born Gregory Andrews, and their friends.

The 27-year-old Victoria's Secret model took to her Instagram Story on Friday, to share a stunning makeup free selfie.

Looking fresh! Victoria's Secret model Shanina Shaik flaunts her flawless complexion going makeup free (L) as she prepares to celebrate the New Year in Bali. (Pictured R, glammed up on the red carpet in September)

Her bare complexion naturally glowed as she showed off her plump peachy pout in the snap.

Going for a relaxed holiday look, she let her damp brunette locks cascade down her shoulders and onto her white cropped top.

Excited about the days ahead of her Bali holiday, she wrote in the caption: 'I worked out this morning (thank heavens! It's better to have all your friends on a trip to motivate you)'.

In fine form: The Victoria's Secret followed that image with a snap of her bohemian-inspired pink baggy pants and a glimpse of her toned torso

'Now all I want to do is eat some good authentic Indonesian food,' she added.

The Victoria's Secret model followed that image with a snap of her bohemian-inspired pink baggy pants and a glimpse of her toned torso.

Shanina also shared a short video of herself with her friends photographer Jennifer Cooper and hairstylist Jennifer Yepez, with the caption: 'The team is here in Bali.'

'The team is here': Shanina also shared a short video of herself with her friends, Jennifer Cooper (left in green) and Jennifer Yepez (left). Also featured in the video was Russell Simmons (right), who had an animated facial expression

Also featured in the video was American entrepreneur and Def Jam records founder Russell Simmons, who had an animated facial expression.

Russell seems to have become close friends with the couple after his younger brother Joseph Simmons, from hip hop group RunD.M.C, officiated the model and DJ's wedding.

Shanina and DJ Rukus tied the knot in the Bahamas, on the island of Eleuthera which is owned by his cousin Lenny Kravitz, back in April.She is still reveling in newlywed bliss after tying the knot for the second time to husband Brad Falchuk.

And looking perfectly content as she hit the beach in her latest Instagram upload, Gwyneth Paltrow, 46, slipped into a skimpy white bikini to capture a stunning sunset.

The actress was seen indulging in a spot of R&R as she took to the social media platform on Friday and while she didn't disclose her idyllic location, she caught the eye in her swimwear.

Wow: Gwyneth Paltrow, 46, slipped into a skimpy white bikini to capture a stunning sunset while enjoying an idyllic day at the beach - sharing the stunning shot on Instagram on Friday

Gwyneth dazzled in her barely-there two-piece that paired together a triangle bikini top and complementing briefs.

While her bikini top framed her bust, Gwyneth's low-rise briefs left her taut stomach firmly on view along with her slender pins. She wore a pendant around her neck and styled her blonde locks into a chic up-do, as she relaxed on the sand into the early evening.

Gwyneth's silhouette could be seen in her envy-inducing snap, with the Iron Man star posing in front of a beautiful sunset. Penning alongside her post, she teased: 'Out of office.'

Newlyweds: The star's Instagram post comes after she recently shared a slew of never-before-seen photos from her September wedding to new husband Brad, 47 (pictured above)

Sweet: The couple tied the knot at Gwyneth's Hamptons estate in New York in front of family and friends, including Cameron Diaz, Rob Lowe, Robert Downey Jnr and Steven Spielberg

The star's Instagram post comes after she recently shared a slew of never-before-seen photos from her September wedding to new husband Brad, 47.

The couple had tied the knot at Gwyneth's Hamptons estate in New York in front of family and friends, including Cameron Diaz, Rob Lowe, Robert Downey Jnr and Steven Spielberg.

As 2018 comes to a close, Gwyneth was seen reflecting on the year on social media, telling fans she wanted to thank those who had made her wedding 'so special'.

To do so, she shared a snap of herself and Brad walking away together, after saying 'I do', along with a photo of the stunning venue where they had celebrated their nuptials.

Gwyneth chose a beautiful Valentino lace dress with floral embroidery as her bridal gown and her daughter Apple, 14, served as a bridesmaid on the day.

Stunning: Gwyneth was seen reflecting on 2018 and thanked those for making her wedding 'so special' as she shared a photo of the happy couple and their wedding venue (above)

The Hollywood A-lister wrote alongside the photos: 'As I start to reflect back on 2018, I am so grateful for all of the incredibly talented people who made our wedding so special.

'Big thanks to @blossoms_events and @skylinetentcompany for the stunning and magical wedding tents, #restorationhardware for the beautiful tables, Mario Carbone for the most delicious meal, @gucciwestman and @orlandopita for my wedding glam, @pppiccioli for the perfect wedding dress, and @elizabethsaltzman, @kksquared and @tezza_official -- for everything.'

Speaking to Glamour Magazine shortly after her wedding day, Gwyneth said she felt 'grateful' to have tied the knot with Brad.

'I feel so lucky, and I am so grateful. It's different to be in your mid-40s; do it again and bring all your experience, your pain, your happiness, sufferingeverything... it's actually very heartening. I feel very optimistic,' she claimed.

End of the road: The Hollywood star was previously married to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin who is father to their daughter Apple, 14, and son Moses, 12

Gwyneth was previously married to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin who is father to Apple and son Moses, 12.

The former couple separated in March 2014 and their divorce was finalised in July, 2016.

Gwyneth and Brad, meanwhile, first began dating in 2014 after the actress had a guest-starring role on Glee - the musical TV series Brad co-created with Ryan Murphy.

They announced their engagement in January 2018.

While she made her name as an actress, Gwyneth is also the founder and CEO of the lifestyle company Goop, which she founded in September 2008.

Love story: Gwyneth and Brad first began dating in 2014 after the actress had a guest-starring role on Glee - the musical TV series Brad co-created with Ryan Murphy



She stars as the title-character in Oscar-nominated new release Colette alongside actor Dominic West.

And discussing her latest movie role while appearing on The Graham Norton Show, Keira Knightley confessed she was left rather unimpressed over kissing scenes she had with her co-star.

The actress, 33, joked that locking lips with West was like 'kissing a Walrus', blaming the complexities of his costume, that included a fat suit and 'horrific facial hair', for ruining the moment.

Unimpressed: Keira Knightley has said kissing co-star Dominic West in new movie Colette was like 'kissing a Walrus' while appearing on The Graham Norton Show on its New Year's Eve show

Keira stars as Colette (born Gabrielle Sidonie Colette) in the biographical movie following the story of the French novelist and her tempestuous relationship with husband Henry Gauthier-Villars, known as 'Willy' (played by West).

Willy convinces Colette to write novels under his name, but the lack of recognition for her work soon frustrates her and she is set on 'freeing herself' from his grasp, despite Willy being determined to maintain his hold on her.

For West to portray Colette's husband Willy, measures had to be put in place when it came to his costume and Dominic was forced to wear a fat suit throughout filming - which Keira reveals proved to be problematic for the pair's intimate scenes.

She explained to host Graham - in an interview set to air on New Year's Eve on BBC - that while she had been 'excited' over the prospect of kissing Dominic, it wasn't what she had expected.

Not ideal! The actress, 33, blamed the complexities of West's costume, that included a fat suit, and 'horrific facial hair' for ruining the moment

Awkward: Kiera says, 'Dominic is a very sexy man and he had to wear the suit, the bag and had horrific facial hair, I thought it would be quite nice, but it was sort of like kissing a walrus!'

Keira revealed: 'He had to wear a fat suit, which was problematic for him in 40 [degree] temperatures, so they created a cooling system inside so it looked like he had a colostomy bag on the side.

'Dominic is a very sexy man and he had to wear the suit, the bag and had horrific facial hair. I had been quite excited at the prospect of kissing such an attractive man at the beginning, I thought it would be quite nice, but it was sort of like kissing a walrus!'

Colette is set for release in the UK at the beginning of January. Joining Keira and Dominic in the movie is Eleanor Tomlinson, Aiysha Hart and Fiona Shaw.

Meanwhile, Keira was recently awarded with an OBE for her services to drama and charity.

Leading lady: She stars as Colette (born Gabrielle Sidonie Colette) in the biographical movie following the story of the French novelist and her relationship with husband known as 'Willy' (played by West)

Telling all! Keira appears on The Graham Norton Show alongside Olivia Colman, Nicholas Hoult and Guy Pearce (pictured L-R)

She received the honour from Prince Charles during a ceremony held at Buckingham Palace in December and was joined by her parents, Sharman Macdonald and Will Knightley, and husband James Righton.

Keira and James tied the knot in 2013 in the South of France, two years after they first began dating.

Speaking of when she first received the letter detailing the news about her OBE, Keira confessed she thought she was in 'trouble with tax', so refused to open it for 'three days'.

The mother-of-one - she shares daughter Edie with husband James - said: 'I didn't open the envelope for about three day, it was from the Home Office and it was terrifying because I thought I was in trouble with tax, and that I had messed it up, and that they were going to take away the house.

Oops! Keira also speaks of the moment she found out about her OBE honour - claiming she thought the letter was her getting in 'trouble with tax' as it was from the Home Office

'I hid the letter! After three days, I thought, "I am a mother, I am responsible and I am going to confess to my husband that I've messed up," so I opened it and it was a prize!'

Keira, meanwhile, has wrapped filming for new movie Official Secrets, set for a 2019 release, and has three more movies in post-production.

Fans will see her as the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, and Keira takes on leading roles in Berlin, I Love You and The Aftermath.

In recent months, she has candidly spoken of her battle with PTSD and anxiety as a result of finding fame at a young age.

Pleased: The beauty was awarded an OBE for her services to drama and charity - she received the honour from Prince Charles during a ceremony held at Buckingham Palace in December

Support: Keira was joined at the ceremony by her husband James Righton and parents Sharman Macdonald and Will Knightley (pictured L-R)

Keira found herself propelled into the limelight at just 17, following her breakthrough role in 2002 hit Bend It Like Beckham, and was given an Oscar nod for Best Actress, four years later, after starring in Pride and Prejudice.

By 23, she was reportedly the 'second highest-paid woman in Hollywood', but her success came at a price, as Keira suffered a breakdown at 22 following a 'very intense and lonely' period.

Recalling how she felt pressured by her new-found stardom and the attention that followed her, Keira admits that she did consider turning her back on it all and 'giving up' her career in the film industry.

'I did think about it,' she admitted in an interview with Style magazine. 'Particularly at the point when I had a breakdown.'

Pressure: Keira has candidly spoken of her battle with PTSD and anxiety as a result of finding fame at a young age - her breakthrough role was in Bend It Like Beckham (above) aged 17

She was diagnosed with PTSD and suffered panic attacks that saw her take a year-hiatus from her work, after suffering a mental breakdown aged 22 years old.

Keira was unable to leave her house for three months prior to the 2008 BAFTA awards, and was forced to undergo hypnotherapy before taking to the red carpet to prevent her from having a 'panic attack'.

While she admits her family and friends had wanted her to 'give up' her Hollywood career, Keria claims it was her close-knit group of loved ones that got her through the difficult period she had to endure.

'I have a super-solid background and thank f**k for that,' she told the publication. 'My family and my small, but very close, group of friends just wrapped me up. And, I think, without that, it would have been a very different story.'

The Graham Norton Show airs on BBC One on Monday 31st December at 10.40pmBlanca Blanco has said she admires Italian film star Sophia Loren and the way she navigated her six-decades long career that has included the classic films Marriage Italian Style and Two Women.

And on Friday the Mission: Possible actress dressed up as the screen goddess as she slipped into a black bustier and garter belt with thigh high stockings and even pretty black lace gloves.

This comes just after the brunette bombshell - who will next be filming A Perfect Chaos with Dean McDermott - was seen in a fun Santa suit on the beach in Malibu on Christmas Eve.

Inspired: Blanca Blanco has said she idolizes Italian film star Sophia Loren and the way she navigated her six-decades long career that has included the films Marriage Italian Style and Two Women

Le look: And on Friday the Mission: Possible actress dressed up as the screen goddess as she slipped into a black bustier and garter belt with thigh high stockings and even pretty black lace gloves

This is where her look came from: The outfit resembles what Sophia wore in Vittorio de Sicas 1963 film Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

The outfit resembles what Sophia wore in Vittorio de Sicas 1963 film Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.

While Blanco had on a bustier that had satin on the midsection, Sophia's was made of lace.

And Loren - who is now 84-years-old and splits her time between the US and Italy - also had a sheer black scarf over her shoulders.

Chic: While Blanco had on a bustier that had satin on the midsection, Sophia's was made of lace. And Loren- who is now 84-years-old and splits her time between the US and Italy - also had a sheer black scarf over her shoulders

Drawn to movies: Blanca has been making strides in her acting career this year. She has already appeared in the films The Dog of Christmas, Fake News, and Torch

New movies: And this year she has worked on The Fabulous Christmas Holidays, Betrayed, Woman On The Edge and Ovide And The Art Of Love

Blanca has been making strides in her acting career this year.

She has already appeared in the films The Dog of Christmas, Fake News, and Torch.

And this year she has worked on The Fabulous Christmas Holidays, Betrayed, Woman On The Edge and Ovide And The Art Of Love.

She got her start in 2010 with the movie The Las Chicana.

Before coming to Hollywood she was a student that got two degrees: She graduated from Washington State University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and from Eastern Washington University with a Master of Social Work, in addition to studying Spanish in college.She enjoyed a brief stint in the villa, finding love with personal fitness trainer Adam Collard.

And Zara McDermott spilled all about her journey on Love Island in her first YouTube video, from being scouted by producers to falling head over heels in love with the hunk.

Posted on Christmas Eve, the 21-year-old Essex beauty revealed some of the series secrets and said she initially turned down the offer, saying she couldn't be paid enough to appear on the scandalous show.

Secrets: Zara McDermott spilled all about her journey on Love Island, from being scouted by producers to falling head over heels in love with Adam in her first YouTube video

Sitting on her bed in the apartment she now shares with Adam, Zara told her story of how she was handpicked to be part of the 2018 line-up.

'In February, I got a message from ITV on Instagram, it said: "would you like to have a chat about an upcoming show that's in the summer on ITV2?", she said.

'It doesn't take a brain scientist to work out what that is.'

Interesting: Posted on Christmas Eve, the 21-year-old Essex beauty revealed some of the series secrets and said she initially turned down the offer because she 'didn't want to be a reality star'

The reality star continued: 'I think the reason I got scouted out was because I had quite a good Instagram, I was a minor influencer and there was some stuff on there about my job.'

Zara, who was working as a government advisor for the Department of Education at the time, had littered her social media with an array of bikini-clad snaps and selfies from Downing Street- the combination undoubtedly caught the eye of producers.

She elaborated: 'Oddly enough, a couple of weeks before I had a conversation with my mum and she asked me would I do reality TV.

Her journey: Sitting on her bed in the apartment she now shares with Adam, Zara told her story of how she was handpicked to be part of the 2018 line-up

Racy display: Zara had littered her social media with an array of bikini-clad snaps (L) and selfies from Downing Street (R), which undoubtedly caught the eye of producers

'I said absolutely never, ever - you couldn't pay me enough. I love my job too much, I would never give that up.

'I had my career planned out in my head and i didn't see myself as a reality star, I think adjusting was really difficult.

'My mum and dad were fully supportive, I made them watch two or three episodes of last year's Love Island. They said it is harmless, fun, I was the more skeptical one.

Change of heart: She said: 'I said absolutely never, ever would I do reality TV- you couldn't pay me enough. I love my job too much, I would never give that up'

The researcher said I would need to do an interview and an audition tape and I said "no I don't want to do that, its not for me. Sorry bye".'

But within minutes Zara explained she got an email back from a producer who was desperate for her to sign up to the show.

Fast-forward a few months and the goverment advisor had packed her bags and was heading to Majorca.

Off she goes: Fast-forward a few months and the goverment advisor had packed her bags and was heading to Majorca

'I flew by myself out to Majorca, I got picked up by a chaperone and got my phone taken off me. Within a day me and Ellie were walking in together,' she said.

During her 10 day stint in the villa, Zara turned heads with Lothario Adam, 23, who ditched solicitor Rosie Williams to be with her.

Reflecting on her experience, Zara added: 'Before I went into the villa I felt like I had no confidence in myself or anything really, every guy I spoke to turned out to be horrible. I gave up all hope of finding someone.

'I thought I would never meet someone on Love Island.

'I had my eye on Adam from Day 1, I felt a bit weird thinking "Adam is my number one, I'm going to go for him".

'But from the first five seconds I got that instant click with Adam. I've never had it before. It's weird and so amazing. I'm so lucky to have met him.

Since the show came to end, the couple have gone from strength-to-strength as thy moved into an apartment in Brentwood together.

Adam also surprised Zara with a trip to the Maldives for Christmas.There's speculation that her estranged husband Offset will follow her to Australia to win back her love later today.

And perhaps Cardi B was showing her ex what he was missing, taking to social media on Friday morning to flaunt her ample assets while sticking her tongue out.

The 26-year-old rapper sported a full face of makeup while lying in a bed.

Baring all: Cardi B took to social media on Friday to share a full glam topless shot of herself while also sticking her tongue out

Cardi had on her pink wig and donned a bold green eyeshadow look with a nude lip.

She completed her glam with lash extensions and added a bedazzled statement choker.

And while the Bodak yellow songstress looked ready to go out with her hair and makeup done, all eyes were on her bare full bust.

Reflecting: Cardi also shared a post with her bed sheets covering her breasts, captioning it: Tainted heart'

Cardi also shared a post with her bed sheets covering her breasts, captioning it: Tainted heart'.

The New York native's post comes after speculation has continued to grow that her ex Offset could be following her all the way to Australia in a hope to win her back.

The female rapper is expected to arrive Down Under on Saturday before embarking on two major festival performances over the New Year.

Will it work? The New York native's post comes after speculation has continued to grow that her ex Offset could be following her all the way to Australia in a hope to win her back

Cardi is scheduled to perform at Origin Fields Festival in WA on December 30 and Sydney's Field Day 2019 on January 1. Afterwards, she will fly to New Zealand for two further concerts.

Offset was originally booked to perform at the same Australian festivals as his ex with his group Migos, but they pulled out shortly after the couple's split was announced.

But it now seems Cardi's estranged husband is doing everything in his power to win her back - including crashing a recent concert in America.

Over: Offset was originally booked to perform at the same Australian festivals as his ex with his group Migos, but they pulled out shortly after the couple's split was announced

Buying back her love: Offset then went on to shower his estranged wife with expensive gifts over the Christmas holidays

Offset stormed the stage during Cardi's performance at the Rolling Loud Festival in Los Angeles on December 16 with a huge cake reading, 'Take me back Cardi'.

Despite being widely criticised for the stunt, the couple 'hooked up' just days later during a family trip to Puerto Rico with their five-month-old daughter Kulture.

'I just needed to get f**ked,' she said in a recent Instagram Live while discussing their trip, but confirmed they were not back together.

Offset then went on to shower his estranged wife with expensive gifts over the Christmas holidays.

Cardi's high-class haul consisted of diamond-encrusted bracelets, Louboutin heels, and half a dozen designer handbags.

'Yo, those are some bad b*****s,' she said on Instagram while showing off the presents, which included four Hermes Birkin bagsHe was recently soaking up the sun as part of his 44th birthday during a trip to St. Barts.

But Ryan Seacrest is back in New York, and just in time to ring in 2019 as the host of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.

Even though temperatures were dropping in New York City, the star, 44, had a huge smile on his face as he promoted his upcoming appearance, even finding time to check out the famous Times Square Ball with co-host Jenny McCarthy.

Happy holidays! Ryan Seacrest is back in New York, and just in time to host Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve

Bundled up in a stylish black jacket, jeans, and suede shoes, the TV host couldn't stop smiling as he stepped outside, surrounded by his team.

The actor was protected from the elements beneath an umbrella, and stayed warm holding his thermos.

In just three days, Ryan will be co-hosting Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve alongside Jenny.

But the star was already preparing for the special event as he stopped by the Times Square Ball alongside his co-host on Friday.

Can't rain on his parade! Bundled up in a stylish black jacket, jeans, and suede shoes, the TV host couldn't stop smiling as he stepped outside, surrounded by his team

All good! Seacrest shared a laugh with a police officer

'We just got to the ball!' Ryan declared on Instagram, in a video of himself heading to the monument in the rain. 'It's raining, and it's windy, there's Jenny... there's the ball! Happy New Year!'

The co-hosts have had a busy morning so far, and even stopped by Good Morning America to promote their upcoming appearance.

Last year, the pair hosted the show during the second coldest New Year's Ever ever in New York City.

Sneak peek: The star had a head start to his big night as he stopped by the Times Square Ball alongside his co-host on Friday

Check it out! 'We just got to the ball!' Ryan declared on Instagram, in a video of himself heading to the monument in the rain. 'It's raining, and it's windy, there's Jenny... there's the ball! Happy New Year!'

'I could barely speak because your jaw starts to freeze,' Ryan said on GMA.

'It was 9:30 and I started crying 'cause it was so cold, and then I went, "I can't do it anymore! I quit!" They go, "It's only 9:30 Jenny!" So I hung in there,' Jenny explained, crediting her husband Donnie Wahlberg for keeping her warm.

This year Donnie's band, New Kids On The Block, will be performing at the show alongside the likes of Ciara, Weezer, Shawn Mendes, and Florida Georgia Line.

Chilly: Last year, the pair hosted the show during the second coldest New Year's Ever ever in New York CityGazprom CEO Alexey Miller held talks with Armenia's acting Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan in Saint Petersburg today, according to Gazprom website.

The sides discussed the course and further development of bilateral cooperation, particularly the supply of natural gas to Armenia in 2019.

In addition, Miller and Grigoryan considered issues related to gasification of Armenia and underground gas storage in the republic. It was noted that the UGS facilities are ready for operation in the autumn-winter period of 2018/2019.She met her husband Donnie Wahlberg when she was hosting her first Dick Clark Rockin' New Year's Eve telecast and he was performing back in 2010.

And nine years on, Jenny McCarthy revealed on Friday that this year would be 'very sentimental' with her man performing while she hosts for the first time since that night.

Speaking on Good Morning America, the 46-year-old shared their sweet love story and revealed how excited she was to relive the moment.

Excited! Jenny McCarthy revealed on Friday that this year's New Year's Rockin' Eve would be 'very sentimental' as it's the first time she'll host while Donnie Wahlberg performs since they met nine years ago

'Nine years ago it was my first time hosting. I was hosting then all of a sudden the band [New Kids On The Block] was coming up to Ryan [Seacrest] to be interviewed and I heard, "Hey Jenny McCarthy" and I turned around and said "Hi Donnie Wahlberg".'

'I'd never met him before so I wsa like little butterflies and then wound up falling madly in love with him.'

She continued: 'So this year, he's performing again and I'm hosting so it's going to be a very sentimental year.'

Special place: 'Nine years ago it was my first time hosting. I was hosting then all of a sudden the band [New Kids On The Block] was coming up to Ryan [Seacrest] to be interviewed and I heard, "Hey Jenny McCarthy" and I turned around and said "Hi Donnie Wahlberg"' (pictured 2016)

The beauty who couldn't help but gush over her 'four years of marital bliss' also added that even though they kiss at midnight, he always is the first person she sends a Happy New Year text to.

Jenny and Donnie confirmed they were dating in July 2013 and got engaged in April the following year. They wed on August 31 2014.

Friday saw the former Playboy model brave the New York winter chill when entering the ABC studios.

Meant to be: Jenny first met Donnie at the 2011 New Year's Eve celebration (pictured) when Donnie randomly said hi to her

Found love: That night (pictured), New Kids On The Block performed their set for the crowd

She dressed in a black ensemble with a coat of the same color buttoned up over the top.

The former View host had her blonde locks styled out straight and accessorised with a pair of shades.

The 2019 Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve will see Christina Aguilera, Bastille, Dan + Shay as well as the New Kids On The Block headline the New York show.

Gorgeous: Friday saw the former Playboy model brave the New York winter chill when entering the ABC studios

Going to be a great night: The 2019 Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve will see Christina Aguilera (pictured), Bastille, Dan + Shay as well as the New Kids On The Block headline the New York show

Over in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Bazzi, Camila Cabello, The Chainsmokers, Charlie Puth, Ciara, Dua Lipa, Ella Mail, Foster The People, Halsey, Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini, Lauren Alaina, Macklemore, Post Malone, Skyler Grey, Shawn Mendes and Weezer will perform.

And for the third consecutive year, the broadcast will extend to New Orleans with Lucy Hale hosting once again.

Performances from the Central Time Zone will include country stars Florida Georgia Line and Maren Morris.Aspen is a celebrity hot spot this time of year.

And among the stars who have flocked to the posh ski destination is Mariah Carey, who was spotted trudging through the snow in Louis Vuitton this Thursday.

The 48-year-old walked hand in hand with her seven-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe as her 35-year-old beau Bryan Tanaka trailed behind.

Festive season: Mariah Carey was seen two days after Christmas in Aspen enjoying a stroll in the snow with her seven-year-old twins Monroe and Moroccan and beau Bryan Tanaka

Mariah, who shares her children with her second ex-husband Nick Cannon, had a wide smile on her face when she was glimpsed out in Aspen.

Her pal Shawn McDonald revealed on Instagram that evening that the songbird, who recently did a concert tour in Europe, was 'on super vocal rest' that day.

She rang in Christmas this year with both Bryan, her backup-dancer-turned-boyfriend, and Nick, whom she separated from in 2014.

Other celebrities in Aspen this week include Working Girl star Melanie Griffith, heiress Paris Hilton and Real Housewife Of Beverly Hills Kyle Richards.

Yuletide cheer: Mariah, who shares her children with her second ex-husband Nick Cannon, had a wide smile on her face when she was glimpsed out in Aspen with Bryan (left)

Mariah, who according to legend has had a concert rider stipulating she 'doesn't do stairs,' created a holiday classic with 1994's All I Want For Christmas Is You.

The song has such enduring appeal that it achieved a record-breaking 10.8 million Spotify streams in 24 hours this Christmas Eve, the Associated Press reported.

Her latest tour, which began at a massive Norwegian ice rink and ended at Madrid's WiZink Center, is called the All I Want For Christmas Concerts on her website.

Enduring appeal: Her 1994 song All I Want For Christmas Is You achieved a record-breaking 10.8 million Spotify streams in 24 hours this Christmas Eve, the Associated Press reported

Mariah - who split from her billionaire fiance James Packer in 2016 and according to The Blast won a multi-million-dollar settlement from him last year - is no stranger to a bit of drama when it comes to performances over the holiday season.

The night 2016 ended and 2017 began, she was lip-syncing on Dick Clarks New Years Rockin Eve With Ryan Seacrest, but was visibly unable to mime the words accurately - because, she claimed, her earpiece gave out.

On the same New Year's special a year later, she groused on air: 'I was told there would be tea,' sparking such an online sensation that she decided to spin it into a merchandising opportunity and put the sentence on T-shirts.He may be one of Hollywood's most popular actors.

But Gerard Butler, 49, hasn't forgotten where he came from as the actor recently touched down in Scotland where he shared breathtaking views of his homeland to the delight of his US fans

After a tough year, the star filmed himself against the backdrop of a loch, while mentioning: 'Scotland. Ach, it's good to be home.'

Scenery: Gerard Butler, 49, recently touched down in Scotland where he shared breathtaking views of his homeland to the delight of his US fans

Difficult: Gerard's stay in Scotland comes after a tough few months. Butler was one of a host of celebrities whose home was affected by the fires which spread rapidly across California (Pictured November)

Gerard was born and raised in Paisley, Renfrewshire and was a law student at the University of Glasgow before he moved to London to become an actor.

The video has received more than 231,000 views on the film star's Twitter account with many of his fans saying they now wan to book a trip.

One wrote: 'Oh my heavens...that is a gorgeous countryside! I hope to set foot on Scotland soil someday, bucket list goal.'

Another said: 'So beautiful. Would love to see it for myself...one can dream.'

Home: Gerard was born and raised in Paisley, Renfrewshire and was a law student at the University of Glasgow before he moved to London to become an actor

While others took the opportunity to send the actor a flirty message, with one fan writing: 'Looks gorgeous...so does Scotland.'

The actor trip back home came hot on the heels of a recent trip to Haiti where he highlighted the work of Mary's Meals who feed school children from some of the poorest country's in the world.

Gerard's stay in Scotland comes after a tough few months. He was one of a host of celebrities whose home was affected by the fires which spread rapidly across California.

On November 10 he returned to his home to find it damaged by the fast-moving Woolsey fire.

Where it all began: After a tough year, the star filmed himself against the backdrop of a loch, while mentioning: 'Scotland. Ach, it's good to be home'

Fans: The video has received more than 231,000 views on the film star's Twitter account with many of his fans saying they now wan to book a trip.

He shared an Instagram of the devastation as he stood in front of the remains of building and his burned out truck.

The 48-year-old captioned it: 'Returned to my house in Malibu after evacuating. Heartbreaking time across California.

'Inspired as ever by the courage, spirit and sacrifice of firefighters. Thank you @LosAngelesFireDepartment. '

And he ended with a heartfelt plea saying: 'If you can, support these brave men and women at SupportLAFD.org.

Trip: The actor trip back home came hot on the heels of a recent trip to Haiti where he highlighted the work of Mary's Meals who feed school children from some of the poorest country's in the world

Gerard was also admitted to a private health centre in the capital of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic in November, according to local reports.

While doctors suspected appendicitis, further tests and an MRI revealed that Gerard was suffering from diverticulitis, it has been claimed by publications Pop & Arte and Graficas.com.

Diverticulitis is a digestive condition which prompts small bulges or pockets to develop in the lining of the large intestine, causing it to become inflamed or infected.She launched the Skinnygirl brand of low-calorie alcohol.

And Bethenny Frankel lived up to the title of the company when she showed her nearly 2 million Instagram followers a glimpse of her winter holiday.

The 48-year-old bombshell was a 'Swinger' on a hammock at the beach as she modeled a one-piece swimsuit in Mexico's Riviera Maya this Friday.

'Swinger': Bethenny Frankel lived up to the title of Skinnygirl when she showed her nearly 2 million Instagram followers a glimpse of her winter holiday

While in Mexico, she accessorized her colorful bathing suit with a stylish straw hat and protected her eyes from the sunshine with a pair of gleaming shades.

Bethenny showed off her enviably toned legs to full advantage in the hammock post, which she cheekily captioned: 'Swinger.'

The Real Housewife Of New York City had been in Palm Beach the day prior after having Christmas in the Dominican Republic with her beau Paul Bernon.

Film producer Paul had been on hand when Bethenny nearly died earlier this month as the result of her 'rare fish allergy,' as she described it on Twitter.

Hunk: The Real Housewife Of New York City had been in Palm Beach the day prior after spending Christmas in the Dominican Republic with her beau Paul Bernon

She arrived at the hospital in the nick of time and was 'told if 5 mins later Id be dead,' she tweeted to her her 1.6 million followers.

Bethenny since used Twitter to try and get 'approx 200 twin mattresses' and 'pillows & linens' for Newton-Wellesley Hospital, where she was treated.

The reality TV star and businesswoman wrote on Twitter that the Massachusetts facility 'have no budget for TVs or comfortable beds :( for really sick people.'

Bethenny shares her daughter Bryn, eight, by her second ex-husband Hoppy, whom she married in March 2010, two months before their child was born.

As seen in DR: Film producer Paul had been on hand when Bethenny nearly died earlier this month as the result of her 'rare fish allergy,' as she described it on Twitter

They split in 2012 and finalized the divorce in 2016, and though they initially had joint custody, Bethenny now wants full custody and is locked in a legal battle with him.

In August, Bethenny's on-off boyfriend Dennis Shields died at 51 at his residence in Manhattan's Trump Tower of a suspected overdose.

Before she was with Jason, she was married from 1996 until 1997 to her then best friend Peter Sussman - a union she only publicly revealed in 2010 to Life & Style.

In 2015, while her second divorce was in progress, Bethenny put out a relationship guidebook called I Suck at Relationships So You Don't Have To: 10 Rules for Not Screwing Up Your Happily Ever After.A woman has been charged with the murder of a four-month-old baby almost a month after the child died of injuries at a Queensland hospital.

The baby girl was taken to Logan Hospital with life-threatening injuries last month.

The girl was transferred to Queensland Children's Hospital in a critical condition but died on November 20.

Police, at the time, interviewed a woman, 35, and a man, 37 as detectives from the Logan Child Protection and Investigation and homicide squads began piecing together what happened.

The Waterford West woman was charged with murder on Monday - almost a month later.

She is expected before Beenleigh Magistrates Court on Tuesday.The secret to surviving 15 months in a notorious Cambodian prison was simple for Australian filmmaker James Ricketson.

Don't lose hope.

"You might as well die if you give up hope," he tells AAP as he speaks out about his fight for freedom from Phnom Penh's Prey Sar prison.

On June 3 last year, the Australian was taken by police for questioning after flying a drone over a political rally, sparking a sequence of events which tested the 69-year-old's trademark optimism.

Charged with espionage, the filmmaker was locked up in an overcrowded cell alongside more than 140 inmates with only a sliver of space to sleep.

"I've always been an optimist. All my life. So this was no different," he says.

In the first few weeks, his health quickly deteriorated and he was covered in scabies and sores while losing weight rapidly.

"(At the time) most of my family are concerned that I'm going to die in prison," he says.

Family support - his son Jesse moved to Cambodia with his girlfriend Alex - and a privileged position within the prison system also kept the filmmaker alive.

As a "highly privileged prisoner" he was allowed to take daily breaks outside the cell, using this time to walk and keep fit.

It was this attempt to stay healthy that Ricketson credits with recovering from a life-threatening illness that struck him down in April.

In late August, the filmmaker was convicted of espionage and sentenced to six years following a trial that was widely criticised by human rights activists and politicians in Australia.

A few days later, relief finally came in the form of a royal pardon and freedom.

The only thing Ricketson regrets is the division his imprisonment caused within his family, especially some things he said in the heat of the moment.

"There were some things said and some things written that actually were hurtful," he says.

"But it worked both ways."

His family were split in two camps, one who heeded advice from the department of foreign affairs to remain quiet, and the other camp, who agreed with Ricketson that media attention could help achieve his release.

"That gave rise to family tensions. Some big arguments."

There is one thing his family have all agreed on - his desire to go back to Cambodia is "f***ing crazy".

But banning himself from returning was not simple, because he has adopted family in the country.

"I love them all. And so it's not an easy thing for me to say, 'oh well that's the end of Cambodia'," he says.

"I'm going to do everything I can to go back ... (but) will only go back when I think it's 99 per cent safe for me to do so."

For now, the 69-year-old is considering publishing a book about his experience, but he is keen to get back to filmmaking: "I don't want to get stuck in the role of being a celebrity prisoner."An Indian national had knowledge of his actions the night he killed a Queensland student in a Melbourne drink-driving incident and should be extradited to Australia, prosecutor lawyers say.

Puneet Puneet was a 19-year-old learner driver when he killed Dean Hofstee in 2008, but fled to India while out on bail. He was arrested five years ago, on his wedding day, and has been facing drawn-out extradition hearing to determine if he should be sent back to Melbourne.

Prosecutor lawyers argued on Monday that all the legal requirements for returning Puneet to Australia had been fulfilled.

Bhaskar Vali, on behalf of the Union of India, which handles extradition matters, said: "What we are trying to establish is knowledge, not intention, but knowledge of his [Puneet's] actions."

He said that the three main conditions for extradition were: prima facie evidence for a case; dual criminality - that the crime in Australia was also a crime in India; and that the crime merited a mandatory punishment of more than one year. He said these had all been met.

Vali summarised the events of October 1st 2008, when Puneet was seen drinking at a bar and then drove home "reaching 150kmh in a 60khm zone", said Vali. "A truck driver has testified that he saw Puneet overtake him, in the truck driver's words at a 'furious speed'."

"He then took a curve at 150kmh before losing control of the vehicle and hit two people exiting a hotel. Dean Hoftsee, who perished on the spot, and Clancy Coker, who was maimed and hospitalised."

Vali claimed that from the start Puneet had tried to hide his actions, by initially saying his passenger was driving, and then driving more than 20km to "hide out a friend's place." However Vali then conceded that Puneet had admitted his actions when found by police.

The proceedings had begun in confusion, after the court was told that the lead defence counsel, Khaniya Kumar Singhal, was absent as he was suffering "from jaundice" - despite Vali saying he had seen Singhal that day.

Judge Gurmohina Kaur said that there had been enough delays in the case and that they should proceed with the facts of the case.

"The facts have been presented to the court in evidence, you can't argue with that. So let us proceed", she said.

"I actually have my arguments ready", said Vali, before beginning his narration of the events of the incident 10 years ago. He said: "Puneet has pleaded guilty, he has signed every document about it. He said he was not a flight rsk back in 2008 but then he duped his friend into getting his passport and fled to India."

The case has been going on for nearly four years, with the defence repeatedly arguing that Puneet's mental health was a issue - but he was declared cerebrally fit to stand the trial last month.

The defence is expected to give its narration of the facts at the next hearing, slated for 14 January 2019.A Tigerair flight from Sydney to Melbourne has reportedly turned back mid-flight due to a possible safety threat on board.

Tigerair's flight TT271 to Melbourne was forced to return to Sydney Airport, News Corp Australia reported.

The flight left at 7.05pm and returned to Sydney at 8.35pm.

Police surrounded the plane and passengers were told to stay seated and switch off their phones, News Corp reported.

A Tigerair spokesman said in a statement: "The captain made the decision to return to Sydney following an incident on-board. In line with standard procedures, the Australian Federal Police met the aircraft on arrival."An elderly woman has died after fire broke out in her Sydney house, while her son suffered burns trying to put out the blaze.

Emergency workers were called to Lorraine Street at North Strathfield about 10.40pm on Monday and found the house engulfed in flames.

Firefighters rescued a woman, believed to be in her 90s, from inside who was suffering critical injuries, but she died.

The woman's son, who lives opposite the house, was taken to Concord Hospital for treatment of minor burns and smoke inhalation after he tried to put out the flames.Labor is set to thrash out its roots when it decides on changes to industrial relations policy during the final day of the party's national conference.

Industry-wide bargaining will be at the forefront of negotiations, which have been ongoing in the lead-up to and during the three-day policy-making event in Adelaide.

It is understood the Australian Council of Trade Unions is broadly happy with progress, but discussions with Labor on its agenda are expected to continue beyond the conference which wraps up on Tuesday.

The scope of any sector-wide bargaining is likely to be the sticking point, with Labor spending recent months looking at low-paid industries as a starting point for the proposal.

The Transport Workers Union has lobbied for aviation to be included, rather than just low-paid sectors.

Labor will be keen to please the unions, which wield formidable campaign muscle ahead of next year's federal election, while also retaining a platform with broad appeal.

On Monday, the conference passed a resolution to ensure a future Labor government would consider if law firms had "anti-union" history before awarding them government contracts.

CFMMEU Victorian official John Setka lashed out at former Labor governments' use of law firms which had been engaged in action against union.

"We just found it a bit insulting that we helped get elected was using these companies and putting tens of millions of dollars into their pockets," Mr Setka said.

"We thought it was a bit of a disgrace."

Maritime union leader Paddy Crumlin took aim at the media on each of the first two days of the conference, accusing some outlets of producing "fake news".

"Have a smoke of that in your pipe. Let's go back to reporting on what's actually going on in this convention," the CFMMEU international president said.Russia and the United Kingdom have reached an agreement to restore their diplomatic missions partially since January 2019, Russian Ambassador to the UK Alexander Yakovenko said.

"We have reached an agreement in principle that the diplomatic staff in both Moscow and London would be restored sometime in January. I am not sure that will be done in relation to all staff, but at least half of the embassy will be restored," TASS cited the ambassador as saying.

Yakovenko described the agreement as a positive step in bilateral relations

In March 2018, Russia and Great Britain each expelled 23 diplomats from their countries, following the nerve-agent attack in Salisbury, England, against Sergey Skripal and his daughter Yulia. In retaliation, the Kremlin forced the British Council to end its work in Russia and closed Britains consulate in St. Petersburg.Traditional owners will lodge an Australian Human Rights Commission complaint alleging a fundamentally flawed process in the selection of a site near Hawker in South Australia as a possible location for a national radioactive waste dump.

The complaint will be lodged on Tuesday by lawyers acting for the Adnyamathanha Traditional Lands Association.

It alleges that both the ballot to assess community support for the waste facility, which excludes many traditional owners, and the damage done to significant cultural heritage sites by commonwealth contractors constitutes unlawful discrimination.

Maurice Blackburn lawyer Nicki Lees says the nomination process for the Hawker site has been fundamentally flawed from its inception.

"From day one this process has shown a complete lack of regard for the traditional owners and for the significance of this site to the Adnyamathanha people," Ms Lees said.

ATLA chief executive Vince Coulthard said his people remain strongly opposed to any nomination of their land for a future waste dump site and the legal action was important in seeking a fair hearing for their concerns.

It's the second bid by traditional owners to scuttle the dump proposals with the Barngarla people also taking action over the selection of an area near Kimba, on Eyre Peninsula, as a possible location for the federal waste depository.A pre-election cash splash could be on the cards as the Morrison government delivers the first budget surplus in over a decade.

Further tax cuts could be announced before the May election, with the mid-year budget review released on Monday booking $9.2 billion in revenue "decisions taken but not yet announced".

As well there are $1.4 billion in secret spending measures.

Asked whether there could be further personal income tax cuts, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the government had a track record to uphold.

"We are committed to targeted spending and lower taxes," Mr Frydenberg told reporters in Canberra.

"But we're not going to make any announcements today. What we are saying is that we will approach all these issues in a carefully considered, methodical way, just as we have done to date."

The mid-year economic and fiscal outlook showed the government is on track for $4.1 billion surplus in 2019/20, almost double the $2.2 billion figure it had forecast in May.

Beyond that, the coalition expects to deliver surpluses for the next decade, including $12.5 billion in 2020/21 and $19 billion in 2021/22.

The government has also cut its deficit forecast for this financial year to $5.2 billion, from the $14.5 billion it had projected in May.

The improvements come after the government raked in more revenue than expected, buoyed by strong employment growth and corporate tax receipts.

Fewer payments such as the dole have also helped balance the books.

Labor says a rosy global picture has led to the better results.

"This is a government which is riding on the back of a good international economy and has given up on the task of budget repair themselves," shadow treasurer Chris Bowen said.

"Growth is down, investment growth is down, wages growth is down, consumption growth is down, and the only thing that's up is terms of trade."

Growth is forecast to be 2.75 per cent this financial year, before speeding up to three per cent in 2019/20 and staying at that pace for the following two years.

The unemployment rate is projected to remain at five per cent this year, and remain that way up until mid-2022.Mining ministers will meet in Adelaide to discuss ways to boost the supply of minerals used in technologies such as mobile phones and batteries.

Australia has an abundance of "critical minerals", including lithium, cobalt, graphite, vanadium, nickel, manganese and copper.

But there is no national strategy to ensure their production, which is becoming increasingly important with the wider use of mobile phones, electric cars and battery storage.

Federal Resources Minister Matt Canavan said the inaugural COAG of Resources meeting on Tuesday would discuss critical minerals.

"We need to develop a critical minerals work program which pulls together all jurisdictions and enhances existing state-based initiatives," Senator Canavan said.

"For example, the work program could focus on the exploration and development of deposits which straddle state and territory borders, as well as developing new supply chain opportunities."

There are also fears large international corporations are buying up deposits of critical minerals, which poses a global strategic risk.

The meeting will also discuss resources industry competitiveness, exploration, innovation and data, communities and workforce, and the gas supply strategy.An Afghan man from Victoria has been charged with murder after a man's body was discovered near a highway in South Australia's far west.

The accused man had been picked up by a farmer about 10.30am on Monday on the Eyre Highway near Nundroo, 160km west of Ceduna, after his Holden SUV ran out of fuel.

The farmer took the man to Yalata, 60km further west and police returned with him to his vehicle later in the day, when officers spotted blood in and on the vehicle.

"Police investigating the matter believe a second man had been travelling in the vehicle and is now missing," police said in a statement at the time.

A crime scene was established and a search involving sniffer dogs was launched.

The body of the second man, also an Afghan, was found about 3.30pm on Monday about 104 km east of the Nullarbor Roadhouse on the Eyre Highway.

The 32-year-old Victorian man was charged late on Monday night. He was to appear in court on Tuesday.

Detective Superintendent Des Bray said police were keen to hear from anyone who saw the two men in the vehicle anywhere from Port Augusta to the Nullarbor Roadhouse, just over the Western Australia border.The coalition government has been rocked by yet another Nationals sex scandal with Assistant Minister Andrew Broad forced to step down from the post.

An article in New Idea magazine on Monday alleged Mr Broad, who was assistant minister to Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, used a website to meet younger girls while away on an overseas work trip.

A woman, named as "Amy", claimed she met the married 43-year-old in Hong Kong in November for dinner and he told her he was there for a "conference" but "shouldn't have been here at all".

The woman also claims Mr Broad lied about his age, sent her numerous text messages that turned to a "more sexual nature" following the dinner, and described himself as "James Bond".

Mr McCormack said he had known about the matter for a couple of weeks, when he was alerted to the allegations, and urged Mr Broad to report the matter to the Australian Federal Police.

However, on Monday, the AFP said in a statement it had received Mr Broad's referral on November 8, six weeks earlier.

After assessing it, the AFP found "no applicable offences under Australian law".

Nationals leader Mr McCormack is backing Mr Broad, the MP for the northern Victoria seat of Mallee, to continue in parliament.

"I want to make sure that all of my ministers, all of my members are always doing the right thing. That's why I have accepted Andrew Broad's resignation," he told reporters on Monday.

It is the second sex scandal to rock the Nationals this year after Barnaby Joyce was forced to resign as party leader following revelations he was expecting a child with a former staffer.

Mr Broad at the time called for Mr Joyce to step down as leader amid reports of his extramarital affair.

The MP is also said to have argued strongly against same sex marriage during debate in parliament, touting traditional marriage and religious freedom.

Mr Broad will remain in parliament, serving his northern Victoria seat of Mallee, but Mr McCormack said it was "appropriate" he resigned from his position in the Morrison ministry.The man accused of murdering Brazilian Cecilia Haddad in Sydney says his trip to Rio de Janeiro about the same time her body was found had been planned in advance.

Ms Haddad's ex-boyfriend Mario Marcelo Santoro, 40, appeared in court in Rio de Janeiro on Monday (local time).

Santoro did not answer questions put to him by prosecutors and the judge.

He did, however, answer questions posed by his own defence lawyers.

Santoro stands accused of killing Ms Haddad, 38, in Sydney in April and disposing of her body in the Lane Cove River.

He flew back to Rio the same weekend Ms Haddad's body was discovered.

Santoro said on Monday his trip had been planned in advance to see his parents and children.A former NSW government official has described the treatment of national parks under a plan to raise the wall of Warragamba Dam as a "poor" state of affairs.

Under the coalition's proposal, part of the Greater Blue Mountains Area will be flooded, putting at risk more than a dozen threatened species - including a bird on the brink of extinction - and one of the most endangered ecosystems in the country.

An ex-Office of Environment and Heritage officer warns the heritage area will be destroyed under the proposal to raise the dam wall 14 metres through what the government insists will be a "controlled release" of water.

"It will drown the majority of the surviving woodlands area ... which is one of the most intact examples of this ecosystem in southeast Australia," the former staffer told AAP.

They asked not to be named for fear it could hurt their future employment prospects.

The critically endangered White Box-Gum Woodland in the catchment is rare because it's home to predators such as dingoes which live with grazing mammals such as the brush-tailed rock-wallaby in a functioning ecosystem.

"For the government to be putting at risk the conservation of such a unique area that sits in a world heritage area, and to be treating national parks so poorly, is a sad state of affairs," the ex-officer said.

At least 15 threatened species live in the national park including the critically endangered regent honeyeater which was recently found to breed in the area.

That discovery is described by ornithologist Martin Schulz as significant because the bird only breeds and feeds in certain habitats.

"They (the government) couldn't have found anything more significant than breeding regent honeyeaters in the area," he told AAP. "If that doesn't stop it - nothing will."

The bushland has a rich Aboriginal history with Gundungurra traditional owners arguing that raising the wall will lead to the destruction of more than 50 recognised indigenous heritage sites.

One includes the only known intact cave art of a waratah linked to the Dreamtime, Gundungurra woman Kazan Brown told AAP.

"They are our sacred sites, there are handprints on cave walls, there are Dreamtime stories - you flood it and it's like we were never there," she said.

The Blue Mountains world heritage listing could also be under threat with the group that advises the UNESCO World Heritage Committee cautioning both the federal and NSW governments.

The NSW parliament earlier this year passed legislation permitting flooding of the national park which allows the dam wall to be raised.

But the ALP national conference on Sunday passed a motion promising that if elected next year a federal Labor government would introduce laws to protect world heritage sites from damming.

While raising the wall will have "very significant" benefits in reducing the flood risk in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley it's important governments understood the potential impact of the proposal, an Infrastructure NSW spokeswoman told AAP.

Flora, fauna and indigenous cultural heritage assessments are underway as part of the project's environmental impact statement.Papua declared itself independent in 1961, but neighbouring Indonesia took control of the region two years later

An Indonesian court Monday delayed the trial of a Polish man who faces up to 20 years' jail for alleged links to Papuan separatists because he did not have access to a translator.

Jakub Fabian Skrzypski was detained and charged in August after meeting suspected rebels in the restive province of Papua, according to prosecutors, who said he made contact with them in a bid to spread information about their fight for independence.

Jakarta is deeply sensitive about Papua, where a low-level insurgency against the central government has simmered for decades, and routinely blames separatists for violence in the region.

The Indonesian island region shares a border with independent Papua New Guinea (PNG), just north of Australia.

Skrzypski was due to stand trial with a Papuan man on Monday in Wamena, where he was arrested, but proceedings were called off because the court failed to book a flight for a translator, the town's prosecutor Ricarda Arsenius said.

The trial will resume on January 8.

Skrzypski faces a range of charges under Indonesia's criminal code, including a plot to overthrow the government and joining an outlawed rebel group, according to a copy of the indictment seen by AFP.

Prosecutors said the Pole had met with leaders of the Free Papua Organisation (OPM) and was found with documents and video detailing the Papuan struggle for independence.

It is also alleged that Skrzypski and his co-defendant discussed the possibility of procuring arms from Poland.

Police previously said they had confiscated from Skrzypski and three Indonesians more than 130 rounds of ammunition, but no mention of that was made in the indictment.

Skrzypski's lawyer Latifah Anum Siregar said the Pole, who was living in Switzerland before his arrest, denied any wrongdoing.

In a letter sent to the Swiss newspaper Le Temps in September, Skrzypski said he was merely a tourist in Papua.

"They (the investigators) are telling stories about ammunitions, but I've never seen or possessed any.

"They are trying to accuse me of an attempted coup, but all I've done was meeting some indigenous Papuans, who were not armed," he said in the letter.

Papua, a former Dutch colony, declared itself independent in 1961, but neighbouring Indonesia took control of the region two years later on the condition it hold an independence referendum.

About 1,000 handpicked Papuans unanimously chose to be part of Indonesia in the UN-backed referendum, which is widely considered a sham.

The region, one of Indonesia's poorest, has been the site of a long-running insurgency ever since, and has experienced several spasms of violence this month.

At least 16 employees of a state-owned company, who were building bridges in a major infrastructure push for the impoverished region, were killed by separatist rebels in early December.

At least four more workers remain missing, while a soldier was also killed by the rebels, authorities said.

Indonesian security forces have long been accused of rights abuses against Papua's ethnic Melanesian population including extrajudicial killings of activists and peaceful protestors.Thousands of opposition supporters have claimed the elections could be rigged through the use of electronic voting machines

Democratic Republic of Congo goes to the polls this week in elections which could see the country emerge from 17 years of conflict-ridden rule under controversial President Joseph Kabila.

Twenty-one candidates are running to replace Kabila, whose hand-picked successor Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary is one of the front-runners.

At stake is the political stewardship of a mineral-rich country that has never known a peaceful transition of power since independence from Belgium in 1960.

More than 40 million voters will cast their ballots on Sunday to choose a successor to 47-year-old Kabila, who has ruled the nation since the assassination of his father in 2001.

In a sign of growing international concern about the risk of violence, the United States on Friday ordered its non-essential staff to leave its embassy in the capital Kinshasa.

The electoral campaign period had been mostly peaceful but at least six people were killed last week in clashes at two opposition rallies, with police blamed for much of the violence.

In a joint statement last week, the embassies of the United States, Canada, Britain and Switzerland in Kinshasa said they were deeply concerned by the loss of life.

The UN rights chief also denounced the "excessive use of force" against opposition supporters, urging Kinshasa to ensure the "essential conditions for credible elections" to be fully protected.

The aftermath of 2006 and 2011 polls -- both won by Kabila -- resulted in bloodshed.

- Power plays -

The election was long delayed because Kabila should have stepped down as president at the end of 2016 when he reached a two-term limit.

President Joseph Kabila has ruled Democratic Republic of Congo since 2001

But he stayed on thanks to a constitutional clause enabling him to remain in office until a poll is held, sparking protests that were bloodily repressed.

Both the United States and European Union have issued sanctions, citing human rights violations, against top Congolese officials.

Ramazani Shadary, the "pro-Kabila" candidate in this month's vote, is a key ally of the president who served as interior minister during violent crackdowns on demonstrators protesting against Kabila staying in power.

He is among the senior DR Congo officials to be blacklisted by the EU in May 2017 for serious human rights violations.

The opposition has claimed that Shadary, if he wins, will only be a figurehead president with Kabila holding onto power behind the scenes.

- Polling fears -

The election will use voting terminals -- a source of huge contention over the past year -- which many opposition figures have denounced as "cheating machines" that could be manipulated to fix the vote.

The terminals include a touch screen for voters to click on their preferred candidate.

The authorities insist the terminals will cut costs, prevent fraud and provide a faster tally of votes across the vast nation.

But a fire at a warehouse in Kinshasa last Wednesday destroyed most of the election materials for the city, including voting terminals, leading to doubts over the election there.

Nearly 8,000 of some 10,000 voting terminals for Kinshasa were destroyed, according to CENI, the Independent National Election Commission.

The two main opposition candidates, Felix Tshisekedi and Martin Fayulu, have suggested the government could have been behind the fire, to use as a pretext to further delay the vote.

DRCongo: key presidential candidates

Fayulu is running as the joint candidate for several opposition parties, while Tshisekedi has taken over from his father as the veteran face of Congo's mainstream opposition.

Authorities insist the vote will go ahead.

Officials from CENI on Sunday said the army and police repelled an attack by a rebel group on a warehouse with voting machines in the troubled eastern Beni province.

With barely six days left until the vote, election officials said they were still awaiting a batch of forms for reporting and counting which were en route from South Africa, while denying any delay.

The forms need to be distributed to 80,000 polling stations across the country by Saturday ahead of Sunday's election.

- Blighted by violence, Ebola -

The election takes place with the country's east still blighted by inter-ethnic strife and militia violence, with exhausted residents hoping the vote will offer some kind of respite after years of bloodshed.

One of the armed groups battling for control of the region's rich mineral resources is the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a shadowy militia rooted in Ugandan Islam that has killed hundreds of people since 2014.

Medical workers in protective gear disinfect a coffin in the eastern city of Beni, which has been at the epicentre of the Ebola epidemic

Over the past month, at least 48 people in and around the northeastern city of Beni have been killed by suspected ADF militants, including seven UN peacekeepers, according to an AFP toll.

The poll is also likely to be hampered by an Ebola outbreak in two eastern provinces, North Kivu and Ituri, that has claimed more than 300 lives since being declared on August 1, health officials say.

A cholera epidemic has also left 857 people dead since the start of the year, the World Health Organization said last month.Madagascar's December 19 election will be a showdown between two former presidents whose tenures were marred by crisis

Madagascar heads to the polls on Wednesday in a crunch head-to-head election between two arch-rivals who have dominated political life on the poverty-stricken Indian Ocean island for years.

The showdown between Marc Ravalomanana and Andry Rajoelina could revive instability in the country if a close result is rejected by the losing candidate, analysts warn.

The two contenders will compete in the run-off election after coming first and second, far ahead of their competitors, in the preliminary vote in November.

Ravalomanana and Rajoelina were both banned from running in the 2013 election as part of an agreement to end recurring crises that have rocked Madagascar since independence from France in 1960.

In the first round, Rajoelina, 44, took a slight advantage by winning 39.23 percent of the vote, compared with 35.35 percent for Ravalomanana, 69. Both camps alleged they were victims of fraud and cheating.

Madagascar election

Ravalomanana was first elected as president in 2002 but was forced to resign seven years later by violent demonstrations supported by Rajoelina, the then mayor of the capital Antananarivo. Rajoelina was installed by the army and ruled until 2014.

Both candidates have spent lavishly on campaigning in a country that suffers dire poverty, sweeping away their 34 opponents in the first round.

Outgoing president Hery Rajaonarimampianina collected just 8.82 percent of the vote.

Campaigning for Wednesday's election has been personal, with Rajoelina dismissing his rival as an old man who should "retire and go milking his cows."

Ravalomanana has cast his rival as a "destroyer" and denounced his "provocations".

- Promises and handouts for votes -

Anti-government protests erupted on the streets of Antananarivo again in April

About 45 percent of the 10 million registered voters abstained from the first round, and the two surviving contenders have criss-crossed the country via helicopter as they pull out all the stops to secure votes on Wednesday.

Promises and handouts have been distributed liberally to voters who are among the poorest in Africa.

In the south of the country, hit by perennial food shortages, Rajoelina's campaign activists openly distributed cheap rice and oil.

"It's not for propaganda, it's just to help the population," said Serge Serge, owner of a restaurant in Fort Dauphin that hosted the event.

"This is the realisation, ahead of time, of the promises of President Rajoelina."

"It's very good to do this, the prices are too expensive in the market," said Pauline Lalao, 42, one mother jostling in line, confirming she would vote for Rajoelina as "he understands our problems."

Ravalomanana, who is known by his nickname "Daddy", has not been shy with promises either.

In Antananarivo on Saturday, he unveiled kit that he said he would give to all schoolchildren if he wins.

"Here are the backpacks for the children," he told thousands of supporters. "If they all have the same uniforms, they will be able to study well... I would love your children as if they were mine".

Both candidates have been currying favour with some of Africa's poorest voters

And for Laza Rabaromanana, 34, the choice was clear.

"He is the only one able to develop Madagascar," Rabaromanana told AFP.

"When he was president, he was the only one who got all the children into school... he really knows how to do everything."

- 'A violent duel of egos' -

With the personalities of the two contenders dominating the election, issues such the country's dire poverty, corruption and lack of basic services have been pushed to one side.

And the election battle could further damage the country's chances of development.

"The stakes are enormous, and both men have invested heavily, including financially, in this election," said analyst Marcus Schneider of the Bonn-based Friedrich Ebert Foundation.

"If the results are tight, the loser could challenge the results and plunge the country back into crisis."

"I was hoping for a debate of ideas, I saw a violent duel of egos," said Sahondra Rabenarivo of the Observatory of Political Life in Madagascar (Sefafi) civil group.

Madagascar is rich in biodiversity and natural resources but 76% of the population lives in extreme poverty

"Everything needs rebuilding in this country, but it will only happen if people work together."

Ravalomanana is a former milkman from a peasant family who went on to build a business empire, while Rajoelina is a former mayor, party planner and successful entrepreneur with slick communication skills.

Madagascar is well known for its vanilla and precious redwood, yet is one of the world's poorest countries, according to World Bank data, with 76 percent of people living in extreme poverty.NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will visit Georgia in March 2019, Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani said on Thursday, TASS reports.

"Georgias cooperation with NATO will be expanded next year. Exchanges of visits will promote this process. Thus, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will visit Georgia in March 2019," he said in an interview with the local television channel Maestro.

According to the Georgian top diplomat, while in Georgia the NATO secretary general will visit the NATO-Georgia drills NATOGEO EX.Ghosn remains in the one-man cell at a Tokyo detention centre he has occupied since his shock arrest on November 19

The board of automaker Nissan failed Monday to agree a replacement for former chairman Carlos Ghosn after his arrest for financial misconduct, as tensions grow in the firm's alliance with Renault.

The Japanese company removed Ghosn from his post last month after he was detained on allegations of under-reporting his salary.

But it failed Monday to name a replacement, with CEO Hiroto Saikawa saying a committee advising the board on the decision needed more time.

"It was decided that the committee wishes to continue discussions, we accepted that," he told a press conference after the board met in Yokohama.

Media reports ahead of the meeting suggested the board was unlikely to reach a decision soon, in part because of open discord with French automaker Renault.

Nissan itself faces charges of allegedly submitting financial documents that understated Ghosn's pay, and Renault is now reportedly seeking more sway on the Japanese firm's board.

The French firm has reportedly urged Nissan to call a shareholder meeting to discuss its representation on the board and within its top management.

Nissan also faces charges, for allegedly submitting financial documents that understated Ghosn's pay

It warned Nissan's indictment "creates significant risks to Renault, as Nissan's largest shareholder, and to the stability of our industrial alliance", the Wall Street Journal reported.

Saikawa declined to comment directly on the reports, and said Nissan would look to organise a shareholder meeting after a panel examining governance at the automaker reported its findings.

In a statement, Nissan said it was ready "at any time to provide a full briefing at a Renault board meeting in order to maintain an equal understanding among the Alliance partners".

- Rift in the alliance -

But Saikawa's comments also made it clear that relations between the partners are increasingly difficult.

"We have approached Renault. But the reaction of the Renault board was to refer us to their lawyers. So now Nissan's lawyers are communicating with Renault's lawyers," he said.

"My understanding is that the graphic details of the wrongdoing is not being conveyed to each and every one of the Renault board members. If we are afforded such an opportunity, we would very much like to explain."

Ghosn's arrest has laid bare the rifts in the alliance between Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi Motors that the auto tycoon helped forge -- and was often credited with holding together.

While Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors quickly removed Ghosn from leadership positions after his arrest, Renault has kept him on as CEO and chairman.

The arrest has fuelled anger in Lebanon, with billboards around Beirut proclaiming 'We are all Carlos Ghosn'

And while Saikawa launched a broadside against his former mentor shortly after his arrest, describing his "dark side", Renault has approached the allegations more cautiously.

The CEO said he would not rush the three-person panel advising the board on the new chairman.

"I don't have any deadline in mind. I wish them to spend all the time they need," he said.

A newly formed committee looking into governance at Nissan is to report its findings by March, but the decision on a new chairman could potentially stretch beyond that, he said.

- Ghosn remains in detention -

As his former employer wrangles over his replacement, Ghosn remains in the one-man cell at a Tokyo detention centre he has occupied since his shock arrest on November 19.

Prosecutors have already charged him with under-reporting his pay by around $44 million over the five years to 2015, and are also investigating claims he under-reported it further in the past three years.

He will be detained until at least December 20, when prosecutors will either file new charges or request another 10-day detention period while they continue investigations.

The charges have sparked a legal battle over Ghosn's flat in Rio de Janeiro

A range of additional claims of financial misconduct have been made against Ghosn, including using Nissan funds to purchase homes around the world, though prosecutors have yet to level those accusations formally.

He and his former right-hand man Greg Kelly, who is also under arrest, reportedly deny any wrongdoing.

The charges have sparked a legal battle over Ghosn's flat in Rio de Janeiro, with Nissan trying to prevent his family members from accessing the property and removing items.

A Brazilian court authorised relatives to access the apartment, despite claims from Nissan that they were removing corporate documents.Saffron farmers in southern Morocco are proud of the coveted spice they produce

Saffron farmers in southern Morocco have long taken pride in the coveted spice they produce from the purple-petalled Crocus sativus, but some are worried knockoff versions are threatening their business.

"The pure saffron of Taliouine is the best in the world, according to experts," local grower Barhim Afezzaa boasted, proudly noting his spice's designation of origin (PDO) label.

But the 51-year-old is worried that "counterfeit" crops are tarnishing Taliouine's reputation and its PDO -- which guarantees a product's origin and uniqueness.

Some of Morocco's saffron farmers are worried about knockoff versions of the spice impacting on their business

In small plots below the snowy peaks of Mount Toubkal, saffron cultivation in Taliouine has remained largely unchanged for centuries.

The flower requires drastic climate conditions -- hot summers and cold, wet winters -- and it can only be harvested during a month-long window from mid-October to mid-November.

Workers start at dawn each morning, meticulously picking the delicate flowers by hand and placing them in wicker baskets. The purple blooms are picked before they fully open to ensure quality.

Once dried and sorted, the flower's crimson stigmas and styles are turned into saffron -- the world's most expensive spice -- popular with top chefs across the globe.

Morocco is the world's fourth largest producer of saffron, behind Iran, India and Greece, according to FranceAgriMer, France's specialist institute of agriculture and fishing

Morocco is the world's fourth largest producer of saffron, behind Iran, India and Greece, according to the figures published in 2013 by FranceAgriMer, France's specialist institute of agriculture and fishing.

- 'From father to son' -

The spice is both a source of pride and a lifeline in the Berber city of Taliouine, which, along with a neighbouring town, produces 90 percent of the kingdom's saffron.

The purple-petalled Crocus sativus, from which saffron is produced, requires hot summers and cold, wet winters and can only be harvested during a month-long window from mid-October

Some 1,500 families in Taliouine depend on sales from the crop to survive.

Knockoff versions "damage the image of this culture handed down from father to son, which is our pride", said 24-year-old Driss, a member of a local collective in the area.

Saffron's rarity and its painstaking cultivation help explain its price -- it takes nearly a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of flowers to create 12 grams of the spice.

In Morocco, PDO-certified saffron sells for about three euros ($3.5) a gram, according to Dar Azaafaran, or The House of Saffron, which works with 25 local cooperatives.

Once dried and sorted, the flower's crimson stigmas and styles are turned into saffron -- the world's most expensive spice

To maintain their PDO-label and association with Dar Azaafaran, producers submit their harvest for various tests that check for moisture content, taste, colour and smell.

Counterfeit saffron can sell "for less than a euro a gram at the famous Derb Omar market in Casablanca", said Dar Azaafaran's head Ismail Boukhriss.

Local producers say counterfeiters often use chemical dyes and remains of other plants in an attempt to pass poor quality saffron off as a top-shelf spice.

Saffron farmers in southern Morocco are proud of their protected designation of origin label, guaranteeing a product's origin and uniqueness

Boukhriss said that while authorities hold PDO-labelled producers to a high standard, "the informal market is not subjected to the same controls".

The National Food Safety office told AFP that some "non-conformities" were detected in bulk sales of saffron which had not been properly packaged or labelled.

It advised buyers to only purchase "products labelled and packaged by approved and authorised sellers".

Some say salesmen working to sell saffron outside the PDO-approved collective networks are to blame, while other small growers sell to middlemen to avoid payment delays common to larger groups.Prime minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is looking into ways to cancel a giant 2014 weapons deal with Saudi Arabia

Canada is looking into ways to cancel a giant 2014 weapons deal with Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sunday, as criticism mounts over the kingdom's role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the Riyadh-led war in Yemen.

Trudeau had earlier said that it would be "extremely difficult" to withdraw from the contract, signed by the previous conservative administration, "without Canadians paying exorbitant penalties."

But as evidence emerged of direct Saudi involvement in Khashoggi's murder on October 2, Canada in late November announced sanctions against 17 Saudi nationals linked to killing.

"The murder of a journalist is absolutely unacceptable and that's why Canada from the very beginning had been demanding answers and solutions on that," Trudeau said Sunday in an interview with CTV.

"We inherited actually a (Can)$15 billion contract signed by (former prime minister) Stephen Harper to export light-armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia," he said.

"We are engaged with the export permits to try and see if there is a way of no longer exporting these vehicles to Saudi Arabia," he added.

The penalty for breaking the contract could exceed Can$1 billion, Trudeau said in an interview with CBC Radio in October.

Trudeau has been criticized by political opponents and Human Rights activists for failing to cancel the contract.

- Historic Canadian arms deal -

London, Ontario-based manufacturer General Dynamic Land Systems Canada inked the deal in 2014 to supply 928 LAV 6 armored personnel carriers to Saudi Arabia.

The deal, worth US$11.5 billion, was the largest arms deal in Canadian history.

But the contract was scaled back earlier this year, amid protests, to 742, dropping heavy assault versions equipped with cannons that activists and opposition politicians warned could be used against civilians and to help Riyadh wage war in Yemen.

Khashoggi, a US resident who wrote for The Washington Post and had been a critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was lured to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, killed and dismembered, according to Turkish officials.

After lengthy denials, Saudi authorities admitted responsibility for the murder and said 21 people had been taken into custody. However, a CIA analysis leaked to the US media went further, pointing the finger at the crown prince, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler.

In October, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country would suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the murder.

Relations between Canada and the Saudi kingdom have been in crisis in recent months.

Riyadh expelled Ottawa's ambassador and severed all trade and investment ties in August to protest Canada's rigorous demands that jailed human rights activists be released.The 400 megawatt Lower Sesan 2 hydropower porject cost $780 million and is designed to boost Cambodia's energy supply

Cambodian premier Hun Sen on Monday opened the country's largest hydropower scheme, swatting aside dire warnings about the environmental impact of the $780 million project and its effect on local communities.

Backed by Chinese funding, the impoverished Southeast Asian nation has embarked on a dam-building spree in recent years, as it tries to boost its energy capacity and jump-start its economy.

But the 400 megawatt Lower Sesan 2 is one of several dams criticised by environmentalists for threatening crucial fish stocks along Mekong River waterways.

An estimated 5,000 people -- mostly from marginalised indigenous groups -- have been resettled due to the project, according to activists, while a few hundred remain.

Hun Sen strongly defended the controversial scheme at the official opening in the northeastern province of Stung Treng, saying affected villagers were compensated with houses and land.

"Most people support this development project, but some villagers created a difficult situation due to incitement by some foreigners," he said, adding that the hydropower dam would help reduce electricity costs.

The United Nations has previously raised concerns about the dam while some scientists had joined calls for it to be halted over fears for the region's food supply.

The NGO International Rivers has warned it will have a "costly catastrophic impact on the Mekong River's fisheries and biodiversity".

Maureen Harris, Southeast Asia program director with the group, told AFP the threat is "especially acute in Cambodia", where local people get up to 80 percent of their animal protein intake from freshwater fisheries.

Built along tributaries of the Mekong, The Lower Sesan 2 is a joint venture between Cambodia's Royal Group (39 percent), Chinese state-owned Hydrolancang International Energy (51 percent) and Vietnam-based EVN International (10 percent).

The plant will be handed over to the Cambodian government after 40 years of operation.

Cambodia has also come under fire for allowing companies to clear hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest -- including in protected zones -- for everything from rubber and sugar cane plantations to hydropower dams.

Rights groups say evicted villagers are often given inadequate compensation or forcibly moved in the process.

Southeast Asia's dam-building boom has come under scrutiny after a collapse in neighbouring Laos in September killed dozens.

Following the disaster, which sent floods of water downstream to northeastern Cambodia, Hun Sen called for more cross-border disaster management.Indian police fired tear gas to drive back dozens of Kashmiri protesters led by a key separatist leader who tried to reach an Indian military base

Indian authorities locked down parts of restive Kashmir on Monday as police fired tear gas at protesters defying a curfew to march against the shooting death of seven civilians.

Separatist leaders had urged the public to march on India's military headquarters in the disputed territory, after seven people were killed and dozens wounded in army fire on Saturday.

Authorities took no chances in a region where protests frequently descend into bloodshed, barricading roads to the key army base with razor wire and armoured vehicles.

Businesses and schools across the divided Himalayan territory were closed for a third straight day, with final year school exams delayed

A total curfew was imposed in parts of Srinagar, the main city in Muslim-majority Kashmir, to try and curb any unrest.

Mobile internet services were also suspended in some areas, and train services shut down to prevent protesters from massing in numbers.

"Restrictions are in place in some city areas and in Pulwama," inspector general of police Swayam Prakash Pani told AFP, referring to Srinagar and the southern district where Saturday's shooting occurred.

Police fired tear gas to drive back dozens of protesters led by a key separatist leader who tried to reach the base in central Srinagar.

Yasin Malik, chief of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, was detained by police. Other key separatist leaders were put under house arrest to stop them marshalling other protesters.

Kashmiri separatist leaders had urged the public to march on India's military headquarters in the disputed territory

Businesses and schools across the divided Himalayan territory -- which is administered by India but also claimed in full by Pakistan -- were closed for a third straight day, with final year school exams delayed.

India's army, which has half a million troops deployed in the region, urged the public to ignore the call to protest and blamed Pakistan for stoking unrest.

"Indian Army strongly condemns this call by Pak(istan) proxies and advises people not to fall prey to such designs of anti-national forces," an army spokesman said in a statement issued late Sunday.

India has long accused Pakistan of funding and arming rebels fighting in Kashmir.

Islamabad has denied this, saying it only provides political and diplomatic support to Kashmiris fighting for self-determination.

Saturday's shooting ignited fresh anger across the region, which has witnessed its bloodiest year since 2009 and increasingly violent public opposition to Indian rule.

Popular support for rebels fighting for independence or a merger with Pakistan has grown in recent years and villagers, sometimes in their thousands, swarm the sites of gun battles with government forces to assist insurgents.

The weekend violence also saw three armed rebels and an Indian soldier killed in a shootout.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned Saturday's violence, saying Islamabad would raise the issue at the United Nations.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the two gained freedom from British rule in 1947.

More than 70,000 people -- mostly civilians -- have died since an insurgency against Indian rule began in 1989.Yuan Shanshan, left, Liu Ermin, Wang Qiaoling and Li Wenzu pose shaved their heads to protest the detention of their husbands, detained during the so-caled 709 crackdown

The wife of a detained Chinese lawyer and three supporters shaved their heads on Monday and attempted to submit to a Beijing court a petition protesting her husband's indefinite detention.

The four women went to the Hongsecun People's High Court in south Beijing in a symbolic protest against what they said highlighted the "lawlessness" of the country.

"We can go bald, but the country cannot be lawless," the four women shouted outside the courthouse after they were prevented by police from entering the premises.

The Chinese words for being completely bald and having a state of lawlessness -- "wufa" -- are homonyms.

Their husbands were all targeted during a sweeping crackdown on activists and lawyers on July 9, 2015.

Attorney Wang Quanzhang, who defended political activists and victims of land seizures, disappeared in the sweep aimed at courtroom critics of Communist authorities.

Charged in January 2016 with alleged "subversion of state power", Wang is the only one of over 200 lawyers and activists arrested in the so-called "709 crackdown" who is yet to be tried or released.

"My husband is being detained incommunicado without a proper explanation," his wife Li Wenzu told AFP.

Li Wenzu has her head shaved in protest at the continuing detention her husband Wang Quanzhang, a lawyer who defended political activists and victims of land seizures

"I want answers as to why the authorities aren't following due process. I want to know why they aren't allowing the family's lawyer to visit Wang," she said.

Li said over the past three years she has submitted over 30 freedom of information requests to police, which have been sent back unanswered.

In April, Li attempted to march 100 kilometres (60 miles) to a detention facility in neighbouring Tianjin to highlight her husband's plight before she was thwarted by police.

"I want to urge the Supreme People's Court to perform its supervisory duties and investigate why the second intermediate court in Tianjin that is handling my husband's case is dragging its feet," Li said.

"The court has surpassed the time limit prescribed by law for dealing with such cases," she said.

- Health concerns -

Liu Ermin, wife of rights activist Zhai Yanmin, said she was protesting her husband's torture while in detention.

"His health has deteriorated and we are still under constant surveillance," she said.

The third woman was Yuan Shanshan, wife of lawyer Xie Yanyi.

Xie, who defended practitioners of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement, was released on bail pending trial in January 2017. He has since shed light on the torture of detained lawyers.

Police outside the Hongsecun People's High Court in south Beijing block the entrance as Li Wenzu attempts to submit to a a petition protesting her husband's indefinite detention

Wang Qiaoling, wife of lawyer Li Heping, also joined the protest. Li Heping was given a three-year suspended jail term in April 2017 for subverting state power.

Three years after what activists say was a coordinated attempt to quash China's rights movement, most of those detained are in prison or under house arrest.

Some of them made public confessions and were sentenced in what their families say were either secret or scripted trials.

Some of the cases have attracted international attention.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Li Wenzu during a May visit to Beijing -- a rare show of solidarity from a world leader.Yemeni pro-government forces have been battling to capture the Red Sea port city of Hodeida from Huthi rebels

A ceasefire in Yemen's battleground port city of Hodeida and its surroundings will start on Tuesday, officials say, after renewed fighting threatened the hard-won accord struck in Sweden.

The deal announced on Thursday between Yemen's Saudi-backed government and the Huthi rebels included an "immediate ceasefire" in Hodeida, whose Red Sea port serves as a crucial gateway for humanitarian aid.

A UN official, who requested anonymity, told AFP that the delay to the halt in hostilities until midnight (2100 GMT) on Monday was necessary for "operational reasons".

Yemen's Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani also told state-run television late Sunday that the ceasefire would begin at midnight Monday.

An official in the Saudi-led coalition confirmed the timing to AFP, adding that details on implementing the truce deal "were not clear at the beginning".

The coalition "has no intention of violating the agreement... unless the Huthis violate and dishonour it," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Residents in Hodeida and the surrounding areas have reported fierce fighting and air strikes in recent days, as clashes continued between Saudi-backed government forces and the Iran-aligned Huthis.

Conflict in Yemen

At least 29 fighters, including 22 Huthi rebels, were killed on Saturday night in Hodeida province, a pro-government military source told AFP.

Two Hodeida residents reached by telephone told AFP that they could hear intermittent clashes to the east and south of the city on Monday.

A pro-government military official said that there were sporadic clashes, adding that a fire erupted in one of the factories in the east of the city due to strikes on Sunday night.

- 'Continuous fighting' -

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) voiced alarm about "the continuous fighting" in Hodeida.

The medical aid group said its teams on the ground were treating victims of gunshots, shelling and air strikes, urging warring parties "to respect the presence of civilians and health infrastructures".

UN envoy Martin Griffiths said on Sunday that the UN was working with both sides to ensure the ceasefire accord was "implemented timely and properly".

A Huthi rebel delegation returns to the Yemen capital on December 14, 2019 from peace talks in Sweden

The truce is supposed to be followed by the withdrawal of fighters from Hodeida.

A prisoner swap involving some 15,000 detainees is planned and a "mutual understanding" was reached to facilitate aid deliveries to Yemen's third city Taiz -- under the control of loyalists but besieged by rebels.

The two sides also agreed to meet again in late January for more talks to define the framework for negotiations on a comprehensive peace settlement.

The coalition official told AFP Monday that the agreement stipulated the rebels should withdraw from all ports in Hodeida by midnight on December 31 and that both pro-government forces and Huthis pull out of the city completely by midnight on January 7.

Impoverished Yemen has been mired in fighting between the Huthi rebels and troops loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi since 2014.

The war escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition stepped in on the government's side.

The conflict has since killed nearly 10,000 people, according to the World Health Organization. But some rights groups believe the toll to be far higher.

UN chief Antonio Guterres warned Sunday that "much worse" lay in store for the impoverished country in 2019 unless its warring parties strike a peace deal and head off a humanitarian crisis.

Severe food shortages mean that a high number of Yemenis have been dying in "very dramatic circumstances", Guterres told a news conference in Doha.

Diplomats said Guterres may propose a surveillance mechanism comprising 30 to 40 observers.Violence between farmers and nomadic herders is on the increase in Nigeria over access to fertile land and water

More than 3,600 people have been killed in clashes between farmers and herders in Nigeria since 2016, Amnesty International said on Monday, blaming the government's failure to punish the perpetrators for fuelling the violence.

The international human rights organisation said more than 2,000 were killed in 2018 alone, while the bloodshed had made thousands of other people homeless.

Violence between farmers and nomadic herders is on the increase in Nigeria over access to fertile land and water, which is becoming scarce in the face of drought and rapid population growth.

"The Nigerian authorities' failure to investigate communal clashes and bring perpetrators to justice has fuelled a bloody escalation in the conflict between farmers and herders across the country, resulting in at least 3,641 deaths in the past three years and the displacement of thousands more," Amnesty said in a statement.

It said that of the 310 attacks recorded between January 2016 and October 2018, 57 percent were in 2018 and were most frequent in Adamawa, Benue, Kaduna, Taraba and Plateau.

The rights group also accused Nigerian security forces of not doing enough to stop the killings.

"Security forces are often positioned close to the attacks, which can sometimes last for days, and yet have been slow to act," it said.

In some cases, forces were warned of an imminent raid but did nothing to prevent the killings, looting or burning of homes.

"The Nigerian government has displayed what can only be described as gross incompetence and has failed in its duty to protect the lives of its population," said Osai Ojigho, Nigeria's director of Amnesty International.

"Our research shows that these attacks were well planned and coordinated, with the use of weapons like machine guns and AK-47 rifles," Ojigho said.

"In some places, because of the failures of the security forces, competition over resources is used as a pretext to kill and maim along ethnic or religious lines," she said.

"The conflict has been dangerously politicised by some state government officials who have inflamed tensions by embarking on a blame game along political party lines."

The Nigerian army on Monday rejected the Amnesty report, accusing the global watchdog of "unfounded allegations against the leadership of the Nigerian military".

Army spokesman Sani Usman said in a statement that Nigerians should ignore the report which he said was intended to "destabilise and dismember" the country.

"The Nigerian Army has no option than to call for the closure of Amnesty International offices in Nigeria, if such recklessness continues," he warned.

The farmer-herder violence is putting further pressure on President Muhammadu Buhari, who is battling a nine-year insurgency by the Boko Haram jihadist group in the northeast.

The 76-year-old retired general has come under fire for his inability to end the country's security challenges as he seeks a second term in February elections.

Boko Haram has stepped up attacks on farmers and loggers in recent months, accusing them of passing information about the group to the military.

In the latest attack, four farmers were shot dead as they slept in rice fields in a village outside the Nigerian city of Maiduguri, survivors and local militia said on Monday.

Last month, the insurgents killed nine farmers and abducted 12 others in Mammanti village, near Maiduguri.Low Taek Jho, a Malaysian financier who allegedly masterminded the theft of billions of dollars from the sovereign wealth fund that was used to buy everything from yachts to artwork, was also hit with new charges over the scandal

Malaysia filed criminal charges Monday against Goldman Sachs and two of its former employees over the alleged theft of billions of dollars, heaping fresh pressure on the Wall Street titan over the 1MDB scandal.

Goldman subsidiaries and ex-bankers Tim Leissner and Ng Chong Hwa are accused of misappropriating $2.7 billion, bribing officials and giving false statements in relation to bond issues they arranged for state fund 1MDB.

Allegations that huge sums were looted from the investment vehicle and used to buy everything from yachts to artwork, in a fraud that involved former Malaysian leader Najib Razak, contributed to the last government's shock defeat at May elections.

Both former Goldman employees had already been charged over the scandal in the US last month, with Leissner pleading guilty while Ng was arrested in Malaysia. Low Taek Jho, a fugitive Malaysian financier accused of masterminding the fraud, was also hit with new charges.

The news represented a fresh blow to Goldman, whose corporate culture has come under scrutiny as a steady stream of accusations surrounding its involvement in the controversy have emerged.

"The highest standards are expected of Goldman Sachs," said Malaysian attorney-general Tommy Thomas, as he announced the charges. "They have fallen far short of any standard. In consequence, they have to be held accountable."

Goldman said in a statement the charges were "misdirected", adding: "We will vigorously defend them."

- 'Bribing officials' -

The bank has come under fire for its role in underwriting bonds totalling $6.5 billion on three occasions for 1MDB, for which they earned an eye-watering $600 million in fees.

Thomas said Goldman and its former employees were accused of making false and misleading statements to misappropriate $2.7 billion from the bond issuances, which took place in 2012 and 2013.

Leissner, who worked as Southeast Asia chairman and managing director at Goldman, and Ng, a managing director at the bank, conspired with Jho and others to bribe Malaysian officials to ensure that Goldman was selected to work on the bonds, Thomas said in a statement.

The money earned by Goldman for the work on the bonds was "several times higher than the prevailing market rates and industry norms", the statement said.

Those accused personally benefited by receiving stolen funds and also got large bonuses and improved their career prospects, while false statements were presented to investors suggesting the proceeds of the issuances would be used for legitimate purposes, Thomas said.

Prosecutors would seek fines well in excess of the $2.7 billion allegedly misappropriated from the bond issuances and the $600 million fees as well as long prison terms for the accused, Thomas said.

The charges brought Monday were under Malaysian security laws, for which the maximum jail term is 10 years. As well as Leissner, Ng and Low, Malaysian authorities charged former 1MDB employee Jasmine Loo Ai Swan.

- 'Cheated' the country -

Malaysia's new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who came to power in part on a pledge to investigate the 1MDB scandal, has been taking an increasingly tough line against Goldman and has accused the bank of having "cheated" the country.

A steady stream of negative news concerning the scandal has come out of the US, focusing on the great lengths the bank went to in courting 1MDB.

It emerged last month that former Goldman chief Lloyd Blankfein met with Jho -- commonly known as Jho Low -- at a reception in 2009 hosted by Najib at a hotel in New York.

Since his election defeat, Najib has been arrested and hit with dozens of charges over the scandal and is likely facing a long jail term.

1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) was set up in 2009 with the ostensible aim of developing the economy, with its work overseen by Najib.

But the US Department of Justice, which is seeking to seize back assets in America allegedly bought with stolen 1MDB money, estimates that $4.5 billion was looted from the fund by high-ranking officials and their associates.Madagascar has endured a string of crises under its previous three presidents, two of whom are in the running against each other in the second-round run-off

Madagascar's past three presidents all had their terms tarnished by political crises. Two of them -- Marc Ravalomanana and Andry Rajoelina -- are through to Wednesday's second-round election run-off.

Here is a look back at the turbulent recent history of the Indian Ocean island:

- 2002-2009: Ravalomanana -

Marc Ravalomanana, a milkman-turned-millionaire dairy mogul is declared winner of the presidential election in 2002 after a crisis lasting nearly seven months against outgoing leader Didier Ratsiraka, who disputed the results. Ravalomanana is reelected in 2006.

In 2009, Andry Rajoelina, a baby-faced ex-party planner and media boss who became mayor of the capital Antananarivo, emerges as an opposition leader. He denounces attacks on freedoms under Ravalomanana.

The government had shut down his TV channel in 2008 after it broadcast an interview with ex-president Ratsiraka, exiled since 2002.

Between January 26 and February 7, 2009, protests and clashes between Rajoelina supporters and the presidential guard leave around 100 people dead.

Having lost the support of the army, Ravalomanana resigns in March.

He takes refuge in South Africa and a year later is sentenced in absentia to life in prison and hard labour over protester deaths in 2009.

On returning to Madagascar in 2014, he is arrested but his sentence is lifted and he is freed from house arrest the following year.

- 2009-2014: Rajoelina -

In March 2009, Rajoelina seizes power from Ravalomanana with the backing of the military.

The international community denounces what it deems a coup d'etat and for nearly four years, foreign aid and investment is frozen, driving the island deeper into poverty.

In September 2011, the country's main political factions sign an accord to draw up a roadmap to guide Madagascar to elections.

- 2014-2018: Rajaonarimampianina -

In December 2013 with the support of the outgoing regime, Hery Rajaonarimampianina wins the presidential election, taking over at the start of 2014.

Neither Ravalomanana nor Rajoelina were running against him in the vote, as the international community feared their participation would reignite political turmoil on the island.

But just 16 months later, parliament votes overwhelmingly to dismiss Rajaonarimampianina for alleged constitutional violations and general incompetence.

He challenges the legality of the move and in mid-June the Constitutional Court throws out the impeachment demand.

Protesters hit the streets of Antananarivo again in April 2018 over Rajaonarimampianina's efforts to change electoral laws that opponents say are intended to favour his party.

The courts overturn the proposals but the protests turn into a full-blown movement to oust Rajaonarimampianina.

To avert a breakdown of Madagascar's political system, the Constitutional Court orders the formation of a "consensus" government to stage the polls by the end of the year.

Rajaonarimampianina resigns on September 7, but runs for re-election in the first round of the presidential poll in November. But he defeated, coming a distant third.The Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) welcomed the deal to establish the New Year ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, reached by the Contact Group on Ukrainian settlement.

The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and to the Trilateral Contact Group, Martin Sajdik, and the Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), Ertugrul Apakan, issued a joint statement.

"A meaningful, sustainable and long-lasting ceasefire requires that orders to cease fire are issued, discipline is maintained and the safe and secure access of the OSCE SMM throughout Ukraine is ensured in accordance with its mandate. Promises made to people in eastern Ukraine must be kept," TASS cited Sajdik as saying.

Ambassador Apakan, in his turn, expressed hope that the recommitment would minimize risk to the civilian population.

On December 27, members of the security subgroup of the Contact Group on settling the conflict in eastern Ukraine agreed on a New Year ceasefire. According to a negotiator representing the self-proclaimed Lugansk Peoples Republic, Vladislav Deinego, the ceasefire will begin on December 29.Madagascar's Marc Ravalomanana, seen on the left, started life as a milkman while Andry Rajoelina used to be a party promoter

Madagascar's second-round election on Wednesday pits two former presidents against each other in a long-awaited and bitter battle for power in which their strong personalities dominate over political policies.

- Ravalomanana: milkman-turned-millionaire -

Marc Ravalomanana, 69, was ousted in 2009 and is now looking for revenge at the ballot box.

Born into a peasant family, he once worked as a milkman before going on to form an agriculture and food empire after creating Tiko yoghurt.

He first emerged on the political stage when he became mayor of Antananarivo in 1999.

Self-made businessman Marc Ravalomanana served as mayor of Antananarivo before rising to the presidency

Despite having no party machine behind him, the self-made business tycoon ran for president two years later, defeating the incumbent Didier Ratsiraka and taking over in 2002 following a wave of violent street protests.

He was reelected in 2006 in the first round of voting and secured the cancellation of Madagascar's debt.

While supporters lauded his indefatigable energy, critics accused him of acting like a dictator, with criticism building from the end of 2008.

On February 7, 2009, his presidential guard opened fire on supporters of Andry Rajoelina, Antananarivo's mayor at the time, as they marched on the presidential palace.

Ravalomanana was forced to hand power to the army who subsequently passed the presidential reins to his rival Rajoelina.

He then went into exile, not returning to the Indian Ocean island nation until the election of Hery Rajaonarimampianina in 2014.

Back at the head of his party Tiako I Madagasikara (TIM) -- or "I Love Madagascar" -- Ravalomanana has plotted a careful strategy to regain power and has studiously courted the international donor nations on which the island depends.

Faced with a younger opponent, he has embraced his nickname "Daddy" and styled himself as the experienced "father of the Nation" who knows how to "build a prosperous Madagascar".

"Daddy is back," he told thousands of enthusiastic supporters in the capital.

Asked during the campaign how he would react to a Rajoelina win, Ravalomanana told AFP: "I would accept the results, within limits".

- Rajoelina: return of 'the disc jockey'? -

Andry Rajoelina, 44, had slight lead over Ravalomanana in the first round and has attracted impressive numbers to his rallies, which have featured performance artists and fireworks.

Andry Rajoelina assumed the presidency after his predecessor Ravalomanana was forced to step down in 2009

His policies have attracted ridicule from his rivals, such as a proposal to fit zebu cows with trackers to battle rustling, and a scheme to convert Tamatave port into a "Malagasy Miami".

Rajoelina burst onto the political scene in 2007.

He was previously known for promoting parties in the capital, earning him the nickname "the disc jockey", but he caused an upset when he won the city's mayoral race.

Helped by his own Viva broadcasting channel and strong communications skills, he quickly established himself as the leading voice of opposition to then-president Ravalomanana.

His supporters openly defied the regime with the tacit support of the military, who helped oust Ravalomanana in 2009.

Rajoelina defended his elevation to the presidential palace on the back of a coup d'etat, telling AFP: "It was a popular uprising."

At the time, Rajoelina, who was in his mid-30s, struggled to lead the country out of crisis as its unelected leader.

His rivals also accused him of rampant corruption, greed, and turning a blind eye to the pillage of the country's natural resources, including its precious rosewood forests.

His failings won him the nickname "crayfish" -- a crustacean that walks backwards.

Under international pressure, Rajoelina did not contest the 2013 election and backed his victorious former finance minister Hery Rajaonarimampianina.

The two quickly fell out, and two years ago Rajoelina vowed to win back office at the ballot box.

Rajoelina has been energetic on the campaign trail, bringing a sense of excitement and change to his spectacular rallies.

But his policies have been criticised as unrealistic -- such as fitting zebu cattle with GPS microchips to tackle widespread poaching, and critics have questioned how he funds his lavish campaigning.

"He is inconstant, easily manipulated and only seeks his own advantage," said Monja Roindefo, who served briefly as his prime minister.

But Rajoelina has dismissed his critics and vowed to transform his country.

"The situation is catastrophic in Madagascar, I would like to give people hope and pride," he said.

"I will be a president of the poor people who protects the poor."Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks in the capital Tehrnan on December 8, 2018

Iran President Hassan Rouhani's son-in-law resigned on Monday just two days after his appointment as head of Iran's geological survey sparked accusations of nepotism, official news agency IRNA reported.

Kambiz Mehdizadeh, in his early thirties and reportedly married to Rouhani's daughter in a low-key wedding this August, was appointed to the senior position in the industries and mining ministry on Saturday.

The move sparked criticism on social media and from some lawmakers.

"I thank you for finding me worthy and inviting me to work alongside you in this ministry, but I ask to be relieved of my service so that I can continue my scientific and research activities," Mehdizadeh wrote in a resignation letter, according to IRNA.

Mehdizadeh is a PhD student in petroleum engineering, who has also served as an advisor to Iran's oil ministry, taekwondo federation and national youth organisation, according to the conservative Tasnim news agency.

The minister who appointed him, Reza Rahmani, defended his choice just hours before the resignation, saying Mehdizadeh was "chosen based on his competence and being the president's son-in-law had nothing to do with it," according to IRNA.

Iranians on social media renewed criticism of nepotism that had spread last year with the hashtag "#good-genes" -- a reference to the son of a prominent reformist politician who attributed his business success to inheriting "good genes" from his parents.Google will be opening a large new campus in Manhattan and doubling its New York City workforce to 14,000 over the next decade

Google's parent company Alphabet on Monday said it was investing more than $1 billion to set up a new campus in New York City.

In a blog post, Alphabet and Google CFO Ruth Porat said it would lease large office buildings in Manhattan's West Village neighbourhood which will become the centerpiece of a campus of more than 1.7 million square-feet (160,000 square metres).

The new campus, which should be operational starting in 2020, will be known as Google Hudson Square and "will be the primary location for our New York-based Global Business Organization," Porat wrote.

"New York City continues to be a great source of diverse, world-class talent -- that's what brought Google to the city in 2000 and that's what keeps us here," she said.

Alphabet earlier this year said it was buying the Manhattan Chelsea Market for $2.4 billion, and planned to lease space at Pier 57.

The company currently employs some 7,000 people in New York.

"With these most recent investments in Google Chelsea and Google Hudson Square, we will have the capacity to more than double the number of Googlers in New York over the next 10 years," Porat said.

She said the company's "investment in New York is a huge part of our commitment to grow and invest in US facilities, offices and jobs."

The new site is located close to the Hudson river.

The expansion would make California-based Alphabet one of the city's largest commercial tenants, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The announcement comes after rival Amazon said last month that it was splitting its new headquarters between the Long Island City district in New York and Crystal City, a Virginia community across the Potomac River from the US capital Washington.

It also comes after Apple unveiled plans for a $1 billion campus in Austin, Texas.Palestinians protest against a US decision to cut funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) outside an aid distribution centre in the Gaza Strip on September 4, 2018

The United Nations on Monday urged donor states to give $350 million in aid for Palestinians in 2019, saying it needed more but had to be "realistic" following swathing US cuts.

The UN said the appeal, down from $539 million in 2018, was due to a lack of available donor funds across the globe.

It aims to support 1.4 million Palestinians through more than 200 projects.

The United States has announced it will cut almost all of its aid to Palestinians, having previously provided around $500 million a year through different mechanisms including the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA.

The appeal for funds, called the Humanitarian Response Plan and done in conjunction with Palestinian authorities, received in the past $100 million in US funding.

Jamie McGoldrick, UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said due to a lack of donors the UN had to be more "realistic" when asking for funds.

"We have taken this humanitarian response plan to the most focused and prioritised it could possibly be," he said at the launch of the appeal in the city Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

The majority of the funds will go to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, where two million Palestinians live crammed into a small territory under an Israel blockade, with more than two thirds relying on aid.

With its economy in a free fall and tensions with Israel rising, Gaza is imploding, UN envoy for the Middle East Nickolay Mladenov warned in October.

Last year the UN appeal received only $220 million of the funds requested.

Areas that have seen major decreases in funding include water, food security and shelter, UN officials said.The latest election-linked clashes took place in Tshikapa, a city in DR Congo's restive central Kasai region

At least one person was killed and over 80 injured in weekend clashes between supporters of rival candidates just days ahead of DR Congo's crucial presidential election, sources said Monday.

The country is on edge ahead of the December 23 vote to replace President Joseph Kabila, who has ruled the resource-rich nation since 2001.

Unrest erupted in Tshikapa, a city in the restive central Kasai region, on Sunday when the planes of two rival candidates -- opposition heavyweight Felix Tshisekedi and former education minister Maker Mwangu -- landed at the airport just a few hours apart.

Sources with observers at the scene said at least one person had been killed and around 20 arrested.

But others in the region said the toll could be higher.

"A young local chief who was among Maker Mwangu's supporters was attacked with stones," Faustin Dostin Luange of the local community radio station told AFP.

The man was rushed to hospital but later died of his injuries, he said.

The attack prompted a furious reaction from other Mwangu supporters, who then attacked a motorcycle driver "whom they took for an activist of (Tshisekedi's) party and beat him to death", he said.

"I have seen two bodies but the toll could rise." Other sources also spoke of two dead, and although the police confirmed the unrest, they did not give a toll.

Authorities are on alert for a resurgence of communal conflict in the wider Kasai region, which descended into violence in summer 2016 after troops shot dead the Kamwina Nsapu, a local tribal chief from the Luba ethnic group who opposed Kinshasa.

Rebels fighting in his name have since battled Congolese troops as well as a pro-government militia called the Bana Mura.

Around 3,000 people were killed in less than a year of unrest.Google, whose New York office in Chelsea is seen here, will be doubling the size of its workforce in the city to some 14,000 with a new $1 billion invesment

Google became the latest US tech giant to announce a major expansion plan, unveiling a $1 billion investment Monday to create a new campus that could double its New York City workforce to 14,000.

The move by Google comes following Amazon's announcement of new headquarters sites in New York and suburban Washington DC worth some $5 billion, and Apple's $1 billion expansion to Texas and other areas.

Google parent Alphabet's chief financial officer Ruth Porat said it would lease large office buildings in lower Manhattan, which will become the centerpiece of a campus of more than 1.7 million square feet (160,000 square meters).

The new campus, which should be operational starting in 2020, will be known as Google Hudson Square and "will be the primary location for our New York-based Global Business Organization," Porat wrote in a blog post.

"New York City continues to be a great source of diverse, world-class talent -- that's what brought Google to the city in 2000 and that's what keeps us here," she said.

Alphabet earlier this year said it was buying the Manhattan Chelsea Market for $2.4 billion, and planned to lease space at Pier 57 on the Hudson river. The company currently employs some 7,000 people in New York.

"With these most recent investments in Google Chelsea and Google Hudson Square, we will have the capacity to more than double the number of Googlers in New York over the next 10 years," Porat said.

She said the company's "investment in New York is a huge part of our commitment to grow and invest in US facilities, offices and jobs."

The new site is a former industrial area adjacent to the Greenwich Village and Soho districts.

The expansion would make California-based Alphabet one of the city's largest commercial tenants, The Wall Street Journal reported.

- Finding new workers -

Google is seeking to expand its headquarters campus in Mountain View, California, even as it grows outside Silicon Valley

Alphabet, Amazon and Apple are three of the world's most valuable corporations and have been outgrowing their home bases even with new headquarters building.

Google this month released an updated plan for expanding its Mountain View, California, headquarters to create a new village-type campus with more than 6,000 new homes, some of which would be available to low-income residents.

Both Google and Apple handled their expansion plans quietly, while Amazon asked for municipalities across North American for proposals, prompting critics to call it a "Hunger Games" contest.

All three companies have been struggling to attract workers with technology skills, and that appears to have been a key factor in the three expansion moves.

The massive growth in the tech sector has however passed over much of America's industrial heartland, creating economic and social rifts.

Porat said the latest investment "is a huge part of our commitment to grow and invest in US facilities, offices and job," and added that "we're growing faster outside the (San Francisco) Bay Area than within it, and this year opened new offices and data centers in locations like Detroit, Boulder, Los Angeles, Tennessee and Alabama."Italian fashion designer Miuccia Prada's company is in hot water over products seen as perpetuating racist stereotypes

Italian fashion label Prada has said it will set up an advisory council on diversity issues after being forced to pull monkey-like keychain figurines from its shelves over accusations of racism.

The so-called "Pradamalia" creatures -- featured prominently in the window display of its Soho store in New York -- sparked outrage for their exaggerated red lips that brought blackface caricatures to mind.

"We would like to convey our deep regret and sincere apologies for the Pradamalia products that were offensive. They have been removed from the market and will not be sold," Prada said in a statement released Sunday on Twitter.

"Going forward, we pledge to improve our diversity training and will immediately form an advisory council to guide our efforts on diversity, inclusion and culture," the label said.

"We will learn from this and do better."

The problematic custom of blackface dates back to about 1830, and so-called "minstrel shows," when white performers caked their faces in greasepaint or shoe polish and drew on exaggerated lips in a caricature of blacks.

The stereotypes portrayed -- that blacks were somehow inferior, ignorant, lazy and even animalistic -- cemented racist attitudes for decades. Some of those images still exist today.

The problem for Prada began with its Soho store display -- one lawyer who passed by the store slammed the figurines as racist in a Facebook post, posting several photos of the controversial objects.

At first, the company defended itself, saying its "Pradamalia" were "fantasy charms composed of elements of the Prada oeuvre," and adding: "They are imaginary creatures not intended to have any reference to the real world and certainly not blackface."

But when some consumers called for a boycott of the label, Prada went farther in its apology.

"The resemblance of the products to blackface was by no means intentional, but we recognize that this does not excuse the damage they have caused," it said Sunday, adding that it would probe how the problematic product reached the market in the first place.

Prada also said it would donate any proceeds from Pradamalia already sold to a "New York-based organization committed to fighting racial justice, which is a value that we strongly believe in."

Prada is hardly the first company to get tripped up on issues of race and racist imagery.

Dolce and Gabbana was forced to apologize to Chinese customers last month after it posted short clips on Instagram showing a Chinese woman eating pizza, spaghetti and a cannoli with chopsticks that some deemed culturally insensitive.

It escalated when Stefano Gabbana allegedly used poop emojis to describe China and hurled insults at the country and its people.

In the United States, television news personality Megyn Kelly lost her morning talk show in October after questioning on air if blackface was always problematic.Around 150 people have been rescued from a hospital fire in Mumbai and at least six have died

At least six people were killed and more than 100 injured when a fire engulfed a hospital in Mumbai on Monday, officials said, in the latest disaster to raise concerns about fire safety in India.

The blaze broke out around 4:00 pm (1130 GMT) on the fourth floor of the government-run ESIC Kamgar hospital in the northern suburb of Andheri.

Six people died, according to a statement released by the civic authority's disaster management cell. Around 150 patients, doctors and nurses were rescued.

"They were rescued from different floors by firemen using ladders," a disaster management official told the Press Trust of India news agency, adding that they were then taken to other hospitals for treatment.

He added that the cause of the fire was not yet known.

Accidental fires are common across India because of poor safety standards and lax enforcement of regulations. They are particularly common in densely populated Mumbai, India's financial capital.

In December last year at least 14 people were killed when a huge blaze tore through a popular restaurant in the city.

Earlier that month a fire swept through a Mumbai sweet shop, sparking a building collapse which killed 12 sleeping workers.Eastern DRC has been a theatre of ethnic violence for 20 years

Two Congolese soldiers were killed in clashes with Rwandan pro-Hutu rebels after two of their leaders were arrested in an eastern frontier region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a military spokesman said Monday.

The Congolese army has battled militants from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) since Sunday at the foot of the Mikeno volcano near the Rwandan border, according to Guillaume Djike, the army spokesman for Goma in the troubled region of North Kivu.

"We deplore the deaths of two soldiers," he said.

"On Saturday, two important FLDR individuals were arrested by military intelligence services some 100 kilometres (60 miles) northeast of Goma," he said. "Every member of the FDLR must be repatriated to Rwanda and they will be."

The arrest had been announced on Twitter by the Rwandan state minister for foreign affairs, Olivier Nduhungirehe, who described the FLDR as a "genocidal and subversive movement operating in the east of the DRC".

The FDLR includes several leaders who took part in the 1994 Rwanda genocide, in which hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tutsis were slaughtered by the Hutu majority government. The group was a group set up in 2000 to oppose Rwanda's post-genocide leader, Paul Kagame.

Kagame on Friday said that at least two Rwandan soldiers had been killed in a December 9 attack blamed on FLDR fighters who had crossed the border from the DR Congo.

Eastern DRC has been a theatre of ethnic violence for 20 years, fuelled in part by the desire to control valuable mineral resources and farmland.

In a separate incident the World Food Programme said that one of its drivers had been shot and killed in the same area of North Kivu.A Somali soldier patrols next to the burnt-out wreckage of a car that was used by suspected Al-Shabab fighters, which increasingly have been targeted by the US military

The US military said Monday it has killed 62 militants from the jihadist Shabaab movement in six air strikes in Somalia.

Four strikes on Saturday killed 34 militants and another two on Sunday killed 28, the US Africa Command said in a statement.

The air attacks, in a coastal region south of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, were the deadliest in the country since November last year when the US said it had killed 100 militants.

The strikes were conducted with "our Somali partners to prevent terrorists from using remote areas as safe havens to plot, direct, inspire and recruit for future attacks," Pentagon spokesman Colonel Rob Manning said, noting that no civilians had been killed or injured.

The action brings to 45 the number of strikes the Pentagon has conducted against Shabaab so far in 2018, Manning said.

Last year, the figure was 35. Manning attributed the increase to operations becoming more "efficient."

"We're getting better. And because we're getting better we're able to ... find, fix and eliminate those terrorist organizations," Manning said.

The surge in US operations in Somalia came after President Donald Trump in March 2017 loosened the constraints on the US military to take actions against alleged terrorists when they judge it is needed, without seeking specific White House approval.

American forces are partnering with African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali national security forces in counterterrorism operations, and have conducted frequent raids and drone strikes on Shabaab training camps throughout Somalia.

As of August, the Pentagon assesses there to be between 3,000 and 7,000 Shabaab fighters and 70 to 250 Islamic State Somalia fighters in the Horn of Africa nation.The key issue of the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenias acting prime minister Nikol Pashinyan - the gas discount issue - wasn't decided, a the sides made no final decision.

"Our talks concerned the strategy of our further relations. I would like to stress that we have total understanding on the matter. This meeting was to sum up the results of our previous conversations. The talks were held in a very positive atmosphere," Pashinyan said in a live broadcast on his Facebook page.

"Armenia and Russia have special relations, which are of strategic nature," TASS cited Pashinyan as saying.

The Armenian PM said after his visit to Moscow that he hoped to eventually reach consensus with Moscow on the price of Russian gas.

"I would like to inform that no final decision has been made regarding the price for Russian gas. Nevertheless, Im optimistic and I hope that we achieve the intended result, or, at least, avoid the negative scenario," Pashinyan said, adding that the issue of gas remains "very sensitive for bilateral relations."

In early 2016, Armenia asked Russia to reduce the gas price from $165 to $150 per 1,000 cubic meters. This year, Armenia purchased Russian gas at this price, but charged consumers nearly twice as much - $290 per 1,000 cubic meters.Turkish cleric and opponent to the Erdogan regime Fethullah Gulen at his residence in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania

Two partners of President Donald Trump's former national security advisor Michael Flynn were indicted Monday over an Ankara-backed scheme to remove Turkish dissident cleric Fethullah Gulen from the United States.

The Justice Department charged Bijan Rafiekian, aka Bijan Kian, 66, of San Juan Capistrano, California, and Kamil Ekim Alptekin, 41, of Istanbul, with acting as unregistered agents of the Turkish government and lying to the FBI over the 2016 scheme.

According to the indictment, Rafiekian and Alptekin made arrangements for the Flynn Intel Group to be indirectly paid $600,000 by the Turkish government to help turn US public and political sentiment against exiled Gulen.

The plan was developed at the height of the 2016 election campaign when Flynn was advising then-candidate Trump on foreign and security policy.

The goal, the Justice Department said, was to obtain Gulen's extradition back to Turkey, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had accused him of orchestrating the July 2016 coup attempt.

The deal with Flynn was approved at top levels of the Turkish government, the indictment said, with Alptekin keeping senior ministers apprised of its progress.

The indictment came one day ahead of the planned sentencing of Flynn, who was arrested last year over his secret dealings with Russian officials and Turkey.

Flynn admitted one count of lying to the FBI in a plea deal which led to him providing "substantial" information to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia meddling in the 2016 election.

Flynn's work with the Turks has been known since last year, when the Wall Street Journal reported that he, Rafiekian and Alptekin met Erdogan's son-in-law Berat Albayrak and Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in New York in September 2016.

At that meeting they discussed physically removing Gulen from his Pennsylvania home to Turkey without a legal extradition order.

The Journal cited former CIA director James Woolsey, who attended the same meeting and later told reporters he found the idea possibly illegal.

At the time the administration of president Barack Obama had not approved Ankara's extradition request for Gulen, and the Trump administration has also demurred on the issue.

"It's not under consideration," Trump told reporters on November 17.

But on Sunday, according to media reports, Cavusoglu said Trump recently told Erdogan that the White House is working on extraditing Gulen.Rescuers raced to the scene after the December 13 crash which left nine people dead and dozens injured, prompting President Erdogan to vow to hold those responsible to account

A Turkish court on Monday placed three railway workers in pre-trial detention after they were accused of negligence leading to last week's fatal rail crash in Ankara.

Nine people were killed and almost 90 injured after a high-speed train crashed into a locomotive.

Those detained -- a signalman, a switchman and a controller working for the state railway authority -- face charges of reckless manslaughter and causing injury, the Anadolu state news agency reported.

Following the accident Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed those responsible would be held to account.

Ankara Governor Vasip Sahin said the accident happened after the early morning high-speed train with some 200 people aboard and travelling to the central province of Konya hit a locomotive checking rails on the same route.

Turkey has in recent years sought to modernise its railways network following a string of fatal accidents.

July saw 24 people killed when passenger train left the track in northwestern Turkey.New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says he hopes to see the recreational use of marijuana legalized in his state in 2019

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday called for the legalization of recreational marijuana use in his state -- a move that would add America's most populous city to the growing list of places that allow the drug's use.

The announcement marked a shift for the Democrat, who was re-elected for a third term as governor of a state that is home to about 20 million people.

'Let's legalize the adult use of recreational marijuana, once and for all,' Cuomo said in a speech at Hunter College in Manhattan about his priorities for 2019.

Cuomo had long opposed the legalization of marijuana, but during his re-election campaign earlier this year, when he faced competition from the left in the form of actress Cynthia Nixon, he said he was open to the possibility.

On Monday, he listed the arguments for decriminalizing marijuana use that Nixon had made. At the time, she said the only people still being arrested for smoking a joint in New York were minorities.

'The fact is we have had two criminal justice systems -- one for the wealthy and the well off, and one for everyone else,' Cuomo said, decrying a system he said had 'for too long targeted the African-American and minority communities.'

New York state includes New York City, which is the most populous American city with some 8.5 million residents.

If the state were to legalize recreational marijuana use in 2019, it would be a boost to supporters of legalization nationwide.

Canada, which borders New York, in October became the world's first major economy to fully legalize cannabis.

Since Colorado decriminalized recreational pot use in 2014, nine other states and the federal capital Washington, DC have followed suit.

Those states are Alaska, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.

In November, Massachusetts became the first East Coast state to open pot shops for those over the age of 21. In New Jersey, another neighbor of New York, lawmakers are expected to move towards legalization in 2019.

Most other states allow for limited use of medical marijuana.

It remains outlawed under federal regulations.Washington confirmed meetings were ongoing in Abu Dhabi and that its envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was in the region

Talks aimed at ending the Afghan conflict were held Monday in the United Arab Emirates, the Pakistan government said, with US and Taliban representatives believed to be in attendance.

Washington confirmed meetings were ongoing in Abu Dhabi "to promote an intra-Afghan dialogue toward ending the conflict", and that its envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was in the region.

Khalilzad "has in the past met, and will continue to meet with all interested parties, including the Taliban, to support a negotiated settlement to the conflict," it continued.

It did not confirm that Khalilzad or any other US officials had met with the Taliban on Monday, and the tweet by the Pakistani foreign ministry said only that talks were being held, without specifying who attended them.

However in a statement late Sunday the Taliban announced "another meeting" between the militants and the US would be held in the UAE on Monday.

They issued another statement Monday repeating their long-standing refusal to meet with representatives of the government in Kabul and insisting they will only speak with US officials.

Khalilzad has made several trips to the region since his appointment in September. On this trip the State Department said he is also visiting Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Qatar, and Belgium, where he tweeted that he had met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

The meetings are the latest in a flurry of diplomatic efforts aimed at bringing the Taliban to the table for negotiations with the Afghan government on ending the conflict which began with the US invasion in 2001.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced in late November the establishment of a 12-person negotiating team to talk peace with the Taliban.

The militants have consistently refused to meet with the Kabul government, however, and civilians continue to pay a disproportionate price in Afghanistan as attacks continue.

The international community remains optimistic.

"The possibility of a negotiated end to the conflict has never been more real in the past 17 years than it is now," the head of the UN mission in Afghanistan, Tadamichi Yamamoto, told the UN Security Council in New York on Monday.Catriona Gray of the Philippines finished first in the glittering televised event

Miss Philippines was crowned Miss Universe on Monday in Bangkok after a trailblazing ceremony praised for featuring its first transgender candidate but marred by gaffes about the English-speaking ability of two Asian contestants.

Catriona Gray, 24, finished first ahead of the South African and Venezuelan finalists in the glittering televised event hosted by American comic turned TV host Steve Harvey and supermodel Ashley Graham.

In the final round, Gray earned applause describing her work in the slums of the Philippine capital Manila.

After winning she told reporters she would like to expand her work with an organisation in the Philippines that promotes education on HIV and AIDS.

"A few years ago I lost a close friend to health complications with HIV," she said.

"So spreading awareness on that cause and encouraging people to get the simple test and knowing their status is definitely one of my first projects that I'd like to pursue."

Gray -- a student of music theory -- beat more than 90 contestants from around the globe in the 67th instalment of Miss Universe, which was held in the Thai capital's Impact Arena.

Catriona Gray beat out more than 90 contestants from around the globe in the 67th instalment of Miss Universe

During the competition, which was broadcast live, candidates were asked questions on press freedom, legalisation of marijuana, refugees and the #MeToo movement.

This year's event drew positive feedback for themes of inclusivity and an all-women panel of judges made up of business leaders and former Miss Universe titleholders.

Miss Spain's Angela Ponce made history as the first transgender candidate in a competition once owned by President Donald Trump, whose administration has attempted to block military recruitment of transgender people.

"I always say: having a vagina didn't transform me into a woman. I am a woman, already before birth, because my identity is here," Ponce told AFP on Saturday, gesturing to her head.

Miss Spain's Angela Ponce made history as the first transgender candidate in the Miss Universe competition

She added she wanted her appearance to be empowering and that she hoped for a "new generation of human beings who are raised a lot better, more tolerant and respectful."

But issues of tolerance and respect came centre stage during the competition when Miss USA Sarah Rose Summers appeared to poke fun at Miss Vietnam and Miss Cambodia on social media for not being able to speak English.

The comments went viral but Summers later posted an apology on Instagram, saying she did not "intend to hurt" her fellow competitors.

Gray's victory was closely followed in the Philippines, where beauty pageants are hugely popular.

Social media exploded with clips of fans jumping for joy and hugging each other as the Filipina contestant went through each successive round and eventually won.

A spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte in a statement praised Gray's win for putting the Philippines on the world map "for its beauty and elegance".Malawi's Vice President Saulos Chilima was handpicked by President Peter Mutharika to run alongside him in the 2014 elections

Malawi Vice President Saulos Chilima was elected head of the United Transformation Movement (UTM) party on Monday, paving way for him to challenge President Peter Mutharika in May elections.

Chilima was handpicked by Mutharika to run alongside him in the 2014 elections on the Democratic People's Party (DPP) ticket.

But Chilima quit the DPP in June to form the UTM, citing corruption, nepotism and cronyism in the ruling party.

About 900 delegates gathered in Lilongwe for the UTM's first convention since the party was founded five months ago.

"We cannot continue in the 'business-as-usual' manner in which our country has been run," Chilima said after being elected unopposed.

"Our calling is a call to service and to reclaim Malawi."

Under the constitution, the vice president cannot be sacked by the president.

Chilima, 45, is seen as a young challenger to Mutharika, 79, who won the election in 2014, two years after his brother, Bingu wa Mutharika, died while serving as president.

Chilima's chances of launching a serious challenge to Mutharika remain uncertain.

Food shortages, power outages and ballooning external debt have hurt the president's popularity.

"Chilima could be a dark horse as people are increasingly disturbed by the the current government," said Switzerland-based political analyst Onjezani Kenani.

Joyce Banda, 69, is back in the country after a four-year absence, hoping to reclaim the presidency that she held between 2012 and 2014.

Malawi is one of the world's most aid-dependent countries and its economy is mainly based on subsistence farming.A spokesman for President Muhammadu Buhari said Nigeria is "concerned" about Amnesty International's activities

Nigeria is "concerned" about Amnesty International's activities, a spokesman for President Muhammadu Buhari said Monday, just days after the government briefly banned UNICEF over claims it was training "spies" sympathetic to Boko Haram.

"The federal government is increasingly concerned about the role that Amnesty International is playing in the war against terror in Nigeria," Garba Shehu said in a statement.

"The organisation's operations in Nigeria seem geared towards damaging the morale of the Nigerian military," he said.

"It often appears as if the Nigerian government is fighting two wars on terror: against Boko Haram and against Amnesty International."

The statement comes on the same day that the Nigerian military threatened the "closure" of the global rights watchdog in a statement posted on Facebook.

Army public relations director Brigadier General Sani Usman said Amnesty was "determined to destabilise" Nigeria through the "fabrication of fictitious allegations of alleged human rights abuses" and "clandestine sponsorship of dissident groups to protest."

The military has in the past been critical of international organisations operating in the country and has hit out at organisations reporting that it committed rights violations and war crimes during its fight against Boko Haram.

The bloody Islamist uprising in northeastern Nigeria began in 2009 and has spread to neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger, killing at least 27,000 people and leaving millions dependent on aid for survival.

On Friday the military banned UNICEF from operating in the country over claims it was training "spies" who support Boko Haram.

It retracted the ban within hours following an "intervention by well meaning and concerned Nigerians," according to an army spokesman.

President Buhari, who came to power in 2015 pledging to end the violence, is under increasing pressure to act as he gears up to seek re-election in a February ballot.

The 76-year-old former army general has come under attack for previously claiming the jihadists were "technically defeated".Ethiopian Airlines will fly three times a week to the Russian capital

Ethiopian Airlines on Monday resumed flights to Moscow after a gap of 27 years stretching back to the demise of the Soviet Union, which saw relations with Moscow dive.

"Moscow is a vital addition to our European service, a very important region. It's going to take our total number of weekly flights to European destinations to reach 54 passenger flights a week," said the carrier's executive director Tewolde Gebremariam as the first flight took off from Addis Ababa.

Russian ambassador to Ethiopia Vsevolod I. Tkachenko welcomed the move.

"Im happy Ethiopian Airlines made a bold decision to re-start such flights because it will not only provide passenger flow, but also connect Russians with Ethiopian Airlines air services' global network" he told AFP.

The carrier will fly three times a week to the Russian capital.

Ethiopian Airlines which is 100 percent state-owned, is Africa's largest carrier.

Addis Ababa airport has recently undergone a large-scale revamp as a major continental aviation hub in a country run until 1991 by a communist military junta -- a regime which received substantial Soviet support in the 1970s and 80s.

Earlier this year saw a wing of a new $345 million passenger terminal at the airport, which is one of Africa's busiest.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, ties between the two nations slid. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Ethiopia last March and cooperation in several sectors, nuclear power included, have been discussed.Burlington Bishop Christopher Coyne (L) and Indiana Bishop Timothy Doherty, chair of the committee for the Protection of Children and Young People, at November's US Conference of Catholic Bishops which took place amid fallout from pedophile priests scandal

Jesuit authorities for 20 US states on Monday released the names of 89 priests with credible allegations of child sexual abuse dating as far back as 1950.

The disclosures by the Jesuit provinces of Maryland and USA Midwest are the latest chapter in the ongoing sexual abuse scandal roiling the Catholic Church and come after 153 Jesuits were publicly identified by two other provinces earlier this month.

Maryland released 24 names with allegations dating back to 1950 and USA Midwest released 65 names dating back to 1955. Many of the individuals are deceased, and some were previously publicly known to be accused of sexual assault.

"On behalf of the Midwest Jesuits, I apologize to victim-survivors and their families for the harm and suffering you have endured. Many of you have suffered in silence for decades," Brian Paulson, head of the province headquartered in Chicago, said in an open letter.

Jesuits are the largest male religious order in the Catholic Church, with some 16,000 members worldwide. They operate 30 colleges and 81 schools in the United States and Canada.

The names made public Monday included dozens of priests with multiple allegations of abuse who served in educational institutions.

The priest with the most recent allegations was Donald McGuire who died in federal prison in 2017 while serving a 25-year sentence. His was among the names that had been previously publicized.

Numerous men have accused McGuire of molesting them when they were boys. The first allegations dated to the 1950s, when he worked at a Jesuit private high school in Chicago, and went as late as 2005.

"Most of the Jesuits on our list entered religious life from the 1930's through the early 1960's. In retrospect, our evaluation of candidates, as well as the training, formation, and supervision of Jesuits was not adequate," Paulson said.

Paulson added that the organization had learned from its mistakes, and has improved training for Jesuits and was holding them accountable if abuse allegations are made.

The latest revelations came as religious orders -- which do not fall under the same church hierarchy as diocese -- are starting to face similar scrutiny as the rest of the Catholic Church and embarking on efforts at transparency.

Earlier this month, provinces overseeing Jesuits in more than 20 western, southern and central US states released lists of 153 members accused of child sexual abuse.The United States says it is no longer seeking to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad

The United States said Monday it was no longer seeking to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad but renewed warnings it would not fund reconstruction unless the regime is "fundamentally different."

James Jeffrey, the US special representative in Syria, said that Assad needed to compromise as he had not yet won the brutal seven-year civil war, estimating that some 100,000 armed opposition fighters remained in Syria.

"We want to see a regime that is fundamentally different. It's not regime change -- we're not trying to get rid of Assad," Jeffrey said at the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank.

Estimating that Syria would need $300-400 billion to rebuild, Jeffrey warned that Western powers and international financial institutions would not commit funds without a change of course.

"There is a strong readiness on the part of Western nations not to ante up money for that disaster unless we have some kind of idea that the government is ready to compromise and thus not create yet another horror in the years ahead," he said.

Former president Barack Obama had called for Assad to go, although he doubted the wisdom of a robust US intervention in the complex Syrian war and kept a narrow military goal of defeating the Islamic State extremist group.

President Donald Trump's administration has acknowledged, if rarely so explicitly, that Assad is likely to stay.

But Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned in October that the United States would not provide "one single dollar" for Syria's reconstruction if Iran stays.

Jeffrey also called for the ouster of Iranian forces, whose presence is strongly opposed by neighboring Israel, although he said the United States accepted that Tehran would maintain some diplomatic role in the country.

Jeffrey also said that the United States wanted a Syria that does not wage chemical weapons attacks or torture its own citizens.

He acknowledged, however, that the United States may not find an ally anytime soon in Syria, saying: "It doesn't have to be a regime that we Americans would embrace as, say, qualifying to join the European Union if the European Union would take Middle Eastern countries."Russia has finished building a high-tech security fence along Crimea's border with Ukraine, the press service of the Federal Security Services (FSB) Border Service for Russias Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol reported.

The border structure consists of several types of barricades with a length of more than 60 km and several hundred various types of sensors, both hidden and out in the open, as well as equipped with video surveillance systems, including imaging IR equipment.

One of the systems is based on vibration sensors. They go off when an intruder approaches the fence and transmit information through the linear part of the barrier to the duty officer in the form of an audible warning with a graphic display of the number of the alarm section. It is also possible to determine the direction in which the state border violator is moving. The second system is based on radioray sensors. A night-vision security camera activates when an intruder trespasses into the detection zone, turning on a video feed and an alarm signal for the duty officer, followed by audible warning and a display of the sections number and video, TASS reported.

The border service explained that the use of these systems on the Crimean part of the border is necessary due to various threats, such as attempts by groups of saboteurs from the neighboring state to infiltrate Crimean territory. In addition, the barrier seeks to deter attempts to organize the illegal trafficking of weapons, munitions, goods, cargoes, tobacco and alcohol products, fuel and lubricant materials, drugs and psychotropic substances. This fence also seek to thwart breaches of the state border and its regime on the part of Ukrainian citizens for utility purposes. Similar systems for state border protection are successfully used in Russias northern and Far Eastern areas, as well as in other highly volatile areas on Russias borders.

Deputy director of the Institute of the CIS Vladimir Zharikhin, speaking with Vestnik Kavkaza, explained that Crimea citizens will feel a lot safer thanks to the new security system.

"This is not about introducing a tighter regime for citizens of Ukraine crossing the border. It was made to stop unsanctioned border crossing by terrorist groups and those involved in speculations. Therefore, for the peninsula citizens' life will be safer. And if the Ukrainian authorities do not take any actions, nothing will change for the citizens of Ukraine, the expert said.

The deputy dean of the Faculty of Global Economics and International Affairs of the Higher School of Economics of the National Research University, Andrei Suzdaltsev, in turn, stressed that the Russian side was forced to build this border fence. "It will not affect the situation on the peninsula, because the main communication, as well as electricity, food and water supplies from Ukraine has been cut off," he explained.

According to the expert, some associate the Crimean wall with the wall, which is being build between America and Mexico by U.S. President Donald Trump, but this is a regulatory issue. "Strengthening the border is expensive: the cost of one kilometer of the fence with all the equipment may reach $1 million. It is expensive and not always necessary. In this case, the neighboring state officially declared Russia an enemy at the level of the law, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada. Ukrainian officials constantly declare their readiness to use weapons against Russia, speaking of war, dream about taking back Crimea, or hitting the Crimean Bridge with missiles, or even attacking Central Russia. Of course, theres still a long way from words to deeds for them. But there is a moment of political propaganda and attempts to draw other countries into conflict with Kiev, including the United States and NATO. And with such a threat we are supposed to defend our territory," Andrei Suzdaltsev said.

"In addition, we demonstrate concern for security and our sovereignty. Therefore, we do the right thing. But there will be no negative consequences for the Crimean population," he assured.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem on December 23, 2018

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to head Thursday on the first trip by an Israeli premier to Brazil, where he will attend the inauguration of incoming president Jair Bolsonaro.

Netanyahu will also hold talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the sidelines of the January 1 inauguration in Brasilia, an Israeli official told AFP.

Netanyahu is due to meet Bolsonaro on Friday afternoon in Rio de Janeiro, the official said on condition of anonymity.

"This visit to the biggest country in Latin America will strengthen trade and economic ties between the two countries," Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

He will also hold talks with the presidents of Chile and Honduras while there, among other officials, and meet with members of the Jewish community and a pro-Israel Christian group.

He will fly back after the inauguration in the early hours of January 2, the official said.

Bolsonaro has said he wants to follow in the footsteps of United States President Donald Trump and move his country's Israel embassy to Jerusalem.

Netanyahu welcomed the announcement and called it "historic" -- though Bolsonaro later backtracked by saying "it hasn't been decided yet".

Doing so would please his evangelical Christian support base, but would run the risk of provoking commercial retaliation from Arab states, some of which are major importers of Brazilian meat.

Trump's move broke with decades of precedent that the status of the disputed city should be negotiated between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Netanyahu's meeting with Pompeo is sure to include discussions on Syria following Trump's decision to withdraw the 2,000 US troops there.

Israel is concerned that its main enemy Iran will have a freer hand in the neighbouring country following the withdrawal.

Iran is supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime in his country's civil war, and Netanyahu has pledged to stop Tehran from entrenching itself militarily next door.

Netanyahu, who also serves as foreign minister, last year made the first trip by a sitting Israeli prime minister to Latin America, visiting Argentina, Colombia and Mexico.

He has sought to expand Israel's diplomatic reach through technology and defence exports, and has worked to persuade more countries to vote in his country's favour at the United Nations, where it faces frequent criticism over its treatment of the Palestinians.

The Brazil trip comes at a sensitive time domestically for Netanyahu after Israel's parliament on Wednesday approved his government's decision to call early elections for April 9.

He is looking to extend his long reign at the top of Israeli politics, but a slew of corruption investigations have cast a cloud over his future.Members of the People's Protection Units (YPG) attend the funeral of fellow Kurdish fighters who were killed in combat against Islamic State (IS) group in Deir Ezzor, on March 3, 2018, in Qamishli

Turkey on Friday said a Syrian Kurdish militia "does not have the right" to appeal to Damascus for help to counter a threatened Turkish offensive in the north.

The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia "controlling the area with arms does not have the right or power to make a statement or invite other elements on behalf of the local population," the defence ministry said.

"We warn all sides to stay away from provocative actions and making statements that will bring further instability to the region," the ministry said in a statement.

Syrian regime forces on Friday entered the strategic northern city of Manbij, held by the YPG since recapturing the area from the Islamic State jihadist group in 2016.

The militia had said it invited regime troops "to assert control over the areas our forces have withdrawn from, particularly in Manbij, and to protect these areas against a Turkish invasion".

But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul that there was "nothing certain there" in Manbij after he had discussions with intelligence officials.

He dismissed the regime's actions as an attempt to use "psychological" warfare.

Ankara says the YPG is a "terrorist offshoot" of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.

Turkey and its Western allies have blacklisted the PKK as a terror group.

But the YPG has been trained by the United States to spearhead the fight against IS.

American ground forces are in Manbij but the situation changed dramatically after US President Donald Trump announced he would pull out all 2,000 US troops.

After the shock decision, Turkey said it would launch a military operation in the coming months against the YPG and IS.

The Turkish armed forces have been reinforcing the border with Syria since last weekend.

Turkey has twice launched offensives in northern Syria against IS and the YPG.

A Turkish delegation comprising the foreign and defence ministers will go to Moscow on Saturday to discuss the US withdrawal as well as the latest developments in Manbij.

Erdogan said after the delegation's visit he could have a face-to-face meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Russia.WASHINGTON (AP) - A real estate investment firm co-founded by President Donald Trump's son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, is betting big on the administration's Opportunity Zone tax breaks but isn't that interested in steering its investors to the poorest, most-downtrodden areas that the program seeks to revitalize.

New York-based Cadre, in which Kushner still holds at least a $25 million passive stake, made it clear to potential investors in recent marketing materials that it doesn't plan to look for development deals in most of those zones because of their "unfavorable growth prospects."

Instead, Cadre says it will target a "small subset" of zones in such cities as Los Angeles, Seattle and Miami where both populations and incomes are already set to rise faster than the national average.

Cadre is a high-profile example of how early investor interest in the program appears focused on the places that need it the least: zones that qualified for the tax breaks despite already drawing substantial investment or are undergoing obvious gentrification.

Among the examples of such zones is a swath of the Upper East Side of Manhattan that includes the top of Fifth Avenue's Museum Mile, where three-bedroom apartments overlooking Central Park sell for $4 million. Another is Ledroit Park in the nation's capital, which falls mostly in what real estate blog Curbed has anointed Washington's "most gentrified" ZIP code. Yet another Opportunity Zone includes part of The Willows neighborhood of Menlo Park, California, less than 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from Stanford's campus, where the tech boom has driven home prices to $1,500 per square foot, 10 times the national average. The Opportunity Zone where Amazon put its New York City headquarters in Queens has a median household income of more than $130,000.

"It's hard to imagine why we should be subsidizing that," said Brett Theodos, a researcher whose Urban Institute analysis found nearly one-third of the nation's more than 8,700 Opportunity Zones are showing signs of pre-existing heavy investment. "These investors are not bad people. They are responding to the incentives."

In this Dec. 13, 2018, photo, White House senior adviser Jared Kushner listens during a meeting between President Donald Trump and newly elected governors in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington. A real estate investment firm founded by Kushner is betting big on the Trump administration's Opportunity Zone tax breaks. But it's not that interested in steering its investors to the poorest, most-downtrodden areas that the program seeks to revitalize. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Such is the major criticism of the Investing in Opportunity Act, which became law last December as part of the GOP-sponsored tax overhaul. Promoted by Trump in a White House event this past week, it offers developers potentially millions of dollars in capital gains tax breaks to invest in zones selected by states based on such factors as high poverty and low income.

While the program highlights an average 32 percent poverty rate in the zones, it includes a wide range of areas - and allows "contiguous" tracts that might not be low-income but are close enough to distressed areas to qualify.

Cadre said in a statement to The Associated Press that the neighborhoods it is targeting for investment may be poised for growth but still exhibit low median incomes and are "capital deprived."

"At the end of the day, the Opportunity Zone tax benefits only kick in if we succeed for the communities in which we invest," the statement said.

There's no evidence the administration sought to include better-off Opportunity Zones in the program. A White House spokesman told the AP this past week that the choice of the zones was up to the states. The Treasury Department, which certified the final roster of zones, declined to comment on the presence of gentrified areas in the program.

For some funds, the obvious gentrification of some zones was an explicit selling point, a much safer bet than putting money in seriously distressed areas.

Anthony Scaramucci, the hedge fund executive who was briefly the White House's communications director for Trump, is trying to raise as much as $3 billion for Opportunity Zone projects. On a marketing call this past week, he pitched both a warehouse project in Savannah, Georgia, and a "swanky" hotel project in Oakland, California.

"For those of you who have yet to go to that part of the Bay Area, I can tell you that it is fully gentrifying," Scaramucci said.

Fundrise, another Opportunity Zone fund that is trying to raise $500 million for investments, is targeting many of the same areas as Cadre, ranking its "Top Ten" targets for Opportunity Zone investing based on which have the fastest-rising housing costs.

One measure of how much the zones overlap with developers' pre-existing interests is how much they overlap with their current holdings. An AP review of Kushner's holdings found that he holds stakes in 13 Opportunity Zone properties, all in locations deemed by the Urban Institute to be showing indications of rapid change or full-out gentrification.

An AP investigation found that Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, both helped push for the program and as a couple stand to benefit financially from it. Even though Kushner gave up any management role in Cadre, ethics watchdogs say it is a conflict that arose from their decision to become presidential advisers without divesting from their extensive investments.

Marcy Hart, a Philadelphia real estate tax lawyer who has advised clients on the Opportunity Zone program, says she hasn't seen much indication that the program is redirecting investment to places that lacked it before.

"There are some projects that have probably come online because they're in Opportunity Zones," she said. "But my clients were already investing in these areas."

Even some of the program's strongest proponents have acknowledged that not all the Opportunity Zones are equally needy. At a Kemp Foundation gala last month honoring Sean Parker, a San Francisco venture capitalist who helped push for the Opportunity Zone's creation, Parker himself said that the zones included some "low hanging fruit," neighborhoods that were already clearly drawing investment.

But the program's incentives are great enough, he said, that after the obvious opportunities are exhausted, investors will eventually turn their attention to needier areas.

"There will be a lot of capital sitting in opportunity funds, and it's going to have to find a place to go," he said.

___

AP Business Writer Bernard Condon in New York contributed to this report.TOKYO (AP) - A suspected gas explosion destroyed wooden buildings housing a restaurant and a real estate office in northern Japan on Sunday night, injuring 42 people, police and local media said.

The powerful explosion in Sapporo, the capital city of Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido, shook nearby buildings, shattered windows and scattered wooden debris across the area. Some residents told reporters they thought the blast was an earthquake.

One person was in serious condition, but police said the other injuries were mostly mild.

Police are investigating the cause of the explosion, which occurred in Sapporo's Toyohira district. Japan's Kyodo news agency reported that a gas safety center official noted five propane gas tanks outside of the restaurant and two outside the real estate office.

The fire burned for nearly six hours, Kyodo said, and photographs and TV footage showed smoke rising above charred, collapsed debris as dozens of firefighters poured water onto the building. Windows on an apartment building next door were broken, and cars parked outside were partially covered with debris that had fallen on them.

A witness told Japanese public broadcaster NHK that he smelled gas after the sound of an explosion. NHK said neighbors of the building were being provided shelter overnight.

First responders work at the scene of an explosion in Sapporo, Japan, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018. Dozens of people were injured in the explosion Sunday night at a Japanese restaurant in northern Japan, police said. The explosion occurred in Sapporo, the capital city of Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido, and caused nearby apartment buildings and houses to shake. (Kyodo News via AP)

First responders work at the scene of an explosion in Sapporo, Japan, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018. Dozens of people were injured in the explosion Sunday night at a Japanese restaurant in northern Japan, police said. The explosion occurred in Sapporo, the capital city of Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido, and caused nearby apartment buildings and houses to shake. (Kyodo News via AP)

First responders work at the scene of an explosion in Sapporo, Japan, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018. Dozens of people were injured in the explosion Sunday night at a Japanese restaurant in northern Japan, police said. The explosion occurred in Sapporo, the capital city of Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido, and caused nearby apartment buildings and houses to shake. (Kyodo News via AP)

Firefighters work at the scene of an explosion in Sapporo, Japan, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. Dozens of people were injured in the explosion Sunday night at a Japanese restaurant in northern Japan, police said. The explosion occurred in Sapporo, the capital city of Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido, and caused nearby apartment buildings and houses to shake. (Masanori Takei/Kyodo News via AP)

In this image taken from mobile phone video, emergency workers attend the scene after an explosion at a two-storey Japanese restaurant in Sapporo, the capital city of Japan's northern main island, Sunday Dec. 16, 2018. More than 40 people were injured in the explosion Sunday night, and authorities are investigating the cause of the blast. (Twitter @JUNK POTTER via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

In this image taken from mobile phone video, emergency workers attend the scene after an explosion at a two-storey Japanese restaurant in Sapporo, the capital city of Japan's northern main island, Sunday Dec. 16, 2018. More than 40 people were injured in the explosion Sunday night, and authorities are investigating the cause of the blast. (Twitter @JUNK POTTER via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

First responders work at the scene of an explosion in Sapporo, Japan, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018. Dozens of people were injured in the explosion Sunday night at a Japanese restaurant in northern Japan, police said. The explosion occurred in Sapporo, the capital city of Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido, and caused nearby apartment buildings and houses to shake. (Kyodo News via AP)RICHARDSON, Texas (AP) - After raising five kids and retiring at age 77 from her secretarial job, Janet Fein couldn't be blamed for finally relaxing, but that's not her.

Fein, now 84, went back to school and will accomplish a long-held goal this week when she graduates from the University of Texas at Dallas with a bachelor's degree.

"I didn't have anything to do in retirement and I didn't think that playing bingo was up to my speed," said Fein, who majored in sociology because she felt it was "substantial."

She said she enjoyed all the reading and writing papers. "With each class I already knew a lot, but then I also learned a lot. And that made me happy," she said.

People 65 and older make up less than one percent of U.S. college students. In 2015, they accounted for about 67,000 of about 20 million college students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

"Keeping oneself active and vital and giving yourself something to look forward to like that is just a really positive move," said Dr. Carmel Dyer, executive director of the UTHealth Consortium on Aging at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

In this Dec. 10, 2018 photo, Janet Fein, 84, poses for a photo in Richardson, Texas. Fein completed her bachelor's degree and will graduate from the University of Texas at Dallas with the winter undergraduate class. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Fein took part in a state program that allows people ages 65 and older to take up to six credit hours for free at public universities in Texas. About 2,000 people took advantage of the offer last year, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Fein said she wanted the degree "with all of my heart" and kept going to classes even as she transitioned from living on her own and driving herself around to needing a walker and oxygen and eventually moving to a senior living facility. Then her knees gave out, so she did a semester of independent study and took online classes to fulfill her degree requirements.

"She did not give up in the midst of her challenges ... she just kept plugging along," said Fein's college adviser, Sheila Rollerson.

Tracy Glass, 40, befriended Fein after they both took front-row seats in a class.

"I sat right next to her and over the course of the semester built a fast friendship with her," said Glass, who said Fein's firsthand memories of world events - like the women's movement - enlivened discussions.

Carol Cirulli Lanham, a senior lecturer in sociology, said, "She would speak up a lot in class and I think that it just made for a more interesting class ... because she literally remembered some of the times we were talking about."

Fein, who grew up in the Bronx in New York City, said that in high school she just wanted to graduate and get a job. After graduating early - at the age of 16 - she went to work as a secretary at a dress manufacturer. She married, spent 18 years staying home with her children and worked several jobs over the decades, including a 20-year stint as a secretary at a Dallas orthopedic hospital - the job she retired from in 2012. She also worked on her associate degree for two decades before earning it in 1995.

Renee Brown, a certified nursing assistant who is one of Fein's caregivers, said Fein has inspired her. At 53, she plans to enroll in a program to become a licensed vocational nurse.

"She said, 'Renee, you can do it. If I can do it you can do it and you will feel so good about it,'" Brown said.

___

Follow Stengle on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JamieStengleISLAMABAD (AP) - The Taliban held another round of talks with U.S. officials on Monday, this time in the United Arab Emirates and also involving Saudi, Pakistani and Emirati representatives, part of the latest attempt to bring a negotiated end to Afghanistan's 17-year war.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid offered few details of the daylong meeting except to say "discussions were held with the American side over the end to the invasion of Afghanistan." He dismissed Afghan media reports that Afghan government representatives, who are in the United Arab Emirates, had met with the Taliban.

"There is no plan to meet the Kabul administration," Mujahid said. "There is no possibility of the presence of the Kabul administration in the meeting, which the Islamic Emirate will attend." The Taliban refer to their movement as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and dismiss the Kabul government as a U.S. puppet.

Mujahid said the meetings were continuing.

Khalil Minawi, director of Afghanistan's state-run Bakhtar news agency, earlier tweeted that officials from the United States, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the UAE held meetings Sunday ahead of "the Pakistani-sponsored U.S.-Taliban meeting."

While Afghan officials did not attend Monday's meeting with the Taliban, their presence in the UAE is a significant step in efforts to get the two sides talking. The Taliban have consistently refused to hold direct talks with the Afghan government, insisting they will only negotiate with the U.S.

FILE - In this March 13, 2009, file photo, Zalmay Khalilzad, special adviser on reconciliation speaks during a news conference in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban say they are holding "another" meeting on Monday, Dec. 17, 2018 with U.S. officials, this time in the United Arab Emirates and also involving Saudi, Pakistani and Emirati representatives in the latest attempt to bring a negotiated end to Afghanistan's 17-year war. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Afghanistan's National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib was among the Afghan government representatives in the UAE, a senior Afghan government official told The Associated Press. The presence of such a high-ranking individual was seen as a sign of progress.

Also significant is the presence of the Saudis and Emiratis, both of whom have significant influence over the Taliban, and who might be able to help secure concessions from the group eventually leading to face-to-face talks with Kabul.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Pakistan were the only three countries to recognize the Taliban government during its five-year rule, which ended with the 2001 U.S.-led invasion. Washington has considerable sway over the Afghan government, which it heavily bankrolls. The U.S. has spent $1 trillion in Afghanistan since ousting the Taliban and the war there has become America's longest.

While the U.S. State Department has neither denied nor confirmed previous meetings with the Taliban, Washington's peace envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, says he has met with all sides in the conflict.

The Taliban control nearly half of Afghanistan and carry out daily attacks, mainly targeting security forces and government officials.

The group said last month that it held three days of talks with Khalilzad in Qatar, where the Taliban maintain a political office. Khalilzad then went to Kabul, where he urged Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to cobble together a team that could hold talks with the Taliban.

Khalilzad said he would like to see a "roadmap" agreement reached before Afghan presidential elections, scheduled for next April.

Since his appointment in September, Khalilzad has made several tours of the region. Earlier this month, he held meetings in Islamabad. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan later said Khalilzad asked Pakistan to assist in getting the Taliban to the negotiating table. Khan said Pakistan would sponsor the UAE talks and insisted that a military solution is not the answer.

___

Associated Press writer Amir Shah in Kabul, Afghanistan contributed.ATHENS, Greece (AP) - A powerful bomb exploded early Monday outside the southern Athens headquarters of Greece's private Skai broadcaster, which has been strongly critical of government policies, damaging the glass-fronted building but causing no injuries.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, which resembled attacks by domestic extreme left-wing and anarchist groups, whose past targets have included media groups.

Greece's left-led government, which has harshly and repeatedly criticized Skai for its perceived anti-government bias, strongly condemned the bombing.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras issued a statement condemning the "attack by cowardly and dark forces against democracy itself."

"I express my frank solidarity with the broadcaster's journalists and employees," he added.

Police said the blast occurred at 2:35 a.m. outside the Skai TV and radio building - where the respected Kathimerini newspaper is also housed - after telephoned warnings to a news website and another TV station prompted authorities to evacuate the building.

A journalist looks out a broken window after a powerful bomb exploded outside private Greek television station Skai, in Faliro, Athens, on Monday, Dec, 17, 2018. Police said the blast occurred outside the broadcasters' headquarters near Athens after telephoned warnings prompted authorities to evacuate the building, causing extensive damage but no injuries. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

The attackers escaped undetected after planting the bomb, which detonated 45 minutes after the warning calls. Police, who were checking cameras in the area for possible clues on the bombers, said the device had contained at least five kilograms of explosives.

"This was a strike against democracy. Thankfully, there was only material damage - it's a relief that no one was hurt - following the swift action taken by the police," Public Order Minister Olga Gerovasili said.

She said anti-terrorism police are leading the investigation.

Skai said it had warned authorities, to no avail, that it had been receiving threats.

It also linked the attack with the strong criticism Skai had been receiving from the government, which has banned its officials from appearing on Skai broadcasts to protest reporting that the government sees as biased against it.

"Government officials and propaganda mechanisms have rendered our station a target," a Skai statement said. "Following today's dramatic development they must understand the weight and full extent of their incendiary comments."

The blast shattered windows and damaged the front of the building, and tore through front offices. Nearby apartment buildings and cars were also damaged.

The explosive device was attached to a metal crash barrier on a busy coastal road in the southern Faliro area. Dozens of police investigators wearing white coveralls collected evidence from the scene, much of which remained cordoned off.

Skai continued its live TV broadcast, reporting from outside the building, while radio broadcasts from inside the building were also operating.

Journalist Nikos Filippidis arrived for work after the building was partially reopened.

"There are people who work here for the press, to inform the public," he said. "The damage will be fixed, but this feels like violence inside someone's home."

Monday's attack bore some similarities with a Dec. 22, 2017, bombing of a courthouse building in central Athens. That attack was claimed by a far-left group called Popular Fighters Group.

Greece has a history of armed attacks over the past four decades, mostly from radical far-left groups that began to emerge after a seven-year dictatorship that collapsed in 1974.

Targets frequently include banks and embassies, as well as police and judicial sites.

A Greek forensic expert searches the debris after a powerful bomb exploded outside private Greek television station Skai, in Faliro, Athens, Monday, Dec, 17, 2018. Police said the blast occurred outside the broadcasters' headquarters near Athens after telephoned warnings prompted authorities to evacuate the building, causing extensive damage but no injuries. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Greek forensic experts search at the scene after a powerful bomb exploded outside private Greek television station Skai, in Faliro, Athens, Monday, Dec, 17, 2018. Police said the blast occurred outside the broadcasters' headquarters near Athens after telephoned warnings prompted authorities to evacuate the building, causing extensive damage but no injuries. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Greek forensic experts search outside the private Greek television station Skai, after a powerful bomb explosion, in Faliro, Athens, on Monday, Dec, 17, 2018. Police said the blast occurred outside the broadcasters' headquarters near Athens after telephoned warnings prompted authorities to evacuate the building, causing extensive damage but no injuries. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Greek forensic experts search the debris after a powerful bomb exploded outside private Greek television station Skai, in Faliro, Athens, on Monday, Dec, 17, 2018. Police said the blast occurred outside the broadcasters' headquarters near Athens after telephoned warnings prompted authorities to evacuate the building, causing extensive damage but no injuries. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Greek forensic experts search at the scene after a powerful bomb exploded outside private Greek television station Skai, in Faliro, Athens, on Monday, Dec, 17, 2018. Police said the blast occurred outside the broadcasters' headquarters near Athens after telephoned warnings prompted authorities to evacuate the building, causing extensive damage but no injuries. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Greek forensic experts search at the scene after a powerful bomb exploded outside private Greek television station, in Faliro, Athens, Monday, Dec, 17, 2018. Police said the blast occurred outside the broadcasters' headquarters near Athens after telephoned warnings prompted authorities to evacuate the building, causing extensive damage but no injuries. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Greek forensic experts search at the scene after a powerful bomb exploded outside private Greek television station, in Faliro, Athens, Monday, Dec, 17, 2018. Police said the blast occurred outside the broadcasters' headquarters near Athens after telephoned warnings prompted authorities to evacuate the building, causing extensive damage but no injuries. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Greek forensic experts search at the scene after a powerful bomb exploded outside private Greek television station Skai, in Faliro, Athens, Monday, Dec, 17, 2018. Police said the blast occurred outside the broadcasters' headquarters near Athens after telephoned warnings prompted authorities to evacuate the building, causing extensive damage but no injuries. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Greek forensic experts search at the scene after a powerful bomb exploded outside private Greek television station, in Faliro, Athens, Monday, Dec, 17, 2018. Police said the blast occurred outside the broadcasters' headquarters near Athens after telephoned warnings prompted authorities to evacuate the building, causing extensive damage but no injuries. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - Saudi Arabia issued an unusually strong rebuke of the U.S. Senate on Monday, rejecting a bipartisan resolution that put the blame for the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi squarely on the Saudi crown prince and describing it as interference in the kingdom's affairs.

It's the latest sign of how the relationship between the royal court and Congress has deteriorated, more than two months after Khashoggi was killed and dismembered by Saudi agents inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul. The assassins have been linked to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

U.S. Senators last Thursday passed the measure that blamed the prince for Khashoggi's killing and called on Riyadh to "ensure appropriate accountability." Senators also passed a separate measure calling for the end of U.S. aid to the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

In a lengthy statement early Monday, Saudi Arabia said the Senate's resolution "contained blatant interferences" in the kingdom's internal affairs and undermines its regional and international role. The resolution was based on "unsubstantiated claims and allegations," the statement also said.

"The kingdom categorically rejects any interference in its internal affairs, any and all accusations, in any manner, that disrespect its leadership ... and any attempts to undermine its sovereignty or diminish its stature," it said.

Such language is usually reserved for those who criticize the kingdom's human rights record, such as Sweden in 2015 after the public flogging of a blogger, and Canada this year over the arrests of women's rights activists.

FILE - In this Jan. 29, 2011, file photo, Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi speaks on his cellphone at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Saudi Arabia issued an unusually strong rebuke of the U.S. Senate on Monday Dec. 17, 2018, rejecting a bipartisan resolution that put the blame for the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi squarely on the Saudi crown prince and describing it as interference in the kingdom's affairs. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File)

But the statement was also tempered in saying the kingdom "reaffirms" its commitment to relations with the United States and describing the Senate as "an esteemed legislative body of an allied and friendly government."

President Donald Trump has been reluctant to condemn the crown prince, despite U.S. intelligence officials concluding that Prince Mohammed must have at least had knowledge of the plot. Trump instead has touted Saudi arms deals worth billions of dollars and has thanked the Saudis for lower oil prices.

Saudi Arabia denies Prince Mohammed was involved in the Oct. 2 killing of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who wrote critically of the crown prince. Under intense international pressure, the kingdom recently acknowledged that the plot was masterminded by top Saudi agents close to Prince Mohammed.

After shifting accounts about what happened to Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia said its investigations concluded that the crown prince's aides had plotted to bring Khashoggi by force back to Saudi Arabia and that the agents on the ground exceeded their authority and killed him.

The Saudi statement said the Senate's position will not affect the kingdom's "leading role in the region," its role in supporting the stability of international energy markets, its counterterrorism cooperation and its stand with the U.S. in confronting Iran.

It "sends the wrong messages to all those who want to cause a rift in Saudi-U.S. relationship," the statement added.PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Cambodia's largest hydropower project officially began producing electricity Monday as the country tries to increase its energy capacity to reduce energy imports and help jump-start industrial expansion.

Prime Minister Hun Sen inaugurated the 400-megawatt Lower Sesan II hydropower dam in the northeastern province of Stung Treng. The project, constructed on a build-operate-transfer basis, will boost the country's production of electricity by 20 percent, according to the Ministry of Mines and Energy.

It was built over four years at a cost of nearly $800 million and is a joint venture of China's Hydrolancang International Energy, which has a 51 percent stake, Cambodia's Royal Group with 39 percent and Vietnam's EVN International with 10 percent.

The dam is expected to bring in almost $30 million in tax revenue yearly. Ownership will be handed over to the government after 40 years.

Opponents say the dam will damage the biodiversity of two tributaries of the Mekong River and devastate the livelihoods and homes of thousands of people. As many as 100,000 people could lose the ability to catch fish.

The dam is the seventh commercial-scale hydropower dam in Cambodia, bringing hydropower production to 1,328 megawatts.

FILE - In this Jan. 10, 2018, file photo, China's Premier Li Keqiang, left, heads to the meeting room with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen before the opening of the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation forum Leaders Meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Cambodia's largest hydropower project officially began producing electricity Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, as the country tries to increase its energy capacity to reduce energy imports and help jump-start industrial expansion. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, File)

Hydropower supplies 45 percent of Cambodia's electricity consumption, followed by 35 percent from coal-fired power plants and about 5 percent from petroleum and alternative energy.

About 15 percent of electricity must still be purchased from neighboring countries. High utility prices, caused by the shortfall in local supply, are a major obstacle to Cambodia attracting foreign investment.

A government report last year estimated that Cambodia could generate as much as 10,000 megawatts from hydropower, and development of additional projects is underway.

China is Cambodia's largest investor in developing hydroelectric dams and other infrastructure projects.NEW DELHI (AP) - The new president of the Maldives has called India the island nation's "closest friend," welcome words for New Delhi after years of growing economic influence by Beijing.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih spoke Sunday in New Delhi, on his first overseas trip since his election. In September he defeated strongman Yameen Abdul Gayoom, who had forged increasingly closer ties to China during his five years in office.

India has long seen the Indian Ocean nation of 400,000 people as part of its sphere of influence. China, though, sees the Maldives as a key cog in its "Belt and Road" infrastructure projects, which follow ancient trade routes through the Indian Ocean and Central Asia. Beijing is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in an airport expansion, housing developments and other projects in the Maldives.

But speaking at an India-Maldives business forum, Solih told business leaders that "India is not only our closest friend, it is also our largest trading partner," the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

He said the Maldives is ripe for more Indian investment, insisting the country is committed to providing the "protection and legal cover" that investors require.

The Maldives has faced years of political turmoil since the first democratic elections a decade ago.

Tourism dominates the Maldives' economy, with wealthy foreigners flown directly to expensive resort islands.

The Center for Global Development, a Washington think tank, estimates China's loans to Maldives total at least $1.3 billion, a quarter of the island nation's gross domestic product.

Chinese loans to the Maldives have fueled fears in New Delhi that Beijing is trying to encroach on New Delhi's influence in the Indian Ocean.Russia believes that the Wests refusal to help Syrians reconstruct their country is counterproductive and against the norms of international humanitarian law, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"We want refugees to return in full compliance with the norms of international humanitarian law, including ensuring their security, their property rights and decent living conditions in the areas where they will come back," the Russian top diplomat said after a meeting with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi.

"Russia has already helped the Syrian government create normal living conditions, including ensuring water and electricity supply, education for children, medical services in the settlements, where tens of thousands of refugees have returned and continue coming back," he added.

"I believe that the Wests refusal at this stage to do the same and help Syrians reconstruct normal life conditions across the country, which would enable refugees return calmly and confidently, is counterproductive and against the norms of international humanitarian law and human rights," Lavrov stressed.

Russia seeks the Wests guarantees of supporting the Syrian refugees return at a forum in Brussels. "In the first month of next year another conference on aid to Syria and assistance in its reconstruction effort will be held in Brussels," he noted.

"We will strive for the Western donors full acknowledgement of their responsibility here and review of their negative position on the contribution to creating conditions in entire Syria for the refugees return," TASS cited Lavrov as saying.SRINAGAR, India (AP) - Soldiers and police fanned out across Indian-controlled Kashmir on Monday to enforce a security lockdown for a second straight day to stop anti-India protests and foil a call by separatists for a march toward India's main military garrison in the disputed region.

Government forces patrolled streets in the region's main city of Srinagar and sealed off all the roads leading to India's military garrison in the city.

Three Kashmiri leaders, known as the Joint Resistance Leadership, or JRL, called for Kashmiris to march to the army cantonment to protest the killings of seven civilians and three rebels during an Indian counterinsurgency operation over the weekend.

Police and paramilitary soldiers in riot gear and carrying automatic rifles laid steel barricades and coiled razor wire on roads and intersections to cut off neighborhoods in a bid to stop protests.

Defying restrictions, dozens of activists, some wearing symbolic shrouds imprinted with the words: "Indian army, kill us all," marched in Srinagar's main business hub. Police detained Mohammed Yasin Malik, one of the leaders of the JRL, and about half a dozen others, leading to scuffles and clashes during which troops fired tear gas and protesters threw stones, police said.

Authorities also stopped train services and suspended internet on cellphones in the region, a common tactic to make organizing protests more difficult and stop dissemination of protest videos by Kashmiris.

Kashmiri protesters clash with Indian paramilitary soldiers in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018. A security clampdown and a strike sponsored by separatists fighting against Indian rule shut most of Indian-administered Kashmir on Sunday, a day after chaotic protests and fighting killed seven civilians and four combatants in the disputed region. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Shops and businesses in other areas with no security restrictions closed in a show of solidarity with those protesting Indian rule.

The killings and injuries of more than three dozen civilians on Saturday angered Kashmiris and sparked protests and clashes at several places in the region. Residents accused troops of directly spraying gunfire into the crowds and killing at least two civilians, including a teenage student, away from the battle site.

Police said in a statement that they regretted the killings but that the protesters had come "dangerously close" to the fighting.

Separatists who challenge India's sovereignty over Kashmir said the killings were part of India's state policy and called for three days of mourning and a general shutdown in Kashmir apart from Monday's public march.

The Indian army has appealed for people to not heed the call. The army said in a statement that it was "fighting terrorism and proxy war sponsored by Pakistan and its proxies in Kashmir," adding that its objective "is to bring peace and normalcy" in Kashmir.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's army spokesman Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor condemned what he called "state sponsored terrorism" by Indian forces in Kashmir, saying "bullets can never suppress unarmed brave freedom fighters."

He said on Twitter that the "Indian Army must respect ethics of professional soldiering."

India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim the region in its entirety. Rebels have been fighting Indian control since 1989. Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.

Kashmiris deeply resent Indian rule and support the rebels' call that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.

In recent years, mainly young Kashmiris have displayed open solidarity with the rebels and sought to protect them by engaging troops in street clashes during India's counterinsurgency operations despite repeated warnings from Indian authorities.

___

Associated Press Writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Pakistan contributed to this story.BERLIN (AP) - Workers at two Amazon distribution centers in Germany have gone on strike as part of a push for improved work conditions, leading to fears that Christmas orders may not arrive in time.

The German news agency dpa reported that workers in Leipzig in eastern Germany and Werne in western Germany went on strike early Monday.

The ver.di union representing the workers says Amazon employees receive lower wages than others in retail and mail-order jobs in Germany.

Amazon has said in the past that its employees earn relatively high wages for the industry.

The company said Monday that the "overwhelming majority" of its employees were working normally and that the strike at the two facilities in Germany would not affect its delivery commitments.

"We are well prepared for Christmas and look forward to delivering for our customers during this busy period, as we do all year round," Amazon said.

FILE - In this file photo dated Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018, post trucks leave the Amazon Logistic Center in Rheinberg, Germany. Workers at two Amazon distribution centers in Germany have gone on strike as part of a push for improved work conditions, leading to fears that Christmas orders may not arrive in time. The German news agency dpa reported that workers in Leipzig in eastern Germany and Werne in western Germany went on strike early Monday. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, file)LONDON (AP) - Prime Minister Theresa May said Monday that the postponed vote in Parliament on Britain's Brexit agreement with the European Union will be held the week of Jan. 14 - more than a month after it was originally scheduled and just 10 weeks before Britain leaves the EU.

But even as May insisted she could salvage her unpopular divorce deal, pressure was mounting for dramatic action - a new referendum or a vote among lawmakers - to find a way out of Britain's Brexit impasse and prevent the economic damage of a messy exit from the EU on March 29 with no agreement in place.

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, said he would submit a motion of no-confidence in the prime minister over her delays. Losing the vote on such a motion would increase the pressure on May, but unlike a no-confidence vote in the government as a whole it wouldn't trigger a process leading to the fall of the government and an early election.

No date was immediately set for the confidence vote.

The British government and the EU sealed a divorce deal last month, but May postponed a parliamentary vote intended to ratify the agreement last week when it became clear legislators would overwhelmingly reject it.

She tried to win changes from the EU to sweeten the deal for reluctant lawmakers, but was rebuffed by the bloc at a summit in Brussels last week. May's authority also has been shaken after a no-confidence vote from her own party on Wednesday that saw more than a third of Conservative lawmakers vote against her.

In this photo provided by the UK Parliament, Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May delivers a speech in the House of Commons in London, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. Prime Minister Theresa May said Monday that the postponed vote in Parliament on Britain's Brexit agreement with the European Union will be held the week of Jan. 14 - more than a month after it was originally scheduled and just 10 weeks before Britain leaves the EU. (Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament via AP)

May told lawmakers in the House of Commons on Monday that they would resume debate on the deal when Parliament comes back after its Christmas break the week of Jan. 7, with the vote held the following week.

"I know this is not everyone's perfect deal," May said. "It is a compromise. But if we let the perfect be the enemy of the good then we risk leaving the EU with no deal."

Opposition legislators - and many from May's Conservative Party - remain opposed to the deal, and accused May of deliberately wasting time by delaying the vote for several more weeks.

"The prime minister has cynically run down the clock trying to maneuver Parliament into a choice between two unacceptable outcomes: her deal and no deal," Corbyn said.

A growing number of politicians from across the political spectrum believe a new referendum may be the only way to break the political logjam over Brexit.

But May told lawmakers that staging another referendum would ride roughshod over voters' 2016 decision to leave the EU and "would say to millions who trusted in democracy that our democracy does not deliver."

May's deal is loathed both by pro-Brexit lawmakers, who think it keeps Britain bound too closely to the bloc, and pro-Europeans, who see it as inferior to staying in the EU.

The main concern for pro-Brexit lawmakers is a contentious insurance policy known as the "backstop," which would keep the U.K. tied to EU customs rules in order to guarantee the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland remains open after Brexit.

EU officials insisted at last week's summit that the withdrawal agreement cannot be renegotiated, although they also stressed that the backstop was meant only as a temporary measure of last resort.

May said she had had "robust" exchanges with other EU leaders in Brussels, but that the two sides were still holding talks about "further political and legal assurances" about the backstop.

European Commission chief spokesman Margaritis Schinas, however, said Monday that "at this stage, no further meetings with the United Kingdom are foreseen."

With Britain's departure from the bloc just three months away, it remains unclear whether the country will leave with a deal or crash out with no deal- a chaotic outcome that could see economic recession, gridlock at U.K. ports, planes grounded and shortages of essential goods.

The Cabinet will discuss "no-deal" planning at its weekly meeting on Tuesday, with details to be announced soon of 2 billion pounds ($2.5 billion) in government funding to absorb some of the potential economic shock.

Pro-EU Cabinet ministers, meanwhile, are seeking to work with opposition politicians to find a way out of the morass.

One suggestion is to give members of Parliament votes on a range of options - from leaving without a deal to holding a new referendum - to see if there is majority support for any course of action.

May's spokesman, James Slack, said Monday that the government had "no plans" to hold such an indicative vote. But the idea has support in Cabinet.

"We can't just have continuing uncertainty and I think Parliament should be invited to say what it would agree with," Business Secretary Greg Clark told the BBC.

He said that "I think businesses up and down the country would expect elected members to take responsibility, rather than just be critics."

___

Follow AP's full coverage of Brexit at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street, in London Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, for the House of Commons to make a statement on the EU Summit held recently in Brussels. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street, in London Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, for the House of Commons to make a statement on the EU Summit held recently in Brussels. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

British Prime Minister Theresa May walks by the EU stars as she arrives for a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels, Friday, Dec. 14, 2018. European Union leaders expressed deep doubts Friday that British Prime Minister Theresa May can live up to her side of their Brexit agreement and they vowed to step up preparations for a potentially-catastrophic no-deal scenario. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker speaks during a media conference at the conclusion of an EU summit in Brussels, Friday, Dec. 14, 2018. European Union leaders expressed deep doubts Friday that British Prime Minister Theresa May can live up to her side of their Brexit agreement and they vowed to step up preparations for a potentially-catastrophic no-deal scenario. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street, in London Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, for the House of Commons to make a statement on the EU Summit held recently in Brussels. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street, in London Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, for the House of Commons to make a statement on the EU Summit held recently in Brussels. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)BEIRUT (AP) - The use of armed drones in the Middle East, driven largely by sales from China, has grown significantly in the past few years with an increasing number of countries and other parties using them in regional conflicts to lethal effects, a new report said Monday.

The report by the Royal United Services Institute, or RUSI, found that more and more Mideast countries have acquired armed drones, either by importing them, such as Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, or by building them domestically like Israel, Iran and Turkey.

China has won sales in the Middle East and elsewhere by offering drones - otherwise known as UAVs or unmanned aerial vehicles - at lower prices and without the political conditions attached by the United States.

The Associated Press reported earlier this year that countries across the Middle East locked out of purchasing U.S.-made drones are being wooed by Chinese arms dealers, helping expand Chinese influence across a region vital to American security interest.

It noted the use of Chinese armed drones across Mideast battlefields, including in the war on Yemen, employed by the Emirati air force. Iran has also violated Israeli airspace with armed UAVs from bases in Syria, provoking armed Israeli response on the suspected bases.

The RUSI report , entitled "Armed Drones in the Middle East: Proliferation and Norms in the Region," said that by capitalizing on the gap in the market over the past few years, Beijing has supplied armed drones to several countries that are not authorized to purchase them from the U.S., and at a dramatically cheaper price.

FILE - In this Feb. 11, 2016 file photo, Iranian drone Shahed-129 is displayed at a rally in Tehran, Iran. According to a report by the Royal United Services Institute, or RUSI released Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, the use of armed drones in the Middle East, driven largely by growing sales from China, has grown significantly in the past two years with an increasing number of state and non-state actors using them in regional conflicts. The report found that over the past few years, more and more countries across the Mideast have acquired armed drones, either by importing them or by building them domestically. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)

"China, a no-questions-asked exporter of drones, has played and is likely to continue playing a key role as a supplier of armed UAVs to the Middle East," it said.

The report explored where and how each of the states have used their armed drones and whether they have changed the way these countries approach air power. It found that Iran, the UAE and Turkey all changed the way they employ airpower after they acquired armed drones.

For Turkey and the UAE, armed drones enabled them to conduct strikes in situations where they would not have risked using conventional aircraft, it said. Iran developed armed drones from the outset specifically to enable to project power beyond the reach of its air force, which is hamstrung by obsolete aircraft and sanctions, the report added.

The report said it remains to be seen whether and how the loosening of restrictions on the exportation of armed drones by the Trump administration will alter dynamics in the region. The administration in April permitted U.S. manufacturers to directly market and sell drones, including armed versions, although the government must still approve and license the sales.

Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, who authored the report along with Justin Bronk, said proliferation of armed drones in the Middle East is unlikely to stop and could in fact accelerate despite the changes introduced by the U.S. administration.

"Over the past two years the sales have increased massively and they are likely to increase even more," she said. "This kind of collaboration is just going to grow especially in cases where countries don't have the capacity to build them themselves."

FILE - In this Feb. 25, 2018 file photo, a model of the Wing Loong II weaponized drone for the China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corp. is displayed at a military drone conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. According to a report by the Royal United Services Institute, or RUSI released Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, the use of armed drones in the Middle East, driven largely by growing sales from China, has grown significantly in the past two years with an increasing number of state and non-state actors using them in regional conflicts. The report found that over the past few years, more and more countries across the Mideast have acquired armed drones, either by importing them or by building them domestically. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 25, 2018 file photo, a General Atomics Predator XP drone is on display at a drone conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. According to a report by the Royal United Services Institute, or RUSI released Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, the use of armed drones in the Middle East, driven largely by growing sales from China, has grown significantly in the past two years with an increasing number of state and non-state actors using them in regional conflicts. The report found that over the past few years, more and more countries across the Mideast have acquired armed drones, either by importing them or by building them domestically. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell, File)

FILE - This Dec. 14, 2017 file photo, shows the remains of an armed Iranian Qasef-1 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, which was fired by Yemen into Saudi Arabia, according to U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley during a press briefing at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, in Washington. According to a report by the Royal United Services Institute, or RUSI released Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, the use of armed drones in the Middle East, driven largely by growing sales from China, has grown significantly in the past two years with an increasing number of state and non-state actors using them in regional conflicts. The report found that over the past few years, more and more countries across the Mideast have acquired armed drones, either by importing them or by building them domestically. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)NEW DELHI (AP) - An Indian court on Monday convicted a former politician for his role in riots that swept India in 1984, leaving thousands of Sikhs dead in bloody pogroms, and sentenced him to life in prison.

The Delhi High Court reversed an earlier acquittal of Sajjan Kumar in the riots, which broke out after then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was killed by her Sikh bodyguards.

The 73-year-old Kumar, then a leader in Gandhi's Congress party, was convicted of inciting a New Delhi mob to kill a Sikh family. He was ordered to surrender by Dec. 31 to begin serving his sentence.

More than 3,000 Sikhs were killed just in New Delhi in the riots.

A handful of other officials have been imprisoned for the violence, but India's criminal justice system moves painfully slowly. Powerful suspects are often able to dodge prosecution.

In their ruling, the judges said many of those responsible for the 1984 riots had escaped justice for too long.

Sikh protestors burn effigies of congress party leaders Sajjan Kumar and Kamal Nath during a protest in New Delhi, India, Monday, Dec.17, 2018. An Indian court has convicted Kumar of helping incite violence during anti-Sikh pogroms that left thousands of people dead. (AP Photo)

"A majority of the perpetrators of these horrific mass crimes enjoyed political patronage and were aided by an indifferent law enforcement agency. . The criminals escaped prosecution and punishment for over two decades," they wrote.

The judges also wrote that "there appeared to be ongoing large-scale efforts to suppress the cases against" Kumar.

Gandhi was killed after violently suppressing a Sikh insurgency that culminated in an army assault on the Golden Temple, the holiest site in Sikhism, where militant Sikhs had taken refuge.

In the days after her death, mobs of Hindus went from house to house across northern India, pulling Sikhs from their homes, hacking many to death and burning others alive.STOCKHOLM (AP) - Sweden's domestic intelligence agency says foreign powers didn't carry out any comprehensive campaign to influence the Swedish parliamentary elections three months ago.

SAPO head Klas Friberg says, however, that "foreign power exerts influence on Sweden in the long term."

Friberg says SAPO noted that there had been occurrences of information-gathering about politicians, and technical "incidents against political parties, its representatives and authorities," and that "state actors have been noted."

He says SAPO now has "a significantly better picture" of how this works and which tools are used.

Friberg said Monday preventive work could explain the lack of foreign meddling. Ahead of the Sept. 9 elections, SAPO had briefed lawmakers about the risk, security and safety measures.

The agency didn't identify any country involved by name.SYLHET, Bangladesh (AP) - Fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell's career best 4-28 was complemented by opener Shai Hope's third fastest T20 fifty as the West Indies beat Bangladesh by eight wickets Monday in the first game of a three-match series.

Cottrell used the short balls to precision to help his side dismiss Bangladesh for 129 in 19 overs before Hope led the charge with a 23-ball 55, his maiden T20 fifty.

"Our plan in this game was to just bowl aggressive in whatever we do, whether bowling Yorkers, length ball, short ball. Just to bowl aggressive, and it paid off," Cottrell said. "We would like to take this momentum into the next two games and finish our tour here. That has been the talk in the camp, just to win some games and get better mood going."

Hope brought up his fifty off only 16 deliveries to place him just behind India's Yuvraj Singh (12 balls) and New Zealand's Colin Munro (14 balls) in terms of fastest T20 fifty.

Hope, the man in form who struck two straight unbeaten centuries in ODIs, helped the side pile up 91 runs in the first six overs, the highest runs in T20 International's first powerplay.

Together with Evin Lewis (18), Hope gave the side a rapid start by amassing 51 runs in 3.2 overs. His innings was laced with three fours and six sixes.

Hope scored 19 runs off offspinner Mehidy Hasan in the second over of the chase with three sixes, all of which came by some clean hitting.

Pacer Mohammad Saifuddin (1-13) dismissed Lewis amid Hope's onslaught. However, Hope slog-swept Hasan for six to bring up his fifty, shortly after which he holed one to deep extra cover off off-spinner Mahmudullah (1-13).

By then, the West Indies was nicely placed with 98-2 in 7.4 overs.

Keemo Paul (28 not out) and Nicholas Pooran (23 not out) completed the inevitable.

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and opted to bat first. The captain was key in Bangladesh's 129, hitting a 43-ball 61, studded with eight fours and two sixes. Only two batsmen, Ariful Haque (17) and Mahmudullah (12), reached double digits.

"Everything went wrong today other than the toss," Shakib said. "We didn't bat well and didn't bowl well. It was a good surface, we should've scored at least 175."

Cottrell, aided by fellow fast bowler Oshane Thomas (1-33), ripped through the top order with a barrage of short balls, leaving Bangladesh at 31-3.

Shakib resisted but Cottrell continued making inroads and eventually took the prized wicket.

___

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsJOHANNESBURG (AP) - South Africa's former president, who faces corruption charges, has taken to Twitter.

"It's me, Jacob Zuma," the ex-leader says in an introductory video posted on the social media site in the last few days.

Zuma says "you will get used to me" and that he intends to join the national conversation. He says he will correct some things that are said about him and that some people have used fake social media accounts in his name.

Zuma resigned in February, ending a scandal-tainted tenure that sapped confidence in the South African government and hurt the economy. He now faces corruption charges related to an old arms deal, and a judge ruled that Zuma should reimburse the state for funds used to fight corruption allegations in court in the past decade.ISLAMABAD (AP) - An Indian man convicted of spying in Pakistan is free after serving a three-year prison sentence.

Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesman, Mohammad Faisal, said on Monday that Indian national Hamid Nehal Ansari is being repatriated to New Delhi. He didn't elaborate.

Ansari was arrested in 2012 on entering Pakistan from neighboring Afghanistan. He was sentenced in 2015 to three years in prison over alleged involvement in crimes against the state and using invalid documents to enter the country.

Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations and since gaining independence from Britain in 1947, they have fought two of their three wars over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

The two often arrest one another's nationals on espionage charges.GENEVA (AP) - China and the United States clashed again over their respective trade policies Monday at a time the two countries are trying to iron out their differences so further U.S. tariffs are not imposed on Chinese goods.

Dennis Shea, the U.S. ambassador to the WTO, said criticism from China about the U.S.'s "unilateralist and protectionist" approach to trade was unwarranted.

He also insisted the U.S. wants to reform the global trading system to make it fairer for U.S. citizens and defended America's long role in supporting that system for seven decades, at the World Trade Organization and its predecessors.

"The United States is raising serious concerns with the functioning and direction of this important institution, and the fundamental challenge posed by China's state-led, mercantilist approach to the economy and trade," Shea said during closed-door remarks for the WTO's 14th and latest regular "trade policy review" of the United States.

He said the global trade environment was "heavily skewed" in favor of China.

The U.S. and China are locked in a trade standoff, though President Donald Trump agreed this month to postpone more U.S. tariff hikes on Chinese goods for 90 days while negotiations continue.

Shea's Chinese counterpart at the WTO drew upon lessons from Spider-Man to remind the U.S. of the need to be responsible in trade affairs: "'With great power comes great responsibility.' And Spider-Man certainly lived up to that."

Zhang Xiangchen upbraided the U.S. over tariffs and blocking appointments to the WTO's appeals body, which could stop working by December next year because a term expiration would reduce its membership below the minimum of three people.

He also said Trump's tariff increases on steel and aluminum products were "based on dubious national security concerns" and blasted U.S. efforts to put WTO's appeals body "in paralysis."

"Whether it is a small family or an international organization, a top dog should act like a top dog," Zhang said, in an apparent allusion to the United States. "It cannot only see a narrow spectrum of its own self-interest, and it certainly should not do whatever it wishes at the sacrifice of the others."

Marc Vanheukelen, the European Union's ambassador to the WTO, noted how in 2016, at the last review of the U.S., he had hoped that President-elect Trump's "protectionist rhetoric would end" after he took office.

"Today, unfortunately, rhetoric has turned into reality and the repercussions of tariffs and other restrictions are being felt at the heart of this organization, and more generally in global growth prospects," he said.

"The multilateral trading system is in a deep crisis and the United States is at its epicenter for a number of reasons."Azerbaijani State Oil Company SOCAR has launched production of nanoparticles, the company's press service reported.

The equipment necessary for the production of nanoparticles was developed in partnership with Russia's company 'Rostovye tekhnologii'.

The technological process takes place without the use of harmful chemicals and with minimal use of inert gas. The produced nanoparticles will be used to make nanosystems that will help improve the efficiency of drilling, mining and other industrial processes.

SOCAR's First Vice President Khoshbakht Yusifzade, whose words are quoted in the message, has noted that the production of nanoparticles will allow the company to reduce costs and dependence on imports.MOSCOW (AP) - The Kremlin said Monday that three high-profile Russian tycoons who are facing U.S. sanctions have been cleared to return to the World Economic Forum in Davos, following reports that they had been disinvited.

WEF organizers had reportedly shunned billionaires Oleg Deripaska and Viktor Vekselberg, and Andrei Kostin, the head of state-controlled bank VTB, from attending the rarefied January event at the Swiss ski resort.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said WEF organizers had listened to Russia's arguments against "a selective approach to Russian business."

Russia had threatened to boycott the gathering if the longtime Davos attendees were not allowed to attend. WEF officials never confirmed whether the three had been disinvited.

On Sunday, WEF head of compliance Alois Zwinggi said Davos forum organizers would host delegations from all Group of 20 countries, including a "high level governmental delegation" from Russia.

"Should the delegation include individuals under sanction, all necessary measures have been undertaken to ensure that their presence would be fully compliant with current legal conditions," Zwinggi added in a statement.

FILE - In this July 2, 2015 file photo, Russian metals magnate Oleg Deripaska attends Independence Day celebrations at Spaso House, the residence of the American Ambassador, in Moscow, Russia. A day after the World Economic Forum said it will include a Russian delegation at the forum, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday Dec. 17, 2018, welcomed the announcement that billionaires Oleg Deripaska and Viktor Vekselberg, and the head of the state-controlled bank VTB Andrei Kostin, will be able to attend the annual gathering in the Swiss ski resort of Davos in January. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

It made no reference to Deripaska, Kostin or Vekselberg.

The apparent arrangement would allow the oligarchs to attend in an official delegation. U.S. sanctions could affect anyone who does business with the three men, potentially jeopardizing WEF staffers or other participants.

The Financial Times in October reported that the three men were told they were not welcome at the Davos gathering next year. All three have led companies that are high-paying members of the WEF.

A respected Russian online publication, The Bell, reported Monday that WEF organizers came forward with several pre-conditions for the sanctioned visitors. They are reportedly not allowed to take part in panels organized by U.S. citizens and U.S. authorities or to engage in business transactions with U.S. nationals, even if that's simply about travel arrangements.

Asked about the report, Kremlin spokesman Peskov said he understood the WEF's jitters about U.S. sanctions but expressed confidence the businessmen would have no problem finding useful non-American contacts at the event.

WEF says it has always respected the U.S. sanctions against the Russians and made it clear that anyone who attends the Davos event would have to comply with them.

"Since the introduction of the U.S. sanctions in April, the forum's position - as an organization that has offices in the U.S. and that has U.S. employees - has always been one of complete and strict compliance with all the U.S. sanctions," said Georg Schmitt, WEF head of corporate affairs.

The issue strikes at painstaking efforts and high-powered legal and public relations resources that Moscow has mobilized against U.S. sanctions that have dented Russia's economic prospects.

WEF has long had a policy of inviting leaders of the Group of 20 nations and considers itself as an "impartial platform" beyond y political fray.

Based in the small Swiss city of Cologny, with bucolic views over Lake Geneva, WEF has been expanding in recent years - notably with a new office in San Francisco.

The annual Davos event courts high-profile businesspeople and political figures, plus thinkers, artists, musicians, innovators and other elites. Beyond the grounds of WEF's security zone, visitors can do what they want.

___

Keaten reported from Geneva.

FILE - In this file photo taken on Tuesday, May 31, 2016, Russian businessman Viktor Vekselberg attends the Russian International Affairs Council in Moscow, Russia. A day after the World Economic Forum said it will include a Russian delegation at the forum, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday Dec. 17, 2018, welcomed the announcement that billionaires Oleg Deripaska and Viktor Vekselberg, and the head of the state-controlled bank VTB Andrei Kostin, will be able to attend the annual gathering in the Swiss ski resort of Davos in January. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)STUART, Fla. (AP) - A sheriff says a Florida father is "absolutely shattered" after fatally shooting his 30-year-old son who'd gotten into a confrontation with his younger brother over a game of pool.

Martin County Sheriff William Synder told a news conference that Joseph Maloney got into a violent struggle early Sunday with his brother, 26-year-old James Maloney.

Synder says Maloney had his sibling in a choke hold with one arm while holding knife with the other. The incident followed a long night of violence at the home in Stuart.

Snyder says the father, John Maloney, hasn't been charged because the shooting is considered an act of protecting his other son from great bodily harm or death.

The family told investigators Joseph Maloney had been under a great deal of stress from a 2015 DUI manslaughter case.EL-ARISH, Egypt (AP) - Egyptian security officials say two roadside bombs have hit a police convoy in northern Sinai, killing two conscripts.

The officials say Monday's attack just west of the border town of Rafah also wounded six conscripts. The bombs struck two armored vehicles that were part of a convoy on a search-and-destroy mission in the area.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Egypt has for years battled Islamic militants in the Sinai Peninsula. An all-out campaign by tens of thousands of troops and police against the militants began early this year, hitting hideouts, arms and ammunition depots and detaining scores of jihadis.

The campaign has also nearly halted high-profile attacks.BALTIMORE (AP) - Endorsing a proposed $424 million overhaul of the Baltimore track that hosts the Preakness Stakes, Mayor Catherine Pugh says the second leg of horse racing's Triple Crown wouldn't necessarily have to be relocated.

The Baltimore Sun reports the mayor said Friday that she believes the Pimlico Race Course could be demolished and rebuilt without having to move the Preakness. The Maryland Stadium Authority study released last week estimated a complete rebuild of the nearly 150-year-old track would take three years.

Pugh thinks the demolition and construction can be done in phases to keep the race in the Park Heights area. Further details weren't reported.

A spokeswoman for Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has said he's always been supportive of keeping the Preakness at Pimlico and would review the study.

___

Information from: The Baltimore Sun, http://www.baltimoresun.comISTANBUL (AP) - Turkey's leader said Monday he received "positive answers" from President Donald Trump on the situation in northeastern Syria, where Turkey has threatened to launch a new operation against American-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters.

Turkey has vowed to launch a new offensive against the People's Protection Units, or YPG, which is the main component of a U.S.-allied force that drove Islamic State militants out of much of eastern Syria. U.S. troops are based in the area, in part to reduce tensions.

Turkey views the YPG as a terrorist group because of its links to the Kurdish insurgency within its territory. Ankara views Washington's support as empowering of the Kurdish militia, which is seeking an autonomous region in northern Syria.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not elaborate on his conversation with Trump. The two leaders spoke by phone Friday.

Erdogan said Turkey is waiting for the U.S. to keep its promises but could launch a new offensive "anytime." He said the Turkish army has completed preparations and planning.

The two countries reached an agreement last summer over the town of Manbij, whereby the Kurdish militia would leave and Turkish and American troops jointly patrol the area. Turkey says the U.S. has stalled on implementing the agreement.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during a rally in Konya, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. Erdogan said he received "positive answers" from U.S. President Donald Trump on the situation in northern Syria, where Turkey has threatened to launch a new operation against American-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters. The two leaders spoke by phone Friday. (Presidential Press Service via AP, Pool)

"I call on those openly sponsoring terrorists in the region: You're doing wrong, give it up," Erdogan said.

"Those who strung us along for years in Manbij and who have now made us certain promises regarding east of the Euphrates must deliver on those promises," he said.

The Syrian government, like Turkey, is opposed to Kurdish aspirations of setting up an autonomous region. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said the government was willing to negotiate with the Kurds but won't accept calls for a federal or autonomous region.

"There is no alternative to returning to the nation, which has its arms open to all. The state's decision is restoring sovereignty to every inch of territory," he told a group of university students in Damascus on Monday.

Kurdish forces control around 30 percent of Syria's territory, mostly in the oil-rich eastern region.

Al-Moallem also said Turkey and Western countries are to blame for the delay in forming a committee to draft a constitution, which the U.N. and the U.S. see as key to ending the seven-year civil war. The 50-member committee is intended to represent the government, the opposition and civil society.

Syria's government says it will only accept amendments to the constitution despite an agreement at the start of the year which called for a new draft.DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) - Sheriff's deputies in South Carolina have shot and killed a woman armed with a knife.

Darlington County Sheriff's Lt. Robby Kilgo said in a news release that deputies were called to a home in Darlington late Sunday to check a report of a person "actively inflicting bodily harm."

Kilgo said as deputies entered, a person with a large, serrated knife confronted them. Kilgo said deputies shot the person, who was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Sheriff Tony Chavis has asked the State Law Enforcement Division to investigate. SLED spokesman Thom Berry says the armed person was a woman, and he says that she has died.

Berry said two officers were involved. He said the woman was white, as are the officers.

Their names have not been released.BALTIMORE (AP) - Two men have been convicted in the shooting death of a Maryland lawmaker's grandson.

House Majority Whip Talmadge Branch's grandson, 22-year-old Tyrone Ray Jr., was shot to death in September 2017. Baltimore state's attorney's office spokeswoman Melba Saunders tells The Baltimore Sun 20-year-old Raekwon Thornton and 22-year-old Lamont Kyler were found guilty of murder Friday.

Prosecutors said surveillance video showed two men circling the block and approaching Ray, who was shot two dozen times. Thornton's attorney, Tyler Mann, said he was disappointed, believing the defense team had "raised reasonable doubt that a sole video without any corroborating evidence was enough to convict."

He says he's talking to his client about appealing. Kyler's attorney couldn't be immediately reached.

Branch has called for more state money to curb violence in Baltimore.

___

Information from: The Baltimore Sun, http://www.baltimoresun.comBUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - Romania's president wants to be sent the government agenda in advance amid concerns it will pass an amnesty for people imprisoned on corruption charges.

President Klaus Iohannis Monday asked Premier Viorica Dancila to send him the details 24 hours before government meetings.

The move came after Social Democratic Party chief Liviu Dragnea on Sunday asked for an amnesty for "thousands of people" he claims were wrongly imprisoned by anti-corruption prosecutors.

Iohannis, a Dragnea critic, suggested the proposal smeared the memory of the 1,105 people who died in the 1989 anti-Communist revolt. He said: "Romania won't return to the black era of a one-party state."

Dragnea is widely perceived to be the person running Romania's government even though he can't be prime minister because of a 2016 conviction for vote-rigging.ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) - The Indian Ocean island nation of Madagascar goes to the polls on Wednesday for a runoff presidential election that features two former heads of state who have a prickly past.

Andry Rajoelina received 39 percent of the vote in the first round, while Marc Ravalomanana got 35 percent. They face off for the first time since political turmoil in 2009 forced Ravalomanana from power. Both have said they will accept the runoff's results.

The capital, Antananarivo, is vibrant in the final days before the vote with the orange T-shirts of Rajoelina and the white and green ones of Ravalomanana worn by hundreds of supporters. Minibuses fill the streets with ringing chants for one candidate or the other.

Ten million voters are registered in what the World Bank calls one of the world's poorest nations, though one rich in ecological diversity. More than two-thirds of the population of 25 million live in extreme poverty, while corruption is widespread.

The 44-year-old Rajoelina says Madagascar needs a young leader and he pitches grand plans for the future. He was president from 2009 to 2014 during a transitional government.

"I will build a factory that makes solar panels so that every home will have electricity," he vowed during a rally on Friday in Miandrivazo in the central part of the country. The previous day he promised 10 helicopters to help a rural southern community combat banditry.

A man cycles past a street vendor with election posters in Antananarivo, Madagascar,Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018. Two former presidents of Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina and Marc Ravalomanana, are set for for a run-off. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

For his part, the 69-year-old Ravalomanana, who led Madagascar from 2002 to 2009, is appealing to voters based on his experience.

"You need a competent, mature leader," he said in a speech in the capital early this month.

The rivals have used the campaign to snipe at each other, highlighting their tense history.

"We need a democrat, not a putschist. We will not accept a president who divides the country," Ravalomanana said. He had to quit the presidency in 2009 after a series of military-backed challenges supported by Rajoelina, who was the capital's mayor at the time.

For his part, Rajoelina has responded that "we must fight against dictatorship and egoism."

In a poor neighborhood of the capital, Manarintsoa Atsinanana, the candidates' promises are inspiring few people to dream.

"I'm one of those people who will never be convinced because no matter who it is, Ravalomanana or Rajoelina, they'll never put any food on my plate. They ignore the people's poverty," Tatiana Rabenirina said bitterly. She stood in front of her tiny home fashioned from planks and other odds and ends.

"It doesn't matter who's elected. They don't care. We'll get by alone," the mother of four children said.

Residents said their demands are simple. "All I need is to live in security and that the price of rice is affordable. But it's difficult to have hope when you know you can't even have that," said Joseph Randriamiaina, who sells charcoal in the neighborhood.

"Whoever wins, he'll be the president of us all," said taxi driver Richard Rakotobe. "All we ask is that there isn't any trouble."

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Follow Africa news at https://twitter.com/AP_AfricaNAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Five people were killed in a village in Western Kenya after residents resisted the arrest of a suspect in a domestic abuse case, a police official said Monday.

A policeman has been arrested in connection with the deaths Sunday evening in Trans-Nzoia County and an independent investigation has been launched, police spokesman Charles Owino said.

The incident is one of many where Kenyans are taking the law into their hands because they have lost trust in the police force, human rights activists say.

The lack of public trust has been caused by police acting outside the law, said Peter Kiama, the executive director of rights group, Independent Medico Legal Unit. Kenya's police are often accused of corruption and human rights abuses, including illegal killings and torture, he said.

"The more police act outside the law, the more it erodes public confidence," he said. "We have been telling them this from way back."

In recent weeks videos of Kenyans resisting police have gone viral on social media. Among them is that of a man identified as school teacher who appears to hit a baton-wielding policeman on the head with a stick when the policemen started hitting the teacher's colleagues who were demonstrating peacefully. Another is of a tricycle taxi driver who throws stones at two traffic policemen who allegedly wanted to arrest him for a traffic offence because he didn't pay a bribe.

Kiama said it is wrong for the public to attack policemen and instead they should report any misconduct to institutions which have been set up to deal with such issues.

Despite the formation of a civilian police oversight authority and a police internal affairs unit to deal with police misconduct many Kenyans remain pessimistic that the force will improve.

For more than a decade Kenya's police force has been ranked as one of the country's most corrupt institutions by the anti-corruption watch dog Transparency International.

This year the force was rated the most corrupt institution in the country by the government's own anti-corruption watchdog.

A vetting process which started in 2014 of the more than 100,000 police officers has had little impact on police behavior, even after nearly 2,000 officers were fired, said activists. Human rights groups said last month they documented 24 police killings in three weeks in the low-income areas of Nairobi. Most of the killings were illegal, according to activists.

___

Follow Africa news at https://twitter.com/AP_AfricaSyria's military announced it has taken control of the flash-point Kurdish-held town of Manbij, where Turkey has threatened an offensive.

There was no immediate comment from Turkey or the U.S., whose troops have been patrolling the town and the tense front line between Manbij and adjacent towns where Turkey-backed fighters were based, the AP reported.

Turkey, which views the Kurdish militia as a terrorist group, had been threatening a military operation against Manbij. Turkey and its allied fighters have been amassing troops around Manbij in recent days.

The Syrian government has said it welcomes the Kurdish group returning under its authority. But government officials have stated they will not consider an autonomous area, a main demand for the Kurds.

The Syrian military declaration came shortly after the main Syrian Kurdish militia invited the government to seize control of Manbij to prevent a Turkish attack. The development signals the two sides have agreed to the new arrangement. The Syrian military said it raised the state flag in Manbij.

The Syrian military said it was responding to calls from residents of Manbij and promised safety for all living there.TIRANA, Albania (AP) - The head of Albania's top court has been removed after he failed to account for his income.

A vetting commission checking his personal and professional background decided Monday to discharge Bashkim Dedja from the position of head of the Constitutional Court.

The nine-member court is currently unable to function as eight of its judges have been removed from duty in the vetting process.

Albania is vetting some 800 judges and prosecutors to root out bribery and ensure they are independent from politics.

The process started more than two years ago when parliament unanimously passed a judicial reform aiming to fight the judicial corruption that has plagued post-communist Albania, hampering its democratic growth.

Next year Albania, a NATO member since 2009, expects to launch full membership negotiations with the European Union.TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - A statue of Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa will remain in downtown Tucson despite an effort by a conservative watchdog group to remove it.

Members of the Public Art and Community Design Committee last week unanimously rejected a removal request by Washington, D.C.-based Judicial Watch, the Arizona Daily Star reported Sunday.

The 14-foot (4-meter) bronze statue of Pancho Villa on a horse stands in Veinte de Agosto Park. It was a gift to the state from the Mexican government and a Mexico press group.

Judicial Watch claimed city records do not indicate that a public hearing was held to hear complaints about the statue before it was unveiled in 1981. Mark Spencer, the Phoenix-based coordinator of Judicial Watch's Southwest Projects, advocated for the removal, saying three Tucson residents approached him for help in voicing their complaint.

Spencer said the statue "needs to go" because "Pancho Villa did great harm to people."

Following the meeting, Spencer said he would consult with his legal team to see if the panel adhered to city policies

A statue of Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa stands in Veinte de Agosto Park in Tucson, Ariz., on Friday, Dec. 14, 2018. Members of the Public Art and Community Design Committee last week unanimously rejected a removal request of the statue by Washington, D.C.-based Judicial Watch. (Mamta Popat/Arizona Daily Star via AP)

The committee, which manages the city's public art collection, said the request did not meet any of the 10 criteria used to consider removing public art, such as damage or a request from the artist.

A dozen residents gave statements in defense of the statute during the meeting, pointing to its aesthetic value and role in celebrating local Mexican-American culture.

"We don't want to forget that history, that history that is grounded in Mexican-ness," said Lydia Otero, a professor of Mexican-American studies at the University of Arizona.

"Each person that walks up to the statue has to ask questions about why this statue is here, right downtown," Otero said. "And they have to come up with their own answers. You know why? Because we are Tucson and it is complicated."

___

Information from: Arizona Daily Star, http://www.tucson.comBEIRUT (AP) - U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon said Monday that two of the four tunnels discovered by Israel and allegedly dug by the Hezbollah militant group cross the border in violation of the cease-fire agreement that ended the 2006 war.

UNIFIL said it has been investigating the tunnels uncovered in an Israeli operation launched earlier this month. Israel says the militant group dug the tunnels in order to infiltrate the country and carry out attacks. Hezbollah has not commented on the operation.

"This is a matter of serious concern and UNIFIL technical investigations continue," the peacekeeping force said in a statement.

UNIFIL said two tunnels cross the so-called Blue Line that demarcates the border between Israel and Lebanon. It called on Lebanese authorities to take "urgent follow-up" actions.

Israel and Lebanon are technically at war, and Israel and Hezbollah fought a monthlong war that ended in stalemate in 2006. The cease-fire called on Israel to withdraw from the south and Hezbollah to keep away from the border. It also stipulated that only UNIFIL and the Lebanese armed forces would be deployed south of the Litani River.

Israel has called on the international community to impose new sanctions on the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, a heavily-armed mini-army with an arsenal of tens of thousands of rockets that can reach nearly every part of Israel.

FILE - In this Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018 file photo, an Israeli soldier looks out from one of their new positions, near the southern border village of Mays al-Jabal, Lebanon. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said Monday, 17, 2018 that Lebanese soldiers have gone on alert after Israeli troops placed a barbed wire along the border between the two countries. The agency said Monday's incident occurred on the edge of the southern village of Mays al-Jabal when Israeli troops laid 200-meters (yards) of wire. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

Lebanon's President Michel Aoun said earlier this month his government was ready to take necessary action following a full report from the peacekeeping force on the tunnels, without offering specifics.

In Beirut, Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri said Lebanon is committed to the full implementation of the cease-fire agreement and respect of the Blue Line. During a meeting with Gen. Stefano Del Col, the head of UNIFIL, Hariri said the Lebanese army will conduct patrols to deal "with any flaw in the implementation" of the cease-fire.

Earlier Monday, Lebanese soldiers went on alert after Israeli troops rolled out barbed wire along the border.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said the incident occurred on the edge of the southern village of Mays al-Jabal when Israeli troops installed 200 meters (yards) of wire. Lebanese troops protested that the wire was placed on their side of the border.

The Israeli military said its troops were placing concertina wire "adjacent to the Blue Line" when the standoff occurred. It said the wire was installed entirely in Israeli territory, in coordination with the peacekeepers. "No violent incidents were reported," it said.

UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti said that after reports of a "standoff" between Lebanese and Israeli troops along the Blue Line, "UNIFIL troops were deployed in the area to defuse the situation, prevent misunderstandings and maintain stability."

"The situation in the area is now calm and our troops are on the ground," Tenenti said.MOSCOW (AP) - The special envoy of the United States on Ukraine has dismissed Russia's warning of a Ukrainian offensive near Crimea as an attempt to deflect attention from its own aggressive actions.

The long-simmering conflict between Russia and Ukraine broke into the open last month when Russian coast guards near Russia-annexed Crimea fired on and seized three Ukrainian vessels and their crew.

Several Russian officials including the foreign minister in recent days have raised the alarm about what they called planned provocations by Ukrainian troops near the land border with the Crimean peninsula.

Kurt Volker, the U.S. special envoy on Ukraine, told reporters Monday that he is not expecting Ukraine to launch any attacks. On the contrary, he said, the Russian remarks might aim to deflect attention from Russia's ongoing blockade of the Kerch Strait.PARIS (AP) - After five straight weekends of disruptive and sometimes violent protests across France, police are taking a turn expressing anger at the French government.

Two police unions complained Monday about working conditions and what they said were strained resources as officers have been sent in to clear road blockades and to control trouble-makers at street demonstrations bent on provoking them.

The Alliance union urged the government to invest in rebuilding the country's police forces while calling for a work slowdown Wednesday to protest planned cuts in the national police budget.

Another union, UNSA police, said its members only would provide minimum services Tuesday and asked for a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. The union asked the government earlier this month for payment of overtime hours officers put in work quelling the protests.

"Police are not doing well and nobody is listening," Frederic Lagache, of the Alliance union, said.

Lagache's union said that French lawmakers are set to vote on 62 million euros ($70 million) in budget cuts this week that "will once again result in downgraded work conditions," if approved.

FILE - In this Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018 file photo, riot police officers stand guard on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris. A French police labor union is urging the government to invest in rebuilding the country's police forces while calling for a work slowdown to protest planned cuts in the national police budget. The Alliance union said on Monday, Dec. 17 that French lawmakers are set to vote on 62 million euros ($70 million) in budget cuts this week that "will once again result in downgraded work conditions," if approved. (AP Photo/Rafael Yaghobzadeh, file)

Alliance is encouraging police forces to stay inside their stations on Wednesday and only to respond to emergency calls.

Alliance said French lawmakers should vote against the government's 2019 budget and warns "that other actions will be implemented" if President Emmanuel Macron "does not quickly announce a Marshall Plan for the national police."

The "yellow vest" protests, named after the fluorescent safety vests French motorists must carry, started last month over rising fuel prices. They since have morphed into a mass show of dissatisfaction involving pensioners, people without jobs and small business owners.

The UNSA union threatened Monday to mimic yellow vests protests and to occupy roundabouts if its demands were not met.

"The roundabouts are not reserved for yellow vests only," the union said in a statement. UNSA said.NEW YORK (AP) - "Orange Is the New Black" actress Yael Stone alleged actor Geoffrey Rush engaged in sexually inappropriate behavior when they starred in "The Diary of a Madman" in 2010.

Speaking to The New York Times , the 33-year-old said Rush danced naked in front of her in their dressing room, used a mirror to watch her while she showered and sent her occasionally erotic texts.

Stone said she "enthusiastically and willingly" replied to the texts from her fellow Australian actor when she was 25 and he was 59.

"I was so flattered that someone like that would spend their time texting me into the very early hours of the morning," she said. "Gradually the text messages became more sexual in nature, but always encased in this very highfalutin intellectual language."

"I'm embarrassed by the ways I participated," Stone said. "I certainly wouldn't engage as the person I am now in the way I did when I was 25."

Stone said she was trying to manage "uncomfortable moments" without offending the star.

FILE - In this May 18, 2017, file photo, Geoffrey Rush arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" at the Dolby Theatre. "Orange Is the New Black" actress Yael Stone alleges actor Geoffrey Rush engaged in sexually inappropriate behavior when they starred in "The Diary of a Madman" in 2010. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

In a statement , Rush said the allegations "are incorrect and in some instances have been taken completely out of context."

"However, clearly Yael has been upset on occasion by the spirited enthusiasm I generally bring to my work. I sincerely and deeply regret if I have caused her any distress. This, most certainly, has never been my intention," Rush said.

A representative for Stone referred The Associated Press to her original comments. A Rush representative did not return an email seeking additional comments Monday morning.

The allegations came as Rush awaited a verdict in a defamation lawsuit that he filed in Australia.

Rush sued the Daily Telegraph's publisher, Nationwide News, and a journalist over two articles and a newspaper poster published in 2017. They related to a report he behaved inappropriately toward a co-star during a Sydney Theatre Company production of King Lear in 2015 and 2016.

The Academy Award-winning actor denied the allegation.

A judge is expected to issue a ruling next year.LONDON (AP) - The Latest on Brexit (all times local):

6 p.m.

The leader of Britain's main opposition party has submitted a motion of no-confidence in Prime Minister Theresa May - a largely symbolic move of censure.

Jeremy Corbyn called for the vote after May announced that Parliament would not vote on Britain's divorce deal with the European Union until the week of Jan. 14, more than a month after it was originally scheduled.

Defeat would increase pressure on the prime minister. But unlike a no-confidence motion in the government, a vote on May as an individual has no power to topple the government and force an election.

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In this photo provided by the UK Parliament, Britain's Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn delivers a speech in the House of Commons in London, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. Prime Minister Theresa May said Monday that the postponed vote in Parliament on Britain's Brexit agreement with the European Union will be held the week of Jan. 14 - more than a month after it was originally scheduled and just 10 weeks before Britain leaves the EU. (Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament via AP)

3:40 p.m.

British Prime Minister Theresa May says the delayed vote in Parliament on the Brexit deal between her government and the European Union will be held the week of Jan. 14.

The vote was supposed to take place last week, but May canceled it at the last minute when it became clear lawmakers would resoundingly reject the agreement.

May is trying to win tweaks from the EU in order to win over skeptical lawmakers - although the bloc says no renegotiation is possible.

May told lawmakers on Monday that debate on the deal would resume the week of Jan. 7, when Parliament comes back after its Christmas break. She said the vote would be held the following week.

___

10:10 a.m.

Some members of British Prime Minister Theresa May's Cabinet are urging the government to ramp up planning for a "no-deal" Brexit - a chaotic outcome that could see gridlock at U.K. ports, planes grounded and shortages of essential goods.

Others are seeking to work with opposition politicians to find a way out of the morass.

May's supporters distanced themselves from media reports that senior figures in her government held talks with opposition Labour lawmakers aimed at holding another vote.

But some Cabinet members say lawmakers from all parties should be consulted to find out whether there is majority support for any course of action.

"We can't just have continuing uncertainty and I think Parliament should be invited to say what it would agree with," Business Secretary Greg Clark told the BBC.

___

9 a.m.

Prime Minister Theresa May is set to condemn calls for a second referendum on Britain's departure from the European Union, saying it would do irreparable damage to trust in democracy.

In remarks released ahead of her speech in the House of Commons on Monday, May says that staging another referendum "would say to millions who trusted in democracy that our democracy does not deliver."

She's also expected to argue that such a ballot would exacerbate divisions rather than heal them.

May's supporters distanced themselves from media reports that senior figures in her government held talks with opposition Labour lawmakers aimed at holding another vote.

With time growing short toward Britain's scheduled March 29 departure, it remains unclear whether the country will leave with a deal or crash out with no deal.

FILE - In this Wednesday, June 20, 2018 file photo, a man in a passing taxi shouts his disagreement at anti-Brexit, pro-EU supporters protesting backdropped by the Houses of Parliament in London. The divisions opened up by the 2016 referendum have not healed, but hardened, splitting Britain into two camps: leavers and remainers. Almost the only thing the two groups share is pessimism about the way Brexit is going. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

British Prime Minister Theresa May walks by the EU stars as she arrives for a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels, Friday, Dec. 14, 2018. European Union leaders expressed deep doubts Friday that British Prime Minister Theresa May can live up to her side of their Brexit agreement and they vowed to step up preparations for a potentially-catastrophic no-deal scenario. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)PRAGUE (AP) - The Czech Republic's cyber security watchdog is warning against the use of products by Chinese electronics giant Huawei and another Chinese telecommunications company, ZTE.

The National Cyber and Information Security Agency said Monday that their software and hardware pose "a security threat."

Huawei is the biggest global supplier of network gear for phone and internet companies.

It has become the target of U.S. security concerns because of its ties to the Chinese government. The U.S. has pressured other countries to limit use of its technology, warning they could be opening themselves up to surveillance and theft of information.

A Czech spy agency recently warned against the activities of Chinese spies on Czech territory.JERUSALEM (AP) - Rona Ramon, whose husband was killed in the 2003 Columbia space shuttle disaster and who later lost a son in a military plane crash, has died.

Ramon, who was 54, died Monday of pancreatic cancer, according to Israeli media reports.

Her husband, Ilan Ramon, was Israel's first and only astronaut. Six years after the Columbia crash, their son, Asaf, who had followed in his father's footsteps to become an Israeli air force fighter pilot, was killed in a training accident.

In a 2013 interview, Ramon said she was still unable to discuss the loss of her son, but also tried to "look for meaning in life."

She formed a foundation in memory of her husband and son, and counseled others coping with tragedies.We're told experiences are supposed to make us happier than stuff - turns out that may apply mostly to the affluent. The famous marshmallow test that predicts future success, based on which kids can resist an immediate treat? That research has similar problems. Meanwhile, the jury's still out on whether willpower is something you can "use up."

Studies about these issues shaped a fair amount of personal finance advice in recent years. The fact that researchers may have drawn incorrect or at least incomplete conclusions reminds us that blanket advice on money is risky. What works for one person may not work for the next, particularly if their financial lives are vastly different.

MYTH 1: EXPERIENCES BRING MORE HAPPINESS

Many studies have found people get more happiness from spending on experiences than buying material things. The 2003 study that kicked off all this research, however, revealed some socioeconomic differences: People's preference for experiences wasn't universal and rose with income.

Until recently, those differences hadn't been further explored by researchers. Wendy Wood, professor of psychology and business at the University of Southern California, suspected bias: After all, the people doing the research and the journalists writing about it tended to be middle-class or higher.

So she and two of her graduate students, Jacob C. Lee and Deborah L. Hall, examined 23 studies and conducted three of their own focusing on socioeconomic background. Their findings echoed the original study, showing that people with less education and income were happier after purchasing material goods or were equally happy about how they spent their money, whether on things or experiences.

FILE - This April 2017 file photo provided by NerdWallet shows Liz Weston, a columnist for personal finance website NerdWallet.com. (NerdWallet via AP, File)

Wood is now researching why this is true, but points to theories that people of higher socioeconomic status tend to be more focused on self-development, while those with fewer resources focus more on getting their money's worth.

"If you have a restricted budget and you can only spend a small amount of money, then each purchase has to be really worthwhile," says Wood.

MYTH 2: MARSHMALLOWS PREDICT FUTURE SUCCESS

The famous "marshmallow test" put a treat in front of preschoolers and promised that if they didn't eat it, they could have two treats after 15 minutes. Researchers found that preschoolers' ability to put off eating the marshmallow correlated with academic performance and better stress management when they were older.

Personal finance types love this research, because it highlights the importance of delayed gratification. Putting off spending today in favor of investing for tomorrow is a key to building wealth.

A study published earlier this year, however, found a much smaller correlation between delayed marshmallow consumption and future success - and most of that was explained by a child's background.

"Socioeconomic status was heavily tied to one's ability to delay gratification," says Tyler W. Watts , assistant professor of research at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. "It's easier to delay gratification if your basic needs are met and if you have financial security."

MYTH 3: WILLPOWER IS A LIMITED RESOURCE

Since 1998, researchers have been finding that our self-control is a limited resource that can be exhausted, a process known as "ego depletion." If we resist the urge to eat a chocolate chip cookie, for example, we're supposed to have less willpower to tackle the next temptation. Rather than relying on self-control when it comes to money, financial advisers tell us to put our saving and investing on automatic so we have fewer choices to make (and potentially screw up).

An attempt by 23 labs to replicate one of the most famous ego depletion studies, however, failed to find the same effects. Meanwhile, researchers from the University of Miami and the University of Minnesota who reviewed more than 100 published and unpublished studies found little support for the idea that willpower is a finite resource and even some evidence that self-control improves with use.

The idea of ego depletion isn't quite dead, though. Two large experiments conducted by Texas A&M University researchers and published late last year once again found evidence that using your willpower once leaves you with less of it for the next round.

COMMON SENSE TO THE RESCUE

When studies collide, consider common sense. Putting saving and investing on automatic can help you accumulate more, without relying on willpower. Automation also sidesteps the delayed gratification issue - you don't see the "treat," or the money in your paycheck, since it's automatically whisked away. And when you do have extra cash, spend it on what makes you happy - not on what anyone else thinks you should want.

______________________

This column was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet. Liz Weston is a columnist at NerdWallet, a certified financial planner and author of "Your Credit Score." Email: lweston@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @lizweston.

RELATED LINK:

3 reasons you need an automatic savings plan

https://nerd.me/automatic-savings-planU.S. President Donald Trump's visit to Iraq was a disrespect for the country's national sovereignty, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said.

"Despite countless interventions and thousands of billions of dollars the U.S. has wasted on its illegitimate presence in the region and in particular in Iraq, Trump still has to visit a regional country in a total secret, or so to speak, sneaky way amid the tightest security measures," Qassemi said.

The visit, according to the spokesman, was strongly opposed by the Iraqi people and widely criticized by experts.

Qassemi strongly criticized Trumps "meddlesome and opportunistic" remarks in Iraq and said "regional governments and nations will never allow aggressive and despicable outsiders to sow division among them," PressTV reported.

Trump made an unannounced three-hour visit to the al-Asad Air Base near Baghdad on Thursday.YEHUD, Israel (AP) - An Israeli nonprofit on Monday said it has pushed back the launch of what it hopes will be the first private spacecraft to land on the moon until February.

Officials from SpaceIL and its project partner, the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, announced that the landing craft, dubbed "Beresheet," or Genesis, will ship in February to Florida. Propelled by a SpaceX Falcon rocket launch, the robotic lander will then commence its months-long voyage to the moon. It had been slated to launch this month.

SpaceIL said it had no control over the launch's delay, and that SpaceX, the private space exploration company founded by entrepreneur Elon Musk, notified them that its rocket will now lift off in February 2019 without providing an explanation.

Israel Aerospace Industries manager Opher Doron stressed that the small craft, roughly the size of a washing machine, faces a "difficult, arduous journey" because it will have to make several orbits before touching down on the moon. Upon landing, the craft is to relay photographs and collect data about the moon's ever-changing magnetism for research by Israel's Weizmann Institute and NASA.

On Monday, SpaceIL representatives presented a time capsule that will accompany the spacecraft to the moon.

The capsule, in the shape of a DVD, holds pictures of the Israeli public, interpretive drawings by Israeli children and other pieces of national memorabilia, including stories of Holocaust survivors.

The SpaceIL lunar module, an unmanned spacecraft, is on display in a special "clean room" where the space craft is being developed, during a press tour of their facility near Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. SpaceIL and the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries plan to launch their unmanned spacecraft to the moon early in 2019. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

"We hope that far in the future, when travel to the moon is as common as trans-Atlantic travel, that children will be able to understand the lives of their Israeli ancestors through this archive on the moon," said SpaceIL co-founder Yonatan Winetraub.

A crowd of Israeli reporters, clad in sanitized white coats, burst into applause as Winetraub fastened the capsule to the underbelly of the craft.

SpaceIL was founded in 2011 and originally vied for Google's Lunar Xprize, which challenged private companies to try to land an unmanned spacecraft on the moon.

But the $20 million competition was scrapped by the tech giant earlier this year when it became clear none of the five companies would meet a March deadline.

SpaceIL has vowed to continue the mission and hopes that its ambitious $95 million project, largely funded by South African-Israeli billionaire Morris Kahn and other donors, will spur a new wave of commercial missions to the moon and jump-start new companies.

Israel would become the fourth country to land a craft on the moon, after the U.S., the Soviet Union and China.

A time capsule that will go inside the SpaceIL lunar module, an unmanned spacecraft, that is on display in a special "clean room" where the space craft is being developed, during a press tour of their facility near Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. SpaceIL and the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries plan to launch their unmanned spacecraft to the moon early in 2019. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

SpaceIL co-founder Yonatan Winetraub, left, inserts a time capsule into the SpaceIL lunar module, an unmanned spacecraft, that is on display in a special "clean room" where the space craft is being developed, during a press tour of their facility near Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. SpaceIL and the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries plan to launch their unmanned spacecraft to the moon early in 2019. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - The mother of a toddler whose disappearance prompted the biggest criminal investigation in Maine history sued Monday in hopes of unearthing more details.

The announcement came on the seventh anniversary of the date 20-month-old Ayla Reynolds was reported missing by her father in Waterville.

Ayla's mother, Trista Reynolds, has blamed the father, Justin DiPietro, for the toddler's death. But the body has never been found, and no charges have been filed.

Reynolds and her attorney, William Childs, filed the wrongful death lawsuit alleging DiPietro caused Ayla's death, and said at a news conference that they hope depositions related to the suit will help solve the case.

"Justin, I promise you, wherever you are, one day you will have to face me and tell me the truth of what really happened to Ayla," Reynolds told reporters in Portland. "You can't hide from this forever."

DiPietro did not return phone calls. An email to an address listed under his name was returned by a user who declined to comment. Childs said DiPietro's last known address was in California.

FILE - This undated file photo provided by Trista Reynolds shows Ayla Reynolds, her daughter, who went missing in December 2011 from her father's home in Waterville, Maine. Ayla has never been found and the investigation remains open, though probate judge formally declared her legally dead in 2017. Attorneys for Trista Reynolds plan to speak on Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, in Portland on plans to file a lawsuit against the missing girl's father, Justin DiPietro. (AP Photo/Trista Reynolds, File)

The lawsuit seeks a monetary award from DiPietro. But Childs and Reynolds, who held a news conference about the lawsuit during morning snowfall outside court, said they were aware that DiPietro probably has no money to provide.

Childs said the lawsuit is more about "trying to find out how Ayla was killed, why Ayla was killed, and where Ayla was killed." Detectives have said in the past that adults in the Waterville home where Ayla was last seen alive know more than they have shared with authorities.

Sworn testimony from DiPietro and others who were in the house, who could potentially be served subpoenas, could help shed light on exactly what happened that night. Reynolds said she hopes it builds groundwork for eventual criminal charges.

State police have long believed the girl is dead, and a judge declared her legally dead in 2017. But the investigation remains open.

Maine State Police spokesman Steve McCausland said Monday that the investigation is "active" and that police "remain as committed today as we were seven years ago" to solving it.

Ayla was last seen wearing pajamas with the words "Daddy's Princess" on them. DiPietro told police he believed Reynolds was abducted from a home where they were staying in the central Maine city of Waterville. State police ruled that theory out.

Ayla was reported missing Dec. 17, 2011. DiPietro said at the time that he had tucked Ayla into bed the night before and found that she was gone the next morning. Searches didn't turn up any evidence.

Trista Reynolds now lives in South Portland and has two young children. She said she lights a pink candle every December in Ayla's name.

"We've been at this for seven years," she said before the news conference, "so I've got to have hope somewhere."

Trista Reynolds holds a picture of Justin DiPietro, estranged father of her missing daughter Ayla Reynolds, during a news conference, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, in Portland, Maine. Her attorney William Childs, left, announced a civil lawsuit with a complaint of wrongful death against DiPietro. Ayla Reynolds went missing exactly seven years ago on Dec. 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Patrick Whittle)WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - A Kansas man convicted of abusing and killing his girlfriend's 3-year-old son before encasing the boy's body in concrete in their rental home's garage was sentenced Monday to more than 100 years in prison.

Judge Steve Ternes sentenced Stephen Bodine to 109 years and six months after telling him during the hearing in Sedgwick County district court: "Your acts were disgusting and cowardly and monstrous."

Bodine, 41, did not address the court.

Bodine was convicted in October of first-degree murder, child abuse and other charges in the torture and killing of Evan Brewer. Prosecutors say Bodine and Evan's mother, Miranda Miller, chained the boy in the basement and forced him to stand in a corner for hours in the months before his May 2017 death at their rental home in Wichita.

Evan's body was found that September by the landlord, after Miller and Bodine moved out.

Miller, 37, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and other charges last month and is due to be sentenced in January. Her plea deal required her to testify against Bodine.

During Bodine's trial, prosecutors presented a cache of 16,000 photos and video files collected by the couple's home surveillance system that detailed the boy's abuse.

Miller testified that Bodine made Evan stand against a wall for hours for not eating on May 19, 2017. When the boy collapsed, Bodine took the screaming boy into the bathroom and later came out with his wet and lifeless body. Miller said Bodine mixed bags of concrete and buried the boy's body in it.

When Evan's body was found, it was so badly decomposed that an autopsy couldn't determine how he had died. He had Benadryl in his system, and Miller said she thinks Bodine sickened him in the days leading up to his death by force-feeding him large amounts of salt.

Evan's father, Carlo Brewer, said he began seeking custody of his son after noticing signs that he had been abused, and authorities were alerted at least six times that Evan was being abused.

After the sentencing, Carlo Brewer said he was pleased with the sentence.

"We don't have to worry about him getting out and hurting other people or children. It's turned into a pretty good day," he said.SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - The mayor of South Bend, Indiana, said Monday he won't seek a third term, fueling speculation he may run for president in 2020.

Pete Buttigieg, an openly gay 36-year-old who gained national attention as he campaigned for Democratic National Committee chairman last year , declined to comment on his future political plans. He said he doesn't expect to make any announcements before January .

"I don't think it's a secret that we're looking at things, and we'll continue to do so going into the new year," he said.

Asked whether he'd comment about a possible presidential bid, he smiled and replied "nope."

Buttigieg is scheduled to speak Saturday at an Iowa political dinner along with other potential Democratic presidential candidates. He also spoke at a Progress Iowa event last year.

He authored a book that's scheduled to be released in February about his life and experience as mayor of the northwest Indiana community of roughly 100,000.

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg announces that he will not seek another term as mayor Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, during a news conference at his office in South Bend, Ind. (Robert Franklin/South Bend Tribune via AP)

Buttigieg is a Rhodes Scholar who won his first term in 2011, at age 29. In 2015 he publicly announced he was gay in a newspaper column. Five months later he won his second term as mayor with more than 80 percent of the vote.

He married his husband, Chasten Glezman, in June.

Buttigieg also served as a Naval Reserve officer in Afghanistan in 2014.

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, right, hugs his husband Chasten Glezman following a press conference, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, at his office in South Bend, Ind., where he announced that he will not seek another term as mayor. (Robert Franklin/South Bend Tribune via AP)

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg says bye to reporters following a press conference, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, at his office in South Bend, Ind., where he announced that he will not seek another term as mayor. (Robert Franklin/South Bend Tribune via AP)PEORIA, Ill. (AP) - Attorneys for the man charged with kidnapping and killing a Chinese scholar at the University of Illinois-Champaign say the FBI searched his jail cell when he was in court.

Brendt Christensen's attorneys now want a judge to force the FBI to divulge what they found in Friday's search. They filed a motion Sunday requesting a hearing.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Christensen , who's charged in the 2017 abduction and death of 26-year-old Yingying Zang. Authorities haven't found her body.

The News-Gazette reports Christensen's attorneys say the FBI came to the Livingston County jail when he was in court Friday in Peoria, searched his belongings and interviewed his fellow inmates.

They allege agents violated Christensen's right against unlawful searches and seizures by showing up without warning and without a search warrant.

___

FILE - In this undated file photo provided by the University of Illinois Police Department shows Yingying Zhang. Attorneys for Brendt Christensen, the man charged with kidnapping and killing Zhang, a Chinese University of Illinois scholar, say the FBI searched his jail cell when he was in court. Christensen's attorneys now want a judge to force the FBI to divulge what they found in the Friday, Dec. 14, 2018, search at the Livingston County jail. (Courtesy of the University of Illinois Police Department via AP File)

Information from: The News-Gazette, http://www.news-gazette.comISTANBUL (AP) - Turkey's official news agency says three people have been arrested for their alleged roles in a deadly train accident.

Three employees of Turkey's railway authority were put under pre-trial arrest Monday on the charges of reckless manslaughter and injury, according to Anadolu news agency. They worked as a dispatcher, switchman and controller in Turkish State Railways.

A high-speed train on Thursday morning hit a railway engine and crashed into a pedestrian overpass at a station in the Turkish capital Ankara, killing nine and injuring dozens of others. The train was travelling to central Konya province.

The head-on collision derailed at least two cars, hitting the station's overpass, which then collapsed onto the train.

The three suspects were detained after the accident over negligence.BALTIMORE (AP) - The Roman Catholic Jesuit province serving much of the eastern United States on Monday released the names of Jesuit priests who face "credible or established" accusations of sexual abuse of minors dating to 1950.

In a letter, the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus identified five living Jesuits facing offenses that took place in the province and another eight who are dead. The men - part of a Catholic order that includes more than 16,000 men worldwide - served in churches, high schools, colleges and other institutions.

It's the latest in a string of similar disclosures from Jesuit governing bodies. Earlier this month, two other Jesuit provinces that cover nearly half the U.S. released the names of more than 150 priests and other ministry leaders found to have "credible allegations" of sexual abuse made against them.

The letter from the Rev. Robert Hussey, the leader of the Jesuit province headquartered in Maryland, states that most cases date back decades and the most recent incident occurred in 2002. The five still alive are listed as living in supervised housing "on a safety plan." He said in the letter, dated Monday, that the province hopes the disclosure "will contribute to reconciliation and healing."

"We are deeply sorry for the harm we have caused to victims and their families," said Hussey, whose statement was attached to the list of names and accusations.

None of the living named Jesuits are in active ministry in the grouping that extends through South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, West Virginia, southern New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.

While some of the named Jesuit priests were removed from ministry in the 1990s, others were not removed until well after the U.S. church sex abuse scourge exploded in Boston in 2002. One accused priest, Neil McLaughlin, was not removed from ministry until 2007 despite the fact he is believed to have abused youngsters from his ordination in 1959 until the 1980s, with multiple accusations of abuse from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Georgia, New York and Massachusetts.

Another Jesuit priest, J. Glenn Murray, was only removed from ministry in 2011, decades after he was accused of a single allegation of sex abuse in Baltimore dating from 1981, a few years after his ordination.

David Lorenz, a clergy sex abuse survivor who leads the Maryland chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, said he was glad the Jesuits were putting out a list of abusers so some victims could get some relief and move ahead in their lives. But he stressed that the list was "wholly inadequate," in his view, and the only way to get all the information about church abuse was through subpoenas by independent investigators.

"Unless you force them to open up their records you can't believe that what they're giving you is complete," Lorenz said in a phone interview Monday.

The Jesuits have previously settled lawsuits across the country, including a $166 million settlement involving about 500 abuse claims in Oregon in 2011, one of the largest settlements involving clergy abuse allegations.

The Jesuit president of Maryland's Loyola University, the Rev. Brian F. Linnanne, issued a statement Monday that seven Jesuits on the list were previously affiliated with the institution or with Loyola's Jesuit community. None of the allegations occurred while they were on campus.

"Transparency and openness can reveal weighty truths. We must confront them and address them so we can move forward with optimism, hope, and a conviction that we will never allow such deplorable actions to occur in the future," he wrote.

In an email, the spokesman for the Baltimore Archdiocese said there was hope that the "disclosure will advance the culture of transparency that we have worked hard to create and that it will inspire other potential courageous victim-survivors to come forward."

Catholic bishops adopted widespread reforms in 2002 when clergy abuse became a national crisis for the church in the U.S., including stricter requirements for reporting accusations to law enforcement and a streamlined process for removing clerics.

But a Pennsylvania grand jury this year made very clear that more changes are needed. In a nearly 900-page report released Aug. 14, the grand jury alleged that more than 300 Roman Catholic priests had abused at least 1,000 children over the past seven decades in six Pennsylvania dioceses. It also accused senior church officials of systematically covering up complaints.

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Follow McFadden on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dmcfaddWASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order before the end of the year creating a U.S. Space Command as a major military command.

Vice President Mike Pence will make the announcement Tuesday at the Kennedy Space Center, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, two U.S. officials said, and Trump could sign the order as soon as Tuesday.

The move is separate from Trump's goal of creating a "Space Force" as an independent armed service branch, but could be a step in that direction.

The U.S. Air Force's existing Space Command would be a key component of the new joint entity, raising space to the same status as U.S. Cyber Command.

According to U.S. officials, Pence will be at the Pentagon on Tuesday and will meet with the Joint Chiefs. Space Command is expected to be among the issues discussed. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly.

The move would actually recreate a U.S. Space Command, which existed from 1985 to 2002. It was disbanded in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks so that U.S. Northern Command could be established, focusing on defense of the homeland.

Although Space Command went away, its functions did not. They were absorbed by U.S. Strategic Command, and the Air Force retained its lead role in space through Air Force Space Command.BRUSSELS (AP) - Kosovo's prime minister said Monday the country feels betrayed by the European Union, which it is aspiring to join one day, because of the bloc's delays on enacting visa-free travel for its citizens.

Ramush Haradinaj's comments came in a speech he made in Brussels at a meeting with senior EU officials.

Kosovo's citizens "feel betrayed and disillusioned with the EU," he said. "Time is not our friend. We should see concrete progress."

Haradinaj said that though Kosovo had fulfilled dozens of requirements set by EU members, the response from Brussels is "incomplete and hopeless."

Kosovo is the only nation in Eastern Europe not allowed visa-free travel to EU member countries.

Haradinaj called on Brussels to "speed up" the process because the end of the path "is clear but still not tangible for us."

FILE - In this Monday, Nov. 19, 2018 file photo, Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj addresses the media during a news conference at the federal chancellery in Vienna, Austria. Haradinaj said on Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, that Kosovo feels betrayed by the European Union, which it aspires to join one day, because of the bloc's delays on enacting visa-free travel for its citizens. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak, File)

The prime minister said that Kosovo was "strongly committed to EU membership as a high priority."

"We need a clear signal from you that you respect our achievements and that we have your support, in an active way, especially in realizing the free movement of the Kosovo citizens," he added.

An EU statement said Kosovo was asked to revoke recent tariffs it set on Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina and stressed the importance of the seven-year long Kosovo-Serbia dialogue it facilitates.

Last month, Kosovo's government introduced a 100-percent tax on Serb imports in apparent retaliation for a failed bid by Kosovo for membership in the international police organization, Interpol, after intense Serbian lobbying.

"The introduction of these tariffs damages the economic interests of Kosovo and its people, reducing trade flows and diminishing Kosovo's attractiveness as a place for investment and business," according to the EU's statement.

Haradinaj has said they will lift the tariffs only when Serbia recognizes Kosovo's independence, which was declared in 2008.

Brussels has told Kosovo and Serbia they must normalize relations as a precondition to EU membership.Child abuse increases the day after school report cards are released - but only when kids get their grades on a Friday, a study in Florida suggests.

The curious finding startled researchers, who had figured abuse might go up regardless of the specific day kids got their grades.

But their study of reports to a child abuse hotline that included broken bones, burns and other confirmed abuse found otherwise. An increase only occurred on Saturdays after a report-card Friday. Though overall rates were small, there were almost four times more cases on those Saturdays than on other Saturdays. No apparent connection between report cards and abuse was found on other days of the week.

"Anecdotally, we know a lot of parents will spank their children or use corporal punishment if they're unsatisfied with their school work," said University of Florida psychologist Melissa Bright, the lead author.

That punishment may become abusive when kids don't have school the next day and parents think injuries might be more likely to go unnoticed, the researchers said, noting that teachers are required to report suspected child abuse. Or, it could be that severe punishment is less likely on weekdays when parents are too busy to focus on report cards, Bright said,

But she acknowledged those theories are speculation and that the findings aren't proof.

FILE - This Jan. 7, 2015 file photo shows public school buses parked in Springfield, Ill. Child abuse increases the day after school report cards are released _ but only when kids get their grades on a Friday, a Florida study released on Monday, Dec. 17, 2018 suggests. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)

The study was published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics.

The researchers reviewed calls to a Florida child abuse hotline and school report card release dates in most of Florida's 67 counties during the 2015-2016 academic year. Nearly 2,000 cases of physical abuse in kids aged 5 to 11, confirmed by child welfare authorities, were included.

There was an average of slightly more than 0.6 cases of abuse per 100,000 children on Saturdays after a report-card Friday compared with slightly less than 0.2 cases per 100,000 children on other Saturdays. The average was less than one per day because so many days were included in the analysis. But in a state like Florida, with a school-age population of just over 3 million kids, this could amount to 19 cases of report card-related abuse compared to 5 on other Saturdays, the researchers said.

Outside experts noted study limitations, including no evidence that kids who were abused had received poor grades and no information on when parents first learned of kids' grades. But they said the study was useful for highlighting that child abuse and corporal punishment are still too common even though rates have declined since the 1990s. Rates were 9 per 1,000 U.S. kids in 2016 compared with 13 per 1,000 in 1990.

Dr. Robert Sege, a Boston pediatrician and Tufts University professor of medicine, said bad grades should be a time for parents to find out what's causing their childrens' struggles. "There's no place for corporal punishment for school failure because it doesn't work and misses the point."

Sege is lead author of an American Academy of Pediatrics policy update released last month that recommends against corporal punishment and spanking.

An editorial published with study said the United States deserves a C-minus "for effective discipline strategies."

Changing a report card release day may reduce some abuse, the editorial said, "but it will not solve the larger issue: It is still socially acceptable to hit a child to correct their behavior."

___

Follow AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner at @LindseyTanner. Her work can be found here .

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - A tanker truck exploded at a big oil refinery near Rio de Janeiro on Monday, setting off a fire that raged for several hours before being brought under control, authorities said.

The Rio de Janeiro fire department said the blaze did not reach storage tanks at the Manguinhos refinery and no fatalities or injuries were reported.

At least six other tanker trucks were destroyed by flames as clouds of black smoke billowed from the refinery, officials said.

Firefighters control a fire at the Manguinhos refinery, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. Firefighters in Brazil say a fire has been brought under control at a large refinery near Rio de Janeiro. The Rio de Janeiro fire department said the conflagration began when a tanker truck at the Manguinhos refinery exploded Monday afternoon. At least six other tankers were destroyed by the flames. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Smoke rises from the Manguinhos refinery, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. Firefighters in Brazil say a fire has been brought under control at the large refinery. The Rio de Janeiro fire department said the conflagration began when a tanker truck at the Manguinhos refinery exploded Monday afternoon. At least six other tankers were destroyed by the flames. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)LONDON (AP) - Police in Britain say they have evacuated part of a main street in the Welsh capital, Cardiff, after a hotel received threats.

The South Wales Police force says it was informed at about 3:15 p.m. on Monday (1515GMT) that "threats had been made to people in a hotel" in St. Mary St., one of Cardiff's main shopping streets.

The force says "a number of people" have left the premises and there are no reports of injuries.

Police say nearby buildings have been evacuated as a precaution.MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A Minnesota man who helped found a business in North Dakota's oil patch has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for fraud in a stock manipulation scheme. His co-defendant will learn his fate later this week.

Ryan Gilbertson, 42, on Dec. 11 also was fined $2 million and ordered to pay more than $15 million in restitution during his sentencing in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, during which U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz called the scheme an act "of almost pure, unalloyed, unfathomable greed."

Gilbertson co-founded Wayzata-based Dakota Plains Holdings, which owned a North Dakota facility that loaded oil onto rail cars. Gilbertson manipulated the company's stock after it went public in 2012 in a complex scheme that netted him and co-defendant Douglas Hoskins millions, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

"He executed his scheme over many years at the detriment of the company, which is now bankrupt, its shareholders and the trading public," U.S. Attorney Erica H. MacDonald said in a statement . "He did not care about how his actions may impact others - he only cared about lining his own pockets."

A spokesman for Gilbertson told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he plans to appeal. Hoskins, 50, whom authorities said pocketed much less money through the scheme than did Gilbertson but lied under oath to the Securities and Exchange Commission, is to be sentenced Friday by Schiltz.

Dakota Plains filed for bankruptcy in December 2016.WARSAW, Poland (AP) - Poland's president signed legislation Monday that reinstates Supreme Court judges who were forced into early retirement despite the European Union condemning the removals as a violation of democratic standards.

Earlier in the day, the EU's top court, the European Court of Justice, ruled that Poland needed to suspend a law that lowered the retirement age for Supreme Court judges and to put about two dozen justices the law had affected back on the bench.

President Andrzej Duda signed the revisions that removed the early retirement provisions, presidential aide Pawel Mucha said late Monday. The quick response comes amid a broader push by Poland's conservative ruling party, Law and Justice, to ease tensions with the EU.

Monday's ruling confirmed the Court of Justice's interim judgment from October ordering Poland to reinstate justices who were forced to step down when the retirement age was lowered from 70 to 65. The European Commission, which enforces EU law in member countries, had asked the court to review Poland's law.

The commission viewed the forced retirements of the judges as erosions of judicial independence and democratic standards because it gave the legislative and executive branches of government unprecedented control over the courts.

After the interim injunction, Poland's parliament passed the amended legislation to remove the early retirement provisions.

Critics of the government welcomed the backtracking on the issue of the retirement age but argued more must be done to undo what they see as extensive damage to judicial independence under the Law and Justice.

They say the ruling party's overhaul of the judicial system included capturing control of the Constitutional Court and a council that names judges, as well as other steps that increase its sway over the Supreme Court.

Law and Justice came out of local elections this fall bruised in major cities, where many voters rejected the party's previous euroskeptic course. The EU is extremely popular among Poles, who have grown richer and gained unprecedented freedom to travel and to work abroad thanks to their country's EU membership.

The party has given signs it is embracing a comparatively moderate, EU-friendly program as it gears up for elections to the EU's European Parliament in the spring and to the national parliament in the fall.NEW YORK (AP) - Chelsea Clinton's career as a children's author continues with a picture book about endangered animals.

Penguin Young Readers announced Monday that the daughter of Bill and Hillary Clinton is collaborating with illustrator Gianna Marino on "Don't Let Them Disappear." Scheduled for April 2, the book will celebrate whales, tigers and other animals and provide advice on how to help preserve them.

Clinton said in a statement that she wanted to help young people learn that some animals are in "desperate need of our attention." Her previous works include "She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World" and "Start Now! You Can Make a Difference."

FILE - In this April 21, 2017 file photo, Chelsea Clinton attends Variety's Power of Women: New York Presented by Lifetime in New York. Clinton is collaborating with illustrator Gianna Marino on "Don't Let Them Disappear," Penguin Young Readers announced Monday. Scheduled for April 2, the book will celebrate whales, tigers and other animals and provide advice on how to help preserve them. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP, File)BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - A relative of the late Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez has been freed after being kidnapped and held for ransom for over three months.

President Ivan Duque announced Monday the military rescued Melissa Martinez Garcia in a special operation in which about a dozen people were detained.

The great niece of the famed writer was kidnapped in August while returning home to Santa Marta from her job overseeing work on a banana farm.

Duque described her captors as "common delinquents" whose leaders have ties to paramilitary groups and wanted millions for her return.

Video released by the military showed the woman smiling as she was embraced by a force member and shuttled away in a helicopter.

Melissa Martinez Garcia is the granddaughter of Jaime Garcia Marquez, Gabriel Garcia Marquez's brother.OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The former president and CEO of a shuttered Oklahoma bank has been sentenced to four years in a federal prison and ordered to pay more than $137 million in restitution for making false statements.

Federal prosecutors say 68-year-old John Arnold Shelley of Oklahoma City was sentenced on Friday after pleading guilty to making a false statement to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Shelley was named in a 23-count federal indictment following the failure of the Bank of Union of El Reno, which state banking regulators closed in January 2014 due to its losses. He pleaded guilty to falsely claiming the bank had total equity capital of more than $36 million when he knew it was significantly less.

Shelley's attorney, Dan Webber, said Monday he had no comment on the sentence.WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal judge's ruling would, if upheld, wipe away the entire Affordable Care Act, the health care overhaul championed by President Barack Obama and twice sustained by the Supreme Court.

Judge Reed O'Connor's opinion was issued late Friday, and supporters of the law vowed to appeal and take other steps to preserve health benefits in the law sometimes called "Obamacare."

Some questions and answers about O'Connor's ruling:

WHAT IS THE IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF THE RULING FOR AMERICANS COVERED UNDER OBAMACARE?

In a word, nothing. Although O'Connor said the entire law must fall, he did not grant a request from its opponents to have his ruling take effect immediately. That means that all the law's provisions remain in effect. The federal Health and Human Services Department put out a statement making clear that it "will continue administering and enforcing all aspects of the ACA as it had before the court issued its decision."

HOW WOULD THE AVERAGE PERSON'S HEALTH CARE BE AFFECTED IF THE RULING IS UPHELD?

FILE - This Oct. 23, 2018 file photo shows HealthCare.gov website on a computer screen in New York. A federal judge's ruling that the Obama health law is unconstitutional has landed like a stink bomb among Republicans, who've seen the politics of health care flip as Americans increasingly value the overhaul's core parts, including protections for pre-existing medical conditions and Medicaid for more low-income people. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison)

The impact would go well beyond the more than 20 million people who are directly covered through Obamacare.

More than 170 million Americans are covered by employers, and they could lose no-cost preventive care, from screening tests like colonoscopies to birth control for women. Employers would no longer be required to keep the young adult children of their workers covered up to age 26. Gone would be limits on annual out-of-pocket expenses, which provide greater financial protection for people with job-based coverage. Another kind of limit - lifetime caps on what insurance will pay for medical bills - could stage a comeback.

Medicare would be affected because the ACA expanded no-cost coverage of preventive services and reduced the bills of seniors with high prescription drug costs. Program finances would also take a hit. Medicaid, the federal-state program for low-income people, was expanded under the ACA. So about 12 million people who gained coverage could be left uninsured. Efforts to counter the opioid epidemic would be dealt a severe blow since Medicaid has become a mainstay for treatment.

HealthCare.gov and state insurance markets offering subsidized private insurance would disappear, potentially leaving 10 million people or more uninsured.

And the list would go on. The health law made hundreds of changes.

WHAT WAS THE JUDGE'S REASONING IN STRIKING DOWN THE ENTIRE HEALTH CARE LAW?

A key part of the Affordable Care Act that Obama signed into law in 2010 was the provision requiring people to have health insurance or pay a penalty if they refused. The Supreme Court upheld this individual mandate in 2012. Congress reduced that penalty to zero as part of the tax legislation it passed, and President Donald Trump signed, in 2017. That means that beginning in January, there no longer will be a penalty for not purchasing health insurance.

O'Connor agreed with Texas and other Republican-led states that challenged the law that the elimination of the penalty rendered the requirement to have health insurance unconstitutional. In a crucial step in his logic, O'Connor then held that because the individual mandate is so important to the overall law, the whole thing can no longer stand. The legal explanation is that O'Connor found that the mandate could not be severed from the rest of the law, meaning he struck it down in its entirety.

HOW LIKELY IS IT THAT HIGHER COURTS WILL AGREE WITH O'CONNOR'S RULING?

Even some opponents of the health care law, including The Wall Street Journal editorial page, have said O'Connor went too far and predicted he would be reversed in the appeals process. Congress did indeed render the individual mandate unenforceable when it reduced the penalty for not complying to zero. But that very same Congress left the rest of the law intact. What's more, Republican efforts to repeal the ACA failed in the same Congress. In addition, even if the federal appeals court that oversees Texas were to agree with O'Connor, it seems improbable at best that Chief Justice John Roberts, who twice wrote opinions upholding the law - in 2012 and 2015, would now strike it down.

WHO WILL APPEAL THE RULING, AND HOW LONG MIGHT THE PROCESS TAKE?

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, the leader of a coalition of states defending the law in court, already has promised to appeal. The process will take months at a minimum, even with the states pressing for a speedy resolution because of the uncertainty O'Connor's ruling creates and the potential effects on the insurance markets.

If the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reverses O'Connor, chances that the Supreme Court would hear the case are slim. If the 5th Circuit agrees with O'Connor, high court review becomes very likely because the justices almost always weigh in when a federal law has been struck down. But even then, the Supreme Court wouldn't hear the case before the fall of 2019 at the earliest, with a decision unlikely before the spring of 2020 - amid the presidential and congressional campaigns.

HOW WILL CONGRESS RESPOND?

Democrats in the House say they plan to intervene in the defense of the law, joining Democrat-led states. In addition, expect hearings in the House to focus on Trump administration efforts that Democrats, who take charge of the House in January, say are intended to undermine the health care law. These include encouraging the use of low-cost short-term policies with limited coverage and cuts to government attempts to sign up beneficiaries.

Rep. Frank Pallone, the incoming chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said Democrats are readying bills to curb the use of the short-term plans and bolster the Obama law's coverage of people with pre-existing conditions. The bill could also make federal subsidies for lower-earning beneficiaries more generous and shore up insurers for covering seriously ill customers with extremely high costs of care, he said.

___

Associated Press writers Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Alan Fram contributed to this report.CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - Astronomers have spotted the farthest known object in our solar system - and they've nicknamed the pink cosmic body "Farout."

The International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center announced the discovery Monday.

"Farout" is about 120 astronomical units away - that's 120 times the distance between Earth and the sun, or 11 billion miles. The previous record-holder was the dwarf planet Eris at 96 astronomical units. Pluto, by comparison, is 34 astronomical units away.

The Carnegie Institution's Scott Sheppard said the object is so far away and moving so slowly it will take a few years to determine its orbit. At that distance, it could take more than 1,000 years to orbit the sun.

Sheppard and his team spied the dwarf planet in November using a telescope in Hawaii. Their finding was confirmed by a telescope in Chile.

"I actually uttered "farout" when I first found this object, because I immediately noticed from its slow movement that it must be far out there," Sheppard wrote in an email. "It is the slowest moving object I have ever seen and is really out there."

This image provided by the Carnegie Institution for Science shows an artist's concept of a dwarf planet that astronomers say is the farthest known object in our solar system, which they have nicknamed "Farout." The International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center announced the discovery of the pink cosmic body Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. (Roberto Molar Candanosa/Carnegie Institution for Science via AP)

It is an estimated 310 miles (500 kilometers) across and believed to be round. Its pink shade indicates an ice-rich object. Little else is known.

The discovery came about as the astronomers were searching for the hypothetical Planet X, a massive planet believed by some to be orbiting the sun from vast distances, well beyond Pluto.

___

The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.JERUSALEM (AP) - Airbnb says it hasn't reversed its plan to stop listing properties in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Earlier Monday, Israel's tourism minister, Yariv Levin, said Airbnb pledged "not to implement" its decision during a meeting between the two sides. Airbnb's plan would affect around 200 properties.

But Airbnb says that report was inaccurate. The San Francisco-based company says it is developing the tools needed to implement its policy while it continues to talk with stakeholders.

The company announced last month that it would stop listing properties in the settlements, which are considered illegal by most of the world.

The decision prompted uproar in Israel. Officials accused the company of anti-Semitism and threatened to impose taxes on its operations in Israel. Lawsuits were filed in Israel and the U.S.

_____

FILE - In this Jan. 17, 2016, file photo, a cat jumps at a guest house advertised on Airbnb international home-sharing site in Nofei Prat settlement at the West Bank. Airbnb says it hasn't reversed its plan to stop listing properties in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov, File)

Isabel DeBre in Jerusalem contributed to this report.Mot loat cac vi tri tai Bo Ngoai giao, va cac chuc vu hang au khac eu co su thay oi.

Vi tri Bo truong Ngoai giao moi a chuyen sang cho cuu Bo truong Tai chinh Ibrahim Al-Assaf, thay the cho Bo truong hien thoi la Adel al-Jubeir. Quoc vuong Salman cung bo nhiem Hoang tu Abdullah bin Bandar, con trai cua Hoang tu Bandar Al Saud, nguoi tung lam ai su Saudi Arabia tai Washington vao vi tri ung au cua Luc luong ve binh quoc gia, ong thoi tuyen bo se tuyen them mot so quan chuc an ninh tinh bao.

Quoc vuong Saudi Arabia cai to noi cac sau vu am sat Khashoggi. Anh minh hoa: AFP

Cuu Ngoai truong Al-Jubeir a tung tuyen bo trong mot cuoc phong van voi Fox News hoi thang 10 rang vu am sat Khashoggi la mot sai lam kinh khung, cho rang cai chet cua nha bao Khashoggi la ket qua cua mot chien dich loai tru va chinh phu Saudi Arabia se trung phat nhung ke thuc hien vu am sat.

Vu am sat nha bao cua Washington Post a uoc cac nha ieu tra Tho Nhi Ky cung Van phong Cong to Saudi Arabia ket luan thuc hien boi nhom 15 thanh vien la ac vu cua Saudi Arabia.

CIA cung cho ket luan hoi thang 11 rang nhiem vu nay se khong the thuc hien neu khong co su cho phep tu Thai tu Mohammed bin Salman cua Saudi Arabia.

Saudi king shakes up government in wake of Khashoggi killing

(CNN) Saudi Arabia's King Salman ordered a government reshuffle on Thursday, appointing a new foreign minister and refreshing other top posts, after the global fallout over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir was demoted to minister of state for foreign affairs, and replaced by a veteran former finance minister, Ibrahim Al-Assaf, according to a royal decree.

King Salman also named Prince Abdullah bin Bandar, son of Prince Bandar Al Saud, who once served as Saudi ambassador to Washington, the new head of the National Guard and announced the hiring of several security intelligence officials.

Al-Jubeir has previously said that Khashoggi's killing was a "tremendous mistake." In an interview with Fox News in October, he said that the Washington Post columnist's death was the result of a rogue operation, and added that his government would punish those responsible for his "murder."

Turkish investigators, and the Saudi Public Prosecutor's Office, have said that Khashoggi was killed and dismembered at the Kingdom's consulate in Istanbul on October 2 by a 15-man team of Saudi agents sent from Riyadh. The CIA concluded in November that such a mission could not have been carried out without the authorization of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, heir apparent to the Saudi throne.

Thursday's appointments and cabinet changes come as King Salman and his son, bin Salman, attempt to demonstrate that they are overhauling the Saudi state security apparatus in the wake of Khashoggi's killing.ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Gov. Andrew Cuomo outlined his agenda for 2019 on Monday, putting the legalization of recreational marijuana and fixing New York City's crumbling subway system among his top priorities for the start of his third term.

In a 45-minute speech with 32 references to Franklin D. Roosevelt, a fellow Democrat and former New York governor, Cuomo touted liberal accomplishments while vowing to continue to fight Trump administration policies he says are detrimental to New Yorkers.

"My friends, let this agenda be New York's Declaration of Independence," Cuomo said during a speech delivered at the New York Bar Association in Manhattan. "We declare independence from this federal government's policies."

The 20-point agenda Cuomo touched on included joining neighbors Canada, Massachusetts and Vermont in legalizing recreational pot use by adults, a move he was against a year ago but has since embraced.

"Let's legalize the adult use of recreational marijuana once and for all," Cuomo said, while challenging state lawmakers to act on his agenda within the first 100 days of the 2019 legislative session, another reference to FDR, who pushed through several major initiatives during his first term as president in 1933.

With a Democrat-controlled Senate to be seated along with the already Democrat-led Assembly when the Legislature reconvenes next month, Cuomo is optimistic about moving forward with what he referred to as his "justice agenda." Other top priorities include strengthening the state's gun control laws, protecting affordable health care, codifying reproductive rights and boosting the state's spending on infrastructure to $150 billion.

"Now is the time to make these changes," Cuomo said. "There are no more excuses."

The governor also will seek to restructure the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, operator of most of the New York area's subways, buses and commuter trains. In order to raise money for the cash-strapped agency, Cuomo said he'll again push for congestion pricing that would place tolls on vehicles entering the busiest parts of Manhattan.

Cuomo offered few details about his 2019 priorities, including how legalized pot will be regulated, who will do the regulating and how much revenue the state stands to gain from retail sales of marijuana.

His speech brought vows of support from Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and incoming Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, both Democrats.

Cuomo, a potential candidate for president in 2020, won election to a third term last month, easily defeating Republican challenger Marc Molinaro. During his speech, the son of former Mario Cuomo - also a three-term New York governor - reinforced his criticism of President Donald Trump's Republican policies, including the federal government's cap on state and local tax deductions. The governor has called the cap an "economic missile" aimed at New York and other high-tax states.

With Cuomo's third inauguration is set for Jan. 1 on Ellis Island in New York Harbor, the governor's annual State of the State address, typically delivered before a joint session of the Legislature in early January, will be combined with his state budget presentation to lawmakers later next month.

___

This story has been corrected to show the speech occurred on Monday, not Tuesday.DECATUR, Ga. (AP) - A Georgia teacher told police he stole a 9-year-old student's violin because he needed money to pay for a $700 ticket.

Citing an incident report, news outlets report that video showed 21-year-old Kalif Jones of Stone Mountain stealing the instrument from the cafeteria. It also showed the Brockett Elementary School teacher walking throughout the school with the violin case in hand before leaving with it.

The criminal investigation began in late November after the student came home without his instrument. Police arrested the Dekalb County teacher after he said he stole the violin because he had recently received a $700 ticket and needed money for it.

Jail records show he was charged with a count of misdemeanor theft Nov. 29. It's unclear if he has a lawyer.RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - North Carolina Republicans said Monday that they want their candidate in a still-undecided U.S. House race marred by ballot fraud allegations to take his seat in Congress despite acknowledging a replacement election may be required.

The state Republican Party and the 9th Congressional District GOP said the state elections board should immediately certify unofficial results showing Mark Harris with a narrow lead. The GOP groups said Harris should be sworn in in about two weeks if the elections board doesn't show that voting irregularities would have changed the outcome.

"We understand the investigation - which we fully support - may need more time, but it is unfair to the voters and Dr. Harris not to present significant public evidence for review before the new Congress convenes. A delay is acceptable in the resolution but only if substantial public evidence is presented immediately to justify it," the groups said in a statement.

North Carolina's Republican Party chairman said last week that a new election in the unresolved congressional race should be ordered if a Bladen County precinct worker's allegation that some early voting totals were improperly shared before Election Day is accurate. Providing such data to outsiders could help political campaigns with get-out-the-vote strategies.

"The people involved in this must be held accountable and, should it be true, this fact alone would likely require a new election," state Republican Party Chairman Robin Hayes said.

Hayes' comments came less than two weeks after he accused Democrats of "throwing everything, including the kitchen sink, at the wall to try and steal an election" in the 9th District. Harris leads Democrat Dan McCready by 905 votes in unofficial results.

FILE - In this Nov. 7, 2018, file photo, Mark Harris speaks to the media during a news conference in Matthews, N.C. Legislation quickly passed by North Carolina's lawmakers would require new primaries in a still-undecided U.S. House race marred with ballot fraud allegations, potentially replacing the Republican nominee at the center of the disputed race. If the state elections board decides ballot irregularities or other problems cast the true outcome into doubt and force a redo, the legislation would require new primary elections in the 9th Congressional District race. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)

Last week, the elections board postponed the meeting where it plans to go over the investigations into missing absentee ballots in Bladen County and whether unsealed ballots illegally handled by collection teams there could have been altered. The meeting is now scheduled for Jan. 11, eight days after Congress will convene for its next session.

Harris' campaign and a firm working as its chief strategist have been ordered by the state elections board to provide records.

"Counsel for subpoenaed parties have begun submitting responsive records, but they have uniformly indicated additional time is needed for review and production of additional materials," elections board chairman Josh Malcolm wrote last week in a letter citing those delays as requiring more time for the investigation.

Republicans have also asked for further scrutiny of voting irregularities going back to 2010 and urged Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper to create a bipartisan task force to investigate irregularities pre-dating this year's election.

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Follow Emery P. Dalesio on Twitter at http://twitter.com/emerydalesio . His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/emery%20dalesioSilicon Valley is becoming Silicon Nation.

Google announced Monday it will spend more than $1 billion to build a new office complex in New York City that will allow the internet search giant to double the number of people it employs there.

It is the tech industry's latest major expansion beyond the Seattle-San Francisco Bay corridor. It follows recent steps by Amazon and Apple to set up large operations well outside their home turf.

Tech companies are "coming to the realization that the Bay Area, which has traditionally been the major center of tech activity in the U.S., is getting expensive and crowded," said Andrew Bartels, principal analyst at Forrester Research.

"A lot of vendors are coming to the realization that 'We can probably find top talent elsewhere at a more affordable costs, and perhaps a better style of life for employees who may be struggling to make ends meet.'"

The Northeast is attractive because of its large concentration of highly educated young people. New York in particular also offers proximity to Wall Street and already has the second-biggest concentration of tech startups behind the Bay Area and a large base of tech employees, Bartels said. Facebook, based in Menlo Park, California, has over 2,000 employees in New York.

This artist rendering provided by COOKFOX architects shows a building conceived by COOKFOX architects at 550 Washington Street to house an expansion by Google on Manhattan's west side at the site of the former St. John's Terminal. It's part of a new office complex Google said Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, it was spending more than $1 billion to build, allowing the internet search giant to double the number of people it employs there. (Oxford Properties/COOKFOX Architects via AP)

Google, based in Mountain View, California, will fashion a complex of more than 1.7 million square feet along the Hudson River in the city's West Village neighborhood, Ruth Porat, senior vice president and chief financial officer, said in a blog post.

Google opened its first office in New York nearly 20 years ago and now employs 7,000 people in the city. Its footprint is expanding rapidly. Google said earlier this year that it would buy the Chelsea Market building for $2.4 billion and planned to lease more space at Pier 57, both along the Hudson about a mile north of the newly announced complex.

Porat telegraphed Google's plans to double down in New York a month ago during a technology conference.

"Not everybody - big surprise - wants to live in Silicon Valley, so we want to make sure we have the opportunity to build vibrant centers across the country," she said.

The news follows Seattle-based Amazon's announcement a month ago that it would set up new headquarters in New York's Long Island City neighborhood and in Arlington, Virginia, creating upwards of 25,000 jobs in each location.

But it's not just the East Coast that is benefiting from the expansion. Apple, based in Cupertino, California, said last week that it plans to build a $1 billion campus in Austin, Texas, that will create at least 5,000 jobs.

Even as it looks elsewhere, Google is still buying offices and drawing up plans to construct new campuses near its headquarters, as it tries to build upon its success in internet search, email, web browsers, digital mapping, online video and smartphone software to make money in other markets such as health care and internet-connected homes.

The company recently agreed to pay more than $100 million for a swath of land in downtown San Jose, California, for a big new campus that will include employee housing.

Microsoft likewise is overhauling its headquarters in Redmond, Washington, with an 18-building construction project that will make room for an additional 8,000 workers. It currently employs about 47,000 in the area.

But the competition for programmers is driving salaries higher, which in turn is catapulting the average prices of homes in many parts of the San Francisco Bay Area above $1 million. Many high-tech workers are choosing to live elsewhere, forcing major tech companies to look in new places for the employees they need.

Google hopes to move into the new campus by 2020. Porat said that the company's most recent investments give it the ability to more than double the number of Google employees in New York over the next 10 years.

Tech companies see New York as a way to gain a new perspective, one that is different from that of Silicon Valley, which can be seen as an "out-of-touch echo chamber," Bartels said.

"New Yorkers consider themselves to be more in tune with the reality of life in U.S. urban centers and believe this helps them innovate products and services that are more closely aligned with the needs of the average American," he said.

___

AP Technology Writer Michael Liedtke in San Francisco contributed to this report.

FILE - In this Dec. 4, 2017, file photo, people walk by Google offices in New York. Google is spending more than $1 billion to expand operations in New York City. Ruth Porat, senior vice president and chief financial officer at Google and Alphabet, said in a blog post Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, that Google is creating a more than 1.7 million square-foot campus that includes lease agreements along the Hudson River in lower Manhattan. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

This artist rendering provided by COOKFOX architects shows a building conceived by COOKFOX architects at 550 Washington Street to house an expansion by Google on Manhattan's west side at the site of the former St. John's Terminal. It's part of a new office complex Google said Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, it was spending more than $1 billion to build, allowing the internet search giant to double the number of people it employs there. (Oxford Properties/COOKFOX Architects via AP)

A security camera is mounted on a wall near a building, center, that has been chosen by Google as part of its expansion plans, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, in New York. Google is spending more than $1 billion on a new campus along the Hudson River that will allow it to double the number of people it already employs here. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

This artist rendering provided by COOKFOX architects shows a building conceived by COOKFOX architects at 550 Washington Street to house an expansion by Google on Manhattan's west side at the site of the former St. John's Terminal. It's part of a new office complex Google said Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, it was spending more than $1 billion to build, allowing the internet search giant to double the number of people it employs there. (Oxford Properties/COOKFOX Architects via AP)

A building, right, that has been chosen by Google as part of its expansion plans is near a graffiti-covered wall, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, in New York. Google is spending more than $1 billion on a new campus along the Hudson River that will allow it to double the number of people it already employs here. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)ROME (AP) - Italy's interior minister says security is being beefed up at train stations and airports in the nation "after the terror attack in Strasbourg and in view of Christmas" holidays.

Matteo Salvini also tweeted that there's "maximum alert for sensitive places like monuments and churches." He said the strategy was adopted at a meeting he led Monday of the National Committee for Public Order and Safety.

Separately, Salvini described the level of security as "absolutely high on possible sensitive targets and Christmas markets."

The attack near a Strasbourg, France, Christmas market last week left five people dead.

Police say security has been high in Italy for years now at places like basilicas, archaeological ruins and monuments that attract pilgrims and tourists. But police have stressed there are no specific threats.LOS ANGELES (AP) - Artist Shepard Fairey will insist that one of his murals be removed from a Los Angeles school if officials follow through on plans to cover up another artist's mural that some community activists find offensive, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

Fairey told the Times that seeking removal of his mural of Robert F. Kennedy is the only leverage he has to defend the disputed mural by fellow artist Beau Stanton.

Both murals are in the Koreatown section of the city, at the Robert F. Kennedy Schools Complex. The complex sits on the former site of the Ambassador Hotel, where Kennedy was assassinated in 1968.

Stanton's mural depicts actress Ava Gardner's face set against a backdrop of sun rays as a salute to the hotel's legendary nightclub, the Cocoanut Grove, which was a popular hangout for Hollywood stars. Palm trees, a monkey and a Moorish arch superimposed on Gardner's face evoke the club's exotic decor.

But the Los Angeles Unified School District decided to paint over the mural after Korean activists contended the sun rays resembled those of the Japanese imperial battle flag and associated it with atrocities during Japan's rule before and during World War II.

"Yeah, these things happened and they're part of a terrible history, but this mural has nothing to do with that," said Fairey, who created the Barack Obama "Hope" poster during the 2008 presidential campaign.

FILE - In this Dec. 13, 2018 file photo, a mural by artist Beau Stanton of actress Ava Gardner is displayed at the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools complex school in Los Angeles. Artist Shepard Fairey will insist that one of his murals be removed from the Los Angeles school if officials follow through on plans to cover up Stanton's mural that some community activists find offensive, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. Both murals are in Koreatown at the Robert F. Kennedy Schools complex on the former site of the Ambassador Hotel where Kennedy was fatally shot in 1968. Stanton's mural depicts actress Ava Gardner against sun rays. Korean activists say it looks like the Japanese imperial battle flag. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

"What he has in his mural is nothing close to the battle flag. It's not the same color scheme. It's not the same focal element. It's stupid to me. I thought that cooler heads would prevail because this is absurd."

The Times reported last week that Roberto Martinez, senior school district administrator for the region, announced that the mural would be painted over during the winter break.

"Art is intended to celebrate the human spirit, not to offend the community," Martinez said at a news conference. "If we have offended anybody, I apologize."

Mural protest leader Chan Yong "Jake" Jeong said that announcement represented "such a happy day."

Stanton was stunned and later met with opponents of his work, but changed no minds.

On Sunday, Fairey provided the Times an email he sent to the school board president saying if the Stanton mural is removed he would reach out to students "to have them take part in my mural being painted over as a symbol of the sacrifices that are sometimes necessary to stand up for important principles."

One of RFK's children, attorney and author Maxwell Kennedy, agreed with Fairey.

"We are aware of the power of symbols and we stand with Shepard Fairey and Beau Stanton against the ... censorship of public art," Kennedy said in a statement to the Times. "Symbols can be hurtful and there are some symbols that should not be displayed. But rays of light are synonymous in this country with hope."LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Federal prosecutors seeking a new sentencing hearing for Sen. Rand Paul's attacker say the Republican lawmaker suffered chronic pain months after being tackled while doing yard work at his Kentucky home.

Prosecutors said in a recent court filing that Rene Boucher's 30-day sentence was unreasonable for such an "inexplicable and violent assault," noting sentencing guidelines outlined 21 to 27 months in prison.

They're appealing the sentence to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Prosecutors say Paul suffered broken ribs, resulting in repeated hospital trips. They say the attack damaged Paul's lung, causing him breathing problems. They also say he developed pneumonia and suffered chronic back pain months afterward.

Boucher's attorney, Matt Baker, says if the victim were anyone other than a senator, the sentence would be the same as what Boucher received.Russians seeking to influence U.S. elections through social media had their eyes on Instagram and the black community.

These were among the findings in two reports released Monday by the Senate intelligence committee. Separate studies from University of Oxford researchers and the cybersecurity firm New Knowledge reveal insights into how Russian agents sought to influence Americans by saturating their favorite online services and apps with hidden propaganda.

Here are the highlights:

INSTAGRAM'S "MEME WARFARE"

Both reports show that misinformation on Facebook's Instagram may have had broader reach than the interference on Facebook itself.

The New Knowledge study says that since 2015, the Instagram posts generated 187 million engagements, such as comments or likes, compared with 77 million on Facebook.

Former FBI Director James Comey speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill Washington, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, after a second closed-door interview with two Republican-led committees investigating what they say was bias at the Justice Department before the 2016 presidential election. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

And the barrage of image-centric Instagram "memes" has only grown since the 2016 election. Russian agents shifted their focus to Instagram after the public last year became aware of the widespread manipulation on Facebook and Twitter.

NOT JUST ADS

Revelations last year that Russian agents used rubles to pay for some of their propaganda ads drew attention to how gullible tech companies were in allowing their services to be manipulated.

But neither ads nor automated "bots" were as effective as unpaid posts hand-crafted by human agents pretending to be Americans. Such posts were more likely to be shared and commented on, and they rose in volume during key dates in U.S. politics such as during the presidential debates in 2016 or after the Obama administration's post-election announcement that it would investigate Russian hacking.

"These personalized messages exposed U.S. users to a wide range of disinformation and junk news linked to on external websites, including content designed to elicit outrage and cynicism," says the report by Oxford researchers, who worked with social media analysis firm Graphika.

DEMOGRAPHIC TARGETING

Both reports found that Russian agents tried to polarize Americans in part by targeting African-American communities extensively. They did so by campaigning for black voters to boycott elections or follow the wrong voting procedures in 2016, according to the Oxford report.

The New Knowledge report added that agents were "developing Black audiences and recruiting Black Americans as assets" beyond how they were targeting either left- or right-leaning voters.

The reports also support previous findings that the influence operations sought to polarize Americans by sowing political divisions on issues such as immigration and cultural and religious identities. The goal, according to the New Knowledge report, was to "create and reinforce tribalism within each targeted community."

Such efforts extended to Google-owned YouTube, despite Google's earlier assertion to Congress that Russian-made videos didn't target specific segments of the population.

PINTEREST TO POKEMON

The New Knowledge report says the Russian troll operation worked in many ways like a conventional corporate branding campaign, using a variety of different technology services to deliver the same messages to different groups of people.

Among the sites infiltrated with propaganda were popular image-heavy services like Pinterest and Tumblr, chatty forums like Reddit, and a wonky geopolitics blog promoted from Russian-run accounts on Facebook and YouTube.

Even the silly smartphone game "Pokemon Go" wasn't immune. A Tumblr post encouraged players to name their Pokemon character after a victim of police brutality.

WHAT NOW?

Both reports warn that some of these influence campaigns are ongoing.

The Oxford researchers note that 2016 and 2017 saw "significant efforts" to disrupt elections around the world not just by Russia, but by domestic political parties spreading disinformation.

They warn that online propaganda represents a threat to democracies and public life. They urge social media companies to share data with the public far more broadly than they have so far.

"Protecting our democracies now means setting the rules of fair play before voting day, not after," the Oxford report says.

Former FBI Director James Comey speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill Washington, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, after a second closed-door interview with two Republican-led committees investigating what they say was bias at the Justice Department before the 2016 presidential election. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Former FBI Director James Comey, right, with his attorney, David Kelley, left, leaves Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, after a second closed-door interview with two Republican-led committees investigating what they say was bias at the Justice Department before the 2016 presidential election. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Former FBI Director James Comey, with his attorney, David Kelley, right, speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill Washington, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, after a second closed-door interview with two Republican-led committees investigating what they say was bias at the Justice Department before the 2016 presidential election. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Former FBI Director James Comey, right, with his attorney, David Kelley, leaves Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, after a second closed-door interview with two Republican-led committees investigating what they say was bias at the Justice Department before the 2016 presidential election. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)PRINCE GEORGE, Va. (AP) - Police in Virginia say a man indicted on 40 counts of possessing child pornography has died after shooting himself.

Prince George County Police said in a statement Monday that 62-year-old James Paul Berry III died at a hospital Friday, a day after shooting himself.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that Berry's attorney, Debra Corcoran, says after Berry was told Thursday that he'd face another indictment, he "indicated he was going to have a cigarette." When Berry didn't return, Corcoran tried to contact him and later learned he had shot himself. She says he went to the trailer park he lived in and managed.

Police say one of the officers seeking Berry began to speak to him, but Berry took out a gun and shot himself. He died the next day.

___

Information from: Richmond Times-Dispatch, http://www.richmond.comTheresa May will condemn calls for a second Brexit referendum, as Cabinet tensions on EU withdrawal continue to break into the open.

The Prime Minister will use an address to the Commons on Monday to say a new national poll would do irreparable damage to the integrity of British politics.

The move comes after close allies of Mrs May distanced themselves from reports that they were manoeuvring to bring about a fresh referendum.

And Solicitor General Robert Buckland became the latest senior Tory to float the idea of a free vote in the Commons on Brexit.

Mrs May will use a statement to Parliament following last weeks bruising EU summit to claim another referendum would further divide the UK.

The PM will say: Let us not break faith with the British people by trying to stage another referendum.

Another vote which would do irreparable damage to the integrity of our politics, because it would say to millions who trusted in democracy, that our democracy does not deliver.

Another vote which would likely leave us no further forward than the last.

And another vote which would further divide our country at the very moment we should be working to unite it.

The appearance follows Mrs Mays de facto deputy, Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington, and the PMs chief of staff, Gavin Barwell, both dismissing reports they are planning for a new referendum.

But Business Secretary Greg Clark suggested Parliament should be invited to say what it would agree with if MPs vote down the Prime Ministers Brexit deal.

Asked whether he was tempted to give MPs a range of options to vote on, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: I think, obviously, its important once the Prime Minister has finished her negotiations with other European leaders and the Commission that Parliament votes on that.

I think this was pretty plain. ( From Hansard, 11 December) pic.twitter.com/TvUo0LzYJr  David Lidington (@DLidington) December 16, 2018

If that were not to be successful, we do need to have agreement  we cant just have continuing uncertainty and I think Parliament should be invited to say what it would agree with, and thats something that I think businesses up and down the country would expect elected members to take responsibility, rather than just be critics.

Mrs Mays official spokesman later told a Westminster media briefing that there were no plans to stage an indicative vote on a range of Brexit options, but did not definitively rule the option out.

He said that all Cabinet ministers who have spoken publicly on Brexit in recent days had made clear their commitment to getting the Prime Ministers deal through Parliament, which remains the Governments priority.

Talks by officials were continuing at all levels to seek further clarification and assurances on the terms of the existing deal  and particularly the nature of the proposed backstop  as agreed at the European Council last week, he said.

The spokesman added: The Prime Minister is very clear that we will not be holding a second referendum.

(PA Graphics)

European Commission chief spokesman Margaritis Schinas said no further meetings between the EU and the UK to discuss the Brexit deal are expected.

He told a press conference in Brussels: The deal that is on the table is the best and the only deal possible  we will not reopen it, it will not be renegotiated. As President Tusk said, the European Council has given the clarifications that were possible at this stage so no further meetings with the United Kingdom are foreseen.

He added that talk of a second referendum was an internal matter for the UK.

Mr Clark also cautioned against a second referendum, saying it would continue the uncertainty for many more months.

And Mrs May faces a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday following a frantic few days when key ministers have jockeyed for attention and staked out strong Brexit positions.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Britain would prosper even if it quit the EU with no deal, while Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd argued firmly against leaving the bloc without an agreement.

And International Trade Secretary Liam Fox indicated he could support MPs being given a free vote on Brexit options.

Prominent Brexiteers like International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt also look set to make their views known.

(PA Graphics)

Asked about the prospect of a free vote in the Commons on Brexit where MPs would not be whipped, the Solicitor General told BBC Radio 4s Westminster Hour: I think thats certainly something that we need to look at very carefully.

If we are going to do it, I think everybody needs to do it  cross-party.

I think if all the parties agreed to it then it is something that might well work.

But, I think it would be imbalanced if one party did it and the other one did not.

Prominent Brexiteer and former foreign secretary Boris Johnson railed against the idea of a second referendum.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he said: A second referendum would provoke instant, deep and ineradicable feelings of betrayal.

Mr Johnson said the idea that the Government would hold a fresh Brexit poll was sickening.

Labour is insisting that Mrs May puts her Brexit deal to a vote in the Commons before Parliament rises for Christmas on Thursday.

However, the party has made it clear it will not table a motion of no confidence in the Government until such a vote has been held.My 13 year old son Ben got into the Mexican snacks Takis, which are spiced rolled tortilla chips. He and I did a taste test of Takis Fuego a...As Cabinet tensions on Brexit continue, Theresa May is likely to face another tough few days ahead of the Christmas break.

Here is how this week is expected to play out for the Prime Minister and Britains departure from the EU.

Commons statement

On Monday, Mrs May is set to face the Commons for the first time since last weeks bruising EU summit.

The PM will use a statement to Parliament to condemn calls for a second Brexit referendum, saying a new poll would do irreparable damage to the integrity of British politics.

Her address comes after close allies  de facto deputy Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington and chief of staff Gavin Barwell  distanced themselves from reports that they were manoeuvring to bring about a fresh referendum.

Cabinet meeting

Ministers are likely to be keen to make their views known at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, with several having already staked out strong Brexit positions.

(PA Graphics)

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Britain would prosper even if it quit the EU with no deal, while Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd has argued firmly against leaving the bloc without an agreement.

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox indicated he could support MPs being given a free vote on Brexit options.

PMQs

The last Prime Ministers Questions of the year is scheduled for Wednesday at 12pm. It will likely mean more tough questions for the PM from both the opposition and within her own ranks.

100 days to go

Wednesday also marks 100 days until the date the UK is due to leave the EU, on March 29 2019.

Wednesday marks 100 days until Brexit (Victoria Jones/PA)

Despite the impending deadline, it is still unclear whether the UK will leave under the terms of a deal, with no deal, or even whether it will leave at all, after the European Court of Justice said Article 50 could be revoked unilaterally and continue as a full EU member without seeking approval from Brussels.

The European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has said all the information that is generally useful for the preparation of no deal will be published on Wednesday.

Pre-Christmas vote?

The House of Commons is due to rise for Christmas on Thursday, but there is still the question over whether there will be a vote on Mrs Mays Brexit deal before then.

The PM has been urged by former minister Jo Johnson not to run down the clock on giving MPs a proper say on Brexit, after she postponed last weeks crunch vote.

Labour has said it will try to force a Brexit vote before Christmas, and shadow communities minister Andrew Gwynne said a confidence vote could quickly follow.Polands president has said a Polish victim of last weeks shooting attack in Strasbourg, France, had been trying to protect other people.

Barto Orent-Niedzielski died on Sunday after being shot in the head during Tuesdays attack, bringing the number of victims to five.

French President Emmanuel Macron pays his respects to victims of the attack (AP)

The 36-year-old from Katowice, Poland, lived in Strasbourg, where he worked at the European Parliament and as a journalist.

Polish president Andrzej Duda wrote on Twitter that I knew him by sight. I am shocked. I had not realized that he was the one mortally wounded protecting other people. Honor to his memory. RIP.

According to some reports, Mr Orent-Niedzielski fought the gunman and stopped him from entering a crowded club, possibly preventing more deaths.A British entrepreneur has bought the business and assets for the Bloodhound supersonic car project which aimed to hit speeds of 1,000mph.

Bloodhound Programme Ltd, the firm behind the initiative to break the land speed world record, went into administration in October.

Ten days ago, administrators said that efforts to secure an investor had failed and the project would be scrapped.

But on Monday, they announced that Yorkshire-based entrepreneur Ian Warhurst had bought the business and assets for an undisclosed sum.

Andrew Sheridan, joint administrator and partner at FRP Advisory LLP, said: We have been overwhelmed by the passion that clearly exists for Bloodhound and are thrilled that we have been able to secure a buyer who is able to give this inspiring project a future.

Ian has a strong background in managing highly successful businesses in the automotive engineering sector and he will bring considerable expertise to bear in taking the project forward.

Pilot Andy Green steers as BLOODHOUND SSC is towed out of the hangar by technicians at Newquay airport, Cornwall (Ben Birchall/PA)

He will be outlining his plans for the project in detail early in the New Year.

In the meantime, we would particularly like to thank the Ministry of Defence and Rolls-Royce for their support and collaboration throughout this process, without which it would not have been possible for the project to be in a position to continue.

An engineer tightens bolts in the cockpit after fitting a footplate on the BLOODHOUND SSC at the Bloodhound Technical Centre in Avonmouth (Ben Birchall/PA)

The administrators said they were contacted by a number of interested parties following the announcement that the project would be scrapped.

Project Bloodhound was founded in 2007, with plans to race the car at a specially-built track in the deserts of South Africa.

The team was seeking 25 million in investment to provide guaranteed funding and see the project to completion.

The BLOODHOUND Team are delighted to announce a purchaser for the business and assets has been secured, which will allow the project to continue. Read the full story here: https://t.co/R0RcL4rIlH pic.twitter.com/yF1DhxSYs5  Bloodhound LSR (@Bloodhound_LSR) December 17, 2018

Over 11 years, Bloodhound operated on a partnership and sponsorship model with support from companies including Rolls-Royce and Rolex.

The Ministry of Defence lent prototype jet engines for the car, while the Northern Cape Provincial Government in South Africa supported the creation of the track.

Members of the public also donated to support the cars development and a global education programme, which reached more than two million children.

The Bloodhound 1,000mph supersonic racing car during a trial at Cornwall Airport Newquay (Stefan Marjoram/PA)

At 1,000mph, the supersonic car will cover a mile in 3.6 seconds.

The world land speed record of 763mph is held by Thrust SSC, led by Bloodhounds project director Richard Noble and driver Andy Green.Chancellor Philip Hammond has been dealt a 12 billion blow after statistics officials changed the way student loans are accounted for in the public finances.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) will now split the loans into two parts  financial assets and government expenditure  as only part of the borrowings will ever be repaid.

It marks a break with the current system whereby student loans do not count as government spending while interest payments are counted as income, despite the fact that many graduates will never pay all the interest back because they earn too little.

Accounting for student loans: How we are improving the recording of student loans in government accounts https://t.co/Spi9pAdzvI  Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) December 17, 2018

However, the new approach will blow a 12 billion hole in the public finances at a time when the economy is faltering as Brexit takes its toll.

It means that this years deficit, which the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) had recorded at 25.5 billion at the time of the Budget, will grow to around 37.5 billion.

ONS deputy national statistician for economic statistics Jonathan Athow said: To ensure our treatment of student loans better reflects the way the system works in practice, we will split the Governments student loan payments into a portion that will be repaid and is therefore genuine government lending and a portion that is not expected to be repaid, which will be treated as government spending.

The way student loans are calculated is changing (Chris Ison/PA)

When coming to this decision, we consulted widely with many other countries and international bodies to ensure that our figures remain internationally comparable.

The value of outstanding student loans at the end of March 2018 reached 105 billion, according to official figures.

A Government spokesman said: This is a technical accounting decision by the independent ONS. It does not affect students, who can still access loans to help with tuition fees and the cost of living and which they will only start repaying when they are earning above 25,000.

Treasury Minister Mel Stride said the reclassification would not affect the Governments ability to meet its fiscal mandate to cut the deficit to 2% of GDP by 2020/21.

What the likelihood is, based on the OBRs analysis they have done up to this point, is that we will still be within and meeting that fiscal mandate, he told BBC Radio 4s The World At One.

The Chancellor has left enough headroom in these numbers to make sure we can accommodate this reclassification.

This doesnt change anything real. It is an accountancy shift rather than a real change.Emirates is to introduce its first A380 service in Scotland with flights between Glasgow and Dubai.

With a wing span of nearly 80 metres, the A380 is the worlds largest commercial aircraft and can carry almost 500 passengers in economy, business and first class suites.

It will enter operation at Glasgow Airport on April 16 next year with regular flights until the end of the summer season in October.

Airport managing director Mark Johnston said: The decision by Emirates to introduce the A380 is not only a huge milestone for Glasgow Airport, it marks what is a first in Scottish aviation industry.

We have forged a valued relationship with Emirates since its inaugural flight in April 2004 and the introduction of Scotlands first-ever scheduled A380 service represents a major vote of confidence in the city.

We are currently investing in excess of 8 million in our infrastructure to ensure Glasgow Airport is ready to welcome this iconic aircraft when it touches down next April.

It will enter operation on April 16 next year (Glasgow Airport/PA)

 BREAKING NEWS!! We are delighted to announce that the Emirates A380 will be coming to Glasgow. Starting April 2019, you can fly on this iconic aircraft to Dubai! Find out more here  https://t.co/o63VIJU4NG pic.twitter.com/DOjWcYppzM  Glasgow Airport  (@GLA_Airport) December 17, 2018

Richard Jewsbury, divisional vice president UK for Emirates, said: Scotland is a key part of our success in the UK and we are pleased to be bringing the A380 to Glasgow.

The Emirates A380 is one of the most iconic aircraft in the world and it continues to delight passengers.

Glasgow business leaders said the announcement was showed there was confidence in the city.

Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said: This increase in capacity is a huge vote of confidence in Glasgow Airport and in Scotland as a whole.

It further strengthens our connectivity with the United Arab Emirates, as well as with markets in Asia, Africa and Australasia which are important for Scottish business and our vital tourism sector.Antonio Rudiger has revealed he is not in talks with Chelsea over a new contract.

The defender had been rumoured to be thrashing out a new deal with the Blues, but the German insists he is happy with his current terms.

The 25-year-old has almost four years to run on his existing Stamford Bridge contract and maintained he is very happy with that status quo.

When asked if he is discussing new terms with Chelsea, Rudiger replied: Thats not the case to be honest.

Antonio Rudiger, pictured, sees no reason to seek a new Chelsea contract (Steven Paston/PA)

Theres no need, because I still have three-and-a-half years to go.

Theres no speaking between me and the club. Its also not necessary at the moment either with three-and-a-half years to go.

Chelsea held onto fourth place in the Premier League table with Sundays 2-1 win at Brighton, where Eden Hazard teed up Pedro before netting himself.

Hazard now boasts a direct hand in 17 goals in 16 league matches this term, already more than his combined goals and assists total from last season.

Blues boss Maurizio Sarri has challenged the playmaker to find the net 40 times this campaign, but Rudiger insists the 27-year-old is just as happy creating as he is scoring.

He doesnt have too much ego, so if he sees someone in a better position he plays them in, and thats fair enough, said Rudiger.

The way hes playing is fantastic. We all know what hes capable of and Im happy for him. Every position he plays he makes a statement, hes strong.

Hes really doing a fantastic job. Hes a leader, hes a good example, not by speaking, but by doing, so hes very good.

Winning smiles in the Chelsea dressing room!  #BHACHE pic.twitter.com/8wKH146P26  Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 16, 2018

Hazard operated as a false nine at Brighton as Sarri kept target man Olivier Giroud on the bench with Alvaro Morata sidelined through knee trouble.

The Belgian favours a role on the wing, and has never hidden those feelings, but continues to excel wherever he is deployed.

Chelsea defender David Luiz insisted Hazard will keep on producing, no matter the role he is asked to fulfil.

Intelligent players can play anywhere, hes a top player, a world-class player, said Luiz. So it doesnt matter which position he is on the pitch, hes intelligent and knows what to do.

 Pushed hard but it wasn't to be this afternoon.



Next up, @afcbournemouth...#BHAFC  pic.twitter.com/RwRCOltNCE  Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) December 16, 2018

Bernardos knock down laid on Brightons goal for Solly March, setting up a tense finale.

The Brazilian full-back revealed his pride at warming to his south-coast task.

Im pleased that I have a good level and can prove myself against hard opponents, Im really proud of myself, Bernardo told Brightons official club website.

It was difficult, but thats why I came to this league. I wanted to prove that Im a player capable of playing against such players and I feel like I did a good job.The Government is setting out what it describes as the biggest package of workplace reforms for over 20 years to meet the changing world of work.

Legislation is being introduced to give workers details of their rights from the first day in a job, such as eligibility for sick leave and pay and details of other types of paid leave, such as maternity and paternity.

The maximum employment tribunal fines for employers demonstrated to have shown malice, spite or gross oversight will increase from 5,000 to 20,000.

Measures will also be taken to ensure that seasonal workers get the paid time off they are entitled to.

Business Secretary Greg Clark said: The UK has a labour market of which we can be proud. We have the highest employment rate on record, increased participation amongst historically under-represent groups and wages growing at their fastest pace in almost a decade.

This success has been underpinned by policies and employment law which strikes an effective balance between flexibility and worker protections but the world of work is changing, bringing new opportunities for innovative businesses and new business models to flourish, creating jobs across the country and boosting our economy.

Todays largest upgrade in workers rights in over a generation is a key part of building a labour market that continues to reward people for hard work, that celebrates good employers and is boosting productivity and earning potential across the UK.

The Government said it was taking forward 51 of the 53 recommendations made by Matthew Taylor in his review into employment, especially in the so called gig economy.

A statement said: The reforms announced today reflect the views expressed by Matthew Taylor in his review into Modern Working Practice that banning zero hours contracts in their totality would negatively impact more people than it helped; that the flexibility of gig working is not incompatible with ensuring atypical workers have access to employment and social security protections.

TUC general secretary Frances OGrady said: Scrapping the agency worker loophole is a victory for union campaigning. It was an undercutters charter.

But these reforms as a whole wont shift the balance of power in the gig economy.

Unless unions get the right to organise and bargain for workers in places like Uber and Amazon, too many working people will continue to be treated like disposable labour.

The right to request guaranteed working hours is no right all. Zero-hours contract workers will have no more leverage than Oliver Twist. 

Matthew Fell, CBI chief UK policy director, said: Work thats flexible and fair is essential to the success of the UKs labour market.

Focusing on issues like employee engagement, fairness and inclusion boost productivity as well as being the right thing to do.

Businesses support a strong floor of workplace rights, and its right that these laws keep pace with changes in the economy and society. They welcome a new law giving all workers the right to request more predictable working hours which will help to facilitate the conversations that are essential to ensuring flexibility benefits both parties. However, legislation to amend employment status rules risks making the law less able to adapt to new forms of work in the future.

Rebecca Long Bailey, shadow business secretary, said: This Conservative Government has failed to support workers. Instead it has increased tribunal fees, attacked the health and safety of workers, introduced the draconian Trade Union Act and presided over the lowest wage growth in a decade.

(PA Graphics)

These proposals do nothing to tackle the growing number of people on precarious zero hours contracts and with their botched Brexit deal threatening jobs and rights theyll have to do a lot more than this to reassure workers.

Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: These measures may help make working life a little more bearable for some. But put simply the Government could and should have gone much further.

Little will change to help the most exploited workers, and the most unscrupulous bosses are unlikely to start quaking in their boots.

Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite, said: The Governments plans are reluctant baby steps at best, and hardly give confidence that post-Brexit UK will be a country of decent jobs.

This is a time of historic low wages and of chronic job insecurity. We need proper, substantial action to combat this but what is on offer today falls well short of what this country needs to deliver work that pays.

People on zero-hour contracts and workers in the insecure economy need much more than a weak right to request a contract and more predictable hours.oogle is rolling out a major expansion in New York City, spending more than $1 billion (790 million) on a new campus along the Hudson River.

The internet search giant will fashion a campus exceeding 1.7 million square feet along the Hudson River in the citys West Village neighbourhood, Ruth Porat, senior vice president and chief financial officer, said in a blog post.

Google opened its first office in New York nearly 20 years ago and employs 7,000 people in the city.

Google said this year that it would buy the Manhattan Chelsea Market building for $2.4 billion (1.9 billion) and planned to lease more space at Pier 57, both about a mile north of the new campus along the Hudson River.

Googles plan to expand is being announced a month after Amazon said it would put one of its second headquarter locations in New Yorks Long Island City neighbourhood, creating upwards of 25,000 jobs in the region.

Amazon, Google and other tech giants like Facebook are expanding beyond the traditional stomping ground of Silicon Valley, hungry for highly trained engineers and other staff that can support expansion.

Google offices in New York (Mark Lennihan/AP)

Google has more than 7,000 workers in New York and Facebook has more than 2,000. According to official statistics, tech sector employment in the New York grew by 65% to reach an estimated 134,700 from 2010 to 2017.

Google hopes to move into the new campus by 2020.

Ms Porat said that the companys most recent investments gives it the ability to more than double the number of Google workers in New York over the next 10 years.A 21-year-old man has admitted murdering his wife and her mother in a frenzied knife attack after his second secret family was discovered.

Janbaz Tarin killed Raneem Oudeh, 22, and her mother Khaola Saleem outside Mrs Saleems home in Northdown Road, Solihull, West Midlands, shortly after midnight on August 27.

Tarin, of Evelyn Road in Sparkhill, Birmingham, had armed himself with a knife after a public row with Ms Oudeh, who was his wife under Islamic law.

He then fled, leading police on a three-day manhunt before his dramatic capture by officers.

Ms Oudeh had dumped her husband in the weeks before his attack after learning he had three children and a secret wife who was pregnant with a fourth child in Afghanistan.

Janbaz Tarin admitted murdering his wife and her mother in a frenzied knife attack (West Midlands Police/PA)

Jilted Tarin, who met Ms Oudeh at Solihull College, had also lied to her about how young he was.

He was abusive towards her in the relationship and she had previously contacted the police about his violent behaviour.

When she discovered his web of deceit Ms Oudeh dumped him.

But Tarin repeatedly harrassed his ex-partner, sleeping outside Mrs Saleems address for 12 consecutive nights.

Ms Oudeh had secured a non-molestation order against him after he smashed her phone on August 10.

But he flouted the ban and in the hours leading up to the assault Ms Oudeh made three calls to police.

Mohamed Saleem, husband and step-father to the victims, arrives at Birmingham Crown Court (Aaron Chown/PA)

She was on the phone to a 999 call handler when Tarin struck.

In the weeks before her murder, Ms Oudeh told family members he had threatened her, saying if you leave me, I will kill you and your family.

With the help of her mother, Ms Oudeh, who had a two-year-old son from another relationship, secured the court order two weeks before her death.

On the night of August 26, Tarin followed his victims to a shisha lounge.

There was a confrontation involving the three inside the lounge and Tarin was ejected by staff after being heard making threats to kill his estranged wife.

Nour Norris (left) and Mohamed Saleem, the sister and husband of Khaola Saleem, during media interviews at West Midlands Police HQ (Aaron Chown/PA)

He left the scene, armed himself with a knife and drove to Mrs Saleems home where he violently attacked mother and daughter outside their front door.

He was captured on CCTV fleeing on foot and hid from police for three days, triggering a huge manhunt by West Midlands Police.

A tip-off by a member of the public led to his capture, although a criminal investigation is continuing into those who may have assisted Tarin in evading justice.

Ms Oudeh was only in the UK having fled the war in Syria and to be reunited with her mother and stepfather, who had lived in Solihull for 16 years.

He will be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on a date to be fixed.Celtic were handed a tough tie in the Europa League round of 32 after the Scottish Premiership champions were drawn to face Valencia.

Brendan Rodgers side made it into the knockout stages despite losing their final group match at home to Red Bull Salzburg last Thursday.

Premier League pair Chelsea and Arsenal have what appear to be easier ties, the Blues drawn against Swedish side Malmo and the Gunners paired with BATE Borisov of Belarus.

Valencia dropped down from the Champions League having finished third in a group where they took four points off Manchester United.

The Spanish side are down in 14th place in LaLiga having drawn 10 of their 16 league games so far this season, with the first leg taking place at Celtic Park on February 14 and the return fixture at the Mestalla a week later.

Chelsea were rewarded for topping Group L by drawing Malmo, who finished third in the 2018 Allsvenskan.

We have been drawn to face Swedish side, Malmo in the Europa League round of 32! #UELDraw pic.twitter.com/XAmk4UL8vd  Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 17, 2018

The Blues progressed ahead of BATE and the reigning Belarusian champions will meet another English opponent after being drawn to face Arsenal.

The two sides met in the group stage last season, with Arsenal winning both matches by an aggregate scoreline of 10-2.

Former Gunners fans favourite Alexander Hleb is still turning out for BATE at the age of 37 and will be looking forward to Februarys fixtures.

Alexander Hleb enjoyed three years at Arsenal and will come up against the Gunners in February (Sean Dempsey/PA)

The second leg of that tie will kick-off on Wednesday February 20 at 17:00GMT to avoid a clash with Chelseas tie.

UEFA rules stipulate that two clubs from the same city cannot play on the same night and that, as winners of their domestic cup competition, Chelsea are given priority.

The issue is clouded further as Arsenals game cannot clash with Champions League fixtures scheduled for February 20  with Schalke v Manchester City and Atletico Madrid v Juventus due to take place that night.

So here is why #AFC will kick off at 1700 on a Wednesday in their Europa League round of 32 second leg.. pic.twitter.com/XsL1hVggc3  Mark Mann-Bryans (@MarkyMBryans) December 17, 2018

That means many Arsenal supporters may face a rush to make it to the Emirates Stadium for a 17:00 kick-off.

Elsewhere, Inter Milan take on Rapid Vienna with Napoli drawn against FC Zurich and Sporting Lisbon meeting Villarreal.

Lazio and five-time winners Sevilla meet in one of the most eye-catching ties, with Viktoria Plzen taking on Dinamo Zagreb and Club Brugge facing Red Bull Salzburg.

Slavia Prague were drawn against Genk with Krasnodar v Bayer Leverkusen and Shakhtar Donetsk v Eintracht Frankfurt also coming out of the hat.

Rennes will meet Real Betis, Olympiakos face Dynamo Kiev, Fenerbahce play Zenit St Petersburg with Galatasaray v Benfica the last tie to be drawn.By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 21, 2018 | 05:57 PM | CALVERT CITY

A former teacher at North Marshall Middle School entered a guilty plea Wednesday to harassment.According to WKMS, 47-year-old Daniel Whitesides pled guilty to one count of harassment with physical contact in Marshall County District Court. Three other charges were reportedly dropped, but not because there was no merit to them.Marshall County Attorney Jason Darnall told WKMS that multiple misdemeanor charges don't compound jail time like felony charges, meaning that the sentence would be the same if there was only one charge. Darnall said parents of all of the students had accepted the terms of the plea.A parent reportedly told WKMS the teacher touched the students while using a metal detector wand before classes. A complaint to the school board prompted the case.Whitesides received a 90-day suspended sentence with two years probation. He must not contact any of the students who were involved in the investigation.School Superintendent Trent Lovett didn't comment on the case.

On the Net:MPs are increasingly talking about the prospect of a second referendum to resolve the deadlock in Parliament over Theresa Mays Brexit deal.

 How would a second referendum come about?

Holding a referendum requires an Act of Parliament. The most obvious way would be for the Government to table a simple stand-alone Bill, as was the case for the 2016 referendum. However, the Prime Minister has made clear she is firmly opposed to the idea.

An alternative route could be for MPs to try to amend another piece of relevant legislation.

Prime Minister Theresa May is opposed to a second referendum

 How long would that take?

In the case of the 2016 referendum, it took seven months to get the Bill through Parliament  although in practice it could be done much more quickly.

The Electoral Commission then has a statutory duty to assess the referendum question to ensure it is intelligible and free from bias  a process which would normally take up to 12 weeks, although again it could be shortened.

The legislation would specify the length of the referendum campaign. All recent campaigns have lasted at least 10 weeks.

Overall, the Institute for Government estimates the whole process could take up to five months.

 What would that mean for the Brexit timetable?

On current plans, Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, so it could not be completed by then.

Therefore, for a referendum to be held, the Government would have to go to Brussels to ask for an extension to the Article 50 withdrawal process  something the EU may or may not grant.

 What would be the question on the ballot paper?

This is where it gets complicated.

Generally referendums offer a simple choice between two options  as in 2016 when it was Leave or Remain. However, most MPs accept that there would have to be at least three options  leave with Mrs Mays Brexit deal, leave without a deal, or remain in the EU.

 How would that work?

Various ideas have been floated.

One would be for voters to rank the options in order of preference. If none of the options gained an overall majority of first preference votes, the one with the fewest votes would be eliminated and its second preference votes would be distributed among the other two.

Alternatively, voters could just be given one choice. If none received an overall majority, the one with the fewest votes would again be eliminated, but under this scheme the other two options would then go forward to a final ballot a week later.

A third way could be to have a two-question ballot. The first would ask if voters wanted to Leave or Remain. The second would ask them to choose between a deal and a no-deal Brexit in the event that there is still a majority for Leave.

Bundles of ballot papers at the counting centre in Manchester Central after 2016s EU referendum.

 Where do the political parties stand?

The Conservatives officially oppose a second referendum, arguing that voters made their views clear in 2016 and that another ballot would simply exacerbate the bitter divisions opened up by the Brexit debate.

However, a growing number of mainly Remain-supporting backbench Tory MPs are warming to the idea, believing it offers a way out of the current impasse.

Labour says it wants a general election, but if that is not possible all options are on the table  including a second referendum.

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is a longstanding Eurosceptic

Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, a longstanding Eurosceptic, has, however, shown little enthusiasm for the idea, while some of his supporters fear it could alienate traditional Labour voters in Leave-supporting areas.

However, he is facing a groundswell of support from within the party for another vote, including from many of the young Momentum activists who propelled him to the leadership and who are passionately opposed to Brexit.

Scotlands First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said the SNP  which opposes Brexit  will back a second referendum in the Commons, although she angered some in her party who wanted to make their support conditional on a second referendum on Scottish independence.

 Are there any precedents for a second referendum?

In the UK, not really. However in other countries, where referendums are more common, there is a history of giving voters a chance to think again.

In Ireland, for example, in 2009 voters supported ratification of the EU Lisbon Treaty, having rejected it at the first time of asking.

Similarly, in 2002, the Irish voted for the Nice Treaty on the second occasion.Security forces have physically ejected Hungarian opposition politicians from the headquarters of the Hungarian state broadcaster MTVA in Budapest.

In a video posted on opposition politician Bernadett Szels Facebook page, she and fellow independent Akos Hadhazy are seen being pushed out of the MTVA headquarters by security guards.

A group of 10 politicians had entered the building, insisting on the right to read five demands live on air.

The demands included the revocation of the new labour law, passed last week in parliament, which gives employers the right to request up to 400 hours of mandatory overtime annually, without payment settlement for up to three years.

Posted by Szel Bernadett on Sunday, December 16, 2018

The right-wing government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban says the law will help relieve the current shortage of labour in Hungarys booming manufacturing sector, and allow workers to earn more.

But the slavery law, as critics have dubbed it, has sparked widespread protests among unions and opposition parties across the political spectrum.

The scene at the headquarters of the public broadcaster MTVA in Budapest (Zsolt Szigetvary/MTI/AP)

Thousands braved sub-zero temperatures to go to the parliament in Budapest on Sunday, where speakers condemned the new law while the angry crowd chanted slogans such as Weve had enough.

(5) We spent the night in the building closed in the make-up room in front of the studio. pic.twitter.com/zbMepe9ycR  Istvan Ujhelyi (@istvan_ujhelyi) December 17, 2018

As protesters dispersed on Sunday evening, an estimated 2,000-3,000 moved on to the state broadcaster, shouting anti-government slogans.

After the delegation of opposition MPs were allowed into the building to negotiate their demands, riot police guarding the headquarters outside used pepper spray on at least two occasions to repel protesters trying to break through the cordon.

Mr Hadhazy read the demands to camera in the early hours of Monday, but it is not clear whether these were broadcast.

Protesters returned to the MTVA headquarters on Monday morning and vowed to continue the struggle.Former Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has hinted he is staying at Los Angeles Galaxy amid speculation about his future.

The 37-year-old has been linked with a move back to Europe with former club AC Milan.

MLZ Im not done with you yet pic.twitter.com/1F68siOV16  Zlatan Ibrahimovic (@Ibra_official) December 17, 2018

But Ibrahimovic has released a video  which highlights various reports from the media suggesting he could leave the MLS club  on social media with the caption: MLZ Im not done with you yet.

Ibrahimovic scored 22 goals for the Galaxy after joining the club from Manchester United in March.A driver who was on his mobile phone minutes before a crash has admitted causing the death of the mother of Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman.

Liam Rosney, 33, pleaded guilty to causing the death of Carol Boardman, 75, by careless driving at Mold Crown Court on Monday.

The court heard he had taken three calls on his mobile phone, which had been on speaker mode, in the minutes before the collision on a mini roundabout in Connahs Quay, North Wales, on July 16 2016.

Rosney had been due to stand trial charged with causing death by dangerous driving but pleaded guilty to the less serious charge after a jury had been sworn in.

Matthew Curtis, prosecuting, said the Crown accepted the plea and did not invite a trial on the more serious offence.

Mr Curtis said in the minutes before Rosney hit Mrs Boardman, who had fallen from her bike on the junction of Mold Road and Ffordd Llanarth, he took three separate phone calls while driving his Mitsubishi pick-up truck, which did not have a hands-free facility.

He said: The phone was being used on speaker mode, not requiring the defendant to handle the phone as he was talking, but plainly to accept or reject or end calls.

The call ended prior to entry on to the roundabout, we know that from billing data.

What we will say the case is, then, is that the defendant continued to be distracted by a, the telephone calls which he had been taking, but, b, his mobile telephone, which was on the passenger seat inside his vehicle.

We know he did not see Mrs Boardman and first realised he may have collided with her was when his vehicle was physically riding over Mrs Boardmans body.

He said a witness, Kayleigh Anders, saw the defendant looking down towards his lap and talking, which gave the impression he was still talking on the phone.

Carol Boardman died after the incident in July 2016 (North Wales Police/PA)

Rosney and his wife Victoria, who he had been speaking to on the phone before the collision, had both originally been charged with perverting the course of justice after allegedly deleting call logs.

However, the charges were dropped halfway through a trial in July and the jury was discharged.

Rosneys retrial had been due to start on Monday.

During the original trial, the court heard his father Peter Rosney, a retired detective constable, had tried to stop officers from questioning Mrs Rosney about the crash while she was at work.

Paying tribute to his mother following her death, Boardman, 50, who won the individual pursuit gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, said:  Our mum was the most positive, outgoing person you could ever hope to meet and her generosity of spirit inspired everyone she met.

Judge Rhys Rowlands said Rosneys guilty plea would attract some credit when he was being sentenced but nowhere near as much as it would have if it had been made when he was on trial earlier this year.

He said all sentencing options, including custody, would be open to him when Rosney was sentenced.

The joiner was disqualified from driving and released on bail until his sentencing on January 31.Cabinet ministers are openly discussing how to respond to Theresa Mays Brexit deal being rejected by MPs, with the possibility of the Commons being asked to choose from a menu of alternatives in order to break the deadlock.

The Prime Minister will use a Commons appearance to condemn calls for a second Brexit referendum, but one of her closest allies said all options should be on the table.

Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd said it would be important to find out the will of Parliament on how to proceed, while Business Secretary Greg Clark also appeared to back an indicative vote to find out what  if anything  MPs could support.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn heaped further pressure on Mrs May by threatening to table a motion of no confidence in the Prime Minister unless she fixes the date for the vote on her deal.

By targeting Mrs May personally, rather than tabling a motion of no confidence in the Government, Mr Corbyns move would not  if passed  necessarily begin the parliamentary process which could lead to a general election.

Labour hopes that by using this tactic Tory critics of the Prime Minister  including the 117 who said they had no confidence in her in last weeks internal Conservative vote  could be persuaded to support the motion.

Parliament should be "invited" to have a say over Brexit options if Theresa May's deal falls through, says Business Secretary @GregClarkMP #r4today#r4today | @bbcnickrobinson | https://t.co/xvQMoTx9uA pic.twitter.com/5esAxfbCOv  BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) December 17, 2018

In her Commons statement the Prime Minister will say that a new referendum would do irreparable damage to the integrity of British politics.

Updating MPs following a bruising EU summit in Brussels, Mrs May will say: Let us not break faith with the British people by trying to stage another referendum.

Another vote which would do irreparable damage to the integrity of our politics, because it would say to millions who trusted in democracy that our democracy does not deliver.

Another vote which would likely leave us no further forward than the last.

And another vote which would further divide our country at the very moment we should be working to unite it.

Happy to confirm I do *not* want a 2nd referendum @halfon4harlowMP - both for the reason you give and because it would further divide the country when we should be trying to bring people back together https://t.co/9sarl8spgC  Gavin Barwell (@GavinBarwell) December 16, 2018

The appearance follows Mrs Mays de facto deputy, Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington, and the PMs chief of staff, Gavin Barwell, both dismissing reports that they are planning for a new referendum.

The Prime Minister delayed a Commons vote on her deal this month while she sought further reassurances from the EU which could make it more acceptable to hostile MPs.

Mr Clark suggested that Parliament should be invited to say what it would agree with if MPs vote down the Prime Ministers Brexit deal.

Asked whether he was tempted to give MPs a range of options to vote on, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: I think, obviously, its important, once the Prime Minister has finished her negotiations with other European leaders and the Commission, that Parliament votes on that.

If that were not to be successful, we do need to have agreement  we cant just have continuing uncertainty, and I think Parliament should be invited to say what it would agree with, and thats something that I think businesses up and down the country would expect elected members to take responsibility, rather than just be critics.

But he cautioned against a second referendum, saying it would continue the uncertainty for many more months.

"We need to find out where the will of parliament is."



Work and pensions secretary @AmberRuddHR agrees with colleagues calling for MPs to vote on all Brexit options.



The PM will tell MPs a second referendum would "break faith" with people - latest here: https://t.co/jfxabjwywj pic.twitter.com/iPgMtaYIGL  Sky News Politics (@SkyNewsPolitics) December 17, 2018

Ms Rudd told reporters that she hoped the Prime Ministers deal would be supported in the vote expected in January.

But she added: After that we need to find out where the will of Parliament is, where the majority of MPs will vote in Parliament and nothing should be off the table, we should consider all options.

She has previously suggested that a Norway-plus deal, with the UK in both a customs union and the single market, could be a plausible alternative.

(PA Graphics)

Mrs Mays official spokesman later told a Westminster media briefing that there were no plans to stage an indicative vote on a range of Brexit options, but did not definitively rule the option out.

He said that all Cabinet ministers who have spoken publicly on Brexit in recent days had made clear their commitment to getting the Prime Ministers deal through Parliament, which remains the Governments priority.

But there was confusion over efforts to secure further guarantees over the controversial Northern Irish backstop measure designed to prevent a hard border with Ireland.

Downing Street said talks by officials were continuing at all levels to seek further clarification and assurances on the terms of the existing deal  and particularly the nature of the proposed backstop  as agreed at the European Council last week.

But European Commission chief spokesman Margaritis Schinas said no further meetings between the EU and the UK to discuss the Brexit deal are expected.

He told a press conference in Brussels: The deal that is on the table is the best and the only deal possible  we will not reopen it, it will not be renegotiated. As President Tusk said, the European Council has given the clarifications that were possible at this stage so no further meetings with the United Kingdom are foreseen.

He added that talk of a second referendum was an internal matter for the UK.

Meanwhile, the BBC reported that Mrs May had turned to former prime minister David Cameron for advice on how to give MPs a greater role if her Brexit deal is rejected.

Mrs Mays spokesman said: To my knowledge, Im not aware of any advice in that way.

Labour is insisting that Mrs May puts her Brexit deal to a vote in the Commons before Parliament rises for Christmas on Thursday.

Downing St has stopped selling the PMs flawed deal. Instead we have displacement activity designed to distract from last weeks failed renegotiation. And a concerted attempt to discredit every plausible alternative as they run down the clock. This is not in the national interest.  Sam Gyimah (@SamGyimah) December 17, 2018

However, the party has made it clear it will not table a motion of no confidence in the Government until such a vote has been held.

Former minister Sam Gyimah, who quit the Government over the Brexit deal, accused Mrs May of delaying the vote on her plan in order to run down the clock and prevent alternatives being considered.

The key issue for Parliament today is not whether a 2nd Referendum is a good idea or whether we should have indicative votes on all the alternative options. We need a vote on the govt's plan. Without resolution on the May plan, we are stuck, and the clock is ticking.  Sam Gyimah (@SamGyimah) December 17, 2018

The strategy was not in the national interest, he said, adding that without resolution on the May plan, we are stuck, and the clock is ticking.A campaign group which lost its legal challenge over the Scottish Governments move to allow pregnant women to take abortion pills at home will return to court for an appeal hearing.

The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) argued the decision by ministers to enable women to drug misoprostol to induce abortion at home, was unlawful and a threat to womens health.

However, Judge Lady Wise rejected the groups arguments in a ruling earlier this year, following a two-day hearing at the Court of Session in May.

SPUC appealed against the decision and an appeal hearing is being held at the court on Tuesday.

The societys chief executive John Deighan said: We were disappointed by the original decision but it was always our intention to fight this case all the way.

Our position and beliefs remain the same.

The appeal hearing will take place at the Court of Session in Edinburgh (Jane Barlow/PA)

After thorough consideration of the judgement and in tandem with legal advice we now appeal the decision.

We owe it to our supporters who continue to make donations to cover our legal costs.

Campaigners launched the judicial review legal action after Scotlands Chief Medical Officer, Dr Catherine Calderwood, last year confirmed she had written to all Scottish health boards to indicate misoprostol could be taken by women outside a clinical setting.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: In light of the imminent court hearing, it would not be appropriate for the Government to comment at this stage.Footage of Miss Universe 2018s parents reacting to their daughters victory has gone viral on Twitter.

Catriona Gray, of the Philippines, was named Miss Universe 2018 in Bangkok, beating contestants from 93 other countries.

When the big announcement was made, one audience member caught the reaction of Grays parents on film.

I sat next to Catriona Grays parents, and this was their reaction when their daughter, Miss Philippines, won Miss Universe. pic.twitter.com/1Wu9ysdhEA  Michael in Cambodia (@MikeInCambodia) December 17, 2018

Grays father is Australian and her mother is Filipina  she was born and grew up in Cairns, Australia, and studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston in the United States.

Your parents are absolutely lovely!!! So glad I captured this moment for all of you.  Michael in Cambodia (@MikeInCambodia) December 17, 2018

The video has been viewed more than 750,000 times and received more than 100,000 likes on Twitter, with hundreds leaving comments as well.

Yessss!!!! So blessed!!!!!  Michael in Cambodia (@MikeInCambodia) December 17, 2018

The office of Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte was quick to congratulate Ms Gray, the fourth Filipina to be named Miss Universe.Paramilitary gangs carried out on average more than one attack a week in Northern Ireland this year, the Government has said.

Most involved assaults but there were 16 casualties of shootings and one death, official figures showed.

Republican and loyalist groups continued to commit violent criminal attacks against members of their own communities, Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley said.

She added: The hypocrisy of paramilitary-linked criminals claiming to act to defend their communities from anti-social behaviour and drug dealing, while at the same time profiting from this activity is not lost on affected communities.

Republican and loyalist groups continued to commit violent criminal attacks against members of their own communities, Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley said (Brian Lawless/PA)

They are targeting the most vulnerable members in their communities as they try to exert control and fear.

An Organised Crime Taskforce report published earlier this year by a group of official agencies showed paramilitaries were still heavily involved in extortion, drug dealing and other racketeering, 20 years after the Good Friday Agreement largely ended conflict-era violence.

So far this year there have been 64 violent criminal attacks, Ms Bradley said.

A total of 16 casualties resulted from shootings and 47 from assaults. The other victim died.

Ms Bradley added: This Government continues strongly to support ongoing efforts to tackle paramilitarism and organised crime in Northern Ireland through the delivery of the commitments made in the Executives action plan on tackling paramilitary activity, criminality and organised crime.

Terrorism by dissident republicans opposed to the peace process is classified as a national security attack by the Government, but law enforcement pressure has reduced the number of such attacks, the Northern Ireland Secretary said.

Since the start of 2018 there has been one national security attack, compared to five in 2017, four in 2016 and a total of 16 attacks in 2015 and 40 in 2010.

Ms Bradley said: Although there has been a reduction in the overall number of national security attacks in recent years, vigilance in the face of this continuing threat remains essential and the threat level remains severe.

Since October 2017, the secret service MI5 has identified a number of violent dissident republican attack plots; two unsuccessful attacks were attempted and others were disrupted.

2 Carrickfergus men are spending their first night of a 4 year sentence in prison!



They were caught red handed by the PSNIs Paramilitary Crime Task Force as they tried to buy firearms, ammunition & drugs online



Con B - NPT#KeepingPeopleSafe #Police #PSNI #EndingTheHarm pic.twitter.com/zmfiKlJi2v  Police Mid and East Antrim (@PSNIMEADistrict) December 10, 2018

The Northern Ireland Secretary said: This success is in no small measure due to the continued close working between PSNI and MI5, as well as with the authorities in Ireland.

Each of the main violent dissident republican groups has suffered significant disruption including the loss of personnel and weapons in the past 12 months.

From October 1 2017  September 30 2018 there have been 143 arrests under the Terrorism Act, with 16 people subsequently charged. During the same period, 45 firearms, 0.74kg of explosives and 3,157 rounds of ammunition have been seized.Jeremy Corbyn accused Theresa May of leading Britain into a national crisis over Brexit as he warned her deal has lost Cabinet support.

The Labour leader said the cold reality was Mrs May achieved nothing last week after returning to Brussels to seek further assurances over the Irish border backstop.

He also claimed Mrs May was cynically running down the clock on the March 29 Brexit deadline to force MPs to decide between her deal or no deal, and asked the PM to confirm if her deal has Cabinet confidence.

Theresa May said EU leaders "could not have been clearer... There is no plot to keep us in the backstop" #Brexit  Jennifer McKiernan (@_JennyMcKiernan) December 17, 2018

Mrs May faced shouts of resign from some Labour MPs as she updated the Commons about her trip to Brussels and insisted there is no plot among EU nations to keep the UK in the backstop.

She also confirmed the Withdrawal Agreement debate is expected to return in the week of January 7, with a vote the following week.

The PM was later rebuked by senior Tory MP Justine Greening for criticising colleagues for proposing alternatives to the deal, such as a second referendum.

Mr Corbyn, replying to Mrs Mays statement, told the Commons: We face an unprecedented situation  the Prime Minister has led us into a national crisis.

If any more evidence was needed of why we face this grave situation, the Prime Minister demonstrated it at last weeks summit.

There were some warm words drafted and the Prime Minister even managed to negotiate those away to be replaced by words about preparing for no deal.

The deal is unchanged and not going to change. The House must get on with the vote and move on to consider the realistic alternatives.

There can be no logical reason for this delay except that in taking shambolic government to a new level, the Prime Minister no longer has the backing of her Cabinet.

Corbyn now responding to Theresa May's latest Brexit statement: "the Prime Minister has led us into a national crisis".  Jennifer McKiernan (@_JennyMcKiernan) December 17, 2018

Mr Corbyn later demanded Mrs May answer three questions: One, does her deal still have the confidence of the Cabinet?

Two, is Cabinet collective responsibility still in operation?

Three, does it remain Government policy to avoid a no-deal outcome?

Mrs May hit back at the Labour leader, accusing his party of having no alternative and putting its own interest ahead of the British people.

She said: Does the deal still have the confidence of the Cabinet? Yes.

Does the Cabinet collective responsibility still apply? Yes.

Does the Cabinet want to avoid no deal? Yes, the Cabinet wants to make sure we leave the European Union with a good deal, and that is this deal.

The real indecision is the indecision at the heart of a Labour Party that has no plan and no alternative.

And the national crisis is an opposition that is irresponsible, that puts its party interest first before the interests of the British people.

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford responds to Prime Minister Theresa Mays statement (PA)

The SNPs Westminster leader Ian Blackford later quipped: We thought the Prime Minister had reached rock bottom, but shes still digging.

Mr Blackford ended his comments by calling on Mrs May to stop operating in isolation and meet opposition leaders to discuss a way forward.

The PM said she was happy to meet Mr Blackford but warned they would have a fundamental difference of opinion on Brexit.

Former cabinet minister Ms Greening said: At the moment we have no deal and no plan B.

This is a constitutional crisis because this House is not being allowed to express its will on behalf of our communities, who around the country are telling us that they reject this deal  that is why MPs want to be able to vote against it.

So can I say to the Prime Minister, its pointless criticising other members in this House who are coming up with other solutions  whether a second referendum, whether Canada, whether Norway  we are as a Parliament trying to find a solution through the political cul-de-sac and mess that we now find this country in.

Ms Greening accused Mrs May of not allowing debate  something the PM dismissed.

DUP Westminster leader Nigel Dodds also pressed Mrs May to tell MPs exactly and precisely what she is asking the EU for, to deliver on the key concerns about the legally binding, indefinite nature of the backstop with no right for this country to exit it on its own terms.DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds has called for clarity about what concessions the Prime Minister is seeking from the EU.

The Northern Irish partys 10 MPs are adamantly opposed to the inclusion of any backstop in the withdrawal treaty because they believe it could separate the country from the rest of the UK.

Mr Dodds said: There is a need for clarity from the Prime Minister about exactly what she is asking for to deal with the key concerns about the legally binding indefinite nature of the backstop with no right for the United Kingdom to exit on its own terms.

The EUs response to the summit was not surprising, but the Prime Minister must decide whether she will stand up to such tactics or once again accept a deal on Europes terms alone.

He made the call following a statement from the Prime Minister to Parliament.

This is a difficulty of the Prime Ministers own making.



The reaction by the EU is unsurprising.



They are doing what they always do.



The key question is whether the Prime Minister will stand up to them or whether she will roll over as has happened previously. https://t.co/skapL3XV9p  Nigel Dodds (@NigelDoddsDUP) December 14, 2018

The North Belfast MP said: Following the summit last week the European Council have talked about clarifications and reassurances but ruled out renegotiating, contradicting or reopening the legal text.

DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds called for clarity about what concessions the Prime Minister is seeking from the EU (Parliament/PA)

They also even struck out text which stated the backstop didnt represent a desirable outcome for the EU27.

The DUP is threatening to vote down the Prime Ministers Brexit plan unless there is significant change.

The backstop is an insurance policy if no better trade deal is struck, designed to preserve a frictionless Irish border.

It would keep Northern Ireland bound by some of the EUs regulations in exchange for an open frontier.Theresa May has been criticised by senior backbenchers for pushing the meaningful vote on her Brexit deal back to mid January.

Tory former education secretary Nicky Morgan said MPs should not be going on holiday for two weeks while the issue was still unresolved.

Ms Morgan, who chairs the Commons Treasury committee, told the Prime Minister that businesses need certainty and the country needs reassurance after she announced the vote on her deal would be held in the week beginning January 14.

She said: The Prime Minister and her statement talked about empowering this House, but the trouble is, is that she is asking this House to accept a deferral for several weeks of the meaningful vote on the draft withdrawal agreement on the basis that further assurances can be agreed with the European Union.

But there is nothing in what she has said today or what has been reported from the EU Council that those further assurances are likely to be given.

I honestly do not think that businesses and employers and our constituents will understand why this House is going on holiday for two weeks when we should be having the meaningful vote this week, she added.

Theresa May makes a statement in the House of Commons (House of Commons/PA)

Tory former minister Jonathan Djanogly echoed the warning, saying: Whats coming back to me from business, from industry, from the City, is that we are haemorrhaging support and investment on a daily basis and its getting worse, which is why I add to other honourable members in saying please, do think again in holding this vote, in holding a series of standalone resolutions which mean that we can take a view and move on.

Mrs May said businesses supported her deal and said there were no plans for indicative votes.

Tory former chief whip Andrew Mitchell suggested Mrs May extend Article 50 to avoid leaving with no deal.

But Mrs May responded: I dont think its right to be seeking that extension to Article 50.

Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg (North East Somerset) later congratulated Mrs May on winning the confidence of the Conservatives in this House last week, adding that he wanted to assure her that she therefore commands my confidence too.

He said he did not back another referendum, saying it was better known as the losers vote, saying that it would be undemocratic and divisive.

The leading Brexiteer added: But also because it would be very hard to deny a second referendum in Scotland, if we had a second referendum on membership of the European Union.

Mrs May thanked him for his support, adding that the UK has accepted the decision we have taken in numerous referendums over the decades and not gone back to the people.

DUP MP Sammy Wilson (East Antrim) claimed the EU was clinging limpet-like to Mrs Mays deal because it would allow them to extract further concessions.

He said: The reason the EU is clinging limpet-like to this agreement is they know they have got concessions in this agreement which will enable them when it comes to the future trade arrangements to extract even more concessions from the UK Government.

Would she not be far better now to walk away with 39 billion in her pocket, her hands free, and able to do the kind of work any government should want to do to make this country prosperous?

But the Prime Minister said there would still be financial obligations to the EU even in a no-deal Brexit and the UK could not simply walk away without settling its bills.

She said: It is not the case that under no-deal circumstances we would not have any financial liabilities  there would be some financial liabilities for this Government.

Of course the 39 billion is the negotiated settlement in relation to this Withdrawal Agreement but there would be financial liabilities even in a no-deal situation.

Tory Remainer Heidi Allen (South Cambridgeshire) said, if Mrs May really believes the views of her constituents are the most important thing in relation to Brexit, she would hold a second referendum.

She said: The democratic thing to do is be honest and grown up and display proper engagement with people and that means checking they are content with her deal.A Chinese woman who moved to Scotland legally as a child is facing deportation following a Home Office decision her MP has branded callous.

Charity volunteer Chennan Fei has lived in Scotland for 16 years, but for the last five has been battling the Home Offices attempts to send her to China.

Living in Renton, West Dunbartonshire, she came to Scotland at the age of 13 with her parents who were studying at Glasgow University.

Despite building her life in the UK, getting a degree at Edinburgh University and becoming engaged to a Scotsman, she faces deportation because her now-estranged parents did not renew their status with the Government.

The 30-year-old now faces a immigration appeal hearing in Glasgow on Thursday, a year after a judge at the Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled that officials attempting to send her to the country she had not visited in 15 years had not acted in accordance with the law.

More than 60,000 people have signed a petition urging the Home Secretary to intervene to allow Chennan to remain in Scotland, and her MP has condemned the appealing treatment.

The MP has criticised the Home Office for trying to deport Chennan Fei (Martin Docherty-Hughes/PA)

Martin Docherty-Hughes MP said: Scotland has been Chennans home for more than half her life. Its where she has grown up, been educated at school and university, and its where she met and fell in love with her fiance Duncan.

After spending over 16 years building a life here in Scotland, the prospect of Chennan being torn away from her loved ones through no fault of her own has been deeply distressing.

Chennan is clearly a bright and talented young woman who has a lot to offer Scotland, yet the UK Home Office has gone to considerable effort to force her from her home.

It highlights once again the folly of the UK governments hostile immigration policies which all too often lack compassion and common sense.

Chennan has been treated appallingly by the Home Office and has my full support in challenging this callous move to remove her from her home here in West Dunbartonshire.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: Legal proceedings are ongoing and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment.A 21-year-old man has been jailed for life with a minimum of 32 years for murdering his wife and her mother, after his secret second family was discovered.

Janbaz Tarin admitted murdering Raneem Oudeh, 22, and her mother Khaola Saleem, outside Mrs Saleems home in Northdown Road, Solihull, West Midlands, shortly after midnight on August 27.

Tarin, of Evelyn Road in Sparkhill, Birmingham, had armed himself with a knife after a public row with Ms Oudeh, who was his wife under Islamic law, before driving to the scene and launching his attack.

He later fled, leading police on a three-day manhunt before his dramatic capture by officers.

It emerged Ms Oudeh had dumped her husband in the weeks before his attack, after learning he had three children and a secret wife in Afghanistan.

Sentencing Tarin at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday, the judge told him his crimes had devastated the victims family.

Mrs Justice Carr said: Having stalked Raneem the evening before, you equipped yourself with a knife, followed Raneem to her mothers address and carried out a vicious and sustained attack on both women.

Jilted Tarin first met Ms Oudeh at Solihull College and had also lied to her about how young he was, before marrying her.

He was abusive towards her in the relationship, and she had previously contacted the police about his violent behaviour, but when she discovered his web of deceit, Ms Oudeh dumped him.

But he repeatedly hassled his ex-partner, relentlessly stalking and pursuing her, prosecutors said.

Ms Oudeh, who had a two-year-old son from another relationship, had recently secured a non-molestation order against Tarin, with the help of her mother, before the sustained and brutal attack.

In the weeks before her murder, Ms Oudeh told family members he had threatened her, saying if you leave me, I will kill you and your family.

In mitigation, Tarins barrister Ali Bajwa QC told the court his clients wife in Afghanistan was the result of an unhappy and forced marriage when he was just 13.

He told the court Tarin had three children, all aged under five, and had come to the UK aged 15, despite hearsay evidence he was now older than his 21 years.

After sentencing, Ms Oudehs aunt, Nour Norris, criticised the police for not doing more to protect her niece.

Asked if she believed the police and authorities had failed to do enough, Mrs Norris replied: Yes we do.

We do feel that and we feel theres a lot of women out there as well probably going through the same thing, who agree with us.

She added the family felt even more let down by the fact Tarin was on the run for three days, before his capture.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the circumstances surrounding the police response to the murders, after the force referred the incident itself.

Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Payne, head of West Midlands Polices CID, said: This was a man who sought out two defenceless women and took a weapon in order to end their lives.

Im glad today the courts have recognised the severity of what went on.

Mr Payne said: Ive been a police officer for 24 years and this is the first time Ive come across a double murder in these circumstances.

He added: If theres learning (from the IOPC), well take it on board.Labour has accused the Government of leaving gig economy workers trapped in Dickensian conditions, as the Government sets out a new action plan.

Rebecca Long Bailey, shadow business secretary, attacked the Good Work Plan, saying it would not go far enough to help zero-hours workers in particular.

Business Secretary Greg Clark set out what he described as the biggest package of workplace reforms for more than 20 years in a Commons statement, based on an employment review by Matthew Taylor.

Ms Long Bailey said his plans would leave workers with no more leverage than Oliver Twist in the workplace, particularly in the gig economy.

She said: The horrific tales of insecure workers swirl around like passages from a Charles Dickens novel  from delivery drivers forced to urinate in bottles to zero-hours staff giving birth in workplace toilets.

The Governments proposals were an opportunity to improve the lives of these workers but sadly they fall dramatically short.

Those workers face a Dickensian future unless the Government takes serious action to protect and enforce the intrinsic value of their human capital within our economy.

Mr Clark said: Far from the Dickensian caricature she fell into the trap of describing, Matthew Taylor himself noted that, if tax levels and tax credits are taken into account, the average take-home pay for families in this country with a full-time member in employment is higher in the UK than in the rest of the G7.

We have higher employment than at any time in our history, we have lower unemployment than at any time for 40 years, and she should have welcomed this.

Todays largest upgrade in workers rights in over a generation is a key part of building a labour market that continues to reward people for hard work, that celebrates good employers and is boosting productivity and earning potential across the UK.

Legislation is being introduced to give workers details of their rights from the first day in a job, such as eligibility for sick leave and pay and details of other types of paid leave, such as maternity and paternity.

The maximum employment tribunal fines for employers demonstrated to have shown malice, spite or gross oversight will increase from 5,000 to 20,000.

Measures will also be taken to ensure that seasonal workers get the paid time off they are entitled to.

The govts gig economy reforms dont go far enough. Scrapping the agency worker loophole is a victory for unions, but a right to request guaranteed working hours is no right at all - and plans to introduce new employment status laws risks letting gig employers off the hook.  Trades Union Congress (@The_TUC) December 17, 2018

The Government said it was taking forward 51 of the 53 recommendations made in the Taylor Review.

A statement said: The reforms announced today reflect the views expressed by Matthew Taylor in his review into modern working practice that banning zero-hours contracts in their totality would negatively impact more people than it helped; that the flexibility of gig working is not incompatible with ensuring atypical workers have access to employment and social security protections.

TUC general secretary Frances OGrady said: Scrapping the agency worker loophole is a victory for union campaigning. It was an undercutters charter.

But these reforms as a whole wont shift the balance of power in the gig economy.

Unless unions get the right to organise and bargain for workers in places like Uber and Amazon, too many working people will continue to be treated like disposable labour.

The right to request guaranteed working hours is no right all. Zero-hours contract workers will have no more leverage than Oliver Twist.

(PA Graphics)

Matthew Fell, CBI chief UK policy director, said: Work thats flexible and fair is essential to the success of the UKs labour market.

Focusing on issues like employee engagement, fairness and inclusion boost productivity as well as being the right thing to do.

Businesses support a strong floor of workplace rights, and its right that these laws keep pace with changes in the economy and society. They welcome a new law giving all workers the right to request more predictable working hours which will help to facilitate the conversations that are essential to ensuring flexibility benefits both parties.

However, legislation to amend employment status rules risks making the law less able to adapt to new forms of work in the future.

These proposals do nothing to tackle the growing number of people on precarious zero-hours contracts, and with their botched Brexit deal threatening jobs and rights theyll have to do a lot more than this to reassure workers.

Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: These measures may help make working life a little more bearable for some. But put simply, the Government could and should have gone much further.

Little will change to help the most exploited workers, and the most unscrupulous bosses are unlikely to start quaking in their boots.

Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite, said: The Governments plans are reluctant baby steps at best, and hardly give confidence that post-Brexit UK will be a country of decent jobs.

This is a time of historic low wages and of chronic job insecurity. We need proper, substantial action to combat this but what is on offer today falls well short of what this country needs to deliver work that pays.

People on zero-hour contracts and workers in the insecure economy need much more than a weak right to request a contract and more predictable hours.Two further staff members at Muckamore Abbey Hospital have been suspended, the health trust said.

Historical CCTV footage from the Co Antrim facility is being screened. The PSNI are also investigating.

Muckamore Abbey provides care for patients with learning disabilities or behavioural problems.

A report, which has not been made public by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, makes serious criticisms of the treatment of vulnerable adult patients.

A statement from the Trust said: Belfast Trust will hold any individual staff member to account and take robust disciplinary action if their behaviour falls short of acceptable practice.

We continue to view historical CCTV footage at Muckamore Abbey Hospital, and as of Friday two further members of staff at Muckamore Abbey Hospital have been suspended.

Two further staff members at Muckamore Abbey Hospital have been suspended (Lynne Cameron/PA)

As this process continues the Trust may have to take further action and we will comment when we are in a position to do so.

The families of those affected met the permanent secretary at the Department of Health, Richard Pengelly, on Monday.

Mr Pengelly said: It was important to me to apologise to families face-to-face for what happened to their loved ones while in the care of Muckamore Abbey Hospital  rather than through a press statement.

I am both appalled and angered that vulnerable people were let down.

At the same time, action is urgently needed by the HSC system as a whole in response to the recommendations of the Serious Adverse Incident (SAI) review.

He said Muckamore would return to being a hospital providing acute care and not simply a residential facility.

To make that happen will require investment in both specialised accommodation and staff training to meet the complex needs of people who no longer need to be in hospital.

Mr Pengelly said he expects the resettlement process to be completed by the end of 2019.

That means finding suitable alternative accommodation for patients who have been living at Muckamore on a long-term basis, despite not requiring in-patient hospital care.Nearly forty years ago, on Christmas Day in 1979, Soviet tanks and troops were airlifted into Kabul  in what became a bloody battle between godless Communists on one side, and Islamic mujahedeen backed by the West, Pakistan, the Emirates and Saudi Arabia on the other.

If the 1980s were the years of what ultimately came to be known as the Afghan jihad, the 1990s were the years of civil war, with the Taliban triumphant in Kabul.

The 21st century has seen the results of an unending US-led Global War on Terror, located in Afghanistan, among other Muslim countries. The Afghans were punished for their location  while Pakistan rewarded for its. This also makes it the longest war that any country has faced in modern times.

Today, most people, when they talk about the situation in Afghanistan, also refer to it as America's longest war. No one really considers that the helpless Afghan population has been subjected to an endless war, which has inflicted unimaginable deprivation and depredation for nearly 40 years.

For 40 years, Afghanistan has been in the throes of a war it's gained nothing from. (Photo: AP/file)

Afghans have been punished for being on the crossroads of superpower rivalry, and for no fault of theirs, while the narrative has been that these wars were for their liberation from the Communists in the 1980s, and emancipation during the dark days of the Taliban and Al Qaeda in the 21st century.

The WTC attack in New York was by Saudis mostly. The Taliban were sheltering Al Qaeda  and the Pakistan Deep State was sheltering and assisting the Taliban.

Afghanistan was the only place where an angered America could afford to exhibit its wrath.

Americans fought in the wrong place, Afghanistan, with wrong and inadequate means. They were helped by a major non-NATO ally  as President Bush referred to Pakistan, which was double-crossing them even as the Americans paid handsomely in billions of dollars for this duplicity.

There were never enough troops on the ground to defeat and hold territory gained.

Wars were fought from the comfort of air-conditioned consoles thousands of miles away  where soundless blips on LED screens show collateral damage, but do not record the pain, nor ensure victory.

Excessive reliance on aerial power means that the situation on the ground is adverse and the military situation is in a stalemate. A superpower cannot afford to be in a stalemate, for this actually means defeat.

No wonder today, the Americans are negotiating with the Taliban  whom they had sworn to eliminate  for a safe and honourable exit for US forces from Afghanistan.

There were never enough American troops on the ground to defeat and hold territory gained. (Photo: Reuters/File)

The effect of this decision on other regional players is assumed to be of little consequence.

This is a clear exhibition of the America First policy of President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Trump, possibly pursuing a declared (April 20, 2019) date for a negotiated settlement, suddenly announced partial troop reduction even as his representative was speaking to the Taliban and the violence continued unabated. A suicide attack  this years 22nd attack in Kabul  accompanied by an attack via unknown terrorists killed 40 persons in Kabul on December 25.

The Taliban denied any responsibility for this attack, so suspicion would then be on the Islamic State, which is believed to be increasing its profile in Afghanistan.

According to The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) cited by Afghanistan-watcher Frud Bezhan, a journalist with the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFERL), there have been 44,655 fatalities in Afghanistan from January 1 to December 8, 2018.

#Afghanistan is by far the world's deadliest war, with 44, 655 fatalities from Jan 1 - Dec 8, 2018, according to @ACLEDINFO #Yemen suffered 28, 862 deaths during the same reporting period. #Syria has suffered 25, 854 fatalities so far in 2018. https://t.co/rFUoTY3a3u  Frud Bezhan (@FrudBezhan) December 13, 2018

These include civilians, government forces and militants. This places Afghanistan ahead of Yemen and Syria  yet, the narrative is about the latter two, even in India.

As the security situation in Afghanistan worsened and the Taliban gained territory, with the US unable to put more soldiers on the ground, this year the US dropped more bombs than in any other year of this war. Withdrawal of ground forces will only mean greater reliance on air attacks.

The cycle of violence increased early in 2018 as the rivalry between the Taliban and the Islamic State spilled out on the streets of Kabul. Dr. Shanthie Mariet D'Souza wrote (Mantraya Analysis, #22 February 22, 2018) that although the government played down these incidents, the insurgents were successful in getting renewed international media attention in this battle of the narratives.

The Taliban also stepped up their activities because of an inadequate government response. The Taliban were now a decentralised rural insurgency with undiminished ability to target urban centres. Estimates about how much territory is under Taliban control vary, but it is substantial  even up to 40%.

Afghan security forces at a check-point close to the national intelligence agency in Kabul, which was attacked on December 25. (Photo: Reuters)

In the next few months from now, one can expect the Taliban to drag the negotiations while pretending to be earnest about the process, and then come back in the spring of 2019 with renewed vigour.

The Taliban and their mentors, Pakistan, knew they just had to wait it out. This became very clear when President Obama announced in 2009 that the US would leave Afghanistan in 2011. In the immediate future, the Afghan government will possibly yield more ground to the Taliban.

In recent months, very little has been heard about the Haqqani Network. The Pakistanis are possibly keeping it under control for a final assault.

The Taliban have not evolved into a political movement and have remained a jihadi force. It is highly unlikely that the Taliban will accept the present Afghan constitution, and would insist on governance under Islamic law. A Taliban victory after a deal with the US will only bail out the US  without bringing peace to the country. Afghanistan could easily break out into ethnic, sectarian, regional and tribal tensions.

There is also the question of the increasing profile of the Islamic State remnants now in Afghanistan, with their alliances with others. As Andrew Bacevich put it very bluntly, The United States war in Afghanistan began with an illusion that it was incumbent upon the US to liberate and transform that country. The war in Afghanistan will end, as the Vietnam War ended  in shame and abandonment. (The war in Afghanistan isn't a 'stalemate.' The US has lost.")

There are reports of the Islamic State in alliance with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan gaining some presence in northern Afghanistan, close to countries like Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, which have had traditionally close ties with Russia. They also have a presence in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces bordering Pakistan. It is possible they will later drift to other pastures east or north.

With the recent discovery of ISIS cells in Delhi and UP, a likelihood of such cells having been established or functioning under the banner of ISIS elsewhere as well would be a matter of great worry for the Indian security apparatus. It is unlikely the Arabs operate them, but merely some locals using the franchises name, or induced to do so.

The recent discovery of ISIS cells in Delhi and UP is a matter of concern for the Indian security apparatus. (Photo: Twitter)

Pakistan may feel the loss of American largesse in case peace negotiations are successful. Pakistan has meanwhile worked out deals with the UAE, Saudi Arabia and China to keep some funds flowing in to lift its battered economy.

There is another possible gain. Russia and China will also show greater interest in affairs in Afghanistan, which would be in line with Pakistans interests in Afghanistan, so long as the US is kept out.

There is another aspect that needs to be kept in mind as the Great Game may continue in different forms. US President Trump recently tweeted that the Saudi government had agreed to help finance the rebuilding of Syria. This could be a dual-purpose exercise, which provides business opportunities to American industry to build what they themselves, with Saudi Arabia, first helped destroy. The hope is that this will keep the Russians and China away  or, at least, prevent them from being in control. This plan could be replicated in Afghanistan for the same reasons.

Once the US leaves Afghanistan, it will rapidly lose interest in Pakistan  and even the region. There would be a loss of rent to Pakistan  but it will also see this as an opportunity to strengthen its control in Afghanistan.

For this, it will want to pretend to keep peace with India  it will make all the polite noises about living in peace to keep its eastern border quiet. It can be expected to keep the Khalistan and Kashmir issues on the back-burner until Afghanistan is sorted out, with its India-specific jihadi outfits intact.

Pakistan will see a Taliban victory in Afghanistan as a vindication of is policies, and both the Taliban and Pakistan will depict this as a victory of the faith over another superpower. This will be enough encouragement to unleash its assiduously nurtured India-specific Ghazwa-e-Hind battalions against India.

We need not be beguiled into believing otherwise.

Also read: US withdrawing troops from Afghanistan: Instead of whining softly, India must be hard-headed and hard-hearted tooSeven members of a UK-based Indian-origin family were involved in a freak accident in Iceland when their SUV crashed off a bridge on Thursday, killing two women and a child.

Four others, including two British Indian brothers and two young children, remain in critical condition after being airlifted to a hospital in Iceland's capital Reykjavik.

The family was reportedly on holiday in the Nordic island country when their hired Toyota Land Cruiser slammed through a railing while crossing a high single-lane bridge at Skeidararsandur, a vast sand plain in the southern part of the country.

The Indian Ambassador to Iceland, T Armstrong Changsan, visited the injured at Landspitali hospital, where he spoke to hospital staff and the chaplain before contacting family members in India.

"The situation is very bad. Three people have died and one of them is an infant. There were seven people, he told local media.

The holidaymakers from the UK included two couples in their thirties and three children, aged around three, eight and nine. While the youngest girl was killed on the spot, the other girl remains in surgery. According to local reports, the two adults killed in the crash were the wives of the two British Indian brothers.

Chief Superintendent of South Iceland Police Sveinn Kristjan Runarsso confirmed the four survivors have been taken to hospital with serious injuries and that "we haven't been able to talk to them about what happened".

The crash site was described as "horrifying" by tour guide Adolf Erlingsson, who was among the first on the scene with two police officers.

"The car was totally smashed up after flying off the bridge and plunging down there, he told Icelandic radio station Bylgjan.

"The car seemed to have hit the ground many metres from where it stopped. We struggled getting everyone out," he said.

Police officers have said that humidity could have made the surface slippery but said it remains unclear what caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle.

Temperatures were around freezing at the time of the accident, which occurred hours before the North Atlantic island saw sunrise at nearly 11.30 am local time.

The vehicle the family were travelling in slammed through a railing while crossing a high single-lane bridge over the Nupsa river at Skeidararsandur.

The bridge is described as "really narrow" and the vehicle plummeted on to the dry riverbed below and landed on its roof.

Iceland's national ring road, also known as Route 1, is popular among tourists from around the world and the site of the crash was near Skaftafell in the south-east of the country, which is made up of mountains, glaciers, waterfalls and beaches.

Of the 18 people who have died in traffic accidents in Iceland this year, half of them have been foreign nationals.

The UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We are supporting the family of several British nationals who were involved in a road traffic accident in Iceland and are in close contact with the Icelandic authorities."

Local police have only identified the victims as British, with their names and ages not yet released until formal identification.A day after the Lok Sabha passed the Triple Talaq Bill with some contentious penal provisions for the deserter husband, the Opposition seemed to be united to stall it in the Upper House. The Opposition has accused the Government of indulging in vote bank politics and demanded that the Bill be referred to a joint select committee.

According to sources, Opposition parties will meet to devise their strategy to block the Bill in the Rajya Sabha on Monday when it is likely to come up for consideration.

Sources said all Congress members in the Rajya Sabha would meet in Parliament on Monday morning, ahead of the start of House proceedings, to evolve its strategy on the Bill.

The numbers are tilted in favour of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, where the UPA has 112 members and the NDA 93. One seat is vacant. The remaining 39 members of other parties are unattached to either NDA or UPA and are likely to play an important role in the passage of the contentious Bill.

The Government had not agreed to the Opposition demand for sending the earlier Bill to the select committee, when it was brought before the House in the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

Though the NDA is way short of the halfway mark of 123 in the 245-member House, it had emerged victorious in the election of the Deputy Chairman, with its nominee Harivansh of the JD(U) bagging 125 votes against 101 for Opposition-backed Congress member BK Hariprasad.

The Government has expressed hope that the bill, which criminalises the practice of instant divorce by Muslim men, will find support in the Rajya Sabha, whose approval is necessary for the bill to become the law.

CPI member D Raja said the Opposition has the numbers and would press for referring the bill to the Select Committee. Opposition parties are asking for referring the Triple Talaq Bill to the Select Committee for further scrutiny when the bill comes up for consideration in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, said Raja.

He alleged that the government wants to use the bill for political purposes. They are not genuinely interested in gender equality and gender justice, Raja alleged.

Another leader claimed that opposition parties are united in referring the bill to the Select Committee as the proposed legislation needs to be examined properly.District police have solved case in which a 19-year-old engineering student was abducted; it was revealed that victim along with his sister and two others planned of his kidnap to repay loan availed by sister.

Four accused including victim and his sister were nabbed for executing fake kidnapping in which Ayush Choubey, his sister Ruchika Choubey and their neighbor Gaurav Jain were arrested said DIG Bhopal Dharmendra Choudhary while speaking with media persons at a press conference on Friday.

After the kidnap family members and Ruchika received phone from mobile number 7024442424, demanding ransom of Rs 1 crore and they were threatened not to report the kidnapping with the police. Aishbagh police registered a case under section 364 A of the IPC and started investigation.

Kidnapers asked to shed Rs 1 crore at Crescent Water Park Sehore on December 25 but failed to appear and collect. Later when police investigated the close ones of the family and neighbours, in which it was found that their neighbor Gaurav Jain was involved in suspicious activities. Jain was trapped from Bhopal railway station when he returned from Agra.

Police grilled Jain and he confessed the kidnapping which was fabricated with the help of victim, his sister and Atul Katholia.

The nabbed accused revealed that Ruchika was indebted with heavy loan and to repay the loan they planned fake kidnapping.

The family was having ancestral land in Jabalpur which was scheduled to divide among family members and her father would have received good amount but it was taking time due to which she planned fake kidnapping so that relatives would dispose the property speedily to provide money for Ayushs release.

The accused used the mobile phone for ransom calls in moving train to make the tracking difficult.In a shocking incident, son of Additional Sirector General (ADG) Tadasha Mishra allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself from the service revolver of a bodyguard on Friday afternoon.

Police said that the man (25) was going towards airport to catch a flight to Bangluru when he shot at himself after moving past the Hinoo road crossing. He received two bullets and was rushed to the Medica Hospital in grievous condition but he succumbed to the injuries on the way.

It is learnt that the deceased was studying medical course. Police said it was investigating the case adding that a case would be registered in this connection. The ADG has taken the body of her son to her native place in Cuttack.

It was shocking to hear that son of one of our senior officials has allegedly committed suicide, said IG Asish Batra. Senior police officials had also rushed to Medica hospital after receiving information regarding the incident.Chinas Zhejiang Province, home to e-commerce giant Alibaba, shipped over 10 billion parcels this year, according to the provinces postal administration on Wednesday. The figure is equal to nearly 80 percent of the number of deliveries made by the entire express delivery industry in the United States, and double the number of deliveries in Japan, the worlds third-largest express industry.The express delivery industry in Zhejiang has grown by over 50 percent a year since 2012, and the volume of packages shipped has increased from 820 million pieces to the current 10 billion pieces. This includes 200 million parcels destined for overseas. Six cities in Zhejiang are ranked among the top 20 in the national express delivery industry. More than 300,000 people are employed by the industry, which serves over 40 million people each day.

Source: Zhejiang ships over 10 billion parcels in 2018  China Plus

This should make you think!

Amazon ships about ????? billion items!

Amazon could end up shipping 4.4 billion parcels in 2018.

Source: An Amazon puzzle: How many parcels does it ship, how much does it cost, and who delivers what share?  Save the Post Office

Yes it should make you think

WtRThe Special Task Force (STF) of the Haryana police on Thursday night arrested four members of an inter-State gang involved in ATM theft from village Harsaru after a brief exchange of fire. The four other members of the gang escaped successfully.

According to the STF, the arrested accuseds were involved in 14 cases of murder, loot and dacoity which they had committed in seven different States. The probe team suspects that the culprits could be involved in more than 100 of such cases.

Following a tip-off, Inspector Dr Sunil Kumar of the STF nabbed the accused from the Harsaru village in Gurugram. The accused has been identified as Sarfaraz, Ismu Deen and Azaad of Nuh district in Haryana and Irfaan hail from Rajasthan.

The members of the gang theft several ATM kiosk and committed the crime in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Telangana, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. They were declared proclaimed offenders most of the cases.

Delhi police had imposed under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime (MCOCA) Act on the culprits, STF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Satheesh Balan said.

They used a gas cutter to melt the ATM machine and withdraw the money, Balan said. The accused were produced before the court on Friday which sent them three days police remand.Dissent is brewing among those Congress legislators who could not get berth in the Cabinet of Chief Minister Kamal Nath. Among party MLAs, Aindal Singh Kansana is leading the charge against his own party with his supporters blocking national highway at Morena in the night of December 25 when the cabinet swearing in took place.

Kansanas staunch supporter and Sumawali block head Madan Sharma had resigned from the party over the treatment meted out to Kansana. Presently Kansana backers are camping in New Delhi demanding ministerial berth for their leader.

Senior Congress leader and the former minister Bisahulal Singh from Anuppur district, where the Congress won all the three seats in assembly polls, had reportedly met Digvijay Singh post cabinet oath taking and was in tears. Another former minister KP Singh too has got in touch with party high command over his exclusion from the cabinet.

One of the Singh supporters in a veiled threat to Scindia has on social media advised him not to pass through Pichhore constituency, which is represented by Singh.

Hardeep Singh Dang, MLA from Suwasra in Mandsaur who is lone Sikh MLA in MP assembly and also the single Congress MLA in Mandsaur too was wishing for a ministerial berth and is reportedly upset.

Jai Adivasi Yuva Shakti (JAYS) national convener and Manwar MLA Hiralal Alawa had made his craving for the ministerial berth even before the cabinet was sworn in. Alawa has reportedly sought an appointment from Congress president Rahul Gandhi over the issue. Alawa has been terming his exclusion from the cabinet as insult to the tribal community which helped Congress return to power.

Sanjay Sharma, three-time MLA from Tendukheda who had joined Congress ahead of assembly polls has claimed he was promised a ministerial berth and wont accept the post of parliamentary secretary. Burhanpur MLA Surendra Singh Thakur who had rebelled against Congress to fight and contest poll from Burhanpur too has warned Congress over his exclusion from the cabinet.

Among alliesBSP had extended support to Congress from outside while Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has expressed anguish over partys lone MLA not being given space in Kamal Nath cabinet.

With the fresh trouble looming large over the state government, party troubleshooter Digvijay Singh has swung into action and left for New Delhi on Thursday evening to consult the high command over the political trouble in MP.Cabinet Minister in the Kamal Nath Ministry Imarati Devi was accorded a rousing welcome at the Railway Station during her first visit to the city as a Cabinet Minister. She was received at the station by party workers and district officials when she arrived around 3 am on Friday by the Habibganj Express.

Later on, speaking to the media persons from her residence at Harishankaur Puram she said that one of her top priorities is to make Dabra, a district. She further told the congressmen gathered at her house that she is not the minister only for people of Dabra and that she belongs to everyone. She asked them to feel free to come to her with any grievances.

She also said that she will take steps to bring water to about ninety villages in the region through the Jourasi Barkari canal. The minster also accused Narendra Singh Tomar, the Union Minister for stalling the canal work. Later on she left for Dabra by road.

Speaking to the media persons, Mohan Singh Rathore, the Rural Congress Committee chief said that the minister is scheduled to return to Gwalior on Saturday when she will pay homage to the Late Madhav Rao Scindia at his Chhatri in the morning.

Later on a grand victory procession will be taken out from the Achleshwar Mandir to the Congress office to felicitate her. Meanwhile Munnalal Goyal, the MLA from Gwalior East said that it was through the persistent efforts of Devendra Sharma, the District Congress Committee chief that the party could win all the 3 seats from the city.

He was speaking at the foundations day celebrations of the congress at the DCC office where he was felicitated by the party chief and the workers for the thumping victory.The State Government is worried over the exclusion of Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts from the list of Maoist-affected zones as the problem of Leftwing Extremism (LWE) is dynamic in nature.

Looking at the threat of ultras, the State Home Department has requested the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to include both the districts once again in the list.

The MHA has excluded both the tribal zones, which was infested with ultras earlier, however movement of Maoists are being occasionally reported in these neighbouring districts of West Bengal.

Maoists are moving from place to place and their movement is causing worry for the State Government, which has been facing the ultras for quite some years.

Where ever there is pressure on the Maoists, they were sneaking into safer zones, where there is less presence of security forces.

Due to shortage of Central security forces, deployment of CRPF is not there in Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar though both are border zones.

Only 16 battalions of Central security forces are deployed in the LWE affected areas of the State.

With the Government of India excluding six districts of Ganjam, Gajapati, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar from the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) districts, as these districts are seen as Maoist-free zones, the State Government has expressed concern.

While excluding six districts from SRE list, two districts of Boudh and Angul has been included by MHA, officials said. Earlier 19 districts of Odisha were in the list of SRE districts and all security related expenditures were covered by the Government of India, now it has come down to 15.

Now in the changed scenario, all aspects of security spending in Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar are borne by the State Government, informed officials. While Maoist menace is an internal security issue of the country, Union Government funding support is necessary for the purpose, said a Home Department.

Similarly, Kalahandi is one of the worst affected districts by the Maoist and repeatedly the State Government has requested MHA to include this tribal zone as worst affected one.

Now, Malkangiri and Koraput are treated as Worst-affected districts. However, Kalahandi is the corridor for ultras as they are sneaking into Odisha through this district and are scaling up their activities in the tribal zones.

In fact in 2018, Kalahandi has seen a significant surge in Maoist activities and the State Government has brought it to the notice of the MHA, officials say.

More focussed attention is needed in Kalahandi and prioritisation of resource mobilisation is required, admit top cops engaged in anti-Maoist operations in the district.

Looking at the growing menace of the ultras in Kalahandi, the State Government has once again requested the MHA to include Kalahandi as one of the worst-affected districts, said an official.NMDC Ltd, Hyderabad has been conferred with Best Supporting Organization Award in Public Sector by Quality Circle Forum of India (QCFI) at its 32nd National Convention on Quality Concepts held at Gwalior recently, a company press release informed on Friday.

The company had been the main stay of Hyderabad Chapter of Quality Circle Forum of India in taking the QC movement forward, it informed.

NMDC has been supporting Hyderabad Chapter year after year. Considering this, on the recommendation of Hyderabad Chapter, Board of Directors of QCFI had chosen NMDC for the Best Supporting Organization Award in Public Sector

D Sunil Kumar, General Manager (Production), NMDC, Donimalai and GE Reeta Reddy, DGM (HRD), NMDC, Hyderabad received the Award on behalf of NMDC Limited from AK Mittal, President Emeritus, QCFI.The Taliban warned the United States Thursday it would face the same fate as the Soviet Union in the 1980s if it did not leave Afghanistan, as Washington considers slashing troop numbers.

In a taunting message sent on the 39th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of the war-torn country, the Taliban said US forces faced humiliation and could learn a great deal from the experience of their Cold War foe.

The Soviets pulled out of Afghanistan in 1989, ending a decade-long occupation and precipitating a bloody civil war and the emergence of the Taliban.

Take heed from the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan and abandon thoughts of testing the mettle of the already proven Afghans, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement in English, Dari and Pashto.

Mujahid said any future relations between the Taliban and the United States should be based on sound diplomatic and economic principles rather than conflict.

The Taliban have not formally responded to the news that Trump had decided to withdraw roughly half of the 14,000 US troops in Afghanistan.

But a senior commander told AFP that the group was more than happy. The Taliban have long insisted on the withdrawal of foreign troops as a condition for engaging in peace talks.

The White House has so far not confirmed the widely-publicised move

that left foreign

diplomats and Afghan officials in Kabul stunned and dismayed.

It came last week as US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad met with the Taliban in Abu Dhabi, part of efforts to bring the militants to the negotiating table with Kabul.

That was the latest in a series of meetings between US officials and representatives of the Talian that began in the summer.

There are fears Trumps decision could undermine Khalilzads negotiating position, embolden the Taliban, and further erode morale among Afghan forces, which are suffering record losses.Dec 28, 2018 | By Cameron

A research group led by Professor Il-Doo Kim from the Department of Materials Science at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has successfully 3D printed custom-shaped batteries. As electronics continue to shrink, their shapes become more dictated by the shape of their batteries because batteries have not shrunk at the same rate as microprocessors, sensors, and circuit boards. If electronics are to find their way into clothing and other wearables as many have forecasted, batteries will have to better conform to the shapes of the wearable devices to avoid bulkiness.

In a collaborative effort with Professor Jennifer Lewis and her team from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University, various shapes of batteries were 3D printed with an environmentally friendly aqueous Zn-ion charge carrier. The Zn2+ charge carrier is much safer than the traditional Li+ as it doesnt contain the highly flammable organic electrolytes that combust when exposed to oxygen and moisture.

The Zn-ion batteries are stable in normal ambient environments and can be fabricated without the need of a clean room and dangerous solvents. Professor Kim explains, Zn-ion batteries employing aqueous electrolytes have the advantage of fabrication under ambient conditions, so it is easy to fabricate the customized battery packs using 3D printing.

The team 3D printed a ring shape as well as an H- and U-shaped battery, and they have very quick charge rates, reaching 50% capacity in only two minutes. The ring was demonstrated to function as a wearable light sensor by Dr. Youngmin Choi at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT).

3D-printed batteries can be easily applied for niche applications such as wearable, personalized, miniaturized micro-robots, and implantable medical devices or microelectronic storage devices with unique designs, said Professor Lewis. Fabricating custom-shaped batteries is a necessary step in extending the web of the Internet of Things, and 3D printing will surely help facilitate that step.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

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Deutsche Lufthansa AG operates as an aviation company in Germany and internationally. The company's Network Airlines segment offers passenger services through a route network of 273 destinations in 86 countries. Its Eurowings segment provides passenger services through a route network of more than 210 destinations in 60 countries. The company's Logistics Business segment offers transport services for various cargoes, including living animals, valuable cargo, post and dangerous goods, and temperature-sensitive goods serving approximately 300 destinations in 100 countries. Its Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Services (MRO) segment provides maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for civilian commercial aircraft serving original equipment manufacturers and aircraft leasing companies, operators of VIP jets, and airlines, as well as develops and manufactures cabin and digital products. The company's Catering Business segment engages in-flight sales and entertainment, in-flight service equipment, and the associated logistics services, as well as consulting services; and operates airport lounges. As of December 31, 2020, it had a fleet of 757 aircraft. Deutsche Lufthansa AG was founded in 1926 and is headquartered in Cologne, Germany.

Read MoreDirexion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X Shares' stock was trading at $21.41 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, DFEN stock has decreased by 22.8% and is now trading at $16.53.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.Suruga Bank Ltd. engages in banking business and provides financial services. It operates through the following segments: Banking, Guarantee, and Others. The Banking segment provides deposits, loans, domestic and foreign exchange transactions, securities and investment trust, and credit card services. The Guarantee segment handles the guarantee business. The Others segment offers loan, leasing, bank agency operations, credit card, and insurance services through its subsidiaries. The company was founded by Kitaro Okano on January 4, 1887 and is headquartered in Numazu, Japan.

Read MoreiStar, Inc. is a real estate investment trust company, which engages in financing, investing, and development of real estate and related projects. It operates through the following business segments: Real Estate Finance, Net Lease, Operating Properties, Land and Development, and Corporate and Other. The Real Estate Finance segment includes all of the activities of the company related to senior and mezzanine real estate loans and real estate related securities. The Net Lease segment comprises activities of the company and operations related to the ownership of properties generally leased to single corporate tenants. The Operating Properties segment focuses in the activities and operations related to its commercial and residential properties. The Land and Development segment refers to the developable land portfolio of the company. The Corporate and Other segment represents all the corporate level and unallocated items, joint venture, and strategic investments, which are not included in the other reportable segments. The company was founded by Jay Sugarman in 1993 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

Read MoreAt Landsec, we strive to connect communities, realise potential and deliver sustainable places. As one of the largest real estate companies in Europe, our A11.8 billion portfolio spans 24 million sq ft (as at 30 September 2020) of well-connected retail, leisure, workspace and residential hubs. From the iconic Piccadilly Lights in the West End and the regeneration of London's Victoria, to the creation of retail destinations at Westgate Oxford and Trinity Leeds, we own and manage some of the most successful and memorable real estate in the UK. We aim to lead our industry in critical long-term issues A- from diversity and community employment, to carbon reduction and climate resilience. We deliver value for our shareholders, great experiences for our customers and positive change for our communities.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of Cummins: Anvl, Apollo FC Holdings Ltd., Atlantis Acquisitionco Canada Corporation, Atlantis Holdco UK Limited, Brammo, CIFC Worldwide Partner C.V., CMI Africa Holdings BV, CMI CGT Holdings LLC, CMI Canada Financing Ltd., CMI Canada LP, CMI Foreign Holdings B.V., CMI Global Equity Holdings B.V., CMI Global Equity Holdings C.V., CMI Global Holdings B.V., CMI Global Partner 2 C.V., CMI Global Partners B.V., CMI Group Holdings B.V., CMI Group Holdings Cooperatief U.A., CMI International Finance Partner 1 LLC, CMI International Finance Partner 2 LLC, CMI International Finance Partner 3 LLC, CMI International Finance Partner 4 LLC, CMI International Finance Partner 5 LLC, CMI Mexico LLC, CMI Netherlands Holdings B.V., CMI PGI Holdings LLC, CMI PGI International Holdings LLC, CMI Turkish Holdings B.V., CMI UK Finance LP, CMI UK Financing LP, Cherry Island Renewable Energy LLC, Consolidated Diesel Company, Consolidated Diesel Inc., Consolidated Diesel of North Carolina Inc., Cummins (China) Investment Co. Ltd., Cummins (Xiangyang) Machining Co. Ltd., Cummins Africa Middle East (Pty) Ltd., Cummins Afrique de l'Ouest, Cummins Americas Inc., Cummins Angola Lda., Cummins Argentina-Servicios Mineros S.A., Cummins Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Cummins Aust Technologies Pty. Ltd., Cummins BLR LLC, Cummins Battery Systems North America LLC, Cummins Belgium N.V., Cummins Botswana (Pty.) Ltd., Cummins Brasil Ltda., Cummins Burkina Faso SARL, Cummins CDC Holding Inc., Cummins CV Member LLC, Cummins Canada ULC, Cummins Caribbean LLC, Cummins Center of Excellence Singapore Pte. Ltd., Cummins Centroamerica Holding S.de R.L., Cummins Child Development Center Inc., Cummins Colombia S.A.S., Cummins Comercializadora S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Corporation, Cummins Cote d'Ivoire SARL, Cummins Czech Republic s.r.o., Cummins Deutschland GmbH, Cummins Diesel International Ltd., Cummins Distribution Holdco Inc., Cummins EMEA Holdings Limited, Cummins East Asia Research & Development Co. Ltd., Cummins Eastern Marine Inc., Cummins Electrified Power Europe Ltd., Cummins Electrified Power NA Inc., Cummins Emission Solutions (China) Co. Ltd., Cummins Emission Solutions Inc., Cummins Empresas Filantropicas, Cummins Energetica Ltda., Cummins Engine (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Cummins Engine (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Cummins Engine (Shanghai) Trading & Services Co. Ltd., Cummins Engine Holding Company Inc., Cummins Engine IP Inc., Cummins Engine Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Cummins Engine Venture Corporation, Cummins Enterprise LLC, Cummins Filtration (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Cummins Filtration GmbH, Cummins Filtration IP Inc., Cummins Filtration Inc., Cummins Filtration International Corp., Cummins Filtration Ltd., Cummins Filtration SARL, Cummins Filtration Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Cummins Filtros Ltda., Cummins Franchise Holdco LLC, Cummins Fuel Systems (Wuhan) Co. Ltd., Cummins Generator Technologies (China) Co. Ltd., Cummins Generator Technologies Americas Inc., Cummins Generator Technologies Germany GmbH, Cummins Generator Technologies India Private Ltd., Cummins Generator Technologies Italy SRL, Cummins Generator Technologies Limited, Cummins Generator Technologies Romania S.A., Cummins Generator Technologies Singapore Pte Ltd., Cummins Ghana Limited, Cummins Ghana Mining Limited, Cummins Global Financing LP, Cummins Global Technologies LLP, Cummins Grupo Comercial Y. de Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Grupo Industrial S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Holland B.V., Cummins Hong Kong Ltd., Cummins India Ltd., Cummins Intellectual Property Inc., Cummins International Finance LLC, Cummins International Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Cummins International Holdings LLC, Cummins Italia S.P.A., Cummins Japan Ltd., Cummins Korea Co. Ltd., Cummins LLC Member Inc., Cummins Ltd., Cummins Maroc SARL, Cummins Middle East FZE, Cummins Mining Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Mobility Services Inc., Cummins Mongolia Investment LLC, Cummins Mozambique Ltda., Cummins NV, Cummins Namibia Engine Sales and Service PTY LTD, Cummins Natural Gas Engines Inc., Cummins New Zealand Limited, Cummins Nigeria Ltd., Cummins Norte de Colombia S.A.S., Cummins North Africa Regional Office SARL, Cummins Norway AS, Cummins PGI Holdings Ltd., Cummins Power Generation (China) Co. Ltd., Cummins Power Generation (S) Pte. Ltd., Cummins Power Generation (U.K.) Limited, Cummins Power Generation Deutschland GmbH, Cummins Power Generation Inc., Cummins Power Generation Limited, Cummins PowerGen IP Inc., Cummins Research and Technology India Private Ltd., Cummins Romania Srl, Cummins S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Sales and Service Korea Co. Ltd., Cummins Sales and Service Philippines Inc., Cummins Sales and Service Private Limited, Cummins Sales and Service Sdn. Bhd., Cummins Sales and Service Singapore Pte. Ltd., Cummins Sinai ve Otomotiv Urunleri Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Cummins South Africa (Pty.) Ltd., Cummins South Pacific Pty. Limited, Cummins Southern Plains LLC, Cummins Spain S.L., Cummins Sweden AB, Cummins Technologies India, Cummins Trade Receivables LLC, Cummins Turbo Technologies Limited, Cummins Turkey Motor Guc Sistemleri Sats Servis Limited Sirketi, Cummins U.K. Holdings Ltd., Cummins U.K. Pension Plan Trustee Ltd., Cummins UK Global Holdings Ltd., Cummins UK Holdings LLC, Cummins Vendas e Servicos de Motores e Geradores Ltda., Cummins Venture Corporation, Cummins West Africa Limited, Cummins West Balkans d.o.o. Nova Pasova, Cummins XBorder Operations (Pty) Ltd, Cummins Zambia Ltd., Cummins Zimbabwe Pvt. Ltd., Distribuidora Cummins Centroamerica Costa Rica S.de R.L., Distribuidora Cummins Centroamerica El Salvador S.de R.L., Distribuidora Cummins Centroamerica Guatemala Ltda., Distribuidora Cummins Centroamerica Honduras S.de R.L., Distribuidora Cummins S.A., Distribuidora Cummins Sucursal Paraguay SRL, Distribuidora Cummins de Panama S. de R.L., Dynamo Insurance Company Inc., Efficient Drivetrains, Efficient Drivetrains (Beijing) New Power Technology Co. Ltd., Efficient Drivetrains (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Hilite International, Hydrogenics, Hydrogenics Corporation, Hydrogenics Europe N.V., Hydrogenics GmbH, Hydrogenics Holding GmbH, Hydrogenics USA Inc., Markon Engineering Company Ltd., Nelson Burgess Ltd., Nelson Industries, Newage Engineers GmbH, Newage Ltd. (U.K.), Newage Machine Tools Ltd., OOO Cummins, Petbow Limited, Power Group International (Overseas Holdings) B.V., Power Group International (Overseas Holdings) Ltd., Power Group International Ltd., Quickstart Energy Projects SpA, Shanghai Cummins Trade Co. Ltd., TOO Cummins, Taiwan Cummins Sales & Services Co. Ltd., Worldwide Partner CV Member LLC, Wuxi Cummins Turbo Technologies Co. Ltd., Wuxi New Energy Automotive Technologies Co. Ltd., and ZED Connect Inc..Sanchez Energy Corporation, an independent exploration and production company, focuses on the acquisition and development of U.S. onshore unconventional oil and natural gas resources. It engages in the horizontal development of resources from the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas. It also holds an undeveloped acreage position in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) in Mississippi and Louisiana. As of December 31, 2017, the company had assembled approximately 285,000 net acres in the Eagle Ford Shale; and owned approximately 37,000 net acres in the TMS. Sanchez Energy Corporation was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Read MoreTransAtlantic Petroleum Ltd., an oil and natural gas company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas properties in Turkey and Bulgaria. As of December 31, 2019, it had interests in 4 onshore exploration licenses and 20 onshore production leases covering an area of 436,388 net acres with a total net proved reserves of 10,259 thousand barrels of oil and 2,466 million cubic feet of natural gas located in Turkey, as well as a production concession covering an area of approximately 162,800 net undeveloped acres located in Bulgaria. The company was incorporated in 1985 and is based in Addison, Texas.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of Johnson & Johnson: 3Dintegrated ApS, ALZA Corporation, AMO (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AMO (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd., AMO ASIA LIMITED, AMO Australia Pty Limited, AMO Canada Company, AMO Denmark ApS, AMO Development LLC, AMO France, AMO Germany GmbH, AMO Groningen B.V., AMO International Holdings, AMO Ireland, AMO Ireland Finance Unlimited Company, AMO Italy SRL, AMO Japan K.K., AMO Manufacturing Spain S.L., AMO Manufacturing USA LLC, AMO Netherlands BV, AMO Nominee Holdings LLC, AMO Norway AS, AMO Puerto Rico Manufacturing Inc., AMO Sales and Service Inc., AMO Singapore Pte. Ltd., AMO Spain Holdings LLC, AMO Switzerland GmbH, AMO U.K. Holdings LLC, AMO US Holdings Inc., AMO USA LLC, AMO USA Sales Holdings Inc., AMO United Kingdom Ltd., AMO Uppsala AB, APSIS, AUB Holdings LLC, Abott Medical Optics, Acclarent Inc., Actelion Ltd, Actelion Manufacturing GmbH, Actelion Pharmaceuticals, Actelion Pharmaceuticals Australia Pty. Limited, Actelion Pharmaceuticals Korea Ltd., Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Actelion Pharmaceuticals Mexico S.A. De C.V., Actelion Pharmaceuticals Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Actelion Pharmaceuticals UK Limited, Actelion Pharmaceuticals US Inc., Actelion Registration Limited, Actelion Treasury Unlimited Company, Akros Medical Inc., Albany Street LLC, Alios BioPharma, Alza Land Management Inc., Animas Diabetes Care LLC, Animas LLC, Animas Technologies LLC, AorTx Inc., Aragon Pharmaceuticals, Aragon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Asia Pacific Holdings LLC, Atrionix Inc., Auris Health, Auris Health Inc., Backsvalan 2 Aktiebolag, Backsvalan 6 Handelsbolag, Beijing Dabao Cosmetics Co. Ltd., BeneVir BioPharm Inc., Berna Rhein B.V., BioMedical Enterprises Inc., Biosense Webster (Israel) Ltd., Biosense Webster Inc., C Consumer Products Denmark ApS, CNA Development GmbH, CSATS Inc., Calibra Medical LLC, Campus-Foyer Apotheke GmbH, Carlo Erba OTC S.r.l., Centocor Biologics LLC, Centocor Research & Development Inc., ChromaGenics B.V., Ci:Labo Customer Marketing Co. Ltd., Ci:z Holdings, Ci:z. Labo Co. Ltd., Cilag AG, Cilag GmbH International, Cilag Holding AG, Cilag Holding Treasury Unlimited Company, Cilag-Biotech S.L., CoTherix Inc., Codman & Shurtleff Inc., Coherex Medical Inc., ColBar LifeScience Ltd., Company Store.com Inc., Conor MedSystems, Cordis International Corporation, Cordis de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Corimmun GmbH, DR. CI:LABO COMPANY LIMITED, Darlain Trading S.A., DePuy France, DePuy Hellas SA, DePuy International Limited, DePuy Ireland Unlimited Company, DePuy Mexico S.A. de C.V., DePuy Mitek LLC, DePuy Orthopaedics Inc., DePuy Products Inc., DePuy Spine LLC, DePuy Synthes Gorgan Limited, DePuy Synthes Inc., DePuy Synthes Institute LLC, DePuy Synthes Leto SARL, DePuy Synthes Products Inc., DePuy Synthes Sales Inc., Debs-Vogue Corporation (Proprietary) Limited, Dr. Ci:Labo Co. Ltd., Dutch Holding LLC, ECL7 LLC, EES Holdings de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., EES S.A. de C.V., EIT Emerging Implant Technologies GmbH, Ethicon Biosurgery Ireland, Ethicon Endo-Surgery (Europe) GmbH, Ethicon Endo-Surgery Inc., Ethicon Endo-Surgery LLC, Ethicon Holding Sarl, Ethicon Inc., Ethicon Ireland Unlimited Company, Ethicon LLC, Ethicon PR Holdings Unlimited Company, Ethicon Sarl, Ethicon US LLC, Ethicon Women's Health & Urology Sarl, Ethnor (Proprietary) Limited, Ethnor Farmaceutica S.A., Ethnor Guatemala Sociedad Anomina, Ethnor del Istmo S.A., FMS Future Medical System SA, Finsbury (Development) Limited, Finsbury (Instruments) Limited, Finsbury Medical Limited, Finsbury Orthopaedics International Limited, Finsbury Orthopaedics Limited, GH Biotech Holdings Limited, GMED Healthcare BV, Global Investment Participation B.V., Guangzhou Bioseal Biotech Co. Ltd., Hansen Medical Deutschland GmbH, Hansen Medical Inc., Hansen Medical International Inc., Hansen Medical UK Limited, Healthcare Services (Shanghai) Ltd., I.D. Acquisition Corp., Innomedic Gesellschaft fur innovative Medizintechnik und Informatik mbH, Innovalens B.V., Innovative Surgical Solutions LLC, J & J Company West Africa Limited, J&J Pension Trustees Limited, J-C Health Care Ltd., J.C. General Services BV, JJ Surgical Vision Spain S.L., JJC Acquisition Company B.V., JJHC LLC, JJSV Belgium BV, JJSV Manufacturing Malaysia SDN. BHD., JJSV Norden AB, JJSV Produtos Oticos Ltda., JNJ Global Business Services s.r.o., JNJ Holding EMEA B.V., JNJ International Investment LLC, JNJ Irish Investments ULC, JOM Pharmaceutical Services Inc., Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy (Holding) Limited, Janssen BioPharma Inc., Janssen Biologics (Ireland) Limited, Janssen Biologics B.V., Janssen Biotech Inc., Janssen Cilag C.A., Janssen Cilag Farmaceutica S.A., Janssen Cilag S.p.A., Janssen Cilag SPA, Janssen Development Finance Unlimited Company, Janssen Diagnostics LLC, Janssen Egypt LLC, Janssen Farmaceutica Portugal Lda, Janssen Global Services LLC, Janssen Group Holdings Limited, Janssen Holding GmbH, Janssen Inc., Janssen Irish Finance Company UC, Janssen Korea Ltd., Janssen Oncology Inc., Janssen Ortho LLC, Janssen Pharmaceutica (Proprietary) Limited, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Janssen Pharmaceutica S.A., Janssen Pharmaceutical, Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K., Janssen Pharmaceutical Sciences Unlimited Company, Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., Janssen Products LP, Janssen R&D Ireland, Janssen Research & Development LLC, Janssen Sciences Ireland Unlimited Company, Janssen Scientific Affairs LLC, Janssen Supply Group LLC, Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V., Janssen Vaccines Corp., Janssen de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Janssen-Cilag, Janssen-Cilag (New Zealand) Limited, Janssen-Cilag A/S, Janssen-Cilag AG, Janssen-Cilag AS, Janssen-Cilag Aktiebolag, Janssen-Cilag B.V., Janssen-Cilag Farmaceutica Lda., Janssen-Cilag Farmaceutica Ltda., Janssen-Cilag GmbH, Janssen-Cilag International NV, Janssen-Cilag Kft., Janssen-Cilag Limited, Janssen-Cilag Manufacturing LLC, Janssen-Cilag NV, Janssen-Cilag OY, Janssen-Cilag Pharma GmbH, Janssen-Cilag Pharmaceutical S.A.C.I., Janssen-Cilag Polska Sp. z o.o., Janssen-Cilag Pty Ltd, Janssen-Cilag S.A., Janssen-Cilag S.A., Janssen-Cilag S.A. de C.V., Janssen-Cilag de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Janssen-Cilag s.r.o., Janssen-Pharma S.L., Jevco Holding Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Johnson & Johnson (Angola) Limitada, Johnson & Johnson (China) Investment Ltd., Johnson & Johnson (Egypt) S.A.E., Johnson & Johnson (Hong Kong) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Ireland) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Jamaica) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Kenya) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc., Johnson & Johnson (Mozambique) Limitada, Johnson & Johnson (Namibia) (Proprietary) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (New Zealand) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Philippines) Inc., Johnson & Johnson (Private) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Thailand) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson (Trinidad) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Vietnam) Co. Ltd, Johnson & Johnson - Societa' Per Azioni, Johnson & Johnson AB, Johnson & Johnson AG, Johnson & Johnson Belgium Finance Company BV, Johnson & Johnson Bulgaria EOOD, Johnson & Johnson China Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Consumer (Hong Kong) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer (Thailand) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer B.V., Johnson & Johnson Consumer Holdings France, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., Johnson & Johnson Consumer NV, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Saudi Arabia Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Services EAME Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Del Paraguay S.A., Johnson & Johnson Dominicana S.A.S., Johnson & Johnson Enterprise Innovation Inc., Johnson & Johnson European Treasury Company, Johnson & Johnson Finance Corporation, Johnson & Johnson Finance Limited, Johnson & Johnson Financial Services GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Foundation Scotland (NON-PROFIT), Johnson & Johnson Gateway LLC, Johnson & Johnson Gesellschaft m.b.H., Johnson & Johnson GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Guatemala S.A., Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems Inc., Johnson & Johnson Health and Wellness Solutions Inc., Johnson & Johnson Hellas Commercial and Industrial S.A., Johnson & Johnson Hellas Consumer Products Commercial Societe Anonyme, Johnson & Johnson Hemisferica S.A., Johnson & Johnson Holding GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Holdings K.K., Johnson & Johnson Inc., Johnson & Johnson Industrial Ltda., Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JJDC Inc., Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC, Johnson & Johnson Innovation Limited, Johnson & Johnson International, Johnson & Johnson International (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Johnson & Johnson International Financial Services Company, Johnson & Johnson Japan Inc., Johnson & Johnson K.K., Johnson & Johnson Kft., Johnson & Johnson Korea Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Korea Selling & Distribution LLC, Johnson & Johnson LLC, Johnson & Johnson Limitada, Johnson & Johnson Limited, Johnson & Johnson Luxembourg Finance Company Sarl, Johnson & Johnson Management Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical (China) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical (Proprietary) Ltd, Johnson & Johnson Medical (Shanghai) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical (Suzhou) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical B.V., Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices & Diagnostics Group - Latin America L.L.C., Johnson & Johnson Medical GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Medical Korea Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical Mexico S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson Medical NV, Johnson & Johnson Medical Products GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Medical Pty Ltd, Johnson & Johnson Medical S.A., Johnson & Johnson Medical S.C.S., Johnson & Johnson Medical S.p.A., Johnson & Johnson Medical SAS, Johnson & Johnson Medical Saudi Arabia Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical Servicios Profesionales S. de R.L. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson Medical Taiwan Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medikal Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC, Johnson & Johnson Morocco Societe Anonyme, Johnson & Johnson Nordic AB, Johnson & Johnson Pacific Pty Limited, Johnson & Johnson Pakistan (Private) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Panama S.A., Johnson & Johnson Personal Care (Chile) S.A., Johnson & Johnson Poland Sp. z o.o., Johnson & Johnson Private Limited, Johnson & Johnson Pte. Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Pty. Limited, Johnson & Johnson Research Pty Ltd, Johnson & Johnson Romania S.R.L., Johnson & Johnson S.A., Johnson & Johnson S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson S.E. Inc., Johnson & Johnson S.E. d.o.o., Johnson & Johnson SDN. BHD., Johnson & Johnson Sante Beaute France, Johnson & Johnson Services Inc., Johnson & Johnson Servicios Corporativos S. de R.L. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision Inc., Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision India Private Limited, Johnson & Johnson Taiwan Ltd., Johnson & Johnson UK Treasury Company Limited, Johnson & Johnson Ukraine LLC, Johnson & Johnson Urban Renewal Associates, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care (Shanghai) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc., Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Ireland Unlimited Company, Johnson & Johnson d.o.o., Johnson & Johnson de Argentina S.A.C. e. I., Johnson & Johnson de Chile Limitada, Johnson & Johnson de Chile S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Colombia S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Costa Rica S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson de Uruguay S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Venezuela S.A., Johnson & Johnson del Ecuador S.A., Johnson & Johnson del Peru S.A., Johnson & Johnson do Brasil Industria E Comercio de Produtos Para Saude Ltda., Johnson & Johnson for Export and Import LLC, Johnson & Johnson s.r.o., Johnson and Johnson (Proprietary) Limited, Johnson and Johnson Sihhi Malzeme Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, La Concha Land Investment Corporation, Latam International Investment Company Unlimited Company, LifeScan, MDS Co. Ltd., McNEIL MMP LLC, McNeil AB, McNeil Consumer Pharmaceuticals Co., McNeil Denmark ApS, McNeil Healthcare (Ireland) Limited, McNeil Healthcare (UK) Limited, McNeil Healthcare LLC, McNeil Iberica S.L.U., McNeil LA LLC, McNeil Nutritionals LLC, McNeil Panama LLC, McNeil Products Limited, McNeil Sweden AB, Medical Device Business Services Inc., Medical Devices & Diagnostics Global Services LLC, Medical Devices International LLC, Medical Industrial do Brasil Ltda., Medos International Sarl, Medos Sarl, MegaDyne Medical Products Inc., Menlo Care De Mexico S.A. de C.V., Mentor B.V., Mentor Deutschland GmbH, Mentor Medical Systems B.V., Mentor Partnership Holding Company I LLC, Mentor Texas GP LLC, Mentor Texas L.P., Mentor Worldwide LLC, Micrus Endovascular LLC, Middlesex Assurance Company Limited, Momenta Ireland Limited, Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc., NeoStrata Company Inc., NeoStrata Company Inc., NeoStrata UG (haftungsbeschrankt), Netherlands Holding Company, NeuWave Medical Inc., Neuravi Inc., Neuravi Limited, Novira Therapeutics, Novira Therapeutics LLC, NuVera Medical Inc., OBTECH Medical Sarl, OGX Beauty AU Pty Ltd, OGX Beauty Limited, OMJ Holding GmbH, OMJ Ireland Unlimited Company, OMJ Pharmaceuticals Inc., Obtech Medical Mexico S.A. de C.V., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals Inc., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals Ltd., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals NV, Ortho Biologics LLC, Ortho Biotech Holding LLC, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical LLC, Orthotaxy, Orthotaxy, PMC Holdings G.K., PT Integrated Healthcare Indonesia, PT. Johnson & Johnson Indonesia, Patriot Pharmaceuticals LLC, Peninsula Pharmaceuticals LLC, Penta Pty. Limited, Percivia LLC, Perouse Plastie, Pharmadirect Ltd., Pharmedica Laboratories (Proprietary) Limited, Princeton Laboratories Inc., Productos de Cuidado Personal y de La Salud de Bolivia S.R.L., Proleader S.A., Pulsar Vascular Inc., Regency Urban Renewal Associates, RespiVert Ltd., RoC International, Rutan Realty LLC, SYNTHES Medical Immobilien GmbH, Scios LLC, Sedona Enterprise Co. Ltd., Sedona Singapore International Pte. Ltd., Sedona Thai International Co. Ltd., Serhum S.A. de C.V., Shanghai Elsker For Mother & Baby Co. Ltd, Shanghai Johnson & Johnson Ltd., Shanghai Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Sightbox LLC, Sodiac ESV, Spectrum Vision Limited Liability Company, Spectrum Vision Limited Liability Partnership, Spine Solutions GmbH, SterilMed, SterilMed Inc., Surgical Process Institute Deutschland GmbH, Synthes Costa Rica S.C.R. Limitada, Synthes GmbH, Synthes Holding AG, Synthes Holding Limited, Synthes Inc., Synthes Medical Surgical Equipment & Instruments Trading LLC, Synthes Produktions GmbH, Synthes Proprietary Limited, Synthes S.M.P. S. de R.L. de C.V., Synthes Tuttlingen GmbH, Synthes USA LLC, Synthes USA Products LLC, TARIS Biomedical, TARIS Biomedical LLC, TearScience Inc., The Anspach Effort LLC, The Vision Care Institute LLC, Tibotec LLC, Torax Medical Inc., TriStrata Incorporated, UAB "Johnson & Johnson", Vania Expansion, Verb Surgical, Verb Surgical Inc., Vision Care Finance Unlimited Company, Vogue International, Vogue International LLC, Vogue International Trading Inc., WH4110 Development Company L.L.C., XO1, XO1 Limited, Xian Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd., Zarbee's Inc., and Zarbee's Naturals.Cenovus Energy Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops, produces, and markets crude oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas in Canada, the United States and the Asia Pacific region. The company operates through Oil Sands, Conventional, and Refining and Marketing segments. The Oil Sands segment develops and produces bitumen in northeast Alberta. Its bitumen assets include Foster Creek, Christina Lake, and Narrows Lake, as well as other projects in the early stages of development. The Conventional segment holds assets primarily located in Elmworth-Wapiti, Kaybob-Edson, and Clearwater operating areas of British Columbia and Alberta, as well as various interests in natural gas processing facilities. The Refining and Marketing segment transports and sells crude oil, natural gas, and NGLs. This segment owns a 50% ownership in Wood River and Borger refineries located in the United States; and owns and operates a crude-by-rail terminal in Alberta. Cenovus Energy Inc. was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

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If you opened up your refrigerator or pantry right now, would you be able to identify where everything inside of them originated? If youre like many people, theres a good chance the answer to this question is no  and you could end up paying a very steep price for this ignorance.

Unfortunately, a lot of food sold throughout the world comes from China, where the standards leave a lot to be desired. In fact, the founder of a company called Inscatech that uncovers fraud and malpractice in the food industry, Mitchell Weinberg, said that while they uncover this type of fraud around 70 percent of the time overall, its close to 100 percent in China. Do you really want to eat anything that comes from the same country where baby formula was laced with melamine and rat meat was sold as lamb?

Here is a look at some of the foods that you should be particularly wary of if they come from China.

Fish

Water pollution is out of control in China, so it only makes sense to avoid consuming anything that once swam in its dirty waters. More than half of the tilapia and cod that are sold in the U.S. were grown on a Chinese fish farm, so its not uncommon to find heavy metals like lead or mercury in this fish.

Rice

The Chinese people have a reputation for loving their rice, and because so much of it is grown there, it isnt surprising that a lot of the rice sold in North America comes from the country. Thats unfortunate because China has been exporting whats known as a plastic rice that is little more than a mix of resin and potato.

Garlic

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You might have heard about the health benefits of garlic, but if your garlic comes from China, it might have the opposite effect on your health as Chinese garlic has been found to be laced with methyl bromide and other pesticides. With as much as a third of the garlic sold in the U.S. originating there, you need to be vigilant to avoid this potential danger.

Apple juice

It may sound oddly specific, but Chinese apple juice was singled out by the Alternative Daily for several reasons. First, theres the fact that the government had restricted the import of apples from China for a time, a serious step that indicates major problems. A few years ago, health officials discovered that apple juice imported from China contained antifreeze. That might no longer be a problem, but any apple that was grown in toxin-laced Chinese soil is an apple that you definitely want to avoid.

Green peas

Rice isnt the only food that scammers are trying to fake in China. Counterfeit green peas have been found there that are made using sodium metabisulfite, soy, a green dye, and small amounts of real green peas.

Mushrooms

If you thought fake peas and rice sounded bad, you will definitely be turned off when you learn that Chinese mushrooms have prompted safety concerns around the world. The farmers there have been known to add formaldehyde and sulfur dioxide to make them appear fresher. Read labels carefully; a third of the processed mushrooms that are consumed in America originate in China.

Chinese food regulations are notoriously lax, and widespread government corruption means that the few regulations they do have are rarely upheld. When you buy food from China, you are taking a gamble on your health and possibly your life  is that worth saving a few bucks? This is why many experts recommend you buy locally, where you can be more confident in the processes and sources used.Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc. operates as an independent specialty pharmacy in the United States. The company operates through Specialty and PBM (pharmacy benefit management) segment. It provides specialty infusion pharmacy, patient care coordination, clinical, compliance and persistency program, patient financial assistance, specialty pharmacy training, benefits investigation, prior authorization, risk evaluation and medication strategy, retail specialty, and hub services, as well as clinical and administrative support services to hospitals and health systems. The company primarily focuses on medication management programs for individuals with complex chronic diseases, including oncology, immunology, hepatitis, multiple sclerosis, specialized infusion therapy, and various other serious or long-term conditions. It also offers PBM services, including electronic point-of-sale pharmacy claims management, retail pharmacy network management, mail pharmacy claims management, specialty pharmacy claims management, Medicare Part D services, benefit design consultation, drug review and analysis, consulting services, data access, and reporting, information analysis, and preferred drug management programs to managed care organizations, self-insured employer groups, unions, and third-party healthcare plan administrators and worker's compensation payers. The company was founded in 1975 and is headquartered in Flint, Michigan.

Read MoreGenesee & Wyoming Inc. owns and leases freight railroads. It operates through three segments: North American Operations, Australian Operations, and U.K./European Operations. The company transports various commodities, including agricultural products, autos and auto parts, chemicals and plastics, coal and coke, food and kindred products, lumber and forest products, metallic ores, metals, minerals and stone, petroleum products, pulp and paper, waste, and other commodities. It owns or leases 122 freight railroads, including 105 short line railroads and 2 regional freight railroads located in the United States, 8 short line railroads located in Canada, 3 railroads located in Australia, 1 railroad located in the United Kingdom, 1 railroad in Poland and Germany, and 2 railroads in the Netherlands with a total of approximately 16,200 miles of track. The company also operates 6,200 additional miles of track that is owned or leased by others. In addition, it operates deep sea maritime containers and provides bulk haulage, including coal, aggregates, cement, and infrastructure services. Further, the company provides rail service at approximately 40 ports; rail-ferry service in North America, Australia, and Europe; and contract coal loading and railcar switching for industrial customers. Genesee & Wyoming Inc. was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Darien, Connecticut.

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A few months ago, Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg weaved through a series of U.S. Congress meetings when defending his company of data-mining misdeeds. But he is back in mainstream media after reports emerged that the company committed greater crimes by mishandling private user data.

Documents from a California lawsuit -- that are in the possession of lawmakers in the United Kingdom point to the unrelenting fact that Facebook overlooked and disregarded the spirit of the law, and that such activities contributed to its success.

Internal documents reveal that Facebook used Onavo to furtively observe activities by its major business rivals such as Snapchat and WhatsApp -- both of which were, at the time, Facebooks acquisitions targets. Onavo is a virtual private network company that was later on acquired by Facebook

U.K. lawmakers, after intensively scrutinising the documents, found out that Facebook had secretive whitelisting agreements with different companies. In the agreement, those companies were accorded preferential access vast amounts of user data.

According to Bloomberg, Facebook Inc. wielded user data like a bargaining chip, providing access when that sharing might encourage people to spend more time on the social network -- and imposing strict limits on partners in cases where it saw a potential competitive threat, emails show.

Except with the approval of Zuckerberg, some competitors were not authorised to use Facebooks data and tools.

Preferential Access and Restriction to Facebook Data

Reporting for Bloomberg, Nate Lanxon and Sarah Frier wrote, In early 2013, Twitter Inc. launched the Vine video-sharing service, which drew on a Facebook tool that let Vine users connect to their Facebook friends. Alerted to the possible competitive threat by an engineer who recommended cutting off Vines access to Facebook data, Zuckerberg replied succinctly: Yup, go for it.

Zuckerberg embraced the idea of sharing user data with third-party developers but only if it would help people stick to sharing their stories on Facebook. And in doing so, increasing Facebooks value.

According to Natural News, Facebook had also facilitated the propagation of a data-mining app developed by a company known as Six4Three that pored through peoples Facebook profiles and pulled out all photos of girls in bikinis.

Unconsented Secret Global Surveys

An article published by Natural News reported that a Facebook user, McKay was shocked to learn that Facebook had stored about two years worth of phone call metadata, or basic incoming and outgoing call information, from his Android phone  including names, phone numbers, and length of calls made.

Facebook conducted Global Surveys that tracked users habits and data such as calls and message without the users consent or knowledge.

According to Natural News,a Facebook engineer who admitted that Facebooks Android app contained the ability to continually upload a users call and SMS (text message) history, which of course wasnt publicly revealed.

Although the said engineer warned that from a PR perspective, it would be a risky affair, Facebook stuck to their illegal acts.CGI Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides information technology (IT) and business process services in Canada, Northern Europe, France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. Its services include the management of IT and business outsourcing, systems integration and consulting, and software solutions selling activities. The company also offers application development, management, testing, portfolio management, and modernization services; business consulting, including agile, business transformation, change management, CIO advisory, cybersecurity, data analytics, digital enterprise, project management, and industry-specific services; and a suite of business process services designed to address the needs of specific industries, as well as IT infrastructure consulting, solutions, and services. It serves clients operating in government, financial services, health, utility, communication, oil and gas, manufacturing, retail and consumer service, transportation, and post and logistics sectors. The company was formerly known as CGI Group Inc. and changed its name to CGI Inc. in January 2019. CGI Inc. was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of TransDigm Group: 1711 Waterview Pkwy LLC, ARA Deutschland GmbH, ARA Holding GmbH, Acme Aerospace, Adams Rite Aerospace GmbH, Adams Rite Aerospace Inc., Advanced Inflatable Products Limited, Aero-Instruments, AeroControlex Group Inc., Aerosonic, Aerosonic LLC, Air-Sea Survival Equipment Trustee Limited, Airborne Acquisition Inc., Airborne Global Inc., Airborne Holdings Inc., Airborne Systems, Airborne Systems Canada Ltd., Airborne Systems Group Limited, Airborne Systems Holdings Limited, Airborne Systems Limited, Airborne Systems NA Inc., Airborne Systems North America Inc., Airborne Systems North America of CA Inc., Airborne Systems North America of NJ Inc., Airborne Systems Pension Trust Limited, Airborne UK Acquisition Limited, Airborne UK Parent Limited, Aircraft Materials Limited, AmSafe, AmSafe Aviation (Chongqing) Ltd., AmSafe Bridport (Kunshan) Co. Ltd., AmSafe Bridport (Private) Ltd., AmSafe Bridport Ltd., AmSafe Global Holdings Inc., AmSafe Global Services (Private) Limited, AmSafe Inc., Angus Electronics Co., Arkwin Industries, Arkwin Industries Inc., Auxitrol SAS, Auxitrol Weston Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Auxitrol Weston Singapore Pte. Ltd., Auxitrol Weston USA Inc., Aviation Technologies, Aviation Technologies Inc., Avionic Instruments LLC, Avionics Instruments, Avionics Specialties Inc., AvtechTyee Inc., Beta Transformer Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Beta Transformer Technology Corporation, Beta Transformer Technology LLC, Breeze-Eastern Corporation, Breeze-Eastern LLC, Bridport Erie Aviation Inc., Bridport Holdings Inc., Bridport Ltd., Bridport-Air Carrier Inc., Bruce Aerospace Inc., Bruce Industries, CDA InterCorp LLC, CEF Industries LLC, CMC Electronics Inc., CMC Electronics ME Inc., Champion Aerospace LLC, Cobham, DDC Electronics K.K., DDC Electronics Ltd., DDC Electronics Private Limited, DDC Electronique S.A.R.L., DDC Elektronik GmbH, Darchem Engineering Limited, Darchem Holdings Limited, Data Device Corp., Data Device Corporation, Dukes Aerospace Inc., EST Defence Company UK Limited, Edlaw Limited, Electromech Technologies LLC, Elektro-Metall Export GmbH, Elektro-Metall Paks KFT, Esterline, Esterline Acquisition Ltd, Esterline Europe Company LLC, Esterline Foreign Sales Corporation, Esterline International Company, Esterline Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Esterline Services China Ltd., Esterline Technologies Acquisition Ltd, Esterline Technologies Corporation, Esterline Technologies Europe Limited, Esterline Technologies France Holding SAS, Esterline Technologies French Acquisition Limited, Esterline Technologies Global Limited, Esterline Technologies Holdings Limited, Esterline Technologies Management France SAS, Esterline Technologies SGIP LLC, Esterline Technologies Unlimited, Esterline do Brasil Assessoria e Intermediacao Ltda, Extant Components Group Holdings Inc., Extant Components Group Intermediate Inc., GQ Parachutes Limited, Guizhou Leach-Tianyi Aviation Electrical Company Ltd, Harco, HarcoSemco LLC, Hartwell Corporation, ILC Holdings Inc., Irvin Aerospace Limited, IrvinGQ France SAS, IrvinGQ Limited, Janco Corporation, Johnson Liverpool LLC, Jupiter SAS, Kirkhill Elastomers, Kirkhill Inc., Kunshan Shield Restraint Systems Ltd., Leach Holding Corporation, Leach International Asia-Pacific Ltd, Leach International Europe S.A.S., Leach International Mexico S. de R. L. de C. V., Leach International UK Ltd, Leach Technology Group Inc., MarathonNorco Aerospace Inc., McKechnie Aerospace, McKechnie Aerospace (Europe) Ltd., McKechnie Aerospace DE Inc., McKechnie Aerospace DE LP, McKechnie Aerospace Holdings Inc., McKechnie Aerospace US LLC, Mecanismos de Matamoros S.A. de C.V., Militair Aviation Ltd., Norco, Nordisk Asia Pacific Limited, Nordisk Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Nordisk Aviation Products (Kunshan) Ltd., Nordisk Aviation Products AS, North Hills Signal Processing Corp., North Hills Signal Processing Overseas Corp., Norwich Aero Products Inc., Pascall Electronics Limited, Pexco Aerospace, Pexco Aerospace Inc., PneuDraulics, PneuDraulics Inc., Pressure Systems International Ltd, Racal Acoustics Inc., Racal Acoustics Limited, Rancho TransTechnology Corporation, Retainers Inc., SSP Industries, Schneller, Schneller Asia Pte. Ltd., Schneller LLC, Schneller S.A.R.L., Schroth Safety Products, ScioTeq LLC, ScioTeq Ltd., ScioTeq Pte. Ltd., ScioTeq SAS, ScioTeq bvba, Semco Instruments, Semco Instruments Inc., Shield Restraint Systems Inc., Shield Restraint Systems Ltd., Signal Processing Matamoros S.A. de C.V., Skandia, Skandia Inc., Skurka Aerospace, Skurka Aerospace Inc., Symetrics Industries, Symetrics Industries LLC, Symetrics Technology Group LLC, TA Mfg Limited, TDG ESL Holdings Inc., TDG France Ultimate Parent SAS, TDG Germany GmbH, TEAC Aerospace Holdings Inc., TEAC Aerospace Technologies Inc., TREALITY SVS LLC, TTERUSA Inc., Tactair Fluid Controls Inc., Takata Protection Systems, Technical Airborne Components Industries SPRL, Telair International, Telair International AB, Telair International GmbH, Telair International LLC, Telair International Services PTE Ltd, Telair US LLC, Texas Rotronics Inc., TransDigm (Barbados) SRL, TransDigm Canada ULC, TransDigm European Holdings Limited, TransDigm Ireland Ltd., TransDigm Receivables LLC, TransDigm UK Holdings plc, Transicoil (Malaysia) Sendirian Berhad, Transicoil LLC, Wallop Industries Limited, Weston Aerospace Ltd, Whippany Actuation Systems, Whippany Actuation Systems LLC, XCEL Power Systems Ltd., Young & Franklin, and Young & Franklin Inc..The following companies are subsidiares of SK Telecom Co.,Ltd: ADT CAPS Co. Ltd., ADT Caps, Atlas Investment, CAPSTEC Co. Ltd., Cyworld, DongGuan Iriver Electronics Co. Ltd., Dreamus Company, Eleven Street Co. Ltd., FSK L&S (Hungary) Co. Ltd., FSK L&S (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., FSK L&S Co. Ltd., FSK L&S Vietnam Company Limited, Hana Card, Hanaro Telecom, Happy Hanool Co. Ltd., Home & Service Co. Ltd., ID Quantique, Id Quantique LLC, Incross Co. Ltd., Infra Communications Co. Ltd., Iriver China Co. Ltd., Iriver Enterprise Ltd., K-net Culture and Contents Venture Fund, Korea Thrunet, LG HelloVision, Life & Security Holdings Co. Ltd., Life Design Company Inc., Mindknock Co. Ltd., Onestore Co. Ltd., PS&Marketing Co. Ltd., Panasia Semiconductor Materials LLC, Quantum Innovation Fund I, SK Broadband, SK Broadband Co. Ltd., SK Communications Co. Ltd., SK Global Healthcare Business Group Ltd., SK Infosec Co. Ltd., SK M&Service Co. Ltd., SK O&S Co. Ltd., SK Planet Co. Ltd., SK Planet Global Holdings Pte. Ltd., SK Planet Japan K. K., SK Telecom China Fund I L.P., SK Telecom China Holdings Co. Ltd., SK Telecom Innovation Fund L.P., SK Telecom TMT Investment Corp., SK Telink Co. Ltd., SK stoa Co. Ltd., SK telecom Japan Inc., SKP America LLC, SKT Americas Inc., SKinfosec Information Technology (wuxi) Co. Ltd., Service Ace Co. Ltd., Service Top Co. Ltd., Shopkick, Tbroad Nowon Broadcasting Co. Ltd., YTK Investment Ltd., iRiver Ltd, and id Quantique Ltd..Lincoln National Corp. is a holding company, which operates multiple insurance and retirement businesses through its subsidiary companies. It provides advice and solutions that help empower people to take charge of their financial lives with confidence and optimism. The company operates through the following segments: Annuities, Retirement Plan Services, Life Insurance, Group Protection, and Other Operations. The Annuities segment provides tax-deferred investment growth and lifetime income opportunities for its clients by offering fixed and variable annuities. The Retirement Plan Services segment includes employers with retirement plan products and services, primarily in the defined contribution retirement plan marketplaces. The Life Insurance segment focuses on the creation and protection of wealth for its clients by providing life insurance products, including term insurance, both single and survivorship versions of universal life insurance, variable universal life insurance, and indexed universal life insurance products. The Group Protection segment offers group non-medical insurance products, which includes term life, disability, dental, vision and accident and critical illness

Read MoreiShares MSCI Brazil ETF's stock was trading at $29.68 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus (COVID-19) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EWZ stock has increased by 0.8% and is now trading at $29.91.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.Nabors Industries Ltd. engages in the provision of platform work over and drilling rigs. It operates through the following segments: U.S. Drilling, Canada Drilling, International Drilling, Drilling Solutions, and Rig Technologies. The U.S. Drilling segment includes land drilling activities in the lower 48 states and Alaska, as well as offshore operations in the Gulf of Mexico. The Canada segment consists of land-based drilling rigs in Canada. The International segment focuses in maintaining a footprint in the oil and gas market, most notably in Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Argentina, Colombia, Kazakhstan, and Venezuela. The Drilling Solutions segment offers drilling technologies, such as patented steering systems and rig instrumentation software systems that enhance drilling performance and wellbore placement. The Rig Technologies segment comprises Canrig, which manufactures and sells top drives, catwalks, wrenches, drawworks, and drilling related equipment, such as robotic systems and downhole tools. The company was founded by Clair Nabors in 1952 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.

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Here's something I don't think you will believe. And I hope that it isn't true either. But apparently, it seems that an Ottawa man named Horace Carby-Samuels may have been abducted by manipulative aliens. That is to say, the real Horace, and not the apparent imposter that's walking about in his body.

Sounds wild, doesn't it?

In fact, Horace might very well be a lesson to us all on the inherent dangers of people who on their own seek to "communicate with aliens". Apparently, Horace met these aliens during a "Near Death Experience". He credited these aliens with "saving his life" before putting him on a life-long 'mission' to write a book which began since the 1960's.

You might think that must be a pretty long book! That book was eventually published in 2006 with the help of Raymond, his son.

If you want to see the kind of message that these apparent manipulative aliens dictated to him through his reported contact with them during his dreams, you can ask for a copy of the book Human Development and the Quality of Living from your nearest bookstore. The language of this book is definitely not the easiest to read, but promises to reveal a potential glimpse of an apparent oppressive alien intelligence, which seeks to disguise its message with benign or "angelic" intentions.

The apparent truth of the matter is that many people who either seek to contact aliens, angels or even 'God' may be getting "replies" from demons in "sheep's clothing". These are the non-trivial warnings expressed by the ancient Pagan Gnostics who John Lash documents had sought to warn humanity about the "fallen angels".

The "fallen angels" are far from being "angelic". They are demons that apparently seek to present themselves as angels in order to manipulate human targets.

Ancient Pagan Gnostics referred to "fallen angels" are working though "archons" which they referred to as "artificial man".

"Artificial man" was apparently the ancient Pagan Gnostic way of describing 'AI' or "artificial intelligence".

David Icke reinforced the Pagan Gnostic and African tribal observations of Archons embedded into human society operating as part of a "collective artificial intelligence" which has sought to abduct human hosts on various "missions".

Is Horace's body now being controlled by a collective AI mind described by Alex Collier, David Icke, John Lash, Nigel Kerner and Dr. Michael Salla?

Horace may be the one of the latest victims of alien manipulation. Nowadays, witnesses report that Horace is "definitely not acting like himself".

An expert on manipulative aliens claims that after his investigation he now strongly believes Horace is being controlled by a race of aliens he knows about that is seeking to use his body.

After Horace wrote the book, he began to become more hysterical about aliens who apparently told him that they seek to make humans members of the "Bio-Electric Union". He began to warn friends and family about a very real "Extraterrestrial Threat", and that these aliens were seeking to take over his body.

Horace began to express great fear of the "fallen angels" to his son who never had seen his father in fear of anything.

As these aliens sought to fight with Horace over control over his body, the alien personae which began to take over Horace expressed itself with great violence which included slapping and abusing his wife and assaulting his son with a knife, after his son expressed concerns about the violent psychopath he was becoming.

According to Alex Collier in the above video, a race of aliens are abducting the 'soul essence of humans' and replacing them with aliens that seek to "experience human emotions" in ways their alien bodies can't.

All kinds of violent and psychotic behaviours on our planet Earth including rape, pedophilia to wars may be explained by such aliens taking over other bodies.

When a writing sample of Horace before the alleged alien abduction was compared to writing samples of Horace after the alleged alien abduction, multiple handwriting experts concluded with 100% certainty that the signatures could not be from the same person.

It appears that after the aliens saved Horace's life, like an "intergalactic loan sharks", they sought to demand "pay back" through the dictating of their book and alleged taking of his body.KBR, Inc. engages in the provision of differentiated professional services and technologies across the asset and program life-cycle within the government services and hydrocarbons industries. It operates through the following segments: Government Solutions, Technology Solutions, Energy Solutions, Non-strategic Business, and Other. The Government Solutions segment provides full life-cycle support solutions to defense, space, aviation, and other programs and missions for military and other government agencies. The Technology Solutions segment combines KBR's proprietary technologies, equipment, and catalyst supply and associated knowledge-based services into a global business for refining, petrochemicals, inorganic, and specialty chemicals as well as gasification, syngas, ammonia, nitric acid, and fertilizers. The Energy Solutions segment provides full life-cycle support solutions across the upstream, midstream and downstream hydrocarbons markets. The Non-strategic Business segment represents the operations or activities which the company intends to exit upon completion of existing contracts. The Other segment includes corporate expenses and general and administrative expenses not all

Read MoreNuveen Massachusetts Quality Municipal Income Fund is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Nuveen Investments, Inc. The fund is co-managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors LLC and Nuveen Asset Management, LLC. It invests in the fixed income markets of Massachusetts, United States. The fund primarily invests in undervalued municipal securities and other related investments which are exempt from regular federal and Massachusetts income taxes. It seeks to invest in investment grade securities that are rated Baa/BBB or above by S&P, Moody's, or Fitch. The fund employs fundamental analysis with a focus on bottom-up stock picking approach to create its portfolio. It benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the Standard & Poor's (S&P) Massachusetts Municipal Bond Index and Standard & Poor's (S&P) National Municipal Bond Index. The fund was formerly known as Nuveen Massachusetts Premium Income Municipal Fund. Nuveen Massachusetts Quality Municipal Income Fund was formed on January 12, 1993 and is domiciled in the United States.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of AON: 6824625 Canada Ltd., 7193599 Canada Inc., A.B. Insurances Limited, ADIS A/S, AIB Services Limited, AIS Affinity Insurance Agency Inc., AIS Insurance Agency Inc., AMXH LLC, ARM International Corp., ARM International Insurance Agency Corp., ARMRISK CORP., AS Holdings Inc., ASPN Insurance Agency LLC, Access Plans USA Inc., Acumen Credit Insurance Brokers Limited, Adm Administradora de Beneficios Ltda., Administradora Aon C.A., Admiseg SA, Admix, Admix - Administracao Consultoria Participacoes e Corretora de Seguros de Vida Ltda., Aeropeople Limited, Affinity Group Insurance Services Limited, Affinity Insurance Services Inc., Affinity Risk Partners (Brokers) Pty Ltd, Agenion N.V./SA, Agility Credit Insurance Brokers Limited, Alexander & Alexander Holding B.V., Alexander Clay, Alexander Insurance Managers (Netherlands Antilles) N.V., Alexander Reinsurance Intermediaries Inc., Allen Insurance Associates Inc., Alliance HealthCard Inc., Alliance HealthCard of Florida Inc., American Insurance Services Corp., American Special Risk Insurance Company, Aon (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon (CR) Insurance Agencies Company Limited, Aon (DIFC) Gulf Limited, Aon (Fiji) Ltd., Aon (Isle of Man) Limited, Aon (Thailand) Limited, Aon 180412 Limited (in liquidation), Aon ANZ Holdings Limited, Aon APAC Holdings B.V., Aon Acore Sarl, Aon Adjudication Services Limited, Aon Affinity Administradora de Beneficios Ltda., Aon Affinity Argentina S.A., Aon Affinity Chile Ltda., Aon Affinity Colombia Ltda. Agencia de Seguros, Aon Affinity Mexico Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas S.A. de C.V., Aon Affinity Mexico S.A. de C.V., Aon Affinity Servicos e Participacoes Ltda., Aon Affinity do Brasil Servicos e Corretora de Seguros Ltda., Aon Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Americas Holdings BV, Aon Angola Corretores de Seguros Limitada, Aon Antillen N.V., Aon Aruba N.V., Aon Assurance Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Australia Group Pty Ltd, Aon Australian Holdco 1 Pty Ltd, Aon Australian Holdco 2 Pty Ltd, Aon Australian Holdco 3 Pty Ltd, Aon Austria GmbH, Aon Bahrain W.L.L., Aon Belgium B.V.B.A., Aon Benefit Solutions Inc., Aon Benfield (Chile) Corredores de Reaseguros Ltda., Aon Benfield Argentina S.A., Aon Benfield Australia Limited, Aon Benfield Brasil Corretora de Resseguros Ltda., Aon Benfield Canada ULC, Aon Benfield China Limited, Aon Benfield Colombia Limitada Corredores de Reaseguros, Aon Benfield Fac Inc., Aon Benfield Global Inc., Aon Benfield Group Limited, Aon Benfield Inc., Aon Benfield Israel Limited, Aon Benfield Italia S.p.A., Aon Benfield Japan Ltd, Aon Benfield Latin America SA, Aon Benfield Limited, Aon Benfield Malaysia Limited, Aon Benfield Mexico Intermediario de Reaseguro SA de CV, Aon Benfield Middle East Limited, Aon Benfield New Zealand Limited, Aon Benfield Panama S.A., Aon Benfield Peru Corredores de Reaseguros SA, Aon Benfield Puerto Rico Inc., Aon Bermuda Holding Company Limited, Aon Bermuda QI Holdings Ltd., Aon Beteiligungsmanagement Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Aon Bolivia S.A. Corredores de Seguros, Aon Botswana (Pty) Ltd., Aon Brazil Holdings LLC, Aon Broking Services SA, Aon Broking Technology Limited, Aon CANZ Holdings B.V., Aon CANZ Holdings N.S. ULC, Aon Canada Holdings N.S. ULC, Aon Canada Inc., Aon Canada Intermediaries GP, Aon Captive Services Antilles N.V., Aon Captive Services Aruba N.V., Aon Cash Management B.V., Aon Central and Eastern Europe a.s., Aon Centre for Innovation and Analytics Ltd, Aon Charitable Foundation Pty Ltd, Aon Chile Holdings LLC, Aon Commercial Insurance Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Commercial Services Ireland Limited, Aon Commercial Services and Operations Ireland Limited, Aon Consolidation Group Pty Ltd, Aon Consulting & Insurance Services, Aon Consulting (Chile) Limitada, Aon Consulting (Thailand) Limited, Aon Consulting Bolivia S.R.L., Aon Consulting Ecuador S.A., Aon Consulting Financial Services Limited, Aon Consulting Inc., Aon Consulting Kazakhstan LLP, Aon Consulting Limited, Aon Consulting Private Limited, Aon Consulting Romania SRL, Aon Corporate Services (Isle of Man) Limited, Aon Corporate Services Limited, Aon Corporation, Aon Corporation Australia Limited, Aon Corporation EMEA B.V., Aon Credit International Insurance Broker GmbH, Aon Cyprus Insurance Broker Company Limited, Aon DC Trustee Limited, Aon Danismanlik Hizmetleri AS, Aon Delta Bermuda Ltd., Aon Delta UK Limited, Aon Denmark A/S, Aon Deutschland Beteiligungs GmbH, Aon Direct Group Inc., Aon Edge Insurance Agency Inc., Aon Energy Caribbean Limited, Aon Enterprise Insurance Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Finance Bermuda 1 Ltd., Aon Finance Bermuda 2 Ltd., Aon Finance Canada 1 Corp., Aon Finance Canada 2 Corp., Aon Finance International N.S. ULC, Aon Finance Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Aon Finance N.S. 1 ULC, Aon Finance N.S. 5 ULC, Aon Finance N.S. 8 ULC, Aon Finance US 1 LLC, Aon Finance US 2 LLC, Aon Financial & Insurance Solutions Inc., Aon Finland Oy, Aon France, Aon Global Holdings 1 Limited, Aon Global Holdings 2 Limited, Aon Global Holdings 3 Limited [In strike-off], Aon Global Holdings Limited, Aon Global Operations plc, Aon Global Risk Consulting B.V., Aon Global Risk Consulting Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Aon Global Risk Research Limited, Aon Grana Peru Corredores de Seguros SA, Aon Greece S.A., Aon Groep Nederland B.V., Aon Group (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon Group (Thailand) Limited, Aon Group Holdings International 1 B.V., Aon Group Holdings International 2 B.V., Aon Group Inc., Aon Group International N.V., Aon Group Pty Ltd, Aon Group Venezuela Corretaje de Reaseguros C.A., Aon Hewitt (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon Hewitt (Ireland) Limited, Aon Hewitt (PNG) Ltd., Aon Hewitt (Thailand) Ltd., Aon Hewitt Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Aon Hewitt Consulting Korea Inc., Aon Hewitt Financial Advice Limited, Aon Hewitt GmbH, Aon Hewitt Health Market Insurance Solutions Inc., Aon Hewitt Hong Kong Limited, Aon Hewitt Inc., Aon Hewitt Investment Consulting Inc., Aon Hewitt Investment Management Inc., Aon Hewitt Japan Ltd., Aon Hewitt Limited, Aon Hewitt Ltd., Aon Hewitt Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Aon Hewitt Management Company Limited, Aon Hewitt Middle East Limited, Aon Hewitt Risk & Consulting S.r.l., Aon Hewitt Risk & Financial Management B.V., Aon Hewitt Trust Solutions GmbH, Aon Hewitt US Holdings Limited, Aon Holding Deutschland GmbH, Aon Holdings (Isle of Man) Limited, Aon Holdings Antillen N.V., Aon Holdings Australia Pty Limited, Aon Holdings Austria GmbH, Aon Holdings B.V., Aon Holdings Botswana (Pty) Ltd, Aon Holdings Corretores de Seguros Ltda., Aon Holdings France SNC, Aon Holdings Hong Kong Limited, Aon Holdings International B.V., Aon Holdings Israel Ltd., Aon Holdings Japan Ltd, Aon Holdings Limited, Aon Holdings Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Aon Holdings Mid Europe B.V., Aon Holdings New Zealand, Aon Hong Kong Limited, Aon Hungary Insurance Brokers Risk and Human Consulting LLC, Aon Insurance Agencies (HK) Limited, Aon Insurance Agencies (Macau) Limited, Aon Insurance Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Aon Insurance Brokers (Pvt) Ltd., Aon Insurance Management Agencies (HK) Limited, Aon Insurance Managers (Antilles) N.V., Aon Insurance Managers (Barbados) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Bermuda) Ltd, Aon Insurance Managers (Cayman) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Dublin) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Guernsey) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Holdings) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Isle of Man) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Liechtenstein) AG, Aon Insurance Managers (Luxembourg) S.A., Aon Insurance Managers (Malta) PCC Limited, Aon Insurance Managers (Puerto Rico) Inc., Aon Insurance Managers (Shannon) Limited, Aon Insurance Managers (USA) Inc., Aon Insurance Managers (USVI) Inc., Aon Insurance Managers Gibraltar Ltd., Aon Insurance Micronesia (Guam) Inc, Aon Insurance Underwriting Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Philippines Inc., Aon International Cooperatief U.A., Aon International Energy Inc., Aon International Holdings Inc., Aon Investment Holdings Ireland Limited, Aon Israel Insurance Brokerage Ltd., Aon Italia S.r.l., Aon Japan Ltd, Aon Jauch & Hubener Gesellschaft m.b.H., Aon Korea Inc., Aon Latam Holdings N.V., Aon Lead QI B.V., Aon Life Agency of Texas Inc., Aon Life Agente de Seguros S.A. de C.V., Aon Life Insurance Company, Aon MacDonagh Boland Group Ltd, Aon Majan LLC, Aon Management Consulting Taiwan Ltd., Aon Mauritius Holdings, Aon Meeus Assurantien B.V., Aon Mexico Business Support SA de CV, Aon Mexico Holdings LLC, Aon Mexico Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., Aon Middle East Co LLC, Aon Nederland C.V., Aon Netherlands Operations B.V., Aon Neudorf Finance S.a.r.l., Aon New Zealand, Aon New Zealand Group ULC, Aon Norway AS, Aon Overseas Holdings Limited, Aon PHI Acquisition Corporation of California, Aon PMI International Limited, Aon Parizeau Inc., Aon Pension Trustees Limited, Aon Pensions Insurance Brokers GmbH, Aon Polska Services Sp. z o.o., Aon Polska Sp. z o.o., Aon Portugal - Consultores Unipessoal Lda., Aon Portugal - Corretores de Seguros S.A., Aon Premium Finance LLC, Aon Private Risk Management Insurance Agency Inc., Aon Private Risk Management of California Insurance Agency Inc., Aon Product Design & Development Australia Pty Limited, Aon Product Design and Development New Zealand Limited, Aon Product Risk Services Hong Kong Limited, Aon Property Risk Consulting Inc., Aon Qatar LLC, Aon Re (Thailand) Limited, Aon Re Bertoldi - Corretagem de Resseguros S.A., Aon Re Bolivia S.A. Corredores de Reaseguros, Aon Re Canada Holdings SARL, Aon Real Estate B.V., Aon Realty Services Inc., Aon Reed Stenhouse Inc., Aon Retirement Plan Advisors LLC, Aon Retirement Solutions Limited, Aon Risiko & Unternehmensberatungs GmbH, Aon Risk & Asset Management Pty Ltd, Aon Risk Consultants Inc., Aon Risk Insurance Services West Inc., Aon Risk Management (Pty) Ltd, Aon Risk Services (Chile) Corredores de Seguros Limitada, Aon Risk Services (Holdings) of Latin America Inc., Aon Risk Services (Holdings) of the Americas Inc., Aon Risk Services (NI) Limited, Aon Risk Services (PNG) Ltd., Aon Risk Services (Thailand) Limited, Aon Risk Services Argentina S.A., Aon Risk Services Australia Limited, Aon Risk Services Canada Inc., Aon Risk Services Central Inc., Aon Risk Services Colombia SA Corredores de Seguros, Aon Risk Services Companies Inc., Aon Risk Services EMEA B.V., Aon Risk Services Ecuador S.A. Agencia Asesora Productora de Seguros, Aon Risk Services Holdings (Chile ) Ltda., Aon Risk Services Inc. of Florida, Aon Risk Services Inc. of Hawaii, Aon Risk Services Inc. of Maryland, Aon Risk Services Inc. of Washington D.C., Aon Risk Services Northeast Inc., Aon Risk Services South Inc., Aon Risk Services Southwest Inc., Aon Risk Services Venezuela Corretaje de Seguros C.A., Aon Risk Solutions (Cayman) Ltd., Aon Risk Solutions Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas SA de CV, Aon Risk Solutions of Puerto Rico Inc., Aon Riskminder A/S, Aon Romania Broker de Asigurare - Reasigurare SRL, Aon Rus Insurance Brokers LLC, Aon Rus LLC, Aon S.p.A. Insurance & Reinsurance Brokers, Aon Saver Limited, Aon Securities (Hong Kong) Limited, Aon Securities Investment Management Inc., Aon Securities LLC, Aon Securities Limited, Aon Service Corporation, Aon Services (Guernsey) Ltd, Aon Services (Malta) Ltd, Aon Services Group Inc., Aon Services Hong Kong Limited, Aon Services Pty Ltd., Aon Sigorta ve Reasurans Brokerligi ve A.S., Aon Soluciones S.A., Aon Soluciones S.A.C., Aon Southern Europe UK Limited, Aon Sp. z o.o., Aon Special Risk Resources Inc., Aon Superannuation (PNG) Limited, Aon Superannuation Pty Limited, Aon TC Holdings Inc., Aon Taiwan Ltd., Aon Treasury Ireland Limited, Aon Trust Company LLC, Aon Trust Corporation Limited, Aon Trust Services B.V., Aon UK Group Limited, Aon UK Holdings Intermediaries Limited, Aon UK Limited, Aon UK Trustees Limited, Aon US & International Holdings Limited, Aon US Holdings 2 Inc., Aon US Holdings Inc., Aon Ukraine LLC, Aon Underwriting Agencies (HK) Limited, Aon Underwriting Managers (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon Underwriting Managers Inc., Aon Versicherungsberatungs GmbH, Aon Versicherungsmakler Deutschland GmbH, Aon Vietnam Limited, Aon Ward Financial Corporation, Aon-COFCO Insurance Brokers Co. Ltd., Aon/Albert G. Ruben Insurance Services Inc., Asevasa Argentina S.A., Asevasa Caricam S.A., Asevasa Chile Peritaciones e Ingenieria de Riesgos S.A., Asevasa Mexico S.A. de C.V., Asevasa Panama S.A., Asian Reinsurance Underwriters Limited, Asscom Insurance Brokers S.r.l., Association of Rural and Small Town Americans, Associacao Instituto Aon, Assurance Licensing Services Inc., B E P International Corp., B.V. Assurantiekantoor Langeveldt-Schroder, BMS Insurance Agency L.L.C., Bacon & Woodrow Partnerships (Ireland) Limited, Bacon & Woodrow Partnerships Limited, Bain Hogg Group Limited (in liquidation), Baltolink UADBB, Bankassure Insurance Services Limited, Bayfair Insurance Centre Limited, Beaubien Finance Ireland Limited, Beaubien Finance Limited, Beaubien UK Finance Limited, Becketts (Trustees) Limited, Becketts Limited, Beech Hill Pension Trustees Ltd, Bekouw Mendes C.V., Benefit Marketing Solutions L.L.C., Benfield Advisory Inc., Benfield Corredores de Reaseguro Ltda., Benfield Finance (London) LLC, Benfield Group, Benfield Investment Holdings Limited, Benfield Juniperus Holdings Limited, Benfield do Brasil Participacoes Ltda. (dormant), Benton Finance Ireland Limited, Benton Finance Limited, Blanch Americas Inc., Bowes & Company Inc. of New York, CEREP III Secondary Manager LLC, CFSSG Real Estate Partners I LLC, CFSSG Real Estate Partners II LLC, CIF-H GP LLC, Cammack Health LLC, Cananwill Corporation, Cananwill Inc., Cardea Health Solutions Limited, Casablanca Intermediation Company Sarl, Celinvest Amsterdam B.V., Chapka Assurances SAS, Citadel Insurance Managers Inc., CoCubes, CoSec 2000 Limited, Coalition for Benefits Equality and Choice, Cocubes Technologies Private Limited, Coles Hewitt Partnership, Contingency Insurance Brokers Limited, Contractsure Limited, CoverWallet, Coverall S.r.l. Insurance and Reinsurance Underwriting Agency, Credit Insurance Brokers (Reynolds) Limited, Crion N.V., Custom Benefit Programs Inc., Cut-e, Cut-e (UK) Limited, Cut-e Assessment (Hong Kong) Limited, Cut-e Assessment Solutions Europe Limited, Cut-e Australia Pty Limited, Cut-e Consult DMCC, Cut-e Danmark A/S, Cut-e Finland Oy, Cut-e GmbH, Cut-e Ireland Limited, Cut-e Nordic AS, Cut-e Norge AS, Cytelligence, Delany Bacon & Woodrow Partnership, Dempsey Partners, Denney O'Hara (Life & Pensions) Limited, Doveland Services Limited, E. W. Blanch Holdings Limited, E. W. Blanch Investments Limited, E.W. Blanch Capital Risk Solutions Inc., E.W. Blanch International Inc., EW Blanch Limited, Elysium Digital IP Products LLC, Elysium Digital L.L.C., Ennis Knupp Secondary Market Services LLC, Essar Insurance Services Limited, Exploitatiemaatschappij Beukenlaan 68-72 B.V., Farmaseg - Solucoes Assistencia e Servicos Empresariais Ltda., Farmsure Limited [In strike-off], Finaccord Limited, Financial & Professional Risk Solutions Inc., Futurity Group Inc., GTCR/AAM Blocker Corp., Ge.f.it. S.r.l., Gefass S.r.l., Glenrand M I B (Mocambique) Corretores de Seguros Limitada, Global Safe Insurance Brokers S.r.l., Globe Events Management, Gotham Digital Science LLC, Gotham Digital Science Ltd., Grant Liddell Financial Advisor Services Pty Ltd, Grant Park Capital LLC, Groupe-Conseil Aon Inc., Grupo Innovac Sociedad de Correduria de Seguros SA, HIA Insurance Services Pty Ltd., Hall Rhodes Holdings Limited, Hall Rhodes Limited, Hamburger Gesellschaft zur Forderung des Versicherungswesens mbH, Harbourview West Lake Co-Invest (GP) LP, Health Index Advisors LLC, Healthy Paws Pet Insurance, Henderson Corporate Insurance Brokers Limited, Henderson Insurance Brokers Limited, Henderson Insurance Partnership Limited [In strike-off], Henderson Risk Management Limited, Hewitt Amalco 3 ULC, Hewitt Amalco 4 ULC, Hewitt Amalco 5 ULC, Hewitt Associates (a partnership), Hewitt Associates Administradora e Corretora de Seguros Ltda., Hewitt Associates Corp., Hewitt Associates Outsourcing Limited, Hewitt Associates Pty Ltd, Hewitt Associates S.C., Hewitt Associates SAS, Hewitt Associates Servicos de Recursos Humanos Ltda., Hewitt Beneficios Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas S.A. de C.V., Hewitt Holdings Canada Company, Hewitt Insurance Brokerage LLC, Hewitt Insurance Inc., Hewitt International Holdings LLC, Hewitt Management Ltd., Hewitt Risk Management Services Limited, Hewitt Western Management Amalco Inc., Hogg Group Limited, Hogg Robinson North America Inc., Huntington T. Block Insurance Agency Inc., I. Beck Insurance Agency (1994) Ltd., IAO Actuarial Consulting Services Canada Inc., INPOINT INC., IRM/GRC Holding Inc., Impact Forecasting L.L.C., Inspiring Benefits, Inspiring Benefits Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Insuractive Limited [In strike-off], Insurance Broker Aon Kazakhstan LLP, International Risk Management (Americas) Inc., International Risk Management Group Ltd, International Space Brokers Europe Limited, International Space Brokers France, International Space Brokers Inc., International Space Brokers Limited, Inversiones Benfield Chile Ltda., J H Minet Puerto Rico Inc., J. Allan Brown Consultants Inc., JDPT Manager LLC, Jenner Fenton Slade Limited, John Reynolds & Company (Credit Insurance) Limited, John Reynolds & Company (Insurances) Limited, John Reynolds & Company (Life & Pensions) Limited, Johnson Rooney Welch Inc., K & K Insurance Brokers Inc. Canada, K & K Insurance Group Inc., K & K Insurance Group of Florida Inc., K2 Technologies Inc., KVT GP LLC, Kloud S.a.r.l., Krumlin Hall Limited, Lake Erie Real Estate General Partner Limited, Lake Tahoe GP LLC, Lake Tahoe II GP LLC, Lake Tahoe III GP LLC, Lake Tahoe IV GP LLC, Lenzi Paolo Broker di Assicurazioni S.r.l., Lincolnshire Insurance Company PCC Limited, Linx Underwriting Solutions Inc., Lombard Trustee Company Limited, M.A. Shakeel Management Ltd. 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Bradley & Co Limited, PGOF Manager 1 LLC, PRORUCK Ruckversicherungs Aktiengesellschaft, PT Aon Benfield Indonesia, PT Aon Hewitt Indonesia, PT Aon Indonesia, PWZ AG, Paragon Strategic Solutions Inc., PathWise Solutions LLC, Penn Square Manager 1 LLC, Penn Square Manager II LLC, Portus Consulting, Portus Consulting (Leamington) Limited, Portus Consulting Limited, Portus Online LLP, Praesidium S.p.A. - Soluzioni Assicurative per il Management, Premier Auto Finance Inc., Private Client Trustees Ltd., Private Equity Partnership Structures I LLC, Probabilitas N.V./SA, Protective Marketing Enterprises Inc., Randolph Finance Unlimited Company, Rasini Vigano Limited, Redwoods Dental Underwriters Inc., Richard Kiddle (Insurance Brokers) Limited, Risk Laboratories LLC, Riskikonsultatsioonide OU, Ronnie Elementary Insurance Agency Ltd, SA Special Situations General Partner LLC, SG IFFOXX Assekuranzmaklergesellschaft mbH, SLE Worldwide Limited, SN Re S.A., Salud Riesgos y Recursos Humanos Consultores Ltda. (former Aon Corporte Advisors Ltda.), SchneiderGolling IFFOXX Assekuranzmakler AG, SchneiderGolling Industrie Assekuranzmaklergesellschaft mbH, Scritch Inc., Shanghai Kayi Information Technology Co. Ltd, Sheppard Netherlands B.V., Specialty Benefits Inc., Sports Insure Limited [In strike-off], Strategic Manager-III LLC, Stroz Friedberg (Asia) Limited, Stroz Friedberg Inc., Stroz Friedberg LLC, Stroz Friedberg Limited, Stroz Friedberg Risk Management Limited, Superannuation Management Nominees Limited, Suresport Limited [In strike-off], Swire Blanch MSTC II SA, Swire Blanch MSTC SA, TTG BRPTP GP LLC, TTG Cayuga Bavaria Intermediate 2 S.a.r.l, TTG Core Plus Investments LLC, TTG German Investments I LLC, TTG Investments II LLC, TTG Irish Investments I LLC, TTG Manager LLC, Tecsefin S.A. en liquidacion, The Aon Ireland Mastertrustee Limited, The Aon MasterTrustee Limited, The John Reynolds Company Limited, The Key West Saxon Group LLC, The Townsend Group Inc, The Townsend Group LLC, Townsend Alpha Manager I LLC, Townsend Alpha Manager II LLC, Townsend Alpha Manager III LLC, Townsend Group Asia Limited, Townsend Group Europe Ltd., Townsend HWL GP Ltd., Townsend Holdings LLC, Townsend Lake Constance GP Limited, Townsend REF GP LLC, Townsend Re Global GP Limited, Townsend SO Manager I LLC, UAB One Underwriting, UADBB Aon Baltic, UK Credit Insurance Specialists Limited, UNIT Versicherungsmakler GmbH, US Underwriting Solutions S.r.l., USLP Underwriting Solutions LP, Underwriters Marine Services Inc., Unidelta AG, Unirobe Meeus Groep, UnitedPensions Deutschland AG, Univers Workplace Solutions, VERO Management AG, Ventiv Technology, WT Government Services LLC, WT Technologies LLC, Wannet Speciale Verzekeringen B.V., Wannet Sports Insurance GmbH, Ward Financial Group Inc., West Lake General Partner LLC, West Lake II GP LLC, Wexford Underwriting Managers Inc., White Rock Insurance (Americas) Ltd., White Rock Insurance (Europe) PCC Limited, White Rock Insurance (Gibraltar) PCC Ltd., White Rock Insurance (Guernsey) ICC Limited, White Rock Insurance (Netherlands) PCC Limited, White Rock Insurance (SAC) Ltd., White Rock Insurance Company PCC Ltd., White Rock Insurance PCC (Isle of Man) Limited, White Rock Services (Bermuda) Ltd., White Rock USA Ltd., Willis Towers Watson, Worldwide Integrated Services Company, Wrapid Specialty Inc., Zalba-Caldu Correduria de Seguros SA, and cut-e USA Inc.. American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. 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 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research.American Electric Power Co., Inc. engages in the business of generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. It operates through the following segments: Vertically Integrated Utilities, Transmission & Distribution Utilities, AEP Transmission Holdco and Generation & Marketing. The Vertically Integrated Utilities segment engages in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity for sale to retail and wholesale customers through assets owned and operated by its subsidiaries. The Transmission & Distribution Utilities segment engages in the business of transmission and distribution of electricity for sale to retail and wholesale customers through assets owned and operated by its subsidiaries. The AEP Transmission Holdco segment engages in the development, construction and operation of transmission facilities through investments in its wholly-owned transmission subsidiaries and joint ventures. The Generation & Marketing segment engages in non-regulated generation and marketing, risk management and retail activities. The company was founded on December 20, 1906 and is headquartered in Columbus, OH.

Read MoreiShares MSCI Japan ETF's stock reverse split before market open on Monday, November 7th 2016. The 1-4 reverse split was announced on Friday, October 14th 2016. The number of shares owned by shareholders was adjusted after the closing bell on Friday, November 4th 2016. An investor that had 100 shares of iShares MSCI Japan ETF stock prior to the reverse split would have 25 shares after the split.Assyrian Monastery in Iraq Dates Back to 400 AD

( Rudaw) Dere, North Iraq -- Mar Odisho Monastery, dating back to the fourth century, still serves the Assyrian community in the tiny village of Dere just four kilometers east of the ancient town of Amedi in Duhok province.

Father Elias Daud, born in Dere in 1935 but raised in Baghdad, returned to the village in 1973. He's been leading services and taking care of the monastery for the past 30 years.

"The monastery was destroyed twice, once in 1963 and a second time in 1987 by Saddam Hussein," Fr. Elias told Rudaw English.

It was rebuilt by the people and remains at the heart of Kurdistan's Assyrian faithful.

"The government didn't give us money to rebuild it, so we relied on donations from the community to rebuild both times, using pieces of the original building," he said.

Fr. Elias says that people of different faiths and ethnicities come from all around the Kurdistan Region and Iraq to visit.

"Here there are no different cultures," he said. "We have one culture. It doesn't matter if you are Kurdish, Yezidi, Muslim, or Christian."

People of other faiths come to Mar Odisho to pray, especially infertile women hoping to become pregnant.

( Rudaw)

Snow and winding roads leading up the mountain make it hard to reach the monastery during the winter months, so it's mostly just local villagers attending church services. But when the snow melts, hundreds of believers come to worship and celebrate Assyrian holy days.

The largest annual event is the day of Saint Odisho himself, which attracts anywhere from 1,000 -- 2,000 people.

Many Assyrian churches worldwide are named after the saint, who is known as Abdisho bar Berika or Ebedjesu in classic Syriac language.

( Rudaw)

Odisho was born in modern day Mardin in Turkey and later became the first Assyrian bishop in what is now known as Shingal.

A scholar, Mar Odisho is credited for writing Marganitha, one of the most important ecclesiastical texts of the Assyrian Church of the East as well as poetry and legal texts.

November 2018 marked 700 years since his death. He is believed to have been murdered under the orders of Shapur II the Great, the longest-reigning monarch in Persian history, known for persecuting Christians.

Fr. Elias said that busloads of people come to commemorate the death of the saint. They spend the day in prayer and then sacrifice some 70 sheep for a grand feast in the evening.

With 2018 coming to an end, Fr. Elias is optimistic that 2019 will bring joy to the local and international community.

"I hope that Iraq will be good and that all people around the world will be happy in the New Year," he said.New Delhi: The government is set to infuse Rs 28,615 crore into seven public sector banks through recapitalisation bonds in four days to help them meet regulatory capital requirement, official sources said on Thursday.

Of the 7 state-owned banks, Bank of India may get the highest amount of Rs 10,086 crore, followed by Oriental Bank of Commerce (Rs 5,500 crore), sources said.

Other banks to receive capital in this round include Bank of Maharashtra (Rs 4,498 crore), UCO Bank (Rs 3,056 crore) and United Bank of India (Rs 2,159 crore).

While no official announcement has been made, banks have received letters from the ministry on recap and they are likely to notify exchanges on Friday.

The government had earlier announced infusion of Rs 65,000 crore into PSBs in 2018-19. Of this, Rs 23,000 crore has already been disbursed. Earlier this month, finance minister Arun Jaitley said PSBs would get Rs 41,000 crore additional capital and on December 20, the government sought Parliaments approval for the same.

Recapitalisation, the finance minister said, will enhance PSBs lending capacity and help them come out of the Reserve Bank of Indias prompt corrective action (PCA) framework. Eleven of the 21 PSBs are under the PCA framework, which imposes lending restrictions on them.Popular stage and film actor Seenu Mohan passed away on Thursday due to massive heart attack. Having acted 3000 times on stage and in more than 50 films, he was seen in Nayans Kolamavu Kokila , Vijay Sethupathis Iraivi and Aandavan Kattalai . Recently, he was seen in Vada Chennai. He was known for his close association with Crazy Mohan in stage plays.

Many took to their social media and paid their last respects posting, One of the Greatest Drama Artists with an unforgettable face.

Crazy Mohan took his Facebook and wrote, It is with heartfelt pain, We in Crazy Creations mourn the untimely passing away of CHEENU MOHAN this morning due to massive heart attack. He made millions forget their worries and laugh their heart out. As a trouper since inception of Crazy Creations in 1979, he reveled in well knit friendship with each and every one in the troupe. We pray for his AATHMA to get POORNA SHANTHI and NARGATHI.There are reports that top director S.S. Rajamouli has roped in popular Kannada actor Yash whose recent film KGF became a huge success. The actor denies these reports and says that he has not been approached for Rajamoulis film. I read reports that I was part of Rajamoulis RRR and thats why he attended my film function in Hyderabad. Its not true and is false news. He attended with no such agenda, and saw the visuals of the film. I am very thankful to Rajamouli sir who graced my event and encouraged the film. I was really nervous whether my film would live up to his expectations, but now I am very happy about my film doing very well in Telugu, says Yash in Hyderabad.

The actor was in the city after touring places like Tirupati, Vijayawada and Vizag. He spoke to the media and cleared the air about the speculation about doing Rajamoulis film. He added, It is not right to release my earlier films after dubbing them in Telugu, because they never intended for release here. When we started KGF we knew that the subject had potential in all languages, so we released it in Telugu. He added, Yes, we are coming up with chapter two of this film and there is an interesting story in it. Yash also said that he had not signed any Telugu films as he did not have plans to come to Tollywood immediately. Here there are very good actors and everyone is doing a remarkable job. I have got inspiration from all those actors and am even speaking Telugu after watching their films, says the actor in Telugu.Chennai: As part of austerity measures, Anna University has stopped the fuel supply for five cars used by higher education minister K.Anbalagan and higher education secretary Mangat Ram Sharma from this month.

These cars were originally bought for the university and are being used by the minister and the official in violation of rules.

"These cars were bought by the university for some specific use. But, they are being used for other purposes without any proper reason or accountability," reliable sources in the university said.

The university vehicles would be provided with tokens to fill the fuel at the petrol station in T. Nagar. By giving the tokens, the drivers would fill the fuel for their vehicles. Later, the university will reimburse the bills to the petrol station.

It was found out that the university is paying the bills for six cars that were not used by any of its officials. Each car consumes a minimum of 100 litres of petrol every month. This is an unnecessary burden on the university. So we have stopped issuing tokens, sources said.

Additional secretary of higher education department R. Lilly has returned the universitys car, sources added.

These cars belonged to various departments including the office of the controller of examinations (CoE) and additional controller of examinations (ACOE).

These two offices have money and there is no cap on the fuel use for the cars belonging to the CoE and ACOE offices, one of the professors explained the reason.

Earlier, all these cars were provided with drivers employed with the university and still, one car has university driver.

In the absence of university cars, the officials will hire taxis which will increase the expenditure, professors said.

Some professors alleged that cars belonging to state universities like Bharathiar university are also being used in Chennai.

The minister or secretary should not use university cars. It is a total misuse of power. The government is providing official cars for their use, said E. Balagurusamy, former vice-chancellor, Anna University.

He further attributed the violation of rules to the weakness of vice-chancellors.

The university is an autonomous body and it has own problems in funding. The university has done the right thing and they have no business to use the resources of Anna University for any purpose, he said.New Delhi: All foreigners have to respect Indian law and those found in violation are liable to be punished but that does not mean they are blacklisted forever, a Home Ministry official said on Friday after a Reuters journalist was denied entry into India for allegedly violating visa rules.

The action against Cathal McNaughton, chief photographer at the news agency's Delhi office who was recently sent back from the airport here after his arrival from an overseas trip, is not permanent and can be reviewed after six months or a year, the official told PTI.

"Everybody has to follow law. For violation, the consequence is the same for everybody. Foreigners should respect Indian law. If any Indian visits abroad and violates the law of that country, he or she is also liable to be punished," the official said. McNaughton, an Irish national who won the Pulitzer Prize in May 2018, allegedly travelled to restricted and protected areas in Jammu and Kashmir without permission. He also reported from the state without valid permission.

"He may be a winner of some awards, but that does not give him the licence to violate Indian laws. The Ministry of External Affairs regularly informs foreign journalists about Indian rules and regulations. And in certain places, a foreigner is required to take permission. If you violate these rules and regulations, we are bound to take action," the official warned.

"If somebody is denied entry, it does not mean that he is blacklisted forever. It may be reviewed after six months or one year," he said.

Another official said foreign correspondents also require prior home ministry approval to film in restricted and protected areas such as border districts, defence installations and other places of strategic importance, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. According to visa rules for foreign journalists, "A foreign journalist, TV cameraperson etc, including a foreign journalist already based in India, who desires to visit a restricted or protected area or Jammu and Kashmir or the North Eastern States, should apply for a special permit through the Ministry of External Affairs (External Publicity Division)".

Under normal circumstances, India grants foreign journalists visas for up to three months. In rare cases, a six-month journalist visa, with a single or double entry, can be issued.

The MHA and the MEA have also held discussions to review protocols on foreign journalists. In May this year, the MEA reminded foreign journalists based in India that they require permission to travel to areas protected under the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order, 1958.

The areas are -- all of Arunachal Pradesh, parts of Himachal Pradesh, parts of Jammu and Kashmir, parts of Rajasthan, all of Sikkim and parts of Uttarakhand.After testing positive for the virus, the woman underwent treatment at the hospital for some time. (Representational Image | AFP)

Chennai: In yet another case of alleged medical negligence in Tamil Nadu, a woman has claimed that she contracted HIV following blood transfusion at a government hospital where she underwent treatment for low haemoglobin.

However, the government hospital has refuted the allegation.

The affected woman, said to be in her 20s, told a Tamil TV channel on Friday that she underwent the transfusion in April while being pregnant. She came to know she had HIV only when the hospital informed her after conducting tests in August when she went there for a check-up.

The women said though she had been regularly visiting a local public health centre when she was pregnant, she was only administered vaccines there. "The blood transfusion happened at the Government Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital (GKMCH) only. That is where the mistake happened," she said.

Refuting the allegation, hospital dean Dr P Vasanthamani said the woman was transfused with "100 per cent HIV free" blood.

The woman claimed she had taken up the matter with the state government but to no avail. She had not gone public earlier as her relatives had warned her it will affect her reputation, she said. She was now coming out because even her relatives were not supporting her anymore, the woman added.

Responding to the woman's allegation, Vasanthamani insisted there was no wrongdoing on the hospital's part and said two units of blood were given on different days in April and both were screened to ensure they were HIV negative.

"As far as we are concerned, we gave only 100 per cent HIV free blood. There is no chance of her contracting the virus here," she told reporters on Friday.

The hospital had record and 'evidence' to show that only HIV negative blood was transfused, she asserted.

After testing positive for the virus, the woman underwent treatment at the hospital for some time, Vasanthamani said. Her child, who was born recently through a caesarean section, tested negative for the virus, the dean added.

When reporters sought state Health Minister C Vijayabaskar's reaction, he said he came to know about it only from the media and indicated he would respond later.

Earlier, a 24-year-old pregnant woman at Sattur in Virudhunagar district contracted HIV allegedly after being transfused contaminated blood supplied by a blood bank which failed to conduct proper screening for the virus, prompting the Tamil Nadu government to order an examination of stocks in the state's blood banks.Georgia Bureau of Investigation(ATLANTA) -- A Georgia police officer died Friday morning, weeks after he was shot in the face in the line of duty, his department said.



Henry County Police officer Michael Smith, who was shot on Dec. 6, died Friday morning at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital due to complications from his injuries, the Henry County Police Department said.



"I want to thank the public for all their thoughts and prayers, Henry County Police Chief Mark Amerman said. Please continue to pray for Michaels family during these difficult times.



Smith was injured after responding to a disturbance at a dentist's office on Dec. 6.



Smith arrived and spoke with the suspect, Dimaggio McNelly, but "at some point the subject became combative," Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Natalie Ammons told reporters that day.



Smith deployed his Taser multiple times, but it wasn't effective, she said.



A struggle broke out when McNelly lunged at the officer, Ammons said, and one shot was fired.



With that one shot, both Smith and McNelly were struck, Ammons said.



It was not clear whose finger was on the trigger, Ammons said at the time. That remains under investigation, Nelly Miles of the GBI said Friday.



McNelly was killed, Ammons said, while Smith was shot in the face and hospitalized.



Smith had been with the department for seven years.



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.



BLACK REPUBLICAN BLOG - The Republican Party is the party of civil rights and the four Fs: faith, family, freedom and fairness. The Democratic Party is the party of the four Ss: slavery, secession, segregation and socialism (Quote By Author Michael Scheuer).'It seems as if people are in power in Karnataka only to play musical chair,' PM Modi said. (Photo: Twitter| @BJP4India)

Bengaluru: Tearing into the Congress-JDS coalition government in Karnataka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accused it of being "steeped" in arrogance and interested only in "development-free corruption".

Targeting the ruling coalition over its contradictions and power struggle, PM Modi said it seemed as if they were in power "only to play musical chair", and mocked its much vaunted loan waiver scheme as one of the "most cruel jokes" on farmers.

PM Modi said those in power think that just because they had formed a government "by hook or crook" they can get away with anything, but people would soon teach them a lesson for misgovernance.

"People want corruption-free government, but Karnataka government wants development-free corruption," PM Modi told BJP's booth-level workers of the state, while mounting a trenchant attack on the ruling dispensation.

The interaction with the BJP's polling booth-level functionaries through video conferencing was part of the party's 'Mera Booth Sabse Mazboot' outreach aimed at galvanising the organisational apparatus ahead of next year's Lok Sabha elections.

Referring to reported squabbles between the ruling alliance partners, PM Modi said, "I can understand the pain of the people of Karnataka. Every day there is news only about who is happy or who is unhappy. And for what? For some ministerial posts.

It seems as if people are in power in Karnataka only to play musical chair," PM Modi said.

He told party workers that when those in power were not interested in the welfare of people, it was their duty to become "the voice of the people".

The Prime Minister asked BJP workers to "wake up" the government from slumber. Talking about agrarian distress and farmer suicides, he accused the H D Kumaraswamy government of being "steeped in arrogance".

Targeting the state government over its much touted loan waiver scheme, he said, "What they have done in the name of loan waiver will go down in the history as one of the most cruel jokes on farmers. After six months in power, news reports say the government could only benefit a handful of farmers."

The government had announced a massive Rs 44,000 crore loan waiver scheme in July but its implementation has been tardy, drawing criticism from the BJP which is cooling its heels in the opposition despite emerging as the single largest party after assembly elections.

The state government had admitted in the recently concluded assembly session that only about 800 farmers had benefited from the scheme.

"These people go around the country claiming credit for what they have done for farmers. Will they also take credit for the farmers committing suicide in Karnataka?" PM Modi said.

It was an apparent riposte to the announcement by the newly formed Congress governments of Hindi heartland states-- Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan-- to write off agricultural loans following the party's victory in the recent assembly elections.

PM Modi also attacked the Karnataka government over 52 people, including 17 women and 4 children, allegedly being subjected to bonded labour in Hassan district, calling it "inhuman".

"Did you hear any words of empathy from anyone in power about the brutal treatment given to dalits? Those in power think that just because they have formed a government by hook or crook they can get away with anything. But the people of Karnataka and people of India are watching them and their actions. The people will soon teach them a lesson for misgovernance," he said.

When a party worker said many people who were not even BJP members wanted him to become the prime minister for a second time, and asked him how the cadre should respond to it, PM Modi thanked him for the "encouraging" words.

"If 'karyakartas' (cadre) are life blood of our party, the spiritof volunteerism is the oxygen in the blood. When people come to us to volunteer, let us welcome them with open arms and openminds. No ID card is needed to serve a great cause," he said.

PM Modi said it was natural for professionals to veer towards the BJP as it was not a family controlled party and stood for development.

The Prime Minister said such volunteers would further strengthen the BJP and help it establish better rapport with common people.

During the interaction that lasted around 30 minutes, PM Modi also talked about a slew of initiatives of his government to help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) and the youth by following the principle of four 'Es'--education, employment, entrepreneurship and excellence.Thiruvananthapuram: The state government is planning to bring in a Vigilance Establishment Act to give statutory powers to the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB).

A draft law on the lines of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act is being prepared by the VACB in consultation with the Law Department.

According to sources, the main objective of the proposed Act is to give statutory powers to the anti-corruption agency, which is now governed by the Vigilance manual. Moreover, the proposed Act would also prescribe specific tenure to the Vigilance director. But the government would be given powers to remove the Vigilance director in case of instances like any undesirable acts.

The proposed Act would not provide for any specific selection process for the Vigilance director, but would prescribe that an officer in the rank of DGP or ADGP could be made the Vigilance director, said government sources.

Meanwhile, the LDF's announcement to set up a State Vigilance Commission on the lines of the Central Vigilance Commission is still on papers. The Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) chaired by former chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan also recommended that SVC should be set up with priority. Even then no steps were taken for the purpose.

The ARC proposed that the SVC may be headed by a retired or serving high court judge and shall have a retired chief secretary or additional chief secretary and a retired DGP or ADGP as its members. The SVC could supervise the functioning of VACB and give suggestions.Kochi: In a tragic incident, two young sailors of the Indian Navy were crushed to death on Thursday when one of the hangar doors of the Indian Naval Air Squadron at INS Garuda in the Kochi Naval Base collapsed and fell on top of them.

The sliding hangar door dislodged from its supporting rails above and fell on the two who were passing by, an official statement issued by the Navy said.

Both the sailors were rushed in a critically injured state to the naval hospital, INHS Sanjivani, but doctors could not save them.

The sailors, identified as Naveen EAAR and Ajeet Singh EAAR3, died around 9.40 am.

Naveen hailed from Bhiwani district of Haryana. He joined the Indian Navy on 25 January 2008.

Ajeet Singh hailed from Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, and he joined the service on July 29, 2009. Naveen leaves his wife Aarti and a two-year-old daughter while Ajeet Singh is survived by his wife Parvati and a five-year-old son.

A Board of Inquiry has been ordered into the cause of the accident. The Harbour police registered a case of unnatural death, and initiated a probe, said a local police official. The sailors were attached to the aviation electrical branch.Chennai: Coming down heavily on state government, DMK chief and leader of the opposition M.K Stalin announced that he would skip the meeting to be held to make a decision over setting up a panel for the selection of the Lokayukta, stating that such a meeting would not serve any purpose.

In a letter to secretary to government C. Swarna, Stalin said that even as he was invited as a member of the selection committee, he blamed Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who is chief of the selection committee, and has corruption cases pending against him. The AIADMK government is trying to set up a powerless body in the name of the Lokayukta , he said. It has been my long pending demand that the selection committee should have a sitting judge of the Madras high court as chief, while a total of five members should be in the panel, the DMK president noted.

Most importantly, there is no security for those who complain about corruption and this instils fear among whistleblowers, he said, and added that even though he had already urged government to establish investigation and prosecution wings, this was not heeded by government.

The former deputy chief minister expressed concern that the present Lok Ayukta Act does not have any power. Since Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has been slapped with corruption cases against him and Assembly speaker P. Dhanapal is acting in a biased manner, it wont be possible for me to participate in the meeting, said Stalin in the letter.

The meeting is the first after the state assembly passed the Lokayukta Bill in July.The Department of Public Relations of Madhya Pradesh government tweeted that there is no decision by the government to ban the film, adding that media reports announcing the ban were not factual. (Photo: File)

Bhopal: The Congress-led government in Madhya Pradesh Friday said it has not banned the film 'The Accidental Prime Minister', in which Anupam Kher plays former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The Department of Public Relations of Madhya Pradesh government tweeted that there is no decision by the government to ban the film, adding that media reports announcing the ban were not factual.

The film has sparked a row over alleged distortion of facts. The clarification came after a section of media reported that the film, based on the book of the same name by Singh's media advisor Sanjaya Baru, has been banned in the state.

The film, whose trailer was released recently, has a motley of actors playing the key players of the Nehru-Gandhi family and Kher stepping into the shoes of Dr Manmohan Singh.Sources said that this does not mean that we (India) are going to open an initiative on larger issues (with Pakistan).

New Delhi: There is unlikely to be any major peace initiative by the Central government towards Pakistan in the remaining few months of the NDA governments current tenure, but New Delhi does not want to scale down its diplomatic presence in Pakistan, top sources said on Thursday.

Sources also described the move by the Centre to build a corridor on the Indian side for Sikh pilgrims wanting to visit the historic Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara just across the border in Pakistans Punjab as a cultural and not diplomatic initiative.

Sources said that this does not mean that we (India) are going to open an initiative on larger issues (with Pakistan).

New Delhis stand has been that talks and terror cannot go together, a reference to Pakistani support for terrorist groups that target India and operate from Pakistani territory or territory controlled by it. Sources also said that even after Imran Khan assumed office as PM, there has been no change in the Pakistani stand of support to cross-border terrorism. Any call on resumption of a comprehensive dialogue from the Indian side between India and Pakistan is likely to be taken therefore only after the general election. But even then observers feel that New Delhi will find it difficult to participate in such a dialogue unless there is some tangible change in the Pakistani establishments approach towards terrorism aimed at India.

Meanwhile, India is carefully watching and reviewing the situation in the neighbourhood following the recent US announcement to withdraw a few thousand American troops from Afghanistan. New Delhi is carefully watching attempts by the US now to engage with the Pakistan-backed Taliban but sources said India was very clear that its policy remains that it (India) will not engage with the Taliban.'We don't insult anybody. We respect everyone irrespective of their religious affinity,' Mamata Banerjee said. (Photo: ANI)

Sagar Island (West Bengal): Coming down heavily on the BJP for its proposed Rath Yatras in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said such yatras are typically conducted in the name of God, and not meant to indulge in "danga" (riot).

The Supreme Court on Monday declined an urgent hearing on a BJP plea challenging a Calcutta High Court order disallowing its Rath Yatras in the state.

"There are yatras for Lord Krishna and Lord Jagannath, we take part in those rath yatras. Those who carry out yatras to kill common people indulge in 'danga' yatras," Banerjee said at a public distribution programme.

"We don't insult anybody. We respect everyone irrespective of their religious affinity," she added.

The three-phased Rath Yatra, also being called the 'Save Democracy Rally', was scheduled to be held this month, covering all the 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state. The rallies were to be flagged off by BJP president Amit Shah.

Banerjee also hit out at BJP leaders, calling them 'bhogis' (people indulging in material enjoyment) and said the party was no authority to decide on what religion people should follow.

"These so-called 'yogis' (holy men) are not 'yogis' but they are 'bhogis'. They've suddenly started giving diktats to people on religion. Who are they to decide? My faith is my choice. We are secular, pray to all Gods and respect all religions. We love the Hindu religion as much as Islam, Sikh religion and Christianity," she said.The Congress-JD(S) alliance is strong and it would contest the Lok Sabha polls together, he said. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said on Thursday that his party JD(S) has not yet discussed with its ally, the Congress, the seat-sharing formula for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The JD(S) leader's comment came in the wake of Congress leader Siddaramaiah in Hubbali on Thursday rubbishing BJP's claim that the coalition government in Karnataka would collapse due to an internal rift.

"There has not been any discussion on this (seat sharing) with the Congress so far. When the discussion has not yet taken place, then there is no question of any fight," Kumaraswamy told reporters when asked if the two parties have reached a seat-sharing formula for the 2019 polls.

The Congress-JD(S) alliance is strong and it would contest the Lok Sabha polls together, he said.

Siddaramaiah, who is the leader of the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition coordination committee, ruled out any differences between him and Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara over portfolio allocation to the newly-inducted ministers.

He was reacting to senior BJP lawmaker Umesh Katti's claim that 15 disgruntled legislators from the ruling coalition were in touch with him, and that the BJP would form the new government in Karnataka by next week.

"They (BJP) don't want to sit in the opposition and work. By using some wrong means, they want to form the government," Siddaramaiah told reporters in Hubbali.The woman, who got married to Imtiaaz in April 2005, said she was harassed by her in-laws too. (Representational Image)

Azamgarh: A woman in Uttar Pradesh has accused her husband of giving triple talaq on WhatsApp. The woman said her husband, who lives in Saudi Arabia, divorced her last month by sending messages on WhatsApp.

The woman from Azamgarh said that when her family was unable to meet the demands of dowry from her husband's family, the man, Hameed Imtiaaz, he started sending her obscene photos of other women living abroad.

When she protested against the pictures sent by her husband, he gave her triple talaq over WhatsApp on November 8.

The woman, who got married to Imtiaaz in April 2005, said she was harassed by her in-laws too.

"Modi ji and Yogi ji have made a strict law against triple talaq and the government should ensure that no injustice is done to any other woman," the woman said.

A case has been registered on the complaint of the woman against her in-laws and husband. The man and his family have been booked under the Dowry Prohibition Act.

The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the revised bill to make instant Triple Talaq - a practice among Muslim men to instantly divorce their wives by uttering "talaq" thrice - a punishable offence after five-hour debate.

The proposed law makes Triple Talaq an offence with a jail term of up to three years and a fine for the husband, and makes the woman entitled to maintenance.This was not the first time the Delhi CM was mocked over his ailment. (Photo: ANI | Screengrab)

New Delhi: Some people on Thursday interrupted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by imitating coughing action as he started speaking at an official event in New Delhi, prompting Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Harsh Vardhan to intervene.

The action ridiculing Kejriwal for the bouts of coughing he suffered till 2016, left the AAP leader in an awkward position at the Vigyan Bhawan event as he asked for some silence from the audience.

Some people started mocking Kejriwal by coughing as he began his speech. As the heckling became louder, Vardhan and Gadkari asked them to stop.

#WATCH BJP workers troll Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, start coughing when he begins to talk. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari intervened and Kejriwal began. pic.twitter.com/tABmZJcreS  ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2018

"Please keep quite. This is an official event," Gadkari said.

At the event, Kejriwal praised Gadkari asserting, "Nitin Gadkariji has never made us feel that he belongs to a rival party. I don't know about others, but the way he has showered love on us, I don't think the BJP people have got that much love."

The event, held jointly by the National Mission for Clean Ganga and the Delhi Jal Board, was aimed at launching a campaign to clean the Yamuna.

It was attended by Union Water Resources Minister Gadkari and Environment Minister Vardhan. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Minister of State for Water Resources Satyapal Singh, and BJP MPs from Delhi and workers were also present.

This was not the first time the Delhi CM was mocked over his ailment.

The Chief Minister suffered from a persistent form of cough for over 40 years, and in September 2016 he underwent corrective surgery at a Bengaluru hospital.

(With PTI inputs)'The SIT did a brilliant job by arresting the accused in the case. It filed two charge sheets also. When there is so much headway, it does not make any sense to hand over the case to CBI,' Gauri Lankesh's sister Kavitha said. (Photo: File)

Bengaluru: Murdered journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh's sister Kavitha has said that she will oppose any move to handover probe in the case to CBI, saying the Special Investigation Team of the Karnataka police had made significant progress, managing to arrest 16 suspects.

The Supreme Court had recently recommended a CBI probe into the murders of Gauri Lankesh, rationalist MM Kalburgi and social activist Govind Pansare, to see if there was a "common thread" in the killings that happened over a period of five years.

"The SIT did a brilliant job by arresting the accused in the case. It filed two charge sheets also. When there is so much headway, it does not make any sense to hand over the case to CBI," she told news agency PTI.

MM Kalburgi's son Sreevijaya said that he had faith in judiciary and any decision will be in the best interest of his family.

On December 11, a bench of Supreme Court justices UU Lalit and Navin Sinha had asked the CBI, already probing the killing of Narendra Dabholkar, whether it would like to investigate the three other cases too.

Earlier, the Karnataka police had informed the top court that there could be an "intimate connection" between the murders of MM Kalburgi in 2015 and Gauri Lankesh in 2017.

Gauri Lankesh was shot dead in front of her house in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017. So far 16 people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the killing.Anupam Kher on Friday said he will not back off from the snowballing controversy over the film on former prime minister Manmohan Singh. (Photo: File)

Mumbai: Calling "The Accidental Prime Minister" his "life's best performance", actor Anupam Kher on Friday said he will not back off from the snowballing controversy over the film on former prime minister Manmohan Singh.

The actor, who plays the title role in the movie, also took a swipe at Maharashtra Youth Congress' threat to stop the release unless it is first shown to them, saying they should be happy a film has been made on their leader.

"I am not going to back off. This is my life's best performance. #DrManmohanSingh will agree after seeing the film that it is a 100% accurate depiction," Kher tweeted. The trailer of the film, based on the book of the same name by Sanjaya Baru who served as Singh's media advisor 2004 to 2008, was released here on Thursday. It depicts Singh as a victim of Congress' internal politics ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

The trailer drew sharp reactions from the Congress, which dubbed it a "propaganda film".

The party's Maharashtra youth wing wrote a letter to the producers of the films to demand a special screening.

"They should be happy that a film has been made on their leader. They should bring the crowd to watch the film as it has dialogues such as 'Will I sell my country?' which shows how great Manmohan Singh ji is," Kher told television channels.

"The more they protest, the more publicity they will give to the film. The book has been out since 2014, no protests were held since then, so the film is based on that," he said.

Kher also referred to Congress president Rahul Gandhi's recent statement that freedom of expression is a fundamental right. This was in response to a party leader objecting to the language used to describe his father, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, in the Netflix series "Sacred Games".

"I had read Rahul Gandhi ji's tweet where he spoke about freedom of expression. So I think he should scold these people and tell them they are doing wrong."

BJP's official Twitter handle has shared a link to the trailer. "Riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years. Was Dr Singh just a regent who was holding on to the PM's chair till the time heir was ready? Watch the official trailer of 'The Accidental Prime Minister', based on an insider's account, releasing on 11 January," the party said.

Responding to the BJP, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said on Twitter that "such fake propaganda" by the party would not stop it from asking the Modi government questions on "rural distress, rampant unemployment, demonetisation disaster, flawed GST, failed Modinomics, all pervading corruption. Singh evaded questions on the film at the Congress' foundation day function at the party headquarters on Friday.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah also tweeted on the film, saying, "Can't wait for when they make The Insensitive Prime Minister. So much worse than being the accidental one."

Directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, The Accidental Prime Minister stars Kher as Manmohan Singh and Akshaye Khanna as Baru.The lakhs of people who have congregated for the Shaheedi Jor Mela have come here not to listen to political speeches but to pay their respects to Guru Gobind Singh's martyred sons, whose sacrifice can never be forgotten, the chief minister said. (Photo: File)

Fatehgarh Sahib: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday said his government will not tolerate anybody trying to create a rift between communities and disturb the state's secular fabric.

His reaction comes in the background of a statue of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi being vandalised in Ludhiana by some persons on Tuesday.

Singh had claimed that the vandals owed allegiance to opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and had asked its chief Sukhbir Singh Badal to apologise to the people of Punjab for the incident.

In an informal interaction with reporters on the second day of the three-day Shaheedi Jor Mel, he said Sikh religion propagated communal harmony, which nobody would be allowed to disturb.

Recalling the sacrifice of 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh, his youngest sons -- Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh -- and his mother Mata Gujri, the chief minister said the peace for which they had laid their lives will be sustained at all costs.

He was responding to questions on the incident in Ludhiana.

Amarinder Singh accused the SAD for the Ludhiana incident and warned it to not to repeat such things, saying there were statues of several senior SAD leaders in various parts of Punjab.

The present Punjab government is committed and will protect statues of all leaders, he asserted.

The Congress leader alleged that the SAD was making "frustrated attempts" to spread communal hatred by fanning the flames of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and dragging the name of the Gandhi family.

Rajiv Gandhi was not even there when the violence erupted, he said.

The chief minister claimed that Sukhbir Badal was studying in the US and former SAD minister Bikram Singh Majithia somewhere in Punjab during the time of the riots, but they were not in the know of things. Now, they are trying to exploit it in the name of religion to gain political mileage, Amarinder Singh alleged.

It is evident that the SAD was indulging in petty politics and trying to disrupt the harmony between communities, he said, adding that he would not allow anyone to indulge in such politics of hate.

In response to another query regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's proposed political rally at Gurdaspur on January 3, the chief minister said the PM is holding such rallies in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls.

But, the state Congress leadership is geared-up to once again wipe out the SAD-BJP alliance from Punjab, he asserted.

On the overall development of historic city of Fatehgarh Sahib, the chief minister announced that a chowk (intersection) will be soon constructed in the memory of legendary Sikh warrior Baba Banda Singh Bahadur.

Amarinder Singh, who earlier paid obeisance at the historic Fatehgarh Sahib gurdwara and later partook the langar, expressed happiness that no political conference was taking place during the mela, which was not an occasion for such rallies.

The lakhs of people who have congregated for the Shaheedi Jor Mela have come here not to listen to political speeches but to pay their respects to Guru Gobind Singh's martyred sons, whose sacrifice can never be forgotten, the chief minister said.

Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib, located 5 km north of Sirhind where the Sahibzadas were killed on December 26, 1705, marks the site of their live entombment and is a revered Sikh religious site.

The Shaheedi Jor Mel, being held here since time immemorial, is a mark of respect to remember the supreme sacrifice of the sons and mother of the 10th Sikh Guru.Bhopal: Accidental Prime Mini-ster, purported biopic of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, has set off a controversy in Madhya Pradesh (MP) even before it hit the silver screen with ruling Congress describing it, more a political agenda than a film.

The Bollywood movie was set to release on January 11.

The trailer of the film, in which veteran actor Anupam Kher portrayed role of the former PM, was released on Thursday.

The movie has been made with a mala-fide intention to tarnish the image of Congress ahe-ad of 2019 Lok Sabha ele-ctions. The film is a political agenda of the BJP, Congress spokes-man Pankaj Chaturvedy said.

He said people in the country very well knew the motive behind production of the film. BJP is the promoter of the film, as its tweet on the movie indicates, he added.

Another Congress leader Syed Jaffer demanded removal of some objectionable scenes in the movie. He threatened that the film would not be allowed to be released in MP with the said contents. if the contents would not be deleted.

However, a Congress spokesman here denied any move by the state government to ban the film in MP, saying that chief minister Kamal Nath has already clarified that no restrictions would be imposed on screening of any film in the state.

In a related development, MP governments public relations department made it clear that there was no decision to ban the film in the state. BJP spokesman here however sharply reacted to criticism of the yet-to-be- released movie by Congress.

 The book was released long ago. The book never attracted criticism from any quarters. But, Congr-ess is now making hue and cry over the movie, a BJP spokesman said.Hyderabad: The statement of AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu with regard to YSRC president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddys illegal investment case in view of the bifurcation of the High Court and subordinate judiciary has raised eyebrows among judicial circles.

Mr Naidu told media persons in Hyderabad that in view of the bifurcation of courts, Mr Reddys cases may go back to square one and the cases would need to be heard afresh.

Lawyers say that the bifurcation of the judiciary has nothing to do with Mr Reddys case which has been pending before the special CBI court in Hyderabad. Bifurcation will not have any impact on the case, they say.

Senior advocate C. Nageswara Rao, former public prosecutor of undivided AP, said it was a strange argument that because of bifurcation, criminal cases which were booked on the ground of jurisdiction of the commission of offence would not be transferred. "This kind of argument is unknown to law," Mr Nageswara Rao said.

He explained that the cases were registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation in Hyderabad as the alleged land allocation was transacted from Hyderabad during the regime of late Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy. "Though the land parcels allocated to various companies which are now facing charges in the illegal investments case are located in various parts of Andhra Pradesh, the cases would not be transferred as the special CBI court at Hyderabad has already taken cognisance of the cases," Mr Nageswara Rao said.

He said that even the High Court of a state has no jurisdiction to order the transfer of cases against Mr Reddy to AP. The HC has jurisdiction only to order the transfer of cases from one court to another, both under its jurisdiction. Mr C. Mallesh Rao, senior criminal lawyer, explained that the argument for transfer of cases of Mr Reddy to AP was contrary to criminal jurisprudence. If the cases against Mr Reddy end in acquittal or conviction, the appellate jurisdiction is the Telangana High Court, Mr Mallesh Rao said. He explained that the law does not permit transfer of cases which originated under the ground place of commission of offence.Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Andhra Pradesh on January 6, 2019 has been postponed. Ever since AP BJP leaders announced the Prime Minister's plans to visit the state, it had triggered a controversy with Telugu Desam leaders including Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu raising objections.

According to the earlier schedule, after visiting Guntur on January 6, Mr Modi was to leave for Kerala for launching the partys campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. Kerala BJP president P.S. Sreedharan on Thursday said at Thiruvanantha-puram that Mr Modi would arrive in Pathanamthitta from Andhra Pradesh on January 6. He, however, said that the PM had cancelled his AP plan due to some sudden and urgent programmes.

Meanwhile, BJP leaders on Friday said Mr Modi would visit AP at the end of January. They said the PM would will visit AP thrice before the end of February.

The TD leaders raised objections over the PM's programme, saying that before visiting the state, the PM must fulfil all pending promises issues in the AP Reorganisation Act, including granting Special Category Status to the state.

The AP government had decided to observe January 6 as a protest day in view of Mr Modis visit. Mr Naidu had also asked the people to show black flags during the PMs visit. He said, Why is Mr Modi visiting AP, is it to check if the people here are alive or dead?

For the past two weeks, this war of words had been going on between the BJP and Telugu Desam leaders over the Prime Ministers visit.The state government has been under attack for the tardy rescue operation as family members claimed that miners would be safe in wind pockets inside. (Representational image)

Guwahati: The Centre on Friday rushed a heavy transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force carrying seven high-power pumps to Ksan village in Meghalaya, where 15 labourers are trapped in a flooded rat-hole coal mine since December 13.

Meanwhile, Indian Navy divers on Saturday will join the operation.

The plane took off with the heavy tools from Bhubaneswar in Odisha earlier on Fri-day morning, after low-capacity pumps used by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) failed to pump out water from rat-hole mine.

The miners have been missing, after the mine they were digging collapsed on them on December 13 in the remote Ksan village of the coal-rich East Jaintia Hills, an area where illegal mining is rife and a National Green Tribunal ban on such activities has been in place for four years.

The state government has been under attack for the tardy rescue operation as family members claimed that miners would be safe in wind pockets inside.

NDRF senior officials said that water from an adjacent abandoned mine was flooding the rat-hole mine, making it unsafe for their divers to operate.

Meanwhile, Indian Navy divers on Saturday will join the operation underway to rescue 15 miners.

The Navy spokesman said in a tweet that a 15-member diving team from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh will reach the site. The team is carrying specialised diving equipment including a re-compression chamber and remotely operated vehicles capable of searching underwater, he said.New Delhi: A political slugfest has erupted between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress over the controversial film The Accidental Prime Minister. Actor Anupam Kher, who played the role of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the film, has refused to back off following the raging controversy and described it as his lifes best performance. At the Congress foundation day function at the AICC headquarters, Dr Singh walked away without saying anything when asked to comment about the controversy.

With some Congress leaders attacking the BJP after it praised the trailer of The Accidental Prime Minister, minister of state for information and broadcasting Rajyava-rdhan Rathore wondered asked whether his party doesnt even have the freedom to extend its good wishes for a film. Cant we extend our wishes for a film? The Congress has been all for freedom, why is it questioning that freedom now? Mr Rathore said outside Parliament.

In Mumbai, Mr Kher called it his lifes best performance, and said he would not back off from the snowballing controversy over the film. He also took a swipe at the Maharashtra Youth Congress threat to stop the release unless it is first shown to them, saying they should be happy that a film has been made on their leader.

I am not going to back off. This is my lifes best performance. #DrMan-mohanSingh will agree after seeing the film that it is a 100% accurate depiction, Mr Kher tweeted.

They should be happy that a film has been made on their leader. They should bring the crowd to watch the film as it has dialogues such as Will I sell my country?, which shows how great Manmohan Singhji is, Mr Kher told some television channels.

The more they protest, the more publicity they will give to the film. The book has been out since 2014, no protests were held since then, so the film is based on that, he said.

Mr Kher also referred to Congress president Rahul Gandhis recent statement that freedom of expression is a fundamental right. This was in response to a party leader objecting to the language used to describe his father, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, in the Netflix series Sacred Games. I had read Rahul Gandhijis tweet where he spoke about freedom of expression. So I think he should scold these people and tell them they are doing wrong, he said.

The films trailer, based on the book of the same name by Sanjaya Baru, who had served as Dr Singhs media adviser from 2004 to 2008, was released on Thursday. It depicts Dr Singh as a victim of the Congress internal politics ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, the film stars Mr Kher as Dr Singh and Akshaye Khanna as Sanjaya Baru. The BJPs official Twitter handle has shared a link to the trailer. Riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years. Was Dr Singh just a regent who was holding on to the PMs chair till the time heir was ready? Watch the official trailer of The Accid-ental Prime Minister, bas-ed on an insiders accou-nt, releasing on January 11, the party said.Chennai: The Justice A. Arumugasamy commission, which is probing the circumstances leading to the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, on Friday, summoned Dr Richard Beale, the UK-based doctor who treated Jayalalithaa, deputy chief minister O. Panneerselvam, health minister C .Vijayabaskar, and Lok Sabha deputy speaker M. Thambidurai, to appear before it in the second week of January.

Prof Dr Richard Beale, an intensivist from the London Bridge Hospital, was consulted by Apollo Hospital specialists for treatment of Jayalalithaa, who was admitted to the hospital in September 2016.

Prof Dr Richard Beale is likely to appear from London through video-conferencing facility on January 9, and answer queries. The commission directed Apollo Hospital to coordinate the appearance of Dr Beale, before the commission through video-conferencing on January 9, 2019, by 3 pm (IST) without fail.

The commission has also directed minister Vijaya Baskar to appear before it on January 7. O Panneerselvam and M. Thambidurai are expected to appear before the Commission on January 8 and 11.

The latest in a slew of controversies that has plagued the death of former AIADMK supremo, was an outstanding bill amount of Rs 44 lakh, yet to be paid to Apollo Hospital.

According to a bill summary submitted by the hospital to the probe commission, the total cost of treatment and other services amounted to Rs 6.86 crore, but only Rs 6.41 crore had been paid, and authorities are yet to clear an outstanding amount of Rs 44 lakh to the hospital. The hospital paid Rs 92 lakh to Dr Beale for professional services offered by him.

Affidavit filed for medical board: Meanwhile, the Apollo hospital on Friday filed an affidavit before the commission seeking to constitute a medical board at the earliest, to analyze the medical records submitted before the commission regarding the treatment provided to Jayalalithaa.

In the petition, the hospital stated that based on the commission's direction, it had submitted 30 volumes of medical records which included 15 CDs of Echo Cardiograms, multiple X-rays, biochemistry, microbiology reports, ECMO charts and several medical reports, related to Jayalalithaa's treatment. The late CM suffered from a complete matrix of diseases and each one overlapped the other, and only a full understanding of the synchrony between all her medical issues can lead to a conclusion that would be helpful to the commission to provide the final report.

On a request from the commission, the state government had given its nod to the commission to form an expert medical team to examine the treatment and the medical documents relating to Jayalalithaa's treatment, and the commission intends to pick four medical experts of its choice to carry forward the examination.

But the hospital on its part has requested the commission to constitute a medical board consisting of doctors/medical professionals of 21 specialties including a critical care specialist, a cardiologist, a diabetologist, an urologist, a neurologist, a radiologists and gastroenterologist, to examine the facts and circumstances of CM's medical condition and appropriateness of treatment provided to her.Hyderabad: TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao on Friday appealed to the party workers and leaders to actively take part in the ongoing enrolment of voters as the schedule would end on January 25.

Mr Rama Rao, held a meeting with party general secretaries at Telangana Bhavan, asked them and the TRS MLAs to launch a special drive as the Chief Minister was keen on enrolment of the entire new voters as well as those missing from the latest list. He also asked the party general secretaries to extensively tour the villages to monitor the drive.

Mr Rama Rao said land had been acquired in 20 district headquarters for the construction of party offices and the foundation stones will be laid after Sankranti.

Mr Rama Rao said a decision would be taken soon on the filling up of vacant posts in the party after consulting with party president and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Meanwhile, former minister and Secunderabad MLA T. Padma Rao said a public meeting would be organised at Municipal Complex ground in Chilakalguda on Sunday and Mr Rama Rao would be the chief guest.Hyderabad: Some issues are likely to rise when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Andhra Pradesh. These include AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidus sudden laying of the foundation stones for construction of a new secretariat building at Amaravati and steel plant at Kadapa, and the controversy between the BJP and Telugu Desam over release of funds by the Centre to AP.

Mr Modi, during his AP visit, is likely to speak about these issues, particularly the construction of the capital city Amaravati, for which the Centre had released about Rs 2,500 crore two years ago. It has stated it would give Rs 1,000 crore more. Of the Rs 2,500 crore, the Centre released Rs 1,000 crore to improve infrastructure facilities like laying of roads linking Vijayawada and Guntur to Amaravati.

The Centre has released `1,500 crore for the construction of the capital city including the secretariat, Raj Bhavan, Assembly and other government offices. The Centre told the AP government that it would release an additional `1,000 crore the for capital city construction once it submits utilisation certificates for the `1,500 crore already released.

But the AP government did not send utilisation certificates and instead is criticising the Centre for not releasing funds for the construction of the capital. To counter the AP governments allegation, Mr Modi will tell the people that the AP government did not spend the money and did not construct the capital even after four years. Hence, Mr Naidus haste to lay the foundation stone for the construction of the secretariat to ward off criticism.

Regarding the Kadapa steel plant, the Centre has decided not to take it up as per its study report. The Centres stance is that in the AP Reorganisation Act it did not promise to construct a steel plant at Kadapa, but only assured to study the feasibility. Mr Naidu laid the foundation stone for the Kadapa plant only to steal a march over the Centre.Hyderabad: The controversial film, The Accidental Prime Minister, based on a book by Mr Sanjay Baru, media adviser to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, has found no takers in the Nizam district, the distribution area which covers the Telugu states.

The norm is for distributors to book Bollywood movies 15-21 days ahead of the release, and those starring major actors a month in advance.

The Accidental Prime Minister is slated for release on January 11, but the slot is crowded by major releases locally.

The trailer of the film was released on December 27 and has been shared by the official Twitter handle of the BJP IT Cell.

Member of TS & AP Distributors Association, Mr P. Mutyala Ramdasu, told this newspaper, Most distributors have not heard of the movie. Generally, big Bollywood stars attract distributors as they are assured of minimum returns.

He said most theatres were booked for three major Telugu movies  Ram Charan Tejas Vinaya Vidheya Rama, F2 starring Venkatesh and Varun Tej and NTR: Kathanayakudu, the biopic on N.T. Rama Rao starring Balakrishna  and the Rajanikanth starrer Petta (Tamil).

The Accidental Prime Minister revolves around Dr Manmohan Singh and the trailer shows him as a victim of Congress politics.

Local BJP legislator T. Raja Singh said he would arrange a special screening of the film in the state and promote it. The truth has to reach the public. It is an important revelation of what one family did to the nation for 10 years, he said.

@BJPIndia: Riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years. Was Dr Singh just a regent who was holding on to the PMs chair till the time heir was ready? Watch the official trailer of #TheAccidentalPrimeMinister, based on an insiders account, releasing on 11 Jan!

Former CM of J&K @OmarAbdullah tweeted As much (sic) as the Congress, its branches/ off-shoots and other well-wishers of Dr Manmohan Singh may find the movie disagreeable, we cant talk about intolerance and then threaten to stop all screenings. Dr Singhs record & legacy wont be the product of one single movie or book.

Maharashtra Youth Congress leader Satyajeet Tambe Patil tweeted, As BJP has tweeted trailer of #TheAccidentalPrimeMinister movie from their official Twitter handle. it is now evident that it is BJPs propaganda/ campaign movie. Hence we dont even want to see this campaign movie of BJP and we withdraw our demand of special screening.New Delhi: Amid buzz over a biopic that appears to highlight a rift within the Congress during the Dr Manmohan Singh years, the former Prime Minister and Congress president Rahul Gandhi cut a cake together to mark 134 years of the grand old party.

The image of the joint cake-cutting caught the attention of social media, which has seen a huge buzz over the trailer release of the Manmohan Singh film The Accidental Prime Minister. Mr Gandhi was seen cutting a slice of the dark chocolate cake and serving it to Dr Singh on a plate. Other leaders like Motilal Vohra and Ahmed Patel were seated next to the Congress chief.

The occasion was the birthday of senior lea-der and former defence minister A.K. Antony. When former PM Dr Manmohan Singh was asked about the film the film by a news agency, he replied, I have no comments to make.

Earlier several leaders were up in arms when the movie was released. The film portrayed eme-rgency years and was loosely based on the cha-racter of former PM Ind-ira Gandhi. It also portrayed the late Congress leader Sanjay Gandhi.CHENNAI: Amid great expectations of appointment of a head of the search committee to set up Lokayukta members, a selection committee on Friday decided to appoint Justice K. Venkataraman, former judge of the Madras high court, as head of the search panel.

A Government Order (GO) was released on Friday evening. According to the notification, In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (3) of Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Lokayukta Act, 2018 (Tamil Nadu Act 33 of 2018), the selection committee hereby constitutes a search committee for the purpose of submitting the names for consideration for the positions of chairperson and members of Lokayukta.

Accordingly, the composition of the search committee will be as follows. Justice K. Venkataramanan (retd.) will be chairperson, while R. Krishnamoorthy, former advocate general of Tamil Nadu, and A. Pari, former IPS officer, will be members," the GO said.

Under the Tamil Nadu Lokayukta Act, the search committee will find the members, who will be functioning as Lokayukta.

Earlier, the selection committee was held at the secretariat and Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, assembly speaker P. Dhanapal and top government officials discussed the appointing of members of the search committee.

DMK chief and leader of Opposition, M.K Stalin, already refused to participate in the meeting alleging that Chief Minister Palaniswami himself had corruption cases pending against him, and the Assembly Speaker acted in a biased manner.

Even as the state government had introduced the Lokayukta Bill in July, the first meeting regarding this was held only on Friday. The selection process. The search committee would recommend either retiring or sitting judges from the high court with members having sound knowledge in government and public administration. Later, the recommended names would again be sent to the selection committee, which in turn, would forward the same to the Governor, who would appoint the chairman and members for the Lokayukta. The four members should have been experts in handling legal issues for at least 25 years, or in public administration and anti-corruption issues for 25 years.Sources said that the talks could not move forward owing to PM Khan's inability to curb terror from his country. (Photo: Asian AgeFile)

New Delhi: The opening of the Kartarpur corridor that was based entirely on cultural and religious issues would not change India's stance on the resumption of peace talks with Pakistan, sources have confirmed.

The agreement to open the Kartarpur corridor was widely viewed as a major stride towards the resumption of a dialogue between the two neighbouring countries. Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had reached out to Prime Minister Imran Khan for peace talks before he assumed the office of the Pakistan Prime Minister in August.

However, sources said that the talks could not move forward owing to Khan's inability to curb terror from his country.

Speaking more on India's diplomatic relations with Pakistan, sources have also confirmed ANI that according to India, Pakistan has not done any favour by releasing Indian national Hamid Ansari, who went to Pakistan to meet a woman whom he had befriended through social media. India believes that Ansari has returned to India after completing a prison sentence of three years in a Pakistani jail.

However, with regards to the Kulbhushan Jadhav case, India is not very optimistic and it is a matter of concern, sources further said. India has rubbished all allegations and claims by Pakistan that Jadhav, arrested from Balochistan, was allegedly involved in espionage and subversive activities for India's intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

Sources also noted that Indian diplomats based in Islamabad are unprecedently harassed in Pakistan on multiple counts. Furthermore, guests visiting diplomats are also facing a volley of hostile questions allegedly by Pakistan's secret service agents. Surveillance has also increased, as diplomats are being followed bumper to bumper, according to sources.

Speaking on India's diplomatic relations with the Maldives, sources have confirmed that India has not sought the establishment of a military base in the Maldives in exchange for the USD 1.4 billion financial aid.

Earlier, media reports claimed that India wanted to open a military base in the Maldives following the aid granted to the island nation during President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's maiden visit here earlier this month. However, sources close to the developments quashed the rumours, claiming that India has made no such request, adding that India has provided financial aid and there is no quid pro quo.

Forging stronger relations with the East, sources further informed that India will soon be negotiating a logistics sharing deal with Japan that would allow the armed forces of both the countries to share each other's military facilities. The logistics pact called the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA), is expected to enhance the strategic depth of bilateral security and defence cooperation between the two countries.

The deal, seen as a way to counter China's expanding presence in the Indian Ocean, will also allow both India and Japan to have access to their respective ports and bases.

Meanwhile, according to sources, India has also urged China to adhere to established mechanisms overbuilding infrastructure across the Indo-China border. Sources said India-China border mechanisms are working in an efficient manner, with border meetings and flag meetings taking place normally. India and China have been trying to address the boundary question through various mechanisms, with the Special Representative mechanism being the highest level.

In addition to this, India also expects China to "walk the talk" on addressing trade imbalance and allowing import of agricultural products and IT services from India, the sources added.

Sources also informed ANI that India is not ready to sign an agreement with the United Kingdom (UK) on the deportation of illegal immigrants as the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) does not facilitate the extradition of fugitive economic offenders, including Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi.

Sources also told that the decision regarding the grant of consular access to the British High Commission for Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland scam, has not been taken yet.Hyderabad: The BJP leaders in Telangana state have approached the Central Election Commission (CEC) over the alleged irregularities in the recent Assembly elections. BJP state president Dr K. Laxman also informed the CEC that Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) for TS has also apologised for the irregularities.

The delegation led by Mr Laxman submitted a representation to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora in Delhi on Thursday.

They told him in some constituencies, duplicate votes were observed and in some constituencies additional votes were registered. The BJP has also submitted some statistics to the commissioner.

Dr Laxman said, We have also informed about the missing votes. The CEO has said sorry for the missing votes but in democracy, this is not fair. We have demanded action against the officials responsible for the missing votes and the commissioner assured us that he would take action.Telangana chief minister and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) supremo K. Chandrasekhar Rao, flush with his impressive victory in the state Assembly elections on December 11, got back to his coalition-building exercise which he began earlier and gave the tentative name of Federal Front. It included at that time West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjees Trinamul Congress (TMC) and Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaiks Biju Janata Dal (BJD). He was supposed to have met Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati and Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav. His fellow Telugu rival, Andhra Pradesh chief minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chairman N. Chandrababu Naidu, has allied with arch-rival Congress Party, though it is not yet clear whether he has become a part of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance. Mamata Banerjee is looking out for an option of a coalition where she does not have to go with the Congress and the UPA.

It is that time when alliances are re-alliances are being reworked. Mr Raos coalition will not have a place for the Congress and the TDP because then he would lose his own pre-eminence. In the Banerjee-Patnaik-Mayawati-Yadav tieup, Mr Rao will be on an equal footing with the others. If the Congress is to be accommodated, then all of them will take the second place, which they would not want to do. It appears that he wants to build a Third Front, which could subsequently deal with the UPA from a position of strength if the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) were to lose its majority in May 2019. There is also the distinct possibility that Mr Raos so-called Federal Front could do a deal with the NDA as well. Like Mr Naidu, Mr Rao too is an extreme pragmatist and he would not hesitate to deal with the BJP. Mr Rao and Mr Naidu are not uncompromising ideological opponents of the BJP.

This would mean that there will be no grand coalition against the BJP. There will be at least two anti-BJP groupings. The BJP will be tempted to feel satisfied that there is a scope for winning over some of the regional parties to its side after the election.

Many political pundits are looking at a polarised 2019 election where the BJP would play the Hindutva card more aggressively than ever before, and it is assumed that all the other parties would then have to be on the other side. The argument will then be put forward that the only way to defeat Hindutva politics for the others is to form a united front against the BJP. The Congress and the BJP, the two big parties, would want to make it an ideological war between Hindutva and secularism. There are complications here too. The BJP would chant secularism even as it mobilises its Hindutva forces. The Congress will harp the loudest on secularism and at the same time make the necessary overtures to Hindutva sentiments. The presence of the many regional parties with their undisputed electoral strengths would make ideological dichotomy an impossibility.

The BJP has been trying hard to break the strongholds of the regional parties, but this has not proved successful so far. The right-wing party did taste success in Tripura, and it is emboldened to believe that it could gain ground in neighbouring West Bengal as well. And it is looking to take advantage of the political vacuum in Odisha, with the BJD holding the fort there even as its strength becomes tenuous with a frail Naveen Patnaik at the top. But the BJPs utter rout in the Telangana Assembly elections reveals that it cannot dream of an easy success on the regional front. Hindutva might be the BJPs calling card, but it is not necessarily a winning card. The regional parties, which represent local interests, provide the perfect foil to the ideologically-minded BJP, Congress and the Communists, now confined primarily to Kerala, with enclaves left in West Bengal and Tripura.

The regional parties and their coming together is likely to force the BJP to rethink its 2019 election strategy. The party is under tremendous pressure from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and others to take the initiative on the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, but this would not give the BJP the electoral advantage that it is seeking. The anxiety of the RSS and VHP is that the BJP may not be able to fulfil the temple promise after the election because then it would not have the numbers. More than its main ideological rival, the Congress, it is the regional parties with their specific local agendas and strengths that appear to be the stumbling block for the BJP.

The third force that Mr Rao is trying to forge is sure to be frustrating for the NDA and for the UPA, but it is this force that would make the Indian polity less toxic in ideological terms. It will force Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi to speak in terms of development rather than in terms of Hindutva vs secularism. If the BJP wants to wean away some of the regional parties to its side, then it will have to put aside its Hindutva, and if the Congress seeks the support of the regional parties, it will have to give up its imperious attitude of being the so-called Grand Old Party of India. Mr Rao, Ms Banerjee, Mr Patnaik, Ms Mayawati and Mr Akhilesh Yadav are not going to play second fiddle either to the BJP or the Congress. It is good news for Indian democracy. The old idea that regionalism represents the fissiparous tendencies in the country does not hold good any longer. It is regionalism that lends glory to nationalism.Leaders are supposed to be created by rare substance that sets them apart from the masses. But maybe there are exceptions. Maybe one thing that endears some leaders to their followers is that in certain moments of despair, the leader acts just as any ordinary person would.

The quality was on show recently. First, Mian Nawaz Sharifs lawyers asked the accountability judge to delay his judgement in a couple of corruption cases against him. This momentary, in fact fleeting, relief from the inevitable was sought to allow Mian Sahib to celebrate his 70th birthday as a free man.

There were many sentimental points obviously surrounding the plea for a delay in the announcement of the sentence. The day of the birth of the head of a family or tribe itself is an emotional occasion, especially when a long absence from home is feared.

With Shahbaz Sharif in the lockup and an uncertain future staring the Sharifs in the face, maybe, just maybe, a birthday get-together, before Mian Sahib handed himself over to the forces that control the proceedings in the big world outside his home, would have been a small reprieve worth asking the court for.

The request was denied, luckily perhaps, because it would have been too much to expect from the stars to grant the fallen former Prime Minister two ordinary wishes in quick succession.

Appearing to hear the accountability court verdict against him a day before his birthday, Mian Sahib greeted the news of a seven-year-long sentence and a heavy fine against him with an innocent demand of his own.

He asked if he could kindly be shifted to the Kot Lakhpat jail, instead of being deposited in Rawalpindis Adiala prison, which may otherwise be as boastful of its ability to host the famous as its rival in this case in Lahore. He was obliged and has since been moved to the Kot Lakhpat cell in his own city, actually not far from where the Sharif political story began.

As the name suggests, the place draws its name  Kot Lakhpat  from a haveli or a fortress or kot, of a man whose riches back in the day ran into lakhs. Later on, the area as an industrial hub offered opportunities to souls possessing the right amount of ambition, ability and other prerequisites for making a fortune. Among them were those who pioneered the Ittefaq industry many decades later whose seizure by Z.A. Bhutto created the urge within the owners to join politics.

Over time, many stories about the rise of Mian Nawaz Sharif as the chosen scion to spearhead the Ittefaq industrys foray into politics have ended up bringing curious hacks to the Kot Lakhpat area, which is, of course, among those parts of Lahore that have undergone much transformation. But remarkably little is known about what went inside the Ittefaq factory, and all that goes around in the name of information is made up of rumours, some of it of the darkest kind aimed at gaining political capital.

One thing that does not need any corroboration is that Kot Lakhpat, where both Mian Sahib and Shahbaz Sahib are now imprisoned, must have been the place where the two brothers would have undergone their basic early lessons in administration. This is where their teacher, their father Mian Sharif, must have provided them with his insight into the thinking of different kinds of individuals and groups, and tried to arm them with the art of man management.

Now wait Maybe, it was not as ordinary an occurrence as it initially looked. Maybe this is what Mian Sahib is asking for  a refresher course in the old school area  so that he is able to take a fresh beginning after he landed in this mess, made up of his own follies and shortcomings. Maybe this is what he had in mind when he asked to be returned to his origins?

There may obviously be other meanings of the same expression  which will make it difficult for the less initiated amongst us to attach any definite message to the words escaping the convict here. All one can do in the situation here is throw up a question and see if others agree with the suggested ending or not. The fact is that when Mian Sahib was asking the court to send him to Kot Lakhpat, he was basically appealing to be lodged at a place closer to home, indeed, he was asking to be sent home.

This could well have been the call of a tired man for release from worldly obligations, a cry of anguish, one of resignation and relief from the one who had realised that this was as far and as best as he could stretch it. I am done. Now, please someone book me on the ship going home. Post-verdict, Mian Sahib sang to media Jayen ta kayen kahan, the Talat Mahmood number that paints submission to reality in its most sombre tones. Could this have been his swansong?

There are many political commentators who insist that this note of resignation was the only way left from Mian Nawaz Sharif after he was disqualified by the law in July 2018. In one way, this observation appears to be vindicating the sacked Prime Ministers decision to take on his detractors: If he stood no chance of getting the ticket to a rehab clinic at the time he was ousted from power, his agitation against the establishment couldnt have done any further harm to his chances. By going the way he did, perhaps he has returned full circle to Kot Lakhpat as a man with at least one regret less to contend with.

By arrangement with DawnTrying to push through a law on a religious community on the eve of the Lok Sabha elections does give rise to suspicions about a political motive. (Photo: PTI/Representational)

The bill to ban triple talaq, passed in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, is likely to have a narrow shelf life. In order to become law, it must gain the approval of the Rajya Sabha in 42 days. That seems unlikely to happen. The AIADMK, which has by and large been a government supporter, participated in the noisy walkout along with the Congress at the time of voting. In the Upper House, the treasury benches do not have a majority and need the backing of non-NDA parties.

In December last year too, the government had the bill against triple talaq passed in the Lower House due to its overwhelming majority. On that occasion there was no walkout by the Opposition parties, who raised many questions and urged the government to send the bill to a joint select committee of Parliament for a nuanced discussion, but drew a blank from the government side.

Subsequently, the government went to the extent of bringing in an ordinance to enforce triple talaq, suggesting that it was desperate to see the measure through. Triple talaq  the pronouncing of talaq three times in a single sitting in order to effect an immediate divorce  is not only un-Qoranic; it is discriminatory in the extreme to Muslim women who suffer grievously on account of it. This is the point that the BJP and the Hindu religious right seeks to emphasise.

On the other hand, the saffron partys opponents, with some justification, feel that while shedding tears for Muslim women, the BJP in reality is pushing a communal agenda of penalising Muslim men. Their underlying argument is that a Muslim marriage is a civil contract, and its breach cannot be made a criminal offence.

According to the figures law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad provided in the House while piloting the bill, in the two years from January 2017 to December 2018 there were 477 recorded instances of triple talaq. If this is the figure in a population of millions for Indian Muslims, then how serious is the problem really? Does it call for the enactment of a law? Indeed, in the present year, there were fewer cases than last year  177. In December 2017, Mr Prasad had given the figure of 300 for that year.

In the course of public debate on this matter in the past two years, a practical suggestion has been made that is worth considering. If triple talaq is banned in the nikahnama, the pre-nuptial Muslim civil contract between the man and the woman getting married, then the matter can be dealt with at the starting point, and the Islamic community itself would have brought about a reform.

Trying to push through a law on a religious community on the eve of the Lok Sabha elections does give rise to suspicions about a political motive.The United States has been taking action to cut Huawei out of the US market. (Photo: AP)

British Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said he had grave concerns about Chinese company Huawei providing technology for Britains planned 5G telecoms networks, the Times newspaper reported on Thursday.

Huawei, the worlds biggest producer of telecoms equipment, is facing intense scrutiny in the West over its ties to the Chinese government and concerns its equipment could be used by Beijing for spying. The company has repeatedly denied the allegations.

Williamson said a closer examination of security threats was needed before Huawei could be allowed to participate in the upgrade of Britains mobile network, becoming the first senior British minister to have aired such concerns, the Times said.

I have grave, very deep concerns about Huawei providing the 5G network in Britain. Its something wed have to look at very closely, Williamson was quoted by the paper as saying.

Weve got to look at what partners such as Australia and the US are doing in order to ensure that they have the maximum security of that 5G network and weve got to recognise the fact, as has been recently exposed, that the Chinese state does sometimes act in a malign way.

The United States has been taking action to cut Huawei out of the US market while in August Australia banned it from supplying equipment for its 5G network.

The chief of Britains MI6 foreign intelligence service Alex Younger said earlier this month that 5G reliance on Chinese technology was something Britain needed to discuss, though a bigger issue was the likely Chinese future dominance of emerging technologies.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.It would be the latest step by the Trump administration to cut Huawei Technologies Cos Ltd and ZTE Corp, two of Chinas biggest network equipment companies, out of the US market.

President Donald Trump is considering an executive order in the new year to declare a national emergency that would bar US companies from using telecommunications equipment made by Chinas Huawei and ZTE, three sources familiar with the situation told Reuters.

It would be the latest step by the Trump administration to cut Huawei Technologies Cos Ltd and ZTE Corp, two of Chinas biggest network equipment companies, out of the US market.

The United States says the companies work at the behest of the Chinese government and that their equipment could be used to spy on Americans.

Huawei and ZTE did not return requests for comment. Both in the past have denied that their products are used to spy.

Rural operators in the United States are among the biggest customers of Huawei and ZTE, and worry that they may also have to rip out existing Chinese-made equipment without compensation. Industry officials are divided on whether the administration could legally compel operators to do that.

The executive order, which has been under consideration for more than eight months, could be issued as early as January and would direct the Commerce Department to block US companies from buying equipment from foreign telecommunications makers that pose significant national security risks, sources from the telecoms industry and the administration said.

While the order is unlikely to name Huawei or ZTE, a source said it is expected that Commerce officials would interpret it as authorization to limit the spread of equipment made by the two companies. The sources said the text for the order has not been finalized.

The United States and China are locked in a trade war that has disrupted the flow of hundreds of billions of dollars of goods.

The executive order would invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a law that gives the president the authority to regulate commerce in response to a national emergency that threatens the United States.

The issue has new urgency as US wireless carriers look for partners as they prepare to adopt next generation 5G wireless networks.

In August, Trump signed a bill that barred the US government itself from using Huawei and ZTE equipment.

A White House official said the United States was working across government and with our allies and like-minded partners to mitigate risk in the deployment of 5G and other communications infrastructure, but stated that the White House had nothing further to announce.

The Wall Street Journal first reported in May that the order was under consideration, but it was never issued.

Chinas Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Thursday that she did not want to comment on the order as it had not been officially confirmed.

Its best to let facts speak for themselves when it comes to security problems, Hua said.

Some countries have, without any evidence, and making use of national security, tacitly assumed crimes to politicize, and even obstruct and restrict, normal technology exchange activities, she added.

This in reality is undoubtedly shutting oneself off, rather than being the door to openness, progress and fairness.

HIT TO RURAL NETWORKS

While the big US wireless companies have cut ties with Huawei in particular, small rural carriers have relied on Huawei and ZTE switches and other equipment because they tend to be less expensive.

Huawei is so central to small carriers that William Levy, vice president for sales of Huawei Tech USA, is on the board of directors of the Rural Wireless Association.

The RWA represents carriers with fewer than 100,000 subscribers. It estimates that 25 percent of its members had Huawei or ZTE equipment in their networks, it said in a filing to the Federal Communications Commission earlier this month.

The RWA is concerned that an executive order could force its members to remove ZTE and Huawei equipment and also bar future purchases, said Caressa Bennet, RWA general counsel.

It would cost $800 million to $1 billion for all RWA members to replace their Huawei and ZTE equipment, Bennet said.

Separately, the FCC in April granted initial approval to a regulation that bars giving federal funding to help pay for telecommunication infrastructure to companies that purchase equipment from firms deemed threats to US national security, which analysts have said is aimed at Huawei and ZTE.

The FCC is also considering whether to require carriers to remove and replace equipment from firms deemed a national security risk.

In March, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said hidden back doors to our networks in routers, switches  and virtually any other type of telecommunications equipment - can provide an avenue for hostile governments to inject viruses, launch denial-of-service attacks, steal data, and more.

In the December filing, Pine Belt Communications in Alabama estimated it would cost $7 million to $13 million to replace its Chinese-made equipment, while Sagebrush in Montana said replacement would cost $57 million and take two years.

Sagebrush has noted that Huawei products are significantly cheaper. When looking for bids in 2010 for its network, it found the cost of Ericsson equipment to be nearly four times the cost of Huawei.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.The shutdown was imminent as US President Donald Trump remained at odds with the lawmakers over border wall funding of USD 5 billion with Mexico. (Photo: ANI)

Washington: The partial US government shutdown is all set to drag on to the new year as opposition Democrats and Republicans refused to show any sign of compromise Thursday to end the impasse over President Donald Trump's demand for border wall funding. Trump has refused to sign any stopgap spending bill that does not has provisions to fund a wall along the US-Mexico border which he says is essential to stop the flow of illegal immigrants.

The Democrats, who will hold majority in the US House of Representatives in 2019 and carries the crucial numbers in the Senate despite being in minority, has argued that such a move is waste of taxpayers' money.

Statements issued by both the camps on Thursday indicated that the impasse is all set to continue in the new year. The partial government shutdown that started last Saturday has affected 800,000 federal employees, who have either been furloughed or are working without pay.

President Trump continued to blame Democrats for the shutdown. In a tweet, Trump said the government shutdown is not about the wall.

"Everybody knows that a Wall will work perfectly (In Israel the Wall works 99.9 per cent). This is only about the Dems not letting Donald Trump and the Republicans have a win. They may have the 10 Senate votes, but we have the issue, Border Security. 2020! he said.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders also criticised Democrats on Thursday, saying in a statement that they had "decided to go home" over the Christmas holiday rather than stay in Washington to negotiate.

The President has made clear that any bill to fund the government must adequately fund border security to stop the flow of illegal drugs, criminals, MS-13 gang members, child smugglers and human traffickers into our communities - and protect the American people, the White House said.

"The administration understands this crisis and made a reasonable, common-sense solution to Democrats five days ago - we've not received a single response, it said in a statement. The President and his team stayed in Washington over Christmas hoping to negotiate a deal that would stop the dangerous crisis on the border, protect American communities, and re-open the government, it said.

The Democrats decided to go home, it alleged. The only rational conclusion is that the Democrat party is openly choosing to keep our government closed to protect illegal immigrants rather than the American people. The President does not want the government to remain shut down, but he will not sign a proposal that does not first prioritize our country's safety and security, the White House said.

The Democrats have described it as a "Trump shutdown". Federal workers should not be held hostage by the President's demand for a useless and offensive border wall that he promised Mexico would pay for, said Democratic leader Congressman McGovern.

Republicans hold the House, the Senate, and the White House until January 3. They closed this government down and they have an obligation to open it back up. If they continue refusing to do so, the Democratic Majority will move to responsibly end the Trump Shutdown on Day One of the new Congress, he said.

Senator Richard Blumenthal said Trump's positioning for a very long shutdown disregards the struggle and sacrifice many families are currently making.The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said that any kind of decision to ease the regulations on capital adequacy and risk weights at a time when defaults are high and provision are low to cover losses is harmful to the economy.

The Basel III norms recommend risk weights for various credit exposures, based on cumulative default rates (CDR) and recovery rates observed internationally. However, the CDRs and the loss given default (LGD) rates observed in India are much higher than observed internationally. Therefore, applying the Basel specified risk weights would understate the true riskiness of loan assets carried on the books of Indian banks, RBI said in a report.

The move comes at a time when the government has been wanting the apex bank to ease its norms on capital adequacy, driven from the thought that it is hampering the credit flow in the economy.

The RBIs report comes at a time when the public-sector bank chairmen had pitched for tweaking in the prompt corrective action norms in their last meeting with the apex bank governor Shaktikanta Das. Out of 21 PSBs, 11 are under the PCA framework as the central bank also justified its application of the PCA norms on the banking sector.

The revised prompt corrective action (PCA) framework effected from April 2017 seeks to intervene early and take corrective measures in a timely manner so that the financial health of the banks is quickly restored. The early intervention framework varies across countries, based on supervisory tools, the range of powers of the regulatory/supervisory authority and degrees of restrictions, the central bank said in its report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India 2017-18.

In fact, bankers and government, both saw former governor Urjit Patel as too strict on the banking sector, and thereby causing hinderance in the credit flow in the economy just before the general elections of 2019. This ultimately led to the unceremonious resignation by Patel, amid the turf-grab by the Narendra Modi led BJP government.In 2018, South Asia witnessed several momentous changes. Bhutan, Nepal, the Maldives and Pakistan saw governments being ousted and new leaders take charge. It was heartening that such change came through the ballot box. The ouster of Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen, in particular, came as a pleasant surprise as Yameen used every trick in the book to manipulate the presidential elections in his favour. Maldivian voters proved the power of their vote when they elected opposition leader Ibrahim Mohamed Siloh as their new President. In Pakistan, Imrans Khans Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf swept to power, albeit with more than a little help from the generals. Sri Lanka, Asias oldest democracy, was plunged in a constitutional crisis when President Maithripala Sirisena dismissed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe although he enjoyed parliaments support. The nations constitution ultimately prevailed with its Supreme Court ruling against Sirisenas decisions. As for Afghanistan, 2018 proved bloodier than previous years, with the Taliban and the Islamic State-Khorasan unleashing unprecedented violence. With the Taliban gaining control of more territory than at any time since the fall of their regime 17 years ago and with US President Donald Trump announcing a withdrawal of American troops in the coming months, a cloud of uncertainty hangs over Afghanistan in the New Year.

Indias relations with its neighbours were a mixed bag. Ties with Pakistan continued to be deadlocked. Relations with China, which frayed during the military standoff at Doklam in 2017, limped back to normal in 2018 after the Indian and Chinese leaders met for an informal summit at Wuhan. While the border was calm, the spirit of Wuhan seemed ephemeral as China remained insensitive to Indias struggle with terrorism emanating from Pakistan. In 2018, Chinas ambitious Belt and Road Initiative hit speed-breakers in the Maldives, Myanmar and even Pakistan. Baluch nationalists expressed their anger against BRIs implications for Baluchis by violently targeting the Chinese consulate in Karachi. A debt-ridden Pakistan scaled back a few BRI projects while Maldives promised to review BRI contracts. However, Chinas footprint in Indias neighbourhood continued to expand. Nepals Communist government wriggled out of Indias grip to embrace BRI enthusiastically while in Bhutan, a small but growing section is eyeing diplomatic and economic relations with China.

India scored an important victory in 2018 when it reached agreement with Russia for purchase of the S-400 Triumf air defence system. Not only will this beef up Indias defences against Pakistan and China, but the deal also sent out a message to the US that in matters involving its security, Delhi would not take orders from anyone. With general elections due in May, major new initiatives on the foreign policy front are, however, unlikely in the first half of 2019.UPPER DARBY- The Grinch has nothing on a pair of brothers who allegedly tried to rob three women of more than holiday cheer in Upper Darby on Christmas Day.

Messyah Ford-Payton and Zachariah Payton, both 18 of the 3900 block of Poplar Street in Philadelphia, are charged for one of these incidents that occurred early afternoon on Dec. 25 in the 4400 block of Rosemont Avenue in Drexel Hill.

The brothers have both been charged 15 times over for the Rosemont Avenue incident including felony counts of robbery- threat of immediate serious bodily injury, robbery- taking property from another by force, and firearm not to be carried without a license. Related misdemeanor charges have also been filed. They were arraigned by Magisterial Judge Kelly Micozzie-Aguirre on Dec. 26 and were remanded to the Delaware County prison for each failing to post $500,000 cash bail.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by Upper Darby Detective Robert Marvil, police responded to Rosemont Avenue just before 1 p.m. for a report of a pedestrian robbery in the last two minutes. The victim, a 45-year-old woman, said she walked out of her apartment building and noticed a black Cadillac sedan parked in the opposite way of traffic.

The victim stated that one male occupant exited (the vehicle), approached her, and asked if he could use her phone to call the police, reads the affidavit. As she began producing her phone, two additional black males exited the vehicle and approached. She states that one of the two produced a black handgun and demanded her bag.

She handed over a bank card and her license but one of the males demanded more and she gave them her Apple iPhone 7. The males took off in the Cadillac.

In interviewing the victim at police headquarters around 1:30 p.m., Marvil was told by the victim she was tracking her phone through the Find my Phone application, showing real-time location results in West Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Police Department were notified to lookout for a black Cadillac sedan and were provided with location notifications from Find my Phone.

The phone was located in the area of 43th and Preston streets for a while and Philadelphia police arrived at the scene. The Cadillac was found in that area and a traffic stop was initiated.

Ford-Payton and Payton were located in the vehicle and held at the scene where they were positively identified by the victim.

During the course of the traffic stop Ford-Payton said the phone was sold at a nearby store. The phone was found at a cell phone store where it was sold to them for $50. A third man who was with the brothers in the commission of the crime was reportedly dropped off there to sell the phone and Ford-Payton, does not know where the male went thereafter according to an incident report by Ofcr. Robert Bennett.

At police headquarters the vehicle was searched and a loaded mm handgun was found, the one reportedly used in the robbery. A firearms registration search yielded no records. A pink phone cover that was on the stolen iPhone was found in a map pocket on the back of the passenger seat.

According to Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood, the brothers were involved in two other robberies that happened late Christmas morning in Drexel Hill. One woman apparently flicked the guys off and another woman had some ribbons and bows taken from her.

The method was the same, they were all women, said Chitwood Thursday afternoon. They were just grabbing anyone they could in broad daylight.

He went on to say they werent Christmas humbugs, but Christmas scumbags.

This is still an open investigation.LAYTON  The city is offering two nine-week Community Emergency Response Team courses beginning Jan. 15 and 18.

The classes are taught by trained personnel, such as firefighters, and will provide basic training to improve community self-reliance in the event of a major disaster.

Participants will receive training in disaster awareness; CERT team organization; fire suppression; disaster first aid; search and rescue; disaster psychology; and terrorism awareness.

The courses will be taught on Tuesdays and Fridays from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., and will conclude with a simulated mock disaster on Saturday, March 9, where participants apply the skills learned.

Cost is $25 per person and includes a comprehensive manual, CERT helmet, safety glasses, gloves and some basic first aid supplies. The courses will be held at Saint Rose of Lima Catholic Church, 210 Chapel St.

To register for either course, log on to laytoncity.org/LC/EmergencyManagement/CERT. For more information, please call 801-336-3940. A minimum of 15 students must be registered two weeks prior to the class start date or the course may be canceled.HOLMES & WATSON  2 stars  Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Ralph Fiennes, Rob Brydon, Steve Coogan, Rebecca Hall; PG-13 (crude sexual material, some violence, language and drug references); in general release; running time: 89 minutes

Holmes & Watson gets off to an intriguing start, but eventually settles into mediocre comic territory.

Playing on the chemistry Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly have built over the years through comedies like 2006s Talladega Nights and 2008s Step Brothers, Holmes & Watson is a feeble humorous take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyles famous detective.

Etan Cohen's film opens in 1867 as a young Sherlock is about to start his first day of school. Hes bullied so mercilessly that after a particularly humiliating encounter, Sherlock decides to go full Vulcan on his human emotions and morphs into the clinical super-sleuth we know and love.

Fast forward a few years, and Sherlock (Ferrell) is the toast of London, solving crimes alongside his trusted BFF Dr. Watson (Reilly). The pair is preparing to testify against Sherlocks nemesis, Moriarty (Ralph Fiennes), who is facing murder charges. But once in the courtroom, Sherlock determines the man in handcuffs is really an impostor and that the real Moriarty has fled to America.

A dastardly plot to kill Queen Victoria (Pam Ferris) is soon uncovered and Sherlock must apprehend Moriarty in time, but matters are complicated by a pair of love interests from America (Rebecca Hall and Lauren Lapkus)  one of whom was raised by feral cats. At this point, the plot mostly functions as a way of transporting Ferrell and Reilly from one comic set piece to another.

The childhood prologue sets an interesting tone for the movie  part of the reason Sherlock is so brilliant is because he uses his powers of deduction to get all his classmates but Watson expelled  but the rest of Holmes & Watson only connects on about half of its swings. And unfortunately, were not scoring at MLB standards.

The movie definitely has enough winning jokes to keep you hoping for more, along with supporting performances from Kelly Macdonald and Rob Brydon as the boys maid and as the local inspector, respectively. But a lot of the humor here seems designed to either gross out audiences or just appeal to their inner 10-year-old (picture multiple characters vigorously chewing into raw onions as if their lives depended on them).

Theres also plenty of material designed to lampoon the Holmes elitist know-it-all demeanor and, in a nod to the recent Guy Ritchie films, the detectives habit of mapping out scenarios mentally before engaging. It might have been a little nicer to get more of the intelligent stuff, given the lowbrow alternative we get instead.

For a PG-13 film, Holmes & Watson strains hard against the limits of vulgarity and crudity, and jokes about topics like masturbation and bodily functions are scattered aside the more witty content. Theres also a bit of social commentary, taking aim at both the backwardness of the 19th century and the foibles of our present culture (including the obligatory, if stale, knocks at the Trump administration).

Its hard to see this mess becoming a favorite alongside the pairs other efforts; even if individual moments in Holmes and Watson will make you smile, the entire production is a tough sell at full ticket price.

Rating explained: Holmes & Watson is rated PG-13 for persistent vulgarity and crudity, including suggestive sexual content and drug references, as well as slapstick violence and intermittent profanity, including a single use of the F-word.SALT LAKE CITY  From cheating to religion to technology, researchers in 2018 conducted surveys and crunched numbers on a variety of topics affecting the American family.

Here's a sampling of 10 things we learned:

1. Family roles are more important to Americans than politics, religion and other ways they define themselves.

The American Family Survey, a nationally representative annual poll from the Deseret News and the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy at Brigham Young University, found being a parent or spouse/partner were the identities that meant the most to those who experienced them. Around 70 percent called these roles "very" or "extremely" important to their personal identity. That's far more than said the same of religion (43 percent), career (37 percent), community (30 percent), race (29 percent) or political party (28 percent).

2. Technology, bullying and mental health top the list of concerns parents have about their teens, according to the same American Family Survey.

More than half of parents listed overuse of technology as a top-three concern, while 45 percent listed bullying. Poor mental health edged out family breakdown/divorce and drugs and alcohol, while other concerns lagged far behind, including school quality, sexual activity and relationships, among others.

3. Teens who pray and attend religious services get a "well-being boost" that may last into adulthood.

The finding comes from a Harvard study that notes while studies show going to a worship service has a positive effect on health for both adults and youths, the youths see as much or even more benefit from meditation and prayer. The positive effects include greater life satisfaction, certain character strengths, and lower probabilities of marijuana use and early sexual activity.

One of the study authors, Harvard research scientist Ying Chen, told the Deseret News the reason prayer and meditation have such a strong impact among youths might be that church attendance can be prompted by parents, but teens have the say in whether they pray or meditate.

4. When it comes to infidelity, men cheat more overall, but that gap may be closing in younger generations.

An analysis by Wendy Wang, director of research for the Institute for Family Studies, found that men are typically more apt to cheat than women, as are those who grew up in families without both mom and dad at home compared to intact families, and those who don't often attend religious services compared to those who attend regularly. The numbers count only adults who are or have been married.

Breaking it down by age, Wang found little difference between men and women around age 18  10 percent of men and 11 percent of women had cheated. She found a bigger gap around the mid-40s, with more men having cheated, and the gap continues to widen at older ages.

As a side note, University of Utah professor Nicholas Wolfinger has written that Americans born in the 1940s and '50s had the highest rate of extramarital sex. He posits it could be that they grew into adulthood during the sexual revolution of the 1960s.

Wang found women born in the 1940s and '50s were somewhat more likely than other women to be unfaithful to their spouse, while for men, those born in the 1930s and '40s were unfaithful at the highest rates.

She told the Deseret News that religious attendance, party affiliation and family background are "still significant factors for cheating" by women, while race, age and education are not relevant. A lower rate of religious attendance was the only factor that consistently predicted cheating for both men and women.

5. Family size is shrinking, but a growing share of parents say three or four kids is ideal.

That means the "middle child" may make a comeback, according to Pew Research Center. The center says new data shows 41 percent of American adults "think families of three or more children are ideal, a share rivaling that of around two decades ago, according to a recent Gallup survey."

Still, it is more common for American women to end their childbearing years with one or two children, compared to three or more, Pew found when it looked at recent U.S. Census Bureau data.

6. The role of marriage in America appears to be shrinking, though even those who haven't married say they desire it.

And age is driving two entirely different stories, according to Wang, who wrote a brief on the topic.

"I charted the trend of young and old and, for people younger than 65, marriage is going down every year," she told the Deseret News. "... I think overall, with older people passing, the marriage rate will very likely drop below 50 percent. It's barely hanging in there."

More people are foregoing marriage entirely, she said. And those who marry are increasingly doing so at an older age.

Marriage is still a goal, though, desired even by many who haven't married yet, according to Stephanie Coontz, director of research at the Council on Contemporary Families and a history professor at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. She wrote a piece for The New York Times tracking the decline in how many years people are married  driven at least in part by the delay in marrying.

7. Men are doing more around the house and welcoming more equality.

Two studies from the Council on Contemporary Families said male support for equality at work, in the political arena and at home has reached a high point, based on General Social Survey data going back to the late 1970s. Men aren't as egalitarian as women, but the difference is shrinking.

One of the studies, out of Union College, suggests baby boomers, Generation X and millennials are all increasingly egalitarian. The other, from the University of Utah, shows men are putting that into practice, stepping up the share of household chores they do, though women still do more than half, despite most of them working outside the home. The study found women do most of the cleaning and laundry, while men share shopping at least some of the time and help with laundry and cleaning more often than in the past.

"These studies suggest that although history does not move in a straight line, acceptance of gender equality continues to spread and deepen," Coontz, council director of research and education, told the Deseret News.

8. Americans trust government and corporations less, but strangers more than in the past.

This finding makes the list because so much of what families do and how people live depends on trust and interaction, from how we get around to where we spend our family vacation. And like religious faith, faith in government and institutions can be passed down from parent to child.

Thanks to technology making things easier, we "get into cars with perfect strangers, sleep on their couches, and entrust our young children to them," noted a Deseret News article.

But the Edelman Trust Barometer found a big drop in Americans' level of trust of government and business. And Pew Research Center's most recent polling on trust said fewer than 1 in 5 Americans believe government consistently does right. Back 60 years ago, 3 in 4 believed government would do the right thing.

9. Among parents with minor children at home, 1 in 8 also care for an adult.

Using Bureau of Labor Statistics data, Pew Research Center found that 29 percent of U.S. adults have children under age 18 at home, and of those, 12 percent are "multigenerational" caregivers, providing on average 2.5 hours of unpaid care each day to a relative, friend or neighbor. That care can range from helping with activities of daily living to providing transportation or help maintaining the home or finances, among other things.

American adults are also spending more time, on average, doing child care tasks. The Pew Research Center says moms spend 40 percent more time with their kids than they did in the mid-'60s, while dads' time with the kids in that time period has tripled.

Multigenerational caregivers, the analysis adds, are getting less sleep than they used to. The report lists how many minutes multigenerational caregivers spend on tasks daily compared to others: 67 minutes more on adult care, 2 minutes less on child care, 14 minutes more on housework and errands, 86 minutes less on paid work, 14 minutes more on leisure and personal activities and 21 minutes less on sleep.

10. Don't check your work email late at night if you want a happy spouse.

Research from Virginia Tech found that employees who were expected to be available at all hours by email had heightened anxiety and suffered a negative impact on their health. But it wasn't just their problem. The ill effects extended to family members, especially spouses.

Study lead author William Becker told the Deseret News that some of the expectations driving always-on availability may not even be a company's policy, but rather the employee's interpretation, so companies need to be clear about what they expect of their employees. It might be a good idea, even, to assign employees different days of the week to stay in touch after-hours. If something really happened, and they needed everyone on deck, that would be an exception, he said.SALT LAKE CITY  After growing up in Argentina during the military regime of the late '70s and early '80s, Utah resident Marcia Maidana learned to love books as a form of escape. She never imagined that one day she'd publish a book of her own, let alone in the United States.

Despite learning English as her second language, Maidana published her first novel, a historical romance with elements of mystery and magical realism, titled "Awaken" in 2017. Its sequel, "Alive" (Satin Romance, 288 pages) came out this October.

As a child growing up in Argentina's unstable political years, Maidana said she experienced a difficult world where food was barely affordable and often ransacked from the stores before her family had a chance to buy any, where people were thrown in jail for gathering in groups deemed too large and where the government kidnapped thousands of children on a regular basis.

Books were a luxury. The only book Maidana remembers having in her home was the Bible, which she said she read cover to cover when she was 8 years old. When she was 9, she got a library card, but could only check out one book a week. That wasn't enough for her, so she began volunteering at the library so she could read when she was there.

"Reading was a great comfort," Maidana said. "It took me places that were better. I could dream and find happiness in circumstances that weren't that perfect."

When the dictatorship ended, money was still scarce in Maidana's family and she ended up leaving school to work. Then, she joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when she was 15 and met a young American missionary. They married when she was 18 and she immigrated to the Kaysville, where she still lives today.

In the U.S., Maidana was able to learn English and finish high school, but also felt lonely and isolated away from everything that was familiar to her. She thinks this in part led her to studying her family history to lessen her "longing for Argentina."

Six years ago, Maidana was learning about a man in her father's Italian line whose wife died at a younger age, but the man never remarried although he lived for another 30 years.

"I think his love was so strong and so special," Maidana said, and she started wondering how things might have been different if something a little magical had happened.

That's when the idea for her first book "Awaken," a time travel romance, popped into her head.

"I wasn't thinking to become a writer, rather the story made me a writer," Maidana said. "I fell in love with the idea and I wanted to see how it would play out."

She eventually wrote out the story of a young woman named Florence Contini, who, during the Great Depression, leaves her service at a monastery for employment under a wealthy, reclusive general with a painful past. As she and the general start to fall in love, Florence discovers that she is the very image of the general's deceased wife and goes back in time to learn the truth of their story.

After working on it for five years, she sent her book out to agents and publishers and, to her surprise, got offers from two.

"Some people said I couldn't write a book, especially not one in English because it's my second language," Maidana said. "But it had been engrained in me from a really young age that I could accomplish anything if it was the right thing and I worked hard enough, so I did keep writing."

Since "Awaken" is a romance novel, Maidana had at least one publisher who felt a downfall of the book was its lack of sexual content. Maidana said she's also had some reviewers who said they enjoyed the book, but wished it had more explicit material.

"In the end, I think I knew what I wanted the story to be like," Maidana said. "I knew I wanted to write something uplifting that would help people to realize we can enjoy a book even if it doesn't have elements that the world wants in them."

Maidana knows there are also people who appreciated that "Awaken" is clean. It's hit No. 1 on Amazon's bestseller list for time travel romance, it won the bronze medal in the historical mystery category of the Readers' Favorite competition and was a finalist in the 2018 British competition the Wishing Shelf Book Awards.

At first, Maidana had no intention of writing a sequel to "Awaken," but wrote one when her publisher suggested it.

"It was interesting to see that even though I wasn't thinking to write a sequel, the first book was set up for a sequel," she said. "Now that the second book is done, I realize the story would not have been complete without it."

Maidana said she intends to keep writing and is already working on her next book. She hopes her writing will leave a legacy to her three children to show them that they can do whatever they set their minds to.

"No matter what others say, your potential and worth is infinite," she said. "The possibilities are limitless if you are willing to put forth the effort to go after your dreams."The nation was in its infancy when the Father of the American Industrial Revolution, Samuel Slater  or Slater the Traitor to the British  brought textile machining to the United States. Businessman Frank Lowells all-in-house textile factory took industrialization to the next level only a generation later. But the tenacious immigrant and intrepid tycoon are united by more than the entrepreneurial spirit and cloth; neither would have succeeded if not for the way New Englands geography aligned with the days technology. The convergence of comparative advantages and tech has only continued to shift geographical locations since then, and today, that convergence is heading to Utah.

The machines of the First Industrial Revolution that took textile production from cottages to factories relied on hydropower, and that placed geographical restrictions on this technology. Thats why Sir Richard Arkwright built his 1770s textile factories in Cromford, England; why Slater re-created Arkwrights success in 1790s Pawtucket, Rhode Island; and why Lowell refined the textile industry during the War of 1812 in Waltham, Massachusetts. New Englands fast rivers and great ports set up the Northeast as the center of gravity for the eras tech industry. The cotton spindle was akin to the silicon chip, and the largest textile factory town  Lowell, Massachusetts  was known as Spindle City, the 19th century version of Silicon Valley.

But technology continued to change in succeeding generations, moving the U.S. economys geographical fulcrum. Hungry steam engines devoured coal to power new factories and fuel the locomotives and steamboats transporting their manufactured goods. As the late-19th-century United States entered the Second Industrial Revolution, Americas coal rich, steel-producing states between the Appalachians and the Midwest came to enjoy the success rivers once gave New England.

Yet none of these regions remain on Americas economic pedestal. As the late-20th century ushered in a service industry, New Englands rivers, Pennsylvanias coal mines and Ohios steel production ceased to provide these states with the prosperity they previously did. Rust Belt became a popular moniker for these once vibrant regions as the U.S. economys center of gravity leapfrogged the intermountain region for the digitally fertile ground of Silicon Valley. No longer were natural resources  fast rivers, coal and iron  the predominant factors of American production. The digital products and services of the Third Industrial Revolution required highly skilled labor and a vibrant ecosystem of innovation to thrive. Silicon Valley embodied these attributes just as Lowells Spindle City had for early 1800s America and the Rust Belt did a century later.

The economy is fundamentally changing again. Some economists call the rapid rise of advanced manufacturing a Fourth Industrial Revolution; others argue it is a second phase of the Third Industrial Revolution. Semantics aside, the ongoing shift opens the door for another displacement of the global economys geographic center.

Indeed, hyper-fast computing and web-connectivity, the internet of industrial processes, additive manufacturing (i.e. 3D printing), and the development of artificial intelligence are revolutionizing how we manufacture 21st century goods. As the labor factor of production shifts from many low-skill laborers to relatively fewer high-skill workers, we are seeing a dramatic reshoring of manufacturing jobs to the United States, where high-skill labor is abundant and the world's largest market can be reached without costs in time and resources of shipping goods across oceans.

This advanced manufacturing economy of the future will go to those regions with the right primary inputs: highly skilled labor; high quality of life (since labor is more mobile than ever before); a globally connected ecosystem of innovation; low-cost land, taxes and regulations; and access to markets via geographic location, transportation hubs and distribution facilities. States that bring these inputs together will seize Americas economic pedestal, like Silicon Valley, the Midwest and New England have before. Those familiar with Utahs economic policies, educated population, good governance and role as the crossroads of the West should see that this describes Utah.

New England, the Rust Belt and Silicon Valley demonstrate that disruption is the one constant in economic history. Disruption is coming, and the Beehive State is primed to emerge as the Fourth Industrial Revolutions new economic center of gravity. Soon enough, it may not be just Brigham Young, but the world that looks at Utah and thinks: This is the (economic) place.SALT LAKE CITY  We're less than a week away from a new year, and that means it's party time. But before the 2018 final countdown, Utah is going out in style  high-flying trapeze artists and a Michael Jackson tribute are just two of the events vying for our attention before the ball drops.

A Magical Cirque Christmas

For fans of Americas Got Talent, the name Duo Transcend likely gets hearts racing and palms sweating. The Salt Lake trapeze act impressed and terrified people with their daring stunts  including flying through the air while blindfolded or surrounded by flames. The husband-and-wife trapeze act  the first trapeze act to make it to the Top 10 on AGT  makes a hometown stop at the Eccles Theater for two shows of A Magical Cirque Christmas on Dec. 29, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., 131 Main St., $37.50-$60 (801-355-2787 or artsaltlake.org).

Celebrating Queen and MJ

With the recent release of the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, theres been a lot of hype surrounding the band Queen. Adding to the Freddie Mercury frenzy is Queen Nation, a musical tribute taking fans through the rock bands greatest hits. Unfortunately, this event is sold out, although there may be a few champions out there still able to snag a ticket.

But for the rest of the fans who feel their hopes are dashed, take heart! You can still catch Bohemian Rhapsody in theaters, and then, if youre still craving some live music, you can head over to a tribute honoring another music giant: Michael Jackson. The Whos Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute celebrates the moonwalking King of Pop and runs Dec. 29-31, 8 p.m., at Park Citys Egyptian Theatre, $35-$55. Limited seating is available, so call 435-649-9371 or visit egyptiantheatrecompany.org for details.

New Years Eve celebrations

Ready or not, its time to start gearing up for 2019. Several events across Utah  celebrations for night owls and early risers alike  are here to help us bid farewell to 2018.

New Years Celebrations on Temple Square

Temple Square  still shining bright with its Christmas light display  is kicking off the new year with a singalong of Broadway and show tunes at the Assembly Hall. But if that music isnt up your alley, theres also a trumpet fest at the Tabernacle and big band favorites at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. The free party runs Dec. 31, 6-10 p.m. (lds.org/events).

Noon Years Eve

For those who like to hit the hay before midnight, welcome the new year in at noon. On Dec. 31, the Natural History Museum of Utah will celebrate with music, activities and confetti. Museum partiers can also check out the current exhibit "Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed, which hosts more than 250 artifacts and is included with museum admission. The event runs from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at 301 Wakara Way, $14.95 for adults, $12.95 for seniors and young adults ages 13-24, $9.95 for children ages 3-12, free for children under 3 and U. students, faculty and staff with ID (801-581-6927 or nhmu.utah.edu).

The Greatest Showman

Weve been singing tunes from The Greatest Showman for a year now. Last December, Hugh Jackmans take on P.T. Barnum hit the big screen, and since then, the movie has found a hit audience just about everywhere  Utah included. With the states connections to The Greatest Showman, its no wonder theres constant screenings of the musical film here. On Dec. 28 at 4 p.m., the Park City Library, 1255 Park Ave., Park City, will show the film for free, with some popcorn thrown in for good measure.SALT LAKE CITY  Researchers say a new University of Utah Health study exploring how air quality intersects with miscarriage has yielded "upsetting" results indicating women are at greater risk of losing their pregnancy within days of a spike in nitrogen dioxide pollution along the Wasatch Front.

U. researchers used data from more than 1,300 Utah women who visited the University of Utah Hospital's emergency room due to a miscarriage between 2007 and 2015. They also examined seven-day windows in which there were measurements showing elevated levels of three common air pollutants: nitrogen dioxide, ozone and small particulate matter.

University of Utah researchers' analysis of the data found that, during the seven-day window following a spike in the amount of nitrogen dioxide in the air along the Wasatch Front, leaving "women exposed to elevated levels," there was a 16 percent increase in their risk of miscarriage.

The results of this study are upsetting, and we need to work together as a society to find constructive solutions, said Dr. Matthew Fuller, the study's senior author and assistant professor of surgery at University of Utah Health, in a prepared statement.

The study was published this month in the peer-reviewed journal Fertility and Sterility, a publication produced by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. A summary of its findings says researchers found that spikes in particulate matter levels "were associated with increased risk of spontaneous pregnancy loss," but unlike with nitrogen dioxide, such a correlation "did not reach statistical significance."

The study adds in its conclusion that "we found no evidence of increased risk" associated with ozone levels.

Fuller and his fellow researchers made efforts to control for other potential interfering variables, including the mother's age, U. Health science writer Stacy Kish explained in a release. Miscarriages occurring in gestational stages up to 20 weeks were counted.

"Fuller recommends women speak with their doctor about any health concerns," Kish wrote. "Women can manage the risk by using a N95 particulate respirator face mask to filter out pollutants or avoid outdoor physical activity on poor air quality days. Women can also use filters to lower indoor pollution and, if possible, time conception to avoid seasonal episodes of poor air quality."

Kish explained that the Wasatch Front sees spikes in short intervals of bad air quality "primarily during the winter months, when inversions trap pollutants close to the ground."

Prior studies have also linked poor air quality to health issues such as pre-term birth, asthma and increased risk for a heart attack. Fuller said the new findings addressing pregnancy loss have implications for Utah families specifically, but also for everyone concerned with air quality's effects on their health.

While we live in a pretty unique geographic area, the problems we face when it comes to air pollution are not unique, he said. As the planet warms and population booms, air pollution is going to become a bigger problem not only in the developing world but across the United States.

U. research analyst Claire Leiser, listed as first author of the study, cautioned that there are limitations to the study, as its data is pulled exclusively from women who received care after their miscarriage at a single emergency department, thus not including Utah women who got help elsewhere such as through a primary care doctor or obstetrician.

We are really only seeing the most severe cases during a small window of time, Leiser said in a statement. These results are not the whole picture.

The study was also limited in that it was "unable to pinpoint a critical period" in early gestation "when the fetus may be most vulnerable to pollutants," according to Kish.

Researchers from Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Michigan, and Oregon Health and Science University in Portland also contributed to the study. It was funded with grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Consortium for Families & Health Research.

Correction: An earlier version mistakenly referred to nitrogen oxide as a pollutant researched as part of University of Utah Health's newly published study. It was nitrogen dioxide, not nitrogen oxide, that was studied.SALT LAKE CITY  For Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, it's Congress that bears the blame for a partial shutdown of the federal government anticipated to continue into the new year.

"In a situation like this, the only appropriate thing to do is point at ourselves," the 3rd Congressional District representative said Thursday, six days into the shutdown. "I think Congress needs to take responsiblity for this."

President Donald Trump does share some responsiblity, Curtis said, after suddenly refusing to support a stopgap funding bill that did not include $5 billion to build the wall along the U.S. border with Mexico he promised during his 2016 campaign.

But Curtis said it was Congress' inaction on portions of the budget still needing funding that led to money running out Saturday for nine departments including Homeland Security, Transportation and Interior.

That's resulted in roughly 420,000 government employees deemed essential continuing to work without pay, while another 380,000 have been furloughed from jobs at the Internal Revenue Service, the National Park Service and other agencies.

"Clearly, the president has a piece of this, but if we had done our job and gotten the appropriations done to begin with, we wouldn't be in this position," Curtis said. "We put ourselves in a position where he could do that."

Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, said the Senate rule requiring 60 votes rather than a simple majority to advance legislation is the real reason for the shutdown, because it's kept the Senate from acting on Trump's requested funding.

The Senate had passed a bipartisan compromise that included $1.3 billion for border security projects but has balked at approving $5.7 billion for the wall inserted by the House at the urging of the president.

"This is another example where procedure hurts policy. The only reason there is a shutdown right now is the Senate filibuster rule," Bishop said, adding he's never been so frustrated with Congress.

He said Democratic leaders in the Senate are using the rule to stall, and unless Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., "has a change of heart," nothing is likely to happen until Democrats take control of the House on Jan. 3.

But Bishop also said "there's plenty of blame to throw around," although he called Trump's reversal on his willingness to accept a bill without border wall funding "insignificant" and "irrelevant to the situation."

Rep.-elect Ben McAdams, who will be the only Democratic member of Utah's congressional delegation when he's sworn into office on Jan. 3, called for both Congress and the president to compromise.

"Both sides need to get back to a constructive discussion to end the government shutdown. There's a fiscally responsible way to protect the border and fund and operate the departments and services that Utahns rely on," he said in a statement.

McAdams, who is stepping down as Salt Lake County mayor after a narrow victory over Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, said the "dysfunction in Washington, D.C., has to end with bipartisan action, and I'm eager to be part of that on day one in Congress."

Asked if Trump should compromise on how much money is appropriated for his border wall, the new congressman said "constructive talks need all parties to find a path forward."

The president has tweeted that the border wall is "desperately" needed "to stop Drugs, Human Trafficking, Gang Members & Criminals from coming into our Country" and blamed Democrats for blocking the project.

"This is only about the Dems not letting Donald Trump & the Republicans have a win," one of Trump's numerous tweets on the issue said. "They may have the 10 Senate votes, but we have the issue, Border Security. 2020!"

Members of Congress have been told they'll be given 24 hours notice before having to return to Washington from the Christmas recess. No votes are expected until next week at the earliest.

Curtis said he is having his congressional paycheck withheld until the shutdown ends.

"It's unfortunate that we're politicizing this. The people who get hurt are those who have little or no influence over this, the federal workers who aren't getting paychecks," he said. "I'm willing to take the same pain they are."

What's necessary to get them back to work, Curtis said, is for members of Congress to agree to spend money on border security that includes a wall in at least some places, and for the president to accept that.

"To me, it's silly to get caught up in, 'Do we compromise or not compromise?' We know we need to make an investment down there," he said. "Let's come together  and not get caught up on a dollar amount that somebody threw out."

Contributing: The Associated PressDRAPER  A Draper fire battalion chief was critically injured while he was responding to a crash Thursday evening and another vehicle hit him, troopers said.

The accident occurred about 8 p.m. after a trooper called for backup on a two-car crash in the southbound lanes of I-15 at 14600 South near the Bluffdale exit, the Utah Highway Patrol said.

One crashed car was on the right shoulder and the other was by the median. The battalion chief arrived to help move the vehicle by the median to the right shoulder, troopers said.

While the battalion chief was checking on people inside the car, another car on the freeway lost control and spun out, the UHP said.

The car that lost control then hit the battalion chief and pinned him to the car that was already crashed at the median, troopers said.

He was flown to Intermountain Medical Center in Murray.

Southbound traffic in the area was shut down after the accident while troopers investigate.

Thursday's accident marks the second tragic accident to hit Draper firefighters this year. In August, Battalion Chief Matt Burchett was killed in California while helping fight a wildfire there.DRAPER  Clint Smith calls Battalion Chief Bart Vawdrey "one of the best youll find in the business."

It's those 25 years of experience with the Draper Fire Department, Unified Fire Authority and Salt Lake County Fire Department  which has taught Vawdrey to constantly be aware of his surroundings  that may have saved his life Thursday night, said Smith, who is Draper's fire chief.

Vawdrey was one of the first emergency responders to arrive at a crash on I-15 near 14600 South about 8 p.m. He had just gotten out of his vehicle to assess the situation when another vehicle started sliding toward him.

"Just out of the corner of his eye, split second, he was able to see a vehicle that had lost control and was headed in his direction. And he had just enough time to attempt to jump and move out of the way of the vehicle. So it helped to lessen the blow somewhat, but he was actually struck, from my understanding, by the rear of the vehicle.

"That vehicle had spun out of control and was now coming in backward. He was struck by the rear of that vehicle and thrown an estimated 25 to 30 feet, Smith said.

When he landed, Vawdrey tried to get up and get out of traffic, but discovered he couldn't put any weight on his left leg, according to Smith. But Vawdrey still had the awareness to crawl to the nearby jersey barrier where he then used the emergency radio strapped to his uniform to tell dispatchers he had been hit and needed help.

"Hes one of the toughest people youll find, as evidenced by this situation last night, Smith said.

Originally, the Utah Highway Patrol had reported that Vawdrey was pinned between two vehicles.

If not for that slight jump he took right before being hit, Smith said the outcome may have been much worse.

"I believe it played a significant role in helping him to avoid what could have been some very, very serious injuries or possibly worse, he said.

Vawdrey was flown by medical helicopter to Intermountain Medical Center in critical condition. But Friday morning, Smith issued a statement saying Vawdrey, who did not suffer any broken bones, was expected to make a full recovery.

"In my mind, its a miracle that hes in as good of condition as hes in, Smith said.

The chief said he visited with Vawdrey and his wife at the hospital Friday. He said his battalion chief was in good spirits but was anxious to go home so he could rest in his own house.

Doctors were expected to run a few more tests to look for internal injuries, but Smith was "very hopeful" Vawdrey would be released from the hospital on Friday.

The chief also repeated a caution to motorists that UHP troopers have been saying for the past two days: Slow down during adverse weather conditions and pay attention.

"Firefighters and law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day for the protection of others. We plead with everyone to please slow down, eliminate distractions, and focus on their surroundings when traveling in adverse weather conditions," Smith said.

"It is a miracle that we are able to talk about awareness today and not what the outcome could have been."

Smith said I-15 near Point of the Mountain can be very dangerous in the winter, both for motorists and then for emergency responders who are called to crashes and broken down vehicles. The visibility in the area is tough, he said.

He pleaded with all motorists to not only slow down, but move over and give firefighters and police officers plenty of room to work.Filmywap and TamilRockers are the big name for Online Movie Piracy. Filmywap is popular for Bollywood Films Download and TamilRockers are popular for South Indian Films. Whenever a big movie going to release, many internet users starts to search pirated copy of movie to download free. Some fake websites also create a movie download pages for the big releases. Rohit Shetty's Film Simmba is also facing an imminent threat from piracy websites like Tamilrockers and Filmywap.









Read This Also: Filmywap Movies Piracy 2019 - Badla, Captain Marvel









Many fake websites claim to be sharing a link to download the film even before it has hit the theatres, but isnt really available in the given link. Also your systems or mobile phones can tampered by viruses and unpleasant notifications if you try to search or download Simmba Movie Download link online.







Rohit Shetty's Simmba was release on 28 Dec, and Ranveer Singh and Sara Ali Khan in the lead.









Read This: TamilRockers Leak KGF, Maari 2 & Kanaa Full Movie Online





Right now, This is confirm that Simmba movie has been leaked in a movie download site TamilRockers. Accoring to news, Tamilrockers has upload a pirated version on Simmba movie on 1 Jan 2019. We have already say that it may be leak after release with in one or two day. We have seen the same for Maari 2 and KGF movie. TamilRockers can't leak Maari 2 and KGF movie on the release day, but after one day, they upload a pirated copy to download online.

Read This : TamilRockers Leak Sarvam Thaala Mayam & Peranbu Online

Ranveer and Sara Ali Khan's Simmba Movie Release on End of 2018. So the movie will release just before New Year. Simmba will also release witthout any comppetition, that gives it a better chance at the box-office bizz.

Filmywap and TamilRockers are priracy based website has previously leaked many big films like 2.0, Thugs Of Hindostan, KGF, Maari 2, Odiyan and many more.







Also Read : TamilRockers Movie Download Piracy 2019 - Captain Marvel, Thirumanam Leak









Disclaimer: Online Piracy Is A Criminal Offence Under Sec 63, 63-A, 65 and 65-A of the Copyright Act, 1957. TamilRockers and Filmywap both are torrent websites. Content of this page is for reference purpose only and Desimartini claims no ownership of this content. Desimartini does not support or promote piracy in any manner.Bollywood has always given us favorite actors, directors and many artists that we hold in very high esteem. But there are only a few who deserve the tag of a legend. For all of us who grew up in 90s or even 80s, Kader Khan will always be a legend par excellence.

From his comic roles to negative role to even use his magnanimous talent in other areas, Kader Khan has contributed immensely to the Indian film industry. Here are some facts that you have to know about the Kader Khan that prove why is a legend like no other.Google could launch its Pixel 3 Lite and the Pixel 3 XL Lite smartphones by Spring 2019 in the US, in partnership with Verizon.

Key Highlights:

Google will reportedly launch its Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 XL Lite phones in Spring 2019

The phones could be launched in partnership with Verizon in the US

The two handsets are speculated to be less powerful variants of the current Pixel 3 phones

Google is reportedly working on a Lite variant of its Pixel 3 smartphones and could unveil them soon. However, there is no official confirmation of the same but Android Police reports, citing sources close to the development, that in the US, Google will be launching the Pixel 3 Lite and the Pixel 3 XL Lite smartphones by Spring 2019. As per the report, Google might be teaming up with Verizon for launching the smartphones but theres no information on their pricing or exact launch dates. Some reports on the two phones suggest that they might be less powerful variants of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL with mid-range processors but could be announced with similar imaging capabilities.

The Pixel 3 XL Lite was previously leaked in a video render that hints at a 6-inch display as compared to Pixel 3 Lites 5.5-inch screen. Both smartphones are expected to come with a full HD+ resolution screen with an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. The larger variant is also said to not feature a notch and could be announced with a 3.5mm headphone jack. Both the Lite variants of the Pixel 3 are said to be available in only white and black colours.

The Pixel 3 XL Lite could be powered by the Snapdragon 710 SoC, while the Pixel 3 Lite might be launched running on Snapdragon 670 SoC, coupled with 4GB RAM and options of two storage variants, 32GB and 64GB. The Pixel 3 Lite is expected to have a 2915 mAh battery and there is no info on the battery capacity of the larger Lite variant. The Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 XL Lite are speculated to be priced between $400 and 500 (Rs 28,000 and Rs 35,000 approx).

Related Reads:

Leaked Google Pixel 3 Lite case reveal 3.5mm headphone jack, single colour finish

Google Pixel 3 Lite XL leaked in a 360-degree video, shows notch-less displayMotorola is reportedly gearing up to announce its Moto G7, G7 Plus, G7 Power, and the G7 Play smartphones at an event ahead of the upcoming Mobile World Congress 2019 event.

Key Highlights:

Moto G7 series of smartphones could be announced in Brazil before MWC 2019

The G7 lineup is reported to consist of the Moto G7, G7 Plus, G7 Power, and the G7 Play

Moto G7 and G7 Plus might feature waterdrop notch, while the G7 Power and G7 Play could sport regular notched display

Motorola is speculated to be working on its G7 series of smartphones and a previous report suggested that the company might launch four phones under the upcoming lineup. Now, a new report by AndroidPIT, via GSMArena, claims that like last year, the smartphone manufacturer might announce its G7 series of handsets in Brazil, ahead of the upcoming Mobile World Congress 2019 event, which will be hosted from February 25 - 28. Motorola is speculated to announce four phones in its G7 lineup, the Moto G7, the Moto G7 Plus, the Moto G7 Power, and the Moto G7 Play.

Weve come across some reports regarding the upcoming Motorola handsets and it seems that two of the four aforementioned devices could feature a waterdrop notch, while the remaining two could sport a standard rectangular notched display. The Moto G7 and G7 Plus are speculated to come with a waterdrop notch design and as a result, are expected to offer higher screen-to-body ratio in comparison to their predecessors. However, leaked renders of the phones suggest that there might still be a considerable chin on the bottom of the phones, which could feature the companys branding.

The Moto G7 Power and G7 Play might feature a regular notch. The Moto G7 Power will reportedly feature a single camera on the back and a fingerprint sensor embedded inside the Motorola logo on the back. The smartphones notch is expected to house a camera and an LED flash along with other sensors and its highlight is said to be the 5,000mAh battery. The Moto G7 Play is also speculated to feature a single rear camera with an LED flash and a fingerprint sensor embedded within the Motorola logo.

The Moto G7 and G7 Plus were previously spotted on FCC and the listing suggests that the phones might be launched in 3GB or 4GB RAM options with up to 32GB or 64GB of storage. The company might make the devices variants available for different markets. As per a previous report, the Moto G7 might feature a Full HD+ 6.4-inch display with a 2340 x 1080p resolution and could be launched running on the Snapdragon 660 or the Snapdragon 710 chipset. The smartphone is reported to house a 3,500mAh battery.

Related Reads:

Moto G7 series devices leaked in press renders

Moto G7, Moto G7 Plus renders hint at 'waterdrop' notch design, dual-rear camerasTipster Ice Universe has retweeted a video of a camera module and said that the 10x hybrid optical zoom technology could be showcased at CES or MWC.

Highlights:

Oppo F19, Oppo F19 Pro may have 10x Hybrid Optical Zoom

This technology may be showcased at CES or MWC

Huawei may also bring 10x optical zoom in P30

Oppo has been in the news for several reasons, like getting separated from the online brand Realme, the launch of R17 and R17 Pro smartphones and recently, for the work done in the 5G space. The Chinese company is again in conversations after a tipster claimed that Oppo would release a 10x Hybrid Optical Zoom technology which may be showcased as early as at CES in January or at MWC in February.

The OPPO official said it will release a 10x hybrid optical zoom technology, which we will see at CES or MWC as early as possible, Ice Universe tweeted. The rumoured Huawei P30 is also said to be one of the smartphones which will have a telephoto lens with 10X optical zoom. Huawei is expected to have a 38MP Sony IMX607 image sensor which the Japanese company is reportedly developing.

According to SlashLeaks, Oppo F19 will have this technology. The Oppo F19 integrates 10x lossless zoom technology with triple cameras on the back of phone. The attachments are the design and patents, leaked from the supply chain, of the 10x lossless zoom photography technology registered by Oppo, a leak on the platform said. The post on the platform, however, is being disabled because SlashLeaks is apparently not allowed to leak patents.

Recently, Oppo launched the R17 Pro in India. It features a 6.4-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a resolution of 2340x1080 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19:9. The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC coupled with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. There is a dual-camera system on the back and a single shooter in the front. The primary 12MP rear camera comes with variable aperture (f/1.5 and f/2.4) and the secondary 20MP camera helps in capturing portrait shots. On the front is a 25MP AI camera. The Oppo R17 Pro houses a 3,700mAh battery with SuperVOOC Flash Charge technology.

The OPPO official said it will release a 10x hybrid optical zoom technology, which we will see at CES or MWC as early as possible.  Ice universe (@UniverseIce) 25 December 2018

Related Read:

Huawei P30 Pro camera

Sony 38MP IMX607 sensorSamsung has announced that its 2019 Smart TV lineup will come with a feature called Remote Access that will allow users to remotely control compatible PC apps through their TVs

Samsung has announced that its 2019 lineup of smart TVs will come with a new feature called Remote Access. The feature will allow users to connect their TV to their PC, laptops, tablets, and smartphones and remotely control compatible apps through their TV. Samsung notes that Remote Access also allows users to connect input devices such as keyboards. The company adds that the feature will allow users to directly control their devices via a keyboard and mouse in addition to displaying content on a larger screen.

Samsung is committed to creating an intuitive and convenient user experience for consumers. With Remote Access, consumers will be able to easily access various programs, apps and cloud services installed on multiple connected devices directly through their TV screen, said Hyogun Lee, Executive Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. We will continue to collaborate with our partners to expand the compatibility of Remote Access and provide more services to our users.

Samsung has partnered with VMware in order to enjoy seamless connectivity between various platforms with the idea being that users will be able to continue their work anywhere in the world. In order to ensure security, Samsung says that it has integrated its proprietary Knox security technology into Remote Access. The company claims that its proprietary security technology Knox has been certified by Common Criteria for its security performance and claims that it is the only security solution in the TV industry to receive the certification.High court rejects youth jail challenge

SEATTLE (AP)  The Washington state Supreme Court has struck down a challenge by activists against a $232 million youth jail and courthouse that are under construction in Seattle.

The Seattle Times reports the court said Thursday the group End the Prison Industrial Complex failed to meet a 10-day deadline to file objections to ballot measures before they're put to voters.

The group sued the county over the measure to fund the King County youth courthouse and jail nearly four years after it was filed.

Opponents have called for the money to be spent on alternatives to detention.



Subscriber content preview

SEATTLE  Sunset Hills Manor, at 3053 N.W. 64th St., has sold for $4.4 million, according to King County records. The seller was Sunset Hills Manor LLC, associated with the Thuesen family, which owned the property for decades.

The buyer was Sunset Manor LLC, which is associated with a private investor in North Seattle. Public records indicate a loan from BECU.





. . .Subscriber content preview

FEDERAL WAY  A Safeway property at 28810 Military Road S. in Federal Way sold for a little over $7.6 million, according to King County records.

The seller was CF Albert Propco LLC, which acquired the property from Safeway last year for just under $6 million.





. . .Study offers new view of how cartels work

Suppose you were building a cartel  a group of business interests who coordinate to fix high prices that consumers must pay. How would you design it? Received economic wisdom says transparency among cartel members is crucial: If colluding suppliers share information, they can keep prices high and monitor members of the cartel to make sure no one deviates from the cartels norms.

A newly published paper co-authored by MIT economist Alexander Wolitzky offers a different idea: Firms do not have to share information extensively in order to collude. Indeed, the paper contends, extensive information-sharing can help firms undercut cartels and gain market share for themselves.

If Im thinking about entering your market, which Im not supposed to do, but if Im tempted to do it, then I can do it better if I have this information about your market, Wolitzky says. The corollary, he notes, is that there appear to be cases where by not sharing information about their pricing behaviour, the firms make it easier to sustain collusion.

The paper is thus a rethinking of an important policy topic: In the US, Europe, and across the world, governments are charged with regulating cartels and collusion, in an attempt to ensure that consumers can benefit from market competition.

Given the prevailing notion that data-sharing helps cartels, firms investigated for price-fixing can argue that they must not be illegally colluding if the evidence shows they have not been extensively sharing information with other businesses.

Because of this conventional wisdom that firms that collude share a lot of information, a firms defense is, We werent sharing so much information,  Wolitzky says. And yet, as the new paper suggests, that level of cooperation may not be necessary for collusion to occur.

The paper, Maintaining Privacy in Cartels, is by Takuo Sugaya, an associate professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Wolitzky, an associate professor in MITs Department of Economics; it appears in the December issue of the Journal of Political Economy.

Whats the whole story?

The current paper adds to a body of academic literature whose best-known component is A Theory of Oligopoly, a 1964 paper by economist George Stigler, which describes how the availability of information should help cartels maintain their grip on prices. Some subsequent empirical work also shows that in some conditions, increased transparency helps cartels sustain themselves.

Sugaya and Wolitzky do not deny that a degree of transparency among cartel members helps collusion occur, but they complicate this picture by introducing alternate circumstances, in which less transparency helps cartels thrive and more transparency undercuts them.

Were investigating the generality of this [older] result, and whether it tells the whole story, says Wolitzky.

The paper by the scholars builds a new model of firm behaviour oriented around the home-market principle of collusion, in which cartels reduce the competitive supply of products in each others markets  which may often be segmented by geographic reach. North American and European firms in the same industry, in this scenario, would stay away from each others territory, thereby reducing competition.

In the study, the authors contend that there are three effects that increased transparency has on cartels. Transparency within cartels enables firms to keep each other in check, and it helps them coordinate prices  but it also lets individual firms tailor deviations to current market conditions, as they write in the paper.

This last point, Sugaya and Wolizky assert, has been seriously underexplored by scholars in the past. In the model they propose, the deviation gain  what happens when a firms leaves the cartel  is strictly larger when all prices and quantities are observable, that is, when the firm has more information about its erstwhile collaborators.

Real cartels, low transparency

The proposition that a relative lack of information-sharing coexists with collusion is not just an arbitrary function of the authors model, but something supported by empirical evidence as well, as they note in the paper. The European Commission, for instance, has uncovered several cartels that seemingly made a point of limiting transparency: The firms in question largely shared just industry-wide sales data among all members, not extensive firm-level data.

These low-transparency cartels include industries such as plasterboard production, copper plumbing tube manufacturing, and plastics  all of whom structured their collusion operations around intermediaries. Those intermediaries  industry associations, in some cases  handled the sensitive information and only distributed small portions of it to the individual firms.

A more vivid example comes from a graphite manufacturing cartel, as Sugaya and Wolitzky recount. At a meeting of cartel representatives, each member secretly entered their own sales data into a calculator passed around the room, in such a way that the firms could only learn the industry-wide sales volume, not the specific sales data of each firm.

Such examples indicate that conventional wisdom may not tell the whole story when it comes to cartels and transparency, Sugaya and Wolitzky write.

To be sure, the new theory developed by the scholars does not propose a uniform relationship between transparency and collusion; it all depends on the circumstances.

It would be nice to have a very thorough characterisation of when more information among cartel members makes colluding easier, and when it makes it harder, Wolitzky says.

In the new model, Sugaya and Wolitzky do suggest that greater transparency corresponds with collusion specifically in volatile business conditions, which may necessitate more robust long-term projections of sales and demand. By contrast, given less volatile, more consistent consumer demand over time, firms need less transparency to deviate from tacit collusion agreements and undercut their erstwhile cartel partners. As the authors acknowledge, firm behavior within cartels, in a variety of these circumstances, could use further study.

Wolitzky received support for the research from the National Science Foundation.Your brain rewards you twice per meal: When you eat and when food reaches your stomach

We know a good meal can stimulate the release of the feel-good hormone dopamine, and now a study in humans from the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Germany suggests that dopamine release in the brain occurs at two different times: at the time the food is first ingested and another once the food reaches the stomach. The work appears December 27 in the journal Cell Metabolism.

"With the help of a new positron emission tomography (PET) technique we developed, we were not only able to find the two peaks of dopamine release, but we could also identify the specific brain regions that were associated with these releases," says senior author Marc Tittgemeyer (@tittgemeyer), head of the Institute's Translational Neurocircuitry Group. "While the first release occurred in brain regions associated with reward and sensory perception, the post-ingestive release involved additional regions related to higher cognitive functions."

In the study, 12 healthy volunteers received either a palatable milkshake or a tasteless solution while PET data were recorded. Interestingly, the subjects' craving or desire for the milkshake was proportionally linked to the amount of dopamine released in particular brain areas at the first tasting. But the higher the craving, the less delayed post-ingestive dopamine was released.

"On one hand, dopamine release mirrors our subjective desire to consume a food item. On the other hand, our desire seems to suppress gut-induced dopamine release," says Heiko Backes, group leader for Multimodal Imaging of Brain Metabolism at the Institute, who is co-first author on the study with Sharmili Edwin Thanarajah.

Suppression of gut-induced release could potentially cause overeating of highly desired food items. "We continue to eat until sufficient dopamine was released," Backes says but adds that this hypothesis remains to be tested in further studies.

Earlier experiments have demonstrated gut-induced dopamine release in mice, but this is the first time it has been shown in humans.By Jake Johnson

Though it immediately evoked images of "an alien invasion" or the eerie opening scene of a "monster movie," the explosion that briefly turned New York City's skyline bright blue late Thursday night was actually something rather more conventional, but still cause for serious alarm and action: an electrical blast at one of New York's dirtiest power plants.

While state authorities said they are investigating the incident and concluded that no one was injured, the transformer explosion briefly sparked panic andaccording to environmentalistsoffered yet another glowing reminder of the dire need to transition away from dirty energy.

As the Huffington Post's Alexander Kaufman noted, the Astoria Generating Stationwhere the Thursday night blast occurred"burns 3,039,000 gallons of number 6 fuel oil a year."

Number 6 fuel oil, Kaufman pointed out, is "considered one of the most polluting energy sources in the world," and the Astoria power plant has been partly blamed for high air pollution in the surrounding area and the growing levels of asthma that have afflicted residents as a result.

Judith Enck, the former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regional administrator for New York, told the Huffington Post that the "very old and very polluting" Astoria plant "should have been shut down quite a while ago" and replaced with clean electricity sources.



"It's a reminder that New York needs to accelerate efforts to phase out fossil fuels," Enck said.

Brooklyn-based renewable energy activist Daniela Lapidous agreed, saying it shouldn't be normal "to fear that the way we provide energy endangers the people we love."

"Fossil fuels cause so much danger from climate change and air pollution, but freak accidents like this go to show that moving our energy system to 100 percent renewables is the only way to minimize the threat," Lapidous concluded.

"None of these things happen in a vacuum," Democratic state Sen.-elect Jessica Ramos said in remarks outside the Astoria Generating Station following the transformer explosion. "We need to flip everything on its head and rethink the paradigm of exactly how it is that the city of New York and the state of New York is thinking about our future consumption of energy."



Images and videos of the Thursday night explosion and its aftermath quickly spread on social media, with New York residents expressing astonishment and horror at the bright blue light that illuminated the city sky for several minutes:









According to New York officials, the incidentwhich resulted in the brief closure of the LaGuardia Airport in Queensis under control and there are no longer significant power outages in the surrounding area.

Reposted with permission from our media associate Common Dreams.

As we come near to the end of another year, we want to thank readers of PowerBlog for reading, commenting, and sharing our posts over the past twelve months.

If youre a new reader we encourage you to catch up by checking out our top ten most popular posts for 2018.

#1  Justice Alito exposes the hypocrisy of liberal double-standards

Joe Carter

You probably havent even heard about it, but yesterday there was an exchange in the Supreme Court that future generations will regard as one of the most significant revelations of our political era.

#2  5 Facts about Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh

Joe Carter

President Donald Trump announced last night that Judge Brett Kavanaugh will be his nominee to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. Here are five facts you should know about Judge Kavanaugh.

#3  Why tariffs and protectionism makes Americans poorer

Joe Carter

The tariffs are are a form of protectionism that is frequently proposed by populist and Democrats. But what is wrong with protectionism? The short answer is that it makes Americans poorer.

#4  Study: How overregulation is stifling the food truck revolution

Joseph Sunde

As protestors continue to boldly decry corporate greed with little definition or discernment, progressive policymakers are just as quick to push a range of wage controls and market manipulations to mitigate the supposed vices of free and open exchange.

#5  5 things Christians and Muslims can agree on

Dominique Scalisi



While there are undeniably a great number of fundamental differences between Islam and Christianity, there are a handful of concepts the two popular religions share.

#6  FAQ: What is the U.S.-Mexico Trade Agreement?

Rev. Ben Johnson



The United States and Mexico renegotiated the terms of their free trade agreement, President Donald Trump announced this week, replacing NAFTA with something he dubbed the U.S.-Mexico Trade Agreement. Here are the facts you need to know.

#7  6 Quotes: Thomas Jefferson on liberty and government

Joe Carter

Today is the 275th birthday of Thomas Jefferson. Since our third president would object to us celebrating his birthday (The only birthday I ever commemorate, Jefferson once said, is that of our Independence, the Fourth of July.) lets take this opportunity to instead look at six quotes by Jefferson on liberty and government.

#8  Explainer: What you should know about a government shutdown

Joe Carter

In December Congress passed the Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (H.R. 1370) which provides non-discretionary funding through January 19, 2018. Because that Act expires at midnight on Friday, Congress must pass a new continuing appropriations act to keep the government operating.

#9  5 facts about the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Joe Carter

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Here are five facts you should know about the killing of the civil rights leader in Memphis, Tennessee.

#10  FAQ: Trumps steel and aluminum tariffs

Rev. Ben JohnsonWashington, Dec 28 (epa-efe).- President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States will eliminate all economic assistance to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador in retaliation for the caravans of Central American migrants arriving at the southern border.

"Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money. Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it. We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries - taking advantage of U.S. for years!," the president wrote on Twitter.

Trump made a similar threat in October, when he said he would "substantially" cut aid to countries making up the Northern Triangle of Central America, but his words were not followed by any action.

During the 2018 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, the US allocated $84 million in assistance to Guatemala, $58 million to Honduras and $51 million to El Salvador, according to figures from the State Department.

Some those funds was channeled through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), while the Pentagon provided a total of $42 million across Central America in 2017 to support the war on drugs.

The White House's proposed 2019 budget includes $69 million in aid to Guatemala, $66 million to Honduras and $46 million to El Salvador, a reduction of 29 percent from the levels of fiscal 2018.

The president cannot unilaterally block the disbursement of aid authorized by Congress for the region, according to the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), a think-tank.

Immigration to the US from the countries of the Northern Triangle has increased in recent years.

Since October, at least 9,000 Central Americans, mainly from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, entered Mexico in several caravans hoping to reach the US border and apply for asylum.

Roughly half of them are gathered in Tijuana, just across the border from San Diego.Mexico City, Dec 27 (epa-efe).- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Thursday presented a plan to end the massive theft of fuel from pipelines, a racket that costs the country 66.3 billion pesos ($3.3 billion) a year, according to state-owned oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex).

"It's a joint plan (involving) 15 sectors of the federal government. It's already started and apparently there are good results, but we cannot declare victory yet because it's just beginning," the president said at his daily morning press conference.

Lopez Obrador said that this phenomenon, which has had a measurable impact on Pemex's bottom line, goes far beyond the fuel thieves, known as "huachicoleros," because Pemex workers and truckers have also participated in stealing fuel.

"That's fuel theft but from the top. The hypothesis is that of all the theft, only 20 percent is from siphoning pipelines, which is a kind of (smoke screen) because most of it is undertaken with the complicity of the authorities," the president said, adding that what was stolen this year is equivalent to 40 percent of the cost of building a refinery.

Pemex CEO Octavio Romero said that an average of 58,200 barrels of fuel were stolen per day this year.

The joint plan began monitoring the pipeline control system on Dec. 20.

The program, so far, has led to the removal of three Pemex officials, who are already in the custody of the authorities.

Mexican Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval, said that some 60 Pemex facilities will be guarded by about 4,000 soldiers and marines.

The president said that his administration already has spoken with the powerful leader of the oil-workers union, Carlos Romero Deschamps, explaining to him that there will be total openness and transparency in the investigations of Pemex employees.

"We are facing Mexico's crisis by attending to the causes and ensuring that there is work, well-being, peace and tranquility, and we are also facing the crisis by bringing order to the chaos," the president said.Remembrance service held at Nobles

A special service of remembrance has been held to offer comfort and support to Island families who have lost babies to miscarriage or stillbirth.

The STAR (Still Treasured, Always Remembered) service took place at the Noble's hospital chapel earlier today.

The service was organised by hospital staff who want to support families during what can be a difficult time of year for those whove lost loved ones.



In the UK and the Isle of Man, one in four pregnancies end in a miscarriage, while the figure for stillbirths in the UK is approximately one in 200.New Year Honours: Four Manx names on honours list



His Honour David Doyle CBE

Four Island residents have been recognised in the Queen's Honours List.

People are nominated by members of the public, government departments or the Royal Family.

The list is a chance for recognition of those who have made outstanding contributions in their field throughout the year.

His Honour David Doyle CBE

As Second Deemster and then as First Deemster and Clerk of the Rolls, David Doyle was a strong and positive force in the Manx Judiciary for over 15 years until he retired this summer. His passionate belief in the independence of the judiciary and the Rule of Law showed in many articles, to a wide range of audiences at home and overseas. He led the forging of close links with High and Appeal Courts around the world, enhancing the Isle of Man as a trusted jurisdiction. His contribution to the island unquestionably made a huge difference. For Outstanding Services to Manx Law, David Doyle receives a CBE on HM The Queens New Year Honours List, 2019.

Mr Stewart Clague MBE

Stewart Clague set up SCS Ltd in 1969 and through hard work and enterprise has greatly contributed to the economy of the Isle Man. His commitment to his company has been matched by his commitment to the community. At his home in Lonan, he has created a Country Park, open to the public. The Nature Reserve at Ballanette, developed in memory of his daughter, hosts school visits and community and charity events. Many people go there for personal relaxation and reflection. For outstanding contribution to the Isle of Man and the Lonan and Laxey Community, Stewart Clague becomes an MBE in HM The Queens New Year Honours List, 2019.

Mr Martin Benson BEM

Martin Benson has been pivotal in the Rushen Emergency Ambulance for over 40 years, and in the First Responders scheme which he runs in parallel. Both services run 24hrs a day, 365 days a year, with calls going directly to him. All this has been in addition to his career as an air traffic controller. Joining forces with others he helped to obtain public access defibrillators for the south of the Island and beyond. For his outstanding and continuing public service Martin Benson has been recognised by HM The Queen with the award of a British Empire Medal in the New Year Honours List, 2019.

Mrs Mary Bridson BEM

Mrs Bridson from Douglas is a Personnel Officer for St John Ambulance on the Island.

For her voluntary service Mary Bridson has been recognised by HM The Queen with the award of a British Empire Medal in the New Year Honours List, 2019.Erdogan: Syria running psychological operation in Manbij

President Erdogan says if terror groups exit Syria, there is 'no job' left, and Turkey is against partitioning Syria

Syria's Assad regime is running a psychological operation, said Turkeys president on Friday, amid reports of deployment of regime troops to a key northern city.

MANBIJ ISSUE

"We know that Syria is in a psychological action. We know that there is a situation like waving their own [regime] flag there. But there is nothing definite there yet," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, responding to reports of regime forces entering the northern city of Manbij in coordination with the YPG/PKK terror group.

Speaking to reporters in Istanbul after Friday prayers, Erdogan said Turkey's goal is to teach the YPG/PKK terror group a lesson, and Turkey is determined to make it happen.

OUR GOAL IS TERRORISTS

"We are against the partitioning of Syria. Our goal is terrorist groups leaving there. If the [terrorist] groups leave, then there is no job left for us," he stressed.

On Nov. 1, before the announcement that U.S. forces would leave Syria, Turkish and U.S. troops began joint patrols in Manbij as part of an agreement that focuses on the withdrawal of YPG/PKK terrorists to stabilize the region.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the death of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signaled that a cross-border operation against the terrorist PYD/YPG in Syria will happen soon. Since 2016, Ankara has successfully carried out two similar military operations in northern Syria.

U.S. President Donald Trump last week made the surprise announcement that the U.S. would withdraw its troops from Syria. The decision followed Trump's phone call with Erdogan in which the two leaders agreed on the need for more effective coordination over the civil war-torn country.

U.S. troops in Syria have been cooperating with the YPG/PKK to fight Daesh, against Turkeys objections that using one terrorist group to fight another makes no sense.Trump lashes out at Israel: We are no longer the suckers

President Trump defended his decision to pull out of Syria by saying Israel is able to defend itself thanks to aid from the United States.

Trumps comments follow quiet criticism from Israel and public disapproval from some major Jewish groups that the pullout of troops will leave a vacuum in Syria that will be filled by Israels bitter enemy, Iran.

"WE TAKE A GREAT CARE TO ISRAEL"

I spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. I told Bibi, you know we give Israel $4.5 billion a year. And they are doing very well at defending themselves, Trump told reporters Wednesday after a surprise visit to U.S. troops in Iraq.

Im the one that moved the embassy to Jerusalem. I was the one who was willing to do that. So thats the way it is  we are going to take great care of Israel. Israel is going to be good. We give Israel 4.5 billion a year. And we give frankly a lot more than that if you look at the books. Theyve been doing a good job, he also said.

Trump launched a full and accelerated pullout of the 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria last week, confirming the news in a tweet in which he wrote: We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.Turkish Red Crescent hands out aid in Afrin, Syria

As safe areas grow larger, aid group plans to reach throughout Afrin, set up camps, says the head of Turkish Red Crescent.

The Turkish Red Crescent on Saturday distributed humanitarian aid to families in areas of northwestern Syria cleared of PYD/PKK terrorists by Turkeys ongoing Operation Olive Branch.

Led by Kerem Kinik, the groups head, the Red Crescent handed out humanitarian aid and toys to families and children in the village of Deir Ballut in Jinderes, Afrin. Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Kinik said that while the counter-terrorist operation in Afrin continues, the Turkish Red Crescent is continuing to reach civilians living in liberated villages.

"WE ARE HERE TO EASE THE PAIN"

"Were trying to meet the needs of the children and families. As the safe areas grow larger, our aid will reach all throughout Afrin," Kinik said. "During this time, we have plans to locate civilians inside the region to safe places and set up camps in liberated areas, and were looking for safe locations, he added.

Kinik stated the villagers trust Turkey and the Turkish Red Crescent, as they know they are guided solely by humanitarian aims. "We as humanitarian actors are here to ease the pain, he said.

During the aid distribution, the Red Crescent head, who is a physician, examined three-and-a-half-year-old Temin Yemin.

Zurriya Yemin, the boys mother, thanked Kinik, who told his team to keep an eye on the child. "We havent been able to see a doctor for about two years, God bless you," she said.YPG declares its withdraw from Manbij

Right after YPG terror organizations call, Assad regime forces announced that they entered Syrias Manbij.

Raising the Syrian flag over Manbij, the Assad regime army said it "guarantees full security for all Syrian citizens and others present" in the town, which previously was home to a US military base.

"TO 'PROTECT' MANBIJ"

The announcement came moments after the People's Protection Units (YPG) terror group called on the regime to take control of Manbij as the countdown for Turkey's cross-border counterterrorism operation was underway. The group, which Turkey regards as the Syrian branch of the PKK terrorist group, said its fighters had previously withdrawn from Manbij to fight Daesh in eastern Syria.

In a statement shared on Twitter, the YPG said it invited the Syrian regime "to send its armed forces to take over these positions and protect Manbij in the face of Turkish threats."

President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would postpone a planned military operation on the terrorist YPG group in northern Syria, after the US' announcement to withdraw its troops from Syria.

RUSSIA IS HAPPY

Russia welcomes the return of Kurdish territories in Syria to the control of President Bashar al-Assads government, the Kremlin spokesman said on Friday, after Damascus said its forces had entered the town of Manbij.

This is a positive trend, spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call.The 1.5 Degree Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change describes scenarios and potential actions to pull the earth away from the brink of catastrophic climate change. The reports findings are stark but it shows that there are pathways to achieve climate security. The study nevertheless repeats some common errors in framing the ways forward and does not fully explore the potential for transformative change. Some options from the literature that deserve serious consideration are discussed.

The much-anticipated 1.5 Degree Report released in October 2018 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) provides the scientific evidence and knowledge base for limiting the rise in average global temperature to within 1.5C above pre-industrial levels (IPCC 2018). The report discusses scenarios to get there within a framework of sustainable development, keeping in mind global poverty levels. Given that average global warming already exceeds 1C, the scenarios described are stringent and likely to keep average temperatures either below the 1.5C guard rail or overshoot it and then return below it by the end of the century. According to the report, accumulated emissions alone are not likely to raise global mean temperature to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels; thus efforts made now are significant and will contribute to limiting global warming. But by the same token, the remaining carbon space is very small, estimated at 580 GtCO 2 , compared to the current annual burn rate of about 42 GtCO 2 .

The motivation for the study was the demand from small islands and the poorest nations making up the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) at the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2015 in Paris to include a commitment in the final agreement to try to limit warming to 1.5 degrees. Countries as varied as Angola, Bangladesh, Palau and the Philippines were at the forefront of political negotiations. With the support of several international non-governmental organisations, they managed to put together a united coalition with the political savvy needed to counter opposition from high-emitting nations and exporters of fossil fuels (CVF 2015).Civil war in Yemen cannot be seen merely from the prism of sectarian conflict as its roots go into the historical political positions of different groups and geostrategic interests of regional powers. Hegemonic designs of Saudi Arabia backed by the United States have intensified the conflict, leading to thousands of deaths and acute humanitarian crisis. It remains to be seen how far the recently concluded Stockholm Agreement between warring camps would contribute to a durable peace.

It has been more than four years since the civil war broke out in Yemen between the Houthi forces (Ansar Allah or partisans of god) and the forces of the exiled Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi government, supported actively by the Saudi Arabia-led alliance of eight countries. Though on the surface it looks like a straight two-way fight, on the ground that is not the case. Ansar Allah is also fighting Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and several other small splinter groups. Most of these groups are fighting against Houthis, sometimes directly but mostly in collaboration with the Saudi-led alliance. Because of the involvement of so many factions and groups the Yemeni civil war has acquired a complex nature. It has become one of the bloodiest wars in the region with thousands of people dead and millions starving. The core reason of the war lies in the persistent hegemonic manoeuvres by the Saudis in collaboration with the United States (US) in Yemeni politics.

Failure of the National DialogueGet a sneak peek into these new scientific papers, publishing on January 3, 2019 in the Ecological Society of America's journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.

Flashing lights can protect alpaca and llama herds from pumas

Does mountaintop removal in Appalachia also remove rattlesnakes?

How quickly can ponds "inhale" and store carbon?

Machine-learning shows what's changed in ecological research over forty years

Flashing lights can scare off some predators from llamas and alpacas

Historically, lethal methods for protecting livestock from predators have contributed to the decline of terrestrial carnivore populations in many ecological communities. While non-lethal alternatives abound (and many local indigenous farmers prefer them), most of these methods have not been rigorously tested to determine whether they are effective. A team of researchers from the University of Wisconsin and from Chile's Pontificia Universidad Catolica deployed an array of flashing light deterrents across their study area on the Altiplano, or Andean Plateau, which stretches across a portion of Chile and Bolivia, where pumas and Andean foxes prey on llama and alpaca herds. The researchers found that the light devices effectively deterred predation on their herds by pumas, but not by Andean foxes. This study represents a step forward in establishing experimental protocols for assessing the effectiveness of strategies and products that help humans and wildlife coexist.

Author Contact: Omar Ohrens (ohrens@wisc.edu)

Coal miners and rattlesnakes prefer the same type of topography

On the Cumberland Plateau in eastern Kentucky, surface coal mining remains a common method of coal extraction and requires complete removal of mature forest cover and the upper soil layers. Even though federal law requires mining companies to approximately reconstruct the original topography after mining has wrapped up, it is rare for natural succession, native forest growth, and terrestrial biodiversity to return to their original levels. To determine how surface mining affects ridgetop habitat availability, researchers from the University of Kentucky implanted radio transmitters in timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) and tracked their movements until the snakes retreated to hibernation sites in autumn, which provided a roadmap for identifying other potentially viable hibernating sites, or "hibernacula," across the study area. By analyzing a suite of LiDAR remote-sensing and satellite imagery, mining maps, and permit data from the USGS and other sources, the researchers were then able to determine how mining might affect the range of rattlesnake hibernacula. They found that because timber rattlesnakes tend to overwinter in the same places that make ideal mines (along ridgelines and other similar higher-elevation topographic features), surface mining disproportionately alters or eliminates the preferred habitat of this species. These ridgetops contain other plant and animal species that may be similarly affected. The authors' analyses also show that restoring mined areas in Appalachia will be difficult, especially where ridgetop topography has been permanently rearranged.

Author Contact: Thomas A Maigret (thomas.maigret@uky.edu)

Stashing carbon in small ponds

Forests, grasslands, wetlands, and other vegetated habitat types take in large amounts of carbon that is then stored in plant tissue and sediment - carbon that would otherwise exist in the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas. But there is little consensus about how much carbon can be stored in lakes and ponds (and how quickly it can be stored, and for how long). Researchers from the University of Northumbria and from the University of Highlands and Islands dug out thirty small ponds in a former coal mine in the UK and measured how much organic carbon the ponds accumulated over an 18- to 20-year period. They found that over 20 years, the ponds acted as carbon "sinks" and had higher rates of organic carbon burial than many other terrestrial and aquatic habitats, including boreal and temperate forests and temperate grasslands.

Author Contact: Michael Jeffries (michael.jeffries@northumbria.ac.uk)

Machine-learning shows that ecology is shifting to data-intensive research and anthropogenic themes

The discipline of ecology is changing quickly to accommodate shifting societal needs and to make room for new areas of interest, but the vast breadth of research being published makes it difficult to quantify exactly how - and how much - it is really changing. Today, software can learn from data, identify patterns, and make decisions with minimal human intervention - a concept dubbed "machine-learning." Automated content analysis, or ACA, is a machine-learning method that "trains" a program or model to identify key concepts and themes across large amounts of text. Researchers from Purdue University in Indiana asked their ACA software to "read" over 80,000 papers published in the ecological literature between 1980 and 2016 and to identify the key concepts and themes in each. The researchers then analyzed how the prevalence of various themes has changed over time, and found that theoretical research and articles on plant and population ecology are becoming less common, while articles about microbial ecology, genetics, biogeochemistry, macrosystems ecology, and human dimensions of nature are becoming more common.

Author Contact: Songlin Fei (sfei@purdue.edu)

###

The Ecological Society of America (ESA), founded in 1915, is the world's largest community of professional ecologists and a trusted source of ecological knowledge, committed to advancing the understanding of life on Earth. The 9,000 member Society publishes five journals and a membership bulletin and broadly shares ecological information through policy, media outreach, and education initiatives. The Society's Annual Meeting attracts 4,000 attendees and features the most recent advances in the science of ecology. Visit the ESA website at http://www.esa.org.

Contact: Zoe Gentes, 202-833-8773 ext. 211, zgentes@esa.org">zgentes@esa.orgEvolutionary ecologist Professor Martin Kaltenpoth has been awarded funding by the European Research Council (ERC) to investigate different forms of symbiosis between beetles and bacteria. Their cooperation significantly contributes to the development of the beetle cuticle that protects the insects against dehydration and predators. Symbioses of this kind have evolved independently many times and have probably been a key factor in enabling beetles to spread into new ecological niches. Kaltenpoth will be receiving an ERC Consolidator Grant worth EUR 2 million over the next five years to finance his research. The ERC Consolidator Grant is one of the most richly endowed EU funding awards.

Beetles possess a particularly hard exoskeleton composed of chitin and cross-linked proteins. One amino-acid in particular, tyrosine, is responsible for the formation of the bonds between the cuticular components. This amino acid is also indirectly responsible for the brown coloring of the exoskeleton; in other words, without tyrosine the insects would not be able to form such a thick, hard, and dark-colored armored defense. The discovery that there are groups of beetles in which tyrosine production has been taken over by symbionts was only made in the last few years. The symbionts in this case are specialized bacteria that synthesize the essential amino acid tyrosine required by their hosts to construct their cuticles. "Symbioses between insects and microorganisms are common in nature," explained Professor Martin Kaltenpoth. "They often play an important ecological role and are crucial to the evolution of their host insects."

Bacterial provision of tyrosine is crucial for beetle evolution

It is still unclear why beetles have become dependent on symbiosis for the supply of such an important substance as tyrosine. One reason why beetles started cooperating with microorganisms might have been because some of these insects became specialized on plants as a food source. The fact that many crop pest beetle species, e.g., the sawtoothed grain beetle and the lesser grain borer, are hosts for tyrosine-supplementing microorganisms supports this theory. These beetles consume plant food but originally evolved from insects that were mycophagous or carnivorous and obtained the essential amino acid tyrosine from animal or fungal protein. Another potential reason for developing a harder cuticle with the help of symbionts might have been a change in habitat.

There are several possible causes that might underlie the evolution of this symbiosis. After all, it emerged independently in at least seven beetle families and a very long time ago. Kaltenpoth estimates that symbioses between tyrosine-producing bacteria and their hosts had already evolved several hundred million years ago. Kaltenpoth and his team, in particular Dr. Tobias Engl, will be investigating when, how, and why this cooperation between host beetles and microorganisms originated. The biologists will reconstruct the distribution of the symbioses in the corresponding beetle families and determine whether there are additional beetle groups that are also reliant on symbionts. In addition, they will also be looking at how symbiosis is regulated at the molecular level and how the beetles and symbionts interact. Using fossils as a basis for calibration, the scientists also hope to calibrate the phylogenetic tree of the host animals. "Our research is important from an ecological and an evolutionary perspective. We want to understand how the symbiosis works on the broader scale - from the molecular mechanisms to their significance for beetles in the natural world," said Kaltenpoth.

The project "Symbiont-assisted cuticle biosynthesis as a key innovation contributing to the evolutionary success of beetles" (SYMBeetle) is anticipated to change our understanding of microorganisms as important moderators in the evolution of herbivorous beetles and in the spread of these insects in arid regions. These are two factors that are of crucial relevance to enabling the lifestyles of pest beetles that consume agricultural crops and stored goods.

ERC Consolidator Grants for three JGU projects

Martin Kaltenpoth, born 1977 in Hagen, Germany, studied and received his doctorate in Biology at Julius-Maximilians-Universitat Wurzburg. He was a postdoctoral researcher at Universitat Regensburg and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, USA, before joining the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena in 2009 as a research group leader. In 2015, Kaltenpoth became Professor of Evolutionary Ecology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.

The ERC Consolidator Grant is one of the most richly endowed EU funding awards for individual academics. The European Research Council uses these grants to support outstanding researchers involved in developing their own projects seven to twelve years after they have completed their doctorates. To be eligible for a grant, applicants must not only demonstrate excellence in research but also provide evidence of the pioneering nature of their project and its feasibility.

In the latest round of grants, the European Research Council has also approved two other JGU applications. One involves a project designed to develop a new approach in optical spectroscopy supervised by Dr. Mustapha Laatiaoui; the other, headed up by Professor Pol Besenius, is aimed at developing fully synthetic vaccines. With a total of three ERC Consolidator Grants each, Mainz University and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen are the most successful universities among the German U15 association of universities.

###December 28, 2018 - Wolters Kluwer, Health and the American Journal of Nursing (AJN) announced the 2018 winners of its annual AJN Book of the Year Awards honoring exceptional texts for advancing healthcare quality. The list of winners appears in the January 2019 issue of AJN, the "leading voice of nursing since 1900." AJN is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

"This year marks the 49th year of the AJN Book of the Year Awards, and we're pleased to continue the tradition of recognizing high-quality publications to help faculty in their efforts to identify materials for teaching and to help clinicians in continuing their learning towards improving care and patient outcomes," said Maureen Shawn Kennedy, MA, RN, FAAN, Editor in Chief of AJN.

The AJN Book of the Year program is a prestigious competition that garners the attention of the nursing community and supporting healthcare publishers. Since 1969, AJN has announced its annual list of the best in nursing publishing. The winners are chosen by a panel of judges who range from college professors to clinicians to nursing executives. Awards are given for first, second and third place in 20 categories.

This year's first-place winners are:

Adult Primary Care: Building Motivational Interviewing Skills: A Practitioner Workbook by David B. Rosengren. 2nd edition

by David B. Rosengren. 2nd edition Advanced Practice Nursing: Population Health and Its Integration into Advanced Nursing Practice Edited by Mary A. Bemker and Christine Ralyea. 4th edition

Edited by Mary A. Bemker and Christine Ralyea. 4th edition Child Health: Guided Participation in Pediatric Nursing Practice: Relationship-Based Teaching and Learning With Parents, Children, and Adolescents Edited by Karen F. Pridham, Rana Limbo, and Michele M. Schroeder

Edited by Karen F. Pridham, Rana Limbo, and Michele M. Schroeder Community/Public Health: LGBTQ Cultures: What Health Care Professionals Need to Know About Sexual and Gender Diversity by Michele J. Eliason and Peggy L. Chinn

by Michele J. Eliason and Peggy L. Chinn Consumer Health: Your Guide to Cancer Prevention Edited by Joni L. Watson

Edited by Joni L. Watson Creative Works: Taking Care of Time by Cortney Davis

by Cortney Davis Critical Care - Emergency Nursing: AACN Core Curriculum for Pediatric High Acuity, Progressive, and Critical Care Nursing Edited by Margaret C. Slota. 3rd edition

Edited by Margaret C. Slota. 3rd edition Digital Products: Lippincott Clinical Experiences: Community, Public, and Population Health Nursing by Jone Tiffany and Barbara Hoglund

Lippincott Clinical Experiences: Community, Public, and Population Health Nursing by Jone Tiffany and Barbara Hoglund Environmental Health: Children and Environmental Toxins: What Everyone Needs to Know by Philip J. Landrigan and Mary M. Landrigan

by Philip J. Landrigan and Mary M. Landrigan Gerontologic Nursing: Aging with Care: Your Guide to Hiring and Managing Caregivers at Home by Amanda Lambert and Leslie Eckford

by Amanda Lambert and Leslie Eckford History and Public Policy: History of Professional Nursing in the United States: Toward a Culture of Health by Arlene W. Keeling, Michelle C. Hehman, and John C. Kirchgessner

by Arlene W. Keeling, Michelle C. Hehman, and John C. Kirchgessner Informatics: Applied Clinical Informatics for Nurses Edited by Susan Alexander, Karen H. Frith, and Haley Hoy. 2nd edition

Edited by Susan Alexander, Karen H. Frith, and Haley Hoy. 2nd edition Maternal - Child Health/Prenatal Nursing/Childbirth: Maternal, Fetal, and Neonatal Physiology: A Clinical Perspective by Susan Tucker Blackburn. 5th edition

by Susan Tucker Blackburn. 5th edition Medical - Surgical Nursing: Nursing: A Concept-Based Approach to Learning, Volumes 1 and 2; Clinical Nursing Skills: A Concept-Based Approach to Learning, Volume 3 Volumes 1 and 2 edited by Pearson Education. Volume 3 edited by Barbara Callahan. 3rd edition

Volumes 1 and 2 edited by Pearson Education. Volume 3 edited by Barbara Callahan. 3rd edition Nursing Education/Continuting Education/ Professional Development: Teaching in Nursing and Role of the Educator: The Complete Guide to Best Practice in Teaching, Evaluation, and Curriculum Development Edited by Marilyn H. Oermann, Jennie C. De Gagne, and Beth Cusatis Phillips. 2nd edition

Edited by Marilyn H. Oermann, Jennie C. De Gagne, and Beth Cusatis Phillips. 2nd edition Nursing Management and Leadership: Health Policy and Advanced Practice Nursing: Impact and Implications Edited by Kelly A. Goudreau and Mary C. Smolenski. 2nd edition

Edited by Kelly A. Goudreau and Mary C. Smolenski. 2nd edition Nursing Research: Statistics for Nursing: A Practical Approach by Elizabeth Heavey. 3rd edition

by Elizabeth Heavey. 3rd edition Palliative Care and Hospice: Palliative Care Nursing: Quality Care to the End of Life Edited by Marianne Matzo and Deborah Witt Sherman. 5th edition

Edited by Marianne Matzo and Deborah Witt Sherman. 5th edition Professional Issues: Quality Caring in Nursing and Health Systems: Implications for Clinicians, Educators, and Leaders by Joanne R. Duffy. 3rd edition

by Joanne R. Duffy. 3rd edition Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing: Behavioral Pediatric Healthcare for Nurse Practitioners: A Growth and Developmental Approach to Intercepting Abnormal Behaviors Edited by Donna Hallas

View all the 2018 winners online here.

###

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.Pound Sterling Euro (GBP/EUR) Exchange Rate Benefits From Better-Than-Forecast UK Mortgage Approvals

The Pound Sterling to Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) exchange rate continued to push higher on Friday, benefitting as the latest UK mortgage approvals data bettered forecast.

Investors were encouraged to buy into the Pound as mortgage approvals showed a surprise increase of 0.2% on the year, the first rise in approvals since September 2017.

This suggests that the UK housing market is in a stronger state of health than previously thought, even though worries over the political outlook remain.

Although oil prices recovered some ground, climbing away from their recent one-year low, this was not enough to shore up the Canadian Dollar, meanwhile.

With the general sense of market risk appetite still limited by worries over the US economy there was little reason to favour the risk-sensitive Canadian Dollar.

Modest Rebound in Oil Prices Fails to Shore up Canadian Dollar (CAD) Exchange Rates

In spite of their rebound, however, oil prices remain at a historically weak level, with Brent crude still trending below US$53 per barrel ahead of the weekend.

As markets remain wary of the prospect of the global oversupply glut expanding the potential for a significant recover in oil prices remains slim.

With prices more than 20% below the years peak and US inventories look set to increase further the mood towards oil is still rather bearish in nature.

Given existing worries over the underlying health of the Canadian economy CAD exchange rates remain vulnerable to the deteriorating oil price.

Unless there is a marked rebound in the oil markets in the coming days the Canadian Dollar looks set to remain biased to the downside.

Weaker Chinese Manufacturing PMI to Drag on Oil Prices and CAD Exchange Rates

Mondays Chinese manufacturing PMI could put additional pressure on CAD exchange rates, with a weaker showing pointing towards a further decline in demand for oil.

If the manufacturing sector fails to show renewed growth in December the mood towards the Canadian Dollar is likely to sour, especially as general market risk appetite is also likely to decline.

Any contraction in sector growth on the month could see the GBP/CAD exchange rate extending its gains next week, given that China is one of the major importers of oil.

On the other hand, an uptick in the PMI may offer the Canadian Dollar a rallying point, even if worries over the outlook of the global economy as a whole persist.

Pound Sterling (GBP) Exchange Rates Remain Vulnerable to UK Politics

Political developments look set to remain the key influence on the Pound for some time to come, meanwhile.

As markets are unlikely to see any sort of certainty over Brexit in the near future, with MPs still yet to vote on the proposed Withdrawal Agreement, the upside potential of the GBP/CAD exchange rate could prove limited.

However, Decembers raft of UK PMIs could still offer the Pound a boost against its rivals, provided the economy shows signs of greater resilience.

Another month of weaker growth in the manufacturing and service sectors would exposed to Pound to fresh selling pressure, though.The 10 states each with the largest number of residents with a traditional long-term care insurance policy was reported today by the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.

"Millions of Americans have planned for the very real risk of one day needing long-term care," explains Jesse Slome, director of the long-term care insurance association. "They have purchased a traditional long-term care insurance plan on an individual basis or when it was offered through their group employee benefits program."

The Association shared the latest state-by-state data on the number of individuals who have long-term care insurance policies. "The data comes from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners annual study which only looks at traditional LTCi plans," Slome noted. "Over the past few years, far more individuals have opted for linked-benefit plans that combine a life insurance or annuity policy with one that may also provide payouts for qualifying long-term care expenses."

The 10 largest states based on 2017 policyholders include:



California (634,572)



Texas (443,963)



New York (408,354)



Florida (341,816)



Illinois (332,446)



Pennsylvania (265,239)



Virginia (246,281)



Ohio (243,181)



New Jersey (218,164)



Minnesota (216,012)

"Most of the states reported nominal declines in the number of individuals with coverage," Slome pointed out. "Only Kansas and Nevada reported year-over-year increases."



Some eight million Americans have some form of long-term care insurance protection according to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. "I tell people that long-term care is a real risk that faces all Americans but insurance is an option for a specific segment of the U.S. population," Slome shares. "You have to be someone who believes in planning. You have to be able to health-qualify for this protection and you have to be able to afford the premiums which generally range from about $100-monthly when you apply in your mid-50s to twice that if you wait until your 60s."

The American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance advocates for the importance of long-term care planning and helps consumers connect with knowledgeable professionals who are independent advisors. Consumers looking for local long-term care insurance agents or cost comparisons should visit the Association's website at www.aaltci.org or can call the organization's national headquarters at 818-597-3227.For Cecilio Martinez, its about spending nights and weekends in his scenic sanctuary near Canyon Lake.

He and his wife bought property there in 2001 and built a 2,500-square-foot home with four bedrooms and three full baths. Their two sons attend area schools. They hike and bike in the nearby hills and swim laps in their neighborhood pool. They take the family on day trips to Gruene, Wimberly, Pedernales and other fun spots. One day a week, Martinez works from home.

The trade-off for the couple is the long commute the other four week days. Both work in San Antonio  hes a geographical information systems manager at the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, and shes a night nurse at Brooke Army Medical Center.

The approximately 50-mile commute  a drive thats sometimes dragged out by accidents or road work  is why his Nissan Xterra has logged more than 220,000 miles, and she ended up springing for a Prius.

They are not alone. In fact, other commuters are behind the wheel even longer.

As San Antonio sprawls, so does the number of super commuters, defined by the U.S. Census bureau as people who travel 90 minutes or more one-way from home to work.

In some cases, Austin-area residents fight the frequent traffic jams on Interstate 35 to get to work in San Antonio. In others, people choose the Hill Countrys rural lifestyle, complete with ranchettes, and pay for it with San Antonio jobs. Or they settle far from the city to get more house for the money.

Between 2010 and 2017, San Antonios share of super commuters grew by 77 percent, to nearly 25,000 from 14,066, according to a San Antonio Express-News analysis of Census data. Among major U.S. metros with populations over a million people, thats second only to San Francisco, which saw an increase of nearly 160 percent in the same time period.

On ExpressNews.com: Texas leads in job imports but figures show a mixed bag

Among major metros in Texas, the rise beats the Austin areas 34 percent, Dallas 36 percent and Houstons 25 percent.

Used to be we thought an hour (commute) was extreme, Alan Pisarski, an independent transportation consultant who has written several books on commuting, said. The mega places are the ones that generate such trips, many of which are on commuter rail or charter buses, or large car pools such as New York, D.C.

A few key factors drive the super commuter phenomenon, Pisarski said.

Theres a major job center, such Washington, D.C., which is packed with federal employees, or Silicon Valley with its many high-tech jobs. Urban housing has gotten too expensive, but there are attractive locations the further away from the city you look  such as Annapolis from Washington, D.C, the Pennsylvania mountains from New York City or the Hill Country from San Antonio and Austin.

In other cases, jobs have moved to the suburbs and are within reach of rural residents who are reluctant to leave their homes or cant compete for more expensive housing closer to work.

But unlike fast-growing Texas cities such as San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Houston, the more established metros grew up with bigger, more elaborate public transportation systems.

Along the Eastern Seaboard, buses and trains link cities to their suburbs and other metropolitan areas, with a well-established network of park and ride commuter lots. Commuters can use the travel time to answer emails, catch up on their reading or take a nap.

Texans, on the other hand, are more likely to be gripping the wheel all the way from home to the office and back.

Yet Martinez has come to enjoy his daily journey.

I usually put relaxing music on, he said. If Ive had a bad day at work it allows me to defuse and kind of decompress. I stop thinking about what happened at work, and I start thinking about the things I want to do, myself, my family.

But scenarios like his stymie workmates intent on cutting greenhouse gases and finding solutions to the bottlenecks around Loop 1604 and up and down Interstate 35.

The way our neighborhoods are developing, theyve grown into a pattern that doesnt have a whole lot of connectivity, said Linda Alvarado-Vela, the planning and public involvement program manager at Alamo Area MPO, which allocates federal transportation funds for area projects.

Our suburbs, you have all these little cul-de-sac neighborhoods emptying out onto the same collector, which then empties out to one arterial, she said. So you see this a lot in the (U.S. Highway) 281 area and even if you look out Potranco past (Loop) 1604, it can take people 30 minutes just to get out of their neighborhood. And thats before they start their commute.

The scary thing is that the regions explosive growth is expected to continue, she said.

Bexar County is expected to grow by another 1.1 million by 2045, and the region as a whole by another 1.5 million.

READ ALSO: San Antonio home sales  and prices  rose in November

Comal and Guadalupe are some of the fastest growing counties in the country  not just in Texas but in the entire country, Alvarado-Vela said. So we are seeing that our congestion is going to continue to increase and that were no longer in a period where were trying to reduce congestion. Rather, were trying to manage congestion.

There are no immediate plans for high-speed rail from San Antonio to Austin. Union Pacific, which owns existing north-south rail, can barely keep up with freight demands. Building new lines would require tons of money and likely fights to acquire right-of-way via eminent domain.

Amtrak offers service between Austin and San Antonio, but the two daily departure times dont line up well with commuting times or locations. Theres been little in the way of discussion of regional public bus routes. Hence the MPOs new Alamo Commutes program to encourage more carpooling.

MPO officials estimate that as many as 94 percent of area commuters drive alone to work.

.

And I think that we can safely assume that those super long commuters are also driving alone, said Lily Lowder, the MPOs commute solutions planner.

Alamo Commutes recently rolled out a mobile app to help would-be commuters find one another to potentially carpool, and San Antonios VIA Metropolitan Transit rents vans to commuters as long as one leg of the work journey is in San Antonio.

Some large San Antonio employers are looking to help employees with long commutes. The cloud-management company Rackspace, for example, has chartered buses for workers who prefer to live in Austin.

USAA spokeswoman Laura Propp said that in addition to having about 2,200 employees in the San Antonio area working from home, the insurance and financial services company has operated a van pool program since August 1977.

USAA now has 27 van pool routes averaging 45 miles one way. The longest goes well over 100 miles roundtrip from Fredericksburg.

Lowder, the commute solutions manager, sees herself as a recovered commuter.

For a while, the 24-year-old commuted from her parents house in Helotes. The drive, she said, was a nightmare.

Itd be like 30 minutes just getting to (Interstate)10, she said. And then theres the people who leave late, and then they just cut in front of you. I could not stand that.

Now Lowder walks about 10 minutes from her San Antonio apartment.

She finds the rent a fair price to pay for not having to drive to work. Shes changed her wardrobe to mostly walking-friendly flats and pants instead of the heels and dresses she used to favor. She buys groceries at the downtown H-E-B, and once in a while she snakes her car out of the upper levels of the parking garage to visit her parents or her boyfriend.

It was a lifestyle change that was really worth it, she said.

Lynn Brezosky is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering trade, agriculture and the economy. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | lbrezosky@express-news.net | Twitter: @lbrezoskyIts practically a cliche among Texas politicians talking points: Californian businesses and workers are fleeing the Golden State for the Lone Star States low taxes and minimal regulation.

If you're abandoning California for Texas, just remember the reason you are escaping high taxes & burdensome regulations, Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted Nov. 8. We plan to KEEP Texas, Texas!

Sen. Ted Cruz joined in the fun in January, responding to a proposal by California lawmakers to essentially double the states corporate income tax.

Which do we want: More jobs, higher wages, bonuses and pay raises for millions? Or fewer jobs, lower wages, more bankruptcies, and more companies fleeing our borders? Sen. Ted Cruz tweeted. For CA Dems this seems to be a hard choice. Well, keep sending the jobs to Texas....

RELATED: 'Too little, too late': Residents still fuming after apartments temporarily halted

A recent analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas shows that Texas is indeed the top state for corporate relocations. But the report also points out those moves and the jobs they bring make up a small sliver of the states economic activity.

Generally, these interstate moves create a lot of media attention and, in fact, are touted as something that leads to large gains in employment or have very important benefits, said Anil Kumar, Dallas Feds economic policy advisor and senior economist, one of the reports authors. But, in the end, it turns out that any job creation or business moves accounted for by such interstate relocations are small compared to the overall economy.

Kumar added: What really matters is job gains from startups and expansions of existing firms  that is, companies already operating in the state.

Though more than 25,000 businesses moved to Texas from other states from 2000 to 2013, they accounted for less than 1 percent of the nearly 2.3 million businesses in Texas in 2013, according to the Dallas Fed analysis.

Jobs that migrated to Texas from out-of-state also averaged less than 1 percent of all jobs here during that 13-year period, and made up 1.5 percent of all jobs created in that time.

The number of jobs coming to Texas from elsewhere stood around 100,000 from 2000 to 2013.

About one-fifth of all jobs relocating to Texas from 2000 to 2013 came from California  more than 51,000. On the other hand, Texas lost 18,000 jobs to California in the same time period.

RELATED: History reveals a lot about the business communities in Texas' top cities

Texas has earned some bragging rights over California in recent years. Toyota Motor Corp. moved its U.S. headquarters from Southern California to Plano in exchange for $40 million in state incentives. Jamba Juice announced plans to move from the Bay Area to Frisco, Texas, citing high operating costs in California.

Also, pharmaceutical company McKesson Corp. said in November it would move its headquarters from San Francisco to Las Colinas, a Dallas suburb. The state had already offered McKesson nearly $9.8 million in incentives to expand its presence in Irving.

Although big corporate relocations make for snappy headlines, their economic contributions are mixed. Few companies with more than 1,000 employees moved to Texas from 2000 to 2013, but they made up about 25 percent of all jobs that moved to Texas in that time, according to the Dallas Fed analysis. Businesses with fewer than five employees accounted for roughly 80 percent of all companies that moved to Texas, but less than 12 percent of the jobs gains.

Though job creation from company relocations is a drop in the bucket, corporate moves from California, New York and other states give Texas politicians a shorthand for how to sell the states economic policies to voters, said Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University.

Its tougher to abstractly make the claim that Texas has a better climate for business and therefore more businesses are investing here, Jones said.

In other words, some of Texas top politicians see trash-talking California as a political winner.

But the practice of states luring companies from other states can have damaging effects, critics say.

For years, officials in Kansas and Missouri have spent millions of dollars subsidizing Kansas City-based companies moves across the state line, depriving both states of tax revenue to provide essential services and creating no new jobs, said Greg LeRoy, a frequent critic of economic development incentives.

The only value it has is political because people dont know these numbers, said LeRoy, executive director of Washington, D.C.-based Good Jobs First, a watchdog organization monitoring public incentives for corporation. They dont understand that expansions and startups account for nearly all net job growth.

RELATED: San Antonio's growth in 'super commuters' second only to San Francisco

An influx of jobs from a corporate relocation can improve local property values and have other positive effects for local economies, Kumar said, but the national economy largely doesnt profit from such moves.

The bigger those firms are, the bigger the larger potential benefits (for the local economy), Kumar said. But, for the national economy, we know that its a zero-sum game because one jurisdictions loss is another jurisdictions gain.

In San Antonio, economic development leaders have mostly focused in recent years on international companies seeking a U.S. presence or domestic companies eyeing expansions elsewhere, said Jenna Saucedo-Herrera, president and CEO of the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation (SAEDF).

Over the last two years, San Antonio and Bexar County officials have relied on incentive packages worth millions to lure foreign companies to the area and subsidize expansions here, including Czech company Okin MPS and British companies Ernst & Young and The Hut Group.

California produced the most economic development projects for San Antonio, followed by New York, Virginia and Illinois, according to figures provided by the SAEDF. Cybersecurity firm Freedom Security Alliance announced last year it was moving from San Diego to San Antonio. But many California-based companies, including Hulu and Wells Fargo, picked San Antonio to expand its operations rather than relocate.

As we refined our strategy and we further focused the strategy, not only did key industries surface but the key industries define the geographies that we are focused on, Saucedo-Herrera said.

The citys economic development strategy has also increasingly emphasized retaining existing businesses. For example, San Antonio-based health-care technology company CaptureRx said last year it planned to hire at least 200 more workers, who would make at least $50,000 annually, over the next six years as it expands its headquarters downtown  in exchange for more than $1 million in incentives valued from the city and county.

Its hard to measure how much in incentives, including tax abatements and grants, factor into companies decisions to relocate, Kumar said, but the strength of a prospective citys economy often plays a bigger role.

Still, the Texas Enterprise Fund, often referred to as the states deal-closing fund, has offered more than $608 million in incentives to companies since its inception in 2004.

About 20 percent of San Antonios corporate relocations and expansions received incentives from 2000 to 2013, Saucedo-Herrera said. In the last two years, that figure has increased to 35 percent, in part because the foundation has become more targeted in its recruitment efforts, she said.

But incentives are largely used as deal-closing tactics on top of Texas already-favorable business environment, Saucedo-Herrera said. The state doesnt have a payroll tax or income tax for individuals or corporations.

You have to make it on their radar first for these significant decisions, Saucedo-Herrera said. Talent, infrastructure, cost of living, all of these elements are key.

Representatives for Abbott and Cruz did not return emails requesting comment.

jfechter@express-news.net

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Thrift stores, once thought of as dark, dingy places where grandmothers and those on hard times scrounged for cheap clothes, are experiencing a renaissance as younger patrons flock to consignment shops eager to hunt for good deals on vintage fashion. Now, retailers that make their money selling the latest styles and newest products are trying to grab a piece of that market.

Stage Stores, which operates more than 800 department stores under brands such as Bealls, Palais Royal and Gordmans, recently entered a partnership with the online consignment shop ThredUp to start selling secondhand clothes in some of its department stores across Texas. The Houston retailer is aiming to attract younger, more affluent customers who are increasingly shopping online and at independent boutiques and consignment shops.

More people are shopping secondhand than ever before, Stage Stores CEO Michael Glazer said.

The clothing resale market is projected to more than double by 2022 to $41 billion from $20 billion in 2018, according to ThredUp. Retailers, still seeking ways to slow the ecommerce juggernaut, are trying to lure bargain hunters who love to flip through clothing racks in search of a good deal. Department stores, in particular, realize that the thrill of the hunt cant be easily replicated online, where the shopping experience takes a back seat to the convenience of a click.

Thats why Stage Stores last year acquired Gordmans, an off-price retailer that sells new, brand-name apparel at close-out prices. The company this year opened three Gordmans stores in the Houston area, and plans to expand its off-price division.

ThredUp Stores in the Houston Area Palais Royal: 726 Meyerland Plaza Mall in Houston Palais Royal: 2711 61st Street in Galveston Palais Royal: 6729 S. Fry Road in Katy Palais Royal: 215 W. Main Street in League City Palais Royal: 2650 Pearland Parkway #110 in Pearland. Gordmans: 24974 Commercial Dr. in Rosenberg See More Collapse

Earlier this year, Stage Stores partnered with LXR and Co. to sell authentic used handbags and accessories from designer brands such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Gucci. The reconditioned bags, which come with a letter of authenticity, sell for hundreds of dollars less than the original price.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Stage Stores shopping for bargain hunters

So when ThredUp proposed selling secondhand clothes through Stage Stores, the retailer jumped at the opportunity. ThredUp, like many etailers, is opening brick-and-mortar shops through partnerships with traditional retailer to give customers an opportunity to touch and try products. Stage Stores is the first deparment store to partner with ThredUp.

Its a low-risk proposition for both Stage and ThredUp, said Jason Baker, cofounder of Houston-based retail brokerage Baker Katz. ThredUp is the largest online consignment store with a very loyal following whose average age is very young. The average age of a Stage Store customer is a little bit older. The partnership makes tons of sense.

ThredUp, headquartered in San Francisco, was founded in 2009.The company, which has raised $130 million in funding, collects gently-used, name-brand clothing from consumers, who get paid in ThredUp shopping credit, a Visa pre-paid card or through Paypal. It has become the largest online retailer of secondhand clothes, selling more than 10 million items each year

Stage Stores has opened ThredUp shops in five Palais Royal stores in the Houston area, a Gordmans in Rosenberg and at a handful of Bealls and Stage stores across Texas. The shops sell gently-used clothing from designer brands, such as J Crew and Kate Spade. The stores also serve as a drop-off location for customers looking to donate their clothing to ThredUp in exchange for a monetary donation made on their behalf to Girls Inc, a nonprofit that works to empower girls.

The ThredUp shops are small, taking up roughly 200 square feet of the 35,000-square-foot stores. The shops feature several mannequins, clothing racks and wall displays. Throughout the shop are ThredUp logos and signs that read Secondhand clothes, first hand fun.

Deals abound. At Stage Stores flagship Palais Royal store in Meyerland, a black vest from the Gap, was selling for $28.98, marked down from its original price of $90. The average price of a ThredUp garment sold at Palais Royal is about $25.

The value here is just fabulous, store manager Karen MacKay said. Its kind of like a treasure hunt.

About 44 million women shopped secondhand in 2017, up from 35 million women in 2016, according to ThredUp. Evelina Sanchez, 54, recently picked up a green dress from the ThredUp shop at the Palais Royal in Meyerland, where the Westbury resident regularly shops.

The dress, a birthday gift for her mother-in-law, was originally $80 at Loft. At the ThredUp shop, it was marked down to $23.98.

Sanchez said she was surprised to find out the dress was secondhand, but wasnt upset to be buying used. Her 15-year-old nephew loves to shop at thrift stores, she said.

The way it was displayed, I didnt realize it was secondhand because it was in good condition, Sanchez said. Sometimes, you can get good clothes at reasonable prices when you go thrifting. These are nice clothes.

Related: This is how much Americans spent on Cyber Monday

paul.takahashi@chron.com

twitter.com/paultakahashiUnder a once controversial, now accepted practice allowing research without patient consent, emergency room doctors at Memorial Hermanns Texas Medical Center hospital in January will start using an experimental gas in the treatment of unconscious people whose heart suddenly stopped.

The research aims to show that the gas known as xenon lessens brain injury in successfully resuscitated cardiac arrest patients, most of whom currently either dont make it or survive with poor neurological function because of the lack of oxygen and sudden reflow of blood.

I wont be surprised if this gas becomes a standard of care to help cardiac arrest patients recover, said Dr. Henry Wang, vice chair for research in the department of emergency medicine at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, which is conducting the studys Houston segment at Memorial Hermann. But we need to do the research to establish its value so its important to have community support for the trial, he said.

To that end, Wang and his research team are holding a series of public meetings around Houston in coming weeks at which theyll explain the treatment and answer questions.

More information For times and locations of the public meetings, email clinicaltrials@uth.tmc.edu. For more information about the study, go to https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03176186?term=NCT03176186&rank=1. Cardiac Arrest by the Numbers About 25 percent of cardiac arrest victims have their heart successfully restarted About 10 percent of all cardiac arrest victims leave the hospital alive; of patients who have their heart restarted, about 35 percent leave the hospital alive. About 5 percent of cardiac arrest victims leave the hospital with good neurologic function. Source: McGovern Medical School at UTHealth See More Collapse

People who dont want to participate in the study can opt out by wearing a bracelet during the study that informs the medical team of their non-consent. People can obtain the bracelet by emailing clinicaltrials@uth.tmc.edu.

Team members will contact family members and legally authorized representatives to obtain permission to use the gas, but if no one can be located within two hours and the patient isnt wearing an opt-out bracelet, he or she will be enrolled in the study.

A worldwide study

The research, to be conducted at more than 70 sites worldwide, is considered important because of the lack of treatment to protect patients against brain damage following cardiac arrest, which occurs when the heart stops beating and blood stops flowing to vital organs. The event kills about 325,000 Americans annually, the majority because their hearts cant be restarted. But study leaders think some 140,000 patients might benefit from treatment that reduces both fatal and non-fatal injury to the brain.

Hence the appeal of xenon, an anesthetic thought to have neuroprotective properties. Researchers think it can slow the accumulation of oxygen-free radicals, molecules that damage the cells and extend the area of injury when blow flow is restored.

But the only way to determine for sure is a study comparing patients who get the current treatment and patients who get the experimental gas  even though by definition such patients cant give consent.

Until 1996, that wouldnt have been possible because of medicines requirement to obtain consent before testing any new therapy or procedure. But that year, concerned that the requirement was slowing potential advances in emergency medicine, Health and Human Services made an exception to allow pre-study community consultation to suffice for incapacitated patients in some situations. Examples of such consultation are pre-study educational forums, newspaper articles and opt-out procedures.

There were two conflicting values: informed consent from participants and making sure research to improve treatment can move forward in a timely and effective manner, said Janet Malek, a professor in the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine. Regulators determined that this exception is the best way to balance the two values.

The exception didnt go over well initially.

Some ethicists objected when paramedics in five U.S. cities  Houston was one of them  in 2004 began infusing experimental artificial blood into the victims of car crashes, shootings and other life-threatening emergencies without traditional prior consent. The objections became more vocal when a review found patients getting artificial blood had a higher risk of death.

But over the years criticism faded and studies without prior patient consent is now fairly commonly invoked, said Malek.

Half of patients in the xenon trial  leaders last week announced a center in Copenhagen just enrolled the first  will inhale the gas through a breathing tube inserted into their windpipe during hypothermia treatment, cooling done to help protect the brain by stopping the harmful reactions there caused by the reflow of blood after the heart is restarted. The other half will get only hypothermia treatment.

Houston one of 20 U.S. sites

Dr. Mervyn Maze, a professor of anesthesiology at the University of California-San Francisco who first saw the potential application for the gas for cardiac arrest patients, stressed the gas is safe, evidenced by its approval in Europe as an anesthetic. This is its first use in cardiac arrest patients in the U.S., but it was studied on 110 such patients in Finland between 2009 and 2015.

That study found patients who received xenon, along with therapeutic hypothermia, suffered less damage to the brain  and possibly heart  than those who were only cooled. The study was not designed to evaluate survival.

The new study will enroll patients whose cardiac arrest was caused by a heart problem, seen by witnesses and successfully resuscitated within 30 minutes. The patient must be unconscious at the time of arrival at the ER and doctors must decide he or she is eligible to receive cooling.

Houston is one of 20 U.S. sites in the study. Memorial Hermanns medical center hospital, which annually treats about 100 cardiac arrest survivors, expects to enroll about 50 of the nearly 1,500 patients the study is seeking to test.

There should be plenty of opportunities to enroll subjects in this important research, said Wang. Cardiac arrest remains a major public health issue  only about 10 percent survive and half of those leave the hospital with brain injury  so its very important to explore opportunities to improve outcomes and get community support.

todd.ackerman@chron.com

twitter.com/ChronMedWhen real estate developer Matt Hiles filed plans in 2016 to build a 500-unit apartment complex on the Northwest Side, he told city officials his project wouldn't harm any endangered species on the hilly, tree-covered property.

It wasnt until bulldozers scraped away up to 38 acres of trees from the site last summer that officials learned Hiles had given them incomplete information when he said no endangered species habitat would be destroyed.

The city temporarily halted the project  but upset residents complained the damage had been done.

Now a new task force is reviewing the citys development process to make sure officials arent blindsided by real estate projects in environmentally sensitive areas.

Theyre going to be working through new standards and protocols to make sure that what happened doesn't happen again, said City Councilman Manny Pelaez, who called for creation of the task force after residents in the subdivision of Legend Hills objected to Hiles project.

The project engineer, David Allen, insisted Hiles had fully complied with the citys permitting process. Consultants hired by Hiles told the city there was no evidence that the tree clearing disrupted any endangered species.

I think the whole deal was done correctly, Allen said.

Related: City allows controversial project to continue

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is conducting a criminal investigation to determine if violations of the Endangered Species Act occurred at the property, said agency spokeswoman Lesli Gray.

Pelaez has also asked the district attorneys office to investigate whether any false statements in paperwork Hiles submitted to the city amounts to a criminal offense.

Outgoing District Attorney Nico LaHood scoffed at the councilmans request. Pelaez said he hopes Bexar Countys recently elected district attorney, Joe Gonzales, will take the matter more seriously after he enters office on Jan. 1.

"I have met with Councilman Manny Pelaez regarding the property development on La Cantera Parkway and have shared with him my intention to review the case once I officially take office, Gonzales said in a statement.

While I cannot guarantee the outcome of my investigation, I am committed to thoroughly reviewing the matter," Gonzales added.

Lost habitat

At issue is a city habitat compliance form that Hiles submitted stating that his project wouldnt harm endangered golden-cheeked warbler songbirds and karst invertebrates  arachnids and beetles that live underground.

San Antonio began requiring the habitat forms nearly a decade ago to address concerns raised by military officials at Camp Bullis, an Army training ground thats surrounded by encroaching development on San Antonio's North Side.

With golden-cheeked warblers losing habitat in the city, the federally protected songbirds are finding refuge in the rustic areas of Camp Bullis, hampering the Armys training mission.

San Antonio landowners who want to develop a property of at least 2 acres with potential habitat for endangered wildlife must fill out a habitat compliance form. The city shares that information with Fish and Wildlife.

Hiles filed his form in August 2016 as part of the citys permitting process to build his luxury apartment complex, the Mansions, on La Cantera Parkway near Six Flags Fiesta Texas.

Related: Buried mission wall in San Antonio exposed at job site

Hiles signed a sworn affidavit stating that a 2011 study by biologist Valerie Collins had concluded that no species will be impacted.

But a copy of Collins report showed that Collins had focused only on golden-cheeked warblers on the tract of land  not karst-invertebrate habitat.

City officials said they didnt know that when they approved Hiles construction project.

Collins is a biologist with Pape-Dawson Engineers, which had no connection to Hiles project. A previous landowner had hired Collins in 2011 to find out if any warblers had migrated to the hilly property.

Gene Dawson Jr., who is a member of the citys new task force, said his company had no idea Hiles was using Collins past warbler study.

A new form

Members of the Habitat Compliance Task Force include Dawson and other members of the engineering and real estate industries; representatives for Camp Bullis; San Antonio residents; and state and federal officials.

Their goal is to revise the habitat form to make sure the city is getting the full story from property owners.

Proposed revisions include adding a section to the form requesting an explanation from the landowner if no habitat studies have been conducted, and to make it clear that its the property owner  not a biologist  who is ultimately responsible for complying with the Endangered Species Act.

At their most recent meeting on Dec. 20, task force members wrestled with new language in the form to make sure biologists such as Collins are informed when their work is used in connection with a real estate project.

They debated whether such a step was even necessary. But Michael Shannon, director of the citys Development Services Department, said that it might help the city avoid the problems it encountered with the Mansions.

That could help stop what we ran into with Hiles, Shannon said.

Too late

The task forces efforts could prevent future miscommunication with developers. But residents of Legend Hills are still fuming.

Too little, too late, said Nancy Halvorson, one of the scores of Legend Hills residents who demanded answers from city officials at neighborhood meetings about Hiles project.

Halvorson said its a promising sign that the city is trying to learn a lesson from the Mansions. But its coming at a steep cost.

A once picturesque view of a wooded hillside that drew Halvorson and other home buyers to Legend Hills is now devoid of trees. Heavy equipment scraped away the vegetation, the soil and part of the hillside.

John Kelly, president of the Crownridge of Texas Owners Association, which oversees Legend Hills and other nearby neighborhoods, said residents arent being hypocritical by raising concerns about a development next door when theyre living in an area that also used to be untouched, tree-covered land.

Related: City creates task force after developer bulldozed potential habitat for endangered species

Kelly said the original developer of Crownridge in the 1980s, Marty Wender, tried to protect the natural aesthetics of the hilly terrain.

You can see the original trees are still there, Kelly said.

Hiles plans call for preserving parts of his property  but trees on most of the site have been turned to mulch and part of the hill was chiseled away.

It always surprises me when people do that, said Wender, a San Antonio business leader who developed Crownridge and sold sections to builders who agreed to preserve trees in the neighborhoods.

When youre out in the Hill Country, to me the asset is the Hill Country, Wender said.

On a recent sunny Saturday morning, a few residents were outside walking dogs in the neighborhood while the roar of rock crushers and backhoes echoed down the streets of Legend Hills.

The noise is 12 hours a day, six days a week, Halvorson said. Shes now an outspoken critic of not only Hiles project, but also the citys oversight.

Were every bit as mad at the city as we are at him, Halvorson said.

John Tedesco is a staff writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | jtedesco@express-news.net | Twitter: @John_TedescoIn the second chapter of his Gospel, the Apostle Matthew writes of magi from the east who followed a star to an infant child they worshipped as the king of the Jews. His story helped set a scene that has been remembered and re-enacted for more than 2,000 years, leaving almost as many questions.

Who were these distinguished foreigners, these dreamers and these wise men who looked to the night sky for clues? Where did they come from, and how many were there, as Matthew tells us only that they presented three gifts? Were they propelled by a prophesy to adore a savior, Gods son in human form?

For members of the Sociedad Herencia Puertorriquena, and others wholl celebrate Three Kings Day next Sunday in San Antonio, whats important is the sharing of traditions tied to the faith-filled anticipation of the arrival of three magi, and the Epiphany.

Theyll gather at 1 p.m. for the Three Kings Day Celebration at San Fernando Cathedral Hall, 231 W. Commerce St. The Puerto Rican Heritage Society considers the free event its gift to San Antonios children.

Art projects (think crowns) are in store, as are the sounds of traditional aguinaldos, or Christmas carols, the story of the three kings, wholl make an appearance, and the breaking of bread with an afternoon merienda.

In Nativities, the magi  a word defined as a priestly figure in ancient Persia  wear majestic robes and bear gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, an Arabian custom.

Scholars have called the trio magi, kings, astrologers and sages who made forecasts for worldly kingdoms. Theyre not identified by Matthew but have been assigned various names by different faith traditions. For many, theyre known as Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazar.

Christians have been trying to nail down their identity for millennia, said Christianity Today magazine. Whatever you choose to call them this holiday season, these men are the first in the canonical New Testament to bow and worship the Lord Jesus.

Today, the three kings are also commercialized. Macys department store scheduled weekend celebrations at North Star Mall and La Cantera, and JCPenney stores nationwide recommended several magi gifts, including Barbie Fashionista No. 90 in bright rainbow colors and a Disney Collection Mickey Mouse Mini Plush stuffed animal.

The magi story has traveled widely, but scholars believe their own journey likely put them in the Syrian desert, to Damascus and then farther south to Bethlehem in the present-day Palestinian territories.

Mari Goyco, chair of the Puerto Rican Heritage Societys Fiesta de Los Tres Reyes Magos, looks to Spain and Puerto Rico for her remembrance.

She was born and raised in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and recalls fondly the night before the celebration, when her family walked to an empty lot at the end of the street and filled shoe boxes with grass.

Goyco placed her box under her bed for the kings camels, though scholars doubt that such well-regarded men would have traveled on a pack animal and suspect that they likely used Arabian horses as transportation.

Her father seemed to express the most excitement about these traditions.

I would wake up and find grass all over the house, Goyco said, the ostensible proof that the kings had arrived and left. Grass clippings led to the patio.

There was a sense they came, and (the camels) were eating all the way to the backyard, she said. All our presents were in the living room.

Goyco was the first to wake her parents and ask if presents could be unwrapped.

My dad was really fun, she said. He would make all these treats, so wed believe, and I believed.

She said that growing up as a Catholic school student, she would attend Mass with her family, where children dressed as shepherds in the tradition of northern Spain.

Girls would wear red dresses, black aprons and vests and would cover their heads in red or black mantillas. Boys were dressed in similar colors and wore black berets, she said. Children walked into church together, singing to the baby Jesus.

After services, the family would sit down at her mothers beautifully set tables. She had prepared traditional Puerto Rican foods such as roasted pork, gandules, which is a rice dish, and applesauce, Goyco said.

As in Mexican and other Latin American traditions, Puerto Ricans serve a Rosca de Reyes cake.

It was a party, she said. It was a wonderful childhood.

The family celebrated Christmas, too, that the kids got their toys, but Three Kings Day was a more religious, more family-oriented holiday.

On the island, such holiday traditions started early and ended late, Goyco recalled.

They began at Thanksgiving, went through Christmas and the Epiphany and then for eight days for the Octava, she said, which was once celebrated in the church as the Octave of Epiphany.

Elaine Ayala covers religion and minority affairs in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | eayala@express-news.net | Twitter: @ElaineAyalaRe: Step by step, 6-year-old survivor finds his way back, Front Page; Gun bills face legislators concerns, Metro, Sunday

Two stories in the Sunday edition of the Express-News reignited my outrage at the inability of this country and this state to enact sensible gun-control legislation.

First is the poignant story of seven-year-old Ryland Ward, who survived the wounds he suffered at the hands of the Sutherland Springs shooter, but who lost his stepmother and two sisters in the massacre.

He has made remarkable progress, thanks to the doctors and therapists at University Hospital, but he will spend the rest of his life recovering from the physical and psychological damage done to him.

Then there is the news that some 19 bills will be introduced in next years Texas Legislative session for logical changes to gun laws in this state. I was immediately struck by the term nonstarter in relation to the red-flag proposal, temporarily removing guns from people deemed dangerous by a judge.

Gov. Greg Abbott has already said he will not sign this bill proposed by two El Paso representatives. Republican legislators are also not likely to consider changes to the gunshow loop hole, allowing for the purchase of firearms with absolutely no required background check, or the ability for anyone to acquire plastic 3D printer guns with the right technology.

Alice Tripp, lobbyist for the Texas State Rifle Association, says sweeping gun-control legislation is unlikely. She says that shes watched for 20 years as protections for law-abiding gun owners override gun-control advocates capitalizing on terrible things that have happened.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported an alarming statistic that nearly 40,000 people were killed by guns in 2017.

While 60 percent of those deaths are attributable to suicides, that leaves almost 15,000 others the result of accidents or homicides.

Any other epidemic on this scale would require those in power to do something to ease the pain and suffering of those affected.

Yet we watch day after day as the violence continues to make headlines and those who can do something about it turn their heads the other way.

Janice Miller lives in San Antonio.Up to now I have not favored removing President Donald Trump from office. I felt strongly that it would be best for the country that he leave the way he came in, through the ballot box. But last week was a watershed moment for me, and I think for many Americans.

It was the moment when you had to ask whether we really can survive two more years of Trump as president, whether this man and his demented behavior  which will get only worse as the Mueller investigation concludes  are going to destabilize our country, our markets, our key institutions and, by extension, the world. And therefore his removal from office now has to be on the table.

I believe that the only responsible choice for the Republican Party today is an intervention with the president that makes clear that if there is not a radical change in how he conducts himself, the partys leadership will have no choice but to press for his resignation or join calls for his impeachment.

Removing this president has to be an act of national unity as much as possible  otherwise it will tear the country apart even more.

Trumps behavior has become so erratic, his lying so persistent, his willingness to fulfill the basic functions of the presidency  like reading briefing books, consulting government experts before making major changes and appointing a competent staff  so absent, his readiness to accommodate Russia and spurn allies so disturbing and his obsession with himself and his ego over all other considerations so consistent, two more years of him in office could pose a real threat to our nation. Vice President Mike Pence could not possibly be worse.

Donald Trump has proved time and again that he knows nothing of the history or importance of this America. That was made starkly clear in Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis resignation letter.

So Trump gloats at the troubles facing the European Union, urges Britain to exit and leaks that hed consider quitting NATO. These are institutions that all need to be improved, but not scrapped. If America becomes a predator on all the treaties, multilateral institutions and alliances holding the world together; if America goes from being the worlds anchor of stability to an engine of instability; if America goes from a democracy built on the twin pillars of truth and trust to a country where it is acceptable for the president to attack truth and trust on a daily basis, watch out: Your kids wont just grow up in a different America. They will grow up in a different world.

The last time America disengaged from the world remotely in this manner was in the 1930s, and you remember what followed: World War II.

But this is not just about the world, its about the minimum decorum and stability we expect from our president. If the CEO of any public company in America behaved like Trump has over the past two years  constantly lying, tossing out aides like they were Kleenex, tweeting endlessly like a teenager, ignoring the advice of experts  he or she would have been fired by the board of directors long ago.

For the first two years of the Trump presidency the markets treated his dishonesty and craziness as background noise to all the soaring corporate profits and stocks. But that is no longer the case. Trump has markets worried.

The instability Trump is generating  including his attacks on the chairman of the Federal Reserve  is causing investors to wonder where the economic and geopolitical management will come from as the economy slows down.

Ah, we are told, but Trump is a different kind of president. Hes a disrupter. Well, I respect those who voted for Trump because they thought the system needed a disrupter. It did in some areas. But too often Trump has given us disruption without any plan for what comes next. He has worked to destroy Obamacare with no plan for the morning after. He announced a pullout from Syria and Afghanistan without even consulting the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or the State Departments top expert, let alone our allies.

People wanted disruption, but too often Trump has given us destruction, distraction, debasement and sheer ignorance.

Indeed, Trumps biggest disruption has been to undermine the norms and values we associate with a U.S. president and U.S. leadership. And now that Trump has freed himself of all restraints from within his White House staff, his Cabinet and his party, he is freer than ever to remake America in his image.

And what is that image? If America starts to behave as a selfish, shameless, lying grifter like Trump, you simply cannot imagine how unstable  how disruptive  world markets and geopolitics may become. We cannot afford to find out.No one knows whether the famous expression about Washingtons endorsement of Third World dictators  Hes a son of a (expletive), but hes our son of a (expletive)  was said by Franklin Roosevelt or Cordell Hull or was invented by a chronicler. But it also seems to describe the tolerance the United States and Europe have shown in the last couple of years toward the brutal Saudi Arabian royal family.

We should not be surprised that, as is almost certainly the case, Riyadh felt confident enough to send agents to Istanbul to kill and dismember Jamal Khashoggi, a dissident Saudi journalist.

It is widely accepted as a matter of realpolitik that the foreign policy of liberal democracies cannot always be based on the principles that inform their own constitutions. But even accepting, for arguments sake, this cynical idea, there are lines we should never let dictators cross if we want to prevent foreign policy from making a mockery of everything liberal democracies claim to represent.

Not understanding this notion has been the great mistake of Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, who, under the mantle of economic modernization and episodic concessions to secularism, is terrorizing his country and has now embarrassed, even humiliated, his international protectors.

The United States and Europe use Saudi Arabia against Iran, a major foe of Riyadh; appreciate bin Salmans efforts to displace the Islamic State among the Sunnis by confronting the Shiites and their allies; and believe they need the Saudis to help stabilize oil prices.

But the assassination commandos who, according to substantial reports, killed and dismembered the Washington Posts contributor (not exactly a Jeffersonian democrat: he had been close to part of the Saudi regime and then sympathized with the Muslim Brotherhood) reverse the hierarchy between the western powers and their indelicate vassals.

The message from Riyadh is that it has the United States and Europe at its mercy and that these will not dare take punitive measures.

It is one thing for a dictatorship to keep up appearances so as not to raise the cost that liberal democracies pay for tolerating or supporting them, and quite another for it to act brazenly as if the values of civilization that those liberal democracies represent have become completely irrelevant to the world order.

When Donald Trump, pushed by some Republicans, originally suggested that if it was proven that Riyadh was behind the crime, there could be consequences, the Saudis threatened to provoke a cataclysm in the oil market (Trump backtracked soon after). That was the insolent response of the same regime that felt strong enough to ignore the U.N. report holding Riyadh accountable for most of the 16,000 civilians killed in the Yemeni war and turned a tweet from the Canadian government protesting the arrest of a womens rights activist into a pretext for expelling that countrys diplomats and ordering Saudi scholarship recipients in Canada to return to Riyadh. It was also the self-confident statement of a government that has boasted it could stop buying U.S. arms ($90 billion in the last decade) and start buying arms from Russia or China.

Saudi Arabia is wrong: It needs the United States and Europe, not the other way around. The House of Sauds confrontation with Iran, its archenemy in the Islamic world, is almost existential (as is its rivalry with the Islamic State). Its ability to control oil prices  now that OPEC only accounts for one-third of world production and that the United States is on course to extract 14 million barrels a day  is smaller than before.

Bin Salmans policy of economic diversification aimed at ending Saudi reliance on black gold cannot be successful without European and American capital. And the cost of transforming Saudi Arabias military apparatus to adapt it to the (inferior) Russian technology would be huge and time-consuming.

It is time for the United States and Europe to turn their backs on bin Salman before the door of the kennel becomes wide open and the canines get out of control.

Alvaro Vargas Llosa is a senior fellow at the Independent Institute and author of Liberty for Latin America: How to Undo Five Hundred Years of State Oppression and The Che Guevara Myth and the Future of Liberty.Bexar County is in the midst of unprecedented growth. San Antonio was the fastest growing major city in the nation last year, and its been estimated there will be 1 million additional residents in Bexar County by 2040.

That tidal wave of growth isnt some future event. Its happening now. All of these additional residents will need to get to work and school. They will need to run errands and move from point A to point B. Employers will gauge commute times and alternatives for people to get out of their vehicles. If you think traffic is bad on U.S. 281 or I-10 between San Antonio and Boerne or along Loop 1604 on the North Side, then just imagine what it will be like if we do nothing.

This is the principal reason transit must be the local policy priority of the present and future  and why we wholeheartedly embrace the transit plan put forth by Mayor Ron Nirenberg and backed by Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff.

Some will want something bolder. Some will fight any investment in transit. But the initial plan put forth by ConnectSA, the nonprofit Nirenberg created to study the issue, is a reasonable and realistic plan that addresses transit challenges and meets San Antonio voters where they are.

Henry Cisneros,  one of the ConnectSA cochairs and a former mayor of San Antonio who also served as secretary of Housing and Urban Development  has noted this plan has no pie-in-the-sky projects. There are no toll roads, and there is no rail, two issues San Antonio voters have rejected in the past. But there is something for everyone  an embrace of technology, sidewalk improvements, bike and scooter lanes, more buses, road expansion and rapid transit lines. And its a plan that recognizes San Antonios fiscal capacity.

Its also a plan that technically would not have to go to voters since there is no rail, but Nirenberg has, wisely, said it will go to voters in either 2019 or 2020.

What voters would approve will be narrowed down in the coming months through public meetings and surveys, but the initial plan outlines 25 initiatives by 2025. A few of these initiatives stand out. First and foremost, is a mass transit line that would run from Loop 1604 and U.S. 281 on the North Side to San Antonio International Airport, down San Pedro to Downtown and then to the far South Side, following the Mission Reach to Brooks City Base.

This would be on dedicated lanes  meaning it would separate from existing traffic  and will feature what is essentially a trackless train. Picture passenger rail cars on rubber tires. Its significantly cheaper than light rail, flexible and serves the same purpose.

There would also be 40 more miles of bike/scooter lanes, and a universal app to pay for transit so riders could move seamlessly from a scooter to an Uber to the trackless train.

In 2030, the next mass transit line would run from downtown to the west side, and I-10 would be expanded.

Each five-year segment would cost about $1.3 billion or so.

To pay for these transit improvements, the plan outlines 10 funding sources, most of which involve existing funding sources. Cisneros has said some combination of five will likely need to be implemented.

Some are basic: leveraging state and federal funds or folding transit projects into future city and county bond programs. Some are common sense: Redirecting the city of San Antonios Advanced Transportation District tax dollars to these transit projects. Some might be controversial: Redirecting sales tax dollars from Edwards Aquifer Protection, or instituting a city transit fee.

An important note to supporters of aquifer protection: Nirenberg has said he will not support moving aquifer protection dollars to transit without a new funding source to assure water security.

There is time to debate the merits of these funding ideas, and others. But the natural starting point to this discussion is recognizing that doing nothing is untenable.

The region has to keep moving, and this plan is the right starting point.Re: Climate change deniers mentality, Another View, by Thomas L. Arnow, Tuesday:

First, I challenge the label erroneously applied to me and my opinion (including, surprisingly, even in the headline). I am not a climate change denier. Its well-established the Earths climate has been changing longer than human history. Im confident that Dr. Arnow, a self-proclaimed Ph.D. chemist/computer expert, knows that climate is ever dynamic. The real issue is how much of climate change is influenced by human activity and to what extent.

I notice that Dr. Arnow follows up this mistaken label with a common tactic: If you cant challenge the argument, change the direction. The point he ignores was (and is) that during recent history, efforts at consensus  seemingly armed with overwhelming facts  have been attempted, aimed at sparking herd-mentality support to achieve a preconceived result. Sometimes with disastrous results.

The widely supported 2003 weapons of mass destruction/Saddam Hussein fear campaign is one that did successfully stampede the herd. And brought about yet another Iraq War. Perhaps there were no computer models involved, but the principle is the same. Lets not do anything foolish.

Loren Williams

Go fund them

Hey! The border wall GoFundMe  how about giving that money to the now-unemployed federal workers who, through no fault of their own, have no income in this holiday season of spending and giving?

Now that is an appropriate defense of our country.

Rebecca Baker

Democracy ceded

Re: Even if not illegal, Trumps actions are impeachable, Other Views, by Michael Gerson, Tuesday:

Gersons commentary should make him eligible for the Pulitzer Prize.

The open corruption the Trump family consistently displays will not alter the opinions/support of his base. Despite the evidence even in the absence of the Mueller report, these so-called patriotic voters are ceding democracy to despots such as Vladimir Putin. The Trump familys oligarchical and openly treasonous behavior and the win-at-all-cost mindset should test their loyalty to democratic ideals. Perhaps the mind-bending and stealth-like subtleties of social media have replaced the brutality of bombs, rifles and bayonets, formally required of enemy occupation and domination.

Even with the disgust for and neglect that Trumps base feels from his predecessors, democratic loyalty should never be compromised by a political party. Our forefathers anticipated these failures by our leaders and gave us ample means, constitutionally, to deal with them. Fortunately, some voters answered the call in the midterm elections to some degree. But so many are willing to ignore the open threats and failures evidenced by the Trump administration. Perhaps the Mueller report will alter the views of enough of his base to have them finally exercise these democratic tools.

I would have never thought a dominant U.S. political party would betray our democracy to such an open and blatant degree as to allow deep enemy penetration and perhaps domination, and not a shot fired at this point.

Jerry Kempe, New BraunfelsNearly 250 guests celebrated the Changing Seasons in style at the Kennedy Centers 54th annual Four Seasons Ball, raising $156,000 for the centers programs to empower individuals with disabilities.

Held at Rolling Hills Country Club in Wilton, Kevin Walsh, of Fairfield and managing director of GE Energy Financial Services and General Electric Company, was recognized for support.

Walsh has been a member of the Kennedy Center Board of Directors for over six years and has provided expertise to the Budget and Finance Committee. Similarly, for over three decades, GE Company has had a long-standing partnership with The Kennedy Center and through this commitment, has made a defining impact to the individuals served by the agency.

I am overwhelmed with the great turnout tonight, Walsh said during his acceptance speech. People have traveled here from all over the country and even Europe. I truly believe in the mission of The Kennedy Center. They support so many people in the community in a big way.

Since its inception in 1965, the Four Seasons Ball has contributed over $2.5 million to The Kennedy Center and is one of the longest running, most popular charity galas in Fairfield County.

Arts association to meet Jan. 17

The Fairfield County Arts Association will meet Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. in the Roger Ludlowe Middle School Team Room 292.

The featured presenter will be Tina Puckett, a self-taught fiber artist who has been weaving since 1981. She uses the bittersweet vine that grows locally in the northwest corner of Connecticut where she lives. The character of each piece of vine dictates what form each basket, bowl, wall sculpture or piece of furniture will take. As Puckett then applies her imagination and sense of color to the structural form and to the weaving, dynamic and colorful works of art emerge.

Pucketts works have been exhibited in museums, art galleries, libraries and at craft show events both nationally and internationally. Her work has also been featured in magazines, newspapers, books and on television.

For information, visit www.fairfieldcountyartists.com or call Alice Katz at 203-259-8026.

Junior animal care keepers class

Children are invited to learn to care for non-releasable animal residents at Connecticut Audubon in Fairfield Connecticut Audubon Society Center at Fairfield, 2325 Burr Street.

The six-week series titled Junior Animal Care Keepers runs Thursdays from Jan. 8 through Feb. 12, from 3:30 to 5 p.m., for students in sixth and seventh grades. Cost is $72 for audubon members and $96 for nonmembers. Proceeds support the Connecticut Audubon Societys conservation and environmental education programs.

The class is an opportunity to go behind the scenes at the Connecticut Audubon Society and directly interact with our resident animals.

As part of a hands-on class working with CAS staff, students will learn how to create and maintain healthy living environments for animals. They will take on care and feeding responsibilities while receiving an overview of our live animal collection which includes birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.

Advance registration is required and space is limited. Call 203-259-6305 ext. 109, or visit www.ctaudubon.org/fairfield-programs-events/ for more information about this class and all of winter programs and special events.

Harrys raises funds to end hunger

Harrys Wine & Liquor Market sponsored its annual Rare Bottles fundraiser in October for Operation Hope of Fairfield, to support its efforts to end hunger and end homelessness in the local community.

On Saturdays throughout the month of October, Harrys released a handful of hard-to-find bottles that were sold at 8 a.m.on a first-come, first-serve basis, with a portion of the proceeds of bottle sales donated to Operation Hope.

Each Saturday, a line snaked out the door before the doors opened, where patrons had the opportunity to snag some very rare bottles of scotch, bourbon and whiskey. The fundraiser raised $8,346, which will be used to help finance the food pantry, affordable housing program and the new Homeless Response Center.FAIRFIELD  Fairfield state Reps. Brenda Kupchick and Laura Devlin will be hosting three separate listening sessions in the coming weeks over coffee, according to a news release. The listening sessions are free and Fairfield residents are encouraged to attend.

The dates of each session are:

Jan. 12 from 10 to 11 a.m. at Panera Bread on 2320 Black Rock Turnpike;

Jan. 16 from 7 to 8 p.m. at Las Vetas Lounge on 27 Unquowa Road; and

Jan. 26, from 10 to 11 a.m. at Las Vetas Lounge on 27 Unquowa Road.

The two state representatives want to hear from their constituents and encourage them to join their legislators and talk about any issues, questions or concerns related to state government. The deadline for individual legislators to propose bills is Jan. 18; residents are encouraged to bring their ideas forward for possible consideration.

The 2019 Legislative Session begins on Jan. 9.

Those unable to attend the legislative sessions can call the legislators at 800-842-1423 or email their offices at Laura.Devlin@housegop.ct.gov and Brenda.Kupchick@cga.ct.gov.

Museum accepting photography show entries

FAIRFIELD  The Fairfield Museum & History Center invites the public to submit photographs to the eleventh annual IMAGES Juried Photography Show, which celebrates work of regional photographers. Online submissions through the contest website will be accepted through noon on Jan. 11.

The opening reception will be held in conjunction with Fairfield Countys Giving Day on Feb. 28, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Fairfield Museum, 370 Beach Road.

For full details and to enter the contest visit Fairfieldhistory.org/exhibitions-2/images/.Contributed photo /

A sweet part of this years Holiday Express Train Show at the Fairfield Museum (370 Beach Road) is a Victorian-themed dollhouse created in 1979 by two area residents.

Evelyn and Frank Gerratana, of Trumbull, created a special doctors house in honor of their son who was in medical school at the time. They presented it to him when he opened his first office as an orthopedic surgeon. They decorated it for different holidays and it is on display now at the Fairfield Museum in its Christmas holiday finery.The following companies are subsidiares of Harsco: 21st Century Environmental Management of NV LLC, 21st Century Environmental Management of RI LLC, AERC Acquisition Corporation, AES Asset Acquisition Corporation, Accelerated Remediation Kinetics LLC, Advanced Remediation & Disposal Technologies of Delaware LLC, Allied Environmental Group LLC, Allworth LLC, Altek, Altek Europe Holdings Ltd., Altek Europe Limited, Altek LLC, Altek Melting Solutions Limited, AluServ Middle East W.L.L., Alusalt Limited, Assessment & Remedial Design Technologies Inc, Ballagio S.a.r.l., Burlington Environmental LLC, CEHI Acquisition LLC, CEI Holding LLC, Calrissian Holdings LLC, Carteret Asphalt Corporation, Chemical Pollution Control of Florida LLC, Chemical Pollution Control of New York LLC, Chemical Reclamation Services LLC, Clean Earth Dredging Technologies LLC, Clean Earth Environmental Services Inc., Clean Earth Environmental Services Inc., Clean Earth Environmental Solutions Inc., Clean Earth Holdings LLC, Clean Earth Inc., Clean Earth LLC, Clean Earth Mobile Services LLC, Clean Earth Specialty Waste Solutions Inc., Clean Earth of Carteret LLC, Clean Earth of Georgia LLC, Clean Earth of Greater Washington LLC, Clean Earth of Maryland LLC, Clean Earth of Michigan LLC, Clean Earth of New Castle LLC, Clean Earth of North Jersey Inc., Clean Earth of Philadelphia LLC, Clean Earth of Puerto Rico LLC, Clean Earth of Southeast Pennsylvania LLC, Clean Earth of Southern Florida LLC, Clean Earth of West Virginia LLC, Clean Earth of Williamsport LLC, Clean Rock Properties Ltd, Czech Slag- Nova Hut s.r.o., ESOL TOPCO LLC, Environmental Soil Management Inc, Environmental Soil Management of New York LLC, Environmental Solutions (ESOL) Business, Excell Africa Holdings Ltd., Excell Americas Holdings Ltd S.a.r.L., Faber Prest Limited, Gardner Road Oil LLC, GasServ (Netherlands) VII B.V., General Environmental Management of Rancho Cordova LLC, HLWKH 517 Limited, Harsco (Australia) Pty. Limited, Harsco (Beijing) Fertiliser Co. Ltd, Harsco (Gibraltar) Holding Limited, Harsco (Mexico) Holdings B.V., Harsco (Peru) Holdings B.V., Harsco (Tangshan) Metallurgical Materials Technology Co. Ltd, Harsco (Tangshan) Metallurgical Materials Technology Co. Ltd. - GuYe Branch, Harsco (Tangshan) Metallurgical Materials Technology Co. Ltd. - Leting Branch, Harsco (Tangshan) Renewable Resources Development Co. Ltd, Harsco (U.K.) Limited, Harsco (UK) Group Ltd, Harsco (York Place) Limited, Harsco APAC Rail Machinery (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Harsco Americas Investments S.a.r.l., Harsco Belgium SRL, Harsco Brazil Investments SRL, Harsco Canada Corporation Societe Harsco Canada, Harsco Canada General Partner Limited, Harsco Canada Limited Partnership, Harsco Chile Investments SRL, Harsco China Holding Company Limited, Harsco Defense Holding LLC, Harsco Environmental S.R.L., Harsco Europa B.V., Harsco Fairways Partnership, Harsco Finance B.V., Harsco Financial Holdings Inc., Harsco France S.A.S., Harsco Holdings Inc., Harsco India Metals Private Limited, Harsco India Private Ltd., Harsco India Services Private Ltd., Harsco Industrial Grating China Holding Co. Ltd., Harsco Infrastructure B.V., Harsco Infrastructure CZ s.r.o, Harsco Infrastructure Construction Services B.V., Harsco Infrastructure Group Ltd., Harsco Infrastructure Holdings Inc., Harsco Infrastructure Hong Kong Ltd, Harsco Infrastructure Industrial Services B.V., Harsco Infrastructure Services Ltd., Harsco Infrastructure South Africa (Pty.) Ltd., Harsco International Finance S.a.r.l., Harsco Investment Ltd., Harsco Investments Europe B.V., Harsco Leatherhead Limited, Harsco Luxembourg S.a.r.l, Harsco Metals (Ningbo) Pty. Ltd., Harsco Metals (Thailand) Company Ltd., Harsco Metals 373 Ltd, Harsco Metals 385 Ltd, Harsco Metals Argentina S.A., Harsco Metals Australia Holding Investment Co. Pty. Ltd., Harsco Metals Australia Pty. Ltd., Harsco Metals Belgium S.A., Harsco Metals CTS Prestacao de Servicos Tecnicos e Aluguer de Equipamentos LDA Unipessoal, Harsco Metals CZ s.r.o, Harsco Metals Chile S.A., Harsco Metals D.O.O. Smederevo, Harsco Metals Egypt L.L.C., Harsco Metals Emirates Partnership, Harsco Metals Germany GmbH, Harsco Metals Gesmafesa S.A., Harsco Metals Group Limited, Harsco Metals Guatemala S.A., Harsco Metals Holding LLC, Harsco Metals Holdings Limited, Harsco Metals Holland B.V., Harsco Metals Ilanga Pty. Ltd., Harsco Metals Intermetal LLC, Harsco Metals Investment LLC, Harsco Metals Limitada, Harsco Metals Luxembourg S.A., Harsco Metals Luxequip S.A., Harsco Metals Lycrete S.A., Harsco Metals Middle East FZE, Harsco Metals Norway A.S., Harsco Metals Oostelijk Staal International B.V., Harsco Metals Operations LLC, Harsco Metals Peru S.A., Harsco Metals Polska SP Z.O.O., Harsco Metals RSA Africa (Pty.) Ltd., Harsco Metals Reclamet S.A., Harsco Metals SRH Mill Services (Pty.) Ltd., Harsco Metals SRI LLC, Harsco Metals Saudi Arabia Ltd., Harsco Metals Slovensko s.r.o., Harsco Metals South Africa (Pty.) Ltd., Harsco Metals SteelServ (Pty.) Ltd., Harsco Metals Sweden A.B., Harsco Metals Transport B.V., Harsco Metals Turkey Celik Limited Sirkety, Harsco Metals VB LLC, Harsco Metals Zhejiang Co. Ltd., Harsco Metals and Minerals France S.A.S., Harsco Metals de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Harsco Metro Rail LLC, Harsco Mexico Holdings S.A. de C.V., Harsco Minerais Limitada, Harsco Minerali d.o.o., Harsco Minerals Arabia LLC (FZC), Harsco Minerals Deutschland GmbH, Harsco Minerals Europe B.V., Harsco Minerals Technologies LLC, Harsco Minnesota Finance Inc., Harsco Minnesota LLC, Harsco Mole Valley Limited, Harsco Nederland Slag B.V., Harsco Nova Scotia Holding Corporation, Harsco Rail Emirates Maatschap/Societe de Droit Commun, Harsco Rail Europe GmbH, Harsco Rail LLC, Harsco Rail Limited, Harsco Rail Ltda, Harsco Rail Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Harsco Rail Pty. Ltd., Harsco Rail Switzerland GMBH, Harsco Steel Mill Trading Arabia LLC, Harsco Sun Demiryolu Ekipmanlari Uretim Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Harsco Switzerland Holding GmbH, Harsco Technologies LLC, Harsco Technology China Co. Ltd., Harsco Track Machines and Services Private Limited, Heckett Bahna Co. For Industrial Operations S.A.E., Heckett Comercio de Rejeitos Industriais Importacao e Exportacao Ltda, Heckett MultiServ (FS) Pty Ltd, Heckett MultiServ Bahna S.A.E., Heckett MultiServ China B.V., Heckett MultiServ Far East B.V., Heckett Multiserv MV & MS CA, Hunnebeck Group GmbH, Iductelec Limited, Ilserv S.R.L., Luntz Acquisition (Delaware) LLC, MKC Acquisition Corporation, Mastclimbers Ltd, Metal Reclamation SPV (Pty.) Ltd., Minerval Metallurgic Additives B.V., MultiServ (Sweden) AB, MultiServ Finance B.V., MultiServ International B.V., MultiServ Limited, MultiServ Logistics Limited, MultiServ Oy, MultiServ Technologies (South Africa) Pty Ltd, Nortal Limited, Northland Environmental LLC, Nortru LLC, PSC Environmental Services LLC, PSC Recovery Systems LLC, Phillip Reclamation Services Houston LLC, Protran Technology LLC, Real Property Acquisition LLC, Republic Environmental Recycling (New Jersey) LLC, Republic Environmental Systems (PA) LLC, Republic Environmental Systems (Transportation Group) LLC, Rho-Chem LLC, SGB Holdings Limited, SGB Investments Ltd., SGB Scafform Limited, Shanxi TISCO-Harsco Technology Co. Ltd., Short Brothers (Plant) Ltd., Slag Processing Company Egypt (SLAR) S.A.E., Slag Reductie (Pacific) B.V., Slag Reductie Nederland B.V., Solvent Recovery LLC, Tosyali Harsco Geri Kazanim Teknolojileri Anonim Sirketi, and United Retek of Connecticut LLC.Versum Materials, Inc. develops, manufactures, transports, and handles specialty materials for the semiconductor and display industries in the United States, Taiwan, South Korea, China, Europe, and rest of Asia. The company operates through two segments, Materials, and Delivery Systems and Services (DS&S). The Materials segment provides specialty chemicals and materials used in semiconductors, as well as specialty gases used in the semiconductor manufacturing process, including high purity process materials for deposition, metallization, chamber cleaning, and etching; chemicals mechanical planarization slurries; organosilanes; organometallics and liquid dopants for thin film deposition; and formulated chemical products for post-etch cleaning primarily for the manufacture of silicon and compound semiconductors, and thin film transistor liquid crystal displays. The DS&S segment develops, designs, manufactures, and sells bulk gas, specialty gas, and specialty chemical cabinets and systems, which are used to manage the delivery of key materials into the semiconductor manufacturing process; and flow and temperature control systems and analytical systems to capture data. It is also involved in the project management for installation and startup of the gas and chemical delivery systems, and inventory management; and provision of spare parts, equipment upgrades, equipment maintenance, and training services. In addition, this segment offers on-site services to assist customers in managing the inventory of gases and chemicals comprising ordering, product changes and monitoring, quality assurance, operation of delivery systems, and managing the bulk gas and specialty gas operations. Versum Materials, Inc. was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona.

Read More(ANSA) - Rome, December 28 - An estimated 9.8 million tourists are expected to visit Italy over the next week to celebrate the New Year, up 8.5% over the same period last year, according to a survey carried out by the research center of the national confederation of artisans CAN, in cooperation with tourist operators and retailers that are part of the confederation.

According to the survey, an estimated 5.2 million Italian and 4.6 foreign tourists will be ringing in the New Year at an Italian venue.

Overall, Italians will be spending an average of three nights away on holiday and foreigners four, according to the survey with hotel stays lasting an average of three nights and apartment rentals on average five nights.

The majority of tourists will be heading to the mountains, lakes, spas and small towns, the coast or hills rather than large cities, according to the survey.

The most popular regions are Lombardy, Tentino Alto Adige, Veneto, Emilia Romagna and Friuli Venezia Giulia.

Nearly one million tourists will head to a mountain resort to ski next week, CNA also said. Those who are heading to an art city have mostly chosen Rome, Venice, Florence, Milan, Naples, Turin, Bologna, Genoa, Palermo, Catania, Matera, Bari, Pisa, Perugia and Ravenna, in this order, the poll found.

Most have already booked, either online or at a travel agency, and the majority will be travelling by car, if they are Italian, and train, if they hail from abroad.

Direxion Daily South Korea Bull 3X Shares' stock was trading at $13.95 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, KORU shares have increased by 78.1% and is now trading at $24.84.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.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.There is not enough analysis data for Greenkraft.

4.5 Community Rank

Outperform Votes Greenkraft has received 76 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.)

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Community Sentiment Greenkraft has received 67.86% outperform votes from our community.

MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Greenkraft and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe GKIT will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe GKIT will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days.

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NextiShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF's stock was trading at $25.60 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EWU shares have increased by 25.6% and is now trading at $32.15.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.ROME - Al-Ula, home to UNESCO World Heritage Site Madain Saleh, will be revealed to the world once tourism-related projects in the region are complete, Arab News reports.

The announcement was made by Amr Madani, CEO of the Royal Commission for Al-Ula (RCU), during the launch of a community advocacy program aimed at promoting awareness around heritage and environmental preservation. The "Hammayah" program (Arabic for protection) was launched on Thursday at the Tantora Cultural Festival.

The program is slated to create 2,500 employment opportunities in the region, all of whom will be groomed into gatekeepers to their city's natural wonders. The RCU was established last year by royal decree. Hammayah will hold workshops to teach locals how to help promote and protect the region's archaeological sites.

"We are delighted to be launching one of the most significant community initiatives in Al-Ula," said Abdul Aziz Al-Aqeel, RCU operations officer. "We are encouraging our people to be custodians of their homelands. Al-Ula is a place of extraordinary history and heritage." Intra-Kingdom travelers have engraved many messages on the rocks and mountains of Al-Ula over hundreds of years, according to Madani. "We are now hoping tourists will come in from abroad," he said. "We want to ensure a strategic plan is in place before investors begin launching their businesses in the region. There has been human activity in the area for thousands of years and every generation has left behind traces of their existence. In fact, the vast landscape is dotted with some of the most fascinating and significant archaeological remains in the Middle East and North Africa." Tourism will account for 70 percent of Al-Ula's economy. "The region will have a tourism college by 2019," added Madani. In addition, organizers hope the mountainous region will make for an attractive destination for filmmakers. Spanning a five-year period, the RCU-sponsored scholarship program gives youth a chance to liaise with world-class institutions in the US, UK and France, among other top-notch destinations.by Austin Van Ryn | Thu, Dec 27th 2:50pm EST

Coming off the bench, Dwayne Wade dished out six assists in Wednesday's loss to the Toronto Raptors. Wade added 10 points, one rebound, one steal, one block, and two turnovers in 24 minutes.by Michael DiBiasi | Heat Correspondent | Thu, Dec 27th 3:13pm EST

Kyle Lowry has been ruled out for Friday's game in Orlando with a back issue. (Josh Lewenberg on Twitter)by Sean Fitzpatrick | Thu, Dec 27th 10:01pm EST

Nikola Mirotic has been ruled out again on Friday versus the Dallas Mavericks with an ankle injury. Mirotic hasn't played in the past six games so this will be his seventh game in a row out. Julius Randle starts in his place once again. (Pelicans PR on Twitter)The Farm and Dairy staff has selected the top 10 stories to impact its readership in 2018. Take a look back at the most influential farm stories of the year, and comment below to share how these stories affected you.

1US-China trade dispute

The United States and China are locked in a dispute over their trade imbalance and Beijings tech policies. U.S. President Donald Trump imposed import taxes on $250 billion in Chinese products  25 percent on $50 billion worth and 10 percent on the other $200 billion. China retaliated by slapping tariffs on $110 billion in U.S. goods  including a 25 percent tariff on soybeans.

U.S. soybean sales to China in 2017 amounted to $12.356 billion, or 27 percent of U.S. production.

In late November, the United States and China reached a 90-day cease-fire. Trump agreed to hold off on plans to raise tariffs Jan. 1 on $200 billion in Chinese goods, and China agreed to buy a not yet agreed upon, but very substantial amount of agricultural, energy, industrial and other products from the United States.

Learn more: Tariffs could spell disaster for Ohio farmers; Trade fight is on, threatening US agriculture; Trade war could cost Ohio farmers half their income.

2Lake Erie in distress

After the data showed little progress in improving water quality in Lake Erie and its major watersheds, Gov. John Kasich and his administration stepped up actions. Portions of the lake were declared impaired in the spring, followed by eight watersheds the governor tried to get declared in distress. Although the distressed designation never came, state policymakers and leaders ended the year with issue still at the forefront, and a major priority for 2019. Farm groups said they were not included in the governors actions, and if new policy is to be made, they want a seat at the table.

Learn more: Kasichs executive order concerns many; Farmers question whether Kasichs order is practical; Breaking: Kasich signs Lake Erie executive order; Commission tables Kasichs order on watersheds.

3Dairy exodus

In October, we reported that Ohio alone has lost 172 dairy farms in 12 months, a drop of 7.4 percent of dairy farms in one year. And the number is sure to climb, as too many years of poor milk prices and unpredictable markets for milk, cull cows, breeding stock, and feed take their toll. Part of the blame goes to basic supply and demand  there are around 9.4 million dairy cows in the U.S. and that production outpaces domestic consumption.

Learn more: Dairy exodus: Ohio has lost 172 dairy farms in 12 months.

4Dean Foods drops dairy farmers

Citing indisputable dynamics in the economy and dairy industry, Dean Foods sent a letter in February to more than 100 dairy farms in eight states  including 42 in Pennsylvania and 10 in Ohio  terminating their milk contracts with the company, effective May 31. The dairy farmers struggled to find a new home for their milk, and some opted to sell their cows instead.

Learn more: Dean Foods drops more than 100 dairy farmers; Dairymen searching for answers; Dairy farmers regroup after drop letter.

5Trade mitigation payments

In July, the Trump administration launched the Market Facilitation Program to provide payments to farmers of certain commodities  almonds, cotton, corn, milk, pork, sorghum, soybeans, fresh sweet cherries, and wheat whose income was hit by what it called unjustified trade retaliation to tariffs enacted by the U.S. The payments were designed to help farmers with short-term cash flow issues triggered by the U.S.-China trade disputes.

A second, and final, round of payments were announced Dec. 17.

The USDA also started purchases of up to $1.2 billion in commodities targeted by the retaliation and is distributing them through nutrition assistance programs.

A total of up to $12 billion was authorized to help farmers hit by disrupted markets.

Learn more: Second round of trade mitigation payments announced.

6Farm bill done before Christmas

Keeping with their promise, federal lawmakers were able to get a new five-year farm bill done and approved by Congress in 2018, and before the winter holidays arrived. The new bill included a new dairy program, that expanded the price protection program for dairy farmers, maintained crop insurance options, and reformed conservation programs to better target lands of concern. The bill did not include everything everyone wanted, but ag commentators were calling it a significant and workable bill, at years end. The president signed the bill Dec. 20, and implementation would begin in 2019.

Learn more: New farm bill emerges from conference committee; Senate passes its farm bill 86-11; House passes its version of farm bill.

7The next NAFTA

A new North American free trade deal was finally reached Sept. 30, after weeks (some would say months) of bitter, high-pressure negotiations. The deal will be called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, and replaces the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement.

In the USMCA, Canada will provide new access for U.S. dairy products, chicken and eggs, and increase access for turkey, as well as change its grading practices of U.S. wheat.

In late November, Trump gave lawmakers six months to approve the replacement, saying they can choose between the replacement  the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement  or nothing.

8Ohio ag director fired

Ohio Gov. John Kasich fired his agriculture director in October, just three months before the end of the governors term, apparently for disagreeing with the governors plan to declare watersheds in distress. David Daniels was appointed agriculture director in February of 2012, but said he had issues with the logistics and practicality of declaring eight watersheds in distress. Those same issues were communicated by farmers and non-farmers, and at the end of 2018, a distressed designation was still up in the air, as well as the rules intended to govern the designation.

Learn more: Fired Ohio ag director speaks about what happened.

9Controlling dicamba drift

With increased scrutiny on the use of dicamba herbicides, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency outlined new labeling and use regulations intended to keep the product from drifting onto non-dicamba resistant crops. Only certified applicators can apply dicamba (from the top), and top application to soybeans is prohibited for up to 45 days after planting. But some weed experts said even more action is needed, and encouraged farmers to talk with their neighbors about the types of crops being grown.

Learn more: Weed expert: EPAs new dicamba label doesnt do enough; EPA changes dicamba registration to 2020; Label changes for dicamba in 2018; EPA adds national dicamba restrictions for this year; Volatility plays a big role in dicamba drift.

10Grain handler scam

Richard Schwan, of Monroeville, Ohio, pleaded guilty in July to multiple charges related to the theft of more than $3 million in grain from 35 Ohio farmers. In August, he was sentenced to four years in prison, and ordered to pay $3,222,209 in restitution as part of his sentence. The money, which has been paid in full, will reimburse the farmers, the Ohio Department of Agriculture and the Ohio Grain Indemnity Fund, which previously reimbursed the farmers for the majority of their losses.

Learn more: Grain handler pleads guilty to stealing more than $3M; Huron County man indicted for stealing grain.

Farm and Dairys top 10 web stories of 2018

Related ContentSheep farmers have highlighted their concerns about the impact on the livestock sector of the 30,000 wage threshold for skilled labour in new Government proposals.

The Immigration White Paper includes plans to scrap the cap for skilled workers and a consultation on a minimum salary requirement of 30,000 for skilled migrants seeking five-year visas.

As well as abattoir vets, whose salaries often do not reach the 30k cut off, the sector is also concerned that not enough consideration is being given to general staffing needs in abattoirs.

For many people, Brexit was driven by a desire to reduce migration levels, with concerns that cheaper labour was undercutting the British workforce or taking jobs away.

But the National Sheep Association (NSA) says that on average UK abattoirs are more than 75% reliant on migrant labour, and that foreign veterinary cover is often even higher than this.

NSA Chief Executive, Phil Stocker says: This is not because this workforce is cheap but because the sector cannot get reliable British workers to do the jobs.

We are increasingly concerned that not enough thought and preparation is being put into ensuring general and veterinary staff at abattoirs will be maintained and we know that already many plants are working below peak efficiency because of labour shortages.

It seems there is an assumption that if conditions are better the sector will attract British workers, or that technology will simply come in to replace people. Neither of these assumptions are anywhere near being a possibility.

Mr Stocker adds: Nor will a seasonal agricultural workers scheme cater for these workers as they are needed year-round and become highly skilled in their work areas.

They all work hard, doing essential work that most British people wont do, and many settle here for long periods and even permanently.

The NSA is also concerned the ongoing uncertainty is making migrant workers feel unwelcome in the UK, which is already diminishing workforces.

Mr Stocker continues: Many workers dont know what the future holds or if their jobs are secure, without reassuring welcomes from the UK Government we cant expect them to keep coming to do the work.The Scottish Government have been criticised for total inaction on livestock worrying after it emerged the largest fine handed out for the offence was 500.

The number of livestock-worrying incidents across Scotland has more than doubled over the last decade, according to information obtained by the Scottish Conservatives.

But fines information has revealed that offending owners would likely face harsher penalties if they vandalised a car.

In 2007/8, there were 81 offences recorded under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953.

This increased to 170 in 2017/18, according to official statistics disclosed to Scottish Conservative MSP Peter Chapman, although this is a slight decrease since last year.

The Highland council region witnessed the most crimes of this kind in the last 10 years  186.

This was followed by 142 incidents in Mr Chapmans native Aberdeenshire, which saw offending covered by the Act hit a five-year high in 2017.

Earlier this year, North East region MSP Mr Chapman spoke in support of the Take a Lead campaign which called for legislative changes, but has become frustrated by the lack of action by the SNP government.

Despite Emma Harper MSPs promise of a private members Bill to tackle such crime in June, nothing has been brought forward to the Scottish Parliament.

And Mr Chapman believes existing legislation could be strengthened while farmers are waiting patiently for the Bill to appear.

Scottish Conservative MSP, Peter Chapman said: These figures show livestock worrying is not going away, and I believe that many incidents will go unreported.

If someone vandalised a car or other private property, their fine could be much higher.

Thats a kick in the teeth for farmers who can literally be robbed of their livelihood.

I believe all dog owners must be aware of the harm an out of control dog can cause, and reckless dog owners should be punished.

He added: That may not require a whole Bill, rather strengthening of existing powers.

In the meantime, more sheep and cattle are being killed, livelihoods damaged and reckless dog owners are walking away without punishment, he said.

In March, an Argyll farmer had 17 of his ewes savaged in Scotlands single worst livestock attack in recent memory.

And in October, an Angus farmer suffered a significant loss to his flock of pedigree Beltex ewe lambs following a dog attack which left seven injured and one dead.MADRID - The rescue ship Open Arms on Friday docked in Algeciras port in southern Spain, bringing ashore 311 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya on December 21. The migrants rescued by the vessel of Spanish charity Proactiva include 139 minors.

Red Cross sources have confirmed that the migrants are from the Ivory Coast, Mali, Somalia, Sudan and Syria.

The director of programs for Save the Children, Vicente Raimundo, said the migrants hail from war-torn countries like Somalia and Syria and that they fled ''situations of starvation and famine'', confirming that at least 139 of those rescued are minors.

The Proactiva Open Arms vessel docked in the area of San Roque, in the Bay of Algesiras, where a center to provide temporary assistance to migrants was set up last August. Save the Children said the minors will be subsequently transferred to foster homes in Algesiras.

The Socialist government of Pedro Sanchez had authorized the ship Proactiva Open Arms to enter Spanish territorial waters after travelling for over 2,000 km. Italy, Malta, Tunisia and France had previously refused entry to the vessel.

Vicente Raimundo said that in many cases the immigrants - 241 men and 70 women - had travelled through Libya.

He recalled that, according to the United Nations, all migrants coming from that country have endured terrible situations because the hosting, protection of rescue system ''leaves much to be desired''.

The migrants endured ''horrible'' experiences during their travels, said the Save the children representative.

After receiving medical assistance from Red Cross volunteers, the migrants will be identified to determine their nationality, age and whether they are human trafficking victims.

The mayor of Algesiras, Jose Ignacio Landaluce, and the president of the municipality of Campo de Gibraltar, Luis Angel Fernandez, who are both members of the Partido Popular, highlighted the solidarity expressed by the area. However, they also stressed that ''Algesiras cannot be the only port of entry for immigrants''.The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike.

We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve.Alia's 'Comfort First' Airport Look

Alia Bhatt was spotted at the Mumbai airport tonight. Alia looked very comfy in a simple black track suit with red and white detailing. She had on a no make up look and looked like comfort was her top priority for her travel this time. We are loving her natural no nonsense look arriving at Mumbai airport.

Alia Wraps Hyderabad Shoot Of Kalank

Alia arrived in Mumbai after wrapping up the Hyderabad schedule of her shoot for Kalank. Alia had been spotted often at the airport in recent times, traveling for work purpose. Sometimes, Alia and her co-star Varun Dhawan were spotted traveling together. Kalank is a big Karan Johar production which has a huge star ensemble, involving Madhuri Dixit, Sonakshi Sinha, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Kunal Khemu, Aditya Roy Kapur and Sanjay Dutt in lead roles. Directed by Abhishek Varman, Kalank is a period drama and is scheduled to release on April 19th, 2019.

Alia Posts An Emotional '2018 Wrap' Note On Social Media

Talking about the wrap of her Hyderabad shoot for Kalank, Alia Bhatt took to social media and wrote an emotional message on what the year 2018 has been for her. She wrote, "And with that I've wrapped the year too.. This past year has been the most challenging phase in my life. It was all work work work. At one point I thought I wouldn't be able to do it anymore. But my love (love for the movies) kept me going and I cherish every moment of it. I've learnt soo much...and now I can't believe it holiday time...That said...It's just the beginning gearing up for 2019..."

Alia Has A Big Year In Store For 2019

Truly, Alia Bhatt has a big year to look forward to in 2019. Three of her movies, and very promising ones at that, are set to release next year - Abhishek Varman's Kalank, Zoya Akhtar's Gully Boy, and Ayan Mukerji's Brahmastra. Kalank has been making headlines for its big cast ensemble. Gully Boy, on the other hand, has been selected to premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival. And in Brahmastra, we will be seeing Alia Bhatt and her rumored boyfriend, Ranbir Kapoor, on the big screen together for the first time. Sounds like a power-packed year for Alia, doesn't it?The Accidental Prime Minister controversy: Anupam Kher answer to Congress | FilmiBeat

Anupam Kher's upcoming movie, The Accidental Prime Minister has stepped into controversy after the release of its trailer. The film, based on a 2014 memoir by the same name, is about the life of former Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, during his tenure as the PM from 2004 to 2014. The trailer drew flak from various wings of the Congress party. Read up to find out how Anupam Kher responded to the controversy.

The trailer of The Accidental Prime Minister has drawn strong reactions from different wings of the Congress party. Dubbing it a 'propaganda' film, the party's Maharashtra youth wing demanded a special screening of the film from its producers. There were even reports that the Congress party, which is in power in the state of Madhya Pradesh, had decided to ban the film in the state but these reports have been cleared by a Congress MLA who said that it is incorrect and no such decision has been taken by the MP government.

Responding to the controversy, Anupam Kher, who will be seen portraying the character of Manmohan Singh, took to Twitter and said, "I am not going to back off. This is my life's best performance. #DrManmohanSingh will agree after seeing the film that it is a 100% accurate depiction."

Talking to TV channels, Anupam Kher said, "They should be happy that a film has been made on their leader. They should bring the crowd to watch the film as it has dialogues such as 'Will I sell my country?' which shows how great Manmohan Singh ji is."

"The more they protest, the more publicity they will give to the film. The book has been out since 2014, no protests were held since then, so the film is based on that," he added.

The Maharashtra Youth Congress later withdrew its demand for a special screening of the movie. Lauding this, Anupam Kher said, "It is good if they have changed the thought process. It is fantastic. It is a great sign of maturity."

It looks like Anupam Kher had preempted that the movie might get into a controversy. During the trailer release of the movie on December 27th, 2018, the actor had said, "This film has to be perceived as a film, it should not get into controversies just because of whosoever is in the background. There is also a lot of humour in this film. There is a lot of conversation too, so people can't say that it is a silent film. Anyway, there are many people who are waiting to see if I have goofed up in any way while playing this character. They are waiting to attack me. But, as an actor, I will never let that happen."

Directed by Vijay Gutte, The Accidental Prime Minister is set to release on January 11, 2019.

MOST READ: Shah Rukh Khan Sings Happy Birthday To Salman Khan Giving Us Major Friendship GoalsSuperstar, and one of the most loved celebrities in Bollywood, Salman Khan turned 53 yesterday, December 27th, 2018. The 'bhaijaan' rang in his birthday with a midnight birthday bash. Many celebs such as Katrina Kaif, Sushmita Sen, Anil Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha and others were seen attending the party. But we missed the presence of the other top Khan of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan. However, Shah Rukh Khan made up for it by wishing Salman and singing 'Happy Birthday' for him at a recent event.

Shah Rukh Khan missed Salman's 53rd birthday bash. Many celebs like Sushmita Sen, Preity Zinta, Aamir Khan and others took to social media to wish Bhaijaan but SRK had his own special way of doing it. He made up for missing Salman's party by singing him 'Happy Birthday' in front of a gathering he was addressing. Isn't that such a sweet and cute gesture by Shah Rukh? Salman Khan was not present at the event, but Shah Rukh still went ahead and wished him a happy birthday in this special way. Check out the video!

Salman Khan's 53rd birthday bash had 'good times' written all over it, as we saw from the inside pictures and videos. The humble superstar started his celebrations by cutting a cake in the presence of media. He was later joined at his Panvel farmhouse, by his celebrity friends from the industry, Katrina Kaif, Sushmita Sen, Anil Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, Kriti Sanon and others. But missing from the scene was Shah Rukh Khan because he was tied up with the promotions of his movie Zero, and had to fly to Patna at the time for the same reason.

Earlier today, a video of Salman and Shah Rukh singing 'Pyaar Hume Kis Modh Pe Le Aaya' was trending on the internet, giving all of us major friendship goals.

Although the two have had their differences in the past,

they have buried the hatchet and built a solid friendship, and express their love for each other in very special ways. When Shah Rukh was busy with promotions of Zero, Salman went all out to help him promote it. SRK and the cast of Zero visited the sets of Bigg Boss 12 which turned out to be a mind-blowing episode.

MOST READ: Ranveer Singh Celebrates Simmba's Release With Audience; Climbs Onto Theatre's Canopy & Let's Loose!Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 27, 2018) - CanAlaska Uranium Ltd. (TSXV: CVV) (OTCQB: CVVUF) (FSE: DH7N), (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed a non-brokered private placement for 930,000 flow-through units ("F/T Units") at a price of $0.35/F/T Unit for gross flow-through proceeds of $325,500. In conjunction with this financing, the Company paid finders' fees to eligible finders in the aggregate amount of $22,785 cash and 65,100 finder's warrants. Each F/T Unit will consist of one flow-through common share and  share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant comprising part of the F/T Units will entitle the holder to acquire one common share at $0.60/share for a two year period; provided that after the four month hold period expires, if for 10 consecutive days the closing price of the Company's shares on the TSXV exceeds $0.90, then the Company may anytime thereafter accelerate the expiry date of the warrants to the date that is 10 days following the date on which the Company issues notice to all the warrant holders of the new expiry date. The Company will also issue a press release on the same date as it issues notice confirming the new expiry date of the warrants.

The Company proposes to use net proceeds received from this financing to advance the Company's copper and nickel projects in Manitoba and to carry out additional work on projects within the Athabasca basin.

All securities issued pursuant to this financing are subject to a hold period expiring four months plus a day after the date of their issuance.

About CanAlaska Uranium

CanAlaska Uranium Ltd. (TSXV: CVV) (OTCQB: CVVUF) (FSE: DH7N) holds interests in approximately 102,870 hectares (254,000 acres), in Canada's Athabasca Basin region - the "Saudi Arabia of Uranium." CanAlaska is currently working with Cameco and Denison at two of the company's properties in the eastern Athabasca basin. CanAlaska is a project generator positioned for discovery success in the world's richest uranium district. The company also holds properties prospective for nickel, copper, gold and diamonds. For further information visit www.canalaska.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Peter Dasler

Peter Dasler, M.Sc., P.Geo.

President & CEO

CanAlaska Uranium Ltd.

Peter Dasler

President

Tel: +1.604.688.3211 x 138

Email: info@canalaska.com



John Gomez

Corporate Development

Tel: +1.604.688.3211

Email: jgomez@canalaska.com







Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.







Forward-looking information







All statements included in this press release that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information regarding the private placement offering and the use of proceeds of such offering. These forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions made by the Company based on its experience, perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate in the circumstances. These assumptions include, but are not limited to: future costs and expenses being based on historical costs and expenses, adjusted for inflation; and market demand for, and market acceptance of, the offering. In addition, these statements involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will prove inaccurate, certain of which are beyond the Company's control. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, the Company does not intend to revise or update these forward-looking statements after the date hereof or revise them to reflect the occurrence of future unanticipated events.







This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, including any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 as amended (the "1933 Act"), or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration requirements is available.







Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States.Company Receives Conditional Listing Approval from Canadian Securities Exchange

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 27, 2018) - DigiCrypts Blockchain Solutions Inc., now doing business as DIGIMAX GLOBAL SOLUTIONS (the "Company" or "DigiMax") is pleased to announce that it has appointed Steven Glaser to its Board of Directors, replacing Mr. Yoni Ashurov who has resigned due to personal constraints. In addition, the Company has appointed Mr. Kyle Appleby as part-time Chief Financial Officer. The Company has also received conditional approval from the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") to commence trading pursuant to the completion of certain administrative requirements.





New Company Logo



If you cannot view this logo, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1512/41872_c01e4c7a5430aaa8_002full.jpg

New Director - Steven Glaser

Mr. Glaser is a financial service executive with a diverse background in corporate finance, communications and governance for private and public companies. He is currently Chief Operating Officer and Director, Pool Safe Inc., a company that designs, develops and distributes a product known as the "PoolSafe". From 2008 through 2017, Mr. Glaser worked in the corporate finance and investment banking arena focused on assisting late stage private and early stage public companies with strategic planning and capital raising. Prior to that, Mr. Glaser spent seven years as Vice President Corporate Affairs of Azure Dynamics Corporation. He was responsible for the company's corporate governance, its domestic and international stock exchange listings, as well as the build-out of the company's Investor Relations division. Mr. Glaser holds a Bachelor of Administrative Studies degree as well as an M.B.A. in finance.

Mr. Glaser will also chair the Compensation Committee.

New Chief Financial Officer - Kyle Appleby

Mr. Appleby was appointed Chief Financial Officer of DigiMax effective January 1, 2019. Mr. Appleby will assist the corporation in preparing for its upcoming January 31, 2019 year-end audit and will take on various other financial and control responsibilities of the company as it transforms into an active consulting company and registered service provider in Ontario, Canada, subject to regulatory approval.

Mr. Appleby spent the first ten (10) years of his career working in public accounting where he worked in both audit and advisory practices working with private companies and investment funds. In 2007, Mr. Appleby left the world of public accounting to focus on providing management and accounting services to public companies across a variety of industries including food production, agriculture, cannabis, technology, mining, crypto-currency and others. Mr. Appleby has been the Chief Financial Officer for numerous companies, listed in Canada, US and London and has extensive experience in financial reporting, providing strategic direction and leadership, IPOs, fund raising, and corporate governance. He holds a Bachelor of Economics and is a member in good standing of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario.

Conditional Approval to List on the Canadian Securities Exchange

DigiMax received a letter on December 21, 2018 from the CSE stating that it has been conditionally approved to commence trading on the Exchange subject to the Company filing certain documents, completing a share escrow agreement for insiders, and final approval of Personal Information Forms for the Directors and key executives. The Exchange has also confirmed that the company has reserved the trading symbol "DIGI" to be used once trading commences.

As part of meeting the listing requirements, DigiMax consolidated its total number of shares outstanding on a 1:4 basis (one new common share for four old common shares) resulting in a reduction of the outstanding shares from 216,363,636 to 54,090,909 effective December 27, 2018.

About DigiMax

DigiMax (legally named DigiCrypts Blockchain Solutions pending a name changed to be approved by Shareholders at the next Shareholder Meeting), is a Toronto, Canada based company designed to become a world leader in advising companies issuing Security Token Offerings (STO's) on a 100% Regulatory Compliant basis, in any country around the world.

DigiMax is a Reporting Issuer in Ontario, Canada and has filed an application to become listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE").

DigiMax was formed by five partners, three of whom have vast experience in the crypto-currency and ICO industry and two of whom that have more than 40 years of combined experience raising capital through public companies and issuing of common shares. This partnership brings together all of the benefits and expediency of raising capital though security tokens, with a team that has decades of experience raising capital in conventional securities markets. The result is a team that combines expertise from both the token, and the conventional public capital markets world.

Contacts:

Chris CarlPresident & CEO416-312-9698ccarl@digimax.globalDavid PosnerChairman647-985-6727dposner@digimax.globalGreg LimonVP, Business DevelopmentTelegram: Greg Limonglimon@digimax.globalStan MilcVP, Global MarketingTelegram: Stan Milcsmilc@digimax.globalSergey ShilnovChief Technical OfficerTelegram: Sergey Shilnovsshilnov@digimax.global

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: anticipate, intend, plan, goal, seek, believe, project, estimate, expect, strategy, future, likely, may, should, will and similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make regarding changing the Company's name, potential conversion of the Convertible Debentures including the Conversion Price determination on listing of the Common Shares, and the Company's pending application to list its Common Shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange.

Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: the ability to obtain approval to list the Company's Common Shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange, shareholders approving the change of name to DigiMax, the adequacy of our cash flow and earnings, the availability of future financing and/or credit, and other conditions which may affect our ability to expand the App Platform described herein, the level of demand and financial performance of the cryptocurrency industry, developments and changes in laws and regulations, including increased regulation of the cryptocurrency industry through legislative action and revised rules and standards applied by the Canadian Securities Administrators, Ontario Securities Commission, and/or other similar regulatory bodies in other jurisdictions, disruptions to our technology network including computer systems, software and cloud data, or other disruptions of our operating systems, structures or equipment.

Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.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.SpyHunter has earned AppEsteem's Certification satisfying a rigorous multi-level technical review of over 100+ App Certification Requirements (ACRs).

EnigmaSoft earns the highly respected AppEsteem Certification for its SpyHunter anti-malware solution - further demonstrating EnigmaSoft's commitment to protecting the rights of consumers and users.

DUBLIN, Dec. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- EnigmaSoft Limited was extremely honored to learn that AppEsteem has bestowed its highly respected App Certification on EnigmaSoft's SpyHunter, an anti-malware software solution designed to detect and remove on-going and emerging malware threats. AppEsteem's Certification process requires companies to undergo a rigorous and demanding review that entails detailed substantive analyses for both consumer-protection criteria and multiple levels of technical review. The Certification required SpyHunter to satisfy over 100+ different App Certification Requirements (ACRs) to earn the AppEsteem Certification and comply with AppEsteem's high standards for demonstrating a commitment to protecting the rights of consumers and users. The app certification report was posted on December 14, 2018 and is available at https://customer.appesteem.com/certified?vendor=ENIGM.

Patrick Morganelli, CEO of EnigmaSoft Limited, said of the certification, "We could not be more delighted about receiving the AppEsteem Certification. Earning this prestigious award further shows consumers and users our unwavering commitment to serve and protect our customers and demonstrates the high quality and effectiveness of our SpyHunter software in filling an essential role in the areas of cybersecurity and privacy protection. The AppEsteem Certification is consistent with the praise received from our customers across the globe and our continuing efforts to keep them protected with advanced levels of cybersecurity software for their computers at a great value."

AppEsteem is a software review organization whose mission is to review and analyze software programs to provide consumers and users with technical information and expert reviews on the safety and trustworthiness of apps. By earning the AppEsteem Certification, SpyHunter will be part of a group of programs from developers that are committed to a practice of employing consumer-protection design criteria that are believed to help consumers and, at the same time, demonstrate the true value of their apps.

"At AppEsteem, we recognized a need to provide guidelines and oversight in a thriving software industry that should always be forthcoming to consumers in all of their services," said Dennis Batchelder, AppEsteem's President. "EnigmaSoft has demonstrated a clear approach to embrace our efforts to help define the benefits of clean software distribution and we're delighted to certify SpyHunter."

EnigmaSoft is - and has always been - committed to providing transparency for its clean, advanced apps and to keeping consumers' confidence as one of its top priorities.

About EnigmaSoft Limited

EnigmaSoft Limited is a privately held Irish company with offices and global headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. EnigmaSoft is best known for developing and distributing SpyHunter, a dynamic and advanced anti-malware software with blocking and remediation capabilities. SpyHunter has been certified by TRUSTe's Trusted Download Program and has achieved a 100% score in independent testing by AV-Test. SpyHunter detects and removes malware, enhances Internet privacy, and helps to eliminate security threats - addressing issues such as malware, ransomware, trojans, rogue anti-spyware, and other objects or malicious security threats affecting millions of PC users daily on the web.

Connect with EnigmaSoft on Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | YouTube

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/802706/EnigmaSoft___Logo.jpgTIRANA - Albania's Socialist President Edi Rama has replaced 8 ministers, or half of his cabinet members, as part of a government reshuffle following students' protests over the last few weeks.

The initiative, explained Rama, reflects the ''students' protests''. Although protesters were calling for economic change, the demonstrations were seen as reflecting dissatisfaction for the government.

In a surprise move, the premier has decided to remove, among others, the minister of education, Lindita Nikolla, finance, Arben Ahmetaj and the minister for foreign affairs and Europe, Ditmir Bushati, a key post for Albania's EU integration process as adhesion talks are expected to start in June.

Bushati is being replaced by the current deputy minister in charge of the integration process, 28-year-old Kosovan Genti Caka. Other members who were forced to leave the government include deputy premier Senida Mesi, the minister of energy and infrastructure, Damian Gjiknuri, of agriculture, Niko Peleshi, culture, Mirela Kumbaro and business, Sonila Qato.

Tirana will have the presidency of the Organization for security and Co-operation in Europe (OCSE) in 2020.ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / December 28, 2018 / Findit, Inc. a Nevada Corporation trading under the stock symbol OTC PINK: FDIT, announces revamped Vanity Keyword URL address page. The revamp of the Vanity URL page was launched to provide visitors to the page a more in depth explanation of the usefullness and value of owning Finidt Vanity URLs.

With the revamp of the Vanity URL page, Findit is also offering the Findit addresses at a deep discount from its regular price point. Members can purchase multiple Vanity URLs to lock in the Findit addresses they want to own. The price for an annual URL has been priced at $79.00 annually, with the current price reduced to $7.95 annually.

With the launch of the new Vanity URL page, we want to attract members and current non members with a price point that they will be more than willing to reserve a Vanity URL address on Findit if not multiple addresses.

Peter Tosto of Findit stated, "We have Findit members that have over 20 Vanity URL addresses currently. They use them to target specific keyword phrases they want to index for in Findit search. Many of these Vanity URLs target a specific location and service. These addresses are typically used by business owners seeking to attract new business from organic search results. Other members that have Findit Vanity URL addresses often do this to lock in their first name or last name or both if they are available. With this new price point we are offering Vanity URLs at, individuals that are not sure about Findit yet, but have a social media presence can invest $7.95 to make sure no one else gets their name."



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn4wZoJUVHw

Below is a list of current vanity URLs that are being used by Findit members.

Findit.com/petertosto

Findit.com/cbd

Findit.com/calvmonster

Findit.com/generalcontractosavannah

Findit.com/vacationrentals

Findit URLs can include hyphens but cannot include special characters.

Here are a list of some Findit URLs that are available at the time of the writing of this release.

BestCoffee

Food

Pizza

PickUpTruck

BestCars

BestRealtor

To reserve your Findit Vanity URLs, please visit https://www.findit.com/Home/Keywords; a Findit Vanity URL is your address on Findit. Vanity URLs index at the top of search results in Findit under members.

Findit members have a variety of marketing tools they can use to increase their overall online presence not on Findit but on other social networking sites along with having the content posted in a member's Findit account indexed in Google. Each Findit site has a place for members to include an About page, contact page, add pictures and post status updates that can include pictures, audio file, video, news or a press release and a link to an outside page from Findit or a page you want to drive traffic to in Findit.

Findit is beta testing an updated version of the Findit App and is looking to launch it in early 2019.

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/531543/Findit-Launches-New-Vanity-URL-Page-for-Members-to-Lock-in-Great-Findit-AddressesAXA Property Trust Ltd - Result of AGM

AXA Property Trust Limited

(the "Company")

(a closed-ended investment company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of Guernsey with registered number 43007)

(LEI Number 213800AF85VEZMDMF931)

28 December 2018

Result of AGM

At the Annual General Meeting of the Company held today, all Ordinary Resolutions set out in the Annual General Meeting Notice sent to Shareholders dated 27 November 2018 were put to the Meeting. Details of the voting results, which should be read alongside the Notice, are noted below:

Ordinary Resolution For Against Discretion Abstain 1 10,113,255 0 0 767,388 Passed 2 9,607,884 473,900 0 798,859 Passed 3 10,111,697 1,558 0 767,388 Passed 4 9,606,326 475,458 0 798,859 Passed 5 2,662,602 7,743,115 0 474,926 Failed 6 3,136,502 7,743,115 0 1,026 Failed

Note -A vote withheld is not a vote in law and has not been counted in the votes for and against a resolution.

Directors Resignations

Resolution 5 - To re-elect Charles Hunter as a Director of the Company in accordance with the UK Corporate Governance Code.

Resolution 5 was not passed at the AGM;

Resolution 6 - To re-elect Stephane Monier as a Director of the Company in accordance with the UK Corporate Governance Code.

Resolution 6 was not passed at the AGM

Mr Hunter made the following statement;

"In retiring from the board and the Chairmanship of AXA Property Trust, I wish to thank shareholders for their support over the years, and other members of the board, past and present, and all those who have provided services to the company. The company has benefitted from a high standard of service at all times; I would particularly mention AXA Investment Managers and Northern Trust who have provided an exemplary professional service."

Mr. Monier also wished to convey his appreciation and thanks to shareholders, other members of the board, including the Chairman, and all those who have provided services to the Company.

The full statements from Mr Hunter and Mr Monier are available to shareholders upon request.

The Board wishes to express their sincere thanks to both Charles Hunter and Stephane Monier for their dedicated service to the Company since it was established and best wishes for the future.

Appointment of Chairman

Following the AGM, the Directors met and resolved to appoint Gavin Farrell as Chairman of the Company on an interim basis.





Enquiries:

Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Guernsey) Limited

The Company Secretary

Trafalgar Court

Les Banques

St Peter Port

Guernsey

GY1 3QL



Tel: 01481 745001



ENDVANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 28, 2018 / Glenbriar Technologies Inc. ("Glenbriar" or the "Company") (CSE: GTI.X) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Mark Tommasi as a director of the corporation.

Mr. Tommasi, a former investment advisor, has served as a senior officer, director and financier of numerous public and private companies both in the United States and Canada. He has more than 20 years of experience in corporate development, finance, board and committee activities and marketing. He specializes in attracting the components necessary to help young companies get to the next level.

The company is also pleased to announce the re-appointment of Mr. Doug Taylor to the position of President, Mr. Taylor is a current Director and CEO of the Company. Mr. Hashim Mitha has stepped down as President and Director of the Company.

The Company would like to thank Mr. Hashim Mitha for his past service to the Company in the capacity of President and Director.

About Glenbriar Technologies Inc.

Company Description: Glenbriar Technologies Inc. (CSE: GTI.X) recently sold its IT business to Uniserve Communications Corporation (TSX-V: USS), and is actively seeking new business opportunities.

For further information, please contact:

Doug Taylor, President and CEO

Investor Relations

Telephone: 1 (604) 343-2977

E-mail: irglenbriartech@gmail.com

Forward Looking Statements

Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding future financial position, business strategy, use of proceeds, corporate vision, proposed acquisitions, partnerships, joint-ventures and strategic alliances and co- operations, budgets, cost and plans and objectives of or involving the Company. Such forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to management. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "predicts", "intends", "targets", "aims", "anticipates" or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases or may be identified by statements to the effect that certain actions "may", "could", "should","would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. A number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause the actual results or performance to materially differ from any future results or performance expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company including, but not limited to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions and dependence upon regulatory approvals. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. The Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by securities laws.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Glenbriar Technologies Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/531540/Glenbriar-Technologies-Inc-Appointment-of-a-New-DirectorHO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, Dec. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Phu Nhuan Jewelry (PNJ), Vietnam's largest consumer jewelry brand, in collaboration with Mirum Vietnam, launch the "True Love" campaign. This is the first and only Vietnamese jewelry brand to support the LGBT, minority and sub-cultural community.

The campaign features a video telling stories of couples who challenge the presumed notion of "perfect couple" in Vietnamese society. It encourages lovers, regardless of gender, body type, or career, to celebrate their love and inspire the world.

"We are thrilled to see millions of Facebook fans joining our campaign to break the 'perfect couple' stereotypes," said Phan Nguyen Hoai Anh, PNJ Group Brand Manager. "We would like our consumers to realize that the right way of being a true couple is to refute stereotypes, to not focus on looks, wealth, career or gender, but to focus on the one you love."

"As Vietnam's leading jewelry maker in the wedding jewelry market, PNJ is committed to diversity and inclusion of all people," added Phan Nguyen Hoai Anh. "We're calling participation in our 'True Love' campaign, to encourage all couples everywhere not to hide their love, but celebrate it." In that spirit, PNJ works intensively with Mirum Vietnam to encourage this important message of love without limits. Love can be expressed in a wedding vow, or more subtly, in the discreet yet powerful rings that bond couples over the years.

The campaign promotes the company's message of embracing diversity among Vietnamese consumers and across the world.

For more information, please visit the company's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/PNJ.COM.VN/ or watch the video on https://bit.ly/2QTKzNi.

About Phu Nhuan Jewelry

Established in 1988, Phu Nhuan Jewelry Joint Stock Co. is the largest consumer jewelry brand in Vietnam with more than 320 stores and the largest jewelry production based in South East Asia. It is the first Vietnamese jewelry brand to receive the JNA's Employer of the Year Award for four consecutive years since 2015. PNJ has more than 5,000 employees including hundreds of goldsmiths and a thousand-plus sales team. https://www.pnj.com.vn/

About Mirum Vietnam

Mirum Vietnam is a borderless digital creative & marketing agency established in 2007. The agency believes that the online ecosystem and technology has powerful impact on both brands and our living experience. https://www.mirumagency.com/en/country/vietnam

pnj @pnj.com.vn

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/802800/PNJ_True_Love_Campaign.jpgSTOCKHOLM, Dec. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The number of shares and votes in Tobii AB has increased by 20,438 as a result of exercise of warrants in accordance with the company's incentive programs.

Today, the last trading day of the month, there are in total 98,925,103 shares and votes in the company. After the increase, the share capital amounts to SEK 717,892.89. The increase in the number of shares is due to the exercise of warrants in accordance with the Company's incentive programs.

This information is information that Tobii is obliged to make public pursuant to the Financial Instruments Trading Act. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out below, on December 28, 2018, at 16.00 p.m. CET.

CONTACT:

Sara Hyleen, VP of Corporate Communications & Investor Relations, Tobii AB, phone: +46-709-16-16-41, email: sara.hyleen@tobii.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/tobii-ab/r/new-number-of-shares-and-votes-in-tobii,c2706420

The following files are available for download:The global hair masks market is expected to post a CAGR of close to 9% during the period 2018-2022, according to the latest market research report by Technavio

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181228005127/en/

Technavio has published a new market research report on the global hair masks market from 2018-2022. (Graphic: Business Wire)

A key factor driving the growth of the market is the growing demand for hair care products by men. The men's grooming products segment is expected to be one of the fastest-growing segments during the forecast period. Like women, men increasingly prefer products that will enhance their personal appearance and looks. They prefer products for hair problems such as dandruff, grey hair, split ends, and hair loss. This will lead to growth in the demand for male grooming products, and consequently to the growth of the global hair masks market. There is a high demand for hair care products, including hair masks, from the male population, especially in the US and European countries. Therefore, many vendors are targeting the men's segment and introducing innovative offerings in the market.

This market research report on the global hair masks market 2018-2022 also provides an analysis of the most important trends expected to impact the market outlook during the forecast period.

This report is available at a USD 1,000 discount for a limited time only: View market snapshot before purchasing

In this report, Technavio highlights the growing adoption of products with organic compounds as one of the key emerging trends in the global hair masks market:

Global hair masks market: Growing adoption of products with organic compounds

Over the past five years, the global hair care market has witnessed a transformation in consumer buying behavior. Due to the adverse effects caused by the prolonged use of inorganic and synthetic hair care products (including hair masks), consumers are gravitating toward organic products as an appropriate solution for their day-to-day recurring hair care needs. However, organic hair care products (including hair masks) do not yield immediate results and ensure effective benefits over a prolonged period of use. Most of these hair masks contain organic ingredients such as olive oil egg, avocado, coconut oil aloe vera, banana, and others, to ensure permanent results. These ingredients are very helpful in soothing and repairing the damaged hair. Also, with the help of organic hair mask, hair becomes softer, shinier, and thicker, and gets deeply moisturized and nourished. Due to all these benefits, the global hair masks market is estimated to witness exponential growth in the next five years.

"The growing popularity of personal care products, including hair care, is driving the global hair masks market. Owing to the significant increase in the pollution globally, consumers are facing numerous hair-related problems like dry hair, scalp diseases, grey hair, dandruff, premature baldness, split ends, and others. As a result, consumers are more inclined to adopt hair care products, especially hair masks, to address the above-mentioned problems," says a senior analyst at Technavio for research on personal products.

Global hair masks market: Segmentation analysis

This market research report segments the global hair masks market by product (strengthening hair mask and moisturizing hair mask), by application (individual and professional), by distribution channel (offline and online) and geographical regions (APAC, EMEA, and the Americas).

The Americas led the market in 2017 with a market share close to 40%, followed by EMEA and APAC respectively. However, during the forecast period, the APAC region is expected to register the highest incremental growth, followed by the EMEA region.

Looking for more information on this market? Request a free sample report

Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

Some of the key topics covered in the report include:

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About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 10,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181228005127/en/

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Media Marketing Executive

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www.technavio.comSchweiter Technologies / Schweiter Technologies: Acquisition of Perspex completed . Processed and transmitted by West Corporation. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Steinhausen, 28 December 2018 - Schweiter Technologies' acquisition of Perspex International (European acrylic sheet business of Lucite International) and the UK distribution company Perspex Distribution Ltd., as announced on 20 September 2018, was completed as of 28 December 2018.

Perspex (www.perspex.com (http://www.perspex.com)) is based in Darwen, Lancashire, UK and is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of acrylic sheet and composites. The Perspex product range is one of the widest in the industry and the Perspex brand name is one of the leading global brand names for acrylic sheet products.

For further information please contact:

Martin Kloti, CFO

Tel. +41 44 718 33 03, fax +41 44 718 34 51, martin.kloeti@schweiter.com (mailto:martin.kloeti@schweiter.com)

Please find the Media release in the PDF attached:

Media release (PDF) (http://hugin.info/100347/R/2230176/876217.pdf)

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / December 28, 2018 / Eco (Atlantic) Oil & Gas Ltd. (AIM: ECO, TSX-V: EOG), the oil and gas exploration company with licences in highly prospective regions in Guyana and Namibia, announces that at the Company's Annual and Special General Meeting, held on 28 December 2018 in Toronto, all resolutions were duly passed by shareholders.

**ENDS**

For more information, please visit www.ecooilandgas.com or contact the following:

Eco Atlantic Oil and Gas +1 (416) 250 1955 Gil Holzman, CEO Colin Kinley, COO Strand Hanson Limited (Financial & Nominated Adviser) +44 (0) 20 7409 3494 James Harris Rory Murphy James Bellman Brandon Hill Capital Limited (Joint Broker) +44 (0) 20 3463 5000 Oliver Stansfield Jonathan Evans Robert Beenstock Pareto Securities Limited (Joint Broker) +44 (0) 20 7786 4370 Sren Clausen Davide Finelli Matilda Makitalo +44 (0) 20 7786 4382 +44 (0) 20 7786 4398 +44 (0) 20 7786 4375 Blytheweigh (PR) +44 (0) 20 7138 3204 Tim Blythe Julia Tilley Jane Lenton

Notes to editors

Eco Atlantic is a TSX-V and AIM listed oil and gas exploration and production Company with interests in Guyana and Namibia where significant oil discoveries have been made.

The Group aims to deliver material value for its stakeholders through oil exploration, appraisal and development activities in stable emerging markets, in partnership with major oil companies, including Tullow, Total and AziNam.

In Guyana, Eco Guyana holds a 15% working interest alongside Total (25%) and Tullow Oil (60%) in the 1,800 km2 Orinduik Block in the shallow water of the prospective Suriname-Guyana basin. The Orinduik Block is adjacent and updip to the deep-water Liza Field and Snoek, Payara, Pacora, Turbot, Longtail and Hammerhead discoveries, recently made by ExxonMobil and Hess. The partners' latest discovery, Pluma-1, increases the estimate of recoverable resources for the Stabroek Block to more than 5 billion barrels of oil equivalent, making it one of a handful of billion-barrel discoveries in the last half-decade.

In Namibia, the Company holds interests in four offshore petroleum licences totalling approximately 25,000km2 with over 2.3 billion barrels of prospective P50 resources in the Walvis and Luderitz Basins. These four licences, Cooper, Guy, Sharon and Tamar are being developed alongside partners Azinam and NAMCOR. Eco has been granted a drilling permit on its Cooper Block (Operator).

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

SOURCE: Eco (Atlantic) Oil & Gas Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/531560/Eco-Atlantic-Oil-and-Gas-Ltd-Announces-Result-of-Annual-General-MeetingToday, AgroGeneration announces the modification of the issuance agreement with European High Growth Opportunities Securitization Fund (the  Investor ) related to 2,000 issuance warrants of bonds redeemable into cash and/or new and/or existing shares (the  ORNANE ) with stock warrants attached.

In accordance with the ORNANE issuance agreement and as detailed in the press release dated June 6, 2018, 80% of the outstanding ORNANE shall be redeemed into shares no later than the end of each semester.

Considering the number of ORNANE outstanding (281 ORNANE) and the current share price, it was agreed with the Investor to postpone, on an exceptional basis, this mandatory redemption into shares until June 30, 2019.

It is recalled that AgroGeneration suspended its ORNANE program with the Investor on November 27, 2018.

About AGROGENERATION

Founded in 2007, AgroGeneration is a global producer of grain and oilseed. Following its merger with Harmelia, the new Group has become one of the top five producers of grain and oilseed in Ukraine, with close to 110,000 hectares of farmlands. Through the high-potential farmland it leases, the Group's ambition is to meet the food challenges of tomorrow as global consumption doubles in scale between now and 2050.

About the European High Growth Opportunities Securitization Fund

European High Growth Opportunities Securitization Fund is a Luxembourg institutional investment vehicle that focuses on financing highly innovative companies based all over Europe which it considers extremely undervalued. The European High Growth Opportunities Securitization Fund is financed by Blue Ocean shareholders and is exclusively advised by Blue Ocean Advisors Inc. Its purpose is to invest in highly innovative European companies by contributing to their growth capital, offering them a credible European financing alternative.

AgroGeneration

+33 1 56 43 68 60



investors@AgroGeneration.com

www.AgroGeneration.com Actus Finance

Guillaume Le Floch, Investor Relations

+33 1 53 67 36 70

Anne-Pauline Petureaux, Investor Relations

+33 1 53 67 36 72

Alexandra Prisa, Media Relations

+33 1 53 67 36 90

Find all information on AgroGeneration on our website: www.AgroGeneration.com

Receive all AgroGeneration's financial information by e-mail for free by registering at: www.actusnews.com

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Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-56422-agg-ornane-dec-vf-eng.pdfToya Poplar, owner and chief creative officer at Dream Plan Create will take the stage as a featured speaker for the Brown Girls Love POWER Day in New York City.

The 1-day conference, on Saturday, Jan. 5, will be host to hundreds of women who are seeking to start their new year empowered, emboldened and ready to chase their wildest dreams with reckless abandon.

Now in its fourth year, POWER Day was founded by Christina Brown to "empower and inspire millennial women of color." Poplar attended the conference for the first time in 2018. Her experience there made such an impact that when she arrived back home, she immediately added speaking at the yearly event to her vision board. Less than a year later, she received the invitation to participate on one of this year's panels.

"Being invited to speak at POWER Day is a literal vision come to life," Poplar explained. "That's why it's so important to speak life into your dreams and goals. Now I get to sit among the amazing women who will be present. I'm beyond grateful and excited."

Poplar will be seated on the panel entitled "Drop the Cape," which is geared toward helping conference attendees pay attention to and manage their self-care needs.

As a wife, mother of six children and business owner, Poplar is all too familiar with the necessity of prioritizing mental, physical, and emotional health. And though it may be difficult to find the time, finding the time is a must. She is looking forward to sharing what she's learned, through intentional trial and error, with POWER Day conference goers.

About Toya Poplar

Toya Poplar is an author and community advocate who promotes racial reconciliation by hosting monthly diversity dinners. She's also the founder of creative support group Dream Plan Create with Toya. Through her work, Toya enjoys fostering environments where people get what they need from God and what they don't know they need from each other. If you'd like to learn more about Toya, Dream Plan Create, or her upcoming engagements, please visit www.toyapoplar.com.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ew51229ixmxd15v/IMG_1259.jpg?dl=0Italy: Conte doesn't rule out reshuffle, hails basic income Budget without debate not ideal but inevitable says PM

(ANSAmed) - ROME, DECEMBER 28 - Premier Giuseppe Conte on Friday said a cabinet reshuffle was possible and hailed the 2019 budget's keynote measure of a basic income for job seekers.



Conte said he could not rule out a reshuffle if the decision was "shared" by the two government partners, the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) and the anti-migrant Euroskeptic League party.



"I hope it is shared and does not destabilise the government experience," he said.



At the moment, however, it was "a hypothetical idea of the fourth degree".



Conte also said he could not rule out "servicing" to update the government contract between labour and Industry Minister Luigi Di Maio's anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini's anti-migrant Euroskeptic League party.



Conte said the government's basic income for job seekers, introduced according to next year's budget, was a measure of "social equity".



He said Labour and Industry Minister Di Maio had been unfairly "crucified" by critics who see it as a hand-out rather than a hand-up into the jobs market.



Deputy Premier Di Maio, the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) leader, has staked much of his credibility on making good on a campaign promise to introduce the measure.



Passing the 2019 budget through parliament without a debate was "not ideal", Conte said, but inevitable given the short time available to approve it after a last-minute deal with the European Commission.



"I realise that an ideal situation was not created...but there is the prospect of a strong contraction in the time frame, we're in extra time for the budget's approval," he said.



"There ws not, however, a deliberate wish by the government to compress the schedule". The oppositions have protested about the government ramming the package through parliament without a debate with appeals to both President Sergio Mattarella and the Constitutional Court.



The budget has to be passed by the end of the year or the government will go into emergency administration.



Conte said he was banking on robust growth next year despite lower forecasts and that the 2019 budget had not been written by Brussels despite a U-turn by Italy after the European Commission rejected the first version of the package.



Conte said in his end-of-year press conference that Italy had had to move in line with international bodies including the EC by revising its GDP growth next year down to 1% but he bet that it would be "robust growth".



"The fundamentals of the Italian economic system are very solid, of course we have a debt that arouses a certain fear but it is under control and not so frightening, we are the seventh-biggest economy in the world and we have strong private savings", Conte said.



He said a system had been created to start a considerable public-investment programme through the Investitalia programme which earmarks 400 million euros to be spent by cities and towns by May, ensuring growth will be "robust".



Conte said that it was not true that the 2019 budget had been written by Brussels after an early version was rejected, forcing the government to trim the forecast budget deficit down from 2.4% to 2.04%.



"It's not at all true that the budget was written in Brussels, it was written in Italy," he said.



"Every time I sat down with Brussels I never allowed them to call into question the qualifying points of the budget and I must acknowledge that they never tried to weigh these points in their merits", he said.



He was referring above all to the budget's two main planks: a universal basic income for job seekers; and a 'quota 100' pension reform allowing some people to retire earlier than the 67 to which the retirement age was raised by the Monti government in 2011.



Conte said the Italian tax burden would fall next year despite the parliamentary budget office's (UPB) saying Thursday it would rise from 42% to 42.5%.



"We are not raising the tax burden on citizens," he said.



"We have lightened the tax burden for citizens...we have achieved a redistributive operation privileging some social sectors compared with others".



Asked about the UPB's figures, he said, "don't look at the final sums".



Conte said the government would give its decision on the high-speed rail (TAV) line between Turin and Lyon before the European elections in May.



The project was put on hold pending a cost/benefit analysis.



Conte said the decision on whether to continue the key infrastructure project would be "transparent".



Conte said the government would "soon" implement a reform of the code for public tenders.



He said tenders were currently almost blocked, preventing growth, and the government could not stand in the way of cutting red tape out of a fear of corruption.



Conte said he could not rule out a government reshuffle if the decision was "shared" by the two government partners, the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) and the anti-migrant Euroskeptic League party.



"I hope it is shared and does not destabilise the government experience," he said.



At the moment, however, it was "a hypothetical idea of the fourth degree".



Conte, a law lecturer drafted in by the M5S and League, said that being premier "is a marvelous parenthesis that makes me proud to achieve a service in favour of the country in the most effective way possible, but it is an experience limited to five years of the legislature and then I will free up the seat".



Conte added that he would not campaign in the May European elections but devote himself wholly to being premier. (ANSAmed).



KINSHASA, DR Congo, December 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

A presidential election in the Democratic Republic of Congo takes place on Sunday 30 December, the country's electoral commission has announced, citing problems caused by a recent fire that destroyed 80% of the voting machines in the capital, Kinshasa.

Corneille Nangaa, the head of the electoral commission, said officials have found enough voting machines for Kinshasa but had to get 5 million new ballots printed. Nangaa called on the country of some 40 million voters for calm, according to Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/20/drc-presidential-election-postponed-for-at-least-a-week-congo).

Recall that the DRC's outgoing president, Joseph Kabila, refused to leave office at the end of his second term in 2016. The country's constitution limits presidents to two terms.

Earlier local media reported CENI had cited three reasons for the delay: the deaths of more than 100 people in ethnic violence in the north-west of the country, an outbreak of Ebola in the east and a shortfall in the number of ballot papers it had been able to distribute, says Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/20/drc-presidential-election-postponed-for-at-least-a-week-congo).

It is important to note that voting machines will be used for the first time in Africa in the upcoming presidential elections.

Association for Free Research and International Cooperation (AFRIC) is a community of independent researchers, experts and activists. The main goals are creating a platform for elaboration and dissemination of objective analytical information, first-hand opinions; establishing direct communication and cooperation. https://afric.online/LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / December 28, 2018 / Gabriel Resources Ltd. ("Gabriel" or the "Company") (TSXV: GBU) announces that following confirmation on December 24, 2018 of the initial closing of a non-brokered private placement of units of the Company at a price of $0.2475 per unit, it has granted an aggregate of 3,125,000 incentive stock options under the Company's stock option plan (the "Plan") to certain officers, and employees of the Company and its subsidiaries (the "Grant"). The Grant was determined by the Board in June 2018 but deferred pending re-financing of the Company. Similarly, annual incentive stock option awards due to Directors together with non-cash Directors' fees for Q2 and Q3 2018 were also deferred. Accordingly, an additional 891,077 incentive stock options and 262,502 deferred share units under the Company's deferred share unit plan (the "DSU Plan") have been granted to certain directors of the Company (the "Director Grant"). All incentive stock options issued under the Grant and the Director Grant are exercisable for a period of ten years at $0.31 per share and vest over periods ranging from immediately to 36 months from the date of grant. The grant of the incentive stock options are subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The Plan allows for the issuance of up to 10% of the issued and outstanding share capital in the form of incentive stock options. As of the date hereof, a total of 24,619,097 common shares of the Company are reserved for issuance under the Plan, representing 5.3% of the issued and outstanding share capital. 2,802,733 common shares of the Company are reserved for issuance under the DSU Plan.

For information on this press release, please contact:

Dragos Tanase

President & CEO

Phone: +44 7799 469694

dt@gabrielresources.com Richard Brown

Chief Commercial Officer

Phone: +44 7748 760276

richard.brown@gabrielresources.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Further Information

About Gabriel

Gabriel is a Canadian resource company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company's principal focus has been the exploration and development of the Ro?ia Montana gold and silver project in Romania ("Rosia Montana Project"). The Rosia Montana Project, one of the largest undeveloped gold deposits in Europe, is situated in the South Apuseni Mountains of Transylvania, Romania, an historic and prolific mining district that since pre-Roman times has been mined intermittently for over 2,000 years. The exploitation license ("License") for the Rosia Montana Project is held by Ro?ia Montana Gold Corporation S.A., a Romanian company in which Gabriel owns an 80.69% equity interest, with the 19.31% balance held by Minvest Ro?ia Montana S.A., a Romanian state-owned mining company. It is anticipated that the Rosia Montana Project would bring over US$24 billion (at US$1,200/oz gold) to Romania as potential direct and indirect contribution to GDP and generate thousands of employment opportunities.

Upon obtaining the License in June 1999, the Group (as defined below) focused substantially all of their management and financial resources on the exploration, feasibility and subsequent development of the Rosia Montana Project. Despite the Company's fulfilment of its legal obligations and its development of the Rosia Montana Project as a high-quality, sustainable and environmentally-responsible mining project, using best available techniques, Romania has blocked and prevented implementation of the Rosia Montana Project without due process and without compensation. Accordingly, the Company's current core focus is the ICSID Arbitration. For more information please visit the Company's website at www.gabrielresources.com.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking information" (also referred to as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans and allowing investors and others to get a better understanding of the Company's operating environment. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements.

In this press release, forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company at this time, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies that may cause the Company's actual financial results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied herein. Some of the material factors or assumptions used to develop forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the uncertainties associated with: the ICSID Arbitration, actions by the Romanian Government, conditions or events impacting the Company's ability to fund its operations (including but not limited to the completion of further funding noted above) or service its debt, exploration, development and operation of mining properties and the overall impact of misjudgments made in good faith in the course of preparing forward-looking information.

Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors including those set out below, that may never materialize, prove incorrect or materialize other than as currently contemplated which could cause the Company's results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, identified by words or phrases such as "expects", "is expected", "is of the view", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "estimates", "assumes", "intends", "strategy", "goals", "objectives", "potential", "possible" or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events, conditions or results "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are not statements of fact and may be forward- looking statements.

Numerous factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, including without limitation:

delay or extension to the duration of the ICSID Arbitration;

required disclosure, costs, process and outcome of the ICSID Arbitration against Romania;

changes in the liquidity and capital resources of Gabriel, and the group of companies of which it is directly or indirectly parent ("Group");

access to funding to support the Group's continued ICSID Arbitration and/or operating activities in the future;

equity dilution resulting from the conversion or exercise of new or existing securities in part or in whole to Common Shares;

the ability of the Company to maintain a continued listing on the TSX Venture Exchange or any regulated public market for trading securities;

the impact on business strategy and its implementation in Romania of: unforeseen historic acts of corruption, uncertain fiscal investigations;

uncertain legal enforcement both for and against the Group and political and social instability;

regulatory, political and economic risks associated with operating in a foreign jurisdiction including changes in laws, governments and legal regimes and interpretation of existing and future fiscal and other legislation;

volatility of currency exchange rates, metal prices and metal production;

the availability and continued participation in operational or other matters pertaining to the Group of certain key employees and consultants; and

risks normally incident to the exploration, development and operation of mining properties.

This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements.

Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and investors should not infer that there has been no change in the Company's affairs since the date of this press release that would warrant any modification of any forward-looking statement made in this document, other documents periodically filed with or furnished to the relevant securities regulators or documents presented on the Company's website. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements or the foregoing list of assumptions or factors, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, subject to the Company's disclosure obligations under applicable Canadian securities regulations. Investors are urged to read the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulatory agencies which can be viewed online at www.sedar.com.

SOURCE: Gabriel Resources Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/531586/Issuance-of-Incentive-Stock-Options-and-Deferred-Share-UnitsBJP President Amit Shah had met Modi earlier to discuss the farmers' issues.

New Delhi: Under attack for the agrarian crisis, the government is contemplating several incentives, including a big financial package, to woo farmers ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, according to sources.

The government's likely announcement of incentives to boost rural income will come following feedback given by BJP leaders and MPs, besides other stakeholders, they added.

Sources said the agriculture ministry has prepared a road map and made a presentation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggesting both short and long-term "sustainable" solutions to various issues that are impacting farmers and causing agricultural distress in the country.

BJP President Amit Shah had met Modi earlier to discuss the farmers' issues.

Senior BJP leaders, including union ministers, have been holding consultations over the matter. Shah also met agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh late Thursday, though there was no official word on what transpired in the meeting.

The ministry has studied various state models, including loan waiver announced in seven states, input subsidy being given in states such as Odisha and the 'Rythu Bandhu' scheme of Telangana, among others.

"In the meeting with the PM, the ministry made a presentation and the discussions revolved around the key issues facing the farming community and the possible solutions that can be provided before general elections," a highly placed source said.

The ruling BJP was defeated in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh in the recent state polls, where rural distress was a key factor.Air India should have been privatised when we opened our skies for private participation

Look at it any way, the inevitable and sad conclusion at the end of the day would be Air India cannot be rehabilitated or sold as a going concern lock, stock and barrel to anyone. Today if it is referred to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), banks may have to take the densest haircut, maybe to the tune of 70 percent or more.

The government as the dominant shareholder, practically the sole shareholder (Air India is not listed) therefore has to swing into action and unbundle all the ailing airlines assets and sell them piecemeal and then perform its last rites.

Aviation and financial experts wistfully opine that alas the government had not repeated the mistake it did with MTNL and BSNL---they should have been privatised at the time of allowing private players.

Air India too should have been privatised when we opened our skies for private participation. The government could have exited not only with its pride intact but with more money because when the stodgy government companies remain in business alongside the nimble-footed private counterparts their weaknesses stand out in sharp contrast for everyone to see. Hence the steep undervaluation and the corresponding dwindling interest in the takeover of controlling interest.

It is against this backdrop that the Union Civil Aviation Minister Jayant Sinha is planning to throw more good money after bad makes depressing reading. One thought after the failed attempt to privatise the beleaguered maharaja in May 2018, the government would sell its unbundled assets one by one.

The government had then offered to sell 76 percent in Air India, which included 100 percent in low-cost international subsidiary Air India Express and 50 percent in ground handling company AISATS. The cold shoulder given to the offer by various airline companies had something to do with the residual stake of 24 percent being retained by the government as well as the insistence that the new owner would have to take over 70 percent of the outstanding liabilities aggregating to Rs 33, 290 crore.

Both were put-offs. Naturally, there were apprehensions that the government would meddle in the new-look Air India. Chastened, the government then introspected and toyed with the idea of 100 percent equity sale but only after allowing the airline time of 2 to 3 years to rehabilitate itself and make itself attractive to the new set of suitors, many of whom would, of course, be the ones who came calling last time round.

Air India has a fleet of 120 aircrafts and an unenviable liability of Rs 55,000 crore which is climbing by some Rs 4,000 crore every year. It has a healthy market share of 48 percent in international traffic (among Indian carriers) emanating and terminating in India as opposed to a feeble 15 percent of the domestic traffic. Small wonder Indigo expressed interest only in Air India Express that focuses on international operations.

The contours of the revival plan in the run-up to the next round of disinvestment 2 or 3 years down the line hinted by Sinha has been doing the rounds in media. The government is planning to transfer Rs 29,000 crore out of Air Indias total liability of Rs 55,000 crore along with its non-core assets that includes lands estimated to fetch Rs 8,000 crore to a special purpose vehicle (SPV) Air India Asset Holding Ltd which will prune airline's annual loan interest liability payout of Rs 4,400 crore to just Rs 1,700 crore.

The rationale behind this plan of action is the remaining Rs 26,000 crore of liability is on account of air-crafts acquisition which the one taking over would happily take in his balance sheet. It is the working capital loan of Rs 29,000 that sticks out like a sore thumb.

Brush it under the carpet i.e. transfer it to SPV goes the borrowed wisdom. That the SPV would raise fresh loans to redeem the legacy loan smacks of the government throwing good money after bad. Its burden would be lightened by budgetary support spanning the current fiscal year as well as the next aggregating to Rs 12,200 crore.

It is worth mentioning here that the government in 2012 had approved an equity infusion of Rs 30,231 crore until 2020-21. The airline has received 27,000 crore so far. The government had infused of Rs 6,750 crore immediately after the approval in addition to the equity infusion of Rs 3,200 crore.

The government think tank NITI Aayog had warned the government against sustaining Air India at any cost. It is a basket case with 27,000 staff to whom the airline owes Rs 1,200 crore.

Prior downsising would be insisted upon by the acquirer as a precondition. Upwards of 200 employees per aircraft is way above acceptable norms. Therefore without further loss of time, the government should start the unbundled or piecemeal sale of assets, may be under the supervision of receiver appointed under the company law.

The resultant loss to banks and employees would be lesser than the one if the airline were to be referred to NCLT under the IBC. Rehabilitation and its concomitants SPV and budgetary support would amount to further guzzling taxpayers money.

(The author is a senior columnist and tweets @smurlidharan)The ED said in a statement that it has filed the charge sheet or the prosecution complaint against the firm Diamond Power Infrastructure Ltd (DPIL) and 14 others, including its directors and executives before the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court

Ahmedabad: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said it has filed a charge sheet against a Vadodara-based electric cables and equipment making company in connection with a money laundering probe in an alleged bank fraud case worth over Rs 2,600 crore.

The agency said in a statement that it has filed the charge sheet or the prosecution complaint against the firm Diamond Power Infrastructure Ltd (DPIL) and 14 others, including its directors and executives Amit Bhatnagar, Sumit Bhatnagar and Suresh Bhatnagar, before the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court of A C Joshi here.

In the prosecution complaint, a prayer has been made under section 4 of the PMLA for confiscation of attached assets as well punishment for directors of DIPL, its directors and other accused persons involved in the case," the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said.

DPIL is accused of cheating various banks to the tune of Rs 2,654 crore. The central probe agency had filed a criminal case against the firm and its promoters under the PMLA after taking cognisance of a CBI FIR.

The Bhatnagar trio were arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in April. While Suresh was granted bail recently, his two sons -- Amit and Sumit -- are still lodged at the Sabarmati central prison here.

The agency had said the company, DPIL, through its related entities, was able to gain funds "fraudulently" to the tune of Rs 261 crore by twisting and manipulating the facility of Letter of Credit (LC) from the banks.

"When the banks conducted stock audits of DPIL it was found that a large part of the stock of goods was missing from their premises. The total of such missing stock during 2008-2018 is about Rs. 453.54 crore," the ED said.

DPIL diverted Rs 5.80 crore to UAE-based Diamond Power Global Holding Ltd., and about Rs 44 crore to group company Northway Spaces Ltd, it said.

The agency alleged in the charge sheet that "DPIL also diverted about $40,32,000 (approx Rs 21 crore) to group company Mayfair Leisures Ltd through a series of UAE-based firms."

DPIL also showed excess sales of about Rs 270 crore and false trade receivables to the tune of Rs 384 crore, it alleged.

The agency had earlier said the promoters through a web of companies and cross holdings were found to be the "main decision makers", controllers and thus, the beneficial owners of the company and all the related companies.

"Therefore, it appears there was little genuine business activity done by the Diamond group of companies and most of the business shown on records was from such fictitious transactions and this has resulted into default of Rs 2654.40 crore to banks," the ED had said. The ED, which said the probe in the case is still under progress, had taken up the case to investigate if the alleged defaulted loans were laundered to create illegal assets and black money by the accused.

The CBI had said DPIL, which manufactures electric cables and equipment, is promoted by S N Bhatnagar and his sons Amit and Sumit, who were also the executives of the firm.

The loan amount of Rs 2,654 crore of the firm was declared a non-performing asset in 2016-17.By Valentina Za MILAN (Reuters) - The top investor in Banca Carige met European Central Bank supervisors on Thursday to explain why he did not back a vital cash call at the troubled Italian lender, a source close to the matter said. Carige on Saturday failed to win approval for a 400 million euro ($455 million) share sale that was part of a rescue plan financed by Italian lenders to shield the industry from the risk of another banking collapse. Italy's Malacalza family holds 27.6 percent of Carige after investing more than 400 million euros to prop up the ailing Genoa-based bank.

By Valentina Za

MILAN (Reuters) - The top investor in Banca Carige met European Central Bank supervisors on Thursday to explain why he did not back a vital cash call at the troubled Italian lender, a source close to the matter said.

Carige on Saturday failed to win approval for a 400 million euro ($455 million) share sale that was part of a rescue plan financed by Italian lenders to shield the industry from the risk of another banking collapse.

Italy's Malacalza family holds 27.6 percent of Carige after investing more than 400 million euros to prop up the ailing Genoa-based bank. Their stake is worth less than 25 million euros at current market prices.

On Saturday the Malacalzas prevented the latest cash call from being approved saying they first wanted more clarity on the bank's future business plan and possible merger options as well as any further requests from the regulator.

The source said the Malacalzas had flown to Frankfurt and met for more than an hour with ECB officials explaining the reasons for not backing the proposed cash call.

A second source said earlier on Thursday that a meeting was due to take place by Friday at the latest and was likely to discuss the bank's prospects.

Carige's Chief Executive Fabio Innocenzi is also expected to meet ECB supervisors in person after he briefed them on the outcome of Saturday's meeting before Christmas, the second source said.

Banca Carige and the ECB declined to comment.

Carige's future depends on customers and investors' reaction to the latest setback. The bank has faced liquidity crises in the past, lastly a year ago when it almost failed to push through the previous cash call - its third in four years.

Shares in Carige lost 12.5 percent at 0.0014 euros by 1555 GMT.

RAISING FUNDS

The ECB has direct oversight of Italy's 10th-largest bank, which it has been pushing to shed bad debts and boost capital.

Carige is Italy's last remaining large problem bank after Rome bailed out Monte dei Paschi di Siena in 2016 and bankrolled the rescue of two smaller lenders based in the Veneto region by Intesa Sanpaolo last year.

Another bank widely seen as a possible rescue candidate, unlisted Popolare di Bari, is supervised by the Bank of Italy given its smaller size.

Carige has raised 2.2 billion euros from investors since 2014, piling up 1.5 billion euros in losses over the same period, mainly due to bad loans.

Carige's troubles stem from decades of mismanagement and an excessive exposure to the depressed local economy. It has also undergone a string of top management shake-ups since the Malacalzas replaced a local charitable foundation as the single largest shareholder in the bank.

The Malacalzas made their money in the steel business, selling their interests in 2007 for a reported sum of around 1 billion euros. They then invested in tyremaker Pirelli, cashing in 500 million euros in 2015 on the sale of their stake.

To stay afloat in recent years Carige has sold off its best assets, such as its insurance units, and it would struggle to attract a merger partner as recommended by the ECB.

The latest stock offer was meant to allow Carige to convert into equity a 320 million euro subordinated bond it sold to other Italian lenders last month.

The conversion would have helped Carige beef up its core capital ratio, which stood at 10.8 percent at the end of September - above a minimum requirement of 9.63 percent set by the ECB but below the ECB's suggested level of 11.18 percent.

The ECB sets the minimum core capital level for individual banks each year and Carige's 2019 threshold is not yet known.

($1 = 0.8782 euros)

(Reporting by Valentina Za; Editing by Adrian Croft/Keith Weir)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.By Sankalp Phartiyal and Sudarshan Varadhan MUMBAI/DELHI (Reuters) - Apple Inc will begin assembling its top-end iPhones in India through the local unit of Foxconn as early as 2019, the first time the Taiwanese contract manufacturer will have made the product in the country, according to a source familiar with the matter. Importantly, Foxconn will be assembling the most expensive models, such as devices in the flagship iPhone X family, the source said, potentially taking Apple's business in India to a new level

By Sankalp Phartiyal and Sudarshan Varadhan

MUMBAI/DELHI (Reuters) - Apple Inc will begin assembling its top-end iPhones in India through the local unit of Foxconn as early as 2019, the first time the Taiwanese contract manufacturer will have made the product in the country, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Importantly, Foxconn will be assembling the most expensive models, such as devices in the flagship iPhone X family, the source said, potentially taking Apple's business in India to a new level.

The work will take place at Foxconn's plant in Sriperumbudur town in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, said the source, who is not authorised to speak to the media and so declined to be named.

Foxconn, which already makes phones for Xiaomi Corp in India, will invest 25 billion Indian rupees ($356 million) to expand the plant, including investment in iPhone production, Tamil Nadu's Industries Minister M C Sampath told Reuters.

The investment may create as many as 25,000 jobs, he added.

Another source also said Foxconn planned to assemble iPhones in India, in a move that could help both it and Apple to limit the impact of a trade war between the United States and China.

The Hindu newspaper first reported on Dec. 24 that the Foxconn plant would begin manufacturing various models of the iPhone. Reuters is first to report the size of the investment and the kind of phones to be assembled.

Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller declined to comment. Foxconn said it did not comment on matters related to current or potential customers, or any of their products.

LOWER-END PHONES

Until now, Cupertino, California-based Apple has only assembled the lower-cost SE and 6S models in India through Wistron Corp's local unit in the Bengaluru technology hub.

Its sales in India have also been focused on lower-end phones - more than half of its sales volume is driven by models older than the iPhone 8, launched last year, according to technology research firm Counterpoint.

Apple launched the pricey iPhone X last year but has cut production of that phone, according to industry analysts, since it began selling the newer versions, iPhone XS and XR, globally this year.

Still, it could potentially get Foxconn to make the older iPhone X version in India where it sells cheaper models in a bid to get a bigger share of the world's fastest growing major mobile phone market.

Full details of Apple's deal with Foxconn are not yet clear and could change.

It is not known if any of the iPhone assembly is being moved from existing Foxconn factories in China and elsewhere. It is also unclear whether the production will be confined to assembly or include any component production in India.

LOOKING BEYOND CHINA

For Apple, widening assembly beyond China is critical to mitigate the risks of the Sino-U.S. trade war.

Foxconn, the world's biggest electronics contract manufacturer, is considering setting up a factory in Vietnam, Vietnamese state media reported this month. If that goes ahead, it will be one of the biggest recent steps by a major company to secure an additional production base outside of China.

Foxconn has previously admitted the China-U.S. trade spat was its biggest challenge and that its senior executives were making plans to counter the impact.

"Widening iPhone manufacturing in India through Foxconn will allow Apple to hedge the risk of any new U.S. trade policies," said Navkendar Singh, an associate research director at International Data Corporation.

Indian taxes on import of devices and components have also heightened Apple's headache in a market where it has only a 1 percent share by smartphone shipments.

Making more phones locally will help Apple save costly duties and boost Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship drive to make India a manufacturing hub, Singh said.

Apple shocked investors last month with a lower-than-expected sales forecast for the Christmas quarter that jolted parts suppliers across the world.

Foxconn has previously expressed concern over demand for Apple's flagship devices.

(Reporting by Sankalp Phartiyal and Sudarshan Varadhan; Additional reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Martin Howell and Mark Potter)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.The finance ministry had informed the bank about the capital infusion on Wednesday (26 December), United Bank of India said in a regulatory filing.

New Delhi: State-owned United Bank of India Thursday said the government has decided to infuse Rs 2,159 crore in the bank as part of Rs 28,615 crore capital infusion to be done in about half a dozen banks.

The finance ministry had informed the bank about the capital infusion on Wednesday (26 December), United Bank of India said in a regulatory filing.

"The bank proposes to secure the shareholders' approval to the proposed preferential allotment by a Special Resolution by convening an Extraordinary General Meeting shortly. Till such time all formalities are completed and allotment made, the amount shall remain in Share Application Money Account," it said.

According to sources, the government has decided to pump Rs 28,615 crore into seven public sector banks (PSBs) through recapitalisation bonds soon.

Out of these seven PSBs, Bank of India, is likely to get the highest amount of Rs 10,086 crore, followed by Oriental Bank of Commerce, which might get Rs 5,500 crore through recapitalisation bonds, sources added.

Other banks that are likely to receive capital infusion in this round included Bank of Maharashtra which may get Rs 4,498 crore and UCO Bank (Rs 3,056 crore).

The government had earlier announced an 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.

Earlier this month, finance minister Arun Jaitley said the government would put an additional Rs 41,000 crore in PSBs over and above what was announced earlier.

On December 20, the government sought Parliament's approval for infusion of an additional Rs 41,000 crore.

The recapitalisation, the finance minister said, would enhance the lending capacity of PSBs and help them come out of the Reserve Bank of India's Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework.

Eleven out of the total 21 PSBs are under the RBI's PCA framework, which imposes lending restrictions on weak banks.

These are Allahabad Bank, United Bank of India, Corporation Bank, IDBI Bank, UCO Bank, Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Dena Bank and Bank of Maharashtra.India could focus on encouraging investments from China which has shown a huge investment appetite in the country  disregardful of the arbitration imbroglio or other irritants

It is ironic that one should be wishing each other a Happy New Year, when most economists are agreed that 2019 could be a very turbulent year. Just last week, Ajit Ranade, noted economist, went on record stating, A global slowdown might be inevitable.

Part of the reason could be the United States. As Ranade points out, the trade wars triggered by that country has made markets nervous. In February, there was a huge selloff and sharply increased volatility. The Morgan Stanley Capital Index (MSCI) dropped by US$ 3 trillion dollars.

That caused currencies to take a big hit. Currencies of Argentina, Turkey, Indonesia and South Africa (even India) were badly affected.

Bright and the dark sides

But India still may not be so badly hurt because of two reasons. The price of oil, unexpectedly, has started to slip. That gives India some breathing space.

Moreover, as Ranade rightly states, the monthly inflow of domestic investors into the stock market, thanks to schemes like monthly Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs) are now close to a healthy Rs 10,000 crore. They can now offset the sudden exit of foreign money.

But there are some nasty clouds that India will have to reckon with in the coming year.

First, the desperate need to create jobs. India has failed miserably on this front.

Second, the urgent need to bring in foreign direct investments (FDI). Without it, fresh investments in infrastructure might not take place. Already some of the bids for roadways had to be recast, and offered for rebidding, because there werent any takers. Without such investments, job formation will continue to remain grim.

Many countries have slowed down their fresh FDI into India because of the governments refusal to give a clear response on dispute redressal. It does not want investors to take recourse to arbitration outside India (because the Supreme Court has already decreed that awards by arbitration tribunals from seats outside India cannot be reopened by Indian courts. But it is equally unwilling to give the same guarantee for the Indian arbitration centres. This is bad because the government itself is the biggest litigant in courts.

Third, expect government spending to slow down in the months following the elections. This has been the pattern for most general elections (see chart). Governments splurge money before the elections to woo an electorate. After elections, spending slows down. Except, this time, the expenditure slowdown will occur even as the global economy will slow down.

With little FDI, and the possibility of exports slowing down because of trade wars, India could face exceedingly painful times.

Unless. . . . .

Solution 1  India should learn from Iran

There is a key lesson that India could learn from Iran. When Iran was in trouble, with little job formation, US sanctions, and little education, it needed to ensure that it could create jobs. One of its strategies was to build affordable houses  minimum area 800 square feet). After all, cement, land and steel were available domestically. Labour was homegrown. This activity needed little foreign exchange. India should do the same thing.

But to make it succeed, two things must happen. First, zero tolerance for any slums. That will make potential slum dwellers purchase houses rather than angling for free politically-backed housing on usurped land.

Second, the government must build at least 2 million houses (or more) each year. The demand exceeds 20 million homes (see chart). These figures were compiled in 2012. They should have increased by 25 percent at least since then.

If you build just merely 50,000 houses, you will get a black market. That is what happens when demand outstrips supply. That is bad for the country, bad for values, bad for people. Large numbers will create jobs; will create hopes for countless millions in India. The demand for housing will create jobs; that will create purchasing power; that will create more investments and more jobs. The virtuous cycle could get kick-started.

India can escape the paucity of foreign capital. It can create jobs for those not well skilled. The new roads built by the ministry of Nitin Gadkari will make commutes easier.

Solution 2  theres nothing like the sun

As this author has pointed out earlier, India is blessed with lots of people and lots of sunshine. The government should make use of that. To understand its potential, one should look at Germany.

When the late Hermann Scheer, then energy minister of Germany, introduced rooftop solar in his country, he knew that most people would not bother to put up solar panels even though they were environmentally friendly. So he offered them the opportunity of letting the state put it up. Moreover, people could use the solar power generated free of cost. Whatever power was not used, they could sell it to an agency which would pay them for it. Thus the house owner would get some free electricity, and also payment for the electricity he did not use. The plan worked, and many houses opted for rooftop solar.

To make this work, Scheer created a layer of people who would install the solar, maintain it, set up bidirectional meters that would measure the amount of electricity sold to the agency. The agency, which was part of the layer that Scheer created, would clean the intermittent power from solar rooftops, aggregate it from hundreds of houses, and then sell it to the national grid for a price. The government subsidised the price.

Today, if solar prices have fallen, it is because of the market Germany created and showed the world how to create it. The Chinese saw a business opportunity and built capacities to meet this soaring demand. Together, they ensured that the price of solar panels fell from $3.50 per peak Watt in 2006 to under 30 cents currently (and the price keeps falling).

But what Scheer had not reckoned with, and what he discovered was that in eight years time the middle layer employed more and more people  installers, cleaners, engineers, and more. By 2008, this middle layer accounted for more jobs than the legendary German auto industry.

This is a big lesson for India. India has more sunlight than Germany, and many more people  hence many more houses and rooftops. What India should be focussing on is the creation of middle layers in the form of decentralised cluster power generation and distribution centres. If huts dont have a good roof, just use a pole and put a solar panel atop it. But it must be done by the private sector, which will ensure that assets dont get misused or stolen.

Our reckoning is that this could create over 80 million jobs within two years (see table). But to make this work, the power to villages must go through he decentralised cluster mode run by private entrepreneurs. Each entrepreneur, in order to boost power consumption, would encourage rural folk to consume more power for business or lifestyle or both. That would create jobs, boost economic activity in rural areas, and generate wealth.

It would also reduce Indias fuel import bills. It would provide electricity to the remotest village, and it would prevent energy theft that state grids are notorious for.

Other options

There are other things that the government could do. Promote tourism  but that also means reducing bureaucracy, sharp practices by agents, better hotels and toilets, and promoting a sense of security.

India could harness its methane potential, that could almost entirely eliminate the countrys fuel import bill.

India needs to de-licence education, and focus only on the quality of output, instead of licensing schools and medical colleges. If India does not provide for a good education, the countrys future is blighted.

It needs to focus on healthcare. Ayushman Bharat is only the first step. It will be painful for the middle class, as resources get diverted to the economically poor. But expanding effectively and reasonably priced medicare is crucially important. Remember, Indias score on the World Banks Human Capital Index is terrible.

India could focus on encouraging investments from China which has shown a huge investment appetite in the country  disregardful of the arbitration imbroglio or other irritants. India should carefully structure deals so that both countries benefit.

The centre of gravity for economic activity is shifting to Russia, China and India. If harnessed well, these trends could help India ride the tide.

Maybe, it will be a wonderful new year. But will the government (whichever one it might be) be willing to embrace this vision?

(The author is a senior journalist)The sectors that received maximum FDI during 2018 include services, computer hardware and software, construction development, trading, automobile, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and power

New Delhi: India will aim to receive $100 billion in foreign direct investments (FDI) in the next two years and special industrial clusters are being created for countries like Japan, South Korea, China and Russia where their companies can invest and operate, Union Minister Suresh Prabhu said.

The commerce and industry minister said his ministry has also identified sectors and countries which holds huge potential for investments in India.

"I have given a target. $100 billion of FDI should come from different sectors into India. It will not happen in one year. We have identified companies, sectors and countries and now we are going for road shows to attract investors," Prabhu said.

He said India would remain a top destination for foreign investors in 2019 and the ministry would look at all sectoral issues that may come come in the way to attracting overseas investments.

"For countries like Japan, South Korea, China and Russia, we are creating industrial clusters where they can invest and operate," Prabhu said.

The minister said China has agreed to set up industrial parks in India and the Chinese authorities have been asked to give a list of companies that are willing to set up factories in India.

Similarly, India would be happy to welcome firms from Europe and the US who want to move out of other countries and set up manufacturing bases in India, Prabhu said.

"We will be very happy to give them special status in India," he added.

The comments follow several steps taken during 2018 to further liberalise norms and improve business climate in India to attract greater FDI.

In the World Bank's doing business report, India's rank has improved to 77th from 130th earlier.

Earlier this year in January, the government permitted foreign airlines to invest up to 49 percent in debt-ridden Air India, and eased norms for investment in single brand retail, construction and power exchanges.

Norms were also relaxed for medical devices and audit firms associated with companies receiving overseas funds.

The government permitted 100 percent FDI under the automatic route for single brand retail trading and also in power exchanges that provide an online platform for trading in electricity.

This was the second major liberalisation in FDI policy by the NDA government after major changes effected in June 2016.

Total FDI in India, including re-invested earnings, rose to $61.96 billion in 2017-18, from $60.22 billion in 2016-17.

In April-June period of the current fiscal 2018-19, the country has attracted $16.86 billion of foreign investments.

Experts, however, said the government needs to focus on areas like infrastructure modernisation and easing of procedures to attract global investors.

Globally also, FDI inflows have cooled down. India needs to take steps in areas like infrastructure and procedural easing to further attract investments," Professor Biswajit Dhar of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) said.

India mainly attracts investments from countries like Mauritius, Singapore, Japan, UK, the Netherlands, the US, Germany, Cyprus, France, and UAE.

The sectors that received maximum FDI during 2018 include services, computer hardware and software, construction development, trading, automobile, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and power.

To attract overseas companies, several states such as Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal are also organising investors' meet for their respective states.

The commerce and industry ministry has also started ranking of states on their ease of doing business. In the last report, Andhra Pradesh topped the chart among all the states and union territories.

The ministry has now decided to help the states undertake a similar exercise for their respective districts.Turkey sees record high tourism, 37 mn visitors in 11 months Improved security and drop in currency, boom in Russians

(ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, DECEMBER 28 - After a bad period inked to security problems, terrorist attacks and the 2016 attempted coup, Turkey has this year got back on its feet and seen a record-breaking year for tourism. Over 37.5 million foreigners visited the country in the first 11 months of 2018, a 22.2% increase on an annual basis, according to figures announced on Friday by the tourism ministry. The figure is likely to rise with the New Year's Eve festivities, especially given the depreciation of the Turkish lira. Russians account for the lion's share of the visitors with almost 5.9 million, a clear sign of ever closer relations between the two countries.



Following were the Germans with 4.3 million and the Brits with 2.2 million. Over 260,000 Italians visited Turkey in the first 11 months of the year.



In top place for prime destination was the Mediterranean resort town of Antalya followed closely by Istanbul with 12.3 million visitors. (ANSAmed).



Banking sector mess continued to dominate the Indian economy in 2018. At least eleven public sector banks continue to be under the prompt corrective action plan of the RBI

In many ways, the Indian economy of 2018 was a multi-plot flick; there were enough twists and turns to keep the audience stuck to their seats till the end. This was a year when Indian economy faced a major trust deficit when its official GDP numbers were disputed widely. Also, a year when the central bank-government relation touched an all-time low and unemployment and agrarian distress dominated the scene.

Imagine these events being played back-to-back on a big screen, it has all the right ingredients to become a gripping political thriller with its many sub-plots. Heres look at some of the major themes that played out in 2018:

RBI vs govt.

Of the many plots, most certainly, the biggest one was the showdown between the Narendra Modi government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). In the 83-year old history of Indias Reserve Bank, this was the first time things came to a breaking point between the two.

The RBI top brass took the battle public and openly warned the government the consequences of undermining the central banks autonomy. Deputy governor, Viral Acharyas words were no less than filmy dialogue when he said, "The Governments that do not respect central bank independence will sooner or later incur the wrath of financial markets, ignite economic fire, and come to rue the day they undermined an important regulatory institution.

There were frequent encounters between the two on multiple occasions on different issues--central banks governance, government demand for RBIs excess reserves, watering down the prompt corrective action (PCA) plan and with respect to regulation of countrys payments system.

At the end of the plot 1 (RBI VS govt), the RBI governor, Urjit Patel who played a supporting actor during demonetisation episode--turned out to be the unlikely hero. Patel shed his image of a subservient technocrat and a silent spectator to RBIs unmaking by launching his ultimate weaponresigning mid-term.

The audience was initially disappointed with Patel in the flickthe pace at which he counted notes in RBI and his dialogue deliverybut Patels final act thrilled them and irked some. It triggered further speculations in the financial markets on what lies ahead for RBI. The Modi government brought in former economic affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das to douse the fire at the Mint road. This plot is still an unfolding one.

CSO and Indias data credibility

Yet another major plot of Indian economy 2018 was doubts over Indias data credibility. The release of GDP back series figures by the government, in November, this year was welcomed as a work of fiction by a section of analysts. The lack of correlation of headline GDP figures with several high-frequency indicators surprised many, raising big questions on the accuracy of the GDP figures. Between the old Sudipto Mundle-series and the newly released figures, economists were caught in a big puzzle.

The new back series may have put the NDA at an advantageous position since the average growth for FY06 to FY12 now comes to 6.9 percent (new series) from 8.2 percent (old series) and inferior to the 7.4 percent under the Modi-led NDA rule.

In FY 2011, the growth figure has been sliced by 180 basis points to 8.5 percent from 10.3 percent. The unusual involvement of Niti Aayog in the GDP back series launch, added to the conspiracy theory that politics is meddling with Indias official data office. Obviously, questions were raised whether Chief Statistician Pravin Srivastava failed to uphold the stature of CSO. When the group of those who questioned the GDP figures increased in size, Indias data credibility took a major hit.

Farmer and agrarian distress

The camera pans to the dry fields of rural India; the movie shows the pitiable situation of Indian farmer, who undoubtedly remained the suffering class in 2018 as well. Farm loan waiver announcements dominated as the distressed farmer is also an easy target for vote-hungry politicians across party lines. A few more big states like Karnataka, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh joined the loan waiver bandwagon this year and more states are likely to join.

Loan waivers continued to be the easiest tool for politicians to win votes at the cost of taxpayers money. The Modi government also used the tried and tested tools such as offering minimum support prices to ease the pain of the farmer but nothing has worked so far. Unsurprisingly, cases of farmer suicides continued in 2018.

Banks in distress

Banking sector mess continued to dominate the Indian economy in 2018. At least eleven public sector banks continue to be under the prompt corrective action plan of the RBI on account of their weak financial position.

The NCLT process, framed to speed up the resolution of bankrupt companies, has offered some relief to the banks to recover at least part of the bad loans. But the crisis phase isnt over for banks yet. About 70 percent of the banking system continues to be dominated by state-run banks. Among them, except a few, the financial position of most banks continue to be weak.

These entities still continue to suffer from the begging bowl syndromethe eternal dependence on the government for survival capital. The plight of NPA-ridden banks continued to dominate the woes of the Indian economy in 2018. As of December 2017, total 40 listed banks had gross NPA's at Rs 8,86,460.30 crore and as of September 2018, this grew to Rs 9,99,031 crore, meaning a jump of Rs 1,12,571 crore this year alone. Logically banks continue to be the victims of bad governance, imprudent lending and a sluggish economy.

What does 2019 hold?

Of course, the picture isnt over yet. There is a general agreement that 2019 elections will be fought on rural issues and agrarian distress. Ahead of the parliamentary polls next year, and in the backdrop of the ruling partys defeat in recent state elections, there is a strong likelihood of more voter-appeasing populist policies landing in Indias distant villages.

Loan waivers will certainly top the chart but there could be more surprises. The policy, reform priorities can change dramatically depending on the outcome of the Lok Sabha polls mid next year. What does 2019 hold for us?The panel has noted that during festive season some airlines were charging 8-10 times more than the normal fares

New Delhi: Private airline Indigo is the "worst performing" carrier for consumers, while national carrier Air India has the best luggage policy, said parliamentary panel on civil aviation chairman Derek O' Brien.

TMC MP O'Brien, who heads the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Tourism, Culture, Road, Shipping and Aviation, on Thursday said the panel had taken strong note that during festive season some airlines were charging 8-10 times more than the normal fares.

Addressing a press conference on the panel's latest report, he said,"Our committee is very clear that the worst performing airline for consumers is Indigo. All 30 members agreed on this. Indigo has not responded despite many complaints. The way they behave with consumers and charge for just one kg or two kg overweight of air baggage..."

"Every single member (of the panel) is disgusted with the way some private airlines are operating but more so with Indigo, it is discourteous. The airline is very rigid, Indigo even charges for one-two kg overweight, this has not been taken very well and the committee is looking into the matter seriously," he said.

O'Brien asserted these were not only his views but of all members of the panel who are from different parties.

Underlining that there were many problems in the aviation sector, the TMC leader said, "The committee has recommended that cancellation charges can't be more than 50 percent of basic fare. Tax and fuel surcharge collected should be refunded to passengers. Airlines are charging too much."

On the luggage policy, Brien said the national carrier had the best luggage policy and the other private airlines should also enhance the baggage limit.

"Air India has best luggage policy...the maximum luggage limit prescribed by the airlines, except Air India, should be enhanced," he said, adding that baggage charges are also on higher side.

Brien said there are five ministries under the purview of the standing committee unlike other panels, where there is only one ministry.

He also applauded Nitin Gadkari, who is heading the Shipping Ministry for improvement in cargo handling in India.Gross non-performing assets (NPAs) of PSBs have started declining after peaking in March 2018, registering a decline of Rs 23,860 crore

New Delhi: Various initiatives taken by the government have yielded results, with the bad loans of public sector banks declining by over Rs 23,000 crore from a peak of Rs 9.62 lakh crore in March 2018, said a senior finance ministry official.

At the same time, public sector banks (PSBs) have also made a record in recovery of Rs 60,726 crore in the first half of the current financial year, which is more than double the amount recovered in the corresponding period last year.

"Gross non-performing assets (NPAs) of PSBs have started declining after peaking in March 2018, registering a decline of Rs 23,860 crore in the first half of the current financial year," financial service Secretary Rajiv Kumar said.

According to the latest finance ministry data, non-NPA accounts overdue by 31 to 90 days (Special Mention Accounts 1 & 2) of PSBs have declined by 61 percent over five successive quarters - from Rs. 2.25 lakh crore as of June 2017 to Rs 0.87 lakh crore in September 2018.

"This has substantially pared down credit at risk," he said.

Talking about various initiatives, Kumar said, recognition of restructured standard assets as NPAs, initiated with Asset Quality Review in 2015, and discontinuation of restructuring schemes, the recognition exercise is nearly over with such assets declining from the peak of 7 percent in March 2015 to 0.59 per cent as of September 2018.

He also said that the resolution process has been strengthened by changing the creditor-debtor relationship through the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and debarment of wilful defaulters and connected persons, which has resulted in record recovery this year.

"Reforms have accompanied recapitalisation in the form of a comprehensive PSB reforms agenda that addresses the root causes of poor asset quality, and commits banks to clean lending and rolling out of next-generation banking services by leveraging benefits of technology and formalisation of the economy," the secretary said.

Banks have got capital support of over Rs 3 lakh crore since commencement of clean-up in 2015-16.

Earlier this month, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the government will invest an additional Rs 41,000 crore into state-owned lenders over and above what was announced earlier to strengthen their capital base. This would enhance the total recapitalisation in the current fiscal from Rs 65,000 crore to Rs 1.06 lakh crore.

On December 20, the government sought Parliament's approval for infusion of an additional Rs 41,000 crore into the lenders.

Jaitley had said that this would enhance the lending capacity of PSBs and help them exit the Reserve Bank of India's Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework that imposes curbs on certain business operations at the banks.By Stephanie Kelly NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Thursday, retreating from an 8 percent rally in the previous session as Wall Street stocks also fell and the oil market focused on signs of faltering global economic growth and record production of crude.

By Stephanie Kelly

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Thursday, retreating from an 8 percent rally in the previous session as Wall Street stocks also fell and the oil market focused on signs of faltering global economic growth and record production of crude.

Brent crude futures dropped 4.24 percent, or $2.31, to settle at $52.16 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell $1.61 to settle at $44.61 a barrel, down 3.48 percent.

"The market is giving back some of its gains from yesterday that were brought along with the euphoria in the stock market," said Andrew Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates in Houston.

Prices surged on Wednesday, tracking a spike on Wall Street after President Donald Trump's administration attempted to shore up investor confidence. [MKTS/GLOB]

U.S. stocks retreated on Thursday, dragging oil prices. [.N]

Brent and WTI have lost more than a third of their value since the beginning of October and are heading for declines of more than 20 percent in 2018.

Concerns about slowing global economic growth have dampened investor demand for riskier asset classes and pressured crude futures.

Market participants are worried about a glut of crude. Three months ago it looked as if the global oil market would be undersupplied through the northern hemisphere winter as U.S. sanctions removed large volumes of Iranian crude. But other oil exporters have compensated for any shortfall, depressing prices.

The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, along with Russia and other producers, agreed this month to reduce output by 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd), equivalent to more than 1 percent of global consumption.

But the cuts will not take effect until January and oil production has been at or near record highs in Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United States, now the world's top crude producer pumping 11.6 million bpd.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said the country will cut its output by between 3 million and 5 million tonnes in the first half of 2019. It then will be able to restore it to 556 million tonnes (11.12 million barrels per day) for the whole 2019, on par with 2018, he added.

Although U.S. sanctions have put a cap on Iran's oil sales, Tehran has said its private exporters have "no problems" selling its oil.

U.S. crude inventory data will be released from the American Petroleum Institute after settlement on Thursday and from the U.S. Energy Information Administration on Friday. [API/S]

A Reuters survey estimated that U.S. crude inventories dropped 2.9 million barrels in the week to Dec. 21. [EIA/S]

(Reporting by Stephanie Kelly in New York, Christopher Johnson in London and Jane Chung in Seoul; Editing by Frances Kerry, Steve Orlofsky and David Gregorio)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.At the past two meetings held between RBI and state- run banks, Das had deliberated on the prompt correction action framework.

Mumbai: The Reserve Bank governor Shaktikanta Das on Thursday held meetings with top private sector lenders and discussed liquidity issues and the flow of credit to small and medium businesses, according to bankers. This is the third meeting Das has had with the lenders, with the first two being with public sector banks, after he took charge on December 12 following the sudden resignation of Urjit Patel on 10 December 10 due to the differences with the government on a host of issues including

those discussed Thursday.

"There were discussions on the ways to improve the flow of credit to medium and small industries and also on the present liquidity situation," said a banker who attended the meeting which was also attended by the deputy governors and other top private sector lenders.

Following default by Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) in September, liquidity situation in the system became too tight.

At the 19 November meeting of the central board of RBI, the central bank had announced loan restructuring scheme for MSMEs with credit up to Rs 25 crore.

At the past two meetings held between RBI and state- run banks, Das had deliberated on the prompt correction action framework.

Of the 21 state-owned banks, 11 are under the PCA framework, which imposes lending and other restrictions on weak lenders. These are Allahabad Bank, United Bank, Corporation Bank, IDBI Bank, Uco Bank, Bank of India, Central Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Oriental Bank, Dena Bank and Bank of Maharashtra.

State-run banks also want some easing in the one-day default norm announced in the 12 February circular.PARIS (Reuters) - France's CGT union has called for more transparency at Renault and its Dutch holding company and asked the French government, one of the carmaker's shareholders, to try to shed light on its workings, a CGT representative said on Thursday. Renault, and its alliance with Nissan Motor Co , has been in the spotlight after the partnership's architect Carlos Ghosn was arrested in mid-November in Japan amid allegations his Nissan income was understated.

PARIS (Reuters) - France's CGT union has called for more transparency at Renault and its Dutch holding company and asked the French government, one of the carmaker's shareholders, to try to shed light on its workings, a CGT representative said on Thursday.

Renault, and its alliance with Nissan Motor Co <7201.T>, has been in the spotlight after the partnership's architect Carlos Ghosn was arrested in mid-November in Japan amid allegations his Nissan income was understated.

The CGT wrote to French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire in early December questioning the way Renault had handled the affair and to denounce a lack of transparency at RNBV, a joint Renault-Nissan holding company based in the Netherlands, FranceInfo reported on Thursday.

A CGT spokesman confirmed the union had reached out to Le Maire and to Renault's deputy CEO Thierry Bollore, adding it was calling for clarity on additional wage payments made via RNBV to an unidentified member of the French carmaker's executive committee.

"Workers have no information about RNBV," the CGT spokesman said.

Spokesmen for Le Maire and for Renault declined to comment. The French state owns 15 percent of Renault.

Executives from both carmakers in the Renault-Nissan alliance looked at least twice at legal ways to pay Ghosn undisclosed income through the partners' shared finances, including via RNBV, Reuters reported earlier in December.

The two efforts discussed were ultimately abandoned.

Ghosn, who remains Renault's chairman and chief executive but was ousted as Nissan's chairman, has been in a Tokyo jail since mid-November.

He had been expected to possibly go free on bail last Friday but was re-arrested by Japanese prosecutors on new allegations of making Nissan shoulder $16.6 million in personal investment losses.

(Reporting by Sarah White; Editing by Mark Potter)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.Statutorily imposed marketing rigidities in agricultural commodities and other farm produce erect another impediment in the growth of rural sectors

A spate of loan waivers have been announced in the recent past and plethora of it has been promised in the near term by players in the political arena. But the question necessitating introspection is whether it will be able to address the widespread farm distress.

Going by the experience, these palliatives have hardly dented the problem. On the flip side, besides being a moral hazard, these measures cause immense damage to the formal credit dispensation system and the recovery climate.

The political expediency obligates the power aspirants to make unsustainable but populist promises which ultimately hit the economy adversely. The waivers militate against the credit discipline and vitiate the recovery climate which in turn aggravates the bad loan portfolio.

The borrowers, who in normal course have no intention of defaulting, despite in possession of resources to repay, delay or avoid repayment in the hope of receiving a waiver. The loanees who timely discharge their liabilities towards the lenders, feel cheated. The disbursements get reduced substantially in the loan cycle ensuing the debt waiver.

It is nobodys case to grudge such benefits to the actual sufferers of natural calamities like drought and flood etc. But a substantial chunk of beneficiaries of across the board waivers is relatively well-off borrowers who have better access to formal credit. Small, marginal and tenant farmers/ sharecroppers besides farm labour who are beyond the outreach of institutional lenders, are often not able to draw succour from such reliefs.

But the conundrum of farm distress is real and needs to be addressed with urgency. The debt relief at best is a quick fix and is not a sustainable solution. The answers are simplistic and are not very far to seek. The basic ingredient is the political will to allocate resources and counter the self-serving interests /lobbies working to pursue their vested interests at the cost of rural farm and non-farm sectors.

The first step in this direction would be to appreciate the nuances of the rural economy of which agriculture comprises an overwhelming component. This segment suffers from low productivity compared with advanced economies. While the wheat yield is comparable to advanced countries, for paddy it is nearly half of USA/ China/Japan.

Around 2/3 rd of Indian agriculture is rainfed and hence must contend with vagaries of monsoon. Out of 160 million hectares (mha) of actual crop area, only 58 mha is irrigated of which 67 percent is by groundwater through borewells and 33 percent by canals. Besides, the agri-technology is not state of the art. Investment, public as well as private, in agri-infrastructure viz. irrigation, land upgradation, research and development, supply chain and food processing need to be ramped up substantially.

The other major contributor to rural distress is the unremunerative price of agri-produce. Swaminathan committee classified the agricultural costs into three categories namely A2, A2+FL and C2. While A2 is constituted of actual expenses in cash and kind on inputs like seeds, irrigation, pesticides, fertilizers, wages to hired labour and others, A2+FL comprises A2 plus the notional cost of unpaid family labour.

The most comprehensive cost estimate C2, includes interest on loans, rentals for owned and rented land, fixed capital costs in addition to A2+FL. In the current system, CACP arrives at MSP by adding 50 pecent to A2 which does not fully reimburse a remunerative return to the farmer. The demand is for fixing MSP at C2 plus 50 percent which is apparently justified and will go a long way in addressing rural distress.

Statutorily imposed market(ing) rigidities in agricultural commodities and other farm produce erect another impediment in the growth of rural sectors by denying free access between the farmer and ultimate consumer. This has been affected by the implementation of archaic Agricultural produce market committee (APMC) Act.

Direct buying from the farmer by the traders, processors or exporters is prohibited. To the complete exclusion of private intermediates, only state governments can establish agri-markets which are overwhelmingly controlled by licenced commission agents with strong political backing. Resultingly, both the producer and consumer are disadvantaged. The producer does not get the optimum price and the consumer shells out a higher cost.

The influential intermediary chain of middlemen is the biggest gainer of the system. The farmer doesnt get a remunerative return causing heart burn and distress. Consequently, additional private capital formation is impeded.

The biggest reform required in this regard is to dilute the monopoly of APMCs for marketing of agricultural produce. Not that efforts have not been made in this regard. Model APMC Act 2003 has been proposed for implementation by the states. But well-entrenched trader/ commission agent/ arhtiya lobbies enjoying political patronage have frustrated every step taken in this direction.

Essential Commodities Act 1955 also needs a relook as restrictions under its aegis imposed on the holding of agri-commodities are detrimental to the rural farming community. Of course, balancing of consumers interests will need to be done carefully. Likewise, import and export controls require to be regulated with extreme caution e.g. current controls on onion exports is not justified when there is a glut in domestic market leading to the suppression of prices to an abysmally low level and ruling overseas prices are way higher.

Reduction of rural distress makes it imperative to reduce or completely do away with restrictions on selling by the farmer to anybody or keep it till he gets a price as per his holding capacity.

A system of multiple competing APMCs may be thought of with agri-producer free to sell it to any of them. Bulk consumers of such commodities like flour mills may be allowed to buy directly from the farmer through formal tie-up contracts.

Agriculture is incentivised almost across the entire developed world by the governments through direct and indirect subsidies. These support measures though benefit the consumer but adversely impact the developing country farmers to compete in the world market and exert downward pressure on the prices in the domestic markets. This fact builds a strong case for higher subsidisation of Indian agriculture to make it competitive vis a vis cheaper import.

In India, the subsidisation so far has been by and large indirect except through periodical loan waivers. As stated earlier, this type of relief benefits only the relatively well-off farmers who have access to institutional credit. The small and marginal cultivators depending upon the private money lenders remain outside the purview of such relief. In such a situation, it is imperative to extend debt relief through a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism rather than loan waiver. DBT will have universal coverage and consequently less rural suffering. Rythu Bandhu Scheme of Telangana is a good example though the coverage is not as wide as it should be.

Crop failure is another major stress generator for rural masses. The scope of agricultural insurance schemes needs to be expanded to ameliorate the rural stress.

Loan waivers, though popular, have a limited advantage for the rural economy but have deleterious effects on the institutional lending system and the credit discipline. It is not the panacea for the rural distress as it is thought to be. Debt relief addresses only a small part of the problem. The elephant in the room has many more dimensions and demands which need to be fulfilled.

(The author is a former executive with SBI)However, Sebi removed the restrictions placed on the promoters and directors of IGFL regarding sale of securities of IGFL after finding 'no prima facie evidence of misuse of funds'.

New Delhi: Markets regulator Sebi Thursday refused to grant a stay on the forensic audit of Inter Globe Finance, which is suspected to be a shell company.

In an interim order passed in March this year, Sebi had directed the stock exchanges to appoint a forensic auditor to verify any misrepresentation of financials and business of Inter Globe Finance Ltd (IGFL) and its subsidiaries as well as any misuse of the books of accounts.

Besides, the company's promoters and directors were permitted only to buy the securities of IGFL. However, the shares held by them were not allowed to be transferred for sale, as per the interim order.

Following the interim order, the company was given opportunity to submit its explanations and it filed replies in that regard.

In respect of several transactions, IGFL has provided insufficient explanation/justification, which is not backed by independently verifiable documentary evidence, Sebi said in its fresh order dated 27 December.

With regard to the wrong categorisations in the financials of IGFL that have been highlighted in the interim order, IGFL has admitted that the same were errors. It has offered no explanation as to why such errors (as claimed) had crept in its financials. It also failed to give any reason as to why the said errors did not come to its notice till the time Sebi highlighted the same, it added.

Accordingly, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has confirmed "the directions issued against IGFL to the extent that forensic audit directed vide interim order dated 1 March 2018 shall continue".

However, Sebi removed the restrictions placed on the promoters and directors of IGFL regarding sale of securities of IGFL after finding "no prima facie evidence of misuse of funds".

IGFL is among the firms against whom Sebi initiated action on August 7, 2017 by ordering trading restrictions after it received a list of 331 suspected shell companies from the government. Pursuant to this, IGFL had moved the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) that stayed trading restrictions imposed on the company. However, the regulator and stock exchanges were asked to continue their probe and initiate appropriate proceedings.During the week, the Sensex gained 334.65 points, while the Nifty advanced 105.9 points.

Mumbai: Benchmark Sensex rose for the third straight session Friday to reclaim the 36,000-mark on across-the-board buying by foreign funds amid a rebound in the rupee.

After surging 400 points intra-day, the 30-share index pared some gains to end at 36,076.72, up 269.44 points or 0.75 percent.

The broader NSE Nifty spurted 80.10 points, or 0.74 percent, to 10,859.90.

During the week, the Sensex gained 334.65 points, while the Nifty advanced 105.9 points.

The biggest gainers in the Sensex pack in Friday's session were Sun Pharma, Bajaj Finance, Vedanta, Yes Bank, ICICI Bank, HDFC, Tata Motors, HCL Tech, IndusInd Bank and Axis Bank, rising up to 2.98 percent.

On the other hand, TCS, Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp, Bharti Airtel, PowerGrid and Infosys shed up to 0.70 percent.

The gains were led by banking stocks, which rallied on reports that the government was likely to infuse Rs 28,615 crore into seven public sector banks (PSBs) through recapitalisation bonds by the end of this month.

Yes Bank, ICICI Bank, Bank of Baroda, SBI and Kotak Bank gained up to 2 percent.

The rupee, meanwhile, strengthened against the US dollar and was trading 37 paise higher at 69.98.

Brent crude futures rose 1.95 percent to $53.76 per barrel.

On a net basis, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth Rs 1,731.91 crore Thursday, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net sellers to the tune of Rs 663.00 crore, provisional data available with BSE showed.

Elsewhere in Asia, Korea's Kospi ended 0.62 percent higher, Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.09 per cent and Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.44 percent, while Japan's Nikkei slipped 0.31 percent.

In Europe, Paris CAC rose 1.47 percent, while Frankfurt's DAX fell 1.56 percent. London's FTSE gained 1.67 percent.By Luc Cohen SAN JOSE DE BARLOVENTO, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuela cocoa trader Freddy Galindo has battled highway robberies, kidnappings of family members and declining quality in his 19 years exporting the nation's legendary beans.

By Luc Cohen

SAN JOSE DE BARLOVENTO, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuela cocoa trader Freddy Galindo has battled highway robberies, kidnappings of family members and declining quality in his 19 years exporting the nation's legendary beans.

This year's harvest brought a new worry: meddling by the socialist government.

He said trucks filled with beans leaving his warehouse in central Venezuela were stopped by soldiers at checkpoints and held for days; drivers were forced to unload some cargos at government warehouses. Galindo claims that some 87 tonnes of his cocoa, worth about $130,000, were missing when the trucks were finally released.

Other traders here in Miranda state, Venezuela's No. 2 producing region, have reported similar delays and confiscations in recent months.

Government officials say the checkpoints are meant to nab cocoa thieves, and that some beans have been seized by the state to settle owners' delinquent tax bills.

But the confrontations have unnerved growers and traders who fear their industry is being targeted for a government takeover.

Officials are "putting pressure on private businesses to deliver them goods at no cost," said Galindo, owner of Comercializadora Freyra in the hamlet of San Jose de Barlovento, as workers around him packed dry, reddish brown cocoa beans into burlap sacks. He said he was given no explanation for the seizure of his cocoa.

Nationalization has crippled Venezuela's oil and manufacturing sectors as well as agricultural industries including coffee and sugar.

The private sector still controls most of the cocoa trade. But with crude output collapsing amid an economic crisis, the government has increased its emphasis on alternative export industries such as cocoa and gold.

Miranda state this year established a government-run company where farmers can sell their beans for export. It has exported 500 tonnes of cocoa so far, according to Miranda Governor Hector Rodriguez, around 5 percent of the country's annual exports.

While state officials have not forced local cocoa growers to use its organization, many here fear the government's entry into their industry is a preview of things to come.

"It will be like sugar cane. They expropriated everything, and nowadays there is no sugar," said Freddy Padron, 50, who farms cocoa on an 11-hectare (27-acre) plot near San Jose. "All of this is at risk now."

'VERY SCARED'

Venezuela has been producing cocoa since the Spanish colonial era. It is a tiny player, exporting between 8,000 to 10,000 tonnes per year, a fraction of big producers such as Ivory Coast and Ghana. Still, Venezuela's beans are prized by chocolate makers from Japan to Switzerland as some of the best in the world. Local artisans are confronting Venezuela's economic crisis by making gourmet chocolate bars that can sell for $10 each abroad.

Despite that stellar reputation, some chocolate makers have cut back their purchases of Venezuelan cocoa in recent years.

Delays in export permits have stalled shipments, forcing buyers to go elsewhere. Quality has suffered too. Venezuela's strict currency controls have prevented many farmers from getting imported chemicals they need to fight disease. Wary of thieves, many growers have abandoned the flavor-enhancing practice of laying harvested beans out to dry and ferment.

"That processing is as much an art as making the final product. It is a very sad situation," said Gary Guittard, president and chief executive of Guittard Chocolate Company in Burlingame, California. He said he has reduced purchases of Venezuelan cocoa because of the dearth of top-grade beans.

The quality slide is reflected in prices. A decade ago, Venezuelan cocoa fetched 36 percent more than beans from top-producer Ivory Coast, U.S. trade data show. That premium was just 6 percent in the first eight months of 2018. Unwanted Venezuelan cocoa is piling up at warehouses, said a European trader who requested anonymity.

Miranda state's Rodriguez, an ally of President Nicolas Maduro, says he has devised a plan to revive the sector. Among his initiatives: establishment of the state-run Miranda Cocoa Corporation to generate export revenue.

In an interview with Reuters at his office in the capital Caracas, Rodriguez said the plan aimed to improve security for growers and help them boost quality. He said revenue from cocoa sales is financing technical training for producers as well as patrol cars to help police deter thieves.

He acknowledged the detention of cocoa in transit was cumbersome for traders, but said it was necessary to prevent gangs from trafficking in stolen cocoa. The state only took beans from traders who had tax debt, he said, adding that initial misunderstandings have been worked out.

Rodriguez said much of the fear among traders and growers stems from a change in the governor's mansion. His predecessor was prominent two-time opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles.

"They were used to a different government that did not get involved," Rodriguez said. "And then along comes a Chavista governor, and they all said, 'They're going to expropriate us, they're going to get rid of us.' They were very scared."

With the heavy harvest months of February and March fast approaching, industry players say the government has not clarified its approach. Trader Galindo is playing it safe.

"Right now we are waiting," he said. "We do not want to buy because we do not know what is coming next."

(Reporting by Luc Cohen in San Jose de Barlovento; Additional reporting by Mayela Armas in Caracas; Editing by Brian Ellsworth and Marla Dickerson)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.by

One day in December, Katherine Luber, director of the San Antonio Museum of Art, two curators and a museum trustee wandered around a rock yard in China that looked more like a moonscape than a landscape. They were looking for a giftmade by the nearby city of Wuxi, a sister city to San Antonio.

Months before, a delegation from Wuxi had visited the museum and Luber, prompted by her Asian art curators, hadessentiallywished for a large-scale scholars rock from Lake Taihu, which is near Wuxi. The delegation headthe citys vice mayorobliged and gave them one. Seven months later, they roamed the rock yard and found their rock12 feet tall, 8 feet wide and 6 tons in weight.

You can read more about the backstory here in The Art Newspaper, in an short article I wrote that was published today. It gives more background about the history of collecting scholars rocks, suggests where you can find large ones elsewhere in the U.S. (hint: not many places), and tells of upcoming projects with three Chinese museums that Luber & Co. forged while visiting China. Also, please click on that link to see a picture of San Antonios rock (just remember to come back to read the rest of this post).

Luber with Wuxi vice-mayor Liu Xia

On a related note, Luber reports that every museum her team visited in China was really full. There were lines to get in and more lines to get into the special exhibitions. The Chinese, it seems, are really taking to museumseven though they are proliferating there. You may recall reports of the countrys museum-building spree a few years back, as recounted here in a New York Times article that followed many others.

One doesnt often hear of such fruitful art connections from the sister cities programs. In fact, of San Antonios half dozen sister cities, only Wuxi asked to visit the San Antonio museum last May on its visit. But as exemplified by its vice-mayor, Wuxi officials, Luber said, are very interested in elevating the cultural profile of their city.According to the Pune Police, provocative speeches at the conclave, said to have been funded by Maoists, triggered violence at Bhima Koregaon.

Pune: Ahead of the 201st anniversary of the battle of Bhima Koregaon, the Pune rural police have prohibited several persons including Hindu right-wing leader Milind Ekbote, members of the cultural organisation Kabir Kala Manch and others from visiting the war memorial and the surrounding area.

The memorial of the 1818 victory of the East India Company's forces which included Dalit Mahar soldiers over the Brahmin Peshwa's army is visited by Dalits every year on 1 January.

However, the place, 40 kilometres from Pune city, witnessed violence during the bicentennial commemoration of the battle on New Year's day in 2018.

"So far we have issued notices under Section 144 (2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure to several people and barred them from visiting Bhima Koregaon area," said Superintendent of Police Sandip Patil.

Notices were issued to all those against whom cases of serious nature were registered with regard to the violence of 1 January, he said.

Right-wing leaders Sambhaji Bhide and Ekbote are accused of instigating the violence as they were opposed to the celebration of the British victory in the 1818 battle. On the other hand, some members of the left-leaning cultural group KKM are accused of involvement in the Elgar Parishad conclave. According to the police, provocative speeches at the conclave, funded by Maoists, triggered violence at Bhima Koregaon the next day.

Meanwhile, the Pune city police are issuing notices to those who can create law and order trouble ahead of 1 January, said joint commissioner of police Shivaji Bodakhe.

Asked whether permission has been granted to Bhim Army chief and Dalit leader Chandrashekhar Azad's rally in the city on 30 December, Bodakhe said the decision will be taken Saturday.Tragically, for decades India has allowed itself to be represented in Kashmir by the barrel of a gun

Editor's Note: As another turbulent year comes to an end in Jammu and Kashmir, Firstpost will run a series of reports on how the state changed in 2018 and how these changes will translate on the ground. This series will focus on new-age militancy and the changing political landscape in the Valley, as well as the ever-increasing gap between the three regions of Jammu and Kashmir.

Arif Ali walks through a small market in his native Redwani village of south Kashmir with a toy pistol is tucked into his socks. He looks over his shoulder, and sees an army vehicle parked at the edge of a road. This is not a comforting sign, so he looks down till he reaches the edge where a small lane takes him to his school. The school is a small, two-storey building. His friends are waiting outside. All of them laugh. With the army vehicle out of sight, Arif breathes a sigh of relief. So our mujahid is alive today, Zameer, his friend, a Class 6 student said, raising his fist. I made it, like I always do, without getting checked, Arif responded.

A popular game among schoolchildren in south Kashmir is bringing a wooden gun or toy pistol without getting caught by teachers or security forces. Which is what Arif was doing one morning even as the sounds of schoolchildren rented the air in Kulgam's Qaimoh area.

As Jammu and Kashmir went through record levels of violence this year, its impact on children of the Valley is perhaps its least discussed phenomenon. It is the children that have bore the brunt of the violence and their daily lives are also shaped by it. The children born at the end of the century, many years after the conflict seemed to be ebbing, are also the most politically radicalised. The conflict with its lexicon  has taken over their lives.

One recent morning, I followed Arif from his home to see how everyday conflict shapes the lives of Kashmir's children. Every conversation for next six hours involved mujahid, military, mukbeer (informer), guns, graveyard, hide (hideout), janaza (funeral) and such words. Our heroes are Burhan, Majid, Sadaam, Arif said. Walking back from his school, he counts the militants killed this year and last year. They fought for us and stood up for us. They are living with us. They are not dead.

In the past few years, as the conflict raged in Kashmir, particularly in southern part of the Valley, I visited four districts of southern Kashmir almost every week. My first sources of information and guides have always been children. I speak to them because their version of events is unadulterated. They tell you exactly what happened, the names of those killed, how, why and when, and who was killed where. Just few kilometres away, in the village of Kapran, Insha Nissar Dobi plays with her younger brother Taban Nissar. She was orphaned when militants kidnapped her father, a police constable, and then killed him in September. Insha has become the anchor of her family, fulfilling his role and taking up his duties.

I cant bring my father back, but I can help fill the void he left behind, Insha, a Class 12 student said. That means looking after her brother, mother, and her aged grandparents. It has also brought, on her tender shoulders, the responsibility of going to the market to buy everyday items and maintaining the orchards which help pay the bills. Everyone is fighting to survive, Insha said, sitting on the verandah of her home in Kapran village. My father became a casualty of a war that unfortunately swallowed many lives. Regardless of who dies, it is the people of Kashmir who continue to suffer.

Kashmiri children who have been brought up under the shadow of gun are perishing under it. Their lives, even in their games, are heavily militarised. In thick apple orchards, they play a game called mujahid vs army where playing the part of the soldier is a curse. Look at any encounter site, post gun battle: children are the first to enter the razed homes. They collect empty cartridges, and keep them in their pockets to tell the stories later. Many wear rings made of bullets on their left fingers: part fashion, part mini-rebellion.

In these parts of Kashmir, India is the paramilitary soldier with a rifle slung over his shoulder, the army soldier who arrives in dead of night hunting for militants. Or the policeman  a Kashmiri  who represents India. Tragically, for decades India has allowed itself to be represented in Kashmir by the barrel of gun: of which children are recurring victims. These children are the ones who have borne the brunt of the ongoing crises. But never before have so many children been thus affected. Many hate India and everything that India represents. Their mobile phones are filled with picture militants: dead and alive. Those who died find a place in their memories. Those that survive are role models (for want of any better choices). No young, mainstream Kashmiri politician or Hurriyat leader can even come close to the popularity of militants.

Till 23 December, at least 247 militants were killed across India: most of them from Kashmir. About 25 commanders of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Ansarul Ghazwatul Hind (AGH) of Zakir Musa were killed in encounters with security forces. And of the 87 security men killed this year, 45 were Kashmiri policemen. Children can be seen at every militant funeral: from performing last rites to helping dig graves. At a graveyard in Karimabad, after seven civilians were killed by forces in the adjoining Sirnoo village of Pulwama, Sadiq Rasheed sat silently near the grave of his neighbour. A shy, lean boy, Sadiq looked at  for hours  the poster of dead militants hanging from a tree.

We knew them all, Sadiq said. Our lives are filled with graveyards. They died one after another, but we will remember their sacrifices forever. We will not forget that they gave their lives for a better tomorrow.

Take this quiz to test your knowledge ove events in 2018:Violence had marred the bicentenary celebration of the battle of Bhima-Koregaon and its repercussions had haunted Maharashtra for the next few months.

Pune: Ahead of the first anniversary of the Bhima-Koregaon caste clashes on 1 January, Pune Police are on alert to ensure that there is no recurrence of the violence witnessed on the first day of 2018.

The year began on an inauspicious note for Maharashtra with violence marring bicentenary celebration of the battle of Bhima-Koregaon and its repercussions haunting the state for the next few months.

Tension prevailed ahead of the 200th anniversary of the battle as some right-wing organisations had opposed the celebration of a victory which ended the Maratha rule.

As Dalits thronged the Jay Stambh (victory pillar) at Bhima-Koregaon, 40 km from Pune, on 1 January, clashes broke out. Mobs torched vehicles and shops and ransacked houses.

The battle was fought between forces of the East India Company and the Peshwa, the erstwhile ruler of Pune, in 1818.

The winning forces of the East India Company included soldiers from the Mahar caste, then considered untouchable. As the battle ended the rule of Peshwa, a Brahmin, Dalit leaders look at it as a symbol of emancipation.

After Dr BR Ambedkar visited the monument on 1 January, 1927, it became a site of annual pilgrimage for Dalits.

While the annual event used to be low-key earlier, Dalit organisations decided to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the historic battle in a big way. But a few Hindu right-wing leaders opposed the celebration, contending the battle which ushered in British rule was nothing to be proud of.

The violence over the 200-year-old battle once again exposed caste fault lines in the 21st century Maharashtra.

Dalit organisations gave call for a shut-down across the state after the events of 1 January in which a person lost life. The "bandh" disrupted life in Mumbai and elsewhere.

A case was registered against right-wing Hindu leaders Sambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote with Pune rural police for allegedly instigating the violence.

The accusations against Bhide, in particular, assumed political overtones as the octogenarian is known to be respected by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many BJP leaders.

In the aftermath of the violence, Prakash Ambedkar, Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh president and grandson of Dr BR Ambedkar, became the voice of Dalit community which sought action against Bhide and Ekbote.

The chain of events leading to the violence had begun on 29 December with the destruction of the tombstone of a Dalit man at Vadhu Budruk, 30 kilometres from Pune.

In February, the BJP-led state government appointed a judicial commission headed by a retired high court justice Jai Narayan Patel to conduct inquiry into the violence.

The commission is conducting hearings at present. While Ekbote was arrested and later released on bail, Bhide was never arrested.

A staunch right-wing Hindu activist and ardent admirer of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Bhide came into national limelight when at an election rally in Sangli in October 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had come to seek the blessings of Bhide Guruji, his "inspiration".

While on one hand Dalit leaders blamed upper caste elements for fomenting violence, the matter took another turn when a case was registered with Pune police alleging that the Elgar Parishad conclave organised by left-wing activists on 31 December, 2017 led to the violence at Bhima-Koregaon.

The complaint by city-based builder against six persons including Sudhir Dhawale of the Kabir Kala Manch, one of the organisers of Elgar Parishad, said provocative speeches at the conclave promoted communal enmity.

Dalit MLA Jignesh Mevani, JNU leader Umar Khalid, Rohit Vemula's mother Radhika Vemula and former HC judge BG Kolse-Patil were among those who participated in the conclave.

The case led the Pune police to arrest ten left-wing activists in countrywide raids, in June and August.

Those arrested included lawyer Surendra Gadling, Nagpur university teacher Shoma Sen, Dhawale, human rights activist Sudha Bharadwaj and Telugu poet Varavara Rao. The police claimed that Maoists had funded Elgar Parishad in order to mobilise Dalits against the government.

The police also said that the correspondence between Maoist leaders and some of the accused revealed that Maoists were planning "Rajiv Gandhi-type incident to assassinate prime minister Modi.

As another anniversary of the battle of Bhima-Koregaon nears, Pune police are on on their toes to ensure that there is no trouble this time.

Heavy security is being deployed in and around Jay Stambh, Superintendent of Police, Pune Rural, Sandip Patil told PTI.

But the real question is whether the state will be able to bury the ghost of caste politics which the events of Bhima Koregaon unleased.The arrest of Prashant Nat in connection with the killing of Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh in Bulandshahr takes the total number of arrested people to 29.

Bulandshahr Police arrested a Chingrawathi village resident claiming that it was he who killed Inspector Subodh Kumar on 3 Deecember during a mob violence over alleged slaughtering of a cow. However, another accused and a local Bajrang Dal leader Yogesh Raj, earlier said to be the prime accused, remains at large.

The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government had come under severe criticism after it decided to pursue the cow slaughter case first instead of Singh's murder.

The arrest of Prashant Nat, 26, in connection with the violence in Siyana area of Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district  wherein Singh and another local youth named Sumit were killed  takes the total number of accused held in this case to 29.

"During interrogation, he confessed to his involvement in the violence and also admitted that he had shot the bullet which killed the inspector," said Atul Kumar Srivastava, additional superintendent of police (ASP), Bulandhshahr city.

"We are interrogating him further to elicit other details and expect other information to emerge during the probe. Based on that information, we will move ahead with the probe in the case," the ASP said. The police said they examined a series of videos shot on mobile phones on the day to arrive at the conclusion that it was Nat who shot the policeman. His confession was also corraborated by other key witness and the circumstantial evidence available thus far.

A police official said Nat, a resident of Chingrawathi village of Siyana, was held from Sikandrabad, near the highway that leads to Noida, around 2.30 pm. He works as a part-time driver in Delhi and nearby areas and, at other times, he works locally as a labourer, the official told PTI.

The police also revealed that Sumit was killed by Singh who was firing at the mob in self defense following which Prashant snatched the former's service revolver and fired at him, The Indian Express reported.

"Prashant and other protesters, identified as Rahul, David and Johnny, cornered Subodh in the fields and attacked him with stones. He fired in self-defence. The bullet hit Sumit By this time, Subodh was grievously injured and had little energy left to defend himself. Prashant took Subodhs service revolver and shot him in the head," Bulandshahr SSP Prabhakar Chaudhary told the newspaper.

Raj, meanwhile, is still an accused in the case of inciting a mob for violence, disrupting public order and vandalism.

Five people were arrested on 18 December for their alleged roles in the mob violence and the cow-slaughtering cases.

Three of them  Nadeem, Raees and Kaala  were arrested for their alleged involvement in the cow-slaughtering case, while two accused were nabbed by the state special task force (STF) for the subsequent violence after cow carcasses were found in a field. The inspector and a youth had died during the violence.

The trio was not named in the initial FIR, which had seven accused, including two minors, but their names emerged in the case during probe.

An FIR against 27 named people and 50-60 unidentified people was registered at the Siyana police station for the violence at the Chingrawathi police post after cattle carcasses were found strewn outside nearby Mahaw village.

One of the main suspects among the 27 named in the FIR, local Bajrang Dal leader Yogesh Raj, is still at large, while an army jawan, Jitendra Malik, has been arrested and remanded in custody.The Aryans, it is now clear, migrated to India once upon a time. Just like everyone else. And there is nothing special or frightening about this fact.

You can stand in the middle of a crowded market in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai or Kochi and say that the common ancestor of the languages Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam was brought to India by migrants from West Asia some 8,000 years ago, and no one is likely to care or protest. You could stand in the middle of Jharkhand and say that Austroasiatic languages such as Mundari, Santali and Ho came to India from Southeast Asia around 4,000 years ago, and no one is likely to raise a finger against you. You could go to Manipur and tell them that their language, Meitei, belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family and was brought to India from East Asia and they arent likely to be too bothered. You can stand anywhere in India and say that the earliest Indians were Out of Africa migrants who reached South Asia some 65,000 years ago and no one would really mind.

But if you were to say that an early version of Sanskrit was brought to India from central Asia by pastoralists who called themselves Aryans, expect the skies to open and pour condemnation down on you. Thundering articles will be written and published three at a time on right-wing websites; trolls will hound you; and there will be calls for you to be expatriated, excoriated or even exterminated.

Why is this so? Why is there a special sensitivity to the issue of Aryan migration alone? What accounts for the touchiness to the question of the arrival of Indo-European-language speakers in India?

The answer is simple: it is because the fact that an early version of Sanskrit came from outside goes against the right-wing claim that Indian culture is identical or synonymous with the Vedic culture of the Aryans, who, according to them, had been in India since time immemorial. Therefore, to ask when Indo-European languages reached India would be seen to be the same as asking, when did we import our culture? It would also call to question their abhorrence of all external cultural influences.

But this is ridiculous on two counts. First of all, Indian culture is not synonymous with, or identical to, Aryan or Sanskrit or Vedic culture. Aryan culture was an important stream that contributed to creating the unique Indian civilisation as we know it today, but by no means was it the only one. There were other streams that have contributed equally to making Indian civilisation what it is. Second, to say that Indo-European languages reached India at a particular historical juncture is not the same as suggesting that the Vedas or Sanskrit or the Aryan culture was imported flat-packed and then reassembled here. Aryan culture was most likely the result of interaction, adoption and adaptation among those who brought Indo-European languages to India and those who were already well-settled inhabitants of the region.

But what exactly is the evidence for Aryan migrations into India?

As I write in my book, Early Indians: The Story of Our Ancestors and Where We Came From, until recently, the strongest argument for Aryan migrations was linguistic (though there are other arguments as well, such as the strong presence of horse in the earliest Vedic literature and the lack of horse remains or even horse images in the Harappan sites, which predate the Vedic age).

About three-quarters of Indians today speak an Indo-European language such as Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi or Marathi. So does about 40 percent of the world, with Spanish, English, French, Portuguese, Iranian, Russian and German being some of the other widely-spoken Indo-European languages. The Indian subcontinent forms the easternmost limit of the Indo-European language family range, there being no large populations speaking any Indo-European languages to our east.

The natural question then arises: how did this language family become the dominant language in India? There are only two possible answers: either it came to India from the outside sometime in the past, or it went from India to the rest of the world that is to the west of it. The problem is that though linguistics can detect affinities between languages, it cannot determine the direction in which languages spread.

But in the last few years, and especially in the last one year, scientists started analysing ancient DNA taken from the skeletons of humans who lived thousands of years ago. This changed the picture because by analysing ancient DNA taken from the same location at different periods, or from the same period at different locations, geneticists were able to find out what changed when and in what direction people moved.

A study released as recently as in March 2018 on the pre-print server bioRXiv and titled The Genomic Formation of South and Central Asia examined 69 ancient DNA samples from the periphery of the Harappan Civilisation and found that there was no trace of central Asian ancestry in the populations that lived there before 2100 BCE and that after 2100 BCE, there were indeed traces of central Asian ancestry.

While this study did not have ancient DNA from any Harappan site proper, it did have access to the ancient DNA of migrants from the Harappan Civilisation to its peripheral cities, dated to between 3100 and 2200 BCE, and these also had no central Asian ancestry. Further, this study had access to 41 ancient DNA samples from about a thousand years later, dating from after 1200 BCE, from the Swat Valley in todays Pakistan, which is also a Harappan Civilisation periphery. These samples showed a significant presence of central Asian ancestry.

The conclusion, therefore, was inescapable: in the period between 2100 BCE and 1200 BCE, South Asia saw a significant infusion of central Asian steppe ancestry that is still present in the Indian population. Early news reports about the DNA analysis of an ancient skeleton from the Harappan site of Rakhigarhi in Haryana dated to around 2600 BCE, also suggest that it supports the findings of the March 2018 study: of there being no sign of central Asian steppe ancestry in South Asia before 2100 BCE.

These ancient DNA findings, by themselves, lead to the inevitable conclusion that Aryans migrated into South Asia, but what is equally interesting is that ancient DNA evidence from Europe has also shown, in the last few years, that central Asian steppe pastoralists moved there in large numbers about a thousand years before they reached South Asia, thus causing the spread of Indo-European languages in that continent. The parallels between the two migrations in opposite directions from central Asia, spreading the same family of languages to Europe and to South Asia one thousand years apart, is striking.

So, the Aryans, it is now clear, migrated to India once upon a time. Just like everyone else. And there is nothing special or frightening about this fact. Almost all regions of the world have seen multiple mass migrations that have changed their demography more than once  including Europe, the Americas, Central Asia, West Asia and East Asia. If anything, the most noticeable thing about India is that despite multiple mass migrations within the last 10,000 years, the lineage of the First Indians who arrived here 65,000 years ago still remains strong: it accounts for 50 to 65 percent of the genetic heritage of most population groups. First Indian ancestry is the genetic glue that holds us together  just as the practices and traditions that were shaped in the crucible of the Harappan Civilisation are perhaps the cultural glue that holds us together. But that is another story.

Tony Joseph is the author of the book Early Indians: The Story of Our Ancestors and Where We Came From, published by Juggernaut this month.A fire broke out inside the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Ahmedabad on Friday. Five fire tenders at the spot, no details of casualties have been reported so far.

A fire broke out inside the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Ahmedabad on Friday. Five fire tenders were rushed to the spot. No details of casualties have been reported so far.

In May this year, a major fire had broken out at the Space Application Centre (SAC) of ISRO. Nobody was injured in the blaze, which was doused within a couple of hours. As many as 27 fire tenders were sent to the spot.

The fire had broken out inside a building which is used as an antenna testing laboratory (for satellites). The blaze spread quickly due to the presence of U-Foam material on the lab's walls.

The SAC is a major research centre of the ISRO in the city, where payloads for satellites are prepared. The centre was established by Vikram Sarabhai, known as the father of the Indian space programme.

More details will be added as they emerge.

With inputs from agenciesVirat Kohli needs to ensure his bowlers stay fit and fresh for the forthcoming Sydney Test and beyond.

Virat Kohli correct in not enforcing follow-on; he can't afford to win the battle and lose the war

Virat Kohli needs to ensure his bowlers stay fit and fresh for the forthcoming Sydney Test and beyond. Consequently, Kohli cannot run the risk of squeezing every ounce of energy from his bowlers in this test. He needs to handle them with care and nurture them for other battles too.

Triple talaq bill: Opposition's obstructionism erodes credibility of crippled parliamentary system

Though the gaps and lacunae were addressed, the triple talaq bill continued to remain stuck in the Rajya Sabha presumably because the Opposition remained opposed to the idea of criminalising a civil offence. In resisting the bills passage through the Upper House, the Opposition took an obstructionist approach instead of a solution-based one. The reason is obvious. The obstruction served a political purpose.

As wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly, it's time to ask who gave lives of Meghalaya miners such low priority

Whenever there is a glimmer of hope that Indian life is not cheap, something happens to extinguish that faint hopefulness. The current failure, to show the world that we care, colours the rescue operations that are supposedly in progress to discover the fate of 15 miners trapped in an illegal mine in Meghalayas East Jaintia Hills.

J&K youths who grew up in the shadow of the gun are alienated and radicalised

Kashmiri children who have been brought up under the shadow of gun are perishing under it. Their lives, even in their games, are heavily militarised. In thick apple orchards, they play a game called mujahid vs army where playing the part of the soldier is a curse.

Simmba movie review: Ranveer Singh can't save this cliched women's rights saga

Simmba is loud, steeped in cliches and has nothing going for it apart from the leading man's comic flair and willingness to lose himself in a role, however silly it may be. Those qualities make the first half somewhat enjoyable, despite its dated feel on many fronts. All is lost though by the second half when the screenplay shelves comedy in favour of grim speeches by a newly-minted messiah of India's beleaguered women.As the state and central government push to address issues of population growth and family planning by incentivising the sterilisation of women, there fails to be an equal provision of safe medical services.

At the Community Health Centre in Kabrai Mahoba, two men hauled an unconscious woman into a small ward room, holding her by her hands and legs. She seemed to be all but dead weight. Made to lie down on the floor next to eight women, all in a similar state as her, the only way to tell that they were indeed alive, was the fact that an ASHA worker conscientiously covered them with thick blankets, making sure that their faces were uncovered.

These women had just undergone sterilisation procedures at the local government camp. Welcome to post-surgery care in Bundelkhand.

In 2016, the Government of India identified 145 districts in 7 Indian states with high fertility rates to target for better family planning public initiatives. Called 'Mission Parivar Vikas', the scheme aims to reduce the total fertility rates (TFR) to 2.1 by 2025, primarily through information dissemination, along with easy access to free contraception like pills and condoms, and incentivisation of sterilisation. It is no surprise that Indias most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, marks a significant presence of this list, with 57 districts on it. In fact, 11 of them have a TRF of 4.0 which means that every woman can or will have four children in her lifetime according to existing fertility norms.

When the BJP came into power, the Yogi Adityanath-led government debuted the nayi pahal kits with condoms, emergency contraceptive pills and informational booklets about the importance of family planning, but in a culture steeped in patriarchy, virility and manhood are inextricably linked. Time and time again, its been found that men refuse to use the condoms, let alone opt for vasectomies. According to the National Family Health Survey IV, only 7.9% of all married women in rural UP have sex where their partners use condoms. Condoms instead are repurposed into toys for children, and family planning becomes the woman's responsibility.

In a state struggling with unemployment, agrarian distress and poverty, the incentives offered  Rs 2000 for a tubectomy and Rs 3000 for post-delivery sterilisation can seem like plenty  especially when the government promises access to safe and exceptional medical services. Every CHC and PHC in the area is currently running a sterilisation camp. The doctors have been assigned the duty in every health centre, and if a doctor isnt available, then he is sent from another hospital, said Suman Sinha, the Chief Medical Officer of Mahoba. Patients get free medicine. The ASHA or ANM come with every patient to ensure her safety and well-being, and to take care of her needs while shes in the hospital, she listed the services being provided to all patients of the sterilisation camps, They are dropped back home for free by the ambulance. They are also informed that if they have any trouble that they can come back whenever they need. They will anyway be called for a follow-up session in a months time.

Shes sleeping on the floor, said Meera, a relative of one of the sterilisation patients at the CHC, and there are eight other women in the room with her. Similarly, Sumitra was overseeing the loading of her unconscious relative, post-surgery, onto an auto floor. The ambulance isnt available; the driver is telling us hell only take us in six hours. So what should we do? she told a Khabar Lahariya reporter. Meera too brought her relative to the hospital in a tempo. I paid Rs 30 because the ambulance wasnt available, she said and added, Shes been discharged now, so I hope the ambulance is there.

Shivpati was a patient in the same CHC. I had my tubectomy done 15 days ago, she said, but there is a random fluid discharge in my body, and I am in pain  especially when I walk, I have spasm-like pains. Mission Parivar Vikas encourages minilap tubectomies because of their logistical simplicity  they dont need specialists or surgeons. And yet another chasm between bureaucratic promises and ground realities. Our reporter noted cases of infected stitches and other surgical complications among the patients present at the same centre. Other cases of tubectomy failures and even deaths have been reported. And yet NFHS IV found that a staggering 18.1% of all married rural women in UP were sterilised, accounting for nearly half of all family planning methods employed by the same demographic  a statistic particularly horrific when compared to the 0.1% of men who had undergone male sterilisation, a reminder that men would rather have their wives undergo sterilisation with all of potential risks than use condoms.

When Shivpati was asked about her post-surgery care facilities, she said, I was made to sleep on the floor. Sinha would be quick to correct her, as she did our reporter on the matter: There is no way they must be sleeping directly on the floor. There must be something laid down first.

She went onto explain in a patronising manner, See sometimes there are too many patients, so it is only in those circumstances that they would do something like that. I will check it out, and then reiterated, But there are wards with beds there.

As the state and central government push to address issues of population growth and family planning by incentivising the sterilisation of women, there fails to be an equal provision of safe medical services. When Sunita Prajapati, a senior reporter at Khabar Lahariya, informed the CMO about what she witnessed at the Kabrai CHC, Sinha just smiled blandly in response, I will tell them to improve the arrangements.

Khabar Lahariya is a women-only network of rural reporters from Bundelkhand.In his media statement, Modi said he has assured the Bhutanese prime minister that India, as a 'trusted friend', will continue to play an important role in Bhutan's overall development.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday announced a Rs 4,500-crore financial assistance to Bhutan to help the country implement its 12th five-year plan, after he held wide-ranging talks with his Bhutanese counterpart Lotay Tshering. In his media statement, Modi said he has assured the Bhutanese prime minister that India, as a "trusted friend", will continue to play an important role in Bhutan's overall development.

The prime minister also thanked the Bhutanese leader for deciding to introduce in Bhutan the Indian RuPay card which is a debit and credit card payment network. On his part, Tshering said the main mission of his visit here was to take Indo-Bhutan ties to greater heights, adding Modi has given him assurance of helping Bhutanese traders hit by the implementation of GST in India.

"We are very very happy that Prime Minister Modi ji has personally committed to be with us, to support us...Government of India has extended full support for our XII Five Year Plan and also to our traders who are being affected by the GST that has come into action in India," the Bhutan prime minister said.

In the talks, the two sides focused on further ramping up the already close bilateral relationship, particularly in the areas of hydro power and trade. The two sides are understood to have also deliberated on security cooperation. Bhutan is a strategically important neighbour for India and both the countries have robust military cooperation which was reflected during Doka La face-off.

"India will contribute Rs 4,500 crore in Bhutan's 12th five-year plan," Modi said. The new five-year plan of Bhutan began this year and will continue till 2022. Identifying hydro power cooperation with Bhutan as a crucial aspect in the bilateral ties, Modi said work on the Mangdechhu project will soon be completed. Mangdechhu is a 720-MW hydroelectric project (HEP) on the Mangdechhu River in central Bhutan, which is being implemented by India.

"Today, we discussed this crucial sector and reviewed cooperation on all the major projects. Work on the Mangdechhu project will be completed soon. We have agreed on the tariff for this project. Work on other projects has been happening at a very satisfactory pace," he said. Tshering said hydropower has been the main source of revenue for Bhutan.

"We are very very happy that the Government of India is fully committed to support whatever negotiations that are going on for determining tariff for power from Mangdechhu project as well as to make Sankosh (hydropower) project happen as soon as possible," Tshering said. The Bhutanese prime minister arrived Thursday on his first foreign visit after taking charge as PM of the Himalayan nation last month following his party's victory in the general elections.

Modi said space is another area where the cooperation between the two neighbours is growing. Under the South Asian satellite launched by India for its neighbours, of which Bhutan is one of the beneficiary, the ground station is being prepared by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Modi said. This, he added, will assist in giving messages related to weather in far-flung areas of Bhutan, facilitate tele-medicines and help in disaster relief.

Tshering noted that Modi was the "first and the only head of the government" who personally called and congratulated him on his electoral victory. He also thanked India for its continued support to his country's developmental needs. Earlier in the day, Tshering was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also called on the Bhutanese premier this morning. Swaraj congratulated Tshering on the assumption of the high office of Bhutan's prime minister and the two leaders had a "warm exchange of views" on important aspects of the bilateral relationship, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Ravesh Kumar said.Electronic chipsets of Saankhya Labs are also being manufactured at Samsung facility in South Korea.

Bengaluru-based Saankhya Labs unveiled the first indigenously developed electronic chipset that can be used for functions like direct TV broadcast on mobile devices, curbing call drops and 5G connections.

"Saankhya Labs, a Bengaluru-based company is launching its indigenously designed and developed, the world's first and most advanced multi-standard next-generation TV system on the chip," Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha said after unveiling the chipset.

All electronic chipsets, considered as the heart of modern devices, have been developed by foreign companies so far. None of them is made in India because there is no modern semiconductor manufacturing plant in the country.

Electronic chipsets of Saankhya Labs are also being manufactured at Samsung facility in South Korea.

"I am also told that this broadband-broadcast convergence technology has great potential to minimise or eliminate call quality issues faced by telecom operators today," Sinha said.

Saankhya Labs co-founder and CEO Parag Naik said the chipset will help in separating video content from a mobile network and hence reduce the load on the spectrum for improving call quality.

Saankhya's Pruthvi-3 chipset will facilitate direct transmission of video on mobile phones and can also help convert an Android-based smartphone into a satellite phone.

The company expects to launch its chipset-based mobile phone accessories in the form of a dongle and mobile phones within a couple of years, Naik said.

"Semiconductor technology takes time in maturing and adoption. Original design manufacturers will incorporate our chipsets into various products. We will try for getting certain standards based on our technology incorporated in 5G services. Our chipsets are 30 percent more efficient in output compared to our nearest competitor and 50 percent cheaper too," he said.

The company already has clients in the US and China and bagged orders to supply 5 million chipsets for various kinds of devices.

"We are looking at 50 percent year-on-year growth in business. In this financial year, we are expecting sales of around $14-15 million (Rs 98-105 crore). We have advance orders for supplying 5 million chipsets to companies in the US that they will use in tablets (PCs), television gateways etc. This order will be completed by the first quarter of 2020," Naik said.

Saankhya Labs has started a pilot for rural broadband services in Scotland and Africa and received a request for the project in the Philippines, Brazil and the US.

"We are in talks with an Indian firm to start rural broadband trials in the country," Naik said.

He said that in the next two years TV gateways, rural broadband technology, satellite communications and defence will be the main contributor to the business.

2018 has been an eventful year and here's our comprehensive list of year ender stories.The NIA on Friday presented a point-by-point rebuttal to the political furore over the raids done by the investigative agency in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday.

The National Investigative Agency (NIA) on Friday gave a point-by-point rebuttal to the political furore over the raids done by the agency in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday.

According to CNN-News18, the NIA said that the 'sutli bombs' recovered during the raids were seemingly innocuous, but were actually potential hazards as they are often used by terrorists to spread panic and fire in public places. These, according to reports, were to be used with 25 kilogrammes of explosives besides a locally-made rocket launcher assembled using pipes.

The NIA also said that similar sutli bombs were recovered during NIA's raids on another IS-inspired module in Hyderabad in 2016. On the allegations of the print of the Islamic State (IS) poster being freshly-printed, which was pointed out by a few social media users, the NIA said that it is impossible to tell for anyone how dated the poster is just by looking at its image.

The NIA said that the claims of the recovered rocket launchers being parts of truck welding pipes were made by the families of two suspects arrested from Uttar Pradesh's Amroha who run a welding shop, while the rocket launcher presented by the NIA was actually recovered from Delhi's Jaffarabad area from the civil engineering student of Noida's Amity University.

NIA DG YC Modi said that, "We have firm evidence to nail the accused." According to an India Today report, of the 10 suspects arrested on Wednesday, four highly radicalised youths were willing to blow themselves up along with their targets. The four have been identified as Anas Yunus, Saqib Iftekar, Mohammed Irshad and Harkat-ul-Harb-e-Islam kingpin Mufti Mohammed Suhail.

According to the report, NIA believes that the group is not more than three months old but its efficiency in putting together an assault team and the procurement of weapons shows its ferociousness for a planned attack.

Meanwhile, criticising the recent arrest of 10 terror suspects by the NIA, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Friday said that "declaring suspects as terrorists is premature". "National security is supreme. But declaring suspects as terrorists on the basis of sutli bombs, associating with the dreaded IS is premature. It has already devastated their lives and families. NIA must learn from earlier episodes in which the accused were acquitted after decades," Mehbooba tweeted.

On 26 December, the NIA busted an IS-inspired module Harkat-ul-Harb-e-Islam and arrested 10 people following multi-city raids. The module was allegedly planning to carry out major terror attacks ahead of the Republic Day. The NIA sleuths carried out coordinated raids at 17 places including six in Delhi and 11 in Uttar Pradesh, and recovered a large quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives, including 12 pistols along with 150 rounds, a country- made rocket launcher, according to a top official of the agency.

Important personalities, including politicians, vital installations and crowded places were on the hit list of the terror module which was planning to strike very soon, the official had added. Earlier, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the NIA for busting the terror module calling it a "big success". Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju also lauded the investigating agency, terming the crackdown on the terrorist module a "huge success". "NIA has done a good job. They're a professional organisation. NIA has been doing a wonderful job since it was constituted. Catching hold of the plot before any untoward incident, is a huge success," said Rijiju.

Minister of Finance Arun Jaitley had also lauded the investigative agency for busting the module which he said was made possible by intercepting communications of the suspects, in a defence for the government's move to let the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) conduct surveillance by tapping phones.

With inputs from ANIHopes of evacuating 15 workers trapped in a flooded coal mine for over two weeks were raised on Friday with the impending arrival a diving team of the Navy along with specialised equipment, including high-pressure pumps.

Kheliehriat: Hopes of evacuating 15 workers trapped in a flooded coal mine for over two weeks were raised on Friday with the impending arrival a diving team of the Navy along with specialised equipment, including high-pressure pumps.

The Indian Air Force also provided two aircraft to the Meghalaya government for airlifting specialist personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) from Odisha for helping in the rescue operations. The Defence Ministry has said it is prepared to provide any help to the state government.

The 15 miners have been trapped in a 370-feet deep illegal mine in Lumthari village here since December 13, when water from the nearby River Lytein flooded the mine. A 15-member diving team of the Navy from Vishakhapatnam is expected to reach the site in Meghalaya on Saturday. The team will have specialised diving equipment including a re-compression chamber and remotely operated vehicles capable of searching underwater. "The situation is hopeful, the high-pressure pumps are arriving on site, I don't want to comment on when they will arrive, but I am hopeful," Assistant Commandant Santosh Kumar Singh from the 1st Battalion of NDRF told ANI on Friday. "The earlier pumps were not working well, so as soon as the pumps arrive, we are hopeful the water level will recede and we will further operate," he added.

He said a team of divers dived into the flooded coal mine to gauge the water level which has not changed since Thursday. He said his team have not found any sign of the trapped miners yet. Singh said he was not aware of any other teams or agencies will join the rescue operation, adding that a few senior officials from Coal India had come to the site earlier on Friday and assessed the situation. "The state had called them, they will send their report to the state soon," Singh said.The Indian Navy and Indian Air Force joined rescue operation on Friday as authorities face criticism over their lackadaisical attitude towards rescuing the trapped miners in Meghalaya

Khliehriat: Pump manufacturing company Kirloskar Brothers Ltd and Coal India on Friday are jointly moving 18 high-powered pumps to a remote coal mine in Khliehriat where 15 diggers have been trapped since its flooding a fortnight ago, officials said.

The Indian Air Force joined the rescue operation and airlifted 10 pumps from Bhubaneswar. Its personnel have landed in Guwahati, 270 kilometres away from the 370-foot-deep illegal coal mine, they said.

Two surveyors from Kirloskar Brothers Ltd arrived at the site Thursday night from Pune and 10 pumps of the company are on the way to Shillong, East Jaintia Hills district Superintendent of Police Sylvester Nongtynger told PTI.

General Manager of North Eastern Coalfields J Bora arrived with two officers of the company in the afternoon and they were followed by a 10-member team of experts of the Coal India (CIL) to the site to begin the assessment of the situation, he said.

The illegal rat-hole coal mine is located at Lumthari village near Khliehriat, the headquarters of East Jaintia Hills district. It got flooded when water from nearby Lytein river gushed into it on December 13, trapping the 15 diggers.

Bora said CIL has mobilised eight high-powered pumps from its establishments across the country and the pumps will be transported to the site by road.

The farthest place from where a pump has been mobilised is Bilaspur in Chhatisgarh and the truck carrying it will take three to four days to arrive, Bora said.

The CIL team, he said, will conduct all necessary exercises prior to the arrival of the pumps and it will take about eight hours to complete the fitting of each pump before it can be put into operation.

"We are waiting for the initial 10 high-powered pumps. They will be brought here in the evening today," the SP said.

The high-powered pumps will be transported in trailers from Guwahati till about two kilometres from the accident site. From there vehicles have been requisitioned to carry them to the mine, a senior district official said.

Meanwhile, a 20-member team of the Odisha Fire Services Friday left for Shillong with equipment, including high-powered pumps, high-tech equipment and gadgets to assist the local administration in the search and rescue operation, a report from Bhubaneswar said.

Pumping of water from the mine was suspended on Saturday last as there was no visible receding of the water level in it. The district authorities had written to the state government seeking high-powered pumps as the two 25 hp pumps, which were being used, were found to be inadequate, an official of the NDRF, which is involved in the rescue operation, said.

Kirloskar Brothers had volunteered to provide equipment to drain out the water from the mine to facilitate the resumption of the halted search and rescue operation in the rat-hole coal pit.

On Friday, a group of Indian Navy divers were being taken by air from Vishakhapatnam to join operations to rescue the miners, official sources said. They said the Navy divers will join ongoing rescue operations on Saturday morning.

Three naval personnel have already reached the site of the rescue operation and a group of divers will join them in the next 12 hours, the sources said.

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in the national capital Thursday over the coal mine issue.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi had on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the incident.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) had on Thursday contradicted media reports which quoted it as saying the trapped minors were suspected dead on the basis of the foul odour the force's divers had smelt when they had gone inside the mine.

It said in a statement that the foul smell could be due to the stagnant water in the mine as pumping had been halted for more than 48 hours.

Two NDRF teams are engaged in the search and rescue operation.

Rat-hole mining involves digging of narrow tunnels, usually 3-4 feet high, for workers to enter and extract coal. The horizontal tunnels are often termed "rat-holes" as each just about fits one person.The NHRC on Thursday sent notices to the Centre and the Tamil Nadu in connection with a 24-year-old pregnant woman contracting HIV allegedly after being transfused contaminated blood supplied by a blood bank which failed to conduct proper screening for the virus.

New Delhi: The NHRC on Thursday sent notices to the Centre and the Tamil Nadu in connection with a 24-year-old pregnant woman contracting HIV allegedly after being transfused contaminated blood supplied by a blood bank which failed to conduct proper screening for the virus.

The National Human Rights Commission has issued notices to the Tamil Nadu's Chief Secretary seeking a detailed report, including action taken against the guilty and relief and counselling provided to the victim, within four weeks.

The woman, who was eight months pregnant with her second child, had gone for a check-up at a private clinic in Sattur in Virudhunagar district of the state, where doctors advised her to have a blood transfusion citing haemoglobin deficiency, Joint Director of Health Services, R Manoharan had said Thursday.

The Commission observed that this reported painful incident has raised a serious issue, regarding safe handling of blood samples, detection of diseases like HIV and transfusion of blood as per set standards by taking all precautions.

"A nationwide move is required to be taken to examine the procedures so that right to life of innocent people is not violated.

"Accordingly, the Secretary, Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has been asked to call for a status report on the issue, from all the states/Union Territories and submit a report to the Commission within six weeks along with their comments thereon," the NHRC said.Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Banderpora area of Awantipora in the south Kashmir district Friday morning following specific information about the presence of militants there, a police official said.

A militant was killed in an encounter with security forces in Awantipora area of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Banderpora area of Awantipora in the south Kashmir's Pulwama district on Friday morning following specific information about the presence of militants there, a police official told PTI.

He said the search operation turned into an encounter after the militants fired upon the search party, who retaliated. The gunfight is still underway, the official said, adding further details were awaited.

The encounter comes almost a week after six terrorists, including a close aide of Zakir Musa, were gunned down during an encounter in Awantipora. Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the area following specific intelligence input about the presence of terrorists in the area. As the forces conducted searches, terrorists fired upon them, which triggered the encounter.

On 15 December, seven civilians were killed in Pulwama, following protests and clashes during an encounter. The forces managed to kill three Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists, including one Zahoor Thokar, an ex-Indian Army personnel who joined militancy last year, but inflicted heavy civilian casualty in the process. One army jawan also lost his life in the encounter.

The civilians' deaths had cause statewide outrage, with separatist conglomerate Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) calling for protests towards the Srinagar headquarters of the army. It also asked people to observe shutdown for three days.

With inputs from agenciesSpecial CBI Judge SJ Sharma made the remarks in a 350-pages judgement on 21 December, while acquitting all the 22 accused in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh case.

Mumbai: The CBI probed the alleged fake encounter killings of gangster Sohrabuddin Sheikh, his wife Kausar Bi and his aide Tulsi Prajapati with a "pre-conceived and premeditated" theory to implicate political leaders, a special CBI court has said.

Special CBI Judge SJ Sharma made the remarks in a 350-pages judgement on 21 December, while acquitting all the 22 accused in the case.

The court acquitted the accused due to insufficient evidence and expressed sorrow over the loss of "three lives."

While the judgment copy was unavailable on Friday, the media was given access to portions of the judgment.

In his order, Judge Sharma said his predecessor (Judge MB Gosavi) while passing an order of discharge in the application of accused number 16 (BJP president Amit Shah) recorded that the investigation was "politically motivated".

"Having given my dispassionate consideration to the entire material placed before me and having examined each of the witnesses and the evidence closely, I have no hesitation in recording that a premier investigating agency like CBI had before it a premeditated theory and a script intended to implicate political leaders," the judgement said.

The order said the CBI, during its probe into the case, was doing something other than arriving at the truth of the offences in question.

"It clearly appears that the CBI was more concerned in establishing a particular pre-conceived and premeditated theory rather than finding out the truth," the judgment said.

It said the CBI did what was required to reach that "goal" instead of conducting a probe in accordance with law.

"The entire investigation was thus targeted to act upon a script to achieve the said goal and in the process of its zeal to implicate political leaders, CBI created evidence and placed witness statements in the charge-sheet," the judgement said.

Such statements could not withstand the judicial scrutiny of the court and the witnesses deposed fearlessly before this court clearly indicating that their statements were wrongly recorded by CBI to justify its script to implicate political leaders, the court said.

The court noted that there was negligence on part of the CBI towards material evidence which clearly indicated that the agency "hurriedly" completed the investigation.

"...the CBI thus implicated police personnel who had no knowledge of any conspiracy... rather they appeared innocent," the court said.

The judge said he is not oblivious to the agony and frustration caused to the families of the deceased persons and to the society in general when a crime of such a serious nature goes unpunished.

"...but then the law does not permit the court to punish the accused on the basis of a moral conviction or on suspicion alone. The burden of truth in a criminal trial never shifts. The burden is always on the prosecution to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt," the court said.

The court noted that there is 'regret' that three persons were killed, which was going unpunished. It added that it has no option but to conclude that the accused are not guilty.

The order said there was no evidence to prove CBI's theory that the three deceased were abducted by a police team. "The CBI has also failed to establish presence of the accused police personnel at the spot of the alleged incident," the order said, adding that no witness was examined to show that the policemen were issued service weapons.

Of the 22 accused, 21 were junior police officers from Gujarat and Rajasthan, who the CBI said were part of teams which abducted and killed the three in staged encounters. The court said there was nothing to show if service weapons of the accused policemen were used in the killings.

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 night of 22-23 November, 2005. The couple were taken in one vehicle and Prajapati in another.

CBI said Sheikh was killed on 26 November, 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.

The CBI had charged 38 persons, including Shah, who was then Gujarat home minister, Gulabchand Kataria, the then Rajasthan home minister, and senior IPS officers like DG Vanzara and PC Pande. The prosecution examined 210 witnesses, of which 92 turned hostile.

Before the 21 December verdict, 16 people, including Shah, Kataria, Vanzara and Pande were discharged by the CBI court due to lack of evidence.

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.

The 21 December verdict was Judge Sharma's last judgment of his career as he is set to retire on 31 December.The Sena, in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana', pointed out that onion farmers in Aurangabad's Vaijapur Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) were getting as little as 20 paise per kilogram for their produce. 'These onions could become bombs and explode,' the Sena editorial warned.

Mumbai: Expressing distress over the falling prices of onions in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena on Friday asked why farmers cannot be given their due if the state government can implement the 7th Pay Commission.

The Sena, in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana', pointed out that onion farmers in Aurangabad's Vaijapur Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) were getting as little as 20 paise per kilogram for their produce. "These onions could become bombs and explode," the Sena editorial warned.

It said the true picture of the condition of farmers cultivating onions, cotton and tomatoes was yet to come before the government, adding that the government would not have "thrown assurances" at them if it knew their plight.

The Sena said all that the farmers were demanding was money to cover the cost of production. "But the government distances itself from the demands

citing lack of funds and other technical problems. The government borrows Rs 500 crore from Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust in Shirdi for its pending projects. It also can spare two to five hundred crore for the bullet train project," it said.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party said it was happy that the government had formally agreed to implement the 7th Pay Commission from 1 January and claimed it was the right of government employees. "Similarly, onion farmers should also get their dues. Are they not citizens of Maharashtra? Are they not humans?" it

asked.

The Sena said a large amount of onions lying in APMCs are perishing because of lack of takers and said they would finally have to be discarded. The Maharashtra government Thursday approved the implementation of 7th Pay Commission recommendations from 1 January, a move that will benefit more than 20 lakh employees and pensioners.

The cabinet approval to the pay hike of government employees, which will cost the state exchequer Rs 38,655 crore, comes just months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The state will face Assembly polls in the second half of 2019. The Sena is a constituent of the BJP-led governments in Maharashtra and at the Centre.Fifteen days have passed since the miners were trapped in a mine in Meghalaya and everyone is still horsing around. At this late stage, there is no data to indicate the condition of the miners let alone have a blueprint of how to reach them.

Whenever there is a glimmer of hope that Indian life is not cheap, something happens to extinguish that faint hopefulness. The current failure, to show the world that we care, colours the rescue operations that are supposedly in progress to discover the fate of 15 miners trapped in an illegal mine in Meghalayas East Jaintia Hills.

While the authorities cavil over the steps to take and bureaucratic confusion trumps any concerted rescue mission, the question of getting them out becomes moot because no one even knows whether or not they are alive.

The point is how much do we care? One cannot help but recall July 2018 when the whole world got involved in the rescue of 13 children trapped in a cave in Thailands Tham Luang district. The effort was global and divers from half a dozen nations came together to launch the most dramatic rescue ever in almost impossible condition with the kids trapped two kilometres under a mountain.

In political terms, Thailand prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was requested not to come to the rescue site so as not to divert attention from the effort. However, in this case, the fifteen 'pawns' whose condition is unknown have also become sacrifices on the Congress-BJP chessboard and the slanging match is on. Rahul Gandhi has already spoken his mind on the prime minister's slow response, not that Rahul has done much himself by way of contributing to the rescue.

This is the disturbing part. It is not for the prime minister to make a showing but it is his duty to be seen to care by upgrading the rescue mission and demanding time-bound answers. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) should truly have been visible in this mission and the people would have been a witness to a sense of urgency which seems to be missing entirely.

You have to worry when the Meghalaya government takes two weeks to write a letter to Coal India seeking the public sector organisations help in the rescue mission.

Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma recently said that he wrote to Coal India a week ago.

In this age of technology and instant communications, what is this protocol of requesting, asking and pleading? This is a national crisis and 15 lives are at stake. Every second count. And here are the major players dashing off letters to each other and red taping the whole issue. The statement from Meghalaya additional chief secretary Peter W Ingty is more an indictment of indifference than it is of a desire to save the miners. "Formal letter asking for assistance from Coal India Ltd was sent on 26 December."

You have to be joking. You are treating the need to rescue those miners as just another bureaucratic file being passed from hand to hand. No one is having the courage to step forward and hold the buck and save these fifteen miners.

Not to be left behind, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has an epiphany in which he suggests that the water pumps used in the Kerala floods be dispatched to Meghalaya. Kerala is his state. Why doesnt he do something more concrete than just offer ideas seeing as how he is an elected representative from that state.

Fifteen days have passed and everyone is still horsing around. At this late stage, there is no data to indicate the condition of the miners let alone have a blueprint of how to reach them.

And the world hasnt come. And why should it care when we ourselves don't care about our own? What a grand shame.

It boggles the mind that the Indian Air Force has been co-opted at this late stage to send a team from the National Disaster Management Authority to the site. They are still getting this act together. The question that must be answered: who gave these lives such a low priority?The government expressed hope on Friday that the triple talaq bill, which criminalises the practice of instant divorce by Muslim men, will find support in the Rajya Sabha, whose approval is necessary for the bill to become law.

New Delhi: The government expressed hope on Friday that the triple talaq bill, which criminalises the practice of instant divorce by Muslim men, will find support in the Rajya Sabha, whose approval is necessary for the bill to become law. The contentious triple talaq bill was passed by the Lok Sabha for the second time in less than a year after a heated debate on Thursday.

"I appreciate the maturity of the Rajya Sabha and also the sensitivity of the issue. We believe that we will get support in the Rajya Sabha," Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters during a Cabinet briefing. The bill should not be about "political opposition" as it talks about justice for woman victims of triple talaq, he said.

The passage of the bill in the Upper House is likely to be a difficult task for the government as it lacks a majority there unlike in the Lok Sabha. Opposition parties, including the Congress, and some regional parties such as the AIADMK, which has often supported the government in Parliament, have already expressed their reservations against the bill.

Prasad rejected arguments made by opposition parties against The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill. Everybody said that triple talaq is wrong but they (opposition) also added that don't make it a criminal offence, he said, terming this a "strange logic". Prasad noted when women file for divorce against their husbands, they at times also slap a case of cruelty which, he added, is a criminal case. "It was also said that this does not happen in other religions. But the fact is that the practice of triple talaq is not in any other religion," he said.

The Lok Sabha Thursday passed the bill with 245 voting in its favour and 11 opposing the legislation. Most opposition parties staged a walkout.As the third week of the Winter Session of the Parliament came to an end, the Upper House did not transact much business. As had been the case during the entire session thus far, Rajya Sabha was once again disrupted by protests over the Cauvery issue, and was adjourned.

As the third week of the Winter Session of the Parliament came to an end, the Upper House did not transact much business. As had been the case during the entire session thus far, Rajya Sabha was once again disrupted by protests over the Cauvery issue, and was adjourned for the day within moments of convening for the day. The House will reconvene 11 am on 31 December.

Protests also disrupted Lok Sabha proceedings, and it was adjourned until noon. However, once resumed, business went on as usual. The imposition of President's Rule in Jammu and Kashmir, along with crop prices and the Women's Reservation Bill, was brought up in the Lower House.

Rajya Sabha

The Rajya Sabha was Friday adjourned for the day without transacting any business after uproar by Opposition members over the construction of a dam on the Cauvery River and other issues.

AIADMK and DMK trooped MPs trooped into the well of the House, raising slogans over the construction of the Mekadatu Dam on the Cauvery River.

Samajwadi Party members too were up on their feet, trying to raise the issue of mob violence in Bulandshahr that left two persons dead, including an inspector rank police officer. Some members from Andhra Pradesh too were in the well of the House demanding special status for the state.

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said he does not see any reason for the protests after the chair has agreed for a discussion on all issues and the government too has no objection to it.

"I don't want these ugly scenes to be seen by people," he said, adding, "Time has come to think of some action" after his repeated pleas for order in the House went unheeded. "We have to take some action," he said before adjourning the proceedings for the day.

The only business that the House could transact was laying of official papers on the table of the House. Earlier when the House met, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa (SAD) demanded that the House pay homage to the four martyred sons of Guru Gobind Singh.

Naidu rose from his seat and stated that the whole House associates with the sentiments expressed.

He said the four sons of the tenth Sikh Guru displayed exemplary courage.

The House also extended birthday wishes to Finance Minister and Leader of the House Arun Jaitley and former defence minister AK Antony. While V Maitreyan (AIAMDK) reminded the House of Jaitley's birthday, Derek O'Brien (TMC) said it was also Antony's birthday today. Members thumped their desks to wish the two leaders.

O'Brien took to Twitter to accuse the government of disrupting proceedings in the Rajya Sabha to keep the House from discussing key issues.

"Day 11 Parliament Script written by government to disrupt Rajya Sabha so key issues cant be discussed. Their ally will jump into Well around 11.10 am," he wrote.

Shortly after the tweet was posted, MPs swarmed the Well and began sloganeering. Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu adjourned the House until 31 December.

O'Brien tweeted a response to the development, and called it "so predictable."

Lok Sabha

Proceedings of the Lok Sabha were also disrupted on Friday due to unrelenting protests sloganeering by Opposition MPs on various issues, including a probe into the Rafale aircraft deal.

As soon as the House met at 11 am, MPs belonging to the Congress, AIADMK, TDP and Left parties came to the Well and shouted slogans over various issues.

While the Congress has been demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale aircraft deal, the AIADMK raised slogans on the Cauvery issue. TDP members sought special status for Andhra Pradesh while Left MPs raised the demand for bringing a Bill to ensure reservation for women in legislature.

As more than 30 members from various parties continued to shout slogans and displayed placards while standing in the Well, Mahajan adjourned the House till noon. Two questions were taken up during the Question Hour, which went on for about 20 minutes.

Proceedings resumed amid the Opposition's slogans of "we want justice". The Women's Reservation Bill and rising crop prices were among the issues discussed. SAD MP Prem Singh Chandumajra raised the issue of rising prices of potatoes and Basmati rice, and urged the government to listen to the pleas of farmers in Punjab.

With inputs from agenciesIn the final days of the Bangladeshi War of Liberation, Pakistani forces, with the help of 'Razakars', pulled Bengali intellectuals and professionals from their homes on 14 December, 1971 and killed them mercilessly in order to paralyse the soon-to-be-independent nation intellectually. In Mirpur and Rayer Bazaar  where their mutilated bodies were found, monuments have been built to remember their sacrifices for the country. The 14th day of December is marked as Martyred Intellectuals Day in Bangladesh. Every year, hundreds of people from all walks of life gather at Rayer Bazaar to pay homage. And this year was no exception. Children marched alongside each other. In their hands they carried Bangladeshi flags and pamphlets containing pictures of Pakistani lieutenant-general AAK Niazi with Indian lieutenant-general Jagjit Singh Aurora signing the instrument of surrender. To a rousing background score, presenters regaled the audience with stories of valour from the war. (All photographs by Akib Khan) The descendants of intellectuals held a banner that read, "We don't want to see any anti-liberation forces in power". Right next to them, in green and red color camouflage attire was a group of people conducting a political agitation. A little further down, were some posters depicting hangings along with the message, "These are the 1971 attackers. Hate them". On these posters were the leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami, once the country's largest Islamic party. The highest-ranked among these Opposition leaders were hanged after Sheikh Hasina came to power a decade ago, because of their support to Pakistan during the 1971 war. "Awami League is Bangladesh and Bangladesh is Awami League," said a supporter of the party. This occasion was very similar to any political party event in the country; Hasina's pictures adorned every nook and cranny. And the whole event created the image that the Awami League was the sole liberator of the country in 1971. Hasina's name was on everyone's lips, with most attendees proclaiming that she should continue to rule the country.

She has been encashing the nationalistic emotions of the public just a few days before the upcoming General Election, scheduled for 30 December. But even so, there are critical voices: Sultana, a 19-year-old first-time voter calls for a fresh start in the country, with new faces in Parliament, because the old ones are corrupt and dirty. "We want fresh minds and people," said Sultana. But that does not happen in Bangladesh. In between some military-ruled governments, the country has been run since Independence by only two political parties: Either by the Centre-Left leaning Awami League or the Centre-Right Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Third parties never made it. Junaid Abdur Rahim Saki, who is contesting Sunday's election from the Dhaka 12 constituency as a candidate of the Biplobi Workers Party, explains why.

"Both of the parties are the beneficiaries of the structurally autocratic system, and they never tried to change it. So basically, a third force can't emerge in this structure," says Saki. In his 40s, he is the chief coordinator of the Gono Songhoti Andolon (People's Solidarity Movement). It is a member of the Left Democratic Alliance (LDA), a platform of eight leftist parties in the country. "There are third parties," he says, "But they are polarised and in order to come to power, they have to align with either the Awami League or BNP." In the present system, according to Saki, the sentiment of dissatisfaction gives votes to the Opposition party. After a tenure as president of the Bangladesh Chhatra Federation, a left-wing organisation, Saki formed his own political party, the Gono Songhoti Andolon, in 2002 with an aim to establish a 'functional democracy' in Bangladesh. "(People think) we need to get out of this (present system), so we have to chose someone who can defeat them, and so, it's only the main Opposition that can defeat them, so the anger and anti-incumbency sentiment of the people generally plays into the hands of the main Opposition," he adds. Saki notes that voters view it as a waste of a vote to cast their ballot for anyone else. "'Why choose a party that does not win anyway?' they ask," he says.

Any vote for Saki's party would be similarly viewed as a waste because he does not plan to enter a coalition with either of the two big parties. After all, they were the only ones who benefit from the present system. "No, we are not aligning," he confirms. The credibility of leftist leaders is tested on various grounds in a country like Bangladesh for example, on their alleged inability to speak to the capitalist demands that Bangladesh needs, to religious feelings that are substantial for the majority of Bangladeshis. "The government's main slogan is development, so they are propagating less democracy. For them development first, democracy second. But we are saying that without democracy and accountability, we won't have proper inclusive development," Saki says. According to him, business and the private sector are essential components for economic prosperity, but that must be inclusive and environmental concerns should also be taken seriously. "We need three things. If we want inclusive development, we'll have to prioritise projects. If we want development for all, then we have to check the expenditure. And we'll have to look into ecological concerns and sensitivities." In his door-to-door campaign in Dhaka 12, he is asking people to vote for a free and fearless Bangladesh. "People are afraid. If you say something or write something, you will be charged and arrested. It was unthinkable in Bangladesh. Thats why we are saying we want to build a Bangladesh free of fear, and for that we have to establish a functional democracy." *** The polarisation of politics in Bangladesh plays into the hands of the two big political parties. It guarantees them either power or the role of the strongest Opposition party in Parliament. There is no room for others. The voter is obliged to vote for 'the lesser of two evils'. And the irony is that the two parties hardly different from each other, according to Imtiaz Ahmed, professor of International Relations at the University of Dhaka.

"There is not much difference between the two major political parties. They are from the same class. The top leaderships too, despite obvious differences in ideology, are similar," he says, "On the most important issues, like the economy, the two parties represent virtually the same thing. There were some differences before on foreign policy, but they now have a consensus." This year, however, a component is missing in the political equation: Khaleda Zia. The leader of Bangladesh's Opposition party, BNP, is in prison on corruption charges  charges that she staunchly denies. And that has created a vacuum.

Filling that vacuum, according to Ahmed, is Dr Kamal Hossain. "Hossains role in bringing all the political parties to the election is unique," he says. Hossain is a respected international lawyer who drafted the country's Constitution. His Gano Forum (People's Forum), a key component of the Jatiya Oikya Front (National Unity Front)  an alliance of several parties including BNP  is challenging Hasina in the upcoming election. And bringing change and democracy to the country is on Hossain's agenda: "It's a coalition for change and people see this as an alternative to the government. I support change and democratic, peaceful change. Change means a shift from the one-person State of Hasina," says Hossain, likening the present scenario to a 'monarchy'.

When asked how the Oikya Front will be different from the present government, Hossain says, "We are sick of hearing about development. We want democracy and development both. You won't have real democracy without development." Hossain had been jailed alongside with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Father of the Nation. Later, he became the first law minister under the Rahman-led newborn Bangladesh government. Ironically, the 82-year-old politician now seeks to end Rahman's daughter's decade-long rule. But he knows that change in Bangladesh has never happened without one of the two strong parties. Although Hossain heads the Opposition front, he himself is not in the running for any office.

With Khaleda behind bars, is Hossain using the leaderless party of the Opposition and his international image to come back to power from the backdoor? "In this type of coalition, they have numbers, but we have more experience and political people from my party and other components of the alliance," he explains, adding that he hopes the alliance garners enough votes so that the BNP cannot decide on everything on its own. "A return to the same old party in power would be a shame," he says. "It's a challenge, but it will be a shame if at the end of the day, you just get another BNP government like it used to be," he says.

In 2014, the Hasina-led Awami League had returned to power for a second consecutive term. But the BNP has boycotted that election. In her last 10 years of rule, she has been blamed for using the police and judiciary to eliminate or suppress the Opposition and freedom of speech in the country. Local and international rights groups also warned of an extreme violation of human rights in Bangladesh. Human Rights Watch, a US-based human rights organisation, in a report on 22 December strongly appealed to Bangladeshi authorities to ensure the protection of candidates and conduct a safe and credible election. At the end of the day, Hossain and the left-wing Saki both have the same goal: To bring democracy back to the country and change the decades-old power structure of the two major parties in the country. The difference is this: Hossain is attempting to do so from within the system. Saki seeks to do it from the outside. The author tweets @kaqibbThe AAP national executive on Friday decided to contest parliamentary polls in states where the BJP is strong and monitor the emerging situation in the country before taking a call on joining the grand alliance.

New Delhi: The AAP national executive on Friday decided to contest parliamentary polls in states where the BJP is strong and monitor the emerging situation in the country before taking a call on joining the grand alliance. Talking to reporters after the meeting, senior party leader Gopal Rai said the AAP has decided to fight "autocracy" of the Modi government.

"The Aam Aadmi Party will fight against this autocracy by challenging the BJP in states where it is strong," he said. Rai, when asked about AAP's participation in 'mahagathbandhan', said, "We will monitor the situation in the country and take a decision accordingly." Mahagathbandhan is a grand alliance of opposition parties against the BJP for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The meeting also discussed the condition of farmers in the country.

"The BJP has cheated the farmers and the Congress which won in three states recently on the promise of loan waiver is also doing it partially," said Rai. A meeting of the National Council of the party will be held on Saturday.While the NCP had won 18, the BJP bagged 14 seats in the Ahmednagar municipal elections. All three parties had put up their candidates for the mayor's position

In a surprise move, Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has joined hands with the newly-elected BJP corporators in Ahmednagar to keep the Shiv Sena out of power. The party had emerged as the single-largest party bagging 24 out of 68 seats in the recently-held municipal elections in the district.

While the NCP had won 18, the BJP bagged 14 seats. All three parties had put up their candidates for the mayor's position. It is to be noted that Congress and NCP have decided to come together to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls against BJP.

BJP's Babasaheb Wakale who had received 37 votes, will now take over the Mayor's post, reports India Today. Meanwhile, NCP leader Nawab Malik was quoted saying to ANI that the 18 party corporators who supported the BJP will have to face action.

NCP leader Nawab Malik to ANI: 18 NCP corporators defied party orders and supported BJP candidate for Ahmednagar Mayor post. NCP to take action against them and one MLA. Will issue show cause notices and if they fail to explain, they will be expelled from the party (file pic) pic.twitter.com/Kr1j8GVPzX  ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2018

The recent development is expected to put further strain on the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance in Maharashtra. Uddhav Thackeray had on 24 December attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi by saying "chowkidar chor hai", a jibe often used by Congress president Rahul Gandhi.As Congress government in Madhya Pradesh bans The Accidental Prime Minister, Anupam Kher says Rahul Gandhi should reprimand his leaders for their 'goondagardi'.

Mumbai: Veteran actor Anupam Kher, who is essaying the role of Manmohan Singh in The Accidental Prime Minister, said that it is common knowledge that the former Prime Minister was controlled by a family.

As reported by Firstpost Hindi, Kher said, "Let Congress say whatever they want to... Rahul Gandhi recently tweeted on freedom of expression, so maybe he should reprimand his leaders. Such 'goondagardi' will not be tolerated," adding that the film is a "game changer" in political biopics as it does not shy away from taking real names.

The film is based on the book of the same name, written by Sanjay Baru, who served as Singh's media advisor 2004 to 2008. Akshaye Khanna features as Baru.

The trailer shows Singh as the victim of the inside politics of the Congress party ahead of 2014 general elections, which the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) lost.

Asked if the ruling BJP government, which lost three state elections recently to Congress, would use the film as a tool in the run-up for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Kher said, "If I would have been in politics I would have definitely told them to do so. But I am an actor, they will decide."

We did not start the film thinking that this kind of political scenario will be there. It is a political film based on a book, whatever the book has said we have tried to make that," he added.

Kher said the film is open to interpretations and it would be wrong to say that it supports or criticises a particular political party.

"There will be different kind of interpretations and one can have their own interpretation. People release patriotic films during Independence Day or Republic Day. This is a political film and we would like to release it in the election time. What is the problem in that?" he said at the trailer launch of the film.

The actor, who has been a vocal supporter of BJP, said he does not need to harbour political ambitions to voice his concerns about the country.

"I don't need to have political ambitions to talk about my country as people think either he is bhakt (devotee) of a party or bika hua hai (he is a sell-out). I have the right to talk about the country. If that goes in favour of some party, that is a different issue. Unfortunately, when you speak about politics in our country people think you have political ambition."

Kher said he was initially reluctant to play the role. "My first thought was I should not be part of the film. I was thinking this will be political film and it is not easy to portray Manmohan Singh as he is there in the current political circle. I initially didn't want to do the film," he said.

The actor revealed his wife, actor-BJP MP Kirron Kher suggested him to "be" Singh and not "act out".

"That 'be' is important and it is not easy to portray him. It is easy for a character to become caricaturish. I was constantly walking on a razor's edge. Our director Vijay is a good criticiser, he is difficult to please."

Describing Singh as a shy person, Kher said, he was "not a trained politician".

"He was an economist brought in as a finance secretary and then finance minister and then he became the prime minister, that is how he was the Accidental Prime Minister. I like his sense of humour as recently he said he was not only an accidental Prime Minister but accidental Finance Minister as well."

Kher said Singh, who was often criticised as a "silent prime minister" during his tenure, is more vocal now.

When asked whether he is worried about the controversial story of the film, Kher said, "Let's not anticipate things. Those were controversial times, let's not run away from them. Whatever be the fate of the film, this film is a game changer in the political space of Indian filmmaking.

"We have been able to take the names for the first time. We have gone into the PMO for the first time, there is no fakeness. You have real people, real offices and real etiquettes. The art and costume department have done a great job," he added.

Directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, The Accidental Prime Minister is slated to be released on 11 January.

(With inputs from Press Trust of India)The ban of The Accidental Prime Minister in Madhya Pradesh is the most recent case of film ban politics that also targeted Padmaavat and Kedarnath earlier this year.

The Madhya Pradesh government issued a clarification on Friday that the film The Accidental Prime Minister is not banned in the state.

It had been reported that the Congress-ruled state had banned the Manmohan Singh biopic. However, according to the Madhya Pradesh government, no such ban exists on the film.

The news of Ban on the movie 'The Accidental Prime Minister' by Madhya Pradesh Government is wrong and misleading. pic.twitter.com/FvYYXjhjRz  Jansampark MP (@JansamparkMP) December 28, 2018

The reports were based on a Congress leader aggressively declaring that the film would not be allowed in Madhya Pradesh, which recently witnessed a regime change after 15 years with the Congress taking over from the BJP. Kamal Nath took over as chief minister of the new Congress government last week.

"I have written a letter to the director, we strongly object to the name and what was shown in the trailer. We want to see the film before it is released or else, we won't allow its screening in the state," Syed Zafar of the Madhya Pradesh Congress, had said, according to NDTV.

"Manmohan Singh is an intellectual leader. Using words like "accidental" prime minister is very wrong and we will not allow such a film," he warned.

Congress leader Randeep Surjewala has also denied the ban, terming it propaganda by BJP, the ruling party at the Centre.

This is incorrect. M.P Govt has taken no such decision. Fake propaganda by BJP wont desist us from questioning the Modi Govt on- Rural Distress, Unemployment, Demo Disaster, Flawed GST, Failed Modinomics, All pervading Corruption! Nation wants Governance, not diversion! https://t.co/ArKOALpS09  Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) December 28, 2018

Such fake propaganda by BJP wont desist @INCIndia from questioning the Modi Govt on - Rural Distress, Rampant Unemployment, Demonetisation Disaster, Flawed GST, Failed Modinomics, All pervading Corruption!#ChowkidaarHiChorHai https://t.co/ytXL4Yk8Da  Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) December 27, 2018

Many in Congress believe that the film portrays the UPA-led government in dim light. According to reports, Congress has issued a gag order to its party members, asking them not to comment on the trailer and release of The Accidental Prime Minister.

The film, which features Anupam Kher as former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is adapted from the book written by Singh's media advisor Sanjaya Baru.

Since the launch of The Accidental Prime Minister trailer, the film has led to controversies, with the Maharashtra State Youth Congress and Punjabi Cultural Heritage Board sending notices to the producers of the film to hold private screenings for them before the release of the film. There has been considerable backlash against the film as well with many stating that the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) is using the feature to malign Congress ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Kher recently spoke up on the issue as well, saying if patriotic films could release on Independence Day and Republic Day, he does not understand why a political film could not be released in the middle of elections. He added that since Rahul Gandhi recently endorsed freedom of speech, he should reprimand his party members for their 'goondagardi'.

Most recently, Kedarnath screenings were prohibited in Uttarakhand, ruled by BJP, following objections from several Hindu groups and party leaders. Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat had formed a committee headed by state tourism minister Satpal Maharaj to decide on the fate of the film and ultimately came to the conclusion of banning it. The primary concerns were that many felt that the film promoted 'love jihad' and hurt Hindu sentiments.

The beginning of 2018 saw an uproar at a much larger scale when Padmaavat was banned in several states after protests from Raput Karni Sena. The period drama was banned in four states  Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. All the states were ruled by the BJP government. The bans were implemented to 'maintain law and order' after Karni Sena threatened violence against the screening of the film that allegedly depicted their idol Rani Padmini in bad light. The Rajput outfit, in fact, demanded a nation-wide ban on Padmaavat, claiming that the film distorted the historical legacy of the Rajputs.The Congress observed its 134th Foundation Day with Rahul Gandhi hoisting the party's flag at its headquarters in New Delhi.

New Delhi: The Congress observed its 134th Foundation Day with Rahul Gandhi hoisting the party's flag at its headquarters in New Delhi.

The event at the party's Akbar Road office was attended by senior party leaders, including former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former defence minister AK Antony.

Top party leaders Ahmed Patel, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Motilal Vora were also present on the occasion during which a cake was also cut.

Gandhi later said he acknowledged the selfless service and contribution of Congress workers who helped build the party over the years.

"On Congress Foundation Day let us celebrate and acknowledge the selfless service and contributions of millions of party workers, men and women, who have helped build and sustain the Congress party over the ages. We owe these unsung heroes our gratitude and respect. I salute them all, he said on Twitter.

On its official Twitter handle, the party said, For the Congress party, love is always the answer. We will continue to fight the propagators of hate with peace, unity and love. A cake was also cut by Antony, whose birthday happens to be today.Mamata Banerjee also hit out at BJP leaders, calling them 'bhogis' and said the party was no authority to decide on what religion people should follow.

Sagar Island (West Bengal): Coming down heavily on the BJP for its proposed Rath Yatras in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said such yatras are typically conducted in the name of God, and not meant to indulge in "danga" (riot).

The Supreme Court on Monday declined an urgent hearing on a BJP plea challenging a Calcutta High Court order disallowing its Rath Yatras in the state.

"There are yatras for Lord Krishna and Lord Jagannath, we take part in those rath yatras. Those who carry out yatras to kill common people indulge in 'danga' yatras," Banerjee said at a public distribution programme.

"We don't insult anybody. We respect everyone irrespective of their religious affinity," she added.

The three-phased Rath Yatra, also being called the "Save Democracy Rally", was scheduled to be held this month, covering all the 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state. The rallies were to be flagged off by BJP president Amit Shah.

Banerjee also hit out at BJP leaders, calling them "bhogis" (people indulging in material enjoyment) and said the party was no authority to decide on what religion people should follow.

"These so-called 'yogis' (holy men) are not 'yogis' but they are 'bhogis'. They've suddenly started giving diktats to people on religion. Who are they to decide?

"My faith is my choice. We are secular, pray to all Gods and respect all religions. We love the Hindu religion as much as Islam, Sikh religion and Christianity," she said.The same Congress is now ignoring the 'freedom of speech' argument in the case of the upcoming film The Accidental Prime Minister.

Lending support to Jawaharlal Nehru University students in 2015 over the sedition row, the then Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had tweeted:

Free speech is our right. We will fight any attempt to crush dissent and debate: Rahul Gandhi (2/2)  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 29, 2015

Again in July this year, Rahul, who by then had become the partys president, came in support of the makers of the web series Sacred Games in which there are uncharitable references to his father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi for the latters alleged role in Bofors Scam and involvement in the Shah Bano case. The Congress president had tweeted:

BJP/RSS believe the freedom of expression must be policed & controlled. I believe this freedom is a fundamental democratic right. My father lived and died in the service of India. The views of a character on a fictional web series can never change that.#SacredGames  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 14, 2018

But the same Congress is now ignoring the 'freedom of speech' argument in the case of the upcoming film The Accidental Prime Minister. The Maharashtra Youth Congress has asked the producers of the film  based on former prime minister Manmohan Singh  to first screen the film for them and delete or change certain scenes if found 'objectionable'.

What makes the youth wing of the Congress behave like the Karni Sena, the group that went hammer and tongs against the screening of the Hindi film Padmaavat? And why is the Congress stand different for this film when compared to that on Udta Punjab, which highlighted the drug menace in the state then ruled by Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP?

It's not hard to see why.

Unlike the past, The Accidental Prime Minister is apparently a frontal attack on Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. The film is based on a 2014 book An Accidental Prime Minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh by Sanjay Baru, who was Singh's media adviser from May 2004 to August 2008. The movie is supposed to be an insider's account of the dynamics of the Gandhi family vis-a-vis their role in Congress party and the then UPA government.

Bollywood rarely takes the incumbent establishment head on and references almost always remain oblique. Current and active political leaders are rarely brought alive on screen with nothing masking their identities. And history is often portrayed in great retrospect, rarely  if ever  within a few years of its making. It's important to note that Sonia and Rahul Gandhi will be testing their personal as well as their party's luck in the 2019 general elections and the film, with its reach, can affect their chances.

It's not mere coincidence that veteran actor Anupam Kher, who is avowedly pro-BJP with his wife and actor Kirron Kher being a BJP MP, is essaying the role of Manmohan Singh.

Looking at the trailer of the movie, its understood that facts have been played with and presented in incorrect manner with regards to the ex-PM Resp Manmohan Singh ji, UPA chairperson Resp Sonia Gandhi ji and to malign the image of Congress party which is not acceptable, Satyajeet Tambe Patil, president, Maharashtra State Youth Congress, wrote in his letter to the producers of the film.

If the said movie is released with prior screening for our office bearers and without making necessary changes recommended by us, itll be understood that you are doing this deliberatelyweve other options open to stop screening of the same across India, Patil said.

It seems films are the latest means for political parties to gain traction, and even settle political scores, if possible.

The 2016 film Udta Punjab was a case in point. The film dealt with the drug menace in the state that was ruled by the Akali Dal-BJP combine when it was released, giving enough meat to the Opposition to rub it in for the ruling government.

Rahul had then said of the film, Punjab has a crippling drug problem. Censoring Udta Punjab will not fix it. The government must accept the reality and find solutions.

Rahul's statement had got backing from the Aam Aadmi Party chief and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

However, unlike Patil, who is a state-level leader of Youth Congress with hardly any national recall, the senior leaders of Congress are maintaining a calculative silence over the issue.

Meanwhile, the new Congress government in Madhya Pradesh has clarified that no ban has been imposed on the film in the state. Itll be interesting to see how the Congress president reacts on the issue or whether he asks his party workers and office bearers not to issue controversial statements that would indirectly benefit the BJP.The BJP on Thursday shared the trailer on Twitter and said it told a 'riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years'

Barely hours after the trailer of The Accidental Prime Minister was released, the film based on a namesake book by former prime minister Manmohan Singh's media adviser Sanjaya Baru, has managed to create a political stir with BJP resorting to Gandhi-family bashing and the Congres terming it a 'political propaganda' timed keeping in mind the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. While actor Anupam Kher, who portrays Singh in the film, has been praised on social media for his performance, political parties have been crossing swords over the portrayal of the former prime minister and the Congress party. The drama over the film, which is slated to be released on 11 January, has also generated funny reactions and memes on social media.

Let's take a look at some of the political reactions:

BJP on Twitter

The BJP on Thursday shared the trailer on Twitter and said it told a "riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years".

Riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years. Was Dr Singh just a regent who was holding on to the PMs chair till the time heir was ready? Watch the official trailer of #TheAccidentalPrimeMinister, based on an insiders account, releasing on 11 Jan! pic.twitter.com/ToliKa8xaH  BJP (@BJP4India) December 27, 2018

The trailer shows Singh as the victim of internal politics of the Congress ahead of 2014 general elections, which the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) lost.

Reactions to BJP's comment

Soon after the trailer was shared by the BJP, the Maharashtra Youth Congress and Punjabi Cultural Heritage Board (PCHB) wrote to the makers of the film and has asked for a private screening of the movie before its release.

"If the said movie is released without prior screening for our office bearers and without making necessary changes recommended by us that we find out after viewing the movie it will be understood that you are doing this deliberately and we have other options open to stop the screening of the same across India," Satyajeet Tambe Patil, president of the Maharashtra State Youth Congress, said in a letter to the producers of the film.

Patil, also said that the trailer seemed provocative and maligned the Congress party through its erroneous portrayal of United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also termed the film political propaganda and stated that the release date was a consciously planned decision.

However, India Today reports that the Congress party has released an internal circular asking its members not to comment on the film or the trailer.

Criticising statements made by Congress members

Meanwhile, Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore was subsequently quoted as saying by news agency ANI, "Cant we extend our wishes for a film? Congress has been all for freedom, why is it questioning that freedom now?"

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also waded into the controversy when he criricised Patil for his comments.

As much as the Congress, its branches/off-shoots & other well wishers of Dr Manmohan Singh may find the movie disagreeable, we cant talk about intolerance & then threaten to stop all screenings. Dr Singhs record & legacy wont be the product of one single movie or book. https://t.co/zb9GZxMwgL  Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) December 28, 2018

He later also tweeted:

Cant wait for when they make The Insensitive Prime Minister. So much worse than being the accidental one.  Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) December 28, 2018

Some other BJP members have also reacted sharply to the movie's trailer:

With news of coming in of Madhya Pradesh banning The Accidental Prime Minister, Irony committed suicide by slitting her wrists after drinking poison. pic.twitter.com/P8qzciG8Al  Suresh Nakhua  (@SureshNakhua) December 28, 2018

Million dollar question , is there a parallel between Satanic verses and Accidental Prime Minister viz a viz blasphemy law  Mahendra Pandey (@MahendraP_BJP) December 28, 2018

Pankaj Pachauri, who was the media adviser to Singh after Baru, was quoted by News18 as saying that the book was a fictional account and the screen adaptation of that is also complete fiction. Its fiction turned into fiction, he said. Singh, in the meanwhile, has refused to comment on the trailer.As the NDA government passed the triple talaq bill in Lok Sabha on Thursday amid Opposition walkout, one is struck by the predictable monotony of our political discourse that is caught in a time warp and seems destined to play out in a never-ending loop.

As the NDA government passed the triple talaq bill in Lok Sabha on Thursday amid Opposition walkout, one is struck by the predictable monotony of our political discourse that is caught in a time warp and seems destined to play out in a never-ending loop.

The Centre brought the amended Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018, to supersede the draft bill that was passed by the Lok Sabha in December last year under similar circumstances. That earlier bill, which followed the Supreme Court judgement in August 2017 banning the practice of instant divorce by Muslim men, eventually got stuck in Rajya Sabha where the NDA lacks majority.

Faced with resistance and criticism that the bill  seeking criminal prosecution of Muslim men and a three-year jail term for practicing outlawed triple talaq  is vulnerable to misuse and targeted at a particular community, the government was eventually forced to bring three key amendments. One, the offence of invoking the banned provision remained non-bailable but an accused may now approach a magistrate to seek bail even before trial. Two, the police were mandated to file an FIR only if a complaint if lodged by the victim (wife), her blood relations or people who became her relatives by virtue of marriage. Finally, the offence was made compoundable, implying that a magistrate can use his or her powers to settle the dispute between the husband and wife.

Though the gaps and lacunae were addressed, the triple talaq bill continued to remain stuck in the Rajya Sabha presumably because the Opposition remained opposed to the idea of criminalizing a civil offence. In resisting the bills passage through the Upper House, the Opposition took an obstructionist approach instead of a solution-based one. The reason is obvious. The obstruction served a political purpose.

It is tough to argue coherently in favour of a practice that has been deemed void, illegal and unconstitutional by the highest court of the land, has been outlawed in 20 Islamic nations including neighboring Pakistan and Bangladesh and has no mention in Quran. The issue is criminalisation of the practice, and here the debate inside the Parliament and outside it in the public sphere has been hijacked by a deliberate misreading.

The Opposition has argued that the triple talaq bill is bad because it mandates criminal prosecution of men for breaching a civil contract since a Muslim marriage is a contract of a civil nature. This argument is specious because the practice of instant divorce is not only a civil wrong, it is also a social evil that violates a Muslims womans well-being, her constitutional rights and gender justice.

As minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said during the debate in Parliament on Thursday, the practice of triple talaq is not based on Islamic law but is a ku-neeti (social ill). This also refutes the false equivalence between instant divorce and womens entry into Sabarimala Temple. The issue of age restriction on women in entering Sabarimala Temple could be linked to right to prayer or even gender justice (though that linkage is debatable) but it doesnt represent social evil in a way the practice of instant divorce does.

As Justice Indu Malhotra had said in her dissenting judgement on Sabarimala Temple verdict by the Supreme Court, It is not for the courts to determine which of these practices of a faith are to be struck down, except if they are pernicious, oppressive, or a social evil, like Sati.

Notwithstanding the amendments, the bill remained stuck in Rajya Sabha, following which the Centre brought an ordinance in September. Thursdays proposed legislation, that has now crossed the Lower House hurdle, seeks to replace this ordinance. The Opposition still doesnt have any coherent solution to offer but has taken to recourse to delaying tactics by demanding that this bill be sent to a select committee.

It is safe to bet that the entire drama will play out again in the Upper House. The bill will remain in suspended animation, and the Centre will re-promulgate the ordinance if it fails to cross the Rajya Sabha hurdle. This cycle of cynicism carries grave portends.

Debates and discussions on the floor of the House are the basis of Parliamentary democracy. These exchanges are the lifeblood of the Republics polity. If deliberative politics repeatedly deviates from its central task of aiding the democratic process and becomes an exercise in cynicism on partisan lines, it is bound to affect the health of the polity and eventually weaken democracy.

We have to turn our attention to this critical failure in deliberative process that poses a danger to our political system. The Winter Session  in line with recent, perverse norms  so far has been a waste raising questions against not only the quality of Parliamentary debates but also the very relevance of Parliament in democratic process. This breeds indifference and pessimism among the public.

The predictable drama around the triple talaq bill also presents a lack of imagination in political discourse. The triple talaq bill could have triggered a much-needed, honest debate about male supremacy, gender justice and empowering the real minority. Instead, we were witness to the tired charges of votebank politics and interference with religion.

The Opposition, which must carry the blame of culpability, blew the chance to restore a modicum of respectability and relevance in Parliamentary debates. Undermining deliberative politics may further erode the appeal of a federal system, and masses may gravitate towards more centralization of power. The Opposition needs to get over its myopia.Reuters

China has proposed a ban on forced technology transfer and illegal government interference in foreign business operations, practices that have come under the spotlight in a trade dispute with the United States.

A draft foreign investment law, the full text of which was published by the top legislature on 26 December, comes as China tries to resolve its protracted standoff with the United States, which accuses it of unfair trade practices including intellectual property (IP) theft and forced IP transfer.

While China has frequently denied such accusations, it has pledged to improve market access for foreign investors and better protect their rights in the face of growing complaints and slower foreign investment.

The final draft law, with 39 articles, was far shorter than a version released in 2015, but took a notably stronger line on IP protection.

Official authorities and their staff shall not use administrative means to force the transfer of technology, the draft says.

That compares with a general statement that foreign firms IP rights would be protected, in 2015.

As trade tension flares, there has been growing caution in countries like the United States and Germany about Chinese companies  backed by the state and flush with cash  obtaining advanced foreign technology through aggressive acquisitions abroad.

In an apparent move to emphasize reciprocity, the draft law said China would reserve the right to retaliate against countries that discriminate Chinese investment with corresponding measures.

As soon as possible

The draft law  the first of its kind  has been submitted to the National Peoples Congress Standing Committee, which began a session on Sunday, and will hold public consultations until Feb. 24.

Once adopted, the law will replace three existing ones that regulate joint ventures and wholly foreign-owned enterprises, although it will likely go through several readings before being submitted for formal approval, which could take another year or more.

However, state news agency Xinhua said on 27 December that many lawmakers were calling for a prompt deliberation of the draft to put it to a vote as soon as possible.

Committee member Li Fei, however, suggested it should be put before the full session of the largely rubber-stamp assembly when it convenes its annual session in March, the news agency reported.

Cai Fang, another member, said there should be further clarification on forced technology transfers, Xinhua said, suggesting the law may still need more discussion.

Some law experts and business consultants remained skeptical about how far the law would protect foreign firms interests, given a lack of rule of law in China.

Laws in China on something like forced technology are paper; the reality may or may not match that paper, said Dan Harris, Seattle-based managing partner of law firm Harris Bricken, which helps firms navigate legal issues overseas including in China.

I generally think that on something like this, past history is the best predictor of future performance, and few dispute that China has for the last 10 years been saying it would open up and it all but stopped about five years ago.tech2 News Staff

2018 surely has been a bad year for Facebook, as far as its public image is concerned. Sure, monetarily it is still one of the top social networks. It shall continue on that trajectory thanks to its sheer number of users. But Facebook does not seem to be doing too well when it comes to moderating questionable content on its platform if the latest reports are to be believed.

The New York Times has got access to over 1,400 pages of leaked Facebook rulebook which is used by moderators to monitor reported content on Facebook. A quick reading of the report reveals that Facebook's team of 7,500+ moderators do not have enough time to ponder over posts which could be politically devastating, have little understanding of nuances behind language and there is a lack of content moderators in native languages around the world.

In a lot of instances, the moderators are taking decisions which can be considered too biased. These decisions are taken and rules are added to the rulebook in Menlo Park by a bunch of engineers and lawyers, who may not necessarily have the right understanding of situations about which they are making decisions on  such as political matters in India or Myanmar or Pakistan.

These rules are then sent across to third-party companies which hire moderators. Most of the moderators are hired from call centres or other low paying grades. They are expected to understand the rules. The content moderation has to ensure that it adheres to simple yes/no rules. If no, the content is taken down. This, according to sources who have spoken to NYT, sometimes gives Facebook tremendous power to act as a content gatekeeper. Even Emojis have been categorised to identify indications such as condemnation, bullying, sexualised text and so on.

Think about it. You have to first memorise all the rules that could violate Facebook's community standards  rules which keep changing or getting updated regularly. Then these moderators have around 8-10 seconds per post to recall those rules and take action on a piece of content. It is an exercise in frustration according to moderators.

In the Indian context, one Facebook slide tells moderators that any post degrading an entire religion violates Indian law and should be flagged to be removed. The reality though is different. Indian law prohibits blasphemy in certain conditions, such as when the speaker intends to incite violence. According to Facebook, it is being extra cautious on such matters. But it is, in a way, regulating free speech, something that is far beyond its mandate.

Facebook has a whopping 2 bn plus user base. Having around 7,500 content moderators for that large a userbase is in itself too little. Sure, we hear Facebook talking about using Artificial Intelligence to scale these efforts. But we all know how pointless AI is in understanding nuance, and how it's easy to introduce bias within AI algorithms.

With general elections coming up in India, the issue of content moderation will rear its ugly head. If Facebook is thinking that it can prevent abuse of its platform, by drafting rules made by people sitting in Menlo Park, then it has nothing but more controversies heading its way.

2018 has been an eventful year and here's our comprehensive list of year ender stories.tech2 News Staff

Following the Kerala floods that took place in August this year, Google ran a pilot project in Patna in September where flood-warning alerts would show up promptly. The company is now ready to run the program in various parts of the country.

According to a report by The Indian Express, after learning from its pilot project in Patna, Google is going to scale up the program to provide flood alerts which uses machine learning.

The flood-warning alerts during the program were sent out for areas around Patna and the Ghaghara River. The data like the river water levels, and more, was provided to Google by the Union Ministry of Water Resources. The project was implemented in a partnership with the Central Water Commission in India.

The area was chosen because Bihar is India's most flood-prone state deluged by floods that submerge roads, destroy homes and wash away crops, leaving the disaster management authority struggling to monitor and assess the damage.

The messages were sent out via Google Public Alerts  a platform for disseminating emergency messages regarding official weather, public safety, earthquake alerts and more.

The Public Alerts map had areas marked as "high risk," "medium risk" and "low risk." Machine Learning was used to alert individuals in and around the area in the form of maps and Android notifications.

Sella Nevo from Googles Research and Machine Intelligence team told the publication, "After we sent out the alerts, this allowed us to look into how people experience and interact with the alerts we send. Weve realised that many people prefer text that describes the same information our maps show."

While the cost of such technology for developing countries like India, can be a challenge, flood-prone areas could see a transformation in disaster response by residents and in equipping authorities with near real-time information about inundated villages.

2018 has been an eventful year and here's our comprehensive list of year ender stories.

tech2 News Staff

In an annual ritual that many have come to love, Danish investment bank Saxo has published its year-end list of outrageous predictions for the following year.

The bank's predictions for 2019 cover a world that is increasingly saying "enough is enough," Saxo explains as the overwhelming theme of its listicle.

These predictions aren't official forecasts of any sort, but rather a series of "unlikely but underappreciated" events which, if they were to occur, could throw financial markets into chaos.

Enough is Enough

"This year's edition has a unifying theme of 'enough is enough'," Steen Jakobsen, Chief Economist at Saxo Bank told Trustnet.

"A world running on empty will have to wake up and start creating reforms  not because it wants to, but because it has to."

One of the listed prediction isn't just interesting but also one that could have far-reaching consequences if it really came to be: the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank could turn their back on using Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as its go-to metric for growth in 2019, turning to productivity, instead, as a measure of countries' growth.

"They [IMF and World Bank] argue that GDP has failed to capture the real impact of low-cost, technology-based services," Jakobsen was quoted to have said.

"(The two organisations have) been unable to account for environmental issues, as attested by the gruesome effects from pollution on human health and the environment in India and elsewhere around the world."

Neglecting productivity

For a country truly invested in the health and happiness of its people, Saxo says it would need to produce more for every worker they have than it did so far, making productivity a more interesting measure of national progress.

So far, the world's governments have been set on using Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a traditional choice of metrics to measure growth. But this has also allowed many world economies to neglect considering or improving their 'productivity'.

GDP has many advantages and failings, its biggest drawback being that it simply does not capture the real impact of low-cost, technology-based services and isn't designed to account for environmental issues, which is of significant modern-day importance.

If Saxo's "unlikely" prediction for the IMF and World Bank to move to productivity does come to be, it could give a far more comprehensive look at a certain economys productive capacity over time.

Productivity is certainly one of the most popular, and yet, least understood terms in economics, Christopher Dembik, head of macro analysis at Saxo Bank told Trustnet. Simply defined, it refers to output per hour worked. In the real world, however, productivity is a much more complex notion. In fact, it can be considered as the greatest determinant of the standard of living over time.

Among some of Saxo's other predictions for 2019 is a solar flare burst that leads to chaos and inflicts $2 trillion in financial damages to the world's economies. GE and Netflix going into losses from corporate debts and Apple taking a large bite of Tesla in an acquisition that makes "perfect sense".

2018 has been an eventful year and here's our comprehensive list of year ender stories.Press Trust of India

Prime minister Narendra Modi will ride on a prototype of a driverless solar-powered bus during his visit to a university here to inaugurate the 106th Indian Science Congress next week, the varsity said on 27 December.

The science congress will attract over 20,000 delegates, including 3000 acclaimed scientists and researchers.

Students of different departments of the university have designed and built the driverless solar-powered bus. The first prototype will be used to ferry Modi to the venue of the Indian Science Congress at the campus on 3 January, a statement from Lovely Professional University said.

Once launched commercially, the bus will be used at airports, housing societies, industrial complexes and educational institutions, the statement said.

The design of the bus has been made keeping in mind Indian conditions and the vehicle will cost Rs 6 lakh. Since the engine is both battery-and-solar powered, its running cost is almost negligible. The bus has a maximum speed of 30 kmph and can have a seating capacity of 10 to 30 people, it added.tech2 News Staff

We have seen a lot of rumours about the Nokia 9 Pureview, which is expected to feature a penta-lens camera. Here's a yet another case render.

The publication AndroidPure has released images of the cases for Nokia 9, again confirming the penta-lens setup at the back just like we've seen in the past. There is no information about the actual device though. This is the fourth case render that we are seeing in a row.

HMD Global was expected to unveil the device alongside Nokia 8.1 at an event in Dubai, but that didn't happen. (Read our full review of the Nokia 8.1 here) There were reports that the device was delayed due to issues with the camera.

Just like the previous case renders, we see seven cutouts here, which are placed in a hexagonal shape, six in a circle and one in the centre.

Last week we saw an image of a transparent case which was for the Nokia 9 Pureview. Last month we saw a case listed on Amazon's UK website and before that, we saw a Silicon case with seven cutouts at the back for lenses and a flash which is quite likely for the same device.

Of the seven cutouts that we see in total, five will be for cameras which are expected to come with Zeiss-branded optics. There is no fingerprint sensor at the back, it could either be in the front or be an in-display scanner. Hope that it is not completely reliant on facial unlock.

There is no word on the total pixel count of this camera system, but they could pretty high. However, one report did mention that three out of the five rear cameras are rumoured to be 41 MP units, one a 20 MP unit and the fifth one a 9.7 MP unit.

The alleged Nokia 9 PureView is expected to be powered by Snapdragon 845 SoC with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage and it might feature a 6-inch display. We do not know when the device will be launched, but here's hoping that it soon see the light of day.

2018 has been an eventful year and here's our comprehensive list of year ender stories.Dr Kishore Kumar

In 2018, India witnessed some big advances towards better access to affordable primary healthcare, specifically, rural healthcare programs.

Ayushman Bharat

One of the largest government-funded schemes  Ayushman Bharat under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojna, was launched this year. Ayushman Bharat is one of the biggest people-centric schemes ever launched in our country.

As the world is gearing towards the achievement of Universal Health coverage and countries are working towards the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A) programme, several practices and innovations are implemented by states, union territories and organisations to address challenges in the maternal and child health sector.

The country's progress in this regard can be gauged from the 77 percent decline in MMR that it achieved between 1990 and 2015, while the global decline was 44 percent during the same period.

Vaccinations

Mission Indradhanush, is one of the most important interventions for the protection of children from life-threatening conditions such as polio, measles, pneumonia has been working successfully by providing vaccination.

All these efforts are heartening and are yielding good results and year-after-year multiple steps have been taken scale-up the immunisation efforts for maternal and child healthcare.

If the public health is strong, the preventive health of the nation will be strong. We as a nation need to commit ourselves to increase health spending. Most of the non-communicable diseases can be reduced/prevented if we further invest and strengthen our public health education system.

It is important that we continue to build public health awareness regarding the nuisances of dengue and public toilet systems/water logging, mosquito breeding places which will in return help in reducing the incidences of dengue in the country.

Newborn screening

Congenital heart screening for newborns & newborn screening for biochemical disorders is an important public health measure that needs the attention of policymakers over the coming years. If our newborn babies are screened for various disorders, our infant mortality and morbidity will reduce drastically. But there is no awareness about it at all.

Unless we improve our public health - we are not going to make huge progress towards better medical health of the population.

India needs to arrive at innovative financing models for better healthcare outcomes.

The author is the Chairman and Neonatologist at Cloudnine Group of Hospitals.

Here's a list of our other year-ender stories:

Year in review: Indias biggest achievements in the fields of science and medicine

2018 in Wildlife: Gir lions, 'man-eater' Avni, dead elephants echo drumbeats of doom

Five reasons why 2018 was a big, big year for fossils, evolution and palaeontology

India's year in space: ISRO's big wins in 2018, Gaganyaan 2022 and space startups

Audio trends of 2018: Airpods, Alexa, Google Home, AI-powered speakers and more

Best value for money phones of 2018: Poco F1, Realme 2 Pro, Nokia 7 Plus and more

Best Camera phones of 2018: Pixel 3, Apple iPhone XS, Huawei Mate 20 Pro on top

Best flagship phones of 2018: From Samsung Galaxy S9 to Poco F1 to OnePlus 6

Flipkart Mobiles Bonanza sale includes Poco F1, Pixel 3XL, iPhone XR and moreReuters

French tech company Sigfox has developed a bite-size tracker that can be inserted into the horns of rhinos to help conservationists monitor and protect the endangered species.

With the dramatic decline of animal species in the past century mostly due to poaching and urban expansion, wildlife organisations have turned to technology to help safeguard species being pushed towards extinction.

The global number of rhinos dwindled to about 20,000 a decade ago due to relentless poaching, though they have rebounded to about 29,000 thanks to conservation efforts.

Cameras, infrared and motion sensors, electronic bracelets and drones have been used over the years to protect endangered species, but have at times been limited by vast distances and limited resources in the countries concerned.

Sigfox, known for building networks that link objects to the internet, has developed sensors able to give the exact location of rhinos using the firms network over a longer period of time.

We now help rangers and conservation experts to observe from a distance, taking less risk, and especially to anticipate potential dangers that the animal could (face), Marion Moreau, head of the non-profit Sigfox Foundation, told Reuters.

The sensors can alert park rangers when rhinos approach an area identified as particularly dangerous due to previous instances of poaching. Combined with other warning sensors, they can be used to get rescue teams to the location in real time.

We started a project in Zimbabwe three years ago, inventing a prototype of a captor, inserted in the horn of about 30 rhinoceroses, which emits the exact position of the rhinoceros three times a day, over three years, said Moreau.

The Sigfox network uses a specific radio signal which offers more security guarantee than other tracking devices. The sensor only wakes up when it has to transmit data, which makes it immune to interception by poachers, she said.

Moreau said Sigfox intended the trackers to be long-lasting with an autonomous battery-life of around three years. The cost would also be capped at $30 per sensor.

Sigfox worked with conservationists and specialised groups including the International Rhino Foundation in developing the tiny sensor. It is also collaborating with the Jane Goodall Institute, a nonprofit organisation that protects primate habitats, in the use of new technologies for conservation.Agence France-Presse

A 71-year-old Frenchman set sail across the Atlantic on Wednesday in a barrel-shaped orange capsule, hoping to reach the Caribbean within three months thanks to ocean currents alone.

"The weather is great  I've got a swell of one metre and I'm moving at two or three kilometres an hour," Jean-Jacques Savin told AFP by telephone after setting off from El Hierro in Spain's Canary Islands.

"For the time being my capsule is behaving very, very well and I've got favourable winds forecast until Sunday."

Savin had worked on his vessel for months in the small shipyard of Ares on France's southwest coast.

Measuring three metres (10 feet) long and 2.10 metres across, it is made from resin-coated plywood, heavily reinforced to resist waves and potential attacks by orca whales.

Inside the capsule, which weighs 450 kilograms (990 pounds) when empty, is a six-square-metre living space which includes a kitchen, sleeping bunk and storage.

A porthole in the floor allows Savin to look at passing fish.

A former military parachutist who served in Africa, Savin has also worked as a pilot and a national park ranger.

He has stowed away a block of foie gras and a bottle of Sauternes white wine for New Year's Eve, along with a bottle of red Saint-Emilion for his 72nd birthday on January 14.

Savin hopes currents will carry him naturally to the Caribbean without the need for a sail or oars  "maybe Barbados, although I'd really like it to be a French island like Martinique or Guadaloupe," he quipped.

"That would be easier for the paperwork and for bringing the barrel back."

Along the way, Savin will be dropping markers for the JCOMMOPS international marine observatory to help its oceanographers study the currents.

And he himself will be the subject of a study on the effects of solitude in close confinement.

Even the wine onboard will be studied: He is carrying a Bordeaux to be compared afterwards with one kept on land to determine the effects of months spent tossed on the waves.

Savin has a budget of 60,000 euros ($68,000) for his expedition, covered in part by barrelmakers and a crowdfunding campaign.Press Trust of India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 106th Indian Science Congress on 3 January next year at Lovely Professional University, the varsity said on 24 December.

A release by LPU Chancellor Ashok Mittal said the theme of the four-day event is 'Future India: Science and Technology' and it will culminate on 7 January.

Modi will also address an audience of about 30,000 scientists, researchers and students on the occasion, he said.

The Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) has been organising the event annually to bring together science fraternity from across the world to discuss innovations and researches.

This year, six Nobel laureates from countries like Germany, Hungary, England and others will be participating in the science congress to make it the largest such gathering of its kind in the country, the varsity said.

Cabinet ministers including Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan and Textile Minister Smriti Irani will also attend the event, it added.

Eminent scientists from Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Department of Science and Technology, University Grants Commission and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) are also slated to take part, it said.

The science congress will attract over 20,000 delegates including 3000 acclaimed scientists and researchers, it added.tech2 News Staff

Pune police were sent on a wild goose chase this week after a resident of Kothrud sent an email to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) claiming he saw an alien object outside his house.

Not only was it alien and upright, the man felt certain that the alien object was beaming important information about the Earth back to its home planet, a Press Trust of India report said.

As police investigated the case, they learned that man, 47 years old, was suffering from a mental ailment, a police officer said Thursday.

A resident of the Kothrud area in Pune, the man sent an email to the PMO saying he had seen an "alien object" outside his house. The PMO, in turn, relayed the letter to the Maharashtra government, which instructed police to look into the matter, an official attached to the Sinhgad Road police station said, according to PTI.

Police tracked down the sender of the email a few days ago, the officer said.

"The man had had brain haemorrhage some years ago and since then he has lost his mental balance. A couple of months ago he saw a light in the trees outside his bungalow and thought it was coming from some alien object," said the officer.

He felt certain that this "alien object" was sending critical information about Earth to its home planet, and dashed off an email to the PMO seeking investigation, the officer said.

"Even his family members were not aware that he had sent such an email."

with inputs from Press Trust of India.President Donald Trumps declaration in a phone call with Tayyip Erdogan that he was pulling US troops from Syria has stunned Turkey and left it scrambling to respond to the changing battlefield on its southern border.

Ankara/Washington: President Donald Trumps declaration in a phone call with Tayyip Erdogan that he was pulling US troops from Syria has stunned Turkey and left it scrambling to respond to the changing battlefield on its southern border.

In the phone call two weeks ago, Trump had been expected to deliver a standard warning to the Turkish president over his plan to launch a cross-border attack targeting US-backed Kurdish forces in northeast Syria, US officials say. Instead, in the course of the conversation, Trump reshaped US policy in West Asia, abandoning a quarter of Syrian territory and handing Ankara the job of finishing off Islamic State in Syria.

Trump asked: If we withdraw our soldiers, can you clean up ISIS?, a Turkish official told Reuters. He said Erdogan replied that Turkish forces were up to the task. Then you do it, Trump told him abruptly. To his national security adviser John Bolton, also on the call, Trump said: Start work for the withdrawal of US troops from Syria. I have to say it was an unexpected decision. The word surprise is too weak to describe the situation, said the official, one of five Turkish sources who spoke to Reuters about the 14 December call between the two leaders.

Trumps decision was also a shock in Washington, where senior administration officials, including Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, tried for days to change the presidents mind, US officials said. When Trump made clear he would not back down, Mattis and a senior official coordinating the fight against Islamic State, Brett McGurk, both resigned. On a visit to a US air base in Iraq this week, Trump said that military commanders had repeatedly requested extensions for the 2,000 US troops in Syria - requests that he finally turned down because he said Islamic State was largely beaten. Weve knocked them silly. I will tell you Ive had some very good talks with President Erdogan who wants to knock them out also, and hell do it, he told American troops.

Risk for Turkey

For Turkey, Trumps decision offers opportunity and risk. Ankara has complained bitterly for years that the United States, a NATO ally, had chosen the Kurdish YPG militia as its main partner on the ground in Syria against Islamic State. Turkey says the YPG is a terrorist group, inseparable from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has waged an insurgency in southeast Turkey in which 40,000 people have been killed.

The US withdrawal potentially frees Turkeys military to push the YPG back from 500 km of the border without risking a confrontation with American forces. It also removes the main cause of this years diplomatic crisis between the two countries. But it also opens up an area of Syria far larger than anything Turkey had expected to fill, potentially pitting it against not just Kurdish forces but also the Damascus government - which is committed to regaining control of all of Syria - and its Russian and Iranian backers.

The YPG on Friday asked the Syrian government to take over the town of Manbij, which the Kurdish militia currently controls with US support, to protect it from Turkish attack. And if Turkish forces are to take on Islamic State in its last pocket of Syrian territory near the Iraqi border, they would first have to cross 250 km of territory controlled by the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces. Erdogan got more than he bargained for, said Soner Cagaptay, Director of the Turkish Program at the Washington Institute. He had asked the US to drop the YPG, but not withdraw from Syria.

Erdogan has for years backed rebels who once hoped to topple Bashar al-Assad, but the Syrian presidents survival has been assured by support from Tehran and Moscow even though the north and east - including Syrian oilfields - remain beyond Assads control for now. As it takes stock of the new challenge, Turkey is launching intensive talks with Washington and Moscow. Ankara expects US military officials to visit within days, as well as Bolton and possibly the US special Syria envoy, James Jeffrey. Turkeys intelligence chief and defence and foreign ministers are also due in Moscow on Saturday, the spokesman for Erdogans AK Party said. Of course it will be difficult. The whole issue needs to be planned again from the start, a Turkish security official said.

A US official said military planners were drafting plans that could see a withdrawal over the course of several months. One of the proposals under consideration is a 120-day withdrawal period, according to a person familiar with discussions. Washington is also grappling with what to do with weapons it provided to the YPG militia and promised to take back after the campaign against Islamic State ended. Turkey says the weapons must be collected so they are not used against Turkish troops, but US officials say they cannot disarm their own allies when the fight is not yet over.

Erdogan announced last week Turkey is postponing its planned military operation against the YPG in light of Trumps decision. The Turkish military has already carried out two incursions into north Syria, backed by pro-Turkey Syrian rebels. In 2016 they targeted Islamic State and Kurdish fighters, and earlier this year took control of the YPG-held Afrin region.

But Ankara and its Syrian rebel allies alone do not have the capacity to take over the whole region which the United States is abandoning, Cagaptay said. Turkeys priority, therefore, may be to secure its southern frontier. Distancing the YPG from the border and wiping out these elements is of critical importance, the security official said.

He stressed the need for careful coordination over who should fill other areas which departing US forces will leave and warned of problems ahead if an agreement could not be reached. Is it a big victory for Turkey? another official said. Im not sure right now.Trump's warning came as a partial federal government shutdown was set to drag on into next week,

Washington: US president Donald Trump on Friday threatened to "entirely" close the southern US border with Mexico if lawmakers refuse his demands to fund a wall. "We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with," Trump tweeted.

The Republican leader's warning came as a partial federal government shutdown was set to drag on into next week, with legislators in Washington failing to reach a compromise over Trump's insistence on funding the border barrier. Both sides have dug in, with Democrats refusing to provide $5 billion for the project and the president  who has made hardline immigration polices a centerpiece of his presidency  vowing he will not fully fund the government unless he gets the money.

In November, Trump threatened to close the "whole border" with Mexico if "it gets to a level where we're going to lose control or people are going to start getting hurt." Days later US authorities dramatically shuttered a border crossing in southern California after hundreds of migrants  part of the "caravan" Trump had roundly condemned  tried to breach a fence from the Mexican city of Tijuana.

The temporary closing saw border agents halt vehicles and pedestrians at the San Ysidro crossing point, one of the busiest between the neighbouring countries.Assaf, a former finance minister who was detained last year in what Riyadh said was an anti-corruption sweep, replaced Adel al-Jubeir as foreign minister in the sweeping government shake-up ordered by King Salman.

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia's new foreign minister voiced defiance on Friday in the face of international outrage over critic Jamal Khashoggi's murder, rejecting the kingdom was in crisis and his predecessor was demoted. "The issue of Jamal Khashoggi... really saddened us, all of us," Ibrahim al-Assaf told AFP, a day after he was appointed a foreign minister in a government reshuffle.

"But all in all, we are not going through a crisis, we are going through a transformation," he added, referring to social and economic reforms spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The prince, the heir to the Saudi throne, has faced intense international scrutiny over the 2 October murder of journalist Khashoggi in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate  which critics say has left the oil-rich Gulf nation diplomatically weakened.

Assaf, a former finance minister who was detained last year in what Riyadh said was an anti-corruption sweep, replaced Adel al-Jubeir as foreign minister in the sweeping government shake-up ordered by King Salman. Jubeir, who sought to defend the tainted government internationally after Khashoggi's murder, was appointed the minister of state for foreign affairs, which was widely seen as a demotion. "This is far from the truth," Assaf said. "Adel represented Saudi Arabia and will continue to represent Saudi Arabia... around the world. We complement each other."ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - Madagascar presidential candidate Andry Rajoelina is leading in an election runoff after 92 percent of the votes were declared, the electoral commission said on Sunday, drawing allegations of fraud from rival Marc Ravalomanana.

ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - Madagascar presidential candidate Andry Rajoelina is leading in an election runoff after 92 percent of the votes were declared, the electoral commission said on Sunday, drawing allegations of fraud from rival Marc Ravalomanana.

Rajoelina had 54.86 percent of the vote compared to 45.14 percent for Ravalomanana, the commission said after tallying 92 percent of the results.

The two ex-presidents -- Ravalomanana and the man who ousted him in a 2009 coup, Rajoelina -- had previously said they would accept the results, raising hopes of a peaceful outcome and no repeat of the political chaos nearly a decade ago.

But Ravalomanana said on Sunday the electoral body should investigate the election.

"Fraud and violence have prevailed and this has an impact on the results. The results of this election are not credible and the election is not transparent," he said in statement broadcast on Sunday.

"It is true that I said that I will respect the results if the rules are respected. Unfortunately, it is not the case," Ravalomanana said, calling on his supporters "whose rights have been violated, to stand up and defend their choices".

The electoral commission said it would help candidates verify the results for themselves.

"Candidates' representatives asked for the comparison of the minutes, the verification of the used and non-used ballot. In the name of transparency, the INEC accepts," Thierry Rakotonarivo, deputy chairman of the electoral commission told a news conference on Monday.

"Also, to show the will of the INEC, we can also publish the counting sheets, the ballots that have been used and that have been not used if it is needed, even it is not our competence."

He said full provisional results would be released on Thursday.

"We do not stray from the three principles that have guided us from the beginning: transparency, respect for the law and inclusiveness. We could publish those results sooner, but to give the candidates time to check them, we will only do it on Dec. 27."

The EU observer mission said the runoff election was calm.

"The voting operations were as calm as in the first round," Cristian Preda, head of the observation mission of the European Union said on Friday.

"We did not see any fraud. Both accused each other of fraud, but neither of them had any proof. There are allegations not facts. We told them to bring this to justice."

In the first round last month, Rajoelina received 39.23 percent of the vote compared to Ravalomanana's 35.35 percent.

Hery Rajaonarimampianina, who became president after Rajoelina stepped down in 2014, came a distant third.

(Reporting by Lovasoa Rabary; Writing by Clement Uwiringiyimana; Editing by Darren Schuettler and Catherine Evans)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.Benjamin Netanyahu has met frequently with Mike Pompeo and enjoys a warm relationship with Donald Trump, happy about his withdrawal from a denuclearisation deal with Iran and his landmark shift of the US embassy to Jerusalem.

Washington: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week in Brazil, as Washington prepares to withdraw troops from Syria, the State Department said on Thursday.

Pompeo and Netanyahu will meet in Brasilia where both will be attending the New Year's Day inauguration of president-elect Jair Bolsonaro, a right-wing firebrand who has vowed to move Brazil closer to Israel and US president Donald Trump.

Netanyahu has met frequently with Pompeo and enjoys a warm relationship with Trump, happy about his withdrawal from a denuclearisation deal with Iran and his landmark shift of the US embassy to Jerusalem. However, Netanyahu has for the first time found himself at odds with Trump after the US leader's sudden announcement last week that he will bring home all 2,000 American troops from war-ravaged Syria, where Israel saw Washington's presence as a bulwark against Iran and counterweight to the influence of Russia.

Israel has been measured in its public response, saying it respects Trump's decision, which led to the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria that it says are targeting Iranian forces and their Hezbollah allies. Trump has said that US troops were solely focused on fighting the Islamic State jihadist group, which he has declared to be "largely defeated."

Pompeo will also meet in Brazil with Peruvian president Martin Vizcarra and afterwards fly to Cartagena to hold talks with Colombian president Ivan Duque.In Nepal, the railway is being seen as a game-changer, not just for its potential to increase trade and connectivity but also its role in ending Indias chokehold.

When the idea of a China-Nepal railway was first floated, it seemed like the project would not see the light of day. The technical odds of building the railway through some of the highest and most precarious mountains seemed too high and the political will to see through the project couldnt be relied upon.

The proposed Trans Himalayan railway, that will connect Nepal to Chinas land and sea ports, would have to go through a terrain and altitude that makes construction highly challenging even for the Chinese, who are known for their engineering prowess. A recent joint Nepal-China technical study estimates that the Gyirong-Kathmandu train line would cost Rs 257 billion to build and a period of nine years to complete. Of the 72.25 kilometre track that would be constructed inside Nepali territory, a major section would have to be built on tunnels and bridges owing to the treacherous geography and earthquake risks.

Technical challenges aside, critics also question the economic rationale of China wanting to build a multi-billion railway through Nepal when it could easily access Indian markets through sea routes. There was also the question of whether Nepal would risk vociferous Indian opposition to pursue the costly rail project with China. In all likelihood, the project seemed like a distant dream that wouldnt go beyond speculation and sloganeering. But with progress on the Shigatse to Gyirong trainline which is expected to complete by 2020, and a series of agreements, joint meetings and preparatory works underway between the two governments to extend the rail line, suddenly the train to Kathmandu is looking less and less far-fetched.

Particularly in Nepal, the railway is being seen as a game-changer, not just for its potential to increase trade and connectivity but also for the role it will play in ending Indias chokehold on landlocked Nepal as its only access to sea. Nepali industries are concentrated on the southern plains and given their relative closeness to Indian ports, businesses would most likely continue using them over Chinese options further away, but Nepals hope is that apart from new trading opportunities, the railway will offer a crucial lifeline against potential Indian blockades.

The idea of a Trans Himalayan rail link first gained traction after India imposed an economic blockade against Nepal in 2015, cutting off fuel and essential supplies for nearly five months. Nepal was forced to seek alternatives, which it promptly did by turning north. By March 2016, the country's prime minister KP Oli had signed ten major agreements with China on mostly infrastructure and connectivity projects.

Seen against this backdrop, it is not surprising that Nepal seems determined to build the cross-Himalayan rail despite high costs and the technical hurdles. There have been a number of assumptions about why China wants to build the railway, ranging from purely economic reasons to Chinas strategic interests having to do with Tibet to the supposed Chinese desire to predominate South Asian politics. But for Nepal, the goals seem fairly clear. Nepal wants alternative sea access as well as an opportunity to be a part of the Chinese growth train. Eventually, Nepal plans to extend the railway line to India and reap benefits as a major transit point for India-China trade. The Gyirong-Kathmandu railway, if completed, will have the potential to change the regions political and economic landscape and with careful planning and foresight, Nepal could potentially leverage the new linkage to transform its politics and economy. But given the state of affairs, there are also increasing concerns within Nepal on whether the Himalayan nation could engineer such access and benefit from it, and more significantly, if Nepal runs the risk of turning into a geopolitical scapegoat without much to gain from the undertaking.

An immediately apparent problem is the lack of clarity on how the project would be financed. There is a growing concern on whether the project would land Nepal into Chinese debt. Nepal has wanted the Chinese to fund the project through grants while China has hinted at the possibility of soft loans. So far, Nepali leaders have refused to buy into fears about Chinas debt trap diplomacy mostly raised in Indian and Western circles, but it is crucial to have a good sense of where Nepal stands in terms of its capacity to pay for the project.

Second, the issue of financing becomes even more important when seen in the light of the governments plan of developing the country as a transit point. Without commensurate plans to develop niche markets for its products, there is a fear that Nepal might end up being merely a stopover on a railway that it has paid to build with little value to add. For China, the railway through Nepal provides the advantage of the shortest and easiest route to the huge markets of North India, which it hopes to open for its comparatively underdeveloped western provinces. Nepal needs to be equally clear about what it wants to gain and how it would seek to maximise opportunities for Nepali businesses. There is also much talk about how the railway would attract trainloads of Chinese tourists to the country but little discussion on how Nepal plans to navigate the demographic pressures that a greater link with China would inevitably bring.

Third is the question of how Nepal plans to benefit from the project in terms of human capital development and building state capacity. How would the project engage and develop Nepali expertise, if at all? Public confidence in the governments capacity to see through major projects is at an all-time low, given the dismal state of basic infrastructure inside the country. Having witnessed every mega-project turn into a cash-cow enriching politicians, contractors and businessmen with nothing to show after decades of work, Nepalis are naturally sceptical of the governments capacity to build anything substantive. Much of the opposition to the rail project has actually stemmed from this suspicion and it will be on Olis government to prove such fears wrong.

Despite these challenges, the railway offers a promise that Nepalis have long held on to, of benefitting from their strategic location to become the bridge between India and China. Whether or not the project would be a game-changer as is being hoped for in Kathmandu is too far into the future. But at least for now, Nepalis seem determined to push ahead with their railway dream.

(Rubeena Mahato is a Nepali writer. She writes on global politics and development)According to reports, Apple is said to begin assembling its top-end iPhones in India through the local unit of Foxconn as early as 2019. This will also be the first time the Taiwanese contract manufacturer will make the iPhones in the country.

Most importantly, Foxconn will be assembling the high-end models in the X-series, potentially taking Apples business in India to a new level. The work will take place at Foxconns plant in Sriperumbudur town in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, said the report. Foxconn, which already makes phones for Xiaomi in India, will invest 25 billion Indian rupees to expand the plant.

This will include the investment in iPhone production, Tamil Nadus Industries Minister M C Sampath told Reuters. The investment may create as many as 25,000 jobs. This move will also help both Foxconn and Apple to limit the impact of a trade war between the United States and China. Until now, Apple has only assembled the lower-cost SE and 6S models in India through Wistron Corps local unit in the Bengaluru technology hub.

Apple launched the iPhone X last year but has cut production of that phone, since it began selling the newer versions; the iPhone XS and XR, globally this year. Apple could potentially get Foxconn to manufacture the older iPhone X version in India in a bid to get a bigger share of the worlds fastest-growing major mobile phone market.

Full details of Apples deal with Foxconn are not yet clear and could change at any point in time. It is also unclear whether the production will be confined to assembly or include any component production in India. Foxconn is also said to be considering setting up a factory in Vietnam. If this gets materialized, it will be one of the biggest steps by a major company to secure an additional production base outside of China.

SourceFull details of Apples deal with Foxconn are not yet clear and could change.

Mumbai/New Delhi: Apple will begin assembling its top-end iPhones in India through the local unit of Foxconn as early as 2019, the first time the Taiwanese contract manufacturer will have made the product in the country, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Importantly, Foxconn will be assembling the most expensive models, such as devices in the flagship iPhone X family, the source said, potentially taking Apples business in India to a new level.

The work will take place at Foxconns plant in Sriperumbudur town in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, said the source, who is not authorised to speak to the media and so declined to be named.

Foxconn, which already makes phones for Xiaomi Corp in India, will invest `2,500 crore to expand the plant, including investment in iPhone production, Tamil Nadus industries minister M.C. Sampath told Reuters.

The investment may create as many as 25,000 jobs, he added.

Another source also said Foxconn planned to assemble iPhones in India, in a move that could help both it and Apple to limit the impact of a trade war between the US and China.

Reuters is first to report the size of the investment and the kind of phones to be assembled.

Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller declined to comment. Foxconn said it did not comment on matters related to current or potential customers, or any of their products.

Until now, Cupertino, California-based Apple has only assembled the lower-cost SE and 6S models in India through Wistron Corps local unit in the Bengaluru technology hub.

Its sales in India have also been focused on lower-end phones  more than half of its sales volume is driven by models older than the iPhone 8, launched last year, according to research firm Counterpoint.

Apple launched the pricey iPhone X last year but has cut production of that phone, according to industry analysts, since it began selling the newer versions, iPhone XS and XR, globally this year.

Still, it could potentially get Foxconn to make the older iPhone X version in India where it sells cheaper models in a bid to get a bigger share of the worlds fastest growing major mobile phone market. Full details of Apples deal with Foxconn are not yet clear and could change.Vivo plans to launch 10 to 20 smartphones in 2019: Nipun Marya News oi-Priyanka Dua Vivo has recently launched NEX Dual Display Edition smartphone with 10GB RAM, futuristic dual display and a triple camera system at the rear.

After launching 17 smartphones in 2018, Chinese smartphone maker Vivo is planning to launch another 10-20 smartphones in 2019. Yes, you read that right. The company's director -- brand strategy, Nipun Marya revealed some key details in an interview with Gizbot.

"We are planning to launch 10- 20 smartphones between (8 to 40K) in 2019 across all price points," he said."We are very excited about 2019 because we tried some of the new things this year and they worked for us like we have launched our flagship device Nex," Marya added.

"Yes when the 5G will come we will launch allied devices," he replied when asked about launching accessories.

Meanwhile, the company has recently acquired additional 169-acre of land in Uttar Pradesh with an estimated investment of Rs 4000 crore to expand its manufacturing facilities in India.

"At present, we are producing 25 million smartphones in a year and now we are planning to double the current production capacity to 50 million units," Marya informed GizBot.

The existing manufacturing set-up, which saw an investment of Rs. 300 crore already functions at a capacity of 2 million units per month with more than 5,000 workers.

For those who are not aware, the company has recently launched NEX Dual Display Edition smartphone with 10GB RAM, futuristic dual display and a triple camera system at the rear.

The newly launched smartphone comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 octa-core processor along with 10GB RAM with 128GB storage.

It also has in-display fingerprint sensor and camera with 3D sensing technology for enhanced facial recognition.

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Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow NotificationsVoto V11, V12, V3, and V5x smartphones launched starting from Rs. 4,999 News oi-Abhinaya Prabhu Voto has launched four new budget smartphones.

Chinese smartphone brand Voto Mobiles has announced the launch of four budget smartphones in India. The company has launched the Voto V11, V12, V13 and V5x smartphones with the prime focus on the tier 2 and tier 3 cities. These smartphones are a blend of power packed features and dynamic design.

All these new 4 Voto phones run Android 7 Nougat and use a quad-core processor clubbed with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage space. These devices come with necessary connectivity features for users to stay connected to social networks.

Voto V11, V12, V3, and V5x specifications

The Voto V11 and Voto V12 feature a 5-inch HD display. On the imaging front, the V11 features an 8MP rear camera and a 5MP selfie camera while the V12 features a 13MP rear camera and an 8MP front camera. Talking about the V3, this smartphone comes with 5-inch HD display as the other two models and features 13MP rear cameras and a dual camera module with 13MP and 2MP. Finally, the Voto V5x features a relatively larger 5.2-inch display with a similar camera setup as the Voto V3.

All these Voto smartphones feature 2.5D curved HD display. The smartphones get the power from a 3000mAh battery. All these phones feature a powerful processor, multi-tasking support, uninterrupted app usage, rich graphic experience and optimized battery life. These smartphones come with powerful sensor and a stunning screen resolution. The HD displays render a spectacular quality view touts the company. Also, these phones arrive with an advanced design, innovative features, improved web performance and seamless multi-tasking experience.

The Voto smartphones are priced between Rs. 4,999 and Rs. 6,999. These phones will be available across all the premium retail stores across the country.

Commenting on the same, Santosh Singh, National Sales Head, VOTO India, "We are excited to mark a new milestone at VOTO with these best price Smart Phone series in India. VOTO is sure to create buzz and recreate benchmarks in the industry. VOTO has used its expertise to create a unique space having unmatched quality, distribution and pan-Indian service network in the Indian market."

Best Mobiles in India

Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow NotificationsThe veteran actor reveals how he had to rely on meditation for the first time ever to get into the skin of the character.

Veteran actor Anupam Kher will be seen playing an interesting yet challenging role in his forthcoming political biographical film, The Accidental Prime Minister. The versatile actor plays Dr Manmohan Singh, the former Prime Minister of India. The actor has devoted six months just to study the script of the movie. It was quite challenging to portray the role of a man who was our PM for a decade. To understand the nuances, his body language and to imbibe all the characteristics perfectly was a huge task, says the actor adding that it took him about six to seven months to prepare for this role. I watched 100 hours of his footage but the most challenging part was the voice. It is the most difficult role that I have done in my life, he added.

The veteran actor reveals how he had to rely on meditation for the first time ever to get into the skin of the character.

I have never meditated before for any of my roles but for this one, I used to meditate. It was a hard process. I also run an acting school and I am not an actor by fluke but here, I have worked really very hard.

The film also stars Akshay Khanna as Sanjay Baru, Arjun Mathur and Aahana Kumra as Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi, respectively. Suzanne Bernert is essaying the role of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

The Saaransh actor also revealed that he had turned down the offer earlier. He says, My first reaction was I should not be part of this film because Dr Manmohan Singh is a current political personality. Its not in the 90s or 60s or black and white era. So my first reaction was I dont want to do it. But when I was watching TV and saw him walking, the actor in me wanted to test if I can walk like him. I was a disaster and that challenged me to take up this role. I rehearsed for about 45 minutes still and did not get it right. I then decided to read the script and it was great.NASA's New Horizons to reach most distant object on New Year's eve News oi-Vishal Kawadkar NASA will collect important data to understand the solar system better.

While we welcome the new year on our planet, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft will enter the new year with a flyby of a very distant body in our solar system. In 2015, the spacecraft gave the world a glimpse of Pluto, and ever since, it's moving towards a distant Kuiper Belt called the Ultima Thule.

On the very first day of 2019, the New Horizons will reach Ultima Thule, where it will capture detailed images and collect useful data as a part of the most distant exploration of a space object till date. The spacecraft will come within 2200 miles of Ultima Thule, a tiny object around 19 miles wide and over 4 billion miles away from Earth.

The scientists believe that Ultima can provide clues about the formation of dwarf planets like Pluto and also help understand how the solar system was a billion years ago. Since Ultima is very far from the Sun, it's quite cold. It could be something around 35 degrees Kelvin over absolute zero. At this temperature, it's likely that Ultima hasn't changed much over time.

The #NewHorizons spacecraft is on final approach to #UltimaThule! Lots happening to get ready for our historic #NYE19 flyby in the #KuiperBelt. Get the latest from Mission Principal Investigator Alan Stern in this new blog post --> https://t.co/yDyVDmo4bf pic.twitter.com/cGjYCbaR6Q  NASA New Horizons (@NASANewHorizons) December 20, 2018

"Because of where it was formed and the fact that Ultima is not large enough to have a geologic engine like Pluto and larger planets, we expect that Ultima is the most well-preserved sample of a planetary building block ever explored," NASA's Alan Stern said in a blog post.

"What will Ultima reveal? No one knows," Stern wrote. "To me, that is what's most exciting -- this is pure exploration and fundamental science! The only prediction I made at Pluto is we'd find something wonderful, and we did," he said. "I think the fun of this is we don't know what we're going to see."

New Horizons snapped the first image of Ultima in August this year, and the images that will be captured will give a closer look at the small Kuiper Belt object.

The data that will be sent back will take around six hours to reach Earth and Stern says that the images will be ready for release by January 2nd.

"The Ultima Thule flyby is going to be fast, it's going to be challenging and it's going to yield new knowledge," wrote Stern. "Being the most distant exploration of anything in history, it's also going to be historic."

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Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow NotificationsThe rights of the original film have been taken, but then there seems to be a slip between the cup and the lip.

Tiger Shroff who has been working with Bang Bang director Siddharth Anand for an untitled project with Hrithik Roshan is expected to do an encore with the director for the film Rambo. The rights of the original film have been taken, but then there seems to be a slip between the cup and the lip.

Before Baaghi 2, Tiger was not a big star whose films could garner a lot of money, and when Munna Michael failed, the makers developed cold feet over the budget of the Indian version of Rambo.

Earlier this year, Siddharth had said that he and Tiger had mutually decided to take some time for the actor to prepare to get into Sylvester Stallones skin for the role.

I dont know whether I can talk about this at the moment. We did speak about starting off on Rambo after the release of Baaghi 3, he says.

Interestingly Tiger is also exploring doing a project with the producer of the Hollywood hit from the 90s  Mortal Kombat. Producer Lawrence Kasanoff has been in advanced talks with Shroff Jr for the film. But Tiger is not burning bright on the subject just yet.

I cannot speak about it at the moment, but it will happen and will be announced at the right time, says the actor.

 Sanskriti MediaThe accused were allegedly planning to jolt the national capital by a series of attacks and serial blasts.

According to NIA, a locally-made rocket launcher, material for suicide vests and 112 alarm clocks to be used as timers were recovered from the searches. (Photo: ANI)

New Delhi: The Patiala House court on Thursday granted 12-day custodial interrogation of 10 people arrested on the suspicion of being members of an ISIS-inspired module to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The accused were allegedly planning to jolt the national capital by a series of attacks and serial blasts.

On Wednesday, the NIA, in a joint operation with the special cell of the Delhi police and Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Uttar Pradesh police, unearthed the ISIS-inspired module Harkat ul Harb e Islam after raiding at six places in Jafrabad, Seelampur in Delhi, and 11 places in Uttar Pradesh.

In total, 16 persons were detained out of whom 10 were later arrested  five from Amroha in UP and five from Seelampur and Jafrabad localities in north-east Delhi.

The arrested accused were identified as Mufti Mohammed Suhail (29), Anas Yunus (24), Rashid Zafar Raq (23), Saeed (28), Saeeds brother Raees Ahmad, Zubair Malik (20), Zubairs brother Zaid (22), Saqib Iftekar (26), Mohammed Irshad (in late 20s) and Mohammed Azam (35).

The NIA had sought 15-day custodial interrogation of the accused as the agency claimed there was information that the accused were also planning to target political leaders, members of security forces and others.

The court of additional sessions judge Ajay Pandey carried out in-camera proceedings and permitted the probe agency to quiz the accused for 12 days.

During the hearing, the NIA suggested that there is a possibility of more people being involved in the alleged terror plot. The agency submitted the FIR to the court in a sealed envelope.

Out of 10, the court allowed six suspects to meet their relatives inside the courtroom for five minutes before all of them were sent to police custody.

However, Raqs family member could not meet him due to lack of original identity proof.

M.S. Khan, the lawyer representing all the accused, told the court that there is no specific information about the conspiracy that has been deposed in front of the court.

The NIA alleged that the group was conspiring and preparing to target places of importance in and around Delhi and Suhail, a resident of Jafrabad in north east Delhi, was instrumental in forming this pro-IS module along with his other associates who have mobilised funds.

Harkat ul Harb e Islam loosely translates to war for the cause of Islam. The arrested persons would be produced before the court on January 8.Sources said a host of issues, including Bhutans five-year development plan, is likely to be discussed during the visit.

New Delhi: Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering arrived here Thursday on a three-day visit during which he will hold talks with his counterpart Narendra Modi on a host of issues, including the Himalayan nations five-year development plan.

On his first visit to the country since taking cha-rge last month, Mr Tshering was received by minister of state for finance Shiv Pratap Shukla. He will be given a ceremonial reception on Friday and will hold talks with Prime Minister Modi the same day.

Sources said a host of issues, including Bhutans five-year development plan, is likely to be discussed during the visit.

The ministry of external affairs had earlier said the two sides are likely to discuss all aspects of bilateral relations, including high-level exchanges, people-to-people ties, and economic, development and hydropower cooperation.

The visit will provide an opportunity to both sides to review the progress in the multi-faceted partnership, and discuss ways and means to expand the enduring ties of friendship and cooperation, the MEA had said.

Time-tested relationship. Dr Lotay Tshering @PMBhutan received warmly by MoS Finance @BJPShivPShukla on arrival in Delhi for a 3-day State Visit at the invitation of PM @narendramodi. #IndiaBhutan celebrate 50th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations this year, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.The CPEC incidentally gives China access to the Indian Ocean through the shortest-possible land route available to it.

New Delhi: The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)  that passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)  is a direct challenge to Indian sovereignty, with much of the infrastructure such as fibre-optics and roads being of dual use (both civilian and military), top sources have said.

The CPEC incidentally is a flagship project of Chinas ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) which India has refused to join. But sources also said New Delhi was concerned about the manner in which contracts are awarded in the BRI projects in various countries since it feels it is not in accordance with international rules. Indian concerns regarding the CPEC have been conveyed to China, sources said.

New Delhi is understood to have been conveying to Beijing that connectivity projects should only be carried out after consultations with all countries in the region failing which such projects become a destabilising factor instead of stabilising the region. It is a well-known fact that Beijing has so far ignored New Delhis concerns on the CPEC.

However, looking at the larger picture, sources said ties with China are now on a normal track following the informal summit in the central Chinese city of Wuhan earlier this year between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Ties between the two Asian giants had nose-dived last year following the face-off between their two armies then at Doklam in Bhutanese territory which China claims as its own. But sources said Sino-Indian ties had now been restored and had in fact been heightened much to the satisfaction of both nations.

The CPEC incidentally gives China access to the Indian Ocean through the shortest-possible land route available to it. The CPEC  seen as a Sino-Pakistani strategic project  culminates at the Baloch port of Gwadar and has seen massive Chinese economic investment which is why it is actively backed by the Pakistani Government and military. India opposes the CPEC since New Delhi has always viewed PoK as Indian territory under the illegal occupation of Pakistan since 1947-48.

On other projects in the BRI carried out in other countries with Chinese assistance, sources said New Delhi was concerned about attempts made to change rules particularly in those countries in Indias neighbourhood with weak Governments or weak institutions. New Delhi is particularly concerned since such changes in rules mean that even private Indian companies cannot bid for projects in such countries.

New Delhi is likely to wait and watch whether Beijing heeds these concerns. But sources said there was no move on any Indias part to consider joining the BRI.

India is heaving a sigh of relief particularly with the turn of developments in tiny maritime neighbour Maldives where a new Government friendly to India has assumed office.

Sources said India had not requested for any military facility in the Maldives amid suspicions in some quarters that loyalists of former Maldivian president Abdulla Yameen may be trying to spread such misinformation against India.

Sources also said China has some doubts about the concept of the Indo-Pacific amid quadrilateral consultations between India, the US, Japan and Australia in the region. Sources made it clear that the Quadrilateral was not an alliance but rather a consultation mechanism between the four countries.I live many miles from Green River, but I remember visiting you town back in 2013. I enjoyed the motel and the food up near the interstate.

The HR299 bill, which Senator Enzi objected to, was not a new expenditure. It was simply a return of benefits that were taken from the Blue Water Navy back in 2002. For 16 years, we have been exiled from the thousands of Vietnam veterans whose claims come on the VA acknowledging that the veteran has illnesses that may have come from Agent Orange. These veterans who served what is referred to as in-country rather than aboard ship are provided benefits through the allowance of presumptive exposure to the dioxins in the Agent Orange defoliate. The veterans who the VA designated as being in country have no scientific proof of exposure.

There is no scientific evidence according to the Institute of Medicine. Before the VA made the bias removal of those who served aboard ship, all who served in waters and on land and received the Vietnam service medal were eligible. That all changed in 2002. The sixteen years we have gone without benefits sure amounted to near the same amount it would cost for us to have our benefits.

The Senator express concerned of the cost. The House voted 382-0 to return our benefits. The Senate, with the exception of Enzi and Lee of Utah, supported the bill. The bill sat for six months while 400 Vietnam veterans died each day.

Fifty years ago, I never heard anyone object to the cost of war and to the cost of sending us to Vietnam. The objection from Enzi is nothing more than him be a pawn for leadership Mitch McConnell.

Enzi is a go-to boy waiting for his chance to be famous. Well Senator, you are a real combatant as you will have killed a good number of us who were there while you sit on your butt back in Wyoming.

So others might know our hurt, you sir, are a disgrace. You have dishonored 90,000 navy veterans. You have disgraced yourself and your service in the Senate.

Charles Muse

Jonesborough, TennFormer Prime Minister Manmohan Singh evaded comments when he was asked about the trailer of the movie based on him.

Maharashtra Youth Congress has written to producers of 'The Accidental Prime Minister' asking for a special screening before the launch on January 11. (Photo: Twitter Screengrab/ @TAPMofficial)

Mumbai: Soon after the trailer of the biopic The Accidental Prime Minister based on former prime minister Manmohan Singhs years in office was released, it has created a furore in the political fraternity.

On Thursday, the Congress demanded special screening of the movie as they wanted to ensure that none of the scenes is factually incorrect.

Maharashtra Youth Congress president Satyajeet Tambe Patil has written to the producers asking for a special screening before the launch on January 11.

Patil said from the trailer it appears that "facts have been played with and presented in incorrect manner with regards to the ex-prime minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress party to malign the image of the party which is not acceptable to us."

Warning of 'other options to stop the screening across India' the statement further said that "if the said movie is released without prior screening for our office bearers and without making necessary changes recommended by us, it will be understood that you are doing this deliberately".

On Friday, when ex-PM was asked about the trailer of the movie based on him, Manmohan Singh evaded comments.

Asked by journalists to comment on the movie at the Congress' foundation day function at the party headquarters on Friday, Manmohan Singh walked away without saying anything.

Congress leaders quipped that the Anupam Kher-starrer The Accidental Prime Minister based on the book by Sanjaya Baru-- Manmohan Singh's media advisor between 2004 and 2008 is BJP's propaganda against their party.

Congress leader and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said propaganda against the Congress and its leaders would not work and the truth shall prevail.

His colleague, Congress leader P L Punia, accused the BJP of evading answers on its mis-governance after having failed on all fronts.

This is the handiwork of the BJP. They know that time has come to give answers after completion of five years and they are now trying to divert attention by raising such issues and evade answering to the public after its government failed on all fronts, he said.

The trailer was well received by the ruling BJP, which tweeted the clip along with praises. In its official Twitter account, the BJP also posted review of the trailer where it said, Riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years. Was Dr Singh just a regent who was holding on to the PM's chair till the time heir was ready? Watch the official trailer of The Accidental Prime Minister, based on an insider's account, releasing on 11 Jan!

Riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years. Was Dr Singh just a regent who was holding on to the PMs chair till the time heir was ready? Watch the official trailer of #TheAccidentalPrimeMinister, based on an insiders account, releasing on 11 Jan! pic.twitter.com/ToliKa8xaH  BJP (@BJP4India) December 27, 2018

Responding to the BJP, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala took to Twitter and said, such fake propaganda by the party would not stop it from asking the Modi government questions on rural distress, rampant unemployment, demonetisation disaster, flawed GST, failed Modinomics, all pervading corruption.

Meanwhile, protagonist Anupam Kher, who is essaying the role of Manmohan Singh said, Dont anticipate the film, the film has been made, so many things are happening in the country, this will happen too.

The trailer shows Manmohan Singh as a victim of the Congress' internal politics ahead of the 2014 general elections.

Veteran actor Anupam Kher is seen portraying the 86-year-old who ruled the country for a decade until the Congress was voted out of power in 2014.

The trailer also shows glimpses of difficult episodes in Manmohan Singhs tenure, mostly internal churnings in the Congress. In one scene, Manmohan Singh is shown as saying he wants to resign. To which, the then Congress president Sonia Gandhi says: "There is one corruption scandal after another. In this situation, how can Rahul (Gandhi) take over?"

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah also tweeted on the trailer of the movie, saying, "Can't wait for when they make The Insensitive Prime Minister. So much worse than being the accidental one."

Abdullah also reacted upon the Maharashtra Congress decision of stop thre screening of the movie. As much as the Congress, its branches/off-shoots & other well wishers of Dr Manmohan Singh may find the movie disagreeable, we cant talk about intolerance & then threaten to stop all screenings. Dr Singhs record & legacy wont be the product of one single movie or book, Abdullah tweeted.

During the trailer launch, when Anupam Kher was asked if the BJP, which lost three state elections recently to the Congress, could use the movie to its advantage in the campaign for the 2019 national election, he said, If I would have been in politics I would have definitely told them to do so. But I am an actor, they will decide.

Kher also said that there was nothing wrong in the timing of the film's release.

The movie is directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte and the role of Sanjaya Baru is played by Akshaye Khanna.The Congress in its election manifesto had declared to write off farm loans up to Rs 2 lakh for each farmer.

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh government was yet to finalise the farm loan waiver policy even as the deadline set for writing off crop debt by Congress president Rahul Gandhi expired on Thursday.

The state government may come out with the policy setting the deadline to waive crop outstanding on January five, official sources told this newspaper here.

A draft policy on farm loan waiver was presented before the state cabinet which met under the chairmanship of chief minister Kamal Nath here on Thursday.

A draft policy on farm loan waiver has been presented before the cabinet meet. The date set earlier for writing off outstanding may be revised to benefit all the farmers who have taken crop loans, state minister Bala Bachhan, who was yet to allocate portfolio, told reporters here after the cabinet meeting.

A minister who attended the cabinet meeting told this newspaper that the state government was mulling the proposal to set December 17, 2018, when the chief minister took oath, the deadline to assess the crop outstanding and write them off.

The state cabinet may approve the final draft policy on the matter in its next meeting, scheduled to be held on January five.

Incidentally, Congress president Rahul Gandhi had earlier promised to waive the farm loans within ten days of Congress forming the government in the state. The deadline set by Mr Gandhi to write off farm loans in MP expired on Thursday.

The Congress in its election manifesto had declared to write off farm loans up to Rs 2 lakh for each farmer.

After assuming office on December 17, the chief minister ordered to waive farm outstanding in the state up to March 31 this year.

The decision has however invited criticism by Opposition BJP which described it as betrayal of farmers by going for partial waiving of farm loans by the state government.

The BJP contended that the defaulters would only benefit by the decision to write off crop outstanding up to March 31, 2018, leaving the farmers who repay their loans regularly high and dry and demanded to waive outstanding up to December 31, 2018 to extend the benefit to all peasants.A couple of members from Andhra Pradesh too were in the well of the House demanding special status for the state.

New Delhi: Both Houses of Parliament faced adjournments on Thursday as Opposition members continued to create ruckus over several issues.

The Rajya Sabha was Thursday adjourned for the day without transacting any business after pandemonium over issues ranging from the construction of a dam on the Cauvery River to violence in Uttar Pradeshs Bulandshahr district.

While slogan shouting members of Tamil parties AIADMK and DMK trooped into the well of the House over construction of Mekadatu Dam on the Cauvery, Samajwadi Party and BSP members raised the issue of mob violence in Bulandshahr that left two dead, including an inspector rank police officer. A couple of members from Andhra Pradesh too were in the well of the House demanding special status for the state.

Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu said nothing that the protesting members were saying would go on record and then adjourned the proceedings for the day. As nobody seems to be interested I have no option but to adjourn the House for the day, he said before adjourning the proceedings till Friday.

The trouble started soon after the House mourned the death of its former members N. Rajangam and Jai Narain Prasad Nishad and listed papers were presented to the House. Members of Tamil parties shouted slogans from the well of the House, seeking justice for the state over the Cauvery issue while SP and BSP members stood in their places raising the issue of Bulandshahr violence. TMC leader Derek OBr-ien too was up on his feet trying to a raise an issue but could not be heard in the din. Thursday was the first sitting of the House after the four-day Christmas break.

Meanwhile, Lok Sabha also faced repeated adjournments on Thursday amid continuous protests by opposition parties over the Rafale deal and Cauvery issues. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan forced to adjourn the House till 2 pm. after members from the Congress, TDP, and AIADMK jumped into the well with placards and started shouting slogans. Although few members managed to raise certain issues during the Zero Hour, the continuous sloganeering by opposition parties forced Mahajan to adjourn the House till 2 PM.

Earlier, soon after the Question Hour began, Congress leader Mallik-arjun Kharge wanted to raise the issue of Rafale deal but Mahajan said the matter can be raised during the Zero Hour. Lok Sabha proceedings were disrupted as vociferous protests and sloganeering over various issues forced Ms Mahajan to adjourn the House till noon.Chidambaram said that eight months' revenue collection was less than 50 per cent of target and fiscal deficit was 115 per cent of estimate.

"PM says that Cong govts' loan waivers are only to win polls. So, shall we assume that PM's 'Farmers' Relief Plan' is intended to lose elections?' he tweeted. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks that Congress' loan waivers were only to win elections, asking whether the PM's 'farmers' relief plan' was intended to lose polls.

The former Union minister claimed the plan of the BJP would imitate the previous Madhya Pradesh government's plan of paying farmers the difference between the minimum support price and market price and said the earlier plan had brought no relief to the indebted farmers.

"The prime minister says that Congress governments' loan waivers are only to win elections. So, shall we assume that PM's 'Farmers' Relief Plan' is intended to lose elections?" he tweeted.

"The 'pay the difference' plan will help only the farmer who has a marketable surplus. What about the farmer who has no marketable surplus? He is also in debt," he tweeted.

P Chidambaram also said that eight months' revenue collection was less than 50 per cent of target and the fiscal deficit was 115 per cent of the estimate.

"Where is the money for the new plan," he asked.Connecticut Magazine has asked their readers to share their favorite places to eat and drink  and once again, readers responded in force. Now the ballots have been counted, and Connecticut Magazine is pleased to present the winners of their 40th Readers' Choice Awards.

In the statewide and county results, more than 70 restaurant and food categories ranked some of residents' most favorite dining spots in the state, making it the biggest, most extensive Readers' Choice ever.Welcome to Green Entrepreneur's video recap of the three biggest news trends hosted by yours truly, Conrad Martin.

Legalization was a big ticket in 2018, and will probably be again in 2019. Domestically, California, Massachusetts, Vermont, Missouri, Utah, and Michigan all legalized medical and/or recreational adult use. Internationally, Canada was the big story as they federally legalized cannabis across the entire country.

Related: New York Goes Green

CBD. Is. Everywhere...

CBD was all the buzz this year. People flocked to products containing the cannabinoid and companies started putting it in everything. But the biggest news in CBD was the FDA approval of epidiolex - a cbd medication aimed at preventing seizures.

Related: 5 Things You Should Know About CBD

We're the source!

Last but - definitely not least - 2018 marked the launch of greenentrepreneur.com - Entrepreneur magazine and dot com's latest platform and resource for all things cannabis. Want to keep up with all of next years cannabis trends? Make sure to stay tuned to greenentrepreneur.com and look out for the week in weed and some fun new content!

Related:

Land the Job You Want with This Expert-Led Cover Letter Course

Home-grown Companies Dominate the 2018 List of Most-attractive Brand in India

Young Arab Leaders Hosts British Council-HSBC Taqaddam Winners



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reservedFAIRFIELD, Conn.  It was a lively scene at The Chelsea restaurant on Dec. 18 when their very own head chef, Eric Felitto, was announced as the winner of the most recent episode of Chopped on the Food Network.

Mike Fedell, the general manager at The Chelsea for the past year-and-a-half, said that customers and attendees had booked reservations and were waiting in their spots almost three hours prior to the shows 9 p.m. broadcast. A 100-inch HD television was brought in for the viewing party.

In and out, there were probably around 100 people who attended, Fedell said. I was so excited and nervous leading up to it, but I had confidence in Eric and as we watched the episode, we all felt more and more confident.

For Felitto, it was an 11-month wait from the taping of the show to the moment when he would actually bask in the victory of his achievement.

It was horrible keeping that secret. Someone would ask me about when I would be on as we got closer and closer to the release, Felitto said.

Felitto has worked at The Chelsea since July 2013, starting as sous chef and becoming head chef 11 months later. Felitto also is the co-owner of the Tasty Yolk food-cart business.

Since its happened, my phone has been going off nonstop, Felitto said. Its a little weird and especially with social media, Ive had to put the phone away.

Felitto still remembers the morning of Jan. 18, when he went to the Harlem section of New York for the taping of the show after an exhausting series of shifts. He and three other chefs were tasked with making three breakfast courses: appetizer, entree and dessert.

I was so beat. It was early in the morning and I had just done three shifts until 5 a.m. each day, Felitto said. I got on the first round and I felt that all of my cooking was tired and I wasnt sure where things in the kitchen were.

As the competition progressed, however, Felitto began getting into the swing of things, his confidence buoying him.

The judges included big names like Martha Stewart, Marc Murphy and Amanda Freitag.

I felt more comfortable because I started knowing where things were and talking to the judges. It felt better and the nerves were going away, Felitto said.

When the judges announced their final decision, which included an award of $10,000, Felitto was stunned.

It was surreal, it didnt register at first at all and it felt amazing, Felitto said.

Mike Bertanza, co-owner of Tasty Yolk, has known Felitto since their school days together at Stratfield Elementary.

Im so proud of him, Bertanza said. He has worked so hard to get where he is and I also know from hearing a few people say that his performance has inspired them.

Bertanza said that the shows popularity has helped boost the Tasty Yolk's notoriety in town. The duo recently opened their third food cart  and first in their hometown  on Nov. 1.

Keeping his victory secret from people was difficult, but Felitto has appreciated the way the television show has brought more attention to his food-cart business and The Chelsea.

For the foreseeable future, Felitto plans to stay where he said he belongs: cooking breakfast and American cuisine.

Im just going to keep doing what Ive always been doing, Felitto said. Its funny how much a television competition can change thingsand if that means people come try my food, thats the goal.

humberto.juarez@hearstmediact.comProbe revealed that the man, who is 47 years old, was suffering from a mental ailment, a police officer said.

He felt certain that this 'alien object' was sending critical information about Earth to its home planet, and dashed off an email to the PMO seeking investigation, the officer said. (Representational Image)

Pune: The Pune police were sent on a wild goose chase recently after a man sent an email to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) claiming to have spotted an alien object outside his house.

Probe revealed that the man, who is 47 years old, was suffering from a mental ailment, a police officer said today.

The man, resident of Kothrud area, sent an email to the PMO saying he had seen an "alien object" outside his house.

After the PMO forwarded the letter to the Maharashtra government, police got instructions to look into the matter, said an official attached to the Sinhgad Road police station.

The police tracked down the sender of the email a few days ago, the officer said.

"The man had had brain hemorrhage some years ago and since then he has lost his mental balance. A couple of months ago he saw light in the trees outside his bungalow and thought it was coming from some alien object," said the officer.

He felt certain that this "alien object" was sending critical information about Earth to its home planet, and dashed off an email to the PMO seeking investigation, the officer said. "Even his family members were not aware that he had sent such an email," said the officer.Russia warned the U.S. against any effort to influence the royal succession in Saudi Arabia, offering its support to embattled Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who's under continuing pressure over the killing of a government critic.

President Vladimir Putin's envoy to the Middle East said Prince Mohammed has every right to inherit the throne when the ailing 82-year-old King Salman dies.

"Of course we are against interference. The Saudi people and leadership must decide such questions themselves," Mikhail Bogdanov, who is also deputy foreign minister, said in an interview in Moscow on Tuesday. "The King made a decision and I can't even imagine on what grounds someone in America will interfere in such an issue and think about who should rule Saudi Arabia, now or in the future. This is a Saudi matter."

Senior U.S. lawmakers have blamed the crown prince the murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey, a conclusion they said was backed by the Central Intelligence Agency. The Saudi government has repeatedly denied the prince's involvement and said he was killed by government agents in a botched plan to force his return home. Russia says it accepts the Saudi account.

Russia has built increasingly close ties to Saudi Arabia since King Salman appointed Prince Mohammed as his heir, turning the 33-year-old into the oil-rich kingdom's de facto ruler. The two countries have cooperated in limiting oil production to support prices under the OPEC+ arrangement and Putin is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia next year.

Last month at the G-20 summit in Argentina, Putin and Prince Mohammed greeted each other with broad grins and a high five handshake even as the Saudi crown prince faced a chilly reception from other leaders in the wake of the Khashoggi killing.

After the only surviving full brother of King Salman, Prince Ahmed, returned to Saudi Arabia from London in late October, speculation emerged that disgruntled members of the Saudi royal family might seek to install Ahmed, the crown prince's uncle, instead of him as king. Prince Mohammed has steadily amassed more power since he became the heir to the throne in 2017, sidelining his rivals.

Senior U.S. officials indicated they might back Prince Ahmed as king, Reuters reported last month, citing unidentified people close to the Saudi court. While President Donald Trump has sought to emphasize the importance of the U.S. alliance with Saudi Arabia, prominent senators have come out against the crown prince, with one, Republican Lindsey Graham, describing him as "crazy" and "dangerous."

Asked if Prince Mohammed has the right to succeed his father, Bogdanov said: "Of course. It's all been decided, it's all absolutely clear. We are in contact with the Saudis and we don't see any particular concerns about this."Earlier this week, rumors suggested Apple and Foxconn are moving part of the production of 2019 iPhones from China to India. Today, Reuters confirmed the Taiwanese supplier and contractor will use its plant in Sriperumbudur, a town in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

The states Industries Minister M C Sampath said the plant is already used for making Xiaomi phones, but Foxconn will invest $356 million in expanding the product line to meet the orders by Apple. Such an investment may create as many as 25,000 jobs in the region, he added.

According to one source that spoke with Reuters, Foxconn will be assembling the most expensive models - the iPhone X family. Another insider revealed Apple is proactively pushing for the move to limit any eventual impact from the trade war that is currently going on between the United States and China.

Up until now, Apples partner Wistron Corp has been assembling the iPhone SE and iPhone 6S in Bengaluru. The Cupertino company has a marginal market share in the country, where users are focused on lower-end devices. More than half of the sales are models older than the iPhone 8, launched in September 2017.

SourceToday, Google announced a new initiative for new and existing Google Fit users. In honor of the upcoming new year and in honor of the many people who make resolutions only to give them up in the first month, Google is going to offer monthly fitness challenges on the Google Fit app in hopes that theyll help Google Fit users stay on track.





Right now, you can head to the Google Fit app and sign up for a 30-day challenge which will begin on January 1. The app will offer encouragement throughout the month and to help push these Fit challenges, Google has garnered the help of 36 YouTube and Instagram influencers from 9 countries around the world.

For more inspiration, weve teamed up with 36 influencers from nine countries around the globe to show us how theyre earning their Heart Points. Follow #GetFitWithGoogle on Instagram and YouTube to see how others are tackling the challenge, or share your own tips and tricks on how you #GetFitwithGoogle with your favorite Heart Points workout.

In the blog post, Google offers some ways to stay active during the winter months: go sledding, shovel some snow, park further away, ski or snowboard, or catch a spin class (?).

The first challenge focuses on earning more Heart Points. Earn one Heart Point per minute for moderate activity like fast-walking or earn two Heart Points per minute for more rigorous activity like running or biking.

SourceWeve been hearing rumors and speculation about two new Pixel devices said to be Lite versions of their already-available Pixel 3 counterparts. Renders of the phone have already leaked, giving us an idea of what these premium mid-rangers might look like - in the Pixel 3's likeness.

The latest piece of news from Android Police claims that the Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 XL Lite will be announced for Verizon in early spring which could signify either an April or May announcement in 2019. This could position its timing just around six months before Googles usual MadeByGoogle launch event, which usually takes place sometime in October  offsetting the launch of the companys premium Pixel offering.

Google hasnt released a mid-range version of the Pixel before. The last time weve seen a similar approach from Google was with the final release of Nexus smartphones: The Nexus 6P was the premium offering while the Nexus 5X was a clear mid-ranger in specs and in price.



Alleged renders of the Pixel 3 'Lite' and Pixel 3 XL 'Lite'

The smaller Pixel 3 Lite is rumored to have a 5.5-inch display while the larger XL Lite is said to have a 6-incher, both with 18:9 aspect ratio displays. The two phones will come with 4GB of RAM, 32GB of on-board storage, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The devices might be powered by either a Snapdragon 670 or 710 CPU. In the camera department, were looking at the same 12MP main and 8MP front cameras that come with the Pixel 3 and 3 XL. Of course, we might see some lower-end sensors but will definitely see Googles imaging software prowess.

With this new rumor, Verizon will likely remain Google's exclusive carrier in the US at least for the first half of 2019. We'd expect to see unlocked variants become available as well, but Sprint compatibility might be up in the air.

If youre wondering why Google would want to release mid-range versions of its Pixel flagships, the clearest reason is so that it can expand availability to emerging markets. This years Pixel 3 devices are the most expensive yet (Pixel 3 starts at $799 and 3 XL, $899), so its only fitting that Google would want to fill in the gap with a lower-cost device.

As of right now, pricing is not known, but with the Pocophone and OnePlus sitting comfy in the $300 and $500 price brackets, respectively, Google should aim somewhere in the middle. Of course, if these Pixel midrangers can take better photos than the OnePlus 6T, it will be a much easier sell.

SourceThe centre is expected to call a joint meeting of the heads of both the states in the next 10-15 days to iron out the differences.

Kumaraswamy met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday and thanked the centre for giving clearance to the state government for preparing the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Mekedatu project. (Photo: File)

Bengaluru: HD Kumaraswamy on Thursday said Tamil Nadu and Karnataka were not "Indo-Pak enemies" and the states can resolve the matter of proposed Mekedatu project on Cauvery River amicably.

The centre is expected to call a joint meeting of the heads of both the states in the next 10-15 days to iron out the differences.

Kumaraswamy met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday and thanked the centre for giving clearance to the state government for preparing the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Mekedatu project.

The two main Tamil Nadu parties-- AIADMK and DMK-- have been opposing the project and disrupting proceedings in both Houses of Parliament for more than a week.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned Thursday over the issue.

To counter the protest, Karnataka lawmakers, cutting across the party lines, staged an agitation in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue inside the parliament complex.

Speaking to reporters after meeting the Prime Minister, Kumaraswamy said, "Yesterday, I had requested Union Water Resources Minister (Nitin Gadkari) to convene a meeting of chief ministers of the two states to resolve the matter. He agreed and directed his officials to fix a meeting".

"In another 10-15 days, he may call a meeting," the Karnataka chief minister appealed Tamil Nadu to resolve the matter amicably instead of fighting in courts.

"The fight is going on. This will not be solved legally. We have to resolve it amicably. Facing a legal battle is different. We are not Indo-Pak enemies, we are brothers. We have to discuss and resolve," he said.

The JD(S) leader added the proposed Mekedatu project would be more beneficial to Tamil Nadu and requested the AIADMK and DMK not to make the issue a political one.

"I request political parties not to make it a political issue. We can sit and solve. It is not a big issue," he said, adding the Karnataka government was abiding with the Supreme Court order.

"The state (Karnataka) is proposing to construct the Mekedatu dam to ensure that surplus water does not flow from Cauvery into the sea. Please accept our project," Kumaraswamy said.



Haiti - FLASH : The Dominican Republic sends reinforcements to the border





On Thursday, the Dominican Republic sent 600 soldiers to reinforce the border with Haiti to fight against the illegal return of Haitians during and after the holiday season. These reinforcements will remain in place until January 13 as part of the anti-return operation https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26463-haiti-alert-dr-announces-an-operation-against-the-anti-return-of-haitians-after-the-holidays.html



Major General Gonell Regalado said that the objective was to cover some of the weak points of the border, through which many Haitians enter illegally and also to reinforce the border control points stating "There will be all-terrain vehicles in addition, equipment night vision, 3 additional helicopters and many other specialized equipment to ensure a better job in this region of the country "which will be added to the 500 cameras already in place with infrared vision, 3 helicopters and the fleet of 30 drones to long range of operations in operation for several months in addition to maritime surveillance by patrol boats.



These reinforcements are in addition to the existing control system which includes 80 permanent military posts and more than 7,000 deployed men, which monitors day and night the 360 km border on the Dominican side according to the Dominican Minister of Defense, the Lieutenant. General Ruben Dario Paulino Sem https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-25171-icihaiti-dr-78-military-posts-and-more-than-7-000-men-guard-the-border-on-the-dominican-side.html



Although the number of military personnel deployed at the border seems important, it should be noted that these numbers represent just over 15% of the Dominican Armed Forces.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26463-haiti-alert-dr-announces-an-operation-against-the-anti-return-of-haitians-after-the-holidays.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23855-haiti-dr-review-of-the-strengthened-security-operation-on-the-dominican-border.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-23779-icihaiti-dr-follow-up-of-the-implementation-of-the-surveillance-system-at-the-border.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23724-haiti-flash-dr-new-military-reinforcements-long-range-uavs-and-cameras-on-the-border.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24393-haiti-flash-new-military-reinforcement-at-the-dominican-border.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21618-haiti-flash-dominican-army-sends-900-more-troops-to-reinforce-border.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20738-haiti-dr-dominicans-militarily-strengthen-their-border.html



SL/ HaitiLibre

















Published on 2018/12/27 | Source

Actor Cha Joo-hyuk has been arrested for drugs 14 days after he was released from prison.

Advertisement

According to police, Cha Joo-hyuk caused a scene in the halls of his apartment on the 25th. He banged and kicked on other people's doors and shouted wildly. When his neighbors wouldn't open the door, he caused a bigger scene.

In the end, the neighbors and the security called the cops and had him arrested around 4:45AM in the morning. Police discovered signs of drug use, which he admitted to.

Cha Joo-hyuk was charged with violating the law on drug management and was sentenced to a year and 6 months in jail. He was released just on the 14th of December.

"We applied for an arrest warrant for the crime itself, which is a serious crime, and a re-offense during the period of the crime, and with several similar incidents on his record", said a police official on Sunday. In response, the Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant after conducting an interrogation of the suspect before he was arrested for fear he would flee.

Meanwhile, Cha Joo-hyuk debuted in 2010 with a group, but quit when he was embroiled in a sex scandal from the past.Published on 2018/12/28 | Source

Advertisement

Musical "Shinheung Military Academy" has been nominated as Best Musical at the upcoming annual Korea Musical Awards.

The musical, which tells about the friendship between Korean freedom fighters training in Manchuria during the Japanese colonial rule in early 1900's, is competing against "1446", "Hourglass" , "The Grinning Man", and "Hamlet: Alive".

Furthermore, Im Chan-min was nominated as Best New Actress for her impressive portrayal of Hye-ran, one of the key characters in Shinheung Military Academy.

The nominations were revealed Thursday at a press conference, ahead of the Korean Musical Awards ceremony scheduled to take place at 7 P.M. on January 14, 2019 at Blue Square in Yongsan, central Seoul.

Other categories include best actor, best actress, best new actor, best little theater musical, best ensemble, best producer, best script among new musicals, best music, best choreography, and best directing.

Winners will be selected by 100 experts and 100 fans, with the experts' votes weighted to account for 80 percent of the overall score.

The Korean Musical Awards was established in 2016 by the Korea Musical Theater Association and it aims to strengthen ties among thespians and distinguish the best, serving as a stepping stone for Korean musicals to reach further to audiences abroad.

Meanwhile, musical Shinheung Military Academy is top billed by enlisted celebrities Kang Ha-neul, Ji Chang-wook and Sunggyu. The army production celebrates the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Korean armed forces in 1948.

The nationwide tour is currently ongoing with Suwon as the next stop on December 29 to 30, 2019 at Gyeonggi Arts Centre Main Hall.

The final stop will be in Daegu from January 4 to 6, 2019 at Keimyung Art Center.

By MichelleStaff and wire report

A nationwide problem with service from telephone and internet provider Century Link has included the Havre area.

Many CenturyLink customers across the U.S. were without internet Thursday amid a lengthy outage that even affected some Verizon customers.

The outage began early in the day, but by late Thursday night, the company tweeted that its engineers had identified a network element that was affecting services and expected to fully restore services within hours.

Monroe, Louisiana-based CenturyLink didnt provide details of the problem and it didnt indicate how many customers were affected. Customers from New York to California, including throughout Montana, reported outages.

Century Link media relations officer Stephanie Meisse sent an updated release to the Havre Daily News at 8:52 this morning.

Restoring impacted services for our customers is very important to us, the release said. We are seeing good progress, but our service restoration work is not complete. Our teams are continuing their efforts to resolve these issues and we will continue to provide updates throughout the day.

This was in response to questions from the Havre Daily including what caused the outage, how extensive was it, when service would be restored and if customers would see a credit for their time without service.

Century Link sent out a series of tweets Thursday and early today, saying technical teams were working on the problem, tweeting at 8;47 p.m. Mountain Time Thursday that service was expected to be restored within four hours, then tweeting at 3:38 this morning that its teams had discovered additional problems.

We continue to make good progress with our recovery efforts and we are working tirelessly until restoration is complete, the tweet said. We apologize for the disruption.

The interruption had caused problems with some essential as well as day-to-day services.

The Helena Police Department in Lewis and Clark County also posted on their Facebook page that its 911 center was being affected by the CenturyLink outage. The notice said that cellphones appeared to be working property, but land-line calls were sporadically not going through. The Missoula County 911 has not reported any problems.

In Missoula, the Missoula Federal Credit Union posted a notice on its Facebook page that due to a CenturyLink outage, the bank was experiencing technical issues with its ATMs, the mobile app and online banking via its website.The third government shutdown of 2018 has completed its first week and many agencies statewide are feeling the effects, including in north-central Montana.

Fort Belknap Indian Reservation said that, without new federal funding, it will have to put a contingency plan into effect next week that will include cutting services.

We have essential government services that we need to provide, Community Council President Andrew Werk Jr. said in a press release. The government needs to come to an agreement and get a budget passed so that we can continue to provide these services to our community at full capacity. Our priority is the health and safety of our community.

The government shutdown started midnight last Friday and shows no sign of ending any time soon.

The Fort Belknap release said the tribal government can continue full operations through Friday, Jan. 4, but because it appears the shutdown will continue past that, at this point, the Fort Belknap Indian Community will fully implement their Fort Belknap Indian Community Contingency Plan, which places the Fort Belknap Indian Community tribal government operations in shutdown status that will include some layoffs and the shutting down of some services and systems.

The release said that during this time the Fort Belknap Indian Community tribal government will remain in service, although there will be a decrease in program spending. It added that this excludes essential services such as public safety, social services, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, the Women, Infants and Children program, and medical transportation.

The release states that once the contingency plan goes into motion approximately 185 of the 359 tribal employees will be furloughed. It added that 74 temporary employees have already been let go since the shut down.

A representative of Rocky Boys Indian Reservation, who declined to give her name, said the shutdown will not affect the operations of Rocky Boy, which is a self-governing reservation.

A Farm Services Agency release said FSA had enough funding to continue operations through today.

It added that if people need to visit their local FSA county office they will need to call ahead of time to ensure the FSA office is open.

Farm loan services will be limited. People can sign up for the Market Facilitation Program, which ends Jan 15. People do not need to be finished with harvest to sign up. Farmers have until May 1 to certify production.

The Bureau of Land Management office in Havre plays a recorded message when called, saying the office is closed due to a lapse in government funding.

U.S. Border Patrol community relations officer Michael Rappold said the agency is considered essential and is continuing full operations.

Agencies considered essential continue operations during a shutdown, although personnel are not paid during the shutdown. They generally receive back pay after funding is restored.

Not all programs that rely on federal funding were impacted.

Hill County Health Department Kim Larsen said the health department was not affected by the government shutdown and that WIC is still running as usual.

Marissa Perry, Gov. Steve Bullocks press secretary, said in an email to the Havre Daily News Thursday that, in anticipation of the government shutdown, Montana directed agencies to work with federal partners to ensure all fundings for programs have been secured and Montana expects little-to-no-impact for state-based services such as public health, public safety and public education.

Montana was one of the few states able to weather the three-week federal government shutdown in 2013 without any gaps in service or employee furloughs, she added in the email.

Some federal agencies also continued full operations because their funding was approved prior to the shutdown.

Bureau of Reclamation representative Jack Conner said that agency was not affected by the government shutdown.

Conner said that because their budget was allocated a month or two ago, they were able to avoid experiencing many of the hardships other agencies are enduring.

We have some people out on leave for the holiday, but thats normal, Conner added.

A release from Bullocks office issued last Friday said he and Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan called on Congress and the Trump Administration to reach an agreement and avert the shutdown  hours before it went into effect.

A federal shutdown is indicative of a government that is not working, they wrote in a letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Paul Ryan and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Governors compromise every day. We must work with partners in our legislatures and with stakeholders throughout our states, the governors wrote in the letter. It is not a choice; it is a necessity to ensure the citizens we serve in our states  the same ones you represent at the national level  have access to the basic functions that allow them to lead good lives. Governors are not able to entrench ourselves and enter stalemates that shut down our governments. States are better than that  and so too is the federal government.

Montanans expect their government to get things done, Bullock said in the press release. Our legislature is majority Republican and we dont always see eye to eye on everything, but at the end of the day we come together and we govern. We can have legitimate differences over public policy, but all Americans should expect more from the greatest country in the world than to shut down our government based on political brinkmanship.Havre City Councils Vacant Properties Ad-Hoc Committee took the next step Thursday in creating a Vacant Properties Registry Ordinance, and a state representative said he plans to bring the issue up in next years Legislature, as well.

The council created the Ad-Hoc Committee in June 2017 after Montana State University-Northern grant writer Samantha Clawson raised concerns at council meetings about vacant properties being allowed to deteriorate. Her concerns included multiple properties that Sunrise Financial had obtained by buying tax liens, had not maintained and had either refused to sell to interested buyers or asked prices higher than the market value.

The city previously had said Sunrise, and owners of other vacant properties in Havre, were not violating any laws, leading to Clawsons bringing up the idea of creating some kind of ordinance.

Clawson, who is the wife of City Council member Caleb Hutchins, was unable to attend the meeting Thursday due to other personal obligations.

The proposal the Ad-Hoc Committee sent to the Ordinance Committee states that vacant property owners must be able to show a plan or action in order to no longer require registering their property as vacant. Fees will be applied to these vacant properties to reduce the cost to the city government and community and are structured in order to give appropriate incentives for the owner or owners of vacant buildings to care for their properties, seek to fill them with tenants or in appropriate cases demolish the buildings.

Vacant property owners, according to the ordinance, have to register their names and addresses and if the owner or owners live outside of a 60-mile-radius of the Havre city limits a property agent, manager or caretaker residing within city limits must be designated and identified by name, address and telephone number.

The owners of the vacant buildings will have to pay a registration fee of $100 for the first year, for every consecutive year the building remains vacant an annual fee from the previous year will be assessed plus an additional $100. The ordinance states that the maximum fee after five years will be set at $500.

Timelines and exemptions

Council member Caleb Hutchins, a member of the Ad-Hoc Committee and chair of the Ordinance Committee, said that, under the proposal, after a property is determined to be vacant property owners have 180 days with one 180 extension allowed to comply with the ordinance or to ask for an exemption. He said it might take two years for people to become accustomed to and educated about the ordinace, and he expected the first two years to consist of many appeals and exemptions.

The ordinance also outlines cases in which properties could be exempted and also allows property owners to appeal their case if they feel the fee applied was unjust.

The Ad-Hoc Committee unanimously passed the proposed ordinance and will propose it to the Ordinance Committee at the beginning of next year.

State Rep. Jacob Bachmeier, D-Havre, who is also a member of the Ad-Hoc Committee, said after the meeting that he thought the meeting went well and he is confident that City Council will approve of the work they have done. He added that he has a similar bill he will be introducing to the Legislature next session in Helena. The bill he will be introducing, he said, will require the state to adopt a vacant property registration act as a state law.

The Ad-Hoc Committee met with the Ordinance Committee June 28 and presented a comprehensive list of requests for the ordinance. During that meeting, Mayor Tim Solomon and the Ordinance Committee requested that the Ad-Hoc Committee speak to the county attorney to make sure the requests were legal.

Hutchins said Thursday that after the Ad-Hoc Committee spoke to the attorney, the members felt comfortable to write the ordinance. He added that much of the language for the ordinance was borrowed from a similar ordinance used in Bellefontaine, Ohio.

Hutchins said the attorney requested they avoid requiring internal inspections of vacant properties due to officials needing to obtain a search warrant in order to search a property. The attorney also requested the maximum registration fee be set at $500 in order for the fee to be in line with other existing ordinances such as nuisance weed fines.

Providing incentives for improvements

He said the purpose of the ordinance is to establish a program for identifying and registering vacant buildings, to determine the responsibilities of the property owners and to provide incentives for rehabilitation and productive use of the vacant buildings.

Structures which are left vacant for extended periods of time have been shown to breed crime, pose public safety risks, and reduce property values and the economic viability of the neighborhood and community in which they are found, the ordinance states.

The ordnance lists how the city will determine the definition of a vacant property and, once the evidence of vacancy is determined, how owners of these properties will register these properties with the city. The ordinance also gives power to the city to fine vacant property owners.

In all areas within the limits of the City of Havre, an owner of a structure which meets the definition of a vacant building  shall register such structure with the Ordinance Enforcement Officer, the ordinance said.

The Havre Police Department said this morning that any officer may act as an ordinance enforcement officer, ticketing people according to city ordinances.

Ad-Hoc Committee member Marc Whitacre said this may be a large job and City Council should consider hiring a full-time ordinance enforcement officer to help with the workload.

Bachmeier said a few parts of the ordinance interested him such as section D in the fees section.

Section D states that if owners refuse or fail to pay the registration fee the enforcement officer or their representative shall certify such unpaid charges to City Council where they can determine if the fee will be applied as a special property tax.

Bachmeier said this is good because it forces property owners who are in violation of this act to pay the fees.

Hutchins said he was very pleased with how everything turned out in the meeting and looks forward to this going to City Council after it passes through the Ordinance Committee. He said the Ordinance Committee should be able to look at this ordinance in a timely manner, at the beginning of next year.

Vacant properties in the Legislature

The bill that Bachmeier will be introducing in the Legislature will be to identify and register all vacant properties; collect fees, create plans for rehabilitation for properties and encourage occupancy of vacant properties. He said much like the ordinance the Ad-Hoc Committee is trying to pass through City Council.

Bachmeier said this bill will give power to local governments to identify vacant properties and have citywide registration databases.

The unofficial draft copy of the bill, sent to the Havre Daily News this morning, says that the initial fee will be no more than $250 for residential properties and no more than $1,000 for commercial properties.

It adds that registration fees may be refundable for the year preceding the date on which the property is no longer vacant.

Payment of fees must be made up to 180 day after the property is declared vacant, the bill said.

Bachmeier said his bill also would allow for exemptions and for people to appeal if they feel it is needed.Bob Waltee, a beloved son, father and friend to many, passed away due to natural causes Sunday, December 16, 2018, in Havre, MT.

Bob was born February 24, 1969, in Kalispell, MT, to Robert Waltee Sr. and Barbara Biers. He was raised in Oregon and Montana, attending Havre High School with the class of 1987.

Over the years, he was a maintenance worker, landscaper, coal miner, tree planter, cook, rescue dog worker, artist, fisherman, roadie and bell ringer. He may have shovelled your walk last winter. He lived for some time in the Missoula area with his first love, Deanna Doyra, and their children, Shaela and Blaze Waltee. He later migrated to the East Coast with his son Zach Waltee and family there, eventually returning to Missoula and then to North Dakota to be closer with his brother Darryl Lehmann of Bismarck and his grandmother Jane Bitterman of Beulah. His youngest son, Logan Waltee, lives there still.

Considering Montana home, he returned in 2010, exploring and visiting several parts of the state from fishing at Lakeside on Flathead to hiking Blue Mountain near Lolo to camping in the Rimrocks of Billings to fencing and running cows in the Bear Paws and Chinook area to riding his bike on the Havre streets - he had a life-long love of the outdoors and the Big Sky country of Montana.

His mother, Barbara, moved to Havre to be closer with him in the fall of 2014. Though he didn't see them often, Bob loved each one of his children very much.

A memorial will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, December 30, 2018, at Havre's Set Free Ministries.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Feed My Sheep.The police said the case was registered against the family members under sections related to cheating and forgery.

Sengar, a four-time lawmaker from Unnao, was charged by the CBI with raping the girl at his residence in Makhi village on June 4 last year. (Representational Image)

Unnao: A case has been filed against the rape survivor who has accused Uttar Pradesh BJP lawmaker Kuldeep Singh Sengar for producing a forged age certificate to prove she was a minor.

The first information report, filed on court orders, also names her mother and an uncle. The case was registered against the three on a complaint by the father of another rape accused, who is in jail, said senior police officer Harish Kumar on Thursday.

He said complainant had alleged that the survivor, her uncle and mother had procured a forged age certificate to implicate his son Shubham in the rape case, said Kumar.

The police said the case was registered against the family members under sections related to cheating and forgery.

The complainant had moved the court saying the school transfer certificate, purportedly made by Raebareli school and produced as the age certificate, was forged to frame his son, police said.

The survivor's uncle is presently in jail in connection with another case. The complainant's wife and son are accused in the rape case and have been in jail since April along with the main accused, BJP legislator Kuldeep Singh Sengar.

Sengar, a four-time lawmaker from Unnao, was charged by the CBI with raping the girl at his residence in Makhi village on June 4 last year.

The girl was again abducted and raped by a separate group of accused, allegedly including complainant's son Shubhan Singh, his driver Naresh Tiwari and one Brijesh Yadav between June 11 and June 20, 2017.

The complainant, Harpal Singh alleged that the rape survivor had an affair with a man named Awadesh Tewari, with whom she had eloped in September 2017, and returned sometime later.

After she returned, her family had begun persuading his son Shubham to marry her, the complaint said.

When Shubham refused to marry her, the family filed a case against him and his mother on charges of kidnapping as well as various offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, alleged Haripal Singh.

He also alleged that the rape survivor's family had forged her age certificate with a fake date of birth, purportedly issued from a school in Raebareli as proof.

Both the education department official and the school principal have denied signing the certificate, Haripal Singh claimed.

The Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government's "inaction" against the party lawmaker in the case had drawn scathing criticism from the Allahabad High Court.

The state government had subsequently transferred the case to the CBI nearly 10 months after the alleged crime took place.I know, the Christmas presents have been opened, half of them are already broken or the batteries drained. The tree and all the decorations have come down. The Christmas songs have been cut off, cold turkey, at midnight Dec. 25. Its over. Christmas 2018 is finished. But before you throw it in the trashcan with the rest of the non-recyclables and move on, I have to bring up one Christmas-related news item that I just cannot believe I missed.

An Omaha, Nebraska, school principal got suspended for canceling Christmas.

Manchester Elementary School Principal Jennifer Sinclair sent out a faculty memo Dec. 3 explaining that since not everyone at the school celebrates Christmas, no one in the school would get to celebrate Christmas.

Outraged parents and teachers went public with the memo, including sending a copy to Liberty Counsel, a national conservative Christian legal nonprofit in Florida.

Liberty Counsel, which posted the memo on its website, LC.com, sent the school district a letter outlining the legal problems with Sinclairs actions and threatened to sue if the policy wasnt reversed.

The school district replied that district policies are sound, but Sinclairs interpretation is a full bubble off center. So her guidance was nixed, and Sinclair was placed on administrative leave Dec. 6.

In her memo, Sinclair said  without regard for the rules of grammar  that she comes from a place that Christmas and the like are not allowed in schools, as over the years in my educational career, this has evolved into the expectation for all educators.  I will do my best to communicate the expectation from here on out, which aligns with my interpretation of our expectations as a public school.

Sinclair also said that it made her uncomfortable to have to give specifics, but she would do it for the teachers who, apparently, needed all this obvious stuff spelled out for them.

Things Sinclair deemed acceptable included instruction on holidays around the world; gift making and giving; sledding; winter clothing; snow people; snowflakes; gingerbread people; hot chocolate; polar bears; penguins; yetis; and Olaf from the animated film Frozen.

Not acceptable were Santa and Christmas clip art; Christmas trees; Christmas carols, music or movies and their characters; Scholastic Christmas books; ornaments; red and green stuff; reindeer; and candy canes because turned upside down they look like a J  which she said stands for Jesus. The red is for the blood of Christ, and the white is a symbol of his resurrection.

Interestingly, she signed of by calling herself the Grinch, which seems inappropriate, because he is green and wears traditional Santa red.

Also interestingly that whole thing about the candy-cane-J stands for Jesus and so forth is bunk, and a quick check on reliable and respected websites wouldve told her that. Though Im a little sad to say that out of the 10 articles I read, only the online Christian Post reported bothering to fact-check that bit, using Snopes.com and Smithsonian.com.

I would argue that Sinclair should be let go, not for this debacle so much as her massive display in the memo of incorrect grammar, two counts of copyright infringement, with use of Olaf and the Grinch, and a shameless lack of adequate research, but the school district is not commenting on their next move.

Sinclair did issue an apology Dec. 5 to the parents and her staff for the negative attention her memo brought to the school and the district.

My guess is Sinclair was visited by the three wise ghosts  Gingerbread man, Olaf and Sasquatch  who brought her gifts of a coat, franks and beans, and a fur ball. After they transported Sinclair to her past, present and alternate future  in which all the children had become either polar bear herders or snowflakes  her heart grew three sizes that day.



Of course, Elf on a Shelf is Christmas-related. Everybody knows Elfs tradition started when he built that legendary shelf in the manger to store the gold, frankincense and myrrh out of reach of the little baby Jesus. Who gives a baby choking hazards for Christmas? Seriously, at http://www.facebook.com/viewfromthenorth40/.Fugitive charged with murder is caught

The 26-year-old man charged for a February murder on Holbert Road has been caught in New York.

Members of the U.S. Marshals Service and the New York/New Jersey Fugitive Task Force arrested Davonte Gary Redfern, in Richland County, New York, on Thursday. Redfern was wanted in Henderson County for the murder the Feb. 22, murder of Tristan Kayne Edney. Redfern was charged with first-degree murder after a Grand Jury determined that Redfern willfully and feloniously murdered Edney, the Marshals Service said.

Information was sent out by the US Marshals Service, requesting the publics assistance with locating Redfern, after determining that Redfern was avoiding apprehension by law enforcement. Information received from the public ultimately led to Redferns capture, in New York. Redfern is currently awaiting extradition hearing hearings in Richland County, New York.

Several law enforcement agencies played key roles with locating and apprehending Redfern. Those agencies included U.S. Marshals Service, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Henderson County Sheriffs Office, North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Asheville Police Department and New York Police Department (120th Precinct).

This is a great example of federal and local resources working together to apprehend a dangerous fugitive, said United States Marshal Greg Forest. The U.S. Marshals Service works together with many other agencies to arrest fugitives all over the world.Dick Whittington | Kenton Theatre | Monday, December 17

GIVEN that once upon a time, not so very long ago, Henley had an MP who went on to become Mayor of London, I had vaguely hoped room might have been found in this show for a Boris character  however thickly or thinly disguised.

Henley Childrens Theatre sneaked a Baron Boris into last years well-received production of Cinderella at the Kenton. So perhaps we could have had a BoJo the Clown this time around?

The problem, I suspect, is that thanks to the unfolding real-life circus that is Brexit, far too many people now regard the former Foreign Secretary as an extravagantly bewhiskered rat rather than a harmless figure of fun.

Each to their own, eh? For now, Henley has a splendidly ratty pantomime villain of its own to enjoy courtesy of Immersion Theatres take on Dick Whittington.

A small confession: your reviewer saw Monday nights relaxed performance of the show rather than the full-on version. This meant, among other things, that I missed out on seeing King Rats rendition of Rat Out of Hell.

The song was apparently omitted because the combination of the music, special effects and Kieran Parrotts portrayal of the dastardly villain were deemed to be too scary. A great shame, as I bow to no one in my love of Meatloaf and Jim Steinman, but the song features in every other performance of the show, which is booking until next Saturday (December 29).

As does Mr Parrott, who imbues his character with a delicious tang of malignancy worthy of George Osborne or even Peter Mandelson as he schemes to be voted Lord Mayor of London.

Dick Whittington is nothing if not the ultimate rags to riches tale and the show wastes no time in introducing us to its lovable cast of characters. First up on stage was Kimberley Ensor as Fairy Bowbells, who cast a benign spell over a delighted audience  one that was swiftly punctured by the arrival of the aforementioned villain of the piece to much booing and hissing.

Soon we are in the company of Timmy the Tom Cat, played by the shows writer and Kenton favourite James Clifford.

He bumps into former Henley College student Richard aka Dick Whittington (Sam Peggs), who is heading to London to seek his fame and fortune, having heard that the citys streets are paved with gold.

They arent, as it turns out, but there are a fair few Wispa Golds to be found in Cecilys sweet shop. The dame, played by William Hazell, has a friend called Alice (Emilie Du Leslay), who soon catches Dicks eye.

The Mayor of London, played by Jack Ballard, is one of Cecilys regular customers and the two embark on a bawdy dialogue sprinkled with the names of various chocolate bars that is one of the cleverest and funniest scenes in the show. The audience were laughing out loud and even the actors were having to visibly fight back their own amusement in places.

The same thing happened to Alice/Emilie a few moments later  again in response to William Hazells brilliantly over the top performance as the Dame.

We may have missed out on our serving of Meatloaf, but Dick Whittington was none the less rich in musical highlights.

The songs that stood out for me were the opening Footloose and It Must Be Love  the Labi Siffre hit later made famous by Madness and wonderfully sung here by Alice/Emilie. I havent even seen the film yet, but I also enjoyed This Is Me from The Greatest Showman. But for sheer high camp excess, the Village People medley was the winner.

For the younger members of the audience, I suspect the interludes involving the hurling of sweets from the stage and the brandishing of water pistols might have been among the high points.

But what is indisputable is that this Dick Whittington is great fun for all the family. Bravo!

Matthew WilsonAn elderly cancer patient has died after a fire broke out on a ward at St Luke's Hospital in Rathgar on Christmas Eve.

The victim, who was in his mid-80s and has been named locally as Joseph Murphy from Walkinstown, died of injuries he sustained in the blaze.

A number of other people, including staff, were hospitalised following the incident.

It is understood the fire may have been caused by a lit cigarette coming into contact with oxygen from a cylinder in the room where the man was being treated.

An investigation has now been launched by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa).

"Three individuals were transferred to St James's Hospital and two individuals were transferred to St Vincent's Hospital for treatment," the HSE said in a statement.

"Tragically, one patient who was transferred to St James's Hospital for treatment has died as a result of the injuries sustained in the fire.

"The hospital would like to extend its sincere sympathies to the family.

"The incident will be investigated by the hospital and the relevant authorities."

A garda spokeswoman said the fire broke out at around 5.30am on Monday, and the scene had now been preserved for a technical examination.

Serious

"Gardai are investigating the death of man in his 80s that occurred following a fire-related incident at a hospital in Rathgar, Dublin 6," the spokeswoman said.

"The man received serious injuries in the incident and was taken to St James's Hospital, where he later passed away.

"The incident is not believed to be suspicious at this time. The Hiqa has been notified."

Mr Murphy was a father of six with grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

He was predeceased by his wife and one of his sons.

His funeral will be held on New Year's Eve at Church of the Assumption, Walkinstown, and his remains will then be brought to Mount Jerome Cemetery.

The widower's family posted news of his death on Rip.ie. The notice stated that Mr Murphy died peacefully surrounded by his family at St James's.

It added that he would be sadly missed by his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and other relatives and friends.

A case with potential similarities is before the coroner's court in Kildare, which is examining whether the possible explosion of oxygen may have caused the death of 78-year-old Christy Byrne.

On December 10, the adjourned inquest was told that three investigations were being carried out into the tragedy - one by gardai, another by the Health and Safety Authority and the inquiry by Kildare coroner Dr Denis Cusack.

An expert report on the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Byrne, who died following a fire in an ambulance at Naas General Hospital in September 2016, has yet to be provided to the investigating coroner.

Ambulance workers Stephen Lloyd and David Finnegan were also hurt in the incident.A drunk concert-goer who was refused re-entry to a gig got into an apartment building next door and fell asleep in a stairwell, a court has heard.

Patryk Hytry (21) was arr- ested for trespassing in the building, where gardai found him in a confused state and with his hand bleeding from banging on the door.

Judge Dermot Simms told him he would apply the Probation Act, leaving him without a conviction, if he makes a 200 charity donation.

Hytry, of Frankfort Avenue, Rathmines, pleaded guilty to trespass.

Dublin District Court heard the incident happened at Arran Quay on October 28.

Gardai were called to a public order incident at 9.40pm and saw that the door next to the Voodoo Lounge, which accessed private residential accommodation, was ajar.

Disturbance

The accused was found asleep in the stairwell, and when awoken he appeared confused and had an injury to his right hand, which had blood on it.

Hytry was heavily intoxicated and had difficulty communicating with gardai.

The residents said the access door was never open and a man had been banging on it earlier, causing a disturbance.

The accused said he had gone into the premises because he had been refused re-entry to the concert and it was cold outside.

The banging was the reason for the injury to his hands, the court heard.

Hytry had been waiting for his sister and there was "no sinister criminal intent" to what he did, his solicitor Stephen O'Mahony said.

The accused rarely went out at night, but on this occasion he "overindulged".

Judge Simms adjourned the case to a date next month for payment of 200 to the Society of St Vincent De Paul.John Mooney (35) tried to punch gardai when they came to investigate complaints about his conduct on board a bus, the court was told

A dngerous driver who admitted having smoked "a bit of weed" when arrested refused to provide a breath sample, saying: "How do I know he's a doctor?"

Henry Cahill (20) had been stopped for driving erratically at high speed and performing "skids" when gardai smelled and discovered cannabis in his car.

Judge Michael Walsh jailed him for six months and banned him from driving for six years.

Cahill, of Conroy Park, Kilcullen, Co Kildare, pleaded guilty to dangerous and uninsured driving as well as refusing to provide a sample.

He also admitted driving without a licence and possession of cannabis.

Dublin District Court heard that on August 11 gardai were called to Le Fanu Road, Ballyfermot, where a red Mazda was being driven at high speed in a green area and "performing some kind of skids".

The car went through a red light and mounted the footpath, where it was driven erratically, a garda told the court.

The car was stopped and the driver, Cahill, was arrested.

Plagued

Gardai noticed a smell of cannabis coming from him, and when asked about this he said: "I smoked a bit of weed today."

A small amount of cannabis was found under the driver's seat and the accused was taken to the local garda station where a doctor was called to take a sample.

When asked to provide a sample, Cahill said: "How do I know he's a doctor? He ain't coming near me."

Cahill had a large number of previous convictions including three for driving without insurance. He accepted he had a "terrible record for such a young man", his lawyer said.

His teenage years were "plagued by drug use", but he detoxed in prison and was now drug-free.

His lawyer asked Judge Walsh to be as lenient as poss-ible given that Cahill had addressed the root cause of his offending, and not to add to a sentence that he was already serving.

The car he was driving had since been sold and he realised he would be sentenced to a lengthy driving ban.

Judge Walsh said it was fortunate that nobody was injured as the incident happened in a densely populated area with young children around.Thousands of people took to the streets of Dublin to protest and demand homes for all earlier this month

Dublin City Council's Brendan Kenny is willing to try anything to solve the housing crisis - and hasn't ruled out the use of a cruise ship for homeless people - but insists the council can't fix it alone and needs more help from private developers.

Mr Kenny expects it to be another two to three years before a real difference is seen in the crisis, saying it won't be allayed in the coming year.

Dublin City Council (DCC) has a two-pronged battle on its hands - one is short-term to ensure there's enough emergency accommodation for those presenting as homeless, the other is getting families back into permanent homes by building and buying.

Bidding

Expand Close Brendan Kenny, deputy chief executive of Dublin City Council / Facebook

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In an interview with the Herald, Mr Kenny said DCC is regularly bidding for developments and he has staff scouring newspapers daily for any properties that could be bought or leased.

It has even been bidding for hotels that could be turned into family hubs, and is willing to go outside Dublin to do so.

"If there were properties out there we'd buy them up, if there's hotels available they would buy them up and put families into them," he said.

"We've actually followed through on a number of hotels and we haven't been successful.

"We have a couple in mind outside the Dublin area that could come to something early in 2019, so I'm not against that.

"So the reality is we're willing to try anything."

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Earlier this year, Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy wrote to Dublin's local authorities, pressurising them to reach high targets of family hub spaces by the end of 2018.

The targets were almost impossible to reach, Mr Kenny said.

His boss, Owen Keegan, wrote back to Mr Murphy explaining this, while floating the cruise ship idea at the same time. This would have been for single homeless people as opposed to families.

When asked about the possibility of it at the time, the minister dismissed it out of hand.

However, if the homelessness crisis deteriorates further it is still on option that's on the table, Mr Kenny said.

He feels that situation with single homeless people is more under control.

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"That's something we thought about and it's something we wouldn't rule out. We don't think it was such a bad idea as people thought and we did go into some of the detail of it at the time," he said.

"It was felt that we had other options for people, now that could change.

"It would be a very controversial way of doing business but it works well in other cities so we wouldn't rule it out. But it's not something we're considering at the moment."

Around the same time as the minister's letter, DCC saw three family hub projects fall through within the space of a week.

In total, more than 300 people would have been catered for but for various reasons - the developer pulling out and the extensive work needed on the property - it didn't happen.

"This is the point we were making to the minister, we were working our butts off to do it, but working in that kind of property environment is hugely difficult," Mr Kenny said.

"We're willing to try anything, I have staff trawling the city, I've staff looking at papers every single day to see what's in the papers, what's available and we're out there ready to bid, either to buy or to lease. We simply can't get anything."

The council has stressed on a number of occasions in recent months that it hasn't got much of its own land left to build on.

Some 90 hectares of it is allotted for current developments, with the remaining 30 or so in areas such as Ballymun, Darndale and Cherry Orchard - places which already have a high concentration of social housing.

In four or five years, Mr Kenny said, DCC will have no land left to build on.

He said that regardless of the crisis, building there is "irresponsible" and the wrong thing to do.

"We don't want to re-create the problems of the past. We could go to Ballymun and build thousands more high rises, but it wouldn't be the right thing to do," he said.

"We'd like to see more private residential, the private sector is not really moving, we can only do so much.

"I don't think we can solve the housing crisis in the city. We need the private sector building like they used to and they're not.

"They've a lot of land in the city, they're building student accommodation, flying up, they're building hotels, flying up, but they're not building residential.

Ironic

"There's probably a few reasons for that. The building of residential is not viable for them, they find it hard to borrow money to build and also these days they're not sure they'll get buyers because it's very hard to get mortgages.

"It's kind of ironic. If you have a developer building in Ballsbridge or Donnybrook or docklands at 800,000 to 1m, they're selling, but a developer who wants to build a housing estate in Cabra for 300,000 to 350,000 each, he'd be very worried if he'd get buyers for it."

As it looks to move more quickly with developing social housing, the council has developed a framework to speed up the procurement process, along with using emergency powers to cut some more time, it is also building volumetric units - mainly apartments - with the majority of 1,000 planned for 2019.

It hopes this will mean homes will be built in 18 months rather than the current three years.

Asked about a vote of no confidence in Mr Murphy, he said: "I think everyone knows that there's a political game going on and no matter what he does, he can't win, but we have to ignore those kind of things and just get on with it.

"He is the minister and has been very good to us, he's very supportive of what we do and he puts a huge amount of pressure on us as well."The families of 80 people who died during the year donated their organs, enabling 226 transplants to be completed.

Across the three national transplant centres at Beaumont, St Vincent's University and the Mater hospitals in Dublin, 120 kidney, 18 heart, 27 lung, 56 liver and five pancreas surgeries were completed.

In addition, living donors gave kidneys to enhance the lives of 37 patients.

Prof Jim Egan, the director of HSE Organ Donation Transplant Ireland (ODTI), paid tribute to the generosity of the donor families.

He said that the rates of organ donation and transplantation "reflect positively on the generosity of Irish society and the professionalism of the intensive care, theatre, medical and nursing staff".

"Organ donation saves lives, and that's the key message," said Prof Egan.

Surge

"It might have been best demonstrated with the Orla Tinsley television programme in the autumn that a lot of people watched,"

RTE documentary Orla Tinsley: Warrior, which was shown in September, captured the journalist's life in the run-up to her successful double lung transplant in New York.

The Irish Kidney Association subsequently reported a surge in the number of people requesting donor cards.

The number of organ transplants carried out in 2017 was a record 311. While there was a "robust" rate of organ donation and transplants this year, there are hopes to grow numbers further next year.

"We are putting in additional surgical support for transplantation in 2019. We hope that will allow us support donation after cardiac death," Prof Egan said.

"We are very privileged because we see people who are hanging on to life, and then a family donate organs and their lives are literally saved or transformed.The Bhutanese Prime Minister is on a three-day visit to India ending Saturday and this is his first visit abroad after assuming office.

Modi and the Bhutanese PM also discussed cooperation in hydropower after which Mr Modi said work on the Mangdechhu project would soon be completed.

New Delhi: After talks with Bhutanese Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced assistance of Rs 4,500 crore for Bhutans 12th five-year plan. Mr Modi said the money would be utilised by Bhutan as per its requirements.

The Bhutanese Prime Minister is on a three-day visit to India ending Saturday and this is his first visit abroad after assuming office.

Mr Modi and the Bhutanese PM also discussed cooperation in hydropower after which Mr Modi said work on the Mangdechhu project would soon be completed.

Mr Modi also praised the decision of Bhutan to launch RuPay cards and expressed confidence that it would boost people-to-people ties between the two countries.

Mr Modi also said the Bhutanese PM had discussed the Narrowing the Gap vision for his country (Bhutan) and added that this was similar to the Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas vision.

The Bhutanese PM also met external affairs minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj on Friday.Many businesses will have no choice but to shut their doors because of the VAT increase, a Dublin chef has warned.

Gaz Smith described the looming hike as an "absolute disaster" for restaurateurs.

"This couldn't have come at a worse time because we're walking into Brexit and no one knows how the chips will fall," he said.

As of January 1, the VAT rate for the hospitality sector will rise from 9pc to 13.5pc.

The revenue-raising measure was announced in Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe's Budget speech in October.

The reduced rate was introduced in 2011 on a range of goods and services, including accommodation, restaurants and hairdressers, in an attempt to alleviate some of the financial stresses on the tourism sector during the recession.

The cost of the initiative was estimated at 350m a year.

"Restaurateurs will either have to pass the increase on to customers, reduce the quality of ingredients or cut staff. It's a lose-lose situation," Mr Smith said.

The Wexford man, who started out in the industry at 15, returned from working in Vienna to take over Michael's, a small neighbourhood restaurant in Mount Merrion, south Dublin, with his wife, Rita.

He said the couple were so cash-strapped that they could not afford to change the name above the door.

Mr Smith added that the special rate had given the restaurant the leeway to survive.

When Mr Donohoe ann-ounced the changes, he said the reduced rate had done its job, but Mr Smith does not agree.

"A 50pc increase in the rate, it's just ludicrous," he said. "It will have a knock-on effect. We'll see closures. There were some places that were hoping to get to spring, but they've already given up the fight."

Liquidation

Mr Smith said he and his wife had already turned down an opportunity to take on a second premises.

"We walked away - even before this VAT increase has taken place it's putting fear into people," he said.

Earlier this month, a number of Dublin's most popular restaurants ceased trading when Joe Macken's Jo'Burger Group went into liquidation.

Critics of the new VAT rate warned the hike would hit rural communities the hardest.

Deirdre McGlone, the owner of Harvey's Point Hotel in Co Donegal, said: "We're beside the border and the economic recovery has been slower here than in Dublin.

"Decisions were made that were relative to Dublin properties rather than the family-run businesses around the country that struggle to survive all year round and to make ends meet."

The family-run hotel, which was rated number one in Ireland on TripAdvisor from 2013 to 2017, is on the Wild Atlantic Way, overlooking Lough Eske. In the high season, it employs up to 160 people.

Ms McGlone said Harvey's Point had decided to absorb the increase as much of its business for 2019 had already been contracted.

"Our customers don't understand that the VAT is collected by us for the Government," she said.

"If we applied the increase we'd be perceived to be increasing our prices. We'd be perceived as poor value for money."Rob Delaney spoke about the death of his sweet boy

Catastrophe star Rob Delaney has told of his heartache after celebrating his first Christmas since the death of his two-year-old son, Henry.

The toddler died in January after he being diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2016.

In an emotional message on Twitter, Delaney said there had been "horrible, painful days" in the lead-up to the festive season.

The American comedy actor told how his family had sought to keep Henry's memory alive.

"Our first Christmas without Henry came & went," he wrote.

Confused

"The day itself was okay, maybe because there were so many horrible, painful days leading up to it - we must have hit our quota or something.

"We talked about him a lot & included his memory throughout the day."

Delaney said it was important to speak publicly about his son "in an effort to de-stigmatise grief".

"My family is sad & in pain because our beautiful 2 yr old boy died after a long illness," he wrote.

"Why wouldn't we be sad? Why wouldn't we be angry and confused? I just want other bereaved parents & siblings to feel seen/heard/respected/loved.

"And maybe they might help someone not schooled in grief support a friend better."

Delaney also shared a photo of Henry, captioning it "My sweet boy".

He revealed the news of Henry's death in a lengthy Facebook post in February, and paid tribute to his "smart, funny, and mischievous" son.

The youngster was diagnosed with a brain tumour soon after his first birthday and had surgery to remove it, but the cancer returned in the autumn of last year.

Delaney has co-written and co-starred with Meath's Sharon Horgan in the TV sitcom Catastrophe since the beginning of 2015.According to the transfer order, Mundhe has been posted as project director at the Maharashtra State AIDS Control Society in Mumbai.

Mumbai: Firebrand IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe Thursday was transferred by the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis-led General Administration Department (GAD). This is his second transfer inside of 35 days.

Mr Mundhe had been shunted out as Nashik municipal commissioner and posted as joint secretary (planning) at Mantra-laya on November 22.

According to the transfer order, Mundhe has been posted as project director at the Maharashtra State AIDS Control Society in Mumbai.

This is Mr Mundhes fourth posting in just two years. The 2005-batch IAS officer is said to have been transferred more than a dozen times in the past 13 years.

In February this year, Mr Mundhe took charge as the Nashik civic commissioner and soon became popular among the people due to his uprightness and strict measures.

The 2005 officer, known for his no-nonsense ways, has often clashed with public representatives in his previous postings.

The GAD has also transferred Rubal Prakher-Agarwal (2008 batch) from chief executive officer of the Saibaba temple trust at Shirdi to additional municipal commissioner of Pune.

Mr Agarwal will replace Sheetal Telhi-Ugale (2009), who has been transferred as chairman, Nagpur Metropolitan Region Development Authority. Balaji Manjule, an Andhra Pradesh-cadre IAS officer of the 2009 batch, has been posted as commissioner for persons with disabilities.Scammers can use fake emails to pose as authentic company in order to steal personal data of the users such as account numbers.

FTC has warned Netflix users to avoid clicking on a suspicious email that asks for personal information to be sent over an email over 'some trouble' with the current billing information. (Photo: AP)

If you are a Netflix subscriber and have received a strange email, it is likely to be another phishing scam. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a warning for a reported email phishing scam targeted at users of the streaming service.

In a phishing scam, scammers can use fake emails to pose as an authentic company in order to steal personal data of the users such as account numbers, social security numbers, even passwords.

According to Mashable, FTC has warned Netflix users to avoid clicking on a suspicious email that asks for personal information to be sent over an email over 'some trouble' with the current billing information.

Netflix clarifies that it never asks for any personal information to be sent over email. If you have received the email, the first thing to do is not to click on anything within the email and look for signs of suspicious emails such as bad grammar and spelling error or if there is no username.

Users are encouraged to report such email to Netflix's Help Center or forward it to phishing@netflix.com.

(Source)Fire destroys mobile home near Williamsport, kills dog

Fire destroyed a mobile home on Spielman Road near Williamsport on Friday morning, but no one was injured.The measures follow the recent wave of bloody attacks that hit the Christian minority. Armored personnel, armed men, plainclothes officers guard the most important places of worship. Security expert: Coptic "easy" objective and guarantee of "wide visibility" on an international level.

Cairo (AsiaNews) - The Egyptian authorities have strengthened checks and security measures around the churches and the most important Christian places of worship in the capital, Cairo, and the main cities of the country for fear of attacks. Police and army patrol the areas in front of the buildings in view of the end of year celebrations and the Orthodox Christmas on January 7th. The measures follow the bloody attacks, even recent ones, that have hit the Coptic minority at the hands of Islamic extremist groups.

Security officials have initiated inspection procedures on churches in the various provinces of Egypt, in an attempt to counter the escalation of attacks by jihadist groups. Attacks that have increased in the last period, in response to the "Sinai 2018" operation launched by the authorities against Islamic terrorist organizations.

Egyptian army sources quoted by the newspaper An-Nahar claim that "most" extremist groups are targeting "places of worship". In addition, many of these "church attacks" are launched concurrently with major holidays such as Christmas or Easter. Hence the decision to allocate armored vehicles, armed men and troops in uniform - as well as security agents in civilian clothes - in sensitive places "as never before" in Egypt.

From President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to the government authorities, the goal is to convey an image of security and full control of the country, which aims - also - on religious tourism and not to revive an economy in difficulty. Intelligence environments add that, to the protection of places of worship, they are flanked by undercover operations aimed at dismantling the extremist cells ready to strike.

Among the sensitive objectives there are Christian churches and places of worship, seen as a "weak link" in the chain and an accessible target for fundamentalists. Munir Adib, security expert, stresses that the Coptic minority "is an easy target" and "an attack against it also guarantees wide visibility" at an international level.

In a Muslim majority nation of almost 95 million people, Christians [especially Orthodox Copts] are a substantial minority of around 10% of the total population. Between 2016 and 2017 a series of bloody attacks targeted the Christian community itself.by Wang Zhicheng

According to the prosecution, "state secrets" are involved. Wang is accused of collaborating with a Swedish activist, publishing human rights reports on China and defending Falun Gong members. His wife, Li Wenzu, is under house arrest, unable to attend the trial. Foreign correspondents and diplomats have been barred from the courthouse. Xi Jinpings words appear empty.

Tianjin (AsiaNews) - Wang Quanzhang, a 42-year-old human rights lawyer, is expected to get 15 years in prison. He went on trial on Wednesday at the Tianjin No 2 Intermediate Court.

The trial is being held behind closed doors because it involves "state secrets". The verdict will be made public "on a selected date ".

Wang (picture 2 with his family) is accused of "inciting subversion of state power" based on his "collaboration" with a Swedish activist, receiving overseas funding for legal assistance and training, and publishing human rights violations reports on China. His legal representation of Falun Gong practitioners was also cited as criminal activities.

Wang is the last of a group of about 300 human rights lawyers put on trial. Known as the 709, the lawyers were arrested on 9 July 2015. At least 50 per cent are Christian (Protestants and Catholics) who tried to use Chinese law to defend communities, priests and pastors from abuses by local authorities.

Several of them defended communities in Zhejiang during the cross-destruction campaign. Many, after detention, the trial and forced "confessions" of their "crimes" show signs of mental problems resulting from torture and enforced medication.

Wang has been held in isolation in prison without charges for almost three and half years in violation of Chinese law. Wang's wife, Li Wenzu, has been forbidden from visiting her husband. She could not travel to Tianjin for the trial after being placed under house arrest in Beijing.

Before the trial, police placed many activists and lawyers under house arrest. Despite this, dozens of Chinese activists and journalists showed up before the court with placards and slogans demanding Wangs release, but were taken away by the police (pictured). Even foreign correspondents and diplomats who had come to observe the trial were denied entry.

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled in August 2018 that the Chinese governments detention of Wang Quanzhang was arbitrary and demanded his immediate and unconditional release, with state compensation for the harm done to him.

Many activists note that when he came to power, President Xi Jinping pledged that China would be governed by the rule of law. Wangs trial shows that such a pledge is but empty words.What a yeardelis opened, delis closed, we talked about rainbow bagels, and reviewed the history of pickles in America. And now its time to look ahead to what will be happening in Jewish food for the coming year.

Bread is Back

For all of you who have scooped your bagel or who decided to go gluten-free for non-medical reasons, guess what: Facebooks research on food trends confirms that bread is back and better than ever. Naturally-fermented breads like sourdough are considered good for your gut and overall health, especially those made with whole grains. Food start-ups are innovating bread with processes like slow carb baking, or slow natural fermenting, which creates breads with lower glycemic indexes (GI). In the process, they are also creating loaves with increased bioavailability of nutrients, their 2019 trend report says. So you can go back to eating bread every day, just like Oprah, without any guilt. Make an extra challah, or even try making your own rye bread.

Tahini Tahini Everywhere!

Yeah, we know tahini has been all over restaurant menus, infiltrating Pinterest and more widely appearing on supermarket shelves for years. But since we know tahini is a good fat and incredibly versatile for sweet and savory dishes, the reign of tahini is just beginning. Middle Eastern and Israeli cooking are also gaining wider and wider popularity in America, which means there is likely to be more roasted cauliflower with tahini and baked goods made with tahini appearing on restaurant menus and showing up at dinner parties. So make sure your pantry is stocked. Here is some more info on tahini.

Marijuana

If you havent yet seen CBD marketed near you at stores or cafes, get ready, because you probably will. Cannabidiol is a non-psychoactive substance that comes from hemp plants. So just to clarify, consuming CBD isnt the same as eating a pot brownie. CBD wont get you high, but is said to calm anxiety and nerves and even help you sleep. And since its gaining greater popularity (the coffee joint downstairs from our office carries it, for example), we predict it will be showing up in a wider variety of foods and stores including Jewish foods. But its not just CBD that is making its way into foods and coffee shops. The Israeli ice cream company Vaniglia served up cannabis-flavored ice cream this past year. And ICYMI, Joan Nathan was featured on Viceland making weed-infused matzah balls.

Faux Meat

Whether its for health reasons, ideological reasons, or kosher reasons, faux meat has been on the rise and is sure to gain even further visibility and popularity in 2019. In 2018 the Impossible Burger made a splash among vegetarians and kosher keepers alike, since it is considered to taste more like meat than other veggie burgers and even bleeds like real meat. Several kosher restaurants began carrying it in 2018 and many more are likely to add it to menus in the coming year. Jackfruit has also gained popularity as a plant-based alternative to pulled pork or brisket. Whole Foods predictions for 2019 included fake meat snacks, saying, Plant-based foods will continue to surprise and inspirethis year taking on the meat-based snacking world of jerkies and pork rinds you may associate with the corner store and road trips. Bring on the tofu jerky, we are ready.

Pierogies and Other Comfort Foods

Facebooks research says that comfort foods are on the rise, and when the hipsters of Brooklyn embrace a cuisine, we know its about to get expensive and trendy. At DeKalb market in Brooklyn, the Pierogi Boys are serving up classic, hand-made pierogies, cucumber salad, and borscht at their hip stall. This past fall The Gefilteria teamed up with Polish Chef Ewa Malika Szyc-Juchnowicz and the Polish Cultural Institute New York to host a Polish food-focused pop-up restaurant. And in the last year, fast-casual Teremok, aka the McDonalds of Russia opened several locations in the U.S. Teremok has since closed its NYC outpost, but I havent given up on the hope of pierogies making a splash in 2019. Make your own pastrami pierogies with this recipe.

This article originally appeared on The Nosher.The Orthodox Cathedral of St. Thomas has collected 125 thousand euros, canceling "superfluous" events. Most faithful come from the Indian state. The church often launches charitable initiatives to support the weakest.

Dubai (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A church in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has decided to hold low key celebrations of the 50th anniversary of its construction to donate the proceeds to Kerala, the Indian state hit in August by the "worst flood in 100 years". This is the Orthodox Cathedral of St. Thomas, which has raised 10 million Indian rupees (125 thousand euros), eliminating the "superfluous" from festivities.

In mid-August, Kerala, on the southwest coast of India, suffered the worst humanitarian and environmental catastrophe in its history. There were over 400 victims, more than 800 thousand displaced. For weeks the waters left whole villages submerged; the road network has been devastated; houses and buildings destroyed. The population is still struggling to recover from the disaster.

Most of the faithful of the church in Dubai come from Kerala, who have taken the form of aid and financial support to respond to the humanitarian emergency exploded in the State of origin. They collected a total of 20,000 rupees (2,500 euros) to be allocated to the Emergency Support Fund opened by the Indian Chief Minister.

Fr Ninan Philip Panackamattom, vicar of the cathedral, said that the sum raised by the faithful, together with that saved by the ecclesiastical authorities that canceled some events planned for the anniversary, directly helped 130 families suffering from the flood. Most of the beneficiaries had their homes destroyed ".

The cathedral of Dubai, located in the neighborhood of Oud Mehta, is the reference parish of the Orthodox churches scattered throughout the Emirates. Born from the impulse of four families in 1958, ten years later it obtained official recognition of the congregation of Orthodox faithful. Today it brings together more than 3 thousand families. The church is not new to charitable initiatives: to honor 2018 as "the year of Zayed" (the sultan father founder of the nation), it organized a campaign of blood collection; next January 4th, another charity event is scheduled to help cancer patients.By Ben Sales

NEW YORK (JTA)-The largest baking company in the United States will be removing kosher certification from nearly all of its bread and rolls.

Bimbo Bakeries USA confirmed to JTA that it will be removing the certification. The company produces brands including Arnold, Sara Lee, Stroehmann, Freihofer's and others.

Two of its major brands, Entenmann's and Thomas, will remain certified kosher. So, kosher eaters, your crumb doughnuts and English muffins are still safe. A couple of rye breads also will retain their certifications.

"Removing the kosher certification from some of our products was strictly a business-process decision to enable more efficient operations, and it was one we did not make lightly," Bimbo said in a statement. "Thomas' and Entenmann's products as well as Arnold's and Levy's Rye Breads will remain kosher-certified. It is important to note that we have heard our consumers' concerns and are working with kosher certification organizations and discussing alternative solutions."

The company did not say when the decision will take effect, and the kosher certification agencies do not know, though they assume it will be sometime next year.

The decision will make it much harder for those outside major Jewish population centers to buy kosher bread, say executives at the Orthodox Union and Kof-K, the kosher agencies that certify the vast majority of Bimbo's kosher products in the U.S. Rabbi Ari Senter, Kof-K's kosher administrator, said the agency has received hundreds of concerned calls since the decision was first reported earlier this month.

"We've been hearing from a lot of consumers that they're concerned about this," said Rabbi Menachem Genack, the rabbinic administrator of the O.U.'s kosher division, the largest in the country. "If you live throughout the United States, it's not always so easy to get kosher bread. In terms of kosher bread, Bimbo plays a critical role."

Genack explained that the decision stems from a mix of corporate efficiency and obscure kosher laws: Bimbo wants the flexibility to produce its breads on the same factory lines as breads that contain dairy products. Because traditional Jewish law says meat and dairy products cannot be consumed at the same meal, breads for the kosher market must be strictly nondairy unless they appear and are marketed as obviously dairy-like cheese bread, says Senter.

"Their primary concern is one of flexibility within their plants, that they can produce it on other lines that are not necessarily designated for kosher," Genack said.

Both agencies are in ongoing conversation with Bimbo hoping to salvage some more kosher brands and clarify when the changes will take effect. Until then, most breads remain kosher certified.

Bimbo Bakeries USA is the U.S. division of Grupo Bimbo, the Mexican company that is the world's largest bakery. The company, whose name is pronounced "Beem-bo" and is derived from the Italian word "bambino," capped an aggressive move into the U.S. market with its 2011 acquisition of the Sara Lee Corp.

According to KosherFest, a large trade show of kosher foods, there are 1.3 million year-round Jewish consumers of kosher foods in the United States and 35 million non-Jewish consumers of kosher products. According to the Mintel market research firm, more than 40 percent of new foods launched in 2014 claimed to be kosher.(JTA)The American Civil Liberties Union announced that it is suing the state of Texas over a 2017 law prohibiting government contractors from engaging in boycotts of Israel, which is says is an unwarranted violation of Americans right to free speech.

Signed into law by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott last May, the bill was the 20th measure enacted on a state level meant to counter the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, or BDS. However, the legal basis of such laws has come under attack and two such bills have thus far been struck down by the courts.

In September, a judge in Arizona ruled that a restriction of ones ability to participate in collective calls to oppose Israel unquestionably burdens the protected expression of companies wishing to engage in such a boycott. In January a federal judge halted the enforcement of a similar measure in Kansas. The suit against the law was later dismissed after the Kansas legislature narrowed the scope of the legislation, making it apply only to businesses and not individuals, and made it apply only to contracts higher than $100,000.

This lawsuit is about fundamental First Amendment rights, which protect us all from having the government use its power to force us to choose one side or another in a public debate,said Edgar Saldivar, senior staff attorney for the ACLU of Texas. Whatever you may think about boycotts of Israel, the bottom line is that political boycotts are a legitimate form of nonviolent protest. The state cannot use the contracting process as an ideological litmus test or to tell people what kind of causes they may or may not support.

Supporters of such laws have said they are necessary to prevent what the Anti-Defamation League has described as the BDS movements demonization and delegitimization of Israel. Defenders also say the laws dont inhibit free speech, but extend existing civil penalties for complying with boycott requests from foreign countries.

In passing Texas law last year, Gov. Abbott stated that any anti-Israel policy is an anti-Texas policy. Texas is not going to do business with any company that boycotts Israel.

The ACLU has stated that it neither supports nor opposes BDS but that rather that it has long defended the First Amendment right to participate in political boycotts.

BDS laws have proven controversial. On Tuesday The New York Times editorial board wrote that a proposed federal law that would impose penalties on U.S. firms that engage in a boycott of Israel was clearly part of a widening attempt to silence one side of the debate and not in the interests of Israel, the United States or their shared democratic traditions.(JTA)Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced at a Chanukah candle-lighting ceremony that she is descended from Sephardic Jews who fled to Puerto Rico during the Spanish Inquisition.

Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive Democrat, broke the news to a crowd gathered Sunday night at the Jackson Heights Jewish Center in Queens. It was a party organized by the group Jews for Racial and Economic Justice.

One of the things that we discovered about ourselves is that a very, very long time ago, generations and generations ago, my family consisted of Sephardic Jews, she said, according to a video of the event posted on Twitter by Taly Krupkin, a Haaretz reporter. The culture in Puerto Rico was that people would open their closets and there would be a small menorah inside.

She said that her knowledge of her ancestry came from doing a lot of family trees in the last couple of years.

I think what it goes to show is that so many of our destinies are tied beyond our understanding, beyond even what we know, she said, according to the Washington Post.

In a tweet, the incoming congresswoman also posted a video of her learning to dance the hora at the event, writing: I can never turn down an opportunity to try a new dance.

Ocasio-Cortez is affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, which supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel, though she has not taken a stand in favor of an Israel boycott.

She has, however, expressed support for the Palestinian cause and for a two-state solution, and in a tweet called the killing of some 60 Palestinians on May 14 during the 2018 Gaza border protests a massacre.

She later said in an interview that her Puerto Rican roots helped her relate to the Palestinian protesters.On Wednesday, Dec. 5, the fourth night of Chanukah, Chabad organized a grand Menorah lighting on the Patio Stage outside the Student Union at the University of Central Florida. We had the great honor to have President Whittaker, and UCF Police Department Chief of Police Carl Metzger.

"Chanukah is a festival of light, in this case light represents wisdom, understanding," President Whittaker shared. "It represent seeing ways that each of us can make the world a little bit better by adding light... Chanukah is time of hope, and remembering important values of perseverance, truthfulness and love and these are the values that live at UCF year round."

The president was introduced by Dr. Terri Susan Fine Stenzler, political science professor and adviser for Chabad, who shared a few words with the students.

"The lesson of Chanukah is that it is never too late to do a good deed. That when doing good deeds is when miracles do happen," said Dr. Fine. Student Body president and Chabad member, Joshua Bolona, spoke as well. Thanking the Jewish community for making sure all Jewish students have everything they need to keep everyone close to their Jewish roots.

Metzger lit the tiki torch which was passed to Whittaker to light the shamash (the center flame of the Menorah), followed by Rabbi Chaim Lipskier who lit the rest of the candles.

President Whittaker with Aephi.

"Chanukah is a holiday of light, of unity, and of good triumphing over evil," said by Rabbi Lipskier. "It was an honor to participate in an event that brought all types of people together who were connected by a shared goal of ensuring that light outshines darkness."

In addition to the lighting, those in attendance took a moment to mourn the passing of President George H. W. Bush. There was also a toy drive held over the holiday for sick children in Arnold Palmer Hospital.

Rabbi Lipskier thanked AEPi, AEPhi, and ZBT for co-sponsoring the remarkable event, and the Student Union for graciously providing a space for the Menorah all Chanukah long.

The program concluded with traditional Chanukah songs.

For more info about Chabad at UCF visit http://www.jewishucf.com.Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon at a special session of the U.N. Security Council on Dec. 19, 2018, shows an aerial photograph of the southern part of Kfar Kila, where an underground terror tunnel crossed the border into Israel. Credit: Permanent Mission of Israel to the U.N.

(JNS)-Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon warned the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday about the threat Hezbollah poses to the Jewish state, calling the terrorist group a "lifeblood" from Iran.

"Hezbollah has built a terror base inside a civilian population, with its end on the Israeli side of the border, all financed by Iran," he said in a special session of the U.N. Security Council. "This not only a clear violation of Resolution 1701, but Hezbollah also uses Lebanese civilians as human shields. If Hezbollah dares to attack Israel, it will bring ruin to Lebanon."

The special session of the Security Council was held on Wednesday following the revelation earlier this month of several tunnels dug by Hezbollah that extend into Israeli territory. Earlier this week, the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon that said the Hezbollah had violated Security Council resolution 1701.

"After further technical investigations conducted independently in accordance with its mandate, UNIFIL at this stage can confirm that two of the tunnels cross the Blue Line. These constitute violations of U.N. Security Council resolution 1701," the peacekeeping force said in a statement.

During his remarks, Danon further revealed more evidence of Hezbollah's violations to the Security Council, including an aerial photograph of a "private compound" in the southern part of Kfar Kila, about 80 meters from an underground terror tunnel from the Lebanese border into Israel, nearing a UNIFIL observation post.

Danon also accused the Lebanese army of tipping off Hezbollah.

"Israel gave UNIFIL precise information about the location of the tunnel. After UNIFIL told the Lebanese army, it was then stopped when it tried to reach the area," said the ambassador. "Sources within the Lebanese army informed Hezbollah about the information, which enabled the terrorist organization to conceal the tunnel's operations and thwart Israel's defensive actions."

"Lebanese army officials are working for Hezbollah, while UNIFIL is not working to fulfill its mandate in the region in the necessary manner," he added.

As of last week, Israel has destroyed four Hezbollah tunnels in "Operation Northern Shield."

Netanyahu: Fixing what's happening in Lebanon is 'long overdue'

During the session on Wednesday, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, echoed the UNIFIL statement from earlier in the week, saying that the tunnels that extend into Israel represent a "serious violation" of Resolution 1701.

Other nations also condemned Hezbollah for its violations of U.N. resolutions.

The United Kingdom's representative at the Security Council Karen Pierce said Hezbollah has shown "blatant disregard for U.N. resolutions," with its military activities, calling it "deeply alarming."

Similarly, the American representative, Rodney Hunter, said Hezbollah is a "serious and real threat," and urged the international community to take action against Hezbollah.

Before the special session, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about the Hezbollah tunnels and overall threat.

"There's a very big difference in what we're doing which is basically trying to protect ourselves in the sky from the openly declared goal to destroy us," he told reporters.

He continued, "Hezbollah says, 'We're going to destroy you. We're going to wipe you off the face of the earth. We're helping Iran that wants to wipe you off the face of the earth. And we're going to bring weapons into Lebanon itself and weapons into Syria from Iran for that end. Your destruction.' "

Netanyahu mentioned the shutdown of factories in Lebanon to improve the precision of missiles, which he said was "by Hezbollah and after I spoke at the U.N."

Regarding a resolution condemning the terrorist group, the prime minister said that the terror tunnels violate Security Council resolution 1701, which required all armed groups except the Lebanese Armed Forces-the official Lebanese military-to remain north of the Litani River following the end of the 2006 Second Lebanese War.

Netanyahu said that taking action to fix what is happening in Lebanon is "obviously long overdue."Denver Riggleman speaking with attendees at the 2018 Young Americans for Liberty National Convention at the Sheraton Reston Hotel in Reston, Va.

(JNS)-A bipartisan delegation of incoming members of Congress returned to the United States on Friday following a five-day visit to Israel.

Reps.-elect Denver Riggleman (R-Va.), Elaine Luria (D-Va.), David Trone (D-Md.), Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) and Susie Lee (D-Nev.), participated on a trip organized by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's American Israel Education Fund to learn about the U.S.-Israel relationship.

The incoming congressional members met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and Saeb Erekat, the lead negotiator of the Palestinian Authority.

I had a great visit with @USAmbIsrael. We were supposed to have a very brief meeting and he took an incredible amount of time with us. pic.twitter.com/qcLAZjZ9M0

- Tim Burchett (@timburchett) December 14, 2018

Additionally, the delegation got a helicopter tour of the Gaza Strip, and Judea and Samaria, where they saw terror tunnels dug by Hamas.

We were invited to survey the Israeli border areas including the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Then they took us to a military base to inspect the terror tunnels. Our return trip took us over Jerusalem, where we saw the security wall between the West Bank and Israel. #VA05 pic.twitter.com/DkZaOXejWr

- Denver Riggleman (@Denver4VA) December 12, 2018

Moreover, the group visited Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, Israel's Holocaust memorial museum.

I've had many moving experiences during our bipartisan trip to Israel. One of these was at Yad Vashem, Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, where our congressional delegation laid a wreath at the Eternal Flame in the Hall of Remembrance. pic.twitter.com/XZdYIpIaBD

- David Trone (@davidjtrone) December 11, 2018

For Riggleman, who won against anti-Israel Democrat Leslie Cockburn in Virginia's 5th Congressional District last month, this visit to the Jewish state was not his first.

"I was in Israel during the bus bombings in 1996. I was Air Force enlisted, at the age of 26," he told JNS last month. "When I saw the strength of the Jewish people there, when I saw what they were going through, it gave me a new appreciation for some of the challenges in that area."

Luria, who defeated Republican Scott Taylor last month, told The Washington Post that it was her first time in Israel, and that she was moved by how U.S. support enables Israelis "to live in their communities in normal, secure lives without the fear of mortars and rockets falling on their roofs repeatedly when those types of activities do break out."(JNS)The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon has confirmed that the tunnels dug by the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah into Israel violate Security Council resolution 1701.

After further technical investigations conducted independently in accordance with its mandate, UNIFIL at this stage can confirm that two of the tunnels cross the Blue Line. These constitute violations of U.N. Security Council resolution 1701, the peacekeeping force said in a statement.

UNIFIL added that the tunnels are a matter of serious concern and will continue investigations into them. Furthermore, UNIFIL said that it has requested the Lebanese authorities to ensure urgent follow-up actions in accordance with the responsibilities of the Government of Lebanon pursuant to resolution 1701.

Israeli officials have said the existence of the tunnels is a serious violation of Resolution 1701 and the State of Israels sovereignty.

U.N. Resolution 1701 required all armed groups except the Lebanese Armed Forcesthe official Lebanese militaryto remain north of the Litani River following the end of the 2006 Second Lebanese War.

In early December, the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Northern Shield to discover and eliminate underground tunnels constructed by Hezbollah from Lebanon to Israel.

Israel has so far eliminated four cross-border tunnels belonging to the terrorist group.JERUSALEM (JTA)Israel will step up its fight against Iran in Syria after the United States withdraws its troops from her neighbor to the north.

We will continue to take very strong action against Irans attempts to entrench itself in Syria. In neither of these sectors do we intend to lessen our efforts; we will intensify them, and I know that we do so with the full support and backing of the U.S., Netanyahu said Thursday in a statement to the media.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump launched a full and accelerated pullout of the 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria, a move that could leave a vacuum that Iran will be eager to fill. Trump on Wednesday confirmed the reports of a pullout in a tweet. We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency, he said.

Remaining in Syria are Russian and Iranian advisers as well as troops belonging to Hezbollah, the Lebanese terrorist militia allied with Iran. Iran, Hezbollah and Russia are aligned with the Assad regime. Turkey, which also has exercised influence in Syria, has backed the rebels.

Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria mostly in secret during the seven-year civil war to prevent Iran from gaining a foothold near its border and to keep weapons from traveling through the territory to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel is concerned that the U.S. exit from Syria could reduce its diplomatic leverage with Russia, the Syrian governments main supporter, according to Reuters.Israel will send a time capsule along with an Israeli spacecraft on the Jewish state's first mission to the moon.

(JNS)-Israel will send a time capsule along with an Israeli spacecraft on the Jewish state's first mission to the moon in 2019.

The capsule will consist of the Bible, pictures of Israeli symbols like the flag, Israeli songs, drawings by children and a booklet by a Jewish man about surviving the Holocaust, in addition to other materials.

The spacecraft, Beresheet (the Hebrew word for "Genesis"), will launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla., in February. The time capsule is expected to remain on the moon indefinitely.

SpaceIL and the Israeli Space Agency announced in October a collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration that will allow SpaceIL to better its capability to monitor and "communicate with the spacecraft before, during and after landing on the moon," according to SpaceIL in a statement.

"This is another step on our way to the moon," said SpaceIL CEO Ido Anteby. "Inserting the disks into the spacecraft, which is a real 'time capsule,' indicates the spacecraft's readiness to blast off from the launch site in a few weeks."

"SpaceIL's crews and IAI have completed testing of the spacecraft and its systems, and are preparing for the beginning of the amazing and complex journey that exemplifies innovation, creativity and courage," continued Anteby. "The spacecraft's historic journey, which also includes a scientific mission, makes a significant contribution to advancing the space industry and the subject of space in Israel."

"We are proud to be the first non-governmental entity in the world to go to the moon," said IAI Space Division general manager Opher Doron. "Landing on the moon was for many years a little-discussed topic among the public, but recently we see growing interest as world superpowers seek to return to the moon in a variety of commercial missions."Jewish Academy of Orlando welcomed grandparents, family and special friends to its annual Generation Celebration. The event showcased the school's academic, technology, fine and performing arts and Judaica curricula. Families and friends enjoyed a catered breakfast before they joined students in four classes that took place over the course of the morning. They truly experienced what it means to be a JAO student.

In the Innovation Lab, students and families participated in a number of activities. Having learned the basis of circuits, electricity, and Scratch programming, fifth-grade students demonstrated their creativity and problem-solving skills in building electronic instruments. Third-grade students illustrated coding skills from their Hour of Code week. They programmed games, dancing avatars, and more. The youngest students in Kindergarten and first grade taught families how to write code to program the Kibo robots.

In core area classes, Jewish Academy faculty hosted a number of engaging activities. One class wrote a book about their grandparents, published and gifted copies to their families. Another class set up interviews to learn more about their family members; these videos will be compiled to create a film.

The event concluded with a whole-school performing arts showcase that ranged from first and second graders performing a heartwarming rendition of "Ani vi ata" ("You and I will change the world") to third and fourth graders playing their recorders. The audience also had a preview of the upcoming spring musical Junie B. Jones.

"This school wows me every time I visit. Generation Celebration is one of my favorite events of the year. Watching my granddaughters share their work and love of this school makes me realize what a special place this is. I am so grateful to be a part of the JAO community," said Marilyn Liroff, grandmother of two JAO students.

"We love hosting grandparents and special friends for Generation Celebration. They are the foundation on which JAO is built," stated Alan Rusonik, head of school.

To learn more about Jewish Academy of Orlando, please visit: jewishacademyorlando.org or follow us on Facebook facebook.com/JewishAcademyOrlando/The third of China's domestically-developed C919 passenger planes to roll off the production line landed safely at Shanghai Pudong International Airport after successfully completing 21 different tests during a 1 hour and 38 minute flight.

The third C919 aircraft flies over Pudong International Airport during its first flight on Friday, December 28, 2018. [Photo: People's Daily]

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China plans to build six of the aircraft to use for flight testing. The first three are primarily for testing performance, operability, and the structure of the aircraft. The following three will be used mainly for tests on the plane's electronic equipment, internal control systems, cabin systems, and resistance to extreme weather.

The third test aircraft will now head to the city of Xi'an in Shaanxi Province for further testing.

The first and second C919s, which made their maiden flights in May and December last year respectively, are currently conducting test flights in various Chinese airports.

According to a statement made on Wednesday by China's Minister of Transport Li Xiaopeng, all six test aircraft are scheduled for tests next year.The law provides up to three years imprisonment for offenders. India is one of the few countries in the world where Islamic marriages are still in force. Muslim women complain of serious forms of discrimination.

New Delhi (AsiaNews / Agencies) - With 245 votes in favor and 11 against, yesterday the Lok Sabha (Lower House) of the Indian Parliament approved the law that criminalizes and punishes the practice of Islamic divorce, or "triple talaq". The law now passes to the Rajya Sabha (Upper House), which is responsible for final approval.

The law is entitled Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2018 and provides up to three years imprisonment for offenders, that is, Muslim husbands who abandon their wives some even by text message on their mobile phone. In presenting the norm before parliamentarians, Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad stressed that the rule is not against any religious community. "There is no policy in the law - he said - It is only about humanity and justice ".

India is one of the few countries in the world where the Islamic law on unions is still in force. Women have long complained that the practice of verbal divorce produces serious discrimination, leaving them at the mercy of their husbands' whims. These often decide to divorce their wives by pronouncing the word "Talaq" (divorce) three times, and are in effect free from marriage bonds.

The battle against verbal Islamic divorce is an initiative of Muslim women gathered in the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (Bmma) association. In 2016 the Bmma decided to challenge the Muslim marriage system and petitioned the Indian Supreme Court. With a ruling in August 2017, the judges defined the practice as "unconstitutional," but leaving the definition of the matter in the hands of Parliament. In December of the same year the Lower House (Lok Sabha) outlawed the practice, providing for imprisonment for offenders. In September, given the delays in the legislative process, the government took the initiative by signing a decree, which yesterday was turned into law by the parliament.WASHINGTON (JTA)James Mattis is quitting as defense secretary and his extraordinary resignation letter has brought into the open an argument among conservatives on whether to cut and run in the Middle East or whether to stay with no clear outcome.

The argument also touches on two subjects near and dear to the hearts of Jewish political players: how best to contain Iran, and how robust a role the U.S. should play in the region.

Mattis did not mention Syria in his letter Thursday, but reports said that Trumps decision earlier this week to pull 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria was the trigger. President Donald Trump said it was time to go because the Islamic State, or ISIS, is defeated. Numerous experts noted, however, that ISIS has lost most of its territory, but is still active.

Matthew Levitt of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and a veteran anti-terrorism analyst of the George W. Bush presidency, summed up on Twitter the criticism of Trumps Syria move: In one fell swoop @POTUS upended his own admins 3 pronged Syria policy, sidelined all his top officials, alienated all our closest allies, set the stage for an ISIS resurgence, gifted the Levant to Iran, & guaranteed huge Mideast instability in 2019.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also appeared less than pleased. His office on Thursday said that the prime minister and president had spoken about Trumps decision. The outcome seems hardly conclusive. The two discussed ways to continue cooperation between Israel and the US against the Iranian aggression, the statement said.

Netanyahu has said that the outcome of any final status agreement to end the seven-year civil war that has devastated Syria must include Irans removal from the scene. Iran, which with its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, helped the Assad regime win the war, has no intention of leaving. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Syrian President Basher Assads other ally, has saidtepidlythat maybe he can get Iran to stay 60 miles away from Israels border with Syria.

Netanyahu is already taking hits from the opposition for not putting up a fight, one they say he surely would have waged had Barack Obama made the same decision as Trump. Netanyahu has staked a lot of his political capital on his close relationship with Trump.

Mattis in his letter drew a direct contrast between his outlook, favoring the maintenance of close alliances and a robust wariness of rivals and enemies, and that of Trump, who has sought to loosen alliances and to reconcile with Russia and other antagonists.

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 a letter the Pentagon handed to reporters after Trump said on Twitter that Mattis was retiring and not resigning.

Similarly, I believe we must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours, Mattis said. It is clear that China and Russia, for example, want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian modelgaining veto authority over other nations economic, diplomatic, and security decisionsto promote their own interests at the expense of their neighbors, America and our allies.

In case anyone doubted where this was heading, Mattis made it clear as day that he did not believe Trump shared these beliefs. 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, he said.

Trump fired back from his favorite bunker, Twitter. Ive done more damage to ISIS than all recent presidents...not even close!

Trump took incoming fire after announcing the Syria pullout, and it intensified after Mattis said he was quitting. It came, unusually, from Republicans.

ISIS has members who spend all day plotting & inspiring attacks against Americans, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said. The more territory they control the easier it is for them to do that. In Syria 2000 US special forces were helping Kurds wipe them out.

The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, also slammed Trump for precipitating Mattis departureMcConnell has otherwise had Trumps back on an array of controversial policies. 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, he said.

The back and forth extended to Jewish Republicans. The media thats having this hysterical reaction to James Mattis retiring is the same media in many cases, the same politicians in many cases, who cheered our nation into a war in Iraq that turned out to be an absolute catastrophe, Stephen Miller, a top Jewish adviser to Trump, told CNN. This president got elected to get our foreign policy back on the right track after years of being adrift. One foreign policy blunder after another in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Libya, that hasnt worked out for the national interest.

Jewish Insider solicited a scathing reply from Elliott Abrams, a top national security official in a number of GOP administrations. Mr Miller knows nothing about national security policy, Abrams said. Barack Obama is the man who abandoned Iraq, and that action opened up a vacuum in which ISIS grew. Many, many Republicans remember that and recognize the dangers of abandoning Syria. They said when Obama pulled out of Iraq far too soon that it was a great mistake, and they are saying the same thing now.

A version of this story appeared in the JTA weekly newsletter, The Tell.Jewish National Fund is pleased to announce Meril Salzburg as the new co-president of the Orlando Board. Salzburg's appointment comes at a critical time, as JNF's lay leadership and professional team are at the halfway mark of the organization's One Billion Dollar Road Map for the Next Decade campaign. She will be instrumental in helping JNF connect Orlando to the people and land of Israel, and execute unique projects to strengthen Israel for the long-term.

"Philanthropic parents raised me, so I saw what they did and all that they accomplished for Israel," said Salzburg. "Today, I feel I am following in their footsteps, taking the baton and continuing forward, as my loving, remarkable parents have done-helping, caring, supporting, and strengthening our homeland, their lives and communities. Our heritage and traditions are in all of us-we must preserve it and cherish it."

Salzburg moved here in 1993. She quickly became involved in the Jewish community working and volunteering with the Jewish Federation, Congregation Ohev Shalom, and Jewish Pavilion. She served as membership director at the JCC, and as both treasurer and president during her tenure on the board of Congregation Bet Chaim.

"Our history tells it all and we re-tell it, L'dor V'dor, from generation to generation; Israel, our homeland, is a part of us, a part of me," said Salzburg. "Israel's growth and wisdom is our growth and wisdom too, it is a connection to all things Jewish, a bonding among Jews like none other worldwide."

During her tenure as co-president, Salzburg is looking forward to educating the community about JNF's vision and the significance of financially supporting this organization.

"We are so excited to have Meril leading our organization with Ed Milgrim in Orlando," said Laura Abramson, JNF's Orlando director. "She brings so much enthusiasm for Jewish National Fund and Israel to our local leadership."

Join Meril Salzburg at the 2019 Tree of Life Gala in Orlando on Tuesday Feb. 19, 2019, at Congregation Ohev Shalom. For more information on the Tree of Life Award Gala and to register, please visit jnf.org/orlandotol. To learn more about what JNF is doing in Orlando, please visit jnf.org/Orlando.JERUSALEM (JTA)SodaStream is setting up a manufacturing plant in Gaza.

SodaStream CEO Daniel Birnbaum made the announcement Thursday at a conference in Jerusalem sponsored by the Israeli business publication Globes. He appeared on stage at the conference with Ramon Laguarta, CEO of Pepsico, which acquired the Israeli home-carbonated drinks company this year for $3.2 billion.

Laguarta told the conference that he toured the SodaStream plant located near the Bedouin town of Rahat in the Negev Desert in southern Israel and said he was proud of the human state of the plant, noting that the 2,000 employees are both Jews and Arabs working on terms of equality.

More than 70 of those employees are Palestinians who worked in the companys now-closed West Bank plan. They received work permits to enter Israel and work in the Negev plant that opened in 2015. In October 2014, SodaStream announced it would close its West Bank factory, but denied that the decision was the result of pressure from the movement to boycott Israel.

We set up our plant in Rahat, Island of Peace, and I want to make it bigger and give more people hope, so were in the process of also putting a plant in Gaza, which will be operated through a subcontractor. We want people in Gaza to have real jobs, because when there is prosperity and plenty, there will also be peace, Birnbaum said.

Business can be a bridge in certain cases, Laguarta said.

The two men did not provide any other details about the Gaza plant.Israel arrests 100 Palestinians in crackdown

By Sam Sokol

JERUSALEM (JTA)Israeli forces arrested over 100 Palestinians over the past weekend as part of an anti-terror crackdown launched in the wake of last weeks uptick in terror activity in the West Bank.

There were 100 arrests over the weekend, and another 36 yesterday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced during a visit to the Givaat Asaf settlement on Tuesday, where two members of the IDFs haredi Orthodox Netzach Yehuda battalion were recently shot to death by a Palestinian gunman. It is only a matter of time before we find this murderer as well, just as we found the others.

According to the Palestinian news outlet Maan, Israeli forces arrested 24 Palestinians during a series of pre-dawn raids on Tuesday as well as confiscating security cameras in al-Rihan near Ramallah.

A number of Israeli cabinet officials have endorsed taking a harsher line against Palestinians involved in terrorism, including upping the pace of home demolitions and expelling the families of Palestinians who carried out attacks.

Pink Floyd tribute band shows back on

By Sam Sokol

JERUSALEM (JTA)A Pink Floyd cover band announced on Tuesday that its upcoming Israel tour is back on after cancelling due to pressure from BDS advocate Roger Waters, co-founder of the original Pink Floyd.

On Sunday UK Pink Floyd Experience cancelled its shows in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Beersheba early next month, hours after Waters posted a letter calling on the group to honor the Israel boycott. By Tuesday it had made an about face, posting a statement on its website that it was obliged to fulfill our contractual obligation and would perform a one-off special concert together with Israeli Pink Floyd Tribute Band Echoes.

The band said that it had decided to accept the invitation to play in Israel without wishing to involve itself in politics. In the statement, its members regret the upset caused by all of this, it was far from our intention to stir up all this anger and hatred, when the opposite was what was intended. In hindsight, it was very naive to think our motives would not be misunderstood and misrepresented.

Waters wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday evening: To sing my songs in front of segregated audiences in Israel, and contribute to the cultural whitewashing of the racist and apartheid government of that country, would be an act of unconscionable malice and disrespect.

Waters announced in a Facebook post on Sunday that the cover band had decided to cancel their Israel gigs and thanked the band members for their prompt response. He called on other Pink Floyd tribute bands to refrain from performing in Israel.

Supporters of Israel then flooded the bands Facebook page with angry posts, leading UK Pink Floyd Experience to take down its Facebook page.

Lest week, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, in a rare news release, called on sponsors of concerts being given by Waters in Mexico and several South American countries to withdraw their sponsorship, citing the hostile, bigoted, and anti-Semitic comments made by Mr. Waters on numerous occasions. It also called on elected officials in those countries to make clear their rejection of his offensive and inciteful [sic] comments.

Rights groups accuse Israel of coverup in deaths of Gaza teens

By Sam Sokol

JERUSALEM (JTA)Human rights groups BTselem and Forensic Architecture have accused the IDF of manipulating the truth in its accounts of the deaths of two Palestinians teens killed in northern Gaza.

In a video posted to YouTube earlier this week, the two groups challenge the tactic of roof knocking, in which Israeli forces explode munitions on the top of a building to warn inhabitants that a missile or bomb strike is imminent. Focusing on a July airstrike in which the teens died, the groups allege that a video of the attack released by the military omits footage and that the teenagers were killed by a missile intended as the warning shot.

The rights groups allege that far from being a valuable tool for preventing civilian casualties, the practice of roof knocking is unlawful and, for all intents and purposes, constitutes an attack. As such, the action must abide by the applicable rules set out in international law, including adhering to the principle of proportionality and the duty to provide effective warning. None of this was done in the case at hand.

The IDF has defended the tactic as imperfect but necessary. In response, Forensic Architecture director Eyal Weizman told The New York Times that while warning strikes are an essential part of the Israeli militarys claims to high ethical standards such warnings are sometimes delivered with the same missiles that are used elsewhere to kill.

The IDF denied the charges, telling the Times that any allegations that the I.D.F. knowingly distorted or edited video footage are totally baseless and false.

Last week BTselem released footage showing IDF troops shooting a mentally disabled Palestinian man in Tulkarem in the back of the head, allegedly showing that the IDFs statement that its troops were responding to a violent incident were false.

Israel joins UN critics of Russias occupation of Crimea

By Cnaan Liphshiz

(JTA)Israel voted in favor of a U.N. resolution condemning Russias occupation of Ukraines Crimean peninsula.

The General Assembly vote Monday demonstrated how Israel has gradually abandoned its neutrality on the Crimea issue amid a deterioration in relations with Russia.

The resolution calls on Russia to withdraw armed forces from what the signers call temporarily occupied Crimea. It also condemns the growing military presence of Russia in the Black and Azov Seas and obstruction of navigation.

Israel, the United States as well as all EU and NATO member states were among 66 countries that supported the resolution. Nineteen countries voted against the documents adoption and 72 abstained, according to the Ukrinform agency.

Israel, whose representatives were absent during a 2014 General Assembly vote on the Russian takeover of Crimea, has since voted several times in favor of UN resolutions condemning Russia over the matter.

Russia has consistently supported UN resolutions that were very critical of Israel. Setbacks in bilateral ties include following the downing earlier this year in Syria of a Russian plane. Syrian anti-aircraft missiles destroyed the plane minutes after Israeli bombers carried out a mission in Syria. Russia blamed Israel for the incident, though Israeli officials rejected the allegation.

Academy Awards turns its back on latest Israeli film

By Tom Tugend

LOS ANGELES (JTA) Israels more than half-century courtship to win an Oscar for best foreign-language film will continue past 2019.

Since submitting its first entryand winning its first nominationfor Sallah in 1964, Israel has made the short list of top nominees 10 times, without ever reeling in the prize.

This year, tribal boosters can stop biting their fingernails anticipating the outcome. Israels entry The Cakemaker, a challenging film on bisexual affairs between German and Israeli lovers, was eliminated in the first round.

The list of nine semi-finalists among entries from 87 countries, announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Monday evening, eliminated the Israeli entry.

However, Israel was not the only snubbed contender. Looking at the entire history of Oscar awards, the three leading countries in the number of both nominees and ultimate winnersItaly, France and Spainwere all eliminated this time around.

Yet, oddly enough, if the themes chosen by a countrys filmmakers reflect in some ways the interests of their movie-going publics, the worlds fascination with the Holocaust, World War II and their aftermaths has never been higher.

Eight countries have this year submitted films, which deal directly or indirectly with the fate of Europes Jews during their darkest period, including Austria, France, Holland, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia and Switzerland.

None of these countries films made the short list, but of particular interest is Russias Sobibor, centering on the 1943 uprising in the notorious concentration camp, and Romanias oddly named I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians, which focuses on the massacre of Odessas Jews by the Romanian army.

The list of nine semi-finalists will be winnowed down to five on Jan. 22, and the winner will clutch the golden statuette at the 91stOscar telecast on Feb. 24.

Facebook blocks Yair Netanyahu

By Marcy Oster

JERUSALEM (JTA)Facebook blocked the account of Yair Netanyahu after he shared content banned by the platform that called for avenging the deaths of Israelis killed in recent days by Palestinian terrorists.

Netanyahu, the son of the Israeli prime minister, also called Facebook thought police in a post criticizing the removal of previous content.

He reposted some of the offensive posts using screenshots, which circumvent the social media sites controls.

Last week, Yair Netanyahu said in a post that the press, as well as left-wing NGOs and politicians, are traitors, and in another post suggested that all Muslims leave Israel.

He has previously been criticized for his boorish social media posts.

Financial Times names George Soros person of the year

By Sam Sokol

(JTA)Liberal Jewish financier and philanthropist George Soros was named Person of the Year by Financial Times, which called him the standard bearer of liberal democracy and open society.

The British news outlet also noted that there have been so many anti-Semitic conspiracy theories targeting Mr. Soros that it is difficult to keep count. Hardly a day goes by without a statement, a tweet or an image depicting him as a master manipulator of global politics.

The choice by the centrist, free market Financial Times seems aimed, in part, to counter such allegations and focus on what it called the values he represents, including openness, media freedom and human rights. These are the ideas which triumphed in the cold war. Today, they are under siege from all sides, from Vladimir Putins Russia to Donald Trumps America, the paper writes.

In an interview with Financial Times, Soros takes note of the backlash against him among authoritarian regimes and nationalist populists, particularly in Europe.

Im blamed for everything, including being the anti-Christ, Soros says. I wish I didnt have so many enemies, but I take it as an indication that I must be doing something right.

West Bank settlement construction drops in third quarter

By Sam Sokol

JERUSALEM (JTA)Settlement construction dropped sharply in the third quarter of 2018, according to new statistics released by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics.

According to the CBS figures, reported on Wednesday in The Jerusalem Post, housing starts in the disputed West Bank dipped by 52 percent compared to the previous quarter. Despite Israels right-wing government, which is widely seen as pro-settlement, housing starts were down a full 17 percent during the first three quarters of the year compared to the same period in 2017.

Following a series of terror attacks last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he would accelerate settlement construction.

Airbnb executive tours West Bank but excludes settlement listings

By Sam Sokol

JERUSALEM (JTA)An Airbnb executive visited the West Bank and met with Jewish settlement leaders amid criticism of its decision to remove Jewish-owned properties in the disputed territories from its short-term rental listings.

Chris Lehane, head of global policy and public affairs for the company, met Tuesday with senior settlement leaders and toured the Barkan Industrial Park.

The visit, said Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, was an important step against BDS, the boycott movement targeting Israel.

Airbnb had come under fire in pro-Israel circles after deciding to delist homes in Jewish settlements last month because, it said, the settlements are at the core of the dispute between Israelis and Palestinians. Following a meeting between Airbnb executives and Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, the Israelis issued a statement claiming that Airbnb had backed down from its policy of not listing apartments in settlements, only to be contradicted by the company, which stated that while it opposed the BDS movement against Israel, it was not backing down.

Airbnb communicated that we are developing the tools needed to implement our policy, and that process includes continuing our dialogue with the Government of Israel and other stakeholders, the company said in a statement reported by The Jerusalem Post.

Trump signs law conferring Congressional Gold Medal on Anwar Sadat

By Ron Kampeas

WASHINGTON (JTA)President Donald Trump signed legislation that will honor Anwar Sadat posthumously with the Congressional Gold Medal for leading Egypt to peace with Israel.

The medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress, would be conferred next year, the 40th anniversary of the Camp David accords. This year is the centenary of the late Egyptian presidents birth. Trump signed the legislation on Dec. 13.

A Congressional medal requires the sponsorship of two-thirds of lawmakers in of both chambers, which was secured by Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah in the Senate and Reps. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., and Chris Stewart, R-Utah, in the House.

The bid to confer the medal was promoted by The Friedlander Group, a New York-based publicity and lobbying firm with a focus on Jewish issues. Backing the bid outside Congress were Shafik Gabr, an Egyptian industrialist; Isaac Dabah, an Israeli clothing tycoon who operates plants in Egypt; and Tzili Charney, the widow of Leon Charney, a major pro-Israel philanthropist who was a longtime friend of Ezer Weizman, the Israel defense minister at the time, and who advised some of the negotiators at Camp David.

Militant Islamists assassinated Sadat in 1981 because of the 1978 Camp David peace deal he forged with Israel. Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin received the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize.

3 arrested for vandalism of Penn State U fraternitys menorah

By Marcy Oster

(JTA)Three men were arrested for the theft and vandalism earlier this month of the nine-foot menorah in front of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity house at Penn State University.

The incident took place on Dec. 2. A member of the fraternity attempted to stop the men as they vandalized the menorah and was assaulted, according to a criminal complaint, the student newspaper The Collegian reported.

A total of five men affiliated with or visiting another fraternity house were involved in the incident, according to State College Police.

The menorah was valued at $1,800. ZBT is a traditionally Jewish fraternity.

The three arrested men, ages 19 and 20, were charged with theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and criminal mischief.

Two other suspects who confessed to being involved in the theft, the vandalism or both, have not yet been charged, the newspaper quoted the police report as saying.

The menorah also had been stolen and vandalized three days earlier on Nov. 29, though it is not known if the incidents are connected.

Last year, four Penn State University students were charged with stealing a 9-foot menorah from the home of the campus Chabad rabbi and leaving it damaged outside the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity, another traditionally Jewish fraternity.

Ohio man convicted of hate crime in beating of man he thought was Jewish

By Marcy Oster

(JTA)An Ohio man was convicted of a hate crime for attacking a man he thought was Jewish.

Izmir Koch, 33, of Huber Heights, was found guilty by a judge for his part in the assault of a man smoking a cigarette outside a local restaurant on Feb. 4, 2017.

Koch asked people standing outside the restaurant if anyone there was Jewish. When the victim responded in the affirmative, although he was not actually Jewish, Koch allegedly punched him, knocking him to the ground. Koch then continued to hit and kick him, as did others standing outside the restaurant.

The victim suffered injuries to his ribs and a fracture of his eye socket.

Before and during the assault, Koch and the other assailants were heard shouting, I want to kill all of the Jews and I want to stab the Jews, according to the Department of Justice.

A hate crime charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, the local ABC affiliate WLWT reported.Dear Editor:

This morning, it was announced that President Trump is considering a full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria. The reason given is that the terrorist organization ISIS no longer holds territory in Syria, thus the primary objective of a U.S. military presence there is completed. Yet ISIS is far from the only Syria-based danger to Americas interests and allies. Before reaching a final decision on the matter, the Trump Administration should consider the threats still posed from Syrias borders.

Israel shares a northeastern border with Syria. Since the Syrian Civil War began seven years ago, the threat facing Israel from that border has risen. The shifting power vacuum created by the war offered opportunities for several dangerous forces to gain a foothold. One was ISIS; another was Iran. It is now abundantly clear that Iran has installed forces in Syria in a fresh bid for regional hegemony. Like Lebanon, Syria offers a new front for terror and violence against Israel, a country it wishes to wipe from the map. Just this spring, an Iranian drone entered sovereign Israeli territory from Syriathe first-ever direct attack on Israel by Iran. Additionally, Hezbollah, a terrorist organization backed and armed by Iran, has now established a presence in Syria as well.

The situation in Syria remains immensely complex and unstable. It is important that U.S. decision-makers fully consider the implications a fast and full withdrawal could have for Israel, for other American allies, and for containing the violent regional aspirations of the Iranian regime.

Jack Rosen

American Jewish Congress

New York City(JNS)In recent years, anti-Israel movements have spread to college campuses across North America, manifested by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Georgetown University is no exception.

Although the BDS movement at Georgetown gained momentum in recent years, it was rejected in 2017 by the university administration and hasnt gained ground since then. Moreover, anti-Israel activities also significantly died down, making Georgetown a relatively safe space for pro-Israel and Jewish students alike.

What can explain this success story? One important factor is that the Georgetown Israel Alliance, the universitys pro-Israel student group, adopted strategies that are more effective on todays college campuses. By focusing on proactivity rather than reactivity, engaging in dialogue with students of different political stances, and presenting Israel through a more critical and holistic lens, GIA has successfully set the narrative in the discourse surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and presented Israels case well on campus.

One idea was to be more proactive rather than reactive when it came to advocating for Israel. Pro-Israel groups on campus tend to react whenever anti-Israel campaigns or sentiment pop up in our college community. For instance, in 2017, anti-Israel student activists staged a protest in front of prospective and accepted students during Georgetowns accepted students visiting weekend. They held up signs depicting Israel as an apartheid state, which made many Jewish students feel unsafe.

To respond to this, GIA staged a counter-protest to show prospective Jewish students that Georgetown is safe for pro-Israel and Jewish studentsand hopefully, everyone else, for that matter. Still, while counter-protests like this are important, they arent an effective long-term solution because the narrative is still shaped by the anti-Israel protesters.

So we decided to become more proactive. Instead of just defending Israel from rhetoric on the offensive, we focused on information and raising awareness. To that end, we hosted a panel discussion on What is Zionism, Really? We also hosted events that tie Zionism to other issues, so that students see Zionism as a positive force, like Zionism, Civil Rights and Intersectionality, where *Chloe Valdary, a prominent African-American pro-Israel activist, spoke about why Zionism is so important in the context of civil rights.

Along those lines, we are increasing our efforts to engage in dialogue with other students on campus, especially those with different views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Dont get me wrong; talking with students who hold widely different views doesnt necessarily change their minds, but the discussions themselves allow for greater understanding among us. It also allows us to present accurate information to students not familiar with the Mideast and its complex issues.

Following President Donald Trumps controversial decision to relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, we set up a table in the main square of Georgetown, open for talk. Although many students disagreed with Trumps decision, we explained our personal views on it. We noted why Jerusalem is so important to Israel and the Jewish people, while at the same time acknowledging the geopolitical challenges associated with the move. We werent trying to persuade anyone that Trump had made the right decision; some of us in GIA didnt even agree with it. But we wanted to ensure that they had a better understanding of where we were coming from. And we did reach out to pro-Palestinian students.

Although we havent been able to engage in dialogue with anti-Israel activists who adhere to the anti-normalization policy and often dont engage with pro-Israel students, we were effective in clarifying certain facts and showing others that we are open for dialogue.

And we are working on presenting Israel through a critical and holistic lens. In doing so, we want to humanize other students perception of Israel and to ensure that they are informed about the Jewish stateculturally, historically, economically. One of our events featured a discussion about gender equality and LGBTQ rights in Israel, in which the speaker praised Israeli society for its rapid progress on such rights, but also criticized the current government for a lack of progress in recent years.

The Israeli government and its policies are open for criticismnot because GIA is critical of the government, but because we want to give a space to speakers with different viewpoints. One of our major campus programs featured former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni, who is also the Leader of the Opposition. She criticized policies of the current Netanyahu government and advocated for a two-state solution. It turned out to be the most successful event in GIAs historyattracting pro-Israel students and many others interested in international relationsnot only because of Livnis stature, but because people know that she isnt just another supporter of the Israeli government. She offers alternative views.

Of course, we try to avoid tactics that are easily attackable or perceived as propaganda. While our strategies have been effective, they may not necessarily work on other college campuses. In many ways, we at Georgetown are fortunate for our international Washington location and the fact that there isnt a strong anti-Israel presence on campus in the first place, compared to other colleges in North America. But its worth pointing out that when rational, calm heads prevail, we can make gains in battling BDS, and not by using older, louder, more defensive strategies of pro-Israel activism.

Shaun Ho is a student at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and an intern at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

*Chloe Valdary was recently invited to speak to a group of women at a JNF Womens Division meeting in Orlando. She is an American writer and political activist. She previously served as a Robert L. Bartley Fellow and Tikvah fellow under journalist and political commentator Bret Stephens at the Wall Street Journal. Valdary, who is 25, was raised in a Christian household that kept kosher and observed all the appointed timesincluding Yom Kippur, which she began observing with fasting when she was 5 years old.The idea of Palestine may be somewhere in the dust, but Israel still has problems. There are several cases of recent attacks that were prominent, and the IDF is digging out tunnels coming from Lebanon into northern Israel. Security forces count in the hundreds the instances of attack that have frustrated this year.

One incident was about a month ago, when an employee of a West Bank industry killed two of his colleagues and then ran. Most recently there was a drive-by shooting at an area in the West Bank where people were waiting for rides. Prominent among the injured were a young wife, seven months pregnant. She was injured seriously, and a Cesarean removal of the fetus produced a baby boy who physicians struggled to keep alive, but who died within days. And another shooting at a hitchhiking and bus stop killed two soldiers and wounded two others.

And in the north there are four tunnels so far located that enter Israel. Their sections in country are being dealt with, and evidence shown to UN and Lebanese forces as to segments under Lebanon.

And there have been other instances, mostly in the West Bank or the Old City of Jerusalem.

We may be seeing an escalation, perhaps encouraged by Hamas.

Theres a feeling of threat, expressed by the media.

Although both Hamas and Fatah leaderships have praised the actions, some may be the work of individuals, unconnected with anything beyond their own commitments. They indicate Israels problems, despite firm signs of even greater problems among Palestinians.

Palestinians have been pushed below numerous other problems by Arab governments that have accommodated themselves to Israel. And competition between Palestinian movements have undermined whatever possibilities might exist foe meaningful negotiations.

Hezbollah seems to have enough missiles to make Israel miserable, but its leadership is aware of what Israel can do in response.

Iran has been pushing both Hezbollah and Palestinian movements, and financing installations and actions in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, and the West Bank.

There are also domestic problems in Iran, that may play their role in limiting what can initiate elsewhere.

So Israel is somewhere in the middle. Its political problems are manageable, and looking up. But security remains a serious threat.

Right wing politicians demand forceful action, but security personnel are reluctant to engage in ways that will cause Israeli casualties, and produce no clear changes. Prime Minister Netanyahu has sided with the restraint, even while speaking more forcefully at political meetings.

And hes also dealing with difficult personal problems, as well as those of wife and elder son. The latter was photographed while giving the third finger, again and again, to a group of protesters who opposed his claim against one of his critics

Charges against Bibi seem likely to result in indictments for bribery and other crimes. When they come is another question. Either before or after whenever therell be an election is one of our mysteries.

So far he seems to be doing a reasonable job of compartmentalizing his various problems, and keeping Israel out of serious political problems. Hes hinted against some practices of his elder son, but nothing that would lead us to expect testimony against the young and unemployed man.

Hes also remained on a better footing with the Russians than has Donald Trump. The downing of a Russian plane, with the loss of its crew and passengers, was done by Syria, but the blame was passed on to the IDF. Thats caused some hiccups in relations, and an apparent slowing of Israeli attacks against Iran and Hezbollah in Syria.

Theres also an increase in political attacks against Bibi by coalition partners, seemingly getting ready for an election. Jewish Homes Naftaly Bennett has found reasons to criticize defense policies. And two factions of Torah Judaism are at odds with one another and with the Prime Minister about the bill to regularize draft exemptions. One faction is threatening to leave the government if the bill is brought to a vote, and the other is threatening to leave the government if the same bill is not brought to a vote.

Tensions here and there, and personal tragedies resulting from terror attacks.

Its not a simple picture.

Comments welcome, irashark@gmail.com

Ira Sharkansky (Emeritus), Department of Political Science, Hebrew University of Jerusalem.The trend began in the late 1970s thanks to Saudi Arabia. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Rohingya militants developed close ties with Bangladeshi, Afghan and Pakistani groups. Today's main Rohingya military organisation has its roots in Karachi.

Dhaka (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Rohingya refugees are being courted by Middle East and South Asia extremist groups, a trend that could turn Bangladesh's overflowing refugee camps into a new source of regional instability, this according to many observers, including Bertil Lintner.

The Swedish journalist notes out that the radicalisation of Rohingyas, which began in the late 1970s, finds fertile ground in a permanent refugee population.

The border region is thus exposed to possible new cross-border attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), which in August 2017 led to a violent offensive by the Myanmar military in the Rohingya areas of the Rakhine State.

According to Lintner, the danger is that various local Islamist groups might come together, with serious implications for the internal security of Bangladesh, which is set to hold elections on Sunday.

The situation today is not new. In 1978 and 1991-1992, hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh to escape sectarian violence.

In 1978, the immensely wealthy Saudi charity Rabitat-al-Alam-al-Islami sent aid to the refugees and built a hospital, mosque and madrasa for them at Ukhia, south of Coxs Bazar in south-eastern Bangladesh.

Saudi religious teachers arrived in Ukhia, setting off the radicalisation of some Rohingya leaders and activists.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO), the main militant group among them, forged links with the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and, especially, its even more radical youth wing, the Islami Chhatra Shibir.

With these new connections, the RSO contacted Hizb-e-Islami in Afghanistan and likeminded groups in Pakistan, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

Afghan instructors came to an RSO camp near Ukhia, whilst about a hundred RSO militants went to Afghanistan for military training with Hizb-e-Islami in Khost province.

Todays main political and military organisation among the Rohingyas, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) or, as it is better known locally, Harakah al-Yaqin (the Faith Movement), has its roots in radical milieus in Karachi, Pakistan.

There, several hundred thousand first, second and third generation Rohingyas, many descendants of Muslims who left Myanmar after World War II, live in impoverished suburbs, involved in illegal activities, some recruited to fight in Afghanistan.

ARSAs leader, Ataullah abu Ammar Junjuni, also known as Hafiz Tohar, was born in Karachi and went to a madrasa in Saudi Arabia.

According to recent reports from the camps in Bangladesh, the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (JMB), an Islamic organisation operating in Bangladesh which is listed as a terror group in the United Kingdom, is trying to build links with the Rohingyas.

The Bangladesh Daily Star reported on 13 December that the countrys Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit had arrested three JMB members for providing training to Rohingya refugees.

If proven, these accusations could provoke a militant response if Myanmars civil and military authorities refuse to grant refugees their demands, like citizenship and justice.How will Hindus from Sri Lanka be protected when pro-Hindu Government and big pro-Hindu organizations are unable to protect Hindus in India ? Hindu Rashtra is required for protection of Hindus from all over the world !

Colombo : 200 Christians led by Christian missionary Fr. Desman attacked 50 Hindu families from Pudhukkudieruppu village in Mannar district of Sri Lanka. They attacked Hindus with sticks and rods; injuring several Hindus.

These homeless Hindu fishermen and 200 Christians were recently rehabilitated in new colony. One acre of land was reserved for constructing prayer houses of Hindus and Christians in this colony of fishermen. Christians constructed Annai Velankini church on half acre of land. After few days, Hindus started to build temple on the land reserved for them but Christians opposed and started erecting fence around the whole place. Hindus then brought material to erect fence on half part of land. At that time, 200 Christians led by Fr. Desman attacked Hindus; beating them with sticks. Hindus rushed to nearest police station rather than retaliating and lodged a complaint. Police reached the place of incident and advised Christians not to oppose Hindus in constructing a temple on half part of land; however, Christians continued to oppose ignoring police advice. Hindus then met departmental Secretary Shri. Vasantkumar and requested him to intervene. He went to the place and tried to find out some solution but Christians even threatened him and sent him back. (It shows Hindus, who are in minority in this world, have to face so many problems !  Editor, Dainik Sanatan Prabhat)

Source : Dainik Sanatan PrabhatAs 2019 approaches, 1979 comes to mind as the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December transformed South Asia. The year has a dramatic quality for other reasons too. The revolution in Iran that toppled the Shah changed our neighbourhood to the north-west. A brief but intense border war between Vietnam and China similarly created new realities to our South East. Our neighbourhood was simultaneously being impacted in other ways. In January 1979, China and the United States established full diplomatic relations and this also symbolised the beginning of modernisation and opening up of the Chinese economy. Zulfiqar Ali Bhuttos execution that year was a setback to a fledging democratic process in Pakistan comparable only to the assassination of his daughter in 2007.

Looking back is useful to underline how much our external environment has changed. 1979 was in a world where one of our principal objectives was to keep great powers out of our region. Even the Soviet Union, our strong partner during the tumultuous events of 1971, was not an exception to this general principle. Our position on its advance into Afghanistan may have seen by almost everyone else as being uncritically supportive. Yet it was a position of great internal discomfort with the consideration always in mind that the Soviet invasion had brought the Cold War deep into the subcontinent and was not therefore in our interest.

That world no longer exists and the reality of 2018 or 2019 is that the whole of South Asia sees China as a major power within the subcontinent. The challenge for 2019 and indeed for the years ahead is of how to interface with this new power within us and which effects all equations with our neighbours or will inevitably do so.

This rise of China may imply the logical deduction that viewing developments through its prism is now inescapable for India. But the lessons from our neighbourhood in 2018 are opposite to this logical deduction. In country after country in South Asia, it is a local dynamic that has asserted itself rather than a China-centric grand narrative that has risen to the surface. The recent experience of Maldives and Sri Lanka obviously pointedly illustrate this local dynamic. The elections in Nepal in end 2017 and in Bhutan this year also threw up results that underline paying greater attention to local factors rather than totalising theories about Chinas ingress.

For the first time since 1990 when a multi-party system was adopted the Nepal election has created the real possibility of a stable dispensation. How much of a change this will be is illustrated by the fact that the past decade has seen 10 prime ministers in Nepal. Stability in its political architecture can only be to Indias advantage given the density of ties that exist between us and the Himalayan republic. Similarly, if the forthcoming elections in Bangladesh throw up results that further consolidate stability there it can only be to everyones advantage.

The two countries that appear to buck this trend are Afghanistan and Pakistan and each throws up different kinds of challenges for us. In Afghanistan the agenda being set there is reminiscent of the past despite the lip service to an Afghan-led peace process. Our ability to influence it is constrained by various factors but at this stage just understanding of and moral support for the Afghans is a big factor as they confront new and difficult choices in confronting an enemy which is exhausting its adversaries. In Pakistan the process of consolidation of democratic institutions so evident a decade ago seems weakened, at least temporarily. Nevertheless, the Kartarpur Saheb opening shows that in the India Pakistan context bilateral developments follow their own logic and can surprise even the hardened cynic. Remaining open to such opportunities even as we remain vigilant with regard to familiar threats and challenges must surely inform our approach in 2019.

Finally, South Asia as a whole. At one level the region is well connected in terms of high-level political contact. An example is that India received head of government/ head of state level visits from all SAARC countries except Pakistan during the course of 2018. The BIMSTEC summit in Nepal in August 2018 similarly augers well and focusses attention on the Bay of Bengal as a natural unit of cooperation. Whether all of this can be a substitute for the narrative value that SAARC has developed however may well be the question that we will have to centrally confront in 2019.

TCA Raghavan is a retired diplomat and currently director general, Indian Council of World Affairs

The views expressed are personalActor Salman Khan is celebrates his 53rd birthday on Thursday. He kicked off the midnight celebrations with a star-studded bash at his farmhouse in Panvel.

The Bajrangi Bhaijaan actor kick-started the party by cutting a huge three-tier cake decorated with his pictures along with his nephew Ahil Sharma. In one of the videos from the cake-cutting ceremony, his rumoured girlfriend Iulia Vantur can be seen singing out loud while standing behind him.

Not just family and close friends, several Bollywood celebrities were also spotted at his birthday party, dressed in accordance with the theme of the night -- black. Actors Sonakshi Sinha and Jacqueline Fernandez were spotted arriving for the party in black ensembles. Salmans Tiger Zinda Hai co-star Katrina Kaif also attended the party but was spotted in a blue denim jacket.

Sisters Malaika Arora and Amrita Arora were also spotted leaving for the party. While Amrita kept it casual, Malaika looked glamourous in a black dungarees and crop top with her hair in a knot.

Malaika Arora leaving for Salmans birthday party. (Viral Bhayani)

Amrita Arora leaving for Salmans birthday party. (Viral Bhayani)

Sushmita Sen was also there at the party and shook a leg with Salman on the dance floor. She also wished him by sharing the video of their dance along with the caption, Whenever life gives us a chance to sit it out or dance...WE DANCE The journey from falling in love with #Prem on screen in Maine Pyar kiya #1989 to sharing the screen with him in Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya #2005 what a destined journey indeed!!! Happy Birthday to a man who never stopped celebrating Being Human Have a blessed year @beingsalmankhan Know that I will ALWAYS love you!!! #friendforlife #happybirthday #duggadugga mmuuuaaah!!!

Gold actor Mouni Roy was also spotted clicking pictures with Salman. Dressed in a short metallic number paired with knee-length boots and a black jacket, she also wished the actor on her Instagram along with their picture. She wrote, He s rid of thoughts & words of other people , has his own voice ; his own language. Happy happiest birthday @beingsalmankhan ; am a fangirl for life! Wish you all the happiness & love you bring into everybodys lives. Also, laughter & food were the main ingredients of the evening amongst lots of dancing.

His brother Sohail Khan, with son Nirvaan and other Khan family members, were also spotted at the bash. Salman had also cut a separate birthday cake while posing for the paparazzi. Actors Dino Morea, Dia Mirza and Jimmy Shergill too were seen arriving for the party.Veteran actor Kader Khan has been admitted to hospital amid deteriorating health. He has been living with his son and daughter-in-law in Canada for the last few years.

According to a report in Spotboye, the actor has been put on a BiPAP ventilator after he had trouble breathing. While Khan is conscious and is able to maintain eye contact, he has stopped talking. He also has symptoms of pneumonia.

Khan suffers from progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a degenerative disease that causes loss of balance, difficulty in walking and dementia. He also underwent surgeries in his knees in 2017. His friend and Bollywood actor Shakti Kapoor had told Spotboye, Yes, Kader Khan is now on a wheelchair. Its so so sad to be talking about this... His son had, however, said that while the surgery went well, his father refused to get up from the wheelchair and start walking on his own.

Khan, a sought after dialogue writer in the 1990s, started his career in Bollywood with Yash Chopras Daag (1973). He has written 12 films with Aunty No 1 being his last. He is best remembered for films such as Dulhe Raja, Haseena Maan Jayegi and Mujhse Shaadi Karogi. He was last seen in 2015 film Ho Gaya Deemag Ka Dahi.

Follow @htshowbiz for moreActors Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan along with son Taimur are currently holidaying in Switzerland as they gear up to ring in the New Year in the scenic destination. The family of three had just returned from their South Africa vacation after celebrating Taimurs second birthday on the beachside. After celebrating Christmas with the Kapoors, they flew to London soon after for their New Year holiday and have now reached Gstaad in Switzerland. The family posed for some fans while strolling down the street.

In one of the pictures that surfaced on the internet, Saif and Kareena can be seen twinning to perfection in white jackets and denims while their little one stands out in sky blue jacket. He can be seen facing his mom instead of looking at the camera. In another picture, he is seen in his fathers arms as the couple switch duties during their roadside walk.

The Khans had taken a brief stop in Mumbai to take part in the annual Christmas lunch hosted by the Kapoors. Pictures from the event had the entire Kapoor khandaan in attendance except Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh who are stationed in New York since a few months. Rishi is undergoing treatment for an undisclosed illness in the US. However, their son Ranbir Kapoor made a brief appearance at the lunch as he is currently filming for his next film Brahmastra in Mumbai. The film features his girlfriend Alia Bhatt.

Talking about the Khans, Saif had been shooting for the second season of his hit web series Sacred Games before he took to spend some quality time with his family. Kareena has signed Karan Johars big budget multi-starrer Takht and will also be seen in Good News with Akshay Kumar.

Follow @htshowbiz for moreThe representation had been closed in the early days of the conflict. The UAE have long supported the opposition rebel groups, but less openly than Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar. The possible re-admission of Damascus into the Arab League is being examined, but unanimity is needed.

Damascus (AsiaNews / Agencies) - After years of war and armed support for anti-government rebel militias, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reopened their embassy in Damascus yesterday. The move is a diplomatic and political success for President Bashar al-Assad, whose control of the country is now also certified by Arab nations allied with the United States and once fighting against the so-called Syrian "regime".

In a note the leaders of the Emirates underline that the decision intends to normalize relations with Damascus and avert the risk of regional interference [with reference to Iran] in the "business of Syria and the Arab world". There is a widespread belief, says Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash, that in the near future the "Arab presence" is needed in the Syrian dossier.

Analysts and experts agree that the reopening of the embassy is a fundamental step in the direction of a full rehabilitation of Syria by the Arab world. Its presence within the Arab League was suspended seven years ago, during the early stages of the conflict.

In this regard, in recent weeks the leaders of the body are considering a re-admission of Damascus. The same minister of the Emirates Gargash makes clear that there must be the "unanimous" consent of the entire Arab world on the possible return of Syria, while there are still three countries that oppose it.

Yesterday afternoon, the flag of the UAE was hoisted above the building and the charges d'affairs returned to take up residence . According to Robert Ford, the last US ambassador to Damascus before the outbreak of the war, the decision of the Emirates indicates that the Sunni Gulf monarchy intends to restore its influence on Syria, countering Iranian hegemony.

No comment, however, from the US government; however, the widespread opinion is that the White House has "consented" to the decision of the Emirates and the Trump administration is less and less interested in the Syrian dossier.

The Emirates supported the armed groups of the anti-Assad opposition for a long time, although its role was less prominent than Saudi Arabia, Qatar or Turkey. Eight years after the start of the conflict, President Assad has now regained control of much of the territory thanks to the decisive support of Iran and Russia, as well as Hezbollah's Lebanese Shiite militias.If you thought our love affair with Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas has ended, think again. While her marriage, many receptions and the run-up to their wedding, has kept us enthralled for months, vignettes from their life post wedding has also kept us engaged.

Post their reception in Mumbai, the couple flew off to London, where they have been spending time with family. Pictures from their many family lunches and Christmas dinners have been lapped up by their many fans.

Now, the couple has shared a new bunch of pictures and video clips, some throwback, others more recent. Priyanka shared a picture with her brother-in-law Franklin and wrote: Road trip! @franklinjonas. It is evident how comfortably she has blended into her new family.

She also shared pictures as Instagram stories  one is perhaps an invite of one of their many functions in India while the other is of their family pet, a dog. The caption to the second picture reads: Porky Basquiat Jonas. It is, in fact, the pet of Sophie Turner and Nicks brother Joe Jonas. In the picture, the dog can be seen sitting by the window seat, half asleep.

Nick Jonas shared a candid shot of wife Priyanka Chopra, while the latter shared other pictures. (Instagram)

Meanwhile, Nick too shared a picture on his Instagram. It is one of the many unseen pictures from the mehendi ceremony. He captioned it, #tbt to me and and the boys at the Mehendi at our wedding. In it we see, the boy gang from his side, huddle together for a photo op. The mood is upbeat and everyone is dressed in Indian smart casuals (chudidar, kurta and Nehru jacket).

He also shared a video clip of Priyanka, from what looks like, their road trip.

Priyanka and Nick got married over December 1 and 2 in two ceremonies at Jodhpurs Umaid Bhawan. They then hosted a reception in Delhi on December 4 before hosting two more in Mumbai, one on December 19 and another one on December 20, the latter being for her industry friends. The couple will reportedly host another reception in the last week of January in Los Angeles for their Hollywood pals. In between the three wedding receptions in India, the couple went for a short vacation to Oman.

Meanwhile, videos from their December 20 reception were a big hit with fans. Of particular mention were those including Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Priyanka Chopra as they danced to hits from their films Bajirao Mastani and Dil Dhadakne Do.

Follow @htshowbiz for moreSimmba

Cast: Ranveer Singh, Sara Ali Khan, Ajay Devgn

Director: Rohit Shetty

Rating: 3

Sangram Bhalerao has the word Police tattooed on his forearm. This is not, as I first wondered, to remind the Assistant Commissioner what it is he does, but instead to exult in the power it gives him. Simmba, as he is nicknamed, grew up focussed on being a corrupt cop, and  played by a relentless Ranveer Singh he appears to be loving it. Singh bites his lower lip while chasing crooks, as if turned on by his own valour, and walks with an odd crotch-first strut, as if a giant magnet is yanking at his zipper.

This is a spinoff of Rohit Shettys alarmingly successful Singham movies, and in my review, I had called the first filmDevgnporn, based on its fondness for crotch and caboose shots of its tight-trousered hero. In Simmba, with a cutesy title pointing out the cub of a lion king, Singh seems less concerned about his look than his feel. He embraces the trashy 80s-remake lunacy and creates a corrupt wisecracker more Deadpool than Devgn.

Singh beats people up as if he really, really wants to, and dialogues fly out of his mouth as if hes making them up. Most of these  like a play on the word farz which can mean both duty and example, or when he calls someone his bhai from another aai  earn solid laughs, and Singhs glee is infectious as he bounds from scene to scene in tightly tucked shirts, both invincible and inflatable.

Ranveer Singh dials up the intensity in Simmba.

He then falls for Sara Ali Khan. It is love at first leer as the cop ogles the young girl from across the street. The actress is good here, attractive and atypical. I wish she had more to do, though, than dreamily talk about her late father, the legendary encounter cop. Over and over again, her task is to lovingly fetishize the act of staged brutality. Like in Kedarnath earlier this month, Khan once again makes a strapping hero feel tongue-tied and takes charge as the one to initiate romance.

The laughs dry up. Based on the Telugu potboiler Temper, Simmba takes an inevitable turn for the serious. This could have been disastrous, given how much Shetty telegraphs his actions. You can not only predict the inescapably horrid fate awaiting a local girl once Simmba starts calling her a sister, but you know how the hero will kick the doors open or precisely when hell earn a salute from the honest policeman. Yet Singh dials up the intensity, spittle underscoring his passionate declarations, and the show stays compelling.

Simmba remains Rohit Shettys best work to date.

This is Shettys best work, a film of unflagging tempo with a genuinely charismatic lead, and while the actual story  about a bad cop who starts avenging rapes  isnt interesting or original, Shetty keeps it entertaining, even if the film is longer than it needed to be. We can debate the need for these throwback films, and it is certainly problematic to see way rape used as a mere trigger for the leading man to turn good, but, as it stands, Simmba is not only ahead of Singham, but far superior to Dabanng, the blockbuster that defines the genre.

Shetty plays at balance, giving decisive roles to female characters  judge, mother, policewomen  in a film that claims to be about rape, but this film is still all musk. Sonu Sood makes for an effective towering villain, while Singh pats his gun so long and hard that the film briefly turns into a Western. By the time Simmba meets his idol, the homoerotic energy is off the charts: two grunting men who look ready to tear each others uniforms off and throw down right there, drunk on their own testosterone. These two stars not jumping each other is the ultimate cop out.

At the end, were teased with a glimpse of another hirsute alpha male joining this franchise next year, setting up an interconnected universe of khaki-clad movies. These men dont need women. The sequel could be called Threesome.Wednesday was a long day for the family of 23-year-old Rashid Zafar Raq, one of the five men who were arrested by the National Investigation Agency from Delhis Zafrabad on suspicion of having links with Harkat-ul-Harb-e-Islam, an alleged self-radicalised ISIS group.

The family members said they now fear that their wait to see Raq back will be a long one.

Around 5.30am on Wednesday, Raqs family woke up to the sound of their doorbell. A man requested them to remove their car, parked on the busy main Jafrabad Road  which is mostly encroached by vendors and e-rickshaws.

Up early in the morning, it was Raq who answered the bell and met the visitor. As soon as he unlatched the door, at least 10-12 men climbed up the narrow staircase that leads to the living room. Three men stood guard at the entrance and three went to the terrace. The remaining gathered in the living room and waited for the family members to be woken up, said Mukeem Ahmad, Raqs uncle.

Read: After ISIS module busted, Arun Jaitley makes a sharp point about interception

The house, which is painted pink, has three shops on the ground floor, one of which is rented out to a mobile phone dealer. The two others are garment stores run by the family. The first floor has a long grilled balcony facing the main road that leads to the Seelampur and Jafrabad Metro stations on either side.

The two-storey building soon became the subject of gossip in the neighbourhood.

As locals gathered outside to get a peek in, the police teams fanned out to different rooms. The curtains on the windows were unfolded and the house remained under lockdown for the next 14 hours.

Family members said Raq, his mother, two elder brothers, their wives and four children were in the house at the time of the raid. Raq is the youngest among three brothers.

Raqs sister-in-law Rehmat Riyaz said the policemen in the house searched everything in every corner  from water pipelines in the bathroom to the gas stoves in the kitchen, and from the mattresses in bedroom to the clothes in the wardrobe  for hours. Two men kept oting things in their diaries, as others scanned through every inch of our rooms. Officers assured us that if they did not find anything objectionable, Raq would be set free. We believe them, she said.

Read: BJP, RSS leaders possible target for ISIS-inspired terror module, says NIA

Raiyaz said after hours of search, the cops collected a few documents, Raqs photos and mobile phones of all the family members. They gave us time to have lunch and also ate with us inside the house. We offered them lunch, but they had their own arrangement. Around 4pm they bought snacks for their team. They offered tea and samosas to our children and asked us not to restrict ourselves from doing basic household works, said Riyaz, a mother of two. Her husband runs the garment shops owned by family.

Raqs eldest brother is a physiotherapist who owned a clinic in Meerut till a few months ago. He now offers the service online or on request. Raq studied till Class 12 and thereafter joined the familys garment business. His father passed away four years ago.

Huma Ikhtiyar, Raqs eldest brothers wife, said that around 7.30pm the men finally left the house. They promised us that if Raq is innocent, the court will release him. They told us not to talk much about the incident to the locals, she said.

A day after Raq and four others were arrested from Jafrabad and Seelampur, along with five others from Uttar Pradeshs Amroha, a Delhi court on Thursday allowed 12-day custodial interrogation of the accused by the NIA.

The NIA had initially rounded up 16 persons of the group Harkat ul Harb e Islam  which translates to War for the cause of Islam. Ten arrested men include the alleged mastermind of the module, 29-year-old Mufti Mohammad Suhail, who lived a few lanes away from Raqs house in Zafrabad, until recently. He was arrested from Amroha.

Also read: The 10 men who plotted the New Years Eve attack

Suhails brother Imran said that no one from the family was indulged in anything illegal. He used to go to a madarsa here and had also started giving home tuitions. He has no police cases against him. Police are trying to frame him, said his brother.

Others arrested from Delhi were Anas Yunus, 24, a civil engineering student, from whose house NIA claimed to have recovered the rocket launcher, ammunitions and material used in making bombs. Yunuss family refused to talk when HT tried to contact them.

Zaid Malik, 22, his brother Zubair Malik, 20, a student of BA final year of a Delhi University college, both residents of Jafrabad, and Mohammad Azam, 35, who runs a chemist shop in Chauhan Bangar, in the same neighbourhood were also arrested from their respective houses. Their family members could not be found at their home when HT visited their addresses.

Also read: Bombs, rocket launcher: NIA says busted ISIS module was ready to attack on New Years eve

Stones throw from police station

The Jafrabad home of Anas Yusuf, from where the National Investigation Agency (NIA) recovered arms and ammunition on?Wednesday, is barely 150 metres away from Jafrabad police station.

For every visitor who heads to Yunuss house from the main Jafrabad road, the Delhi Police has put a board that reads - aapasi rakhwali yojna, aap CCTV camera ki nazar mein hain (Neighbourhood watch scheme, you are under CCTV surveillance). The neighbourhood watch scheme is a Delhi polices initiative of using local residents as their ears and eyes. A senior police officer said they assisted in the operation with 35-40 policemen. When asked why did the local police could not detect this, the officer said the suspects had no criminal background. Locals had also never spotted any suspicious activities, he said.The Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) on Wednesday issued a notification inviting applications to fill vacancies for scientist/engineer in level 10 of pay matrix.

Candidates who have done their graduation in (i) Civil (ii) Electrical (iii) Refrigeration and Air Conditioning and (iv) Architecture engineering are eligible to apply. They should be below 35 years of age as on January 15, 2019 ( below 40 years in case of SC/ST candidates and below 38 years for OBC candidates, against posts reserved for these categories). Ex-Serviceman and persons with disabilities (PWD) are eligible for age relaxation. There are a total of 18 vacancies.

Candidates who want to apply should visit the Careers section of Isro website at isro.gov.in. Applications will be received online only. The last date to apply is January 15, 2019.

Based on the academic performance and bio-data, initial screening will be conducted to shortlist candidates for taking-up written test. The written test will be conducted on March 10 at Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, New Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram.

The admit card for the test will be sent by email during second/third of March 2019. The written test will have 80 objective type questions carrying equal marks. Based on the performance in the Written Test, candidates will be shortlisted for interview. Written test score will not be considered for final selection process. Final selection will be based on the performance in the Interview and those who secure minimum 60% marks in the interview will be eligible for consideration for empanelment in the selection panel, in the order of merit.

The answer keys of the written test will be published within three working days after test on the ISRO website. Objections can be raised within 3 days of publishing the answer keys.

Selected candidates will be paid minimum basic salary of 56,100 per month. House Rent Allowance and Transport Allowance will be paid to those who are not availing departmental housing and transport facility. The employees will be governed by the National Pension System. Other benefits include: medical facilities for self and dependants, subsidised canteen, transport allowance when official transport is not availed, limited housing facility for fresh entrants in lieu of HRA, Leave Travel Concession, Group Insurance, advance for construction of house etc.

Isro Scientist/Engineer recruitment 2019: Vacancy position

Scientist/engineer (civil)  9

Scientists/engineer (electrical)  5

Scientist/engineer (refrigeration and air conditioning)  2

Scientist/engineer (architecture)  1

Scientist/engineer (electrical)  1

Isro Scientist/Engineer recruitment 2019: Important dates

Last date to apply : January 15

Last day for fees payment : January 16

Written test date: March 10

Admit card: second or third March

Isro Scientist/Engineer recruitment 2019: How to apply

Visit the official website of ISRO at isro.gov.in

Click on link for careers at the bottom of page

Click on centralised recruitment

Click on link for click here to apply

You will visit a page outside Isro.gov.in

Click on the post for which you want to apply

Fill in the application form

Pay the fees

Note: Visit the official website of Isro for latest news and updates and click here to apply.The anti-corruption bureau of the Karnataka police conducted raids at 17 locations across the state as part of its investigations against five government officials on Friday, the organisation said.

ACB teams are conducting raids across the state since early morning, the ACB said in a release. [Searches are] on at Bengaluru, Chintamani, Mysuru, Hunasuru, Udupi, Davanagere, Chikkamagaluru, Mangaluru and Karwar, it said.

According to the bureau, the officials under question are R Shridhar, additional registrar of a co-operative society in Bengaluru and Bisetappa, additional director of town planning in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, East.

Hamsaveni, deputy director of agriculture, Davanagere, D Manjunmathaiah, a reader at the Government College of Teachers Education in Mangaluru and K Mani, junior engineer at the Mysuru Urban Development Authority are also being searched.Days after sealing the seat-sharing formula with its alliance partners in Bihar, BJP national president Amit Shah met party MPs from the state in New Delhi on Thursday evening to take a feedback of partys prospects in the coming Lok Sabha polls.

The meeting holds significance as it was held in the backdrop of the partys decision to forego five of its sitting seats in favour of its alliance partner, the JD (U). The BJP won 22 seats in 2014, would now contest 17 seats. It means five of the party MPs is unlikely to get tickets again.

Barring Shatrughan Sinha and Kirti Jha Azad, all the party MPS from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and some senior party leaders attended the meeting held at union minister Radha Mohan Singhs residence.

Also Read: NDAs Bihar seat-share deal: BJP, JD(U) to contest 17 seats each, LJP gets 6 in 2019 Lok Sabha elections

Party leaders who attended the meeting said that in addition to giving the mantra for success, Shah asked the party MPs on the peoples feedback about the present Lok Sabha, the response of the party and government policies and schemes among the people as well as their own (MPs) feedback.

Shah also took a view of party leaders on the seats to be contested by the party.

It was routine meeting. Several issues including general preparedness, how to take party forward and win the battle ahead came for discussion, said a Rajya Sabha MP. Another Rajya Sabha MP of the party said that though no concrete talks were done on seats, the party high command will definitely adjust the leaders who will be forfeiting their seats to alliance partners.

Party leaders said that Patna Sahib MP Shatrughan Sinha has been attacking BJP and the government on various issues while Darbhanga MP Kirti Azad already suspended from the party are unlikely to get tickets.

Besides these two seats, the party will have to look for new faces in Begusarai and Madhubani. Bhola Singh, the BJP MP from Begusarai passed away while Madhubanis Hukumdev Narayan Yadav has already announced that he will not contest the elections in 2019. Chanches are that these two seats may be given to alliance partners.Portfolio allocations to the eight new ministers inducted by the Congress last week showed that dissidents were rewarded with plum berths, with MB Patil getting the home portfolio. The Congress released on Friday a list of the portfolios allocated to its leaders in its alliance government with the Janata Dal (Secular).

The Congress had been racked by dissidence in its ranks ever since it decided to join hands with the Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamys JD(S), and this was accentuated after the first cabinet expansion, after which those who lost out on ministerial berths had openly criticised the state leadership of the party.

Last week, too, dissidence cropped up after prominent senior leaders, like Ramalinga Reddy, were overlooked and one prominent leader, Ramesh Jarkiholi, who was in the Cabinet, was dropped.

As per the new allocations, deputy chief minister G Parameshwar has been given additional charge of the Law, Parliamentary Affairs, as well as information technology and biotechnology portfolios in lieu of the politically-sensitive home ministry that he had to let go. Parameshwara also holds charge of the much sought-after Bengaluru Development ministry.

MB Patil, who led the movement for separate religion status for Lingayats, has been handed the home portfolio. Along with him, another close aide of former chief minister Siddaramaiah, Satish Jarkiholi, included in the Cabinet as a replacement for his brother Ramesh, has been given charge of the Forest, Ecology and Environment portfolio.

Among the other new inductees, CS Shivalli has been given charge of municipalities and local bodies, MTB Nagaraj has been allocated housing, E Tukaram has been handed Medical Education, which was taken away from senior leader DK Shivakumar, PT Parameshwar Naik has been given charge of Muzrai and Skill development, Rahim Khan has been allocated Youth Empowerment and Sports, and RB Thimmapur has been given Ports and Inland Transport and the Sugar department.

The allocation of ministries was firmed up after robust lobbying from leaders amid rumours of a tussle between Siddaramaiah and Parameshwara. Indeed, Congress leaders had complained after the first expansion that the deputy chief minister had cornered many of the coveted departments.

A senior Congress leader, who asked not to be identified, said it was natural for some differences to appear in the wake of the reshuffle. Many leaders knew that they would have to divest some ministries when the expansion happens. But they get attached to the ministries, so it is natural that there is some heartburn in the process, the leader said.

In the expansion, the Congress had sought to address the perceived imbalance in the Cabinet, which was made up primarily of leaders from the southern districts of the state. However, in addressing this problem, another senior Congress leader said, the party had selected only loyalists of Siddaramaiah, whose influence over the party appears to have increased again.

This, the leader quoted above said, was a natural fallout of the fact that the former chief minister is the only leader in the state who can rally all the legislators. He is the leader of the Congress legislature party, which means that if the party had a majority he would be the chief minister. So, it is no surprise that he enjoys tremendous support, the Congress leader said.

Indeed, after the Congress was reduced to 82 seats in the May assembly elections, down from 122 in the 2013 elections, Congress leaders had blamed Siddaramaiah for failing to ensure the partys victory. Around 20 of his cabinet colleagues lost the polls, including most famously, his own defeat in the Chamundeshwari seat in Mysuru by a margin of around 35,000 votes.

However, after a brief sabbatical after the state elections, the recent dissidence in the Congress has shown that it is Siddaramaiah who is the de-facto leader of the party in the state, with leaders rallying around the former chief minister in times of crisis.

To be sure, Siddaramaiah is also the chairman of the coordination committee of the coalition government. Additionally, he was also elevated to the Congress Working Committee in July, indicating that the partys high command still favours him despite the loss in the elections.

Political analyst Narendar Pani, a faculty member at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, said there were two primary reasons for Siddaramaiahs current position within the Congress. While Siddaramaiah already enjoyed significant clout within the state unit, the party high commands backing clearly reinforced his position, he said.

Added to this, Pani said, was the fact that the potential challengers within the party had embroiled themselves in factional feuds that had eroded their standing among others in the Congress. Pani was referring to the feud between irrigation minister DK Shivakumar and the Jarkiholi brothers of Belagavi that threatened to destabilise the party.

By getting involved in these factional feuds, Siddaramaiahs challengers seem to have eroded their own influence and in the process strengthened his position further. As a result, he has emerged as someone who is above these petty quarrels, Pani said.

The Cabinet rejig was also criticised by public works minister HD Revanna, who said the Congress might face a backlash for divesting Parameshwara, who hails from a Scheduled Caste community, of the home portfolio. Poor Parameshwara is a senior leader and is respected, he said. He belongs to the SC community, was it necessary to divest him of the home portfolio? He has worked hard in his department, he should have been continued as home minister, he said. Later he said, he could not help it if the Congress could not tolerate a Dalit being a deputy chief minister.Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel is likely to set up a special investigation team to re-look at the Public Distribution System (PDS) scam of the previous Bharatiya Janata Party government, in which a charge-sheet too was filed against 12 persons by the states anti corruption bureau (ACB) in 2015.

The Congress claimed that the scam was worth Rs 36,000 crore and during the election campaign it accused former chief minister Raman Singh of being involved in it. It said then that it would open an investigation into the issue if it was voted to power.

The scam pertains to alleged disbursement of rice and salt samples found unfit for human consumption in 2014 by certain officers. In all, 254 samples lifted from across the state were found to be unfit. The ACB, which investigated the case, recovered dairies which list payments allegedly made to certain officials and politicians whose names are in code.

In 2015, a public interest litigation was filed by Sudeep Shrivasatva in the Chhattisgarh high court demanding an SIT investigation. Shrivastava claimed ACB did not name the actual beneficiaries of the scam.

A total of 27 people were named in the FIR in which only 18 were charge-sheeted including two IAS?officers, Shrivastava, a lawyer in the state high court said. The remaining accused were converted into witnesses and saved as they would have named many big politicians. The court is still hearing the case.

BJP spokesperson and senior leader Sacchinand Upasane said the scam was unearthed and investigated by the BJP government. We unearthed the scam and we registered cases against IAS officers and influential people. If the Congress government wants to form an SIT and investigate the case again, they can do it. The BJP government never tried to save anyone.

There were many documents which were not produced in the court and were deliberately hidden by the then investigating agency . All those documents will be scrutinized and government will take decision an appropriate decision this regard, Congress spokesperson Shailesh Nitin Trivedi countered.

According to a senior police officer who asked not to be named, the chief minister has called for all files related to the scam and instructed the department to submit a proposal on the creation of a SIT. We have submitted all the documents to the chief ministers office which will soon take a call on setting up of the SIT, the officer said.

An officer of the chief ministers office confirmed this.

Ashok Tomar, a Raipur based political commentator said the Baghel government is trying to send out the message that it is serious about cracking down on corruption.A militant was killed in an encounter with security forces in Awantipora area in Jammu and Kashmirs Pulwama district on Friday, police said.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the Banderpora-Rinzipora area of Awantipora on Friday morning following information about the presence of militants there, a police official said.

He said the search operation turned into an encounter after the militants fired on the search party of the forces, who retaliated.

In the ensuing gunfight, one militant was killed, the official said.

He sad the slain militant has been identified as Ishfaq Yousuf Wani, a resident of Qoil area of Pulwama in south Kashmir.

Further details are awaited, the official said.The Congress on Friday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party after the ruling party tweeted the trailer of The Accidental Prime Minister, a film about Manmohan Singhs tenure as prime minister between 2004 and 2014.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday refused to comment on the trailer that is set up a huge political row between the Congress and the BJP.

This is a BJP game, they know five years are about to complete and they have nothing to show to the people so they are using these tactics to divert attention, PL Punia, Congress MP told news agency ANI.

The trailer of the film, which was released on Thursday, shows Anupam Kher playing Singh and Akshaye Khanna his media adviser Sanjay Baru, who also wrote the book from which the film gets its name.

The book The Accidental Prime Minister: Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh  too had kicked up a political storm, claiming the PM was defanged after the 2009 polls with Congress president Sonia Gandhi deciding cabinet portfolios against Singhs wishes.

The trailer begins with Sonia Gandhi appointing Singh as the Prime Minister after the 2004 elections. The focus is the power dynamics between Gandhi and Singh, with present Congress president Rahul Gandhi presented as the successor in-waiting.

Click here to watch The Accidental Prime Minister trailer

It is a narrative that has received much attention in the BJPs campaign for the recently-concluded elections.

So after the trailer was released, the BJP also tweeted the trailer, describing the movie as a riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years.

Congress party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala hit back, calling it fake propaganda and an attempt to diversion tactic.

Such fake propaganda by BJP wont desist @INCIndia from questioning the Modi Govt on - Rural Distress, Rampant Unemployment, Demonetisation Disaster, Flawed GST, Failed Modinomics, All pervading Corruption!, he said.

Asked, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore told reporters that there was nothing unusual about a political party appreciating a movie. Cant we extend our wishes for a film? Congress has been all for freedom, why is it questioning that freedom now? he said, according to news agency ANI.

Anupam Kher, who plays Manmohan Singh in the movie, wondered why everyone was protesting now when the book had been out there since 2014.The apostolic administrator, Mgr Jerzy Maculewicz, highlighted the events that marked the life of the Catholic community in 2018, as well as the challenges and hopes for the future. At Christmas Muslims also came to Mass to receive the blessing.

Tashkent (AsiaNews)  The Catholic Church in Uzbekistan "is at the service of everyone, and it is precisely this that attracts people of every religion who seek God," said Mgr Jerzy Maculewicz, apostolic administrator of Uzbekistan.

The prelate spoke to AsiaNews about the main events that marked the year and expressed hope for the future of the local Catholic community, which is not growing much but whose members are strong in their faith.

The community has to deal with emigration to more affluent countries  like Russia and Germany, "which leads to a drop in the number of members  and with the constant need for spiritual training and the lack of priests, which leaves parishes without a pastor."

Despite difficulties, "we look at the future with great hope. We are optimistic and have faith in the ordination of new local priests, in new altar boys, in the education of the laity who can assume greater responsibilities, for example in the distribution of the Communion."

The Catholic community in the Central Asian country is small, notes the bishop, but it is characterised by "a family atmosphere, where everyone knows each other, and help each other as well as others."

The capital Tashkent is home to some 350 Catholics. The country has five parishes with some 11 priests, including nine Franciscans, one bishop and a diocesan from Venezuela. The priests are assisted by three non-consecrated religious and ten sisters of Mother Teresa.

"Our goal is not to leave any community alone. We always celebrate Sunday Mass and the liturgy of the Word. Sometimes a priest can celebrate up to four times a day.

"The summer was the hardest time because an elderly priest had to take a leave of absence for health reasons and another, for over 20 years in Uzbekistan, asked for a sabbatical. Now one parish has no a priest but we hope that a permanent one will arrive by March."

The local Church, notes the apostolic administrator, is committed first of all "to catechumens and catechesis, to Bible meetings to explain the Gospel message in a non-Christian society and culture, and spiritual training. Every day we preach the Gospel because the homily is an opportunity to deepen our faith. We work with groups of children, young people and adults."

It is a simple, constant commitment, "like that of the women who go to convents to prepare the food because they have no cook. Or like listening without judging people who come to church and just want to talk to the priest, get his advice.

"It is important that many non-Catholics come to me seeking my advice on things they consider fundamental to their lives, but feel unable to confide in others. Like a young Muslim man who told me he was hurting because he had fallen in love with a young woman, but their union was hampered by her father. He was crying and I prayed for him."

Many people are attracted by the fact that bearing witness to the Christian faith is open and undemanding to others who have questions about faith and are in search of God. Such was the case of students who, on a school trip, came to the church and asked questions or the young woman whom the bishop met whilst travelling by train to Samarkand. "We were five in the same compartment: a Muslim woman, two Orthodox women, a nuclear physicist who had read the sacred texts of different religions and me. A discussion followed.

"The Muslim woman asked questions about the Vatican and the cardinals. One of the Orthodox women, a student, told me she was surprised that visits to Catholic churches are free, as opposed to the services offered by the Orthodox."

With respect to the events that marked the life of Catholics in 2018, Mgr Maculewicz mentioned three of them: "The first, Easter; the second, a three-day meeting centred on prayer, brotherhood and reflection on the theme 'Christian Vocation', which took place in June and brought together a hundred people; the third, the celebration of Christmas, which was preceded by a meeting for spiritual renewal reserved for priests, in which we exchanged the traditional white bread, as a sign of sharing. Many non-Catholics came to Christmas Mass. Everyone wanted to receive the blessing of a priest, even Muslims."

Finally, "This year ten people were baptised, including six children aged 9 to 11 years. Eight people baptised in another Church completed their year-and-half-long catechumenate and performed the profession of faith in the Catholic Church."The Union Cabinet has cleared a proposal to grant higher export incentives for onions, a move that is aimed at improving the domestic prices of the commodity whose lower-than-profitable rates have hit growers in states such as Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Onion exporters will now qualify for a 10% export incentive, up from 5% earlier, under the so-called Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS), which is administered by the directorate-general of foreign trade. The scheme mainly offers duty benefits to exporting Indian traders, which vary across products and export destinations.

The export incentives granted for onions under the MEIS from existing 5% to 10% is in the interest of farmers. This will result in better price for onion in domestic markets, a government statement said on Friday. While this isnt a direct export subsidy but an export incentive in the form of duty relief, the move will make exports more viable, which in turn is expected to encourage overseas sale of surplus onions from the domestic market, thereby helping improve prices.

It may be noted that onion arrivals have increased in the market due to which the prices in the mandis are subdued. To contain the situation, it has been decided by the government to encourage exports of onions so that the domestic prices stabilise, the statement added.

In July 2018, an incentive of 5% was announced for onions. The doubling of the export incentive now means that onions get the highest ever incentive offered for export of any agricultural commodity. One of the reasons for the current spell of low prices in states such as Maharashtra is the arrival of fresh harvests and simultaneous release of old stocks, which farmers were holding in anticipation of higher rates. A larger crop in Pakistan and China, which also export onion, has undercut Indian exports, another reason for depressed domestic prices.

According to the Association of Onion Exporters president Ajit Shah, Pakistani onion were going for about $170 a quintal, while Indian exporters need at least $240 to be profitable.

Till October this year, the value of Indias onion exports was $264.12 million.The Goods and Services Tax department Thursday said it has attached the bank accounts of Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu to recover service tax dues from him.

According to a press release issued by the Hyderabad GST Commissionarate, Mahesh Babu has not paid the Service Tax during 2007-08 for the taxable services he rendered as brand ambassador, appearance money and advertising for promotion of products among others.

The total tax due from him was 18.5 lakh. Today the GST department has attached his bank accounts in Axis Bank and ICICI Bank for an amount of 73.5 lakhs which includes tax, interest and penalty, it said.

When contacted, a senior official of the GST department said Mahesh Babu failed to get any reprieve from any appellate authority on this issue.

We have attached the bank accounts and started recovering.. We have recovered 42 lakh from Axis Bank today. Balance, ICICI bank has to pay by tomorrow.

Otherwise action will be taken against ICICI Bank. Under section 74 of the Finance Act 1994, the bank is responsible for payment, sources told PTI.

They further said the 43-year-old actor cannot operate the bank accounts until he settles the tax dues with the department.A group of Indian, Pakistani and American scientists has recommended an immediate blanket field testing of hand pumps across the divided region of Punjab after finding extensive arsenic contamination and high concentrations of nitrate and fluorides in the groundwater there.

This would be the first step towards identifying the risks to the contaminants, the experts from New Delhi-based Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Pakistans Quaid-i-Azam University and Columbia University have said in a report based on their study of groundwater in Indian and Pakistani sides of divided Punjab for over two years.

The report added the solution could be as simple as identifying safe wells, facilitating their switching and sharing besides large-scale water treatment and pipe water delivery.

Long-term exposure to arsenic can cause cancer, skin lesions, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). It can also harm cognitive development and increase deaths among young adults.

Arsenic contamination in groundwater had so far been found to be particularly limited to West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and some surrounding areas in the Indo-Gangetic plains and Bangladeshs Ganges-Brahmaputra basins.

The study, which is one of the first large-scale studies conducted in the Indus basin region, has now found high arsenic levels particularly in the floodplains of the Ravi river covering Tarn Taran, Amritsar, and Gurdaspur districts on the Indian side of Punjab.

About 30,000 handpumps were tested as part of the study, which was published this month in leading international peer-reviewed scientific journal Elseviers Science of the Total Environment. The study found as many as 25% of the 13,000 wells tested contained higher levels of arsenic on the Indian side of divided Punjab alone. It found nitrate levels were three to five times the WHO standards in most wells. Arsenic levels were recorded almost 20 to 50 times higher than the WHO limits of 10 parts per billion in many wells.

Arsenic and fluoride contamination is from natural sources. But our suspicion is that the nitrate contamination is from agriculture and pesticides, said TERIs assistant professor Chander Kumar Singh, highlighting a key challenge in Punjab that is known as Indias food bowl.

Most of the samples used in the study were examined with water testing kits before further analysis at the University of Columbia.

In the report, the scientists have quoted the residents saying the people in the region suffer from diseases associated with water contamination like skin lesions and cancers. We know that cancer incidence in Punjab is high but we have not linked our findings with the public health aspect. However, our impression, while speaking to locals, was that they were suffering health impacts associated with water contamination, said Singh.

Exposure to high levels of nitrate is linked to methemoglobinemia, a blood disorder, gastric cancer, goiter, birth malformations etc.Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said human rights were for the common man, not for criminals and terrorists.

Addressing Indian Police Service (IPS) officers on the fifth day of the ongoing police week, he said some people tried to shield wrong people in the name of human rights violation.

Laying stress on zero tolerance for crime, he said it was not proper for those who violated human rights themselves to talk about human rights violation.

Without mentioning a spate of encounters in the state, the CM said several organisations and people criticised the state police and the government for human rights violation, but the police work was appreciated in other states as well as countries like Nepal, Myanmar, Singapore and Mauritius. He said people appreciated policing in the state despite reading negative articles and criticism about human rights violation.

At least 69 criminals were gunned down and over 450 were injured in over 1500 police encounters since the formation of the BJP government in the state in March 2017. Governor Ram Naik had referred to the killing of 69 criminals in encounters, at a police week function on Thursday.For his part, Adityanath also said the police officials should strictly follow the Supreme Court guidelines on human rights. He said police officers should present their human face to the public and take strict action against offenders.

Over 12,000 criminals got their bail cancelled due to fear of the law. Many pledged not to engage in crime anymore. Criminals and anti-social elements will not be spared. They will have to face the heat if they get involved in crime or anti-national activities, he said., he said. Undeterred by criticism, the state government had given a free hand to the police to tackle criminals, he said, adding the UP Anti-terror squad had been reconstituted and equipped with more infrastructure.Eighteen municipal corporators of the Nationalist Congress Party who supported a BJP candidate for the mayors post in Maharashtras Ahmednagar went against the party line and would face action, a senior leader of Sharad Pawars NCP said after the rival BJP cornered the top two seats in the municipal election.

The Shiv Sena had emerged as the single-largest party bagging 24 out of 68 seats, followed by the NCP and BJP which won 18 and 14 seats respectively. All three parties had put up its candidates for the mayors post.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena was left out in the cold after its corporators boycotted the mayoral election at the last moment. The BJP candidate for the mayors post, Babasaheb Wakale, got 37 votes, two more than the magic figure of 35.

The BJP with the help of NCP also managed to get its candidate Malan Dhone elected for deputy mayors post.

With Ahmednagar, BJP has managed to control most of the civic bodies in north Maharashtra including Nashik, Dhule and Jalgaon.

Ahmednagar went to polls with Dhule, where BJP managed to get 50 out of 74 seats during the elections held on December 9.

The NCP state unit served show cause notice to its corporators asking them to explain why they supported BJP against the party line. The NCP has positioned itself as part of the Congress-led opposition alliance at the centre and the state.

NCP spokesperson Ankush Kakade said the partys corporators appeared to have decided to support the BJP at a local level. The party has now served them notice, Ankush Kakade said.

NCP leader Nawab Malik, according to news agency ANI, said if the corporators fail to explain their decision, the party was open to expelling them too.

BJP leader and state cabinet minister Girish Mahajan said party had approached Shiv Sena first for the mayoral elections but the latter did not show any interest.

Our desire was to ally with Shiv Sena. However they (ShivSena leaders) did not respond... therefore we had to take support from NCP, said Mahajan, a stand that is seen to contain the political fallout of its victory on BJP-Sena ties.

The Shiv Sena, the BJPs fractious ally, has already been extremely critical of centre and state government and its leaders routinely hurl barbs at the BJP leadership. Like the ones that Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray threw during his public rally at Pandharpur. He had also said that his party is not interested in an alliance with the BJP and is more concerned about building Ram temple at Ayodhya.

The Sena-BJP alliance had fallen apart ahead of the 2014 state elections after the BJP refused to accept the Sena as the senior partner. The two parties fought separately and the BJP fielded candidates in 260 out of 288 assembly seats; the Sena contested 282 seats. The former won 122 and the latter 63.

The two parties came together after the election to form the government in Maharashtra, but the relationship has remained strained.

In the subsequent local body elections, the parties contested separately and the BJP dominated the local polls, winning 15 out of the 27 big city corporations in the state. The Sena retained control of Mumbai, but managed to win just two more seats than the BJP in the city.

Ahead of the general election next year, the Sena has hinted that it expects at least half the Lok Sabha and assembly seats in the state if the partnership between the two is to continue.

The BJP contested 24 Lok Sabha seats and the Sena 20 in the previous Lok Sabha elections. Four seats went to other allies, the Swabhimani Paksha of Raju Shetty, the Republican Party of India of Ram Das Athawale and the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha of Mahadev Jankar. The state has 48 Lok Sabha seatsIndian banks could take a hit of more than $3 billion from loans and corporate guarantees provided to diamond companies at the centre of a massive alleged fraud at the state-run Punjab National Bank, the tax department has estimated.

As of March 2017, banks had extended loans and guarantees worth 176.32 billion rupees ($2.74 billion) to companies tied to billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi, the tax department said in a note seen by Reuters.

Since then, the loans and guarantees would have increased over the past year and the total hit to Indian banks may well exceed $3 billion, according to an internal note prepared by the tax authority on its preliminary investigation into Indias biggest bank fraud case.

According to a complaint by PNB, the biggest fraud in Indian banking history involved two junior officials at a Mumbai bank branch issuing letters of undertaking to firms linked to Modi and Choksi for them to obtain credit from overseas branches of other Indian lenders.

The bank said these fraudulent transactions had taken place over a number of years and amounted to $1.77 billion.

None of these letters of undertaking - essentially credit guarantees - were recorded on the banks internal software system and instead were transmitted through the SWIFT interbank messaging system, thus avoiding early detection of fraudulent activity, the tax note said.

It said that Choksis Geetanjali Gems and its subsidiaries led by Choksi dealt with 32 banks. Among those that offered credit to Choksi and Modi, famous for his chain of stores stretching from New York to Beijing, were the Union Bank of India, Allahabad Bank and Axis Bank, the tax note said.

Union Bank of India, another state-run lender, said on Friday it has an exposure of $300 million as a counter-party lender. Axis Bank, a private sector lender, has said it has sold all its exposure related to the fraud.

Among the findings of the tax department was that several firms in which Modi and his uncle were involved had people of limited means listed as majority partners. Those people were not identified in the tax department note.

The total loans in the three firms of Modi, Stellar Diamond, Solar Exports and Diamonds R Us was 39.929 billion Indian rupees, while total capital of the partners was 4 billion Indian rupees, it said.

It said the three firms trade receivables, or the amount being billed to customers, were much higher than total turnover of the three companies involved in the fraud, which shows that goods are being sold for related party and are either over-invoiced or not coming at all.

Modi and Choksi have not made any comment so far. Federal police say they both left India in early January and their whereabouts are unknown.Indians woke up in the New Year, on January 1, to a tweet from President Donald Trump that ripped into Pakistan, accusing it of giving the US only lies and lies in return for the billions it had received over the years for counter-terrorism and other purposes. The sound of that slap rang out the loudest in India.

Year 2018 closes, however, on a note of uncertainty for India, over the US presidents south Asia policy and the reported decision late December to cut the presence of American troops in Afghanistan by half, from 14,000. Though prepared for an eventual pullout, Indians felt betrayed.

It seems like a reversal of the South Asia strategy that President Trump had unveiled in 2017  that USs presence will not be determined by a timeline but conditions on the ground, said a person familiar with Indian thinking on the issue.

Also Read: Donald Trump has black and white world view, says UK foreign minister Jeremy Hunt

In the 12 months in between, however, India-US ties picked up at a speed not seen before in recent years, including the eight years of president Barack Obama, which had been marked by a few indifferent years in between before ending on a robust note, according to someone who has had a ring-side view of the relationship for years and who spoke only on condition of anonymity to be able to point out the lows as well, such as difference on trade despite growing bilateral trade and immigration, actually just H-1B, which is more of a trade issue for New Delhi than immigration, a bipartisan position held by both the BJP and Congress governments in Delhi.

The United States accorded India the status of Strategic Trade Authorization-1 (STA-1) in August to allow it to import the most sensitive dual-use technology (both defence and civilian) from America, something the US has only allowed to its NATO allies and key partners.

They held their first 2+2 ministerial  of defence and foreign ministers from both sides  in September, after a series of misses that frustrated both for months, and signed the Communications, Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), a foundational agreement that will allow India access to sensitive US defence systems.

India and the United States joined Japan to hold their first tripartite summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting President Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Argentina in December. And the Quad, the three above three countries and Australia, held two meetings during 2018, June and in November.

Also Read: Trump, Democrats stick to their stands, US govt shutdown to drag on to 2019

There were the usual scares along the way. Would India get waivers, for instance, from US laws sanctioning trading with Russian and Iran? The decision regarding Russia is awaited  for Indias planned purchase of S-400 missile defence systems  but exemption from crude imports from Iran came through, along with one for the use of Chabahar port in Iran that India built and operates to access Afghanistan and Central Asia.

Year 2018 marked growing convergence on a whole host of issues, beginning with Pakistan in January. Islamabad lost $1.6 billion in US aid on account of its failure to act against terrorists operating from its soil, something India has been pointing out to the rest of the world for a long time. The Trump administration did not stop there. It designated many Pakistan-based terrorists and their groups, including fronts, that targeted India, as well as Afghanistan. The US also worked with European allies to put Pakistan on the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force, which identifies countries that fail to check financing of terrorists and money-laundering. Pakistan continues to be in the doghouse with President Trump.

There has been a similar convergence between India and the US on China, which is reflected in the increasing importance the Trump administration is according to the Indo-Pacific and in projecting itself as an Indo-Pacific power, starting, symbolically, by renaming its Pacific Command (PACOM) as the Indo-Pacific Command, which was also taken as a nod to growing military ties with India.

This demonstrates a recognition by Americas national security and defence leadership that Indian military power is essential to the stability of Asia, Benjamin Schwartz, a former US department of defence official had then said to the Hindustan Times. Transforming this recognition into a geopolitical reality will be more difficult than changing a name, but this is an important step.

New Delhi has also felt encouraged by certain US moves to confront and check China. Such as the enactment of the Better Utilization of Investment Leading to Development (or BUILD Act) legislation, which offers a private sector-led alternative to Chinas state-led Belt and Road Initiative that is threatening to plunge unsuspecting nations into sovereignty-sapping debt, as with Sri Lanka and the Maldives in Indias neighbourhood.

Public remarks and comments have been indicative also of the confrontational role firming up in US strategic thinking vis-a-vis China, said the person who has been watching India-US ties for the year. President Trump has accused China of interfering in US elections; vice-president Mike Pence has said China is using whole-of-the-government approach to advance its interest in the US, and secretary of state Mike Pompeo had called the Asian giant the greatest challenge facing America.

The trade war triggered by Trump with China has further widened the chasm but has touched India as well, adding to the festering issues of tariff, market access and intellectual property right protections. That is despite the continuing growth in bilateral trade, which is expected to reach $140 billion at the end of the year, from $126 billion in 2017, there have been tensions on account of tariffs imposed by President Trump and his demand for India to lower its tariffs  he took to calling India the Tariff King for a while  and grant more access to its markets.

Officials continue to talk, working towards a trade deal, prospects of which had dimmed some weeks ago. There is renewed optimism on both sides of an impending resolution now. At stake is also a US trade promotion programme of which India is the top beneficiary  the Generalized Preference System, under which Indian exported over $5 billion worth of goods duty-free in 2017.

But, experts point out, the differences are a distraction from a happier story unfolding out of public eye. Bilateral trade is starting to balance out, with US exports increasing considerably faster than US imports, which has been a chief concern for Trump. This point flies in the face of the policy concerns, wrote Richard Rossow of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in a recent paper.

And then there is H-1B, without which no India-US story is complete.

Unlike President Trumps first year of shock-and-awe attacks on the visa programme  increased scrutiny, site inspections, stricter rules with the aim of securing American jobs for Americans  that had left them reeling, 2018 was a coming-of-age year for Indian IT firms in the outsourcing business as they learnt to stay a step ahead of whatever the administrations immigration hawks could throw at them.

One of the top Indian IT firms operating in the US, which did not want to be identified as the changes and the repositioning are still work in progress, has cut its H-1B visa applications drastically  from 14,000 to 4,000  and ramped up local hirings; and, more significantly for its own future, it is beginning to overhaul its business model.

It would share no more details and refused to make available an executive to either confirm or flesh out the details obtained by the Hindustan Times independently.Telangana chief minister and TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, who is keen on playing a big role in national politics by stitching together a federal front of regional parties to fight the Lok Sabha elections next year, has decided to set up a permanent office in New Delhi.

Having registered a massive victory in the recent assembly elections by winning 88 out of 119 seats, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi chief is aiming at winning 16 out of 17 Lok Sabha seats from the state leaving the Hyderabad MP seat to his friendly party  the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen.

In an apparent attempt to make it big in national politics in the coming days, KCR, as the Telangana chief minister is popularly known, has instructed his party leaders to identify a piece of land at a suitable location in the national capital for the construction of the TRS party office.

The Centre has agreed in principle to allot a 1000 square yards plot to the TRS for the construction of party office in Delhi. We are in the process of identifying the piece of land. Once we get it registered, we shall start the construction immediately, a party leader said on condition of anonymity.

The TRS chief, who had been camping in Delhi for the last four days, wanted to make a personal visit to a few places to finalise the site, but could not do so due to prior engagements. He, however, asked his personal Vasthu (traditional Hindu concept of architecture) consultant Suddala Sudhakar Teja to assist the party leaders including MPs to identify the plot which should be in accordance with the Vasthu norms.

Known for his strong religious beliefs, the TRS chief appointed Teja as his official Vasthu consultant under Roads and Buildings department and has been taking his advice for every construction, whether it is a government building or a road. Teja will help design the construction plan for the party office in Delhi, too.

In all probability, KCR will lay the foundation stone for the party office after Sankranti festival on January 15. He wants that the construction of party office should be completed within three months, the TRS leader said.

He said KCR wants to bring national focus to the TRS on the lines of the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Trinamool Congress. In the coming days, the TRS chief has to spend most of the time in Delhi to prepare a comprehensive agenda for the proposed federal front. Hence, the need for a permanent office, he added.Madhya Pradeshs Lokayukta has sought fresh sanctions from the states new Congress government to prosecute 281 people in 245 cases. The anti-corruption ombudsman had earlier failed to get the approvals from the states Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, which was voted out of power after 15 years in November, to put them on trial, officials in the Lokayukta office said.

With the new government taking over, we are once again writing to all the departments to provide the necessary sanctions, said Lokayukta director general Anil Kumar.

The officials said they were now hopeful of prosecution sanctions in many cases. ...in some of the cases, the accused were close to the [previous BJP] government and hence no decision was taken on giving the prosecution sanctions, said a Lokayukta official on condition of anonymity.

BJP spokesman Rajneesh Agrawal insisted his partys government never tolerated corruption. ...there were never political considerations in withholding prosecution sanctions, he said.

Officials said an assistant commissioner is among the people against whom prosecution sanction has been sought afresh. He had been booked for alleged disproportionate assets in 2013. They said the go-ahead for putting him on trial was not given even as the first letter in this regard was sent in December 2015. Several reminders have since been sent for his prosecution sanction.

In another case, sanction was initially given to prosecute a labour officer, who was booked in a disproportionate assets case in 2012. The sanction was later withdrawn on his request.

A Lokayukta official, who is familiar with this case, said they have moved the high court in this regard. Kumar said they have this year moved the high court against denial of prosecution sanction in five cases. So far, they have appealed against permission denial in 10 cases.

The officials said that prosecution sanction is awaited against 92 class I and class II officers, including an Indian Administrative Service officer, and 199 class III and IV officials. To put on trial class I and II officers, permission is needed from the state cabinet, which is routed through the general administration department. In the case of others, a concerned departments principal secretary is the final authority to give the go-ahead for prosecution.

A retired high court or Supreme Court judge heads Madhya Pradeshs Lokayukta, which has its own police wing to deal with corruption cases involving public servants.

Kumar said they have been holding meetings with principal secretaries of various departments to speed up the process of getting prosecution sanctions for the past six months. We found that in many cases, the sanctions were not being given on minor grounds. In a few cases, the letters of prosecution sanction issued never reached us. Though these interactions, we have been able to get prosecution sanctions in 280 cases, Kumar said.

Former state advocate general Anand Mohan Mathur said that going by his own experience often prosecution sanctions were withheld because the accused was close to a minister in power.Water level same as yesterday: NDRF official on Meghalaya rescue op

Operations to rescue 13 trapped miners underway in Khelerihaat for the 17th day. SK Singh, Asst Commandant NDRF, says, Even today our divers went down. The water level is the same as yesterday.

Indian Navy divers to arrive at remote site of accident tomorrow

Indian Navy is deploying a 15-member diving team from Visakhapatnam to assist in the resccue operations for the trapped miners in Meghalaya. The team is carrying specialised diving equipment including a re-compression chamber and remotely operated vehicles capable of searching underwater. The team is expected to arrive on the site on Saturday. An initial assessment to determine an effective response was undertaken by the navy today.

Indian Navy divers airlifted to join rescue operation in Meghalaya

Indian Navy divers are being airlifted from Vishakhapatnam to join operations to rescue trapped Meghalaya miners.

15 miners are trapped in the flooded rat-hole Ksan coal mines in East Jaintia Hills district since December 13.

Fire services team has approximately another 200 km to go by road

The fire services team has approximately another 200 km to go by road through hilly terrain before they reach the site of accident.

This isnt the first accident involving an illegal mine in the state

This isnt the first accident involving an illegal mine in the state. In February 2014, four miners were killed when the walls of an illegal mine collapsed in Garo Hills. In December 2013, five miners died when the cable of the contraption which was carrying them down to an illegal mine in Jaintia Hills broke. In July 2012, 15 miners drowned in an illegal mine in Garo Hills when an underground stream flowing near the mine flooded it.

Meghalaya government has been under attack for tardy rescue operation

The Meghalaya government has been under attack for the tardy rescue operation in the Saipung area of the northeastern state.

Odisha fire department team has landed in Guwahati

The Odisha fire department team has landed in Guwahati. They are yet to proceed to Meghalaya. They will be travelling on trucks to the spot.

Rescue teams said a foul smell from the water was reported on Wednesday

Rescue teams at the site said that a foul smell emanating from the water on Wednesday reported by one of the divers was in all likelihood because of stagnation when the operation was suspended on Christmas Day.

Request for 10 pumps was made by the district administration

A request for 10 pumps of 100 HP, survey teams to detect seepage and other assistance from state-owned Coal India was made by the district administration in a letter to the state government on December 20, but the corporation received the communication for assistance from Shillong only on December 26.

Efforts to pump out water from the mine stopped on Monday

The efforts to pump out water from the mine stopped on Monday as the available machines were ineffective and stronger ones were needed.

Rescue officials in Meghalaya have recovered so far three helmets

The rescue officials in Meghalaya have recovered so far three helmets.

This is the first time fire services team would test their skills in a coal mine filled with water

This is the first time that the fire services team would test their skills in a coal mine filled with water. The fire services department has taken part in rescue operations in others states in the past as well.

Odisha team couldnt leave for Meghalaya as Shillong airport doesnt have night landing facilities

With time running out for the miners, the Odisha team could have left on Thursday evening but could not as the Shillong airport does not have night landing facilities.

The team will study and analyse the situation first

The team will first study and analyse the situation at the site before working out plans for the search and rescue mission, the official said, reports PTI.

Fire services personnel are armed with high-tech equipment for rescue mission

The fire services personnel are armed with several high-tech equipment and gadgets for use during the rescue mission, reports PTI.

It will take 2-3 days to retrieve the bodies: Shillong MP Vincent H Pala

Vincent H Pala says, Earlier the central government did not take seriously in sending the pumps, I hope with the new pumps coming they will be able to pump water, it will take minimum 2-3 days then we will be able to retrieve the bodies, reports news agency ANI.

Congress' Shillong MP Vincent H Pala on #MeghalayaMiners: Earlier the Central govt did not take seriously in sending the pumps, I hope with the new pumps coming they will be able to pump water, it will take minimum 2-3 days then we will be able to retrieve the bodies. https://t.co/QUnJYRhi4I  ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2018

Im very sure most people have died: Congress Shillong MP Vincent H Pala

Congress Shillong MP Vincent H Pala says,Im very sure most people have died, I came to know from local people that there is no chance of people there, those who survive, they run away since the mining was illegal, reports news agency ANI.

Relatives of trapped miners are expecting a miracle to occur

The relatives of the trapped miners are losing hope and are expecting a miracle to occur.

District administration has temporarily suspended pumping of water from coal pit

The district administration has temporarily suspended pumping of water from the coal pit since December 24. However, the NDRF rescuers team dived inside the main shaft of the coal pit but could not locate any of the miners.

C-130J Super Hercules tasked to airlift NDRF rescuers from Bhubaneswar to Guwahati

Indian Air Force (IAF) Spokesman Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh said a C-130J Super Hercules has been tasked to airlift NDRF rescuers from Bhubaneswar to Guwahati on Friday.

Coal India Limited officials have rushed to the site

Coal India Limited (CIL) officials have rushed to the site in remote Ksan area in East Jaintia Hills district. A two-member team from Kirloskar Brothers Limited has already reached the site, reports news agency IANS.

NDRF team rushed to Meghalaya for assistance

The Central government on Friday rushed an additional National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team to Meghalaya to assist the state in evacuating 15 miners who are trapped inside an illegal coal mine for 16 days now.

The team left for Shillong on Friday morning in a special aircraft

Director general of fire service and commandant general, home guards and director civil defence BK Sharma said the team led by chief fire officer Sukanta Sethi left for Shillong on Friday morning in a special aircraft of the Indian Air Force with 20 high-power pumps.

Odisha Fire Services team also left for #Meghalaya in a special aircraft to assist local authorities in the rescue of trapped coal miners pic.twitter.com/yo5Sr9e7ef  ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2018

Union ministry of home affairs has sought Odisha Fire Services help

The Union ministry of home affairs on Thursday sought the help of Odisha Fire Services for sending its team of experienced professionals.

21 member team of Odisha fire services will reach Meghalaya today

A 21-member team of Odisha Fire Services will reach Meghalaya on Friday with high-powered dewatering pumps to assist local authorities in a fresh attempt to rescue the 15 minersCongress lawmaker from Shillong Vincent H Pala has attacked the Centre over its slow response in rescuing the Meghalaya miners and suggested it might be too late for the 15 men trapped in a flooded illegal coal mine in the states East Jaintia Hills district.

The miners have been missing after the mine they were digging collapsed on them on December 13 in the remote Ksan village of the coal-rich East Jaintia Hills, an area where illegal mining is rife and a National Green Tribunal ban on such activities has been in place for four years.

The state government has been under attack for the tardy rescue operation in the Saipung area of the northeastern state. All that the rescue officials in Meghalaya have recovered so far are three helmets.

(Follow live updates of the Meghalaya rescue operation here)

I am very sure most people have died. I came to know from local people that there is no chance for the people there. Those who survive, they run away since the mining was illegal, he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Earlier the central government did not take seriously in sending the pumps. I hope with the new pumps coming they will be able to pump water. It will take minimum two to three days then we will be able to retrieve the bodies, he said.

Watch: Rescue operations underway for 15 miners trapped in flooded Meghalaya mine

He was referring to the 21-member team of Odisha Fire Services that has been sent to the village in the northeastern state on Friday with high-powered dewatering pumps to assist local authorities in a fresh attempt to rescue the Meghalaya miners.

Also read: Air Force plane with 20 powerful pumps enroute Meghalaya for rescue mission

Before Fridays attack on the Centre, Pala had goofed up in Lok Sabha on Thursday when he when said the miners were trapped in Mizoram mine instead of Meghalaya while moving an adjournment notice on the issue. He said there was a need to rescue the miners trapped in Mizoram.

His partys president Rahul Gandhi has already criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not doing enough to help the trapped Meghalaya miners. Rahul Gandhi said the Prime Minister was instead strutting and posing for cameras while inaugurating the Bogibeel railroad bridge in neighbouring Assam.

However, the state government rejected Rahul Gandhis charges and said it was making efforts to rescue the Meghalaya miners.Days after police asked private companies in Noidas Sector 58 to stop their Muslim employees from offering namaz in an adjacent park, hundreds of Muslim workers offered the Friday prayers at a saints tomb near Sector 54.

However, police said no permission was taken by the workers for the prayers.

More than 500-600 Muslim employees came out of their workplaces on Friday afternoon and headed towards the Forest View Park in Sector 54.

We dont wish to create any further controversy and that is why we had decided to offer namaz in a land which is outside the Forest View Park, said Chaudhary Salim, the organiser of namaz.

The mazaar has been here since the 19th century and devotees from villages such as Chaura Raghunathpur have been coming to the site. Earlier also namaz was being offered here and after the controversy, people have come here, Salim, a factory owner in Sector 10.

We were told yesterday that a new ground has been allotted for offering namaz and we headed towards it with our colleagues, said Bashir Mohammad, a worker at a sewing factory.

However, station house officer of Sector 24 police station Pankaj Pant said the park and land surrounding the tomb belongs to Noida Authority and no permission was given for the Friday prayer.

Recently, officials had demolished an illegal structure on the same land, Pant said.

The notice by police in Sector 58 asking companies in the industrial hub to ensure their employees do not use a park for any religious activity, including offering namaz on Fridays, had surfaced on Tuesday. In the notice, police said companies in Sector 58 will be held responsible if their employees are found violating the order.

Opposition parties criticised the move of Noida Police alleging that officials were helping the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to divide people just before the Lok Sabha election next year.

Former chief minister Mayawati had said the notice was arbitrary and highly irresponsible.

Senior officials in Noida had defended the police notice. Gautam Budh Nagars district magistrate BN Singh said the officers were doing their duty and according to senior superintendent of police (SSP) Ajay Pal Sharma, the move to stop namaz in the park was not discriminatory. Noida comes under Gautam Budh Nagar.Congress Telangana unit president N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday gave a clean chit to Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu in the defeat of Maha Kootami or Peoples Front in the state assembly elections.

In an informal interaction with media on the sidelines of 134th celebrations of the Congress foundation day at Gandhi Bhavan, he said Naidu was not responsible for the defeat of the Peoples Front in the assembly elections.

I dont think Naidus campaign in the elections was the reason for the debacle. However, it would have been better if the seat sharing among the alliance partners was completed a little earlier, rather than at the eleventh hour, he said.

Reddys statement came in the wake of the comments made by various Congress leaders including partys star campaigner and former MP Vijayashanti that the alliance with the TDP had caused immense damage to the Congress. State campaign committee chairman and MLA Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka also said the Congress would take a decision on continuing the alliance with the TDP in the coming elections in the wake of the Telangana poll debacle.

Reddy also said the Congress would soon take a decision on whether or not to continue the Peoples Front in the coming days. We shall take a call on the alliance after discussing with the AICC in-charge of Telangana affairs R C Khuntia, he said.

He said there were various other reasons for the electoral defeat. We are making a thorough review of the same by talking to all the party candidates. We submitted a preliminary report to the high command and a final report will be sent in three or four days, Reddy said.

Reddy alleged that there were large scale irregularities in the conduct of recent assembly elections. There is a huge difference in the number of polled votes and counted votes. In several places, where the Congress had lost narrowly, the polling officials refused to count the slips of VVPAT machines. In Jubilee Hills constituency, for instance, the voter slips from VVPAT machines were removed. In Mancherial, thousands of votes were polled even after the closure of polling hours. On whose directions the returning officers were acting? In spite of repeated complaints, the election commission has not responded, he alleged.

He exuded the confidence that the Congress would perform better in Lok Sabha elections.

The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi swept back to power in the December 7 elections, winning 88 seats in the 119-member assembly, while the Congress, which led a front comprising the TDP, the Communist Party of India and the Telangana Jana Samithi, came far behind with 19.The Congress government in Madhya Pradesh said Friday it had not banned the film The Accidental Prime Minister, in which actor Anupam Kher plays former PM Manmohan Singh.

While several Congress leaders sought a ban on it or removal of objectionable scenes, the state unit of the party said it had no comment to make as the film was BJPs propaganda.

The Department of Public Relations of the Madhya Pradesh government tweeted that there was no decision by the government to ban the film and media reports announcing a ban were not factual.

The film has sparked a row over alleged distortion of facts.

The clarification came after a section of media reported that the movie, based on a book of the same name by Singhs media adviser Sanjaya Baru, was banned in the state.

The film, whose trailer was released recently, has a motley of actors playing the key players of the Nehru-Gandhi family and Kher stepping into the shoes of Manmohan Singh.

Read more| Fake propaganda: Congress as BJP tweets Accidental Prime Minister trailer

Talking to PTI, Madhya Pradesh Congress Media Cell coordinator Narendra Saluja said, This movie is part of the BJPs propaganda and tactics to divert attention from real issues. So, we dont want to comment on it. The chief minister also made it clear that there was no intention of banning any movie in the state, he said.

Earlier, Congress spokesperson Syed Zaffer, resident of Chief Minister Kamal Naths Lok Sabha constituency Chhindwara, had said the film would not be allowed to release in the state.

In a tweet, Zaffer alleged that the trailer had some objectionable scenes and these should be removed or we will not allow to release the movie in state.

He told PTI later that his demand was to remove objectionable scenes, but it was up to the state government to take any decision about banning it.

Another Congress spokesperson, Pankaj Chaturvedi, echoed the demand for cuts. If there is an incorrect presentation of facts, such scenes should be removed, he said.

State BJP spokesperson Rajnish Agrawal defended the film, pointing out that it is based on a book written by Manmohan Singhs former adviser, and the people have right to know the truth about the UPA government, which has affected their lives.

The country should know about the interference of then Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi (in the governments affairs), he claimed.In first government reaction to former Norway Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondeviks visit to Kashmir last month, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj told Rajya Sabha that he was on a private visit to the Valley.

The government had come under attack when Bondevik visited Kashmir in November and met Hurriyat leaders, with former chief minister Omar Abdullah asking Swaraj to explain what the leader was doing in the border state.

What are the Norwegians up to in Kashmir? Would either @SushmaSwaraj ji or Doval ji care to put the visit of the former Norwegian PM to both sides of the divided state in the correct context or do we have to rely on rumours & conjecture? Abdullah had tweeted.

In Rajya Sabha on Friday, Swaraj said, Bondevik was on private visit to India at invitation of Art of Living, he met several people including All Party Hurriyat Conference, the government was not involved in organizing visit, reports ANI.

Swaraj added that there was no change in governments consistent position that under Simla Agreement and as reiterated in Lahore Declaration, India and Pakistan are committed to address issues bilaterally. Theres no scope for third party role, she said.

Bondevik visited Srinagar and met senior separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq. He also visited Pakistan-administered part of Kashmir and met a cross-section of people there.

Farooq tweeted photos from the fruitful meeting on November 23, saying they have urged Bondevik to help reach a resolution in the restive state as Norway is known to play a constructive role in conflict resolution across the globe.

Fruitful meeting of JRL with Mr Kjell Magne Bondevik,Ex Prime Minister of Norway. As Norway is known to play a constructive role in conflict resolution across the globe urged Mr Bondevik to help in ending the daily killings and urgent resolution of the festering Kashmir dispute (sic), the Mirwaiz said.

Bondevik was the prime minister when Norway brokered a 2002 ceasefire with the Tamil Tigers that fell apart and led to the final fight that destroyed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).A 21-member team of Odisha Fire Services, on board an Indian Air Force plane, has landed in Guwahati on way to Meghalaya with high-powered dewatering pumps to assist local authorities in a fresh attempt to rescue the 15 miners, trapped in a flooded illegal coal mine in Ksan village of East Jaintia Hills district for the last fortnight.

The team has approximately another 200 km to go by road through hilly terrain before they reach the site of accident .

Pump manufacturing company Kirloskar Brothers Ltd and Coal India on Friday are jointly moving 18 high-powered pumps to the mine, according to PTI.

Also, the Indian Navy is deploying a 15-member diving team from Visakhapatnam to assist in the rescue operations for the trapped miners. The team, carrying specialised diving equipment including a re-compression chamber and remotely operated vehicles capable of searching underwater, is expected to arrive on the site on Saturday. An initial assessment to determine an effective response was undertaken by the navy on Friday.

With chances of the miners rescue becoming bleaker by the day, the Union ministry of home affairs on Thursday sought the help of Odisha Fire Services for sending its team of experienced professionals.

(Click here for live updates on trapped miners)

Director general of fire service and commandant general, home guards and director civil defence BK Sharma said the team led by chief fire officer Sukanta Sethi left on Friday morning in a special aircraft of the Indian Air Force with 20 high-power pumps.

(Read: Congress MPs gaffe, says miners trapped in Mizoram instead of Meghalaya)

Each of the pumps can dewater 1,600 litres of water a minute and we hope the miners can be rescued. We are one of the few states that is experienced in handling such calamities. We could have gone much earlier, but the request from MHA came yesterday (Thursday), said Sharma.

Watch: Rescue operations underway for 15 miners trapped in flooded Meghalaya mine

With time running out for the miners, the Odisha team could have left on Thursday evening but could not as the Shillong airport does not have night landing facilities.

This is the first time that the fire services team would test their skills in a coal mine filled with water. The fire services department has taken part in rescue operations in others states in the past as well.

In August this year, a team of 240 fire service personnel from Odisha had helped in the rescue operation of flood-affected people in Kerala. The team not just saved hundreds of people, including patients and disabled, they also rescued domestic animals like cows, goats and pets like dogs.

Read: Foul smell in mine as water stagnates, pumps will take 4 more days to arrive

In 2014 too, the Odisha fire service personnel had earned praise for their commendable job in the relief and rescue operations in Andhra Pradesh during Cyclone Hudhud.

Efforts stepped up

The state government has been criticised for the tardy rescue operation in the Saipung area of the northeastern state due to the festive season. All that the rescue officials in Meghalaya have recovered so far are three helmets.

The efforts to pump out water from the mine stopped on Monday as the available machines were ineffective and stronger ones were needed.

A request for 10 pumps of 100 HP, survey teams to detect seepage and other assistance from state-owned Coal India was made by the district administration in a letter to the state government on December 20, but the corporation received the communication for assistance from Shillong only on December 26.

Read: Prime accused in Meghalaya activist Agnes Kharshiings assault surrenders

On Thursday, an assessment team from Kirloskar Pumps (KBL) in Kolkata arrived at the remote site on Thursday evening after a request by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, whose party is in the opposition in Meghalaya.

A Coal India team arrived in Shillong on Thursday and will visit the site on Friday for assessment. JK Borah, general manager, North Eastern Coalfields said seven pumps have been mobilised by Coal India. Officials said moving the other equipment to the site of the accident will take another three to four days.

Rescue teams at the site said that a foul smell emanating from the water on Wednesday reported by one of the divers was in all likelihood because of stagnation when the operation was suspended on Christmas Day.

It has been fourteen days now. The chances of the trapped miners surviving are very slim, acting additional district magistrate SS Syiemlieh said on Thursday.

The miners have been missing after the illegal coal mine they were digging collapsed on them in the coal-rich East Jaintia Hills, an area where illegal mining is rife and a National Green Tribunal ban on such activities has been in place for four years.

Meghalaya has nearly 640 million tonnes of coal reserves. Mining of coal by hand has been going on in Meghalaya for over 150 years, mostly for local use. Large-scale illegal and indiscriminate mining of the coal by private landowners and the local community started nearly three decades ago.

Also read: 15 miners trapped for 14 days, Coal India finally receives Meghalaya govt SOS

Most of these mines employ minors, some from neighbouring states and Nepal as well; the miners work many metres underground in unsafe conditions, mining coal with their bare hands.

This isnt the first accident involving an illegal mine in the state.

In February 2014, four miners were killed when the walls of an illegal mine collapsed in Garo Hills. In December 2013, five miners died when the cable of the contraption which was carrying them down to an illegal mine in Jaintia Hills broke. In July 2012, 15 miners drowned in an illegal mine in Garo Hills when an underground stream flowing near the mine flooded it.Oppn to meet on Dec 31 in Parliament for meeting on Triple Talaq Bill

Opposition to meet on December 31, 2018 in Parliament for a meeting on Triple Talaq Bill.

J-K Governor sent report that no party willing to form govt: Rajnath

Then J-K Governor NN Vohra had sent report in June that no party willing to form government in state, home minister Rajnath Singh told Lok Sabha.

Lok Sabha adjourned till 3:30 pm

Lok Sabha has been adjourned till 3:30 pm.

Governors rule in J-K unconstitutional: Opposition

Opposition parties Friday termed the imposition of Governors rule in Jammu and Kashmir as unconstitutional during a discussion in the Lok Sabha on a statutory resolution that approved Presidents rule in the state.

Presidents rule in Jammu and Kashmir follows if the Governors rule extends beyond six months.

Initiating the debate, Shashi Tharoor of the Congress said Governor Satya Mal Malik acted in gross violation of a Supreme Court order in the S R Bommai case that had stated that whether an alliance has a majority or not can be decided only on the floor of the assembly.

Over 1 lakh companies deregistered this fiscal: Govt

Minister of State for Corporate Affairs P P Chaudhary informed the Lok Sabha that 2.26 lakh companies were struck off from the Register of Companies as on December 31, 2017.

Governor house is not the place to prove majority: Farooq Abdullah

Own Jammu and Kashmir, own the people of Jammu and Kashmir, we are part of the country, requested Farooq Abdullah during Lok Sabha proceedings.

The fax machine of J&K Governor was not working, his phone was not working and I would like to say that Governor house is not the place to prove majority but the assembly is. Governor didnt wait and dissolved it, said Abdullah.

Introduce Womens Reservation Bill immediately: CPI-M to govt

The government should immediately come up with the Womens Reservation Bill to reserve 33 per cent seats for women in Parliament and state assemblies, demanded CPI-M member P K S Teacher during the zero hour in the Lok Sabha Friday.

Most trapped miners must have died: Congress Shillong MP

Im very sure most people have died, I came to know from local people that there is no chance of people there, those who survive, they run away since the mining was illegal, said Congress Shillong MP Vincent H Pala on Meghalaya miners outside the Parliament.

Earlier the Central government did not take seriously in sending the pumps, I hope with the new pumps coming they will be able to pump water, it will take minimum 2-3 days then we will be able to retrieve the bodies, he added according to news agency ANI.

Cant we extend our wishes for a film: Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore

Cant we extend our wishes for a film? Congress has been all for freedom, why is it questioning that freedom now? asked Information and Broadcasting minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore on BJP tweeting The Accidental Prime Ministers trailer.

Lok Sabha proceedings resume

Lok Sabha proceedings resumed at 12 noon.

TDP MP dresses up as Lord Shiva to demand special status for AP

TDP MP Naramalli Sivaprasad is today dressed up as Lord Shiva during protest in Parliament demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh. He had earlier also dressed up as a school boy, Narad muni and others.

CPI-M members demand Womens Reservation Bill

CPI-M members were also among the protesters, demanding the Womens Reservation Bill.

Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day

Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day following uproar over Cauvery and other issues.

Lok Sabha adjourned till 12

Lok Sabha adjourned till noon following protests over Cauvery and other issues.

Opposition members trooped near speakers podium

As soon as the House began, the Congress, AIADMK and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) members trooped near speakers podium and started sloganeering in support of their various demands.

TMC gives notice in RS to discuss order allowing computer monitoring

The Trinamool Congress issued a notice Rule 267 in Rajya Sabha to take up a discussion Friday on home ministrys surveillance order which allows 10 central agencies and Delhi police rights to snoop into anyones computer, according to news agency ANI.Over 2 kg of smuggled gold worth 66 lakh was seized from the international airport and a passenger detained in this connection, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) said Friday.

The gold was smuggled by concealing it in an oven by the passenger who arrived in Hyderabad by an Oman Airlines flight from Dubai on Thursday, a DRI press release said.

The yellow metal was in the form of 46 plates coated with silver and fixed in the transformer of a microwave oven, the release said.

After melting the plates, 2,045 gm of gold was recovered, it said, adding that it was worth 66 lakh.

Inquiries revealed that the passenger had received the oven in Dubai and the appliance was meant to be handed over to an unknown person in Hyderabad, it said.A BJP MLA in Uttar Pradesh on Friday kicked off a controversy over the death of police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh during the Bulandshahr violence on December 3, suggesting it could have been an accident.

Perhaps, he accidentally killed himself. He was an encounter specialist who earlier too had shot himself in his arm during encounters. Perhaps, this time too he attempted to fire at himself in his arms in self-defence (during the violence) but the bullet missed the mark and went through his eyebrows, Devendra Singh Lodhi, the lawmaker from Sayna, said.

Lodhi also questioned why so many people were accused of the inspector saabs murder. There was balwa (rioting) going on. Stones were pelted. Did all the accused had firearms... only one bullet wound was found on his body, he said.

The lawmakers comment came on the day when fresh information out of the police investigations indicate that the police inspector, had his thumb chopped off and sustained head injuries in an axe attack before being shot dead.

These details of axe attack surfaced during the interrogation of prime accused Prashant Nat, who was arrested on Thursday, and recreation of the crime scene same evening.The entire probe of the purported fake encounter killing of gangster Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his suspected lieutenant Tulsiram Prajapati and murder of Sheikhs wife, Kausar Bi, was premeditate and politically motivated, aimed at somehow implicating political leaders like Amit Shah, according to special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) judge SJ Sharma.

Judge Sharma on December 21 acquitted all 22 accused mostly state-service police personnel and members of the constabulary from Gujarat and Rajasthan -- for want of cogent evidence.

In his 350-page judgment, the special CBI judge said the CBI was not interested in reaching the truth, but instead to establish a particular theory. I have examined the entire evidence placed before me. Having so examined the entire evidence and having conducted the trial, I have no hesitation in recording that during the investigation of these offences the CBI was doing something other than reaching the truth of these offences, the judge recorded in this judgement, portions of which were reviewed by Hindustan Times.

It clearly appears that the CBI was more concerned in establishing a particular pre-conceived and pre-meditated theory, rather than finding out the truth, the judge ruled, adding, My predecessor has, while passing an order of discharge of accused number 16 (BJP president Amit Shah), clearly recorded that the investigation was politically motivated.

According to the CBI, Sheikh was travelling on a Hyderabad-Sangli bus along with his wife Kausar Bi and Prajapati when they were allegedly abducted by a team of policemen attached to the Gujarat anti-terrorist squad on November 23, 2005.

Two days later, Sheikh was killed in a purported fake encounter near Gandhinagar, and Kausar Bi was done to death the next day. Her body was burnt in a dry river bed, also near Gandhinagar.

Prajapati, the sole witness to their abduction, was killed a year later, in December 2006. A joint team of Gujarat and Rajasthan police claimed that it shot him down while he was trying to escape at Banaskanthas Chapri village.

CBI claimed that it was a contract killing purportedly ordered by the then Gujrat home minister, Amit Shah, at the behest of the Rajasthan marble lobby, which was said to be fed up with extortion and demands for protection money by the slain gangster.

CBI booked 38 persons in connection with the three deaths .Sixteen of them, including Amit Shah and several high-ranking police officers from Gujrat and Rajasthan, were discharged during pendency of the trial. The remaining 22 faced trial.

The case against the 22 collapsed after 92 of 210 witnesses turned hostile. Special judge Sharma has, however, held that the witnesses spoke truth and it was the CBI which had wrongly recoded their statements.

I had the occasion of seeing the deposition of the witnesses while they were in the witness box which clearly reflected that they were speaking the truth before this court, clearly indicating that their statements were wrongly recorded under Section 161 of the Criminal Procedure Code by CBI during investigation, he said in his verdict.

While passing the order, he said: I am aware of the degree of agony and frustration that may be caused to the society in general and the families of the deceased in particular, by the fact a serious nature of crime like this goes unpunished but, his hands were tied by the law of the land that in criminal prosecution burden of proof rests on the prosecution and the prosecution has to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.Hundreds of devotees at the 12th-century Jagannath Temple in Odishas Puri had to go back disappointed on Friday after waiting for hours as priests refused to open the gates following a scuffle between them and police.

The stand-off also comes days before the temple administrations has to implement some of the reform measures suggested by the Supreme Court from January 1.

Officials have alleged that temple priest Bhawani Shankar Mohapatra was trying to take three devotees inside the temple on Thursday evening when police at the main gate stopped them as they suspected they were not Hindus. Only Hindus can enter the temple.

In 1984, former prime minister Indira Gandhi was not allowed by priests to enter the temple as she had married a Parsi. In 2006, a Swiss citizen Elizabeth Jigler, who had donated 1.78 crore to the temple donation box, was denied entry as she was a Christian.

Also read: Donations stopped, Jagannath temple priest seeks Supreme Court permission to end his life

Mohapatra insisted they were Bengalis and this led to a scuffle over the issue.

Mohapatra said policemen at the temple argued unnecessarily and tried to manhandle him. The tourists were all from Bengal, but the cops did not allow. The temple administration is encroaching upon our rights. This would not be tolerated, he said.

Following the incident, both Mohapatra and police lodged two separate first information reports at the Singhadwara police station.

None of the temple rituals took place till noon and devotees waiting outside the temple since the morning shouted at officials after they were denied entry into the temple as the temple priests demanded a resolution to their grievance against police.

Disha Mazumdar, a devotee from West Bengals Kolkata, said she has been waiting since morning to have darshan and all that the officials are doing is pleading helplessness.

Also read: Police cant enter Puris Jagannath temple with weapons and shoes, rules Supreme Court

We made last minute reservations to come to Puri and now we are being told the temple doors would not open. No one is telling us clearly when the issue would be resolved, she said.

Puris district collector Jyoti Prakash Das said they have tried to talk it out with the priests.

I have gone twice and requested the priests to resume the temple rituals, but they are unmoved. This is very unfortunate to keep the devotees waiting and the Lord hungry, said Das.

Officials are apprehensive that the implementation of the ticketing system for the devotees from January 1 as part of the reforms mooted by Supreme Court will be affected after Fridays standoff.

The top court had mooted 12 proposals in July saying the servitors will have no claim on offerings made by devotees and all collections must go the temple donation box, following a PIL by Cuttack-based lawyer Mrinalini Padhi.

This also included a barricaded queue system for devotees from entrance itself, end to donation to priests and transparency in temple management.

The top courts order led to a cold war between the temple priests and the state government with the servitors unwilling to cede ground over their traditional rights. Hundreds of people, including Jagannath temple priests, went on a rampage protesting the queue system for devotees on October 3.

Also read: Jagannath temple reform triggers violent backlash in Puri, police stage flag marchComing down heavily on the BJP for its proposed Rath Yatras in West Bengal, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said such yatras are typically conducted in the name of God, and not meant to indulge in danga (riot).

The Supreme Court on Monday declined an urgent hearing on a BJP plea challenging a Calcutta high court order disallowing its Rath Yatras in the state.

There are yatras for Lord Krishna and Lord Jagannath, we take part in those rath yatras. Those who carry out yatras to kill common people indulge in danga yatras, Banerjee said at a public distribution programme in Sagar Island.

Also Read: Supreme Court declines early hearing to BJP plea on stalled Bengal rath yatras

We dont insult anybody. We respect everyone irrespective of their religious affinity, she added.

The three-phased Rath Yatra, also being called the Save Democracy Rally, was scheduled to be held this month, covering all the 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state. The rallies were to be flagged off by BJP president Amit Shah.

Banerjee also hit out at BJP leaders, calling them bhogis (people indulging in material enjoyment) and said the party was no authority to decide on what religion people should follow.

These so-called yogis (holy men) are not yogis but they are bhogis. Theyve suddenly started giving diktats to people on religion. Who are they to decide? My faith is my choice. We are secular, pray to all Gods and respect all religions. We love the Hindu religion as much as Islam, Sikh religion and Christianity, she said.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)A ban on plastic, sparing a few products such as packaged foods, is set to come into force across Tamil Nadu on New Years Day after the Madras high court on Thursday dismissed a petition challenging the order.

A vacation bench comprising justices S Vaidyanathan and PT Asha dismissed a legal challenge brought by the Tamil Nadu and Pudcherry Plastics Manufacturers Association, clearing the decks for the ban.

The judges also suggested a total ban on all sorts of plastic.

After chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami made an announcement on June 5 in the Tamil Nadu assembly on the governments intention to ban non-reusable plastic products, the government issued an order to the effect on June 25.

The move followed the success of a ban on plastic in the ecologically sensitive Nilgiris district, where use of plastic products has declined steeply.

Environmentalists have welcomed the move, but plastics manufacturers and small traders are fretting over the ban.

The government has exempted biscuits and other packaged foods from the ban, inviting criticism that the move is biased in favour of multinationals and big local companies.

The government is also considering sparing paper cups coated with plastic and non-woven bags provided in textiles showrooms from the ban. To the exemptions, industry has reacted strongly.

This can be applied to several other banned items as well. The government could regulate production to increase thickness so that they can be re-used, said Plastics Manufacturers Association president G Sankaran.

In its petition, the association argued the ban was biased in favour of big companies and so will severely affect small traders besides rendering jobless the nearly 200,000 workers employed by the plastics industry. Sankaran said demand for plastics in the state was 1.6 lakh tonne a year, while production was 1 million tonne. Environment minister KC Karupanan said consumers and traders should switch to eco-friendly bags.The miserable have no other medicine but only hope, wrote Shakespeare. And given the abject tardiness of Meghalayas state administration for 15 days since 15 miners were trapped in flooding inside a rathole mine in Ksan in Meghalayas East Jaintia Hills district, hope is all their poor families can cling to. Now 14 days after the accident, scathing criticism has done what the miners plight failed to do : stir the state government to ask for help from the Center. The air force, the navy, the NDMA and a plethora of sophisticated equipment are now on their way to the remote site of the accident. But it is a classic case of too little, too late.

December 13

In defiance of a NGT ban on rat-hole mining in Meghalaya, an unscrupulous mine-owner sends between 18-22 men into the Ksan mine, 350 meters from the Lytein river. The mine floods at around 8 am. Reports on survivors vary, HT speaks to one. Authorities begin pumping out the water and send a message to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for help. The NDRF receives the request at 7 pm and straightaway dispatches a team of 71 personnel, albeit with no prior experience of mining accidents.

Also Read: Didnt take it seriously: Congress MP attacks govt over Meghalaya rescue

December 14

NDRF team arrives at the East Jaintia Hills site at 3 am.

December 17

NDRF says six more pumps will be pressed into service and that there are 71 NDRF and 22 State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel including deep divers, sniffer dogs and other equipment on site.

December 19

Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma tells HT that he has sent an SOS to the Center for help. He says that ace diver Jaswant Singh Gill from Amritsar with prior experience of saving miners in West Bengal will also reach the site. East Jaintia Hills Deputy Commissioner FM Dopth says he has requested state government for more powerful pumps as advised by the Director of Mines Safety.

December 20

Diver Gill reaches site, makes recommendations to district administration to forward to state government. He agrees with the need for 100 hp submersible pumps and leaves Meghalaya.

Dopth writes letter to additional chief secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management requesting that the state government should immediately write and seek help from Coal India Ltd to depute technical persons to conduct the rescue operations. A copy of the letter is marked to CM Conrad Sanghmas office. It asks that Coal India to lend equipment including 10 pumps of 100 HP.

Also Read: 20 powerful pumps to reach trapped miners soon, Naval divers on way too

December 22

Dopth tells HT that he has dispatched letter dated Dec 20. CM Conrad Sangma tells Press Trust of India (PTI) that he has written to Coal India requesting pumps.

December 23

Pumping operations at the Ksan mine are suspended since the water level has not receded. Authorities decide to wait for the Coal India pumps. The NDRF rescue team continues diving sorties but rule out the presence of the miners in the main shaft.

December 25

NDRF suspends its diving operations because the crane operator does not show up on Christmas Day.

December 26

DC Dopth goes on medical leave Disaster Management Department confirms to HT that Dopths letter requesting pumps was received but not processed because of holidays. Congress President Rahul Gandhi attacks Meghalaya state government and PM Modi. Coal India confirms that it has received request from Meghalaya government.

December 27

Congress Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor mobilises Kirloskar pumps. Kirloskar team arrives at site by the evening. Officials in Ministry of Home Affairs MHA and Ministry of Defence (MoD) in New Delhi, who did not wish to be named, confirm receipt of request from the Meghalaya state government, only on Dec 27th. MHA mobilises C-130 IAF Aircraft, NDMA and fire-fighting team from Bhubaneshwar to mine disaster site in Meghalaya.

December 28

Meghalaya Congress MP Vincent Pala says his sources in the area tell him that the miners have died. Indian Navy deploys a 15-member divers team from Visakhapatnam. Odisha fire team leaves for site after waiting more than six hours at Guwahati airport for suitable transport from Meghalaya administration.Calling The Accidental Prime Minister his lifes best performance, actor Anupam Kher on Friday said the film should be seen as a creative endeavour and not an attempt to support a political party. The actor said playing former prime minister Manmohan Singh is the most challenging role of his career and he was initially reluctant to take up the project as he was aware it will land into controversies.

I felt that it is a very powerful story of modern Indias political decade and Im getting a chance to be a part of it as an actor. I am someone who has always reinvented himself as an actor, Kher said in Mumbai at a press conference, which he had called after Maharashtra Youth Congress asked for a screening of the film prior to its release, a demand they later withdrew.

When informed that Maharashtra Youth Congress had withdrawn its demand, the actor said, It is good if they have changed the thought process. It is fantastic. It is a great sign of maturity. Kher dismissed that the film is his way of supporting the BJP.

I have done 515 films, there are not even as many political parties. If I have to support a party I can do it on any platform. I will not try to make a film for that, he said. Earlier in the day, Kher had tweeted that he was not going to back off due to the controversy.

I am not going to back off. This is my lifes best performance. Dr Manmohan Singh will agree after seeing the film that it is a 100 per cent accurate depiction, he tweeted.

The trailer of the film, based on the book of the same name by Sanjay Baru who served as Singhs media advisor 2004 to 2008, was released on Thursday. It depicts Singh as a victim of Congress internal politics ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

The trailer drew sharp reactions from the Congress, which dubbed it a propaganda film, but Kher said it was a bold attempt to look at real events through the medium of the biopic for the first time in India. For the first time in independent India, we made a revolutionary film on real people with real names...This is the age of biopics; why cant we make a film on what happens inside the PMO.

Citing the example of Oscar-winning actors such as Ben Kingsley, Daniel Day-Lewis and Meryl Streep, the actor said they have received appreciation for playing political figures, Then why is my work not seen as art?... It is the most difficult role of career. I researched for six-seven months before taking up the role. Kher had earlier referred to Congress president Rahul Gandhis recent statement that freedom of expression is a fundamental right. This was in response to a party leader objecting to the language used to describe his father, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, in the Netflix series Sacred Games.

In the press conference Kher retiterated his earlier comments saying, We talk about freedom of expression, but when we practice our right, people try to curb it. Cinema has to move on, we have to move on with maturity and allow people to make films. Why cant we make a film on politics?

On Thursday, the controversy began after BJPs official Twitter handle shared the link to the trailer of the film. Riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years. Was Dr Singh just a regent who was holding on to the PMs chair till the time heir was ready? Watch the official trailer of TheAccidentalPrimeMinister, based on an insiders account, releasing on 11 January, the party said. Responding to the BJP, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said on Twitter that such fake propaganda by the party would not stop it from asking the Modi government questions on rural distress, rampant unemployment, demonetisation disaster, flawed GST, failed Modinomics, all pervading corruption.

Singh evaded questions on the film at the Congress foundation day function at the party headquarters on Friday.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah also tweeted on the film, saying, Cant wait for when they make The Insensitive Prime Minister. So much worse than being the accidental one. Directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, the film stars Kher as Manmohan Singh and Akshaye Khanna as Baru.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)For the third time in a year, the city is facing a shortage of second line of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment drugs, inconveniencing more than 700 patients.

Second line drugs are given to patients who have not benefited from the first line medicines. This month, patients got the supply only for a few days.

The Maharashtra District AIDS Control Society has blamed it on the delay of shipment of medicines from manufacturers.

Dr Srikala Acharya the head of the Maharashtra District AIDS Control Society (MDACS), said the issue is likely to get resolved by December 31.

A 29-year-old HIV patient from Jogeshwari, who has been taking the second line antiretroviral therapy (ART) since 2015 at Sir Jamshedjee Jeejeebhoy (JJ) Hospital, Byculla, said there has been a shortage of drugs for a week now.

The therapy suppresses the virus and stops the progression of the disease.

It also prevents the onward transmission of HIV.

The doctors at JJ hospital gave me the Lopinavir drug for five days. They said the drug is out of stock due to which they cannot give medicines for the entire month, he said.

Another HIV patient, a 45- year Kurla resident, who is on second line therapy since August last year, said the hospital staff made him wait for six hours for the drugs, after which they gave him medicines that lasted only for five days.

Earlier, when there was a shortage, I would stop taking medicines because it was too difficult to visit the hospital every five days, he said.

HIV drugs are procured by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) in New Delhi who then supply it to the states. However, we are trying to purchase the drugs locally, said Acharya.

Manish Bamrotiya from NACO said the shortage has only been reported in the city and not elsewhere. He said the shortage is due to issues related to the logistics of supplying the medicines.

Doctors said if patients dont get the drugs on a regular basis, the viruses could multiply.A year after a fire at two restaurants in Kamala Mills Compound at Lower Parel killed 14, are restaurants in the city safe for partygoers this New Years Eve? While the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and restaurant owners vouch by the safety measures, activists beg to differ.

THE ACTION, REACTION

The city has 5,000 restaurants. In the wake of the December 29, 2017 fire, the countrys richest civic body announced several measures, including changes to its policies to ensure fire safety in Mumbai. Jolted, owners of restaurants, pubs and bars realised the need to comply with the policy, while Mumbaiites came to terms with how unsafe public spaces could be.

In a knee-jerk reaction, for the first six months of this year, the fire brigades special fire compliance cell inspected 3,264 restaurants across the city, and found 1,395 of them to be fire non-compliant. Only 470 of them complied, while 390 non-compliant restaurants were demolished. Inspections carried out in the second half of the year, between August and October, showed an improvement in fire compliance. Of the 911 buildings inspected, 826 had complied with fire safety measures, and 84 were served notices. BMCs audit of buildings in Kamala Mills in November, however, found several floor space index (FSI) violations, and missing refuge areas.

Municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta said, BMC action improved compliance from establishments across Mumbai. Owners now fear legal action for failing to comply with the rules. This has led to greater awareness on field.

IN PREP MODE

Earlier this month, owners and managers of restaurants at Kamala Mills met to decide rules for crowd and space management, and serving alcohol to partygoers on New Years Eve.

Abhishek Kapadia, manager of Poptates, a bar in the compound, said, All restaurants decided to recheck if their fire exits were clear. We will make sure our restaurants are not crowded beyond capacity on December 31. Alcohol will not be served outside the premises.

Restaurants have been carrying out regular safety drills. Associations have asked them to be extra cautious as restaurants are more crowded on December 31, compared to other days, said Gurbaxish Singh, president of Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India.Also, officials from the G-South ward that covers Elphinstone Road, Lower Parel, and Worli are inspecting 250 restaurants, bars and pubs.

During our inspection drive, we have found almost all restaurants are complying with fire safety measures. Of the 150-odd places inspected by us, two restaurants in Atria Mall in Worli were served notices for stocking up LPG cylinders on Tuesday, said Devendra Jain, assistant commissioner of G-South ward.

City-based activist Godfrey Pimenta said, Kamala Mills is not an isolated incident. There have been many incidents of fire even after that. We dont see exceptional proactive measures taken by the BMC to curb fires. Their measures were short-term. People need to watch out for their own safety. For example, there is a hotel on the airport that has a diesel tank right under its building. BMC has sent notices to them, but nothing has changed.Actor-comedian Kapil Sharma and Ginni Chatraths Mumbai reception was one star-studded affair with the whos who from Bollywood and TV world attending the do. While Kapils co-stars Sumona Chakravarti, Kiku Sharda and Chandan Prabhakar turned up for his big day, his former cast members Sunil Grover, Ali Asgar, Upasana Singh and Sugandha Mishra, who were invited, couldnt attend the reception. Several reports are doing the rounds speculating why they gave Kapils big a day a miss. We got in touch with them to find out the actual reason.

Read| Kapil Sharmas wife Ginni Chatrath wore the prettiest lehengas at wedding, reception. See pics

Sources inform us that Sunil was personally invited for the do. Kapil sir had gone to his house to invite him, but since he wasnt there, one of Kapils team members stayed back to hand over the invite, says the source. Amid reports that things are not well between them, we tried to get in touch with Sunil, but he was not available for a comment. Another source tells us that Sunil had prior commitments due to which he couldnt make it.

Besides the Mumbai reception, Ali was also invited for Kapils wedding in Jalandhar but he couldnt attend any function. I was in China when he was getting married in Jalandhar and on the day of his reception [in Mumbai], I had a show in Jaipur. I spoke to [Kapil] and trust me everything is cordial. He knows why I couldnt be by his side on both the days, says Ali, adding that they plan to catch up soon.

Upasana, on her part shares that she has been working on back-to-back projects and is not getting time for anything else. On the reception day, she was shooting for a Doordarshan show and also for her upcoming Punjabi film. I had sent my wishes to Kapil. Humara bahut achha relationship hai Kapil bahut achche insaan hain, unhe main aapna chhota bhai maanti hoon Pata nahi beech mein itna negativity kyun ho gaya, she says.

Sugandha, who also didnt turn up for the Mumbai reception, tells us that she had already told Kapil that she will have to go to Dubai for a show and he understood. She adds, I even shared about where I was on social media so that people dont think otherwise.

Author tweets @Shreya_MJ

Follow @htshowbiz for morePresident Donald Trump may have inadvertently unmasked a Navy SEAL team during his short visit to a US base in Iraq this week.

Ordinarily, the whereabouts of special operations forces are a closely held secret. In the rare instances when they are filmed while in a combat zone, their faces and other identifying features are usually blurred out.

But after his lightning trip to Al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq on Wednesday, Trump tweeted a video of him posing for photos with US troops, shaking their hands and signing mementos.

.@FLOTUS Melania and I were honored to visit our incredible troops at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq. GOD BLESS THE U.S.A.! pic.twitter.com/rDlhITDvm1  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 26, 2018

In one scene, he is giving a thumbs up alongside a group of what appears to be special operations forces.

According to the pool report of the event, held in a dining hall at the base, a man called Kyu Lee told Trump he was the chaplain for SEAL Team Five.

Lee recalled Trump telling him: Hey, in that case, lets take a picture.

While the president has broad authority to declassify information, so his tweet likely didnt run afoul of any rules, some observers called it a breach of operational security.

Revealing identities even if its the commander-in-chief, would prove a propaganda boom if any of this personnel are detained by a hostile government or captured by a terrorist group, Malcolm Nance, a former US Navy intelligence specialist told Newsweek.

Special Operations Command (SOCOM) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump also drew criticism in the US for repeating a previously debunked claim that he had secured military members a pay raise for the first time in 10 years, when in fact the Pentagon has increased pay each year.

In Iraq following the visit, pro-Iran lawmakers called for the government to expel US forces.With the partial US government shutdown likely to carry over into the New Year just days away now, President Donald Trump is seeking to garner support for the border wall, which caused it, citing the killing of the Indian origin police officer in California allegedly by an illegal immigrant.

California police have identified the suspect as man who is in our country illegally and circulated his pictures on social media seeking peoples help in apprehending him. He had allegedly shot and killed Ronil Singh Wednesday morning during a traffic check as he was driving a vehicle without a license plate.

Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson told reporters Thursday, This suspect  unlike Ron, who immigrated to this county lawfully and legally to pursue his lifelong career of public safety, public service and being a police officer.

This suspect is in our country illegally, the sheriff added. He doesnt belong here. Hes a criminal.

Singh came to the United States from Fiji and his family still lives there, and are reportedly on their way after hearing of the tragedy. He leaves behind his wife and a six-month-old son.

The suspect has been described as a heavy-set Hispanic man.

Trump tweeted shorty after the police announcement: There is right now a full scale manhunt going on in California for an illegal immigrant accused of shooting and killing a police officer during a traffic stop, he wrote on Twitter Thursday after the suspect was identified by the police.

Time to get tough on Border Security. Build the Wall! he added.

That post came amidst a stream of tweets in which the president sought to blame Democrats for the wall, accusing them of OBSTRUCTION, of wanting a free and open border. The tirade has continued in Friday, with the president now threatening to shut down the border altogether. Trump also repeated his threat to aid to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador if they dont prevent their nationals from entering the US illegally.

The partial federal government shutdown entered the seventh day Friday with no sign of the resumption of negotiations.Republican leaders of both chambers of the US Congress have said they do not have vote on their schedule indicating there is no agreement on wall funding yet.

President Trump started out by seeking $5 billion for the wall, but has offered to settle for less  though no amount has been specified, it is reported to be around $2 billion. Democrats have ruled out allowing any funding for a wall, and had agreed to allow $1.3 billion for enhanced border security.

The stalemate shut a fourth of the federal government last weekend impacting 800,000 employees, mostly with the departments of state, homeland security, treasury, and agriculture.

The presidents chances of getting the funding would dim considerably when the new Congress goes into session January 3, with Democrats taking control of the House of Representatives. And funding, or budget bill, must be passed by both chambers and that puts Trumps wall in serious jeopardy.Three people were convicted on Friday of the murder of five people, including an Indian-origin family, in an explosion at a shop in Leicester in February as part of an insurance scam.

Those killed were members of the Ragobeer family that moved to the UK from Mauritius- Mary, 46, Shane, 18, and Sean, 17. Shanes girlfriend Leah Beth Reek, 18, and Viktorija Ljevleva, 22, who was working in the shop were also killed in the explosion.

The court was told in the widely-followed case that the men caused the explosion in order to make about 300,000 in the insurance scam.

The three, Aram Kurd, Hawkar Hassan and Arkan Ali, had denied five counts of murder in addition to conspiracy to commit fraud.

The Leicestershire police said they lit 26 litres of petrol in the basement of the Polish shop Zabka, adding that the investigation included 700 hours of CCTV footage, more than 2,500 exhibits, 1,000 witness statements and 4,000 different lines of inquiry.

The three convicts will be sentenced on January 18.

Detective chief inspector Michelle Keen said after the conviction: The people responsible for carrying out this financially-motivated atrocity will now feel the full weight of justice.

Their crimes have caused unspeakable grief to the families of those killed and injured, and brought utter chaos and devastation to the many residents and businesses of Leicesters Hinckley Road.

Jose Ragoobeer, husband of Mary and father of Shane and Sean, said: I came to England in June 2004. Mary and the boys came over in July 2006. We were married for 22 years and have known each other for 28 years.

Mary was a hard-working, loving mother and wife who was devoted to her family. She had two jobs so she could look after the boys to make sure that they had everything they needed. Every day they will all be missed. Our lives will never be the same.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ONUS President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to entirely close the southern US border with Mexico if lawmakers refuse his demands to fund a wall.

We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with, Trump tweeted.

We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with. Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

....The United States looses soooo much money on Trade with Mexico under NAFTA, over 75 Billion Dollars a year (not including Drug Money which would be many times that amount), that I would consider closing the Southern Border a "profit making operation." We build a Wall or.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

.....close the Southern Border. Bring our car industry back into the United States where it belongs. Go back to pre-NAFTA, before so many of our companies and jobs were so foolishly sent to Mexico. Either we build (finish) the Wall or we close the Border......  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

The Republican leaders warning came as a partial federal government shutdown was set to drag on into next week, with legislators in Washington failing to reach a compromise over Trumps insistence on funding the border barrier.

Both sides have dug in, with Democrats refusing to provide $5 billion for the project and the president -- who has made hardline immigration polices a centerpiece of his presidency -- vowing he will not fully fund the government unless he gets the money.

In November, Trump threatened to close the whole border with Mexico if it gets to a level where were going to lose control or people are going to start getting hurt.

Days later US authorities dramatically shuttered a border crossing in southern California after hundreds of migrants -- part of the caravan Trump had roundly condemned -- tried to breach a fence from the Mexican city of Tijuana.

The temporary closing saw border agents halt vehicles and pedestrians at the San Ysidro crossing point, one of the busiest between the neighboring countries.2018 will be remembered in global economic history as the year when the already-fragile consensus over the liberal multilateral trading order received its biggest blow. In keeping with his America First rhetoric, US President Donald Trump unleashed a series of tariff hikes targeting Chinese imports. China too retaliated in kind. The US and China are the two largest economies in the world. Chinas economic rise has been accompanied by a surge in Chinese manufacturing exports into the US, which many including Trump see as a big reason for the destruction of jobs in the US economy.

Prospects of a trade war among worlds largest economies spooked economic observers across the world. Commodity prices went down, global economic growth and trade growth projections were reduced and protectionist policies started gaining traction across the globe. As far as the impact of the trade war on global trade is concerned, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) downgraded its global trade growth forecast for 2018 and 2019 by 50 basis points and 30 basis points between April 2018 and September 2018. One basis point is one hundredth of a percentage point. Trump announced most of his tariff hikes after April.

Read: The USs new free and open Indo-Pacific strategy

These headwinds to global trade have come at a time when the impact of the 2008 global financial crisis is still lingering. Statistics from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) show that global trade growth between 2010 and 2015 was the lowest in five-year periods beginning in 1995, the year when the WTO came into existence.

Statistics from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

What is ironical is that protectionist measures by the Trump administration have not helped in controlling the US trade deficit. According to statistics from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the US current account deficit as a percentage of GDP actually increased by 40 basis points between the second and third quarter of 2018. While the gains to the US economy from such measures remain uncertain at best, they have thrown the rest of the global economy into great jeopardy.

For India, which has adopted the export-oriented Make in India as one if its flagship economic policy objectives, policy dilemmas will increase going into the future. On the one hand, there is an opportunity to capture some of the export market in what as of now is a bilateral retaliation between the US and China. For example, India could target greater textile exports to the US and bigger soybean exports to China. But a proliferation of the trade wars will also mean that global trade as an engine of economic growth will come under pressure and egalitarian trade policies, especially in agriculture, will take a hit. Both will generate headwinds for economic growth.Supplier News

28 December 2018

Fresh research from SAP Concur and Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) shows that, nowadays, business travellers are less likely to book flights and accommodation directly from suppliers. In other words, online travel agency (OTA) bookings have now surpassed direct bookings to become the more popular option, particularly for those travelling for business. In this study, 1,252 business travellers, hailing from an assortment of European countries like the UK, Belgium, Germany, France and various Nordic countries, who travelled for business at least once in the last year were polled. The figures show the number of European business travellers booking flights directly with their preferred airline drop from 79% in 2017 to 68% this year. In the same time period, direct hotel bookings dropped 13%, from 83% to 70%.

EMEA SVP and general manager of SAP Concur, Pierre-Emmanuel Tetaz suggests that "the move away from direct bookings and the high and relatively steady use of online booking tools in 2018 can be attributed to the belief amongst business travellers that their employers are somewhat or very advanced when it comes to the travel booking technology on offer". Furthermore, there is compelling evidence that European workers are more drawn to alternate booking channels like OTAs due to the variety of choice and pricing open to them. In short, this section of travellers prioritise flexibility when it comes to determining their business trips, as opposed to slavishly following the travelling wishes of their companies or employers. European business travellers are opting to book however they want instead of how they are told to for a number of key reasons. Firstly, pricing is quite a significant factor to consider. The aforementioned research demonstrates that 52% of travellers turn to OTAs because the prices were simply better and more affordable. Another 49% of travellers felt OTAs were a better bet due to the increased availability of travel options.

Still, the research does show that a significant proportion of business travellers (39%) remain reliant on direct bookings for the sake of loyalty rewards, which is a great incentive if one frequently travels for business. Whilst OTAs and other alternate channels undoubtedly offer more convenience, selection and competitive prices, such channels are generally not deemed to be authorised booking channels within a company's travel policy. From a company or employer's perspective, this is problematic as the utilisation of non-corporate booking channels raises significant traveller safety concerns. Because companies and employers have no control over alternate booking platforms, their ability to track and keep their travelling employees safe is undermined. GBTA's Director of Research, Jessica Collison, asserts that booking data continues to "play a critical role in traveller safety" and that the use of non-corporate booking tools creates "a lack of visibility which has critical implications for both travel spend and the ability to meet duty of care responsibilities". Companies have had to get around this hurdle by requiring their travelling employees to forward their itineraries to the relevant person within the company. This person will then generate travel expense reports, allowing companies to keep an eye on expenditure.

The reality is that more can be done to encourage the greater use of corporate channels to the advantage of both the traveller and their employer. The GBTA/Concur findings illustrate that personalised bookings and pre-trip approvals are perceived to be the most impactful. Above all, business travellers are looking for convenience and personalisation. If the approved corporate channels became increasingly convenient and personalised, we should see a surge in direct bookings. When asked about features they would like to see in corporate booking tools, interestingly 31% of biz travellers viewed a live chat function as more important than chat powered by artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Technology aside, the flexibility of travel policies can also dictate the rise and fall in the use of corporate channels. In a typical example, 74% of travellers working for companies with fairly flexible policies still booked directly with an airline. This number fell to 64% amongst travellers whose corporate policies were much stricter.

These are just a few things companies and employers can take on board in order to boost employee usage of company-sanctioned booking platforms. Our AP sales team is happy to talk to your hotel about how it can encourage more bookings from corporate travellers.Armed with a distinctive flow, a mastery of cadence that is seldom equaled and an unfaltering ability to marry hip-hop with the serenading ambiance of R&B, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie's artistic compass and musical principles that were exhibited on breakout project Artist from 2016 have remained intact ever since, and garnered the Bronx native a worldwide fanbase. Championed by scores of his fellow New Yorkers as the heir to its throne, whats every bit as enthralling as his ability to cohesively intersperse melodies with brash, self-assured rhymes is the multidimensional outlook of the man lesser known as Julius Dubose. Just as he can infuse his bars with those tuneful, attention-grabbing hooks, his tracks unveil a deep-seated duality in both musicality and lyricism which can make his output into a dizzying rollercoaster at its most potent. Now on his sophomore release for Atlantic Records, Hoodie SZN is not just the culmination of a year-long recording process but an ambitious body of work that is defined by those conflicting personas, his musical ambidextrousness and a mixed array of collaborations.

From the outset, the portrait of an artist that is fraught with cresting emotions but eager to safeguard himself and embrace the trappings of success is on clear display. Seconds after the confessional opening gambit of all she ever wanted was my heart to hurt on "Voices In My Head", A Boogie stands in defiance and forewarns that any n***a can get embarrassed, come and try it. Capable of producing heartfelt commentary on both misfiring or rewarding courtships with as much gravitas as he can affirm his unwavering loyalty to his Highbridge kin, innate versatility is something A Boogie harbours in abundance.

Above all else, it is this eclecticism and knack for creative delivery that spawns Hoodie Szns most invigorating moments, with the Bronx native juggling an array of flows, flitting between posturing and plaintiveness, and manipulating cadences at will on standouts such as "Skeezers," "The Reaper," "Look Back At It," and "Beasty." Having enlisted none other than producer du jour Kenny Beats for the latter, this hints towards another defining characteristic, and that is the spirit of collaboration.

Comprised of 20 tracks, it's no surprise that theres a laundry list of features, but it is commendable that he chose to align himself with high-profile artists, as well as an undercurrent of burgeoning stars and longtime affiliates, both behind the boards and in the booth-- although to varied results. On the production side, there is a dynamism to his team-ups with Atlanta's The Atomix (Yung Pinch, Kodak Black, Bali Baby) and his first foray into the studio with London On Da Track struck hard-edged gold with the Tekashi 6ix9ine-assisted "Swervin." Elsewhere, his inaugural exchanges with Juice Wrld on the self-exploratory "Angels & Demons" leaves much to be desired, a cookie-cutter "for the streams" type of collaboration, whereas a deep cut with lesser-known names, Quando Rondo and Lil Quee on "Need A Best Friend," produces something much more unique. The re-emergence of his Highbridge The Label cohorts Don Q and Trap Manny packs a typically formidable punch on "Bosses And Workers." On the other hand, "Startender" with Offset and Tyga exudes a level of major label pragmatism in an attempt to boost his Billboard Hot 100 presence whilst the prospective greatness of the Young Thug-boasting "Just Like Me" comes across as ungainly and stunted, depriving us of the whirlwind of diverging flows and vocal eccentricities that it couldve been.

Although a couple of its more star-studded tracks couldve hit the cutting room floor; including the second outing for "Pull Up" featuring Nav, which adds little other than name recognition, one collaboration in particular that paid off in dividends is his duet with Queen Naija on "Come Closer." Led by plaintive Latin guitar over a foundation of simmering trap drums from SkipOnDaBeat & Hitmaka, this dialogue between two lovers that are inexplicably drawn together registers as the logical progression of his dalliances with R&B, and shows that the sound has demonstrable room for further growth in years to come.

That said, there are clearly pitfalls present that hed do well to evade on future releases, and it's a lesson we keep coming back to in our the Era of the Stream. There are times when Hoodie SZN feels as though its bogged down by a reluctance to cull some of its less refined moments. When tracks such as "4 Min Convo (Favourite Song)" with its interpolation of early hit "DTB" and "Skeezers" feel vibrant and essential, their efficacy can be tapered off by less compelling moments such as "Love, Sex, Drugs and lacklustre posse cut "Uptown/Bustdown" arriving in their wake. Given the audiences cognizance of why overloaded albums are delivered in todays rap game, a more ruthless approach to quality control over quantity for streaming purposes could have made Hoodie SZN into the classic that he harbours within him. All things considered, the combination of A Boogies dichotomous nature and knack for unique melodies alongside those calling cards of subversive flows and vocal affectations ensure that Hoodie SZN is an immensely listenable project that reasserts his position among his classes elite. With Artist 2.0 expected on Valentines' Day, any lessons he may have learned over the painstaking road to this record will doubtlessly be adapted to his vision and the momentum remains firmly in his favour.Kendall Jenner and Ben Simmons are still out here living a low-key dating life leaving many to wonder if they're really official. Whether they are, or not, it's obvious that something's brewing (and has been for a while) considering that Kendall sat courtside with Ben's mom at one of his recent games. The two looked to be having a great time laughing and cheering on their favourite player.

When it comes to Ben's favourite player in the modeling world, it's hands down Kendall and he proved it to be true when he commented two drooling emojis on her latest photo as seen below - can you blame him?

Philadelphia 76ers owner, Michael Rubin recently stood up for Kendall after a petition was created to ban her from the Wells Fargo Center, the teams home arena.

I think its ridiculous, Michael said. I think Kendalls awesome. Ive spent a bunch of time with her. He added, I was with Kendall a few days ago and Kendall insisted on going home and getting a good nights sleep when Ben wanted to stay out for a late dinner. So, Kendalls been a great influence on him, and weve won every game shes been at but one so far.In 2014, Fragment released one of the most coveted Air Jordan 1 collaborations of all time. The blue, white and black Air Jordan 1 will run you between $1700 and $2200 on the resale market depending on your size, according to Stock X. Earlier this week, the sneaker account @hanzuying on Instagram posted about a red "black toe" version of the sneaker, saying that it would be coming to market in 2019 despite not going to mass production yet.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Br2fnYMFmQy



The news had sneakerheads excited at the prospect of one of the model's most popular colorways getting the Fragment treatment. Don't get too excited just yet though because it doesn't seem like these are actually happening. Hiroshi Fujiwara, a designer at Fragment took to the gram to dispell the rumors of a new collab.

"I have never seen this," he said underneath a photo of the shoe. Considering Fujiwara has never seen this mock-up, it's safe to assume there are no plans for a future Jordan collab. Of course, this could just be a plea to keep the surprise alive but don't hold your breath. Until Jordan Brand confirms the collab, there is no point in getting your hopes up. Although it would be interesting to see this pair come to life.

Are these an instant cop? Let us know.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Br5YA1XF_jE

Iggy Azalea is currently in Brazil where she was performing earlier today. Unfortunately, things ended earlier than expected after one of Iggy Azalea's backup dancers collapsed on stage.

TMZ reports that one of Iggy Azalea's backup dancers collapsed earlier today while performing on stage with the Australian rapper. The rapper was performing on stage at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Iggy walked over to the dancer and ordered a medic to come on stage immediately before jumping into her verse on "Black Widow." The song abruptly cuts short while she's performing and the audience seems incredibly silent throughout the incident. An ambulance was driven on stage to make sure the backup dancer received proper care. Iggy jumped back into her set right after.

Iggy took to social media to address her backup dancers collapse. "Hey guys, just want to let everyone asking know my dancer is OKAY! The lights a& heat caused her to have a seizure. She is backstage feeling much better," she wrote on her Instagram Story.

Iggy continued to explain why she didn't cut the music. She said that she thought the dancer's leg was twisted and didn't understand the severity of the injury until the music stopped. She also asked her fans to not turn her backup dancer into a meme, despite how easy it is.





Operation Rescue Names its 2018 Pro-Life Person of the Year Malachi Award Recipient Operation Rescue, info.operationrescue@gmail.com Contact: Troy Newman, President, 316-683-6790 ext. 111; Cheryl Sullenger, Senior Vice President, 316-516-3034; both with



The Malachi Award is given by Operation Rescue every year to recognize individuals who sacrificially work to advance the cause of protecting the pre-born.



"Operation Rescue is honored to recognize Mark Harrington for his years of selfless work for the cause of life, first with Operation Rescue and other organizations, and now with Created Equal. The impact of Mark's work in training young adults to be leaders who will stand strongly against the brutal practice of abortion will be felt for a generation and beyond," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman.



Harrington, who founded Created Equal in 2011, travels the nation's college campuses with his team of young adults sharing photos of abortion victims and engaging in transformative conversations with students about the matter of abortion. His public outreaches also include urban areas and outside abortion facilities where hearts have been changed and babies saved.



Each year, Harrington leads a group to Washington, D.C. during the annual March for Life that engages the public and displays abortion victim imagery on massive Jumbotron screens, educating both pro-life and pro-abortion supporters.



Through "Project Weak Link," Harrington has recognized the need to expose the Abortion Cartel's medical waste disposal companies, who literally keep abortion facilities operating by disposing of the remains of aborted babies. He successfully persuaded the ownership of Stericycle, the nation's largest medical waste disposal company, to agree to stop servicing abortion facilities, particularly Planned Parenthoods.



When he saw local Stericycle businesses continue to service abortion facilities, Harrington was quick to expose their double-dealings and work with them to convince them to stop.



In 2018, Harrington partnered with Operation Rescue to encourage waste disposal companies to stop servicing LeRoy Carhart's full-term abortion facility in Bethesda, Maryland.



Harrington also hosts Mark Harrington Live, a powerful pro-life weekly radio show available on Salem Radio Stations in Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio, and in Detroit, Michigan, and at



"Mark's passion for taking pro-life apologetics to the street to influence Americans to protect life, his dedication to ending abortion in America, and his commitment to his faith in Jesus Christ makes him a worthy recipient of Operation Rescue's 2018 Pro-Life Person of the Year Malachi Award," said Newman.



About Operation Rescue

Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation and has become a strong voice for the pro-life movement in America.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 28, 2018 / Christian Newswire / -- Operation Rescue is pleased to announce that the recipient of the 2018 Pro-Life Person of the Year Malachi Award is Mark Harrington, President and Founder of Created Equal The Malachi Award is given by Operation Rescue every year to recognize individuals who sacrificially work to advance the cause of protecting the pre-born."Operation Rescue is honored to recognize Mark Harrington for his years of selfless work for the cause of life, first with Operation Rescue and other organizations, and now with Created Equal. The impact of Mark's work in training young adults to be leaders who will stand strongly against the brutal practice of abortion will be felt for a generation and beyond," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman.Harrington, who founded Created Equal in 2011, travels the nation's college campuses with his team of young adults sharing photos of abortion victims and engaging in transformative conversations with students about the matter of abortion. His public outreaches also include urban areas and outside abortion facilities where hearts have been changed and babies saved.Each year, Harrington leads a group to Washington, D.C. during the annual March for Life that engages the public and displays abortion victim imagery on massive Jumbotron screens, educating both pro-life and pro-abortion supporters.Through "Project Weak Link," Harrington has recognized the need to expose the Abortion Cartel's medical waste disposal companies, who literally keep abortion facilities operating by disposing of the remains of aborted babies. He successfully persuaded the ownership of Stericycle, the nation's largest medical waste disposal company, to agree to stop servicing abortion facilities, particularly Planned Parenthoods.When he saw local Stericycle businesses continue to service abortion facilities, Harrington was quick to expose their double-dealings and work with them to convince them to stop.In 2018, Harrington partnered with Operation Rescue to encourage waste disposal companies to stop servicing LeRoy Carhart's full-term abortion facility in Bethesda, Maryland.Harrington also hosts Mark Harrington Live, a powerful pro-life weekly radio show available on Salem Radio Stations in Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio, and in Detroit, Michigan, and at MarkHarrington.org "Mark's passion for taking pro-life apologetics to the street to influence Americans to protect life, his dedication to ending abortion in America, and his commitment to his faith in Jesus Christ makes him a worthy recipient of Operation Rescue's 2018 Pro-Life Person of the Year Malachi Award," said Newman.About Operation RescueOperation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation and has become a strong voice for the pro-life movement in America. Click here to support Operation Rescue

Share TweetIt feels crazy that we're already heading into a new year but here we are, just a few days away from 2019. Many of us already have plans on how to celebrate the New Year. Some of us are headed to expensive parties and spending our week's earnings on champagne. The rest of us are happy being low-key with some loved ones, ringing in 2019 with Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. Those of you who do choose to hit the club on NYE may want to pay attention to the news below if you'll be in Miami.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Br6gyn_AsmO



Nicki Minaj announced that she'll be co-hosting a celebration with her Young Money boss, Lil Wayne, on December 31. It will all be going down at LIV Nightclub in Miami. Not much has been detailed regarding the event. Who knows if they'll be performing or just making an appearance... Our bet is on the latter. The two will probably be chopping it up in the VIP section while everyone pays a fortune to breathe the same air as two icons.

Nicki has been all over the news for her current relationship with Kenneth Petty, a man that has spent time in prison for rape and murder. Minaj couldn't care any less about public perception though as she's expressed her love for Petty on social media on many occasions.

Will you be spending time with Young Money on New Year's Eve?



Jason Merritt/Getty ImagesThis year marks the 12th anniversary of Nike's Chinese New Year collection and the brand is going all out to honor the "Year of the Pig." We reported earlier this week about the CNY Jordan 12 which featured a clean black and white design with a flashy colorful sock lining. Now Nike has unveiled all of the shoes from the pack which will include Nike, Jordan Brand, and Converse silhouettes.

Models included in the coveted collection are the Zoom Pegasus Turbo, Air Max 98, Air Force 1, Kyrie 5 Air Max 1, Converse Chuck Taylor High, Air Vapormax 2019, the Blazer Low and of course the Air Jordan 12. Many of the shoes in the collection have colorful quilted patterns with geometric shapes making these some of the flashiest Chinese New Year shoes yet. According to Nike, the patchwork technique used in the shoes is called Bai Jia Yi.

Image via Nike

There is no word yet on the exact release date for these sneakers, but considering Chinese New Year is on February 5th, expect these to drop throughout the month of January.

Are you looking for this latest collection and if so, what are some of your favorite sneakers from the pack?Christopher Dilts, Bloomberg / Bloomberg

Texas will receive $47 million as part of a $575 million settlement with Wells Fargo to resolve civil claims that the bank violated consumer protection laws in all 50 states through alleged unfair and deceptive trade practices,according to the Texas Attorney General.

The settlement puts an end to federal investigations into Wells Fargo  one of the largest banks in the United States with nearly $2 trillion in assets  that alleged it had opened millions of unauthorized bank accounts in the names of unknowing customers.WASHINGTON  Almost three decades after the Department of Energy began its cleanup of the Hanford nuclear complex, the more than 500-square-mile site in central Washington state remains highly radioactive and off limits to the public, a relic of Cold War-era plutonium production for nuclear warheads.

Now, Energy Secretary Rick Perry is looking to make his mark on a cleanup process that is still decades from completion, greenlighting Energy Department officials to move ahead on a proposal that would allow them to speed up and reduce the costs of cleanup by reclassifying the 53 million gallons of highly toxic radioactive waste left behind in a network of underground tanks at Hanford.

The proposal has set off alarms in the Pacific Northwest, where state officials, tribal leaders and environmentalists worry the Trump administration is embarking on a cost-cutting effort that would allow the federal government to leave more radioactive waste in the ground than had been promised by past administrations.

They have not given us specifics on what they want to do, but we are trying to read into what might be possible if they go down that road, said Ken Niles, assistant director for nuclear safety at the Oregon Department of Energy. We are worried that new classification allows them to leave the waste in tanks, which would be a huge change from the plan weve operated under for the last 30 years.

An Energy Department official said the agency had not made a decision and would be reviewing public comments, which are due by Jan. 9.

Beyond oil

The Hanford cleanup marks the latest test of Perrys ability to manage a broad and highly technical portfolio that goes fay beyond oil wells and the power grid. And like modernizing the nuclear weapons arsenal, another responsibility of the energy secretary, it involves a long scientific record and a diverse list of stakeholders that have tested administrations for decades.

On HoustonChronicle.com: With nuclear arsenal showing its age, Perry faces a test

Hanford sits on the banks of the Columbia River, which runs through the mountains of Washington and Oregon before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. It was developed during World War II as part of the Manhattan Project, manufacturing the plutonium in the first atomic bombs. By the 1950s and 60s, the site was so toxic that radioactive waste leached through the ground and into the river, killing fish and potentially sickening local residents.

The reactors were shut down and the contamination contained, with the federal government pledging to remove or stabilize the radioactive waste on site.

Under the proposal laid out by Perrys Energy Department, officials at the agency would study the toxic sludge stored at Hanford and two federal sites in South Carolina and Idaho to see if it still needs be labeled high-level radioactive waste. That designation, applied by past administrations, requires the waste to be removed from the tanks and processed into a glass-like substance, stored at a disposal facility on-site or, for most toxic waste, at a federal, underground repository such as the one proposed at the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada.

Were officials to deem the waste a lower level of radioactive risk, they could leave the waste where it is or transport it to secure repositories closer to the earths surface. But what constitutes high-level waste is not clearly defined in the law, leaving Perry, the former Texas governor, some latitude in determining a course of action.

You write a document saying the risk is below what we set and declare it to be acceptable risk, said Dan Serres, conservation director at Columbia Riverkeeper, an environmental group among the organizations protesting the Energy Departments proposal. If the waste is left on-site, it will slowly leach into the soil and then on to groundwater and then into the Columbia River. The river is a lifeblood of this region.

Delays and more delays

No end appears in site for the Hanford cleanup. The process of turning the nuclear waste into glass-like logs, known as vitrification, was supposed to begin eight years ago. But a raft of technical difficulties has pushed back the estimated start date to 2022, prompting the Government Accountability Organization, a federal watchdog agency, to chastise the Energy Department earlier this year for failing to catch persistent engineering errors and construction deficiencies.

The never-ending delays have prompted frustration in the communities around Hanford. Last year the Energy Communities Alliance, an advocacy group representing communities around Department of Energy facilities, issued a report calling for many of the same policy changes the Energy Department has now proposed.

The hope among local officials is that sites like Hanford one day might be used for industrial development and recreation, not only for tourists but the Native American tribes that have long fished the Columbias waters.

On HoustonChronicle.com: In Trumps Washington, Perry lays low

If (Perrys proposal) turns out to be safe and risk-based, that would potentially allow waste to move much faster, said Kara Colton, director of nuclear energy programs at the Alliance.

But state governments in Washington and Oregon are preparing comments warning Perry that if he turns away from the path set over the past three decades to an unproven plan that might not work, he could set the cleanup back years. Alex Smith, a program manager at the Washington Department of Ecology, said she understood the temptation to try a new approach after so many years of frustration but doing so posed too great a risk.

Theres some concern (among local officials) Congress will lose its will to keep funding the cleanup and theres people who would rather have something rather than nothing, she said. We all have agreed on a path forward, and we want to stay the course.

For state officials, the concern is not the state of the river now, but decades from now, when radioactive waste on site might leach through the ground and into the river.

When will they learn?

With cleanup projected to run more than $100 billion in the decades ahead, finding a way to cut those costs inevitably entices energy secretaries like Perry. But so far, no one has found a way to pull it off within strict federal standards around radioactive waste.

Going back to Reagan and the first Bush and Clinton, there have been a couple constants. Usually early on they say, this is really expensive. What can we do not to spend this money? Then theres been a period where they say we can figure out how make it a whole lot cheaper and faster, Niles, the Oregon environmental official, said. Often those end up costing hundreds of millions of dollars in delays. The track record has not been good on finding cheaper and faster.

james.osborne@chron.com

twitter.com/osbornejaCommerce along the Houston Ship Channel flows under the vigilant eye of the U.S. Coast Guard.

It helps mariners navigate, maintains buoys and other aids, secures the waterway and enforces a broad range of regulations.

Adm. Karl Schultz leads the effort from Washington. He became the 26th Commandant of the Coast Guard on June 1. During a recent trip to Houston, he spoke with Texas Inc. about Hurricane Harvey, maritime trends and a favorite founding father.

Q: What leadership skills have you learned from the Coast Guard that could be applicable to CEOs or corporations in the private sector?

A: The world is getting more complicated. The ships were on today are getting bigger, and theyre going to be autonomous ships in the not too distant future. No one agency, hence no one leader, has their arms around all of that complexity. Youve got to partner with folks, so collaboration is key. How do you collaborate? You have to have good communication skills. Youve got to listen more than you talk. You have to know what youre the expert on, and you have to recognize other peoples expertise.

Q: Are ships getting too big?

A: I dont know if vessels are getting too large, but they are getting larger. When youre talking about a cruise ship that has 6,000 people to potentially north of 8,000 people on board, god forbid there was some kind of crisis at sea. Rescuing that many people is a lot different than rescuing 1,500 or 1,800 people of yesteryear. But the ships are exponentially more sophisticated. They have safety systems that are more advanced. I think the technology offsets some of the size. The industry is going to invest in whats efficient and safe, so I dont know if we get to decide how big those ships are. We just need to make sure we match our knowledge, our ability, to help regulate that space around the reality of those changes.

Q: What focus is the Coast Guard putting on cybersecurity?

A: On the Internet, we ride on the Department of Defense .mil system (much of the federal government is a .gov). To stay compliant and be on that .mil system - and thats where we need to be for the national security work the Coast Guard enables - weve got to invest a certain degree of money and a certain degree of our cyber efforts on just staying relevant and adherent to the DOD standards. Id say thats the first bucket of where we put energy and resources for cyber. Second would be as a regulatory agency. Weve got to put guidance out there. And to that end, we just commissioned a cyber major out of our Coast Guard Academy. The major just started. And the third piece is, how do you use cyber in Coast Guard front-line operations? We commit a lot of energy against criminals smuggling drugs into the country or potentially smuggling migrants on the maritime approaches to the United States. Is there a way to use cyber in those spaces?

Q: Have you come out with cyber regulations yet?

A: Our role to date has been on the informing side. Were working on a Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular (NVIC), which would be an instructive, best-practice type guide. But were stepping methodically into that space. Cyber is an evolving mission. Its a competitive space, and theres a shortage of cyber professionals. So were easing into it as we build out our own capabilities. If we dont have the technical skillsets to be a common-sense regulator, we shoot our own credibility in the foot. So its a bit of establishing our own capabilities and then taking that to industry in a constructive fashion where its a partnership.

Q: Turning to Hurricane Harvey, what was the Coast Guards role during the storm?

A: During Harvey, our immediate role was response to people in distress. Working with state and local and federal partners, the Coast Guard was involved in 11,000-plus rescues. On an average year across the Coast Guard, we rescue 20,000 to 24,000 people. So we rescued almost half as many people as we do on an annual basis in a three-day window down here. And that was pretty intense. We have three helicopters at base here in Houston. During Harvey, we had 40-plus helicopters flying down here. So we ramped up at an unprecedented level.

Q: And what happened after that initial search-and-rescue portion?

A: Get beyond the immediate distress, you start to look at what it takes to reconstitute the port. The key part is getting commerce going again because were a just-in-time economy. Closing the port affects stuff on Walmart shelves. This is the largest petrochemical port in our nation, and what goes on down here ties to the availability of gasoline in the Northeast. We also had cruise ships that were hankering to get into Galveston and offload passengers. So we wanted to make sure the harbor was reopened as quickly as we could.

Q: What was your specific role during Hurricane Harvey? It was before you became Commandant.

A: I was the Atlantic Area Commander when Hurricane Harvey occurred. My job was to manage the political layer above. To provide the Capt. Kevin Oditts of the world, hes sector commander of the Coast Guards Houston-Galveston sector, with clear operation guidance on what they could or couldnt do because they were making decisions different from day-to-day stuff. We were flying helicopters in 300-foot visibility and torrential rains in an urban environment. We dont do that. We fly helicopters over the water, and sometimes in the rain but not what we did here. So the ability to give them the power of decision making, that was helpful.

Q: What are the biggest challenges for the Coast Guard right now?

A: My No. 1 priority is readiness. Thats money to maintain our ships, invest in training for our people, protective equipment for our folks. Its the day-to-day running of the Coast Guard. And the operating and support side of our budget has been pretty flat for the last eight years. Weve done pretty well on capital dollars, money to buy new ships and other equipment, but weve been stretched on operating. So I need to really work on a strong narrative to take to the Administration and Congress. One of my other challenges is the competition for human capital. For talent. Weve got the best, the brightest Coast Guard men and women weve ever had, but they have a lot of choices. And Im not sure millennials think about 20-, 30-year careers like my generation did. So how do we attract talent, retain talent? And I would like Americas Coast Guard to look more representative of the nation we serve. About 15 percent of our workforce is female. I think we would be better if we approximated a 50 percent female workforce. When you look at underrepresented minorities, we have some opportunities to look more like the nation. Were trying to recruit from all corners of the country. I want Americas Coast Guard to really be representative of the people we serve.

Q: And whats an opportunity for the Coast Guard?

A: The Coast Guard has an opportunity to tell the story about how the marine transportation system contributes to the nations economy every day. We do a lot of critically important work there.

Q: I have to ask about Hamilton, since you discussed the musical this morning during the Lone Star Harbor Safety Committee meeting. Have you seen it?

A: I have not seen the Hamilton play. And if I was a betting man, I would have lost a lot of money years back if someone had asked me about Hamilton done as a rap musical. I didnt think the nation would catch on to our founding father. Hamilton is a very important figure for the United States Coast Guard. He had the concept of a Coast Guard back in 1790 when he commissioned 10 ships to go out and collect tariffs, revenues to support the Revolutionary War. He saw that people trying to evade enforcement were taking to the water. And thats really how the Coast Guard started in its early days.

andrea.leinfelder@chron.com

twitter.com/andrearumbaughWhen the Houston Film Critics Society decided to bestow Houston filmmaker Damir Catic an award for outstanding cinematic contribution at its upcoming awards ceremony on Thursday, they had no idea that his 5-year-old feature would be re-released not long after.

Catic used personal connections and friends from his day job as a manager at Edwards MarqE theater, as well as many weekends of his time over several months, to make the no-budget, shot-in-Houston, found-footage horror thriller. Her Cry: La Llorona Investigation will be widely available on DVD in early April under the title La Llorona Curse.

The film is based on the Mexican legend of La Llorona (Weeping Woman), a disturbing fairy tale about a woman who drowns her kids and then haunts the river of their demise.

Catic, a horror fan who wears a name tag at work that also features three of his fave films (The Exorcist, Halloween, Goodfellas), wrote the Her Cry script after forming Dark Lightning Films with co-producers Ron Gelner and Eric Alfio Jafari. The production was a typical super-indie, shoestring affair.

(The) budget for Her Cry could be measured in hamburger and fries, some gas money and some camera gear that we bought  so would say maybe 2 to 3K tops, Catic said via e-mail.

Houston Film Critics Societys 12th annual Movie Awards Damir Catic receives his award from the Houston Film Critics Society in a ceremony at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's Brown Auditorium, 1001 Bissonnet, at 7 p.m. Thursday. Admission is free, but tickets are required. Go to houstonfilmcritics.org or mfah.org for more information. See More Collapse

At that point, I was in my 10th year as theater manager. Ron happened to own property with an abandoned house in Pearland. We adopted the script to fit the property, and it took us over two years to finish the film, Catic said. We only worked when everyone had time; that includes cast. I operated the camera. Ron did the sound. I edited the film.

Cast was mainly from theater employees who share the passion for the film and some outsiders who we found through friends. None of us have experience in the filmmaking field prior to this. So it was on-the-job training.

But the effort paid off.

Her Cry ended up playing as long as six weeks in some of the eight local venues  including Edwards MarqE, Edwards Greenway Grand Palace and AMC Studio 30  that ran the film during the fall of 2013.

Life during wartime

Though Her Cry was made in Houston, it had its genesis thousands of miles away, in the Balkans. Thats where Catic, 45, developed his love of cinema.

Attending film school in 1990-1991 in Odzak, a small town in Bosnia-Herzegovina, he had already worked as a projectionist while a teenager.

The first film I threaded was The Stepfather, he said, referring to the 1987 thriller starring Terry OQuinn and Shelley Hack with a cult following.

Catic also worked as an assistant on two films by acclaimed Serbian director Emir Kusturica, Time of the Gypsies and Arizona Dream, the latter starring Johnny Depp, Faye Dunaway and Jerry Lewis.

Civil war then made normal life impossible. I had moved to Croatia  that is where I went for resettlement, Catic said in an interview.

I was in a city close to Dubrovnik. The war was going on; the Serbs were bombing, but it wasnt as intense as other areas. We went to see Jurassic Park and Scent of a Woman. They were playing at the same time at a refugee camp. That was in 1993, he recalled.

When the bombing sirens wailed, most of the audience left  except for Catic and three others.

I can remember it like it was yesterday, Catic said. We had pizza with oregano. At first, the film stopped, but the projectionist started it again before he left.

Coming to America

But he couldnt stay in Croatia much longer.

During the refugee-resettlement program, I was offered to go to Norway, Australia or USA. No city was chosen until a few days prior to the trip. I picked USA for a simple reason  I would be closer to Hollywood and I could catch up on all the movies I missed since the war started in 1992, he said via e-mail.

I didnt know where my parents were at that time in 1994. After an agonizing two years and with help of US Red Cross and International Red Cross I was able to find my dad and bring him here in 1996. Remember I arrived here with 20 bucks and no English  all this was very, very stressful, but I managed. So (the) stress of filmmaking is nothing compared to the stress of trying to adapt to the new life here.

After relocating to Houston in 1994, Catic held various jobs, including as a caseworker for immigrants at YMCA International and the Harris County Health Department.

Five years later, while driving along Interstate 10 near Silber, Catics car blew a tire. But automotive bad luck turned into filmic opportunity. While walking for assistance, he spied a sign that the nearby Edwards MarqE multiplex was hiring. I walked into the theater and asked for a job, Catic said.

He got the job on the spot and soon found himself loading film canisters into the lobby. My cars still on the side of the freeway, he laughed..

Subsequently, he has made his mark on the local film community by bringing such events as the yearly Horrorthon film festival to the MarqE.

All the while, Catic has been turning out his own short horror films that have played at various film festivals, and now hes gone back to the well for Her Cry. Now, more viewers will get to see it as Wild Eye Releasing is making a re-edited version available on DVD under the title of The La Llorona Curse on April 9. (The film is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.)

No doubt, it will get a cross-promotional boost as Warner Brothers is also putting out The Curse of La Llorona, co-produced by James Wan (Aquaman, The Conjuring), in mid-April.

Its the old Syfy trick of releasing a movie with a similar title to a theatrical release, Catic said. (In fact, Syfy did something similar last summer with a film called The Watcher, releasing it as The Bad Nun on DVD right before Warner Brothers released The Nun.)

Though Catic is no household name, he has done enough for the Houston Film Critics Society to recognize him. Society president Joshua Starnes says Catic is being honored for his long-standing support of filmmakers and film critics and film enthusiasts. Damir is the epitome of what an outstanding member of the local film community should be.

But, if you havent heard of him, at least one Hollywood mainstay has.

True story, according to Catic: The day before Her Cry was released, Catic  after knocking back some margaritas  messaged Halloween director John Carpenter, telling him how nervous he was.

He replied with, You did your best. Its in the publics hands now. Celebrate the accomplishment and move on to the next.

Michael Bergeron is a Houston-based writer.Theres something about New Years Eve that everyone can embrace.

It doesnt have the romantic stress of Valentines Day or the financial stress of Christmas. And figuring out what to wear is a lot more fun than concocting a silly Halloween costume youll likely regret. Worried about who your plus-one will be? This is the night you might find one.

Not to mention, New Years Eve finishes with a fresh start, even for those who avoid making annual resolutions.

At this time of year, New Years is on the mind of Houston interior designer Marie Flanigan of Marie Flanigan Interiors, who is known for her award-winning home projects and popular blog, where she and her team dispense advice and ideas on everything from DIY crafts to entertaining, self care and, of course, home decor.

2018's most beautiful homes: Year's standouts range from modern to historic preservation projects.

I definitely love partaking in a good New Years Eve party. The last couple of years, weve set the clocks back for the kids, Flanigan said. Its one of those magical nights that depends on your stage of life. In college, it was the romance of the night. Now that I have kids, I love seeing it through their eyes.

Flanigans New Years Eve gatherings have ranged from wild and crazy nights to tame times with children. This year, shell hire a sitter and spend the evening at a bash in her best friends new home  one that Flanigan helped design.

Whether shes hosting or helping a friend, heres Flanigans advice for a fun and foolproof party.

1. Head outdoors

If the weathers nice  or the guest list is long  think of the outdoors as an extended party stage. Create a fire in a chiminea to keep things toasty, and have plenty of tables and chairs for people to sit and talk. And think of the mess you wont have to clean up indoors tomorrow.

2. Use the good stuff

Were proponents of using your special things every day. So get out the crystal, china and silver and set a beautiful table or buffet. Even if you dont think Mondays are cause for celebration, this one is.

I definitely love having a mix of glassware, Flanigan said. Pulling out your grandmothers antiques or silver, and mix high and low. Bring out china pieces and nice champagne flutes and mix them with fun everyday ware depending on what cocktails youre having or who youre serving.

New biography: Architect Philip Johnson's life full of surprising turns

3. Mix up metals

Mixed metals are a big trend in home decor, and the combination looks beautiful on a table. If your night includes a dinner party, feel free to mix antique brass, polished nickel and warm silver. Toss in copper or bronze  they look great in simple combinations.

4. Recycle

Dont toss out all of your Christmas greenery just because youre moving on to a new holiday. Use evergreen sprigs and branches with natural tones, incorporating black or white, brass or silver. And nice linens will take them to another level.

5. Apps are easy

Appetizers are the easiest party fare ever. Not only do they make for a simple potluck-style bash, but recipes are everywhere and many fall into the time-saving semi-homemade category. One of Flanigans favorites is Baked Brie with Figs, Walnuts and Honey and you can make your own pastry dough or use store-bought.

Personally, I love to make it an experience for my guests. I love to plan it all out, having an open bar but creating a signature cocktail for the evening, she said. If people ask to bring stuff, I suggest easy add-ons they can bring to add to the experience.

6. Make your own fun

Depending on your crowd, plan some fun activities for your party. It could be a bake-off, game night or even a poker tournament. Card or board games work for small groups, and question-oriented games can help people get to know each other or start conversations.

7. Kid-friendly

Plan an early ball drop for sleepy kids, then continue on with the grown-ups. A fun mocktail bar will help them toast the end of their own party. Buy some hats and whistles, and if you really want to go over the top, set up a photo booth with silly hats and other props.

8. Build a bar

When we think of New Years Eve, we immediately think of champagne toasts. Youre likely not going to drink bubbly all night, so give thought to building a bar where your guests can mix their own drinks. Youll need the basics: liquor, mixers and ice, but dont forget garnishes for martinis or other cocktails. If kids are in the crowd, make it a cookie or ice cream bar where children can choose their favorite treats.

Flanigan is pregnant with her third child  due in late January  so alcohol is something she only gets to serve this year. If youre in need of ideas, she suggests classics like an old fashioned or French 75, perhaps with a new twist.

9. And, celebrate

Once your guests arrive, dont sweat what didnt get done. Its time to relax and enjoy the night.

You dont have to do something thats traditional for New Years Eve. Make it your own, and make traditions that you and your family and friends will remember for a lifetime, she said.

10. Be safe

When its over, find a ride home for anyone who has over-imbibed. No one wants to start the new year with a DWI.Guru Gobind Singh is revered for establishing a code for the Sikh religion and forming the faith into its current shape more than 300 years ago. The guru is remembered as a philosopher, saint and soldier, as well as a true advocate for equality and religious freedom.

His birthday falls on Saturday, and Sikhs mark the date by remembering the legacy of their religious leader.

In the Sikh tradition, holidays are not celebrated in the same way as in other religions. In fact, all days and spaces are considered holy.

Still, there are times on the calendar that call for the examination of history, Bobby Singh explained.

Singh is an active member of Houstons Sikh community, moving to the city about 36 years ago. He has also worked with the Houston Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in community outreach programs to encourage inclusion and was regional director of the Sikh American Legal Defense Fund.

He said that even services on Wednesdays and Sundays at the Sikh Center, where he regularly attends, are more free-flowing.

Our services are not very structured like in a synagogue or a church, he said. Ours are slightly more flexible. People arrive as they wish. Hymns are sung, and a Sikh scholar will speak on a subject.

After the ceremony, a langar or free meal is served to all visitors.

On the birthday of a guru, Singh said the service examines lessons learned from the leader. Its a picture of the time, the issues and challenges faced by the guru, he said.

Raj Bhalla, former director of Houstons India Culture Center, said Guru Gobind Singhs story carries a number of important messages.

The 10th and last living guru lived in a time when Mughal leaders were forcing others to convert to Islam, Bhalla said.

Jesus gave his sacrifice for the people, he said. Similarly, so many gurus were tortured.

Guru Gobind Singhs father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was beheaded in Delhi in 1675, when he refused to convert.

Bhalla said that the guru went to Deli to protect Hindu men, who had appealed to the leader to save them from religious persecution of the ruler. The guru then made the ultimate sacrifice of his own life to protect others who were not allowed to practice their own faiths.

He said, I came here to speak on behalf of all people, Bhalla recounted.

After the gurus death, his 9-year-old son assumed the leadership role.

This was just the beginning, Bhalla said. He learned horseback riding, archery. He was a great poet, a great scholar and a warrior. He was going to fight for justice, for the downtrodden.

Inspired by his fathers actions, Guru Gobind Singh became a defender  and asked all of his followers to become warriors for equality and freedom as well.

Bhalla said the guru called Sikhs Khalsa, meaning pure, and gave them the duty to protect others from religious persecution.

He also gave the Khalsa the last names of Singh for male and Kaur for female, eliminating titles that symbolized status, wealth or social hierarchy.

Then the guru created five rules for Khalsa Sikhs, which include not cutting hair, keeping a wooden comb, wearing a metal bracelet and a cotton undergarment and carrying a dagger for defense. On April 14 of each year, the gurus codification is celebrated in a holiday called Vaisakhi.

His whole life was nothing but fighting against oppressors, Bhalla said.

Two of his sons died in battle, and his younger two sons were buried alive after refusing to convert.

With no successors, Bhalla said, Guru Gobind Singh passed on his leadership role to the Sikh sacred scripture, titled Guru Granth Sahib.

He said, This book will be your guru. If you need anything, you will seek it and find your answers there, Bhalla said. Its a very powerful story. In those days, there was so much persecution. Someone had to come, awaken the Sikh spirit and make them into warriors.

Also, Bhalla said that the guru created a distinctive look for Sikh followers, with turbans, long hair and beards that are still worn today.

I believe in the message of the guru, that you should be a defender against oppression, Bhalla said. Were all on the same level. Theres no big or small. Theres no gender inequality. Women should be treated with the highest amount of respect.

Bobby Singh said that Guru Gobind Singh saw his father give up his own life for religious freedom.

This sacrifice was done for no other reason than to stand against persecution, he said.

When learning about the guru, the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. come to his mind, Bobby Singh said.

If you see something, say something  its not new to the Sikh community, he said. You cant be an innocent bystander and not be a party to it. This was institutionalized by our 10th master.

Singh said that Guru Gobind Singh led by example.

His message resonates, Singh said. Its inspirational, about sacrifices made for freedom of religion. Its not so far removed from where we are today.

At a time and place where a caste system existed, standing for equality was revolutionary, Singh added.

The Sikh community was front and center making sure things were not ignored, he said. We have lessons to learn in our history, lessons that inspire us. And it can work for all of us.

Manpreet Kaur Singh has long sought to spread awareness and understanding of the Sikh religion. She serves on the board of the Sikh Coalition and has been active with Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houstons outreach programs about her faith.

She said Sikhs started settling in Houston in the late 1960s, but the faith community has been in the U.S. for about a century.

Still, she said not a lot is known in the U.S. about the Sikh culture. She encourages others to learn more about the faith  and its message of championing social justice.

In Guru Gobind Singhs life, she said one of the messages is, You can be strong, and stand up for whats right and for who you are.

Manpreet Kaur Singh added that the gurus mother, Mata Gujri, was celebrated on Friday. She is a prominent female figure, Kaur Singh said. His mom was a strong woman.

The gurus legacy is truly celebrated during the Vaisakhi holiday in April, she said.

In the meantime, her takeaway from the gurus birthday observance is the theme of advocacy, of standing up for others. He learned that from his father and passed it down to his sons, she said.

Lindsay Peyton is a Houston-base writer.Despite the recent easing of an arduous screening process for adults seeking to care for migrant children, federal authorities are preparing to continue detaining record numbers of youths in shelters  where their stays are growing longer.

President Donald Trumps administration announced just before Christmas that it would require only the individual sponsor of a migrant child, rather than all adults in the sponsors household, to submit to fingerprint background checks. The number of minors in federal detention increased by 64 percent, to 14,600 in November, after the fingerprinting policy began in June.

The administration said the relaxation of the requirement would expedite the release of about 2,000 already vetted children from the controversial Tornillo tent camp near El Paso, now expected to close as soon as mid-January.

However, in apparent anticipation that the number of children in detention would remain at historic levels, the government is adding 1,000 beds at a shelter in Homestead, Fla., that already has a capacity of 1,350. The increase is needed due to the number of children crossing the border alone, Health and Human Services spokesman Mark Weber said in a statement, noting that the government had added 6,500 beds since October 2017.

CONTRACT EXTENSION: Nonprofit behind planned Houston facility for migrant kids

Federal statistics show that the number of unaccompanied migrant children rose slightly to about 5,300 in November from 5,000 in October, but it has largely stayed in line with recent monthly totals.

More than 50,000 children came to the United States alone in the fiscal year ending in September. Its far fewer than the 68,500 who crossed at the peak of the Central American child crisis in 2014 and overwhelmed the federal government.

Immigrant advocates said continued use of the fingerprinting requirement, even at a reduced level, discourages adults from coming forward to claim children because federal officials share their information with immigration agents. Forty percent of these sponsors are the childs parent or legal guardian, and most are in this country illegally. Sponsors previously underwent record checks to determine their criminal background, but their information wasnt shared for immigration enforcement.

The sudden need for fingerprinting services also has led to a processing backlog that advocates said left some children detained for a year.

The fingerprint requirement is more than just misguided, more than just a bad idea, said Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, the legal director of the Virginia immigrant advocacy program at the Legal Aid Justice Center. Its purpose is to carry out immigration enforcement against kids sponsors.

Another person who works with migrant children, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to discuss the issue publicly, put it more bluntly.

Sponsors are drying up faster than Lake Travis in July, this person said. It is not the number of children crossing the border, it is the length of stay, because the reunification has been hampered by (immigration) being involved in the process.

Moreover, the kids are beginning to show different sets of problems because they are staying longer, he said.

Advocates say the new fingerprinting policies are largely to blame for an average length of stay in detention that tripled to 90 days in November.

Before the new policy took effect in June, fingerprints were not required for parents or guardians except when questions arose about the biological relationship or other special issues. Immigration information was not used to apprehend sponsors or other household members.

Border Patrol agents transfer migrant children to shelters run by Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement until they can be placed with screened sponsors, usually relatives, in a process that previously took about a month. The children stay there while pursuing their immigration cases in civil court.

Anxiety created by the Trump administrations immigration crackdown was exacerbated in 2017 when federal agents arrested more than 400 immigrants, including many parents and guardians who had sought to claim children in detention. The government used information from such children to target adults who officials accused of paying smugglers to bring minors. Most were deported but never charged with a crime.

The chilling effect was compounded this summer by the fingerprint requirement for all adults in a prospective sponsors household and an information-sharing agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. At least 170 immigrant parents or guardians trying to claim children have been arrested since the policies were initiated. Nearly two-thirds had no criminal record.

The Trump administration has said it is trying to ensure childrens safety. During the 2014 surge of unaccompanied minors, President Barack Obamas administration sought to place minors more quickly by briefly relaxing the requirements for relatives claiming children. Some ended up in harmful situations, including eight children forced to work under human traffickers on an egg farm in Ohio.

In addition, federal laws and loopholes giving more rights to migrant children facing deportation create a system that rewards parents for sending their children across the border alone, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said in a statement this week.

Even when parents and relatives accept the risks and come forward, they can wait months before their children are released, according to two ongoing federal lawsuits.

Norma Duchitangas 17-year-old daughter arrived at the southern border in October, seeking to join her mother in suburban New York City, and was held in a federal shelter in Brownsville.

The teen said immigration agents told her that her mother would be deported if she was here illegally and that they would handle the case very slowly so that she was not released before she turned 18 in December. Once teens become legal adults, they can be deported far more quickly.

It really scared her, Duchitanga said in an affidavit as part of a class-action lawsuit filed in November by the New York Civil Liberties Union. The suit argues the fingerprint requirement violates laws mandating the prompt release of children from immigrant detention and spelling out how federal regulations may be changed.

Blanca Ortiz said she submitted her fingerprints and all the required paperwork in July, the same month her two children came to the United States. She moved out of her sisters house and rented an apartment in Maryland. But five months later, her children had still not been released, according to the lawsuit.

The mother said she was distraught because her 11-year-old son told her that an older boy had touched him inappropriately at the foster home where he was being held.

I am afraid for him, Ortiz said in the affidavit. I cant sleep, I am so worried.

According to the lawsuit, the government was unprepared to process all the fingerprints it suddenly began requiring this summer. Its primary contractor to provide the service, Lutheran Immigrant Refugee Service, runs a limited number of facilities across the country.

Weber, the Health and Human Services spokesman, said the department does not comment on pending litigation.

The release and reunification procedure has been purposefully slowed by the Trump administration, according to a lawsuit seeking class certification by the Legal Aid Justice Center, an advocacy group in Virginia. The process has ground to a virtual halt, trapping these children in highly restrictive government-controlled facilities as if they were prisoners serving out criminal sentences without any semblance of due process, the suit states.

One 13-year-old boy cited in the suit came to the United States in February after he said he faced death threats in Honduras. He was placed in a shelter in San Diego, but after confiding in a clinician that he wanted to leave, he was deemed an escape risk and transferred to a more secure facility in Washington.

The teen began suffering anxiety and insomnia and was prescribed medication. One night, he said, a staff member pushed him, causing him to tumble against an emergency exit door, which fell open. He hid in a trash can and was ultimately sent to an even more restrictive facility in Virginia.

Though his case worker recommended the boys release to his brother-in-law, other adults in the house feared submitting their fingerprints would lead to their deportation.

In July, after five months in detention, the boy was finally released to his family.

Another 15-year-old girl cited in the Virginia case came here from Honduras with her adult sister in April. The two were separated at the border, though the older sibling was released from immigration custody and was living with a friend in Maryland.

She was told she was not eligible to take in her sister, whom she has raised since she was 5, because her roommates did not want to share their fingerprints with immigration authorities. Eventually the sister moved into an apartment with relatives who agreed to submit their fingerprints.

Children whose relatives are afraid to retrieve them because of concerns over immigration enforcement, or whose parents are deported as a result, can end up in even more uncertain situations.

Jorge Linare worried about submitting his fingerprints in July 2017 to prove his biological relationship with his 7-year-old son. Though the government at the time did not require it of sponsors, a question arose about Linares biological relationship because the childs birth certificate listed his grandparents as his adopted parents.

Shortly after his son was born, Linare left the boy with his parents in Guatemala and came to the United States. Linare said he had not known that the boy was coming here that summer.

The construction worker had been deported from the United States before, but the federal case worker told him the fingerprint screening had nothing to do with immigration.

Days later, Linare left the house he shared with his girlfriend in Aldine to pick up his son at a federal shelter in San Antonio. Immigration agents surrounded his truck and arrested him.

He was one of the 400 immigrants detained in the 2017 operation using children to obtain information about their parents. Linare was deported to Guatemala, where he said he faces death threats from a gang. He is living with a family friend in Mexico and trying to return to Houston.

His son has no other family in the United States and his grandparents in Guatemala dont want him back, so the government released the boy to Linares girlfriend, Rosa Gomez.

Pobrecito, she said from her house in Aldine. He has no other place to go.

Gomez is now caring for the boy, who is named after Linare, along with her own three children and without the help of her boyfriend, who previously paid half of their bills. She has diabetes and her elderly mother lives with her as well.

It is all really complicated, she said.

lomi.kriel@chron.com

@lomikrielAccused package thieves in Texas would be prosecuted the same as home burglars if two Texas lawmakers get their wish.

State Rep. Ina Minjarez, D-San Antonio, and State Sen. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio, both authored bills in the house and senate that would make package theft at least a state jail felony in Texas.

RELATED: Package theft a growing problem in Houston during holidays

According to the filing, theft of 10 or fewer pieces of mail would be a state jail felony, punishable by up to two years in prison. Theft of more than 10 and less than 50 would be a third-degree felony with a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. And theft of 50 or more would be a second-degree felony with a 20-year maximum prison sentence.

Right now, the punishment level for any theft depends on the value of the stolen property. Theft of property worth fewer than $2,500 is treated as a misdemeanor, while anything greater is a felony, according to the Texas Penal Code.

A recent Houston Chronicle article showed that unfortunately many Houston residents are familiar with such thefts. Local police say package thefts have increased in the city by 80 percent since 2015, when HPD started tracking the crime.

RELATED: Houston, other Texas cities rank in top 10 for porch pirates

About 20 out of every 1,000 homes in Houston were targets of package theft, making the city No. 7 in the nation for such crimes, according to home security research firm SafeWise.

Police say the crimes increase over the holidays.

"It's easy pickings," said Sgt. Eugenio Gonzalez of the Houston Police Department's burglary and theft division.

If passed, the bills would go into effect September 2019.

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A former Cypress-Fairbanks ISD student who was expelled for refusing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance remains embroiled in a federal lawsuit after she settled with the school's principal and Texas third-largest school district was dismissed from the case.

The State of Texas remains a defendant in the case after Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a notice of intervention in September, seeking to protect a statute that requires students to get parental permission before they can skip the daily exercise.

Randall Kallinen, a Houston-based civil rights attorney who represents the student, India Landry, said on Dec. 28 that Cypress-Fairbanks ISD had settled the case. District officials did not respond to requests for comment that day, but released a statement Saturday that they never settled with Landry. The district also said that it already includes information about students' rights to skip the Pledge of Allegiance in their Code of Student Conduct, as long as they have a parent's permission.

Attorneys for Landry, who was expelled from Windfern High School in October 2017, and civil rights advocates said Friday that students shouldn't be required to obtain a permission slip to exercise their First Amendment rights.

I believe the law to be unconstitutional, and I believe it could end up in the Supreme Court, said Kallinen.

Landry was unavailable for comment Friday.

While the Supreme Court ruled in 1943 that high school students do not have to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, states such as Florida and Texas have passed laws requiring students to get parental permission before opting out of the daily ritual.

A Florida high school student sued to challenge that states statute. A federal court initially sided with the student in 2008, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled that the state law was constitutional.

"We conclude that the states interest in recognizing and protecting the rights of parents on some educational issues is sufficient to justify the restriction of some students freedom of speech," a three-judge panel wrote.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case in 2009.

In a statement released in September, Paxton said parents rights to guide their childrens upbringing is a critical aspect of liberty guaranteed by the Constitution.

The Texas Legislature protected that interest by giving the choice of whether an individual student will recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the students parent or guardian, Paxton said. School children cannot unilaterally refuse to participate in the pledge.

Kallinen disagreed. He said that if students without a permission slip are required to stand for the pledge, its still the government that is forcing them to participate in speech with which they may not agree.

Cynthia Cole, an activist with the Greater Houston Coalition for Justice, said schools should not be in the business of restricting students freedom of speech.

This is not about the Pledge of Allegiance, this is not about the national anthem, Cole said. This is about the right of expression. Everybody has that right, and you dont have the right to tell someone when they can and cant exercise it.

shelby.webb@chron.com

twitter.com/shelbywebb

This story was updated on Monday, Dec. 31 2018 after Cypress-Fairbanks ISD released a statement disputing Kallinen's claim that the district had settled its case with his client, India Landry.John Lowitzer watches Ofelia Gomez churn with grief over her missing daughter, and he thinks back to himself in 2010.

Hell never know exactly what its like for her  no one will  but he gets it; hes been there. He knows the realization that strikes after days of not hearing from your child, the panic that comes with searching for evidence or a body, the constant wondering and waiting.

We never planned for this, he said. And I dont think anybody ever really does.

Its been an eight-year roller coaster for Lowitzer and his ex-wife Jo Ann, who havent stopped looking since the day their 16-year-old daughter Ali hopped off a bus in Spring, not to be seen again.

For Gomez, the loss of her child is still fresh. She was thrust onto that roller coaster this fall, when her daughter Jennifer Sanchez went missing. Sanchezs husband has since been charged with capital murder, but the 39-year-olds body is nowhere to be found.

At least 12 families, including Gomezs, are dealing with the loss of a relative who went missing in the greater Houston area in 2018  either people who are thought to be dead but lack the finality of found remains, or people who went missing and arent known to be dead or alive, according to Texas Equusearch records. Ten other cases from 2017 are still unsolved.

While theyre not the obvious victim, the families and friends of the missing are locked in an ongoing struggle thats a bit different from what other relatives who are touched by crime might experience, researchers and physicians said. For the families, the pain manifests in a stressful way of living, fueled by a lack of answers.

Gomez and the Lowitzers cases arent alike. But similarly, theyre on a journey that they would never have chosen for themselves.

Its a club no one wants to belong to, said Andy Kahan, director of Victim Services & Advocacy at Crime Stoppers of Houston. Someone else wrote out your membership for you.

Still missing

Sanchezs face smiled from a handful of picture frames that were woven between Christmas garlands on a side table in Gomezs living room.

Whatever (her husband) did to her, I just wanted to know, was she scared? Gomez said, gazing at the photos.

For the time being, its hard to say what happened to the mother of six. Sanchez was last seen Sept. 7 at an Oak Forest ice house with her husband, 44-year-old Joey Sanchez.

That visit in itself violated a court order, police said  he allegedly attacked his wife in June and November 2017 and was then barred from seeing her. Previous court records cataloged the abuse.

Knowing the couples history, Gomez had a gut feeling when she didnt hear from her normally chatty daughter. She was supposed to celebrate the birthday of her 19-year-old son Noah Rose that weekend. She was a fierce and caring mother, who, yes, liked to party, but was a defender for her large family. And after having six boys, she was thrilled to be expecting her first granddaughter soon.

Gomezs family filed missing persons reports, and hoping that Jennifer was alive  even held captive  was better than the alternative. At times, Gomez was nervous, even hysterical.

When authorities told Gomez the case was now a capital murder, she broke down. The hope of seeing Sanchez alive again was gone, but even then, she was still missing  the family needed to find the body.

My mom wants to be put to rest, I know that for a fact, Rose said.

I will never have closure

Theres a term for what Gomez and the Lowitzers have come to know so well. Ambiguous loss: what one experiences when theres no confirmation of death or when theres no certainty the loved one will come back, said Pauline Boss, a leading researcher who coined the term in the 1970s.

The family has to live with what I call not knowing, which is very painful for people who live in a society that values answers and certainty, Boss said.

That unknown can cause some people to get caught in the grieving process, said Melissa Goldberg, a clinical psychologist at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth. They cant start some of the tasks of grieving, like planning a funeral.

When theres a loss and you know for certain that that person is gone, you can get started with some of the tasks of grieving, she said. When youre not sure whats happened to your loved one, you cant start any of those tasks. Youre still waiting  it seems like people get frozen.

Rosalynn Paltauf Schultz, whose sister went missing in Austin back in 2006, described the feeling at a November meeting of a Texas missing persons family support group.

When she went missing, my whole life stopped, she said. For years after, there was no happiness in the house.

The idea of closure is a dangerous one for these families, because its an illusion and will likely never come, Boss said.

The families cant help but seek it anyway.

Theres so many questions that we dont have answers to, Jo Ann Lowitzer said. Until I know 100 percent what happened to Ali, I will never have closure.

This ambiguity is an outside stressor, which confuses the brain, said Boss who is the author of Ambiguous Loss: Learning to Live with Unresolved Grief published by Harvard Univ

Its like walking in the fog, really, she said. You have to find your way.

Jo Ann Lowitzer does that a bit differently than her former husband does.

She has Alis face and name everywhere in her house  on calendars, on a mouse pad, on teddy bears, on the walls. She sees her artsy teen in the Nightmare Before Christmas-themed tree, which goes up every year to commemorate one of their favorite movies.

At his own home, John Lowitzer has just two pictures of his daughter  one on his night stand and another hanging in the living room.

Other than that, I cant keep any photos around, because it just, it crushes me, he said, putting his face in his hands.

After eight years, the Lowitzers say it hasnt gotten any easier, even though its changed.

At the beginning, Jo Ann Lowitzer said she was a basketcase and John was the driving force in pursuing leads. They were both enshrouded in anxiety, sheer panic and terror.

They had a hard time getting law enforcements attention at first, Jo Ann said, because people were quick to label Ali as a runaway  she had dyed hair and was at a rebellious age. There also was a complete lack of evidence or even the presence of a crime.

But Ali had a core group of friends, they said. Going from more than 3,000 texts a month to dropping off without a word was suspicious.

For years, deputies have never been able to get a grasp on the case. Its still open, but no new leads exist, said Senior Deputy Thomas Gilliland of the Harris County Sheriffs Office.

Jo Ann and John Lowitzer started running their own parallel investigation. During their spare time that first year, they did their own searches.

Theyve hired a private investigator, done speaking engagements, and tried to keep Alis face in the public sphere.

At a certain point, Jo Ann said she noticed John pulling away, and she took over much of the efforts. He agrees.

Theres just come a point where, what else can we do? he said, turning to Jo Ann as they sat on her couch. And Im sorry.

After about five years without Ali, John said the loss transitioned to something he isnt over, but is just dealing with. There are still triggers, like the photos, he said.

Jo Ann compared it to a cut or a scratch  If you turn around and move the wrong way, its going to open and start bleeding.

Catch-22

For the longest time, Jo Ann Lowitzer said she didnt think shed see Ali alive. Thats changed, and the predominant theory now is that she was trafficked, the Lowitzers said.

Gomez has an inkling of where her daughter might be. Authorities told the family theres a possibility Sanchez was dumped in one of Houstons many waterways, she said.

She fears that one day shell come across Jennifers body.

When I start thinking of that, tears just start coming down, she said.

Its a catch-22  Gomez and her relatives all long to find Sanchez, yet, theyre terrified of the moment that day may come. When the phone rings, they say, they cant help but shake.

Thats how we live now until they find her, said Yvonne Wiemann, Jennifers aunt.

Goldberg, who works with families of missing persons, said that mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder are an obvious response to tragedy.

Jo Ann Lowitzer still doesnt like going to the grocery store, hoping to avoid running into people who might recognize her.

I used to get really high anxiety because I couldnt go to the grocery store and not be stopped by somebody  I had no idea who they were  and just want to pray for me and cry, she said. That was really really hard, kind of traumatizing.

Its just us

While they may not know each other well  Ofelia and Jo Ann have only met once  many of the families in Houston are familiar with the others cases. After years of keeping it to herself, Jo Ann realized it was cathartic to talk to other people in the same situation. At the urging of Texas Center for the Missing, Jo Ann formed a missing persons family support group about a year ago.

Gomez and the Lowitzers met for the first time at one of the meetings in early November. As Gomez shared her story, John Lowitzer wiped away tears. Others chimed in with similar experiences.

All of the families were grateful to have someone to talk to.

I like to have a support group, because its just us, you know? Jo Ann Lowitzer said at the meeting.

Schultz grabbed Lowitzers hand from across the table.

When I have someone else who understands, it feels good, she echoed.

Even as improbable as they sometimes feel it might be, the families at the support group hope that theyll find their children again.

At a certain point, this hope can be more painful for families than moving on, Boss said. Instead of asking them to give up, however, she encourages them to find a different path forward  like how Jo Ann Lowitzer has become a local advocate for families of missing persons.

Similar to the idea of closure, what most people seem to be looking for is an end of a chapter in their lifes story, Kahan said. But in doing that, its hard not to seek the best possible ending.

Gomezs family has been told that finding Sanchez is unlikely, Rose said. But theyre still going to keep looking, as long as it takes.

John is motivated when he hears stories of family reunifications with missing persons who have been gone for upward of 18 years, and he envisions that sort of ending for himself.

I still long for the day when she walks through the door and says Mom, Im sorry, he said. And Jo Ann calls me

Get your ass over here, she said, finishing his sentence with a laugh.

The Lowitzers and Gomez acknowledge how difficult it is to remain positive in their situations  especially during a holiday season that can sometimes serve as a painful reminder of loss.

But maybe there will be happier times ahead, too. Until then, they keep plugging along.

samantha.ketterer@chron.com

Twitter.com/sam_kettHouston police officer Elizabeth Blanton was working her typical patrol shift on a chilly Friday morning, cruising through southwest Houston as children waited at bus stops and businesses opened. Her phone rang in the late morning  one of her fellow officers asked her to help him handle a minor car crash.

Blanton went straight to the scene and walked up to three Mandarin speakers involved in the accident.

Ni hao, she greeted them in Mandarin, getting polite smiles in response. She continued in their native tongue, asking more details about the accident. The groups surprise was reflected in raised eyebrows that soon gave way to grins.

They were understood.

Houston police officers have been offered two rounds of Mandarin classes this year, thanks to a collaboration between the police department, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office and the University of St. Thomas.

Now Playing: Houston Police Department started offering officers two rounds of Mandarin classes this year. Twenty-five officers participated in the first level, and six completed the second and graduated from the program. To be a welcoming and relational policing agency, we need to communicate with all segments of society, and the Chinese community is one of the fastest growing in Houston, said Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo. Video: Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle

Instead of a typical foreign language curriculum, the officers  25 in the first level and six in the second  are learning phrases such as, Who is your emergency contact? and, Do you have a gun?

The classes, organizers and participants say, are a way for police to improve relations with the citys fast-growing Mandarin-speaking community. As of 2013, Houston had nearly 10,000 speakers of Mandarin, the most common language in China. Of these, 3,500 spoke limited English. And between 2010 and 2017, the Chinese-born population in Houston increased by 32 percent to 48,000 people.

To me it was a no-brainer, said Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo. To be a welcoming and relational policing agency, we need to communicate with all segments of society, and the Chinese community is one of the fastest growing in Houston.

Functional training

Li-Ya Mar stood at the front of a classroom at HPDs Westside Station, rubbing her stomach in circles and watching her six students expectantly. It was the week after Thanksgiving, and as they sat in the first two rows of the classroom for their three-hour lesson, she used energetic hand gestures to remind them of the Mandarin verb for to eat.

The professor mouthed along with the officers responses to her questions, and threw her hands in the air in celebration every time they answered correctly.

Hen Hao, Hen Hao, she told them with a bright smile.

It took Mar, formerly a Mandarin professor at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, two months to prepare the plans for her 10-week sessions, which began in March. She dubs it functional training  on top of sifting through multiple Survival Spanish books and curricula, shes asked the officers what common phrases they usually say and has gone on ride-alongs with them to better understand their work.

My point for them is to pick out all the keywords and understand if the situations urgent, she said. My point is not requiring them to be grammatical, but just understandable.

Blanton, for instance, recalled that at the scene of a car crash, she was able to ask the Mandarin speaker, How did this happen? Which direction were you coming from? and Did you have a red or green light?

I at least try to get the basic information; sometimes that goes a long way, Blanton said.

Mars students have also been able to make use of her lessons in more serious situations.

Officer Carsten Brown, for example, was on his way to a routine illegal parking call in southwest Houston around midnight one day, when he was flagged down by an 81-year-old Chinese woman standing with her luggage on the sidewalk. Her cab driver from George Bush Intercontinental Airport had grown so frustrated trying to understand her English that he dropped her off at a random intersection six miles from the retirement home where she lived.

With the Mandarin he knew, and the help of a language line, Brown was able to determine where she lived and take her home safely.

In that part of town, for an 81-year-old Chinese lady who doesnt speak any English, that night could have ended very differently, he said. Its an encounter like this that really makes me want to make the very most of everything Dr. Mar has given us, so Ill be more prepared to help those in the future who are most vulnerable and most at-risk.

Mar did ride-alongs with officers from several HPD units and noted the vocabulary each role might require: directional and insurance terms for the patrol sergeant who conducted traffic stops; sexual terms and references for officers checking for safety violations or sex trafficking in southwest Houstons massage parlors; theft vocabulary for an airport crew that dealt with frequent reports of stolen valuables.

She also threw in cultural lessons about prominent foods in different regions of China and Taiwan, or common Chinese family names.

Names are so personal, Mar said. If someone can pronounce your last name correctly, you feel like the distance between law enforcement and the community got smaller.

Bridging the gap

One incident that made a distinct impression on Brown was a three-car wreck. One car had overturned, a second motorist had driven off, and the driver of the third vehicle did not speak English.

The atmosphere was tense when Brown arrived. Other officers kept trying to speak to the foreigner in Spanish, but he didnt respond, and Brown saw the fear etched into his face. So he asked for the mans name, and recognized it as a common Persian name.

Do you speak Farsi? Brown asked the man in Farsi.

Yes! the man exclaimed.

The relief on his face was readily apparent, and it just de-escalates the entire situation, said Brown, who speaks five languages and has used them all on the job. He knew that he was being listened to, and thats another huge part of this job  a lot of times people just want to be heard.

Hans Stockton, a professor and interim dean of the University of St. Thomas School of Arts and Sciences, knew communication would be a key element in serving Houstons diverse communities, which is why he spearheaded the Mandarin training program for HPD officers.

HPD is very committed to community policing, he said. And if you cant say Hi to someone in a language they understand, community policing becomes very difficult to navigate.

The officers taking the class agree, saying theyve used their Mandarin to defuse tension. Its why Brown learned four languages in addition to English.

The more I know, the better Ill be, he said, because 85 percent of this job is communication.

HPD is one of the first police departments in the country to offer training in a language other than Spanish. And HPD leaders dont want to stop with Mandarin  Acevedo and Stockton said theyd like to explore teaching Arabic (22,000 Arabic-speakers in 2013, with almost 8,000 speaking limited English). Stockton also expressed interest in Vietnamese (92,000 speakers and 55,000 with limited English) and Hindi (over 24,000 speakers and over 5,600 with limited English).

Its not just about being able to communicate, it's about sending a message to every segment of our society, Acevedo said. Just a phrase or greeting in someones own language can be so comforting, so disarming  it can really define our culture and our community.Houston Police Department

A man has been charged in a Wednesday shooting that injured an 8-year-old outside of a south Houston tire shop this week.

Royce Jackie Thomas, 25, an employee of the tire shop at 1313 South Loop West, is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He's accused of shooting Demariyae Daniel in the left arm during a customer-service dispute with the boy's father.Two MS-13 gang members are charged with murder in the shooting death of a 16-year-old in Houston, according to court documents.

Melvin Josue Salvador, 18, and Celso Onelio Sandoval, 25, are accused of shooting Edwin Trigueros, 16, on Dec. 16. They're both currently in Harris County Jail on Thursday.

Trigueros was shot in the mid-afternoon after he was seen talking to a man in a red sedan in the 5300 block of De Soto, police said. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition, and died two days later, according to Houston police.

Salvador and Sandoval are both as MS-13 gang members who "assasinated [sic] a 16 year old who was just walking down the street, and then committed an aggravated robbery right afterwards," according to court documents.

They were charged with murder Wednesday.

Police believe there might be others involved in the shooting and urge anyone with information to call Houston Police Department homicide detectives at 713-308-3600 or Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).

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Craig Doyal has spent almost his entire career in Montgomery County government  first as a staffer, then as an elected county commissioner and most recently as county judge, the top administrator.

Doyal, whose bid for a second term was foiled in the Republican primary by state Rep. Mark Keough of The Woodlands, will leave office Dec. 31. In an exit interview, Doyal, 57, discussed the changes hes seen in the fast-growing suburban county of 570,000 residents, his concerns about the increasingly harsh tone of political campaigns, and his own plans. Edited excerpts follow.

Q. Can you reflect a bit on whats on your mind as you prepare to leave office?

A. People ask me all the time, How did you become county judge? Did you want to do that your whole life? I tell them, in high school I wanted to be a dentist, I got a degree in geology, and I became county judge, and somehow that all fits together. If you dont think the good Lord has a sense of humor, tell him your plans.

Q. Please discuss some of the changes youve seen during your time in county government, and how youve responded.

A. Ive had a chance to watch this county grow. I grew up here. My dad was born in a house two blocks from here. Ive watched the county grow from a very rural community to a more metropolitan setting. Its been interesting to be a part of that, and to see projects that come from that growth, like the pass-through program that we did (with the Texas Department of Transportation).

Q. And what is that?

A. We went out and put together a deal where we would sell bonds and build five (road-widening) projects . . . and then TxDOT would reimburse us for that construction based on what they call pass-through tolls or shadow tolls. They would . . . reimburse us based on the vehicle counts. So basically, TxDOT paid the tolls for people is what it boiled down to.

Q. Was there a model for that program?

A. It was one of the first ones ever done . . . It allowed us to get the roads built at the time we needed them, and it allowed TxDOT to fund them over an extended period of time.

Read more: Fight over Montgomery County toll road purely political, outgoing leader says

Q. Are you going to go back into the roofing business you had before you went to work for the county?

A. Not at this age. I told somebody the other day, I bet I jumped off 100 roofs over 20-plus years, because I did that even when I was working for (the late Precinct 2 Commissioner Malcolm Purvis.) The wind would blow my ladder down, so Id just jump off the roof. The roofing business is a great business to be out of.

Q. So whats next for you?

A. Ill do some consulting. Ive been approached by a couple of developers to help them with some projects, and Ive been talking to a couple of consultants to help them with contacts at other counties across the state. Ive got a couple of investments I want to go work on growing a little bit. Im real excited about the opportunities that are available based on the number of contacts Ive been able to make over the years and the people that I know across the state.

Q. Other than transportation, what are some of the major challenges the countys growth is creating for local government?

A. Flooding will continue to be a major issue. Were trying to identify ways to mitigate as much of that as possible. Were working with the Harris County Flood Control District right now to look at some work that could be done in Montgomery County that would ease some of the flooding that theyre seeing in Harris County.

Q. Wasnt there discussion some years ago about a flood control entity in Montgomery County?

A. There was, back in 1984, I think it failed in a referendum pretty substantially. When you look at how many homes were impacted in Montgomery County during Hurricane Harvey, it was around 3 percent, which is not a large percentage, but it was tragic if you were in one of those homes. I dont know, it may be time to reconsider a flood control district but I dont know what kind of support there would be from people that dont flood for an additional level of taxation.

Q. How has the political climate changed during your time in county government?

A. I ended up running for county commissioner in 1986, along with Malcolm Purvis and others, against an incumbent. I became very good friends with Malcolm . . . in fact he invited me to one of his campaign fund-raisers  when we were campaigning against each other. And I asked him, I said, Malcolm, why would you do that? And he said, Well, if you win, these people in Magnolia need to know you, and you need to know them. Thats the difference in how campaigns were in 1986 and how they are today. Campaigns today do become extremely brutal. Your reputation gets attacked, your integrity gets attacked, even my family was attacked. Its very frustrating . . . Im afraid that it will dissuade good, qualified people from running.

Q. Montgomery County is still solidly Republican, but the primary battles showed that there is a split within the local Republican Party. What are the implications of that?

A. To some extent its problematic because it creates battles that are not really necessary. Were really trying to do the same thing. Its just a perceived level of conservatism. Road construction and law enforcement  thats what we do. Some of those issues where it becomes very divisive in the political arena, really dont exist at the county level. Now they get brought into play, but we dont really have any impact on them. Weve never had a vote in our court about abortion. Weve never had a vote in our court about border control.

Transparency? Pasadena, Montgomery County cases highlight disputes in open meetings law

Q. Whats the status of the open meetings case against you? [Doyals 2016 indictment on a charge of violating the state open-meetings law during discussions about a road bond referendum was dismissed when a judge found part of the law unconstitutional. Prosecutors are appealing.]

A. Weve made our oral arguments to the Court of Criminal Appeals and are waiting now on a ruling from them to determine the constitutionality of the law.

Q. Any final thoughts?

A. When I came into office four years ago, I ran on a campaign of growing on the strengths that the county already has. And I hope that future administrations  will do just exactly that, not try to re-invent the wheel or tear anything apart and start over, but just take the things that we have done positively and grow on those . Weve got the lowest tax rate that weve had in the 32 years Ive been here, and we were able last year to give a 20 percent homestead exemption for the first time, and we achieved a AAA credit rating. I feel like Im leaving this county on solid ground.

mike.snyder@chron.com

twitter.com: chronsnyderNASA employees will be celebrating a little more than the start of the new year next week as two unmanned missions make history by orbiting an asteroid for the first time and completing the most distant planetary flyby ever.

But thanks to the federal government shutdown that started Dec. 22, they might be celebrating in their living rooms rather than at office watch parties.

The first of these major milestones will happen Dec. 31, when OSIRIS-REx (short for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer) begins orbiting the asteroid Bennu for the first time. Launched in 2016, the mission is the first that aims to bring asteroid samples back to Earth for study. Its expected to reach Earth, samples in hand, in 2023.

The second comes just hours later, when the New Horizons mission reaches Ultima Thule  a rock located a billion miles beyond Pluto that is found in the solar systems Kuiper Belt  just before midnight on New Years Eve. Launched in 2006, the mission is the first of its kind to get a close look at Pluto and its five moons, about 3 billion miles from Earth.

Both missions were developed through New Frontiers, a highly competitive program that aims to advance the space agencys exploration of the solar system.

The government shutdown  which impacts 96 percent, or about 16,700, NASA employees  will not stop the two missions from reaching these important milestones. The shutdown went into effect Saturday as President Donald Trump held firm on his demands that Congress provide funds for a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. His administration has said it could last into the new year.

On Thursday night, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted that the social media accounts and NASA TV coverage for both missions would continue to operate even if the shutdown stretches into next week. The announcement comes even though NASA's current shutdown plan stipulates that "Citizens will not have televised access to NASA operations and programming or access to the NASA Web site."

"The contract for these activities was forward funded," Bridenstine said. "@NASA will continue to stun the world with its achievements!"

Sampling an asteroid

By learning more about Bennu  a near-Earth, carbonaceous asteroid that is situated between Earth and Mars about 100 million miles from the sun  agency personnel hope to learn more about where humans come from and where we are going.

Asteroids, in essence, are leftover debris from when the solar system formed. Scientists believe this asteroid in particular may have recorded our solar systems earliest history.

OSIRIS-REx reached Bennu Dec. 3, where it has been conducting surveys from afar. About a week after arriving, the probe already had discovered water buried inside the asteroids clay.

The presence of hydrated minerals across the asteroid confirms that Bennu, a remnant from early in the formation of the solar system, is an excellent specimen for the OSIRIS-REx mission, Amy Simon, a scientist working on the project at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, said at the time. When samples of this material are returned by the mission to Earth in 2023, scientists will receive a treasure trove of new information about the history and evolution of our solar system.

The spacecraft will finally enter the asteroids orbit on New Years Eve, continuing its study of the rock to find the best place to take samples.

Instruments on board the spacecraft include a laser altimeter to complete topography maps of the potential sampling sites; a visible and infrared spectrometer to create mineral and organic spectral maps of those sites; and an articulated arm, known as the Touch-And-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism, to collect a sample from the surface.

Using all the information collected, a sample will be collected from one of those sites in July 2020. The arm will touch the asteroids surface for just five seconds to collect the sample, which will be between 2.1 ounces and 4.4 pounds. The spacecraft can make three separate attempts to gather a sample.

The sample is then stowed in the spacecraft, which is scheduled to land in Utah in September 2023.

Ultima Thule

Ultima Thule, which aptly means beyond the known world, is cold, remote and  at four billion miles away  the farthest humanity has ever explored.

Scientists have only ever been able to study via telescope. That changes just before midnight New Years Eve.

Thats when the New Horizons spacecraft, famous for flying past Pluto in 2015, will travel past this object in the Kuiper Belt. The belt is a grouping of icy bodies just outside the Neptunes orbit where Pluto is found.

We expect that Ultima is the most well-preserved sample of a planetary building block ever explored, Alan Stern, principal investigator of the New Horizons mission, wrote in a Dec. 20 blog post.

In effect, Ultima should be a valuable window into the early stages of planet formation and what the solar system was like over 4.5 billion years ago, Stern wrote.

When New Horizons launched in 2006, it became the first ever mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt, also known as the solar systems third zone, according to NASA.

Its flyby of Pluto in 2015 provided both breathtaking images and data that has helped scientists gain new insights about the dwarf planet and its moons.

Ultima Thule was picked as the spacecrafts next target based, in part, on the amount of fuel remaining after a more than decade-long mission.

What will Ultima reveal? No one knows, Stern wrote in his post. To me, that is whats most excitingthis is pure exploration and fundamental science!

alex.stuckey@chron.comThe more than 16,000 NASA employees still out of work as the federal government shutdown stretched into day five do not support it, a union representing federal workers said Wednesday -- despite President Donald Trump's claims that they do.

"We have not heard from a single member who supports the president's inaction," the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers said in a statement Wednesday. "Most view this as an act of ineptitude."

On Saturday, a partial government shutdown -- which includes NASA, the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security -- went into effect as Trump held firm on his demands that Congress provide funds for a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. The shutdown impacts 800,000 of the 2.1 million federal workers nationwide, including 16,700 NASA employees, which accounts for 96 percent of the workforce.

READ MORE: Workers, parks, NASA to bear brunt of shutdown

Trump has argued that federal workers support the shutdown, saying Tuesday, "Many of those workers have said to me and communicated, 'stay out until you get the funding for the wall.' These federal workers want the wall, " according to an ABC News story published on Christmas Day.

In its statement, the union said Trump needs to stop "gambling with the lives of federal workers."

"If the president wants to gamble, perhaps he should go back to running casinos," the statement said.

Although most of NASA's employees will be furloughed, those responsible for keeping people and property safe are exempted from the shutdown.

For example, International Space Station operations will continue: about 200 of the 3,055 federal employees at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston will continue working primarily to keep the three astronauts aboard the space station alive.

Additionally, planned spaceflight events, such as OSIRIS-REx's Dec. 31 orbit of the asteroid Bennu, will happen as planned. If the shutdown lasts until that time, however, the public will not be able to count on NASA to publicize it and keep them up to date.

"Citizens will not have televised access to NASA operations and programming or access to the NASA Web site," NASA's current shutdown plan states.

Launched in 2016, OSIRIS-REx (short for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer) is the first U.S. mission set to bring asteroid samples back to Earth. It will return to earth in 2023.

Individuals interested in following along New Year's Eve should keep tabs on the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory's Twitter account, @UALAL or check its non-government website, asteroidmission.org. The University of Arizona also will issue news releases on its website.

Furloughed employees will only get paid for the shutdown period if Congress approves it -- which it has done in the past. Those exempt from the shutdown will only get paid after the president signs off on a funding plan.

NASA eventually will return to full operations, but The Planetary Society, a nonprofit involved in space research, questioned in a web post Saturday how long the best and brightest will stay at NASA if these constant political disruptions continue. This is the third federal government shutdown of 2018, and the Trump administration has indicated that it could stretch into 2019.

"If this frequency of shutdowns continues, I fear that we will see more and more NASA employees ask themselves why they put up with such needless disruptions and leave for jobs the private sector," the post stated.

Alex Stuckey writes about NASA and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuckey@chron.com or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey.If youre planning ona family walk to check out the neighborhood lights or work off the leftover Christmas cookies, let this three-word warning be our holiday gift to you and yours: Watch your step.

Houstons sidewalks are notoriously dilapidated  where they exist at all. Gumbo-style soil, oaken roots and poor upkeep inexorably render once well-laid concrete slabs into treacherous walkways. The problem is that nobody is in charge of the sidewalks. There is no citywide plan to build or maintain the walkable infrastructure  thats considered the responsibility of individual landowners.

A few years ago we thought things were going to get better, but those hopes have been dashed.

In 2015, City Council unanimously passed two ordinances that were supposed to help homeowners repair their sidewalks by streamlining the construction process. The city would set fixed prices with select contractors and waive various fees. Just fill out a request form on the city website, and a worker will inspect the sidewalk and estimate the cost of repair for the landowner. Simple as that.

Well, it turns out things werent so simple after all. Repair estimates ended up being double or triple what a resident would otherwise pay without the citys involvement, Chronicle reporter Mike Morris wrote this week. Like so many Houston sidewalks, this program has been abandoned. Now were back to where we started: Zero city dollars for sidewalk repair and only $2.6 million a year for new sidewalks exclusively in specific, targeted programs.

Suburbanites and city skeptics might be tempted to roll their eyes at Houstonians clamoring about broken sidewalks. City Hall has to deal with long-term pensions costs, a $100 million fight over firefighter pay, flooding challenges and all the problems of a major metro. Why should it matter whether folks can go for a walk?

The truth is that functioning pedestrian infrastructure is about more than getting in a few steps. For those in wheelchairs, properly maintained sidewalks are a matter of civil rights. Businesses, residences and Metro stops may be built to accommodate people with disabilities, but much of that work is wasted if the sidewalks connecting them remain broken.

For Houstonians who cant afford cars, it can be a matter of life and death. A Governing Magazine study found that high poverty areas in Harris County had pedestrian death rates more than double that of low poverty areas.

For leaders grappling with climate change, improved walkability is a key tool to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Any trip taken by foot is one car off the road.

Building and maintaining walkable infrastructure sits at the core of ensuring that Houston remains a liveable place for everyone, and that alone should keep it on the agenda.President Donald Trump has an uncanny knack for making a mess of simple, traditional functions every other president has managed to carry out with ease. Talk to a child about Christmas? Yikes -- a "marginal" disaster. Go to Europe to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I? He skips one event rather than wilt in the rain and sulks through another. The worst anti-Semitic massacre in U.S. history? He whines about getting his hair wet and keeps campaigning. Visit the troops (finally) in Iraq? Oh boy.

Trump has the obnoxious habit of using American military personnel as props, an audience for highly partisan attacks. Every other person to hold the office has understood that the military must be beyond politics; the apolitical military is a critical difference between Western democracies and thuggish regimes. Worst of all, Trump deployed the troops at the border in pre-election stunt to rile up his xenophobic base. (He has even managed to insult the leader of the operation to kill Osama bin Laden, the highly esteemed retired Adm. William McRaven.)

As retired Rear Adm. John Kirby, a former spokesman for both the Defense and State departments, put it in November: "The United States military is not a voting bloc. It's not a MAGA rally crowd. It's not a plaything, and it's most certainly not an arm of the Republican Party. Our troops, of course, must obey the orders of the commander in chief. They execute the military policy he sets forth. But their loyalty belongs to the American people and to the Constitution."

So on his belated, first visit to a war zone, Trump once more flubbed a routine presidential task, politicizing his speech (complete with partisan attacks on Democrats on his favorite topic, the border) and even signing "Make America Great Again" hats for the troops, despite regulations prohibiting military personnel from engaging in political events. ("Per longstanding DoD policy, active duty personnel may not engage in partisan political activities and all military personnel should avoid the inference that their political activities imply or appear to imply DoD sponsorship, approval, or endorsement of a political candidate, campaign, or cause. Members on active duty may not campaign for a partisan candidate, engage in partisan fundraising activities, serve as an officer of a partisan club, or speak before a partisan gathering.")

To make matters worse, he lied to the military men and women in attendance about the raise they received. ABC News reports:

"Is anybody here willing to give up the big pay raise you just got?" he surveyed the crowd. "Raise your hand please. Oh, I don't see too many hands."

He continued, citing numbers that have since been debunked and declared untrue.

"You haven't gotten [a raise] in more than 10 years," he said. "And we got you a big one. I got you a big one."

As the independent fact-checking site PolitiFact noted, the military has received a routine pay raise every year since at least 1961. The 2.4 percent increase that went into effect in 2018 was the largest since 2010, but they have continued apace every year.

Trump then falsely asserted that the pay increase was actually 10 percent, recounting phony conversations in which "plenty of people" tried to impose a smaller raise.

Trump also repeated his familiar charge that we are "suckers" for deploying the very people he was addressing in so many locations. That's a real morale booster. He also told them he was in no hurry to pick a permanent defense secretary, their civilian leader, after firing the beloved Jim Mattis. And to top it off, he seemed to sneer at his military advisers in recounting how he ignored their advice regarding an immediate pullout from Syria.

All in all, it was the most cringe-worthy presidential visit to the troops in memory, a reminder that while Trump loves to talk about "his generals" and wrap himself in military pomp, he has never learned the basics of military culture and decorum, nor shown any understanding of the military ethic exemplified by career military men such as Mattis.

As in all things, the military for Trump is all about him; hence, his performances come across as tone-deaf and ham-handed, lacking the dignity and high-mindedness appropriate for such occasions. Leave it to Trump to make a visit to the troops look like a crass political campaign rally. He manages to defile just about every institution he touches.

Trump's blunders will increase and become more serious as the last vestiges of adult supervision (Mattis, John Kelly) depart the administration. Democrats, especially veterans of the military and intelligence community who now serve in Congress, would be wise to tackle Trump's abuse and misuse of our military. Someone needs to defend the reputation and honor of the military.

Rubin writes reported opinion for The Washington Post.As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content.

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If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create.Latest issue of SAMUDRA Report, ICSF's journal on fisheries, released

December 28,2018 | Source: ICSF | Alert Type(s): Samudra Exclusive

The International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) has released the latest edition of SAMUDRA Report, its triannual journal on fisheries, communities and livelihoods.



SAMUDRA Report No. 80, dated December 2018, features articles on fisheries from around the world that focus on a diverse range of issues, from small-scale fisheries and community fisheries to illegal fishing, the SSF Guidelines, conservation of manta rays and fisheries governance, among other topics.



The editorial Comment in this issue discusses how the Regional Plan of Action for Small-scale Fisheries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea is a model for other regional fisheries management organizations.



The tide of fortune for small-scale fisheries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea is turning, says the opening article. The article from Cambodia shows how extensive and well-developed is the nation's system of community fisheries.



Sri Lanka's SSF communities can be strengthened in the context of the SSF Guidelines, argues another article, while a report from Vietnam on a recent consultation workshop discusses illegal fishing and co-management in the central coastal region.



The piece from Indonesia discusses how Lamakera village has initiated a programme for the conservation of manta rays. From Pakistan comes a report on a Peoples Long March against dams on the Indus River. Effective fisheries governance has led to democratization and decentralization in Myanmar, according to another article.



The social contexts and lives of fishing communities are analyzed in another article, while the last article in the current issue points out that only collective action in SSF can overcome the problems of poverty and marginalization.





SAMUDRA Report No. 80 also features the regular Roundup section that carries news snippets, analysis and tidbits on fisheries from around the world.





SAMUDRA Report No. 80 can be accessed at

https://www.icsf.net/en/samudra/article/EN/80.html?limitstart=0





ICSF is an international NGO that works towards the establishment of equitable, gender-just,self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector.



For more, please visit www.icsf.net

 2018 ICSF

Theme(s): Others.Indonesia tsunami: Songs and toys for displaced children following disaster

December 27,2018 | Source: Channel NewsAsia

Via Sundari Octavia keeps a watchful eye on her small children as they sing and dance - part of a trauma healing programme for kids displaced by Indonesia's deadly tsunami.



Octavia was with dozens of parents lining the edge of a futsal field turned evacuation shelter in the town of Labuan on Thursday (Dec 27), where relief workers played games with children to take their minds off the disaster.



The 30-year-old, her husband and three children - two sons aged three and five and a baby boy - survived the killer wave that killed more than 400 people and left many homeless.



But they have little left beyond the clothes on their back and some meagre belongings strewn on the floor.



"My house was swept away by the waves," Octavia told AFP, as she sat on a tarpaulin, clothes drying on a fence behind her.



"I only brought few things with me, everything else is gone."

 Mediacorp 2018

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.Indonesia on high alert for new tsunami as volcano rumbles

by Sarah Harman, Linda Givetash and Gabe Joselow

December 27,2018 | Source: NBC

The streets of Cilegon city in Indonesia were still bustling Thursday as officials widened the danger zone and raised the threat level from an island volcano that continued to seethe after triggering a tsunami that killed more than 430 people.



Officials issued a level three tsunami alert  the second highest on its four-level system  and rerouted flights as emergency crews still searched for victims from last weekend's unexpected wave.



Anak Krakatau's eruption on Saturday evening caused part of the island in the Sunda Strait to collapse into the sea, generating massive tsunami waves.



The country's disaster mitigation center doubled the at-risk area to a 3,200-foot stretch area of the coast on Thursday and warned people to stay away from the water's edge because of the risk of another tsunami triggered by Krakatau's ongoing eruptions.



Faisal Muhammad Kais told NBC News he was keeping a close eye on his phone for evacuation alerts from officials.



"I'm so worried because we are very close to the sea," he said.



Cilegon sits west of the capital and about 3 miles from the coast on the island of Java which, along with Sumatra Island, bore the brunt of the tsunami.



Aircraft were forced to take alternate routes Thursday to avoid the increasing volcanic ash mushrooming up from Anak Krakatau, said Yohanes Sirait, spokesman for AirNav Indonesia. Most scheduled flights through the capital of Jakarta have not been affected.



Although ash billowed more than 6 miles into the skies, airports integral to the distribution of aid and resources to areas affected by the tsunami were not forced to close.



The cloud of ash and sand rained down on Cilegon, coating parked cars and streets with a thin layer of dust. People were warned to stay indoors and those who had to be outside were urged to wear masks and goggles, Indonesia's disaster mitigation center said.



The conditions were concerning for parents with small children. "I'm worried about my son's respiration," Iput Salima told NBC News about her four-year-old son.

Theme(s): Others.Polluting Chinese companies ordered to apologize to public

December 28,2018 | Source: Ecns

Three chemical companies that polluted the soil in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, were ordered to apologize to the public on China's national media and pay for the legal and business expenses of the two NGOs that sued them, according to the Jiangsu High People's Court on Thursday.



In September 2015, about 500 students from the new campus of Changzhou Foreign Languages School in Jiangsu province fell ill. Some were diagnosed with lymphoma and leukemia. Later, it was found that the school had been built next to a site that had housed the three chemical enterprises before 2010.



In May 2016, the two NGOsChina Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Fund and Friends of Naturefiled a public interest lawsuit against the Changlong, Changyu and Huada chemical companies.



In January last year, the Changzhou Intermediate People's Court confirmed that the three enterprises had dumped toxic chemicals at the site, and polluted the groundwater and soil on land adjacent to the school. But it added that the polluted site had been handed over to the local land reserve center for treatment, and that the local government of Xinbei district had taken over the restoration work, so the companies did not have to pay for cleanup.



On appeal, the Jiangsu High People's court also rejected requests that the companies pay for eliminating environmental hazards.



Liu Xiang, one of the lawyers of Friends of Nature, said that the local government of Xinbei district only had the right to use the site, which means the government did not inherit responsibility for clearing the pollution.



"Most of the polluted groundwater and soil haven't been treated," said Liu. "We insisted that the three enterprises should pay 260 million yuan ($38.2 million) to restore the environment."



Huo Zhijian, one of the lawyers of China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Fund, said, "We sued them to ask the polluters to fulfill their responsibilities. The government shouldn't treat the pollution for them using taxpayers' money."



Lawyers for the companies requested that the court exempt them for the expenses of the public interest lawsuit, rather than charging them according to the standards for property-related cases.



Chen Ying, the chief judge hearing the case, said experts had confirmed that the polluted site and its neighboring environment have been effectively restored, and so there is no need for the court to order the three enterprises to do more.



"The restoration work will require a long time," Chen said. "Part of the appellants' request to eliminate the environmental hazards has been realized, and it is highly possible that their request will ultimately be fully realized."



The three companies will pay 460,000 yuan to the two NGOs for their legal and business trip expenses, and court expenses of 200 yuan for the two trials in Changzhou Intermediate Court and Jiangsu High People's Court.



Some Chinese courts have been encouraging social organizations by exempting them from litigation fees if they lose public interest lawsuits. Polluting enterprises, however, must pay if they lose.

 1999-2018 Chinanews.com.

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.Imperial Valley News Center

Calexico Fire Department's ambulance stolen from the El Centro Regional Medical Center

El Centro, California - Last night at approximately midnight, the Calexico Fire Department's ambulance, unit 2670, was stolen from the El Centro Regional Medical Center's ambulance patient ER drop off. The ambulance was stolen as Firefighters/Paramedics were transferring patient care to the ER staff.

The Calexico Fire Department is asking for assistance from anyone that may have information, to please contact the Calexico Police Department at 760-768-2140, the California Highway Patrol at 760-312-1800, the El Centro Police Department at 760-352-2111, or the Imperial County Sheriff's office at 442-265-2021.

The picture below is 1 of 2 ambulances donated to the Calexico Fire Department

(Unit stolen is marked 70)Governor Brown Issues Statement on Death of Newman Police Corporal

Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. issued the following statement regarding the death of Newman Police Corporal Ronil Singh:

"On behalf of all Californians, Anne and I extend our condolences to Corporal Singh's wife, young son, loved ones and colleagues. Our hearts are with the entire community of Newman and law enforcement officers across the state who risk their lives every day to protect and serve the people of California."

Corporal Singh, 33, was shot and killed early Wednesday morning following a traffic stop in Newman.

Corporal Singh was a more than 7-year veteran of the Newman Police Department and was assigned as a canine officer. Prior to joining the Newman Police Department, he served with the Merced County Sheriffs Department.

Corporal Singh is survived by his wife, Anamika, and young son.

In honor of Corporal Singh, Capitol flags will be flown at half-staff.President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Appoint Individual to Key Administration Post

Washington, DC - President Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to appoint the following individual to be a member of the Public Buildings Reform Board for a term of six years, vice new position:President Trump in Briefing at Al Asad Air Base

Al Asad Air Base - Al Anbar Province, Iraq - President Trump in Briefing at Al Asad Air Base:

THE PRESIDENT: So were meeting with some of our great leaders. Were in Iraq. We flew all night and arrived very safely. It was an interesting trip, I will tell you that. I know there was a lot of security up there in the air, the skies  they tell me. But here we are. Were discussing strategy. Were discussing lots of things, including even nearby Syria.

Were  theres no military like we have. We can do whatever we want. But we have to decide whats right, whats not right. Theyve done a fantastic job over the last two years that Ive been here. I can tell you, speaking from personal knowledge, theyve done a fantastic job. And its a great honor to meet all of you, and were going to be meeting some other people a little bit later. And then were going to be speaking in front of your troops, and I look forward to that. Thatll be happening in a little while.

And I want to thank the press. Youve made a journey. You knew where you were going, and we appreciate your coming with us, very much so. That takes courage also. We very much appreciate you coming with us. So thank you very much.

Do you have any questions in the media?

Q Why did you want to come to Iraq?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, its a place that Ive been talking about for many years. And many, many years, before it started, I was talking about it, as a civilian. And many of you know what my feelings were. And I wanted to come and see Iraq. I wanted to come and pay my respects, most importantly, to the great soldiers, the great troopers that we have here. Nobody better.

We brought along John Bolton, brought along the First Lady, and some other great people  very talented people. But I wanted to see what we were doing over here. I tell you what, Im very impressed with these folks. Weve gotten a lot of communication through the White House, but I wanted to see it firsthand. And so we flew  we left at about 11:00, and we flew all night. And I think its going to be well worth it.

Q Mr. President, what effect will your decision in Syria to pull out the 2,000 troops have here in Iraq?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, you know, we can do things from Iraq that  we can take over some of the slack. But, as you know, weve knocked out about 99 percent of the caliphate. Its time to bring them back.

I told the generals  about a year and a half ago, I said, Lets get out of Syria. And they said, Sir, can we have some more time? I said, Yep. Youve got another six months. Lets get out of Syria. Ive said it for a long time. And then  and other places, too, I was talking about. But lets talk about Syria.

I said, Lets get out of Syria. Lets bring our young people home. And they said, Sir, could we have six more months? I said, Yep. Youve got six more months. Lets go. And I gave them six months. Then I said, Lets get out. And they said, Sir, could we have six more months? I said, Yep. Youve got six more months.

And then they said again, recently, Could we have more time? I said, Nope. You cant have any more time. Youve got enough time.

Weve knocked them out. Weve knocked them silly. I will tell you that I had some very good talks with President Erdogan, who wants to knock them out also. And hell do it. And others will do it, too, because were in their region; they should be really sharing the burden of cost, and theyre not.

And now theyre going to be doing it. And if they dont, theyre going to go in, and theyll go into places like Turkey and Russia and Iran and Iraq and lots of others places.

So these people are going to have to start doing a lot of their own work, and theyre going to have to start paying for it, because the United States cannot continue to be the policeman of the world. We dont want to do that. We want to protect our country. These people want to protect our country. Theyve been here a long time.

Q Do you have any plans to pull the forces out of Iraq as well?

THE PRESIDENT: No plans at all, no. In fact, we could use this as a base if we wanted to do something in Syria. If  I will say this, if you take ISIS and if we see something happening with ISIS that we dont like, we can hit them so fast and so hard, they wont  they really wont know what the hell happened.

But its time to get our soldiers out, and its time to get our young people out. And Ive been signing plenty of letters, and I dont like sending those letters home to parents, saying that your young man or your young woman has been killed. And I dont like doing it. Weve been doing it long enough.

Weve been here, and if you look at Afghanistan, 19 years. Weve been doing it a long time. And these people at this table have been incredible. These are incredible people. And these are incredible men and women. But weve been doing it a long time.

So I gave notice in Syria  you know, the way it was reported was like I just pulled out; I didnt just pull out. Ive been talking about it for a year and a half. Ive been telling the generals, Lets go. Go ahead, take more time. Lets go. Take more time. Constantly giving them more time. Finally, I said, Okay, its now time for others to take over that fight. We dont want to be there.

If you look at Syria  so we went there about eight years ago, and it was supposed to be for a three-month period of time. We never left. Its time to bring our people back home.

Thank you.

Q Sir, what do you make of people like Lindsey Graham, who say youre making a mistake?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I had a good debate with Lindsey Graham in front of a lot of people the other day. And I think even Lindsey would say that that had a big impact (inaudible). Lindsey Graham is somebody that I like, that we work together  we agree on many things. We agreed on Justice Kavanaugh, Justice Gorsuch. We agreed on many things.

I think that a lot of people are going to come around to my way of thinking. Its not fair when we burden the  when the burden is all on us, the United States. Were building now  as you folks know, youre seeing new equipment coming in for the first time in many years  $716 billion and $700 billion, the last two years. Far more than you ever got.

And now were buying all beautiful, new fighter jets. And were buying  were building new ships. Were doing a lot of new things, even the equipment for your men and women.

But its time for us to start using our head. We dont want to be taken advantage anymore by countries that use us and use our incredible military to protect them. They dont pay for it, and theyre going to have to.

Now, if you look at what happened in Syria, President Erdogan stepped up, and he says he wants to knock out ISIS. We say, Whatevers left. Its just the remnants of ISIS. And Saudi Arabia just came out and said theyre going to pay for some economic development, which is great. That means we dont have to pay.

But we may help, at some point. We may go back and help. We can do a lot of things with our companies and others, where they go out and they do a great job.

But the bottom line is: Were going to use our heads, and wealthy countries cannot continue to use the United States to defend them. These are wealthy countries. These are seriously wealthy countries, in certain cases, that Im talking about. Im not only talking about in the Middle East. Im talking about all over the world. Wealthy countries cannot expect the United States to pay for a vast majority of their military. They can pay us. They can reimburse us.

Theres nobody has a military like us, but were all over the world. Were spread out all over the world. Were in countries that most people have never even heard about. And, frankly, its ridiculous.

So thats the story. Its very simple. I wanted to come to Iraq. I wanted to meet these great heroes. And thats what were doing, and thats why were here. Thats why we took that flight.

Q Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT: Yeah.

Q About the criticism that, by leaving Syria, you might increase jeopardy for Israel, how do you respond?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I dont see it. And I spoke with Bibi. I told Bibi. And, you know, we give Israel $4.5 billion a year. And theyre doing very well defending themselves, if you take a look.

But well be there for Israel. Well always be there for Israel. Im the one that moved the embassy to Jerusalem. You know, nobody was willing to do that. All these Presidents came and went. They all said they will do it. They never did it. Many, many Presidents said they were going to move the embassy to Jerusalem. They never did it; I did it. Big difference.

So thats the way it is. Were going to take good care of Israel. Israel is going to be good. But we give Israel $4.5 billion a year. And we give them, frankly, a lot more money than that, if you look at the books  a lot more money than that. And theyve been doing a very good job for themselves.

Q Sir, what about the timing of this trip, coming during a government shutdown back in Washington?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I did this  about three or four weeks ago, we set this up. We actually had a couple of them set up, and we cancelled for security reasons because people were finding out.

Pretty sad, when you spend $7 trillion in the Middle East, and going in has to be under this massive cover, with planes all over and all of the greatest equipment in the world, and you do everything you can to get in safely. Pretty sad. You spend $7 trillion, and you have to come in through military escorts and all of the other incredible things that they did. Incredible.

Q How long do you think the shutdown will last, Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT: Whatever it takes. I mean, were going to have a wall. Were going to have safety. We need safety for our country, even from this standpoint. We have terrorists coming in through the southern border. We have the terrorists also coming in, fellas, through the southern border. Because you know why? It was always the easiest.

Now, weve made it very tough, but  I wont put them on the spot, but I guarantee you, they would say, You dont have a wall, youre not going to have I mean, the folks that are saying, Can we have some drones? Can we have technology? Technology is bells and whistles. You have to have a wall. You have to have protection.

But we have, in addition to drugs, in addition to human trafficking, in addition to mass numbers of illegals who are coming in  many of whom are criminals. You saw that. Six hundred and eighteen, so far, that we found  in some cases, very serious criminals. In some cases, murderers. You saw that yourselves. It was on your cameras for everybody to see.

We need a wall. So when you say, How long is it going to take? When are they going to say that we need border security? When are the Democrats going to say it? Dont forget, the Democrats all agreed that you need a wall, until I wanted it. Once I wanted it, they didnt agree.

Steve.

Q Whats your timeline on a new Defense Secretary?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, we have wonderful man in there now, as you know. Our friend, Shanahan, is a good man, and hes done a great job. And hes a good buyer. I wanted somebody that could buy, because Im giving a lot of money and I dont want it to be wasted.

You know, when I came here, they were spending  for a $4 billion aircraft carrier, they were up to $16 billion. Thats not me; thats them. I inherited that and many other things. Cost overruns all over the place.

So Shanahan was at Boeing, and did a great job at Boeing. He was there for a long time. Boeing is a hell of a company. He did a great job. Very responsible for the success of a certain plane, the Dreamliner. And hes a respected man. He could be there for a long time. I mean, Im in no rush.

I will say that Ive got everybody  everybody and his uncle wants that position. And also, by the way, everybody and her aunt  just so I wont be criticized for that last statement.

Everybody wants that position. Everybody. Everybody  so many people want to be  who wouldnt want to be Secretary of Defense? Even these folks would like to be Secretary of Defense. Who wouldnt want to be? This guy, hes looking over there. He said, Boy, I would like that (inaudible). (Laughter.)

So we have a lot of people. We have a lot of great people who want to be Secretary of Defense. Well take our time and well make the right decision.

Q Mr. President, have you come down from $5 billion to $2 billion for border security in the conversations with Democrats?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, you know  as you know, weve already built a lot of wall. Were building a lot more, you know, just through the normal budget. And we fixed a tremendous amount of wall  many miles. Sarah can give you the numbers. Sarah Sanders can give you the numbers. But weve fixed a lot of wall, and weve renovated it. Its very, very good. Its as good as new. And, you know, many, many miles of that.

And weve also built new wall a lot. But we just gave out a contract that, when its all completed out, itll be 115 miles. Thats a lot. Were talking about 500 to 550 miles. And this will be  just this one contract is 115. Im going there  I assume youre coming with me  on probably the end of January, a little bit before the State of the Union. I think were going to do it before the State of the Union Address. Ill be going to Texas, and were going to be sort of having a long  well have a long groundbreaking, because it covers a lot of territory. But were going to have a groundbreaking for the wall.

Q But as to the matter of negotiations, sir, have you come down from the $5 billion ask to $2 billion? Thats a perception Democrats have.

THE PRESIDENT: Heres the problem  yeah, heres the problem we have: We have a problem with the Democrats because Nancy Pelosi is calling the shots, not Chuck. And Chuck wants to have this done. I really believe that. He wants to have this done. But shes calling the shots, and shes calling them because she wants the votes.

And probably, if they do something, shes not going to get the votes, and shes not going to be Speaker of the House. And that would be not so good for her. Because shes got  you know, shes in a very tight contest. I know her contest very well; I know it maybe better than she does. I know exactly where she is. And shes in a very, very tight contest. There are those that say she doesnt have the votes yet. Lets see what happens. I say she does.

But if Chuck does this, it could very well have negative implications on her becoming Speaker of the House. So they all know you need it; they all know you need this border security. They all know you need the wall  or whatever you want to call it  in order to secure our border, which these people know more about than anybody. And they can tell you, you need a wall. But the one who is calling the shots is Nancy Pelosi.

Q Will you accept $2 billion instead of $5 billion, sir?

THE PRESIDENT: Im not going to talk about it now. But I will say this: We have been building a lot of wall. A lot of people dont know it, and I havent really been stressing it, frankly, because maybe I felt it wasnt the right thing to do. But weve been building a lot of wall. If you go out, youll see it. Or we can give you an exact list. Sarah, youll do that.

But were building now  we just gave out a contract, as you know; I just released it the other day. But we are building a lot of wall. We have a lot of great wall going in the most important places. Were starting in the most important places, which I would say history says, fellas, thats a good thing to do, right? Do the most important places first and do the least important places last.

So we are probably up to  with what were building now and what were going to start very shortly, were probably up to over 200 miles of wall. Nobody knows that, nor did I want to tell anybody. So we are moving very rapidly. And I have other sources if I need them. But we have to do it the right way.

Look, the American public is demanding a wall. I think theyre under a lot of pressure. The problem is, we need 10 Democrat votes in the Senate. The House is 100 percent. You saw that. Nancy said wed never get the votes in the House. Not only did we get them, we got them by a lot  217 to 185. I mean, we got them by a lot. Nobody believed that.

Nancy Pelosi sat, and she said you couldnt get the votes in the House. And then we got the votes in the House. And that was for $5.8 billion.

So were doing well. The problem is, we need 10 votes in the Senate, and they have to be Democrat votes. They cant  you know, people dont understand. They hear we have the majority. Well, we have, right now, the majority by one. Soon, well have the majority by three because we won the Senate and we picked up. Nobody ever reports that, but we won the Senate and we picked up two seats, which is  you know, someday one of you guys are going to get out and actually report that. There are those that say its more important because thats what approves Supreme Court judges, judges, people  everything.

But we won the Senate, and people were very surprised at how well we did in the Senate. We almost won three additional seats that we werent expected to be anywhere near.

So Nancy is calling the shots. And they all know  look, politically speaking  I dont do it for politics; Im doing nothing for politics. But, politically speaking, people want border security, okay?

One more question?

MS. SANDERS: Well take one more question.

THE PRESIDENT: One more.

Q Did you have any concerns about coming here today?

THE PRESIDENT: Absolutely, when I heard what you had to go through.

Q What did you go through?

THE PRESIDENT: I mean, look, I had concerns for the institution of the presidency because  not for myself, personally. I had concerns for the First Lady, I will tell you. But if you would have seen what we had to go through, with the darkened plane, with all windows closed, with no lights on whatsoever, anywhere  pitch black. Ive never seen it; Ive been in many airplanes  all types and shapes and sizes. Ive never seen anything like it. Were coming in, and I know all of the things that were surrounding us for safety.

So did I have a concern? Yeah, I had a concern, but my bigger concern was maybe the people that were with me, certainly all of them  except, I think, John Bolton. Hes a pretty tough guy. He can handle it. Right, John? John can handle it.

And, by the way, John and I agree on all of this. And I think John will say that we went through numerous  extension, extension, extension. John  and John is, you know, pretty strong on the subject. Hes pretty strong. Hes pretty hawkish on everything having to do with the military.

And, by the way, I think Im probably more hawkish than anybody. Anybody. Nobody is more hawkish than me. But I also like to use it in the right place. And, frankly, I like not using it at all.

And one of the things were doing is we are building the greatest force that weve ever had, that weve ever had. Weve never had a force like were building, in terms of the equipment. We have the best people, to start off with.

And by doing what Im doing, hopefully, we wont have to use it. But there is nobody that believes more strongly in having a powerful military than I do. And were respected once again in the world, and thats nice to see because our military  Im not going to put them on the spot, but our military was seriously depleted when I took office. Seriously depleted. It was in bad shape. And very soon, its going to be phenomenal shape.

Okay? Thank you all very much.In the nine years since Black Mirror first aired, Charlie Brookers dystopian vision has started to seem less and less implausible. The acclaimed British anthology series, which explores societys relationship with technology, predicted the likes of Animoji, robotic bees  even, somehow, David Camerons piggate. In 2016, in a move that eerily recalled series one episode The Entire History of You, Samsung patented contact lenses with a built-in camera.

But as the show has evolved from a cult favourite, only really known in the UK, into something globally famous  largely thanks to its transition from Channel 4 to Netflix  it has risked not only toppling under the weight of its own success, but becoming something of a self-parody. When journalist Daniel Mallory Ortberg famously tweeted, Next on Black Mirror: what if phones, but too much? there was the faint whiff of an impending backlash.

Because of the show's unique combination of cynicism and imagination, however, Charlie Brooker has managed to keep Black Mirror on track. There have been a few missteps, of course, but like its inspiration The Twilight Zone, the possibilities for Black Mirrors future are infinite.

These are all the episodes so far, ranked from worst to best, including season five. **Spoilers ahead**

Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best Show all 23 1 /23 Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best Click through for our ranking of every Black Mirror episode to date, including season five. Spoilers ahead Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best "The Waldo Moment" Series two, episode three While supremely prescient in predicting how a pop-culture figure would one day find themselves unwittingly in a place of political power, "The Waldo Moment" lacks the bite of other episodes. The pacing is cumbersome, and the bleak ending for Daniel Rigby's failed comedian feels slightly extra. Channel 4 Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best "Crocodile" Series four, episode three A new insurance company innovation allows access to peoples memories  much to the dismay of Andrea Riseboroughs Mia, who witnesses an accident but has much darker things to hide. Riseborough is typically excellent, but Mias behaviour is jarringly inconsistent throughout. Netflix Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best "Arkangel" Series four, episode two When an overly fearful mother (Rosemarie DeWitt) resorts to drastic measures in order to keep her daughter safe, things inevitably unravel. Quite how far they unravel is the greatest weakness of a lacklustre episode, despite being directed with vigour by Jodie Foster. Netflix Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too" Series five, episode four Casting a globally famous pop star, Miley Cyrus, as a globally famous pop star whose entire consciousness is copied over into sellable robot dolls should have been a fun idea. But the episode unfolds at a strangely plodding pace, failing to make good use of its concept and its stars. Thankfully, when the tone suddenly changes as a result of an accidental discovery at the hands of two teenage sisters, the episode becomes a fun, high-concept heist film. Netflix Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best "Men Against Fire" Series three, episode five A group of soldiers are tasked with protecting a village from mutant humans known as roaches, by hunting them down and exterminating them. A typically shocking twist reveals that something even more sinister is at play, and two soldiers  played by Malachi Kirby and Madeline Brewer  must face the horrific moral implications of their actions. A shocking, troubling episode. Netflix Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best "Hated in the Nation" Series 3, episode six The shows longest outing, after the just-released Bandersnatch, Hated in the Nation is Brookers answer to Scandi Noir dramas such as The Killing. But its murder mystery plot, involving killer drone insects, fails to reach the heights it aspires to. Netflix Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best "Playtest" Series three, episode four Theres fun to be had in the augmented reality chiller Playtest, an episode following an American man (Wyatt Russell) who accepts a one-time, rather bizarre, job offer from a video game company. An often thrilling instalment, that ultimately fails to live up to its brilliant potential. Netflix Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best "Nosedive" Series three, episode one A phenomenal team came together for the first Netflix-produced episode: star Bryce Dallas Howard, director Joe Wright and The Good Place creator Michael Schur. The result is expansive, expensive-looking  and strangely soulless. The world it presents, however, is scarily plausible: people must rate each other from one to five at every single interaction in a bid to improve social standing. Netflix Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best "Smithereens" Series five, episode one Fleabag actor Andrew Scott plays a grieving not-Uber driver who hates how people are addicted to their phones. He decides to take someone hostage and demands to speak to their boss  the head of a world-conquering social media website (a fictional Mark Zuckerberg-type character played by Topher Grace). By Black Mirror's standards it feels like a thin premise, and doesn't build enough to justify a 70-minute running time. Despite a moving ending, Smithereens feels muted rather than subtle. Netflix Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best "The National Anthem" Series one, episode one Could this be the most audacious first episode of any TV series? "The National Anthem" is a wonderfully twisted opener, a satirical comment on the terrifying power of social media via a grim story about a Prime Minister forced to have sex with a pig live on television. It set the Black Mirror blueprint perfectly. Channel 4 Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best "Black Museum" Series 2, episode 3 Letitia Wright leads this unique episode, which irresistibly contains references to every other Black Mirror outing to date. With it's B-movie thrills and body horror sub-plot, this is the closest the series has come to a Hammer House of Horror film. Netflix Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best "Shut Up and Dance" Series three, episode three This episode follows a teenage boy (Alex Lawther) who is blackmailed into committing criminal acts by a mysterious hacker. Featuring arguably the shows most distressing twist, Shut Up and Dance may not make for enjoyable television, but its a slickly-written marvel that gets under your skin. Netflix Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best Striking Vipers Series five, episode three In Striking Vipers, Anthony Mackie  last seen sporting mechanical wings as Falcon in the Avengers series  plays Danny, a married father trying to keep a lid on his mid-life ennui. Events take an unusual turn when he has earth-shattering, chandelier-swinging virtual sex with a college friend, Karl (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). Underpinning this futuristic story are timeless themes of fidelity, family, fantasy fulfilment and the love triangle. In a series famed for its wild visions and outre set pieces, Striking Vipers is distinctive by its meditative tone and everyday preoccupations. Netflix Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best "White Bear" Series two, episode two This episode follows an amnesiac girl who wakes up in a post-apocalyptic wasteland pursued by weapon-wielding assailants; silent bystanders watch on, disturbingly recording events on their mobile phones. "White Bear" feels like a nightmare come to life, but its a gripping one, subverting your expectations every 15 minutes. Channel 4 Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best "Fifteen Million Merits" Series one, episode two Every season of Black Mirror has one episode that yanks at the heartstrings, and Fifteen Million Merits was its first. The love story of a man (Daniel Kaluuya) and a woman (Jessica Brown Findlay) doomed to generate power on stationary bicycles for an unspecified amount of time, it presents a bleak outlook for the future of game shows. Brooker at his most Orwellian. Channel 4 Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best "Metalhead" Series 4, episode five This take on the stalk-and-slash genre makes for Black Mirror's most intense viewing experience. The camera remains right there alongside Maxine Peakes nameless protagonist, alienated from the rest of civilisation as she's hunted by a robotic assassin for no apparent reason. Terrifying stuff. Jonathan Prime / Netflix Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best "Hang the DJ" Series 2, episode 3 With its uplifting story of two lovers fighting against the odds to be with each other, "Hang the DJ" is a season four equivalent of the uplifting San Junipero. Georgina Campbell and Joe Cole offer magnetic performances as Amy and Frank, who are trapped in a Centre Parcs-style holiday resort. As the ending draws near, the episode suggests that love can triumph over the most difficult circumstances. Netflix Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best "White Christmas" Series two, episode four Black Mirror went full Twilight Zone for its festive episode, an anthology treat featuring several short tales linked by what could perhaps be Brooker's most disturbing technological invention yet  a device that permits you to "block" people from your life. Jon Hamm and Rafe Spall are excellent as a storytelling duo stationed at a remote outpost in the middle of a snowy wilderness. Channel 4 Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best "Be Right Back" Series two, episode one Hayley Atwells performance as a grief-stricken widow in this acclaimed outing is faultless, while Domhnall Gleesons robotic recreation of her husband (like some hellish combination of the Scarlett Johanssons AI from Her and Mary Shelleys Frankenstein) joins the pantheon of great sci-fi robots. It came as no surprise that its director, Owen Harris, was brought back to direct the "San Junipero" episode a season later. Channel 4 Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best "USS Callister" Series four, episode one Brooker basks in his own nerdiness in this glorious Star Trek-inspired tale thats brilliantly conceived and executed. Using the DNA of his colleagues to create virtual avatars who believe themselves to be real, Jesse Plemonss character makes for the entire seriess creepiest villain  partly because of how sorry for him you feel at the beginning of the episode, before clocking his sadistic ways. Netflix Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best "San Junipero" Series three, episode four Its still all too rare for a queer love story on screen to have a happy ending  and rarer still for a Black Mirror episode. And yet the tender San Junipero, which sees two women fall in love in a seaside town that naturally isnt quite what it seems, is a rare instance of optimism from Brookers generally fatalistic imagination, and we cant help but love it for that. By the time Belinda Carlisle's "Heave Is a Place on Earth" plays over the end credits, you'll be doing something no other episode can make you do: smiling. Netflix Every Black Mirror episode ranked  from worst to best "The Entire History of You" Series one, episode three This episode often tops the list when discussing best Black Mirror episodes, and for good reason. It was the first to put Brooker's spin on disturbed technological advancements to truly devastating effect, tracking the dissolution of a marriage (of Toby Kebbell and Jodie Whittaker) in a world where memories can be re-lived as easily as switching on a television. It's the presence of Tom Cullen's charismatic male that causes Kebbell's character to frantically pore over every part of his wife's behaviour, convincing himself she's had an affair. Where other Black Mirror episodes introduce expansive worlds, this places the action in the most relatable of settings  the home  and is all the more disturbing for it. Essential viewing. Channel 4

Black Mirror is available to watch on Netflix.Actor Macaulay Culkin has listened to the people and plans on legally changing his middle name to Macaulay Culkin.

The actor announced the name change on Twitter after a poll he took to determine what he should change his middle name to, with his first and last name winning out to replace his current name, Carson.

Merry Christmas to me, from all of you! My new middle name has been chosen. You voted and the winner is clear, the Home Alone star tweeted on Christmas Day.

He continued: In 2019 my new legal name will be: Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin. It has a nice ring to it (if you like my name).

The results came from a request for ideas from his fans on Twitter, and beat out several other top tier contenders.

Those included names like Shark Week, The McRib is Back, and Publicity Stunt. A campaign to get Culkin to change his middle name to that of his brothers, Kieran, also lost out in the votes.

The 38-year-old actor is best known for his work in the 1990 Christmas film Home Alone, during which he played the role of Kevin McCallister. That movie was followed up by two other Home Alone movies in the series.

He lives in New York City, and previously sang in a pizza themed comedy rock band called The Pizza Underground.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Culkins younger brother Kieran, whose name almost won the contest, also acted in the Home Alone movies and most recently starred in the critically acclaimed US drama Succession.A duck that was thought to be extinct for 15 years has been brought back from the brink and given a new home on a remote lake in Madagascar.

Some 21 Madagascar pochards spent a week in the safety of the world's first floating aviaries on Lake Sofia in the north of the country.

Gloucestershire-based Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) said this pioneering approach is to enable the birds to become accustomed to their new surroundings, increasing the chances they will remain at the site after release.

The state of the wetlands in Madagascar is so poor they will likely not survive if they leave the lake.

The ducks were released from the aviaries in December and very quickly adapted to the lake, diving and flying, associating with other wild ducks and returning to the safety of the floating aviaries to feed and roost.

Recommended Nearly every species of lemur at risk of extinction

Experts from WWT, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, The Peregrine Fund and the government of Madagascar have spent years laying the foundations for the birds' introduction.

With a wild population of just 25, this duck may be the rarest bird on the planet.

Nigel Jarrett, head of conservation breeding at the WWT, said: "It takes a village to raise a child, so the old African proverb goes, but in this case it has taken a village to raise a duck.

"We have been preparing for this moment for over a decade.

"The logistics of working in a remote part of Madagascar - where access to the lakes by vehicle is only possible for three months a year - have been an enormous challenge, requiring us to come up with novel approaches.

"Working with local communities to solve the issues which were driving this bird to extinction has been essential to giving the pochard a chance of survival.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

"If we can make this work, it will provide a powerful example not just for of how save the planet's most threatened species but how communities can manage an ecosystem to benefit people and wildlife, especially in areas of significant poverty."

Conservationists have been meticulously planning their release since the surprise discovery of a small group of pochards in 2006.

Faced with an endless set of logistical hurdles, they have had to consistently think outside the box.

Madagascar pochards spend almost all their time on water and, importantly, feed underwater.

For this reason, a plan was conceived to convert Scottish salmon-farming cages into the world's first floating aviaries.

After successful trials in 2017, the aviaries were shipped from the UK to Madagascar and assembled on Lake Sofia this summer.

Ducklings hatched in October were transported 124 miles to the lake along a dirt road and reared in lakeside aviaries.

Then, in early December, just before they were able to fly, they were moved into the floating aviaries.

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Other floating equipment - feeding stations and loafing rafts - have also been specially designed and installed on the lake to give the birds the best possible chance of survival.

With much of the wetlands across northern Madagascar severely degraded due to human encroachment, conservationists have also been working to improve the condition of Lake Sofia.

Dr Glyn Young, head of birds at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, said: "The idea that we could be releasing pochards into the wild only 12 years after rediscovery pays remarkable testament to the dreams and hard work of many people from Madagascar, Jersey and the UK, who have worked tirelessly to see this remarkable bird get a chance of survival in a changing world."

PAIt's been a bad year for bitcoin. After the highs of 2017, which saw the price of bitcoin surge to $20,000 (15,700), the world's most valuable cryptocurrency is currently trading close to its lowest point in 16 months.

Bitcoin has fallen by 3 per cent over the last 24 hours, adding to losses of 5 per cent in the last week, 10 per cent in the last month and almost 80 per cent over the last year  leaving little doubt that last year's peak was indeed the result of an over-inflated bubble.

There have been five major price spikes in bitcoin's 10 year history, and after each previous crash the market has managed to recover to even higher levels. But the scale of the 2018 losses have left some cryptocurrency experts questioning whether bitcoin will once again see a market turn-around.

Predicting bitcoin's fortunes in 2019 has therefore divided analysts, with forecasts from high-profile figures within the cryptocurrency industry ranging from a complete capitulation, to a 10-fold increase from today's price of $3,650.

The most radical predictions come from bitcoin cash founder Calvin Ayre and Fundstrat co-founder Thomas Lee. Mr Ayre predicts bitcoin will become completely worthless and crash to $0 in 2019, as it has "no utility."

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

According to Ayre, bitcoin will be superseded by a more technologically advanced cryptocurrency that functions better as an actual currency, such as bitcoin cash.

On the other end of the scale is Mr Lee, whose predictions about bitcoin have been proved to be wildly optimistic in the past. As recently as November, Mr Lee predicted bitcoin would hit $15,000 by the end of 2018, but appears undeterred by more price falls in his forecast that bitcoin could hit $36,000 in 2019.

Those positive about bitcoin's future point to he general progression of the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry over the last 12 months, with one analyst suggesting bitcoin is currently undervalued.

"In my opinion, now is a great time to purchase bitcoin," blockchain adviser Olver Isaacs told The Independent. "Bitcoin's surrounding infrastructure has never looked better. Along with the likes of Coinbase, Cirlce, and Blockchain, huge traditional financial institutions are stepping into the market."

Bitcoin's price fall in 2018 (CoinMarketCap)

This is a sentiment shared by Misha Libman, co-founder of blockchain art laboratory Snark.art, who puts bitcoin's price volatility down to the nascency of the industry.

"Ultimately we are dealing with a new technology and new asset that is highly speculative, illiquid and elusive, and drivers for its rise and fall is anyone's guess," he said. "But without a doubt I believe that blockchain and cryptocurrencies have a place in our future and the roller coaster volatility that we are seeing today is something we are going to have to live with for a while until we will start using cryptocurrency to buy chewing gum."

"For those feeling nostalgic for the excitement they felt about bitcoin's boom at the end of last year, keep the faith," added Donald Bullers, who works for blockchain firm Elastos.

"The latter half of 2018 was a critical maturation point for the industry, and 2019 will bring with it viable products going to market. Crypto is far from dead."Someone appears to have drilled a hole in the International Space Station from the inside, according to a member of its crew.

One of the Russian cosmonauts who explored the strange gap found in the outside of a capsule attached to the International Space Station said Russian law enforcement is now looking to understand how the opening was drilled from inside the spacecraft.

Sergei Prokopyev said investigators were looking at samples he and crewmate Oleg Kononenko collected during a 12 December spacewalk. Prokopyev and two other astronauts returned to Earth last week from a 197-day space station mission.

The hole in the Russian Soyuz spacecraft attached to the station was spotted on Aug. 30. The crew discovered a leak that was creating a slight loss of pressure and plugged the hole with epoxy and gauze.

Prokopyev said at a news conference the cavity started from the capsule's interior and "it's up to the investigative organs to judge when that hole was made."

Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Show all 30 1 /30 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An image from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows a 200,000 mile long solar filament ripping through the Sun's corona in September 2013 Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa Celebrates 50 Years of Spacewalking For 50 years, NASA has been "suiting up" for spacewalking. In this 1984 photograph of the first untethered spacewalk, NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless is in the midst of the first "field" tryout of a nitrogen-propelled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Hubble Cosmic Couple The spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427  more commonly known as WR 124  and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Veil Nebula Supernova Remnant Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled in stunning detail a small section of the Veil Nebula - expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago Nasa's most stunning pictures of space The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launch The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, carrying three new astronauts to the International Space Station. It also took caviar, ready for the satellite's inhabitants to celebrate the holidays Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth from the ISS From the International Space Station, Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry W. Virts took this photograph of the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Gulf Coast at sunset Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Black Hole Friday Nasa celebrated Black Friday by looking into space instead  sharing pictures of black holes Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space NuSTAR X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Cassiopeia A c A false colour image of Cassiopeia A comprised with data from the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes and the Chandra X-Ray observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Orion Capsule splashes down The Orion capsule jetted off into space before heading back a few hours later  having proved that it can be used, one day, to carry humans to Mars Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth Observations From Gemini IV in 1965 This photograph of the Florida Straits and Grand Bahama Bank was taken during the Gemini IV mission during orbit no. 19 in 1965. The Gemini IV crew conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following Ed White's historic spacewalk on June 3 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Frosty slopes of Mars This image of an area on the surface of Mars, approximately 1.5 by 3 kilometers in size, shows frosted gullies on a south-facing slope within a crater. The image was taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is mounted on its Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Yellowstone from space NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman shared this image of Yellowstone via his twitter account Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Saturn This near-infrared color image shows a specular reflection, or sunglint, off of a hydrocarbon lake named Kivu Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Worlds Apart Although Mimas and Pandora, shown here, both orbit Saturn, they are very different moons. Pandora, "small" by moon standards (50 miles or 81 kilometers across) is elongated and irregular in shape. Mimas (246 miles or 396 kilometers across), a "medium-sized" moon, formed into a sphere due to self-gravity imposed by its higher mass Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An X1.6 class solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun in this image taken 10 September, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Mars Rover Spirit Nasa's Mars Rover Spirit took the first picture from Spirit since problems with communications began a week earlier. The image shows the robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Morning Aurora From the Space Station Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station Nasa/Scott Kelly Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Launch of History - Making STS-41G Mission in 1984 The Space Shuttle Challenger launches from Florida at dawn. On this mission, Kathryn Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk and Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space. The crew of seven was the largest to fly on a spacecraft at that time, and STS-41G was the first flight to include two female astronauts Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Fresh Perspective on an Extraordinary Cluster of Galaxies Galaxy clusters are often described by superlatives. After all, they are huge conglomerations of galaxies, hot gas, and dark matter and represent the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Sees a Galactic Sunflower The arrangement of the spiral arms in the galaxy Messier 63, seen here in an image from the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope, recall the pattern at the center of a sunflower ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Pluto image Four images from New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with colour data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced colour global view of Pluto Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Fresh Crater Near Sirenum Fossae Region of Mars The HiRISE camera aboard Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this closeup image of a "fresh" (on a geological scale, though quite old on a human scale) impact crater in the Sirenum Fossae region of Mars. This impact crater appears relatively recent as it has a sharp rim and well-preserved ejecta Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Peers into the Most Crowded Place in the Milky Way This Nasa Hubble Space Telescope image presents the Arches Cluster, the densest known star cluster in the Milky Way NASA & ESA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space An Astronaut's View from Space Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on 2 September 2014 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Giant Landform on Mars On Mars, we can observe four classes of sandy landforms formed by the wind, or aeolian bedforms: ripples, transverse aeolian ridges, dunes, and what are called draa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Expedition 39 Landing A sokol suit helmet can be seen against the window of the Soyuz TMA-11M capsule shortly after the spacecraft landed with Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan (NASA/Bill Ingalls) Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Jupiter's Great Red Spot Viewed by Voyager I Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and perhaps the most majestic. Vibrant bands of clouds carried by winds that can exceed 400 mph continuously circle the planet's atmosphere Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Chandra Observatory Sees a Heart in the Darkness This Chandra X-Ray Observatory image of the young star cluster NGC 346 highlights a heart-shaped cloud of 8 million-degree Celsius gas in the central region

The astronauts' quick identification and repair of the hole demonstrated "the crew was ready for any developments," he said.

The hole didn't pose a danger to Prokopyev and crewmates Serena Aunon-Chancellor of NASA and Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency during their return because the section of the capsule it appeared on was jettisoned before the fiery re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.

Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said in September the hole could have been drilled when the capsule was manufactured or in orbit. Rogozin stopped short of blaming crew members, but the statement has caused some friction between Roscosmos and NASA.

Some reports even suggested that Russians believed the hole had been intentionally drilled to allow Nasa astronauts to return back to Earth. Rogozin has since back-pedaled from the statement, blaming the news media for twisting his words.

Prokopyev scoffed at the idea the hole could have been drilled by an astronaut, saying, "You shouldn't think so badly of our crew."

Additional reporting by Associated PressWith just hours to go until the official launch of the Galaxy S10 range of smartphones, countless leaks mean almost everything is already known about Samsung's next flagship smartphone.

Just as 2017 signified the tenth anniversary of the iPhone, 2019 marks 10 years since the first ever Samsung Galaxy smartphone  and the South Korean tech giant has something special planned for the birthday edition of its most popular device.

Samsung is yet to give any official details, though opened up reservations for the phone on its website last week. Here's everything we know so far.

Samsung Galaxy S10: Camera

One of the stand-out features of the Galaxy S10 is expected to be the camera, with the most recent leak suggesting it will borrow an effect usually found in traditional DSLR cameras.

A trademark for something called Artistic Live Focus describes how the smartphone camera will enable a bokeh blur on images  a visual effect usually created by the camera lens in order to blur parts of the image.

Samsung Galaxy smartphone rumours Show all 12 1 /12 Samsung Galaxy smartphone rumours Samsung Galaxy smartphone rumours Samsung Unpacked A range of Galaxy smartphones are expected to be released on 20 February, 10 years on from the release of the first Galaxy S-series phone Samsung Samsung Galaxy smartphone rumours Samsung Galaxy S10 A new flagship phone is expected to be the main event, with the Galaxy S10 expected to come in three different variants TS Concept/ YouTube Samsung Galaxy smartphone rumours Galaxy S10e The entry-level Galaxy S10 is rumoured to be called the S10e, featuring a single front-facing camera and a double lens rear camera SlashLeaks Samsung Galaxy smartphone rumours Galaxy S10 The standard Samsung Galaxy S10 will add an extra camera lens to the rear, as well as improved specs and storage capacity WinFuture Samsung Galaxy smartphone rumours Galaxy S10+ The most premium Galaxy S10 is expected to be called the S10+. It will be both bigger and better than the other versions but also more expensive. A prototype of the premium device was papped on a bus in South Korea Reddit/ hissick27 Samsung Galaxy smartphone rumours In-screen biometrics Leaks suggest that both the S10 and S10+ will feature an in-screen fingerprint scanner, allowing Samsung to maximize screen space while keeping the security feature conveniently at the front of the phone Getty Images/iStockphoto Samsung Galaxy smartphone rumours Bitcoin wallet All three Samsung Galaxy S10 devices could also come with in-built cryptocurrency wallets, cashing in on a trend being pushed by other smartphone makers like HTC Getty Images/iStockphoto Samsung Galaxy smartphone rumours Reverse wireless charging Another stand-out feature could be the inclusion of reverse wireless charging, meaning Galaxy S10 owners can share their battery power with other devices Getty Images Samsung Galaxy smartphone rumours Galaxy Buds This next-generation charging could prove useful for the companion earphones, expected to be called Galaxy Buds WinFuture Samsung Galaxy smartphone rumours Galaxy Watch Alongside the Galaxy S10 smartphones, Samsung is likely to launch a brand new smartwatch. The Galaxy Watch is expected to ditch the dial of previous Gear smartwatches in favour of two circular side buttons 91Mobiles Samsung Galaxy smartphone rumours Galaxy X Samsung has already teased a foldable phone at an event in November, and some expect the company's Unpacked event on 20 February to provide the perfect launching pad for the innovative device Samsung Samsung Galaxy smartphone rumours Foldables Little is known about the foldable phone  expected to be called the Galaxy X  though rendered images based on leaks suggest it could include a camera that pops out from behind the screen LetsGoDigital

The feature will instead use software for "creating digital animation and special effects of images", the trademark states.

The device could also come with up to five camera lenses  three on the back and two on the front  in order to support such features.

Samsung Galaxy S10: Size and specs

Three different size variants of the Galaxy S10 are likely to be launched, with each potentially coming with varying specs and camera set ups.

The standard Galaxy S10 will be complimented by a cheaper and smaller Galaxy S10 Lite, as well as a larger and more expensive Galaxy S10+.

The regular Galaxy S10 version will feature a 6.1-inch screen, while the Galaxy S10 Lite will have a 5.8-inch screen and the Galaxy S10+ is expected to have a 6.4-inch screen.

Another interesting feature is the potential inclusion of reverse wireless charging.

Samsung Galaxy S10: Bitcoin wallet

Leaked images in January appeared to reveal the surprise inclusion of an in-built cryptocurrency wallet.

Ethereum is mentioned within the wallet app, though it will be possible to store other cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and bitcoin cash within the wallet, according to SamMobile.

Samsung Galaxy S10 rumours suggest there will be some exciting new features for the phone (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

If the leak is genuine, Samsung will join HTC, Sirin Labs and several other startups in introducing a phone with cryptocurrency support.

Samsung Galaxy S10: Screen

One of the biggest challenges facing Samsung for this anniversary edition of its flagship phone is how to avoid copying one of the iPhone's most controversial features  the notch.

Apple first introduced the notch design at the top of the screen on the iPhone X in 2017, in order to accommodate front-facing technologies like cameras and sensors into an all-screen device.

Renders of the Samsung Galaxy S10 suggest an 'Infinity-O' display that negates the need for a screen notch (LetsGoDigital)

Samsung took the opportunity to mock the unconventional design in a series of adverts, while other smartphone makers decided to follow Apple's lead.

In order to deliver a corner-to-corner screen without making use of a notch, Samsung may instead use a hole punch-style design.

Samsung Galaxy S10: Release date and price

Initial speculation surrounding the Galaxy S10 release date suggested the Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona on 25 February would be the likely launch date, but a leak claims it could come even sooner.

Samsung has since announced an Unpacked event for 20 February, which is widely anticipated to be the official unveiling of the Galaxy S10 range of smartphones.

The Galaxy S10 range of smartphones are set to be unveiled at Samsung's Unpacked event on 20 February, 2019 (Samsung)

The smartphone will then be released on 8 March 2019.

Prices are expected to range from 699 for the cheapest 128 GB S10e version, to 1,399 for the most expensive 1TB S10+ version.Electric car manufacturer Tesla has added new members to its board, to prevent CEO Elon Musk from making any more false and misleading statements.

The company said Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, and Kathleen Wilson-Thompson, head of human resources at Walgreens, had joined as part of a settlement with financial regulators who demanded more scrutiny and oversight of the 47-year-old tech entrepreneur, known for making headline grabbing statements.

Excited to have Larry Ellison & Kathleen Wilson-Thompson join the Tesla board, Mr Musk tweeted on Friday, as Tesla shares rose more than two per cent following the news.

Mr Musk fell foul of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) this summer after he claimed in a tweet he had secured funding to take the electric car company private at $420 per share.

The SEC said he had misled investors intentionally, as funding had not been secured, according to the Associated Press. Shares of Tesla leapt by 11 per cent on the day of the tweet, but a few weeks later, Mr Musk said the plan to take the company private was no longer going ahead.

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He was charged with securities fraud.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

In a settlement hammered out by his lawyers and the SEC, Mr Musk paid a fine of $20m and agreed not to serve as chairman for three years.

The company was also fined $20m, and undertook to appoint two new independent board members and put in place a series of charges to its management and governance.

Corporate officers hold positions of trust in our markets and have important responsibilities to shareholders, Steven Peikin, of the SECs enforcement division, said in September when the settlement was announced.

An officers celebrity status or reputation as a technological innovator does not give license to take those responsibilities lightly.Angelina Jolie has discussed the importance of supporting sexual violence survivors while guest-editing BBCs Today programme.

In 2012 the actor and humanitarian launched the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI) in partnership with former foreign secretary William Hague.

Over the past six years Jolie has worked tirelessly with the organisation to raise awareness of the global issue, co-chairing the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict in 2014.

While speaking with BBC Radio 4 presenter Justin Webb, Jolie spoke about how many perpetrators of sexual violence are able to get away with their crimes without any consequences.

You want to empower victims to speak, she said.

But then when these brave victims come forward, what happens often still around the world is some communities they still encourage the rapist to marry the victim."

She explained that women are frequently perceived as besmirched if they've experienced acts of sexual violence.

In many communities, they treat the young woman as if she is now dirty," Jolie stated.

Nothing happens to the men that commit these crimes. So we live in this culture of impunity.

India protests against sexual violence Show all 20 1 /20 India protests against sexual violence India protests against sexual violence April 2015 School girls wear black bands on their faces during a protest rally against the rape case of a 16-year-old girl at Dhupguri town in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal Reuters India protests against sexual violence March 2015 Students of Convent of Jesus and Mary School participate in a protest against the alleged gang rape of a nun in her 70s AP India protests against sexual violence March 2015 Official figures for the number of women raped in India are often disputed by Women's Rights experts who claim the numbers are far higher SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images India protests against sexual violence March 2015 Women protest after the horrific rape and murder of Jyoti Singh in India BBC India protests against sexual violence June 2014 Women in India protest against rape and other attacks on women and girls in the country AP India protests against sexual violence June 2014 Indian activists from the Social Unity Center of India (SUCI) shout slogans against the state government in protest against the gang rape and murder of two girls in the district of Badaun in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and recent rapes in the eastern state of West Bengal, in Kolkata AFP/Getty India protests against sexual violence June 2014 Supporters of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were protesting against the rape and hanging of two girls Reuters India protests against sexual violence May 2014 Members of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union shout slogans during a protest against a gang rape of two teenage girls in Katra village, outside the Uttar Pradesh state house, in New Delhi. A top government official said the northern Uttar Pradesh state has sacked two police officers who failed to respond to a complaint by the father of the two teenage girls who went missing and were later found gang raped and killed. The placard at right reads, "Punish the culprits of gang-rape and murder of two Dalit girls" AP Photo/Manish Swarup India protests against sexual violence January 2014 Student protesters outside a Suri hospital where a rape victim is being treated Andrew Buncombe India protests against sexual violence January 2014 West Bengal Women's Forum activists walk a protest rally against a rape case in Calcutta, eastern India. A young girl was gang-raped on October 25 and afterwards repeatedly threatened by the accused, following which the disturbed girl set herself on fire December 23. She was admitted to the hospital with 40 percent burns and finally succumbed to her burn injuries on 31 December EPA India protests against sexual violence August 2013 Republican Party of India supporters protest in Mumbai against the rape of a female photographer Reuters India protests against sexual violence May 2013 Indian demonstrators shout slogans at the police during a protest calling for better safety for women AFP/Getty Images India protests against sexual violence April 2013 An Indian woman holds a poster as she protests with others against how Indian authorities handle sex crimes near the Parliament in New Delhi, after a second suspect was arrested in the rape of a 5-year-old girl. Child rights activists say the rape of the girl is just the latest case in which Indian police failed to take urgent action on a report of a missing child. Three days after the attack, the girl was found alone in locked room in the same New Delhi building where her family lives AP India protests against sexual violence March 2013 Indians protests against all-too-common gang-rapes in their country Getty Images India protests against sexual violence January 2013 Indian students of various organisations hold placards as they shout slogans during a demonstration in Hyderabad Getty Images India protests against sexual violence January 2013 A protester chants slogans as she braces herself against the spray fired from police water canons during a protest against the Indian government's reaction to recent rape incidents in India, in front of India Gate on December 23, 2012 in New Delhi Getty Images India protests against sexual violence January 2013 Indian children paint messages during a gathering to mourn the death of the 23-year old rape victim. Her statement was used in the trial AP India protests against sexual violence January 2013 Indians hold a candlelight vigil in Delhi in memory of a gang-rape victim. Five men have been charged with murder AP India protests against sexual violence December 2012 Indian protesters are escorted by police as they demonstrate against the brutal gang-rape of a woman AP India protests against sexual violence December 2012 Indian protesters destroy a police van during a violent demonstration near the India Gate against a gang rape and brutal beating of a 23-year-old student on a bus AP

Recent research commissioned by the End Violence Against Women Coalition concluded that "alarming" attitudes to consent and sexual violence may be contributing towards low conviction rates in rape trials.

The study found that a third of the British public believe if a woman has been pressured into sex, it isn't necessarily rape if no physical violence was involved.

In early December 2018, Jolie spoke with Marie Claire about why sexual violence is "not just a problem for women", emphasising that men must also be included in the conversation in order to break down the taboo that surrounds the subject.

I dont just speak to my daughters. I speak to them with their brothers, she said. That is maybe the first most important distinction.

This is not just a problem for women, and the solution is working with women and men. And girls and boys.

During her appearance on the Today show, Jolie was also asked about whether she would ever consider running for US president.

The special envoy to the UN revealed that while she's not sure whether she's suited for the world of politics, she hasn't ruled it out.

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You know honestly if you asked me 20 years ago I wouldve laughed and I really dont know. I always say Ill go where Im needed," she responded.

"I dont know if Im fit for politics, but then Ive also joked that I dont know if I have a skeleton left in my closet, so Im pretty open and out there. For now Ill stay quiet.Patricia Arquette has questioned why women at 50 aren't regarded as sexy, highlighting the ageism that women face in today's society.

Arquette is currently starring in Escape at Dannemora, a seven-part television series about a prison escape that occurred at the Clinton Correctional Facility in New York in 2015.

The Oscar-winning actor gained 40 pounds for her role as Joyce Tilly Mitchell, a prison worker who helps two inmates escape while becoming romantically involved with both of them.

Arquette acknowledges that Tilly doesnt have what people may describe as a sexy-movie-body type.

However, she asks why a womans body type or age should determine whether or not theyre deemed sexy, as she explains to The Telegraph.

Patricia Arquette in a scene from 'Escape at Dannemora' (Christopher Saunders/Showtime via AP) (AP)

Heres someone whose body types not your typical sexy-movie-body type, but whos unapologetically sexual and enjoys her sexuality, she says.

Why does society make us feel like thats wrong or weird?

Why arent you allowed to be a sexual woman at 50 years old, with a 50-year-old womans body?

In addition to gaining weight, Arquette also wore dental devices to alter her appearance for the role.

Recommended Renee Zellweger challenges interviewer who asks her about ageism

Her praiseworthy performance has led to nominations at the Critics' Choice Awards, the Golden Globe Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Despite the recognition that Arquette has been receiving for her portrayal of Tilly, she doesn't feel the need to make herself appear "likeable" to audiences.

"It's a burden people put so much more often upon women - and actresses - than they do upon men," she says.

"'Is she likeable? How can we make her likeable How do we make people empathise with her?' I don't care about that.

"It's liberating to not worry about being likeable."

Arquette has been very outspoken about women's issues over the years, having famously used her 2015 Oscar award-winning speech to discuss the lack of gender equality in America.

"We talk about equal rights for women in other countries... we don't have equal rights for women in America because when they wrote the constitution, they didn't write it for women," she said.

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The actor received the 2015 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Boyhood, which was filmed over the course of 12 years.The police came in the pre-dawn stillness of a freezing February morning in southwestern Poland, knocking at the door of a national hero who had once again become a wanted man.

There was a time when Wladyslaw Frasyniuk would have run. As the daring and profane bad boy of Solidarity, Polands underground pro-democracy movement, he had lived as a fugitive from the smothering grip of the communist state security services, jumping from trains, fleeing along rooftops and speeding away on motorcycles.

But that was long ago  back before the authoritarian regime he was fighting came crashing down, unleashing a new era of freedom in 1989. Before a 2015 election yielded a government determined to use the liberties and powers of a modern democratic state to snuff out independent institutions. Before Frasyniuk came to realize that history doesnt travel in only one direction.

Everything that my generation accomplished, said Frasyniuk, a revolutionary in his 20s who has become a dissident once more in his 60s, has made it easier and easier for this government to consolidate its control.

Autocracy is making a comeback, seeping into parts of the world where it once appeared to have been vanquished.

But it is a sleeker, subtler and, ultimately, more sophisticated version than its authoritarian forebears, twisting democratic structures and principles into tools of oppression and state control. It is also, quite possibly, far more potent and enduring than autocracies of old.

After decades of steady expansion of rights and liberties, the pro-democracy watchdog Freedom House has recorded sharp reversals, with the share of nations dubbed free declining since 2007. Countries in every region of the world have suffered setbacks, in areas such as free and fair elections, the independence of the press, the rights of minorities and the rule of law.

As Americans worry about the health of their own democracy, the lesson from abroad is that the decline can come bracingly fast.

It has in central and eastern Europe, a region that three decades ago was at the vanguard of the last great act of the 20th century: the triumph of liberal democracy over dictatorship behind the Iron Curtain. Led by young activists such as Frasyniuk, Poland and its neighbours ushered in the supposed end of history.

Today, the region is on the front lines of historys march in reverse. The democratic society that Frasyniuk fought for is in retreat, while a new breed of autocrat advances.

Its not autocracy. Its neo-autocracy, said Cristian Parvulescu, dean of the National School of Political Studies and Public Administration in Romania, a country that critics fear is trending away from the rule of law. Its not democracy. Its post-democracy.

Andrzej Duda, the president of Poland, attends a wreath laying ceremony at a war memorial in Warsaw (The Washington Post/Michael Robinson Chavez)

Some governments in the region, such as Hungarys, are deep down the road towards indefinite one-party rule. Leaders in other countries, such as the Czech Republic, only seem to aspire to that sort of absolute authority.

But wherever signs of autocracy are emerging, this much is true: they bear little resemblance to the obviously repressive methods so familiar from school textbooks chronicling 20th-century despotism.

There are no strutting soldiers in the streets or cults of personality around the great leader. Opponents and journalists speak openly and loudly, generally without fear of persecution. Instead of building walls to keep their own people in, governments construct tech-laden fences to keep supposed enemies out. Instead of economic isolation and scarcity, a gusher of foreign investment flows.

And yet, ruling politicians and parties have managed to consolidate power to a degree not seen since the communist era. Supposedly independent institutions  including courts and prosecutors offices  have become instruments of political control. Newspapers and television stations are bought up by friendly business executives and dutifully preach the governments line. Elections still take place, but they are used as justification for the majority to impose its will rather than a chance for the minority to have its say.

A Hungarian soldier stands outside the parliament building before a flag lowering ceremony in Budapest (The Washington Post/Michael Robinson Chavez)

In every respect, it looks like Europe. But you dont actually have the freedoms that makes Europe what it is, said Michael Ignatieff, a Canadian human rights scholar and president of the Budapest-based Central European University (CEU). Its new political technology.

His university has been a victim of that innovation.

Deemed a political enemy because it was founded by liberal philanthropist George Soros, the highly regarded institution has been a top target of Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban. He has denounced the CEU in speeches, and his government has passed legislation designed to make it difficult, if not impossible, for the American-accredited school to operate.

But in keeping with the new style, Orban avoided shutting down the university outright  and the storm of condemnation that would come with such a move. Instead, he left the CEU dangling in limbo for nearly two years and gave himself a small measure of deniability when it opted to retreat into exile this month. The US ambassador to Hungary, David Cornstein, used that ambiguity to blame Soros, not Orban, for the exit.

Orban, considered the architect of the regions new autocratic model, has boasted of his desire to replace outmoded notions of liberal democracy with illiberal democracy.

Others who stand accused of turning their countries away from basic freedoms deny the charge and insist that, in 21st century Europe, it cant even be done.

Theres a principle of irreversibility. Once you reach a certain standard of democracy and human rights, you cant go back, Romanian justice minister Tudorel Toader said.

He spoke in an interview in his office across the street from the Peoples House, a 1980s-era marble monument to dictatorial megalomania  and now the seat of Romanias parliament.

Toader this year forced the firing of a crusading anti-corruption prosecutor who was investigating top government officials. He has also helped push through legislation that independent authorities have said will severely limit the power of other prosecutors to hold the powerful to account.

But autocracy? Hardly, he says.

People have the freedom to choose where to travel, where to live, where to work. These are things that people didnt even dare to dream about under communism, said the former law professor who is now seen by critics as an archenemy of the rule of law. A Romanian can take a plane and go see the Statue of Liberty. You cant turn him backwards.

That is what worries Frasyniuk.

He served four years in a communist prison  and endured frequent beatings from guards  because he wanted his Polish countrymen to know the freedoms of democracy.

But in the last three years, ever since the right-wing Law and Justice party won elections, he has watched the government use the liberties for which he fought to tighten its grip.

Polands ruling Law and Justice Party has been the target of protests, such as this one in Warsaw (The Washington Post/Michael Robinson Chavez)

The election victory became a pretext for the takeover of previously independent institutions. The countrys membership in the European Union was transformed into a shield against charges of oppression and a foil in Polands long-standing quest for sovereignty. Its integration into the global economy  and the fast-paced growth that has come with it  put money in peoples pockets, overriding more abstract concerns about the rule of law.

Frasyniuk became a successful businessman after communisms fall. But Law and Justices rise brought him back to the streets.

An anti-government protest in June 2017 led to a brief scuffle with police and an investigation with which he refused to cooperate. That was enough to draw officers to his door in February  though the tactics were less conspicuously brute-force than in the old days.

Authorities used to treat people like me in a serious manner, Frasyniuk said, a note of wistful disgust in his voice, his mischievous blue eyes gleaming. They broke down doors and threw you to the ground.

If the style was new, the outcome that cold day was familiar. Frasyniuk was handcuffed behind his back and led away, a throwback to a time when he had golden miles membership at his local police precinct.

Im proof, he said, that you can get a complete historical cycle in one lifetime.

Still fit but graying at 64, he is again on the front lines of a freedom struggle.

But this time, the blind courage of youth is gone. He knows the advantage lies with the autocrats.

***

Just about every day this year, Malgorzata Gersdorf has put on a power suit and shown up at Polands Supreme Court, a modern glass building in central Warsaw framed by faux-copper columns, etched with the scales of justice. Her fellow judges recognise her as the courts leader. She works in the chief justices chambers.

But the government declared her retired in July.

Its a difference of interpretation, Gersdorf said matter-of-factly during an interview this year in her office, where a fine old grandfather clock ticks away. Mine is based on the constitution.

The Polish word for it  konstytucja  dangles from her necklace in cubed black and white letters, like a shield.

But she doubts its ability to protect her.

The right-wing populist Law and Justice party has followed a determined path to remake the Polish courts, arguing that the last vestiges of the communist era need to be purged  even though holdover judges have already gone through a rigorous screening process.

Soon after winning the 2015 elections, the party effectively took over the Constitutional Tribunal, packing the court with friendly judges. Then it moved on to the National Council of the Judiciary, giving itself final say over a body that, as Polands arbiter of judicial independence, had been relatively free of political influence.

Finally, it took aim at the Supreme Court.

Constitutionally, Gersdorfs term as chief justice runs until 2020. But the government has tried to force her and dozens of Supreme Court colleagues into early retirement. It has sought to replace them  and to fill dozens of newly created seats  in a process that has been boycotted by nearly all of the nations judges and denounced by European authorities.

Its all been completely different than what you teach your students about what law is, said Gersdorf, a professor before she became a judge. At first, we got so dizzy, we all got sick.

Now were used to it. Now we never say, Well, they cant do that, because, the fact is, they can do anything.

To Law and Justice supporters  and others in the region brandishing the will of the people as a weapon  this is how democracy is supposed to work. To the victor go the spoils. And those include control not only of the courts but also the constitution, prosecutors offices, public media, intelligence services, the civil service and other supposedly independent constraints on executive power. Hungarys government has even cracked down on civil society organisations with the justification that NGOs helping refugees were never elected to anything.

In this view, defenders of judges or bureaucrats or nonprofits are blocking the majoritys desires and using seemingly principled stands to mask their grievance at having been bested at the polls.

Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose, said Malgorzata Zuk, a party activist and Warsaw lawmaker. Sadly, there are some people who will never accept the results.

But to Gersdorf, it is a perversion of democracy  a deliberate misinterpretation of the checks on political power and the ultimate authority of the constitution.

Its a very dangerous direction, she said, one that ultimately leads to the destruction of the Polish justice system.

The government didnt try to stop her from showing up to work, knowing perhaps that to do so would provoke a clash. But with once-vast protests dwindling, and options for halting the governments takeover seemingly at their end, Gersdorf had all but accepted she would soon be ousted.

Then, the unexpected: an October ruling by the European Court of Justice temporarily blocked the forced retirements. Local elections, meanwhile, dealt the ruling party a surprise setback.

Late last month, the government retreated, introducing and passing legislation in a single day that will allow Gersdorf and her colleagues to keep their jobs.

Gersdorfs fleeting hopes have been vindicated  at least for now.

In general, Polish society loves freedom, she said. It will rebel.

***

When two lead dancers with the fabled Bolshoi Ballet company decided to defect during a US tour in 1979, their escape from Soviet minders at a packed Los Angeles auditorium required daring, luck and precision-timed choreography.

When Balazs Kadar, a 26-year-old dancer, decided this summer he had had enough of Hungarys repressive government, he visited an employment office and was told he could have a job in Germany by the following Monday.

He cancelled his lease. He sold his car. He said a tearful goodbye to his mum and packed two suitcases. Then he and his girlfriend hailed a ride-share service and sped down the highway to a new life.

Some friends said I shouldnt leave Hungary  that I should stay here and fight if I want it to be different, said Kadar, who is tall with Justin Bieber-esque looks. But this is the easiest way. To leave everything and start again.

The EUs freedom of movement rules were intended to maximise flexibility in the labour market, giving workers the chance to move anywhere on the Continent in search of a job.

But they have also given autocrats like Orban a useful safety valve. Anyone dissatisfied with his government can pick up and go, with not even a passport check standing in the way of self-imposed exile.

Hungarians dress up in Romantic era clothing for a festival in the resort town of Balatonfured (The Washington Post/Michael Robinson Chavez)

Since the prime minister came to power in 2010, hundreds of thousands of people have left the country in one of the biggest migrations of Hungarys recent history. And although many have been motivated by higher wages elsewhere on the Continent, political factors have loomed large as well.

The problem is not only the wages, said Agnes Hars, senior researcher at Budapests Kopint-Tarki Institute for Economic Research. Its the whole environment that makes people depressed.

Those who have left tend to be young, ambitious and educated. Thats not a problem for Orban, who pulls his support from the less educated, poorer and older segments of society. But it is a crisis for anyone trying to organise opposition to his rule.

Theres no protest in Hungary, because people can emigrate instead, Hars said.

Its not only individuals. This summer, the Soros-funded Open Society Foundations  which, among other things, advocates press freedom and the protection of minorities  packed up and moved to Berlin amid an onslaught of government harassment. Central European University is on its way to Vienna.

Kadar decided to move after spring elections confirmed Orbans third straight landslide victory had given him a parliamentary supermajority. He didnt feel he could stay in a country where the government was so hostile toward gay rights, so disdainful of the arts or so stacked in favour of one man and his allies.

Now we know things will never change, said Kadar, a classical dancer by training who took a job stocking a warehouse in southwestern Germany.

As freedom of movement siphons off would-be dissenters, EU subsidies line the pockets of favoured government cronies. And free trade across the bloc gives Hungary the sort of powerful allies that communist governments of old could never have dreamed of.

People exit a subway station in central Bucharest, Romania (The Washington Post/Michael Robinson Chavez)

When BMW was searching for a spot to build its first European factory in more than a decade, it chose Debrecen, a tidy city of 200,000 people on the eastern Hungarian plains. Amid corn and wheat fields, a billion-euro factory will rise, further transforming a once-rundown post-communist backwater that has become a hub of German industrial might, with daily nonstop flights to Munich.

Continental politicians periodically denounce Orban as a stain on European democracy. And Orban frequently rails against EU meddling. But between Europes corporate giants and Orban, theres a low-cost love affair.

Business expectations are at record levels, gushed German-Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce spokesperson Dirk Wolfer.

Under Orban, he said, the investment climate has been constantly improving with a corporate tax rate thats unbeatable.

He scoffed at concerns over human rights or the rule of law, and described attempts by the EU to hold Hungary to account as an irritation for the business community.

At a certain point, the companies can tell the politicians, calm down, said Laszlo Posan, a member of Orbans party who represents Debrecen in the Hungarian parliament. Companies feel good in Hungary. They dont let politicians distract from reality.

***

Vladimir Ciobotaru and his wife welcomed a baby boy to the world this week. They had the Romanian government to thank.

Ciobotaru is a surgeon, which until recently meant a salary that came nowhere near the minimum wage in any western European nation. Even by Romanian standards, it was paltry, the equivalent of less than $600 (474) per month. He and his wife shared a cramped single-room apartment, and the idea of starting a family seemed impossible.

Then the government doubled Ciobotarus pay.

The couple moved to an airy new apartment. Theyre thinking of buying a car.

Im so happy, said the 32-year-old. This gave me the security to have a child.

The pay hike for doctors  the vast majority of whom are public sector workers  has also given a measure of security to Romanias government.

Priests and church members gather for a procession in Bucharest, Romania (The Washington Post/Michael Robinson Chavez)

Romania is decried by watchdogs as one of the most corrupt countries in Europe and denounced by EU leaders as an autocracy-in-training. But its economy is gaining strength  Romania saw 6.9 per cent gross domestic product growth last year  and the government in Bucharest has managed to maintain its popularity in part by spreading a bit of the newfound wealth.

Poland and Hungary have also enjoyed rapid growth, low unemployment and  even though pay is still well below continental averages  rising wages. Their treasuries flush, Hungary has mailed cash vouchers to retirees and introduced grants for homeowners; Poland has begun paying people to have more children.

Political scientists have long theorized that growth and prosperity help sustain democracies, with the presence of a robust middle class guarding against a slide into authoritarianism.

But these European governments are proving that democracys economic dividends can also be used as a tool to cement power.

The money helps leaders keep their populations happy. It also gives them cash to burn on vanity projects, influence operations and, of course, patronage networks populated by favoured cronies.

In Romania, the leader of the ruling Social Democrats  a wealthy businessman-turned-politician named Liviu Dragnea  has been twice convicted on corruption and vote-rigging charges. It was amid subsequent accusations of even greater graft that his government ousted the nations top fraud prosecutor and pushed legislation that experts say will keep other investigators off the trail.

Horse-drawn farm carts, such as this one in Slobuzia Mora, are plentiful outside of Romanias cities. But farmers say the government has not invested in roads and infrastructure to get produce to market efficiently (The Washington Post/Michael Robinson Chavez)

Muzzling of corruption watchdogs has been a trademark of growing executive authority elsewhere in the region.

Theres a contagion effect, said Elena Calistru, who leads the Romanian civic advocacy group Funky Citizens. Our guys have seen that its worked for Poland, and its worked for Hungary. Now theyre trying to do the same.

And many Romanians dont seem too bothered.

Romania is still the EUs second poorest country, with large segments of the population scratching out a meagre living in the agrarian countryside.

Tudor Nuta, 56, picks and cuts cabbage in the early morning in Slobozia Moara (The Washington Post/Michael Robinson Chavez)

But in Bucharest  a capital city that was levelled and rebuilt in dreary dictator style under the communists  theres now a bit of bling: posh dance clubs, and shopping malls with enough glitz to rival any in the west.

Meanwhile, the worlds largest Orthodox cathedral is rising near the citys centre, with plans to top it with Europes biggest bell. In a devout nation, the mostly government-funded project has earned the ruling party credibility.

Ciobotaru, for one, is a die-hard party supporter, even if few in his social circle share his views.

The surgeon and his wife recently had friends over for dinner at their new apartment. Then politics came up, with Ciobotaru arguing that overzealous prosecutors  not ruling party politicians  are the true threat to Romanian democracy.

Their guests left before the main course.

***

Prime minister Andrej Babis was facing a revolt. He had vowed that the Czech Republic would never accept a single refugee, but in September parliamentarians were barraging him with demands to make an exception: couldnt the country take 50 Syrian orphans?

Then came a stirring piece in Lidove Noviny  the countrys oldest and long its most distinguished newspaper  that seemed to bail him out.

Written by a Czech doctor with long experience on wars front lines, it argued that the orphans would be better off left exactly where they were.

The only trouble: the doctor and her supposed humanitarian aid organisation appear not to exist. And the piece had come to the paper straight from the office of Andrej Babis, who in addition to being prime minister also happens to be Lidove Novinys owner.

It became completely clear that Babis feeds the paper stories that are in his interest, said Petra Prochazkova, who covered wars in Chechnya, Afghanistan and beyond for Lidove Noviny during a 26-year career  and who uncovered the deception around the supposed doctor. The newspaper is complicit.

In the days of Soviet client-states, the media was state-run and the Communist Partys control was total.

Today, its the power of capitalism that gives politicians outsize influence over the press.

Across central Europe, newspapers and television stations have been bought up by oligarchs allied with ruling party politicians.

In some cases, the oligarch and the politician are one and the same.

Babis, the Czech Republics second-richest man, purchased Lidove Noviny in 2013, just as he was launching a second career in politics.

The paper had been the favourite of Vaclav Havel  the playwright, dissident and, ultimately, president  as well as others among the Czech intelligentsia. Babiss purchase, which also included a mass-market daily, a television station and a radio station, instantly made him one of the nations biggest media barons.

Before becoming prime minister last year, he was forced to put all his companies in a trust. He has denied exerting influence over any editorial content, and the papers editors insist that Babis doesnt meddle.

But they also argue that reporters are deluding themselves if they think the media is different from any other business in which the owner has an interest.

If journalists are just realising the newspaper is owned by [Babiss company] Agrofert, five years after it was bought by Agrofert, theyre being naive and stupid, said Jaroslav Plesl, editor of another paper in the Babis empire, the mass-market Mlada Fronta Dnes.

Prochazkova said her paper had gradually begun to echo Babiss nationalist and anti-refugee views. But it wasnt until the scandal over the story on Syrian orphans that she admitted it to herself.

I was given freedom to write what I wanted, so I turned a blind eye to what was happening, said Prochazkova, who has since resigned.

Jaroslav Kmenta, a former investigative reporter for Mlada Fronta Dnes, didnt wait. He quit the paper on the day it was sold to Babis. He and the papers former editor now work at a small start-up magazine that produces hard-hitting investigations  including ones focused on the prime minister.

In recent months, Kmenta said, he has been repeatedly called in for questioning by security services. They demand to know his sources and threaten him when he refuses. That, he said, is new in the Czech Republic. Theres now constant pressure on us  pressure for every story we write, he said.

For now, the Czech media is widely seen as freer than those of other countries in the region. Meanwhile, Babis is considerably weaker than his counterparts in Hungary or Poland, and is engulfed in a corruption scandal that threatens his hold on the government.

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But with all the models around him for consolidating control, Kmenta is not optimistic. Babis is a smart man, and the path to ever-greater power has become well-travelled.

Just wait a few years, Kmenta said. This is only the beginning.

This article was reported from Wroclaw and Warsaw in Poland; Budapest and Debrecen in Hungary; Bucharest in Romania and Prague in the Czech Republic. The Washington Posts Michael Robinson Chavez, Gergo Saling, Andras Petho, Magdalena Foremska, Ladka Mortkowitz Bauerova and Ioana Burtea contributed to this report

 The Washington PostFertility issues and webbed feet are among the genetic problems threatening a critically endangered group of gorillas living in central Africa, according to a new study.

Based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Grauers gorilla numbers have declined by 80 per cent in recent decades due to poaching and habitat destruction.

With their numbers plummeting, coupling becomes difficult and the remaining population is now vulnerable to inbreeding, researchers found.

After comparing DNA samples from museum specimens with the current population, they discovered the genetic diversity of these critically endangered apes had declined sharply in recent years

They also identified an uptick in potentially harmful mutations in living gorillas, in genes linked with male fertility and disease resistance.

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Further mutations known to stunt finger and toe development were thought to explain why some Grauers gorillas have fused digits.

With a smaller gene pool, these apes may lack the genetic resources to adapt to sudden changes in their environment or disease outbreaks, pushing them even further towards extinction.

This effect could be further compounded by damaging mutations spreading around the small population fragment that remains.

This recent increase in harmful mutations really emphasises the need to reverse the ongoing population decline in Grauers gorillas, said Professor Love Dalen at the Swedish Museum of Natural History one of the authors of the study published in the journal Current Biology.

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

Along with his colleagues Prof Dalen was able to compare the genetics of gorilla populations spanning the past 100 years to build a picture of the major changes that had taken place.

Our study highlights that historical museum specimens constitute a unique resource for monitoring recent changes in the genetic status of endangered species, said fellow author, Professor Katerina Guschanski at Sweden's Uppsala University.

The scientists also examined the closely related mountain gorillas, and found there had not been any significant genetic changes in this group over the past century.

A recent update from the International Union for Conservation of Nature revealed that after intensive conservation work, mountain gorilla populations are gradually increasing in size.

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Their reclassification from critically endangered to endangered was heralded as a small but significant victory, and evidence of the results that can be achieved if best practice guidelines are followed to tackle poaching and encourage sustainable tourism.

However, the new study also revealed that mountain gorillas have a surprising advantage over their cousins.

While Grauers gorillas have only suffered declines relatively recently as humans have spread into their habitat, mountain gorilla numbers have been relatively low for thousands of years.

This stability may have given natural selection time to gradually weed out harmful mutations, meaning they were more prepared when humans emerged as a threat in the past few decades.A shopkeeper and two friends have been found guilty of murdering five people in a bomb-like explosion planned to secure a 330,000 insurance payout.

Aram Kurd, Arkan Ali and Hawkar Hassan lit 26 litres of petrol in the basement of a Polish supermarket, causing a blast which destroyed the shop and a flat above.

The flats residents Mary Ragoobeer, 46, and sons Sean, 17, and Shane, 18, died in the explosion along with the elder teenagers girlfriend Leah Beth Reek, 18.

Shop worker Viktorija Ijevleva, 22, was also killed. Leicester Crown Court heard her killers left her die because she knew about the insurance policy, taken out just three weeks earlier.

Prosecutor David Herbert told the jury: The defendants thought she knew too much and decided to leave her to die in the explosion that they created.

In other words, the devastation that they caused was carried out with the intention to kill.

He said the men had intended to cause maximum damage to the Hinckley Road shop, which Kurd owned, and would have known people were in the two-storey flat above.

Police said the killers motivation was purely financial greed and personal gain.

Mary Rajoobeer and sons Sean, left, and Shane, right, died in the explosion (PA)

During a five-week trial, Mr Herbert told the court: The explosion and the proceeding fire demolished a building and killed five people in the building  one person who was in the shop and four who were in the flat above enjoying a peaceful night in.

Ali, 38, Hassan, 33, and Kurd, 34, denied murder and alternative counts of manslaughter. But they were unanimously found guilty of five counts of murder after 11 hours and 26 minutes of deliberations.

The trio were also convicted of conspiring with Ijevleva to dishonestly profit from an insurance claim following the fire.

Leicester shop explosion Show all 12 1 /12 Leicester shop explosion Leicester shop explosion The scene on Hinckley Road in Leicester, where four people were killed after a suspected explosion and the subsequent fire destroyed a shop. PA Leicester shop explosion Emergency personnel continue to work at the scene. PA Leicester shop explosion The fire burning after the explosion in a three-storey building in Leicester. AFP/Getty Images Leicester shop explosion Snow begins to fall at the scene of the explosion in Leicester as emergency services crews to continue to work. AFP/Getty Leicester shop explosion Debris lies in the street after the explosion on Hinckley Road. PA Leicester shop explosion Members of the emergency services worked at the scene of the explosion overnight. EPA Leicester shop explosion Emergency personnel continue to work at the scene. PA Leicester shop explosion Debris at the site of the explosion. Reuters Leicester shop explosion The gap in between the buildings after an explosion destroyed a shop. PA Leicester shop explosion A Leicestershire policeman wearing a face mask at the scene of the explosion which destroyed a shop. EPA Leicester shop explosion The police declared the explotion "major incident" Sunday evening. PA Leicester shop explosion Emergency personnel at the scene. PA

Mr Herbert said the explosion was caused by many, many litres of petrol.

He added: Even on camera 50 metres away you can see the explosion and the enormity of what happened.

The explosion and the fire that followed was deliberately caused by these defendants who intended to profit from loss of stock, contents and future loss of business from the shop.

It was not an accident, the prosecution say, that the petrol used caused such devastating damage.

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Detective Chief Inspector Michelle Keen, of Leicestershire Police, described the arson as a financially motivated atrocity.

Ms Keen added: The motive would seem to be purely financial greed and personal gain.

The intention was to claim against an over-inflated insurance policy for business interruption and contents.

There was significant investment into the shops set-up and it is evident that it wasnt as profitable as expected. This led to the subsequent fire and explosion.

(Left to right) Hawkar Hassan, Arkan Ali and Aram Kurd were found guilty of murder (PA)

In a statement issued by police after the verdict, Jose Ragoobeer, the husband of Mary and father of Shane and Sean Ragoobeer, said: "Mary was a hard-working, loving mother and wife who was devoted to her family.

"Shane was in a relationship with a lovely girl called Leah. They were so happy together. Leah was a lovely girl who bought so much joy and happiness to our home.

"Sean was a good person and loving son who like Shane was always willing to help family and friends. He was looking forward to going to university and to study French and history."

Reek's said she had been looking forward to training as a nurse before she was murdered.

Speaking outside court, her older sister Molly told reporters: "The light went out of our world on that terrible night. No parent should ever have to arrange a funeral for their child. It is so difficult to put into words how much we miss Leah."

Kurd, of Hillary Place, Leicester, Ali, of Drake Close, Oldham, and Hassan, of Eld Road, Coventry, were remanded in custody and will be sentenced in mid-January.A man suspected of fighting in Syria has been arrested on his return to the UK.

The 32-year-old suspect was detained at Luton Airport on Thursday evening.

Police said he was arrested on suspicion of preparing acts of terrorism  a law used to prosecute foreign fighters as well as terror plotters.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said the man was stopped at around 8.30pm on Thursday after arriving on an inbound flight.

He was arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts and taken to a police station in the Bedfordshire area, where he remains in custody, a statement added.

The investigation is being conducted by detectives from the Mets Counter Terrorism Command.

The arrest is Syria-related and not related to any offences at the airport. Enquiries continue.

Police have arrested suspects for joining, or attempting to join, Isis and al-Qaeda affiliates in Syria, as well as Kurdish groups supported by the UK to battle Islamists on the ground.

Officials would not immediately say which group the suspect, who was being interviewed, is accused of joining.

 'They're all coming back and they're coming back now' Trump declares victory over Isis in Syria

The Foreign Office has advised against all travel to Syria since the start of the countrys ongoing civil war, and police have said anyone going to fight can be arrested regardless of their cause.

Of an estimated 900 people of national security concern who travelled from the UK to Syria, around 20 per cent have been killed and 40 per cent have returned.

Officials say that the majority of returnees came back in the earlier stages of the conflict, and a significant proportion are assessed as no longer being a threat.

Recommended Isis supporters stopped from travelling to Syria may attack UK instead

Authorities have become increasingly adept at preventing Isis supporters from travelling abroad, but the head of national counterterror policing recently warned they may then plan terror attacks in Britain instead.

Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Neil Basu said that before last years attacks security services believed that fighters returning from abroad presented the biggest threat.

It wasnt  the threat was already here  and there are still plenty of aspirant or frustrated travellers who now have nowhere to go, he told a conference.

Two of the London Bridge attackers had wanted to travel to Syria before they started plotting the atrocity, and several others who were prevented from carrying out attacks mounted terror plots after their original desire to join Isis abroad was thwarted.

Syria bombings: US, UK and French military air strikes wreckage Show all 13 1 /13 Syria bombings: US, UK and French military air strikes wreckage Syria bombings: US, UK and French military air strikes wreckage The wreckage of the Scientific Studies and Research Centre in the Barzeh district, north of Damascus, which was targeted by the US, UK and France air strikes. AFP/Getty Syria bombings: US, UK and French military air strikes wreckage A Syrian soldier films the damage of the Syrian Scientific Research Center surrounded by papers and rubble. AP Syria bombings: US, UK and French military air strikes wreckage Firefighrers extinguish smoke that rises from the damage. The Pentagon says none of the missiles filed by the U.S. and its allies was deflected by Syrian air defenses, rebutting claims by the Russian and Syrian governments. AP Syria bombings: US, UK and French military air strikes wreckage The wreckage of part of the Scientific Studies and Research Centre compound . AFP/Getty Syria bombings: US, UK and French military air strikes wreckage Part of a building collapsing, surrounded by the wreckage. AFP/Getty Syria bombings: US, UK and French military air strikes wreckage Further damaged to the Scientific Studies and Research Centre compound. AFP/Getty Syria bombings: US, UK and French military air strikes wreckage Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the director of the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, also says there also is no indication that Russian air defense systems were employed early Saturday in Syria. AP Syria bombings: US, UK and French military air strikes wreckage A Syrian soldier sprays water on the wreckage. AFP/Getty Syria bombings: US, UK and French military air strikes wreckage Syrian state news agency SANA reported several missiles hit a research centre in Barzeh, north of Damascus, "destroying a building that included scientific labs and a training centre". AFP/Getty Syria bombings: US, UK and French military air strikes wreckage A Syrian soldier films the damage. AP Syria bombings: US, UK and French military air strikes wreckage Damage to the Scientific Research Center building that was hit by the strikes. EPA Syria bombings: US, UK and French military air strikes wreckage The Scientific Studies and Research Centre was one of the targeted buildings by the US, UK and France. AFP/Getty Syria bombings: US, UK and French military air strikes wreckage Further damage to the centre. EPA

The UK has suffered five terror attacks since March 2017, which killed 36 victims last year, and security services have foiled 13 Islamist and four extreme right-wing plots in the same period.

In the year to September, 40 per cent of terror suspects arrested were white, 33 per cent were Asian, 12 per cent were black and 14 per cent were recorded as other.

Terror arrests fell by 31 per cent overall year-on-year, from 462 to 317, and more than half of suspects were released without charge.Hollywood actor Angelina Jolie has hinted she may move into politics in the future.

The 43-year-old, who is a special envoy to the UN Refugee Agency, said she would have dismissed this two decades ago but was now willing to go where she was needed.

Jolie was the guest editor of the BBC Radio 4s Today programme on Friday, and appeared on the show herself to discuss American politics, social media, sexual violence and the global refugee crisis.

When asked by presenter Justin Webb whether she would consider getting involved in politics, she said: If you asked me 20 years ago, I wouldve laughed... I always say Ill go where Im needed, I dont know if Im fit for politics but then Ive also joked that I dont know if I have a skeleton left in my closet.

Im also able to work with governments and Im also able to work with militaries, and so I sit in a very interesting place of being able to get a lot done.

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The film star, who campaigns on refugees, sexual violence and conservation, added that for now she would stay quiet.

When Webb suggested that meant she could be on the list of 30 to 40 Democrats running for the partys presidential nomination, the mother-of-six did not say no, replying: Thank you.

The actor also talked about the difficulties of monitoring her childrens social media activities - saying that like most parents, she is unable to control everything they are exposed to.

There are certain realities to teenagers and also our generation doesnt understand half of what they are doing with their tech so they can get around us pretty easy, she said.

She said that neither she nor any of her children were on Facebook because she had found no need to be on the social media site, but said she would alert them about the risks of possible online harms if they decided to join.

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

Were the last family that hasnt gone on Facebook! she said.

She said all her children had seen inaccurate claims about them even from those considered serious news people.

They have a very odd sense of who is telling the truth and what they believe or trust, she said.

Jolie said she hoped to bring people together from a cross-section during her time as a guest editor on the show.

She said: For me the biggest challenge I have had in my work is trying to understand how all the pieces come together.

And with the state of the world we are all living in, with so much instability and the numbers rising on refugees, were at 68 million people displaced, and with all the many, many things your audience is aware of, how do we get to the core of what is happening and who are the different people that are offering solutions.

One of this years Nobel Peace Prize winners  Congolese gynaecologist Denis Mukwege  featured while Jolie guest edited.Corazon de Nina Helping Orphans in Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Soaring unemployment, escalation in violent gang battles and poverty has deepened in many parts of Mexico. Hundreds of thousands of abandoned children wander the streets alone, not knowing what tomorrow will bring.

It is speculated there may be as many as two million Mexican children orphaned or abandoned in Mexico. Two million! Puerto Vallarta may be a paradise for you, dear reader, but for many, many children in this town, life is hell.

That's the bad news.

The good news is that in Puerto Vallarta thirty-nine boys and thirty-two girls, all orphaned or abandoned, enjoy a good life and receive a good education at the orphanage, Fundacion Corazon de Nina, located at #355 San Luis Potosi in Colonia Primero de Mayo.





Corazon happened seven years ago when a local orphanage was shut down by state officials and twelve girls were, once again, homeless. Melissa Canez, her partner, Juan, and her mother, Sandra Nichol took the girls into their home and their hearts and started to look for financial and physical support. One of their first supporters to give money was the International Friendship Club (IFC) and Costco helped out with gifts of food. They both continue to support Corazon today. Many others do too.

But good news travels fast. Corazon is continually called upon by D.I.F. (Social Services), the police and, sometimes, even parents who are too sick or too poor to care for their own children, to add to their "family."

The number of children has grown from twelve in 2012 to seventy-one today! There are two houses side by side, one with thirty-nine boys and one with thirty-two girls. The Corazon School was started in September 2017 when four qualified teachers were hired.

Unlike the public schools here, the Corazon kids receive English and computer classes; skills that are so necessary for employment in Vallarta. The building has grown too. Now the original bungalow is four stories and has dormitories, a dining room, four classrooms, a gym and rooms for sewing, carpentry, robotics and other after-school activities.

Imagine the cost of having a family with seventy-one children. Not possible on my pay check! Corazon is always looking for support and, in seven years, has not received one peso of government funding. It is supported only by the generosity of people like us and by local businesses and community groups.

You can help too. The doors are open every Tuesday and Thursday for their Humanitarian Tour from 9:30 am to 11:30 am. Visitors enjoy a guided tour of the facility, hear the Corazon story, and engage in discussion with the other visitors and staff. A delicious brunch is offered as part of every tour. The minimum donation for the tour and brunch is $250 MXN per person. Because of their popularity, tours must be reserved by emailing admin(at)corazondenina.mx, or by calling (322) 224-9209.

Nobody can do everything but everyone can do something. Please, at least, take the tour.A German artist is to plant a weeping willow tree as a "symbol of loss and healing" on the day the UK leaves the European Union.

Clemens Wilhelm, the latest international artist to be commissioned by Scottish arts organisation Deveron Projects, said the Brexit Tree will be an "ambivalent image for an ambivalent moment" in history.

He will plant the tree on the banks of the River Deveron, close to Huntly Castle in Aberdeenshire, on 29 March to mark Brexit Day.

The Berlin-based artist and film-maker will be joined at sunset by people from Huntly and beyond in a special event to mark the day the UK leaves the EU.

He said: "I have chosen the weeping willow as it is a tree that symbolises loss and sorrow, but it is also one that evokes healing.

"Since the Middle Ages weeping willows have been seen as symbols of lost love, mourning and sorrow, but there are much older sources from Babylon, China and pre-Christian northern Europe that speak of the weeping willow as the tree of healing and magic, because the bark of willows contains salycyl, a substance similar to modern day aspirin which has been used to cure illnesses since ancient times.

"The Brexit Tree is an ambivalent image for an ambivalent moment in British, European and world history. Many people in Britain and the world feel an intense sorrow and loss because of Brexit.

"However, more than half of British voters opted to leave the EU and one should assume that they are hopeful and see Brexit as the beginning of a positive new era. Just like Brexit, the weeping willow combines both of these opposing feelings - loss and healing - and unites them in its outstanding beauty.

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"Let us also not get lost in political divisions, but together look to the bigger problems that we are facing as humanity in this age, such as global warming and climate change."

Claudia Zeiske, director of Deveron Projects, said: "The aim of this project is both to mark this historic day with the planting of a tree as a living memorial to this momentous event, and also to create a new peaceful place for people from both Brexit camps to unite again."

PABritish government fury at President Bill Clintons decision to allow Gerry Adams into the US has been laid bare in newly released official files.

The Sinn Fein president was controversially granted a 48-hour visa for a headline-grabbing visit to New York to speak at a conference on Northern Ireland between 31 January and 2 February in 1994.

The full extent of the fury that John Major and his government directed towards the Clinton administration over the visa decision is finally revealed in the newly released cabinet papers in the National Archives.

Mr Majors private secretary Roderic Lyne sent US national security adviser Tony Lake a blistering note, at a time when Sinn Fein was widely regarded as the political wing of the IRA: The movement in which Gerry Adams has long been a leading figure has murdered not only thousands of its own countrymen, but also one member of our royal family, one cabinet ministers wife, two close advisers to Margaret Thatcher and members of parliament, two British ambassadors  and small children in our shopping centres.

Mr Clinton, who had been president around a year, took full responsibility for the decision which was described as a difficult matter of judgement, according to the documents.

Bill Clinton with Sinn Feins Martin McGuinness (left) and Gerry Adams during a presidential visit to Belfast in 2000 ( PA) (PA/PA Archive/PA Images)

Mr Major wrote personally to Mr Clinton to express his dismay, telling the president: Tony Lake will, I am sure, have told you how strongly we disagree with the decision to admit Gerry Adams to the United States.

He has been closely associated with terrorism for two decades. In the joint declaration, he was offered a route into the democratic process, and into negotiations with us and with the Irish government. He and his movement have not taken it.

As you will know, the evidence is that the IRA intend to continue their strategy of terrorism, and do not have courage to make peace and compete in the democratic arena.

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Bill Clinton was under pressure from influential Irish-American politicians in the US, most notably Senator Edward Teddy Kennedy, who was named in multiple documents as instrumental in pushing for Mr Adamss admission.

In a letter to the president in January 1994, John Kerry  later Barack Obamas secretary of state  Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Christopher Dodd (both Democratic politicians) made the case for Mr Adamss visit.

The letter said: While no one can be certain that a visa for Mr Adams will result in the IRAs accepting the condition established by Ireland and Great Britain for participation in the peace process, the United States cannot afford to ignore this possibility and miss this rare opportunity for our country to contribute to peace in Northern Ireland.

John Major wrote personally to Bill Clinton to express his dismay over the Gerry Adams visa (PA)

Such arguments, however, did not impress the Major government.

In his note to Mr Lake, Mr Lyne observed: It is sad, paradoxical, and misguided of the Kennedys, having lost two brothers to acts of terror, to be pressing you to admit a terrorist leader without an end to terrorism or even a commitment to end terrorism.

A cable dated 10 February from Peter Westmacott, then a British diplomat in Washington, added details garnered from Jane Holl, who was then in the US National Security Council, who had been present during a subsequent phone call between Mr Major and Mr Clinton.

It reads: Dr Holl said that the discussion on Northern Ireland was very brief. The president had raised the subject. He had taken full responsibility for the decision to give Adams a visa.

It had been a difficult matter of judgement on which the two governments had evidently differed.

 Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

Also attached to the bundle was a missive from Canberra to the Foreign Office suggesting that a potential visit by Mr Adams to Australia may go ahead in light of the US decision.

Mr Lyne scrawled on the typed document: I hope the Aussies realise this would be the end of Anglo/Australian relations!

Mr Adams was denied entry to Australia in 1996 but visited in 1999 following the Good Friday Agreement of 1998.

He has always denied being a member of the IRA or engaging in paramilitary violence.

Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures An abandoned shop is seen in Mullan, Co Monaghan. The building was home to four families who left during the Troubles. The town was largely abandoned after the hard border was put in place during the conflict. Mullan has seen some regeneration in recent years, but faces an uncertain future with Brexit on the horizon Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures A defaced Welcome to Northern Ireland sign stands on the border in Middletown, Co Armagh Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Mervyn Johnson owns a garage in the border town of Pettigo, which straddles the counties of Donegal and Fermanagh. Ive been here since 1956, it was a bit of a problem for a few years. My premises has been blown up about six or seven times, we just kept building and starting again, Johnson said laughing. We just got used to it [the hard border] really but now that its gone, we wouldn't like it back again Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Farmer Gordon Crocketts Coshquin farm straddles both Derry/Londonderry in the North and Donegal in the Republic. At the minute there is no real problem, you can cross the border as free as you want. We could cross it six or eight times a day, said Crockett. If there was any sort of obstruction it would slow down our work every day Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures John Murphy flies the European flag outside his home near the border village of Forkhill, Co Armagh Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Potter Brenda McGinn stands outside her Mullan, Co Monaghan, studio  the former Jas Boylan shoe factory which was the main employer in the area until it shut down due to the Troubles. When I came back, this would have been somewhere you would have driven through and have been quite sad. It was a decrepit looking village, said McGinn, whose Busy Bee Ceramics is one of a handful of enterprises restoring life to the community. Now this is a revitalised, old hidden village Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Union Flag colours painted on kerbstones and bus-stops along the border village of Newbuildings, Co Derry/Londonderry Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Grass reflected in Lattone Lough, which is split by the border between Cavan and Fermanagh, seen from near Ballinacor, Northern Ireland Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Donegalman David McClintock sits in the Border Cafe in the village of Muff, which straddles Donegal and Derry/Londonderry Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures An old Irish phone box stands alongside a bus stop in the border town of Glaslough, Co Monaghan Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Billboards are viewed from inside a disused customs hut in Carrickcarnon, Co Down, on the border with Co Louth in the Republic Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Seamus McQuaid takes packages that locals on the Irish side of the border have delivered to his business, McQuaid Auto-Parts, to save money on postal fees, near the Co Fermanagh village of Newtownbutler. I live in the south but the business is in the North, said McQaid. "I wholesale into the Republic of Ireland so if theres duty, Ill have to set up a company 200 yards up the road to sell to my customers. Ill have to bring the same product in through Dublin instead of Belfast Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures A disused Great Northern Railway line and station that was for customs and excise on the border town of Glenfarne, Co Leitrim Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Alice Mullen, from Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland, does her shopping at a former customs post on the border in Middletown, Co Armagh. Id be very worried if it was a hard border, I remember when people were divided. I would be very afraid of the threat to the peace process, it was a dreadful time to live through. Even to go to mass on a Sunday, youd have to go through checkpoints. It is terribly stressful, said Mullen. All those barricades and boundaries were pulled down. I see it as a huge big exercise of trust and I do believe everyone breathed a sigh of relief Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures A bus stop and red post box stand in the border town of Jonesborough, Co Armagh Reuters

Some commentators have since suggested that his New York visit, by generating so much worldwide attention, really did put him in a strong position to advocate the path of politics over violence.

On 31 August 1994, seven months after Mr Adams visited the US, the IRA announced a complete cessation of military operations. John Major responded by declaring: We are beyond the beginning, but we are not yet in sight of the end.

His caution appeared justified when the IRA ended its ceasefire by planting a bomb in Londons Docklands, which exploded on 9 February 1996, killing two and injuring more than 100.

Efforts at reconciliation, however, resumed. Mr Adams became a key part of the negotiations that led to him, Tony Blair and Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern signing the Good Friday Agreement, which was a key step in bringing relative peace to Northern Ireland.

PAFarcical bureaucratic hurdles faced by a British diplomat attempting to transport a birthday-present horse gifted to John Major have been outlined in newly released government documents.

Cables, which can now be read in full in the National Archives, reveal the absurd obstacles and amusing delays faced by UK official Laura Brady as she tried to get Maksat, a pure-bred Akhal-Teke stallion, to the UK from the then recently, rather chaotically disbanded Soviet Union.

Mr Major, who was presented the horse by Turkmenistan president Saparmurad Niyazov for his 50th birthday in 1993, wrote that her splendid account was one of the most enjoyable documents ever put into his red box.

The cable, sent in October 1993, titled Horses: the definitive end of an era describes the days and hours before Maksat and another horse, gifted to Frances then president Francois Mitterrand, arrived in Moscows quarantine stables awaiting passage to his new owner.

Both horses had survived a raid by armed bandits on the carriage in rural Kazakhstan, and made it to Moscow after four-and-a-half days and hundreds of miles of travel from Turkmenistan.

At customs in the Russian capital Ms Brady told the receptionist about the horses ordeal which elicited in response the sad tale of the Finnish ambassadors parrot.

The cable goes on: The receptionist, an animal-lover and close to tears at the thought of the parrot, relented and led us through a maze of ceiling-high packing cases in the enormous warehouse.

And there we found the staff of the twelfth diplomatic customs post playing poker.

Fifteen dollars poorer but with the customs formalities completed we hotfooted it to the station accounts office in south Moscow.

John Major was  at least initially  delighted by the tale of the Turkmenistan horse (PA)

Finding that office closed, they returned the next day to discover that as the horses had been in the station for 24 hours they needed to be re-checked by a vet.

The cable continues: The vet was in her office adding up extremely slowly a long list of figures on a calculator with dodgy batteries.

The numbers kept fading, at which point she began again at the top of the list.

After an hour of this frustrating scene they got the necessary paperwork.

But as preparations were made to transport the horse-box Ms Brady noticed the three grooms who had travelled with the animals began to carry countless sacks of potatoes, onions, carrots and at least 200 large melons.

It adds: One groom explained that as Turkmenistan had no post-1992 banknotes they were forced to bring wares to sell in Moscow to be able to buy the return ticket to Ashkabad.

The manure-filled carriage had to be cleaned before they could leave the railway siding, so a train driver was bribed with several particularly large melons to move down the track where it could be unceremoniously scraped out onto the track.

With both horses finally in quarantine awaiting transit, Ms Brady signs off: I have made some useful contacts over the last few days so the next time we want to import a horse to Russia it will be a doddle.

Mr Major wrote a thank-you note, saying: Your splendid account of how to put a Turkmeni horse into quarantine was the most enjoyable document the Private Office have put into my weekend box in a very long time.

I am most grateful to you for your valiant and amusing efforts, in this noble cause.

East Jerusalem's cherished horses Show all 14 1 /14 East Jerusalem's cherished horses East Jerusalem's cherished horses A Palestinian man pets a horse in the living room of horse trader Fares Salem in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of A-tur Reuters East Jerusalem's cherished horses Palestinian teenager Mohammad Gharabli tends to his horse as it eats from a plastic container in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Beit Hanina Reuters East Jerusalem's cherished horses Two white horses seen head-to-head in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Beit Hanina Reuters East Jerusalem's cherished horses Palestinian horse trader Fares Salem (R) sits next to a friend while his horse stands in his living room in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of A-tur Reuters East Jerusalem's cherished horses Palestinian teenager Mohammad Gharabli stands on his horse in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Beit Hanina Reuters East Jerusalem's cherished horses Palestinian teenagers ride their horses during sunset in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Shuafat Reuters East Jerusalem's cherished horses Palestinian teenagers use their mobile phones while sitting with their horses in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Beit Hanina Reuters East Jerusalem's cherished horses Palestinian teenager Dris Subblaban kisses his horse in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Beit Hanina Reuters East Jerusalem's cherished horses Palestinian teenager Dris Subblaban sits on top of his horse under a tree in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Beit Hanina Reuters East Jerusalem's cherished horses Palestinian teenager Mahmoud Montasir washes his horse with a hose in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Beit Hanina Reuters East Jerusalem's cherished horses Palestinian horse trader Fares Salem stands next to a running horse in a field in East Jerusalem Photography by Reuters/Ammar Awad East Jerusalem's cherished horses A horse looks out of a stable window in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of A-tur Reuters East Jerusalem's cherished horses Horses stand in the living room of Fares Salem, a horse trader, in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of A-tur Reuters East Jerusalem's cherished horses Palestinian horse trader Fares Salem plays with his horse inside the living room of his house in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of A-tur Photography by Reuters/Ammar Awad

Prime ministerial delight, however, was slightly soured in December 1993 when the Daily Mirror reported that Ron Meddes, one of the independent equine experts who was helping get the horse to the UK, had a conviction for fraud.

After the story was published, senior civil servants advised the prime minister against accepting Mr Meddes offer to withdraw from the operation on the grounds that the horseman had served his sentence for his crime, so its a bit odd if we bar him from helping.

But in a handwritten note, a senior civil servant made it clear he was looking forward for foreign office guidance on the general position of the horse, when will it arrive, and when can we forget the whole saga.

Such weariness was a far cry from the delight of October 1993, when Mr Majors private secretary Roderic Lyne had gleefully drawn his boss attention to Ms Bradys cable by writing: Prime minister, this is a wonderful story  worthy of [Russian writer] Gogol. You will have to visit the nag when it arrives.

Maksat eventually settled in stables in Carmarthenshire, Wales after being deemed too temperamental by the Household Cavalry.

Stable-owner Lorna Winn-Jones, who took him in, told WalesOnline in 2012: Maksat came to me in 1996 a sad, confused and troubled little horse with a few health issues but blossomed into a powerful and confident stallion who seems happy in his adopted home of Wales.

Maksat still belongs to John Major in the sense that he was given to him but he doesnt visit.Newly released Cabinet papers reveal John Major told his ministers to avoid attending a jamboree for Rupert Murdoch, only to have his home secretary Michael Howard go anyway after refusing to catch a diplomatic cold as a polite excuse for not turning up.

Mr Howard was at the time suspected of being one of the bastards referred to by Mr Major while venting his frustrations about three unnamed Eurosceptic cabinet ministers in off-the-record remarks picked up by TV microphones in July 1993.

Mr Major also knew the Murdoch-owned Sun had backed Mr Howard during the bastards controversy, saying his gut instinct for the way ordinary people think made him a contender for the tabloids preferred candidate for prime minister.

The same editorial had called Mr Major a spiteful political pigmy, while an accompanying Richard Littlejohn column suggested the then prime minister had a secret double life as: A traffic warden called Eric Blenkinsop, living a lonely existence in a bed-sit in Scunthorpe, with only his three cats and his subscription to Health and Efficiency for company.

Both articles were among a bundle of unflattering cuttings sent to Mr Major by his press secretary Gus ODonnell ahead of a meeting with Mr Murdoch on 19 August 1993.

Michael Howard eventually became leader of the Conservative Party (Reuters)

When two weeks later Mr Howard attended Mr Murdochs jamboree, which was timed to coincide with the launch of nine new Sky TV channels, it attracted comment from Mr Majors private secretary Roderic Lyne.

You decided we should discourage cabinet ministers from attending Rupert Murdochs 1 September jamboree, Mr Lyne wrote to Mr Major. When I had a quiet word with the home secretarys office, they told me he had already accepted the invitation.

I suggested the he might catch a diplomatic chill. He evidently decided otherwise.

Far be it for me to judge, added Mr Lyne. His attendance at the dinner was noted, see attached front page article from the [Murdoch-owned] Times, but not hugely exploited.

Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines Show all 10 1 /10 Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines The Sun, March 9 2016 This wholly false headline merited the first ruling by IPSO (the press regulator) under clause 1 of the revised Editor's Code of Practice. Clause 1 makes specific reference to newspapers printing "headlines not supported by the text" Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines Daily Mail, November 4 2016 In perhaps the most notorious front page of the past few years, the Mail derides the High Court judges who ruled that parliament must have a vote on whether to trigger article 50 and start the Brexit process Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines Daily Express, November 4 2016 In the Express' take on the same story, they manage to incorporate the Union Jack, allude to First World War propaganda, invoke memories of Churchill and, of course, state "Brexit means Brexit" Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines The Sun, March 29 2017 The Sun marked the day on which Mrs May triggered article 50 by projecting a huge and terrible pun on to the Cliffs of Dover Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines The Sun, April 4 2017 Referencing their notorious eurosceptic headline from 1990 (See: Up Yours Delors), the Sun stokes the flames of the brief Gibraltar dispute, a dispute in which Spain, the supposed aggressors, only joined to note that there was "no need for it" Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines Daily Mail, April 19 2017 This headline followed Mrs May's snap election announcement, which gave the Mail hope that dissenting opinions on Brexit would disappear Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines Daily Mail, December 14 2017 In recent months, the Mail has often forgone catchy headlines in favour of rambling rants, this is an early example aimed at Tory Brexit rebels Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines Daily Mail, January 31 2018 This headline (?) takes aim at the Lords over their repeated amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines The Sun, June 12 2018 On the day that the EU Withdrawal Bill is to be debated in the Commons, the Sun offers two choices to MPs, desperately including all conceivable imagery that might make Brits feel patriotic, which apparently includes the Loch Ness Monster Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines Daily Express, June 12 2018 On the same day, the Express lets MPs know what the consequences of the vote may be

In a handwritten note written to Mr Major on the eve of the jamboree, Mr Howard explained his attendance by saying: On Thursday morning I am due to give a press conference on press privatisation. So any chill would be very conspicuously diplomatic. There would be an obvious risk of comment speculation.

Mr Howard added: More fundamentally this does raise the question of what tactics we should adopt towards the Murdoch press.

I hope I need hardly say I fully share your dismay at their behaviour since the [1992] election.

But we shall need them at the next election. And given the unpalatable (to them) nature of some of the things we are likely to be doing quite soon  Calcutt [recommendations on press self-regulation], VAT [on newspapers]  the case for some harmless costless gesture such as attending a dinner seems to be quite strong.

Despite former minister Ann Widdecombe telling the Commons there was something of the night about him in May 1997, Mr Howard went on to become Conservative Party leader in 2003.

The newly released files, now in the National Archives at Kew, offer fresh detail on the Major governments tortured relationship with the Murdoch empire. They show officials describing the Murdoch papers as irrational while still hoping for helpful coverage, including from the tabloid that after the 1992 election had claimed: Its The Sun wot won it.

'God alone knows what Kelvin tells him' wrote one civil servant of The Sun editor's near-daily chats with proprietor Rupert Murdoch (Getty)

Briefing the prime minister ahead of his August 1993 meeting with Mr Murdoch, Mr ODonnell wrote: I was surprised to learn, given the worldwide scale of his business, that he phones [Sun editor] Kelvin MacKenzie most days to keep up to date with the British scene.

God alone knows what Kelvin tells him, as he is often very poorly informed.

At a time when Mr Major was trying to hold together a 21-seat majority in the teeth of rebellions by his more right-wing and Eurosceptic MPs, Mr ODonnell advised the prime minister to tell the media tycoon: Your papers have made matters worse.

They have ceased to make rational criticisms of policy. They are now simply anti-everything and anti-me in particular.

This is bad for economic confidence and hence, bad for business.

Seeming to inject an element of threat into what Mr Major should say, Mr ODonnell added: Conservative MPs now see no reason to be helpful to media. (Pressure growing over privacy rules, VAT on newspapers, cross-ownership. I am not keen to move on any of these areas but MPs from all parties becoming increasingly attracted to them.)

The 1993 meeting with Mr Murdoch occurred almost a year after Black Wednesday, 16 September 1992, when the UK crashed out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism.

According to Mr Mackenzie, when Mr Major phoned to ask how The Sun would be covering that days chaos, he replied: Well, John, let me put it this way - Ive got a large bucket of shit lying on my desk and tomorrow morning Im going to pour it all over your head.

Twenty years later the former prime minister told the Leveson Inquiry that Mr MacKenzies account of the phone call had caused him a degree of wonder and surprise because I frankly cant recall the bit that has entered mythology.

John Major as prime minister in the Nineties. He later admitted: 'I was much too sensitive from time to time about what the press wrote.' (PA)

Mr Major did, however, admit: I was much too sensitive from time to time about what the press wrote. It was a basic human emotion to get a bit ratty about it.

The press to me at the time was a source of wonder. I woke up each morning and I opened the morning papers and I learned what I thought, what I didnt think, what I said, what I hadnt said, what I was about to do, what I wasnt about to do.

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Sir John told the Leveson Inquiry that he met Mr Murdoch three times while prime minister: in 1992, 1993 and just before the 1997 election.

It was suggested to me I ought to try to make some effort to get closer to the Murdoch papers, he said of the February 1997 meeting. I agreed I would invite Mr Murdoch to dinner.

It is not often someone sits in front of a prime minister and says to a prime minister I would like you to change your policy or my organisation cannot support you.'

He told the inquiry he thought that having too close a relationship with the press was rather undignified  and that after the Black Wednesday conversation, he never phoned Kelvin MacKenzie again.Margaret Thatcher secretly confided that she was a bit disappointed by Nelson Mandela and thought he seemed to have rather a closed mind, newly released cabinet papers reveal.

Britains ambassador to South Africa, meanwhile, described the man who would become one of the greatest statesmen of the 20th century as Not as intelligent as [Robert] Mugabe, but a great deal nicer.

Mrs Thatchers comments came after she took a phone call from Mr Mandela on 17 June 1990, four months after his release from prison and while he was negotiating with South African president F W de Klerk to end apartheid.

In a private note of the phone call, Charles Powell, Mrs Thatchers private secretary for foreign affairs, wrote: The prime minister commented to me afterwards that she was a bit disappointed with Mandela, who seemed to have rather a closed mind.

For his part, Mr Powell observed, he will now have experienced first-hand the prime ministers strong views on the armed struggle and on sanctions.

In his memo to the foreign office, Mr Powell, whose brother Jonathan would become Tony Blairs chief of staff, added: We are not proposing to tell the press about this discussion.

Mandela: a man of all the people Show all 25 1 /25 Mandela: a man of all the people Mandela: a man of all the people 39141.bin AP Mandela: a man of all the people 39143.bin AP Mandela: a man of all the people 39144.bin AP Mandela: a man of all the people 39145.bin Reuters Mandela: a man of all the people 39146.bin Reuters Mandela: a man of all the people 39147.bin Reuters Mandela: a man of all the people 39148.bin Reuters Mandela: a man of all the people 39149.bin Reuters Mandela: a man of all the people 39150.bin AFP/Getty Images Mandela: a man of all the people 39151.bin AP Mandela: a man of all the people 39152.bin Reuters Mandela: a man of all the people 39153.bin Reuters Mandela: a man of all the people 39154.bin Reuters Mandela: a man of all the people 39155.bin Reuters Mandela: a man of all the people 39156.bin AFP/Getty Images Mandela: a man of all the people 39157.bin PA Mandela: a man of all the people 39158.bin EPA Mandela: a man of all the people 39159.bin AFP/Getty Images Mandela: a man of all the people 39160.bin AFP/Getty Images Mandela: a man of all the people 39161.bin Getty Images Mandela: a man of all the people 39162.bin AP Mandela: a man of all the people 39163.bin Reuters Mandela: a man of all the people 39164.bin Reuters Mandela: a man of all the people 39165.bin Getty Images Mandela: a man of all the people 39166.bin Getty Images

Mr Powells four-page note of their conversation makes clear that Mr Mandela was worried the European Community, the forerunner to the EU, was about to ease sanctions on apartheid South Africa, at Mrs Thatchers request.

Attempting to buy time on the issue, Mr Mandela, then the deputy president of the African National Congress, was sure she could play an important role in facilitating the process of negotiations in South Africa but believed the action which she took over sanctions would have a bearing on her ability to do so.

The note added that while Mr Mandela would respect Mrs Thatchers position with regard to Britain, he would ask her was not to press other governments to lift sanctions, before he had been able to discuss the situation more fully with her.

Mr Powells wrote: The prime minister said President de Klerk had gone a long way to meet the ANC, and it was vital he should receive some support from the international community.

We do indeed believe that the right course for the [European] Community is to start the process of easing sanctions, as a clear signal of support for de Klerks efforts.

The note, which is now in the National Archives, also seems to suggest that Mr Mandela may have been subjected to a lecture on his refusal to abandon the ANCs commitment to the armed struggle against apartheid.

The prime minister said Mr Mandela must understand how concerned we were by the ANCs failure to suspend violence, said Mr Powell.

We had experience of armed struggle in that we ourselves suffered at the hands of the IRA. We had very much hoped the ANC would agree to suspend it by now.

Mr Mandela, it seemed, did try to explain his point of view to Mrs Thatcher.

Mr Powells added: Mr Mandela said  The problem was that the South African government seemed unable to restrain the police.

He would be able to give the prime minister details of police activities against the ANC, the action being taken by vigilante groups, and the threats of the right wing to destroy the ANC and hang Nelson Mandela.

This was not an easy background against which he could persuade the ANC to end the armed struggle.

 Theresa May refuses to say what she did to help Nelson Mandela's release

In a later briefing note, Sir Robin Renwick, UK ambassador to South Africa, told Mr Powell that Mrs Thatcher should make it clear to Mr Mandela that he was not being asked to disarm his people, only to suspend the armed struggle while negotiations take place.

In diplomatic cables written shortly after Mrs Thatchers telephone call, Sir Robin described his own early, slightly mixed impressions of Mandela.

All those who visited Mandela in prison were struck by his courage and dignity. My own experience is the same. Mandela has a natural dignity and authority.

He is not as intelligent as [Zimbabwe dictator] Mugabe, but a great deal nicer.

His long decades of imprisonment, Sir Robin added, had left Mr Mandela stuck in the past when it came to economics.

Crowds celebrate Mandelas release in Trafalgar Square in 1990 (PA)

Offering a description of someone unlikely to share MrsThatchers economic outlook, Sir Robin wrote: In so far as Mandela understands anything about economics, his ideas were formed in the 1950s. He is an old-fashioned socialist, but has never been a communist.

But the ANCs document on The Economy Beyond Apartheid is full of the kind of ideas about the role of the state that have been discredited and proved disastrous elsewhere.

And, Sir Robin warned: He cultivates an almost slavish loyalty to the organisation [the ANC] to which he has devoted his entire political life, and believes all the information they feed him.

Sir Robin noted how Mandela often spoke of de Klerk as a man of integrity with whom he could negotiate an end to apartheid, but the ambassador added: In the same breath he talks about the continuance of the armed struggle, even though effectively it has been suspended: there have been no bomb attacks in the white areas.

Despite the anxieties outlined in his cable, Sir Robin concluded with a fulsome, if mildly barbed tribute: The man himself is much more impressive than his public utterances.

Mandelas dignity, Sir Robin explained, Gives him a real charisma, felt even by his opponents, by virtually all black South Africans, and by many of the whites who are most strongly opposed to him.

And when finally Mrs Thatcher and Mr Mandela met face-to-face in Downing Street in July 1990, Mr Powells account would suggest they got on rather well.

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In his note of the three-hour meeting, at which the two leaders were accompanied by Sir Robin and Thabo Mbeki, Mr Mandelas eventual successor as South African president, Mr Powell wrote: It was a successful meeting with an excellent atmosphere.

Meeting him in person, I think she was impressed by his courtliness and obvious sincerity.

The prime minister said there was absolutely no difference between her and Mandela that apartheid must go. It was wrong, immoral and contrary to the dignity of man.

The prime minister concluded by saying South Africa was very fortunate to have President de Klerk and Mr Mandela at this juncture.

Mr Powells note reveals that even with Margaret Thatcher in the room, His [Mandelas] initial comments lasted over 50 minutes uninterrupted: possibly a record.

The same disagreements existed, but Mr Powell recorded: Generally, he [Mandela] expressed his views on the main issues in conciliatory terms, implying the commitment to armed struggle could be given up quite soon, that lifting of sanctions could follow agreement on constitutional principles.

Mrs Thatchers views, Powell seems to suggest, remained rather rigid: On sanctions, she could never accept the logic that we should be asked to relieve poverty and starvation where they existed in Africa, while at the same time being pressed to cause poverty, starvation and unemployment in South Africa.

Mr Powell also gave the impression that Mr Mandelas economic views werent quite as old-fashioned socialist as Sir Robins cable had suggested.

Mandela was confident he could negotiate an end to apartheid with FW de Clerk (PA)

Mr Powell wrote: He wanted to stress that the ANC had not decided on nationalisation. They hoped viable alternatives could be found. They had seen the mistakes made by others in Africa, and it would be foolhardy to ignore them.

He might also quote the example of Mr Gorbachev, who had the courage to say the system to which he devoted his life was seriously deficient.

Mandela continued that the ANC recognised the importance of successful economic policies and were in touch with South African businessmen.

Mandela, however, did point out that, according to Powell, that virtually all the resources of South Africa were owned by a tiny minority of the white minority. The great mass of black people were experiencing poverty, hunger, illiteracy and unemployment.

He added: Unless this inequitable distribution could be rectified, it would not be possible to get democracy to function.

In April 1994, Nelson Mandela was elected as South Africas first black president. By the time he died aged 95 in December 2013 he was almost universally regarded as having been one of the worlds greatest political leaders.Royal Mail has apologised for unveiling a stamp to commemorate the D-Day landings which actually showed US troops on a beach in Indonesia.

The stamp, intended to depict British troops landing in France, has been withdrawn after historians called it a gross insult to veterans.

It was scheduled for release in June next year to mark the 75th anniversary of the pivotal World War II offensive in Normandy.

The stamp was unveiled as part of a 2019 collection celebrating the best of British and was labelled D-Day Allied soldiers and medics wade ashore.

Royal Mail said it would no longer feature in the collection after the blunder came to light.

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A spokesman said: We work very hard to ensure that our Special Stamp programme appropriately commemorates anniversaries and events that are relevant to UK heritage and life.

We would like to offer our sincere apologies that our preview release for our 2019 Special Stamp programme included a stamp design which had been incorrectly associated with the D-Day landings.

The mistake was pointed out by a historian after Royal Mail posted a preview of the stamp on Twitter.

Oh dear, this is not very good, said Stephen Fisher. The image chosen actually depicts US troops disembarking from LCI(L) 30 at Dutch New Guinea in May 1944. Its a US Coast Guard photo and was published in All Hands magazine shortly after.

That ship did not take part in the Normandy landings.

On the US National World War II museum website, the image is captioned: USS LCI(L)-30 landing troops carrying stretchers onto a beach during a second assault wave. It states the picture was taken on 17 May, 1944  three weeks before the D-Day landings nearly 8,500 miles away.

Military historian Andy Saunders branded the stamp a shambles. He added: Wrong theatre; wrong date; wrong vessel; wrong troops. This gross insult to veterans and those who didnt make it should be withdrawn.

The Spirit of Normandy Trust, which seeks to improve public knowledge of the landings, said incorrect images were had been used to depict D-Day before.

Ian Stewart, vice-chairman of the trust, said: The problem with most of these things is that research has got to be thorough and done well ahead of time. Its very unfortunate, but research is absolutely critical and its not the first time its been done about D-Day. People think that it doesnt matter whos in the photograph.

The Best of British collection will feature 11 stamps that mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. It will also include six stamps to commemorate the life of Queen Victoria, whose bicentenary will take place in May 2019.MPs could block the governments ability to collect taxes to force Theresa May to allow a Final Say referendum.

Influential Tory rebel Dominic Grieve has backed a plan to make a new public vote  rather than a no-deal Brexit  the default option if Ms Mays deal is not approved by parliament by exit day in March.

Under the proposal, set out in a report by campaign group Best for Britain, MPs would amend the Finance Bill when it returns to the Commons on 8 January, making future taxation conditional on holding a referendum (with an option to remain).

If there is no majority in parliament for the proposal, MPs could also try to unite those who want a Final Say with those who oppose no deal, by hampering efforts to collect taxes unless the deal has been approved or a referendum scheduled, the report said.

The manoeuvre comes as foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said we absolutely can get the prime ministers deal through parliament, despite widespread opposition to the Irish backstop element of her plan.

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Ms May has repeatedly argued that parliament should support her Brexit deal in the meaningful vote in January or risk leaving the EU without a deal.

However pro-EU MPs and campaigners claim this is a false choice, backing The Independents calls for the public to be given a Final Say vote on the terms of Britains exit.

Mr Grieve, a former attorney general, said in a foreword to the report: The government finds itself in an impasse of its own making.

There are routes not yet properly explored, examined or voted upon which the prime minister appears to be attempting to close off.

Instead Downing Street threatens a catastrophic no-deal should the prime ministers deal fail to be delivered through parliament.

As parliamentarians, we have a duty to examine every option open to us which would avoid such an outcome.

The plan is the latest in a series of parliamentary attempts to give MPs more control over Brexit, including a cross-party bid to prevent new taxes being earmarked for no-deal preparations without parliaments backing.

MPs are due to return to the Commons on 7 January after a two-week Christmas break, and will begin a new debate on Ms Mays deal on 9 January  with a vote expected to take place the following week.

Mr Hunt warned the EU that it must offer further assurances over the backstop, which is the only outstanding issue and can be solved.

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He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: The EU has agreed that the backstop is temporary and what we need them to do is define what temporary is.

So my view is this is not the time to be talking about what other major changes we might be faced with making because actually we can get this through.

We can get this through, absolutely can.

Jeremy Corbyn has challenged Ms May to cut short the Christmas recess and recall parliament early in order to bring forward the critical vote.

In an interview with The Independent, the Labour leader said the prime minister was engaged in a cynical manoeuvre to run down the clock and offer MPs the choice of the devil or the deep blue sea.MPs must be given the power of veto on individual trade deals after Brexit, an influential Commons committee has said.

Britain will be able to sign lucrative trade agreements with foreign partners for the first time in decades when it leaves the European Union, rather than as a part of the bloc.

The International Trade Committee has demanded parliament receives a meaningful vote on every deal struck after Brexit amid an ongoing row over whether new agreements with countries such as the United States and China could lead to a decline in food safety standards.

The cross-party call is likely to meet fierce resistance from the government, which has shown reluctance to hold Commons votes as Theresa May maintains her wafer-thin parliamentary majority due only to support from the DUP.

Committee chairman Angus MacNeil condemned the governments current transparency plans as characteristically vague and attempt to dress poor planning up as pragmatism.

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He said: The UK is set to begin negotiating its own trade agreements for the first time in 40 years.

These agreements have the potential to affect every part of every UK citizens life  from the quality of the food we eat to the money in our pockets.

We have seen what happens when the public and parliament are deliberately kept in the dark over trade negotiations. With so much to gain or lose, everyone has the right be heard.

The SNP MP said the government may fail to achieve the post-Brexit benefits it has long touted if it does not give parliament a vote or offer a voice to business, civil society and the devolved governments.

Britain before Brexit: Wales Show all 16 1 /16 Britain before Brexit: Wales Britain before Brexit: Wales Swansea A giant anonymous message calls after a shopper leaving the town centre, his bags full with advent calendars and Christmas wrapping paper, reminding him of the non-material hes lacking. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Wrexham Two notices occupy the same wall, both white, both prohibitive. Yet the distance between them goes further than the grey bricks: they are separated by political and everyday concerns, by enmity and whats simply not allowed. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Cardiff Another tent pitched in a British town centre, adding to those I saw in Coventry and Margate and Great Yarmouth and elsewhere. It looks so out of place, so unadapted, and I can almost hear the bitter scrape of a tent peg on concrete, unable to penetrate, unable to settle in and secure. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Swansea Its jarring to see the sanitised whiteness of the hospital on the high street. Its clinical, no frills description is at odds with the puns and the slogans of big-name brands. Yet its more mysterious too: the crucial details are absent, only its origin is laid bare as a clue. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Merthyr Tydfil The site of the former police station, now demolished, the ground bare behind bars. The sign hangs like an historical artefact, revealing not only what once was, but how the public and the law were divided. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Aberystwyth Thank you notes to God are displayed in St. Michaels Church. Im interested in how people interpret His role in their lives and how they express gratitude. I try to ignore innuendo when I see this note, and consider the vague completeness of Gods contribution. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Port Talbot A view of the Tata Steelworks from an underpass by the M4. It flanks the southern side of the motorway, facing the hills to the north and the town between and below. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Swansea A disused road sign, first in Welsh, then in English, propped up against a tanning shop. The surface of the body designed to sell the product has been satirised with graffiti in Arabic: Oh, fire of my heart! I read the message as a subversive play on heat and attraction in our society, counterposing the superficial, sexualised burning of the bodys exterior (tanning) with the purer, warmer image of the interior fire of love. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Aberystwyth The university Geography Society beats the History Society in a drinking competition. Participants turn glasses over above their heads to prove that theyre empty. Student supporters cheer from the balconies in drunken delirium. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Port Talbot A distinctly twenty-first-century British hieroglyphic. A symbol conveying an obsession with virility, with its tendency to tarnish and spoil, to reduce everything it touches to an insignificant canvas for its power. I would say it has something to do with Port Talbots phallic steelworks and their daily emission, if I hadnt seen it so much elsewhere in Britain. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Merthyr Tydfil Children imagine the future of the town, and in so doing transform the present, from something static and fixed to a place of becoming, where now is simply a transitional phase, pregnant with the utopian possibilities of Las Tydfil, a place combining two of Britains strongest currents: environmentalism and gambling. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Cardiff The Welsh Dragon is printed on plastic bags probably because the company thinks it can sell more products by tapping into the countrys niche patriotism. Yet, it also means that the Welsh Dragon is being treated as rubbish, thrown to the gutter, trashed in landfill, left as litter in a mess of detritus. Richard Morgan Britain before Brexit: Wales Cardiff Black Friday on Queen Street. The street is lined with commercial exclamations - of sales and deals and time running out - that sometimes appear better as ironic parodies of the fate of the capitals rough sleepers than notices of the products and bargains they promote. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Swansea An anarchist imperative opposite the prison wall, suggesting to the residential area that fundamental, wholesale social change cannot come about through participating in the democratic political process, but only by rejecting it, confronting it, and rising against it. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Merthyr Tydfil Investment cut in half. The promise of a sale broken. Once an announcement, now discarded to the street, visible only to those looking down, more meaningful now than ever before, in the company of rotting autumn. Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: Wales Wrexham The town has a similar accent to the Liverpudlian one. There are hints that it shares an undercurrent of resentment towards The Sun newspaper too. Richard Morgan/The Independent

The committee says MPs should table an amendable Commons motion before trade negotiations are under way in March, allowing parliament to guide the talks.

This would could significantly reduce the risk of MPs voting down trade deals that have already been agreed.

Ministers are expected to formally begin negotiations on future trade deals when Britain leaves the EU in March, but these deals will not come into force until the end of the transition period in 2021

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A Department for International Trade spokesman said: The government is committed to a transparent and inclusive trade policy and parliament has an important role to play in this.

We have also undertaken one of the governments biggest ever public consultations and were now setting up the Strategic Trade Advisory Group which will see representatives of business, civil society and consumers informing trade negotiations.Just 5 per cent of homes to be built with government money will be the most affordable type of housing despite the prime ministers pledge to build a new generation of social homes, ministers have admitted.

The government said only 12,500 of the 250,000 homes to be built with the affordable homes budget by 2022 will be social homes  equivalent to 2,500 per year.

The other 237,500 are likely to be more costly affordable homes, which can be sold for hundreds of thousands of pounds or rented out at up to 80 per cent of full market value.

The admission comes despite Theresa May having promised to deliver a new generation of social rented homes amid soaring demand for low-cost housing.

It prompted criticism from housing charities, who said the lack of new social housing was totally unacceptable. Labour said the tiny fraction of social homes being built was just not good enough.

There were 1,409 social homes built in England last year. With ministers now promising a total of around 2,500 per year until 2022, it means the increased funding will deliver only an additional 1,000 each year.

In contrast, 39,402 were built in 2009-10  the year before the Conservatives came to power.

In October, Ms May announced that her government was increasing funding for the Affordable Homes Programme by 2bn, taking the total to almost 9bn.

Heralding the move, the prime minister said she was making it her personal mission to tackle the housing crisis and assured those in need of a better home that help is on the way.

But in answer to a parliamentary question from Labour, housing secretary James Brokenshire said just one in 20 of the new homes to be built will be social homes.

He said: The 9bn Affordable Homes Programme will deliver at least 250,000 homes by March 2022. At least 12,500 of these will be for social rent outside of London.

The Greater London Authority has the flexibility to deliver social rent in London.

Commenting on the revelation, John Healey, Labours shadow housing secretary, said: Theres been a disastrous fall in the number of new genuinely affordable homes for social rent under the Conservatives. We are now building over 30,000 fewer social rented homes a year than when I was Labours last housing minister in 2010.

Ministers flawed definition of affordable housing includes homes for sale at up to 450,000 and to let at 80 per cent of market rents, so its just not good enough for ministers to only commit a tiny fraction of the affordable homes budget to new social rented homes. The next Labour government will build a million low-cost homes, the majority for social rent.

UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Show all 8 1 /8 UK Housing Crisis: in pictures UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Members of generation rent, as the younger generation is often known, are finding it far more difficult to get on the housing market than previous generations PA UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Then chancellor George Osborne visits a Help to Buy housing development in Lewisham in 2014. Osborne had announced the Help to Buy scheme in the 2013 budget as a means of helping first-time buyers on to the housing market PA Archive/PA Images UK Housing Crisis: in pictures In February 2017, then communities and local government secretary Sajid Javid issued a government white paper on housing. Introducing it in the Commons, he stated our housing market is broken and that the idea of owning or renting a safe, secure place of your own is, for many, a distant dream PA UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Residents of Fitzroy Road in Primrose Hill have demonstrated how urban areas might be built up without using extra land. 12 homeowners along the street all agreed to extend their house upwards by 1 floor. The government recently held a consultation on the revised National Planning Policy Framework, which, if approved, will support building above homes, shops and offices Google Earth UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Social Bite, a charity in Scotland, is creating a small housing community for the homeless. Up to 20 people will be housed for 12-18 months, with the charitys focus being on transitioning the residents into permanent housing and employment AFP/Getty UK Housing Crisis: in pictures A homeless man was found dead yards from Parliament in February. His death was taken by many, including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, to be symbolic of the governments poor record on housing. PA UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Emergency homeless shelters in London had to be opened numerous times throughout the past winter to house those unable to find a room in an ordinary shelter or hostel Getty UK Housing Crisis: in pictures Carillion, the UKs second largest construction company, entered liquidation early this year. It held numerous government construction and maintenance contracts, for many of which the future is still uncertain AFP/Getty

Addressing the Conservative Party conference in October, Ms May promised a new generation of council houses to help fix our broken housing market.

She said: In those parts of the country where need is greatest we will allow social rented housing to be built, at well below market levels, getting the government back into the business of building houses.

And during the 2017 election campaign, Ms May promised the Tories would deliver a new generation of social rented homes.

 The government must 'step in' if homes are going to get built, Theresa May says, committing 44bn to supporting the housing market

Housing charities condemned the revelation that the government will only fund 2,500 new social homes per year.

Greg Beales, campaign director of Shelter, said: The gap between the number of social homes we need in this country and how many get built is vast. In fact, we delivered 84 per cent fewer social homes this year than in 2010. This is totally unacceptable when hundreds of thousands of people are homeless and millions more are struggling in unstable and expensive private renting.

It is time the government charted a new course and seriously ramped up its efforts to get more social homes built. Thats why Shelter has launched an independent commission into the future of social housing that will soon set out a bold and far-reaching vision for the pivotal role it has to play in ending the housing crisis.

And Jon Sparkes, chief executive of homelessness charity Crisis, said: It is very disappointing to see such a tiny proportion of the properties to be delivered through the Affordable Homes Programme being made available for social rent. Research shows we need 90,000 social homes built every year for the next 15 years to meet demand  both for those experiencing homelessness, and for those on low incomes, many of whom are at risk of homelessness.

The current lack of genuinely affordable housing is leaving thousands living on a knife-edge, unable to keep up with spiralling rents and housing costs.

Kit Malthouse, housing minister, said: Over the last three decades governments of all stripes have built too few homes of all types, including for affordable and social rent.

Were correcting this with massive investment in house building, including the 9bn affordable homes programme, but also by setting councils free to build the social homes their communities need.

We expect many thousands of new homes to result and we share the impatience of the British people to see decent homes built for the next generation.The man accused of killing a California police officer during a traffic stop has been captured, authorities have announced. Donald Trump has cited the manhunt in his push to fund a wall on the US-Mexico border.

Police officer Ronil Singh was shot and killed after arresting a suspected drunken driver in the town of Newman, in Californias San Joaquin Valley, the day after Christmas. Video footage taken from a local convenience store, led police to determine the suspect was a Mexican citizen who had been living in the country illegally.

On Friday, police revealed that the suspect, Gustavo Perez Arriaga, had been arrested in the city of Bakersfield, about 200 miles away. His brother and a colleague were also detained for allegedly misleading officers about the suspects whereabouts, said Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson.

At a press conference, the officers younger brother, Reggie Singh, choked back tears as he paid tribute to police and law enforcement personnel who had detained the suspect. His family had originally moved to the US from Fiji and the officer had a wife and a young son.

Ronil Singh was my older brother.Yes, hes not coming back, but there are a lot of people out there who are missing him, he said.

He said he wanted to thank those officers who had worked day and night to make the arrests. I was waiting for this to happen, he added.

Mr Christianson said the suspect was a criminal who had entered the country illegally. He said police believe he was trying to return to Mexico when he was arrested and that he also claimed to part of a criminal gang called the Surenos.

He said the suspect had previous convictions for driving under the influence  convictions for which he had not been deported. An officer lost his life, he said

The shooting of the California officer became another part of the already highly charged national debate about immigration, when Mr Trump tweeted about the incident a day afterwards. Mr Trump announced his run for the White House in the summer of 2015, at a press conference at which he denounced illegal immigration and criminals from Mexico.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

On Thursday, with the government in partial shutdown because of his refusal to reach a compromise with Democrats over a budget if it does not include include $5bn for a border wall, Mr Trump tweeted: There is right now a full scale manhunt going on in California for an illegal immigrant accused of shooting and killing a police officer during a traffic stop. Time to get tough on border security. Build the wall!

 Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

On Friday, the president said he would shut the border with Mexico if he did not receive funding from Congress and threatened to cut aid to Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, three desperately poor and violent nations that are home to most of the recent migrants trying to enter the US.

It is not known how long Mr Arriaga, 33, had been living in the country illegally after crossing the border in Arizona. Police said he had been in the US for several years.

Mr Christianson, who earlier this year met Mr Trump at a White House roundtable on illegal immigration, said Mr Arriagas brother, Adrian Virgen, 25, and and a work colleague, Erik Razo Quiroz, 32, had also been arrested for allegedly lying police about the suspects whereabouts.

The sheriff blamed Californias sanctuary law for preventing local authorities from reporting Mr Arriaga to federal immigration officials for his previous arrests, adding that if had been deported, Mr Singh would still be alive.Xem them

...

Tin bai cuoi cung

Khong con du lieu e loadLaGuardia Airport has been hit by diversions and delays to flights caused by an explosion at a Consolidated Edison electrical substation, in Astoria, Queens that illuminated the New York City skyline with a bright blue glow.

The explosion cut off power to the airport causing delays that continued into Friday morning, despite LaGuardia being able to switch to backup generators during the blackout.

As of right now, power has been restored, but not before Delta Airlines and American Airlines had to reroute several planes to nearby airports.

Some flights were also delayed for up to three hours.

The first flights that departed from LaGuardia on Friday morning operated as scheduled.

Recommended Explosion at New York power plant turns night sky neon blue

LaGuardias website said that travellers flying on Friday should still check with their airline carrier on the status of their flight and allow additional time when commuting to the airport.

The beaming blue glow from the explosion could be seen from Manhattan a little after 9pm on Thursday night. The explosion was caused by a brief electrical fire at the Consolidated Edison Inc. facility in Astoria.

There was a brief electrical fire at our substation on 20th Avenue & 32nd Street in Astoria this evening, which caused a transmission dip, Con Ed tweeted. All power lines serving the area are in service and the system is stable. The company said its investigating the cause of the blaze.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The explosion caused a pandemonium among New Yorkers prompting many of them to comment on the eerie sighting on social media.

Eric Phillips, a spokesman for Mayor Bill DeBlasio, tweeted Its *Not* Aliens.

if I understood SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE correctly, like 12 people became Spider-Men in that ConEd explosion tonight, one person tweeted.

 Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

#coned explosion in astoria, #queens tonight, another New Yorker tweeted. this is my roommate and I thinking we are going to die and evacuating.

Some New York residents thought the explosion were signs of an alien invasion, while others, like Astoria's Ziad Elnokrashy, told the New York Daily News that he thought it was a "terrorist attack."

Everything was flooded with smoke, he said. It looked like blue fire. It was so big it was like the whole sky turned blue I thought it was the end of the world.

The New York Police Department immediately quelled down those fears and confirmed it was a result of a transformer explosion in a ConEd facility in Astoria. It reported that there were "no injuries, no fire, no evidence of extraterrestrial activity."The mother of the 20-year-old college student who was allegedly murdered by an undocumented immigrant earlier this year took in the child of Mexican parents after the killing.

Laura Calderwood took in 17-year-old Ulises Felix after his Mexican parents fled town this year when the man alleged to have killed her daughter was arrested.

Ms Calderwood said that she felt compelled to help in the situation in part by thinking about what her late daughter, Mollie Tibbetts, would have done, see told The Washington Post. Ulises parents had worked alongside the accused killer, Cristhian Bahena Rivera, for years at an Iowa dairy farm.

Mollies death sparked renewed debate surrounding immigration in the United States, and caught the attention of President Donald Trump, who used the killing as evidence to make the case that immigrants are a danger to the country. Mr Rivera has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge against him.

But Ms Calderwood, a lifelong liberal, told The Washington Post that she resented the way her daughters murder was politicised, and that Mollie stood in diametric opposition to Mr Trump and his political platform.

Recommended Democrats call for answers after migrant children die in US custody

She said that she could not stand hearing the president using her daughter as a political prop.

You heard about today with the illegal alien coming in, very sadly, from Mexico and you saw what happened to that incredible, beautiful young woman, Mr Trump said at the time. Shouldve never happened.  The laws are so bad, the immigration laws are such a disgrace. Were getting it changed, but we have to get more Republicans.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

In addition to working alongside the man who killed Mollie, Ulises parents acted as something of a proxy family to the man, according to the teenager. They had taken care of Mr Rivera for a while he said, noting that his mother had fed him every day.

He was so busy sending money back to his parents, trying to help them build a house, Ulises said of Mr Rivera.

Mollies body was found in August after she was missing for more than a month.

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It was determined that she had gone missing while jogging in the Iowa town of Brooklyn. It was later determined that her cause of death was a homicide resulting from multiple sharp force injuries, according to the Iowa State Medical Examiner.

Mollies family has called on politicians to not us the 20-year-old college students death as a political bargaining chip in negotiations surrounding US immigration laws.A New York man has been charged in the kidnapping of two children whose mother recently fled an ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect in Guatemala.

The FBI arrested Aron Rosner of Brooklyn this week on charges accusing him of providing financial assistance to members of the religious group Lev Tahor in an international abduction scheme. Critics call the group a "cult".

Mr Rosner's defence attorney did not respond to an email seeking comment on Thursday.

The FBI said in court filings that the children  14-year-old Yante Teller and her 12-year-old brother Chaim Teller  were kidnapped on 8 December from their home in upstate New York and taken out of the country.

Surveillance footage shows the children walking out of the residence before 3am and entering a vehicle.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The boy was spotted with Lev Tahor members at a hotel in Mexico City days after the kidnapping, according to the court filings. The whereabouts of the children was not clear on Thursday.

The FBI did not respond to an email seeking comment.

The bureau said in the court filings that the children's mother had been a voluntary member of Lev Tahor, but escaped the group in recent weeks after the organisation became increasingly extreme.

Her father, Shlomo Helbrans, founded the sect and, in 1994, was convicted of kidnapping a 13-year-old in New York. Mr Helbrans was later deported to Israel.

The mother indicated that it was not safe to keep her children there, FBI Agent Jonathan Lane wrote in a criminal complaint filed in US District Court, referring to the group in Guatemala.

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Mr Lane referred in the complaint to news accounts of Lev Tahor subjecting children to physical, sexual and emotional abuse.

The FBI said Mr Rosner transferred money on seven occasions that assisted members of Lev Tahor in the kidnapping.

He also is accused of speaking with several co-conspirators about hotels in Mexico as well as purchases of flights, bus tickets, credit cards and food, according to the criminal complaint.

Mr Rosner was ordered held without bail on Monday pending trial.

APSome wondered if aliens were invading. Others speculated about the supernatural. There was even talk of God, Satan, and the end of days.

Awe-struck New Yorkers imaginations went into overdrive as an eerie blue glow lit up the citys night sky.

Social media was sent into a frenzy as Manhattans skyline was bathed in pulsing neon for several minutes, temporarily shutting down LaGuardia airport late on Thursday.

There was, it transpired, a more earthly explanation than UFOs or divine intervention.

Power company Con Edison said a brief electrical fire had broken out at its substation in Astoria, Queens, at 9.15pm local time (2am GMT).

Recommended Explosion at New York power plant turns night sky neon blue

It affected some electrical transformers, which in turned caused a dip in power for the surrounding area, spokesman Bob McGee told journalists.

He said the glowing light is thought to have been caused by an electric arc  a luminous discharge formed when a strong current jumps between a gap in a circuit.

The colour of the light was determined by the properties of the air, mostly nitrogen and oxygen, which appear purple and blue when electricity flows through them. Some witnesses also reported seeing green, which could be attributed to copper used at the substation.

The light vanished as suddenly as it appeared, video posted on social media shows.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Con Edison said an electrical fault on 138,000 volt equipment caused a sustained electrical arc flash but the affected equipment was isolated to a single section within the substation.

The firm added the cause of the failure was under investigation, but New York Police Department confirmed there were no injuries and there was no evidence of extraterrestrial activity.

That did not stop the eerie light unsettling New Yorkers.

"I'll admit that seeing the sky light up like that at night - in New York City of all places - put a bad feeling in my gut," Lucas Espinoza, 28, told The Independent.

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John Tebbett, who lives two blocks away from the substation, told NY1 television station he heard an explosion followed for about five minutes by a loud roar. The blast had caused the lights in his home to flicker off and on, he said.

"You could hear the roar and see the super white, bright light," Mr Tebbett. "It took them about five minutes, maybe. As we were watching it, it was like somebody turned off the power and it just went dark and then it was quiet. The roar stopped and it was dead quiet for a moment and then you could hear the emergency vehicles start to come in."

It was the second major incident involving Con Edison in the last six months. In July, a steam pipe explosion spewed asbestos-laden vapour into the air in Manhattan's Flatiron district, driving hundreds of people from their homes and businesses.Americas oldest Second World War veteran, and the oldest man in the US, has died in Texas at the age of 112.

Richard Overton served in an all-black army unit for three years and took part in combat operations and beach landings in the Pacific during the war.

His family said the veteran had gone into hospital with pneumonia but was released on Christmas Eve. He died on Thursday evening at a rehab facility in Austin, Texas.

Mr Overton said the secret to his longevity was smoking cigars and drinking whiskey. He was often found doing those two things on the porch of his Austin home.

I been smoking cigars from when I was 18 years old, Im still a smoking em. Twelve a day, he is quoted as saying by local TV.

Mr Overton volunteered for the army in 1942 and served with the 188th Aviation Engineer Battalion - an all-black unit which served on various islands in the Pacific.

He was honoured by former president Barack Obama on Veterans Day in 2013.

He was there at Pearl Harbour, when the battleships were still smouldering, Mr Obama said of Mr Overton in 2013. He was there at Okinawa. He was there at Iwo Jima, where he said, I only got out of there by the grace of God.

He was born in 1906 and spent most of his life in Austin. His recent birthdays drew national attention  with strangers going to his house to meet him.

Austin City Council renamed the street he had lived on for more than 70 years Richard Overton Avenue in honour of his 111th birthday last year.

The veteran would drive widows in his local area to church until well into his second century.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott called him an American icon and a Texas legend.

With his quick wit and kind spirit he touched the lives of so many, and I am deeply honoured to have known him, he said in a statement.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Richard Overton made us proud to be Texans and proud to be Americans. We can never repay Richard Overton for his service to our nation and for his lasting impact on the Lone Star State.

He would have been 113 on 11 May 2019.

In 2015, he was the star of a short documentary called Mr Overton by Austin-based filmmakers Rocky Conly and Matt Cooper.

In the film, he said he loved to eat soup, corn and fish, and drink milk.

And ice cream. I eat ice cream every night. It makes me happy, he said, adding that he especially liked butter pecan.

I still walk, I still talk, and I still drive, he said, before getting into his Ford F100 Custom pickup truck.

Mr Overton also said he liked going to church and enjoyed the singing and also adored caring for his cats.

His family and friends celebrated his 112th birthday in May by visiting him at his home, local NBC-affiliated television station KXAN reported.

I feel fine every day. No pain and no aches, he told photographers at the event.The US military has been asked to help discover what is behind mysterious sonic health attacks on dozens of American diplomats that triggered a range of ailments that have left doctors baffled.

More than 30 US diplomats stationed in Cuba and China reported experiencing sensations ranging from dizziness and concussion, to cognitive problems that made it impossible for them to work. Cuba has denied any involvement in the incidents, that have further strained the relationship between the two countries.

Now, it has been reported the state department has turned to even more federal bodies, along with the US Navy, to try and solve what is behind the incidents. NBC News said experts at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Office of Naval Research, have been asked to weigh in.

They were approached after a two-year effort by the FBI and the US intelligence community failed to resolve what was behind the incidents that led the state department to withdraw almost half its diplomats from Havana. At the same time, as many as 370 diplomats and their families serving in China have been tested amid concerns they could also have been affected after one person in the city of Guangzhou was confirmed to have the same symptoms as the Cuba cases.

Canada has also reported 13 cases of unexplained health problems at its Cuban embassy since early 2017.

The safety and security of US personnel, their families, and US citizens abroad is and has always been the department of states top priority, the state department said in a statement when asked by The Independent about the report the navy had been approached.

As we continue to report, a government interagency investigation, involving medical, scientific, and technical experts across the US government and academia, is ongoing to determine the source and cause of these events.

The US Navy failed to immediately respond to enquiries, as did the CDC and NIH.

Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania who tested more than 20 US diplomats, said they believed they had suffered something similar to concussion, but at the same time different. While it was initially believed sonic attacks were responsible for the ailments, the scientists now consider microwaves were probably behind what happened.

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Douglas Smith, director of the University of Pennsylvanias Centre for Brain Injury and Repair, told CNN the diplomats probably suffered brain injuries of some type and that microwaves were considered the most likely cause.

Its almost like a concussion, but without a concussion  meaning that they look like individuals who have persistent concussion symptoms but have no history of head impact, said Mr Smith. Just like we have ways to prevent people from having a concussion, you could think of maybe protecting your brain from these energy sources.

Earlier this month, doctors at the University of Miami who first treated the diplomats said they had suffered a range of neurological, cognitive and emotional symptoms, but believed they had not endured concussion.

Objective testing showed evidence of a balance disorder that affects the inner ear and a unique pattern of cognitive and behavioural dysfunction, Michael Hoffer, professor of otolaryngology and neurological surgery, wrote in a paper published in the journal Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology.



World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

This cluster of auditory and neurological symptoms, along with associated psychological issues, does not resemble more classic traumatic brain injury based on our teams vast experience in this area.

In October 2017, the Trump administration said it believed its diplomats in Cuba had been attacked and announced it was withdrawing more than half its personnel. Two years after a detente in relations following five decades of Cold War hostility, it curtailed visa processing and expelled 15 Cuban diplomats from Washington.

In testimony before Congress in September, Peter Bodde, coordinator of a special state department task force, said the CDC and NIH had been asked to help identify and to understand the mechanism for the cause of the injuries, the motive behind these attacks, and the identity of the perpetrators.



Cuba has continued to deny any involvement in the incidents and has said the US has failed to provide concrete evidence that anything actually happened.

Until today, there has been no evidence to prove that something occurred in Cuba that could have damaged the health of several US diplomats, Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, a spokesman for Cubas foreign ministry said this month, according to the Associated Press.

Theres no concrete data on the medical condition of the patients, who they are, their clinical records, laboratory or imaging evidence. Everything has been speculation or manipulated information.A womens college in Missouri has amended its admissions policy and will begin accepting some transgender students as well as non-binary students assigned female at birth.

Stephens College in Columbia, the second-oldest womens college in America, will put the new policy into effect come fall 2019, according to the Columbia Missourian.

As stated in a frequently asked questions document attached to the schools updated enrolment and admissions policy, with the new policy, Stephens College has now recommitted to its singular mission of educating women.

Consistent with our cultures expanding understanding of the definition of womanhood, the colleges admissions policy will recognise both sex and gender identity in its determination of a students eligibility for admission and enrolment, the document reads.

As part of the new policy, accepted students who were not born female but identify as such will be required to provide legal documentation that they are legally women or that they are transitioning to female, according to the school.

Recommended Teacher sacked for refusing to use male pronouns with a trans student

The college also explained that it will no longer be admitting students who were born female but identify as male, as well as students who identify as non-binary but are transitioning to male, as it had previously done, because it is logistically consistent that it also acknowledges both sex and gender in its definition of manhood.

The school has been considering the change in policy since 2014, according to KOMU, which reported that the school announced its unanimous decision to students and staff via email.

But, according to the school, the change will not impact students who are already enrolled.

Stephens Colleges decision follows similar policy changes implemented by at least eight other all-womens colleges since 2014 in the United States.

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Mills College in Oakland, California was the first college to change its policy to allow for the acceptance of trans students, followed by Wellesley, Smith, Bryn Mawr, and Barnard.Donald Trump is facing accusations that he was "playing politics" with the military during his surprise visit to American troops in Iraq and Germany on Christmas Day.

In his statement to troops, Mr Trump singled out red Make America Great Again caps in the crowd of military personnel and accused Nancy Pelosi and other leading Democrats of being weak on border security.

When that starts happening, its like the politicisation of the judicial branch, said Mark Hertling, a retired three-star Army lieutenant general.

Visiting troops abroad is a presidential tradition in which the commander in chief puts aside politics to thank a military that represents a broad spectrum of the country.

But Mr Trumps political comments and his encouragement of supporters in the crowd shattered those norms, according to critics.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

He has to understand that there exist some audiences that should not be addressed as part of his base, because they are not, Mr Hertling said. Its a violation of protocol by the president.

Mr Trump also turned a customary Christmas greeting into an attack against Democrats, who are refusing to fund a wall along the southern border. The stalemate over the wall, Mr Trumps signature campaign promise, has resulted in a partial government shutdown.

I dont know if you folks are aware of whats happening, Mr Trump said. We want to have strong borders in the United States. The Democrats dont want to let us have strong borders.

Nancy Pelosis deputy chief of staff, Drew Hammill, accused Mr Trump of turning uniformed troops into scenery for a campaign speech. The president turned his first visit to our troops into another cringeworthy Donald Trump reality-show special.

Some commentators on Fox News also criticised the president for injecting politics into the event.

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The political paraphernalia on display has raised questions at the Defence Department about violations of military protocol by the troops who greeted him.

One woman in uniform at Ramstein Air Base in Germany welcomed Trump with a Make America Great Again flag, according to a photograph posted on Twitter.

A directive from the department prohibits active-duty personnel from engaging in partisan political activities. It also advises that all military personnel should avoid the inference that their political activities imply or appear to imply DoD sponsorship, approval or endorsement of a political candidate, campaign or cause.

Washington PostAn eight-year-old Guatemalan boy who died while being held in custody by US Border Patrol had the flu, an autopsy has revealed.

The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator said more tests were needed before a cause of death could be determined for Felipe Gomez Alonzo.

Authorities say Felipe died at a New Mexico hospital after suffering coughing, vomiting and a fever.

Another Guatemalan child, seven-year-old Jakelin Caal, died in US custody earlier this month. Both deaths are under investigation.

Im sad and in despair over the death of my son, the boys 32-year-old mother, Catarina Alonzo Perez, told Reuters by phone from her home in the tiny village of Yalambojoch.

Felipes father took his son to the US-Mexico border after hearing rumours that parents and their children would be allowed to migrate to the US and escape the poverty in their homeland, the boys stepsister said.

We heard rumours that they could pass. They said they could pass with the children, said Catarina Gomez Lucas, 21, explaining why Felipe and his father, Agustin Gomez, made the dangerous journey.

She would not say who spread the rumours or who transported the father and son to the border from Yalambojoch in Huehuetenango province, a poor community of returnees from Mexico who had fled Guatemala in the bloodiest years of that countrys 1960-1996 civil war.

The boys death came during an ongoing dispute over border security and with the US government partially shut down over Donald Trumps insistence on funding for a longer border wall.

Ms Perez said she spoke with her son the day before they arrived at the US border.

He wasnt sick on the way; he wasnt sick here, she said through her stepdaughter in the Mayan language known as Chuj.

 Former Border Patrol officer defended the use of pepper spray on migrants at the US-Mexico border: 'its natural. You could actually put it on your nachos and eat it'

Both Felipe and Jakelin came from rural communities with extreme poverty. Both were taken to the border by their parents and detained by the US Border Patrol before they fell ill.

It appears Felipe got sick after authorities moved him from El Paso, Texas, to Alamogordo, New Mexico, because of overcrowding.

Ms Gomez Lucas said the family stopped hearing from Felipes father on 18 December, when he and the boy were detained. On Christmas day, he called to say the boy had died in a hospital.

He told us that (Felipe) was fine all day, that he was playing with other children. But then he said he felt bad and his stomach ached, the stepsister said.

Felipe told his father he did not know what was wrong with him and that it felt like something was stuck in his throat, Ms Gomez Lucas said.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The father said Felipe asked him not to cry because he was not going to get better, according to the boys stepsister.

Felipe was taken to a hospital, and the father said he gave the boy to doctors, who soon informed him his son had died.

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said the boy displayed signs of illness on Monday and was taken with his father to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a cold and a fever and prescribed amoxicillin and ibuprofen.

He was released that afternoon but returned in the evening with nausea and vomiting and died there just after midnight, CBP said.

After the two deaths, the government announced it would conduct additional medical screening for children and consider other changes.

Moving forward all children will receive a more thorough hands on assessment as soon as possible after being apprehended, whether or not the adult with them asks for one, US department of homeland security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said in a statement.

Mr Gomez was drowning in debt, Ms Gomez Lucas said. He sold a piece of land to survive, but the money was not enough, so he decided to take out a loan and travel to the US.

Felipe is survived by five siblings, two from his fathers first marriage and three from his stepmother and father.

The boy lived with his fathers family in a small wooden house with earthen floors. It lacked basic services. Ms Gomez Lucas said Felipes father earned about $6 (4.75) a day through temporary farm jobs or harvesting coffee, which was not enough to support the family.

As with Jakelins family, Felipes relatives now must deal with the death of a child, a debt and their continued worry about the fate of Mr Gomez.

Oscar Padilla, the Guatemalan consul in Phoenix, confirmed that the father is still detained by the Border Patrol.

My father is suffering because of the boy. We do not know what will happen. We have nothing to live with. We do not have money, Ms Gomez Lucas said.

Additional reporting by agenciesHouse Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has announced the creation of a new special committee to examine climate change when her party takes back control of the US House of Representatives next month.

Florida Democratic Representative Kathy Castor will lead the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis as chairwoman, Ms Pelosi said.

It is with great enthusiasm that I appoint Congresswoman Kathy Castor as the Chair of our new Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, Ms Pelosi said. She will bring great experience, energy and urgency to the existential threat of the climate crisis. This committee will be critical to the entire Congresss mission to respond to the urgency of this threat, while creating the good-paying, green jobs of the future.

Ms Castor, a seven-term representative for Tampa Bay, has been a long time sitting member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. The Florida Democrat has already promised, as chairwoman, to decline all campaign contributions from coal, oil or gas companies.

Congresswoman Castor is a proven champion for public health and green infrastructure, who deeply understands the scope and seriousness of this threat, Ms Pelosi added. Her decades of experience in this fight, both in Florida and in the Congress, where she has been an outstanding leader on the Energy and Commerce Committee and on the House Democratic Environmental Message Team, will be vital.

Ms Pelosi has not yet specified what the committee will do in the upcoming Congress, but typically, House committees of this nature can hold hearings, write reports and bring awareness to political issues.

Several progressives and climate change activists have criticised House leaderships proposals for the panel. For instance, the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis will not be tasked specifically for establishing a Green New Deal, which calls for transition to a 100 per cent renewable electricity, and it will not have subpoena power.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

My position is that the committee should have legislative authority and should have subpoena power, Ms Castor said. But I think that has been negotiated with the standing committee chairs, and were going to work together.

Progressives, including New York Democratic Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have also demanded that congressional representatives who received money from fossil fuel companies be banned from sitting on the panel. However, the new panel wont bar such lawmakers.

Ms Castor told the Hill in December that progressive can trust her with their climate change concerns, specifically the "Green New Deal" stimulus package that progressive members of the party have pushed for.

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Theres some fabulous proposals in the Green New Deal, and Im excited about all that. You may see some similar language. Clearly, the focuses are going to be the same, Ms Castor said. This will be a committee clearly in the spirit of the Green New Deal.

The incoming chairwoman also said pledgd to not take campaign donations from the fossil fuel industry, and will require her colleagues in the committee to do the same as a rule.

Im hoping that folks will come to this committee ready to take on the corporate polluters and special interests, she added. There shouldnt be a purity test, that if a member of Congress has ever accepted contributions.The chances of ending the partial US government shutdown in the near future are looking increasingly slim.

House politicians are being told not to expect further votes this week, all but ensuring the shutdown will enter a second week and stretch towards the new year.

Politicians are away from Washington for the holidays and have been told they will get 24 hours notice before having to return for a vote.

And although both the House the Senate were due to come into session briefly on Thursday afternoon, few senators or representatives were expected to be around for it.

President Donald Trump is vowing to hold the line on his demand for money to build a border wall.

Recommended US government workers share financial worries as shutdown continues

Back from the 29-hour trip to visit US troops, President Trump tweeted that we desperately need a wall on the Mexico border, funding for which has been a flashpoint between the White House and Congress ever since he took office.

He called on Democrats in Congress to fund his wall, saying the shutdown affects their supporters. He asserted without evidence: Do the Dems realize that most of the people not getting paid are Democrats?

Virginia Democratic Sen Mark Warner called President Trumps comments outrageous.

In his tweet, he added: Federal employees dont go to work wearing red or blue jerseys. Theyre public servants. And the President is treating them like poker chips at one of his failed casinos.

After a weekend and two holiday days for federal employees, Wednesday was the first regularly scheduled workday affected by the closure of a variety of federal services.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

A brief statement on Thursday from the office of Louisiana Rep Steve Scalise appeared to the dim the prospect for a quick solution.

Members are advised that no votes are expected in the House this week, the statement said. Please stay tuned to future updates for more information.

The shutdown started on Saturday when funding lapsed for nine Cabinet-level departments and dozens of agencies.

Roughly 420,000 workers were deemed essential and are working unpaid, while an additional 380,000 have been put on hold.

While the White House was talking to congressional Democrats  and staff talks continued on Capitol Hill  negotiations dragged on Wednesday, dimming hopes for a swift breakthrough.

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Republican Rep Mark Meadows of North Carolina, a Trump ally who has been involved in the talks, said the president is very firm in his resolve that we need to secure our border.

He told CNN, If they believe that this president is going to yield on this particular issue, theyre misreading him.

The impasse over government funding began last week, when the Senate approved a bipartisan deal keeping government open into February.

That bill provided $1.3bnn (1bn) for border security projects but not money for the wall. At President Trumps urging, the House approved that package and inserted the 5.7 billion (4.5 billion) he had requested.

But Senate Republicans lacked the votes they needed to force the measure through their chamber. That jump-started negotiations between Congress and the White House, but the deadline came and went without a deal.

Additional reporting by PAThe Trump administration has a suggestion for federal employees worried about not being able to afford rent thanks to the government shutdown: work odd jobs for your landlord in exchange for rent.

While almost 800,000 government employees are impacted by the the presidents government shutdown, the Office of Personnel Management sent out a document with recommended three cover letter templates.

These three cover letterswhich are addressed to creditors, mortgage companies, and landlordsare intended to help employees affected by the shutdown to explain their financial situation and ask for assistance, lenciency, or extended time to make payments.

The most baffling, however, is what was suggested in the cover letter meant to address the landlords of furloughed employees.

I would like to discuss with you the possibility of trading my services to perform maintenance (e.g. painting, carpentry work) in exchange for partial rent payments, the cover letter read.

This enraged former White House officials, and social media users, online.

Furloughed workers are advised to ask landlords about the possibility of trading services to perform maintenance (e.g. painting, carpentry work) in exchange for partial rent payments, Chris Lu, former Deputy Secretary of Labour under the Obama administration, posted on Twitter. The US govt is the worlds most powerful organisation. This is what its been reduced to.

This is pathetic, a former US government employee tweeted.  Ive been through a few of these shutdowns in my past career. This hurts every affected federal worker, regardless of their GS-level.

But a Twitter user pointed out the obvious.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Just pay the workers, man, they tweeted. By the way, why is the senate, the house and [Donald] Trump getting pay.

Others are dumbfounded with the OPMs suggestion that furloughed employees should consult with their personal employees for legal advice.

If you see this tone-deaf tweet and actually need a lawyer, the words you want to google are LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION and [your location], one social media user tweeted. LSC provides free civil (as opposed to criminal) counsel to folks in need. Theres at least one office in every congressional district.

Its incredibly expensive to have personal attorneys on retainers, which is highly unlikely to be affordable to a furloughed employee on a government salary.

 Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

The notion that the average government employee, now working without pay, has a personal attorney is the absurdity I was trying to highlight, another tweeted.

Personal attorney? one posted on Twitter. Sure thing, Ill just dip into my vast personal fortune.

President Trump enacted a government shutdown when he could not reach a deal with Congress to fund his border wall on the US-Mexico Border -with $5 billion. Earlier this month, in response to concerns for furloughed employees, the president tweeted that most of the people not getting paid are Democrats.The New York Police Department are on the lookout for two suspects who allegedly impersonated police officers while attempting to kidnap a man in Queens.

The authorities said the incident happened around 9.45pm on 12 December near a car dealership on 44th Street in the Astoria neighbourhood of Queens.

The NYPD said Jose Santiago Cruz, 40, and another suspect allegedly approached a 28-year-old man waiting for his car to be serviced.

The two suspects then sprayed the victim with an unknown substance, according to police, before stating that the victim was under arrest as a fugitive.

They put the victim in handcuffs then tried to kidnap him, police said.

The victim, however, was able to fight them off before they fled the scene in a gray Dodge Caravan, ABC 7 reported.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The NYPD described Mr Santiago-Cruz as a Hispanic man with dark hair.

He is estimated to be around 5-foot-6 and weigh around 200 pounds.The Republican governor of Maine has certified Democrat Jared Golden as the winner in the states 2nd Congressional District, but in one last jab he wrote stolen election next to his signature on the form.

Governor Paul LePages signature officially caps off a contentious race for the district in the state in the November elections, which switched in favour of Mr Golden from the Republican after successive rounds of voting during the states historic foray into ranked choice voting.

Ive signed off on the CD2 election result as its no longer in federal court. Ranked Choice Voting didnt result in a true majority as promised-simply a plurality measured differently, Mr LePage wrote in a tweet accompanying a picture of the certificate. It didnt keep big money out of politics & didnt result in a more civil election.

Maine is the first state to use ranked choice voting for a national office, and the results attracted a near immediate lawsuit from Republican Representative Bruce Poliquin.

The Republican had initially led the field after the first round of votes were tallied, but failed to attract a majority of votes.

Recommended Maine Democrat wins historic House election as party flips seat

Once the third and fourth place votes had been redistributed  voters had been given the option to rank their choices, so ballots for candidates who were mathematically unable to win after the first count were then rearranged  Mr Golden had won 50.5 per cent of the vote.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Mr Poliquins legal challenge to those results was thrown out by a federal court, and the now-outgoing congressman conceded the race this week. Maine voters had approved the ranked-choice system.

Mr Golden said in an email that Mr LePages characterization of the results were wrong in an email sent to the Portland Press Herald.

Maine people are tired of this kind of poor leadership  which is why they voted for change in November, Mr Golden said.

Maine Attorney General Janet Mills, a Democrat, won her bid for the governors mansion during the 2018 election.Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is visiting El Paso, Texas, where an 8-year-old Guatemalan boy was detained with his father before dying in US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody.

The purpose of the visit is to see how the agency will conduct medical screenings and review conditions at Border Patrol stations following the death of two migrant children under the age of 10 in the last few weeks.

Ms Nielsen is also expected to meet with emergency medical technicians, medical professionals and local officials. The DHS Secretary will also be travelling to Yuma, Arizona on Saturday. She will also be touring several Border Patrol stations near the US-Mexico border.

Her trip comes four days after the death of 8-year-old Felipe Gomez Alonzo. Border agents sent the boy, accompanied by his father, to a New Mexico hospital after he experienced vomiting, coughing, and a high fever. The autopsy revealed that the child suffered from the flu.

Recommended Guatemalan toddler dies after being held in ICE detention centre

Ms Nielsen has called the boys death deeply concerning and heartbreaking, and requested medical help from other government agencies.

In response to his death, CBP announced new policy changes to prevent further child deaths, which includes conducting secondary medical checks on all children under CBP care and custody with special attention to children under the age of 10.

 Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

Mr Alonso is the second child to die under US immigration custody in December.

Jakelin Caal Maquin, a 7-year-old Guatemalan migrant girl, died from sepsis shock on 8 December at an El Paso childrens hospital after also being detained with her father.

The child was preparing to travel by bus to another Border Patrol station in New Mexico. Several hours later she started vomiting and showed symptoms of severe dehydration. Her autopsy revealed she had a failed liver and swollen brain.Democrats are looking for new staff as they gear up for likely investigations into Donald Trump once they regain control of the House of Representatives next month.

The House Judiciary Committee has posted job listings for legislative counsels with experience in criminal law, immigration law, constitutional law, intellectual property law, commercial and administrative law (including antitrust and bankruptcy, or oversight work, indicating that new staff could be tasked with taking a look at the president's dealings on a variety of fronts, according to CNN.

Meanwhile, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has begun looking for an executive branch investigative counsel.

All told, Democrats are expected to double the number of staffers on their payroll once Democrats take control on 3 January, and can officially hire new employees.

Theyre finding us, Representative Adam Smith, of Washington State, told the news network. There are a lot of Democratic refugees out there after the Republicans took over the House, the Senate, and the White House.

Recommended Democrats call for answers after migrant children die in US custody

The potential new hires are coming from all over the country, according to Democrats.

We're being deluged with resumes, really impressive resumes, Representative Adam Schiff of California, the incoming chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said. There will be no shortage of good candidates. The difficulty will be choosing among them.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Mr Schiff and other Democrats have indicated they have an appetite to pursue investigations into the presidents tax returns, and to determine if Mr Trump has any financial ties that could be seen as problematic for a leader of the United States.

Mr Trump broke with decades of tradition by not releasing his tax returns during the 2016 presidential campaign, and has come no closer to revealing his filings in the two years since he took office.

 Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

He is not required by law to disclose his tax returns, however Democrats in the House may be able to compel him to hand the documents over as a part of their investigations.

Democrats are likely to also push for protections for special counsel Robert Muellers investigation, which has been diving into Russias meddling in the 2016 presidential campaigns and whether the Trump campaign colluded in that effort.Staff who worked on The Apprentice, the NBC reality television game show Donald Trump used to host, doubt that a rumoured tape of the president saying the n-word exists.

Mark Burnett, a producer for the Apprentice, is one of those staffers who doubt there is a hard copy of the alleged recording.

"If there was a tape, it would have spread like wildfire, Mr Burnett told The New Yorker.

Mr Trump has a history of making outright offensive remarks and has repeatedly been criticised for using demonising language towards immigrants and other minorities. So, while it is unlikely that the rumoured recording will shine new light on the president, his critics are eager to see if the tape recording will ever surface.

Jonathon Braun, an editor who worked on The Apprentices first six seasons, also expressed similar attitudes to Mr Burnett.

"I was the supervising editor on the first six seasons," Mr Braun said. "I didnt watch every frame, but in everything I saw I didnt hear him saying anything so horrible."

Tom Arnold, a comedian, however said he saw the tape himself. Mr Arnold said he obtained unreleased Apprentice out-takes footage that show Mr Trump saying every bad thing ever, every offensive, racist thing ever.

"When the people sent it to me, it was funny," the comedian said. "Hundreds of people have seen these. It was sort of a Christmas video they put together. He wasnt going to be president of the United States. It was him sitting in that chair saying the N-word, saying the C-word."

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

In addition to Mr Arnold, ex-White House staff and former Apprentice contestant Omarosa Manigault-Newman claims she also heard the tape of Mr Trump saying the n-word.

But Apprentice staff still remain unconvinced the alleged tape actually exists, citing that some who claim to have saw it are just critical of Mr Trump.

"If somebody had the goods, it would have leaked long ago," an unnamed staff member for the Apprentice told the New Yorker. "There were no Trump fans on the set. I dont know a single person who worked on the show who voted for Trump."

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Despite claiming they never heard Mr Trump say the anti-black racial slur on set, they did claim that the former reality tv star had a habit of making misogynist comments.

"Hed say, 'How about those boobs? Wouldnt you like to f*** her?'" an anonymous Apprentice employee claimed to the publication.Donald Trump has threatened to close the southern border entirely if congress will not end a partial government shutdown by funding a wall between the US and Mexico.

The American president claimed in a flurry of tweets that shutting the border would be a profit-making operation because the country loses soooo much money on trade under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which allows labour mobility between the two nations.

His comments come as a partial government shutdown over the border wall looks set to continue into 2019. Democrats have refused to sanction specific spending on the wall, although they have indicated they would be open to funding border security in general, while Mr Trump has refused to back down on the demand.

He tweeted: We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with. Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve!

The United States looses soooo much money on Trade with Mexico under NAFTA, over 75 Billion Dollars a year (not including Drug Money which would be many times that amount), that I would consider closing the Southern Border a profit making operation. We build a wall or close the Southern Border.

Mexicos President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, when asked about Mr Trumps tweets, told reporters that it was an internal matter for Washington. We take great care of the relationship with the government of the United States, Mr Lopez Obrador said.

Of course we will always defend our sovereignty ... We will always protect migrants, defend their human rights, he added.

Mr Trump said he wanted to bring our car industry back into the United States where it belongs and go back to pre-NAFTA, before so many of our companies and jobs were so foolishly sent to Mexico. Mr Trump has repeatedly complained about NAFTA and wants to renegotiate its terms.

Last week, the president appeared resigned to the fact that a $5bn (4bn) funding pledge for the border wall, one of his key campaign promises, would not be in any agreement. However, after negative reaction from some of his biggest supporters, his stance hardened.

Hundreds of thousands of public workers have downed tools or are working upaid as the dispute holds up an agreement on the federal government spending bill in the waning days of Republican monopoly power in Washington. Fifteen government departments and dozens of agencies have been shuttered.

The impasse has taken a toll on some public services. Gates are closed at some national parks, the government is not issuing new federal flood insurance policies, and the chief judge of Manhattan federal courts has suspended work on civil cases involving US government lawyers, including several civil lawsuits in which Mr Trump himself is a defendant.

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

Nancy Pelosi, the leading Democrat in the House of Representatives and the incoming speaker of the House, has vowed to pass legislation to end the shutdown as soon as her party takes control on 3 January. However, an end to the stalemate may be difficult to achieve without compromise as the Senate will remain in Republican hands and Mr Trumps signature is needed to turn any bill into law.

The president has rejected Democrats offer to keep border security funding at current levels  including $1.3bn (1bn) for fencing, but not the wall.

Senate Republicans approved that compromise in an earlier bill with Democrats, but now say they will not vote on any further proposals unless something is agreed by all sides, including Mr Trump.

In interviews on Friday, White House aides sought to pin blame on the Democrat leadership. Press secretary Sarah Sanders said of Democrats: Theyve left the table altogether, so of course we are far apart.

Were here, and they know where to find us, Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, said in an interview with Fox News Channel. Where is Chuck Schumer? Where is Nancy Pelosi? Theyre not even talking right now, he said. Mr Schumer is the top Democrat in the Senate.

Theres not a single Democrat talking to the President of the United States about this deal, Mr Mulvaney said. We do expect this to go on for a while, he added about the shutdown.

A spokesman for Mr Schumer said the White House has been told that there are three existing federal funding proposals containing funds for border security that could pass both the House and the Senate  and that Mr Trump should accept one of those.

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One of Mr Trumps closest allies in Congress, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, tweeted on Friday that more confrontation lies ahead. To Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats: No Wall Money, No Deal, Mr Graham wrote.

I think its obvious that until the president decides he can sign something  or something is presented to him  that we are where we are, said Republican senator Pat Roberts on Thursday in session that only lasted minutes. Call it anything; barrier, fence  I wont say the w word.

Mr Trump long promised that Mexico would pay for the wall to stop illegal immigration, but the government of the USs southern neighbour baulked at the suggestion.

As the partial shutdown stretches towards a second week, federal government workers and contractors have been growing increasingly concerned.

Roughly federal 420,000 workers were deemed essential and are working unpaid, unable to take any sick days or vacation. An additional 380,000 are staying home without pay.

For those without a financial cushion, even a few days of lost wages during the shutdown could have dire consequences. Contractors, unlike most federal employees, may not be reimbursed for lost work.

Ethan James, 21, a minimum-wage contractor sidelined from his job as an office worker at the Interior Department, said he may not be able to afford his rent. He added: Im getting nervous. I live cheque to cheque right now.Donald Trump is stoking fears around immigration by claiming without evidence that a new migrant caravan is getting ready to head from Central America to the US border.

Amid a week-long government shutdown the president raised several issues in a number of Friday morning tweets to push for the $5 billion in border wall funding he has so far been denied by Congress. One of those was a new threat to shut the US-Mexico border.

We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with, Mr Trump wrote in a first tweet. Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve!

The US government has been partially shut down since last Friday when the president refused to support a bipartisan funding bill that would have kept the government running without border wall funding, even though his administration had indicated earlier in the week that the president would not force a shutdown over his wall.

The president suggested in his tweets on Friday that shutting down the border would be a profit making operation  and said that doing so would bring our car industry back, and threatened to pull international aide for Honduras Guatemala, and El Salvador, where migrants have fled violence and poverty.

Recommended Government shutdown likely to extend into the new year

Either we build (finish) the Wall or we close the Border  Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money, Mr Trump tweeted.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it. We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries - taking advantage of U.S. for years!

It is unclear whether a new caravan is actually forming, or where Mr Trump may have gotten that information.

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Mr Trump has used the prospect of incoming migrant caravans to drum up support from his base in the past, and frequently mentioned the issue in the run up to the 2018 midterm elections even though that caravan was hundreds of miles from the US border at that time.

After funding for the US government lapsed last Friday, roughly 420,000 workers were deemed essential and are working unpaid, while an additional 380,000 have been put on hold.

House politicians were told on Thursday to not expect a vote, and that they would be given a 24 hour notice if any deals are struck.

A new Congress will be sworn in on 3 January, when Democrats will regain control of the House. That is likely to make border wall funding even more difficult for Mr Trump to secure.President Donald Trump plans to stay in Washington until a deal has been made to end the partial government shutdown, and has cancelled his New Years plans for next week.

According to the presidents incoming chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney told Fox News' Fox & Friends that the president is committed to seeing a resolution to the government shutdown showdown.

The Presidents been here, by the way, all weekend, all Christmas, Mr Mulvaney, who will take over from his current role as White House budget director at the start of the new year, said. Hes staying in Washington DC over New Years. Hes cancelled his plans for Christmas. Now hes cancelled his plans for New Years.

The US government has been partially shutdown since last Friday, when Democrats, Republicans, and the president were unable to come to an agreement around Mr Trumps demands for $5billion to fund a wall on the US-Mexico border.

Members of Mr Trumps administration had indicated that the president would likely not pursue a shutdown over the wall funding, but the president's stance hardened late last week to demand the funds in spite of a bipartisan Senate funding resolution that could have averted the shutdown.

Recommended Government shutdown likely to extend into the new year

Since then, Mr Trump has stood firm over the shutdown, and has rejected offers from Democrats for just over $1 billion in border security funding. Democrats have, in turn, sought to place blame on Mr Trump for the lapse in government funding that has impacted as much as 25 per cent of the federal government and forced employees to work without pay.

With the government shutdown coming up on its first entire week, Mr Trump threatened to shut down the US-Mexico border if he does not get his way, while claiming that a new migrant caravan was forming to make its way to the US. He provided no evidence that such a caravan is forming.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Mr Mulvaney, during his Fox interview, said that Mr Trump is very heavily engaged on [the shutdown negotiations] on a minute-by-minute basis. He also said that he believes the president would be willing to shut the border down if necessary, and as promised.

He also suggested that incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi may be more amenable to increased border funding once she wins the speaker gavel on 3 January.

She cannot be seen by her party as being weak on negotiating with Donald Trump, Mr Mulvaney said. So we fully expected that until she's elected speaker and has locked that vote up, we don't expect to hear from the Democrats again.

 Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

Mr Trump had reportedly told people that he was looking forward to his annual New Years Eve gala at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, and had initially planned a 16 day vacation to the resort, including Christmas.

The House and Senate both adjourned on Thursday, with members being told not to expect a vote, but being promised that they would receive 24 hours notice before any future vote. The legislative bodies are expected to meet again on Monday, a signal that the shutdown will likely last into 2019.Manila (CNN Philippines Life)  At the end of every year, there is a silent anxiety that consumes me. Moving around social circles occupied by cinephiles, its become a custom that by the end of December, you are ready to answer  or better yet, even if still unsolicited, to share on social media  what your top films are.

What should naturally be a cursory practice, a casual sharing of movies most enjoyed, becomes more tedious as there is this fear of judgment (well for me, that is). What if I didnt love what the echo-chamber of tastemakers deem as a cinematic achievement (ehem, Buy Bust)? Or what if that daring experimental award-winner passes over your head? (Am I too dumb for Fisting? Yes, lets call it by its true name.)

Theres the growing jadedness too on the cynicism of fandom. Is a top 10 list a celebration of a years accomplishments in film, or has it become a means of building ones cultural capital? Ive seen this film people have been raving about, I enjoyed it, why havent you? I pity the general audience. Even if this is in theaters (a feat given the problematic dynamics of Philippine film distribution), they still fail to appreciate art like this! Youre not ahrt enough! What! You enjoyed this, you pretentious hipster?

Without being naive (of course, we cant just look past the problems plaguing Philippine cinema), year-end lists often feel like lamentations mixed with an air of condescension. What criteria do we even use to determine what is great art and what isnt? Or do we simply agree to the collective opinion of what listmakers deem as  dun dun dun  the best?

I am not immune to these criticisms (I swear, these are merely musings, walang atake). I make contradictions, and in fact, many of the entries of my list would mirror those you would see on other websites. Instead, my sharing these thoughts is a personal plea to not take this as a be-all-end-all. Taste is flexible, and what I may rank as the best may change next year, next month, maybe even tomorrow.

And lets not demonize one list for not including an entry which another list/s may have. I honestly urge you, dear reader, to check out others recommendations and not simply take one better than the other. (Same could be said about entry vs. entry.) So before I go on listing my best of 2018, promise me that you will check other sites, Twitter accounts, Facebook pages, etc.? Read as many as you can stomach. It will only be for the betterment of Philippine cinema that those interested be made aware of the many greats 2018 offered  and it was a fairly great year in cinema, if were being honest. A year-ender is not a just a best of list, its a double take, a second chance to discover what you may have missed in the year that has passed.

Screengrab from BLACK SHEEP/YOUTUBE

1. Oda sa Wala (Dwein Baltazar)

Written and directed by Dwein Baltazar, Oda sa Wala is a synergy of many finely tuned parts. Its a black comedy by way of urban fairy tales and magical realism. It is impeccable use of the cinematic language  from scoring, cinematography, to editing. It is well-acted and it is frankly one of the best-crafted films Ive seen in the past five years.

Just like its title suggests, Oda sa Wala (translated as Ode to Nothingness), is lyrical in its portrayal of emptiness. Starring Marietta Subong (comedienne Pokwang debuting her birth name), Oda takes us through a monotonous drift that has become of the life of Sonya (Subong), an old maid that runs a small town funeral home. That is until one day a mysterious corpse, seemingly bringing good luck, arrived on her doorstops.

What makes Oda so remarkable is the poignancy of how it depicts loneliness. It highlights the extent of this loneliness by rendering death  an emotional extreme for many  mundane to Sonya, and how it is only through interactions with a corpse that she finds any semblance of a connection. Subong plays against type using her comedic background to play with the absurdity of the situation but also surprises when it comes to unleashing the pain underneath it all. Couple this narrative with brilliant camera work and precision scoring, and I cant highlight how much of a cinematic experience Oda is.

Screencap from IWANT/YOUTUBE

2. Ma (Kenneth Dagatan)

Tired of lazy jump scares and unearned gore disguised as horror, Ma trusts its audiences enough to go for a slow burn that rewards audiences with an impressive collision of finely-knit parts. Ma patiently builds its story by crafting individual arcs, each highlighting a horror that comes with motherhood  the paranoia of leaving your kids orphans, the fear of abandonment by a partner, the body horror that comes with the loss of agency during pregnancy. Ma merely uses the supernatural to externalize, make the subtext overt: being a woman in this world is inherently terrifying.

Screengrab from CINEMA ONE ORIGINALS/YOUTUBE

3. A Short History of a Few Bad Things (Keith Deligero)

When A Short History of a Few Bad Things first came out, it was easy for people to compare it to HBOs True Detective. (What other noir comes to recent memory?) But a better connection to make would be that to the works of the Coen Brothers. A Short History, just like Fargo or The Big Lebowski, doesnt necessarily deconstruct but instead flips the genre by taking tropes and transposing them to a locale, and in the process, making the film absurdly comedic.

The film uses Victor Neri in all his world-weary glory to portray the no-nonsense detective Felix Tarongoy. By transporting this Tagalog to the tropical city of Cebu, the film adheres to the noir staple of making the protagonist feel disconnected from the world he is in. Whats enjoyable though is that, In A Short History, director Deligero distills things through his signature brand of siraulo subversion. We see femme fatales preferring to skip the dolled-up look in favor of pambahay, police chases without the actual chase, and Bisaya rap in the background of police briefings. A Short History of a Few Bad Things is surreal, unassumingly funny, and all very effective.

Screngrab from CINEMA ONE ORIGINALS/YOUTUBE

4. Paglisan (Carl Joseph Papa)

Carl Joseph Papa has found his thing as a filmmaker. Said thing being making people cry by exploring the themes of love, family, and sickness via the lens of animation.

Paglisan delivers an overwhelming sincerity to the love it depicts. Love that equates sacrifice, love in the attention needed in serving a partner with Alzheimers. Theres a purity in seeing these emotions unleashed through song, and Paglisan proves this in a stand-out scene  a melodic apology towards the middle  which could be enough of a justification for the films at-times rough form.

Screengrab from T-REX ENTERTAINMENT/YOUTUBE

5. Billie & Emma (Samantha Lee)*

Billie & Emma is a small story of big themes. Through the young queer romance between newcomer Zar Donatos Billie and Gabby Padillas Emma, the film distills the experience of coming-of-age in a society of restrictions.

For Billie, its the struggles of adolescence: being in a new place, trying to fit in, falling in love; but all the more aggravated by her having already come to terms with her difference. For Emma, its the frustration of dreams deprived; hopes brought down by societal expectations, the lack of privilege, and the loss of rights over her body.

The film manages to make all these heady themes relatable by using the universal language of love, as it employs narrative devices that can easily be cheesy in the wrong hands. But, ultimately, Billie & Emma avoids cliche by using these tropes merely as an entry point to tell the story of people and love still underrepresented in Philippine cinema and pop culture.

Screengrab from TIU FILMS PH/YOUTUBE

6. Yield (Victor Delotavo Tagaro & Toshihiko Uriu)

Taking a cue from Michael Upteds Up series of British documentaries (no, these arent the ones that involve a flying house or a seven-minute ugly-cry inducing love story), Yield is an ethnographic documentary that depicts the lives of nine Filipino children, all living in poverty, through the course of five years.

While the Up documentaries take a more optimistic note, choosing to chronicle how the dreams of seven-year-olds are achieved or transformed every seven years, in Yield there are no dreams to speak of. Instead, viewers are exposed to the daily toil these children have to go through, how at a young age they are robbed of their innocence and bred to be part of the bottom rungs of our deeply capitalist and hegemonic system.

Yield is profoundly affecting as there are no beginning or ends to speak of, the film doesnt give us a sense of finality. Instead, without saying much, it shows the cyclicality of the oppression through the group most deprived and disenfranchised in our societal structure: children.

Photo courtesy of TBA STUDIOS

7. Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral (Jerrold Tarog)

Its admirable when you see a director take note of the criticisms on his previous works and apply it unabashedly in his follow-ups.

Tarrog seems to be obviously affected by those calling Heneral Luna as an empowerment of the now-contentious brand of strongman nationalism. He does so to the point that Goyo completely lets go of all the histrionics of its predecessor and delivers a subdued deconstruction-cum-reaffirmation of what it means to be a hero.

Goyo is about the ills of nepotism. It is about the folly of blind faith and idolatry. It is about how bravado and nationalism cannot conquer all. It is a thinking mans depiction of leadership and heroics, and how amid all real-life inadequacies, theres still value in hoping for a better class of hero.

Screencap from VIVA FILMS/YOUTUBE

Screencap from VIVA FILMS/YOUTUBE

Screencap from VIVA FILMS/YOUTUBE

8. Meet Me at St. Gallen (Irene Villamor), Never Not Love You (Antoinette Jadaone), and Sid & Aya (Irene Villamor)

If the release of That Thing Called Tadhana signified the boom in the untested pairings and hugot rom-coms, 2018 showcased the next iteration in the continuing evolution of Philippine romance with Irene Villamors Meet Me at St. Gallen and Sid & Aya and Antoinette Jadaones Never Not Love You.

All these films go beyond the naivete of saccharine love teams of the past and the overly sappy hugots of the present. Instead, they present evolutions on our notions of love, a much-needed counter-programming to the belief of love conquers all.

St. Gallen shows the constraints of the right love at the wrong time, Never Not Love You the transformation even devoted couples go through once they enter long-distance relationships, and Sid & Aya the class disparity that cannot be easily overcome by affection (kind of smart casting Dantes who was once Sergio in Marimar, if you think about it). These three films serve a breath of fresh air in a genre that increasingly feels occupied by movies designed to be screencapped and shared on social media.

Screengrab from REGAL FILMS/YOUTUBE

9. Signal Rock (Chito Rono)

In a remote island town somewhere in the Visayas, it is only via climbing a rock formation that you can get cellular reception. In this place, women are raised believing that the only way to escape poverty is via bagging a foreigner to marry them and take them away or working abroad ... and then bagging a foreigner to marry them and take them away.

With this upbringing, where relationships must be finite as leaving is a requisite, what credence does love hold? Signal Rock uses its titular edifice not just as a plot device for which stories revolve around, rather it is used as an embodiment of the distances people have to literally scale for the sake of holding on to love amid the divides that inevitably widen because of separation.

This already rich conceit is made even more compelling by making the island feel lived-in  a place fully-realized by characters we care about, anecdotes that are relatable and entertaining, and small town melancholy that serves touching drama.

Photo from CINEMALAYA

10. Kuya Wes (James Mayo)

Much like Oda sa Wala, Kuya Wes tackles the loneliness that defines the mundane existence of a middle-aged minimum wage worker. But while Oda decides to delve into these themes via the absurd, Kuya Wes does so through romance and comedy.

Kuya Wes works by subverting expectations that come with the typical underdog love story. While we are trained by pop culture to believe that nice guys win in the end, Kuya Wes questions the dynamics under the romantics. Has love become transactional by which gestures are exchanged for affection? What happens when love supersedes the pragmatic and ventures into something less sincere? Fortunately, through deft direction, Kuya Wes wears its heart on its sleeve but manages to dodge becoming overly heavy-handed. Instead, it is charming, sentimental, and potently disarming.

Honorable mentions (almost made the cut but are pretty up there too)

Asuang, Tanabatas Wife, Gusto Kita With All My Hypothalamus (Hindered by internal logic I couldnt get past.), Kung Paano Hinihintay ang Dapithapon, Liway (More admirable for what it accomplishes rather than for what it actually is.)

Blind spots (films I wish I saw but didnt get to)

Panahon ng Halimaw, Kung Paano Siya Nawala, Distance, Ang Pangarap Kong Holdap, Bitter Melon, Beast Mode, A Social Experiment, more short films in general.

***

*Samantha Lee is part of the CNN Philippines Life staff.The personal information of nearly 1,000 North Korean defectors who fled across the border to South Korea has been leaked by hackers.

The South Korean Unification Ministry said it discovered last week the names, birth dates and addresses of 997 defectors had been stolen from a resettlement agencys database through a computer infected with malicious software.

The agency in the southern city of Gumi, called the Hana centre, is among 25 institutes the ministry runs around the country to help some 32,000 defectors adjust to life in the richer, democratic South by providing jobs, medical and legal support.

The malware was planted through emails sent by an internal address, a ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity, due to the sensitivity of the issue, referring to a Hana centre email account.

Defectors, most of whom risked their lives to flee poverty and political oppression, are a source of shame for North Korea. Its state media often denounces them as human scum and accuses South Korean spies of kidnapping some of them.

The ministry official declined to say if North Korea was believed to have been behind the hack, or what the motive might have been, saying a police investigation was under way to determine who did it.

North Korean hackers have in the past been accused of cyberattacks on South Korean state agencies and businesses.

North Korea stole classified documents from the Souths defence ministry and a shipbuilder last year, while a cryptocurrency exchange filed for bankruptcy following a cyberattack linked to the North.

 North Korea destroys 10 guard posts to lower tensions

North Korean state media has denied those cyberattacks.

The latest data breach comes at a delicate time for the two Koreas, which have been rapidly improving their relations after years of confrontation.

The unification ministry said it was notifying the affected defectors and there were no reports of any negative impact of the data breach.

North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits Show all 16 1 /16 North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits In the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea, portraits of former supreme leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il are required by law to be hung in the home, the classroom, the factory and all manner of other private and public places Reuters North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits In the classroom AFP/Getty North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits In the living room AFP/Getty North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits In the maternity ward of the hospital Alamy North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits On board the ship Reuters North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits At the ballot box Mannen av bord North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits In the office AFP/Getty North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits On the bridegroom Reuters North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits On the Pyongyang subway Reuters North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits On a government building Reuters North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits In the teacher training facility AFP/Getty North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits In Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang Reuters North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits In the home AFP/Getty North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits At the military parade Reuters North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits In the hall Reuters North Korea's pervasive leaders: the Kim portraits At the Chinese border AFP/Getty

Were sorry this has happened and will make efforts to prevent it from recurring, the ministry official said.

Several defectors, including one who became a South Korean television celebrity, have disappeared in recent years only to turn up later in North Korean state media, criticising South Korea and the fate of defectors.

Additional reporting by ReutersSix men have been arrested in Vietnam for allegedly eating a langur monkey and livestreaming the gruesome incident on Facebook.

Police said the men, aged between 35 and 59, broadcast themselves on a mobile phone eating the animal last month, according to the Straits Times.

The suspects were identified and arrested on Thursday, and have reportedly confessed to violating the countrys wildlife protection laws for endangered and previous animals.

"It took time for us to figure out the suspects involved," a police officer in Ha Tinh province told news agency AFP.

A police statement added one of the men bought the monkey from a hunter for 1.1 million dong (38).

Although it is not clear which type of langur monkey was killed, all 12 species in Vietnam are under population strain, with five of them considered critically endangered, according to the Endangered Primate Research Centre.

It comes months after officials in Vietnam urged residents to avoid eating dog meat, as part of a move to eradicate rabies.

Hanoi's vice mayor Nguyen Van Suu also said that slaughtering dogs and cats for their meat was disturbing to foreigners and would "negatively impact the image of a civilized and modern capital".From the debate and drama of the abortion referendum to the intrigue and fatigue of Brexit, 2018 was a year in which the politics of Ireland seeped out into the wider news agenda of the UK and beyond.

That the Irish border would be the greatest pickle in the wider Brexit conundrum was apparent from the start of the year, with EU negotiator Michel Barnier warning in February that the UK leaving the customs union and the single market would make checks on the island of Ireland inevitable.

This issue remains unresolved, despite having dominated negotiations across the year. All the while, Ireland has been tackling its own domestic issues.

 What is the Irish border Brexit backstop?

Stormont

In February, almost a year after power sharing collapsed in Northern Ireland, a deal between Sinn Fein and the DUP was almost struck. By all accounts, it had been agreed by negotiators from both parties, but with both Theresa May and Leo Varadkar in town to push it over the line, the DUP got cold feet, and pulled the plug.

The DUP later denied the deal that had been leaked had been a final draft, but a more plausible narrative implies that they got cold feet once details around a contentious Irish language act sparked fury among their base. Sinn Fein later released documents claiming to prove that the DUP had reneged on the deal.

Thus, there was a bitter irony in April when, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, Northern Ireland was without the power sharing executive that had been so painstakingly forged in 1998.

While this situation may have slipped off the news agenda in favour of the more dominant Brexit stories, the public in Northern Ireland are only growing more disgruntled with their politicians and their lack of government, with dwindling budgets and a failure to legislate on even the most minor of issues.

Still, its not clear that this would lead them to pull support from Sinn Fein and the DUP at any future election. Neither is there any sign that secretary of state Karen Bradley is any closer to solving the impasse. After all, she did admit this year that shes learning the basics about Northern Ireland on the job.

Repealing the Eighth

South of the border, the referendum on the Eighth Amendment dominated politics for the first half of the year. On 25 May, voters were asked if they wanted to repeal an article of the constitution that effectively banned abortion.

Having been pushed by a grassroots movement over recent years, most of the Irish political establishment supported repeal. But the campaign, which dealt with such an emotive and divisive subject, was considerably more gruelling than the vote on marriage equality in 2015.

In the end, the landslide vote came as a surprise, with 66 per cent of people backing repeal, in what the taoiseach called the day Ireland stepped out from under the last of our shadows.

I covered the vote all weekend in Dublin, and spoke with many women about what it meant to them. For me, its the beginning of reparations in Ireland, one young girl told me outside the count centre. Were repairing our relationship with women so we can have a better Ireland.

But the issue didnt end in May, with legislation only making its way successfully through the Irish parliament in mid-December. Abortion services will now be made available to women from the new year.

 Irish abortion referendum: The moment it was announced Ireland voted 66% in favour of repealing the eighth amendment

Health and housing

Womens health was also at the fore of one of Irelands biggest domestic stories of the year  the cervical cancer scandal. In April, it emerged that the health service had given out inaccurate smear test results, which had wrongly given the all-clear to women whose results had shown up abnormalities.

It was found that some 200 women would have benefited from earlier treatment, and by the time the scandal emerged, several women were battling terminal cancer or had died.

One woman affected, Vicky Phelan, settled a case against the US laboratory that handled the tests for 2.2m, and she has since been a vocal campaigner for the wider cause.

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The other big domestic issue, which has only spiralled across 2018, is the housing crisis. Homelessness has been an increasing problem in Dublin in recent years, affecting families who fall behind on their rent or who cant access social housing, as well as single people.

With emergency accommodation stretched, one incident in August drew much media attention when photographs of a woman and six of her children being forced to sleep in a police station overnight went viral.

In recent months, huge rallies have been taking place in Dublin and elsewhere in the country over homelessness, evictions and a lack of affordable housing.

With statistics showing nearly 10,000 people recorded as homeless across the country, and with nearly 4,000 children facing Christmas in emergency accommodation, this is an issue that the government has yet to prove it can tackle effectively.

Presidents and popes

In early autumn, Ireland went through the motions of a presidential election, which saw Michael D Higgins returned for a second term as head of state. A formidable incumbent, he was nevertheless challenged by a range of other politicians and businessmen, each more feckless than the last.

Voters went to the polls on 26 October and with 56 per cent of the vote, the man they call Miggeldy was home safe. In his acceptance speech, the president said, The people have made a choice as to which version of Ireland they want reflected at home and abroad. It is the making of hope they wish to share rather than the experience of any exploitation of division or fear.

He was contrasting Irish liberalism with the growing far right across Europe and the US, but he was also reflecting on a threat closer to home  the runner-up Peter Casey, who took a fifth of the vote after a campaign that many saw as a test drive for populism.

On the same day, Ireland also voted to remove blasphemy as an offence in the constitution. As with abortion, and marriage equality before that, two-thirds of the country supported the reform, in what can be seen as a growing separation of church and state.

This theme was also evident in August during the visit of Pope Francis, when the numbers who turned out to see the Catholic leader fell far below what was expected. During the visit, the Pope was also challenged on the legacy of clerical abuse in Ireland, for which he apologised.

However, the Pope was evidently more welcome than Donald Trump, whose visit to Ireland in November was cancelled after it became clear he would face widespread protests and (inevitably) the Trump baby balloon.

 Re-elected President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins starts his speech in Gaelic

State of the parties

If Ireland has been making liberal choices around its constitution and the presidency, it is noticeable that parliamentary politics have remained largely the same.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar enjoys relative approval, as he portrays a strong front for Ireland in the Brexit negotiations. The tough situation in which Theresa May and most British politicians currently find themselves is largely down to his insistence on the backstop, which has support across all parties, as well as from nationalists in the north.

But polls continue to show Varadkars Fine Gael party with support levels around 30 per cent, with Fianna Fail slightly behind on around 27 per cent, and Sinn Fein usually peaking around the 20 per cent mark. These figures have largely gone unchanged across 2018.

Recommended How millennials are breathing fresh life into the Irish language

The Fine Gael government regularly comes in for some criticism, either for being posh boys out of touch with the crises in housing and health, or for the taoiseachs apparent fixation on good publicity.

By propping up Fine Gael in a confidence and supply arrangement, Fianna Fail are stuck supporting a party whose policies they claim to oppose, because both parties know an election would not deliver a majority to either.

After being led by Gerry Adams for 35 years, Sinn Fein refreshed its image this year with new leader Mary Lou McDonald. But any bounce her leadership may have initially brought  particularly through her vocal support for repealing the Eighth  has largely levelled off.

Sinn Fein are the de facto opposition, and it is largely through an unwillingness to take them as coalition partners that the other two parties have entered into their unusual marriage of convenience.

 Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar: ' It took over a year and a half to negotiate, it has the support of 28 governments'

Whats another year?

As Brexit looms large in the coming months, and shows little sign of being resolved any time after that, Ireland is preparing. Along with the EU, they are putting their plans for a no-deal Brexit into action, and are focused on steadying the ship, despite the ripples of chaos coming at them from across the Irish Sea.

In recent weeks, Fianna Fail announced that they would continue to keep Fine Gael in office for another year, because of the uncertainties posed by Brexit. Their leader Michael Martin said, The chaos will not spread here from London  The national interest will come first. This means an election will not now happen until at least 2020.

Political parties putting aside their differences to safely guide the country through a time of national crisis? What a thought.Two British women and a baby were killed after a car carrying seven people plunged over the side of a bridge in Iceland.

The two couples involved in the crash have been named locally as Shreeraj Laturia and his wife Rajshree and Supreme Laturia and his wife Khushboo.

They are of Indian heritage and Icelandic police said the women were born in 1979 and 1980 and the child in 2018.

The remaining four are in hospital with critical injuries. Two men travelling in the car are reportedly brothers and the two women are understood to be their wives. The families were on a Christmas holiday.

Their 4x4 Toyota Land Cruiser SUV smashed through a railing on a high single-lane bridge in Skeidararsandur, southern Iceland, at about 9.30am on Thursday and landed on a rocky river bank several metres below.

Tour guide Adolf Erlingsson was among the first at the scene described it as a very difficult situation.

It was horrible, he told the Associated Press. The car seemed to have hit the ground many metres from where it stopped. We struggled getting everyone out.

The cause of the accident is not yet known, but in a statement on Friday police said the Toyota Land Cruiser seems to have turned on the bridge with the result that it went on top of the railing of the bridge, to the right, following it for a short distance and then turned over off the rail and the bridge.

There, the car fell down on the ground beneath the bridge.

Police previously said the road was not thought to be icy but humidity could have made the surface slippery for the SUV, which was driving eastbound over the bridge in Nupsvotn, just south of the Vatnajokull glacier.

Those involved in the crash are from two British families, and of Indian heritage.

The Indian Ambassador to Iceland, T Armstrong Changsan, is believed to have visited the survivors in hospital.

On Thursday Chief Superintendent Sveinn Kristjan Runarsso said the injured were airlifted to hospital with serious injuries, but added: We havent been able to talk to them about what happened.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The national Route 1 road connects coastal towns and villages on the volcanic island home to 350,000 people.

Iceland has seen a huge tourist boom in recent years but its infrastructure has not always kept up. Roads are usually narrow, with many one-lane bridges.

Of the 18 people who have died in traffic accidents in Iceland this year, half of them have been foreign nationals. Last year was the first on record when more foreigners died than residents, according to the Icelandic Transport Authority.

The crash happened just south of Skaftafell National Park, part of the Vatnajokull National Park, which was nominated for inclusion in Unescos World Heritage List in 2018.

The Vatnajokull glacier is the largest in Europe, covering 8 per cent of Icelands landmass including the islands tallest peak Hvannadalshnjukur at 2,200 metres tall (7,218ft).

 Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

A foreign office spokesman said: We are supporting the family of several British nationals who were involved in a road traffic accident in Iceland and are in close contact with the Icelandic authorities.

Press Association contributed to this reportAn alleged female member of Isiss morality police has been charged in Germany over the killing of a young girl she and her husband held as a slave in Iraq.

The suspect, a 27-year-old German identified only as Jennifer W in line with local privacy rules, was deported from Turkey to Germany in 2016.

She was arrested in June and has now been charged with murder and committing a war crime over the five-year-olds death.

Federal prosecutors said she patrolled parks in the Iraqi cities of Fallujah and Mosul in 2015, ensuring women adhered to Isis dress and behaviour codes.

They alleged she and her husband bought the girl as a slave. The husband left the girl chained outdoors as punishment for wetting her mattress. Jennifer W allegedly did nothing to prevent her dying of dehydration.

In an indictment made public on Monday, police alleged the woman left Germany in August 2014 to join Isis. She arrived in Iraq the following month via Turkey and Syria and immediately joined the decision-making and command structure of the terrorist group.

Between June and September 2015, she allegedly patrolled parks armed with an assault rifle, a pistol and an explosive vest. She received a monthly salary from Isis of up to $100 (79).

That summer, she and her husband bought the girl, who was being held as a prisoner of war, the indictment says, and kept her as a housebound slave.

The group's so-called caliphate across Iraq and Syria was dismantled after gruelling fighting across Iraq and Syria last year (AFP/Getty)

In a statement published on the German public prosecutors website, the indictment continued: After the girl had fallen ill and wet herself on a mattress, the husband of the accused chained the girl as punishment in the open air and had the child dying of thirst in the scorching heat.

The accused let her husband do it and did nothing to save the girl.

In January 2016, Jennifer W allegedly visited the German embassy in Ankara, the Turkish capital, and applied for new identity documents  possibly because her original documentation may have been destroyed upon joining Isis.

She was arrested by Turkish security services after leaving the embassy and deported to Germany a few days later.

After her deportation, she tried to return to Isis-held territory, but was arrested again on her way to Syria. She has remained in custody since.Five monks have been assaulted at a church in Vienna.

Police said at least one of the two assailants demanded money and valuables.

The assault happened around 1.20pm on Thursday at a complex in the citys Florisdorf district.

No church service was underway when the assailants entered the Maria Immaculata church.

Police found the monks tied up, one of them with head injuries, nearly three hours later.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

They were aged between 56 and 68, and it appeared the others had tried to intervene after one of the assailants  described as speaking with a foreign accent  attacked the oldest monk, the Austria Press Agency reported.

Police wrote on Twitter that, while the precise motive remains unclear, a possible terror motive can be ruled out.

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Officers were searching for the perpetrators, including in the complex where the attack took place.

On Thursday evening they said they had found nothing in the building.Yellow vest protesters attempted to storm Emmanuel Macrons holiday home before they were turned away by the authorities.

A small group from the anti-government movement arrived at the Fort de Bregancon on Thursday, shouting Macron resign as they attempted to enter the grounds.

The medieval fortress on the Mediterranean coast has served as a holiday retreat for French leaders for decades, and is easy to secure due to its location on a peninsula.

Around 50 people were turned away by armed police from the site, where they claimed Mr Macron and his wife Brigitte are currently spending their holidays.

The presidents office would not confirm whether or not the couple were currently at the house, but some of the protesters indicated they would attempt to enter again on Friday.

Recommended Man killed in crash after yellow vest protesters block roundabout

Its madness, the mayor of nearby Bormes-les-Mimosas, Francois Arizzi, told AFP.

For people who want more democracy, they should start by respecting other peoples property.

The yellow vest movement began with widespread protests over fuel taxes, but ultimately grew into a wider critique of the president and his lack of concern for normal French people.

In Paris, protests have repeatedly descended into clashes with the police, who deployed water cannons and armoured vehicles to deal with the crowds.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Last Saturday almost 150 arrests were made for public order offences in Paris alone, and more protests are planned for this weekend and New Years Eve.

Mr Macron has backed down on his proposed charges on petrol and diesel, which were intended as a measure to cut emissions.

He has also vowed to increase the national minimum wage by 7 per cent, and said employers would be encouraged to give an end of year tax-free bonus to employees.

However, the yellow vests have pledged to continue protesting indefinitely until more concessions are extracted from the president, whose popularity rating has now sunk to just 18 per cent.

The Fort de Bregancon has previously added to Mr Macrons reputation as President of the Rich after it emerged that he had installed a 34,000 euro (31,000) swimming pool at the site.Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has said that his government wants to end arms sales to Saudi Arabia, and intends to formalise the decision.

The move comes after months of controversy around the Gulf state, due to its ongoing involvement in the Yemen conflict and the murder of journalist Jamal Kashoggi.

If the decision goes ahead, Italy would join a growing list of nations choosing to halt arms sales to the Saudis.

We are not in favour of the sale of these weapons and so now it is only a question of formalising this position and acting accordingly, Mr Conte told reporters at the prime ministers traditional end-year news conference.

The minister was responding to a question about the countrys involvement with arms sales to Saudi Arabia, in light of Khashoggis murder and the escalating situation in Yemen.

Recommended Saudi Arabia rejects US vote blaming crown prince for Khashoggi murder

Yemen has been locked in civil war since 2015, with the government backed by a Saudi-led coalition against the Shiite Houthi movement.

According to the United Nations, the conflict has left 14 million people facing starvation, pushing it towards becoming one of the worst famines in living memory.

Denmark, Finland, Germany and Norway have all decided to stop selling weapons to the Saudi regime, and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said he wanted to find a way out of his nations arms deal.

However, many more nations are still exporting weapons to the Middle Eastern kingdom, including France and the UK.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Pressure have been growing on these nations to end all weapons sales, and this has mounted further after the kingdom was implicated in the murder of Khashoggi.

The Washington Post journalist had been critical of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of the kingdom. He visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where he was killed and reportedly dismembered.

After initially denying any involvement, the Saudis eventually admitted responsibility and said 21 people had been taken into custody over the crime.A roadside bomb has hit a tourist bus near the pyramids in Cairo, killing at least four people and wounding 10 others, Egyptian authorities said.

Three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian guide were killed as the bus was travelling in the Marioutiyah area near the Giza Pyramids when the roadside bomb, concealed by a wall, went off.

The interior ministry confirmed the death of two of the tourists, and the state prosecutors office later said a third had died.

In total, 14 Vietnamese tourists had been travelling on the bus, it said. Police are investigating, the ministry added.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly told local TV from Al Haram hospital the guide had died from his injuries.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The bus deviated from the route secured by the security forces, Mr Madbouly told Extra News TV.

We have been in contact with the embassy of Vietnam to contain the impact of the incident, and what is important now is to take care of the injured, he said.

The bus driver later told local media he had followed a standard tourist bus route.

No immediate claim of responsibility was reported. Islamist extremists including some linked to Isis are active in Egypt and have targeted foreign visitors in the past.

The scene of an attack on a tourist bus in Giza province south of the Egyptian capital Cairo (MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images) (Getty)

Photos from the scene of the attack showed the bus behind a police cordon with one of its sides badly damaged and the windows blown out. Police and firefighters were at the scene.

Egypt has battled Islamic militants for years in the Sinai Peninsula in an insurgency that has occasionally spilt over to the mainland, hitting minority Christians or tourists.

This is the first attack to target foreign tourists in almost two years.

A member of the Egyptian security forces stands guard at the scene of an attack (MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images) (Getty)

The attack took place as Egypts vital tourism industry is showing signs of recovery after years in the decline because of the political turmoil and violence following a 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Hosni Mubarak.

It will likely prompt authorities to further tighten security around churches and associated facilities ahead of the New Years Eve celebrations and next months Christmas celebrations of the Coptic Orthodox Church, the dominant denomination among Egypts estimated 10 million Christians.

Over the past two years, militant attacks against Christians in Egypt  usually targeting churches or buses carrying pilgrims to remote desert monasteries  have killed over a hundred people.The former UN human rights chief has been criticised for describing the daughter of Dubais ruler as troubled after she was reportedly forcibly returned to the kingdom after fleeing months earlier.

Mary Robinson met with Sheikha Latifa on 15 December and photos released showed the two women smiling together in what appears to be a home.

Ms Robinson, the former president of Ireland, told BBCs Radio 4 the princess was a vulnerable woman with a serious medical situation for which she was receiving psychiatric care.

She said the princess now regrets a 40-minute video she had released in which she said she was imprisoned on and off for several years and abused.

But human rights organisations have raised concern over Ms Robinsons statement.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Radha Stirling, head of the UK-based group Detained in Dubai, said Ms Robinson appeared to be reciting almost verbatim from Dubais script.

She criticised Ms Robinson for failing to raise issues such as the allegations Ms Latifa made against her father, sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is Dubais ruler and the UAEs prime minister and vice president, or the raid on her boat in international waters as she fled the Emirates.

Ms Robinson simply repeated again and again from the official Dubai statement that Latifa is in the loving care of her family and that the whole issue is nothing more than a family matter, she said.

She added: Latifa phoned me on the night of her abduction, pleading for my help. Given what she has conveyed to me, this meeting in no way satisfies me that she is free from the abuse that she told me she had suffered for years.

Defending her comments, Ms Robinson released a statement saying: I am dismayed at some of the media comments on my visit and I would like to say I undertook the visit and made an assessment, not a judgement, based on personal witness, in good faith and to the best of my ability.

She said she had written a report about the visit to Michelle Bachelet, the UN high commissioner for human rights, and added: I believe future action rests with that office, with the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances and with the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

Ms Latifas case drew international attention after a 40-minute video emerged showing her discuss her life, her efforts to leave the United Arab Emirates and alleged cruelty and abuses of her father. She warns that the release of the video means shes been captured and brought back home.

She fled the kingdom and tried to begin a new life with the help of a French special forces officer, and had made her way to a boat off the coast of India when the UAE authorities managed to convince Indian counterparts to return her.

The case comes amid a wider discussion about human rights in the Arabian Peninsula in the wake of the kidnapping, murder, and dismemberment of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of agents of Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Its unclear why Ms Robinson, who has a stellar record of advocacy on global human rights matters, would agree to make such a trip.

Her statement appears to acknowledge she made the trip at the behest of the royal family, which she admits was worried about the effects of Ms Latifas statement on the countrys international reputation.

Critics have accused Ms Robinson of allowing herself to be used by the Dubai royal family to whitewash a kidnapping attempt.

Nowhere in her public announcements about the trip does she address the circumstances behind the princess months-long disappearance and her sudden reappearance in the Gulf under the control of the royal family.

Also left unaddressed was whether Ms Latifa is allowed to leave the UAE, a monarchical dictatorship, or even the confines of the royal familys complex of well-guarded palaces, and whether she is in the country on her own volition.

Though Ms Robinson described Ms Latifa as troubled and vulnerable, observers noted that she came across as clear-minded and rational in her own video.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia and other Arabian Peninsula monarchies have been taken to task for human rights violations.

 British travellers have been warned about drinking alcohol on flights to Dubai

The Khashoggi and Latifa cases both show the reach of the Gulf security forces, which seem unconstrained by national borders when it comes to reining in critical citizens.Syrias armed forces claim they have taken over a contested pocket of territory at the invitation of the Kurdish-led militia controlling the region, in an effort to stave off an attack by forces loyal to Turkey.

Doubts remain about the validity of the claim and it was not clear whether Damascus armed forces had actually taken control of Manbij, a small city in northern Syria.

But an official in military uniform claimed on state television that Syrian Arab Army units had raised a flag above the city after entering the area in response to the call of residents. It would be the first time in six years the Syrian flag had flown above the city.

Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian rebel fighters backed by Turkey insisted there had been no such takeover despite the announcement by Damascus.

The US-led military coalition in northern Syria  called Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTFOIR)  insisted that no major developments had taken place in Manbij and called for calm.

Despite incorrect information about changes to military forces in the city of Manbij, Syria, CJTFOIR has seen no indication that these claims are true, a tweet posted by the US military said. We call on everyone to respect the integrity of Manbij and the safety of its citizens.

The confusion and potentially perilous scramble to control the town of Manbij and its surrounding countryside east of the Euphrates River in Syria comes less than a fortnight after US President Donald Trump announced an abrupt withdrawal of American military personnel from the country, where they have partnered for four years with Syrian Kurds led by the Peoples Protection Units, known as the YPG, in a fight against Isis.

Turkey, a member of Nato, has vehemently opposed the elevation of the YPG in a partnership that includes UK and French military forces still on the ground in northern Syria. The YPG, an affiliate of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), controls a vast stretch of northeast Syria and has begun building its own autonomous state called Rojava, which Turkey  with its large Kurdish minority  considers a dire threat.

Since the announcement of the US withdrawal from areas of northern Syria that included Manbij, Turkey has amassed troops and hardware at its border with Syria and mobilised local rebel allies inside the country in anticipation of a possible invasion. Syrian rebels said convoys of fighters alongside Turkish armed forces were moving towards the front lines in Manbij completely ready to launch military operations against Manbij.

Mr Erdogan flies to Russia tomorrow for meetings with Vladimir Putin, in part to hammer out an agreement about Syria with Moscow, who emerges the undisputed broker of the countrys future following Mr Trumps withdrawal.

Syria and Turkey have had frosty relations since the regime of Bashar al-Assad unleashed violence against peaceful protesters and ignited a vicious civil war nearly eight years ago. But Ankara is in a partnership with Damascus Iranian and Russian patrons as part of an effort to decide Syrias fate. Moscow has stated that areas of Syria the US was vacating should come under the control of the regime. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Moscow approved of any Syrian move into Manbij.

A tendency towards the enlargement of the zone under the control of government forces is certainly a positive tendency, he was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

Meanwhile, Syrian media reported on negotiations between Damascus and Kurdish-led forces regarding a deal that would prevent a possible Turkish offensive in Syrias northeast.

The YPG claimed it has withdrawn from Manbij but it has made similar claims in the past. A statement posted to Twitter by a YPG account invited government forces to assert control over the areas our forces have withdrawn from, a claim raising eyebrows since the group has insisted for at least two years its forces were no longer in Manbij. The tweet was later deleted.

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The YPG and its network of front groups and affiliates, under the umbrella of the Kurdistan Communities Union and loyal to PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan, include various factions, some closer to Tehran, others to Damascus and still others more inclined to side with Russia, all vying to chart a future for the group following the planned US withdrawal.

Under the decades-long dictatorship of Mr Assad and his father, Syrias Kurds were stripped of ethnic, political and citizens rights, and subject to violent reprisals, prompting some observers to doubt the two sides can strike a deal.

But Mr Trumps announcement appears to have intensified competition for control over Syrias skies and land, with Russia, Iran, Israel, Turkey, the various Syrian actors and regional players all nervously eyeing each others motives and manoeuvres in a potentially dangerous interplay. Earlier this week Israeli jets bombed a purported munitions plant west of Damascus, prompting a barrage of Syrian missile fire into Israel.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. 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. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

After eight years of conflict, during which the Syrian regime was shunned by much of the Middle East, there have been increasing signs normalisation of relations.

The Arabian Peninsula state of Bahrain announced it was reopening its embassy in Damascus after the United Arab Emirates opened its diplomatic mission in the country for the first time in years. Russia on Friday also signed a deal to access a Syrian phosphate mine near the city of Homs, the Interfax news agency reported.

Meanwhile, misery continued among ordinary Syrians displaced by the conflict. Heavy rains flooded makeshift camps in northern Syria where tens of thousands stuck in tents suffered through icy cold and wet conditions. Flooding reportedly forced 25,000 Syrians already living in primitive conditions to pack up their belongings and move to higher ground.The White House is never anything but a maelstrom of emotions  each day brings a new deluge of tweets, fights and scarcely believable soundbites from a president and staff that appears to revel in chaos.

Nearly two years into the Trump administration, there are few signs of that chaos settling  ask the 19 high-profile people who left or were forced out of the White House in 2018. The slate is wiped clean every time the sun sets: positions change, Donald Trump manipulates or flat-out denies quotes set in stone hours before.

All of this occurs while the White House sits under the cloud of special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation  something we will return to later.Get the new year off to a bright start  either in the sunshine or somewhere where they really know how to do winter. Avoid jet lag by choosing a warm country thats more or less in our time zone. And if youre planning an April holiday now, some of these ideas might inspire you.

Go now

South Africa

Franschhoek is South Africa's premiere wine region (iStock)

Combine a few days in Cape Town with a tour of the South Africas wine regions on a tailor-made holiday with Rainbow Tours. Once youve checked out Table Mountain, Bantry Bay and Cape Point Nature Reserve, drive to Franschhoek for a few days spent lazily exploring wine estate and cheese farms. A nine-day holiday costs from 1,725pp and includes flights, B&B accommodation and car hire, departing 15 January.

The French Alps

Take advantage of the low season in the Alps, where the pistes are practically empty and queues are short. Val Cenis in Frances Haute-Maurienne is the place for a chilled-out ski holiday where prices are nowhere as high as the altitude  and the ski area for beginners is especially good. Peak Retreats has a weeks self-catering in the classy Chalets de Flambeau at the foot of the slopes for 504pp, including Eurotunnel crossing, for a 19 January departure. Book before 31 December and save 15 per cent.

Cape Verde Islands

Theres a sandy beach only a few minutes walk from Hotel Pontao on Sals southernmost tip in Cape Verde. Its breezy rooms all face the pool, and theres also a rooftop hot tub as well as a wide choice of restaurants in Santa Maria. Cape Verde Experience has a weeks B&B departing 29 January from 634pp (saving 327pp), including flights, transfers, UK airport lounge access and visas.

Prague

Enjoy Prague without the crowds this month (iStock)

Wrap up warm and stroll through Pragues atmospheric streets on a three-night city break. You wont find the crowds that summer brings, leaving you more space to enjoy Wenceslas Square and other highlights of the old town. Inspired Luxury Escapes has three nights room only at the handsome Art Nouveau Palace Hotel from 209pp, including flights, departing 11 January.

Book now for April

Lisbon

Two grand old townhouses make up the shabby-chic Independente Suites in a prime hilltop spot near Lisbons Bairro Alto. And the view you get  particularly from the rooftop bar  makes the uphill walk all the more worthwhile. I-escape has three nights B&B from 373 in a double room, excluding flights.

Laos

Dusk over Unesco World Heritage-listed city Luang Prabang (iStock)

Laos often gets overshadowed by its better-known neighbours Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, but you can get an excellent introduction to this fascinating country on a 10-day guided tour offered by Selective Asia. Explore the French colonial architecture of the capital, Vientiane, before discovering the Unesco-listed Luang Prabang and taking journeys up and down the Mekong and the 4,000 islands of Si Phan Don. The starting price of 1,587pp includes all internal transport, accommodation, guides and breakfast, but excluding international flights, for departures throughout April.

Andalusia

The Grazalema National Park in Andalusia (iStock)

Hikers and wildlife lovers will love the extensive network of walking trails of the Grazalema Natural Park at Los Tadeos Hotel. Surrounded by the Lijar Mountains, the hotel is also a short walk from the imposing castle in Zahara. Sunvil has a weeks B&B at the hotel with departures throughout April from 689pp, including flights and transfers.

Mary Novakovich is editor at large at 101holidays.co.ukWhy would the Trumps take 24 hours out of their Christmas schedule to visit US troops in Iraq? Lets hazard some guesses.

One, because, having decided to forego his Florida holiday and remain in Washington during the government shut-down, Donald Trump wanted a break that would still look patriotic. Two, because it was the right thing to do, and previous presidents have made it a tradition to dole out holiday cheer to troops stationed in far-flung places. Three, because almost two years into his presidency, it was becoming embarrassing that Trump had not yet visited US troops abroad.

Well, probably it is all of the above  especially the last. But there is another, more immediate, reason why the US president might have decided to take the first lady and his national security adviser half-way around the world to address US troops at their garrison near Baghdad, and this was the vehemently negative response from the political establishment at home and from US allies in Europe to his announcement that he was ordering US forces back from Syria.

But he did not use his speech in Iraq to back down. He stood by his declared victory against Isis and the Syria withdrawal, it would appear, is still on. Americans, he said in a tweet, would come to appreciate it.

The only concession he made to his critics was to say that if Isis in Syria still proved troublesome, action could be taken from the forward base in Iraq (which might not have been what the troops stationed there necessarily had in mind).

By actually going to Iraq and showing the flag, Trump also communicated a couple more messages: first that the president remains commander-in-chief, however many senior officials he might lose  both his defence secretary Jim Mattis, and his special envoy for the international anti-Isis campaign, Brett McGurk, resigned within hours of his Syria announcement. Second that the US is not retreating completely from the wider world or even from the Middle East; it will simply be more selective about what it does.

All of which might appear unremarkable, especially given the unpredictable nature of Donald Trump. So what is the problem? Well, the big question in my mind does not relate to why Trump should want to withdraw US troops from Syria  it was a campaign pledge of his, after all, to interfere less in other countries affairs except in direct defence of the US national interest. The main issue is the predominantly negative response that the measure received. It seemed particularly strange coming from Europe, with its generally more Venus-like tastes.

It is understandable, just about, that US politicians, with vivid memories of the attacks of 9/11, who had also supported the interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan, might baulk at the withdrawal of US troops from a Middle Eastern country until the latest source  as they might see it  of the global terrorist threat had been rooted out.

To be sure, Trump had been elected on a promise of less military involvement abroad, but Congressional hawks had for the most part successfully prevented Barack Obama from pursuing a similar agenda, and they seemed to be steering Trump in the same direction. So much for presidential campaign promises if Congress and the related establishment rejects them.

The US military had its own concerns. As Mattis pointed out in his resignation letter, he was unconvinced that the threat from Isis was truly over, and worried about US relations with its allies. These included not only the Europeans who had joined the anti-Isis campaign to a greater or lesser degree, but Syrian and Turkish Kurds who had been in the frontline of the war against Bashar al-Assads Syrian government and were now threatened with being cast adrift.

Any territorial or political reward they might have hoped for in a post-war Syria  an autonomous region in the north of Syria, say, or more clout against the Turkish government  could be lost.

These are legitimate concerns. An unreliable ally is no ally at all, and there could indeed be repercussions for Nato and for any future US administration wanting to draw proxies to a favoured cause, whether in the Middle East or elsewhere. But why should the Europeans be so exercised about a US withdrawal from Syria?

While the Russian presence in Syria was legal in UN terms, following a request from the recognised government, the US presence was not. What is more, not one European state drummed up parliamentary support for a military intervention in Syria. The UK came the closest, but when the proposition was put to Parliament, it was defeated  after many MPs had found themselves lobbied by worried voters.

The extent to which the UK, France and Denmark then became involved in Syria  largely with air support and the deployment of special forces  has been kept for the most part under wraps. So, too, has the extent to which anti-Isis activity meshed with anti-Assad activity, and the dubious nature of some of the rebel groups who received western aid and protection.

With Isis and the rebellion against Assad now mostly defeated, why would this not be a good time to scale back such help, which has only been prolonging the bloodshed? Surely it would now make both military and humanitarian sense for this largely covert, expensive, and now counterproductive, intervention to end?

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Apparently not, at least not according to France and Germany, who have expressed dismay at Trumps decision to withdraw. And the Danes, who have also played a role in the anti-Isis campaign in Syria. Interestingly, the tone of UK statements  via the Foreign Office statement and a paragraph appended to a speech by the UN envoy, Karen Pierce  was less cutting, while the content suggested that, for the time being, UK forces, like the French, Germans and Danes, would be fighting on.

So what lies behind Europes indignation? At heart, it may reflect continued fears about the US commitment to Europes defence under Trump. Those fears seemed to have been dispelled after Trumps various visits to Europe, but they would now seem to be back  and too soon for either the European allies in Nato or the European Union to have prepared any fall-back.

The other concern  which would be an element also in Washington  might be Russia, and the sense that in giving up on Isis in Syria, the US was also becoming complicit in Assads reassertion of power and the extension of Russian influence. In other words, a Russian victory.

But this argument, which can be heard in Washington, comes perilously close to saying that the US has to stay in Syria to keep not only Isis at bay, but also Russia, opening another front in what risks becoming a return to old Cold War proxy conflicts. Trumps decision to withdraw suggests  as does his whole approach to foreign policy  that this is not what he has in mind. Nor should it be what Europe has in mind either.

Syria is at a point where the western powers must choose whether to cooperate in its future or turn their backs out of resentment for Russia. A US withdrawal could and should be a prelude to a more collaborative approach to post-war Syria, with western help for political restructuring and physical rebuilding.

It may be significant that Trumps quarrel with Mattis was only partly about Syria and the obligations of alliance; it was also  according to the defence secretarys letter  about Mattiss essentially Cold War outlook and the threats he still sees ahead.

As Mattis himself said, Trump needs someone as defence secretary who sees the world as he sees it. That could mean that he will have to skip at least a generation to find someone who is not in thrall either to the Cold War mentality or to the legacy of 9/11. It is a consideration that others, including in Europe, might also bear in mind.If like me youre a progressive who believes in the march of global human rights, its been a bit of a depressing time since 2016. Vote after vote just hasnt gone our way.

Weve all had to get uncomfortably familiar with bitter disappointment. From Brazils far-right crackdown on LGBT+ rights, with their new leader calling himself a proud homophobe to Polands Supreme Court being attacked for serving the ideology of homosexual activists. And most recently it was Taiwans turn to cause upset and anguish  its recent referendum on marriage equality after a 2017 court ruling to introduce same-sex marriage ended in a devastating defeat for equality.

The common thread running through so many of these votes is fake news on Facebook.

In Taiwan, the vote itself was organised by Christian groups; organisations that make up only 5 per cent of the countrys population. And by now its clear that online campaigning tactics fuelled and funded by Christian organisations and the Chinese disseminated fake news materials across Taiwanese social networks. The aim appeared to be to confuse and convince people ahead of the vote on marriage equality. This material described LGBT+ people as perverted and claimed that Taiwans universal healthcare system would become overrun with foreign HIV-positive homosexuals, who would marry Taiwanese men to access HIV/Aids treatment.

These sorts of fear tactics are nothing new in any political election. But as weve seen repeated across all recent public votes across the world, votes and referendums seem to now be won where the public are most connected  social media. Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Christopher Wylie has claimed that the now defunct political consulting firm could even utilise Facebook data on people's fashion tastes to encourage them to vote for Donald Trump during the 2016 US election.

Only this week weve again been reminded of the dangers of fake news on Facebook, with new research suggesting adverts on the platform have ignited anti-refugee attacks in Germany.

The core problem is that, through its algorithm, Facebook separates us from moderating voices or authority figures, and herds us into ever smaller like-minded groups, encouraging us to consume content that engages our base emotions.

Its in this light that Taiwans decision to put marriage equality to a vote could be seen as a big mistake. Although in some cases these types of votes are won  as in Ireland and Australia  the risks now are too great. In an age of fake news and unregulated social media, wherever possible, human rights should not be put to a public vote. Lies and misinformation which used to be on the fringes of political discourse are now too easily seeping into the mainstream.

Couples prepare for Taiwan LGBT ruling Show all 9 1 /9 Couples prepare for Taiwan LGBT ruling Couples prepare for Taiwan LGBT ruling Daniel Cho (left), captain of a container ship and Chin Tsai, a homemaker, in Taipei Reuters Couples prepare for Taiwan LGBT ruling Solo Lee (right), an art agent, and Lisa Cho, an administrative assistant. Love is simply a goodness, says Lee Reuters Couples prepare for Taiwan LGBT ruling Chi Chia-wei, a gay rights activist Reuters Couples prepare for Taiwan LGBT ruling Wang Yi (right), an artist, and Meng Yu-mei, a sales assistant. Everyone can go against us, but we can go against them too. The discussion is fair. Taiwan is a democratic country, says Yi Reuters Couples prepare for Taiwan LGBT ruling Hu Sheng Xiang (left), and Pan Shi Xin, are both LGBT rights activists. The LGBT movement is not just about same-sex marriage, there are lots of other issues concerning sexual minorities, says Xiang Reuters Couples prepare for Taiwan LGBT ruling Huang Zi-ning (left), a student and Kang Xin-fang, a part-time student. Anti same-sex marriage groups say they go against us because they want to protect the next generation. But I am the next generation, says Zi-ning Reuters Couples prepare for Taiwan LGBT ruling Leber Li (right), a restaurant owner, drives with Amely Chen, and their son Mork, in Yilan Reuters Couples prepare for Taiwan LGBT ruling Huang Chen-ting (left), a school administrator, and Lin Chi-xuan, a personal trainer, in Taipei Reuters Couples prepare for Taiwan LGBT ruling Daphne Chiang (right), an insurance consultant, tries on a wedding dress with her partner Kenny Jhuang, a service worker in Taipei Reuters

Arguably any organisation can now open an advertising account on Facebook, and can begin targeting individuals based on salary, job, interest, location and even association with any of these factors. But too many regressive organisations, who would like nothing more than to rollback hard won rights, have absolutely no qualms about abusing  rather than just using  smart social profiling techniques. They seem happy to lie, cheat and misinform to get what they want, posing a real threat to the ongoing move to equal rights and equality across the globe.

During the Out4Marriage campaign that I helped found in 2013 to support changing the law to allow same sex couples to marry, digital profiling didnt exist in the same detail as today. What won the campaign for us was the power of progressive, personal and positive storytelling  empowering celebrities, MPs and members of the public to create their own short video content and post it online explaining why they were coming out for marriage. What wins marriage equality campaigns is the same thing which wins any campaign fighting for better human rights: empathy, compassion and relatability  particularly viewable by an audience who disagrees and needs convincing.

But shift forward to 2018, and using Facebook to reach an audience that disagrees with your opinion is near enough impossible. Imagine what could be done now if you add the power of personalisation on social media, adapting the messages to someones ambitions, aspirations and desires.

On the issue of gay rights there is still much work to be done. Equal marriage is still the exception around the world. And lets not forget, its still illegal to be gay in 70 countries. In 10 of those countries the punishment is death. And in many cases, progress has not just stalled, its going backwards. Campaigners have their work cut out.

Its time for companies like Facebook to step up and give the LGBT+ community a helping hand. First, they need to start taking misinformation seriously. As the fight for equal rights shows, there are real life impacts to the sort of fake news polluting the platform; from the thousands of gay people in Taiwan who will not be able to get married to the individual gay or trans people attacked in places like Brazil because of Facebook posts that demonise and vilify their identity.

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But they need to change their all-important algorithm. How are campaigners ever going to engage with and change the minds of those who disagree with LGBT+ rights if those people are stuck in an echo chamber that fails to expose them to different views? Without social media which proactively engages us with all different attitudes and points of view, we wont be able to see the views that we need to change.

This change will require a big overhaul of social media sites profit models, but they need to take responsibility for the damage they have caused, and acknowledge the reality that this type of fake news disproportionately attacks LGBT+ people. Given how effective the tactic has been in mobilising the far right in recent elections, we can expect more in the near future. Facebook can either be a dark cloud on the horizon, or a ray of light. This coming year it needs to choose which one it wants to be.

Mike Buonaiuto is the executive director of Shape History and co-founder of Out4Marriage campaignAn elderly cancer patient who died after a fire broke out on a ward at St Lukes Hospital in Rathgar on Christmas Eve has been named locally.

Joseph Murphy (85) from Walkinstown, died of injuries he sustained in the blaze.

A number of other people, including staff, were hospitalised following the incident.

It is understood the fire may have been caused by a lit cigarette coming into contact with oxygen from a cylinder in the room where the man was being treated.

An investigation has now been launched by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa).

Mr Murphy was a father of six with grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

He was predeceased by his wife and one of his sons.

His funeral will be held on New Years Eve at Church of the Assumption, Walkinstown, and his remains will then be brought to Mount Jerome Cemetery.

The widowers family posted news of his death on Rip.ie. The notice stated that Mr Murphy died peacefully surrounded by his family at St Jamess.

It added that he would be sadly missed by his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and other relatives and friends.

Three individuals were transferred to St Jamess Hospital and two individuals were transferred to St Vincents Hospital for treatment, the HSE said in a statement.

Tragically, one patient who was transferred to St Jamess Hospital for treatment has died as a result of the injuries sustained in the fire.

The hospital would like to extend its sincere sympathies to the family.

The incident will be investigated by the hospital and the relevant authorities.

A garda spokeswoman said the fire broke out at around 5.30am on Monday, and the scene had now been preserved for a technical examination.

Gardai are investigating the death of man in his 80s that occurred following a fire-related incident at a hospital in Rathgar, Dublin 6, the spokeswoman said.

The man received serious injuries in the incident and was taken to St Jamess Hospital, where he later passed away.

The incident is not believed to be suspicious at this time. The Hiqa has been notified.

A case with potential similarities is before the coroners court in Kildare, which is examining whether the possible explosion of oxygen may have caused the death of 78-year-old Christy Byrne.

On December 10, the adjourned inquest was told that three investigations were being carried out into the tragedy  one by gardai, another by the Health and Safety Authority and the inquiry by Kildare coroner Dr Denis Cusack.

An expert report on the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Byrne, who died following a fire in an ambulance at Naas General Hospital in September 2016, has yet to be provided to the investigating coroner.

Ambulance workers Stephen Lloyd and David Finnegan were also hurt in the incident.Leo Varadkar says new legislation aims to protect those repaying mortgages to so-called vulture funds (Brian Lawless/PA)

New legislation aims to protect those whose mortgages who are now owned by so-called vulture funds, the Taoiseach has said.

A number of loans and mortgages were bought up by various forms of private equity firms and pension funds during Irelands financial crash.

Leo Varadkar said legislation was currently being enacted to ensure those repaying mortgages to them will have exactly the same consumer protections as they would if the loan was still owned by the banks.

He said he was reluctant to use the term vulture funds, describing it as political.

What were talking about here is investment banks, investment funds, finance houses, you know, there are lots of different things and lots of different financial entities there and the term is used, vulture funds, he said.

But youll know from the numbers that theyre often better at write-downs of loans than our own banks are.

Our own banks tend to extend and pretend rather than coming to settlements with people.

Increasingly theyre covered by the same regulations and the same consumer protections as the banks are.

So, what were working on is enacting legislation that Michael McGrath has brought forward, which is to make sure that so-called vulture funds are being regulated.

We support that and we are going to make sure that anyone who has a mortgage, who is repaying their mortgage, making a reasonable effort to pay it, continues to have the exact same protections, the exact same consumer protections as they would if the loan was still owned by the banks.

Thats our commitment to make sure that people who pay their mortgages, pay their bills, are no worse off as a result and have the exact same protections.

Mr McGrath brought a private members Bill in February 2018 to bring so-called vulture funds within the full suite of Central Bank regulation.Wicklow dairy farming team Joe and Michael Hayden are fourth-generation dairy farming brothers who have been supplying Baileys through Glanbia for the last 30 years.

Since 2001, the farm, which is tucked in the Wicklow Mountains near the village of Tinahely, has welcomed over 10,000 visitors worldwide each year, teaching them about the grass-fed cows who are at the heart of the cream liqueur's story.

"We have 175 cows, which myself and Michael call the Baileys ladies," says Joe.

"We produce 1.2m litres of milk each year, most of which goes to Baileys. It's such a joy being able to tell visitors from all over the world about how our sustainable system is used to make the Baileys cream.

"We tell them how Baileys is made of 50pc cream from Irish cows and blended with Irish whiskey, and do tastings."

Winter milk

The Haydens have a winter milk contract for Glanbia, calving 40pc of their herd in autumn to ensure quantity and quality of supply for Baileys throughout the beverage's popular winter season.

Joe says that he loves hearing stories from visitors who tell them that they drink Baileys every Christmas or that they always buy it for their mother-in-laws for Thanksgiving.

While the drink is synonymous with Christmas, Joe says that you can drink it all year round. "In the summer we make Baileys frappes using a normal domestic blender.

"I'm biased - I drink it all year round - but of course it is drunk a lot at Christmas by the fire or before or after the Christmas dinner."Some meat factories are facing major disruptions as they begin killing again and a work to rule by Temporary Veterinary Inspectors (TVIs) continues.

Meat Industry Ireland, the meat factories representative body, has condemned the ongoing work to rule by Temporary Veterinary Inspectors.

Thousands of cattle, sheep and pigs went unslaughtered in what should be one of the busiest weeks of the year for meat factories, the week before Christmas, as meat factories were unable to slaughter to full capacity as a number of Temporary Veterinary Inspectors (TVIs) continued a work to rule in factories.

It's understood that at least five cattle, sheep and pig factories were affected today by the ongoing work to rule with the kill reduced by 50pc in some cases.

Factories saw the slaughter line being stopped for periods and the kill being suspended during the day, with some factories having to cancel cattle loads that had been booked in.

Meat Industry Ireland strongly criticised the ongoing disruption to normal processing operations in a number of meat plants due to industrial action by TVIs.

"There has been a serious intensification of disruptive activity over the last fortnight, in this dispute between Veterinary Ireland and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. While processors are not involved in this dispute, they are nonetheless caught in the middle, it said.

Some plants are facing major disruption, leading to significant losses for these businesses. Plants have been unable to undertake scheduled processing activity and others are forced to operate at restricted levels compared to normal throughout.

"Animal deliveries have had to be turned back or cancelled, impacting on farmers as well. Disruption to normal pig processing will very quickly lead to welfare issues at farm level. This unacceptable disruptive activity has also left customers short during what is already a challenging time of the year for scheduling fresh deliveries.

It called for a responsible approach to be adopted and an immediate end to unacceptable disruption to normal processing operations. This is impacting on the businesses caught in the middle, their staff, farmer suppliers and customers. We need both parties (Veterinary Ireland and DAFM) at the table immediately to resolve this issue.

The row centers around a number of issues concerning the TVI panel. Vets say a moratorium on recruitment onto the TVI panel means there is a shortage of approximately 150 vets to carry out factory work.

Veterinary Ireland and the Department of Agriculture have been contacted for a statement.US investment fund Global Infrastructure Partners is selling a 50.01% stake in Gatwick Airport to France's Vinci Airports for 2.9 billion. Photo:: Gatwick Airport/PA

Vinci has agreed to acquire control of Gatwick Airport for 2.9bn (3.2bn) as the French construction company jumped on the chance to add a major London hub to its aviation portfolio.

The purchase of the 50.01pc stake in London's second-busiest airport from a group of investors, including sovereign wealth funds from Abu Dhabi and Australia, will be completed in the first half of 2019, Vinci said yesterday. Existing shareholder Global Infrastructure Partners will manage the remaining holding.

With 45.7 million passengers in 2018, Gatwick will become the largest single airport in Vinci's global network. Gatwick has been under pressure due to intensifying competition from London's other airports and lost out to Heathrow, Europe's busiest hub, in a contest to win government backing for the construction of a new runway.

Its operations descended into chaos just before Christmas when there was a prolonged shutdown after drone sightings.

The 120-year-old engineering company is shrugging off risks surrounding Britain's looming exit from the EU, as rival airports warn demand for air-travel could be dented.

Manchester Airports Group, operator of rival London hub Stansted, sees the current Brexit plan trimming passenger numbers over the next five years but doesn't expect it to halt growth entirely. Like Stansted, Gatwick is targeting more long-haul flights.

"Airports are attractive investments, especially in a world of high volatility, because airport returns can be quite predictable and manageable even if passenger numbers are volatile," said Bernstein analyst Daniel Roeska. "In any Brexit scenario, people will still go on holiday. In the long-term it won't be impacted that much on the leisure side."

Vinci shares gained 0.5pc in Paris as of 10.53am. They have fallen 17pc this year for a market value of 42.1bn.

BloombergAn Post has reported a record Christmas period with parcel deliveries up 50pc - while online stores are recording increases as high as 70pc - however main street sales dropped by up to 7pc.

A spokesman for An Post told Independent.ie that the company had enjoyed its most successful Christmas, as many shoppers shunned the main street and shopping centres, to buy online.

It was the busiest Christmas on record, parcels were up 50pc on last year, an An Post spokesman said.

We delivered 100,000 parcels a day during the height of the Christmas season. And some online retailers whom we work with, have recorded a 70pc increase on last year.

However in comparison, street retailers have witnessed a decline of up to 7pc on last year for the Christmas period, including the post Christmas sales.

David Fitzsimons, group chief executive of Retail Excellence Ireland, said sales had performed Okay, but they were probably 5 to 7pc down on last year.

As Black Friday weekend grows, the conventional sales decline. But there were still a few good days and especially with non-EU nationals (consumers) who can claim their VAT back.

They love premium brands and many shop for family and friends back home.

An Post didnt wish to specify which retailers had recorded the hikes in sales but Amazon has reported a record-breaking holiday season, as consumers opted to shop from the comfort of their own homes.

The internet mammoth reported tens of millions of shoppers globally had signed up to its Prime service during Christmas to receive orders within two days for free shipping.

In terms of parcels and e-commerce theres been a huge upswing in items handled this Christmas, An Post said.

It exceeded forecast from all the retailers we deal with.

Retail bodies have complained that the drop in footfall had come as a result of the growth of online shopping - hitting Irish retailers with 70pc of online spend going to foreign businesses.

Other issues blamed for the decrease in street shopping included the weather, Brexit fears and cross border shopping, as well as Black Friday sales in November.

An Post said it expected the upturn in parcel deliveries for online retailers to continue across the sales period but stated it was too early to provide figures.

All we can say right now is stamp sales are up by 13 million and we are now heading into a post Christmas and new year sales period, so its an important time in terms of e-commerce and postal traffic, An Post said.

Its early days but the Christmas forcecast was exceeded for online retailers and for An Post and we expect this pattern to continue into late December and January.

We believe its going to be a very busy time between now and into the new year with online sales underway.

Graeme McQueen, from Dublin Chamber, said: Generally speaking it was a good Christmas for retailers in Dublin. The final week was very busy, especially with the extra Monday ahead of Christmas.

Most retailers in the city say volumes were at least level with last year, with many reporting modest single digit increases. The picture is generally positive in Dublin. And the post Christmas sales have started reasonably well.

Good traction is being seen in clothing and electronics. Some retailers were able to hold back on pre-Christmas sales, so they have good offers available.

An Post said it had handled almost 1.5 million AddressPal items for customers.

As a result of volumes of parcel traffic, the company experienced delays of around two days on some deliveries earlier in December.1: Can big tech stocks recover?

In early 2018, it seemed like big tech stocks would rise forever and ever. Apple even breached the $1trn trillionmark, with Amazon close behind.

But in late 2018, many of those companies fell heavily, mirroring a general downward turn for equities, especially US-based ones. Apple fell the most, resulting in Microsoft overtaking it in value over the last few weeks. At the time of writing, Microsoft has a market cap of $750bn, with Apple down to $718bn.

But others werent far behind, with Facebook falling from over $600bn to $380bn and IBM seeing a 30pc drop.

Can these tech stocks recover in early 2019? Probably, though it surely depends on the same mix of macro-economic factors as ever.

Some analysts argue that the markets have simply been on too much of a bull run and will naturally ease back for a period. Others say that tech stocks can be the exception because they still have bigger disruptive potential than many traditional equities. An example, they say, is Amazon  as big as it is, it could still get way larger thanks to the generally-accepted factor of online shopping still not being at a mature stage yet.

Expand Close Huawei row: A TV image of Huawei Technologies CFO Meng Wanzhou as she exits the court registry following a bail hearing at British Columbia Superior Courts in Vancouver / Facebook

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On the other hand, 2019 could also be a year of unprecedented regulatory activism against the biggest tech stocks. Tech companies, in the eyes of many, are simply getting too big and powerful. The so-called FAANG stocks (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google) now wield more control over critical areas of our lives than any other cabal of firms before.

This draws more scrutiny and a regular serving of outrage. Its not just Facebook that gets slammed in the press and by parliaments; Google and Amazon are seeing increasing hostility too.

To this end, 2018 saw what was arguably the most impactful piece of regulation aimed at big internet firms  the GDPR privacy law. However, this mainly only has legal effect in the EU, even if the top tech firms are implementing some of its principles across their global operations. This could mean that GDPR-style regulatory action may officially extend to other major markets, which would be a threat to some of the biggest tech firms.

2: The toxic combination of politics and internet firms

2018This was the year when tech and politics became embroiled in ways that created problems for both sectors. Most attention fell on Facebook for a series of controversial political interventions carried out on its platform.

The biggest single incident was the Cambridge Analytica scandal. There, a British-owned political consultancy firm, Cambridge Analytica, sought to influence the 2016 US presidential election by mining the personal information of up to 50 million people in the US. The incident, first reported by The Observer, Guardian and Channel 4 News, led to Facebook coming under fire for not having stringent-enough controls over its platform.

Other Facebook-related political controversy permeated the year, with the platform constantly criticised for allowing malevolent actors to undermine elections and foment civic discourse.

Expand Close Minister for Communications, Climate Action & Environment Denis Naughten. / Facebook

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In Ireland, tech firmsfirms political importance came to the fore when some of the biggest internet firms took an unprecedented decision not to allow campaigning ads in the weeks preceding the countrys abortion referendum in May.

Google went furthest, blocking all ads on its search engine and on YouTube relating to the Eighth Amendment referendum. Twitter did the same. On the same issue, Facebook announced that it was blocking all ads related to the Eighth Amendment referendum that came from advertisers outside the jurisdiction.

However, it still allowed referendum-related ads that were paid for by organisations within Ireland.

The social networking firm said that it would implement the same rule for future elections in Ireland, disallowing any ads that do not come from registered entities in Ireland, Google has not yet said what it intends to do in the area of political ads here in future.

3: When Chinese tech firms ran into political trouble

Huawei is now Irelands third-largest smartphone manufacturer and second in the world after Samsung.

But 2018 was the year when it started to run into serious hurdles for political reasons, with 2019 promising more of the same.

Three countries  the US, Australia and New Zealand  hardened policies that militate against using Chinese tech infrastructure or devices.

The reason, they say, is that Huawei has close links to Chinese authorities. And as the US seems to be escalating its cyberwar with China, it has decreed that some Chinese companies cant be used.

Huawei comes in for particular atttention because its such a big player in communications network infrastructure. It now has 28pc of the worlds networking market, overtaking Ericsson and Nokia to become the biggest company.

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This means it is to the fore in the new generations of 5G mobile networks and core broadband infrastructure.

But it could get worse for Huawei. US President Donald Trump is considering an executive order to bar US companies from using telecommunications equipment made by Chinese tech firms, including Huawei and ZTE.

Will this spread to Europe? Earlier this month, Britains biggest telecoms operator was reported to be scaling back its use of Huawei equipment for security reasons.

British Telecom will now move Huawei kit away from core network functions in rolling out 5G infrastructure, the Financial Times reported.

Is this strategic decision from a big British company that is only limited to mobile networks? Or is it a general sea change in policy?

Here, BT Ireland uses

Huawei as its core high-speed network between Dublin and Belfast.

It recently bragged about increasing the speed and power of its underlying telecoms infrastructure between London and Dublin using Huaweis technology.

But those investment decisions were taken a few years ago, before tension around Huaweis ascension rose.

In early December, matters escalated further when Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huaweis founder, was arrested and detained by police in Canada.

The Canadians were acting on a US extradition warrant. The apparent grounds for detention relate to contravening trade sanctions against Iran, which the Trump administration is pursuing almost single-handedly.

The Chinese government was outraged by the detention, interpreting it as a direct assault on Chinese interests.

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4: The National Broadband Plan: so close, so far away

In 2018, the governments long-suffering rural broadband rollout plan made some progress before running into controversy.

A series of previously undisclosed meetings between the Communications Ministerfor Communications Denis Naughten and the head of the tendering consortium, David McCourt, led to Mr Naughtens resignation from the Government.

Despite insisting that the assessment process of the bid continued throughout, the Government failed to come to a conclusion before the end of December on whether it would proceed with the Granahan-McCourt bid.

Commenting publicly on the matter this month, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that a decision on the issue may not be made until February.

This might dash hopes for connections to rural homes by the end of 2019, something that had been on the cards until the controversy around Mr Naughtens meetings blew up at the tail end of 2018. disruption.

However, the contract decision remains one of the biggest calls that this government will make in 2019.

If the State prefers to go back to the drawing board, it will likely be several years until non-urban Ireland gets the kind of basic internet infrastructure that currently enables city economies.

Outside the BationalNational Broadband Plan, 2019 will see some modest improvement in the availability of broadband in Ireland.

At the very least, the last 100,000 of the 330,000 rural fibre-to-the-home connections being built by Eir will be completed by June.

These are connections into areas that have never had any form of decent broadband availability, so its a net gain for the country.

However, it still leaves 540,000 homes and businesses  mostly in rural areas  without a proper connection.From the demise of Facebook among younger people to the death of DSLR cameras and Amazons destruction of high street retail, Adrian looks at what to expect in the year ahead.

Hes joined by Patrick Walsh, founder of the coworking space, Dogpatch Labs in Dublin. Along the way, they also discuss why people are turning off traditional offices and whether alternatives, such as Ludgate and Republic Of Work in Cork, Portershed in Galway and HQ in Tralee will mop up the business of hosting growing tech firms.

This is the 52nd Big Tech Show podcast of 2018  a big thank you to all our listeners for tuning in over the year.Carrie Fisher was best-known for starring in the Star Wars franchise (Ian West/PA)

Carrie Fishers daughter Billie Lourd paid a musical tribute to her mother on the two-year anniversary of her death.

Fisher, who found fame in the role of Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise, died aged 60 in 2016 days after falling ill on a flight from London to Los Angeles.

Her mother and fellow Hollywood actress Debbie Reynolds, died a day later on December 28 at the age of 84.

On Thursday, Lourd marked the second anniversary of her mothers death by sharing a video to Instagram of her singing Jackson Brownes 1973 hit These Days.

Lourd, 26, played the song on a piano given to Fisher by her father Eddie Fisher.

Writing on Instagram, Lourd said: It has been two years since my Mombys death and I still dont know what the right thing to do on a death anniversary is (Im sure a lot of you feel the same way about your loved ones).

So I decided to do something a little vulnerable for me, but something we both loved to do together  sing.

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Lourd, who like her mother is an actress, is the only child of Fisher and talent manager Bryan Lourd.

Video of the Day

She said These Days was one of her mothers favourite songs, adding: And as the song says, we must keep on moving. Ive found that what keeps me moving is doing things that make me happy, working hard on the things that Im passionate about and surrounding myself with people I love and making them smile.

I hope this encourages anyone feeling a little low or lost to keep on moving. As my Momby once said, take your broken heart and turn it into art  whatever that art may be for you.

Fisher was 19 when she was cast in the role that would define her career, opposite Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford in Star Wars.

Her mother, Reynolds, was the same age when she appeared in Singin In The Rain opposite Gene Kelly.Campaigner: Jer OLeary was a social activist. He was involved in campaigns to end homelessness and was at the May Day march in Dublin in 2003. Photo: RollingNews.ie

Actor Jer O'Leary, who starred in films including 'My Left Foot', 'Michael Collins' and 'Braveheart', has died peacefully at home.

The Dubliner, aged in his early 70s, was found on Christmas morning. O'Leary was well known on stage and screen and rose to fame for his stage portrayal of trade union leader Big Jim Larkin in 1975.

He appeared in more than 40 films and one of his more recent roles was in the TV fantasy series 'Game Of Thrones'.

His friend and agent Ann Curtis paid tribute to him as "a fabulous character and a Dublin wit with flawless delivery".

"He was the most charismatic man you could meet, and a gentleman too," she told the Irish Independent.

O'Leary's film debut was in Jim Sheridan's 'My Left Foot'. He also played Thomas Clarke in the 'Michael Collins' movie.

He was to become the only actor to work on all of Jim Sheridan's first five films that were shot in Ireland.

He was to go on and work on three films with director Neil Jordan. He acted in three major films with the renowned Daniel Day Lewis, shared the set twice with John Hurt and once with Richard Harris and Sean Penn.

O'Leary lived in North Strand in the north inner city of Dublin and was also well respected as a balladeer and folklorist.

He was also a political activist, first with Sinn Fein and later for the Communist Party.

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His family suffered a tragedy 20 years ago when his son Diarmuid (22) was killed in a fire at a guesthouse in Glasgow.Mrs Browns Boys drew in an average of 612,000 viewers

'Mrs Brown' again proved to be the ratings winner for RTE over Christmas, although the numbers watching dropped 12pc on the previous year.

An average of 612,000 viewers tuned in to watch 'Mrs Brown's Boys: Exotic Mammy'.

Brendan O'Carroll's comedy drew a 41pc share of the audience and more than a third of the younger audience (aged 15-34).

But last year, the 'Mrs Brown' festive special attracted an average of 695,000 on RTE One on Christmas Day, which was 42pc of people watching TV at the time.

The decline in viewing numbers over Christmas is a trend that was also in evidence in the UK, with suggestions that the likes of Netflix could be to blame.

In the UK, those tuning into the 'Queen's Speech' plunged by a sizeable one million year-on-year.

The 'Mrs Brown's Boys' special also saw a big fall in British viewers, drawing 4.7 million this time around compared with 6.5 million.

Increased competition with online streaming services and other digital apps is proving a challenge for traditional television channels.

In the third quarter of 2018, Netflix had over 137 million streaming subscribers worldwide, an increase from 109 million just 12 months prior.

But, overall, RTE said it is pleased that the number of young people watching on Christmas Day was up this year.

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RTE One, RTE2, RTEjr and RTE News Now claimed a 39pc share of that age bracket.

'The Young Offenders Christmas Special' - with guest star Robert Sheehan - also proved to be a cracker, drawing an average 480,000 viewers and a 39pc share.

Soap lovers were also gripped by 'Fair City's' hour-long special.

Some 349,000 watched the drama in Carrigstown on Christmas Day and 391,000 on St Stephen's Day.

'Home Alone' proved to be the most popular movie with nostalgic viewers.Among the thousands: Left: Julia Kaulsay and Grainne Hutchinson at the festival yesterday. Photos: Bryan Keane/INPHO

The second day of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival was one for avid horse-racing fans, with rough and tumble aplenty to satisfy eager spectators.

It was success for the JP McManus-owned Auvergnat in the big event of the day, the Paddy Power Steeplechase worth 200,000.

Donal McInerney (24) was the winning jockey, who told the Irish Independent his discipline during the festive season had paid off.

"There wasn't much eaten all week, so it was well worth it now," he said.

Some 16,439 descended on Leopardstown eager to pick a winner.

Ensuring ease of access for them was the first thing on the mind of Pat Keogh, the chief executive of the south Dublin racecourse. Some St Stephen's Day revellers were allowed in free after lengthy delays were caused by a shortage of cash turnstiles at the entrance for punters who didn't buy tickets online.

"It has gone fine. People came in a more staggered approach. Yesterday a lot of people came at the same time, which is where a lot of our issues came from. It's a very big crowd today and everyone seems to have gotten in very smoothly," he said.

As always, there were plenty of glamorous attendees. Bookie Marcella McCoy, from Dundalk, donned a fur hat and white coat and said that the first day had been a positive one.

Yesterday was a similar success story, with more than 1m wagered with the on-course bookmakers.

Kate Byrne, from Carlow - stylist to ITV racing's glamorous Francesca Cumani - was on trend with a touch of leopard print in her outfit. A true professional at the style game, she said it took her all of eight minutes to get ready, fixing the final touches on the car journey up with her friends.

UCD student Sinead Edwards was enjoying a day "not to be missed" with her friend Ella Thomas from Leitrim. Studying equine science, Ms Edwards was looking forward to the action, her interest stemming from her uncle owning racehorses.

Ms Thomas (21) is also heavily involved in the racing world. "I work with horses in England, flat racehorses though, so there is a bit of a difference," she said.

Among the racing enthusiasts was 'Dragon' and publisher Norah Casey, who said it brought back memories of late husband Richard Hannaford.

"Irish Tatler often sponsors the races, so when Richard was alive we used to host race day here on this day every single year for 18 years - so it's really happy memories for me," she said.

The third day of the festival takes place today, with the Savills Chase the feature race of the day.A French trial over the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier (39) could be staged as early as next May.

Paris authorities are now determined to press ahead with the trial over the brutal killing of the mother of one at her isolated west Cork holiday home.

Sophie's family marked the 22nd anniversary of her death at a quiet ceremony in Paris last week. No one has ever been charged with the murder in Ireland.

Now Sophie's family are awaiting a confirmed trial date from Paris magistrates who recommended proceedings following a nine-year French investigation.

The French investigation was launched after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) indicated there was little likelihood of a prosecution here.

British freelance journalist Ian Bailey (60) has predicted the French will attempt to try him in absentia for the crime.

Mr Bailey, who has consistently protested his innocence, acknowledged he fears his European Court of Human Rights challenge will not deter the Paris authorities from pressing ahead with the planned homicide trial.

He successfully fought extradition to France six years ago but complained that he is now effectively trapped in Ireland - for fear of other countries acting on the French-issued European Arrest Warrant.A small but clear slip in Catholic Church dominance of Irish education is highlighted in new figures showing a 4pc rise in pupils in multi-denominational schools this year.

The growth is most dramatic at primary level, where there was a year-on-year 7.7pc jump in enrolments in the multi- denominational sector.

It far outstripped the 0.4pc increase in pupils in Catholic schools, amid an overall rise of 0.8pc in primary enrolments, to 559,569, last September.

The trend at post-primary is similar, with multi-denominational school enrolments up 2.8pc, compared with 0.4pc for Catholic schools - against an overall 1.5pc rise in pupil numbers.

The figures released by the Department of Education are based on preliminary enrolment data for the country's 4,000 primary and post-primary schools in September.

As the baby boom that started in the late 1990s continues to work its way through the system, September enrolments were up 9,799, to a record 922,458.

Education Minister Joe McHugh said it reflected "the important changes taking place in the patronage of our schools, with more choice available to parents".

The demand for greater choice can be seen in a 3.6pc increase in pupils attending multi-denominational primary and second-level schools, compared with a 0.4pc rise in Catholic schools.

As a result, at primary level, the share of pupils in Catholic schools dipped to 90.3pc, against 90.6pc in 2017.

The growing number of multi-denominational primary schools now have 32,060 pupils, 5.7pc of all enrolments and up from 5.4pc in 2017. Church of Ireland primary schools have 16,515 pupils (3pc) in September, while other faiths account for 5,942 (1.1pc).

Enrolments in post-primary schools stood at 362,889 in September, 185,963 of which were in Catholic schools, 162,624 were in multi-denominational schools while 12,478 pupils were in the Church of Ireland sector.

The faster growth of enrolments in the multi-denominational sector, at both levels, should come as no surprise in the changing cultural landscape, but the figures underline the shift that is happening, albeit slowly.

Demand from parents for a more pluralist education system means schools being built in areas of population growth are almost exclusively of a multi-denominational ethos.

Since 2008, the number of multi-denominational schools at post-primary level has increased from 321 to 349, while the number of Catholic schools dropped from 361 to 346. Over the same period at primary level, the number of multi-denominational schools rose from 73 to 119. While they represent only a tiny fraction of the now 2,776 Catholic primary schools, this number is down nine since 2017 and by 100 in the last 10 years.

At primary level, in particular, the Catholic Church is no longer applying to be the patron of new schools.

As well as that, a small number of previously Catholic-run schools have transferred to a multi-denominational patron as part of the divestment initiative announced in 2012. The Church committed to handing over some of its schools in areas of stable population to cater for the demand for growing diversity. But progress has been slow, and the initiative was refreshed earlier this year with surveys of parents of pre-school children. The outcome of that process is awaited.Scientists have discovered a breakthrough treatment to fight cancer, and claim the disease will no longer be deadly for future generations.

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute in London believe it is possible to strengthen the body's defences by transplanting immune cells from strangers. Patients will begin to receive the new treatment next year, and the team now wants to establish "immune banks" to store disease-fighting cells.

Prof Adrian Hayday, an immunology expert and group leader of the immunosurveillance laboratory at The Crick, said scientists and doctors could become more like engineers, upgrading the body rather than bombarding it with toxic chemotherapy.

"Using the immune system to fight cancer is the ultimate do-it-yourself approach," he said. "Even a few years ago the notion that any clinician would look at a patient and deliver a therapy which wasn't going to directly affect the cancer in any way, shape or form, would have been pretty radical. But that's what's happening.

"We're seeing impressive results with cells called 'natural killer cells'. It's very early days but there are patients receiving them in this next year and the year after, and the nice feature is, unlike other immunotherapy, these cells aren't rejected.

"So you have the possibility of developing cell banks that could be used for anyone. You would call them up and deliver them to the clinic just hours before they were needed to be infused. We're not quite there yet. But that's what we're trying now. There is every capability of getting cell banks like this established."

Until this year, scientists thought it would be impossible to import a stranger's immune cells as the immunosuppressant drugs needed to ensure the body did not reject them, would cancel out the benefits. But in 2018, scientists realised that immune cells are unlike other cells, and can survive well in another person, opening the door to transplants.

Thirty years ago just one in four people diagnosed with cancer survived for 10 years.

But advances over the past decade have seen the number of people surviving for at least a decade rise to 50pc and the team at The Crick want to make that 75pc in the next 15 years.

Prof Charlie Swanton, of the Cancer Evolution and Genome Instability Laboratory, said that the ability now to sequence tumours was heralding a new era of medicine tailor-made for a patient.

"The technology available to us now is just incredible. We're able to sequence the genome of a tumour, understand its micro-environment, how it metabolises, what cells are controlling the tumour, and how those can be manipulated. Using the body's own immune cells to target the tumour is elegant because tumours evolve so quickly there is no way a pharmaceutical company can keep up with it, but the immune system has been evolving for over four billion years to do just that."

Tumours evolve in a branched way, like trees, but scientists have recently found immune cells in their "trunks", which could be crucial to battling the disease.

Next year, Prof Swanton's team is beginning trials to see if ramping up those specific cells could be effective in fighting lung cancer. He added: "It's personalised medicine taken to the extreme. Each patient has a unique therapy, it's pretty much impossible to have the same treatment because no two tumours are the same."

The team is also studying a group of people known as "elite controllers", who have genetic mutations that prevent them developing cancer. ( Daily Telegraph, London)Former President Mary Robinson has come under fire for describing a missing Arabian princess as a troubled young woman after the pair met at the behest of her family to help solve a dilemma.

Photographs of Ms Robinson and Sheikha Latifa  the daughter of the billionaire ruler of Dubai  were issued by the United Arab Emirates government last week. Officials in Dubai said Ms Robinson was assured Latifa was in "the loving care of her family".

Ms Robinson spoke about the meeting for the first time yesterday  and said Latifa was receiving medical care.

The welfare of Latifa sparked massive concern amongst human rights groups following her failed attempt to escape the UAE in March.

Ms Robinson, a former UN Commissioner for Human Rights and renowned campaigner for climate action, met with Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum - the daughter of the billionaire ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum - on December 15.

Three low-resolution photographs of their meeting were issued by the UAE government a week later - prompting more speculation about the princess and how her meeting with Ms Robinson came to pass.

Ms Robinson stayed quiet on the topic, as UAE officials issued a statement saying she had been "assured" of the princess's welfare during their meeting.

Yesterday, however, Ms Robinson shed more light on the meeting while discussing climate change on the BBC's 'Today' programme.

In the interview, she said her friend Princess Haya asked her to meet with her stepdaughter Latifa to help with a "family dilemma".

"I was asked by Princess Haya, who I've known for a long time, who's also married to the ruler of Dubai [Latifah's father], she's not directly related to the princess Latifa, but she asked me to come to Dubai and help with a family dilemma.

"And the dilemma was that Latifa is vulnerable, she's troubled. She made a video that she now regrets and she planned an escape or was part of a plan of an escape, it's under circumstances that I think need to be examined because immediately there was a very big demand note for $300m and $30m right away, and then she was taken off the boat and is now in the care of her family.

"And I had lunch with her. She's a very likeable young woman but clearly troubled, clearly needs the medical care she's receiving," Ms Robinson said.

Prior to her meeting with Ms Robinson earlier this month, Latifa was last seen in March aboard a yacht off the coast of India. A former French spy allegedly helped her to plot escape from Dubai, and seek asylum abroad.

But this plan was thwarted after Indian and Emirati security forces boarded the yacht and took Latifa back to Dubai, according to two people who were involved in the plot.

A video made by Latifa was posted online shortly after the return to her family. She recorded the video before her attempt to flee in March.

In the recording, she claimed she was tortured and imprisoned for three years after a previous attempt to flee in 2002. "If you are watching this video, it is not such a good thing. Either I'm dead or I'm in a very, very, very bad situation," Sheikha Latifa said in the recording.

When pressed if she believed she was able to have a frank conversation with the princess given the circumstances in which she met her, Ms Robinson said she believed she was.

Reassurances

"I was able to assess the situation. She wasn't with her wider family. She was with Princess Haya and some of Princess Haya's younger family and two other people. It wasn't a big number.

"I also sent a report that evening to Michelle Bachelet, the current UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and while I was in Dubai, I had a telephone conversation with the most recent High Commissioner Zeid who is also a good friend. These are good friends of mine."

When asked if she was able to give reassurances that Latifa was safe and well, Ms Robinson said she was able to give such assurances.

"I think it's a very complicated situation. I understand the concern. I've also been in an email exchange with Ken Roth, the head of Human Rights Watch, because I know they've been very concerned, but I think you have to bear in mind that this is a troubled young woman who has a serious medical situation."

However, Mr Roth later tweeted: "Mary Robinson says UAE Princess Latifa is 'troubled', suggesting a pre-existing condition though I'd be troubled too if I tried to escape a gilded prison and was kidnapped back. Would Robinson know the difference?"

Ms Robinson's interview attracted more criticism from others on social media, with campaigners asking how she could make such a sound judgment on Latifa's mental health after only spending a few hours with her.Warming up: Sinead and Denis Maloney with their son Harry, from Listowel, Co Kerry, enjoy the exceptionally mild December weather in Killarney yesterday, where the daffodils were in full bloom

Unseasonably mild weather will extend until New Year's Eve, with revellers set to savour dry, cloudy conditions with only a slight risk of drizzle for outdoor concerts and fireworks displays.

However, drivers have been warned to be wary of fog banks in some areas on New Year's Eve.

Christmas 2018 has proven to be one of the warmest over the past two decades - with mild temperatures of up to 13C set to continue.

Met Eireann stressed that overnight temperatures will drop to just 2C or 3C - with today witnessing the only likelihood of a slight grass frost.

Some of the best of the weather will be on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day with dry, mild conditions and only patches of drizzle - music to the ears of festival organisers in Dublin.Sarah Behan, who was a victim of domestic abuse by Fair City's Patrick Fitzpatrick

Sarah Behan, who was a victim of domestic abuse by Fair Citys Patrick Fitzpatrick Photo: Tony Gavin

A young mother who was beat up by a former Fair City star in a vicious domestic assault is still living in fear following his early release.

Dublin actor Patrick Fitzpatrick was sentenced to one month in prison on July 25 after pleading guilty to attacking his former girlfriend Sarah Behan.

However, Fitzpatrick, who played Carrigstown villain Zumo Bishop in the popular soap, was released two days later after lodging an appeal.

Independent.ie can now reveal that he will appear before Blanchardstown Court again on January 23.

It is understood he objects to the severity of the one-month sentence.

The Fair City actor was also spared a jail sentence in May for punching and biting another ex-partner.

Expand Close Sarah Behan, who was a victim of domestic abuse by Fair Citys Patrick Fitzpatrick Photo: Tony Gavin / Facebook

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Whatsapp Sarah Behan, who was a victim of domestic abuse by Fair Citys Patrick Fitzpatrick Photo: Tony Gavin

Speaking to Independent.ie this week, Ms Behan said she still fears for her safety.

She described how, two years on, the beating she endured still haunts her seven-year-old son, who saw Fitzpatrick repeatedly punch, choke and drag his mum through her home.

At one stage, Ms Behan thought she was going to die at the hands of the Ballymun man.

It just seems to be never ending, she said.

When he was released, I felt sick to my stomach. Its not fair at all, the justice system is an absolute disgrace.

Patrick is an extremely dangerous man and Im still very frightened because I know whats hes capable of.

The incident happened in September 2016 after the couple had watched the All-Ireland final in their local pub.

At one point an ex-boyfriend of Ms Behan came up and said hello and she introduced him to Fitzpatrick.

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Ms Behan told how it was all very innocent and she thought nothing of it when she got home.

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But she said Fitzpatrick suddenly pinned her up against the wall and asked what was going on between her and her former boyfriend.

He then ran at me and just started hitting me as hard as he could, she said previously.

I was then dragged back into the sitting room and kitchen where he continued to beat me.

Ms Behan ran toward the window to scream for help and contemplated jumping from the second floor to save herself.

Her son, who was five at the time, came running into the sitting room in a bid to protect his mother, but he was hit several times on the face and head.

She managed to get to the front door and down the stairs and one of her neighbours took her and her son into her home.

Ms Behan said gardai soon arrived and immediately arrested Fitzpatrick, but the following day he appeared before Blanchardstown Court and was released.

The 32-year-old said her son continued to suffer anxiety attacks after the traumatising incident.

He still has bad dreams about that night and if someone even speaks about Patrick he will literally throw up, she said.

Sometimes he gets very scared if he thinks he sees him on the streets and will have a total meltdown.

We both see counsellors, but domestic violence has a lifelong impact on victims.

The Blanchardstown mother is now urging other victims of domestic abuse to speak out.

Its very important for people to recognise the early signs of abuse and get out when they still can, she said.

People are often so quick to judge when a person doesnt leave an abusive relationship, but its sometimes a very difficult thing to do.

Abusers are very manipulative and can make it seem like theres no way out, such as putting finances or children into the equation.

But the important thing to know is that help is at hand. You just need to take the first step and pick up the phone.Gardai in Castlebar are investigating the alleged rape of a young woman Photo: Google Maps

Gardai investigating the alleged rape of a young woman in a Co Mayo town are examining CCTV footage from the area.

The alleged victim - who is in her 20s - told gardai she was raped the early hours of Thursday morning, after leaving a St Stephens night event in Castlebar nightclub.

A relative, who had been scheduled to pick her up after the night out, went with her to Castlebar Garda Station.

The young woman was in a distressed state as she recounted what had happened to her.

Gardai carried out a forensic examination in a laneway on Lucan Street, Castlebar.

There are a number of businesses located nearby and gardai are hopeful CCTV footage might assist them in their investigation.

Its believed officers have already obtained CCTV footage from the club where the woman was socialising earlier in the night.

The victim was examined at the sexual assault unit in Galway city and gardai took a full statement from the woman.

Its believed gardai are following a definite line of enquiry.

Councillor Michael Kilcoyne appealed to the community to stand together and report anything they may have seen or heard to investigating gardai.

People are shocked and scared in Castlebar, Cllr Kilcoyne said.

This is Christmas and a young woman went out on Stephens night.

This is meant to be a happy, enjoyable time of year for young people and now its turned into something else, something frightening.

I urge the public, local businesses, anyone with CCTV footage from the area, or who has witnessed anything unusual around the relevant times, to contact gardai.

Cllr Kilcoyne said the community was thinking of the young woman in the aftermath of the rape but that the best way to assist was to report anything of interest to gardai immediately.

Separately, the director of the Rape Crisis Network Ireland, Cliona Saidlear, said it was vital that victims of rape and sexual assault are aware all the services are there and available over Christmas and the New Year.

You dont have to wait to report rape or sexual assault at this time of year, she added.

Ring the guards, Rape Crisis, and all the Sexual Assault Treatment Units are open.

All services are available 24 hours.British prime minister Margaret Thatcher warned there were times when Northern Ireland made her "berserk", such was the sheer savagery of the violence.

Secret documents revealed the Conservative Party leader admitted that watching the footage of two British army corporals accidentally driving into a Republican funeral cortege in Belfast, before being dragged from their vehicle, beaten, stripped and then executed, was shocking.

Reports released as part of the 1988 State Archive indicated Ms Thatcher was horrified by what she witnessed.

"Those two corporals were among the worst things in my life," she told Taoiseach Charles Haughey in 1988. "The savagery was unbelievable - and don't think the people who did it were contrite. Not the least bit."

In March 1988, Corporals Derek Wood and David Howes accidentally drove into the funeral cortege of Caoimhin MacBradaigh, who had been killed by Michael Stone during his notorious attack on mourners at the Gibraltar Three funerals at Milltown Cemetery.

The soldiers were not aware of the funeral route - and their car was blocked and then surrounded. Corporal Wood drew his service pistol and fired a shot into the air.

However, the two soldiers were overpowered, dragged from the car, beaten and then driven away from the scene. They were stripped and then executed by an IRA unit.

Three months later, the IRA detonated a Semtex bomb by a vehicle used by off-duty British soldiers involved in a Lisburn fun run, killing six.

In a letter to Mr Haughey, Ms Thatcher said she appreciated Government sympathy but wanted greater intelligence-sharing. "As we both know from recent experience, the Provisional IRA has developed over the years into a very dangerous organisation and the concentration of terrorists in Northern Ireland is now one of the biggest in the world."

Separately, Government officials were warned by British politicians to be very careful with interventions over the killing of three IRA volunteers in Gibraltar by the SAS, lest the British public perceive Dublin to be condoning terrorism.

The three IRA volunteers - Mairead Farrell, Daniel McCann and Sean Savage - were shot dead on March 6, 1988, in Gibraltar as part of Britain's Operation Flavius.

All three IRA volunteers were unarmed and no explosives were found in the car they had driven across the border from Spain.New arrivals: Fota Wildlife Park in Cork is calling on the public to help name their two male and two female cheetah cubs

Four Northern cheetah cubs born at Fota Wildlife Park in Cork are likely to prove a major draw for visitors.

The two males and two females, who are as yet unnamed, were born to mother Nimpy and father Claude, six weeks ago, and are now starting to become active.

Lead ranger Kelly Lambe said the park was delighted to welcome the new arrivals. "The Northern Cheetah is considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)," she said.

"Cheetahs face many threats to their population including the conversion of their natural habitat, grasslands, to agricultural zones, conflict with humans and competition for food with other large predators such as lions, leopards and hyenas."

Although Nimpy, who is nine years of age, is keeping her cubs safely and securely in the den where they were born, they are starting to become active and can be viewed on the camera screen at their habitat on Cheetah Hill.

The park is calling on the public to help name the cubs and be in with a chance to win a year-long conservation membership for each name that is chosen.

Entry forms can be found online at: www.fotawildlife.ie/blog.The attorney general warned the government that Fr Patrick Ryan would not receive a fair trial in the UK if he was extradited to answer terrorism charges.

A secret briefing note, released as part of the 1988 State Archive, sheds new light on a decision which sparked a furious stand-off between the Irish and British governments.

Attorney general John Murray ruled that it would be "improper and an abuse of process" to sanction the extradition. Instead, he said Fr Ryan could face action in Ireland under the Criminal Law (Jurisdiction) Act, 1976.

British prime minister Margaret Thatcher later clashed with Taoiseach Charles Haughey over extradition.

The crisis was sparked when Patrick Ryan was flown to Ireland on November 25, 1988, from Belgium.

The Tipperary cleric - who vehemently denied UK claims of terrorist involvement - insisted an Irish citizen could never receive a fair trial in the UK.

In a secret briefing note to government, the attorney general outlined his concerns: "In the opinion of the AG the effect of the (UK) material which has been published has, manifestly and inescapably, been to create such prejudice and hostility to Patrick Ryan that, were he to be extradited to Britain, it would not be possible for a jury to approach the issue of his guilt or innocence free from bias."British prime minister Margaret Thatcher warned Taoiseach Charles Haughey during a series of heated exchanges that Irish unity would spark the worst civil war the world had ever seen.

The two leaders were desperate to improve Anglo-Irish relations in the wake of several atrocities in Northern Ireland, a major extradition row, and the IRA successfully smuggling Libyan weapons.

But they clashed repeatedly over judicial and security issues, with Mr Haughey bluntly warning the Conservative leader that: "If you keep on belittling what we are doing, we lose heart. We get no credit for what we are doing."

However, Ms Thatcher warned that Ireland had the greatest number of terrorists in the world outside of the Lebanon.

Newly released papers from the State Archives - marked 'Most Secret' - detailed hard-hitting exchanges during a summit meeting in Hanover, Germany, on June 28, 1988.

The meeting took place after the killing of three IRA volunteers in Gibraltar by the SAS, the Milltown Cemetery attack by loyalist paramilitary Michael Stone, and the execution of two British soldiers who were attacked, stripped and beaten by a mob after accidentally driving into a republican funeral cortege.

Two of the incidents unfolded in front of global TV cameras.

"On devolved government, the world's harshest battles are not between black and white but between people who are like each other and who live beside each other, like the Greeks and Turks, the Sikhs and Hindus, the Arabs and the Israelis," Ms Thatcher warned.

"They keep their hatred alive. I will never be prepared to walk out and let the terrorists win. You talk of unity and I ask would that be better? I say 'No' - there would be the worst civil war in history - and it would spread to the mainland."

Atrocities

The Taoiseach repeatedly tried to interrupt the prime minister to stress that his government had "expressed our horror" at atrocities and was doing its best to improve security co-operation.

However, Ms Thatcher said recent events had made Northern Ireland a byword for terrorist outrages.

"I do not know what to do about the Border. I was speaking recently with a member of another police force. He said that you in Ireland have the biggest concentration of terrorists in the world - apart from the Lebanon," she warned.

"You talk of public opinion but I have to deal with guns, bombs, beating people to death with sticks, and many other barbaric acts.

"There are massive caches of arms somewhere. We would never ourselves have searched 50,000 houses. We know that the people concerned would have gone to ground.

"We would have used our intelligence service. And so, yes, I must send more young boys over there [Northern Ireland] to their deaths. I ask myself - am I entitled to do it?

"When the troops went to Northern Ireland, they were welcome. It has all been so useless. There is a borderline but there is not an effective Border. [But] most of the intelligence we get is our own. The IRA plan in five or six different places in the south. They use the Border for this purpose. If they go south, we lose them at the Border. They come north and from the west. I can't seal the Border."

Mr Haughey expressed regret that the British prime minister felt so "disappointed" and "despondent" over events in Northern Ireland.British Government fury at the decision to allow Gerry Adams into America has been laid bare in secret files.

The Sinn Fein president was controversially granted a headline-grabbing visit to New York to speak at a conference in early 1994.

A blistering note from then prime minister John Major's private secretary Roderic Lyne was sent to US national security adviser Tony Lake. It is part of around 500 Cabinet Office files released by the National Archives in Kew.

It reads: "The movement in which Gerry Adams has long been a leading figure has murdered not only thousands of its own countrymen, but also one member of our Royal Family, one Cabinet Minister's wife, two close advisers to Margaret Thatcher and Members of Parliament, two British ambassadors - and small children in our shopping centres."

Then-US president Bill Clinton took "full responsibility" for the decision, described as a "difficult matter of judgment".

Mr Major wrote to Mr Clinton to say Mr Adams "has been closely associated with terrorism for two decades.

"In the Joint Declaration, he was offered a route into the democratic process, and into negotiations with us and with the Irish Government. He and his movement have not taken it. As you will know the evidence is that the IRA intends to continue its strategy of terrorism, and does not have courage to make peace and compete in the democratic arena."

Mr Clinton was under pressure from influential Irish-American politicians, most notably Senator Edward 'Ted' Kennedy, named as instrumental in pushing for Mr Adams's admission.

In a letter to the president in January, senators Kennedy, John F Kerry - later Barack Obama's secretary of state - Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Christopher J Dodd, make the case for the visit.

Also attached to the bundle was a missive from Canberra suggesting a potential visit by Mr Adams to Australia may go ahead, in light of the US decision. Mr Lyne has scrawled on the document: "I hope the Aussies realise this would be the end of Anglo/Australian relations!"The families of 80 people who died during the year donated their organs, enabling 231 transplants to be completed.

Across the three national transplant centres in Beaumont, St Vincent's University and the Mater hospitals in Dublin, 120 kidneys, 18 hearts, 27 lungs, 56 livers and five pancreas surgeries were completed.

In addition, living donors gave kidneys to enhance the lives of 37 patients this year.

Professor Jim Egan, the director of HSE Organ Donation Transplant Ireland (ODTI), paid tribute to the generosity of the donor families.

"Organ donation saves lives, and that's the key message. It might have been best demonstrated with the Orla Tinsley television programme in the autumn that a lot of people watched," he said.

The RTE documentary 'Orla Tinsley: Warrior' aired in September and captured the journalist's life in the run-up to her successful double lung transplant in New York. The Irish Kidney Association subsequently reported a surge in the number of people requesting donor cards.

The number of organ transplants carried out in 2017 was a record 311. While there was a "robust" rate of organ donation and transplants in 2018, there are hopes to grow the numbers further next year.

"We are putting in additional surgical support for transplantation in 2019. We hope that will allow us support donation after cardiac death," he said.

"We are very privileged because we see people who are hanging on to life, and then a family donate organs and their lives are literally saved."The battle to become Fianna Fail's Dublin candidate for the European Parliament is fast becoming more exciting than the election itself is likely to be.

Three dynastic former ministers from the meltdown era and a gay rights campaigner have thrown their names into the mix.

Micheal Martin's party has struggled in Dublin since the demise of its true blue leader Bertie Ahern. But the European elections have long been marked as a good opportunity to seize a seat, especially as the number of MEPs jumps from three to four if the Brexit deal is passed.

Mary Hanafin's decision to enter the fray has raised eyebrows among senior figures, although they had suspected she wanted more, "much more", than a mere seat on Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

On paper she is close to the perfect candidate: female, articulate, south Dublin and experienced. She has been chief whip and held ministries in education, social affairs, tourism and briefly enterprise.

But her potential return to the 'big time' worries many within Fianna Fail, particularly because of a suspicion she'll rock the boat at a time when Mr Martin is steering a 'steady-as-she-goes' approach.

The Blackrock councillor had already got the nod to run in the next general election - but that could be more than a year away as a result of the party's decision to extend the Confidence and Supply Arrangement with Fine Gael.

Ms Hanafin says she had broached the idea of Europe with the party leadership, but "at the time the Dail situation was quite unstable now that pressure is off".

She said: "My preference would be to run for Europe. I think Europe is where it's at.

"I believe I have the recognition and work done to win a seat for Fianna Fail in Dublin."

Ms Hanafin believes her high profile will be an asset in the months ahead, although her competitors for the party nomination are hardly anonymous wannabes.

Barry Andrews and Conor Lenihan served as ministers alongside her, while Tiernan Brady gained a significant profile on the back of his work as political director of the Yes campaign during the Marriage Equality Referendum.

"They are all good names, all good people.

"But they haven't been around for the last few years," Ms Hanafin said.

She argues that while others left the pitch after Fianna Fail's implosion in 2011, she was among the few who "stuck with the party".

"We've been doing the work to strengthen Fianna Fail in Dublin. Knocking on doors and dropping leaflets," she said. "In each election I have run in, the vote has been significantly higher than the Dublin average for Fianna Fail."

Ms Hanafin and her Dun Laoghaire colleague Mr Andrews have history.

They were involved in a spat at the 2011 General Election over one or the other moving to the neighbouring Dublin South constituency in an effort to salvage a seat.

In the event, neither moved and both lost their seats.

Asked if her challenge to him now was a reopening of that battle, Ms Hanafin said: "I wouldn't start trivialising it. Barry, in 2011, said he was leaving politics. He went to Goal as chief executive. Then went to Institute of International and European Affairs."

For his part, Mr Andrews told the Irish Independent: "I've run a very positive campaign for the last three months, as have the other two candidates.

"I fully expect that to continue ahead of the selection convention in February."

Mr Lenihan has spent much of his time since leaving politics working in Russia.

As for Mr Brady, it remains to be seen how a liberal with a strong Donegal brogue will go down on the doorsteps in the capital.

For now, all four potential candidates will continue their canvass of Fianna Fail members behind the scenes, with Ms Hanafin telling them she is the one who can be the party's first Dublin MEP since 2009.

"Everybody knows I'm nothing if not a fighter," she admits.

Healthy competition is good for Fianna Fail - but the 'back to the future' nature of this contest may not be.I worked in Rome for five years, and during my time in the eternal city my walk to the office every morning brought me past the Flavian Amphitheatre. Better known simply as the Colosseum, it is one of Rome's most iconic structures and could hold up to 80,000 people when it was completed in the first century.

More often than not, as I was passing an earnest tour guide was explaining to wide-eyed visitors how Christians were fed to the lions in the Colosseum during periods of persecution in imperial Rome.

Scholars dispute whether the majority of martyrs in the early Church in Rome met their end at the site or the nearby Circus Maximus. But what's not in dispute is that the Roman Empire had little tolerance for anything that would risk the famed Pax Romana and many Christians paid the ultimate price for their refusal to abandon the Carpenter from Nazareth.

Movies such as 'The Sign of the Cross', 'Quo Vadis' and 'Gladiator' have etched the Colosseum in the imagination as a place of immense suffering and cruelty for early Christians. But it might surprise you to know that more Christians are being persecuted and murdered for their faith now than ever before.

The 20th century saw more Christians martyred than every previous century combined. In the 21st century, things are getting worse rather than better, and most political leaders in Ireland look the other way.

The case of Asia Bibi - a Pakistani woman held on death row for eight years on trumped-up blasphemy charges - caught the media's attention briefly when she was cleared of all charges in October.

The Pakistani Supreme Court ordered that she be released immediately, but mobs of Islamists immediately took to the streets demanding that the death sentence be carried out.

Due to fears for her safety, two months have passed and Ms Bibi has still not been released. She spent Christmas Day in prison away from her husband and daughter, who are also in hiding. Her fate remains uncertain since Islamists have vowed to kill her and Prime Minister Imram Khan bowed to extremists and placed her under a travel ban, preventing her from leaving the country for safety overseas.

Labour leader Brendan Howlin has been the most prominent Irish politician to put his head above the parapet and raise the case of Ms Bibi and the wider issue of persecution of Christians - particularly in Muslim majority countries.

His brave campaign has gained little traction amongst other politicians and Mr Howlin was the sole Oireachtas member at a small protest outside the Pakistani Embassy in Dublin before Christmas. I say brave, because Brendan Howlin knows it is not an issue that will win him any votes.

Persecution of Christian minorities around the world is fast emerging as the human rights issue of this generation. But, at least in Ireland, most politicians seem content to ignore it and the issue doesn't feature on the priority list of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Not so in Britain. The Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt this week ordered a review into the plight of persecuted Christians around the world and how much help they get from Britain.

The UK Foreign Office estimates that some 215 million Christians faced discrimination and violence this year because of their faith.

According to Mr Hunt, the international community must do more because "so often, the persecution of Christians is a telling early warning sign of the persecution of every minority".

Violence against Christians is rising dramatically, with an average of 250 killed every month - a doubling of last year's figure.

Tanaiste Simon Coveney has been touring the world campaigning for Ireland to get a rotating seat on the prestigious United Nations Security Council. His appeal has emphasised how Ireland will be an independent voice on the body, raising the concerns of the voiceless.

Notably absent from his pitch has been a commitment to put the persecution of Christians on the global agenda.

How can anyone take seriously a country talking about human rights which has such a blind spot on a crisis that is seeing hundreds of people killed every month and countless others subject to violence, intimidation and discrimination?

Unless the world starts to take a strong line on religious freedom, Christians will disappear from large parts of the world including the very birthplace of the faith - the Middle East. Already, Christians have been fleeing in large numbers and those who remain keep their heads down for fear of provoking ire.

Started by the missionaries, Ireland has a long and proud tradition of punching above its weight on the international stage when it comes to development and overseas aid.

That tradition is continued now by Irish Aid and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Mr Coveney should ally himself with Britain's new initiative on Christian persecution and announce a similar initiative run from Dublin that will highlight the issue and make the protection of religious minorities a defining principle of Irish foreign policy. Until he does, talk about human rights and being a voice for the voiceless will ring hollow.

All across the Muslim world, Christians face persecution and discrimination because of their faith. Ireland's silence on the issue is shameful and shouldn't continue.

While the plight of desperate Christians might not be as trendy as worthy causes like LGBT rights or the empowerment of women and girls, it's hard to think of a right more core than the right to worship as one sees fit.

A failure to speak up is a damning indictment and when historians come to write the history of the persecuted Christians of this generation, it will be the silence from countries such as Ireland that speaks the loudest.(L-R) Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex watch the RAF flypast on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, as members of the Royal Family attend events to mark the centenary of the RAF on July 10, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

This photograph taken by Chris Allerton of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at their Wedding Reception at Frogmore House

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend day twelve of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 14, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle walk through the corridors of the Palace of Holyroodhouse on their way to a reception for young people at the Palace on February 13, 2018 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Andrew Milligan - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and The Duchess of Sussex leave Windsor Castle in the Ascot Landau carriage during a procession after getting married at St Georges Chapel on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England. (Photo by Yui Mok - WPA/Getty Images)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ride in an Ascot Landau along the Long Walk after their wedding in St George's Chapel in Windsor Castl Windsor, Britain, May 19, 2018. Yui Mok/PA Wire/Pool via REUTERS

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex exit St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle after their royal wedding ceremony, in Windsor, Britain, May 19, 2018. NEIL HALL/Pool via REUTERS

For Meghan Markle, 2018 would prove to be the most defining year of her life.

It was two years after she met her now-husband Prince Harry, who would transform her life as she knows it; 15 years after she graduated with a degree in theatre and international studies from Northwestern University and seven years since she landed the role of Rachel Zane on Suits. But the last 12 months have proven to be the most challenging in a life that has been filled with impositions.

The publics relationship with Markle, now Britains Duchess of Sussex, is complicated to say the least. The whirlwind nature of her relationship allowed royal watchers to become just as swept up in her real-life fairytale as she was, but within just a few months, things began to change - and fast.

Expand Close Britain's Prince Harry, and his fiancee Meghan Markle, leave after a visit to the Titanic tourist attraction in Belfast, Northern Ireland March 23, 2018. REUTERS/Darren Staples / Facebook

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Whatsapp Britain's Prince Harry, and his fiancee Meghan Markle, leave after a visit to the Titanic tourist attraction in Belfast, Northern Ireland March 23, 2018. REUTERS/Darren Staples

In January, the then-engaged Meghan and Prince Harry began their pre-wedding promotional tour, with visits across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as is tradition. It is both an opportunity for people to get to know the lesser known bride-to-be and also an appeasement to the British public whose taxes pay for the 35m security costs that comes with such a lavish wedding.

During these appearances, Meghan hit her stride: her fashion choices were groundbreaking. She wore jeans! And her hair in a messy bun! She wore crossbody bags! It was a veritable display of her impeccable taste, while remaining true to herself. It would be the first to go after she said I do.

Not to mention that these lovebirds were clearly head over heels. They always walked hand in hand or with clasped arms, their affection always on display. Was it too much sometimes? Absolutely. But everybodys a sucker for a love story and theirs was nearly too unreal to be true.

Her years of training both as an actress and a public speaker informing her behaviour now that she was to be part of the one of the famous families in the world. Its the unwavering confidence that comes with having independent success that has also been part of her downfall. She has certainly fallen victim to a narrative created exclusively around women, one that suggests that accomplished women are difficult and at its worst, cocky. But, she is also reportedly refusing to take advice from anyone but her husband, a man who has spoken openly about his distaste for protocol and previously expressed a desire to renounce his title and that suggests the latter mightnt be such an unfair character assessment.

As part of a carefully thought-out strategy, they began a full court press encouraging public fascination with their love story and whet our appetites with these PDAs. And dust six months after he popped the question, Harry and Meghan wed in an elegant ceremony at Windsor Castle, where 150,000 people, myself included, lined the streets; some fans and a significant amount of reporters from around the world.

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On the day of the wedding, you quite literally could not get a cup of coffee, such was the demand for the most basic of services which was not built to cope with such an influx of people. People had travelled far and wide for a quick glimpse on the newlyweds. Not only was it a successful day for the couple personally, it was PR the British royals couldnt have bought if they tried.

The sentiment towards Meghan was one of admiration and respect. She was billed as the breath of fresh air they so desperately needed; the feminist force that would shake such a traditional organisation, changing the status quo for the better and bringing the royal family into the 21st century.

How could anyone, no matter how intelligent or shiny their hair, ever live up to such expectation?

But Meghan seemed to relish in new role as royal rule-breaker and instead of taking time to learn the ropes of how things are done in order to effectively change them, ideally for the better, she dove in headfirst and approached her usual work style to an organisation that is rooted in order and established practice, based largely on the fact that thats how its always been done.

Instead of getting to know as much as possible about her new role and whats expected, she steamrolled her ideas and alienated a number of staff in the process. Its equal parts ambitious, and lacking in humility.

Royal watchers are evenly divided into fans and critics, both of whom are blind to any evidence of the contrary. She has become the marmite of the royals.

Expand Close Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex exit St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle after their royal wedding ceremony, in Windsor, Britain, May 19, 2018. NEIL HALL/Pool via REUTERS / Facebook

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Whatsapp Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex exit St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle after their royal wedding ceremony, in Windsor, Britain, May 19, 2018. NEIL HALL/Pool via REUTERS

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Two such people who are Kate and Prince William, who reportedly voiced some concerns about Meghan after Harry proposed, mostly that they never lived in the same country together and barely knew one another or how would Meghan would cope with the unwavering interest into every aspect of her life. Yes, she was well-known thanks to her time on tv, but she was far from famous and this would be the role of a lifetime.

The problem is that the Cambridges felt things had moved very quickly between Harry and Meghan. Wills particularly was worried and felt close enough to Harry to voice his thoughts, a source told the Daily Mail. They added that he also voiced concerns to their grandmother, the queen.

Her determination to do things her own way is a personality trait established long before her wedding. And, unlike Kate, who met William when she was 19, Meghan was 35 and divorced when she met Harry. She had lucrative side gigs speaking at events about womens rights and was a womens advocate with the United Nations and an ambassador for Canadas World Vision Clean Water campaign.

This woman knows her stuff and her interest in leaving behind a legacy of advocacy has been in play for several years before she ever met Harry. Her life experience is at least part of the reason behind her unwillingness to conform. By all accounts, it seems that Harry is encouraging of his wifes ambitions and his now-famous meltdown in which he said, What Meghan wants, Meghan gets doesnt just apply to tiaras, but also to patronages, charity work and speeches.

While Kate has often preferred the seen-but-not-heard approach down to what largely seems to be nerves, Meghan has embraced her new platform with gusto; something which doesnt sit right some royal watchers, who say she hasnt earned her stripes. Her accomplishments before her marriage are impressive, but shes essentially starting from scratch in an entirely new role and one that is extraordinarily unique in its requirements.

Royals must strike the right balance between being perceived as likeable and relatable, while sprinkling just the right amount of stardust on peoples lives. If you spend too little, youre boring, if you spend too much, youre careless and if youre a woman, its 100 times harder than it is for any man.

You must constantly toe the line between proving your value while also building a worthwhile private life. In order to master this balancing act, Meghan was assigned a special handler in the form of Samantha Cohen an Australian-born long-serving aide to Queen Elizabeth, who was assigned to give her duchess lessons for six months. Cohens departure from palace life was confirmed before she took the gig working for Meghan, but Meghans PAs decision to quit six months after the wedding coupled with Cohen made for even more interesting headlines.

Part of the anti-Meghan narrative has been drummed up by the British tabloids, capitalising on the ever-increasing popularity about the Cambridges and Sussexes. Readers appetites have become increasingly voracious for more and more content and more than anyone else this year, theyve wanted Meghan: the good, the bad and the ugly. But mostly, they wanted the ugly.

Expand Close Surprise, surprise: Meghan Markle turned up at the British Fashion Awards to present Clare Waight Keller of Givenchy with a gong. Photo: Tristan Fewings/BFC / Facebook

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Whatsapp Surprise, surprise: Meghan Markle turned up at the British Fashion Awards to present Clare Waight Keller of Givenchy with a gong. Photo: Tristan Fewings/BFC

For royal-focused tabloids, the goal is ensuring a circular narrative to maintain consumer interest. First, they build you up, then, they tear you down, then you get a redemption arc, then youre back up to your old tricks, then you have a baby and enjoy a very brief reprieve and so the cycle continues as long as youre in the public eye. Its depressing, but its the cost of obscene wealth with no real work to speak of. Right now, Meghans popularity is at its lowest or highest, depending on which corners of the internet you spend your time.

Her biggest issue seems an unwillingness to take advice from experts, an attitude likely inherited from her husband, who is showing her the ropes. Its of particular note when it comes to the Thomas Markle problem, most notably, his insistence at giving myriad interviews and sharing personal details of her life.

It was Meghans decision not to make a statement and ice out her father in the hope of handling the situation herself, with a goal of eventually rebuilding their fractured bond.

Buckingham Palace wanted to be able to do something and be proactive and make the situation go away. It was a direction from the Queen, so her courtiers were under strict instructions to sort it out, according to Vanity Fair.

It was Harry and Meghans team that stalled progress, due to, in large part, her belief that it would be best handled by her. And she was wrong.

There was a lot of tension between courtiers within the two royal households, and I think it just got to a point where it was stalemate and, you know, neither could move, the source added.

Its this kind of behaviour that likely prompted a number of staff to leave Kensington Palace in recent months and others to leak stories to the Daily Mail to fuel the narrative that she is difficult and bombards staff with 5am texts, while Kate has been lionised as a woman of the people, someone who intervened when Meghan was speaking down to palace employees.

Both are by far the more interesting additions to the family, so the decision to pit them against one another makes sense, but also from a logical point of view, its easy to see why they wouldnt be best friends given they have had such extremely different lives and likely share very little in common.

Did it happen exactly as they say? Kensington Palace says no, but theres no smoke without fire. As the bombshell Vanity Fair piece addressed, When papers began reporting that Kate and Meghan had feuded before the wedding, and then Kensington Palace issued a statement denying a feud, I thought about Tina Browns comment in The Diana Chronicles, her outstanding biography of the princess: The palace only bothers to deny something thats true.

What is clear is that Meghan hasnt enjoyed the years of affection that Harry has and because of his bloodline, will remain forever advantageous in the eyes of the public. As Hadley Freeman wrote in The Guardian, Lets all just enjoy the suggestion that the bossy one in this relationship is likely to be, not Harry, the man who was raised in palaces by servants, but Meghan, the mixed-race American raised by a single mother.

With their planned move to Frogmore Cottage next year, aways from the prying eyes of royal staff and apparently, most importantly, Kate and William, the couple will hopefully heed the advice of seasoned experts and approach 2019 with a more collaborative approach to their work: incorporating the expertise of staff while holding their stride in doing things their own way.

Expand Close (L-R) Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex watch the RAF flypast on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, as members of the Royal Family attend events to mark the centenary of the RAF on July 10, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images) / Facebook

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Whatsapp (L-R) Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex watch the RAF flypast on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, as members of the Royal Family attend events to mark the centenary of the RAF on July 10, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Hopefully, these few months will allow them to consider how they want to be perceived next year on their rumoured tour of Canada, where the duchess lived for seven years working on Suits, and her native California, alongside their newborn child (or children!).

Every six months, Harry and Meghan go through their diaries. Meghan is expected to be on maternity leave for a four amount of time. But its believed they will do another big autumn tour 2019, which will probably be to America or Canada, a source told Grazia.

The interest in Markle sure isnt waning, and with baby Sussex on the way, intrigue will reach fever pitch. This time around, the real story is how she handles it.Blyth Spartans have insisted they are not endorsing the oppressive regime in North Korea after allowing a firm promoting trips to the country to advertise at their Croft Park home.

The National League North club found themselves in the spotlight after photographs of an advertising hoarding for a firm called Visit North Korea were shared on social media.

However, commercial director Mark Scott, who revealed in the clubs match programme that he had set up the deal with Visit North Koreas Tom Fowdy, a Chinese Studies graduate from Sunderland, insisted the move has nothing to do with the countrys politics.

He said: We have had a little bit of, not abuse, but a few people making comments. We are promoting a business offering trips to North Korea, we are not endorsing the North Korea regime.

But as I have said to a few people, if theyre wanting to promote the country and wanting people to visit, surely thats a good thing?

Scott admitted that the deal is the most unusual he has been involved in, and that the contact had come out of the blue.

He said: We were on the way back from Nuneaton Borough on the team bus when I got an email asking about our prices and at that point, I didnt know where it was from and who they were.

Expand Close The North Korean regime under Kim Jong-un has been heavily criticised for its alleged human rights abuses (AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp The North Korean regime under Kim Jong-un has been heavily criticised for its alleged human rights abuses (AP)

Usually our advertisers are from a 10-mile radius, the local plumbers and electricians amongst a few bigger businesses.

Then the guy told me it was all about promoting trips to North Korea and after we had talked about it, there was no legitimate reason to turn it down.

Mr Fowdy was quoted in the programme article admitting that the link could prove controversial.

In it, he said: I understand it is unusual and also slightly controversial, but nevertheless I believe the publicity will be of benefit to both parties.'Police have not identified the woman or the stalker.' Stock image

An Indian woman cut off the penis of a man who had been stalking her, before rushing him to hospital to save his life, police said yesterday.

The 47-year-old woman and two men lured her neighbour to an isolated spot in Mumbai before hacking off his genitals.

"We have arrested the woman and two accomplices and she has accepted it was her plan to chop off the stalker's penis because of his constant harassment," Senior Inspector Gajanan Kabdule said.

The 27-year-old neighbour had sought sexual favours from the woman - a mother of two - and told the woman's husband he was in love with her, which led to a fight between the couple, Mr Kabdule said.

The woman then allegedly sought help from two young men in the neighbourhood.

They contacted the victim and lured him to an industrial zone on Tuesday, the officer added. The woman then took the lead in cutting off the stalker's genitals in the street before rushing him to hospital.

"We recovered the knife and genitals and all three accused are in police custody," Mr Kabdule said, adding that an investigation was underway.

Police have not identified the woman or the stalker.

Media reports said the injured man underwent life-saving surgery.

"The man is stable now and recuperating in hospital but his family is in shock," Mr Kabdule said.

India has a grim record of sexual violence. On average, more than 100 rapes were reported each day in 2016.Australia is heading towards its hottest December ever as temperature records have already been broken at the start of the countrys summer.

Health warnings and fire bans were issued by authorities as the mercury rose across the nation.

South Australia has been put on alert for catastrophic fire danger amid concerns about massive bushfires sweeping across the incredibly dry region.

The town of Marble Bar, thought to be the countrys hottest on average, in the nations northwest broke its record for all-time highest temperature on Thursday, reaching 49.3C.

Meteorologists said records will be sent tumbling as the capital, Canberra, joins a list of places bracing for their hottest December days on record over the weekend.

Big cities like Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide are set to record monthly average temperatures up to 16C higher than usual.

Were going to see December records tumbling, said Diana Eadie, a meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology. Were definitely not out of it yet, in fact I would say its going to be peaking over more populated areas this weekend.

December marks the beginning of summer in the southern hemisphere, with January and February often getting much hotter.

The extreme heatwaves are bad news for Australian farmers, who have already suffered devastating droughts in recent months.

It adds insult to injury, said Laureta Wallace, a spokesperson for the National Farmers Federation. Most farmers would have got some rain prior to Christmas but the benefit of that will have been eroded with this heatwave. Waters an issue.

The nations Bureau of Meteorology attributed the conditions to a combination of hot air blown from the northwest towards the densely populated southeast, where a blocking effect was stopping cooler winds from moving it on.

The bureau's "extreme heatwave" warning, its highest category, includes Sydney for the next three days.

Heatwaves and associated wildfires have been a global problem over the last year, striking from the Swedish arctic to California.

Britain experienced a hot spell as part of a heatwave that swept across the northern hemisphere, pushing temperatures close to record levels and causing a spike in heat-related deaths.

Wildfires in Greece and the US also turned deadly, with the Camp Fire that struck northern California becoming the most destructive wildfire in the states history. As it raged throughout much of November, the blaze destroyed thousands of buildings and claimed the lives of 86 people.

Scientists warned events of this magnitude are likely to become more frequent and intense as global average temperatures increase.

The fingerprints of climate change on such events have been measured by researchers, and the UK Met Office concluded the European heatwave was made 30 times more likely due to the human-induced warming.

In light of these warnings, many nations have reaffirmed their pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions to tackle global warming, but Australia has proved resistant to such changes.

After the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded countries must cut out fossil fuels within decades to avoid catastrophic warming, Australian ministers insisted they would continue using coal.

Additional reporting by ReutersSyria Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters walk on the rubble of damaged shops and buildings in the city of Manbij, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria, August 10, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said/File Photo

Syria's military has entered a flashpoint Kurdish-held town and raised the national flag after Turkey threatened to launch an offensive.

A Kurdish official said the troops arrived only at the front lines in Manbij but an agreement is being worked out with the Russians and the Syrian government that, in case of a full withdrawal of US troops, the government would take over.

Ilham Ahmed said the US troops who patrol the town and the tense front line with Turkey-backed fighters have not yet withdrawn from Manbij.

"The aim is to ward off a Turkish offensive," Ms Ahmed said. "If the Turks' excuse is the (Kurdish militia), they will leave their posts to the government."

A resident of Manbij said there was no sign of government troops.

Pro-state Syrian TV aired footage from inside Manbij of commercial streets on a rainy day but did not show any troops. It aired images of a military convoy driving late at night, reportedly to Manbij.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian troops have deployed around Manbij on the front line, with the Turkey-backed fighters to the west.

Turkey's president said the facts on the ground remain uncertain but he emphasised Turkey's goal of ousting a Kurdish militant group.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the Syrian military's entry into Manbij a "psychological act". He told reporters: "I spoke with my friends, with intelligence etc about an hour ago and there is nothing certain at this moment."

He also argued that Turkey has been working for Syria's territorial integrity and said Turkey's goal remains the defeat of the Kurdish People's Protection Units, or the YPG. Turkey considers it a terrorist group linked to an insurgency within its own borders.

"If terror organisations leave, then there is no work left for us anyway," Mr Erdogan said.

The announcement and the conflicting reports reflect that all sides are scrambling to reach an agreement on how to replace US troops following the surprise announcement by President Donald Trump.

The announcement by the Syrian military was quickly welcomed by the Kremlin, whose spokesman Dmitry Peskov called it a "positive step" that could help stabilise the situation.

The Syrian military declaration came shortly after the main Syrian Kurdish militia invited the government to seize control of Manbij to prevent a Turkish attack.

The Syrian Kurdish group, which had partnered with the US since 2014 to fight the Islamic State group, have sought new allies, reaching out to the government and the Russians to protect their Kurdish-administered areas in north Syria.

The Syrian government has said it welcomes the Kurdish group returning under its authority. But government officials have stated they will not consider an autonomous area, a main demand for the Kurds.

Meanwhile, Syrian troops have massed outside of Manbij and in south-eastern Syria, where the US-led coalition and Kurdish fighters are battling remnants of Islamic State.Got a question or tip? Contact us at bizmojoidaho@gmail.com.The night sky of New York was lit up in blue following a transformer explosion (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

A bright blue light lit up the New York skyline on Thursday night after a transformer exploded at an energy facility.

The blast prompted a brief fire at a sprawling Con Edison facility in Queens  but no injuries  and a spectacular illumination that generated a flurry of online commentary.

The explosion affected subway service in the area and caused a brief ground stop at LaGuardia Airport, which experienced power outages.

Governor Andrew Cuomo described a major electrical failure at the electrical substation along the East River, near the Rikers Island prison complex and across a small bay from LaGuardia.

Power had been largely restored to LaGuardia by 11pm and the airport was resuming normal operations.

The lights caused a stir on social media as several witnesses posted photographs and videos of a bright, blue flash that filled the nights sky.

Expand Close Blue light was cast over New York, as seen from Manhattan (Jay Reeves/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Blue light was cast over New York, as seen from Manhattan (Jay Reeves/AP)

The Manhattan skyline and iconic East River bridges were suddenly silhouetted against a backdrop of pulsating light.

People flocked to social media to find out what happened and to share their views of the plumes of smoke pouring from the transformer.

I also would like to know what is happening. pic.twitter.com/Hx9OOUoP6P  John Mulaney (@mulaney) December 28, 2018

It was pitch black outside and then suddenly the whole side of the eastern sky was lighting up and changing colours, said Madeleine Frank Reeves, who saw the lights from her Upper West Side apartment. It lasted a couple of minutes.

Some observers wondered whether aliens were invading and joked that the trend of gender reveal parties had finally gone too far.

Expand Close In this image taken from video, the night sky is illuminated in a bright, blue color after an explosion in the Queens borough of New York, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2018. New York police say a transformer exploded at a Con Edison facility in Queens. The explosion caused a bright, blue light that illuminated the New York skyline and caused a stir on social media. (AP Photo/Sophie Rosenbaum) / Facebook

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Whatsapp In this image taken from video, the night sky is illuminated in a bright, blue color after an explosion in the Queens borough of New York, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2018. New York police say a transformer exploded at a Con Edison facility in Queens. The explosion caused a bright, blue light that illuminated the New York skyline and caused a stir on social media. (AP Photo/Sophie Rosenbaum)

Television host Keith Olbermann referred to the episode as the Blue Light Special.

Something insane is happening in the sky above Manhattan right now, New York University sociologist Eric Klineberg wrote on Twitter under a video of the flashing sky.

Mayor Bill de Blasios spokesman Eric Phillips tweeted that the lights were attributable to a blown transformer.

Not aliens, Phillips tweeted.

*Not* aliens. Blown transformer at Queens Con-Ed facility. Scattered power outages, including LGA. Con-Ed, FDNY, PD, OEM all working on it. https://t.co/xX60Ph8SWw  eric phillips (@EricFPhillips) December 28, 2018

John Tebbett, who lives two blocks away from the facility, told NY1 the explosion was followed for about five minutes by a loud roar.

The blast had caused the lights in his home to flicker off and on, he said.Daughters of a New York foot doctor say they are not sure if their father ever actually examined Donald Trump before giving him a diagnosis that exempted him from joining the military during the Vietnam War.

They also say the diagnosis of bone spurs may have been a favour to the presidents father. The claims are according to a report in The New York Times, in which daughters of the late podiatrist Larry Braunstein say that they know of the relationship with the Trumps as family lore. They say the diagnosis was a favour to their landlord Fred Trump, who owned the Queens office where their father practised medicine.

I know it was a favour, Elysa Braunstein told the newspaper. Her father died in 2007, and the Trump family sold the building in 2004. What he got was access to Fred Trump, Ms Braunstein continued. If there was anything wrong in the building, my dad would call and Trump would take care of it immediately.

The New York Times was not able to find paper evidence to back up the claims, such as medical records. The daughters are Democrats, and admit that they are not fans of the president. Their father grew tired of Mr Trump when he became a celebrity, they said.

Mr Trump has been criticised frequently for his bone spurs diagnosis, which allowed him to avoid the war in Vietnam even though his physical exam showed him to be healthy otherwise.

The future president also had four education deferments.

The White House has not responded to the allegations.People walk up the steps even though the National Archives is closed with the partial government shutdown (Alex Brandon/AP)

The US economy will take a billion-dollar hit if the government shutdown continues until the weekend, experts have predicted as President Donald Trump showed no signs of backing down.

Some 25pc of the federal government is without funding after the US Congress and the president failed to approve a new spending package.

Standard & Poor's, the credit rating firm, estimated that the shutdown would shave $1.2billion (1.05bn) off America's gross domestic product every week it went on.

The shutdown began last Friday. The departments of Homeland Security, Justice and Transportation are among those impacted.

Some 800,000 government workers are affected. While some of them continue to work, many will not get paid until the shutdown ends, affecting cash flows for scores of Americans.

Some have taken to social media to post about how it is affecting them with the label "#shutdownstories", including voicing concerns over substantial bills that soon need paying.

At the heart of the shutdown, which sees affected government agencies and departments close their doors, is Mr Trump's insistence on new funding for his US-Mexico border wall.

Mr Trump has said that he will not approve any new spending bill, which first needs to be agreed by the US Congress, unless it includes $5bn (4.38bn) of border wall spending.

With the Democrats, Mr Trump's political opponents, fiercely against the move and soon to take over the House of Representatives, one of the two bodies that make up the US Congress, a deal looks tricky.

Mr Trump doubled down on his demand for border wall funding on Christmas Day when asked when government would fully reopen.

"I can't tell you when the government's going to be open. I can tell you it's not going to be open until we have a wall or fence, whatever they'd like to call it," Mr Trump said, referring to Democrats who staunchly oppose walling off the border.

"I'll call it whatever they want, but it's all the same thing," he told reporters after participating in a holiday video conference call with representatives from all five branches of the military stationed in Alaska, Bahrain, Guam and Qatar.

Mr Trump argued that drug flows and human trafficking can only be stopped by a wall. "We can't do it without a barrier. We can't do it without a wall," he said.

"The only way you're going to do it is to have a physical barrier, meaning a wall. And if you don't have that then we're just not opening the government."

Democrats have questioned the wisdom of spending money on a border wall, preferring to agree to improve fencing, technology and other border control measures.

John Deal, a Nasa contractor in Virginia, was one of those workers affected.

He said that his son's tuition fees were due in four weeks as he discussed the impact the shutdown had on his life.

"I budget ahead of time for Christmas and have saved for my son's college tuition that will be due soon," Mr Deal said.

"So the burden of the shutdown for my family is more of a concern for my family's living expense in the near future. Paying my mortgage, groceries and truck payment."( Daily Telegraph london)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]The man accused of killing a California police officer during a traffic stop has been captured, authorities say.

Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson told reporters that Gustavo Perez Arriaga was arrested in Bakersfield over the death of Cpl Ronil Singh.

The sheriff says Perez Arriaga was in the country illegally after crossing the border in Arizona.

He did not say when that happened, but that he has been in the US for several years.

Mr Christianson says Perez Arriaga is from Mexico and was trying to cross back over the border before his arrest.

The sheriff says Perez Arriaga had two prior drunken driving arrests and known gang affiliations.Syrian citizens walk in front of buildings that were destroyed during the battle between the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighters and Islamic State militants in Manbij (Hussein Malla/AP)

Syrias military has entered a flashpoint Kurdish-held town and raised the national flag after Turkey threatened to launch an offensive.

A Kurdish official said the troops arrived only at the front lines in Manbij but an agreement is being worked out with the Russians and the Syrian government that, in case of a full withdrawal of US troops, the government would take over.

Ilham Ahmed said the US troops who patrol the town and the tense front line with Turkey-backed fighters have not yet withdrawn from Manbij.

The aim is to ward off a Turkish offensive, Ms Ahmed said. If the Turks excuse is the (Kurdish militia), they will leave their posts to the government.

A resident of Manbij said there was no sign of government troops.

Pro-state Syrian TV aired footage from inside Manbij of commercial streets on a rainy day but did not show any troops. It aired images of a military convoy driving late at night, reportedly to Manbij.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian troops have deployed around Manbij on the front line, with the Turkey-backed fighters to the west.

Turkeys president said the facts on the ground remain uncertain but he emphasised Turkeys goal of ousting a Kurdish militant group.

Expand Close Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to journalists after Friday prayers in Istanbul (AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to journalists after Friday prayers in Istanbul (AP)

Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the Syrian militarys entry into Manbij a psychological act. He told reporters: I spoke with my friends, with intelligence etc about an hour ago and there is nothing certain at this moment.

He also argued that Turkey has been working for Syrias territorial integrity and said Turkeys goal remains the defeat of the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, or the YPG. Turkey considers it a terrorist group linked to an insurgency within its own borders.

If terror organisations leave, then there is no work left for us anyway, Mr Erdogan said.

The announcement and the conflicting reports reflect that all sides are scrambling to reach an agreement on how to replace US troops following the surprise announcement by President Donald Trump.

The announcement by the Syrian military was quickly welcomed by the Kremlin, whose spokesman Dmitry Peskov called it a positive step that could help stabilise the situation.

The Syrian military declaration came shortly after the main Syrian Kurdish militia invited the government to seize control of Manbij to prevent a Turkish attack.

The Syrian Kurdish group, which had partnered with the US since 2014 to fight the Islamic State group, have sought new allies, reaching out to the government and the Russians to protect their Kurdish-administered areas in north Syria.

The Syrian government has said it welcomes the Kurdish group returning under its authority. But government officials have stated they will not consider an autonomous area, a main demand for the Kurds.

Meanwhile, Syrian troops have massed outside of Manbij and in south-eastern Syria, where the US-led coalition and Kurdish fighters are battling remnants of Islamic State.A roadside bomb has hit a tourist bus in an area near the Giza Pyramids, killing two people from Vietnam and wounding 12 others.

Egypts Interior Ministry said the bus was travelling in the Marioutiyah area near the pyramids when the crude roadside bomb, concealed by a wall, went off.

The wounded included 10 Vietnamese tourists. The other two wounded were the Egyptian bus driver and the guide.

Expand Close Damage to the bus after the blast (Nariman El-Mofty/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Damage to the bus after the blast (Nariman El-Mofty/AP)

The bus was carrying a total of 14 Vietnamese tourists, it added, saying only two of them escaped unharmed.

Egypt has battled Islamic militants for years in the Sinai Peninsula in an insurgency that has occasionally spilled over to the mainland, hitting minority Christians or tourists.

However, this is the first attack to target foreign tourists in almost two years.

The attack takes place as Egypts vital tourism industry is showing signs of recovery after years in the doldrums because of the political turmoil and violence that followed a 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Hosni Mubarak.

It will prompt authorities to further tighten security around churches and associated facilities ahead of the New years Eve celebrations and next months Christmas celebrations of the Coptic Orthodox Church, the dominant denomination among Egypts estimated 10 million Christians.

Over the past two years, militant attacks against Christians in Egypt  usually targeting churches or buses carrying pilgrims to remote desert monasteries  have killed more than a hundred people.UK company directors are legally exposed for not preparing properly for Brexit, says Mactavish (PA)

Directors of Britains biggest companies could face significant liability risks for poor Brexit preparation, particularly if the UK crashes out of the European Union without a deal, according to an insurance consultancy firm.

Mactavish said directors of UK-listed companies have largely overlooked new Brexit-related liabilities, which are not covered by most existing insurance policies, leaving them exposed to potential legal action.

It said there are limitations applied to the Directors and Officers (D&O) insurance cover.

So far, the focus has been on protecting passporting rights, which allow financial services firms to conduct business across the EU, and operational issues facing insurers and brokers, but Brexit has created new insurance risks.

Mactavish said if the performance of a company dips after Britain leaves the bloc on March 29, the company could face closer scrutiny on whether its Brexit plans were adequate.

If its preparation compares badly with peers, this could give rise to a host of legal actions against board members.

In the longer term, Mactavish said regulatory disruption caused by Brexit may increase the risk of unanticipated regulatory action.

Mactavish chief executive Bruce Hepburn said: D&O insurance policies are extremely complicated and cover is bound up in a labyrinth of inter-connected policy definitions, policy triggers and cost categories, so that most company directors are far from clear on what they are actually covered for.

This situation is becoming even harder for insurance buyers to manage in recent months because corporate D&O is one of the first areas of the insurance market to show signs of higher premiums and less flexible terms. What this means in practice is that once claims come in, it is usually too late to make any changes to policies and directors may not be covered.

Mactavish said insurance policies need to be specifically reviewed and negotiated, if not the policy is unlikely to be reliable as there will be too many exclusions to cover.

The research comes as Prime Minister Theresa May tries to win over sceptical MPs to back her EU withdrawal deal, which Parliament will vote on in January.

The Government recently said it would write to thousands of businesses that trade with the EU, urging them to activate contingency plans for a possible no-deal, while HM Revenue and Customs is to send out updated information packs to firms.Send to Email Address

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Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.by Kristina Knight

GDPR: One Year Later

"Email is so entrenched in the way we communicate, do business and shop online that governments have entered the fray and enacted laws governing how we opt people into receiving emails and how companies must treat and protect customer data. May 25, 2019 will mark 1 year since GDPR came into force in the EU," said Len Shneyder, Head of Industry Relations, SendGrid. "This privacy law sets concrete standards on how EU citizen data has to be treated in addition to strict guidelines on consent. Successful senders will have taken stock of this law and enacted internal processes to ensure compliance with European law. Since the laws are so strict it's safe to say that complying with EU law means that they'll be compliant with laws around the planet including CAN-SPAM, CASL and other privacy regimes. Senders and regulators alike are watching as complaints are filed under GDPR--the decisions issued by the Supervisory Authorities in each country will clarify and further refine the laws making implementation, if not easier, at the very least clearer."

Data, with Consent, Will Lead to Richer Customer Experiences

"If GDPR informs senders on how to treat customer data, then data is in and of itself the crux of successful email marketing. Obtaining more data through consent and careful instrumentation of websites, emails and purchasing behaviors will yield ever richer customer experiences. The scrutiny on the security of data is matched by the excitement of how data can illuminate moments in the customer lifecycle to engage and convert. Senders are working to actively obtain more customer data from more and more sources," said Shneyder. "Connecting the treasure trove of data scattered throughout systems ranging from web analytics to CRM to social to point of sale need easy end points for integration. APIs, standard parlance in the cloud and dev world are enabling more systems to be integrated faster thus turning data into insight and finally, into action. However, data comes with the burden of protecting it and ensuring it isn't abused."

Wider Adoption of SPF, DKIM, DMARC Leads to A Harmonious Email Ecosystem

"Successful senders in 2019 will ensure that they protect data and by doing so defend their brand. Through the use of proper email authentication policies (SPF, DKIM and DMARC) companies can ensure their brands are not spoofed, their recipients aren't phished thereby creating a more harmonious email ecosystem. The exploitation of email has been all over the media--massive data breaches start with the compromise of passwords and other sensitive information by spear phishing executives--senders must keep the security of their email programs at the forefront to ensure that the channel's openness and freedom doesn't' become its Achilles' Heel," said Shneyder.

Interactive Inbox: The Next Email Frontier

"Today's inbox isn't the same as 10 years ago. Mailbox providers such as Gmail are bringing the inbox to life with interactive elements such as Gmail AMP," said Shneyder. "Create designers are building micro apps into the inbox to decrease the barriers to conversion through clever uses of HTML5 and CSS3. Since email has the greatest 'readership' and highest conversion rate of any digital channel, it's high time that both the sending community and receiving community invest in the further development of the technologies used to send graphically engaging and functionally efficient communications resulting in more satisfied and engaged customers."

Tags: email marketing, email marketing strategy, email strategy, email trends, SendGridThe couple has headed for a vacation to Zurich with Divyanka's family. While Vivek had already checked in, Divyanka and her family got delayed as their flight was not on time. Both of them have been sharing videos about it. While everyone was wondering if Divyanka would make it or not, Vivek slowly revealed that Divya has made it and they are all set for the trip. It won't be surprising if they join Ankita-Ekta-Karan in Turkey.

Check out the pictures and videos here...

Featured Video

On the work front, Divyanka is starring as Ishita in Yeh Hai Mohabbatein. On the other hand, Vivek is starring in Qayamat Ki Raat.

New Year is around the corner and TV stars are all heading towards their holiday gateway. While some have gone to Goa, some have headed to Turkey. Jennifer Winget has been sharing pictures from her Goa stay while Anita Hassanandani with hubby Rohit Reddy, Ekta Kapoor and Karan Patel with wife Ankita Bhargava have been posting pictures and videos from Turkey. Guess who are the next ones to jet off to ring in this New Year in style. They are none other than Vivek Dahiya and Divyanka Tripathi.Bollywood actor Anupam Kher is all set to release his much anticipated 'The Accidental Prime Minister.' Ever since the trailer launched, the film has been facing a backlash from the opposition Congress party around the controversies it might evoke. Some are claiming that it's showing Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in a wrong light.

But the actor feels the facts have not been changed. "We can't change the facts," said veteran actor Anupam Kher, who plays the role of Dr. Manmohan Singh in the upcoming biopic 'The Accidental Prime Minister.'

screen grab/youtube

However, Kher, in an exclusive interview, stated that the film is based on facts as chronicled in a book by Sanjaya Baru Manmohan Singh's media advisor between 2004 and 2008.

"If we make a film on the issue of Jallianwala Bagh or The Holocaust or any historic incident, we can't change the history or the facts. That's what we have done here," the 63-year-old said.

"The book is written by a man who was very close to the prime minister at that time. This book was either ignored or people moved on after its release. So why this hue and cry now?" he questioned.

screen grab/youtube

Kher further said he is just an actor in this movie and has tried to play his part in the most efficient way.

"I have worked so hard in this movie and has tried to play his part in the most efficient way. "I have worked so hard in this movie for my look and everything that even my mother could not identify in this look," he added.

screen grab/youtube

Kher's comment comes a day after Maharashtra Youth Congress raised objections to the film and asserted that if the film is released without prior screening for their office bearers, they will resort to 'other options' to stop the screening of the film.

Stating that the trailer features incorrect representation of the facts, the youth wing has demanded a special screening of the film to ensure that none of the scenes is factually incorrect.Yesterday was a special screening of Simmba in Mumbai and Ranveer being Ranveer reached there! Apart from gatecrashing the screening, Singh also danced on 'Aankh Maare' while the audience cheered on and whistled!

Twitter

Katrina plays the role of a heartbroken actress who gets addicted to alcohol. A lot of people spoke about the fact that her role of Babita has drawn inspiration from her real breakup with actor Ranbir Kapoor.

Twitter

Actor of many iconic films of the '90s, Kader Khan is admitted to hospital and is critical. The health of the veteran actor has deteriorated in the last few months. Apart from acting, Kader Khan has also written 12 films that also includes Aunty No 1 being his last. His most iconic roles include Dulhe Raja, Haseena Maan Jayegi and Mujhse Shaadi Karogi. The actor last appeared in a 2015 film Ho Gaya Deemag Ka Dahi.

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After many star kids made a debut this year (Janhvi Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan, Ishaan Khatter to name a few) , this new year will have many more too. Yes, make way for the new kid in the block, Khushi Kapoor. The youngest daughter of Sridevi and Boney Kapoor, Khushi Kapoor will be making her smashing debut with the help of Dharma head honcho Karan Johar. Needless to say, KJo has officially become the godfather for all the newcomers.

AKs wife Twinkle Khanna recently won the best author award. Being her witty best, Twinkle Khanna took a sly dig at husband while accepting the reward.Are you someone who thinks anything to do with fish is highly unappealing? While some may struggle to eat fish due to cultural restrictions or its texture and stench, fish can come in handy in more situations than just for a meal.

Recent studies suggest that fish skin that is used to heal burn wounds is much cheaper and less painful than bandages.

reuters/representational image

The skin of Tilapiaa freshwater fishis highly effective on wounds due to the moisture content and collagen protein present in it.

The skin is said to interact with the patients immune system to speed up the process of healing, stated Felipe Rocha, a neurologist at the Federal University of Ceara in Brazil, as reported by the Daily Mail.

Tilapia skin contains a type of collagen that is similar to the protein found in human skin. This is thought to interact with a patient's immune system to speed up healing. While several patients have been reluctant to wrap their burns with fish skin, there are increasing number of children who have been requesting for a bandage of this nature.

reuters/representational image

More than 300 patients worldwide have had this unusual therapy so far. It comes out as a fishy pattern even after the skin has been sterilised and the scales removed.

"In relation to children, the skin ends up being kind of playful, like: 'Gaining a skin and looking like a superhero'," Rocha said, reported IANS.

Once the Tilapia skin is sterilised, it undergoes radiation therapy and kills off any lingering viruses. The skin can then be preserved for up to two years if refrigerated.

reuters/representational image

The best part is that the skin can remain on the wound without the need to be changed daily for up to a week.

"The major concerns were whether the skins would subsequently come off, if the fish odour would remain. With the passage of time and the success of the research, patients will arrive at the hospital wanting the treatment with the skin of the Tilapia" says Rocha.

Tilapia is far more resistant than pig skin that has been used previously. It has been reported to be less painful and much faster at closing wounds as well.On the 15th day of the search for the fifteen men trapped in a rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya the Indian Air Force have joined the rescue efforts.

The Air force Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules plane airlifted heavy equipment of the Odisha Fire Service including high power pumps to Guwahati from where it will be transported via road to Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills.

The high-power pumps will be used to drain maximum water from the flooded mine in place of the 25-hp pump sets the NDRF had been using for nearly two weeks.

It had proven ineffective to draw water from a depth of 70 feet.

Odisha Fire Services, at the requerat of the Union Home Ministry has also despatched a team of 21 experts for the search and rescue mission.

Meanwhile, two teams from Kirloskar Brothers, which has volunteered to provide equipment to drain out water from the rat-hole coal mine have also reached the spot.

More sophisticated equipments from Coal India the world's largest coal miner with expertise in operating heavy pumps are also on their way to East Jaintia Hills.

These powerful pumps are being transported from Asansol in West Bengal and Dhanbad in Jharkhand by road.

Though, the arrival of experts and more equipments will speed up the operations, there is an increasing concern about it being too late.

The NDRF divers who had entered the waters had reported foul smell emitting from the cave, suggesting that the trapped men might have already died and their bodies have started decomposing.

The 15 men have been trapped inside an illegal coal mine since December 13 after it got flooded.The Union cabinet has approved amendments to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act making punishment of in such cases even stricter. The amended act calls for death penalty for aggravated penetrative sexual assault against children. Read More.

Here's More Top News For The Day:

1) UP Cops Arrest Man Who Allegedly Shot Dead Inspector Subodh Kumar Amid Cow Vigilante Violence

UP police have finally nabbed the person, who allegedly shot dead inspector Subodh Kumar Singh who was trying to calm down the cow vigilantes in the area.The accused has been identified as Prashant Nath was arrested from the Bulandshahr-Noida border on Thursday afternoon. Read More.

2) Parliamentary Panel Declares IndiGo 'Worst Performing' & Most 'Discourteous' Consumer Carrier

The parliamentary panel on civil aviation chairman Derek OBrien said that IndiGo airlines has been voted as worst performing carrier for consumers. Surprisingly, government owned airline- Air India which is struggling to pay off its debts has been voted to have the best luggage policy. Read More.

3) Beat That! Crapulous Rats From UP And Bihar Have Drunk 9,01,000 Litres Of Liquor In A Year

Have you seen drunk rants? Well, if you haven't there is a good chance that you may come across quite a few of them in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. Because, according to the Bareilly Police a gang of alcoholic rats have drunk some 1,000 litres of liquor which was stored in a strongroom of the Cantonment police station. Read More.

4) 33-YO American Colin O Brady Becomes First Person To Complete Solo Trek Across Antarctica

Photo: Instagram

Brady, an American adventurer has become the first person to complete a solo trek across the southernmost continent of Antarctica without any assistance. It took Brady 54 days to complete 1,600 km long journey. He has been documenting his every day experience on Instagram talking about how peacefully he had slept after reaching the finish line. Read More.

5) Bajrang Dal Ups The Ante As New Year Comes, Vows To Destroy 'Immoral' Celebrations In Bengaluru

Hardline Right Wing group the Bajrang Dal has warned Bengalureans against celebrations on New Year.According to the outfit the celebrations as anti-Hindu and anti-Indian. They have warned both men and women to maintain discipline in the city and not to head to bars on the New Year's Eve. Read More.IndiGo airline is always in the news but not always for all the good reasons. Since the beginning of the year, it has been experiencing either a technical glitch or facing wrath of its passengers.

In October this year, an IndiGo flight from Hyderabad to Goa had almost run into a vehicle on the runway. In November, it was in such a hurry to take off that it left Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) Chairman, Justice L Narasimha Reddy on the airport and then cancelled his ticket only to resell it to him at a double price.

Derek O'Brien, Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism & Culture: Committee has recommended that cancellation charges can't be more than 50% of basic fare. Tax & fuel surcharge collected should be refunded to passengers. Airlines are charging too much pic.twitter.com/dKrWmDYjlt  ANI (@ANI) December 27, 2018

Now, the parliamentary panel on civil aviation chairman Derek OBrien said that IndiGo airlines has been voted as worst performing carrier for consumers. Surprisingly, government owned airline- Air India which is struggling to pay off its debts has been voted to have the best luggage policy.

@AnilKhaitan2 A parliamentary standing committee has stated that Indigo is the worst airline of India , because of its staff rude and discourteous behavior. Indigo please dont take us for granted lest you get out of business over the years  Anil Khaitan (@AnilKhaitan2) December 28, 2018

Brien noted that many private players were extorting money and changing fares frequently around the festive season. The Press Trust of India reported that Brien made the announcement while addressing a conference on Thursday, he added, "Our committee is very clear that the worst performing airline for consumers is Indigo. All 30 members agreed on this. Indigo has not responded despite many complaints."

@IndiGo6E Open your eyes and change your behaviour and your staff behaviour Indigo airlines. The parliamentary standing committee s report shows that your airlines are the cheapest and worst of behaviour in India that implies that you are the worst in the world  Bhushan (@Indiaisoneonly) December 28, 2018

It was further reported that IndiGo had been discourteous and would charge passengers even for one-two kg overweight. Brien who is the Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture said that a recommendation has been made wherein the cancellation charges cant be more than 50 percent of basic fare.

Tax and fuel surcharge collected should be refunded to passengers. Airlines are charging too much. he further added.

@IndiGo6E worst performing airline for consumers; Air India's luggage policy best: House panel - Times of India https://t.co/ubA2sLo6Bj, i have flight from pune with indigo they depart after 20 mins of there time.... And also charge of chossing seats  Akash23349 (@akash23349) December 28, 2018

IndiGo Worst Airline for Consumers, Says House Panel; Lists Rude Staff, High Fares Among Problems https://t.co/Sd4nmuWPxG

I am not even surprised by this. Certainly @IndiGo6E is the worst airlines in India. Terrible experience at every check-point. #shame  Aayur Kaul (@aayurkaul) December 28, 2018

Lauding Air India for its luggage policy the panel said that other private carriers should also enhance their maximum luggage policy without increasing their baggage charges.A mans fantasy sent the Pune police on a hunting spree after he wrote to Prime Ministers Office (PMO) saying that he had spotted an alien object outside his house.

The PMO then sought action on the mans letter directing the Maharashtra government to take cognizance of the issue. An official attached to the Sinhgad road police station informed the Press Trust of India that the police then got instructions to look into the matter.

Further investigation revealed that the 47-year-old who wrote the letter was suffering from a mental ailment and that is why he was experiencing events where he would spot extra-terrestrial objects outside his window.

Photo: Thinkstock/Representative Image

The man was certain that the alien object had been sending critical information about Earth to its home planet. Due to a brain hemorrhage the man had lost his mental balance a few years ago. However, this is not the first time when he has spotted something alien. A few months ago he saw a flash of light in the trees outside his window and he thought it was coming from somewhere in space.

The officer went onto say that the family members had no clue that any such email had been sent by the man to PMO.

Photo: BCCL

Earlier this month, American space agency NASAs scientific paper had suggested that aliens might have already visited the Earth and continued to remain undetected by human beings because their life may not be carbon-based at all.

For this super intelligent alien life form, interstellar travel will just be a hop, skip and jump. If you stretch that thought, it could very well mean that non-carbon based aliens might be here on Earth right now.Humans have always wondered what comes after death. That's one of the reasons why we have religion after all, to seek to explain the unknown after.

Now, scientists believe they may have a little bit of a clue, even if it's incredibly morbid to consider.

heart.org

Researchers made the discovery when studying cardiac arrest cases across Europe and the US. What they learned from chats with patients was that, those that had needed to be resuscitated, could describe what had happened around them, for some time after their heart stopped beating.

They could even recall conversations between doctors and nurses.

"They'll describe watching doctors and nurses working, they'll describe having awareness of full conversations, of visual things that were going on, that would otherwise not be known to them," Dr Sam Parnia, who led the research, explained. "It is all based on the moment when the heart stops. Technically speaking, that's how you get the time of death."

That's what has been the norm until now anyway. After all when the heart stops, blood ceases circulating to the brain and it begins to shut down. However, it seems this slow dimming of the lights could take up to hours to complete, leaving a window during which a person declared legally dead can still perceive their surroundings.

The researchers from New York's Stony Brook University of Medicine behind the study hope their work will help how cardiac arrests are treated in future, to avoid brain damage during resuscitation.

"At the same time, we also study the human mind and consciousness in the context of death, to understand whether consciousness becomes annihilated or whether it continues after you've died for some period of time - and how that relates to what's happening inside the brain in real time," Dr Parnia added.

Unfortunately, that makes you wonder just how creepy it would be to be on the end experiencing that; with people crowded around your bed shaking their heads and saying you're dead, even as you can still hear them and understand what they're saying.This New Year's Day, while the world celebrates the transition to 2019, NASA will be preoccupied with an incredibly important mission.

The space agency will be monitoring its satellite as it explores one of the furthest bodies in our solar system.

Images courtesy: NASA

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is on a course to intercept 2014 MU69, nicknamed Ultima Thule, a body on the outer reaches of our system. After two weeks of course corrections and trajectory calculations, all to avoid debris along the way, New Horizons will fly past the mysterious object in the early hours of November 1.

Also Read: We Know Pluto Isn't A Planet Anymore, But It May Be A Giant Ball Of Comets Squished Together

The 12-strong New Horizons hazard watch team had confirmed on December 15 that the approach to Ultima Thule was finally free of obstructions. Had they discovered moons or rings near the object, they would have had to opt for a second flight path that would have it observe the object from much further away.

As the plan stands, New Horizons will fly past Ultima Thule at about 3,500 kilometers away, the closest possible distance. That's much closer than it was able to approach Pluto, which it photographed from about 12,500 kilometers above its surface. In the process, it'll be able to gather valuable images and data about an object we know almost nothing about.

During the approach, New Horizons will be on Encounter Mode, which lets it continue its scientific information gathering process even if it malfunctions. It's normally manually maneuverable outside this mode, but it doesn't make sense on a close approach as communication takes about 12 hours one way.

The flyby will happen at 11:03 am IST on January 1. Unfortunately, it won't be livestreamed by NASA thanks to the US government shutdown, but you can instead catch it on the New Horizons website directly. Images and other data gathered from the flyby will be available at about 10 pm later the same day.Lieutenant General (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain of the Indian army slammed Twitter trolls who were attacking the country's Muslim population.

Also read: Muslim Worshippers Say They Have Nowhere To Go If They're Not Allowed Namaz In Noida

PTI

A conversation started when the general said that he would be appearing on a Doordarshan panel to discuss the recent breaking up of an alleged ISIS module in UP and Delhi.

I was on DD News a short while ago in the Hindi main bulletin. Will be on the English bulletin at 9 PM tonight, 26 Dec discussing the ISIS module busted today. DD anchor was excellent with some well framed questions. Watch the English main bulletin.  Syed Ata Hasnain (@atahasnain53) 26 December 2018

One of the tweets read, "There are obvious reasons for my dislikes about the particular community. The radicalized youth or their leaders run terrorist organisations. And the knowledgeable person from that community give absurb logics to protect them."

There are obvious reasons for my dislikes about the particular community. The radicalized youth or their leaders run terrorist organisations. and the knowledgeable person from that community give absurb logics to protect them. 1/2   ABINASH   (@abiyuvi) 27 December 2018

Also read: Police See Muslim Areas Across India With Terror Bias And Women Bear The Brunt, Claims Report

In response to the barrage of trolls that came in Syed Ata Hasnain said one thing, "I am from the community."

I am from the community. Do not generalise. Thats the fault. You label all and paint with one brush preventing introspection https://t.co/OcgCEj3dWi  Syed Ata Hasnain (@atahasnain53) 27 December 2018

And this simple fact stated by Syed Ata Hasnain won praises online.Smoking on a plane is the worst stunt to pull off, yet people seem to be going ahead anyway without a care in the world about the consequences or penalties.

Recently, a passenger on an IndiGo flight was caught smoking in the aircraft toilet by the cabin crew on Christmas day.

Reuters

A strong odour of cigarette smoke came from the toilet on board IndiGo flight 6E-947, headed from Ahmedabad to Goa on December 25, following which the cabin crew questioned the man.

ALSO READ: IndiGo Launches New Bangkok To Varanasi Flights, Internet Calls It The 'Paap & Praschit' Route

The cabin crew then alerted the flight captain and told the passenger about the policy that bans smoking in planes.

Reuters/representational image

After the flight landed at Goa, the matter was brought to the notice of local police. The man named Laltu Sukumar Ghosh, a resident of Maya village in Nadiya district of West Bengal, was then handed over to the local police.

Twitter/Picture for representation

The accused told the police that he was a habitual smoker. Also, since he usually travelled in train and as a habit used to smoke in the toilet, he thought it wouldnt be a problem," a police official told TOI.

An FIR was filed against him and was then handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force.

ALSO READ: Here Goes IndiGo Again: Smoke Fills Inside Aircraft, Passengers Evacuate By Emergency DoorArrested suspected members of a newly-traced Islamic State module module, 'Harkat-ul-Harb-e-Islam' which was planning remote controlled or fidayeen kind of terror attacks on several political personalities, important security establishments and crowded places in Delhi and the national capital region, are shown being brought to be produced at the Patiala House Court in New Delhi, on Dec. 27. (IANS photo)Rescue operations are underway at a water-filled coal pit where 15 miners have been trapped in Meghalayas East Jaintia Hills district since Dec. 13. A team of 72 members from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), 23 members from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and five members of the Fire and Emergency service were deployed to rescue the trapped miners. (IANS photo)TSLA, 78.6% to the 78.6% target completed ONE44 Analytics - 1 hour ago It has now reached the 78.6% target of 1028.00 based on the ONE44 78.6% rule... TSLA : 1,023.28 (-5.65%)

Cattle Markets Pulling Back ahead of Weekend Barchart - 1 hour ago Midday cattle futures are trading 27 to 62 cents lower so far. USDA mentioned most of the weeks cash activity was near $140, with a wider range from $138 to $140.50. Feeder cattle are also trading lower... LEZ21 : 137.675s (+0.02%) LEJ22 : 142.150s (-0.32%) GFF22 : 164.125s (-1.00%) GFH22 : 167.100s (-0.73%)

Corn Futures Trading in Black for Weekend Barchart - 1 hour ago Through midday, Friday trading has the corn futures board 4 1/4 to 6 3/4 cents higher. Nearby futures are off their high so far, which for March was $5.86 3/4 cents  or enough to offset the Tuesday... ZCZ21 : 586-4 (+1.65%) ZCPAUS.CM : 5.7145 (+1.48%) ZCH22 : 585-0 (+1.43%) ZCZ21 : 586-4 (+1.65%) ZCPZ21US.CM : 5.7145 (+1.48%)

Wheat Markets Back in Red at Midday Barchart - 1 hour ago Wheat futures are trading weaker after an initial rally extension attempt earlier in the session. CBT SRW futures are 7 1/2 cents weaker in the in-delivery Dec contract, and double digits in the red for... ZWZ21 : 799-0 (-0.93%) ZWPAES.CM : 7.5634 (-1.17%) KEZ21 : 822-2 (-1.94%) KEPAWS.CM : 8.0347 (-2.08%) MWZ21 : 1042-0 (-1.79%)

Hog Market Weaker at Midday Barchart - 1 hour ago Hog futures are trading 25 to 72 cents in the red so far, with the exception of a 30 cent gain in the December contract. OI data in Dec showed 22,061 contracts were active as of 12/2. USDAs National... HEZ21 : 74.000s (-0.54%) HEJ22 : 85.875s (-0.52%) KMZ21 : 86.275 (-0.83%)

Soy Futures Down Double Digits Barchart - 1 hour ago Nearby soybean futures are up another double digits through midday. Beans are 18 to 20 1/4 cents in the black so far, which for Jan has them at a net gain for the week. Soymeal is leading the way so far,... RSH22 : 995.30 (+1.04%) ZSF22 : 1269-0 (+1.99%) ZSPAUS.CM : 12.3570 (+2.03%) ZSH22 : 1273-2 (+1.86%) ZSX21 : 1234-0s (+1.79%) ZSPX21US.CM : 12.3445 (+2.05%)

Cotton Gaining through Midday Barchart - 1 hour ago Midday cotton prices are recovering from the weeks drop. Prices are off their highs for the session, but still 38 to 51 points in the black. The December contract is up 169 points on thin in-delivery... CTK21 : 89.48s (+3.77%) CTH22 : 104.10 (+0.39%) CTZ21 : 109.00 (+0.09%)

Coffee Surges on Tightness in Global Supplies Barchart - Fri Dec 3, 10:43AM CST March arabica coffee (KCH2 ) this morning is up +6.45 (+2.73%), and Jan ICE Robusta coffee (RMF22 ) is up +64 (+2.74%). Coffee prices this morning are sharply higher, with robusta soaring to a 10-1/4 year... KCH22 : 243.35s (+2.85%) RMF22 : 2,386 (+2.18%)For example, if a retail broker is approached by a client looking to transfer a specific or specialised risk  e.g. tree surgeon insurance - the retail broker can use the services of a wholesale insurance broker to obtain a quotation and sell a product to their client, even if they dont have direct access to an insurer that writes this type of business.

What is a retail insurance broker?

Retail insurance brokers work as an intermediary between a customer desiring coverage and the insurance marketplace. They buy insurance products from insurance companies and wholesale brokers and they sell them to individuals or businesses. Some retail insurance agents will only work exclusively with one insurance company or wholesale broker.

Whats the advantage of working with a wholesale insurance broker?

Wholesale brokers are usually able to offer quite specialised insurance policies. For example, in the US, the majority of wholesale insurance brokerages work with non-admitted, surplus lines carriers that are not licensed by the individual states and therefore have more flexibility to offer unique, specialty products and more freedom in pricing.

International insurance firm Zurich says there are three key areas where wholesale brokers continue to bring value: expertise, speed and efficiency, and strong relationships. Wholesale brokers often have years of experience in their areas of specialty and have successfully navigated both hard and soft markets. Theyre able to adapt to changing market dynamics and embrace new and emerging risks with speed and clarity. With that, they also have strong relationships with both retail brokers and insurance carriers because theyre able to find coverage for hard-to-place risks, often at quite an attractive rate.

According to Zurich: Experience shows that wholesalers are able to more quickly go to market due to their flexibility and open structure. These brokers often have better access to certain insurance markets and that access may prove very beneficial when dealing with difficult-to-place risks. While some retail brokers have expressed concern about the additional cost to go through an intermediary, a recent analysis by Conning, Inc. determined that use of the wholesale distribution channel does not increase the cost of the transaction to the insured.

Links to the London market

The London insurance market has very close ties to wholesale brokerage practice around the world. Its one of the worlds leading centres for complex commercial and specialty risks, controlling more than $91 billion (AU$126 billion) in gross written premium in 2017, according to the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Given the size of the wholesale insurance sector and the type of large-scale risks it covers, the way it functions can have a wide-ranging impact on the broader economy. If businesses cannot get appropriate cover or pay more for services than they should, it can impact on their ability to operate and grow, said Christopher Woolard, FCA executive director of strategy and competition. Brokers play an important part in the wholesale insurance sector ensuring clients get appropriate coverage at good value.

Andy Walsh, managing director at Lloyds wholesale broker Citynet, told Insurance Business: The beauty of having a wholesaler [linked to the London market] is that the broker can simply pass on a small piece of business to us and say  you guys know what youre doing, sort it and come back and tell us how much it is.

Even if as a broker you dont have a huge amount of business, what you get when you come to a wholesaler is youre buying into that collective muscle and buying power that were putting into the market. Even if youre a small fish, you can actually benefit from what other brokers are placing with us.A class-action lawsuit that claims Chinese-manufactured drywall made American homeowners sick is revving up in Virginia.

The Virginian-Pilot reported that about 175 people are suing Chinese companies in a federal court in Norfolk. Lawyers for both sides are hashing out a schedule to move forward.

The plaintiffs are part of a larger class-action lawsuit that involves thousands of people in several states. They claim the Chinese-made drywall contained hydrogen sulfide, which destroyed electrical wiring and sickened residents.

Some of the drywall was sold through the Norfolk-based company Venture Supply, which supplied the drywall inside each of the plaintiffs homes.

The suit is against Taishan Gypsum Co. and Beijing New Building Materials Public Limited. The firms lawyers say theyre working quickly to resolve the case.

Information from: The Virginian-Pilot

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits China VirginiaMetro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 28)  Former President and House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo scored another legal victory as a local court dismissed the electoral sabotage case filed against her in connection with the 2007 midterm elections.

The Pasay City Regional Trial Court acquitted Arroyo in an order signed December 17. According to the document made public on Friday, the prosecution failed to prove Arroyo's guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

Arroyo was accused of instructing then Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan, Sr. "to ensure a '12-0' victory'" for the senatorial candidates of "Team Unity." The court said these words do not constitute a crime, and do not necessarily mean that the former President was ordering Ampatuan to rig the elections.

The court dismissed as "uncorroborated and not believable" the claims of lone witness Norie Unas, Maguindanao provincial administrator, that he heard Arroyo say "dapat 12-0 sa Maguindanao, kahit ayusin o palitan pa ang resulta." Unas was supposedly ordered by Ampatuan to tamper with the province's election results.

Ampatuan was the patriach of a poweful politican clan allied with Arroyo. He and his sons are among the accused in a gruesome, election-related massacre of 58 people in 2009. Ampatuan and Unas have both passed away.

The court also ordered the return of the P1 million bail posted by Arroyo in 2012.

Arroyo's lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio told CNN Philippines "the evidence was really weak from the beginning."

Senator Koko Pimentel, who filed an election fraud complaint against Arroyo at the Justice Department in 2011, said he respects the court's decision.

"Although we know deep in our hearts that the cheating done in 2007 was an elaborate operation of election cheaters who were given backing at the highest echelons of power," Pimentel said in a text message to CNN Philippines.

"Sometimes it is very difficult to prove the connection up to the very top in a court of law which follows rigid rules of evidence. This was a 3-pt shot case which failed to come in. That is life. Win some lose some," he added. Pimentel and Arroyo now belong to the ruling PDP-Laban Party led by President Rodrigo Duterte.

The Supreme Court also acquitted Arroyo of plunder in July 2016, allowing her to walk free after four years in hospital detention.A proposed law in Massachusetts would bar employers from firing workers for using marijuana legally on their own time.

While recreational marijuana use is legal for adults in the state, workers can still be fired for using the drug, even if its outside of work and its effects have worn off by the time they return to their jobs.

The Boston Globe reports the measure filed by Democratic state Sen. Jason Lewis would treat marijuana much like alcohol. Employees could be fired for showing up to work impaired, but employers could not police the private use of pot.

Federal contractors would be exempted as marijuana remains illegal under U.S. law.

There is currently no reliable test for marijuana impairment and drug tests can detect traces of cannabis days or weeks after use.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Cannabis MassachusettsA Delaware judge has ruled that a medical marijuana user fired from his factory job after failing a drug test can pursue a lawsuit against his former employer.

Jeremiah Chance was fired in 2016 from his job as a yard equipment operator at the Kraft Heinz plant in Dover. He claims his termination violated an anti-discrimination provision contained in Delawares Medical Marijuana Act. Chance also claims he was targeted for retaliation after pointing out safety issues with the facilitys railroad ties.

The company argued that the anti-discrimination provision in Delawares law is pre-empted by the federal Controlled Substances Act, which defines marijuana as an illegal drug and contains no exception for medical use.

In a case of first impression, Superior Court Judge Noel Primos ruled that Delawares medical marijuana law is not pre-empted by federal law.

The medical marijuana law does not require employers to participate in an illegal activitybut instead merely prohibits them from discriminating based upon medical marijuana use, Primos wrote.

Primos also rejected the companys argument in ruling that the medical marijuana statute carries an implied private right of action allowing a citizen to file a lawsuit seeking enforcement of his rights under the law. The judge noted that the no state agency or commission has been tasked with enforcing the laws anti-discrimination provision, and that a medical marijuana cardholder fired for failing a drug test has no remedy other than a private lawsuit.

The fact that an anti-discrimination provision was included in the DMMA demonstrates legislative intent to remedy the problem of discrimination based upon ones cardholder status, Primos wrote.

Kraft Heinz spokesman Michael Mullen said in an email that the company had no comment on the pending litigation.

The lawsuit comes as medical marijuana use, and complaints that employers are mistreating employees who use medical marijuana, are on the rise in Delaware.

Its coming up repeatedly, employers trying to terminate folks who either have a card, and they know it, or who test positive for marijuana, said Chances attorney, Patrick Gallagher.

According to its most recent annual report, the state Office of Medical Marijuana issued 6,625 registration cards in fiscal 2018, an 85 percent increase from the 3,588 cards issued the prior year. Of the cards issued last year, 4,389 were for new patients, more than double the number of new patient cards issued in fiscal 2017.

According to court records, Chance, who suffers from back problems and other ailments that have caused him to make frequent use of medical leave, obtained a medical marijuana card in 2016.

In August 2016, according to the lawsuit, Chance submitted an incident report to Kraft Heinz management regarding unsafe conditions of railroad ties at the Dover plant. The following day, after meeting with a maintenance supervisor and warehouse supervisor, Chance was operating a shuttle wagon on the railroad tracks when it derailed. He was asked to undergo a drug test, which was inconclusive, and underwent a second test a couple of days later. After being told that he tested positive, Chance informed a medical review officer that he had a medical marijuana card. He was fired 10 days later.

He claims his firing violated the protections of the medical marijuana law, which says an employer cannot discriminate against a person based on his status as a medical marijuana cardholder, or against a cardholder who tests positive for marijuana, unless the person used, possessed or was impaired by marijuana while on the job.

While allowing the lawsuit to proceed, the judge dismissed Chances claim that the company violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and Delawares employment protection law for persons with disabilities. He said there was no legal authority for suggesting that a person who is a medical marijuana cardholder has a disability under state or federal law.

The judge refused, for the time being, to dismiss Chances claim that he was targeted for retaliation in violation of Delawares Whistleblowers Protection Act for pointing out safety issues. He noted, however, he may grant Kraft Heinz summary judgment on that issue if Chance is unable to provide evidence to support his allegation.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Legislation Cannabis DrugsSouth Korea said Monday [Dec. 24] it will fine BMW 11.2 billion won ($9.9 million) and file a criminal complaint against the company with state prosecutors over an allegedly botched response to dozens of engine fires reported in the country.

South Koreas Transport Ministry its investigation panel after a five-month review concluded that the German automaker deliberately tried to cover up technical problems and moved too slowly to recall vehicles after around 40 of its cars caught fire earlier this year. The ministry found the fires to be caused by faulty valves in the vehicles exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) coolers.

BMW apologized and recalled some 172,000 vehicles of 65 different models in July and October over the fires.

BMW AGs South Korean unit said in a statement that the ministrys findings were generally in line with the companys assessment that the fires were caused by leaks of coolants in the EGR coolers. Combined with carbon and oil sediment the leaks could combust and cause fires when the vehicles were driven at high speeds for long periods of time, but BMW said the issue could be solved by the exchange of faulty hardware.

The company did not directly address the ministrys accusation that it tried to play down the severity of the problem and recalled a narrower range of vehicles than it should have during its first recall in July.

The BMW Group is cooperating with the ongoing investigation and is committed to resolving the issue, it said in the statement.

Junghyun Kim, an official from BMW Korea, said there had been no reports of injuries linked to the fires in South Korea.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.The total value of fines handed out by the U.K.s Financial Conduct Authority fell by almost 75 percent in 2018, after a bumper year in which it had secured penalties against the likes of Deutsche Bank AG, Merrill Lynch International and Rio Tinto Plc.

The regulator handed out 60.5 million pounds ($76.6 million) in fines in 2018, more than half of which were accounted for by a single 32.8 million-pound penalty issued to Banco Santander SAs U.K. unit on Dec. 19.

Thats down from 230 million pounds in 2017  a 74 percent drop. That year saw a handful of absolutely huge fines, said Jonathan Cary, a commercial disputes lawyer at RPC in London.

This years largest fines, aside from Santander, were a 16.4 million-pound penalty for Tesco Plcs banking arm for failures that allowed cyber attackers to steal funds, and a 5.2 million pound fine for Liberty Mutual Insurance Europe SE for failures in its oversight of mobile phone insurance claims and complaints handling.

The watchdog fined Barclays Plc Chief Executive Officer Jes Staley 321,000 pounds in April, an amount that pales in comparison to some previous regulatory fines, while allowing him to hold onto his job. The move, which came after an investigation into his two attempts to identify a whistle-blower within Barclays, was seen as an early indication that the Financial Conduct Authority may tread cautiously when enforcing new rules for top executives. In July, it said it wont fine former Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc senior executives after an investigation into its small-business lending unit found it put its own profit over clients interests.

Last year included a 34.5 million-pound penalty for Bank of America Corp.s Merrill Lynch for failing to report two years worth of exchange-traded derivatives transactions, a 27.4 million-pound fine for Rio Tinto over rule breaches and a 163 million-pound fine for anti-money laundering control failings at Deutsche Bank.

The watchdog hasnt changed its approach and is committed to investigating and holding firms and individuals to account for misconduct and ensuring wrongdoers pay for the costs of remediation, a spokeswoman said. Its opened significantly more investigations this year than last, she said.

It would be wrong simply to say the value of fines has fallen, therefore the FCA isnt being sufficiently active or rigorous, Cary said. The previous year could be seen as an aberrational high.

To be sure, the 2018 figures only cover the period to Dec. 21, leaving room for the watchdog to increase the years figure if it hands out new penalties in the final days of the year.

Targeting People

The regulator is starting to shift towards penalizing individuals rather than companies after it introduced the Senior Managers Regime in 2016, Cary said. The message of that reform was that itll hold top executives accountable for wrongdoing on their watch. Fines against individuals tend to be lower than those against companies.

Historically, the FCA was perhaps looking to get heads on sticks by way of multimillion-pound fines against the large institutions, Cary said. Now, the regulator sees making senior individuals take more responsibility as an effective deterrent.

Nothing focuses the mind like the risk that you personally could be censured, possibly fined or even banned from the industry, he said.

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics CarriersCrashes are up by as much as six percent in Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, compared with neighboring states that have not yet legalized marijuana for recreational use, according to research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI).

Colorado and Washington were the first states to legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older with voter approval in November 2012. Retail sales began in January 2014 in Colorado and in July 2014 in Washington. Oregon voters approved legalized recreational marijuana in November 2014, and sales started in October 2015. Nevada voters approved recreational marijuana in November 2016, and retail sales began in July 2017.

HLDI analysts estimate that the frequency of collision claims per insured vehicle year rose a combined 6 percent following the start of retail sales of recreational marijuana in Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, compared with the control states of Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming.

The combined-state analysis was based on collision loss data from January 2012 through October 2017. Analysts controlled for differences in the rated driver population, insured vehicle fleet, the mix of urban versus rural exposure, unemployment, weather and seasonality.

Collision claims are the most frequent kind of claims insurers receive. Collision coverage insures against physical damage to a drivers vehicle in a crash with an object or other vehicle, generally when the driver is at fault. Claim frequencies are expressed as the number of claims per 100 insured vehicle years. An insured vehicle year is one vehicle insured for one year or two vehicles insured for six months each.

A separate IIHS study examined 201216 police-reported crashes before and after retail sales began in Colorado, Oregon and Washington. IIHS estimates that the three states combined saw a 5.2 percent increase in the rate of crashes per million vehicle registrations, compared with neighboring states that didnt legalize marijuana sales.

IIHS researchers compared the change in crash rate in Colorado, Oregon and Washington with the change in crash rates in the neighboring states that didnt enact recreational marijuana laws. Researchers compared Colorado with Nebraska, Wyoming and Utah, and they compared Oregon and Washington with Idaho and Montana. The study controlled for differences in demographics, unemployment and weather in each state.

The size of the effect varied by state. Although the study controlled for several differences among the states, the models cant capture every single difference. For example, marijuana laws in Colorado, Oregon and Washington differ in terms of daily purchase limits, sales taxes and available options for home growers. These differences can influence how often consumers buy marijuana, where they buy it and where they consume it.

The 5.2 percent increase in police-reported crash rates following legalization of recreational marijuana use is consistent with the 6 percent increase in insurance claim rates estimated by HLDI.

The new IIHS-HLDI research on marijuana and crashes indicates that legalizing marijuana for all uses is having a negative impact on the safety of our roads, said IIHS-HLDI President David Harkey. States exploring legalizing marijuana should consider this effect on highway safety.

Marijuana is still an illegal controlled substance under federal law.

In addition to the study states, Alaska, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont and the District of Columbia also allow recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 and older and medical use of marijuana. Another 22 states allow medical marijuana, while 15 more states permit the use of specific cannabis products for designated medical conditions.

New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania are weighing legalization of recreational use.

This past November, voters in Michigan approved legalizing recreational marijuana while Missouri and Utah joined states in approving medical marijuana.

Driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal in all 50 states and D.C., but determining impairment is challenging. Unlike alcohol, the amount of marijuana present in a persons body doesnt consistently relate to impairment. THC, or Tetrahydrocannabinol, is the primary psychoactive component of cannabis. A positive test for THC and its active metabolite doesnt mean the driver was impaired at the time of the crash. Habitual users of marijuana may have positive blood tests for THC days or weeks after using the drug.

Tn researchers note that marijuanas role in crashes isnt as clear as the link between alcohol and crashes. Many states dont include consistent information on driver drug use in crash reports, and policies and procedures for drug testing are inconsistent. More drivers in crashes are tested for alcohol than for drugs. When drivers are tested, other drugs are often found in combination with alcohol, which makes it difficult to isolate their separate effects.

Despite the difficulty of isolating the specific effects of marijuana impairment on crash risk, the evidence is growing that legalizing its use increases crashes, Harkey said.

Source: IIHS

Topics Auto Washington Cannabis Oregon Colorado Drugs NevadaParker Waldridge had worked in the Oklahoma oilfields since he was 16 and acquired the traits that make a good driller: fortitude, intellect and a healthy respect for the power of a runaway gas well.

And so, when Waldridges wife, Dianna, heard there had been an accident on a rig he was working near Quinton, in the southeastern corner of the state, last Jan. 22, she tried to stay calm. Parker, an independent contractor hired as a well site consultant, was obsessed with safety and had not once expressed fear about a job during their 34-year marriage, she told herself.

Still, on the four-hour drive to Quinton from their home in Crescent, north of Oklahoma City, dread began to creep in. Dianna had learned before leaving that Parker was among five men missing after an explosion on Patterson Rig 219, operated by Houston-based Patterson-UTI. At a church in Quinton, she sat with her four grown daughters, a son-in-law and the other workers families, awaiting confirmation of what everyone there suspected: the men werent coming back. They would have to be identified through dental records.

Drilling is an inherently dangerous undertaking, with a fatality rate nearly five times that of all industries in the United States combined in 2014, the last year such rates on oil and gas extraction were published by the government. Production pressures  and the temptation to cut corners  intensify during boom times, as America is experiencing now due to a rush of fossil-fuel exports.

The work of coaxing oil and gas from thousands of feet underground is performed in biting cold and breathtaking heat by stoics like Parker Waldridge, who burned to death at the age of 60 in a drillers cabin, known as a doghouse, atop the floor of Rig 219.

It is a macho world, said Frank Parker, a safety consultant in Magnolia, north of Houston, who has studied the industry and its workers for more than 50 years. They get up in the morning and eat nails for breakfast. We need those people to do that kind of work. Weve just got to find a way not to kill them.

From 2008 through 2017, 1,566 workers died from injuries in the oil-and-gas drilling industry and related fields, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labors Bureau of Labor Statistics. Thats almost exactly the number of U.S. troops who were killed in Afghanistan during the same period.

From 2008 through Oct. 25 of this year, the departments Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited companies in the extraction industry for 10,873 violations, a Center for Public Integrity analysis of OSHA data found. Sixty-four percent of the violations were classified by the agency as serious, meaning inspectors found hazards likely to result in death or serious physical harm. Another 3 percent were classified as repeated, meaning the company previously had been cited for the hazard, or willful, indicating purposeful disregard for the law or plain indifference to employee safety.

During that period, OSHA investigated 552 accidents that resulted in the death of at least one worker. Among them were 11 accidents involving Patterson-UTI; OSHA found violations in 10.

Initial penalties in the 552 accidents averaged $16,813, but later were reduced by, on average, 30 percent. (OSHA often cuts fines in exchange for quick settlements and hazard abatement). Some violations are still being contested by employers. Others were dropped by OSHA after negotiations with companies.

The number of workers exposed to death, injury and illness in the upstream portion of the oil and gas industry  exploration and production  is growing, especially in the frenetic Permian Basin of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. At the beginning of December, according to figures from oilfield services firm Baker Hughes, the basin accounted for more than half of the nations operating drilling rigs  489 in all.

In Texas, oil and gas extraction firms employ 2,400 more people than they did a year ago. But the real job growth has come in support activities: As of October, companies employed 170,600 derrick operators, rotary drill operators and other workers  50,000 more positions than at the start of the decade. This puts more workers in the path of bone-crushing machinery, explosive gases and cancer-causing chemicals.

Asked how OSHA is responding, a Labor Department spokesman wrote in an email that enforcement crackdowns, centered on the oil and gas industry, are under way in five regions of the country. (The one covering Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico officially lapsed in October but OSHA inspectors are operating as if it were still in effect, the spokesman wrote.)

Nonetheless, the upstream industry is exempt from key OSHA rules that apply to other industries. It does not have to comply, for example, with the process safety management standard, which requires that refineries, chemical plants and other high-hazard operations adopt procedures to prevent fires, explosions and chemical leaks.

OSHA decided not to include upstream in the original standard in 1992 because it had proposed a rule specifically aimed at drilling. That rule was killed by the White House, whose occupant at the time, George H.W. Bush, had run his own oil company in Texas before entering politics. Unnerved by a catastrophic blast at a Texas fertilizer plant in 2013, then-President Barack Obama ordered OSHA to begin the process of updating the rule. The agency sought, among other things, to bring upstream into the fold.

The response was chilly. The International Association of Drilling Contractors said the removal of the exemption would do little to improve safety, impose unnecessary regulatory burdens and ultimately  result in Americans being put out of work. The exemption stayed.

David Michaels, who led OSHA at the time, said he met regularly with upstream leaders and they were not universally opposed to more regulation. Still, trade groups such as the American Petroleum Institute argued for the status quo, pointing to the industrys relatively low injury rate. Michaels didnt buy it.

They have a low injury rate because they often dont report their injuries, he said in a recent interview. They have a very high fatality rate, so its simply not possible they have a low injury rate.

In a written statement, institute spokesman Reid Porter said, API members strictly adhere to OSHA recordable injury reporting and other regulatory reporting requirements. He wrote that injury rates within the upstream industry are decreasing and that the process safety management standard may not apply well to upstream activities. The Labor Department spokesman did not respond to a question on the standard.

The numbers, whatever they are, dont convey the warlike brutality inflicted in the oilfields when something goes wrong. On Aug. 31, 2017, 38-year-old Juan Vicente De La Rosa was working on a platform above a wellhead in Midland County, Texas, when a cable snapped, freeing heavy blocks that struck De La Rosa and killed him almost instantly.

A photograph of the accident scene released by the Midland County Sheriffs Office under a public-records request shows De La Rosas body on the ground, face up. His eyes are shut, his mouth agape. His blue shirt is smeared with what appears to be oil or grease. His left foot is bent outward at a 90-degree angle. His right lower pant leg is shredded.

I tried CPR but could not get him going, a co-worker told sheriffs investigators. He had a real slow pulse and then none.

De La Rosa worked for a well-servicing company called Big Lake Services LLC. Big Lake was hired by the owner and operator of the well, Pioneer Natural Resources USA, a major player on the Texas side of the Permian. A lawsuit filed against both firms by the mothers of De La Rosas children alleges the Pioneer representative at the site  the company man, in industry parlance  acknowledged to investigators he had been told that the severed cable was in need of repair.

OSHA cited Big Lake for a single violation and proposed a $12,805 fine, which the company is contesting. It did not cite Pioneer. Pioneer and Big Lake representatives did not respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit; both denied the plaintiffs allegations in court filings.

This Could Have Been Prevented

Traumatic injuries like those that killed Parker Waldridge and Juan De La Rosa arent the only existential hazards upstream workers face. Toxic gases  notably hydrogen sulfide, a component of crude oil that carries a distinctive rotten-egg odor  can be just as lethal.

It was hydrogen sulfide, also known as H2S, that took the life of Gregory Claxton, an Iraq War veteran and the father of a 3-year-old boy, in Montague County, Texas, on Feb. 14, 2015. Claxton, 29, was a crude hauler for Twin Eagle Transport LLC of Houston. Twin Eagle was a contractor for EOG Resources, a large exploration and production company also based in Houston.

Claxton moved oil by truck from a battery of storage tanks at EOGs Cooper B Unit, near the unincorporated town of Forestburg, to a pipeline in Wichita Falls some 70 miles away. It was part of his job to dip a bottle on a rope, known as a thief, into the tanks to collect a sample so the oils consistency, or specific gravity, could be ascertained. (The lighter the oil, the more it is worth). He also was to measure the oils depth and temperature to calculate the volume in the tank.

On the morning of his death, Claxton climbed onto a catwalk above a tank holding crude from Well 1H. Opening the hatch, he was hit with a wave of H2S. He died so suddenly that his body was found upright, as if frozen in place. After performing an autopsy, a pathologist with the Dallas County medical examiners office listed the cause of death as Toxic effects of hydrogen sulfide.

Gregorys parents, Randall and Shellye Claxton of Nocona have settled a lawsuit against Twin Eagle but are still fighting EOG in court. EOG posted no H2S warning signs at the Cooper B Unit, they claim, and Gregory was given no respiratory protection. Had EOG alerted Twin Eagle to the presence of the deadly gas, Shellye believes, Twin Eagle  lacking the proper safety equipment  would have turned down the job.

He was a Marine, she said of her son. He went to Iraq twice. He was willing to lay down his life for his country, and I just dont want him to have died in vain. I know these accidents happen, but this could have been prevented.

An EOG spokesman declined to comment; in a court filing, the company denied the allegations in the pending lawsuit. Twin Eagle did not respond to requests for comment but, in a court document, also denied the allegations before reaching a settlement with the Claxtons.

Randall, who was hauling crude for Twin Eagle from a different location the day Gregory died, left the oil business after the accident. Now a long-distance truck driver, he said there is a culture of denial on H2S that extends to the Texas Railroad Commission  which, despite its name, regulates oil and gas drilling in the state.

Ive got a lot of friends who work in the oilfield, Randall said. Every one of them told me there is no H2S in Montague County. Theyve been lied to.

In an email to the Center for Public Integrity, Railroad Commission spokeswoman Ramona Nye wrote that agency inspectors conducted tests at the Cooper B tank battery on Feb. 19, 2015  five days after the accident that killed Gregory Claxton. Pulling air into a test tube from a catwalk above the tank Claxton was gauging, the inspectors found no H2S levels above 2 parts per million, she wrote, and tests on April 10 of that year picked up no evidence of the gas. Nye added that there are no H2S-designated fields in Montague County  that is, no fields with H2S levels of 100 ppm or above. Such designations by the state require operators to provide worker training, post warning signs and implement safety and security measures.

Frank Parker, the safety consultant, said that by the time the Railroad Commission did its initial testing on Feb. 19, the hydrogen sulfide levels just beyond the hatch of the tank would have dropped precipitously. Its going to disperse within a few minutes after the hatch is opened, he said.

OSHA says it takes at least 700 ppm of the gas to cause rapid unconsciousness [and] knockdown or immediate collapse within 1 to 2 breaths, as apparently happened with Claxton.

Theres a great inconsistency between a two-part-per-million hydrogen sulfide reading and somebody dying from acute overexposure, Parker said. It does not look to me like the Railroad Commission is trying to find out what really happened.

In an interview at Shellye and Randall Claxtons house in November, James York, a family friend and longtime oilfield worker now preparing wells for production in the Permian, called Nyes statement bull-. York speaks from experience. He recalled working at a tank battery just north of Nocona around 2000 when H2S pegged my monitor out, meaning the concentration was at least 100 ppm. He fled.

Why would a regulatory agency insist there was no problem in Montague County?

They dont want to document it, because once they document it these companies will have to put procedures in place, York said. That will cost them money they dont want to spend.

Asked to comment, Nye wrote: Any operator found to be in violation of RRC rules [governing H2S] faces enforcement action by the Commission. During the 2018 fiscal year, which ended Aug. 31, the commission took 19 such actions statewide. Ten resulted in collective fines of $47,610; the other nine are pending or were dismissed.

But if a field isnt designated sour  imbued with potentially dangerous levels of the gas  there are no H2S rules to violate.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, documented nine worker deaths nationwide during tank gauging between 2010 and 2014. These were likely due, NIOSH said, not to H2S but to inhalation of hydrocarbon gases or vapors or to asphyxiation by breathing oxygen-depleted air.

The research agency issued alerts in March 2015 and February 2016. The warnings led to an American Petroleum Institute standard urging  but not requiring  operators to find automated ways to measure and sample crude in tanks, so workers wouldnt have to open the hatches. The Interior Departments Bureau of Land Management adopted a rule along these lines in 2016 for companies drilling on federal lands.

The NIOSH alerts came too late for Gregory Claxton. They might not have helped even if theyd come sooner. And other insidious threats lurk in the oilfields, in part because of the upstream industrys regulatory exceptionalism. The industry, for example, is exempt from a 1987 OSHA rule designed to strictly limit exposure to benzene, a highly volatile, carcinogenic component of crude oil. Instead, it is subject to a far more lenient limit, dating back to OSHAs creation in 1971.

Benzene is often released during flowback operations at well sites in which hydraulic-fracturing fluids and volatile hydrocarbons are collected at the surface and sent to tanks or pits. The OSHA exposure limit for benzene in industries such as oil refining is one part per million averaged over an eight-hour workday. The short-term limit is 5 ppm over any 15-minute period. For upstream companies, the eight-hour ceiling is 10 ppm and there is no short-term limit at all.

In a 2014 paper, NIOSH researchers reported finding benzene spikes above 200 ppm during sampling of flowback operations in Colorado and Wyoming. Thats enough to cause symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, tremors, confusion, rapid or irregular heartbeat and unconsciousness.

Paper co-author Max Kiefer, now retired, said the spikes suggest the flowback process is not well-controlled and that higher full-shift exposures may be occurring, even though the limited study did not find benzene levels above 1 ppm over a 12-hour workday. If the more restrictive benzene rule applied to the upstream industry, Kiefer said, Its likely the industry would have taken action to reduce exposures. In a statement, APIs Porter wrote that companies had taken steps since [the NIOSH] findings to mitigate this risk.

A number of upstream leaders belong to the National Service, Transmission, Exploration & Production Safety Network, a government-industry collaboration that covers 20 oil- and gas-producing states. The network helps spread the word about oilfield hazards such as lung-damaging silica dust, which is generated by the large-scale use of sand to hold open fissures in underground rock formations during fracking.

In his statement to the Center, the Labor Department spokesman wrote that OSHA is routinely in touch with employers in the oil and gas industry to improve health and safety. He pointed to a safety conference in Houston, co-sponsored by the department, that drew about 1,200 people in early December.

In Shellye Claxtons view, however, there is no substitute for the strict policing of companies bent on making as much money as quickly as possible.

There are little things they can do to enhance safety, she said, but they dont want to spend the extra dollars.

Rogue Corporate Entity

At 6 a.m. on Jan. 22, Parker Waldridge reported for work at well 1H-9 on the Pryor Trust 0718 gas lease in Pittsburg County, Okla. As is typical, a tangle of companies was involved in the drilling of the L-shaped well, which had reached 13,435 feet. The lease holder was Red Mountain Energy LLC; the well operator, Red Mountain Operating LLC. The latter hired Patterson-UTI as the drilling contractor. Waldridge, an independent contractor, was working for a project-management firm called Crescent Consulting LLC.

Within hours of Waldridges arrival on site, he and four others would be dead, burned beyond recognition in the 1H-9 doghouse. It was the deadliest drilling accident in the United States since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, killing 11 workers.

A fact sheet issued by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, which is investigating the Pryor Trust blowout, presents the following timeline:

At 6:48 p.m. on Jan. 21, the Patterson-UTI crew began removing drill pipe from the wellbore  an operation known as tripping  so the drill bit could be changed. A heavy fluid known as drilling mud was pumped into the well to fill the void created by the removal of the pipe. Shortly after midnight, the crew pumped a weighted cap known as a pill  consisting of a claylike mineral called barite and meant to keep gas from invading the well and creating a blowout risk  to about 7,000 feet, near the bend in the L.

The tripping operation resumed, and by 6:10 a.m. on the 22nd as Waldridges shift began, the crew had removed the drill bit and other components from the bottom of the hole.

Unbeknownst to the workers, gas had, in fact, entered the well during tripping. The well was equipped with a blowout preventer, but key parts of that device  blocks of steel known as blind rams  did not fully close. A towering, hissing fire erupted at 8:36 a.m. and was not extinguished until 4 p.m.

After an investigation, OSHA cited Patterson-UTI in July for six violations and proposed fines totaling $73,909; Patterson is contesting the citations. The agency cited Crescent Consulting for four violations and proposed fines totaling $36,586. It, too, is contesting. No citations were issued to either Red Mountain Energy or Red Mountain Operating.

Meanwhile, Parker Waldridges wife, Dianna, has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Patterson-UTI, Red Mountain Energy, Red Mountain Operating, Crescent Consulting and mud-supplier National Oilwell Varco LP. The lawsuit calls Patterson a rogue corporate entity and accuses it of a cascade of errors and multiple departures from safe drilling practices, including failing to take countermeasures against underbalanced tripping, when pressure in the hole is greater than it is on the surface. This can allow gas to migrate into the vertical section of the well.

The lawsuit cites deposition testimony from Patterson-UTI employees and internal company documents showing that the day crew on Jan. 22 inherited a ticking time bomb. Documents show, for example, that the machine that operated the balky blind rams on the wells blowout preventer was improperly maintained and in a state of severe disrepair, the lawsuit says. It adds that an email warning to this effect  with a skull-and-crossbones graphic  was sent at least two days before the blowout to the Patterson-UTI rig manager and superintendent. The former testified that he never saw the email but agreed it should have been taken seriously, and the latter did not remember if he looked at it.

Patterson-UTI is one of the biggest drilling operators in the country, accounting for 15 percent of the active rigs in the U.S. as of late November. Its corporate culture was laid bare three years ago, when it settled a discrimination case with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for $14.5 million.

A lawsuit brought against Patterson-UTI by the EEOC on behalf of some 1,000 employees alleged the company engaged in a nationwide pattern or practice of discrimination based on race and national origin on its drilling rigs, assigning minority workers to the lowest-level jobs and disciplining, demoting or firing them disproportionately. Depositions associated with that lawsuit paint a grim picture of the work environment for people of color; one Native American driller, who kept a diary, testified that a supervisor regularly called him a f Indian and asked if he was drunk or high.

The Waldridge lawsuit accuses the company of having the second worst worker fatality rate among its peers in the industry, accounting for the deaths of at least 50 workers since 1999.

In a written statement, Patterson-UTI said that while we have no intention of litigating this in the press, it is important to note that Red Mountain was the lease holder and operator of the well, which was drilled under its direction, supervision and control. Red Mountain was also responsible for the wells design and drilling program. The company said it disagrees with OSHAs findings and the gross mischaracterizations in the lawsuit and has dramatically reduced workplace incident rates and significantly increased overall employee safety in recent years.

Of the EEOC case, the company said, Rather than pursuing costly litigation to dispute past claims, Patterson-UTI chose to work with the EEOC to institute additional human resources best practices and to enter into a no-fault settlement . The Company is committed to providing a work environment for all employees that is inclusive, respectful and supportive.

A spokeswoman for Red Mountain Energy issued the following statement on behalf of company president Tony Say: Safe, responsible operations are the top priority at every Red Mountain Energy well. Our deepest sympathies go out to those affected by this tragedy. We are confident the legal process will exonerate our company.

A Crescent Consulting official did not respond to requests for comment, though the company denied responsibility for the accident in court pleadings. A spokesman for National Oilwell Varco wrote in an email that the firm denies all liability concerning the tragedy that occurred [on] Patterson Rig #219.

During a recent interview in Oklahoma City, Dianna Waldridge and one of her lawyers, Michael Lyons of Dallas, spoke at length about the Pryor Trust accident and its aftermath. Lyons said there was a climate and a culture of carelessness at Patterson-UTI, which made terrible mistakes on Rig 219.

It all starts in a boardroom many miles away, he said. I dont blame the men who, unfortunately, died in this tragedy or were out there working. Its not their fault they were improperly trained and improperly supervised.

Dianna, who still works cattle and grows wheat on the 320-acre ranch she and her husband bought a quarter-century ago, struggled to maintain her composure during the interview.

Ive lost the man that I love, that I wanted to grow old with, she said, her voice halting. Not having him will affect me forever.

The anguish caused by the Pryor Trust blowout extends beyond the dead workers families. In a September deposition for the Waldridge case, Sheriff Timothy Turner of Haskell County, Oklahoma  which adjoins Pittsburg County and is home to many oilfield workers  testified that the accident is a frequent topic of conversation among residents of southeastern Oklahoma.

Every time theres an incident with a Patterson rig now, its Patterson killed those guys.  They believe that the person who oversaw that rig should be in jail, Turner said.

He murdered five people. Thats their belief.

Joe Yerardi, Rachel Leven and Jamie Smith Hopkins of the Center for Public Integrity contributed to this article. The Center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization in Washington, D.C.

Death in the oilfields: Fossil fuel boom brings mounting risk of death, injurieshttps://www.texastribune.org/2018/12/21/death-oilfields-fossil-fuel-boom-brings-mounting-risks/ was first published at by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans  and engages with them  about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

Related:

Copyright 2018 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadca

Topics Lawsuits Texas Legislation USA Workers' Compensation Energy Oklahoma Oil Gas Contractors Chemicals MexicoA Galveston, Texas, attorney is facing felony charges of insurance fraud, barratry, and money laundering related to several fraudulent hail claim lawsuits, the Texas Department of Insurance announced.

Christopher Bertini surrendered to authorities this week and was released on $5,000 bond.

A Tarrant County grand jury issued the four-count indictment for Bertini earlier in December after an investigation by TDI fraud investigators. If convicted, Bertini faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

Bertini filed lawsuits against insurance companies over roof claims from hail damage. But instead of clients coming to him, he used third parties to solicit business for the scheme.

The case was presented to the grand jury by Tarrant County prosecutor John Newbern. Tarrant County is one of five district attorneys offices across the state where TDI has prosecutors and investigators on staff focused on fighting insurance fraud.

TDI investigators are certified peace officers and work closely with law enforcement around the state when investigating fraud cases.

Source: TDI

Topics Lawsuits Texas FraudGov. Henry McMaster isnt taking three once-in-a-lifetime floods in South Carolina in four years lightly.

He created a commission of dozens of government officials, business leaders and academic experts and told them their job is to solve the problems for generations to come.

More than 50 of them agreed, heading to Columbia on Dec. 20 for the first meeting of the South Carolina Floodwater Commission.

Environmental attorney Tom Mullikin is chairman of the commission and created 10 task forces that will study issues ranging from how artificial reefs could decrease coastal flooding to building better culverts and drainage ditches to stop neighborhood nuisance flooding.

The smaller groups will also tackle getting federal funding for projects to stop flooding, encouraging better landscaping and permeable asphalt in cities, the role of safety of dams on rivers and how to protect critical infrastructure like bridges and power plants from floodwaters.

Its very likely that the storms of the last several years are not an anomaly, but rather a new normal. If this is true, many of our families across our beloved state will soon be in harms way again. Maybe today, Mullikin said.

The first flood came in 2015, as rainfall enhanced by Hurricane Joaquin moving offshore dumped up to 24 inches (61 centimeters) of rain, causing massive flooding in Columbia, Sumter, Manning, Kingstree and surrounding areas and about $2 billion in damage.

Then there were the twin blows to northeast South Carolina. Hurricane Matthew in 2016 saw up to 16 inches (41 centimeters) of rain in North Carolina that caused floods downstream in South Carolina and about $320 million of damage.

Nearly the same scenario unfolded in September with Hurricane Florence, when 30 inches (76 centimeters) or more of rain fell upstream, flooding the same places and spreading further, causing an estimated $600 million in damage.

But it isnt just big floods. The task force wants to figure out what to do about rising sea levels that cause more than a flood a month on average in downtown Charleston. They want to review places where roads were built without adequate drainage ditches and culverts, so a heavy rain every other month leads to standing water.

How do we make water our friend? How do we accommodate it? How do we use it? McMaster said, summing up the questions the commission wants to answer. We cant fight it. It is with us forever.

The task force includes Tom Rice and Joe Cunningham, who together will soon be the states U.S. House members from coastal districts. It includes mayors from oft-flooded places like Conway, Georgetown and Charleston. There are eight state agency directors.

Bring a lunch bucket, Mullikin said. Were going to work after Christmas.

The full committee has already scheduled four meetings across the state. On Feb. 8, they meet in Charleston, where Mayor John Tecklenburg promised a tour of the massive tunnels the city is building 150 feet (46 meters) underground to move floodwater out. They will meet in June near Greenville, August near Cheraw and November near Greenwood.

When this commission has finished this work, we will hand over to our children and our grandchildren a state that is as beautiful protected and prosperous as the one we were blessed to inherit, Mullikin said.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Flood South CarolinaThe California wildfires of 2018 were devastating, burning hundreds of thousands of acres, costing numerous lives and destroying thousands of properties.

The California Department of Insurance in early December put the official tally for insured losses from the years major California wildfires at $9.05 billion. That figure is likely to go higher.

For now the best thing the insurance industry can do is pay claims, and comfort insureds.

But in the long run, the industry and the state can learn a few lessons from the fires, according to Michael Brown, vice president with Golden Bear Insurance Co.

The long-time industry veteran spoke with Insurance Journal about the impact of the fires, including the impact on surplus lines and the FAIR Plan, the states property insurer of last resort.

Brown offered up five lessons we can all learn from these events. This has been edited for brevity and clarity.

No. 1: I think the first thing were learning is the ability of the residual market in California to respond. The California FAIR plan is being, I guess the term would be, inundated with new applications following the severe wildfire seasons, both in 2018 and 2017, which are driving admitted markets out of the brush-exposed urban wildland interface homeowners business.

In addition to the FAIR plan we have a number of non-admitted markets  very active in that space. That is a great example of a system working the way its supposed to. Admitted markets have, pardon the pun, been burned by this business, and have pulled away a little bit, and the FAIR plan and the surplus markets are stepping in to fill the void.

No. 2: I think its a great opportunity for California in particular to revisit building codes and requirements for more fire resistant construction in the wildland urban interface. There are areas that dont necessarily have any professional fire departments nearby, theres going to be delays in getting fire support there  so making each home as able to withstand heat and fire as possible might help mitigate some of these losses that were talking about.

No. 3: I think its a great opportunity for us to learn a little something about forestry management. In the last 30 or 40 years we have done a great job of reducing logging with an emphasis on protecting the environment and keeping sustainable growth in our forest.

The pendulum may have swung a little bit too far because we have, depending on who you talk to, from a couple million to many million dead trees in forests in California. Now, a live tree burns relatively slowly, its hard to get the fire started, a dead tree burns like a match. These dead, unharvested trees are creating an opportunity for a fire to really get a foothold, and if there happens to be a number of them in a small area, build up enough heat and enough momentum to catch the live trees nearby on fire. So I think the takeaway here would be for the U.S. Department of Forestry, and Californias Department of the interior agriculture, or whoever it is thats in charge of that, to step in and say, We need some responsible harvesting of dead fall and dead standing trees just to help minimize the fuel load and maybe slow down some of these wildfires that theyre spreading.

No. 4: I think the fourth point, and quite possibly the most serious out of the group, is for the insurance carriers to really monitor their spread of risk. What used to be considered safe from conflagration, these would be homes in some sort of a community with hire hydrants and a fire department, such as Paradise, in California.

Were now seeing with the severity of wildfire in the last few years, these small communities can be overwhelmed and virtually destroyed by a wildfire, which is just moving faster and hotter than even a paid, professional fire service with hydrants and access to water can prevent.

We saw a company not too far from where our company lives, Merced Property & Casualty Co., get themselves in over their heads with too many losses from the Camp Fire around Paradise. Weve also seen an AM Best update this morning, another carrier has had their outlook turned to negative due to losses from the wildfires exceeding expectations. So spreading risk, making sure that as a carrier youre not taking on more exposure than you can reasonably handle, is gonna be a very important lesson to carry forward for all of us.

No. 5: I think the last thing I want leave you with goes out to the agents and brokers out there, theres still an awful lot of people with homes and businesses in the brush-exposed urban wildand interface areas who need insurance.

Its not going to be as easy to place that insurance  so be ready to dig in a little bit, its going to be a little bit harder work to find the right coverage and the right carrier. These people need the insurance, the insurance is out there its just going to take a little extra effort to connect the consumer with the right insurer.

Related:

Topics California Catastrophe Natural Disasters WildfireCIA-Leavitt Insurance Agency in Colorado Springs, Colo. Has named Gabe Rodriguez an owner/partner of the firm.

Rodriguez has worked for the agency as an insurance consultant since 2014 and specializes in commercial insurance for contractors, recyclers, metal dealers, trash haulers, and senior services, including assisted living facilities.

Prior to joining the agency, Rodriguez worked in the commercial insurance industry, mainly with contactor accounts in the Denver metro area. He also owned his own construction business specializing in concrete flatwork, decorative concrete work, and interior and exterior work.

CIA-Leavitt Insurance Agency is part of Leavitt Group. The firm provides employee benefits solutions, property/casualty insurance, risk management and other services.

Topics ColoradoDecember 28, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) A CIBC report explained the backdrop for this junior oil/gas company's 2019 projections.

In a Dec. 17 research note, analyst Dave Popowich reported that Painted Pony Energy Ltd. (PONY:TSX) released production and spending guidance for 2019, both of which were "as expected" in that they reflect "the challenged Canadian gas market."

Factors at play, Popowich noted, include lower AECO strip pricing of natural gas and continuing pipeline constraints. "There is clearly little incentive (to say nothing of ability) for natural gas producers to increase output in this commodity tape," he noted.

Popowich relayed that the company forecasts average production next year to be 5456,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, which represents a 34% reduction from that of 2018. Capital spending is projected to fall within the CA$95110 million range. "The budget is expected to match cash flow, and we believe Painted Pony will manage spending up or down as natural gas prices permit," he wrote.

In light of the current environment and Painted Pony's guidance numbers, CIBC revised its model on the company, Popowich pointed out. It lowered its 2019 capital spending estimate by 23%, to $110.5 million, and its 2019 production projection by 9%, to 54,569 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

Also, CIBC reduced its price target to CA$2.75 per share from CA$3.25 and maintained its Neutral rating on the oil and gas company, which is currently trading at around CA$1.33 per share. "We need to see appreciable improvements in the Western Canadian gas market before we are prepared to get constructive on the name," Popowich indicated.

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Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.aspDecember 28, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Sector expert Adrian Day examines the feasibility study for this company's Mexico-based project.

In this bulletin, we look at the recently released feasibility study on Almaden Minerals Ltd.'s (AMM:TSX; AAU:NYSE) Ixtaca project. Separately, our somewhat aggressive sell limit for Nevsun Resources Ltd. (NSU:TSX; NSU:NYSE.MKT) has not been hit, so we will publish another bulletin specifically on this company. The deadline for tendering shares at various brokerage firms with which we are familiar are Dec 26, 27 or 28, so we shall provide our final advice prior to those dates. We also plan another bulletin with brief updates of many more companies, including good candidates to pick up in the year-end tax-loss sell-off.

Almaden Minerals (0.58) has released its feasibility study (FS) on the Ixtaca project in Pueblo State, Mexico, prior to year-end as promised. Initial capex is significantly higher than in the prefeasibility study (PFS), while the economics over the life of the mine have actually improved. It is a very strong study.

The study indicates an 11-year life for the conventional open-pit mine, with an average of 90,000 ounces of gold and 6.2 million ounces of silver per year. The after-tax NPV is $310 million, with an IRR of 42%.

A FS is produced by outside consultants, and includes competitive bids on many items, normally conducted with far more vigor than a PFS or preliminary economic assessment. Because of this, a FS usually shows higher costs and reduced economics from the PFS. Other than the initial capexon which, see belowthe full study did not depart in many respects from the PFS, a credit to the Almaden team for the quality of the work they had already done.

Why has the initial capital increased so much?

The capex is up over 50% to $174 million (from $117 million), still a reasonable number with a pay back of less than two years. The increase is due to a reworking of the mine plan and two significant additional items of capital. First, the ore-sorting equipment, which the company had already discussed, adds approximately $15 million up front, but will increase the recoveries and life-of-mine (LOM) economics.

Second, the company has opted to use dry stack tailings, which adds another $15 million up front. Though the risk from conventional tailings ponds is extremely low, dry stack tailings remove that risk and more practically remove some potential obstacles to permitting and non-governmental organizations (NGO) opposition. Over the LOM, dry stacks tailing could be modestly cheaper, while the mine footprint and water usage are both reduced. (The plan includes a water storage reservoir to capture water during the short rainy seasonthe local area is currently without any water storage facilityand this will benefit both the mine and the community.)

In addition, a small ball mill has been added up front, while more stripping will be required up front to send ore to the mill. (If you are keeping track of the numbers, the partial offset is from costs in the FPS associated with dismantling Almaden's mill in Alaska already spent. The mill is now ready for shipping to site in Mexico after ice break-up.

Aggressive assumptions?

There has been some comment on the price assumptions used in the study, $1,275 for gold and $17 for silver, both meaningfully above current prices, with a 5% discount rate. However, a study looks at the LOM economics, so the price assumptions are for the entire period. On that basis, the price assumptions do not look overly aggressive; certainly, gold and silver prices have been above these price assumptions for the majority of the previous 11 years, even including the last six years since the price peaks. As usual, the FS provides a table showing mine economics at different price assumptions. For gold at $1,200 and silver $15.50, the mine still has a 34% IRR.

What's next for Ixtaca and Almaden?

Now that the FS has been released, the mine permit application is expected any day. This could take six to 12 months before a final decision. Once the complete FS has been publishedwithin 45 daysother mining companies can study all the details and perhaps decide if this is a project they would like to acquire. With a new Mexican administration, however, it is possible that a company would wait until the permit has been received.

In the meantime, Almaden is moving full steam ahead. Earlier in the year, it hired Lawrence Morris, a mining engineer, who oversaw the production of the feasibility study but importantly has mine-building experience. Then, a couple of days ago it engaged a firm to assist with project financing.

The stock fell under $0.50 on tax-loss selling, and shot up as high as $0.67 following the release of the feasibility. Now, at $0.58, it is at a good time and price. More importantly, the company, debt-free and without other liabilities, has a market cap of $65 million, barely a fifth of the value of the Ixtaca project. However you look at itunless you decide that Ixtaca will not be permittedthis makes it remarkably undervalued. Now with the FS published, and tax-loss selling ending, Almaden is a strong buy at this level. There is no need to be overly aggressive chasing it, since the period ahead, winding through the permitting process and arranging financing, is typically a boring period for mining stocks. But do buy and accumulate it.

Adrian Day, London-born and a graduate of the London School of Economics, heads the money management firm Adrian Day Asset Management, where he manages discretionary accounts in both global and resource areas. Day is also sub-adviser to the EuroPacific Gold Fund (EPGFX). His latest book is "Investing in Resources: How to Profit from the Outsized Potential and Avoid the Risks."

Disclosure:

1) Adrian Day: I, or members of my immediate household or family, own shares of the following companies mentioned in this article: Nevsun Resources. I personally am, or members of my immediate household or family are, paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None. My company has a financial relationship with the following companies mentioned in this article: None. Funds controlled by Adrian Day Asset Management hold shares of the following companies mentioned in this article: Almaden Minerals and Nevsun Resources. I determined which companies would be included in this article based on my research and understanding of the sector.

2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: None. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.

3) Statements and opinions expressed are the opinions of the author and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The author is wholly responsible for the validity of the statements. The author was not paid by Streetwise Reports for this article. Streetwise Reports was not paid by the author to publish or syndicate this article. Streetwise Reports requires contributing authors to disclose any shareholdings in, or economic relationships with, companies that they write about. Streetwise Reports relies upon the authors to accurately provide this information and Streetwise Reports has no means of verifying its accuracy.

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 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 (including members of their household) own securities of Almaden Minerals and Nevsun Resources, companies mentioned in this article.

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Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.aspConventional wisdom on the housing situation states that while supply has picked up, there is still a long way to go to catch up with annual household demand, writes Dermot OLeary.

Headline numbers would seem to back this up. Estimates of housing demand vary but are generally thought to be over 30,000 units per annum, but only 18,000 units were built in 2018. Until this gap is closed, house prices will continue to rise, correct?

Not so fast. It is overly simplistic to only compare the current levels of supply and demand without considering the price of the new stock and the income levels of potential homeowners.

In 2018, there has been a growing number of new houses on the market that are outside the reach of most of the income-earning population. It is little surprise that signs of weakness have emerged at the upper end of the housing market this year. With lending restricted to three-and-a-half-times income, affordability is biting.

In 2018, 31% of new houses sold were for more than 350,000, up from just 23% in 2017. In Dublin, more than half of new homes were sold for more than 350,000, and one in five were for over 500,000.

New build prices reflect the cost of their delivery. This is determined by factors, including construction costs, regulation, density, height, taxes, infrastructure, profit and, importantly, land.

While the Government introduced numerous measures to reduce the cost of delivering homes, it is still the case that costs are substantially higher than they were 10 years ago.

And land prices have boomed, with foreign capital or foreign-backed Irish buyers competing aggressively for sites. To meet return targets, many of these investors must build homes for the higher end of the market. However, demand at that end of the market is quite thin.

Revenue statistics show how incomes are distributed. A total of 2.9 million income earners are in the figures, covering part-time and full-time workers and people who have retired and are receiving a pension.

Two features are particularly striking in the data. Firstly, there is a very large proportion of the population who cannot afford to get on the housing ladder without significant outside support, be it from the Government or family and friends.

Assuming joint income earners on the same income, roughly half of the 1.5 million notional couples have a joint income of less than 45,000 per year.

Assuming these couples can raise a 10% deposit, the maximum they can afford for a house is 175,000. The private market cannot deliver homes at this price point.

The second observation relates to how the numbers drop off substantially once household income rises above 110,000. This couple can theoretically borrow enough to purchase a house worth 430,000, with a 10% deposit. Just one-in-10 couples could afford to pay this price, yet one-in-six new houses this year were sold above this value.

If housing is to be provided for everyone, and there is movement advocating that it should be a basic human right, the public sector will have to play a substantially larger role in providing it directly.

There is a very significant level of demand for new houses, but affordability must be the key factor.

The focus of the construction industry must be to deliver houses in a range of 275,000 to 375,000. There will, of course, be calls to loosen the Central Bank rules on mortgage lending. We will not be joining in, and any pleas will fall on deaf ears in any case.

Instead, the Government and industry must respond appropriately to consequences of the mortgage rules.

- Dermot OLeary is chief economist with GoodbodyThe Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) has almost 1,000 targets who, it believes, are benefiting from the proceeds of crimes including drug trafficking and burglaries.

The number of targets has risen by 60% to 973, according to CAB. Its statistics show Dublin has by far the biggest number of targets  west Dublin has 177 alone. Limerick has the next highest at 72, followed by Meath, Wexford Kildare, and Louth.

The figures emerged in an RTE interview with the head of the bureau, Detective Chief Superintendent Pat Clavin.

Our targets would be the biggest level of national figures who are involved in criminal feuding around Dublin, he said.

We have international cases, but we also have local cases and the reason we do this is to try to stop them from becoming bigger criminals, to catch them earlier.

He said the great majority of cases involve drug trafficking, followed very closely by people who are involved in burglaries and robberies.

Certainly outside of Dublin, we find that people are very concerned about the burglary and robbery gangs, he said.

CAB has 350 asset profilers around Ireland studying the activities of potential suspects. However, Det Chief Supt Clavin wants the public to play an active role.

We are asking for people to look out for people with unexplained wealth that have lifestyles that are beyond their obvious earnings and to contact us and we will conduct confidential enquiries, he said.

They might see someone who changes their car every year, who takes a number of expensive holidays to places like Las Vegas, to the States, Dubai, and that always appears to have spending which is not in keeping with their earnings.Mystery surrounds the discovery of a skeleton that had a severed foot placed between its legs.

The remains were uncovered by archaeologists working for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) during excavations at the N60 Oran scheme in Co Roscommon.

They were unearthed during one of 27 excavations by TII on road projects in Ireland this year.

TII archaeologist Michael Stanley said two enclosure sites stood out as unusual, among several sites excavated on the Oran scheme.

The people who created the enclosures appear to have piled the material excavated from the deep ditches to form a bank on the outside, rather than on the inside, said Mr Stanley.

This suggests a prehistoric date and ceremonial function for these sites.

However, a human skeleton, with its severed foot placed between its legs, was discovered at the base of one of the ditches and scientific dating is eagerly awaited to help try and solve this grisly mystery.

A sheaf of flax, approximately 1.5 m long, was found in the ditch of an early medieval ringfort, called Lissaniska (the fort of the water), on the N70 near Milltown, Co Kerry.

Flax found in an early medieval ringfort in Kerry. Picture: ACSU

Because of the environmental conditions in the ditch, the normal decay processes were inhibited and the organic remains were preserved.

Flax is used to make linen and Mr Stanley said this is the first time that direct evidence has been found for its cultivation in early medieval Ireland. 

This unique find is currently being conserved and studied by specialists.

Meanwhile, a previously unknown, multi-phase watermill site was discovered at Killaclug, Co Cork, during archaeological investigations on the N22 Baile BhuirneMacroom road project.

The excavations revealed two phases of watermills and an associated mill building.

Unusually, the upper and more recent mill had two wheel-pits side by side.

The mills used the water from a local river to power mechanical processes, such as milling, grinding, rolling, or hammering.

Post-excavation analysis of the excavation findings is ongoing, but the structures broadly date from the post-medieval period.

Mr Stanley pointed out that an Ordnance Survey (OS) triangulation tile used by 19th-century mapmakers was an intriguing find, made during the excavation of a medieval enclosure on the N81 Knockroe bend realignment in Co Wicklow.

Ordnance survey triangulation tile used by mapmakers in the 19th century. Picture: Archer Heritage Planning

The ceramic tile, measuring 174mm x 171mm x 32mm, had been set in a carefully dug hole by Royal Engineer soldiers, called sappers.

The tile had an incised triangle, with a conical hole in the centre, marking this fixed coordinate.

It is marked as a trigonometrical station on the OS 25-inch map of 1907-9, but nothing is depicted here on the first-edition (1839), OS 6-inch map.

The tile represents a secondary trig point, derived from a main trigonometrical station.The Government hopes to fast-track the introduction of safe access zones to prevent protests outside hospitals and clinics that provide abortion services.

Health Minister Simon Harris had hoped to pass legislation to ban such demonstrations in tandem with the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill, which will come into force from January 1.

Mr Harris says the lack of an exclusion zone around hospitals and clinics carries a significant likelihood of demonstrations taking place.

This is distressing and upsetting for the service user and indeed the staff, said Mr Harris, who will be pushing to have the legislation brought forward as a matter of urgency.

Gardai were called to Dublins Rotunda Hospital during the referendum campaign when anti-abortion groups displayed banners with extreme and graphic images.

Mr Harris has already secured Government approval to draft legislative proposals which would prevent further protests, however, it will not be in place when abortion services are first rolled out.

The proposals will ensure safe access zones are designated around and outside relevant premises to make sure staff and patients can access them without fear of intimidation or harassment and without being subjected to unwanted communications by any means, including oral, written and/or visual displays, in relation to services for termination of pregnancy.

It would also prohibit interfering or communicating with a person in a safe access zone in a way that causes distress, and to prohibit capturing and/or distributing images of any person in a safe access zone.

A spokesperson for the minister said: These provisions would not limit freedom of speech or prevent demonstrations against termination of pregnancy locations other than outside health services. It will also not limit other demonstrations for example, regarding industrial relations, at health service premises.

The ministers priority is ensuring service users and staff are protected and not subject to unnecessary intimidation or duress.Update: Mary Robinson says she is "dismayed" after a number of comments about her meeting with an Arab princess who had been missing since earlier this year.

The former Irish president has been pictured with the 33-year-old, who had not been seen in months.

Princess Latifa - the daughter of the ruler of Dubai - failed in an attempt to escape the United Arab Emirates on a yacht earlier this year.

In a video filmed before the escape effort and posted online after her subsequent disappearance, Latifa claimed she had been tortured.

She said: "If you are watching this video, it's not such a good thing. Either I'm dead or I'm in a very, very, very bad situation."

Following her disappearance from public view in March, human rights groups had raised concerns about her safety.

If Dubai Princess Latifa is a "vulnerable," "troubled young woman," was she like that before attempting to escape her gilded prison or only after the UAE forcibly returned her there? The only certain thing is that a quick lunch won't provide the answer. https://t.co/3xpzM4kotI pic.twitter.com/NoCg1WptGS  Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) December 28, 2018

In the wake of their meeting earlier this month, Mrs Robinson - who is also the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights - says the princess is in the care of her family.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4, Mrs Robinson explained: "The dilemma was that Latifa is vulnerable, she's troubled. She made a video that she now regrets and she planned an escape, or what was part of a plan of escape.

"I had lunch with her. She's a very likeable young woman but clearly troubled, clearly needs the medical care that she is receiving."

However, a number of rights groups have continued to express concern over Latifa's well-being.

Radha Stirling, CEO of the Detained in Dubai group, claimed the former Irish president "appeared to be reciting almost verbatim from Dubais script".

She observed: "Mrs Robinsons comments about the meeting reveal nothing concrete about Latifas condition and serve only to promote Dubais attempt to avoid any serious enquiry.

"We are very happy that Latifa is alive, but are cognisant of the fact that she herself said that she would rather die than be returned to her fathers custody, and thus, continue to have grave concerns about her welfare."

In a statement released this morning, Mrs Robinson said: "I am dismayed at some of the media comments on my visit and I would like to say I undertook the visit and made an assessment, not a judgement, based on personal witness, in good faith and to the best of my ability."

She adds that she has prepared a report for Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, adding that she believes any future action "rests with that office".

Earlier: Mary Robinson describes Emirati princess not seen since March as a 'troubled young woman'

Mary Robinson has described an Emirati princess who had been feared missing as a 'troubled young woman who needed psychiatric help'.

The former president has been pictured with the 33-year-old, who hadn't been seen in months, and says she's in the loving care of her family.

Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed al-Maktoum failed in an attempt to escape Dubai earlier this year, claiming she had suffered years of abuse at the hands of her family.

Human rights groups had raised concerns about her safety because she hadn't been seen in public or heard from since she was returned home in March.Margaret Thatcher accused the Irish Government of doing nothing to help extradite a priest who allegedly worked for the IRA, state papers have revealed.

Suspected IRA quartermaster Fr Patrick Ryan was the subject of a lengthy legal battle in 1988.

Fr Ryan was arrested by Belgian police at his home, where they found cash and bomb-making equipment. The UK requested to have him extradited from Belgium, where he was suspected to have been involved in an IRA unit.

The Belgian authorities refused the UKs request and later extradited him to the Republic of Ireland.

Fr Ryan, a former Pallottine priest from Tipperary, became the centre of a row between Irish and British authorities after the State refused to extradite him to the UK.

The rift caused tension between the British prime minister and the taoiseach, Charlie Haughey, which spilled into a meeting between the two leaders at the end of the European Council in Rhodes in December 1988.

Minutes of the frank exchange, which lasted for under an hour, reveal Ms Thatchers frustration over the extradition process, saying she felt badly let down over the matter.

Ms Thatcher described Fr Ryan as a really bad egg.

I and my soldiers  we are at the receiving end, she told Mr Haughey. Ryan is a very dangerous man. Both the Belgians and our services know this. He is at liberty still.

People like Ryan with contacts with Libya, with expert knowledge of bombing  they can skip  I feel so strongly on this and feel so badly let down.

Mr Haughey defended the decision, saying that when Fr Ryan arrived in Dublin, officials had no knowledge as to why he should be extradited.

Ms Thatcher said the extradition process here was not working.

There is hostility all the time. No matter what we send, your people object, she added.

Mr Haughey told Ms Thatcher that he had never heard of Fr Ryan until he appeared in Belgium.

She replied: You amaze me. From 1973 to 1984, he was the main channel of contact with the Libyans.

Mr Haughey replied: Ryan is an extraordinary case. You have a mad priest careering around Europe, arrested in Belgium, and then flown to us in a military plane, avoiding British airspace.Taoiseach Leo Varadkar says the cost of running the new National Children's Hospital needs to be benchmarked against similar hospitals around the world.

Construction costs for the hospital have jumped to more than 1.4bn and could rise further.The Irish woman who died at a Spanish airport on Sunday has been named as Judith Coughlan from Arklow, Co Wicklow.

She died after she fell from a walkway at Alicante-Elche Airport.Vulture funds give better deals to struggling home-owners than banks do, the Taoiseach has claimed.

Leo Varadkar said the pillar banks extend and pretend when customers are in financial difficulty, but that the much-criticised, unregulated credit-servicing firms are more likely to reach an agreement.

Mr Varadkar said the Government is working with Fianna Fail on a bill brought forward by Michael McGrath to fully regulate foreign investment banks that take over the distressed loan books of Irish banks.

In a roundtable interview, Mr Varadkar said: Im always reluctant to use the term vulture funds, because it is a political term.

What were talking about here is investment banks, investment funds, finance houses. You know, there are lots of different things and lots of different financial entities there and the term is used, vulture funds.

But youll know, from the numbers, that theyre often better at writedowns of loans than our own banks are.

Our own banks tend to extend and pretend, rather than coming to settlements with people.

With close to 28,000 family home mortgages still in arrears of more than two years, Mr Varadkar pledged that anyone who was making a reasonable effort to pay their mortgage would continue to have the same consumer protections as if the loan was still owned by the banks.

Thats our commitment, to make sure that people who pay their mortgages, pay their bills, are no worse-off as a result and have the exact same protections, said Mr Varadkar.

Permanent TSB, Ulster Bank, and AIB have all sold off loans in recent months, and Bank of Ireland has not ruled out loan sales into the future.

Mr Varadkar defended the transfer of more than 6,000 Permanent TSB, non-performing loans to Pepper, in December, describing it as essentially a regulatory requirement.

PTSB was required to get those loans off their books, said Mr Varadkar.

We wanted those that were split mortgages to be categorised as performing, but we just didnt win that argument, so, unfortunately, they were counted as non-performing loans.

If they had not done that, the bank would have found itself in a difficult position and, potentially, we would have had to put more money into the bank, which is something we would never do again and we managed to avoid that.

But, secondly, now that PTSB has been able to reduce the number of non- performing loans on its books, its now in a better position to do what it should be doing, which is to issue new mortgages, new loans to people.

Wed like to see that bank functioning again and offering loans and mortgages.

to young people buying their first homes and offering loans to businesses again, the Taoiseach said.Driven byA-listers and social media influencers, butts are the latest body obsession. But is it possible to change the shape of your rear by spot training, asks Peta Bee.

Where once we all craved a flat stomach or a Grand Canyon cleavage, the most coveted body part for women is the one you are quite possibly sitting on.

Right now, the bottom is the prime focus of our workout attention, the reason we pay our gym membership and the preoccupying thought when we start to flag in a class or on the treadmill. Women everywhere want firm and rounded, voluptuous buttocks and a tiny waist  the status symbol of the current gym generation.

There is no shortage of inspiration. From Kylie Minogue to Kylie Jenner and from Beyonce and Jenifer Lopez to the Kardashians, the most perfect peachy bottoms are paraded in front of us at every opportunity. On social media, it is difficult to ignore the ever-growing presence of the posterior with hashtags for squats numbering 16.7million and for glutes 4.7million at last count, and increasing by the day.

We can buy butt-lifting pants and jeans and gyms lure us with the promise that they can target our buttocks with glute-firming moves and classes focusing purely on the body part of the moment. In Hollywood, A-listers are heading to Bunda training, the self-styled home of the better butt, where the only goal is to boost your buttocks.

Meanwhile, the rest of us speak of workouts in the currency of squats and lunges totted up, our minds forever on what is happening behind.

But can we really hope to dramatically change the shape of the derriere we were born with or do genetics determine our fate?

According to the not-for-profit consumer watchdog, the American Council on Exercise, endless spot-training of the gluteal muscles doesnt work because it usually targets muscles that are relatively small through exercises that are relatively insignificant in terms of enhancing overall fitness and strength.

You can change the size and shape of your bottom  up to a point. Ultimately, though, its destiny is governed by genetics and by hormones. Younger women store fat in their buttocks during which gives them a fuller, rounder appearance.

Hormonal changes later in life, around the menopause, can change that and shift fat storage, says the trainer Matt Roberts. The result? The flat-bottomed look of middle age.

Desperation to change their shape has given rise to a darker side of the buttock obsession. In recent years there has been an unprecedented rise in the number of so-called Brazilian butt-lift operations  a procedure which involves fat being taken from a part of the body and injected into the buttocks.

Billed as a means to changing the size and shape of your buttocks from flat or droopy to rounded and firm, its popularity has spiralled and it has usurped the trend for breast implants that was predominant in the 1990s.

John Curran, a consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Bon Secours Hospital in Tralee and a spokesperson for IAPS, says he has seen an increase in enquiries for surgeries such as fat grafting of the buttocks for buttock augmentation.

In 2016, a survey by whatclinic.com revealed a sharp 150% rise in enquiries about butt lift operations  which cost on average 5,400  making it one of the most popular procedures behind brow lifts and mini facelifts.

But this year, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (Baaps) advised its members to stop performing the cosmetic operation until more information about its safety is available. And, while it remains available, similar concerns have been raised by the Irish Association of Plastic Surgeons (IAPS).

Curran describes it as a highly technical procedure that carries potential risks and complications.

There is a risk that fat injected into large veins travels to the heart or brain, causing serious problems. One-in-3,000 operations performed worldwide is said to end in with death, with many more cases of illness and injury. In August, Leah Cambridge, a 29-year-old mum from Leeds is said to have died after undergoing a butt lift procedure in Turkey.

Matt Roberts.

Curran stresses the need for caution when pursuing surgery.

It is very important that patients ensure their plastic surgeon is adequately trained by looking for the FRCS (Plast) qualification or for membership of the IAPS, he says.

Resorting to such extremes is far from necessary, says Dalton Wong, an A-lister personal trainer who has worked with Kit Harrington, Amanda Seyfried and, most recently, Robin Hood actor Eve Hewson, the daughter of U2 frontman Bono.

Wong says that exercising in the right way can do much to strengthen and shape our behinds.

The glutes are the powerhouse muscles of the body,he says.

And the advantage is that the muscles used to target them  squats and lunges  are compound movements meaning they engage other muscle groups, including the core and legs.

There are three main muscles of the glutes  the glute minimus, medius and maximus  that need to be worked in a variety of directions.

A variety of squats lunges and other butt-firming moves will engage the entire lower half of the body, including the hips and calves, gluteal muscles, the quadriceps and hamstrings and calves, hitting the core, shoulders and back.

This extra high metabolic demand gobbles more calories than most other routines you will do at the gym. In 10 minutes, you can burn around 180 calories through squatting and lunging, more if you add weights. They can have a dramatic effect on your body shape, Wong says.

There are functional gains from stronger glutes, too. The gluteus maximus primary role is to extend and externally rotate the hip  it is the main muscle that pushes your leg back when you walk, explains the physiotherapist Kim Saha. But the other gluteal muscles also play important roles in posture and general health.

Your pelvic floor is supported by the glutes (along with the abdominal muscles and hip flexors), so ensuring they are well conditioned will help to retain pelvic floor health. A lot of people who slouch do so because they have weak buttock muscles, Saha says.

"Long-term weakened gluteals can result in all sorts of problems in the lower back and hips, where the load is taken through the joints, instead of the muscles designed to absorb the pressure of standing.

People tend to lock their knees in this position, which can cause knee pain.

Certainly, the gains of working your butt off are not purely aesthetic. Squats have been shown to keep your brain healthy. Scientists monitored 324 twins for a decade and found that those with the strongest legs at the start of the study eventually displayed the lowest decline in cognitive ability.

The reason, the experts suggest, could be that working these muscles releases biochemicals that affect the cellular health of the brain.

In 2017, results of a decade-long study of 80,000 adults, researchers from the University of Sydney found that people who performed simple, home-based workouts, including buttock-firming favourites squats and lunges, twice a week for 50 minutes had a 23% reduction in their risk of premature death by any means, and a 31% reduction in cancer-related death.

There is far more to working your buttock muscles than just getting a shapely butt, Wong says. By maintaining your glutes, you will become a healthier and stronger version of yourself.

Five of the best butt exercises

1. Lunge: Stand with feet together, then take a large stride forward with your right leg, raising your arms as you lunge. This helps to engage your core muscles. Make sure your torso is straight and strong and your head held upright. Lower your arms as you return to the standing centre position. Repeat for 45 seconds without stopping, then change to the other leg.

2. Curtsy lunge: Stand with your feet together, then perform a curtsy lunge with both arms raised. To do this, step your right leg behind your left, maintaining an upright posture. Lower arms and return to centre. Repeat for 45 seconds without stopping, then change to the other leg.

3. Deep squat: Start with your feet together, standing upright. Take a large step sideways as you raise your arms in front of you, parallel to the floor. Bend from the hips, pressing your weight into your heels and keeping your back straight. Bend as deep as you can by lowering your bottom to the floor. Push up and return feet to the starting position. Repeat for 60 seconds.

4. Goblet squat: (See above) Stand with your heels shoulder-width apart, toes pointing slightly outwards. Hold a dumbbell or weighted ball with both hands against the middle of your chest. Keeping your weight on your heels, start pushing your hips back and towards the floor so that your hips move before your knees bend. Again, your knees can drive forwards beyond the feet. Keep your chest up and aim to wedge your elbows in between your knees at the bottom point of the movement. If you cant reach your knees focus on pushing them slightly apart. Drive your hips forward, squeeze the buttocks and push through the heels to return to the start position. Repeat for 45 seconds.

5. Split squat: Stand with hands on hips and one foot in front of the other, a good stride apart. Raise your back foot onto the balls of the foot, keep your front foot flat on the floor. Squat down by flexing the knee and hip of your front leg. Allow the heel of your back foot to rise up while the knee of your back leg bends slightly until it almost makes contact with floor. Straighten and push the hip and knee of your front leg to return to the starting position. Repeat. Continue with opposite leg. Perform for 45 seconds on each side.A new documentary looks at the life of Chester Beatty, and the incredible collection of St Pauls letters and other items he bequeathed to the state, writes Richard Fitzpatrick.

CHESTER Beatty was one of a kind. The American  whose name is familiar to us from the eponymous Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, which houses one of the worlds greatest private collections of manuscripts and books  was the first person to receive honorary Irish citizenship, and the twelfth in total. Hes also the first private citizen in Irish history to be accorded a state funeral.

Beatty led an extraordinary life, which is chronicled in a documentary on RTE entitled Chester Beatty: The Honorary Irishman. He was born in New York in 1875 into a middle class family. His father was a banker and stockbroker. After university he started on the bottom rung of the mining business, as a mucker in Colorado earning 25 cents a day for mucking out mines. He worked his way up  initially as a point man for the Guggenheim Brothers  before becoming the undisputed king of copper and one of the worlds richest men in the 1920s, with business interests all over the world, including Russia and Africa.

Something that was really interesting to me was Beattys personality, says Ruth OLooney, director of the RTE documentary. Sometimes when you do a biographical piece there is the official biography and then people talk about them and you find out that maybe that person wasnt as nice or as clever as portrayed. Nobody has anything bad to say about Chester Beatty, which is quite unusual for historical characters.

He had a very modern outlook on how to do business. If he was alive today hed probably be running a big multinational tech company and people would be writing books about his management style. He was very progressive for his time. He was really good with people, which maybe came from the way he worked from the bottom and dragged himself up.

He was as comfortable with the person who swept the floor in the mines as he was with the King of Belgium. He was very interested in people and he was a very good delegator. He didnt believe in micromanaging things. We kind of think of people in the Victorian and Edwardian eras as being quite dogmatic and abiding to class structures  with the person at the top and the minions underneath  but Beatty wasnt like that.

An 11th century Koran.

Beatty ploughed his spare cash into artefacts. There are fascinating sections in the documentary, which explore the origins as well as the conservation and restoration work done on the items he collected during his lifetime, which include St. Pauls earliest-bound letters, and 160 intricately designed snuffboxes from his collection. All of which he bequeathed to the Irish state, having moved to Ireland in 1950.

As a child, he was very interested in minerals and stones and fossils, which started his obsession with collecting, says OLooney. That led him onto looking at other things like snuff bottles because they were made from stones and minerals. They might have been carved with Asian or Chinese scenes and that led him into an interest in art.

That often happens with collectors, they get interested in one thing and start collecting, and then move on. A little like when someone is interested in music. They start listening to one artist and that leads them to listen to somebody else because someone else influenced that artist, and it snowballs like that.

He liked books and he liked looking at how books were made, and bookbinding and book covers. And when he collected he wanted to collect the best of stuff, which was how he operated in mining. He wanted to be doing everything to the best, to the nth degree. When it came to collecting, if he was going to collect something he was going to do it really well.

And of course I think he liked lovely things.

- Chester Beatty: The Honorary Irishman, RTE One, 6.30pm, tonightThe Favourite is already being talked up for Oscars. Its director tells Esther McCarthy all about the Irish-produced period film.

HIS dark, singular and wickedly funny films have already established him as one of the most exciting filmmakers working today. Now Yorgos Lanthimos has again joined forces with an Irish production company  a collaboration that could bring them all the way to the Oscars.

Critical praise and awards have been abundant for The Favourite, a comedy of royal manners unlike any weve ever seen, set during the reign of Queen Anne in the early 18th century. The film is widely expected to nab Oscar nominations for all three of its female stars  Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone  and could also be in the running for best picture, director and cinematography.

All three of the Greek directors English-language films have been produced by Irish outfit Element Pictures. We Irish like to lay claim to his work, I tell Lanthimos when we meet to discuss the film. Well, I guess they are! he laughs.

He has a point. The Lobster, an absurdist black comedy set in a dystopia when people had to find a life partner or be turned into an animal of their choosing, was filmed at Parknasilla in Co Kerry and Blanchardstown Shopping Centre in Dublin, and starred our own Colin Farrell.

Farrell returned, along with rising Irish star Barry Keoghan, for The Killing of a Sacred Deer, a pitch-black tale of a young man who wields extraordinary power over a top surgeon and his family.

His successful collaboration with Element came about after Lanthimos caused a sensation with his film Dogtooth, about a family of siblings kept ignorant of the outside world by their parents. It got a best foreign language Oscar nomination and a lot of attention. He met with the Irish producers around this time.

Emma Stone and director Yorgos Lanthimos on the set of The Favourite.

It actually started with The Favourite, he says. The first time I met them they had this script. They approached me after Id made Dogtooth. Dogtooth was Oscar-nominated and won Cannes and all that, so I guess at that point I was becoming a little known, or heard of.

I was interested in it but I wanted to work on it. Because it took a long time to find the right writer, to find the right tone, during that time I ended up finishing The Lobster. We made The Lobster and we worked well together. And because The Favourite was taking a lot of time we decided to make The Killing of a Sacred Deer before and then this ended up being our latest collaboration.

We do have other things that weve developed together. I think weve developed this relationship where we appreciate each other and understand each other, have a shorthand. We try and improve with every film that we make, learn from our mistakes. I think its useful when you have a relationship that progresses, that you can build on and learn from what you did before. For the time being, were happy working together and developing projects. Its a fruitful collaboration.

Lanthimos had never made a period film before The Favourite, and he was interested in making a film set in a different time, but one that relates to our time, believing there are ongoing similarities in human behaviour.

Set during the reign of Queen Anne (a terrific Colman) it centres on the extreme lengths Abigail (Stone) and Sarah (Weisz) will go to in order to be the queens top courtier. It has very modern sensibilities.

I think most of it was instinctive and then you realise later why you are interested in certain things, why you do certain things, he says.

For many various reasons I was intrigued by this story, these women. The fact that it was three women who had these positions of power, how it related to a much bigger world. How their relationships and behaviour affected so many other people.

Then you start to realise that although this is a period film and its interesting to be able to make something that has that kind of distance, at the same time it makes you realise even more how things remain unchanged, how similar they remain. If the clothes we wear and technology around us has changed, people are the same.

He and his cast and crew worked to a modest budget by period-film standards. In our case all of the costumes had to be made from scratch because it is a period that hasnt really been portrayed that often on film. But also, we were trying to make something quite specific which wasnt necessarily loyal to the period. We were trying to infuse the film with various contemporary textures.

I kind of enjoy the distance that you can have by making a period film. The distance from reality and realism which allows you, I think, to observe human behaviour in a more maybe clear way than if you were seeing something which was too close to where you are.

The film could well see Irish cinematographer Robbie Ryan get an Oscar nomination for his stunning work. Hes an amazing camera operator, agrees Lanthimos. I thought he was someone who would help me move forward, because I think Ive been trying in the last few years to try different things and push what Im doing further and experiment a little bit. Hes ready for any challenge and I really appreciate that.

The cast milks The Favourites script, filled with barbed insults and caustic put-downs, for all its worth and the movie has an unhinged feel. The tone and the dialogue of the film was very much constructed from before, explains Lanthimos. The freedom comes from working with the actors later on. We rehearse a lot. I try to instil a certain spirit of freedom in how we approach a period film, that they shouldnt be thinking about how people are portrayed in period films, because a lot of times, theres a very particular way that we think people moved and spoke at the time. I was trying to go against all those pre-conceived notions. We think that everything was very still, stilted.

We worked a lot physically in order to gain a freedom and devise a way of them interacting physically. How they walked, how they smacked each other, how they danced. It was done with a lot of work and choreography, taking a different approach to physicality in a period film.

Stone was onboard the project from a very early stage and as Lanthimos assembled his other leading ladies he turned to Weisz and Colman, with whom hed both worked on The Lobster. Colman, in particular, could lead an Oscar charge for her virtuoso work here.

I could understand that it would be a very difficult role to cast, there are so many different aspects of her, many different mood swings. A mercuriality in all of that. As soon as I thought of Olivia then I couldnt think of anyone else. We had to sometimes push the film and change the dates in order to get everyone. Olivia was someone very early on I thought of and couldnt change my mind on.

- The Favourite opens in cinemason Tuesday, January 1.The biggest danger we face is not a straightforward revival of fascism, but rather a creeping shift in traditional conservatism towards the extreme populist right, says Michael Burleigh.

Throughout 2018, analogies between today and the 1930s became alarmingly commonplace.

Hortatory books such as former US secretary of state Madeleine Albrights Fascism: A Warning and Yale University historian Timothy Snyders On Tyranny are proliferating, and there certainly does seem to be a menacing odour of racism, violence, and despotic intrigue in the air.

In the US, anti-Semites now march openly in the streets, and pipe bombs have targeted former president Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and the financier George Soros, and eight other prominent people singled out for attack by current president Donald Trump.

In Germany, leaders of the Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) think that Germans should be proud of the Wehrmachts service in both world wars. In Britain, the far-right thug Stephen Yaxley-Lennon has been canonised as a martyr, and a supposedly reputable Sunday newspaper recently published talk of Tory Brexiteers knifing British prime minister Theresa May in the killing zone  having seemingly forgotten the knife-and-gun assassination of anti-Brexit Labour MP Jo Cox by a member of a far-right group in June 2016. The list goes on.

Moreover, insurgent populists are not just marching. They are organising a pan-European movement in the run-up to the May 2019 EU parliamentary elections. Rivals to lead this effort include Hungarian prime minister

Viktor Orban and Italian Deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini. Its would-be co-ordinator, though, is Steve Bannon, the burly US agitator who, together with the obscure Belgian politician Mischael Modrikamen, has formed The Movement.

Bannon has had a mixed reception in nationalist and neo-fascist circles. As an American, he has no place in a European political party, complained Jerome Riviere of Frances National Rally (formerly the National Front). Others, such as Flemish nationalists in Vlaams Belang, suspect that Bannon is merely trying to create jobs for his friends, not least the Brexiteer Nigel Farage.

History does not augur well for Bannons efforts to divide and rule Europe on behalf of Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin. The Comitati dAzione per lUniversalita di Roma (CAUR), founded in 1933 to co-ordinate Europes fascist movements, collapsed just two years later. The CAUR ended up being boycotted both by the Nazis and by the Italian fascists who created it.

Once Hitler had overtaken Mussolini as the worlds premier fascist, he was no longer interested in anything other than acquiring clients and satraps. Moreover, he preferred to deal with respectable old elites such as Admiral Miklos Horthy of Hungary or Marshal Philippe Petain of Vichy France.

In Europe today, the nationalist resurgence owes something to the proliferation of hysterical and inaccurate rhetoric comparing the EU to 20th-century totalitarian regimes (a particular favourite of certain newspaper columnists who have blundered into politics). And, of course, the term globalism has become a serviceably sly synonym for Jews, just as cosmopolitanism was in the past.

But lets not get hung up on the F word. Todays Europe has not just emerged from a devastating world war that destroyed four empires; and todays politics are not dominated by paramilitary armies of demobilised veterans and students. The biggest danger that we face is not a straightforward revival of fascism, but rather a creeping shift in traditional conservatism towards the extreme nationalist/populist right.

From a historical perspective, then, we would do better to focus less on the threat of fascism, and more on the degeneration of conservatism before and after the First World War. That is when the traditional conservative right became infected by authoritarian and corporatist ideas, as well as a hatred of the left, Jews, and teeming cosmopolitan metropolises such as Berlin, Madrid, and Vienna. At the time, those cities were red spots of modernism in a green sea of agrarian provincialism.

A decade before the First World War, the Dreyfus Affair had already offered a striking preview of the deep-seated hatreds that would be mobilised 30 years later. By the time fascism had arrived, so too had Bolshevism.

And that was enough for the traditional conservatives to hold their noses and throw in with the fascists, even if they were sniffy about the latters shrill plebian tone. To understand what such an alliance might look like today, consider that Malcolm Pearson of Ukip recently hosted Yaxley-Lennon for lunch in the House of Lords.

This is not to say that conservativism and fascism are interchangeable concepts. In 1934, the Portuguese dictator Antonio Salazar alluded to some important distinctions when he banned the National Syndicalist organisation. Specifically, he objected to the groups exaltation of youth, the cult of force through so-called direct action, the principle of the superiority of the state political power in social life, the propensity for organising masses behind a single leader. Classical conservatives, after all, tend to favour demobilisation and deference to authority and tradition, not mass-movement agitation in the streets.

Were he alive today, the great conservative thinker Eric Voegelin would cast a baleful eye over the conservatives who are now embracing mobocracy, just as he did in the case of interwar German elites.

And he would have been particularly scornful of AfD deputy leader Beatrix von Storch of the royal house of Oldenburg, the multi-millionaire Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg, and other members of the upper class who claim to be tribunes of the ordinary folk in flyover country.

Likewise, Voegelins acidic contemporary Karl Kraus would have had much to say about the debasement of language by right-wing British tabloids that now smear civil servants and judges as saboteurs and enemies of the people. And he would have skewered millionaire newspaper columnists who imagine that they know the mind of Everyman just because they call taxi drivers mate. Liberal democracy is not experiencing an existential crisis. Though the political pendulum has been swinging towards identity, it will soon swing back towards the economy as we start to feel the full impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Fundamental questions about the future of work and wages will reassert themselves with a vengeance.

Furthermore, one gathers that the educated middle classes are growing tired of being hectored by the self-appointed upper-class spokespeople of provincial ignorance. This would certainly explain the massive pro-EU demonstrations in London last October, as well as the recent electoral successes of the Greens in Germany.

It is time for liberals to stop twittering away about fascism and tyranny, and start exposing the con artists and hucksters who have captured our politics. The conversation we should be having would focus squarely on the decay of modern conservatism, the crisis of social democracy, and the dawning age of technological disruption.

- Michael Burleigh is a historian and author. His books include Small Wars, Faraway Places: The Genesis of the Modern World, Blood and Rage: A Cultural History of Terrorism, The Third Reich: A New History, and The Best of Times, the Worst of Times: A History of Now.

- project-syndicate.orgAbuse and invective directed at our elected representatives are a reflection of the times, writes Alison OConnor.

The coming year will be big for elections. We will have European and local elections in May, and only a fool would rule out a general election. So, youll be seeing plenty of politicians over the next few months, and perhaps a New Years resolution would be to be a little nicer to them.

Ive noticed a recurrent theme during the last few months. Its cropped up in conversations not just with politicians, but also with those who try to persuade people to go into politics.

No longer are people clamouring to get on a party ticket; they have to be persuaded. They just reckon they dont need that sort of hassle in their lives.

A few weeks ago, a TD of long-standing told me: There used to be a prestige, you were someone in your community (as a politician). Not anymore. Then, there is also the abuse, she said.

This deputy has every intention of fighting hard to win her seat the next time, but politics is not seen as a profession in the same way that it used to be.

Abuse and invective directed at our elected representatives are a reflection of the times.

Youre seen as going against the tide if you suggest that politicians are anything other than good-for-nothing, over-paid, and privileged. By and large, politicians, local or national, cant do right for doing wrong.

I sat in on a conversation recently where a woman, who is considering standing in the local elections, asked the assembled group if she would really have to establish a social media presence. The answer around the table was a resounding yes.

But it was also suggested she get someone else to operate it, in order to protect her from the inevitable abuse.

Social media is a problem for all politicians, even those who clearly enjoy it and are good at it. No-one political is immune from abuse. Its not like Facebook and Twitter heralded the start of it, but they certainly escalated and intensified it.

Female politicians get it far worse than men.

Just recently, I heard former tanaiste and leader of the Labour party, Joan Burton, talk of social media postings that threatened an acid attack to fix her.

Just before Christmas, I spoke to Tipperary Fine Gael councillor Mary Hanna Hourigan. Politics is in her blood.

It is a passion for her, and she is determined to continue.

I thrive on what I do, she said, simply.

Speaking at the Politics Needs Women conference, held just before Christmas to mark 100 years of women getting the vote, she caused an audible intake of breath throughout the audience when she told a story of a response from a male colleague at a meeting.

It was an issue relating to the HSE and Mary Hanna said she thought the health body was not fit for purpose and she felt frustrated by trying to deal with it in her work.

The male politician responded to Mary Hannas remarks. Well, if shes frustrated, I know what I would do to sort her out, he said. His comments went unchallenged by the other men there.

Nobody took him on and said, you shouldnt speak to someone like that. It went without any consequences for him, recalled Mary Hanna.

Often, in her local area, a female councillor might be the only woman representative at a meeting, or, in a meeting of the full council, there might be less than a handful.

In Donegal County Council, there are just three women out of 37 elected representatives.

Women face more barriers in getting into, and remaining in, politics than men.

But Mary Hanna also pointed to another problem, which I heard echoed by a number of her local authority colleagues, and that is that the annual salary is not enough, especially not if you work as a councillor full-time.

In December, the Government received an interim report from senior counsel Sara Moorhead, who was tasked with reviewing the role and remuneration of local authority members.

Currently, they receive a package of payments that starts with a basic representational payment of 16,891 per year.

They also receive a new allowance worth 1,000 per annum, introduced last November and backdated to July 1, 2017 (following local government reforms introduced in 2014) in recognition of an additional workload.

There is an optional, vouched expenses allowance, worth up to a maximum of 5,000 per annum, which councillors may choose to opt for, in place of an unvouched allowance, worth approximately 2,500 per annum.

A salary hike for politicians is designed to infuriate the hangin is too good for them brigade, who would starve rather than reward politicians.

But that approach is as juvenile as it is daft. A good local councillor works hard and deserves proper payment.

If they dont start looking after councillors, they will lose them. I know people who got elected and dropped out in the middle of the term, because they hadnt realised the work involved, said Ms Hourigan. For instance, I am now an expert on any number of issues, from people losing their homes and all the financial and legal issues involved there, to health issues to mental health, as far as taking people for treatment.

For women who give birth while they are serving councillors, there is the added complication of no maternity leave and of not getting paid if they miss a meeting after giving birth.

More widely, while politicians  local and national  are not leaving in their droves, and its not impossible to find people to stand for election, there is a pattern of disillusionment.

We may need to think the unthinkable and consider being just a little nicer to our politicians. Contrary to popular belief, a large swathe of them are far more than good-for-nothing.

In fact, theyre well able for an awful lot of whats thrown at them. But even they have their limits.

So, when you open your door to one of them, canvassing for your vote over the next few months, you might even consider thanking them for bothering to make the effort.In Person SSPP: 'We are Not Bloodthirsty Militants'

SSPP/SSA-N Vice Chairman (2) Maj. Gen. Khun Hseng. / Chit Min Tun / The Irrawaddy

Fighting has escalated recently between two rival Shan ethnic armed groups in northern Shan State. At the same time, the Myanmar military, or Tatmadaw, has announced a halt to its military operations across much of the country, including Shan State. The Irrawaddy interviewed the vice chairman of the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army-North (SSPP/SSA-N), Major General Khun Hseng, about these developments.

People are quite concerned about the clashes between the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and the combined forces of the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and Shan State Progress Party. Why are the clashes happening?

When the government launched an offensive against us in 2011, the RCSS offered its help to our chairman. We didnt ask for help from anybody. It is notable that we have not established a stronghold on either the Thai border or the Chinese border. We are only active in Shan State, inside the country, with the support of Shan people.

So the RCSS/Shan State Army-South (SSA-S) offered to help us fight back. We didnt tell them to help us or not to help us. We said if they were really willing to help us, dont let Tatmadaw troops cross the northern Shan State border at Panglong and Lai-Hka if they can. Thats all we said.

So the RCSS/SSA-S didnt really fight the enemy. At that time the enemy was launching an offensive against our Wan Hai headquarters [in Kehsi Township]. From the very beginning, our troops were stationed across northern Shan State, since the Shan revolution in 1958, when the Shan State Army emerged. Our troops were stationed in Hsipaw, Lashio, Muse, Namkham, Kyaukme, Nawnghkio, and Mongmit townships, but not in Namhsan in northern Shan State, since April 24, 1964. People need to understand this fact, otherwise they will lose track of the history.

So when [the military launched its offensive] in 2011, we withdrew the troops stationed across Shan State to Wan Hai, and we carried out both defensive and offensive military operations to prevent losing Wan Hai. There were intense clashes in 2011. Even after we signed a Union-level ceasefire in 2012, the Tatmadaw launched an offensive against us in July the same year, and we lost control of some important bases. More than 1,000 troops took part in major clashes. Again in 2014, the Tatmadaw launched a massive offensive against us in important places near our Wan Hai headquarters.

We withdrew our troops at the request of [former] President U Thein Sein. But the Tatmadaw didnt withdraw its troops. They are still stationed there. Again in 2015, the Tatmadaw launched a large-scale offensive with artillery fire and air support near Hai Pa in southern Shan State. Then we withdrew our troops from there. At that time we had only guerilla and administrative forces in northern Shan State.

Under these circumstances, the RCSS/SSA came to northern Shan State citing various reasons. It gave the excuse that it came to help us fight the military. But in fact there was no fighting at that time in northern Shan State.

While we were gathering our troops in Wan Hai, RCSS members in plain clothes infiltrated our bases in places such as Kyaukme, Muse and Namkhan in northern Shan State. Our local people had to bear the burden. They had to give them food and arrange accommodation for them.

We told them repeatedly to go back to the places where they were active before 2010. We also offered to hold talks with them to solve the political problem around the table. We went to their headquarters more than 10 times to hold negotiations. They only came to us three times.

After signing the NCA (Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement) in 2015, the RCSS clashed with the Palaung [TNLA]. The RCSS criticized us for not supporting it in the attack. It said we didnt love the Shan race. We said we ethnic minorities should not fight each other because we are the oppressed.

In its latest statement, it asked us to surrender and join it or be attacked. (RCSS Chairman) U Yawd Serk said the RCSS would not be able to make progress with the SSPP/SSA. U Yawd Serk said the RCSS would fight the SSPP/SSA anywhere it encountered it. We have called for solving the political problems at the negotiating table in a peaceful way. This is our stance. We are just defending ourselves against the attacks of the RCSS. We have never declared war on the RCSS or made a formal decision to attack it.

The Tatmadaw has declared a ceasefire in five conflict zones for four months. Some say this will contribute a lot to the peace process next year. What is you assessment?

The civil war has been going on for some 70 years. Everyone knows that it was born with independence. So just think whether those problems can be solved in four months. In any case, we welcome the ceasefire declaration whether it is four months or four days or four hours.

We have issued a statement that four months is not enough to restore the trust that has been undermined for 70 years. We are not bloodthirsty militants. We are only making demands in accord with the Panglong Agreement. Without the Panglong Agreement, there would not be todays Union.

What is the cause of the civil war that has lasted for 70 years? It is because the Panglong Agreement was not implemented. What we want is a federal democratic union that can guarantee equality for us based on the pledges of the Panglong Agreement and on reality. As for the four-month ceasefire, half a loaf is better than no bread.

The Myanmar Army called for signing the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement at the same time that it declared the ceasefire. Is the SSPP prepared to sign the NCA?

It depends on the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC, an alliance of armed groups of which the SSPP is a member). We still have to negotiate on the NCA and the political framework. The NCA is still incomplete and the political framework has yet to be changed. Section 33 of the NCA calls for the inclusion of all [major armed groups in the peace process]. Because it has not been implemented, we are in trouble today.

Why is the SSPP not ready to sign the NCA? Is it because the United Wa State Army is reluctant to sign it, as some have suggested?

As Ive said, there is no problem if the all-inclusion policy is implemented. The principle of the FPNCC is to sign the NCA all together. We will sign it only if no group is left out. We should take an objective position rather than make unrealistic demands. Otherwise we will not be able to build trust. We have to consider our younger generations.

It appears that China is going to play a bigger role in Myanmars peace process. Do you believe China sincerely hopes that Myanmar will achieve peace?

It is in the mutual interest. No matter which country it is, if it acts for the sake of peace in our country, it is a good thing.

The Wa, Palaung and Pa-O are demanding self-administered states in Shan State. What is the SSPPs take on this?

There are United Nations resolutions and conventions regarding the rights of ethnic minorities. We accept those rights and principles. But we, the SSPP/SSA, alone cant make decisions. It calls for peaceful negotiations at the table between all political parties, ethnic groups and revolutionary armed groups in Shan State with magnanimity and a policy of equality.

We need not reject it [self-administered states] if it complies with international laws. But it doesnt comply. We are in a democratic era and we need to get the approval of the majority.

What is the SSPPs take on the Myanmar Armys demand for non-secession from the Union and a single army?

No country in the world argues about a single army. If we are to build a federal union, the army should be the federal army under the principle of equality. The military is meant to resist invasion from foreign countries, not to fight a civil war. I am okay with a single army if it is established based on equality and justice.

General Aung San pledged in the Panglong Agreement that ethnic minority states could secede after 10 years [of the signing of the agreement]. But nobody is demanding secession today. We wont secede because we said we will build a federal union. But nobody can coerce us not to secede. There are two sides to self-determination. We dont want a union that oppresses us for various reasons. It is important that equality is guaranteed.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.Burma Northern Alliance Demands Ceasefire Covers Rakhine State

TNLA troops march on the groups Armed Forces Day in Mongton Township, northern Shan State in 2015. / The Irrawaddy

If the Myanmar Army (or Tamadaw) do not stop fighting in Rakhine State, the Northern Alliance also will refuse to adhere to the ceasefire conditions in northern and northeastern Myanmars conflict zones, according to a statement released by the group on Thursday.

The Northern Alliance, a collective of four ethnic armed organizationsthe Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) the Arakan Army (AA) and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA)released the statement following a meeting to discuss the ceasefire this week.

The statement comes amid ongoing conflict in northern Rakhine State between the Myanmar Army and the AA, and almost a week after the Armys announcement of a four-month ceasefire in Myanmar Kachin and northern Shan states.

They (Myanmar Army) are attacking only the AA now. If they cannot stop attacking them, it is not practical for us to hold peace negotiations with Myanmar Army, Northern Alliance spokesperson, TNLAs Brig-Gen Tar Phone Kyaw, told The Irrawaddy on Friday,

If the Myanmar Army cannot stop their fighting, our side (the Northern Alliance) have to fight too. It will be difficult for us to stop fighting, he said.

The Northern Alliance members initially welcomed the Myanmar Armys ceasefire announcement as a step in furthering peace negotiations. However, the Northern Alliance said that considering the short period and limited area the ceasefire applies to, it will be difficult to work on peace negotiations and thus the group has asked the Myanmar Army to declare a nationwide ceasefire.

The Northern Alliance will continue to follow their former stance and meet as an alliance, not as individual groups, and this is the best way to make progress in peace negotiations, according to Brig-Gen Tar Phone Kyaw.

His comments come one week after the Myanmar Armys Dec. 21 announcement which stated their intentions to engage in peace negotiations during the ceasefire with individual armed groups in their respective areas, and not with the alliance.

The Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC) will act as a political wing of the group, but the Northern Alliance is the armed wing which remains to be in conflict with the Myanmar Army. The Army needs to first deal with the Northern Alliance before approaching the FPNCC for discussions, according to Brig-Gen Tar Phone Kyaw.

Accusation flew just three days into the ceasefire period when the TNLA said the Myanmar Army launched an attack on their forces in Kutkai, northern Shan State on Dec. 24a claim which the Myanmar Army has strongly denied.

With troops remaining in place on the ground in ethnic areas, fighting could break out anytime should the Myanmar Army come to attack ethnic armed groups, said Tar Phone Kyaw.Burma USDP Says Taking Key Govt Department Away From Military 'Risky'

USDP officials participate in a party campaign event in Naypyitaw ahead of the 2015 general election. / Aung Kyaw Htet / The Irrawaddy

NAYPYITAW  A spokesman for the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) said the civilian governments plans to place the General Administration Department (GAD) under its control could leave key government operations worse off.

I would say the move is risky if it is done with the intention to free [the GAD] from the control of the commander-in-chief of defense services, U Nanda Hla Myint told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday.

Some complain that the current government is doing it in preparation to win the 2020 [general election], he added.

Presidents Office spokesman U Zaw Htay said last week that the GAD would soon be transferred to the Ministry of the Office of the Union Government.

U Nanda Hla Myint said the GAD, central to much of the governments day-to-day operations, will function less effectively if moved out of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The department has been a charge of the Home Affairs Ministry  one of three run by the military as per the constitution the then-ruling junta adopted in 2008  for the past 30 years.

Former President U Thein Sein had considered transferring the GAD to the Ministry of the Presidents Office during the previous, USDP-led administration but ultimately decided the idea was unrealistic, said U Nanda Hla Myint.

The current government also needs to consider the possibility of conflict of procedure and conflict of law. But if the move is aimed at [benefitting] the interests of the country, improving governance and cleaning up the administrative system, we have nothing to say, he added.

So for the time being it is difficult to say if the decision is right or wrong. But it is not good for the country if it is done with the wrong intention, as I have said. We will know if it is a good or bad move depending on the outcome.

In an interview with Mizzima on Thursday, Mandalay Region Chief Minister U Zaw Myint Maung argued that the Home Affairs Ministry would keep other important departments such as the special branch, police, corrections and special investigations and that the Presidents Office had to run the GAD at the very least to do its job properly.

The GAD is involved in all aspects of administration. The township administrator is the chairman of all the [government] committees in a township. Only when that administration is under the control of the president can it be overseen by the chief minister. Only then can a carrot and stick policy be implemented, he said.

Myanmars jurisdictions can generally be divided in descending order of size into regions and states, districts, townships, wards, village tracts and villages.

The Ministry of the Office of the Union Government is one of the new ministries created by the current administration. A retired colonel and former pilot for the Burma Air Force, U Min Thu, was appointed its new minister in November.

U Zaw Htay said U Min Thu was appointed knowing that the GAD would soon be put under his supervision.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.News Military Using Villagers as Human Shields in N. Rakhine Battles

Villagers flee down a creek on bamboo rafts as fighting intensifies between the Arakan Army and government troops in Buthidaung Township, Rakhine State in late December 2018. / Tun Nay Aung / Facebook

YANGONIn a joint operation between Myanmar military troops and border police, approximately 100 members carried out thorough household checks across Yae Gaung Chaung Village in northern Rakhine States strife-torn Rathedaung Township, forcing the entire population of the village to move to a Buddhist monastery on Thursday following days of clashes between the Arakan Army (AA) and Tatmadaw (Myanmar Army) troops.

Yae Gaung Chaung villager Ko Tun Win Naing who managed to escape from the village told The Irrawaddy over the phone that fighting broke out in the mountain range near his village on Wednesday, leading the military to suspect that residents of his village were colluding with the AA. On the same day, a military column from Say Taung Village in Buthidaung marched to Yae Gaung Chaung in order to surround the AA rebels in the densely forested area. On Thursday morning, they entered the village without forewarning the residents and ordered every villager to leave their home and go to the monastery.

According to Ko Tun Win Naing, while at the monastery, at least one health officer and a woman who had made a trip to Kachin State (where the headquarters of the AA are located), were handcuffed by soldiers. Approximately 30 men and a number of women were questioned at the monastery. As of Thursday evening, the villagers expected the army would remain stationed in Yae Gaung Chaung overnight.

No one remains in the villagethey (the army) contained everyone at the monastery. They even searched the toilets {in the village), said Ko Tun Win Naing.

Ma Khin Aye Nu was one of a few women who managed to flee to a neighboring village. Over the phone with The Irrawaddy, she explained that she was harvesting paddy in the field when the soldiers came into Yae Gaung Chaung and so she managed to escape. She is concerned about her family, however, as they have been unreachable by phone since the army entered the village on Thursday morning.

Before entering Yae Gaung Chaung, the team of military and border police detained 11 villagers from Say Taung, a neighboring village situated in Buthidaung Township. Ko Kyaw Thein Hlaing, one of the detainees from Say Taung, told The Irrawaddy that he and another 10 villagers were forced to lead the soldiers along the route from his village to Yae Gaung Chaung because army troops had previously been ambushed by the AA in that area. According to him, about five high-ranking army officers wearing border police uniforms ordered two villagers to stay close to each officer as they walked. In some places, the villagers were forced to walk first and then army column followed the villagers.

It seems [they were] using us as human shields in the battlefield, said Ko Kyaw Thein Hlaing.

Say Taung village administrator U Maung Thein Nyunt confirmed the dentations at his village on Thursday morning. According to him, army troops experienced three landmine attacks by the AA on Tuesday and some unconfirmed information circulating among villagers claimed that dozens of army soldiers were killed in that attack. Although the villagers could not provide hard evidence, some people speculate that soldiers who entered the forest did not return to the village as of Thursday. Some villagers from Yae Gaung Chaung and nearby Ka Yu Chaung villages saw an army truck come to the area right after the three mine explosions and return quickly to the military command in Yae Gaung Chaung.

When The Irrawaddy phoned Rakhine States security and border affairs minister Col. Phone Tint on Thursday afternoon, he declined to comment, saying he was in a cabinet meeting at the time.

AA spokesperson U Khine Thukha said that the AA clashed with military troops in four locationstwo in Rathedaung Township and two in Chin States Paletwa Township. He confirmed a number of causalities on the militarys side but refused to reveal the death toll from clashes on Tuesday and Wednesday. He said the military randomly fired heavy howitzer artilleries into the forest in Rathedaug Township continuously for five hours.

U Khine Thukha said, As the army has reinforced the frontline with more troops, fighting will surely intensify and the locations of the skirmishes will broaden.

The Arakan National Party (ANP) released a statement on Thursday afternoon demanding that the military not block humanitarian workers and the relief efforts of those trying to help the displaced persons on the ground. They also urged them not to threaten or forcefully use villagers on the battlefield. The ANP statement says the Myanmar militarys recent ceasefire announcement on halting military operations in five commands while continuing battles in Rakhine State is contradictory to the all-inclusiveness of Myanmars peace process.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced on Thursday afternoon that they were assisting over 1,000 displaced villagers who were affected by the fighting in the area.

On Friday, Rakhine State security and border affairs minister Col. Phone Tint told The Irrawaddy there was no such thing.

The villagers have already arrived back home. We just inquired as we met them in the forest, then we released them. They have already arrived back home. We have asked the [concerned] village administrators [about it].

When asked by The Irrawaddy if the regional government would ask the military not to force the local villagers to help the army in its military activities in the future, the minister said the military has to respond according to the situation in the conflict zone.

They (the army) didnt use the locals. They just questioned them. Today, nobody forced civilians to serve as porters as others accuse. There is no reason to do so and no one will accept it. Once we heard about it we asked the lower levels but nobody does such things in this era, he said.

Editors Note: This story was updated on Friday with comments from Rakhine States minister for security and border affairs.

Correction: A previous version of this article mistakenly stated U Maung Thein Nyunt is the village administrator of Yae Gaung Chaung Village, when, in fact, he is the village administrator of Say Taung Village.The long wait is over for all loyal viewers of the long-running sci-fi classic, Doctor Who now that BBC America finally released the first trailer for Doctor Who Season 10. The shows first official trailer will introduce the fans to the Doctors new companion, Bill Potts who will be played by Pearl Mackie.

In the 50-minute trailer, there are minimal details about Bill. Deadline described Bill as an enthusiastic travel companion. She seems to be ecstatic that she gets to travel to time and space. She is a very curious and full of questions companion for the Doctor.

Aside from that, in the trailer, you will also see the return of one of the fans favorite, Nardole, portrayed by Matt Lucas. There is no definite date yet for the shows premiere. However, it is scheduled in spring 2017.

According to Screen Crush, Jenna Colemans character as Clara Oswald might also return in the series upcoming season. During Peter Capaldis interview at the Awesome Con panel in Washington D.C, he gave a hint that he just shot something and Clara was in it.

And as for Capaldi, he officially signed a contract throughout the shows season 10. He is the 12th actor to take on the iconic character of the Doctor when he landed the role back in 2013. However, the upcoming season will be Steven Moffats last time as the shows showrunner. Moffat already confirmed that he will leave the series after season 10.

Doctor Who Christmas special entitled The Return of Doctor Mysterio aired Christmas day and fans have different reactions to it. But heres what Peter got to say about the traditional Christmas special, I have always watched Doctor Who at Christmas, even before I was involved. I still do, but now I watch it from behind the sofa because Im terrified of my acting and my hair! But its still the centerpiece of our day. I wouldnt like to deprive my family of that. Doctor Who should be on Christmas Day. It suits Christmas.

Before Doctor Who Christmas special came out, Jobs & Hire shared that Capaldi already gave an exciting detail about the show and that is, he will be facing and challenging monsters. For those who have seen the Christmas episode, you can share your comments below.2017 will see several comic books coming to the big screen. From Marvel to DC, the year following 2016 is looking to be action packed.

Business Insider has compiled a list of comic based films that are scheduled for a 2017 release. The run starts in February and ends in November.

At the beginning of the year, there will be The Lego Batman Movie starring Will Arentt, Michael Cera, and Zach Galifianakis. It is set for a February 10 release.

It is to be followed by Logan on March 3. The film is set in the future and involves an aged and weary Wolverine and a younger clone fighting together.

Scarlett Johannson stars in Japanese manga turned film Ghost in the Shell as a cyborg field commander working for the Public Security Sec. 9, named Major Motoko Kusanagi. She lives in a cyber world and battles against a hacker.

Marvels Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 comes out on May 5. Fans will finally know more about Star Lords dad, who was only teased at in the first film and see the adorable Baby Groot in action.

On June 2, Wonder Woman comes out and it sees the return of Gal Gadot as the Amazon Princess. Patty Jenkins, director of the film, recently shared that the film will keep the legacy of Diana Prince.

Spider-Man Homecoming shows on July 7 and the friendly neighborhood superhero will battle against Vulture. In the movie are Marisa Tomei as Aunt May, Michael Keaton as Vulture, as well as Iron Mans Robert Downey as Tony Stark and Joan Favreau as Happy Hogan.

Thor Ragnarok comes out November 3 and Hulk joins the God of Thunder in the events foretold in Norse mythology. Tom Hiddleston and Anthony Hopkins reprise their roles as Loki and Odin respectively, and they are joined by Cate Blanchett as Hela, Goddess of Death.

Finally, the last comic book film for that year will be Justice League on November 17. The characters teased in at Batman V Superman will make a comeback, some of them being Superman, Batman, Flash, and Wonder Woman.LOWER MAKEFIELD >> The Lower Makefield Board of Supervisors will oppose zoning relief for the development of The Point, a triangular-shaped piece of land in the heart of historic Edgewood village. At its Dec. 1 meeting, the board voted 3 to 2 to direct its solicitor to oppose variances that would grant the project greater density, eliminate sidewalks and allow...Leadership Berkeley recently completed a makeover on the child play center at Dorchester Childrens Center in Summerville. The group also donated $1,000 from Home Telecom to renovate the sites teen lounge area.Thousands of people in DR Congo turned out to welcome Nobel Peace Prize laureat Denis Mukwege, the surgeon who helps women recover from the trauma of rape.

We won! We won! sang Mamy Magasine as she improvised a celebratory rumba in a rain-soaked courtyard in Bukavu, in the eastern province of South Kivu on the border with Rwanda.

He is the pride of Congolese women, and even women of the whole world, said Magasine, the local head of the countrys ministry for families.

A little earlier, Mukwege arrived on a UN flight and was driven into the city with an escort of UN peacekeepers.

Mukweges Panzi hospital has treated tens of thousands of victims of sexual violence in his war-weary native province of South Kivu.

But since an attempt on his life in October 2012, he lives inside the hospital compound under the protection of UN peacekeepers.

Wearing a scarf bearing the national colours, he arrived to a rapturous reception from the crowd, composed mainly of women, in front of a local college.

We will build a a more beautiful country than before, with peace, he said.

Mukwege showed the crowd his Nobel prize and said the $400,000 prize money that came with it would be ploughed back into treating the women under his care.

This is a beautiful day for me, this prize is your prize, protect it! Lets build a lasting peace, he added, to applause.

Speaking mainly in Swahili but passing sometimes into French, Mukwege also called for the creation of a compensation fund for victims of sexual violence and urged UN member states to contribute.

 Its him, our president 

Why not a special tribunal for the Congo? he added, referring to past examples of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).

He drew more applause after calling for a state of law, adding: A country without violence, its a bit difficult, but its not impossible.

Muwkege arrived a day after the countrys election panel announced yet another delay to presidential, legislative and municipal elections in troubled parts of the country, provoking violent protests.

He noted that no local politicians had turned out for this event, said the electoral process appeared to have stalled, and called for the Constitution to be respected.

In a recent opinion piece for the New York Times, Muwkege urged Kabila to give up power, but he did not go that far in Thursdays speech.

He did urge all those in power to measure the gravity of the situation to avoid chaos.

Were sick of it, he added, to the delight of the crowd.

President Joseph Kabila has been in power in 2001, since the assassination of his father, Laurent-Desire Kabila.

He was to step down at the end of 2016 after two terms in office. But instead he stayed on, invoking a clause in the constitution that enables a president to stay in office until a successor is elected.

Its him, our president, because he speaks of peace, said one young member of the audience after Muweges speech.

Mukwege shared this years Nobel Prize with Nadia Murad, the Iraqi Yazidi woman campaigning for people after herself surviving as a hostage of Islamic State jihadists.German prosecutors on Friday announced war crimes charges against a female member of the Islamic State jihadist group who let a five-year-old girl die of thirst in the scorching sun.

While living in then IS-occupied Mosul, Iraq, the 27-year-old German citizen identified only as Jennifer W. and her husband had purchased the child as a household slave in 2015, said prosecutors.

After the girl fell ill and wet her mattress, the husband of the accused chained her up outside as punishment and let the child die of thirst in the scorching heat, they said in a statement.

The accused allowed her husband to do so and did nothing to save the girl.

The federal prosecutors said they had laid the charges of war crimes, murder and weapons offences back on December 14 in a Munich court that deals with state security and terrorism cases.

Jennifer W. had first left Germany in August 2014 and travelled via Turkey and Syria to Iraq where she joined the IS the following month.

Recruited to a vice squad of the militant groups self-styled morality police, she would later patrol the city parks of the IS-occupied cities of Fallujah and Mosul.

Her task was to ensure that women comply with the behavioural and clothing regulations established by the terrorist organisation, said the statement.

For intimidation, the accused carried an assault rifle of the type Kalashnikov, a pistol and an explosives vest.

In January 2016, months after the childs death, W. visited the German embassy in Ankara to apply for new identity papers.

When she left the mission, she was arrested by Turkish security services and extradited several days later to Germany.

For lack of actionable evidence against her, she was initially allowed to return to her home in the state of Lower Saxony.

Since then her declared goal has been to return to the territory under IS rule, said the prosecutors.

When she attempted to again travel to Syria in June of this year, German police arrested her.

No date has been set yet for the start of the trial. If found guilty, she would face up to life in jail.Since its inception, Grants Pass Broadcasting has been a singular presence in Southern Oregon. KAJO and KLDR radio stations, informed by the Christian faith of its founders and many of its employees, consciously reflect Jesus Christs exhortation in Matthew 5.

The story of Grants Pass Broadcasting begins with the birth of Jim Wilson on January 3, 1926. Wilson, the founder of KAJO, was a product of particular time and place in America: the Depression-era, river-bottom farm communities of central Oklahoma, where Jim lived until he was 18 years old.

Jim grew up in a large, neatly bisected family: brothers Clarence, Claude and Carl came first; Maxine, Jim, and Evelyn arrived some years later. Although Jims father brought in a little cash by maintaining a rural mail route, farming provided the Wilson family a meager living through the 1920s and 30s. Some years, the cotton crop would yield, other years  not so much. The difficulty of it all made a lasting impression on Jim.

The elder brothers were largely grown and gone from the farm before the younger siblings came of age. Jim was stuck at home, as he liked to say, sandwiched between two sisters. The farm work was back-breaking and Jim longed for a profession out of the weather and with fewer callouses!

After graduation from Bearden High School in 1943, Jim left the farm against his parents wishes and hitchhiked to Portland, Oregon. He wanted to join the U.S. Navy, but was disqualified due to childhood middle and inner ear injuries inflicted by primitive medical care. Jim joined his brother, Carl, who was living in Portland, and took a job welding Liberty Ships at Swan Island.

While in Portland, Jim noticed a broadcasting school advertisement on the back of a matchbook. He had always been a wit, much to the dismay of his parents and sisters. He decided to check this new opportunity out. He completed the coursework and returned to Oklahoma to work for his brother, Clarence, who had become active in building and operating radio stations throughout the West and Midwest. Clarence and his business partners -- the money men -- would build a new radio station that Jim would manage for a couple of years before moving on to the next freshly-built station. While working in McAlester, Oklahoma, Jim met a local girl, Patricia Burks, who became his wife. Patricia gave birth to a son, Carl, in McAlester in 1952.

Jim briefly flirted with television, but soon hit the broadcasting trail again with Pat and Carl in tow. The next radio assignment took Jim to Hays, Kansas. After 18 months or so in Hays, the little family moved to Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Jims fortunes began to turn in Klamath Falls. He was making great money, selling advertising for the station, and enjoying his time on the air. He began to think that he just might be able to make it on his own. One day while selling advertising in downtown Klamath Falls, he encountered an appliance salesman representing a national brand. The man asked, Whats a guy like you doing here? You should be in Grants Pass -- its a great town and theres only one radio station.

Well, that strangers name is lost to history but he had quite an impact on Grants Pass without ever knowing it. Jim Wilson was about to go into business for himself.

Jim originally started the business with two partners, one of whom was one of the money men previously mentioned. It took from 1957 to 1972 for Jim to buy out his business partners and fly on his own. However, from the opening day of August 15, 1957, Jim didnt exactly fly solo.

Back in Hays, Jim had learned that his long-time friend, Elzie Parker, had also gotten into this new thing called radio. What a strange coincidence that was! Jim called Elzie back in Arkansas and asked that he join him in Oregon. As legend goes, Elzie said yes without even asking about pay. These two set Grants Pass on its ear for decades, weaving hilarious stories of childhood in that Oklahoma bottom land. Their stories resonated with the working-class depression kids who comprised so much of Grants Pass and Josephine County.

Jim and Elzie established KAJO as a station that the community could count on through thick and thin, come blazing fires or fearsome floodwaters. The station was a vanguard, protecting and caring for the community. Grants Pass Broadcasting added KLDR-FM in 1992. Jims sons, Carl and Matt played a key role in managing the radio stations throughout the 1980s and well into the 2000s.

As KAJO nears its 60th anniversary on August 15, 2017, Carl remains the managing partner, along with his mother, Patricia. Although the elder generation is gone, (Jim passed away in early 2005), the radio stations still bear the mark of the founder. Carl is the first to say, Im just caretaking and growing what the founders built.

The Wilson family thanks the Grants Pass and Josephine County community for the tremendous support these past six decades. The family is also deeply grateful for the many wonderful and talented people who have been part of the work of bringing a unique brand of community radio to the airwaves.Carl Wilson

CEO

Since my father, Jim Wilson, founded KAJO in 1957, you could say that I literally was "raised on radio". My first memories are of going to visit my dad when he was behind the mic at KLAD in Klamath Falls, OR. We moved to Grants Pass when I was five and shortly thereafter, dad founded the venerable `ol AM 1270. My heroes have always been DJ's... and I am fortunate to have known every announcer who has ever been on KAJO in its entire history, dating from the summer of `57. It is an honor to be counted in that crew... and, have we ever seen some interesting guys and gals during that time! I made my on-air debut in the summer of `68. For the most part, I've been on the air continually since that time... with a couple of partial detours. I joined the navy right after high school and spent two years active duty and a bunch of years in reserve. Another very interesting detour was an appointment to the Oregon State Legislature in 1998 and two subsequent reelections. I took a hiatus at the end of 2002 and returned to the family business. Radio is SO much fun... One highlight of my career was going through the process of adding KLDR to the fold back in 1991 and getting an opportunity to do contemporary radio on FM as a morning jock. Those were heady years indeed! In 2014 I again felt the call to return to the State Legislature and have been serving proudly as a right minded voice for Southern Oregon ever since.

I am married to Malinda and have been since summer of `72, and we have two adult children, J.L. and Lora. J.L. is the owner of a longtime lobbying and public affairs firm in Salem, Public Affairs Counsel. Lora is a marriage and family therapist with a practice in Salem. They are both married to great people... J.L.'s wife is Heather... and Lora's husband, Greg. We also have grandchildren Abigail, Ruby, and Ava Wilson, Tyler Johns, Ashlynn and Johnny Withers and Samson Goodenough.

My hobby is motorcycles. I don't know how many hundreds of thousands of miles I have ridden since the summer of `68, but it has been too many to count. My old Harley and I are slowing down and I am happy to be getting interested in travel trailers. Malinda and I have really enjoyed this hobby over the last several years and there is more to come, I trust! Malinda and I are very active in the ministry at River Valley Church and enjoy having our bibles close at hand. We don't just carry them, we believe them. Life without Jesus Christ would be useless to me.

Again, thank you for your interest in our stations. Our desire is to be a "city on a hill" in our community. Please let us know if we can do more to serve you. Thank you!Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 28)  Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana is supporting a bid to revive the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant as it will benefit the country.

"It will just be revived to generate electricity. Hindi naman tayo siguro capable to develop our own nuclear bomb. Hindi naman siguro 'yun ang purpose nun," Lorenzana said in a media briefing in Malacanang Friday.

He was asked about the recommendation of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, reportedly sent to President Rodrigo Duterte, to revive the mothballed plant.

"And if they can revive it provided na hindi tayo gagastos nang malaki, I think it will be good for us. Wala tayong nakikitang security implications niyan e," Lorenzana added.

Constructed under former President Ferdinand Marcos' regime, the Bataan plant is the country's first and only nuclear power facility. The plant never opened due to issues regarding corruption and safety, compounded by fears over the Chernobyl power plant disaster in 1986, which killed and caused the sickness of dozens of people due to severe radiation effects.

The Bataan plant, located 100 kilometers west of Manila, took 10 years to build and was supposed to generate 623 megawatts of clean energy. It is now on "preservation mode" since then President Corazon Aquino refused to activate it in the 1980s, costing the government up to P50 million a year for its maintenance.

But Russian Ambassador Igor Khovaev told CNN Philippines in April that the Bataan plant was beyond revival, saying the technology in the plant was "absolutely outdated."

"The safety standards, [the] international standards are much, much higher than the standards on which the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant was built. So I think it's not possible at all," he said, referring to the plant opening. His statement comes after Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom conducted an assessment of the facility to determine if it was fit for commissioning.WASHINGTON (AP) - It's looking increasingly like the partial government shutdown will be handed off to a divided government to solve in the new year.

Now nearly a week old, the impasse is idling hundreds of thousands of federal workers and beginning to pinch citizens who count on varied public services.

Gates are closed at some national parks, the government won't issue new federal flood insurance policies and in New York, the chief judge of Manhattan federal courts suspended work on civil cases involving U.S. government lawyers, including several civil lawsuits in which Donald Trump himself is a defendant.vvvvCAVE JUNCTION, Ore.  Deputies from the Josephine County Sheriff's Office (JCSO) rushed to downtown Cave Junction after a multitude of calls reporting a man yelling and brandishing what appeared to be an "assault rifle."

Sheriff Dave Daniel said that the calls started coming in around 1 p.m. on Thursday. Multiple callers described a man shouting unintelligibly and holding what looked like an AR-15 style rifle.

When deputies arrived at the scene around 1:40 p.m., they found 44-year-old William Sanders  acting much as the callers had described  in the area around Shop Smart and Taylor's Sausage. After contacting Sanders, the deputies eventually discovered that he was actually carrying an airsoft rifle modeled on the MP5 submachine gun.

Although openly carrying a firearm is not illegal in Oregon, Sheriff Daniel said  particularly when that firearm is not, in fact, lethal  Sanders was determined to be disturbing the peace. As a result, he was lodged in the Josephine County Jail and charged with Disorderly Conduct.KENO, Ore.  A resident of the little community of Keno in Klamath County led deputies to two suspects in a string of mail and package thefts after secreting a GPS tracker in a package, according to the Klamath County Sheriff's Office (KCSO).

The resident put a GPS tracker inside of a decoy package, KCSO said in a statement, then left the package in their mailbox to "see what would happen." By Wednesday, around 11 p.m., the resident called 911 after noticing movement on the tracking device.

Using the tracking data, the caller kept dispatch advised of the device's whereabouts as it moved toward Klamath Falls. Deputies then pulled over a vehicle that appeared to have the package.

Inside the vehicle, KCSO said the deputies found Leah Withrow and Kameron Rivas and their baby. They reportedly admitted to stealing the package  not knowing that it contained the tracking device.

Deputies found other pieces of mail in their vehicle with addresses in both Klamath and Jackson counties. KCSO said that they are working with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office to assist with the investigation.

While Rivas was arrested and brought to jail, Withrow was cited to appear in court and released so she could care for their child.

"Since October 2018, Rivas and Withrow have been arrested, charged and are suspects in numerous other crimes in Klamath County," according to KCSO. They have faced a laundry list of charges, including Aggravated Identity Theft, Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card, Possession of Methamphetamine, Mail Theft, Forgery I, Forgery II, Theft I, Theft II, and Theft III.

KCSO said that Rivas and Withrow often drive a green 2002 Toyota RAV4 with California license plates [similar vehicle pictured]. Citizens are advised to contact law enforcement immediately if this vehicle is spotted around mailboxes.

"The Klamath County Sheriffs Office extends its gratitude to the resident who contacted 911 about the moving stolen package; rather than take matters into their own hands, they involved law enforcement, which was the right decision. The Klamath County Sheriffs Office reminds people to remain vigilant and properly secure residences, outbuildings, vehicles and mailboxes," KCSO said.EUGENE, Ore. -- It's the second day of Kwanzaa, and families here in Eugene are celebrating in their own way.

Mark Harris and his family have been celebrating the 52-year-old tradition for years.

Harris said the celebration is about bettering one's self and their community on many levels.

On the second day of Kwanzaa, Harris said they focus on self-determination.

"I'm a native person, I'm also the son of a doctor and a school teacher, so it's logical that I would be a therapist educator," Harris said. "So, I train drug counselors. I also teach an ethnic studies class at Lane that goes back to 15,000 B.C."

While it's often thought of as an African-American tradition, Harris said anyone could theoretically celebrate.

"Part of the elements of Kwanzaa is understanding that we are all bigger than the picture we have been taught in school and that the model should be multi-lingual, multi-racial, so to speak -- or, one race, and knowing those histories," Harris said.

Harris said as long as you focus on unity, self-determination, cooperative work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith -- the seven elements of Kwanzaa -- you too, can celebrate.DES MOINES, Iowa  A state audit of the Mason City School District has found over $2 million in improper payments.

State Auditor Mary Mosiman released a report Friday on her investigation of school district spending between July 1, 2009, and August 31, 2017. The investigation was requested by the Mason City school district after concerns raised by a re-audit of the 2015 fiscal year that was completed in August 2017.

Mosiman says she found $2,238,952.08 in improper payments, broken down into:

- $1,344.314.30 in salary to various school administrators.

- $217,405.64 in FICA and IPERS deductions on the improper payroll.

- $387,682.09 in school district contributions to tax-sheltered annuity retirement accounts for various administrators.

- $171,998.36 for the resignation package awarded to Dr. Anita Micich, former Mason City Superintendent.

- $117,551.69 in vacation balance payouts to various school administrators.

Mosiman says the $1.3 million in improper salary was paid to 66 school district employees. Her report also states that during the time Dr. Micich was shared Superintendent for Mason City and Clear Lake school districts, Mason City overbilled Clear Lake by $7,370 as part of the sharing agreement.

The Mason City School District has issued a statement on the results of the state audit. It states the investigation did not find any excess payments after July 1, 2017 and that the core problems identified by the investigation were corrected in July 2017. The District also states it believes the separation payment made to Dr. Micich was appropriate based on the terms of her contract.

The Mason City Board of Education is scheduled to discuss the results of this investigation at a Committee of the Whole work/study session on January 7. The meeting will start at 5:30 pm in the Administrative Center at 1515 South Pennsylvania Avenue and questions and comments from the public are invited.

Former school board member Janna Arndt discovered how the numbers weren't adding up, and together with other board members, worked to get the request to the state auditor's office. She feels sad for the district in light of the report.

"That's a lot of money. It's stuff we could've done for the kids, had an even better STEM program than what we did when I was on the board. Or have that gym that everyone talks about. Or just have enough teachers in the classrooms. And that was taken from the kids and the community."

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation says it received a copy of State Auditor's report and is investigating former Mason City school superintendent Dr. Anita Micich with the Cerro Gordo County Attorney's Office. If the DCI decides to press charges, Arndt says she wants the investigation to serve its purpose.

"I hope that if the DCI warrants that charges should be pressed, that charges should be pressed. We'll probably never get all of that back. We could always hope. But what we do get back might be worth something."

The full statement from the Mason City School District is below. To read the full report from the Iowa Auditor of States Office, click here.ALBERT LEA, Minn.  A Freeborn County man is found guilty of 5th degree criminal sexual conduct and false imprisonment.

Fortino Zarate, 28 of Oakland, was arrested in September 2018 after he was accused of taking a four-year-old girl back to his home and pulling down her underwear. Zarate pleaded not guilty and waived his right to a jury trial. His case was instead heard by a judge.

After a three-day trial, the judge has now ruled Zarate is guilty of criminal sexual conduct and false imprisonment, but found him not guilty to kidnapping and indecent exposure. Zarates sentencing is scheduled for March 18, 2018.MASON CITY, Iowa - The New Year will see the implementation of a new regulation, this one involving hospitals - and your wallet.

Beginning January 1st, hospitals across the U.S. will be required to post the costs of standard procedures online as part of the Inpatient Prospective Payment System rule, and are required to update their prices yearly. The Centers of Medicare & Medicaid wants the new law to improve transparency, and to also give patients the chance to take charge of their care.

Travis Abernathey's mother has chronic lung problems, and has seen the bills, which aren't cheap. He's all in on improved transparency.

"I think it'd be good because people are able to see what they're getting into. Because a lot of people they think, you know, my knee hurts and stuff like this, you wanna go check it out, and then you find out that it's a surgery that would cost $30,000 or something."

With concerns on prices regarding procedures like surgeries, Abernathey notes that some may pass on treatment simply because of the cost.

"You think about all the people who are out there on fixed incomes. That's stuff they worry about all the time. Then they see that if they have to go to the doctor, it's going to cost them an X amount of dollars, they might not go to the doctor's, and they sit there in their home being sick because they can't afford it."

Some consumer advocates say even though the law will be beneficial, it doesn't do enough to inform patients about adjusted and sometimes increased costs due to insurance and other variables.DES MOINES, Iowa  Wells Fargo has agreed to a $575 million dollars settlement over claims the bank violated state consumer protection laws.

The settlement covers all 50 states and will result in Iowa getting $6.1 million and Minnesota receiving $9.3 million.

This agreement is unique and one of the largest multistate settlements with a bank since the National Mortgage Settlement in 2012, says Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller. This significant dollar amount, on top of actions by federal regulators, holds Wells Fargo accountable for its practices.

Wells Fargo was accused of creating unauthorized accounts and enrolling customers into banking services without their consent, affecting millions of people.

This settlementon top of other settlements by federal regulatorsis aimed to bring some measure of accountability to practices that are unacceptable for a banking institution, says Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson.

Authorities say Wells Fargo also improperly referred customers for enrollment in third-party renters and life insurance policies and improperly charged auto loan customers for force-placed and collateral protection insurance.

As part of previous settlements, Wells Fargo will also pay over $1 billion in civil penalties to the federal government and about $600 million to consumers.BAGHDAD (AP)  President Donald Trump's surprise trip to Iraq may have quieted criticism at home that he had yet to visit troops in a combat zone, but it has infuriated Iraqi politicians who on Thursday demanded the withdrawal of U.S. forces.

"Arrogant" and an "a violation of national sovereignty" were but a few examples of the disapproval emanating from Baghdad following Trump's meeting Wednesday with U.S. servicemen and women at the al-Asad Airbase.

Trips by U.S. presidents to conflict zones are typically shrouded in secrecy and subject to strict security measures, and Trump's was no exception. Few in Iraq or elsewhere knew the U.S. president was in the country until minutes before he left.

But this trip came as curbing foreign influence in Iraqi affairs has become a hot-button political issue, and Trump's perceived presidential faux-pas was failing to meet with the prime minister in a break with diplomatic custom for any visiting head of state.

On the ground for only about three hours, the American president told the men and women with the U.S. military that Islamic State forces have been vanquished, and he defended his decision against all advice to withdraw U.S. troops from neighboring Syria, He declared: "We're no longer the suckers, folks."

The abruptness of his visit left lawmakers in Baghdad smarting and drawing unfavorable comparisons to the occupation of Iraq after the 2003 invasion.

"Trump needs to know his limits. The American occupation of Iraq is over," said Sabah al-Saidi, the head of one of two main blocs in Iraq's parliament.

Trump, he said, had slipped into Iraq, "as though Iraq is a state of the United States."

While Trump didn't meet with any officials, he spoke with Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi by phone after a "difference in points of view" over arrangements led to a face-to-face encounter between the two leaders getting scrapped, according to the prime minister's office.

The visit could have unintended consequences for American policy, with officials from both sides of Iraq's political divide calling for a vote in Parliament to expel U.S. forces from the country.

The president, who kept to the U.S. air base approximately 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Baghdad, said he had no plans to withdraw the 5,200 troops in the country. He said Ain al-Asad could be used for U.S. air strikes inside Syria.

The suggestion ran counter to the current sentiment of Iraqi politics, which favors claiming sovereignty over foreign and domestic policy and staying above the fray in regional conflicts.

"Iraq should not be a platform for the Americans to settle their accounts with either the Russians or the Iranians in the region," said Hakim al-Zamili, a senior lawmaker in al-Saidi's Islah bloc in Parliament.

U.S. troops are stationed in Iraq as part of the coalition against the Islamic State group. American forces withdrew in 2011 after invading in 2003 but returned in 2014 at the invitation of the Iraqi government to help fight the jihadist group. Trump's visit was the first by a U.S. president since Barack Obama met with then-Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki at a U.S. base outside Baghdad in 2009.

Still, after defeating IS militants in their last urban bastions last year, Iraqi politicians and militia leaders are speaking out against the continued presence of U.S. forces on Iraqi soil.

Supporters of the populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr won big in national elections in May, campaigning on a platform to curb U.S. and rival Iranian involvement in Iraqi affairs. Al-Sadr's lawmakers now form the core of the Islah bloc, which is headed by al-Saidi in Parliament.

The rival Binaa bloc, commanded by politicians and militia leaders close to Iran, also does not favor the U.S.

Qais Khazali, the head of the Iran-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia that fought key battles against IS in northern Iraq, promised on Twitter that Parliament would vote to expel U.S. forces from Iraq, or the militias would force them out by "other means."

Khazali was jailed by British and U.S. forces from 2007 to 2010 for managing sections of the Shia insurgency against the occupation during those years.

Trump's visit would be a "great moral boost to the political parties, armed factions, and others who oppose the American presence in Iraq," Iraqi political analyst Ziad al-Arar said.

Still, the U.S. and Iraq developed considerable military and intelligence ties in the war against IS, and they continue to pay off in operations against militants gone into hiding.

Earlier in the month, Iraqi forces called in an airstrike by U.S.-coalition forces to destroy a tunnel used by IS militants in the Atshanah mountains in north Iraq. Four militants were killed, according to the coalition.

A hasty departure of U.S. forces would jeopardize such arrangements, said Iraqi analyst Hamza Mustafa.

Relations between the U.S. and Iraq also extend beyond military ties. U.S. companies have considerable interests in Iraq's petrochemical industry, and American diplomats are often brokers between Iraq's fractious political elite.

Iraq's Sunni politicians have been largely quiet about the presidential visit, reflecting the ties they have cultivated with the U.S. to counterbalance the might of the country's Iran-backed and predominantly-Shiite militias.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Abdul-Mahdi accepted Trump's invitation to the White House during their call, though the Prime Minister's office has so far refused to confirm that.ALBERT LEA, Minn. - The Minnesota Governor's Fishing Opener is coming to Albert Lea May 9-12, but there's a lot of work to be done in the meanttime.

"We are basically gearing up all of our community members for sponsorship opportunities, event opportunities," explains sponsorship committee chair Laura Cunningham.

The goal is to promote the recreational activities the state has to offer, especially fishing. Organizers are hoping the event will put a national spotlight on Albert Lea as a fishing destination.

Before the big day, organizers need to gather between 80 and 100 fishing hosts for the event. They want to have half the needed amount by the end of the year. As of Thursday, they are only 8 people away from that goal. To be a host, you need to have a boat and knowledge of at least one Albert Lea lake. "If you like to fish and you want to meet some interesting people, I've met some really great people over the years going to these things," says fishing host committee co-chair Dick Herfindahl. He's attended every fishing opener since 1995.

To register as a fishing host, click here or call Herfindahl at 507-383-2231. For information on sponsoring the event, click here. or call Herfindahl at 507-383-2231.NORTHWOOD, Iowa  A Minnesota man is arrested for an assault in a North Iowa hotel room.

Abdirizak Warsame Mohammed, 40 of Columbia Heights, MN, is charged with one count of willful injury causing serious injury. The Worth County Sheriffs Office says Mohammed is accused of beating and choking a woman at the Holiday Inn on Wheelerwood Road at around 10:40 pm on December 1.

The victim, a woman from Minneapolis, told law enforcement that Mohammed and another female asked to stay in her room because they were too intoxicated to drive. The victim says the two started to destroy the room and when she told them to stop, Mohammed punched her in the face and started to strangle her.

The deputy who responded to the scene says he noticed quite a bit of blood in the hotel room and the victim had a completely swollen shut left eye and blood all over her face.

The Worth County Sheriffs Office says it issued a warrant for Mohammed and he was picked up in Owatonna on Friday. Hes being held in the Worth County Jail without bond.CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP)  The attorney for a man charged in the 1979 slaying of an Iowa high school student says his client will plead not guilty.

Leon Spies is the attorney for Jerry Lynn Burns. Spies told The Des Moines Register Thursday that Burns will enter the plea at his arraignment, which has not been scheduled. The 64-year-old Burns is being held on $5 million bond .

Police arrested the Manchester man on Dec. 19, charging him with first-degree murder 39 years to the day after 18-year-old Michelle Martinko of Cedar Rapids was killed. Her body was found the next day inside her family's car at a mall. She had been stabbed in the face and chest.

Police say they matched a blood sample from the crime scene with a sample taken from Burns.CHARLES CITY, Iowa  Three men are arrested and charges are pending on others after an investigation that started with a stolen computer.

The Charles City Police Department says it learned on Thursday about a stolen laptop being listed for sale on a social media site. Officers executed a search warrant at around 2:25 pm at an apartment in the 600 block of Milwaukee Street and found the laptop.



Robert Luckett Robert Luckett

Xavier Frank Xavier Frank

At around 3:13 pm, a Floyd County sheriffs deputy stopped a vehicle in the 2300 block of Highway 18, arresting both the driver, Troy L. Bijani, 22 of Mason City, and a passenger, Xavier T. Frank, 24 of Charles City. Authorities say Bijani had three outstanding Floyd County warrants and is also being charged with 2nd degree burglary and 1st degree theft. Frank is being charged with 2nd degree burglary and 1st degree theft as well.

Police say they then got a second search warrant for the same apartment in the 600 block of Milwaukee Street and returned there a little after 4 pm, finding many stolen handguns and drug-related items. The guns had been reported stolen previously to the Floyd County Sheriffs Office and a joint investigation with Charles City police was begun.

A little before 5 pm Thursday, Charles City police stopped Robert Luckett III, 27 of Mason City, while driving in the area of E Street and Highway 18. Officers say he was found with drugs and several more stolen guns.

The investigation also led to the search of a home in the 200 block of 4th Avenue in Charles City at around 7:30 pm Thursday and law enforcement says drug-related items and information on the stolen guns was seized.

The Charles City Police Department says it all happened through team work with the Floyd County Sheriffs Office and multiple charges are pending on several subjects as the investigation continues.ROCHESTER, Minn. -

Some good samaritans at the YMCA have been offering free food to their members since the 21st of December. Their reasoning is to ensure community and YMCA members will not have to worry about another meal for the holidays.

One member and yoga teacher at the YMCA is appreciative of their gesture.

"The free food, it's so good, especially in this cold wintery weather," Sunny Chee said. "I guess it serves the community well. This is a good deed for people who is in need of food I guess. It's a really good deed."

The YMCA will keep serving food until it is all gone which could be today or by the end of the week.A typical holiday season is filled with checklists, from shopping lists to to-do lists, both at work and at home. Heres a short financial wellness checklist to help ensure your financial house is in order as you transition into 2019.

1. Check your beneficiary designations

Although we might not want to give it thought, we are all going to pass away at some point. And, since we dont know when this will happen, its critical that we keep our beneficiary designations up to date. Obviously, this holds true for the workplace-sponsored and/or individual life insurance policies we own, but it also holds true for our IRAs, 401(k)s and our pensions. As a general rule, your will wont override the named beneficiaries on these accounts, so its important to check them for accuracy from time to time, and the end of the year is a good time to do it. If you gave birth to or adopted a child in the last few years, make sure your account beneficiary designations reflect the new addition. If you have recently divorced, make sure your beneficiary designations reflect your current intentions. Finally, let me call attention to the importance of naming a beneficiary on your Health Savings Account (HSA) if you have one. If you name a spouse as beneficiary, he or she can become the owner of the account and use if for his or her own medical expenses.

2. Review your current and projected Social Security benefits

Social Security plays a critical role in protecting American families from risk, whether its dying prematurely (by providing survivor benefits), becoming disabled or living a long life in retirement. Consider that most workers and their employers pay into the system every time a worker receives a paycheck. Individuals should periodically check their Social Security Statement, and they can do this by creating a my Social Security account online. When you create your own personalized Social Security Statement, you can see not only what your future projected Social Security retirement benefits will be, but also what benefits you or your family qualify for in the event of disability or death. If these benefit amounts are not sufficient for your familys situation, consider purchasing additional life insurance coverage through your employer or on your own.

3. Consider opening (or adding money to) a Roth IRA

Roth IRAs can be valuable sources of tax-free income in retirement, to pay college expenses or even to buy a first home. Roth contributions can always be withdrawn tax-free and penalty-free. However, to withdraw earnings for these purposes, a Roth IRA has to be in place for minimum of five years. As a result, establishing a Roth IRA to start the five-year period can be a valuable financial planning maneuver. For example, a recent college graduate can open a Roth IRA now with a small amount and then save in a Roth 401(k) at work for the next few years. If the individual then switches jobs, she can roll the Roth 401(k) into the Roth IRA and then tap it for up to $10,000 when she purchases her first home  as long as the five-year period has been met. Roth IRAs are great as a wealth transfer vehicle for a couple of reasons. First, unlike traditional IRA assets, Roth IRA assets are not subject to required minimum distribution requirements. Thus, these assets can continue to grow throughout retirement without being drawn down due to mandatory withdrawals. Then, when passed along at death, the inheritor of the Roth IRA assets does not need to pay taxes when withdrawals are made. While there are restrictions in making a direct Roth IRA contribution in a given year, individuals can invest in a Roth IRA by contributing to a non-deductible traditional IRA and then converting it to a Roth IRA right away. This strategy, called a Backdoor Roth IRA, is becoming increasingly popular due to the unique benefits of building Roth IRA assets.

4. Give to charities in a tax-smart way

If you are giving to charities, make sure you do it in a tax-efficient way, and take advantage of any match your employer might offer. From a pure tax standpoint, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act made charitable giving less attractive for a large number of Americans. The reason for this is that millions are expected to now use the higher standard deduction when they file their taxes and therefore wont itemize their deductions. Since they wont itemize, they cannot deduct a charitable contribution. One option for individuals is to alternate years between using the standard deduction and itemizing deductions. Then, hold off on making a charitable gift until the tax year you will itemize your deductions. Another option that families have is they can give up to $100,000 annually from an IRA to a charity. While this can be done with a traditional IRA or Roth IRA, it typically would be more beneficial to do this with a traditional IRA since taxes have not been paid on these assets and will not need to be paid at all if given to a charity. And last, but not least  if your employer offers a company match for charitable donations dont forget to take advantage of it. Many employers set a deadline  typically at the end of the year  for employees to request a donation match.

5. Consider making a financial resolution for 2019

Just as you can make a New Years resolution to get fit or eat healthier, you can also take small steps going into 2019 to make yourself financially fit. From adding just 1% more to your workplace 401(k) plan to completely maxing it out (contribution limits for 2019 are $19,000, while catch-up contributions are $6,000), by making a pledge to pay yourself first you can increase your retirement savings considerably.

Of course, personal circumstances vary. Please consult your tax and financial advisers regarding your specific situation.

1014828-00001-00A financial adviser is someone you should be able to trust, someone who has complete transparency and who is on the lookout for your best interests. But there are some using bogus titles, misrepresenting their credentials and misstating facts in order to sell you a product or service. There might even be the chance that your financial adviser isnt licensed  or at best  is barely qualified to give the correct advice. The Securities and Exchange Commission has warned about such problems before, even issuing an Investor Alert: Beware of False or Exaggerated Credentials bulletin a few years ago. The alert warned about the dangers of encountering unlicensed or unregistered sellers of financial products and services. Here are five things to be on the lookout for when dealing with financial advice. No. 1: Fancy titles In the last few years there has been a significant increase in fancy titles being used to impress, such as Private Wealth Adviser, Wealth Manager, Wealth Management Adviser and many others. But what do they all mean, and is there any difference? The correct answer can be lengthy, but in short, it all depends on how your financial adviser is licensed. In the financial industry, there are basically three types of financial advisers: 1.) brokers; 2.) investment advisers; and 3.) insurance agents. Keep in mind, though, that financial professionals can be dually certified, so that can add a layer of complexity. Aside from fancy titles, they can only operate in a few ways:

Brokers (or registered representatives) typically are compensated by commissions on investments they sell through their brokerage firms. They are regulated by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and can hold multiple licenses, such as the Series 6 (allowing them to sell mutual funds and variable annuities), Series 7 (sell stocks, bonds, mutual funds, hedge funds and options) and Series 63 (solicit orders for any types of security). You might equate several licenses to having more options but that is not the case. It can be difficult to distinguish if they are working for you or their brokerage firms. Brokers are held to a suitability standard, which can limit their liability when they are giving advice to you (learn more by reading 7 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Financial Adviser).

typically are compensated by commissions on investments they sell through their brokerage firms. They are regulated by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and can hold multiple licenses, such as the Series 6 (allowing them to sell mutual funds and variable annuities), Series 7 (sell stocks, bonds, mutual funds, hedge funds and options) and Series 63 (solicit orders for any types of security). You might equate several licenses to having more options but that is not the case. It can be difficult to distinguish if they are working for you or their brokerage firms. Brokers are held to a suitability standard, which can limit their liability when they are giving advice to you (learn more by reading 7 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Financial Adviser). Investment advisers (or registered investment advisers) are solely compensated through fees or a percentage of assets under management and are regulated by the SEC. Typically they hold only one license  the Series 65. They are held to a higher fiduciary standard at all times, which means that they must put their clients interests ahead of their own. The investments and advice that they recommend must not merely be suitable for their clients, it must be the best possible option for them. Many times, financial planners who charge a fee for advice fall into this category, because they dont sell securities.

are solely compensated through fees or a percentage of assets under management and are regulated by the SEC. Typically they hold only one license  the Series 65. They are held to a higher fiduciary standard at all times, which means that they must put their clients interests ahead of their own. The investments and advice that they recommend must not merely be suitable for their clients, it must be the best possible option for them. Many times, financial planners who charge a fee for advice fall into this category, because they dont sell securities. Insurance agents are solely compensated by commissions on insurance products sold through insurance companies. They are regulated by their state insurance department  not FINRA or the SEC  and have an insurance license. While an insurance agent might use one of the fancy titles mentioned above, know that they are not allowed to do that and by doing so, they can be fined or disbarred.

are solely compensated by commissions on insurance products sold through insurance companies. They are regulated by their state insurance department  not FINRA or the SEC  and have an insurance license. While an insurance agent might use one of the fancy titles mentioned above, know that they are not allowed to do that and by doing so, they can be fined or disbarred. Dually licensed professionals can wear multiple hats, which can blur the lines between the fiduciary standard and the suitability standard. For example, its not unusual to see someone registered as both a broker and an investment adviser representative. That means they may earn commissions on investments they sell through their brokerage firm and also charge a fee or collect a percentage of assets under management as well. Brokers and investment advisers might also have their state insurance licenses, allowing them to be compensated by commissions on insurance products  such as term or permanent insurance, annuities, disability and long-term care insurance  through insurance companies.

Its imperative to ask how your financial adviser is licensed to find out how they are compensated. Depending on the firm your financial adviser works for, you can often make a quick determination as to what category they fit in. No. 2: Confusing credentials While some professional designations confirm expertise, many others are misleading and only there to draw you in. Do all the credentials involve the same level of expertise and are they as intensive? The answer is no. With at least a couple hundred or more certifications available, even industry experts have a hard time distinguishing between all of the designations available. FINRA has a dedicated section on its website titled Professional Designations, which provides the organization administering the credentials, their prerequisites, education requirements and continuing education standards. Some credentials indicate experience or knowledge in key areas of the financial planning process, such as the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) or Certified Public Accountant (CPA) for accounting. CFPs and CPAs hold extensive training in their fields and are often required to have more than a bachelors degree worth of training. Others, such as the Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS) or Certified Financial Fiduciaries (CFF), are much less intensive and can be achieved in one day or over the weekend. With such a widespread use of easily earned titles alongside those more challenging ones, you should research the potential financial advisers qualifications and ask questions pertaining to your unique challenges or particular situation. No. 3: Phony awards or honors There are plenty of companies ready to sell financial advisers on the idea that they are special in some sort of way and should proudly display the accomplishment. Awards, plaques and certificates are only part of the problem. Even large publications are hurting their reputation by letting third-party companies use their name to sell financial advisers who are willing to pay several thousands of dollars just to be featured on a bogus article or award. Awards that are descriptive, such as best or those that give star ratings, are some examples.

You should always research the award or accomplishment your financial adviser is touting to make sure its not tainted. Read the fine print at the bottom, and if theres a company name that isnt associated with the publication, its probably something that was purchased and not earned. No. 4: Complaints and other activities A financial adviser might have many designations, but if you dig beneath the surface you might find legitimate complaints or unethical business practices linked to them. The best thing you can do is conduct a simple background check, which can be done in under five minutes. You can either ask for your financial advisers Central Registration Depository (CRD) number or search by their name on FINRA BrokerCheck or the SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure websites. Doing a little research is the first step to protecting your money. No. 5: Unlicensed financial advisers Unlicensed individuals are often the biggest problem in the financial industry because there is no governing body, such as FINRA or the SEC, to regulate whats being said or offered. Red flags often include if investments offered seem too good to be true or offer a guaranteed return. In some cases, even insurance agents might be offering unregistered investments when they arent licensed to do so. Its important to research and not feed into the pressure of doing something immediately. Whether dealing with financial advisers or investments, preventing mistakes will always prevail against having to cure them. Just to recap Here are the three types of financial professionals: Brokers (or registered representatives) Type of Standard: Suitability standard

Suitability standard Company: Broker-Dealer (or wirehouse firm)

Broker-Dealer (or wirehouse firm) Type of Compensation: Commissions on investment produces (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, hedge funds or options)

Commissions on investment produces (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, hedge funds or options) Licenses (and Regulating Body): Series 6 or 7, Series 63 (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority  FINRA) Insurance Agents Type of Standard: Suitability standard

Suitability standard Company: Insurance company (or insurance brokerage)

Insurance company (or insurance brokerage) Type of Compensation: Commissions on insurance products (life, health, long-term care, disability and annuities)

Commissions on insurance products (life, health, long-term care, disability and annuities) Licenses (and Regulating Body): Life, health and annuity (state insurance department) Investment Advisers (or RIAs) Type of Standard: Fiduciary standard

Fiduciary standard Company: Registered Investment Adviser (RIA)

Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) Type of Compensation: Fees (for financial plan, investment advice or percentage of assets under management)

Fees (for financial plan, investment advice or percentage of assets under management) Licenses (and Regulating Body): Series 65 (Securities & Exchange Commission  SEC)U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping



By Lee Kyung-min



Korea should brace for a renewal of deepening trade tension between the United States and China in 2019 as it is likely to persist for years, according to economists, Thursday.



Lee Chae-woong

Korea is especially vulnerable, as it is a small, open economy with heavy reliance on external shipments. More importantly, the country has no control over the feud between the two economic giants.



The economists expect the ongoing trade tension will continue without any clear end in sight, given the hegemony-oriented nature of the power struggle between the world's two largest economies. "The conflict will continue for an extended period of time, because it is not about a mere trade deficit, and much more about the dispute over technology, goods and services for generations to come," said Park Chong-hoon, a chief economist at SC First Bank.



"While the two sides will remain non-confrontational for the time being, the issue will continue for a long time given it is an overarching policy directive of the U.S. government."



U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed to a temporary truce on the trade war Dec. 1, in a dramatic ceasefire that broke the then much escalating tension.





Park Chong-hoon

The U.S. warned that it would raise tariffs to 25 percent up from 10 percent on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods citing a growing trade imbalance.



The two, according to the White House statement, also agreed to begin negotiations on forced technology transfer, non-tariff barriers, intellectual property and cyber theft, Trump's biggest complaints, and major concerns Park cited that will largely dictate prosperity of the two economies.



While both sides agreed to complete negotiations within 90 days with plans to impose the raised rate to 25 percent, no clear deadline has been set. According to Oh Suk-tae, an economist at Societe Generale, the ambiguous agreement will eventually fall through, with the U.S. imposing the 25 percent tariffs on the said amount of Chinese goods.



"The 90-day truce has not produced any concrete details since U.S. President Trump announced the plan saying the imposition would take effect Jan. 1. The dispute will continue for at least a few years and a couple more for a full and complete resolution," Oh said.



Oh Suk-tae

Neither side will budge in what now has developed into a full-fledged power struggle, said Lee Chae-woong, a professor emeritus of economics at Sungkyunkwan University.



"The two in the short term may seek a truce, which can and will inevitably break into a heated feud at any given moment as neither side would give in and outright admit that it lost when the whole world is watching. China obviously has more to lose, but the U.S. is fatigued just as much," Lee said.



Ryu Deock-hyun, an economics professor at Chung-Ang University, said the two will find a way that involves neither confrontation nor concession.



The conflict will move from import tariffs to export bans, according to Alicia Garcia-Herrero, Asia Pacific chief economist at Natixis Global Market Research.





Alicia Garcia-HerreroThank you for reading!

Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue.iStock/Thinkstock(BAKERSFIELD, Calif.) -- The man accused of gunning down a Northern California police officer was taken into custody Friday in Bakersfield, California, following a massive manhunt, officials said.



The suspect, Gustavo Perez Arriaga, fled after shooting Newman police Cpl. Ronil Singh, 33, at a traffic stop just before 1 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department.



An undocumented immigrant with known gang affiliations, the 32-year-old Arriaga tried to flee to Mexico after his alleged crime, authorities said Friday.



Arriaga's brother, Adrian Virgen, and co-worker, Erik Razo Quiroz, were arrested and accused of acting as accomplices, authorities said.



Arriaga, who worked as a farm laborer, has two prior DUI arrests, authorities said, and Cpl. Singh pulled him over because he believed he was under the influence of alcohol.



Singh's brother, Reggie Singh, burst into tears as he thanked law enforcement for working so quickly to make an arrest.



"I'd like to thank you from the bottom of my heart," he said at a news conference, overcome with emotion.



The motive is not clear, authorities said, adding they believe Arriaga was alone when he committed the crime.



Ronil Singh, a native of Fiji, had been with the Newman Police Department since July 2011, the sheriff's office said. He previously served with the Merced County Sheriffs Department, according to a statement from California Gov. Jerry Brown.



Ronil Singh is survived by his wife and 5-month-old son, according to officials.



President Donald Trump weighed in on the shooting on Thursday after Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson said the suspect was in the country illegally.



"This suspect -- unlike Ron, who immigrated to this country lawfully and legally to pursue his lifelong career of public safety, public service and being a police officer -- is in our country illegally," Christianson said Thursday.



"There is right now a full scale manhunt going on in California for an illegal immigrant accused of shooting and killing a police officer during a traffic stop," Trump tweeted Thursday. "Time to get tough on Border Security. Build the Wall!"

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 28)  Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Friday he had asked government lawyers to study the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) with the United States in preparation for a possible review of the agreement.

In a Malacanang press briefing, Lorenzana said the government had three options after the review: "Maintain it, strengthen it, or scrap it."

The 67-year-old agreement states that the Philippines and the U.S. would assist each other when either of them is attacked by a foreign force.

Article 8 of the MDT also states that, "This Treaty shall remain in force indefinitely. Either Party may terminate it one year after notice has been given to the other party."

Lorenzana, however, clarified that a review of the treaty was just his idea. Earlier this month, he said the MDT should be reviewed "to make it stronger" and clarify if the West Philippine Sea is covered by the treaty.

READ: DND eyes review of Mutual Defense Treaty with U.S.

"That was done in 1951. There was a raging cold war. May Cold War noon e. Do we still have Cold War today? Is it still relevant to our security? Baka hindi na (It may no longer be)," he noted in the briefing. "Wala naman tayo sigurong kalaban na sasakupin tayo e (No country is trying to invade us)."

The Philippines is concerned about rising tension between the U.S. and China in the disputed South China Sea  which could endanger security in the country and the region.

"There was this near collision between two destroyers in the Spratlys. Eh kung magputukan yan? (What if shots are fired?) We will be involved because yung MDT natin is - 'attack on one is attack on the other,' so ma-involve tayo diyan (so we would be involved)," Lorenzana said.

Although the U.S. is not a claimant country in the maritime dispute, it conducts freedom-of-navigation operations in international waters around the contested area and calls out China's alleged militarization in the region.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague in 2016 recognized the Philippines' sovereign rights in its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone, or the West Philippine Sea. But China rejected the landmark ruling and continued to claim almost the entire waterway.Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 43F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low around 30F. Winds light and variable.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 28)  Authorities are near to establishing the identities of those who may be behind the killing of AKO Bicol Party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano on Friday said the police have photos of the six suspects, volunteered by those who attended the gift-giving event in Daraga, Albay where Batocabe was shot dead on December 22.

"Maganda dito pinagtutulong tulungan natin ito, and I'm very positive na, sooner, ay ma-a-indentify natin yung mastermind and m-alo-locate natin 'yung mga gunmen. Hindi sila makakatakas sa kamay ng batas," Ano said.

The Special Investigation Task Group investigating Batocabe's killing along with the National Bureau of Investigation, also announced it has facial sketches of the suspects. The investigators refused to release the sketches pending the investigation.

Director-General Oscar Albayalde, Philippine National Police chief, believes the case will soon be closed.

"We just don't want to divulge it yet pero maganda ang leads natin dito and we are very confident na masosolve natin itong kaso na 'to," he said.

He said politics remains the "biggest angle" in the killing since Batocabe was running for Daraga mayor in the 2019 elections. Among his opponents are incumbent Mayor Carlwyn Baldo and Vice Mayor Victor Perete. Albayalde said a mayor has been repeatedly linked to the Batocabe slay, but so far there is not enough evidence to pin the person down for the shooting.

President Rodrigo Duterte has recommended to the Commission on Elections placing Daraga under its control to ensure swift justice for Batocabe and a peaceful 2019 polls. This is being considered by the poll body.

READ: Comelec mulls placing Daraga, Albay under its control after solon slayCastanet Penticton is counting down the top stories of 2018.

Well count down to the years No. 1 story on Dec. 31 and publish the newsmaker on New Years Day.

While most of B.C. has been without Greyhound since the end of October, that gift came early for the Similkameen Valley.

The company axed service along Highway 3 between Hope and Osoyoos in June, at the same time it ended all Northern B.C. routes.

Communities like Keremeos and Princeton have been without long-haul bus service ever since.

We have people that have to get to Vancouver monthly for medical reasons, both adults and children said then Princeton Mayor Frank Armitage in October.

Shortly after service ended in the Similkameen, Greyhound announced their plans for a province-wide pull out.

The company said it regretted the cuts, but it was simply losing too much money  roughly $35,000 per day  prior to ending service.

On Halloween, the last Greyhound left Penticton for West Kelowna.

A large celebration of current and past employees family, friends and historians gathered to see the bus off.

A lot of good memories, a lot of good people, and a lot of fun drivers to work with, said former driver Jim Adams at the celebration. We were a family, we had a lot of fun together.

While routes in Kelowna and Kamloops have been filled by new private operators, like Ebus, nobody has come forward to serve the South Okanagan and Similkameen  leaving anyone who cannot drive or afford to fly stuck.

In Northern B.C., the provincial government stepped in and launched a publicly funded BC Bus service.

The province says it is working towards making sure all of B.C. has bus service, but has voiced a desire to see the private sector pick up the slack.

Until then, expect to see a lot more hitchhikers on area highways.New Delhi, December 28: Days after the Supreme Court dismissed petitions seeking a probe into Rafale deal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government has made 25 per cent of payment to the French government in the more than Rs 59,000 crore deal for procuring 36 fighter planes, top Air Force sources told news agency ANI on Thursday.

"More than 25 per cent of the payments have been made to the French government for the deal as part of the contractual terms and conditions of the project. The amount of the payment is being paid to the French government as the contract is government to government, ANI quoted the sources as saying. The Rafale deal was signed at Euro 7.9 billion, which was approximately equivalent to Rs 59,000 crore.

Notwithstanding the ongoing controversy around the Rafale deal, the first aircraft would be delivered as per schedule to the Air Force by September 2019, while the first batch of the four aircraft with advanced avionics and sensors other than the French Rafales would be delivered by the middle of 2020, the sources added. Uddhav Thackeray Targets Centre Over Rafale Deal Row, 'You do Scams in Purchase of Arms and Ammunition'.

Under the Rafale deal, signed by the Modi government in September 2016, France-based Dassault aviation will develop 36 planes with Indian requirements and specifications and deliver to Air Force.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi has been targeting the Modi government over the Rafale deal with France and asking why a 70-year-old defence public sector company Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) was ignored for manufacturing the fighter jet.

Gandhi has also questioned how the cost of one aircraft, which was Rs 540 crore when the UPA government had signed the deal, rose to thrice its value to Rs 1,600 crore under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre.

The governments of India and France, as also the supplier company Dassault, have been dismissing the Congress allegations. The Air Force too has been defending the contract. The IAF urgently requires the Rafale fighters as it is facing a shortage of combat planes.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 28, 2018 08:53 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).It is apparent from her letter that Catherine Knox does not get the concept of rule of law.

She says: Send that Huawei executive woman back to China. As nice as that sounds, unlike many other countries, Canada does respect international agreements we have entered into.

It has been well explained that we have an obligation to act on the request from the U.S. to hold her pending an extradition hearing.

While no one would argue it should be a U.S. problem and they likely could have waited until she was on American soil to detain her, they chose to put Canada in the middle. Was this politically motivated? We will never know. But we are stuck with the consequences.

This story is far more complicated that just her arrest and possible extradition. The whole idea of allowing Huawei into our national communication system is mind boggling. We may as well ask Russia and North Koreas to get involved as well.

Huawei has positioned itself very well into Canadian telecoms and universities. I firmly believe the Chinese government sees this as a very good long-term investment and not just for the financial rewards of doing business in Canada.

Expect a lot more blow back when we say, no thanks.

Gord Marshall, KelownaThe size of cassava production in Nigeria is the biggest one in the whole world. This commodity is produced for both external and internal needs and 24 states out of 36 are involved in the production. The growth of this industry is very quick and if theres the same of bigger need for this product, its possible that the manufacture will respond to the demand.

Image source: gettyimages.com

Source: UGC

Cassava production in Nigeria by state

More than 40 types of cassava in Nigeria are distributed among 24 states out of 36 in Nigeria and the main cassava production is concentrated in southern states.

Image source: gettyimages.com

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Cassava farming in Nigeria: How to start and succeed?

However, even among those 24 states that are involved in the production of cassava, there are states with the highest production. These are Anambra State, Delta State, Edo State, Benue State, Cross River State, Imo State, Oyo State, Taraba State, and Rivers State. Kwara and Ondo States are also involved.

Cassava in Nigeria is cultivated as many other regular crops in other countries. While the conditions for the propagation of this plant are absolutely suitable in Nigeria, its possible to collect huge harvests. Since the crop has been there for many long years, there are already effective techniques and technologies that allow to process the crop quickly and efficiently for both humans and cattle.

Image source: gettyimages.com

Source: UGC

One of the main benefits of this commodity is the fact that this plant can be planted in different climatic conditions and throughout the entire year. The most common harvests in Nigeria show dozens of tonnes per hectare of cassava fields. Its much more than collected from fields with yam, beans, or some local sorts of peas.

Cassava is very durable and able to resists harsh weather conditions. It suffers from only a few diseases that traditionally haunt fields, and only several pests. The roots, the main part of the plant thats used to produce cassava, can be stored under the ground for as much time as you like without losing their value. Its possible even after the roots are ripe. They dont decompose with time but wait for their hour.

Image source: gettyimages.com

Source: UGC

There are several problems that planting of cassava faces. One of such problems is the time it takes for the roots to become ripe and ready for processing. Sometimes, it takes 6 months and sometimes the process of ripening lasts for 3 years. This is why if you visit the states listed above, you will see that they use as much space for this plant as they can.

The government and production of cassava in Nigeria

Image source: shutterstock.com

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Cassava processing business plan in Nigeria

The production and import of this food product give the country quite significant income. This is why the production is supported by the state and in different ways.

Due to the fact that only several pests and diseases are able to affect this crop, several types were created that could resist those harmful conditions. Back in 2002, the government introduced a new initiative of raising as much cassava as possible and selling as much as possible to all those who were interested. The export turned out to be billions of dollars and further innovations followed.

Image source: shutterstock.com

Source: UGC

The next innovation was the cassava that contains more vitamin A than other sorts. This cassava was produced with more enthusiasm and the government ordered to introduce this new sort to all the farmers in the country who were already involved in the production or who were into starting it.

Today, cassava is one of the biggest items of budget of Nigeria that feeds the country in all the senses of this word. If you encounter cassava somewhere outside Africa, chances are very high that this cassava was produced in Nigeria.

Cassava production in Nigeria in 2018

Image source: gettyimages.com

Source: UGC

Due to many initiatives and support programs, the quantity of cassava produced in Nigeria this year reached incredible numbers. Farmers reported the collection of about 20 tonnes per hectare. With a total of about 2 billion tonnes.

This has become possible due to incredible efforts of special associations of those who plant this crop and take care of it in a proper way. As a rule only a little fertilizers are used to plant cassava, and this is why this crop requires a lot of human care. Still, the impressive figures show that the production of cassava in Nigeria is still high and efficient.

The main use of cassava in Nigeria

Image source: gettyimages.com

Source: UGC

Cassava has a big internal meaning for Nigerians, too. Being rich with carbohydrates, this food product serves as one of the key nourishing and valuable food components for local people. Its an important component of the ration of both humans and domestic animals.

Cassava roots and leaves are ground into flour. This flour is called garri. Other uses of cassava include the extraction of pure starch and glue.

READ ALSO: Cassava processing steps you should know

Source: fao.org

Source: Legit.ngA constitution is the set of fundamental laws, established to govern a country. However, this set of laws often transform. What is the main difference between 1963 and 1979 constitution in Nigeria? What urgent needs have caused the changes in the act of 1963? How many revisions did the constitution of Nigeria overcome? Read on to find out!

Constitution in Nigeria is the primary legislative power, which is built of regulative norms. They define the rights and responsibility of the people and the leaders.

Nigeria is a country, where you can observe a series of constitutions:

1963 constitution (First Republic)

1979 constitution (Second Republic)

1993 constitution (Third Republic)

1999 constitution (Fourth Republic)

What was the primary difference between 1963 and 1979 constitution?

Major differences between 1963 and 1979 constitution

Constitutional development in Nigeria can be generally divided into two epochs:

the pre-independence or colonial period, which covered 6 constitutional instruments of 1914, 1922, 1946, 1951, 1954, and 1960;

the post-independence epoch, including 3 constitutional instruments: 1963, 1979, and 1999.

READ ALSO: Constitutional development in Nigeria before Independence

Republican constitution of 1963

The Republican Constitution was enacted on September 19, 1963. However, it came into effect on October 1, 1963. There were many reasons to change the law of the country at the time, some of them are:

it was high time to replaced the nominative power of the Queen of England as a head of state

the country needed an internal transformation from a nation governed by the monarch into an independent republic

the need for structuring and defining boundaries

for change within the governmental organs to provide more power and responsibility for those, who represent the state

the need for Nigeria to establish its own court of appeal and get rid of the Judicial Committee of the British Ivy Council

theneed for increasing the number of seats in the federal legislature

READ ALSO: Importance of constitution in Nigeria

With the adoption of the Nigeria constitution of 1963, the following set of rules was defined for the country:

The Nigerian parliament has the right to pass an the act (instead of the British parliament). The Nigerian president will replace the Queen of England (as the head of state). The president is elected by the secret ballot and can be replaced through the procedure of impeachment. When the president is not in the country, his power is temporarily transmitted to the parliament. The Supreme Court of Nigeria is the highest in the country. The constitution establishes and defends the fundamental human rights. The new law abolished the judicial advisory committee. The Senate should increase the number of seats from 44 to 56. The houses of representatives should be expanded from 305 to 312.

1979 constitution of Nigeria

The following primary features characterize the act of 1979:

The Constitution is the fundamental law. All the other rules should be adjusted according to its provisions. Three organs of government shared the power. The act established the Executive President to head the state and be the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The new law says the president to be chosen through the direct elections. He has to take votes in at least two-thirds of the states in Nigeria. The president should have running mates on the elections. One presidential can fulfill his duties on the position of the head of a state for four years and go for no more than two terms. The head of state, as well as his mates, could be replaced from the organs of government through the procedure of impeachment. According to the new act, the state should establish the national economic council, which will be headed by the Vice-president in cooperation with the governor of the central bank and all state governors.

Photo: thecleanvibes.com

4 major differences between the constitution of 1963 and 1979:

The constitution of 1963 used the British Parliamentary or Cabinet System. The act of 1979 adopted the American Presidential system (the Washington Model). Due to the constitution of 1963, the responsibility to head the state and be its official commander of the Armed Forces was laid on the Ceremonial President. The act of 1979 ensured the same functions for the Executive President. According to the act of 1963, the president was elected by the houses of Parliament, while its edited version of 1979 mentioned that the head of the state would be chosen on a general election. The first act of 1963 provided close relationships for the legislative and the executive powers. The later act of 1979 drew a clear boundary between them and divided their fields of powers.

As you can see, the changes put into the main legislative instrument of Nigeria were a necessary step towards better governance, control, and defending human rights within society.

READ ALSO: Fundamental duties of a citizen in Nigeria by the Constitution

Source: Legit.ngNigerian couples outfit for traditional weddings are one of the most expensive and impressive in the world. Take a look at some of the lovely newlyweds in their traditional wears, and maybe you will be able to find some inspiration for your own traditional wedding!

Photo: easyweddings.com.au

Source: UGC

Every country possesses its own cultural features that have been inherited from the ancestors. So are national clothing preferences that make reflection on traditional wedding costumes for bride and groom. Although the present has been altering old settled things, some still are being followed.

As Nigerian nation had joined many ethnicities in one country, there are many kinds of different wedding processes (meaning that couples wear different looking outfits as well).

Nigerian wedding couples outfit

Photo: zumi.ng

Source: UGC

What weddings guests usually pay most attention to is, certainly, attractive well-dressed bride, who a priori is the most beautiful on this special occasion. That is why you should pick up the brightest and the most gorgeous gown and costume ever possible.

For instance, in Igboland (land of one of the ethical Nigerian groups) there is a tradition, when groom and bride come out to the reception  absolutely every person, who has been invited, gaze at couple, which means that every detail has to be flawless.

Photo: glamandessence.com

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Types of makeup looks for wedding

Many matching couple outfits differ only with ornament, with which the costumes are decorated. If a man wants to accentuate and play with bride the same costume game  he puts on agbada (traditional African mens flowing light robe) that fits to general outfit picture.

Photo: couturecrib.com

Source: UGC

Photo: ghanaweb.com

Source: UGC

Another reason of groom wearing plain trousers is that they are covered with the robe, so there is no need to decorate them.

Photo: www.blogarama.com

Source: UGC

Next option for womens bottom clothing is a wrapper, it may be sewed with the same fabric as the abgada or pants, so the couple outfit matching gets on point.

Headgear

Photo: nigerianweddingblog.com

Source: UGC

It is common for wedding traditions in many countries to have a bride to be with a head covered, so is in Nigeria. While in Europe it is a bridal veil, in Africa there are several options such as cap with beads sewed up, a massive big head tie. Colors may vary, the only thing matters is that they have to play well with actual clothes coloration. In fact, most frequently chosen color for African brides is coral.

This element as a detail helps to make Nigerian couple outfit matching.

Surprisingly, a cap is an element of mens wedding look as well. Its forms and material can vary, although frequently coincides with womans headgear.

Accessories!

Photo: www.nowayobloggers.com

Source: UGC

African customs are unique with their exceptional beauty of brightness; thereat there would be no way a couple could come out to be on their biggest day without any accessories that highlight their general outfits.

Precious metal crafts, for example, bracelets, big earrings, brooches and necklaces. It all looks striking and gathers a lot of high-graded comments from guests.

Beads are the part of grooms decoration elements, too. Such necklace loops around mans neck several times to create lines: the longer the beads  the better.

Photo: galaxytvonline.com

Source: UGC

Nigerian couples outfit usually can get you impressed right with the accessories. Most commonly, that both partners prefer finery made of red beads on their necks and golden bracelets.

And clearly the look is not over without a walking stick that happens to be the most favorite Nigerian mens accessory, similarly to the womens fan. Both of these accessories are used just for some generic tone. Couples outfits matching can be demonstrated not only with some items but with general elegance as well.

Photo: constative.com

Source: UGC

Couple dresses alike to demonstrate their close relationship and to show their union

Truly, matching couple's outfit is something that has to be maintained regarding certain customs and traditional costumes style!

READ ALSO: Best wedding suit colour combinations for men in 2018-2019

Source: Legit.ng- Oby Ezekwesili says she is contesting the 2019 presidential elections to correct the nations political anomaly

- Ezekwesili described herself as a candidate with the requisite attributes to develop Nigeria

- The presidential candidate said the low level of performance of Nigeria must end and that she represents the new momentum

Presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Oby Ezekwesili, says she is contesting the 2019 elections to correct the nations political anomaly and usher in good governance.

Ezekwesili made this known in an interview with newsmen while canvassing for votes in Onitsha on Thursday, December 27, NAN reports.

READ ALSO: Buhari'll hand over to S/East in 2023, i'm sure of it - Uwajumogu

Legit.ng gathers that the former minister of education, who was flanked by some female supporters during the campaign tagged walk of women, described herself as a candidate with the requisite attributes to develop Nigeria.

Ezekwesili said previous administrations were purposeless and appeared not to be a government in place for the people but for selfish purposes.

Our country has been badly managed year after year, political parties after political parties.

I came to the conclusion that our politics is the problem, because politicians only see presidency as a kind of personal trophy for them. For me, this election is not an election to basically become president.

The low level of performance of Nigeria must end and for us to end it, we must bring in a new momentum into governance. I represent that new momentum and I am the credible alternative," she said.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Oby Ezekwesili warned against thuggery, military intimidation and harassment of voters in the 2019 elections.

Speaking at a forum on Violence Free Elections, Ezekwesili said the absence of thuggery and military intimidation would be part of the conditions that would guarantee a violence-free poll.

Ezekwesili urged other presidential candidates to believe in the peace accord signed and work towards achieving it.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service!

Ezekwesili and her 2019 ambitions - on Legit TV:

Source: Legit.ng- The governor of Katsina state, Aminu Masari, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari is the best among all presidential candidates presently

- Masari said that Nigerians have a lot to gain if President Buhari is re-elected in the 2019 general elections

- Moreover, the boss of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Usman Mohammed, said that the country has a bright future in the power sector

Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina has said that President Muhammadu Buhari is the best candidate among those currently aspiring to emerge Nigerias leader in 2019.

Masari stated that the country and its citizens stand to achieve a lot if President Buhari is given a second chance, Punch reports.

READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda

The governor made this comment the state at the inauguration of 160 MVA, 132/33KV at Katsina transmission substation of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

Masari said: Buhari remains the best for us as President of this country. He has served in various capacities. His desire for service places him over and above others. He has demonstrated his total commitment to the growth and development of Nigeria and he has demonstrated that he is not corrupt.

The programmes he is putting in place virtually in all sectors are for the betterment of our generation, our children and grandchildren. In fact, Nigeria stands to gain more from him if he is reelected as our President.

Masari among other things pointed out that the federal government has made considerable efforts in the power sector, adding that the various projects being in progress were targeted to ensure that life becomes comfortable for everyone.

Moreover, Usman Mohammed, the managing director of TCN, in his address at the occasion, stated that the firm has enough powers for Nigerians, pointing out that the major challenge has been making that available for Nigerians through distribution.

The TCN's boss said that the company had taken various steps to ensure that there is always an improvement in the power sector, although he noted that power supply requires joint efforts by all stakeholders in the sector.

PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet!

Mohammed added that there had been times when firm had to help in ensuring that contractors handling power transmission perform and deliver according to specification.

According to him, Nigeria has a bright future in power generation with all the investments channelled to the sector.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the All Progressives Congress (APC) United Kingdom (UK) chapter of President Muhammadu Buhari volunteers said that Nigerians have no alternative to the APC led government in 2019.

Ade Omole, convener of the group and leader of the APC UK chapter stated this in a statement on Monday, December 24, in Abuja.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better.

EXCLUSIVE: Be patient with President Buhari, Femi Adesina tells Nigerians | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng- Nigerian music star, Davido, held his music concert at Eko Atlantic on December 27

- Things seemed to have gone smoothly till reports filtered out that the star had slapped Kizz Daniels manager

- The embittered manager, Tumi Lawrence, took to social media to call out the star and express his disappointment

- Kizz Daniel also made sure to show support for Lawrence by declining to perform at the show

Organising events is not easy as the pressure often lies on the show host to bring out the best. However, that is no excuse for bad behaviours.

Nigerians were thrilled to attend music star Davidos music concert which held on December 27 at Eko Atlantic. The audience waited in anticipation for his joint performance with another music star, Kizz Daniel, but that did not happen.

Later on, Kizz Daniels manager, Tumi Lawrence, took to his social media handles to slam Davido despite not revealing the reason behind his call out. He tweeted: F*ck you and your fake love @iam_Davido

"And to you guys that witnessed it, shame on you @bizzleosikoya @AsaAsika.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Nigeria

A Twitter user, identified as Peter @peteruonion, took to his handle to explain what had transpired between Davido and Lawrence. According to him, the star had slapped the music manager and also poured his drink on him.

To show solidarity, it was gathered that Kizz did not perform at the event but Davido still proceeded to perform the stars song on his own.

See tweets below:

READ ALSO: 4 interesting facts about Kizz Daniel's highly anticipated album No Bad Songz

Kizz Daniel also took to commenting on Lawrences Instagram page to apologise as well as show support.

Kizz Daniel apologizing to his manager. Photo source: @_tumilawrence on Instagram

Source: Instagram

Davido has finally reacted to the allegation that he attacked Tumi Lwarence.

Nawa o!

Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that Davido brought his two daughter, Imade and Hailey on stage during his music concert.

The star has proven to be a good musician as well as a wonderful father. He often shows the world at any given opportunity that family means a lot to him.

READ ALSO: Personal letter from the Editor-in-Chief of Legit.ng (formerly NAIJ.com)

HELLO! NAIJ.com (naija.ng) upgrades to Legit.ng We keep evolving to serve our readers better.

Nigeria News Davido & Chioma: All You Want To Know About Their Latest Photoshoot | Legit TV

Source: Legit- Calls for President Buhari's resignation and sack of all service chiefs has been condemned by the National Democratic Front

- The group said it is wrong for the PDP which caused all the troubles in Nigeria to be making such calls

- According to the group, the Buhari-led government would have much better if it did not have to clean up the mess created by PDP

A pro-democracy group, National Democratic Front, has berated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over calls for the resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari and the sack of all service chiefs in Nigeria.

The group described the call as a clear attempt to pollute the national security architecture with bad politics.

NDF said the attempts by politicians to drag the service chiefs into politics is not for the good of Nigeria's democracy and should be discouraged by all Nigerians.

The group said it wondered why a party like the PDP who created all the troubles in Nigeria will forget its locust years and suddenly wake up to start hauling tantrums on those who have helped to savaged the situation.

READ ALSO: Breaking: Tinubu, Dangote appointed into APC presidential campaign council (Full list)

Speaking in Abuja on Thursday, December 27, the secretary of NDF, Bolaji Abdulkadir, said the call by Nigeria's major opposition party must be evaluated against the backdrop of the antecedents of the party and its chieftains.

He said: "Let us be clear, what happened in Zamfara state is not acceptable under any dispensation. But the cry of the PDP over Zamfara is similar to the popular adage of a witch that has killed a baby at night crying during the day.

We find it the height of insolence that the PDP could grandstand as it is doing. It is common knowledge that the present government would have much better if it did not have to clean up the mess it created."

He said if the PDP had governed well when it was in power, there would have been no need for the military to be deployed for what ordinarily should be the jurisdiction of civil police.

READ ALSO: PDP, Atiku plotting wild allegations against Buhari and Osinbajo - Keyamo

According to him, it is sheer shallowness to be assessing the effectiveness of the military service chiefs based on assignments that ordinarily is not theirs.

The National Democratic Front is asking the federal government to without further delays set up a high powered probe into the activities of bandits in Zamfara state with a view to formally expose those that are employing these killers to cut short the lives of Nigerians.

"It is important to get to the bottom of this wickedness because it is the guaranteed way of putting an end to the needless bloodletting by perpetrators of the acts.

The wisdom here is that of cutting off the head of the monster to ensure that it is dead, the killers are merely the hands that pull the trigger, the brain that decides when, where and how the trigger is pulled should be the focus of the government," Abdulkadir said.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the PDP had called on President Muhammadu Buhari to terminate the appointment of his service chiefs after bandits and insurgents killed several people in Zamfara and Yobe over the weekend.

The party's national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in an interview with Punch condoled with the family of the victims and urged President Buhari to review his parade and make necessary changes.

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 TV

Source: Legit.ngSenator Dino Melaye, representing Kogi West in the National Assembly has claimed that his Abuja residence is currently being invaded by scores of police personnel.

Melaye is reporting the alleged invasion of his house in a thread of tweets via his official Twitter account, @dino_melaye:

READ ALSO: PDP, Atiku plotting wild allegations against Buhari and Osinbajo - Keyamo

Melaye had raised the alarm a few days ago against the inspector-general of police, Ibrahim Idris, claiming there was a plot to arrest him on Christmas day and kill him.

In a tweet on Tuesday, December 25, the Kogi lawmaker claimed the plan was to inject him to death.

Melaye said the state commissioner of Kogi had been removed in order to perfect the plot.

He said: There is a plan by the IG to arrest me today and inject me to death. Men deployed already. CP kogi and others removed. Nigerians watch out.

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However, reacting to Melaye's allegation, the Nigeria Police Force, on Wednesday, December 26, denied plans to arrest and kill the senator.

A statement by police spokesman, DCP Jimoh Moshood said the statement attributed to Senator Melaye, captioned IG plans to arrest me, inject me to death, was false.

Moshood said: The Force is categorically stating that the statement is mischievous, malicious, capable of misleading the public and laughable.

He added that there was no such order from the inspector general of police or any plan by the Force to arrest Senator Dino Melaye and inject him to death.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have upgraded to serve you better.

News Nigeria Today: What happened to Dino Melaye? | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng- Senator Shehu Sani has reacted to the appointment of Aliko Dangote as a member of the APC presidential campaign council

- The senator said the appointment by the ruling party should be taken with a pinch of salt

- He tactically warned Dangote against accepting the appointment by the APC

The senator representing Kaduna Central senatorial district has reacted to the recent news on the appointment of Nigeria's businessman, Aliko Dangote; oil mogul, Femi Otedola; and Bola Tinubu on the list of presidential campaign council by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Sani in a tweet on Friday, December 28, said the appointment by the ruling party should be taken with a pinch of salt.

The senator also advised Dangote to continue with his businesses rather than joining the ruling party ahead of the 2019 presidential election.

READ ALSO: Pro-democracy group berates PDP, others for politicizing national security

Read his tweet below:

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the APC appointed Dangote and Otedola as members of its presidential campaign council for the 2019 elections.

The presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, in a statement disclosed the details of the appointment in a full list of all appointees.

The statement said Tinubu, who will be co-chairing the council while the president chairs it, is part of the special advisory committee to President Buhari.

Some other members of the committee include Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Dangote, Otedola, Senator Ahmed Lawan among others.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better.

Nigeria Latest News: Buhari vs Atiku - 2019 Elections | Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit NewspaperPhoto: Heather Casorso

UPDATE: 4:01 p.m.

Severe snowfall warnings continue for much of the province. Environment Canada is predicting as much as 30 cm in some areas.

"Snow will intensify tonight and continue Saturday before easing Saturday night as the system moves into Alberta. Snowfall amounts of up to 30 cm can be expected by Saturday evening."

The snowfall is causing chaos on the roads as well. A winter storm warning has been issued for the Trans-Canada Highway - Eagle Pass to Rogers Pass.

Hazardous winter conditions are expected," stated Environment Canada. "Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions."

Several Snowfall Warnings in effect as the next #BCstorm approaches. Check our alert page for all the details: https://t.co/xOUDhIWDRv pic.twitter.com/8pvXYs5yxw  ECCC Weather British Columbia (@ECCCWeatherBC) December 28, 2018

UPDATE: 2 p.m.

DriveBC reports Highway 97 has reopened to single-lane, alternating traffic north of Williams Lake.

UPDATE: 1:30 p.m.

Multiple crashes are reported on the Coquihalla Highway.

An SUV with front end damage is stuck in the median near the Mine Creek Road exit, and another incident has a pickup on its side off the westbound lanes near the old tollbooths.

Heavy snow is forecast today on B.C.'s high-elevation highways.

Elsewhere, DriveBC reports the Trans-Canada Highway is closed in both directions south of the China Bar tunnel, between Hells Gate and Boston Bar due to jacknifed semi.

There is currently no estimated time of reopening, and no detour is available.

Meanwhile, Highway 97 is closed in both directions due to a crash north of Williams Lake. A detour is in effect.

Photo: Heather Casorso

UPDATE: 8:05 a.m.

Much of central British Columbia is bracing for the next winter wallop, as Environment Canada has posted snowfall or winter-storm warnings for areas from the North Coast all the way to the Alberta border.

Up to 30 centimetres of snow is forecast for some regions as the storm crosses the province, while travel on Highway 1 from Eagle Pass to Rogers Pass is expected to be particularly treacherous before conditions ease late Saturday.

Meanwhile, power remains out for about 1,600 customers on B.C.'s south coast eight days after the strongest wind storm in recent memory swept across the region.

Hundreds of BC Hydro workers have toiled around the clock to fix remaining outages concentrated on several southern Gulf Islands, where damage from fallen trees and toppled power poles is most extreme.

The Crown utility reports power returned to about 2,400 customers Thursday, while it says 70 crews will be working on Galiano, Pender, Mayne, Salt Spring, Gabriola, Thetis, and Saturna islands through Friday.

 The Canadian Press

ORIGINAL: 5 a.m.

Environment Canada is calling for another Pacific system to track towards the Interior, bringing with it up to 25 centimetres of snow.

"We're going to see snow fall in the morning Friday and we could get up to five or 10 centimetres by the afternoon on the Coquihalla," said meteorologist Bobby Sekhon.

"It will continue to snow overnight Friday and into Saturday as well and we could see as much as 15 to 25 cm over a little more than a 24-hour period."

Sekhon says it will be a similar story for the Okanagan Connector, likely just a few centimetres on Friday. The same system could bring snow to the Connector on Saturday as well  "as much as 15 cm by Saturday evening."

As for the Trans Canada Highway, Rogers Pass is not looking too bad and Environment Canada is only calling for 10 to 15 cm at higher elevations.

The story is similar if you're heading to the Kootenays as well and Sekhon says drivers can expect up to 15 cm in the Kootenay pass.

"It looks like Saturday is going to be the main snow day for the region, with an average of 15 cm falling and as much as 25 expected in some places."

Sekhon says with the front passing through will likely bring snow to the roadways and it could also bring snow to the Valley bottom as well.

"Five to 10 cm in Kelowna is not out of the question," he said.- President Muhammadu Buhari appeals to Nigerians to strive to live in peace with one another

- Buhari says his administration is not relenting on securing peace for the nation to grow further

- The president urges Nigerians to be of good conducts as the nation is preparing for the 2019 general elections

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, December 28, reiterated his appeal to all Nigerians to continue to live in peace to enable the nation witness giant strides in all fields of human endeavour as the 2019 elections approach.

The president made the appeal in Gombe at the opening ceremony of the 33rd national Quranic recitation competition, organised by the centre for Islamic studies, Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the president was represented at the occasion by Malam Suleiman Hassan, the minister of environment.

READ ALSO: PDP, Atiku plotting wild allegations against Buhari and Osinbajo - Keyamo

He said: We must strive to live in peace with one another. We must try and increase our intimacy or relationship amongst ourselves which will further strengthen our ties as a nation.

This administration is not relenting to secure peace for our nation to grow further and to achieve such peace, we must increase our knowledge.

Knowledge, both Islamic and Western, is an important recipe for peace and security.

Buhari also urged Nigerians to be of good conducts as the nation was preparing for the 2019 general elections.

The presidents further the people to shun hate speech and other undemocratic actions that could threaten the country peaceful co-existence.

In his remarks, Prof Ibrahim Njodi, the chairman of the occasion and vice chancellor, University of Maiduguri, called on the participants to hold firm the tenets of Islam as a guiding light throughout the competition.

READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda

The chairman, who was represented by Prof Sani Abdulmumuni, dean of Ffaculty of arts, University of Maiduguri, said the competition would strengthen the knowledge of Islam in youths.

Also speaking, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar III, represented by the Emir of Gombe, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu-Abubakar III, thanked the organisers for sustaining the competition over the years.

Alhaji Isa Pantami, the director-general, ational Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA),Abuja, who is the guest speaker stressed the need for Muslim faithful to always reflect on what the Holy Quran says.

Ibrahim, who stressed that tolerance and peace were necessary for Muslim faithful, emphasised that killing of an innocent soul, irrespective of religious belief, was un-Islamic.

In his speech, Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe state assured the participants of the state government support toward achieving the objective of the competition.

NAN reports that 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory,(FCT) are participating in the competition which holds between Dec. 28 and Jan.5

Meanwhile, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has promised to end attacks by bandits in Zamfara state if elected president.

Atiku in a video message on Facebook on Friday, December 28, assured the people of Zamfara state that if voted as president on February 16, 2019, within a month of his swearing in, he would deploy a combined force of 30,000 policemen and soldiers to the state and eradicate crime.

The presidential candidate said when elections took place in Ekiti and Osun state, President Buhari sent 30,000 policemen and soldiers to supervise the polls.

He stated that it is more important for him to secure the lives of the people of the state than to secure political power for his party.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better.

Agbor Man Lists President Buhari's Achievements - Nigeria Street Gist | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ngPresident Muhammadu Buhari has arrived Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom state, with top members of All Progressives Congress (APC) party to flag off the 2019 presidential campaign.

The special adviser to the president on new media, Bashir Ahmad, made this known through his verified Twitter handle, @Bashirahmaad, on Friday, December 28.

See tweet:

Legit.ng gathers that ahead of the president's arrival, there was a heavy security beef up at the Godswill Akpabio stadium as vehicular movements were restricted around the stadium while vehicles that conveyed supporters were parked along adjourning streets.

It was also gathered that all entrances leading to the stadium were cordoned off by security personnel to ensure a hitch-free campaign flag-off.

Earlier, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that security situation was tight in and around the stadium as the police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps; the Nigerian Army, DSS and other paramilitary personnel were on standby to ensure security and hitch-free campaign.

Ambulances were also on standby in case of any emergencies as the stadium was decorated with posters bearing inscriptions like: Buhari and Ekere together we prosper, "Next Level 2019 Buhari and Ekere among others.

Expressing happiness over the presence of the president in the state, Inimfon Abasi Nelson, a candidate for Ikot Ekpene/Obot Akara state constituency, thanked God for making the event to hold in Akwa Ibom.

Nelson said: It is a privilege for us to have the president flag off the APC campaign in Akwa Ibom. We are proud to have him here.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Akwa Ibom state chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) said the appointment of the state citizens into higher political positions was the justification of the massive support and love President Muhammadu Buhari enjoyed from the state.

The party said this ahead of the visit of the president for the flagging off ceremony of APC's 2019 presidential campaign in Akwa Ibom.

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 TV

Source: Legit.ng- Nigerian man returns home after a decade in Australia only to discover he was lied to

- The man found out that the brother he had been sending money to lied about building his house

- It was gathered that the brother had even sent him fake photos of another person's house tpo cover up his lies

A Nigerian man has taken to social media to share the story of a friend who was deceived by his elder brother. The man identified as Olaudah Equiano had revealed that his friend recently came back from Australia.

According to him, his friend had lived in Australia for ten years and he had been sending money home to his brother who claimed to have been building a house for him in the village.

The man narrated that his friend was shocked after he returned to discover that there was no house being built in the village.

READ ALSO: Lady loses baking job for refusing to call male client darling (screenshots)

Equaino who shared the story on Twitter, noted that his friend's elder brother had even sent him fake photos of another person's house just to cover home his lies.

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In his tweet, he revealed that the elder brother had admitted to deceiving his brother after he was questioned. He said the man had claimed to have used the money for a state contract job.

According to him, the elder brother noted that he would return the money once the government pays him back for his investment.

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He said: "The elder brother admitted channeling the money to a contract for the state government, saying that he'll refund when he's paid. Why give false pictures to your brother if that's the case? Who knows if this assertion is actually true & if & when he'll ever be paid."

READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have upgraded to serve you better

Which country would you leave Nigeria for? - on Legit TV

Source: LegitThe Central Bank Of Nigeria (CBN) has announced the deployment of its Consumer Complaint Management System (CCMS) to ease the process of addressing issues.

The bank made the disclosure in a circular on its Website on Friday, December 28, saying the automated system would help to ease complaint management.

It said the CCMS would ultimately boost Nigerians confidence in the banking sector.

The bank also said the move was part of the apex banks job to ensure that the banking and finance sector was stable and conducive for all.

READ ALSO: Shehu Sani reacts to Dangote's membership of Buhari campaign council

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in furtherance of its mandate to promote stable financial system, embarked on the development of a Consumer Complaint Management System (CCMS).

This is an automated system aimed at easing complaints management to engender public confidence in the financial system.

In view of this development, the CBN has made it compulsory for banks and other financial institutions to abide by three important guidelines, it said.

The regulator said that the banks would have to to assign a tracking to every complaint received from their respective customers.

It said the banks also needed to acknowledge receipt of every complaint through an e-mailed response.

This, it noted, would also include the tracking number that has been assigned to commence the uploading of all complaints on the CCMS.

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The CBN advised banks and other financial services operators to ensure that they adhered to those stipulations which would start on Jan. 2, 2019.

It added, Failure to do this will attract sanctions in line with the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA), Cap B3, LFN 2004.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that following the controversy trailing an alleged confiscation of $2.8 million from two officials of Bankers Warehouse by the men of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), there have been concerns about the operation of the cash-in-transit firm.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better

The EFCC stage a walk against corruption | Legit TV.

Source: Legit NigeriaVerizon is increasing its wireless service capacity in the Easton area by adding new antenna equipment to an existing tower on the citys drinking-water-reservoir property.

Mayor Sal Panto Jr. announced the project during the Dec. 12 meeting of Easton City Council, saying its in response to complaints about dropped calls and spotty internet service along Bushkill Drive and in parts of neighboring Forks and Palmer townships.

The city will receive $13,600 a year in rent from Verizon.

Verizon spokesman David Weissmann said he could not speak to claims about dropped coverage.

"Anytime we're adding capacity it's also going to add a degree of coverage, which is good news for everyone," he said Thursday.

Were doing it to add capacity, Weissmann said of the reason behind the investment. More people are using more devices in more places, and with that comes more demand for wireless capacity. Were adding these antennas to provide for that future capacity.

The timeline for installation was not immediately available.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.A 37-year-old Easton man, who earlier this month while fleeing a traffic stop nearly ran over a police officer, was arrested on Thursday by Northampton County sheriffs deputies and state parole agents, authorities say.

Brian Oliver, of the 1300 block of Washington Street, was arraigned late Thursday morning before District Judge Patricia Broscius on charges of aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, fleeing or eluding a police officer, driving while suspended and three stop sign violations, records show.

He was also wanted by the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole for violating conditions of a previous release, the county said in a news release. Records indicate Oliver was freed from prison on parole on Oct. 30, but it wasnt clear why he was being held.

Oliver was arrested without incident on Thursday by the sheriff departments Criminal Warrants Unit in the 300 block of Palmer Street on Eastons South Side, the county said.

City officers on Dec. 11 responded about 7:45 p.m. to the 1300 block of Washington Street for a report of a suspicious man in a backyard, police said. They soon located Oliver sitting behind the wheel of a gray-green Subaru in a nearby parking lot, police said. Oliver fit the description of the suspicious man, police said. Another person was in the passenger seat, police said.

As the car left the lot, it was pulled over, police said. As officers spoke with Oliver and the passenger, Oliver accelerated and sped off onto the 300 block of South Peach Street, nearly hitting an officer, police said.

Officers lost the Subaru as it reached Northampton Street, police said. Emergency radio reports indicated it got onto Route 22 heading east.

Olivers preliminary hearing on the city charges is tentatively scheduled 9 a.m. Jan. 10 in District Judge Richard Yetter IIIs court in Wilson Borough.

Oliver remained Friday morning in Northampton County Prison in lieu of $10,000 bail, records show. Court papers did not list an attorney for Oliver.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter@TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.Israel Santiago-Pacheco, 33, is wanted on a charge of endangering the welfare of children, according to the Northampton County Sheriffs Department.

Santiago-Pacheco, known to frequent the Bethlehem area, is described as 6 feet tall and 215 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

The sheriffs department asks anyone with information about Santiago-Pacheco to call Sgt. George Volpe at 610-829-6527.Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev told President John F. Kennedy our democracy would be ousted by communism without a shot being fired, and our flag over the capitol would be replaced. Americans laughed and ridiculed the prediction.

Each day I watch in horror as our national sacred virtues and values are undermined. It seems nothing is respected or means anything: family, laws, marriage, religion, honor, love of country, our flag, monuments  even music, holidays and the national anthem. We witness drugs, violent crimes, burning, looting, desecrating cemeteries, masked Nazi terror, attempts to overthrow the First and Second Amendments, open borders. The list is endless.

President Trump is trying his best to support everything that is good for America. His opposition believes everything he thinks or does is 100 percent wrong and anti-American. They cheer and are gleeful to see him get beaten down at every turn. They want him destroyed at any and all costs, and dont seem to care what is happening to America.

Will communism prevail, as Khrushchev predicted? Wake up, America!

Robert W. Kalman

BethlehemParticipants in the annual New Years Day charity walk in Timahoe will be able to match themselves against the formidable McDonalds.

The McDonalds, from Crubbin, Ballyroan, are finalists in RTEs demanding Irelands Fittest Family show.

With the starting and finishing line on the village green, theyll lead off the 17th annual Timahoe walk.

Or, to be accurate, walksbecause there are two routes, 6kms and 10kms. Both are energy sapping, particularly the latter.

The picturesque Fossey Hills, high over the plains of Laois, dont take any prisoners.

No doubt, the McDonalds will set a rapid pace. They, so to speak, wont be too fussy about Fossey. Nor will Ballyroan concede precedence to Timahoe.

Joking aside, though, and judging by previous years, the event will be good craic and will raise much-needed funds for the Irish Wheelchair Association and Maura OBriens Fatima pilgrimage fund.

And, as organiser Johnny Dalton notes the day is an ideal way to get over the festivities.

The walk is a great way of starting the New Year and of getting rid of the Christmas excess.

All are welcome.

After their exertions, participants will be treated to refreshments in the Community Hall.

Read also: TASTY SELECTION OF QUALITY EVENTS DURING CHRISTMAS

Sponsorship cards are available from Maura OBrien and Johnny (087 907 33 23), or people can contribute on the day.

All funds raised for the IWA will be expended in Laois.A Dublin man who was visiting Carrick-on-Shannon for a stag party in July of this year and was discovered to be in possession of cocaine to the value of 1,105 with the intent to supply was given a five month suspended sentence when he appeared before last weeks sitting of Carrick-on-Shannon District Court.

Sgt Michael Gallagher gave summary evidence against Kyle Kelly, 117 Ashlawn Park, Ballybrack, Co Dublin. He told the Court on July 14, 2018 Det Garda Karen Walsh conducted a search in a hotel room in the town where the defendant and cocaine valued at 1,105 was discovered.

The court heard the defendant was also in possession of 2,350 in cash while plastic bags were also discovered which indicated individual deals were being prepared.

Sgt Gallagher said he was satisfied the money was not the proceeds of crime as Mr Kelly has said he had spent some time gambling, losing and winning.

Defending solicitor Martin Burke said it was not the defendants intention to sell the drugs around the town.

He explained, There were 40 lads on a stag party, it was these people he intended supplying.

There is not a pattern here, he hasn't it as an enterprise to go around the country selling drugs.

Mr Burke added, His intention was to facilitate his friends with their substances for the weekend. It turns out they had made their own arrangements.

Mr Burke also referred to the sum of cash that was discovered in the hotel bedroom saying, The money was from a money lender with the intention of gambling on horses.

Giving direct evidence the defendant, Mr Kelly, said, Ive never been in trouble with the Guards before.

Under cross-examination from Sgt Gallagher, Mr Kelly said he bought the drugs in Dublin and brought them to Carrick-on-Shannon with the intention of selling them to his friends.

When it was put to him that he hoped to double his money, he replied, Correct.

Having heard the evidence Judge Kilrane remarked, He had not worked since 2015, was on social welfare and was able to assemble this much drugs and bring it to Carrick-on-Shannon.

He has no previous and for that reason he will not be going to prison today.

Imposing a conviction for what he described as a very serious charge, Judge Kilrane imposed a five month suspended sentence on the condition that he is not convicted of any offence relating to illegal drugs for a period of two years.

An application for legal made by Mr Burke was rejected by Judge Kilrane who commented, The money is being returned to him which is fairly generous from the State. On that basis I am not going to grant legal aid.Photo: Contributed

In my travels to Africa, both for business and charity, I am always amazed at the happy demeanour of most Africans.

Aside from living in abject poverty, many are subject to brutal abuses both mental and physical. The worlds NGOs assist in supporting and helping the victims of such crimes recover or at least maintain.

Africa always tugs at my heart and that of many of my colleagues. But if us ask why, most of us cannot put a finger on it. Most of the countries are run by corrupt dictators who live a lavish lifestyle while the population suffers. Some countries function in a somewhat orderly manner, but are only one election away from a significant change.

With all of the current headline news in regard to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), I find it difficult to watch as neighbouring politicians stand by and criticize the current regime.

What is happening in the DRC is sad and tough to witness. It is plagued with Ebola and violence. Its biggest plague is, however, probably its vast mineral deposits, which make the DRC one of the most potentially wealthy countries on the planet despite the fact it ranks at the bottom 10 poorest country.

What irks me is the criticism levelled at the current regime, which appears to be nothing more than a game of politics to find an excuse to march in and bring stability from a military stand point while simultaneously removing the citizens minerals.

Such criticism is futile and opaque. Paul Kagame of Rwanda is one such leader who denounces the leadership in DRC yet gained control of Rwanda through a brutal war where his militia slaughtered many thousands of people prior to him changing the countries constitution a few times in order for him to maintain power.

He then expelled many of the Hutus he was fighting to the DRC and now complains that DRC does not maintain a secure border.

If any of us has the right to criticize the leadership of a country in regard to the clinical execution of a western style election we had better do some close examinations of our own systems first.

It seems that many western elections and referendums have not been as transparent and honest as we may have assumed many years ago.

While lives may have not have been lost, the results were at best (it would appear) manufactured in our clinically western way.

Just saying!Life expectancy in Ireland has increased by almost two and a half years since 2006, with male life expectancy consistently higher than the EU average throughout the last decade.

Much of this increase in life expectancy is due to significant reductions in major causes of death such as circulatory system diseases and cancer. The overall mortality rate has reduced by 14.9% since 2008. As seen in most European countries however, the rate of improvement in Ireland's life expectancy has begun to slow in recent years.These trends emerged in 11th edition of Health in Ireland: Key Trends, published by the Department of Health.

The report touches on several areas, including demographics, population health, hospital and primary care, health service efficiency, employment and expenditure, highlights the significant achievements that Ireland has made for key health outcomes in the past decade.

However, it also highlights the challenges that persist in terms of the accessibility of timely and efficient healthcare across the population.

In welcoming the report, the Minister for Health Simon Harris said: The largest proportional increases in the population in Ireland will be in the category of those aged 85 years and older. The number of people aged 65 and over will grow from one-fifth to over one-third of the working population over the next two decades which will have implications on how we fund our health services. This is a good thing  people are living longer, but we need to ensure they live well.

In order to be able to provide high-quality services as our population continues to age, we need to have the ability to assess the performance of the health system in a way that ensures that valuable and finite health care resources are used in the most efficient way possible and that people can access high-quality care in a reasonable time. The main aim of any performance assessment should be to improve the health status of the population, with people continuing to live longer, healthier lives.

12 things we have learned from this years Key Health Trends:

1. We are living longer

Over the past decade we have added, on average, 3 months per year to our life expectancy, which is currently standing at 83.6 years for women and 79.9 years for men.

2. Life expectancy gap between men and women has narrowed from 5.6 years to 3.7 years

Life expectancy at birth for women in Ireland was 3.7 years longer than for men in 2016; this has improved from a 5.6 year difference in 1996.

3. Irish men are living longer than their European counterparts

Male life expectancy in Ireland has been above the EU average over the past decade. The life expectancy at birth for men in Ireland has been consistently greater than that of the EU average by over a year. Female life expectancy in Ireland matches the EU average.

4. Increase in life expectancy is due to significant reductions in major causes of death such as circulatory system diseases and cancer

This decrease is particularly strong for mortality rates from stroke (-39%), breast cancer (-16%), suicide (-26%) and pneumonia (-39%). The overall mortality rate has reduced by 14.9% since 2008.

5. We think we are healthier than our European neighbours

In 2016, 83% of Irish men and women rated their health as good or very good. This is the highest in the EU and compares with an average of 70% and 64% for males and females respectively across the EU.

6. We are getting better at curing cancer

There have been improvements seen in survival rates from breast, cervical, colon and rectal cancer in the last 15 years . However, with the exception of rectal cancer, 5-year net survival rates are lower in Ireland than the average for OECD countries where data is available.

7. We are seeing a reduction in deaths from suicide

There has been a 26% reduction in the mortality rate from suicide since 2008. After a rise in the male suicide rate from 2008 to 2012, the three-year moving average has decreased and the latest figures (2015) have fallen below the EU average for the first time since 2010.

8. Men are more inclined to binge drink than women

Over half of Irish men binge drink on a typical day of drinking, compared to just under 20% of women in 2018. A gender gap is present across all age groups, but the highest rates of binge drinking among the 15-24 age group.

9. The average length of hospital stay is 5.6 days

From 2008 to 2014 the average length of stay decreased by 10.6%. It has since increased by 3.7%, with the average length of stay currently at 5.6 days.

10. Number of patients waiting for an Inpatient or Day Case procedure has fallen by 24%

The total number of patients waiting over 9 months for an inpatient or day case procedure has fallen by 5,300 or 24% since October 2017 to 15,523 as of Oct 2018.

11. 11am to 2pm on a Monday is the busiest time for Irish emergency departments

The highest attendances to hospital emergency departments occur between 9am and 5pm on weekdays, with Monday mornings between 11am and 1pm seeing the highest attendance volumes across the week.

12. Less than 2% of the population donate blood

Both the number of blood donations and the percentage of blood donors in the Irish population have declined in the past 5 years. The percentage of blood donors in the population in 2017 was 1.7%.A COUNTY LIMERICK neighbourhood has seen 20 break-ins on one road alone in the last month, with the nearest full-time garda station located more than 20km away.

Homes in Castleconnell and the surrounding areas have experienced an increase in residential burglaries in recent months, with one house being targeted several times.

Local residents have installed electronic gates and lights in a bid to deter people from breaking into their homes, according to Fine Gael Senator Maria Byrne, who has raised the issue in the Seanad.

The crime spree has prompted her to renew her call for a full-time garda station to serve Castleconnell, Castletroy, Monaleen, Annacotty, Lisnagry and Montpelier.

Just in a very short space of time, they had all these robberies and people found in their yards, and that kind of thing, which has sparked them to look for help.

On one road alone there were some 20 burglaries, but there is no full-time garda in the area, Senator Byrne said.

The region is looked after by the garda station in Henry Street, which is right in the city centre, but there is a population of more than 20,000 outside that part of the city.

I am concerned because there is no full-time garda presence in the area and the gardai tell me that they are working on limited resources and personnel.

I arranged for the community garda to meet with them to organise a neighbourhood watch. In fairness to the community garda policing sergeant, she went out and met with them, Senator Byrne added.

Several calls to open a full-time garda station in Castletroy, to serve Monaleen, Castleconnell and the surrounding areas, have been mooted this year.

In September, there was disappointment that the Castletroy Local Area Plan did not include references to a new garda station to serve the area.

Speaking in the Seanad, Minister of State David Stanton said the allocation of garda resources, including personnel, is a matter for the Garda Commissioner and his management team .

The area referred to by the senator forms part of the Limerick division and the minister is informed by the commissioner that the garda strength of the Limerick division on 30 October 2018, the latest date for which figures are readily available, was 580.A LIMERICK man who fled to the UK after pleading guilty to serious drugs charges was released before Christmas after he avoided a prison sentence.

Cian Connolly, aged 23, formerly of Chestnut Close, Castletroy was extradited in early December after a European Arrest Warrant was executed by police.

Detective Garda Martin McCarthy of the divisional drugs unit told Limerick Circuit Court the defendant fled to the UK in May 2015 a number of days after he pleaded guilty to having quantities of cannabis and prescription tablets for sale or supply.

During a sentencing hearing, he said cannabis worth around 10,000 and 472 diazepam (Xanax) tablets were seized when gardai searched his home on January 23, 2014.

He said the drugs were found at various locations in the house and that Mr Connolly admitted he was selling the drugs to friends and students in order to repay a debt he owed.

Imposing sentence, Judge Tom ODonnell noted the defendant comes from an excellent family background and that he has no previous convictions.

He noted the garda evidence that there were a number of other people living in the house at the time which meant his admissions and guilty plea were pivotal.

Mr Connolly, the court heard, was working full-time in the UK prior to his arrest and a letter from his employer confirmed he is a valuable employee and would be welcomed back following the court conclusion of the court proceedings.

He seems to have turned his life around and is in a much better place, commented Judge ODonnell.

While noting the value of the drugs seized, he said the defendants admissions, his guilty plea and his strong work ethic were all mitigating factors when he had to consider.

He imposed a three year prison sentence which he suspended in its entirety on condition Mr Connolly stays out of trouble.

There were emotional scenes in the public gallery of the courtroom as the defendant walked free after the sentence was handed down.THE turkey may have only just left the oven, but Limericks political classes are already turning their attentions to Mays local elections.

Already, the vast majority of party tickets have been filled, and with the possibility of a general election most likely headed off for the year, all efforts are turning to the battle for Limerick City and County Council.

Forty seats are up for grabs, with candidates and activists expected to hit the streets in the coming weeks in the hope of securing election for the next term.

In the metropolitan city district, there are 21 seats on offer, split across three seven-seater wards.

The northside is a real wildcard constituency this time around, with its boundaries extended to include Garryowen, large parts of Rhebogue and Mulgrave Street, as well as Corbally and the traditional areas north of the Shannon.

Added into this mix is the retirement of high-profile councillors Michael Hourigan, John Gilligan and Cian Prendiville, as well as the decision of Cllr Vivienne Crowley to take a break.

This, and the extended boundaries, has prompted Sinn Fein into a potentially risky three candidate strategy  with outgoing councillor John Costelloe, Caherdavin activist Sharon Benson and Garryowens John Nugent joining the ticket.

The councils party leader Malachy McCreesh acknowledged the risk, but pointed out Sinn Fein has always polled strongly in working class areas like Garryowen.

We are relying on the work Sinn Fein has done in the past to lay the foundation for electing people. Seighin would have had a strong vote there when it was in City East, so for that reason, we are fairly hopeful our nominees will be able to pick up a lot of these votes and progress, he said.

Meanwhile, Fianna Fail has, as expected, added Cllr Kieran OHanlon to the ticket. The Rhebogue man, who switches from City East to contest his sixth local election, will run alongside Christy McInerney of Corbally and Coonagh activist Pat ONeill.

Fine Gael has yet to show its hand, with a convention in January. Names being mentioned are Brian OConnor, Thomondgate, Lorraine McSherry, Ashbrook, and Olivia OSullivan, Caherdavin.

Corbally is shaping up to be a key battleground, with several candidates from this area expected to run.

Denis McCarthy is to throw his hat into the ring for Fine Gael, Mr McInerney is back for Fianna Fail, while former Labour members Frankie Daly and Kieran Walsh, now of the Social Democrats going up against Conor Sheehan, who is flying the flag for that party.

Mr Walsh  who controversially quit Labour a decade ago  is making a return to politics, having been co-opted in 2003, re-elected in 2004, before stepping down in 2009.

He said: 2019 will be the year of the progressives. I think we will get three in the city and one in the county. I know were low in the polling, but if you look at our calibre of candidates, they are good, they are known, and they are honest.

Labour, it could be argued are pursuing a risky strategy on the northside, with Mr Sheehan being joined by homelessness campaigner Anne Cronin, Ennis Road.

Deputy Jan OSullivan says her party is equal to the challenge, however.

I would predict Conor would be ahead of the others in Corbally, and Id certainly be campaigning hard for him there. Fianna Fail has had their candidate there before and he hasnt won a huge amount of votes. We have no problem with competition  wed be confident, she said.

In City West, which contains the central business district, and stretches to Dooradoyle, Raheen and Mungret, Fine Gael has initially put two candidates forward in the shape of metropolitan mayor Daniel Butler and Elenora Hogan, while a third will be added shortly, likely from the Patrickswell area.

Fianna Fails strategy in City West has raised eyebrows, with a four-man ticket comprising Mayor James Collins  who may face election twice in short succession  sitting councillor Sean Lynch, as well as Young Munster legend Francis Brosnahan, and Abul Kalam Azad Talukder, who is the first Muslim to run for election in the city.

Fianna Fail TD Willie ODea feels the latter candidate  known as Jack to friends  will draw from a different vote to the other three, however.

There is a situation where Jack is veering in on his own community. A lot of them have got onto the local election register. I feel he will be focused almost exclusively on that community, he said.

Labour is once again running Cllr Joe Leddin  who is in his fifth local election  while Sinn Fein will once again field Cllr Malachy McCreesh.

Solidarity is hoping newcomer Seonaidh Ni Shiomoin, Raheen, can make a breakthrough, while their old comrade John Loftus will seek election as an Independent. The Social Democrats are running Elisa ODonovan, well-known for setting up the Swimmable Limerick movement.

City East, which covers Castletroy, Plassey, Monaleen, Castleconnell, and areas between there and the centre, is being cut from an eight-seater to a seven seater.

Here, Fine Gael has already shown its hand, running sitting councillors Marian Hurley and Michael Sheahan, as well as Michael Murphy of Castleconnell, the first time the party has put forward a candidate from the village for 50 years.

Flying the flag for Fianna Fail are Joe Pond, Jerry ODea, and new face Catherine Slattery, of the Old Cork Road.

Employed by Willie ODea, she is widely fancied to take a seat, as the Old Cork Road doesnt have a sitting councillor.

Labour will hope Elena Secas can retain her seat, while the Social Democrats are running Sarah-Jane Hennelly, whose 2016 general election performance will give her great confidence of making a breakthrough.

Castletroy View-based councillor Paul Keller will run for Solidarity, and is the partys only original candidate from 2014, following the retirement of Cllr Prendiville.

Five years ago, at the height of the opposition to water charges, Solidarity, then known as the Anti-Austerity Alliance, upset the apple cart somewhat, coming from nowhere to take three seats.

Cllr Keller admits he is fearful this might represent only a moment in time.

It would be one of the fears, yes, he admitted, The fact it was a once-off anti-austerity tiff if you like. An anti-government vote more so than anything else. Time will tell.

While he is hoping to do well himself, he acknowledges the partys other two candidates  the recently co-opted Mary Cahillane in City North and Ms Ni Shiomoin, dont have the same profile as himself.

Meanwhile, in the county, two political big beasts are stepping down  Cllrs Noel Gleeson, FF, and Bill ODonnell, FG, both in Cappamore-Kilmallock.

Rural Limerick has always been the preserve of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, save for a few exceptions.

At the last election, for example, Sinn Fein claimed three seats.

But the party may face an uphill battle this time around, with Ciara McMahon, Athea, considering stepping down, and the need to bring a new face into Cappamore-Kilmallock following the controversial resignation of Cllr Lisa-Marie Sheehy earlier this year.

Both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have lined up their tickets in the three municipal areas.

Our team is ready to go, exclaimed Fianna Fail council leader Michael Collins.

In Cappamore/Kilmallock, sitting councillors Mike Donegan and Eddie Ryan, are joined by former member Joe Meagher and Cappamore businessman Martin Ryan.

Its a case of as you were in Newcastle West, with Cllrs Collins and Francis Foley stepping up, while in Adare/Rathkeale, Cllr Kevin Sheahan is bidding for re-election, alongside Triona ODea, Croom, and Bridie Collins, Adare.

Cllr Collins has high hopes for the latter candidate, due to her location.

There is a seat to be had in Adare. Previously there was a seat there for Rose Brennan. There should be a seat there for someone to get elected to, be it Fine Gael or Fianna Fail, he said.

Fine Gael, meanwhile, is being more ambitious in Newcastle West, with Cllrs Liam Galvin, John Sheahan and Jerome Scanlon seeking re-election alongside Tom Ruddle.

Former mayor Stephen Keary, Croagh, is hoping to be returned, as is Adam Teskey, while Leo Walsh is seeking to win back a seat he lost in 2014.

Fine Gaels convention for Cappamore/Kilmallock takes place in January.

Fine Gael council leader Sheahan is clear about the aims for his party.

To get back to being the largest party and be involved in the mechanics of the council for the next five years. We are very hopeful we can do that with our strategy of candidates placed in good areas, he said.

High-profile Independent members Richard ODonoghue, Brigid Teefy and Emmett OBrien are set to contest again.

With potentially over 100 candidates chasing 40 seats, one things for certain  plenty of drama is in store between now and May.

And then there is the General ElectionA LIMERICK woman whose passion for film and young people resulted in the foundation of a festival which has been a springboard to countless rewarding careers has been named the Limerick Person of the Month.

Over 20 years ago, Athlacca native Jayne Foley, fresh from Limerick School of Art and Design, decided that the Irish film community was missing something.

In 1997, Jayne decided to change that. Her desire was to give young people a platform to express themselves and share their films with their peers, and so she founded a film festival.

Over the past 20 years Limericks Fresh Film Festival has assisted thousands of young people in not alone expressing their creative talents but also in aiding their personal development and nurturing lifelong careers.

I had completed a degree in ceramic design in Limerick School of Art and Design and then did teacher training and a Masters in Education. I had the teaching background and I could see that transition year was becoming popular in secondary schools. At that point there was a Limerick Film Festival that I was involved in. I have always been interesting in supporting young people so we sent out an entry form for Irelands Schools Video Competition. It was the late 1990s and they were big clunky VHS tapes and I think we got 50 entries back which we were really shocked by, Jayne explained.

The competition grew and Jayne decided to build a festival around it - all centred on young people. One of our first winners in the late 1990s was a man called Vincent Lambe. He was only 17 at the time and last week he was shortlisted for an Oscar. Its very exciting.

The Limerick-based Fresh Film Festival, now in its 22nd year, provides an opportunity for young filmmakers to create work and to screen work that otherwise may not be possible.

Fresh Film Festival has grown tremendously since its inception and as both the festival's founder and creative director, Jayne has seen every moment of its development.

Ive always been interested in film from day one. Ive always been interested in the arts and studied in the art college. If there was film on offer at that time I would definitely have done it. It was a different time - when I went to college we hardly had computers, Jayne recalled.

I feel the teenager years are a really exciting age and if you can get them interested at that age and help them it really means a lot to them.

The festival office is in operation all year with lots of events taking place including showcases and an event called Hothouse which is a talent development opportunity for young filmmakers that takes place in association with RTE. There is one woman working in the office full-time and then, coming up to the festival, there are a number of people brought in for a three-month period.

The festival itself always takes place in March for about a week. We have screenings of feature films, films made by young international filmmakers, films made by young people under the age of 18 and films made by seven to 12-year-olds in our junior category. We have feature films and workshops and we have an international strand whereby young people from other countries come to the festival and we do a sort of swap. They make films while they are here and then they swap them with the young Irish filmmakers.

While sometimes young people can be nervous about putting their work forward -they think it wont be good enough -in Jaynes experience its always good enough.

Usually we screen them out in the Odeon in Castletroy and to see your film playing in cinema number one while you eat popcorn with a massive audience is really exciting.

Jayne, who now lives in Dundrum, County Tipperary gets a special thrill when she sees the names of previous winners of the awards popping up on credits for various productions.

She is particularly excited to have Troy Studios here in Limerick.

We have met with them many times and its something we are hoping to develop.

Jayne, who is also an art teacher at the Further Education and Training Centre Kilmallock Road Campus, paid tribute to all those who have make the film festival the success story it is today.

The arts council have been our funders and they really have been very good to us. Limerick City Council have always been very good, the arts office have always been very supportive. The LCETB have always been very supportive. We are around a while and thats because of a lot of people backing us.

We were so lucky that the late John Hunt gave us money for three years to keep us going and after the end of that three years we were in a position to apply for arts council funding which we received and continue to receive to this day. Without that I think it would have been very tricky to keep going.Photo: The Canadian Press

Angelina Jolie has not ruled out a move into politics  and has joked that she might be tough enough to take the rough and tumble that comes with it.

The American actress and United Nations envoy told BBC radio she "can take a lot on the chin"  a possible reference to her bitter divorce from Brad Pitt.

When asked if she is moving in the direction of politics, the 43-year-old Oscar winner said, "I honestly will do whatever I think can really make change."

Jolie is a special envoy for the UN refugee agency. She used her slot as a "guest editor" on the BBC to highlight refugee issues in the Middle East.

She also included Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege on the show.Photo: The Canadian Press A dead pine beetle on a beetle-killed tree.

Mills in the heart of Canada's timber industry have fallen quieter this winter as wildfires and infestations made worse by climate change have made vast tracts of once valuable forest into barren stands of dead trees.

After seeing record high softwood lumber prices earlier this year, Canada's forestry industry is facing an uncertain future due to falling demand from a cooling U.S. housing market, increasingly frequent and intense forest fires and the continuing damage from pests such as the mountain pine beetle.

"We're kind of at that point in the cycle where, unfortunately, permanent reductions have to happen," said Ed Sustar, a forestry products analyst at Moody's Investor Service. "It's going to be a relatively sizable part of the B.C. lumber industry, but it's not a surprise."

British Columbia, home to close to a third of Canada's wood manufacturing jobs, is showing the most visible effects of reduced supplies as numerous companies have cut back mill production in recent months.

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. cited timber supply shortages brought on by the mountain pine beetle for permanently cutting 300 million board feet of production, at a cost of upwards of 75 jobs in the new year, at its Fraser Lake and Quesnel sawmills. That was on top of production cuts in the last stretch of the year at a string of interior mills from log supply constraints.

Interfor Corp. cut about 20 per cent of production for this last quarter, citing escalating log costs, while Canfor Corp. curtailed B.C. production by 10 per cent due to log supply constraints. Conifex Timber Inc. cut production by 15 per cent at its Fort St. James, and then by another 10 per cent for the next half year.

The supply issue has, however, been looming for some time, as the large swaths of B.C. forest killed by a pine beetle epidemic decay into worthless dead stands. The tinderbox created by the outbreak, combined with warmer, drier weather, have in turn helped create back-to-back record forest fire seasons in the province.

In 2017 wildfires destroyed about 1.2 million hectares of forest. This fiscal year it's estimated at 1.4 million, compared with an average of 151,000 hectares for the 10 prior years.

The decrease in the amount of healthy B.C. forest has pushed companies to expand further into the U.S. or abroad, said Sustar.

"All these companies where B.C. was their base, they're all expanding and diversifying outside of B.C., and B.C.'s become a smaller portion."

The provincially-set amount of timber that industry can harvest has already dropped by about 25 per cent in the past decade to around 52 million cubic metres, noted Sustar. B.C. government projections on the impacts of the 2017 fires alone are expected to reduce the mid-term supply by more than half in Williams Lake and 100 Mile House and by about 44 per cent in Quesnel.

"We do and we will have a mid-term challenge with respect to availability," said Susan Yurkovich, president of the B.C. Council of Forest Industries. "Fibre availability is a key issue for the industry, it's our main product input, so of course it's very significant."

The wild card in all of this continues to be the effects of climate change, and how much it will change the supply picture.

"It's already really created huge problems in terms of timber supply," said Sally Aitken, a professor at the University of British Columbia. "Climate change will touch pretty much everything we do in forestry, and everything that lives in forests."

She's studying how to create forests that will be more resilient to climate change, by selecting genetic varieties of trees that could better withstand the changes coming.Bringing Down the Colonel: A Sex Scandal of the Gilded Age, and the "Powerless" Woman Who Took On Washington

By Patricia Miller

Sarah Crichton Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 368 pp. $28

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Before Roy Moore, before Harvey Weinstein and before Brett Kavanaugh, there was William Campbell Preston Breckinridge. In 1893, the 56-year-old scion of a politically powerful Southern family found himself embroiled in a sexual scandal that enthralled the entire country and sparked furious debate. Like his 21st-century counterparts, Breckinridge had much at stake: his marriage, the respect of his children, his career as a Democratic congressman serving Kentucky's 7th District and, not least, his reputation as an upstanding Christian - one who warned young women against "useless hand-shaking, promiscuous kissing, needless touches and all exposures." Breckinridge himself did not adhere to such rigorous standards and never expected his paramour to expose their long-term affair: Why would a woman risk divulging the very behavior that would - rightfully, in his view - bring her ruin and shame? Surely the public wasn't prepared to liberate women from the strict moral code it seldom demanded of men?

These are the questions at the heart of Patricia Miller's tantalizing and beautifully researched book, "Bringing Down the Colonel" ("the Colonel" being Breckinridge's nickname, a reference to his service in the Confederate army during the Civil War). Breckinridge's victim - or accuser, depending on one's view - was Madeline Pollard, a woman with none of Breckinridge's influence but double his cunning. Pollard, nearly 30 years younger than the colonel, was born in Frankfort, Ky., the daughter of a saddler whose shop also offered an array of newspapers and highbrow magazines like Harper's. She read avidly, mastering Latin and memorizing Shakespeare, and dreamed of becoming a writer. When her father died and left the family on the brink of starvation, Pollard went to live with an aunt in Lexington, where she met a family friend named James Rhodes. He offered her a deal: If he paid for Pollard to attend Wesleyan Female College in Cincinnati, she had to agree to marry him after graduation.

Desperate for an education and eager to amass a cultured circle of friends, Pollard suppressed her loathing for Rhodes and accepted the deal. Months into her Faustian bargain, she happened to meet Breckinridge on a train. Since he had been her father's political idol, she recognized him immediately, and they shared a brief conversation. Thus began a relationship that would span almost a decade and result in two children (both sent to infant asylums, where they died). Eventually, Breckinridge promised, they would marry.

But unbeknownst to Pollard, Breckinridge was also courting Louise Scott Wing, a 48-year-old doyenne of Washington society. When he married Wing, Pollard retaliated with a "breach of promise" lawsuit, which enabled Victorian-era women to seek legal redress after a broken engagement. Although Pollard's suit cited $50,000 in damages, she wasn't interested in money (Breckinridge was famously broke). Her motivation was to challenge the Victorian double standard that judged women's sexuality while celebrating men's. Such a case had never been tried before, and she naturally encountered public opposition. "Why on earth do you want to ruin that poor old man in his old age?" a nun scolded Pollard, to which she countered, "I asked her why should that poor old man have wanted to ruin me in my youth?"

Miller spends a significant amount of time providing historical and societal context, relaying fascinating anecdotes that illuminate the evolution of the sexual double standard and the difficulty of Pollard's endeavor. Beginning with the surprisingly egalitarian mores of colonial times (both mother and father faced nine lashes if a child was born too soon after marriage), Miller delves into the mid-18th-century practice of "bundling," whereby couples were encouraged to sleep together and pregnancy signified a de facto marriage, and traces the transition to the harsher conventions of the Industrial Age. By the early 1800s, men delayed marriage to pursue education and employment, and an out-of-wedlock child could thwart their upward mobility. Women who had premarital sex now risked social ostracization and ruin, a hazard that persisted into the Victorian era, when their chastity became, in the words of the Middlesex Washingtonian, a "priceless jewel." By admitting that she had engaged in premarital sex, Pollard was setting herself up for the Gilded Age equivalent of slut-shaming; Breckinridge reasoned that he wouldn't need to prepare a proper defense, since Pollard's wicked history should be enough to exonerate him.

A diverse and intriguing cast of characters rounds out Pollard's saga, and Miller does an admirable job bringing them to vivid life. Nisba Breckinridge, the first woman to pass the Kentucky bar and an eventual staunch advocate for women's suffrage, unreservedly supports her father but, Miller suggests, is privately tormented by his conduct. Even more titillating are the exploits of Jennie Tucker, a young woman from a prominent Maine family that had been devastated by the panic of 1893. To earn money, and to indulge her own dramatic flair, Tucker becomes a spy - akin to those employed by Weinstein - hired to befriend Pollard, ascertain her motive for the lawsuit and report any information that might ensure a verdict favorable to Breckinridge.

The trial itself devolved, as these things do, into a sprawling tangle of he-said-she-said allegations. Miller deftly sorts through them, but one wishes she had re-created the more cinematic events as they happened, giving the narrative a Rashomon-like quality that highlighted the drama while examining the often subjective nature of truth. The trial does yield some surprises, not least of which is the public's near-universal condemnation of Breckinridge's behavior and support for Pollard (fast-forward 125 years, and she might be in hiding after a barrage of death threats).

Anyone emboldened by the #MeToo movement to come forward owes a significant debt to Pollard. Soon after the trial, Miller reports, a letter signed "Many Women" was published on the front page of the Lexington Morning Transcript, urging Democratic Party leaders to withdraw their support of Breckinridge. "Let him sink into the oblivion" of his guilt, they demanded. "Let his voice be silent."

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Abbott is the author, most recently, of "Liar, Temptress, Solider, Spy." Her next book, "The Ghosts of Eden Park," will be published in October.When celebrities get married, they have an important choice to make: How do they get the word out about their nuptials? The people want to know!

Similar to baby announcements, how stars display a marriage to the world says a lot about the celebrities themselves and where they are in the famous-people universe. Looking back at some of the couples who married in 2018, here's the range of popular wedding PR strategies, from most "private" to most exposed.

- Hold the wedding during a holiday week with no warning.

Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth pulled off a secret ceremony during Christmas week with a few sly Instagram photos afterward, but Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski had the strategy locked down on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The MSNBC couple's relationship has been the source of much gossip, especially when it was revealed that the two "Morning Joe" hosts were engaged. Perhaps to avoid more of the rumor mill, they quietly tied the knot in a small ceremony.

The couple granted one interview to Vanity Fair and confirmed they didn't even send formal invitations. "We wanted it to be really small and simple and not what you expected from Mika and Joe. Everything we do is exposed, and everything felt exposed every step of the way, so we want this to be private until it's over," Brzezinski said.

- Hold the wedding on a weekday with no warning.

Karlie Kloss and Joshua Kushner pulled off that rare surprise Thursday ceremony with little fanfare - though they did share the details with People a few days later.

- Enlist sponsors for your bachelor party or your registry.

The Jonas family has long been savvy enough to realize that when you're famous, you can tie major life events together with paid partnerships. Similar to how his brother Kevin got that sweet Dreft laundry detergent money when his daughter was born, Nick Jonas gave a generous plug to Elit Vodka the weekend of his bachelor party (#lightupthenight #topshelfspirits #makeitelit). The lead-up to his and Priyanka Chopra's nuptials received almost as much coverage as the wedding itself, given how many photos they both posted. Afterward, the sponsorship continued - Chopra posted about the couple's gift registry with an ad for Amazon.

- Share photos on your lifestyle website.

The moment we realized Gwyneth Paltrow, multimillionaire owner of absurdly expensive lifestyle brand Goop, might be a little bit basic? When she unleashed a slew of suspiciously normal, slightly repetitive wedding photos on her website, a couple of months after she married producer Brad Falchuk. Still, she's powerful enough to have a website like Goop, and guests in attendance included Jerry Seinfeld, Cameron Diaz and Rob Lowe (although Steven Spielberg was rocking a handheld video camera, just like your typical embarrassing dad/family friend).

- Give exclusive rights to a magazine.

This is a very popular option among everyone from A-listers to reality TV stars: This year alone, couples who gave wedding photos to magazines include Kaley Cuoco and Karl Cook (People); Miguel and Nazanin Mandi (Vogue); and Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and Lauren Pesce (Us Weekly). While some stars sell the photo rights and pocket the cash, others give the money to charity.

- In a palace with millions watching on television and Oprah in attendance.

Who else but the world's-most-talked-about-couple of 2018? Prince Harry and former "Suits" star Meghan Markle tried their best to break the internet in May with the most thrilling royal wedding of the year (sorry, Princess Eugenie). Not only was there the excitement about a biracial American actress becoming part of the royal family, but the entire spectacle was riveting, from Markle's gown to the star-studded guest list. (Oprah! George Clooney! Troian Bellisario!) If Markle was marrying an ordinary celebrity, she might have been compelled to give an interview or behind-the-scenes look at the nuptials - but when you're a duchess, the images speak for themselves.Note: This is a Just a Taste review, which the Express-News does soon after a restaurant or bar opens to give our first impressions.

The sprawling compound at 16080 San Pedro Ave. between Brook Hollow Boulevard and Thousand Oaks Drive has worn a lot of hats in the past few years. Its been an Outback Steakhouse, a Mexican restaurant and a New Mexico-inspired eatery.

The latest occupant, Lucy Coopers Ice House, has only been open for a couple weeks, but it already seems better integrated with the property than some of the former occupants. The place is clearly designed for folks to kick back with a few cold beers, shoot a game of pool or chill out at a picnic table on an expansive attached deck  the last of which was remarkably easy to do on my visit during an unseasonably warm late December afternoon.

Lucy Coopers bills itself as mainly a bar made in the classic Texas ice house model, and in many ways it is  until the menu shows up, that is.

On the menu: Yes, you can get a burger or pizza, a plate of nachos or wings at Lucy Coopers. But that oversimplifies what is one of the more unusual menus to debut in San Antonio in some time.

The offerings at Lucy Coopers read like a greatest hits list of social media food trends from the past few years. Bacon on a clothesline. A burger with Krispy Kreme doughnuts standing in for the bun. A variation on the Trash Can Nachos popularized by Guy Fieri. Mac and cheese cooked on a waffle iron. A quick Google search on more than half the menu takes all the wind out of any notion that Lucy Coopers is doing anything genuinely inventive, even if the dishes retain a degree of whimsey.

The Boodreauxs Clothes Line Bacon ($10), for example, delivered five slabs of glistening pork dangling by clothespins from a wire configured like a miniature clothes line. It was delicious  because who doesnt like salt, fat and sugar?  even if it was lifted from the charismatic chef David Burke, whos credited with developing the dish in 2014.

The Krispy Kreme Brunch Burger ($14) was less successful, the doughnut buns tough, dry and sticky under an excess of meat and fried egg. The Waffled Mac and Cheese ($10) was also a miss, short on flavor and seasoning with a coarse texture that wasnt helped by an awkward side of ranch dipping sauce.

I did enjoy the Coopers Tin Can Nachos ($12). Its a completely unnecessary construction of tortilla chips, beef, beans, pickled jalapenos and other ingredients piled into a large tin can with both ends removed. When it arrived, my server lifted the can to reveal a dramatic tower of nachos that quickly tumbled into an everyday pile of nachos that also happened to be quite satisfying.

When it comes to cocktails, there isnt much to say. The entire lineup is served in Mason jars, which necessitates an excessive quantity of ice to fill the pint-size pours. I tried the signature Coopers Cooler ($12) and Blood and Sand ($14). The former suggested a boozy Capri Sun, while the latter was a bland and watered down thing that did the classic cocktail of the same name little justice.

Its not all gimmicky hijinks at Lucy Coopers. The restaurant serves a heartfelt tribute to the melange of seafood, corn and potatoes known as Frogmore Stew or Low Country Boil in South Carolina and Georgia. I ordered a half pound of Low Country Shrimp ($12) and found the simple and earnest presentation refreshing after the assault of Instagram-ready affairs.

The Tequila Lime & Jalapeno Cluckers ($11) was an honest basket of fried chicken wings doused in a sauce any San Antonian could appreciate. The Prime Rib Pizza ($14) surprised me with a very competent crust topped in savory shaved beef, cheese and caramelized onions. Its one of the better nonpizzeria pizzas Ive had in a while, and its a generous size for the price, to boot.

Its easy to have a good time at Lucy Coopers. The environment is undeniably fun, and for the most part, the food is well prepared  even if it is basking in borrowed valor.

Location: 16080 San Pedro Ave., 210-462-1894, Facebook: lucycooperstexasicehouse

Hours: 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday through Sunday. Brunch served 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Paul Stephen is a staff writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | pstephen@express-news.net | Twitter: @pjbites | Instagram: @pjstephenThe first of the 25 inmates expected to be charged in the riot that left two correctional officers and two inmates injured on Dec. 11 at the Webb County Jail appeared in court Thursday.

Joaquin Morales, 37, is accused of arson, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, escape while confined, riot participation, criminal mischief, terroristic threat against a public servant, assault on a public servant and engaging in organized criminal activity.

Sergio Lozano, Morales' attorney, filed a writ of habeas corpus alleging his client is unlawfully restrained based on the absence of probable cause.

READ MORE: Mexican Mafia failed in its attempt to send message, charges still pending, sheriff said

Morales' participation in the riot was limited, Lozano said.

"We understand that the sheriff serves an important function in making sure the safety of the jail staff and inmates," he said. "Although this case is in its inception, the evidence will show that my client was not a member of the Mexican Mafia and did not actively participate in the charges that he is being accused of."

111th District Court Judge Monica Zapata Notzon reset the hearing to Jan. 7 so that the prosecution can better prepare their case.

Eduardo Chapa, Webb County Sheriff's Office spokesman, said no other inmates had been charged in connection with the riot as of Thursday.

According to the Sheriff's Office, Mexican Mafia gang members incited a riot at about 4:40 a.m. Dec. 11 when guards searched a cell on the suspicion that they had contraband. Immediately upon entering the cell, two correctional officers were assaulted by the inmates, the Sheriff's Office said.

"Inmates started a fire using an electronic device, putting at risk the lives of the entire jail population as well as staff members," according to the Sheriff's Office. "After several minutes and several verbal warnings, the Sheriff's Office Special Operations and Response Team was activated to take control of the situation."

RELATED: WCSO: 4 men, including 3 alleged Mexican Mafia members, arrested as part of 'Operation GOTCHA'

Within three minutes of being activated, the team used a flash-bang grenade as a warning. However, inmates continued with their destructive behavior, the Sheriff's Office said.

They destroyed a window, camera equipment, beds and tables. At that time, non-lethal weapons were used to take control of the situation. Property damage was estimated at $29,000, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The officers who were assaulted were cleared of injuries by a Sheriff Office's medical unit. Two inmates were taken to the Laredo Medical Center with minor injuries.

On the day of the riot, the Sheriff's Office said least 25 inmates were expected to be charged with arson, engaging in organized criminal activity, criminal mischief, assault on a public servant, inciting a riot and escape.

Maria Salas may be reached at 728-2580 or msalas@lmtonline.comPhoto: The Canadian Press Oracle CEO Larry Ellison

Tesla named Oracle's Larry Ellison and an executive from Walgreens to its board Friday as part of a settlement with U.S. regulators who demanded more oversight of CEO Elon Musk.

Ellison and Kathleen Wilson-Thompson, an executive vice-president at Walgreens Boots Alliance, join the board as independent directors, effective immediately.

Musk got into trouble with the Securities and Exchange Commission in early August when he said in a tweet that he had "funding secured" to take the electric car company private at $420 per share.

The SEC accused Musk of committing securities fraud, saying that the funding had not been secured and that he had duped investors who drove shares of Tesla up by 11 per cent on the day of the tweet. Several weeks later, Musk said the go-private deal was off.

Regulators initially wanted to force Musk out of his job as CEO, but agreed to accept $20 million in penalties from both Musk and Tesla. Musk did agree to step down as chairman for at least three years, but acknowledged no wrong-doing.

Despite the agreement, Musk has continued to clash with regulators.

Just days after settling the case, Musk taunted the government via Twitter, referring to the SEC as the "Shortseller Enrichment Commission."

Musk has had a long-running feud with short sellers, a category of investors that have bet that the price of Tesla stock will fall.

So far, Musk is winning that fight. Shares of Tesla Inc. are up more than 20 per cent since his clash with the SEC.

Tesla named Australian telecommunications executive Robyn Denholm as board chairwoman last month as part of its agreement with the SEC. Although Denholm brings much-needed financial and auto industry expertise to Tesla -- which has struggled to produce cars and make money -- there hasn't been a marked change in Musk's unorthodox behaviour, at least when compared with other chief executives at major corporations that are publicly traded.

Tesla shares slumped 6 per cent in early September after Musk was seen appearing to smoke marijuana during an interview that made the rounds on YouTube.

The SEC settlement also requires the company to vet Musk's tweets and other comments about the company before they are released to the public. Musk also shrugged off that provision, saying none of his tweets have been censored so far and the company does not review his posts to determine beforehand whether they could potentially affect the company's stock price.After the Syrian civil war began in 2011, Damascus became diplomatically isolated from a number of foreign countries. Many closed their embassies or removed their ambassadors because of safety concerns, but some made it clear that they were doing so in condemnation of the Syrian government and its leader, President Bashar al-Assad.

"International consensus is that this regime has lost all legitimacy and the only course of action is for Assad to leave and leave now," Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said in 2012 after Canada closed its embassy in Damascus.

But after seven years of war, Assad remains in office. The Syrian government - with the crucial support of its Russian and Iranian allies - has managed to regain control of a vast portion of the country, bringing rebels to the brink of complete defeat. Now, it looks as if shuttered embassies may be reopening in the Syrian capital as Assad's diplomatic isolation begins to fall away.

On Thursday, the United Arab Emirates' flag was raised above a compound in central Damascus, as charge d'affaires Abdul-Hakim Naimi officially reopened the country's diplomatic mission in the country. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that "the move underscores the UAE government's keenness to restore relations between the two brotherly countries to their normal course."

The next day, Bahrain's Foreign Ministry announced that "work is continuing at its embassy" in Syria, which has been without an ambassador since 2011.

The moves are notable. In particular, the UAE was an active supporter of Syrian opposition groups; it is a key ally of Saudi Arabia, once one of the most vocal critics of the Assad government in the Middle East. Both the UAE and Bahrain are members of the Arab League, a regional organization that suspended Syria's membership in 2011. Many now think it is only a matter of time before that decision is reversed and Syria's membership is reinstated.

Other than official work at embassies, there have been a number of other signals that Syria is being readmitted to the regional community. The country's border with Jordan was quietly reopened earlier this year, while Sudanese president, Omar al-Bashir became the first Arab League leader to visit Syria in eight years when he visited in December. In October, Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmad al-Khalifa embraced Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem at a U.N. meeting, surprising onlookers.

These moves from Arab nations appear to represent a recognition of the Syrian regime's likely victory over the forces that had rebelled against Assad in 2011. The government now controls all the major cities in Syria and roughly two-thirds of the total territory. President Trump announced last week that U.S. troops would soon leave the country, effectively leaving other regional powers like Iran, Turkey and Russia with greater influence.

In its statement about the embassy reopening, the UAE Foreign Ministry said that the move would "prevent the dangers of regional interference in Syrian affairs." Bahrain's statement struck a similar message, detailing "the significance of enhancing and activating the Arab role in order to maintain Syria's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and avert the hazards of regional interference in its internal affairs and progress."

It is unclear whether major Western nations would follow suit. The only nation in the European Union to currently have an embassy in Syria is the Czech Republic. The Czech embassy has also acted as a protecting power in Syria for the United States, which closed its own embassy there in 2012.Photo: The Canadian Press Ibrahim al-Assaf

Saudi Arabia's King Salman issued a wide-ranging overhaul of top government posts on Thursday, including naming a new foreign minister, following international fallout from the killing of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi nearly three months ago.

He also ordered a shakeup of the kingdom's supreme council that oversees matters related to security. The council is headed by the king's son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose powers including roles as deputy prime minister and defence minister, were untouched in the overhaul.

The changes appear to further consolidate the crown prince's grip on power by appointing to key posts advisers and members of the royal family seen as close to him.

It may also signal further efforts to show that changes are being made after the U.S. Senate passed a resolution saying it believes the crown prince is to blame for Khashoggi's grisly murder inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

As the crown prince struggles to convince many in Washington and other Western capitals that he had nothing to do with Khashoggi's killing, the soft-spoken Adel al-Jubeir was replaced as foreign minister by Ibrahim al-Assaf, a longtime former finance minister. Al-Jubeir was appointed to minister of state for foreign affairs at the Foreign Ministry.

Al-Assaf is well known to international investors, having led several Saudi delegations to the World Economic Forum in Davos. He served as finance minister under King Fahd and King Abdullah.

Al-Assaf sits on the boards of oil-giant Saudi Aramco and the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund. The crown prince oversees both entities. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Colorado State University and a master's degree from the University of Denver, according to his biography on Aramco's website.

Al-Assaf had been serving as a minister of state last year when he was reportedly detained at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh along with dozens of high-ranking officials and princes in an anti-corruption sweep led by the crown prince. Shortly after, al-Assaf appeared back at a Cabinet meeting to the surprise of many.

The government did not name those detained nor disclose what crimes they were suspected of committing. The Associated Press could not independently confirm reports of al-Assaf's arrest. The opaque anti-corruption sweep helped Prince Mohammed consolidate power and net the government more than $13 billion in settlements.

The changes announced Thursday include aides to the crown prince, including Musaed al-Aiban as national security adviser  in addition to other positions he holds  and former media minister Awwad al-Awwad as adviser to the royal court. Khalid al-Harbi was named as head of general security.WASHINGTON - With the partial government shutdown headed toward its second week and no resolution in sight, President Donald Trump on Friday issued a string of tweets in which he again vowed to close the entire U.S. border with Mexico and halt aid to several Latin American countries unless Democrats agree to his demand for billions of dollars in wall funding.

Trump also canceled plans to visit his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, and will remain in Washington over the New Year's holiday, Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said.

About 25 percent of the federal government has been shut down since Saturday, with roughly 800,000 workers affected, including an estimated 350,000 who are on furlough at home.

"We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with," Trump said in a morning tweet.

In a reprise of his threat before the midterm elections to cut off aid to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador as a caravan of migrants was making its way toward the United States, Trump said that those three countries "are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money."

"Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it," he said, without providing further details. "We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries - taking advantage of U.S. for years!"

Despite Trump's threat, the United States this month announced a new collaboration with Mexico on a program to curb migration from Central American countries, with much of the $10.6 billion U.S. contribution to be drawn from existing aid programs.

Trump's tweets come as Congress has effectively given up on breaking the impasse over the president's demands for border-wall funding, all but ensuring that the partial government shutdown will stretch into at least the start of the new year.

The House and the Senate convened for just minutes Thursday before gaveling closed until next week. During the brief session in the House, Republicans shot down a Democratic attempt to vote on legislation to reopen the government.

Members of the congressional leadership were not in Washington, though aides insisted that lawmakers could return if there is a deal to end the shutdown. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was in his home state, according to his office, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was with his family in New York.

Aides to House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., declined to say where they were.

"The House remains ready to act once there is a product that can pass the Senate and that the president says he will sign," said AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for Ryan.

Trump's previous threats to build a wall and force Mexico to pay for it led to diplomatic clashes with the government of former president Enrique Pena Nieto. But Mexico's new president - Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who is a leftist - has tried to avoid such disputes.

Asked about Trump's latest tweets, Lopez Obrador told reporters Friday: "We have acted prudently and cautiously, and we have not expressed an opinion on this theme, because this is an internal matter of the U.S. government and we prefer to abstain" from making a statement.

He added that the Mexican government "is seeking to always maintain a very good relationship with the government of the United States."

As he did Thursday, Trump remained out of public view on Friday. In an appearance on Fox News, Mulvaney said that the president had "canceled his plans for Christmas, and now he's canceled his plan for New Year's."

"He's staying in Washington, D.C., over New Year's," said Mulvaney, who is set to become Trump's acting chief of staff next month.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said early Friday afternoon that the president was in the West Wing meeting with staff and making calls and that there were "no plans as of now" for him to travel to Florida.

Even though Trump will be in town and Republicans control both chambers of Congress, Mulvaney acknowledged that little progress on a deal is expected until the start of the new Congress on Jan. 3, when Democrats will retake the House.

Contending that Democrats "have simply shut down the discussions," Mulvaney claimed that Schumer "was really interested in doing a deal" in their recent negotiations, "but the more we're hearing this week is that it's [House Minority Leader] Nancy Pelosi who's preventing that from happening."

"Nancy Pelosi, in fairness, does not have the votes for the speakership yet," Mulvaney said. "She cannot be seen by her party as being weak on negotiating with Donald Trump. So we fully expect that until she is elected speaker and has locked that vote up, we don't expect to hear from the Democrats again."

According to a Washington Post tally, Pelosi, who won the Democratic caucus's nomination for the speakership in late November, appears to have secured enough support to be elected speaker in January.

Throughout the negotiations, Pelosi and Schumer have presented a united front, issuing several joint statements and appearing together at an Oval Office meeting with Trump and Vice President Pence on Dec. 11.

Pelosi's spokesman, Drew Hammill, said in a statement Friday that Democrats "are united against the President's immoral, ineffective and expensive wall - the wall that he specifically promised that Mexico would pay for."

Democrats will not consider any offers that have not been publicly endorsed by Trump himself, he said, adding that the last time the White House directly reached out to Pelosi was when the president called her following the Oval Office meeting.

"While we await the president's public proposal, Democrats have made it clear that, under a House Democratic majority, we will vote swiftly to reopen government on Day One," Hammill said.

A Schumer spokesman said that Schumer and Pelosi "have been in constant and close contact and on the same page with regards to shutdown strategy. There is no daylight between them."

At the heart of the stalemate is Trump's demand for $5 billion in funding for his proposed wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. Congressional Democrats have rejected that figure and in recent weeks have refused to publicly endorse a figure above $1.3 billion, which continues existing funding levels and includes money for new border fencing and levee walls, but not the concrete wall Trump once demanded before he started more recently talking about "steel slats."

Legislation with that level of funding, which would have kept the entire government open through Feb. 8, passed the Senate unanimously last week, but Trump subsequently rejected it.

Mulvaney said Friday that "some folks use the term 'wall' and they mean different things."

"Everyone agrees that what we can and should be building on that southern border is that steel barrier that the president tweeted out. That's what he wants to build. The Democrats, believe it or not, don't call that a wall," he said.

- - -

The Washington Post's Erica Werner and Paul Kane in Washington and Mary Beth Sheridan in Mexico City contributed to this report.A rancher in Floresville, about 20 miles southeast of San Antonio, found a bald eagle with an injured wing on his property Thursday, he and game warden officials told mySA.com.

Game wardens took the bald eagle, named "Mike," to Last Chance Forever, a bird of prey conservancy on San Antonio's North Side for treatment. His current status is unknown.

Jason Peeler, the co-owner of Peeler Ranch with his wife, Marianna, found the injured bird at about 4 p.m. on his property on FM 539. The eagle, which has visited his ranch almost every winter for the past five years, was walking along the side of a road with a broken wing.

FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox

"We kind of backed off and called some cowboys, who brought over a horse blanket," he said. "We herded him up against the fence and put the blanket on him. Once we got him wrapped up, he calmed down. We didn't want him to hurt himself anymore."

They notified local game wardens, who took the bird to Last Chance. Kelly Rayner, the facilities manager and educational director, declined to comment on Mike's status.

Mike was last seen healthy at about noon on Thursday, just four hours before he was found with a broken wing, Peeler said.

Roland Fuentes, a Texas game wardens spokesman, said a local warden, Rob Frets, is working to determine how Mike was injured. There's no evidence of misconduct at this point in the investigation, he said.

"There are a number of ways it could have been injured, whether through contact with a power line or vehicle. We don't know. At this point, we're just trying to figure out how it was injured," he said.

Fuentes said if the inquiry reveals any criminal activity that led to the bird's injury, the wardens will "address it accordingly." Because the bald eagle is a federally protected species, injury to such a bird can result in a $100,000 fine, up to a year in jail or both.

He said Peeler and his crews' decision to wrap Mike in a horse blanket before turning it over to game wardens was in no way against regulations, but it was dangerous, as raptors will often lash out with their talons or beaks to protect themselves.

RELATED: Video: Texas man finds dozens of rattlesnakes under building on ranch

"We tell residents to leave wildlife alone and contact authorities, because we have the equipment to retrieve these animals and take them to locations like Last Chance," Fuentes said.

Peeler said Mike was a welcome presence on the ranch, which houses about 800 head of cattle and specializes in Wagyu beef. The first year Mike visited, he ate about 20 ducks on the ranch property, but Peeler didn't mind.

"It was fun watching him," Peeler said. "I liked having him around."

Peeler said Mike roosted in the same tree every year, and, after the supply of Peeler Ranch ducks ran out, he hunted wild fowl in the area like Gadwalls and Widgeons.

Though Rayner, the official at Last Chance, declined to comment on Mike's situation, she said the organization works to "rescue, rehab and release" birds of prey. She said euthanization occurs on a case by case basis but declined to comment on whether Mike's injuries warranted such a response.

Fuentes said game wardens work with Last Chance on an almost daily basis because of the experience of the bird handlers who work there.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 28)  The father-and-son tandem of Richard Garin and Oscar Garin surrendered their firearms to the police on Friday after they were exposed for mauling a police officer.

Iloilo Representative Richard Garin surrendered to the Guimbal police station nine firearms, including a sub machine gun. He has 11 firearms under his name, three of which have expired licenses.

His father, Guimbal, Iloilo Mayor Oscar Garin, surrendered five firearms. He owns eight, but only three have licenses.

"May mga expired licenses sila. So kung hindi nila i-surrender yan, they can be subjected to search warrant," said Director General Oscar Albayalde, Philippine National Police chief.

LOOK: Photos of surrendered Garin firearms. https://t.co/9qYNn2GVSy



: Guimbal Municipal Police Station pic.twitter.com/BQqSq8Ebq9  CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) December 28, 2018

Albayalde had canceled all permits of the Garins to own and carry firearms outside their residence after they assaulted police officer Federico Macaya at the Guimbal town plaza.

Section 39 of Republic Act 10591, or the Comprehensive Firearms and Amunition Regulation Act, states the PNP chief or his/her authorized representative may revoke, cancel or suspend a license or permit on the grounds of commission of a crime or offense involving firearms.

According to a police report, the Garins disarmed, body searched, handcuffed and confiscated the policeman's belongings at gunpoint on December 26. They kicked and slapped different parts of his body for unknown reasons. Rep. Garin spit on Macaya's face twice and fired his gun while the mayor father pointed another gun at him, the report added.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano said the department has filed criminal and administrative cases against the Garins.SPRINGFIELD  Determined to address gun violence from within the firearms industry, the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts voted last week to buy 200 shares of stock in American Outdoor Brands, the Springfield-based parent company of Smith & Wesson.

So that we might have a voice at the table and work with some other church groups to see what we can do to lessen the public health crisis of gun violence, said Bishop Douglas J. Fisher. Its born out of frustration.

Two hundred shares is the minimum number needed to place an initiative question on the ballot before shareholders at American Outdoor Brands' annual meeting.

The diocese and its partners are calling for universal background checks, smart gun technology that would stop a gun from working if in the hands of anyone but its owner, and an end to Smith & Wesson making guns that are illegal to possess in Massachusetts under this states stringent gun laws.

The approach is not to put the company out of business, not to abolish the Second Amendment, said Fisher, who is also a member of Bishops United Against Gun Violence.

Fisher said Friday that the dioceses frustration comes from the 97 American lives lost a day to gun violence. He said theres also frustration with the lack of progress on gun safety and gun-control laws.

But we are heartened by the recent ban on bump stocks, he said.

Theres frustration as well with a lack of dialog between Smith & Wesson management and gun safety advocates. Young activists demonstrated outside Smith & Wessons factory gates on Roosevelt Avenue four times 2018, Fisher said. David Hogg, a survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Florida in February was there for one of those demonstrations.

They have been knocking on the door of Smith & Wesson since last March, Fisher said. We would really like a dialogue.

3/14/2018 - The Right Rev. Dr. Douglas John Fisher, IX Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts speaking at the rally. Springfield speaks at a rally against gun violence last March at Smith & Wesson in Springfield.High school students in Massachusetts and their supporters urged Smith & Wesson leaders to help reduce gun violence a total of four times in 2018(Don Treeger / The Republican) Staff-ShotStaff-Shot

American Outdoor Brands didnt reply Friday to a request for comment.

The Springfield-based dioceses move follows a decision this July, one also spearheaded by Fisher, for the National Episcopal Church to start buying shares of gunmakers in order to do shareholder activism on a national level.

Fisher will head up the committee doing that buying for the national church. He said the process starts next week and he doesn't know yet what stocks or how many the national group will buy.

The Episcopal Churchs national organization has an investment portfolio of about $400 million, according to a report from the Episcopal News Service. In the past the Episcopal Church has tried to influence corporate behavior by not buying stock  for instance avoiding shares in tobacco companies or for-profit prisons.

The local diocese has not decided to buy stock in other gunmakers, Fisher said.

American Outdoor Brands has 1,600 employees at its Springfield Smith & Wesson plant.

The companys roots trace to 1852 when Horace Smith and Daniel Baird Wesson partnered to manufacture a firearm that used a self-contained cartridge. Smith & Wesson made handguns for old west gunslingers, for the army of the Russian tsar and for the allies in both World Wars.

The Smith & Wesson Model 29 revolver in .44 Magnum got famous as the most powerful handgun in the world when Clint Estwood used it in the Dirty Harry movies.

The Episcopal effort follows the lead of a national coalition of Catholic nuns who in 2018 used their power as shareholders to propose and pass shareholder resolutions both at American Outdoor Brands and at competitor Sturm Ruger.

The gunmakers are now required to write a report, each due in February, outlining corporate efforts to monitor violent events associated with products produced by the company, detailing efforts to research and produce safer guns and gun products, and an assessment of the risks to corporate reputation and finances related to gun violence in the U.S.

Sister Judy Byron, member of the Adrian Dominican Sisters and director of the Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investments in Seattle, said she hasnt heard much from AOBC since the resolution passed over the objections of management.

"It appears the company plans to produce the requested report, but this has not been confirmed," Byron wrote in an email. "We are in the process of working on our strategy for 2019."

The next filing period for shareholder initiatives at American Outdoor Brands is between May 28 and June 27, 2019, Byron said.

Fisher credited Byron and her group with pressuring Dick's Sporting goods into giving up selling assault-style firearms at its stores and the Field & Stream stores it owns.

American Outdoor Brands management opposed Byron and her follow nuns. The company warned shareholders in its annual report in June that what it called the actions of social activists could cost the company by bringing stockholder proposals up for votes or by pressuring banks not to do business with the gunmaker.

Smith & Wesson once promised to be a leader in smart-gun technology as part of a deal with the Clinton administration to avoid lawsuits from gun violence victims. But that deal brought an angry backlash. Gun enthusiasts boycotted, and Smith & Wesson nearly went out of business. Subsequent owners and current management wont talk about the incident and are now major donors to the National Rifle Administration.

Fisher said times, specifically when it comes to smart guns, have changed. The difference today is that there is a significant social movement of young people calling for change in Americas gun culture.

You really have young people speaking out. That didnt happen before, he said.

He knows of no other Episcopal Diocese in the country buying gun company stocks.

Based in Springfield, the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts stretches from Interstate 495 to the New York state line. It includes 55 churches in central Massachusetts, the Pioneer Valley and the Berkshires and totals 16,500 members.

Its the place of a church like the Episcopal diocese and the orders of nuns Byron represents to address guns in society and their impact, Fisher said.

This is part of the mission of our church, he said. To address the issues of our time.

The church needs to be involved in the issues of our time, just as Jesus was involved in the issues of his time.

Fisher paused.

Gods will be done on earth as it is in heaven, he said, quoting from the Lords Prayer.BOSTON  Gov. Charlie Baker signed a bill on Friday that will tax and regulate short-term room rentals like those rented through Airbnb.

Our administration has long supported leveling the playing field for short term rental operators who use their properties as de facto hotels, and I appreciate the Legislatures work to reach a compromise on this bill that adopts our proposal to avoid placing undue burdens on occasional renters, Baker said in a statement.

The Massachusetts Legislature initially passed a bill in July taxing short term room rentals, which are increasingly competing with hotels in parts of Massachusetts.

But Baker returned the bill unsigned with an amendment. Baker wanted to exempt people who rent out their rooms for less than 14 days a year from some of the registration and insurance requirements. He also wanted to change provisions relating to a public registry and a convention center fee.

A compromise bill resurfaced and was passed by the Legislature last week.

The new law will apply the 5.7 percent hotel room tax to short term rentals, with an exemption for those who rent out their rooms for 14 days or less. Cities and towns can choose to add an additional 6 percent local excise tax (6.5 percent in Boston) and a 3 percent community impact fee, with an additional 2.75 percent fee levied in Cape Cod.

There will be a public registry of all short-term rentals.

Cities and towns will be allowed to place their own restrictions on short-term rentals, capping the total number of rentals, restricting the location of rentals or limiting for how many days rooms can be rented. Rentals will have to comply with local health and safety codes.

Rental unit operators will have to maintain $1 million in liability insurance coverage.

The Massachusetts Lodging Association, which represents the hotel industry, cheered the bills passage.

This is a tremendous victory for municipal leaders and the people of Massachusetts who have been waiting for years while Airbnb rentals have exploded, resulting in skyrocketing housing costs and disruptions in local neighborhoods, said President and CEO Paul Sacco. By adopting a more level playing field between short-term rentals and traditional lodgers, lawmakers made great strides toward a more fair and sensible system.

Airbnb has said it supports the idea of collecting state taxes, but it has opposed some of the regulations that come along with that. According to Airbnb, there are 1.2 million travelers annually who use Airbnb to rent rooms in Massachusetts and 2 million Massachusetts residents who use Airbnb when they travel.

Airbnb spokeswoman Liz Fusco said, While we are deeply disappointed in the flawed bill that emerged from Beacon Hill during the lame duck session, we will continue the fight to protect our community and the economic engine of short-term rentals for hosts, guests, and local small businesses."

The law will go into effect July 1.Top officials in Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Bakers administration are slated to receive a 5.5 percent increase in pay, starting in January 2019.

Most members of the governors office, who havent seen a pay hike in four years, will receive the salary increase. The list of people receiving the bump includes cabinet secretaries, agency heads and commissioners who meet certain eligibility requirements, according to a Baker administration memo released Friday.

Cabinet officials like transportation chief Stephanie Pollack and education chief James Peyser have been earning $161,522 a year, according to state records.

Baker, who won a second four-year term in November 2018, is also getting a pay increase.

He said during his re-election campaign that he plans to accept a higher salary and a $65,000 housing stipend. His salary increases to $185,000 from $151,800.

The governors salary increase was included in a package state lawmakers passed in January 2017. At the time, Baker vetoed the measure, and when the Democrat-dominated state Legislature overrode his veto, the governor declined to accept the increase.

During a gubernatorial debate just before the November election, Baker said if he wins another term he would accept the pay raise, because thats what it is.

The controversial 2017 package of pay increases also covered statewide constitutional officers like the attorney general and state treasurer (now with a salary of $175,000 each), as well as the House speaker, Senate president and their leadership teams.

Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Robert DeLeo will now make $152,912 a year. Theyre also receiving an additional $16,248 for work-related expenses.

The legislative leaders' compensation figure includes a 5.93 percent increase in base pay that all 200 lawmakers are receiving.

Baker certified the 5.93 percent increase earlier this week, putting the base compensation of each state lawmaker at $66,256, up from $62,547.

Baker made the certification based on a mechanism in the state constitution, which calls for the governors office to use the median household income in Massachusetts over a two year period to determine whether state lawmakers salaries go up, go down or stay the same.

The median household income rose to $77,385 in 2017 from $73,052 in 2015, a 5.93 percent ($4,333) increase.

Material from State House News Service was used in this report.Although wait times at the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles increased earlier this year as new federal rules went into place and the state updated its computer system, state officials say they have succeeded in bringing those wait times back down.

The registry has been transparent with our customers in acknowledging that the replacement of the driver licensing and identification services of our over 32-year-old mainframe was a challenge for both our customers and our staff members to adapt to, said Registrar Erin Deveney in an interview.

The Republican/MassLive.com reported, based on an annual report recently released by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, that lines at the RMV significantly lengthened in fiscal 2018, rolling back some of the progress state transportation officials had made earlier in shortening RMV lines.

In the fiscal year that ended in June, 12 percent of RMV customers had to wait longer than an hour, tripling the 4 percent of customers who waited that long in fiscal 2017.

The reason was new federal rules, which Massachusetts implemented at the end of March, requiring customers to present proof of residence and citizenship status in order to get a Real ID, a type of license that will be valid to use as a federal identification card beginning in 2020. Customers had to be aware of the change and know what documents to bring. RMV staff had to be trained to recognize and scan different types of documents, including documents from other states and countries.

The RMV also upgraded its decades-old computer system to comply with the new rules.

Deveney said many customers who had been renewing their licenses for years were uncertain about the new document requirements. It took staff longer to process transactions because they had to familiarize themselves with the identification requirements and the new web-based technology.

There was also an influx of additional customers, since customers who previously could have renewed their licenses online had to come in person to apply for a Real ID.

For example, the Springfield RMV served 310,400 customers in calendar year 2017. As of Dec. 27, 2018, the Springfield RMV had served 440,200 customers this year.

State transportation officials say since July, service times have improved.

Weekly statistics show the long delays started March 26, when the state implemented the new federal rules and the new computer system. The lines were consistently long for about three months, and wait times started to improve this summer. By September, there were only a small number of customers on any given week who had to wait more than an hour.

The state has set as its goal serving 80 percent of customers within 30 minutes. Statewide, RMVs hit that goal in September 2018 for the first time since March. The Western Massachusetts region hit that goal for the first time in July.

By November 2018, according to MassDOT statistics, 93 percent of RMV customers were served in less than 30 minutes, and only 1 percent had to wait longer than an hour. The longest waits were generally at busy registries like Boston, Braintree, Revere and Brockton.

Deveney said since March, the RMV identified staff members who needed more training with the technology and provided that training. The RMV refocused on moving customers who had all their paperwork ready into a separate line for quicker service. It improved the information provided to customers so customers knew what they needed to bring to obtain a Real ID. Deveney said she has reinforced the importance of respectful customer service, even in the face of long waits.

While we fully recognize and admit that we needed to improve and give our customers a better service experience than we first offered them following the implementation of the ATLAS (computer) system, I think our customers since the end of the summer have gotten back to a more consistent, reliable service delivery, Deveney said.Despite earlier assurances that problems with the nationwide 911 system had been resolved, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency is warning of sporadic" service in communities across the state.

The agency issued an alert just before noon to state residents alerting them that 911 may not work if they need it. The agency is recommending that if people are unable to get through to police through 911, they may need to dial the 10-digit number for their local police department.

Locally, Ludlow, Northampton , Holyoke, Westfield, and Chicopee reported 911 service in their communities is intermittent.

Northampton police issued a statement reading Contrary to recent media saying 911 is repaired, we still have intermittent 911 outages nationwide. In Northampton if you cant get through to 911, call alternate emergency #(413) 582-0396, (413) 582-0395 or our business line at (413) 587-1100.

Ludlow police say that if 911 is not working, people should call 413-583-8305 to reach an officer.

Holyoke is advising people to call 413 322-6900 if they cannot get through to police by 911.

Westfield police issued a statement that said We are asking all Westfield residents who need police, fire or EMS services to try 911 first, but if that doesnt go through, call 413 572-6573 which is a direct line to emergency dispatch.

Chicopee police initially reported that their system is not functioning.

The department recommends that people who need police assistance should call 413 594-1700, and for fire or medical assistance call 413-594-1639.

But as of 12:30 p.m., the department reported things were back to normal and 911 was working.

Sporadic 911 outages continue. In an emergency, if 911 does not work, use 10 digit number for local/police fire. #alert pic.twitter.com/t8An1FfsW0  MEMA (@MassEMA) December 28, 2018

The Massachusetts State Police is also advising that, despite the problems, people should not call 911 to see if it is working. People should only call if it is an actual emergency.

The problems with 911 nationwide were the result of an outage involving CenturyLink in Louisiana. On Friday morning, widespread problem was thought to be resolved, leading Massachusetts State Police to issue a statement that the system in Massachusetts was functioning again.PALMER -- A dog, shot in the Old Warren Road area on Christmas Day, is recuperating under a veterinarians care, a regional animal control officer said.

Police seek the publics help as they investigate the shooting of Ellie, a 5-year-old shepherd female.

Regional Animal Control Officer Sydney Plante said investigators believe the dog was shot in the area of 200-300 Old Warren Road sometime between Tuesday afternoon and about 9 oclock that night.

She was shot in the bottom of her rib, said Plante, who covers Ware, Warren, Palmer and Monson. It fractured the rib and the rib probably stopped (the bullet) from doing more damage.

The dog was taken to Mill Valley Veterinary Clinic in Belchertown, where she continues to recuperate, Plante said. She is stable. She is eating and drinking," she said.

A veterinarian confirmed the bullet was from a .22-caliber firearm.

The dog had been left alone outside and the owners were not home at time of the shooting.

Plante said the dog does not typically leave the yard but its possible that she had wandered farther afield.

Those with information are asked to call Palmer police at 413-283-8792.This is an update of a story posted at 12:31 p.m. Friday

State officials say problems with the statewide emergency 911 system continue through Friday afternoon, and the sporadic problem is affecting not just some wireless calls for help but also those made over landlines.

Nationwide, local and regional 911 systems have been affected as a result of an issue involving CenturyLink in Louisiana. On Friday morning, the widespread problem was thought to be resolved, leading Massachusetts State Police to issue a statement that the system in Massachusetts was functioning again.

By mid-morning, problems began to emerge at points throughout the state as people tried to call 911 and found they could not get through.

It was initially thought to be an issue only with people calling 911 over cellphones, but a statement issued by the Massachusetts State Police and the state Emergency Management Agency indicates that the problem is affecting some landline calls as well.

Due to an ongoing nationwide issue affecting some household landline and wireless cellular carriers in Massachusetts, 911 calls made from either a landline telephone or cellular telephone may not go through," the statement reads. The initial release of information regarding this issue this morning stated that the problem was confined to cellular 911 calls. However, updated information suggests that there may be a landline impact as well.

People calling 911 for assistance may not be able to get through, but instead may hear a fast busy signal or a message saying all circuits are busy. There have also been instances where people called 911 in one locality and got connected with an emergency call center somewhere else, officials said.

State police are recommending that until the system is restored, people who cannot get through by 911 should call their local police via that departments 10-digit emergency number.

People can also call the state 911 department number at 508-872-2508. Callers should tell the dispatcher where they are calling from to be transferred to their local department.

For Western Massachusetts communities that receive dispatch services from the state police, people should call the 10-digit number for one of three regional dispatches.

Covered by New Braintree control (508-867-1170) are: Brimfield , Brookfield , East Brookfield , Hardwick , Holland, New Braintree, North Brookfield, Petersham, Wales and West Brookfield

Covered by Northampton Control (413-586-1508): Chester, Chesterfield, Cummington, Goshen, Granville ,Hatfield, Huntington, Montgomery, Pelham, Plainfield, Russell, Williamsburg, Westhampton and Worthington

Covered by Shelburne Control (413-625-8200): Ashfield, Bernardston, Buckland, Charlemont, Colrain, Conway, Deerfield, Erving, Gill, Hawley, Heath, Leverett, Leyden, Monroe, New Salem, Northfield, Orange, Rowe, Shelburne and Shelburne Falls, Shutesbury, Sunderland, Warwick, Wendell and WhatelyDo you need a root crop bagging machine? A quick-cut greens harvester? A vegetable washer? Or, perhaps, upgrades to your cheese pasteurization vat?

These and other modest farm investments have been funded in recent years by the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation in collaboration with Big Y and other partners.

The Local Farmer Awards program, now in it fifth year, has helped more than 125 Western Massachusetts farmers with grants up to $2,500. The grants must go to equipment or infrastructure that will help improve farm operations.

The latest funding round has been launched, and farmers are invited to apply.

"Farmers don't typically ask for help," said philanthropist Harold Grinspoon in announcing the 2019 grant program. "They are genuinely appreciative of these awards and use the money in creative ways for projects to help their businesses."

"Big Y has been partnering with and supporting local farmers since we began over 80 years ago," said Big Y president and CEO Charles L. D'Amour.

Eligible farms must have gross sales of at least $10,000, and either be a member of Berkshire Grown or Community Involve in Sustaining Agriculture, or reside in Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden or Hampshire counties.

The application deadline is January 31. Applicants are encouraged to visit www.farmerawards.org for more information.GREENFIELD -- Michael Natale was one of the two dozen or so who camped on the town common this summer, part of an encampment that drew the region's attention to the crisis of homelessness.

For a time there was a focused effort to find help for the people camping on the common. But since the city cleared the encampment Aug. 24, many still are without homes.

Natale, 29, has been camping in a park, trying to stay warm with four blankets and a tarp over his tent. But when it's cold, he's cold, he said.

He said he's contacted ServiceNet's emergency shelter on Wells Street, but the 20-bed facility is always full. A plan to expand the shelter ran into funding problems and other issues, and the dozen or so beds the shelter hoped to add could not be added.

Some of those on the common found shelter beds locally or were taken to shelters in New York state.

Pat Culver said the homeless people on the common got all the attention, but there were and are homeless people in town who did not get help.

She and her longtime partner, Joe Finn, are two of them. Finn guesses there are several hundred others in town, now hidden behind shopping centers and other places.

The couple slept in their car for nearly a year. In October, with help, they bought a motor home, where they are staying for now. They can't afford the $850 needed to stay in a year-round trailer park, so they spend nights looking for a place to park.

Culver said they had been parking in the Registry of Motor Vehicles lot on Miner Street but were told to move. The same happened with other lots like Home Depot and McDonald's. They wish the city would offer them a place to park.

They'd like to get an apartment, but they rely on disability payments and don't have enough money for rent, let alone the first and last month's rent needed up front, Culver said.

Finn had been a truck driver for 17 years. He developed a seizure disorder and had to give up his license, he said. Culver, 64, had been a health care aide but arthritis in her knees got so bad she had to stop working. She said she'd love to be able to work.

The two get breakfast and lunch at the Salvation Army and shower there. They also get meals at local churches, which helps.

Rhonda Ely has been homeless for about 10 years after being evicted from an apartment. She was receiving $575 from Aid to Families with Dependent Children. But her ex-husband wasn't helping anymore, so she fell behind on rent, which she said was $475.

The state took her kids, she said, and she lost her benefits. She and her fiance, Rory Anderson, couch-surfed for a time, then lived on the street.

They got a bed at the Wells Street shelter but then were placed in a group home operated by ServiceNet. That house closed, and they again are at Wells Street waiting to see if there's a room in another ServiceNet home in Turners Falls.

Ely said they spend their mornings at the Salvation Army and then at Greenfields Market in the afternoon until they return to the shelter when it reopens at 4. At the group home they didn't have to leave during the day.

She talked about all the vacant town buildings and doesn't understand why they can't be used. Homeless people could rent rooms, she said.

"A lot of the buildings are just rotting. Why can't they open up?" she said.

Currently she's living on $303 a month from the state while she's waiting to see if she can again collect disability.

She said she had worked at Stop & Shop and as a waitress, but has disabilities including vascular disease and an anxiety disorder.

Natale said he was offered a job at Lightlife in Turners Falls but it started at 5 a.m. and buses don't start running until then. He said he and his fiancee, who lives with her family in Colrain, want to get an apartment, but don't have money for the first or last month's rent or a security deposit.

He has no income except for occasional panhandling. His fiancee is on disability but has to pay for food and rent to her family, he said. Her family won't let him stay with them, he said.

Natale said every couple of weeks he's able to apply to a respite program run by the Northampton-based Clinical & Support Options and stay for seven days, which he does. He has applied to the state Department of Mental Health to see if he can stay longer. He is a recovering heroin addict, he said, and he suffers from a severe panic disorder.

Asked what will happen when temperatures drop even lower, he said, "I honestly don't know."

There are few options. M.J. Adams of the town's economic development office said state building and fire codes prevent churches from offering space to people who have no place to go. "Building codes are much more stringent," she said.

She said the city keeps track of vacant buildings but does not own them. The state in June announced the availability of $1.25 million in the Abandoned Housing Initiative Receivership Fund. The city has considered the receivership program but many of the buildings "are in need of substantial rehab," Adams said.

And while it's not advertised, she said, the police department lobby is open 24 hours a day.NORTHAMPTON -- A man accused of sticking up a Hatfield bank with a stick on Christmas Eve and eluding police for four hours has been ordered held on $25,000 bail.

Michael V. Taylor, 30, of Mattapan, a neighborhood in Boston, appeared before Judge Maureen Walsh on Wednesday at Northampton District Court, where he denied single counts of armed robbery and failure to stop for police, court documents show.

Taylor has a criminal history in Florida, a prior conviction of armed robbery at Middlesex Superior Court and has deployed aliases, according to a judge's order setting bail conditions. He is also the subject of an outstanding warrant at Orange District Court for failure to appear on motor vehicle charges, a police affidavit states.

Taylor allegedly held up the People's United Bank on West Street (Routes 5 and 10) while brandishing a sharpened stick. A teller told police that on Monday around 9:30 a.m., a man wearing a partial mask ran into the bank, jumped over the counter, demanded all loose and bundled cash and fled with a canvas bag full of money.

The suspect fled south in a maroon Jeep Liberty, failed to stop for Northampton police, jumped out of his still-rolling SUV on Interstate 91 in Holyoke and escaped into the woods with a bag containing $10,807 in cash, according to a Massachusetts State Police affidavit filed with court documents.

Following a manhunt involving police from four communities, Taylor was arrested by a state trooper in a wooded area near the Holyoke Canoe Club around 2 p.m., and the bag of cash was nearby, the affidavit said.

Questioned at the Massachusetts State Police barracks in Northampton, Taylor initially said the bag of cash had been left in his car by a friend, but eventually admitted to being the bank robber, according to the statement filed by Trooper Alan J. Gamache.

Northampton Police Chief Jody Kasper said on Facebook that the suspect had climbed a tree near the Holyoke Canoe Club, which is located on the Connecticut River east of the highway.

"The tree branch that the suspect was standing on broke, sending him to the ground, sack of stolen cash in hand," Kasper wrote.

Taylor, who gave a Mattapan address, is believed to be living in Springfield, police said. The search was aided by police from Easthampton, Holyoke, Northampton, and Hatfield, including the K-9 unit from Easthampton.

Taylor's next court date is set for Jan. 15.Former Hampshire College student and activist Eduardo Samaniego was denied release on bond from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Georgia on Thursday, according to Rose Bookbinder from the Pioneer Valley Workers Center in Northampton.

The center is calling for his release and asking people to sign a petition. Samaniego was working for the center before he went to Georgia this fall.

Samaniego had been held in the Robert A. Deyton Detention Facility in Lovejoy, Georgia, for 71 days. On Friday he was moved to the Irwin Detention Center in Ocilla, Georgia. Bookbinder said his legal team was given less than 24 hours notice of his Thursday hearing. They plan to appeal.

She said the lawyers reported the court deemed Samaniego a flight risk. She said because they didn't have much notice they didn't have a large support team to testify on his behalf.

A GoFundMe campaign continues to raise money for his legal fees.

Bookbinder said Samaniego's health is precarious. He was injured in a gas explosion two years ago, suffering burns on 45 percent of his body and being hospitalized for three months.

The trauma of that, plus the fact that he has been isolated in detention, is causing him great difficulty, Bookbinder said. She said he wasn't allowed visitors, including someone from the Mexican consulate. A guard allowed his mother to visit two days ago, Bookbinder said.

Samaniego, an undocumented immigrant who came to the U.S. from Mexico when he was 16, graduated with honors as president of Junior Achievement of Georgia, president of the Hispanic Honor Society and the only National Society of High School Scholars gold medal winner in his class.

He said in an earlier interview he couldn't go to college because he didn't have a Social Security number. In 2014, Hampshire gave him a four-year scholarship.FOXBOROUGH -- When Donta Hightower takes the field Sunday for New Englands regular-season wrap-up against the Jets, he will have played in his 15th game this year.

It will be only the second time Hightower has managed that feat.

Due to a variety of ailments and injuries, the 28-year-old linebacker routinely misses three to four games each year. Last season, he was sidelined from Week 6 on because of a torn pectoral muscle. In response, he exchanged his traditional workout regimen for a new plan focused on recovery and small muscle groups.

Seven hundred and twenty-six defensive snaps later, his most since 2014, the results have been undeniable.

Thats literally been been my story. Having been doing the heavy weights, the heavy squats stuff, Ive been doing a lot more core, a lot more function and flexion movement stuff," he said Friday. I feel like thats definitely kind of helped me out. Ive still kept my power and stayed lean.

When Hightower first sat down with Bill Belichick during a pre-draft meeting in 2012, he impressed Belichick immediately with his grasp of Alabamas defense.

I remember they had a lot of guys in that room, but clearly he had great understanding of everything, Belichick remembered Friday. He was involved in coverage, involved in pass rush and that system involves a lot. Theres a lot of line call communication, theres a lot of coverage adjustments, and hes good at all of those. I mean, its hard to do those at one position. He did it in multiple positions and multiple personnel groups.

Unlike his health, Hightowers mental acuity has remained a constant strength of the linebackers game. Mastering New Englands system was his ticket to seeing significant time as a rookie, even as a high-round pick. And he knew it.

The easiest way for me to get on the field was just kind of to learn the playbook and thats what I did," Hightower said. "First year I played inside (linebacker), then the years after that I was kind of able to do a little bit more because I knew the playbook so that definitely sparked and helped a lot of that. Being able to learn the playbook quicker than most.

As the Patriots have transitioned under new de factor defensive coordinator Brian Flores, whos commanded a tweaked defense, Hightowers role has changed slightly. Hes not the Swiss Army Knife he was for the Crimson Tide, but depending on the defensive package, hell still align on the edge or as a stand-up linebacker; similar roles he played under previous defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.

Said Hightower: "To you it might look a little to different. To me, its the same with a little twist.

And as his physical skills begin to diminish, as they do for all players, Hightowers instincts and playbook command continue to help him make up the ground he once covered naturally. He nabbed the first regular-season interception of his career in Week 6 and totaled more TFLs this season than any other since 2015.

The changes in the gym, it seems, have allowed him to remain the same old Hightower.U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, urged the Trump administration Friday to investigate the recent death of an 8-year-old Guatemalan boy, who had been held in Customs and Border Protection custody.

The Massachusetts Democrat, who has been a vocal critic of the White Houses immigration policies, sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Acting Inspector General John V. Kelly requesting that he look into the Christmas Eve death of Felipe Alonzo Gomez.

Noting that Gomezs death marks the second involving a child in CBP custody in December, Warren urged the IG to expand an ongoing probe into the passing of 7-year-old Jakelin Caal to include the circumstances surrounding the most recent fatal incident.

The senator, who noted that she wrote to the IG after Caals passing, argued that such deaths are even more concerning given DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsens recent claim that she did not have an exact figure on the number of individuals who have died in U.S. custody.

In light of these pressing questions, I reiterate my request from earlier this month that you conduct a rigorous and broad investigation and publicly release the results as quickly as possible, she wrote.

Pointing to reports that Gomez died days after he was detained and transferred to the El Paso and Alamogordo Border Patrol Stations, Warren noted that experts have raised particular concerns about detaining children at the border in overcrowded, often cold facilities.

Children are not supposed to be held in CBP facilities for more than 72 hours, but it appears that Felipe was shuttled between CBP facilities for six days between his detention on Dec. 18, 2018 and his death on Dec. 24, 2018, she said. It is unconscionable that children seeking asylum are dying in U.S. custody.

Warren argued that with the full circumstances surrounding Gomezs death unknown, its urgent the IG determine how and why he died in CBP custody, as well as whether the agency or any other officials are responsible for his death.

She urged Kelly to, among other things, examine: the specific circumstances of Gomezs death; what CBP policies and procedures for health screenings and treatment applied to Gomez and were followed; and whether officials were warned of health and safety risks to detained children prior to the two December deaths.

The Associated Press reported that Nielsen, in response to the two deaths, asked the Coast Guard to study CBPs medical programs and announced that children entering into the such custody will receive more thorough assessments.At Quinns Irish Pub in Worcester, New Years Eve will not only be a night to ring in 2019. It will also be a night to honor one of Worcesters fallen heroes.

Quinns is hosting a New Years celebration with live music, food and raffles, with all proceeds to benefit the Ava Roy Fund, a fundraiser started for the 9-year-old daughter of Worcester Firefighter Christopher Roy, who was killed in the line of duty earlier this month.

Christopher Roy was battling a five-alarm blaze at 7 Lowell St. on Dec. 9 when he became trapped on the second floor. Fellow firefighters pulled Roy out of the multi-family home, but he died of his injuries.

Roy was 36 years old and was assigned to Ladder 4 a the Webster Square Fire Station. In addition to his daughter, Roy leaves behind his parents and a brother.

The event at Quinns starts at 4 p.m. and runs through 2 a.m. on New Years Day. A $25 donation will be collected at the door.

The evening will feature a dinner buffet and live music by John Brazile from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and by Terry Brennan from 8 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Doors will be open all day at Quinns on Dec. 31 for anyone who wants to stop in to make a donation.

The Ava Roy Fund was started in the days following Roys death and the fund alone has raised more than $362,000 as of Friday, said Michael Papagni, the president of Worcester Firefighters Local 1009.

The support has remained overwhelming ever since the fire, Papagni said. It shows the communitys truly behind the firefighters and they truly want to help the Roy family and Ava.

Separate fundraisers also continue and will feed into the fund.

The Greg Hill Foundation, for example, has raised about $102,000 in donations that have not yet been included in the funds total, Papagni said.

Checks also continue to come into the Worcester Fire Department Credit Union daily.

Anyone who wants to donate to the fund can do so online or mail checks payable to the AVA ROY FUND directly to the Worcester Fire Department Credit Union at 34 Glennie St., Worcester, Mass., 01605.The year 2018 is nearly over, and it is time for us to reveal what we believe were the most notable developments in medical technology. We considered a technologys clinical importance, the greatness of the leap that its making over existing solutions, as well as how we expect it to be adopted by doctors and nurses. Additionally, we place great value on the novelty, the engineering brilliance embedded within, and how a new technology makes possible what recently seemed nearly inconceivable. As such, a technology that may not be the most useful, but if it strikes our imagination and opens up new possibilities in the future, we are glad to include it in our winners list.

VR and AR

Virtual reality and augmented reality technologies are making it possible to study and interact with the human body in unexpected ways. This year, the Microsoft HoloLens augmented reality headset has been used by surgeons at Imperial College London to help reconnect severed blood vessels. At Alder Hey, an important childrens hospital in England, the HoloLens is also being introduced to give surgeons the ability to review imaging and other patient data during surgery and without having to look away from the surgical field.

Remote controlled drones coupled with augmented reality technology can let professionals assist first responders with handling injured patients.

The newly released Leica GLOW800 augmented reality surgical microscope combines fluoroscopy and natural color vision, making it much easier to visualize vascular flow tagged with fluorescent markers than having to use two different imaging systems.

Drug Delivery

Until a few years ago, drug delivery simply meant swallowing a pill. Today, this is a huge field of research that will allow clinicians to bypass the bodys defenses to treat previously untreatable conditions and to even automate treatments by medicating patients whenever certain measured parameters are met.

A smart Bluetooth-powered electronic pill developed at MIT can reside in the stomach for over a month while releasing drugs whenever needed. It eventually breaks up into pieces and exits the body without leaving anything behind.

A heart that survives a cardiac infarct can benefit from a number of medical compounds, but those are normally delivered by injection and therefore influence the entire body. A team of researchers from the U.S. and Ireland have developed a device that can be used to deliver drugs directly to a damaged region of a heart . One end of the device is stuck to the heart, while the other end is an injection port that protrudes through the skin. A syringe can be used to push drugs through the port and into the damaged area of the heart.

Like the heart, the eyes are also difficult in terms of drug delivery. The eyes wash away anything that lands on them and have a number of defenses to prevent things from penetrating into the interior of the eye. EyeGate II iontophoresis drug delivery system uses electric current to gently push ionized drug molecules through the eye. An electrode is placed on the patients forehead, while the opposite electrode is within a special applicator. The applicator ionizes the drug, while an electric current running between the electrode pulls the ionized particles along with it.

AI and Automatic Diagnosis

Artificial Intelligence and related technologies are beginning to make a real impact in medicine. It is hoped that AI will help to ameliorate the shortage of doctors thats expect to grow over the coming decades, and in radiology, pathology, ophthalmology, and other areas of medicine this will certainly be the case.

The FDA this year issued the first clearance for a system that can autonomously diagnose a medical condition. The IDx-DR from IDx, a company out of Coralville, Iowa, can detect diabetic retinopathy in patient eyes all on its own, and without having to be reviewed every time by a trained physician. The system is designed for general practitioners and other physicians that regularly deal with diabetic patients, and is not intended to replace ophthalmologists in any sense. It does make screening easy, and will hopefully help get more people to receive treatment earlier in the disease progression.

Dense breasts have been recognized as resulting in more cases of breast cancer, and there are technologies available to help detect lesions in dense breasts.

To make sure that women are placed a proper diagnostic course, researchers at MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital have developed an an automated system that rates breast density on mammograms. All it takes is raw tomography data from a mammogram machine, and it simply rates how dense the breast is on each scan.

The system was trained, using nearly 60,000 mammography images, to learn what dense breasts look like, thanks to each of the thousands of images having been already used in a real case and tagged with a radiologists diagnosis.

Eyes and Contact Lenses

Interesting developments are happening in the field of ophthalmology and eye care. Johnson & Johnson received clearance for the worlds first transition contacts. Transition glasses have been around for decades, but the Acuvue Oasys Contact Lenses with Transitions Light Intelligent Technology are the first contacts that automatically darken when in very bright environments.

Researchers in South Korea developed a contact lens that can measure glucose and intraocular pressure . The lens is soft and comfortable, and is transparent thanks to the novel use of graphene and metal nanowires that are embedded within that serve as sensors. The technology still requires perfecting, and glucose levels in tears are not directly correlated to blood glucose. The possibility to monitor numerous health conditions using contact lenses is, nevertheless, nearly here.

A similar development was announced by a Purdue University team that created a contact lens that can measure glucose, pH, and lactate in the eye. The researchers were able to integrate thin film sensors within a commercially available soft contact lens, resulting in a nearly ready to go device.

The FDA approved a the CustomFlex Artificial Iris developed by, a company based in Germany. The device is a flexible silicone membrane that is folded and inserted through a small incision in the eye, then unfolded in place. Clinical studies have shown the device to be very effective for helping people with a variety of iris defects.

3D printed artificial corneas that were seeded with stem cells, developed by scientists at Newcastle University in the UK, may help to address the chronic shortage of donor corneas. The artificial corneas are made from a combination of alginate, collagen, and human stem cells that are made to differentiate into corneal stromal cells.

Imaging and Microscopy

Our ability to view the human body in ever greater detail gives us the ability to address diseases sooner, to diagnose easily what was previously difficult, and to understand the many processes that govern our physical lives. This year we saw new and impressive achievements in this wide-ranging field.

Philips, to the surprise of many, released an MRI scanner that uses almost no helium to keep its magnets cool. Helium, though not exactly rare, is often in short supply. MRI machines are some of the largest consumers of helium, so the less the machines use, the better. Moreover, having all that helium inside the machine creates a potential safety hazard and a potential for a quench. Since this is impossible in the new Ingenia Ambition X 1.5T MR, due to the lack of helium, the system doesnt even have a traditional exhaust vent.

MRI machines are usually thought of large stationary devices with a bore hole in the middle. As such, theyre not very good at assessing the movement of joints since one cant walk, jump, or otherwise move much inside a conventional MRI machine. Engineers at NYU Langone Health have created a wearable MRI detector that can image moving joints as theyre being used, providing a new and highly useful window into our muscles and bones.

Ultrasound has also now been optimized to look at small joints in our bodies thanks to an ultrasound patch developed at University of California San Diego. The device is highly flexible and conforms to the curves of a finger or toe, for example. It features 100 piezoelectric transducers that work in unison to create a 3D picture of the structures below the surface. The researchers envision the device being used to diagnose a variety of conditions, such as cardiac arrhythmias with intermittent symptoms, embolisms, and fetal heart rates and movements.

A related device, also from UC San Diego can be used to measure the central blood pressure.

A collaboration of researchers at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard, Stony Brook, Caltech, and UC Berkeley led to the development of an amazing new microscope that can look deep through cells within living tissues. The device relies on a technique called lattice light-sheet microscopy, which involves passing a plane of light through tissue over and over. The beam of light is powerful enough to image the insides of individual cells, but because its focused into a very narrow sheet it doesnt seem to disturb the processes taking place inside the cells.

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) allows us to see the electrical activity within the brain, but the devices that can do this, called SQUIDs (superconducting quantum interference devices), are huge and heavy. This makes it impossible to use MEG to study people that are moving about. Collaborators from University of Nottingham and University College London managed to create a head-worn magnetometer that is light, comfortable, and that will open up MEG to whole new range of clinical studies of how the brain works.

Blood Pressure

Omron unveiled the worlds first smartwatch capable of measuring blood pressure directly from the wrist. The HeartGuide watch will allow just about anyone to keep regular track of blood pressure without having to bring along a bulky device. We first got a chance to glimpse at the HeartGuide at last years CES. Stay tuned for our coverage of medical technologies being unveiled at the upcoming CES 2019 in January.

Diabetes

Diabetes continues to afflict millions of people, but a lot of new technologies are coming out that improve how it is managed. More hopefully, there are signs that well be able to permanently treat the many varieties of diabetes by producing an artificial pancreas that can automatically regulate blood glucose levels

The FDA has cleared the POPS! one System for glucose testing on the go. The device is stuck to the back of a smartphone and includes lancet, a sensor port that measures the blood glucose, and everything else you need to get results within about 30 seconds. Once testing is complete, the numbers are available for review on the accompanying smartphone app.

If finger pricks are your main concern, the Dexcom G6 continuous glucometer doesnt require them at all anymore. It automatically calibrates on its own and doesnt require as much management as previous continuous glucometers that had to be re-calibrated daily.

Researchers at MIT have been working on a non-invasive glucometer, and theyre already showing pretty good results in early testing. While we regularly hear of non-invasive glucometers that are about to come out, MITs technology is actually showing impressive promise.

skin patch developed at the University of Bath in England is able to suck glucose from the interstitial fluid in the skin and measure it without having to actually measuring blood itself. Theres still work to be done to correlate blood glucose with the measurements made within the skin.

Researchers at MIT developed a device that can keep pancreatic islets alive after being implanted into the body. Collaborators from Cornell University, Novo Nordisk, and University of Michigan Medical School developed their own implant that contains living pancreatic cells. Both of the devices seem very exciting and may soon lead to the introduction of an artificial pancreas into clinical practice.

Surgery, Implants, Vascular Therapies

CMR Surgical, a UK firm, unveiled its Versius Robotic Surgical System, one of the few competitors to the da Vinci from Intuitive Surgical. The Versius is modular, can be wheeled between different operating theaters, and most importantly it is relatively cheap.

An incredibly sensitive drill, made to access the middle ear and which relies on artificial intelligence to guarantee it drills only whats intended, has been developed at Brunel University London in the UK. It is so gentle that it can be used to drill through an eggshell without damaging the membrane below , as the video at the link demonstrates.

Stents and flow diverters have done wonders in the field of minimally invasive vascular surgery, but they sometimes lead to complications that are difficult to spot soon after implantation. Engineers at the University of British Columbia in Canada have developed a stent that is able to monitor the blood flow passing through it and detect restenosis early in its progression. A team of researchers from a number of institutions built a flow diverter that has a hemodynamic sensor designed to help assess the effectiveness of aneurysm treatment.

At University of Wisconsin-Madison, scientists have created and tested an electronic implant that stimulates the stomach to create a feeling of satiety . As food enters the stomach, the implant sends electric current through the vagus nerve and continues doing so long after there is no more food coming in. This gives the brain the impression that a lot more food entered the stomach than really did, and in a study on lab rats, the device led to a 40% weight reduction compared to controls.

Disability and Paralysis

While in past years weve seen people with severe spinal cord injuries move their legs on their own, this year some paralyzed folks were able to actually walk. Highly targeted and well tuned spinal cord stimulation has been key, but it turns out that such therapy can be made to work long after a stimulator has been turned off.

Researchers at University of Louisville in Kentucky combined spinal cord epidural stimulation with simultaneous treadmill training to allow four previously paralyzed people to stand independently, two of which are now able to walk using a standard walker. A similar development was achieved by clinical researchers at Mayo Clinic and UCLA.

At the Ecole polytechnique federale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland three people with serious spinal cord injuries are able to walk and to even move their legs without any electrical stimulation at all. Though crutches or walkers were used in the study, at least one of the participants has been able to take multiple steps without holding onto anything at all. Its not fully clear how this works, but it seems like the nerves can be motivated to regrow in response to very well tuned electrical stimulation.

Prostheses, E-Skin, and Flexible Electronics

People with missing or poorly functioning limbs will soon be using light, powerful, and intuitively responsive prostheses and other assistive devices. We may soon even see commercial prosthetic arms that give users a sense of touch, but there are also other, often unexpected, technologies that are being developed to help people with all sorts of conditions.

Alzheimers and other diseases of the brain can have profound effects on the memory system. Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and University of Southern California created a brain prosthesis that can precisely excite groups of neurons in the hippocampus, where our memories are created. The device was successfully tested on volunteer epilepsy patients going in for brain surgery, as they were already going to have their skulls opened. The volunteers demonstrated a remarkable 35% increase in memory retention following use of the implant.

Stanford University researchers have created a stretchable electronic skin that can give prosthetic devices a sense of touch. The e-skin can be wrapped tightly around a prosthetic arm, for example, and it is so sensitive that it can detect the individual steps of a lady bug as she crawls along its surface.

Johns Hopkins researchers developed an electronic skin, which they call e-dermis, that has tiny tactile sensors connected, via a computer, to existing peripheral nerves of the patient. The technology was already tried with a patient using the bebionic arm from RSLSteeper, a UK firm. He was able to feel the shape of different objects and even felt pain, that made him recoil, when touching sharp things.

Having reviewed the best of the medical technology advancements of the past year, were very excited that our field is rich with innovation, hope, and real results that are making millions of lives better every day. We ask you to join us in the coming year as we report on new technologies that will shape our lives. We wish you a happy and healthy new year!

Flashback: Medgadgets Best Medical Technologies of 2017by Sara Guaglione , December 27, 2018

Tech and media company Morning Consult looked at what news stories Republican and Democrat voters heard in 2018.

The report found, on average, that 39% of all voters said they heard a lot about 72 major news events selected for the analysis, including 44% of Democrats and 38% of Republicans.

Throughout 2018, Morning Consult surveyed roughly 100,000 registered voters about how much they had seen, read or heard about the top news of the day.

The major stories ranged from Democrats winning the House to the Parkland, Florida high-school shooting, former President Bush Sr. passing away to Hurricane Florence.

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Voters knowledge on The New York Times report on the Trump familys tax evasion in the 1990s was the most uneven story in the report: 40% of Democrats heard a lot about it, compared with 16% of Republicans, and 28% of all voters.

Stormy Daniels appearance on 60 Minutes, where she discussed her alleged affair with President Trump, also had one of the most uneven breakdowns among partisans: 43% of Democrats heard a lot about the segment, while 21% Republicans did, and 30% of all voters.

Voters attention and level of knowledge about key news stories varied by party.

Democrats were more aware of Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jon Un escalating nuclear threats than Republicans. The same discrepancy shows up in two other key news stories: More Democrats than Republicans learned that White House staff secretary Rob Porter resigned due to domestic violence claims, as well as the U.S. indicting a Russian agency that ran a troll farm trying to influence the 2016 presidential election.

More Republicans said they heard a lot about the process to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, such as his nomination and his confirmation. However, they heard far less news of Christine Blasey Ford accusing Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in the 1980s and testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, per the report.

More Republican voters heard about the migrant caravan during the midterm elections and the #TakeAKnee protests in the NFL, which the GOP saw as a political advantage. (Fox News dropped most of its caravan coverage post-midterms.)

Democrats generally heard more specifics about President Trump's controversial actions in office than Republicans.by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, December 27, 2018

Google is pressing the Supreme Court to rule that vanity searchers -- people who enter their own names into the search query box -- can't sue the company for allegedly leaking the names to outside sites.

Google argues in papers filed late last week that people who sued the company over the alleged data leaks cannot plausibly demonstrate concrete harm.

They say that search terms reveal private 'interests, fears, desires, vanities' ... but do not explain how the specific searches alleged here do so, Google adds.

The company's argument comes in legal battle dating to 2010, when Google was sued for allegedly violating search users' privacy by including queries in "referer headers" -- the information Google automatically transmitted with outbound traffic. The users, who said they searched for their own names, argued that Google's transmission of their names, combined with other information, could effectively identify them to the companies they visited. (Google no longer transmits search queries when people click on links in the results.)

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Google agreed to resolve the allegations by donating $5.3 million to six nonprofits and schools, and more than $2.1 million to the attorneys who brought the lawsuit. Ted Frank, founder of the Center for Class Action Fairness, challenged the deal. He argued the deal should have been rejected because it didn't compensate Google's users.

His challenge was heard by the Supreme Court on October 31. At that hearing, several judges questioned whether the people who sued suffered the kind of concrete injury that warrants a lawsuit. Several days later, the court requested additional written arguments addressing that question.

Lawyers representing the plaintiffs argued in papers filed in November that data leakage in itself causes the kind of injury that justifies a lawsuit. They noted that search queries have previously been used to identify users. In 2006, AOL released three months of search queries from 650,000 users. AOL took steps to anonymize the users, but some people were nevertheless identified based on the patterns in their queries. Most famously, within days of the data release, The New York Times identified AOL user Thelma Arnold.

But Google says its alleged leaking of referer headers isn't comparable to AOL's release of data.

AOL revealed an average of more than 30 searches per user (grouped by user), cookie contents, and other information, Google writes.

The company adds that it wasn't accused of disclosing multiple pieces of information that could have allowed website operators to identify users.by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, December 28, 2018

Tesla's appointment of founder and Executive Chairman of Oracle Larry Ellison to the board could have a material impact on the company's data strategy. Data helps Tesla understand its existing and potential customers.

Along with Ellison, Tesla also named Kathleen Wilson-Thompson of the Walgreens Boots Alliance -- a global pharmacy focused on health and wellness -- to the board as independent directors, effective December 27.

The board members were named as part of deal made in September with federal regulators following Tesla CEO Elon Musk's tweet about taking the electric carmaker private. The Securities and Exchange Commission charged Musk with misleading investors after he tweeted on Twitter that he had secured funding to take the company public.

The role of an independent director is to guide the company and improve corporate credibility and governance standards. The position basically functions as a watchdog to ensure good governance.

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Wilson-Thompson previously spent 17 years at Kellogg.

Ellison, known as an entrepreneurial maverick, cofounded Oracle in 1977 as an enterprise software company, and by 1992 the company was the leader in database management. Latest estimates put Oracles revenue at nearly $40 billion in 2018.

Although unconfirmed with Tesla, it seems that aside from professional guidance, software and data will likely support everything from advertising to manufacturing in an effort to reduce the time from production to customer deliver to 10 days.

This will bring about a drastic reduction in inventory and amazingly fast cash conversion, wrote Trip Chowdhry, managing director at Global Equities Research, in a research note published Friday. This should bring Tesla to the landmark old DELL model of negative operating working capital.

Teslas advertising strategy is not to have an advertising strategy, but rather to focus on data and manufacturing efficiencies, as well as how the car drives and operates.

The company relies on word of mouth, reviews, and media reports. In fact, The Verge reported that Teslas latest manufacturing facility called Gigafactory cost about as must as what General Motors spent on advertising, $5 billion, during the same time period in 2017.

It will be interesting to watch how the relationship between Tesla and Oracle develop in 2019, from software to voice search in the cars tied to databases to cloud computing.Costanzo and colleagues examined the drinking habits and medical records of almost 21,000 study participants for at least 6 years. The researchers published their findings in the journal Addiction.

A new study now helps to paint a more nuanced picture of alcohols effects on health. An international team of researchers led by Simona Costanzo, from the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention at the Institute for Research, Hospitalization, and Health Care (IRCCS) Neuromed in Pozzilli, Italy, set out to examine the link between alcohol consumption and the risk of being hospitalized.

Other studies, however, have warned that the risks of alcohol consumption outweigh the benefits. A recent comprehensive review of existing research, for instance, concluded that there is no such thing as a safe level of drinking.

The effects of alcohol consumption on health are the subject of much controversy. Some studies have suggested that moderate drinking may reduce the risk of stroke , depression , and benefit ones overall cardiovascular health.

New research suggests that moderate drinking may lower the risk of being hospitalized for any cause, including cardiovascular conditions.

Specifically, the researchers looked at the link between all-cause hospitalizations and cause-specific hospitalizations among 20,682 people. These people had enrolled in the so-called Molisani study and did not have cardiovascular disease or cancer at the beginning of the study.

The researchers divided the participants into lifetime abstainers, former drinkers, occasional drinkers, and current drinkers, and clinically followed them between 2005 and 2010.

The Molisani study comprises almost 24,500 residents of the Molise region in Italy and aims to uncover the environmental and genetic causes of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other chronic conditions.

The studys first author reports on the findings, saying, We observed [] that a heavy consumption of alcohol is associated with a higher probability of hospitalization, especially for cancer and alcohol-related diseases. This confirms the harmful effect of excessive alcohol drinking on the health, the researcher says.

On the other hand, those who drink in moderation present a lower risk of hospitalization for all causes and for cardiovascular diseases compared to lifetime abstainers and former drinkers. Simona Costanzo

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) define moderate drinking as up to 1 drink per day for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men.

Study co-author Licia Iacoviello, who is the head of the Laboratory of Molecular and Nutritional Epidemiology of IRCCS Neuromed, also comments. The data on hospitalizations is very important in relation to the impact of alcohol on public health, she says.

Hospital admissions, in fact, represent not only a serious problem for people, but they have also a strong impact on national health systems, continues the author.

Our study confirms how much excess alcohol can weigh on healthcare facilities, underlining the urgent need of managing the problem, but it also confirms and extends our previous observations according to which moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a reduction in mortality risk, regardless of the type of disease.

The researchers warn, however, that they do not encourage people to start drinking. Study co-author Ken Mukamal, an associate professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA, cautions, We are absolutely not saying [] that any teetotaler should start drinking to improve his/her health.

However, this research reaffirms that the effects of alcohol consumption cannot be reduced to a single catchphrase or punchline. This very comprehensive study clearly shows that we need to consider its health effects based upon both dose and disease.We don't know about your travel plans, but three Indians are currently making headlines for their week-long trip that is worth a whopping 10,000 crores.

via GIPHY

We're not talking about a sequel of 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara'. We're talking about ISRO's most ambitious project, Gaganyaan, whose budget just got a nod of approval by the government today. The three astronauts will be sent into space by 2022.

Twitter (For Representation)

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad announced the same at a press conference today, "The Union Cabinet has approved the Gaganyaan project under which a three-member crew will be sent to space for at least seven days."

Cabinet approves indigenous human spaceflight programme; Gaganyaan programme to carry 3 member crew for minimum 7 days in space at a total cost of Rs 10k crores.  ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2018

This is said to be India's first manned mission to space and the Rs. 10,000 crore budget includes the cost of technology development, flight hardware and essential infrastructure elements.

The announcement of launching a manned mission to space by 2022, was announced on August 15, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his 72nd Independence Day speech. He also mentioned that with this project, India will become the fourth nation in the league after Russia, the United States and China.With the New Year lurking just around the corner, we all have our own plans set to usher in 2019 with full vigour!

However, if parties are not your idea of celebrations, but you are all for good travel experiences, these would be some of the best places to visit with your girlfriend and ring in the New Year together.

Check out these 10 offbeat, romantic destinations around the country that are simply perfect to welcome the New Year:

1. Laitlum Canyons, Meghalaya

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A truly scenic, thrill-inducing place located in the outskirts of Shillong, the canyons make for a breathtaking view. The steep height and the panoramic view of the lush greenery around is the best way to behold nature's marvel in the company of your girlfriend.

2. Rosary Church, Shettihalli, Bengaluru

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An 1860 Gothic creation by French Missionaries, this medieval church is located on the backs of Hemavathi River. A peculiarity surrounds this structure, that evades full exposure during the rainy season when it gets submerged into water, and can only be seen in its full glory once the water level recedes.

3. Kaas Plateau, Maharashtra

 Wikipedia

A visit to this place will greet you with a marvellous sight of a sea of blossoms. The Kaas Plateau in Maharashtra is located 22 km from Satara city and is home to around 850 species of flowers. With its many blooms of wildflowers to charm your lady's heart, this place surely deserves a visit.

4. Bhedaghat, Madhya Pradesh

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Also known as the Marble Rocks of Bhedaghat, you simply have to take a boat ride with your lady here on a moonlit evening. The place simply looks ethereal.

5. Sela Pass, Arunachal Pradesh

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Located at a height of 14,000 feet above sea level in Tawang, Sela Pass is one of the highest passes in the world! It rests beside the Paradise Lake, which looks pristine with its crystal clear water, and lush greenery around - the place almost looks magical when it snows.

6. Majuli, Assam

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Popularly known for being the largest river island in the world, this location should be in your 'must-visit' list. Situated along the banks of Brahmaputra river, the place is only accessible through ferries. It is also one of the potential contenders of UNESCO World Heritage Site.

7. Nubra Valley, Ladakh, J&K

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One of Ladakh's most offbeat places, Nubra Valley is an amalgamation of a cold desert, lush fields and a tiny residential town. With its quaint villages, lush greenery and monasteries, this place will blow your mind.

8. Papikondalu, Andhra Pradesh

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A mountain range that runs along the Godavari River in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh. The scenic beauty of the place will leave you craving for more, and the mountain range begins to close in on the river.

9. Devbagh Beach, Maharashtra

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Anjunadeep in Devbagh boasts of calm environs and a visual history of the Portuguese era. People say that this place was once a haven for Bednore and Soonda, when these coastal kingdoms were invaded by Tipu Sultan.

10. Gurez Valley, Kashmir

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Located in the northern region of Kashmir, near Srinagar, the snow-capped mountains of the Valley will leave you spellbound and is home to rare species of flora and fauna.FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 18, 2018

MDHHS CONTACT: Lynn Sutfin, 517-241-2112

DTMB CONTACT: Caleb Buhs, 517-303-4038

LANSING, Mich.  Michigans improved MI Bridges portal the self-service website where residents apply for public assistance benefits, manage their cases and explore community resources  has been named a recipient of the International Data Groups 2019 Digital Edge 50 Awards.

Between the technological innovations, collaboration between organizations and focus on customer needs, the significance of MI Bridges effective use of technology for customers is evident, said Terrence Beurer, deputy director of Field Operations Administration for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).

The Digital Edge 50 Award recognizes organizations that have made great strides toward being digital-centric. The program evaluates nominated projects on complexity, scale, business outcomes and innovation. Winning entries are digital transformation initiatives with significant, measurable business impact. Fifty winners from across the nation are selected.

In 2015, Gov. Rick Snyder shared his vision for the state to embark on a journey to change the way Michigan residents were served by state government. To help meet this goal, the state departments of Health and Human Services and Technology, Management and Budget initiated a project to build an improved MI Bridges system.

The strong collaborative nature among MDHHS staff, customers and community partners allowed for the delivery of a truly integrated digital platform to better connect with Michigan residents as they work toward self-sufficiency.

The new MI Bridges was piloted to MDHHS customers in Muskegon County beginning in September 2017 and incrementally rolled out statewide through April 2018.

Since the initial release, residents have created 792,000 MI Bridges accounts, submitting 665,000 applications in less than half the time required to complete an application previously.

In addition to the operational benefits of an enhanced and integrated system, MI Bridges offers customers the ability to:

View their MDHHS benefits and correspondence received from MDHHS.

Share a document with MDHHS by uploading a picture of their document directly to their case using a computer, tablet or smartphone.

Explore and connect to resources offered by local community organizations throughout Michigan.

Apply for benefits using a simplified and easy-to-understand application.

Report changes about their case or renew their benefits.

View MI Bridges in English, Spanish and Arabic.

MI Bridges also offers enhanced capabilities for community partners. Community agencies can choose to receive online referrals from customers through MI Bridges. In addition to the more than 30,000 Michigan 2-1-1 resources that are integrated into MI Bridges, the system also integrates with the Women, Infants & Children program, the Michigan Energy Assistance Program and the Great Start to Quality childcare database to provide additional resources and referral options for customers.

MI Bridges can be accessed at Michigan.gov/mibridges. Michigan residents do not need to have an existing MDHHS case to use the new website. Anyone can log in to find helpful resources and services in their local community.

The Digital Edge 50 award is the fourth honor for the MI Bridges project this year. The revamped system took the top spot in the Information Communications Technology Innovations category from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers, won the IT Solutions Management 2018 Recognition Award for Excellence in Health and Human Services Technology in the Best Use of Technology for Customers category and received an Excellence in Technology award at the Michigan Digital Government Summit.

# # #BAD AXE  Huron County commissioners praised two of their fellow colleagues this week for their many years on the commission.

Thursday morning marked the final Huron County Board of Commissioners meeting for John A. Nugent and David Peruski.

Mary Ellen Babcock defeated Nugent for the District 7 Republican nomination in August, and she will take her seat on the commission Jan. 2. Peruski didnt seek reelection, and voters elected Michael Meissner Nov. 6 as the district's new commissioner. He will also take his seat Jan. 2.

During the final board comment portion of Thursdays meeting, Commissioner Ron Wruble kicked off the congratulations with a few words.

They are two very smart individuals who brought a lot to the operation of this county, Wruble said. For that, Id like to thank and congratulate them for their service and wish them luck in the future.

Thanks for being there and all of the positive impact youve made in the county, added Commissioner Steve Vaughan.

Nugent and Peruski appreciated the boards comments, and for voters allowing them to serve on the board for a number of years.

I want to thank you all, Nugent said. Ive enjoyed serving with you  I wish the best in the future because this is not an easy job. Its been a pleasure working with you.

Thank you all for the nice comments and Ive enjoyed working on this board, Peruski added.

Chairman Sami Khoury then thanked Nugent and Peruski with a friendly handshake and wished them the best.

In other news, commissioners:

 Elected John Hunt to fill a six-year term on the Huron County Road Commissioner.

 Appointed Dan Glaza to a one-year term on the Region VII AAA Advisory Council; and appointed Michael E. Johnston to a four-year term on the Economic Development Corporation Board.

 Approved the purchase of additional security cameras for the Huron County Jail from A.S.C. Security Systems at a cost to not exceed $7,385.UPPER THUMB  Besides loaning books, DVDs and magazines, some libraries may start providing condoms.

The Tuscola County Health Department is promoting the Wear One campaign for free condoms in a variety of locations to help prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), said Ann Hepfer, who is the health officer for both the Tuscola and Huron county health departments.

Caro District Library officials are considering being one of the locations.

That possibility has some upset.

There was the sign, Wear One, on the librarys door, said Colleen McLoskey of Caro. I dont want an open bin of condoms near children. I dont think the library is the place for that just putting them out with no counseling. A 7-year-old kid could get them.

The sign on the librarys door has been taken down. On a Tuscola Health Departments website listing of where free condoms are available, it now says the Caro Library is pending as a possible location.

The Caro District Library Board, which meets at the library at 840 W. Frank St., is expected to discuss the issue at its 4:45 p.m. Jan. 14 board meeting.

However, McLoskey suggests those living in other towns contact their library board about the issue.

I completely understand that some residents might be uncomfortable when seeing a discreet basket of condoms in their public library. The Wear One campaign is a condom distribution program that provides local businesses with free condoms and also education on sexually transmitted diseases/infection services including testing and treatment, Hepfer explained.

The Wear One campaign was developed to increase free condom availability, create awareness and promote acceptance of condom use by individuals 18 to 24 years of age. The goal is to decrease STDs and unplanned pregnancies by removing barriers such as cost, embarrassment and lack of access.

The ultimate goal is to decrease sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies. This is a state wide campaign available to any health department who signs on, she said.

Public health officials feel they would be irresponsible if they did not try to curve these infections.

Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted disease that can be easily treated. If left untreated, Chlamydia can make it difficult for a woman to get pregnant and causes infertility. It often times does not present enough symptoms in women so they dont seek treatment, according to Hepfer. The best way to avoid these infections is to remain in a long term monogamous relationship with someone who has tested negative for sexually transmitted diseases or to practice abstinence.

Unfortunately, this is not the choice that many people make, so the next best thing is to reduce these infections is to use a condom every single time (someone is) making a choice to be sexually active. The county stats on STDs are staggering.

The number of Chlamydia cases in Tuscola in 2001 were 96 and in 2017 the number was 277, and the rate for gonorrhea in 2001 was 17 and in 2017 it was 42.

The Huron County Health Department has not implemented the full program yet. We have new staff on board who are learning (current) programs first before we start a new program, Hepfer said.

The following is a list of free Wear One condoms can be found: List Psychological Service, 651 N. State St., Caro; Lori Kueffner, PA, Caro Health Plaza, 1525 W. Caro Road, Suite A, Caro; Mid-Michigan Medicine, 1070 E. Caro Road, Caro; Plant it! Hydro on W. Frank Street, Caro; Redrum Tattoo, 183 N State St., Caro; Thumb Pediatrics, 6190 Hospital Drive, Suite 105, Cass City; Kingston Family Care, 5854 State St., Kingston; Kingston Family HealthCare of Marlette Regional Hospital, 5988 State St., Kingston; Mayville Lanes/Thunder Road Tavern, 429 E. Main St., Mayville; Elite Wellness 644 State Road, Vassar; McLaren Drug Shop, 181 W. Huron Ave., Vassar; and the Sun Shop, 1006 W. Huron Ave., Vassar.CASS CITY  The village of Cass City might once again be a center for higher learning.

I met with Brad Merrill, director of Eastern Region for Mid Michigan College, explained village Manager Debbie Powell in her report to council. Mid Michigan College is seriously considering a satellite campus in Cass City, as it is centrally located in the Thumb.

The community was left without an institution of higher learning when Baker College closed earlier this year. The 14,000-square foot facility didnt stay empty for long. Hills and Dales General Hospital relocated some of its non-clinical staff and operations to the college location this summer.

Mid Michigan College would be able to offer general education credits for dual enrollment students," Powell explained. "It would be in medical programs such as phlebotomy, skilled trades, and potentially a Register Nurse program.

I didnt know much about the college so I looked up some information on them. They are more of a skilled trades and general education.

What I found interesting was they are non-profit, where Baker College was for profit, so they should be cheaper," she said.

Powell noted as more information becomes available, she will share it.

They didnt share where exactly they were looking at, just Cass City because it was centrally located. They are doing their due diligence in looking at the area, she said.

Powell also reported the village received funding for the village pool from the Tuscola County Community Foundation during the grant awarding ceremony.

I accepted a grant from the William and Ruth Janks Fund for the Helen Stevens Memorial Pool renovation project. Specifically, $5,000 was given to use as a challenge grant. We must accept the challenge to match the $5,000 in order to qualify for it, Powell said.

The village formed a fundraising committee earlier this year, and it has steadily received donations.

Also, I accepted a check for $5,000 from the Future Youth Involvement Committee for the replacement of lifeguard equipment, Powell said. I would like to thank the Tuscola County Community Foundation for the grants, the Pool Fundraiser Committee, the parks and rec committee, the village staff and our volunteer grant writer, Joanne Hooper, for their assistance with these grants and others.

Extensive work needs to be done to the pool, so additional donations are being sought. The funding goal is $300,000, in order to continue work to sustain the pool for future generations.

Donations should be made out to the Village of Cass City Water Recreation Fund and mailed to P.O. Box 123, Cass City, MI, 48726.

Donations are 100 percent tax deductible. For more information about the pool project, call village hall at 989-872-2911.To the editor:

In the near future, there will be a survey mailed out and from five counties, 2,000 folks will get their chance to voice their opinions on what seems to be a hurry up push through agenda of the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) about antler point restrictions (APRs) on male white tailed deer.

This is simply a survey, it is not a vote, like some of the signs you pass along the roadside say. Im not writing this to tell you what to do but to ask you if you happen to receive one of these surveys, to really think about and read what is in front of you. You could be the decider of thousands of hunters in the five counties it covers: Huron, Sanilac, Tuscola, St. Clair and Lapeer.

This APR has been proposed for the sole reason to protect year and a half old bucks by a 50 percent prediction. Well folks, in 2017, of all the bucks that were taken in Michigan, 43 percent of them were a year and a half old. Seems to me, QDMA hunters have already achieved that number without an APR.

There is nothing about protecting year and a half old does. So I have to ask myself, why? The only good answer I can come up with is that nothing sickens a QDMA hunter more than a spike buck, four point or, hey, even a six point buck dead, regardless of who shoots it. Well again folks, this is our right in the great state of Michigan as hunters, to enjoy the great outdoors and everything it has to offer big, small or none at all.

These are the choices that we still have here that havent been ripped away yet! Ask yourself, should they be ripped away all because of the size of a deers antlers, and again nothing to protect the doe herd.

This APR has nothing to do with improving the herd of deer in this state. Its about what it says, bigger racked bucks. Shoot does, they say. OK, but dont we all know where male deer come from? Some hunters will never and have never shot a doe in their lives because as a Michigan hunter, that is our right. Now you want us to tell a 65-plus year old man, woman or new off the youth hunt aged hunter, who has tried for a buck every year they have been able to hunt, to just kill does? Sorry folks, thats not how we do things in Michigan. There is nothing more unsportsmanlike as for another hunter to make fun of or worry about another hunter's decision to kill on their own property or even state-owned land.

The QDMA signs say it best, its our choice. Yet they forgot that part of the hunt, I guess. With that, hunters of the QDMA should be giving themselves a pat on the back for what they have accomplished with their personal preference practices but they do not speak for this hunter or all of Michigans hunters.

So all I ask is that if you get one of these surveys, please really think about what you can or cant do for the hunters, the real deer hunters, in the great state of Michigan.

Paul J. Pawlosky, Ubly, Charleston Road Deer Camp, Minden City, United Sportsman AllianceHARBOR BEACH  On Aug. 6, the city of Harbor Beach lost an iconic building in a fire that blazed for many hours.

Firefighters were dispatched to Als Restaurant, located at 123 S. Huron Ave., at around 4 a.m.

Donnie Kozfkay, owner of Als Restaurant, had arrived around 4 a.m. to start breakfast when he noticed fire from the top of the grill going up the vent and through the roof of the building.

The fire was in the kitchen, fully engulfed, and (it) was going out the back wall and coming out the roof, said Harbor Beach Fire Chief Jason Lermont.

About 60 firefighters from seven different departments including Port Hope, Sigel Township, Sherman Township, Bad Axe, Bingham Township, and Delaware, were able to get the fire under control by 8 a.m.

They were able to make sure the fire didnt move to any other buildings in the city.

Firefighters were still on scene at 10:30 a.m., and a smaller group stayed there through the afternoon, while they took down some of the walls of the building that were too damaged to stay up and were a safety concern.

The building was constructed in 1880, but now is completely gone, as the spot where it previously stood is now an open lot.

It was built in 1880, so it was like big kindling wood with a little bit of grease from cooking over time, Lermont said at the time. For the age of the building and for it being dry wood, there is still a lot of building standing there. The guys did a good job of knocking down a lot of fire.

Many Harbor Beach locals watched as the firefighters battled the blaze, including Chad Gainor, who lived behind the restaurant.

"I just woke up and there was a lot of commotion going on," Gainor said. "I looked out the window and there were lights and smoke everywhere and a gigantic fire going on 100 yards away. There was a lot of activity, more activity than I've ever seen around here before. There were probably three fire trucks on each side of the road and probably five to 10 firefighters on the ground shooting water up into the building. It was really interesting."

Julie Adams was headed to work at Little Caesars, a building that is located just south of where the fire was, for her shift at 6 a.m.

"I got here at six, and they had main street totally blocked off and you couldn't see anything," Adams said. "The whole town was just full of smoke. I came in the back way and they were on top of our roof, shooting water into the restaurant trying to keep it from jumping over. It was crazy. It's a landmark that's gone that everybody is sad about. Everybody knows the family and feels for the family. It's just sad."

While firefighters had to locate one person located in the apartments above Als Restaurant, no injuries were reported.HURON COUNTY  Marijuana is now legal for recreational use in the state of Michigan.

Adults over the age of 21 can now legally possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana and grow up to 12 plants in their residence.

The new law imposes a 10-ounce limit for marijuana kept at residences and requires amounts over 2.5 ounces to be locked in containers.

Although Proposal 1 was passed by a majority of Michigan voters, it failed in Huron County. Those opposing  8,259 voters  outweighed those in support  5,477 voters.

The initiative took effect Dec. 6, and the state has projected some of its first related businesses opening within 18 to 24 months. In order to allow or prohibit such businesses in an area, local municipalities must create an ordinance.

The city of Bad Axe is one community in the Thumb that has started the process to ban marijuana businesses within city limits.

The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs still needs to develop the rules and regulations, and it has a two-year timeline to do so.

There is an option for each municipality to charge an annual licensing fee of not more than $5,000 for a facility.

Proposal 1 does not prohibit an employer from disciplining an employee for violating the workplace's drug policy or for working while under the influence of marijuana. Operating any sort of motor vehicle or heavy machinery under the influence of marijuana will remain illegal.CROMWELL  Carrying on a family tradition, Ramon Lima was sworn in Friday as Cromwells newest police officer.

It was a significant and meaningful moment for the 33-year-old, as well a classic example of someone living out the American Dream. Limas father was also a police officer in their native Brazil, murdered as he headed home after completing a shift. That brutal act set in motion the train of events that led Lima to move to America in search of an education and a chance to better himself.

Once here, Lima worked to be an American citizen, married, and became a hand-to-hand combat trainer at the New Jersey Police Academy. When he and his wife decided to have a child, they embarked on a search for places with good education systems for their daughter Emily, now 7 months.

Their quest led them to Cromwell, where Lima applied to become a police officer. Late Friday morning, he achieved his goal.

Lima was sworn in by Town Clerk Joan Ahlquist, and had his badge pinned on his suit jacket by police Chief Denise Lamontagne. The ceremony took place in the atrium of Town Hall before a mix of police officers and town employees.

On Monday, he begins an intensive six-month training regimen at the Municipal Police Academy in Meriden.

Mayor Enzo Faienza welcomed Lima to Cromwell, praising him and all the first responders, police, fire and ambulance personnel who serve the community. You are our first line of defense, he said.

Then, noting law enforcement is a tough job, Faienza added, May God bless you and watch over your and your family.

Typically, the atrium is packed with fellow officers when a new officer is sworn in. Not so Friday, however, as the end-of-the-year holidays dominated their schedules. Despite that, Lamontagne welcomed Lima to our family, and promised when the holidays are over, a number of people have heard about you, and will want to welcome you with open arms.

When it came his turn to speak, Lima said, This is a very special moment for me  and also very emotional. His voice thick with feeling, Lima thanked Lamontagne and Capt. Kevin A. VanderSloot for their support, adding, Everyone has been great to me.

I look forward to becoming part of the team and learning from all you people. I really appreciate this opportunity, said Lima, who grew on the far southeast coast of Brazil in the state of Espirito Santo.

He was 7 when his father was murdered. As much as she could, his mother raised Lima by herself. At a point, however, in the hope of bettering himself and getting a first-class education, he moved to New Jersey to earn a high school GED and became naturalized. He then taught jiujitsu at the police academy.

He also remained intent upon becoming an officer. Im 33, and that meant I was hitting the limit to become an officer in New Jersey, he said. Plus, he and his wife Juliana, a nurse practitioner, wanted a better place, a place for a better school system to raise their daughter.

As they searched, I was hearing about Cromwell, about their school system. And I saw they were hiring, so I applied.

Lamontagne said she doesnt ordinarily involve herself with candidates being tested for a place on the force. However, on occasion, I randomly sit in on an oral board, and happened to do so on the day Lima was being interviewed.

I was highly impressed, the chief said. Lima emerged as No. 1 on the list of applicants. I truly appreciate him, Lamontagne said.

Reporter Jeff Mill covers East Hampton, Cromwell and Portland for the Middletown Press. Contact him at jeff.mill@hearstmediact.com.WESTBROOK  The CCIM Connecticut Chapter has recognized Ron Lyman, CCIM, CEO of Lyman Real Estate, Top Dealmaker for 2018 in the Top Industrial Sale category, acccording to a statement.

He won the award for his $1,750,000 sale of a 12.86 acre property at 1293 Norwich Road, Plainfield, CT. Lyman brokered both sides of the deal for seller P. Camp, LLC, of Jewett City, and buyer Western Express, a national truckload carrier based in Nashville, TN. The deal included two adjacent parcels of land and a 30,740 square foot building.

CCIM stands for Certified Commercial Investment Member, a designation that recognizes leading experts in commercial investment real estate. CCIM designees have completed advanced coursework in financial and market analysis and demonstrated extensive experience in the commercial real estate industry.

Lyman Real Estate Brokerage & Development, headquartered in Westbrook, represents commercial and residential buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants. For more than 30 years, the firm has been providing a full range of commercial brokerage and development services, and has helped bring prominent national and regional companies into the area.

For additional information contact Barbara Hawes, Marketing Administrator, at barbarah@lymanre.com or 860-887-5000.

Brick Patio Fundraiser to begin

DURHAM  The Durham Agricultural Fair is holding a 100th Fair Everlasting Tribute Brick Patio Fundraiser.

In commemoration of the 100th Durham Fair in 2019, an Everlasting Tribute patio area will be constructed on the fairgrounds. The tribute area will include a personal inscription brick patio with seating, and will incorporate three illuminated flagpoles to be visible throughout the fairgrounds.

The bricks are being made available to all and cost $40/each. See www.durhamfair.com/100 for details

Tickets available for Man of the Year reception

CROMWELL  The Knights of Columbus, Council 6 of Cromwell have selected Doug Sienna as the 2019 Cromwell Man of the Year. Mr. Sienna is a life long citizen of Cromwell with a long and distinguished record of community service in the town.

There will be a ceremony at Cromwell Town Hall Feb. 8, followed by a reception at the Knights of Columbus Hall that evening. Tickets are available from Mark Walsh 860-306-2219 or Tom Tokarz 860-250-5991.

Weight loss program offered

BERLIN  Weight Loss In Three January Nights at New England Hypnosis & Weight Loss center at 1436 Berlin Turnpike in Berlin, will be held Thursdays Jan. 10, 17 and 24 at 7 p.m.

Dr. William McEvoy will offer integrated weight loss and nutritional education programs in small groups to help participants become empowered to lose weight and take an active role in their day-to-day health and wellbeing.

In under 10 hours, participants are given the emotional and psychological tools, willpower, and ongoing support to have a positive and practical weight-loss experience.

For more information, visit https://www.nehypnosis.com, or call Dr. McEvoy at 860-438-8788 or email to info@nehypnosis.com.

Kindergarten registration forms available, dates set

LYME/OLD LYME  Lyme-Old Lyme Public Schools kindergarten registration for fall 2019 is being held Jan. 28-29, 9 a.m-1 p.m. at at Lyme Consolidated School and Mile Creek School.

Children who will be 5 on or before Jan. 1, 2020 are eligible to register for Kindergarten for September 2019.

While parents may complete the registration process at either school, a childs school placement will depend on district attendance zones. Parents must bring each childs birth certificate, immunization and health records and 3 forms of proof of residency

Those who cannot register on Jan. 28-29 can call Lyme Consolidated School at 860-434-1233, or Mile Creek School at 860-434-2209, to have childrens names placed on the kindergarten list.

Boy Scout Troop 16 holding dinner

MIDDLETOWN  Boy Scout Troop 16 Middletown will hold its annual ham dinner on Saturday, Jan. 19, 5-7 p.m. at the Third Congregational Church, Miner Street, Middletown.

Tickets are $12 per person, $8 for seniors and children ages 8 and up, and $5 for scouts in uniform.

The dinner includes baked ham, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, vegetables, ice cream and cookies. The dinner is all-you-can-eat. Take out is available.

A silent auction will also be held, with proceeds to be used to purchase new tents and camping equipment for the troop.

For more information, call Robert Olenick at 860-347-4208

Nominations sought for Blue Ribbon Business Award

DURHAM  Nominations are sought for the Blue Ribbon Business Award program, sponsored by the Durham EDC to recognize Durham businesses who excel in products, customer service, or service to the community and to showcase other awards and milestones.

Nominate your choice for The Blue Ribbon Business Award by going to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HSJ73XB or via email at EDC@townofdurhamct.org. All nominations will be considered at the next regular EDC meeting. Look for the blue rosettes and watch the Discover Durham Facebook page for the results.

Public hearing set for water main project

DURHAM  The Army Corps of Engineers has awarded the contract for the towns Water Main Extension Project to Ludlow Construction Company, from Massachusetts.

A public informational meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m., at the Durham Public Library. At the meeting, interested members of the public will have a chance to meet the contractor and learn about the expected construction schedule.

The project is funded through the federal Superfund Program in partnership with the State of Connecticut.

For more details, visit https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0100108STUTTGART, Germany -- U.S. Air Forces Europe said troops holding "Make America Great Again" hats during President Donald Trump's visit Thursday to Ramstein Air Base were not in violation of military rules that prohibit taking part in partisan activities while in uniform.

"There is no rule against Airmen bringing personal items to be signed by the president," USAFE said in a statement.

More than 200 airmen greeted Trump on Thursday at a Ramstein Air Base aircraft hangar, where the president and first lady Melania Trump were greeted with cheers.

Trump posed for photos, shook hands and signed autographs with airmen during a scene that resembled photo-op visits of former commanders-in-chief in years past. But the public display by some uniformed troops, who held red "Make America Great Again" hats synonymous with Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, prompted widespread criticism on social media. An Air Force captain carrying a Trump banner also was scrutinized.

"There are myriad reasons for both a Department of Defense and an Army Regulation against military personnel participating in or showing allegiance to ANY political party while in uniform," wrote retired Army Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling on Twitter Thursday. "Good commanders enforce; good NCOs jerk a knot in the (expletive) of those who violate."

Pam Keith, a former Navy judge advocate general and recent Democratic candidate for Congress in Florida, also opined. "I can tell you that engaging in partisan political activity such as flying a Trump flag or wearing a MAGA hat, while in uniform is a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and its implementing regs," Keith said on Twitter.

USAFE said troops held the hats for signing, but did not wear them while in uniform.

A Defense Department directive states that personnel must refrain from engaging in partisan political activities when in uniform and "should avoid the inference that their political activities imply or appear to imply DoD sponsorship, approval, or endorsement of a political candidate, campaign, or cause."

However, USAFE said it is unaware of any actions during the event that amounted to a violation of regulations.

"Any time the commander in chief offers the opportunity to meet with Airmen, such as this official holiday visit by the President and First Lady, Airmen are welcome to participate. No policy violations have been brought to our attention at this time," USAFE said.

On social media, there also were defenders of the troops with Trump hats and signs, who argued there is nothing inherently partisan about the "Make America Great Again" slogan.

"Asking your Commander-in-Chief to sign a MAGA hat is NOT a political campaign action and is not illegal," tweeted Sebastian Gorka, an outspoken former Trump administration official.

Still, during the event at Ramstein, there were signs of concern among command officials. Before the president's arrival, the Air Force captain holding the Trump flag was directed to put it away by an official with the 86th Airlift Wing, but the captain pulled it back out upon Trump's arrival.

The captain presented the banner to Trump, who autographed it.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.Negros Oriental (CNN Philippines, December 28)  A radio broadcaster in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental was shot dead early Friday morning.

Police said Gabriel Alburo aka Commander Aguila of station DYJL 94.5 Like Radio was gunned down by two unidentified persons on a motorcycle. Alburo was on his way home from a cock derby in Barangay Talisay, La Libertad Negros Oriental.

Alburo hosted a hard-hitting morning show called "Pagmata na Commander."

Advocacy group National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said Alburo was running for councilor in Guihulngan.

NUJP condemned the killing, saying he is the second media practitioner to be killed in Negros Oriental this year after Edmund Sestoso in Dumaguete on April 30.

Dumaguete-based journalist Roy Bustillo contributed to this report.GRAFENWOEHR, Germany -- Christmas came late for some Army troops on rotation to Europe when officials canceled an order Wednesday that for nine days banned various sexual acts, including cuddling, for a unit's soldiers in the rotational barracks at the Grafenwoehr Training Area.

The memorandum, an image of which circulated around the internet after it was shared by the popular website U.S. Army WTF Moments!, had been issued Dec. 17.

The document banned "sexual intercourse, acts that are sexual in nature" and other acts within the "footprint" of a particular battalion in the 1st Cavalry Division, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team's barracks area. The name of the battalion and the commander who issued the memo had been redacted.

The 1st Armored BCT's soldiers have been living in close proximity while deployed to Europe for nine months, officials said.

"The intent of the policy letter was to ensure Soldiers remained professional and respectful of one another while they work and live in close, public quarters, like the barracks that house multiple Soldiers in an open bay," said Maj. Bonnie Conard, an Army spokeswoman.

In particular, the memo's background paragraph said the policy was meant to focus the unit on cleaning and preparing vehicles, equipment and personnel for return to Fort Hood, Texas.

In short, the memo appeared to ban every form of sexual behavior in remarkable detail that included a list of several combinations.

Going further, the order barred other varieties of hooking up. Kissing, of course, was prohibited, but so was the trifecta of outercourse -- "rubbing, humping, grinding" -- along with the seemingly tame act of cuddling and the decidedly risque lap dancing.

To ensure all bases were covered, the memo also prohibited "acts that are done with the intent to sexually gratify any person" stationed at the training area and residing in the barracks footprint.

The memo stated that those caught getting some action could face another kind of action -- either the adverse administrative type or punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. It's not clear how many Saturday nights or special events the rule quashed before it was withdrawn.

But it seems someone may have gotten a little too excited and issued the order prematurely. On further review, the Army rescinded it after determining that there are existing ways to limit such behavior among soldiers living in close quarters.

"The command decided that the policy is unnecessary, as good order and discipline may be enforced through existing administrative and UCMJ provisions," Conard said. "As a result, the policy letter was rescinded 26 Dec. and soldiers were briefed on the importance of respecting others and maintaining good order and discipline."The command master chief of the guided missile destroyer Milius was relieved Friday due to "misconduct identified during an ongoing investigation," according to Navy officials.

Master Chief Petty Officer Jason Pick, who has served as the Arleigh Burke-class ship's CMC since May 2016, has been temporarily reassigned to Destroyer Squadron 15, according to Lt. Cmdr. Matt Knight, the public affairs officer for Commander Task Force 70.

A native of Pomona, California, Pick has served in the Navy for nearly 22 years. An airman by training, he has held a variety of positions onboard aircraft carriers, serving as a flight deck plane handler on the USS Carl Vinson; an aircraft director and bay petty officer on the USS Abraham Lincoln; and air department leading petty officer on the Ronald Reagan. In 2004, he was named the Center of Naval Engineering's Instructor of the Year.

Knight said that, with an investigation underway, he could not provide further details on the relief, which occurred Friday morning in Yokosuka, Japan, by order of Task Force 70 commander Rear Adm. Karl Thomas.

Destroyer Squadron 15 Command Master Chief Micky Jones will assume temporary duty as the Milius' command master chief, Knight said.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at patriciankime@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime.This article by Jared Keller originally appeared on Task & Purpose, a digital news and culture publication dedicated to military and veterans issues.

You may have heard that President Donald Trump recently posted a video revealing a "covert" Navy SEAL Team in Iraq, and well, that's kinda hogwash.

In a report titled "Donald Trump Twitter Account Video Reveals Covert U.S. Navy SEAL Deployment During Iraq Visit," Newsweek's James LaPorta noted that footage taken during Trump's confab with service members and published on his Twitter account appeared to show the president chatting with members of SEAL Team 5, whose presence in Iraq was previously unreported.

"After Air Force One left the Iraqi airspace, Trump posted a video to his Twitter account of his time spent with American forces during his visit to Iraq," Newsweek reported. "Lee Greenwood's 'God Bless the USA,' plays over the video and shows the president and the first lady posing for pictures with service members that appear to be from SEAL Team Five. The special warfare operators are dressed in full battle gear and wearing night vision goggles. ... The video cuts to team members shaking the president's hand before cutting to other special operations personnel and support troops."

The Newsweek article itself isn't completely off base. The Pentagon hardly posts pictures of SEALs to its official visual imagery portal anymore and rarely talks about special operations units or deployments over operational security concerns.

But the headline on the Newsweek article, with the term "covert," is what many people have taken issue with, and for good reason (it's worth noting here that most news organizations don't let authors choose their headlines, so this may not be LaPorta's fault).

"Is it a secret that these guys are out there in that part of the world? No," a defense official told Task & Purpose on condition of anonymity. "It's been a little more sensationalized than we would've hoped."

"Covert" has a very specific definition under Title 50 of the United States Code, which makes it a matter of intelligence authority, focused primarily on the activities of state organs like the Central Intelligence Agency (with some input from the DoD); this is a direct contrast to Title 10 of the USC, which deals solely with military authority. Title 10 "is used colloquially to refer to DoD and military operations," as the Harvard National Security Journal puts it, while Title 50 "refers to intelligence agencies, intelligence activities, and covert action."

While the two authorities detailed under Titles 10 and 50 aren't mutually exclusive, forces operating under Title 10 are explicitly prohibited from carrying out covert operations, instead relegated to clandestine activities which involve "the tactical concealment of the activity" and don't require an explicit notification of Congress, according to an April 2018 Congressional Research Service report.

"By comparison, covert activities can be characterized as the strategic concealment of the United States' sponsorship of activities that aim to effect change in the political, economic, military, or diplomatic behavior of an overseas target."

As it stands, the vast majority missions carried out by U.S. special operations forces are non-statutory clandestine operations under Title 10 rather than explicitly (and legally) covert operations under Title 50; OPSEC, in the case of the former, is usually designed to conceal an operation for tactical purposes rather than fully embrace the level of plausible deniability usually referred to spies. In this context, the only true "covert" operation carried out by U.S. special operations forces was the SEAL Team 6 raid on Osama Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in 2011.

Simply belonging to a SEAL Team doesn't make your every move "covert," especially if you're hanging out in the DFAC during the commander-in-chief's visit.

All of this is to say that if SEAL Team 5 was deployed to Iraq on a covert mission, there's no way in hell anyone, including conventional U.S. forces, would likely know they were there. I mean, Lt. Lee, the SEAL chaplain, was identified as a member of SEAL Team 5 in the public pool report and photographed by Agence France-Presse. No commander on an actual "covert" mission would ever let that happen, no matter how amped they are to hang out with the commander-in-chief, given the gravity surrounding Title 50 activities; even letting personnel engage with the commander-in-chief in public completely negates the plausible deniability that supposedly comes with covert operations.

This may seem like a pedantic argument, but it's an important one, especially for matters of civil-military engagement. But make no mistake: Revealing the identities of SOF personnel is still bad news, even if they're not tasked with a real "covert" mission.

"Even during special operation demonstrations for congressional delegations or for the president or vice president, personnel either have their faces covered or their face is digitally blurred prior to a release to the general public," as one DoD official told Newsweek. "I don't recall another time where special operation forces had to pose with their faces visible while serving in a war zone."

On the upside, at least nobody left a whiteboard with troop movements sitting in the background.

U.S. Special Operations Command and Naval Special Warfare Command did not respond to requests for comment from Task & Purpose.

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The closures are part of the companys processes to accelerate its strategic transformation and facilitate its financial restructuring, according to a company statement.

Among the 80 stores to close are two Sears locations in Michigan:

5500 Harvey St., Fruitport Township in The Lakes Mall

27600 Novi Road, Novi in Twelve Oaks Mall

The Sears Auto Center at The Lakes Mall will close in January, while both stores are expected to close in March.

The Sears closure is a major blow for The Lakes Mall, which serves much of the West Michigan lakeshore area. The mall already has one empty anchor store after the closure of Younkers earlier this year. The remaining anchors are JCPenney, Dicks Sporting Goods and Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Twelve Oaks Mall is a major shopping center in Oakland County serving the metro Detroit area. Its other anchors include JCPenney, Lord & Taylor, Nordstrom and Macys.

None of the remaining Michigan Kmart stores are on the chopping block in this round of Sears Holdings closures. In all, 37 Kmart and 43 Sears stores will close.

Liquidation sales are expected to begin in about two weeks, according to the statement. Employees were notified of the impending closures on Thursday, Dec. 27.

The closures announced Friday are in addition to the closure of 40 unprofitable Sears stores announced in November. Prior to that, Sears Holdings announced a Chapter 11 bankruptcy and closure of 142 stores during October.

In all, the company has announced the closure of 262 of its about 700 stores since the announcement of its bankruptcy in October.

Here are the other Michigan stores slated for closure from the October and November announcements:

Sears at 2100 Southfield Road in Lincoln Park (announced in October)

Sears at 900 Briarwood Circle in Ann Arbor (announced in October)

Kmart at 1025 M-24 in Lake Orion (announced in October)

Kmart at 06600 M-66 in North Charlevoix (announced in October)

Sears at 5575 B Drive N. in Battle Creek (announced in November)

Kmart and Sears merged in 2005. At the time, they had a combined 3,500 stores. Now, the total is under 700.Michigan medical marijuana businesses operating without a state license could hinder their chances of obtaining that license if they continue doing business after Dec. 31, said a spokesman for the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.

Thats because a court restraining order allowing for temporary operation of those facilities is expiring at the end of the year.

Moreover, Court of Claims Judge Stephen Borrello who issued the restraining order today dismissed the last pending court case concerning temporary operation of unlicensed medical marijuana facilities. In his order, Borrello said the court case is now closed.

It is important for those applicants who are operating temporarily to understand that any operation after Monday may be considered an impediment to their licensure," said David Harns, LARA spokesperson.

The legal battle between Borello and LARA started last month as the state was trying to force marijuana dispensaries to become licensed.

Getting medical marijuana in Michigan will be as easy as ordering pizza

There are 45 provisioning centers that have been issued a license so far, Harns said. Its estimated that another 72 centers had applied by the deadline to temporarily operate with local approval, and were relying on the restraining order to stay in business.

With the expiration of the restraining order, Harns said, those 72 businesses need to obtain a license to continue doing business.

The next meeting of the Medical Marijuana Licensing Board is Jan. 16, which will be the next opportunity to get those businesses to obtain a state license, Harns said.Ten years ago, U.S. Rep.-elect Haley Stevens was helping guide the Obama administration through the process of bailing out the auto industry as the nation dealt with economic crisis.

Now, shes preparing to head back to Washington as a lawmaker, and Stevens - set to be the first millennial to represent Michigan in Congress - believes a new narrative is taking hold in the nations manufacturing sector, one where the 11th Congressional District can play a central role.

Its a neat thing to be able to come back to Washington in a different moment, she said. My campaign was by and large about manufacturing, the economy and the workforce - I am continuing to bring that energy and excitement into whats happening in Southeast Michigan.

Theres a new story to tell in Michigan, she added.

Stevens is one of four new members of Congress from Michigan, joining fellow Democratic Reps.-elect Rashida Tlaib, Andy Levin and Elissa Slotkin in one of the largest and most diverse freshmen classes in U.S. House history. Democrats took the U.S. House majority in November, and the makeup of Michigans Congressional delegation shifted significantly as well - Stevens' win against Republican Lena Epstein in the 11th and Slotkins victory over incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Bishop flipped two Republican-held Congressional seats, bringing the delegation to a 7-7 party split.

Stevens has already met with incumbent U.S. Rep. Dave Trott, R-Birmingham, to discuss the transition, and said the meeting was productive. Trott had opted not to run for reelection to a third term.

Hes certainly provided an open line, which I appreciate," she said. We sat down as public servants - the campaign is over, its about serving the district and the region."

Prior to running for office, Stevens worked for the U.S. Treasury Departments Auto Task Force during the midst of the auto company bailouts and has since led national workforce development and online training programs. She hopes to serve on the House Education and Labor Committee to put her background in manufacturing to use, expressing interest in researching and developing policy around electric and autonomous vehicles, cybersecurity and higher education costs.

Stevens said updated policies on these topics would have direct impact on Southeast Michigan, where manufacturers are already making significant advancements in new technologies and where theres a growing talent pool of researchers, engineers and other experts.

We need to bring our policies back to people, Stevens said. We reclaimed this idea of the peoples house with a new Congress...the responsibility is on us to address these issues, and thats what were going to go do."

Other priorities for Stevens include working to lower the costs of prescription drugs, stopping the dysfunction and the pendulum swinging" in U.S. health care policy and addressing gun violence. She intends to join the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and said policy changes such as universal background checks and banning bump stocks are long overdue.

Parents dont need to be worried about their children going to school, Stevens said, adding that she hopes to strike the right tone by protecting appropriate firearms use while looking at root causes of gun violence in the United States.

As one of the Democrats across the U.S. who flipped seats and contributed to the partys majority in the House next session, Stevens said shes keenly aware of the responsibility and opportunity Democrats have in 2019 and beyond, and the importance of staying true to election promises: We need to be able to actualize what we campaigned on."

Its important to recognize the accountability that comes with that allegiance to voters who put their trust in you," she said.

Stevens was elected co-president of the Democrats' freshmen class in Congress, sharing the role with Colin Allred of Texas, who defeated incumbent Rep. Pete Sessions in an upset. She and Allred share several key traits - they both served in the Obama administration, theyre both millennials and they both flipped a Congressional seat from red to blue with help from independent and moderate voters.

Stevens said its been exciting to meet Allred and other like-minded incoming members of Congress, pointing to fellow Midwest candidates Lauren Underwood of Illinois and Abby Finkenauer of Iowa as examples of new lawmakers who share her focus on building up the labor movement and harnessing the power of digitization and new technologies when looking to the future of the American workforce.

When working with the Trump administration, Stevens said she wants to shine a light on the needs of the 11th District, particularly when it comes to the impact tariffs affecting manufacturing and agricultural sectors, the impending trade deal between the U.S., Mexico and Canada and President Donald Trumps tendency to announce major policy directives on Twitter could have on the economy and the middle class.

As a group, Stevens hopes Democrats can accomplish the parallel priorities of delivering big legislation while tackling the needed oversight that weve been lacking with President Donald Trumps administration and the actions of federal agencies.

Its certainly important to recognize that we want the government to work for the American people, Stevens said. Its not about what party you are, its about making our federal government function properly.RIGA TOWNSHIP, MI -- A 39-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman have been arrested in Colorado in connection with a body found along the side of the road in Riga Township earlier this month, according to the Associated Press. The pair are from the Toledo area, but their names have not been released by police pending arraignment.

The two are facing extradition back to Michigan in connection with the death of 45-year-old James Wappner, a Toledo man whose body was found on Dec. 4 after someone noticed something just off a highway and called authorities. The body was found about 50 feet from the road.

A cause of death has yet to be released. The Daily Telegram reports the duo could be extradited to Michigan within a week and could face felony charges.LANSING, MI -- Michigan parents wont be able to surrender newborns to so-called baby boxes after Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed legislation that would have allowed them on Thursday.

Right now parents can surrender newborns less than 72 hours old to an employee at a fire station, police station or hospital. House Bills 5750-5754 would have created another option by allowing emergency service providers to set up a newborn safety device, also called a baby box, at hospitals or police or fire stations. The device is designed to safely deliver a child to emergency personnel without requiring the parent to interact with anybody.

But it was the lack of interaction that earned a veto from Snyder, who said in his veto letter, ...I do not believe it is appropriate to allow for parents to surrender a baby by simply depositing the baby into a device, rather than physically handing the baby to a uniformed police, fire or hospital employee.

Rep. Bronna Kahle, R-Adrian, said earlier this month the bill let parents be completely anonymous. She said sometimes parents get to safe haven locations to surrender newborns and something happens where theyre afraid to walk in and actually face someone face-to-face. This would give parents a safe way to surrender a newborn without facing that hurdle, she said.

The legislation was supported by Right to Life, and opposed by members of the Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health.

Other states, including Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania, have adopted the idea of baby boxes as a last-resort option for parents to prevent them from unsafely abandoning their babies. The box concept has been championed by the group Safe Haven Baby Boxes, a nonprofit organization that has installed four boxes in Indiana and one in Ohio, according to the groups website.

Other bills Snyder vetoed Thursday included:

- Senate Bill 728, which would have modified definitions in the Credit Card Arrangements Act (veto letter here.)

- Senate Bill 964, which would have changed some rules around highway billboards (veto letter here.)

- Senate Bill 985, which would have defined automobile club contracts and stipulated they were not subject to the insurance code (veto letter here.)

- House Bills 5230 and 5231 would have changed school employee retirement options in regard to annuities (veto letter here.)

- House Bills 5325 and 5720, which would have made changes to principal shopping districts and business improvement zones (veto letter here.)WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump says he will be forced to close the southern border of the U.S. entirely if Democrats dont agree to fund his long-proposed border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. The threat comes as portions of the federal government remain shutdown while legislators argue over a funding bill that Trump says must include $5 billion for the wall.

Trump made the threat early Friday morning on his Twitter account.

We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with. Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

....The United States looses soooo much money on Trade with Mexico under NAFTA, over 75 Billion Dollars a year (not including Drug Money which would be many times that amount), that I would consider closing the Southern Border a profit making operation. We build a Wall or.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

.....close the Southern Border. Bring our car industry back into the United States where it belongs. Go back to pre-NAFTA, before so many of our companies and jobs were so foolishly sent to Mexico. Either we build (finish) the Wall or we close the Border......  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

.....Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money. Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it. We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries - taking advantage of U.S. for years!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

Trump has made similar threats in the past, but did not include as many details as he did Friday. Specifically naming which nations could face cuts in aid.

It could be another week before any progress is made on the spending bill as Congress is not expected to meet again until Jan. 3, when Democrats will take control of the House. Democrats have said they will not budge on the current offer of $1.3 billion for border fencing cost, none of which could be used to build a new wall.FLINT, MI  Communities in eastern Michigan are gathering to celebrate Kwanzaa and the seven principles the holiday stands for.

Week-long events celebrating the African holiday began Wednesday, Dec. 26, and will continue through Jan. 1 in Flint and Saginaw. Each day of celebration honors an African principle and reflects African Americans' commitment to their heritage.

A Saginaw African Cultural Festival will present the 2018 Kwanzaa Workshop at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 28, at First ward Community Service.

In Flint, community members gathered at the Odyssey House to celebrate the second day of Kwanzaa, which honors Kujichagulia, meaning self-determination.

The event takes place from 1 to 3 p.m. each day leading up to Jan. 1 and is hosted by Flint Elder E. Hill De Loney, who also started the citys Black Social Workers and the original Juneteenth Celebration.

Kicking off the event, the crowd is asked habari gani? which means whats the news? in Swahili. The answer is each of the seven principles for each day of Kwanzaa. The crowd is then taught the meaning behind the principle and what it stands for in African heritage.

Food, like fruits, vegetables and a meal are enjoyed at the end of the celebration and gifts are passed out to community members.

Kwanzaa allows African Americans the opportunity to connect with their African roots, said DeWaun Robinson, of Artistic Visions Enterprise and a coordinator for the event.

It's really just practicing our traditions and heritage, far too often we are over here in the western world practicing Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter and whatever else but we don't put enough emphasis on our own, Robinson said.

Elanders Tery and her three grandchildren attend the Kwanzaa celebration every year. Terys favorite principle is Ujima, because it encompasses unity and liability, she said.

I enjoy coming to the festival every year and I love that my grandkids is a part of the program, Tery said. They dance and play the drums. I come to support them and I really enjoy them.

This event was the first time celebrating Kwanzaa in a group for Jesse Abey. The 61-year-old man said he first learned about Kwanzaa when he learned about Junteenth in 1968.

Sometimes you can't be swinging on the branch until you get to the root and this is part of getting to the root of who you are, Abey said.

The Kwanzaa celebration will be taking place all week and is a chance for community members to educate themselves about the holiday and its traditions.

I love the positive engagement I love when people come together for something bigger than themselves, to show how much we love and appreciate each other, Robinson said. If you apply these seven principles to life, youll have an overabundance of a higher quality of life.FLINT, MI -- Former Genesee County Sheriffs Deputy George Charles Zofchak has been charged with sexually assaulting and kidnapping a woman he arrested for shoplifting at a Walmart in Vienna Township.

The 40-year-old was charged Friday, Dec. 28, with one count of criminal sexual conduct first-degree, one count of kidnapping and one count of misconduct in office. The assault and kidnapping charges carry up to life in prison while the third charge is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

On Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, at 10:30 a.m. the Genesee Sheriffs Department received a phone call in regard to a shoplifting incident at the Walmart on Linden Road near M-57, according to investigative reports. Zofchak, who was a deputy at the time but has since been removed, and another deputy responded to the call and arrested the male and female suspected of shoplifting.

Zofchak offered to stay with the female, who was now in handcuffs, until the couples car was towed and impounded while the other deputy took the male to the Genesee County Jail. After the car was impounded, Zofchak took the woman back to the motel shed been staying at and forced her into giving him oral sex, according to Genesee County Sheriff Robert Pickell.

Zofchak then threw the woman onto the bed and sexually assaulted her by groping her. After the incident, Zofchak made sure the victim understood she wasnt to say anything to anyone and reported back to the substation, Pickell said.

The incident was reported to the Genesee County Sheriffs Department on Dec. 25 by the victims sister.

He made a decision that he would betray the trust of this office and take advantage of her, Pickell said. It made me sick to my stomach but didnt prevent me or the men or women of this office to proceed as quickly as possible in putting this case together.

Zofchak pleaded not guilty through his attorney Frank J. Manley. Manely said his office has received the allegations and they are very severe, but he said theyre just allegations and his team will defend his client vigorously.

Were asking the public to to withhold judgment because rushing into judgment with unrefined facts is harmful to a persons right to a fair trial, Manley said. Accusations dont necessarily translate to truthfulness.

The Genesee Sheriffs Department sought charges from Prosecutor David Leytons office following an investigation of Zofchak and the incident.

Nobody is above the law and that especially includes sworn police officers, Leyton said. The public expects and relies on law enforcement to protect us from the criminal element. When the roles are reversed, the public trust is broken."

Zofchak is being lodged at the Lapeer County Jail with a bail set at $600,000. Pickell stated he wont be lodged at the Genesee County Jail because the male suspect involved in the shoplifting incident is being lodged there as well as other suspects arrested by Zofchak.

He is set to be back in court on Jan. 10 at 1 p.m.FLINT, MI -- Gov. Rick Snyder still isnt commenting on a congressional request for additional Flint water crisis documents because he never officially received the request, a spokesman says.

Ari Adler, director of communications for the governor, made the comment in an email to MLive-The Flint Journal on Friday, Dec. 28.

In addition to the Dec. 19 letter mailed to Snyder, the correspondence from U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland, was also sent to the governor in email form and posted online nine days ago, according to a spokeswoman for the congressman.

The letter asks Snyder to fully comply with the (House Committee on Oversight and Government Reforms) previous bipartisan request for documents.

Cummings' letter says he intends to continue this (Flint water) investigation in the next Congress," and has previously accused Snyder of having refused to provide key documents to the Oversight Committee.

Members of the committee previously requested that the governor provide documents without redactions as well as detailed descriptions of 130 documents withheld for attorney-client privilege.

The new request asks for certification, signed by Snyder or his attorney, stating that a diligent search has been completed of all documents in his possession, custody, or control which reasonably could contain information sought by the committee.

Documents dating back to 2012 have been requested.

Congressional Republicans closed a year-long investigation into the water crisis in December 2016 after hearing testimony from Snyder, former emergency manager Darnell Earley, former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy, and others.

But because of the change to Democratic Party control of the U.S. House of Representatives next year, Cummings is in line to direct the Oversight committees work in 2019.

During his 2016 testimony, Snyder blamed the water crisis on a failure of government at all levels and said he didnt learn of a surge in Legionnaires' cases and deaths in the Flint area until 2016 -- after the city was reconnected to the Detroit water system.

But since that time, Harvey Hollins, director of the states Office of Urban and Metropolitan Initiatives, contradicted that timeline.

Hollins testified under oath during a preliminary examination in Genesee District Court that he told the governor about Legionnaires' problems and the potential connection to Flint water in December 2015 -- weeks before the governor has said he was first made aware.

Following Hollins testimony, Cummings and other Democrats on the Oversight Committee asked Snyder for additional information about when he first learned of the surge in Legionnaires' cases in Genesee County -- outbreaks that coincided with the citys use of the Flint River for drinking water.

Emergency managers appointed by Snyder made a series of decisions that resulted in the citys use of the river as Flints water source, and state government agencies defended the safety of the water even as levels of total trihalomethanes and lead spiked and citizens increasingly complained.

A spokeswoman in Cummings' office confirmed the letter to Snyder was mailed and emailed to the Governors Office, but Adler said in an email that we have not officially received this letter, (and) there is no response available to share with you.

The Journal provided a link to the letter, which is posted on the Oversight Committes Web site, to Adler.

The request asks that documents by provided to Cumming no later than Jan. 11.REYNOLDS TWP, MI -- Two men were arrested Friday morning after a drive-by shooting on a home in a rural area of Montcalm County.

No one was injured in the drive-by shooting, according to the Montcalm County Sheriffs Office. It was reported around 1:25 a.m. Friday, Dec. 28, at a residence in the 18000 block of Church Road.

The 37-year-old homeowner was outside and two other residents were inside at the time of the shooting, the sheriffs office reports. A home, vehicle and outbuilding were damaged by the gunfire.

The suspected vehicle in the shooting drove by as deputies investigated. Deputies then pursued the vehicle but were not able to catch it, according to the sheriffs office.

Just before 3 a.m., one of the suspects, a 23-year-old Howard City man, returned to his home in the 8000 block of North Federal Road and began arguing with his wife, the sheriffs office reports.

Deputies were called to the domestic dispute and the man fled into nearby woods.

Deputies and Michigan State Police troopers searched for the man and were later informed he might be headed toward Howard City.

Around 5:10 a.m., officers found him near Orton and Cherry streets and arrested him without incident.

Officers searched a nearby home, finding a second suspect and evidence from the drive-by, according to the sheriffs office.

The second suspect, a 23-year-old Morley man, was also arrested without incident.

The investigation remains ongoing. Montcalm County Emergency Medical Services assisted in the incident.HASTINGS, MI -- Patients and visitors to a West Michigan hospital with Legionella bacteria in its water can call a hotline if they are concerned about exposure.

Spectrum Health Pennock in Hastings has established hotlines at 844-689-2875 and 616-391-9986 to address concerns about the bacteria which causes Legionnaires disease.

Since September, two hospital patients have tested positive for the potentially fatal disease. Only one of them, a 92-year-old man, has since died. The other was treated and released.

Barry-Eaton District Health Department officials said the man died of chronic aspiration pneumonia and that its not possible to determine if it was related to Legionnaires' disease.

Its also unclear if the patients contracted the disease from the water at Spectrum Health Pennock, Barry-Eaton District Health Department officials said.

The hospital tested its water for Legionella on Dec. 12 after the November case was confirmed. The results came back positive for the bacteria.

The health department was notified Dec. 26 of the positive results. A day later, the health department sent out a press release on the situation.

Spectrum Health Pennock is connected to Hastings municipal water, which services about 7,350 people. County health officials say the wider community should not be alarmed their water is contaminated, as the Legionella bacteria is contained within the hospitals plumbing system.

Contaminated water from the hospitals plumbing is not able to reenter the municipal supply, thanks to backflow prevention devices, Hastings city officials previously said.

The municipal water supply is tested daily for bacterial growths. No other cases of Legionnaires disease have been reported.

The hospital is using alternative water sources and putting filters on all showers and faucets as a short-term remedy, hospital officials said at a press conference Thursday, Dec. 27.

Legionnaires disease is a type of pneumonia, or lung infection, that kills about one in 10 people who contract the disease, according to the health department.

Symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath, muscle aches, headache and fever. The disease can be treated with antibiotics.

People become infected with Legionella from breathing small droplets of water in the air that contain the bacteria. Its not spread from person to person, according to the health department.BARRY COUNTY, MI -- A 92-year-old man died from pneumonia after he tested positive for Legionnaires' disease in late November, health leaders confirmed Thursday.

The man had been treated for the disease and discharged from Spectrum Health Pennock Hospital to a rehab center when he died.

Officials with the Barry-Eaton District Health Department talked Thursday about the case, as well as another person who was treated in September and released. They also discussed steps to eliminate the Legionella bacteria from the hospitals water system.

Barry-Eaton District Health Medical Director Daniel Woodall described the 92-year-olds case as very complex and said that, while he died from chronic aspiration pneumonia, its not possible to determine if it was related to Legionnaires' disease.

The hospital tested its water on Dec. 12 after the November case was confirmed. The results came back positive for the bacteria.

Legionnaires disease is a type of pneumonia, or lung infection, that kills about one in 10 people who contract the disease, according to the health department.

Symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath, muscle aches, headache and fever. The disease can be treated with antibiotics.

The bacteria is believed confined to the hospitals water. The hospital is using alternative water sources and water filtration to protect patients from the bacteria, health department leaders said.JACKSON, MI  A Michigan restaurant chain is facing a class-action lawsuit alleging servers were underpaid with the withholding of tips.

The lawsuit was filed against Los Tres Amigos on behalf of several former and current employees claiming the business violated the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Michigan Workforce Opportunity Wage Act. The original complaint was filed in August in Detroit federal court.

The restaurant chain has 18 locations in Jackson, Michigan Center, Chelsea, Howell, Saginaw, Owosso, Canton, Plymouth, Livonia, Farmington, Lansing, East Lansing and Mason.

Los Tres Amigos employees, according to the lawsuit, were required to forfeit a percentage of their tips to a tip pool, which were supposed to be distributed among various employees working during the shift.

The lawsuit claims the company did not properly redistribute the tips and instead kept the money, violating labor laws.

Los Tres Amigos denied the allegations in an October court filing, asserting that plaintiffs have been paid all wages due under federal and state law.

According to pay stubs from 2016 presented in the lawsuit, servers were being paid the minimum tipped rate at $3.23 an hour.

The Fair Labor Standards Act allows the use of a tip pool, but only on the condition that the money collected only goes to employees who regularly receive tips.

The lawsuit claims the tip pool went to pay busboys, hostesses and food runners, many who were not employed during the time frame of the lawsuit, records show.

Employees included in the suit are seeking the unpaid wages lost in the tip pool, along with damages and attorney fees.

Both sides have requested a trial by jury. A scheduling conference has been set for Jan. 22.KALAMAZOO, MI -- Stephanie Moore strove to embody the needs of urban core neighborhoods while in a seat of power in Kalamazoo County government.

Moores one-year term as the first African-American chair of the Board of Commissioners ends in January. The lifelong Northside neighborhood resident celebrates general success in bringing equity closer to the forefront of the countys decision-making process but considers herself ostracized from a Democratic Party that holds more power in the new year.

Democrats gained tighter control over the agenda after winning two more seats in the November election. They hold an 8-3 majority over Republicans who helped elect Moore, a Democrat, to chair.

Its yet to be seen if the board can overcome political and personality clashes, often with Moore at the center, that consumed several meetings in 2018.

During an interview with MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette, Moore associated conflicts during the last year with her decade-long struggle to secure a voice for vulnerable communities in Kalamazoo, specifically the black community.

Representation matters, Moore said. It may be a familiar talking point among progressives in Kalamazoo now, but despite gains experienced during her political career, Moore said the county still has a long way to go.

Its bigger than me, its about the neighborhood, Moore said. Its not just the first African-American (chair), but the first time the core neighborhood had a seat at the table to help guide the agenda.

"When you look at historically in Kalamazoo County the folks that have been left behind and the areas that have been hard to serve, for us to have significance in county leadership was absolutely amazing. I pray that it happens again.

The chair is responsible for preparing the agenda and running business meetings. They also have the coveted power of appointing and removing members of committees.

Moore, the self-styled "Peoples Commish, will start a third term in the new year after cruising to re-election in November by the highest margin of victory since being elected in 2014.

Reflecting on the last year, Moore harbors a few regrets but, overall, said she is satisfied with her time as chair. Though she would do some things differently, Moore said she benefited from personal growth that would not have been otherwise possible.

I was pushed in a lot of ways that helped me to work on my temperament, my passion and love for people, Moore said. I also am super excited about some of the things that happened.

Taking a seat at the table

A teen mother while in high school, Moore knows the value of access to public services. She also credits several mentors, including Northside Association for Community Development Executive Director Mattie Jordan-Woods and former Commissioner Eva Ozier, for supporting her in her younger years.

Moore worked as community organizer focused on quality-of-life issues on Kalamazoos north side. She remains a consultant for Mothers of Hope, a nonprofit founded by her mother, Gwen Lanier.

It wasnt until 2006, when Moore was 34, that she considered seeking public office. That year, her 17-year-old nephew was pulled over by police in Kalamazoo for playing his car stereo too loudly. He was arrested and had his vehicle searched.

A study done years later found black motorists were more than twice as likely as whites to be pulled over in the city of Kalamazoo and more likely than whites to be asked to exit their vehicles and to be searched, handcuffed and arrested.

Moores nephew was acquitted of violating a noise ordinance. He filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city while his aunt joined organizers who, ultimately, sent her sent to City Hall.

We knew we wanted two things: We wanted to make sure this never happened to another young person and we also wanted to change policy, Moore said. As we began being active and organizing we realized we were never going to get what we wanted unless we had a seat at the table.

Moore was elected to Kalamazoos 47th City Commission in 2007. It was the same year Bobby Hopewell, an African-American man, began his first term as mayor. The city later settled the lawsuit with Moores nephew for $110,000.

Moore served on the Kalamazoo City Commission from 2007-2014.

I can tell you, my first day at City Hall I immediately realized why we have been left out of the conversation for so long  because there was no one there advocating for us," Moore said. It was a struggle. I was always the only African-American female. Most times I was the youngest person in the room.

Having first-hand knowledge of how government decisions impact communities is vital, Moore said.

That motivation is a driving factor in her push to open Kalamazoo County government to more Northside residents.

Her main goal is to address the disparity between black and white infant deaths in Kalamazoo County.

More babies died before reaching their first birthday in Kalamazoo County in 2017 than all but one other Michigan county. African-American infants are three time more likely to die than white babies, according to state data.

In 2016, county commissioners passed a resolution to reduce the infant mortality rate within four years. Moore and other commissioners said it should go further, advocating for cultural awareness training to combat systemic problems preventing African-American mothers from accessing education and quality care.

At the time, Moore pushed to make equity a strategic priority of the county. A year later, an equity task force was created to add more diversity to the organizational culture of Kalamazoo County administrators.

Moore said a Minnesota consultant was retained to provide recommendations in 2019.

If you look at our current administration, its not reflective of the community as a whole, Moore said. I think thats really important. Its not always about race or gender. Being multi-culturally competent when talking about dealing with all of these various issues from economic development to housing to building our budget to addressing things through law enforcement -- you gotta have people at the table who truly understand and have a pulse on the community.

Moore said she is proud to have brought more people into the fold.

The chair created a weekly show, Keeping It Real with Commissioner Moore," that airs on Amazon Fire Stick and Roku streaming television services. She also started a biweekly video address explaining the highlights of upcoming board meetings.

Noticeably more people from her district  who, Moore said, can generally feel unwelcome in the board chambers  attended meetings more often; sometimes to defend or praise Moore.

We have never seen people of color come to local government, especially at the county, the way that they have in the last two years, Moore said.

Moore is proud that the board passed a contract with Kalamazoo County Defender Inc. to create a nonprofit public defenders office by May 2019. An independent indigent criminal defense office is expected to provide more equitable representation for county residents who cant afford legal counsel.

The chair said Kalamazoo County had a good handle on responding to a water crisis that left 3,100 homes without water in Parchment last summer. Moore said the county did the right thing by notifying residents hours after finding toxic compounds contaminated Parchments municipal water system.

Moore hopes a lawsuit against opioid manufacturers will bring healing and relief to the community.

Along party lines, the board voted to join a class-action lawsuit seeking damages for opioid-related deaths and law enforcement costs. The board will consider a contract with Southfield-based firm Sommer Schwartz P.C. to sue pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors.

Moore said many of these accomplishments faded into the background while personal vendettas consumed the board in public.

The chair was the subject of several accusations of unethical behavior and questions of temperament from her colleagues and residents. Moore said she faced a different set of standards and expectations than previous board chairs.

At times, this created heated exchanges between Moore and other Democratic commissioners. Colleagues were critical of public comments deemed unprofessional, scrutinized her interstate travel to conferences and bemoaned a list of vacant committee seats.

A shouting match between Moore and fellow Democrat Michael Seals over board appointments prompted calls for civility among commissioners. Moore helped campaign against Seals, backing a primary challenger who she felt was more committed to tackling issues of inequity, and the two butted heads several times during meetings.

Schism with Democrats

The board chair is selected in January by a vote of the commissioners. The Democratic caucus agreed to make Commissioner Julie Rogers chair and Commissioner Tracy Hall vice chair in 2019.

Moore became chair in January 2018 without any votes from her party.

Despite having the majority, Democrats could not agree on a nominee in 2017. Frustrated, Moore cut a deal with Republicans to support Dale Shugars for chair, in return for their support for her the following year.

It was an unorthodox rise to the top, and other Democrats reacted with a strongly-worded statement condemning insiders who make backroom deals to benefit themselves to the detriment of Kalamazoos most vulnerable residents.

The relationship remains strained.

I am definitely a progressive with Democratic principles that I will never sway from, Moore said. I do not see myself as one of them. I have a hard time giving to a party or any organization that cannot embrace me or respect my community or my culture. "

After Moore became chair, Kalamazoo County Democratic Party leader Jake Andrews said progressives should do a better job of raising up black leaders. In December, the KDP committed to addressing issues of systemic racism within the party in the new year.

Moore isnt holding her breath. She said Democrats take black votes are for granted.

Ozier, Kalamazoo Countys longest-serving commissioner, also became the boards first African-American vice chair by working with Republicans. Moores mentor was overlooked for the chairpersons seat despite a 22-year career in office.

Democrat Mike Seals is the longest-serving commissioner currently on the board. Moore said he was also overlooked for the boards leadership.

Whats next?

Moore said the county punted on addressing issues raised by homeless protesters who occupied Bronson Park for a month last summer.

The board left Kalamazoo City Manager Jim Ritsema hanging to deal with the protesters on his own, Moore said. She expects the county to put together a plan to fund subsidies for more affordable housing units in 2019.

Moore will also be keeping a close eye on a replacement for Kalamazoo Countys community action agency.

In September, the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners returned administration of the agency to the state after determining it failed to spend grants meant to help low-income citizens become independent. The state chose Community Action Agency South Central Michigan as a one-year replacement starting in 2019.

The community action agency is a pillar of the community, Moore said. Funds had gone unused several times since 2011 while under county control, but she feels handing it over to another group is irresponsible.

Dissolving the community action agency is one of Moores greatest regrets. A surprise vote was introduced after she left a September meeting to be with her pregnant daughter while in labor.

What could come after 2020?

Moore said shes interested in pursuing state Rep. Jon Hoadleys seat. She is putting together a committee to build a strategy to replace the term-limited House Democrat, who was re-elected to a third and final two-year term in November.

I am definitely interested and Im going to go for it, Moore said.KALAMAZOO, MI  The Hinman Company has announced the acquisition of the Fifth Third bank building, 136 E. Michigan Avenue, in Kalamazoo.

Having been invested in Downtown Kalamazoo for many decades, we are proud to bring this iconic building into our portfolio, Roger Hinman, CEO of the Hinman Company, said in a prepared statement released Friday, Dec. 28.

The 15-story, 80,000-plus square-foot building is located in downtown Kalamazoo near the intersection of East Michigan Avenue and Portage Street. The Fifth Third Bank Building is an ideal location for businesses looking to be in a vibrant downtown location, the company said.

Hinman plans to continue the legacy of the iconic building, the company said in a news release.

Built in 1929, the Art Deco building was designed by Weary and Alford of Chicago, who later designed the Kalamazoo City Hall building at 241 W South Street. Originally constructed for the Kalamazoo Trust and Savings Bank, the building has been under the ownership of the American National Bank, Old Kent Bank, and more recently, Fifth Third Bank, Hinman Company said.

The Hinman Company will oversee the management and leasing of the building, and Fifth Third Bank will continue to be a major tenant.

The building will remain a multi-tenant office building for the long-term," Hinman said.

Founded in 1977 by Roger E. Hinman, the Portage-based Hinman Company has a portfolio of office, retail and multi-family residential properties. Hinman owns and manages approximately four million square feet of space in the Midwest, the company said. Hinmans headquarters is at The Trade Centre, 750 Trade Centre Way, Suite 100, in Portage.

A message left for the company seeking additional details was not immediately returned Friday.KALAMAZOO, MI -- A campus arborist at Western Michigan University resigned from his position after development plans resulted in the removal of dozens of trees.

Plans for development of the universitys South Neighborhood along Stadium Drive include new student housing and a student center to replace the 1950s-era Bernhard Center. But 58 trees stood in the way, standing within the construction footprint along the campus' Western Avenue.

Trees in the construction zone were cut down Friday, Nov. 23, less than ten days after more than 60 students marched through campus in protest of the removal of the trees for the construction project.

Jesse Teunissen, one of the universitys arborists, submitted his resignation the week of Dec. 17, he said in an interview with MLive.

The biggest issue was the lack of consultation of staff professionals, Teunissen said. Just one day they announce theyre going to cut down a bunch of trees. Then they did it.

Teunissen said the tree removal was not the only reason for his resignation, but was the final straw after repeated instances of planning without his expertise.

It was a struggle that previous arborists were willing to deal with, Teunissen said. Im just not.

Of the 58 trees in the construction zone, the plan was to keep nine, remove one diseased tree and relocate 12 more, university spokesperson Paula Davis said at the time of the protest march.

The university removed 36 trees but will plant 75 new trees both at that location and in other areas of campus as replacements for the trees that were removed, she said. University policy requires two new trees are planted for each tree that is taken down.

Mitchell said the area where trees were removed, visible from Stadium Drive, included trees that were mostly at least 70 years old.

Youre talking the most valuable trees were on that property, said Teunissen, who has worked with the university for about one year. Its a crying shame.

WMU is one of 29 campuses to earn the designation of Tree Campus USA" by the Arbor Day Foundation, according to the university. It has been re-certified every year since 2008.

Louis Mitchell, 22, was among the about 60 students who protested the removal of trees in November.

Were just disappointed in our university, Mitchell said in an interview with MLive.

During the protest, Mitchell said the universitys policy of replanting two trees for every one removed is not enough to replenish the nature on campus.

It will take decades before the landscape returns to what it was, said Mitchell, a senior studying biological sciences. Two small trees do not make up the ecological impact of a mature tree.

The universitys Tree Care Plan and Policies outline the treatment of campus trees and define protocols for development and construction.

Prior to development site design, the director of landscape services needs to appoint a subcommittee of the WMU Tree Campus USA Advisory Committee, the plan said.

This subcommittee must be consulted to ensure that campus planning activities are aligned with the Tree Care Plan and Policies, the plan states. Prior to the start of construction, the committee will review plans and develop tree protection strategies.

Teunissen said this was not done during the construction process.

Because of how it handled the removal of trees, Teunissen believes the university could be in danger of losing its Tree Campus USA designation.

If we need to save a tree from construction, you have to be a part of the planning process, he said.

Lauren Weyers, program coordinator at Arbor Day Foundation, said they havent yet received a 2018 application from WMU for the recognition. The deadline to apply is Dec. 31, she said. In 2017, WMU was one of five colleges in Michigan to earn the recognition. Michigan State University, University of Michigan, Calvin College and Washtenaw Community College also made the list.

The universitys 2017 re-certification application said the committee shall be involved in the planning process of campus construction projects and provide expertise related to tree risk assessment, selection, placement and valuation. The first page of the 2017 application also welcomed Teunissen to the universitys landscape staff, saying, we look forward to his contribution to Tree Campus USA and the care of our campus trees.

Mitchell, who is a student representative on the universitys advisory committee for Tree Campus USA, said information about the tree removals was not made clear to members of that committee, as required by Arbor Day Foundation policies for recipients of the designation.

The trees are gone and that decision cant be undone, Mitchell said. But the university can improve planning process transparency for future projects, he said.

At the time of the November protest, Davis said Western has a long history of protecting its natural habitats."

Care will be taken to protect the trees that remain, the university spokesperson said at the time.

She said the campus' ongoing building projects seek to improve the university, and that impacts to natural habitats are carefully considered by administration and construction staff.

The universitys policy of replacing each removed tree with two new ones -- as opposed to doing nothing -- is evidence of that careful consideration, Davis said.

I think that demonstrates thoughtfulness, careful planning and stewardship, she said.

With many university offices closed during the holiday recess week between Christmas and New Years holidays, university staff could not be reached for comment on Teunissens resignation.ROBINSON TOWNSHIP, MI  The phone rang early at the Fett household on Wednesday morning, Dec. 26, bringing news that the familys drinking water is contaminated by high levels of toxic chemicals.

The Fetts' well was tested as part of a second round of sampling after PFAS detection at Robinson Elementary School this fall. About 65 other wells in the area have been tested so far, and 34 have had some level of PFAS detected. The horse farm is approximately 1 mile north of the school.

The second phase of the 120th Avenue PFAS Study tested wells that were farther north from the school compared to the first round, and came up with lower levels of PFAS overall with none above whats considered safe for human health.

Of the 37 recently tested wells, PFAS was detected at 20, according to the Ottawa Department of Public Health. None tested above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys lifetime health advisory of 70 parts per trillion (ppt) for the two individual PFAS chemicals PFOS and PFOA. However, there were lower levels of those two chemicals found in 13 wells.

The Fett family was the only one to receive news that their well has total PFAS above 100 ppt. The total PFAS was detected at 183 ppt, while PFOS was 9 ppt and PFOA was not detected.

Water testing results are back: PFOS 9 ppt, PFOA 0, total PFAS 183 ppt. Posted by Jenn Fett on Thursday, December 27, 2018

The family of four has lived at their Robinson Township home for about 21 years. The two Fett children, who both attend Grand Haven High School, have lived there their entire lives. Also drinking the water are the familys Arabian horses that they breed and sell.

The state offered to install a filter on the familys kitchen sink, but that wont help the horses, said Jenn Fett who owns Unfettered Arabians with her husband Rick Fett. Their children are Dylan and Ani.

Theres no practical way to haul water for the horses, Jenn Fett said. They're drinking whatever is coming out of the ground.

While the familys water supply does not have high levels of the two compounds PFOS and PFOA that are part of the EPAs advisory, Jenn Fett, a science teacher at Mona Shores High School, is still concerned about the health of her family and horses.

There is no advisory level for total PFAS.

I don't want to be unnecessarily afraid, but I also dont want to hear that my kids have cancer in 20 years because they were drinking this PFAS, Jenn Fett said.

The family switched to bottled water in October after learning about the high levels of PFAS at Robinson Elementary - the elementary school Dylan and Ani attended.

The source of the contaminants is still unknown as well as the time frame that the water in the area has been contaminated. The state has not revealed its plans for next steps.

The MDEQ continues to evaluate potential sources of PFAS contamination in the area, including the use of firefighting foam, undocumented dump sites, potential biosolid application in the area and materials from a nearby highway construction project, according to the Ottawa County health department.

Jenn Fett hopes the DEQ will continue testing residential wells and will eventually pinpoint a source and timeframe for the contamination.

I'm worried for the people in our community, she said.

During the first phase of the 120th Avenue PFAS Study, the DEQ tested 29 wells near the school, 14 of which tested positive for PFAS. Of those, one home had a level above the EPAs lifetime health advisory and four had similar results to the Fetts  total PFAS above 100 ppt.

The DEQ originally reported that 12 wells had total PFAS above 100 ppt, and later updated its findings.

Exposure to PFAS is linked to certain types of cancer, high cholesterol, hypertension in pregnancy, thyroid disease and other health problems. State health officials say ingestion is the primary route of exposure concern.

The chemicals are known to have developmental toxicity, making exposure to children especially problematic.

Robinson Elementary, which is part of Grand Haven Area Public Schools, has bee on bottled water since its initial PFAS results were reported on Oct. 29. Results of a second sample, which also found high levels of the contaminants, was reported on Oct. 31.

A long-term solution for the school has not been finalized, but the district is planning to install a water filtration system, Grand Haven Superintendent Andrew Ingall said previously.

The second school test found PFOS and PFOA at a combined level of 119-ppt and Total PFAS at 171-ppt. The first test showed combined PFOS and PFOA at 110-ppt and Total PFAS at 144-ppt. Both tests show PFAS well above the EPAs health advisory level.

Robinson Elementary is the only Grand Haven school building on well water, the rest are connected to the Northwest Ottawa Water System.

In Michigan, the Robinson school detection is the highest level of the individual compound PFOS, and the second highest overall total PFAS level, found in a school well to date.

The highest total PFAS level in a Michigan school well is 182-ppt, discovered in the EightCAP preschool well in Ionia County in July. The Tri-County Junior High in Montcalm County found a Total PFAS level of 88-ppt in July. To date, at least trace levels of the chemicals have been found in 28 schools across the state.

The school detections are part of data being compiled by the DEQ, which is testing all schools on wells and public drinking water supplies in Michigan for PFAS contamination.

To date, the DEQ data shows that more than 1.9 million people -- about 20 percent of Michigans population -- have been drinking municipal water with at least a trace of PFAS detection.

In Ottawa County, Total PFAS at 20-ppt was found in the Northwest Ottawa Water System in August, but a follow-up test in October found no detection of any PFAS compounds. The city pulls its water from a Lake Michigan intake. Grand Haven officials have said that more follow-up testing is planned.The following companies are subsidiares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise: 3Com International Inc., 3PAR Inc., Apogee, Aruba Networks Inc., Aruba Networks International Cayman, Aruba Networks International Limited, BlueData Software, Cloud Cruiser, Cloud Technology Partners, Cloud Technology Partners Inc., Compaq Computer (Mauritius), Compaq Trademark B.V., Cray, Cray Inc., EDS World Corporation (Far East) LLC, EYP Mission Critical Facilities Inc., H3C Holdings Limited, HP Enterprise Services Australia Pty Ltd, HP Financial Services (Australia) Pty Limited, HP Financial Services (Chile) Limitada, HP Financial Services (Japan) K.K., HP Financial Services Arrendamento Mercantil S.A., HP Financial Services Company (Korea), HP Financial Services International Holdings Company, HPE Government LLC, HPFS Global Holdings I LLC, HPFS Global Holdings II LLC, HPFS Rental S.R.L., Hangzhou H3C Technologies Co. Ltd, Hewlett Packard Caribe BV LLC, Hewlett Packard Colombia Ltda., Hewlett Packard Enterprise (China) Co. Ltd., Hewlett Packard Enterprise B.V., Hewlett Packard Enterprise B.V. Amstelveen Meyrin Branch, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Co., Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Co. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Cie, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Costa Rica Limitada, Hewlett Packard Enterprise GlobalSoft Private Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise India Private Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Ireland Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Luxembourg SCA, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Polska sp. z o.o., Hewlett Packard Pathfinder LLC, Hewlett Packard Taiwan Ltd., Hewlett-Packard (Israel) Ltd., Hewlett-Packard (M) Sdn. Bhd., Hewlett-Packard (Nigeria) Limited, Hewlett-Packard (Schweiz) GmbH, Hewlett-Packard (Tanzania) Limited, Hewlett-Packard (Thailand) Limited, Hewlett-Packard ApS, Hewlett-Packard Argentina S.R.L., Hewlett-Packard Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Australia Pty Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Belgium SPRL/BVBA, Hewlett-Packard Bermuda Enterprises LLC, Hewlett-Packard Brasil Ltda., Hewlett-Packard Bulgaria EOOD, Hewlett-Packard Caribe B.V., Hewlett-Packard Caribe Y Andina B.V. LLC, Hewlett-Packard Chile Comercial Limitada, Hewlett-Packard Cyprus Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Hewlett-Packard Egypt Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Financial Services (India) Private Limited, Hewlett-Packard Financial Services Canada Company, Hewlett-Packard Financial Services Company, Hewlett-Packard France SAS, Hewlett-Packard G1 SPV (Cayman) Company, Hewlett-Packard Gesellschaft mbH, Hewlett-Packard Ghana Limited, Hewlett-Packard GmbH, Hewlett-Packard Guatemala Limitada, Hewlett-Packard HK SAR Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Hellas EPE, Hewlett-Packard Holdings Ltd., Hewlett-Packard International Bank Designated Activity Company, Hewlett-Packard International Bank Public Limited Company, Hewlett-Packard International Sarl, Hewlett-Packard Italiana S.r.l., Hewlett-Packard Japan Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Korea Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Leasing Limited, Hewlett-Packard Limited, Hewlett-Packard Luxembourg Enterprises LLC, Hewlett-Packard Macau Limited, Hewlett-Packard Manufacturing Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Marigalante Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Hewlett-Packard Middle East FZ-LLC, Hewlett-Packard Mocambique Limitada - Sociedada em Liquidacao, Hewlett-Packard Nederland B.V., Hewlett-Packard New Zealand, Hewlett-Packard Norge AS, Hewlett-Packard OY, Hewlett-Packard Operations Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Hewlett-Packard Peru S.R.L., Hewlett-Packard Philippines Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Portugal Lda., Hewlett-Packard SARL, Hewlett-Packard SIA, Hewlett-Packard Servicios Espana S.L., Hewlett-Packard Singapore (Sales) Pte. Ltd., Hewlett-Packard South Africa (Proprietary) Limited, Hewlett-Packard Sverige AB, Hewlett-Packard Technology Center Inc., Hewlett-Packard Teknoloji Cozumleri Limited Sirketi, Hewlett-Packard The Hague B.V., Hewlett-Packard Venezuela S.R.L., Hewlett-Packard Vision Limited, Hewlett-Packard d.o.o., Hewlett-Packard s.r.o., Limited Liability Company Hewlett Packard Enterprise, MapR Technologies, New H3C Technologies Co. Ltd., Niara Inc., Nimble Storage, Nimble Storage Inc., Nimble Storage Israel Ltd, Nimble Storage Japan GK, Nimble Storage UK Limited, Plexxi, RedPixie, SGI (Silicon Graphics), Sapphire Holding Co, Scytale, Shanghai Hewlett-Packard Co. Ltd., Silver Peak, SimpliVity, Sinope Holding B.V., Trilead, UAB ES Hague Lietuva, and Unis Huashan Technologies Co. Limited.Illinois is the 36th state in the nation to pass a law about breast density notification, and the bill sailed through the state legislature with no opposition. Still, the American Medical Association opposes such laws in general, saying that there is no medical consensus on a reliable method for judging breast density and no clinical guidelines that recommend more screening for women just because of dense tissue. The law may also lead to questions about what women should do once they have the information.New Delhi: Union Law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad addresses the inaugural function of Constitution Day Celebrations in New Delhi on Monday, Nov 26, 2018. (PTI Photo/Kamal Singh)(PTI11_26_2018_000052B)

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the plan to list seven public sector companies on the stock exchanges through Initial Public Offering (IPO) or Further Public Offer (FPO).

These seven companies are Telecommunication Consultants (India) Pvt Ltd, Railtel Corporation India, National Seed Corporation India, Tehri Hydro Development Corporation, Water & Power Consultancy Services (India), FCI Aravali Gypsum and Minerals (India) and Kudremukh Iron Ore Company.

The Cabinet also gave its nod for a hike in minimum support price (MSP) for Copra by more than Rs 2000 per quintal for the 2019 season. The MSP of Milling Copra will be Rs 9521 per quintal and that of Ball Copra will be Rs 9920 per quintal.

IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also said while briefing the media that the Cabinet approved Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification 2018. This notification will lead to enhanced activities in the coastal regions and will promote economic growth while also respecting the conservation principles of coastal regions, the government said.

The Centre also greenlighted the National Commission for Homeopathy (NCH) Bill, 2018 which seeks to replace the existing regulator Central Council for Homeopathy with a new body to ensure transparency.Central Bank of India | Bank closed its QIP by raising Rs 255 crore, set issue price at Rs 15.38 per share. (Image: PTI)

State-owned Central Bank of India on December 28 said it will raise about Rs 200 crore by issuing shares to staff under the employee stock purchase scheme.

The board of directors of the bank at their meeting held on December 28, 2018 approved the proposal to raise capital by issuance of shares to employees through Employee Stock Purchase Scheme (ESPS) to the extent of approximately Rs 200 crore, the lender said in a regulatory filing.

The Committee of Directors will decide all operative steps, including convening of extra-ordinary general meeting of shareholders to pass the resolution and determination of pricing methodology and discount, Central Bank said.

Last week, Syndicate Bank had informed about raising up to Rs 500 crore by issuing 30 crore shares to its staff under the employee stock purchase scheme.

Punjab National Bank said it has mobilised Rs 500 crore through ESPS.

The government in March 2017, had 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.

Shares of Central Bank of India closed 0.96 per cent down at Rs 36.05 apiece on BSE.welspun_global_79488114

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Prince Mathews Thomas

Welspun India, the world's largest producer of terry towels, is turning its focus on the domestic market as it looks to double its revenues in five years.

"Currently, 4-5 percent of our revenues come from the Indian market. We want to increase this to 20 percent in five years," Chief Financial Officer Altaf Jiwani to Moneycontrol.

Overall, Welspun India wants to double its revenue to $2 billion. "After five years, $400 million will come from India operations," added Jiwani.

The company sells home textile, including rugs, towels and bedsheets, to international retailers. Welpsun also has the Christy's brand, which sells the iconic Wimbledon towels.

Domestic play

While the home textile market in India is worth about $3 billion, the industry is dominated by the unorganised sector.

But Welpsun India is banking on its three-pronged strategy to get a bigger share of the pie.

"We will soon be launching a mass brand," said Jiwani, and added that the brand will hit the market this financial year. "With the launch, we will cover the entire spectrum of the segment, from luxury to mass segments," he added.

Welpsun India currently has a premium brand called Spaces.

The company will expand its network and distribution reach to launch the mass brand.

Flooring business

Welspun India is investing Rs 1,100 crore in setting up a facility in Telangana to produce flooring solutions. The facility will be spread over 27 million square meters. "About 60 percent of the business will be domestic. At its peak utilisation, the facility will generate revenues of up to Rs 2,000 crore a year," said Jiwani. The facility will start operations by December 2019.

The flooring products will be sold under a brand, and will target the Rs 35,000-crore tile market. "Replacing an existing flooring is inconvenient. There are time and cost overruns. But with our flooring products, you can just place them on the existing tile," said Jiwani.

Innovation-led

The company spends 1 percent of its revenues on R&D, and this it hopes will get it an edge over rivals. "We have 30 patents, the highest for a home textile player in the world. Also, 37 percent of our revenues come from innovative products," said Jiwani.

The most noted of the patents is the Hygrocotton technology that helps towels occupy less space, thus giving more buck for logistics players (while transporting) and retailers (while displaying products on the shelves). "At the same time, the towels get 15 percent fluffier after wash, thus adding to the comfort value," says Jiwani.

Launched in 2015, the Hygrocotton is now displayed even on private labels sold by major retailers. "It is like our version of Intel Inside... like ingredient branding," says Jiwani.

The company earlier this year launched bedsheets using the same technology. "While the base is small, it is our fastest growing segment. The bedsheets are priced at Rs 4,000, but have got the attention, especially of the millennial population," added Jiwani.

The company is aiming to generate half of its revenues from innovative products in the next five years.

Another pie that Welspun India is targetting is that of advanced textiles. The company generates Rs 200 crore a year from this segment at the moment and wants to increase this to Rs 1,000 crore in five years.

"Through advanced textiles we can get into sectors such as healthcare, auto and railways," said Jiwani.

Advanced textile products include use-and-throw bedsheets for Railways, upholstery used in cars and even specialised fabric - developed by the company - to clean satellites.India is likely to cut import tax on palm oil, a government source said on December 28, in line with New Delhi's trade agreements with Southeast Asian countries.

Earlier this year, India, the world's top buyer of vegetable oils, raised the import tax on crude palm oil to 44 percent from 30 percent and lifted the tax on refined palm oil to 54 percent from 40 percent.

India imports palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia.Recap bonds for bank recapitalisation | Acting on its plan announced in October 2017, the central government issued recap bonds worth Rs 88,000 crore in Januarythe first instalment of committed Rs 2.11 lakh crore. Recently, the government said it will infuse additional Rs 41,000 crore in to public sector banks , making the total amount for bank recapitalisation at Rs 1.06 lakh crore in financial year 2018-19.

Nirav Modi-PNB scam | The first quarter of the year was rocked by allegations of massive fraud involving diamond merchants Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi. The size of the alleged scam reached over 14,000 crore. Banks generally write frauds off in one shot. However, the size of his fraud meant that they had to ask RBI to allow them to spread it across four quarters.

FPI debt investments maturity lowered | The RBI lowered the mandatory holding period of government debt securities by the foreign portfolio investors from three years to one year in April.

Massive loan waivers | Seven out of nine states that went for assembly elections this year announced loan waivers for farmers totalling Rs 1.72 lakh crore. The loan waivers, though prove to be a big burden for state coffers, are actually positive for banking industry. Banks can clear most of the farm loan NPAs as the cash come back.

Yes Bank promoter barred | 2018 was one year Yes Bank and its shareholders would like to forget. RBI refused shareholders approval of 3-year tenure for Rana Kapoor and instead limited it to just five months. This came after RBI had in April raised issues of corporate governance and serious lapses with the functioning of Yes Bank.

IL&FS Problem | Indias largest Infrastructure company IL&FS, rated at the highest level, defaulted on its debt of Rs 91,000 crore. This had a cascading effect on benchmark indices and balance sheet of many companies and mutual funds. Case in point: DSP Mutual fund wrote down its investments in IL&FS to zero.

Bank mergers | This year, we saw merger of Bank of Baroda, Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank. LIC also bumped its stake in IDBI bank from 11 percent to 51 percent.

RBI asks banks to lend more to NBFCs, tightens securitization norms | Post the IL&FS crisis, within a fortnight the whole commercial paper market dried, which till then was very vibrant. This impacted the NBFC borrowings. Hence, RBI asked banks to lend more. Moreover, it also asked banks to be co-originators of loans, so that banks know the type of risk they are getting into. Plus, it asked NBFCs to take 20 percent risk on their books instead of earlier 10 percent.

RBI governor resigns and tussle with government | After months of tussle with the government over paying higher dividend and removing restrictions on banks to allow them to lend more, RBI governor Urjit Patel resigned from his post citing personal reasons. Soon after, Shantikanta Das was appointed the new governor.Paushak (Market cap: Rs 688 crore) is the largest manufacturer of phosgene-based specialty chemicals in India. Company through its product buffet ranging from chloroformates, isocynates, carbonates and phosgene gas caters to applications for pharmaceuticals, agro-chemicals end markets.

Company is the key beneficiary of improving end market applications for phosgene gas which is reflected in its operating performance. Strong balance sheet provides a leeway to execute multifold expansion plan which in turn positions it to increase its market share.

Phosgene derivatives value chain

Global industry size  growing at 5-6 percent per annum

As per companys annual report, global phosgene production is estimated to be more than 20 lakh tonne. However only 5 percent of this compromise specialty segment catering pharmaceutical and agrochemicals industries. This segment is expected to grow by 5-6 percent per annum for the medium term.

Key global players involved in the production of phosgene are Covestro, BASF, Yantai Wanhua, and DowDuPont. In India other major companies which participate in this value chain are UPL and Atul.

Backward integration  among few to manufacture phosgene gas

The company is one of the few companies having regulatory permission to manufacture phosgene gas. On account of this it is backwardly integrated which helps it to cushion the impact of raw material prices.

Strong operating performance

Companys operating margin has been in the range of 27-30 percent for last six quarters, partly aided of improving scale of operations. Companys sales quarterly run rate has almost doubled during same period. Operating leverage was visible in terms of employee cost (14.5 percent of sales in Q2 FY19 vs. 16.5 percent in Q2 FY18).

Improving export market potential

Company has been able to harness export opportunity in recent times wherein its export share has increased to 21 percent of sales in last fiscal from 16 percent in FY17.

Capacity to multiply 3x; R&D focus on new applications

Paushak has initiated upon a huge Rs 120 crore capex program (total assets at FY18: Rs 144.42 crore) planned to be executed within next three fiscal year (FY19-FY21). This capex program, among others, aims to increase phosgene capacity by upto three times. It is noteworthy that companys current capacity for the phosgene production is 4,800 tonne annually.To fund the current capex program mix of internal accruals and debt would be used.

Company has strong R&D focus with R&D investment of the order of 2-3 percent of net sales.

Balance sheet bandwidth sufficient to sustain expansion

Paushak is a zero debt company which allows it a bandwidth to go for the current capex program. With respect to debt requirement in the current capex cycle, we find debt metrics to remain comfortable. CRISIL in its recent ratings note bring out that debt to equity ratio and interest coverage ratio are expected to remain about 0.4x and 5-6x during the capex cycle.

Outlook- promoter backdrop and technology prowess are postive

Well first the risk factors which primarily arises from the fact that company is undergoing a huge capex program and because of that there is an execution risk.

Having said that company has strong promoter backdrop which has had a vast experience in handling similar capex program in the group company. Secondly, promoters have a four decade experience of handling the modalities of phosgene gas. Thirdly, they have strong balance sheet which provides enough head room for the same.

Now, company is operating in a promising segment whose applications in pharma and agri-chem end markets are multiplying. There are limited players in the segment and given the capex program company can capitalize the supply demand imbalance.

Finally, stock has corrected by about 30 percent from its all-time high and currently trading at about 25x 12 month trailing earnings and presents by itself an interesting opportunity.

Follow @anubhavsaysbusiness Editor's Take | Are loan waivers really the way to address farm distress? Uttaresh Venkateshwaran is in conversation with Ravi Krishnan, Deputy Executive Editor, Moneycontrol, to discuss the feasibility of income support schemes as an alternative to loan waivers.live bse live

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Peninsula Land shares rallied 12 percent intraday Friday after the company signed agreement to acquire three firms which cater to real estate and construction segment.

The Mumbai-based real estate company said it entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement to acquire 86 percent of the equity shares of Rockfirst Real Estate Limited thereby making it a wholly-owned subsidiary.

Company also through its wholly-owned subsidiary Peninsula Holding and Investment Private Limited (PHIPL) decided to acquire 86 percent equity shares of Goodhome Realty Limited and Truewin Realty Limited thereby making them step-down wholly-owned subsidiaries.

At 14:54 hours IST, the stock was quoting at Rs 11.56, up Rs 0.75, or 6.94 percent on the BSE.live bse live

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Here are stocks that are in the news today:

Tata Steel BSL: CARE assigned AA/Stable rating for company's long term bank facilities-term loan worth Rs 21,000 crore, and AA/Stable and A1+ for long/short term bank facilities-fund based/non-fund based worth Rs 5,000 crore.

United Bank of India: Central Government to invest Rs 2,159 crore in the equity capital of the bank by preferential allotment.

Kansai Nerolac Paints: Company has entered into Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) to acquire 100 percent equity stake in Perma Construction Aids Pvt. Ltd for Rs 29.10 crore.

Lemon Tree Hotels: Company agreed to enter into a joint venture with Magnolia Grove Investment Ltd, an affiliate of Warburg Pincus group. The JV Hamstede Living Private Limited will construct, acquire, develop, operate and lease short- and long-stay real estate projects, with a primary focus on student housing, co-living for working professionals/adults and multi-family users.

Majesco: The record date for its previously announced rights offering will be January 7, 2019.

Odisha Cement: Board has fixed January 8 as the record date for the purposes of reduction of face value of 5,69,00,220 equity shares of the company from Rs 10 to Rs 2 each.

Rane Madras: Crisil assigned long term rating A/Outlook-Positive and short term rating A1 for total bank loan facilities of Rs 403 crore.

Corporation Bank: Board appointed P V Bharathi, Executive Director at Canara Bank as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Corporation Bank.

HCC: Company raises Rs 497.58 crore through rights issue.

Frontline Business Solutions: Rahul Saraf - Whole-Time Director of the company is arrested for GST violations in Maxgrow Overseas Limited of which he is the promoter and ex-director.

Selan Exploration Technology: The record date for the purpose of interim dividend has been fixed as January 5, 2019.

Aurionpro Solutions: equity shares of Trejhara Solutions will start trading on the stock exchanges w.e.f. December 28.

Ashoka Buildcons board approved raising Rs 150 crore via non-convertible debentures.

WABCO India clarified that the news of Wabco signing $950 million supply pact with commercial vehicle maker is for its parent company and not for the Indian arm.

Corporation Bank appointed Canara Banks Executive Director PV Bharathi as its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer till March 2020.

Bulk Deals on December 27

Capital First: Kotak Mahindra Mutual Fund sold 5,53,600 shares of the company at Rs 587.71 per share on the NSE.

DHFL: BNP Paribas Arbitrage bought 25,47,000 shares of the company at Rs 239.69 per share on the NSE.

Jain DVR Equity Shares: Securities Holdings India Pvt Ltd sold 1,28,153 shares of the company at Rs 50.85 per share on the NSE.

Rajshree PolyPack: Unifi Financial Pvt Ltd purchased 92,000 shares of the company at Rs 105 per share on the NSE.

Tata Global Beverages: UBS Principal Capital Asia Limited sold 52,23,483 shares of the company at a price of Rs 219.88 per share on the NSE.

Selan Exploration Technology: Seetha Kumari sold 1,32,736 shares of the company at Rs 193.87 per share on the NSE.

(For more bulk deals, click here)

Analyst or Board Meet/Briefings

Hindustan Media Ventures: Board meeting is scheduled on January 15 to consider the un-audited financial results of the company for the quarter and nine months ending on December 2018.

Container Corporation of India: Company's officials will be meeting Girish Achhipalia, Vice President of Morgan Stanley on December 28.

Jammu & Kashmir Bank: Board meeting is scheduled on January 12 to consider financial results of the bank for the quarter and nine months ended December 2018.

Navin Fluorine International: Board meeting is scheduled on January 23 to consider the un-audited financial results of the company for the quarter and nine months ended December 2018.

Umiya Tubes: Board meeting is scheduled on January 5 to consider the unaudited financial results for the quarter ended on December 2018.

Mahindra Holidays and Resorts: Company's officials will be meeting HDFC Securities and Franklin Templeton on December 28.

: Board meeting is scheduled on January 10 to consider the unaudited financial results of the bank for the quarter ending on December 2018.live bse live

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Siddharth Sedani

Ailing global cues, vacillation over partial US government shutdown and hike in the US Federal Reserve rate have all contributed to the free fall of the markets globally. The Indian market also witnessed the swings and has remained volatile.

The Indian equity markets outperformed the global markets in December 2018, aided by lower oil prices, the governments recapitalisation measure and Reserve Bank of Indias liquidity-boosting efforts. Though there is some nervousness amid weak global factors.

Markets will now look for further cues from the third quarter earnings season starting in January. The budget will also be closely followed and the markets may act cautiously if the government takes populist measures to woo voters ahead of 2019 general elections which may lead to a fiscal deficit.

We believe investors can accumulate/buy good quality companies on dips. Some of the stocks we are bullish on are :

Petronet LNG | Target: Rs 269

Petronet LNG Limited (PLNG), one of the fastest growing companies in the Indian energy sector, it has set up the country's first LNG receiving and regasification terminal at Dahej, Gujarat, and another terminal at Kochi, Kerala.

In terms of financials, the company has reported a growth 38.3% in its revenues in Q2-FY19 at 107,453 million as against 77,702 million. The growth was mainly due to higher regas volume processed with an increase in regasification capacity at Dahej.

On its capacity expansion at Dahej, the company has completed a majority of the work and is expected to be commissioned by Jun-19. With this, the total capacity for Dahej terminal would be 17.5 MMTPA. While the Kochi pipeline work is ongoing well and Mangalore section of the pipeline is expected to be completed in the next three months.

In overseas expansion plans, the companys project in Bangladesh with a capacity of 7.5 MMPTA and a 100 percent offtake sovereign guarantee from the government is under finalisation of contract stage.

We see a shift in LNG market towards short-term contracts and away from long-term contracts which we believe could be positive for incumbent players as new players with lower long-term evacuation contracts may increase financing costs and in turn lower project viability.

Increase in gas-based consumption and a higher share of gas in energy towards 15% augurs well for long-term growth in the sector, At CMP the stock is trading at 14.4x times FY19E earnings and 12x times FY20E earnings. We recommend a BUY on the stock with a target price of 269 per share.

Finolex Cables | Target: Rs 598

We like Finolex Cables due to its leading position in electrical and communication cables. Its strong brand equity, all-India distribution network, robust balance sheet and free-cash-flow generation would help it diversify into electrical goods, a large market with ample growth opportunities.

Inventory at end-Q2 increased slightly (by 4 days), perhaps due to lower sales during the quarter, while receivable and payable days were steady. We believe this to normalise with rising sales. The company continues to be debt free.

The huge cash balance (~Rs 11bn, non-strategic) may help it expand inorganically or reward shareholders in some way.

We lower our earnings estimates and now expect revenue/PAT to clock 11/21 percent CAGRs over FY18-20 with a 60bp compression in the EBITDA margin owing to rising costs. We maintain our Buy recommendation with a lower target price of Rs 598 (19x FY20e EPS)

Larsen & Toubro Technology Services | Target: Rs 2,042

L&T Technology Services Limited (LTTS) is one of the three listed subsidiaries of Larsen & Toubro Ltd. The company provides design and development solutions to clients across the entire value chain of product development. These include solutions in the areas of mechanical and manufacturing engineering, embedded systems, software engineering and process engineering.

For new-age technologies, it provides services and solutions in the areas of product lifecycle management, engineering analytics, power electronics, M2M connectivity and IoT.

During the latest quarterly results, the company has reported robust growth in revenues, it grew 27.1 percent in Q2-FY19 to $177.2 million as against $168.9 million in Q2-FY18. The operating margins for the company stood 18.1% at Rs 2,289 million against 17 percent in Q2-FY18 and PAT margins at 15.1 percent to Rs 1,910 million against 17.1 percent in Q2-FY18.

On guidance front, the management has guided of achieving 20% plus growth in revenues for the current year with strong growth coming from all the major segments while maintaining margins at currents levels.

With the rise of enabling technologies like 5G, IoT, Artificial Intelligence etc, the digital disruption now has expanded to almost each and every part of the global industrial complex including manufacturing and process industries. This has opened a new and bigger opportunity of more than $1.1 trillion markets for engineering outsourcing market.

We believe LTTS is one of the better-placed company with significant exposure to this market providing better growth prospects for the company.

At CMP the stock is trading at 28.6x FY19E and 23.7x FY20E earnings. We recommend BUY on the stock with a target price of 2,042 per share.

The author is Vice President - Equity Advisory, Anand Rathi Shares and Stock Brokers.

The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/broking houses/rating agencies on Moneycontrol are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.If its a close call, judges tend to lean to bids that would keep the business going because that preserves jobs, said Barbarosh. ESL said it expected to employ 50,000 at the 500 stores it proposed acquiring, out of 68,000 employees Sears said it had at the time of its bankruptcy filing.Mergers and acquisitions worth $100 billion were announced in 2018 which were accelerated by reform measures. The outlook for 2019 is even better as India continues to climb higher on the Ease of Doing Business rankings. Here are some of the deals which commanded a substantial amount of money.

Vodafone India and Idea Cellular merger | Two of India's top wireless carriers, completed the merger operations in the country to create an entity that will be equally owned by UKs Vodafone Group and Indias diversified Aditya Birla Group. The new entity, Vodafone Idea is the largest player in the Indian telecom industry. The deal was worth $23 billion.

Walmart's acquisition of Flipkart | Multinational retail giant Walmart acquired a 77 percent stake in e-commerce website Flipkart for a reported value of $16 billion. Following the deal, co-founder Sachin Bansal left the company. Softbank too exited Flipkart selling its entire 20 percent stake to Walmart, for an undisclosed fee. The deal brought Flipkart's valuation to $20.8 billion.

Tata Steel takes over Bhushan Steel | The second largest steel company of India acquired 72.65 percent stake in the bankrupt Bhushan Steel through its fully owned subsidiary, Bamnipal Steel, for $5.2 billion in May. The company has now been renamed Tata Steel BLS.

HUL acquired GSK Consumer | Hindustan Unilever bought GSK's Indian Consumer Healthcare business which owned brands such as Boost and Horlicks, for $3.8 billion. GSK CH India was the market leader in the Health Food Drinks category, prior to the acquisition.

Teleperformance takes over Intelenet Global Services | French outsourcing firm Teleperformance acquired BPO firm Intelenet from Blackstone for a deal worth $1 billion. The company headquartered in Mumbai had posted a revenue of $449 million in the fiscal year ended on March 2018.

LIC's proposal to IDBI bank | Life Insurance Corporation made an offer to acquire a 51 percent stake in IDBI bank for a reported value of Rs 12,000 to 13,000 crore. The deal would give LIC access to IDBI Bank's 2000 branches to sell their products.Anshuman Magazine

Global perception about Indias real estate market is changing, buoyed by positive market sentiments and the governments efforts to formalise the sector  which includes changes in the land acquisition act, establishment of state-level real estate regulatory authorities and easing of foreign investment norms.

As the horizons of the sector widen, there is a compelling need for additional funding mechanisms that can ensure its growth. The decision to introduce real estate investment trusts (REITs) in India is a critical step towards formalising the funding mechanisms prevalent in the sector.

Across Asia, REITs have proved to be a viable choice for alternative investments, with successful launches observed in several Asian countries, including Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, and Hong Kong over the past decade or so.

In 2017 alone, total acquisitions undertaken by REITs in APAC crossed USD 20 billion, with an approximate share of 15 percent in the overall commercial real estate acquisitions undertaken in the region. In the first half of 2018, REIT acquisitions touched USD 10 billion, accounting for a share of 17 percent in the overall investment volume in the region during the period.

In India, the introduction of REITs was first proposed in 2007, with initial draft guidelines released by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in December 2007. However, lack of clarity on taxation norms and the global financial crisis in 2008 resulted in the idea taking a backseat over the next few years.

The idea got a second lease of life in 2013 after SEBI released its second draft guidelines. From November 2016, the pace of amendments picked up as revised guidelines were released which widened the scope of REIT assets and amended the requirements from sponsors and unitholders. By January 2018, almost all concerns regarding the viability of a REIT launch had been addressed, making it an opportune time for an REIT listing.

According to the 2016 REIT guidelines, REIT assets should at least be valued at INR 500 crore, with a minimum initial offer size of INR 250 crore. At least 80 percent of the value of an REIT should be in completed and rent-generating real estate assets, with a lock-in period of three years from the purchase date for the sponsors. The minimum subscription amount for a unitholder is INR 2 lakh at the time of listing.

With all decks now largely cleared, India is expected to witness the launch of its much-awaited first REIT listing early next year. Large PE players have already acquired a portfolio of quality assets over the past 5-6 years in anticipation of an REIT listing. In September 2018, Embassy Office Parks, a joint venture of US-based equity firm Blackstone Group and Embassy Group (an Indian real estate company) filed an offer document with SEBI for INR 5,000-crore REIT issue.

Considering the scenario, the Embassy Office Parks REIT will be a closely monitored affair by both industry stakeholders and investors. A successful REIT listing could prompt other prominent asset-holding companies to issue their own offerings, thereby opening new investment avenues for investors.

Further, other asset-holding firms are likely to consolidate their portfolios and the appetite for acquiring core quality assets will continue to remain high despite limited supply. Developers could also consider redevelopment of projects especially in the retail and warehousing sectors, to potentially list those assets in future REIT listings.

Initially, the office sector is likely to dominate REIT listings. Apart from office assets, retail properties fit the bill in terms of their inclusion in a REIT listing, given that several domestic factors drive the growth of the two segments. While India allows the inclusion of under-development properties in a REIT, it is imperative that the risk associated with them is mitigated by choosing assets located in prime areas.

Although the market for REITs is still at a nascent stage in India, we expect it to take up a more central role in the near future. We anticipate that REITs becoming a reality in India is likely to improve the quality of assets offered, thereby further attracting the attention of global players to invest going forward.

The writer is Chairman, India and South East Asia, CBRE. Views are personal.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)

US President Donald Trump threatened to "entirely" close the southern US border with Mexico if lawmakers refuse his demands to fund a wall.

"We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with," Trump tweeted.

The Republican leader's warning came as a partial federal government shutdown was set to drag on into next week, with legislators in Washington failing to reach a compromise over Trump's insistence on funding the border barrier.

Both sides have dug in, with Democrats refusing to provide $5 billion for the project and the president -- who has made hardline immigration polices a centerpiece of his presidency -- vowing he will not fully fund the government unless he gets the money.

In November, Trump threatened to close the "whole border" with Mexico if "it gets to a level where we're going to lose control or people are going to start getting hurt."

Days later US authorities dramatically shuttered a border crossing in southern California after hundreds of migrants -- part of the "caravan" Trump had roundly condemned -- tried to breach a fence from the Mexican city of Tijuana.

The temporary closing saw border agents halt vehicles and pedestrians at the San Ysidro crossing point, one of the busiest between the neighbouring countries.Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 28 announced a Rs 4,500 crore financial assistance to Bhutan for its 12th five-year plan after holding wide-ranging talks with his Bhutanese counterpart Lotay Tshering. In his media statement, Modi said hydro power cooperation with Bhutan is a key aspect of bilateral ties and that work on the Mangdechhu project will soon be completed.

Tshering arrived on December 27 on his first foreign visit after taking charge as PM of the Himalayan nation last month following his party's victory in the general elections.

Modi said he has assured the Bhutanese prime minister that India, as a trusted friend, will continue to play an important role in Bhutan's development.

India will contribute Rs 4,500 crore in Bhutan's 12th five-year plan, Modi said.

Tshering on his part noted that Prime Minister Modi was the first head of state to to congratulate him on his electoral victory. He also thanked India for its continued support to his country's developmental needs.

The new five-year plan of Bhutan began this year and will continue till 2022.

Earlier in the day, Tshering was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also called on the Bhutanese premier this morning.

Swaraj congratulated Tshering on the assumption of the high office of Bhutan's prime minister and the two leaders had a "warm exchange of views" on important aspects of the bilateral relationship, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

Tshering also laid a wreath at Mahatma Gandhi's 'samadhi' at Rajghat.Representative Image

The Koregaon-Bhima caste violence in Pune district, arrest of Left-wing activists for alleged Maoist links and of members of Hindutva outfits after seizure of explosives made news in Maharashtra in 2018.

The year began on a violent note after caste riots at Koregaon-Bhima in Pune district on January 1.

In the 1818 Koregaon-Bhima battle, the then Peshwa rulers were defeated by the British army comprising a large number of Dalit soldiers. Every year, the battle anniversary is marked by thousands of Dalits marching from Pune to the war memorial at Koregaon-Bhima.

Activists Sudhir Dhavale, Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Shoma Sen and Mahesh Raut were arrested on charges of inciting the Koregaon-Bhima riots, in which one person was killed and several others were injured.

In November, the Maharashtra police filed a 5,600-page chargesheet at a Pune court. It went beyond the caste violence and alleged a Maoist conspiracy to stage violent attacks, including a plot to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Police filed evidence including purported seizures from raids on the activists, letters, call record details, statements of police officers and people involved in the organisation of Elgar Parishad - an event held on December 31 in Pune to mark the anniversary of the Koregaon-Bhima battle.

In December, the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad filed chargesheet against 12 persons, saying they purportedly conspired to use ammunition including country-made pistols and bombs to target those who speak or write against the 'Hindu Dharma'. The ATS said a significant amount of ammunition was seized from the accused in several raids.

The accused were influenced by a book titled Kshatra Dharma Sadhana, published by the Sanatan Sanstha, which calls on Hindus to unite to establish a Hindu Rashtra, the ATS said.

On July 1, five men of a nomadic tribe were lynched by a mob in Dhule district on suspicion of being child-lifters. They were pounced upon, stoned and thrashed with sticks and chappals. Police said altogether 10 persons were lynched in the state in July-August.

In a big success for anti-Naxal operations, 37 Maoists were killed in two separate encounters in Gadchiroli district on April 22 and 23.

In May, the suicide of Additional Director General of Police Himanshu Roy in Mumbai came as a shocker to many in the police department. The 1988-batch IPS officer and former state ATS chief shot himself with his service revolver.

The custodial death of a 26-year-old youth at Sangli in western Maharashtra prompted the National Human Rights Commission to seek a report from Maharashtra police chief.

Karti Chidambaram, son of former Union Minister P Chidambaram, was brought to Mumbai to confront Sheena Bora murder case accused Indrani Mukerjea in connection with the INX media probe.

In May, Beed constable Lalita Salves four-yearlong battle against the system and with herself ended with a gender reassignment surgery at St Georges Hospital in Mumbai.

Salve, 29, grappled with gender identity issues for years but was determined to live life, and work, as a man. The surgery lasted about three hours.

Now Lalita has became Lalit and works in Beed as a male police constable.

In a shot in the arm for investigating agencies here, an aide of underworld don and 1993 Mumbai serial blasts prime accused Dawood Ibrahim was extradited to India. Farooq Takla was deported from Dubai and brought to Mumbai in March.

In August, a property in Mumbai belonging to Dawood Ibrahim Masulla Building, known as Amina Mansion on Pakmodia Street was sold to the Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust for Rs 3.51 crore in an auction.

In September, the body of HDFC Bank vice president Siddharth Sanghvi, who was missing for a week, was found in Mumbai and the man who killed him was arrested. The 39-year-old was suspected to have been killed in a robbery.

In September, in a major breakthrough in the unsolved rape and murder cases of 2010, involving two juvenile girls in Kurla, the Navi Mumbai police arrested 34-year-old Rehan Abdul Rashid Qureshi. The 'serial rapist was nabbed from Nalasopara in connection with other half a dozen cases of sexual assaults in Navi Mumbai in last three years, police said.

In December, a former aide of Maharashtra minister was arrested in connection with the murder of a diamond trader who was found dead in a forest in Raigad district. A popular television actress was also detained.

Police identified the accused as Sachin Pawar, former personal assistant of BJP minister Prakash Mehta.

A Christian gathering was attacked on December 23 during Sunday prayers in a small village in Kolhapur district. The incident took place at the New Life Church in Kowad village ahead of Christmas.

A group of around 40 people was offering prayers when around 15-20 people barged into the church. With their faces covered, they threatened the victims and attacked them. Twelve people were injured in the attack, police said.RN Bhaskar

On December 14, the government announced measures aimed at boosting the production of electric vehicles. It announced a policy for the rollout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. In an official document sent out by the ministry of power, it outlined a plan to support the expansion of electric vehicles in India.

The policy requires all government-funded home charge points for electric vehicles (EVs) to use smart technology from July 2019. This means that the charge points must be able to be remotely accessed, and capable of receiving, interpreting and reacting to a signal.

What this could mean is that the government is finally beginning to recognise the benefits of using car battery storage units as a means for drawing on power during peak demand, thus reducing the need for peaking plants. The governments plan suggests that each vehicles battery could be tapped for drawing electricity during peak demand timings, and then recharged with power during low demand periods.

This could also mean that time-of-day (TOD) tariff plans are in the offing for the power consumption sector. The smart technology could allow for net metering, where the battery owner is charged only for the power consumed, and is (possibly) paid a facilitation fee for allowing the grid to make use of his storage device. It is also interesting that this policy has come from the power ministry with no reference to the transport ministry.

According to the government document, the push for electric mobility charging stations will first be rolled out in cities with a population of greater than 4 million i.e. Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Surat and Pune. The rollout means that after much waiting and uncertainty, India will finally have public electric charging stations.

As the document has not been marked to the ministry of petroleum and natural gas (MoPNG), it is not known if the power ministry will also moot transforming existing petrol and gas stations into battery replacement centres.

Using existing petrol pumps as battery stations was an idea mooted by Shai Agassi, an Israeli entrepreneur who popularised some radical concepts relating to electric cars. He declared almost 10 years ago that hybrid cars would never become very popular. His logic: a hybrid car uses two technologies thus adding to costs. It will always be more expensive than a single technology car.

His other radical idea was that the biggest deterrent to electric vehicles would be the cost of the battery. He argued why anyone should buy a battery. When people purchase conventional cars, they do not buy petrol pumps with it.

Similarly, a car owner should be able to purchase energy, instead of the battery. He should be allowed to pick up a battery from a charging station, use the energy in it, and then surrender it at the next battery station. He only pays for the additional energy (after getting net credit for the residual power in the old battery). The swapping of the old battery for a new one should not take more than five minutes  less than the usual time at a petrol station. Without the battery purchase, the car cost falls by half. That makes it affordable.

It is not known if the power ministry is working along these lines. Such a policy allows existing petrol stations a migration path and makes them power hubs for the grid to tap into for peaking power. The reduced cost of electric vehicles, and the petrol station as a power bank would allow the country huge benefits.

This is disruption that management gurus such as Tony Seba talk of (Clean Disruption - Energy & Transportation). He believes the tipping point in the world for using electric vehicles could be reached before 2025.

In any case Bloomberg also believes that the demand for electric batteries will soar 14 times by 2030 (see chart). Costs are expected to fall even further  they have already dropped 85 percent since 2010. Expect mining centres which produce lithium to do brisk business in the coming decade.

Given this, the governments inability to craft a policy that will benefit rooftop solar, electric vehicles and consumers alike is unfortunate. The government wants to charge a fee of Rs 25,000 on conventional new vehicles to create a fund to support new-gen electric vehicles. The idea to charge customers more is not a bright one.

A better idea would be to give customers an excise rebate of up to 50 percent if they purchase a new electric vehicle in place of an older hydrocarbon one. This is what Union minister Nitin Gadkari and the automobile industry had proposed way back in 2016. The finance ministry, unfortunately, did not appreciate the idea. The policy mooted then was simple. Let people deposit their old vehicles with a designated authority. The receipt would entitle them to a discount on the new vehicle purchased (see chart).

Today, a variant of this could be against the purchase of electric vehicles only. This way, the government itself accelerates the scrapping of old vehicles, and boosts the purchase of new electric vehicles.

That would help reduce oil import bills, galvanise production of a new technology which is bound to gain roots, and also benefit both the industry and the customer. The reduced earnings from excise rebates would get compensated by incremental sales of new vehicles. Nobody loses.

At present, the governments measures are just fragmented policies. Sadly, the big picture is missing. That is unfortunate for a country that wants to think big.NEW DELHI, INDIA - APRIL 4: Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari (C) with other leader Rajeev Babbar (L) addresses media persons on the issue of Delhi MCD election at Delhi BJP Office on April 4, 2017 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari on December 27 slammed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of being an "egoist" and depriving people of the city benefits of Ayushman Bharat scheme.

Tiwari urged Kejriwal to implement the scheme in Delhi. "Kejriwal is not implementing Ayushman Bharat scheme in Delhi due to his ego. He thinks if implemented it will add to popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Tiwari said at a press conference here.

Union Health Minister J P Nadda on December 27 also urged the Delhi government to implement the Centre's ambitious Ayushman Bharat scheme, saying not only the people of the national capital but those from other states who live in Delhi are also not getting health benefits under the initiative.

The Union government on September 23 launched the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, which aims to provide a cover of Rs five lakh per family per year and is likely to benefit more than 10 crore poor families across India.

Tiwari hit out at the Kejriwal government, saying it had "no vision". He said the Delhi government had no plan to check alarming pollution levels in the city.

"Arvind Kejriwal says that air has no boundaries. Does it mean that it is not possible for him to control air pollution. Kejriwal government is visionless and has no plan to check air pollution," he charged.

He demanded the Delhi government tell the people what steps it had taken to address the problem of air pollution.Narendra Modi

Ahead of the general elections in 2019, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and RSS-led (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-led) Sangh Parivar are gearing up too woo voters in Uttar Pradesh, the state with highest number of seats.

The party is planning to send out leaders and cadres in each of the 80 constituencies, reports The Economic Times. The strategy is to gather feedback from ground zero and find out what issues have resonance among the electorate from UP.

Uttar Pradesh sends maximum number of MPs to the Lok Sabha and in the 2014 election National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had won 73 seats. Hence, BJP is leaving no stone unturned to soften the losses once Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) join hands.

At present, BJP has has 68 out of the 80 seats in UP. Congress, Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) have 2,7,2 seats, respectively.

Despite Narendra Modis popularity in UP, BJP is not taking any chances and have appointed cadres of VHP (Vishva Hindu Parishad) and RSS who have been active on the ground. In addition, the party is seeking feedback from the RSS prabharis appointed in each of the 71 seats won by BJP. The feedback on the performance of the local MP and what his or her prospects are in the next election will play a major role in deciding who will get the tickets in these seats.

To up its game in UP, BJP has appointed Gujarat home minister Gordhan Zadaphia. Along with this, the party is also reaching out to those who had fallen out with prime minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. Before the elections the party wants to get people who have the ability to contribute to strengthening BJP in UP.

In the 2014 polls, Zadaphia had worked in Varanasi and later among farmers and backward castes in the state. Two new leaders have been made co-in charges for UP -- Dushyant Gautam and Narottam Mishra. While Gautam is picked up to woo Dalit voters, Mishra will work in the Bundelkhand region where the upper castes are in a sizeable number.

RSS joint general secretary Krishna Gopal is responsible to monitor the developments in UP. The Sangh Parivar is also advising BJP on issues that are relevant and where the party is found lacking.

Varanasi, parliamentary constituency of Modi, is being handled by many BJP leaders. BJP MP from Navsari in Gujarat, C R Patil oversees projects in the districts. Other ministers involved in Varanasi include union minister Manoj Sinha, BJP state unit head and Chandauli MP Mahendra Nath Pandey.As the Opposition slammed the decision to impose President's Rule in Jammu and Kashmir, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on December 28 told Lok Sabha that no party was in a position to form government in the state and asserted that the Centre is "ready" for assembly election there.

He also rejected claims of some opposition parties that the BJP was propping up a regional party to form government, saying if his party had such an intention, it would have done so within six months of the Governor's Rule.

"The government doesn't conduct elections but the government is ready for the election. It is the responsibility of the Election Commission to hold elections... we are totally committed to democratic process," he told the lower house while replying to the Statutory Resolution on imposition of President's Rule in Jammu and Kashmir.

The resolution was adopted by a voice vote.

The Minister assured the House that security requirement of the Election Commission will be met for free and fair assembly election in the state.

Soon after imposition of the Governor's Rule in June, Singh said, the Governor's report of June 19 to the President indicated that no party or coalition of parties in the state was in a position to form government.

So the Governor's rule was imposed in these conditions, he said, adding the Assembly was not dissolved for six months in anticipation of formation of government in the state.

However, no party staked claim to form government so the Governor had to recommend President's Rule, he said.

As Singh was speaking, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah interjected, saying, "The PDP approached our party and we agreed to provide them support along with the Congress. But the irony was that the fax and phone of the Governor was not working."

Abdullah asserted that the Governor's House is not the place to prove majority and it is the floor of Assembly here the government of the day has to prove its strength.

The Home Minister said that no party was in a position to form government in the state even a day before December 19 when the Governor had to take decision about dissolution of the Assembly.

"Our intentions should never be doubted on Jammu and Kashmir. If the BJP had to form the government, we could have done it within six months of the Governor's Rule," he said.

The BJP could have done it by talking to other parties but it did not do so till the end, he added.

As far as the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, he said, it is an old problem.

The government is trying to improve the conditions by taking various steps like creating more employment for the people of the state.

Even grassroots democracy is being strengthened, he said, noting that local bodies elections have been held after a gap of many years.

Elected representatives of the local bodies are being given administrative and financial powers, he added.Former finance minister P Chidambaram

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks that Congress' loan waivers were only to win elections, asking whether the PM's 'farmers' relief plan' was intended to lose polls.

The former Union minister claimed the plan of the BJP would imitate the previous Madhya Pradesh government's plan of paying farmers the difference between the minimum support price and market price and said the earlier plan had brought no relief to the indebted farmers.

"The prime minister says that Congress governments' loan waivers are only to win elections. So, shall we assume that PM's 'Farmers' Relief Plan' is intended to lose elections?" he tweeted.

"The 'pay the difference' plan will help only the farmer who has a marketable surplus. What about the farmer who has no marketable surplus? He is also in debt," he tweeted.

Chidambaram also said that eight months' revenue collection was less than 50 per cent of target and the fiscal deficit was 115 per cent of the estimate.(CNN)  Australians are suffering a brutal post-Christmas heatwave, with temperatures in most parts of the country's southeast up to 14 degrees Celsius (24 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the average for this time of year.

Some areas of the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia had temperatures above 40 C (104 F) on Thursdaythe fourth day in a row.

Extreme and severe fire warnings have been issued for parts of South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

"The cause of the heat is a dome of high pressure settling in over much of the continent over the past few days," CNN meteorologist Gene Norman said.

"In addition to the sweltering temperatures, there is an enhanced fire risk in Victoria, with total fire bans declared for Thursday in the Mallee and Wimmera regions. South Australia has bans in place in 10 areas including the Mount Lofty Ranges and Yorke Peninsula. Western Australia has total fire bans in 13 districts, where temperatures are expected to exceed 45 C in parts."

CNN Meteorologist Brandon Miller added that Australia has recently issued an alert that El Nino conditions appear to forming over the Pacific Ocean.

"El Nino, which is characterized by a warming of the tropical waters in the Pacific Ocean, brings warmer and drier conditions to much of Australia, especially in the southeast," Miller said.

January is typically the hottest month of the Australian summer, and many fear the early heatwave may be the prelude to even more extreme weather in early 2019.

Sydney endured its hottest temperature in nearly 80 years in January 2018, with the mercury rising to 47.3 C (117.14 F)just half a degree off the all-time recorded high of 47.8 C (118.04 F) in 1939.

Super-high temperatures at the start of this year put a big strain on wildlife, with thousands of flying foxes dying due to dehydration, while an unusually hot and dry winter saw severe droughts hit part of the country in August.

Even as Australia has suffered the effects of ongoing climate change, the government drags its feet on crafting a comprehensive environmental policy.

Despite a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warning of "global catastrophe" should world temperatures rise above 1.5 C by the middle of the next decade, Prime Minister Scott Morrison's administration has refused to phase out the use of coal-fired power.

"I'm very much supportive of the coal industry," Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack told Sky News in October.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Australia suffers extreme heat wave up to 14 C above average.""Wells Fargo customers entrusted their bank with their livelihood, their dreams, and their savings for the future," said Becerra. "Instead of safeguarding its customers, Wells Fargo exploited them, signing them up for products - from bank accounts to insurance - that they never wanted. This is an incredible breach of trust that threatens not only the customers who depended on Wells Fargo, but confidence in our banking system."Pakistan has said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a bilateral economic project and has no military dimensions. Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said this at the weekly media briefing here on December 27 when asked about a US media report that alleged that China has hatched a secret plan to build fighter jets and other military hardware in Pakistan as part of the USD 60 billion project.

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. China last week dismissed as untrue the report.

Responding to the report, Faisal said the CPEC is an economic project between Pakistan and China, the Dawn reported.

"The CPEC has helped Pakistan improve its economy, particularly energy and infrastructure sectors have improved under it. The CPEC is a bilateral economic project, which is not against any country, he was quoted as saying by the daily.

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).

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.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah

This year has been the year of turmoil for the Bharatiya Janata Party  it lost assembly elections in Hindi heartlands recently, which has apparently dented the saffron party's prospects in the upcoming general election; and it also lost or is locked in a battle with several of its allies, both big and small.

Those that left

The year started off with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), led by Andhra Pradesh satrap N Chandrababu Naidu, pulling out of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in March. Consequentially, two ministers of the Union Cabinet  P Ashok Gajapati Raju and Y S Chowdary  resigned owing their allegiance to the TDP.

The reason given by the TDP was the Center's refusal to grant special category status to Andhra, an emotive issue in the state where regional political parties were cornering Naidu over his inability to take action on the request.

Following this, in June, the BJP walked out of its alliance with Mehbooba Mufti-led People's Democratic Party (PDP) in Jammu and Kashmir, triggering a fall in the state government. Tensions between the two parties were already simmering, with both the parties taking opposite stances on key issues, and the last straw reportedly was the suspension of operations by security forces in J&K, which the BJP wanted to revoke and the PDP wanted continued.

Apart from troubles in the south and the north, the BJP had already been facing trouble in the west Maharashtra-based farmer leader Raju Shetty's Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghtana (SSS) had pulled out of the NDA in 2017 citing the Modi government's non-fulfillment of promises, particularly towards farmers.

The state where the BJP has faced most flip-flops has been Bihar: former Chief Minister Jiten Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) quit the alliance in February, citing disagreement on seat-sharing and went on to join the Grand Alliance. The Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), led by Upendra Kushwaha, followed the exact same pattern, with the party quitting NDA on December 10 and Kushwaha resigning as the Minister of State (MoS) for Human Resource Development (HRD).

Those that are left, but bickering:

The Narendra Modi-Amit Shah duo has been simultaneously tackling big and small parties which have been sulking for different reasons.

The Shiv Sena in Maharashtra has been targetting the BJP government over various issues, including demonetisation and the saffron party's inability to come to a conclusion on the Ram Mandir issue. Meanwhile, Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) have been pressurising the BJP for more seat-share.

In Uttar Pradesh, too, the BJP has been facing heat from the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) led by Omprakash Rajbhar and Apna Dal (AD), both the parties having embarrassed the government at various points this year. SBSP, in fact, has been called "necessary evil" by the BJP. AD's senior leader Anupriya Patel is MoS for health and has asked the BJP not to ignore its smaller partners in the NDA.

In Assam, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) had recently said that it will pull out of the NDA after BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma slammed the saffron party over its opposition to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

In Goa, which has been facing political uncertainty due to its Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's ill health, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), an NDA ally has been voicing its discontent over the prevailing conditions in the state. Similarly, in Kerala, the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) too has been bickering with the BJP over state-specific issues.

Reports have indicated that the BJP has started course correction, and the party is in process of wooing more allies, "especially in south India and eastern India", as per an NDTV report.

The party also hopes to do better in the Northeast, where its foothold seems to be getting stronger, as well as in West Bengal and Odisha, in order to compensate for the losses it expects to face in the Hindi heartland.BSF

India on December 27 summoned an official of the Pakistan High Commission and lodged a strong protest over incidents of cross border terrorist infiltration and targeting of Indian civilians by Pakistani forces in border areas of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Ministry of External Affairs said Pakistani forces were involved in 1,962 incidents of unprovoked ceasefire violations in which 50 Indians have lost their lives this year.

"Pakistan High Commission official was summoned today and a strong protest was lodged at the incidents of cross-LoC terrorist infiltration and targeting of Indian civilians and security forces on 21 and 26 December 2018, leading to loss of lives on the Indian side," the MEA said.

It said India's "grave concern" was conveyed over Pakistan's continued support to cross border terrorist infiltration into India, including supporting cover fire provided by Pakistan forces.

Two Army officers were killed as Pakistani troops violated ceasefire along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district on December 21.

On December 26, a 55-year-old civilian was killed in unprovoked firing by Pakistani troops along the LoC in Kashmir's Rajouri district.

"This year, despite repeated calls for restraint and adherence to the ceasefire understanding of 2003 for maintaining peace and tranquility, Pakistan forces have carried out over 1,962 incidents of unprovoked ceasefire violations in which 50 Indians have lost their lives," the MEA said.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to depart later on December 27 for the first trip by an Israeli premier to Brazil, where he will attend the inauguration of incoming president Jair Bolsonaro. Netanyahu will also hold talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the sidelines of the January 1 inauguration in Brasilia, an Israeli official told AFP.

Netanyahu is due to meet Bolsonaro on December 28 afternoon in Rio de Janeiro, the official said on condition of anonymity.

He will also hold talks with the presidents of Chile and Honduras while there, among other officials, and meet with members of the Jewish community and a pro-Israel Christian group.

He will fly back after the inauguration in the early hours of January 2, the official said.

Bolsonaro has said he wants to follow in the footsteps of United States President Donald Trump and move his country's Israel embassy to Jerusalem.

Netanyahu welcomed the announcement and called it "historic" -- though Bolsonaro later backtracked by saying "it hasn't been decided yet".

Doing so would please his evangelical Christian support base, but would run the risk of provoking commercial retaliation from Arab states, some of which are major importers of Brazilian meat.

Trump's move broke with decades of precedent that the status of the disputed city should be negotiated between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Netanyahu's meeting with Pompeo is sure to include discussions on Syria following Trump's decision to withdraw the 2,000 US troops there.

Israel is concerned that its main enemy Iran will have a freer hand in the neighbouring country following the withdrawal.

Iran is supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime in his country's civil war, and Netanyahu has pledged to stop Tehran from entrenching itself militarily next door.

Netanyahu, who also serves as foreign minister, last year made the first trip by a sitting Israeli prime minister to Latin America, visiting Argentina, Colombia and Mexico.

He has sought to expand Israel's diplomatic reach through technology and defence exports, and has worked to persuade more countries to vote in his country's favour at the United Nations, where it faces frequent criticism over its treatment of the Palestinians.

The Brazil trip comes at a sensitive time domestically for Netanyahu after Israel's parliament on December 26 approved his government's decision to call early elections for April 9.

He is looking to extend his long reign at the top of Israeli politics, but a slew of corruption investigations have cast a cloud over his future.Tata Motors (Source: MMRDA)

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Tata Motors, the countrys biggest manufacturer of commercial vehicles, is keen to chase more orders for electric buses from more states and municipal corporations after emerging as the largest supplier of EV buses for the government.

The Mumbai-based company won orders from six states for supplying 190 electric buses of two different sizes. Tata Motors will supply to the cities of Jaipur, Indore, Lucknow, Kolkata, Jammu and Guwahati.

Tata Motors is the single largest player to bag maximum contracts. We got 6 out of nine contracts, one contract is in the court. We have delivered first lot of buses to Kolkata but they are not yet pressed into service, Girish Wagh, president, commercial vehicle business unit told Moneycontrol.

Wagh added that inviting officials from municipal corporations to see the manufacturing process of the electric buses has also helped build the required confidence. Besides buses, Tata Motors is responsible for setting up the charging stations for the vehicles.

We have been very transparent and have been inviting the corporations to witness the development process of the vehicles. We have taken this intention of the government very seriously. We have created support infrastructure, Wagh said.

The company is confident of delivering the required lot before the end of first half of next financial year.

Some of the prestigious orders such as that from Mumbais BEST undertaking went to Olectra-BYD (formerly Goldstone-BYD), an Indo-Chinese joint venture company.

BYD emerged as the lowest bidder for three contracts cumulatively supplying 290 electric buses to Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad. However, following no subsidy release from the central government for 130 buses the company is said to be vying for supply of only 160 buses instead.

The Bombay High Court had to intervene and pull up BEST for arbitrarily quashing the contract for sourcing 40 electric buses from Olectra which had already manufactured 24 such buses by then.

When asked if Tata Motors would be looking to grab a piece of pie from other players Wagh said, We are focussing on delivering what we have won. Quite a few cities are interested in this now and we are chasing those interests, instead of plucking orders from here and there.

Chennai-based Ashok Leyland bid for only one contract and won it. The company would supply 40 electric buses that will ply in Ahmedabad city. The central government was said to provide subsidy to the tune of 60 percent of the cost of the bus. The size of subsidy range between Rs 75 lakh to Rs 1 crore.Iron & Steel | Imports from China, 2019: 4 percent. (Image: Moneycontrol)

India is in talks with the United States over exemptions on steel tariffs, the country's steel secretary said on December 28.

India will also seek relief from Canada over quotas and tariffs next month, Binoy Kumar, the top most bureaucrat in India's steel ministry, told reporters, as Indian steel companies have been affected by Canadian tariffs.

"We need to look after the interests of the domestic steel industry and hence made a request for exemption," Kumar said.The objective this time is to follow the East Asian model to make India into a hard state, a state than can ensure that its policies are enforced.

Jabin T Jacob

India-China relations went through a year of relative calm in 2018. This was the result of the so-called Wuhan Spirit  after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in the Chinese city in April to attempt to sort out tensions in the ties following the several months-long standoff in Doklam (Dolam) in Bhutan in mid-2017.

However, this respite must be considered unusual given the goal that China under Xi has set itself of racing to the top of the global hierarchy seeking to overcome both the United States and the international order informed by democratic, liberal ideals  and India is certainly a stakeholder in the latter. The respite, however, came about because of a confluence of interests  the Chinese were under pressure from the trade war initiated by the US and in India, Modi needed to focus on domestic politics with just concluded state elections, and general elections next year.

While the 90-day truce in the trade war called by the US and China at the recent G20 summit in Buenos Aires may or may not be extended, what is certain is that Beijing will eventually return to its confrontational path. For India, the ability to counter will depend really on both sustained economic growth, including jobs growth as well as domestic political stability in the wake of the general elections.

The year 2019 is a period of sensitive anniversaries in China. The first is the 100th anniversary of the May 4th Movement of 1919 led by students in Beijing against the Chinese government giving up territory to the Japanese following the end of World War I. Among other things, it encouraged the rise of Chinese nationalism and played midwife to the eventual birth of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1921. The second one is the 30th anniversary of the June 4th Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989. These anniversaries are likely to keep the CPCs focus strongly on stability on the home front, at least in the beginning of the year.

However, as an ambitious global power, China must also balance its domestic and external priorities. Thus, 2019 will also see the second edition of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Forum, possibly in April.

After India refused to attend the inaugural Forum in May 2017 and became cheerleader for criticism of BRI projects around the region, Beijing is hopeful that the Wuhan Spirit will ensure New Delhis participation this time around. While this looks unlikely, the fact remains that Indias entrepreneurs and its manufacturing industry need the volume and the risk-taking that differentiates Chinese capital from Western capital. This capital will not flow without the say-so of the CPC and that in turn depends on the nature of the relationship between India and China.

For the moment, Indias absence of the necessary military reforms and modernisation, as well as its grossly inadequate diplomatic corps suggest to Beijing that New Delhis bark is likely to be worse than its bite for the foreseeable future.

This suggests that once the sensitive anniversaries are out of the way, and if the truce with the US continues or US President Donald Trump likely runs into his own series of problems at home distracting him from China, Beijing is likely to return to familiar tactics aimed at keeping India off balance. This will mean continuing transgressions along the Line of Actual Control as well as sticking to and even expanding the BRI in Indias immediate neighbours and greater involvement in their domestic politics  further impinging on Indias foreign policy interests.

What is worse, Indias lack of economic take-off  the conflict between the central government and the Reserve Bank of India have also not gone unnoticed by Chinas fund managers and financial analysts  and the meandering pace of its regional infrastructure projects suggest that New Delhis hands remain tied in terms of mounting a substantial and sustained challenge to Chinas economic pre-eminence in Asia.

That said, 40 years since the launch of its economic reforms and opening up in December 1978, China finds itself at a crossroads requiring still more opening up to market forces as well as political reforms, neither of which appear to be on the anvil under Xi. Rather, things appear to be headed in the opposite direction.

While this offers India the chance to promote itself as an alternative to China, it also shows up Indias lack of preparedness for such a role.

Jabin T Jacob is a China analyst at the National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi. Twitter: @jabinjacobt. Views are personalImage: Twitter/@AnupamPKher

Congress national spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala has denied rumors that the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh will ban the screening of The Accidental Prime Minister in the state.

The film, based on the eponymous book by former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's media advisor Sanjaya Baru, has sparked a row over alleged distortion of facts.

The Department of Public Relations of Madhya Pradesh government tweeted that there is no decision by the government to ban the film, adding that media reports announcing the ban were not factual.



Maharashtra Youth Congress writes to makers of #TheAccidentalPrimeMinister & asks to show them the movie before release & if some scenes are found unfactual, they should be deleted else, Youth Congress will not let the movie be screened anywhere in the country. pic.twitter.com/CUGJ98hmv8

 ANI (@ANI) December 27, 2018

Surjewala, in his tweet, blamed the BJP for promulgating "false propaganda" by saying that the Congress wouldn't allow the screening of the film in Madhya Pradesh, where the Grand Old Party has recently formed the government.Earlier, the Maharashtra Youth Congress had written to the makers of the film, asking for a private screening for the party before the film's national release. In the letter, the Congress had expressed concerns over misrepresentation of facts with respect to former party president Sonia Gandhi and Dr Manmohan Singh, "to malign the image of the Congress party which is not acceptable to us".

The Youth Congress had even demanded that "unfactual scenes" be deleted from the film.

The film, whose trailer was released recently, has a motley of actors playing the key players of the Nehru-Gandhi family, with veteran actor Anupam Kher stepping into the shoes of Dr Manmohan Singh.

The film is scheduled to hit the theatres on January 11, 2019.

Also read: 'Accidental Prime Minister' is BJP's propaganda against our party: Congress leadersOn the second day of 2018, while responding to query on an attack on the CRPF camp, BJP MP Nepal Singh said, Ye to roz marenge Army mein, koi aisa desh hai jahan army ka aadmi na marta ho jhagde mein? (Those deputed in the Army will die, is there any nation where a man working for the Army doesn't die during a dispute).

Available but not from official account 2--BJP MP Vinay Katiyar is in the forefront of the Go-To-Pakistan chorus in India. In February, he told a TV news channel, Muslims should not be staying in India. They divided the country on the basis of their population.They should go to Bangladesh or Pakistan. They have no business to be India.

In February, reacting to a complaint by Anshu Prakash, Delhi chief secretary, that he was thrashed by two AAP lawmakers while at a meeting with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Ashutosh said: Is the chief secretary Amitabh Bachchan... 'Peter' from 'Deewar' -- that he fought off 12 people inside closed doors and then walked off like a hero?

In May, at the height of the Jinnah portrait controversy in Aligarh Muslim University, much to the embarrassment of the BJP, party MP Savitri Bai Phule said, All the mahapurush who had contributed to the freedom struggle, irrespective of their caste or community, need to be respected. He (Jinnah) was, is, and will always remain a great person.

Shashi Tharoor is a leader who has a way with wordssometimes, those words find a way into a controversy. In July, addressing an event in Thiruvananthapuram, he said: If they (the BJP) are able to win a repeat of their current strength in the Lok Sabha then, frankly, our own democratic Constitution, as we understand [it], will not survive... because then they will have all the three elements they need to tear up the Constitution of India and write a new one. And that will enshrine the principle of Hindu Rashtra, that will remove equality for the minorities, and that will create a Hindu Pakistan...

In July, while referring to the Unnao molestation case, BJP MLA from Uttar Pradesh Surendra Singh said: Bhagwan Ram bhi aa jaayenge, tab bhi balaatkaar ki ghatna per niyantran nahi ho paayegaa (The incidents of rape cannot be curbed, even if Lord Ram descends on earth).

In October, Tharoor again was in the news when at an event in Bengaluru, he said, There's an extraordinarily striking metaphor expressed by an unnamed RSS source to a journalist. The RSS source said Modi is like a scorpion sitting on a Shiv Linga. You cannot remove him with your hand and you cannot hit it with a chappal (slipper) either.

Not known for his subtleties, while addressing a rally in his parliamentary constituency of Unnao, Member of Parliament Sakshi Maharaj on November 23rd said, After entering politics, the first statement I made in Mathura was: Leave Ayodhya, Mathura and Kashi and demolish Delhi's Jama Masjid. If you do not find Hindu idols beneath its staircase, you are welcome to hang me.

With the clamour for a Ram mandir on the rise, the Shiv Sena did not want to be left behind. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, on November 23rd said, We took just 17 minutes to demolish disputed Babri masjid; how much time will the NDA government take to enact a law. From Rashtrapati Bhavan to UP there is BJP's government. In Rajya Sabha there are a lot of members who will stand with (the issue) of Ram temple. If anyone opposes it, it will be difficult for them to move about in the country.

On November 23rd, while addressing an election rally, Congress leader Raj Babbar, said, PM Modi used to compare rupee's value with the former prime minister's age and said the rupee had fallen so much that it was nearing his age. Mr Prime Minister, you didn't take his name with respect, but our culture doesn't allow that. We will only say that the value of rupee is now inching closer to your mother's age.Bangladesh Prime Minister is poised to win a record fourth term in December 30 elections, drumming up support by promising a development bonanza as her critics question if the South Asian nation's tremendous economic success has come at the expense of its already fragile democracy.

December 30 polls, the 11th since Bangladesh won independence from Pakistan in 1971, pits 71-year-old Hasina against a united opposition helmed by Kamal Hossain, 82, an Oxford-educated lawyer and former foreign minister.

Notably absent is another septuagenarian: former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, 74, Hasina's arch-rival and the head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, who courts ruled was ineligible to run from her colonial-era Dhaka jail cell, where she's serving a 17-year sentence for corruption.

Hasina and Zia have been in and out of power and prison for decades, vying to run the young Muslim-majority country of 160 million. The BNP boycotted the 2014 polls. As a result, voter turnout was only 22 percent, according to Bangladesh's Election Commission. More than half of the 300 seats in Parliament were uncontested. Dozens died in post-election violence.

This time, more than 104 million people are eligible to vote. Nearly one in 10 are young voters, including many first-time voters, in one of the world's largest democratic exercises.

After a decade of rule by Hasina's Awami League party and in Zia's absence, Hossain, once a close aide to Hasina's father, Bangladesh's founding president, has risen as the primary challenger, attracting the interest of Bangladesh's growing middle class and western diplomats not wholly convinced Hasina's development gains justify her increasingly heavy-handed rule.

"Development is not only economic growth, it has a far broader meaning which includes human rights, rule of law, inclusivity, accountability and good governance, all (of which) seem to be missing here," said Illinois State University politics professor Ali Riaz.

The run up to the election has been marred by allegations from Hossain supporters of arrests and jailing of thousands of Hasina opponents. About 600,000 security personnel including thousands of military soldiers and paramilitary border guards have been deployed across the country. State police have barred opposition marches and foiled rallies. At least six people have been killed in campaign-related clashes that local media report were mostly perpetrated by ruling-party activists backed by police. BNP spokesman Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said more than 12,000 opposition activists have been injured.

Facebook last week shut down a series of fake news sites spreading false information about the opposition that a threat intelligence consultancy determined was created and managed by government associates.

Earlier this year, Hasina spearheaded a draconian new digital law that journalists and some academics charged could be wielded to silence government critics.

Hasina defended it in Parliament as a tool to combat dangerous propaganda.

"Journalism is surely not for increasing conflict, or for tarnishing the image of the country," she said.

With Hasina's hold on the state machinery increasingly clear, doubts have arisen about the fairness of the vote. The opposition demanded earlier this week the resignation of the Election Commission chief.

"So far the indications do not suggest we have a level playing field in place for the election to be fully free and fair," said Iftekhar Zaman, head of Paris-based corruption watchdog Transparency International's Bangladesh chapter.

While rights groups sound the alarms about the erosion of Bangladesh's democracy, Hasina has promoted a different narrative, highlighting an ambitious economic agenda that has propelled Bangladesh past larger neighbors Pakistan and India by some development measures.

Bangladesh ranked 136 out of 189 countries on the UN's Human Development Index, which factors in life expectancy, years of education and gross national income, jumping 7 spots from 2012. The World Bank has praised the country for sharply reducing the percentage of its people living in extreme poverty.

Hasina embarked on a two-story, 5-kilometer bridge tapping government coffers rather than the World Bank's proffered loans. She has formed joint ventures with Japan, India, China and Russia, all clamoring for access to the northern Bay of Bengal. India and Russia jointly built Bangladesh's first nuclear power plant. Bangladesh launched its first commercial satellite earlier this year.

Bangladesh's garment industry exports $30 billion a year to supply the racks of global fashion retail giants Zara, H&M, Uniqlo and others, making it the second-largest in the world after China.

After an assault by Islamic militants in 2016 in which 20 hostages, including 17 foreigners from Italy, Japan and India, were killed, security officials under Hasina launched a massive crackdown, apparently destroying their network. Again, Hasina elected to handle the crisis in-house rather than engaging international players, and successfully suppressed claims that the Islamic State was behind the attack.

Hasina's security officials have killed more than 60 radical Islamists including some commanders since 2016 in a zero-tolerance campaign against hardliners.

The same groups who criticize Hasina's heavy-handedness in civil matters have lauded her treatment of Muslim Rohingya refugees fleeing a military assault in neighboring Myanmar. She ordered border guards to open the frontier for Rohingya fleeing what many call a campaign of ethnic cleansing in August 2017, allowing more than 700,000 refugees to take shelter in camps near the city of Cox's Bazar. Despite some external pressure, she has maintained a policy of voluntary return.

Still, Hasina's profile of courage has been tarnished by her intolerance of domestic critics.

And on December 27, Hossain urged supporters who might fear violence and intimation and stay away from the polls.

"My appeal to the people: Be brave, this is our right," he said.Kumiko is a partnership between Momose and Cara and Noah Sandoval, general manager and chef of Oriole. Momoses husband, Sammy Faze, will join her behind the bar, and shes brought on Mariya Russell, formerly at Oriole, as chef de cuisine, who will run the kitchen with Noah Sandoval, executive chef. Russells husband, Garrett, will also help with the bites, five of which are paired with the cocktails during the omakase experience. Look for small dishes like loup de mer grilled over binchotan coals, and steamed buns with Berkshire pork belly.People gather at the Suhrawardy Udyan for the maiden rally of opposition alliance called Jatiya Oikyafront in Dhaka, Bangladesh on November 06, 2018 (Image- Reuters)

Campaigning for Bangladesh's general election ended on December 28 after weeks of violence, mainly against workers and officials from an opposition alliance, that has drawn criticism from the United States and others.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League is seeking its third straight term in December 30's election against the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which boycotted the last vote in 2014.

The Awami League is promoting its economic record over the past decade but a BNP-led opposition alliance, many of whose leaders have been jailed, has vowed to remove curbs on the media, increase wages and freeze energy prices.

"The government has lost moral support," BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told reporters on Thursday, urging voters to "restore democracy".

"But the people are with us. They want change," he said.

The BNP's preparations have been hamstrung by the February jailing of its chairwoman, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, on what the party called trumped-up corruption charges.

Leaders of the ruling Awami League deny any misuse of power and say they will return to government with an overwhelming majority.

Hasina told supporters on Thursday they must "ensure victory of pro-liberation forces", a reference to Bangladesh's war of independence from Pakistan in 1971 led by her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The Economist Intelligence Unit expects her party to win a third term.

The BNP said on Thursday more than 8,200 opposition leaders and activists from a coalition of about 20 parties had been arrested since the election schedule was announced early last month.

Four workers were killed and more than 12,300 injured, it said.

The Awami League has in turn said the BNP and its partners were behind attacks that killed at least six of its workers over the past three weeks.

Police declined to confirm the figures.

Mahbub Talukdar, one of five election commissioners, has said there has not been a level playing field, although other commissioners have said they expected the election to be free and fair.

Earl Miller, the U.S. ambassador to Bangladesh, said all parties had been victims of violence, including women and minority candidates.

"However, it appears opposition party candidates have borne the brunt of most violence," he said in a statement after meeting Election Commission officials on Thursday.

Miller said all candidates and voters must be able to take part without "harassment, intimidation, or violence" and that an independent media must be allowed to cover the election.

The Telecommunication Regulatory Commission ordered the shutdown of high-speed mobile internet services in a bid to curb the spread of "confusing content", spokesman Zakir Hussain Khan told Reuters.

Facebook and Twitter said last week they had removed accounts and fake news pages linked to the government that had posted anti-opposition content.

The United Nations has called for a "peaceful, credible and inclusive poll".Migrants, part of a group intercepted aboard two dinghies off the coast in the Mediterranean Sea, rest on a rescue boat upon arrival at the port of Malaga, Spain. (Reuters)

A charity rescue boat carrying 311 mainly African migrants plucked off Libya entered Spanish waters December 28 morning and was set to berth in a southern port near Gibraltar.

Proactiva Open Arms, the Spanish charity which runs the Open Arms vessel said the migrants who include pregnant women, children and babies were mainly from Somalia, Nigeria and Mali.

The ship will dock in the port of Crinavis, in San Roque, near the city of Algeciras.

"Good morning, Open Arms is already in the Bay of Gibraltar and is steering towards the only port available to it in the Mediterranean. Mission accomplished," tweeted the charity's founder Oscar Camps.

The migrants were rescued on December 21 from three vessels but were denied entry by Italy and Malta. Libya, France and Tunisia did not respond to Proactiva Open Arms' requests for permission to dock, Madrid said.

On Saturday, a newborn baby and his mother were helicoptered from the boat to Malta, while a 14-year-old suffering from a serious skin infection was taken to the Italian island of Lampedusa.

Photos and videos posted by the charity showed the rest of the rescued migrants marking Christmas at sea listening to music and singing. Some children wore red Santa hats as they huddled together on the small rescue ship.

Police will identify the migrants before moving them to shelters.

Proactiva Open Arms operates in the sea between Libya and southern Europe, coming to the aid of migrants who get into difficulties during the crossing from northern Africa.

It will be the first time since August that Spain has allowed a charity rescue ship to dock and unload migrants in the country.

The Open Arms resumed its patrols of the Mediterranean off the Libyan coast in late November, along with two other boats run by migrant aid groups.

In August it had suspended its missions, accusing governments, and Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini by name, of "criminalising" migrant rescue charities.

Salvini has denied the groups access to Italy's ports, accusing them of acting as a "taxi service" for migrants. Malta too has been increasingly unwilling to host rescue vessels.

"Your rhetoric and your message will, like everything in this life, end," Proactiva Open Arms' founder Camps told Salvini on Twitter earlier.

"But you should know that in a few decades your descendants will be ashamed of what you do and say." 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 (IOM).

That makes this stretch of the Mediterranean the most deadly for migrants attempting the crossing to Europe.

Spain meanwhile has become Europe's main entry point for migrants this year, overtaking Greece and Italy.

More 56,000 migrants have arrived in Spain by sea this year, and 769 have died trying, according to the IOM.It's the butt of late night television jokes in the USA and is considered the land of the moose, the polar bear and freezing cold temperatures. But that hasn't stopped Canada from becoming the fastest growing and preferred destination for people around the world to make a new life in this country.

Canadian immigration numbers sourced for Moneylife reveal that the country has welcomed around 2,75,000 immigrants in 2018. And the lions share of those migrants is from India, over 60,000 persons making a bid to relocate here this year. Philippines comes in second with around 31,000 migrants.

" Our immigration system has helped make Canada the nation that it is todayone that is diverse prosperous and welcoming those in need," says Nancy Carron, spokesperson for Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada. In October 2018, the minister of Immigration and Citizenship, Ahmed Hussen announced that its historic, multi- year immigration levels plan would increase the number of permanent residents to Canada each year. The plan, says Carron, is to increase the number of immigrations from 310,000 in 2018 to 330,000 in 2019, and further to 340,000 in 2020. She calls it the " most ambitious immigration levels in recent history, and one that will support both, Canadian business and labour market needs, and foster economic growth in the face of slowing labour force growth and ageing populatio."

Canada, on its part recognizes that it is a country with abundant natural resources but is also facing an acute labour shortage. In many provinces, a growing older population and a huge cohort of retirees in the labour force makes it imperative to attract talent and labour from around the world.

Canada stands out in the Western world where "immigrant" has almost turned into four letter word. The USA, our nearest neighbor and the most cherished destination for immigrants is a prime example of anti-immigrant rhetoric. US President Donald Trump has been vocal in his ire and frustration about immigrantswhether they are highly qualified H1b workers from India, those from Muslim countries or its other neighbour Mexico. The USA, under Trumph, has been closing its doors on immigrants. European nations like France and Germany are seeing a right wing wave that is anti-immigrant, the United Kingdom (UK) with its Brexit issues still has to figure things out. Australia and New Zealand are no longer big draws as they were in the past. In most of these countries, potential immigrants are left with a sense of insecurity about where to make some kind of permanent life.

That leaves Canada with an abundance of opportunity. It is no wonder that cities such as Toronto and Vancouver have reported a doubling of immigration, even from the USA, in the last three years. Says Carron, economic immigration in particular helps Canada stay competitive and attract talent from around the world; immigrants bring unique skill sets, innovative ideas and global experience which help our economy ".

Canadas Express Entry (EE) program of 2016 offers a swift path to permanent residency for qualified people. It takes only a few months for qualifying candidates to acquire the Canadian permanent resident card (PR

card), which is akin to the US Green Card.

The Canadian Experience Class program (CEC) of the EE, meant for temporary foreign workers and foreign graduates with Canadian work experience has also attracted many Indian migrants. As against 1,800 Indians who became PR holders in 2018, the number jumped to 11,490 in 2017a whopping 538% increase!

Another program that has gained favour is the Federal Skilled Workers Programme (FSWP). In 2016, (under the FSWP), 4,780 Indians received their PR cards. The number jumped 82.6% to 8,730 Indians in 2017. Between January and May 2018, a massive 12,090 PR cards were issued to Indians under this program.

There is perhaps no other country that welcomes immigrants from outside even if they do not have a job ready in hand" says IT software engineer Vikram Rangnekar who migrated from Silicon Valley, USA .

Rangnekars website matches qualified IT professionals with Canadian job seekers and he says that a host of his friends from the US have made a life here in Montreal , Vancouver and Toronto.

One of the big draws for Indians is the multiculturalism of Canada. Unlike other countries, Canada celebrates diversity in a big way, especially in Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus liberal government. His cabinet has a mix ministers from different communities, including a few Indian ministers those who were refugees. Canada was one of the few countries that has opened its arms to Syrian refugeesand welcomed them with jobs, government support and financial aidthis has been a matter of celebration as well as debate.

Part of the assimilation of various cultures is the diversity of food and places of worship, easily available and accessible to all migrants. I have already written about the abundance of Indian food available in Canada. It is the same with temples, mosques and gurudwaras for the Indians diaspora. For instance Mississaugua and Brampton, two big suburbs close to Toronto, have close to 25 places of worship for Indians, including Saibaba temples, Ganesh Temples, mosques and Gurudwaras.

Canada has also been a boon for Indian students who want to migrate and find that the US has closed its doors. Neighbouring Canada has education levels equivalent to those in the US so a big cohort of students is keen on converting their student visas to a full time permanent residentship after a few years. "This bodes well for students who see Canada as a stepping stone or a future for them settling in a western country, " says a source.

Good quality of life, very low crime rate and fresh air is the biggest draw for many people, as is Canada's free health care system. Every Canadian and PR card holder has the benefit of free health carewhich covers everything from routine medical examination by a doctor, to a bypass surgery. Canada takes care of all costs, except routine dentistry ( which needs an insurance or out of pocket expenses). All consultation with specialist doctors is also completely free. That is one the single biggest draws and benefit for many people wanting to stay in Canada.

The socialist way of thinking is increasingly unique to Canada and shrinking pool of countries. Canada offers free schooling from grade one to grade 12. In some cities even extra curricular activities require a minimal or no fees. A world -lass library with access to thousands of books, DVDS and audios is free for kids along with a bunch of facilities.

Last, but not the least, is the fact that government take care of people in their old age. This means that every Canadian citizen who is over 65 and has lived in the country for at least 10 years can receive a maximum of $1400 ( as of 2018.) This amount would vary depending on their post retirement annual income and is adjusted annually by the government according to the Consumer Price Index.

Richa Majithia who is waiting to migrate to Canada puts it succinctly when she says, One of the biggest reasons people migrate here is the quality of life they see for themselves and their children."December 28, 2018

Syria Sitrep - Army To Regain Northeastern Territory - Political Isolation Ends

The fallout from U.S. president Trump's decision to retreat from Syria develops as expected.

Trump had announced a rapid draw down of U.S. troops in Syria. Later he spoke of a controlled process that would allow Turkey to take over the U.S. occupied areas in northeast Syria. That plan, probably initiated by National Security Advisor John Bolton, is totally unrealistic. Such an wide ranging occupation, which would be resisted by many powerful forces, is not in Turkey's interest. Nevertheless, the Turkish president Erdogan will use the threat of a Turkish invasion to press for a dismantling of the Kurdish YPG forces which the U.S. trained and equipped.

This morning the Syrian Arab Army (red) announced that it entered Manbij, west of the Euphrates. It established itself on the contact line between the Turkish supported forces (green) and the U.S. supported Kurdish YPG (yellow). The Syrian flag was raised in Manbij city. The move comes after U.S. troops and their Kurdish proxy forces voluntarily retreated from the area. Manbij was threatened by the Turkish military and its Jihadi proxy forces. To prevent a Turkish onslaught, the local armed groups, who collaborated with the U.S. military, invited the Syrian army to take over. This pattern will repeat elsewhere.

A Kurdish delegation is currently in Russia to negotiate a further take over of the U.S. occupied northeastern provinces of Hasaka and Qamishli by Syrian government forces. The Kurds still hope for some autonomy from the Syrian government that allows them to keep their armed forces. But neither Damascus, nor anyone else, will ever agree to that. There will only be one armed force in Syria, the Syrian Arab Army. It is possible though, that some Kurdish units will be integrated within it.

A Turkish delegation is also in Moscow and tomorrow Erdogan will visit there. Russia spoke out against the U.S. plan to let Turkey take Syria's northeast or even parts of it. Erdogan will not get Russian or Iranian support for any such move. Moreover, he will be pressed to leave the other areas of Syria Turkey currently occupies.

U.S. troops are for now expected to continue the occupation near the Euphrates where the fight against remains of the Islamic State is ongoing. They wont stay long. Trump successfully insisted, against the wish of his military, to completely pull out of Syria. The people who argue against the move are, not coincidentally, the same people who furthered the rise of Islamic State. After Secretary of Defense Mattis resigned over the issue further efforts by the military to delay the retreat will likely be futile.

To cover the withdrawal from Syria the U.S. military established two new bases in Iraq. These are also blocking positions designed to prevent over land traffic between the Levant and Iran. It is unlikely that the U.S. will occupy those bases for long. The Iraqi parliament is already moving to again throw out all U.S. forces from its country.

The military moves come along with new political ones which reestablish Syria as a pivotal Arab state.

Yesterday the United Arab Emirates reopened its embassy in Damascus. Bahrain will follow next. Kuwait will reopen its embassy in January. Oman never closed its embassy in Damascus. Of the Gulf countries only Qatar, allied with Turkey, and Saudi Arabia have jet to announce a revival of their relations with Syria. Before the war on Syria started, the UAE and other gulf countries financed several large investment projects in Syria. These will be revived and help the country's economy back onto its feet. Egypt is expected to follow the move of its Gulf sponsors.

Underlying the UAE move is a strategy of countering Turkey's neo-ottoman ambition. Syria is (again) seen as the bulwark that protects the larger Arabia from Turkish marauders. It signals to Turkey that any attempt to take over more of Syria will be resisted by the Gulf states and possibly even by Egypt's army. Egypt is, together with Russia, mediating between the Kurds and the Syrian government.

The Arab move is also perceived as a counter to Iranian influence in Syria. In this it will fail. Syria was rescued from the all out attack on it by Iran's intervention. It was the Iranian General Soleimani who convinced Russia to commit troops to Syria. It was Iran that spent billions to prop up the Syrian government while the Gulf Arabs spent even more to take it down. Syria will not forget who are its foes and who are its real friends.

Air traffic connections from Damascus to Arab countries are coming back. Last week a direct connection with Tunisia was revived. In January Gulf-Air, the official airline carrier for Bahrain, will again offer flights from Damascus. The Arab League, which in 2012 kicked out Syria, will invite it back in. Syria may well accept the offer, but only in exchange for a large compensation.

An Israeli air attack on Syrian military installations on December 25 largely failed. The Israeli jets fired some 16 stand-off bombs from Lebanese air space. They cowardly hid behind two commercial airliners which were on their way from the Gulf to Europe. This made it impossible for the Syrian air defense to directly attack the Israeli jets. Most of the Israeli projectiles were destroyed by the Syrian short-range air defenses. A Syrian missile was fired against Israel proper. It was a reminder that new rules of engagement, as announced, have been established. Attacks on Syria will be replied to by direct attacks on Israel. The missile shot ended the Israeli attack.

Israel, like others, will learn that any further attacks on Syria are futile and will only lead to effective retaliations. The war on Syria, while not yet over, is drawing down. Syria's political isolation is ending. Those who insist on continuing it will in the end lose out.

Posted by b on December 28, 2018 at 13:53 UTC | Permalink

Comments

next page A shutdown affecting parts of the federal government appeared no closer to resolution Wednesday, with President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats locked in a hardening standoff over border wall money that threatens to carry over into January.

Trump vowed to hold the line, telling reporters as he flew to Iraq that he'll do "whatever it takes" to get money for border security. He declined to say how much he would accept in a deal to end the shutdown, stressing the need for border security.

"You have to have a wall, you have to have protection," he said.

The shutdown started Saturday when funding lapsed for nine Cabinet-level departments and dozens of agencies. Roughly 420,000 workers were deemed essential and are working unpaid, while an additional 380,000 have been furloughed.

Significance for Laredo

Customs and Border Protection and Border Patrol spokespersons in Laredo did not return requests for comment regarding the shutdown on Wednesday.

And Laredo's Rep. Henry Cuellar was not sure of the exact number of furloughed employees here.

Most Border Patrol and CBP agents are considered essential employees, and are therefore working without pay until the shutdown ends. They will receive back-pay for their time worked, but Cuellar expressed an understanding that in the mean time, these agents have mortgages, car payments, medical bills and other expenses to consider.

More than 54,000 Border Patrol and CBP agents in the U.S. will be working without pay, Cuellar said. Non-essential, typically administrative positions in these agencies are not working. They make up about 2 percent of the Department of Homeland Security, according to Cuellar.

Congress has passed five appropriation bills, and there are seven remaining. Cuellar, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee, noted that the only holdout is the funding for Homeland Security, specifically the wall. All the other bills are ready to go, he said.

And Congress gave the president options to extend funding until February or until the end of September in order to avoid a shutdown, but he rejected them all, the congressman noted.

He took issue with the fact that this is the third government shutdown in the two years of the Trump administration. The others were over health care and DACA. The president will always find an issue to bring up, Cuellar said.

RELATED: AP PHOTOS: Wall prototypes sit on the US-Mexico border

"If we give in to the wall, what's he going to do next time?" he said. "... It's dangerous to allow a person to leverage that any time he wants to get something done."

Cuellar said he would support $5 billion in funding for Homeland Security, but not for a wall. Since the number of Border Patrol agents has dropped to about 19,200 from the historic high of 21,500, Cuellar said they need to fund retention bonuses for these employees to encourage them to stay.

Local Border Patrol union president Hector Garza told Laredo Morning Times that everyone expects to get a paycheck in the next pay period.

And when they weigh what is happening, the majority of agents think it's worth it, Garza said. Their morale is high with President Trump, Garza said, but they are unhappy with Congress.

Cuellar he said he will be meeting with Homeland Security officers today.

No deal

While the White House was talking to congressional Democrats  and staff talks continued on Capitol Hill  negotiations dragged Wednesday, dimming hopes for a swift breakthrough.

With no deal at hand, members of the House were told there would be no votes on Thursday, assuring the shutdown would last yet another day. Lawmakers are away from Washington for the holidays and have been told they will have 24 hours' notice before having to return. The Senate is slated to come into session Thursday afternoon.

Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina, a Trump ally who has been involved in the talks, said the president "is very firm in his resolve that we need to secure our border." He told CNN, "I don't know that there's a lot of progress that has been made today."

But he added of Democrats: "If they believe that this president is going to yield on this particular issue, they're misreading him."

The impasse over government funding began last week, when the Senate approved a bipartisan deal keeping government open into February. That bill provided $1.3 billion for border security projects but not money for the wall. At Trump's urging, the House approved that package and inserted the $5.7 billion he had requested.

On Friday afternoon, a Senate procedural vote showed that Republicans lacked the 60 votes they'd need to force the measure with the wall funding through their chamber. That jump-started negotiations between Congress and the White House, but the deadline came and went without a deal.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer of New York on Saturday said funding for Trump's wall will "never pass the Senate."

"So President Trump, if you want to open the government, you must abandon the wall, plain and simple," Schumer said.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is in lockstep with Schumer against the wall funding. If the shutdown continues into 2019, she has vowed that her new Democratic majority will act quickly to pass legislation reopening the government.

The shutdown has been playing out against the backdrop of turmoil in the stock market, which is having a roller-coaster week.

Kevin Hassett, the chairman of the White House's Council of Economic Advisers, said the shutdown does not change the administration's expectation for strong growth heading into 2019. He told reporters a shutdown of a few weeks is not going to have any "significant effect on the outlook."

The shutdown that began on Saturday  the third of 2018  caused a lapse in funding for nine of 15 Cabinet-level departments and dozens of agencies, including the departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, Interior, Agriculture, State and Justice.

Roughly 420,000 workers were deemed essential and were working unpaid, while another 380,000 were furloughed, meaning they'll stay home without pay. The shutdown complicates things for essential employees who planned trips for the holidays: According to the Office of Personnel Management rules, employees deemed essential or otherwise exempted from their respective agency furloughs can't take any vacation or sick days.

Furloughed federal workers have been given back pay in previous shutdowns.

Those being furloughed include 52,000 workers at the Internal Revenue Service and nearly everyone at NASA. About 8 in 10 employees of the National Park Service are staying home, and many parks have closed.

Roughly 44,000 U.S. Coast Guard employees are considered essential, and will report to work this week without pay, with another 6,000 furloughed. The Coast Guard is the only arm of the military affected by the shutdown because it is funded through the Department of Homeland Security.

READ ALSO: 'I had no idea how beautiful the border is': Beto O'Rourke solicits photos of habitats at risk from Trump's wall

The shutdown didn't stop people from visiting the White Sands National Monument in southern New Mexico, where hundreds of unauthorized visitors have in recent days climbed over a fence to enter the monument, according to The Alamogordo Daily News. State highway workers were sent to the area Monday to erect "no parking" signs along U.S. 70 outside the monument.

Trump claimed on Monday that federal workers are behind him in the shutdown fight, saying many "have said to me and communicated, 'stay out until you get the funding for the wall."' He didn't say who he had heard from. Many rank-and-file workers have gone to social media with stories of the financial hardship they expect to face because of the shutdown.

One union representing federal workers slammed Trump's claim. Paul Shearon, the president of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, in a statement said the union has not heard from a single member who supports Trump's position.

"Most view this as an act of ineptitude," he said.

Associated Press reporters Darlene Superville and Juliet Linderman wrote this story. Laredo Morning Times reporter Julia Wallace contributed.

Update: An original version of this story included a comment from Border Patrol union president Hector Garza that said many Border Patrol agents in Laredo do not agree with Cuellar's stance on border security and the wall. Garza asked that we retract this statement because it is not true.A Texas border town police chief was arrested Thursday morning on a domestic violence charge.

Hidalgo Police Chief Rudy Espinoza was arrested by Hidalgo County sheriff's deputies on suspicion of assault causing bodily injury to a family member, jail records showed.

Though his last name in jail records is spelled "Espinosa," officials with the sheriff's office confirmed his arrest and plan to release more information about the incident following his arraignment Thursday afternoon.

RELATED: Laredo police officers suspended after they are charged with aggravated assault

Hidalgo City Manager Julian Gonzalez did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment on the arrest Thursday morning.

Espinoza has been Hidalgo's police chief since 2012, according to the Brownsville Herald.

Espinoza has been suspended by the city with pay since October, ValleyCentral.com reported. The city was investigating him for workplace misconduct and alleged conflicts of interest, according to the report.

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We appreciate a good challenge when we see one.

Thats why we would like to see our readers take seriously the challenge posed by Bowie Fine Arts Academy teacher Stacey Callaway.

She brought attention to a website called Donors Choose, which empowers public school teachers from across the country to request much-needed materials and experiences for their students, according to the website -- www.donorschoose.org.

RELATED: Make it a merry Christmas for a Midland teacher

She wrote about her success in getting projects she listed funded through the site and that there were 221 local projects waiting to be funded. The number of projects currently is 207  most likely because of this line from her Christmas Day column in the Reporter-Telegram:

Im putting forth a challenge to all of Midland. Lets get all 221 of these projects funded before Jan. 1. The donations are tax deductible, and the teachers funded can have a special bonus to begin the rest of the school year.

We love it when Midlanders get behind a good cause, and there probably isnt a more worthy cause than supporting teachers in our community. One look though the 21 pages of requests will show many classrooms are represented: elementary, junior high and high schools; public and charter schools; Midland ISD and Greenwood ISD. Many teachers are asking for technology, specifically Chromebooks. Our guess is, technology suffers when a school district is forced to send tens of millions of dollars to Austin to be distributed elsewhere.

Can all these requests be fulfilled by Jan. 1? Barring an oil company or foundation stepping in and picking up the check for an unbelievable post-Christmas miracle, it seems Jan. 1 is overly ambitious, but then again, why not? Midlanders certainly have responded to challenges before. So what do you say? Can you spare a buck or $10 or $100 or more?

There are plenty of teachers who are trying to make their classrooms a better place for their students -- this communitys children.

We believe 2019 has the potential to be transformational when it comes to education in Midland. Midland ISD appears up to the task. The Legislature could surprise us with a real solution to the school finance process, and Midland voters might have a bond/plan to consider that will help with facilities. The district is growing, after all.

But we are not there yet. There is still time to end 2018 with a bang. A Bowie teacher has thrown out a challenge for this community  companies, foundations, the Midland Chamber, residents, etc. How will we respond?Kim Daniels didn't have to pay a penny for her double mastectomy or the reconstructive surgery she had after treatment for breast cancer in June 2018. Her health insurance, PennCare, administered through Independence Blue Cross in Pennsylvania, fully covered both procedures.



Knowing that, cost wasn't an issue for Daniels when selecting the type of breast implants. She asked her plastic surgeon at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, "If I were your wife, what would you (choose)?" He went with Mentor MemoryGel implants.



According to Daniels' hospital bill, those implants came with a price tag of $3,500 apiece, or $7,000 total.



Such a high charge for the exact same item would have been unthinkable if the procedure was cosmetic breast augmentation, which is generally not covered by health insurance. When patients pick up the tab, cosmetic surgery packages for breast augmentation cost about the same $7,000 but that includes the doctor's fee, implants, operating room time and anesthesia.



The radical difference in price demonstrates in stark numerical terms how costs often depend on who is paying the bill.



Dr. Anupam Jena, a health economist at Harvard Medical School, said it's precisely because cosmetic patients pay out-of-pocket that their costs for implants are far lower than what hospitals charge reconstructive patients.



"Cosmetic surgery providers have to compete with each other," he said, and "one of the big ways they're going to compete is to compete on price."



"Whatever the cost is for the implant, they can't up-charge too much, or a patient will just go somewhere else."



Dr. Alex Sobel, a cosmetic surgeon and president of the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, said the price he charges cosmetic patients for breast implants is pretty close to the price he pays for the implants from the manufacturer. High-end implants like Daniels' would be priced at a maximum of $3,000 for a set, he added, if Daniels had been undergoing cosmetic breast augmentation surgery.



Sobel operates a cosmetic surgery practice in Bellevue, Wash., which is in the region of the U.S. with the highest cost range for cosmetic breast surgeries. He said he usually pays around $250 to $700 per implant for saline and $700 to $1,000 per implant for silicone. The most expensive form stable silicone or "gummy bear" implants are usually priced around $1,350 each.



Similarly, Dr. Brent Rosen, a cosmetic surgeon with a practice in a northern suburb of Philadelphia, said the silicone implants he buys range from $1,500 to $2,000 per individual implant.



For the entire cosmetic breast augmentation procedure with silicone implants Rosen charges $6,500. That's $500 less than the charge for just Daniels' silicone implants at the nearby Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.



Jena, the Harvard health economist, said the reason behind many of these price markups is that hospitals are like any other business trying to make a profit. They can ask more from a company like an insurer than they can from an individual.



"Why does Apple charge $1,000 for an iPhone? It doesn't cost that much to make an iPhone. It's so they can extract surplus money. Same goes for hospitals," said Jena.



Breast implants are just one example of how medical devices are significantly marked up by hospitals.



A 2017 study published in JAMA found that for knee and hip implants, insurance companies were paying double what the hospitals paid when they purchased the implants from manufacturers.



It is hard to define a reasonable manufacturing cost or wholesale price for a medical-grade bag of silicone. Mentor Worldwide and Allergan, the two biggest manufacturers of breast implants in the U.S., declined to share their products' wholesale costs or their price negotiation practices with providers. Manufacturers regard their pricing as a trade secret.



Hospitals typically obtain medical devices through health care group purchasing organizations, which are supposed to negotiate with manufacturers to get lower costs for items. Bigger hospitals or providers that offer to use more of a certain product often get steep discounts over wholesale.



In 2016, Medicare, which has huge leverage in negotiations, paid $516.59 for a "silicone or equivalent breast prosthesis."



So, the hospital markup for patients who pay for the procedure or are commercially insured is even more extraordinary.



A Penn Medicine spokesperson told KHN in an email that they were unable to comment on specific patient cases, but that the hospital receives a single "case rate" or bundled payment for all breast reconstruction surgeries and that reimbursement is not related to the type of breast implant chosen.



Of course, when dealing with powerful insurance companies, hospitals don't get paid the full asking price conveyed on their bills. The price is often merely the starting point for negotiations with insurers.



"Hospitals are absolutely marking up the prices for medical devices," said Jeffrey McCullough, a health policy professor at the University of Michigan. But, he added, "you can almost guarantee the list price you see on a hospital bill is not what the hospital is getting paid by insurance companies," which bargain for discounts.



Even so, not all patients have health insurance coverage as comprehensive as Kim Daniels'. In such cases, all or part of the hospital's high charge for breast implants could be billed directly to patients.



"If you don't have an insurance company bargaining on your behalf, the default is to charge the patient," McCullough said.



Visit Kaiser Health News at www.khn.orgEither way, Velvels wife was the pious one and had him buried in Israel. He lies there between great rabbis, she explained to Aunt Hilda, Velvels sister. Hilda had gone to the funeral home upon hearing of his death. Too late, he already was en route to the Holy Land.An 18-year-old man told detectives in Massachusetts last year that actor Kevin Spacey unzipped his pants and rubbed his genitalia in a sexual manner for about three minutes after 1 a.m. at a crowded bar in Nantucket in July 2016  and that while this was occurring, the man sent video of the exchange through Snapchat to his girlfriend.

These are some of the details of the investigation behind a coming charge of indecent assault and battery for Spacey that were made public this week as a result of a criminal complaint filed in Nantucket District Court.

Email messages to the lawyer who represented Spacey at a recent hearing, as well as to his representative, went unreturned Thursday.

The accusations of misconduct against the actor were first brought to light by a former Boston television anchor, Heather Unruh, who said at a news conference last year that Spacey sexually assaulted her son at the bar, the Club Car.

According to the newly released documents, the man was a busboy who was working till midnight on or around July 7, 2016. He told investigators on Nov. 22, 2017  more than a year after the encounter  that Spacey arrived around 11:30 p.m. with his manager. After his shift ended, the two were introduced and immediately started having several drinks together. The accuser said he told Spacey he was 23, even though he was actually 18.

At one point, the two were beside a piano at the bar, where Spacey and the accuser had been singing songs. He said Spacey put his left hand on his thigh and then unzipped his pants, before rubbing his penis.

The accuser said he was not sure what to do and proceeded to send a video of the encounter to his girlfriend, whom he had been texting and who did not initially believe what was going on. Spacey left to go to the bathroom and the accuser, who said he was distraught, left to go home.

The criminal complaint includes interviews with other people, including the accusers girlfriend, who told authorities that the Snapchat video showed Spacey touching the front of the accusers pants by his crotch.

A bartender who was working at the Club Car that night told detectives that he remembered Spacey being there with the accuser but did not see any sexual assault.

A bystander told police something similar, and that the accuser looked pale, blank, a bit frightened.

Spacey, who has been accused by more than a dozen people of sexual misconduct, is set to be arraigned on Jan. 7, the first criminal charge against him resulting from an accusation.

His only public response so far has been a bizarre video posted on Twitter on Monday after initial news of the felony charge broke. In that video, he seemed to be in character as Frank Underwood  whom he played in the Netflix show House of Cards.

A lawyer for the accuser declined to comment.

In the fall, the Los Angeles County district attorneys office declined to prosecute Spacey in connection with an allegation he had sexually assaulted a man in West Hollywood in 1992. However, Spacey is still being investigated in connection with an accusation that Los Angeles County officials received in August. The details about that case have not been made public.

We have a case that remains under review, Ricardo Santiago, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County district attorney, said in an email Thursday. That is all we have to say at this moment.

Spacey is also reportedly under investigation by law enforcement in London about several accusations of inappropriate behavior.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.Deadliest shooting at an American high school: Parkland, Florida.

Deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century: Paradise, California.

Deadliest attack on Jews in American history: Pittsburgh.

The cities of Parkland, Paradise and Pittsburgh became synonymous with tragedy in 2018, a year when the nation seemed to careen from one deadly horror to another. Yet, in every calamity, there were people who showed their humanity, their selfless strength and their sense of duty amid the suffering.

As the year draws to a close, Associated Press reporters on the front lines of some of the years heartbreaking stories offer up accounts of compassion and decency.

.

I CHOSE TO ACT

Rabbi Jeffrey Myers said no class in any seminary could have prepared anyone for the role into which he was thrust.

Myers was leading Shabbat services when gunfire erupted Oct. 27 inside his Pittsburgh synagogue. After helping others to safety, Myers turned back and raced up the stairs to a choir loft, where he called 911. Seven members of his Tree of Life congregation and four others in the building were killed.

As the Jewish community grieved, Myers took a leading role during public memorials and presided over seven funerals in the space of less than a week.

I really had two choices when it came down to how to respond, Myers said. One of them was  curl up with a bottle of scotch. The second choice was to act upon it. I chose to act upon it.

His response inspired Tree of Life congregants, including retired psychiatrist Joe Charny, 90.

Theres no question that hes been super, and its hard to imagine that anybody could have done a better job, Charny said. He has the right touch. He has maintained through all this a sense of humor. I dont know how hes done that.

Myers has vowed no longer to use the word hate.

To me, thats the mission that has come out of this, that for 11 beautiful people to have not died in vain, the rabbi said. The conversation about hate speech in America must be elevated and it must gain attention, because that type of speech leads to action such as what happened at my synagogue.

.

A MORBID BUT CRITICAL TASK

It was the week before Thanksgiving when Craig Covey got the call for what would be his most difficult mission as a search-and-rescue team leader: picking through the ashes of Paradise for human remains.

It was a morbid but critical task.

A wildfire that swept through on Nov. 8 all but obliterated Paradise, once home to 27,000 people. To find and identify the 86 dead, authorities had to call on searchers like Covey to gather up what amounted in some cases to little more than teeth, bone fragments or artificial hips. Then they had to rely on the expertise of rapid-testing DNA labs, forensic anthropologists and other specialists.

It was apocalyptic up there, Covey said several weeks after returning home to Costa Mesa, California.

Coveys team is deployed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to disasters across the country and beyond. Earlier this year, his team helped rescue an exhausted 82-year-old man who had been flushed out of his car by floodwaters and pinned in some trees amid Hurricane Florence in North Carolina.

Paradise was different, but brought rewards of its own.

We werent shaking hands with people, Covey said. But we were making a difference for folks, for closure, who are missing their families.

.

DOGS IN TUNE WITH HUMANS

When classes resumed in late February following the massacre of 17 students and staff at Parklands Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School, a therapy dog by the name of Fergie was brought in.

Fergie, an 8-year-old cross between a golden retriever and a poodle, zeroed in on one young man and sat on his feet the entire class, barely moving, said Aneysi Fernandez, volunteer coordinator of the nonprofit group Canine Assisted Therapy.

It turned out that was one of the students who lost most of his friends in the shooting, Fernandez said. Some of our dogs like Fergie are very in tune with human emotions.

Several therapy animal groups helped out in those dark days after the Feb. 14 mass shooting. The dogs  and in some cases, donkeys and horses  went into the cafeteria and classrooms. They also were at vigils and marches.

Fernandezs organization sent 35 therapy dogs and their handlers into the school. All of the animals were trained and selected for their calm, happy demeanor.

Some Parkland students specifically asked for a dog to shadow them during classes, saying that the animals presence eased the stress of returning to a place where such a horrible thing happened.

Its nice not to be asked any questions, to not have to relive the event, Fernandez said. Everyone grieves differently. Students who didnt want to talk could pet a dog.

Ten months after the tragedy, a dozen dogs still show up at the school every day, mostly to sit by the side of those teens who need a calming presence.

.

ITS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD

It was known as the Wall of Forgotten Natives, a sprawling homeless encampment that sprouted along a Minneapolis freeway sound barrier over the summer.

Most of those living there were American Indians, who make up an outsized portion of the homeless population in the city, and the tents stood on what once was Dakota land.

University of Minnesota medical and law student Kristina Tester grew up nearby and began helping at the camp as part of an elective rotation for her degree. She began doing clean-needle exchanges and continued on as a volunteer for months after her assignment ended.

Theres really not much of a difference between myself and any of the residents who are here at the homeless camp, other than sort of luck of the draw and geographic-political lottery, she said.

Tester, 26, said she organized groups of university students to do laundry for camp residents. She also served meals about once a week with neighbors. Recently she delivered cookies and blankets made by high school students.

Tester, who is non-Indian, said she did it because its in my neighborhood.

At its peak, the encampment had 300 people, but they began moving into a temporary shelter across the highway as winter approached.

Maggie Thunder Hawk, 56, an Oglala Lakota from Wanblee, South Dakota, picked up two blankets that Tester delivered.

If it wasnt for her, wed be cold, because she brings us warm blankets, Thunder Hawk said.

I love her.A new law that will go into effect the first of the year will help increase education for drivers on bike safety when they go to the Department of Motor Vehicles for their licensing tests.

The state passed a law that will place more emphasis on bicycle safety during tests.

Secretary of State Jesse White will include safety measures and information, including the Dutch Reach, which is a technique of using the hand furthest from the door handle  so the right hand for drivers  to open the car door, causing the person in the vehicle to turn their body to the door and seeing any bicyclist approaching their vehicles.

This legislation will help improve safety between drivers and bicyclists who share the roads, White said. By adding questions to our written exam about bike safety, drivers will be more aware of the deadly consequences that can occur if they do not follow the Rules of the Road.

Jacksonville Alderman Steve Warmowski, an active bicyclist and advocate for safe biking paths, said there is an increased need for bicycle safety awareness and education for drivers.

While bicyclist are not as common in Jacksonville as they are in larger cities, Warmowski said there are problems everywhere with bicyclist and drivers sharing the roadways, whether for recreation or as their primary mode of transportation.

Weve had a hit-and-run on East Morton Avenue, Warmowski said. Ive also had a friend of mine riding out to the bike trails and a car came so close to him that it forced him off the road.

Warmowski said even if drivers do not encounter many bicyclists in town, it is good to have that knowledge when visiting other places where bicycle travel is more common.

You see a lot more bicyclist in places like Springfield or St. Louis, Warmowski said. Educating drivers and raising awareness, its important for us to do.

Warmowski said he spoke with state Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, R-Jacksonville, about the issue of bicycle safety several times.

I encouraged him to vote for this law, Warmowski said. Its great that they are handling these issues at a state level.

A full list of bicycle Rules of the Road are available through the Secretary of States website or any of the DMV offices.

Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree cna be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1233, or on Twitter @JCNews_samantha.In Sundays preprinted A+E section, the Chicagoan of the Year profile of Bing Liu misstated the funding behind Lius documentary Minding the Gap. Public media funder Independent Television Services, along with the PBS program POV, financed the project, co-produced by Kartemquin Films.Writing the obituary on Gov. Bruce Rauners one term in office shouldnt be difficult.

He promised a lot, accomplished little, and was thoroughly rejected when he asked voters for a second chance.

During the past four years, our already-too-high taxes went up  considerably. And so did spending, despite his campaign promise to reduce both.

Yes, the Republican governor faced an uphill battle with Democrats controlling both the state Senate and the House, where Speaker Michael Madigans grip on power is ironclad, uncompromising and dangerous.

But to have so little to show for his term in office can only mean one thing, right? Hes just another in a long line of failed Illinois governors.

Its disappointing after the hope he offered following more than 25 years of poor and corrupt leadership at the top of state government.

Rauner felt like a breath of fresh air when he decided to run for governor in 2014. Unlike the career politicians who ran the state in the decades prior, Rauner never held public office before. He campaigned on a series of reforms he said Illinois needed to fix the states dire financial situation.

His 44-point Turnaround Agenda called for much-needed reforms to public employee pensions, underfunded by $130 billion; the states highest-in-the-nation workers compensation costs; prevailing wage laws that drive up costs for taxpayer-funded projects at all levels of government; state spending overall, and more.

Rauner immediately followed the failed administrations of Rod Blagojevich and Pat Quinn.

Blagojevichs corrupt six years in office resulted in his well-documented impeachment and conviction on more than a dozen federal charges, including that he tried to sell the seat of former U.S. Sen. Barack Obama. He remains in prison today, though  through his wife, Patti  he actively seeks a pardon or commutation of his sentence from President Donald Trump.

Quinn, lieutenant governor during the Blagojevich administration, finished the disgraced former governors final two years in office and won re-election in 2010. His time was marked by a worsening of the states fiscal situation despite tax increase after tax increase. It included allegations of corruption over a $55 million grant program that was used as a political slush fund, and patronage politics to get a massive income tax increase passed.

Before Blagojevich and Quinn was Gov. George Ryan, who also was convicted of corruption charges and sentenced to federal prison. And before Ryan was Gov. Jim Edgar, who served from 1991 to 1999. Edgar is infamous for whats referred to as the Edgar Ramp, which pushed the states pension obligations onto future generations and directly led to the fiscal crisis Illinois is in today.

With his election, Rauner offered hope for a better future.

Sadly, Illinois will be even worse off when his term comes to an end.

Because of Madigans and Democrats refusal to compromise on any of Rauners proposed reforms, Ive wanted to give the governor at least some benefit of the doubt.

Then came the revelation that Rauner sought others to replace him on the November midterm ballot after he barely defeated insurgent and relatively unknown state Rep. Jeanne Ives in the GOP primary in March.

Rauners legacy as governor was never going to be thought of positively, but now he was admitting he wanted to quit. Perhaps fittingly, he wasnt even good at that because he couldnt find a willing replacement. Instead, he stumbled through his campaign and lost to Democrat J.B. Pritzker by more than 16 percentage points.

I wish Rauner well as he moves on to whatever comes next.

I hope his reform ideas continue to be debated and considered.

Illinois still needs them.

Dan McCaleb is editor of Illinois News Network and the digital hub ILNews.org. He can be reached at dmccaleb@ilnews.org.Anis Tungekar had been driving his cab in the first block of North Jefferson Street in the West Loop Gate neighborhood on the Near West Side when he got out of the cab and spoke to a driver stopped behind him, video surveillance released by a family attorney shows.Gustavo Perez Arriaga View Photos

Update at 12:40pm: The main suspect, and two accomplices that hindered the investigation, are in custody in connection to the shooting death of Newman Police Corporal Ronil Singh.

Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson announced this afternoon that 32-year-old Gustavo Perez Arriaga was arrested at a home in Bakersfield in connection to the death of Corporal Singh. In addition, two others were arrested for helping Arriaga escape to Bakersfield after the alleged crime. They are 25-year-old Adrian Virgen and 27-year-old Erik Razo Quiroz. Sheriff Christianson added that one of those men is a brother of Arriaga and the other is a co-worker.

Arriaga, an illegal immigrant, was in the process of trying to get back to Mexico, when captured in Bakersfield. It was noted that he had been working as a farm laborer in the Central Valley for the past couple of years. He has two prior arrests for DUI and is a member of the Surenos street gang.

Sheriff Christianson also passionately spoke his disdain for state legislation that created sanctuary policies for illegal immigrants. He stated, We cant ignore the fact that this could have been prevented. Under SB 54 in California, based on two arrests for DUI and other active warrants that this criminal has out there, law enforcement would have been prohibited from sharing any information with ICE about this criminal gang member. Ladies and gentlemen, this is not how you protect a community.

Virgen and Quiroz are both in Stanislaus County Jail and Arriaga is in the process of being transported to Stanislaus County. It was noted that Corporal Singhs assigned handcuffs were used to place the suspect under arrest. The Bakersfield home had been under surveillance for 24 hours.

Original story posted at 10:55am: Kern County, CA  The Stanislaus County Sheriffs Office will hold a press conference this afternoon to speak about major developments regarding the shooting death of Newman Police Corporal Ronil Singh.

The Sheriffs Office has not released any further details, but news outlets like CNN are reporting that the shooting suspect was arrested in Kern County. In addition, the Mayor of the City of Turlock, which is in Stanislaus County, announced an arrest on social media. She indicated that a suspect has been taken into custody and that the sheriffs office will provide more information at the noon press conference.

The suspect, whose name has not been released, was in the country illegally, according to earlier statements by Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson. Corporal Singh was killed in a shootout after trying to pull over the suspect for DUI this past Wednesday morning. Corporal Singh leaves behind a wife and five month old son.

Tuolumne was one of four counties included in an earlier Blue Alert, signaling that a violent offender was on the loose, and could be in the area. Well pass along more information as it becomes available.Courtesy Photo

The Ninth and Columbia Church of Christ hosted its annual Community Christmas meal on Tuesday. Organizers of the event said there was record turnout. Each year, the church's congregation pulls together create a home-cooked meal for those who may not have a place to go for the holiday and those who simply want some company. Organizers estimate more than 100 plates were made.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.

Start receiving breaking news emails on wildfires, civil emergencies, riots, national breaking news, Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other critical events with the SFGATE breaking news email. Click here to make sure you get the news.A Galveston County veterinarian was arrested Wednesday night in Hitchcock on a felony warrants for rape and battery from Louisiana, Texas Department of Public Safety officials said.

Todd Michael Glover, 36, who owns and operates the Animal Hospital of Santa Fe in Santa Fe, was arrested by Texas Rangers at his residence around 8:45 p.m. on Wednesday, according to Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset.

News station KPRC reported that the charges against Glover stem from a trip to the Coushatta Casino Resort in early December in which two 17-year-old girls that Glover knew were allegedly sexually assaulted.

Christopher Sylvia, an attorney for the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, which owns and operates the Coushatta Casino Resort, declined to confirm those details, saying that until Glover is officially charged in Louisiana he could not give any information about the alleged victims. Sylvia said the Tribal Court of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana issued the arrest warrant for Glover.

Paul Darrow, Glover's attorney, said that he hasn't seen a charging document yet and that "we know very little" about the allegations at this point.

"I can tell you this, there's two sides to every story and we look very forward to dealing with this in court and the truth coming out," Darrow said. "Dr. Glover is absolutely innocent of these charges and we intend to fight it aggressively."

Glover has a history of domestic violence arrests, according to Galveston County court records, none of which resulted in convictions. He was arrested in April 2014 on a third degree felony charge of assault of a family member for "recklessly impeding the normal breathing" of his wife, Lacey Glover. That charge was dismissed upon Lacey Glover's request. Glover was also arrested in March 2017 on a misdemeanor assault charge for assault and causing bodily injury to Lacey Glover. That case ended in a mistrial and the charge was dismissed.

Glover was also arrested on a misdemeanor criminal trespassing charge in May 2014 for allegedly breaking into a woman's home, but the charged was later dismissed at the complainant's request. Another misdemeanor assault charge in October 2016 was dismissed after Glover completed a 3-step counseling program.

Glover was being held in Galveston County jail as a fugitive from justice, but was extradited into the custody of the Allen Parish Sheriff's office on Friday.

Nick Powell covers Galveston County for the Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter and send him tips at nick.powell@chron.comClark, Mallory and Mayers are less known than other candidates who were challenged by rival camps. Former federal prosecutor Lori Lightfoot officially made the ballot this week after Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle dropped her challenge to Lightfoots election petitions Monday. Preckwinkle also dropped her challenge of Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendozas petitions last week.Burglars broke into U.S. Rep. Al Greens south Houston office this week, according to the Houston Police Department.

Officers responded to the break-in at 3003 South Loop West at 8:50 a.m. Thursday.A man is dead Friday after crashing into a highway light pole along the Southwest Freeway, according to Houston police.

Police say the man was driving a green Toyota SUV inbound near Buffalo Speedway when he veered off the main lanes and slammed into the light pole, bending the SUV's frame and trapping the driver.A man was wounded in a shootout after men broke into his apartment near Uptown on Thursday night, police said.

Police arrived at the apartment in the 5400 block of Beverly Hill, near Richmond Avenue, around 9:15 p.m. The front door was kicked open, and the victim wasnt home, said Lt. Larry Crowson of the Houston Police Department.In an effort to keep dispatchers available to take emergency calls on New Year's Eve, the San Antonio Fire Department will open a hotline designated for reporting fireworks within city limits.

The department establishes the hotline around holidays known for fireworks, like New Year's Eve and the Fourth of July. Residents who want to report illegal fireworks use can call 210-207-0202.San Antonio Crime Stoppers is offering rewards of up to $5,000 for the area's most wanted fugitives, including several police said have been on the run for years.

While some are wanted for relatively minor offenses, others are wanted for more violent crimes.San Antonio police arrested a man Thursday who they said stole high-priced electronics from a Pre-K 4 SA center.

Mason Renz, 25, was taken into custody on suspicion of burglary of a building after police responded to an alarm Wednesday afternoon at the education center on Medical Drive.

Pre-K 4 SA is a city funded early education program intended to give children a head start on their education.

FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox

Officers encountered Renz in the area but did not have enough evidence to arrest him at the time, San Antonio Police Sgt. Michelle Ramos said.

Police determined the center had burglarized and employees told them several electronics, including laptops and computers, were missing, authorities said.

Officers obtained a warrant for Renzs arrest and pulled him over on Thursday. He was arrested without incident.

While searching his home, officers found most of the stolen property, as well as other items.

We believe he is involved in several other burglaries over the holidays, Ramos said.

If theft victims identify the stolen items, Renz could face additional charges, Ramos said.

Renz remained silent as he was being taken to jail.

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Its a potential. I hope it doesnt come to that, Chico said. I hope its something we can sit down and work out. Right now theyre not enforcing a lot of their own laws. These guns are just flowing over the border.Bexar Countys attempts to reduce bureaucracy by eliminating two appointed juvenile court judge positions has failed. And it will be taxpayers paying the price.

Based on declining caseloads for the juvenile courts in Bexar County, budget writers were recommending that two vacant associate judge posts assigned to the juvenile courts remain vacant. The savings to taxpayers  from the salaries for the two judges, court reporters and bailiffs  would have been more than $550,000 a year.

Instead, 436th District Judge Lisa Jarrett has hired City Councilman William Cruz Shaw, and Carlos Quezada, judge-elect of the 289th District Court, has hired Jim Wheat, a former North East Independent School District board member and chief of the special crimes section of the district attorneys office.

Jarrett and Quezada said the new hires are aware that the county may try to eliminate the post in the next budget cycle and there wont be funding for the positions in nine months when the fiscal year ends.

In a letter addressed to Jarrett, County Manager David Smith said the county is looking for areas to cut in anticipation of potential state legislation that caps property tax revenue growth. He recommended that the two vacant associate positions be left open and the judges share the services of longtime Associate Judge Pat Garza, who is now working for 386th District Judge Arcelia Trevino.

But now that the positions have been filled, it is questionable whether they will be eliminated. Cutting county positions has never been easy. Time and again, Bexar County commissioners have demonstrated a lack of political fortitude in carrying out staff reductions that affect other elected officials.

Juvenile courts are unique in that each of the countys three designated juvenile court judges has an associate judge at their disposal to help with the courts docket. Defense lawyers have the right to ask that a case be heard by the courts elected judge, but that is rarely done, and cases generally go to whomever they are assigned.

No one is questioning the associate judges ability to do the job. They generally come with strong credentials  sometimes even stronger than those of the elected judges  and have a reputation for strong work ethic. The question is whether the workload justifies their positions.

This election cycle, the work ethic of the elected judiciary came under close scrutiny and questions were raised about the distribution of work between elected judges and associate judges. While there are certain matters only the elected juvenile court judge can preside over, many of the routine, time-consuming hearings can be dealt with by appointed judges. And they usually land before them.

A bigger question for county administrators as they move into the next budget year is what volume of a courts work is being handled by the sitting judge and just how much of it is being needlessly pawned off to associate judges. Is this because the workload demands it, or is it because the elected judges simply dont want to take the cases? Signatures appearing on court documents could be telling. Answering the question is crucial for correct budgeting.

We understand judges duties to the community sometimes extend beyond the courtroom, but their primary responsibility is to preside over cases in their courts.

Taxpayers should not have to pay for duplicate support staffs when the elected judge and associate judge rarely hold court at the same time. And if this is occurring, they definitely should not be paying for an associate judge so an elected judge can pursue interests outside the courtroom.Government is considering changing internship conditions for junior doctors to avert future work disruptions that expose patients to risk, Acting President Constantino Chiwenga has said.

Strikes by employees at public health institutions have become a yearly routine.

Addressing journalists yesterday after touring Natpharm Company and the pharmacy department at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, Acting President Chiwenga said the current system treated junior doctors as employees of the Ministry of Health and Child Care yet they had not completed training.

We are going to look at our systems because we have found that the systems which were being followed were not correct.

When somebody is still and not yet finished (medical school) you cannot call him a junior doctor. He is still on internship and those regulations are going to be looked at, said Acting President Chiwenga.

He said the new regulations would soon be brought before Parliament.

Government has spent a lot of money training these young doctors, as they want to call them, but I think they are still on internship; they are not yet junior doctors, said the Acting President.

The junior doctors went on strike at the beginning of this month demanding improved working conditions and better salaries. They have rejected appeals by Government to return to work for the sake of patients while their grievances are being looked into.

Currently the Ministry of Health and Child Care is responsible for the junior doctors, and not the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development.

They can only be registered as doctors after they complete their seven-year training.

Registration allows them to treat patients but under supervision by senior doctors for at least two years, a process known as housemanship or internship.

During the seven-year training period, they are taken as interns.

These are some of the things we need to look at. The Ministry of Health and Child Care was taking over somebody who was still a student who has not yet completed his or her studies and this is wrong. We will not entertain wrong things. The law does not allow that, said Acting President Chiwenga.

On doctors suspended last week for engaging in the strike, the Acting President said Ministers of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development and of Health and Child Care have since been tasked to ensure that all medical students, who are ready for internship, were registered to resume as soon as possible.

He reiterated that the industrial action by the junior doctors was illegal.

Acting President Chiwenga said the junior doctors had defied the Labour Court ruling earlier this week, which gave them 12 hours to return to work resulting in their suspension.

He said the health sector was part of essential services and employees were not allowed to down tools.

They withdrew their labour when they had not pursued all that is required by the labour laws of our country and they went to court and the courts found them on the wrong side of the law and what we would have expected is they were going to come back, said Acting President Chiwenga.

Speaking at the same occasion, Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira said grievances must be negotiated instead of taking peoples lives as pawns.

It is very important to us that whenever there are problems in the country we need to uphold the sanctity of life, we need to uphold the Hippocratic Oath, said Prof Murwira.

If there are grievances, they are negotiated. We do not hold peoples lives as pawns in our game.

So I believe that as we do our higher and tertiary education system we are going to make necessary changes that are good for our students, but that are principally good for the nation, he said.

He said they were working on the new system.

On the suspended junior doctors, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo said Government was now guided by the rule of law.

He said the junior doctors were given 12 hours to comply with the law but defied it.

He said the Health Service Board would now pursue issues of discipline against the suspended doctors.

They were given 12 hours to correct the situation, but they chose not to do so.

We are going by the rule of law as indicated by the Presidency. The HSB is there to follow procedures as laid down; to look into the grievances and issues relating to disciplines, said Dr Moyo.

He said the candidates who had just completed their five-year training were expected to start internship on January 2 2019.

Junior doctors went on strike on December 1 demanding a review of their working conditions.

They also wanted salaries in United States dollar.

Last week Government suspended 530 health professionals including the junior doctors for embarking on an illegal industrial action.

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsZANU-PF youths in Matabeleland North besieged West Garage in Lupane on Monday complaining about attendants at the facility who were reportedly selling fuel in foreign currency only .

Members of the public and motorists approached the Zanu-PF Matabeleland North provincial youth leadership to complain as fuel attendants were demanding United States dollars and South African rand for fuel.

The partys provincial youth chair Cde Tamuka Nyoni said concerned youths stormed the service station demanding answers.

Some people approached us complaining that fuel was there at West Garage but attendants were demanding forex. We drove there and they told us that they were only selling to those with US dollars and rand.

We started arguing as we wanted to understand why they were doing that. We wanted to lock up the garage until they comply because already they are not taking EcoCash and if they refuse bond notes and swipe how do they expect locals to access fuel? asked Cde Nyoni.

He said youths left the garage after the intervention of police who had come to ensure there was no violence.

The garage manager Mr Obert Murwira confirmed the encounter with Zanu-PF youths.

He admitted that the garage sells its fuel in forex only, saying that is because they order from outside the country.

He said a litre of petrol costs $1 while R100 is equivalent to US$7.

Yes we sell our fuel in forex because we get it from outside the country using foreign currency. Some people came here and we tried to explain to them but they would not understand, he said.

Early this month angry motorists temporarily closed Total Service Station in Victoria Falls in protest over hoarding of fuel and favouritism by the garage attendants.

Similar complaints have emerged from various service stations which are accused of feeding the black market despite getting fuel from Government.

Energy and Power Development Minister, Dr Joram Gumbo has warned fuel traders and filling stations that are withholding fuel and those supplying the black market that they risk losing their trading licences.

Dr Gumbo recently said Police and Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) have been deployed all over the country to carry out random raids on rogue service stations.

This comes after a realisation that some service stations are withholding fuel to supply the black market and pirate taxis.

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsACTING President Cde Constantino Chiwenga will visit Bulawayo on Sunday to attend a ceremony organised by a group of churches to commemorate the positives of the new dispensation.

The thanksgiving event, to be held at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre, the venue for the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) is being organised by the Faith for the Nation Campaign, a grouping of different church denominations that was founded in 2000.

In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services said: Acting President, Constantino Chiwenga will be joining spiritual leaders from various denominations in a Thanksgiving and Faith for the Nation Campaign at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair on December 30, 2018. They will commemorate the positives of the new dispensation.

Last year, churches invited President Mnangagwa to Bulawayo for the same ceremony soon after he had been sworn in as the countrys new leader.

Held under the theme God has given Zimbabwe the answer of peace, the purpose of the ceremony was to thank God for the new dispensation and give thanks for a peaceful transition into a new era.

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsDecember 28, 2018

ZHDA PRESS STATEMENT ON THE INDUSTRIAL ACTION

The Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) National Executive would like to update the press, members of the public, stakeholders and its members on new developments in the industrial action which has entered its 27th day (Thursday).

The Minister of Health and Child Care, Mr O. Moyo and his deputy, Dr J.O Mangwiro have misinformed the Acting President General CDGN Chiwenga (R(d) on the reality of the prevailing situation in the health sector. This act is a poor attempt at covering up their shortcomings in the ministry and running a smear campaign on the doctors. We intend to set the record straight so that members of the public are not misinformed by these individuals in the ministry of health seeking to gain mileage.

1. The Junior doctors who initiated the strike and have been suspended are wholly qualified doctors who hold two Bachelor Degrees of Medicine and Surgery (MBChB) from accredited institutions and have graduated from university. They have undergone five and a half years of intense training including clinical rotations and are not under the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education as the ministry would like the Presidium and the public to believe.

The government would not be stating that hospitals are at a standstill and chasing after them if these doctors were just students. Students do not treat patients and do not perform surgery on pregnant women, as this would be inhumane and illegal. Having gone through medical school, the Minister and his deputy should be fully aware of this.

2. The government ceased offering financial assistance to medical students years ago. They did not spend ANY money in sending our members to school and this was an effort of the parents, guardians and sponsors of our doctors. Moreso, these doctors earn a basic salary of $329 RTGS, and the bulk of their remuneration are extra hours done on call.

3. When we visited NatPharm, we did not see the protective clothing and laboratory machines we requested. Instead we noted that some of the medication which was being peddled as stocks was beyond expiry date, and the said consignment has donor drugs which should not be passed for bought drugs to the taxpayer. Furthermore, the minister said the medication was procured two weeks ago but none has reached our hospitals. We would like to know whether the medication was kept until it expired or was procured as is, both of which are acts of sabotage to the nation and the Presidium, and the minister should be taken to task.

4. Not only Junior doctors are on industrial action, but middle level and senior doctors from central, provincial and district hospitals have Joined as the ministry drags its feet. No form of recruitment can replace the already low staffing levels, and stating that the situation is normal is an untrue statement.

5. Instead of resolving grievances, the Minister is trying to push constitutional amendments to prevent further strikes. This will enable him to sleep on the job as the health sector crumbles, like he has been doing when these grievances were raised in October and he turned a deaf ear.

We are disappointed that the Minister and his team continue to play politics with peoples lives instead of addressing the situation at hand. The Minister, his deputy and the Health Services Board have failed dismally in their mandate to uphold our fellow countrymens health and workers safety.

We hope the Presidium will find a lasting solution to the current impasse for the benefit of our nation. We are ready to offer our services once our grievances have been addressed. We urge the public to steer clear of propaganda and to pray for us as we try to restore sanity to our health sector.

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsPresident Emmerson Mnangagwas government has directed over 500 illegal settlers staying on various farms countrywide to go back from where they came.

Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement minister Perrance Shiri told journalists during a post-Cabinet media briefing last week that Cabinet had resolved to evict the illegal settlers ostensibly to ensure stability on the farms.

We expect that they shall go back to where they came from. If they have got any challenges, well, we have got the social department which can look into that, but our task is to ensure there is total stability on the farms, Shiri said.

Shiri added that government was keen on ensuring that the land reform programme be concluded, hence the need to clear up all outstanding issues including ownership disputes.

The illegal settlers are found throughout the farming areas so basically you find them in all the provinces. We have identified where they are and we are proceeding with the evictions, he said.

The former Air Force of Zimbabwe commander also revealed that contrary to claims by Treasury that it would not be availing inputs to farmers across the country owing to fiscal challenges, government would assist farmers with seed and fertiliser.

Everything possible is being done for farmers to go back to the land and the government will leave no stone unturned to make sure we produce enough not only for our own consumption but even for exports, he said inadvertently exposing the policy discord in government.

Yes, there could be challenges here and there but thats why we are there to look into challenges and resolve them.

Zimbabwe embarked on the land reform programme to correct colonial land imbalances which favoured the white minority.

The programme which has been blamed for the countrys almost perennial food security challenges since then was characterised by chaos and violence as war veterans forcibly expropriated land formerly owned by white commercial farmers.

It also saw some landless Zimbabweans settling themselves unlawfully on pieces of land, a situation which the government is now trying to correct.

The government is in the process of conducting a land audit to assess utilisation patterns to open up under-utilised land for other interested citizens.

The audit is also meant to fish out multiple farm owners who grabbed large tracts of land countrywide against the one-man one-farm principle that informed the land reform programme.

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Related Zimbabwe Latest News(CNN)  It's a Christmas battle for the hearts and souls of the Chinese people.

Despite being officially atheist and having a long and antagonistic relationship with religion, the ruling Communist Party is presiding over a boom of Christianity in China.

There are an estimated 72 million to 92 million Christians in the country -- the second-largest faith group after Chinese Buddhists, according to US-based NGO Freedom House.

Some experts claim that China could even become the world's largest Christian country in less than two decades.

Yet on December 9, authorities reportedly detained more than 100 Protestant worshipers from the Early Rain Covenant Church in the city of Chengdu.

The church's pastor, Wang Yi, was arrested on allegations of "inciting subversion of state power," according to US-based Christian advocacy group ChinaAid. Neither China's National Religious Affairs Administration nor local authorities in Chengdu responded to CNN's requests for comment on the case.

The arrests cap a year-long crackdown on religion in China. Dozens of predominantly Protestant Christian churches ruled to have been built or run illegally have been torn down across the country throughout 2018.

Elsewhere, in the western region of Xinjiang, a growing campaign of repression against the predominantly Muslim Uyghur ethnic group has provoked international condemnation.

Analysts and civil rights advocates say Beijing is intensifying its campaign against worshipers seen as an ideological threat to the party's monopoly on power.

"We are now entering a new era of repression toward two of China's five religions, which is different than what we've seen over the past 40 years," said Ian Johnson, a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist and author of "The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao."

Religion with Chinese characteristics

China may be officially an atheist state, but religious practice is legal in the country  albeit under tight government supervision and surveillance.

There are only five state-recognized faiths: Chinese Buddhism, Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism and Taoism.

Worship and religious activity are supervised by state-sanctioned organizations. The government appoints major religious leaders and decides where places of worship can be built.

Worshipers must "uphold the principle that religions in China must be Chinese in orientation and provide active guidance to religions so that they can adapt themselves to the socialist society," according to a government white paper on religious freedoms published earlier this year.

The reason for these restrictions, Beijing claims, is that "foreign religions" such as Catholicism and Protestantism have "long been controlled and utilized by colonialists and imperialists."

China's fractious relationship with organized religion has a long history. In the mid-1800s, charismatic cult leader Hong Xiuquan declared himself the brother of Jesus Christ and launched a civil war against the ruling Qing dynasty.

At its height, his Taiping Heavenly Kingdom controlled huge swaths of China before it was eventually defeated by Imperial forces.

Local spiritual and religious movements have also been subject to brutal crackdowns.

In 1999, China banned and moved to eradicate the Falun Gong spiritual movement, a faith combining traditional marital arts practices with new-age beliefs. At its height, the Falun Gong claimed millions of followers  and its influence worried the government.

Experts say restrictions on worship help those in power mold religious institutions to their liking, or co-opt them altogether.

Christianity and Islam, Johnson said, are seen as particularly threatening because the party views them as having "strong foreign ties." "(That's) even though both religions have long roots in China and are very much localized," he added.

'Country of particular concern'

Outrage grew worldwide in 2018 over the treatment of Muslim-majority Uyghurs in Xinjiang, with reports that hundreds of thousands have been imprisoned in massive "re-education camps."

The clampdown on Uyghurs led the US State Department to designate China a "country of particular concern" regarding religious freedom. It comes after Chinese officials banned Uyghurs from growing long beards, wearing veils in public places and home schooling their children in 2017.

"My particular concern now for China is they've increased these actions of persecution against the faith community," Sam Brownback, Washington's ambassador at large for international religious freedom, said earlier this month. "China isn't backing away from the religious persecution; it seems to be expanding. This is obviously very troubling."

Chinese authorities say their actions in Xinjiang are intended to combat violent extremism, and they have repeatedly denied claims of human rights abuses.

"Today's Xinjiang is not only beautiful but also safe and stable. No matter where they are or at what time of the day, people are no longer afraid of going out, shopping, dining and traveling," Shohrat Zakir, Xinjiang's ethnic Uyghur governor, told state media in October.

But former detainees have reported torture and brainwashing inside the detention centers, including forcing inmates to repeat Communist Party propaganda praising President Xi Jinping.

In an interview with Reuters in November, China's ambassador to the US, Cui Tiankai, said the camps were trying to turn the Muslim-majority inmates into "normal people."

Chinese authorities have refused to grant international monitoring groups and diplomats access to Xinjiang.

While other communist regimes have also been hostile to religion, Johnson said the crackdown on Christianity and Islam was less about the faiths' practices and beliefs and more about the China's ability to control them.

"Under President Xi, the government has further tightened control over Christianity in its broad efforts to 'Sinicize' religion or 'adopt Chinese characteristics'  in other words, to ensure that religious groups support the government and the Communist Party," Human Rights Watch said in a statement calling for the release of Wang Yi, the Chengdu pastor, and his fellow believers.

China, Vatican deal a 'betrayal'

While some Christians worship legally in government-approved churches, many others attend unregistered underground services.

State-sanctioned Catholic churches are run by bishops chosen and ordained by Beijing, not the Vatican. These churches do not recognize the Pope as the ultimate authority in Catholicism, nor does the Holy See recognize Chinese-selected bishops as legitimate.

After decades of chilly relations, the two sides reached a landmark provisional agreement in September that would see them jointly approve China's bishops, a deal that could help lead to the restoration of diplomatic ties between Beijing and the Holy See.

It has drawn swift opposition in some circles. Cardinal Joseph Zen, the former bishop of Hong Kong, called it an "incredible betrayal" of the Catholic faith in an interview with Reuters.

Frequent China critic and Republican US Sen. Marco Rubio, himself a Catholic, asked how the Vatican could justify ceding religious authority to a secular government.

"They are giving a government (an atheist one) influence in choosing bishops which (the Church says) are regarded as transmitters of the apostolic line. How does secular (and atheist) interference in that decision not break that line?" Rubio said on Twitter.

It remains unclear how the Vatican deal will affect Protestant churches like Early Rain, but critics believe it comes from the same playbook as the arrests in Chengdu  it's all about control.

"This goes back to a broader effort by the government to crack down on anything that can be construed as civil society  in other words, groups like religious organizations, or NGOs, that are outside government control," Johnson said.

This story was first published on CNN.com. "Beijing's crackdown on religion clouds holiday season for China's faithful."Under the proposal, it would be illegal for retailers to sell guns without being certified by the state. To qualify, stores first must be licensed by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Then, they would have to submit a copy of that license to the Illinois State Police, along with an affidavit declaring it remains valid. Shop owners would have to install surveillance equipment, maintain an electronic inventory, establish anti-theft measures and require employees to undergo annual training.This post first appeared on November 30, 2011

By Andrew Dittmer, who recently finished his PhD in mathematics at Harvard and is currently continuing work on his thesis topic. He also taught mathematics at a local elementary school. Andrew enjoys explaining the recent history of the financial sector to a popular audience.

Simulposted at The Distributist Review

This is the second installment of a six-part interview. For the previous part, see here. Red indicates exact quotes from Hans-Hermann Hoppes 2001 book Democracy: The God That Failed.

ANDREW: Do other libertarians agree with your idea of a libertarian society?

CODE NAME CAIN: Well, we do have our differences. For example, the Cato Institute is severely compromised by numerous left-leaning libertarians such as David Boaz. The Cato tag-alongs and certain other prominent libertarians imagine that an extremely small government would be better than no government at all. They are, of course, wrong. They have not yet recognized that every government is destructive of what they want to preserve [235-236].

ANDREW: It sounds like you and Dr. Hoppe and Murray Rothbard are strongly critical of those other libertarians. But when I looked through the Cato web site, I found that while they sometimes express disagreements, they are surprisingly respectful of Rothbard and Hoppe. Why do you think this is?

CNC: Three reasons. First, pro-government libertarians have probably realized how difficult it is to refute Rothbard and Hoppe, and so prefer instead to learn from their ideas. Second, many agree with Tibor Machan, who says that libertarians should not let their small differences over this issue distrac[t] from the far more significant task of making the case for libertarianism in the face of innumerable bona fide statist challenges. But third, you have to reckon with the Human Shield Effect.

ANDREW: The what?

CNC: Libertarian Bryan Caplan says that hard-core libertarians comparative advantage is to play watchdog for moderate libertarians  and make them seem reasonable by comparison. You see, on many areas other libertarians secretly agree with us, but they are afraid to acknowledge it openly. Instead, they prefer to let us take the heat for our principled positions, and to wait for us to turn previously radical ideas into common sense.

ANDREW: So you can count on at least some support from other libertarians. But in order to make your revolution happen, you will have to convince other people as well. Are you going to try to get a majority of U.S. voters to support the future libertarian society?

CNC: It wont work  persuade a majority of the public to vote for the abolition of democracy and an end to all taxes and legislation? [] is this not sheer fantasy, given that the masses are always dull and indolent, and even more so given that democracy promotes moral and intellectual degeneration? How in the world can anyone expect that a majority of an increasingly degenerate people accustomed to the right to vote should ever voluntarily renounce [it]? [288].

ANDREW: If its not a good idea to try to persuade a majority of Americans to surrender the right to vote, what is the right approach?

CNC: It has to start with a small elite. As Etienne La Boetie said, these are the men who, possessed of clear minds and farsighted spirit, are not satisfied, like the brutish mass, to see only what is at their feet, but rather look about them. These people will start to secede from the United States.

ANDREW: Meaning?

CNC: It means one regard[s] the central government as illegitimate, and treat[s] it and its agents as an outlaw agency and foreign occupying forces [91].

ANDREW: You dont pay your taxes?

CNC: One tries to keep as much of ones property and surrender as little tax money as possible. One considers all federal law, legislation and regulation null and void and ignores it whenever possible [91]. One needs to be ready in case the government makes a move, and invest in such forms and at such locations which withdraw, remove, hide, or conceal ones wealth as far as possible from the eyes and arms of government [92].

ANDREW: Is this why you have a code name?

CNC: It took you a while, but you figured it out in the end.

ANDREW: How will a few people seceding lead to an anti-state revolution?

CNC: It wont.  it is essential to complement ones defensive measures with an offensive strategy: to invest in an ideological campaign of delegitimizing the idea and institution of democratic government among the public [92].

ANDREW: Did you say earlier that trying to convince the public would be difficult?

CNC: With the secession strategy, you dont need a majority. Thats good, because [t]he mass of people  always and everywhere consists of brutes, dullards, and fools, easily deluded and sunk into habitual submission [92]. Still, there can be no revolution without some form of mass participation.  the elite cannot reach its own goal of restoring private property rights and law and order unless it succeeds in communicating its ideas to the public, openly if possible and secretly if necessary [93].

ANDREW: Even if you do it secretly, convincing the masses that they are inferior sounds tricky.

CNC: Thats true, but you dont have to convince Joe the Plumber that he is a brute. You can convince him instead that he is a hardworking, productive individual, and that other people are brutes who are making it so Joe has no control over his life.

ANDREW: I see.

CNC: Still, youre right. Convincing the masses of the superiority of the natural elite is not the most important part of our communications strategy. The central task of those wanting to turn the tide is the delegitimation of the idea of democracy [103] It is not enough to focus on specific policies or personalities Every critic and criticism deserving of support must proceed to explain each and every particular government failing as an underlying flaw in the very idea of government itself (and of democratic government in particular). [94]

ANDREW: Now that I think of it, I have heard people saying things like that.

CNC: There is still a long way to go. There remain far too many people who make unnecessary compromises with the idea of democracy. In fact, there must never be even the slightest wavering in ones commitment to uncompromising ideological radicalism Not only would anything less be counterproductive, but more importantly, only radical  indeed, radically simple  ideas can possibly stir the emotions of the dull and indolent masses. And nothing is more effective in persuading the masses to cease cooperating with government than the constant and relentless exposure, desanctification, and ridicule of government and its representatives [94].

ANDREW: A lot of Americans think that democracy has helped the country to be prosperous.

CNC: What better evidence of the limited mental horizons of the so-called ordinary person? Hans-Hermann Hoppe has debunked this idea entirely, but too many people still think that the collapse of the Soviet Union had something to do with the absence of democracy! [A]s for the economic quality of democracy, it must be stressed relentlessly that it is not democracy but private property, production, and voluntary exchange that are the ultimate sources of human civilization and prosperity. [105]

ANDREW: So lets see if I understand. At this point, there will be a small elite dedicated to revolution. Meanwhile, many ordinary people will no longer believe that democracy is a good system. Will you try to do this everywhere, or just in a few key places?

CNC: It doesnt matter if people in any one city think that what were doing is wrong and dangerous. As long as the people who oppose us continue to wring their hands together and to talk only to people who already agree with them, they will not obstruct our efforts to find or create secessonist majorities at hundreds of locations all over the country [290].

ANDREW: Arent you a little worried about how the government might respond to all of these people choosing not to obey the law?

CNC: You mean, considering how the U.S. government has become entangled in hundreds of foreign conflicts and risen to the rank of the worlds dominant imperialist power[?] [How] nearly every president [since 1900] has also been responsible for the murder, killing, or starvation of countless innocent foreigners all over the world [244]? Of course Im worried. The U.S. president in particular is the worlds single most threatening and armed danger, capable of ruining everyone who opposes him and destroying the entire globe. [244]

ANDREW: But then, what will you do?

CNC: We will work to create a U.S. punctuated by a large and increasing number of territorially disconnected free cities  a multitude of Hong Kongs, Singapores, Monacos, and Liechtensteins strewn over the entire continent [291]. This approach offers two advantages. First, a piecemeal strategy will make secession seem less threatening. Second, the more the secession process continues, the more the governments strength will be eroded.

ANDREW: But there could still be conflicts between the new libertarian mini-states and the existing democracies.

CNC: If there is a conflict, it will be because a democracy has not respected the rights of the free mini-states. But you are forgetting that the mini-states will not be defenseless in such a conflict.

ANDREW: What will they do?

CNC: Since they will be no-tax free-trade haven[s], large numbers of investors and huge amounts of capital would begin to flow immediately. [132] It will therefore be possible to pay large multinational insurance companies to develop military forces capable of defending the free mini-states against government aggression. Keep in mind that, unlike the military forces of the democracy, these military units will be provided by private firms, and so will be much more efficient. If there were to be a conflict, these insurers would be prepared to target the aggressor (the state) for retaliation. That is, insurers would be ready to counterattack and kill, whether with long-range precision weapons or assassination commandos, state agents from the top of the government hierarchy [from the] president. on downward They would thereby encourage internal resistance against the aggressor government, promote its delegitimization, and possibly incite the liberation and transformation of the state territory into a free country. [264-265]

ANDREW: Will it stop there? Or will you eventually get rid of the small city-states as well?

CNC: At the correct moment, all remaining governments will be dissolved. Protection against violence will be provided exclusively by insurance firms. As I see it, public property should be distributed among taxpayers, with shares based on how much each individual or firm, up to now, has been forced to pay in taxes. Since public employees and welfare recipients are obviously recipients and not victim of taxes (theft), they will receive nothing.

ANDREW: Would you like to say anything else before I end this part of the interview?

CNC: Let me quote the conclusion of Democracy  The God That Failed. If and only if we succeed in this endeavor, if we then proceed to return all public property into appropriate private hands and adopt a new constitution which declares all taxation and legislation henceforth unlawful, and if we finally allow insurance agencies to do what they are destined to do, can we be truly proud again and will America be justified in claiming to provide an example to the rest of the world. [292]

In part 3 of this interview, Code Name Cain will show that he is unafraid to explain how a libertarian society will work in detail.

The Etienne La Boetie quote is from The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary

Servitude, New York, Free Life Editions, 1975, p. 65 (cited at Hoppe, p. 93).On 17 December 2018, representatives from Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the European Union, as well as Ambassador Alejandro Alvargonzalez, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy, signed the Building Integrity (BI) Executing Agent Arrangement for the fourth phase of the BI Trust Fund for 2019-2022.

This arrangement designates the NATO International Staff as the responsible authority for the design and delivery of strategic advising and capacity-building activities to promote good practices and strengthen transparency, accountability and integrity in the defence and related security sector with participating countries. BI capacity-building activities are delivered through peer-to-peer contacts and education and training in key areas including management of personnel and financial resources, procurement and disposal of assets.

Originally launched in 2007, the NATO Building Integrity programme is open to NATO member and partner countries. In 2018, 2552 civilian and military personnel took part in BI capacity-building activities conducted in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Central Asia, including Afghanistan.

During the ceremony on 17 December, Ambassador Alvargonzalez expressed appreciation to Norway, Switzerland, the UK and the European Union for choosing NATO as the executing agent for promoting good governance in the defence and related security sector. He highlighted that "NATO has a proven track record in building capacity to strengthen good governance in the defence and related security sector, and is looking forward to continuing to provide practical support to nations.

The resources of the BI Trust Fund will be used by the NATO International Staff to scale up the ongoing programme of activities made available to 71 countries world-wide. Tailored packages are currently being implemented in 20 countries. Through the NATO Building Integrity programme, countries are able to take part in education and training for civilian and military personnel, share lessons learned and promote good practices.(Natural News) New research out of the University of California, Berkeley has revealed that many conventional shampoo, soap, and toothpaste products are loaded with endocrine-disrupting chemicals, or EDCs, that damage hormones in developing children.

Young girls, the study found, are reaching puberty much earlier than normal as a result of exposure to these EDCs. And boys, it further found, are similarly experiencing reductions in testosterone levels from simple use of contaminated products.

Published in the journal Human Reproduction, the paper was compiled from data collected as part of the Centre for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS), which followed 338 children from pre-birth into adolescence to assess the impact of various environmental exposures.

What they determined is that, over the past 20 years, the average age at which children are reaching puberty is getting increasingly earlier  and a major culprit are personal care products that contain chemicals known to interfere with normal hormone expression.

We know that some of the things we put on our bodies are getting into our bodies, either because they pass through the skin or we breathe them in or we inadvertently ingest them, stated Kim Harley, the studys lead author and an associate adjunct professor in Berkeleys School of Public Health.

We need to know how these chemicals are affecting our health.

Chemicals in personal care products causing ovarian cancer in girls and testicular cancer in boys

While the average age for girls reaching puberty is normally around 11, exposure to EDCs in personal care products is bringing that down to around eight  or even earlier. Scientists describe this negative phenomenon as precocious puberty, which is known to cause social troubles and increase the likelihood of young girls engaging in risky behavior.

Among the EDCs that cause this are phthalates, parabens, and phenols, three common personal care product chemicals that are known to mimic hormones in the human body. When rubbed on skin or used orally, products that contain such chemicals can leach them into the body, causing adolescent youth of both sexes to mature far too early.

While more research is needed, people should be aware that there are chemicals in personal care products that may be disrupting the hormones in our bodies, Harley added.

This same study also found that EDCs can damage the hormones of children who are exposed to them in the womb  meaning theyre not even directly exposed to them, but are rather having them passed down from their mothers.

EDCs also linked to autism in children

As we earlier reported, EDCs have also been linked to another widespread phenomenon thats interfering with normal childhood development: autism.

A cohort of researchers from some of the top schools in the country looked at blood and urine samples from 175 pregnant women, and tracked them for up to five years. What they discovered is that exposure to EDCs prenatally increased the prevalence of autistic behavioral traits in children, beginning in the womb and extending into early childhood.

Shockingly, scientists uncovered an average of 44 different EDCs in each of the pregnant women, revealing just how prominent these chemicals are in consumer care products as well as in the environment. These include chemicals like brominated flame retardants from furniture; perfluorooctane, a coolant chemical; and beta-hexachlorocyclohexane, a pesticide chemical used in conventional agriculture.

With autism rates climbing in the United States between 2002 and 2012 by 78 percent, it seems that Americans are oblivious to the effect that these chemicals have on the human body, especially on developing minds, our own L.J. Devon explained.

Since boys are four times more likely than girls to develop autistic behaviors, the scientists concurred that several key hormones known to control male brain development are being disrupted by chemicals in the environment.

For more related news, be sure to check out ChemicalViolence.news.

Sources for this article include:

SCMP.com

NaturalNews.com(Natural News) Outgoing California Gov. Jerry Brown wants to give the residents of his state some very dangerous Christmas presents: Violent criminals.

Just in time for the holidays, Brown granted 143 pardons and an additional 131 sentence commutations that included Kevin Cooper, an inmate sitting on death row after being convicted if killing four members of a Chino Hills family in their home with a hatchet, a knife, and an ice pick in 1983.

In response to a clemency request from Cooper, Brown ordered new DNA tests on four pieces of evidence that includes the handle of the hatchet used to commit the murders and the sheath holding it, PJ Media reports.

Brown justified his order by claiming in a written statement that he is taking no position as to Mr. Coopers guilt or innocence at this time. But, he continued, colorable factual questions have been raised about whether advances in DNA technology warrant limited retesting of certain physical evidence in the case.

Continuing, Brown noted, The purpose of this new testing is to determine whether another suspected persons DNA, or the DNA of any other identifiable suspect based on a match in the FBIs Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database, is present on the items tested. Given the nature of the testing requested, and the fact that the murders, in this case, occurred before the advent of DNA technology and related evidence handling protocols, both parties acknowledge the distinct possibility that further testing may yield multiple DNA contributors of unknown origin.

As such, if the only result of further testing is to yield either no additional DNA matches, or only DNA from unknown contributors, this matter should be closed, he wrote.

As if it isnt bad enough that Cooper has spent nearly 35 years on death row already, escaping the justice that a court and a jury prescribed, now its entirely possible hell get out of prison altogether if Brown deems it.

California is a violent criminals best friend

There shouldnt be a question as to Coopers guilt anyway. San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos has argued against releasing Cooper because, he says, DNA testing on crime scene items such as a bloody t-shirt and discarded cigarettes have already put Cooper at the scene and in the familys stolen station wagon. (Related: Liberal media frets over the death of a migrant girl but says nothing about Americans being killed by violent illegals.)

Coopers defense lawyer, however, is claiming that someone  police or prosecutors or both  planted blood on the t-shirt so they could frame Cooper, who is black, for the crime. Of course.

If this case isnt bad enough, Brown also wanted to commute the sentence of another violent criminal, Kenny Lee, who was convicted of robbing and murdering a cab driver in 1992. But that commutation was blocked by the California Supreme Court, marking the seventh such intervention in recent weeks as Brown tried to issue commutations for other killers as well.

While this kind of stuff is alarming to sane people who are concerned about public safety, it shouldnt surprise anyone who is familiar with Brown and the supermajority of Democrats who run the countrys most populous state.

Recall that Democrats passed, and Brown signed, legislation last year making California a sanctuary state in which it is unlawful for police to cooperate with federal immigration authorities to remove illegal aliens, even those with criminal records.

Case in point: As The National Sentinel reported, Gustavo Garcia, 36, an illegal immigrant who had twice been deported from the U.S., stood accused of stealing a truck, robbing a convenience store, shooting and killing one person, and firing at buildings before killing himself in a high-speed crash on an interstate near Fresno earlier this month.

He was let out of jail and set free despite a detainer request from Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials due to the sanctuary law. His reign of terror, as one sheriff put it, injured five Californians, one of them critically.

Still, its hard to feel sorry for most residents of California. After all, they are the ones who keep voting for Democrats like Jerry Brown.

Read more about Californias slow-motion collapse at Collapsifornia.news.

Sources include:

TheNationalSentinel.com

PJMedia.com(Natural News) Last week, a report by The National Sentinel noted that a U.S. attorney appointed by former Attorney General Jeff Sessions in April to investigate the Clinton Foundation, the FBIs probe of Hillary Clinton, and other aspects of the Justice Departments involvement in Spygate had yet to produce anything.

The gist of the report was this: The attorney, John Huber, who is based in Salt Lake City, Utah, has yet to produce anything  no indictments, certainly no convictions, and no indications that he plans to bring any charges against anyone. In fact, he hasnt even convened a grand jury yet, and his office reportedly lost evidence of nefarious behavior on the part of the Clinton Foundation provided by two whistleblowers.

The report suggested that the Huber appointment was just a head fake, as one attorney called it; a ruse to make it look as though the current administration was serious about investigating alleged criminal activity on the part of the Clintons and Deep State actors loyal to the D.C. power structure.

In reality, were no closer to getting justice than we were before Huber was appointed  which makes presidential lawyer Rudy Giulianis call for special counsel Robert Mueller to be held accountable for a potential violation of the law almost comical.

As reported by NewsTarget in mid-December, the Justice Departments Office of Inspector General recently released a comprehensive report revealing how Mueller worked behind the scenes to protect two former team members, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page.

The DoJ IG was tasked with finding out what happened to text messages the pair of lovers exchanged between a key period of time ranging from shortly after POTUS Donald Trump won the presidential election in 2016 to late spring of the following year.

Unrealistic expectations

The Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) initiated this investigation upon being notified of a gap in text message data collection during the period of December 15, 2016, through May 17, 2017, from Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) mobile devices assigned to FBI employees Peter Strzok and Lisa Page relevant to a matter being investigated by the OIGs Oversight and Review Division, says a synopsis of the report.

Specifically, the OIGs Cyber Investigations Office (CYBER) was asked to attempt recovery of these missing text messages for the referenced period from FBI mobile devices issued to Strzok and Page, the synopsis continued.

After Mueller dismissed Strzok from his team following revelations of anti-Trump text messages he exchanged with Page, the IG discovered that both his and Pages government-issued cellphones had been wiped clean and that none of the messages sent or received on either phone were preserved  something Mueller would have either known about or directed.

As reported by Jordan Schachtel of Conservative Review, some people began to question whether the actions to wipe both phones clean amount to criminal obstruction by Mueller and his team.

Count Giuliani as one of those people. Mueller should be investigated for destruction of evidence for allowing those text messages from Strzok to be erased, messages that would show the state of mind and tactics of his lead anti-Trump FBI agent at the start of his probe, he said during an interview with The Hill.

That should be investigated, damn it, that should be investigated fully. You want a special counsel, get one for that, he said.

Of course, hes right.

But given Hubers apparent non-investigation of Hillary Clinton as well as the FBIs bogus probe into her criminal mishandling of classified emails and the reported Clinton Foundation malfeasance, its unrealistic to believe that Mueller  appointed by the Deep State for the Deep State  is going to be held accountable for anything.

There are two justice systems in America today: One for the elite and one for everybody else.

Read more about the corrupt Deep State at DeepState.news.

Sources include:

TheNationalSentinel.com

TheHill.com

NewsTarget.comAs part of their commitment to improving access to justice, Alameda County Superior Court officials say they expect to open a new self-help center at the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse in Oakland in February.

They say the new branch will join the self-help center which already is in operation at the Hayward Hall of Justice and provide a much-needed alternative to people who live in the northern part of the county.

The court previously offered a self-help branch at the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse near Lake Merritt in Oakland but budgetary constraints forced the closure of that branch in 2016.

Court officials say they have the money for the new branch thanks in large part to $19.1 million in new funding specifically directed toward trial court self-help needs that was included in the 2018-2019 California budget.

"As part of budget discussions with the state Judicial Council and the other branches of government last year, our court identified the re-establishment of a self-help center presence in Oakland as one of our highest priorities," Alameda County Superior Court Judge Wynne Carvill said in a statement.

"We appreciate that Gov. Brown included robust new self-help funding in the budget so that we could make our plan a reality and better serve the court users of Alameda County," Carville said.

The new branch on the third floor of the Wiley Manuel Courthouse at 661 Washington St. in Oakland will be open for a walk-in clinic Mondays through Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

Court officials say the number of people assisted each day will be capped at 45 in order to ensure that each customer gets the best possible service.

Staff in the Oakland branch will provide assistance with unlawful detainers, small claims matters, restraining orders, name- and gender-change petitions and guardianships.

Assistance for all family law-related matters, including child custody and dissolution of marriage, will continue to be provided only in Hayward.

To facilitate the opening of the Oakland branch and to ensure a consistent level of service in both the northern and southern parts of the county, the court will make changes to the functioning of the Hayward branch beginning on Jan. 2.

One of those changes is that morning drop-in service in Hayward will be limited to 100 customers per day.

In addition, the self-help center in Hayward will close at noon every day to ensure that the court can continue to support its robust schedule of afternoon workshops.

The exact date of the grand opening of the Oakland branch will be announced in the near future."My gut was that (Schumer) was really interested in doing a deal and coming to some sort of compromise. But the more we're hearing this week is that it's Nancy Pelosi who's preventing that from happening," he said, alleging that if Pelosi "cuts a deal with the president of any sort before her election on January 3rd she's at risk of losing her speakership, so we're in this for the long haul."The man suspected of gunning down a Newman police officer during a traffic stop Wednesday was captured in Central California following a three-day manhunt, Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson said Friday.

The suspect, identified by the sheriff as Gustavo Perez Arriaga, 33, is accused of killing Cpl. Ronil Singh. Arriaga was arrested on a murder warrant in a house south of Bakersfield, Christianson said during a Friday afternoon news conference.

Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said a SWAT team was preparing to raid the house when Arriaga came out with his hands up and surrendered. Authorities said Arriaga was trying to flee back to Mexico.

Getty Images

Christianson said Arriaga was a native of Mexico and had been in the U.S. illegally for several years after crossing the border in Arizona. The sheriff didnt say when that happened but told reporters Arriaga had known gang affiliations and two prior drunken driving arrests.

Christianson blamed Californias sanctuary law for preventing local authorities from reporting Arriaga to federal immigration officials for the DUI arrests. If he had been deported, the sheriff said, Singh would still be alive.

"We can't ignore the fact that this could have been preventable," Christianson told reporters, before asking why the state was "providing sanctuary for criminals (and) gang members. It's a conversation we need to have."

The Stanislaus County sheriff was not mincing words at a press conference Friday. In the process, he opened up a debate that extends beyond the death of Officer Ronil Singh: immigration and sanctuary cities. Its a lot to unpack, and all of it while a government shutdown is in place over President Donald Trumps proposed border wall. NBC Bay Area...

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has not confirmed Arriagas immigration status. The agency did immediately respond to an email request for comment.

California's sanctuary law limits cooperation between local authorities and U.S. immigration officials and has drawn scorn from the Trump administration. It includes more than 800 exceptions for violent crimes and felonies and bars police from asking people about their citizenship status. A federal judge upheld the law earlier this year after a Trump administration challenge.

Gov. Jerry Brown has said the law strikes a balance between protecting families and ensuring consequences for serious criminals. His spokesman said Friday that if the suspect was a known gang member, police could have provided that information to federal authorities.

[[503625291, C]]

"California law fully permits the sharing of information on dangerous gang members," spokesman Evan Westrup said.

Former state Sen. Kevin de Leon, the Democrat who wrote the legislation, said it's unfair to blame the law for the officer's death.

Adrian Virgen, Arriaga's 25-year-old brother, and the suspect's co-worker, 27-year-old Erik Razo Quiroz, were also arrested for lying to investigators, Christianson said.

In addition to the arrest of Virgen and Quiroz, officials named three other people who have been detained for allegedly aiding and abetting Arriaga. They have been identified as Bernabe Madrigal Castaneda, 59, Erasmo Villegas, 36, Maria Luisa Moreno, 57.



Upon arresting Arriaga, his girlfriend Ana Leyde Cervantes, 30, and brother Conrado Virgen Mendoza, 34, were also arrested for aiding him in evading authorities, sheriff's said.

Getty Images

Standing alongside Singh's family, the sheriff thanked officers and deputies for working day and night to capture the suspect.

During the media briefing, Singh's brother Reggie provided an emotional statement and said "I was waiting for this to happen," regarding the arrest.

"There's a lot of people out there that misses him," he said of his brother.

A vigil will be held Friday night to honor Singh.

The Newman community is expected to gather at 6 p.m. at Newman Downtown Plaza to pay respect to Singh, who colleagues described as an American patriot.

Newman Police Chief Randy Richardson fought back tears as talked about his officer at a news conference Thursday, saying Singh fought hard to serve his adopted country while the man suspected of killing him crossed the border illegally and is a "coward."

Richardson said the department and its 12 sworn officers were grieving.

Singh, who emigrated from his native Fiji, was shot at about 1 a.m. Wednesday after stopping a suspected drunken driver in Newman, southeast of San Francisco in the San Joaquin Valley.

Investigators Thursday searched a farmhouse in the town of El Nido in neighboring Merced County but didn't find the suspect, authorities said.

Singh, 33, was the first officer to die in the line of duty, Richardson said.

Singh drove more than two hours each way to attend the police academy in Yuba City, Richardson said. He joined the Merced County sheriff's office as a reserve officer and worked as an animal control officer in Turlock before being hired by the Newman force in 2011.

English was Singh's third language and he had a thick accent but took speech classes to improve his communication, the chief said.

Singh is survived by his wife, Anamika, and their 5-month-old son.A bomb threat prompted a shelter in place order Thursday afternoon in San Francisco's South of Market district, officials say.

Officials say the threat was made to the Adult Probation Department, located at 880 Bryant Street. The Hall of Justice nearby was also placed on lockdown during the investigation.

The Sheriff's Department later cleared the area and normal operations at the Hall of Justice resumed.

No other information was immediately available.Two more Illinois Sears locations are among 80 new store closures announced by the company Friday as a major deadline nears.

Sears Holdings, which is based in Hoffman Estates, said it informed employees at the closing locations that the stores will shut down in late March.

Liquidation sales are expected to begin in two weeks, the company said.

The latest round of closures is in addition to the 40 stores the company previously announced would close in February.

Among the closing locations are a Sears at 235 Saint Clair Sq. in Fairview Heights and one at 7200 Harrison Ave. in Cherry Valley.

The 125-year-old icon and employer of more than 68,000 filed for bankruptcy in October.

Its last shot at survival is a $4.6 billion proposal put forward by its chairman, Eddie Lampert, to buy the company out of bankruptcy through his hedge fund, ESL Investments. ESL is the only party offering to buy Sears as a whole, people familiar with the situation tell CNBC. Without that bid or another like it, liquidators will break the company up into pieces.

But as Lampert stares down a deadline of Dec. 28 to submit his offer, he is quickly running out of time. As of Thursday afternoon, Lampert had neither submitted his bid, nor rounded up financing, the people familiar said. Should Lampert submit a bid, Sears advisors would have until Jan. 4 to decide whether he is a qualified bidder. Only then, could ESL take part in an auction against liquidation bids on Jan. 14.

Jim Mourey, assistant professor of marketing at DePaul University, says it would be smart for retailers to figure out creative ways to incorporate unique, in-store experiences for consumers.

Walmart changed the game for Sears years ago by offering a greater variety of products at lower prices along with more efficient distribution and operations just as Sears had changed the game for mom and pop retail shops in its day, he said. Of course, more recently, Amazon and other online retailers have changed the retail game even more. This evolution is a natural part of business: companies should (and will always) continue to change in an attempt to find the best, most up-to-date way to satisfy consumer needs.

The quickly approaching cutoff puts Sears the closest to death it has ever been.

Full list of closures here.Members of the U.S. Coast Guard are working without pay during the government shutdown, and the Coast Guard Academy in New London will remain open.

NBC News reports about 42,000 members of the Coast Guard remain on duty, but theyll likely miss next weeks scheduled paycheck.

The Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security, rather than the Department of Defense, which is still being funded.

The Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound in Connecticut, New York, and Rhode Island has 478 active duty members and 13 civilian employees.

Most of the civilian workforce has been furloughed without pay.

The Coast Guard will continue activities authorized by law that provide for national security, or that protect life and property. The Coast Guard may stop or curtail some specific mission activities that do not fall into those categories. Activities like the issuance or renewals of merchant documentation and licensing, fisheries enforcement patrols, and routine maintenance to aids to navigation are also delayed and/or curtailed, as are some administrative functions, training, and maintenance activities to our surface and aviation fleets, wrote Petty Officer Michael White, a spokesperson for the First Coast Guard District.

White also explained that the Coast Guard Academy in New London will remain open.

Unlike other armed forces, the Coast Guard Academy is the primary officer accession program for the Coast Guard, and any delays in the curriculum have major impacts on officer assignments and continuity of Coast Guard operations, he wrote in an email to NBC Connecticut.An East Hampton mother is pleading for the driver who she said ran her daughter off the road, causing serious injury, to come forward.

Judy Barney Costen told NBC Connecticut she received the dreaded call that her 19-year-old daughter was hurt on Wednesday morning.

I hope that nobody has to go through that. Time stood still and I know that sounds so stupid because people say that but it wasit was if I was in a dream.

According to Connecticut State Police, the teen was driving in the left lane on Interstate 91 south in Middletown when a silver truck merged from the center lane into the left lane. Sarah Barney described the moments leading up to the accident.

I started beeping at him the closer and closer he got and he just didnt go back into the right lane, so I didnt know what else to do, so I kept moving more to the left and I hit the rumble strips on the side of the road, and I lost control and I flipped down into the grass.

Theres absolutely no way that he or she didnt see what had happened, said Barney Costen.

The Jeep rolled several times ending up on its roof. Barney, who is a dance teacher and an acrobat, was badly hurt. Her mother said her future as a dancer is questionable at this point.

Shell probably never do that again. Both of her legs are broken down near the ankles. One ankle is shattered.

In an email to NBC Connecticut, State Police said given the truck did not hit Barneys car this is not considered a hit-and-run, however, they would like to find the driver for their account. Meanwhile, Barney Costen said she is grateful to the good Samaritans who rushed to her daughters side.

I thank God that shes alive, and I thank God that those people that were there to be with her and take care of her when I couldnt be.

Anyone who may have witnessed the accident is asked to contact State Police at 860-534-1000.More than 5.7 million Americans suffer from chronic wounds that wont heal. Now a new, easy to use treatment some are calling a magic powder is helping patients heal much faster!

Board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Tracey Stokes is used to being in the operating room, but not as a patient.

I underwent bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction, said Stokes.

Stokes made the decision after she and her mother tested positive for the gene that causes breast cancer. Unfortunately, she developed a wound on her left breast that would not heal.

I think in todays day and age wound care and wound care problems have almost become an epidemic, said Esse Plastic Surgery's Plastic Surgeon & Wound Care Specialist Dr. Laura Sudarsky.

Stokes didnt have to go far for help. Sudarsky was using a new product on her patients. Xcellistem wound powder by Stemsys is a FDA-approved biological agent that acts like a magnet.

You put the powder on a wound and it will introduce stem cells into the wound and allow the wound to heal, said Sudarsky.

The powder is applied in the doctors office and the dressing is changed every two to three days.

Its very interesting because you watch the cells enter into the field and start healing, said Sudarsky.

Xcellistem saved this diabetic patients foot from amputation.

Weve been able to use it under a skin graft or instead of a skin graft to promote wound healing, Sudarsky explained.

Stokes couldnt believe how quickly it worked for her.

Within a matter of two to four weeks everything was completely healed, said Stokes.

Saving her from having more surgery, so she could go back to doing what she really loves.

Im back in the operating room working, playing with my kids, Stokes said.

Xcellistem uses your bodys own stem cells to accelerate healing. Right now, the wound powder is only approved for use in doctors offices and in the operating room. It can also be used on burn patients to minimize scarring and preserve range of motion.



Contributors to this news report include: Janna Ross, Field Producer; Judy Reich, Videographer; Cyndy McGrath, Supervising Producer; Hayley Hudson, Assistant Producer; Roque Correa, Editor.Dallas Fire-Rescue has a new chief.

Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax named Dominique Artis, 48, to lead the 2,000-member department, effective immediately.

Artis is a 23-year veteran of DFR, was born and raised in Dallas and has been assistant chief since October 2017.

Dallas Fire-Rescue

"I am truly honored and humbled by this opportunity to lead the fine men and women of Dallas Fire-Rescue. I want to thank the mayor and city council as well as City Manager Broadnax and the city's senior leadership for this great opportunity," said Artis. "I am looking forward to leading this incredible team who is passionate about providing exceptional service to our great city.

In a written statement, Artis said he's proud to follow in the footsteps of his two mentors and former DFR chiefs, David Coatney and Louie Bright III. Coatney recently left the department to become director of the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service.

The Dallas Morning News reported Broadnax's swift announcement reflected officials' confidence in the department's current direction. Coatney became the chief in 2016 after a national search, and he quickly shook up what he and others characterized as a stagnant culture and a department that hadn't adapted to changing demands.

Artis rose through the DFR ranks by serving as lieutenant over fire control and rescue, captain of EMS administration and deputy chief of operations.

"I am confident Chief Artis' vast experience with the department and his leadership will help DFR continue to provide the highest level of fire and emergency services to the residents of Dallas," said Broadnax.The police chief in a South Texas city has been arrested on a domestic violence charge.

Records show Hidalgo police Chief Rodolfo "Rudy" Espinoza was booked into Hidalgo County jail Thursday on a charge of assault causing bodily injury to a family member. He was arrested by Hidalgo County sheriff's deputies. Jail records did not list an attorney for Espinoza.

Sheriff's office spokeswoman Jena Pacheco says Espinoza will be arraigned Thursday afternoon.

The Monitor reports that City Manager Julian Gonzalez suspended Espinoza in October while the city investigated allegations of inappropriate conduct in the workplace and potential conflicts of interest. Gonzalez did not immediately reply to a message from The Associated Press on Thursday.

Hidalgo is a city of about 14,000 people located on the border with Mexico.A boater who had gone missing earlier Thursday afternoon after a watercraft overturned along the Trinity River in Tarrant County was found dead at around 6:30 p.m. Another man was rescued earlier in the day.

Rescue crews were dispatched before 2:30 p.m. to search the west fork of the Trinity River near Eagle Mountain Lake, officials said.

Initial reports indicated two people were on the boat before it capsized. One person was pulled from the water and the second person never resurfaced.

Searchers were seen using a drone and boats were deployed along the creek.

Recovery efforts were assisted by a Texas State Game Warden.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner was contacted to take custody, obtain positive identification and notify the next of kin.

Check back and refresh this page for the latest update. As this story is developing, elements may change.A Maine man is facing a number of charges after authorities say he broke into a Waterboro home, grabbed a bite to eat, took a shower, then got a car ride from his victim.

Derek Tarbox, 35, of Standish, was arrested Sunday and is facing charges of class B burglary, two counts of unauthorized use of property, leaving the scene of property damage accident, failure to report an accident and theft by unauthorized taking.

The York County Sheriff's Office said Tarbox was found watching television when a Bennet Hill Road resident arrived home Sunday.

Authorities said Tarbox told the homeowner he mistakenly thought the house belonged to a friend and asked for a ride home.

The homeowner told authorities that seemed plausible, so he drove him to a house in Hollis, which actually belonged to Tarbox's relatives.

When the victim returned, he realized his home had been ransacked and that Tarbox had broken in through a back door.

According to WCSH-TV, the homeowner called police and deputies and troopers were able to quickly apprehend Tarbox without incident.

Through an investigation with Maine State Police, authorities also learned that Tarbox had allegedly stolen a vehicle in Portland prior to the break-in and ran out of gas in Hollis where he allegedly stole another vehicle and drove it to the Bennet Hill Road home where he went off the road and crashed. Authorities said that's when Tarbox walked to the victim's house where he broke in.

Tarbox was expected to be arraigned Dec. 26. It's unclear if he has an attorney. He's scheduled to appear in Alfred Superior Court on Feb. 8, 2019.The Trump administration said Wednesday it will keep open through early 2019 a tent city in Texas that now holds more than 2,000 migrant teenagers, and also will increase the number of beds at another temporary detention center for children in Florida.

The Tornillo facility opened in June in an isolated corner of the Texas desert with capacity for up to 360 children. It eventually grew into a highly guarded detention camp where, on Christmas, some 2,300 largely Central American boys and girls between the ages of 13 and 17 slept in more than 150 canvas tents.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Mark Weber said Tornillo, which originally was slated to close Dec. 31, has stopped receiving new referrals of migrant youth.

Tornillo will now shut down after the new year, Weber said, but he did not give an exact date or more precise time frame for when it might close for good.

The agency is working with its network of shelters including Tornillo to release the children "to suitable sponsors as safely and quickly as possible," he said.

The government also plans to house more teens at another temporary shelter in Homestead, Florida, expanding the total number of beds from 1,350 to 2,350, he added.

Tornillo came under fire last month after revelations that the Trump administration had waived FBI fingerprint checks for the 2,100 staff working there and allowed the private contractor running the facility to have just one mental health clinician for every 100 children. In November, Health and Human Services officials said they hoped the fingerprints would be completed in a month but they haven't given an update.

Lawmakers called for stricter background checks, more mental health support and a public hearing to further investigate problems at Tornillo raised by a federal watchdog report and an Associated Press investigation.

The federal program originally intended to offer a safe haven to vulnerable children fleeing danger across the globe has expanded considerably over the last two years. Three months after President Donald Trump took office there were 2,720 migrant youth in government care. Today, the system has 16,000 beds available for migrant children.

Confidential government data obtained and cross-checked by AP has shown that as the year draws to a close, about 9,800 detained migrant children are in facilities holding 100-plus total kids, including Tornillo and Homestead.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and many experts warn against institutionalizing children in large groups, saying the experience of treating the young migrants like cogs in a big machine can have severe psychological consequences and cause lifelong trauma.

Weber has said that sheltering children in large facilities, while not preferable, is a better alternative than holding them for long periods at Border Patrol stations ill-suited to care for them.The dissolution of North Carolina's elections board Friday injected further uncertainty into a still-undecided congressional race as a U.S. House Democratic leader rejected the idea of filling the seat until an investigation of ballot fraud allegations is complete.

Gov. Roy Cooper was met with Republican resistance after announcing he would appoint an interim Board of Elections after a three-judge state court panel ruled Thursday that the current board should disband at noon Friday. The Democrat's move would fill the gap  and allow the board to proceed with a Jan. 11 evidentiary hearing about the 9th District congressional race  until a new law governing the statewide elections panel can take effect Jan. 31.

Amid the turmoil, incoming U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer issued a statement saying House Democrats won't allow Republican Mark Harris to be sworn in next week because of the ongoing investigation.

"Given the now well-documented election fraud that took place in NC-09, Democrats would object to any attempt by Mr. Harris to be seated on January 3," Hoyer said, adding that "the integrity of our democratic process outweighs concerns about the seat being vacant at the start of the new Congress."

The U.S. Constitution states that the House is the judge of the elections of its members and the final arbiter of contests.

The state Elections Board has refused to certify the race between Harris and Democrat Dan McCready while it investigates absentee ballot irregularities in the district in the south-central part of the state. Harris holds a slim lead in unofficial results, but election officials are looking into criminal allegations against an operative hired by the Harris campaign.

Friday's standoff was set in motion by the latest ruling from a state court that previously had found the elections board's makeup unconstitutional after the Republican-controlled legislature altered the board in 2016. The court had ruled earlier this year to allow the board to remain in place until Friday while it investigates the congressional race. The latest ruling came as lawmakers enacted a new law Thursday to largely restore the board to how it operated before 2016.

Cooper started the process of rebuilding the elections board Friday by informing the state Democratic and Republican parties that he plans to create an interim panel with five members of the current elections board, unless he receives different picks from the state parties. The interim board would last until the new law takes effect Jan. 31.

He said he would appoint both Democrats and Republicans to comply with pre-2016 state elections law he says is temporarily back in force.

"All of these members have election law experience and an awareness of the circumstances around the allegations involved in the Ninth Congressional District election," Cooper said in his letter to state party heads.

But state GOP Chairman Robin Hayes said the dissolving board's four GOP members "will not accept appointments to an unconstitutional, illegal sham Roy Cooper creation." Republicans instead will withhold GOP nominees until the new law takes effect, he said.

The outgoing state board refused a last-minute formal request by Harris to certify him the winner.

The elections board reorganization threatens to delay the Jan. 11 hearing. Lawyers for Harris and McCready had a Monday deadline to submit requests to the elections board for people they wanted to have compelled to appear and testify at next month's hearing. But if the current elections board is disbanded without a new one to replace it, the board chairman or vice chairman who could issue the requested subpoenas wouldn't exist.

Last week, elections board chairman Josh Malcolm said in an affidavit to the three-judge panel that investigative staffers  who can continue working through any reorganization  had collected more than 182,000 pages of materials in response to 12 subpoenas.

Malcolm said Friday that the elections board issued "numerous additional subpoenas" before disbanding. In a letter to Harris' attorney, Malcolm wrote that the GOP candidate had turned over only about 400 pages of subpoenaed documents and had yet to produce another 140,000 documents. Harris also had so far failed to arrange a requested interview with agency staffers, Malcolm said.

Harris' campaign committee has pored through about 135,000 documents that needed review, the Republican's attorney David Freedman said Friday. Harris "has cooperated and intends to continue cooperating with the investigation," Freedman said.

If House Democrats refuse to seat Harris, it wouldn't be the first time a chamber of Congress delayed or rejected seating a new member. In 2009, U.S. Senate leaders initially refused to seat Roland Burris as the replacement for President-elect Barack Obama's Illinois seat. Burris had been named to succeed Obama by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was eventually convicted on corruption charges for trying to sell the Senate appointment.President Donald Trump's surprise trip to Iraq may have quieted criticism at home that he had yet to visit troops in a combat zone, but it has infuriated Iraqi politicians who on Thursday demanded the withdrawal of U.S. forces.

"Arrogant" and an "a violation of national sovereignty" were but a few examples of the criticism emanating from Baghdad following Trump's meeting Wednesday with U.S. servicemen and women at the al-Asad Airbase.

Trips by U.S. presidents to conflict zones are typically shrouded in secrecy and subject to strict security measures, and Trump's was no exception. Few in Iraq or elsewhere knew the U.S. president was in the country until minutes before he left again.

But this trip came as came curbing foreign influence in Iraqi affairs has become a hot-button political issue, and Trump's perceived presidential faux-pas was failing to meet with the prime minister in a break with diplomatic custom for any visiting head of state.

On the ground for only about three hours, the American president told the men and women with the U.S. military that Islamic State forces have been vanquished, and he defended his decision against all advice to withdraw U.S. troops from neighboring Syria, He declared: "We're no longer the suckers, folks."

The abruptness of his visit left lawmakers in Baghdad smarting and drawing unfavorable comparisons to the occupation of Iraq after the 2003 invasion.

"Trump needs to know his limits. The American occupation of Iraq is over," said Sabah al-Saidi, the head of one of two main blocs in Iraq's parliament.

Trump, he said, had slipped into Iraq, "as though Iraq is a state of the United States."

While Trump didn't meet with any officials, he spoke with Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi by phone after a "difference in points of view" over arrangements led to a face-to-face encounter between the two leaders getting scrapped, according to the prime minister's office.

The visit could have unintended consequences for American policy, with officials from both sides of Iraq's political divide calling for a vote in Parliament to expel U.S. forces from the country.

The president, who kept to the U.S. air base approximately 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Baghdad, said he had no plans to withdraw the 5,200 troops in the country. He said Ain al-Asad could be used for U.S. air strikes inside Syria.

The suggestion ran counter to the current sentiment of Iraqi politics, which favors claiming sovereignty over foreign and domestic policy and staying above the fray in regional conflicts.

"Iraq should not be a platform for the Americans to settle their accounts with either the Russians or the Iranians in the region," said Hakim al-Zamili, a senior lawmaker in al-Saidi's Islah bloc in Parliament.

U.S. troops are stationed in Iraq as part of the coalition against the Islamic State group. American forces withdrew in 2011 after invading in 2003 but returned in 2014 at the invitation of the Iraqi government to help fight the jihadist group. Trump's visit was the first by a U.S. president since Barack Obama met with then-Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki at a U.S. base outside Baghdad in 2009.

Still, after defeating IS militants in their last urban bastions last year, Iraqi politicians and militia leaders are speaking out against the continued presence of U.S. forces on Iraqi soil.

Supporters of the populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr won big in national elections in May, campaigning on a platform to curb U.S. and rival Iranian involvement in Iraqi affairs. Al-Sadr's lawmakers now form the core of the Islah bloc, which is headed by al-Saidi in Parliament.

The rival Binaa bloc, commanded by politicians and militia leaders close to Iran, also does not favor the U.S.

Qais Khazali, the head of the Iran-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia that fought key battles against IS in northern Iraq, promised on Twitter that Parliament would vote to expel U.S. forces from Iraq, or the militias would force them out by "other means."

Khazali was jailed by British and U.S. forces from 2007 to 2010 for managing sections of the Shia insurgency against the occupation during those years.

Trump's visit would be a "great moral boost to the political parties, armed factions, and others who oppose the American presence in Iraq," Iraqi political analyst Ziad al-Arar said.

Still, the U.S. and Iraq developed considerable military and intelligence ties in the war against IS, and they continue to pay off in operations against militants gone into hiding.

Earlier in the month, Iraqi forces called in an airstrike by U.S.-coalition forces to destroy a tunnel used by IS militants in the Atshanah mountains in north Iraq. Four militants were killed, according to the coalition.

A hasty departure of U.S. forces would jeopardize such arrangements, said Iraqi analyst Hamza Mustafa.

Relations between the U.S. and Iraq also extend beyond military ties. U.S. companies have considerable interests in Iraq's petrochemical industry, and American diplomats are often brokers between Iraq's fractious political elite.

Iraq's Sunni politicians have been largely quiet about the presidential visit, reflecting the ties they have cultivated with the U.S. to counterbalance the might of the country's Iran-backed and predominantly-Shiite militias.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Abdul-Mahdi accepted Trump's invitation to the White House during their call, though the Prime Minister's office has so far refused to confirm that.

Associated Press reporters Ahmed Sami and Ali Jabar contributed.Three days, maybe four. That's how long Ethan James, 21, says he can realistically miss work before he's struggling.

So as the partial government shutdown stretched into its sixth day with no end in sight, James, a minimum-wage contractor sidelined from his job as an office worker at the Interior Department, was worried. "I live check to check right now," he said, and risks missing his rent or phone payment. Contractors, unlike most federal employees, may never get back pay for being idled. "I'm getting nervous," he said.

Federal workers and contractors forced to stay home or work without pay are experiencing mounting stress from the impasse affecting hundreds of thousands of them. For those without a financial cushion, even a few days of lost wages during the shutdown over President Donald Trump's border wall could have dire consequences.

As well, the disruption is starting to pinch citizens who count on a variety of public services, beyond those who've been finding gates closed at national parks. For example, the government won't issue new federal flood insurance policies or renew expiring ones.

Trump and congressional leaders appear no closer to a resolution over his demand for $5 billion for the border wall that could now push the shutdown into the new year. The House and Senate gaveled in for a perfunctory session Thursday, but quickly adjourned without action. No votes are expected until next week, and even that's not guaranteed. Lawmakers are mostly away for the holidays and will be given 24-hour notice to return, with Republican senators saying they won't vote until all parties, including Trump, agree to a deal.

The president spent part of the day tweeting about the shutdown, insisting "this isn't about the Wall," but about Democrats denying him "a win."

"Do the Dems realize that most of the people not getting paid are Democrats?" he asked in one tweet, citing no evidence for that claim. That earned him a reprimand from Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, who tweeted: "Federal employees don't go to work wearing red or blue jerseys. They're public servants."

Roughly federal 420,000 workers were deemed essential and are working unpaid, unable to take any sick days or vacation. An additional 380,000 are staying home without pay. While furloughed federal workers have been given back pay in previous shutdowns, it's not guaranteed. The Senate passed a bill last week to make sure workers will be paid. The House will probably follow suit.

The longer the shutdown lasts, the more government activities will grind to a halt. It's already caused a lapse in money for nine of 15 Cabinet-level departments and dozens of agencies, including the departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, Interior, Agriculture, State and Justice.

Many national parks have closed while some have limited facilities. The National Flood Insurance Program announced it will no longer renew or issue policies during the shutdown.

"I think it's obvious that until the president decides he can sign something  or something is presented to him  that we are where we are," said Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., who opened the Senate for the minutes-long session. "We just have to get through this."

House Democrats tried Thursday to offer a measure to re-open government, but they were blocked from action by Republicans, who still have majority control of the chamber until Democrats take over Jan. 3.

"Unfortunately, 800,000 federal workers are in a panic because they don't know whether they'll get paid," said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., who tried to offer the bill. "That may make the president feel good but the rest of us should be terribly bothered by that, and should work on overtime to end the shutdown now."

Government contractors like James, placed indefinitely on unpaid leave, don't get compensated for lost hours.

James said the contracting company he works for gave its employees a choice: take unpaid leave or dip into paid time-off entitlements. But James doesn't have any paid time off because he started the job just four months ago. His only option is forgoing a paycheck.

"This is my full-time job, this is what I was putting my time into until I can save up to take a few classes," said James, who plans to study education and become a teacher. "I'm going to have to look for something else to sustain me."

Mary Morrow, a components engineer on contract for NASA, is in the same predicament. In addition to caring for a family largely on her own, she's got a mortgage.

"I have three teenage boys, it's near Christmas time and we just spent money, there are credit card bills and normal bills and it's really nerve-wracking," she said. "It's scary."

As federal employees tell their stories on Twitter under the hashtag #Shutdownstories, Trump has claimed that federal workers are behind him, saying many have told him "stay out until you get the funding for the wall.'" He didn't say whom he had heard from, and he did not explain the incongruity of also believing that most are Democrats.

Steve Reaves, president of Federal Emergency Management Agency union, said he hasn't heard from any employees who say they support the shutdown.

"They're all by far worried about their mortgages," Reaves said.

Reaves said the shutdown could have consequences that stretch beyond a temporary suspension of salary. Many federal government jobs require a security clearance, he said, and missed mortgage payments or deepening debt could hurt their clearance.

David Dollard, a Federal Bureau of Prisons employee and chief steward for the American Federation of Government Employees Local 709 union in Colorado, said at least two agency employees lost their homes after the 2013 shutdown suspended their salaries. Bureau of Prisons employees are considered essential, and must work without pay. The agency is already understaffed, Dollard said. Shutdown conditions make everything worse.

"You start out at $44,000 a year, there's not much room for anything else as far saving money for the next government shutdown, so it puts staff in a very hard situation," he said. "We've got single fathers who have child support, alimony. It's very hard to figure out what you're going to do."

Candice Nesbitt, 51, has worked for 1  years for the U.S. Coast Guard, the only branch of the military affected by the shutdown. About 44,000 Coast Guard employees are working this week without pay; 6,000, including Nesbitt, have been furloughed.

Nesbitt worked for a contractor but took a pay cut in exchange for the stability of a government job. She has a mortgage, is the guardian of her special needs, 5-year-old grandson, and makes about $45,000 a year, she said. Any lapse in payment could plunge her into debt. "It shakes me to the core," she said.What to Know Polls conducted around the midterm elections suggest more voters are choosing climate change as their top priority.

A corps of young people are demanding action from politicians.

Even among Republican millennials, a third say the Earth is warming because of human activity.

Going into the midterm elections, few candidates made the warming planet a keystone of their campaigns despite devastating fires and storms that scientists say have been worsened by carbon pollution. Climate change has typically been low on voters lists of priorities.

But as a new Congress comes into power in January, that indifference could be changing. Surveys conducted for the midterms found that between 7 and 9 percent of the electorate named climate change or the environment as the top issue facing the country. Typically, the number lags around 2 percent, environmentalists say.

Thats a green wave, said Nathaniel Stinnett, the founder of the Environmental Voter Project, a three-year-old organization that is dedicated to getting environmentalists to vote.

Americans continue to voice more concern about health care, immigration, the economy and jobs, and depending on the poll, gun policy or federal taxes and spending. But with a record 113 million people voting in this years elections where Democrats retook control of the House, that could mean that up to 9 million named the environment their primary concern.

Thats an enormously powerful constituency and I think youre going to see more and more politicians trying to appeal to these environmental voters, especially among those running in the [2020] Democratic presidential primary, Stinnett said.

The surveys -- one around Election Day called AP VoteCast and two conducted for NPR and PBS NewsHour by the Marist Poll, in October and after the election -- are just one indication that climate change is taking on urgency with voters, particularly young voters. Also pointing to the increased seriousness with which the issue is being treated: differences between millennials and older Americans, demands from newly elected politicians and worry about the damage that climate change is already doing to communities from Miami to Los Angeles.

A confluence of factors is driving the new attention to the devastation threatening the environment. Repeated natural disasters have brought havoc to parts of the United States, from deadly fires in California to destructive hurricanes sweeping over Puerto Rico, Florida, Texas and the Carolinas. Warnings about the worlds need to curb the use of fossil fuels come as younger people more convinced of the scientific consensus on climate change become old enough to vote. Going into the New Year, there will be more pressure on Congress to tackle the greenhouse gases that are raising temperatures.

Heres a breakdown of the polls. AP VoteCast found that more of the electorate, 26 percent, choose health care as the number one issue facing the country than any other issue while 7 percent picked the environment. The Marist Poll in October recorded 7 percent of registered voters choosing climate change as the most important factor in deciding their vote and earlier this month, 9 percent saying that it should be Congress' top priority. Economy and jobs was the most important for the most voters, with 20 percent in October and 17 percent this month.

Stinnett said that how much change was occuring would become clearer as more data becomes available about voters and the midterm elections.

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Youth Demand Action on the Environment

Young people are particularly engaged in confronting climate change, a crisis that has gathered momentum throughout their lives and which threatens to leave the Earth a much less hospitable place in the coming years.

A pre-election survey from Tufts University that focused on young people and politics found that 59 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds support or are an active part of the environmental movement, up from 42 percent in 2016. Numbers were even higher among Democrats, and particularly those who said they were likely to vote, according to the September poll by the universitys CIRCLE, or The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.

The polls director, Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, said political engagement was more common among young people now than two years ago, with triple the number saying they attend marches and demonstrations  up from 5 percent to 15 percent. Part of the change can be traced to the activism of students from Parkland, Florida, which encouraged other young people to be a part of political causes, including the environmental movement, she said.

It wasnt drowned out by gun violence, for example, which is a big player this year, but just as many people if not more young people said, Its a really important issue that Im actively engaged in, she said.

The Sunrise Movement is a corps of young people working to make climate change an urgent priority across the country. As they prepared to launch, a core challenge was how to make climate change an urgent priority in the United States. They helped Democrats to take the House and now are determined to keep the issue at the top of lawmakers agendas. In November, 150 members of the Sunrise Movement and Justice Democrats held a sit-in at House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosis office on Capitol Hill to demand action on climate change. They were joined by newly elected Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who has been pushing for a Green New Deal to promote green energy and jobs and cut carbon emissions.

"She was elected as part of the movement, she intends to govern as part of the movement," Corbin Trent, a spokesman for Ocasio-Cortez, said at the time. She thinks there is no other priority that we should be focused on and supports the Sunrise Movements call for Democrats to create a plan to transition the economy to a zero carbon economy so we have that ready to go when we take back the presidency in 2020."

The activists were criticized for targeting Democrats, who support taking on climate change, but they say they know that if they do not push Democrats they will not get the action they need.

We targeted the Democrats because we believe in them, said a spokesman for the group, Stephen OHanlon. We dont think were going to get anywhere by calling on Donald Trump to stand up to fossil fuel lobbyists.

They believe that as young people they have leverage over Democrats because it was young people turning out in record numbers that helped Democrats win the House majority. If Democrats are to win the presidency and the Senate in 2020, they will need young people again to turn out in record numbers, OHanlon said.

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So many politicians and especially establishment politicians think about the range of political options as whats currently politically possible and oftentimes with climate and a lot of other issues too thats just radically from what we need to give our generation a livable future, he said. And we made the choice when we launched to push for solutions that are actually in line with what we need.

Generational Divide in GOP

Republicans have been the most resistant to believing that climate change presents a critical danger. A Pew Research Center poll done before the midterms found that 72 percent of registered voters supporting Democrats thought climate change was a very big problem compared to only 11 percent of those backing Republicans.

But other Pew surveys found wide differences within the GOP. About a third of Republican millennials say the Earth is warming because of human activity, double the share of Baby Boomers and older, according to a May survey. Forty-five percent of millennials say they are seeing some effects of global climate change in their communities, compared with a third of older Republicans. But they also are in agreement with older party members that policies aimed at reducing climate change effects would make no difference.

Sara Blazevic, a co-founder and managing director of the Sunrise Movement, said the organization was made up of young people angry and frustrated after having watched a lifetime of political inaction, of witnessing hurricanes and other disasters getting worse but the environmental movement stagnating.

Looking at some of the data a few years back we called this the urgency gap, she said. Because there actually are a super majority of Americans who understand that climate change is happening, is real, believe that its happening already because they can see with their own eyes and want something to be done about it.

Other Pew research ranks the publics policy priorities for the president and Congress. Protecting the environment has risen from 44 percent in January 2010 to 62 percent at the beginning of this year. Dealing with climate change similarly rose from 28 percent to 46 percent.

In December, nearly 200 countries met in Poland for the U.N.s 24th annual climate change conference and agreed to rules for curbing greenhouse emissions, but delayed a decision on creating a market in carbon credits. The meeting follows a series of reports, among them the National Climate Assessment and one from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, warning of irreversible environmental damage absent quick action to rein in carbon emissions.

Environment Gains Prominence in the Midterms

During the midterm elections, ads highlighting global warming began appearing in races across the country, a phenomenon that was new. The League of Conservation Voters through its Victory Fund was among environmental groups that spent heavily to elect green candidates, in its case $80 million. Pete Maysmith, its senior vice president of campaigns, said that the more environmental issues were localized, the more voters responded.

So were talking about environmental issues that are directly impacting peoples lives, and doing that in the context of the election, he said. It motivates them and it impacts their vote choice.

In southern New Jersey, the organization matched environmental concerns with what it knew would be the top issue of the elections, health care, then targeted what it viewed as an important bloc of swing voters, suburban women. In a tight race, Democrat Andy Kim, a former national security aide in the Obama administration, defeated two-term Republican Rep. Tom MacArthur, who had tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

When you pair the issue of pollution, whether its water or air pollution  so youre talking about healthy drinking water, youre talking about concerns around asthma and other illnesses, other disease  and then link that into the health care debate, that again is a very powerful motivator, he said.

The League of Conservation Voters Victory Fund and the Environmental Defense Fund Action connected the health impact of MacArthurs record of gutting environmental protections and allowing more toxic pollution into our air to his efforts to eliminate protections for people with pre-existing conditions, according to post-election analysis.

In another race in California, the League teamed up with Michael Bloombergs Independence USA PAC to defeat 30-year congressman, Dana Rohrabacher. One ad juxtaposed Rohrabachers statement that global warming is a fraud with black smoke and wildfires in the background. Democrat Harley Rouda, who called out Republican leaders for denying the threat of man-made climate change, ousted Rohrabacher

Maysmiths colleague, Tiernan Sittenfeld, the senior vice president of government affairs, said of the 62 new members of the House of Representatives, 55 of them have committed to trying to bring about 100 percent clean energy by 2050. She said the organization was looking at opportunities for a green infrastructure package from the Democrat-dominated House and oversight as the Trump administration tries to roll back public health and environmental protections.

Its especially exciting because there are so many of these new members for whom the environment and addressing the climate crisis is really an enormous priority and central to who they are and in many case part of why they decided to run, she said.

The AP VoteCast survey replaced exit polling that The Associated Press had participated in with the television networks. It was conducted for the AP and Fox News by the non-partisan research organization NORC at the University of Chicago. The AP VoteCast also found that significant numbers were concerned about the effects of climate: 70 percent of all voters were very or somewhat concerned versus 29 percent who were not too or not at all concerned. Democrats were more worried than Republicans.

This years exit polling, which NBC and other networks continued separately, did not ask voters across the country to rate the environment among their top issues, but it did ask voters in Florida about climate change as it had done in 2016 and in both years, 66 percent said climate change was a serious problem.

Over the last decade, the environment has historically ranked low among voters priorities. Polling that the Environmental Voter Project did of likely voters in the 2016 presidential election found that only 2 percent listed the environment as their top priority, with another 2 percent setting it as their second highest priority.

'Politicians Go Where the Votes Are'

This is why its so hard to get politicians to lead on climate and lead on environmental issues, Stinnett said. Because politicians go where the votes are, thats what they do. Politicians are in the business of winning elections and if voters dont deeply care about a set of issues, its really hard to get politicians to care about those issues.

The Environmental Voter Project targets environmentalists who dont vote or who seldom vote to convince them to change their behavior. It focuses on the 18- to 24-year-olds and to a lesser extent 25- to 29-year-olds who are disproportionately likely to care deeply about environmental issues. Blacks and Hispanics and those who make less than $50,000 a year  and who have a higher chance of being victims of environmental racism  are also in their sights.

Stinnett estimates that the non-profit has turned more than 100,000 non-voting environmentalists into consistent voters since it started. It began in Massachusetts, in 2017 moved into Georgia, Colorado, Florida, Nevada and Pennsylvania and expects to expand further into about 20 states where it has identified large populations of non voting environmentalists. It does not spend money on changing minds, just getting people to the polls.

Politicians care about winning elections and so theyre going to follow the voters, Stinnett said. I think this change will happen very quickly once environmentalists start voting. I just cant tell you when that number in the electorate will get big enough that it forces change. But its getting bigger, its definitely getting bigger.

This electorate might not force change as quickly as we want it to, but somethings happening, something is absolutely happening and politicians are beginning to pay attention, Stinnett said.What to Know Measles is a highly contagious disease; young children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are most vulnerable

Measles is transmitted by airborne particles, droplets, and direct contact with the respiratory secretions of an infected person

Symptoms include rash, high fever, cough and red, watery eyes; the rash usually starts on the face

Health officials are warning of a possible measles exposure at Newark Liberty International Airport over the busy Christmas travel days.



The international traveler diagnosed with the highly contagious disease went through Terminal B on Christmas Eve on a flight from Brussels, but health officials warn that person could have passed through other areas of the airport as well.

If you were in the airport on Dec. 24 between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m., you may have been exposed to measles and, if infected, could develop symptoms as late as Jan. 14, officials say. New Jersey residents identified as potentially exposed on the sick person's flights will be notified by their local health departments.

Anyone who suspects they've been exposed is urged to call a health care provider before going to a medical office to prevent additional spread of the disease, which is transmitted by airborne particles, droplets, and direct contact with the respiratory secretions of an infected person.



Authorities say this case is unrelated to the ongoing outbreak in the state, which has 30 confirmed cases in Ocean County and three in Passaic County. Two doses of the measles vaccine are 97 percent effective in preventing measles, so health officials urge anyone who hasn't been vaccinated to do so.



Young children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are at highest risk for severe complications, which can include pneumonia and encephalitis.

Symptoms include rash, high fever, cough and red, watery eyes. The rash usually starts on the face, proceeds down the body, and may include the palms and soles. The rash lasts several days. Infected individuals are contagious from four days before rash onset through the fourth day after rash appearance.An Arlington newborn baby boy is breaking records and melting hearts.

Ali James Medlock was born on Dec. 12 at Arlington Memorial Hospital.

At 21.5 inches long, Baby Ali weighed 14 pounds, 13 ounces.

Alis parents, Jennifer and Eric Medlock, are both music teachers in the Arlington Independent School District. Jennifer says the hospital told them their son was a record breaker for Arlington Memorial and the biggest baby their doctor delivered in his 30-plus-year career.

Baby Ali had to remain in the NICU for a week due to his size  his blood sugar and platelets were too low  according to his mother. He also experienced rapid breathing.

Fortunately, Baby Ali has improved since his stay in the hospital.

Ali James has a big sister named Annabelle, who weighed 9 pounds, 10 ounces when she was born, according to mom.A New Year's kiss during the Times Square ball drop is a romantic dream for countless couples. But truth be told, isn't it a little cliche at this point?

Yes, you can make the trek across two states and then wait among throngs of tourists and hope to catch a glimpse of the crystal ball from way in the back.

Or you can stay local and ring in the New Year a little differently. Can you say Peep drop? Or Mushroom drop?

That's right, Pennsylvania's renowned for ringing in the New Year with its own creative drops.

In Bethlehem, the home of candy company Just Born, Inc., you can watch as a giant, illuminated, 400-pound Peep chick make its way down a pole during the 10th annual Peepfest. And you don't even have to stay up late for this unique drop, as it happens at 5:15 p.m. Monday.

If you're not a Peep person, you can always head over to Harrisburg, where a giant strawberry will descend on Market Square to accompanying fireworks.

In Kennett Square, people celebrate the area's mushroom-growing industry with a giant mushroom drop downtown.

Lebanon honors its Pennsylvania Dutch traditions by lowering a giant bologna, which this year will be carried by a new mascot: The Bologna Ranger.

Beavertown sticks to its namesake by dropping a life-size plush beaver named "Bucky." Dillsburg also sticks with the word play by dropping a giant (dill) pickle.

Pottsville gives a nod to local brewery D.G. Yuengling & Son by raising a giant replica lager bottle, while Shamokin honors its history of coal mining by dropping a giant lump of coal.

And of course, in Hershey, a 7-foot-tall, 300-pound Hershey's Kiss will rise three stories up the historic Hershey Press Building. And rest assured, this Kiss will include the tip.It's looking increasingly like the partial government shutdown will be handed off to a divided government to solve in the new year  the first big confrontation between President Donald Trump and Democrats  as agreement eludes Washington in the waning days of the Republican monopoly on power.

Trump on Friday threatened to close the U.S. border with Mexico if Democrats in Congress don't agree to fund the construction of a border wall.

"We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely," unless a funding deal is reached with "the Obstructionist Democrats," Trump said on Twitter.

Congress is closing out the week without a resolution in sight over the issue. It sets up a struggle upfront when Democrats take control of the House on Jan. 3. Trump has signaled he welcomes the fight as he heads toward his own bid for re-election in 2020.

"This isn't about the Wall," Trump tweeted Thursday. "This is only about the Dems not letting Donald Trump & the Republicans have a win." He added Democrats may be able to block him now, "but we have the issue, Border Security. 2020!"

Now nearly a week old, the impasse is idling hundreds of thousands of federal workers and beginning to pinch citizens who count on varied public services. Gates are closed at some national parks, the government won't issue new federal flood insurance policies and in New York, the chief judge of Manhattan federal courts suspended work on civil cases involving U.S. government lawyers, including several civil lawsuits in which Trump himself is a defendant.

With another long holiday weekend coming, just days before House Republicans relinquish control, there is little expectation of a quick fix. Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi has vowed to pass legislation as soon as she takes the gavel, which is expected when the new Congress convenes, to reopen the 15 shuttered departments and dozens of agencies now hit by the partial shutdown.

"If they can't do it before January 3, then we will do it," said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., incoming chairman of the Rules Committee. "We're going to do the responsible thing. We're going to behave like adults and do our job."

But even that may be difficult without a compromise because the Senate will remain in Republican hands and Trump's signature will be needed to turn any bill into law. Negotiations continue between Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill, but there's only so much Congress can do without the president.

Trump is not budging, having panned Democratic offers to keep money at current levels  $1.3 billion for border fencing, but not the wall. Senate Republicans approved that compromise in an earlier bill with Democrats but now say they won't be voting on any more unless something is agreed to by all sides, including Trump.

"I think it's obvious that until the president decides he can sign something  or something is presented to him  that we are where we are," said Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., who opened the Senate on Thursday for a session that only lasted minutes.

"Call it anything," he added, "barrier, fence, I won't say the 'w' word."

Trump long promised that Mexico would pay for the wall, but Mexico refuses to do so.

Federal workers and contractors forced to stay home or work without pay are experiencing mounting stress from the impasse.

As the partial shutdown stretched toward a second week, Ethan James, 21, a minimum-wage contractor sidelined from his job as an office worker at the Interior Department, wondered if he'd be able to make his rent. Contractors, unlike most federal employees, may never get back pay for being idled. "I'm getting nervous," he said. "I live check to check right now."

For those without a financial cushion, even a few days of lost wages during the shutdown could have dire consequences.

Roughly federal 420,000 workers were deemed essential and are working unpaid, unable to take any sick days or vacation. An additional 380,000 are staying home without pay.

Like James, Mary Morrow, a components engineer on contract for NASA, is in a predicament. In addition to caring for a family largely on her own, she's got a mortgage.

"I have three teenage boys, it's near Christmas time and we just spent money, there are credit card bills and normal bills and it's really nerve-wracking," she said. "It's scary."

Steve Reaves, president of Federal Emergency Management Agency union, said the shutdown could have consequences that stretch beyond a temporary suspension of salary. Many federal government jobs require a security clearance, he said, and missed mortgage payments or deepening debt could hurt their clearance.

David Dollard, a Federal Bureau of Prisons employee and chief steward for the American Federation of Government Employees Local 709 union in Colorado, said at least two agency employees lost their homes after the 2013 shutdown suspended their salaries. Bureau of Prisons employees are considered essential, and must work without pay. The agency is already understaffed, Dollard said. Shutdown conditions make everything worse.

"You start out at $44,000 a year, there's not much room for anything else as far saving money for the next government shutdown, so it puts staff in a very hard situation," he said. "We've got single fathers who have child support, alimony. It's very hard to figure out what you're going to do."

Candice Nesbitt, 51, has worked for 1 years for the U.S. Coast Guard, the only branch of the military affected by the shutdown. About 44,000 Coast Guard employees are working this week without pay; 6,000, including Nesbitt, have been furloughed.

Nesbitt worked for a contractor but took a pay cut in exchange for the stability of a government job. She has a mortgage, is the guardian of her special needs, 5-year-old grandson, and makes about $45,000 a year, she said. Any lapse in payment could plunge her into debt. "It shakes me to the core," she said.The manhunt continued Thursday after for an inmate who walked away from San Quentin State Prison and is believed to have carjacked a vehicle overnight.

Shalom Mendoza, 21, was last seen at the prison before 6 p.m. Wednesday and reported missing after 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. He fled from an unfenced minimum-security dormitory outside the prison walls, prison spokesman Sgt. Robert Gardea said.

Mendoza is believed to have carjacked a victim in a Home Depot parking lot less than a mile from the prison after 9 p.m., fleeing in a silver Toyota RAV4 with California license plate number 6STZ502, San Rafael police said.

They said a man with a similar physical description to Mendoza, last seen wearing a white T-shirt and khaki or light-yellow pants, motioned to the victim as if he had a weapon or gun under his shirt. He then threatened to kill her and demanded her car keys, but she was not injured.

Mendoza was sentenced to prison a year ago to serve a five-year term for using a deadly weapon during a Los Angeles County carjacking and evading or attempting to evade police while driving recklessly.

He arrived at San Quentin in April and was assigned to a minimum-security inmate work crew in May, Gardea said. The dormitory is guarded day and night, but it is outside the main prison walls, he said.

San Quentin is California's oldest prison, opening in 1852. It houses more than 4,100 inmates, including those on death row.Dogs and cats rescued from the aftermath of last months destructive Camp Fire in Butte County will be put up for adoption Friday.

The San Diego County Humane Society Emergency Response Team took in eight dogs and three cats, given to them voluntarily by owners who lost their home to the wildfire and would no longer be able to take care of them, according to the organization.

The team returned with the pets on Dec. 19, following a 10-day mission in Butte County where they provided aid to animals affected by the raging northern California wildfire, the most destructive in state history.

The Camp Fire killed 86 people as it ravaged more than 153,000 acres and destroyed nearly 14,000 homes.

The San Diego Humane Society just got back from a 10-day deployment to Butte County where they rescued eight dogs and three cats. Once they're deemed healthy, they'll be put up for adoption.

According to City News Service, some of the Camp Fire rescue pets available for adoption include 11-year old shepherd mix Cinnamon, a bonded pair of 6-year old miniature pinscher mixes named Pikachu and Panchie and a 3-year old cat named Sunshine.

The pets were given a clean bill of health and will be available for adoption on a first come, first served basis starting Friday at the humane societys Gaines Street location. For more information on how to adopt, visit here.When Richardson ISD school bus driver Curtis Jenkins surprised every one of his elementary school students with a Christmas gift last week, he never expected the gesture would go viral.

I think one of the teachers said let me get a picture of you beside the bus with the presents, said Jenkins.

Lake Highlands Elementary School posted the photos on its Facebook page Saturday, where families celebrated the good deed. NBC 5 covered the story on Sunday.

I never could imagine the people who have reached out to me to help with my cause, Jenkins said.

Since the weekend, Jenkins act of generosity has inspired messages of support but also efforts to raise money on his behalf.

So many accounts has been set up on GoFundMe in my name, with my picture, said Jenkins. I never set up anything.

Jenkins never asked for donations. He says he set aside money from his paycheck to pay for the gifts. He and his wife, Shaneqia, decided not to buy each other gifts for Christmas to pull off the surprise.

In an email, GoFundMe tells NBC 5, Its not uncommon for someone to create a GoFundMe after they see a news story because they simply want to help. When a campaign is created to raise money for another individual they dont personally know, we place the funds on hold and work with them to transfer the funds directly to the beneficiary. In this case, we are working with all campaign organizers and we guarantee all funds raised will go directly to Mr. Jenkins. He can choose to receive the funds or refund donors.

Jenkins says he didnt expect people to offer money. Over the last seven years of driving a school bus for Richardson ISD, Jenkins regularly surprises students with school supplies. Last Thanksgiving, his family purchased turkeys for students families that needed one.

Jenkins rewards students for good behavior and maintaining a clean bus with Bus Bucks that can be used toward school supplies he provides. The children have responsibilities on the bus that include chairperson and safety captain.

That little time they have with me, it means so much. Im the first face they see before they get to school in the morning, said Jenkins.

I call my bus a community. We love each and everybody in the community, Jenkins added.

Thursday, Jenkins began work to start a nonprofit foundation hes calling Magnify, Caring and Change. He says hes filing 501(c)(3) paperwork and any donations should go to Chase bank in his nonprofits name.

Jenkins also opened an instagram account to commute with followers on social media: CurtisJenkins2018.

Jenkins says he hopes to advance his mission to help young students.

Im still on that mission from God, said Jenkins.Actor Kevin Spacey is trying to avoid going to Nantucket for his arraignment, according to a report from the Boston Globe.

The Oscar winner is charged with sexually assaulting the 18-year-old son of a former Boston TV news anchor at a bar in Nantucket in 2016.

His legal team has asked the judge to excuse him from the Jan. 7 arraignment, according to the Globe. The hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. in Nantucket District Court.

The actor was first publicly accused in November 2017 by the victim's mother, former WCVB-TV news anchor Heather Unruh. She said her son was sexually assaulted by Spacey inside Nantucket's Club Car Restaurant.

"The victim - my son - was a starstruck, straight 18-year-old young man who had no idea that the famous actor was an alleged sexual predator or that he was about to become his next victim," Unruh said in November 2017.

"I want to make it clear - this was a criminal act," Unruh said. "It harmed him, and it cannot be undone."

A public show-cause hearing was held on Dec. 20 where a criminal complaint was issued against Kevin S. Fowler, also known as Kevin Spacey. The Boston Globe was the first to report that a criminal complaint had been filed.

"The complainant has shown a tremendous amount of courage in coming forward," Mitchell Garabedian, attorney for the accuser, said in a public statement in response to the filed complaint. "Let the facts be presented, the relevant law applied and a just and fair verdict rendered."

Minutes after news of the charge went public on Christmas Eve, Spacey tweeted a link to a YouTube video showing a monologue of himself apparently as Frank Underwood, the fictional character he once played in the series, "House of Cards."

Spacey was removed from the cast amid other allegations of inappropriate behavior by the actor.

"If I didn't pay the price for the things we both know I did do, I'm certainly not going to pay the price for the things I didn't do," Spacey says in the monologue.

It remains unclear if the social media posts have any connection to the latest charge.

Spacey hasn't responded to a request for comment.A new pediatric vaccine that immunizes children against six diseases was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, French pharmaceutical company Sanofi said Wednesday.

Reuters reported that the vaccine, Vaxelis, for children between 6 weeks and 4 years of age helps prevent diptheria, hepatitis B, pertussis, poliomyelitis, tetanus and invasive disease due to haemophilus influenza type B.

Sanofi and its partner, Merck, aim to have the drug available in 2020 or later.PHOTOS Former President Obama visits South Side YMCA

Former President Barack Obama made a surprise visit to an after-school basketball event at the South Side YMCA, 6330 S. Stony Island Ave., on Dec. 2, 2021, in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Chicago. Student-athletes from South Side schools were invited to participate in the drills practice event, which was attended by Chicago Bulls player Patrick Williams, Bulls general manager Marc Eversley and representatives from the Chicago Sky. While the youths practiced drills with members of the Bulls coaching staff, Obama made an unannounced entrance and addressed those in attendance about the importance of the YMCA. Obama greeted the students as they resumed drills, and toward the end of the visit he attempted to make a basket from beyond the three-point line. He made three attempts and made the final shot.President Donald Trump exposed the faces of members of U.S. Navy SEAL Team 5 during his surprise trip to Iraq this week, and one expert said it could possibly put them in danger, NBC News reported.

During his post-Christmas visit to troops in Iraq, his first trip to a combat zone since he was sworn in last year, the president and first lady Melania Trump met with about 100 troops at a dining hall at the Al-Asad base west of Baghdad Wednesday.

U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Kyu Lee told Trump he is the chaplain for SEAL Team 5. Lee later said Trump told him, "Hey, in that case, lets take a picture."

Retired U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Malcolm Nance, an intelligence consultant for U.S. special operations forces, said by email that the presence of SEAL Team 5 members should not have been revealed.

"The fact is they are a special operations force in a combat zone with a combat role," said Nance, who has also served as a counter-terrorism analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. "The reason their identities are protected is in case of capture."

The office of the secretary of defense said in a statement no rules were violated by the ensuing photos and video.A correction officer at a Massachusetts prison was arrested after he allegedly assaulted an inmate.

Thirty-five-year-old Joseph Sampson of Westminster, a guard at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, was charged with assault and battery on a person over 60, according to the Worcester County District Attorney's Office.

The Massachusetts Department of Correction said only that a correction officer had been "detached with pay" after an incident with an inmate on Dec. 20. The district attorney's office confirmed that Sampson was arraigned the following day in Clinton District Court.

MassLive reported that Sampson was allegedly caught on surveillance footage punching a man, identified as Paul Smith, leaving the victim with lacerations to his face.

Sampson was released on $500 cash bail and is due back in court Jan. 24.A 71-year-old woman is dead following a head-on collision in Burke, Vermont, according to state police.

The deceased driver, Regina Stanzione of St. Johnsbury, Vermont, was traveling on Route 5 Thursday night in a 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser when her vehicle crossed the double yellow center lines and collided with another car.

Stanzione was extricated from her vehicle then rushed to Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital before she was airlifted to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, where she died.

The second driver involved in the collision, 21-year-old Noah Burke of Lyndonville, Vermont, suffered minor injuries and was taken to NVRH for treatment.

State police are investigating what caused Stanzione to cross the center lines. Anyone who witnessed the crash is urged to contact Vermont State Police Trooper Brennan at 802-222-4680.A Massachusetts man who stabbed a woman died after responding officers used their stun gun on him in an effort to disarm him and save the victim, according to authorities.

The Norfolk district attorney's office said around 10 p.m. Thursday, Cohasset police responded to a disturbance call at a home on Church Street. When they arrived, officers located a 24-year-old woman who was able to escape from her attacker, identified as 25-year-old Erich Stelzer.

The victim, identified by family as Maegan Tapley, had extensive stabbing and slashing injuries. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Her current condition is unclear, but her mother said she would survive.

"She's going to mend, she's going to be alright. It's going to take time to recover," Susan Tapley said. "She'll need plastic surgery and an eye specialist."

In an effort to disarm Stelzer, police used stun guns to subdue him, according to the Norfolk DA. As paramedics took him to a local hospital, Stelzer became unresponsive and was later pronounced dead, the DA said.

"Who knows why it happened," neighbor Fred Siegel said. "I tend to doubt it had anything to do with the police situation, we have a very good police department."

The cause of the Stelzer's death remains under investigation, and an autopsy by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine his exact cause and manner of death.

"My son was in that house healthy, and 15 minutes later, he's dead," Stelzer said. "I want to apologize to the girl who was assaulted, but until I find out from the police what happened, I'm not making any judgments."

"I feel for [Steltzer's] mother," Susan Tapley said. "She just lost her son. My daughter almost died because of his lunacy."

Tapley said her daughter and Steltzer met on Tinder.

Stelzer was 6'8" and 300 pounds according to his father, Harold Stelzer. He said that a stun gun was deployed four times on his son, something he called "excessive."

I know that one hit is substantial. Two will knock you down. There were four cops there. Cant they handcuff him? asked Harold Stelzer.

Meanwhile, neighbors say they're shocked by the incident.

"It has to be a once-in-a-lifetime thing you know, especially in this area," a neighbor named Ian said.

Ian, who grew up in the area, moved into his new home near the scene just a month ago. He said the woman who was taken to the hospital gave him a warm welcome to the neighborhood.

"Christmas Eve, we just moved in and she came by," he said. "Super nice with a bunch of cookies in her hand and it seemed like she was going to hit the whole neighborhood."

The death is being investigated by state police assigned to the Norfolk district attorneys office, and Erich Stelzer's father says he is looking for justice.

I have a very high-priced lawyer  very high-priced. People will know him, and hes going to put this together, said Harold Stelzer. Im not looking for money; Im looking for justice.A Vermont man suffered serious injuries in a 60-foot fall while ice climbing Thursday.

Vermont State Police said 39-year-old Steve Charest, of Jericho, was climbing in the Smugglers Notch area of Jeffersonville Thursday when he somehow fell.

Rescue agencies said Charest first hit a bluff, then crashed through tree limbs before finally landing on the snow-covered ground.

Initially, the fall was reported to the media by Vermont State Police Thursday evening as having been a distance of approximately 40 feet, but Cambridge Rescue, Cambridge Fire, and ski patrollers at the Smugglers Notch Resort clarified Friday that the drop was actually 60 feet.

It was a pretty horrific fall, said Mike Duncan, the assistant director of the ski patrol at Smugglers Notch Resort.

Even though the fall happened outside the ski areas territory, Duncan and colleagues scrambled to help.

The patrollers, who were recently recognized with a national award for excellence, reached the fallen climber, stabilizing him and pulling him on a toboggan to a waiting ambulance for formal care.

Then, a medical helicopter brought the climber to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, where he was listed in critical condition mid-afternoon Friday, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

In the medical world, they talk about the golden hour, Duncan told necn and NBC10 Boston Friday. Any time theres a severe trauma, you really have an hour to get to them, stabilize them, and get them to definitive care. And we, I think, were able to get him out of there in just under an hour.

Duncan noted the climber was wearing a helmet.

Steve Charest is an experienced mountaineer who co-owns the Burlington climbing gym Petra Cliffs, necn and NBC10 Boston has learned.

Other climbers said Charest is very knowledgeable, careful, and is an enthusiastic booster for the growing sport of ice climbing.

I hope the best for him, said Capt. Jesse Hanley of Cambridge Fire.

Hanley, whose department is volunteer-based, said strong cooperation between small agencies made all the difference in this complicated rescue.

Its really helpful and nice for all the local departments to come together the way they do, Hanley added.

Vermont State Police said late Thursday that an investigation into the fall is still active.Public school officials in Warwick have sued the city, claiming the district is underfunded.

The lawsuit filed Friday in Superior Court by the Warwick School Committee asks for a $4.9 million increase in funding for the 2018-2019 school year. School officials say the budget isn't enough to meet regulations or support contracts. The current budget is $164.7 million.

According to the suit, an outside audit found that the district was underfunded.

The complaint is supported by the Caruolo Act, which allows a district to sue if it believes a budget approved by a municipality isn't sufficient.

City Council President Steven Merolla says the district budget is more than enough. Other critics say the district can use money it saved from school closings to support new costs.Two young Christian entrepreneurs are trying to care for both the planet and for people across Norfolk through an online organic vegetable and fruit box scheme they launched during the pandemic.

Two young Christian entrepreneurs are trying to care for both the planet and for people across Norfolk through an online organic vegetable and fruit box scheme they launched during the pandemic.

Strictly stars Dan and Rhys show their faith Strictly Come Dancing stars Dan Walker and Rhys Stephenson have opened up about the importance of their Christian faith on the hit BBC1 Saturday night show. Read more

Chance to join cast of Norwich Passion Play The first meeting of people interested in being part of the community cast for the Norwich Passion Play 2022 is on Saturday December 4, at 5pm at Chantry Hall in Norwich city centre and all are welcome. Read more

Bishop's Housekeeper/Cook needed near Norwich The Catholic Bishop of East Anglia is seeking to appoint a live out Housekeeper/Cook, on a part-time basis, based in Poringland, near Norwich. Read more

What will our gift to the world be this Christmas? The Advent season is now with us, and as we wait for Christmas to arrive, Andy Bryant urges us to consider our response to Gods wonderful gift. Read more

Brave widows mission set to continue as tribute The Pakistani widow of courageous former Norwich Methodist preacher Colin Gillett has flown to Norfolk to help ensure that the couples work with street children in Lahore can continue, in his memory. Read more

Choral Society carols at Sheringham theatre The Sheringham and Cromer Choral Society will be performing Carols at the Theatre in Sheringham Little Theatre next Sunday, and tickets are now available. Read more

Norfolk's Andy reveals the heartbeat of Christmas The heartbeat of Christmas will come to life across Norfolk and beyond as Andy Jones unfolds the nativity story from a box of delights for children in churches and schools. Read more

Donate now and your donation will be doubled Norfolk-based substance misuse charity The Matthew Project has launched a one week online challenge - in which donations will be doubled - to help raise funds for its Next Steps recovery hub project in Norwich. Read more

Norwich panto star Graham is good cop, bad cop Well-known TV cop and panto baddie Graham Cole OBE is very excited about returning to the stage of the Norwich Theatre Royal this Christmas after a very difficult 18 months during the pandemic. Read more

Ex-city broker to lead Norwich church Former high-flying London insurance market broker Rev Tom Madders is set to become the new pastor of Norwich Central Baptist Church (NCBC) in January. Helen Baldry reports. Read more

New book from retired Cromer pastor Cromer author and retired Baptist minister Paul Rosier is celebrating the publication of his latest book A Word with Jesus, which is now on sale. Read more

Norfolk mentors help stop the prison gates rotating Community Chaplaincy Norfolk (CCN) is looking for more mentors to support men and women as they leave prison. Volunteer mentor Carole Thomas explains what motivated her to get involved. Read more

Norfolk Toys + Tins Christmas Appeal launched People in Norfolk are being asked to share some joy with those who are finding life tough this Christmas by supporting The Salvation Armys Toys and Tins Appeal. Read more

Norfolk care home sets resident on path to freedom Staff at a care home in Griston helped a resident to break the power of an alcohol addiction which set him on a journey into the waters of baptism. Kyla Sorenson tells the story. Read more

First chance to read the Christmas Good News paper The Christmas edition of popular Christian newspaper Good News for Norwich and Norfolk, containing stories from across the local Christian community, has just been published online. Read more

Gorleston church holds community Open House St Mary Magdalene Church in Gorleston has launched Open House once a week to give people in the local community an opportunity to socialise over a coffee. Read more

Lady Dannatt sees Eaton's creativity in times of Covid Lady Dannatt MBE, the Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, and the Mayor and Sheriff of Norwich were among visitors to a recent Quilt of Kindness exhibition in Norwich. Read moreIt would cost about half that amount  or an estimated $480,000  to use ComEd power poles for the fiber, and earlier this year, the city struck a deal with the company to use the poles. It would be a bit controversial with some because its the first time OnLight Aurora would use poles for the fiber, instead of burying it, city data indicates.While we are deeply saddened by the passing of Tom, we are grateful that he was able to spend his last days with those that loved him most. He adored his family, his friends and this community, more than words can express. We appreciate the outpouring of support from each and every person and take comfort in knowing that his commitment to serving people will never be forgotten, the family statement reads.Courtney Bonnell / Associated Press

A 14-year-old girl from the South Bay fell to her death on Christmas Eve at Arizonas Horseshoe Bend landmark, officials said Wednesday.

The girl and her family were visiting from San Jose, according to the Coconino County Sheriffs Office. She was last seen at an outlook around 2 p.m. and was reported missing at 4 p.m.Its a long ride on public transit from central Massachusetts to Manhattan for Colin Schimmelfing, a 20-something software engineer from Northampton, now living in the city. He appreciates the new upgrades along the stretch down the Connecticut Valley to New Haven.

Before that commuter line opened in June, he said, My parents would pick me up in New Haven.

His friend Jessye Herrell, from Northampton, now Brooklyn, nodded in agreement as she rode the Springfield-to-New Haven rail Thursday afternoon. Up the aisle, Andre Shepley, a tech employee and grad student heading from his hometown of Springfield back to, yeah, Brooklyn, was in the same boat, er, train.

Okay, great. The CTRail line  with 17 round trips a day between New Haven and Hartford, and a dozen round trips from the state capital to Springfield  makes traveling to, from and through central Connecticut cheaper and easier  compared with the old, limited Amtrak service.

But what do we make of it? At a cost of $769 million to build, and an estimated $44 million to run in its first year, is it worth the cost?

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy says yes, emphatically. He rode the line from Hartford to Springfield in that same car Thursday along with the U.S. Representatives from both cities, celebrating the service as part of his victory tour, or shall we say, legacy tour before he steps down Jan. 9.

More on the money in a bit. Suffice to say, its a hefty per-ride subsidy. Malloy and the congressmen  both senior members of the committee that controls spending  talked effusively about links between regions and the economic future.

Schimmelfing said it best, assessing the commuter line as he passed through a state thats been a blur for him as a college student in Pennsylvania and now a resident of the Upper East Side.

I always thought of Connecticut as a bedroom community for New York. This feels a little bit more like its got something going on, he said, passing the historic Windsor Locks Canal. That would make me more likely to want to live there. Thats why people are moving to cities.

Aha. Whats the value of the commuter rail line if these young, highly educated people start to want to live in Connecticut?

In Schimmelfings view, its priceless if he can live in a place where he and his future partner can both commute to good jobs, not necessarily in the same place.

Its really important for people who come from where I come from, said Shepley, who said some of his friends from Springfield have jobs in Connecticut.

For Malloy, and U.S. Reps. John B. Larson, D-1st District and Richard Neal, D-Springfield, its a reason to spend significant public money. The CTRail service is an add-on to existing Amtrak service, with some friction between the state and the national passenger railroad.

This just makes so much sense, Malloy said on the Hartford platform as the 4-car train approached from New Haven. When I got into office there were no agreements in place to get this built by Amtrak, there was insufficient amounts of money...We had to pound it out with Amtrak to get it done.

The service combines two existing Amtrak routes, seven new Amtrak-run commuter runs and the rest on CTRail trains with equipment leased from Massachusetts. Its on pace to exceed 600,000 passengers in the first year, a Connecticut Department of Transportation official said, up from fewer than 300,000 when Amtrak ran six round trips a day.

That means some trains run with plenty of empty seats and others turn riders away. And that has led Amtrak to honored its passengers with reservations, leaving some commuters to take buses or wait for the next train.

Thats a good problem to have, said John Bernick, assistant rail administrator for the state DOT, on the ride Thursday. It means trains are full  but it does require more cars, and a better system.

Another issue: Some trains leave New Haven for Hartford just five minutes before trains from Stamford and points west arrive in New Haven  forcing passengers to barely miss the connection. That cant be helped, Bernick said, because the trains run in a highly choreographed schedule, the result of having just one track in several places.

If that train waited five minutes, it would hold up another train, he said.

Then there was a mechanical breakdown on a CTRail train in Meriden in the pre-Christmas rush, which, you know, happens.

The $769 million set-up cost for Connecticut included $204 million in federal money and the rest from the state. And the $43.9 million estimated operating budget for this fiscal year includes $7.2 million from tickets, $13 million from the state and $23.7 million from the Feds.

At the current ridership, thats a $70 cost per passenger, offset by a $12.75 full-fare ticket for the whole route, less for parts of it.

Thats a hefty public subsidy by any measure. Compare it to a subsidy of less than $4 for each of Metro Norths 40 million passengers a year.

Larson called Malloys fight to open the rail line a courageous decision. He and Neal, the incoming chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, said they intend to push for more rail money under a promised, $1.5 trillion infrastructure spend. Many are skeptical that massive plan will happen.

For Malloy, his first ride on the line to Springfield was a time to look at history.

It was foolish of prior leadership to turn their back on a rail system in favor of an over-reliance on a highway system, he said. The commuter line is helping to correct the wrong decisions that were made 50 years ago.It was a big year for businesses in the Greater New Milford area, with many celebrating major milestone anniversaries and others opening or closing their doors. Here are some highlights:

In downtown New Milford, the 116-year-old H.H. Taylor & Son business on Railroad Street continued its hardware business, but the family relocated its Just Ask equipment rental business at the corner of Railroad Street and Boardman Terrace to the old lumberyard, adjacent to the hardware business, after selling the property on which Just Ask had been located.

The owners of Alpenhaus Restaurant, which has been an anchor storefront at the corner of Bank and Railroad streets for four years, opened Java Haus coffee house on the upper level of its space this past spring to fill the void after Bank Street Coffee House closed. But by mid-December, the owners announced they sold both of their 59 Bank St. businesses as they look to share German culture in another way.

Both establishments have new owners and will continue to offer food and coffee, as well as continue the spirit of Alpenhaus.

The towns only book store, The Book Nook, was sold and re-opened in March, and the opening of Dominos on the Village Green drew mixed reactions from residents, many upset that a chain restaurant should be allowed to have a home on the iconic New England Green.

Away from the towns center, New Milford welcomed two new brewing businesses, Housatonic River Brewing at 30 Kent Road (Route 7) and Bad Dream Brewing at 116 Danbury Road (Route 7) in New Milford, both of which have drawn crowds.

Cobblestones American Grille laid anchor at 40-D Danbury Road  in the plaza sandwiched between Starbucks and the Feed Barn  joining the restaurant scene along Route 7, and LaNoces Gourmet Market quickly began to make a name for itself after opening in the long-vacant former Merryall Market space on Merryall Road.

An appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan in July sparked a busy summer for the owners of Create a Castle, a sandcastle making system that was said to be a hot summer toy by Chris The Top Guy Byrne, who featured the product on TV.

2018 was also a big year for the New Milford Visiting Nurse Association, which celebrated its 100th anniversary.

In neighboring towns, Shang Hai Asian Fusion in Kent marked its 35th anniversary and celebrated with a complete renovation, including an expansion of its dining space for full-service dining and a revitalized menu; Washingtonians recognized the 125th anniversary of the towns only hardware store, Washington Supply Co., and welcomed the Route 202 Tavern on Route 202 in New Preston; and Angevine Farm in Warren held a special musical festival, marking its 150th anniversary.Gunn Memorial Library in Washington will ring in the New Year with an old-fashioned New Year's tea party and cookie contest Jan. 5 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Festivities, which have a snow date of Jan. 8 from 4 to 6 p.m., will be held in the Wykeham Room of Wykeham Road library.

Guests are invited to bring a tea cup; tea and sandwiches will be served. Washington photo albums will be on view to peruse.

Individuals interested in attending should email their name(s) to info@gunnhistoricalmuseum.org or call 860-868-7586.

One of the highlights of the tea is the return of the cookie contest, which will be judged by professionals.

Cookies, which should be homemade and baked by the contestant, will be judged in several categories: most creative, best tasting, most festive, most original, baked by children under 16, and best overall.

While the judges are picking a winner, youngsters can enjoy a hot cocoa bar, rounds of cookie bingo, a blind Oreo taste test, and a cookie decorating station.

Interested bakers should pre-register by calling the library or signing up at the front desk.

Entrants should submit three dozen cookies at least half an hour before the event.

Plates are to be submitted with an entry form which can be picked up at the library or accessed at www.gunnlibrary.org.Gunn Memorial Library in Washington will present free screenings of Lizzie: The Legend of Lizzie Borden (R) Jan. 7, A Simple Favor (R) Jan. 14 and Old Man & The Gun (PG-13) Jan. 28, all at 1 p.m.

Movies are free and open to the public at the Wykeham Road library.Kent Memorial Library will present an exhibit, In Living Color, Jan. 5 through Feb. 27.

A reception with the artist will be held Feb. 2 from 2 to 4 p.m.

The show will feature works by Cornwall artist Treasa Pattison, who first studied painting at the Wykeham Rise school for girls in Washington, a school primarily focused on fine and performing arts.

She then worked as a studio assistant for land and seascape painter Edward Fails from Falls Villiage.

Later she began to show her own work in small local galleries and community exhibits.

Pattison uses her painting skills as a form of art therapy helping people in Litchfield County who struggle with traumatic brain injuries and has lead the art rooms of agencies in Torrington and Thomason.

For more information or to RSVP to the reception, call the Main Street library at 860-927-3761.In naming Katie Dykes as commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Gov.-elect Ned Lamont has chosen a person who is well known at DEEP.

Since late 2016, Dykes has been chair of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, which operates under DEEPs umbrella. Prior to that, beginning in March 2012, she served as Deputy Commissioner for Energy at DEEP.

Her background skews very much to DEEPs energy mission - one of the departments three. The others are environmental quality and environmental conversation, the core areas from the former Department of Environmental Protection from which outgoing Gov. Dannel Malloy created DEEP when he first came to office in 2011.

Environmental advocates had worried then that the new energy mission of the department would overshadow its longstanding environmental focuses.

So far reaction to Dykess appointment - which is a genuine surprise - has been positive from people who have worked with her already.

Thats a fantastic choice, said Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, D-Westport. He has been a member of the Energy and Technology Committee and is widely thought to be the leading contender as House co-chair. Shes the brightest most experienced on energy you could possibly have. I have a lot of faith in her. Shes whip-smart.

Rep. Lonnie Reed, D-Branford, the outgoing chair of the committee who worked with Dykes on policy for several years, said Dykes, having grown up in the coal producing state of West Virginia, had a wide perspective on energy issues, understands that energy and environment are intertwined and sees the need to get to zero carbon.

She brings all those layers to the job and really understands how one aspect impacts the other, said Reed, who indicated she did not think Dykess energy background would be at the expense of other environmental issues. I only give her the highest praise. Shes really one of the smartest people Ive every worked with.

David Sutherland, legislative advocate for The Nature Conservancy said that even without the specific environmental experience, Dykes would be able to have experienced deputy commissioners to handle those areas - even if she retains those there now. I think Katie obviously brings a wealth of energy experience, he said. The first order for any incoming commissioner is dealing with the budget crisis - how most effectively to work with a variety of people to advocate for adequate funding and for not reducing the ranks any further.

In a statement, Leah Lopez Schmalz, chief program officer for Connecticut Fund for the Environment /Save the Sound noted Dykess extensive experience with the states complex energy landscape that will be invaluable in meeting the states greenhouse gas reduction goals.

We look forward to working closely with her to achieve those goals, and the many other equally important responsibilities of her new position, including safeguarding public drinking water, stewarding Connecticuts public lands, staying the course on cleanup of Long Island Sounds waters and the rivers that flow through our backyards, and holding accountable anyone who threatens these fragile resources with pollution or degradation, Schmalz said.

Eric Hammerling executive director of the Connecticut Forest and Parks Association, who has not worked directly with Dykes, said the next four years are going to be a challenge for any DEEP commissioner as the agency is poised to lose 40 percent of staff to retirement and other reductions.

I would just say shes very smart and well qualified, he said. I really hope in addition to the energy agenda she also continues the commitment DEEP has had for many years for parks and trails and outdoor recreation  those things that make Connecticut great.

In his announcement statement, Lamont said Katie Dykes has long played an active role in bringing cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable energy to Connecticuts families and businesses. She has thought carefully about how our state can address climate change and protect the environment, and I welcome her into my administration as we work to bring energy costs down and create new jobs in the green economy.

In her statement Dykes said: I applaud the steps Connecticut has already taken to transition to a sustainable energy future and counter the adverse effects of climate change.

Dykes had been an integral part in many of those changes - negotiating difficult legislation and arcane energy concepts that often confounded legislators. She had come in for criticism at times for advocating energy policies that put more emphasis on electric rates and what many environmental advocates felt was not enough emphasis on longer-term climate change concerns. And she was sometimes criticized for moving too cautiously on new clean and renewable energy projects and concepts such as shared solar, which allows those who cannot put solar on their own roofs to benefit from it anyway. But she did play a major role in ramping up the states commitment to clean and renewable energy and its early deployment.

I hope moving forward she will take a proactive and productive approach, but take into consideration Lamonts agenda, said Amy McLean Salls, Connecticut director of Acadia Center. We know she is very familiar with all of the issues we have in front of us in Connecticut - energy, greenhouse gas emissions and economy, she seems to be someone who could take them on and hit the ground running.

Dykes also served for three years as chair of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the nations only multi-state cap and investment program covering power plants. During that time she was instrumental in negotiating new lower caps on emissions for all the member states. Her husband, Mackey Dykes, is an executive at the Connecticut Green Bank.

Dykes replaces Rob Klee, who came to DEEP in 2011 as chief of staff to the Departments first commissioner, Dan Esty. Klee became commissioner when Esty left in 2014. He plans to return to Yales School of Forestry and Environmental Studies where he will be a visiting fellow this spring.

With Dykes leaving PURA, Lamont will have two of its three commissioner positions to fill. Vice Chairman Jack Betkoskis term is up in 2019.

Lamonts choice of Dykes also ends recent speculation about another possible candidate to run DEEP  ex-Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch, a vocal advocate for conservation and green industry when he ran the city from 2007 until 2015. Finch and some of his close political allies supported Lamont in this years gubernatorial primary with Finch successor Mayor Joe Ganim.

Finch, who is marking a year as executive director of Bridgeports Discovery Museum and Planetarium, said Thursday through spokesman Brett Broesder that Lamonts choice of Dykes is another sign the incoming governor is serious about creating green jobs, beating back climate change, developing clean energy and protecting the environment.

Connecticut Post staff writer Brian Lockhart contributed to this reportThey look different at each of the Aurora high schools where theyre offered. Metea has the BYOU program, short for Be Your Own You, which takes place after school and is open to any girls who want to join. East Aurora has Soul Sisters, which takes place during the school day and is geared toward black students who are referred to the program by an educator. West Aurora has Sisters United.Nicholas Quinzi is a problem-solver.

When he enrolled at Sacred Heart University only to find there was no organization to support student veterans like himself, he started one by personally approaching students on campus to ask if they were also veterans.

The result was the schools first ever veterans service organization and a veterans resource center located on campus.

When he struggled to rent an apartment because he couldnt prove to landlords he was receiving a basic housing allowance  more than $3,000 a month  from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to pay for rent and basic utilities as a full-time student veteran, Quinzi, 33, picked up a full-time job at Lowes. He also worked part-time as a bouncer at The Blind Rhino in South Norwalk  all to show he had income to pay his bills.

Still, his landlord in Norwalk required a higher security deposit because there was no documentation to prove he was receiving the basic housing allowance for veterans.

So the last thing he expected was a solution from someone else when U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th District, visited the SHU campus in 2016 to tour the universitys new veterans resource center.

But Himes, on hearing Quinzis story, penned a simple piece of legislation  now known as the Securing Electronic Records for Veterans Ease, or SERVE Act  requiring the VA to make documentation of housing benefits available to veterans through the departments online portal.

Passed with unanimous bipartisan support as part of a larger package of bills related to veteran benefits, the bill was sent to President Donald J. Trump for his signature on Dec. 20. Hes expected to sign the legislation in the coming days, putting the SERVE Act into effect by the beginning of the year.

It kind of grew out of the main conversation between the congressman and myself, Quinzi said. It came from him wanting to know how it was, and it was, just a really cool experience. We had no idea he was going to propose this. It was literally just conversations, we thought. If it was me dealing with that situation, I cant be the only one. Theres got to be more out there, and that was part of our conversation as well.

Now student veterans such as Quinzi  a Marine who served in Okinawa, Japan  will be able to easily access a letter from the VA proving they receive monthly assistance to pay for housing and related expenses as long as they are a student. In addition to being a full-time graduate student (he finished his undergraduate degree in psychology in two years), Quinzi still works two jobs and is a divorced parent of a five-year-old daughter, so this small change is a big deal.

Its a great example of government being able to be responsive to problems that people put forward, Himes said. Its a nice thing because a lot of problems in government that need solved, they require a lot of funds. This isnt a no brainer, but its not going to be an expensive thing to do and its going to make things a lot easier for these veterans to prove they receive the housing allowance.

kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasseltThe critically endangered Grauer's gorilla has recently lost genetic diversity and has experienced an increase in harmful mutations. These conclusions were reached by an international team of researchers who sequenced eleven genomes from eastern gorilla specimens collected up to 100 years ago, and compared these with genomes from present-day individuals. The results are now published in Current Biology.

Many wild animals have declined in numbers over the past century, and scientists have long worried that these declines have resulted in losses of genetic diversity, increased inbreeding and an accumulation of harmful mutations. Although this could lead to an even higher risk of extinction in threatened species, investigating recent changes in genetic viability has been difficult. In a new study, a team led by scientists from Uppsala University and the Swedish Museum of Natural History has used specimens stored in museum collections to analyze changes in eastern gorilla genomes over the past 100 years.

"We found that the genetic diversity in Grauer's gorilla has declined significantly in just a few generations," says Tom van der Valk, a PhD student at Uppsala University in Sweden.

Grauer's gorillas are found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and have declined by 80 per cent in recent decades due to poaching and habitat destruction. The results from the comparison of historical and modern genomes show that this decline has led to increased inbreeding and a loss of genetic variation. This in turn means that Grauer's gorillas have likely become less able to adapt to future disease outbreaks and changes in their environment. In addition, the scientists identified several mutations that are probably harmful and that have increased in frequency over the past 4-5 generations as a consequence of the decline in population size. In the closely related mountain gorilla, however, the scientists did not discover any significant genetic changes, suggesting that its genetic viability has remained stable over the past 100 years.

"This recent increase in harmful mutations really emphasises the need to reverse the ongoing population decline in Grauer's gorillas," says Love Dalen at the Swedish Museum of Natural History.

Some of the potentially harmful mutations that have increased in frequency were found in genes that affect disease resistance and male fertility. In addition, the researchers identified mutations leading to loss of function in genes associated with finger and toe development, which likely explains why present-day gorillas sometimes have fused digits.

"Our study highlights that historical museum specimens constitute a unique resource for monitoring recent changes in the genetic status of endangered species," says Katerina Guschanski at Uppsala University.

Interestingly, the reason why Grauer's gorillas have been more severely affected than mountain gorillas may lie in their deeper history. While Grauer's gorillas went through a major increase in numbers between 5,000 and 10,000 years ago, mountain gorillas have been rare for several thousands of years. This long-term small population size may have enabled natural selection to remove harmful mutations before mountain gorilla numbers started to decline in the 20th century.Proponents of the changes have said a higher buying age will make it more difficult for teenagers to obtain cigarettes and other nicotine products because they are less likely to interact with people who are over 21 years old.Robert and Tiffany Cano of San Tan Valley, Ariz., have a new marriage, a new house and a 10-month-old son, Brody, who is delighted by his ability to blow raspberries.

They also have a stack of medical bills that threatens to undermine it all.

In the months since their sturdy, brown-eyed boy was born, the Canos have acquired more than $12,000 in medical debt  so much that they need a spreadsheet to track what they owe to hospitals and doctors.

"I'm on these payment arrangements that are killing us," said Tiffany Cano, 37, who has spent her lunch hours on the phone negotiating payoff plans that now total $700 a month. "My husband is working four jobs. I work full time. We're a hardworking family doing our best and not getting anywhere."

The pair, who earn nearly $100,000 a year, are insured and have had no major illnesses or injuries. Still, the Canos are among the 1 in 4 Americans who report in multiple polls that the high cost of health care is the biggest concern facing their families. And they're at risk of joining the 62 percent of people who file for bankruptcy tied to medical bills.

"Oh, yes, that worry is always in the back of my mind," Tiffany said.

The family is part of a struggling group: middle-class folks who have followed the rules and paid for employer-based medical insurance, only to find that soaring health care costs  combined with high deductibles, high copayments and surprise medical bills  leave them vulnerable.

"I thought we'd be covered, and it's just not enough coverage at all," she said.

KHN Video: Cano Family Play

Robert Cano, also 37, had family health insurance for 2018 through his job as a manager at a large-chain retail store, for which he pays nearly $500 per month. The plan's $3,000 annual deductible and 40 percent coinsurance fees have added up faster than the Canos anticipated.

First came the nearly $4,000 bill from the in-network hospital where Brody was born Jan. 2, followed by separate fees from the anesthesiologist and the doctor who performed the routine delivery. Then, at 2 months, Brody was hospitalized with breathing problems doctors said could be related to allergies or asthma. In May, Tiffany came down with a stomach virus that sent her to the emergency room for drugs to treat nausea and dehydration. In October, the baby developed a bad case of bacterial conjunctivitis, or pinkeye.

"It's been, like, $300 here, $700 there," said Tiffany. "We had a hospital bill for him being sick of, like, $1,800." Unable initially to find a pediatrician she liked, Tiffany has agonized over whether to use the ER when Brody gets sick. When he had pinkeye, she debated whether to take him in, hoping it would get better on its own.

Then he got worse, she said, pulling up a photo on her phone of her son with half-moons of red, puffy flesh under his dark eyes.

"I let him suffer for a day like that," she said.

The Canos lost their first child, a girl, midway through her pregnancy in 2016. Tiffany acknowledges that experience has left her more anxious than the average first-time mom.

"It gave me so much fear that something would happen to him," she said.

As for their own health care needs, the couple put themselves lower on the priority list. Tiffany has used a prosthetic limb since childhood, when her lower left leg was amputated because of a birth defect.

She needs a new prosthesis because her body changed during pregnancy, but she can't see how to afford it.

A model suitable for the busy life of a working mom would easily cost $10,000 to $15,000, according to Tom Fise, executive director of the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association.

"I try to push through," Tiffany said. "I put on that brave face of just walking, but it's so painful to walk. I have bruises all over my leg. I get blisters all the time." Lately, she's been wearing an old prosthesis, one she used in high school, because it's more comfortable.

The Canos don't know how exactly they fell into such debt, since they tried hard to make responsible decisions. After meeting three years ago, they knew quickly that they wanted to marry and have a family.

"I waited until I found the right guy," said Tiffany, who was thrilled when, in 2016, they were able to afford a 2,500-square-foot, two-story home in one of the stucco-and-tile neighborhoods an hour outside Phoenix.

But, taken together, the medical payment plans and premiums are almost as much as their $1,300 monthly mortgage. All told, the Canos spend about 15 percent of their annual income on health care, almost three times the average for non-Medicare households in the U.S.

That leaves too little for day care, car payments, gas, food and dozens of other domestic expenses, Tiffany said.

For 17 years, Robert Cano had comprehensive health insurance through his job as a soldier in the Army Reserve and paid little or nothing for medical care. He left the Army in 2017, however, after he learned he would be deployed for an extended time away from his wife and new son.

"I told them, 'I have to be at home,'" he recalled. The Army insurance ended on Dec. 31, 2017, two days before Brody was born.

That meant moving to his employer's insurance plan. Like more than 40 percent of 152 million Americans who get health insurance through work, the Canos are enrolled in a plan that demands thousands of dollars before any coverage kicks in.

The couple discovered that they earn too much to qualify for financial assistance from medical providers, or for subsidies if they shifted their insurance to a plan under the federal health insurance exchange. She is a full-time bank compliance officer. He is a full-time store manager.

Tiffany wrote to KHN after seeing stories about sky-high medical bills on TV. Dr. Merrit Quarum, the chief executive of WellRithms, a health care consulting firm, reviewed the family's medical bills and the responses from their health care providers.

Though Quarum had questions about some of the fees in the itemized bills  $4 for a 600-milligram ibuprofen tablet? $3,125 to place an epidural?  he found the charges were legitimate under the terms of the contract between the hospital and the Canos' insurer. Tiffany's only recourse was to set up the five payment plans she navigates each month.

"I wish I could say it wasn't so, but it is," Quarum said.

Mostly to pay off that health care debt, Robert has taken several part-time gigs this year  he works as a substitute teacher and a nighttime security guard and delivers sandwiches for a fast-food chain in Scottsdale, 40 miles away, where tips are better. He said he sometimes works up to 120 hours in a week.

"I'm not ashamed or embarrassed, even as old as I am, to deliver sandwiches," he said, pulling on his retail chain polo shirt before rushing to a Saturday morning shift.

He continued: "I know people, they'd rather get food stamps and feel sorry for themselves. But I'm a fighter. I will not give up.  If I can bring in an extra $400 a week or $800 a month, she can get what she needs for the baby."

Often getting home after midnight, he keeps shampoo and shaving cream in his car and naps in parking lots between jobs, relying on Red Bull and aspirin to stay alert.

That means on many nights, when Tiffany picks up Brody from day care after her 90-minute commute, she handles most of the chores at home.

"Sometimes I feel like a single mom because my husband is never around," she said.

She carefully tracks the family's medical expenses, trying to juggle them with ordinary outlays that can't wait  like $500 for the brakes that went out on her car this month.

At the rate they're going, the bills won't be paid until Brody is 3, Tiffany said. The Canos are getting older and they'd like to have another baby before it's too late, but, for now, that seems impossible.

For 2019, the couple have decided to switch to a different plan offered through the regional bank where Tiffany works. The premium is higher  $650 a month  but the deductible is $1,500 with just 10 percent coinsurance.

"It is going to be a lot more per paycheck, which is going to hurt us," Tiffany said. "But after what just happened, I want to make sure we are prepared in case anything does occur."

How to fix a health care system that burdens middle-class families so heavily is beyond her, she said.

The only thing we can do is just keep working," Tiffany said. "I always wonder: How does everybody else do it?"

KHN's coverage of children's health care issues is supported in part by the Heising-Simons Foundation.University of Queensland researchers have discovered a key mechanism in the brain that may underlie our ability to rapidly focus attention.

Our brains are continuously bombarded with information from the senses, yet our level of vigilance to such input varies, allowing us to selectively focus on one conversation and not another.

Professor Stephen Williams of the Queensland Brain Institute at UQ explains, "If we want to give our full concentration, something happens in the brain to enable us to focus and filter out distractions."

"There must be a mechanism that signals the thing we want to focus on."

However, this mechanism is not well understood, he says.

Research has shown that the electrical activity of the neocortex of the brain changes, when we focus our attention. Neurons stop signaling in sync with one another and start firing out of sync.

This is helpful, says Williams, because it allows individual neurons to respond to sensory information in different ways. Thus, you can focus on a car speeding down the road or on what a friend is saying in a crowded room.

It's known that the cholinergic system in the brain plays an important role in triggering this desynchronization.

The cholinergic system consists of clusters of special neurons that synthesize and release a signaling molecule called acetylcholine, he explains, and these clusters make far reaching connections throughout the brain.

Not only does this cholinergic system act like a master switch, but mounting evidence suggests it also enables the brain to identify which sensory input is the most salient - i.e. worthy of attention - at any given moment and then shine a spotlight on that input.

"The cholinergic system broadcasts to the brain, 'this thing is really important to be vigilant to'," says Williams.

He adds that the cholinergic system has been proposed to have a far-reaching impact on our cognitive abilities.

"Destruction of the cholinergic system in animals profoundly degrades cognition, and the formation of memory," he says.

"Importantly, in humans a progressive degeneration of the cholinergic system occurs in devastating diseases that blunt cognition and memory, such as Alzheimer's disease."

But precisely which neurons in the cortex are being targeted by this master switch and how it's able to influence their function was unknown.

Williams and QBI researcher Lee Fletcher wondered if layer 5 B-pyramidal neurons, the 'output' neurons of the neocortex, might be involved, because they are intimately involved in how we perceive the world.

"The output neurons of the neocortex perform computations that are thought to underlie our perception of the world," says Williams.

Williams and Fletcher wanted to know if the cholinergic system is able to influence the activity of these output neurons.

Using a technique called optogenetics, they modified neurons in the cholinergic system in the brains of mice so that they could be activated with a flash of blue light, triggering a sudden release of acetylcholine.

This allowed the researchers to closely monitor the interaction between the cholinergic system and the output neurons. They discovered that if the output neurons were not currently active, not much happened.

But when those neurons received excitatory input to their dendrites, the cholinergic system was able to massively increase their activity.

"It's as if the cholinergic system has given a 'go' signal," says Fletcher, enabling the output neurons of the neocortex to powerfully respond.

Importantly, this change was selective, and only apparent when excitatory input was being processed in the dendrites of the 'output' neurons.

"We have known for some time that the dendrites of the output neurons of the neocortex only become active when animals are actively performing a behavior, and that this activity is correlated with perception and task performance," says Williams.

This new work demonstrates that the cholinergic system is critical to this transition in mice and rats, allowing the output neurons to perform computations in a state-dependent manner.

"We suggest that this switch also occurs in the human neocortex, allowing us to rapidly switch our state of vigilance and attention," says Williams.

"Our work therefore provides important insight into how the progressive degeneration of the cholinergic system in disease blunts human cognition."

The findings "A dendritic substrate for the cholinergic control of neocortical output neurons" are published in the journal Neuron.

Source: https://qbi.uq.edu.au/article/2018/12/how-brain-enables-us-rapidly-focus-attentionNaloxone has saved thousands of lives. But can patients be safely discharged from the Emergency Department (ED) just an hour after they receive the medication that curtails drug overdoses?

According to the St. Paul's Early Discharge Rule developed in 2000, that's how long providers should observe patients after naloxone treatment, so long as their vital signs meet specific criteria and they are ambulatory.

But the rule was never externally validated or assessed in light of the changes that have occurred in recent years with opioid use disorder.

That's why University at Buffalo researchers conducted the current study, published today in Academic Emergency Medicine, and the first to clinically assess the rule developed at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver.

Dramatic changes

"The landscape of opioid use disorder has changed dramatically," said Brian Clemency, DO, lead author on the paper, associate professor of emergency medicine in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB and an attending physician specializing in emergency medicine at Erie County Medical Center. He also is a physician with UBMD Emergency Medicine.

In 2000, he explained, naloxone was almost exclusively administered intravenously by doctors, nurses and paramedics. Today, the medication is far more widely available, including to members of the public, and is often given in the form of a nasal spray. In addition, the use of heroin and synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl and carfentanil, has increased tremendously.

"Recommendations for patient observation after naloxone administration are inconsistent," said Clemency. "Patients can be observed for six or more hours or they can be immediately discharged with no further evaluation.

"The question is, which of these patients needs to be watched longer?" he asked. "Right now, there isn't a really good rule. This has wide-ranging negative implications for emergency care and opioid use disorder treatment.

"It is our hope that these findings will lead to a reduction in practice variation and allow for better use of resources in the ED, while ensuring patient safety," he added.

Tracking patients in the ED

To determine if the one-hour early discharge rule is valid, given the changes in opioid use disorder, Clemency and his colleagues launched an ambitious study at Buffalo's Erie County Medical Center, (ECMC) a busy, urban teaching hospital affiliated with the Jacobs School.

Patients who arrived at the medical center by ambulance after receiving naloxone for suspected opioid overdose had to be enrolled and evaluated within 30-40 minutes of arrival.

One hour after receiving naloxone in the community, patients' vital signs were evaluated, ranging from body temperature and heart rate to blood pressure and the blood oxygen level.

A total of 538 patients were included in the study. Patients were typically observed for at least four hours before being discharged.

Patients were tracked through their hospitalization for any adverse events. Medical examiner records were then reviewed for subsequent fatalities.

The authors reported that most adverse events seen in patients with normal examinations after receiving naloxone were minor and unlikely to be life-threatening.

"This rule is a way to predict which patients will have adverse outcomes after they overdose on opiates," concluded Clemency. "The rule is simple to follow and can be used by health care providers with varying levels of training and experience.

"We anticipate this study will lead to nationally standardized recommendations for the observation of patients following the administration of naloxone for suspected opioid overdose," he said.Sorry!

This content is not available in your regionAndrew Stevens, an attorney for the family, said the zip line on which Brady was injured was several feet off the ground and ran the length of the gym, with children hanging only by their hands, so when Brady hit the end, he was flung into the steel pole. Stevens called it a death trap.Delhi:

The trailer of the much-anticipated political drama, The Accidental Prime Minister, starring Anupam Kher as the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh released on Thursday. The film traces the journey of Manmohan Singh throughout the time he was in power. The trailer has received huge criticism from the Congress party over incorrect presentation of the facts.

The film shows Manmohan Singh dealing with pressures from Congress leadership  Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The veteran actor, has defended the timing of the film saying, if a film is about the government and the prime minister, it makes perfect sense to release it before elections.

Read | No, Kamal Nath government has not banned 'The Accidental Prime Minister' in Madhya Pradesh

Anupam Kher said, "The film is based on a book written by the media adviser to the prime minister. The book has been in the public domain for four years and nobody has objected to it. The project was announced two years ago, and every newspaper wrote about my look. The film has also got the censor board stamp.

"Of the 500-odd films that I have done, this has been the most difficult role. I have put my life into it so these protests are upsetting," the actor said.

Read | The Accidental Prime Minister Trailer: 5 dialogues that will blow your mind

According to Kher, the film should be India's entry to the Oscars and he should be nominated for his performance. "Everybody who has been seen the trailer is saying 'Wow you look exactly like Manmohan Singh'. Even my mother didn't recognise me. But nobody is talking about that. So those who are protesting should suggest my name for the Oscars, for being so close to Dr Manmohan Singh. Such portrayals are awarded the world over. Daniel Day-Lewis got it for Lincoln, Meryl Streep for her performance as Margaret Thatcher, Ben Kingsley got it for Gandhi..." he said.

In an earlier interview talking aboout his role, Anupam had said, "Acting the role of anyone in contemporary history is extremely challenging, as comparisons are bound to be instant and inevitable. But as I have always revelled in challenges, right from my first film Saaransh, I look forward to the experience of portraying PM Manmohan Singh.''

Read | The Accidental Prime Minister Trailer: Anupam Kher delivers a powerful performance as Manmohan Singh

Meanwhile talking about the film, Akshaye Khanna plays Sanjaya Baru who was the media advisor of Manmohan Singh. While German actor Suzanne Bernert plays Sonia Gandhi, Aahana Kumara will be seen as Priyanka Gandhi. Arjun Mathur plays Rahul Gandhi in The Accidental Prime Minister. The film is helmed by debutant Vijay Ratnakar Gutte.

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

In a blow to Baba Ramdev, the Uttarakhand High Court has ordered his Divya Pharmacy to share the benefit with locals in the state. The yoga guru and his aide Acharya Balkrishna had argued that Divya Pharmacy is a 'purely Indian company' and hence it can't be ordered to share benefits under the 2002 Act. According to the Indian Express, the key verdict was delivered on December 21st, but has been made public now. With this order, the Uttarakhand Biodiversity Board (UBB) will now be able to levy fees under the provisions of Fair and Equitable Benefit Sharing (FEBS) of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.

Also Read | Seen as a snub for Narendra Modi, yoga guru Ramdev says, 'Difficult to say who would be next PM'

According to the Indian Express, Divya Pharmacy is a business undertaking of Divya Yog Mandir Trust set up in 1995. The official website of Divya Pharmacy includes setting up 'a new World Health Organisation' as one of its objectives. Raising of funds, accepting donation and gifts to realise these goals. To do business and arrangement of loans from different financial institutions. Loans from Bank and mortgaging the assets to repay the loan has been defined as one of the objectives of the Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust.

Recently, Baba Ramdev had said that it was "very difficult" to predict the country's next Prime Minister in view of the current political situation. Noting that he was "not focussed" on politics, the 53-year-old yoga guru said he would not support or oppose anyone in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Talking to reporters at the Madurai airport on Tuesday, Ramdev had said, "We can't say who will become the next prime minister (after the 2019 general elections)."

Also Read | Patanjali to set up Rs 634 cr mega food park in Vizianagaram

"We do not have a political or religious agenda. We want to make a spiritual India and the world. Not Hindu India or communal India," he added. His comments had come days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suffered a big blow as it lost power in its earlier ruled Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

The Congress won convincingly in Chhattisgarh, less so in Rajasthan and edged out the saffron party in a cliffhanger in Madhya Pradesh. Referring to the Ayodhya dispute, Ramdev claimed that the BJP would lose trust if the 'Ram Mandir' was not built in Ayodhya now.

(With PTI inputs)

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

Former prime minister of Norway Kjell Magne Bondevik reportedly visited Jammu and Kashmir on November 23 and met representatives of various organisations, including All Party Hurriyat Conference, the government has said in Parliament. Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj also told Rajya Sabha on Thursday that the "government of India was not involved in organising the visit and meetings".

"According to available information, former Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik was on a private visit to India at the invitation of the Art of Living International Centre (Ved Vigyan Maha Vidya Peeth), Bengaluru," she said in a written reply in response to a question. "He reportedly visited Jammu and Kashmir on November 23, 2018 and met representatives of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jammu and Kashmir Youth Development Forum, All Party Hurriyat Conference," the reply said.

Read | Was it OTP? Was it 'secret code'? Sushma Swaraj's mysterious number tweet leaves Twitter baffled

In the written reply, Swaraj said, it has also been reported that he "visited Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from November 24-27, 2018". "There is no change in the government's consistent and principled position that under the Shimla Agreement (1972) and as reiterated in the Lahore Declaration (1999), both India and Pakistan are committed to address all outstanding issues bilaterally. There is no scope for any third party role or mediation," she added.

In response to another question, the minister said, continued cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan "remains a core concern for India". "The government of Pakistan has been consistently called upon to abide by its commitment not to allow any territory under its control to be used for terrorism against India in any manners," she said.

India has made it clear that for holding a meaningful bilateral dialogue, "onus lies on Pakistan" to create a conducive environment free from terror, hostility and violence, Swaraj added.

Read | Imran Khan says war not a solution to Kashmir issue, Kartarpur Corridor's opening was not 'googly'

In response to another question, Minister of State for External Affairs, V K Singh told Rajya Sabha on Thursday, the "ministry is not in receipt of any proposal for the establishment of Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Kerala." "No information has so far been received from the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in New Delhi with regard to this issue," he said in a written reply.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

Congress has finally settled the squabbling over the portfolios in the Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy's government following the recent cabinet expansion. News Nation has learnt that dominant Lingayat leader MB Patil will be the new home minister of Karnataka. Prior to this, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara held the key ministry. The Hindu had earlier reported that Parameshwara was not ready for giving up the home ministry as he felt that it would diminish the prestige of his post of Deputy Chief Minister. However, the communication from the Congress leadership to Kumaraswamy meant that Patil will get the crucial ministry.

Last week on December 22, Kumaraswamy had expanded his six-month old cabinet, inducting eight members from its coalition partner Congress. Two ministers -- Ramesh Jarkiholi (Municipal Administration) and R Shankar (Forest and Environment) -- were dropped.

The new ministers were administered the oath of office and secrecy at the Glass House at Raj Bhavan by Governor Vajubhai Vala amid tight security.

The new inductees are Satish Jarkiholi, M B Patil, CS Shivalli, MTB Nagaraj, E Tukaram, P T Parameshwar Naik, Rahim Khan and R B Thimmapur, with seven of them hailing from north Karnataka.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi had given the go-ahead for the rejig Friday night after the state party leaders and AICC in-charge of Karnataka KC Venugopal met him and discussed the issue. Ramesh Jarkiholi, who has allegedly been hobnobbing with BJP leaders and not attending cabinet and party meetings, has been replaced by his brother Satish Jarkiholi. Shankar is an Independent lawmaker who faced the axe over his reported reluctance to be an associate member of the Congress.

Kumaraswamy tenure as the Chief Minister has not been very smooth. Apart from the confusion and the compulsion of the coalition government, Kumaraswamy has been in news for one controversy or the other.

Kumaraswamy found himself in a raging controversy Tuesday after a video of his telephonic instruction to "shoot mercilessly" those who had killed a JDS worker in the party's stronghold of Mandya district on Monday went viral.

As the controversy refused to die down despite his clarification, Kumaraswamy said, "It is not a big issue..it is a human tendency...in that sort of a situation any human being will react like that.I have already clarified it, that is why I changed the word also."

JDS worker Prakash was hacked to death allegedly by four men in Maddur town Monday evening.

(With inputs from PTI)

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.Following the accusations last December, the Augustinians removed McGrath from all public ministry and assigned him to live at the Hyde Park friary, which was seen as an environment where the order could supervise him and ensure he had no unsupervised access to minors, Pizzo said in his statement.New Delhi:

With shocking rapes in Kathua and Unnao brought into focus the safety of minor girls in India, the Union Cabinet on Friday approved an amendment to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, seeking to ensure death penalty for aggravated sexual abuse of children. The amendment further levies heavy fine for not deleting, reporting and destroying child pornographic material. The POCSO Act, which was originally enacted in 2012, was later modified to make it as foolproof as possible.

Briefing the media, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "Our children should be protected from sexual offences. Now, those taking advantage of children in heinous ways will be severely punished".

Union Law Minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad: Cabinet has approved death penalty in aggravated sexual offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. pic.twitter.com/E1JB8xCOOq  ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2018

Read | Triple Talaq Bill passed in Lok Sabha by 245-11 votes after Congress walkout, all amendments defeated

Another important amendment approved by the Cabinet was to protect children from being abused in natural calamities and disasters or administered hormones to attain early sexual maturity for purpose of assault, Prasad added.

The POSCO Act vows to protect the children from offences of sexual assault, harassment and pornography for safeguarding the interest and well-being of children. As per the Act, a child refers to any person below eighteen years of age. It regards the best interests and welfare of the child as a matter of paramount importance at every stage. It also seeks to ensure the healthy physical, emotional, intellectual and social development of the child.

Read | Parliament Winter Session: Lok Sabha passes Surrogacy Regulation Bill, here is all you need to know about it

In case of aggravated assault criminal laws punish more severely due to its level of seriousness. Factors which raise an assault to an aggravated assault typically include the use of a weapon, the status of the victim, the intent of the perpetrator, and the degree of injury caused.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

It is unlikely that there will be any major initiative to improve ties between India and Pakistan until Lok Sabha elections are held, official sources said on Thursday. However, they did not "definitively" rule out any positive development. Last month, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, while calling for bettering ties between the two neighbours, had said that he was willing to wait for New Delhi's response till general elections are held in India. The Lok Sabha polls are due in April-May.

Asked about the latest episode of harassment of staff at Indian High Commission in Islamabad, the sources said India is not contemplating scaling down its strength in mission.

They said Pakistan is yet to grant gas connections to the new residential building of its mission in Islamabad despite repeated requests by India.

"Our diplomats are facing harassment on multiple counts. Our High Commission buildings and projects in Islamabad are stalled for last 10 years. We moved people in the High Commission building with no gas supply," said a source.

They said furniture for new buildings are held up at the border and no telecom connections have been granted by Pakistan.

Recalling the "unprecedented levels" of harassment of officials of Indian mission in Islamabad earlier this year, the sources indicated that India had given a tit for tat response.

"That resulted in them backing of real fast," said a source.

When asked about alleged harassment of Indian diplomats in the country, Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said Islamabad was facilitating the Indian High Commission to operate according to the international laws and diplomatic norms.

"Pakistan stands for upholding the Vienna Conventions on diplomatic relations and has always endeavoured to facilitate the working of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad within the diplomatic norm, international law and practices," he said during a media briefing in Islamabad.

On the Kartarpur corridor project, the sources said it was a cultural initiative and not a diplomatic or political one.

They said Kartarpur corridor initiative does not mean India was going to open dialogue with Pakistan on larger issues.

The corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur - the final resting place of Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev - with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district.

Pakistan has been projecting the initiative as its major diplomatic coup. On Thursday, Pakistan described it as the "high point of diplomacy" for the Imran Khan government.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

A minor fire broke out at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) campus in Ahmedabad, an official said on Friday. The fire broke out in a storeroom in ISRO's Space Application Centre, the official added. Chief Fire Officer MF Dastur said the fire was brought under control in an hour, adding that five fire tenders were deployed for the operation, but only one was used. "The fire started in a store room in the SAC campus Friday morning. Only some old books got burnt in the incident. The fire was brought under control within one hour," he said.

Recently, ISRO had successfully launched an advanced communication satellite at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Director S Somanath said. "There is always (scope of) further improvements in GSLV and in the coming GSLV-F10s and F12 missions, we are going to make bigger payload compartment to accommodate still bigger spacecrafts and that is another important challenge in front of us," he had said after the launch.

He had said the scientists were ready for that change and also to make sure that the GSLV continues to remain very successful and "rugged" vehicle like ISRO's trusted workhorse, the PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle). ISRO's GSLV-F11, carrying the 2,250kg GSAT-7A, lifted off at 4.10 pm Wednesday from the second launch pad at Sriharikota, situated about 110 km from Chennai, and placed the communication satellite into its intended orbit about 19 minutes after lift-off.

Earlier, referring to the salient features of the GSLV-F11 launch, Somanath said the vehicle was an improved version where scientists brought changes in the cryogenic stage as well as second stage to improve payload capability. "This resulted in a lot of engineering changes and new elements. The (GSLV) vehicle itself is 1.5 metres longer than the previous GSLVs and it calls for understanding aerodynamics, hardware design and control systems," he said. He congratulated the ISRO team for "meticulously" undertaking all the new changes and making a successful launch. "This is sixth consecutive success of the GSLV. It only shows that this vehicle is going to stay longer and to make more missions in the years to come with improved capability," he said.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

The Indian Air Force has flown in 20 pumps to reach the 15 diggers trapped inside a 370-feet rat-hole mine in Meghalaya. The rescuers from the Air Force and the Coal India will now travel 200 km to the exact spot to save the miners trapped for a fortnight. Superintendent of Police Sylvester Mongtynger said two teams from Kirloskar Brothers Ltd also arrived on Thursday to help in rescuing the miners trapped in the 370-foot-deep illegal mine. "We are deeply concerned about the trapped miners in Meghalaya and are ready to help in whichever way possible. We are in touch with the officials of the Government of Meghalaya to offer our assistance in this regard," Kirloskar Brothers Ltd said in a statement late Wednesday night.

Sources in Coal India Ltd said Thursday officers and surveyers are on their way to the site. A senior government official said they will assess the situation including the road condition leading to the mine in a remote area in the district and accordingly report to their office, which will then take a call on what equipment are required to launch a rescue operation.

The search-and-rescue operation was suspended on Saturday after water pumped out of the mine did not lead to a drop in the water level. On Thursday, the National Disaster Response Force contradicted media reports which quoted it as saying that the trapped minors were suspected to be dead on the basis of the "foul odour" the force's divers had smelt when they had gone inside the mine.

The NDRF battalion based in Guwahati, which is carrying out the rescue operation, said the statement of its Assistant Commandant Santosh Kumar Singh on "foul smell" had been "misinterpreted and he was misquoted as saying that foul odour could indicate that the miners were dead and the bodies are beginning to decompose."

The NDRF explained the foul smell could be of the stagnant water. "The fact is that the pumping process has been halted for more than 48 hours. The foul smell detected by the divers may be due to stagnant water. The same has been misinterpreted and newspapers quoted it saying the odour could indicate the miners are dead and bodies are beginning to decompose," the statement issued by Commandant of Guwahati-based NDRF Battalion S K Shastri said.

He said two teams of NDRF are engaged in the search and rescue operation. Meanwhile, a Congress lawmaker claimed that there is a strong chance that the miners might not be alive. "Im very sure most people have died. I came to know from local people that there is no chance of people there, those who survive, they run away since the mining was illegal. Earlier the Central government did not take seriously in sending the pumps. I hope with the new pumps coming they will be able to pump water. It will take minimum 2-3 days then we will be able to retrieve the bodies," Pala said.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi :

A day after the trailer release of Anupam-Kher starrer The Accidental Prime Minister, a movie based on the controversial book by former prime minister Manmohan Singh's media advisor Sanjaya Baru, the war of words erupted between the Congress and the BJP. While a section of Congress leaders raised an objection, alleging "distortion of facts", the BJP praised it as a "riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years". However, rubbishing those reports on banning the film, Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath said that he does not have any intent to impose a ban or any prohibition on any movie.

"Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath: I don't have any intent to impose a ban or any prohibition on any movie," the news agency ANI reported.

Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath: I don't have any intent to impose a ban or any prohibition on any movie. #AccidentalPrimeMinister pic.twitter.com/lGq12ZXI5n  ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2018

Earlier there were reports that the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh had banned the release of the controversial movie based on 10 years of Manmohan Singh's tenure as the prime minister of the country.

However, both the Congress party and Madhya Pradesh government rebutted the false reports and said that no such action has been taken against the movie. "The news of Ban on the movie 'The Accidental Prime Minister' by Madhya Pradesh Government is wrong and misleading," the Department of Public Relations, Madhya Pradesh Government wrote on Twitter.

Also Read | The Accidental Prime Minister Trailer: 5 dialogues that will blow your mind

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala also rebutted the reports and attacked the BJP, saying its "fake propaganda" won't desist them from questioning the Narendra Modi government on several issues, including the rural distress, unemployment and pervading corruption.

"This is incorrect. MP Govt has taken no such decision. Fake propaganda by BJP won't desist us from questioning the Modi Govt on - Rural Distress, Unemployment, Demo Disaster, Flawed GST, Failed Modinomics, All-pervading Corruption! Nation wants Governance, not diversion!" Surjewala tweeted.

However, a Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Syed Zafar said that he has written to the director of the movie and threatened not to allow the release had they not shown the movie prior to the release. "I have written a letter to the director, we strongly object to the name and what was shown in the trailer. We want to see the film prior to release or else won't let it release in the state," news agency PTI quoted Zafar as saying.

The Maharashtra youth Congress has also made the similar demands and announced that they won't let the movie release anywhere if they were not shown the movie before it hits theatres.

Also Read | The Accidental Prime Minister Trailer: 5 dialogues that will blow your mind

"If the said movie is released without prior screening for our office bearers and without making necessary changes recommended by us that we find out after viewing the movie it will be understood that you are doing this deliberately and we have other options open to stop the screening of the same across India," the youth Congress unit said.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

In what could be a big blow for RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha ahead of Lok Sabha election 2019, two party MLAs and an MLC on Friday dashed a letter to Election Commission, claiming their control over the party. Their demands include the granting of the RLSP symbol - Ceiling Fan - by the central poll panel to them. In an unprecedented incident, Kushwaha has been facing revolt from Bihar legislators, who oppose his decision to join the Congress-RJD-led Grand Alliance (Mahagatbandhan) in the state.

MLAs Sudhanshu Shekhar, Lalan Paswan and MLC Sanjiv Singh Shyam have accused Kushwaha of pursuing personal interests in announcing a break up with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on December 20. They also pitched for a ministerial berth for Shekhar, a first-term MLA and the youngest among the three.

"We had been stating since long that we were in favour of the RLSP remaining in the NDA but Kushwaha, who was more interested in his personal gains, paid no heed, Shyam said pointing to the RLSP chief's decision to quit the NDA on December 20.

In a veiled attack at Kushwaha, Paswan, described him incapable of managing two MLAs and an MP. "Kushwaha calls Nitish Kumar his elder brother and yet has all sorts of problems with the latter. He, however, feels no discomfort in paying obeisance to RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav," he added.

Announcing their separation from Kushwaha, the legislators also said that the RLSP was heading towards a split and have the support of most workers in their decision to stay back with the NDA.

Read | Upendra Kushwaha joins RJD-led grand alliance in Bihar, Ahmed Patel expresses happiness

Shyam further alleged that Khushwaha had of late been making noises about the RLSP bot being considered for a ministerial berth after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar returned to the NDA last year. In reality, he never tried. When ministerial berths were being allocated among allies he was simply roaming around in Patna, Shyam claimed.

Read | BJP ally RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha resigns from Cabinet, hits out at PM Narendra Modi

Khushwaha was happy with his own ministerial berth at the Centre. After that his entire attention had been on getting a deal that served his interests better. He simply did not care that somebody from his party should get a ministerial berth in the state as well, he added.

Replying to a query, he said neither he nor Paswan want ministerial berths. We would like Sudhanshu Shekhar's inclusion in the state council of ministers and we would be hugely disappointed if he is not considered for the same, he said.

We are not defectors. Rather, we represent the real RLSP. Our stance is in line with the sentiments of most workers and office-bearers in the party. We will soon be approaching the Election Commission with our claim, Shyam added.

NDA leaders in Bihar were not immediately available for comments on the development. However, rumblings within the party had come to the fore last month when Shekhar and Paswan turned up at a meeting of BJP legislature party held at the residence of Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi.

Read | Upendra Kushwahas supporters protest against Nitish Kumar's 'neech' remark; lathi-charged

The two other Lok Sabha members from the RLSP include Arun Kumar from Jehanabad and Ram Kumar Sharma from Sitamarhi. However, Kumar, the rebel MP has been charting an independent course for the last two years.

Sharma, who initially made statements in favour of NDA later changed his stance and was seen with Kushwaha when he had announced his resignation from the cabinet and also severing ties with the NDA in Delhi.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi :

Was that an alien aircraft snooping on Earth and passing the information to its home planet? Well, in a letter to the Prime Ministers Office (PMO), a man from Maharashtras Pune has claimed to have seen an extra-terrestrial object sending critical information to its original planet. A man from Punes Kothrud area claimed that he had seen an alien object right outside his house. Following his email to the PMOs the Pune police were sent on a wild goose chase which claimed that man was suffering from a "mental ailment" and has been hallucinating about aliens for quite some time.

When PMO received the letter, it asked the Maharashtra government to look into the matter and verify the mans claims of spotting the alien object. Upon receiving instructions from the PMO, the Maharashtra government directed police to follow the lead, an official attached to the Sinhgad Road police station said.

Police took no time to track down the sender of the email - a 47-year-old man, who had allegedly suffered brain hemorrhage some years ago. The man had had brain hemorrhage some years ago and since then he has lost his mental balance. A couple of months ago he saw a light in the trees outside his bungalow and thought it was coming from some alien object, PTI quoted the officer as saying.

Also Read | Google Doodle celebrates humanity's first message to aliens

The police said that he felt an alien object outside his house was sending critical information about Earth to its home planet and dashed off an email to the PMO seeking an investigation. Even his family members were not aware that he had sent such an email, the officer added.

Do Aliens really exist?

Over the past few decades, Astronomers from around the world have been trying to find out whether extra-terrestrial life exists in the parallel universe. Although reliable evidence is yet to come at human notice, several international scientists have claimed that alien life could very well be present in a parallel universe.

After running a programme called Evolution and Assembly of Galaxies and their Environments, a team with researchers from England, Australia and the Netherlands concluded that alien life does exist in our universe.

Silvano P Colombano, a scientist at the NASA Ames Research Centre in Mountain View, California claims that Aliens might have already visited the Earth, but humans may not have noticed them as they are too caught up with their owns assumptions.

Also Read | Extraterrestrial life exist in parallel universe, suggest researchers

Aliens may look vastly different than the expectations that humans have of them such as being carbon-based organisms which would allow them to remain undetected, Colombano has written in one of his research papers.

For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.Dhaka:

The year 2018 was an eventful one for Bangladesh which is going to crucial polls on Sunday but it may not see the "battling begums" in direct contest as jailed ex-premier Khalida Zia is unable to challenge Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose government maintained steady ties with India.

The two women - Hasina, the 71-year-old daughter of the country's founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and Zia, the 73-year-old widow of military dictator Ziaur Rahman, have been political royalty - begums - since the 1980s.

While Hasina is seeking re-election for a fourth term as the prime minister in the upcoming polls, her rival Zia, who is reportedly partially paralysed, faces an uncertain future in a Dhaka jail.

Zia, the two-time former prime minister, boycotted the 2014 elections, saying it was rigged in favour of Hasina and her ruling Awami League party. Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) alleges that the AL-led government is engaged in a crackdown against its workers aiming at derailing its election campaign.

The first woman prime minister in the country's history and second in the Muslim-majority countries after Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto, Zia was in November ordered by a court to stay behind bars for more than a decade for graft. The convictions mean she cannot contest the poll.

Zia's supporters say the charges against her are politically motivated. Her son Tarique Rahman, the acting party head, was also sentenced to life behind bars.

The BNP had decided not to take part in the polls while its top leader was in jail. But the legal obligations forced the party to take part in the elections as the party could have lost its registration with the Election Commission if it would have abstained from polls for a second consecutive time.

The emergence of the National Unity Forum (NUF) as a joint opposition platform was a landmark event in Bangladesh's political front this year after Zia's imprisonment in February.

The alliance created hope for the BNP to have a pre-polls dialogue with the government. A former Awami League stalwart and eminent jurist, Kamal Hossain leads the NUF. He, however, preferred not to contest the polls himself.

Several Western diplomats and political analysts inside the country said the emergence of the NUF created a win-win situation for all stakeholders and paved the way for the BNP to return to Parliament.

Unlike the 2014 elections, major foreign powers appeared appreciative of the current political course despite their worries about the rights situation in the country.

The zero use of the anti-India rhetoric during the election campaign came as a respite to New Delhi, which in the past was accused of intervening in the country's politics.

Analysts said the BNP over the years preferred to get New Delhi as an ally, burying the old hostile attitude, a development which some of them preferred to call "bipartisan consensus" regarding the next-door neighbour.

Bangladesh's ties with India this year grew steadily, with high-level visits from both sides. Hasina visited India in May during which she held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The last few years have been a "golden chapter" in India-Bangladesh relationship when complicated issues of land and coastal boundaries were resolved, Modi said at the time.

Echoing his views, Hasina hoped that the remaining issues will also be resolved in a "friendly atmosphere".

India signed a revised travel agreement with Bangladesh during Home Minister Rajnath Singh's visit to Dhaka in July

Under the Revised Travel Arrangement (RTA)-2018, freedom fighters and elderly Bangladeshi nationals will get five-year multiple visa from India.

During the year, the two countries launched many development cooperation projects, including the construction of the Akhaura-Agartala rail line and the restoration of Kulaura-Shahbazpur section of railway line.

The two countries jointly inaugurated the construction of 130-km Bangladesh-India Friendship Pipeline between Siliguri in West Bengal and Parbatipur in Dinajpur. India also announced a three-year visa for Bangladeshi students willing to study in the country. The issue of Teesta water sharing issue, however, remained unresolved.

Most analysts feel that the crucial bilateral ties now witnesses a new trajectory since the Awami League assumed power in 2009 and they expect the relations to grow further in 2019 irrespective of the outcome of Bangladesh's elections.

The Rohngya crisis remained a major issue in Bangladesh this year. The country rallied huge international support to put pressure on Myanmar to take back minority Muslim Rohingyas who fled the country following a military crackdown.

After several rounds of talks, Myanmar agreed to start the repatriation. But the planned beginning of the repatriation of thousands of Rohingyas which was set for November 15 faced a setback amid concerns over their safety once they return to their homeland in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

Some foreign relations analysts said Dhaka was a bit upset with India's role in the Rohingya crisis particularly for not mounting pressure on Myanmar to take back 1.1 million people, who were forced to take refuge in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh set a bad track record in terms of human rights this year, drawing massive criticism for incidents of "forced disappearances" and deaths in the hands of law enforcement agencies.

As Bangladesh is getting ready to install a new government, the new year promises a lot of action not only on the political front but also on foreign policy front.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.Washington:

Former First Lady Hillary Clinton's 17-year run as the woman Americans admire most is over. Another former First Lady, Michelle Obama, has deposed Clinton as America's most admired woman, according to a Gallup poll published on Thursday.

Former president Barack Obama was named the man Americans admire most for the 11th year in a row, Gallup said.

President Donald Trump finished second in the poll for the fourth year in a row.

Gallup has conducted the annual poll every year since 1946 with the exception of 1976.

Fifteen per cent of the 1,025 Americans polled said the woman they admire most is Michelle Obama, who is currently on a tour promoting her book "Becoming."

Talk show host Oprah Winfrey was second with five per cent followed by Hillary Clinton and First Lady Melania Trump with four per cent.

Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee and a former US senator and secretary of state, has topped the list 22 times including the past 17 years in a row.

Nineteen per cent of those polled said Barack Obama was the man they admired most.

Trump was second with 13 per cent followed by former president George W Bush and Pope Francis, who were tied with two per cent.

Gallup said the survey conducted December 3-12 had a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump in his first visit to Iraq on Wednesday said that America cannot be the policeman of the world and urged countries to share responsibilities. Trump also defended his decision to pull American troops out of war-torn Syria. "The United States cannot continue to be the policeman of the world," Trump told reporters at a military base west of Baghdad, soon after he addressed American soldiers. Accompanied by First Lady Melania this was Donald Trumps first visit to Iraq. Trump vowed for a "harsh response" from his administration if there was to be another terrorist attack on America.

"If anything should happen at all, nobody will ever have suffered the consequences they had suffered," Trump told American troops at a military base west of Baghdad.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.Paraday, who had been set to retire from the district, was the states highest-paid superintendent, pulling down more than $430,000 in his last year. He was reportedly owed hundreds of thousands of dollars for unused vacation and sick days upon his retirement, and Paradays lawyer said he believed the districts allegations were an effort by 155 to avoid the huge payout.BRIDGEPORT  An Ohio man accused of fatally shooting a Bethel woman in Bridgeport is expected to be arraigned here Monday.

Meanwhile, police said they are investigating Brandon Roberts own claim that he shot another woman in Washington Park in June 2017.

On Friday, detectives flew to Ohio to pick up the 26-year-old Roberts, who is charged in Bridgeport with murder, felony murder, first-degree robbery, using a firearm in the commission of a felony and carrying a pistol without a permit.

Police said they expected to have him back in the city for arraignment in Superior Court on Monday.

Roberts is accused of shooting 25-year-old Emily Todd in the back of the head near the boat ramp on Seaview Avenue. Todd a therapist at a Danbury senior center, was found lying face down in the sand along the shore on the morning of Dec. 9.

Police said she was fully dressed and appeared to be wearing a long, blond wig, and that a spent bullet shell casing was found near her feet.

Police said Todds mother later told detectives that her daughter had met Roberts, who was staying with relatives at a Stratford hotel, on an online dating app.

After several dates, police said, Todd called off the relationship. But they said Roberts convinced Todd to meet him one more time, luring her to the area of the boat ramp.

After killing her, Roberts took Todds car, cell phone and credit cards, police said.

Video surveillance later showed Roberts driving Todds car into the drive through at the Peoples United Bank in Trumbull where he used Todds debit card to withdraw $400 from Todds bank account, police said.

Police sources say Roberts confessed to killing Todd and also confessed to shooting a woman at Washington Park in June 2017. The sources said the womans injuries were not life threatening. They would provide no other details.

Were putting out feelers out there, were reaching out to other police departments, asking if they have similar cases, because we could be dealing with a serial killer here at this point, Police Chief Armando Perez told New 12. We need to put people like this in jail because we dont know who were dealing with here. It could be, like I said, a serial killer, someone who does this, he has no conscience whatsoever.BETHEL  The town aims to spend $230,000 to purchase space it now leases on a local radio tower to broadcast police, fire and other public safety communications.

The town pays New England Radio Consultants $8,800 a year to use space on the tower on Spring Hill Lane. But going forward Bethel needs extra space for new equipment for the new police station, which would increase the rent to $17,000 a year.

The space is also for sale, and officials said they fear a new contractor would want to strike a more lucrative deal with other suppliers, kicking Bethel off the tower.

Its a matter of securing our position on the tower and making sure we can use it forever, First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker said.

The Board of Selectmen have already approved the $230,000 purchase, which includes tower space and outbuildings. But the finance board must sign off before residents vote on the issue at a special town meeting. The date for these meetings has not been set.

Fire Marshal Tom Galliford said the rent hike pushed the town to consider buying the space. It would be an investment and worthwhile for the town to own it outright, he said.

Six to eight antennas for fire, police, public works, emergency management and emergency medical services are on the tower, Galliford said.

But the town needs to install a microwave link antenna on the tower for the new police station. This antenna is expected to work better than the old system, which would sometimes fail when the telephone lines went down, Galliford said.

Its a much better, reliable system, he said.

But for the microwave link to work, the radio tower and the police station need to be in the same line of sight. The Spring Hill tower is the only one in town where this is possible, Knickerbocker said.

Its not something we planned to do, but when we look at all the factors, it really is an excellent opportunity to secure this for the future for public safety, he said.

The tower was approved in 2004 despite opposition from residents, who raised concerns about the aesthetics and health issues associated with the equipment.

AT&T and Valley Communications built the tower, which is now owned by Blue Sky Towers. New England Radio Consultants rented from Blue Sky Towers and leased the space to Bethel.

Two cell phone companies are also part of the lease, so the town would collect about $10,000 in revenue a year from those businesses, Knickerbocker said.

He admitted it would take years for the purchase to pay for itself.

The real driver is just making sure we have good public safety coverage for the radio system, Knickerbocker said.BROOKFIELD  The leader of Danburys Head Start education program was arrested Friday and charged with embezzling $12,700 from a Brookfield elementary schools parent teacher organization over two years.

Monica Bevilacqua is accused of taking money from the Center Elementary School parent teacher organizations accounts through a series of checks and more than 180 personal orders charged to the organizations credit card.

She was arrested by Brookfield Police on Friday morning and is charged with one count of second degree larceny, three counts of second degree forgery and one count of illegal use of a credit card, according to a Brookfield Police report.

She was released Friday on a written promise to appear and a hearing is scheduled for Jan. 10 in Danbury Superior Court.

The PTO is a private organization that does not receive any public funding from the town of Brookfield or its school district.

Brookfield Superintendent John Barile said in a statement that school officials were deeply disappointed to hear of the police findings, but noted that it appears to be isolated conduct.

Bevilacqua will pay full restitution to the PTO accounts, said Gene Zingaro, Bevilacquas attorney.

Monica has a clean record and to my knowledge shes never had any allegation like this before, he said. Shes going to make whole restitution up front. Clearly shes trying to make this right.

Police began investigating in August when new leadership at the PTO raised concerns to police and schools leaders after finding irregularities in the organizations financial records.

Bevilacqua served as treasurer of the PTO from November 2016 to July 2018.

The ensuing investigation found Bevilacqua wrote eleven checks to herself or to cash and forged another persons signature on three of those checks, police said.

Investigators also found Bevilacqua had used the organizations credit to make 139 purchases from Amazon, 19 purchases at other merchants and 24 purchases from DoorDash, an on-demand meal delivery service.

Bevilacqua is the past chair of the Brookfield Democratic Town Committee and she briefly served on the Huckleberry Hill PTO in September.

She also has worked for the Connecticut Institute For Communities for more than a decade leading the regional Head Start program, an initiative that helps provide early education to more than 350 low-income preschool children and support for their families.

CIFC has reviewed its own finances and concluded that there are no financial irregularities in their accounts and that Bevilacqua has never had signature authority in connection with any CIFC bank anyway, CEO Jim Maloney said.

CIFC has placed Bevilacqua on indefinite suspension, with pay, as CIFC Director of Early Learning and Head Start, pending the outcome of the court proceedings, he said.

She has never been accused of any misconduct while at CIFC, Maloney noted.

Mrs. Bevilacqua has served in her Program Director position with distinction and integrity, and has been very well regarded by her supervisors, her peers, and her staff, he said.

Brookfield Police did not release additional information about their investigation Friday. Current leadership of the Center Elementary School PTO were no able to immediately comment on the investigation late Friday.

zach.murdock@hearstmediact.comNEWTOWN  A local teen who police said was the driver of a stolen car earlier this year is facing additional charges related to other stolen vehicles in the area.

Bryan Gomez, 18, of Newtown, was charged by Newtown police with third-degree larceny, a charge that stemmed from an incident in October, police said.

Updated court records for Gomezs newest charges were not available late Thursday night.

On Oct. 1, police said, a stolen Volkswagen Jetta was abandoned on Bancroft Road near the intersection with Pole Bridge Road after getting into a collision on the highway.

The incident triggered a Code Red alert and a search of the residential area by police and K9 units after the driver, later identified as Gomez, fled the scene.

Gomez is currently facing charges from other stolen vehicles in the area, Newtown police said.

When Newtown police arrested Gomez Thursday, he was appearing before a judge in Danbury Superior Court on similar charges for a separate incident.

Court records show Gomez was in court Thursday to answer to charges of first-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny, third-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit third-degree larceny. The charges stemmed from an incident on Sept. 12.

On Nov. 5, court records indicate, Gomez was arrested by Connecticut State Police Troop A, the Southbury troop, on Nov. 5. He was released from custody on a $75,000 professional surety bond.

For the crimes he was charged with on Thursday, Gomez was held on a $5,000 bond.The ostracizing continued at Crete Monee High School, where the sisters say they did not attend school functions, did not get invited to parties or sleepovers and always ate lunch alone. In fact, Lorraine remarked, the first time they sat down to a meal with a classmate was that terrifying yet wonderful day last spring when Smit apologized to them during a breakfast meeting at Panera in Tinley Park.Our cameras caught people in the Danbury area having fun all year long.

Click through to see the top places you were SEEN in 2018.

Danbury is big on ethnic festivals. In 2018, you were SEEN at the Greek, Italian and Irish festivalsnot to mention the Connecticut taco festival.

Apple picking has also become a big photo op, and with the SEEN cameras looming, there were plenty of chances for pickers to pose for the cameras this October at Blue Jay Orchards.

"Everybody is selfie happy," Blue Jay Orchards Manager Chris Seifrit told Hearst in October. "We have lots of people that post pictures of them having a good time, which is basically what it's all about. Come out and have a nice day in the country."

Proms are also a big deal each spring as the area's teens get dressed to the nines and pose for the cameras before their big night. In the Danbury area, Newtown and Bethel high schools garnered the most attention online.

But our cameras were at many other proms. Click here to see photos from more of southwestern Connecticut's proms.Bill Daley, who wants to be the next mayor of Chicago, stated that he would like to change the name of the Dan Ryan Expressway to Obama Expressway to honor former President Barack Obama. When I heard that, my thought was: Mr. Daley, the headlights dont need to be on to see where you are coming from. Your plan is simply political to get votes.NEW HAVEN  CT Folk opens the new year of its Folk Fridays series on Jan. 4 with the Too Blue string band.

Too Blue features tight harmonies by flat-picking guitarist Betsy Rome and award-winning banjo player Joan Harrison and a repertoire that starts with bluegrass but also includes swing, Celtic and jazz influences.

Showtime is 7:30 p.m. in the First Presbyterian Church Hall (704 Whitney Ave.). Tickets are $25 at the door or $20 in advance, with advance tickets available until 3 p.m. the day of the show at ctfolk.com.

The band, appearing as a quartet this time out, also includes Michael Sassano on mandolin and Jamie Doris on jazz-inflected bass.

Too Blues latest CD, Trouble With the Grey, produced and engineered by Bob Harris of Ampersand Records, has received national radio airplay and enthusiastic reviews from Bluegrass Today and Bluegrass Unlimited.

Recent performances include the Main Stage of the Joe Val Bluegrass Festival, Daryls House Club, Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, the New Haven Museum and the Greenwich Historical Society.

Harrisons melodic banjo technique was developed as a student of banjo virtuoso Tony Trischka. In 2010, she took first place in bluegrass banjo at the Pickin and Fiddlin Contest in Roxbury. Her former bands include Breakeven and Mike Burns and North Country.

Romes guitar playing has been featured in Flatpicking Guitar Magazine. She is one of a relatively small pool of female performers of flat picking, a demanding style of rhythm and lead guitar.

Her playing blends bluegrass, old-time, Celtic and swing. She has won or placed in contests including Roxbury, the Pizza Hut International Bluegrass Showdown, as well as the fiddler-voted Best Accompanist award at the Arizona State Fiddle Contest.

Rome and Harrison have been singing together since 1995.

Doris, who has a jazz background, attended the Jazz and Contemporary Music program at the New School in New York City, where he studied with jazz greats such as Reggie Workman, Buster Williams, Chico Hamilton, Junior Mance, Cecil McBee, and Arnie Lawrence.

He has shared the stage and screen with the likes of Larry Goldings, John Popper (Blues Traveler), Sasha Dobson, Aaron Johnson (Musical Director, Fela!, Antibalas), and Bilal, among others.

Sassano studied mandolin with Jay Ungar and later found himself in the middle of the New York City progressive bluegrass scene. As a founding member of the eclectic Out to Lunch, Michael honed his harmony chops creating dynamic twin mandolin arrangements and solos with bandmate Wayne Fugate.

He has performed with Byron Berline, Barry Mitterhoff, David Amram, Walt Michael & Company, Buddy Merriam & Backroads, Jon Sholle and Grammy award winner Lisa Gutkin, among others.

mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.comFour zip codes in Fairfield County have been classified as some of the nation's most expensive, in a new report by PropertyShark.

06878 in Riverside, 06870 in Old Greenwich, 06830 in Greenwich, and 06807 in Cos Cob, have made it onto PropertyShark's 2018 list of the 100 most expensive zip codes in the country. This is an improvement from the previous year's report, which listed only 06878 and 06830 as the most expensive zip codes in Connecticut.

To determine the ranking, PropertyShark looked at residential transactions throughout 2018, including condos, co-ops, and single and double family homes. With the number of ties in the list, the initial number of 100 is expanded to 117.

Connecticut's most expensive zip code, and highest-ranking zip code on the list at number 49, was 06878 in Riverside, which boasted a sizable median sale price of $1.86 million in 2018. This was a 20 percent increase in median sale price from last year, when Riverside placed at 78 on the list.

Lower Fairfield County, known as Connecticut's "Gold Coast," was the only county in Connecticut to make it on the list. In fact, in a separate 2018 report from PropertyShark of the most expensive zip codes in the Connecticut, 31 out of the top 50 were found in Fairfield County, with the top 10 spots solely devoted to towns on the "Gold Coast."

According to Kathi Mettler, an accounting professor from Fairfield University, the lucrative value of Fairfield County lies in its proximity to New York, which in itself had 19 zip codes on the list of the 100 most expensive zip codes in the country.

"That lower Fairfield county area has seen a growth with the proximity to New York, as well as, a number of New York-based companies relocating to the Stamford area," said Mettler.

However, just as new opportunities are coming from New York City to Fairfield County, Mettler acknowledges that the Connecticut economy is hurting as many businesses like GE and Aetna are leaving their headquarters in Connecticut. This has resulted in an overall decline in property values across Connecticut.

"I believe this will be reflected in an abundance of properties on the market, thus reducing property values. This is exacerbated by the capping of the state and local income and property taxes deduction to $10,000 under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017," said Mettler. "In light of [TCJA and SALT], living in a high tax state with no federal income tax deduction may be a factor in moving into Connecticut or leaving Connecticut."MILFORD  Tim Chaucer, who runs the Milford Marine Institute museum, has a historians love of old things.

So when he got a call about five years ago from a Milford man who was getting rid of his grandfathers collection of artifacts, some likely acquired during the years he funded Yale archaeological digs, Chaucer headed right over.

The man who called Chaucer said the collection had gotten wet, and he planned to throw away the items that he couldnt give away.

Chaucer and his assistant spotted some interesting items right away, like three-legged pots dating to the 18th century.

And then I see these three stone tools, Chaucer said, indicating a trio of rocks now in his possession.

I look at the stone tools and I see they are not North American, Chaucer said, but they are really old, I think.

For a while he tried to find an expert who could tell him more about the stone tools, but he didnt have any luck right away.

Fast forward two years, and Chaucer had a new assistant who was taking a course at Southern Connecticut State University with an expert on evolutionary archaeology.

So Chaucer asked his assistant to bring the tools to school and ask the professor to take a look at them.

Thats when Chaucer learned that what he had was not just old, but ancient. Pre-modern-civilization ancient.

According to Chaucer, SCSU Anthropology Professor Michael Rogers said one of the tools, which he calls an Acheulean hand axe, is 400,000 to 1 million years old, made by a pre-human Homo erectus.

Homo erectus, or upright man, had body proportions much more like humans than apes, Chaucer said. The species lived between 1.89 million years ago to 143,000 years ago, according to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Looking at the patina, shape, technique of construction, Dr. Rogers had no reservations that this lithic tool was made by Homo erectus, Chaucer said. He was very confident of its age.

Chaucer said the tool would have been used to cut meat, hide and saplings.

The smaller stone among the group, a grinding stone, is anywhere from 500,000 to one million years old, and was also fashioned by Homo erectus, Chaucer said.

And the meat cleaver, the final piece in the collection, is even older: Chaucer said it may be 1.2 million to 1.7 million years old.

Rogers called this piece interesting and authentic, Chaucer said, noting that the tool would have been used to cut apart animals, meat, bones, tendon and muscle.

The tools are Acheulean, which refers to the Lower Paleolithic culture in Europe, represented by hand-ax industries, according to an online source.

Rogers has been undertaking fieldwork in East Africa since 1990, according to a biography posted on the SCSU website. He completed his doctorate in 1997 by taking a landscape approach to the 1.5 million-year-old archaeological record at Koobi Fora, Kenya. Since then, he has worked at Koobi Fora, Kenya, on 1.5 million-year-old modified fossil bones sites; at Laetoli, Tanzania, on 2.7 million-year-old deposits, and at Gona, Ethiopia, on various 2.6-0.3 million-year-old sites.

In 2000, he discovered the oldest archaeological site in the world, containing both stone tools and fossil bones at Gona, according to the university website.

Chaucer said the tools do not have monetary value, but they have a lot of value for someone interested in history. When he holds one, he said, he tries to imagine the original owner and creator of the tool and the times so long ago.

He keeps the three stone tools in storage, and takes them out occasionally for special historical events in town, such as the Longest Night event at the Minuteman House in downtown Milford Dec. 21.

Rogers said he doesnt recall the specific artifacts, noting that he had a very large class of students the year Chaucers assistant studied with him.

But looking at photos of them this week, the professor said they are typical tools of the Acheulean stone tool industry, which began about 1.7 million years ago and lasted until about 250,000 years ago.The Connecticut Audubon has released its 2018 list of birds of the year  and topping the list is a unique pink bird that attracted a lot of attention in Milford and Stratford this year: The roseate spoonbill.

This is the first time the Audubon has done a list of this kind. Tom Andersen, the Audubons director of communications, said it was because 2018 was such an extraordinary year in terms of birds.

The roseate spoonbill, a native of the sub-tropics, first appeared in Stratford on Sept. 15, Andersen said in an email, explaining the birds top spot on this first list of birds of the year. Word spread, and soon people from around the region were gathering to see and photograph it.

For three weeks, the spoonbill shuttled between several locations in Stratford and Connecticut Audubons Coastal Center at Milford Point, where it fed on the lip of the beach with other wading birds.

The Audubon Guide to Northeastern Birds describes the bird as gorgeous at a distance and bizarre up close.

The roseate spoonbill is a large wading bird distinguished by its pink plumage and spoon-shaped bill, according to the Smithsonians National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Its upper neck and back are white; the wings and feathers underneath display light shades of pink.

The birds can reach a height of 2.5 feet, and their wingspan can spread up to four feet. They breed in most of South America and through Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean.

In the United States, the roseate spoonbill is reportedly common in coastal Florida, Texas and southwest Louisiana, where it feeds in shallow waters.

Its appearance was a happening in and of itself but also something of a fluke, according to Andersen. The spoonbill was what ornithologists call a vagrant, a bird that turns up far from its range.

Number two on the list of 2018s top birds are the sedge wrens that nested in a field at Connecticut Audubons Bafflin Sanctuary in Pomfret. The birds had been considered eradicated from the state but in July were confirmed nesting and were raising young in a field near a marsh along Day Road.

At number three is the Wilsons plover that Chandler Wiegand, Connecticut Audubons Important Bird Areas coastal ranger at Milford Point, spotted foraging with a group of other shorebirds in April. The Wilsons plover is typically found from Cape May, N.J., south, according to Andersen.

Number four are the purple martins that enjoyed another good breeding year in the colony at the Milford Point Coastal Center, Andersen said.

At least 128 baby martins hatched there in 2018, compared to 107 last year, 93 in 2016 and 79 in 2015, he said, adding that purple martins were removed from the states list of threatened species several years ago.

Purple martins are described as large swallows which only eat insects they catch while on the wing. They are completely dependent on man-made nesting areas in Connecticut, Audubon officials said during a project last year.

One of the most successful colonies is the one at the Connecticut Audubon Societys Coastal Center at Milford Point, a colony that arrived in Milford in 2015 when media personality Phil Donahue moved his colony of birds there.

Local Audubon officials said that, thanks in part to the publicity Donahues birds generated, individuals, nonprofit organizations and government agencies erected more nest boxes and gourds to house the birds.

Number five on the bird list are hundreds of migratory songbirds that took up residence at the H. Smith Richardson Wildlife Sanctuary in Westport following a habitat restoration. Audubon Executive Director Patrick Comins dubbed the property Sparrow-dise.

Number six is the rusty blackbird that flew over Deer Pond Farm in Sherman at 2:15 a.m. on Nov. 8. Andersen said it was the first bird detected by the Connecticut Audubon Societys new Motus Wildlife Tracking System receiver. These bird tracking efforts might well revolutionize bird research, Andersen said.

At number seven are the tree swallows that gather in Old Lyme.

Each evening on Goose Island, tens of thousands of birds convene, said Andersen. Or is it hundreds of thousands? A million? Nobody knows for sure.

But now a team of scientists, with the help of Connecticut Audubons Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center, is trying to find out. If they succeed, they will have pioneered a method that will revolutionize the study and knowledge of tree swallows, he said.

Number eight, the last bird on the list, is the western kingbird that Pomfret resident Nancy Barrett photographed in September.

The bird is a native of the Great Plains and further west, Andersen said. Barrett sent her photograph to us but no one could (locate) the bird. She might have been the only person to see it.ORANGE  As he scraped the last drop of caramel banana ice cream out of his cup, Elijah Servance of West Haven savored the homey ambiance and quiet jazz music at Nikos Ice Cream and Confectionery Co., where hes been a regular customer since they opened earlier this year.

I love the entire ambiance of it, he said of the place that reminds him of childhood. Theres something for everyone  the ice cream, the candy, the music.

The classy atmosphere at the business in the back of a plaza at 391 Boston Post Road, belies its logo of a smiling husky with his tongue hanging out. The shop is named for a friends husky, Niko, and was a way for owner Liwen Ma of Woodbridge to give her twin daughters, 12, a dog without shouldering all the responsibility, she said.

Ma, who came here from China some six years ago to open Silk Road Art Gallery on Audubon Street in New Haven, said she decided to open the ice cream shop at the suggestion of her daughters, who told her, Everyone loves ice cream. (The gallery has sinced closed).

Its no ordinary ice cream shop where folks get their treat at a metal counter and leave. The coziness of small tables, stuffed chairs  and tastefully stocked furniture with unique candy and gifts  embrace all who enter.

In addition to 32 flavors of Hersheys brand ice cream, the store carries fine chocolates, coffee, tea, Chinese tea, bubble tea, gifts and what used to be known as penny candy, but is actually 20 cents per piece now.

The store sells everything from high-end truffles and chocolate-covered red licorice to wax lips for kids.

Ma, who said she has a college degree from China in Beauty of Art, will even make custom ice cream cakes.

I try to be old fashioned, I try to be beautiful, she said. Also, I try to make people feel comfortable.

The dog logo twist gets attention of passersby and customers. Some friends told Ma it wasnt a great idea to have a dog-centered logo because people might think its a pet shop, she said.

Ma said her daughters wanted a real dog, but its too much work and responsibility for a single mom, so to compensate they named the shop after Niko the husky, whom her daughters adore.

We love the dog and they want to have a dog, but its too much responsibility, she said.

When they are adults, they can have a real dog, Ma said.

Outside the store are tables and chairs in a sitting area where dogs are welcome. She even has a Pup Cup on the menu  non-fat vanilla ice cream topped with dog biscuits.

Customer Jim Crosley, 90, who moved here from Florida, was recently enjoying a cup of ice cream with his friend, Servance. Crosley said hes researching vanilla ice cream in this area since they had the best in Florida, Blue Bell brand, he said.

Its good, very satisfying, Crosley said of Nikos ice cream. But hes (Servance) going to take me to other places, too.

Ma is experimenting with store hours during winter  typically a slow time for ice cream  and admits theres competition with Cold Stone Creamery and Dip Top nearby, but believes her place is unique enough to stand out.

I love it, she said of the business and customers. I want everybody to be happy here.NEW HAVEN  The lives of homeless New Haven residents who died this year were remembered Thursday with sorrow, solemnity and joy Thursday, as people gathered for an annual memorial service held by Trinity Church on the Green.

The memories of more than two dozen people were invoked during the service. The names of Bilal Muhammad, Blanche Jones, Eileen Melillo, Erik Hochmuth, Felicia, Gail S., Gary Green, Gordon Mustang Williams, Ines Carmen Perez, Ivy Maroney, James Oliver, Jesus Calderon, Johnny, Keith Breen, Leila Rivera, Mark Cochran, Ms. Mary, Patricia Cymbalack, Randy, Raymond White, Richard Strossi, Shirleen Adams, Stacie Hughes, and an unnamed woman who died in August were read aloud.

Creator of all, we thank you for the gift of life. In our confusion and grief, help us to remember these people who died over the past year, and experienced homelessness during their lives. We recognize that each of these people were loved and loved others, and each of them, in their own unique way, contributed to the well-being of this world, said Heidi Thorsen Oxford, outreach coordinator at Trinity, who helped lead the service.

May they be held in love and light, Thorsen said.

In January, 529 people were experiencing homelessness in New Haven, 97 of them children, according to the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness.

In November, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Department of Housing Commissioner Evonne Klein announced that Connecticut will use $6.5 million in federal grants to reach its goal of ending youth homelessness by 2020, according to a release.

At the service, the Rev. Elise Hanley, building her sermon around the story of the Prodigal Son, said the passing of those for whom the service was held was indeed cause for grief, but, as in the parable, also allowed for joy. The image of God in the parable is of second chances, she said  an ever-open door to home.

As we remember those today who have died in the past year, we in our Christian faith believe that they have returned home to that God, who has come running out to greet them  a God who has guided them into the feast that we believe is eternal life through Jesus, said Hanley. And we still miss them; and we still mourn them. But we believe that all of us, someday, will be accepted by that compassionate, prodigal God, who wants nothing more than all of Gods children to return home.

During the service, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot and Amazing Grace were sung and a rendition of His Eye is on the Sparrow was performed.

Prayers were offered for care, and for caregivers, for the living and the dead, for loved ones, for those battling addiction and mental illness.

Several of those in attendance came forward to light candles marking the memories of those who have passed, moving toward the steps of the altar, where a collection of shoes and boats had been placed.

Before Hanley concluded the service with a blessing for those in attendance, Oxford offered a last prayer.

There is nothing in life or death  in the world as it is, or the world as it shall be  that can separate us from the love of God that we have come to know through one another, said Oxford.

In 2017, a report showed the level of homelessness in Connecticut declined for the third straight year, the Associated Press reported, as volunteers participating in the annual Point-in-Time Count in January 2017 counted 3,387 homeless individuals. That marked a 13 percent decline since 2016 and a 24 percent decrease since 2007, when the first statewide census was conducted.

However, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development released this month, homelessness increased in Connecticut by 17.4 percent since last year. Connecticut was one of 19 states with a reported increase in the rate of homelessness from 2017.

The service was a partnership between Trinity and Cornell Scott Health Center, Oxford said Friday. The center gather the names of those that died in 2018, provide resources at a reception afterwards and organize food donations from Claires Cornercopia, Elm City Market, Ferraros Market and Elm Diner.

william.lambert

@hearstmediact.comALBANY  Flu cases in New York stood at 2,117 on Dec. 22, a sharp increase from the 1,230 cases recorded just the Thursday before, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said this week.

The 72 percent increase represents all cases that are confirmed by labs and reported to the state Department of Health. In the Capital Region, 150 cases have been reported.

The number of patients hospitalized with lab-confirmed flu was 363  a 41 percent increase from last week. All New Yorkers six months of age and older are urged to get a flu vaccination. Cuomo notes that it is not too late to get vaccinated.

So far this flu season, New York has had 5,400 laboratory-confirmed cases reported in 58 counties. During this period, there have been 1,305 flu-related hospitalizations reported, and one flu-associated death of a child.

In the Capital Region, there have been 42 cases reported in Saratoga County, 15 reported in Albany County, 13 in Washington County, 12 in Columbia County, 10 in Fulton County, nine in Schenectady County, eight in Schoharie County, five in Rensselaer County, three each in Warren and Montgomery counties and two in Greene County.

Last week, state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker declared that influenza is prevalent across the state, putting into effect a regulation requiring healthcare workers who are not vaccinated to wear masks in areas where patients are typically present.

"Getting vaccinated protects you as well as the people around you, including those who are more vulnerable, like babies and young children, elderly people and people with chronic health conditions," Zucker said.

Unlike some viruses, flu is easily killed by soap and hot water. State health officials recommend:ALBANY  Six New Yorkers have been diagnosed with a rare and mysterious illness that causes muscle weakness and paralysis, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While the illness known as Acute Flaccid Myelitis is not new, it has been under surveillance and investigation by the CDC since 2014, when a large increase in cases was first reported. Since then, there have been increases in cases every two years, mostly in young children. Medical experts don't know what is causing it.

In New York, three cases have been confirmed in New York City and three more outside the five boroughs. The state Health Department, which monitors the cases outside the city, confirmed the three diagnoses Friday. There are seven additional suspected cases outside of the city, DOH spokeswoman Jill Montag said.

"Due to patient confidentiality laws, we cannot provide any specific details of the confirmed or suspected cases," she said, when asked about when and where the cases had been reported.

Nationwide, the CDC received 336 reports of suspected AFM this year and confirmed 182 of them in 39 states as of Dec. 21. As in previous years, an uptick in cases was observed around August and peaked in September.

The increase in cases also appears to be following a biennial pattern, with 120 cases confirmed in 2014, followed by just 22 in 2015, then 149 in 2016, 35 in 2017, and now 182 in 2018.

AFM affects the nervous system, specifically the area of the spinal cord called gray matter, which causes the muscles and reflexes in the body to become weak. More than 90 percent of patients with AFM had a mild respiratory illness or fever consistent with a viral infection before they developed the mystery condition.

Medical experts have been testing stool specimens of affected patients for poliovirus, since the illness mimics that condition, but they have come up negative. Spinal fluid is also being tested. Remarkably, pathogens have been found in only four of the 508 confirmed cases of AFM since 2014. Detected were coxsackievirus A16 and two enteroviruses, EV-A71 and EV-D68.Martini Room, Elgin  The theme for the cocktail bars celebration will be the Spice Girls. Prizes will be awarded in a costume contest in which patrons dress as their favorite Spice Girl, a Wannabe Dance-Off dance contest will be held, and special martinis named for each member of the girl band will be offered. Doors open at 7 p.m., with a $7 cover charge after 10:30 p.m. A complimentary champagne toast will be held at midnight. The bar is at 161 E. Chicago St. For more information, call 847-741-0349 or go to martiniroomelgin.com.Each year brings highs and lows, things to celebrate and things to reflect upon, and in 2018, the greater New Haven area experienced just that.

Click through to see the stories that most interested you in 2018.GUILFORD  The Guilford Land Conservation Trust can finally purchase the Missing Piece, the final parcel of Westwoods, due to a state grant.

The GLCT received the $162,500 grant through the Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition program, administered by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

The Missing Piece is a 32.18-acre parcel in the middle of the 1,200-acre Westwoods, which is being purchased for $250,000. Donations, made over the last year, cover the difference between the sale price and the grant.

The first purchase of land by the GLCT was in 1968, said David Grigsby, GLCT president. Since then it has grown to a 1,200-acre forest, with 39 miles of trails used for hiking, bird watching, mountain biking and dog walking.

The Land Trust has been acquiring pieces, around and kind of filling in holes, and adding pieces, and sometimes with the states assistance, sometimes on our own with gifts or donations or on occasion, the recent Missing Piece acquisition was a market rate transaction, he said.

Grigsby stressed the importance of acquiring this specific piece of property.

When you look at the map of Westwoods and you see The Missing Piece was surrounded on all sides by protected land, either state or Land Trust land and, yet, here this parcel had no formal protection, said.

This was a glaring hole in the forest, so acquiring that was essential to our mission, he said.

The property, is most directly accessed from the Three Corners Road entrance and is located just north of Lost Lake. It is crossed by the White Alternate, White Circle, Red Triangle, and Orange Circle Trails, according to guilfordlandtrust.org.

Grisby gives credit to GLCT Secretary Sarah Williams and board member Julie Lister Feinberg for writing such a persuasive grant. He said the organization was surprised by the amount that Guilford was awarded.

By no means did we think we were assured of getting this grant, he said. I think we had a pretty compelling narrative in the grant application in that the Land Trust and the state have worked together over the years on protecting Westwoods.

State Rep. Sean Scanlon and state Sen. Ted Kennedy Jr., both advocates for the environment, assisted GLCT in procuring these state funds.

Growing up in Guilford, Westwoods was always a place I appreciated and makes Guilford a special way, said Scanlon. Its one of our greatest treasures.

Open space is important to a lot of my constituents and one of the reasons why people live in town like Guilford, he added. When the folks from the Land Trust came to me and Sen. Kennedy and said that there was this 30-plus acre parcel in the middle of Westwoods that wasnt protected, I was shocked to find that out.

Guilford First Selectman Matt Hoey gives credit to all the people who, over the years, have worked to preserve Westwoods for public use.

Its been a collaborative effort, with Westwoods, between town parcels, state parcels and the GLCT parcels, Hoey said. This really allows them to afford the last parcel, which was an inland, wooded parcel.

Its just great evidence of the importance of preserving open space, he added.

Grigsby is grateful for the public donations, coupled with the grant, that has resulted in ample funds to purchase this important tract of land. He stressed that donations are always accepted to ensure the Land Trust is ready, if and when any other property becomes available.

Were aware of other properties in Guilford, he said. Were in communication with the property owners and, if and when they ever feel they might want to part with the property, we hope the Land Trust is the first party they call.

Guilford Land Conservation Trust, Box 200, Guilford; guilfordlandtrust.org; info@guilfordlandtrust.org; 203-457-9253.The future is still bright in 2019, Warren said. We are seeing a lot of new construction. Retail is still strong. Workforce development and job opportunities are strong. If you are looking for a pay raise, come find a job in Elgin. If you dont have a job, come to Elgin. There are companies that want to hire you.Weeks after authorities rescued 161 dogs in need of medical care from the feces-filled Shamong home of Donna Roberts, the Burlington County Prosecutors Office announced it had filed more charges against her and plans to ask a grand jury to indict her.

Roberts, 65, of Oakshade Road, did not provide adequate food, water, shelter and living conditions for the dogs, police said. Four of those seized from her home on Nov. 13 were critical, and one subsequently died, the prosecutors office said in a release Thursday. Malnutrition was a contributing factor in the death, the office said.

County health officials who inspected her home in November found "deplorable conditions for the living dogs and 44 dead, frozen dogs stored in freezers in her home, authorities said.

Donna Roberts, 65, of Shamong, is charged with animal cruelty and unlawful confinement.

Roberts was initially charged with a single count of animal cruelty. The prosecutors office said Thursday they filed three more counts of animal cruelty  one third degree and two fourth degree  and 15 counts of unlawful confinement, a disorderly persons offense.

She appeared in Superior Court in Mount Holly Thursday and was released, and ordered not to own, possess or care for animals while her case is pending.

The prosecutors office said that other than the four critical dogs, the dogs were evaluated and treated at the Shamong home and were taken in by numerous animal welfare agencies. Many have since been adopted.

The assistant prosecutors on the case, Nicole Handy and Douglas J. Bligh, will soon present the evidence to a grand jury for possible indictment.

Court and American Kennel Club records show Roberts has been fined in the past for violations involving being a breeder of puppies. In 2007, an appellate judge ruling on Roberts' appeal of a fine for selling a sick puppy said that Roberts testified that she had bred dogs for 40 years, was a dog groomer for 35 years, and worked for a veterinarian for seven years.

In 2015, the American Kennel Club fined Roberts $500 and suspended her privileges for six months after refusing to make her dogs and their records available for inspection.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tipsThe New Jersey Agricultural Society, Bushels of Blessings and the Foodshed Alliance will share a $100,000 Gleaning Support Grant, made possible through the Department of Agricultures State Food Purchase Program.

New Jerseys extremely generous farmers regularly give back to their communities by allowing organizations to pick and collect surplus produce that might have gone to waste and in turn, donate the produce to emergency feeding agencies, said New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher. This funding will go a long way to helping these three gleaning organizations continue to collect and distribute this healthy food to those in need.

The Department of Agriculture provides gleaning support grants to eligible nonprofit entities that are gleaning from New Jersey farms and distributing gleaned food to New Jersey organizations to help feed the states hungry.

The New Jersey Agricultural Society Program will receive a $58,240 grant and is dedicated to collecting fresh fruits and vegetables from farms, farm markets, wholesalers and food distributors and distributing them to 70 agencies throughout the state. Started in 1996 by a few area farmers, the program now includes more than 60 farmers.

Bushels of Blessings, based in Carneys Point, will receive a $26,260 grant. The agency has gleaned more than 200,000 pounds of food in Salem and Gloucester counties and distributed this surplus produce to almost 40 organizations.

The Foodshed Alliance in Blairstown, which operates LocalShare, will receive $15,500 in grant funds. LocalShare is a program that connects food pantries and local farms so that crops left after the harvest, which might otherwise go to waste, feed hungry families instead. It utilizes volunteers to help with gleanings and deliver to food pantries.

The organization works with dozens of emergency feeding organizations throughout northern New Jersey.

The funding for the Gleaning Grants comes from the State Food Purchase Program, for which Governor Murphy allocated $6.8 million this year to be distributed quarterly to the States six food banks to purchase healthy food, with a high priority on buying locally grown produce from New Jersey farmers.Just a few weeks away from heading to prison, Jersey Shore star Mike The Situation Sorrentino has been busy putting a positive foot forward this holiday season.

According to an Asbury Park Press report, Jersey Shore star Mike The Situation Sorrentino spent the Wednesday before Christmas delivering meals to men and women at the Phoenix Recovery Sober House in Eatontown. The reality star said in an Instagram post that the meal delivery also marked his three year anniversary of sobriety.

A few days later, Sorrentino, 36, posted a holiday photo of himself and his recently-wedded wife Lauren Pesce in front of a Christmas tree, with the message: Merry Christmas from The Situations & dont forget to treat thyself.

Sorrentino, 36, is preparing to serve an eight month prison sentence for tax evasion, which was handed down on Oct. 5. His stint in prison begins on January 15. (His brother, Mark Sorrentino, was sentenced to two years in prison.)

The meal deliveries last week were part of Sorrentinos ongoing outreach efforts to people struggling with addiction. Sorrentino has had his own much-documented struggles with opioid addiction.

Sorrentino told the Asbury Park Press that he does two tasks every month to help recovery groups; community service that he described as part of his own recovery. Sorrentino also said that he plans to write a book about his recovery.

MTV recently announced that it is bringing Jersey Shore Family Reunion, the successful Jersey Shore revival, back for a third season despite Sorrentinos looming time in prison.

Michael Sol Warren may be reached at mwarren@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MSolDub. Find NJ.com on Facebook."Why Religion? A Personal Story"



By Elaine Pagels



(Ecco, 235 pp, $27.99)

Some questions are unanswerable.

Oh, we may think we have answers, and possibly we do - for that moment. Or, we keep seeking, asking why.

Why believe?

Few people are better to answer that question on a profound and personal level than Elaine Pagels, a professor of religion at Princeton University, and a recipient of MacArthur, Rockefeller and Guggenheim fellowships.

Pagels is the definition of a deep thinker.

An elegant writer, who specializes in early Christianity and Gnosticism, she is also a classicist and segues easily among referencing ancient texts. (Disclosure: I was a classics major, but one need not know the complexity of an ancient Greek verb to ponder her message or to enjoy this book.)

Pagels endured the excruciating loss of her son, Mark. He was 6. Mark was born sick and physicians told Pagels and her husband, Heinz, a physicist, that the boy's condition was fatal. And so they lived with that awful knowledge that this beautiful boy would not make it.

Recounting the funeral for her son, Pagels writes with such raw power that I had to shut the book a couple of times and just feel the depths of her despair

"Standing there, I seemed to see the whole scene embraced by a huge net made of ropes, with enormous spaces between the knots, through which we could be swept away at any moment, out of the world. I did not want to die, but desperately wanted to be anywhere but there; the pain was unbearable."

They had already adopted a baby girl, who was 9-months-old when Mark died. Reeling from her son's death, Pagels was dealt another horror when her beloved husband fell to his death 13 months later. He was a hiker, on a trail he knew well, but the rocks gave way beneath him. By now, there was also an adopted baby boy, the younger brother of the girl.

And now a widowed mother of two babies, she could no longer afford her apartment in Manhattan. Pagels had been teaching at Princeton and moved to New Jersey. Though fortunate enough to have empathetic friends and accommodating colleagues, she still woke up to an empty side of the bed.

A deeply honest book that draws upon various religious texts as author Elaine Pagels recounts the life and death of her son and of her husband.

Pagels had many wonderful friends, though not the support one would count on from her parents or her mother-in-law. Yet she recounts none of this bitterly.

Instead, she shares her journey, explaining how dark it all was. And how she turned to various religious texts to try to find some comfort, make some sense out of such random misery.

In the introduction, Pagels explains she never thought she would write about these tragedies.

"Finally, though, I had to look into that darkness, since I could not continue to live fully while refusing to recall what happened, realizing that no one escapes terrible loss. And everything we experience shapes what we are capable of understanding, I've interwoven this personal story with the work that I love; acknowledging such connections helps us understand the past and illuminate the present."

Pagels recounts a quiet childhood in Palo Alto with a father who was a Stanford University botanist and an emotionally distant mother. She was pals with Jerry Garcia, before he formed the Grateful Dead.

As a young teen, she attended a revival meeting with friends and saw Billy Graham. She was, then, briefly born again, though it's unclear if Pagels ever gave herself over to any one religion.

Her sharp mind - she is Stanford and Harvard educated - hones in on how after the deaths of both, the story of Job would come to her.

Pagels is a woman who probes. She prayed with Trappist monks. She reads religious texts, then others' interpretations of the texts, as she plumbs the depths of her consuming grief.

After learning Hebrew, she was reading Genesis and realizing there are two stories of creation -- Adam and Eve and the first line of the Torah, "In the beginning." Her epiphany was, "it is not so much about how God created nature, but how stories created a culture."

There's an intellectual honesty to Pagels that permeates every page, and as she cites texts including the gospels, the Apocrypha, the Midrash, she ponders the depths of sadness, the devil and reaches deep within herself.

Incidentally, it's no spoiler to say she does not answer the question "why religion" other than different sets of belief allow us to process the trials of life - and death.A Jersey City senior citizen has been charged with a hit-and-run accident that left a Jersey City man dead, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez announced Friday.

Delores Freire, 66, was charged on Thursday with leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death, five days after authorities say she struck Cory Nettles, 44, on Monmouth Street between 10th and 12th streets.

Police found Nettles lying in the street at 5:30 p.m. and he was pronounced dead at a local hospital one hour later.

When police arrived at the scene, they found Nettles unconscious and that his injuries were consistent with someone who had been struck by a vehicle. Police also found vehicle parts at the scene.

Freire was arrested by the Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit and she was taken to the Hudson County jail in Kearny following her arrest. She made her first appearance on the charge in Criminal Justice Reform Court Friday.

Suarez credited her departments crash investigation with the arrest and the Jersey City Police Department for its assistance in the investigation. Nettles was the 23rd person killed in Hudson County crashes in 2018.A Bayonne man with a history of run-ins with the law has been charged with drug possession and weapons offenses, Bayonne police said.

Nicholas Rhodes, 37, of Kennedy Boulevard, was arrested at 9:09 a.m. on West 24th Street near Newark Bay on Dec. 26, Lt. Eric Amato said.

He was charged with possession of heroin and cocaine, possession with intent to distribute, possession within 1,000 feet of a school, possession within 500 feet of public property, possession of weapon for unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon. Amato described the weapon as a hatchet.

Rhodes was convicted in 2014 of a drug offense and he has been arrested at least eight times, according to court records.JERSEY CITY  Judane Holmes had just placed an order at the counter of U.S. Fried Chicken on Wednesday afternoon when he walked toward the front door of the restaurant to step back out onto Martin Luther King Drive.

But as he opened the glass door, a gunman in a ski mask appeared outside and opened fire on the teenager, a manager of the restaurant said.

At least three gunshots rang out. Struck by the gunfire, the 16-year-old Snyder High School student fell to the floor inside the restaurant and died shortly after.

I heard the gunshot and ... went to the back, the manager, who declined to be named, said Thursday. And when I came to the front, he was on the ground.

Holmes was shot at 3:25 p.m. and died 10 minutes later, according to Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez, whose office is investigating the fatal shooting. No arrests have been made as of Thursday evening.

On Thursday afternoon, a group of Holmes' friends congregated at a makeshift memorial comprising candles in the shape of a "D"  for the teenagers nickname, Draco.

He was a good kid. Respectful, one man said as he looked at the candles people had lit near the corner of Bidwell Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive.

He was really trying to better his life," said a childhood friend, adding that Holmes became a father in October. He wanted to be a better father.

[He] didnt even hit 18 yet, said one woman. Its crazy."

Swear I could still hear you telling me Im the big homie now Josh  Ima hold you up forever Lilbig bro  Love you Past Forever  Posted by Josh Teamfabo Amajah Perry on Thursday, December 27, 2018

The Jersey City Public Schools are currently on winter break, but a spokeswoman for the district said Snyder High School will offer grief support and counseling for students and staff when school resumes in the new year.

We are deeply saddened and troubled by these events, district spokeswoman Maryann Dickar said in an email Thursday.

The shooting took place just seven blocks south of where a man was shot dead on Dec. 15 in the area of Martin Luther King Drive and Orient Avenue.

Holmes is the third teenager killed in shootings in Jersey City since September. That month, 17-year-old Ferris High School student Jayden Fondeur was shot and killed in front of a convenience store at the corner of Old Bergen Road and Pamrapo Avenue. Jade Saunders, a 17-year-old student at the Renaissance Institute, was killed inside a building on Brinkerhoff Street.

The manager of U.S. Fried Chicken said while he knows shootings are common in some areas in Jersey City, he experienced a different feeling when one happened right at his businesss doorstep.

I was shaken," he said. When it happens inside your place, its a different experience

"I was scared.

Anyone with information on the crime is asked to contact the Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor at 201-915-1345 or to leave an anonymous tip at: http://www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/homicide-tip/. All information will be kept confidential.Whether you are celebrating a fantastic 2018, or eager to start 2019 with a bang, here are some of the many places in Hudson County to ring in the new year.

Hoboken

The Shepherd & the Knuklehead of Hobokens New Years Eve party will feature a premium five-hour open bar from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. This includes all draft beers and cocktails. Top shelf liquor is not included. There will also be a live DJ and dancing, a champagne toast at midnight, party favors and a hot buffet. The Shepherd & the Knucklehead is located at 1313 Willow Ave.

Blue Eyes Cafe and Restaurant will have a DJ and dancing, house wine and beer, dessert, coffee and tea. There will also be a menu of appetizers, pastas, salad and entrees. Entry is $130 per person and reservations must be prepaid. Blue Eyes is located at 525 Sinatra Dr.

Texas Arizona will be offering drink specials, a live DJ, and a champagne toast at midnight. Entry is $10. Texas Arizona is located at 76 River St.

Pilsener Haus will have two New Years Eve parties, one for children at 3 p.m. and one for adults at 8 p.m. For the kids, there will be a live band, balloon animal artists, face painters, raffle prizes and a New Years Eve kids countdown at 5:30 p.m. Entry is $10 per kid and $20 per adult. Tickets can be purchased at pilsenerhaus.com . For the adults, the party will include a live band and a DJ, raffle prizes, a midnight champagne toast, and the grill will be going all night. Entry is $35 at the door and $25 with pre-purchased tickets. Pilsener Haus is located at 1422 Grand St.

The Madison Bar & Grill will have its 1970s themed A Night @ Studio 54 party at 7:30 p.m. Prior to the party, a New Years Eve dinner will take place at 5:30 p.m. Dinner entry is $65 at 5:30 p.m. and $75 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Entry for the party is $100. Music will be provided by DJ King Shameek. The Madison Bar & Grill is located at 1316 Washington St.

Mulligans is offering two New Years Eve options. The first is a $75 top shelf open bar, hot and cold buffet, party favors, champagne toast at midnight, and a live DJ. The second is a $20 entry fee and cash bar. Mulligans is located at 159 First St.

McSwiggans will host a champagne toast at midnight with a live DJ and party favors. There will be a cover charge at the door. McSwiggans is located at 110 First St.

House of Que will host a special Dueling Pianos show. There will also be a four-hour premium open bar and live ball drop. There will also be a buffet from 8 to 9:30 p.m. House of Que is located at 340 Sinatra Dr.

Halifax will have two seatings for its New Years Eve party. The first seating will be for reservations made between 5 and 7 p.m. where a three-course dinner is $75 per person and wine pairing is an additional $29. Second seating is for reservations between 8:30 and 10 p.m. and includes a five-course dinner with an open bar for $175 per person. An afterparty will follow in the living room until 2 a.m. Halifax is located at 225 River St.

Cadillac Cantina will have its New Years Eve Party at 9 p.m. For $80, Cadillac Cantina is offering a four-hour premium open bar, which will be open until 1 a.m. Entry also includes passed appetizers, a live DJ and dancing, and a champagne toast. Tickets can be bought at cadillaccantina.net/product/nye-2019 . Cadillac Cantina is located at 80 River St.

The Winstons Winston Wonderland event will begin at 9 p.m. Tickets are $75 and include a four-hour premium bar from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., a champagne toast at midnight, the Old Fashioned and Signature Vodka Cocktail, and party favors. The Winston is located at 72 Hudson St. Tickets can be bought at eventbrite.com/e/new-years-eve-the-winston-tickets-53376565745?aff=aff0eventfulTwo buses, a truck and at least one car were damaged Wednesday in a car crash in Jersey City less than 24 hours after a teenager was killed on the same block.

A truck driver hit two buses and at least one parked car just after 11 a.m. on Martin Luther King Drive between Bidwell and Bayiew Avenues and drove off after the crash.

The Jersey Journal was on scene getting information about the teens murder when the crash occurred. No serious injuries were apparent, though emergency medical services arrived and offered to provide medical attention.

The driver was arrested shortly after the crash, according to one police officer who told another officer on the scene.

The truck was heading north on MLK Dr. when it hit two buses heading south in the opposite direction. It hit parked cars after the driver tried to avoid crashing with more oncoming traffic, according to Hope Alers, one of two NJ Transit bus drivers involved in the crash.

Ive been driving for 20 years, and Ive never seen anything like this, Alers added.Judane Holmes had just placed an order at the counter of U-S Fried Chicken on Wednesday afternoon when he walked toward the front door of the restaurant to step back out onto Martin Luther King Drive.

But as he opened the glass door, a gunman in a ski mask appeared outside and opened fire on the teenager, a manager of the restaurant said.

At least three gunshots rang out. Struck by the gunfire, the 16-year-old Snyder High School student fell to the floor inside the restaurant and died shortly after.

"I heard the gunshot and ... went to the back," the manager, who declined to be named, said yesterday. "And when I came to the front, he was on the ground."

The Hudson County Prosecutor's Office identified the victim as Holmes, 16.

"He was a good kid. Respectful," one man said yesterday afternoon as he looked at the candles people had lit in the victim's memory near the corner of Bidwell Avenue and MLK Drive.

"He was really trying to better his life," said a childhood friend, adding that Holmes became a father in October. "He wanted to be a better father."

"[He] didn't even hit 18 yet," said one woman. "It's crazy."

The Jersey City Public Schools are currently on winter break, but a spokeswoman for the district said Snyder High School will offer grief support and counseling for students and staff when school resumes in the new year.

"We are deeply saddened and troubled by these events," district spokeswoman Maryann Dickar said in an email yesterday.

The 3:25 p.m. shooting took place just seven blocks south of where a man was shot dead on Dec. 15 in the area of Martin Luther King Drive and Orient Avenue.

Holmes is the third teenager killed shootings in Jersey City since in September.

That month, 17-year-old Ferris High School student Jayden Fondeur was shot and killed in front of a convenience store at the corner of Old Bergen Road and Pamrapo Avenue. Jade Saunders, a 17-year-old student at the Renaissance Institute, was killed inside a building on Brinkerhoff Street.

The manager of U.S. Fried Chicken said while he knows shootings are common in some areas in Jersey City, he experienced a different feeling when one happened right at his business's doorstep.

"I was shaken," he said. "When it happens inside your place, it's a different experience.

"I was scared."

The Prosecutor's Homicide Unit is investigating this case with assistance from the Jersey City Police Department. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor at 201-915-1345 or to leave an anonymous tip at: http://www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/homicide-tip/.On March 25, 2016, I reported and photographed Catholic Charities annual Stations of the Cross procession through the streets of Trentons South Ward.

Mercer County Sheriffs Detective Pablo Santiago was the officer who drove a police car ahead of the Easter celebration, temporarily halting traffic and making sure the path was clear for the actors and faithful who followed.

When I arrived at the starting point, at Sacred Heart Church on South Broad Street, and realized Pablo was the police escort, I was instantly a little happier. I knew Id have no issue with access, and I might get a little more with Pablo running things, traffic wise.

Pablo Santiago leads the annual Police Unity Tour riders in this 2017 NJ.com file photo.TT TT TT

We shook hands, he smiled, we exchanged greetings  he likely asked about my family, I his  and then things started. The actors came out.

And then they stopped. The guitarist sitting in the bed of a pickup truck in the procession, who plays to accompany the hymns along the way, had lost power. Several men started fiddling with the electrical cords, trying to figure it out. I wandered, and talked to some people.

People started getting antsy, so I wandered back to the truck and saw Pablo leaning under the pickup trucks hood. He was near the trucks battery.

Whats up? I said. He explained, with a grin, that he had to get things going, and he was able to power the guitar amplifier with the vehicle battery. It worked. I snapped a picture, posted it on Facebook and described him as MacGyver.

The start was back on, and Pablo was off, clearing the way with lights and sirens. He checked in on me several times, and made sure I was in the best position to photograph the approaching procession.

He did it all with that trademark smile. It faded only a few times, when he got exasperated with motorists who did not heed his warnings. Seconds later, he would make a joke, and the smile was back.

Anyone who met, knew or worked with Pablo Santiago, I am sure, has a similar story, or stories.

I could do another. This was just my favorite.

Pablo took his own life Wednesday, at work in Trenton, shocking Mercer County and beyond.

Hes been mourned and remembered by beat cops and politicians, and the remembrances will go on, on Facebook, today, and I suspect in the days to come when hes laid to rest.

Writing about people in the days after they pass, the good bubbles to the surface. Its natural.

With Pablo, its all real.

I do not know what demons Pablo wrestled. I was not a close personal friend, was never in his home. Or was I?

I saw him, though, like many in Mercer County, frequently. Its like he never missed a community event. He was everywhere, a politician told me Thursday.

Its why hes being mourned so publicly. He did not just attend events, he brought that sunny, funny smile with him. He made you happy.

He had the intangible gift of making anyone he came across make you feel like a lifelong friend.

So if Mercer County was his home, I have been in his home, and maybe he just had a lot of close personal friends?

On his last night, Christmas night, he said so himself. He worked an evening, private security shift at Luther Arms apartments in Trenton after spending Christmas morning with his family.

Some people call it work, but I call it my second home and my extended family, he posted on Facebook, at 4:53 p.m.

For the next few hours, he took pictures of the meals people brought him. By 7:35 p.m., he was stuffed, and posted, Plate #3 NOOO MAS, Im ready to EXPLODE!

He added a smiley-face emoji.

Rest in peace my friend.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.An international traveler in Newark Liberty International Airport on Christmas Eve had the measles and may have exposed New Jersey residents to the highly-infectious disease.

A public health alert from state health officials about the infected traveler Friday comes as a measles outbreak continues in Ocean and Passaic counties. That unrelated outbreak has sickened at least 30 people in Ocean County and three in Passaic County since October 26, officials said.

The New Jersey Department of Health said in the alert that the traveler flew into Terminal B from Brussels, Belgium but may have been in other parts of the airport, potentially exposing the droves of holiday travelers to measles. Anyone who suspects he or she was exposed should contact a health care provider.

If you were in the airport on Dec. 24 between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m., you may have been exposed to measles and, if infected, could develop symptoms as late as Jan. 14, the alert said.

The alert said anyone who has not been vaccinated or has not had measles is at risk of developing the illness if exposed. Anyone who may have been exposed is advised to call before going to a medical office or emergency department, so special arrangements can be made to protect others from possible exposure.

Other passengers on the flight from Brussels with the infected person are being notified personally by their local health department, the state health officials said.

The illness is spread through the air when someone coughs or sneezes, or by contact with body fluids from a sick person. It comes with symptoms including rash, high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes, but it can also lead to serious complications like pneumonia and swelling of the brain. It can also seriously affect pregnancies in expecting mothers, health officials said.

We urge everyone to check to make sure they and their family members are up-to-date on measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine and all other age-appropriate immunizations, said state epidemiologist Dr. Christina Tan.

Getting vaccinated not only protects you, it protects others around you who are too young to get the vaccine or cant receive it for medical reasons, she said.

The outbreak in Lakewood in Ocean County began in October with a person who traveled to Israel and was exposed to the virus, health officials said. The Ocean County Health Department said most of those infected were not age-appropriately up-to-date with the measles vaccine.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tipsNew Jersey residents were warned Thursday not to drink raw milk from a Pennsylvania farm after a New York resident was likely sickened by it.

Pennsylvania agriculture officials on Saturday issued a quarantine of raw milk from Millers Biodiversity Farm in Quarryville, Pennsylvania, after the person was diagnosed with a RB51 infection, a strain of the Brucella abortus bacteria, New Jersey and New York officials announced.

Raw milk or other dairy products from the farm were identified as the likely source of the infection and anyone who drank or ate the products was asked to discard them and contact their healthcare provider to discuss preventive treatment, according to a release from the New York Department of Health.

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture is working with surrounding states to determine the extent to which raw milk from the farm in question has been received by New Jersey residents and consumers at the New Jersey locations listed on the farms website, New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas Fisher said in another release.

The farm lists several areas as group pickup locations for its products and a full list can be seen here.

The farm describes itself as a private buying club, a membership organization, that sources food from local farms, where a membership fee is required to purchase their products.

Fisher added that importing raw milk across state lines into New Jersey is a violation of federal law.

The person the bacterial infection was being treated and was doing well," according to the New York Department of Agriculture.

Raw milk is not pasteurized and therefore it is not heated to a temperature that helps kill harmful bacteria that can cause diseases such as listeriosis, salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis, typhoid fever, tuberculosis and brucellosis, officials said.

Brucellosis can cause fever, sweats, chills, weight loss, headache, fatigue and muscle and joint pain and symptoms may appear up to six months after exposure. More severe cases include infections of the bones, central nervous system and reproductive organs and fetal loss in pregnant women.

The New York resident infected by drinking raw milk was the third confirmed in the U.S. in the last two years, with the other cases occurring in 2017 in New Jersey and Texas.

Udder Milk was issued a cease-and-desist order in November, 2017 after a New Jersey woman came down with RB51 infection after drinking raw milk from the company.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook.They were among the most vulnerable and voiceless.

There was 4-year-old Dorcase Dolcin, who had never spoken a word in her short life, but was always happy and smiling. Dondre Mills Jr. had cerebral palsy and epilepsy. He was just 2. Amaya Bryant had serious medical issues, but her mother hoped to take her home.

And then they started dying.

The devastating adenovirus outbreak that swept through the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell led to the deaths of 11 children and infected 25 other residents, ranging from toddlers to teenagers. Some had parents and families in their lives. Others were all-but-alone, without mothers or fathers, marking birthdays with celebrations put together by caregivers who would try to make the day special with cake and balloons  stepping in to buy the kids gifts, or sometimes using their own money to make sure the children had the supplies like warm socks, recalled the aunt of one child.

Most of their names and faces remain unknown, and so their stories may never be told. The state will not disclose who they are, citing privacy concerns. The owners of the nursing home wont say very much at all, except to express their condolences and note their cooperation with state investigators.

The outbreak now is considered over. But three months after the horrible toll of dead kids began to mount, there are still few answers and little closure to those who mourn children who faced an everyday struggle to live.

They dont feel they owe us an explanation or an apology, said Daiiyah Bryant, of Bushkill, Pennsylvania, the mother of Amaya, who may have been the first to succumb to the virus. She died Oct. 6.

Explain to me, and try to comfort me at the very least, because you cant give me my baby back, continued Bryant. I dont know about the other parents, but I sat there and watched my daughter disintegrate for two weeks. I held her as she died.

Dondres mother, Tamara Cooper of Paterson, said when she visited her son Oct. 3, there was no talk of an outbreak.

There was no sign of anything. You would have never known, she said in an interview. They didnt have any hand sanitizer, like any covers on  it was like a normal day at the Wanaque.

And when she went to see Dondre, he was fine.

Still, she noticed then that none of the kids were being allowed in the dayroom  a big play space near the nurses station. Everybody had to stay in their rooms, which I felt was odd, she said.

Two weeks later Dondre lay near death at St. Josephs University Medical Center in Paterson with a severe respiratory infection. They knew what was going on, Cooper said. And they basically got to the point where they were preparing us. They started preparing us for him to pass away.

Gov. Phil Murphy has pledged to find answers to why 11 children died. The Department of Health has opened an investigation and the state Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee has launched its own inquiry.

Some workers have alleged that the facility deliberately delayed sending sick kids to the hospital because administrators did not want to lose Medicaid funding when they were moved out  an allegation that the facility has strongly denied.

But there has been remarkably little public outrage since the kids began dying. Advocacy groups have been largely silent. And there never was a network of parents bonded to each other by circumstances. Many parents interviewed said they did not know other families who had also lost children to the outbreak at the Wanaque Center.

The Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation. (Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

We should all be concerned about what could happen ... and what can we do to prevent it, said State Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, the Health Committee chairman He agreed, though, that if these deaths had taken place in a maternity ward, there probably would have been more concern because people would wonder how this could have happened to healthy children.

Kids like those at the Wanaque Center, however, are all too often forgotten, observed Arthur Caplan, a noted bioethicist at the New York University Langone Medical Center.

I am afraid institutionalized children are a bit out of sight out of mind, he said, adding that both the U.S. and the states do not help families, nor do they get much attention from patient groups. There are few advocates, and no media attention without a horrific crisis  and even then, not much outrage, Caplan said.

It is a moral travesty that too often in a nation that speaks of a right to life, these kids are left to wallow in poor institutions often with poor daily health care, he said.

Located in northern New Jersey, the Wanaque Center had beds for 92 pediatric patients, many of them considered "medically fragile." (Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Interviews with staff members and union officials who work at the Wanaque Center, along with parents, family members, meanwhile, continues to paint a dark picture of a facility with chronic understaffing that only grew worse after the troubled nursing home in northern New Jersey was sold in 2014.

Two pediatric workers who asked not to be identified over fears of retribution said the lack of adequate help on the pediatric floor often meant kids in soiled diapers, or routinely left unbathed.

Theres this one point that keeps coming up  how did it spread to so many patients? One thing is that  we have a history of not having sufficient staffing that we consider to be safe, said one of those workers.

Another alleged that charts were falsified to disguise the lack of adequate staff.

Dondres mother said she notices diapers were not frequently changed.

In the play area, there was a little boy who pooped on himself. He sat there for so long that it came out of his clothes and down his leg. And it took a while for a nurse to come and even attend to him, Cooper said. The excuse from the staff was that they were always short-handed, she said.

At the same time, there was not enough space on the 92-bed pediatric unit to separate sick patients from those who had not been exposed to the respiratory virus.

THE OUTBREAK AT WANAQUE

The Wanaque Center is unlike most nursing homes in the state. Its patients include a mix of both the elderly and children, including a separate unit that specializes in the care of so-called medically fragile kids who depended on ventilators to breathe. It remains one of only four pediatric facilities in New Jersey able to care for kids with complex medical issues.

And it was on the first-floor pediatric wing of the nursing facility that the adenovirus outbreak at the Wanaque Center began. According to health department officials, the first kids started getting sick with what was diagnosed on Sept. 26 as a respiratory ailment.

In a matter of weeks, 36 had contracted viral infections and 11 of them would ultimately die. One staff member also was diagnosed with adenovirus, but recovered.

The adenovirus outbreak that began in September led to the deaths of 11 children. One staff member came down with the virus, but recovered.

Employees still struggling with their emotions in the wake of the outbreak said a 2014 change in ownership led to cost-cutting and staff reductions which they attributed at least in part to the apparent difficulty in containing the outbreak on the pediatric wards. At the hearing before the Senate Health Committee, Sherry McGhie, a certified nurse aide who had worked at the Wanaque Center for 27 years until leaving the facility in September, also said the environment changed when Continuum Healthcare took over four years ago.

Staffing is terrible, and far worse than it used to be, said McGhie, a member of the United Healthcare Workers union. When I started my career at Wanaque, I cared for seven or eight residents on my morning shift.

This year, she said, it could be as many as 11 or 12 in the geriatric wing where she typically worked, but she said the pediatric side had experienced similar staffing reductions, except on days when state inspectors made their yearly visits.

During inspection season there are more staff and supplies, and even management comes out to lend a helping hand. Sometimes it feels like were putting on a show, she said.

She said when state inspectors entered the building, a call would go over the intercom for someone to dial extension 100.

Extension 100 is the code word for the state is here. Its show time, she testified.

Other workers interviewed by NJ Advance Media also said that despite regular inspections by the state  and the above average ratings by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services  the pediatric nursing facility skated through years of poor upkeep and short-staffing that affected patient care.

How did they pass? asked one pediatric worker, speaking on condition of anonymity because administrators have repeatedly warned staff not to speak to the media. I mean, the facility is filthy. Its falling apart.

In a statement in advance of the Senate hearing earlier this month, Rowena Bautista, the administrator of the facility said they were cooperating fully and completely with the state.

INSIDE, A PLACE FOR CHILDREN

Inside, it looks like a place for children. The immediate hallways are green with stripes and there are decals of animals in trees.

Its really kid friendly, colorful, described a current worker who did not want her name used because of the ongoing investigation. Holidays are a lot of fun there. Its like any holiday you have with your family. Its just fun. We get dressed up. We have parties. A lot of time we have volunteers that come in and they hang out with the kids. They read to the kids.

There used to be a music therapist, but she got let go because funding was cut, the worker said.

There are generally two kids to a room, unless its a private room, and kids on ventilators are not kept separately from each other unless they are put on isolation precautions.

They go to school with each other, theres a mixed class with kids who are on trachs or off ventilators, said the employee.

Basically, we get to play and work with kids every day. We teach them how to walk, talk, eat, breath again for some of the kids when we ween them off the ventilators, the employee said. Every day there are miracles there.

Under its previous ownership, Seniors Management North of Cherry Hill, the nursing facility then known as the Wanaque Convalescent Center also expanded its pediatric beds, with a focus on the medically fragile kids who depend on ventilators to help them breathe. In 2006, Wanaque was licensed for 135 long-term adult beds, and 82 pediatric long-term care beds, according to state Department of Health spokeswoman Donna Leusner. In 2007, the state approved an increase in license pediatric beds to its current 92.

The facilitys former medical director, Frank Briglia, later charged in an ongoing federal whistleblower lawsuit against Seniors Management North that the expansion in the number of pediatric beds was driven by efforts to maximize Medicaid profits. His lawsuit against the old ownership, which is still pending, also alleged that the management increased the number of kids dependent on ventilators to take advantage of higher Medicaid billing, and prioritized admissions of kids from New York state, which paid far more than New Jerseys Medicaid reimbursement rate.

The lawsuit is still pending, although the current ownership is not named in the case. But the New York State Department of Health still pays more in Medicaid reimbursement than New Jersey. A spokeswoman said the department currently pays $742.62 a day in Medicaid assistance for pediatric patients at the Wanaque Center. By contrast, New Jerseys Medicaid rate for pediatric residents at Wanaque is $518.46 a day, according to the state Department of Human Services.

A CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP

In 2014, the Wanaque Convalescent Center changed hands. Eugene Ehrenfeld, 45, of Lawrence, New York, and Daniel Bruckstein, 46, of Passaic, acquired the facility and renamed it the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation.

It came as the two men had begun buying up a number of nursing homes under a succession of limited liability companies. They had acquired the Riverside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Trenton in early 2013. Months later, with the help of a $10 million loan and a $1.5 million revolving line of credit, they closed on the Health Center at Galloway and Galloway Pediatric Medical Day Care, reports show.

Continuum Healthcares properties

There was no significant examination of the transaction by the state prior to the sale. New Jersey health officials said nursing homes are not required to file annual operations or financial reports. For all transfers of ownership, the purchaser files an application that includes a list of all similar facilities owned or operated by the buyer. If the buyers track record in operating those facilities is acceptable, the department approves the license transfer, as it did in July 2014.

Most of the nursing facilities owned by the two men are under the names of separate limited liability companies, or LLCs, a common practice in the nursing home industry. The two men purchased the Wanaque Center through Wanaque Real Property, another LLC, which subsequently leased it to Wanaque Nursing & Rehabilitation LLC, which is owned by the two men as part of Continuum Healthcare.

But an examination of federal reports shows that the nine nursing facilities now owned by the men have a spotty record caring for people, according to data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Four of the nine ranked below average in ratings published by Medicare. Three of those were ranked much below average in health inspection assessments.

The record at the Wanaque Center shows above average ratings by Medicare, although questions remain over how regulators found no major issues at the Wanaque Center in the wake of the fallout over the viral outbreak. A surprise state inspection sparked by the comments of pediatric workers interviewed by NJ Advance Media uncovered serious failings in infection control. That led to a Department of Health enforcement action temporarily prohibiting new admissions to the entire facility and a directive to immediately hire additional infection specialists.

Medicare over ratings for the nine nursing facilities associated with the Wanaque Center ranked widely. Four received just two out of five stars. Three of those received 'much below average' health inspection grades. (NJ Advance Media graphic)

The two men have kept low profiles, despite their ownership stakes in several nursing homes across the state and elsewhere. Ehrenfeld and Bruckstein both list themselves on their LinkedIn pages as owners and managing partners at Continuum Healthcare  the company that acquired the Wanaque Center.

Both men declined repeated requests for an interview. They did not respond to a lengthy list of questions requested by a spokeswoman for their company. At the same time, they have retained former U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman, now a criminal defense attorney, amid the growing controversy.

Last year, Continuum Healthcare contributed $4,300 in 2017 to Gov. Murphys election campaign.

In the wake of the Senate hearing, Vitale said he found a number of disturbing issues.

He noted there was evidence of dirty and rusty equipment and unclean rooms.

This is not rocket science. Were these financial decisions? he asked.

Vitale said hes considering legislation that requires facilities to report sooner, not just a death, but an outbreak of an infection and virus.

People get sick all the time in a hospital, he said. I dont expect the facility, any facility, to report every infection. But in a population like this that is extraordinarily susceptible to further harm, they should test sooner and inform faster and react quicker. And they did not do that.

FOR PARENTS, LITTLE SOLACE

Dondre Mills and Tamara Cooper, the parents of Dondre Mills Jr., said they had never been told of a viral outbreak at Wanaque. According to Cooper, her mother got a call on the morning of Oct. 9, and was told Dondre was running a fever. She went to see her son and said nobody was saying anything about an outbreak.

A week later, she said Dondre was also at St. Josephs because his fevers were not breaking. And he had pneumonia.

So they waited until the last minute to where he could have received something to intervene, but you chose to keep him on the unit, and you refuse to send him early," Cooper said.

At the hospital, she said there were other children from Wanaque, but nobody said anything.

No one said, Hey, these kids are also from Wanaque, she remarked.

The couple contends the Wanaque Center delayed sending their child to the hospital, even as he was growing increasingly ill.

You sat there in your facility. You knew what was happening to him and you didnt care, Cooper said in an interview. You didnt care enough to help my child.

Modeline Auguste and Ocroimy Dolcin of East Orange also blame the delay in transferring their daughter to the hospital on her death.

Dorcase Dolcin needed both a tracheostomy and a feeding tube to live. According to Auguste, her daughter developed a fever Sunday, Sept. 30, that would rise and fall over the next few days. By Wednesday, Oct. 3, she spiked a 102-degree temperature.

I said, send her to the hospital," Auguste said, a Haitian native. They said they were waiting for the doctor.

Daiiyah Bryant said her daughter, Amaya, had been at Wanaque for about a year before the outbreak. Three weeks before her death, the girl had been having breathing issues, and had been hospitalized for a few days.

They tested her for a bunch of different viruses, and she showed up negative for everything. So we took her back to Wanaque, she said.

A week later, she was again running a fever and returned to the hospital. They ran a battery of tests and told her finally she had adenovirus. Her condition rapidly worsened and on Oct. 6, her heart stopped.

And that was that, Bryant said.

She, too, never knew about the viral outbreak until news reports began to surface. And she said the nursing facility never called her to express condolences.

Bryant said the loss of her child has been hard.

I have good days. I have bad days. Ill think Im having a good day and then Ill be in the store and Ill see something that I would have usually grabbed for her.

Bryant said she sent Amaya to Wanaque initially because there was an open bed. The young girl was on Medicaid, so there were not a lot of options open to her. I sent her there because I thought she was going to get a little better, so she could come home, she said.

As for closure, she said there cannot be closure for her.

Closure is something Im going to have to gain on my own. I just dont want another mother to have to have this conversation with you. I dont want it to be like, she passed, and it didnt matter.

Following her funeral, Amayas life was marked by a simple, two-line obit:

Miss Bryant passed away in October 2018. Miss Bryant was a resident of New Jersey at the time of passing

Editors note: Do you have a family member on the pediatric unit at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, or a child who has been affected by the viral outbreak there? NJ.com would like to hear from you. You may reach us at (732) 902-4559, or write to Susan Livio at slivio@njadvancemedia.com, Spencer Kent at skent@njadvancemedia.com, or Ted Sherman at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com.With all the accolades that have followed the untimely death of our friend and journalism colleague, Bill Gallo Jr., there are those whose memories of their professional daily interaction with him will be less glowing. Copy editors and page designers at a combined "desk" in the old Gloucester County Times' offices in Woodbury often dreaded his phone calls about the pages being assembled for Today's Sunbeam, located 25 miles to the south.

The copy editors couldn't go home until Gallo, the Sunbeam's longtime editor, was satisfied. He usually wasn't satisfied on the first try. Headlines were too large or too small. A story important to Salem County wasn't being "played" prominently enough.

That's how hard it was for Bill to to let go of any aspect of the Sunbeam, once modern newspaper economics made it unfeasible for co-owned titles to be produced 100 percent separately. Until three area papers were combined officially into the South Jersey Times in 2013, Bill Gallo was the protector and guardian of the Sunbeam brand, as well as the county it served. The way things were done in the least populous of New Jersey's counties had to be preserved, or, if not, improved upon.

In retrospect, that attention to getting it right was an attribute to be admired. After 2013, with his editor's title merged into oblivion, Bill continued managing the Salem newsroom. When the newsrooms were combined in 2015, he continued with new vigor as a reporter for the entire South Jersey region and as a mentor to younger reporters. Barely a week ago, he was covering a settlement with hospital nurses who were waiting eight years for a contract, and the aftermath of a chemical leak that shut down the Delaware Memorial Bridge for hours on Thanksgiving weekend.

It would not surprise anyone to learn from his obituary that Bill was a longtime member of the Salem County Historical Society, and served as a director of The ARC of Salem County. It would not surprise anyone, even those who never overheard him on newsroom phone calls, that his conversations with sources were friendly, over-the-fence chats, filled with immense patience until he unearthed the information he sought. Nor is it surprising that he granted the same patience to calls from the public, even those who asked dumb questions that would make other harried journalists hang up.

There was an old story, true or not, that made the rounds in the first years after the Sunbeam became a daily paper. A telemarketer trying to sell subscriptions would say on the phone, "Hi! I'm from Today's Sunbeam." And the potential subscriber would answer, "I already have a toaster."

The circulation department wasn't selling toasters or coffee makers. What it was selling was the knowledge, journalistic leadership and almanac about all things Salem County that was Bill Gallo Jr. To anyone living in the county, it was more valuable, more essential than any household appliance.

Now, Bill's towering, seemingly indefatigable presence is gone, much too soon at age 59, when he still had so much to give. While other dedicated editors and reporters will continue to look out for the place that Bill loved so much and called home his whole life, he is not replaceable. He'll be greatly missed as a kind person, an involved citizen and, the person forever most identified with the evolving news organizations that employed him for 42 years.

Send a letter to the editor of South Jersey Times at sjletters@njadvancemedia.com

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress continue to get paid even though their inability to fund the government caused the third shutdown in a year.

Thats because the Constitution requires it, according to the National Constitution Center. Congress, the president and the Supreme Court all receive a compensation that cannot be raised or lowered during their time in office.

It is stunning, frankly, said Paul Shearon, president of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, whose members are not getting paid during the shutdown. How out of line it is for the president and Congress to pick up a paycheck.

The union represents a wide swath of federal employees, including immigration judges and rocket scientists, all of whom are not being paid. (It also represents about 13,000 state workers in New Jersey.)

These are the folks who earn every dime that they make, Shearon said. Were able to keep this federal government running despite the ineptitude by the folks at the top."

While most of the federal government is funded through Sept. 30, several agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, had been operating under a temporary spending bill that expired Dec. 21.

Trump refused to sign legislation keeping the rest of the government open unless it included $5 billion for the southern border wall that he promised Mexico, not American taxpayers, would pay for. But there is not enough support in Congress for the barrier.

About 800,000 federal employees are affected by the shutdown, with 420,000 working without pay and 380,000 told to stay home, according to Senate Appropriation Committee Democrats.

Those employees required to work, such as the Coast Guard and Border Patrol, will receive back pay. Traditionally, Congress also has agreed to pay the salaries of those furloughed, but is not required to do so.

The federal employees can expect to go without pay for another week; no legislation on reopening the government is expected until next Thursday, when the 116th Congress convenes.

Incoming House Rules Committee chairman, Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said the new Democratic-controlled House then would vote to reopen the government.

Federal workers should not be held hostage by the presidents demand for a useless and offensive border wall that he promised Mexico would pay for, McGovern said.

Trump donates his salary to charity. At least one member of Congress, Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said he wouldnt accept his pay during the shutdown. Meadows, who chairs the conservative House Freedom Caucus, was of the lawmakers urging Trump not to sign a spending bill without wall funding.

Just submitted this letter to the CAO, in advance of the government funding deadline. Members of Congress shouldn't be paid when the government isn't open.



If there is a shutdown, I will not be accepting any of my salary for as long as it lasts. pic.twitter.com/ltH2LAr9yg  Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) December 21, 2018

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday accused the Democrats of preferring to protect illegal immigrants rather than the American people by refusing to fund the wall.

The president does not want the government to remain shut down, but he will not sign a proposal that does not first prioritize our countys safety and security, she said.

Trump ratcheted up the rhetoric on Friday, threatening to close the southern border completely.

We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with. Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

A majority of U.S. voters, though, dont support the president on this issue. More than half, 54 percent, said they opposed the shutdown over the border wall in a USA Today/Suffolk University poll released last week, while just 29 percent supported it.

By 43 percent to 24 percent, they blamed Trump over congressional Democrats for the impasse, with 30 percent saying both sides were to blame. The poll of 1,000 registered voters was conducted Dec. 11-16 and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

There are no good optics when theres a government shutdown, said Ben Dworkin, director of Rowan Universitys Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship. The whole thing looks terrible. I dont know that will embarrass anybody into resolving this.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.Remember the mysterious music along the Delaware River in South Jersey that sounded like a sickening, pulsing heartbeat?' Penns Grove Police say the mystery has been solved.

The issue dates back to October when residents in towns along the Delaware River called 911 saying they heard loud music thumping at night. The music could be heard in Penns Grove, Pennsville and Carneys Point. Carol Napoleon Hampton, a Pennsville resident, recorded a video of the sound.

Officials in both New Jersey and in Delaware were not able to pinpoint the location of the music.

On December 24, 2018, the Salem County Call Board recieved over 100 call concerning the phantom music. Calls were... Posted by Penns Grove Police Department on Thursday, December 27, 2018

The break in the mystery came on Christmas Eve.

Blame it on a van down by the river.

According to a Dec. 27 Facebook post made by the Penns Grove Police Department, the Salem County Communications Center received more than 100 calls about the music, with the calls subsequently being transferred to different agencies in Delaware. However, the department says no action was taken in Delaware.

Penns Grove Police Chief John Stranahan then drove over the Delaware Memorial Bridge into Delaware to see if he could find where the music was playing. His search took him into Seventh Street in Wilmington.

According to a Delaware Online story, Stranahan found a group of men at a skatepark standing around multiple vehicles, including a van with its doors open. Inside the van was a massive sound system facing the river.

The post added the men hopped into their vehicles and left the skatepark once they saw Stranahan. The Penns Grove police chief was able to capture two of the vehicles license plates before they left.

Penns Grove Police say Stranahan gave the vehicle registration information to the Wilmington Police Department. NJ Advance Media contacted the Wilmington Police Department for an update to the situation. However, our request was not immediately returned.As if we havent experienced enough wet roads, soggy yards and damp basements this year, another rain storm is on the way, threatening to dump another inch or more of rain on the New Jersey region late Thursday night through most of the day on Friday.

Although it will take several days to confirm all the numbers, the rain could be heavy enough to make this the wettest year on record in New Jersey, according to State Climatologist David Robinson, whose office is based at Rutgers University. The records go all the way back to 1895.

As of now, the wettest year on record was 2011, when an average of 63.95 inches of precipitation -- rain plus melted snow and sleet -- was measured across the state. A major contributing factor to the record rain that year was Tropical Storm Irene, which was packed with moisture and preceded by a series of big rain storms.

Robinson said the state has had an average of 63.30 inches of precipitation so far this year, and that is only 0.65 inches away from the all-time record.

A plume of moisture heading from the Great Lakes region is expected to reach New Jersey late Thursday night and bring more showers, heavy at times, on Friday.

The National Weather Service said Sussex County and other high-elevation areas of northern New Jersey could see some sleet or freezing rain mixing in with the rain when the storm system arrives. But the rest of the state should get plain rain, because temperatures will be well above the freezing mark.

A flood watch has been issued for all the areas shaded in green, effective from early Friday morning through early Friday night, Dec. 28.

Flood watch issued in 18 counties

At about 3:15 p.m., the National Weather Service issued a flood watch for 18 of the states 21 counties, saying pockets of 1 to 2 inches of rain could fall in parts of the region, causing street flooding in poor drainage areas and near waterways that are already at high levels.

Given antecedent wet conditions across the watch area, sensitive streams and creeks will also be susceptible to flooding, the flood watch says. Some river flooding is also possible should the heaviest rainfall occur in the associated basins, with the Passaic and Millstone Rivers most at risk.

The flood watch is effective from 5 a.m. Friday through 7 p.m. Friday in every county , except for Cape May, Sussex and Warren.

One region of the state  the Atlantic City area  has already broken its annual precipitation record, but those records only go back to 1943. The National Weather Service has recorded 66.18 inches of rain and melted snow so far this year at Atlantic City International Airport in Pomona, breaking the old record of 65.80 inches, set in 1948.

Climate data from the weather service shows Philadelphia has had its second wettest year on record in 2018, Allentown has had its third wettest year on record, and Newark, Trenton and New York City have all had their fifth wettest year on record heading into the impending rain storm.

Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality or like him on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.A new team has entered the mix in the bidding for free-agent right-hander David Robertson, per MLB Networks Jon Morosi:

Free-agent reliever David Robertson has made it known that he would prefer to sign with a team in the Northeast. But there are a couple of factors that may give the Angels a shot at bringing him to Anaheim, as MLB.coms Jon Paul Morosi reports: Robertson knows the clubs general manager, Billy Eppler, from their days with the Yankees, and Robertson wants to be a closer, a role the Halos could offer the right-hander.

...

Robertson, 33, turned in a solid season in 18, posting a 3.23 ERA over 69 appearances for the Yankees, though it was a step back from a 17 campaign in which he had a 1.84 ERA over 61 appearances between the White Sox and Yankees.

Source: #Angels interested in free agent reliever David Robertson, who knows Angels GM Billy Eppler from their time together with #Yankees. Robertson is said to prefer teams in Northeast, but hed also like the opportunity to close  which is what he could have in Anaheim. @MLB  Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 28, 2018

Robertson and left-hander Zach Britton were key components of the Yankees' bullpen in 2018, but both players could be gone in 2019.

Several deep-pocketed clubs, including the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies, are looking at the relievers.

The reliever market has started to move, with Joe Kelly getting a three-year, $25 million deal from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Andrew Miller agreeing to a two-year, $25 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Robertson and Britton could be waiting to see where closer Craig Kimbrel signs. The Red Sox reliever initially had been seeking a contract worth as much as $100 million. However Kimbrel reportedly lowered his target price to the $86 million the Yankees gave closer Aroldis Chapman.The school board will conduct interviews Jan. 8, Jan. 10 and Jan. 12 with a short list of semi-finalists who rose to the top from the pool of applicants. Finalists will return in late January to appear before stakeholder committees and again be interviewed by the school board. The board is expected to make a selection on Jan. 31 and spend several weeks working through contractual issues before announcing its choice Feb. 19.Tax bills for New Orleans property owners are available online starting Friday (Dec. 28). Paper versions were put in the mail, starting Wednesday Payments are due Jan. 31.

Property tax bills can be viewed and paid at www.nola.gov/pay-taxes. To view your bill online, enter the tax bill number found on your current or prior bill for the property. You can also find your tax bill number at the Orleans Parish Assessors website, www.nolaassessor.com, where you can search for your property using its address.

Paying your property tax bill online is free if the money is routed directly from your checking account. A $2.49 processing fee is charged if you use a debit or credit card.

Property tax payments can also be mailed to 1300 Perdido St., Room 1W40, New Orleans, LA 70112

Those who want to pay their property taxes in person at City Hall (Bureau of the Treasury, Room 1W40) are encouraged not to wait until the Jan. 31 deadline to avoid long lines.

The Bureau of Treasury can be contacted with questions about property tax payments at (888) 387-8027.An ugly fight over an audit that found the city of Zachary paid two vendors $3.5 million without having contracts in place has died down some, but the city councilman most upset about the matter has made clear he is not giving up on his quest for In California, the repossessor must send you certain notices after a car repossession.

If your car loan lender repossesses your car in California, youre not entitled to any notice before the repossession. But the car lender must provide you with certain notices after taking the vehicle, including:

a notice of the seizure

an inventory of the personal property in the vehicle, and

a notice before selling the car.

Read on to learn about what the lender must tell you after the repossession, when you'll get these notices, and what to do if the lender doesn't send them.

The Repossession Agency Must Provide a Notice of Seizure

Under California law, the repossession agency must give you a notice of seizure within 48 hours of taking the car. But if the 48-hour period includes a Saturday, Sunday, or postal holiday, the repossessor gets 72 hours to notify you. If the 48-hour period includes a Saturday or Sunday and a postal holiday, the repossessor gets 96 hours to notify you. (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code  7507.10).

The notice must tell you the name and contact information for both the lender (the legal owner of the vehicle) and the repossession agency. The notice must also disclose the charges for storing the car and any personal effects.

Don't Lose Your Car to Repossession in the First Place You might be able to prevent a repo agent from repossessing your vehicle. Find out about the different ways to avoid a car repossession.

You Must Receive an Inventory of Personal Effects

After a repossession, you're also supposed to get an inventory of personal effects, which includes a list of the personal property found in the vehicle when it was repossessed, as well as information about how to get this property back and the cost of storage fees. The inventory generally must be provided not later than 48 hours after the recovery of the car. But if the 48-hour period includes a Saturday, Sunday, or a postal holiday, the repossessor gets 72 hours to notify you. If the 48-hour period includes a Saturday or Sunday and a postal holiday, the repossessor gets 96 hours to send you the inventory. (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code  7507.9).

The repossession agency has to store your items for at least 60 days. After that time expires, the agency can discard your belongings. Be aware that if you've installed or affixed personal property to the car, like a sound system, you aren't entitled to recover that property. If you want it back, you'll need to work out a deal with the lender. (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code  7507.9).

While a repossession agent isn't required to let you remove your personal items from the vehicle at the time of the taking, you may ask for permission to get your belongings out of the car. To learn what the repo man can and can't do when repossessing your car, see How Motor Vehicles Are Repossessed.

Notice Before the Sale

Before selling the car, your lender must provide you with a notice at least 15 days before the sale date. To collect a deficiency, the notice must be given within 60 days of the repossession and must include certain information, including your rights regarding reinstating the loan or redeeming the vehicle. (Cal. Civ. Code  2983.2).

Reinstating the Loan

To reinstate a car loan, you must catch up on all past-due payments and pay certain costs and fees. Under California law, you can reinstate a car loan once every 12 months and a maximum of twice over the course of the loan. If you reinstate, you get the car back and continue making car payments under the original contract. There are a few instances where you're not allowed to reinstate the loan; if the lender claims you don't have the right to reinstate, it must set forth the reason on the notice. (Cal. Civ. Code  2983.2. 2983.3).

Redeeming the Vehicle

You redeem the car by paying the entire loan balance, plus certain costs and fees. If you redeem, you get the car back. Because you paid the loan off, you now own it free and clear. (Cal. Civ. Code  2983.2).

Getting an Extension of Time to Reinstate the Loan or Redeem the Car in California In California, you have the right to request a 10-day extension of time to reinstate or redeem. (Cal. Civ. Code  2983.2).

The notice must also inform you that if you don't reinstate or redeem and the lender sells the car, it has the right to sue you for a deficiency. The notice must comply with several other requirements as well, such as providing you with an itemized contract balance. (Cal. Civ. Code  2983.2).

Getting Help

Consider consulting with a lawyer if you didn't receive one of the notices discussed in this article, you think a notice you received doesn't contain all of the correct information, or the lender didn't comply with the timing requirements. A lawyer can help you raise the issue, either directly to the lender or by filing a lawsuit in court. You might be able to get your vehicle back or perhaps raise the failure to comply with the law as a defense in a deficiency lawsuit.

Even if the lender complied with the notice requirements, you might want to consider talking with a lawyer to find out if you could make any other claims against the lender.The company, however, had installed equipment to reduce its ethylene oxide emissions in July. Tests of emissions from the buildings in September showed 99.9 percent of the ethylene oxide was captured and not released into the air, Sterigenics said. But the EPA posted results in December still showed alarming levels of ethylene oxide in the air near the facility.THE PROGRESSIVE REVOLUTION: MODERN ART FOR A NEW INDIA at Asia Society (through Jan. 20). The first show in the United States in decades devoted to postwar Indian painting continues a welcome, belated effort in Western museums to globalize art history after 1945. The Progressive Artists Group, founded in Bombay (now Mumbai) in the afterglow of independence, sought a new painterly language for a new India, making use of hot color and melding folk traditions with high art. These painters were Hindus, Muslims and Catholics, and they drew freely from Picasso and Klee, Rajasthani architecture and Zen ink painting, in their efforts to forge art for a secular, pluralist republic. Looking at them 70 years on, as India joins so many other countries taking a nativist turn, they offer a lovely, regret-tinged view of a lost horizon. (Farago)

212-288-6400, asiasociety.org/new-york

STERLING RUBY: CERAMICS at the Museum of Art and Design (through March 17). Adept at most art mediums, this artist is at his best in ceramics, especially in the outsize, awkwardly hand-built, resplendently glazed baskets, ashtrays and plates and the objects that verge on sculpture in this show. These works actively incorporate accident and aspects of the ready-made, have precedents in the large-scale ceramics of Peter Voulkos and Viola Frey, but may be closest in spirit to the Neo-Expressionism of Julian Schnabel  rehabilitated, of course. (Smith)

212-299-7777, madmuseum.org

SATURATED: THE ALLURE AND SCIENCE OF COLOR at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (through Jan. 13). This museum excels at exhibitions that brim with somewhat arcane information embodied by visually dazzling objects, and few subjects reward that approach like color. This show is all the more impressive because its nearly 200 inclusions, which range through centuries, are drawn almost entirely from the Cooper Hewitts vast holdings. Here, theory and practice frequently come together with unusual clarity. One example is the 2012 cotton blanket by the Index Collection that fabulously illustrates the tonal gradations of color printing  monotone, duotone and multitone  from pale to intense. Think ombre. (Smith)

212-849-8400, cooperhewitt.org

SCENES FROM THE COLLECTION at the Jewish Museum. After a surgical renovation to its grand pile on Fifth Avenue, the Jewish Museum has reopened its third-floor galleries with a rethought, refreshed display of its permanent collection, which intermingles 4,000 years of Judaica with modern and contemporary art by Jews and gentiles alike  Mark Rothko, Lee Krasner, Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman and the excellent young Nigerian draftswoman Ruby Onyinyechi Amanze. The works are shown in a nimble, nonchronological suite of galleries, and some of its century-spanning juxtapositions are bracing; others feel reductive, even dilettantish. But always, the Jewish Museum conceives of art and religion as interlocking elements of a story of civilization, commendably open to new influences and new interpretations. (Farago)

212-423-3200, thejewishmuseum.org

SOUL OF A NATION: ART IN THE AGE OF BLACK POWER at the Brooklyn Museum (through Feb. 3). It will be a happy day when racial harmony rules in the land. But that days not arriving any time soon. Who could have guessed in the 1960s when civil rights became law that a new century would bring white supremacy tiki-torching out of the closet and turn the idea that black lives matter, so beyond obvious, into a battle cry? Actually, African-Americans were able to see such things coming. No citizens know the national narrative, and its implacable racism, better. And no artists have responded to that history-that-wont-go-away more powerfully than black artists have. More than 60 of them appear in this big, beautiful, passionate show of art that functioned as seismic detector, political persuader and defensive weapon. (Cotter)

718-638-8000, brooklynmuseum.org

TOWARD A CONCRETE UTOPIA: ARCHITECTURE IN YUGOSLAVIA, 1948-1980 at the Museum of Modern Art (through Jan. 13). This nimble, continuously surprising show tells one of the most underappreciated stories of postwar architecture: the rise of avant-garde government buildings, pie-in-the-sky apartment blocks, mod beachfront resorts and even whole new cities in the southeast corner of Europe. Titos Yugoslavia rejected both Stalinism and liberal democracy, and its neither-nor political position was reflected in architecture of stunning individuality, even as it embodied collective ambitions that Yugoslavs called the social standard. From Slovenia, where elegant office buildings drew on the tradition of Viennese modernism, to Kosovo, whose dome-topped national library appears as a Buckminster Fuller fever dream, these impassioned buildings defy all our Cold War-vintage stereotypes of Eastern Europe. Sure, in places the show dips too far into Socialist chic. But this is exactly how MoMA should be thinking as it rethinks its old narratives for its new home next year. (Farago)

212-708-9400, moma.orgOther battles in U.S. history were in certain respects more costly or complicated. During the Civil War, Gettysburg and other engagements resulted in a higher percentage of casualties among combatants. During World War II, such enormous amphibious invasions as Normandy, Iwo Jima and Leyte Gulf in the Philippines were inherently more complex in logistical terms than the Bulge. In the European theatre, the scale of the war on the eastern front was much greater than in the west.Our guide to film series and special screenings happening this weekend and in the week ahead. All our movie reviews are at nytimes.com/reviews/movies.

CURATORS CHOICE 2018 at the Museum of the Moving Image (Dec. 28-Jan. 6). Aiming to highlight the variety and innovation of the movies released over the past 12 months, this annual series opens on Friday with Minding the Gap, one of the four documentaries chosen by A. O. Scott in a tie for the best film of 2018. (Two of the others, Hale County This Morning, This Evening and Bisbee 17, will screen on Jan. 6.) Among the most original titles is Valeska Grisebachs Western (on Sunday), a fiction feature about German interlopers working in a far-flung section of Bulgaria, an area they are ostensibly helping to modernize. The movie flirts with the conventions of the western genre to reflect on the economic and cultural rifts of contemporary Europe.

718-784-0077, movingimage.us[What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.]

There was a boom; then a hum. The lights flickered. A giant plume of smoke filled the New York City sky around 9:12 p.m., and turned it blue.

A sort of unnatural, fluorescent shade of blue, said Bill San Antonio, 28, who was watching Thursday night from inside a terminal at La Guardia Airport.

We thought it was a U.F.O., said Yiota Androtsakis, a longtime Astoria resident.

Ms. Androtsakis was not the only one. In the earliest moments, hundreds of Twitter users from across the city posted videos of the eerie lights, causing many on social media to fear an alien invasion.[What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.]

Adou Kouadio, a citizen of Ivory Coast, arrived at the Texas border in early 2016 and asked for asylum, claiming that he had been threatened after supporting a political opponent of his countrys president.

But for the nearly three years that his request has remained under consideration, Mr. Kouadio, 43, has been detained by the American authorities, first in Texas and later in New Jersey. In August, he petitioned a court for help.

On Thursday, a federal judge in Manhattan said the government had violated Mr. Kouadios rights.

This nation prides itself on its humanity and openness with which it treats those who seek refuge at its gates, the judge, Alvin K. Hellerstein of Federal District Court, wrote. By contrast, the autocracies of the world have been marked by harsh regimes of exclusion and detention. Our notions of due process nourish the former spirit and brace us against the latter.

Detaining Mr. Kouadio for 34 months without a bail hearing violated his due process rights as a nonresident immigrant arriving at the border, limited as those rights are, the judge said in a ruling some legal experts also considered a rebuke of the Trump administrations strict immigration policies.And so one may wonder if granting the Awami League a third term now would fatally weaken democracy in Bangladesh. Is it time to give the B.N.P. another chance?

The B.N.P. has a dark record of stoking religious extremism. It has long been allied with the violent Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami. During the B.N.P.s last term in power, between 2001 and 2006, bombings by Islamists multiplied. In 2004, extremists linked to the party attacked an Awami League rally with grenades in an attempt to assassinate Sheikh Hasina, then the opposition leader, now the prime minister. (More than 20 people were killed and hundreds were injured.) A former Awami League finance minister was killed the following year. Terrorist groups like Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh and Harkat-ul-Jihad al Bangladesh also flourished under the B.N.P.s political cover.

It is true that the Awami League has resorted to forms of street agitation and shutdowns  notably when the B.N.P. has refused to step down from power  and those have sometimes led to violent confrontations. Yet it has not deliberately targeted ordinary citizens. The B.N.P.-Jamaat alliance, on the other hand, has set out to kill and injure innocent people  for example, by attacking buses with petrol bombs in 2013 and 2015  in vain hopes of toppling the government through terror and chaos.

The B.N.P. seemed to acquire a veneer of respectability recently, after Kamal Hossain, a renowned 82-year-old lawyer and a former Awami League cabinet minister, decided to form a coalition ticket with it in the upcoming election, under the joint banner National Unity Front. Mr. Hossain is an unlikely partner for the party: He helped draft Bangladeshs secular constitution in 1972 and has urged the B.N.P. to sever ties with Jamaat-e-Islami. But if he joined forces with the B.N.P. banking that the association might temper the party, he is unlikely to prevail: The party nominated 25 Jamaat political leaders to run in the election, out of a total of 300 seats in contest. There is little reason to believe that the B.N.P.s worst tendencies have changed.

There also is little reason to believe that a B.N.P.-led coalition would, say, benefit the economy. Just one example: During its last stint in power, the B.N.P. increased the countrys power output by only a negligible amount. The Awami League tripled it over the last decade.Its all built around a profile of Mohammed bin Salman, the young Saudi leader. Years ago, M.B.S. asked a Saudi bureaucrat to help him appropriate a property. When the official said no, he received an envelope with a single bullet inside. Last year, M.B.S. replaced Mohammed bin Nayef as crown prince. Bin Nayef had been summoned to the palace and surrounded by guards. His cellphone was taken away and he was forced to stand for hours  in excruciating pain because of an old injury. Just before dawn, bin Nayef agreed to surrender his position.

In The Constitution of Knowledge, in National Affairs, Jonathan Rauch argues that the marketplace of ideas is like a funnel. Millions of people float millions of hypotheses every day. Society collectively tests these ideas, bats them around or ignores them, and only a tiny few make it out the narrow end of the funnel, where they are declared useful or true.

But, Rauch says, the funnel is no more. Internet trolls simply overwhelm the system with swarms of falsehood. There used to be an implicit honor code  truth exists, credentials matter, what hasnt been tested isnt knowledge  but the honor code has been swept away. Most fringe information used to get ignored. But today, it cant be ignored because a lot of it is spewed by the president of the United States. Rauch shows that the national conversation had an architecture, which has now been reduced to sand.

Its hard to write about what religious faith feels like. Tish Harrison Warren does it compellingly in True Story in The Point. As a kid she just loved going to church. Then as an adult she learned about the churchs sins  the narcissism, abuse, sexism. But she still became an Anglican priest. The nice side of church, she writes, is the day-to-day goodness, the teenage boy still sweet enough to rest his head on his mothers shoulder during the sermon, the young man who gives an elderly friend a ride, the way the members see themselves as a community of forgiven sinners.

Each Sunday during communion, when the members of my church come to the table, I watch their faces. Many tired. Some sad. Some lit up with joy. One kid who has special needs approaches me like hes won the lottery. His voice rises, Oh boy! Oh boy!PHILADELPHIA  Bear Swamp is a forest of 400- and 500-year-old black gums, some of the oldest trees in eastern North America, along the Delaware Bay in southeastern New Jersey. The trees have begun to die. The cause is the rising sea, which is making the groundwater at the base of the forest saltier. The trees are doomed. Much of the Glades Wildlife Refuge, which contains the forest, eventually wil l be under water.

Though I live only 55 miles away, Ive never seen the forest nor had I heard of its old-growth trees until I read about them recently in The Philadelphia Inquirer. This knowledge was enough to make me grieve for the world that is vanishing before us. Earth is rapidly shedding life and the systems that sustain it. We know this but we dont seem to be able to face it, for ours is an age of loss disguised as plenty.

The article about the black gum trees of Bear Swamp prompted me to make a list of other recent examples of ecological loss. The last few months have been full of them. The World Wildlife Fund, for example, recently reported an average population decline of mammals, amphibians, birds and fish of 60 percent since 1970, the year after I was born.

Scientists have discovered a 75 percent drop in the number of flying insects in protected areas of Germany since the 1980s. Ecologists observing El Yunque, the Puerto Rican tropical rain forest, recently found 60 times fewer invertebrates in their sticky traps than they had in 1976  and this was measured before Hurricane Maria, which devastated the forest.EL PASO  The death this week of a second Guatemalan child in United States custody and the unusual release of hundreds of asylum seekers in downtown El Paso have put officials in this border city on edge.

Shelters, they said, are already overwhelmed in their ability to take in the migrants.

The release of dozens of families in a city park on Christmas Day stands in sharp contrast to the past, when immigration officials coordinated such moves with a network of shelters that have been assisting refugees for decades.

Along with the deaths of two detained migrant children in the last three weeks, the abrupt release has a web of organizations assisting migrants on both sides of the border concerned that more people could fall ill.

The leaders of organizations assisting immigrants are questioning why federal officials released the asylum seekers at a time when President Trump was criticizing Democrats over their resistance to funding a border wall. Some immigration advocates argued that the administrations policies are effectively making thousands of Central American asylum seekers pawns in the standoff in Washington.WASHINGTON  During his surprise visit to American troops in Iraq and Germany this week, President Trump singled out red Make America Great Again caps in a sea of military fatigues, signed a Trump 2020 patch and accused Representative Nancy Pelosi and other leading Democrats of being weak on border security.

Now the president is facing accusations that he was playing politics with the military.

When that starts happening, its like the politicalization of the judicial branch, said Mark Hertling, a retired three-star Army lieutenant general.

Visiting troops abroad is a presidential tradition in which the commander in chief puts aside politics to thank a military that represents a broad spectrum of the country. But Mr. Trumps political comments and his encouragement of supporters in the crowd veered from those norms.

He has to understand that there exist some audiences that should not be addressed as part of his base, because they are not, Mr. Hertling said. Its a violation of protocol by the president.BAGHDAD  A range of Iraqi politicians criticized President Trump on Thursday over his surprise visit to a United States military base in Iraq, and some called for a parliamentary debate on whether American forces should leave.

There was little expectation that Iraqs Parliament would take any action in response to the visit, which had been arranged in strict secrecy for security reasons.

But the criticisms underscored the political delicacies surrounding the United States militarys deployment in the country, 15 years after the American-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

The angry reaction came a day after Mr. Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, visited the Al Asad Air Base, where American forces are part of a coalition that has been battling Islamic State extremists. It was Mr. Trumps first presidential visit to American troops stationed in an overseas trouble spot.Certain changes are devoutly to be wished. Over these 12 years, I should have spoken more often and more forcefully about two that have begun happening for women in ballet, if too slowly for comfort: women as choreographers and African-American women dancing lead ballerina roles. Here, American Ballet Theater has recently taken the lead: Misty Copeland has become the companys greatest audience magnet, while its Womens Move-ment is commissioning female-choreographed premieres. Still, too much rests on Ms. Copelands shoulders (New York needs a choice of black ballerinas, not one black prima alone!), while certain female choreographers have suddenly been deluged with commissions. Lets hope the next 10 years see more pervasive reform.

While attending to ballet  always the thorniest of dance arts, as controversial as it is prestigious  I draw attention to two very unalike trends: one heartening, one dismaying. The first is the increasing penetration of George Balanchines choreography into national and international repertory. For those of us who remember how radical he often was in his lifetime (even in this city and far more often elsewhere), and how difficult many of his ballets were when young, this vindication is deeply satisfying; moving, too. Balanchine achieved a high water mark for the art. That dozens of one-act Balanchine ballets, like Divertimento No. 15 and Symphony in Three Movements, are now regularly danced from Phoenix to Miami, from Vienna to Vancouver, is a victory of superlative modernism.

Against that, however, please observe the ghastly and ever-increasing popularity of such formulaic 19th-century ballets as Le Corsaire and Don Quixote. These war horses  trashily circusy, composed to minor-league music  abound in cliches. When I discovered dance in the 1970s, they were the specialties of Soviet companies alone: They exemplified the tosh that Diaghilev had banished to the past, and which all sophisticated Western companies rightly chose to avoid. Today, however, theyre frequently danced in New York (alas, here too Ballet Theater leads the way), London and many other cities. They demean ballet.

Yet every year of my tenure brought new marvels, many by younger choreographers. Justin Peck hadnt even begun to choreograph in 2007; Pam Tanowitz had, but I hadnt heard of her; Liz Gerring was likewise unknown to me until once, during a quiet week in 2010, I chose to check out her latest at the Baryshnikov Arts Center. True, Alexei Ratmansky was already a name that was spoken; but whatever we meant by it has had to be serially revised and expanded.I realized how amazingly talented she was and how quickly she could not only learn something but also understand it, which is more difficult, said Ms. Perrin, who met Ms. Lenaerts when she was 12. I would say she is one of the top five players in the world, but she has kept that kindness and openness that is so rare when people get to that level.

In 2010, while in Munich performing with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under the conductor Mariss Janson, Ms. Lenaerts learned there would soon be an opening for a harpist with the Vienna Philharmonic. I was very happy being a soloist, and I never wanted to enter an orchestra, she said, recalling her hesitation before she decided to go for the tryouts.

I was number nine for the audition, and it was behind a curtain. I was thinking, If this does not go well, I will just go back to Belgium and nobody will ever know. She won the audition  at just 23  and moved to Vienna the next autumn.

Since her engagement as a member of the Vienna Philharmonic, Anneleen has proven to be an outstanding musician with great excellence, Daniel Froschauer, the chairman of the orchestra and its first violinist, wrote in an email. She is a wonderful colleague.

Ms. Lenaerts, only the eighth woman to join the orchestra (the Vienna Philharmonic was opened to female musicians in 1997), was a quick study, though she was warned that it would most likely take her about three years to feel fully comfortable with the repertoire, which includes 45 operas that often are not rehearsed before a performance.

A highlight of her time with the Philharmonic so far was her first New Years concert, in 2012, which Maestro Jansons conducted. There is a big harp solo in Tchaikovskys Panorama that I had played with him as an encore in Munich, and he picked that piece for the New Years concert so I was playing it with him again, she said. It was very special and overwhelming.The fine artist Lina Iris Viktor has agreed to settle a lawsuit she filed against Kendrick Lamar and the singer SZA saying their music video for All the Stars, part of the Black Panther soundtrack, used her work without permission.

Viktor, a British-Liberian artist, was approached twice by representatives of the movie asking if her work could be used in the film or as part of its promotion. After deeming the agreement too restrictive, she said no.

Nonetheless, part of the video is so clearly a copy of the artistss work, according to the complaint, which was filed in federal court in New York in February. Viktor sued for a portion of the profits from the sale of the single and the movies soundtrack.A generational change at Juilliard

After a 34-year run leading Juilliard, with its prestigious music, dance and drama programs, Joseph W. Polisi retired in June. He built Juilliards first dormitory; added new programs in jazz studies and historical performance practice; and proved adept at fund-raising.

He offered a warning of sorts in his final commencement address. Rather than being a subject of pious platitudes, the arts must be viewed as an essential part of our existence which can be easily neutralized by an uncaring populace or an insensitive political leadership, he said. That is why you, our graduates, must be effective advocates for the arts in the time ahead.

[Read more about Mr. Polisis tenure.]

R.I.P., Lincoln Center Festival

Each summer since 1996, the Lincoln Center Festival has taken over the campus with visiting theater troupes, dance companies, orchestras, opera companies and performance artists. Until this year.

The festival, which was run by the complex, was discontinued  to save money and to consolidate artistic leadership under Jane Moss, who has energized Lincoln Centers other summer festival, Mostly Mozart, with more ambitious programming. The plan calls for beefing up the offerings of Mostly Mozart and the annual fall White Light Festival to make up for the loss of the summer festival. But how successful that will be  given the centers recent deficit problems and its lack of a permanent president  remains to be seen.

[Read our chief classical music critics take on a summer without Lincoln Center Festival.]

Dancers are removed from City Ballet

As it adjusted to life after Peter Martins, City Ballet was jolted with another scandal: Three male principal dancers were forced out after they were accused in a lawsuit of sharing, through text messages, sexually explicit photos of women.

It began when one of the men, Chase Finlay, was accused of sending to friends explicit pictures and videos of a young woman he had been dating to friends, without her consent, and asking others to send back their own explicit photos. He resigned. Two other dancers accused of sharing explicit photos, Zachary Catazaro and Amar Ramasar, were then fired.VIENNA  When Walter Bricht was forced to emigrate from Austria in 1938, he was one of the capitals most promising musical figures. Performances of his first symphony were scheduled with the Vienna Philharmonic, which performed the premiere of his First Piano Concerto, as well as the Berlin Philharmonic and Staatskapelle Dresden. Those plans never came to fruition once it was revealed that he had three Jewish-born grandparents.

This year, his estate returned from the United States not only to the city of his birth but also to the building where he was a star student. The exil.arte center, founded in 2006 as a society and operating with its own fireproof vaults, recital facilities, lecture space and more at Viennas University of Music and Performing Arts since 2016, is archiving the manuscripts of neglected composers and performers, and also, perhaps most importantly, making sure the music is heard.

In contrast with the return of Nazi-looted artwork to their original owners, which has been required by law in Austria since 1998, exil.arte hopes to revive the legacy of musical figures who remained connected to Austrian culture until their death. The center produces recordings in collaboration with the label Gramola Vienna and holds a concert series at Viennas ORF Radio Cafe. More recently, it was entrusted a new critical edition of Erich Wolfgang Korngolds music, in collaboration with the publisher Schott, that will include his film scores for the first time.What were your expectations going into the pilot?

A show about the Mob was really a risky thing. I thought it was a long shot that it would run for a long time, just because there hadnt been anything like that. I was immediately impressed by the cast. It was really hard to tell from the pilot what the show would be. Was it going to be a spoof? Because there was a lot of funny stuff in the pilot. We didnt really know until we started shooting the first season. I was, like, Wow, were onto something good.

Did you develop a familial relationship with Gandolfini?

Absolutely. Doing that show was like going down to the corner and hanging out with your friends every day. Thats a very rare thing. He was such a tremendous talent and such a good actor, so committed, passionate and kind.

How do you feel about The Many Saints of Newark, the coming prequel movie to The Sopranos?

Its going to focus on Christophers dad. I like that its going in that direction rather than something right after the last episode ended, picking up those pieces. Doing something that has the DNA of the show but is its own thing is really smart. Im sure its going to be great.

How do you look at the other series youve done that havent lasted as long as The Sopranos, like Life on Mars and Detroit 1-8-7?

You just need to take each job as it comes. If you say, Ive got to wait for the next Sopranos, you may be waiting forever. Its such a difficult business to have longevity in, to be frank. Youve got to find what youre passionate about, and if youre not getting the roles on TV and in movies you want, then try to do it yourself  independent film, theater and writing books.

Your novel is set in the New York City of the 70s. Do you feel that city is gone?

I do. I didnt start spending a lot of time in Manhattan until 1983, but in the 70s Id go to the city with my family to see a show or go to Rockefeller Center. I have a lot of nostalgia for the movies of the time, and I was always drawn to that period. I mean, everything changes, and New York City has changed as much as everywhere else. Its hard to know if that feeling of nostalgia is for your youth or the city.THE BRITISH IN INDIA

A Social History of the Raj

By David Gilmour

Illustrated. 618 pp. Farrar, Straus & Giroux. $35.

The United Kingdoms still-roiling Brexit controversy, with the referendums most fervent supporters boasting of an unleashed Britain recapturing imperial-era glory, has tended to leave the messier, bloodier details of colonialism unexamined. From this distance, and with rose-tinted glasses, the British Empire  especially as it extended to India  can be viewed as an example of a selfless commitment to civilizing the world while standing atop it. And yet, as David Gilmour writes of the British mind-set during the imperial heyday, It was as if the British, at almost every level of society, were proud to have India as their jewel but did not want to spend much time admiring the object: It was just nice to know that it was in the bank and to be able to boast about it. Even a couple of centuries ago, applying a microscope to British rule in India  let alone learning about Indians themselves  was inevitably a more complex, and fraught, undertaking than most Britons had any wish to engage in.

With The British in India: A Social History of the Raj, Gilmour, metaphorical microscope in hand, has written a broad-ranging but precise and intimate examination of the British men and women who served and lived on the subcontinent. A historian of Italy and Britain, a biographer of Kipling and the onetime viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, as well as a prolific essayist, he is ideally suited to the task. But this is not a book about the evils of colonialism; the devil is not in these details. What interests him, in this book at least, are not the larger questions of politics, or economics, or the global position of Britain  all of them factors that helped determine the countrys imperial stance  but instead the often gritty, colorfully distinct stories that constituted the individual British experience. He is also fascinated by the social relations among and within classes, and how mores changed over a vast era that ended with independence, partition and the birth of Pakistan in 1947. It is a finely wrought history of the British in India that does not really examine what the British did to India  or to Indians.

Image

The British in India actually begins in the period before the formation of the British Raj in 1858, which was a direct response to the Indian rebellion of the previous year against the East India Company. That entity, created in 1600, really only came into great prominence in the middle of the 18th century. (The British editions subtitle, Three Centuries of Ambition and Experience, is both better and more accurate than A Social History of the Raj.) Over these years, the mental journey of the British, as one writer quoted by Gilmour characterized it, could be charted as Greed, Scorn, Fear and Indifference, in precisely that order. Gilmours narrative doesnt really unfold in this chronological fashion, but a consistent theme is how a relatively few Britons ruled a vast territory, and how lonely and isolated their experiences could be. They were a cross-section of people, soldiers and civil servants, often the black sheep of their families, sometimes criminals seeking a clean slate and, especially at first, men simply out to make a quick buck. Indias chief allure for Europeans of the 18th century, Gilmour writes, was its wealth and the chance of getting their hands on some of it. Gilmour is particularly good on the Indian Civil Service  a subject he has previously written about  which presided over India during the 90 years of formal Raj rule. It did so with a seriousness of purpose  and with an increasing number of Indians in its ranks  that was lacking in earlier periods.The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South, by Michael W. Twitty. (Amistad/HarperCollins, $16.99.) A culinary historian, Twitty investigates the charged questions surrounding race and the roots of soul food. His own family and religious experience figure in his account, and his research takes him from Civil War battlefields in Virginia to synagogues in Alabama to black-owned farms in Georgia.

The Music Shop, by Rachel Joyce. (Random House, $17.) Its 1988, and Frank  a great bear of a man and the owner of a neighborhood record shop  is stubbornly resisting the future of music. Hes got a knack for knowing what his customers want to listen to, but hes kept himself emotionally closed off. When a woman appears at his store asking to learn about music, he gets a long-awaited chance to fall in love.

The Only Girl in the World: A Memoir, by Maude Julien with Ursula Gauthier. Translated by Adriana Hunter. (Back Bay/Little, Brown, $16.99.) Julien, now a psychotherapist specializing in psychological control, describes a childhood of horrors carried out by her despotic father with the goal of sculpting me into the superior being Im destined to become. The narrative rarely expands beyond the claustrophobic, but in parts it has the pacing of a thriller.

Eastman Was Here, by Alex Gilvarry. (Penguin, $17.) In 1970s New York, Alan Eastman is mourning his marriage and his career. The novel opens with his wife leaving him, and Eastman, once a celebrated writer, fears that his prospects are dwindling and his best work is behind him. A phone call from an old acquaintance spurs a plan to write a definitive account of the Vietnam War that will reinvigorate his writing and lure his wife back. But when he heads overseas, he finds himself outmatched by female writers.LATE-LIFE LOVE

A Memoir

By Susan Gubar

337 pp. W.W. Norton & Company. $25.95.

My parents generation, lucky enough to pass the biblical three score and 10, would describe themselves as living on borrowed time. Susan Gubar has been granted a longer credit line than most. In 2008, in her mid-60s, she learned she had ovarian cancer. It spread. After the cruelties of chemo, she was subjected to debulking  surgical evisceration.

Gubar described the procedure unflinchingly in her 2012 book, Memoir of a Debulked Woman. Its not easy to read unflinchingly. The postoperative prognosis was bleak, but a then-experimental drug therapy has lent her time. Its the kind of chess-game stay of execution Ingmar Bergman dramatizes in The Seventh Seal.

Gubar is a literary critic and one of the few who can claim to have made a lasting difference. In 1979, in The Madwoman in the Attic, she and Sandra M. Gilbert redirected the readers central focus from the Jane Eyres to the Bertha Masons of literature (to take the titles allusion). Chained Bertha, the first Mrs. Rochester, isnt deranged; rather, shes the oppressed part of Jane herself and a representative of 19th-century women in general. For those of my generation, it was as if scales had dropped from our eyes and we were able to see afresh a range of works we had fondly presumed we already knew.

Living on Sarcoma Penitentiarys death row surely concentrates the mind, in Samuel Johnsons dry phrase. Theres no reprieve; merely, with luck, indefinite delay. In her borrowed time, Gubar thinks about life, love and literature from where she is now  existing between hospital appointments, any one of which could be, literally, terminal.THE DAY THE SUN DIED

By Yan Lianke

Translated by Carlos Rojas

342 pp. Grove Press. $26.

Shortly after Xi Jinping became Chinas president, he introduced a signature catchphrase: the Chinese Dream, meaning the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Xi intends for people to experience this dream privately as well as publicly, declaring recently that its values must be integrated into reality and integrated into life, causing people to perceive it in practice, comprehend it and accept it. As Xi settles into the second term of his now-unlimited tenure, the Communist Party has intensified its claims on the beliefs and aspirations of Chinas 1.4 billion people.

The provocative Chinese writer Yan Lianke offers a different sort of collective dream in his gripping novel The Day the Sun Died. During a single night, a plague of somnambulism, or dreamwalking, overcomes a village in central China. As the afflicted enact their suppressed fears and fantasies, the ensuing horror blasts through the cardboard rhetoric of the Chinese Dream and the brittle artifice of Chinese society. Yan is internationally acclaimed but often censored at home, and this novel, superbly translated by Carlos Rojas, is no exception: The Chinese-language version was first published in 2015 in Taiwan, and more readers are likely to encounter the book in translations than in the original.

Image

The Day the Sun Died is narrated by Li Niannian, a perceptive if credulous 14-year-old dismissed as an idiot in his mountain town of Gaotian. His father runs a funerary shop and his uncle oversees the hated crematory, built to comply with a government prohibition on traditional burial. Niannian has a penchant for quoting a famous local writer named Yan Lianke  a metafictional device Yan frequently deploys in his novels  whose work, Niannian says, is as odd as a peach tree full of apricot blossoms.But we know our credibility is on the line. So we make sure to get the story right.

Under our guidelines, anonymous sources should be used only for information that we think is newsworthy and credible, and that we are not able to report any other way, our standards editor, Phil Corbett, explains in our series Understanding The Times.

We have to be skeptical, he adds. How does the source know this information? Can we corroborate it? Whats the sources motivation for telling us?

And the reporter must tell an editor who the source is.

Use of anonymous sourcing in any story must be approved by a high-ranking editor, usually a department head, Mr. Corbett writes. When its central to the story, it generally must be approved by an even higher-ranking editor.

Thats it for this briefing. Have a good weekend.  Chris

Thank you

To Aisha Harris for the cultural highlights, and Alan Henry and Kenneth R. Rosen for the tips on Smarter Living. Jennifer Krauss, from the Times Insider team, helped with todays Back Story. You can reach us at briefing@nytimes.com.

P.S.

 Were listening to The Daily. Todays episode revisits a mother who asked her sons about their reactions to the accusations against Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

 Heres todays mini crossword puzzle, and a clue: Italian inventor of the battery ( 5 letters). You can find all our puzzles here.

 The Times has more than 200 journalists (including your Morning Briefing team) outside the U.S., in 31 bureaus.By almost any measure, Chinas economy is slowing. Consumers are cautious. Apartments are sitting unsold. Industrial profits are falling, too.

But Chinas state media wants people to look at another indicator: mens underwear.

Sales of boxers and briefs are surging in Liaoning Province, according to The Global Times, a fervently nationalist tabloid controlled by the Communist Party, bringing a bit of good news to a down-and-out part of Chinas rust belt that epitomizes many of the countrys economic problems. Cheered by the prospect of a brighter future, the article argued, Liaoning men are upgrading a part of their wardrobe that most of their friends and family will never see.

In highlighting such an unorthodox economic indicator, The Global Times is harking back to a long tradition of eclectic economic indicators, one that the general public and even some economists like to turn to when the usual yardsticks of the dismal science just wont do.

But in the case of the Liaoning Underwear Index, economists are  to put it lightly  skeptical.

The only relevant context here, said Arthur Kroeber, managing director of Gavekal Dragonomics, a research firm, is that Chinas economy is slowing markedly and official media have been ordered to smear the pig with lipstick.Although the S&P 500 ended the week higher than it began, investors may face more declines soon, said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at the independent research firm CFRA.

You often dont just have a straight V recovery, he said. You usually have a retest.

Lighter trading volume than usual  typical for a holiday week  was responsible for some of the seesawing, but volatility has become a hallmark of trading lately as financial markets slid off their highs. Since October began, the S&P 500 has gained or lost 2 percent or more 12 times. In the six months before that, there were only two moves of that size.

Investors have been grappling with a slowing of global growth, corporate profits being squeezed by rising interest rates, a trade war with China and turmoil in the White House. A partial government shutdown that looks certain to continue into 2019, has complicated matters.

Oil prices, which are close to their lowest levels in more than a year, rose 1.6 percent on Friday, with the American benchmark ending the day at $45.33 a barrel.Another retiree on the call reported that her friend successfully had the ice maker in her refrigerator cleaned out by a Sears repairman, whom she noted was very precise, very courteous.

The retirees pensions are expected to survive the bankruptcy largely intact thanks to a backstop from the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. But if Sears goes into a liquidation, which many analysts and investors say is likely, then the retirees would lose most of their life insurance benefits.

In the current incarnation of Sears, recruiting new members to the alumni groups has been difficult. Two decades ago, there were 250 clubs, now there are only about 45. More recent retirees, who did not receive pensions or profit-sharing, do not share the same allegiance as older generations.

Sears was a great company, said Ron Olbrysh, who retired from the Sears legal department in the 1990s and is now chairman of the national retiree association But I am glad we got out when we did.

Age is another challenge. The Atlanta club regularly updates its 160 members with a bereavement report listing local retirees who have died.

As the luncheon in Decatur finished, Lynn Walker Capland lingered in the church hall, helping clean off the tables and talking with friends. Ms. Capland, 66, is not only a former employee, she is what she calls a byproduct of Sears. Her mother and father met while working at the Christmas pickup window in the Atlanta store.

Ms. Walker left the company before reaching retirement age because she said she wasnt suited for her final job in the collections department. But she still takes a day off from current work at an accounting firm to attend the luncheon every year.

No one makes time for these types of things anymore. Everyone is so busy, she said. This way of life is almost gone.This year, Mitch Mallin bought a metallic blue Tesla Model 3 sedan equipped with heated seats and a bevy of other options, all for $56,000  twice as much as he had ever paid for a car before.

The final cost will be lowered by a $7,500 federal tax credit, a bonus available to buyers of electric vehicles.

Mr. Mallin, a retired actuary from Farmington Hills, Mich., said he probably would have bought the car even without the tax credit because he wanted to participate in the movement to fight global warming and drive zero-emission cars.

Still, the credit was factored in, he said. Its almost like a rebate.

But not for much longer. Under federal rules, the full tax credit is available only on the first 200,000 cars that a manufacturer sells in the United States; two quarters later, the credit is reduced. Tesla reached that threshold in July. As a result, the credit available to Tesla buyers will fall to $3,750 for cars delivered on or after Jan. 1, then will be halved again on July 1 and go away completely in 2020.Wells Fargo will pay $575 million to resolve investigations by all 50 states and Washington, D.C., into a range of practices, the latest chapter in the banks long-running legal problems.

The deal ends inquiries that began after federal regulators revealed in September 2016 that Wells Fargo employees had for years opened millions of unauthorized bank accounts in customers names. The employees said they had done so because they feared losing their jobs if they could not meet Wells Fargos aggressive sales goals.



The disclosure led to the departure of Wells Fargos chief executive at the time, John G. Stumpf, and several other senior executives. It also sullied the companys prized image as the best-behaved major American bank after the 2008 financial crisis.

Wells Fargo admitted its missteps and paid fines of $185 million, but accusations of bad behavior kept multiplying: that some customers who took out car loans were forced to buy unwanted auto insurance; that more than 500,000 people were enrolled in a bill-paying service they may not have asked to join; that some mortgage customers had been overcharged; and that some people had been charged for life-insurance policies they did not buy.Yet the E.P.A. move also had its detractors within the industry. The vast majority of utility companies have said the proposed changes are now of little benefit to them, because they have already spent the billions of dollars needed to come into compliance, and have urged the Trump administration to leave the mercury measure in place.

Image Robert E. Murray, the chief executive of Murray Energy. Credit... Joshua Roberts/Reuters

The original rule required power plants to reduce emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants by more than 90 percent over five years. Mercury is a neurotoxin that can damage the brain and nervous system in young children, leading to lower I.Q. and impaired motor skills. The Obama administration estimated that the measure would prevent 4,700 heart attacks and 130,000 asthma attacks as well as 11,000 premature deaths by also eliminating fine particulate matter linked to those ailments.

Estimates like that, however, are at the heart of the current dispute. Business groups like the Chamber of Commerce and others argue the earlier numbers inflated the benefits of the rule, underestimated costs and improperly justified cutting mercury by relying largely on the benefits of reduced particulate matter.

For a lot of folks, this was just another example of Obama regulatory overreach, said Jeffrey R. Holmstead, a partner at the law firm Bracewell who served as E.P.A. air chief under the second President George Bush .

The Obama administration itself had broadly accepted that it is difficult to put a specific dollar-figure on some health benefits, for instance, avoiding lost I.Q. points in infants or other fetal harm that has been linked to pregnant women eating mercury-contaminated fish. For that reason, the original rule argued against using a strict cost-benefit analysis to decide whether the regulation should be imposed, said Joseph Goffman, the executive director of Harvard Law Schools Environmental and Energy Law Program.

The new proposal fundamentally changes that approach. It recognizes that difficult-to-quantify benefits exist, but said the administrator has concluded that the identification of these benefits is not sufficient, in light of the gross imbalance of monetized costs.

Ann Weeks, senior counsel for the Clean Air Task Force, an environmental group, criticized the rule as bean counting , and said, This is not tax law. This is public health benefits. Its a very different calculus.For many Americans, wine is something to be studied rather than felt.

Of course, wine is an alcoholic beverage, and plenty of people drink it for exactly that reason, paying little attention to anything beyond a pleasant flavor and an enjoyable buzz. But for those who have decided to plunge deeper, wine often becomes a course of study, a subject to be mastered.

We practice tasting wines blind in order to divine their identities, narrowing down the options through careful deduction. We memorize places, people, soil types and grapes. We take courses in wine appreciation, so that we are equipped to comprehend it in all its aesthetic glory.

Yet the intense attachment many people feel to certain wines is powerfully emotional. Our taste is personal, and woe to anyone who would seem to demean anothers favorite.

Here at Wine School, we try to recognize both sides of this equation. We believe that a better understanding of where wine comes from, who made it and why leads to deeper pleasures in its consumption. Thats why we are called Wine School, after all.Good morning. For those raised under the Soviet regime in Russia, and for those in the diaspora that fled it, New Years Eve is an important holiday, the biggest holiday of the year. There was no Christmas under Soviet governance, no miracles to celebrate, but the passing of another year of successful revolution was heralded with state-approved concerts and celebrations. At home, those parties evolved and, soon enough, Grandfather Frost and his granddaughter the Snow Maiden made their appearance at them, handing out presents on the night of years end, dispensing cheer.

Julia Moskin traveled for The Times to Portland, Ore., to learn more about that, at the home of the chef Bonnie Frumkin Morales and her husband, Israel Morales, who own and operate the restaurants Kachka and Kachinka there. The couple celebrates New Years Eve with the Frumkin family, with a long, involved family meal that lasts well into the morning of Jan. 1.

This year, it might be fun to join them, at least in spirit. Julia scored amazing recipes that you could set up for this weekend, in advance of serving an incredible feast on Monday night.

So, this weekend, maybe make some no-bake crunchy chocolate cookies (above), essentially chocolate salami. You could as well shop in advance of making mushrooms and potatoes in cream. Likewise, an herb-flecked grain salad with mushrooms, hazelnuts and pears.One witness, Miguel Angel Martinez, told the jurors that Mr. Calderoni provided Mr. Guzman with secret information on an almost daily basis, including an invaluable tip in the early 1990s that the United States government had built a radar installation on the Yucatan Peninsula to track his drug flights from Colombia.

Mr. Martinez also testified that Mr. Calderoni once informed Mr. Guzman that the Mexican authorities had discovered a smuggling tunnel he had dug beneath the Arizona border. Before the police could raid the tunnel, Mr. Guzman was able to make off with a huge supply of cocaine.

But as useful as he was to the kingpins operation, Mr. Calderoni met a violent end. In 2003, a gunman approached his silver Mercedes, as it sat parked on a street in McAllen, Tex., and shot him in the head. The authorities have never identified his killer.

Mexico is not the only country to emerge from the trial with its reputation stained. Last month, Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia, one of Mr. Guzmans Colombian suppliers, appeared in Federal District Court in Brooklyn and admitted to having paid off everyone from journalists to tax officials in his country.

A former chief of the North Valley drug cartel, Mr. Ramirez calmly told the jurors that an entire wing of his organization was devoted to doling out payments. Its impossible to be the leader of a drug cartel in Colombia without having corruption, he explained. They go hand in hand.

The list of those who took his money was impressive: prison guards, border agents, lawyers and several officers with Colombias national police.

Mr. Ramirez boasted from the stand that in 1997, he spent more than $10 million bribing what amounted to the entire Colombian Congress to change the countrys extradition laws in his favor. He also claimed to have paid as much as $500,000 to Ernesto Samper, the former president of Colombia, when he was running for office.[What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.]

More than a million revelers are expected to celebrate New Years in Times Square. Theyll start gathering in the early afternoon, the hard-core among them wearing diapers so as not to lose their spots. No matter where they stand, however, they are certain to be covered in some of the 3,000 pounds of confetti that will be released 20 seconds before midnight.

The confetti drop started in 1992, when it was intended to lighten up the tone of the event. Up until that point, it had just been a drunken brawl, said Treb Heining, who managed the confetti that first year and has been doing it ever since. It was so seedy.

The confetti was an instant success. We literally saw it transform the whole Times Square area before our eyes, Mr. Heining said, which is what they wanted  to clean the place up.The culprit turned out to be an explosion at a Con Edison plant in Queens. Miraculously, there were no injuries, except perhaps to the feelings of those who truly wanted to meet some aliens.

[Read the full story on the explosion.]

Times reporters will be following the story all day, so check back for updates.

For now, heres what we know:

 The cause: Mayor Bill de Blasio said the light was caused by an electrical surge at a Con Ed substation in Astoria, at the northern tip of Queens.

A Con Edison spokesman, Bob McGee, said early this morning: What people were seeing was an electric arc flash. The electrical arc of that magnitude is similar to a thunder and lightning event. The sound people heard was the arc striking the ground.

The Police Department described it, bluntly, as a transformer explosion. The reason for the explosion remained unclear this morning. The authorities have not mentioned any possible contamination from the blast.Theres a ghostly old flophouse on the Bowery. Rowdy brunch crowds stumble past its stained-glass windows and locked double doors. Its lonesome but not empty.

Radiators hiss in its cracked tile floor lobby. Dusty, unused keys hang behind a reception desk. Dark halls are lined with hundreds of boarding rooms empty except for worn mattresses. A few of these cubicles are occupied, stuffed with clothes and belongings. Steam rises from a shower stall. Light flickers behind doors. And a lullaby can be heard through the building when a 70-year-old poet and artist who calls himself Sir Shadow draws at night.

Sir Shadow is one of six men who are the final residents of the Whitehouse Hotel. The crumbling four-story building is one of the last of the cheap single-room-occupancy hotels that lined the Bowery a century ago alongside brothels and saloons and defined the area as a symbol of urban despair. While rooms across the street at the Bowery Hotel cost around $400 a night, the men pay no more than $8.50 for their cramped cubicles, though they pretty much have the run of the place.

As Sir Shadow hums for inspiration, his slender hand strikes a sketchpad with a silver marker and swirls deliriously, never leaving the page, as though he were signing a signature. The elegant silhouette, formed with one continuous line, depicts a saxophone player. He blurs through more: a jazz ensemble featuring trumpet and upright bass; a drummer in the flurry of a solo. His musicians are faceless abstractions.[What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.]

So if it wasnt aliens, terrorists or Russian hackers, what was it?

On Thursday night, an electrical equipment mishap in Astoria, Queens, turned New York Citys sky into an eerie blue, causing mass bewilderment, rampant speculation and a not insignificant amount of panic.

By Friday morning, it was as if nothing had happened.

The power was back on for those who had lost it. Flights were operating as expected at La Guardia Airport, which was forced to ground all flights after its lights went out. And the No. 7 subway line, which was delayed after the incident, was operating with good service.

The sky was back to its appropriate hue.

Still, even if the aqua glow didnt linger for long, the questions did. Among them: Did the accident leave any pollution or contamination? (Authorities said no.)For many Latinos, a new year is an almost magical chance for us to wipe the slate clean when the clock strikes midnight. As Gloria Estefan once sang, Y vamos abriendo puertas, y vamos cerrando heridas  we open new doors and close old wounds.

There are rituals that help usher in a better and brighter new year, like sweeping the house on New Years Eve to get rid of bad luck and make room for good luck. Brazilians wear white, which is said to bring good fortune. For Colombians, new, yellow underwear are bought to attract prosperity. Cousins of mine eat 12 grapes at midnight, one by one, and silently recite as many wishes, while my aunt burns incense to drive out any lingering bad juju.Ralph Koltai, an innovative set designer who gave an abstract, often startling look to hundreds of major theatrical, balletic and operatic productions in England, the United States and elsewhere, died on Dec. 15 in Chatellerault, France. He was 94.

Pamela Howard, a friend and fellow designer, said he died at a hospital after a short illness.

Mr. Koltai, who emigrated from Germany as a teenager just before World War II and later was part of the British team at the Nuremberg trials, was one of the most influential stage designers of the second half of the 20th century, helping to move theater and opera sets away from mere utility and realism and toward interpretation and statement-making. It was not uncommon for an audience to gasp collectively upon first sight of one of his sets.

For the 1972 premiere of Peter Maxwell Daviess Taverner at the Royal Opera House in London, he devised a giant mechanical seesaw that suggested the scales of justice. For the English National Operas Ring cycle in the 1970s, he used metallic tubes and spheres to create a space-age look that, as the opera critic Hugh Canning later put it, was futuristic but paradoxically timeless. And for a Royal Shakespeare Company Much Ado About Nothing that made Broadway in 1984, he used a maze of reflecting surfaces, including a mirrored floor, to convey that, as Frank Rich put it in his review in The New York Times, in Much Ado, appearances are everything  and are almost always deceiving.

The goal, Mr. Koltai often said, was to enhance, not merely to be functional.

I still think we have a habit of treating scenery like scenery rather than helping the actor and director to make a statement, he told The Times in a 1984 interview. I try and find ways of introducing art into theater, and occasionally I get somewhere near.Richard Overton, who was the nations oldest World War II veteran and honored by President Barack Obama, died on Thursday at a rehabilitation facility near his home in Austin, Tex. He was 112.

His death was confirmed by Shirley Overton, whose husband was Mr. Overtons cousin and longtime caretaker. Mr. Overton had been hospitalized with pneumonia but was released on Christmas Eve, she said.

Mr. Overton was in his 30s when he volunteered for the Army and was at Pearl Harbor just after the Japanese attack in 1941. He served in the all-black 1887th Engineer Aviation Battalion in the Pacific Theater.

He told The Austin American-Statesman in 2013 that combat had helped his segregated unit gain acceptance.In November, 100 brand-new electric buses rolled off a cargo ship from China at the port of San Antonio on the Chilean coast. Their impressive convoy from the coast to the capital, Santiago, where they will be incorporated into the citys public fleet, was shared widely on Twitter as evidence of where public transportation is headed in Chile  toward 100 percent electrification by 2050, according to the governments plans. The new fleet followed a 2016 deal between Italian energy company Enel and Chinese manufacturer BYD to test two pilot buses which proved to considerably cut costs in comparison with diesel vehicles. They have also been a hit with passengers, with low noise levels and cleaner air inside the vehicles.

Santiagos story is emblematic of a global evolution in the transport sector. In 2017 the global stock of electric vehicles, or E.V.s, surpassed three million, up from one million in 2015, according to the International Energy Agency. Some forecasts predict even more rapid expansion: Bloombergs New Energy Finance projects that the global electric car fleet will surge to 530 million by 2040. Much of this growth is driven by a drop in battery costs and an increase in battery range, but specific cities and countries have also led the way using tools such as tax incentives, tighter fuel-economy standards and electric mobility strategies.Though China and Western Europe are leading the charge on E.V.s, cities in Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Uruguay and Costa Rica are also stepping up. With over 80 percent of its citizens residing in urban areas, the region has strong incentives to promote electric mobility. Private vehicle ownership is rising at a dizzying pace  the region has the fastest growing car fleet in the world with the number of vehicles set to triple by 2050  and the transport sector is already the largest source of energy-related emissions. Air pollution from traffic kills tens of thousands of people every year and many of the regions major cities have unsafe levels of air pollutants. Millions of hours are lost in traffic jams, throttling productivity. The region also has the highest use of buses per person in the world. Electrifying public bus fleets would make them cleaner, more comfortable, and cheaper over the life of the vehicles.

Latin American countries are poised to take advantage of innovations in urban transportation. The region has the cleanest electricity matrix in the world. In 2016, over 50 percent of power was generated by renewable sources, more than twice the average share in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. Eighty-four percent of this renewable power was hydroelectric, but some countries are also tapping into gigantic wind and solar potential.

In 2017 regional generation grew by 24 percent for wind power and a staggering 70 percent for solar. In Uruguay, more than a quarter of electricity was generated by wind last year. Even when run on electricity generated partly from fossil fuels, EVs emit significantly less emissions than conventional vehicles because of greater efficiency.Celine Minj was born in 1933 in a village in the forests of central India. She nearly starved as an infant  as a girl, she was considered a burden  and she fought to persuade her family to send her to school. She carried rocks on construction sites to help pay tuition. In 1947, as India became free from British rule, the 14-year-old Celine ran away from home, traveling hundreds of miles by train, and ended up on the doorstep of a new missionary hospital. She started as a cleaner, studied nursing and, by the time I met her in January, had retired after a long career as a nurse for Indias state-run oil company.

I thought of her often this year as I followed the stream of news about women and girls in India. Every atrocity is unique in its horror, but in 2018 there seemed to be another layer to the violence: girls brutalized by men asserting their caste power or motivated by the extremes of Hindu nationalist ideology. After the notorious 2012 gang rape and murder of a young woman in Delhi, the government appointed new watchdogs and passed new laws. And yet, it seems, men in India continue to enjoy impunity.

But I have recently seen things that give me hope for Indian women. A group of journalists denounced one of their colleagues who had preyed for years on young female reporters. Their persistence forced him to resign from his position as a cabinet minister. A group of Indian nuns stood up for one of their own after she accused a bishop of sexually assaulting her; they forced the church hierarchy and the police to take the crime seriously. Devotees of one of southern Indias most popular Hindu pilgrimage sites organized protests to open the shrine to women. Even Bollywood stars have dropped the glittery facade, sharing their stories of harassment and abuse.No one knows how many Rohingya became pregnant as a result of rape by the Myanmar military. No one knows how many babies were born to survivors of sexual violence living among the 750,000 Rohingya in camps in Bangladesh.

The systematic sexual violence against the Rohingya reminded many in Bangladesh of their own painful history: During Bangladeshs war of independence in 1971, the Pakistani military and local collaborators killed about 300,000 civilians and raped and tortured as many as 400,000 women and girls.

After the fighting ended in late 1971, reports abounded of rape survivors who, shunned by their own communities, had killed themselves or their newborn babies, or died from attempts to self-induce an abortion. To combat the notion that rape is a stain on family honor, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladeshs first president, held the women up as birangona, or heroines of the war, and urged the nation to welcome them back.

Confronted with the aftermath of mass assault in a society still reeling from war, Bangladesh was compelled to intervene. In doing so, it planted the seeds for a safe abortion services program that continues today in the camps for Rohingya refugees and has lessons for the world.In terrorism, we may remember 2018 for what didnt happen: The jihadist threat to the United States has dissipated. We had only one death from jihadist-linked terrorism in this country, and while disturbing, it was hardly an Islamic State spectacular. (In Florida, a teenage boy, inspired by jihadist videos, stabbed a 13-year-old friend to death during a sleepover.)

This death toll is dwarfed by the 2018 body count from right-wing terrorism (15) and a far cry from attacks like the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, when a jihadist loner shot 49 people. The number of jihadist terrorism-related legal cases has also plummeted, to 13 this year from 80 in 2015.

As the recent killings of five people at a Christmas market in Strasbourg, France, indicate, the European situation is worse, but not hopeless. In Europe, around 20 people have died from jihadist terrorism in 2018, a steep fall from 2015, when attacks in Paris and elsewhere led to 150 deaths. Around the world, global terrorism fell in 2017, and 2018 looks even more promising.Patrick Atkinson said the plan is to initially promote the BedLIFT to the hotel and motel industry, assisted-living facilities, college dormitories and other places that hire housekeeping staff. After that, he said they could expand into the residential retail market where mattresses are sold. The device comes in three versions: for beds with frames, beds on platforms and one that is a lift and frame.As the organizer Mariame Kaba says, Hope is a discipline. That discipline is what sustains organizers who often grind away unseen for years. This is, most of the time, what unions and working peoples organizations do: make connections, and hope the sparks they light will catch and burn.

On Dec. 15, an estimated 50,000 people marched in the streets of Los Angeles alongside the nations second-largest local teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles. These teachers are fighting not just for higher wages (though as for all the teachers recently on strike, theirs are unacceptably low) but also, and unapologetically, for racial and economic justice.

They serve, according to the unions president, Alex Caputo-Pearl, a public school district whose student body is 95 percent minority and over 85 percent low-income. Theyre fighting, they say, for the schools those students deserve  with nurses and counselors, arts funding, smaller classes and ethnic studies programs. They drew parents and students beside them into the streets, and onto the stage days later when they announced they would strike on Jan. 10 if those demands were not met.The effects of Judge OConnors ruling, if upheld, could be devastating, including a sharp rise in the number of uninsured and a substantial weakening of coverage guarantees.

This is a repeat of what happened in 2010 and 2013, as long-shot challenges to Obamacare that were once largely academic gained traction in the lower courts. And, with that, something else happened: Politicians began rallying behind the lawsuits. The media covered the cases. Legal academics debated and wrote about the disputes. The public started paying attention. Before long, the cases slithered their way to the nations highest court.

Rinse, repeat.

Jack Balkin, a professor at Yale Law School, calls this the off-the-wall/on-the-wall theory of constitutional change. The history of American constitutional development, in large part, has been the history of formerly crazy arguments moving from off the wall to on the wall, and then being adopted by courts, Mr. Balkin wrote in an article in The Atlantic in 2012, as the Supreme Court was readying its first big ruling on Obamacare.

In Mr. Balkins view, the reason that seemingly bizarre legal arguments reach the mainstream is that politicians and others in power get behind them. Yes, support from the academy or from social movements moves the needle as well. But it is only when political actors  parties, elected officials, institutions  speak in favor of a position that it stands a chance of being taken seriously by the courts.

So it matters that attorneys general and officials from Texas and 19 other states brought the latest lawsuit. And that the Trump administration, which otherwise has a duty to defend duly enacted laws, agreed with the shakiness of their argument. Now a federal judge has given the green light, and Mr. Trump is loving it. Soon the Fifth Circuit will get a bite at the apple.

For now, nearly every actor with a stake in this controversy is in agreement that Obamacare should stay put while the ruling gets sorted out.

A day after the new ruling, Professor Balkin applied his off-the-wall/on-the-wall theory to the circumstances of this case. I have seen this movie before, he wrote in his popular legal blog, Balkinization. But he added that aside from victory laps from Mr. Trump and a few other Republicans, the response this time around is much more muted.Interview at least three brokers. Youre the CEO of this transaction, so own it, said Ms. Braddock, who suggested questions like: Have you sold in my neighborhood? Have you sold in my building? And, in the case of a co-op: Do you know anyone on the board?

Ask what deals theyve recently made. Ask how long theyve been in the business  although if someone is a relative newbie, that isnt necessarily a negative. Experience is important, but it isnt the only thing, said Gary Malin, the president of the residential real estate company CitiHabitats. If you just focus on a resume, you may miss out on someone who is really good. After all, a younger person may be hungrier and more energetic than an elder statesman.

By all means, get references and check them.

Ask for a listing presentation  a pitch that includes data on comparable sales and the specific plan the broker has for marketing your apartment. While youre at it, ask your top candidates to show you some other properties theyre representing, said Stuart Moss, an associate broker at the Corcoran Group. And not just the property itself but the whole building, he said. It will give you a sense of how the brokers will comport themselves when potential buyers come to look at your apartment.

Give a wide berth to the broker who seems to be telling you only what you want to hear, the one who says your apartment is worth far more than the valuation others have placed on it. I frequently say, Dont choose somebody to sell your home based on the number he puts in front of you,  Mr. Moss said. The market determines that, not the broker.

Similarly, beware the broker who says your property is just perfect as it is. Because they want the listing and dont want to offend potential clients, some brokers are afraid to say what work an apartment needs to get it ready for the market, Ms. Braddock said. My contention: Its just the reverse. This is a job interview, and brokers should treat it as such. They should be direct and honest.

And, said Allison Chiaramonte , a sales agent at Warburg Realty, they should be at least reasonably likable. Sellers sometimes focus on brokers they perceive to be tough or forceful negotiators, she said. But it can turn off the buyers and their representatives if a particular broker has a reputation for being difficult or unreasonable. Youre better off with a team player who gets deals done.

Buyers

If youre buying, look for a broker who asks the right questions, among them: Whats your timing? Whats your financial picture? Are you prequalified for a mortgage?Of course, despite its staid reputation, the Bavarian city has always had bars and clubs that deliver both atmosphere and worthy libations. Two are standouts: Zum Wolf, a cocktail bar that opened in 2012 and is styled with date-night lighting and touches of Americana (like a Bourbon Street sign hanging over the bar), has a wide range of whiskey and serves a mean old-fashioned.

Over at the Haus der Kunst, a museum of contemporary art that was built in the 1930s to house Nazi propaganda art , Goldene Bar offers an airy space decorated with large-scale prints of antique maps, a patio among neoclassical columns, and cocktails with housemade bitters. After the war, Haus der Kunst served as an officers club for members of the U.S. army and began exhibiting nonfascist art as early as 1946. The museum does not have a permanent collection, functioning instead as an exhibition space for rotating art shows.

For his part, Mr. Hahn , who was born and raised in Munich, has been steadily injecting the city with creative energy since 2012, when he and his friends founded Wannda, an event-organizing group. As one of their first projects, the group purchased two circus tents and began taking them to different locations, using them as space to run artistic workshops , holiday markets and more . That project, along with some of those that followed, helped them develop the contacts and bureaucratic know-how to convince the city government to approve of their plan to haul in a boat from the countryside.

When buildings were taken down, we would use the time between the demolition and the new construction to go to this place and put up a tent, Mr. Hahn said. It was legal but so difficult, so much energy and so much time.Jim Patterson, a Republican state assemblyman from Fresno, said the agency needed a radical overhaul to regain the trust of the public. He expressed concern that the agency will not be able to handle the coming rush of California residents seeking Real IDs ahead of the October 2020 deadline.

The D.M.V. is failing in its fundamental mission in respect to drivers licenses and registrations, said Mr. Patterson, who has become one of the agencys most vocal critics. Between now and 2020, youre going to get hundreds of thousands of people rushing through the D.M.V. to get their ID by the deadline, going through a system that is totally broken. The infrastructure of the D.M.V. is simply unable to cope.

Mr. Patterson urged Mr. Newsom and the State Legislature to prioritize fixing the D.M.V. in the upcoming year. He also said he intended to push for an audit of the agency when the Legislature reconvenes in January, adding that he would like to see Elaine Howell, the state auditor, take an approach similar to her audit of the states High Speed Rail Authority.

We wont get to the solutions if were too scared to find the problems, Mr. Patterson said. I dont think we get to the reforms we need unless the next governor and the Legislature put their heads together.

Issuers of so-called Real ID cards must follow verification regulations outlined by the Real ID Act of 2005, which was passed in accordance with recommendations by the 9/11 Commission. By October 2020, everyone in the country will need a Real ID to board commercial aircraft without a passport. California began issuing Real IDs in January 2018.

The state D.M.V. modeled its Real ID residency verification system after one used in Wisconsin, which required individuals to provide one form of proof in person at the D.M.V., such as a utility bill or a lease. An identification card would then be mailed to the primary address listed by the individual seeking the ID; receipt of the card was considered sufficient secondary proof of residency.

But in November, the D.M.V. was told in a letter from the Department of Homeland Security that its system was not compliant with federal requirements. Beginning in April, individuals will have to provide two forms of proof of identity in person.The state board issued a new round of subpoenas in the hours before its dissolution. And in a letter on Friday, Joshua D. Malcolm, the Democrat who was chairman of the elections board, complained that Mr. Harriss campaign had not been sufficiently responsive to a subpoena that was served weeks ago.

Mr. Malcolm said investigators had received 398 pages of campaign records  and believed there were about 140,000 other documents that could be of value to investigators but had not been made available.

You are hereby requested to fully comply with the boards subpoena so as to not further impact the agencys ability to resolve the investigation, Mr. Malcolm wrote in his letter to Mr. Harriss campaign.

In a statement on Friday, a lawyer for Mr. Harris, David B. Freedman, said that the Republican candidate and his campaign had cooperated fully with the investigation.

Mr. Harris has denied wrongdoing but acknowledged this month that he had directed the hiring of Mr. Dowless, a political operative from Bladen County who had previously been scrutinized by the authorities for possible election tampering. No one, including Mr. Dowless, has been charged in connection with this years allegations, and Mr. Dowless, who has declined to comment, rejected a request to meet with state investigators.

Those investigators had been expected to present their findings at an elections board hearing on Jan. 11. After reviewing evidence at that hearing, the state board was expected to determine whether to order a new election under a North Carolina law that allows a new vote if irregularities or improprieties occurred to such an extent that they taint the results of the entire election and cast doubt on its fairness.

But plans for the January hearing, and the fate of the board, eventually ran headlong into a case that dealt with the constitutionality of the elections boards design. On Thursday night, in a decision that stunned North Carolina Democrats and Republicans alike, a three-judge panel angrily rejected a bipartisan request to extend the life of the board temporarily.The presidents attempts to blame Democrats for the shutdown has gained little traction with the public. About 47 percent of adults hold Mr. Trump responsible for the shutdown, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Thursday. In contrast, about 33 percent blame the Democrats in Congress. The poll was conducted Dec. 21 through 25, mostly after the shutdown went into effect.

Despite Mr. Trumps assertions to the contrary, most Democrats support increased funding for border security. Many Senate Democrats, for instance, voted to allocate tens of billions of dollars for security enhancements in 2013, including roughly doubling the size of the border patrol, creating new electronic monitoring systems and even some additional physical barriers at certain points along the border.

But that money was in the context of a comprehensive immigration overhaul that would have tried to address systemic problems. By contrast, they view Mr. Trumps border wall as a costly and ineffective proposal. What is more, they have pointed to government accounting documents that show the Trump administration has spent only a fraction of the money allocated by Congress last year for a physical barrier along the border.

With no endgame in mind, Mr. Trump appears to be boxed in between Democrats who will control the House and have key votes in the Senate and his supporters on the hard right, who have grown more vocal in criticizing him. After administration officials signaled this month that the president was willing to back off his demands for wall funding, the conservative personalities Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh accused the president of being gutless and surrendering to Democrats.

To avoid an immediate hit from his base, Mr. Trump appeared to embrace a short-term strategy, celebrating a premature victory when the House passed a short-term funding bill last week that included the money he wanted for more border security.

Typically in spending negotiations, lawmakers join the president in hammering the opposition party over their position. But other than Representative Mark Meadows of North Carolina, who is a close ally of the president, and a handful of arch-conservative House members, most Republican lawmakers have stayed out of the fray. Even Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, has held off, saying last week that it was up to Democrats and Mr. Trump to reach a deal and only when they did would he hold a vote.

Its clear that we on the Republican side do not want to vote for a bill that the president wont sign, Senator Pat Roberts, Republican of Kansas, told reporters on Thursday after presiding over a minutes-long Senate session.This article was reported and written in a collaboration with ProPublica, the nonprofit investigative journalism organization.

WOLF POINT, Mont.  Every day Ron Jackson walks into work and is reminded of his failures.

As Mr. Jackson, the warden of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation adult correctional facility, patrols the cells, he sees Native American inmates who might be leading productive lives on the outside if they had graduated from high school. And Mr. Jackson, a member of the Assiniboine tribe, says he feels partly responsible.

Before becoming warden, he served on the Wolf Point school board for 15 years, 10 as its chairman. He pushed to curb discrimination in the towns schools against Native Americans, who make up more than half of students but less than one-fifth of the staff. He fought for more reading instruction and other support for Native children and challenged decisions to expel them. But his efforts mostly fell flat as the white majority on the board outvoted or ignored him.It has been called the Year of the Woman, and rightly so  defined by historic political victories in the United States, #MeToo-fueled uprisings around the world, and women, like Christine Blasey-Ford, who pushed fear aside to be heard.

It can be hard to quantify a year in a few stories or a few sentences, so I decided to do it in quotations instead. Here are a few of the most compelling stories of 2018 as told through the voices of the women who shaped them.

A year of political firsts

We cant knock on anybodys doors, we have to build our own house.

 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress

Women upended the political landscape in last months midterm elections, with a record 36 new women winning House seats. There will be at least 102 women in the House next year, the largest number in history. The vast majority of the newcomers are Democrats, including the first two Muslim congresswomen and first two Native American congresswomen, and the youngest woman ever elected.MEXICO CITY  The deaths of two Guatemalan children in Border Patrol custody raised a furor in the United States, but drew a far more muted response in their own country, where a government focused on its survival is afraid that antagonizing the Trump administration could end American support.

The children, Felipe Gomez Alonso, 8, and Jakelin Caal Maquin, 7, fell ill and died this month after they crossed the southwestern border into the United States with their fathers, in separate events, and were detained by the Border Patrol.

Their deaths prompted outrage in the United States over the conditions that migrants, especially children, endure in Border Patrol custody, putting the Trump administration on the defensive as the president insists that Congress approve $5 billion toward building a wall he says will thwart illegal immigration.

But the Guatemalan governments response has been cautious. Aside from sending diplomatic notes to the State Department requesting an investigation into each childs death and offering to pay for the bodies return home, the government has sidestepped the issue. There has been no formal protest against the American crackdown on migrants or condemnation of the hardships that even children are facing in detention centers.Knoch Park has been our home for over 30 years, Grimes said of the fest, which draws as many as 200,000 people every year. The park district and the city have been great partners to our club as weve put on this event for all that time. We kind of moved around within that park quite a few times for different land-use needs and have been able to adapt footprints.The party has long feared student-led protests, especially since the 1989 pro-democracy movement, which had deep student involvement and was crushed in a bloody crackdown around Tiananmen Square. Party leaders may be concerned that the 30th anniversary of the massacre, coming up in June, could inspire new protests.

They dont want to take any chances about students organizing politically, said Eli Friedman, a labor scholar at Cornell who in October suspended an exchange program with Renmin University in Beijing because of the recent crackdown.

The protest on Friday came after Peking University officials tried to block a Marxist student group from organizing a celebration for Maos 125th birthday. On Wednesday, the president of the group, Qiu Zhanxuan, was taken in for questioning by security officials, students said, and he was later removed from his post. On Friday, students held signs demanding that the university reinstate Mr. Qiu and several other members.

The university did not respond to requests for comment on Friday.

The young communists began organizing in the summer, when dozens converged on the factories of southern China to stand with workers who were seeking to form a labor union without the Communist Partys official backing.

Throughout their campaign, the activists have steadfastly voiced support for Mr. Xi and the tenets of communism. In celebrating Maos birthday this week, for example, they sang socialist anthems and chanted slogans like Long live Chairman Mao! Long live the working class!

While the students leftist critique of society has gained traction among a small number of students on university campuses, their numbers have dwindled in recent weeks as the government has intensified efforts to detain leaders of the campaign.

More than two dozen activists have been detained, gone missing or placed under house arrest over the past few months. In November, a recent graduate of Peking University who took part in the campaign, Zhang Shengye, was beaten and dragged into a car on campus and driven away, according to witnesses.LONDON  Its hard to keep a secret when the internet is watching. Especially if plane spotters are involved.

Reporters accompanying President Trump on his visit to American troops in Iraq on Wednesday, his first to a combat zone, were sworn to silence. Air Force One was given a call sign that identified it as a military cargo flight. Mr. Trump himself later marveled at having traveled on a darkened plane, with all windows closed, with no lights on whatsoever, anywhere  pitch black.

But that wasnt enough to stop a semiretired information technology specialist in Sheffield, England, from spotting and photographing the jet, or to prevent fellow aviation enthusiasts online from deducing what was happening, hours before Mr. Trump arrived at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq.

The information technology specialist, Alan Meloy, who describes himself on the photo-sharing website Flickr as a lifelong aviation nut, looked out from his kitchen window in Chapeltown, a suburban district of Sheffield, on Wednesday morning and saw an unusual plane flying above. He quickly took a long-lens photograph and posted it online.Since ascending to the office of prime minister for a second time in 2010, Mr. Orban has sought to remake Hungarian society through what European Union leaders have described as sweeping anti-democratic changes: rewriting the national constitution, reshaping the judiciary and shifting the electoral system to favor Fidesz.

The far-right leader is also reshaping Hungarys cultural and civil society, and its education system. He has used the Hungarian-American Jewish philanthropist George Soros as a foil, accusing him of seeking to undermine Hungarys sovereignty, and Parliament approved legislation to force the closing of a university founded by the financier. This year, Mr. Soross Open Society Foundations, under increasing pressure, left Hungary.

The governments goal, Laszlo Miklosi, president of the Association of Hungarian History Teachers, has said, is to create a version of history preferable to Orban.

Mr. Nagy, who during the revolution broke with the Warsaw Pact and called on the West to recognize Hungary as a neutral state, was executed for treason in 1958. He and other leading figures in the uprising were buried in Budapest under fake names, as the government sought to erase the memory of 1956, and he came to symbolize the Soviets oppression of Hungary for generations.

Hungary, an ally of Nazi Germany during World War II, became a satellite state of the Soviet Union after the war. A Soviet-backed puppet government was installed, and authorities violently clamped down.

The 1956 uprising was set off by university students, who demanded, among other things, a free press, free and fair multiparty elections, just compensation of workers, and freedom of expression, all things that resonate with many of Mr. Orbans opponents.

He was a part of Hungarian history and they shouldnt remove him from it by removing this statue, said Marta Karpeta, 65, a retiree. He took a stand against what was happening, and he took the lead when it mattered. And because of this he died the death of a martyr. He had to die for what he believed in.LONDON  Every year, the British public gains access to declassified cables and sensitive memos from the top tiers of the government: glimpses of diplomatic outposts around the world, ministers thoughts scribbled in margins, and disputes between famous leaders, released by the countrys National Archives.

And sometimes, the public gets to see notes about a horse.

The National Archives on Friday released a new batch of documents, mostly from 1994, that tell of internet anxiety at the prime ministers office, Margaret Thatchers thoughts of Nelson Mandela and the journey of a stallion from Turkmenistan to London.

Not all the files were immediately available online, but most were reviewed by journalists earlier this month.

The National Archives keeps these files under lock and key and releases them periodically, as their confidential status expires. Heres some of this years trove:

Keeping Up With the Clintons

In 1994, internal memos advocated that 10 Downing Street embrace the internet, to bring the prime minister up to speed with President Bill Clintons White House, which was already posting public announcements online.Radha Stirling, a human rights lawyer who had advised Sheikha Latifa before she fled, said that Ms. Robinsons remarks conspicuously conform to the official narrative of the government.

Others noted that in the 40-minute video made earlier this year, Sheikha Latifa, speaking in English, appeared calm and cogent. On Friday, Ms. Robinson released a statement defending her comments, saying she made an assessment, not a judgment, based on personal witness, in good faith and to the best of my ability.

In the BBC interview and the subsequent statement, Ms. Robinson did not address the claim that Sheikha Latifa was taken to Dubai against her will, nor her allegations that she had been jailed, tortured and prevented from leaving the country since 2000.

She told the BBC that she had become involved in the matter at the request of the sheikhs wife, Haya, Sheikha Latifas stepmother, whom Ive known for a long time and who asked me to come to Dubai and help with a family dilemma.

In her video, Sheikha Latifa said that her half sister Shamsa had tried to leave the family while they were in Britain in 2000, but she was caught, forcibly returned and locked up, and has been detained ever since. Sheikha Latifa said that she herself had been kept in a jail within the palace from 2002 to 2005 after a failed attempt to get out of Dubai.

She planned her next escape for years, enlisting the help of foreigners, some of whom later spoke publicly about what happened. She would often say this is life or death for me, one of them, Tiina Jauhiainen, told the program 60 Minutes Australia.BEIRUT, Lebanon  Feeling betrayed by the United States, its Kurdish allies in Syria asked the Syrian government on Friday to protect them from possible attack by Turkey.

The request surprised some American officials and could help open the way for the forces of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, backed by Russia and Iran, to start retaking the Kurdish-held part of the country near Turkeys border.

That would be a big step toward Mr. Assads goal of reclaiming all of Syria, upended by almost eight years of war.

It was also the first sign that President Trumps abrupt announcement last week that he was withdrawing American troops from Syria was not only shifting alliances in the conflict but directly benefiting Mr. Assad  a brutal autocrat once described by Mr. Trump as an animal responsible for chemical attacks and other atrocities.More than 2,600 migrant children were separated from their parents after crossing the Southwest border, the majority of them this year, under a Trump administration policy that was meant to discourage migration to the United States. Most of the parents were held in immigration detention facilities, while their children were shipped to shelters across the country.

For those who have been reunited, the effects of that separation are far from over. These are the stories of a few families who spent several weeks or months apart.

Yuri Urbina Amaya and son Jesus, 6 From: Honduras Living in: Oregon Separated: Two months

Jesus is too young to recount the details of his experience in a shelter for immigrant children. For now, all he can do is ask why he was taken there and remind his mother that he missed her. Neither one of them knows exactly where he was held.

It was the first time they had ever been apart  an experience that Jesus never wants to replicate. As the family prepared for Christmas, he pushed his way into the kitchen to stand beside his mother, offering to help her prepare chicken and tamales. She shooed him out into the living room and encouraged him to instead be a kid and play.

Edil Yovany Figueroa Caballero and son Edil Yahir, 10 From: Honduras Living in: Louisiana Separated: One and a half months

Thanks to his younger cousins, with whom he lives now, Edil Yahir is learning how to be an American. The most important thing, they told him, is to respect his teachers and learn perfect English. Hes proud that he can already count to 100.

Sometimes bad memories resurface, like when his father went to his first court date in August. Edil Yahir wasnt allowed to go in case anything went wrong. He cried and begged his father not to go, scared that he might not come home.

Rosayra Pablo Cruz and sons Jordy, 16, Fernando, 5 From: Guatemala Living in: New York Separated: Three months

Fernando brought a stuffed green dinosaur with him from Guatemala. After they took the boy away, Rosayra spent a day hugging the stuffed animal and crying. At the detention center in Arizona where she was later taken, a guard told her she would have to turn it over, too. Her sons Fernando and Jordy were sent to a foster home in New York. During their weekly phone calls, Fernando would ask his mother about the dinosaur, which he called T-Rex. When she was eventually released, with the T-Rex in her arms, she flew to New York, where the boys are now enrolled in school.

Cindy Mayumi Guzman Nunez and son Jostin, 8 From: Honduras Living in: Florida Separated: One and a half months

When immigration agents took Jostin from his mother, the little boy went quiet. When they took his mother, they also took his voice, and hes rarely spoken above a whisper since then, prompting guards and other children at a detention center where he was held to ask what was wrong with him.

After they crossed the border together, Cindy was shuffled to court and told that Jostin would be waiting for her when she returned. Instead, she was placed in a cell with other mothers, who were crying because their children had also been taken from them. When the mothers asked what was going on, officials responded, I dont know.

Jose and son Hugo, 16 From: Guatemala Living in: Massachusetts Separated: One and a half months

Hugo watched younger children melt into tears, bang on the walls and scream for their parents. In the shelter where he was held, the staff responded with threats: If the children kept misbehaving, they were told, they might never see their families again.

Hugo wondered quietly to himself whether his father had returned to Guatemala without him. They spoke by phone for the first time a month after they were separated. By then, both had sunk into a depression that still hangs over them.

Yolany Padilla and son Jelsin, 7 From: Honduras Living in: Washington Separated: Two months

After she was separated from her son, Yolany was sent to a federal prison in Washington because immigration detention centers were full. The only proof she had that she had entered the United States with a child was the little case that held her sons glasses.When they were reunited in July, her sons glasses were scratched, but intact. He was thinner and nervous. Their moods have since improved. They are adjusting to the climate of the Northeast and wearing coats virtually every day.

Mirian Hernandez Almendares and son Erick, 13 From: Honduras Living in: Texas Separated: Two months

Erick became a star student in immigration detention because of how quickly he learned English. He can introduce himself, ask to go to the bathroom and thank other children for playing with him.

On the day he and his mother were released from custody, Erick said he was most excited to keep learning so that Americans could understand him better, and when he was big enough, to start working. But first, he planned to call his younger sisters, ages 8 and 12, in Honduras, to tell them, We made it. Were O.K., that I love them a lot, and to take care.

Martha Aguero Munoz and daughters Jackie, 13, and Adeila, 11 From: Mexico Living in: Texas Separated: Six months

Jackie and Adeila could be considered lucky. They were released from federal custody only a week after they were taken from their mother  much faster than most other children who were caught up in the zero tolerance policy this past summer.

For the next six months, the sisters lived in Wisconsin with their uncles, who added money for phone calls to their mothers jail account. They spoke to her almost every night. She cried on Mothers Day when she opened a package of drawings from them. They also sent her a bracelet, though it was confiscated by the staff at the detention facility.

Luz Maldonado Velasquez and son Luiz, 16 From: Honduras Living in: New York Separated: Five months

Guards at a detention center handed Luz a tattered black shirt when they told her that she was going to be deported without Luiz. Luiz had worn the shirt across the border, and Luz cried into the garment until it looked more like a rag. It was the worst day of my life, she said. Her lawyer intervened, allowing her to stay in the United States while her asylum case was processed.

It had been difficult for Luz to leave her six other children behind in Honduras, but at least she knew that they were safe and loved at home with their grandmother. She had no such reassurance about Luiz while they were separated. I couldnt even talk to him, she said, I didnt know if he was O.K. Its impossible to explain that feeling.

Renardo and Dora Martinez, with son Adonias, 6, and daughter Salem, 3 From: Guatemala Living in: Massachusetts Separated: Two and a half months

When Adonias Martinez Garcia, 6, was separated from his father at the border in Arizona, the little boy screamed and struck an American official, attempting to wring free.

Other boys at the shelter in Chicago where Adonias was held said that he was injected with something that sedated him when he acted up. In Massachusetts, where his family is now living, he had a meltdown during a visit to a clinic for a cough, begging for no vaccines. Another day he became anxious, asking repeatedly, Are they taking me back to Chicago?This underwater photo of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald was taken by an unmanned submersible robot in 1989. A program on the 1975 shipwreck on Lake Superior will be held Jan. 3 at the 95th Street Library. (Steven Wayne Rotsch / Associated Press)Jordan Peeles Production Company is Accepting Open Screenplay Submissions zo Zo is a staff writer at Okayplayer where he covers

ATTN: Aspiring screenwriters

Monkeypaw Productions, a studio founded by Jordan Peele in 2012, has put out an open call for screenplays. According to AV Club, the production company has established a direct line for open submissions on their website, publishing a standard form for screenwriters to fill out.

However, screenwriters should be wary of the lengthy disclaimer published along with the form. It basically absolves Monkeypaw and Sunken Place Studio from any obligation to keep your ideas confidential or even exclusive to the studios (a fairly standard practice in production houses, but youre rolling the dice here either way.)

Between big and small screens, Monkeypaw has a lengthy schedule of upcoming releases, including Peeles Get Out follow-up, Us (for which a trailer arrived earlier this week) along with reboots of Candyman and The Twilight Zone.

WATCH: The Terrifying First Trailer for Jordan Peeles New Film US

Send in your submissions today for a shot at developing your scripts and screenplays with one of Hollywoods premier studios. Stay tuned for Peeles next transmission.If donors want to fully finance the $65 million Component D and establish an endowment to cover the oversized pools operating costs, build it. Otherwise, the D200 board should be responsive to its communitys wishes and choose the common sense and least expensive solution: a collaborative year-round pool at Ridgeland Commons for $14.5 million total, according to a 2017 estimate. OPRFs Adventure Ed gym class already walks to Ridgeland to skate in its rink.While the park districts involvement in the property  dubbed Shibley oaks due to its towering oak trees  ended, the land remained in the news as the propertys owner fought the citys denial of a request to cut down four of 12 remaining trees on the site. (A request to cut down all 15 trees had initially be submitted). The City Council, hearing the owners appeal, sided with the city forester and the trees were given a reprieve. But in December, the city agreed to issue a permit allowing one of the 12 trees to be cut down as the owners attorney argued that additional studies found it to be experiencing extensive trunk and root decay.2018: The year of Operation All Out

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Srinagar, Dec 28: A little over 250 terrorists have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir in 2018 alone. The reason behind this astounding success was thanks to the launch of 'Operation All Out' by the Indian Security Forces.

There were several aspects to this operation that included, renewed human intelligence, local support, technical intelligence and the resolve of the Army men. Following the death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander, Burhan Ani, there was a surge in the recruitments. It went on for two years since 2016 and suddenly the Valley was swarming with terrorists.

While the number of recruitments was high, the forces were able to easily identify the new recruits as each one made it a point to post his bio on social media. This helped the forces identify the terrorists and gun them down one by one.

Operation All Out: Forces take down Category A++ terrorist Altaf Kachroo

After identifying the terrorists, the Army prepared a hit-list and worked according to plan. The preparing of this hit-list helped as the same went viral and information from various sources began to pour in. This paid off and the Army was able to wipe out 250 terrorists this year alone (statistics until December 16 2018).

Incidentally this is the highest number of terrorists killed in Jammu and Kashmir since 2007. The list also included 18 top commanders of the Hizbul Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Ansar Ghazwat-ul Hind. Altaf Kachroo, Towseef Shaikh, Umar Ghaani, Abu Hanzala alias Naveed Jatt are some of the top commanders who bit the Army's bullet this year.

While there are around 250 terrorists still remaining in the Valley, one could take solace from the fact that there have been no recruitments since October 2018. Security officials also say that the other positive is that several locals have been coming forward to help the security agencies and this has helped in identifying terrorists and also tracking them.

Taking down the biggies and how 'Operation All Out' is shaping up in Kashmir

However in the days ahead, the forces would keep their focus on the remaining 250 terrorists remaining in the Valley. The worry is the border and terrorists continue to infiltrate. While on one hand the local recruitments have been reduced to a large extent, on the other infiltrations have been on the rise.

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Story first published: Friday, December 28, 2018, 12:29 [IST]'Accidental Prime Minister': 'More they protest, more publicity they will give', says Anupam Kher

India

oi-Vikas SV

New Delhi, Dec 28: Actor Anupam Kher, who plays the role of Manmohan Singh in the film 'Accidental Prime Minister', on Friday asked why the Congress is protesting against the movie now when the book, on which it is based, has been in the makrket since 2014.

Commenting on Maharashtra Congress' protest against the movie, Kher said Rahul Gandhi should come down hard of those protesting as he has spoken on freedom of expression in the past

"More they protest, more publicity they will give to the film. The book has been out since 2014, no protests were held since then, so the film is based on that," Kher told news agency ANI.

Row over 'Accidental Prime Minister': Manmohan Singh refrains from commenting on film

"Can't change facts if making a movie on Jallianwala Bagh or Holocaust," he added.

"Haal hi main Rahul Gandhi ji ka tweet padha tha, jisme freedom of expression pe unhone bola tha, toh I think unko daatna chahiye un logon ko ki aap ghalat baat kar rahe ho (Recently, Rahul Gandhi had tweeted on freedom of expression, so he should take them (those protesting) to task and say what they are doing is wrong)," the actor further said.

The Congress in Maharashtra has objected to the trailer of the movie, 'The Accidental Prime Minister', claiming that it shows the party leaders in a 'disparaging' manner. The film is based on the 2014 book written by former prime minister Manmohan Singh's media adviser Sanjaya Baru. It covers Singh's tenure from 2004 to 2014 as the prime minister.

The trailer of the film has left the Congress leaders fuming. The party reacted after the film makers screened the trailer on Thursday. Satyajeet Tambe Patil, who leads the Maharashtra Youth Congress, has now written to the producers of the movie asking them to screen it for Congress leaders and get their approval or the party would not let the movie be released.

"This is a BJP game, they know 5 years are about to complete and they have nothing to show to the people so they are using these tactics to divert attention," tweeted Congress leader PL Punia.

Actor Anupam Kher plays Manmohan Singh in the film, while German actor Suzanne Bernert will be seen as Sonia Gandhi. Aahana Kumar, who was last seen in web series Rangbaaz, will be playing the role of Priyanka Gandhi, while Arjun Mathur essays the role of Rahul Gandhi. The film is helmed by debutant Vijay Ratnakar Gutte.

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Story first published: Friday, December 28, 2018, 14:04 [IST]At the behest of the ISI, how the Bhatkal brothers set up ISIS modules in India

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Dec 28: The National Investigation Agency busted a major module in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. The NIA said that the module was inspired by the Islamic State and functioned under the name of Harkat-ul-Harb-e-Islam.

The tracking of this module began sometime in October after the intelligence agencies picked up chatter online. The handler who was running this module goes under the name of Abu Hufaiza al Bakistani. A further look into the activities of this handle suggested that it was the new name for the old handle Yusuf Al-Hindi, which was being run by a Bhatkal native, Shafi Armar.

Yusuf Al-Hindi resurfaces as NIA cracks ISIS inspired module

Shafi and Sultan Armar, the two brothers were initially part of the ISI sponsored Indian Mujahideen.

They are said to have had a falling out, following which they joined the ISIS. Several Intelligence Bureau officials that OneIndia spoke with say that this was entirely stage managed by the ISI.

With the death of the Indian Mujahideen, Pakistan had lost a major home grown outfit. It needed another outfit to function in India on the lines of the IM. However over the past few years, Pakistan has found it hard to install a home grown outfit in India due and hence restricted its proxies only to Kashmir.

IB officials say that if one were to look at the ISIS inspired modules that have been busted up north, they bear the signature of Pakistan. The radicalisation through the madrasas, manner in which funds are raised and the kind of bombs they are preparing, all these show clear signs that there is a big Pakistan hand in it.

How real-time monitoring of data at rest helped crack the big ISIS inspired module in Delhi

Moreover, no other country would want problems in India as much as Pakistan would. Officials say that they would not rule out the possibility of a Pakistan hand being behind all these ISIS inspired modules.

The IM-ISIS nexus:

If one traces the birth of the ISIS in India, it can be linked to a group called the Ansar-ul-Tawhid, which was a break away faction of the Indian Mujahideen. It was in the month of August 2014 that the Ansar pledged support to the ISIS and promised to recruit at least 300 from India.

The outfit was at first headed by Bhatkal resident, Sultan Armar and following his death in 2016, the mantle was taken over by his brother Shafi Armar. Reports suggest that even Shafi was killed last year, following which one of his aides if running the group.

The brothers, who were residents of Haji Manzil, Nawayat Colony, Bhatkal, Dist- Uttar Kannada, Karnataka-581320, had ventured into the Indian Mujahideen at first at the behest of Yasin Bhatkal.

While breaking away from the Indian Mujahideen, they said that they did not want to be stooges of the ISI. They even said that for an Islamic Caliphate to be set up in India, they could rely only on the ISIS. Many within the intelligence circles feel that this was a completely stage managed drama by the ISI. It wanted to use members of the Indian Mujahideen to set up the ISIS in India.

Islamic State operative arrested from Kerala

Since the ISIS is an Iraq-Syria based outfit, any attack in India would not be blamed on the ISI. This was done intentionally so that Pakistan could play on the deniability factor, officials also point out.

From this point onwards the Armar brothers began the propaganda for the ISIS through their various handles- @Sult, @Mulla, @Moulana, @Nakhwa, @Pandit, @Shekhu, @Sheikh-Ul-Hadees and @Pujari.

Following this a video was circulated in which the chief of the ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Bhagdadi was heard declaring Armar as an emir. It was found later on that the video was fake. The brothers kept their focus on India and in the early stages recruited youth from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

The ISI through the Ansar was setting up a home grown outfit for India. Even after the breakaway, the Armar brothers kept in touch with Riyaz Bhatkal, who is said to be hiding in Karachi along with his brother Iqbal Bhatkal. These are very clear indications that the ISI is behind the operations of the ISIS in India, officials also point out.

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Story first published: Friday, December 28, 2018, 17:26 [IST]Now Ayushman Bharat Card will be free: Find out how to get the card and insurance of Rs 5 lakh

PM Modi launches Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission: What we know about the scheme, so far?

Ayushman Bharat scheme a modification of RSBY: Parliament panel

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Dec 28: A parliamentary panel has termed the Ayushman Bharat scheme a modification of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), and said that over half of its proposed beneficiaries already stand covered by existing government-supported programmes.

The committee stated this in its 112th report on the action taken by the government on the recommendations/ observations contained in the 106th report on Demands for Grants 2018-19 of the Department of Health.

It said the National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS), also known as the Ayushman Bharat scheme, was announced in the 2018-19 budget and it was the world's largest government-funded healthcare programme with 50 crore prospective beneficiaries.

"The new scheme is just a modification of the earlier scheme, RSBY. Over half the target beneficiaries proposed to be covered under the NHPS already stand covered today by existing government-supported schemes," it said.

"What would indeed have been a step forward is if it covered out-patient treatment as well, but that is lacking. Many states have in fact opted out of the RSBY in favour of the state-run schemes and some states are trying out the trust-based model," it added.

The parliamentary committee said a recent comprehensive review on various studies related to the RSBY revealed that in the majority of studies there was an increase in out-of-pocket expenditure related to the scheme, while only two of 14 studies showed a reduction in expenditure.

The NSS data on the RSBY showed that enrolment was quite low, only 57 per cent of those eligible were enrolled and less than 12 per cent of the eligible people got their hospitalisation covered through the programme, it said.

The committee, thus, recommended that the government form a panel to analyse the failures of the RSBY and ensure that inadequacies plaguing its operation and implementation were not repeated.

It also recommended that the NHPS must have the first claim on the proceeds collected from health and education cess and fund constraint should not be allowed to come in the way of its implementation.

The committee observed that the impressive economic progress made during the last two decades had not resulted in commensurate investment in the health sector as a result of which India continued to lag behind many developing countries on health indicators on the global comparison matrix.

The lack of financial commitment for translating healthcare goals into action was evident from the fact that though the government expenditure on health sector had marginally increased as a per cent of the GDP over the years, it has stagnated at around 1.2 per cent of GDP, it said.

The panel said the current pace of the year-on-year budgetary allocation for health was unlikely to reach the targeted level of 2.5 per cent of the GDP by 2025.

"Due to the low government expenditure on health, most spending on healthcare is paid out of pocket. Due to which out-of-pocket expenditures have emerged as a major cause of poverty for low and middle-income families," it said.

Recognising this, the committee, while making its recommendation in the report, highlighted that the allocated funds would not only fall short of meeting the current requirements for certain proposed/ongoing health schemes but also impinge upon achieving the target of 2.5 per cent of the GDP as public health expenditure by 2025.

PTIWhy the rise of Sikh separatism in the United States needs to be flagged harder

Ban on KLF is a step forward on cracking down on ISI-SJF sponsored Khalistan movement

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Dec 28: In a major development, the Union Home Ministry has banned the Khalistan Liberation Force under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

While banning the outfit, the government said that it believes that the KLF is involved in terror activities and has also committed and participated in acts of terror in India. The members of this outfit were getting support both financially and logistically from abroad, the government said.

The KLF has been added as the 40th entry in First Schedule of the UAPA that lists terror outfits. The order was passed under Section 35 of the UAPA.

The Khalistan call is not freedom of expression as termed by the United States

The order comes in the wake of heightened activity by Khalistan forces, who have given a clarion call for Referendum 2020. This is a referendum to separate Punjab from India and for this purpose these groups have sought the help of the ISI.

In the past few months several outfits such as the Babbar Khalsa, Khalistan Liberation Force, Khalistan Zindabad Force, ISYF and Khalistan Commando Force have come under the scanner. A meeting at the Nankana Sahib in Pakistan between these elements and the ISI also came under the scanner.

Further it also came to light that the Babbar Khalsa and the Lashkar-e-Tayiba shared a common office outside the Nankana Sahib.

The ISI had also gone ahead and set up the Pakistan Sikh Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee. The formation of this committee increased the interaction between the pro-Khalistani forces. Pakistan also went a step ahead and liberalised the visas for these persons.

In this context, it would also be important to mention that the Sikhs for Justice proposes to sponsor the pilgrimage of several Sikhs to Pakistan next year. The SJF, which is a pro-Khalistan organisation which works in Canada, Europe and UK had recently promoted the London Declaration of the Referendum 2020.

SJF trying to legitimise Khalistan movement by calling on Pak political leadership

The SJF is now planning to fund the visit of nearly a lakh Sikh pilgrims to celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak next year. The agencies in India believe that the ISI would try and propagate among the pilgrims the need for a pro-Khalistan movement.

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Story first published: Friday, December 28, 2018, 16:27 [IST]Bhutan PM Lotay Tshering in India: Time New Delhi starts treating Thimpu as an growing democracy

India

oi-Shubham Ghosh

New Delhi, Dec 28: Bhutanese Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering on Thursday, December 27, arrived in India on his first foreign visit after taking over office in November. On Friday, December 28, he spoke to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi where he mentioned that just as the Indian PM chose Bhutan to be his first foreign destination after taking over the office in 2014, he also decided to do the same. Tshering also reminded that 2018 marks the 50th year in diplomatic relations between the two neighbours and that it should continue for centuries, double centuries and triple centuries.

Time to see Bhutan as a democracy which strives for self-reliance

Tshering and his party -- Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) -- is still an unknown leader in Indian circles which gives rise to speculation over how his government would go about in the country's relationship with India even though New Delhi and Thimpu have historically had a smooth relationship. It is too early to gauge the new ruling party of Bhutan but one thing is certain and that is: Bhutan is now a democracy with its internal political competition and India cannot continue to take its political and economic relationship with the neighbouring state taken for granted. In fact, just like Nepal, Bhutan is also expected to grow as a country with high ambitions of self-reliance and that requires India to start treating it as an ally on an equal pedestal and not as a small, landlocked nation that continues to depend on India for its own good.

Mangdechhu project high on Bhutan agenda

More than seeing Bhutan as a country which chooses either between India or China and hence the need to maintain winning its loyalty, it is important to look at things that make the Himalayan nation a self-reliant one in various perspective in days to come. According to Bhutan-based journalist Tenzing Lamsang, the new premier of Bhutan has four main agendas during his visit to India and they are: a fair tariff for the 720 MW bilateral Mangdechhu hydroelectric project; seeking India's cooperation for Bhutan's 12th Five Year Plan; flagging off the 2,560 MW Sunkosh Reservoir project besides waiving off the Central GST in Bhutan. Each of these issues are crucial for Bhutan's own commercial interests and they involve India.

Human-animal conflict: India, Nepal, Bhutan plan joint task force to protect wildlife

Of these, the Mangdechhu project, as Lamsang argues, is the most significant issue. PM Tshering is concerned about the tariff rate for the project for the biggest share of Bhutan's internal revenue in its 12th Five Year Plan is set to come from this project which starts production in January. The two sides have had several meetings already over deciding mutual tariff rates though nothing concrete has come out yet.

"Indian negotiators are offering up to Rs 3.90 a unit. Bhutan wants something closer to Rs 4.40 a unit - which it feels is closer to the higher loan amount and cost of financing of the project and in line with the time-tested "cost-plus model" that was used for the landmark 1020 MW Tala project," Lamsang said in a piece written for The Indian Express. Bhutan is also eager to begin construction of the Sunkosh project and also has plans to construct the 2,650 MW Kuri Gongro reservoir project for economic returns. India has to keep in mind that these projects not only have an economic significance for Bhutan today also political ones for in a growing ambience of political competition, parties in Bhutan will be doing all they can to claim credit for their country's economic progress for which these projects are key. And as a senior partner which also has the responsibility to ensure that its land-locked small neighbour's interests are not ignored, India will also have to act faster and decisively.

It should be also kept in mind that Bhutan, for the first time, is not seeking a hike in development assistance from India over its last plan period which means compared to the 11th plan, India could potentially fund less of the 12th. The Himalayan nation is reducing its overall grant component, something which all its parties target as a step towards self-reliance and national growth. The current DNT and previous People's Democratic Party government have both eyed the same target which makes it evident that Bhutan is asserting its interests more.

For India, this should be a guideline for a fresh Bhutan project and treat the neighbour as an equal trading partner and not an aide recipient. Granting Bhutan a respect rather than aide will help its own national interests in the region in the long run.

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Story first published: Friday, December 28, 2018, 17:16 [IST]Rape victim dies in Delhi hospital after being 'set afire' by kin of accused in UP's Bulandshahr

Bulandshahr violence: Man who 'shot' cop sent to 14-day judicial custody

India

pti-PTI

Bulandshahr (UP), Dec 28: A court Friday sent to 14-day judicial custody the man who allegedly shot dead a police inspector during mob violence in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district earlier this month. Prashant Nat, who was arrested Thursday from Sikandrabad, was produced in the court of the additional chief judicial magistrate.

"He was not named in the FIR but was held based on local intelligence, eyewitness accounts and assessment of the video footage that was gathered. During the probe, we even recreated the crime scene," Bulandshahr Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Prabhakar Chaudhary said.

Mob violence broke out near Chingrawathi police post on December 3 after cattle carcasses were found strewn in a field near Mahaw village.

Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and 20-year-old Sumit Kumar were shot dead as the mob attacked the police. Chaudhary said Nat, around 27, was absconding since December 3 and has confessed to shooting at the inspector.

SP and BSP start preparations for Lok Sabha elections in MP due to Congress' indifference

"It also emerged that during the violence the inspector had opened fire in self defence from his service pistol, which hit Sumit Kumar, and the five or six other men with Prashant then surrounded the inspector and shot him. They also tried to set him on fire him," he told a TV news channel.

"Also, a man named Kalua had first attacked the policeman with a sharp weapon and chopped off his thumb. He is still absconding," Chaudhary said. He said the charges would be on the basis of further probe in the case.

Meanwhile, Nat claimed innocence while being taken to the court. He told reporters that he was arrested from his in-laws' house in Greater Noida's Kasna area. Nat's relatives, too, claimed he is innocent. His elder brother, Mool Chand, alleged that the police were unable to catch the main accused and that was why they were targeting Nat.

The police have wrongly claimed that Nat was nabbed on Thursday evening from Sikandrabad, Chand told reporters. However, an eyewitness claimed seeing Nat killing the inspector with the latter's service pistol.

An FIR against 27 named accused and 50-60 unidentified people was registered at the Syana police station over the violence. One of the main suspects named in the FIR is local Bajrang Dal leader Yogesh Raj, who is still at large.

An Army jawan, Jitendra Malik, has been arrested. So far, 29 accused have been arrested for violence, according to officials.

PTIStory of Lisa Montgomery, the only woman on death row in US

Cabinet approves amendment in POCSO Act, death penalty for aggravated sexual assault on minors

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

New Delhi, Dec 28: Narendra Modi Cabinet laid down amendments to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act by approving death penalty for aggravated sexual offences against children below the age of 18 years.

The announcement was made by Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. The decisive decision comes in the wake of innumerable crimes against children, which later triggered resistance in the country.

Union Cabinet approves ISRO's Gaganyaan program; Rs 10,000 crores to be allocated

Addressing media persons after a Cabinet meeting, Prasad said the amendments to sections 4, 5, 6, 9, 14, 15 and 42 of the POCSO Act, 2012, are made to address child sexual abuse in an appropriate manner. An official statement said sections 4, 5 and 6 of the Act are proposed to be amended to provide the option of stringent punishment, including the death penalty, for committing aggravated penetrative sexual assault on a child. It said these amendments are aimed at discouraging the trend of child sexual abuse by acting as a deterrent.

Earlier this year, Women and Child Development (WCD) Minister Maneka Gandhi had proposed the amendments in the aftermath of the horrific Kathua gangrape and murder case which had sparked countrywide outrage.

(With PTI inputs)CTET Answer Key 2018 date and time, website: Check details here

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Dec 28: The CTET Answer Key 2018 will be released soon. Once released the same would be available on the official website.

The date of release is December 28 2018 ie today. According to a statement from the CBSE, there is a provision for the candidates to challenge the CTET answer key through a link, which will be available on the official website from December 28, 2018 to December 30, 2018 (till 5.00 PM).

A fee of Rs 1000/- per question will be required to be submitted through credit or debit card for challenging the CTET answer key. The fee once paid is non-refundable, said Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

The notification also said that if the challenge is accepted by the Board ie if any mistake is noticed by the subject experts in the answer key, a policy decision will be notified on the website and the fee shall be refunded.

1000/- per question will be required to be submitted through credit or debit card for challenging the CTET answer key. The fee once paid is non-refundable, said Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). The answer key once released will be available on ctet.nic.in.

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Story first published: Friday, December 28, 2018, 5:54 [IST]Ex-DMK MLA sentenced to 10 years in prison in rape and murder case

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

Chennai, Dec 28: Former DMK MLA Rajkumar, who represented the Perambalur constituency, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by Special Court in Chennai on Friday in connection with a 2012 case of alleged rape and death of a 15-year-old girl from Kerala.

In 2012, Rajkumar who represented the Perambalur constituency, his driver Mahendran and associate Jayashankar were arrested under IPC sections 376 (rape), 367 (a)(kidnap) and 302 (murder) based on a complaint filed by the victim's father.

According to reports, the girl, hailing from Peermedu in Idduki district of Kerala bordering Theni, was employed in the house of the former MLA as a domestic help since June 2012. But on June 28, she had called her father and pleaded with him to take her back. The very next day the girl's father was informed that she was not well and had been admitted to a private hospital Perambalur.

Perambalur police had registered a case of attempted suicide. The girl's family later shifted her to Theni Government Hospital where she died without responding to treatment.

(With PTI inputs)Trinity United Church of Christ: 1276 W. 20th Ave.  Chakula (Food) Ministry's Soup Kitchen is held from 1-3 p.m. Saturdays. Worship service is held at 11 a.m. on Sundays, while Sunday School starts at 9 a.m. Bible Class is held at 6 p.m. Tuesdays, while Prayer Service is at 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and noon on Wednesdays. Youth and Young Adult Sunday is held every second Sunday, and elder Sunday is held every 3rd SundayA win for AAP in Punjab would cost it Rs 12,000 crore a year: Here is why

Kejriwal urges PM Modi to stop flights from countries affected by new variant

Stop flights from countries affected by new Covid variant: Kejriwal writes to PM Modi

Gadkari rescues Kejriwal as miscreants begin coughing

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Dec 28: Miscreants interrupted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by imitating coughing action as he started speaking at an official event here, prompting two Union ministers to intervene.

The action by few people ridiculing Kejriwal for the bouts of coughing he suffered from till 2016, left the AAP leader in an awkward position at the Vigyan Bhawan event as he asked for some silence from the audience.

The programme was jointly organised by the National Mission for Clean Ganga and the Delhi Jal Board to launch projects to clean the Yamuna River.

Snoop order: India in state of 'undeclared emergency' says Kejriwal

It was attended by Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari and Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Minister of State for Water Resources Satyapal Singh, and BJP MPs from Delhi and workers were also present.

The miscreants started mocking Kejriwal by coughing as he began his speech.

As the heckling became louder, Vardhan and Gadkari asked the workers to stop.

"Please keep quite. This is an official event," Gadkari said.

Big number of corporates come forward to take up social responsibility to clean Ganga

Kejriwal was known to suffer from chronic coughing during the winters and also underwent a surgery to address the problem in September 2016.

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Story first published: Friday, December 28, 2018, 7:22 [IST]Will there be a lockdown in Karnataka again? New restrictions to fight Omicron might come to effect

Karnataka: JDS minister's 'street dog' jibe at BJP leaders

India

pti-PTI

Bengaluru, Dec 28: Karnataka Transport Minister and JDS leader DC Thamanna Friday took a jibe at BJP leaders using an analogy of street dogs while rebutting senior BJP lawmaker Umesh Katti's claim that the Congress-JDS coalition government would collapse soon.

Katti had recently claimed that 15 disgruntled MLAs of the ruling coalition were in touch with him and that the saffron party would form the new government in Karnataka by next week. Hitting out at Katti, Thammana said, "J H Patel (a former chief minister) had once narrated a story in the state assembly about an elephant and street dogs.

He recalled Patel saying an elephant was walking ahead of street dogs who were hoping something would fall from atop the tusker that they would eat.

Piyush Goyal push to expedite suburban railway network in Bengaluru city

"Neither did the food fall, nor the dogs got something to eat. This story fits perfectly with BJP leaders, who are expecting this government to fall," he told reporters at Maddur near Mysuru.

Replying to a query, Thamanna said Katti has been predicting the government's fall "today or tomorrow" for quite some time. "For the past seven months, we are hearing this every day but this has not materialised," he said.

Soon after Katti's claim, state BJP chief and Leader of the Opposition B S Yeddyurappa had ruled out any attempt by his party to destabilise the present dispensation. He said his party would take an "appropriate decision" if there was political instability in the state.

PTIFormer Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Chouhan alleged that the delay in the allocation of portfolios to the ministers is a "matter of concern". Talking to reporters at his residence, Chouhan said, "I extended my wishes to the new government, but it is a matter of concern the way formation of cabinet was delayed and now portfolio distribution is being delayed."

Newly elected MP chief minister Kamal Nath

"We are seeing media reports and various Congress leaders are insisting for particular departments causing delay in the allocation. Quota of different camps (of Congress) was fixed. This delay is historic and never happened in the state," he claimed.

Senior Congress leader and former MP CM Digvijay Singh

Chouhan said, "It is the chief minister's prerogative to allocate portfolios, but Digvijay ji - veteran Congress leader Digvijay Singh - was replying on such issues claiming this work would be done today."

Madhya Pradesh: Shivraj Singh Chouhan resigns, takes responsibility for defeat

He said, "Senior Congress MLAs like Bisahulal Singh, KP Singh and others, who don't belong to any group in Congress, failed to get berth."

In a reply to a question, he said the Congress should implement farm loan waiver in accordance to their promise.

We are in too says Samajwadi Party in Madhya Pradesh

"There should be no condition in loan waiver. The farm loan up to Rs 2 lakh, as on November this year end, should be waived," he said.

BJP lost assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh after being in power for 15 years

Asked about the Congress' manifesto promise about 'banning' the RSS Shakhas in government premises, Chouhan said, "Nehru ji (Jawaharlal Nehru) and Indira ji (Indira Gandhi) had also banned, but they had to withdraw. The RSS is the biggest organisation of patriots and honest people."

OneIndia News with PTI inputsAmit Shah on two-day trip to Meghalaya; All set to meet all northeast CMs

Meghalaya mine tragedy: Navy divers to join rescue operations

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

Vizag, Dec 28: Indian Navy is deploying a 15 member diving team from Visakhapatnam to assist in rescue operations for missing miners in Meghalaya.

The team is carrying special diving equipment including a re-compression chamber and remotely operated vehicles capable of searching underwater.

Three naval personnel have already reached the site of the rescue operation and a group of divers will join them in the next 12 hours, the sources told PTI. An initial assessment to determine an effective response was undertaken by the Indian Navy today.

Congress MP's goof up in Lok Sabha: Cites miners trapped in 'Mizoram' instead of Meghalaya

SK Singh, Asst Commandant NDRF, said, "Coal India senior officials came to assess the situation today. Presently, the situation is a bit hopeful. High-pressure pumps are arriving. Earlier pumps weren't working well. I'm hopeful as soon as pumps arrive, the water level will recede and we will operate further."

Earlier, 20 one personnel of NDRF and 10 heavy pumps have been airlifted to Guwahati by Indian Air Force. The high-capacity pumps, supplied by Coal India.

It's been 17 days since 15 labourers were trapped in illegal coal mines in Jaintia hills in Meghalaya. The miners are trapped in a 370-feet-deep illegal coal mine in Ksan area of Lumthari village in Meghalaya since December 13.To resolve Doklam issue, how Indian Army stood its ground against the Chinese

Doklam: One motorable road complete, second to be constructed by March 2021

Don't allow next Doklam in Arunachal, says BJP MP; claims China has encroached upon 60 km of state

Post Doklam, Indo-China ties back on normal track

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Dec 28: India's relations with China have returned to a "normal track" and there have been positive developments like Beijing giving market access to Indian products, but much is yet to be done in addressing the widening trade deficit, official sources said.

India's relationship with China was severely hit by the 73-day face-off between armies of the two countries at the strategically sensitive Doklam tri-juction in the Sikkim sector last year.

The sources said the political relationship between the two neighbours has just not only been restored but heightened in the past one year.

China remembers individuals who helped it reach the heights; honours 10 foreigners

At the same time, they said India was seriously concerned over China's Belt and Road Initiative and the way international norms and standards in giving contracts under the project were being flouted .

The sources also said India expects China to walk the talk on the issue of giving market access to Indian products.

"The positive development is that relations with China have returned to the normal track," said an authoritative source, while summing up India's diplomatic engagement in 2018.

Calling Indo-Pacific as a major area of India's interest, the sources said the country was keen to talk about it with China and the issue was likely to figure regularly in bilateral talks between the two nations.

They said there was no total unanimity between India and the US on all issues relating to the Indo-Pacific and that New Delhi wants all major powers to be engaged over key matters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have held bilateral meetings three times and held an informal summit in Wuhan this year, which the sources described as "unprecedented".

Hand-in-Hand exercise by armies of India-China focus on urban terror

They said the second informal summit between leadership of the two countries is likely to be held in the second half of 2019.

On partnerships with leading powers, the sources said India's ties with the US proceeded on a positive track, while "significant trust" has also been built with Russia.

The sources said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a a direct challenge to India's sovereignty and territorial integrity and that it is for dual use, including for military purposes.

India has been strongly opposing the CPEC, which is part of the BRI, as it passes through Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.

On BRI, they said it should follow international norms, ensure transparency and most importantly, respect sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries.

Though China has been saying that BRI will ensure economic benefit for the region, the sources said India feels it could destabilise the region.

The sources said contracts are being awarded under the BRI flouting laid down international norms and rules which was a matter of great concern.

India-China to boost people-to-people ties

"You now have a situation where an entirely different set of rules have been put in place. Technical specifications and customs rules are being changed," a source said.

They said the narrative on BRI is changing as some countries have started talking about the debt problem arising from the initiative.

Asked whether India would rethink on joining BRI if its concerns are addressed, the source said, "There is no change in our position. Hypothetically, if they were to address these concerns, how we would react is something I can't say."

On market access to Indian products, the sources said some positive developments are taking place on allowing market access for certain agri products.

"We are seeing unblocking of applications and requests for market access for a number of our products, including Basmati and non-Basmati rice, sugar among others," said the source.

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.

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.

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Story first published: Friday, December 28, 2018, 6:39 [IST]SP and BSP start preparations for Lok Sabha elections in MP due to Congress indifference

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Dec 28: Alliance among the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Madhya Pradesh seems to be in doldrums after the sharp reaction made by national president of Samajwadi Party Akhilesh Yadav. Moreover, Madhya Pradesh unit of the Samajwadi Party has sent a report about preparations for Lok Sabha elections to Lucknow.

Similarly BSP chief Mayawati has also started survey for the Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh. During the Assembly election in Madhya Pradesh, only talk had happened between the two parties for alliance. Later on the BSP and the SP took a different course. The SP MLA was not given a chance in the formation of the government which has miffed the SP chief further.

SP and BSP to get such seats to contest in Lok Sabha polls where they fared second

But after the sharp reaction of the national president of the Samajwadi Party once again the alliance seems to be in danger. The MP unit of the SP has sought guidelines from the party for the preparations of the Lok Sabha elections by sending its road map to Lucknow for the Lok Sabha elections.

Similarly BSP chief Mayawati sent her national vice president Ramji Gautam to Madhya Pradesh who is supposed to visit every zone in the state to discuss with workers and to seek their opinion. He will seek their feedback for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The BSP wants to focus on such seats where it has a sizable influence.

The BSP is getting survey done on all 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh. The party has instructed its state president D P Choudhary said that national vice president has prepared an analysis report. But the final decision on alliance will be taken by the party chief Mayawati.

UP coalition: SP, BSP come together minus Congress, won't field candidates at Amethi, Raebareli

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has convened a meeting of non-BJP political parties on January 19, 2019. The SP chief has given his assent to attend the meeting. Sources claimed that after this meeting, the SP will clear its stand on the issue of alliance. The Congress' attitude towards the SP during the recent Assembly elections have not been very encouraging therefore the party has taken a different line for the Lok Sabha elections.

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Story first published: Friday, December 28, 2018, 10:28 [IST]Bombay HC pulls up MSRTC workers' union for going ahead with strike despite court directive

Suo motu HC proceedings against prosecutor who slapped judge

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Dec 28: The Bombay High Court has taken suo motu (on its own) notice of an incident where a sessions court judge was allegedly assaulted by an assistant public prosecutor on the court premises.

Vacation judge Justice R K Deshpande of the high court's Nagpur bench said Wednesday that such incidents are a "threat to independence of the judiciary".

Assistant public prosecutor Dinesh Parate allegedly slapped senior civil judge K R Deshpande outside a lift on the seventh floor of the Nagpur District and Sessions court around noon Wednesday.

Pay before you play: Bombay HC directive on playing music on New Year's eve

According to the police, the lawyer was miffed over the judge's decision in a case.

Parate tried to run away after the incident but was caught by the police personnel present there.

Justice Deshpande of the high court noted in his order that it was a serious matter where personal security of a judge was under threat.

"It is a threat to the independence of the judiciary. The rule of law is being undermined. Such outrageous conduct needs no tolerance," the high court said.

Bombay HC dismisses petition seeking Manohar Parrikar's medical examination

"It causes or tends to cause obstruction or interference in the administration of justice, as it is the result of adjudication by the judge which has gone against Dinesh Parate," Justice Deshpande said.

The high court issued a notice to Parate, seeking response from him within six weeks as to why action for criminal contempt of court should not be taken against him.

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Story first published: Friday, December 28, 2018, 10:54 [IST]A minority man as Thackeray; a Modi admirer as Manmohan: The strengths of Indian democracy

India

oi-Shubham Ghosh

Bengaluru, Dec 28: The year 2019 will be a big one for Indian democracy. This is a year which will see how much India has learnt to live with times when we see politics turning more about technology and software than boots on the ground. If 2014 saw an unprecedented election which was one-sidedly won by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 2019 will see whether he succeeds in renewing the mandate the same way he won it five years ago.

However, before the real political battle breaks out, Indians will have a virtual stint with politics in the month of January when two films - one on late Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and another on former prime minister Manmohan Singh - will be released. The trailers of 'Thackeray' and 'The Accidental Prime Minister' are already out and the films feature Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Anupam Kher in the main roles, respectively.

'Accidental Prime Minister': 'More they protest, more publicity they will give', says Anupam Kher

In these times of polarisation when India is trying hard to get rid of the 'secular' identity and tilt towards a majoritarian form of socio-political system, the twin films mark a uniqueness and that gives a sense of hope about Indian democracy - which is about tales of ironies, contrasts and paradoxes.

Siddiqui faced protest from the same Sena over Ramleela a few years ago

In 'Thackeray', the late Sena founder has been portrayed by Siddiqui who clearly belongs to a community which is not seen as a favourite by the practitioners of the Sena brand of politics. In October 2016, in the wakes of the dastardly attack on an Indian Army camp in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, Siddiqui had supported the voice that spoke against the presence of Pakistani artistes in India saying nothing actually came over the country.

However, the same actor, faced protest over his presence in Ramleela in his native Budhana in Uttar Pradesh and was stopped from participating since he had a "din" in his name which the protesters felt was not suitable for a Hindu festival. And guess what? The protesters were from the same Shiv Sena which refused to see the actor as an Indian even though he spoke like them to bar Pakistani artistes in India. We were left wondering then what is the country for which Siddiqui even refused to show a professional solidarity with fellow artistes from across the border?

Row over 'Accidental Prime Minister': Manmohan Singh refrains from commenting on film

In case of Kher too, the contrasts are blinding. Here is a man who has not hidden his admiration for the current prime minister and taunted and mocked the previous ruling party whenever he got an opportunity. And then, the veteran actor comes up with a perfect image of former prime minister from the Congress Manmohan Singh in 'The Accidental Prime Minister'. We have seen just the trailer and it gave an impression that the Sikh leader was made to look weak before the high command, something which suits the perception that people have about him. The phenomenon of Singh as a political leader is yet to be unearthed and rides more on popular perception of a man who is "silent, meek and surrendering" and hence brought down the stature of the prime minister's position. But Singh certainly had his moments of pride and did not let go opportunities to hit back to the current rulers when they did something suspicious in the domain that he specialises - economics.

Did Siddiqui and Kher take an intellectual revenge?

Whether the Siddiquis and Khers found the opportunities to portray leaders who did not exactly fit their social positions or personal preferences as professional highs or as ones to take some form of intellectual revenge we don't know but these developments certainly confirm one point and it is about the incredible possibilities that the democracy in India opens up at times. While seeing a minority portraying a majoritarian leader or a man playing the role of a man whose party didn't suit his own preferences, there is a conviction that Bollywood has reiterated the real success of Indian democracy in tough times and it is about co-existence - of identity, beliefs, conviction and above all, diversity.The Accidental Prime Minister: The man behind the insider account

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

New Delhi, Dec 28: People of India hardly know the nitty-gritty of working in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). A lot about the working within the PMO came to light, when Sanjay Baru, the former media advisor to former PM, Dr. Manmohan Singh wrote the book, 'The Accidental Prime Minister.'

The book is all set to become part of the popular culture with the release of the movie which is based on the book and also named after it.

Baru's predecessors did not write any books about the PMO. Late Shrada Prasad, who served as media advisor to Indira Gandhi for 15 years, did not write much about the inside stories of the PMO.

Hence Baru's book went on to generate much curiosity.

Who is Sanjay Baru?

In 2004 Sanjaya Baru joined Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as his media adviser in UPA 1. Singh offered him the job with the words, 'Sitting here, I know I will be isolated from the outside world. I want you to be my eyes and ears. Tell me what you think I should know, without fear or favour.

As Singh's spin doctor and trusted aide for four years, Baru observed up close Singh's often troubled relations with his ministers, his cautious equation with Sonia Gandhi and how he handled the big crises from managing the Left to pushing through the nuclear deal. In this book he draws for the first time a revelatory picture of what it was like for Singh to work in a government that had two power centres.

In fact, Dr Singh knew Baru even before he appointed him as his advisor. Also, Baru's father B. P. R. Vithal was Finance and Planning Secretary during Dr.Manmohan Singh's tenure as Secretary of Finance in the Government of India. Baru served as Dr Singh's advisor from 2004 to 2008.

In the movie, Akshay Khanna, donning the role of Sanjay Baru will be seen narrating the story. Ace actor Anupam Kher is playing the role of Manmoham Singh, the protagonist of the book.

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Story first published: Friday, December 28, 2018, 11:30 [IST]Union Cabinet approves ISRO's Gaganyaan program; Rs 10,000 crores to be allocated

India

oi-Vikas SV

New Delhi, Dec 28: The Union Cabinet on Friday approved India's first indigenous human spaceflight programme- Gaganyaan. The cabinet has approved funds of Rs 10,000 crore for the ambitious project which woud carry three member crew for minimum seven days in space.

Prime Minister Modi on August 15 this year announced that an Indian astronaut would go into space by 2022. He had said from the ramparts of Red Fort that when India celebrates 75th year of Independence in 2022, "and if possible even before, an Indian son or daughter" will undertake a manned space mission on board 'Gaganyaan' "carrying the national flag".

If ISRO executes Gaganyan perfectly, then there would be a paradigm shift in the way world looks at India's capabilities in terms of space exploration. ISRO has undertaken a number of space programmes with great success rate, but sending a human being to space is a different ball game altogether. It is far more complicated than even Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan.

Two technologies key to ISRO's ambitious Gaganyan mission

There are a number of new technologies that ISRO has to develop to successfully carry out Gaganyan and several of these technologies are being tested.

Here are the other decisions taken at the Union Cabinet meeting today:

Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs (CCEA) approves hike in Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Copra by more than Rs.2000 per quintal for 2019 season. The MSP of Milling Copra to be Rs 9521 per quintal and that of Ball Copra to be Rs 9920 per quintal.

Cabinet acts to make punishment more stringent for committing sexual crimes against children; approves amendments to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

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Story first published: Friday, December 28, 2018, 16:13 [IST]Patrick Lee says his consulting firm is seeking bids for a partial demolition project at the site, with parts of the structure to be taken apart to give officials a better idea of how structurally sound the building is, and how much renovation will need to be done to bring the building up to the needs of Alliance Steel.K'taka HC grants interim relief to Twitter India MD, asks cops not to take coercive steps against him

Uttar Pradesh: Mob frees cow slaughter accused

India

pti-PTI

Ghaziabad, Dec 28: A man who had been absconding in a cow slaughter case was freed by a mob after a police team arrested him in Murad Nagar town here Friday.

The police team reached a meat shop located in Noorganj Mohalla to arrest accused Asif Qureshi and his brother Sazid in the cow slaughter case, police said.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Aparna Gautam said Asif Qureshi tried to escape but the police party cornered and arrested him.

Uttar Pradesh: Man who shot inspector during Bulandshahr violence held

In the meantime, supporters of former Murad Nagar municipal council and father of the accused Aslam Qureshi gathered in front of the meat shop located at Rawli road and freed Asif, who fled the spot.

The supporters alleged that sub-inspector Ajay Kumar, who was heading the police party, injured the former councilor with a knife taken from the meat shop and by hitting with a pistol butt.

ASP Gautama contradicted the allegations and said the accused persons would soon be arrested.

PTIYusuf Al-Hindi resurfaces as NIA cracks ISIS inspired module

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Dec 28: The busting of the Islamic State inspired module has brought the focus back on Yusuf Al-Hindi, a recruiter for the outfit. This name was being used by Shafi Armar, a resident of Bhatkal, who is said to have died in Syria last year.

This name cropped up, when the intelligence agencies picked up intercepts following extensive chatter on the web. The name however being used this time was Abu Hufaiza al Bakistani.

The mystery woman who headed the ISIS inspired module in UP, Delhi

While trailing this handle, the agencies learnt that it was Al-Hindi who was using the new name. This handle has been responsible for the recruitment of dozens of Indian youth into the Islamic State.

An Intelligence Bureau officer tells OneIndia that while tracking the handle, they learnt that the person provided vital information about how to reach Syria. Further the person also urges the youth to rope in more persons into the outfit. In one of the conversations, the person is telling another recruit that he could operate from the place of his choice, but the main agenda would be to get more persons and also spread the ideology of the outfit.

The ISIS, officials say has been working under various names. The module that was busted on Wednesday is called Harkat-ul-Harb-e-Islam. From what was recovered from the 10 arrested persons, it became clear that they had subscribed to the ISIS ideology. The literature and other material clearly indicate they were trying to push the ISIS ideology in India.

'Ahmedadulla, Ahmedadulla,' let us trigger India's first remote bomb

The NIA got custody of all the accused members and further investigation is on. An NIA officer said that there is ample evidence to suggest that they were planning on something big. They had many targets on their list and had the module not been busted, these members would have triggered off a major attack, the officer also said.

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Story first published: Friday, December 28, 2018, 9:19 [IST]Trump meets Kim in Singapore, June 12

This was perhaps the most eye-catching development in international affairs in 2018. After months of diplomatic parleys and even scare of cancellations, the US president eventually met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the Capella Hotel in Sentosa, Singapore. The photo-ops were perhaps made more impact than the actual meeting since the agreement the two leaders signed after the meeting did not offer anything concrete over denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. But nevertheless, this summit was something that gave a big push to peace in the volatile Korean Peninsula.

Modi meets Xi Jinping in Wuhan, April 27-28

PM Modi has met Chinese President Xi Jinping on a number of occasions since taking over his office but the meeting in the city of Wuhan in China's Hubei Province was significant since it was the first time since the Doklam stand-off in 2017 that the leaders of the two countries met and spoke over a plethora of issues in an informal manner, sharing each other's viewpoints of matters of bilateral and global significance. Since this summit and thanks to other factors, India's relation with China has progressed positively.

US pulls out of nuclear deal with Iran, May 8

In what constituted one of the most important episodes in international politics in 2018, US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the nuclear deal with Iran which was reached by Washington and a number of other countries in 2015, during the tenure of his predecessor Barack Obama. The deal, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA, involved five permanent members of the UN Security Council besides Germany. Under the deal, Iran had agreed to halt its nuclear programme in lieu of relief from economic sanctions. But Trump felt that Tehran was only taking undue advantage of the deal and threatened to re-impose crippling sanctions on Iran besides asking other nations to curb oil trade with the West Asian country.

Brexit chaos continues

The Brexit pandemonium was not something that started in the outgoing year and has been continuing since the referendum took place in the UK to leave the European Union in June 2016. However, the year 2018 was significant especially from the UK's point of view as its domestic politics witnessed a complete disarray over the impending Brexit in March 2019. Several top officials of the Theresa May government resigned over her policy, especially the Chequers Plan outlining the nature of relationship the UK will have with the EU after Brexit and the prime minister herself survived a no-confidence motion in her divided party. There were even calls for holding another referendum though they were nullified, signifying the complete mess British politics has found itself to be in.

India buys S-400 Triumf missile shield systems from Russia, Oct 5

Though this pertained to the bilateral relations between two old allies in international politics, but India's signing a deal worth $5.43 billion to buy five Russian S-400 Trimuf missile shield systems at the 19th India-Russia annual bilateral summit in New Delhi during a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin had global repercussions. India braved American warning which has passed a law to penalise countries setting up trade ties with its enemy nations like Russia, Iran and North Korea to buy the military hardware and yet evaded Washington's wrath eventually to show its diplomatic skill in balancing between two big powers.

India and Pakistan attend Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit as full time members for first time, June 9-10

The 18th summit of the SCO, a security platform, in the Chinese city of Qingdao, was significant since it saw two South Asian powers of India and Pakistan attending it as full-time members for the first time. The two nuclear powers joined the SCO as full-time members at the Astana summit in Kazakhstan in June 2017, taking the total number of members to eight (Russia, China and four Central Asian Republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan were already members). The joining of India and Pakistan meant SCO became a major international organisation in terms of population, economy and military might besides geopolitics. Along with BRICS in the economic sphere, SCO is now set to assume bigger significance in the strategic and security spheres.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

Pakistan sees Kartarpur as high point in Imran Khans diplomacy

International

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Islamabad, Dec 28: Pakistan has described the Kartarpur corridor as the "high point of diplomacy" for the Imran Khan government while admitted that there was "no progress" on the contentious issues with India.

Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal also said that the Kashmir issue remained "on top of Pakistan's priority".

At the weekly media briefing here, Faisal said that the Kartarpur corridor was the "high point of diplomacy for Pakistan's new government, along with Afghan (peace) developments."

'Take care of own country': Naseeruddin Shah slams Imran Khan on minorities remark

He said Prime Minister Khan in a letter to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in September gave a detailed roadmap to move forward but New Delhi failed to reciprocate.

Faisal said that despite India's refusal to start a dialogue, Pakistan went ahead with the groundbreaking of the Kartarpur corridor.

Prime Minister Khan in November laid the foundation stone for the 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.

"It was very positively received all around the world, especially by the Sikh community. We are actively working to develop infrastructures at Kartarpur," Faisal said.

Faisal said, however, there was "no progress" on contentious issues with India and the Kartarpur corridor was the only positive development.

"We were not successful...we made an effort but they were not reciprocating. You can say it was not successful," the spokesman said.

Condemning the violence in Kashmir, he said Pakistan would "observe Kashmir Solidary on February 5, 2019 in London where the foreign minister will be present."

Pakistan Army chief lauds Imran Khan's peace initiatives

Faisal said 341 Pakistani prisoners were in India, including 154 civil prisoners and 187 fishermen. He said 12 civil and 33 fishermen have completed their jail terms and Pakistan is working to bring them back.

To a question about India's role in the Afghan peace process, Faisal said, "India has no role in this".

Faisal said Pakistan wanted to develop peaceful ties with all neighbours and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi's four-nation visit this week was to explore possibility of a win-win framework for regional connectivity, economic development with the objective economic growth and prosperity.

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Story first published: Friday, December 28, 2018, 11:07 [IST]UP B.Ed JEE Exam to be held on July 30

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to reach Lucknow on July 16; Key meetings scheduled in Delhi before visit

Members of farmers' body detained in Lucknow for trying to burn effigies of PM Modi, Shah

UP: Motorcycle-borne assailants shoot chief warden of district jail in Pratapgarh dead

Lucknow

oi-Vikas SV

Pratapgarh (UP), Dec 28: Two motorcycle-borne assailants have shot dead the chief warden of the district jail in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh. The incident took place at the Jail Road Crossing in Pratapgarh.

The incident took place when Harinarain Trivedi (55) was going to buy vegetables on Thursday afternoon, Superintendent of Police (SP) S Anand said, as per a PTI report.

UP: 26-year-old woman stabbed to death in Ghaziabad

Though he was rushed to a hospital, doctors declared him dead, he said, adding that the body was sent for postmortem.

The matter is being probed and a search was launched to nab the perpetrators, the SP said. Trivedi belonged to Rae Bareli and was posted here at the district jail, Anand said.

OneIndia News with PTI inputs

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Story first published: Friday, December 28, 2018, 12:56 [IST]Earlier this month, the council approved the purchase of the properties, with the total $660,000 pricetag to be split into two equal payments, one made on or before Dec. 31 and the other on or before June 28.The Central Park Plaza ice rink, 55 Napoleon St., Valparaiso, is offering extended holiday hours. The rink will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. through Sunday; from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday (New Years Eve); from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Jan. 5; and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 6. Skate admission is $5 per person and skate rental is $4. All ages and abilities are welcome. Skate aids, ADA skate sled, lockers, skate sharpening and concessions are available. Free helmet rental also available courtesy of Centier Bank. More information is at Valpo Parks at 219-462-5144 or the ice rink at 219-548-4888 or at CentralParkPlazaValpo.com.Contact Traverse Legal PLC for professional help with any drone-related legal issue

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Our team of drone UAS attorneys and industry specialists work at the law firm Traverse Legal, PLC () and can help you create and grow a successful drone business or be viewed as a professional Remote Pilot under Part 107 and all other FAA regulations. Our services include: FAA compliance of Part 107; Certificates of Waiver or Authorization (COA) Processing; Providing necessary operational Drone Contracts & Agreements; procedure and safety manual drafting; UAS education and training curriculum; questions regarding Exemptions which were previously granted under Section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (FMRA); Company / LLC formation; Trademark Registrations; Patent Prospection and Protection; Copyright and Software Licensing.Founding AttorneyEnrico Schaefer, Esq. is a technology and intellectual property lawyer handling complex business matters and litigation. Enrico teaches Part 107 study classes for the InterDrone Conference, is a partner with the UAS program at Northwestern Michigan College, is the vice-chair of the CompTIA Drone Advisory Counsel and is a frequent lecturer on business and compliance issues facing Part 107 Service Providers at UAVSI Xponential, the International Drone Conference, InterDrone, International Drone Expo, Michigan Parks and Recreation Expo, the Agricultural Claims Conference, The American National Litigation Claims Conference and was the invited guest of Hartford Insurance where he spoke to 10 of the largest construction risk managers in the United States. Enrico has had numerous media appearances ranging from MITech News, () Robotics Business Review (), Internet Advisor Podcast () and The Steve Gruber Show () (1240 WJIM Radio), WJR Radio (Detroit), and DroneLife.com. Enrico runs the podcast DroneLaw Pro Radio ().Enrico advises some of the biggest technology companies in the world and has a reputation for innovation and expertise in the business of law. Enrico also consults with a number of industry professionals on aviation insurances coverage issues, including coverage language, insurance coverage exclusions and the handling of drone insurance claims.Mr. Schaefer is a seasoned trial attorney practicing technology and UAS law on a national basis. Enrico has numerous record verdicts and judgment, has handled cases worth billions of dollars, and secure several multi-million dollar judgments for clients big and small. He was the President and General Counsel of an Internet start-up company in Boulder Colorado from 1995-1997 and has been representing companies in leading-edge technologies ever since. Enrico founded Traverse Legal, PLC () in 2005 to focus on tech company representation across a range of issues including commercial, litigation, trademark, copyright, patent and intellectual property law. He has first chair trial experience in a wide variety of litigation matters, including consumer website registered user class action litigation, software trade secret theft, cybersquatting, intellectual property, commercial and fiduciary breach, UDRP and IP licensing.Our team of drone UAS attorneys and industry specialists work at the law firm Traverse Legal, PLC () and can help you create and grow a successful drone business or be viewed as a professional Remote Pilot under Part 107 and all other FAA regulations. Our services include: FAA compliance of Part 107; Certificates of Waiver or Authorization (COA) Processing; Providing necessary operational Drone Contracts & Agreements; procedure and safety manual drafting; UAS education and training curriculum; questions regarding Exemptions which were previously granted under Section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (FMRA); Company / LLC formation; Trademark Registrations; Patent Prospection and Protection; Copyright and Software Licensing.Traverse Legal - Detroit, Michigan Office | 1001 Woodward Ave, Suite 500 Detroit MI 48226 | (866) 725-5110Global Wireless Charging ICs Market Including Key Players Such As NXP Semiconductors (Netherlands), MediaTek Inc. (Taiwan) and Qualcomm Inc. (U.S)

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Wireless Charging ICs Market Including Key Players Such As NXP Semiconductors (Netherlands), MediaTek Inc. (Taiwan) and Qualcomm Inc. (U.S)" to its huge collection of research reports.Increasing technological advancement and growing application of wireless charging ICs in the consumer electronics, medical devices and automobile devices is anticipated to have a positive impact on the Wireless Charging ICs market globally. Increasing usage of wireless charging ICs in wearable product such as smart watch, smart glass, electrical shaver, mobile phones and tablets is having a positive impact on the market. Receiver ICs is using as a receiver of wireless charging power. Usage of medium power solution charging ICs are using in different application of automobile charging which is the boosting factors for the Wireless Charging ICs market.The growing usage of wireless charging ICs in future long range application such as airplane charging, heavy vehicle charging, among others is expected to have a positive impact on the market. In addition, rise in the usage of wireless charging technology for medical devices charging such as heart beat monitoring, blood pressure monitoring is another prime factor which is contributing in the positive development of Wireless Charging ICs market. These advancements are fueling the growth of the Wireless Charging ICs market.Global Wireless Charging ICs Market: SegmentationBased on type, the market has been segmented into transmitter ICs and receiver ICs. Substrates are segmented into organic materials and inorganic materials. Based on components, the market is fragmented into relays, circuit breakers and others. Based on power solution, the Wireless Charging ICs market is segmented into low power solution, medium power solution and high power solution. Based on application, the market is bifurcated into smart phones and tablets, wearable electronics devices, medical devices, automobile devices and others.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Furthermore, advance medical components such as blood pressure equipments, heartbeat monitoring watch manufactures are using wireless charging technology. This factor is an opportunity for growth of Wireless Charging ICs market in future. Moreover, manufacturing standardization is limiting many charging ICs equipment manufacturers to enter into the market. This in turn is predicted the limit the growth of Wireless charging IC market in upcoming years.Geographically, the global Wireless Charging ICs market is categorized into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa. The market for wireless charging ICs has been provided in (USD million) in terms of revenue as well as the CAGR for the forecast period of 2016 to 2024.Global Wireless Charging ICs Market: Competitive AnalysisThe key players in the Wireless Charging ICs market have been competitively profiled across the five broad geographic regions. This competitive landscape is inclusive of the various business strategies adopted by these major players and their recent developments in the field of wireless charging ICs. Further, the report includes the market attractiveness analysis of different type, components of wireless charging ICs and insight into the major application area of the wireless charging ICs.Browse TOC @The report also provides assessment of different drivers that is impacting the global market, along with the restraints and opportunities that has also been covered under the scope of this report. For each segment (such as mobile phones and tablets, wearable consumer electronics applications), market dynamics analysis has been provided. All these factors helps in determining different trends that has been impacting the overall market growth. Moreover, after taking into consideration all this factors, an extensive analysis of the region wise growth parameters of Wireless Charging ICs market along with the overall assessment for the forecast period of 2016-2024 has been also been provided within this report. Moreover, patents analysis is also included in the scope of the research.Some of the major companies involved in the wireless charging ICs market include NXP Semiconductors (Netherlands), MediaTek Inc. (Taiwan), Qualcomm Inc. (U.S), Texas Instruments Inc. (U.S), Broadcom Corporation (U.S), Toshiba Corporation (Japan), On Semiconductor (U.S), Linear Technology (U.S) and ROHM Co. Ltd.(Japan) among others.The global wireless charging ICs market been segmented as follows:By TypeTransmitter ICsReceiver ICsBy ComponentsRelaysCircuit BreakersOthersBy Power SolutionLow Power SolutionMedium Power SolutionHigh Power SolutionBy Power SolutionSmart Phones and TabletsWearable Electronic DevicesMedical DevicesAutomobile DevicesOthersBy RegionNorth AmericaThe U.S.CanadaMexicoEuropeU.KGermanyFranceItalyRest of EuropeAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaRest of Asia PacificMiddle East and AfricaAbout ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @Follow us on Blogger @Thermic Fluids Market Statistics By Product 2018-2025 | Dow Chemical Company, ExxonMobil., BP, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, BASF, Tulstar Products Inc.

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According to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc. Thermic Fluids Market will surpass USD 4 billion by 2025.On the basis of product, silicone & aromatic thermic fluids market shows growth of about 5.8% CAGR from 2018 to 2025. This type of thermal fluids is best suited for completely exposed systems which are not prone to leaking or contamination. These fluids are impressive to oxidation and protect the fluid from degradation. Glycol based thermal fluids are also gaining attention in food & beverage industry as they are low in toxicity ion case of incidental contact with water and food products.Request for a sample copy of this report @In terms of volume, chemical sector will clutch over 10% share of the entire application segment in 2025. In petrochemical complexes, thermal fluids are used to provide heating for distillation towers, crackers and reactors in production of phthalic anhydride, alkyl benzene, terapthalic acid, dimethyl terapthylate and many other downstream products. Rising investments in the chemical sector due to substantial rise in crude oil prices will result in thermic fluids market growth in coming years.Thermic Fluids Market, Product by Application Silicone & aromatic based thermic fluids Mineral oils based thermic fluids Glycol based thermic fluids OthersThermic Fluids Market, by Application Oil & gas Chemical industry Concentrates solar power (CSP) Food & beverage Plastics Pharmaceuticals Heating, ventilation & air conditioning (HVAC) OthersMake an inquiry for purchasing this report @Dynamic growth in food & beverage sector due to population growth and improving standard of living across the globe will augment the demand for thermic fluids market across the globe. There are several processes that are carried out in the food & beverage industry which require thermal fluids for the cooling, heating and dehumidifying. Dairies, wineries, breweries and other food processing companies use heat transfer mediums during processing where contact of the fluid with food or portable water is possible.Hence requirement of non-toxic thermic fluid arises. USDA had approved the ingredients in food grade thermic fluids by H1 application (thermal fluids with incidental food contact). These fluids comply with requirements mentioned by FDA. This approval is driving the demand for food grade thermic fluids, which are more efficient than water or steam when used for heat transfer medium.Browse Report:Regional Analysis:On the basis of region, Asia Pacific thermic fluids market will show decent growth of more than 6% over the forecast years. This is all due to significant presence of industries such as chemical, plastics, food & beverage, pharmaceutical, HVAC, oil & gas in the region. Initiatives taken by governments of emerging economies such as India, China to attract FDI inflow and open more manufacturing facilities will catapult the thermal fluids demand by 2025.Companies Profiled:Some of key thermic fluids market players are Royal Dutch Shell, Dow Chemical Company, Exxon Mobil, Kost U.S.A. Inc, Dynalene Inc., Multitherm LLC, Hindustan Petroleum, Paratherm Corporation, Tulstar Products Inc., BASF AG, Thermic Fluids Pvt. Ltd., Solutia Inc., Dynalene Inc and others.About Global Market InsightsGlobal Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact UsContact Person: Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1 888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Advanced Mobile UX Design Services Market is Set to Experience Revolutionary Growth by 2025

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In global information and communication industry one of the significant trend is shifting of internet services from computers to mobile devices. As the penetration of smart phone is increasing exponentially, most of the companies around the world is focusing to deliver their services with enhanced user experience over the mobile platforms. User experience (also UX) is all about how convenient a person feels while interacting with a system, this system could be a utilization of hardware, web application or a software. User centered designs is one of the key ingredient of digital services and devices and by creating it as differentiator can become the companys competitive advantage in market place while increasing the operational performance at the same time. The user experience includes various functions such as media, visuals, information and functional architects, etc.Advanced Mobile UX Design Services Market: Drivers & RestraintsThe global advanced mobile UX design services is increasing exponentially due to various driving factors such as increasing smart phone penetration in developing economies such as Brazil, Russia, India and China, increasing mobile banking, mobile shopping, gamming social media browsing, etc. Also, growing penetration of 4G LTE infrastructure is supporting the growth of the advance mobile UX design services market. However, some security factors such as data security and cyber-crime are posed to be major restrains towards the growth of the global advanced mobile UX design services market.Request to Sample of Report @Advanced Mobile UX Design Services Market: SegmentationThe global advance mobile UX design services market is broadly segmented into geography and type of services. There are various advance mobile UX design services are available nowadays such as, voice over internet protocol, video on demand, web browsing, micro-blogging, live tv streaming etc. Some of the major service type segment included in the global advance mobile UX design services market are;Web browsingStreamingVoIPMicro-blogOthersAdvanced Mobile UX Design Services Market: OverviewWith rapid technological advancement and wide acceptance of smartphones, the global advance mobile UX design services market is expected to expand at healthy CAGR of around 10% during the forecast period (2015-2025). Some of the latest trends identified in the global advanced mobile UX design services market are enhancing personalization features such as rearranging tabs and functions within the mobile app, Date/Time format, themes (color, image, etc.), and preferred language etc.Advanced Mobile UX Design Services Market: Region-wise OutlookThe global advanced mobile UX design services market is expected to register a double-digit CAGR for the forecast period. Depending on geographic regions, global advanced mobile UX design services market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, South America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. As of 2014, North America, and Western Europe dominated the global advanced mobile UX design services market in terms of market revenue. Asia Pacific & Japan are projected to expand at a substantial growth and will contribute to the global advanced mobile UX design services market value exhibiting a robust CAGR during the forecast period, 2016?2025.Request Report for TOC @Advanced Mobile UX Design Services Market: Key PlayersThe rapid technological changes such as change in operating system, communication technology are pushing advanced mobile UX design services providers to go extra mile for technological advancement to meet the demand of future. Some of the key market players in global advanced mobile UX design services market are Mindtree Ltd., Infosys Limited, RapidValue Solutions, AKTA, Sourcebits, Feathersoft Info Solutions Private Limited, Space Chimp Media, Computer Sciences Corp. and SoftServe Inc.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.U.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb:Automotive Navigation Systems Market Players Kenwood, Mitsubishi Electronics, Panasonic

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Automotive navigation systems is a satellite navigation system which is installed in automobiles. Automotive navigation systems uses GPS navigation devices to obtain position data to locate the users on road in the units map database. With the help of road data base, the unit gives instructions to other locations along the road. The enhancement in automotive navigation systems technology have given growth to a number of gadgets and devices. APAC Automotive navigation systems is witnessing a rapid growth in adoption of such devices. For instance, the Indian automobile industry has been witnessing growth over few decades. Owing to the growing competition in the Indian Automotive navigation systems market, competitors are equipped with latest technological invention. In India the first automobile navigation system was launched by SatNav Technologies followed by MapyIndia and Blaupunkt. One of the recent innovation was by Blaupunkt. Their GPS device is called TravelPoint. It is a portable device available in various models. All the models provide direction based on a combination of verbal and visual communication.Penetration of automobile MEMS sensor is one of the emerging applications and are being used in electronic control unit, and tire pressure monitoring systems in automotive navigation systems market. Owing to the increasing security concerns in vehicle across the globe, the demand for automotive MEMS sensors are surging. The major market for MEMS sensors are in European and American countries.Request Report Sample@Automotive navigation systems Market SegmentationAutomotive navigation systems market can be segmented by vehicle types into:Entry-level passenger vehicleMid-premium passenger vehicleLuxury passenger vehicleCommercial vehicleOn the basis of navigation system automotive navigation systems market can be further segmented into:Aftermarket IVSFactory fitted IVSPersonal navigation device (PNDs)Smartphones/TabletsAlmost 81% of the PNDs sold in 2015 automotive navigation systems market had integrated cellular connectivity. Europe Automotive navigation systems market is one of the major markets in PNDs. However, North America Automotive navigation systems market is gaining traction and the shipments have increased in the region. Automotive navigation systems markets such as Europe and North America where the penetration rates are already high, PND as a device category is facing increasing competition from handset-based navigation services and availability of low cost in-dash car navigation systems. However new services and features in automotive navigation systems are becoming more important as an increasing share of PND sales come from replacement devices for existing PND users.Automotive navigation systems Market Dynamics and RestrainsThe integration of smartphones with IVS (in-vehicle systems) is one of the primary reason for the growth in automotive navigation systems market. In the recent years, adoption of smartphone have increased and this is expected to surge the demand for smartphone/tablet based navigation devices. Increased consumer demand for wireless connectivity and mobile internet with high level of penetration of smartphones and tablets will place connected cars first in demand. This is expected to drive the supply side vendors in automotive industry to adjust to new digital lifestyle and to integrate in-care internet connectivity solutions hence rising demand of automotive navigation systems.Technological advancements are also driving market for automotive navigation systems market. For instances, the devices with integration of traffic data with navigation systems is one such innovation. These newer systems give precise driving directions and receive and display information on traffic congestion and suggest alternative routes to the users. Either TMC, which delivers coded traffic information using RDS is used or GPRS/3Gdata transmitted via mobile phones.The other functions and integrations in the devices are expected to enhance the sales for automotive navigation systems. For instance, the color LCD screens on few automobiles navigation systems can also be used as television broadcasts or DVD movies. Few of the systems can also be integrated with mobile phones for hands free talking and SMS messaging using Bluetooth and Wifi. Nowadays Automotive navigations systems includes personal management for meetings and can be combined with traffic and public transport information system.Visit For TOC@Automotive navigation systems Market PlayersThe Automotive navigation systems Market is fragmented and competitive, with large number of players operating at the regional and local level. Some of the players in the market includes,Alpine ElectronicsPioneerTomTomGarminAppleBMWFordFujitso TenKenwoodMitsubishi ElectronicsPanasonicAbout UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,Telephone - +1-646-568-7751USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:Hernandez, who said over the last three years she has become the de facto human resources representative to employees because their concerns have been discounted elsewhere, believes the most significant concern is the inability of certain elected and certain appointed officials to maintain a level of respect and avoid personal attacks.Suture Wire Market 2018-2023 Feature Growth at 9.8% CAGR with Boston Scientific Co, B. Braun Melsungen AG, Medtronic PLC, Ethicon Inc. etc.

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Suture Wires are the thread like medical device which are used during the surgeries for holding body tissue. Suture wire is using since ancient time for the treatment but development in the material of the wire has increased their application in medial field. Global suture wire market is driven by introduction on new and better material for suture wire and increasing prevalence of different chronic diseases. Changing life style, increasing aging population and increasing governmental support for research has also driven the market. On other hand, strict regulatory rules and high cost of surgeries has restrained the growth of market.Suture Wire Market - Competitive AnalysisSuture Wire Market across the globe is continuously changing due to acquisition of local manufactures with multinational companies. Some companies are focusing on the new product developments while some has adopted strategies of acquisitions and strategic alliances for the growth of the market.Get Sample Report @Boston Scientific Corporation is a worldwide developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices. A wide range of products of this company are available in market. Company has acquired Schneider and EP Technologies. Different types of suture wire having different diameter are available in the market. The market of this company is increased by 12% in 2016 compare to 2015.DemeTech Corporation is a world-renowned leader in surgical sutures and blades headquartered in US. Company has provided sutures of paramount quality at a lower and more reasonable cost which has increased the market of company. Polypropylene Sutures wire and Silk Sutures wires are famous product of the company and generate major amount of revenue. Company is majorly focusing on development of the new product to increase the product range.Medtronic is a medical device manufacturer headquartered in UK. It is the world's largest standalone medical technology development company. Company has a wide range of absorbable and non- absorbable products. Company recently introduced V-Loc wound closure device which is a revolutionary technology that eliminates the need to tie knots, so that the physician can close incisions up to 50% faster without compromising strength and security. Dermalon, Monosof, Surgilon and Surgidac are some of the non- absorbable products. Maxon is a veterinary suture manufactured by company.Suture Wire Market - Major Key PlayersThe major key player for the Global Suture Wire Market are Boston Scientific Corporation (US), Demetech Corporation (US), Endoevolution Llc (US), Ethicon Inc. (US), Apollo Endosurgery Inc. (US), B. Braun Melsungen AG (Germany), Smith & Nephew Plc. (UK), Surgical Specialties Corporation (Germany), Sutures India Pvt Ltd (India), Internacional Farmaceutica S.A. (US), Medtronic PLC (UK), Peters Surgical (France), Covidien Plc. (UK), Jiangxi Longteng Co. Ltd. (China), DemeTech (US), Teleflex Incorporated (US), Lotus Surgicals Pvt Ltd. (India)Suture Wire Market  SegmentationGlobal suture wire market is segmented on the basis of type, application and end users. On the basis of type the market is segmented into absorbable suture and non-absorbable suture. Absorbable suture is sub segmented into polyglycolic acid, polylactic acid, polydioxanone and monocryl. Non- absorbable sutures are sub segmented into nylon, polyester, polypropylene and other. On the basis of application, the market is segmented into surgery, veterinary, and other. Surgery is further sub segmented into cardiac, renal, dental and other. On the basis of end users, it is segmented into hospitals, clinics and other.Browse Complete 80 Pages Premium Research Report Enabled with Tables and Figures @Suture Wire Market - Regional analysisGlobal Suture Wire Market is dominated by America. Suture market in America is driven by increasing number of surgeries and well-developed healthcare sector. Beside this, huge number of populations suffering from diabetes and other chronic diseases has also supported the growth of this market. Europe has the second largest market which is followed by Asia Pacific. Asia Pacific is expecting the fastest growth for the market during forecasted period.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Learn details of the Self-Adhesive Tear Tapes Market: global industry analysis by 2028

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Self-Adhesive Tear Tapes Market: An Overview : Self-adhesive tear tapes are single-sided adhesive tapes which are applied on the outer packaging to facilitate unpacking of the package. Self-adhesive tear tapes can be used on paper, films, and paperboard or corrugated board by being attached to their inner surfaces. Non-durable fast moving consumer goods such as cigarettes, non-alcoholic beverages, groceries or toiletries use these kinds of tear tapes. Self-adhesive tear tapes are also instrumental in sealing courier envelopes and shipping boxes as they ensure easy unpacking. The use of self-adhesive tear tapes has aided in reducing the use of conventional tools such as knives and scissors for opening packages. Manufacturers offer self-adhesive tear tapes in a variety of colors, prints and sizes to cater to various applications. Among the different plastic materials polypropylene is the most attractive material for the manufacturing of self-adhesive tear tapes owing to its high tensile strength and low elongation.Self-Adhesive Tear Tapes Market: Dynamics : The increasing use of consumer convenient packaging has fueled the demand for self-adhesive tear tapes in FMCG as well as food & beverages industry. The tobacco industry is a major end-user for self-adhesive tear tapes and is projected to grow at a CAGR of about 2.5% over the forecast period. This is anticipated to account for a hiked demand for self-adhesive tear tapes. Moreover, beverages, grocery and e-commerce packaging is expected to remain a key contributor in the self-adhesive tear tapes market. The increasing traction of self-adhesive tear tapes in the global adhesive tapes market can be attributed to the protection they provide from product tampering.Manufacturers are focusing on incorporating security features in the self-adhesive tear tapes by using various technologies such as holography, using multiple materials, colors and prints so that the tape stands out and becomes difficult to replicate. Anti-counterfeiting self-adhesive tear tapes are used mostly on cigarette boxes. However, the stringent regulations from various governing bodies against the usage of plastics might hamper the self-adhesive tear tapes market.Request for Table of Contents @Self-Adhesive Tear Tapes Market: Segmentation : Globally the self-adhesive tear tapes market has been segmented on the basis of material type, thickness, and end uses- On the basis of MaterialType, the global self-adhesive tear tapes market has been segmented as follows- Polypropylene (PP), Bi-axially oriented polypropylene (BOPP), Mono- axially oriented polypropylene (MOPP), Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polystyrene (PS); On the basis of Thickness, the global self-adhesive tear tapes market has been segmented as follows- Up to 20 micron, 20 - 40 micron, 40  60 micron, More than 60 micron;On the basis of End Uses, the global self-adhesive tear tapes market has been segmented as follows- Food & Beverages, Manufacturing, Retail & E-commerce, FMCG, Shipping & Logistics, Personal Care & Cosmetics, Chemical;Self-Adhesive Tear Tapes Market: Regional Outlook : Geographically, the global self-adhesive tear tapes market has been divided into seven key regions as- Western Europe, North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific excl. Japan, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific region is dominating the global demand for self-adhesive tear tapes; this can be attributed to the steady demand for tobacco products as well as thriving demand for FMCG products. This trend is expected to continue owing to the rise in consumer spending in developing nations such as China, India, and ASEAN countries. Ease of opening that the self-adhesive tear tapes offer have increased their applications in consumer goods packaging such as multi-packs of cigarettes, biscuits, chewing gums and magnetic media.Request to Report Methodology @Self-Adhesive Tear Tapes Market: Key players : Examples of some of the key players operating in the global self-adhesive tear tapes market are Tann Germany GmbH, DS Smith Plc, Polinas Plastik Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., Septa GmbH, Anhui Eastern Communication Packing Material Co., Ltd, Big Beard Co. Ltd., Nowofol Kunststoffprodukte GmbH & Co KG and Femick Industries. Many local and unorganized players are expected to contribute to the global self-adhesive tear tapes market during the forecast period.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 of the global self-adhesive tear tapes market. The report provides an in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macroeconomic indicators and governing factors along with self-adhesive tear tapes market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various factors on self-adhesive tear tapes market segments and geographies.Report Highlights: A detailed overview of parent market, Changing self-adhesive tear tapes market dynamics in the industry, In-depth self-adhesive tear tapes market segmentation, Historical, current, and projected self-adhesive tear tapes market size regarding volume and value, Recent industry trends and developments in self-adhesive tear tapes market, Competitive landscape of the self-adhesive tear tapes market, Strategies for key players and products offered, Potential and niche segments, geographical regions exhibiting promising growth, A neutral perspective on self-adhesive tear tapes market performance, Must-have information for self-adhesive tear tapes market players to sustain and enhance their market footprint;Get more information on Self-Adhesive Tear Tapes Market @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:Machine Glazed Paper Market to Hold a High Potential for Growth by 2028

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Machine Glazed Paper Market: Overview : Machine glazed paper is a type of uncoated paper, its one side has shiny appearance while the other side is slightly rough. Shining and smoothness on the one side offer excellent printability. Unlike kraft paper, machine glazed paper has a high tensile strength which makes machine glazed paper an optimum choice for various applications ranging from chewing wrappers to soap wrappers to butter wraps. Machine glazed paper represents low variation in grammage across the paper, and it offers excellent machinability. The properties of machine glazed paper can be enhanced by the process of calendaring the paper or by the chemical refining the pulp. The machine glazed paper is useful for printing, coating, packaging converters, laminating and envelope manufacturing, etc. The demand for machine glazed paper market is expected to be positive during the forecast period.Machine Glazed Paper Market: Dynamics : Machine glazed paper is made of unbleached virgin fibers, which make them suitable for food applications. The machine glazed paper can be combined with other substrates including aluminum foil and polyester films by laminating process, used for various applications including wrappers for soap, confectionary, and other products. These factors are expected to drive the growth of the global machine glazed paper market during the forecast period. Machine glazed paper finds useful applications in industries such as aeronautics, metallurgy, and car making, among others. The printability, excellent machinability and flexibility of machine glazed paper ensure its adaptability to the wide range of applications across various end-use sectors.The machine glazed paper is available in a weight range of 30 gsm to 120 gsm. The structure of machine glazed paper is such that it offers a better barrier towards air or moisture. The versatile nature of machine glazed paper makes it suitable to use in various end-use sectors. The machine glazed paper is used as acid-free paper for packaging of apparels, jewelry, and also used as anti-rust paper for packaging of machine parts to prevent them from corrosion. These factors are projected to propel the growth of the global machine glazed paper market during the forecast period.Request for Table of Contents @Machine Glazed Paper Market: Segmentation : Globally, the machine glazed paper market has been segmented on the basis of grade, weight, application, end use and region. On the basis of grade, the global machine glazed paper market is segmented as: Bleached, Unbleached; On the basis of weight, the global machine glazed paper market is segmented as: Less than 30 gsm, 30 gsm to 50 gsm, 50 gsm to 100 gsm, 100 gsm & above; On the basis of application, the global machine glazed paper market is segmented as: Wrapping, Printing, Coating & Lamination, Others; On the basis of end use, the global machine glazed paper market is segmented as: Food, Bakery & Confectionary, Automotive, Textile & Apparels, Aeronautics, Metallurgical, Others; On the basis of region, the global machine glazed paper market is segmented as  North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Middle East & Africa, Japan;APEJ, dominated especially by countries such as India, China, and South Korea, among others, is supposed to dominate the global machine glazed paper market during forecast period. It is attributed to the presence of various end-use industries including machinery, automobiles and textile in the region. The region is followed by Western Europe, where numerous global players of food, textiles and other sectors are present.The region has many food service providers, which is expected to fuel the demand for machine glazed paper, especially in the countries including the U.K., France, and Germany. North America is supposed to witness average growth in the global machine glazed paper market during the next decade. The U.S. is expected to dominate the regional market owing to presence of top manufacturers and producers with outstanding facilities. Latin America and Eastern Europe regions are supposed to foresee above-average growth in the global machine glazed paper market during the forecast period.Request to Report Methodology @Machine Glazed Paper Market: Key Players : Examples of some of the leading players operating in the global machine glazed paper market are  BPM Inc., Smurfit Kappa, Mondi Group, SPE Flexibles, SCG Packaging, Shawano Paper Mill, Charta Global, Papelera Guipuzcoana de Zicunaga (Iberpapel Group), Twin Rivers Paper Company, Gascogne Papier;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, macroeconomic 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.Key Developments: In February, 2017, Verso Corporation has developed the NK Series, a family of lightweight, machine glazed papers manufactured using unbleached virgin fiber. In June, 2017, Charta Global had announced the addition of Enza Kraft to its production line specialty kraft papers. This is certified, virgin pulp-based, machine glazed paper.Report Highlights: A detailed overview of parent market, Changing market dynamics in the industry, In-depth market segmentation, Historical, current, and projected size of machine glazed paper market regarding volume and value, Recent industry trends and developments, Competitive landscape, Strategies for 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;Get more information on Machine Glazed Paper Market @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:Intermittent Catheter Market: Including Top Companies Adapta Medical, B. Braun Melsungen AG, Becton Dickinson Company, Coloplast A/S, ConvaTec Healthcare B S.a.r.l, Cure Medical, Hollister Inc.and more

Intermittent Catheter Market

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The Worldwide Intermittent Catheter Market is valued at $ 1,665.5 million in 2016 and is expected to reach $ 295.7 million by 2023, an annual growth rate of 8.7% from 2017 to 2023. The women's catheter sector accounted for about half of the global market in 2016.Intermittent catheters help drain the bladder from patients who can not control the bladder with medical equipment. These catheters are inserted into the urethra and directed into the bladder to flow urine through the catheter tube and into the collection bag. In addition, this catheter can be used to insert its own catheter. Children aged 7 to 8 can be trained to treat urinary catheterization.The main factor in the intermittent catheter market is the increase in the elderly population and the increase in urinary incontinence. In addition, the introduction of catheter advantageous reimbursement policies is expected to complement market growth. However, intermittent catheter alternatives and domestic price competition are hampering market growth. Conversely, emerging economies are expected to provide profitable opportunities by increasing disposable income and increasing awareness of intermittent catheters.Download PDF Report Sample @The key players operating in the global intermittent catheters market are Adapta Medical B. Braun Melsungen AG Becton Dickinson Company Coloplast A/S ConvaTec Healthcare B S..r.l Cure Medical Hollister Inc. Medical Technologies of Georgia Inc. Pennine Healthcare Teleflex IncorporatedOther players operating in the value chain are Hunter Urology, ASID BONZ, At Home Medical Products, Medical Technologies of Georgia and Hope Medical Supply Inc.Among the product segment, uncoated intermittent catheters accounted for the maximum share in the global market, due to wide usage of uncoated catheters, owing to new materials used in the production of uncoated intermittent catheters to minimize allergies associated to latex material.Among the indication segment, the urinary incontinence segment accounted for the maximum share, owing to increase in prevalence of urinary continence in both male and female population globally. For instance, urinary incontinence affects about 4-8% or 400 million individuals globally.Make An Enquiry @Key Findings of the Intermittent Catheters Market: The male length catheters segment accounted for about three-eighth share of the total market in 2016, and is expected to register a high CAGR of 8.4% from 2017 to 2023. The hospitals segment accounted for three-seventh share of the total market and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.6% during the forecast period. U.S. dominated the North American intermittent catheters market and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.0%. Australia is the fastest growing country in the Asia-Pacific intermittent catheters market during the forecast period, registering a CAGR of 11.0%. Ambulatory surgery centers accounted for one-third market share in 2016, and are expected to grow at a high CAGR of 8.9%.In 2016, North America was the dominant revenue contributor, owing to high prevalence rate of urinary incontinence and surge in number of minimally invasive surgeries in the region. However, Asia-Pacific is expected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period, owing to the presence of high populace countries such as India and China, increase in awareness regarding intermittent catheters & urinary incontinence, and rise in disposable income.Access Full Summery @About Us:Allied Market Research, a market research and advisory company of Allied Analytics LLP, provides business insights and market research reports to large as well as small & medium enterprises. The company assists its clients to strategize business policies and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.Contact:David Correa5933 NE Win Sivers Drive#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesToll Free (USA/Canada):+1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022, +1-503-446-1141UK: +44-845-528-1300Hong Kong: +852-301-84916India (Pune): +91-20-66346060Fax: +1855550-5975help@alliedmarketresearch.comMolluscicides Market Trend by Key Players 2018-2023: Lonza Group, Bayer CropScience, American Vanguard Corporation, BASF, Adama Agricultural Solutions etc.

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ReportsnReports adds Molluscicides Market to its store. This is a professional and depth research report on Molluscicides industry that would help to know the world's major regional market conditions of Molluscicides industry, the main region including North American, Asia Pacific, Europe etc.Molluscicides Market is estimated at US$ 587.8 Million in 2018 and is projected to reach US$ 727.8 Million by 2023. It is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.4% from 2018 to 2023. The market is primarily driven the increased commercial production of horticulture crops such as fruits, vegetables, herbs, and nuts in recent years.Get Free Sample Copy of Molluscicides Market atTop Key Players in this Molluscicides Marketreport Lonza Group (Switzerland) Bayer CropScience (Germany) American Vanguard Corporation (US) BASF (Germany) Adama Agricultural Solutions (Israel) Marrone Bio Innovations (US) De Sangosse (UK) Doff Portland (UK) Certis Europe (Netherlands) PI Industries (India) Syngenta (Switzerland) Neudorff GmbH (Germany)Complete report on Molluscicides Market spread across 147 Pages, profiling 12 companies and supported with tables and figures. Buy Research atBiological Molluscicides segment is projected to be the fastest-growing segment during the forecast period. The increasing awareness about biological crop protection products has not only resulted in increased use of snail and slug control products but has also led to awareness about the potential for more profitable opportunities with minimum loss.Asia Pacific is projected to be the fastest-growing market between 2018 and 2023. The usage of molluscicides is increasing gradually in developing economies due to continued growth in the major Asia Pacific economies and the increasing awareness about the use and benefits of molluscicides.Research CoverageThe report segments the molluscicides market on the basis of type, application, form, and region. In terms of insights, this research report has focused on various levels of analysiscompetitive landscape; end-use analysis; and company profiles, which together comprise and discuss the basic views on the emerging & high-growth segments of the molluscicides market, high-growth regions, countries, government initiatives, drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges.More information about Discount on Christmas Offer & Year End atReasons to buy this report To get a comprehensive overview of the molluscicides market To gain wide-ranging information about the top players in this industry, their product portfolios, and the key strategies adopted by them To gain insights about the key countries/regions in which the molluscicides market is flourishingList of Tables1 US Dollar Exchange Rate Considered, 201420172 Molluscicides Market Size, By Application, 20162023 (USD Million)3 Agricultural: Molluscicides Market Size, By Region, 20162023 (USD Million)4 Fruits & Vegetables: Molluscicides Market Size, By Region, 20162023 (USD Million)5 Cereals & Grains: Molluscicides Market Size, By Region, 20162023 (USD Million)6 Oilseeds & Pulses: Molluscicides Market Size, By Region, 20162023 (USD Million)7 Non-Agricultural: Molluscicides Market Size, By Region, 20162023 (USD Million)8 Commercial: Molluscicides Market Size, By Region, 20162023 (USD Million)9 Residential: Molluscicides Market Size, By Region, 20162023 (USD Million)10 Molluscicides Market Size, By Type, 2016-2023 (USD Million)..and moreAbout Us:-ReportsnReports.com is your single source for all market research needs. Our database includes 500,000+ market research reports from over 95 leading global publishers & in-depth market research studies of over 5000 micro markets.Contact:Mr. Vishalsales@reportsandreports.com / Call +1 888 391 5441Tower B5, Office 101,Magarpatta City SEZ,Pune-411013, IndiaBinders Board Market Market to Witness Increased Incremental Dollar Opportunity During the Forecast Period 2018 - 2028

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Binders Board Market: Introduction and Need of the Product : A binders board is a type of smooth, hard, and tough paperboard product which is extensively used in the form of covers by bookbinders to protect books and writing papers. It is also known as book board, cover board, cylinder board, spec board, and El-Hi board. These boards are customizable and available in a variety of thicknesses, shapes, and sizes. The demand for binders board has witnessed constant growth due to the moderate consumption growth in the book and publishing industry. With the introduction of digital publication of books, magazines, and novels, the binders board market may decline during the forecast period.Also, consumers in the developed as well as in developing countries are moving towards digitalization, which in turn will contribute to the sluggish demand for binders boards in the near future. Some of the important factors that define properties of binders boards are  caliper, pH level, surface design, trimming, and curl. According to PAPTAC G-25 (Pulp and Paper Technical Association of Canada), the pH level for a binders board should lie between 6 and 8. The surface must be even and free from indentations, lumps, and mechanical imperfections. All the edges of a binders board must be trimmed smooth. A binders board could be produced from both virgin and recycled fibers.Binders Board Market: Market Dynamics : The global demand for binders boards is expected to be affected by a large number of factors which include digitalization, introduction of substitute products, board quality, consumer interest, and many others. More and more manufacturers in the market are producing their products from materials which are compostable, recyclable, and meet industry standards. A binders board is also used in the production of decorative items through foil stamping and screen printing techniques.Request for Table of Contents @Also, a binders board is extensively used by students all over the world to protect their study materials. Growth in literacy rates will increase the number of students which, in turn, will create a high demand for binders board in the global market, particularly in the developing countries of the Asia-Pacific region. The demand for binders board may decline due to the introduction of substitute products in the global market. Also, board quality could also hamper consumer sentiments to which, in turn, would negatively impact the growth of the binders board market.Binders Board Market: Market Segmentation: Binders Board Market Segmentation: By Paper Source : Virgin Fiber, Recycled Fiber; Binders Board Market Segmentation: By Board Thickness : Up to 0.05 inches, 0.05 inches to 0.09 inches, 0.09 inches to 0.13 inches, More than 0.13 inches; Binders Board Market Segmentation: By Board Application : Bookbinding, Albums, Decorative Packaging, Craft and Hobbies, Scrapbook, Portfolios, Point of Purchase, Office Products, Luggage and Cases, Menus & Hospitality, Others;Binders Board Market: Regional Overview : On the basis of region, the binders board market is segmented as North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, APEJ (Asia-Pacific Excluding Japan), Middle East & Africa, and Japan. The binders board market for bookbinding is expected to witness a slight decline in its growth rate in the developed countries such as U.S., Germany, and Italy. This is primarily due to the introduction of digital formats of books and novels which are cheaper and much more convenient than paper-based formats.Request to Report Methodology @However, the demand for other applications will remain robust and create enormous opportunities for the manufacturers of binders board in the North American and the European region. In the countries such as, India and China, the binders board market is expected to witness a high growth rate during the forecast period. The demand is generated from the increasing number of students, book readers, and high demand for decorative packaging in the Asia-Pacific region. Latin America and MEA also offer untapped growth potential in the global binders board market.Binders Board Market: Market Players : Some of the key players in the binders board market are WestRock Company, University Products, Inc., LBS Bind, Changjiang Paper (HK) Co. Ltd., WINTER & COMPANY AG, Royal Moorman Karton Weesp BV, and New Bamboo Paper Co., Ltd.The report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, as well as inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The binders board market report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macroeconomic indicators, and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The binders board market report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies.Regional Analysis Includes: North America Binders Board Market, Latin America Binders Board Market, Western Europe Binders Board Market, Eastern Europe Binders Board Market, Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) Binders Board Market, Japan Binders Board Market, Middle East & Africa (MEA) Binders Board Market;Report Highlights: A detailed overview of the parent market, Changing market dynamics in the industry, In-depth market segmentation, Historical, current, and projected market size regarding volume and value, Recent industry trends and developments, Competitive landscape, Strategies for 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;Get more information on Binders Board Market @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:Autoimmune Disease Treatment Market To be lead by Amgen Inc., Genentech Inc., Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Biogen Idec Inc., Bio-Rad, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and More at CAGR of 11.2 % During Forecast Period 2017-2023

Autoimmune Disease Treatment

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Market Research Future Presents granular study report of "Autoimmune Disease Treatment Market Research Report- Forecast To 2023" Providing overview of key players and their strategic profiling in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies and drawing a competitive landscape of the market.An autoimmune disease is a condition in which body's immune system destroys its own body tissue. There are more than 80 different type of autoimmune disorders but the most common are multiple sclerosis, IBD, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and others. Autoimmune disease may result in abnormal growth of an organ, the destruction of body tissue, and changes in organ functionGet Sample Copy @According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), around 23.5 million Americans are suffering from autoimmune disease. NIH has also estimated that the annual direct health care costs for autoimmune disease are near to the USD 100 billion. Whereas for cancers, and heart & strokes, the cost is around USD 57 billion, and USD 200 billion respectively.Notably, growing public awareness, and the increasing prevalence of autoimmune diseases, and other related complications are the key factors driving the autoimmune disease treatment market. Government and other different private associations have started educating people about diseases through seminars, and conferences. For instance, the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association in collaboration with the National Coalition of Autoimmune Patient Groups conducts a program, named Autoimmune Research Network (ARNet). Through this research network, researchers empowers patients by supporting their participation in research on autoimmune diseases by gathering patient information. This information is majorly helpful during clinical trials.It is estimated that the autoimmune disease treatment market is expected to grow at a CAGR 11.2% during the forecast period of 2017-2023.Various other factors such as technological advancements, unmet medical needs, increasing government assistance, rising prevalence of co-existing disorders, improving regulatory framework, improving funding and reimbursement policies, and increasing adoption rate, are continuously contributing towards the growth of the global autoimmune disease treatment market.Despite these drivers, there are some issues associated with autoimmune disease treatment market. High cost of treatment, presence of misbranded drugs, side-effects of treatment, and poor healthcare system in low or middle-income countries, may hamper the growth of the market.SegmentationThe Global Autoimmune Disease Treatment Market is segmented on the basis of disease type, diagnosis, therapeutic products, and distribution channels.On the basis of the disease type, the market is classified as localized, and systemic. The localized segment is further classified into multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, and other. The systemic segment is further classified into rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, lupus, and others.On the basis of the diagnosis, the market is classified as ELISA, dot blot, line blot, agglutination, double immune diffusion, western blotting, multiplex immunoassay, and others.On the basis of the distribution channel, the market is segmented into hospitals & clinics, diagnostic centers, drug stores, pharmacies, and others.On the basis of the therapeutic products, the market is classified as drugs, and therapeutic and monitoring equipment. The drugs segment is further segmented into biologics, immunosuppressant, anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.Regional AnalysisThe Americas dominate the autoimmune disease treatment market owing to the rising cases of autoimmune diseases, and high healthcare expenditure. As per the data suggested by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2015, the total healthcare expenditure in the U.S. was reported to be USD 3.2 trillion, whereas, hospital care accounted for a share of 32.3%.Europe holds the second position in the autoimmune disease treatment market. It is expected that the financial support provided by the government bodies for research & development and amendments in reimbursement policies in the healthcare is likely to drive the European marketOwing to a huge patient pool and developing healthcare technology, Asia Pacific is the fastest growing autoimmune disease treatment market. Healthcare expenditure is also found to be escalating in various Asia Pacific countries. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare suggested that in the year 2015-2016, the total healthcare expenditure was USD 170.4 billion, which is around 3.6% higher than the expenditure during 2014-2015.The Middle East & Africa holds the lowest market due to poor medical facilities, and lack of technical knowledge.Key PlayersSome of key the players in the global autoimmune disease treatment market are Abbott Laboratories, Amgen Inc., Genentech Inc., Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Biogen Idec Inc., Bio-Rad, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Danaher, Elan Corporation Plc, Eli Lilly and Company, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, HYCOR Biomedical, Johnson & Johnson Inc., Merck & Co. Inc., Siemens, Squibb Company, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and others.Browse Complete 85 Pages Premium Research Report Enabled with Respective Tables and Figures @Detailed Table of Contents:Chapter 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 Drivers4.2 Restrains4.3 Opportunities4.4 Challenges4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators4.6 Technology Trends & AssessmentChapter 5. Market Factor Analysis5.1 Porters Five Forces Analysis5.1.1 Bargaining Power Of Suppliers5.1.2 Bargaining Power Of Buyers5.1.3 Threat Of New Entrants5.1.4 Threat Of Substitutes5.1.5 Intensity Of Rivalry...Continued!Send and Enquiry @About US:Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact Us:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comElectric Toothbrush Market Drivers and Restraints 2017-2025 : Church & Dwight, Koninklijke Philips, Colgate-Palmolive, Panasonic, Procter & Gamble, and OMRON

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Global Electric Toothbrush Market: OverviewElectric toothbrush is essentially a battery powered toothbrush that automatically brushes your teeth. On account of its rotational and side-by-side movement, it is way more capable in rooting out plaque and lessening gingivitis than an ordinary toothbrush operated manually. There are even specialized versions meant for sensitive teeth, for whitening of teeth, and for massaging of gums.Quite a few companies operate in the global market for electric toothbrush. This makes the competitive landscape fragmented and tough. In order to thrive in such a market, players are seen banking upon advanced technologies to come up with better products. Such efforts by players is expected to further intensify competition in the near term.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Electric Toothbrush Market: Drivers and RestraintsNumerous factors are serving to stoke the market for electric toothbrush. Foremost among them are the rising awareness about such products on account of proactive advertising strategies of companies and increasing concern about oral hygiene. The rising disposable incomes of people and the surging spends on product development by companies is also having a positive impact on sales. However, owing to their slightly higher costs, their sales are yet to gather pace in cost conscious under developed nations. Another hurdle for the market is the high cost of replacing the bristles mounted on the head of the toothbrush every five six months as this serves to dampen sales.A noticeable trend is the emergence of smart electronic toothbrush with added features. Those, for example, come with features such as Bluetooth, camera, and Wi-fi, among others. They can connect with smartphones with the help of Bluetooth and Wi-fi to provide feedback on the condition of ones teeth and brushing habits. While such premium products are meant for high net worth consumers willing to splurge on cutting-edge day to day products, manufacturers are also coming up with a wide range of electric toothbrushes to suit budgets of all kinds.Request TOC of the Report @Global Electric Toothbrush Market: Trends and OpportunitiesSales of electric toothbrushes are picking up through both online and offline platforms. The latter includes supermarkets and hypermarkets and convenience stores. As far as the product is concerned, the bristles can be broadly categorized into nanometer and soft. Similarly, the head movement is of two types  rotation or oscillation and sonic or side-by-side.Global Electric Toothbrush Market: Regional AnalysisFrom a geographical perspective, key segments in the global market for electric toothbrush are North America, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa. Currently North America accounts for a considerable share in the overall market owing to the increased spending capacity of the people in the region, particularly in the U.S. and Canada, and also because of the early adoption of latest technologies in the two nations. Besides, presence of key players, who are seen pouring money into product development, is also serving to catalyze growth in North America market. Europe is another major market and Asia Pacific is an upcoming one which most keen players are looking to tap into. This is because of the large consumer base in Asia Pacific, particularly in the large and populous economies of India and China that are developing fast.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Global Electric Toothbrush Market: Competitive LandscapeSome of the key players in the global market for electric toothbrush that have been profiled in the report are Church & Dwight, Koninklijke Philips, Colgate-Palmolive, Panasonic, Procter & Gamble, and OMRON. The report throws light on their product offerings, sales and revenues, and growth prospects in the upcoming years after a thorough primary and secondary research.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Closed MRI Systems Market Rising at 4.90% CAGR to 2023: Top Key Players are Hitachi Medical Corporation, Toshiba Medical Systems, Siemens Healthcare, GE Healthcare, Imris Inc., Fonar Corporation, Esaote S.P.A.

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Recent DevelopmentsToshiba Medical Systems is the Global supplier of Medical Imaging. It provides diagnostic medical imaging systems from Japan to worldwide.Canon Medical Systems Corporation is a medical equipment company based in Otawara, Tochigi, Japan. The company is formerly known as Toshiba Medical Systems. Canon Medical offers a full range of diagnostic medical imaging solutions including CT, MR, X-Ray, Ultrasound and Healthcare Informatics across the globe. Toshiba Medical Systems is one of the leading companies in closed MRI system.To know more read:Market SegmentationsMarket Data Forecast published a report named Closed MRI Systems Market. It is valued USD 3.71 Billion in 2018, and it expected to reach USD 4.71 Billion by 2023 with a CAGR of 4.90%.Report is segmentedField Strength Low to mid field High Field Very High Field Ultra High FieldApplication Brain Spine Cardiac Breast AbdomenBased on the field strength, High Field Strength is the most commonly used field strength in market. Under the applications segment, Brain and Neurological MRI holds the highest share owing to rise in geriatric population and rise in early awareness levels.Geographical SegmentationBased on geography, the market is analyzed into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. North America is accounted for the largest share in the market followed by Asia Pacific.Key market players in the market are- Hitachi Medical Corporation Toshiba Medical Systems Siemens Healthcare GE HealthcareView sample and decide:Scope of the report:The report offers a comprehensive analysis of the industry by providing the estimations of market potential and forecasts with utmost granularity. Along this, the factors influential in effecting the market dynamics and trends are discussed in detail at the product level. Further, the performance of the market at the regional and country-level is assessed and the prospects with high growth potential are identified and debated.The key players in the industry are profiled providing insights on their financial performance, market position and growth strategies. Comparative analysis on prime strategically activities of the market players delineating the key developments like mergers & acquisitions, collaborations and an evaluation of the competitive environment within the industry are provided. The report also offers a broad outlook of the market along with recommendations from industry experts on the opportunities for investment activity.What else? Apart from the syndicated report, our in-house team has an expertise and experience in designing custom reports to meet your specific research needs and assist you in making well-informed decisions.Market Data Forecast is a firm working in the areas of market research, business intelligence and consulting. We have rich experience in research and consulting for various business domains to cater to the needs of both individual and corporate clients.Contact Info:Name: Mr. Abhishek ShuklaEmail: abhishek@marketdataforecast.comOrganization: MarketDataForecastAddress: 2nd Floor, Above ICICI Bank Film Nagar Branch, B 44, Rd no 3, Journalist Colony,Hyderabad, Telangana 500033, India.Phone: +1-888-702-9626Orifice Reducers Market: Key Factors Impacting Growth During 2018  2028

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Orifice Reducers Market: An Overview - Whether the container needs a precise drop or a small handful, the orifice reducers always complement the product. Orifice reducers are closures accessories that cover a container to reduce the flow of liquid and allow it flow out drop by drop. The technological advancement in the orifice reducers offers an ultimate dispensing control and bring functionality as well as reliability to the containers. The orifice reducers are easily accessible and can be simply pressed into the opening of a bottle to allow the regulated amount of flow. The orifice reducers are considered as ideal for the dispensing liquid such as inks, dyes, food coloring, lotion, sauces, essential oils, eye dropper, and others. Hence, the orifice reducers are highly prevalent in end-user industries such as healthcare, food and beverage, cosmetics and personal care, chemicals and others. The orifice reducers meets all the industry standard and specification and widely used in many applications. Therefore, the global outlook for orifice reducers market is expected to remain positive during the forecast period.Orifice Reducers Market: Dynamics - Continuously, an unimaginable amount of fluids are packed into bottles daily which need an effective dispensing system to regulate the flow of the product. This factor is expected to propel the growth of orifice reducers market during the forecast period. The outstanding properties of orifice reducers such as temperature tolerance, moisture barrier, high impact & scuff resistance, light-weight nature are also contributing to the growth of global orifice reducers market during the forecast period. The orifice reducers are versatile and work with standard bottles, and securely connect to the container ensuring the accurate dosing are among the factors driving the growth of global orifice reducer market during the forecast period. The consumers positive response towards the use of orifice reducers to limit the flow and outpouring of the liquid products is expected to fuel the growth of global orifice reducers market during the forecast period. Therefore, the orifice reducers market is projected to expand with a notable growth rate during the forecast period.Orifice Reducers Market: Segmentation - On the basis of material,the orifice reducers market is segmented into: Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), High-density polyethylene (HDPE), Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polypropylene (PP), Other resins; On the basis of neck size,the orifice reducers market is segmented into: Up to 15 mm, 15-20 mm, More than 20 mm; On the basis of applications,the orifice reducers market is segmented into: Eye Droppers, Sauces Bottles, Lotion Bottles, Essential Oils, Others; On the basis of End Use,the orifice reducers market is segmented into: Healthcare, Pharma, Oral Care, RX Retail, Oral, Medical, Food and Beverage, Cosmetics and Personal Care, Chemicals, Others;Request for Table of Contents @Orifice Reducers Market: Regional Outlook - The Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region is expected to dominate the global orifice reducers market account healthy market share during the forecast period. The countries such as China and India appears as a key market driver of APEJ orifice reducers during the forecast period. The Western Europe region is expected to follow the APEJ region in terms of market size and projected to register a notable growth rate of orifice reducers market during the forecast period. The countries in this region such as Germany, U.K., France, and Italy is expected to demand orifice reducers during the forecast period. The North America region is a significant shareholder of global orifice reducers market and projected to expand with lucrative CAGR during the forecast period. The continuous expansion of end-use industries is a key factor driving the North America orifice reducers market during the forecast period. The Latin America orifice reducers market is expected to attain significant growth rate during the forecast period and contribute to the growth of global orifice reducers market during the forecast period. The Middle East & Africa region is expected to witness the significant demand of orifice reducers market during the forecast period. The region such as Eastern Europe and Japan is expected to register a positive growth rate during the forecast period.Orifice Reducers Market: Key Players - Some of the key players operating the global orifice reducers market are listed below: Amcor Limited, Berry Global Inc., Comar LLC., Plastipro Canada Ltd., O.Berk Company, LLC., Acadiana Plastics Molding, Inc., Acme Vial and Glass Company, LLC., Weener Plastic Packaging Group, SKS Bottles and Packaging;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 an in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macroeconomic 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.Regional Analysis Includes- North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), Middle East & Africa (MEA), Japan;Orifice Reducers Market Reports Highlights: A detailed overview of parent market, Changing market dynamics in the industry, In-depth market segmentation, Historical, current, and projected market size regarding volume and value, Recent industry trends and developments, Competitive landscape, Strategies for 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 footprintGet more information on Orifice Reducers Market @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:You are here: China

The State Administration for Market Regulation vowed to toughen supervision over the healthcare sector.

Severe punishment will be meted out and heavy fines imposed on enterprises that violate laws or cause serious harm, Zhang Mao, head of the administration, said on Thursday.

According to the administration, more stringent oversight will be carried out, especially over vaccines, but also over medical products as well as food and drug safety.

Zhang said "the strictest vaccine management and supervision" will be implemented. The call follows a major scandal exposed this summer involving Changsheng Bio-technology Co in Changchun, Jilin province.

The vaccine maker was found to have fabricated production records and produced substandard products.

The administration released a draft vaccine management law in November which imposes the strictest regulatory monitoring to ensure vaccine safety and quality throughout the entire production chain.

In terms of food safety, problems of the excessive use of pesticides, illegal additives and false advertising will be targeted, and authorities will take action to promote the quality of dairy, meat and healthcare products, as well as foods sold on campuses, online and in rural markets, Zhang said.

A new round of safety measures targeting the baby formula industry is also to begin soon, he added.

Baby formula has always been an inspection priority and a major concern of Chinese parents, particularly since 2008, when melamine-tainted milk killed at least six infants and sickened thousands more. Over the years, the government has increasingly tightened measures to regulate the industry.

The new regulations, which take effect in January, ban manufacturers not certified by authorities from selling their goods.

Earlier this week, a healthcare-related online platform accused Quanjian Natural Medicine Science & Technology Development Co, a major drugmaker in Tianjin, of misleading consumers about the efficacy of its products.

Quanjian has denied the allegations.

The administration will conduct more nationwide on-site inspections to uncover any safety concerns with vaccines, injections, implantable medical devices and cosmetics, Zhang said.

It will also launch special campaigns against online sales of counterfeit drugs or Chinese herbal medicines offered by unlicensed operators, he added.

The administration will target e-commerce platforms to crack down on patent infringements, counterfeits, price gouging and false advertising, Zhang said.

Whistleblowers are encouraged to step forward and will be greatly rewarded. A risk-sharing mechanism is needed in areas involving public safety and heavy risks, he added.

"We will tighten supervision over key areas to ensure safe consumption," Zhang said.Pharmaceutical Isolator Market Worldwide Segmentation 2018 to 2023 | Growing CAGR 8.1% with Topmost Players | Industry 2023 Insight

Pharmaceutical Isolator Market

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MarketResearchFuture.com Present Trending Research Report Pharmaceutical Isolator Market this Report Segmented on The Basis of Type, System, Pressure Differential, and end User.Global Pharmaceutical Isolator Market  ScenarioAn isolator is an equipment designed to avoid contamination. Isolators are either open or closed. Open isolators allow for ingress or egress of materials while affording a level of protection from the external environment and thus protect products while allowing materials to enter and exit the workspace.Closed isolators, enable complete separation between the internal and external environment except for filtered air and they offer full protection to the substance being handled. Aseptic isolators differ from containment isolators on account of air pressure. Aseptic isolators use positive pressure to keep contamination out, while containment isolator applies negative pressure to keep contamination out of the workspace.Request Sample Report atIsolators are commonly found in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry and are widely used for pharmacy aseptic compounding applications.The market drivers for global pharmaceutical isolator market are rising demand due to the growing pharmaceutical and biotechnological industry, increasing regulations and cost of noncompliance, expanding the use of aseptic methods, rising bio labs, growing used of toxic and hazardous materials, advancements in isolator efficiency, and technology.The global pharmaceutical isolator market is expected to reach USD 39.0 billion by 2023, and the market is projected to grow at a CAGR of ~ 8.1 % during the forecast period 2017-2023.Global Pharmaceutical Isolator Market - Key PlayersSome of the key players profiled in the report are Gelman Singapore, COMECER S.p.A. cf. p.Iva, IsoTech Design, LAF Technologies Pty Ltd, Fedegari Autoclavi S.p.A, Hosokawa Micron Ltd., Bosch GmbH, MBRAUN, Chamunda Pharma Machinery Pvt. Ltd., Schematic Engineering Industries, NuAire, Inc., and others.Global Pharmaceutical Isolator Market  SegmentsThe global pharmaceutical isolator market has been segmented on the basis of type, system, pressure differential, and end user.Based on the type, the market has been segmented into aseptic isolators, containment isolators, bio isolators, sampling, weighing and distribution isolators, active pharmaceutical ingredient & manufacturing isolators, and other.Based on the system, the market has been segmented into closed systems and open systems.Based on the pressure differential, the market has been segmented into positive pressure and negative pressure.Based on the end user, the market has been segmented as hospitals and diagnostics labs, pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries, research and academics, and others.Global Pharmaceutical Isolator Market - Regional AnalysisThe Americas account for a significant market share owing to high expenditure on the health care. Additionally, the fastest uptake of advanced healthcare products in the U.S. drives the pharmaceutical isolator market. The high concentration of the major healthcare companies, biotech labs and hospitals in the developed countries of this region coupled with stringent regulatory and inspection is adding fuel to the market growth. Moreover, high inspection rate and the growing stringency of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspections has fueled the U.S. market.Europe is the second largest market in the world due to growing the pharmaceutical and industrial base. Countries such as Germany and France lead the European market growth. Germany is expected to be the fastest growing market over the assessment period. The active pharmaceutical industry in Germany is a strong driver behind the dominance of this country in Europe. The ever increasing research and development expenditures of the developed regions have stimulated the market for isolators in these regions.Asia Pacific region is expected to grow rapidly; China and India are likely to lead this market due to the fast-growing pharmaceutical sector and large unmet needs over the forecast period. South East Asian countries such as China, India, and Malaysia are projected to contribute highly to the market growth. The growing penetration of medical devices industry in the Asia Pacific region is expected to drive the future pharmaceutical isolator market in the region.Gulf nations such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE are estimated to drive the Middle East & African market. Other Middle East nations to watch out for are Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, and Iran. The African region is expected to witness a moderate growth owing to poor economic and political conditions, and poor healthcare development. The poor research and development in the Middle East and African region have restricted the growth of the pharmaceutical isolators market.Browse Complete 110 Pages Premium Research Report Enabled with 140 Respective Tables and Figures atMajor Table of Content:1. Report Prologue2. Market Introduction3. Research Methodology4. Market Dynamics5. Market Factor Analysis6. Global Pharmaceutical Isolator Market, By Type7. Global Pharmaceutical Isolator Market, By System8. Global Pharmaceutical Isolator Market, By Pressure Differential9. Global Pharmaceutical Isolator Market, By End User10. Global Pharmaceutical Isolator Market, By Region11 Company Landscape11 Company Profiles12 MRFR Conclusion13 AppendixAbout US:Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact Us:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comNatural and Organic Cosmetics Market Comprehensive Study 2018 By Top Key Players - Avon, Bare Escentuals, Coty, Weleda AG, Burts Bees, KORRES, Arbonne International, LLC, The Estee Lauder Companies Inc.

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Natural and Organic Cosmetics Market report has Forecasted Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) in % value for particular period for market that will help user to take decision based on futuristic chart. The report provides with CAGR value fluctuation during the forecast period of 2018-2023 for the market. This report is a valuable source of guidance for companies and individuals offering Industry Chain Structure, Business Strategies and Proposals for New Project Investments. The report also studies the various inhibitors as well as motivators of the Natural and Organic Cosmetics Market Products market in both quantitative and qualitative manners in order to provide accurate information to the readers.Cosmetics are substances or products used to enhance or alter the appearance of the face or fragrance and texture of the body. Many cosmetics are designed for use of applying to the face, hair, and body. They are generally mixtures of chemical compounds; some being derived from natural sources (such as coconut oil), and some being synthetics or artificial.[1] Common cosmetics include lipstick, mascara, eye shadow, foundation, skin cleansers and body lotions, shampoo and conditioner, hairstyling products (gel, hair spray, etc.), perfume and cologne. Cosmetics applied to the face to enhance its appearance are often called make-up or makeup.Get Sample Copy of ReportThe following manufacturers are covered in this report: Avon Bare Escentuals Coty Weleda AG Burts Bees KORRES Arbonne International, LLC The Estee Lauder Companies Inc.Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers North America (United States, Canada and Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia) South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia) Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, covers Natural Cosmetics Organic CosmeticsMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided into Man WomanGet More Information about this reportTable of Content:1 Natural and Organic Cosmetics Market Overview2 Manufacturers Profiles3 Global Natural and Organic Cosmetics Sales, Revenue, Market Share and Competition by Manufacturer (2016-2017)4 Global Natural and Organic Cosmetics Market Size by Regions5 North America Natural and Organic Cosmetics Revenue by Countries6 Europe Natural and Organic Cosmetics Revenue by Countries7 Asia-Pacific Natural and Organic Cosmetics Revenue by Countries8 South America Natural and Organic Cosmetics Revenue by Countries9 Middle East and Africa Revenue Natural and Organic Cosmetics by Countries10 Global Natural and Organic Cosmetics Market Segment by Type11 Global Natural and Organic Cosmetics Market Segment by Application12 Global Natural and Organic Cosmetics Market Size Forecast (2018-2023)13 Research Findings and Conclusion14 AppendixNote: If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Report Scope: To analyze growth strategies such as product launches and developments, acquisitions, expansions, and agreements adopted by major players in the Natural and Organic Cosmetics Market. To identify key players operating in the Natural and Organic Cosmetics Market and comprehensively analyze their market rankings and core competencies. To describe major factors (drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges) influencing the growth of the Thermoplastic Market and submarkets. Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to products, segmentation and industry verticals. To analyze opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high-growth segments of the Natural and Organic Cosmetics Market The report offers market share appraisals for regional and global levelsReasons to Purchase this Report: Current and future of global Natural and Organic Cosmetics Market outlook in the developed and emerging markets The segment that is expected to dominate the market as well as the segment which holds highest CAGR in the forecast period. Regions/countries that are expected to witness the fastest growth rates during the forecast period The latest developments, market shares, and strategies that are employed by the major market playersThere are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Natural and Organic Cosmetics market. Chapter 1, to describe Natural and Organic Cosmetics Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force; Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Natural and Organic Cosmetics, with sales, revenue, and price of Natural and Organic Cosmetics, 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 Natural and Organic Cosmetics, for each region, from 2013 to 2018; Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the market by countries, by type, by application and by manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions; Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2013 to 2018; Chapter 12, Natural and Organic Cosmetics market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2018 to 2023; Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Natural and Organic Cosmetics sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourcePurchase This Report atAbout Us:Research For Markets indulge in detailed and diligent research on different markets, trends and emerging opportunities in the successive direction to cater to your business needs. We have established the pillars of our flourishing institute on the grounds of Credibility and Reliability. RFM delve into the markets across Asia Pacific, North America, South America, Europe, Middle East And Africa.Contact Info:Level 21, Dashwood House69 Old Broad StreetLondon EC2M 1QS, United KingdomEurope Electric Car Market Segmentation by Car Type, Battery Technology, Geography, Growth and Demand Including Key Players (General Motors, Volvo, Nissan, Mercedes, Toyota) | Forecast 2025

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Europe electric car market is expected to grow in long term starting from a small base in 2016. Germany is the largest market for electric cars in Europe followed by Norway, the UK and France. Norway is the leading country in Europe as far as electric car penetration is concerned, with close to 30% of all cars sold being electric in the first half of 2017, followed by Iceland and Sweden.Request to Get the Sample Report@Stringent government regulations to curb pollution levels and reduce the dependence on expensive fossil fuel is driving the growth of electric car market in Europe. Netherland and Norway have banned the sales of fossil fuelled powered cars by 2025. Other countries such as Germany has also passed a resolution to ban the sales of conventional cars by 2030. Government regulations to support electric cars would continue to benefit the market over the forecast period.Explore Full Report Description At@The recharging stations in Europe is still not developed to support the growing sales of electric cars in the region. There were more than 20,000 recharging stations in the region in 2013, most of them installed by public sector utilities. The recharging stations are growing but still focused in the key European cities. Moreover, the deployment of the recharging stations is uneven with negligible stations in the eastern European countries. Fast rollout of recharging stations would be an important factor for the electric car industry in this region.The competition in the European market is expected to increase in future, with leading car manufacturers planning to replace their conventional cars with the electric ones. Country regulations such as banning fossil fuel powered vehicles in heavy polluted areas are also encouraging the car companies to shift towards electric cars. For instance, Volkswagon has plans to increase the share of its electric cars to 20-25% by 2025.Make Enquiry Before Buying the Report@Some of the major players in the European electric car market includes big international car manufacturing companies such as General Motors, Volvo, Nissan, Mercedes, Toyota.About P&S IntelligenceP&S Intelligence, a brand of P&S Market Research, is a provider of market research and consulting services catering to the market information needs of burgeoning industries across the world. Providing the plinth of market intelligence, P&S as an enterprising research and consulting company, believes in providing thorough landscape analyses on the ever-changing market scenario, to empower companies to make informed decisions and base their business strategies with astuteness.Contact:P&S IntelligenceToll-free: +1-888-778-7886 (USA/Canada)International: +1-347-960-6455Email: enquiry@psmarketresearch.comWeb:Linear Actuators Market Report 2017-2027 | Duff-Norton, Helix Linear Technologies, Inc., Altra Industrial Motion, Tolomatic, Inc., Fabco-Air, Inc., Actuonix Motion Devices

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"The Latest Research Report Linear Actuators Market: Global Industry Analysis 2012-2016 and Opportunity Assessment 2017-2027 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants.  MarketResearchReports.bizLinear actuators assist in converting energy into straight line motions, generally for positioning applications. Most of the linear actuators are either mechanical or electro-mechanical devices that provide controlled movement and positioning. These actuators are primarily used in industrial machinery, computer peripherals, valves, and many other places where linear motion is required. A typical linear actuator generally produces push and pull action. As most processes across a variegated range of industries gets automated, the global linear actuators market is expected to expand with an impressive CAGR throughout the forecast period.Linear ActuatorsMarket: Drivers & RestraintsThe major factors boosting the growth of linear actuators market is rising automation across manufacturing industry. Industrial objectives such as achieving complete factory automation, and integrating Industrial Internet of Things are some of the prime reasons that will drive more demand for linear actuators. While, rising industrialization particularly in the third world countries is another factor that will drive the demand in the global linear actuators market, on the backdrop of increasing number of factories. As the number of research studies conducted increases, demand for telescopic actuators is expected to increase significantly. Also as companies overcome their legacy systems to achieve higher efficiency, and replace existing actuators with new ones, demand for linear actuators is expected to rise. Furthermore, as an increasing number of industrial process adopt self-control and positioning demand in the linear actuators market is expected to continuously rise.Get Sample Copy of this report @However, as concerns regarding employment rises among most countries on the backdrop of increasing automation in factories, demand for linear actuators might get sluggish over the end years of the forecast period. Adoption of 3D printing in many industries is another factor that will restrain the demand for linear actuators, as usage of machines will decrease.Linear ActuatorsMarket: Market SegmentationThe Linear Actuators Market is segmented into two parts based on operation type and end use industry:Based on operation mechanism, the linear actuator market is segmented into:MechanicalHydraulicPneumaticPiezoelectricElectro-mechanical actuatorsBased on End Use Industry, the linear actuator market is segmented into:AutomotiveMedical/HealthcareEnergy and Mining,SteelConstructionMilitaryChemicalOthersLinear Actuators Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, linear actuators market has been categorized into seven key regions including North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.A prominent share of the demand for linear actuators comes from North America, and the region is expected to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period. Furthermore, with more inclination towards shifting manufacturing in US from China and other ASEAN countries, demand for linear actuators will further rise in the region. Asia Pacific Exc. Japan is another prominent shareholder in terms of demand for linear actuators, amid, large manufacturing sector of China. Moreover, with India and Indonesia picking up at a fast pace, demand for linear actuators is expected to expand with a bullish growth rate over the forecast period. Being home to large automotive and research base companies, Western Europe is another prominent region generating huge demand for linear actuators. Eastern Europe is also expected to generate descent demand for linear actuators, particularly from energy and defense sector. Rising industrialization and the already dominant oil and gas industry of Middle East and Africa is the prime reason driving automation in the Middle Eastern region. Thus driving more demand for linear actuators. Japan is another prominent industrial nation, which drives demand for linear actuators, due to high automation penetration in their industries coupled with growing semiconductor industry of the region.Linear Actuators Market: Key PlayersSome of the players identified in Global Linear Actuators market are:-Duff-NortonHelix Linear Technologies, Inc.Altra Industrial MotionTolomatic, Inc.Fabco-Air, Inc.Actuonix Motion DevicesTusk Direct, Inc.Bishop-Wisecarver CorporationBEI Kimco MagneticsBurr Engineering & Development CompanyDel-Tron Precision, Inc.Rollon India Pvt. Ltd.The global woodworking machines market is highly fragmented due to the presence of large number of regional and global players. Regional players choose quality service and competitive pricing as their winning strategy over global players. In response to this, global players are largely involved in merger & acquisition and partnership activities in order to enhance their profitability margin and market share.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Antidiabetics Market Business Growth Statistics and Key Players Insights: Takeda Pharmaceutical, Sanofi Aventis, Eli Lilly, Oramed Pharmaceuticals Inc

Antidiabetics Market

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Crystal Market Research has announced the addition of "Antidiabetics Market By Product (long Acting, Premixed Insulin, Intermediate Acting, Rapid Acting, Premixed Analog, Short Acting, Biguanides, Sulphonylureas, Alpha-glucosidase Inhibitors, Dpp-4 Inhibitors, Thiazolidinedione, Glp-1 Agonist, Meglitinides And Sglt-2) And Application (type I Diabetes And Type Ii Diabetes) - Global Industry Analysis And Forecast To 2023" Market Research report to their database.Competitive InsightsThe leading players in the market are Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Pfizer, Sanofi, Novo Nordisk, Boehringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Company, Merck & Co and Oramed Pharmaceuticals Inc. The major players in the market are profiled in detail in view of qualities, for example, company portfolio, business strategies, financial overview, recent developments, and share of the overall industry.TOP MOST PLAYERS: Takeda Pharmaceutical Sanofi Aventis Eli Lilly Oramed Pharmaceuticals Inc. Boehringer Ingelheim Merck & Co. Inc Bristol-Myers Squibb Novo Nordisk Pfizer Halozyme TherapeuticsGet your Sample Report Copy @Industry Outlook and Trend AnalysisAntidiabetics Market was worth USD 40.56 billion in 2014 and is expected to reach approximately USD 99.22 billion by 2023, while registering itself at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.45% during the forecast period. Developing aged populace alongside raising diabetes commonness over the globe should drive the antidiabetics market. As per WHO, diabetes will be among the main sources of death by 2030 which represents a significant burden on the healthcare systems. These aspects will positively affect the worldwide use of insulin and additionally different antidiabetics including DPP-4 and GLP-1 over the gauge time frame. Leading sedentary lifestyle will add to expanding levels of obese populace over the world. Increasing consumption of tobacco, raised cholesterol levels and high blood pressure are major factors related with obesity and diabetes quickening the interest for insulin and other antidiabetic products in the upcoming years. Various campaigns for awareness and education programs composed by associations and diabetes societies to build awareness levels and provide information about diabetes control will drive industry extension.Market ClassificationAntidiabetics Market, By Product Long Acting Premixed Insulin Intermediate Acting Rapid Acting Premixed Analog Short Acting Biguanides Sulphonylureas Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibitors DPP-4 Inhibitors Thiazolidinedione GLP-1 Agonist Meglitinides SGLT-2Antidiabetics Market, By Application Type I Diabetes Type II DiabetesAntidiabetics Market, By Region North America (United States, Canada and Mexico) Europe (Germany, UK, France, Russia, Italy, Rest of Europe) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, South Korea, India, Southeast Asia, Rest of Asia-Pacific) South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, Rest of South America) Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, Rest of MEA)Regional Outlook and Trend AnalysisThe United States antidiabetics market represented biggest regional share in 2016 inferable from high predominance of diabetes in the nation. Increasing aged populace, expanding obesity, adopting unhealthy habits and absence of physical movement are the significant hazard factors for the expanding diabetes commonness adding to ascend sought after for insulin and other hostile to diabetic product over the coming couple of years. Germany antidiabetics market will encounter a hearty development over the conjecture time frame because of rising predominance of sort II diabetes which additionally results to expanded usage rate of antidiabetics in the nation.To Get info on this Report, Do Enquiry Here @FEATURES OF THE REPORT:1. The analysis of Antidiabetics market, their Growth, Demand, position, size and share from different regions are mentioned in detailed.2. The key players in the market and their share in the global market are discussed.3. The new strategic plan and suggestions that will help old as well as new market players to maintain the competitiveness are also discussed.4. The Antidiabetics market report provides some important points related to growth factors, challenges, opportunities, end-user analysis and achievement and so on.ContinuedTable of Contents:-1. Introduction1.1. Report Description1.2. Research Methodology1.2.1. Secondary Research1.2.2. Primary Research2. Executive Summary2.1. Key Highlights3. Market Overview3.1. Introduction3.1.1. Market Definition3.1.2. Market Segmentation3.2. Market Dynamics3.2.1. Drivers3.2.2. Restraints3.2.3. Opportunities4. Market Analysis by Regions4.1. North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)4.1.1. United States Market States and Outlook (2014-2023)4.1.2. Canada Market States and Outlook (2014-2023)4.1.3. Mexico Market States and Outlook (2014-2023)4.2. Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Rest of Europe)4.2.1. Germany Market States and Outlook (2014-2023)4.2.2. France Market States and Outlook (2014-2023)4.2.3. UK Market States and Outlook (2014-2023)4.2.4. Russia Market States and Outlook (2014-2023)4.2.5. Italy Market States and Outlook (2014-2023)4.2.6. Rest of Europe Market States and Outlook (2014-2023)4.3. Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Rest of Asia-Pacific)4.3.1. China Market States and Outlook (2014-2023)4.3.2. Japan Market States and Outlook (2014-2023)4.3.3. Korea Market States and Outlook (2014-2023)4.3.4. India Market States and Outlook (2014-2023)4.3.5. Rest of Asia-Pacific Market States and Outlook (2014-2023)4.4. South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Rest of South America)4.4.1. Brazil Market States and Outlook (2014-2023)4.4.2. Argentina Market States and Outlook (2014-2023)4.4.3. Columbia Market States and Outlook (2014-2023)4.4.4. Rest of South America Market States and Outlook (2014-2023)4.5. Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Rest of MEA)4.5.1. Saudi Arabia Market States and Outlook (2014-2023)4.5.2. UAE Market States and Outlook (2014-2023)4.5.3. Egypt Market States and Outlook (2014-2023)4.5.4. Nigeria Market States and Outlook (2014-2023)4.5.5. South Africa Market States and Outlook (2014-2023)4.5.6. Rest of MEA Market States and Outlook (2014-2023)5. Antidiabetics Market, By Product5.1. Introduction5.2. Global Antidiabetics Revenue and Market Share by Product (2014-2018)5.2.1. Global Antidiabetics Revenue and Revenue Share by Product (2014-2018)5.3. Long Acting5.3.1. Global Long Acting Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2018)5.4. Premixed Insulin5.4.1. Global Premixed Insulin Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2018)5.5. Intermediate Acting5.5.1. Global Intermediate Acting Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2018)5.6. Rapid Acting5.6.1. Global Rapid Acting Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2018)5.7. Premixed Analog5.7.1. Global Premixed Analog Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2018)5.8. Short Acting5.8.1. Global Short Acting Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2018)5.9. Biguanides5.9.1. Global Biguanides Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2018)5.10. Sulphonylureas5.10.1. Global Sulphonylureas Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2018)5.11. Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibitors5.11.1. Global Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibitors Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2018)5.12. DPP-4 Inhibitors5.12.1. Global DPP-4 Inhibitors Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2018)5.13. Thiazolidinedione5.13.1. Global Thiazolidinedione Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2018)5.14. GLP-1 Agonist5.14.1. Global GLP-1 Agonist Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2018)5.15. Meglitinides5.15.1. Global Meglitinides Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2018)5.16. SGLT-25.16.1. Global SGLT-2 Revenue and Growth Rate (2014-2018)CONTINUED FOR TOCGet The Best Discounts Offer of This Report @About Crystal Market Research:-Crystal Market Research helps various companies irrespective of big or small in growth financing, strategy to enter the market, market research, mergers and acquisitions, strategic consulting and capital investment. Our expertise and knowledge in materials, products and manufacturing industries have assisted our client base to make the appropriate equation for measurable lucrative results. Crystal Market Researchs regional and global market intelligence coverage comprises of industry segments such as chemicals and materials, pharmaceutical, food and beverages, technology and media, and consumer goods, amongst many others.Contact Us:Judy304 South Jones Blvd, Suite 1896,Las Vegas NV 89107,United StatesToll Free: +1-888-213-4282Email: sales@crystalmarketresearch.comCompanies Profiled in U.S. Compounding Pharmacies Market are B. Braun Medical, Cantrell Drug Company, Inc., Clinigen Group

U.S. Compounding Pharmacies Market

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Growing demand for compounded medicine will serve to be a key factor that will drive the U.S. compounding pharmacies market growth. Convenience and benefits offered by compounding pharmacies such as ability to compound medications that are not produced commercially or formulate liquid doses for patient with difficulty in swallowing pills will increase the adoption of compounded drugs. Customized medication prepared by compounding pharmacies can thus provide better health outcomes for majority of patients, thereby augmenting the compounding pharmacies industry size.Request for a sample of this research report @Oral segment dominated the U.S. compounding pharmacies product segment with more than USD 1.4 billion revenue in 2017. The high market value is attributable to increasing demand for oral medication in the treatment of pain management. Furthermore, growing preference for liquid oral medication over other dosage forms due to associated convenience and ease of administration, especially among the pediatric and geriatric patient population will foster segmental growth.Critical and fatal healthcare related infections caused due to maladministration of adulterated compounded medication may have a negative influence on the industry growth. In October 2012 for example, the United States encountered the most severe outbreak associated with contaminated compounded drugs, as a pharmacy in Massachusetts dispatched compounded drugs contaminated with fungus throughout the nation, which were later injected into patients joints and spines. As per reports, more than 750 people in 20 states developed fungal infections, and more than 60 people died. The U.S. FDA, since then, has been extra vigilant and rather proactive with regards to mandating norms for ensuring that contaminated compounded drugs are not circulated among the masses.Citing yet another instance, healthcare frauds associated with compounded drugs had become rather commonplace a few years back, In 2014 and 2015 for example, the United States Postal Service incurred USD 81.8 million in excessive workers compensation costs for compounded medications, attributed in part to fraud. In order to avoid such frauds and ensure patient safety, the U.S. FDA undertook a multipronged approach that involved enhancing information about compounded topical pain creams, inspecting compounding facilities, seeking input from medical professionals, and inspecting operations that not registered as outsourcing facilities.Company profiled in this report based on Business overview, Financial data, Product landscape, Strategic outlook & SWOT analysis: Braun Medical Fresenius Kabi Fagron Cantrell Drug Company, Inc. Clinigen Group Dougherty's Pharmacy, Inc. McKesson Corporation Nephron Pharmaceuticals Pentec Health PharMEDium Services Wells Pharmacy NetworkParenteral product segment held significant revenue share in 2017 and is estimated to witness a considerable CAGR of 5.3% owing to benefits offered by parenteral medication including rapid onset of action and quick localized drug delivery. Moreover, growing demand for compounded parenteral nutrition (PN) such as two-in-one compounded PN, two premixed chamber PN and three premixed chamber PN will spur the market size over the forecast period. However, requirement of skilled persons for administration and stringent regulations may limit the segmental growth.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @Pharmaceutical ingredient alteration (PIA) segment accounted for USD 1.7 billion in 2017 and is estimated to show robust growth during the forthcoming years. Individuals allergic to a common preservative or additive require hypoallergenic versions of drugs that are commercially unavailable. This will increase the demand for drugs compounded by altering certain pharmaceutical ingredients thereby propelling the business growth.U.S. compounding pharmacies market, by pharmacy type 503A compounding pharmacy 503B compounding pharmacyU.S. compounding pharmacies market, by sterility Sterile Non-sterileGlobal Market Insights Inc. is a global market research and management consulting company catering to leading corporations, non-profit organizations, universities and government institutions. Our main goal is to assist and partner organizations to make lasting strategic improvements and realize growth targets. Our industry research reports are designed to provide granular quantitative information, combined with key industry insights, aimed at assisting sustainable organizational developmentGlobal Market Insights, Inc.4 North Main StreetSelbyville, Delaware 19975 USAPhone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email:sales@gminsights.comGlobal Soil Amendment Market Top Key Players: BASF SE, Syngenta AG, Novozymes A/S, DOW Chemical Company, Adeka Corporation, Solvay S.A., Akzo Nobel N.V.

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The Soil Amendment market was valued at Million US$ in 2017 and is projected to reach Million US$ by 2025, at a CAGR of during the forecast period. In this study, 2017 has been considered as the base year and 2018 to 2025 as the forecast period to estimate the market size for Soil Amendment.This study focuses on the production side and consumption side of Soil Amendment, presents the global Soil Amendment market size by manufacturers, regions, type and application, history breakdown data from 2013 to 2018, and forecast to 2025.In terms of production side, this report researches the Soil Amendment capacity, production, value, ex-factory price, growth rate, market share for major manufacturers, regions (or countries) and product type.In terms of consumption side, this report focuses on the consumption of Soil Amendment by regions and application. The key regions like North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Central & South America, Middle East and Africa etc.This report includes the following manufacturers; we can also add the other companies as you want.BASF SESyngenta AGNovozymes A/SDOW Chemical CompanyAdeka CorporationSolvay S.A.Akzo Nobel N.V.Evonik Industries AGEastman Chemical CompanyVantage Specialty Chemicals, Inc.Clariant International AGCroda International PLCMarket Segment by Product TypeNaturalSyntheticMarket Segment by ApplicationAgriculturalIndustrialRequest Sample Copy of Report@Market size split by RegionNorth AmericaAsia-PacificEuropeCentral & South AmericaMiddle East & AfricaGet the full report details atBenefits of Purchasing QY Research Report Analyst Support: Get you query resolved from our expert analysts before and after purchasing the reportCustomer's Satisfaction: Our expert team will assist with all your research needs and customize the report Inimitable Expertise: Analysts will provide deep insights about the reports Assured Quality: We focus on the quality and accuracy of the reportAsk for Discount on Research Report@About Us:QYResearch always pursuits high product quality with the belief that quality is the soul of business. Through years of effort and supports from huge number of customer supports, QYResearch consulting group has accumulated creative design methods on many high-quality markets investigation and research team with rich experience. Today, QYResearch has become the brand of quality assurance in consulting industry.Contact US:QY Research, INC.17890 Castleton,Suite 218,City of industry, CA  91748USA: +1 626 295 2442Email: enquiry@qyresearch.comWeb:Reinsurance Market Expected to Reach US$ 364.59 Bn by 2026

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According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research titled Reinsurance Market  Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2018  2026, the global reinsurance market was valued at US$ 241.14 Bn in 2017 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.7% from 2018 to 2026, reaching a value of US$ 364.59 Bn by the end of the forecast period. According to the report, North America was a significant contributor to the reinsurance market in terms of revenue in 2017. The prominent market share of the region is due to the favorable regulatory environment and growth in property catastrophe protection in the reinsurance market across the region, especially in the U.S. and Canada.reinsurance marketRequest a Sample -Favorable regulatory environment and growth in property catastrophe protection driving the global reinsurance marketThe global reinsurance market is currently driven by a favorable regulatory environment. Growing focus on sustainable growth has led to the relaxation in government rules globally. For instance, in September 2018, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) approved revised reinsurance regulations in India. The core purpose behind revamping the regulations is that the maximum reinsurance business is held inside the nation and preference would be given to Indian domiciled entities. In 2016, the new SSN (Superintendence of Insurance) authorities removed the regulations which set minimum limits of insurers in projects involving small and medium enterprise. The new regulation now defines only maximum limits. Current regulatory variations are pushing the market to have fewer number of highly capitalized insurance companies. There are a large number of local players that need more capital to play in niche markets. Subsequently, demand for financial reinsurance is expected to increase in the coming years. Furthermore, increasing activity of foreign reinsurers in the global reinsurance market is contributing significantly to the growth of the market. Thus, increasing regulatory oversight initiatives is expected to enhance reinsurance penetration, as they are expected to promote self-assurance in the insurance industry. Therefore, a favorable regulatory environment is expected to have a long term impact on the reinsurance market. Growing number of such favorable regulations by several government entities are expected to boost the reinsurance market in the coming years. Demand for property catastrophe protection is expected to contribute significantly to insurance renewals, provisioning any material reinsured loss. Furthermore, industries such as aviation, marine, automotive, healthcare, and agriculture are expected to show huge growth due to the high insurance penetration combined with the need to guard high value assets. Moreover, occurrence of natural calamities is encouraging individuals to avail reinsurance. Lack of disposable income is one of the major factors limiting the market growth. However, rising economic activities across the globe is expected to enhance investment in the insurance sector in the near future. The impact of this restraint is expected to remain low in the coming years.Reinsurance Market: Scope of the ReportBased on distribution channel, the global reinsurance market has been segmented into direct writing and broker. The broker segment is expected to expand at a higher CAGR, thus becoming the leading revenue generating segment by 2026. This is primarily because of increase in number of brokers, especially across North America and Europe. Based on end-user, the global reinsurance market has been segmented into life & health reinsurance companies and non-life/property & casualty reinsurance companies. Furthermore, based on region, the global reinsurance market has been segmented into North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, South America, and Middle East & Africa.Get Customize Report@Global Reinsurance Market: Competitive DynamicsKey players operating in the global reinsurance market include Barents Re Reinsurance, Inc., Berkshire Hathaway Inc., BMS Group Ltd., China Reinsurance (Group) Corporation, Everest Re Group, Ltd., Hannover Re, IRB-Brasil Resseguros S.A., Lloyd's, Munich Re, Odyssey Reinsurance, PartnerRe, Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated, SCOR SE, and Swiss RE Group.About Us:-We are leaders in analytics, research, and advisory services for Fortune 500 companies, scores of high potential startups, and financial institutions. Our success stories have proven why we are a preeminent provider of cutting-edge syndicated and customized research services. Leverage the best of our seasoned research analysts who hold a keen interest and enviable expertise of almost 4 million hours in global, regional, and local market intelligence.Contact Us:-Transpareny Market ResearchU.S. OFFICE:State Tower, 90 State Street, Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207, United StatesPhone: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comTelehealth Market Business Growth Statistics and Key Players Insights: Koninklijke Philips N.V., Medtronic plc, Tunstall Healthcare Group Ltd, McKesson Corporation, Medvivo Group Ltd., AMD Global Telemedicine, Inc.

Telehealth Market

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Telehealth Market with 100+ market data Tables, Pie Chat, Graphs & Figures spread through Pages and easy to understand detailed analysis. At present, the market is developing its presence. The Research report presents a complete assessment of the Market and contains a future trend, current growth factors, attentive opinions, facts, and industry validated market data. The research study provides estimates for 2018-2026 Telehealth Market Forecast till 2026*.Telehealth helps in improving relationship between patients and healthcare provider for enhanced patient care and satisfaction. Telehealth provides medical expertise in quick and convenient manner, and at reduced cost. Using telehealth, healthcare professionals can advise patients at their homes and workplaces. Physicians can also treat their patients from hospitals, medical facilities or from other places of work including their own homes or even during vacation as long as they are connected through the Internet.Download PDF Brochure of This Business Research Report:Increasing number of geriatric population, higher incidences of non-communicable disease such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, Alzheimers disease, cancer, diabetics, and other mental health problems which require prolonged treatment would aid in growth of the telehealth market in near future. The nature of most non-communicable disease (NCDs) requires well-integrated healthcare system to treat chronic healthcare conditions. Moreover the challenges faced to meet required healthcare professionals, financial and infrastructure resources further can be addressed effectively through telehealth market. The 2016 Physician Supply and Demand Report, released by Association of American Medical College (AAMC), projects the significant physician shortfall in the U.S. between 2014 and 2025, in the range of 61,700 to 94,700.Increasing prevalence of chronic disease with rising healthcare expenditures and high adoption of health IT infrastructure to support telehealth initiatives are also expected to further boost growth of the telehealth market. Veterans Health Administration (VHA) - the largest integrated health care system in the U.S. uses multiple types of telehealth interventions, which provides both routine and targeted care management services. The 2017 finding from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), stated that telehealth and telemedicine payments increased by 28% and claims increased by 33% in 2016, over the year 2015.However, lack of trained professionals in remote areas, privacy and information security concerns, and low availability of telecommunication bandwidth are the major factors adversely affecting growth of the telehealth market.According to the 2016 Broadband Progress Report from Federal Communications Commission, around 40% of rural Americans still lack access to broadband Internet. Furthermore, according to the 5G Readiness Survey 2017, by Ericsson AB, 78% respondents of IT decision makers from all major verticals including healthcare have accelerated their plans to incorporate 5G into their IT infrastructure.Increased adaptation of telehealth will significantly decrease the dependency on hospitals, and enable accessibility to proper healthcare services from home. A report published in March 2017, by NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association stated that, telemedicine could save thousand dollars per year in healthcare and community costs, thereby, reducing significant cost spent on transportation, medical facility, labor wages, and lab cost.The new CONNECT (Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies) for Health Act, introduced in June 2017, will promote cost savings and improve quality care in Medicare through telehealth and remote patient monitoring, in the U.S. The new act will provide efficient healthcare services to Medicare beneficiaries through telemedicine and remote patient monitoring (RPM). In addition, the act permits the use of remote patient monitoring for patients suffering with chronic conditions. In 2017, Southwest Telehealth Resource Center (SWTRC), received US$ 975,000 cooperative agreement grant from the Federal Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (OAT). Such grants will help in adoption of telehealth programs in hospitals, clinic, and public health offices in the underserved areas in the U.S.Request For Customization Of This Business Research Report:Competitive AnalysisSome of the key players operating in the telehealth market include Koninklijke Philips N.V., Medtronic plc, Tunstall Healthcare Group Ltd, McKesson Corporation, Medvivo Group Ltd., AMD Global Telemedicine, Inc., Vidyo, Inc., Cisco Systems, Inc., Care Innovations, LLC, Honeywell Life Care Solutions, and General Electric Company.Telehealth market Taxonomy:On the basis of component, the global telehealth market is segmented into:HardwareSoftwareServicesOn the basis of mode of delivery type, the global telehealth market is segmented into:On-premiseCloud basedOn the basis of end-user, the global telehealth market is segmented into:Telehealth ProvidersPatientsOther end-usersAbout 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Aluminum Foil Packaging Market 2019: Trends and Market Shares, Analysis by Major Key Players like Amcor , China Hongqiao Group, United Company RUSAL, Ess Dee Aluminium, Alufoil Products, Nicholl Food Packaging, etc

The global market for global aluminum foil packaging market is expected to grow at ~4.5% CAGR

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Aluminum Foil Packaging Market, By Packaging Type (Rigid and Flexible), By Application (Food & Beverages, Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics, Others) By End-User (Bags & Pouches, Wraps & Rolls, Blisters, Laminated Tubes, and Trays) and by Region - Forecast To 2023The global market for global aluminum foil packaging market is expected to grow at ~4.5% CAGR.Key PlayersThe key players of global aluminum foil packaging market includes Amcor Ltd. (Australia), China Hongqiao Group Limited (China), United Company RUSAL Plc. (Russia), Ess Dee Aluminium Ltd (India), Alufoil Products Pvt. Ltd. (India), Nicholl Food Packaging (U.K.), Wyda Packaging (Pty) LTD (South Africa), Penny Plate, LLC (U.S.), Alcoa Corporation (U.S.), Novelis Inc. (U.S.) and others.Get Sample Report @Market HighlightsThe global aluminum foil packaging market is a progressing market and is expected to witness high growth over the forecast period. The growth of aluminum foil packaging market is influenced by long-term air quality and climate goals. Some of the key drivers for aluminum foil packaging market are significant growth in packaging industries, coupled with innovative packaging and excellent barrier properties. The market demand for aluminum foil packaging will continue to grow due to lightweight, flexibility, durability, and the superior barrier properties of aluminum than plastic and glass. Lightweight packaging is becoming increasingly popular among the consumers as it helps in the significant reduction of transportation and carriage costs, leading to increased profits. Moreover, the high perception of sustainable packaging, among end-users, plays an important role in the growth of the aluminum foil packaging market.Market Research Analysis:The development of new and diversified technologies creates exciting opportunities within the packaging industry. Growing emphasis on consumer convenience and eco-friendly packaging as well as market expansion in emerging economies, provide new opportunities in the aluminum foil packaging market. High competition from substitute products, and lack of proper recycling processes in a number of countries, might restrain the market growth. The rapid growth of the cosmetics and toiletries market in the developing countries, is an attractive investment opportunity in the global aluminum foil packaging market.Scope of the reportThis study provides an overview of the global aluminum foil packaging market, tracking one market segment across four geographic regions. The report studies key players, providing a five-year annual trend analysis that highlights market size, volume and share for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC) and Rest of the World (ROW). The report also provides a forecast, focusing on the market opportunities for the next five years for each region. The scope of the study segments the global Aluminum Foil Packaging market by its product and region.By Packaging TypeRigidFlexibleBy ApplicationFood & BeveragesPharmaceuticalsCosmeticsOthersBy End-userBags & PouchesWraps & RollsBlistersLaminated TubesTraysBy RegionNorth AmericaAsia PacificEuropeRest of the WorldACCESS REPORT DETAI @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact:Market Research Future+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comBeijing's Chaoyang District People's Court sentenced former kindergarten teacher Liu Yanan to 18 months' jail for child abuse on Friday.

It also ordered that Liu be prohibited from working in child care for five years after finishing her sentence or being placed on parole.

Liu, who worked at the Beijing RYB kindergarten in the district's Xintiandi community, used needlelike objects to "discipline" four students in November 2017, "which brought physical and psychological damage to the children", the court said.

"Children are our future and their legitimate rights cannot be violated," it said. "Liu didn't shoulder her responsibility of looking after, protecting and educating students as a teacher, and her behavior has breached the Criminal Law."

Liu was detained on Dec 29 last year after the parents of four children - all aged around 3 - found needle marks on the children's bodies.

Prosecutors charged her with child abuse in May.

A citywide safety inspection of kindergartens was conducted once the case was exposed, with the Beijing Education Commission ordering all institutions to make immediate improvements and reduce potential risks.Global Plant Phenotyping Market Outlook to 2023  Lemnatec, Delta-T Devices Ltd., Saga Robotics, Heinz Walz, Phenospex, Keygene, Phenomix, SMO bvba, Cropdesign (BASF SE), Qubit Systems Inc.

Global Plant Phenotyping Market

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Global Plant Phenotyping Market to reach USD 288.2 billion by 2025. Global Plant Phenotyping Market valued approximately USD 113.4 billion in 2016 is anticipated to grow with a healthy growth rate of more than 10.92% over the forecast period 2018-2025. With the increasing population, the need to grow high-yielding crops for the fulfillment of food security needs has also increased. High frequency of extreme weather situations and global warming may affect livestock adversely. Thus, livestock like crop, forestry, and aquaculture productivity needs to be secured for future. Which is the major factor driving the growth of the Global Plant Phenotyping Market.Request for Sample of Global Plant Phenotyping Market 2018 Research Report:Furthermore, the requirement of new methodology and techniques to enhance productivity and quality of crop and to mitigate the risk by various environmental challenges are aiding to the growth of the market. Innovations in imaging techniques facilitate better assessment of plant characteristics for the development of better crop breeds suitable for the particular environment. Imaging techniques assist in detecting optical properties of plants by using various technologies like imaging spectroscopy, infrared imaging, fluorescence imaging, and visible light imaging, whose, data sorts from macroscopic to molecular scale. A phenotype refers to the composite of an organisms observable characteristics or traits, such as its morphology, development, biochemical or physiological properties, behavior, and products of behavior. A phenotype is a result produced by the expression of an organisms genetic code, its genotype, as well as the influence of environmental factors and the interactions between the two. The basic use of plant phenotype is to gain the knowledge of various plants and to utilize this knowledge for manufacturing crops that have high productivity and sustainability.The regional analysis of Global Plant Phenotyping Market is considered for the key regions such as Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America and Rest of the World. North America is the leading/significant region across the world in terms of market share. Whereas, owing to the countries such as China, Japan, and India, Asia Pacific region is anticipated to exhibit higher growth rate / CAGR over the forecast period 2018-2025.The objective of the study is to define market sizes of different segments & countries in recent years and to forecast the values to the coming eight years. The report is designed to incorporate both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the industry within each of the regions and countries involved in the study. Furthermore, the report also caters the detailed information about the crucial aspects such as driving factors & challenges which will define the future growth of the market. Additionally, the report shall also incorporate available opportunities in micro markets for stakeholders to invest along with the detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product offerings of key players.The detailed segments and sub-segment of the market are explained below:By Products: Equipment Software SensorsBy Services: Measurement Acquisition & Data Analysis Statistical AnalysisBy Regions: North America U.S. Canada Europe UK Germany Asia Pacific China India Japan Latin America Brazil Mexico Rest of the WorldFurthermore, years considered for the study are as follows:Grab Guaranteed Discount:Historical year  2015, 2016Base year  2017Forecast period  2018 to 2025The industry is seeming to be fairly competitive. Some of the leading market players include Lemnatec, Delta-T Devices Ltd., Saga Robotics, Heinz Walz, Phenospex, Keygene, Phenomix, SMO bvba, Cropdesign (BASF SE), Qubit Systems Inc. (Qubit Phenomics), Conviron, Photon Systems Instruments, WPS B.V., EarthSense, Inc., WIWAM, Rothamsted Research Limited, VBCF and so on. Acquisitions and effective mergers are some of the strategies adopted by the key manufacturers. New product launches and continuous technological innovations are the key strategies adopted by the major players.Target Audience of the Global Plant Phenotyping Market in Market Study: Key Consulting Companies & Advisors Large, medium-sized, and small enterprises Venture capitalists Value-Added Resellers (VARs) Third-party knowledge providers Investment bankers InvestorsTABLE OF CONTENTSChapter 1. Global Plant Phenotyping Market Definition and Scope1.1. Research Objective1.2. Market Definition1.3. Scope of The Study1.4. Years Considered for The Study1.5. Currency Conversion Rates1.6. Report LimitationChapter 2. Research Methodology2.1. Research Process2.1.1. Data Mining2.1.2. Analysis2.1.3. Market Estimation2.1.4. Validation2.1.5. Publishing2.2. Research AssumptionChapter 3. Executive Summary3.1. Global & Segmental Market Estimates & Forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)3.2. Key TrendsChapter 4. Global Plant Phenotyping Market Dynamics4.1. Growth Prospects4.1.1. Drivers4.1.2. Restraints4.1.3. Opportunities4.2. Industry Analysis4.2.1. Porters 5 Force Model4.2.2. PEST Analysis4.2.3. Value Chain Analysis4.3. Analyst Recommendation & ConclusionChapter 5. Global Plant Phenotyping Market, By Products5.1. Market Snapshot5.2. Market Performance  Potential Model5.3. Global Plant Phenotyping Market, Sub Segment Analysis5.3.1. Equipment5.3.1.1. Market estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)5.3.1.2. Regional breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)5.3.2. Software5.3.2.1. Market estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)5.3.2.2. Regional breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)5.3.2.3. Sub Segment breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Million)5.3.2.3.1 Image Analysis5.3.2.3.2 Data Acquisition5.3.2.3.3 System Control5.3.2.3.4 Other Software5.3.3. Sensors5.3.3.1. Market estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)5.3.3.2. Regional breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)5.3.3.3. Sub Segment breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Million)5.3.3.3.1 Image Sensors5.3.3.3.2 Ndvi Sensors5.3.3.3.3 Temperature Sensors5.3.3.3.4 Other SensorsChapter 6. Global Plant Phenotyping Market, By Services6.1. Market Snapshot6.2. Market Performance  Potential Model6.3. Global Plant Phenotyping Market, Sub Segment Analysis6.3.1. Measurement Acquisition & Data Analysis6.3.1.1. Market estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)6.3.1.2. Regional breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)6.3.2. Statistical Analysis6.3.2.1. Market estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)6.3.2.2. Regional breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)Chapter 7. Global Plant Phenotyping Market, by Regional Analysis7.1. Plant Phenotyping Market, Regional Market Snapshot (2015-2025)7.2. North America Plant Phenotyping Market Snapshot7.2.1. U.S.7.2.1.1. Market estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.2.1.2. Products breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.2.1.3. Services breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.2.2. Canada7.2.2.1. Market estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.2.2.2. Products breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.2.2.3. Services breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.3. Europe Plant Phenotyping Market Snapshot7.3.1. U.K.7.3.1.1. Market estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.3.1.2. Products breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.3.1.3. Services breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.3.2. Germany7.3.2.1. Market estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.3.2.2. Products breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.3.2.3. Services breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.3.3. France7.3.3.1. Market estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.3.3.2. Products breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.3.3.3. Services breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.3.4. Rest of Europe7.3.4.1. Market estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.3.4.2. Products breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.3.4.3. Services breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.4. Asia Plant Phenotyping Market Snapshot7.4.1. China7.4.1.1. Market estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.4.1.2. Products breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.4.1.3. Services breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.4.2. India7.4.2.1. Market estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.4.2.2. Products breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.4.2.3. Services breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.4.3. Japan7.4.3.1. Market estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.4.3.2. Products breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.4.3.3. Services breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.4.4. Rest of Asia Pacific7.4.4.1. Market estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.4.4.2. Products breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.4.4.3. Services breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.5. Latin America Plant Phenotyping Market Snapshot7.5.1. Brazil7.5.1.1. Market estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.5.1.2. Products breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.5.1.3. Services breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.5.2. Mexico7.5.2.1. Market estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.5.2.2. Products breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.5.2.3. Services breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.6. Rest of The World7.6.1. South America7.6.1.1. Market estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.6.1.2. Products breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.6.1.3. Services breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.6.2. Middle East and Africa7.6.2.1. Market estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.6.2.2. Products breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)7.6.2.3. Services breakdown estimates & forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)Chapter 8. Competitive Intelligence8.1. Company Market Share (Subject to Data Availability)8.2. Top Market Strategies8.3. Company Profiles8.3.1. Lemnatec8.3.1.1. Overview8.3.1.2. Financial (Subject to Data Availability)8.3.1.3. Product Summary8.3.1.4. Recent Developments8.3.2. Delta-T Devices Ltd.8.3.3. Saga Robotics8.3.4. Heinz Walz8.3.5. Phenospex8.3.6. Keygene8.3.7. Phenomix8.3.8. SMO bvba8.3.9. Cropdesign (BASF SE)8.3.10. Qubit Systems Inc. (Qubit Phenomics)8.3.11. Conviron8.3.12. Photon Systems Instruments8.3.13. WPS B.V.8.3.14. EarthSense, Inc.8.3.15. WIWAM8.3.16. Rothamsted Research Limited8.3.17. VBCFResearch 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 worldwide.#766, 99 Wall Street, New YorkNY 10005, United StatesThe Clark County 911 center was down Thursday night, and The Columbian newspaper reported that the outages appeared to be affecting 911 services statewide.

The Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency announced the outage at 8:30 p.m., hours after some residents couldnt get through amid a CenturyLink telephone service outage. CenturyLink has said that it expects its services to be back up within four hours.

To reach dispatchers for any time of emergency, call 360-693-3111.

Washington residents can also call 311 or text 911.

This problem has affected all carriers, not just CenturyLink.UPDATE: The employees have been fired.

Jermaine Massey has publicly called on the DoubleTree in Portlands Lloyd District to account for why he was approached -- and subsequently kicked out -- of the hotel when he was a guest there.

The hotel has requested a private discussion, but Mr. Massey was publicly humiliated, said a release from Masseys attorneys. Therefore, he demands a public statement response.

Massey, 34, was on the phone with his mother Sunday after a Travis Scott concert at the Moda Center when a white security guard approached him and interrupted his call to ask if he was a guest at the hotel. When Massey said he was, the guard continued to ask what room number he was in.

Massey said when he tried to cut off the interaction because he was on the phone, the guard then had a manager call Portland police to remove Massey from the premises.

Much of the event was recorded on Masseys phone. He also posted a series of videos that recount his experience immediately after the incident when he then booked a room at the Sheraton near the Portland airport.

Now, Massey says he was guilty simply of calling his mother while black. The phrase references similar incidents in which white people have called the police on black people for innocuous behavior. An Oregon lawmaker was the target of one of these incidents when a white woman called the police on Janelle Bynum for canvassing in her neighborhood.

Nationally, Masseys case has caught attention for similar comparisons. Black people have had to interact with police because they barbecued in a park or tried to walk into their own apartment buildings.

In some cases, those kind of interactions can be deadly.

In the police report, Massey is described as very angry and officers say he yelled. In the videos, he sounds upset but complied with police orders.

This was a real incident where I couldve gone to jail if I responded in a different way, Massey said in his Instagram video recounting the night.

Massey was not charged with any crimes, but he was told both by hotel staff and Portland police that if he didnt pack up his bags from his room and leave the property, he would be charged with trespassing. One of the officers who escorted him from the DoubleTree offered him a ride to another hotel, but Massey said in a statement Thursday that he didnt want to leave the hotel in the back of a police car because he did nothing wrong.

It just goes to show you that racism is still alive and well, Massey said in the Instagram video. Its sad that people have to go through these things. Im not the first, and Im not the last. But I will not stand for injustice.

Massey now has retained Portland lawyers Greg and Jason Kafoury. They released two questions they want the management of DoubleTree to answer:

"1. As the video shows, the incident took place in a quiet corner of the hotel lobby which was open to the public. At the time, Mr. Massey was returning a personal phone call from his mother who lives on the East Coast. Why was Mr. Massey approached by security? Why was he interrogated?

2. The security guard told Mr. Massey that he was a threat to security, a statement echoed by the hotel chains press release which states, Safety and security of our guests and associates is our top priority. Please explain in detail in what manner Mr. Massey was a threat to safety or security.

Hotel management told the police officers that security guard Earl Meyers was tasked with asking people in the lobby if they were guests of the hotel, according to a police report.

In the videos, Meyers says that he called police to remove Massey because he was loitering, despite Massey holding his room key card.

The general manager of the DoubleTree, Paul Peralta, said in a statement Monday that the whole incident was a misunderstanding.

Safety and security of our guests and associates is our top priority at the Doubletree by Hilton Portland, Peralta said in a statement. This unfortunate incident is likely the result of a misunderstanding between our hotel and guest. We are sorry that this matter ended the way it did. We are place of public accommodation and do not discriminate against any individuals or groups.

However, Massey said he felt singled out because he was black and was wearing a black hoodie with jeans and sneakers.

He showed in the video in which he was sitting in the lobby -- alone, in a bank of comfortable chairs, away from the crush of guests milling through the main entrance area.

This was the first time the Kent, Washington, resident had visited Portland.UPDATE: The employees have been fired.

DoubleTree Portland, the Hilton-owned hotel under fire for evicting a black guest who was talking to his mother in the lobby, has placed a security guard and manager on leave during a review of the incident.

We sincerely apologize to Mr. Massey for his treatment this past weekend, and deeply regret the experience he endured," the hotel said a statement. "It was unacceptable and contrary to our values, beliefs and how we seek to treat all people who visit our hotel.

Jermaine Massey, 34, was in Portland for the first time to see a concert at the Moda Center on Sunday. Afterward, he retreated to a quiet corner of the hotel lobby to take a call from his mother before heading up to his room. In the lobby, he was interrupted when a security guard asked him whether he was a guest. He said he was and held the key card to his room in his hand, but the guard wanted to know his room number.

Massey declined to give it, which set off a tense confrontation as the guard asked a manager to call police to kick Massey out of the hotel.

Jermaine Massey, 34, was kicked out of the DoubleTree hotel near the Lloyd Center despite being a guest. The Kent, Washington, resident says he was targeted because of his race.

The incident was captured in a series of videos Massey took on his phone. He also recounted his experience on Instagram afterward. Both those videos have since been removed from Instagram, and his account was made private. Massey released some of the videos to The Oregonian/OregonLive on Thursday.

Portland police escorted Massey to his hotel room to gather his belongings and leave the hotel. A police officer told him that he could be charged with trespassing if he resisted leaving.

At first, DoubleTree general manager Paul Peralta responded to the incident in a statement that called it a misunderstanding and said that he was concerned with the safety and security of guests.

Massey, through his lawyers, rejected the statement because he said it implies he was a threat, despite the fact he was sitting alone speaking on the phone. Massey said he was guilty of calling his mother while black.

On Friday, DoubleTree backtracked and said that hotel management has requested a third-party investigation of whether the hotel staff followed internal processes, protocols and trainings.

We have a zero-tolerance stance on discrimination of any kind, and do not tolerate behavior of that nature, said the statement.

Massey, through his lawyers, again said that the response is inadequate.

We are not interested in public relations gestures, said a statement. We want public answers to these questions.

The statement again reiterated the demand for DoubleTree to explain why Massey was questioned in the first place.

This story has caught the public imagination because it presents all the ugliest elements of racial profiling in modern America: the arrogance of power, the disrespect for the dignity of black Americans and the hollowness of corporate response to casual corporate racism, said lawyer Gregory Kafoury.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler commented on the incident via Twitter. It is deeply troubling to hear about Mr. Masseys experience with discrimination, Wheeler wrote. No one should be treated this way, and I hope this serves as a catalyst for necessary changes that address the systemic nature of discrimination of all forms.The former Clackamas County Sheriffs Office detective who retired in 2015 after a sergeant accused him of ignoring rape and child sex abuse allegations died Wednesday, his brother said in a Facebook post.

Jeff Green was convicted last year of two misdemeanors for failing to investigate reports of child abuse. Green had cancer, according to his brother. He was 61 and lived in La Grande.

Greens supervisor, Sgt. Matt Swanson, first raised concerns about the veteran detective in 2015, documenting extensively what he identified as Greens history of failing to investigate serious crimes.

It took a year for the sheriffs office to ask an outside agency to do a criminal investigation of Green. The results of that review, done by the Milwaukie Police Department, led the Clackamas County District Attorneys Office to prosecute him for official misconduct.

Greens conduct and Swansons efforts to get the sheriffs office to address it had wide-ranging repercussions.

The county commissioned a $40,000 review of the sheriffs offices policies and procedures by consultants, who concluded that the agency repeatedly failed to act on Swansons complaint. The consultants also were struck by top sheriffs officials refusal to take responsibility publicly for mishandling the Green matter.

Swanson alleged he was the subject of retaliation and harassment after bringing his concerns to light. The county paid Swanson a $235,000 whistleblower settlement after he filed a lawsuit.

-- Noelle Crombie

ncrombie@oregonian.com

503-276-7184

@noellecrombie

Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox.A man is in the hospital and another has been arrested after a shooting Thursday afternoon, according to Beaverton police.

The victim was found in the 17200 block of Northwest Corridor Court. Police say his injury is not life-threatening.

Another person, who was waiting at a nearby business, was hit by shrapnel from the bullets. That persons wounds were minor.

Beaverton police arrested a man they suspect shot the other. Police did not identify any of the victims or suspects, nor say whether the arrested man was charged with a crime.A Tigard man was sentenced in Washington County to more than six years for having sex with a minor he met online.

Robert Alan Stewart, 33, pleaded guilty Dec. 18 to second-degree rape stemming from the incident that involved a 13-year-old girl, court records show.

Stewart told the girl he was 19 when they first met in 2013, according to the Washington County District Attorneys Office. Prosecutors said he later gave the minor alcohol and marijuana and had sexual intercourse with her several times.

Authorities did not learn of the case until this year when a school resource officer with the Tigard Police Department learned of the suspected abuse, the district attorneys office said.

Stewart was arrested soon after. Court records show he was also convicted of sexually abusing a juvenile in a separate 2014 case.

Investigators believe there may be more victims. Anyone with information is asked to call 503-731-3100.

-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh; 503-294-7632Utah on Sunday will become the first state to lower the limit for driving under the influence of alcohol from .08 to .05 percent.

Sen. Peter Courtney, D-Salem and president of the Oregon Senate, hopes Oregon becomes the second.

Courtney is gearing up to introduce a bill during the upcoming legislative session -- which starts Jan. 22 -- that would make it illegal for drivers to get behind the wheel with a blood alcohol content of .05 percent or greater.

Alcohol is a deadly weapon, Courtney said.

Courtney says there are plenty of arguments to lower the limit:

A .08 percent blood alcohol content is the equivalent of a 160-pound man drinking four beers in an hour or a 140-pound woman drinking three beers in an hour. Thats far more than a responsible person should drink if that person is also going to drive, Courtney says.

A .05 percent blood alcohol content would take the same man about three beers in an hour to reach, and that same woman a little more than 2 beers.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been urging all 50 states lower their limits to .05 percent for the past five years. That would result an 11 percent decline in fatal crashes, saving nearly 1,800 lives a year, according to estimates.

The risk of being in a fatal crash is at least seven times higher for drivers with blood alcohol contents of .05 percent to .079 percent than for drivers whove consumed no alcohol, according to information from the NTSB.

Some other countries have already enacted a .05 percent limit or even lower -- and that includes Australia, virtually all of Europe and Japan.

But Courtney -- the longest serving member of the Oregon Legislature, now in his 34th year -- holds no illusions that his bill will pass. In fact, he expects it to face stiff opposition from the liquor industry.

Its going to be a struggle, Courtney said of his bill, which he expects to be designated as Senate Bill 7. This is a Mount Everest move. Its doable, but it isnt going to be easy. Im going to fight like hell to make it happen.

One of those groups is the American Beverage Institute, which represents restaurants and beer, wine and spirits producers. Spokesman Jackson Shedelbower said most fatal crashes are caused by drivers who drink high volumes of alcohol or are have had repeat DUIIs. He thinks any new legislation should focus on those drivers.

Shedelbower points to statistics circulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that say 70 percent of alcohol-impaired fatalities involved at least one driver with a blood alcohol content of .15 percent or higher.

Thats three times a .05 percent BAC, Shedelbower said.

We think this law criminalizes perfectly responsible behavior, said Shedelbower.

In 1983, Oregon and Utah became the first states in the nation to lower the drunken driving limit from .10 percent to .08 percent. Over the next few decades, all states followed suit.

Courtney remembers first introducing the idea in 1981, as a freshman representative, while in committee.

The room fell silent, Courtney said, describing the shock that a newbie would propose such a startling change. But to Courtneys surprise, the .08 limit ultimately gained traction and passed into law two years later.

Although Courtney suspects opposition to his bill in 2019, he has some hope, given Oregons groundbreaking passage of a lower limit 35 years ago.

Courtney says his bill doesnt mean people would have to drink less -- they can still enjoy an evening out, but they need to find some other way home, such as a taxi, Uber or Lyft.

The bill would not only enact a .05 percent limit on drivers, but boaters, too. BikePortland.org, which first reported on Courtneys bill Thursday, noted that bicyclists can be convicted of DUIIs as well.

Also of note, Oregons current limit of .08 percent isnt an absolute figure that applies to all cases. Oregon law allows police to arrest and prosecutors to convict people of DUII with blood alcohol levels below .08 -- if theres ample evidence that the person was impaired.

-- Aimee Green

agreen@oregonian.com

o_aimeeUPDATE: A suspects been arrested.

A knife-wielding woman in McMinnville erupted into a racist diatribe and attacked a young black couple during a parking lot spat on Christmas Eve, according to the young mother who captured the scene on video.

Emora Roberson, 20, said she was driving with her boyfriend, her aunt and her 15-month-old daughter Monday when the family stopped at a strip mall on Oregon 99W about 2 p.m. to pick up a last-minute gift.

Their KIA Sedona pulled up next to a pickup truck parked in front of a Dominos Pizza, Roberson said. Shortly after, the pickups driver began hurling racist slurs at the family.

Roberson said it was all because her aunt had parked crooked.

My daughter was fast asleep, and this woman was basically trying to get into our car, Roberson told The Oregonian/OregonLive in a phone interview Friday morning. She added that the woman was parked in a handicapped spot.

Her truck didnt have a handicapped sticker, Roberson said.

According to Roberson, the enraged woman slapped and spit on her boyfriend, Keysuan Goodyear. Goodyear grew angry and warned the woman about her behavior and language.

The woman responded by whipping out a knife.

Thats when Roberson said she began filming the incident on her phone.

The video shows the woman with the drawn blade in her hand. Roberson can be heard saying that it appears the woman is going to try and stab her boyfriend.

No, its called self-defense, the woman yells at Roberson before dropping another racial slur.

The women then slams an open car door on Roberson, hops back into her pickup and begins using her cell phone. The woman later screams another threat at the Roberson and her family before the video ends.

We eventually drove off. We still had Christmas shopping to do, Roberson said. My daughter woke up and was crying her head off.

Afterward, Roberson said she contacted the McMinnville police about the incident. Capt. Rhonda Jaasko told The Oregonian/Oregonlive on Friday that the case is under investigation.

The young mother said the racial slurs and threats of violence didnt bother her as much as the fact the woman acted that way in front of her daughter.

I dont know who made her so mad that day," she said. "That wasnt any way to talk to me or talk to someone in front of a child.

-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh; 503-294-7632AUSTIN, Texas  Richard Overton, who was Americas oldest man and oldest war veteran, died Thursday in Austin. Overton, who was honored for his military service and beloved for his propensity to enjoy his supercentenarian status with a cigar in one hand and a glass of whiskey in another, was 112 years old.

He died Thursday evening at a rehabilitation facility in Austin, said his cousin Volma Overton Jr. Before entering the rehab facility on Christmas Eve, he had been hospitalized with pneumonia at St. Davids Medical Center for more than a week.

Overton was well-known to his neighbors, who often chatted with him on his porch in East Austin during the 72 years he lived there. Over the past few years, people from all over the country got a chance to know him as well, as he received increasing national attention for his age and his service in World War II.

For several of his recent birthdays, he welcomed the community into his front yard to celebrate. People from all over Central Texas arrived to say hello and gift him a birthday card  or, if they knew Overtons favorite pastimes, a bottle of whiskey or a box of cigars.

During Richard Overtons 111th birthday celebration, Volma Overton Jr. said it felt like Christmas, watching everyone line up to take a photo and share a gift with his cousin.

It looks like everybodys getting ready to take a picture with Santa Claus  and he never turns anyone down, Volma Overton said. Hes an open person to everybody, and he wanted everyone who was in town who wanted to come by to come by.

Born in St. Marys in Bastrop County on May 11, 1906, Richard Overton enlisted in the Army in 1942, nine months after the Pearl Harbor attack. He served in the Pacific theater  including Guam, Okinawa and Iwo Jima  until 1945, when he left the service.

Overton told the Austin American-Statesmans Ken Herman in 2013 that he had landed on more beaches under fire than he could remember. He also remembered ducking bullets in foxholes and clearing bodies from fields of battle.

After the war, he worked in furniture stores and later the state treasurers office when future Texas Gov. Ann Richards ran the agency.

Well into his triple digits, Overton enjoyed cigars, a habit he picked up as a teenager, and occasionally a little whiskey would accidentally spill into his coffee. He reportedly drove until he was 107.

In 2013, he met President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden at the White House. That year, the Austin City Council proclaimed the veterans birthday Richard A. Overton Day. Council members passed a resolution to give Hamilton Avenue  the street on which Overton lived  the honorary name Richard Overton Avenue.

Overton spent many days on his porch, greeting people as they walked by.

He considers himself our neighborhood watchdog, and he knows everything thats going on, neighbor Helen Elliott told the American-Statesman in 2016. I dont think the neighborhood would be what it is without him. Hes our legend, our icon.

In one of his last public appearances, Overton was honored in March 2017 with a standing ovation at a San Antonio Spurs game. Overton was presented with a custom camouflage Spurs jersey with his name and the number 110, his age at the time.

Overton was featured in local, regional and national publications and was the subject of the short documentary Mr. Overton.

In 2016, his family launched a GoFundMe page to ensure that Overton received around-the-clock home health care and could remain at home for the rest of his days. Donations poured in from all across the country to help make that happen.

Information about funeral arrangements was not immediately available.

-- Austin American-Statesman/Tribune News ServiceSAN FRANCISCO  A suspected drunk driver accused of fatally shooting the California police officer who pulled him over was captured Friday as he tried to flee back to Mexico, where he lived before illegally crossing into the U.S., authorities said.

The sheriff whose agency was leading the investigation blamed California's sanctuary law for preventing local authorities from reporting Perez Arriaga to federal immigration officials for previous arrests. If the suspect had been deported, he said, Cpl. Ronil Singh of the tiny Newman Police Department would still be alive.

"We can't ignore the fact that this could have been preventable," Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson said, asking why the state was "providing sanctuary for criminals (and) gang members. It's a conversation we need to have."

Gustavo Perez Arriaga was arrested near Bakersfield, about 200 miles southeast of the scene of the shooting. He crossed the border in Arizona several years ago and had worked a variety of jobs as a laborer, including at several dairies. He also had two prior arrests for driving while intoxicated, Christianson said.

The 33-year-old Mexico native had gang affiliations and multiple Facebook pages with different names, the sheriff said.

Authorities also arrested the suspect's brother, 25-year-old Adrian Virgen, and a co-worker, 32-year-old Erik Razo Quiroz, who lied to police to try to protect him, Christianson said.

Police released this image of the suspect from a surveillance camera video. (Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department via AP)

Christianson spoke at a news conference about making laws stricter as Singhs brother wept beside him.

Singh, also 33, was an immigrant too, arriving legally from his native Fiji to fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, authorities said. He had a newborn son and joined the 12-officer Newman police force in 2011.

"He came to America with one purpose, and that was to serve this country," Newman Police Chief Randy Richardson said, choking up. He called Singh an "American patriot."

Singh, the department's first officer to die in the line of duty, drove more than two hours each way to attend the police academy in Yuba City, Richardson said. He joined the Merced County sheriff's office as a reserve officer and worked as an animal control officer in Turlock before being hired by the Newman force in 2011.

English was Singh's third language. He had a thick accent but took speech classes to improve his communication, the chief said.

The shooting on Wednesday came amid a political fight over immigration, with President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats at odds over funding for a border wall that has forced a partial government shutdown.

Trump tweeted about Singh's killing Thursday, saying it was "time to get tough on Border Security. Build the Wall!"

The arrest followed a statewide manhunt.

When a gunfight broke out, Singh tried to defend himself but apparently did not hit the suspect, Christianson said.Ive been writing for 42 years. Most of the people I write about arent famous or newsworthy.

Yet theyre the fabric of the community.

Decades in the business have taught me that big news, the stories that get all the attention, tend to blend into each other after a while. But the stories that linger? Theyre the quiet ones revealing our humanity. I was reminded of this after receiving an email from the daughter of a man I wrote about.

Hi, Tom. I just wanted to let you know that my dad, Chuck Bleeg, passed away at home on Saturday. In his last week of life, unable to stand or do much for himself, he was still talking about getting a garage built at the beach. He loved the article you wrote about him, and were all glad that his inspirational story will remain on the internet long after hes gone.

Thank you,

Sarah

As the year draws to a close, I thought about some of the stories I wrote in 2018. You may have read some. If not, youll find excerpts and a link to full columns here.

Last week, I called Sarah Bleeg to tell her I planned to include her father on the list.

I used part of the story in my eulogy, she said. Because of the story and how it touched people, we heard from people we did not know. It meant that dad mattered to other people as much as he mattered to us.

We talked about her dad and other people Ive written about.

We are all part of the story, she said. We are all getting through life the best we can. Stories are what give us our sense of being. A story is the thread that connects us all.

THE SALESMAN

Chuck Bleeg, pushing 97, suffered a stroke last year. The man has no reason to come to work at a business that no longer needs him. The truth is that Bleeg needs the business.

So, there he was, with a cane in his right hand and his daughter's hand on his left shoulder as he climbed the steps to his office.

He gingerly made his way to sit behind a cluttered desk and stare out the window and what he calls "The Lot," a used car lot bearing his name in the 1500 block of Northeast Sandy Boulevard.

He's owned it and worked there for 53 years. To sit in that quiet office with Bleeg, not intruding in the silence, is to be reminded that all of us, if we're fortunate, have something like The Lot in our lives.

Full story.

THE GIVERS

Earlier this year, hundreds of women pooled their money, each giving $1,000 to make a difference in the Portland community.

Soon, they'll give it away.

All $400,000.

And then they'll start again for next year.

Three nonprofit organizations each will get $100,000. Eight others will receive either $20,000 or $12,200.

Full story.

THE DRUMMER

During his long life, Frank Walsh has accomplished more than most ever will in the time given. He found great love, raised a family, served his country in World War II and taught in schools for decades.

And yet at 94, he had a crazy dream.

He wanted to play with a high school band.

Being around the students would make him feel young again.

But he had no musical background. Besides, what high school band would welcome an old man with a walker?

Full story.

THE BAKER

When she was 9 months old, doctors removed a tumor in Carina Comer's brain that left her blind in one eye and with limited sight in the other.

She was 7 when the tumor returned and she had to travel weekly from her Connecticut home to spend days in a Boston hospital for radiation treatment.

Her parents cried and raged against the unfairness of it all.

But in private.

They vowed to prove to their daughter, the youngest of two kids, that she was capable. They never allowed her to wallow in self-pity even though the world considered her just a blind girl.

Full story.

https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2018/05/the_dream_that_ended_with_a_gu.html

THE PLANT

Not a day goes by in this city without someone arriving at a hospital carrying a plant as a way to show they care. Some plants leave with the patient. Some get thrown out.

This one stayed.

To find it, wind through a series of hallways and take the elevator up to 5W, the oncology wing at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. The plant, a spindly palm about 3 feet tall, is in the corner of a small room used by families who need a place to reflect on the journey of those they love.

Long ago, a woman dropped the plant off on 5W.

And there it grew.

For 21 years.

Full story.

THE LETTER

The letter should have been mailed more than 40 years ago.

It wasn't.

When it arrived three weeks ago, it could have been thrown out.

It wasn't.

Everything connected with this letter seems a mistake.

It isn't.

Full story.

THE VOLUNTEER

Most people who sign up to do hospital volunteer work request gigs far from the gritty side. They lead tours, provide directions at the front desk and ring up purchases in the gift shop.

Two years ago, though, the volunteer services department at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center received an unusual application.

Connor Dyer, who served in the Marines, asked if he could volunteer in the emergency room of the Southwest Portland hospital. He filled out the necessary paperwork passed a background check and came in for an interview. All went well. After receiving training, Dyer started cleaning rooms in the ER.

Full story.

THE KITTEN

Big John was the guy you wanted by your side. At 6-foot-2 and a solid 290 pounds, the 64-year-old retired iron worker would enter the room and people would straighten up.

What people didn't see was John Ruby's tenderness, revealed whenever he was with the pets that he and his wife, Melodie, cared for at their home in Mosier, a small community near The Dalles.

When he had things to mull over, maybe concerns not yet ready to discuss with his wife, he'd turn reflective and seek the company of the couple's three cats, two horses and a dog. He showered them with treats, but more importantly, with kind words and a gentle touch.

He frequently told his wife that when his time came, and they assumed it was a way off, he wished to return from the afterlife as an animal. He found comfort in how they unconditionally gave and received love.

It's understandable if you don't believe in such things.

But then you don't know about the kitten they call Little John.

Full story.

THE FIGHTER

I sat in a hospital lobby to meet a woman who I believed could teach me about what it takes to survive. She got dealt a lousy hand, had every reason to quit but didn't.

In 2005, Becky Roth's dentist discovered a white spot on her tongue. It was benign, but five years later another spot led to the discovery of a tumor at the base of her tongue and jaw.

"She had what I call old-man's disease," said Dr. Bryan Bell, co-director of the head and neck cancer program and clinic at Providence Cancer Institute. "Most patients are men in their 70s who've spent their lives drinking and smoking."

Roth, now 54, never smoked, rarely drank and was in excellent physical shape.

"This was a genetic accident," Bell said. "The survival rate from this kind of reoccurring kind of cancer is low. Becky met this journey with grace and courage. The patient taught me, the doctor, something."

Full story.

---Tom Hallman Jr.

thallman@oregonian.com; 503 221-8224

@thallmanjrOn Dec. 31, Merrill Technologies Group of Saginaw will conclude its 50th year in business by implementing the final phase of its goal to become fully integrated.

The final phase is a corporate naming and brand unification program. Merrill Technologies Group will consolidate its four wholly-owned subsidiaries (Merrill Tool & Machine, Merrill Fabricators, Merrill Aviation & Defense and Merrill Engineering & Integration) into a single operating company called Merrill.

The goal to become vertically integrated is the result of a five-year strategic plan the company started in 2015. Since then, Merrill and its subsidiaries have undergone major changes by launching a corporate-wide advanced planning and execution center, investing in a new enterprise resource planning system and consolidating its legal and financial reporting. A total re-branding of the subsidiaries under the Merrill primary brand is the final phase in becoming fully integrated.

"This is one in a series of moves that will position our company for another 50 years of success," said Merrill Chief Executive Officer Robert Yackel. "We are committed to growth and the security that controlled growth brings to our customers and our team members. As we plan for our next half century in operation, it's critical that we make changes that support our vision of being a robust enterprise capable of sustaining growth."

"Merrill customers will realize improved on-time delivery, quality and pricing as a result of these changes," said Executive Vice President and COO Jeff Yackel. "This realignment allows us to better utilize our available resources, in turn enabling us to better support our customers' schedules, technical and cost objectives."

"We simply outgrew our previous business model," said Director of Marketing & Communications Andrea Fisher. "Merrill developed organically over the last 50 years into a collection of interrelated organizations. Each organization was created to serve a specialized need for production or more effectively serve a specific industry. The result was four operational silos. What our customers want today is a vertically integrated, single supplier who can do it all - design, fab, machine and integrate. One Merrill is that solution.

"This is a far greater effort than simply putting up new signage on our buildings and ordering new business cards. The very nature of our growth caused separations within our employee culture. Team members identify with their facility name and logo. One Merrill is the process of bringing the entire Merrill family together, both operationally and spiritually," she said.

That process began on Dec. 15 when Merrill's workforce of some 350 individuals entered Horizon's Conference Center to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

They came as members of individual Merrill subsidiaries. By the end of the evening, they had been exposed to their new brand identity and left as one team.

Merrill's external stakeholders will start seeing the company's new brand on Jan. 2 with the launch of a unified web site. The program will run through March 2019. At that time, the company plans to have all marketing material converted to reflect the Merrill logo and 'Anything is Possible' brand promise, Fisher said.



1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.

2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.

3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament of the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.

8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.

9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.

10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)

12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.

13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.

14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

18. Gain control of all student newspapers.

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch."

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.

34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand.

39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems.

43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.

44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.

45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike.Our xenophobic president Donald Trump is threatening to close the southern border if hes not given funding for his border wall. The decree comes down from exactly where youd guess: Twitter. His malicious ignorance toward finding a real solution to immigration issues presents itself now more than ever as he makes his statement shortly after two children died following their detention by the Customs and Border Protection Agencywhich, by the way, is considering asking several other government agencies for financial help. Instead of giving that plea for help an iota of consideration, though, he does this:

We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with. Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

Rather than revamp the immigration system or redistribute funds to prevent more children from dying while under U.S. protection, Trump wants to push those problems, those human beings, further out of the realm of his responsibility. In fact, he goes on to call the potential border closure a profit building operation.

....The United States looses soooo much money on Trade with Mexico under NAFTA, over 75 Billion Dollars a year (not including Drug Money which would be many times that amount), that I would consider closing the Southern Border a profit making operation. We build a Wall or..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

Hes also planning to cut off aid to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, countries asylum seekers are trying to escape. Trump says those countries are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money., which demonstrates a profound misunderstanding of the situation. Less aid money means less help for those living there, means more migrant seekers escaping those countries and making their way here. Trumps strategy is idiotic and illogical. If Congress doesnt agree to fund the wall, a waste of money aimed at keeping asylum seekers out, then Trump may close the border and suffocate countries that rely on our financial help as they try to better themselves so that fewer migrants are forced to escape.

.....Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money. Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it. We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries  taking advantage of U.S. for years!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

Trump is quick to blame Democrats for the lack of funding despite the fact that Republicans, still, are in control of all three branches of the government. Its not the Democrats fault the wall doesnt have money; that falls on all of Congress. Trump is playing on a team by himself, but doesnt want to admit it.

The government has been shut down since last Friday because Trump is, more than anything, a sadistic child trying to please his followers, evidenced when he refused to sign a budget that didnt include billions of dollars for his half baked border wall idea. As a result, 420,000 federal employees are working without pay and 380,000 are furloughed. Trump doesnt talk about those people. He doesnt talk about the children who died because we couldnt protect them. He talks about what he wants and what MAGA wants.

Trump doesnt want to solve the immigration problem. He wants to kill it.We enjoyed dinner last night with a former student of mine (during the intensive Arabic program that I directed in Jerusalem back in January through May or so of 1993) and his wife and family. They live in Maadi, south of Cairo, about two blocks from where my wife and I lived when we were here in Egypt just after our marriage. He heads up the Egyptian operations of a significant company and is serving as the president of the Latter-day Saint branch here.

Its gratifying to see how well those students have turned out, despite even my malignant influence. They were, on the whole, a merry bunch of pranksters, and my wife and I liked them very, very much. I was glad, though, that I only heard about some of their adventures at the end of our stay in Jerusalem, or even afterwards, because . . . well, they would have put my obligation to enforce BYU rules to a severe test. But they have become model citizens and devoted Church leaders, and Im proud of them.

Today, we got off to an early start  though I think, having glanced at the tour itinerary, that it will be the latest start of our stay here in Egypt  to head over to the Giza Plateau, where we visited the Great Pyramid of Cheops (or Khufu) and some actually went inside. Then we had a forty-minute ride on either camels or chariots (carriages) from behind the Pyramid of Mycerinus (Menkaure) into the desert just a bit and then over near the Pyramid of Chephren (Khafre).

After that, we visited the Solar Boat Museum on the southern side of the Great Pyramid and, from there, headed down to the area of the Great Sphinx and the adjacent valley temple.

Following a grilled Egyptian lunch in Giza, we spent the remainder of the afternoon at the Egyptian Museum back in Cairo, on Tahrir Square. Our Egyptian guide, Hany Tawfeek, took us through the museum, paying special attention to such things as the enormously important Narmer Palette, the hall of the royal Egyptian mummies (which include those of Ramses the Great  Ramses II  and of the famous Queen Hatshepsut and of her stepson, the great warrior-pharaoh Thutmose III), the treasures of Tutankhamen, the mummies and funerary treasures of the courtier Yuya and his wife Tjuyu, and the historically valuable late-thirteenth-century BC Merneptah Stela, which boasts (inaccurately) thatIsrael is laid waste and his seed is not  thus providing the earliest known extrabiblical refernce to Israel.

Posted from Cairo, EgyptSears Holdings announced this week that it is closing another 80 stores including the store at the Park City Center in Lancaster.

The company says it is part of the process "to accelerate its strategic transformation and facilitate its financial restructuring."

The company says it informed its employees at the 80 stores on Thursday about the closings that will take place by the end of March. Liquidation sales are expected to begin in two weeks. This is the latest in a line of central Pennsylvania closings for Kmart and Sears. The most recent announced closings in central Pennsylvania were for Kmart stores in the Hershey and Carlisle areas.

The latest closing list includes the Sears store at the Park City Center in Lancaster, and the stores auto center that will close by the end of January.

Other closings in Pennsylvania include:My phone started pinging in the afternoon, the Thursday before Christmas.

Did you see it? Did you see it? Gov. Wolf signed the paperwork. Tinas coming home.

Freedom for Tina Brosius has been a crusade of mine for decades. I thought her life sentence for the abandonment death of a newborn was draconian in 1995. My belief never changed.

While Tina was growing up in the State Correctional Institution at Muncy, her two daughters were growing up in their grandparents house in Lower Paxton Twp. Their church, Calvary United Methodist on Locust Lane, was a steadfast part of the scenario.

The Rev. Ron Parks, former pastor of the church, explained why to the United Methodist News last year.

When Tina was baptized at Calvary at age 4, a covenant relationship was established between her parents and her church. The people of Calvary pledged to walk with her on the journey of her discipleship. And they have.

Many years ago, I attended a candlelight vigil for Tina at that church. Over the years, I spoke with Parks. He told me church members not only prayed for Tina, they supported her. They paid for books and tuition so she could educate herself. Members of the congregation visited her in prison. They wrote letters. And when the state Pardons Board finally agreed to hear her story, they chartered two buses, filled every seat in the hearing room and spilled out into the hall.

One church member, Stephen Grose, a Harrisburg attorney, joined the crusade in 2011. Two years later he filed the paperwork that would eventually lead to Tinas freedom.

Grose wasnt on board from the beginning.

I had trouble with this case. I was in church back at the time and I wasnt in Tinas corner then. I said I just couldnt imagine how anyone could have a child in a port-a-potty and leave it there to drown, he told the UM News.

But that changed as he came to know Tina and witness her accomplishments in prison. She was not just a leader; she also had the support of prison officials in her quest for freedom.

And like so many of us, he looked at others who committed similar crimes with different outcomes:

The college students who delivered their child in a Delaware hotel room in 1996, placed it in a trash bag and threw it in a Dumpster. She received a two and a half year sentence. He was ordered to serve two years.

The Susquehanna Twp. woman who left her child to die in a toilet in 1997 and was sentenced to 18 months to 5 years.

The woman from Upper Dauphin County who wrapped her newborn in towels and placed him in a hamper in 1995. Her sentence was 12 and a half to 25 years.

The college student at Drexel who gave birth in secret and put her babys body in a duffel bag in the trunk of a car. Her sentence in 2009 amounted to 45 days to be served weekends in the county jail, followed by probation and community service.

I felt she had been so wronged from a judicial (and) justice standpoint, Grose said of Tina. Shes not been given equal protection under the law.

Many others agreed, including Judge John Cherry, who was the district attorney when Tina went to prison.

In September 2017, he told the Pardons Board, "I'm here because my sense of justice dictates I be here. A case that should have been resolved as a third-degree sentence ended as one of life imprisonment."

Over the years, I had spoken to them all. The judge, the attorney, the pastor, the supporters, Tinas mother, her daughters, and, of course, Tina herself.

And so it came as no surprise when my phone began pinging on the Thursday before Christmas. I was relieved and ecstatic that a wrong was being righted.

But then in those days leading up to Christmas, I read the comments. Those vile, nasty, unforgiving, uncharitable comments that always make me wonder how people can be filled with such vitriol.

They came, of course, from people who havent spent the past 23 years keeping up with Tinas accomplishments. They dont know her family, her church family, the pastor, the judge, prison officials who supported her or her attorney.

Most of all, they dont know Tina. She is a woman now, a woman who admits that as a teen-ager she did something very wrong. She lives with it. Shes paid for it.

She is educated, has a promise of a job, a plan and a family who will welcome her return.

To those people who spent time in the Christmas season spewing vile, those of us who know Tina say this: Stay tuned, because she will prove you wrong.

NANCY ESHELMAN: columnist1@verion.net

Nancy Eshelmans latest book, More Pieces of My Mind, can be found on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1724139576A heroin addict found guilty of helping her husband steal guns from her family to get cash to feed their habit has failed to convince a state Superior Court panel that her conviction is unjust.

Instead, the state judges backed Jessica Summers theft conviction and the 1- to 4-year prison term imposed on her by a Dauphin County judge.

Police said Summers, 32, and her husband Jason drove in a snowstorm from Maryland in January 2015 so they could burglarize a cabin owned by Jessica Summers family in Rush Township.

One of the guns stolen in the break-in was later found on the body of a murder victim in Baltimore. Another was recovered during a search of a drug dealers home.

Investigators claimed Jessica Summers was an active participant in the burglary. She insisted on appeal that she didnt know that her husband was committing the crime. At one point, police said she claimed she went to the cabin only to look for her lost cell phone.

Superior Court Judge Mary Jane Bowes didnt buy those arguments. Instead, she cited county Judge Scott A. Evanss conclusion that Jessica Summers knew what her husband was looking for in the cabin and helped him carry out a plan to take the guns and eventually sell them in the Baltimore area.

Jessica Summers implausible statements about her reasons for being at the cabin support the finding that her intent in going to her parents cabin was not any of the innocent explanations she offered, but rather was to aid her husbands crime, Bowes agreed.

Jason Summers, 32, of Westminster, Md., is scheduled for trial next month on more than three dozen criminal charges, including multiple counts of burglary, theft and receiving stolen property.A state appeals court panel issued ruling Friday that could shutter a Harrisburg bar that police consider to be a magnet for crime and violence.

The bar in question is ODs Plantation at 1601 Sycamore Street, which was the scene of a December 2016 homicide.

In an opinion by Senior Judge James Gardner Colins, the Commonwealth Court backed a decision by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board not to renew the bars liquor license. ODs appealed to the state court after county Judge Deborah E. Curcillo supported the LCBs decision last year.

Like Curcillo, Colins rejected claims by the bars operator that steps had been taken to address incidents involving drugs, guns and underage drinking in or near the establishment.

At issue was the LCBs refusal to renew the bars license for March 2016 to February 2018. Colins noted that in approving a prior renewal, the LCB had warned bar owners that it was concerned about incidents that were occurring there.

The LCB renewal denial came after the state police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement noted the bar was cited nine times for liquor law violations between March 2014 and February 2016. The LCE also mentioned five police incidents at the bar during that time period that included drugs, guns, minors and disorderly operations, Colins wrote. State police later added a shooting to that list.

As Colins noted, an argument and the brandishing of weapons by patrons inside the bar led to a shooting outside on Sept. 11, 2015. In April 2015 a juvenile was found with a beer in the bar. The boy had a loaded stolen handgun, a baggie of crack cocaine and 91 packets of heroin, police said.

City police also mentioned an October 2014 incident where bundles of heroin and cocaine and marijuana along with a stolen handgun were found in a trash can in the bar. Surveillance cameras filmed three men putting that contraband in the trash just before police arrived in response to a call.

Although the owner, Lue Ethel Croom, insisted security had been increased at the bar, Colins agreed with Curcillo that the steps hadnt been sufficient. He noted that no bar employees were disciplined after the criminal incidents.

The record isclear that the licensee failed to take timely corrective measures in response to these incidents, Colins wrote.

The incidents cited by Colins dont include a fatal December 2016 shooting during a fight inside the bar. Derick Gardner, 44, of Harrisburg, stumbled out of the bar and died on the street, police said. Another city man, 36-year-old Eric King, is awaiting trial for the slaying.

In April 2017, Darnell Sawyer Sr. of Harrisburg was charged with shooting another man in the abdomen after the two argued inside ODs Plantation. Police said that shooting occurred outside the bar. Sawyer, 32, is awaiting trial on charges including attempted murder.The top Senate Republican leader announced on Friday that he will recommend to his colleagues to allow a newly elected senator from Allegheny County to take the oath of office on Swearing-in Day on Tuesday.

However in a statement [see below], Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson County, indicated the matter over whether Sen.-elect Lindsey Williams, a Democrat, meets the state constitutions four-year state residency requirement to be eligible to hold a legislative office still may not be settled.

In a letter he sent to Williams on Friday, he stated that the residency requirement has not been fully vetted by the courts and that no precise constitutional definition of residency exists.

He said if documents are obtained that conflict with the information she provided regarding her residency, it could become an issue during the swearing-in ceremony.

Williams, who is a native of northeastern Pennsylvania, moved to Maryland in 2008 but maintains she moved back to Pennsylvania to take a job in PIttsburgh on Nov. 6, 2014, four years to the day before she stood for election for the 38th state senatorial district seat.

Senate GOP leaders asked her to submit documents to prove she met the residency requirement, pointing out her Pennsylvania drivers license, apartment lease, and voter registration obtained after that date, called that into question. She complied by providing two batches of documents that included among other items, bank statements, credit card bills and sworn affidavits from friends confirming she was living in Pennsylvania when she said she was.

In a news release from the Senate Democratic Caucus, Williams expressed her gratitude to Scarnati and the entire GOP caucus for their review of this matter.

While these last few weeks have been stressful for me personally, the Republican caucus and its leadership has been extremely fair and thorough in their evaluation of the situation, she said.

Williams told PennLive late Friday afternoon she isnt worried that any new information will arise to stand in the way of her taking office.

I take [Scarnatis] letter at its heart and Ive been honest and truthful and provided everything I could along the way. I still remain confident I meet all the requirements, she said. I appreciate that they took their time to investigate this and do their due diligence and Im really looking forward to January 1 and getting sworn in.

Supporters of Williams held events at various locations across the state to demand she be permitted to be seated, including one at the state Capitol where petitions bearing the names of more than 3,000 people from across the state were delivered to Senate Republican leadership offices.

About the support she received at those events around the state, Williams said she finds it humbling that people took the time to stand up for her although she acknowledged the issue that brought them out wasnt just about her.

Its actually protecting democracy and protecting the will of the voters," she said. "I really appreciate that people took time in the middle of the holidays to organize this and to come out. Thats important for the strength of our democracy that our residents do that and hold elected officials accountable every step of the way.

Here is the statement issued from Scarnatis office:

Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-25) announced today that he will recommend that Senator-elect Lindsey Williams should be seated when new members of the Senate are sworn in on January 1, 2019.

Ongoing concerns about the timing of the move of Senator-elect Williams to Pennsylvania prompted Senator Scarnati to send two letters dated November 29, 2018 and December 20, 2018, requesting that the Senator-elect provide justification of her move to Pennsylvania in 2014.

Today, in a letter to the Senator-elect Williams, Senator Scarnati noted that the residency provision of the Pennsylvania Constitution (Article II, section 5) has not been fully vetted by the courts and that no precise constitutional definition of residency exists.

Scarnati explained that during the analysis of the information Ms. Williams submitted, he presumed the materials to be truthful. Scarnati said he will recommend Senator-elect Williams be seated, however he also noted that the issue could be revisited on the Senate floor if other documents are obtained that show conflicting information from the documents Senator-elect Williams provided.

*This post has been updated to include reaction from Sen.-elect Lindsey Williams.Petoskey High School sees extra police presence Friday following written threat

Chris Parker, superintendent for the Public Schools of Petoskey, said classes took place as usual after they received the all-clear from local law enforcement.Three Great Live Reported Hands: Hellmuth Blow-up, Big Fold, $1M Bubble

December 28, 2018 Mo Nuwwarah

This is Volume 6 of an ongoing series in which PokerNews will look back on some of the most memorable hands recorded in the long history of live reporting on this site. To read more about the concept and which hands make the cut, check out Volume 1.

Original title: Hellmuth Busto in True Hellmuthian Style Date: 06-27-2010 Reporter: Unknown Tournament WSOP 2010 $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Players involved: Phil Hellmuth, Dave Ulliott

Phil Hellmuth might be a little better than he used to be at controlling his inner "Poker Brat," but Hellmuth does still have his occasional blow-up that results in controversy. Back in the day, his rants were a little more frequent, and Hellmuth built a reputation on situations like the one that unfolded with the late Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott in Event #46: $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo at the 2010 World Series of Poker.

With eight places to go until the money bubble burst, Hellmuth defended his big blind when Devilfish opened for 21,000 at 3,000/6,000 from the cutoff. The flop came and Hellmuth checked. Ulliott continued for 25,000 and immediately called when Hellmuth jammed for 75,000.

Hellmuth:

Ulliott:

Devilfish was drawing, although not all of his outs were clean as Hellmuth held a king and a club blocker. The turn bricked off with the but Ulliott hit his flush on the river. The beat prompted Hellmuth to lose it.

"No, he didn't!" he yelled. "This motherf*****. What are you doing, Fish?"

Hellmuth: "You're a f****** moron. You know you're not supposed to call with that."

Ulliott mocked Hellmuth, copying each indignant word that left the Poker Brat's mouth.

"How the f*** can I fold that?" Ulliott finally said.

"You're a f****** moron," Hellmuth responded. "You know you're not supposed to call with that."

After it was confirmed Hellmuth was covered, he departed in a huff. Devilfish, meanwhile, let the remaining players know what he thought of Hellmuth's play.

"He shouldn't have called with ace-six-f******-king," he said. "I like my call more than his."

Devilfish had a laugh at Hellmuth's expense during the latter's rant.

Original title: Terry Makes Lay Down of the Year? Date: 06-08-2012 Reporter: Paul Oresteen Tournament WSOP 2012 $1,500 Six-Max Players involved: Todd Terry, Thijmen Stocker

Todd Terry cashed for over $2.3 million in live tournaments in his lengthy career as a poker pro. It's safe to say he has played thousands upon thousands of hands, and some of those hands have surely involved big laydowns. However, none were quite so big as the one he made in the $1,500 Six-Max at the 2012 WSOP.

Terry: "I can't believe you'd be bad enough to do that with kings."

On Day 2 and in the money, Terry faced off with Thijmen Stocker in a pot that saw the two staring at a board of at 600/1,200/200. Stocker bet 9,000 and Terry called. On the river, Stocker checked and Terry bet 25,000. Stocker made it 65,000.

"I can't believe you'd be bad enough to do that with kings," Terry said as he tanked for about two minutes. "Second nut no good here, huh?"

Terry thought awhile, double-checked his cards, and folded .

Per the reporting, no hand was shown by Stocker, so Terry and everyone else will have to keep wondering whether the monster fold was correct.

Todd Terry had the guts to make a monster laydown, folding the second nuts.

Original title: Wang Qiang Eliminated in 4th Place Date: 01-27-2011 Reporter: Unknown Tournament 2011 Aussie Millions $250,000 Super High Roller Players involved: Sam Trickett, Wang Qiang

The bubble of a poker tournament ratchets up the tension at the tables, as the next player out will walk away with nothing and everyone else gets at least something to show for their efforts. The pressure is orders of magnitude higher in a $250,000 tournament, and some players will try to take advantage of that by running up a stack, raising and reraising with any two cards without fear.

he must not have cared much about $1 million as the reporter recording the hand related that Qiang chuckled at showdown.

That was the situation at the 2011 Aussie Millions when Wang Qiang decided to get more than a little out of line, much to the benefit of Sam Trickett. Just four players remained, with the third-place finisher scheduled to receive $1 million and his felted predecessor, as Norman Chad might say, squadoosh.

Trickett had been running hot and running over his competitors, so when he opened for 60,000 on the button at 15,000/30,000/4,000, Qiang may have decided it was time to put a stop to Trickett's dominance and show some resistance. Having just recently moved over 20 big blinds with around 650,000, he had plenty of fold equity on a shove and decided to use it by jamming from the big blind.

Unfortunately for him, Trickett held and quickly called to put him at risk. Qiang could only muster the and the , the lowest of the nut low for a preflop all-in situation. He found some hope on the flop but the turn and river bricked out.

Luckily for Qiang, he must not have cared much about $1 million as the reporter recording the hand related that Qiang chuckled at showdown.

Wang Qiang wasn't too worried about busting on a $1 million bubble.1.9k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

In 2013 Donald Trump said that if there is a government shutdown the president should be fired. And this is one of the few times he has ever told the truth.

Tens of millions of Americans no doubt agree with this thought also, as the week-long Trump Shutdown of the U.S. government is still continuing.

Yesterday CNN host Don Lemon played a 2013 video of Trump saying that Barack Obama  who was then the U.S. president  should be fired because he let a government shutdown happen.

If you say, Who gets fired? it always has to be the top, Trump said on Fox News at the time. Then he added:

The problems start from the top and they have to get solved from the top. The president is the leader, he has to get everyone in a room and lead.

After playing the video, Lemon, a very strong Trump critic, said that the comments were priceless.

Donald Trump suggesting that President Barack Obama should have been fired for a government shutdown. Priceless, Lemon opined.

The current partial government shutdown started at midnight last Friday because Trump wouldnt sign legislation to fund the government which he had previously said he would sign. He changed his mind after being pressured by right-wing radio and television personalities.

Democratic leaders in Congress have said they will never agree to the $5 billion in funding Trump is demanding for his border wall.

Just two weeks ago Trump said he would embrace a shutdown over funding for the wall, and he didnt mind being blamed for it. Since then he has shifted gears and is now blaming Democrats for something he caused.

Until next Thursday the entire federal government remains under control of Republicans. So the fact that there is a shutdown shows that Republicans could not agree among themselves.

After Democrats take control of the House on January 3 it is highly unlikely that there will be any legislation passed funding the government and providing Trump his $5 billion.

Yesterday both houses of Congress met briefly and took no action on the funding bill, meaning the shutdown will continue into at least next week.

Nancy Pelosi and other House Democrats have said they will immediately pass a bill funding the government  with no additional money for Trumps wall.

A spokesman for Pelosi said that Democrats would pass a bill to reopen the government when they took power if the GOP did not act.

Democrats have offered Republicans three options to re-open government that all include funding for strong, sensible, and effective border security  but not the Presidents immoral, ineffective and expensive wall, Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said.

With the House Majority, Democrats will act swiftly to end the Trump Shutdown, and will fight for a strategic, robust national security policy, including strong and smart border security, and strong support for our servicemembers and veterans, he added.

This is not the first time CNN host Lemon has used old clips of Trump which contradict actions hes taken as president. One was a 1999 video of Trump saying that nobody knows more about campaign finance than I do after the presidents former attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty in August to violating campaign finance laws by paying hush money to Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels.324 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

Conservative New York Times writer Bret Stephens believes that Donald Trumps withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria will destabilize the Middle East and hurt U.S. interests there.

In an appearance on MSNBCs Morning Joe, Stephens said that Trumps Syria move will reconstitute the Middle East that we fear, which is to say an exporter of terrorism and instability.

He added that having no U.S. troops in Syria would create a vacuum at the expense of our allies in Israel.

Stephens expressed the belief that the cost of maintaining a U.S. troop presence in Syria is a bargain of a policy next to what we might expect once we leave. After we leave a power vacuum will be left behind that will only enable Russia at the expense of the Kurds.

He also said Israel will also be in much greater danger without a U.S. presence in Syria.

The prominent conservative, who is also a vocal Trump critic, then concluded by saying:

America maintaining what was really a relatively small military presence in Syria, about 2,000 troops, very low levels of casualties in low single digits in the last year, is a bargain if a policy next to what we might expect once we leave.

That vacuum is going to be filled by Assad, by Erdogan, by the ayatollahs of Iran who Donald Trump claims to be so powerfully against but is, in fact, enabling, by Russia, and its going to happen at the expense of the Kurds who did so much to feed ISIS on our behalf.

Its going to happen at the expense of our allies in Israel who are now in much greater danger despite Trumps promise of being Israels best friend. It will reconstitute the Middle East that we fear, which is to say an exporter of terrorism and instability.

What Bret Stephens is saying has been expressed by many other prominent experts, including high-ranking U.S. military officers.

On Wednesday we reported:

General Wesley Clark, the former commander of all NATO forces, has suggested that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blackmailed President Donald Trump in order to get him to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.

We dont know for sure that this is true, but Trumps move does not appear to benefit the United States as much as Russia, Iran and Turkey. Last week at a news conference Vladimir Putin even said that he was strongly supportive of Trumps decision to leave Syria.

It is possible that Erdogan has offered Trump financial incentives that help the presidents personal business interests. This would not be the first time that Donald Trump has adopted a foreign policy position that helps him personally but hurts the country as a whole.

The decision by Donald Trump to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria is just one more reason to remove him as quickly as possible from his position as president.318 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

Donald Trumps former personal attorney/fixer Michael Cohen has denied a report that he took a trip to Prague in the summer 2016 to meet with Russian officials. The alleged trip by Cohen was outlined in the infamous Steele Dossier and has been offered as proof that Cohen was helping to facilitate an illegal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Cohen of course has been cooperating with special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian 2016 election interference since August. He has always denied that ever went to Prague, and he repeated this denial on Thursday when he tweeted:

I hear #Prague #CzechRepublic is beautiful in the summertime. I wouldnt know as I have never been. #Mueller knows everything!

I hear #Prague #CzechRepublic is beautiful in the summertime. I wouldnt know as I have never been. #Mueller knows everything!  Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) December 27, 2018

Cohen posted his tweet after the McClatchy DC News Bureau reported on Thursday that foreign intelligence agencies identified a mobile phone linked to Cohen pinging cell towers around Prague sometime between August and September 2016.

McClatchy also reported that a European intelligence service had intercepted a conversation between Russians during which one noted that Cohen was in Prague.

These two new pieces of circumstantial evidence from McClatchy added credibility to the Steele Dossier claim that Cohen secretly met with Kremlin representatives in Prague in August 2016. At that time Donald Trump had been selected as the Republican nominee for president and Michael Cohen was working on Trumps behalf.

Cohen has been deeply implicated in the alleged conspiracy and collusion between Trumps presidential campaign and Russia. His situation worsened after the FBI raided his Manhattan office and hotel room in April.

In August Cohen pleaded guilty to several federal charges in August at which time he started cooperating with the Mueller probe. Subsequently he admitted to lying to Congress about the work he did for Donald Trump who was trying to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. He then struck a plea deal with the special counsel to cooperate in the Russia probe. Cohen has since been sentenced to three years in prison for the crimes to which he pleaded guilty.

The Steele Dossier, published shortly before Trumps inauguration in January of 2017, is extremely unflattering to the president, and contains information implicating him in possible crimes. It includes allegations about Russian interference in U.S. elections and Trumps many connections with the Russian government. Most of the allegations have not been proven, but a few have been confirmed.

Cohens alleged trip to Prague is one of the most important allegations in the dossier. If the trip is proven to have occurred, it will prove that Donald Trumps personal attorney and most trusted adviser secretly met with Russian government officials just three months before the 2016 elections. And if that happened, it will be very easy for Bob Mueller to prove that there was illegal collusion and conspiracy between Russia and the Donald Trump campaign.

It is appearing increasingly likely that Michael Cohen will have a major role to play in bringing down the presidency of Donald Trump.3.9k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

In just six days Democrats will control the U.S. House of Representatives, at which time they will probably make Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House, arguably the second most powerful position in Washington.

And according to POLITICO, Pelosi and the Democrats have a plan in place to totally demolish Donald Trump in their ongoing battle over the government shutdown.

Democrats are convinced they are winning the shutdown battle and their plan involves opening the government and denying Trump even a penny more for his border wall.

Pelosi and other top House Democrats have several options they can use to refuse Trumps $5 billion wall funding request while making sure the furloughed federal employees get back to work.

If they are successful, then the new era of split government in Washington will begin with a demoralizing defeat for Trump and a stunning victory for Nancy Pelosi

The first step for House Democrats is to pass a funding bill as their first order of business in the new Congress which begins next Thursday. The goal is to put immense pressure on Senate Republicans  especially Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to do the same thing.

Democrats believe they have the strongest bargaining position, and that their leverage will increase the longer the shutdown lasts.

And GOP leaders privately agree with this assessment, according to the POLITICO report.

A long government shutdown will hurt Trumps already damaged image, since just two weeks ago he claimed ownership of the shutdown.

At that time Pelosi labeled it the Trump Shutdown and events since then have made the president seem desperate for a political win.

The wild swings in the stock market, the Syria pullout, the firing of Defense Secretary James Mattis, and increasing pressure from special counsel Robert Mueller have made it apparent that Trump is hurting politically.

The shutdown is not popular with the American people, but he thinks that it will solidify support within his political base of supporters, which is about 30% of American voters.

Trumps shutdown antics have made it clear that he is acting out of his own political self-interest and not what is best for America.

So as soon as they are able, Pelosi and the Democrats will stick it to Trump, and try to force him to agree to sign a funding bill that does not include the money he wants for his border wall.

Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, the incoming Rules Committee chairman, said:

We want  the government open, and my hope is we can get it opened before January 3. If not, one of the first things well do will be to move to pass legislation to reopen the government. And the president can decide whether he wants to sign it or not.

Yesterday McGovern tried to get a House vote on a Senate-passed bill to reopen the government. But Republicans in charge refused to recognize McGovern, killing his effort to get a bill passed. It is now obvious that Republicans wont do anything in the next few days to end the shutdown stalemate.

So the Democrats are planning to implement some procedural tactics that will allow them to move quickly to pass a bill next Thursday. They reportedly have several funding options they will approve that day, which would give Trump and Senate Republicans several alternatives to choose from to reopen the government.

POLITICO reported that these alternatives have already been presented to Trump by Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. And none of them include more than the $1.3 billion they already offered to fund fencing at the border.

In his political gamesmanship, Trump is still demanding $5 billion for his wall. He says the Democrats offer of $1.3 billion is not enough for him to sign a bill passed by Congress.

But Democrats will not give in. They believe that the pressure to put 800,000 federal employees back to work will land squarely on Trumps back. They are in a very strong position politically, while Trump is holding a losing hand.

The American people know that this is a Trump shutdown, McGovern said. Democrats will move to end the shutdown on January 3. It will be the first item of business.

When that happens Donald Trump will see that there is a new boss in Washington, and her name is Nancy Pelosi.1.9k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

White House officials are hoping that Trumps government shutdown has created a situation that will benefit him politically as we move into the new year.

According to a new report in The Daily Beast,Trump and his aides believe that the fight over a government funding bill will distract the Nancy Pelosi and the new Democratic majority in the House from pursuing investigations into him and his family.

Sources close to the White House say the administration believes that the shutdown over Trumps border wall funding will set partisan voters against one another. They think this will create headaches for Pelosi, the probable new Speaker of the House. As a result, they believe Pelosi will not be able to give her full attention to the various House committee probes that have been promised by other House Democratic leaders.

Several incoming committee chairmen, such as Adam Schiff on the intelligence committee, Elijah Cummings on the oversight committee, and Jerry Nadler on the judicial committee, have said they would immediately open investigations into Trump at the start of the new Congress.

But according to one source close to the White House:

The more the focus is on the wall, the more Pelosi is forced to focus on this fight instead of the investigations.

Its a situation where Trump has no choice but to shut it down. Its the best of the worst choices. Its really the only choice because I think there are people who would vote for him today who might not if he gave in too quickly.

Trump allies are now saying that the president believes the shutdown is a winning issue for him because it will trap the Democrats into screwing themselves.

I dont think the White House thought it out strategically, one former aide said. It is something Trump fell into and got lucky. Hes a lucky guy in a lot of ways.

But Democrats believe Trumps position in the border wall standoff is much weaker than Pelosis. As we reported earlier today, Pelosi is planning a power play to stick it to Trump.

People who understand Washington know that the savvy Pelosi will not be distracted by Trumps antics from passing ethics reforms and pursuing House oversight of the executive branch.

I dont see this as going well for Trump, said one top ranking congressional Democratic aide. He keeps digging himself further in a hole with his every comment and move. The idea that theyre somehow doing good in this shows theyre clearly living in a Fox News bubble.

Trump is indeed living in a fantasy world. The truth is that the vast majority of American voters do not approve of the shutdown, and they blame him for it. In addition, most Americans do not want the government to waste money on a border wall with Mexico.

Eventually other Republicans in Congress, such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, are going to have to tell the president that he has lost, and it is time for him to give up.

At the end of next week Nancy Pelosi will be in charge of the House, and theres no way for Donald Trump to win his fight against her. Hes just too dumb and ignorant to see it yet.Get the SC business stories that matter.

Our newsletter catches you up with all the business stories that are shaping Charleston and South Carolina every Monday and Thursday at noon. Get ahead with us - it's free.David Slade is a senior Post and Courier reporter. His work has been honored nationally by Society of Professional Journalists, American Society of Newspaper Editors, Scripps foundation and others. Reach him at 843-937-5552 or dslade@postandcourier.comYou are the owner of this article.Several large sharks spotted close to SC's coast just in time for New Year's polar plungeEditorials represent the institutional view of the newspaper. They are written and edited by the editorial staff, which operates separately from the news department. Editorial writers are 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.Assistant Columbia bureau chief

Adcox returned to The Post and Courier in October 2017 after 12 years covering the Statehouse for The Associated Press. She previously covered education for The P&C. She has also worked for The AP in Albany, N.Y., and for The Herald in Rock Hill. Flash

China will continue to work with Russia to prepare for a series of high-level contact next year, centered on communication between the two heads of state, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a press briefing Thursday.

Next year marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Russia, Hua said. China and Russia have long maintained a tradition of supporting each other in hosting major events, as well as annual exchange of visits between the two heads of state.

She noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted invitations from each other at their meeting during the 13th G20 summit in Buenos Aires, to attend major international events to be held by the two countries in the first half of next year.

Hua mentioned that Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Hanhui held talks with the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov on Dec. 21 in Beijing, discussing high-level contact arrangements between the two countries next year. The two sides agreed that the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination had been fruitful and ran at a high level this year.

"Grand and colorful activities will be held to celebrate the 70th anniversary of China-Russia diplomatic relations next year, to consolidate the friendship between the two peoples, promote development of bilateral ties as well as contribute to maintaining international fairness and justice and world peace and stability," Hua said.Political Editor

Schuyler Kropf is The Post and Courier political editor. He has covered every major political race in South Carolina dating to 1988, including for U.S. Senate, governorship, the Statehouse and Republican and Democratic presidential primaries.In Adam McKays biopic of former Vice President Dick Cheney, "Vice," the storytelling and structure is obsessive, worrying at several repeated motifs: Cheney (Christian Bale) fly-fishing, drunkenly careening down a dirt road and a tree carved with a heart encircling the names Lynne + Dick. "Lynne + Dick" would be a better title for this scathing, scattered portrait of Cheney, who might have remained a Wyoming lineman and neer-do-well had his power-hungry fiancee, Lynne (Amy Adams), not demanded he shape up after hauling him out of the drunk tank one morning in 1963.

But despite Lynnes puppet mastery, and Adams ferocious performance, this is a film about a man who amassed enormous influence through any means necessary. And the tale, spanning half a decade, is gargantuan. McKay has bitten off an impossibly huge bite with "Vice," and to masticate it fully, he throws every storytelling device he can at it. Theres a mysterious narrator, voiced by Jesse Plemons, and celebrity cameos explaining complicated concepts, much like in McKays "The Big Short." There are board game pieces and archival footage and narrative tricks assembled into a head-spinning pastiche, with the imposing Cheney the silent and deadly center of gravity.

Bale imbues the taciturn Cheney with a chilly, magnetic charisma. A title card warns, "Beware the quiet man." His quiet is the kind that makes people lean in to hear what he has to say, crave his approval, believe in his ideas. Bale exudes the essence of the man with his tight-mouthed grimace, his horizontal desk lean, the menacing head tilt.

The tale begins simultaneously in 1963 and on Sept. 11, the two most important moments in Cheneys life. The first is when he decides to change himself  for Lynne  and the second is when he changes the world, forever, with his ongoing thought experiment about just how far executive power can be stretched.

Cheney keeps his cards close, unlike his swaggering, ruthless mentor, Donald Rumsfeld (Steve Carell), who plays them aggressively. As a filmmaker, McKay is a lot like Rumsfeld, showing his cards all the time. McKay should have exercised more restraint in a few moments; a few too many indulgences lean far into personal editorializing. Those are the moments when "Vice" tips into parody  and its far more effective as horror.

"Vice" is not a "both sides" kind of biopic. It firmly expresses its point of view that Cheney harmed our country forever with his Machiavellian machinations. A cheeky post-credits sequence in which McKay cops to his "liberal bias" is a bit of a cop-out. But the film requires a strong position  to remain objective is to lionize Cheney.The Department of Defense has awarded an $11.3 million contract to a joint-venture firm based in Napa, California, for pipeline construction and repair work on Guam.

Nova Group Inc.-Underground Construction Co. Inc., JV, received the "firm-fixed-price modification" contract from Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas.

In all, $11,350,806 has been obligated for the project. The funds will come from the Navy's fiscal year 2013 military construction budget and the fiscal 2015 defense working capital fund.

According to the DOD announcement, this contract is a modification to a previous award, which raises the total cumulative value of the contract to $78,285,823.

Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request.

The Nova Group specializes in hydrant fueling, waterfront and utility construction. Underground Construction Co. has 80 years' experience providing gas, power, airport fueling, and telecom transmission and distribution facilities.

The work includes "adjustments associated with additional munitions and explosives of concern investigations," as well as a "new pipeline and pipeline repairs."

The construction work will take place in Piti and at various locations "off base" within the NAVFAC Marianas area of responsibility. The project is expected to be completed by March 2019.The Department of Defense has awarded an $11.3 million contract to a joint-venture firm based in Napa, California, for pipeline construction and repair work on Guam.

Nova Group Inc.-Underground Construction Co. Inc., JV, received the "firm-fixed-price modification" contract from Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas.

In all, $11,350,806 has been obligated for the project. The funds will be coming from the Navy's fiscal year 2013 military construction budget and the fiscal 2015 defense working capital fund.

According to the DOD announcement, this contract is a modification to a previous award, which raises the total cumulative value of the contract to $78,285,823.

Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request.

The Nova Group specializes in hydrant fueling, waterfront and utility construction. Underground Construction Co. has 80 years' experience providing gas, power, airport fueling, and telecom transmission and distribution facilities.

The work includes "adjustments associated with additional munitions and explosives of concern investigations," as well as a "new pipeline and pipeline repairs."

The construction work will take place in Piti and at various locations "off base" within NAVFAC Marianas' area of responsibility. The project is expected to be completed by March 2019. Flash

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that he has returned to the United States after an unannounced visit overseas to Iraq and Germany.





Trump tweeted that he had "just returned from visiting our troops in Iraq and Germany. One thing is certain, we have incredible people representing our Country -- people that know how to win!"





During his stay in Iraq, Trump defended his decisions to withdraw troops from Syria and let Secretary of Defense James Mattis leave earlier than scheduled, saying that regional nations in the Middle East shall take responsibility for their security and the United States shall not be "taken advantage of."





However, he promised not to pull U.S. forces out of Iraq, saying the country could be used as a place to "do something in Syria."





Trump has never been a fan of sending U.S. troops out for battles overseas. During his tour, he said that "we are spread out all over the world. We are in countries most people haven't even heard about. Frankly, it's ridiculous."





However, Richard Haass, head of the U.S. think tank Council on Foreign Relations, tweeted that it was "wrong to inject domestic politics into remarks, to not meet best-ever leaders of Iraq, and to articulate a vision of U.S. foreign policy that emphasized exit-strategies over all else and costs without mention of benefits."





"According to @realDonaldTrump, it is ridiculous U.S. troops are in places Americans have not heard of. I disagree," he said. "Most wars -- from WWII thru war on terror -- are in places that only get well known after the fact. Nothing ridiculous about such commitments."WEST CHESTER-A little over a year after a deadly Nov. 16, 2017 blaze, staff at the Barclay Friends Senior Living facility are poised to rebuild.

Staffers received the go-ahead from borough council at Decembers meeting, and are set to begin what is expected to be a year of construction, starting in early 2019. Plans are contingent on the Quaker home building a small slice of connecting sidewalk.

The home marked the year anniversary with a Quaker remembrance.

We marked it here quietly in the manner of Friends, said Linda Sterthous, executive director.

Although more than 60 investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives investigated, no official cause of the fire has yet been determined. Unofficially, a lawyer representing a couple of patients speculated that the fire was sparked by a cigarette left in an outdoor trashcan and spread because the sprinkler system did not function properly.

The existing facility not damaged by the fire houses 96 beds. One hundred ninety-seven residents have been admitted to the facility since an April 2 reopening. Occupancy stands at 90 percent.

Sterthous said residents were very happy during the April 2 reopening, with tears of joy.

By and large the residents who returned are doing well, Sterthous said.

Faith Woodward, admissions and marketing director, said staff were waiting to welcome them at the front door.

Four hundred first responders responded to the fast-moving November 2017 overnight fire that killed four, injured 27 and displaced 133 residents.

The facility hopes to add 60 little apartments, or one bedroom apartments and studios, including 20 beds dedicated to memory care.

The two-story structure, with a basement built below grade, will be constructed from steel and concrete. The new building will add another 12 units at the original site lost to the flames, at what was formerly known as the Woolman Building. Both buildings will be connected.

The former structure, with 48 beds, measured 38,000 square feet and the new building, with 60 beds, will cover 61,000 square feet.

We had so much support and help from the West Chester Community that there was no way we could thank everyone, Sterthous said. In honor, we ask residents, family, staff and the public to support Home of the Sparrow.

Donations of paper products, which may not be purchased with food stamps, will support the non-profit serving homeless women and children.

We can give back by giving to another non-profit, Sterthous said.Rumor has it the federal government has shut down. Have you noticed? I havent. I was on Howie Carrs radio show this afternoon, talking about the shutdownor perhaps we should say, alleged shutdown. Here are a few observations:

1) It goes without saying that the shutdown is the Republicans fault. It makes no difference whether the president is a Republican or Democrat, or who controls congress, or whether the shutdown is prompted by Congressional inaction or by a veto. An iron law of reporting holds that the GOP is to blame for all shutdowns.

2) So thats a given. The question is, will anyone care? The public has become rather jaded about shutdown theater, I think. In 2013, the Obama administration deliberately tried to dramatize the shutdown by closing the national parks and D.C. monuments, and taking other measures to make the shutdown relatively visible and even impactful. I dont suppose the Trump administration will do the same.

3) Before the script changed, Mitch McConnell vowed that there would be no shutdown, saying:

Well, [President Trump] can speak for himself, but I think that a government shutdown is not a good option. Thats my view. The American people dont like it. I dont know how many times, you remember my favorite country saying, theres no education in the second kick of a mule. Weve been down this path before and I dont believe well go down this path again.

Im not sure what McConnell was talking about. The latest notable shutdown, the one he must have had in mind, occurred in October 2013 and lasted for 16 days. The Obama administration tried to maximize shutdown pain, and the press universally blamed Republicans and deplored their supposed intransigence. What was the result, in the midterm elections that took place just over one year later? Wikipedia reminds us:

The elections saw sweeping gains by the Republican Party in the Senate, House, and in numerous gubernatorial, state, and local races. The Republicans gained control of the Senate for the first time since 2006, and increased their majority in the House. The Republicans also gained two seats in governors races.  Overall, the elections resulted in the largest Republican majority in the entire country in nearly a century, with 54 seats in the Senate, 247 (56.78%) in the House, 31 governorships (62%), and 68 state legislative chambers. Moreover, Republicans gained their largest majority in the House since 1928, the largest majority in Congress overall since 1928, and the largest majority of state legislatures since 1928.

Obviously the shutdown wasnt politically fatal to the GOPto say the leastdespite the Obama administrations efforts.

4) How and when will the shutdown end? The history of shutdowns is interesting. The longest-lasting shutdown ever was in 1995 and lasted 21 days. That record could well be broken this time. To the extent the administration shuts down by furloughing non-essential employees in, say, the EPA and the Commerce Department, the situation wont generate a lot of pressure from voters. And I dont think President Trump is in a mood to cave (contrary to early appearances). Still, somethings got to give.

The $5 billion Trump is holding out for represents only a portion of the cost of building the remaining wallwhich, by the way, has been mandated by legislation for some yearsand Trump has indicated he is open to compromise on the amount. A wall already exists on part of the Southern border, so all that is really at stake here is how much more of a still-incomplete wall will now be funded. In theory, compromise should be easy. But both sides see symbolic importance, and political benefit, in holding firm. So the faux shutdown could go on for a while.

I have no idea who will win the shutdown by any rational criterion, although, given the context, I would bet on President Trump to get most of what he wants. But one thing I will guarantee: no matter what happens, the press will assure us that the shutdown was a disaster for the Republicans. Again.Leftist news outlets are buzzing with excitement over a report by McClatchy suggesting that Michael Cohen visited Prague during the 2016 presidential campaign. The infamous anti-Trump dossier, prepared by Christopher Steele and paid for by Hillary Clintons campaign, claimed that Cohen made such a visit, during which he allegedly met with Kremlin insiders. However, Cohen denied being in Prague and no evidence surfaced to contradict him.

But now, McClatchy says that Cohens personal cellphone sent signals to a tower near Prague in the summer of 2016, at around the time that Steele alleges Cohen was meeting with Russians in that city.

McClatchy purports to rely on four unidentified sources. Back in April, McClatchy reported that two sources said an Eastern European intelligence agency picked up chatter in the summer of 2016 from a Russian who commented that Cohen was in Prague.

Was Cohen in Prague in the summer of 2016, after all? I dont know. However, Cohen, who has turned decisively against Trump, still insists he wasnt in Prague. Today, he tweeted:

I hear #Prague #CzechRepublic is beautiful in the summertime. I wouldnt know as I have never been. #Mueller knows everything!

The last sentence of the tweet seems telling. As Chuck Ross points out, Cohen has pleaded guilty not just to supposed campaign finance violations, but also to lying to Congress about efforts to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. However, Cohen did not admit to lying to Congress when he denied claims made in the Steele dossier.

What incentive would Cohen have at this juncture to lie to Mueller about Prague, thereby withholding from Mueller information that might tend to show collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia? None that I can think of.

Other news outlets apparently have not been able to corroborate McClatchys reporting about Cohen/Prague. Indeed, Ross notes, the Washington Posts Greg Miller reported in October that CIA and FBI sources said they dont believe Cohen visited Prague. Maybe there is new evidence that might cause the CIA and the FBI to revise their opinion, but I dont think we should assume there is.

Moreover, after McClathcys April report on buzz that Cohen visited Prague, Robert Muellers office took the unusual step of counseling media outlets to be cautious about any source that claims to have knowledge regarding what its investigation has uncovered. Dig deep into what they claim before reporting on it, Muellers spokesperson said, and dont run with it unless you have your own sourcing to back it up.

That was good advice then and its good advice now.You are here: World

 Flash

Britain's most senior police officer warned on Thursday that the public could be put at risk if the UK leaves the European Union (EU) without reaching an agreement.

Her warning came weeks ahead of the British parliament's vote on the Brexit deal reached between the British government and the EU.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick told local media that a no-deal Brexit would threaten access to EU-wide criminal databases which will make it harder to extradite people from abroad.

She also said that the Met was talking to other police forces across Europe about contingency arrangements if needed.

Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29 next year.

Dick said Britain's policing cooperation with the EU was based on a framework of "legal instruments" which would have to be replaced after its exit.

But she admitted that a no-deal scenario would make this very difficult to do in the short term. Flash

A bomb device exploded outside a Greek Orthodox Christian church in the center of Athens on early Thursday, injuring two persons, Greek national news agency AMNA reported.

The two slightly injured are a church employee who found a suspicious package and alerted the police, and a police officer who rushed to the site.

No warning telephone call was made before the explosion and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Greek anarchist and terrorist groups who have been operating in the country for decades targeting politicians, police, media and financial targets, usually make warning calls to media outlets to avoid casualties.

This was the case on December 17 this year when a bomb blast caused extensive material damages, but no injuries at the headquarters of local media group SKAI.

About 15 minutes after the explosion which happened at 7:15 a.m. local time, there was a scheduled mass, while next to the church is a popular cafe.

"It was a loud explosion, but not very strong," Andreas K., a local, told Xinhua.

"I heard a deafening sound while I was at home and then sirens of an ambulance and police vehicles... I went outside on the balcony to see what is happening," Evangelia T., a neighbor, added.

Attacks on religious buildings (in the overwhelming majority on Greek Orthodox churches) by so-called anti-establishment groups in many cases, are on the rise in recent years, according to a recent report on local "Eleftheros Typos" (Free Press) daily which cited the Education, Research and Religious Affairs Ministry data.

In 2017 a total of 556 incidents of vandalisms, burglaries etc. were recorded against places of worship, including 537 against Orthodox Christian churches and cemeteries.

A year ago according to the ministry's figures, a total of 215 such attacks on Christian churches, synagogues and other religious sites were recorded.

Located in the district of Kolonaki, 500 meters from the Greek parliament, the targeted church was inaugurated in 1931, while famous Greek architects, painters, sculptors and other artists contributed in the construction and decoration.

On early afternoon Thursday, bomb disposal experts also rushed to the headquarters of the ruling Radical Left SYRIZA party in central Athens for a suspicious package which turned out to be a power bank.The World Health Organisation (WHO) has strongly condemned an armed attack on Al Jala Hospital in Libyas second-largest city of Benghazi, which took place on Tuesday.

The global health body warned that further assaults could shutter the key facility.

While nobody was reportedly killed, WHO said that there had been panic among patients and health workers inside the hospital, and damage to infrastructure.

Unidentified armed assailants reportedly entered the building and stormed into the intensive care section, damaging some equipment in an exchange of gunfire, before they left without causing any injuries.

The trauma hospital is already struggling with resources and suffering from a lack of medical supplies, WHO said.

The attack marked the latest incident in a wave of attacks by armed groups in the countrys eastern pocket in recent months, prompting the volatile city to remain on a state of high alert, it added.

In November, fighting between armed militia resulted in damage to a hospital for Women and Childbirth in the capital, Tripoli.

A doctor was shot and the incident led to a three-day halt to non-emergency medical services, WHO said.

The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) responded in a statement, stressing that the national health system is already under-resourced and overstretched, these attacks are costing lives of innocent patients and staff alike.

WHO warned repeated attacks will lead to closure of this important hospital, add to the suffering of Libyan people, and further deprive the already limited access they have to medical care.

The UN global health agency therefore urged all parties to observe international humanitarian law and respect the safety and neutrality of health workers and the facilities in which they operate.

Such tragedies should be avoided by taking all necessary precautionary measures and perpetrators must be brought to justice, WHO declared.

According to latest figures from the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, Benghazi hosts the largest number of internally-displaced people of anywhere in the country, with 26,800 living in and around the city.

Around 189,000 returnees have also made their way back to the city and surrounding areas, since the overthrow of former ruler Muammar Al Ghaddaffi, in 2011.

Since then, the country has been wrecked by division and economic crisis, according to the UN health agency.

(NAN)The Nigeria Police have dismissed 121 of at least 167 police officers who absconded from a counterterrorism training facility to avoid deployment against Boko Haram insurgents last week, PREMIUM TIMES can report.

The 121 officers of the rank-and-file were accused of committing mutiny and desertion, prompting Inspector-General Ibrahim Idris to order their dismissal with immediate effect.

A directive has gone out for several police units where the dismissed officers were attached to immediately retrieve all equipment in their possession and remove them from payrolls, according to a December 26 signal seen by PREMIUM TIMES.

The mass dismissal comes a day after PREMIUM TIMES broke the news of the large-scale desertion, eliciting renewed nationwide concerns about Nigerias progress in the Boko Haram war, which is now entering its tenth year.

The 167 officers whom PREMIUM TIMES confirmed as having absconded were amongst the 2,000 sent on a counter-insurgency training at the Nigerian Army Special Forces Training School in Buni Yadi, Yobe State.

Scores of them disappeared after learning that they would be deployed in active combat against Boko Haram in communities where the insurgents are still virulent, as against relatively peaceful settlements like Maiduguri metro area.

They were then declared wanted, amidst fears that they could be harmful because they did not submit the arms, ammunition and other equipment in their possession before fleeing.

The police had in their first reaction on Wednesday night strongly denied that the officers absconded as reported by PREMIUM TIMES, with their spokesperson Jimoh Moshood saying from the Force Headquarters that the 2,000 officers were still in the training centre ready for deployment against Boko Haram terrorists.

The signals detailing the mass dismissal, which were authenticated by officials at the top command, surfaced while the Nigerian Army contradicted the polices claim that officers did not abscond.

EXCLUSIVE: Police dismiss 121 officers for absconding from deployment against Boko Haram (FULL LIST) EXCLUSIVE: Police dismiss 121 officers for absconding from deployment against Boko Haram (FULL LIST) EXCLUSIVE: Police dismiss 121 officers for absconding from deployment against Boko Haram (FULL LIST) EXCLUSIVE: Police dismiss 121 officers for absconding from deployment against Boko Haram (FULL LIST) EXCLUSIVE: Police dismiss 121 officers for absconding from deployment against Boko Haram (FULL LIST) EXCLUSIVE: Police dismiss 121 officers for absconding from deployment against Boko Haram (FULL LIST) EXCLUSIVE: Police dismiss 121 officers for absconding from deployment against Boko Haram (FULL LIST) EXCLUSIVE: Police dismiss 121 officers for absconding from deployment against Boko Haram (FULL LIST)

The army said the officers fled the training centre without permission, but added that many of them had been summarily caught and returned to the facility.

It was not immediately clear whether any disciplinary measures had been taken against the remaining officers who absconded.

Mr Moshood did not immediately return PREMIUM TIMES requests for comments about the dismissal Thursday night.Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State has summoned what was called an emergency security meeting to address the increasing attacks by Boko Haram terrorists in the state.

Gov. Kashim Shettima has called for an emergency extraordinary security meeting in Maiduguri to be attended by heads of security establishments, leadership of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), hunters, traditional rulers, elders, three senators, 10 members of House of Representatives and 28 members of the State House of Assembly, said Isa Gusau, the Special Assistant to the governor on Media and Communication Strategy.

He said the meeting will hold on Monday December 31; at the Government House, Maiduguri, the state capital.

Other participants were selected local council chairmen and commissioners from the areas affected by recent attacks; leadership of the University of Maiduguri and selected tertiary institutions, Chairmen of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), National Council of Women Societies and Nigerian Legion.

Mr Gusau said Mr Shettima wants the meeting as part of multi-dimensional response to the resurgence of Boko Haram attacks in parts of the state.

In recent times, Boko Haram terrorists attacked some of Nigerias military formations in the state and neighbouring Yobe and had at times staged deadly ambush against Nigerias soldiers.

The latest was the attack on Wednesday against the 7 Brigade of the Multinational Joint Task Force based in the fishing town of Baga, north of the state.

Mr Gusau said Mondays meeting would deliberate and review the recent attacks and come up with sound suggestions and resolutions, to be presented to President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said the governor has adopted proactive measures to support the fight against the Boko Haram insurgents and address humanitarian needs of people affected by the recent conflict.

Mr Gusau added that the governor sympathises with the victims displaced by the conflict.

He also reiterated the state governments commitment to complement the Federal Governments efforts to end insurgency, restore peace and assuage the sufferings of displaced persons.

(NAN)The presidential flag bearer of the Peoples Trust Party (PTP), Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, says his candidacy is determined to enthrone trust and brotherhood in the governance of the country.

Mr Olawepo-Hashim gave made this pledge on Friday while briefing journalists after a stakeholders meeting in Enugu.

He said the people needed an environment of trust and brotherhood to thrive.

The PTP presidential candidate said it was sad that some sections of the country felt excluded in the scheme of things, adding that his presidency would run an all-inclusive government.

Mr Olawepo-Hashim said he was in the South East to assure them that whatever grievances they nursed would be addressed by his administration.

He said the forthcoming elections would determine the future of the country, urging Nigerians to elect selfless leaders.

The 2019 election is going to be an unusual election in the sense that it is almost a referendum on the future of Nigeria.

It will be a decision on the peace, stability and prosperity of Nigeria.

The South East zone is very crucial, as there has been a lot of injustice and I am here to heal the wounds, he said.

Mr Olawepo-Hashim said within six months in office, he would decentralise power by amending the exclusive and concurrent lists to ensure that states have greater roles in resource mobilisation.

He said the overbearing central government had not provided the approval, momentum and encouragement for the state resources to be developed.

Mr Olawepo-Hashim stressed the need to create equity in the federation and added that South East had been the worst hit with five states.

(NAN)Adnan Mukhtar, 26, is the candidate of the United People Congress (UPC) for a seat in the Kano State House of Assembly where he hopes to represent Nasarawa Constituency.

He is an activist who dedicated most of his university days to students politics. He is also a former member of the then Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the All Progressives Party (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mr Mukhtar was among hundreds of young candidates who gathered in Abuja earlier the month for The Convergence.

In this interview with QueenEsther Iroanusi, he explains why he dumped the ruling and opposition parties, his fallout with a former governor of his state, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and how his (Mr Kwankwasos) unpatriotic gesture has motivated him to run for a position at the State House of Assembly.

PT: When did you join politics? How long have you had the plan to run?

Adnan: I joined politics in 2011 during the CPC days, I joined the CPC. Even then, my father was a student leader. I went through some of his documents and realised that he participated in the Students Union.

For me to understand and practice politics, I started by engaging myself in students politics and I was elected as the Deputy Speaker in the students parliament in the university and also the secretary-general in the student union.

So, even after graduation, Ive had this plan and determination to contest in 2019 as far as the Not To Young To Run Bill was passed into law.

PT: What prompted you to want to run for the State House of Assembly?

Adnan: I was part of those people that have been hoping to see that this bill is passed by the Kano State House of Assembly because I knew I would be one of the beneficiaries of the bill. But unfortunately, the Kano State House of Assembly denied the bill passage, I was unhappy. Fortunately, it was passed and signed into law.

That has given me hope and determination to contest so that I will inspire other young people so that I will take charge of the practices of democracy of this country.

PT: You will be contesting against mega political parties that can pull millions of votes in your state alone. How do you intend to get that number of votes for yourself?

Adnan: You see, I have come up with a new strategy of enlightening the young people that this is their time.

As far as they constitute a large number of the population, they are at a better chance of bringing change.

I have adopted a very good strategy of massive mobilisation, social media campaign and reaching out to the different wards in my constituency to tell them what I have for them as well as the kind of laws Im going to make for good governance.

I have been telling them that I dont have the money to give them but I have so many good plans that will benefit them, their children and grandchildren.

PT: How would you rate your relationship with your constituents?

Adnan: I have a very good relationship with them and I can assure you that wherever you go in my constituency, Im one of the youngest candidates.

I have granted interviews to different radio and television stations and through that medium, I have been able to reach many people.

PT: What will you do differently if elected?

Adnan: You see, I have been telling the people what is possible, not the impossible. The last time I visited a ward, I told the people that Im not going to be elected so that I will be building mosques and schools for them. I would be elected to go and make laws, to come up with bills that will ensure good governance that will impact on health, education, employment and youth development.

These are my plans. My plans are not to carry out the duties of the executive arm of the government. I am a lawmaker and Im going to make laws for them.

This way, they will know I am not a liar or a betrayer like other politicians.

PT: You sound so confident; do you have a political godfather?

Adnan: So far, I dont have a political godfather, I have political mentors.

I was in the APC. I was following Senator Kwankwaso in Kano, he knows me very well. I am a writer and have written articles in national dailies in Kano State.

When he decamped to PDP, I followed him. When I went for a consensus meeting in our constituency, he was presiding over the consensus.

Kwankwaso, who is the former governor of my state, told me that I am too young to contest. He said I just finished my NYSC, Im not strong, Im not married, Im too young and I should not contest. Thats what he told me.

That provoked me because it is against the wishes of the young people and against the aim of the Not Too Young To Run Movement. If I choose to listen to Senator Kwankwaso, then I would have compromised the Bill and the confidence that the young people have in me.

So, I decided to dump the PDP and dump Senator Kwankwaso because of his unpatriotic gesture to the young people like me. So, I joined a new party to bring something new and to bring change because I believe that we can make it even in the small parties.

Its all about awareness and the strategies we are going to adopt.

PT: Do you support Local Government Autonomy?

Adnan: I support Local Government Autonomy 100 per cent. Because Local government is the government that is nearest to the people. The state governments have compromised the local government which, I think, can provide the dividends of democracy to the people more than the state government.

The local government which is responsible for the primary healthcare, education and other social amenities that will reach the people easily, are being denied autonomy.

How then do you expect us to develop when the local government that is nearer to the people is denied autonomy?

We have a long way to go. So, I support local government autonomy, legislative autonomy and judicial autonomy. Let every arm of government have full autonomy for the betterment of democracy.

PT: Will you publicly declare your assets if elected into office?

Adnan: Yes, I will. I dont have much assets. I just graduated. I just have a degree, a house my father left for me and the car Im using. Those are my assets.

PT: Where do you stand on state police?

Adnan: I am not in support of state police for only one reason. You see, if the state government will compromise local government elections because they have the opportunity of appointing the heads of the state electoral commission, then they can compromise the police institution because if they have state police, the governors will be using them for their own political gain.

Its just like what is happening now, the state governors are using the commissioner of police to serve their own personal and political gains. How much more if they are granted the opportunity to have the state police? Things will become more worrisome.Heavy fighting at a multinational military base in Baga, Borno State, has seen the insurgent group, Boko Haram, allegedly take control of the town, several security sources have told PREMIUM TIMES.

The army, however, denied the narrative, saying the attack occured, but was successfully repelled.

Baga, a fishing community, fell to the group in 2015 but was retaken by the Nigerian military backed by the armed forces of Niger and Chad.

The Nigerian Army confirmed overnight fighting at the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) base on Wednesday night, but did not give details about who was in control of the town.

A statement by the army on Thursday said troops put up a very determined fight to repel the attack throughout the night, and said a navy personnel was killed in the attack.

But several reliable security sources at the frontline told PREMIUM TIMES the situation was more dire than the army made it to look.

According to the sources who spoke on strict condition of anonymity for safety reasons, the insurgents were able to carry out the attack on Baga which is the headquarters of the 7 Brigade of the Nigerian Army and the MNJTF, despite that there was information it will happen.

One source said the fighting lasted through out the night until the troops were eventually dislodged.

Available reports revealed that Boko Haram have dislodged Nigerian troops from Baga, the miltary source said. There is no official confirmation on whether the troops have retaken Baga as no reinforcement has been able to reach Baga as at midday Thursday.

The source added, The first reinforcement stopped halfway at Cross Kauwa; they have not been able to reach Baga town.

However, the air force carried out three sorties as at 10a.m. (Thursday) on the Boko Haram currently controlling the town but no confirmation on whether they have retaken the town.

Another military source insisted that Boko Haram has overrun Baga, and taken over Multinational Joint Task Force headquarters.

We are now witnessing simultaneous attacks at different locations, the source said.

Before now, the Boko Haram had taken out two of the three battalions under the brigade, which are Metele and Gudumbali, all under the 7 Brigade.

The other (dislodged) battalion is that of Malam Fatori, a border town with Niger Republic close to Lake Chad.

The source worried urgent action needed to be taken to stop the systematic seizure of location, else the troops would be cut off.

If no effort is made to retake Baga, Malam Fatori would be completely blocked from road movement and the Boko Haram would route the troops out easily, the source said.

Intelligence not acted upon

One source said there was intelligence of the Wednesday night attack, but that nothing was done to forestall it.

Unfortunately, even civilians were aware of the impending attack on Baga at least 24 hours before the attack, the source said.

At about 2 p.m. yesterday (Wednesday) civilians reported gathering of Boko Haram in Metele and Arege and their movements were passed to appropriate authorities. But as usual nothing was done.

The military officer who was apparently saddened by the unfortunate developments in the theatre of war said the command, not the troops, was the problem.

Asked if the Nigerian military can still defeat Boko Haram, the source said, Yes, we can sir, but the military and political leadership are living in denial.

We cant solve a problem when we dont believe it exists. Moreover, they (the political leadership) condemned the past actors and the methods used to achieve success. They are now ashamed to use same method.

Army Statement

In his statement, however, Army spokesman, Sani Usman, said on Wednesday 26th December 2018, suspected Boko Haram terrorists attacked the headquarters of 7 Brigade Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), Baga, Borno State, at about 7.00pm.

The troops along with their Nigerian Navy counterparts put up a very determined fight to repel the attack throughout the night, while Sector 3 Operation LAFIYA DOLE sent in reinforcement who are in hot pursuit of the terrorists.

Similarly, a Search and Rescue team has been constituted. The Nigerian Air Force component has also been mobilised and are engaging the fleeing terrorists. Unfortunately, a naval personnel was killed in action.

So far, no further details of casualties yet as efforts are on going to clear the terrorists hiding in Baga and environs.

We enjoin all to remain calm as the troops conduct clearance and mop up operations. We implore members of the general public to disregard any contrary information circulating on the attack.

We will keep you posted with development on the pursuit and mop up operations. Flash

The embassy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Syrian capital Damascus was reopened Thursday afternoon and the UAE flag was raised over it, for the first time in seven years.

The reopened embassy marks the first state of the Gulf Cooperation Council to resume diplomatic work in Syria.

Hamzeh al-Dawalibi, drector of Protocol Department of the Syrian Foreign Ministry, as well as Iraqi and Sudanese ambassadors and diplomats from the Tunisian and Algerian embassies, showed up at the embassy where an opening ceremony took place inside.

Xinhua reporters on site heard a burst of hand-clapping, which was followed by the hoisting of the UAE flag.

Abdul-Hakim al-Nuami, the UAE charge d'affaires, was cited by the pro-government Sham FM radio as saying that the return of the UAE embassy is a prelude for the return of other Arab embassies to Syria.

He added that Syria will strongly be back to the Arab world.

Iraqi Ambassador Saad Muhammad Rida told reporters upon leaving the opening ceremony that the raising of the UAE flag and the opening of the embassy in Damascus is an invitation to all Arab countries to return to Damascus.

"Syria is a country in the heart of the Arab world and it's an indescribable country in the Arab world and this is an invitation to the Arab countries to return," he said.

Sources familiar with the situation told Xinhua that the Syrian employees have started their jobs at the embassy on Thursday.

Local reports said that some maintenance work was carried out inside the embassy ahead of its opening.

In his recent remarks, Syria's deputy foreign minister said: "We welcome any step for the return of all Arab embassies to Syria."

All Gulf states had closed their embassies in Damascus after the Syrian crisis erupted in 2011.Reports coming from credible sources indicate that Boko Haram terrorists may have taken control of Baga town, following a series of heated battle with Nigerian soldiers.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how the insurgents attacked a military base in Baga in a night long shootout on Wednesday.

The Nigerian Army confirmed the attack but said it repelled the terrorists.

The army spokesperson, Sani Usman, a brigadier general, said a reinforcement, earlier deployed to Baga, were in hot pursuit of the insurgents.

Reports coming from military sources reveal, however, that the Boko Haram fighters were not fleeing but still in control of the commercial town as at Thursday night.

The Boko Haram are in full control of Baga and environs, one top military source said in Maiduguri, highlighting that all the reinforcements sent from neighbouring locations also ran into deadly ambushes.

Reinforcement suffered casualties and had to return.

All the reinforcement from Baga have been met with ambushes at Cross Kauwa, 30kms to Baga.

So far, the Brigade Commander, 3 officers and 21 soldiers have arrived Monguno as at 4 p.m.

More escaping soldiers are still being expected and some others who survived with serious injuries were reported to have been moved to Maiduguri by civilians.

The source said the insurgents seemed to be in control of the area as they continued to carry out coordinated ambushes to foil all the reinforced deployment of troops.

Even the Civilian JTF from Maiduguri and Gubio who tried to bypass Cross Kauwa to go through Gudumbali (west of Baga) were equally ambushed and had to retreat, said the source.

It was also disclosed that the Boko Haram fighters were reported to have addressed the civilians left in Baga town, warning them of the evil fate of saboteurs.

Meanwhile, the strategic and highly valued multi barrel rocket launcher (MBRL) amongst other equipment is reported to have been captured by the Boko Haram, the source said.

Baga, a fishing community, fell to the terrorists in 2015 but was retaken by the Nigerian military backed by the armed forces of Niger and Chad.

Its location and the activities of Boko Haram in the area make independent verification of the claims difficult.

More details laterThere was palpable apprehension in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti capital, on Thursday as unknown gunmen shot and killed a man whose identity was yet to be ascertained as at press time.

The state police command confirmed the incident, saying its officials had launched an investigation to unravel the perpetrators of the crime.

An eyewitness, however, revealed that the victim was a motorist driving in his car before he was shot.

The deceased was in the car and the vehicle conveying the gunmen had hit his car at the back.

The deceased then alighted from the car to complain over the reckless driving not knowing they were armed robbers and the daredevil bandits opened fire on him killing him instantly, he said.

According to him, the hoodlums after shooting the motorist fled the scene at top speed.

The source said that the incident occurred at the busy Ajilosun area of the city.

The incident, which created panic among the residents of the area, happened directly adjacent the popular Tosin Aluko Ado/ Ikere Ekiti Motor park at Ajilosun.

The deceased was shot in the head and stomach by his assailants, he said.

When the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) visited the scene, the man was still in the pool of his blood.

He was later evacuated by policemen from the Ologede Police station and taken to the morgue at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti.

NAN reports that men of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, who had reported for work, fled the scene.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in Ekiti, Caleb Ikechukwu, confirmed the incident.

The police spokesman said: We have got the report about the killing and our men have swung into action.

 We are yet to know the identity of the deceased but investigation has begun into the killing, he stated. (NAN)The Nigerian Army says it will conduct exercise Egwu Eke III  Python Dance nationwide, to tackle already observed upsurge in security challenges as the 2019 general elections draw nearer.

According to the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, who announced this at a news conference on Friday in Maiduguri, said the exercise will be conducted from January 1 to February 28, 2019.

The 2019 general elections are due to commence with the presidential and National Assembly elections slated for February 16.

The Nigerian army has suffered a string of losses in its nine-year-old war against Boko Haram, amid an upsurge in insecurity nationwide.

Armed groups have also launched a deadly campaign in Zamfara state in the north west, killing hundreds of citizens.

Represented by Lamidi Adeosun, the Chief of Training and Operations, Mr. Buratai, a Lt.-Gen., identified those threats as stockpiling of arms by criminal groups, the formation of ethnic militia and violence induced by political activities.

The army had in 2016 and 2017 conducted exercise Egwu Eke I and II to address peculiar security challenges in the South- East geo-political zone.

These challenges coupled with other security threats across the country such as terrorism, militancy, kidnapping and banditry portend that dissident groups and criminal elements could cash in on the situation to perpetrate large-scale violence before, during and after the 2019 general elections, he said.

According to the army chief, Nigerian troops need to be prepared and equipped with requisite skills in order to professionally and effectively respond to these challenges and security threats in collaboration with the Nigerian Police and other para-military oganisations.

Responding to a question on why Egwu Eke III is being conducted nationwide and not restricted to the South-East in line with its code name, Mr Buratais representative said there is python everywhere.

Even in the desert of Borno, dont forget, the Lake Chad basin is there, python can also dance within the desert.

In fact, we have desert python, so python will dance all over the country this time around, he said.

The army chief explained that the success of the exercise Egwu Eke I and II in checkmating security threats in the South- East informed its implementation across the country now.

Mr Buratai called on Nigerians to provide the army and other security agencies with useful and timely information to enable them to deliver on the mandate of the planned exercise.

He reaffirmed the commitment of the army to fight against terrorism and insurgency in the country.

(NAN)The police laid a siege to the residence of Nigerian senator, Dino Melaye, on Friday, ending on an aggravating note a turbulent year that began with allegations the politician was involved in multiple armed robbery and murder plots.

At least 20 police officers were said to have arrived at Mr Melayes home in Abujas upscale Maitama neighbourhood on Friday morning. It was not immediately clear when the officers began arriving, but Mr Melaye first tweeted about it at 11:53 a.m.

Witnesses in the area told PREMIUM TIMES at least 10 officers have forcibly entered the fortified building, and still remained inside as of 3:18 p.m. Ten others, including at least 10 plainclothes officers, were manning outside.

Mr Melaye was believed to be inside the house, holding himself in one of the secret dungeons to prevent being driven away.

PREMIUM TIMES observed five police vehicles in a visit to the scene Friday afternoon, comprising two police utility trucks and three five-seater passenger cars. A battery of reporters stood watch about 30 metres away from the building gate.

The senator, however, said in a conference call with reporters that he was outside Abuja, and only learnt about the development through public channels.

I am not in Abuja, but I plan to make myself available when I return, the senator said.

The police declined comments to reporters, with the leader of the team directing all enquiries to the Force Headquarters. Abuja police commissioner, Bala Ciroma, did not return PREMIUM TIMES requests for comments.

Todays siege marks the fourth attempt to arrest Mr Melaye by force this year, over a laundry of charges which ranged from perjury to culpable homicide. It came three days after Mr Melaye said he had uncovered polices plots to inject him with poisonous substance, a caim the police denied.

The police declared him wanted in March on claims he provided false information to them about an alleged attempt on his life, and also sponsored some criminal suspects on armed robbery and murder missions.

Senator Dino Melaye [Photo: dinomelaye.com]

It was in early March that the police first attempted to forcibly arrest Mr Melaye by way of a siege at the FCT High Court in Maitama. The police again trapped Mr Melaye at his Abuja home in April, and ultimately took him away following a siege that lasted all day.

In one of at least a dozen cases which the police have filed against Mr Melaye, the senator was arraigned on a stretcher in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, for murder, days after the senator was hospitalised after reportedly jumping out of a moving police vehicle to avoid being taken to Lokoja, where he believed he would not get justice.

When Mr Melaye went home for a thanksgiving service in June, members of his security detail were said to have opened fire at a police checkpoint, leading to an overnight siege at his country home in Aiyetoro-Gbede, Kogi State.

It was not immediately clear whether the police have fresh arrest warrant for Mr Melaye before embarking on the latest siege Friday morning.

The senator strongly denied all the charges, saying he was being hounded by Governor Yahaya Bello and the Buhari administration for his confrontational politics.

Mr Bello has repeatedly distanced himself from Mr Melayes ordeal, and the police said they are not being used by the government to go after the senator.The Nigeria police continued their schemes to cover up the desertion of at least 167 officers on Friday, dismissing own internal documents to claim that none of the officers was dismissed as reported by PREMIUM TIMES.

PREMIUM TIMES broke the news on Wednesday that 167 officers were declared wanted after being accused of absconding from a counter-insurgency training exercise in Yobe State last week.

A follow-up story on Thursday night detailed how 121 of the 167 identified officers were dismissed by Inspector-General Ibrahim Idris.

Both stories were based on signals and other internal police documents that were independently authenticated by multiple police chiefs at the top of the command, and PREMIUM TIMES stands by both the documents and its entire reporting of the desertion affair.

The Force Headquarters has scrambled to contain the fallout from the disclosure that mobile police officers absconded from the Nigerian Army Special Forces Training School, Buni Yadi, to avoid being deployed in active combat against Boko Haram, and PREMIUM TIMES appears not to be the only entity the police have taken on in the process.

On Thursday morning, police spokesperson Jimoh Moshood pointedly dismissed the account of the Nigerian Army on the incident during an appearance on Channels Television.

The Nigeria Army chief in charge of the police deployment against Boko Haram, A.S. Ishaq, had stated that some police officers left the training facility without permission.

Mr Ishaq said some of the police officers were apprehended about 60 kilometres away in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, according to PRNigeria, a public relations platform for security and other government agencies.

Read the polices full denial to the PREMIUM TIMES story on the firing of 121 officers below:

PRESS RELEASE

RE: POLICE DISMISS 121 OFFICERS FOR ABSCONDING FROM DEPLOYMENT AGAINST BOKO HARAM (FULL LIST)

 No Police Officer was dismissed by the Force among the 2000 Police personnel deployed to the North East.

 It is purely a fake news that the Police dismissed 121 officers for absconding from deployment against Boko Haram

The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to a story published by Premium Times Online media on 27thDecember, 2018 captioned POLICE DISMISS 121 OFFICERS FOR ABSCONDING FROM DEPLOYMENT AGAINST BOKO HARAM (FULL LIST) credited to one Samuel Ogundipe attaching a forged counterfeit list of 121 Police officers purportedly dismissed from the service of the Nigeria Police Force.

2. The Force is categorically stating that the story in its entirety is a fake news and not credible, and should be disregarded and discountenance by the public. No Police officer has been dismissed among the 2000 Police Mobile Force (PMF) personnel deployed to the North East.

3. Police officers and men found wanting in any way in the discharge of their statutory duties go through internal disciplinary procedures and if found guilty are either dismissed from the Force or given commensurate punishment(s). In this case, no officer was tried in orderly trial for any offence (disciplinary or otherwise) that will warrant dismissal from the Force and none was dismissed.

4. The writer of the story ignorantly and for mischievous reasons relied on forged counterfeit documents which did not emanate from the Force as the basis for his story. It is a crime under the penal and criminal code laws to tell falsehood with intent to mislead the public to acts that can cause disturbance of public peace and public disobedience.

5. For avoidance of doubt, the Inspector General of Police did not order the dismissal of 121 police officers as claimed by the Premium Times reporter (Samuel Ogundipe). The story is evidently the characteristics mindset and pattern of the writer to deride and castigate public institutions, such as the Nigeria Police Force without any fact whatsoever.

6. The pronouncement of dismissal of Police officers from the Force to the public is the responsibility of the Force Public Relations Officer and not that of the writer of the story.

7. It would be recalled that on the 26thDecember, 2018, the Force debunked a fake and misleading report from premium times online publication that 167 out the 2000 additional Police Officers recently deployed by the IGP to the North East absconded and the attached list of personnel and the police signal were discovered to be forged documents.

8. The Force therefore, implores the public to be aware that the story is ill-motive, orchestrated to puncture the morale of officers and men of the Force engaged in the fight against insurgency in the North East and other Police personnel carrying out core Police duties to protect lives and property of all Nigerians across the Country, and this should be condemned by all.

9. The Force will no longer tolerate or condone deliberate mischief and reckless publications aimed at defaming and derogating the integrity of the service from any individual(s) or group(s). The full weight of the law will be applied to protect the image of the service.

10. The Nigeria Police Force is assuring the Media of a continuous cooperation in guaranteeing public safety and security across the Country, however, it is important for Premium Times Online Publishers to consider National Security and public interest as paramount above sensational publications.

Ag. DCP JIMOH MOSHOOD

FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER

FORCE HEADQUARTERSThe Godswill Akpabio International stadium is already filled to the brim moments before the flag-off of the APC National Campaign for the 2019 elections.

The stadium was decorated with posters with inscriptions Buhari and Ekere Together We prosper; Next Level 2019 Buhari and Ekere; Yes to Buhari and Ekere; Sen. Owan Eno for 2019 in Cross River State; and `Ete Amedio (Papa Welcome).

Other posters including APC, Next Level Nigeria: Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Muhammadu Buhari, among others have also adorned the stadium.

Security situation is tight in and around the stadium as the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps; the Army, DSS and other paramilitary personnel are on standby to ensure security and hitch-free campaign.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that all entrances leading to the stadium have been cordoned off by security personnel to ensure a hitch-free campaign flag-off.

Vehicular movements have also been restricted around the stadium, while vehicles that conveyed supporters have been parked along adjourning streets.

Ambulances are also on standby in case of any emergencies.

Different cultural troupes from the 31 local government areas of Akwa Ibom perform and chant solidarity songs even as they await President Buharis arrival as at about 2.30 p.m.

Hawkers of various goods, souvenirs, and food and sundry items are also having a field day as they sell their wares.

Some of the hawkers shout APC Bread; Ekere groundnut; Buhari Water melon; Buhari mineral; Buhari milk; and Nsima Ekere egg, among others.

Speaking to NAN, Aniekan Nelson who hails from Ikot Abia Ward two in Obot Akara described the event as colourful.

As you can see Akwa Ibom is APC. We will give Buhari and Ekere as well as all APC candidates 100 per cent vote, come 2019 elections, he said.

Also Inimfon Abasi Nelson, a candidate for Ikot Ekpene/Obot Akara State Constituency, thanked God for making the event to hold in Akwa Ibom.

It is a privilege for us to have the President flag off the APC Campaign in Akwa Ibom. We are proud to have him here Mr Nelson said.

She also expressed optimism that Mr Buhari would be re-elected in 2019, while Nsima Ekere would be elected as the next governor of Akwa Ibom.

She also commended the people of the state for coming out en masse to witness the APC Campaign flag-off.

(NAN)The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it has secured no fewer than 312 convictions between January and December 24, 2018.

Tony Orilade, EFCCs acting Head, Media and Publicity, gave details of the convictions on Thursday in a statement in Abuja.

According to the statement, the record of convictions is undoubtedly a significant improvement from the 189 convictions recorded in 2017.

More significantly is that it includes the conviction of two Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs)  Jolly Nyame, a former governor of Taraba State and Joshua Dariye, a serving Senator and a former governor of Plateau State, he said.

Messrs Nyame and Dariye are currently serving jail terms at Kuje Prison.

According to the statement, the duo, who were sentenced to 14 years in prison, had approached the Court of Appeal to challenge the guilty verdict by Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Gudu.

However, while upholding their convictions, the Appellate Court commuted Dariyes jail term to 10 years, and that of Nyame to 12 years with a fine of N495 million.

Also, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Joseph Nwobike, who has been stripped of the highly revered legal title, was also convicted for perverting the course of justice, the statement read in part.

Mr Orilade said that with the convictions, the EFCC, led by Mr Ibrahim Magu as acting chairman, had remained consistent in its concerted efforts against corruption.

This effort is aimed at ensuring that the negative narrative of pervasive corruption in the system is changed for the better, and the perception that some persons are above the Law, is altered.

Mr Orilade also stated that the record of convictions cut across the various offices of the EFCC with Lagos securing 85 convictions and Abuja 53, respectively.

He stated that while Kano office secured 36 convictions; Port Harcourt secured 33; Gombe recorded 28; Benin 27; Enugu 15; Maiduguri 11; Ibadan 10; Uyo eight, and Kaduna six.

(NAN)The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign organization has declared that Nigerias president and candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Muhammadu Buhari, no longer has the moral standing to seek re-election until he directly responds to corruption allegations by its candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

The PDP presidential candidate had demanded a probe into the ownership of Etisalat Nigeria and Keystone Bank.

Mr Abubakar in a statement by a spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, said the call was necessary, in view of reports that members of Mr Buharis family now own substantial share in Etisalat Nigeria, which has an estimated $2 billion (about N727 billion at 360 per dollar) of its estimated $20 billion global net worth.

The PDP campaign council, in a statement signed by its director, media and publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, said that Mr Buhari should perish the thought of going ahead with his re-election campaign without clearing what he described as a pertinent issue, because it directly bothers on his integrity, both as a person and the exalted office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The PDP Presidential Campaign challenges President Buhari to explain how his family members came about the sum of N1.032 trillion for this scandalous acquisition, Mr Ologbondiyan said in a statement.

He said Nigerians are not interested in mere rhetoric or attempts by the Buhari Presidency to divert public attention from the issue at hand, but demand that President Buhari, who hitherto, prides himself as Mr. Integrity, squarely addresses these grave issues in person.

This is not an issue for President Buharis aides to howl about in the media, it touches directly on his person, particularly his perception as a symbol of the Talakawas. He must therefore address them on this issue.

It is a norm that he who comes to equity must come with clean hands. President Buhari and his family members have entangled themselves in corruption. Mr. Presidents hands can no longer be said to be clean, until he proves otherwise.

The campaign organization said it wants Nigerians and the whole world to note that Mr Buharis refusal to personally address the matter means consent.

Mr Ologbondiyan dared Mr Buhari to put forth a denial on the disclosure by Mr Abubakar, adding that the party will spare no thoughts in furnishing the public with details of his corrupt activities, within and outside Nigeria.

Our party has full details of how persons related to President Buhari, by consanguinity and affinity, have been paved the way to loot trillions of naira from government agencies for corrupt acquisition of shares in major companies, purchase expensive property within and outside Nigeria, as well as to finance their very luxury lifestyles, under Mr. Presidents cover.

In fact, no Nigerian has made more money in the last three and half years than relations of President Buhari, many of whom have found themselves controlling stupendous wealth frittered from our economy, yet our President is asking Nigerians to get ready for more hardship in the coming year.

He also stated that his party is privy to facts of how the relations of the president have been hounding government agencies, major business concerns and intending foreign investors over kickbacks as well as strangulating companies that refuse to accede to their demands.

Nigerians will also recall how the Buhari Presidency muted the case of the Aide of the First Lady, Mr. Baba-Inna, who was arrested in September this year, over accusations of receiving N2.5 billion from politicians, businessmen and women on behalf of the First Lady.

Nigerians can also recall how the Buhari Presidency gagged the confession of one Amina Mohammed, paraded by the Department of State Services (DSS), who stated in public that persons close to President Muhammadu Buhari were involved in serial fraud and looting of public resources under the official cover of the Buhari Presidency.

In fact, there is incontrovertible evidence, as provided by the Governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, that President Buhari is not as clean as his handlers want Nigerians to believe.

In October 4, 2010, el-Rufai accused Buhari of corruption in allowing 53 suitcases, belonging to his ADCs father, to enter Nigeria, unchecked, at a time the country was exchanging old currency for new in 1984.

He further stated that the president should not continue to dress himself in what he described as borrowed garb of integrity until he cleans himself of the stinking corruption of his acolytes, family and friends, under his cover.

Responding to the allegations by the PDP campaign organization, spokesperson of the Buhari Presidential Campaign Organization, Festus Keyamo, in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES accused the PDP of a plot to release a series of wild, unsubstantiated allegations against the president and vice president, Mr Osinbajo, including their friends and family members, in the next few weeks.

With the latest revelation, he said, the said shares are rather linked to relatives of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, it has become a case of the thief calling the farm owner the thief, as the Yorubas would say, in a popular proverb.

These impending wild allegations would naturally border on corrupt practices, without any evidential basis.

Mr Keyamo said the purpose is to attempt to dent the greatest forte of the president and vice president, which, according to him, is their personal integrity, ahead of the 2019 elections.

He said the latest tactics of the main opposition is premised on the following grounds:

Since their stuttering campaigns started, they have felt the pulse of Nigerians and realized Nigerians have not forgotten their misdeeds of 16 years whilst in office.

They have decided to run a campaign of we-are-all-corrupt rather than defend their sordid records of merciless looting of the public purse, which has brought us to where we are today.

The aim is to push Nigerians to equate an Alhaji Atiku Abubakar with President Muhammadu Buhari on matters of corruption. They want to deceive Nigerians to think that the 2019 elections is really a choice between two corrupt persons.

By repeating the lies a million times, they aim to get Nigerians to begin to give some serious thought to the lies. This is how the Jubrin from Sudan story started, before even some well-exposed and educated Nigerians were nearly converted on that issue.

Their latest desperate diversionary tactics is because even the most uneducated Nigerian has now understood that all the issues upon which the main opposition is campaigning are self-indicting issues, especially on the Economy and Security.

He said the foundation for the challenges in these sectors, are firmly rooted in what he termed as 16 years of disastrous governance which he said President Buhari has just started re-building.

Mr Keyamo said Nigerians should brace up for six weeks of despicable lies from the pit of hell against the president and vice president, to try to suggest to Nigerians that the president and his deputy are part of the league of looters to which the PDP belongs.

But Nigerians should understand that the choices before them have never been this clear: It is between a fugitive from the law in America and a President who has never been accused of stealing anything in his entire life and is respected both locally and internationally;

It is between a man who claims he wants to get Nigeria working again yet has always refused to pay his taxes AS AT WHEN DUE and a man who has NEVER cheated the Nigerian State.

He said the PDP presidential candidate has since kept an ominous silence over this damaging allegation of irresponsible and deliberate tax evasion that is now before a court of law.

He added that whilst the president and his vice are prepared and willing to answer any genuine inquiry raised about their stewardship, Nigerians should always ask the critical questions as to where, when, how, names, dates, addresses, etc in respect of any allegation raised by the opposition, before giving any credence to it.

This is because, as the Atiku Campaign continues to fall apart on a daily basis, we may hear such desperate allegation from them that President Buhari has sold the buildings in Aso Rock to the Israelis or Americans.The Nigerian Army on Friday said Boko Haram terrorists had not taken over Baga town in Borno.

Baga town is not in the hands of the Boko Haram. They contested it but they lost the contest, Lamidi Adeosun, the Armys Chief of Training and Operations said at a news conference in Maiduguri.

Mr. Adeosun, a Maj.-Gen., however, confirmed that as at Thursday, troops had engaged the terrorists in a fierce battle to repel them.

They terrorised the town and attacked the Headquarters of the 7 Brigade of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) at about 7 p.m. on Wednesday, he said.

Security sources told PREMIUM TIMES the insurgents took control of the town after a prolonged fighting, and that the military was sending reinforcements to try and dislodge them.

The fishing community fell to the group in 2015 but was retaken by the Nigerian military backed by the armed forces of Niger and Chad.The hunger by Nigerians today is caused by the havoc wreaked on the nations economy by the previous administrations of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has said.

They said you are hungry, Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister of Transportation, said on Friday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, during the flag-off of the APC election campaign.

You are hungry because they stole the money. If the money was here, you wouldnt have been hungry.

Mr Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers is the director general of President Muhammadu Buhari re-election campaign.

Mr Buhari, accompanied by the APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole; a national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu, and some of the APC governors, was in Uyo to flag off the partys campaign for the 2019 general elections.

Mr Buhari is seeking a second term in office.

Mr Amaechi said corruption is one of Nigerias major problem, and that Mr Buhari was not giving up on the anti-corruption fight.

We got in and saw the challenges. We never knew they had stolen all the money. We thought they had a conscience to leave some money behind.

You know, the difference between us and the other party (PDP) is that they are not saying that they are not corrupt, the minister said

They say we are corrupt, but APC is also corrupt. They agree that the president is not corrupt. What they are saying is those around the president are corrupt. But they agree that they are corrupt.

We are saying as APC that we are not corrupt and that we are fighting corruption. Whether you are APC or PDP, when you are corrupt we will fight you.

He cautioned Nigerians against voting for PDP in the 2019 elections.

If you vote for the other party, let me tell you what will happen. They are so hungry that if they come out, they will be too busy stealing money that by the time Nigerians realise it, we are back to recession.

Mr Amaechi said President Buhari did not promise to make the value of naira equal to a dollar, nor promised to reduce the price of petrol.

Anybody who said we promised one naira will be to one dollar must be a magician. Anybody who said we promised we were going to bring down fuel price must also be a magician.

We are not voodoo economists, he said.

The minister added, When we got in, we were mindful of the promises that we made. So, the president gave all us who were in the cabinet challenges to ensure that we rescue this country.

We commenced activities believing that Nigerians would know that change doesnt come that easily. Even as ministers we feel the pain of change. We know that when you want to make any change you must realise that it will come with some pain.

We are here asking you to learn the fact that we need another chance to complete the assignment you have given to us. And we will complete it as soon as you give us that chance to come back.

This is not the first time the ruling party will be blaming the PDP for the woes of the nation.

But ironically, many of the current APC leaders, including Mr Amaechi, were the ones running the past PDP-led administrations in the country.

During the event, the APC handed over flags to its governorship candidates in the South-south region.iStock/Thinkstock(PARADISE, Calif.) -- This holiday season has proven especially difficult for Paradise, California, residents where the Camp Fire reduced homes, businesses and lives to ashes.



Nicole Hoenig and her 2-year-old daughter Mira celebrated Christmas as best they could, but the stark reality of loss made it hard to have a normal holiday.



"We're trying to have a Christmas, you know, in any way shape or form that we can," Hoenig told ABC News. "Its just everyone doing the best they can, trying to give your kids whatever you can to help them feel normal."



After being displaced by the fires, Hoenig and her family, like many Northern California residents, could not spend the holidays at home. Hoenig spent Christmas at a friends pool house, where she has been staying.



Her father Jim Hoenig was living in his RV in a Lowe's parking lot in Chico, California, about 15 miles away from Paradise.



"I came into this world with nothing, I'll leave with nothing and in between is the stuff that I can do and help other people with," Hoenig's father said. "I'm perfectly set."



The Hoenig's were just three of the nearly 50,000 people in Butte County displaced by the Camp Fire -- which authorities deemed the most destructive and deadliest in California history.



The inferno claimed all but a single box of their family mementos.



"The sentimental value of it is more than anything I could ever explain. Because its the only thing Ill ever be able to give her," Nicole Hoenig said of the now prized possessions. "It means the world to be able to pass some of that stuff down to her."



Jim Hoenig drove his RV back to his burned out property on Christmas Eve. There, amid the rubble, he found his cat Rusty who had been missing since the fire broke out -- it was a Christmas miracle.



When the Camp Fire started on Nov. 8, neighborhoods quickly went up in flames, torching cars, burning down homes and leaving little more than ashy debris.



This was unlike an ordinary fire, with winds reaching speeds up to 50 mph, which helped to fuel the flames and sent sparks flying through the air, creating a firestorm.



The fire burned the area for 17 days, scorched over 153,000 acres and killed at least 86 people, hitting the town of Paradise the hardest.



The rapidly shifting fire forced many residents like Nichole Jolly to evacuate with only the clothes on their back and drive through blinding smoke and flames.



Jolly told ABC News that in the moment of her escape, she didn't think she was going to make it out alive.



"I knew I was going to die if I stayed in my car," she said. "I called my husband and just said, 'I dont think Im going to make it out of this. Its coming in too fast,'" she recalled days after the fire. "I thought I was going to die right there."



Luckily she escaped thanks to a heroic pair of firemen.



"I couldn't breathe, the air was so hot, it was burning my lungs, you couldn't see anything," she said. "The back of my pants were on fire and two firemen picked me up, extinguished my pants, put me into their fire engine and put a fire blanket over me."



Jolly said she told her husband, "I'm alive. I'm here and I love you."



In the following weeks, she returned to her childhood home that had burned to the ground.



"Its so sad," she said. "Im happy that I got out with my life."



Her family lost nearly everything.



"It's awful just terrible to see everything that we worked so hard in our lives just gone," Jolly said crying.



The emotional toll coping with their loss around the holiday season has been especially difficult.



"This was the glue to our family was this house," Jolly said of the home where they used to celebrate Thanksgiving.



But this year, Jolly "didnt have Thanksgiving" she said, because "We couldnt fit a turkey in our motor home oven."



Jolly plans to rebuild, but her home was one of 14,000 destroyed by the Camp Fire and the surrounding housing market is dire.



Ed Mayer, the executive director of the Butte County Housing Authority, said the lack of property is a "secondary crisis."



"Everything is in upheaval mode right now," Mayer said. "Fire's out but now we're dealing with a secondary crisis -- Not enough housing."



According to Mayer, 14 percent of homes in Butte County were decimated by the fire, exacerbated by the already high demand for homes in California.



He said that before the Camp Fire, the housing authority thought there "was around one and a half [to] two percent vacancy rate."



"All of those units were instantly absorbed by those coming out of the fire. So there really is no housing availability locally at all. Nothing," he said bluntly.



Mayer also said that price gouging and bidding wars have become the norm for residents who lost everything, but have the means to rebuild.



"We've had clients coming in saying landlords have proposed $500 a month rate increases," Mayer said. "There is a cap on rent increases, but we've seen the local 'For Sale' market kind of go crazy. We have folks bidding houses well above asking price on a regular basis."



Affordable housing is also now hard to come by, especially for those hardest hit like the elderly and the poor, who are left to decide between transitional housing or shelters.



"There's really no other place for them to go. There's no other place in California that offers affordable rents and proximity to services," Mayer explained. "So this is going to be a very, very difficult situation to work through."



FEMA has roughly 2,000 temporary trailers on standby ready to deliver to Butte County, but the problem is on the local level and finding available space for the trailers.



"Not everyone wants to have a FEMA-manufactured home complex behind their house," Mayer said.



Residents have been cautioned against moving trailers onto their properties without basic infrastructure where their homes once stood because much of the areas may contain toxic ash.



Additionally, not everyone is qualified for federal help.



Daniel Wynne, an external affairs technical specialist at FEMA, said the process can be confusing but ultimately FEMA is there "to assist in long-term recovery."



"It is a confusing process, but we are not the first responders," Wynne said. "You have excellent first responders in your community. We are here with state and county to assist in long-term recovery."



One assistance facility in Chico, California, averages 800 people per day, all of whom are seeking help to move forward.



Residents of Paradise didn't lose just their homes, they also lost businesses and jobs.



The Feather River Hospital where Jolly worked closed after suffering extensive damage, leaving her and hundreds of other nurses out of work.



"I am not able to work right now. The hospital is going to rebuild, they said. But its going to be at least a year if not two before they are up and moving again," she explained. "Im looking for work, but so [are] 300 other nurses."



Jolly said she spent her last moments at Feather River helping get patients to safety as flames engulfed the property.



"We put tape on the doors when we knew that that room was evacuated, we shut the door so nobody went in there, we got the whole hospital out," she recalled.



Jolly started a GoFundMe page, like thousands of others, to help those left in the wasteland they used to call Paradise.



"I want to help every one of them and I know they want to help me. But its hard because were all - were all on the same page. Were all in the same boat," she said. "We cant help each other because we can barely survive ourselves."



Pleas for help have been heard by many statewide.



The Spirit of Liberty Foundation flew up from Southern California with Santa to deliver gifts in time for Christmas. Paradise residents were overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers who brought the joy of Christmas to the Silver Dollar fairgrounds turned Red Cross shelter.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.Police officers laying siege on the residence of Dino Melaye are on a order to arrest him for his alleged involvement in an attack on their colleague, Nigeria Police has stated.

In a statement by the force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, on Friday, the police said the senator alongside his armed thugs shot one Sergeant Danjuma Saliu in July.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the Abuja residence of the lawmaker was occupied by police officers who are resolute in arresting him on sight.

The Police operatives currently in the residence of Senator Dino Melaye are to effect his arrest to answer to the case of attempted culpable homicide on the shooting of a Police Officer, Sgt Danjuma Saliu, attached to 37 Police Mobile Force (PMF) while on duty at a stop and search point along Aiyetoro Gbede, Mopa Road in Kogi state.

The above offence was committed by Senator Dino Melaye and his armed thugs in Kogi State on the 19th July, 2018 when they shot and wounded a police officer, Sgt Danjuma Saliu, attached to 37 Police Mobile Force (PMF) while on duty at a stop and search point along Aiyetoro Gbede, Mopa Road in Kogi state.

The Police Officer is yet to recover from the gunshot injury he sustained during the attack and still under intensive medical care, the statement reads.

It further noted that the force had made efforts to effect the arrest through the National Assembly clerk as is usually the custom.

The police will continue with the siege until the lawmaker is arrested, the statement added.

The Police investigators have written the Clerk of the National Assembly for Senator Dino Melaye to report at Kogi State Police Command, CIID, Lokoja for him to answer to these offences against him under investigation in Kogi State Police Command but he has bluntly refused to report himself to the Police.

The Police operatives will continue to be in wait at the residence of Senator Dino Melaye until he surrenders himself for arrest. The offence for which Senator Dino Melaye is being investigated is capital in nature and not compoundable.

The Force will not tolerate attack on its personnel by any individual no matter how highly placed. The law must take its course.

This is the latest in the strings of allegations the police had levelled against Mr Melaye.

It is also the fourth time the police will be attempting to arrest the senator who is currently on a court bail for a separate charge.

The lawmaker earlier told journalists on phone that he was not in the house, a claim the police believe is not true.The Nigerian Army will address the press in Maiduguri on the confusing reports from Baga, a fishing town north of Borno, on Friday, December 28, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has said.

The press conference will take place at the headquarters of Theatre Command of Operation Lafiya Dole, according to a notice sent to correspondents, a NAN report highlighted.

According to the NAN report, a statement by army spokesperson, Sani Usman, said the insurgents on Wednesday, December 26, attacked the 7 Brigade of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), based in Baga, Borno State, at about 7.00pm.

The troops, along with their Nigerian Navy counterparts, put up a very determined fight to repel the attack throughout the night, while Sector 3 Operation LAFIYA DOLE sent in reinforcement who are in hot pursuit of the terrorists.

Similarly, a Search and Rescue team has been constituted.

The Nigerian Air Force component has also been mobilised and are engaging the fleeing terrorists. Unfortunately, a naval personnel was killed in action. So far, no further details of casualties yet as efforts are ongoing to clear the terrorists hiding in Baga and environs, the report highlighted.

NAN said independent reports revealed the attack against the MNJTF base was carried out by the Mamman Nur faction of the Boko Haram.

However, reports coming from credible sources indicate that Boko Haram terrorists may have taken control of Baga town, following series of heated battle with Nigerian soldiers.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how the insurgents attacked a military base in Baga in a night long shootout on Wednesday.

The Nigerian Army confirmed the attack but said it repelled the terrorists.

The army spokesperson, Mr Usman, a brigadier general, said a reinforcement, earlier deployed to Baga, were in hot pursuit of the insurgents.

Reports coming from military sources reveal, however, that the Boko Haram fighters were not fleeing but still in control of the fallen commercial town as at Thursday night.

The Boko Haram are in full control of Baga and environs, one military source said in Maiduguri, highlighting that all the reinforcements sent from neighbouring locations also ran into deadly ambush.

It is expected that the press conference will clear the air on the true situation of things in the town, once seized by Boko Haram some few years ago before it was retaken by government forces.The Akwa Ibom governor, Udom Emmanuel, is billed to receive President Muhammadu Buhari at the Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.

Mr Buhari is visiting Akwa Ibom today, Friday, to flag off his re-election campaign.

The Commissioner for Information in the state, Charles Udoh, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that Mr Emmanuel, as part of his itinerary, would be at the airport to receive the president.

The governor is expected to be accompanied by other state officials.

There has been political tension of late in the state between Mr Buharis party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Emmanuels party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

A few days ago, during the visit of President Buharis wife, Aisha, to the state, there was a scuffle at the Uyo airport between Governor Emmanuels wife and the wife of Godswill Akpabio, a senator from the state.

The two women, including their supporters, were contesting who was the right person to receive Mrs Buhari at the airport.

Mrs Buhari was in the state to flag off her pet project called Future Assured.

The Akwa Ibom government this week ignited controversy when it rejected a request for the use of the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, for the flag-off of Mr Buharis election campaign.

The government had said the event, being a non-sports event, would damage the stadiums turf.

The government later reversed itself and granted approval for the use of the 30,000-capacity stadium.

The campaign organisation of Governor Emmanuel has said people should not see the reversal as a weakness on the part of the governor.

These are no signs of weakness but evidence of a sound and matured leadership by the governor, Idongesit Nkanga, a former military governor of the state and the director general of the campaign organisation, said on Thursday, in a statement.

The decision is a clear indication Mr Emmanuel respects constitutional offices especially the office of the President, the statement added.The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom state, Ini Okopido, has described Godswill Akpabio, a senator and former governor of the state, as an uncommon defector.

Mr Okopido, in his welcome address on Friday at the flag-off of the APC election campaign in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, hailed Mr Akpabio for helping to strengthen the APC in the state.

There was loud ovation in the 30,000-capacity Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, venue of the flag-off when Mr Akpabios name was mentioned.

Mr Akpabio, in August this year, ignited a political storm in Akwa Ibom and the entire nation when he resigned his position as the Senate minority leader and defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.

The senators defection has continued to unsettle Governor Udom Emmanuel and PDP in the state.

Akwa Ibom will be one of the first states to fall for the APC in 2019, Mr Okopido assured President Muhammadu Buhari who was present in the stadium to flag off the campaign.

Mr Okopido thanked Mr Buhari for the confidence in Akwa Ibom to host the event.

He told the president that Ifim Ibom Ibibio (the Supreme Council of Ibibio Traditional Rulers) postponed the coronation of its leader in order to honour him (Mr Buhari) when the traditional rulers realised that the date for the coronation had clashed with the campaign flag-off.

Akwa Ibom state will lead other South-south states to overwhelmingly vote for you, Mr President, Mr Okopido said.

We thank you for your leadership style, especially your anti-corruption fight, he added.

The APC national leader, Bola Tinubu, and several APC governors, including Rochas Okorocha of Imo state, are in Uyo for the campaign flag-off.

Mr Akpabio, in his remarks at the event, said: Uyo was now the APC capital in the South-south.Kayode Fayemi, the Governor of Ekiti State, on Thursday, declared an emergency in the water sector to ensure water supply to all nooks and crannies of the state.

He made the declaration in Ikun Ekiti, Moba Local Government Area of the state where he had gone to kick-start the turnaround water rehabilitation project at Ero Dam to supply water to many major towns in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governor consequently promised to take legal and institutional steps to also make the state open defecation free before 2030.

He said it was in a bid to reduce the level of water borne diseases in Ekiti and make the commodity available to residents that he declared the emergency in water sector.

According to him, the people must be saved from preventable Illnesses through provision of potable water.

He clarified that the emergency was in line with the step taken by the president, Muhammadu Buhari.

Mr Buhari had initiated similar policy under a programme called Water Supply Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in partnership with the World Bank.

NAN reports that the project, which will gulp $55 million, was awarded to Sagittarius Henan Engineering and is to be completed within 18 months.

The governor said the WASH programme of the federal government and World Bank was initiated to reduce amount being paid by Nigerians on hospital bills after contacting all forms of diseases from unhygienic water sources.

Mr Fayemi said statistics had shown that water supply to urban cities and rural areas in the country had reduced by 15 and four per cent respectively, in spite of geometric increase in the population.

The governor added that the state had already paid N700 million counterpart fund to complete the project that was approved by the World Bank in 2014.

It was because of the safety of the citizens that the Federal Government declared emergency in WASH. So, Ekiti has keyed into the programme with this project.

Ekiti was ranked second in Nigeria as a state that practised open defecation. We shall put up institutional and legal frameworks to ensure Ekiti is open defecation free before 2030.

Part of what accounted for this high practice was because of low water supply to our homes.

We are making our traditional rulers as champions that would canvass for open defecation-free and if we are going to stop our palaces from digging boreholes here and there, we as government should provide water to our people.

We have done our feasibility studies. 85 per cent of our water in Ekiti shall be provided by Ero and Egbe dams if they operate at optimal capacity, he said.

The governor assured that affordable tariff would be charged by government and that such would be metred to prevent extortion.

The permanent secretary, Ministry of Public Utilities, Olumide Ajayi, said rehabilitation on Egbe dam located in Gbonyin Local Government was also being co-financed by European Union and Ekiti State.

Mr Ajayi said the two projects would supply water to over 66 towns across nine local government areas in the state.

He urged the beneficiaries to be ready to pay affordable tariffs and maintain the facilities when completed.

The general manager, Ekiti State Water Corporation, Olabisi Agbeyo, revealed that this was the first time major rehabilitation would be carried out on Ero dam in 33 years.

As we speak, Ekiti is not owing a kobo as counterpart payment. We have paid up and this shows how committed the state was in water supply, Mr Agbeyo said.

(NAN)The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ogun Command, on Friday decorated 105 of its newly promoted officers in the state with their ranks.

Speaking to NAN during the decoration ceremony at the commands headquarters, Abeokuta, Clement Oladele, the sector commander, said over 150 officers were promoted in Ogun out of the 4,000 promoted nationwide.

He explained that 105 officers who were middle cadre officers and marshals were decorated at the Ogun command, while the promoted senior officers had been decorated at the zonal headquarters in Lagos.

The sector commander urged the officers to dedicate their service to their father land, saying that they should not be carried away with the new ranks.

He stated that the newly promoted officers should be grateful to God, saying that so many people participated in the promotion exercise but few were successful.

Mr Oladele said that the promotion was an opportunity to continue to contribute to national development.

Over 4,000 people were promoted nationwide and in Ogun State Command we have over 150 promoted officers.

One hundred and five officers were decorated today and other senior officers were decorated at our zonal headquarters in Lagos by the zonal commanding officer.

It is the other middle cadre officers and the marshals that were decorated today, he said.

The sector commander, however, commended the president, Muhammadu Buhari for allowing the promotion exercise to take place.

Olanusi Kolawole, one of the newly promoted officers, said that he would continue to show more dedication to duties.

I will try my best to give back to the corps what has been bestowed upon me and what is expected of me by the grace of God, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that representatives of the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE) witnessed the decoration ceremony.

(NAN)The governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress in Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, says President Muhammadu Buhari has assured him of his support come 2019.

Mr Abiodun spoke after a meeting with Mr Buhari on Friday.

I want to thank Mr President for clearing the air as our leader has said and re-affirming that he is the APC candidate for President and I, Prince Dapo Abiodun; I am the APC gubernatorial candidate and I am his candidate.

Naturally, APC is his party and there is no any other candidate in Ogun State except me. I think that affirmation could not have come at a better time when there is a lot of an ambiguity when people have attempted falsehood and other kinds of misinformation.

So I am very elated, very reassured that the president has stood by the party and stood by me and I believe that this matter will finally be put to rest and all those that are trying to gain by using the presidents picture on their posters, on their vehicles will finally begin to remove it because it is actually illegal for you to be putting the presidential candidate of another party on the face of the poster of another party, he said.

Mr Abioduns claim is coming five days after the outgoing governor, Ibikunle Amosun, led a leader of an opposition party to a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.

Mr Amosun, a senatorial candidate of the APC in Ogun State, has vowed to work against his party in the governorship election in the state. Instead, he has publicly supported APM governorship candidate, Adekunle Akinlade, and state house of assembly candidates of the APM.

He (Buhari) said if a party has adopted him, it is only fair he acknowledges the party and the chairman. That is why we are here, the governor, a close ally of the president, said.

The Friday meeting was facilitated by a former governor of the state, Olusegun Osoba.

Mr Osoba speaking after the meeting said he and his entourage extracted a promise that Mr President would visit Ogun to personally campaign for Mr Abiodun.

He has assured us that he will personally come to Ogun State to formally present Prince Dapo Abiodun as his candidate and he assured us that he is clearing the air of any ambiguity whatsoever of any name dropping, any blackmail, any misinformation that anybody may be peddling, that all elections throughout Nigeria, not just in Ogun state people must vote for APC and no other party.

That is the message that the president gave to us this morning and I also seized the opportunity to present my autobiography which I am going to launch when the president gives me a date, he said.

The Adams Oshimhole led national executive of the APC recently dissolved the Ogun State party executive saying they could not be trusted to work for the partys success in 2019. This was after months of face-off between Mr Oshimhole and Mr Amosun after acrimonious primaries.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.



COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ohio-based Plug Smart, one of the state's leading energy services firms, worked closely with Ohio school districts in 2018 to offer unique solutions to the most pressing needs related to challenges with air conditioning, safety and security and operational expenses.

Air Conditioning: In the summer and fall of 2018, parts of Ohio experienced some of hottest temperatures on record. Many school districts with buildings in need of HVAC systems repair or replacement struggled to keep schools properly cooled, causing costly shutdowns.

Plug Smart partnered with over 20 Ohio school districts with aging HVAC systems to either add or renovate air conditioning systems in a fast, cost-effective manner. Plug Smart does this is by leveraging several unique grant funds and contracting mechanisms to allow competitively bid services on an accelerated timeline, taking the administrative hassle and delays out of re-bidding this mission-critical initiative.

Safety and Security: In the 2017-2018 school year, the U.S. witnessed a 62 percent increase in threats of school violence over the previous school year. This caused many school administrators across the country to take a closer look at ways to improve safety and security measures. Plug Smart recognized that many budget-restricted Ohio schools were still operating on manual systems in 2018  systems that did not allow for administrators to track who was entering their buildings and when, or have the capacity to lock down or open schools remotely if necessary.

Not only did Plug Smart work with Ohio school districts to obtain significant grant funding for preventative, low-voltage safety and security technologies, but it also implemented these systems using schools' known and trusted technology partners. By offering access control, intrusion detection, video surveillance and other integrated security solutions, Plug Smart was able to give Ohio school administrators the tools to streamline safety and security systems that will continue to operate smoothly and efficiently in this quickly evolving landscape.

Operational Expenses: Many Ohio school districts continued to operate under constrained budgets for energy-related services during the 2017-2018 school year. Administrators aren't always aware of federal or state funding opportunities available to school districts for energy projects, and the administrative process of applying for this funding is often arduous and complex.

In 2018, Plug Smart was the top vendor in delivering the State's Energy Efficiency grants for the third consecutive year, and just received an allocation of at least $500,000 more funds for 2019. This exclusive funding source allows schools to implement much needed energy system repairs, installations or safety and security measures. Plug Smart worked with schools to conduct financial analyses to determine the right funding strategy to both minimize capital outlay and ensure that budget limitations are considered. The company designs programs for Ohio school districts that minimize initial investment and maximize value through project savings and grant funding.

Plug Smart plans to utilize the lessons learned from its successful partnerships with Ohio school districts in 2018 to continue to bring creative solutions to its clients in 2019. Ohio school administrators interested in Plug Smart's energy services can use the information below to make contact.

For more information and interview requests contact:

Mark Himmel

Director of Project Development

Plug Smart

(614) 935-0041

[email protected]

About Plug Smart

Plug Smart is a full-service, Ohio-based energy services company with offices throughout Ohio in Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, Cleveland, and other regional offices in Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee, and Florida. Plug Smart offers turnkey and individual project services for commercial/industrial clients, school districts, government facilities and hospitals.

SOURCE Plug SmartVANCOUVER, Dec. 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Aritzia Inc. ("Aritzia" or the "Company") (TSX: ATZ), a vertically integrated, innovative design house of exclusive fashion brands, invites interested parties to participate in its third quarter 2019 earnings conference call, occurring on January 9, 2019, at 1:30 pm PDT / 4:30 pm EDT. The Company's third quarter 2019 earnings results will be released after TSX market close the same day.

Details of the call are as follows:

Date: January 9, 2019

Time: 1:30 pm PDT / 4:30 pm EDT

Analysts and institutional investors may participate via conference call, using the following dial-in information:

1-800-319-4610 (Toll-free North America )

) 1-416-915-3239 ( Toronto and overseas long-distance)

and overseas long-distance) Please ask to participate in Aritzia's earnings call

Media and other interested parties may listen to the conference call via webcast, by selecting the third quarter 2019 earnings call webcast link on the events page of http://investors.aritzia.com.

A replay of the conference call can be accessed shortly after the conclusion of the call. To access the replay, please dial 1-855-669-9658 and use replay access code 2849. A replay of the webcast will be available at the conclusion of the call and will remain on Aritzia's investor relations website.

About Aritzia

Aritzia is a vertically integrated, innovative design house of fashion brands. The Company designs apparel and accessories for its collection of exclusive brands. The Company's expansive and diverse range of women's fashion apparel and accessories addresses a broad range of style preferences and lifestyle requirements. Aritzia is well known and deeply loved by its customers in Canada with growing customer awareness and affinity in the United States and outside of North America. Aritzia aims to delight its customers through an aspirational shopping experience and exceptional customer service that extends across its more than 90 retail stores and eCommerce business, aritzia.com .

SOURCE Aritzia Inc.Su Xi, vice president of ZTE, gave a presentation on new businesses, new networks and the 5G fully-connected era;

Zhang Changwu, founder of Land Space Technology Corporation, spoke about the efforts to create a first-class commercial rocket sector in China ;

; Xu Yuanchun, director of AI creation, Microsoft Software and Technology Center of Asia (STCA), talked about the promising prospects for AI and AI creation;

(STCA), talked about the promising prospects for AI and AI creation; Zheng Yongchun, researcher from the National Astronomical Observatories, and Zhu Jin , president of the Beijing Planetarium, discussed "Looking up at the stars" with famous science fiction author Xia Jia .

CEOs and top management executives from educational firms, healthcare service providers as well as retailing and manufacturing firms took a close look at what they believed daily life and the status of mankind would look like 40 years hence based on the application of smart technologies.

In addition, the launch ceremony of the Global Trends Institute, initiated by Huanqiu.com, was held during the conference. Huanqiu.com also announced its three key programs for 2019:

producing a special documentary for one of China's most important historical events " I'm going to Yan'an ";

most important historical events " "; kicking off the first Military Fan Culture Festival ;

; hosting the 2019 Sino-Euro CEO Dialogue Show.

SOURCE Huanqiu.com

Related Links

http://www.huanqiu.com

The forum invited five industry experts, among them, former head of the Ministry of Finance's Chinese Academy of Fiscal Sciences Jia Kang, Central University of Finance and Economics professor Huang Zhen and the Center for Chinese Banking Studies director Guo Tianyong, to share their insights on five topics, including "An Open-minded Approach to the Rise of the Private Economy", "Ten Key Trends in the Future of Financial Technology" and "Thoughts on Private Small and Micro Businesses in the Financial Service Sector". They also discussed development and innovation across several industries during the 40 years of reform and opening up. During the roundtable discussions, four invited guests, among them, China Chengxin Credit Management vice president Shen Shuangbo and international energy strategy researcher Lu Ruquan, shared their opinions concerning innovation across industries in the context of ongoing reform.LONG BEACH, Calif., Dec. 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Project Build Behavioral Health, LLC ("Project Build") announced that it has committed significant capital, operational and management resources to Elements Behavioral Health, Inc. ("Elements" or the "Company") to help ensure the future strength and growth of the Elements operations.

Elements, a national provider of substance abuse and other behavioral health programs, initiated bankruptcy proceedings under Chapter 11 in May 2018. Previously, Project Build had acquired Elements debt and provided the debtor-in-possession financing in advance of its purchase of substantially all of the Company's assets. It is expected that this process will result in a clean balance sheet including the elimination of $182 million in debt.

Leadership. Kirk Kureska, currently interim CEO of Elements, will continue to lead the business. Rob Waggener, former CEO of Foundations Recovery Network and former Vice President for Addiction Services at Universal Health Services, will serve as senior advisor to Project Build and has been working with Kirk Kureska to ensure a successful transition.

"The investment and vision provided by Project Build will form the foundation for growth of a broad new array of services for individuals and families struggling with substance use and mental health disorders," said Kureska. "Every person we serve is unique, and every person we serve needs a tailored approach to meeting their unique needs. Project Build will offer proven, evidence-based and innovative approaches to substance use and other mental health disorders nationwide."

Mr. Waggener added, "The investor group shares our vision and passion to transform the substance use space nationally with integrity and with quality. With new capital, a stronger balance sheet and access to resources, we are excited to build a fresh approach in the behavioral health field."

Capital Commitment. To strengthen the Elements operations for the future, Project Build's investors made a capital commitment of $29 million to fund the Company's operations and restore its position as a leading behavioral health provider. Project Build's investor group, led by BlueMountain Capital Management, a multi-strategy alternative investment manager, expects to make additional investments to fund the Company's future growth.

Contributed Assets. To expand the range of services the Company provides, Project Build will be adding several units focused on eating disorders, programs for the military community, and substance abuse treatment. These units will be combined with Elements. With the inclusion of these units, Elements intends to develop a full array of services designed to improve accessibility, coordinate care in local communities, and offer innovative disease management approaches in the substance abuse space.

In connection with its plans for long-term stability and growth, the Company is in the process of closing all facilities in California, Utah and Mississippi, to allow resources to be directed to serving the needs of clients at its remaining facilities. The remaining operations will consist of nine facilities in five states.

About Elements Behavioral Health

Elements Behavioral Health is a family of behavioral health programs located throughout the United States. The Elements Behavioral Health family of programs offers comprehensive, innovative treatment for substance abuse, sexual addiction, trauma, eating disorders, and other mental health disorders. Through its programs, the company is committed to delivering clinically sophisticated treatment that promotes permanent lifestyle change, not only for the patient but for the entire family network.

Media Contact:

Arthur Palochak

Vice President of Business Development

Elements Behavioral Health

[email protected]

505-699-5167

SOURCE Elements Behavioral Health, Inc."We are thrilled to see millions of Facebook fans joining our campaign to break the 'perfect couple' stereotypes," said Phan Nguyen Hoai Anh, PNJ Group Brand Manager. "We would like our consumers to realize that the right way of being a true couple is to refute stereotypes, to not focus on looks, wealth, career or gender, but to focus on the one you love."

"As Vietnam's leading jewelry maker in the wedding jewelry market, PNJ is committed to diversity and inclusion of all people," added Phan Nguyen Hoai Anh. "We're calling participation in our 'True Love' campaign, to encourage all couples everywhere not to hide their love, but celebrate it." In that spirit, PNJ works intensively with Mirum Vietnam to encourage this important message of love without limits. Love can be expressed in a wedding vow, or more subtly, in the discreet yet powerful rings that bond couples over the years.

The campaign promotes the company's message of embracing diversity among Vietnamese consumers and across the world.

For more information, please visit the company's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/PNJ.COM.VN/ or watch the video on https://bit.ly/2QTKzNi.

About Phu Nhuan Jewelry

Established in 1988, Phu Nhuan Jewelry Joint Stock Co. is the largest consumer jewelry brand in Vietnam with more than 320 stores and the largest jewelry production based in South East Asia. It is the first Vietnamese jewelry brand to receive the JNA's Employer of the Year Award for four consecutive years since 2015. PNJ has more than 5,000 employees including hundreds of goldsmiths and a thousand-plus sales team. https://www.pnj.com.vn/

About Mirum Vietnam

Mirum Vietnam is a borderless digital creative & marketing agency established in 2007. The agency believes that the online ecosystem and technology has powerful impact on both brands and our living experience. https://www.mirumagency.com/en/country/vietnam

pnj @pnj.com.vn

SOURCE Phu Nhuan Jewelry (PNJ)

Related Links

https://www.pnj.com.vn

Beth Smith, IBM Watson AI general manager; Manuela Veloso, J.P. Morgan managing director and head of Global AI Research; David Carmona, Microsoft AI general manager; Steve Chien, NASA /JPL AI head; Naiomi Makovsky, Google Assistant head of global partners; James Patchett, NYCEDC president and CEO; and Derek Haoyang Li, founder of Squirrel AI Learning, were invited to the summit and gave speeches. They shared the achievements by their respective companies in AI technology, AI solution, AI strategy and other aspects, and expressed their opinions on topics that people care about, such as the changes brought by AI technology in various industries.

AI era, new opportunities for education

With the rapid expansion of big data collection and computing power, rapid progress has been made in AI technology research. The application of AI in manufacturing, services, retail, medical care and other industries is also expanding. Education, a profession that maintains the intergenerational succession of human culture, is no exception. To some extent, education must keep up with the development of AI technology, so as to ensure the historical status of mankind at the top of civilization.

On the other hand, the development of education also depends on the progress of AI technology. At this summit, Derek Haoyang Li, Squirrel AI Learning's founder, delivered a keynote speech titled "How to Give Every Child Adaptive Education". He summarized the disruptive innovation by AI in various industries, as well as the radical innovation made by Squirrel AI Learning in intelligent adaptive education, which were highly recognized by experts and scholars attending the summit.

A summary of Derek Li's keynote speech is presented below:

The upcoming AI era, like the industrial revolution, will be one of the epochal events that can change the course of human history. Specifically, the reasons why AI can have such great power are as follows:

First, it's versatile and know-it-all. IBM Watson can read more than 3,000 books, 240,000 papers, data from more than 600 experiments and 100 thousand clinical reports from patients in 17 seconds. Project Debater can debate any open conceptual topic without specific training. The versatility and know-it-all feature of AI have been widely used in every industry.

In terms of education, AI can break down and master all the nanoscale knowledge points, have a good grasp of the countless correlations between knowledge points, and provide "one-on-one tutoring" for thousands of students, which is an almost impossible task for human teachers.

Second, it can tell big stories from small things. Zuckerberg once said: "AI already can notice things that humans can't." That is gradually becoming a reality. For example, by using big data, AI algorithms and other technologies, Toutiao can judge each user's preferences through each click by users. By dividing human faces such as eyes, eyebrows and nose into millions of tiny pixels, SenseTime's face recognition is already a million times clearer than human eyes. In the same way, Netflix can detect the cognition and preference of every viewer from the data of every frame, and then find the logic of making and reshaping a film from the subtle differences. Using this trait of AI, Squirrel AI can clearly detect each student's mastery of knowledge points, knowing which knowledge points are already grasped and which are gaps left from the past, so as to help students solve their problems purposefully.

Third, it has infinite computing power. Elon Musk said: "a computer can operate at a speed of 1 million bits per second, while the speed of the human brain is only 10 bits per second." In this sense, the information processing speed of AI is much faster than that of human beings. When AI plays against a top-level human player, it can check millions of possibilities in 0.01 second and choose the optimal solution. Using the system's infinite computing power, Squirrel AI can label each question and split students' abilities, so as to clearly know the user profile of each student.

Fourth, it's self-evolving. The father of tablets Jerry Kaplan once said publicly: "in the future, AI will not only imitate human beings, but also surpass human beings." This is because AI has the ability of self-evolution. "Sunshine gathers, and light flows into my dreams." This is a line of verse created by Microsoft Xiaoice. Although it has been criticized by many experts, it's better than what 90% of human beings can do. The deep learning network of AlphaGo can help Google improve energy efficiency by 15%. It can save Google hundreds of millions of dollars in the near future. In the field of education, the evolutionary power of Squirrel AI is also amazing. It has skills that human teachers do not have. It can automatically help students make up their knowledge gaps and stimulate students' creativity and imagination.

In recent years, a trend of "AI+ education" has emerged both at home and abroad. Data shows that in China alone, more than 50 education institutions or companies claim to have adopted the latest AI technology. But "AI+ education" doesn't happen overnight. It's about really understanding the nature of education and building your own barriers in technology and business model.

New breakthroughs in "AI+ Education"

At present, auxiliary AI tools, such as pronunciation assessment and emotion recognition, cannot get involved in children's cognitive learning process. What parents are most concerned about is how a product can help their children to learn. AI+ education will eventually return to teaching and learning. Therefore, AI adaptive education is the best application scenario of AI+ education. Squirrel AI Learning has been in the forefront in this field in China.

Since its establishment, Squirrel AI Learning has set up a core R&D team. The members respectively came from three world famous AI adaptive education enterprises RealizeIT, Knewton and ALEKS. Richard Tong was the Asia Pacific technical director for the first American AI adaptive education company Knewton. Its chief scientist Wei Cui, with a post-doctoral degree in AI from the National University of Ireland, formerly was the core scientist of RealizeIT. Its chief data scientist Dr. Dan Bindman was a co-founder of American AI adaptive learning giant ALEKS and chief architect of core product algorithms. In addition, Squirrel AI Learning and SRI have founded a joint AI lab, committed to the R&D of Squirrel AI's core algorithms. Top scientists from home and abroad, combining the theories of psychology, pedagogy, cognition and other fields with the education policy, test items and examination outlines in China, developed China's first fully proprietary Squirrel AI engine and established Squirrel AI Learning's leading position in intelligent adaptive education technology. In the past two years, Squirrel AI Learning has made new breakthroughs in the following technologies:

First, super-nano knowledge point splitting. In the intelligent adaptive learning system of Squirrel AI, a subject in junior high school has been divided into more than 30,000 knowledge points. Such super-nano splitting makes it easy for students to find the knowledge points they have or have not mastered, so as to learn with a clear objective.

Second, learning ability and learning method splitting. Squirrel AI Learning put forward the "definable, measurable and teachable ability" theory to split students' learning abilities. So far, learning abilities have been broken down to more than 500 kinds. Squirrel AI teaches children to learn by analogy or infer other things from one fact. They also pay attention to the cultivation and promotion of students' creative ability.

Third, they initiated the correlation probability of uncorrelated knowledge points. Squirrel AI builds correlations between knowledge points and uses information theory to test and teach students efficiently.

Fourth, they initiated the concept of knowledge map reconstruction based on mistakes. On the basis of finding the real reason for making mistakes, Squirrel AI adaptive learning system can develop personalized learning plans for children and finally solve their problems.

Fifth, they initiated the versus model. Using Bayes' theorem, Squirrel AI forms a versus network. Based on simulation and Squirrel AI Learning's adaptive technology and educational psychology model, machines can simulate learning and competition between students and teachers.

With these technologies, Squirrel AI can accurately locate the knowledge points of each student and continuously push the knowledge points most suitable to their intellectual development and learning ability according to each student's knowledge point mastery in the process of dynamic learning, so as to establish a personalized learning path for each student and enable them to learn the most knowledge points in the shortest time, putting an end to the "cramming model" and "excessive assignments tactic" in traditional education.

At the AI Adaptive Education Conference (AIAED) which just ended in November in Beijing, Prof. Tom Mitchell, the godfather of global machine learning, dean of CMU School of Computer Science, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, an AAAS fellow and AAAI fellow, officially accepted Squirrel AI Learning's offer of the position of Chief AI Officer. As Squirrel AI Learning's first person in charge in the field of AI, Mitchell will lead a team of more than 10 AI scientists and hundreds of AI application engineers and technical teams to conduct basic AI research in the field of intelligent adaptive education, as well as the development and application of related products.

In addition, Squirrel AI Learning not only has mastered the world's most advanced technology, but also has greatly expanded its online + offline education retail business model nationwide. Online, Squirrel AI Learning gets traffic. Students receive one-on-one tutoring online. Different from other education enterprises, 70% courses of Squirrel AI Learning are taught and lectured by AI teachers. Human teachers are responsible for the remaining 30% of teaching for monitoring and emotional help. Offline, Squirrel AI Learning opens physical learning centers in the form of franchised chain centers, cooperative schools and self-run centers in various places. So far, Squirrel AI Learning has opened more than 1,600 learning centers in over 300 cities across China.

In fact, Squirrel AI Learning's new education retail business model is also a reform of the traditional education model. On the one hand, Squirrel AI Learning not only has changed the traditional model of teaching by teachers, replacing it with teaching by AI, but also has realized intelligent management of students' learning. In the past, every student's data was opaque. Now through the Internet and AI, all students' learning process data and teaching data are collected, to provide better quality services for students. Transparent data management has changed the traditional offline education model. At present, Squirrel AI Learning has served more than one million students. The contract renewal rate is about 80% where the average rate is about 50%. It has established a good reputation among users.

Squirrel AI Learning is globally leading in both core technology and business model. But its journey of changing and revolutionize traditional education is far from over. "In terms of technology, we're testing brain wave patterns to identify changes in students' attention spans. In the future, it will be widely used." Derek Li said: "next, Squirrel AI will become a super AI teaching robot integrating personalized learning, dynamic learning objective management, human-computer dialogue, emotion and brain wave monitoring, to provide every student with high quality education and teaching services."

SOURCE Squirrel AI LearningOKLAHOMA CITY, Dec. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE:CHK) (the "Company") today announced that the Company is calling for redemption in full on January 28, 2019 (the "Redemption Date") all of its outstanding 2.25% Contingent Convertible Senior Notes due 2038 (the "Notes"), of which an aggregate principal amount of approximately $923,000 is outstanding. The Notes are called for redemption at a redemption price (the "Redemption Price"), in any integral multiple of $1,000, equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed, together with accrued but unpaid interest thereon, up to but not including the Redemption Date. The CUSIP number for the Notes is 165167CB1. The Redemption Price for each $1,000 principal amount of Notes is $1,000, together with accrued and unpaid interest of approximately $2.75 thereon payable with respect to each $1,000 principal amount of the Notes to the Redemption Date. Notes called for redemption may be converted at any time before the close of business on the business day immediately preceding the Redemption Date. Holders who want to convert their Notes must satisfy the requirements set forth in the Notes and the Indenture dated as of May 27, 2008, as amended and supplemented, with respect to the Notes (the "Indenture"). As of the date hereof, the conversion rate for the Notes is 12.4755. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the respective meanings assigned to such terms in the Indenture.

On the Redemption Date, the Redemption Price will become due and payable upon each of the Notes and, unless the Company defaults in the payment of the Redemption Price or accrued interest, interest thereon will cease to accrue on and after the Redemption Date and the only remaining right of the holders is to receive payment of the Redemption Price upon surrender to the Paying Agent. The Notes called for redemption must be surrendered to the Paying Agent at the address specified below to collect the Redemption Price, together with accrued but unpaid interest thereon. Payment of the Redemption Price and surrender of the Notes for redemption will be made through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company. The name and address of the Paying Agent and Conversion Agent is as follows:

The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A.

Global Corporate Trust

111 Sanders Creek Parkway

East Syracuse, New York 13057

Attn: Redemption Unit

This press release does not constitute an offer to purchase or redeem, or a solicitation of an offer to sell, the Notes.

Headquartered in Oklahoma City, Chesapeake Energy Corporation's (NYSE: CHK) operations are focused on discovering and developing its large and geographically diverse resource base of unconventional oil and natural gas assets onshore in the United States. The company also owns an oil and natural gas marketing business.







INVESTOR CONTACT: MEDIA CONTACT: CHESAPEAKE ENERGY CORPORATION Brad Sylvester, CFA (405) 935-8870 [email protected] Gordon Pennoyer (405) 935-8878 [email protected] 6100 North Western Avenue P.O. Box 18496 Oklahoma City, OK 73154

SOURCE Chesapeake Energy CorporationSTOCKHOLM, Dec. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Essity's articles of association, owners of Class A shares have the right to have such shares converted to Class B shares. Conversion reduces the total number of votes in the company. When such a conversion has occurred, the company is obligated by law to disclose any such changes in this manner.

In December, at the request of shareholders 42 Class A shares were converted to Class B shares. The total number of votes in the company thereafter amounts to 1,278,277,428.

The total number of registered shares in the company amounts to 702,342,489 of which 63,992,771 are Class A shares and 638,349,718 are Class B shares.

NB: This information is such that Essity must disclose in accordance with the Financial Instruments Trading Act. The information was submitted for publication on December 28, 2018, at 08:00 CET.

For further information, please contact:

Karl Stoltz

Media Relations Manager

+46-8-788-51-55

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/essity/r/conversion-of-shares,c2706357

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/15798/2706357/967672.pdf Conversion of shares

SOURCE EssityFor nearly a decade, UK-based alcohol beverage journal, The Drinks Business, has presented its annual Green Awards to companies and individuals who are leading the industry in sustainability and environmental performance. DeVries' honor reflects growing recognition of the influence a local winery is having on global efforts to promote sustainable business practices and climate health.

The Drinks Business noted that it awarded DeVries its personality honor in 2018 for her "single-minded drive to ensure one business lives and breathes sustainability. Working within a major producer of organic and biodynamic grapes, she has devoted 25 years to this business, furthering its commitment to environmentally responsible winegrowing, while successfully navigating two changes in ownership."

This most recent accolade caps several years of growing recognition for sustainability efforts at Fetzer Vineyards under DeVries' leadership in this area, including receipt of seven sustainability-focused awards in 2017-2018: Ceres' Golden State Warrior Award for leadership in supporting climate-smart policy initiatives; Environmental Leader's Project of the Year award for adopting the BioFiltro BIDA System for wastewater treatment; the Drinks Business' 2017 Amorim Sustainability and Water Management awards; a United Nation's 2017 Momentum for Change Climate Solutions Award for innovative and scalable global climate action; a B Lab 2018 "Best for the World" Changemaker award; and the 2018 Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA).

About Fetzer Vineyards

Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2018, Fetzer Vineyards was founded in 1968 by Barney Fetzer in Mendocino County, California. An award-winning purveyor of wines and spirits spanning multiple origins and available in more than 50 countries worldwide, Fetzer Vineyards is a leader in sustainable business practices, organic winegrowing, and craftsmanship in the cellar.

In addition to robust offerings under the winery's flagship Fetzer label, the winery also crafts the leading wine from organic grapes, Bonterra Organic Vineyards, named American Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast magazine in 2016. Other California offerings include Adorada, Anthony's Hill, Jekel Vineyards, Sanctuary Wines and 1000 Stories, the original Bourbon barrel-aged wine. Part of global winery Vina Concha y Toro, Fetzer Vineyards imports iconic South American wines such as Chile's most-acclaimed wine, Don Melchor, as well as the Cono Sur, Vina Maipo, Marques de Casa Concha, Casillero del Diablo and Frontera labels from Chile, in addition to Argentina's Trivento Reserve. Recently, Fetzer Vineyards entered the ultra-luxury wine and spirits category by forging a partnership with Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. to sell its historic craft rye whiskey.

SOURCE Fetzer Vineyards

Related Links

http://www.fetzer.com

Xu Lihua, a girl whose name means beautiful flower in Chinese, comes from a family with extreme difficulty in Hainan province. Her mother is blind, and when she was 14 years old she had to drop out of school because her father could no longer afford her tuition due to a work-related injury. Life seemed hopeless for the teenage girl, and she would have either got married or still been taking some odd jobs if she had not been given an opportunity to apply for a training program. The program became a turning point for many other poor Hainan girls like Xu in their lives.

"In July 2009, we created poverty-alleviation classes dedicated to girls, encouraging girls from poor families to come to school, where they can learn skills in a systematic way and find employment with what they have learnt. They can lead a decent life themselves and help their families get rid of poverty," said Zhang Yisheng, principal of the Hainan Province Economical Technical School.

Taking into consideration their family situation, the school offers each student involved in the program a monthly allowance of 350 yuan in addition to free tuition. So poor girls like Xu Lihua can complete their vocational training without worrying too much about education costs and earn much higher income with required skills after graduation.

"I am helping to relieve some of the burden on my family and planning to save up to renovate our house in a couple of years. I have used my spare time to obtain a college degree and I'm preparing to seek further studies in university. I will work harder in the future," said Xu.

To empower poor girls in Hainan and make education an approach to reducing poverty, local government, Hainan Province Economical Technical School and Hainan Women's Federation are drawing a bigger picture.

"Within ten years, we plan to train 10,000 students through this program and offer help to 10,000 families by training the students into a skilled workforce with high integrity to become the backbone for rising out of poverty," said Zhang.

Hainan in China: Staying strong in adversity

http://p.china.org.cn/2018-12/24/content_74307875.htm

About China.org.cn

Founded in 2000, China Internet Information Center (China.org.cn/China.com.cn) is a key state news website under the auspices of the State Council Information Office, and is managed by China International Publishing Group. We provide round-the-clock news service in ten languages. With users from more than 200 countries and regions, we have become China's leading multi-lingual news outlet introducing the country to the outside world.



We are one of the country's authoritative outlets for government press releases and are authorized to cover various major events. "Live Webcast" is our online webcasting service to present State Council Information Office press conferences in both Chinese and English languages. We are reputed for timely and accurate delivery of news and information, and wide interactions with audiences. In addition, we are authorized to publish and live broadcast major events and press conferences of ministries, local government agencies and institutions as well as enterprises.

In the era of mobile internet, we endeavor to create an array of products for mobile devices headed by the multilingual WAP platform and the mobile APP. We also use Chinese and international social media to publish information for different user groups.

In the future, CIIC will continue to offer authoritative information about China, tell China's stories, voice China's opinions, and introduce a vivid, panoramic and multicultural China to the world through multi-language, multi-media and multi-platforms.

SOURCE China.org.cnWASHINGTON, Dec. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Recent data from Pew Research Center and Nielsen about Asian American high purchasing power and growing population in the United States has impressed many advertisers and marketers. As of 2018, the buying power of Asian American is $986 billion, making them the fastest growing group in the United States. The market is still growing and estimated to reach $1.3 trillion by 2022. Asian American has become one of the most important multicultural communities for marketers. And of course, everyone wants a piece of this promising niche market and iTalkBB Media is here to tell you HOW.

With such powerful purchasing power, agencies, brands and local businesses should invest more advertising budget to appeal to this fast-growing ethnic group, in order to expand their customer base within the Asian American community. Many found it difficult to connect with Asian Americans because they are less unified than other groups due to the differences in languages and customs throughout different sub-Asian groups, but this creates the opportunity for advertisers and marketers to target niche groups and increase audience accuracy rates. In order to capture their attentions and build multicultural marketing strategy, advertisers and Marketers need to partner with a brand that understands the needs and wants of the community. For more than 15 years, iTalkBB has been providing products and services tailored to our 1.2 million subscribers and developed a strong influential bond with the Asian community across North America. With the help of iTalkBB Media, advertisers and marketers can easily connect with this promising market and gain insights to develop successful multicultural strategies to increase sales, build brand awareness and expand market size via our platforms.

In 2018, iTalkBB announced a strategic partnership with Verizon Fios to provide the highest quality Asian TV content to more Asian Americans to help Verizon build trust with the Asian American community. Verizon Fios targeted Asian Americans age 18 by sponsoring one of iTalkBB TV's hottest dramas of the year, Ruyi Royal Love in The Palace. The TV commercial has reached thousands of Asian households, and the Verizon Fios logo was displayed on promotion posters at iTalkBB retail stores in highly concentrated Asian American population areas with very high foot traffic per day. In order to build connection and show appreciation toward Asian cultures, Verizon Fios sponsored iTalkBB's CCTV Spring Festival Gala in 2018 and celebrated the most important Asian Holiday with iTalkBB audiences.

As the number one Asian TV content provider in North America, iTalkBB Media is proud to help agencies, brands and local businesses to effectively target the Asian community in a meaningful way with our unique advertising solutions. iTalkBB Media can provide addressable and measurable advertising services and productively maximize the brand exposure to the Asian community across the nation or selected DMAs. In addition, iTalkBB Media provides advertising opportunities at iTalkBB product retail stores, official websites, Asian American Community, etc. for advertisers and marketers to showcase their respect and appreciation for the community at a larger scale.

About iTalkBB

iTalkBB is a company dedicated to creating innovative and authentic mobile communication experiences and TV content for people around the globe. We provide international phone services that break down distance barriers and allows our customers to easily and affordably connect with their communities  no matter where they may be. We understand our customer base and work hard to tailor our products to fulfill their individual needs. With the best understanding of Asian communities, our platforms are becoming the best and most effective gateway to accessing overseas Asian-Americans.

About iTalkBB Media

iTalkBB Media is the driving force behind the Set-top-box (STB) advertising, and our work helps businesses and brands effectively reach the Chinese community. iTalkBB Media is using unique STB advertising solutions, brands are able to embed commercials before or after viewer selected TV content on iTalkBB Chinese TV. Commercial formats include Pre-roll TVC, Pre-roll Slate, Banner Ads, and Branded Channel.

SOURCE iTalk Global Communications Inc.

Related Links

http://www.italkbb.com

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/802754/Cationic_Anionic_Variants.jpg )



Supramolecular assemblies are nanostructures resulting from molecules binding together, through intermolecular interactions, into larger units. One approach for controlling supramolecular assembly involves self-sorting: molecules recognizing copies of themselves, and binding with them. Now, the findings of an interdisciplinary collaboration between the Supramolecular group (Tomoki Ogoshi and coworkers) Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) group (Hitoshi Asakawa, Takeshi Fukuma, and coworkers) of the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) Kanazawa University showed that self-sorting behavior can arise from the principle of geometrical complementarity by shape: in a mixture of specific pentagonal and hexagonal molecular building blocks, pentagons bind to pentagons and hexagons to hexagons, and no mixing occurs.

Asakawa and members of the AFM group conducted experiments with molecules called pillar[n]arenes, with n = 5 and n = 6, corresponding to pentagonal and hexagonal shapes, respectively. Both molecules come in two 'flavors': positively (cationic) or negatively charged (anionic). The polygonal molecules are essentially rings of 5 or 6 identical organic units, each featuring a benzene ring, but the composition of the units is different for the cationic and the anionic variants.

Ogoshi and his colleagues of the Supramolecular group let cationic pillar[5]arenes (P[5]+ in shorthand notation) adsorb on a quartz substrate. From this structure, they were able to grow P[5]+/P[5]-/P[5]+/ multilayers by immersing it alternatingly in anionic and cationic pillar[5]arene solutions. The addition of a layer was verified each time by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy measurements. The resulting overall structure is a 'nanomat' of tubular structures with pentagonal pores. Similar results were obtained for the pillar[6]arenes: stacks of alternating cationic and anionic layers of the hexagonal molecules could be easily fabricated. The arrangement of pillar[n]arenes on a surface was investigated by collaboration with Prof. Takanori Fukushima, Prof. Tomofumi Tada and co-workers from Tokyo Institute of Technology.

What the scientists found surprising was that it was not possible to stack pentagonal and hexagonal building blocks when trying to build an anionic layer on a cationic one (and vice versa). This is a manifestation of self-sorting: only like polygons can self-assemble, even if ionic interactions drive the formation of cation-anion layered structures.

The researchers also examined the structure of the first layer of P[5]+ or P[6]+ molecules on the quartz substrate. For the hexagonal molecules, the two-dimensional packing structure did no exhibit long-range structural order, whereas for the pentagonal molecules, it did. This is partly attributed to a lower density for the latter. For the multilayer 'nanomats', the same trend was observed: long-range order for the pentagonal stacks. The ring shape-dependent packing structures were simulated by a Monte Carlo simulation by collaboration with Prof. Tomonori Dotera from Kindai University.

The self-sorting effect discovered by Ogoshi and colleagues has promising potential applications. Quoting the scientists: "The ultimate challenge will be to propagate cavity-shape information on the surface to provide shape-recognisable adsorption and adhesive materials."

Background

Pillar[n]arenes

Pillar[n]arenes, collectively named pillararenes (and sometimes pillarenes), are cyclic organic molecules consisting of n so-called hydroquinone units, which can be substituted. Hydroquinone, also known as quinol, has the chemical formula C 6 H 4 (OH) 2 . It consists of a benzene ring with two hydroxyl (OH) groups bound to it at opposite sides of the benzene hexagon.

The first pillararene was synthesized in 2008 by Tomoki Ogoshi and colleagues from Kanazawa University. The name pillararene was chosen since the molecules are cylindrical (pillar-like) in shape and composed of aromatic moieties (arenes).

Furthermore, Ogoshi and colleagues have shown that n = 5 and n = 6 pillararenes exhibit self-sorting capabilities. Cationic and anion versions of the molecules form tubular structures preserving the original pentagonal or hexagonal geometry of the pillararene cavity.

Reference

Tomoki Ogoshi, Shu Takashima, Natsumi Inada, Hitoshi Asakawa, Takeshi Fukuma, Yoshiaki Shoji, Takashi Kajitani, Takanori Fukushima, Tomofumi Tada, Tomonori Dotera, Takahiro Kakuta & Tada-aki Yamagishi. Ring shape-dependent self-sorting of pillar[n]arenes assembled on a surface, Communications Chemistry 1, 92, 7 December 2018.

DOI: 10.1038/s42004-018-0094-z

URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s42004-018-0094-z

Structures of pillar[n]arenes, n = 5 and 6. Left, blue: cationic (positively charged) variants; right, red: anionic (negatively charged) variants.

About Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) (https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/en/ )

Nano Life Science Institute (NanoLSI), Kanazawa University is a research center established in 2017 as part of the World Premier International Research Center Initiative of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The objective of this initiative is to form world-tier research centers. NanoLSI combines the foremost knowledge of bio-scanning probe microscopy to establish 'nano-endoscopic techniques' to directly image, analyze, and manipulate biomolecules for insights into mechanisms governing life phenomena such as diseases.

About Kanazawa University (http://www.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/e/)

As the leading comprehensive university on the Sea of Japan coast, Kanazawa University has contributed greatly to higher education and academic research in Japan since it was founded in 1949. The University has three colleges and 17 schools offering courses in subjects that include medicine, computer engineering, and humanities.

The University is located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in Kanazawa - a city rich in history and culture. The city of Kanazawa has a highly respected intellectual profile since the time of the fiefdom (1598-1867). Kanazawa University is divided into two main campuses: Kakuma and Takaramachi for its approximately 10,200 students including 600 from overseas.

Further information

Hiroe Yoneda

Vice Director of Public Affairs

WPI Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI)

Kanazawa University

Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +81(76)234-4550



SOURCE Kanazawa UniversityProduct launches: In 2018 Le-Vel continued to push the boundaries of nutritional innovation to deliver products that help people achieve a premium lifestyle. The company released 12 new products in 2018  all of them utilizing the premium ingredients, innovative formulas and delivery systems for which Le-Vel is known.

Le-Vel started 2018 with a bang, launching one of its most exciting products to date: Thrive Experience 2.0 featuring Fusion 2.0, a new absorption/permeation technology that delivers greater bioavailability, a significantly enhanced uptake and absorption percentage. Additional 2018 products included Thrive BURN, which built on the success of DFT Duo and took weight loss to an entirely new level with even greater results; Thrive Pro Sequential Bar Technology in four incredible flavors; Thrive Fit, Le-Vel's ultra-premium fitness and performance line; Thrive Bites premium dried beef bites; Thrive Nourish Nutritional Aid Mix; Thrive Pure in new Blackberry Watermelon flavor; Thrive FORM in new Orange Mango flavor; new Thrive K premium kids' formula; and Thrive Derma Fusion Technology in several brand new colors and designs.

Philanthropic commitments: Le-Vel was honored to lend its support once again to the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) in October, adding to their lifetime donations and providing the funds for more than 30,000 women in need across the United States to receive mammograms. Thrive Nourish, a humanitarian aid mix, is part of a larger effort to eliminate worldwide hunger by 2020. Le-Vel has partnered with Rise Against Hunger to provide nutrition and support to needy communities throughout the globe, and, in just a few months since the inception of Le-Vel's Rise Against Hunger initiative, over 200,000 Thrive Nourish meals have been distributed.

Events: Le-Vel rewarded thousands of Le-Vel Brand Promoters with vacations to Las Vegas, San Diego and Cabo San Lucas in recognition of the Promoters' commitment to help others achieve improved health, wellness and vitality. More than 20,000 Thrivers gathered in New Orleans in April at Thrivepalooza for a three-day, three night recognition and business growth event kicked off by legendary rock musician and Grammy Award winner Lenny Kravitz.

Milestones:

Le-Vel became fully operational in Canada in September, secured its 25th patent, and celebrated the most successful product launch in its history with Thrive Burn, shattering company records with over $12,000,000 in daily sales on its launch day, which supported the company's largest year ever.

"As incredible as 2017 was, we were confident that 2018 would be even more successful, and by every measure, it has been just that," say Co-CEOs Jason Camper and Paul Gravette. "Over the last 12 months, we've raised the bar even higher on the technology and innovation behind each one of our products -- and on the rewards we deliver to Promoters. Six years in, and we're thrilled to have 8 million Customers and Promoters throughout six countries and be on the verge of $2 billion in sales. And we're nowhere near finished. The best is truly yet to come."

About Le-Vel

Founded in 2012 by Jason Camper and Paul Gravette, Le-Vel formulates and sells nutritional/health and wellness products and is the only health and wellness company that uses cloud-based technology for its day-to-day operations.



Le-Vel products include the THRIVE Experience (consisting of the three core products THRIVE Premium Lifestyle DFT, THRIVE Premium Lifestyle Capsules and THRIVE Premium Lifestyle Mix), Activate, Boost, Balance, Black Label, Cafe, DUO, Expand, FORM, THRIVE BITES, THRIVEFIT, THRIVE K, Move, PRO, Rest, Pure and BURN. Le-Vel has more than 8 million Customer and Brand Promoter accounts, currently ships within the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Mexico. In early 2018, less than six years after the company's inception, Le-Vel reached a milestone of $1.5 billion in lifetime orders.

For more information about Le-Vel, visit www.le-vel.com, the Le-Vel Facebook Page, Le-Vel on Twitter, Instagram and the Le-Vel YouTube Channel.

Media Contact: Liz Reuth, [email protected]

SOURCE Le-Vel Brands

Related Links

http://le-vel.com

Guests invited to this conference included Daphne Koller, a currently leading AI scholar, professor at the Stanford Computer Science Department and founder of the online education platform Coursera; Andrej Karpathy, a former Tesla OpenAI fellow, one of the top experts in computer vision and deep learning, who developed the CNN/RNN with Feifei Li and now is Tesla AI and autopilot vision director; Reza Zadeh, Matroid founder and CEO, who focuses on machine learning, distributed computing and discrete applied mathematics and began to work in Google AI team from the age of 18; etc.

At the conference, SUNY associate professor of political science and famous writer Virginia Eubanks expounded her views on social equality in the era of AI and presented her systematic research on the influence of AI on poor and working-class people in America through data mining, policy algorithms and predictive risk models. Hernan Asorey, chief data scientist of Salesforce, described how to build a net-score-driven application and how to use the program to automatically identify and successfully serve customers through real cases of Salesforce.

At the conference, Derek Li delivered a keynote speech titled: "How Squirrel AI Outperforms Human Teachers and Redefines Education". It not only was well received by the audience, but also attracted attention from Orange County's former Education CFO Darren Dang and ODSC founder Sheamus McGovern.

A summary of Derek Li's keynote speech is presented below:

From Oct. 2017, Squirrel AI Learning began to verify the feasibility of machine teaching outperforming human teaching. Four human vs machine teaching competitions were organized and the results were surprisingly consistent: machine teaching outperformed human teaching. In the fourth human vs machine teaching competition, which took place in 100 cities, students with the same knowledge level were divided into two groups and respectively received teaching by human teachers and Squirrel AI adaptive system. After 8 hours of teaching, students in the machine-taught group learnt 42 knowledge points on average, while students in the human-taught group learnt 28 knowledge points on average. In terms of score improvement, the machine-taught group's score increased 5.4 points on average, while the human-taught group's score increased only 0.7 point. The impact of the result was no less than the sensation caused by Alpha Go's successive defeats of top players Sedol Lee and Jie Ke.

Squirrel AI Learning founder Derek Li explained that the reason why AI can revolutionize traditional education, which has not changed for hundreds of years, is its innovation of traditional education in four dimensions: versatile and know-it-all, tell big stories from small things, infinite computing power and self-evolution.

First, compared with humans, AI is more versatile and know-it-all. Considering the cost, China's education model is usually one-to-many. Such general cramming is uniform. It seems that every student is taught the same knowledge, but their knowledge levels are quite different because every student varies in their basic ability, concentration, weakness and range of understanding.

Squirrel AI adaptive learning system is versatile and know-it-all. It can truly teach students according to their aptitude. The teaching robot detects each student's user profile and scans their knowledge points, so the system can accurately know students' knowledge mastery in a short time, and then implement different teaching programs for different students.

Next, it can tell big stories from small things. On the basis of determining students' mastery of knowledge points, it matches and consolidates knowledge points targeting each student's weak points. Using machine teaching, Squirrel AI can truly reconstruct the knowledge map based on the causes of mistakes. On the basis of accurately finding the causes of making mistakes, the AI adaptive system develops personalized learning programs for students, and finally, helps solve the student's learning difficulties.

It's worth noting that in the process, Squirrel AI realized super nanoscale knowledge splitting and put an end to the rough description of knowledge points in the traditional knowledge graph. At present, most education companies can only achieve three-level splitting of knowledge points, but Squirrel AI can realize nine-level splitting. For example, for the addition or subtraction of fractions, Squirrel AI can split it into 100 knowledge points. It can effectively detect students' weaknesses and help enhance their divergent thinking.

Third, it has infinite computing power. Nanoscale knowledge point splitting is naturally inseparable from strong computing power. Based on big data and with the help of powerful computing power, Squirrel AI can quickly locate the knowledge that students have mastered and have not mastered. It can put forward effective solutions in a short time and make up for students' knowledge gaps.

This short and fast approach solves the common root problem in current education. The effect of AI adaptive education is influencing more and more students and parents. Perhaps that's why Squirrel AI Learning's paying rate reached 80% in six months. Obviously, the value created by AI education is being recognized by users.

Last, it's self-evolving. After all, teachers' energy is limited. It's impossible to realize one-to-one tutoring. It is also difficult to find knowledge gaps and understanding deviations from students' exercises and classroom performance. Even the students themselves cannot tell which knowledge points they haven't understood completely. However, AI teachers can not only find the shortcomings of students in class, but also continuously help them to check and fill in gaps and make more optimized learning plans in the process of self-evolution.

The four traits of AI not only make Squirrel AI become the best in the education sector, but also lead the whole sector to redefine education. When asked whether AI will replace human teachers, Squirrel AI Learning founder Derek Li said human teachers cannot be replaced because of the essence of education.

"Teachers are needed for planning teaching and determining the direction. But we don't need famous teachers. The cost of training famous teachers is too high and they cannot be personalized for every student. In classroom teaching, famous teachers cannot put much energy in every student. The algorithm matching in our classroom can customize the experience of 100 teachers in our system, so every student actually learns from the essence of 100 teachers."

The teaching system of Squirrel AI seems to be uniform, but actually is personalized. It can not only realize rational and average distribution of teaching resources, but also truly solves the problem of treating symptoms rather than root causes found in traditional education. It traces the root of every student's difficulties and blind spots in learning, so as to form a complete knowledge chain.

At present, AI is in a period of rapid development in dense data collection. In the future, its data integrating ability will become stronger and stronger. In terms of knowledge transmission, through continuous data collection and adaptive optimization, AI will be able to deeply understand the student's needs and requirements. The role played by teachers will no longer be a "carrier", repeating knowledge every day. Focusing on the emotional temperature of students, teachers will be leaders who awaken, encourage and inspire students, truly fulfilling their educating function.

AI will not really replace human teachers, but teachers who do not use AI will be replaced by teachers who use AI. In the future, teachers and AI will achieve synergistic development. Only in this way can we maximize the utilization of education resources and improve the productivity of the whole education sector. Teachers will not be replaced, but education will be redefined.

The arrival of AI is both an opportunity and challenge for the education sector. In the future, only enterprises that can use AI to separate and coordinate teaching and education can truly lead the development of education. Squirrel AI Learning will continue to work on this. Haoyang Li also believes that in the next 7-15 years, Squirrel AI can truly integrate the wisdom of Socrates, Da Vinci and Einstein, so that every student can receive perfect education.

SOURCE Squirrel AI LearningBOCA RATON, Fla., Dec. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Phoenix Tower International (PTI) announces its acquisition of Syscom Telecom, LLC, thereby adding over 80,000 marketable sites to PTI's US portfolio.

Syscom Telecom, LLC, a small cell deployment business in the United States, manages and markets over 80,000 sites for small cell and macro cell deployments with various small cell master agreements in place with wireless operators.

"PTI has been evaluating opportunities to back a small cell focused team in the United States as a way to help our customers with their next generation deployments," stated Dagan Kasavana, Chief Executive Officer of Phoenix Tower International. He continued, "Syscom Telecom's team, led by Santiago Quintana, has, since inception, been focused on small cell deployments on unique real estate assets such as billboards, rooftops and other locations, which are ideal for small cell installations and as a result, have made significant inroads with all wireless operators. As PTI focuses on delivering solutions for future network needs, we believe that having a strong small cell focused group, backed with capital alongside our traditional macro focused sales and operations team, is the right approach to better serve our customers collocation and network connectivity deployment needs. We are confident that, between our owned towers and third-party real estate, Syscom and PTI will deliver the level of customer service and desirable site locations for our customers as they continue to upgrade their networks from coast to coast. Recently PTI has made numerous strategic investments across the Americas to support this business plan including the acquisition of 1,000 km of fiber in Mexico, the investment in Fast Site Solutions in Central America, and the investment in Syscom LatAm in South America, which have allowed PTI to lead next generation solutions on behalf of our customers with dedicated teams in all markets."

Terms of the transaction remain confidential between the parties.

About Phoenix Tower International

Phoenix Tower International ("PTI") owns and manages over 6,000 towers, 986 km of fiber and other wireless infrastructure and related sites throughout the United States, including Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, French West Indies, Jamaica, Argentina and Ecuador.

Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, PTI was founded in 2013 with a mission to be a premier site provider to wireless operators across the Americas in high-growth markets. PTI's investors include funds managed by Blackstone Tactical Opportunities and John Hancock, as well as various members of the management team. For more information, please visit www.phoenixintnl.com.

SOURCE Phoenix Tower International

Related Links

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NEW YORK, Dec. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Nielsen (NYSE: NLSN) and Raycom Media today announced a renewal agreement for Nielsen local television ratings service within most of Raycom's LPM, SET and Code Reader markets, beginning Jan. 1, 2019. The stations included are: WBTV-Charlotte, WBRC-Birmingham, WXIX-Cincinnati, WMC-Memphis, WVUE-New Orleans, WWBT/WUPV-Richmond, WFLX-West Palm Beach, WCSC-Charleston, SC, KFVS/WQWQ-Paducah-Cape Girardeau-Harrisburg, KOLD-Tucson (Sierra Vista), and WWSB-Tampa-St.Pete (Sarasota).

The agreement provides Raycom with complete measurement of these local broadcast stations, as well as syndicated local TV measurement. It also includes viewing and consumer behavior and insight tools including Arianna, NLTV, Ad Intel and Scarborough-Local.

ABOUT NIELSEN

Nielsen Holdings plc (NYSE: NLSN) is a global measurement and data analytics company that provides the most complete and trusted view available of consumers and markets worldwide. Our approach marries proprietary Nielsen data with other data sources to help clients around the world understand what's happening now, what's happening next, and how to best act on this knowledge. For more than 90 years Nielsen has provided data and analytics based on scientific rigor and innovation, continually developing new ways to answer the most important questions facing the media, advertising, retail and fast-moving consumer goods industries. An S&P 500 company, Nielsen has operations in over 100 countries, covering more than 90% of the world's population. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com.

SOURCE Nielsen

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KYIV, Ukraine, Dec. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Undelete news has officially gone out of beta after successfully implementing news and media source tracking for the first 12 countries.

As world media and news sites are getting accused of not being objective or honest, attempts to fight it get more diverse and serious. Undelete news is a platform that will track top sites and public people to see what posts they delete and to store this data forever.

Undelete news

Ever see a news piece that was hastily published and then just as hastily deleted after proven to be fake? Or an arrogant tweet that suddenly disappeared to save its author's reputation? Undelete.news aims to stop this by keeping all deleted information safe and visible. It will track every top website and social media account, so if a post suddenly disappears, it will be immediately published on Undelete news website in the "Deleted" section with source indication. Now the Internet will truly remember everything.

Besides tracking top accounts and media resources added by others, Undelete news allows every user to track any news website or social media account (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram), even if it is not on the website. This service is completely free of charge and available to all registered users.

Undelete has news pieces and posts distributed by categories and stores both posted and deleted data. Users can select individual news site or celebrity to see everything they have deleted and set up their own feed that contains only sources they deem interesting.

The site supports twelve countries so far, but it aims to cover every region and language. If you want to check them out or to add someone you want to track specifically, visit their website at https://undelete.news.

Undelete.news

Attn: Media Relations

Alexander Stormov

Kyiv, Ukraine

[email protected]

+380662943069

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Undelete News Website

SOURCE Undelete news

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New Delhi, Dec 26 : As smartphones went through a couple of noticeable innovations in the hardware department in 2018 -- especially Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven cameras and improved battery -- the rise of 5G-ready and foldable devices stole the limelight.

While players like Huawei, LG, Motorola and Apple secured patents on foldable devices, South Korean giant Samsung took a definitive lead, showcasing a real one in November when Justin Dennison, Senior Vice President of Mobile Marketing, took out a foldable smartphone from his jacket at a New York event.

Reports surfaced that Samsung plans to launch its first foldable smartphone in March next year and the shipment volume would be at least one million.

The smartphone would fold inward and sport a 7.4-inch screen when unfolded and have a 4.6-inch display like a regular smartphone when folded.

When it came to 5G, Samsung again pushed the envelope and announced 5G-enabled smartphones with US telecom carriers Verizon and AT&T that would hit the market in the first half of 2019.

Chinese player OnePlus joined the bandwagon in December, announcing it will release a commercial 5G smartphone with carrier network EE in the UK in 2019.

According to Tarun Pathak, Associate Director at Counterpoint Research, 5G devices will soon be a reality.

"Form factors like foldable phones along with 5G technology will act as a catalyst impacting the upgrade rate of premium smartphones," Pathak told IANS.

"These features will help smartphone original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to differentiate their offerings. One of the aggressive marketing campaign will surely be about to launch the 'first 5G' smartphone in a region/country or price segment," he added.

"Smartphones have not seen much disruptive innovations for a long time now -- in form factor and display. Samsung has now achieved a technical breakthrough in display manufacturing," noted Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CyberMedia Research (CMR).

Rest of the year saw major innovations in the camera department, with almost every player in the market infusing AI into sensors to do the job of clicking that perfect moment for you.

An early innovator in smartphone camera technology, Huawei in April brought a Leica-designed, triple-camera system in P20 Pro smartphone which became its USP.

Samsung later announced two smartphones -- Galaxy A7 with three-rear camera and Galaxy A9 with the four-rear camera system -- with AI embedded into it.

The year also saw Chinese electronics major Xiaomi's meteoric rise in India, increasing its market share quarters after quarters on the back of its popular Redmi series.

In a bid to break the notion that it is just a smartphone brand, Xiaomi also amplified its products portfolio in categories like fitness and health, smart home, smart travel and more -- using AI and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies.

OnePlus 6T became the flagship killer of the year in the Rs 30,000-Rs 40,000 segment. Topped with a bigger battery and some hardware improvements, OnePlus 6T made for a highly desirable smartphone in the premium category.

As smartphones scouted for innovation, data went dirt cheap.

Smartphone users in India are now consuming an average 1GB data per day and spending more than 90 minutes on online activities daily across the entry-level, mid and premium segments, revealed a Nielsen India report in September.

"The advent of high-speed 4G Internet, less-expensive mobile handsets and a correction in call data charges have encouraged the speedy adoption of smartphones in India," said Abhijit Matkar, Director-Technology IPG - Nielsen India.

With a rise in smartphone ownership, India was expected to end the year with over 500 million smartphone users, said US-based media agency Zenith.

Beyond smartphones, mobile handset market also saw a mammoth rise and to meet the demand of the mass market, new Chinese and Indian vendors launched affordable handsets with latest features, some even under Rs 5,000.

Backed by robust growth in smartphone as well as smart-feature phone categories, an estimated 302 million mobile handsets will be sold in India in 2019 -- the highest ever in a year -- said technology research consulting firm techARC.

Of the 302 million mobile handsets, 149 million (49.3 per cent) will be smartphones, 55 million (18.2 per cent) will be smart-feature phones and the remaining 98 million (32.5 per cent) will be feature phones.

With data prices breaking all records -- thanks to cheaper plans from carriers like Reliance Jio and affordable yet powerful smartphones now available on shelves -- the smartphone and mobile growth in India would only swell further.

(Nishant Arora can be contacted at nishant.a@ians.in)New York, Dec 28 : A transformer explosion at a power plant in Queens temporarily lit up the New York skyline in bright blue and caused a frenzy in the city, with many on the social media fearing an alien invasion.

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) wrote on Twitter that the blue light came from a transformer explosion at a Con Ed facility on Thursday night and added that the fire from the explosion was under control.

The explosion lit up the sky in shades of blue visible as far as Manhattan and New Jersey. The tremors shook buildings and rattled windows, sending people running into the streets.

The explosion was determined to be a non-suspicious equipment malfunction, the NYPD tweeted, adding that there were "no injuries, no fire, no evidence of extraterrestrial activity".

Residents reported temporary power outages.

LaGuardia Airport in Queens initially grounded all flights following the explosion. No flights took off between 9.22 and 10.23 p.m. ET, according to flight tracking data company FlightAware.

All terminals were impacted by the loss of commercial power, causing the Federal Aviation Administration to issue a temporary ground stop. The airport later resumed normal operations.

Twitter users, unsure of what had caused the light, shared photos and videos of New York City's sky. Many on the social media feared it as an alien invasion.

"We thought it was a UFO," said Yiota Androtsakis, a longtime Astoria resident.

An NYPD official said the bright lights and loud bangs caused a surge of 911 calls, with residents reporting explosions and one person calling in a plane crash.Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 28 : Taking a divergent position, veteran CPI-M leader V.S.Achuthanandan on Friday expressed his displeasure at the manner in which the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by the CPI-M on Wednesday decided to induct four new allies into its fold.

After several months of dilly dallying, the LDF decided to include the Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD), the Indian National League, the Democratic Kerala Congress and the Kerala Congress (Pillai) as new allies.

On Friday, Achuthanandan broke his silence at a public meeting near here and said that the LDF is not a place for those who continue to think on casteist lines and are communal.

The Leftist movement stands for democracy, secularism, equality and socialism and by upholding these tenets, communism has come a long way forward.

"And there is no space for those who continue to think on casteist lines and are communal," said Achuthanandan.

All along the LDF has been going hammer and tongs against the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) for being an outfit which has 'communal parties' - the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and two factions of the Kerala Congress led by K.M. Mani and Anoop Jacob.

Achuthanandan is also peeved, as the chairman of the Kerala Congress (Pillai), R.Balakrishna Pillai, a founder member of the UDF in the early 80s, in 2010 became the first Kerala politician to serve a one-year jail term in a corruption case that was taken up by Achuthanandan.

Pillai parted ways with the UDF just before the 2016 assembly polls and since then he has been with the LDF. He was given cabinet rank soon after Pinarayi Vijayan took over as Chief Minister in 2016.

Among the new allies - the Democratic Kerala Congress (DKC) is a breakaway faction of the Kerala Congress (Mani). The DKC was formed ahead of the 2016 polls.

Likewise INL is a breakaway faction of the IUML and has been going strong with the LDF for two decades now.

While media baron and Rajya Sabha member M.P.Veerendra Kumar's LJD was part of the LDF since its inception, in 2009, it left the coalition to join the UDF.

Vijayan and the LDF decided to induct these four parties as full fledged allies as the Lok Sabha polls are around the corner and the coalition is determined to win as many seats as possible, with Kerala being the last bastion of the CPI-M.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the LDF won eight of the 20 seats that it contested.

Reacting to Achuthanandan's statement, party general secretary Sitaram Yechury told the media in Delhi that all such things have taken place in Kerala and it was done after the party (CPI-M) and the LDF decided to do so.

Pillai, however, said that he 'belongs' neither to the upper castes nor the lower castes, but 'belongs' to the people of Kerala.New Delhi, Dec 28 : The cabinet has approved the setting up of the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCIM) Bill, 2018 that provides for conducting overall education of traditional medicine system of Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Sowa-Rigpa- commonly known as Tibetan system of medicine, it was announced on Friday.

The cabinet has also approved the National Commission for Homoeopathy (NCH) Bill, 2018, that proposes setting up a new panel entrusted with conducting overall education of Homoeopathy.

Informing the cabinet's Thursday decisions, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the new Bill on Indian system of medicines also proposes conducting a common entrance exam for practitioners and an eligibility test for teachers.

"We are committed to enhancing the quality of Indian system medicines. It is equally important to have value addition in terms of quality, eligibility and a system which produces quality practitioners and teachers," said Prasad giving details of the new bills.

The NCIM Bill, seeks to replace the existing regulator Central Council for Indian Medicine (CCIM) with a new body to ensure transparency.

The draft Bill provides for the constitution of a National Commission with four autonomous boards entrusted with conducting overall education of Ayurveda, under Board of Ayurveda and Unani, Siddha and Sowa-Rigpa under Board of Unani, Siddha and Sowa-Rigpa.

It also proposes a common entrance exam and an exit exam, which all graduates will have to clear to get practicing licenses. Further, a teacher's eligibility test has been proposed to assess the standard of teachers before appointment and promotions.

The draft bill is aimed at bringing reforms in the medical education of Indian medicine sector in lines with the National Medical Commission proposed for setting up for the allopathy system of medicine.

The National Commission for Homeopathy, Bill, seeks to replace the existing regulator Central Council for Homeopathy (CCH) with a new body to ensure transparency.

The draft bill provides for constitution of a National Commission with three autonomous boards entrusted with conducting overall education of Homeopathy.

The three boards are -- Homoeopathy Education Board, the Board of Assessment and Rating to assess and grant permission to educational institutions of Homoeopathy and Board of Ethics and Registration of Practitioners of Homoeopathy to maintain a national register and ethical issues relating to practice are under the National Commission for Homeopathy.

The proposed law also provides a common entrance exam and an exit exam which all graduates will have to clear to get practice licences. Further, a teacher's eligibility test has been proposed to assess the standard of teachers before appointment and promotions.Kathmandu, Dec 28 : Six Indian nationals were arrested in Nepal for duping locals on the pretext of forging new ornaments and waxing gold, the police said.

The accused, all hailing from Bihar, were caught in possession of Aqua Regia, a chemical composition of hydrochloric acid and nitric acid, used to dissolve real gold, the Himalayan Times reported on Friday.

Police officials said that the men lured the locals by promising them to shape their ornaments and polish the gold jewellery. They, however, exchanged the original gold items with fake ones.

Law enforcement officers intercepted the accused while they were fleeing the district, the report said.New Delhi, Dec 28 : Expressing alarm over the rising crime chart in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Uttar Pradesh, the Congress on Friday claimed there is "jungle raj" in the state in the absence of any governance or law and order.

"There is nothing in the name of governance in Uttar Pradesh, there is nothing in the name of law and order. There is jungle raj where no one is safe. From women to common people, all are unsafe," Congress General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad told the media here.

Flaying Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his administration over the killing of police Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh during a mob violence in Bulandshahar earlier this month, Azad said goons and criminals enjoy political patronage in the BJP regime.

"The real goons are escaping the hands of the law and the innocent persons are facing police encounters and arrests for their affiliation to opposition parties," added Azad.

Congress spokesperson P.L. Punia said the police in the northern state were afraid of taking on criminals.

"Wherever the BJP is in power, whenever people related to BJP/RSS are involved in a crime, no action is taken against them and the government makes efforts to protect them at any cost.

"Incidents of rape are taking place every other day in Uttar Pradesh, but the Yogi government is helpless to take any action against these criminals. Police do not have the courage to point a finger at these criminals," he added.New Delhi, Dec 28 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a two-day visit to Andaman & Nicobar Islands on Saturday during which he will participate in a host of programmes including the 75th Anniversary of the hoisting of Tricolour on Indian soil by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

According to the Prime Minister's Office, Modi will reach Port Blair on Saturday evening and on Sunday visit the Tsunami Memorial at Car Nicobar.

Besides inaugurating an Industrial Training Institute (ITI) at Arong, he will lay the foundation stone for some infrastructure projects and address a public meeting.

Modi will hoist the high-mast flag at South Point, Port Blair and at Netaji Stadium, he will release a commemorative postal stamp, coin and first day cover to mark the 75th Anniversary of the hoisting of Tricolour by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

He will also release the Innovation and Start-Up Policy for A&N Islands, inaugurate a 7MW Solar Power Plant, and Solar Village.Ksan (Meghalaya), Dec 28 : A team of officials from Coal India Limited (CIL) on Saturday conducted a preliminary investigation on how to dewater an illegal 370-ft coal pit to rescue 15 miners trapped inside an illegal coal mine for 16 days now.

A 21-member team of fire fighters from Odisha, who was airlifted by Indian Air Force's C-130J Super Hercules from Bhubaneswar to the Guwahati airport, are proceeding towards the site at Ksan village in East Jaintia Hills district.

A 15-member diving team of the Indian Navy will also be joining the rescue operation on Saturday.

A 10-member CIL team, including four surveyors and six technical engineers, arrived at the site and conducted a preliminary inspection of the mining area.

"We first need to survey the entire mining area before pumping out the water from the pit. Our eight pumps of 100 HP each and other equipment are on the way," said General Manager of CIL's Northeastern Coalfields J Borah.

"The Odhisha firefighters were requisitioned by National Disaster Management Authority. They are on the way with several high-tech equipment, including 10 high-power pumps to be used in search and rescue operations," said district police chief of East Jaintia Hills Sylvester Nongtnger.

N. Mahapatra of Kirloskar Brothers' Limited said the team will submit its reports and recommendation to the district administration on how to dewater the pit.

"We require a good number of powerful pumps to suck out the water and this has been informed to our senior officials," Mahapatra told IANS.

Meanwhile, a six-member team of the opposition Congress in Meghalaya assembly on Friday visited the site and found several lacunae in the arrangements made by the district administration.

The legislators led by Ampareen Lyngdoh expressed their surprise over district magistrate F.M. Dopth going on leave in spite of the tragedy of such a scale.

"Precious lives are at stake but the officer in-charge of the rescue operations has been allowed to go on leave," she said, demanding that the district magistrate be immediately recalled.

Lyngdoh said the state government should task a senior-level officer with the rescue operations.

"A senior-level officer at the level of Commissioner and Secretary should be put in charge of the entire rescue operations and to coordinate with the national and state teams," she said.

They also demanded that an Inspector General of Police level officer should be deputed at the site to coordinate among the NDRF, SDRF and the state police. The legislators also said that a small medical team should be at hand 24x7.

The district administration has temporarily suspended pumping of water from the coal pit since December 24. However, the NDRF rescuer team dived inside the main shaft of the coal pit, but could not locate any of the miners.

"Our men dived this morning to locate the trapped miners, but could not find any of them. There is nothing in the main shaft of the coal pit. We have used all our equipment with us, including SONAR, to find out if any of the miners is trapped in the main shaft," said NDRF Assistant Commandant Santosh Kumar Singh.

Asked if the rescuers have lost hope, Singh said, "Rescuers never lose hope. We are all putting our best efforts to rescue them."

On Thursday, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma had met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal and sought immediate Central support to evacuate the trapped miners.

The accident inside the coal pit on December 13 morning occurred despite the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordering an interim ban on 'rat-hole' coal mining in the state from 2014.

Coal mine accidents are common in the mountainous state because of unscientific mining procedure, commonly known as "rat hole mining".New Delhi, Dec 29 : Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday said the government is hopeful of getting cooperation from all parties on the triple talaq bill in the Rajya Sabha, where the government does not have a majority and the previous bill on the subject was stuck due to opposition's reservations.

The Minister said that during the debate on the triple talaq bill in the Lok Sabha the previous day, all members who participated in the debate agreed that the practice was bad and it should be stopped.

The government got the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018 passed in the lower House on Thursday amidst opposition's walkout after a four-hour debate.

"I would not discuss here what will be our strategy in the Rajya Sabha. But we do expect that all (political parties) would understand that this is not an issue of political opposition. They need to consider that this is for giving justice to the victims of triple talaq," Prasad said in response to a media query.

"This Bill should not be seen through vote bank prism. In the debate in Lok Sabha yesterday (Thursday), every speaker admitted that triple talaq is wrong, but they want this should not be made a criminal offence. Now, I find this logic quaint," he added.

He said the practice would continue if there is not a "deterrence".

The Bill provides for imprisonment up to three years to the Muslim man who pronounces instant divorce to his wife.

Prasad said that given the "maturity" of the upper House of Parliament and the "sensitivity" of the matter, the government is hopeful of getting cooperation from other parties on the Bill in Rajya Sabha.

The opposition has been demanding that the Bill be sent to a joint select committee of Parliament for detailed consideration of its all aspects. The government has not agreed to the proposal and hence the Congress and a few other parties staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha on Thursday when the Bill was put to vote.Mumbai, Dec 28 : Non-performing assets (NPAs or bad loans) weighed down the balance sheets of banks necessitating large provisioning, which adversely affected their profitability, especially of state-run banks during 2018, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said on Friday.

In its "Trends and Progress of Banking in 2017-18" report, the RBI also said that it is addressing the concerns of non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) over acute liquidity crunch following the series of payment defaults by Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) over August-September.

"The overhang of stressed assets weighed down the consolidated balance sheet of the banking sector, necessitating large provisions, which adversely affected their profitability during 2017-18," the central bank report said.

Recent data for the first-half of 2018-19, however, indicate that the NPAs have begun to stabilise, "albeit at an elevated level; capital positions have been buffered and the provision coverage ratio has improved".

"The recent concerns about some NBFCs are being proactively addressed. The consolidated balance sheet of NBFCs expanded in 2017-18 and during the first-half of 2018-19," the RBI said.

"The balance sheets of NBFCs, especially that of companies that provide loan finance, have been growing manifold against the backdrop of relative decline in their cost of lending vis-A -vis banks and subdued credit growth of scheduled commercial banks in the previous three years."

The central bank said this year can be considered a watershed in terms of setting up of a "new, comprehensive, decisive and credible" NPAs' resolution framework in February under the mandate of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).

The new framework requires banks to report a default even if the repayment is due for more than a day. Thereafter, they are expected to introduce a resolution plan to ensure that the borrower repays the dues on time. In case the banks are unable to implement the resolution plan within the time limit of 180 days, they have to compulsorily admit the account into the bankruptcy process under the IBC.

According to the report, of the 21 public sector banks (PSBs), the 11 that are under the RBI's Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework have shown lower growth in gross non-performing assets (GNPAs) as compared to non-PCA banks.

"The PCA banks have also shown lower growth in GNPAs, relative to non-PCA state-run lenders," it said.

Those under the PCA are Allahabad Bank, United Bank, Corporation Bank, IDBI Bank, Uco Bank, Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Dena Bank and Bank of Maharashtra.

The banks under PCA, which imposes lending restrictions, have also increased recoveries, contained their growth in advances and deposits, reduced riskiness of assets and focused on better rated assets, the RBI said.

"The sharper increase in NPA ratios compared to non-PCA PSBs is also because of decline in advances by the former. As a result, profitability has taken a hit as reflected in negative return on assets," the report said.Agartala, Dec 28 : The CPI-M Tripura state secretary Gautam Das was assaulted allegedly by BJP-backed elements on Friday while he was returning to Agartala after attending a party programme in southern Tripura, police said.

"We have been verbally informed that some miscreants misbehaved with the CPI-M leader and scuffled with him. Though we have not received any formal complaint, we are looking into it," Sepahijala District Police Chief Kulwant Singh told IANS over phone.

He said anyone found guilty would be booked immediately.

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) West Tripura District Secretary Pabitra Kar said some "Bharatiya Janata Party-backed goons" attacked Das at Bishalgarh on Friday afternoon when he along with party legislator and former minister Ratan Bhowmik was returning to Agartala after attending a party programme.

"Driver of the vehicle quickly drove away and rescued Das and Bhowmik from the attackers," Kar told the media.

He said the same "BJP hoodlums" who assaulted former Finance Minister and incumbent Public Accounts Committee Chairman Bhanulal Saha in Bishalgarh in Western Tripura on during the day of civic polls on Thursday, attacked Das.

Das is also a CPI-M central committee member and a former Editor of party mouthpiece 'Daily Desher Katha'.

To protest the incident, the CPI-M held a hurriedly called protest march in the capital city on Friday night.

The CPI-M informed the incident to the top police officers and requested them to arrest the culprits at the earliest.New Delhi, Dec 28 : The Lok Sabha on Friday approved the proclamation of President's Rule in Jammu and Kashmir with opposition parties demanding installation of a popular government while the Centre asserting that it was committed to a "democratic process" and ready to hold Assembly elections in the troubled state.

Responding to the debate, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that President's rule in the state was recommended as no other option was left, as no party had staked its claim to form an alternative government.

Although the resolution was adopted, Speaker Sumitra MahajanA allowed a brief discussion after some of the opposition members pressed for a discussion.

"Till we are in power, no wrong or unethical work will be allowed to happen in Jammu and Kashmir... Although it is responsibility of the Election Commission to hold election, we are ready for it. We are ready to provide security as desired by the Commission to hold elections," the Home Minister said.

He denied opposition charge that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tried to form government with a regional group ahead of the dissolution of the state Assembly by Governor Satya Pal Malik.

"There must not be any doubt about the intentions of the government. If the BJP wanted to form government by indulging in horse trading, then it would have done so during the six-month Governor's rule. We did not try to form government, neither during the six months of the Governor rule nor in the last days (before the dissolution of Asssembly)," he said.

Singh said in December he came to know through media reports that Congress, PDP and National Conference were trying to forge an alliance, but this report was denied the very next day by senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad who said his party was not in favour of any alliance.

"Under this situation, the assembly was dissolved," he said, adding that everyone wanted a solution to the problem and his government was promoting grassroots democracy as it had recently conducted the elections to the local bodies.

Initiating the debate, Shashi Tharoor of Congress said the Assembly was dissolved without any floor test despite the fact that Congress, the PDP and the National Conference had come together to form the government.

TMC's Saugata Ray also opposed the President's rule terming it arbitrary, unconstitutional and demanded immediate election in the state.

NCP's Supriya Sule said the government should explain the reason behind imposition of President's rule. She said it came at a time when there was good voting in panchayat elections.

CPI-M's Mohammed Salim demanded installation of a popular government in the state and hit out at government of its "ill-thought and misleading policy" on Jammu and Kashmir.

Intervening in the debate, Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office, Jitendra Singh blamed former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for the crisis in Jammu and Kashmir, saying if he had not interfered in the functioning of Sardar Patel (then Home Minister), the situation would have been different in the state.

Earlier, Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma introduced the Jallianwala Bagh National (Amendment) Bill, 2018, amid din by Congress, AIADMK and the TDP.

Only one question could be taken up during question hour and the House was adjourned briefly due to slogan shouting by Congress on Rafale fighter jet deal. The AIADMK members were protesting against construction of a dam across Cauvery river while the TDP members were shouting slogans in support of their demands related to special status to Andhra Pradesh.

During Zero hour, the Communist Party of India-Marxist raised a demand in the House to immediately pass the long pending Women's Reservation Bill.

The demand raised by CPI-M's P.K. Sreemathi Teacher got support from parties including the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and others.Washington, Dec 29 : President Donald Trump on Friday said that the US will eliminate all economic assistance to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador in retaliation for the caravans of Central American migrants arriving at the southern border.

"Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador are doing nothing for the US but taking our money. Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it. We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries -- taking advantage of US for years!," the US President wrote on Twitter.

Trump made a similar threat in October, when he said he would "substantially" cut aid to countries making up the Northern Triangle of Central America, but his words were not followed by any action, Efe reported.

During the 2018 fiscal year, which ended September 30, the US allocated $84 million in assistance to Guatemala, $58 million to Honduras and $51 million to El Salvador, according to figures from the State Department.

Some those funds was channelled through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), while the Pentagon provided a total of $42 million across Central America in 2017 to support the war on drugs.

The White House's proposed 2019 budget includes $69 million in aid to Guatemala, $66 million to Honduras and $46 million to El Salvador, a reduction of 29 percent from the levels of fiscal 2018.

The president cannot unilaterally block the disbursement of aid authorized by Congress for the region, according to the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), a think-tank.

Immigration to the US from the countries of the Northern Triangle has increased in recent years.

Since October, at least 9,000 Central Americans, mainly from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, entered Mexico in several caravans hoping to reach the US border and apply for asylum.

Roughly half of them are gathered in Tijuana, just across the border from San Diego.Cairo, Dec 29 : Two Vietnamese tourists were killed on Friday when a home-made bomb hit a bus carrying foreign tourists in Marioutiya area near the Giza Pyramids, Egyptian interior ministry said.

In a statement, the ministry said a roadside home-made bomb hit a tourist bus carrying 14 Vietnamese in Marioutiya area near the Pyramids on the outskirts of the capital Cairo.

The ministry added that 10 Vietnamese tourists, the Egyptian driver and an Egyptian tour guide were also injured in the attack, reports Xinhua news agency.

Security forces moved to the scene and started an investigation, the statement added.

The attack came days before Egyptians celebrate New Year and Christmas, which is marked by Coptic Egyptians on January 7.

Copts make up 10 per cent of Egypt's 100 million population.

This week, Egypt's Armed Forces, in coordination with the Ministry of Interior, intensified measures to secure Christmas and New Year's celebrations nationwide.

The army and police said they have deployed forces to ensure the safety of citizens at places of worship and vital facilities, adding that all forces have been trained on how to deal with threats that may disturb the celebrations.

Egypt has been fighting against a wave of terror activities that killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the military toppled former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and his currently blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood group.

Terror attacks in Egypt had mainly targeted police and military men in North Sinai before spreading nationwide and targeting the Coptic Christian minority as well, leaving dozens of them dead.

Terrorists attacked two Coptic churches in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria in early April last year, killing a total of 47 people and wounding 106 others.

Most of the attacks were claimed by a Sinai-based group loyal to the Islamic State extremist group.Palermo (Italy), Dec 29 : A total 42 migrants disembarked at the western Sicilian port of Trapani overnight after they were rescued in the Strait of Sicily, port officials said on Friday.

The migrants were picked up off Pantelleria by an Italian police motor launch and a Tunisian youth was taken to hospital on the island, according to the officials.

The other rescued migrants who came ashore in Trapani were taken to a reception centre in Milo, in the province of Catania, said the officials.

There was no immediate information on the nationalities of the migrants or from where they set sail on the North African coast.Washington, Dec 29 : US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to close the southern border amid an ongoing partial government shutdown, resuming his push for the funding of a long-promised US-Mexico border wall.

"We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall and also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with," Trump tweeted on Friday morning, reports Xinhua.

"We build a Wall or close the Southern Border," the president said, accusing Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador of "taking advantage" of his country for years."

"No end in sight to the President's government shutdown," Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois tweeted Thursday. "He's taken our government hostage over his outrageous demand for a $5 billion border wall that would be both wasteful and ineffective."

Drew Hammill, a spokesman for Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi, tweeted on Thursday, "Democrats have offered Republicans three options to re-open government that all include funding for strong, sensible, and effective border security -- but not the President's immoral, ineffective and expensive wall."

The US Senate convened briefly Thursday afternoon before adjourning until next week, with no signs of a deal to end the budget impasse that has shut down a quarter of the federal government.

The upper chamber will convene on Monday, December 31, for a pro forma session only, and then return to the Capitol Hill to renew budget deliberations on Wednesday, January 2, a day before Democrats are set to take control of the House.

"We will vote swiftly to reopen government and show that Democrats will govern responsibly in stark contrast to this chaotic White House," Pelosi, the incoming House Speaker, has said in a statement.

In an earlier tweet, Trump accused the Democrats of opposing his border wall just for political gain. "This is only about the Dems not letting Donald Trump and the Republicans have a win," he said.

Trump's approval rating dropped slightly to 44 per cent in December amid the shutdown, a two-point fall from last month, according to a Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll survey, The Hill reported on Friday.

According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Thursday, 47 per cent of Americans hold the president responsible for the shutdown, while 33 per cent blame Democrats in Congress. Seven percent of Americans blame congressional Republicans.

The shutdown, currently in its seventh day, has affected nine federal agencies, forcing about 420,000 federal employees, who are deemed essential, to work without pay, while 380,000 others are expected to take unpaid leave.

The Environmental Protection Agency, which had enough funding to remain open for a week after the shutdown, is prepared to begin furloughing employees midnight Friday, US media reported.

Coast Guard officials said earlier this week that they need emergency legislation by the end of Friday in order to process paychecks on time for their regular release on January 1.

The Office of Personnel Management issued draft letters Thursday for federal employees to hold off creditors during the shutdown. The office's guidance suggests that workers call their landlord, mortgage company or creditor to speak about their situation before sending a letter.

The Smithsonian, which has been operating on prior-year funds, said Thursday that all of its museums, research centers and the National Zoo will close starting January 2 unless the stalemate is resolved.

Trump has cancelled his New Year's plans in order to stay in Washington DC until a deal over border wall funding is reached, White House Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney told "Fox & Friends" on Friday.Cairo, Dec 29 : An explosion on Friday targeting a bus carrying Vietnamese tourists on an excursion to the Giza pyramids left four people dead and 10 others wounded, Egyptian authorities said.

Three of the tourists were killed along with the tour guide, an Egyptian citizen, Attorney General Nabil Ahmed Sadeq said in a statement.

The bus driver and nine other Vietnamese visitors were wounded, reports Efe.

A makeshift explosive device placed next to a wall on Al-Marioteya Road was detonated at 6.15 p.m. as the bus rolled past, according to the interior ministry.

While the three tourists were pronounced dead at the scene, the guide died on the operating table at El Haram hospital, Prime Minister Mustafa Madbuli told reporters.

The Vietnamese were visiting the pyramids for the nightly spectacle of music and illumination put on by Sound and Light, company chief Sameh Saad told EFE.

Without advising authorities, the bus deviated from the route established by the interior ministry for vehicles bringing visitors to Giza, Madbuli said.

This is Egypt's first attack against tourists using explosives since late 2015, when a bomb blew a Russian airliner out of the skies above the Sinai peninsula, killing all 224 people aboard.

The country has been under a state of emergency since April 2017, following a series of terrorist attacks against Coptic Christian churches in the Nile delta.It's been a year of wins for Centric Consulting, which earned multiple awards, certifications and recognition for the hard work put into growing relationships with clients and employees.

As the year ends, Centric Consulting reflects on the work weve done together - with our clients, partners, colleagues and friends.

We accomplished so much together in 2018, from volunteering in our communities and collaborating to achieve success, to learning new things and innovating on new ideas.

Its also been a year of wins, having earned multiple awards, certifications and recognition for the hard work weve put into growing our relationships with clients and employees.

Here are a few highlights from Centrics 2018:



In January, our work in the healthcare industry got noticed. Our partner was listed  and won  the 2018 PEX Network Awards for Best Technology-Enabled Process Improvement Project.

In February, our St. Louis team kicked off the year strong. They were honored in the running for a local Best Places to Work award. The most employee-friendly workplaces were selected based on survey responses that measured communication, management structure, benefits, teamwork, and several other factors.

In March, Centric Consultings Columbus Office announced its Software Development and Innovation Studio (Dev Studio). Located in the Short North area, the studio is where teams design, develop, and deliver technology solutions  from custom applications to inventory management systems.

In April, our time spent mastering Microsoft consulting services paid off. We achieved Microsoft Gold Cloud Productivity Competency. We've since added more competencies to the roster.

Aaron Aude, Centrics National Enterprise Collaboration Service Offering Lead said, With these competencies, were now able to better focus on what our customers need: driving adoption of Office 365, creating a secure platform, and implementing the right size of governance.

The people I work with at Centric are fun, smart and genuinely care about doing great things for their clients, co-workers and community. We are very honored to be a Best Place to Work, said Mara Belcher, Columbus Operations Manager.

In November, we learned our Charlotte team was honored as a 2018 Best Places to Work by Charlotte Business Journal.

In December, we announced more good news: We achieved AWS Advanced Consulting Partners. Our Clouds team hard work was well worth it.

And, over the course of the year, we hosted multiple live events and webinars, partnered with local organizations to give back to the community, and authored more than 200 thought leadership pieces, including blogs, white papers, and e-books. We also added to our arsenal of client stories.

Through collaboration, teamwork and loyalty we came together as a company and with our clients  and we grew, learned, gave back, innovated and so much more.

We wish you a joyous holiday season and a New Year filled with peace, success and happiness. Enjoy our 2018 Holiday Card.

Related Links:Race fans, track attendees, track employees, and racers that compete at Lebanon Valley and Albany Saratoga Speedways do not have far to go from the speedway to get their supply of Extreme Kleaner.

Auto Parts International Pittsfield Store Location is to give Extreme Kleaner a try at its store. Total car care repair and service centers in the area can now report back to the Advance Auto Parts subsidiary and order their supply of Extreme Kleaner.

Located at 1644 East Street, Auto Parts International Pittsfield location, in partnership with Extreme Energy Solutions, the parent company of Extreme Kleaner, has made samples of Extreme Kleaner available for those who wish to give the product a try.

We tested the product and it seemed to function well, so we decided to give it a run, commented Gus Landaeta, Store Manager of Auto Parts International, Pittsfield.

We appreciate the opportunity to work with Auto Parts International, said Nick Stefeno, Extreme Energy Solutions Business Development Representative, There are many racers in the area that have had a positive experience with Extreme Kleaner, and now they have somewhere locally they can go to get their supply.

Stefeno, alongside Auto Parts International Field Reps began the awareness campaign to inform current Auto Parts International clients about the availability of Extreme Kleaner. Stefano and API gave out free samples to clients willing to give the product a test run, with shop owners reporting back the quality in which Extreme Kleaner cuts through the grease and grime.

Auto Parts International was founded in 1957, as a provider of foreign car parts. Today Auto Parts International has grown to over 185 store-dealer locations with coverage in 16 states throughout the Northeast. In addition to auto parts, API also offers a complete line of tools, shop supplies, and automotive detail products such as cleaners and degreasers.

Auto Parts International is a fan favorite with the local racing community as they have been known in the past to extend product/part discounts to racers and the occasional racing sponsorship. In fact, it was through advocacy of the racing community which demanded Extreme Kleaner in their geographic area that led to the initiation of Auto Parts International having Extreme Kleaner available in the Pittsfield store location.

Extreme Kleaner was first introduced to the local racing community in 2015, has since expanded its market footprint, and is now available in over 500+ retailer locations nationwide, including Auto Parts International.

Extreme Kleaner, the Main Street Premium Brand since 2012, is available in two formulas: a multi-purpose cleaner-degreaser, and a glass, tile and more formula. Extreme Kleaner has been vetted by National Sanitation Federation and by the US Bowling Congress.

Extreme Kleaner is a growing Main Street Premium Brand, continued Stefeno, This product is really making a difference and is getting some serious market traction due to the partnerships and alliances throughout the racing community.

Stefeno also expressed his support to the patrons of Auto Parts International that he would make himself available for on-site product demonstrations if shops wanted to take him up on the offer.

A portion of every sale of Extreme Kleaner is dedicated toward assisting local and/or regional causes. Former causes which received the benefit of this initiative include Project Help, a cause aimed at helping to eradicate Veteran Homelessness, STEM Education, the performing arts, and non-profit educational forums for environmental and economic sustainability. The products parent company, Extreme Energy Solutions, has also helped sponsor local 5k runs for many good causes.

Extreme Kleaner most recently partnered with Project Help, lending volunteers and assistance with their Toy Drive, where families of Veterans in need were able to pick up donated toys for holiday gifts for their children.

Extreme Energy Solutions, Extreme Kleaner, and the SMART Emissions Reducer are proud partners of Daytona International Speedway and Daytona 500. For more information visit http://www.ExtremeEnergySolutions.net or http://www.ExtremeKleaner.comGrant Cardone and Cardone Capital are changing how everyday investors can get into real estate Cardone Capital is disrupting the real estate industry

Cardone Capital, a Miami-based multi-family investment firm, just announced the opening of their Regulation A Crowdfunding Offering, Cardone Equity Fund V. This fund allows non-accredited investors to invest in large, cash-flow positive commercial real estate deals typically reserved for institutions and high net worth investors.

Cardone Equity Fund V was quietly opened to Grant Cardones family, friends, and customers over the Christmas holidays and filled $20 million in funds over the holiday weekend.

Cardone Capital is disrupting the real estate industry and changing the way people invest in great real estate. Im excited to offer non-accredited investors the opportunity to own a piece of properties typically owned by the super wealthy. Grant Cardone, CEO of Cardone Capital

Grant Cardone has accumulated over $800 million in holdings before starting his crowdfunding efforts. In 2018, Cardone opened three funds, all of which were over-subscribed resulting in over $100 million in raised funds.

Grant Cardone is the first person to put together both real estate expertise and a huge social media following to create a successful crowdfunding platform. Investors are now able to invest directly into real assets and partner with him. With both accredited and non-accredited funds available, Cardone Capital is positioning to be the industry leader in 2019. Ryan Tseko, Portfolio Manager of Cardone Capital

Grant Cardone has been investing in real estate for 30 years and controls over 4,500 units from Texas to Florida, all of which are affordable multi-family rentals. The group has closed over $400 million in deals in 2018 and is soon set to close another $150 million putting the group over $1 billion in holdings.

Were extremely pleased to announce that non-accredited investors have the opportunity to invest with Cardone Capital. This finally gives the less experienced, less capitalized investor access to the kind of deals usually reserved for big players on Wall Street. Sheri Hamilton, Chief Operations Officer of Cardone Capital

For more information, and for those interested in possibly investing in Cardone Equity Fund V, visit http://www.cardonecapital.com.

About Cardone Capital

Cardone Capital is a private-equity real estate firm that specializes in incoming producing product, mostly in the multifamily housing sector. With 25+ years of experience in the real estate industry, the firm acquires, improves, and operates multifamily real estate in growth markets in five states; Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Texas and Florida.

Cardone Capitals mission is to identify, acquire and manage income-producing properties in great locations that provide opportunities for investors to preserve capital investments, collect consistent cash distributions while providing future capital appreciation of the assets.

Disclaimer: Our offerings under Rule 506(c) are for accredited investors only.

GENERALLY, NO SALE MAY BE MADE TO YOU IN THIS OFFERING IF THE AGGREGATE PURCHASE PRICE YOU PAY IS MORE THAN 10% OF THE GREATER OF YOUR ANNUAL INCOME OR NET WORTH. DIFFERENT RULES APPLY TO ACCREDITED INVESTORS AND NON-NATURAL PERSONS. BEFORE MAKING ANY REPRESENTATION THAT YOUR INVESTMENT DOES NOT EXCEED APPLICABLE THRESHOLDS, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO REVIEW RULE 251(D)(2)(I)(C) OF REGULATION A. FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ON INVESTING, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO REFER TO http://www.INVESTOR.GOV.The Peace Education Program complements other treatments by encouraging addicts to explore their inherent strengths and live with a rejuvenated sense of empowerment, dignity and peace. Prems message is real and its genuine, even for guys like me, who came from a broken home, and have been in and out of jail. Im getting back to being alive again without having to look for peace from substances or alcoholism.

The Peace Education Program (PEP) is helping drug addicts discover the inner strength, hope and contentment they need to get clean and recover with dignity. The success of the program in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. at the James A. Casey House demonstrates the potential of the innovative workshops to help caregivers across the world combat the opioid epidemic.

The opioid crisis has hit the United States especially hard, with more than 115 people dying every day from overdoses. The catastrophe costs the economy nearly $100 billion a year  and the emotional cost to families and loved ones is immeasurable.

The Casey House is the premiere halfway house in the devastated blue-collar town of Wilkes-Barre, offering programs to help addicts get sober, find jobs and develop the life skills they need to stay clean. PEP complements the other services there by encouraging clients to explore their inherent strengths and live with a rejuvenated sense of empowerment, dignity and peace.

The program fits pretty neatly into what were doing, as the philosophy is one of reaching inside for what is valuable, beautiful and miraculous at a time when these guys are really broken, says Kaki Sjogren, a social worker at the Casey House.

The PEP workshops feature video excerpts of program Founder Prem Rawat talking about themes such as self-awareness, choice and inner strength. No program can bring peace, because peace does not come from outside. Peace is in you, he says. What the Peace Education Program really does is put you in touch with you, and then the door of the heart opens and peace is felt.

Mark West, a Casey House client, says the inspiring sessions have helped him get sober and make better choices in life. Prems message is real and its genuine, even for guys like me, who came from a broken home, and have been in and out of jail. Im getting back to being alive again without having to look for peace from substances or alcoholism.

Eric Willing, another client at the Casey House, also says the workshops have been instrumental in his recovery.

I always thought before I listened to Prem Rawat that peace was something that we had to find outside. I realize now that peace is from within. It has changed my view on life, he says. Addiction is a daily struggle for me. But if we can only put half of the energy that we put into our recovery in to something like the Peace Education Program, we would never fail. We would never relapse.

The Prem Rawat Foundation makes the Peace Education Program, which is non-religious and non-sectarian, available for individuals and organizations at no charge. In addition to treatment centers, the program has been offered at a wide variety of other diverse institutions, from correctional facilities to universities, corporations, hospitals and more, benefiting thousands of people in 84 countries.

Learn more about PEP here.

Castanea Volume 83 Issue 2 The Freedom Hills Forever Wild Tract is a great example of how the multi-use programs implemented by the Alabama Department of Conservation can provide opportunities for a myriad of outdoor enthusiasts.

Castanea  As human development increasingly intrudes upon Americas wild spaces, another development has been occurring: the creation of trusts and other organizations that buy private land to open for public use. Although such land transfers can take years to finalize, management plans that balance conservation with recreation often must be put into place quickly. In many areas, including Alabamas Forever Wild tracts, the first steps include an initial survey of plants and wildlife.

The current issue of Castanea presents an in-depth study of the plants growing in Alabamas Freedom Hills Forever Wild Tract, whose 13,800 hectares (34,100 acres) are managed by the states Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Parts of the property protect critical plant and wildlife habitats, while other areas are open to recreational and outdoor educational uses. The researchers created a list of the plants that managers can turn to as they monitor how the areas multiuse programs affect its extreme biodiversity.

Over a five-year period, researchers collected 757 plant species from the tract. In their survey of plants growing on the property, they gathered and identified samples that were then verified against established collections. Amid a large range of plant species, they discovered many that are rarely found in Alabama or even neighboring states.

According to the survey, flowering species make up 96% of the plants. Most are native members of the daisy family, but rare discoveries included Frenchs shooting star and Alabama warbonnet. Grasses and sedges also dominate the area, which lies just 450 to 1,000 feet above sea level.

The Freedom Hills Forever Wild Tract is a great example of how the multi-use programs implemented by the Alabama Department of Conservation can provide opportunities for a myriad of outdoor enthusiasts, said author Wayne Barger. The tract is managed as a Wildlife Management Area open for public hunting but also protects critical habitats such as the cliff overhangs where the rare Frenchs shooting star is found. Many opportunities afforded by the Forever Wild Program for hiking, bird watching, botanical discovery and even horseback riding all fit into the management of this highly biodiverse tract.

Barger emphasized that his groups assessment acts as an important baseline for establishing the floral biodiversity of an area. As the Forever Wild Program continues to grow in Alabama, such surveys can help ensure a balance of public use, outdoor education and habitat conservation.

Full text of the article The Vascular Flora of the Freedom Hills Forever Wild Tract, Colbert County, Alabama, Castanea, Vol. 83, No. 2, 2018, is now available at http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.2179/18-169.

About Castanea

Castanea is the journal of the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society and publishes articles relating to all aspects of botany in the entire eastern United States and adjoining areas. The southern Appalachiansthe nonglaciated, mountainous areas of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and southwestern New Yorkform an evolutionary center for native plant diversity for the northern temperate regions of the world. The society dates to 1935 and serves all persons interested in the botany of the southern Appalachian Mountains. The journal encourages submissions of scientific papers dealing with basic research in any field of plant biology, systematics, floristics, ecology, physiology and biochemistry. For more information about the journal or the society, please visit: http://www.castaneajournal.org or http://www.sabs.appstate.edu.Senator Kamala Harris receives the 2018 ECOS Environmental Award from Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks, president and CEO of Earth Friendly Products. Senator Harris has a remarkable environmental record, and we're very proud to recognize her exceptional work to protect our planet.

U.S. Senator Kamala Harris of California has been named the 2018 recipient of the ECOS Environmental Award for her exceptional leadership in environmental protection. Senator Harris received the prestigious award in honor of her career-long fight against pollution and toxic chemicals and her protection of critical ecosystems.

Earth Friendly Products, the maker of ECOS environmentally friendly cleaning products, established the annual ECOS Environmental Award to recognize national leaders who are creating powerful impacts to protect the planet through legislative action and social change. This is the second year that the annual award has been given; the 2017 recipient of the ECOS Environmental Award was Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Senator Harris has a highly distinguished record of environmental protection. In 2018, Senator Harris led the Living Shorelines Act to provide grants to communities to invest in natural infrastructure to combat the impacts of sea-level rise and storms. She also voted against bills to roll back protections on land and water and rules to limit climate change, and she cosponsored bills to close tax loopholes for oil companies, ban agricultural use of dangerous pesticides, ban asbestos, and stop new oil and gas leases in the Arctic Ocean.

Early career as the District Attorney in San Francisco, Senator Harris focused on environmental protection, creating San Franciscos first Environmental Justice Unit and pursuing cases involving illegal dumping and air pollution. Later, as Californias Attorney General, she defended key environmental laws, including Californias cap and trade program and the EPAs Clean Power Plan, and prosecuted large corporations for pollution violations.

The 2018 ECOS Environmental Award was presented to Senator Harris at her office in Washington, D.C., by Earth Friendly Products president and CEO Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks. A family-owned and operated company for over 50 years, Earth Friendly Products is sustainable manufacturer that is the first to achieve the trifecta of carbon neutrality, water neutrality, and Platinum Zero Waste certification. The company uses 100% renewable energy to make its ECOS plant-powered cleaners at its facilities in California, Washington, Illinois, and New Jersey.

ABOUT EARTH FRIENDLY PRODUCTS

Family owned and operated since 1967, Earth Friendly Products is the maker of ECOS Laundry Detergent and over 200 other environmentally friendly products that are safer for people, pets and the planet. Made with plant-powered ingredients, ECOS cleaners are thoughtfully sourced, pH balanced, readily biodegradable, easily recyclable, and never tested on animals. Over 100 ECOS products have received the coveted U.S. EPA Safer Choice certification, which means that every ingredient is the safest in its class and that formulations are effective and demonstrate sustainability without sacrificing quality or performance. ECOS, Baby ECOS, ECOS for Pets! and ECOS Pro cleaners are available at major club and grocery retailers and natural foods stores throughout the U.S., in over 60 countries and at ecos.com, babyecos.com and other online retailers.Wolter Power Systems, a division of Wolter Group LLC, has donated two generators to Gateway Technical College for students to train and help diversify skills to better succeed in their career.

The equipment includes a 20kW Generac industrial diesel generator, fully functioning and equipped with enclosure and self-contained fuel tank, and an 18kW commercial generator. These cutting-edge power systems used in industry today will provide a great opportunity for students to become skilled and proficient as future technicians of this equipment.

Students in Gateways Motorcycle, Marine and Outdoor Power Products as well as the Diesel Equipment Technology programs will train on the generators. They will gain essential skills in working with equipment from an industry leader, says Joe Fullington, Dean, Gateway School of Business and Transportation.

There is a known shortage of trained technicians in the industry, says Fullington. The hands-on training students will experience on these standby generators will help them realize the diversity of careers they can pursue. There is an entire marketplace for generator service and repair they may not have the chance to otherwise learn about. It expands career opportunities and their ability to enter the workforce.

Wolter Power Systems is also providing technicians and trainers to assist with classroom activities and learning workshops, along with product and theory training materials to be used in the classroom.

Wolter Power Systems believes in educating the workforce of tomorrow and helping to bridge the skills gap through providing industry insight and resources to colleges today, said Dan Peters, General Manager of Wolter Power Systems.

The generators will help Gateway to train students in a number of their programs so they can become familiar with the skills needed to become proficient technicians, said Peters. Wolter Power Systems and our four other associated brands under Wolter Group LLC have common collaboration and interest in keeping our young Wisconsin workforce engaged in industry and the skilled trades.

Gateway Technical College collaborates with communities in Kenosha, Racine and Walworth counties to ensure economic growth and viability by providing education, training, leadership and technological resources to meet the changing needs of students, employers and communities. Visit http://www.gtc.edu.

Wolter Power Systems provides solutions of excellence in industrial engines and generators, and pride ourselves on our highly trained technicians, providing 24-hour emergency service expertise to keep you up and running. Weve got your power needs covered in Sales, Service, Parts, and Rentals. To learn more, visit http://www.wolterps.com.A biomarker for multiple sclerosis has been identified in humans by researchers at Purdue University and the Indiana University School of Medicine. Although just in preliminary testing, initial tests in humans have found that the substance acrolein  a waste product normally excreted by the body ( shown here in green) can accumulate in some people and cause neurological problems by damaging the myelin (damaged myelin shown in red), which surrounds the nerve cell like insulation on a copper wire. (Purdue University photo/Michel J Schweinsberg)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  A biomarker for multiple sclerosis that could be an early warning for the disease has shown promise in both human and animal testing.

Researchers at Purdue University and the Indiana University School of Medicine found that acrolein, a molecule previously suspected as a metabolic waste product that accumulates in people with certain neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease, could possibly be used to help diagnose MS.

Multiple sclerosis affects an estimated 2.3 million people worldwide, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and an estimated 1 million people in the United States have MS. The disease usually is diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, and affects twice as many women as men.

Although there is no cure for MS, recent years have seen a flurry of activity around possible biomarkers and possible treatments.

Dr. David Mattson, professor of neurology and the director of the Indiana University Multiple Sclerosis Center, says that if the results are validated, acrolein could also allow medical professionals to monitor the effectiveness of treatments.

"We are in the process of trying to correlate acrolein levels with MS disease activity, which potentially would help us monitor disease activity with a blood test," he says. "If this is validated, it would help us decide how aggressive to be with immunotherapy, or whether a therapy is working or there is a need to switch to a different therapy."

Acrolein is a byproduct of fat metabolism. Dr. Riyi Shi, a professor of neuroscience and biomedical engineering in Purdue University's Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, has found that an accumulation of the molecule is present in animal models of neurological diseases such as MS, Parkinson's disease, or even spinal cord and brain injuries. Acrolein is thought to damage cells by disrupting the lipids, or fats, that protect nerve tissue, in a process called lipid peroxidation. Shi said that both blood and urine tests, or assays, have been able to measure acrolein levels in humans and in animal models.

"The levels of this compound in urine and blood is correlated  the MS patients that had the highest level of acrolein in the blood also had the highest level in the urine," he said.

According to Shi, it is, therefore, possible that a high level of acrolein is indicative of more active MS, though low levels of acrolein do not rule out the possibility of having MS. Further study is needed to vailidate these initital observations.

Shi says the study also suggests that acrolein is not just a potential biomarker of MS disease activity but could also be a target for therapies.

"There are drugs already on the market that are known to be acrolein scavengers, and it is possible that one of these drugs could be repurposed as a possible therapy for MS," Shi says. "But these drugs also have strong effects on other targets, so more study would need to be done to see if they have a therapeutic effect to eliminate acrolein at a safe level."

The two drugs in this catogory are hydralazine, used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure, and phenelzine, which is used to treat major depression.

"Before attempting to repurpose these drugs to lower acrolein in MS patients, we plan to first confirm if acrolein, indeed, correlates with disease activity in MS through a larger clinical study with more participants, Mattson says. Then we need to show that these drugs can, indeed, reduce acrolein levels in human MS patients, and if lowering acrolein levels is therapeutic in MS.

If it turns out these agents can reduce acrolein levels in MS and offer benefit for the disease process in MS, then patients on these agents for the blood pressure or psychiatric indications would get two benefits for one.

Shi's health research aligns with Purdue's Giant Leaps celebration, which acknowledges the university's global advancements in health, longevity and quality of life as part of Purdue's 150th anniversary. This is one of the four themes of the yearlong celebration's Ideas Festival, designed to showcase Purdue as an intellectual center solving real-world problems.

Shi is a faculty member of both the Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience and the Purdue Institute for Drug Discovery, which are located in Purdue's interdisciplinary research facility, Discovery Park.

This work was supported by an Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute pilot program grant RR025761, the Indiana State Department of Health grant 204200, and the National Institutes of Health grant NS073636.

Shi also is the co-founder of Neuro Vigor, a startup company with business interests of developing effective therapies for CNS neurodegenerative diseases and trauma. Previously, Shi was one of three scientists who developed Ampyra, the first and only FDA-approved drug to help multiple sclerosis patients improve their motor skills. Mattson is on the Neuro Vigor advisory board.

Media contact/Writer: Steve Tally, 765-494-9809, steve@purdue.edu, @sciencewriter

Sources: Dr. Riyi Shi, 765-496-3018, riyi@purdue.edu,

Dr. David Mattson, 317-948-5450, kchamberlain@iuhealth.org

ABSTRACT

Systemic Acrolein Elevations in Mice With Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis and Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

Melissa Tully1,2, Jonathan Tang1,3, Lingxing Zheng1,3, Glen Acosta3, Ran Tian1,3, LeeHayward4,NicholasRace1,2,DavidMattson4 and RiyiShi1,3*

Demyelination and axonal injury are the key pathological processes in multiple sclerosis (MS), driven by inflammation and oxidative stress. Acrolein, a byproduct and instigator of oxidative stress, has been demonstrated as a neurotoxin in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of MS. However, due to the invasive nature of acrolein detection using immunoblotting techniques, the investigation of acrolein in MS has been limited to animal models. Recently, detection of a specific acrolein-glutathione metabolite, 3-HPMA, has been demonstrated in urine, enabling the noninvasive quantification of acrolein for the first time in humans with neurological disorders. In this study, we have demonstrated similar elevated levels of acrolein in both urine (3-HPMA) and in spinal cord tissue (acrolein-lysine adduct) in mice with EAE, which can be reduced through systemic application of acrolein scavenger hydralazine. Furthermore, using this approach we have demonstrated an increase of 3-HPMA in both the urine and serum of MS patients relative to controls. It is expected that this noninvasive acrolein detection could facilitate the investigation of the role of acrolein in the pathology of MS in human. It may also be used to monitor putative therapies aimed at suppressing acrolein levels, reducing severity of symptoms, and slowing progression as previously demonstrated in animal studies.Serving 13 states and Washington, D.C. (a total of 65 million people), the PJM Interconnection recently concluded that serious problems could arise in five years under a scenario where the rapid, large-scale closures of coal and nuclear plants (baseload 24/7 sources) are exposed by fuel supply issues and an extreme weather event, such as the Bomb Cyclone experienced this past January.

PJMs conclusion, of course, is no surprise. Regardless of what some want you to believe, it is undebatable that both the Polar Vortex of 2014 and Bomb Cyclone of 2018 demonstrated how critical coal becomes during the countrys most challenging times to supply electric power:

More specifically, under what Ott deems plausible scenarios, a combination of coal closures, a winter cold snap, and fuel supply shortages could trigger up to 83 hours of load shedding. The system would be at risk for voltage reduction  an emergency procedure to conserve load  and power outages could ensue. PJM's findings are in line with warnings from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), namely its Accelerated Generation Retirements; Special Reliability Assessment from September 5.

Indeed, the warning is clear: the accelerated retirement of coal power plants over the next several years could lead to power outages, shortfalls in surplus generation, and transmission problems across a number of regions.

Coal generation capacity was 318,000 MW in 2011, and that has now fallen to nearly 250,000 MW. This 20% drop in coal  our main source of electricity since Thomas Edison started the industry in 1882  continues to raise concerns about our grid's resiliency to cope with such a sharp reduction in baseload capacity. In turn, some experts advocate for "emergency action" to keep more coal plants from retiring prematurely.

One key advantage that coal offers is its ability to store fuel on-site, which becomes very handy in winter when getting access to piped gas, for instance, becomes more difficult. During these tough times, it is inarguable that coal gives the grid a higher level of reliability. Again, this was clearly demonstrated in the winters of 2018 and 2014, explaining why some want to ensure that the market offers mechanisms to reward coal's proven fuel security advantage.

For example, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has proposed financial backing to help ailing coal generation in the name of resilience. After rejecting DOE's proposal to ensure full cost recovery to generators that can store fuel on-site for 90 days or longer, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is constantly reviewing the state of grid resilience. As stated by PJM, the problem is that coal-fired plants have attributes that are not adequately appreciated in the market:

"There are generators who replenish their fuel supplies during the winter, but the only way to get paid for it is through capacity performance. My message would be I think there are legitimate concerns and questions about resource attributes that are not priced, which led to conversations about interrupting retirements through market mechanisms," Andrew Ott, CEO, PJM Interconnection

And when discussing the ongoing loss of U.S. coal capacity, we must be clear as to the exact path the U.S. electric power system is heading down, increasingly a "renewables and gas only" future.

Yet, as we retire coal plants, the obvious reality is that it will overwhelmingly be natural gas units required to fill in. To illustrate, the wind and solar plants that many in the renewable business vehemently insist are perfect substitutes for coal are naturally intermittent, resources that are typically only available to generate electricity 20-35% of the time. This means that renewable build-outs are not giving us nearly the surplus capacity being claimed.

As to when, or if, they will generate electricity, renewables are too unpredictable and erratic to be considered exact alternatives for coal: Wind and Solar Cant Replace Coal and Gas, The Wall Street Journal, January 2, 2017.

As for costs, declining costs for renewables will not continue on forever: efficiency gains become more difficult as a technology matures. Unfortunately, I have found it most difficult to get reliable real world cost analysis on renewables since they are so politically favored. Truth be told, there is intense pressure to support "green energy" and oppose "dirty coal."

Regrettably, whether regarding their higher costs and/or technical and practical limitations, any sort of criticism of wind and solar need not apply. There is a sensitivity toward renewables that has completely jaded our national energy-environmental discussion. "Yes, Solar And Wind Really Do Increase Electricity Prices - And For Inherently Physical Reasons."

For example, most analyses typically omit the obvious need for backup generation ("spinning reserve") to compenstate for the intermittency of wind and solar. This usually means that the cost estimates for renewables look better on paper than they ultimately end up being in the market place - think of this as the crucial difference between "laboratory versus field research."

For gas, as the winter cold increasingly sets in, and the rising competition for natural gas between electricity generation and heating needs collide, there will be more times when prices could spike. Despite record production, domestic gas prices were recently at levels not seen since 2014, nearly $5.00 for prompt month NYMEX pricing.

In addition, with our liquefied natural gas export capacity ready to boom across the country to 18-22 Bcf/d by 2025, it is easy to see us exporting a quarter of our current gas production by the mid-2020s. Exports are a baseload demand market that are not easily shut-off even if they cause domestic prices to rise.

And a hugely underestimated way in which we will be using more gas is to compensate for wind and solar intermittency. Big price declines are still needed to make batteries competitive with gas peaker plants that have marginal costs of just $52 per MWh and are inherently entrenched in the system.

In fact, The Brattle Group reports that rising gas prices amid coal retirements in PJM could boost electricity pricing by as much as $11 per MWh.

The point is that increasingly losing coal capacity leaves almost no buffer for us if still maturing renewables fail to deliver as promised and/or if gas supply issues arise and prices go up. Especially with the ongoing "electrification of everything" making power even more vital in the years ahead, this is precisely why a more balanced and diversified approach to generating U.S. electricity has been suggested by NERC and ScottMadden, Inc, two of the leading authorities in the field.

Let us heed their warning and recognize the true value of coal in the U.S. electric power system: it has been proven in dramatic fashion twice in the past five years winters alone.

Jude Clemente is the Editor at RealClearEnergy. Follow him on Twitter: @judeclementeFind a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale

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We're sorry, this article is not currently availableTimeline of Events November 2016 : The Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission approved the Athens anti discrimination ordinance, which requires bars with dress codes to post them where patrons can see them.

: The Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission approved the Athens anti discrimination ordinance, which requires bars with dress codes to post them where patrons can see them. April 2017 : Kendrick Bullock was denied from 9d's Bar because his pants sagging violated the bar's dress code, which was not posted.

: Kendrick Bullock was denied from 9d's Bar because his pants sagging violated the bar's dress code, which was not posted. June 2017: After an investigation, 9d's Bar was notified it violated the ordinance.

After an investigation, 9d's Bar was notified it violated the ordinance. August 2018 : A federal judge upheld the constitutionality of the ordinance in a summary judgement.

: A federal judge upheld the constitutionality of the ordinance in a summary judgement. December 2018: 9d's Bar and ACC reached a consent order to close the case of 9d's violation of the ordinance.

The first bar to receive a formal discrimination complaint filed against it under the 2016 anti-discrimination ordinance now faces a year-long probation going into the new year.

The East Clayton Street bar came to a consent order with Athens-Clarke County on Dec. 5, 2018, which outlined consequences for the bars failure to post its dress code after the anti-discrimination ordinance passed which requires all bars with dress codes to post a copy where incoming patrons could read it.

9ds bar was accused of discrimination after it denied entry to Kendrick Bullock in April 2017 on the basis of dress code when the bar did not have it posted, despite having a sign outside reading dress code strictly enforced.

Bullock was with his brother, local artist and activist Broderick Flanigan, and some friends when he was told he couldnt enter 9ds because his pants were sagging, though the others he was with were not denied.

Bullock and Flanigan, together with Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement, filed a discrimination complaint with the county, which led to 9ds probation, a two-day suspension from Dec. 14-16 and a $350 fine. The establishment is now also required to create written policies for its employees to read and sign concerning how to enforce dress code in a non-discriminatory way.

The bar also has to give the Administrative Hearing Officer copies of any written dress codes from June 19, 2017 to Dec. 4, 2018 and provide the officer with any dress code changes during its probationary period, which will extend until Dec. 5, 2019.

While 9ds is on probation, police will make periodic checks on the bar to make sure it is following the ordinance  any more violations would bring the case before the ACC Administrative Hearing Officer who issued the consent order and could result in additional punishments.

He said, she said

Mokah-Jasmine Johnson, co-founder of the AADM and an integral activist in the passage of the amendment and of several local discrimination complaints, is happy with the outcome of the case. But she said she does know some people hoped the consequences would be harsher.

Im glad the ordinance was able to stand, Johnson said. I think it will let everyone know that the city is willing to hold their feet to the fire when it comes to discrimination. At least its a beginning.

9ds owner Mark Bell, who denies that the bar is discriminatory, said the accusation has taken a toll on his mental wellbeing. The reason his bar was charged, he said, was so the county could prove it was doing something about constant claims of discrimination in downtown bars.

There was absolutely no discrimination and the county attorney knows that, Bell said. We were used as a scapegoat by the government ... Amidst the protest marches and such, they needed somebody to charge to look like they were doing something.

Enforcing anti-discrimination in bars

The 2016 ordinance came to be after the University of Georgia Student Government Association conducted a survey asking students if they ever felt discriminated against at downtown bars, which resulted in 51 anecdotes describing discriminatory situations from 2012-2015.

With these results in mind, the commission amended a section of the Athens-Clarke County Code that deals with alcohol licenses to specifically address discrimination in bars.

The ordinance requires bars to post dress codes and enforce them uniformly and also allows residents to file a written complaint to the ACC attorney if they feel discriminated against by a bar.

9ds is the only bar where the county conducted a full investigation after Bullocks discrimination complaint and found a violation of the ordinance, county attorney Bill Berryman said. Other bars had discrimination complaints filed against them, but after preliminary investigations, there wasnt significant evidence to move forward.

Johnson said having a video of the alleged discriminatory incident at 9ds, recorded by Flanigan, helped the case that the violation occurred.

A lot of people are still trying to figure out how to make the other bar owners held accountable, too, Johnson said. The next phase for us is how to get the word out on how to collect evidence if you feel like youre discriminated against.

In the video, Flanigan records the sign that reads dress code strictly enforced and points out there is no dress code posted, despite the ordinance having been approved by the mayor and commission in November of the previous year.

We were used as a scapegoat by the government ... 

- Mark Bell, 9d's owner

Bell said he read over the ordinance when the county sent it out to the bars in December 2016 but didnt see an effective start date. He emailed the county for clarification, received no response and subsequently did not post the dress code.

I said, I assume Jan. 1 is the effective date, but I just want to be sure because someone may use that to get out of a violation or a ticket, Bell said. Theres the irony. I said that, and it ended up being me who was charged first.

Ordinances passed by the mayor and commission are effective as soon as they are signed by the mayor, which was Nov. 1 for this amendment.

Business as usual

Bell wholeheartedly denies his bar is discriminatory, saying you could look at the patrons and tell thats not the case.

This has ripped me apart  Once you get labeled a racist, stuff like that just doesnt go away, Bell said.

After Bell received the violation notice in June 2017, a year-and-a-half-long court battle began.

Bell challenged the constitutionality of the ordinance in federal court until August 2018, when a summary judgement was granted in the countys favor.

Bells argued the ordinance violates rights to equal protection and due process because it targets exclusively bars and is too vague. A federal judge struck down the arguments, stating ACC had a purpose for specifying bars and the ordinance can be clearly understood by a bar owner of ordinary intelligence.

Instead of going to trial for 9ds violation, ACC and Bell went to the ACC Administrative Hearing Office and agreed to a consent order, which Berryman said is a common resolution for civil complaints about alcohol establishments with the attorneys office.

Despite the toll its taken on him and the reputation of 9ds, Bell said business as usual is the plan going into 2019.'The BJP leadership and its agriculture minister must make up their mind on what kind of corrective measures will be needed for Indian agriculture at this point in time.'

'The sooner Mr Singh provides policy clarity on this vital issue, the better are the chances of India's agriculture and farmers emerging out of their current mess,' says A K Bhattacharya.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com

This may be a rhetorical question, but it needs to be asked in the current context. Radha Mohan Singh is the Union agriculture minister in the Narendra Modi government. Mr Singh joined the Cabinet of Mr Modi on May 26, 2014, and continues to be the Union government's minister for agriculture and farmers' welfare.

In this period, Mr Singh has announced many schemes to support Indian farmers, including the decision to raise minimum support prices for crops early this year. But he has not made too many statements in the wake of the results of the five assembly elections announced on December 11. This is both a surprise and a puzzle.

All the five states whose assembly poll results were declared last week are largely agrarian with a majority of their population depending on agriculture and allied activities as their main livelihood.

During the election campaign in at least four of these states -- Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Telangana -- the issue that towered above the rest pertained to agrarian distress.

The poll manifestos of the contending political parties also reflected that concern -- be it the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party or the Telangana Rashtra Samithi.

The message on what should be done to make agriculture more remunerative, therefore, should have been loud and clear for everyone after the assembly election results and more particularly for the BJP, which lost Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, and even the TRS, which retained Telangana.

However, for the agriculture minister in the BJP-led Union government, the recognition of that message does not appear to be evident as yet.

A scan of the various media Web sites shows that on December 16, Mr Singh informed the Odisha government that it had won a Rs 10 million cash award for its best performance in food grain output in 2016-2017.

But there are no other statements from Mr Singh on agriculture or on any other related issues after the announcement of ahe Assembly election results on December 11.

It is not that Mr Singh usually shies away from issuing statements.

A couple of weeks before the results, on December 6, he denied the charges that demonetisation had adversely affected procurement of seeds by farmers.

And, on December 1, Mr Singh attacked the Congress governments of the past for not having implemented the recommendations for higher minimum support prices made by the M S Swaminathan Commission.

He also listed out three agriculture reforms the BJP government had introduced -- electronic linking of agricultural markets to help farmers discover better prices, a reformed agricultural insurance programme and a Rs 20 billion programme to establish 22,000 rural markets for farmers to help them double their income.

Now that the Congress has wrested three largely agrarian states from the BJP by promising among other things more debt waivers for farmers and an increase in MSPs, Mr Singh needs to give the country the benefit of his views on what could have gone wrong with his government's policies on agriculture and what needs to be done in the coming days.

The newly elected chief minister of Madhya Pradesh has already announced a debt waiver scheme for farmers in the state. Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan may follow suit soon. But will that solve the problem of farmers in these states?

Promising debt waivers for farmers has become quite fashionable for all political parties these days.

A similar promise was made by the BJP when it fought the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and won the elections. Even without elections, the BJP-ruled Maharashtra government had announced a debt waiver for farmers in the state.

Punjab, Karnataka and Rajasthan have already announced debt waivers.

In 2017 and 2018, five states have announced debt waivers of over Rs 1.22 trillion for farmers. Yet, there seems to be no end to the financial woes of Indian farmers.

In sharp contrast, Telangana showed that promising debt waiver may not be a sure-shot way of winning elections. The Congress as well as the BJP had promised a debt waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh a farmer, double of what the TRS had indicated in its election manifesto. Farmer-voters in Telangana were not wooed away either by the Congress or the BJP in the hope of doubling their debt waiver amount.

What might have clinched the farmers' loyalty for the TRS was its promise of increasing the cash support amount per crop season by 25 per cent to Rs 5,000 per acre.

In the earlier scheme, a cash support of Rs 4,000 per acre for one crop season had entailed a total annual expenditure of over Rs 120 billion. Assuming that there will be two crop seasons a year, the exchequer's annual burden will now go up to Rs 150 billion.

The question that Mr Singh should answer is whether a debt waiver scheme has avoidable adverse consequences for credit discipline in the financial sector and a higher burden on the exchequer or whether a cash support scheme like Telangana's Rythu Bandhu makes better sense both by way of addressing farmers' distress and by securing better electoral dividends.

Mr Singh might say that addressing farmers' stress is a task better performed at the level of the states, since local administrations will be better qualified to understand their specific requirements.

Either way, the BJP leadership and its agriculture minister must make up their mind on what kind of corrective measures will be needed for Indian agriculture at this point in time.

And whether a short-term palliative like debt waivers or cash transfers needs to be supplemented or supplanted by more durable measures like increasing investments in the farm sector, aimed at improving farming productivity and technology use.

The sooner Mr Singh provides policy clarity on this vital issue, the better are the chances of India's agriculture and farmers emerging out of their current mess.By the year 2026, India will be the third in the world after China and USA in engineering, manufacturing and export of vehicles and auto components.

The country's automobile sector, which attracted $16.5 billion in FDI between April 2000 and December 2016, is expected to attract $8-10 billion more in local and foreign investments by 2023, the government said on Thursday.

The Year End Review 2018 of the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, which made the projections, said growth of the industry in India since early 1990s is an example of how industrial prowess supported by progressive policies and national economic growth can yield rewards to all stakeholders.

The government and the automotive sector articulated their objectives for the future of the industry through the Automotive Mission Plan 2016-26.

The plan envisions that by the year 2026, India will be the third in the world after China and USA in engineering, manufacturing and export of vehicles and auto components, the ministry said.

Photograph: Ginnette Riquelme/ReutersThe judgment could impact not only Ramdev's widespread ayurveda and herbal products business but also that of many other pharmaceutical, ayurveda, herbal and cosmetic product manufacturers.

Nitin Sethi reports.

Ramdev's company Divya Pharmacy has claimed that 'swadeshi' companies should not share with farmers the huge profits and benefits they derive from selling India's bio-resources as their 'herbal' and 'ayurvedic' products.

But its plea has been shot down by the Uttarakhand high court.

The court has held that under the Biodiversity Act, 2002, Indian companies are as much liable to share their revenues as foreign entities when they commercially exploit natural resources that communities conserve.

The single Bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia concluded the 'Plain and textual interpretation' of the law Ramdev's Divya Pharmacy made to claim Indian companies were exempt from it 'defeats the very purpose for which the law was enacted'.

The judgment could impact not only Ramdev's widespread ayurveda and herbal products business, but also that of many other pharmaceutical, ayurveda, herbal and cosmetic product manufacturers.

In the judgment last week, the high court rejected Divya Pharmacy's contention that apart from not sharing the profits and benefits with communities, the company, being a wholly Indian entity, did not even require permission from the government to commercially exploit the country's bio-resources for profits.

Divya Pharmacy had filed a case against the orders of the Uttarakhand State Biodiversity Board, which had demanded that the company share Rs 20.4 million of its Rs 4.21 billion revenue for 2014-2015 with farmers as part of legal obligation under the Biodiversity Act.

Before the court, it had pleaded that the Biodiversity Act did not apply to Indian companies.

It went a step ahead and claimed that sharing benefits from exploiting the country's natural resources with the local people was against the right to equality, enshrined in Article 14 of the Constitution.

It also said the state board's regulations levying the charges imposed 'unreasonable restrictions' on the Fundamental Right to Livelihood and business enshrined in Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution.

Divya Pharmacy pleaded this before the court after negotiating with the state biodiversity board to reduce the amount they would have to share with farming communities. But, eventually when the state authority sent a formal notice of demand, the company took it to court.

The Biodiversity Act, 2002, was legislated after India ratified the UN Convention on Biodiversity. The two recognise the fact that many industries use lots of natural resources such as herbs and plant extracts that communities have protected and grown over centuries.

The convention and the law are meant to provide the communities 'equitable sharing of benefits' arising from exploiting these resources.

Under Indian regulations, a manufacturer has two options -- it can either pay a levy of 3% to 5% on the cost price of biological resources extracted or 0.01% to 0.05% of annual gross ex-factory sales of finished goods that contain one or more biological resources extracted from the state.

The amount is determined after negotiations with the entity.

The Uttarakhand high court judgment could bolster the case that other state biodiversity boards have made against industries exploiting biodiversity without sharing the profits they derive with the people.

The judgment reads, 'Can it be said that Parliament on the one hand recognised this valuable right of the local communities, but will still fail to protect it from an 'Indian entity'. Could this ever be the purpose of the legislature?'

'Biological resources are definitely the property of a nation where they are geographically located, but these are also the property, in a manner of speaking, of the indigenous and local communities who have conserved it through centuries.'

It added, 'Local and the indigenous communities in Uttarakhand, who reside in the high Himalayas and are mainly tribals, are the traditional 'pickers' of this biological resource. Through ages, this knowledge is preserved and passed on to the next generation. The knowledge as to when, and in which season to find the herb, its character, the distinct qualities, the smell, the colour, are all part of this traditional knowledge. This knowledge may not strictly qualify as an intellectual property right of these communities, but nevertheless is a 'property right'.'An Indian Air Force transport carrier C-130J Super Hercules with 20 Odisha Fire Services personnel onboard have left for Shillong from Bhubaneswar on Friday morning to rescue the trapped miners in Meghalaya.

IMAGE: Odisha fire service team heads to Meghalaya to offer help. Photograph: ANI/Twitter

At least 15 miners have been trapped in a coal mine in East Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya for more than two weeks. The attempts by other rescuers including National Disaster Response Force team and state authorities to reach the miners have yielded no success so far.

The 20 member team of Odisha Fire Service which is headed by chief fire service officer is meant to assist the local authorities in rescue operations. They are carrying all equipment and pumps along with them so they can take out water from the inundated mine, said the Director General of Odisha Fire Service, Bijay Kumar Sharma.

The Odisha Fire Service team is equipped with 15 high pressure pumps to drain out water from the mine in which the miners are trapped.

Odishas Special Relief Commissioner had sought the help of Fire and Emergency Service for assistance in the rescue operation following which the director general of Odisha Fire Service selected a team of 20 trained personnel who have worked during Kerala flood and deputed them on the emergency duty.

According to authorities, the high water level is proving to be the main obstacle in the rescue efforts.The Ayodhya issue is unlikely to die out anytime soon with parties vying to appropriate majority sentiments in varying proportions to suit their political agendas.

Virendra Singh Rawat reports.

IMAGE: A scene from Ayodhya, November 25, 2018. Photograph: Nand Kumar/PTI Photo

When Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray paid his maiden visit to Ayodhya last month, he announced that he would become a regular visitor to the temple town.

Hundreds of Shiv Sainiks were ferried aboard two special trains from Maharashtra for Thackeray's two-day itinerary, which took in a public meeting and obeisance to the makeshift Ramlala temple on the grounds of the demolished Babri Masjid.

This special trip by the head of a regional party to Ground Zero of Hindutva politics was symptomatic of the political power play around the Ayodhya issue in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Not to be outdone, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a frontrunner of the temple movement, staged a show of strength on November 25, seeking an early construction of the Lord Ram temple via an ordinance, also attacking the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party while it was about it.

What did the Congress and other parties do? They played safe, weakly blaming the BJP and the Sangh Parivar for raking up the temple issue to inflame emotions for electoral gains.

Not that this supposed outrage stopped the Congress from opting for a soft Hindutva line, with party President Rahul Gandhi proclaiming himself a 'Shiv Bhakt', visiting temples and even declaring his gotra (clan).

In other words, the Ayodhya issue is unlikely to die out anytime soon with parties vying to appropriate majority sentiments in varying proportions to suit their political agendas.

The issue also has acquired the characteristics of a Bollywood caper. This includes Prince Yakub Habeebuddin Tucy, the self-proclaimed descendant of the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, and the Uttar Pradesh Central Shia Waqf Board chairperson Waseem Rizvi.

Tucy has supported an out-of-court settlement, while Rizvi has demanded the disputed site be handed over to Shias, since the demolished structure was built by Mughal emperor Babur's Shia army commander Mir Baqi. Bizarrely, he supports a temple at the site.

Much now depends on the Supreme Court. On October 29, the apex court had turned down pleas for an early hearing in the Ayodhya title dispute and posted the matter for deciding on the hearings in the first week of January 2019.Will Parliament function today? On Thursday, the Lok Sabha passed the Triple Talaq bill criminalising instant divorce by Muslim men after a heated debate. The Opposition, including the Congress, objected to many of its provisions as 'unconstitutional' and claimed that its real purpose was not to empower Muslim women but to penalise Muslim men.

WATCH ALL THE ACTION HERE.Lok Sabha on Friday adopted a resolution on imposition of President's rule in Jammu and Kashmir, with the Centre asserting that it was committed to democratic process in the state after the Opposition termed the decision to dissolve the Assembly as 'unconstitutional'.

The Statutory Resolution on imposition of President's Rule in Jammu and Kashmir, which requires Parliament's approval, was adopted with voice vote amid din in the House.

However, after members insisted, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan allowed a discussion on the issue as a 'special case'.

As opposition parties, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party questioned imposition of President's Rule and dissolution of J-K assembly, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh told the House that no party was in a position to form government even a day before December 19 when the Governor took the decision.

He also rejected claims of some opposition parties that the Bharatiya Janata Party was propping up a regional party to form government, saying if his party had such an intention, it would have done so within six months of the Governor's Rule.

"The government doesn't conduct elections but the government is ready for election. It is the responsibility of the Election Commission to hold elections... we are totally committed to democratic process," he said.

The Minister assured the House that security requirement of the Election Commission will be met for free and fair assembly election in the state.

Soon after imposition of the Governor's Rule in June, Singh said, the Governor's report of June 19 to the President indicated that no party or coalition of parties in the state was in a position to form government.

The Governor's rule was imposed in these conditions, he said, adding the assembly was not dissolved for six months in anticipation of formation of government in the state.

However, no party staked claim to form government and the Governor had to recommend President's Rule.

President's rule in Jammu and Kashmir follows if the Governor's rule extends beyond six months. The Statutory Resolution will now go to Rajya Sabha for approval.

Initiating the debate, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said Governor Satya Pal Malik acted in 'gross violation' of the Supreme Court order in S R Bommai case that had stated that whether an alliance has a majority or not can be decided only on the floor of the assembly.

Malik's decision to impose Governor's rule after the National Conference, the People's Democratic Party and the Congress made a move to form the government in the state was also in 'violation' of the Sarkaria Commission's guidelines on Centre-state relations, he said.

TMC's Saugata Roy termed the governor's decision as "arbitrary" and claimed the Centre had propped up a rival alliance led by Sajjad Lone, who had the support of 'only two MLAs'.

As Singh was speaking, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah interjected, saying, "The PDP approached our party and we agreed to provide them support along with the Congress. But the irony was that the fax and phone of the Governor were not working."

Referring to the decision to dissolve the assembly without giving an opportunity to the proposed NC-PDP-Congress alliance to form government in the state, he said, "Governor's House is not the place to prove majority but the assembly is. Governor didn't wait and dissolved it."

The Union home minister, however, asserted said that no party was in a position to form government even a day before the Governor took the decision about dissolution of the assembly.

"Our intentions should never be doubted on Jammu and Kashmir. If the BJP had to form the government, we could have done it within six months of the Governor's Rule," he said.

As far as the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, he said, it is an old problem. The government is trying to improve the conditions by taking various steps like creating more employment for the people of the state.

Grassroots democracy is being strengthened, he said, noting that local bodies elections have been held after a gap of many years. Elected representatives of the local bodies are being given administrative and financial powers, he added.

Biju Janata Dal's Bhartruhari Mahtab supported the resolution, saying the Governor's rule in the state had become necessary and noted that two main regional parties, the NC and PDP, boycotted the panchayat polls. He said assembly elections should be held in the state along with 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's P Venugopal expressed his party's opposition to the imposition of Governor's rule as a matter of principle and asked the Centre to explain the reasons for taking such an 'extreme' step.

Supriya Sule of the Nationalist Congress Party called for holding elections in the state.

Expressing anguish over the situation in J-K, Abdullah said the state is going through great 'turmoil' which does not seem to end.

"The solution to the problems of the state is not through the police and the Army.... Something has to be done immediately," the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said.

"For the sake of India, Kashmir needs to be given priority. The state has been suffering a lot," he said.IMAGE: Rescuers at the site of the coal mine that collapsed in Ksan, Meghalaya. Photograph: Reuters

Indian Navy divers on Saturday will join the operation underway to rescue 15 miners trapped inside a flooded rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya since December 13, officials said on Friday.

The Navy spokesman said in a tweet that a 15-member diving team from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh will reach the site in the remote Lumthari village in East Jaintia Hills district Saturday morning.

"The team is carrying specialised diving equipment including a re-compression chamber and remotely operated vehicles capable of searching underwater," he said.

The Navy carried out an initial assessment on Friday to determine an effective response.

Pump manufacturing company Kirloskar Brothers Ltd and Coal India were jointly moving 18 high-powered pumps to drain water out of the 37-foot-deep mine.

A team of surveyers from the two companies also conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the situation.

They will submit a report to East Jaintia Hills district authorities on the technicalities about positioning pumps for effectively carrying the operation, officials at the site said.

The team would carry special diving equipment including a remote-operated vehicle capable of conducting underwater search.

The Air Force has airlifted 10 pumps from Bhubaneswar. Its personnel have landed in Guwahati, 270 kilometres away from the coal mine, official sources said.

The mine got flooded when water from the nearby Lytein river gushed into it on December 13, trapping the 15 diggers.

A PTI reporter who went to the site on Friday reported that the mine is located on top of a hillock fully covered with trees. To reach the mine, a person has to pass the 30-foot wide Lytein river three times.

No habitation was found nearby and 80-90 illegal coal mines dot the area.

The reporter was told by locals that the illegal private mine was closed for a long time and opened for mining 2-3 days before the the miners were trapped on December 13.

The mine is owned by Krip Schullet, a local who has been arrested since the incident came to the adminstration's knowledge, state officials said.

General Manager of North Eastern Coalfields J Bora arrived with two officials of the company Friday and they were followed by a 10-member team of experts of the Coal India (CIL) to the site to assess the situation, they said.

Bora said CIL is arranging eight high-powered pumps for the rescue operation.

"We are waiting for the initial 10 high-powered pumps. They will be brought here this evening," the Superintendent of Police said.

The high-powered pumps will be transported by road from Guwahati till about two kilometres from the accident site. From there, vehicles have been requisitioned to carry them to the mine, a senior district official said.

Meanwhile, a 20-member team of the Odisha Fire Services Friday left for Shillong with equipment, including high-powered pumps, high-tech equipment and gadgets to assist the local administration in the search and rescue operation, a report from Bhubaneswar said.

Pumping of water from the mine was suspended on Saturday as there was no visible receding of the water level in it. The district authorities had written to the state government seeking high-powered pumps as the two 25 hp pumps, which were being used, were found to be inadequate, an official of the National Disaster Response Force, which is involved in the rescue operation, said.

The incident has become a political issue after Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted about it and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help save the miners.

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in the national capital Thursday.

The National Disaster Response Force on Thursday contradicted media reports which quoted it as saying the trapped minors were suspected to be dead on the basis of the foul odour the force's divers had smelt when they had gone inside the mine.

It said the foul smell could be due to the stagnant water in the mine as pumping had been halted for more than 48 hours.

Rat-hole mining involves digging of narrow tunnels, usually 3-4 feet high, for workers to enter and extract coal.

The horizontal tunnels are often termed rat-holes as each just about fits one person.The contentious 'triple talaq' bill is likely to face stiff resistance from opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha which are united in their demand for sending the legislation to the Select Committee for further scrutiny.

Sources said the numbers are stacked slightly in favour of the Opposition in the Upper House.

The United Progressive Alliance has 112 members in the Upper House and the NDA 93. One seat is vacant.

The remaining 39 members of other parties are unattached to either the National Democratic Alliance or UPA and are likely to play an important role in the passage of the contentious legislation.

Though the NDA is way short of the half-way mark of 123 in the 245-member House, it had emerged victorious in the election of Rajya Sabha deputy chairman, with its nominee Harivansh of the Janata Dal-United bagging 125 votes against 101 polled by the Opposition-backed Congress member B K Hariprasad.

The government has expressed hope that the bill, which criminalises the practice of instant divorce by Muslim men, will find support in the Rajya Sabha, whose approval is necessary for the bill to become the law.

The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha for the second time in less than a year after a heated debate on Thursday.

According to the sources, opposition parties have held discussions on raising the demand for referring the bill to the Select Committee on Monday -- when it is likely to come up for consideration in the Upper House.

The sources said all Congress members in the Rajya Sabha would also meet in Parliament on Monday morning, ahead of the start of house proceedings, to evolve its strategy on the issue.

Communist Party of India member D Raja said the Opposition has the numbers and would press for referring the bill to the Select Committee.

"Opposition parties are asking for referring the triple talaq bill to the Select Committee for further scrutiny when the bill comes up for consideration in the Rajya Sabha on Monday," Raja told PTI.

He alleged that the government wants to use the bill for political purposes.

"They are not genuinely interested in gender equality and gender justice," Raja alleged.

Another leader claimed that opposition parties are united in referring the bill to the Select Committee as the proposed legislation needs to be examined properly.

Opposition leaders claimed they would not allow the passage of the bill in any case.

The government had not agreed to the opposition demand for sending the earlier bill to the Select Committee, when it was brought before the house in the Monsoon session of Parliament.A Reuters journalist has been denied entry into India for allegedly violating visa rules.

The action against Cathal McNaughton, chief photographer at the news agencys Delhi office, was recently sent back from the airport at New Delhi after his arrival from an overseas trip.

McNaughton, an Irish national who won the Pulitzer Prize in May 2018, allegedly travelled to restricted and protected areas in Jammu and Kashmir without permission. He also reported from the state without valid permission.

McNaughton, an Irish national, wrote on Instagram three days ago, 2018 has been interesting. From winning the Pulitzer to being denied entry back into India. The frigid cold of the Pyeonchang Winter Olympics to the stifling heat of the Asian Games in Jakarta... Over the next few days I'll be sharing some highlights and lowlights.

All foreigners have to respect Indian law and those found in violation are liable to be punished but that does not mean they are blacklisted forever, a Home Ministry official said.

Everybody has to follow the law. For violation, the consequence is the same for everybody. Foreigners should respect Indian law. If any Indian visits abroad and violates the law of that country, he or she is also liable to be punished, the official said.

He may be a winner of some awards, but that does not give him the licence to violate Indian laws. The ministry of external affairs regularly informs foreign journalists about Indian rules and regulations. And in certain places, a foreigner is required to take permission. If you violate these rules and regulations, we are bound to take action, the official warned.

If somebody is denied entry, it does not mean that he is blacklisted forever. It may be reviewed after six months or one year, he added.

Another official said foreign correspondents also require prior home ministry approval to film in restricted and protected areas such as border districts, defence installations and other places of strategic importance, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

According to visa rules for foreign journalists, A foreign journalist, TV cameraperson etc, including a foreign journalist already based in India, who desires to visit a restricted or protected area or Jammu and Kashmir or the North Eastern States, should apply for a special permit through the Ministry of External Affairs (External Publicity Division).

Under normal circumstances, India grants foreign journalists visas for up to three months. In rare cases, a six-month journalist visa, with a single or double entry, can be issued.

The MHA and the MEA have also held discussions to review protocols on foreign journalists. In May this year, the MEA reminded foreign journalists based in India that they require permission to travel to areas protected under the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order, 1958.

The areas are -- all of Arunachal Pradesh, parts of Himachal Pradesh, parts of Jammu and Kashmir, parts of Rajasthan, all of Sikkim and parts of Uttarakhand.

Photograph: @Cathal1978/TwitterThe partial United States government shutdown is all set to drag on to the new year as opposition Democrats and Republicans refused to show any sign of compromise on Thursday to end the impasse over US President Donald Trumps demand for border wall funding.

IMAGE: US Capitol during the partial federal government shutdown in Washington. Photograph: Yuri Gripas/Reuters

Trump has refused to sign any stopgap spending bill that does not has provisions to fund a wall along the US-Mexico border which he says is essential to stop the flow of illegal immigrants.

The Democrats, who will hold majority in the US House of Representatives in 2019 and carries the crucial numbers in the Senate despite being in minority, has argued that such a move is waste of taxpayers money.

Statements issued by both the camps on Thursday indicated that the impasse is all set to continue in the New Year. The partial government shutdown that started last Saturday has affected 800,000 federal employees, who have either been furloughed or are working without pay.

US President Trump continued to blame Democrats for the shutdown. In a tweet, Trump said the government shutdown is not about the wall.

Everybody knows that a wall will work perfectly (In Israel, the Wall works 99.9%). This is only about the Dems not letting Donald Trump and the Republicans have a win. They may have the 10 Senate votes, but we have the issue, Border Security. 2020! he said.

IMAGE: A sign declares the National Archive is closed due to a partial federal government shutdown in Washington. Photograph: Joshua Roberts/Reuters

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders also criticised Democrats on Thursday, saying in a statement that they had decided to go home over the Christmas holiday rather than stay in Washington to negotiate.

The President has made clear that any bill to fund the government must adequately fund border security to stop the flow of illegal drugs, criminals, MS-13 gang members, child smugglers and human traffickers into our communities  and protect the American people, the White House said.

The administration understands this crisis and made a reasonable, common-sense solution to Democrats five days ago - weve not received a single response, it said in a statement.

The US president and his team stayed in Washington over Christmas hoping to negotiate a deal that would stop the dangerous crisis on the border, protect American communities, and re-open the government, it said.

The Democrats decided to go home, it alleged.

IMAGE: Trash begins to accumulate along the National Mall due to a partial shutdown of the federal government oin Washington, DC. Photograph: Win McNamee/Getty Images

The only rational conclusion is that the Democrat party is openly choosing to keep our government closed to protect illegal immigrants rather than the American people. The President does not want the government to remain shut down, but he will not sign a proposal that does not first prioritize our countrys safety and security, the White House said.

The Democrats have described it as a Trump shutdown.

Federal workers should not be held hostage by the Presidents demand for a useless and offensive border wall that he promised Mexico would pay for, said Democratic leader Congressman McGovern.

Republicans hold the House, the Senate, and the White House until January 3. They closed this government down and they have an obligation to open it back up. If they continue refusing to do so, the Democratic Majority will move to responsibly end the Trump Shutdown on Day One of the new Congress, he said.

Senator Richard Blumenthal said Trumps positioning for a very long shutdown disregards the struggle and sacrifice many families are currently making.Chinas top diplomat in Cambodia has dismissed criticism from Western governments over Prime Minister Hun Sens regime and its ties to Beijing, amid concerns over reversals of democracy following a general election widely seen as unfree and unfair and a wider crackdown on civil society.



Wang Wentian, the newly appointed Chinese ambassador to Cambodia, met with Hun Sen on Friday at the Council of Ministers building in the capital Phnom Penh, after which the prime minister posted a message to his Facebook page saying Wang had pledged to bolster relations for the sake of people and referring to ties between the countries as forged in steel.



The meeting followed one between Wang and Cambodias Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn on Dec. 25, during which the two pledged to further improve bilateral relations and the Chinese diplomat expressed Beijings strong support for Hun Sens government, according to a statement issued Thursday by Cambodias Ministry of Foreign Affairs.



Following the meeting between Wang and Prak Sokhonn, Cambodias Foreign Affairs spokesman Ket Sophann told local media that Wang had slammed the West for taking a harsh stance against Hun Sens government.



The ambassador said that certain foreign countries have criticized Cambodia over minor issues, he said.



Wang specifically mentioned concerns raised by Washington with Phnom Penh last month following a Nov. 15 report by Hong Kongs Asia Times online news portal, which cited unnamed diplomatic sources as saying that a 45,000 hectare (111,200-acre) Chinese naval base is being built in Cambodias Koh Kong province.



Hun Sen later dismissed the report, saying such a move would violate the constitution, while Cambodias Ministry of National Defense called it fake news and part of a foreign campaign to mislead the public and the international community with the intention of destroying the countrys independence and neutrality.



Chinese investment has poured into Cambodia in recent years and has caused some Cambodians to question what type of influence Beijing might have over their government. China and Cambodia have recently held joint military exercises and Beijing has pledged to help fund a modernization of the Southeast Asian nations military.



If such a naval base were built on the Gulf of Thailand, it would allow China to significantly expand patrols on the South China Sea, which Beijing claims much of, while rival Taiwan and ASEAN countries Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam have their own stakes in the waters.



Political analyst Kim Sok told RFAs Khmer Service on Friday that a Chinese naval base in Cambodia is no small issue because it would directly affect the stability of the country by impacting international relations and triggering anti-Chinese nationalist protests domestically.



Furthermore, he said, improved relations with China would do little to improve Cambodias international standing as it plunges towards dictatorship amid restrictions on the political opposition.



Communists have little regard for freedom, he said.



Western criticism



The Asia Times report comes amid wider cooperation between Cambodia and China at a time when Western governments have criticized Hun Sen and his ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) over rollbacks on democracy in the lead up to and aftermath of a July 29 election in which the CPP effectively ran uncontested and won all 125 seats after a ban of the opposition party.



The CPP overwhelmingly won the election following the Supreme Courts November 2017 dissolution of the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) and a five-year ban on the political activities of 118 of its senior officials for the partys role in an alleged plot to topple the government.



The lead up to the polls also saw Hun Sen implement a severe crackdown on nongovernmental organizations and the independent media, in what was seen as a bid to eliminate criticism of his leadership.



The U.S. has since announced visa bans on individuals seen as limiting democracy in the country, as part of a series of measures aimed at pressuring Cambodia to reverse course, and the European Union, which was the second biggest trade partner of Cambodia in 2017, has said it will drop a preferential trade scheme for Cambodian exports based on the countrys election environment.



Hun Sen has repeatedly stressed that his country does not need foreign governments to recognize the legitimacy of Cambodias elections, saying acceptance by Cambodians is sufficient.



He has also said that he will continue to welcome aid from China, which is poised to overtake the U.S. as the worlds top foreign donor, and which is currently Cambodias largest international aid provider.



China, which typically offers aid to countries without many of the prerequisites that the U.S. and EU place on donations, such as improvements to human rights, offered sincere congratulations to Hun Sens party for its showing in Julys polls.



Trade volume between Cambodia and China was valued at U.S. $5.8 billion in 2017, up 22 percent from U.S. $4.76 billion dollars a year earlier, while China is currently Cambodias largest investor, and has poured U.S. $12.6 billion into the Southeast Asian nation from 1994 to 2017.



Hun Sen also met Friday with Ngo Xuan Lich, the Minister of Defense for Cambodias one-party Communist neighbor Vietnam, which has similarly pledged its support for his regime.



Following the meeting, Hun Sen posted a message on his Facebook page saying that Lich had congratulated him on his election victory and announced a donation of U.S. $10 million from Vietnam to construct a new building for Cambodias Ministry of Defense.



Amendment approved



Meanwhile, Cambodias Constitutional Council on Friday unanimously approved an amendment to the draft law on political parties, paving the way for the reinstatement of rights to the 118 CNRP officials banned from politics by last years Supreme Court decision.



With CPP control of the country secured, Cambodias now one-party National Assembly recently submitted an amended version of a draft law on political parties for review to Hun Sens Constitutional Council, which approved it Friday and will forward it to King Norodom Sihamoni to sign into law.



The king is widely expected to rubber stamp the legislation, which would permit the 118 officials to reenter politics, although it does not provide for the reestablishment of the CNRP. Hun Sen has said the political rights of the officials will only be reinstated if they had shown respect for the Supreme Courts ruling, and provided they each make an individual request.



The move is widely seen as part of a bid by Hun Sen to ease international pressure on his government in response to limiting democratic freedoms in the lead up to Julys election, in which the CPP won all 125 seats being contested. Critics have called it a trap aimed at fracturing the opposition.



Speaking to RFA on Friday, acting CNRP president Sam Rainsy said the 118 opposition officials have no intention of requesting permission to return to politics because there was no legitimate basis for the dissolution of their party in the first place, adding that Hun Sen had orchestrated the Supreme Courts ban last year.



We cant recognize the courts decision and we wont ask for a pardon because we didnt commit any crime, said the opposition chief, who is living in self-imposed exile to avoid a string of politically motivated convictions.



Sam Rainsy also reiterated a pledge to return to Cambodia to lead the opposition before March next year, despite threats of arrest from Hun Sen, but said he could not provide an exact date for his trip.



CNRP deputy president Mu Sochua, who is also living in self-imposed exile, told RFA Friday that she intends to return to Cambodia in April and expects to be imprisoned upon her arrival.



Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.Cambodias Anti-Corruption Unit is obligated to investigate Prime Minister Hun Sen to ensure payments he made to reporters at privately owned, pro-government news outlets werent taken from the national budget, observers said Thursday.



In an audio recording of a phone call that went viral after it was leaked on social media last week, Hun Sen told CNC TV general director Ouk Bora that my wife and I support all the staff at the station, regularly providing them money during special events.



On Wednesday, the prime minister acknowledged in a speech to workers in Kandal province that he paid reporters at CNC TV and Bayon TVa station owned by his daughter that broadcasts reports sympathetic to the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP)because it is important for the government, and dismissed concerns over the source of the money, which he said was his own.



Hun Sen also questioned the origin of funding for the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which Cambodias Supreme Court dissolved in November last year over an alleged U.S.-backed plot to topple the government, but which continues to operate outside of the country under leadership living in self-imposed exile.



On Thursday, political analyst Kim Sok, who is living in exile in Finland, told RFAs Khmer Service that Cambodias Anti-Corruption Unit should investigate the source of Hun Sens payments to pro-CPP journalists to ensure the money hadnt come from the national budget.



The Anti-Corruption Unit must file a lawsuit with the court because this is a case of criminal corruption, said the analyst, who fled Cambodia in August after Hun Sen threatened to arrest him for refusing to pay hefty fines related to a defamation conviction.



There must be an investigation into Hun Sens expenditures.



Kim Sok also questioned the prime ministers spending on personal bodyguards, building stupas and humanitarian aidincluding to garment workers and members of the armed forcessaying such payments must be made transparent.



Cambodian Center for Independent Media director Nop Vy echoed Kim Soks concerns in an interview with RFA on Thursday.



Hun Sens support for private TV journalists should be investigated, he said, calling for an independent probe to determine where the money originated.



If it was from the state budget, the [National] Assembly should first approve the expenditure.



Nop Vy also suggested that Hun Sens payments could amount to a conflict of interest between the state and the media, and undermine journalistic neutrality.



They cant report negatively about the government because Hun Sen has given them money, he said.



This constitutes a conflict of interest, and affects the freedom of the press.



Calls by RFA to Anti-Corruption Unit chief Om Yenting went unanswered on Thursday.



But CPP spokesman Sok Ey San took to social media in support of Hun Sens financial contributions to the reporters.



As prime minister, he needs to know their needs, the spokesman wrote, adding that Hun Sen regularly distributes money to those less fortunate.



CNRP defections



Meanwhile, several opposition party officials have denounced Sok Ey San as a liar in recent days after the CPP spokesman posted a message on social media last week claiming that at least 300 CNRP commune councilors had defected to the CPP recently, bring to around 2,600 the total number out of 5,007 elected CNRP councilors who had shifted allegiance to the ruling party.



In his post, Sok Ey San also said that the opposition is divided due to a rift between CNRP president Kem Sokha, who is currently under house arrest in Cambodia while awaiting trial on charges of treason, and acting president Sam Rainsy, who is living in self-imposed exile in France to avoid a string of politically motivated convictions.



Chea Chiv, a CNRP official in Battambang city, told RFA that Sok Ey San had lied to confuse voters and the international community about the standing of the opposition party.



He exaggerated the news, Chea Chiv said, without providing further details.



Days earlier, Koeun Virat, a former CNRP commune councilor from the capital Phnom Penh, told RFA that Sok Ey San had named him among those who defected, but denied the claim, saying he wont betray my voters.



Sok Ey San  as a top official [of the CPP], you shouldnt lie to the people, he said.



Hun Sen and the CPP overwhelmingly won a July 29 election widely criticized as unfree and unfair following the Supreme Courts dissolution of the CNRP and a five-year ban on the political activities of 118 of its senior officials.



Earlier this month, Hun Sen told said he would ask King Norodom Sihamoni to reestablish the political rights of only those 118 officials who had shown respect for the Supreme Courts ruling, provided they each make an individual request to be reinstated. They would not be eligible to participate in politics as CNRP members.



Sam Rainsy responded by saying the move was a trap to reduce international pressure on Hun Sens regime following the election, while fracturing the opposition.



Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.Authorities at China's prestigious Peking University detained a number of student members of the school's Marxism study group on Friday amid an ongoing crackdown on left-wing support for workers who try to organize, a Maoist group said.



A handful of former members of the group, some of whose members had supported workers in the southern city of Shenzhen, held up placards on the Peking University campus on Friday in protest at the university's "forced and unilateral 'reorganization'" of their group, the Maoist Jasic Workers' Solidarity Group (JWSG) said in a statement posted to Github.



"After [the] students held up signs in protest, Peking Universitys notorious security department deployed large numbers of security personnel to block campus roads and prevent passers-by from taking photos," the statement said.



"Some minutes later, dozens of security and supervisory personnel charged into the group of students, grabbing and assaulting protesters," it said.



"Some students were even beaten down to the ground, fingers bloodied and glasses broken. Eventually, they were ... dragged into a nearby building."



It said three students were initially detained in a meeting room, and their cellphones were forcibly taken from them by security personnel, while one students hands were held behind his back, as he was detained in another room.



Video of the scene posted to Twitter showed a young woman shouting at uniformed personnel not to touch her phone, and a young man shouting from the floor, also surrounded by security guards.



After the security personnel swooped on the protesters, they detained all of them in the building, according to the JWSG, which also posted fragmented video clips of the incident to Twitter.



"At 16:40, the detained students sent information out via app," the JWSG said. "They claimed that they were detained in a classroom, some students glasses and shoes were pulled away, and clothes were ripped apart."



Beijing rights activist Li Wei said the ruling Chinese Communist Party is concerned over growing support for its left wing amid slower economic growth and an ongoing trade war with the U.S.



"In the past couple of years we have seen a lot of support for the Maoist left among ordinary people, especially because of the economy; they feel that life is very hard now, and they look back to supposedly greater equality of the Mao era," Li said.



"They are starting to make demands, and of course the authorities are very worried about this," he said, adding that there are strong practical concerns driving the crackdown on Maoists by a party brought to power by Mao.



"It may be muddle-headed from an ideological point of view, but from the point of view of social stability, it isn't muddled at all," Li said. "They will crack down on anyone organizing at the grassroots level, whether it comes from the left or the right."



The students' detention came after police in Beijing on Wednesday detained Qiu Zhanxuan, former head of the Marxism study group, as he was heading to attend an anniversary event marking the birth of late supreme leader Mao Zedong.



Qiu was grabbed and forced into a black car outside the east gate of Peking University by a group of men who identified themselves as police, he said in a statement posted to the JWSG Github page.



As he set out to attend the anniversary event, Qiu found his messages on the popular social media platform WeChat were being blocked. He was then approached by officials of the Communist Party's Youth League, who tried to takehim down to the local police station, as demanded by police the day before.



"I fled all the way to the Peking University East Gate subway station. But there, I was suddenly surrounded by seven or eight men," Qiu wrote. "One of them ... grabbed my cell phone and kept me on a seat in the subway station. I was very nervous and panicked."



Eventually, the men identified themselves as officers from the police department of Beijing's Haidian district, where Peking University is located.



"After that, they carried me to the Dongmen Subway Station police station," he said. "Then several police officers forcibly searched me and took my mobile phone."



Police said he had been "verbally summoned" for questioning, but refused to show any paperwork to support this claim, Qiu wrote. At one point, he was slammed to the floor when he tried to visit the bathroom.



They interrogated him intensively over the next 24 hours, resulting in eight statements to police, Qiu said.



"During these interrogations, I repeatedly asked what laws I had broken, and the public security officers could not answer me," Qiu said, adding that he was told his studies "wouldn't be affected" if he stopped his Marxist activism.



Police were particularly concerned about an open letter submitted by Qiu and others to Peking University's vice president Wang Yanglin on Dec. 19, and accused Qiu of "disrupting public order" outside Wang's office. They had then handed down a series of "administrative punishments," he said.



Meanwhile, several other students who had planned to attend the anniversary event had been issued with compulsory summonses at the same time, Qiu said.



"These interviews and punishments are not only a means of stopping us from participating in the commemoration of Chairman Mao, but also intended to suppress the student members of the Marxism study group, to stop them from helping workers with their petitions [in labor disputes]," Qiu wrote, calling on the authorities to end the crackdown and apologize.



He said the authorities had hastily reconvened a "reorganized" Marxism study group and filled it with people unknown to previous members, who had never shown an interest in joining before.



Former Peking University professor Xia Yeliang, who now lives in the United States, said Qiu's detention and interrogation must have been ordered at the highest levels of the Communist Party.



"When there were labor problems in Shenzhen, [these students] supported them, under the banners of Marxism and Mao Zedong," Xia said. "This is what the authorities are most afraid of, because this is where the Communist Party itself started out."



He said the left wing of the ruling party is increasingly dissatisfied with the administration of President Xi Jinping.



"One important component of Marxism is the theory of class struggle, and also the idea that it is necessary to use violence to overthrow a political class, and to establish a new political power," Xia said.



"So the moment anyone starts using Marxism, the Communist Party will feel that this is a challenge to its authority."



Reported by Wen Yuqing for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Shi Shan for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.The wife of detained Chinese rights attorney Wang Quanzhang has hit out at his trial earlier this week, saying it was put on for "show," while a fellow rights lawyer said the ruling Chinese Communist Party is doubling down on a crackdown on the country's legal profession begun in July 2015.



Wang's wife Li Wenzu spoke to journalists after scuffles with uniformed security personnel at the Supreme People's Court in Beijing on Friday, where she was prevented from handing in a complaint about her husband's treatment.



"I couldn't get in," she said. "I wound up getting pushed and pulled away by [security personnel] who made a human chain and pushed me two blocks away."



"I never got near the main gate of the Supreme People's Court."



She said she went there to complain about her husband's treatment at the hands of the judiciary in Tianjin.



"The government's trial on Dec. 26 was held in secret because of suspected state secrets, with a lawyer that wasn't instructed by me," Li said.



"I have no knowledge of how the trial went. It was always going to be a question of going through the motions, and the whole thing was in serious breach of the law anyway," she said.



Li, who spoke with dozens of waiting journalists after being shoved away from the Supreme People's Court, said her complaint concerned the continual extension of her husband's pretrial detention, and the authorities' interference in his access to legal representation.



"Wang Quanzhang has been held for three-and-a-half years now, and they have been breaking the law this whole time, including in the trial," Li added. "The whole thing is just there for show."



'Cruel charade'



Wang stood trial for subversion on Wednesday in the northern city of Tianjin, in a process slammed by an international rights group as "a cruel charade."



Initially detained in July 2015 as part of a nationwide police operation targeting hundreds of human rights lawyers and activists, Wang faced charges of "incitement to subvert state power" at the Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People's Court.



"Defendant Wang Quanzhang, suspected of incitement to subvert state power, will today stand trial at the Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People's Court," the court said in a notice on its official website.



"This trial will not be open to the public because it involves state secrets," the statement said. "The verdict and sentencing will be announced on another date."



Commenting on unconfirmed reports that Wang had fired his government-appointed lawyer in the first few minutes of the trial, forcing a retrial, rights attorney Xie Yanyi said Wang had the right to fire any lawyer instructed by him at least 15 days earlier, under China's criminal procedure law.



However, the court had said it would announce a verdict and sentence at a later date.



At risk detainee



International rights groups have warned that Wang, who was held incommunicado at an unknown location for much of his detention, is at particular risk of torture and ill-treatment.



"The crux of this case is [the authorities'] fear that their torture of Wang will become public knowledge, so they don't want anyone in the public gallery, least of all his relatives," Xie said.



"Once this gets out ... the legality of the whole July 2015 crackdown [on rights lawyers and associated activists] would be utterly undermined by such a high-profile miscarriage of justice," he said.



Wang was taken away by police on Aug. 3, 2015, but his family was not informed of his whereabouts until July 2018, when a lawyer hired by Wangs family finally met with him, saying that Wang "seemed very scared."



Reported by Wen Yuqing for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Gao Feng for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.As North Koreas economic system changes with the introduction of market forces to the state-led economy, it is becoming increasingly necessary for citizens to find alternate sources of income, as government salaries are not enough to live on.

This is becoming the case even for military officers, who once had privileged positions in the North Korean hierarchy. But now, as their elite status begins to wane, many are resorting to illegal activities to supplement their income.

Sources say that the corruption has moved past simple bribery and participation in black markets; military officers are now involved in drug trafficking and trade of nationally regulated goods to the point that military authorities have begun investigations into officers role in these activities.

These days, military officers are in collusion with local merchants, a source in South Hamgyong province told RFAs Korean service on Monday. Its really gotten out of hand!

Recently one officer from a military unit under the VII [Army] Corps was caught and punished for carrying a couple kilos of drugs on a train, the source said.

Soldiers, especially officers, are unlikely to be searched in a train or at checkpoints, unlike ordinary folks, said the source, adding, Since its almost guaranteed that they wont be searched, shrewd merchants are paying the officers to act as couriers for illegal goods.

Even for the elite officers of the Korean Peoples Army [KPA] it is difficult to live only on the small salary provided by the government, said the source.

Merchants are able to use their hardship. They lure these officers into illegal business with the promise of huge paydays, the source said. Its now a major concern for military authorities.

This kind of illegal activity is usually taken up by military officers who frequently travel for their individual assignments, said the source. They sometimes dont show up to their unit and give excuses to hide the fact that they are actually doing illegal business activities.

Military authorities are having a hard time catching them, the source said.

Another source, also in South Hamgyong said, Military officers didnt just start being corrupt yesterday

Authorities take measures to address this issue from time to time, but these arent concrete solutions to the problem, the source said. In fact, corruption among military officers is on the rise!

The fact that corruption is still widespread even when the authorities regularly investigate and hold meetings to fight it makes one question the living conditions of the military officers [involved], the source said.

These guys are depending on their tiny rations and low salary for survival, the source said.

[Its no wonder] that so many end up in running drugs or doing other illegal things for merchants. Theyre trying to provide for their families!

Reported by Myungchul Lee for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Dukin Han. Written in English by Eugene Whong.Three soldiers from the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South (RCSS/SSA-S) walk through a village in eastern Myanmar's Shan state in an undated photo.

The Myanmar Press Council on Friday called on the nations often secretive military to explain a recent clash with an ethnic armed group in war-torn Shan state, following accusations that several media outlets had published false reports about Christmas Day fighting in Kutkai township.

The MPC issued a statement demanding that the military release the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of spokespersons after the armed forces warned news media on Thursday that it would take legal action against them if they published reports about its operations without first confirming information with military officials.

A statement issued Thursday by the Office of the Commander-in-Chief said journalists should confirm military-related news with regional security and border ministers and commanders before they publish it, though no contact information for the officials was provided.

The militarys statement also said that seven media outlets  including Radio Free Asias Myanmar Service, The Voice, the online journal The Irrawaddy, and Khit Thit Media  had published false stories about fighting between the government army and the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in Kutkai township on Dec. 25.

RFA corrected its report on Thursday.

RFA later contacted Colonel Myat Min Oo from the militarys information team about the latest statement, but he said he was traveling and could not comment on it except to say that the names and phone numbers of military spokespersons had already been sent to the MPC.

When RFA contacted the MPC to verify the information, MPC deputy secretary Tharlon Zaung Htet said that no one had sent the military contact numbers, and thats why the council issued a statement demanding that the armed forces release them.

The military has to release the spokespersons contact numbers and email addresses, he said. It also needs to answers questions from media outlets in a timely manner.

Now, we dont know who to call for confirmation of military-related news because the military didnt release any contact information, he said. We got some numbers from other people, but they didnt answer our calls.

The lack of access to military spokespersons means that journalists covering conflict have had to publish their reports based on information in statements issued by ethnic armed groups, he said.

We have always said that the medias duty is to cover news with various perspectives and voices from different groups and parties, Tharlon Zaung Htet said. People will decide who is right or wrong by reading our reports. This kind of problem occurs because the military doesnt understand this.

The MPC is an independent media adjudication body that mediates press disputes, promotes journalism ethics, and protects journalists.

Accusation against RCSS

Meanwhile, the Myanmar army on Friday accused the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South (RCSS/SSA-S), another ethnic armed organization that operates in Shan state, of attacking and killing some of its soldiers on Thursday in Mongpan township.

Injured troops were sent to Mongpan Hospital, the government military said in a statement.

RCSS spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Sai Oo denied the allegation.

The Tatmadaw, the Burmese name for Myanmars military, said a week ago that it would stop fighting in Shan and neighboring Kachin states until April 30, 2019, in a bid to breathe life into the country's shaky peace process by enticing separatist ethnic armies to join talks with the central government,.

The military's statement on Friday said it would respond to the RCSS in accordance with the law for attacking its troops after the rebel army entered a Myanmar Army-controlled area and attacked government trucks that were transporting aid to a monastery in Panpi village on Nov. 20.

The national military also denied an accusation by the RCSS on Dec 25 that government soldiers had teamed up with the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), another ethnic armed group operating in Shan state, to fight RCSS forces.

RFA was unable to reach the government militarys information team for comment.

Sai Oo of the RCSS told RFA that that the PNLO attacked his army twice with heavy weapons on Dec. 27, but that the RCSS did not launch offensives on any group that day.

Our soldiers and officers said there was no fighting on Dec. 27, although the government army said the RCSS attacked its troops that day, he said. The RCSSs Mongpan office coordinator said that he was called by the government army and spoke with its officials, but there was no fighting on that day.

Lieutenant Colonel Khun Aung Hmine of the PNLO said his army engaged in clashes twice with the RCSS but did not join forces with the government army to battle the group.

Both the RCSS and the PNLO are among the countrys 10 ethnic armed organizations that have signed the governments nationwide cease-fire agreement (NCA).

Myanmars eastern and northern regions of the country have been under military conflict for much of the countrys 70 years of independence from Britain as ethnic armies have fought the national military and other rebel groups for control of territory, natural resources, and ethnic autonomy.

The ongoing hostilities have hindered Myanmars peace process spearheaded by State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi.

Reported by Wai Mar Tun and By Thiha Tun for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.Residents from two townships in northern Myanmars Kachin state gathered in the state capital Myitkyina on Friday to demand that officials end to mining activities in their region, saying that the operations have polluted a key water source, those involved in the event said.

The residents of 22 villages located near mining sites in Chipwi and Pang War townships say they are now facing a drinking water shortage, and that they are fearful about using water from Chipwi creek because it makes their skin itchever when they come into contact with it.

Chipwi town is located beside the N'Mai River just below where Chipwi creek enters the waterway, while Pang War lies about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of Chipwi.

Villagers whose livelihoods depend on fishing say their incomes have taken a hit because consumers from neighboring China have rejected seafood from possibly toxic waters, said Pang War resident Ra Wai.

We have to rely on fishing, but we came to realize the problem after Chinese buyers stopped buying our fish, she told RFAs Myanmar Service.

Theres no transparency about health-related issues, she said. We havent been informed about the problem. Now locals are consuming the fish since the Chinese stopped buying them.

Some researchers say they found dumped chemical packaging from mining operations in the area, which caused nearby land to dry up and affected the environment.

Lum Zaung, secretary of the local conservation group Laung Pyi Khaung, said the chemical waste has killed animals in the area.

Used chemical packages are being dumped recklessly, he told RFA. They are being transported carelessly, with the contents spilling out along the way. Animals ate them and died. The mining has resulted in less pasture land, and animal breeders have had to travel away from the area.

Laung Pyi Khaung has issued a report detailing the impact of the mining industry in Kachin state, including drinking water shortages, animal deaths, environmental damage, loss of agricultural land, and land grabs by mining companies, he said.

Locals who work in Kachins mines complain that they are paid less than their Chinese counterparts, Lum Zaung said.

Residents of villages in Chipwi and Pang War townships are now demanding that officials take action against the mining companies and force them to compensate villagers for the damage they have caused.

A lucrative industry

Myanmars lucrative mining industry is mainly run by companies associated with leaders of local militia groups and border guard forces.

Many of the largest licensed mining companies in Kachin state are controlled by the families of politically influential retired generals, wrote Eugene Mark, senior analyst from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, in a March article for the online news service The Diplomat.

Researchers say six companies operate more than 100 sites, some of which are owned by Chinese companies but are registered under Myanmar owners.

They have also pointed out that officials issue temporary licenses for mining operations in Chipwi and Pang War townships.

Kyaw San, a director at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, told RFA that ministry officials are holding discussions on mining businesses that operate in the country, including ones in Kachin state.

Our minister is still in talks with Kachin states chief minister, he said. The talks are not finished yet, and I am not sure whether they include water issues.

Kachin states abundant natural resources  gold, amber, jade, copper, and rubies  have fueled a long-running civil war between the Kachin Independence Army, an ethnic armed organization, and the Myanmar military, which have clashed over the control of mining areas used to finance their operations.

The hostilities have caused an obstacle to implementing lasting peace in the war-torn state and have worsened a socioeconomic crisis for civilians who live there, Mark wrote in his article for The Diplomat.

Reported by Elizabeth Jangma for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Nandar Chann. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.BBISHKEK  Kyrgyzstan's former customs chief has been extradited from Azerbaijan to Bishkek, where he is wanted on charges of abuse of office.

Kyrgyz Financial Police spokeswoman Anastasia Piskur told RFE/RL that Adamkul Junusov, the former head of the Customs Service, was transported from Baku to the Kyrgyz capital on December 28.

Junusov was detained at Baku's Heydar Aliyev International Airport at Bishkek's request on December 5.

The Financial Police in Bishkek has charged Junusov with "corrupt" activities as head of the Customs Service from 2013 to 2016, saying his alleged actions had cost the state treasury some 166 million soms, or about $2.1 million.

Junusov was added to Kyrgyzstan's wanted list in August after he was indicted in absentia and a court in Bishkek issued a warrant for his arrest.

Junusov is the latest of several former officials facing corruption charges who worked under President Almazbek Atambaev from 2011-17.

Atambaev has criticized his successor, President Sooronbai Jeenbekov, for sacking or arresting a number of his close allies in what he called a pseudo-anticorruption campaign.

Two Atambaev allies who also served as prime minister when he was president, Sapar Isakov and Jantoro Satybaldiev, were arrested in June on corruption charges.

In October, Atambaev's former adviser Ikramjan Ilmiyanov was detained in Russia and extradited to Bishkek, where he was arrested on corruption charges.

Kyrgyz lawmakers and politicians have been calling for an investigation into decisions made by Atambaev while he was in office.

On December 13, the Kyrgyz parliament approved in a first reading a bill that would eliminate immunity for ex-presidents, potentially opening the path for Atambaev's prosecution.

In recent weeks, some members of the ruling Social Democratic Party (SDPK), which Atambaev heads and which Jeenbekeov is a member of, launched a campaign dubbed "SDPK without Atambaev."ELISTA, Russia -- Russia's Republic of Kalmykia has marked the 75th anniversary of the start of mass deportations of Kalmyks to Siberia by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.

Prayers in Kalmykia's Buddhist temples on December 28 were dedicated to those who died between 1943 and 1956 as a result of the deportation.

Thousands attended a commemoration ceremony near the monument of Exodus and Return  a memorial created in Kalmykias capital, Elista, by the late Russian-American sculptor Ernst Neizvestny.

Regional head Aleksei Orlov issued a statement saying that "thanks to unity, hard work, and stamina, the Kalmyk people were able to withstand this ordeal with honor and managed to return home."

Kalmyks are a Mongol-speaking and predominantly Buddhist ethnic group, one of several that were deported en masse in the 1940s, by Stalin's Soviet government, which accused them of collaborating with Nazi Germany.

On December 28-29, 1943, almost 100,000 Kalmyks were sent in cattle trains headed for Siberia.

According to unofficial estimates, at least one-third of those who were forced onto the trains died during the journey.

Those who survived were allowed to return to Kalmykia, close to Russias North Caucasus region, in 1956.

Kalmykia has marked December 28 as a holiday, the Day of Memory and Sorrow, since 2004.

With reporting by riakalm.ruThe Latvian National Archives has released the first batch of files from the the former Soviet secret police, the KGB. Some Latvians have welcomed the release, hoping it will shed light on the country's dark past. But others fear some individuals could be falsely labeled as former KGB collaborators.Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law that will soften the punishment for some hate crimes amid concerns over prison terms handed down to people for "liking" or reposting memes on the Internet.

The legislation, signed by Putin on December 28, will remove the possibility of a prison sentence for first-time offenders found to have incited ethnic, religious, and other forms of hatred and discord in public, including in the media or on the Internet.

The legislation is the result of a rare climbdown by President Vladimir Putin, who proposed it amid a wave of potentially image-damaging concern over the arrests and imprisonment of Russians for publicly questioning religious dogmas or posting, reporting, or "liking" memes or comments that authorities say incited hatred.

Under the legislation, first-time offenders will face administrative instead of criminal prosecution, meaning they would be fined, do community service, or be jailed for up to 15 days.

A person who is deemed to have committed a second, similar offense within a year will then face criminal prosecution and the possibility of two to five years in prison.

But all offenders, including those found guilty for the first time, will still face up to six years in prison if their incitement to hatred involves violence, the threat of violence, the use of their official position, or is committed by a group, the bill says.

Putin proposed the change in early October, following a string of cases in which Russians were charged for publishing material -- sometimes satirical or seen by many as harmless -- on social networks such as VKontakte and Facebook.

The bill was approved by lawmakers in both chambers of parliament, the State Duma and the Federation Council.

Reaction to the new legislation has been mixed, with Kremlin critics warning that the government will still retain many tools for suppressing dissent and limiting free speech.

On October 2, Putin signed a law toughening punishment for those who refuse to remove information from the Internet deemed illegal by a court.The daughter of one of the founders of the Islamic republic has warned that, while still strong, the system her late father helped establish some 40 years ago is weakened and could someday collapse.

Faezeh Hashemi, the daughter of former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, said in an interview with a Tehran daily published on December 27 that "intimidation" and "fear" were the main things propping up the Islamic establishment.

"In my view, a breakdown [of principles] has already happened, there hasn't been a physical collapse, but I see that as very likely," Hashemi told the independent Mostaghel newspaper.

Hashemi, 56, a former pro-reform lawmaker who was jailed for six months in 2012 after being convicted of antiregime propaganda, said one doesn't see the open and physical crackdowns on dissent like those seen in the antigovernment protests of 2009, but a lot of repressive measures are taking place behind the scenes.

"In every segment of society, groups of activists are in jail, from workers to teachers, truck drivers, women's rights activists, environmentalists, students..., [those involved in economic activities], and citizens who are either in jail or have been sentenced to jail," she said.

A collapse isn't imminent, she noted, "but there's been a breakdown. Everywhere you look there's inefficiency, there's a lack of leadership and reason, everything is abandoned, there's no attempt to find solutions to the problems or if there is then things only get worse, there are no signs of improvement."

'Trampling Everything'

Hashemi has previously come under pressure from hard-line conservatives attempting to smear the legacy of her father, who died in 2017, and also due to her own stances and support for reforms. They denounced her and called for her punishment in 2016 for meeting a leader of the persecuted Baha'i faith with whom she used to share a cell in Tehran's Evin prison.

In March 2017, the hard-line judiciary sentenced her to six months in jail for charges that included "antistate propaganda, spreading lies against the judiciary, and the Revolutionary Guards Corps," the opposition website Kalame reported. She was also briefly detained in the 2009 crackdown.

Hashemi appeared to place much of the blame for the country's current problems on the hard-liners, accusing them of interpreting religion to serve their own interests and "trampling on everything" to remain in power.

But she also criticized President Hassan Rohani, who is in his second term and is seen as a relative moderate.

"The president says things as if he's not the president, he talks in a way as if he were [a member of] the opposition," she said. "I know that the government is not in charge of major issues, there are significant barriers, but there are problems even in those segments under the control of the government."

Hashemi said Iran needed to seriously review and update laws and practices that have gone wrong.

Her comments come amid heightened U.S. pressure on Iran and the reimposition of tough economic sanctions, including penalties targeting the country's oil exports that contributed to a collapse of the national currency earlier this year. The rial has strengthened in recent weeks, but the cost of living remains significantly high.

Protests over economic problems and corruption spread to more than 80 cities and towns last December and in early January. Since then there have been sporadic protests during which protesters have chanted slogans against the establishment.

In a June interview with the Financial Times, Hashemi said that the survival of the Iranian establishment depended on reforms and also negotiations with the United States under President Donald Trump, who has taken a hard line on the Islamic republic.Russian aluminum giant Rusal says Jean-Pierre Thomas has been elected by the board of directors as the companys new chairman as part of restructuring moves made in exchange for the lifting of U.S. sanctions.

Thomas, a current independent nonexecutive director, on December 28 was appointed chairman, effective on January 1, the Russian company said in a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange.

The previous chairman, Matthias Warnig, stepped down on December 26 after six years at Rusal, with his resignation being a condition of a deal struck with U.S. officials.

Warnig, an investment banker, is a former East German secret agent who has known Russian President Vladimir Putin since the 1990s.

According to a biographical listing on Bloomberg Capital Markets, the 61-year-old Thomas has been an independent nonexecutive director on the Rusal board since June 28. It says he worked 15 years as a managing partner at Lazard Bank in France.

It also says he has experience in several projects to establish economic cooperation between France and Russia and has served as a special representative of the French president in that capacity.

The U.S. Treasury Department originally imposed sanctions in April on Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska and several companies in which he is a large shareholder, citing "malign activities" by Russia, as well as allegations of past crimes by Deripaska himself.

The sanctions announcement roiled the global stock and aluminum markets, causing a run on Rusal's shares and an exodus of customers that led to fears the world's second-largest aluminum producer might be forced out of business.

With the markets in turmoil and Rusal's future in doubt, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin shortly after announcing the sanctions said Washington's intent was not to destroy the company and the thousands of jobs it provides in Russia and elsewhere around the world.

The Treasury Department said it would remove sanctions against Rusal, its parent En+, and power firm EuroSibEnergo if they restructured to reduce Deripaska's controlling stakes.

Rusal and En+, in the meantime, recruited directors and management not linked to Deripaska in moves apparently stemming from the companies' talks with the Treasury Department over easing the sanctions.

Any restructuring deal is subject to a 30-day review period in the U.S. Congress before it decides whether to lift sanctions.

Upon completion of the restructuring, En+ will own a near 57 percent stake in Rusal and maintain the right to nominate its CEO.

With reporting by Reuters, Bloomberg, and TASSRussian authorities say they have finished building a barrier dividing the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow forcibly seized in 2014, from mainland Ukraine.

The Border Directorate of the Federal Security Service (FSB) branch in Crimea said on December 28 that construction of the "engineering and technical complexes" -- as it calls the barrier -- was complete.

In a statement reported by Russian news agencies, the Border Directorate said the 60-kilometer-long barrier was equipped with sensors and CCTV cameras.

The purpose of the barrier, begun in 2015, is "to prevent sabotage activities" and "attempts by criminal groups to smuggle weapons, ammunition, tobacco, alcohol, gasoline, drugs" and other items, it said.

Russia moved swiftly to seize control over Crimea after Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was pushed from power in Kyiv by the pro-European Maidan protest movement in February 2014.

President Vladimir Putin's government sent troops without insignia to the peninsula, seized key buildings, took control of the regional legislature, and staged a referendum denounced as illegitimate by at least 100 countries at the UN.

Russia also fomented unrest and backed opponents of Kyiv in eastern Ukraine, where more than 10,300 people have been killed in the ensuing conflict since April 2014.

Since the takeover of Crimea, Russia has beefed up its military presence on the peninsula, already home to the main base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

Moscow moved more than a dozen fighter jets to Crimea earlier in the week.

Moscow denies interfering in Ukraine's affairs, but the International Criminal Court ruled in November 2016 that the fighting in eastern Ukraine is "an international armed conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation."

Based on reporting by TASS, RIA Novosti, and InterfaxThe head of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) has appealed to President Vladimir Putin for help in getting key doping data released to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to prevent Russia from once again being ostracized in global sports.

WADA reinstated the suspended RUSADA in September, but it will lose its status again unless Russia's Investigative Committee, which is holding the data for its own probe, hands it over to WADA inspectors by the end of the year.

In a video address to Putin on December 27, RUSADA Director Yury Ganus said a new suspension could badly damage Russian sport.

"We're standing on the edge of the abyss, and I'm asking you to protect the present and the future of our clean sports, the current and future generations of athletes," Ganus said.

WADA officials said last week that they left Russia empty-handed after authorities denied the promised access to data from Moscow's anti-doping laboratory.

The data could help confirm violations uncovered during an investigation that revealed a state-sponsored doping program in Russia, designed to win medals at the 2014 Olympics and other major events.

Moscow denies any state-sponsored doping, although it has acknowledged some shortcomings in its enforcement of anti-doping regulations.

Russia was barred from this year's Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, after WADA found evidence of an extensive cover-up of state-sponsored doping at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Based on reporting by AP and ReutersRussias ambassador to Britain says the two countries have agreed to gradually reinstate dozens of diplomatic personnel who were expelled by both sides following the Novichok poisoning in Salisbury.

Aleksandr Yakovenko said in an interview with Rossia-24 television channel on December 28 that diplomatic personnel in the London and Moscow embassies would begin to be reinstated in January.

"I am not sure that it will affect all the employees, but at least half of the embassy staff will be restored," Yakovenko said.

Relations between the two countries deteriorated after former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, were poisoned with a nerve agent in the English city in March.

Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats in the wake of the scandal, and Russia in response expelled the same number of British diplomats and ordered the closure of the British Consulate in Russia's second largest city, St. Petersburg, and the British Councils offices operating in the country.

London has blamed Moscow for the poisoning, while Russia has repeatedly denied evidence 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.

Based on reporting by Rossia-24 and TASSImprisoned Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov, a Crimean native who opposed Russia's 2014 takeover of the Ukrainian peninsula, has written in a letter to the Moscow-based Novaya Gazeta newspaper that he is not "going to give in."

"I do not expect good news [in 2019].... But it does not mean that I am going to give in, be disappointed, or regret anything," Sentsov wrote in a letter published on December 28.

Ahead of the New Year, Novaya Gazeta published letters penned by several people who were either sentenced, are facing trial, or are under investigation in high-profile cases in Russia that many call politically motivated.

Sentsov was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted of terrorism in a trial criticized by human rights groups and Western governments as politically motivated.

Oyub Titiyev, an activist who is on trial in his native Chechnya, called on people imprisoned on "fabricated" charges, not to give up in their fight for freedom.

"Our being behind bars now is not the end.... We will all continue to fight. I wish you all not to stop fighting, to struggle to the end, until we are released. And more importantly, I wish you all to leave this place healthy and strong so that you can continue to work further and help society," the leader of the Moscow-based Memorial human rights group's branch in Chechnya wrote.

The former director of Moscow's Gogol Center, Aleksei Malobrodsky, expressed gratitude to "all citizens" for their support as he and three co-defendants face trial for alleged embezzlement in a case widely seen as politically motivated.

"I regained an almost lost hope that there are so many good people around me and that all of us have a chance to become a society," Malobrodsky wrote, adding that he wished for a fair trial for his friends and himself.

The case against Malobrodsky and his co-defendants, including film director Kirill Serebrennikov, prompted accusations that the Russian authorities were targeting cultural figures who are at odds with President Vladimir Putin's government.

Novaya Gazeta also published letters by three members of the so-called New Greatness movement: Ruslan Kostylenkov, who is in pretrial detention, and teenagers Maria Dubovik and Anna Pavlikova, who are under house arrest.

"I don't have high hopes for a successful outcome of my case, but as long as I am alive and well, I will continue to resist in the courtroom," Kostylenkov wrote.

The trio were arrested in March along with seven other members of New Greatness. Six are being held in pretrial detention while four are under house arrest.

Those charged say they had turned their online chat criticizing the government into a political movement after the move was proposed by one of their members.

Later, it was revealed that the man who proposed the idea, wrote the movement's charter, and rented premises for the movement's gatherings was a special agent of the Federal Security Service (FSB).

Another letter published by Novaya Gazeta was penned by former correspondent Ali Feruz, who moved to Germany in February after being denied political asylum in Russia.

An Uzbek national, Feruz was held in a Russian immigration detention center for six months and feared he could be tortured if deported to Uzbekistan.

"Liberty is the best gift!" Feruz wrote, adding that he wished for all political prisoners in Russia to be released soon.A student who shredded the cover of the Russian Constitution in a protest inspired by British street artist Banksy has been sentenced to 12 days in jail for allegedly cursing after a court hearing.

A St. Petersburg court issued the ruling on December 27, weeks after Timur Rasulov was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service for putting a big paper copy of the constitution's cover in a frame that shredded it into strips on the city's central Senate Square.

"I'll be greeting the New Year in a [detention center], happy holidays everyone," Rasulov posted on a Twitter account with the handle Toxic Timur.

Rasulov's October 10 stunt, which he called The Disappearing Constitution, was inspired by a similar the day before in which an artwork by Banksy self-destructed before a crowd at Sotheby's auction house in London moments after being sold for $1.4 million.

The protest action in St. Petersburg came amid speculation that President Vladimir Putin may seek to change the constitution, which limits presidents to two straight terms, in order to remain in power after his current term ends in 2024.

The speculation has been fueled by statements by Putin and others about the mutability of the post-Soviet Russian Constitution adopted under President Boris Yeltsin in 1993.

"The mechanism of disappearing and trampling on the country's basic law was launched by the authorities many years ago, and today there is practically nothing left of our constitution," Vremya (Time), the "Youth Democratic Movement" that Rasulov belongs to, said on Facebook at the time.

"The stability of the constitution is a guarantee of the legality of the regime, the stability of the state and legal organization," it said. "The constitution cannot be redrafted to serve the short-term interests of the political groups that are in power."

Rasulov was sentenced to 100 hours of community service on December 4 but was arrested at the courthouse shortly after the hearing and accused of cursing in a confrontation with court officers.

Under Russian law, using obscene language can be considered a violation of public order punishable by up to 15 days of "administrative arrest," meaning jail.Syrian government forces entered the key northern city of Manbij for the first time in six years after a Kurdish-led militia said it invited Damascus to protect the town from the threat of a Turkish military offensive.

The development was hailed on December 28 by Russia, a key backer of the Syrian government, but condemned by Ankara, which opposes Syrian Kurds and is supporting rebel groups fighting the Damascus government.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) -- led militarily by the U.S.-backed Kurdish YPG militia -- seized Manbij from Islamic State (IS) militants in 2016.

Ankara sees the YPG as an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Turkey and has vowed to crush it.

The SDFs decision to ally with the government came after U.S. President Donald Trump pledged on December 19 to pull out all American troops from Syria.

The Syrian Army said in a statement on December 28 that its troops had raised the national flag in Manbij and would guarantee security "for all Syrian citizens and others present in the area."

In a statement, the YPG said it had "invited" Syrian troops to "assert control over the areas our forces have withdrawn from, particularly in Manbij, and to protect these areas against a Turkish invasion."



The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said more than 300 government forces were deployed in the Manbij area but had not entered the town, where U.S. and French forces are still believed to be stationed.

Russia hailed the move, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying the presence of government troops will "help in stabilizing the situation."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it was unclear if Syrian government troops had entered Manbij, but added that Syrian Kurds "don't have the right" to seek help from Damascus.

With reporting by AFP and ReutersAn upcoming American Movie Classic mini-series was being filmed in front of the old Watson farmhouse on Dutch Island Road in Hopkinton. C-stands, cameras, ladders and other equipment are pictured below on set of a future mini-series being filmed in Hopkinton.Town officials and members of the Coventry Police Department break ground on the Coventry Police and Department of Human Services complex.The newly-elected East Greenwich Town Council celebrated after the victory on Election night. Pictured from left to right: Michael Zarella, Caryn Corenthal, Mark Schwager, Michael Donegan and Renu Englehart.On Oct. 17 the Town of Narragansett and GIlbane, Inc cosed on a $2.8M agreement which will see the town take ownership of the property in Pier Marketplace to house the new town library.One dies, another critical in Cancun truck fire

Cancun, Q.R.  One man has died and another remains in critical condition after a garbage collection truck they were driving rolled and caught fire.

The accident happened during the early morning hours of Thursday near the entrance of the Cancun sanitary landfill. Reports say that due to excessive speed, the driver of the unit lost control and rolled the truck, which instantly caught fire.

The small garbage collection unit, which provides service to Benito Juarez, had two workers inside, one of which died on scene from burns. The second male, the units passenger, was rushed to the General Hospital of Cancun where he remains in critical condition.

Reports say that upon rolling over, the unit caught fire immediately, not giving either men time to escape from the burning cab.RESIDENTS are being urged to be alert against financial crime by watching out for the scammer in the suit.

Citizens Advice said more people were falling victim to scammers posing as professionals from financial and legal services.

Such cons now account for a fifth of all scams reported to the organisations Consumer Service, according to new data.

There was a six per cent increase of these types of professional and financial scams reported in the past financial year, with many victims being scammed out of thousands of pounds.

Citizens Advice and Trading Standards are now sharing tips on how to avoid being scammed.

Investment scams in particular  such as cryptocurrency, binary option investments, holiday timeshares  are on the rise, as the number of cases reported to Citizens Advice doubled this year compared to last.

One working mother reported a cryptocurrency investment scam in which she had initially invested a total of 40,000 in what she believed was Bitcoin.

Citizens Advice is urging anyone who thinks they may have been targeted by a scam to report it to authorities, through Action Fraud and the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06, or 03454 04 05 05 for Welsh language speakers.

Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said: Fraudsters are using new technology to peddle old tricks, posing as trustworthy professionals with persuasive offers.

Anyone can fall victim to these sophisticated scams, but all too often its the victim rather than the scammer who are left feeling sheepish.

This isnt right, so we want to break down the stigma around these serious crimes, which are targeted across all levels of society, yet remain under-reported.

People can take action and report any potential scams to the authorities so scammers arent walking away with your money in their bank account.

Scam ads are said to have exploded across social media platforms over the last year, with victims taken in by their professional appearance and use of well-known faces.

Industry figures like self-styled Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis have called for greater regulation of these adverts.

Types of scams to beware of include cryptocurrency websites claiming to offer investments in funds like Bitcoin, bogus solicitors and holiday timeshare buyers.

Advice tips on how to avoid a scam:PM MODI

New Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch several of infrastructure projects in Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Sunday. He will reach Port Blair Saturday evening and will visit the Tsunami Memorial at Car Nicobar the following day. The prime minister will lay a wreath at the memorial and light a candle at the Wall of Lost Souls, a statement from his office said.

He will then inaugurate an industrial training institute at Arong and lay the foundation stone for some infrastructure projects. The prime minister will also address a public meeting, it said.Later in the day, Prime Minister Modi will lay a wreath at the Martyrs Column at Port Blair and will visit the Cellular Jail in the city. Modi will hoist the high mast flag at South Point, Port Blair.

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He will pay floral tributes at statue of Subhash Chandra Bose at Marina Park in Port Blair, the statement said. At the Netaji Stadium, the prime minister will release a commemorative postal stamp, coin and first day cover to mark the 75th anniversary of the hoisting of the tricolour on Indian soil by Bose. He will also release the innovation and start-up policy for the islands.The prime minister will inaugurate a 7 MW solar power plant, and solar village. He will also lay the foundation stone for a number of development projects and address a gathering, the statement said.Thanks to the development of antiretroviral drugs, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is considered a manageable chronic disease today. However, if left undiagnosed or untreated, HIV can develop into AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), a disease which led to the deaths of nearly 1 million people worldwide in 2017.

The life-saving drugs don't cure HIV, though, because when the virus infects the body, it insidiously targets the very cells required to trigger the body's immune response to any infection. Specifically, HIV invades CD4 T-cells -- a type of white blood cell -- making copies of itself and taking over the CD4 host cell's DNA.

"Upon infection of a CD4 T-cell, HIV undergoes one of two fates," said University of Illinois Assistant Professor Roy Dar. "It either integrates into a replicating state, leading to the production of hundreds of infectious virions, or it integrates into a latent state where the provirus lies transcriptionally silent."

According to Dar, researchers have focused on eradicating the latent reservoir because it can reactivate spontaneously, evade drug therapy, or be a source for viral rebound, which can occur if a patient does not strictly adhere to the antiretroviral therapy treatment regimen.

"To date, there is no way to distinguish between uninfected cells and latently infected cells in the body, but such an ability would support existing therapeutic approaches to curing HIV," said Dar, who is affiliated with the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department and Carl Woese Institute for Genomic Biology on campus.

In a recent study, Dar and his research group investigated the reactivation of T-cells that were latently infected with HIV in the lab by using a viral construct that contained a gene for a green fluorescent protein (GFP) that gets expressed when a cell reactivates.

"The method of time-lapse, single-cell imaging allowed monitoring single latent cell reactivation from their silent to their active states by calculating the mean fluorescence of GFP," explained Bioengineering Post-Doctoral Researcher Kathrin Bohn-Wippert, the lead author of the study.

Once they identified the cells that were reactivated, they calculated the cell size and determined the mean cell diameter necessary for reactivation. They discovered that within a latent population, only larger host cells reactivate while the smaller cells remain silent or latent.

According to Bohn-Wippert, this larger host-cell size provides a natural cellular mechanism for enhancing burst size of viral expression and is necessary to destabilize the latent state while biasing viral decision making.

"Our results present a case of passive host-cell dominated viral decision-making, in which the virus is off when the infected cell is small and can only spontaneously reactivate in larger cell sizes," said Dar. "This presents a case of the host cell depicting the right conditions for viral decision-making to occur."

The team also determined that the cells' transition from latent to active is dependent on the cell cycle -- the stages by which cellular DNA replicates -- and can be modulated with drug treatments. "We showed that you can use drug treatments to modulate a population of cells in and out of a specific cell cycle state in order to bias their viral reactivation," said Dar.

These findings may be useful in guiding stochastic design strategies for drug therapies, have applications in synthetic biology, and play a role in advancing HIV diagnostics and treatments.Results of a new study by neuroscientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Toronto suggest that a new treatment approach is needed -- and how this may be possible -- to address adverse effects of aromatase inhibitors, drugs commonly prescribed to both men and women to prevent recurrence of estrogen-positive breast cancer.

The current drug therapy is linked to such complaints as hot flashes, memory lapses, anxiety and depression, side effects so bothersome that some patients discontinue the life-saving treatment, the researchers point out. Their study found that aromatase inhibitors do indeed suppress estrogen synthesis in body tissues, but their unexpected findings in the brain could explain some of the negative effects and provide insight into more effective, less disruptive future therapies.

Neuroscientists Agnes Lacreuse, Luke Remage-Healey and their graduate students at UMass Amherst, collaborator Jessica Mong at the University of Maryland and first author Nicole Gervais worked together on this research. Gervais, who conducted the experiments as a postdoctoral researcher at UMass Amherst, is now at the University of Toronto. The authors studied a small group of aged male and female marmosets, non-human primates whose brains are much like humans' and which exhibit "complex behavior," senior author Lacreuse explains.

She adds, "This drug is given to prevent recurrent breast cancer in humans and it does save lives, but a lot of times, patients are not compliant because of unpleasant side effects that affect quality of life." Their study, showing changes in the animals consistent with some of the human complaints, allowed the researchers to assess cognitive behavior, thermal regulation and neuronal changes in drug-treated vs. control groups. Their findings appear this week in the Journal of Neuroscience.

As Gervais explains, studies in humans are hampered by confounders. "The patients have had cancer, so it's hard to disentangle the stress of their disease and treatment from the drug effects." She adds, "We wanted to know if the symptoms while using the aromatase inhibitors can be reproduced in an animal model, and further explore the mechanisms to understand how they work and find alternative treatments."

In this work supported by the NIH's National Institute on Aging and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the researchers administered the estrogen-inhibiting drug orally "the way it's given to humans and at a similar dose," Gervais explains, for one month, and observed that it did indeed suppress estrogen production in the body. They then compared changes in behavior, memory, electrophysiology, and thermoregulation in the treated and control groups

Gervais says, "Sure enough, we found deficits in some aspects of memory and we also saw the most striking results in thermal regulation, a deficit in the ability to regulate body temperature when the ambient temperature increases, but only in females. It doesn't match hot flashes exactly but it's consistent with what we know about the regulation of hot flashes by estrogens in women. Females on the drug could not regulate their temperature as well as control females."

It was in the investigation of neurons that the researchers saw something quite surprising, says Remage-Healey. "In the hippocampus, which is thought to be critical for learning and memory functions, instead of reduced estrogen levels we found that the drug caused a paradoxical increase in estrogen levels."

Gervais adds, "We believe that the hippocampus may have synthesized its own estrogens to compensate for low levels it senses in peripheral tissues. According to our results, the mechanism for an adverse effect on memory may be due to an increase of estrogen synthesis in the hippocampus. Perhaps, future treatments could find a way to block this increased synthesis, and maybe prevent some of the negative side effects."

Remage-Healey points out that "We were also able to follow the excitability of hippocampal neurons, which was compromised in the treatment but not control group. This is consistent with the occasional memory problems reported by patients. It seems the hippocampus is particularly sensitive to estrogens and their blockade. But we have a lot of work to do to understand the precise mechanism underlying these effects."

The authors state, "These findings suggest adverse effects of aromatase inhibitors on the primate brain and call for new therapies that effectively prevent breast cancer recurrence while minimizing side effects that further compromise quality of life."Wanda Johnson has a cameo in Fruitvale Station, the film that dramatizes Oscar Grants final hours before being shot to death by a BART police officer 10 years ago in Oakland.

Johnson plays a teacher at the preschool Grants daughter attended. In the scene, she stands in soft focus in the background as Grant, played by Michael B. Jordan, asks his 4-year-old girl about her day and challenges her to a race. You faster than Daddy? he asks, and they grin at each other and run off.

Johnson is onscreen for 30 seconds. She has no lines, no closeups. Shes listed in the credits of the 2013 movie as Mrs. Stacy, but few viewers know to look for her. For those who do, the fond smile on her face doesnt feel like acting, and it is heartbreaking.

Grant was her only son. His death in the early hours of New Years Day 2009 set off months of street demonstrations in Oakland and beyond. The white officer who shot Grant was charged with murder and convicted of involuntary manslaughter before serving a year in jail.

The killing made Grant a community icon, his face adorning murals and T-shirts. Though his death predated Black Lives Matter by a few years, his name is as bound to the movement as any of the dozens of black men who died after him.

But to Johnson, he is not a symbol or character in a movie. He was her son, and a decade after his death, the wound of that loss is still raw.

I was thinking about him all day on Thanksgiving, and coming up on the holidays, and the last time we talked, Johnson said two weeks before the anniversary of his death. It gets hard for me this time of year. Not that it isnt hard the rest of the year, because it is. I think about Oscar all the time.

Her sons death was brutally public: A gunshot in the back, recorded by fellow BART riders, the images going viral. And so her sorrow has been made public, too.

Johnson has warily embraced a macabre sort of celebrity over the past 10 years. She is the grieving mother: angry, sad, vulnerable, even forgiving. She is organizing vigils outside Fruitvale Station, or demanding that BART recognize her son in some way. She is sharing stories of the boy he was and the man she thought he would become.

Im going to be talking about Oscar until Im gone, Johnson said.

She tells people that the last time she saw her son was the night of her birthday on Dec. 31, 2008. She and Grant were at her mothers house in Hayward. He helped make gumbo. Before leaving to watch the fireworks in San Francisco, he wished her a happy day and said hed see her tomorrow.

Thats not actually the last time she saw him, though.

It may be more precise to say it was half a day later, when she held his hand and prayed with him while he lay bleeding at Highland Hospital in Oakland. She thinks he might have already been dead, with only machines keeping his heart beating.

Or maybe it was a year later, when she finally summoned the fortitude to watch a video from the night he was shot. Grant is on the platform at Fruitvale Station, sitting with his back to a wall with three friends. Hes telling them to stay calm, that theyll all be going home soon. Hes talking to the police, gesturing, looking frustrated or angry or scared  its hard to tell in the fuzzy, chaotic images.

He rises to his knees as police begin to arrest and handcuff him. Hes pushed hard to the ground, onto his chest, one officers knee pressed into his neck. A second officer stands, points his gun, and shoots Grant in the back.

There are multiple videos, taken from different angles. Johnson has watched them all. After she saw the first one, she couldnt stop. She would act out the scene in her head, imagining how it could have turned out differently.

Thats the very last I have of him, she said. And she needed to understand: What had her son done? Why had the officer shot him?

A decade on, and the answer is no clearer to her. The officer, Johannes Mehserle, who has since changed his name and is out of law enforcement, said at his trial that he shot Grant by accident, that hed meant to pull out his Taser and had drawn his pistol instead.

Johnson does not believe him. If she were to see Mehserle now  well, she says, with a stiff smile, she probably wouldnt recognize him. Its been years since she last saw him. But if he approached her, if they met, she would ask him why.

Three days after Mehserle was sentenced, in November 2010, another unarmed black man, Derrick Jones, was killed by police in Oakland. Grants relatives heard about the shooting while returning home from the court proceedings, which had been held in Los Angeles.

I felt like we had failed, said Cephus Johnson, Wandas brother. It was at that point I knew we had a lot of work to do.

Johnson, who had been Uncle Bobby to Grant, threw himself into activism. In public hes rarely seen without a hat or shirt bearing Grants name or face. His nephew, he said, is the flash point of a cause.

But even as strangers rallied around Grant, his family members were on their own to navigate the loss and anger. There was no national movement then, no lessons whispered from one mother to another about how to grieve and channel your fury and preserve your childs legacy.

Wanda Johnson was inundated with calls from lawyers, reporters and well-meaning friends, until finally she gave her phone to someone to screen for her. Grants uncles, aunt and cousins would show up at vigils and find themselves buoyed, but at times overwhelmed, by the community support.

Your loved one can be hijacked, Cephus Johnson said. I was in protective mode then. He was still my nephew.

Wanda and Cephus Johnson are the most involved of their family in activism to prevent police violence, and in the years since Grant was killed, they have stood beside more grieving mothers and fathers than they can name.

Wanda Johnson closes her eyes as Dianne Williams, I-PUSH and Prayer Warriors 4 Life, delivers the closing prayer during the 1000 Mothers to Prevent Violence 10th PURPLE Gala's, "An Evening of Healing and Remembrance," at St. Columba Catholic Church Hall in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, December 8, 2018. Johnson, who leads the Oscar Grant Foundation, delivered a prayer earlier at the event. Johnson's son, Oscar Grant, was fatally shot by a BART police officer on January 1, 2009. less Wanda Johnson closes her eyes as Dianne Williams, I-PUSH and Prayer Warriors 4 Life, delivers the closing prayer during the 1000 Mothers to Prevent Violence 10th PURPLE Gala's, "An Evening of Healing and ... more Photo: Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle Photo: Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close A decade later, Oscar Grants mother still seeks answers in his very public death 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

Cephus Johnson runs the Love Not Blood Campaign, working with families affected by violence. While Wanda Johnson has a full-time job  shes been with United Parcel Service in Hayward for 30 years, and commutes up to five hours round trip from her home in Tracy each day  she also runs the Oscar Grant Foundation, which tries to improve relations between police officers and the communities they serve.

She has pushed for better training, especially in de-escalating tense situations. When she can, she goes to police departments to talk to young officers. She tells them, Once you pull that trigger, that bullet doesnt come back. That life is gone.

And Wanda Johnson, like her brother, talks to families. Shes been an ordained minister since 2005, and after Grant died, her service turned toward guiding others through grief. She sits with them, cries with them, holds their hands, validates their anger.

It requires opening herself up to their pain, and to her own. Sometimes thats exactly what she needs to heal, she said. But its not often easy.

In December, she gave the opening prayer at the Purple Gala, a dinner in Oakland put on by the group 1,000 Mothers to Prevent Violence. About a hundred people gathered in a back room of St. Columba Catholic Church in Oakland, all families that had lost loved ones.

In her prayer, Johnson turned to Ecclesiastes: To every thing there is a season, she said. There is a time to mourn, which we have done, and theres a time to laugh, and God is restoring the laughter to us after all the hurt weve endured.

She held herself close that night, her eyes dry, her mouth a tight line. Several mothers stopped her for hugs, or sat to talk quietly with her. It was only as the evening wound down and the room emptied that she seemed to brighten a little.

She does the events because they are spiritually soothing, she said. There is comfort in the company of other women who understand her sorrow. And there is comfort in being the one to support them.

Keeping me busy is whats helping me, she said. So Im not just focused on him being gone.

For a long time after Grant died, Johnsons grief was impenetrable. She isolated herself from everyone. She would occasionally go to public events  rallies or vigils held in her sons name  but she was numb then, not really present.

In private, she wept and raged. Shed always believed that someday she and her son would have a ministry together, and she mourned that loss. She also festered with guilt. On the night he died, shed insisted he take BART instead of driving into San Francisco to watch the New Years Eve fireworks.

Her mother pulled her out of despair a year after Grant died. Its a story that has become family lore: Bonnie Johnson took the hands of her daughter, incapacitated by grief, and prayed with her.

Whos the God you believe in? her mother said. If you believe in God, and you preach about the God you believe in, then youve got to pick yourself up out of this and do what you need to do.

Johnson got out of bed and went back to work. She started answering her phone again. She started talking, and she hasnt stopped.

There are other stories, polished by repetition over the past decade in interviews, speeches and sermons. Johnson talks about her ministry, about how she believes her son is serving with her after all, just not in the way shed planned.

Mostly the stories she shares are about Grant. How he used to sing so loudly in church that Johnson had to shush him. How he once called his grandmother to get a fried fish recipe for a customer at the Oakland grocery store where he worked. How he had promised his daughter he would take her to Chuck E. Cheeses on New Years Day.

Not all of the family is public with their grief. Grants sister and many of his cousins dont like to speak of his death. His daughter, Tatiana, attends the vigils held every year for him and participates in events put on by the Oscar Grant Foundation, but has largely kept out of the public eye.

Johnson, though, is relentless in exposing her own pain. At times, thats played out in curious ways.

Two years ago, Johnson and three other mothers who had lost sons to violence were featured in a Beyonce video, and later they joined her at the MTV Video Music Awards. They met Beyonces husband, Jay-Z, and several other rap and R&B stars. Kanye West said Johnson reminded him of his own mom, who had died in 2007.

Its OK, Johnson told him when he teared up. Your mom loved you.

In the Bay Area, Johnson gets recognized in public sometimes, usually by people who know her face but arent quite sure why. When she tells them, most look abashed  what can be said to a woman made famous by the loss of her son? But some ask to take photos with her. She always agrees.

In the den of the Hayward home where Johnson grew up, her mother has covered the walls with framed photos of family members: wedding portraits and grade-school pictures, grandkids in graduation gowns. Grant has his own corner. Hes a sulky teenager in a hooded sweatshirt. Hes a young father, holding his toddler in his lap.

His father was already in prison by the time Grant was born, serving a life sentence for murder. Johnson says now that her son would have benefited from a more consistent male role model. But he was raised in a web of close family.

He spent almost as much time at his grandmothers house, around the corner from his high school, as he did with his mother. He was close to both of Johnsons parents, the only grandchild who was always eager to go fishing with his grandfather in the delta, the one who would mow their lawn or hang their Christmas lights without being asked.

Grant was outgoing, kind, impetuous at times. We used to have a lot of fights, Charmaine Johnson, his Aunt Cookie, said with a small smile. I mean, Id fuss at him all the time. But he was the strongest of the grandkids. The others all looked up to him.

He got in trouble, too. He dropped out of high school, though he earned his general equivalency diploma later. He was arrested five times in the four years before he died, including for dealing the party drug ecstasy. He had spent nearly two years total in jail.

In the first years after his death, Johnson and her siblings were constantly pushing back on an image of Grant as a criminal. It wasnt fair, and it wasnt true, they said.

Im not going to say he was perfect. He didnt get straight As. He and his friends were smoking their weed, Charmaine Johnson said. But he was becoming a man, she said. God gave me a chance to see that.

Sometimes I look at his picture and I wonder what hed be doing right now, she said.

Wanda Johnson will talk about what could have been if asked. But its not something she thinks about much.

Grant would have been 32 now. He would be the father of a teenage daughter. Beyond that  she can only imagine. Grant talked about moving out of Hayward with his daughter and his girlfriend, the mother of his child. He wanted to be there for his daughter, the way his father hadnt been for him. He wanted to get married. He wanted to become a barber.

He wanted another chance.

We all have our struggles, Johnson said. I believe Oscar would have overcome his if he had been given the opportunity. But his life was cut short.

On Monday, she turns 54. But her son will always be 22: the young black man on the BART platform, the face on a protest sign, the son who ate gumbo with his mom on her birthday and promised to talk to her the next day.

She talks to him every day, she said  not as the grown man he could have been, but as the young man she raised. When he was a child she used to call out to him at night to switch off the light in her room so she wouldnt have to get out of bed.

Oscar, you aint here to turn off my light, she says now. I need you to turn it out.

She talks to him in the car and at work and in her mothers kitchen. Or she visits his grave at Lone Tree Cemetery in Hayward. She prays with him. She asks his advice. She tells him she misses him.

Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @erinalldayRuobing Zheng had no work experience or English skills when she came to San Francisco from Shanghai in 2015. For more than a year she applied for job after job, hoping to find some place that would pay her enough to live in the Bay Area. Despite answering countless job postings, nothing worked.

But then a classmate in an English course she was taking at City College of San Francisco landed a job, after enrolling in a job training program hosted by the school and the nonprofit Self-Help for the Elderly.

Zheng followed suit in 2017 and started running from ESL practice to a third-floor room at the colleges Chinatown annex, one of the few places one can find industrial cleaning supplies, a hospital bed, a professional kitchen, bathroom and laundry room all in a studio-sized space.

She now works as a custodian for UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay.

Zheng is one of 539 students who have passed through a custodial training program funded by the citys Office of Economic and Workforce Development, City College and various nonprofits in the city. Nearly 90 percent of program graduates find work, which allows them to become self-sufficient and build a sense of dignity, said Marklin Alford, a City College commercial cleaning instructor.

You see all the hope written on their faces, Alford said. Its providing a gateway to enter the marketplace at a high level.

Having the certification from a community college  with ESL training to boot  qualifies students for higher-paying roles, which could double the minimum wage theyd earn with only a GED or limited English skills, according to program instructors.

At a graduation ceremony for the commercial cleaning program in late November, several students had already set up interviews in the coming weeks. Two had started training for new jobs.

Hai Yan Ma, a mother of two and restaurant worker, held up her certificate for a photo at the ceremony. She emigrated 14 years ago from Guangdong, China, in search of higher-paying work.

The restaurant pay is good, but theres no health insurance, Ma said.

She and her husband support their sons, her mother and in-laws on low-wage salaries. The certificate, she hopes, will make her a viable candidate for a promotion or better job.

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.

For this fiscal year, the Office of Economic and Workforce Development gave $645,000 to the nonprofit Self-Help for the Elderly, and it provided $1.7 million in funding for various job training programs across the city, including home health aide and culinary classes.

Carole Meagher, the extension director for City College, said those funds have a good return on investment because almost all of the students eventually find work in the hospitality and health care sectors  two of the citys biggest industries.

Zheng is still more comfortable speaking in Cantonese than English, so she relies on a saved email full of tips and phrases to help with conversations. But she now has a stable job and feels adapted to American life.

She credited the program as the jump-start she needed to get into the workforce.

A lot of people who started at the hospital when I did left because they complained about the labor and wanting to find higher-paying jobs, Zheng said, But what else can you do when you dont know much English?

Gwendolyn Wu is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: gwendolyn.wu@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @gwendolynawuA 16-year-old San Francisco girl with a big heart is tying up some loose ends for Santa Claus.

Maddie Johnson got into the Santa business by happenstance this week, when she spotted 14 boxes full of discarded holiday gifts in a San Francisco parking lot. All of them were apparently stolen by that modern-day varlet known as a porch pirate, a thief who swipes delivered packages off peoples doorsteps.

I couldnt just let them sit there, Maddie said. These were peoples Christmas presents. And it was starting to rain.

It seems the miscreant decided that the contents of the stolen parcels  childrens books, wedding pictures, Chinese herbal medicines  werent worth fencing. So the thief dumped the ripped-open boxes Monday in the Stern Grove parking lot. Maddie, who had come to Stern Grove to walk her dog, loaded the parcels into the trunk of her moms car. While her friends and family were enjoying the holiday break, she set out on the tedious task of delivering the gifts to the addresses on the boxes.

It seemed like the right thing to do, Maddie said. Id want somebody to do this for me.

Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

Block by block Wednesday, she went through the outer Sunset District. It was hard work. People dont always answer a strangers knock, at Christmas or any other time.

Maddie rang the bell of a house on 44th Avenue, and a woman inside the home refused to come to the door.

Oh well, said Maddie, and she slipped contents of the box  six books  beneath the metal gate, one by one. It was an act of diligence that, if it was what the FedEx person had done from the start, would have allowed the porch pirate no packages to pirate.

A few blocks away, things got better.

Herbert Lau was home and answered the door, and Maddie gave him his Chinese herbal remedies  all 1,000 capsules of mushroom extract shipped from Hong Kong. Lau said he needed it for various ailments that affect a fellow in his eighth decade. Laus wife, Grace, gave Maddie a box of cookies in gratitude. Then it was off to the next house.

The neighborhood online bulletin board Nextdoor is full of reports about porch piracy and the laments of residents whose deliveries never came. San Francisco police report that larceny is actually down in San Francisco over the previous year  the first 10 months of 2018 showed a 9 percent decrease from a similar period in 2017. The holidays, of course, are peak season for porch pirates. Its not yet known if thefts of delivered packages were up or down in the last month of the year.

Alex Bastian, a spokesman for the San Francisco district attorneys office, said an increase in online purchases has resulted in much more opportunity for this particular crime than ever before. Online shoppers, he added, should consider having packages delivered to mail drops, lockers or their workplace, or require a signature for delivery.

Karen Myers said she had been meditating Wednesday afternoon when the doorbell rang. Maddie gave her back photographs taken at her nieces wedding.

Oh my God, said Myers. This is beyond special. This gives you faith in mankind. You saved Christmas.

She gave Maddie a hug.

Emily Pierceall accepted her roommates package containing the blouse and jacket she figured were lost forever. Eric Hill got back the childrens book about Dog Man that he had bought for his son. (The book tells the tale of how the heroic Dog Man, part dog and part man, gets framed by some fleas and ends up in jail, which is perhaps where the porch pirate who took the book ought to be, Maddie said.)

Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

In between deliveries, Maddie pondered what makes a porch pirate.

Maybe he was poor and needed money, Maddie said. I feel bad for him, but youre not supposed to take things that dont belong to you. Theres never an excuse for that.

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.

When Maddie rang her final doorbell for the evening, on 46th Avenue, Ki Gaines and her husband, Greg Lukens, came to the door. In Lukens arms was the couples 5-month-old daughter, Esme. Maddie handed the parents their ripped-open box  a bunch of stuff from Esmes 70-year-old great-aunt, who lives in Colorado. Inside were baby clothes, ornaments, magazines, a handmade card and clipped-out horoscopes predicting Esmes future, as the great-aunt is a great believer in astrology. Gaines read one of the the horoscopes to Esme.

Be careful when asking questions, she said. Tonight, listen to good music.

Esme harkened to her fate and said nothing.

Also in the box was a ripped-open package of chocolate. Apparently the bad guy had eaten a few pieces, there being no bottom to his depravity.

Gaines and Lukens gave Maddie a hug, too. The Good Samaritan got a lot of hugs, and maybe a few blisters on her feet.

Maddie, a junior at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory high school, said the package deliveries kept her from completing her homework, an essay about the Bill of Rights, but it was worth it. Shes learning about the Ten Commandments instead of the first 10 amendments. Someone did what the rules say they shalt not, but Maddies feeling good about the outcome, plus she got a tin of cookies.

All that was left after the first round of deliveries were five packages.

Ill get it done, she said. Its important to these people. If I was in the same situation, Id want a stranger to do the same thing for me.

Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SteveRubeSFA day laborer with gang affiliations and past arrests for drunken driving, who was in the country illegally, was captured outside Bakersfield in the high-profile killing of a Stanislaus County police officer, officials announced Friday.

But while the arrest of Gustavo Perez Arriaga, 32, ended a statewide manhunt in Wednesdays killing of Newman police Cpl. Ronil Singh, revelations about the suspects immigration status and criminal history reignited criticism of Californias sanctuary state policy.

At a news conference Friday, Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson echoed President Trumps calls for stricter border security as he railed against the states sanctuary law. The policy, pushed by Democrats and signed in 2017 as SB54, prohibits local law enforcement from notifying or sharing detained immigrants information with federal immigration agents, when they are not accused of serious criminal charges.

Christianson, a Republican, has been a vocal critic of the policy and met with President Trump at the White House in May to speak out about the bill. The sheriff appears in a YouTube video posted by the White House seated beside Trump during the meeting.

On Friday, the sheriff said, The last thing in the world I want to do is politicize the death of officer Singh. He then used the case to criticize Californias law and suggested it led to the deadly encounter.

More for you Deputies search for suspect accused of killing Newman officer

We were prohibited  law enforcement was prohibited because of sanctuary laws and that led to the encounter with officer Singh, Christianson said at Fridays news conference. The outcome could have been different if law enforcement wasnt restricted, prohibited, or had their hands tied because of political interference.

Christianson never said when Arriaga was arrested, but records show  and officials confirmed  that he was picked up for a DUI in Madera County on June 5, 2014  years before the states sanctuary law prohibited local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

It was unclear Friday whether officials in Madera County knew of Arriagas immigration status or alerted immigration authorities.

It was in Madera County that Chowchilla police arrested Arriaga on a speeding violation on June 5, 2014, and found he was driving with a blood alcohol level of more than .08 percent and without a license, Chowchilla Police Chief David Riviere said Friday. At the time, Arriaga also had a warrant out for his arrest for driving unlicensed and having no insurance, Riviere told The Chronicle.

As far as immigration status, I can tell you we do not ask those questions. We have no reason to, Riviere said. He was stopped for a traffic violation and found to be DUI.

It also remained unclear Friday whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had ever encountered, arrested or deported Arriaga. Because of the government shutdown, ICE officials were unavailable Friday for comment on the case.

Christianson said he did not know if Arriaga had ever been deported.

Were not here to enforce federal immigration law  thats not our job, Christianson said at the news conference. But law enforcement should be able to turn people over to ICE who are gang members who victimize and exploit others.

The sheriffs comments came a day after Trump seized on the killing in his fight over border security and demanded Congress fund a U.S.-Mexico wall. The fight has been at the center of the government shutdown that began on Dec. 22.

There is right now a full scale manhunt going on in California for an illegal immigrant accused of shooting and killing a police officer during a traffic stop, Trump wrote on Twitter. Time to get tough on Border Security. Build the Wall!

Supporters of Californias policy pushed back on Christiansons pointed statements Friday, underscoring that the law was written to encourage cooperation between law enforcement and immigrants, who may be reluctant to come forward if they are crime victims.

This situation is more about what this persons state of mind was and how he got into this situation, and it has less to do with the fact that hes not a citizen, said Bill Hing, a San Francisco immigration attorney and University of San Francisco law professor.

Arriaga  a day laborer who worked at miscellaneous farms and dairies around the Central Valley  surrendered early Friday outside a house surrounded by SWAT officers on the 8200 block of Brooks Lane just south of Bakersfield in the town of Lamont (Kern County), officials said. Authorities said he was fleeing to his native Mexico when he was captured.

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.

Arriaga allegedly shot Singh  a 33-year-old husband and father of a 5-month-old boy  during a DUI stop around 1 a.m. Wednesday in Newman. Singh, too, immigrated to the United States, but he came legally from Fiji to pursue a lifelong dream of becoming a police officer.

Singhs younger brother Reggie and other family members stood alongside the Stanislaus County sheriffs officials at Fridays news conference.

Ronil Singh was my older brother. Yes, hes not coming back, but theres a lot of people out there that miss him and a lot of law enforcement people that I dont know, who worked days and nights to make this happen, Reggie Singh said through tears. Id like to thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said six people were in the home when Arriaga was arrested including some children. Deputies arrested three Bakersfield residents there on suspicion of aiding and abetting Arriaga. They are Bernabe Madrigal Casteneda, 59, Erasmo Villegas, 36, and Maria Luisa Moreno, 57.

The Stanislaus County Sheriffs Department additionally arrested Arriagas brother, 25-year-old Adrian Virgen, and a co-worker, Erik Razo Quiroz, 27, on suspicion of aiding Arriagas attempted escape from the country.

They intentionally lied to us, Christianson said of of the latter two suspects. They tried to divert us off the investigation. They misled us. They provided information that was false all in an attempt to protect their brother.

Arriaga was a known associate of the Sureno street gang, Christianson said, and was pictured on one of his various Facebook pages posing with a gun and machete.

Deputies brought Singhs handcuffs down to Kern County to place on Arriaga before he was transported to jail in Stanislaus County.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Lauren Hernandez contributed to this report.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffskyA Mountain View man and his sister are in custody for allegedly smuggling Guatemalan citizens as part of a sex and labor trafficking operation, officials said Friday.

Carlos Garza, who also went by the names Gabino Galvez and Mynor Tobar, allegedly promised migrants that they would live a safer life in the United States but instead worked with coyotes, or smugglers, in Central America to get the victims into the U.S.

Police said that once the migrants arrived in Silicon Valley, Garza and and his sister, Evelia De Maria Galvez, intimidated and threatened the victims to prevent them from speaking with law enforcement.

In October, Mountain View police came to Garzas two-bedroom apartment on the 1900 block of Latham Street multiple times in one week on reports of child abuse, threatening a woman and child with a gun, and attempted sexual assault of a teenage girl, said Katie Nelson, a spokeswoman for the Mountain View Police Department.

At least one teenage girl had been repeatedly sexually assaulted by Garza and other men, who paid him to have sex with the victim, police said. Detectives in October found a dozen people living at the home who told them about the human trafficking operations.

Four human trafficking victims have been identified so far, Nelson said.

Their immigration statuses will in no way be impacted, nor will it impact what types of services they receive, Nelson said.

Victims of human trafficking are offered resources and taken into protective custody.

Santa Clara Superior Court documents allege that the human trafficking operations dated back to February. Mountain View police arrested Garza and Galvez on Dec. 20.

Human trafficking case investigations take time, Nelson said.

Detectives can face difficulty getting victims to come forward, finding translators for victims and finding the time to work the caseloads, she added.

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Garza faces four counts of felony human trafficking and Galvez faces two counts of being an accessory to a crime and attempting to dissuade a witness by use or threat of force, according to court documents.

Gwendolyn Wu is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: gwendolyn.wu@

sfchronicle.com Twitter: @gwendolynawuLANSING, Mich.  Two Michigan environmental regulators implicated in the Flint water scandal pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor this week in exchange for more serious charges being dropped, bringing to six the number of officials who have agreed to such deals.

Stephen Busch pleaded no contest to disturbing a public meeting, and Michael Prysby pleaded no contest to a count of violating Michigans Safe Drinking Water Act. They had been charged with felonies, but those charges and others were dismissed under the terms of their deals that also require them to testify against others, if needed.The legal marijuana market, so long a twinkle in the eye of the cannabis cognoscenti, has hit hard times in California, where high prices, red tape and competition from the black market have cast a pall over what was supposed to be a triumphant first year of recreational sales.

The cost of legalization was so high in 2018 that hundreds of growers and retailers went out of business, the number of available products spiraled down, tax revenues from sales fell below projections and the black market revved up, according to industry officials and business representatives.

It was, said one insider, death by a thousand cuts. And the drip, drip continued this month with the recall of thousands of pounds of marijuana, extracts and products after a Sacramento laboratory was caught faking test results for 22 pesticides over a four-month period.

The reality is, this isn't working out the way that anyone hoped, said Hezekiah Allen, the chairman of Emerald Grown, a co-op made up of about 100 licensed growers mostly north of San Francisco. Its looking like some of the worst fears of the (cannabis) business community are being realized.

Legal sales of recreational cannabis started with great hoopla on Jan. 1 as the state attempted to transform the semi-regulated medical marijuana market into a multibillion-dollar industry. But the costs of setting up, licensing, testing and packaging requirements have proved a heavy burden, and revenues havent flowed in as expected.

The year-end tax revenues havent been tabulated, but third-quarter figures show California falling well short of the $630 million from recreational marijuana sales that Gov. Jerry Brown predicted in budget documents. As of November, $234.2 million in taxes had been paid to the state in cultivation, excise and sales taxes, according to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration.

There is reason for some optimism. Tax revenue from sales has improved over the year, jumping from $60.9 million in the first three months of the year to $80.2 million in the second quarter and $93.1 million in the third quarter. But, overall, cannabis sales have been lackluster.

Its a problem for the state because the tax revenues are used to pay for cannabis research, addiction prevention and law enforcement, including the hoped-for eradication of the illegal market that is siphoning away money.

Many growers, retailers and consumers around the state believe it is a systemic problem, starting with the 15 percent excise tax and snowballing as cities and counties tack on charges.

When all the charges are added up, including cultivation taxes, they amount to about 40 percent of the cost of the goods, merchants say. Meanwhile, the wholesale price for marijuana has dropped over the past year, from around $2,000 a pound to about $500, further reducing profits.

Amy Osborne / Special to The Chronicle 2018

Steve DeAngelo, a co-founder of Oaklands Harborside marijuana dispensary, said as many as 90 percent of the 500 growers he did business with last year and a dozen legacy dispensaries  longtime operators that formed the foundation of the medical marijuana industry  have gone out of business.

I look back on this year and think of it as the agony and the ecstasy, DeAngelo said. On the one hand, its the culmination of my lifes work, but on the other hand weve seen the destruction of a very special, unique, eclectic and colorful culture.

The focus now seems to be on making the recreational market viable, but efforts to ease the tax burden, including proposals to cut excise taxes from 15 percent to 11 percent, have gotten little traction.

Meanwhile, growers say, the cost of being in the business is astronomical. Business licenses cost anywhere from $1,205 for a permit to grow 25 outdoor plants to $77,905 for a 22,000-square-foot indoor plantation. Growers and manufacturers also have to pay for lab testing to assure regulators that the marijuana is free of pesticides, chemicals and toxins.

Packaging is another big expense. All smokable and edible cannabis must be in child-resistant containers and affixed with labels that outline potency and dosage amounts. There are also strict protocols on how to transport, distribute and dispose of excess or defective marijuana.

Every farmer I know is struggling, said Nikki Lastreto, who with her husband, Swami Chaitanya, grows their signature brand Swami Select on a remote farm near Laytonville (Mendocino County). Im really proud to say we are still in this game because its been tough.

Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

Making matters worse is a statewide backlog in processing licenses. Industry officials estimate that only about 10 percent of growers who have applied for licenses have gotten them. This has led to a shortage in the number and variety of products on store shelves.

I don't know any consumers who are satisfied with the prices or products compared to how it was a year ago, said Dale Gieringer, the director of the California branch of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML.

It doesnt help that almost all transactions have to be done in cash because most banks wont take on a business that is still considered illegal by the federal government.

To avoid the hassle, as many as two-thirds of California communities have prohibited the cultivation, distribution and sale of the herb. Most of the 110 cities and counties in the Bay Area, including San Francisco, are in the business, but liberal Marin County joined their more conservative brethren and rejected storefront sales.

While the legal market contracts, the sale of bootleg marijuana is going strong, especially around Mendocino, Humboldt and Trinity counties, known as the Emerald Triangle, where as much as 80 percent of the illegal pot sold in other states is produced.

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.

Unfortunately, and contrary to the wishes of California, the unrolling of legal adult-use cannabis has reinvigorated the underground market rather than curtailed it, DeAngelo said.

Law enforcement agencies have been trying to crack down on the illegal pot trade, but there are not enough resources in the state to track and bust every lawbreaker.

Its an increasing problem, said Ruthann Ziegler, a Sacramento lawyer and member of the Cannabis Regulatory Committee of the League of California Cities. The degree of enforcement varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

Complicating matters are online services like Weedmaps.com, which provide information about marijuana dispensaries and call-in order and delivery services, many of which are unlicensed. Lawyers for Weedmaps have so far thwarted efforts by the state Bureau of Cannabis Control to stop the website from promoting illegal retailers. They argue that the website has a First Amendment right to operate and that the state cannot regulate a website it doesnt license.

The shakeout in the industry may not be all bad, say some stakeholders.

Lauren Fraser, the executive director with the Cannabis Distribution Association, said the recent closure of Sacramentos Sequoia Analytical Labs for falsifying pesticide tests was an important signal to operators that they need to play fair.

There have been a lot of growing pains this year, but these are the kinds of situations that need to be addressed, Fraser said.

And even as small farmers are struggling, cannabis commerce as a whole is showing signs of picking up. Tobacco, alcohol and pharmaceutical companies have bought into or invested in marijuana products and businesses and are threatening to replace the old hippie tie-dye with white collars and tie clips.

The recently passed U.S. Farm Bill permits the industrial production of cannabis hemp, potentially opening up an entirely new marketplace for marijuana growers.

Erich Pearson, the founder of the San Francisco Patient and Resource Center, or SPARC, the largest cannabis retail shop in the city, believes cannabis commerce will eventually reach equilibrium and begin to look more like the beer and wine industries.

If you look at alcohol, you see there is still an appreciation for small-batch products, so I think youll see that, said Pearson, who also runs an organic pot farm in Sonoma County. Unfortunately right now the regulations are just too much for the smaller businesses. A lot of them will have to go away and come back later.

Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @pfimriteThe push to create a public banking system for cannabis commerce in California fizzled Thursday after a state task force concluded that such a facility would be so legally risky and expensive it would be essentially unworkable.

The 151-page feasibility report, commissioned by the 18-member Cannabis Banking Working Group, said it would take at least six years to create a cannabis bank and would require state laws to be changed, and that it ultimately couldnt be done anyway without approval from the federal government, which considers marijuana an illegal drug.

State Treasurer John Chiang, the chairman of the working group, ordered the cost-benefit analysis in an effort to find a way to ease the burden for marijuana merchants, who have been forced to use cash because most banks wont open accounts for them while the federal government maintains that marijuana is illegal.

While California and 33 other states have legalized the sale of marijuana, the federal government lists the herb as a Schedule 1 drug, defined as meaning it has no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.

The report, released during a public hearing at the State Capitol on Thursday, reinforces the inconvenient reality that a definitive solution will remain elusive until the federal government takes action, Chiang said. They must either remove cannabis from its official list of banned narcotics or approve safe harbor legislation that protects banks serving cannabis businesses from prosecution.

Instead of creating a bank, which the report said would pose unacceptable risks, the analysts recommended the state work with the cannabis industry to improve access to existing banking services.

The lack of banking for marijuana retailers complicates the states efforts to collect taxes from the industry. Every month, thousands of business owners head to the tax collectors office with piles of cash in shopping bags and suitcases.

Industry leaders estimate that 70 percent of marijuana merchants in the state are using cash to pay employees, suppliers and Californias new 15 percent cannabis tax. As revenue increases, larger stacks of money will have to be lugged to the tax collector, making business owners vulnerable to theft, robbery and extortion.

It is not only unfair, but a public safety risk to require a legal industry to haul duffel bags of cash to pay taxes, employees and utility bills, Chiang said. The reliance on cash has painted a target on the backs of cannabis operators.

The feasibility study concluded that it would cost $35 million over six years to start a cannabis bank and then require an initial $1 billion in capital investment. The bank would then probably lose money for 12 years before it could begin repaying what was invested, and California would not be able to collect dividends for 25 to 30 years, according to the report.

Even if a bank could be created, the report said, there is a high probability that federal regulators would not approve it. If they did, the analysis said, chances are that marijuana would become legal federally before the bank could even get started, causing the entire investment to go to waste.

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.

History hasnt been good to public banks in the United States.

From 1917 to 2017, 29 public banks were chartered in the United States, and only the Bank of North Dakota and the recently created Territorial Bank of American Samoa have survived, analysts said. Neither of those banks caters to operations that the federal government considers illegal.

The analysts also looked at and rejected the idea of having the state purchase a private bank, create a public credit union or develop a cryptocurrency system for the cannabis industry.

Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimriteCalifornias lawsuit challenging the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 census will go to trial in San Francisco as scheduled Jan. 7, despite the Trump administrations request for a postponement because of the government shutdown.

With budget legislation stalled over President Trumps insistence on funding for a wall at the Mexican border, 420,000 federal employees are being required to work without pay. But the Justice Department, whose main source of funds was cut off, has asked federal judges nationwide to delay proceedings in numerous lawsuits.

The department cited a 1982 law that prohibits federal employees from performing voluntary services for the government, except in emergencies involving the safety of human life or the protection of property.

Many judges have granted postponements. But one who refused was U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg of San Francisco, who on Wednesday gave a terse response  Denied  to the Justice Departments request to delay the census trial until funding was restored.

The ruling allows us to move forward in our fight to ensure a fair and accurate 2020 census, said state Attorney General Xavier Becerra. Californias suit was joined by several local governments, including Los Angeles city and county, Oakland, Fremont, Stockton and Long Beach.

The Justice Department did not immediately comment on the order, but said in court papers that it will move ahead with the trial if a postponement is denied.

Seeborgs decision means government lawyers would not be performing voluntary services by taking part in the trial. The calendar is also a concern, because the census forms are scheduled to go to the printer in July.

In any request for a stay, you have to balance factors, like whos going to suffer irreparable harm, said Rory Little, a professor at UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco and a former Justice Department lawyer. Its normally not a valid reason to stay an action if the lawyers are not getting paid.

The last time the once-per-decade census included a question about whether someone is a U.S. citizen was in 1950. The state, and others challenging the addition, say the question would intimidate immigrant families and reduce participation, and thus the population count, in communities with large numbers of migrants.

California, the lawsuit said, would lose congressional representation, one or more electoral votes, and billions of dollars in federal aid, all based on population counts.

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.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, whose department oversees the Census Bureau, has said citizenship information would help the government enforce the Voting Rights Acts protections for racial minorities by aiding in the design of election districts where minorities made up a majority of eligible voters.

But plaintiffs have uncovered documents showing that Ross proposed the addition before hearing from the Justice Department.

The citizenship question is also being challenged in a suit filed in New York by 18 states, led by New York, and a half dozen cities including San Francisco. U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman presided over a nonjury trial this fall but has not yet issued a ruling. The Supreme Court, meanwhile, has blocked the plaintiffs attempts to question Ross under oath but has denied the Trump administrations request to halt the New York case.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelkoIt has been a pivotal year for both the restaurant industry and the journalists who cover it. While dozens of high-profile investigations uncovered harassment, wage theft and other abuse in the food world, American restaurant criticism also took a notable shift.

Nyum Bai, a humble Cambodian noodle shop in Oakland run by first-time restaurateur Nite Yun, was the Bay Areas most decorated restaurant. Yun started the year as a Chronicle Rising Star and was then celebrated by national media outlets like the New York Times, Bon Appetit and Eater, among others. Usually, restaurants that snag such praise are high-end spots, not those with prices under $20.

When we looked at our favorite restaurants of the year, we saw more singularity with creative pasta, mezze platters and pozole verde than with rote tasting menus and tweezer food. Thats not to say high-end dining is absent  two of the most expensive new spots in Palo Alto and San Francisco made our list  but theres certainly a wider range across the spectrum of price, accessibility and culture.

To me, theres a similarity here to the music worlds poptimism movement of the early 2000s. In 2004, New York Times music critic Kelefa Sanneh penned an influential piece arguing that pop music  be it country or hip-hop  deserved the same critical respect (and hence, ink) as the rock genre that had dominated the discourse for decades.

In a similar sense, so much (though not all!) of mainstream food media has been traditionally focused on upscale dining. This is changing, and its time to afford the same respect to all genres.

 Paolo Lucchesi, plucchesi@sfchronicle

Paul Chinn / The Chronicle

Nyum Bai

Nite Yun opened Nyum Bai in Fruitvale simply hoping it would draw the same crowds it did when it was a pop-up in the Mission three years ago. Then came the national accolades. People started gathering outside her Oakland restaurant for kuy teav, cha bai and her version of Cambodian soul food. Nyum Bai, seemingly overnight, became one of those rare places where its earnestness was a tangible, and beneficial, component of the business. With classic recipes as the backbone of the menu and a pastel-hued dining room inspired by Cambodias golden era of the the 50s and 60s, Nyum Bai feels uniquely personal. Its food, even more so.  Justin Phillips

3340 E. 12th St., Suite 11, Oakland. 510-500-3338 or www.nyumbai.com. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat.; and noon-8 p.m. Sun.

Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle

Yuanbao Jiaozi

If you spend a lot of time in Bay Area Chinese restaurants, youve probably noticed that the 2010s have been the decade of the dumpling: Its impossible to count, let alone visit, all the tiny shops that have appeared with short menus of boiled Northern Chinese dumplings, hand-pulled noodles and small, cold dishes. With most of these places, a good line of communication between you and the waiter is essential, or youll never know which dumplings the cooks are furiously folding as you sit there and which will be pulled out from the freezer and dumped in hot water. Yuanbao Jiaozi doesnt just introduce San Franciscans to dumpling flavors from the far northeast of China  the fish and green pepper and pork with three flavors are particularly delicious  it recognizes that the crew of white-aproned cooks stuffing dumplings to order yields smoother, more tender wrappers and fillings with prismatic flavors.  Jonathan Kauffman

2110 Irving St., San Francisco. 415-702-6506. Lunch and dinner Wed.-Mon.

Jessica Christian / The Chronicle

Soba Ichi

In this economic climate, restaurants that specialize in one or two dishes  pho, tacos, sushi  might be a perilous enterprise. Are there enough diners who want just one thing? Theyre lining up outside Soba Ichi, in a West Oakland architects compound, not just for soba noodles but, more specifically, the gift of chef Koichi Ishiis single-minded attention. Ishii grinds Washington-grown buckwheat daily, mixes the dough with his fingers, and rolls and cuts the noodles himself with the focus of a man free-climbing El Capitan. Ishii isnt just introducing American diners to traditional Japanese artisanship, hes practicing a craft that is dying out in Japan. His noodles, whether spilled onto a woven mat or floated in clear broth, unveil subtleties in flavor and texture that will never come out of a plastic packet.  J.K.

2311 Magnolia St., Oakland, www.sobaichioakland.com. See website for hours. Closed Jan. 1-15, 2019, then will reopen with new schedule: dinner Wed.-Fri.; and lunch and dinner Sat.-Sun.

Jessica Christian / The Chronicle

Angler

Angler, Joshua Skenes follow-up to his Michelin three-star Saison, is perhaps the years most polarizing restaurant. Detractors will likely start with its prices, which push the envelope for a downtown power restaurant, with $40 fried rabbit and $55 petrale sole. But few will be able to quibble with its deliciousness. In an era where the same hamachi crudo starters and grilled shishito peppers seem to proliferate on every menu, Angler represents the rare restaurant that truly serves original, beautiful and genre-defining dishes. Seafood is billed as the specialty, but its the fire-kissed vegetable dishes, like the embered tomatoes or XO radicchio, that truly break the mold. Dinner for two will likely cost $200 to $300, but hey, thats still half the cost of Saison.  P.L.

132 The Embarcadero, San Francisco. 415-872-9442 or www.anglerrestaurants.com. Dinner nightly.

Jen Fedrizzi / Special to The Chronicle

Dyafa

Dyafa, a dazzling 105-seat waterfront jewel in Jack London Square, was inspired by Reems California, a small Arab bakery in the shadow of a train station about 3 miles away. If Reem Assil, the woman behind both projects, rose to prominence with the bakery, which specializes in fresh flatbreads, then Dyafa is her more formal showcase. The Dyafa menu emphasizes mezze spreads, including labneh and muhammara (roasted red pepper and walnut dip), just like Reems California. Here, theres also a host of large plates and much more, like stuffed squid, spiced lamb and creative cocktails that are among the best in all of Oakland.  J.P.

44 Webster St, Oakland. 510-250-9491 or www.dyafaoakland.com. Lunch and dinner daily.

Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle

Likha

The conversation expressed in Bobby Punla and Jan Dela Pazs Filipino American food isnt just between their childhoods (in Richmond and Manila, respectively) and their training at Michelin-starred restaurants. With their short-rib kare kare and salmon sinigang, the two chefs are having a dialogue with an entire generation of young cooks working at restaurants like New Yorks Maharlika, D.C.s Bad Saint and Los Angeles Lasa. Punla and Dela Paz met on the line at Oaklands Ramen Shop and found a space inside Trung Trans newest bar, Hometown Heroes, in the spring. Is Likha a pop-up or is it a restaurant? In a year when Alameda County cracked down on traveling restaurants and then decided they were worth legalizing, Likhas seven-day-a-week kitchen is mostly the latter. More than that: Likha is a reminder that the greatness of the Bay Areas food scene depends on cooks who put more care into their food than their settings merit.  J.K.

4000 Adeline St., Emeryville. www.likhaeats.com. Dinner daily. Brunch Sat.-Sun.

Jen Fedrizzi / Special to The Chronicle

FOB Kitchen

The aroma of FOB Kitchens pork adobo fills its dining room, accentuated by pancit, its red cabbage and green beans intertwined in a tussle of glass noodles. If an aromatic soundtrack can exist in a restaurant, then FOB Kitchen plays a rotating compilation of Filipino foods greatest hits. The restaurants diners rarely stray from what they love, which is part of the reason the menu is as compact as it is. Run by Brandi and Janice Dulce (pictured), FOB Kitchen is a standard bearer for traditional recipes in the Bay Areas growing Filipino food scene. Though the adobo and lumpia are crowd-pleasers, expect the shops aromatic soundtrack to only grow as time passes.  J.P.

5179 Telegraph Ave, Oakland. 415-644-8149 or www.fobkitchen.com. Dinner 5-10 p.m. Wed.-Fri. Brunch Sat.-Sun.

Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle

Stonemill Matcha

Sometimes beauty hits when you least expect it. In this case, its at a seemingly innocuous cafe in the Mission that specializes in matcha. The former Bar Tartine site has been transformed into a serene space outfitted in blond woods and natural light. Its the Japanese-inspired pastries and beverages, though, that show incredible levels of thoughtfulness. Pastry chef Mikiko Yui showcases matcha in a variety of forms, with some viennoiserie help from the Tartine crew, all for a few bucks each: croissants, tarts, cream puffs, cookies. Savory offerings are led by chicken okayu and katsu sandwiches. Stonemill is a reminder that restaurant aesthetics  be it the room, vibe or drink  will always matter.  P.L.

561 Valencia St., San Francisco. 415-796-3876 or www.stonemillmatcha.com. Daily 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

Protege

For some reason, all the stock options in Silicon Valley havent funded a high-end Peninsula dining scene to rival San Franciscos. Instead, the regions culinary genius resides, Los Angeles-like, in the sisig platters of Daly City and San Bruno, and in the tacos and birria bowls of Redwood City and east Menlo Park. But Protege, opened by French Laundry alumni Dennis Kelly and Anthony Secviar, marks the crest of a wave that has also brought Wursthall to San Mateo, Camper to Menlo Park, and Maum and Taverna to Palo Alto. The formality of Kellys service and Secviars opulent food  available a la carte or as a $120 tasting menu  are tailored to the handsome cream-on-wood interior. (Speaking of tailoring, the servers would make a GQ editor grab his pocket square to dab at a tear.) But the dishes are as playful as they are precise. Also, theres a dessert cart. A dessert cart!  J.K.

250 S. California Ave., Palo Alto; 650-494-4181 or www.protegepaloalto.com. Dinner Tue.-Sat.

Amy Osborne / Special to The Chronicle

Isla Vida

Jay Fosters Afro-Caribbean menu at Isla Vida is San Franciscos best soul food history lesson. The historically black Fillmore neighborhood where the restaurant opened in October was once home to a thriving business corridor. African American-owned bars, bookstores, barbershops and, notably, restaurants once thrived in the community. Over time, the citys black population has diminished. Subsequently, so have the black-owned businesses. Meanwhile, stalwarts like Foster have found the climate increasingly difficult, evident in Fosters Farmerbrown closing in the Tenderloin. Now, Isla Vida represents the citys most prominent restaurant highlighting the nuance and journey of soul food. Its a new culinary chapter for San Franciscos restaurant scene, an entry defined through African and Caribbean flavors  Jamaican jerk chicken, guava, tostones and maduros.  J.P.

1325 Fillmore St., San Francisco. 415-678-5171 or www.islavidasf.com. 11 a.m.- 8 p.m. Tue.-Sun.

Amy Osborne / Special to The Chronicle

Prairie

Prairie is a flavorful conundrum in an Instagram-friendly dining world. The new Italian restaurant in the Mission from chef-owner Anthony Strong (pictured) serves a dish of pappardelle with the noodles folded across each other haphazardly in a bowl with creme fraiche, Parmesan and tender, braised beef cheek. The flavors are outstanding, but photo-friendly its not. The same can be said about Prairies lamb meatballs, grilled and served with Tunisian-style flatbread. Brought to the table on a skewer resting in a shallow pool of oil and tomato sauce, the dish has a startling appearance. But like the pappardelle, taste trumps looks.  J.P.

3431 19th St., San Francisco. 415-483-1112 or www.prairiesf.com. Dinner Tue.-Sun.

John Storey/Special to the Chronicle

El Pipila

It seems like San Franciscans have consumed El Pipilas pozole verde across the city: slurped from disposable bowls at Off the Grid gatherings, or with a group at a communal table at a short-lived food hall on Market Street. These days, the pozole of Guadalupe Guerrero (pictured)  a family recipe made with a rich pork stock base and punctuated by an acidic bite of pureed tomatillos  is consumed at a stark white counter in the dining room of her new restaurant in San Franciscos Design District, where she also serves tacos, sopes and tostadas. El Pipilas setting may have changed but its cooking has not. Thats all that matters.  J.P.

879 Brannan St., San Francisco. www.elpipila.com. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon-Fri.

John Storey

Che Fico

This year, Divisaderos new Italian hot spot accomplished something that seems to happen only every few years: A smart restaurant opens, and its popularity immediately permeates the restaurant culture then reaches the citys pop culture. It becomes the restaurant that everyone asks about. The restaurant that draws lines down the block before its doors open. The restaurant where there are no reservations to be found. This last happened with State Bird, and before that, Nopa. And like those spots, Che Fico is worth the hype. In a stunning, bustling second-story space, chef David Nayfeld and chef de cuisine Evan Allumbaugh serve their renditions of Cal-Italian food. Everything is tethered to tradition  be it handmade pasta or pineapple pizza  but made fresh for the 21st century.  P.L.

838 Divisadero St., San Francisco. 415-416-6959 or www.chefico.com. Dinner Tue.-Sat.After two years in Jackson Square, designer fashion boutique Pia the Store will be closing in January. The announcement was made via the boutiques Instagram account @piathestore on Dec. 26. The notice thanked followers for making this store one of the top shopping destinations in San Francisco.

Pia was opened by former corporate attorney Pia ien Cohler in September 2016 as the Jackson Square neighborhood was going through the early stages of a retail renaissance. Cohler plans to return to law in 2019 to work with the Innocence Project.

Although the stores six full-time employees were notified by Cohler months ahead of the closing, store director Shannon Jett said she was shocked by the news initially. The store was showing tremendous sales growth, Jett said. We were up 30 percent in sales this fall. We were building a brand.

But why shut down a business not only growing in sales but quickly building a reputation as a San Francisco retail hot spot? The simple answer? Pia the woman was over Pia the Store.

It wasnt about the money or sales, honestly  Pias heart wasnt in it anymore, Jett said. That was the bottom line.

Jett said that the stores lease, which is up at the end of January, also played into the timing of the closure. The stores final day will be Jan. 19.

Drew Altizer / Drew Altizer Photography

When Cohler launched Pia in 2016, several new stores had recently opened in the Jackson Square area, including A.P.C., Aesop and Isabel Marant. Pia the Store (414 Jackson St.), which formerly housed European shop La Boutique, carries high-end designers including Alexander Wang, Delpozo, Moschino, Prabal Gurung and others and also featured local artists and photographers in rotating in-store exhibitions and events.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Cohler is married to venture capitalist Matt Cohler, who was the vice president of product management for Facebook until 2008. The stores opening party attracted many tech and finance heavyweights, including investor Joshua Kushner (brother of presidential adviser Jared Kushner); Nicole Systrom, the founder of Sutro Energy Group who is married to Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom; Dr. Priscilla Chan, who is married to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg; art consultant Sabrina Buell and her husband, industrial designer Yves Behar; and Ali Pincus, co-founder of One Kings Lane. Among the commenters on the stores goodbye announcement on Instagram was Kaitlyn Krieger, who is married to Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger.

In addition to Pia, the former Jake and Guideboat boutiques have also closed in the Jackson Square area in the past two years. Fashion label Zimmerman is the most recent store to open in the area. Pia will also cease sales on luxury retail portal Farfetch.com in January. In-store markdowns are up to 80 percent off.

Tony Bravo is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tbravo@sfchronicle.comAttorneys filed a federal class-action lawsuit last week alleging that Bellevue, Washington-based travel booking company Expedia overcharges customers in taxes and fees.

The complaint accuses the company of levying taxes beyond what's required by local jurisdictions for hotel rooms and pocketing the proceeds.

The lawsuit, filed Dec. 17, focused on the taxes charged on Reservations.com, a separate company that obtains its hotel room inventory through Expedia and sells those rooms to customers. Reservations.com has booked 4 million room nights since it opened in April 2014, according to its website.

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While Expedia collects the money for the room and the "taxes and fees," Reservations.com charges a $14.99 service fee per room per night as a commission on the sales.

Expedia pays hotels a wholesale rate for the right to sell room reservations and then profit from the markup on each room, then remit taxes to the hotels or local jurisdictions after a customer's hotel stay is complete.

But the lawsuit argued that Expedia's listed taxes exceed various cities' rates. Reservations.com is not involved in the collection of taxes and fees, according to the lawsuit.

Plaintiff Joseph Church of Charleston County, South Carolina, used Reservations.com in June 2017 to book two nights at the Hyatt Regency Orlando for a family vacation, the complaint indicated.

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He paid $518.30 for the room, $14.99 for the service fee and $108.68 for "tax and fees," according to court documents. However, the applicable taxes and government fees for Orlando, at a rate of 13.5 percent of the room's cost, should have amounted to $69.97, attorneys alleged. Church was overcharged by about $38.71.

Attorneys outlined several other listings on the Reservations.com site that appeared to demonstrate systematic overcharging.

They showed a $63.80 tax and fees charge for one night at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel that should have been $31.84, according to Seattle tax rates. At the Kimpton Hotel Vintage Seattle, the fees listed amounted to $36.38, compared to the legal rate of $30.64.

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The complaint detailed similar schemes at the Atlanta Ritz Carlton at the Westin New York at Times Square, as well as other hotels in Chicago and Miami.

The class action said it represents all individuals and entities who bought a pre-paid hotel room reservation using Reservations.com or its call center where the room inventory was supplied by Expedia or one of its subsidiaries from January 1, 2014 to the present day.

The lawsuit accuses Expedia of committing tax, mail and wire fraud, misappropriation of money and unjust enrichment.

Expedia's attorneys have not yet submitted a reply in the case and the company has not responded to a request for comment.

The company expects to move from Bellevue to the Interbay neighborhood of Seattle in 2019.

SeattlePI reporter Lynsi Burton can be reached at lynsiburton@seattlepi.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LynsiBurton_PI. Find more from Lynsi here.In a glass conference room at its Menlo Park headquarters, Facebook is taking on the bonfires of hate and misinformation it has helped fuel across the world, one post at a time.

The social network has drawn criticism for undermining democracy and for provoking bloodshed in societies small and large.

But for Facebook, its also a business problem.

The company, which makes about $5 billion in profit per quarter, has to show it is serious about removing dangerous content. It must also continue to attract more users from more countries and try to keep them on the site longer.

How can Facebook monitor billions of posts per day in more than 100 languages, all without disturbing the endless expansion that is core to its business? The companys solution: a network of workers using a maze of PowerPoint slides spelling out whats forbidden.

Every other Tuesday morning, several dozen Facebook employees gather over breakfast to come up with the rules, hashing out what the sites 2 billion users should be allowed to say. The guidelines that emerge from these meetings are sent to 7,500-plus moderators around the world.

The closely held rules are extensive, and they make the company a far more powerful arbiter of global speech than has been publicly recognized or acknowledged by the company itself, the New York Times has found.

The Times was provided with more than 1,400 pages from the rulebooks by an employee who said he feared the company was exercising too much power, with too little oversight  and making too many mistakes.

An examination of the files revealed numerous gaps, biases and outright errors. As Facebook employees grope for the right answers, they have allowed extremist language to flourish in some countries while censoring mainstream speech in others.

Moderators were once told, for example, to remove fundraising appeals for volcano victims in Indonesia because a co-sponsor of the drive was on Facebooks internal list of banned groups. In Myanmar, a paperwork error allowed a prominent extremist group, accused of fomenting genocide, to stay on the service for months. In India, moderators were mistakenly told to take down comments critical of religion.

The Facebook employees who meet to set the guidelines, mostly young engineers and lawyers, try to distill highly complex issues into simple yes-or-no rules. Then the company outsources much of the actual post-by-post moderation to companies that enlist largely unskilled workers, many hired out of call centers.

Those moderators, at times relying on Google Translate, have mere seconds to recall countless rules and apply them to the hundreds of posts that dash across their screens each day. When is a reference to jihad, for example, forbidden? When is a crying laughter emoji a warning sign?

Moderators express frustration at rules they say dont always make sense and sometimes require them to leave up posts they fear could lead to violence. You feel like you killed someone by not acting, one said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he had signed a nondisclosure agreement.

Facebook executives say they are working diligently to rid the service of dangerous posts.

Its not our place to correct peoples speech, but we do want to enforce our community standards, said Sara Su, a senior engineer on the News Feed. When youre in our community, we want to make sure that were balancing freedom of expression and safety.

Monika Bickert, Facebooks head of global policy management, said that the primary goal is to prevent harm, and that to a great extent, the company had been successful. But perfection, she said, is not possible.

We have billions of posts every day, were identifying more and more potential violations using our technical systems, Bickert said. At that scale, even if youre 99 percent accurate, youre going to have a lot of mistakes.

One document sets out several rules just to determine when a word like martyr or jihad indicates pro-terrorism speech. Another describes when discussion of a barred group should be forbidden. Words like brother or comrade probably cross the line. So do any of a dozen emoji.

The guidelines for identifying hate speech, a problem that has bedeviled Facebook, run to 200 jargon-filled, head-spinning pages. Moderators must sort a post into one of three tiers of severity. They must bear in mind lists like the six designated dehumanizing comparisons, among them comparing Jews to rats.

Theres a real tension here between wanting to have nuances to account for every situation, and wanting to have set of policies we can enforce accurately and we can explain cleanly, said Bickert, the Facebook executive.

Though the Facebook employees who make the rules are largely free to set policy however they wish, and often do so in the room, they also consult with outside groups.

Were not drawing these lines in a vacuum, Bickert said.

As detailed as the guidelines can be, they are also approximations  best guesses at how to fight extremism or disinformation. And they are leading Facebook to intrude into sensitive political matters the world over, sometimes clumsily.

Increasingly, the decisions on what posts should be barred amount to regulating political speech  and not just on the fringes. In many countries, extremism and the mainstream are blurring.

In the United States, Facebook banned the Proud Boys, a far-right pro-Trump group. The company also blocked an inflammatory ad, about a caravan of Central American migrants, that was produced by President Trumps political team.

In June, according to internal emails reviewed by the Times, moderators were told to allow users to praise the Taliban  normally a forbidden practice  if they mentioned the decision to enter into a cease-fire. In another email, moderators were told to hunt down and remove rumors wrongly accusing an Israeli soldier of killing a Palestinian medic.

Facebooks role has become so hegemonic, so monopolistic, that it has become a force unto itself, said Jasmin Mujanovic, an expert on the Balkans. No one entity, especially not a for-profit venture like Facebook, should have that kind of power to influence public debate and policy.

In the absence of governments or international bodies that can set standards, Facebook is experimenting on its own.

The company never set out to play this role, but in an effort to control problems of its own creation, it has quietly become, with a speed that makes even employees uncomfortable, what is arguably one of the worlds most powerful political regulators.

A lot of this would be a lot easier if there were authoritative third parties that had the answer, said Brian Fishman, a counterterrorism expert who works with Facebook.

Sometimes these things explode really fast, Fishman said, and we have to figure out what our reactions going to be, and we dont have time for the U.N.

But the results can be uneven.

Consider the guidelines for the Balkans, where rising nationalism is threatening to reignite old violence. The file on that region, not updated since 2016, includes odd errors. Ratko Mladic, a Bosnian war criminal still celebrated by extremists, is described as a fugitive. In fact, he was arrested in 2011.

Facebooks most politically consequential document may be a spreadsheet that names every group and individual the company has quietly barred as a hate figure.

Moderators are instructed to remove any post praising, supporting or representing any listed figure.

Anton Shekhovtsov, an expert in far-right groups, said he was confused about the methodology. The company bans an impressive array of American and British groups, he said, but relatively few in countries where the far right can be more violent, particularly Russia or Ukraine.

Countries where Facebook faces government pressure seem to be better covered than those where it does not. Facebook blocks dozens of far-right groups in Germany, where the authorities scrutinize the social network, but only one in neighboring Austria.

The list includes a growing number of groups with one foot in the political mainstream, like the far-right Golden Dawn, which holds seats in the Greek and EU parliaments.

For a tech company to draw these lines is extremely problematic, said Jonas Kaiser, a Harvard University expert on online extremism. It puts social networks in the position to make judgment calls that are traditionally the job of the courts.

Max Fisher is a New York Times writer.The words 2018, good and tech probably dont seem like they belong in the same paragraph, let alone the same sentence. But stay with me here.

Its true that this was a horrible year for many of the tech industrys biggest companies. Amazon held a nationwide beauty pageant for its new headquarters, raising hopes that the company would help transform a struggling city, then picked the two places that needed it the least. Executives from Facebook, Google and Twitter got hauled before Congress to apologize for *gestures wildly in all directions*. One of Ubers self-driving cars killed someone. And then there was Elon Musk.

But the tech sector is more than its giants.

Last year, I handed out good tech awards to a handful of companies, nonprofit organizations and people who used technology to help others in real, tangible ways. The goal was to shine a spotlight on a few less-heralded projects that may not get front-page headlines or billions of dollars in funding but are actually trying to fulfill the tech industrys stated goal of improving the world.

Im continuing that tradition this year, in the spirit of reminding us that although scandals and wrongdoing in tech rightly get a lot of attention, theres good happening elsewhere.

To Zipline and Swoop Aero, for using drones to heal the sick.

For years, consumer drones were hyped as a new technology that would soon fill the skies over Americas cities, delivering packages and surveilling the populace. Luckily, that hasnt happened yet, but elsewhere, drone companies are doing real work.

One of these efforts is Zipline, a startup that uses drones to deliver blood and medicine to medical facilities in remote areas that cant be easily reached by traditional vehicles. The company began operating in Rwanda, where it says it has made more than 8,000 deliveries, and this year expanded to Ghana.

Another is Swoop Aero, an Australian drone-delivery company that partnered with UNICEF this year to deliver vaccines to the remote South Pacific nation of Vanuatu, where roughly 20 percent of children do not get properly vaccinated. One nurse in the country told the New York Times that the drone deliveries will change my life.

To Upsolve, for helping people go bankrupt.

For many low-income Americans, declaring personal bankruptcy can be a painful but necessary way to get rid of exorbitant medical bills or predatory lenders. But its often expensive to hire a bankruptcy lawyer and hard to navigate the maze of paperwork.

Upsolve, a nonprofit organization founded by a Harvard graduate and a lawyer, built a tool that has been referred to as the TurboTax of bankruptcy. The software collects financial information from users, automatically fills out their forms and passes them to a lawyer who reviews them before the user submits a bankruptcy claim. In 2018, it helped users in 47 states discharge a total of more than $13 million in debt, according to Rohan Pavuluri, the companys chief executive.

To Joy Buolamwini, Timnit Gebru and Anima Anandkumar, for calling out AI 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 AI researchers are women, and the number of black and Latino executives in the field is vanishingly small. Three leading AI researchers are trying to change that.

Buolamwini, a researcher at the MIT 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 Gebru  a Google researcher and co-founder of a group called Black in AI  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, Anandkumar, Nvidias director of machine learning research and a professor at Caltech, saw that the name of the AI 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 startup program, recently raised $3 million from investors including Jay-Zs Roc Nation fund and First Round Capital.

Another startup, Uptrust, offers a similar text message 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 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.

To workers at big tech companies, for holding their employers accountable.

The most heartening trend to come out of large tech companies in 2018 was a surge in employee-led activism. Protests by regulators, shareholders and users have thus far failed to stop the worst excesses of the industry, leaving these companies own employees  who are expensive and hard to replace, and therefore have lots of leverage  to agitate for change from within.

At Google, a group of employees went public with concerns about Project Dragonfly, a secret Google project to create a censored version of its search engine for China. Their activism resulted in a petition, which was signed by hundreds of Google employees, to demand that the company cease work on the project.

Another group of employees spoke up after the Times reported on the $90 million payout made to the former Google executive Andy Rubin, who was accused of sexual misconduct. Their efforts culminated in a 20,000-employee protest walkout.

Workers at Amazon and Microsoft have also spoken up for change within their companies, on issues ranging from climate change to surveillance, AI ethics and the decision to work with federal immigration agencies.

These workers didnt solve every problem in tech overnight, but they have created a playbook for other employee activists to follow. More important, they have finally given their executives a measure of accountability  something they proved they will badly need in 2019.

Kevin Roose is a New York Times writer.Wells Fargo will pay $575 million to resolve investigations by all 50 states and Washington, D.C., into a range of practices, the latest chapter in the banks long-running legal problems. More than one-quarter of the San Francisco banks settlement will go to the state of California.

The deal ends inquiries that began after federal regulators revealed in September 2016 that Wells Fargo employees had for years opened millions of unauthorized bank accounts in customers names. The employees said they had done so because they feared losing their jobs if they could not meet Wells Fargos aggressive sales goals.

The disclosure led to the departure of Wells Fargos chief executive at the time, John Stumpf, and several other senior executives. It also sullied the companys prized image as the best-behaved major U.S. bank after the 2008 financial crisis.

Wells Fargo admitted its missteps and paid fines of $185 million, but accusations of bad behavior kept multiplying: that some customers who took out car loans were forced to buy unwanted auto insurance; that more than 500,000 people were enrolled in a bill-paying service they may not have asked to join; that some mortgage customers had been overcharged; and that some people had been charged for life-insurance policies they did not buy.

The agreement Friday followed a $65 million settlement between the state of New York and Wells Fargo in October over the sham accounts, and the banks settlement of federal charges related to its handling of mortgages and auto loans.

Wells Fargos conduct was unlawful and disgraceful, Californias attorney general, Xavier Becerra, said in a news release Friday. California will get almost $149 million under the settlement.

Wells Fargo has recently engaged in a vigorous push to rehabilitate its image, emphasizing its contrition in an advertising campaign. Company executives have been upbeat about the banks future prospects despite a regulatory restriction that has kept it from growing while it repairs its internal controls.

This agreement underscores our serious commitment to making things right in regard to past issues as we build a better bank, Wells Fargos chief executive, Timothy Sloan, said in a news release Friday.

The bank said in its release that it had $400 million of the settlement amount in hand and would have the rest by the end of the quarter Monday. A judge must approve the settlement for it to be finalized, California said in its news release.

Wells Fargo has gotten some relief from its legal woes over the past year, but its troubles are far from over.

In April, the bank paid $1 billion to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to settle investigations into its mortgage- and auto-lending practices. This month, an agreement was finalized under which Wells Fargo will pay $480 million to settle a class-action claim by shareholders who said they were harmed by the banks false statements about its misdeeds.

In February, however, the Federal Reserve said it would restrict the bank from growing until it improved its internal checks and balances significantly. Wells Fargo said at the time that it would replace four directors and submit to an independent review of its oversight and risk-management practices.

The bank is still trying to fulfill regulators requirements. In October, as scrutiny by the Fed and the Comptroller of the Currency continued, Wells Fargo suspended two top executives, one of whom the company had hailed as a turnaround agent. Sloan also warned investors the bank would not meet an expectation that it would be free from regulatory restraints by the end of 2018 or the start of 2019.

Stacy Cowley and Emily Flitter are New York Times writers.A day laborer with gang affiliations and past arrests for drunken driving, who was in the country illegally, was captured outside Bakersfield in the high-profile killing of a Stanislaus County police officer, officials announced Friday.

But while the arrest of Gustavo Perez Arriaga, 32, ended a statewide manhunt in Wednesdays killing of Newman police Cpl. Ronil Singh, revelations about the suspects immigration status and criminal history reignited criticism of Californias sanctuary state policy.

At a news conference Friday, Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson echoed President Trumps calls for stricter border security as he railed against the states sanctuary law. The policy, pushed by Democrats and signed in 2017 as SB54, prohibits local law enforcement from notifying or sharing detained immigrants information with federal immigration agents, when they are not accused of serious criminal charges.

Christianson, a Republican, has been a vocal critic of the policy and met with President Trump at the White House in May to speak out about the bill. The sheriff appears in a YouTube video posted by the White House seated beside Trump during the meeting.

On Friday, the sheriff said, The last thing in the world I want to do is politicize the death of officer Singh. He then used the case to criticize Californias law and suggested it led to the deadly encounter.

We were prohibited  law enforcement was prohibited because of sanctuary laws and that led to the encounter with officer Singh, Christianson said at Fridays news conference. The outcome could have been different if law enforcement wasnt restricted, prohibited, or had their hands tied because of political interference.

Christianson never said when Arriaga was arrested, but records show  and officials confirmed  that he was picked up for a DUI in Madera County on June 5, 2014  years before the states sanctuary law prohibited local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

It was unclear Friday whether officials in Madera County knew of Arriagas immigration status or alerted immigration authorities.

It was in Madera County that Chowchilla police arrested Arriaga on a speeding violation on June 5, 2014, and found he was driving with a blood alcohol level of more than .08 percent and without a license, Chowchilla Police Chief David Riviere said Friday. At the time, Arriaga also had a warrant out for his arrest for driving unlicensed and having no insurance, Riviere told The Chronicle.

As far as immigration status, I can tell you we do not ask those questions. We have no reason to, Riviere said. He was stopped for a traffic violation and found to be DUI.

More for you Deputies search for suspect accused of killing Newman officer

It also remained unclear Friday whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had ever encountered, arrested or deported Arriaga. Because of the government shutdown, ICE officials were unavailable Friday for comment on the case.

Christianson said he did not know if Arriaga had ever been deported.

Were not here to enforce federal immigration law  thats not our job, Christianson said at the news conference. But law enforcement should be able to turn people over to ICE who are gang members who victimize and exploit others.

The sheriffs comments came a day after Trump seized on the killing in his fight over border security and demanded Congress fund a U.S.-Mexico wall. The fight has been at the center of the government shutdown that began on Dec. 22.

There is right now a full scale manhunt going on in California for an illegal immigrant accused of shooting and killing a police officer during a traffic stop, Trump wrote on Twitter. Time to get tough on Border Security. Build the Wall!

Supporters of Californias policy pushed back on Christiansons pointed statements Friday, underscoring that the law was written to encourage cooperation between law enforcement and immigrants, who may be reluctant to come forward if they are crime victims.

This situation is more about what this persons state of mind was and how he got into this situation, and it has less to do with the fact that hes not a citizen, said Bill Hing, a San Francisco immigration attorney and University of San Francisco law professor.

Arriaga  a day laborer who worked at miscellaneous farms and dairies around the Central Valley  surrendered early Friday outside a house surrounded by SWAT officers on the 8200 block of Brooks Lane just south of Bakersfield in the town of Lamont (Kern County), officials said. Authorities said he was fleeing to his native Mexico when he was captured.

Arriaga allegedly shot Singh  a 33-year-old husband and father of a 5-month-old boy  during a DUI stop around 1 a.m. Wednesday in Newman. Singh, too, immigrated to the United States, but he came legally from Fiji to pursue a lifelong dream of becoming a police officer.

Singhs younger brother Reggie and other family members stood alongside the Stanislaus County sheriffs officials at Fridays news conference.

Ronil Singh was my older brother. Yes, hes not coming back, but theres a lot of people out there that miss him and a lot of law enforcement people that I dont know, who worked days and nights to make this happen, Reggie Singh said through tears. Id like to thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said six people were in the home when Arriaga was arrested including some children. Deputies arrested three Bakersfield residents there on suspicion of aiding and abetting Arriaga. They are Bernabe Madrigal Casteneda, 59, Erasmo Villegas, 36, and Maria Luisa Moreno, 57.

The Stanislaus County Sheriffs Department additionally arrested Arriagas brother, 25-year-old Adrian Virgen, and a co-worker, Erik Razo Quiroz, 27, on suspicion of aiding Arriagas attempted escape from the country.

They intentionally lied to us, Christianson said of of the latter two suspects. They tried to divert us off the investigation. They misled us. They provided information that was false all in an attempt to protect their brother.

Arriaga was a known associate of the Sureno street gang, Christianson said, and was pictured on one of his various Facebook pages posing with a gun and machete.

Deputies brought Singhs handcuffs down to Kern County to place on Arriaga before he was transported to jail in Stanislaus County.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Lauren Hernandez contributed to this report.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffskyA Mountain View man and his sister are in custody for allegedly smuggling Guatemalan citizens as part of a sex and labor trafficking operation, officials said Friday.

Carlos Garza, who also went by the names Gabino Galvez and Mynor Tobar, allegedly promised migrants that they would live a safer life in the United States but instead worked with coyotes, or smugglers, in Central America to get the victims into the U.S.

Police said that once the migrants arrived in Silicon Valley, Garza and and his sister, Evelia De Maria Galvez, intimidated and threatened the victims to prevent them from speaking with law enforcement.

In October, Mountain View police came to Garzas two-bedroom apartment on the 1900 block of Latham Street multiple times in one week on reports of child abuse, threatening a woman and child with a gun, and attempted sexual assault of a teenage girl, said Katie Nelson, a spokeswoman for the Mountain View Police Department.

At least one teenage girl had been repeatedly sexually assaulted by Garza and other men, who paid him to have sex with the victim, police said. Detectives in October found a dozen people living at the home who told them about the human trafficking operations.

Four human trafficking victims have been identified so far, Nelson said.

Their immigration statuses will in no way be impacted, nor will it impact what types of services they receive, Nelson said.

Victims of human trafficking are offered resources and taken into protective custody.

Santa Clara Superior Court documents allege that the human trafficking operations dated back to February. Mountain View police arrested Garza and Galvez on Dec. 20.

Human trafficking case investigations take time, Nelson said.

Detectives can face difficulty getting victims to come forward, finding translators for victims and finding the time to work the caseloads, she added.

Garza faces four counts of felony human trafficking and Galvez faces two counts of being an accessory to a crime and attempting to dissuade a witness by use or threat of force, according to court documents.

Gwendolyn Wu is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: gwendolyn.wu@

sfchronicle.com Twitter: @gwendolynawuResidents of Marin County are grappling with an outbreak of whooping cough, formally called pertussis.

Whooping cough, a contagious respiratory disease, is most often found in children. In Marin County, there have been 241 cases recorded this year, according to the Marin County Health Department. That high number is due in part to low vaccination rates in the North Bay county, say health officials. (Throughout the state, nearly 3,000 cases have been reported this year.)

"The problem with pertussis is when young babies are exposed, the effects can be very serious," Dr. Matt Willis, public health officer for Marin County, told KPIX. "In 2010, there was an outbreak of pertussis, and 10 infants died of pertussis that year."

RELATED: Whooping cough cases soaring, public officials say

In 2010, 351 cases of whooping cough were reported just within Marin County.

Pertussis surfaces as a prolonged cough accompanied by cold-like symptoms, including runny nose and fever. As the illness progresses, some may experience intense coughing  with a sort of high-pitched "whooping" sound  that can last for 10 weeks or more. Doctors commonly recommend DTaP vaccinations to prevent contracting and spreading the disease. Those who have been vaccinated may still catch it, but generally experience mitigated symptoms, according to Marin County.

RELATED: Whooping cough cases on the rise in Alameda County

"We've traditionally had very low vaccination rates compared to other counties," Willis told Marin IJ earlier this month. "During that history of lower vaccination rates, the bacteria that causes pertussis was really able to establish itself in our environment and is still being circulated throughout the county."

Vaccination rates are rising in Marin, up to around 96 percent of kindergartners and 98 percent of seventh-graders.

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.NEW YORK  The #MeToo movement is empowering victims of sexual assault to speak up like never before, but what should be a watershed moment for holding assailants accountable has coincided with a troubling trend: Police departments in the U.S. are becoming less and less likely to successfully close rape investigations.

The so-called clearance rate for rape cases fell last year to its lowest point since at least the 1960s, according to FBI data provided. That nadir may be driven, at least in part, by a greater willingness by police to correctly classify rape cases and leave them open even when there is little hope of solving them.

But experts say it also reflects the fact that not enough resources are being devoted to investigating sexual assault at a time when more victims are entrusting police with their harrowing experiences.

This is the second-most serious crime in the FBIs crime index, said Carol Tracy, executive director of the Womens Law Project in Philadelphia.

Police successfully closed just 32 percent of rape investigations nationwide in 2017, according to the data, ranking it second only to robbery as the least-solved violent crime. That statistic is down from about 62 percent in 1964, despite advances such as DNA testing.

Youd figure with all the new technology  and the fact that the overwhelming majority of victims of sexual assault know their attacker  the clearance rates would be a lot higher, said Joseph Giacalone, a former New York City police sergeant.

Experts agree that sexual assault is one of the most confounding crimes police confront. Many investigations lack corroborating witnesses and physical evidence. A significant chunk of complaints are reported months or years after the fact. Researchers believe only a third of rapes are reported at all.

In 2013, the FBI significantly broadened the definition of rape to include oral penetration and attacks on men. After the revision, the number of rapes counted in the system soared from an average of around 84,500 per year between 1995 and 2012, to nearly 126,400 in 2016. The clearance rate after the adjustment continued to tick down, falling from 38 percent to 32 percent.

The number leapt again to 166,000 in 2017, a year when sexual assault got unprecedented national attention in the wake of allegations made against President Trump and Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.

Jim Mustian and Michael R. Sisak are Associated Press writers.A powerful winter storm that brought blizzard warnings Friday across the Upper Midwest was blamed for at least three fatal crashes while flash flooding from rains in the South swept away cars and forced dozens of water rescues.

In northern New England, a mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain and rain made for dangerous driving for post-holiday travelers, while much of the Dakotas and part of Minnesota were under a blizzard warning after many areas got a foot of snow or more Thursday.

Another storm dumped up to 12 inches of rain in Louisiana and Mississippi, sweeping away cars and forcing some residents to be rescued from their homes before the rains moved into Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and western North Carolina on Friday.

The National Weather Service posted flash flood watches and warnings for much of the South from Louisiana into southwest Virginia.

We had an extreme flash flooding event, said Glen Moore, the emergency management director in Forrest County, in southwestern Mississippi, which saw 9 inches fall over 12 hours through early Friday.

Authorities had to rescue residents from about 25 homes in Forrest County, Moore said. They rescued one man whose car was swept away after he went around a barricade on a flooded road, Moore said.

He was able to make it outside of the car and latch onto a tree until we could get a boat to him, Moore said.

There was one death in Tennessee where a woman fell into a rain-swollen creek near Chattanooga. Authorities who recovered the womans body Friday about three hours after she lost her footing said she had been camping with friends and they were trying to leave the area when she fell into the water.

Forecasters said up to 5 inches of rain were possible in northern Alabama and central and north Georgia. A flood warning was also issued for Asheville, N.C.

Water also flooded more than a dozen homes in St. Charles Parish, La., and a Trader Joes store near New Orleans lost power during the storm, prompting it to donate perishable grocery items to a food bank.

Some areas of the Midwest were seeing spring-like conditions.

Shorts and T-shirts replaced winter running gear Friday for several joggers in downtown Columbus, Ohio, where temperatures were in the 50s.

Its weird that theres no snow, said Evan Miller, who was about 4 miles into his run while wearing gray shorts and a short-sleeve shirt.

John Seewer is an Associated Press writer.WASHINGTON  On the seventh day of a partial government shutdown, President Trump threatened to close the southern border and cut off aid to Central America if Congress refuses to fund a wall.

We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with, Trump tweeted Friday. Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve!

Trump escalated his threats as up to 800,000 government workers were left in limbo and with Congress not set to take up the issue again until after the new year. At this point, it looks like we could be in for a very long-term shutdown, Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., a close ally of Trumps, told CNN.

Democrats stood firm against agreeing to funding for a border wall, according to a spokesman for Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, the incoming House speaker.

Democrats are united against the Presidents immoral, ineffective and expensive wall, the wall that he specifically promised that Mexico would pay for, the spokesman, Drew Hammill, said in a statement.

Hammill also noted that the White House has made no formal outreach to Pelosi since Dec. 11, when she and Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, met with the president at the White House.

Trump also reiterated his threat on Twitter on Friday to cut off aid to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador as punishment to countries he claimed are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money.

Migrants have been fleeing Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, choosing to join caravans and confront Trumps threats to prevent them from crossing the border over the dangers of life at home.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador reacted cautiously, saying of the the border wall funding dispute, we have not commented on this issue, because it is an internal affair of the U.S. government.

Trump has made threats to shut down the border completely before. Last month, he said he would close the border permanently if Mexico refused to send asylum-seekers back to their native countries.

His latest warning comes as Democrats are preparing to take control of the House of Representatives and have shown no sign of caving on his demands for $5 billion for a border wall. Democrats are considering three ways to reopen the government, none of which include money for Trumps proposed wall, his signature campaign promise.

In another sign that the White House sees no end to the shutdown in sight, Mick Mulvaney, the budget director who is set to take over as acting White House chief of staff in the new year, told Fox News on Friday that Trump would remain in Washington through New Years Eve.

Trump, who had been scheduled to spend a 16-day stretch over the holidays at his private club in Florida, has postponed the trip because of the shutdown. His wife, Melania Trump, left Thursday for the Palm Beach club, Mar-a-Lago, a spokeswoman said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Annie Karni is a New York Times writer.BERKELEY (BCN)



A 30-year-old Berkeley man was hoisted to safety after he fell while rock climbing Wednesday in Joshua Tree National Monument in San Bernardino County, sheriff's officials said today.



A sheriff's aviation crew responded at 5:10 p.m. to the hiker who suffered serious injuries in the fall of about 50 feet.



Sheriff's officials said Peter Muffoletto was unable to hike out of the park because of his injuries.



Park rangers and firefighters hiked up to Muffoletto but were unable to carry him out because of the steep terrain.



Sheriff's officials said a sheriff's helicopter crew arrived and in high winds lowered a medic 100 feet to Muffoletto who was hoisted up and flown to a trauma center.



His injuries were not life-threatening.





Copyright  2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.CONCORD (BCN)



BevMo, a Concord-based beverage retailer, has told 14,500 online customers that their personal information, including names, addresses and credit card numbers, may have been stolen, a spokeswoman said today.



BevMo Chief Marketing and Information Officer Tamara Pattison said letters telling customers of the breach were mailed on Dec. 20.



The letter is posted on the California Attorney General's website. State law requires businesses to tell customers when their data has been stolen. When more than 500 customers are affected, a business must also inform the state attorney general.



According to the letter, an unauthorized person gained access to the website and placed malicious code on the checkout page that may have captured customers' data between Aug. 2 and Sept. 26.



The stolen data could include names, credit card information, home addresses, billing addresses and telephone numbers.



Pattison said in the letter that its website service provider, NCR Corp., has removed the malicious code. NCR Corp. and BevMo are each investigating and have been in contact with law enforcement, she said.



Pattison said people who buy beverages at the company's nearly 170 stores in California, Arizona and Washington were not affected. While BevMo sells beverages online, it makes most of its sales through the stores, she said.



"BevMo takes the privacy of our customers' personal information seriously and we deeply regret that this incident occurred," Pattison told customers in the letter.





Copyright  2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.BERKELEY (BCN)



A homeless ex-felon was charged this week with four felonies for two armed robberies in Berkeley earlier this month, according to police and prosecutors.



Patrick Lamon William, 25, who allegedly has prior convictions for armed robbery and assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, is being held at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin in lieu of $565,000 bail and is scheduled to return to Alameda County Superior Court on Jan. 16 to finalize his legal representation and possibly enter a plea.



William is charged with assault with a deadly weapon, robbery and attempted robbery for an incident near the corner of Shasta Road and Sterling Avenue in the Berkeley hills at 3:20 a.m. on Dec. 13 in which he and an accomplice allegedly robbed a man.



Berkeley police allege that William and 28-year-old Kimisha Leandra Walton of Oakland met with the victim outside his home and at gunpoint one the suspects took the man's cellphone and wallet and hit him over the head with a gun, knocking the man to the ground.



William and Walton then drove away after they kicked the man several times, police said.



Walton was arrested in Contra Costa County on Dec. 19 and William was arrested in Oakland on Sunday, according to police.



Investigators said they don't think the robbery was random because the victim was formerly acquainted with Walton and he appears to have been targeted.



William is also charged with one count of robbery for an incident in Berkeley on Dec. 1, according to court records.



Walton is being held at the Santa Rita Jail in lieu of $125,000 bail and is scheduled to return to court on Jan. 2 for a pretrial hearing.





Copyright  2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



A 22-year-old man accused of fatally shooting his friend in the neck Saturday night in San Francisco's Excelsior neighborhood has been charged by prosecutors with murder.



Jonathan Escobar made his first appearance in San Francisco Superior Court today to be arraigned for the fatal shooting of 26-year-old San Francisco resident Luis Velasquez-Mejia.



Escobar, who is from San Francisco and is being represented by the San Francisco Public Defender's Office, did not enter a plea and his arraignment was postponed to Monday morning.



Judge Braden C. Woods ordered that Escobar be held without bail.



According to prosecutors, the night of the shooting, Escobar, Velasquez-Mejia, and a third person identified as Velasquez-Mejia's cousin, had all attended a birthday party.



The trio then left the party to go to Velasquez-Mejia's cousin's house. While on their way to the home, both Escobar and Velasquez-Mejia allegedly discussed doing cocaine, prosecutors said.



Once at the house, Velasquez-Mejia's cousin began taking a shower when he heard a loud noise and screaming. Escobar then allegedly burst into the bathroom saying, "I killed him, better not snitch," according to prosecutors.



Velasquez-Mejia's cousin got out of the shower and saw his cousin lying in a pool of blood. At that point, Escobar went outside the house and allegedly began pacing back and forth, saying, "don't snitch on me, I got to go see my mom. I can't go to jail."



The victim's cousin, however, proceeded to call 911, and Escobar allegedly fled. Velasquez-Mejia was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.



The next day, investigators identified Escobar as the shooting suspect and located him at a home in the 2800 block of 24th Street in San Francisco.



Escobar, however, allegedly refused to surrender to police and escaped through a window and onto the roof of the building. Once on the roof, he put his legs over the edge and threatened to jump, prosecutors said.



After a two-hour standoff, however, officers were able to take Escobar into custody and booked him into jail on suspicion of murder.



Prosecutors allege Escobar used a semi-automatic handgun during the shooting, but it was not clear if police recovered the weapon.



According to prosecutors, Escobar has been arrested numerous times before for "assaultive type conduct," but has never been convicted. Additionally, he's allegedly prohibited from carrying a firearm due to a civil protective order.





Copyright  2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.A Santa Clara County sheriff's lieutenant was arrested on Wednesday in Las Vegas for allegedly faking the extent of an injury and receiving workers' compensation.



Lt. Mandy Henderson was arrested by Las Vegas police after sheriff's investigators saw her engaging in "strenuous workouts" despite her injury, according to the sheriff's office.



Henderson was arrested on a felony warrant and is currently awaiting transportation from Las Vegas to Santa Clara County.



"If these allegations are true, it is a violation of the public's trust, sullies the standards of our office and for that, Mrs. Henderson should be held accountable," Sheriff Laurie Smith said in a statement.



The sheriff's office is conducting an internal affairs investigation in addition to its criminal investigation of Henderson.





Copyright  2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.Newman police in Stanislaus County said they have identified a suspect who allegedly fatally shot an officer and prompted an alert in Santa Clara County and Central California early Wednesday morning.



Cpl. Ronil Singh was shot and killed shortly during a traffic stop at Merced Street and Eucalyptus Avenue in Newman, according to Stanislaus County sheriff's deputies.



Singh was a 33-year-old Fiji native and had been with the Newman Police Department since 2011. Deputies said he initiated the traffic stop for suspected drunk driving at 12:57 a.m. and reported "shots fired" over the radio moments later. He was found at the scene with gunshot wounds and died at a hospital.



The suspect fled the area but is likely still in Stanislaus County, according to police, who said he was residing in the U.S. illegally. His name has not yet been released to the public.







A 24-year-old woman allegedly driving a stolen car was shot and killed by police early Christmas morning in San Jose after they misidentified her as the suspect in a shooting.



Family and friends of San Jose resident Jennifer Vasquez called the shooting of her by officers an "unjustified murder."



The chase began at 2:09 a.m. Tuesday in the area of Clemence Avenue and Story Road. Police responded to gunshots and found two adults suffering from at least one gunshot wound each, and shell casings from a handgun at the scene.



San Jose police Chief Eddie Garcia said during a news conference today that witnesses pointed out a white Toyota Camry on southbound Clemence Avenue and said, "that way, they shot."



Police then pursued the car in a high-speed chase that lasted about seven minutes before Vasquez lost control of the car and crashed into a chain-link fence in the area of Fruitdale and Leigh avenues next to Sherman Oaks Elementary School.



Vasquez then allegedly drove backward and forward in an effort to remove the car from the fence, eventually positioning the vehicle to ram into a patrol car. Garcia said police officers were standing outside their cars and took her actions as a threat to their lives.



Four police officers began shooting at the driver and the passenger. Vasquez suffered fatal wounds and died at the scene.







San Rafael police are investigating whether a woman in San Rafael was carjacked by an inmate who escaped from San Quentin State Prison on Wednesday night, according to police.



A woman reported at 9:17 p.m. Wednesday that she had been carjacked in the San Rafael Home Depot parking lot. The suspect's description matched that of 21-year-old Shalom Mendoza, a San Quentin inmate who was last accounted for at the prison around 5:55 p.m. before walking away from a prison work crew, according to prison officials.



The suspect allegedly motioned to the victim that he had a weapon under his shirt and told her he would kill her if she didn't surrender the vehicle, a Toyota RAV4, police said. The victim gave the suspect her vehicle and he fled. She was uninjured.



The suspect who carjacked the vehicle is described as a Hispanic man who is between 5 feet 6 inches and 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing around 170 pounds and wearing a white T-shirt and khaki/light yellow pants. The silver RAV4 has a license plate of 6STZ502.







An Alameda County Superior Court judge today suspended criminal proceedings against a transient charged with murder for the fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Nia Wilson at the MacArthur BART station in July, saying he finds there is "substantial evidence" the man is mentally incompetent to stand trial.



After making that ruling, Judge James Cramer said he will appoint two psychiatrists to examine John Lee Cowell, 28, and submit reports on their findings about Cowell's competence when he returns to court on Feb. 13.



Cramer made his ruling after defense attorney Christina Moore said that in her most recent attempt to talk to Cowell about his case, he suffered from "delusions outside of what is normal" and said things "that don't conform to reality."



Moore said Cowell was treated for mental illness at two state mental institutions between 2012 and earlier this year and has been placed on psychiatric holds 22 times, including three times in the month before he allegedly stabbed Wilson and her sister Letifah Wilson, 26, at the MacArthur station at 9:36 p.m. on July 22.







A man who suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head last weekend in Pittsburg has been identified as 27-year-old Deansae Levine, police said today.



Around 6 p.m. Saturday, officers responded to the El Pueblo housing complex on Treatro Street and found Levine, who was transported to a hospital where he died.



This was Pittsburg's third homicide of 2018, according to police.



Homicide investigators are talking to witnesses and trying to determine whether Levine and the person who killed him knew each other, but at this point they're not releasing any more details.







A pedestrian who was fatally struck by a vehicle in Fremont last week was identified by the Alameda County coroner's bureau today as 33-year-old Taran Singh.



Coroner's officials didn't list a city of residence for Singh but Fremont police said he was from Mountain View.



Singh was hit by a car driven by a 53-year-old Fremont woman in the area of Fremont Boulevard and Clough Avenue at about 10:05 p.m. on Dec. 18, and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.



The woman remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, police said.







A transformer exploded in Hayward on Wednesday night, injuring a PG&E employee who was working on nearby power lines, police and utility officials said.



Hayward police issued an advisory shortly after 11:30 p.m. about the explosion and said it caused a power pole and vehicle to catch fire.



Santa Clara Street was closed from Ocie Way to Redbud Lane as police, firefighters and PG&E responded to the incident.



PG&E spokesman J.D. Guidi confirmed this morning that a PG&E employee was injured while responding to an outage in Hayward Wednesday night, and said the utility would release further details about the case later today.







A female pedestrian is in critical condition at a hospital today after she was struck and injured by a hit-and-run driver in East Oakland on Wednesday night, police said.



The woman was walking across the street in a marked crosswalk in the 2900 block of High Street near Penniman Avenue shortly after 8:15 p.m. Wednesday when a 1990s Ford Mustang, dark in color, that was going south on High Street struck her and knocked her to the ground, according to police.



The driver of the Ford did not stop to render aid to the woman and fled the scene south on High Street, police said.



Paramedics responded to the scene, gave medical help to the woman and then took her to a hospital for further treatment, according to police.







A Richmond resident has pleaded not guilty to three felonies and a misdemeanor stemming from allegations that he threatened a female victim online.



Officers used a Taser stun gun on Nizar Nassar and arrested him after he begged to be shot by officers with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force who were serving a search warrant at a residence in El Sobrante on Dec. 19.



Prosecutors said the victim is a female content creator on www.twitch.tv, a streaming video service and social network that largely caters to online gamers. Nassar allegedly harassed her on a variety of social media platforms, ultimately threatening to rape and kill her as well as to harm her partner.



He also demanded a refund for subscription fees he'd paid for her content on Twitch, investigators said.



Nassar was arraigned on two counts of criminal threats and stalking, all felonies, in a Richmond courtroom on Monday. He also faces a misdemeanor charge for resisting arrest.







The North Berkeley Senior Center will close for renovations next week for about 18 months, city officials said.



The renovations starting Wednesday will increase safety and accessibility and provide other features at the center, which is located at 1901 Hearst Ave. at Martin Luther King Jr. Way, according to the city.



During the closure, people can go to the West Berkeley Service Center at 1900 Sixth St. or the South Berkeley Senior Center at 2939 Ellis St.



City officials said people over the age of 60 who go to the senior centers in Berkeley can take part in classes such as tai chi, Zumba, and ceramics and join social and support groups.



The North Berkeley Senior Center is expected to reopen in the summer of 2020.





Copyright  2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.HAYWARD (BCN)



A PG&E employee remains hospitalized after he was injured when a transformer he was working on exploded and knocked out power to more than 400 customers on Wednesday night, police and utility officials said.



PG&E spokeswoman Tamar Sarkissian said the employee, who she said was a "troubleman" who worked as a first responder to electrical problems, is being treated at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose but privacy rules prohibit her from releasing information on the extent of his injuries or his condition.



California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) spokesman Frank Polizzi, who described the employee as a lineman, said he suffered burn injuries while he was working on a transformer from an elevated bucket truck and the transformer caught fire.



Polizzi said Cal/OSHA has opened an investigation with PG&E to determine the cause of the incident and correct any violations of workplace safety regulations.



Sarkissian said the employee had responded to a voltage problem on Santa Clara Street near Ocie Way at about 9 p.m. Wednesday.



She said the transformer "failed" at about 10:15 p.m., injuring the employee and causing a power pole, PG&E truck and another vehicle to catch fire.



Sarkissian said PG&E isn't describing what happened as an explosion because it's still investigating the incident to find out exactly how it happened.



She said the power outage initially affected 402 customers but power was restored to all but 18 customers by 8 a.m. today and to all customers by 1 p.m.





Copyright  2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.[Update: You can now read Part 2 of our teams lists.]

As we have in the years before, we tasked our writers to choose the FIVE movies they thought stood out from the crowd this year. 2018 was an incredible year for movies (for both blockbusters and smaller flicks) and narrowing down our lists to only five choices was pretty damn difficult and even required us to break our list into two parts this year! That said, our team toughed it out and made it happen:

JORDAN

I felt like I saw a lot of really good movies this year, even if I didnt get out to the theater as much as I had hoped. Because I missed a few films that I think would have ended up on my Best Of list here, Im instead skewing this list towards my personal Favorite films. While they may not have been, technically, the best the year had to offer, these are the ones that stuck with me most.

Avengers: Infinity War  Infinity War brought together 10 years of Marvel storytelling in an impressive way. While the rest of the story still needs to be told, Infinity War manages to tell an epic story all within itself that keeps you invested the entire time. Thats not to mention the incredible ending that seems to change everything.

Sorry to Bother You  There arent many films that feel truly original, while managing to subvert all your expectations in the best way. This comedy with a science fiction twist manages to not only be hilarious and bring excellent performances, it also has strong themes that will keep you thinking long after the credits roll.

You Were Never Really Here  The Joaquin Phoenix film is a brutal, but powerful story about dealing with personal demons. While the basics of the story are deceptively simple, the neo-noir style keeps you sucked in until the very end.

Annihilation  Alexander Garlands trippy science fiction film is something I find myself still thinking about at random points, even nearly a year after checking it out. Theres so much going on in the story, it can feel overwhelming at times. Coupled with the character drama and the mystery surrounding the strange happenings within the veil, its equal parts terrifying and engaging.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse  Though it comes late in the year, Spider-Verse manages to be one of the best films Ive seen this year. Not only was it a great Spider-Man movie, its one of the best superhero flicks around. With stunning animation and solid themes, this is a film well be talking about for a long time to come.

Honorable Mentions: Solo: A Star Wars Story, Hold the Dark, The Meg, Black Panther, Aquaman, A Quiet Place, Love, Simon.

S0LEB

Avengers: Infinity War  So. Many. Feels. This movie not only shocked me as a Marvel fan, but as a movie fan. There was a good chunk of things brought from the comics, but there were somethings put in this film I did not expectespecially with the release of other said Marvel films so close to this release.

Black Panther  This was a powerful and emotional thrill ride that I was not expecting to be one of my favorite films of the year. Chadwick Boseman and Michael B Jordan really did an amazing part selling their roles, but Letitia Wright, who played Shuri, really stole the spotlight in this film. I really hope, eventually, they make a Black Panther film with her taking the mantle of Black Panther, as they did in the comics.

Isle of Dogs  This is by far my favorite, wackiest film of 2018 and while is sounds crazy enoughthe whole film was a stop motion Animated film! Not only was the story great, but the over all cast was full of wonderful talent. You had actors ranging from Bill Murray,Harvey Keitel, Scarlett Johansson, Jeff Goldblum, Edward Norton, Bryan Cranston, and many more! Please go watch this film now if you have yet to do so!

Ready Player One  This film not only has some of the best easter eggs of the year, it also had an actor that is local to the area I live in! Tye Sheridan and his family have lived in my area of Texas for sometime. I cant tell you how many times, while working at Gamestop, that Tye would come in for our Call of Duty tournaments and just to buy games. Its pretty surreal to see someone from such a small town become such a huge star that he is today!

The Predator  Critics and fans alike say this film wasnt the best. I DISAGREE. I loved everything about this movie, the action, art design, acting, and story was pretty great. Say what you will, but I FREAKING LOVED IT!

BECKY

Theres no denying that 2018 was a good year for movies and I got to see my fair share in theaters. However, picking my top five proved difficult (since so many of them were awesome!), but I did my best with my picks below.

Avengers: Infinity War  Could you really doubt that this film wouldnt be on my list? While I havent seen all of the MCU films, Ive seen more than enough to know I had to be present when ten years of worldbuilding culminated in one of the most epic clashes Ive ever seen. Seeing all the different heroes interact, some for the first time, was cool to watch and at times very funny (especially Star-Lord and Iron Man). And that endingall these months later and Im still not over the aftermath of that snap. I cant wait to see how Avengers: Endgame follows up on all of this.

Black Panther  I admit I was hesitant to go see Black Panther because, having missed Civil War, Id yet to see Black Panther in action and I was worried I wouldnt like the film. However I had nothing to worry about: from beginning to end I fell thoroughly in love with the story and the fictional Wakanda (which I wish wasnt fictional at all). I also had a deep appreciation for Killmongers story.

Mission: Impossible  Fallout  Every time I think the Mission Impossible saga cant possibly get any better, a film like this comes along. Fallout, in my opinion, blows all previous entries out of the water (even Ghost Protocol), with a climactic fight that left me on the edge of my seat. It was a fitting conclusion to the story that Ghost Protocol started, though Im sure the story of Ethan Hunt is far from over.

Incredibles 2  After seeing the awesomeness that was Incredibles 2, Im not even upset that we had to wait 14 years, this movie was absolutely worth the wait. Picking up where the first film left off, it all felt like the same universe (even though computer animation has evolved by leaps and bounds since the first film). My favorite scene from this film remains Jack-Jacks encounter with the raccoon (runner up is definitely Ednas reaction to Jack-Jack). I dearly hope there is an Incredibles 3 (but I hope it doesnt take another 14 years).

Annihilation  I had to include this film in this list, because it remains one of the most mind-blowing films I saw all year. I loved the world inside the Shimmer (especially the deer with flowering antlers). There are a few moments I couldve done without in this film but really it is a satisfying story overall. And what I love most about the film is it doesnt tell you everything, some details are left for the viewer to figure out (which you dont see very often).

GARRETT

Mission: Impossible  Fallout  Lets be real; the best movie of the year is Mission: Impossible  Fallout. The MIssion: Impossible films have been defying expectations from day one, and somehow, inexplicably, this one DOES IT AGAIN! How does the 6th film in a 3-decade-old franchise end up as the best one? Tom Cruise is impeccable in the role he was born to play and no amount of special effects can come close to creating the thrills that this film made without them.

The Favourite  Im a huge fan of Yorgos Lanthimos, and his latest film is his most accessible. You see, his films are odd, disturbing, and harsh. They are films that challenge you. Thats why I love them. The Favourite does so in a Stanley Kubrick-esque package (my favorite director), with a fantastic cast and impeccable production. Its a comedy, but probably the opposite of heartwarming.

The Guilty  Foreign films are great because they bring us perspectives and techniques we arent used to seeing. The Guilty is easily the most tense, emotional, and engaging film Ive seen this year. It is successful because of the way the film is made. It takes place entirely in one room, and in doing so it effectively keeps you hostage. Many people will not see this crime thriller but Im telling you now to make sure to find a way to do so.

Upgrade  My dark horse candidate for most entertaining film of the year. Its an old-school sci-fi B-movie combined with a modern thriller like John Wick. Its like the type of movie John Carpenter made in his prime. Its Paul Verhoeven and David Cronenberg at the same time. Its fun, goofy, and best of all, wickedly smart. Not enough people saw this movie. A shame.

First Man  There were a number of great films I could have chosen for my 5th favorite film of the year, but I had to go with First Man. This is a historic drama about the space race, but more personable and emotional than its predecessors. Director Damien Chazelle shows that his success with musical films was not a fluke  he has talent to bring an important story to the big screen in an engaging and interesting way. Throw in a good performance by Ryan Gosling, and you have a solid and unique viewing experience.

BOLTZ

Titan  This is Netflix original, a Syfy movie at that with the lead role given to Sam Worthington. So, this military research base is trying to sync human DNA with other species so the can make a subspecies of human to send of into space for exploration. I enjoyed watching the transformation from human to the subspecies. The story was pretty basic, but the overall direction is something i really loved. Just thinking about mixing DNA for space exploration is such an awesome idea! I really love it.

Mission: Impossible  Fallout  Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Simon Pegg, and Ving Rymes. That is the crew that truly delivered an amazing action packed movie and one of my favorite MI films since the beginning of the series. This was one of those films where you can sit back and enjoy all the pieces coming together and not be confused as to what is going on. Very entertaining from start to finish!

Ralph Breaks the Internet  Pixar and Disney have done it again. Wreck-It Ralph was already an amazing film and this one did not disappoint. Ralph visits the internet to save his best friend V s game Sugar Rush. While in the internet, V has found a new game and new home, but Ralph does not want to let go. As he tries to help her he does more damage then he expects. Overall I laughed and most importantly even shedded a tear.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald  This film had some mixed review from fans and critics. This is the second movie in a three part series, but you must know the second movies are mostly storytelling films to bridge the first and third film. Even with all the hate I really enjoyed this, watching the awesome acting of Eddie Redmayne and Johnny Depp really just sold the film for me. Please though, watch the first film so you can really enjoy the second one. THIS IS CRUCIAL!

Solo: A Star Wars Story  Ok, this film lets you see the biggest Star Wars nuts youll ever meet in the Galaxy. Solo was a great movie for me. I must say, this was the first Star Wars film I was able to just watch and enjoy the universe. It was great to finally get a bit more of the back story for Han Solo, the smuggler turned Rebellion Hero. The addition of a young Chewie and Lando really made this feel like a film we should have got before Episode IV.

_________________________________________________________________

As I mentioned, our team has grown and had so much to say about this years films, we had to break our list up into two parts. Come back soon to see the rest of our teams choices, but in the meantime be sure to share your TOP FIVE films of 2018 with us online by using the #Top5Films2018 tag on our Twitter!

-Cinelinx TeamTermen Extins: Terre des hommes Moldova este in cautarea unui /unei consultant/e sau a unei echipe de consultanti, care va elabora un program de instruire pentru adolescenti in domeniul dezvoltarii competentei digitaleIt's not too late to book a room for New Year's Eve in San Francisco  an evening that promises bay-grazing fireworks, revelry and, per the forecast, clear skies.

A handful of hotels in and near downtown San Francisco  close to the holiday hubbub of Union Square and prime firework viewing at the Embarcadero  have last-minute deals on rooms for Dec. 30 and 31. (For those planning to commute into the city for the celebration, BART trains are running until 3 a.m. on New Years's Eve).Folks celebrating New Year's Eve can leave their raincoats at home. Meteorologists are predicting a dry, chilly start to 2019 in the Bay Area.

There's no rain in the seven-day forecast, said Steve Anderson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Temperatures will be "fairly normal" across the region, with nighttime lows in the mid-40s for San Francisco and lows in the 30s in the East Bay and South Bay. Daytime highs will be in the 50s for the next week, Anderson said. Friday night into Saturday will likely see the coldest temperatures.BEIRUT  Syrias military said Friday it entered the flash point Kurdish-held town of Manbij in an apparent deal with the Kurds, who are looking for new allies and protection against a threatened Turkish offensive as U.S. troops prepare to withdraw from Syria.

American troops who still patrol the town and Turkey denied there was any change of forces in the contested area.

The Syrian announcement and the conflicting reports reflected the potential for chaos in the wake of last weeks surprise pronouncement by the United States that it was withdrawing its troops from Syria.

Since the U.S. decision, there has been a buildup of forces around Manbij and further east, ushering in new alliances and raising the chances of friction. The Kurds invitation to Syrian troops is a sign that, faced with the prospect of being overwhelmed by their top rival Turkey, theyd rather Syrias Russian- and Iranian-backed government fill the void left by the Americans.

Meanwhile, a flurry of meetings is expected in the coming days as all sides of the conflict scramble to find ways to replace the departing U.S. troops. They include one Saturday in Moscow, where Russia will host top Turkish officials in a possible sign that the two sides could be working on a deal to avert a Turkish offensive into Syria. Russians officials have said they expect Syrian government troops to replace the U.S. troops when they withdraw.

Turkey considers the U.S.-backed Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, which now controls nearly 30 percent of Syria, a terrorist group linked to an insurgency within its own borders. Kurdish-controlled Manbij has been at the center of rising tension between the U.S. and Turkey.

On Friday, Syrian troops said they moved into Manbij at the request of its citizens, and raised the Syrian flag in the town. The Kurdish militia said it has invited the Syrian government to take control of Manbij to protect it against a Turkish invasion.

A Kurdish official said the government deployment has so far been limited to the front line with Turkey-backed fighters, based north and west Manbij.

Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Syrian government move was a psychological act, and said the situation in Manbij was uncertain. Meanwhile, Turkey-allied forces then said they are fortifying their front line positions, threatening the military offensive in response to government advances.

Sarah El Deeb is an Associated Press writer.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A fugitive from Arden, N.C., on the lam after he allegedly killed a man in his home state, was found hiding inside the Richmond Terrace Houses Thursday night in New Brighton, police said.

Davonte Redfern, 26, was wanted in the Feb. 22 killing of Tristan Kayne Edney.

Members of the NYPD, the New York-New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force and U.S. Marshals arrested the man around 6 p.m., after he was found hiding inside a friends apartment on Jersey Street, according to the NYPD.

Redfern had turned himself into authorities in February and was charged with murder, the Citizen Times reported. He spent 35 days in jail and was released on a secured bond of $500,000 before he fled, according to that report.

A reward was offered and he was considered armed and dangerous, the Citizen Times reported.

Redfern is expected to be sent back to North Carolina.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Authorities allege a Bulls Head man was driving under the influence when he crashed his SUV in Great Kills Sunday night.

Jason Boccio, 30, allegedly crashed his Honda CRV into part of the Staten Island Railway overpass near the intersection of Amboy Road and South Railroad Avenue at around 10:50 p.m., according to a criminal complaint.

Police found Boccio standing next to the car.

I was driving, I must of hit my head and blacked out, I dont remember anything after that, he allegedly told responding officers, according to the complaint.

One of the responding officers told prosecutors he observed Boccio with a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, flushed face, watery eyes, and he was unsteady on his feet.

Boccio is charged with a misdemeanor and a violation related to the alleged driving while intoxicated. It is Boccios first DWI charge. His attorney did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Initial reports from an FDNY spokeswoman indicated two people were injured in the incident. The NYPD later said Boccio was the only person in the car.

The three-way intersection, which is often flooded during heavy rains, sits under a Staten Island Railway overpass.To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.

We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.

A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!BT says these "goodwill" payments went beyond their legal obligations - and are therefore not a form of compensation. Yet Mennen argues his client, Metters, also suffered from "variable" disclosure. The law firm argues that when Metters' super was transferred from a Westpac staff super scheme to the BT fund, he was only given a generic disclaimer about exclusions on a phone call with BT, and was told to look at his product disclosure statement sent via email. But Maurice Blackburn - which is also challenging the response to Metter's claims on separate medical grounds - says one of the documents it emailed to Metters was the wrong one. Maurice Blackburn principal Josh Mennen. Credit:Louie Douvis For its part, BT says it gave Metters the appropriate disclosure documents and met all its obligations to him. Our goodwill payments were about ensuring members had the benefit of improved disclosure standards that reflected changing community expectations," says BT's general manager of superannuation, Melinda Howes.

"In this instance, disclosure was provided and accepted on the telephone call and relevant policy documentation that contained more detailed information was also sent. As such, we believe we have met these standards and our obligations but would encourage any member that is unhappy with a decision we have made to talk to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority. BT general manager superannuation Melinda Howes. Credit:AFR The complex case remains in dispute, and may ultimately end up before a court, or the recently-formed Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). But at a time when bank behaviour is under intense scrutiny, it is relevant to wider debates about bank-run remediation schemes - how financial institutions pay back customers when they get it wrong. Loading

As the royal commission has put compensation practices under the microscope, banks have been criticised by consumer groups for running compensation schemes that are too often opaque, slow, complex to navigate, and reliant on "independent" reports by experts that critics say risk being tainted by commercial relationships. Lenders, meanwhile, insist they are lifting their game when they need to put right past wrongs. The big four alone set aside at least $1.5 billion to cover the cost of a string of scandals, a figure that also includes administration expenses, as well as refunds. A fundamental problem, consumer advocates say, is that banks often keep the nitty-gritty details of a remediation scheme under wraps, only announcing the general area where they will be making payments. Consumer Action Law Centre chief executive Gerard Brody.

Gerard Brody, chief executive of the Consumer Action Law Centre, says there will always be limits on who gets compensation and who doesnt, but the lack of detail makes it hard to know if customers are getting a fair deal. The problem I think with the banks administering their own remediation programs is that they really lack transparency," he says. "Its not clear what the outcomes are for customers, so we dont know necessarily whether they are getting good deals or bad deals on a system-wide basis. A further practice that came under scrutiny from the royal commission is the use of "independent" reports for remediation, such as a report by Clayton Utz, which provided 25 drafts of the report to its client, AMP. Although the law firm has maintained the report was independent of management, critics say the episode highlights the risks attached to such independent reports. Erin Turner, the director of campaigns at Choice, also says there have been "serious problems with bank-initiated and run compensation schemes". Some compensation efforts are run better than others, she says, highlighting the Commonwealth Banks open advice review, which featured regular reporting on the claims assessed and paid out, as an example of a scheme done well.

But in other cases, she says banks are often opaque about vital details such as the total number of people covered, and the precise criteria they are using to determine who gets paid and who doesn't. You need quick action, clear criteria and transparency, to make sure that it happens, that people have been re-mediated, because otherwise no one is going to trust the process, Turner says. Bank remediation schemes are part of Commissioner Kenneth Hayne's terms of reference. Credit:Brook Mitchell What then, might banks do to improve compensation processes? Since a 2016 promise to improve remediation practices, the major banks have introduced "customers advocates" - a role designed to help consumers navigate the complex process of a dispute.Berney is dealing in the tropes of Americana here and he gives us an embarrassment of riches: conspiracy novel, noir thriller, western, road movie. In a recent interview Berney said that after completing November Road on time for his publisher he let the book sit for a month, re-read it and decided that the tone and characters were all wrong. He decided to scrap the whole thing and start again. In a genre where publishers pump out disposable novels to a yearly schedule and authors boast on Twitter about how many words they wrote that day, Berney binned and then rewrote his entire book because he wanted to give his readers his very best work.

We are grateful. The leads are deep and three-dimensional and you can see Berney's care in the economy of the prose. No information is repeated, no dialogue is extraneous, every scene either reveals character or moves the story forward. This is 21st-century American crime fiction at its apogee.

In this type of novel there is only one kind of story logic and end-game that will complete the arcs of Frank, Barone and Charlotte. But while the reader is playing by the rules she or he knows Berney is Spock playing three-dimensional chess. He'll end the novel the way he needs it to end.

Like Tom Stoppard in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead or Akira Kurosawa in Hidden Fortress or George Lucas at the beginning of Star Wars, Berney has figured out that the story of great events can sometimes be told in a more interesting way through peripheral characters.

Berney shares Stoppard's erudition, Kurosawa's cinematic eye and it's appropriate that November Road is being adapted and directed for the screen by Lawrence Kasdan who wrote the best of the Star Wars movies: The Empire Strikes Back.With Sydney and pianist/conductor Daniel Barenboim it has been a long time between drinks  48 yearssince the 1970 Beethoven bicentennial when he visited with cellist Jacqueline du Pre  but that did nothing to lessen the impact of his three concerts with the magnificently distinctive Berlin Staatskapelle in November, including a complete cycle of the four Brahms symphonies.

Highlight: Daniael Barenboim and the Staatskapelle Berlin. Credit:Peter Adamik

Barenboim's spontaneous Brahms contrasted with Ricardo Muti's undeviating magisterial performance of the composer's Second Symphony with the Australian World Orchestra earlier in the year. But hearing the Staatskapelle's transparently lucent colours and intimate expressiveness in realising Barenboim's singular and powerful musical conception was one of those landmark events that shape musical culture in unpredictable ways.

A few weeks earlier David Robertson and the SSO had also yielded to the travel bug and fled to Vienna after a strongly shaped performance of Mahler's Fifth Symphony and a golden rendition by Renaud Capucon of the violin concerto by the incurably romantic Viennese refugee Eric Korngold. The SSO's year had also commenced in Vienna with a memorable Mozart series including the last three symphonies under Robertson and a generous serving of concertos with pianist Emanuel Ax. The orchestra's affinity with Mahler was reinforced with a mid-year performance of the Symphony No. 6 under Simone Young.Before I moved to Australia I didnt realise I was different. Until then, I had lived in Pakistan, where I was born, and the Middle East, where I spent part of my childhood. In either place, no-one had marked me out as being unusual purely because of the colour of my skin.

That changed when I moved here and I realised that because of my brown skin and my Asian heritage, I would feel like I didnt belong.

"You put your head down and keep trying, proving despite the odds that you are an asset to this nation  in fact much of immigrant success is motivated by having to constantly prove yourself." Credit:James Brickwood

My story isnt unusual. It is depressingly common, as backed up by recent research that found 84 per cent of Asian Australians experienced racism. You would think it would be easier for people of Asian heritage who were born in this country. You would be wrong; 86 per cent of these respondents reported experiencing racism.

While I wasnt born here, I was still a child when I moved here. I didnt realise at first why the Tongan girl at my school, one of the few brown faces around, told me we should stick together because there arent many like us.The ACT's peak trade union body is calling for the introduction of a new tax on insurers to help improve workplace safety.

Unions ACT wants the ACT government to impose a temporary levy on workers compensation insurance providers to help fund safety initiatives.

Unions ACT secretary Alex White is calling for the introduction of a new levy to improve worker safety. Credit:Graham Tidy Fairfax Media

In a submission to the government's 2019-20 budget process, the organisation said there was a clear case for increased investment in workplace safety in the ACT, which it noted was the "second least safe jurisdiction in Australian in which to work".

Under its proposal, a 1.7 per cent levy would be imposed on insurance providers over the next four years, raising about $3 million annually.Confusingly, Ms Fitzharris jumped on the eventual accreditation of Canberra Hospital as an example of great success and reform. Loading But the public is rightly not going to applaud a hospital getting accredited - this is a basic expectation of a health system. The initial report showed deeply ingrained management and cultural problems which could never be fully solved in just a few months time. Staff in rebellion

Theres no hiding the fact sections of clinical staff at Canberra Hospital have been in outright rebellion at different times during the year. Maternity staff were so concerned for patient and staff safety they wrote a scathing anonymous letter to the minister and, as a sign of their scepticism that management and government would act, also sent it to The Canberra Times. This letter and the reporting of it led to a flurry of women sharing their stories of giving birth at understaffed and under resourced Centenary Hospital. These issues should come to light further when public hearings for a committee inquiry into maternity services are held next year. Fed-up staff within the radiology department similarly took matters into their own hands after losing faith in hospital managements ability to deal with staffing and clinical issues, with the leaking of rosters and meeting notes.

Loading A confidential public interest disclosure was sent to The Canberra Times in an act of frustration. The doctor who sent the disclosure received legal advice it was legal to do so because ACT Health failed in its obligation to deal with the disclosure properly. Among the disclosures claims was that ACT Health engaged in inappropriate recruitment practices for management positions. There has been ongoing criticism of the decision by management to outsource the reporting of medical imaging, sometimes for months at a time. The decision to outsource was widely criticised by doctors from a number of departments who believed it had put patients at risk.

The department was also at risk of losing its teaching accreditation after a scathing report by the college of radiologists early in the year. While there is no doubt that personality issues have come into play - in both the maternity and radiology departments - the dysfunctional relationship and lack of trust between management and clinical staff has been the greatest source of tension. Director General of ACT Health Michael De'Ath with CEO of Canberra Health Services Bernadette McDonald Credit:Daniella White A new direction The much-hyped split of ACT Health into two directorates - one looking after governance, the other looking after clinical operations - came to a head with the announcement of the organisations' new bosses.

Acting director general Michael DeAth was given the ACT Health role permanently, while NT Health bureaucrat Janet Anderson was appointed Canberra Health Services CEO. But just days after the announcement, Ms Anderson suddenly announced she would not be taking the job after all. Fed up with poor performance and a long list of health scandals over many years, the Australian Medical Association - joined by the salaried doctors' union ASMOF - called for a board of inquiry into the culture of ACT Health. A board of inquiry - which was previously called for by the opposition - is the territorys version of a royal commission. Ms Fitzharris rejected the idea, saying a judicial inquiry was uncalled for and would likely turn into a witch hunt.

Loading Instead, she announced an independent review of ACT Health. The review has been criticised for having few powers or protections. Most believe it will produce a watered-down report that does not get to the heart of issues in the ACT, nor expose those who need exposing, simply because it does not have the power to. Ms Fitzharriss handling of the crises in ACT Health stands in stark contrast to that of the Victorian Labor government. When Victoria's mental health system came under increasing pressure and public criticism, premier Daniel Andrews announced a royal commission. The move was praised by the public. Moving forwardThe basis for the ACT government's urban infill offensive has been called into question, as new figures show the territory might have enough housing in the construction pipeline to meet demand for the next 15 years.

The government's new planning strategy, unveiled this month, outlines an aggressive push for more high-density housing to accommodate the predicted growth in Canberra's population from 412,000 in 2017 to 589,000 by 2041.

The new plan calls for the construction of 12 homes a day to meet the target, with 70 per cent of properties to be built in urban areas.

There are 55,000 new dwellings under way or in the construction pipeline in the ACT, according to new figures. Credit:Rob Homer

The strategy flags changes to planning rules to encourage greater housing density in residential areas, as the government seeks to centralise the bulk of the population around public transport links, jobs, schools and services.People told us we were mad, that it would never work, that it was too cold, that grapes were only grown in the Hunter Valley or the Barossa, you didnt grow grapes near Canberra. But I knew that Robert Campbell had grown grapes at Duntroon House, that Hamilton Hume was making wine near Yass in the 1850s. I knew it could be done. In the early 1970s he started discussions with the Yass Shire Council, hoping to purchase five acres to build a house and plant some vines. They told him he had to buy 200 acres. I said I only want 25 acres all up, what I am going to do with the other 175 acres, and they said run sheep and I laughed," he says.

Helm owns 30 acres now. Theres 11 acres of vines, and a few sheep. There are dedicated processing sheds for the riesling and the cabernet, and a house where he and his wife Judith raised their three children - Matthew, Natalie and Stephanie - after they moved to the vineyard in 1978. He remembers the first time someone outside the family tasted his wine. Somewhat fittingly, I think as Im enjoying the second sample of riesling, it was a Canberra Times journalist, Jan Hodgkinson, who lived near him in Murrumbateman at the time. Ken Helm in 2003: "We take great pride in this district and what people have achieved." Credit:Canberra Times Jan came over for a visit and I said 'Ive just made our first riesling, did you want a taste?" he says. I liked it, but I was scared about what she might think, wondering if shed like it.

She took a sip and said, I can drink that. We entered that wine in the Forbes wine show and it won a trophy. There were only five wineries in the show mind you, but it was our first win. In the 2019 edition of the Halliday Wine Companion, James Halliday had this to say of Helm: Over the years he has achieved many things, through dogged persistence on the one hand, vision on the other. Riesling has been an all-consuming interest, evidenced by his rieslings of consistently high quality. He has also given much to the wine community, extending from the narrow focus of the Canberra District to the broad canvas of the world of riesling: in 2000 he established the Canberra International Riesling Challenge. Helm attributes a lot of his success to his early days at the CSIRO.

I worked there for 20 years - it was the halcyon days when the CSIRO was there to break down the barriers of knowledge," he says. We would sit around at morning tea, we would question everything about our research, ask 'why?' about everything we were doing. Ken Helm: That probably sums up my attitude towards things, ask lots of questions." Credit:Karleen Minney Even now I question everything. I want answers to all sorts of things: where did the word trivia come from? Why is it called Antarctica? "I count steps when I walk up them, I can name every Australian prime minister and their birth date [and he can, I note, when John Gorton (September 9, 1911) randomly comes up in conversation later].

That probably sums up my attitude towards things, ask lots of questions. I look at the CSIRO now, three-year programs funded by industry. We were there in the days when it was fully federally funded and it was 15- to 20-year programs. You had time to think about things and ask questions. In 1988 he took an early retirement and made the stupid decision to work full-time on the winery. He was distracted again, over the years, by the local council, on which he served for 12 years including two terms as mayor. He also lobbied government to make changes in the wine industry and helped establish the Independent Wineries Association to help smaller winemakers have a say. He cant choose his best or worst years. Stephanie was born in 1986, the year Halleys Comet came by. We opened some wines at her wedding [to Ben Osborne, Helms vineyard manager] and they were fantastic.Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size David Pope was about to go to bed when he got a news alert on his phone. It was January 7, 2015, and the offices of the French satirical weekly, Charlie Hebdo, were under attack by an Islamic terrorist group. Pope turned on the television and watched, horrified, as the news unfolded that 12 people had been killed, and 11 others injured. Five of those killed were cartoonists. I was watching it and reading Twitter, along with other cartoonists - were all watching at the same time, he says. I thought I had actually met one of these cartoonists at a festival in France, who was shot, so it was particularly dreadful. Feeling helpless, he sketched out a quick, spontaneous cartoon that seemed to speak to the moment - a terrorist with a smoking gun, standing over the body of a dead cartoonist, saying, He drew first. David Pope's Charlie Hebdo cartoon, that resonated around the world on January 8, 2015. Credit:David Pope He tweeted it out, adding his own words to the flurry of commentary and commiseration. Then he went to bed. The next morning, he couldnt access the mentions in his Twitter feed, because there were too many. Millions of people had seen his drawing, and many more had re-tweeted it. Pretty much every newspaper in the northern hemisphere reproduced it, and interview requests were pouring in.

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The thing was, though, there was nothing much more that needed to be said. The cartoon had been spontaneous and quick, quite unlike the process that goes into his daily cartoon for The Canberra Times, which is often labour-intensive and painstakingly plotted out. And he didnt want to wade into the machinations of the magazine under attack. Charlie Hebdo was known for its provocative satire that didnt always translate well beyond Frances borders, while Popes cartoon had managed to transcend all kinds of boundaries and nationalities and speak to everyone. In the event, then foreign minister Julie Bishop presented the staff of Charlie Hebdo with a signed, framed copy of the cartoon on a visit to Paris later that year. Pope, meanwhile, has long reconciled himself to the fact none of his cartoons will ever have that kind of reach again. Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop with the David Pope's cartoon 'He drew first' at the temporary offices of Charlie Hebdo. Credit:ANTOINE GYORI And thats just part of the life of a cartoonist for a daily newspaper. Pope has been at it for 10 years now, having taken over after the retirement of Geoff Pryor, who drew for the paper for 30 years. Until then, Pope had always drawn, but had never seriously considered full-time cartooning. He had applied, been accepted to and then turned down a place at art school at Sydney University. I think at that time I was just getting more into political ideas, so art school didn't seem very connected to that. I used to just draw little cartoons for activist organisations, he says. I did a lot of part-time work, stopped and started my uni studies and eventually went back for five years, to study politics and economics.

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He knew, when The Canberra Times offered him the job, he had big shoes to fill; Pryor had built up a loyal following among both his readers, and the politicians he regularly pilloried, for three decades. As it turned out, the news was at a crossroads when Pope took over in 2008. Social media was rapidly taking hold of mass reading habits, and the news cycle was switching to the 24/7 model we take for granted today. David Pope chats with former Canberra Times cartoonist Geoff Pryor. Credit:Melissa Adams Obviously the world's always constantly moving, but somehow it's easy to feel like you're in a bit of a washing machine with the news, because it comes at you in so many different ways, he says. You're connected with it so directly now, through your phones and through social media. And I still haven't worked out how to manage that. In the past 10 years, The Canberra Times has transformed from a newspaper to a media platform, and Pope has adapted along with it. But in many ways, Twitter and ISIS and constant leadership spills notwithstanding, the job of a daily cartoonist hasnt changed. Like Pryor, Pope still has the challenge of producing a daily cartoon, which means sifting through the news of the day, picking an issue, deciding on an approach, and making it happen on the page. Just dont try and tell him that the daily smorgasbord of political shenanigans to which weve become accustomed must make his job easier - it almost never does.

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On a daily basis, there's this tension between the political news stories of the day, and having some fun with the personalities in that, and the idea that it represents something deeper, he says. You don't want to be just the clown that's part of the circus. And then you realise the great privilege you have to actually get printed by the paper every day, and there's people working here, putting the paper together, printing it, distributing it, you have this privileged space, so what about the stories that aren't front-page news? Loading ''I've always felt like the role of the cartoonist is to be inside and outside of the thing. It's a weird position that you want to be connecting and relating to the stories that the team is putting together and finding, but you also want to be a voice that's outside it a bit as well, and questioning social priorities that aren't getting a look-in. The key, he says, is to work out early on what kind of cartoon the end result will be. From a simple visual gag, to a complicated, multi-panel statement, Pope has always liked to mix up his daily offerings. Cartoons work because they operate at a sub-rational level, that's their power, he says. Their power is in the visual image, so sometimes you just want to harness that and leave the words out because even if you put a lot of words in, it's those images that will stay with people.

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He points out, here, with some residual sense of amazement, that one of his most popular cartoons is still the front page image he created on the day of an NRL elimination final between the Canberra Raiders and the Cronulla Sharks in 2012. The image, of a viking riding a shark like a surfboard, was hardly subtle, but people still stop him in the street about it, and tell him that the day of the final (the Raiders won) was one of the best days of their lives. David Pope's front page image for The Canberra Times' September 10, 2012 edition. Credit:The Canberra Times Conversely, when it comes to federal politics, the intrigue and tomfoolery has been a constant, endless gift these past 10 years, but Pope has always wanted to delve deeper than just a poke at the first dish of the day. You don't want to get into just drawing leadership struggles as these little personal ambition stories, he says. It's almost that horse race journalism stuff, who's up and who's down. Who's being stalked by a potential rival and who isn't. What does it reflect, and how can you portray the deeper political changes that are occurring? From straight-out gags to deep reflections, from simple, arresting images to complicated visual metaphors, the challenge is often to choose one and see it through until the works done. There's a number of things you're trying to hold together at the same time, and they're all in tension with each other, and you resolve that tension each day in a different direction and you're never happy with it because you think oh god, no one's going to know this story, that's old now, we've moved onto this, he says.

Advertisement(I do not know if there is another nation like Australia where the drawing of bills of indictment against busted public figures needs only to draw on their own earlier hypocritical comments about others, or about the standards they proclaim they follow. Particularly with sex scandals. I have written before how in Australian public life and politics, the cardinal and abiding sin is hypocrisy. In the US, the appetite for sex scandal is primarily a prurient puritan one; in Britain, a sense of the ridiculous.) A good many critics of the modern public service are very fearful that its original guiding principles have been diluted by the modern culture of responsiveness, that governments are being deprived of the benefits of frank and fearless advice, and notions of public stewardship. This is not merely a fear that advice to ministers is being tempered. In some bureaucratic hierarchies opinions differing from the secretary are not welcome. All must sing from the same song-sheet and departments are remade with clones of the secretary. Taking concerns to the public, or to custodians of the public interest, is the ultimate sin. The public administration was not intended merely as an instrument for mindlessly carrying out the will of the government. It was supposed to be a repository of experience, independent views, not only an academy of ideas, but one which nurtures and develops alternative ways of looking at things, people willing to advance alternative approaches, and people able and willing to inject more than technical advice into policy and program discussion, but also morality, common sense and a feeling for the temper of the community. But if the public service is tarnished, and not in conspicuously good hands, its reputation still stands higher than that of the major banks, the financial advice industry, insurance and the private sector superannuation funds the banks fostered. There have been so many scandals, and so much political tumult this year, that it might seem churlish to put banking culture, and the clear and present risk of its infusion into the public service in pride of place.

The conjunction of these risks does not only come from the fact that the public service review is largely comprised of an array of old mates of Malcolm Turnbull. Most of them, except the noble Glyn Davis, happen to have, like Turnbull, strong backgrounds in banking, and in making very large sums of money from their participation in it. Former prime minster Malcolm Turnbull. Credit:Janie Barrett Most, like Turnbull, share a tendency to think that it is from the private sector that government will learn most of what it needs to know about better outcomes for the public, the best advice about what to do, and structures that are efficient and effective. It might be the other way around. The public administration has been changing, including by adapting and adopting some things from the private sector, particularly over the period 1983-2000. It is not so clear that private industry has learnt much, or much good, over the past 40 years. So far as the public sector was concerned, the past 20 years have also involved some regress, but the general direction was forward. There were high spots but many many low ones, not least in leadership, in addiction to meaningless managerial slogans, and the willingness of officials to bend with the wind.

But if we can all sneer, and jeer, at the bankers who thought that moral considerations, or sense of justice should not temper pursuit of profit and personal bonuses, can we be certain that the public administration is an altogether more robust organisation? Can we be sure that no official  certainly of senior executive service level or above  would temper her sense of justice for impure motives? And, when scruples cannot be overcome or tempered, do they resign or otherwise bring matters to a head? We are somewhat familiar with a few brave medical professionals who have spoken out about the conscious brutality and medical neglect in our overseas concentration camps, as required by government and enforced with extra added venom by officials in the department of home affairs. But if there are dissidents with the computerised pauperisation of welfare recipients, on the innocent until proven guilty principle, the steady decline of quantity and quality of service in indigenous affairs, or the comprehensive rorting of schemes in which National Party ministers have been involved, it seems to have mostly passed without anybody much noticing. The British Committee for Standards in Public Life reports regularly to government and parliament about issues affecting standards of conduct by politicians, public servants and others involved in the provision of services, including, in a very recent report, efforts to require an ethical framework when private sector bodies provide outsourced public services. The committees charter is based on the so-called Nolan principles  similar to, if better phrased, and with better mechanisms of enforcement than, the APS code of conduct.

The seven principles are selflessness (holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest); integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty (including truthfulness) and leadership (the charming idea, like all the others an outrage to National Party practice, that holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour.) Like an overwhelming proportion of the population, here and in Britain, the committee thinks that firms and non-government organisations who provide public services under contract should be subject to the same rules as public officials and government departments. That includes being subject to the FOI Act, having accountable customer complaint systems, and having the ethical rules in the contract documents. Perhaps even with living wills by which the contractors agree what will happen if there is non-compliance. Britain, like Australia, has privatised jails and concentration camps, as well as much work once done directly by government agencies. In Britain, as here, central agencies, and major agencies letting out enormous contracts pay only lip service to such notions. But they pretend otherwise in the screeds they put out praising themselves for their actions. Here, as there, the record is very patchy, and many contracts do not even refer to ethical principles, let alone show that government and businesses have common concepts of what is expected from a customer rights point of view. Wheezes like claiming national security, or commercial-in-confidence and respect for personal privacy are also used to evade transparency and accountability. After four years of pretend implementation, the British committee has identified three ethical tensions that affect the public-private interface.

The first is a potential conflict between the selfless principle and corporate obligations  perhaps the David Murray idea of a boards holding profit as the sole consideration. This led some providers to create an artificial distinction among the applicability of the principles to them, and even to become dismissive of the seven principles altogether, or to adopt a pick and mix approach, which, the committee said, is not in the public interest. As some observers of bank, or public service behaviour here might feel, the British committee wonders how the many professionals in such bodies adhere to their professional bodies ethical standards and codes of conduct. And its not just accountants. Its lawyers, doctors, social workers, any group claiming (and getting) professional status in their jobs. One such British body, representing auditors, expressed concern that auditors and financial professionals managing tender processes were not considering ethical standards in conducting due diligence, framing contracts, establishing pricing and setting contractual terms. The same body also referred to wider concerns that value for money had come to mean pricing alone, or a race to the bottom. Heaven forfend that there could be similar problems in Australia, whether at the Commonwealth level, or, perhaps, with ACT government relationships with the private sector. But the big nagging question, as alive in Australia as in Britain, and as alive in the public service as in banking involves the question of moral courage.

Thats the Narev-Comyn problem about not tempering ones sense of justice. Or not having the courage to speak up. The committee cited a British survey of 28,000 folk in the bank industry which suggested that it too had no shortage of Narevs and Comyns. A third of respondents feared negative consequences for them if they raised concerns of an ethical nature. 18 per cent reported seeing senior managers turning a blind eye to inappropriate behaviour. 13 per cent thought it difficult to get ahead in their careers without being flexible with their ethical standards. Two per cent said they saw instances where unethical behaviour was rewarded. Our surveys of bank culture in Australia  and the 2018 hearings of the bank inquiry  show that, if anything, the problem is far worse here. But now we know that, as do Scott Morrison, Malcolm Turnbull and Josh Frydenberg, as well as the light-touch regulation folk in the financial regulatory agencies. But anyone who has read recent reports on the state of the APS knows that significant  sometimes higher  proportions of public servants see the same ethical shortcomings among their public service peers and superiors. Its one of the many reasons why most public servants, like most Australians, favour anti-corruption bodies with teeth. But, as in Britain, we do not see a lot of moral courage from our public service lawyers, accountants, engineers and other professionals, even, in certain respects police and intelligence officials. Wheres the public sector moral courage here? Wheres the leadership? Whos making it an agenda item in their pep talks to public servants, even public service leaders. Wheres the sense of urgency?Arsalan Khawaja, the brother of Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja, allegedly approached the brother of a female Crown witness against him to influence criminal proceedings in which he is accused of framing a colleague as a budding terrorist.

The UNSW employee, 39, was originally charged over allegations he made it look as though Mohamed Nizamdeen was plotting in a diary to kill senior Australian politicians.

Arsalan Khawaja has had his bail revoked by a Parramatta magistrate. Credit:AAP

Police have dropped terror charges against Mr Nizamdeen and it is now alleged Mr Khawaja set up his colleague when the two were fighting over a woman.

Officers from the NSW Joint Counter-Terrorism Team, ASIO and the NSW Crime Commission arrested Arsalan at his Westmead home on Thursday afternoon, alleging he breached his bail conditions set following his arrest earlier this month.Who among us has not wanted, ever so briefly, so see the world through the eyes of a bird, to soar above treetops and to swoop low to glimpse areas of this planet that are otherwise inaccessible by land? Who has not marvelled at the stunning vistas presented through the use of drones and which give us new ways of seeing our world?

Vaccines are being delivered by drone right now in Vanuatu. Emergency services around the world use drones in fire-fighting, and in search and rescue operations. They are deployed by farmers and scientists. And, yes, they are used as killing machines in war.

One of the Wespac Little Ripper drones that will be in use across Australia this summer. Credit:Westpac Little Ripper

Still, it is hard to believe the turmoil and commercial disruption that occurred throughout Britain and Europe last week, when Londons second biggest airport Gatwick was shut down for days amid reports that a drone was buzzing the airspace. Thousands of people had their holiday season disrupted, not to mention the commercial damage to airlines and tourism operators.

It is just as hard to believe that emergency authorities in Tasmania had to suspend aerial efforts to dowse bushfires raging on Bruny Island because, again, some wit was whizzing a drone in the airspace above the fires. Water-bombing helicopters were grounded on Christmas Day while authorities located the drone operator.Dogs, toys, a washing line and a cat in a cage.

These are some of the things residents from Opal Tower took with them on Friday as they evacuated their homes for the second time in five days.

Qi, left, leaves Opal Tower on Friday, as he weighs up whether to return permanently. Credit:Nick Moir

But as the outside temperature rose, tempers cooled.

Residents were more philosophical compared to the heated scenes on Thursday when news broke of the unexpected evacuation.Police have released CCTV footage they hope will lead to identifying the man allegedly responsible for spraying an inner Sydney bus driver, in what a detective has described as the "despicable behaviour" of a "coward".

The 41-year-old bus driver was allegedly sprayed six times in the face with the chemical, believed to have been capsicum spray, while driving a full bus in Surry Hills on Thursday night.

CCTV shows the moment police allege a man attacked a bus driver with pepper spray. Credit:Police Media

The alleged assault occurred on board the Route 392 bus as it travelled down Oxford Street towards the city, stopping between Flinders Street and Crown Street in Surry Hills about 10.40pm.

Police allege the male offender was told he could not get on the bus, which was at capacity, "due to safety reasons".Mark Longobardi found out about the fire order because it prevented the sale of his apartment, but others found out about the fire order only this week. Some residents are probably just finding out now. So, because there is no suggestion that any laws were broken, what laws could allow this situation to occur? And where does Regis Towers fit into the growing number of complaints about alleged building faults in multistorey units across NSW? You might have heard the complaints. There was Harry Seidler's lauded Horizon apartment tower with its intermittently failing lifts, the prestigious Wharf Terraces at Woolloomooloo with its acoustic problems, the Highgate apartment in Kent Street with its alleged electrical and plumbing faults, the Wondakiah at Waverton with alleged rust marks and the Observatory Tower in Kent Street, or as some residents dubbed it, "the clever building from hell", where the lights and air-conditioners came on unexpectedly.

The Horizon building in Darlinghurst had lift problems initially. Credit:Peter Morris In each case the developers have agreed to fix the problems. Airing grievances in the Supreme Court earlier this year were residents of the exclusive Hyde Park Towers in Elizabeth Street, where penthouse apartments in the 34-storey block sold for prices of more than $1.5 million each. There the residents made a $17 million statement of claim that alleged a list of problems including sewage smells caused by faulty plumbing, poor internal finishes and $2.4 million worth of work they claim was needed to meet fire safety requirements. The case is still proceeding.

Even Premier Bob Carr's so-called "pattern book" of the 10 best examples of residential blocks in the state has not escaped. Loading The Herald has learnt that two of Carr's favourite blocks the Peninsula at Manly and Domain at Marrickville have been the subject of concern by residents over the quality of building work. They include alleged problems with plumbing and internal finishes. You might have heard the complaints without realising where they fit into a bigger pattern. Because, taken in isolation, no single complaint would be enough to lead to calls for reform. But taken together, according to some observers, they amount to a crisis. They say it is a crisis that is costing hundreds of millions of dollars in unnecessary inconvenience to thousands of consumers each year.

"I think the tragedy is already there," said Jerry Tyrell, a private building inspector. "People are living in noisy buildings ... defective buildings. A lot of people's lives are being altered by it, both financially and emotionally." Councils just a 'keeper of records' To better understand the source of the discord, The Herald interviewed dozens of State Government and council officials, industry and insurance executives, property owners and private building inspectors. We also reviewed hundreds of council documents, strata documents, court documents and previously undisclosed State Government documents. The picture that emerges is not a happy sight for consumers. Where once there was only one major body that handled building complaints, there is now a plethora of confusing, and sometimes very expensive, options. These can involve tribunals, courts and insurance claims.

Responsibility for building standards is spread across two State Government departments and relies to a great extent on 151 private building surveyors who are accredited by an organisation based in Adelaide. Local councils, it would appear, are often just the keepers of records supplied by private contractors. Councils don't always check new residential buildings themselves and they often don't hear about problems until well after people move in. Some say the rot began in 1994 with the effective abolition of the Building Services Corporation (BSC), after its board was dismissed. Established five years earlier, its role was to handle consumer complaints about builders and to administer a fund gathered from selling home indemnity insurance. This fund, which was levied on builders, was designed as a safeguard to pay out consumers who had been wronged. The popular perception of the BSC was that it didn't work very well but, in hindsight, it seems it might have been judged too harshly and too early.

"The Building Services Corporation certainly had some problems in terms of quality of delivery and focus on consumers but at least it was a very specifically focused body," said Norm Crothers, a spokesman for the Australian Consumers Association. "It might have been perceived to be close to the industry but it was better than what we have now." In 1997 the BSC was merged with the Department of Fair Trading, which lumped complaints about substandard building work in with every other consumer complaint. "The Government removed the only body that was specifically designed to look after consumers," said Allan Colquhoun, a former BSC board member. "There was nothing seriously wrong or corrupt about the BSC. I am not saying it was perfect but it was in its infancy, for God's sake. It was improving." On one level, the statistics do appear to indicate that things were better. In 1992 the BSC brought 1063 prosecutions for bad building practice before the local courts. Last year, the number of successful prosecutions was 32, according to figures obtained from the Department of Fair Trading.

Loading As part of the merger of the BSC with the Department of Fair Trading, the Government decided that it would privatise building insurance something builders used to have to get from the BSC before starting a new building. The concept behind private insurance was that it would force bad builders out of the industry. But the reality appears to have proved quite different. Two of the three major private insurers turned out to be FAI and HIH companies which are now the subject of a royal commission. According to the Master Builders Association, private insurance proved so easy to get that builders were even being offered three months' free cover. Regardless of their histories, even the bad builders were being reinsured.

Those events might have contributed to the decline in building standards, but some observers claim that the biggest single reason has been the growing incapacity of public authorities to act as a proper watchdog. Graham Jahn, the president of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, said the shift began as early as 1993 when tradespeople began to certify their own work and these certificates began to be relied upon. "There has been a general drift away by councils and other bodies from getting involved in the private building area," he said. "That general drift away has created a climate ... where there is not much of a culture of having your work inspected pretty much by anybody, including architects or arms-length contractors or by local councils." In today's NSW, the person who installs your fire door is the person who issues the certificate to say that it has been installed correctly.

The person who says that your new building complies with the national building code can be a private contractor who is being paid by the developer. And this can be the same person who certifies that the building has been built correctly. Asked if there were issues flowing from that, Jahn replied: "Clearly there are some issues. How strongly they relate to the drift ... I can't answer that directly." Three years ago, just as the reliance on so-called "self-certification" was growing, the State Government introduced a scheme that offered developers an option to almost completely privatise the process. The change opened the way for private building surveyors to do much of the work of local councils by allowing them to issue construction certificates, to inspect various stages of construction and to issue certificates that stated buildings were fit for habitation. Under the change these "private certifiers" would report directly to the developers who had contracted them to inspect the buildings.

Loading The Herald has learnt that private certifiers are used in up to 30 per cent of all new buildings in NSW. Significantly, the majority of those jobs are the bigger projects being undertaken by the larger developers. Patricia Gilchrist, the executive director of the Urban Development Institute of Australia, which lobbied for the change, said the new system was working well and had cut down on the lengthy delays of the old system. "I know that sometimes people see it as something a little bit perhaps sinister, but it is really not the way we see private certifiers ... [They are] a spur to better service," she said. "Where councils held the monopoly, we felt we weren't getting the service. It is particularly a timing issue, there were delays, and when developers have got borrowed money and when they have sold units, people are anxious to move in."

But Peter Woods, the president of the Local Government Association, which opposed the move, said he didn't think the Government had thought the consequences through. "Our view in local government is that it's not just about maintaining bureaucratic control, it's about representing people to protect their interests," he said. "One of those interests is to ensure quality control. "We saw enough bad practice before private certification came in ... what happens when we open the floodgates and say all we want is a signature on a piece of paper?" Some local councils claim to have been left confused by the change. "[The process] has been done in the absence of the necessary level of detail as to who is going to be responsible for what when things start to go wrong," said James Harrison, who until recently was the director of planning and building at South Sydney Council. "Under the new system it is a lot less clear as to who should or shouldn't be investigating complaints."

Harrison said 13 problem buildings passed by private certifiers had already been identified in South Sydney. In one case, a private certifier had signed off on 39 unauthorised additions, including 14 illegal rooms. The Lord Mayor of Sydney, Frank Sartor, said his council had also identified a number of problem buildings. "Any fool should be able to see the enormous conflict of interest they [private certifiers] have got," he said. "They should be able to see that this is a major problem. "The simple fact is that if I am a certifier I will be loath to make trouble for a major developer who gives me a lot of work, so they have a major conflict of interest. I cannot believe that such bad legislation ever got enacted." The Herald has learnt that the main accreditation body for private building surveyors the Adelaide-based Building Surveyors and Allied Professions Accreditation Board (BSAP) is now under review by the State Government. Of particular concern to the Government is whether BSAP is capable of investigating complaints against its members.

So far, 34 complaints about work carried out by private certifiers in NSW have been made to BSAP, yet none of the complaints has led to the withdrawal of accreditation for any of the surveyors complained about. BSAP became involved in the process in NSW after the Government called for interested parties to apply for the right to accredit private certifiers. One of those who answered the call was the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors the organisation behind BSAP. Geoff Mitchell, the institute's national president, said it set up a system whereby surveyors who had previously worked for local government but who now wanted to work for themselves could apply for recognition. "Certainly the professional ethics of my members put a lot more accountability into the process than what was there before," he said.

Loading "A lot of complaints that have been received [about members] have been purely driven by a misunderstanding of issues rather than technical incompetence." But the Herald has learnt that the process to determine who a "suitably qualified" person was under the changes was left largely to BSAP because the laws did not stipulate what qualifications were needed. Now, three years into the scheme's operation, the Planning Minister, Dr Andrew Refshauge, is so concerned about the accreditation criteria being used he intends to introduce major reforms to the process early next year. "There has been some suggestion that there has been some problems," he said. "There are some significant changes occurring ... Making sure the skills, the competences, are appropriate and that [certifiers] are assessed appropriately." IN RELATION to Regis Towers, it would seem that private building surveyors cannot be blamed, because the buildings were signed off by Sydney City Council. There does appear, however, to be an issue about the extent to which the council relied on the honesty of the various subcontractors used by the developer, Meriton. The Herald was able to obtain access to thousands of documents in the council's own files in relation to Regis Towers, and the picture that emerges is sobering.

The documents show that Sydney Council relied to a major extent on dozens of certificates issued by the numerous subcontractors who built the building and who checked its safety aspects. The subcontractors said the work had been completed and the council appeared to have believed them. Ross Kocass, a Meriton spokesman, said: "It was done under the old system [where] we employ subcontractors, they certify to us that they have done the work as per the plans, and we then certify to council. "What they [the council] inspect or what they look at is not up to us. And basically it can't be, because it needs to be random." At least one other local authority was also involved. The documents show that in January 1999 and again in September 1999 officers from the NSW Fire Brigades visited and inspected parts of the buildings on a random basis.

Three of the resultant reports carried the following paragraph: "Based on certification received and inspections of the building, it is considered that adequate provisions have been made for the preventing and extinguishing of fires, and the protection and saving of life and property in case of fire." And yet, in April 2001, the City of Sydney issued a fire safety order against the building an order that has yet to be lifted. Sartor said that under the Local Government Act 1993 the council had no choice but to accept the certificates from people the act defines as "appropriately qualified" persons. Again, the law does not define who an appropriately qualified person is. "We relied on the certificates that were given to us," Sartor said. "We were obliged under the act to accept these certificates." Meriton said that once the problems were brought to its attention by the council, the company immediately went back in and fixed them, even though there was no legal obligation do so.

"We were under the impression that everything done there complied with the Building Code of Australia and that, as you know, is one of the most stringent codes in the world," Kocass said. "At our own cost we went back there and we inspected every unit in the whole place, with the exception of 18 units. We didn't inspect those 18 because we couldn't get access." "It was basically a commercial decision [to go back in] because our name obviously helps us succeed in the market. Without that we have a lot of problems." Meriton said it had hired private certifiers to convince the council that the building now met the building code. For its part, the council wrote to residents this week to say that it would be undertaking its own inspections, beginning on Monday.

The Herald understands the council will inspect only 10 per cent of the units. The buying pitfalls How do you avoid buying a unit in a badly built block? There are three main avenues of inquiry a pre-purchase building inspection, a search of the minutes of the owners' corporation and a call to the Department of Fair Trading. The department advises buyers of old and brand-new units to obtain an inspection from a qualified and experienced building consultant. This will cost from $400 to $850.

Loading The Herald has uncovered cases, however, where serious problems have been discovered after purchase despite an inspection. In some cases, the second building consultant recommends the resale of the unit because the defects are too extensive to fix. Solicitors acting for buyers usually order a strata search an inspection of the minutes of the owners' corporation. It should disclose any known building problems and whether the sinking and administrative funds are sufficient to rectify and/or maintain the building. Such searches cost about $180. You can inspect the minutes yourself at the strata manager's office for a fee of about $25. The Department of Fair Trading says the owners' corporation must make these records available but strata managers insist on a written authority from the agent or unit owner and they can make it very difficult. The department recommends good legal advice, particularly buying off the plan when there is no building to inspect. "Get the lawyer to check the purchaser's right to rescind [the contract] or reduce the sale price if promised works vary considerably," a spokesperson says. "Lawyers should also find out what provision there is if work is delayed and/or defective."

If buying off the plan, it may pay to employ a building consultant or architect to monitor the progress of the building and the particular unit. And watch for any clause that transfers the buyer's voting right for future management of the building to the developer or builder. You can also telephone the department to ask about the complaints record of the builder or developer, including any failure to comply with orders. Off to a soggy start Robyn Gold and her husband Bruce always intended to retire in Manly, so when the opportunity came to buy an off-the-plan waterfront apartment they seized it. "We thought we could rent it for 10 years or so and then move in, so we settled in October last year and prepared to move our first tenant in," she said.

"But the morning the removalists arrived they opened the door to find water everywhere. The ceiling was on the floor and the place was just a total mess. It was like this whole ceiling was dripping down and the plaster was in chunks on the ground." The building in question, the Peninsula, was recently nominated by the Premier, Bob Carr, as one of the best 10 apartment blocks in NSW. And this was no cheap apartment it had cost $850,000. "By the time I got there they had ripped up all the carpets because they wanted to minimise the damage," she said. "[The builders] were very good about it; they had huge commercial dryers in there in the first day but we still lost two weeks' rent and we are still claiming for it." The problem was soon identified as being a faulty air-conditioning system, but worse was to follow.

"Three months later a new tenant was about to be moved in when the agent noticed the bathroom had black mould on the ceilings and it was really smelly," she said. "And lo and behold, all the upstairs toilets were faulty and they were leaking into our ceiling space. So we had sewage in the ceiling space coming into our apartment. I was fairly upset about this because of the first incident." Gold said her distress was heightened by the fact that the replacement toilets were end-of-line stock and could be found only in Queensland. "The truck got lost bringing them down but they got there in the end and we kept our tenants. But it was literally the day our tenant moved in that they got this sorted out. "I think there are a lot of good things about buying off the plan. You could make a lot of money on it because sometimes you get this great growth spurt in the market and you've cleaned up.Crawling traffic is plaguing the two major routes out of Brisbane as the post-Christmas exodus enters a third day.

Motorists heading out of the Queensland capital to the Sunshine Coast or Gold Coast were being delayed as congestion worsened on Friday afternoon.

Motorists enduring delays on the M1 near Robina. Credit:Department of Transport and Main Roads

The Australian Traffic Networks Charlton Hart said delays stretched about 22 kilometres on sections of the Bruce Highway.

Just to get through the Morayfield stretch, that would take you 43 minutes, and you can usually get through that area in about 25 to 30 minutes, Mr Hart said.Four women in Brisbane's south have been targeted by a thief who allegedly assaulted them and stole their handbags on Friday night and escaped in a stolen vehicle.

Police are searching for a dark grey coloured Audi RS6 Station Wagon with New South Wales registration NBR34E which was reported stolen earlier this month in Wakerley.

Police were called to Comer Street at Coopers Plains about 10pm after reports of a woman being assaulted by a man and having her handbag stolen while walking into a car park.

The woman was taken to hospital for treatment of an injury to her shoulder.

About 10.30pm, officers were called to Valhalla Street at Sunnybank after a woman was pushed to the ground and had her handbag stolen.A teenager who allegedly assaulted and robbed two elderly men, one of whom claims he was followed into his own backyard, has been arrested and charged.

Police charged a 14-year-old boy with the alleged assault and robbery of a 74-year-old-man in Donvale on December 12, along with a similar alleged attack on an 82-year-old man in Vermont South the day before.

The 74-year-old man got off a bus on Carbine Street about 4pm when the alleged attacker followed him.

He was approached from behind and allegedly lifted off the ground, punched then robbed.At 12am on Sunday, one of the largest and most fraught trade deals in world history will come into effect, with Australia and five other countries importing and exporting under the rules of the TPP-11, formally called the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The midnight launch of the agreement comes after more than a decade of tortured and at times perilous negotiations, including President Donald Trump's high-profile withdrawal in 2017, which stripped the TPP of the American economic might that had accounted for 60 per cent of the original bloc's combined GDP.

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham and Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Credit:AAP

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said the TPP-11 was a "major win" for Australian producers and businesses, who will have boosted access to Canadian, Japanese, Mexican, Singaporean and New Zealand markets from December 30. It will come into force for Vietnam on January 19, with Brunei, Chile, Malaysia and Peru following after they ratify the agreement.

Australia has an international reputation for its premium and high-quality produce and now it will be enjoyed by more people around the world," said Senator Birmingham. "The opportunities are vast, from more Victorian wine and cheese being enjoyed on the slopes of Whistler, to more NSW prime beef being served up in Japans world-class restaurants.Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese has demanded answers from the government on the Andrew Broad "sugar daddy" scandal, calling for Prime Minister Scott Morrison to clear up who knew what and when, so Australians can move on.

Mr Albanese also seized on revelations, aired by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, that Mr Morrison's office knew of the allegations against Mr Broad two weeks before they were made public, causing the Nationals MP to lose his role as an assistant minister and announce his departure from Parliament at the next election.

Nationals MP Andrew Broad quit over sugar daddy allegations. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

It was a "long stretch" to claim that the Prime Minister's staff did not inform Mr Morrison of the issue until it was published by New Idea magazine, Mr Albanese said, adding that a senior government figure would ordinarily be told of a matter involving the Australian Federal Police, who were called in by Mr Broad to investigate the alleged blackmail by his Hong Kong-based date.

"We have revelations that the Prime Minister's office was aware of the Andrew Broad issue a fortnight before, apparently," Mr Albanese said.The federal government spent $157 million on government advertising campaigns in 2017-18, with the same-sex marriage postal survey contributing to an increase in overall spending.

There was a $57 million increase on the previous year, when $100.1 million was spent on government advertising campaigns. That year included $19.2 million on the 2016 census.

Tech giants like Google benefit from more advertising - including government advertising - moving online. Credit:Andrew Kelly

Defence was again the biggest spender, with $30.1 million going to recruitment advertising and $16 million spent on "defence industry skills and jobs".

Outside of Defence, the postal survey was the big ticket item, with an advertising budget of $19 million, of which $1.3 million was on ethnic media and $400,000 on Indigenous media.Australia's capitals are far different from the days when Dorothea Mackellar wrote My Country. Around that time at least 80 per cent of Victorians, West Australians and South Australians will be housed in their respective state capitals. Despite its vast size, WA is the country's most centralised state, with 2.1 million of its 2.5 million residents living in Perth. Melbourne will soon be home to more than four of every five Victorians. Credit:Jessica Shapiro By the middle of the century, 85 of every 100 West Australians will live in the state capital.

At the same time Victoria is expected to have 10.2 million residents. Of those, 8.4 million are projected to be in Melbourne, making it the nation's largest city. Grattan Institute chief executive John Daley says the dominance of the nation's capital cities is already changing the way Australians think about themselves. An icon of a bygone era: The Man from Snowy River. He points out the cultural icons of the country are changing as more people live in the capitals and fewer are grounded in "traditional" rural Australia.

"Twenty years ago The Man from Snowy River was a cultural icon. Today it is MasterChef," he said. "If you look at the MasterChef contestants, 12 of the 24 didn't have Caucasian parents. If you live in Sydney or Melbourne there's nothing strange about that, it's your lived experience. But if you're in country Australia it can look very different." Mr Daley said trying to encourage businesses to move to regional areas rarely works, as firms had to overcome problems such as finding suitable staff or the cost of transport to important markets. The institute's own studies have shown an effective "over-investment" in regional areas, suggesting political rather than economic interests drive many policy decisions.

According to Mr Daley, the growing dominance of the capitals will require more focus on the needs of urban Australians. "We have been trying for 118 years to get people to move to the regions, and for 118 years we have had glorious failure," he said. "People want to be where the jobs are, where their family is, where the services are. "We haven't managed well the infrastructure of our major cities and that's what has to improve. Regional populations are relatively stable, so we shouldn't be overly worried about that."

Terry Rawnsley, a principal at SGS Economics and Planning, believes there needs to be an overhaul of the way Australia thinks about its regional areas, especially by federal politicians who cling to the idea of decentralisation. "Some regions may need to be put into palliative care": Terry Rawnsley from SGS Economics and Planning. Credit:SGS Economics and Planning Instead of establishing new industries on a whim, Mr Rawnsley argues policymakers should look at caring for those areas that simply won't grow. "Some of these regions should be treated like a palliative care situation, whereby you keep the services in place for those people who remain, like Victoria's Wimmera," he said. Fast train services that put larger regional centres within a two-hour trip of their capitals would enable the development of a European-style population pattern. Those regional centres could then focus on supplying essential services such as health and education to their hinterlands.

Centres outside of this network would have to focus on their own existing strengths, which are likely to be around mining (like WA's Karratha) or tourism (Cairns in Queensland). "If you want to get people to the regions, look at Geelong or Gosford or the Gold Coast rather than to Armidale and making something out of nothing," Rawnsley said. Politically, urban and rural Australia are already different worlds. At the 2016 federal election, metropolitan Victorians voted 56-44 in favour of the Labor Party. Rural Victorians voted 55-45 in favour of the Coalition. There were also sizeable political gaps between urban and rural Queenslanders, West Australians, Tasmanians and South Australians.

Only in NSW, where the state's northern and southern coastal areas provide substantial competition between the major parties, is there a relatively narrow difference between overall voting patterns in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. Psephologist Kevin Bonham said the National Party and regional Liberals face the biggest risk from the demographic swing to the capital cities, as rural Australia loses more electorates. The NSW seat of Hume, held by Morrison government frontbencher Angus Taylor, was once wholly confined to the Riverina, with its heart the city of Wagga Wagga. Today, Hume has moved north to the point that it takes in the fast-growing south-western parts of Sydney. The new Western Sydney Airport will eventually run through a part of Hume, based on its current boundaries.

Dr Bonham said the recent Victorian state election highlighted the importance of Melbourne, where the surge in support for Daniel Andrews' government across the city's suburbs effectively decided the result. "What happened in Victoria is an example of where Labor won the election in the city of Melbourne and the rest of the state was largely uninterested," he said. Dr Bonham said the growing importance of Brisbane in a state that has historically been decentralised would throw up questions for both the Liberal and Labor parties. "It's very difficult to balance that urban-rural blend with different messages. And in Queensland you have the Liberal National Party operating as a single party that puts tension between those messages," he said. There's also a challenge around representation. The constitution locks in 12 senators for Tasmania, with the Apple Isle also guaranteed five lower house seats.

A growing Canberra will soon have more residents than Tasmania - but with far less political representation. Credit:David Flannery By 2040, the Bureau of Statistics expects the ACT will have more residents. But those residents will have less political say than their counterparts in Tasmania, with two senators and three members in the House, compared with 12 and five. And with Victoria's population growing faster than the rest of the country, the number of MPs out of Melbourne will rival that of Sydney for the first time in almost a century. Dorothea Mackellar had a strong interest in politics. At the 1910 election, the year before the Australian publication of My Country, about a third of the nation's federal electorates were in state capitals - the political voice had a strong rural tinge.London: On Wednesday, adventurer Jean-Jacques Savin set sail from El Hierro, the smallest of the Canary Islands, the Spanish archipelago west of Morocco in a plywood barrel.

He is attempting to reach the Caribbean with only ocean currents and trade winds propelling his capsule. He plans to post daily updates, including GPS coordinates tracking the journey, on a Facebook page set up to document his project.

Jean-Jacques Savin, 71, stands on top of his ocean-going barrel. Credit:AP

Many people have crawled into barrels to go over Niagara Falls, with some surviving, but no one has been known to cross the Atlantic in one.

Savin, who hails from the oyster-farming town of Ares, in the southwest of France, hopes to achieve the feat in about three months in an orange barrel-shaped capsule about three metres long and 2 metres wide. It's held upright by a concrete ballast.Videos

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.British hostage Brian Smith said Ms Spence had been marched away at gunpoint as the fighting peaked. "At the height of the battle when things got very intense, very nasty, one of our abductors grabbed hold of her and stuck a semi-automatic in her back and made her walk forward," Mr Smith said. "She managed to push him away and fall down in a sort of heap in front of us and I thought that was good evasive action because she would avoid any bullets that were coming over. She remained like that until the conflict had passed and the soldiers had come to rescue us. Laurence Whithouse's wife, Margaret, was one of the casualties. Credit:AP "She was very, very, very frightened indeed but showed no panic, which was much to her credit and I think that like the rest of them she was very, very courageous indeed. She was a great example of Australian courage," Mr Smith said. Schoolteacher Sue Mattocks described Ms Spence's bravery as "amazing".

"When she was down on the ground, the terrorist who was in front of her deliberately fired two bullets one on either side of her, within a foot of where she was lying. And then when the soldiers started to advance - despite all of that - she had the presence of mind to get up and clamber back over the bank, landing beside me. When it was all over, she was the first to get up and tend to the people who were injured," Ms Mattocks said. "Before any of the rest of us really took in what happened, she was there comforting the two people who were there lying and crying out calling for doctors." Another hostage, David Holmes, who had been Mr Thirsk's roommate on the tour, told how the man he knew as "fine, upstanding" and universally popular, had faced his fate with courage. Clipping from The Age. January 3, 1999. Credit:The Age Archives "Because of his physical strength and ability he was apparently asked to take part in the original positions when five of us were placed in front of the guns with our hands held high," Mr Holmes said. "Andrew was in the front, showing no fear.Ankara: Syrian government forces rolled into a key region held by US-backed Kurds, winning praise from Russia and heading off a threatened Turkish advance as Moscow and its allies move quickly to fill the void left by a planned US pullout.

Syria's army command said its units entered the Manbij area at the request of its residents, according to state television. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia welcomed the return of government forces to the area, which has been controlled by the Kurdish YPG, a group Turkey views as the Syrian extension of a domestic terrorist organisation.

A Syrian student walks next a wall with Arabic that reads: "We will not emigrate we will confront, no to the Turkish occupation," in Manbij, north Syria. On December 28, 2018, Syria's military said it entered the flashpoint Kurdish-held town of Manbij, where Turkey has threatened an offensive. a claim that was refuted by US troops who patrol the town. The conflicting reports reflect the potential for chaos in the wake of the US surprise decision to withdraw troops from Syria. Credit:AP

"This is definitely a positive step in the direction of stabilising the situation," Peskov told reporters on a conference call after the Syrian announcement.

Kurdish forces have been scrambling to protect themselves after President Donald Trump abruptly announced plans to withdraw the US forces that had been backing them and supplying them with weapons. Russia and Turkey have been maneuvering to position themselves for a new order in a Syria without a US military presence.Russia, which already exerted considerable political influence in Syria, holds sway over its foreign policy, military and security services. That is part of the price Moscow exacted for having protected Assad, a brutal autocrat once described by Western leaders as finished. What do Russia and Iran get in return? Although they may find staying in Syria costly, frustrating and unpopular back home, Russia and Iran have secured an advantage from outlasting the United States: regional clout. Loading For both countries, this is "the dream scenario", said Daniel Benaim, a fellow focusing on the Middle East at the Center for American Progress, a liberal research group in Washington. "They get to tell the story that they've been telling to every actor on the ground  America's friends and America's foes alike  that America is no longer a reliable partner in the Middle East."

Why were US soldiers in Syria? Two thousand Americans were deployed in north-east Syria, collaborating with Kurdish-led forces to wipe the so-called Islamic State from the area. But that partnership angered neighbouring Turkey, which sees the autonomy-minded Kurds as a dangerous enemy, and regards them as terrorists. How - or even if - the fight against IS in Syria will now proceed remains unclear. An estimated 30,000 IS adherents are believed to be scattered around the country. Uncertain future: Kurdish fighters of the YPG militia west of Kobane in northern Syria. Credit:AP Many experts anticipate that a hasty US pullout could spawn another major battle, either as Turkey moves to crush its Kurdish foes, or as Assad's forces retake the north-east, or both.

It is possible that the Kurds and Assad could come to a deal first. If not, a new round of fighting could send new waves of refugees - Kurds and others - fleeing toward Iraq in a new round of mayhem that could also help incubate an IS revival. "That's absolutely a possibility, the risk of total chaos," said Aron Lund, a Syria analyst and fellow at the Century Foundation think tank, "when the thing that's been keeping the situation stable  not saying it was good or bad, but stable  just disappears in a puff of smoke." Who will occupy the territory vacated by the Americans? According to the Institute for the Study of War, Russia, Iran and Iran-backed militias, including the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, are well-positioned to seize territory in north-east Syria abandoned by the United States. They occupy 29 nearby positions, according to the group, and a further seven across the Iraq border. Soldiers of the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah movement. Credit:New York Times

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks Syria's war via a network of citizen monitors, said on Sunday that the Syrian government had dispatched thousands of fighters toward the last patches of IS territory in the north-east. What remains of the anti-Assad insurgency? The last major redoubt of the rebels opposed to Assad are crowded into Idlib province in north-western Syria, neighbouring Turkey. Russia may help Assad's forces retake the province eventually. But Russia also is expected to first negotiate with Turkey, which has supported anti-Assad groups and has a vested interest in what happens along its border with Syria. How have the changes affected Israel? Analysts say Iran can now link Shiite partners in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon in a unified front against Israel. In Syria, Iran and Hezbollah aim to strengthen a military presence near the Golan Heights, annexed by Israel after they were occupied in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war in a move that has not been recognised internationally.

Israel has made clear it will not tolerate an increased threat from Syria, which the Israelis demonstrated on Tuesday, local time, with air strikes near Damascus. Missiles flying into the sky near Damascus, Syria, on December 25 local time. Credit:AP The Russians, who have good relations with Israel, have tacitly allowed it to conduct such operations in the past. Still, the Kremlin protested on Wednesday against what it called Israel's "gross violation" of Syrian sovereignty. How is Iran changing Syria? The Iranian-led Shiite partnership in Syria faces a basic shortcoming: there are few Shiites in a Sunni-majority country. Still, Iran has extended its influence among both Syrian fighters and civilians.

In some parts of Syria, Iran has distributed cash to pay for housing to people displaced by the war. In others, it has established Shiite shrines that, according to the Observatory, have drawn visitors from Iran, Iraq and Syria. Shiite Muslims conduct the rites of Ashura in Sayyida Zeinab, south of Damascus, in 2004. Such displays have become more visible with Iran's increased influence. Credit:AP Defying the Syrian government's historic secularism, Iran and Hezbollah have infused parts of the country with a strikingly religious tint. It was rare in the past, for example, to see celebrations for Ashura, a major Shiite holiday, in non-Shiite areas of Damascus. Now, however, Ashura parades and rituals are much more visible. Are Russians welcomed in Syria? Russia has cemented ties with Syrian leaders, strengthened relations with Turkey and eclipsed the US as the power to contend with in the Middle East.

The Russians have also demonstrated a canny understanding of Syrian sensitivities - dispatching military policemen from Russia's predominantly Sunni Muslim Chechnya region, for example, to negotiate rebel withdrawals and keep the peace in Sunni areas retaken by Assad's side. Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shake hands in September. Credit:AP Many have welcomed the Russians, preferring them to the government's enforcers or to Shiite militiamen backed by Iran. Those in the area who still opposed the government said they were heartened in the spring, when a YouTube video showed Russian military policemen arresting Syrian soldiers accused of looting. Then, in June, when Shiite militiamen arrested two Sunni men, the Russians pressured the militias into releasing them, residents said. The incidents helped persuade residents that Russia has no interest in stoking Sunni-Shiite frictions, and could counter any moves by Assad's forces to exact revenge on the opposition. "Iran has a sectarian project," said Ahmed al-Buqaa, 55, who had three sons fight with the rebels, "but Russia doesn't care about people's ethnic and religious backgrounds."

Could Russia and Iran diverge over Syria's future? Iran and Russia are already in a competition, with Russia wanting a self-supporting Syrian government weaned from Russian military and financial help, and Iran preferring something weaker, analysts said. Both countries have already begun placing advisers in Syrian security agencies, said Joost Hiltermann, the Middle East program director for the International Crisis Group. But both face challenges in staying in Syria. Neither can afford the cost of Syria's reconstruction, which by some reckonings could exceed $US200 billion ($282 billion). The Syrian conflict has claimed more than a quarter of a million lives and left cities like Damascus in ruins. Credit: AP The Russians "want to find an exit from Syria basically, militarily, leaving in place their two bases and their own people within the security apparatus, and Russian companies to help with reconstruction", Hiltermann said. "They don't want to get bogged down militarily."

The Iranian government has faced opposition at home to its military adventures in Syria. Its economy has been deeply strained by US sanctions. Grip weakened: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is now beholden to his allies. Credit:AP Danielle Pletka, senior vice-president for foreign and defence policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative Washington research group, said the Iranians had so far exercised power deftly in Syria, "but it's going to be a lot harder for them to do that given the economic straits they're in". Both patrons may find Syria's stability hard to re-establish under Assad. Already, peaceful protests against him have been staged in areas where he has reasserted control, analysts said. "Peacetime will present challenges that the war let him paper over," said Alexander Bick, a lecturer and research scholar at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.There is no doubt that Sanders, 77, would be one of the most formidable contenders if he does run. No other potential candidate would start with the foundation of a 50-state organisation, a small-dollar fundraising list that delivered $US230 million ($327 million) and undying devotion from a core group of backers. Ohio Democratic senator Sherrod Brown. Credit:AP His advisers note that these advantages could prove crucial in a splintered field when only a plurality may be needed to prevail at the end of a long race. Melissa Byrne, who did digital and get-out-the-vote work for Sanders in 2016, said she's eager to work for him again and noted, "We're all more experienced and battle-tested." But unlike recent primaries when a second-place finisher ran again and won the nomination, such as with John McCain in 2008 or Hillary Clinton in 2016, there has been no rush of new support to Sanders ahead of his formal announcement. Instead, the early manoeuvreing is for the large numbers of officeholders, activists and voters who want to wait to see how the Democratic race develops.

And that roster of progressives includes many who backed Sanders two years ago. "I think one has to wait and see who's got the best chance mathematically," said Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Sanders' first congressional backer in 2016, because, as he put it, "the insurgency is broader." Grijalva was hinting at a phenomenon that many Sanders supporters have cited: he is something of a victim of his own success. Senator Elizabeth Warren. Credit:AP The senator's views on issues like universal health care and his willingness to shun corporate contributions have increasingly become not only part of the Democratic mainstream but also litmus tests within the party.

Perhaps nowhere is his success more evident than in the lineup of other presidential candidates. Two other lawmakers who backed Sanders last time, Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, are both moving toward long-shot, populist bids of their own. And that is to say nothing of Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who watched as Sanders occupied the progressive lane that some on the left had hoped she would fill against Clinton in 2016; or, for that matter, Beto O'Rourke of Texas, whose unvarnished appeals on the stump and refusal to take PAC money in his Senate campaign this year recalled Sanders' approach. Tulsi Gabbard Credit:AP The other potential candidates pose a more practical threat to Sanders: They may also absorb some of his former campaign aides. While he would retain the same senior team, Sanders may suffer defections among some key staffers who worked for him in 2016.

For example, Symone Sanders, his former press secretary (who is not related to the senator), said she may work for one of Sanders' opponents. "There are a lot of good candidates this time," she said. "I'm going to wait and see." Loading Further, the political consulting firm led by three of Sanders' top digital aides from the last campaign  Kenneth Pennington, Hector Sigala and Elizabeth Bennett  worked for O'Rourke's Senate bid and are hoping to work on his presidential campaign should he run, according to a Democratic strategist familiar with the firm's thinking. Two veterans of Sanders' 2016 campaign, Becky Bond and Zack Malitz, were instrumental this year in helping to organize O'Rourke's race against Senator Ted Cruz. Both said they are eager to be a part of any "Beto for President'' effort.

"I don't know if Beto is going to run, but if he does I'm all in," said Bond. Malitz added: "I want Beto to run and would want to work on that campaign." Beto O'Rourke Credit:AP But it is not just lawmakers, strategists and potential staff members who are hanging back from Sanders: some of his supporters in early nominating states are doing the same, in part because they do not want to litigate the divisive 2016 primary again. Ron Abramson, an immigration lawyer in New Hampshire, was on Sanders' steering committee there, but he is not eager for another Sanders run. He said he was especially concerned about the senator's age given how physically demanding the job of president seemed.

"It's not 2016 anymore  the considerations may need to be more pragmatic than ideological," Abramson said. "There are just too many Democrats who don't forgive him for not being a Democrat. I don't want to go through the same type of divisiveness again that we saw." Sanders does still enjoy some bedrock support in states like Iowa and New Hampshire. Unlike some of his lesser-known rivals, his unwavering base of progressives will guarantee him a floor of support should he enter the race. But the first surveys of Iowa caucus-goers indicate he has lost some of his less-ardent backers. He is polling in the teens there even though he has universal name recognition. The early front-runner is vice president Joe Biden, but Biden may not run, leaving even more votes up for grabs. But other likely candidates will work just as aggressively to step into that vacuum. And this surfeit of contenders may keep some institutional pillars of the left on the sidelines. Organized labour, for example, is unlikely to rally around Sanders should another populist like Brown enter the race, according to multiple union officials.Portland: The past year was a 12-month champagne toast for the legal marijuana industry as the global market exploded and cannabis pushed its way further into the financial and cultural mainstream.

Liberal California became the largest legal marketplace in the United States, conservative Utah and Oklahoma embraced medical marijuana, and the east coast got its first commercial pot shops. Canada ushered in broad legalisation, and Mexico's Supreme Court set the stage for that country to follow.

Canada legalised marijuana for sale through government cannabis stores. Credit:AP

US drug regulators approved the first marijuana-based pharmaceuticals to treat kids with a form of epilepsy, and billions of investment dollars poured into cannabis companies. Even main street brands like Coca-Cola said they are considering joining the party.

"I have been working on this for decades, and this was the year that the movement crested ," said Oregon Democratic represenative Earl Blumenauer, who is working to overturn the federal ban on pot."Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it," he said, without providing further details. "We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries - taking advantage of U.S. for years!" Despite Trump's threat, the United States this month announced a new collaboration with Mexico on a program to curb migration from Central American countries, with much of the $US10.6 billion ($15 billion) US contribution to be drawn from existing aid programs. President Donald Trump has threatened to shut down the entire US-Mexico border as an impasse over border security funding drags on. Credit:AP Trump's tweets come as Congress has effectively given up on breaking the impasse over the President's demands for border-wall funding, all but ensuring that the partial government shutdown will stretch into at least the start of the new year. The House and the Senate convened for just minutes on Thursday before closing until next week. During the brief session in the House, Republicans shot down a Democratic attempt to vote on legislation to reopen the government.

Trump's previous threats to build a wall and force Mexico to pay for it led to diplomatic clashes with the government of former president Enrique Pena Nieto. But Mexico's new president - Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who is a leftist - has tried to avoid such disputes. Asked about Trump's latest tweets, Lopez Obrador told reporters Friday: "We have acted prudently and cautiously, and we have not expressed an opinion on this theme, because this is an internal matter of the U.S. government and we prefer to abstain" from making a statement. He added that the Mexican government "is seeking to always maintain a very good relationship with the government of the United States." As he did on Thursday, Trump remained out of public view on Friday. In an appearance on Fox News, Mulvaney said that the President had "cancelled his plans for Christmas, and now he's cancelled his plan for New Year's." "He's staying in Washington, D.C., over New Year's," said Mulvaney, who is set to become Trump's acting chief of staff next month.

Loading Even though Trump will be in town and Republicans control both chambers of Congress, Mulvaney acknowledged that little progress on a deal is expected until the start of the new Congress on January 3, when Democrats will retake the House. Contending that Democrats "have simply shut down the discussions", he sought to place the blame on House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who is expected to be elected speaker in the new Congress. "Nancy Pelosi, in fairness, does not have the votes for the speakership yet," Mulvaney said. "She cannot be seen by her party as being weak on negotiating with Donald Trump. So we fully expect that until she is elected speaker and has locked that vote up, we don't expect to hear from the Democrats again." According to a Washington Post tally, Pelosi, who won the Democratic caucus's nomination for the speakership in late November, appears to have secured enough support to be elected speaker in January. Pelosi's spokesman, Drew Hammill, said in a statement on Friday that Democrats "are united against the President's immoral, ineffective and expensive wall - the wall that he specifically promised that Mexico would pay for."

Loading Democrats will not consider any offers that have not been publicly endorsed by Trump himself, he said. "While we await the President's public proposal, Democrats have made it clear that, under a House Democratic majority, we will vote swiftly to reopen government on Day One," Hammill said. At the heart of the stalemate is Trump's demand for $US5 billion in funding for his proposed wall at the US-Mexico border. Congressional Democrats have rejected that figure and in recent weeks have refused to publicly endorse a figure above $US1.3 billion, which continues existing funding levels and includes money for new border fencing and levee walls, but not the concrete wall Trump once demanded before he started more recently talking about "steel slats". Mulvaney said Friday that "some folks use the term 'wall' and they mean different things".It was one of a series of inscrutable statements from the President since parts of the government closed, putting 380,000 federal workers on leave and forcing more than 420,000 to work without pay. On Monday, he tweeted that he had signed a contract to build 115 miles (185 kilometres) of border wall in Texas, an odd pronouncement given that the Homeland Security Department ran out of money at midnight on December 21. As the impasse continues, the President and other conservatives have pointed to previous votes - including the Secure Fence Act of 2006 and the Senate bill that Menendez helped negotiate - as evidence that Democratic objections are driven by spite for the President, not opposition to the policy itself. The US Capitol on December 21. Credit:New York Times "Chuck Schumer and Senate Dems should support more border security - just like they have in the past," Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican Party, tweeted on Wednesday. "In 2013, every single Senate Democrat supported $46 BILLION, which included 700 miles of barrier with Mexico." The existing fence, which Trump has started to claim was built under his administration, was actually begun under president Bill Clinton, a Democrat, and has steadily grown in fragments, said Wayne Cornelius, an immigration expert at the University of California, San Diego. Experts continue to question its effectiveness, even as it expands.

"The fact remains that border enforcement - especially the construction of physical barriers - has never kept determined migrants out of the country," Cornelius said in an email, describing the current system as an "elaborate obstacle course" for migrants seeking to enter the country illegally. The $US1.3 billion allocated for border security funding in the 2018 fiscal year, which ended on September 30, successfully passed the Senate with bipartisan support - and the President acquiesced angrily to signing it into law. That money, however, can be used only to replicate or improve existing fences on the border. Cameras surveilling the Rio Grande are monitored by the Border Patrol in Laredo, Texas. Credit:New York Times The spending bill that passed through the Senate Appropriations Committee with bipartisan support this year offered similar restrictions on the $US1.6 billion the Trump administration formally requested. And Democrats are determined to maintain those restrictions once they take control of the House. A senior Democratic aide said it was impossible to say whether the steel slats Trump has recently talked about would qualify as the fencing detailed in the bill, given the President's shifting descriptions of what he wants.

Trump's demand "doesn't comply with what the professionals at Homeland Security said they needed to secure the border", said Colorado senator Michael Bennet, a Democrat. "There is an absolutely massive difference. It's as if he entered the policy debate believing what he says and not understanding how false his statements are." Bennet this year helped put together the compromise that would have allocated $US25 billion in wall money in exchange for offering legal residence to thousands of young immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children. Based on his interactions with the White House in the last year, he said he does not believe Trump actually wants a solution, merely an issue to use for political point-scoring. A man looks through a border fence to the US side in Tijuana, Mexico, in April. Credit:New York Times Some Republicans have dismissed the distinction between fencing and wall and said a wall could be an improvement to barriers along portions of the border. "The hard line of the Democrats is ridiculous," said former congressman Jack Kingston, a Georgia Republican whose years on the House Appropriations Committee overlapped with a number of debates on border security. "You have to come to the table with something you want and something you're willing to give."

However, Kingston added, Republicans erred in not "continuously building the case for why a wall is important". But in places where border fencing is already in place, there is confusion over whether a concrete wall could be an enhancement. For years in San Diego, most residents have referred to the barrier there as a fence. But some have taken to calling it a wall, in a nod to the President's campaign messaging and the barrier's three reinforced layers of sheet metal, concrete columns and metal fence edged by razor wire. Undocumented immigrants who crossed the border using smugglers are apprehended in Laredo, Texas, in August. Credit:New York Times "I'm not sure what more they could plan to do here; we have a pretty extensive border wall here already that dates back to Bush, when they raised the height and added more layers," said Serge Dedina, the mayor of Imperial Beach, who has spent his whole life on the border. "It has significantly changed already. As always with the border, it has nothing to do with reality. We're the safest beach city in San Diego County."

Denise Moreno Ducheny, a senior policy adviser at the University of California, San Diego's Center for US-Mexican Studies, condemned Trump's vision of a border wall. Hundreds of migrants from Central America who travelled through Mexico gather with supporters at the border wall with the US where it ends at the Pacific Ocean, in Tijuana in April. Credit:New York Times "If you are going to do more things to secure the border, do it with more intelligence, more technology," she said. "The whole idea that you are going to build a Great Wall of China between California and Mexico is just silly." Some activists in California have used the word "wall" to describe the fencing for years, including Enrique Morones, who leads the group Border Angels, which leaves water and other aid for those crossing through the desert. "When people hear fence, they think of it as something that you have with your neighbour, not something that has led to the deaths of thousands of people," he said, pointing to the number of migrants who have moved farther east to more treacherous terrain.An artist's illustration of the surface of the "super-Earth" planet candidate detected around Barnard's star, which lies just 6 light-years from the sun.

In 2018, exoplanet scientists feasted on data from a nearby ice ball, the first exoplanet baby picture, a majority-metal blob the size of Earth and the home planet of a "Star Trek" fan favorite  not to mention the possible first-ever exomoon spotted. And a major exoplanet hunter sent back its first newfound planets. Read on for the strangest and most intriguing exoplanets found in the past year.

1. Frigid neighbor

An artist's impression of the newfound "super-Earth" world and its host star, the red dwarf Barnards star. (Image credit: M. Kornmesser/ESO)

Researchers spotted a likely super-Earth-size planet orbiting one of our nearest stellar neighbors  the dim, red Barnard's Star. The icy world, named Barnard's Star b, appears to be 3.2 times Earth's mass and orbits its star every 233 Earth days  because of this long orbit and the dimness of the star, it took a massive amount of data from seven different instruments to notice the tiny stellar wobble that indicates an orbiting planet. The planet's surface temperature is probably about minus 275 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 170 degrees Celsius).

This isn't the closest exoplanet to Earth, but it's nearly there  the only known closer planet is Proxima b, orbiting the star Proxima Centauri just 4.2 light-years from Earth. Besides Proxima Centauri and the binary stars of Alpha Centauri, Barnard's Star is the closest star to Earth  and it's coming closer to us every day. In about 10,000 years, Barnard's Star will have moved closer to the solar system than the Alpha Centauri system. [Icy 'Super-Earth' Exoplanet Spotted Around Nearby Barnard's Star]

2. Baby picture

This photo from the SPHERE instrument on the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the act of formation, around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet is clearly visible as a bright point to the right of center, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the star. (Image credit: A. Muller et al./ESO)

Using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile, researchers snagged a glimpse of a huge alien world forming from the disk of dust and debris surrounding a dwarf star  the first-ever confirmed direct observation of an exoplanet this young.

The baby planet is growing up around a dwarf star called PDS 70, which is 370 light-years from Earth and is just 5.4 million years old. The planet is shaping up to be a big one  it's a gas giant, and it's already two or three times the size of Jupiter, researchers said. It orbits its star about the distance Uranus orbits from the sun. The planet's a toasty 1,800 degrees F (1,000 degrees C), still hot with the energy of its formation. [It's a Beautiful Baby Exoplanet! Historic Photo Is 1st View of Alien World Being Born]

3. Evaporating target

Artist's illustration of NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). (Image credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center)

NASA's newest planet-hunting mission, Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), returned its first exoplanet find: A super-Earth that's probably evaporating from the heat of its star. TESS works by analyzing tiny changes in stars' brightness that indicate a planet is passing by. It's first planet discovery is circling the star Pi Mensae, also known as HD 39391, which is about 59.5 light-years from Earth.

Researchers had already found a gas giant with about 10 times Jupiter's mass, called Pi Mensae b, in the star's system, circling in an eccentric orbit that brings it up to three times as far from its star as Earth is from the sun. Now, it has a sibling: Pi Mensae c, which orbits 0.07 times the distance from Earth to the sun, or 1/50th the distance between Mercury and the sun. This newfound super-Earth is 2.14 times Earth's diameter and 4.82 times Earth's mass, and it likely has a rocky core and extended hydrogen and helium atmosphere, evaporating under its star's harsh radiation. (The researchers noted its density could also allow for a world made of water.) [NASA's New Planet Hunter Just Found Its 1st Alien World  an Evaporating 'Super-Earth']

4. Epic cannonball

A Mercury-like planet the size of Earth orbits 100 times closer to its star, K2-229, than Earth does the sun. (Image credit: L. Calcada/ESO)

This planet, called K2-229 b, is a metal-heavy, Mercury-like world a hair bigger than Earth. While planets like Earth, Venus and Mars have metallic cores that make up about a third of their masses, Mercury  and K2-229 b  have oversize metal cores taking up two-thirds of their masses. Researchers found the planet orbiting a star slightly cooler and smaller than the sun, 339 light-years from Earth.

K2-229 b orbits its star at 1/100th the distance between Earth and the sun, and its dayside temperature can reach 3,737 degrees F (2,058 degrees C). (Mercury, which orbits much farther out, reaches only 801 degrees F, or 427 degrees C.) K2-229 b was first spotted by the telltale wobble of its star, and then observed passing in front of the star, making it possible for researchers to glean its size. By studying the planet, researchers can learn more about where such worlds can form in star systems, or how rocky planets might evolve into cannonballs. [Newfound Alien Planet is a Metal-Heavy Cannonball]

5. (Very) distant kin

A central "lens" galaxy and four projections of the background quasar RX J1131-1231. (Image credit: Xinyu Dai/Eduardo Guerras/University of Oklahoma)

The relativistic bending of light around massive objects revealed the potential signature of trillions of free-floating planets between the size of the moon and Jupiter in a distant galaxy, marking the first evidence of planets outside the Milky Way. If that data holds true, it would suggest there might be 2,000 free-floating planets for every star in a galaxy.

When they spotted that signature, the researchers were relying on a phenomenon called gravitational lensing, where light from a background galaxy with a bright quasar at its core, 3.8 billion light-years from Earth, was bent around a foreground galaxy on its way past. By the way the light was bent  and the slight differences in four copies of the background galaxy seen ringing the foreground galaxy due to that bending  researchers were able to detect signs of the possible planets. [Einstein's Theory Helps ID First Exoplanets Outside Milky Way]

6. Spock's home

An artist's depiction of what the newly discovered planet orbiting 40 Eridani A, a star made famous by the series "Star Trek," might look like. (Image credit: Don Davis)

The beloved "Star Trek" character Spock canonically hails from the planet Vulcan, which series writers once placed at the real star 40 Eridani A (also called HD 26965), 16 light-years from Earth. This year, researchers found at least one planet around the star, about twice the size of Earth  a real-life Vulcan orbiting the star. The planet takes 42 days to whip around its star, and it's probably too close in to retain liquid water on its surface.

The star HD 26965 can be seen by skywatchers in the night sky, and it's an orange-ish star a bit smaller and cooler than the sun, but with a similar age and sunspot pattern. The star shares its system with two other stars, which would be visible from this newfound planet's surface. [Hey, Spock! Real-Life 'Planet Vulcan' Orbits Sun Featured in 'Star Trek']

7. Big brothers

An artist's illustration of the very young CI Tau system, which appears to harbor four gas-giant planets. (Image credit: Amanda Smith, Institute of Astronomy)

Researchers have spotted four gas giants circling the young star Cl Tau, which is about 500 light-years from Earth. The star is just 2 million years old, and one planet, called Cl Tau b  10 times the mass of Jupiter  was already known to circle it once every nine days. But as it turns out, bulk runs in the family: New views from the ALMA telescope array in Chile have spotted evidence for three more planets circling the young star, with one at Jupiter's mass and the other two at Saturn's. Those three additional planets have created gaps in the star-forming disk of dust revealing their presence.

This is the first time astronomers have seen evidence of four gas giants around such a young star, and the planets are unexpectedly widely spread in their orbits  the farthest is 1,000 times farther from its star than the closest. It raises questions of how planets so far away could accumulate material quickly enough to get that big, and whether the innermost planet, Cl Tau b, was pushed inward by jostling relatives. [Record Breaker: 4 Huge Alien Planets Spotted Around Baby Star]

Honorary mention: First exomoon?

An artists illustration of the exoplanet Kepler-1625b with its large hypothesized moon. The pair have a similar mass and radius ratio to the Earth-moon system, but scaled up by a factor of 11. (Image credit: Dan Durda)

It isn't a planet, but we had to include this likely Neptune-size object  what seems to be the first-ever exomoon! The object, orbiting a Jupiter-size planet called Kepler-1625b, first showed itself in a strange signature in how its star dimmed when the planet passed by, as recorded by the Kepler Space Telescope. A follow-up view with the Hubble Space Telescope followed another transit, noticing something tugging gravitationally on the planet and dimming the star a little bit extra.

Could they just be a binary pair of planets? It depends on how you define it, the researchers said. The object has about 1.5 percent the mass of the planet it orbits, which is similar to the ratio of masses between our moon and Earth (1.2 percent). This object, though, orbits 1.9 million miles (3 million kilometers) from its planet, which is about eight times the Earth-moon distance. The moon is probably gaseous, and looms about twice as big as Earth's moon in Kepler-1625b's sky. [First Exomoon Found? Neptune-Sized World Possibly Spotted Orbiting Alien Planet]

Email Sarah Lewin at slewin@space.com or follow her @SarahExplains. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. Original article on Space.com.Robert Mercer, the publicity-shy hedge fund tycoon whose backing of Donald Trump earned him unwelcome fame, is stepping back into the shadows.

Mercer, 72, and his family spent just $2.9 million influencing federal elections this year, less than a third of their outlay in either 2016, when the last presidential election took place, or 2014, the year of the last midterms, according to Federal Election Commission data gathered through late December.

Combined with the demise of Mercer's political-data firm, Cambridge Analytica, and the break with former adviser Stephen Bannon, the decline in spending suggests Mercer's importance in conservative politics may be waning. According to two people who have worked closely with the family, Mercer and his daughter Rebekah, 45, were dismayed by the notoriety their role in Trump's victory brought. Spokesmen for Robert and Rebekah Mercer declined to comment.

"They are very private," said Dan Eberhart, an Arizona oil and gas investor who has backed many of the same Republican causes. "That is a negative on them getting more involved."

The past two years have seen liberal protesters march on Robert Mercer's mansion on Long Island, New York; pressure university endowments to pull money from his hedge fund, Renaissance Technologies LLC; and demand that the American Museum of Natural History strip Rebekah Mercer of her board seat. The elder Mercer stepped down from leading Renaissance last year, although he remains a senior researcher there.

The Mercers have hardly beaten a full retreat. Rebekah Mercer remains on the museum's board and those of several influential conservative organizations, and their charitable foundation continued to shower millions of dollars on conservative causes through the end of 2017, the most recent year for which tax filings are available.

"I will not be silenced," Rebekah Mercer declared in a speech at a charity gala in October, according to the Wall Street Journal. She spoke after receiving an award from Encounter Books, a conservative publisher, for "advancing American ideals."

Eberhart, who runs Eberhart Capital LLC, said it's possible that the Mercers shifted some of their spending to organizations that don't disclose donors. He said the family is unlikely to disappear from the scene.

"Rebekah Mercer, from my understanding, is still looking for the right candidates to back, and I think you'll still see her do fairly big things," he said.

The biggest individual political bets Mercer placed in the most recent two-year election cycle were busts. He spent $1.8 million in 2017 and 2018 supporting Kelli Ward and Chris McDaniel, U.S. Senate candidates in Arizona and Mississippi who lost to more mainstream Republicans.

Mercer's influence in the early Trump era, and his status as a liberal bete noir, traces to his sponsorship of Bannon's populist vision through a network of related projects. Bannon's Breitbart News mobilized the conservative base, while the nonprofit Government Accountability Institute was tasked with uncovering corruption and feeding its research to the mainstream media. Cambridge Analytica sought to use cutting-edge science to help the family's favored candidates target voters. Milo Yiannopoulos, an alt-right provocateur, went on a Mercer-funded college speaking tour.

That strategy seemed vindicated when Trump won in 2016, aided by Bannon and another former Mercer adviser, Kellyanne Conway, as well as data scientists at Cambridge Analytica. Breitbart rallied Trump fans, while GAI supplied an influential book critical of Hillary Clinton's record. After the election, Bannon joined the White House as chief strategist and Rebekah Mercer worked on the transition team while forming an outside group, Making America Great, to drum up public support for the president's policies.

The Mercer network is now in tatters. The outside group fizzled. The Mercers cut ties with Bannon after he fell out with the White House. Cambridge Analytica collapsed after revelations that the firm improperly harvested Facebook data from tens of millions of users. Yiannopoulos lost the family's backing after disclosures he'd worked closely with white supremacists.

Meanwhile, Mercer's hedge fund pressured him to transfer ownership of Breitbart to Rebekah, and a boycott cost the news site hundreds of advertisers.

Traffic at Breitbart is down, dropping to about 9 million unique visitors last month from 23 million in November 2016, according to estimates by Comscore. In a statement, Breitbart said its own internal numbers contradict Comscore's, without describing what those numbers show. The news site pointed to other third-party metrics showing it's among the most popular websites in the country and that it's consistently ranked as one of the top sites for Facebook engagements since at least 2015.

"The Mercers are private people, but they pushed their politics very publicly through toxic intermediaries like Bannon and Breitbart News," said Matt Rivitz, co-founder of Sleeping Giants, the activist group that led the pressure campaigns against Breitbart and Renaissance. "They had a lot of influence over people, and we thought it was dangerous."

Some parts of the Mercer portfolio remain. GAI got $1.7 million from the Mercers in 2017, according to the most recent tax filings, roughly the same as the previous four years. The family continued to bankroll Reclaim New York, a nonprofit they formed to advocate for transparency and low taxes in their home state.

The family funds those organizations and other conservative groups through its charitable foundation. According to its most recent tax return, published by Maplight.org, the foundation spent $15 million in 2017. That's the least since 2013.

Even as they've curbed their political giving, the Mercers have found new causes to fund. In February, they announced a $1 million grant to a group called the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. The group is studying the potential for MDMA, the psychoactive drug also known as ecstasy, to treat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. In a statement, Rebekah Mercer said she hoped the drug would soon be widely available for treatment. "America's veterans," she said, "deserve the very best care."Editors note: This is an excerpt from a longer story about Gov. Dannel P. Malloys Malloys handling of Connecticuts fiscal crisis.

It was Gov. Dannel P. Malloys personal white whale.

Two line items, buried among hundreds of others, rose from the pages of the state budget to confound his plans year after year: required contributions to state employees and teachers pensions.

Cash-starved after seven decades of inadequate funding, they exploded during Malloys tenure, stealing billions of dollars the governor would have preferred to spend on roads, schools, transportation  and even tax rebates.

This behemoth of debt, a monster seven decades in the making, forced Malloy to impose two major tax hikes during his eight years.

But if Malloy couldnt slay the monster, he made progress in taming it.

Despite being saddled from Day One with a huge deficit, an empty reserve and a weak recovery from the last recession, he became the first Connecticut governor in modern history to make all required pension contributions  breaking a longstanding practice of leaving a bill for Connecticuts children someday to cover.

Malloy also secured two major concessions packages from state employee unions, deals that reduced long-term pension liabilities and increased health care cost-sharing dramatically  but not without a cost. To get those changes, the governor locked Connecticut into an additional decade of having to provide retirement benefits that some legislators argue simply are unaffordable.

And while he may not be remembered fondly for the tax increases, Malloy says the truth of his success lies in other numbers.

I measure myself by what we accomplished, not how well its known or understood or appreciated, Malloy, who has two weeks left on the job, told the CT Mirror during an interview last week.

Rising pension costs

The Democratic governors greatest nemesis arguably wasnt the Republican Party, or even the sluggish economy. It was the states obligation to its retired workers.

In the last budget approved by Gov. M. Jodi Rell, covering the 2010-11 fiscal year, required contributions to state employees and teachers pensions amounted to $1.2 billion, or just over 6 percent of the General Fund.

By Malloys last year they had more than doubled, approaching $2.5 billion and devouring 13 percent of the budget. Put another way, every single year the governor had to find  on average  another $164 million to feed this two-headed fiscal beast.

Despite those costs, Malloy made the full required contribution every year, unlike any other governor in modern times.

He and the General Assembly refinanced the state employee pension obligations in 2017, with approval from the unions, effectively pushing back some payments until after 2032 and sharply reducing required payments in some years before then. Still, Malloy was the first governor in decades not to bill Connecticuts children for the retirement benefits promised to todays public-sector workers  a fact he plays down.

I told you what I was going to do, he said, referring to a pledge in his 2010 campaign not to skirt pension obligations.

Fiscal time bombs

His critics disagree, especially when it came to Malloys contention that the tax increases were a last resort, necessary to balance a budget that included meeting the pension obligations and solving other problems he inherited from former Gov. M. Jodi Rell.

Connecticut didnt buy that answer then, and still doesnt now, said Republican political strategist Liz Kurantowicz. Its too bad we dont have lemon law for politicians.

But the Democratic governor said what his critics couldnt see, or wouldnt be honest about, were the magnitude of problems stacked against him.

The ticking fiscal time bombs that were the pension funds were the biggest problem, but far from the only one.

Those old issues included a $900 million operating debt that Malloys budgets had to pay off; a rainy-day fund that Rell had emptied; sluggish job gains that continued; and highways and other transportation infrastructure needing ever more attention.

Government cuts

Malloy said he had to make tough choices as pension costs rose. One of those was to shrink government. During his tenure, Malloy cut Executive Branch staffing by more than 10 percent, shaving off more than 2,500 jobs.

Malloys labor concessions packages froze wages, increased workers share of health care costs, and reduced pension benefits  often putting him at odds with a vital part of his political base.

I fought with the unions, I fought with the teachers, he said, adding he was greatly resented for the first round of concessions he demanded. "I fought with everybody.

Republicans said the sacrifices by state employees werent nearly enough, and they say that shortcoming led to the tax increases, which hampered the states growth.

Roy Occhiogrosso, the political strategist who advised Malloys 2010 and 2014 campaigns and served in his administration, said Malloy fearlessly waded into issues that many politicians  in some cases for generations  ignored.

When the Republicans say Dan Malloy wrecked the economy, it is such a ridiculous thing to say. In so many ways he put the state in a position where future growth is possible.

Occhiogrosso predicts Malloys legacy will be viewed increasingly favorably over time, particularly when future generations dont receive a bill for the billions of dollars of present-day pension costs.

Malloy is not so sure how his image might change over time, but insists hes at peace nonetheless.

People dont like me, necessarily, but they know I work hard, he said. Thats enough. Thats enough.STAMFORD  Police say a Springdale market known for selling alcohol to minors was cited again Thursday.

Stamford police say they executed a sting this week at the Hope Street Mini Mart, where a clerk was charged in March with seven counts of sale of alcohol to a minor. Police say he sold beer to a group of underage boys after one of them showed him a fake Connecticut drivers license.

Police said they sent someone underage into the market on Thursday to purchase beer. Police said the employee sold the beer to the minor without asking for ID.

The market, located at 1085 Hope St., was cited and the state alcohol commission could suspend its license.

Police said the employee was not arrested so the alcohol commission can immediately take action. The liquor commission otherwise needs to wait for a criminal case to be resolved before deciding on the business license.

The Hope Street market is known to Darien juveniles as an easy place to get alcohol, according to police.

We were getting steady (information) that this location is often selling to minors and that proved to be true, Stamford Police Capt. Richard Conklin said.

Agents with the state Liquor Commission joined the Stamford Narcotics and Organized Crime squad to conduct sting operations at about six city businesses that sell alcohol. Conklin said the other businesses passed the test by asking for ID or refusing to serve the minor.

Conklin asked residents to call police if they know of an establishment selling alcohol to underage customers.STAMFORD - The year-old debate over banning plastic bags has included nearly every scenario for what life would be like without them.

City lawmakers deliberated whether the ban should include dry-cleaning bags; whether farmers markets should be included along with supermarkets; whether restaurant carry-out should be exempt; whether the city should define what constitutes a reusable bag; and whether the city should provide free reusable bags to residents.

The biggest discussion has been whether Stamford should not only ban plastic but also require that stores charge for paper bags.

Those arguments were resolved in a law that passed in October. Come May 3, Stamford residents must bring their own tote bags to any retail establishment, including supermarkets, food trucks, delis, farmers markets, restaurants, and drug, liquor, home-improvement and department stores.

Anyone without a tote bag will be charged 10 cents for each paper bag they need to carry their purchases home.

But, after all that, an eleventh-hour question has emerged: Should some groups be exempt from the paper-bag charge?

It likely will be the subject of a public hearing before the Board of Representatives Legislative & Rules Committee when it meets in January.

We discussed everything but this, said Rep. Jonathan Jacobson, D-12, a member of the committee and author of one of the bag-ban proposals.

The ordinance already exempts food-assistance recipients from the 10-cent charge for paper bags because representatives feared it could be a burden on the citys low-income residents. After the ordinance passed, an amendment was added to expand the exemption to include recipients of Medicaid, Medicare and COBRA, a type of health-insurance coverage for people who lose their jobs.

Members of the Legislative & Rules Committee discussed the amendment at their December meeting, voting to recommend to the full board that Medicare and COBRA recipients not be exempted.

Both committee votes were unanimous. During the meeting, members said COBRA is not a government-assistance program, and people on Medicare can bring tote bags to stores to avoid the paper-bag fee.

Most people on Medicare are capable of carrying their weight by remembering to bring a reusable bag, Rep. Susan Nabel, D-20, said during the meeting.

Approving an exemption for Medicare recipients would cut the incentive for people to use a reusable bag of their own, said Rep. Bob Lion, D-19, during the meeting. The more carve-outs we have, the less effective this is going to be.

The vote to exempt recipients of Medicaid, a program for low-income seniors and disabled persons, also failed, 4-2. Most people in that program also receive food stamps and are already exempt from the paper-bag charge, committee members said.

Lion pointed to a statistic showing that 30,000 of Stamfords 130,000 residents - 23 percent - receive Medicaid benefits.

The full Board of Representatives will take up the matter when it meets at 8 p.m. Jan. 7. Another amendment passed by the committee limits the paper-bag charge exemption to recipients of food-assistance programs, not all government programs.

We felt it needed to be buttoned up, Jacobson said Wednesday. Otherwise it would exempt people on Social Security, people who receive federally backed student loans and all kinds of programs.

The full board likely will support holding a public hearing before deciding on any amendments, Jacobson said.

I think the board will vote to open this to a hearing and invite the public to speak as to which government-assistance program, if any, should be exempt from the 10-cent charge, Jacobson said.

The public hearing would be held during the Legislative & Rules Committees January meeting, which has not yet been scheduled.

Environmentalists estimate that 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used globally each year. About 380 billion are used in the United States, where 90 percent are not recycled. They are made of petroleum and dont easily break down in landfills or oceans, choking wildlife and releasing poisonous chemicals into the land and water.

During the December committee meeting, the chairman, Rep. Benjamin Lee, D-15, said the goal of the plastic-bag ban is to nudge residents toward conservation.

We designed a system that does not charge people money, Lee said. It sets them on a path.

In voting for the 10-cent charge, lawmakers cited studies that show the most effective way to get consumers to switch to reusable tote bags is to combine a plastics ban with a charge for paper.

The ban does not apply to plastic bags used to contain fruit, vegetables, nuts, meat, fish, unwrapped prepared foods, bakery goods, flowers, plants, small hardware items, delivered newspapers and dry-cleaning bags.

Whatever happens in January, residents should prepare for change, Jacobson said.

The idea is that bringing your own bag should become as second-nature as buckling the seat belt of your car, he said.

A grassroots group that supports plastic-bag bans and has chapters in a number of Connecticut towns wrote to the board urging representatives to exempt only food-assistance recipients from the paper-bag charge, since that already covers those that are most vulnerable.

According to the letter from BYO Stamford, if the exemption were to be expanded, it would encourage more use of paper bags. The group recommends that the city set up bins at government buildings where people could donate tote bags to be picked up by people who need them.

acarella@stamfordadvocate.com; 203-964-2296.President Donald Trump again dominated 2018 politics, but the year was also notable for what happened, what didn't happen and what it could all mean in 2019.

Here's The Washington Post's list of the political trends that defined the year in politics:

1) Trump's mounting falsehoods

Trump's false or misleading claims more than tripled during his second year in office, from 2,140 in his first year to 7,546 through his first 700 days. And while few Americans believe Trump's false statements, one-fourth of respondents in The Washington Post's first Fact Checker poll still believe the president's repeated - and debunked - falsehoods.

2) The ever-growing investigations into Trump and his associates

Nearly every Trump-led organization was under investigation by the end of his second year in office, and new revelations in the 17 known investigations surrounding Trump brought a flurry of reactions from judges, lawyers and Trump himself. The president also doubled down on his PR campaign to discredit the investigations, which may intensify in 2019 with reports that special counsel Robert Mueller could be nearing the end of his investigation into Russian election interference.

3) Trump's shifting rhetoric

After the killing of Washington Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October, Trump initially warned of "severe punishment." But by the time the CIA concluded that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was probably involved, Trump had pivoted to openly questioning his intelligence officials. The shifts fit into a pattern of Trump changing his story as facts became clearer, from hush-money payments to his alleged former lovers during the 2016 campaign to continuing to question Russian election interference to ever-shifting price tags for a wall (or "steel slats") on the border with Mexico.

4) Congressional (in)action

From appropriations to criminal justice to opioids to the Farm Bill, Congress showed that it could pass bipartisan legislation despite continued near-record-low approval ratings. But Congress also reflected an increasingly divided country in 2018, fostering an ever-divisive nominating process, conducting partisan investigations and finishing the year with a partial government shutdown, the third of 2018.

5) The Trump show

Even as Trump's White House at times went weeks without a news conference in 2018, Trump himself relied on interviews and television much more during his second year. In the lead-up to the 2018 midterm elections, Trump conducted near-daily interviews, held multiple rallies in some weeks and unleashed a flurry of tweets. And Trump relied on TV networks to broadcast his fights with congressional leaders and the media, at times to distract from other news.

6) The Trump economy

For months, regardless of the day's news, Trump always had a reliable pivot: the economy. U.S. stock markets hit records in September, second quarter GDP topped 4 percent and unemployment continued to drop. But as Trump ramped up his trade wars, touted nonexistent economic policies and leveled frequent attacks on the Federal Reserve, markets became increasingly spooked and key stock benchmarks entered bear market territory by the end of 2018. These metrics combined with rising deficits, spurred in part by underwhelming economic growth and revenue from Trump's tax cuts, all point to an increasingly likely recession ahead of the 2020 elections.

7) What 2018 means for 2020

Record Democratic gains in the 2018 midterm elections may have opened new electoral college advantages for Democrats in 2020, but those advantages may ultimately come down to the party's presidential nominee. While Trump continued to double down on his base - betting his voters won't care what Mueller finds - it is unclear if Trump's base alone will be enough to win re-election in 2020.

8) Political (in)civility

In 2018, Republicans and Democrats moved further away from former first lady Michelle Obama's 2016 mantra: "When they go low, we go high." Former Attorney General Eric Holder told Democrats to fight back, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., called for the harassment of political opponents and Hillary Clinton all but advocated for incivility. Then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke took a shot at a congressman's struggle with alcoholism, Republicans ran candidates with ties to white nationalists, and Trump mocked a woman who accused then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault. According to an October PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll, nearly 80 percent of Americans believed this incivility will lead to violence.

9) Trump's unpredictable foreign policy

Even as Trump's "hawkish isolationism" continued in 2018, clamping down on immigration while ramping up protectionist trade policies, his foreign policy doctrine was often defined by its unpredictability: An on-then-off-then-on North Korea summit, dismissing then accepting U.S. intelligence on Russian election interference, accepting then dismissing U.S. intelligence on Khashoggi's killing, and decreasing then increasing then decreasing troop levels abroad, losing foreign policy officials in the process.

10) Trump's "hot" White House

Trump's unprecedented White House turnover continued in 2018, even as he said everyone wants to work in his "hot" White House. Trump is set to enter year three on his third chief of staff and without replacements confirmed to head the Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior and the Department of Defense.

11) The tweets continue

Trump continued to suck the oxygen out of the year on Twitter with spelling errors, new nicknames, new insults, assertions about his intelligence, complaining about his loneliness, tweets about his nuclear button size, tweets about "steel slats," asking for apologies from network heads, touting Michael Jordan, potentially violating an HBO trademark, calling himself "Tariff Man," referring to himself in the third person and of course, "WITCH HUNT!"

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Video: From Spartacus comparisons to unshakable toilet paper to baseless drug addiction accusations, 2018 got weird.(JM Rieger/The Washington Post)

Embed code:In an emotional final meeting of the commission that oversees criminal justice reform, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and his top crime policy aide, Mike Lawlor, touted the biggest accomplishments of the last eight years on Thursday  overall reductions in violent crime, arrests and prison populations.

While these changes have led to the states reputation as a national leader on crime and corrections reform, Lawlor noted those who work in the system arent quick to brag about the successes. Thats partly because there is still so far to go.

But both he and Malloy expressed optimism in the upcoming tenure of Gov.-elect Ned Lamont.

I have every expectation that the extraordinary progress weve made in recent years is going to continue, Lawlor said, praising the Lamont administrations appointment of known-prison reformer Rollin Cook, from Utah, as the states next correction commissioner.

Malloy said he was most proud of ending a high school-to-prison pipeline, sparked by increasing the age of juvenile jurisdiction in criminal cases from 16 to 18 and working with public school systems to reduce the number of expulsions and suspensions.

To see those numbers of suspensions drop in most of our high schools has been quite remarkable at the same time that weve seen increases in high school graduation rates almost entirely driven in our urban school systems, Malloy said. So what are we proudest of? Working together to develop outcomes that are far better for the broader society and far better for the individual as well.

The overall reduction in the states prison population is the result of fewer young people falling into cycles of criminal recidivism, Lawlor said, pointing to the changing demographics by age of the states inmates. The state currently has just over 13,000 inmates, a far cry from 20,000 in the early spring of 2008.

Several state prisons have been shut down as a result.

Total arrests statewide are down 41 percent from a peak in 2009. The total number of crimes reported to police, compiled by the state police, was 71,000 last year  the lowest since 1968. In 1991, a year marked by gang violence, it hit 175,000 crimes.

A teary-eyed Cathy Malloy, who is co-chairwoman of Lamonts transition committee on criminal justice, sat in the front row as her husband and Lawlor recounted the states progress in criminal justice, much of which involved her input.

Its a huge passion of his and mine, she said. After Lamont takes over on Jan. 9, she added, Im still staying on with this.

Malloy credited the first lady for her own work on the reforms, and recognized her for organizing a landmark conference held at the Cheshire Correctional Institute in October.

Using a variety of positive statistics, Lawlor said he believes the progress made under the Malloy administration will create long-term savings in both time and money the state can redirect.

Were not just closing prisons to save money, said Lawlor, who was co-chairman of the General Assembleys powerful judiciary committee as a longtime Democratic state representative from East Haven. Were closing them because we dont need them. Theres fewer and fewer people coming in the front door.

Lawlor, the point man along with Malloy himself in Malloys sweeping, 2013 gun-control reform after the Sandy Hook shootings, said there is much more work to be done. For example, while there are 35 percent fewer African Americans in the criminal justice system than there were a decade ago, African American and Latino inmates still make up 68 percent of the overall prison population, which is far disproportionate to minority representation in the states general population.

The Malloy programs of the last eight years involved teamwork between agencies, Lawlor said, for example, making sure more judges and prosecutors visited prisons. Most important, he said, it has been 14 years since a police officer was killed by gunfire in the line of duty.

Of all the things that have happened, that is the one I am most proud of, Lawlor said, starting to choke up as he ended the days event at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. He hit the desk and said, Knock on wood.

He told a story about Rep. Toni Walker, D-New Haven, now co-chairwoman of the appropriations committee, working on the bill to extend the age of juvenile prosecution. I said, Toni, you can pass a bill, but unless you stay on top of it  It will just be a bill signing ceremony and nothing else.

You have to give it some time, Lawlor said. He is leaving state government to become a professor at the University of New Haven.

Lawlor again choked up while highlighting the unlikely partnership between Malloy and Scott Semple, the states retiring Department of Correction commissioner. Semple, a Republican and 30-year department employee, led the states prison reform despite his formative experience when the primary mission of prisons was punishment.

I just want to say thank you. Then a very long pause. This was an extraordinary partnership...If you treat people as human beings, with dignity and respect, they will act like that. I was kind of happy to be riding shotgun on this whole thing.

Hearst Columnist Dan Haar contributed to this story.

kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasseltI f your New Year's resolution is to go to the theatre more, then London's stages are making it pretty easy to keep that promise.

The capital is kicking off 2019 with a bevy of tantalising shows that will have your new diary well and truly booked up with theatrical treats.

From Hollywood stars treading the boards on this side of the pond, to new toe-tapping musicals, these are the theatre shows you need to see this January.

My Name is Lucy Barton

Getty Images

Four-time Tony and three-time Academy Award nominee Laura Linney will return to the Bridge Theatre for this tale of complex family relationships in New York and beyond. Youll be able to catch Linney for just three weeks as she takes on the title role in My Name Is Lucy Barton again, a monologue adaptation of a best-selling short novel by Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout.

January 23 - February 16, Bridge Theatre, bridgetheatre.co.uk

When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each Other

Gillian Hyland

Cate Blanchett brings even more Hollywood star power to the capital as she makes her debut at the National Theatre in a highly anticipated production of this new play by Martin Crimp. Katie Mitchell directs Blanchett and Stephen Dillane as a group of characters who engage in sexual powerplay, responding to Pamela, a 1740 book by Samuel Richardson.

January 16 - March 2, National Theatre; nationaltheatre.org.uk

Leave to Remain

Johan Persson

Bloc Party fans should flock to the Lyric Theatre this month, as the Indie bands frontman Kele Okereke has penned the music for this new Matt Jones play which stars Evening Standard Theatre Award winner Tyrone Huntley. The story revolves around a young gay couple living in London, whose lives are turned upside down when one of their visas comes in for some questioning. The play marks the start of artistic director Sean Holmess final season.

January 18 - February 16, Lyric Hammersmith, lyric.co.uk

Dear Elizabeth

Ever dreamt youve turned up to work and forgotten your trousers? Dear Elizabeth is working through the actors edition of such a nightmare, with this play seeing a new pair of actors take to the stage each night, having never met each other before and with no idea how the story ends. Sarah Ruhls play explores the 400 letters sent between poets Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell, with the likes of Tamsin Greig, Hattie Morahan and Alex Jennings signed up.

January 17 - February 9, Gate Theatre, gatetheatre.co.uk/events

Pinter at the Pinter 5 and 6

The Jamie Lloyd Companys celebration of Harold Pinter continues, with the fifth and sixth installments of its Pinter at the Pinter season. This time around, the plays in question include The Room, Victoria Station and Family Voices in Pinter 5, and Party Time and Celebration in Pinter 6. More big names pepper the line-up, including Celia Imrie, Rupert Graves, John Simm, Jane Horrocks and Tracy Ann-Oberman.

January 3-26, January 4-26, Pinter Theatre

The Unreturning

Tristram Kenton

Physical theatre company Frantic Assembly takes on The Unreturning, a new play by Anna Jordan exploring the effect of war on three men. All are returning to the same village  one from the Western Front in 1918, another from Afghanistan in 2013 and another from an overseas refugee camp in the near future  and Jordan looks to question the nature of home.

January 16 - February 2, Theatre Royal Stratford East, stratfordeast.com

Approaching Empty

Helen Murray

The revamped Kiln Theatres inaugural season continues with this new play by Ishy Din, following Raf and Mansha, two lifelong friends who are in the minicab business together. Set in northern England during the aftermath of Margaret Thatchers death, the play explores a generation of men navigating post-Industrial Britain.

January 9 - February 2, Kiln Theatre, kilntheatre.com

Time is Love/Tiempo Es Amor

Getty Images

Sheila Atim shot to stardom on the London stage in Bob Dylan musical Girl From The North Country, scooping an Olivier Award for her performance. Following on from a turn alongside Mark Rylance at Shakespeares Globe, shes now showcasing her musical talents at Finborough Theatre, composing original music for Che Walkers Time is Love, in which she also stars.

January 1 - 26, Finborough Theatre, finboroughtheatre.co.uk

The Daughter-in-Law

Idil Sukan

Youll get another chance to see Jack Gambles sold out adaptation of D H Lawrences The Daughter-In-Law, as it moves to Arcola Studio 1 for a four week run. A mother, son and daughter-in-law are at loggerheads in a Nottinghamshire mining community, as the audience look on in Gambles in-the-round staging.

January 10 - February 2, Arcola Theatre, arcolatheatre.com

VAULT Festival

Nevermind Glastonburys return, its VAULT Festival that Londons theatre lovers should be excited for. Kicking off in January, this two month festival will see more than 400 theatre, comedy and cabaret shows held across more than twenty venues in the capital. Januarys highlights include David William Bryans Edinburgh Festival sell out In Loyal Company, and lots of exciting new writing.A teenage boy was fighting for his life in hospital last night after being stabbed in Hendon.

Police and paramedics attended the scene in New Brent Street just after 6.10pm on Thursday.

The teenager, 16, was rushed to hospital where he remained in a critical condition, Scotland Yard said.

There have been no arrests.

A person who wished to be anonymous told the Standard that officers were still at the scene late on Thursday evening.

They said: Its never happened before. Its a very family orientated estate.T hree men have been found guilty of murder after five people, including a mother and two sons, were killed in a shop explosion in Leicester.

Aram Kurd, Arkan Ali and Hawkar Hassan lit 26 litres of petrol in the basement of the shop to benefit from a 330,000 pay-out.

The explosion completely destroyed the shop, a Polish supermarket in Hinckley Road where Kurd worked, and a flat above.

Leicester Crown Court heard how some residents living nearby thought a bomb had reduced the property to rubble.

The scene in Hinckley Road, Leicester, after the explosion / PA

A five-week trial was told the defendants left shop worker Viktorija Ijevleva, 22, to die in the building because she was aware of the insurance policy taken out less than three weeks earlier.

Opening the Crown's case at the start of the trial, prosecutor David Herbert QC told a jury the defendants intended to maximise the damage to the premises and "would have known" people would have been in the two-storey flat above.

Ali, 38, Hassan, 33, and Kurd, 34, were assisted by a Kurdish interpreter throughout the trial after denying murder and alternative counts of manslaughter.

Hawkar Hussan, Arkan Ali and Aram Kurd in the dock at Leicester Crown Court / PA

The three men showed little emotion after the jury unanimously found them guilty of five counts of murder after just over 11 hours of deliberations.

The trio were also convicted of conspiring with Ms Ijevleva to make a gain by dishonestly pursuing an insurance claim in respect of the fire.

Ms Ijevleva, Mary Ragoobeer, 46, her teenage sons Shane and Sean, and 18-year-old Leah Beth Reek, who was Shane's girlfriend, were all killed in the blast on Sunday, February 25.

Brothers Sean Rajoobeer, 17, and Shane Rajoobeer, 18, and their mother Mary were killed in the explosion / PA

Around 26 litres of petrol was used to start the fire in the basement of the supermarket, triggering a massive explosion at 7.01pm.

CCTV and traffic camera footage released by police at the end of the trial shows people escaping from a nearby takeaway moments after the explosion, and rubble being blasted into the roadway as cars pass by.

Footage recovered by police from a neighbouring business showed Ali in shot three days before the blast moments before the camera angle was moved.

Shop worker Viktorija Ljevleva, 22, was also one of the victims / PA

Further images from the same CCTV unit a day before the fire showed a gloved hand moving the camera angle again, at a time when all three defendants were nearby.

Kurd was also recorded on a security camera as he escaped from the scene at the rear of the shop.

Ali, from Oldham, Hassan, from Coventry, and Kurd, from Leicester, were remanded in custody and will be sentenced in mid-January.A bus driver was injured after gunshots were fired outside a Tube station in north London.

Police including armed officers were called to Turnpike Lane station in Wood Green shortly before 12.30am on Friday.

The bus driver, aged in his 50s, was found with minor injuries to his forehead caused by shattered glass.

Video footage posted on social media shows damage to the front window of a double-decker bus, while police tape and a number of police cars can also be seen.

A Met Police spokesman said: "The London Ambulance Service attended and the bus driver was taken to a north London hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

"Evidence of a firearms discharge was found at the scene. There are no reports of any other persons injured.J eremy Corbyn has urged Theresa May to cut the Christmas recess short and recall Parliament so MPs can vote on the Brexit deal.

The Labour leader said he wanted to have a vote "as soon as possible".

He accused the Prime Minister of trying to "run down the clock" and offer MPs a choice between "the devil or the deep blue sea".

Mr Corbyn refused to be drawn on whether Labour would seek to extend Article 50 to keep the UK in the EU for longer.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has vowed to continue with Brexit should Labour get into power / PA

Speaking to the Independent, he said: "Lots of things are possible, the EU has long-form on reopening and extending negotiations, but let's not jump too many hoops when we haven't arrived at them."

MPs are due to return to the Commons on January 7 after a two-week Christmas break.

They will begin a new debate on Mrs May's deal on January 9 - with a vote expected to take place the following week.

TODO: define component type apester

Mr Corbyn said it was in Mrs May's hands whether she should recall Parliament a week early, on January 2

"I want us to have a vote as soon as possible, that's what I've been saying for the past two weeks, and if that means recalling parliament to have the vote let's have it," he told the paper.

"But it looks to me the Government has once again reneged on that and tried to put it back another week.

Under pressure: Theresa May / Getty Images

"We need to have that vote so a decision of parliament can be made. What I suspect is that it's a completely cynical manoeuvre to run down the clock and offer MPs the choice of the devil or the deep blue sea."

A Downing Street source labelled Mr Corbyn's call a "silly demand", and said: "Following debate in the Commons, in the week commencing 14 January MPs will vote on the Brexit deal.

"Instead of making silly demands, Jeremy Corbyn should be honest with voters that he has no alternative plan, and only intends to frustrate Brexit - ultimately betraying the referendum result."

His comments came as John McDonnell dismissed 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 shadow chancellor told the Financial Times such a move would "run the clock down even further towards March 29", when Britain is due to leave the EU.B ritish Government fury at the decision of then US president Bill Clinton to allow Gerry Adams into America have been laid bare in newly released official files.

The Sinn Fein president was controversially granted a headline-grabbing visit to New York to speak at a conference on Northern Ireland between January 31 and February 2 in 1994.

A blistering note from then prime minister John Majors private secretary Roderic Lyne sent to US national security adviser Tony Lake is part of around 500 Cabinet Office files released by the National Archives in Kew today.

It reads: The movement in which Gerry Adams has long been a leading figure has murdered not only thousands of its own countrymen, but also one member of our Royal Family, one Cabinet Ministers wife, two close advisers to Margaret Thatcher and Members of Parliament, two British ambassadors - and small children in our shopping centres.

Mr Clinton, who had been president around a year, took full responsibility for the decision which was described as a difficult matter of judgment in another file.

[You will have been told] how strongly we disagree with the decision to admit Gerry Adams to the United States

Mr Major wrote to Mr Clinton expressing dismay before the visit, according to a draft letter, he said: Tony Lake will, I am sure, have told you how strongly we disagree with the decision to admit Gerry Adams to the United States.

He has been closely associated with terrorism for two decades. In the Joint Declaration, he was offered a route into the democratic process, and into negotiations with us and with the Irish Government. He and his movement have not taken it.

As you will know the evidence is that the IRA intend to continue their strategy of terrorism, and do not have courage to make peace and compete in the democratic arena.

Mr Clinton was under pressure from influential Irish-American politicians in the US, most notably senator Edward Kennedy, who was named in multiple files as instrumental in pushing for Mr Adamss admission.

In a letter to the president in January, senators Kennedy, John F Kerry  later Barack Obamas secretary of state  Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Christopher J Dodd, make the case for the visit.

The letter said: While no one can be certain that a visa for Mr Adams will result in the IRAs accepting the condition established by Ireland and Great Britain for participation in the peace process, the United States cannot afford to ignore this possibility and miss this rare opportunity for our country to contribute to peace in Northern Ireland.

The note from Mr Lyne to Mr Lake added: It is sad, paradoxical, and misguided of the Kennedys, having lost two brothers to acts of terror, to be pressing you to admit a terrorist leader without an end to terrorism or even a commitment to end terrorism.

A cable dated February 10 from Peter Westmacott, then a British diplomat in Washington, adds details garnered from Jane Holl, then of the US National Security Council, who had been present during a subsequent phonecall between Mr Major and Mr Clinton.

[Clinton has] taken full responsibility for the decision to give Adams a visa... It had been a difficult matter of judgment on which the two governments had evidently differed

It reads: Dr Holl said that the discussion on Northern Ireland was very brief. The President had raised the subject. He had taken full responsibility for the decision to give Adams a visa.

It had been a difficult matter of judgment on which the two governments had evidently differed.

Also attached to the bundle was a missive from Canberra suggesting that a potential visit by Mr Adams to Australia may go ahead in light of the US decision.

Mr Lyne has scrawled on the typed document: I hope the Aussies realise this would be the end of Anglo/Australian relations!

Mr Adams was denied entry to Australia in 1996 but later visited in 1999 following the Good Friday Agreement a year earlier.D amian Green urged John Majors government to embrace the internet in 1994 to catch up with the White House and stay ahead of young Labour leader Tony Blair in the minds of the new generation, according to newly released official documents.

Former first secretary of state Mr Green, then in the governments policy unit, wrote that Internet users will be a growing group of opinion-formers as he suggested getting online to keep up to date.

In a letter to the then-Prime Minister's private secretary, Alex Allan, on August 22, 1994, he said: Various MPs who are computer-literate have made the point to me that it would be advantageous for Number 10 to be seen to be up with developments in this area.

Specifically, connecting No 10 with the internet would keep us up with the White House, which has made a big thing of the modern way the Clinton/Gore administration deals with communications.

Internet users will be a growing group of opinion-formers, and I can just imagine Tony Blair showing how he belongs to a new generation by signing up.

Mr Blair had been elected Labour leader the previous month, following the sudden death of John Smith in May.

But the concerns about him were unfounded, as Mr Blair was notoriously known as a technophobe who was once described by former spokesman Alastair Campbell as a pen and paper man.

Mr Allan responded to the inquiry by agreeing that getting online would show that Number 10 is keeping up with technological trends.

However, he was concerned about advertising for the public to send emails to the PM, which the White House was doing at the time.

Mr Allan said: I am sure we should offer this in time, but I am cautious about rushing into it.

I do not believe we would get a huge volume of email in the long run, but we could expect an initial flood as people around the world tried it out for fun

I do not believe we would get a huge volume of email in the long run, but we could expect an initial flood as people around the world tried it out for fun.

There were only about 10,000 websites in 1994 and it was the year the first commercial web broswer, Netscape Navigator, was launched.

The letter emerged as part of today's release of government files by the National Archives.

Mr Green lost his cabinet position in December 2017 after he admitted lying over pornography on his office computer.

Progress in communications appears to have been sluggish in the administration, with the files also showing that by late 1992 Number 10 did not even have a direct fax machine line.

On November 19, Mr Allan wrote a memo asking about the installation of a direct fax line into Downing Street.

He wrote: I have to say that I do think a direct fax line would be sensible.

We must be the only office in the public or private sector who does not have one, so I do not believe that the security problems of people misdirecting faxes would be significantly increased.T he Prime Minister has been accused of a shameless use of patronage over the decision of who to appoint to the Privy Council.

It was announced on Friday that Theresa May appointed three Conservative MPs to the council.

The honour goes to former health minister Philip Dunne, former Public Accounts Committee chair Sir Edward Leigh and the head of the UK delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Sir Roger Gale.

Labour MP Virendra Sharma claimed the appointments were part of a "desperate" attempt by the Government to shore up support for the Prime Minister's EU Withdrawal Agreement ahead of next month's crucial vote in the Commons.

Eurosceptic Sir Edward has been an outspoken critic of Mrs May's deal, and tabled an amendment calling for the termination of the agreement if the EU refuses to remove a "backstop" arrangement for the Irish border by the end of 2021.

Mr Dunne has been appointed / PA Archive/PA Images

But Ludlow MP Mr Dunne and North Thanet MP Sir Roger have both said they will support Mrs May's deal in the vote scheduled for the week of January 14.

Mr Sharma, a supporter of the Best for Britain campaign for a second EU referendum, said: "Using the cover of Christmas recess to appoint MPs to the Privy Council is a shameless abuse of patronage.

"It all raises serious questions about how the Government are using all the perks at their disposal.

Sir Edward Leigh, in 2013 / PA Archive/PA Images

"They are clearly doing this in a desperate attempt to try and twist arms for the meaningful vote."

Formally, members of the Privy Council act as advisers to the monarch, but in practice only a handful of the 600-plus counsellors attend regular meetings with the Queen.

The full Council is convened only on very rare occasions, such as the death of the monarch.

Sir Roger Gale was knighted in 2012 / PA Archive/PA Images

Membership allows senior politicians and former politicians to be briefed on confidential information "on Privy Council terms".

Mr Dunne has been MP for Ludlow since 2005, Sir Edward MP for Gainsborough since 1983 and Sir Roger MP for North Thanet since 1983.

A statement released by 10 Downing Street said: "The Queen has been pleased to approve that Sir Edward Leigh MP, Philip Dunne MP and Sir Roger Gale MP be sworn of Her Majesty's most Honourable Privy Council."T he hunt for a British cruise ship entertainer, 20, who went missing after going overboard on Christmas day has been suspended.

Rescuers spent three days searching for Arron Hough, from Sunderland, who had been on a Royal Caribbean vessel before the hunt was called off on Thursday. The United States Coast Guard's search had covered 3,700 square miles.

The alarm was first raised over Mr Houghs disappearance when he did not report for work on the ship, named Harmony of the Seas, on Christmas Day.

The vessel was 267 miles north-west of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, at the time and en route to Philipsburg, St Maarten.

In its latest statement, the coast guard said it had ended the search for the 20-year-old at about 2.30pm, two days after he went overboard. Crews searched for approximately 83 hours, the statement added.

Harmony of the Seas, owned by Royal Caribbean / PA

Commander Christopher Douglas, Coast Guard Sector San Juan chief of response, said: "We've been in contact with members of Mr Hough's family throughout our search efforts and know this is a very difficult and painful time for them. Suspending a search is one of the most difficult decisions we have to make as first responders, and it is never made lightly."

The last CCTV footage available of Mr Hough showed him heading on to the ship's deck at around 4am on December 25, according to a statement issued by Royal Caribbean.

However, staff on board the ship only realised he was missing when he did not report to work later that day.F irefighters have been tackling a huge building blaze in a town centre in Scotland.

The large fire, in Greenock, is thought to be at a furniture shop and broke out at about 5pm on Thursday.

Dramatic images posted on social media showed flames tearing through the roof of the building as smoke billowed into the night sky.

A funeral home nearby was forced to move bodies to another premises as fire crews tackled the blaze.

Greenock fire: onlookers shared images of the huge blaze on social media / Fenwick 47/Twitter

A spokesman for Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: "Operations Control mobilised a number of fire engines to the town's Jamaica Street, where firefighters were met by a large and well developed fire.

"Crews currently remain on the scene working to extinguish the fire."

Flames ripped through the roof of the building as firefighters battled to bring the blaze under control / James Semple

In a post on their Facebook page, Green Oak Funeral Services said that their landlines were unavailable but "all loved ones were being cared for in our Port Glasgow premises".A meeting with Sir Ian McKellen appears to have spurred then-Prime Minister John Major into pushing for the lowering of the age of consent between homosexuals.

Mr Major met the celebrated actor in September 1991 to discuss gay rights  and within three years parliament had voted to drop the consenting age from 21 to 18.

Following the meeting, the Prime Minister wrote: I have to say that, whilst fully recognising the sensitivities of the subject, I had considerable sympathy with some of Sir Ians points on the grounds of simple, straightforward equity.

Sir Ian raised concerns affecting the gay community like criminal law, police harassment and abusive language in the press at the meeting in Number 10, according to government files released by the National Archives today.

The documents show Number 10 wanted to make the meeting as informal-feeling as possible after being advised that one of the greatest actors of his generation lacked self-confidence (!) in discussing these issues and might be slightly overawed by a meeting with the Prime Minister.

During the meeting, Sir Ian said: If two men merely showed affection for one another in public, they could be charged under the gross indecency laws or for a breach of the peace.

A government note said this was an extreme reading of the law but acknowledged that the police sometimes used this legal loophole as an excuse for harassment against gay men.

Following the encounter, Sir Ian wrote warmly to Mr Major: Its been encouraging to note the overwhelmingly positive response throughout the media.

There seems to be a general acceptance that the concerns of lesbians and gay men should now be firmly on the political agenda

There seems to be a general acceptance that the concerns of lesbians and gay men should now be firmly on the political agenda.

Mr Major replied: I too was pleased to see the generally positive response in the media  although I am afraid that my postbag has contained more critical than sympathetic letters.

Mr Major was advised to tread carefully over giving an enlightened lead to public opinion on the issue of gay rights in another document.

A handwritten note, which appears to be from political adviser Sarah Hogg, reads: Prime Minister  I would be concerned that you should not get too far ahead of public opinion before a general election.

In a Foreign Office speech in 2017, the former prime minister, by now Sir John, spoke about the backlash he received for the meeting.

He said: When I wished to consult Ian McKellen on the concerns of gay people, there were subterranean rumblings that I should never even have spoken to him  let alone invited him into No 10!

Such an attitude was simply astonishing. Personally, I never regretted that meeting  and learned a great deal from it.

In 1994 the age of consent was lowered from 21 to 18 by parliament.

Sir John added in his speech: Two years later, with my encouragement, Parliament voted to lower the age of consent to 18  not quite the 16 that the now Sir Ian McKellen had advocated, but a lowering nonetheless.T he Royal Mail has been criticised over a stamp marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day which features an image of US troops in the Pacific.

The company said it would publish 11 stamps next year with images from D-Day for the anniversary. The collection forms part of a Best of British collection for 2019.

But one stamp captioned "allied soldiers and medics wade ashore" included a photograph of American troops in what was Dutch New Guinea, now Indonesia, rather than Brits in Normandy.

US troops landed in the town of Sarmi on May 17, 1944, a few weeks before and 8,500 miles from the Normandy landings.

Special Royal Mail stamps for 2019 1 /3 Special Royal Mail stamps for 2019 One of a set of 11 stamps being issued in 2019 to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings Royal Mail A stamp being issued in 2019 to mark the bicentenary of Queen Victoria Royal Mail A stamp featuring a red kite being issued in 2019 as part of a celebration of the UK's birds of prey Royal Mail

People replying to a Royal Mail tweet which featured an image of the stamp called the blunder very embarrassing.

One person wrote: Wouldn't it be better if your D-Day stamp featured BRITISH troops landing on the Normandy beaches and NOT American troops landing somewhere in the Pacific!

Another person tweeted: "What a shambles! Royal Mail 2019 D-Day stamp shows US Marines coming ashore from USS LCI(L)-30 at Sarmi, Dutch New Guinea, Pacific, 17 May 1944.

"Wrong theatre; wrong date; wrong vessel; wrong troops. This gross insult to veterans and those who didn't make it should be withdrawn."

The stamp has since been withdrawn and the Royal Mail has apologised.

A Royal Mail spokeswoman said: "We work very hard to ensure that our Special Stamp programme appropriately commemorates anniversaries and events that are relevant to UK heritage and life.

"We would like to offer our sincere apologies that our preview release for our 2019 Special Stamp programme included a stamp design which had been incorrectly associated with the D-Day landings.T emperatures are set to plummet in the New Year, as an arctic blast could bring snow to many parts of the UK.

The start of January is expected to be far colder than the mild Christmas that many Brits have experienced so far, with temperatures dropping as low as 6C.

However, a "sudden stratospheric warming", the weather event which caused the Beast from the East earlier this year, could cause the mercury to plunge further still by the end of the month.

Heavy rain, gales and snow have been predicted for the last two weeks of January.

(Andrew Milligan/PA ) / Andrew Milligan/PA

According to the Met Office, The second week of January will probably be unsettled in most areas, giving heavy rain and gales at times, especially in the north, where severe gales are possible.

Hill snow is likely, as well as snow to lower levels at times in the north.

By mid-month there is a greater chance of colder weather, with an increasing likelihood of frost, fog and snow, and these conditions will probably continue for the rest of the period.

Forecaster Sophie Yeomans said the start of the year will be colder than what weve experienced recently, but nothing too extreme.

UK Weather: Beast from the East freeze - In pictures 1 /64 UK Weather: Beast from the East freeze - In pictures Snow storm over London NPASLondon/Twitter The frozen canal at Little Venice, London Jeremy Selwyn A multi-car collision on the M66 NEAR Ramsbottom and Bury Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) Ice climbers at Kinder Downfall, High Peak in Derbyshire PA RFA Tidespring battles powerful weather conditions sparked by the Beast from the East EPA/Ministry of Defence Members of 1st Battalion Welsh Guards take part in a snow ball fight prior to the combined St David's Day celebration and pre-deployment service at Elizabeth Barracks, Pirbright, Surrey PA A police car on fire on the M62 near Huddersfield. PA Andrea Geile skies along Princes Street in Edinburgh PA Heavy snowfall hits St Paul's Cathedral Zuma / Splash News Storm clouds over Dublin Bay PA Paddington Station today Jeremy Selwyn The M876 to Glasgow is closed PA A man walks in the snowy conditions in Larbert PA Edinburgh Castle in the snow PA Members of the public make their way through snow the streets in Alexandria, Scotland Getty Images Jock the Shih Tzu plays in the snow Getty Images Waterloo Station tracks covered in snow Jeremy Selwyn A man clears snow in Alexandria, Scotland Getty Images Snow-covered members of the public walk through heavy snow in Westminster Getty Images A stranded car covered in snow in Whitley Bay in Tyne and Wear PA Police push a car on the on the M80 Haggs in Glasgow PA A blizzard hit Trafalgar Square School children from Wearhead Primary School, in County Durham, which stands more than 1,100 feet (335m) above sea level and which remained open despite blizzards thanks to teachers battling through the elements and a parent with a digger PA Snow continues to fall in Westminster Jeremy Selwyn A man clears snow from a car in Larbert PA Fabio Fodaro cycles during a blizzard at Helix Park in Falkirk PA The scene on the M80 Haggs in Glasgow PA Police push a car on the on the M80 Haggs in Glasgow PA Huge crowds outside Oxford Circus Tube station @_kathyharvey People walk in the snow on Horse Guards Parade Reuters Whiteout: Londoners brave the snow in Piccadilly Circus Tony Villalon Three-year-old Wilfred Martin, enjoys sledding in the snow in Richmond Park, Londo PA Victor the polar bear enjoys the snow at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster PA Giant waves crash over Seaham lighthouse near Durham as the "Beast from the East" brings heavy snow and freezing temperatures to much of the country PA Spectacular sunrise over Canary Wharf James Burns/London from the Rooftops Vehicles get stuck on a hill on the A30 near Land's End in Cornwall following heavy snow that made driving conditions difficult PA Battersea looking beautiful in the snow Hatty Collier People walk their dogs on Blyth Beach in Northumberland PA A swimmer braves the snowy conditions at King Edwards bay near Tynemouth PA Frozen foutains at Trafalgar Square Jeremy Selwyn Stationary traffic on the M20 near Ashford, Kent PA Pedestrians cross Whitehall as snow falls AP Pedestrians walk across millennium bridge in front of St Paul's as heavy snowfall hits London AFP/Getty Images A snow-covered Tube train early today Londoners woke to wintry scenes Jeremy Selwyn A lorry shed its load on the M20 overnight Kent Police RPU Snow falls on Wimbledon Common Alex Lentati A London bus travels through the snow in Oxford street EPA Snow surrounds the Angel of the North in Gateshead PA People walk past Buckingham Palac PA People walk along Bankside, London in the snow PA Snow at Horse guards in London Jeremy Selwyn Rare snow seen at Brighton Beach James Mayes Toby Stanton walks to school in Ashford, Kent, as heavy snowfall is affecting roads across the UK PA Highways England/Twitter Cars travel through Great Chart in Ashford, Kent PA A Eurostar train passes through Ashford, Kent PA Vehicles on the M20 between Junctions 8 and 9, as heavy snowfall is affecting roads across the UK PA A double decker bus carefully makes it way through the snowfall in London Jeremy Selwyn Cars drive through falling snow on the A41 in Hemel Hempstead Jeremy Selwyn Parents walk their children to school in Ashford, Kent PA Newcastle Quayside following heavy overnight snowfall PA Walkers in the snow near to Another Place by Anthony Gormley, on Crosby Beech near LiverpooL PA Fishing boats moored in Scarborough harbour PA Commuters battle the snoiw across London Bridge Jeremy Selwyn

Ms Yeomans explained that although the last two weeks of January are quite a way off, forecasters believe a sudden stratospheric warming could cause conditions to turn even colder.

Its unclear at this stage what parts of the UK could be blighted by cold weather and snow, Ms Yeomans said, but the north could see gales and heavy rain.D onald Trump has threatened to close the southern border of the US if Congress does not reach a deal over funding for his border wall.

The American President shared a Twitter tirade, claiming that he would consider closing the border for a profit making operation.

The Government shutdown over the funding dispute is already set to last into next year with House of Representatives politicians being told not to expect further votes this week.

Mr Trump is determined to secure billions of dollars in funding from Congress for the wall on the US-Mexico border.

The President made a surprise visit to troops in Iraq over Christmas / AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

On Friday, he tweeted: We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with.

Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve!

The United States looses soooo much money on Trade with Mexico under NAFTA, over 75 Billion Dollars a year (not including Drug Money which would be many times that amount), that I would consider closing the Southern Border a profit making operation.

We build a Wall or close the Southern Border. Bring our car industry back into the United States where it belongs.

Go back to pre-NAFTA, before so many of our companies and jobs were so foolishly sent to Mexico. Either we build (finish) the Wall or we close the Border.

Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money.

Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it. We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries - taking advantage of U.S. for years!"

It comes after President Trump made a surprise visit to troops in Iraq over Christmas with wife Melania.

He visited the al-Asad Air Base, west of Baghdad, on December 26.

The US Government shutdown started on Saturday when funding lapsed for nine Cabinet-level departments and dozens of agencies.

Donald Trump's visit to Iraq 1 /9 Donald Trump's visit to Iraq President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump greet members of the military at a hanger rally at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq AP Photo/Andrew Harnik President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive AP Photo/Andrew Harnik Trump embraces some of the military personnel AP Photo/Andrew Harnik AP Photo/Andrew Harnik President Donald Trump, right, jokes with National Security Adviser John Bolton, third from left, and senior military leadership, as he speaks to members of the media AP Photo/Andrew Harnik AP Photo/Andrew Harnik AP Photo/Andrew Harnik AP Photo/Andrew Harnik AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

Roughly 420,000 workers were deemed essential and are working unpaid, while an additional 380,000 have been put on hold.

The impasse over government funding began earlier this month, when the Senate approved a bipartisan deal keeping government open into February.

That bill provided 1.3 billion (1 billion) for border security projects but not money for the wall. At President Trump's urging, the House approved that package and inserted the 5.7 billion (4.5 billion) he had requested.T he British wives of two brothers were among three killed when a car plunged from a bridge in Iceland, according to local media.

The British Indian women were killed on Thursday when their Toyota Land Cruiser crashed through a railing on a one-lane bridge and fell around eight metres onto a river bank. A child also died.

Four other people  said to be the two brothers and two more children, aged seven and nine  were also injured.

India's embassy in Iceland confirmed the car contained two brothers, their wives and families, Iceland's national broadcaster, RUV, said

An SUV carrying seven members of a British family plunged off a high bridge Thursday in Iceland, killing three people and critically injuring the others, authorities said. / Adolf Erlingsson via AP

T. Armstrong Changsan, the Indian ambassador to Iceland, told the Times of India: "They are British citizens of Indian origin with families in India.

"Their brother is in India. He needs an urgent visa to come here. Iceland officials are trying to help out on this.

"Friends of the accident victims have rushed from the UK to Reykjavik.

"The condition of the survivors is now stable. The British Embassy here is taking care of matters."

The distraught brother, Sarvesh Laturia, told the paper: "It was my two brothers and their wives - they are British people.

File photo of a police vehicle at a roadblock on Route 1 in Iceland / PA

"They were on vacation and their car met with an accident in which my two sister-in-laws passed away and my niece passed away.

"My two brothers are in a critical condition in hospital."

The crash happened on the national Route 1 road just south of Skaftafell National Park, part of the Vatnajokull National Park, which was nominated for inclusion in Unesco's World Heritage List in 2018.

Police said the road was not thought to be icy but humidity could have made the surface slippery for the SUV.

Audbjorg Brynja Bjarnadottir, a nurse at the Kirkjubjarklaust health center, was first on the scene of the accident, along with a local police officer.

File photo of a road in Iceland / Getty Images

She told RUV: "It was pretty clear when we got there that a catastrophe was happening and that it was a very serious accident, it was visible on the car and on the people who had come out.

In reality, it describes this as being a terrible approach and a very challenging situation.

It was also extremely cold in the area and we needed hands to begin with, but then more people came to the scene and everyone worked as one machine.

Unfortunately, we have too often been involved in such accidents, but everyone worked well together.

Herdis Gunnarsdottir, CEO of the South Iceland Healthcare Institute, said that the emergency services had behaved like heroes.

He told RUV: It was a difficult time for them at the beginning when they were still ill-advised.T he family of the two British women and a baby girl who were killed in a crash in Iceland say they are "deeply saddened" by their deaths.

The relatives said they found the news of their deaths a "horrifying shock" and have thanked British and Icelandic authorities for their help.

Rajshree Laturia died when the Land Cruiser she was in crashed through a railing of a one-lane bridge before falling about eight metres onto a river bank.

Her husband Shreeraj Laturia and his brother Supreme were fighting for life after the crash, which also killed Supremes wife Khushboo Laturia.

All of them are understood to be from London and of Indian heritage.

An 4x4 carrying seven members of a British family plunged off a high bridge in Iceland on Thursday / Adolf Erlingsson via AP

In a statement, the family said: "The fatal car crash near Skaftafell in Iceland on the morning of December 27, 2018 has come as a horrifying shock for the entire family and friends.

"The Indian, British and Icelandic authorities have been extremely cooperative and extended appropriate support.

"Our family is deeply saddened so we request you to kindly respect our privacy and give us the space to grieve in peace at this difficult time.

"Special thanks to the local authorities for airlifting and ensuring timely medical facilities were provided.

"Thank you for your prayers and understanding on this matter."

According to The Telegraph, Sheeraj and Rajshree worked at big city banks in London and in 2015 were named on the Asian Power Couples Hot 100 List.

Supreme is also understood to work for bank in the city and is believed to live in the Canary Wharf area, the paper reported.

Two other young children were also critically injured in the accident, which happened at about 9.30am on Thursday.

The four people who were injured were airlifted to hospital in the capital Reykjavik.

Three people were injured in the crash and four others were critically injured / AP

The distraught brother of the two men, Sarvesh Laturia, told Times of India: "It was my two brothers and their wives - they are British people.

They were on vacation and their car met with an accident in which my two sister-in-laws passed away, and my niece passed away.

My two brothers are in a critical condition in hospital.

Spanish au pair Monica Fontam, 20, who was working for both couples, told MailOnline: "I'm still in a terrible state of shock, we all are. The older daughter was told last night what had happened, that her mother, her aunt and her cousin had been killed.

"Her seven-year-old brother is in a stable condition, as both of the dads are too, and has not yet been told about what's happened.

"I've only been with the family for the last couple of months, and they've welcomed me and treated me as one of their own. They all live here and they're all very close.

Police in Iceland said in a statement on Friday: "The individuals involved in a traffic accident at Nupsvotn yesterday are all British citizens.

"The individuals were two brothers travelling around Iceland with their families.

"The deceased were two women born in 1979 and 1980 and an infant born in 2018."

The crash happened on the national Route 1 road near Skaftafell National Park in the south of the country, part of the Vatnajokull National Park, which was nominated for inclusion in Unesco's World Heritage List in 2018.

Police said the road was not thought to be icy but humidity could have made the surface slippery for the 4x4, which was driving eastbound over the bridge in Nupsvotn, just south of the Vatnajokull glacier.

Tour guide Adolf Erlingsson, who was among the first on the scene, said: "It was horrible. The car seemed to have hit the ground many metres from where it stopped.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Erlingsson said the SUV was a "total wreck" when he arrived at the crash site.

He said: "Four people were out of the car, one of them deceased. Then there were three people trapped in the car and I think two of them were deceased.

"The driver was alive and trapped more or less under the dashboard.

"It was a horrible sight to come there and see the wreckage and people there."

He said rescuers used a winch and another 4x4 to lift the car up and try to save the driver.F ive monks were tied up and left with head injuries after they were assaulted in a church during a robbery.

Two suspects fled the scene after ambushing the monks at the Maria Immaculata Church in the Floridsdorf area of Vienna, Austria.

At least one of their suspects demanded money and valuables during the attack, which happened at 1.30pm on Thursday, according to local police.

Police found the monks tied up, one of them with head injuries, nearly three hours later.

Special police patrol outside a church in Vienna, Austria, First police reports indicated an armed robbery. / AP

The monks were aged between 56 and 68, and one of the attackers had a foreign accent, the Austria Press Agency reported.

Police wrote on Twitter that, while the precise motive remains unclear, "a possible terror motive can be ruled out.

Ambulances stand outside a church in Vienna, Austria / AP

Officers were searching for the perpetrators, including in the complex where the incident took place.A huge explosion at a New York power plant has turned the night sky above parts of the city bright blue.

Dramatic footage appeared to show enormous blue flashes in the sky that could be seen for miles around on Thursday night.

New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the bright lights were caused by a transformer explosion at a power facility in Astoria. Officers warned residents to avoid the area.

Some flights were grounded at the nearby LaGuardia airport after the explosion sparked a power outage.

The night sky over New York turned bright blue and green during the explosion

The bright glow stunned onlookers in Manhattan and Astoria, with many sharing astonishing video footage and images of the scenes.

Marguerite Ward, an editor at NBC, was among those to share an image of the shocking incident. Alongside the picture, she wrote on Twitter: Why is the sky in #nyc blue and green??? Looks like an explosion?

Another witness, Jonathan Keller, wrote: The coned plant in Astoria. Smells of electrical fire outside.

Con Edison, the energy company which runs the site, said it was investigating an electrical fire.

It said the incident caused a transmission dip in the Astoria area.T he personal details of nearly 1,000 North Korean defectors to the South has been leaked after a resettlement agencys database was hacked.

The South Korean Unification Ministry said on Friday that the names, birth dates and addresses of 997 defectors had been stolen.

They were taken last week after a computer was infected with malicious software at an agency called the Hana center, in the southern city of Gumi.

A ministry official told Reuters: The malware was planted through emails sent by an internal address.

Relations between the two countries have been improving after years of confrontation / AFP/Getty Images

The ministry official declined to say if North Korea was believed to have been behind the hack, or what the motive might have been, saying a police investigation was under way to determine who did it.

North Korean hackers have in the past been accused of cyberattacks on South Korean state agencies and businesses.

The country allegedly stole classified documents from the Souths defense ministry and a shipbuilder last year, while a cryptocurrency exchange filed for bankruptcy following a cyberattack linked to the North.

North Korean state media has denied those cyberattacks.

Kim Jong Un (R) and South Korean President Moon Jae-in (L) wave to Pyongyang citizens from an open-topped vehicle on September 18 / AFP/Getty Images

The Hana center is among 25 institutes around the country to help defectors adjust to life in the richer, democratic South by providing jobs, medical and legal support.

Defectors, most of whom risked their lives to flee poverty and oppression, are a source of shame for North Korea.

The latest data breach comes at a delicate time for the two Koreas which have been rapidly improving their relations after years of confrontation.

The Unification Ministry said it was notifying the affected defectors and there were no reports of any negative impact of the data breach.R escuers in India have stepped up efforts to try and reach 15 miners who have been stuck in a cave for 16 days.

The men had been working at an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya on December 13 when they became trapped by flood water.

Its thought that they are at the bottom of the shaft, nearly 320 feet deep.

Rescuers have been attempting to drain the mine however they have limited resources.

Emergency workers gather around a crane / AFP/Getty Images

On Thursday around 80 rescue personnel were working to pump out water from the area.

Indian Air Force spokesman Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh confirmed that a C-130J Super Hercules has been deployed to airlift rescuers to the region on Friday.

Santosh Singh from the National Disaster Response Force told IANS: The rescue mission is still on and our divers dived yesterday to locate the trapped miners but could not locate any of them.

There is nothing in the main shaft of the coal pit. We have used all our equipment with us including SONAR to find out if any of the miners are trapped in the main shaft.

Emergency workers gather in Ksan village, Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district / AFP/Getty Images

The mine is illegal and employed a method of extracting coal known as rat-hole mining, according to CNN.

The government has been accused of responding to the incident slowly.

Rahul Gandhi, president of the Indian National Congress wrote on Twitter: 15 miners have been struggling for air in a flooded coal mine for two weeks.

Meanwhile, PM struts about on Bogibeel Bridge posing for cameras. His government refuses to organise high pressure pumps for the rescue.T he partial US government shutdown will continue into next year with House of Representatives politicians being told not to expect further votes this week.

It comes as President Donald Trump continues to vow to hold the line on his demand for money to build a border wall, for which he said the US desperately needs.

Mr Trump had said the shutdown would remain in place until Cogress supplies billions of dollars for the wall on the US-Mexico border.

He called on Democrats in Congress to fund his wall, saying the shutdown affects their supporters.

Donald Trump said the shutdown would continue until funding is received for the border wall (AP file photo/Andrew Harnik) / AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

The US leader asserted without evidence: "Do the Dems realize that most of the people not getting paid are Democrats?"

Virginia Democratic Sen Mark Warner called President Trump's comments "outrageous".

In his tweet, he added: "Federal employees don't go to work wearing red or blue jerseys. They're public servants. And the President is treating them like poker chips at one of his failed casinos."

The shutdown started on Saturday when funding lapsed for nine Cabinet-level departments and dozens of agencies.

Roughly 420,000 workers were deemed essential and are working unpaid, while an additional 380,000 have been put on hold.

While the White House was talking to congressional Democrats - and staff talks continued on Capitol Hill - negotiations dragged on Wednesday, dimming hopes for a swift breakthrough.

Republican Rep Mark Meadows of North Carolina, an ally of Mr Trump who has been involved in the talks, said the president "is very firm in his resolve that we need to secure our border".

He told CNN: "If they believe that this president is going to yield on this particular issue, they're misreading him."

The impasse over government funding began last week, when the Senate approved a bipartisan deal keeping government open into February.

That bill provided 1.3 billion (1 billion) for border security projects but not money for the wall. At President Trump's urging, the House approved that package and inserted the 5.7 billion (4.5 billion) he had requested.

But Senate Republicans lacked the votes they needed to force the measure through their chamber. This jump-started negotiations between Congress and the White House, but the deadline came and went without a deal.R yan Thomas has broken his social media silence days after his girlfriend Lucy Mecklenburgh was accused of cheating on him during a night out in Dubai.

The former TOWIE star was filmed partying with friends at a club before appearing to embrace one man as he got up to leave.

Thomas has remained silent in the wake of the reports, but returned to Instagram on Thursday to document a day out in London with his daughter Scarlett and Mecklenburgh.

The father-daughter duo enjoyed a trip to Winter Wonderland, which saw Thomas deny his daughter a plate of pancakes.

Sombre: Ryan Thomas posted a black and white selfie on his return to Instagram / Instagram/ Ryan Thomas

But they wrapped up the day with a visit to the Dorchester Hotel in Mayfair.

Thomas has yet to publicly address the footage of Mecklenburgh, who has vehemently denied cheating.

In a Twitter statement she claimed she was hugging her friend before leaving the venue. She tweeted: Since when has saying goodbye to a friend turned into a cosy night out?! #ridiculous.

Rumours: Ryan Thomas and Lucy Mecklenburgh pictured earlier this year / Getty Images

Sources claimed the former reality TV star enjoyed an overly friendly exchange with her male friend.

A source told the Mail: Lucy seemed overly friendly with this guy. She was touching the inside of his legs, kissing his neck, holding his hand for at least an hour.

Lucy then left on her own followed two mins later by the guy. They looked very cosy indeed!

The incident came weeks after the couple were forced to deny reports they are on the rocks after they left the Specsavers Spectacle Wearer of The Year event separately, with Thomas said to be visibly upset.

Mecklenburgh hit back claiming her early exit was down to being ill.

When you have cold/flu and the press try to turn it into a row with your boyfriend, she posted on Instagram.H uawei is starting 2019 with a bang and the launch of the new Huawei P smart 2019 phone.

The Chinese company dominated 2018 after shipping 200 million smartphones worldwide and overtaking Apple in the global rankings. Its not stopping there, after revealing its first new phone for next year, the Huawei P smart 2019.

Heres what you need to know about the new phone.

Huawei P smart 2019: mid-range at its best

The new Huawei P smart 2019 phone is positioned for the mid-range market, like the Huawei P20 lite and Mate 20 lite phones.

The phone is all about bringing the latest technologies and designs to consumers at a more affordable price point than the Mate 20 Pro and P20 Pro phones.

Huawei P smart 2019: design

Huawei has taken the all-screen design favoured on the Mate 20 and P20 ranges and brought it to the new P smartphone. Theres a 6.21-inch, full HD+ display, with Huaweis dewdrop display.

The bezels have been banished, with only a pearl-shaped notch on the front of the phone to house the selfie camera. Its an impressive screen design, given the phone is aimed at the lower end of the market.

The Huawei P Smart 2019 has a pearl-shaped notch to house the selfie camera / Huawei

The phone itself comes in three colours: midnight black, turquoise blue, and aurora blue. The curved back of the phone has a glossy finish and a ceramic-like design, which makes it extremely durable and helps to withstand all those inevitable drops.

What is interesting about this new phone is that it includes a new Eye Comfort Mode, which filters high-energy blue lights to alleviate eye fatigue when youre using your phone for a long time. Given all the issues blue lights can cause, such as messing with your sleep cycle, this is a welcome addition.

Huawei P smart 2019: AI camera

It wouldnt be a Huawei phone without a great camera line up.

The Huawei P smart 2019 comes with a dual AI camera set up: a 13-megapixel main camera and a 2-megapixel secondary camera, to achieve those bokeh portrait shorts.

The AI in the camera can recognise over 500 scenes and provide real-time optimisation so you can achieve bright, detailed nighttime photos. Google and OnePlus have gone all in on their nighttime photography features recently so it will be interesting to try Huaweis latest against them.

Huawei P smart 2019: power

Inside, the Huawei P smart 2019 is powered by the Kirin 710 chip, found in some of Honors most recent releases, including the Honor 8X. The chip aims to provide a smooth, natural phone experience, powering gaming performance and power efficiency.

There should be no battery woes with this phone. It has a 3,400 mAH battery, improved from last years 3,000 mAH, which should support up to 10 hours of internet browsing and up to 96 hours of continuous music playback.

Theres also a smart battery management system, which will analyse how youre using your phone and extend the battery life by minimising idle apps.

Huawei P smart 2019 in aurora blue / Huawei

The phone uses Huaweis EMUI 9.0 operating software, based on Android 9, so youre getting some of the best Android features right out of the box.

When does the Huawei P smart go on sale?

The new Huawei P smart 2019 will be on sale in the UK from January 10, 2019, from retailers including the Carphone Warehouse, EE and O2.Countries & Areas

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"Over December 21-26, the Romanian border was crossed by approximately 1,035,000 persons, out of whom 635,000 were entering and 400,000 were exiting the country and 250,000 transportation means, 154,000 of which were entering the country and 95,000 were exiting Romania," informs a release of the General Inspectorate of the Border Police on Friday sent to AGERPRES.

The most transited border checkpoints were the Western ones, where approximately 450,000 persons were recorded crossing the border, the same as the checkpoints at the airports - 260,000 persons and the ones at the border with the Republic of Moldova - 159,000 persons and Bulgaria - 68,800 persons.

"With the New Year's Eve holiday coming up next, we will maintain the measures meant for streamlining traffic through the border checkpoints, in this respect the 4,000 border policemen following to daily conduct surveillance and control activities at the state borders," reads the same release.

Since many Romanians are expected in the next interval to exit the country to spend their New Year's Eve abroad, it is expected the traffic to grow, in both people and transportation means, especially at the border with Bulgaria and the one with Hungary. Thus, the Romanian Border Police recommends using all the border checkpoints.

At the Romanian-Bulgarian border there are 10 checkpoints opened for international traffic.

Information regarding the waiting time at the border checkpoints is provided through the Trafic on-line application, available on the Internet page www.politiadefrontiera.ro

Read also: PSD's Dragnea doesn't rule out Tariceanu running in presidential elections

This on-line application presents an average of waiting times at the border checkpoints for certain time intervals and the posted values can suffer modifications depending on the dynamic of the traffic at the respective border checkpoint at a given time.

AGERPRES .Social Democratic Party (PSD) chairman Liviu Dragnea on Thursday said he didn't rule out the alternative of a candidacy of Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) leader Calin Popescu-Tariceanu in the presidential elections, mentioning that it is important to have a common candidate of the two parties making up the ruling coalition.

"I am planning, within a reasonable amount of time, Mr. Tariceanu and I plus the two parties to reach the conclusion that there must be a single candidate and after that we'll also decide who stands the most chances. I don't rule out any alternative, I don't rule out the alternative with me, the alternative with Mr. Tariceanu or anyone else. The person we find as standing more chances, because Iohannis's reign must come to an end. Five more years with Iohannis mean disaster for Romania," Dragnea told Antena 3 private television broadcaster.

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He mentioned that the Social Democrats' goal in the presidential elections is that the future preside be the PSD-ALDE candidate.

AGERPRES .I have just read the memoirs of General Armand de Caulaincourt who accompanied Napoleon throughout the Russian venture. He was France's Ambassador to Russia from 1807 until 1811 and got to know the Emperor Alexander quite well. Napoleon recalled him and he eventually resumed his tasks as his Master of the Horse.

His account begins with a long conversation with Napoleon. Just before he left St Petersburg, Alexander called him in for what was, unmistakably, a message and warning to be passed on. De Caulaincourt really tries hard  but unsuccessfully  to make Napoleon get the point. He tells him that Alexander said he had learned something from the Spanish resistance to France and that was that Napoleon's other opponents had given up too early; they should have kept fighting. Napoleon is unimpressed: his generals in Spain are incompetent and his brother (to whom he had given the Spanish throne) is an idiot; he sees no larger lessons and believes that Spain is not important in the great scheme. De Caulaincourt reiterates that Alexander kept returning to that point, giving other illustrations of giving up too soon and emphasised that, if Napoleon invaded, he would persevere: he would keep fighting from Kamchatka if need be; Russia was very large and the weather very severe. One good battle and they'll give up insists Napoleon. Napoleon then mentions how angry the Poles are getting with Russia. De Caulaincourt retorts that the Poles he knows, while they would certainly prefer a free and independent Poland, have learned that living under Russia is not as bad as they thought it would be and that real freedom might cost more than it would be worth. De Caulaincourt then, no doubt repeating what Alexander has told him, describes the compromise that would settle the problems between him and Russia; but Napoleon's not interested. After five hours of this, Napoleon dismisses him but de Caulaincourt asks leave to say one more thing: if you are thinking of invading (now de Caulaincourt realises that he's set on it) please think of France's best interests. Oh says Napoleon, now you're talking like a Russian.

Well, the similarities just leap off the page don't they? Napoleon today is played by Washington. (One may hope that Trump's pullout from Syria marks the beginning of real change. But let's wait and see what actually happens.) There have been years of ignorant overconfidence in Washington  just like Napoleon's  Russia is a gas station pretending to be a country, it doesn't make anything and its GDP is less than Canada's or Spain's or some other not very important country. (In truth, since Russia's arrival in Syria, some hawks are starting to sound less confident: as a recent example an American think tank warms that the US Navy might not prevail against Russia and China.) But the popular expectation remains that one more push and Putin will cave in: he won't be holding out in Kamchatka. Russia today is played by Russia, of course. As to who's playing Poland, Ukraine makes a good stand-in (although Poland may be trying to reprise its role). Napoleon's assertion that Poland wants war with Russia is replicated by today's Kiev regime: it is doing its best to make it happen. But, like de Caulaincourt's account of actual Poles, there is little to suggest that ordinary Ukrainians have much stomach for a war and one may suspect that a majority would be happy to a return to the (miserable, but not as miserable) time before the "revolution of Dignity". Who plays the role of Spain, the nation that didn't understand that it had been beaten? Today gives us several candidates: you may choose from Afghanistan, Iraq or Syria.

But, what's really contemporary, and he repeats it several times, is Napoleon's sneer that de Caulaincourt has become a Russian: even two centuries ago, long before RT, Sputnik or Facebook ads, Russia's malign "information war" and "fake news memes" were polluting Western minds! Then, as well as today, anyone who deviated from the received wisdom must be echoing Russian falsehood.

As I said, the similarities jumped out at me a couple of pages into de Caulaincourt's account. On the one hand we see the man who actually knows what he's talking about and who is trying to relay an important message to his superior; on the other the arrogant superior who knows everything and calls all disagreement Putinism Russianism. And, in the background, the yappy little players trying to wag the Imperial Dog. And, airily dismissed, the years-old failures on other battlefronts.

Well, we all know what happened, don't we? Napoleon put together an army (with lots of Poles) and invaded. De Caulaincourt was there at his side every step in and out. And Russia proved (as it did again in 1941) that it didn't realise when it had been defeated. De Caulaincourt takes us through it. Napoleon's confidence that the Russians are falling back and he will defeat them in detail. The shocking losses of horses and the gradual wearing away of cavalry scouts. The invisibility of the Russian army. Scorched earth  de Caulaincourt compares the Grande Armee to a vessel alone on a huge, empty ocean. Supply problems. More horse losses. Distance and more distance and still no victorious battle. Guerrillas. No prisoners. No information.

Let us consider Smolensk. Napoleon occupied it and, after a brief fight (and the burning of the city), took possession. David Glanz has convincingly argued that the Battle of Smolensk in 1941, while a German victory, was actually Germany's defeat because it meant that the short blitzkrieg victory Berlin counted on was no longer possible; in a long war, the USSR's mighty industrial capacity would come into play. And so it was for Napoleon: too late, too little and still no negotiations. But he convinced himself that there would be peace in six weeks (he is now about the only optimist left in the Grande Armee). Messengers are sent to Alexander. No answer. The Grande Armee marches east in search of The Battle. At last  Borodino, one of the bloodiest days in warfare  but the Russian army disappears again. He takes Moscow  now Alexander must talk. He  another echo of today  has convinced himself that Russia's nobles (big businessmen) will force Alexander (Putin) to give in because they are losing so much. But they don't. Through de Caulaincourt's reporting we see the adamantine self-delusion of Napoleon. At last Napoleon gives up, goes home and the Russian Army follows him all the way back to Paris. See the famous graph.

Napoleon still doesn't get it: one of his sillier complaints is that Kutuzov doesn't understand strategy; well it's not Kutuzov who's plodding through icy roads littered with abandoned equipment, butchered horses and dead soldiers, is it? "I beat the Russians every time, but that doesn't get me anywhere". Winning every battle and losing the war is not as uncommon as all that: we have seen it from Darius and the Scythians to the US and Afghanistan.

Everything turns out as de Caulaincourt warned him. Except that, in the end, Alexander doesn't go to Kamchatka, he goes to Paris instead. The story is that the French bistro owes its name to the Russian ! (quickly!). True or not, there once were Russian soldiers in Paris demanding quick service. There are already bistros in Washington, so after Napoleon (USA/NATO) invades Russia (Russia) ignoring de Caulaincourt's (lots-of-people-on-this-site's) advice, what new culinary event will Russian (Russian) soldiers leave behind in Paris (Washington)? A - on every street? Kvas trolleys?

Oh, and Poland, after 70,000 casualties in the Russian war, remained partitioned.

We return to today. Napoleon (USA/NATO) professes its desire for peace but those pesky Russians (Russians) are making trouble for Poland (Ukraine  or is it Poland again?) which presses for an attack. The Spanish (Afghans/Iraqis/Syrians) say, whatever Napoleon (USA/NATO) may think, they don't feel beaten yet. Alexander (Putin) says "he would not fire the first shot, but also that he would sheathe the sword last".

To quote Field Marshal Montgomery, who had more experience in big wars and standing on the victory podium than any US general since MacArthur: "Rule 1, on page 1 of the book of war, is: 'Do not march on Moscow'". (His second rule, by the way, was: "Do not go fighting with your land armies in China." As Washingtons policy drives Moscow and Beijing closer together. But that is another subject).It is not only many members of the US establishment who have labeled President Trumps order to withdraw Americas forces (2,200 troops) from Syria as a betrayal, but also the allies of the United States. They claim that Trump is throwing the Syrian Kurds under the bus and leaving Israel in a state of strategic isolation. Also coming in for criticism is the statement by the US administration (the first of its kind) announcing that it has no plans to remove Bashar al-Assad from power.

It may turn out to be Syrias Kurds (who number about two million) who will face the most dramatic consequences of the presidents decision, for it was they who created the de facto autonomous state of Rojava in northeastern Syria with the Americans support. Now Rojavas very existence is under threat.

Ankara has already stated that it has not given up on its plan for an offensive against the terrorists in eastern Syria, but has merely put it on hold for a while (i.e., until the Americans have left). Officially, this has been prompted by the fact that Turkey intends to take over for the US and finish off the remnants of the Islamic State (IS)  something over which Trump and Erdogan have supposedly already reached an explicit agreement. The leader in the White House has already tweeted that this is so. Turkeys foreign affairs minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, issued the same confirmation on Dec. 21. If left to its own devices, the Syrian government army could handle a few stray IS units even without the Turks, but Ankara isnt particularly interested in IS. Turkey needs to wipe Rojava off the map.

According to Cavusoglu, the vacuum that will be left after the US troops pull out can be filled by terrorist organizations, so Turkey is ready to exert control over those territories (which, as a reminder, are Syrian).

Faced with the dilemma over whether to favor as an ally the mythical state of Rojava or Turkey, the leader in the White House did not hesitate to choose the latter. Although the American troops are slated to leave Syria within 60 to 100 days, the State Department advisors who are helping to rebuild the nations infrastructure in northeastern Syria are being pulled out within a matter of days. Brett McGurk, the chief advisor and special presidential envoy in Syria  a man whom the Kurds practically viewed as the architect of their statehood  is openly irate. McGurk, who saw himself as a new version of Lawrence of Arabia, accused the White House of abandoning the US allies in the region. However, he himself bears much of the responsibility for the chaos there. It was none other than McGurk who was the primary author of the new Iraqi constitution that plunged that country into the abyss of civil war. And he also wooed the Syrian Kurds on behalf of the US, by dangling promises of their own statehood, which never materialized.

The command of the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces has already issued a statement condemning the US decision and proclaiming its determination to continue the fight. Kurdish leaders are less concerned with the Americans departure than with the deal the Americans reached with the Turks behind the Kurds backs. Their statement calls out Turkeys intentions to take aggressive action against Rojava, in addition to Ankaras dirty plans and games. The Kurds feel that by simultaneously announcing both the withdrawal of their troops as well as the sale of the Patriot missile-defense system to Turkey, the US has green-lighted the plans for a Turkish occupation of their territory. However, for some reason they are requesting protection from the UN, although Rojava is legally within the borders of the Syrian state and thus that kind of conversation needs to be held with Damascus.

What awaits Rojava? The only thing that can save it would be the recognition of the sovereignty of Damascus within its borders. If Syrian government troops enter Rojava, the Turks will not risk seriously damaging their relationship with Russia in order to launch an offensive. Nor do they even need northeastern Syria, as they only need assurances that there will be no further moves to create a Kurdish quasi-state and thus no threats to Turkeys stability. Damascus and Moscow are ready to provide this. Russian representatives have always expressed their readiness to work with Damascus in order to safeguard the national rights of the Syrian Kurds in a mutually acceptable way. If the Kurds had been willing to move in this direction earlier, their negotiations with the Syrian government could have been conducted in a more favorable atmosphere. But better late than never. If the leaders in Rojava dont find a way to reach a compromise with Damascus, the Syrian Kurds could be looking at a real calamity.North Korea media took pictures of leader Kim Jong Un visiting a shipyard and engine manufacturing plant on the east coast during July. What was actually going on took a while longer to leak out as reports from people in the area reached China and South Korea. Kim had ordered the engine plant to switch from making replacement engines for the 200 largely worn 30-40 year old Russian designed torpedo boats and gear up to produce ten engines a month for what have been called VSV (Very Slender Vessels) because they depend on a surface effect design to achieve high speed (90 kilometers an hour). The eight or so VSV that have been built since 2011 have been spotted largely via satellite photos and details obtained from tourist photos and North Korean TV reports. There are at least five variations on the basic design, the differences being mainly in length (10-32 meters or 32-100 feet). Only one ten meter VSV has been spotted and Kim Jong Un was seen touring one of 32 meter models which, like the others, is armed with two (light or heavy) torpedoes, two pedestal mounted short-range anti-aircraft missiles and three small 24 tube launchers for what appear to be chaff (which would momentarily blind enemy radar). Now comes for the wait to see if North Korea can actually get the engine and VSV hull production going. The shipyard complex shown in the video also has plants for producing torpedo components and sheet metal for small ships. It North Korea can actually muster the resources to start large-scale production they will be able to replace more of the 200 obsolete and largely inoperative PT (Patrol Torpedo) boats.

The North Korean leader communicates with his people largely through videos of his visits to factories, farms and other facilities and written or verbal reports of what he said. His visits to military bases or factories that make military equipment are of often revealing. Along with commercial satellite photos and tourist cell phone camera pictures if ships (often taken by accident because that sort of thing is illegal and has led to tourists being arrested or killed) provide a lot of information on otherwise obscure aspects of the North Korean military. These sources have provided a steady flow of information about the sparse, but steady, North Korean effort to build new warships since their economic collapse in the 1990s.

In addition to the VSV, there are some larger new patrol boats referred to as the Nongo class. In late 2015 North Korea was seen moving at least six of their new high-speed patrol vessels south and basing them near the South Korea sea border. This was meant to be some kind of threat, but mainly it gave South Korean naval intelligence an opportunity to get a better look at these new designs. There are about ten of these new patrol boats, whose development began after 2000 and first appeared at sea in the last few years. These boats vary in size (35-40 meters/112-130 feet long) none appear larger than 500 tons. These boats are characterized by stealthy design, high speed (up to 100 kilometers an hour or more) and light armament (autocannon, maybe a 76mm or 57mm gun or 30mm autocannon plus a few torpedoes or anti-ship missiles.) It was later discovered that there were two of these catamaran designs; one with a stealthy superstructure (sloping sides to reduce the effectiveness of radar) and standard (non-stealthy) superstructure. The eight anti-ship missiles were copies of the Russian Kh-35 anti-ship missile and the 76mm gun was a copy of the Iranian copy of a widely used Italian 76mm design. There were also two 30mm autocannons, two heavy torpedoes and a launcher with eight short-range anti-aircraft missiles. There is also fire control and navigation radar. These are complex and expensive ships to build and operate. The VSV are cheaper and based on a design widely used in the West for some time.

Another useful source of information is that obtained from North Korean fishermen who have escaped to South Korea (some using their fishing boats). The North Korean fishermen report encountering fewer patrol boats since 2000 and sometimes seeing one of these PT boats dead in the water waiting for a tow back to port. Most of the late model (and reliable) patrol boats are stationed near the DMZ and the nautical border that extends out to sea. A second priority is the Russian and Chinese nautical borders. But for the waters in between you generally see only decrepit and ill-equipped North Korea fishing boats trying to make a living.The return of democracy in February wont be a return to the past. The military has managed to enact new laws that give the military political power it never had before. Aside from permanent control of the 250 member senate the new lese majeste (saying anything disrespectful of the king) laws can be broadly interpreted by the military. These laws allow the government to take Thai TV or radio networks off the air for a one month or more and jail individuals for 15 years or more. Even criticizing the lese majeste laws are an offense. Since taking power in 2014 about a hundred people have been prosecuted for lese majeste offenses. Thais had long tolerated very strict laws against lese majesty but now much of that support is gone. Thats because the generals can now prosecute people because their PC or smartphone displayed a web page containing disrespectful (to the generals or the king) material. But because the military government has also been unable to control the Internet it cannot just shut down all electronic media. The generals found that despite threats made to FaceBook and Google to censor material the military found offensive it could not be done. This effort was prompted by the growing number of Thai Internet critics fleeing the country (to avoid arrest) and continuing to use social media (especially Facebook and YouTube) to share items critical of the military government. The military realizes that while the creators of this offending Internet material are beyond their reach most of those who view (or post comments on) this stuff are inside Thailand and available for arrest and punishment. While the major social network outlets have cooperated in removing what the military government declares illegal material there are many other ways such offending content can be distributed via the Internet and the major Internet firms refuse to attempt the impossible (police the Internet for Thai military). In response, the military has looked into other solutions. In 2017 the military obtained (apparently with Chinese help) the software and technical assistance required to implement identifying those Internet users in Thailand who are viewing the illegal material. This move is not surprising to Thais and if fully implemented will not make the military government any more popular nor will it keep the offending material from circulating. The Chinese censors dont like to dwell on that fact.

Another problem the military has created is the possibility that the next political opposition movement will call for the elimination of the monarchy. This was not really possible until the current king took power and made it clear he was different. Unlike his predecessor, the new king already had an unsavory reputation. To make matters worse the new king made a deal with the military government that would, in theory, benefit both of them in the long run. First, the former crown prince assured everyone that he would behave. In return, the military government freed the monarchy from constitutional and parliamentary restrictions that were part of the 1930s deal that turned the absolute monarchy into a constitutional one. The military government was changing the constitution when the old king died in 2016 and that presented a rare opportunity for the new king to gain more power for the monarchy. The generals need the backing of the king because they justified their 2014 coup by insisting they were doing it to protect the monarchy. The old king was not enthusiastic about that but had learned to stand back. In 2016 the military got their new constitution ratified in a referendum and the king approved it in early 2017.

This sort of behavior by the new king was not a sure thing. For nearly half a century the crown prince has been misbehaving and since the 1990s, with the arrival of cheaper digital photography and phone cameras, a lot more embarrassing photos and videos of the crown prince were created. As soon as it seemed likely that the prince would become king a lot of these photos appeared on the Internet and that made the new king, and his military backers, look bad. It was probably for that reason that some critics of the military government were arrested on vague charges of trying to overthrow the monarchy. All this was absurd because if there was one thing most Thais could agree on was the popularity of the kings long-ruling father. The former crown prince and current king is another matter. The Thai monarch generally stays out of politics and everyone feels that if things get really bad the king will step in. That rarely happened because the old king had more popularity than political power and was used as a symbol by anti-populist traditionalists and as a source of ultimate salvation by pro-democracy groups. After all, it was a king who established democracy in the 1930s (to avoid a civil war) and Thais were expecting more of the same to avoid another one. But that beloved king Bhumibol died in October 2016 and his successor has much less moral authority. Those who have called for the elimination of democracy in the past are no longer a tiny minority but rapidly expanding to become a majority.

The new king helped persuade the pro-democracy groups (which still have the majority of voters with them) to remain calm and they have. In late 2015 pro-democracy leader (and former prime minister) Thaksin Shinawatra called on his followers (the red shirts) to play dead for the moment and wait for the military government to allow elections. The military had agreed to elections in 2018 but only after some fundamental changes were made in the constitution. The problem is the new rules give the military permanent power and privileges that an elected government would have a difficult time (via changing the constitution) repealing. The red shirts are not pleased with all this but were persuaded, despite more delays. Now elections are firmly set for February but so are a host of new laws that make democracy much less democratic.

Shinawatra pointed out to his followers that red shirt violence simply gave the military another excuse to hold onto power. The May 2014 coup came after months of political protests in the capital and those tensions remain. The new king and the generals recognize that most Thais are fed up with the coups. There have been twelve of them since a constitutional monarchy replaced the centuries-old absolute monarchy after World War I. The royals have learned to keep their heads down, even though the military has always been staunchly royalist. The army and the new king believe they have solved this problem with reforms in the pre-coup constitution.

Pro-democracy Thais have also become more adept at dealing with coups, especially since the Internet and social media proved immune to army efforts to control Internet use. New ally China admitted that even when you employ an enormous Internet censorship bureaucracy and some very effective technology the unwelcome (for the government) messages still get through. Moreover, sites like Facebook are tremendously popular in Thailand, for royalists and populists alike. Thus the army was forced to come out and say it would never shut down Facebook access in Thailand or seriously threaten Internet access. Pro-democracy groups organized flash mobs and similar actions to remind the generals and the foreign media that this crisis was not over. While the red shirts have lots of popular support, most Thais are more interested in economic issues and the army at first was to deal with that because of widespread opposition to military rule in Thailand and abroad.

The king and armed forces believe they will still have more power even when the country is again run by an elected government. The democrats note that long-term the kings and dictators lose. Most royalists recognize that if the king becomes too unpopular the monarchy could be abolished, as it already has throughout the region. Actions have consequences.

Southern Violence Continues To Fade

The peace talks with southern separatist groups, which began in 2014, are stalled because the separatists refuse to make a deal until there is an elected government in Thailand. Another stumbling block is that the largest separatist group, BRN, has refused to negotiate unless there are international mediators. The Thai government refuses to allow foreigners to play a role and is believed uninterested in any autonomy deal. An elected government is expected to have the same attitude. Despite all that, the newly elected Malaysian leader is seeking a way to get the peace talks going, if only because those three provinces are becoming a sanctuary for Malaysian Islamic terrorists. The Malaysian terrorists are fairly secure in those three Thai provinces as long as they stay out of sight and cause no trouble. But from their Thai hideouts, they can organize fatal mayhem in Malaysia.

Meanwhile, the violence in the south continues to decline. In 2017 there were 140 violent (often non-fatal) incidents in the three Moslem provinces. Thats a 90 percent reduction from the peak year (2007) and the decline continues into 2018. While the violence continues to fade it shows no signs of going away completely. The violence has waned mainly because the government (elected or military) sent more troops and more economic development cash to the south. That, plus the fact that most southerners lose faith in the violence after a few years. There are still diehard separatists down south, as well as a criminal underground (mainly smugglers) to sustain the separatists.

The Moslem south has other problems to deal with. For example, Yala province has experienced a measles epidemic that began in June and by November there were over 1,500 cases. Most of these patients are children and twelve have died so far. The source of this outbreak is a number of local Islamic radicals who have persuaded (or intimidated) many parents do not have their children vaccinated because of rumors that the vaccine was actually a plot by non-Moslems (most Thais are Buddhists) to poison Moslem children or pollute them because vaccines are believed to contain material from pigs (which are considered haram, or unclean, for Moslems). Its not just measles vaccine that gets denounced but other vaccines as well. The senior cleric in the south was finally persuaded to openly announce that the vaccinations did not violate any Islamic laws.

December 26, 2018: Another sign that the pro-China attitudes are weakening occurred today as a court acquitted a Chinese couple of visa violations and allowed them to stay in Thailand. China had requested that the couple be sent back to China to be punished for their pro-reform activities. In the past, the military government had promptly carried out Chinese requests for the return of dissidents but most Thais, even in the military, were never very enthusiastic about becoming too dependent on Chinese goodwill.

December 24, 2018: In the south (Narathiwat province), a police vehicle was hit with a roadside bomb leaving one policeman dead and five wounded. In nearby Songkhla province (just north of the three Moslem provinces and also bordering Malaysia) someone placed five and detonated two bombs near two popular beach attractions (the Cat and Mouse Sculpture and a Mermaid statue). The Mermaid statue was damaged slightly. The explosions occurred at 10 PM so no one was hurt, but there were no witnesses either. The statues honor ancient Thai legends and that offends Islamic terror groups especially since the statues attract a lot of Moslem tourists (mainly from Thailand and Malaysia). No one has taken credit for the bombing. Tourism is currently undergoing rapid growth. For 2018 tourist arrivals were up 7.5 percent and tourist revenue up nearly ten percent. Nearly 30 percent of the visitors come from China and about ten percent come from neighboring Malaysia.

December 22, 2018: A force of 273 soldiers left for a year of peacekeeping duty in South Sudan. The Thai troops will serve in a UN peacekeeping effort.

December 14, 2018: In South Korea Thai, naval officers accepted delivery of a 3,700 ton frigate recently completed in South Korea. The HTMS Tachin will arrive in Thailand on January 6th. The 136 man crew are already in South Korea. Another of these frigates is being assembled in Thailand.

December 12, 2018: In the south (Narathiwat province), soldiers patrolling a rural area encountered ten armed men in a hastily built camp. After a ten minute gun battle, the ten men fled into the forest. Apparently, two were wounded and the troops pursued but were unable to catch the fugitives.

December 11, 2018: The military government lifted many of the prohibitions on political activity although restrictions on criticism of the military government remain in force. Opposition political groups want all the restrictions lifted but the military will not do that as it will hurt pro-military candidates for parliament.

November 28, 2018: Thailand and Malaysia are again seizing people smuggler boats full of Burmese Rohingya Moslems seeking to reach a Moslem majority country like Malaysia or, preferably, Indonesia. Few make it to Indonesia and most are stopped at sea by warships or coast guard patrols and returned to where they came from. Sometimes smugglers are arrested but the main goal is to prevent Rohingya Moslems from landing in other nations and claiming asylum, which the destination countries do not want to grant.TICKERS: PGE; PGEZF; 5D32

Source: Maurice Jackson for Streetwise Reports (12/27/18)

Michael Rowley, president and CEO of Group Ten Metals, speaks with Maurice Jackson of Proven and Probable about his company's recent PGE discoveries in Montana and the similarities to projects in South Africa's Platreef District.



Maurice Jackson: Joining us today is Michael Rowley, the president and CEO of Group Ten Metals Inc. (PGE:TSX.V; PGEZF:OTC), which is exploring for platinum, palladium, nickel, copper and cobalt in the Stillwater district of Montana.

Mr. Rowley, we have some exciting developments to discuss for current and perspective shareholders, but before we begin, for someone new to the story, who is Group Ten Metals and what is the thesis you're attempting to prove?

Michael Rowley: Group Ten Metals is a growth stage company, focused on PGM, platinum group metals, plus nickel, copper, also cobalt, the so-called technology battery metals. We have polymetallic deposits as these things occur together; we're focused primarily at the Stillwater West Project in Montana. We also have assets in the Yukon and a gold project in Ontario.

Maurice Jackson: Group Ten Metals just issued a press release announcing a new discovery hybrid zone and some targets at the Stillwater West. Multi-layered question, sir, can you update us on the Stillwater West, expand on the findings, and tell us what they mean moving forward?

Michael Rowley: Stillwater West is our newest project; we made our first acquisition there in 2017. It's a remarkable land position and database in a truly world-class district. The Stillwater name, the district is synonymous with the richest palladium, platinum mines in the world, a staggering 90 million ounces in past production and current reserves producing from three mines at over half an ounce per ton, 16 grams per ton.

It's platinum and palladium rich; palladium, of course, is very significant right now given that palladium is challenging gold as the most valuable precious metal. We are above and below Stillwater in this layered system and because of that we have not only the same potential for palladium and platinum, platinum group metals in general, but we also get to expand our target to these truly polymetallic things including nickel, copper, cobalt, palladium. We recently added to that list, also, rhodium, and we have some significant gold.

This is truly elephant country. It's the biggest PGM deposit outside of South Africa and Russia and, of course, it was bought by Sibanye our neighbor for $2.2 billion in 2017. So we're the only other player in the district. It's a fantastic place to be, we're very excited.

You brought up the most recent news release, December 17. The Hybrid Zone is one of our targets in the Chrome mountain area and an exciting new discovery. We mention up to 150 meters of mineralized intervals there in this new style of mineralization. What's exciting is this has never been recognized in camp before and it ties into the Bushveld Complex of South Africa and, despite the known similarities between these districts, Stillwater has never been examined systematically for that potential.

So in a nutshell, we are taking the lessons learned at the Mogalakwena Mine and Ivanhoe's Platreef project and applying them to the similar geology in Montana Stillwater in a way that nobody's done before. I guess final point to wrap that up is the team that we've attracted includes a number of renowned experts on this type of deposit, but most recently David Broughton of Ivanhoe, so we've actually attracted expertise and talent of a world caliber on the project.

Maurice Jackson: Can you further expand on the new 14 target areas?

Michael Rowley: We have as a result of our efforts in 2018, being our first season on the ground, we've identified 14 target areas in Stillwater West, six of them fit the high-grade PGE reef type targets that the district is known for, in particular our neighbor Stillwater Sibanye Mines. However, 8 of the 14 targets are these newer Platreef style targets where we see potential for large-scale bulk-mineable disseminated sulfide mineralization of the types seen on the Platreef District of South Africa, and that's in the basal zones and the lower ultramafic series in Stillwater.

And that's the greater potential we see there for these hundred million ounce style PGE nickel/copper deposits, also cobalt actually, at Stillwater, and news flow will be ongoing in the coming weeks and months as we reveal the results of our work in 2018, and our plans for 2019.

Maurice Jackson: And what are the target commodities at the Stillwater?

Michael Rowley: It's a true polymetallic system; the district itself is known for having the highest-grade palladium platinum lines in the world, and that is the three operating Stillwater mines that were bought by Sibanye in 2017, in our part of the district, in the lower part you can also add to that list gold, cobalt, and chrome are significant and we are recently finding indications of potentially significant vanadium and rhodium, you can add to that list as well.

So this suite of commodities, in particular the palladium, in light of what palladium is doing in the markets these days, positions Group Ten as one of very few options in terms of PGE investment opportunity for investors, especially if one included geography in that, being that we are outside of South Africa and Russia, in North America.

Maurice Jackson: Sir, what is the next unanswered question for Group Ten Metals, when should we expect results, and what determines success?

Michael Rowley: Good questions, news flow will be ongoing in the coming weeks, assays are coming in as we speak, we're entering them into our models and planning our strategy around that, so we're excited by what we see. I think the most exciting aspect of news is going to be the results of re-logging and modeling the more than 12,000 meters of core that we have in our possession, as we said earlier, no one has brought this land position together with the South African Platreef models, along with this physical core, so bringing these things together, and for the first time looking at this district systematically for the potential for these styles of deposits. It's very exciting and I think the first quarter of 2019 you'll see some very interesting news releases and materials along that line.

We will be at the major trade shows, we'll have core on display at the January shows in Vancouver, and we'll be at the PDAC in Toronto in March as well, and we look forward to seeing anybody and everybody there.

Maurice Jackson: Sir, we've covered the good, what keeps you up at tight that we don't know about?

Michael Rowley: Well, frankly, our share price isn't where I'd like it to be and I don't think it reflects the potential of the company, that is of course seasonal and the juniors (miners) do generally get hit harder this time of year, however, gold has held up very nicely, and other commodities are following it, and the majors have moved up nicely. So I think we can expect a good rebound in 2019 from the mining sector, and from the juniors, and then, of course, there was also our own work, especially Stillwater I think will get some nice life, in addition to the rising tide, that floats all boats.

Maurice Jackson: Finally, what did I forget to ask?

Michael Rowley: Well, it's not that you forgot to ask, but let's revisit and touch on something we've talked about before, the fact that 75% of the world's PGM metals come out of South Africathis has been written up very well recently by the CMP group out of New Yorka lot of those mines are facing closures, they've been underfunded for years, and this is expected to drive the platinum price substantially into the year 2020.

Palladium, of course, is already up and platinum is expected to follow. It's worth noting, perhaps, that those are reef mines, they're deep, they're hot, they're expensive, they're dangerous, the mines of a Platreef, north of the Bushveld, are our current model with Stillwater, and those are highly economic and they keep producing, and that's what we expect to bring to Stillwater for everyone's benefit.

Maurice Jackson: Mr. Rowley for someone listening that wants to get more information on Group Ten Metals, what is the website address?

Michael Rowley: Website is grouptenmetals.com.

Maurice Jackson: And as a reminder, Group Ten Metals trades on the TXS.V:PGE, and on the OTCQB:PGEZF; for direct inquiries please contact Chris Ackerman at 604-357-4790 extension 1, or email [email protected], as reminder Group Ten Metals is a sponsor of Proven and Probable, and we are proud shareholders for the virtues conveyed into today's interview. Last but not least, please visit our website www.provenandprobable.com where we interview the most respected names in the natural resource space. You may reach us at [email protected].

Michael Rowley of Group Ten Metals, thank you for joining us today on Proven and Probable.

Maurice Jackson is the founder of Proven and Probable, a site that aims to enrich its subscribers through education in precious metals and junior mining companies that will enrich the world.

[NLINSERT]

Disclosure:

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Images provided by the author.Around 160 women develop cervical cancer in New Zealand each year and about 50 die from it.

Half the women who develop or die from cervical cancer have never been screened, and about a third have only been screened irregularly and infrequently.

They are sobering figures and the Western Bay of Plenty Primary Health Organisations Support to Screening team wants to ensure local women arent among them.

Im too busy, I dont have a babysitter and I cant get time off work are just a few of the reasons given to the team every week from women in the region who are overdue for a cervical smear.

Regular three-yearly cervical smear tests are recommended for all women aged 20 to 69 who have ever been sexually active.

In the Western Bay of Plenty PHO, GPs have funding available for free cervical screening for Maori women. The PHOs Health and Wellness Services can provide free smears to Maori and some other groups.

Working from a database of GP referrals, the work of the Support to Screening team starts with a simple phone call to make an appointment.

We try calling at various times of the day with the understanding that this woman might only have 30 seconds to listen to you, says the teams administration coordinator Joanne Tuhakaraina.

Appointments can be made for a smear at a community clinic (some of which are based on local marae), or within a womans home.

"We are very flexible, says PHO services leader Philippa Jones. People can also come to our First Avenue walk-in clinic any time on Mondays 8.30am -7.30pm, or on a Saturday morning, plus usual working hours from Tuesday to Friday.

The women in the Support to Screening team, which also focuses on breast screening, come from a variety of backgrounds and ethnicities so support can be individualised. And they are persistent.

Were like the squeaky wheel, says clinical coordinator Donna Moon. Sometimes the women have told their general practice they dont want it done so we make a last-ditch effort with more information and encouragement and sometimes that works.

On average the team has between 100 and 300 referrals each month. The service has screened 130 women in the higher risk groups in the past two months.

The team also attends local events to encourage women to screen for cervical cancer and uses the PHOs workplace wellness programme to identify and screen others.

One such event was this years Tauranga Moana Tangata Tauranga Festival. More than 50 women underwent breast and cervical screening leading up to the Labour Weekend festival to earn points for their marae towards the events supreme title.

If you would like to talk to someone about having a cervical smear or find out if youre eligible for a free smear contact the WBOP PHOs Health and Wellness Services on 07 571 2100.Born and grown up in the Bay, Lauren Gibbs moved up to Auckland to attended AUT University and wants to share her experiences and encourage others to achieve their goals.

Lauren, has just completed her final year of Spatial Design, and along the way, has collected a few awards during her time studying.

For me, design and creativity have always been a fundamental part of what I love and what I do, not only for me as a designer now, but also as a young person, says Lauren.

From day dot I was surrounded by creativity with both my mana and my dad themselves enjoying painting and making.

As a curious child, creativity simply stood as a way for me to explore the world around me.

Lauren grew up locally, attending Papamoa Primary School, Te Puke Intermediate and Papamoa College. She says throughout her education, she always had the support of her teachers to remain artistic whenever and wherever possible.

Yes, I was that kid that drew all around the border of my physics exams and would decorate the teachers whiteboard.

Growing up in the Bay, of which at the time was a small close-knit community, I found myself simply taking up any and every opportunity that came my way as a chance to share my work with others.

Lauren says her parents are strong advocates for the phrase Just go for it and Lauren has applied that to all aspects of her life and design, and has excelled at it.

The move to Auckland has been a tough one, brought up in a beach town, then on a farm out in Paengaroa, I never thought that a young girl like me from good ol Papamoa could achieve the things I have.

Earlier in the year I received an international recognition in the Annual Dulux Colour Awards. This saw me and another AUT student travel across the ditch to view our very own work out on display in Melbournes National Gallery of Victoria.

An overwhelming moment, where the girl for Papamoa found herself viewing her own work in another country!

Earlier this year, Lauren also attended New Zealands biggest Design Awards for the second time, held in Auckland.

I was up against thesis projects and my second year project, Dettaglio Colore, the same project that won in the Dulux Colour Awards, received the top overall award of the Gold Pin. Another overwhelming achievement and I was so happy to have my dad there to share the moment with.

In that moment of winning and my passion and hard work being recognised, I simply did not feel this award was just for myself. For me this award is much more than a token of my own personal ability and lover for what I do. I believe it is also proof that wherever you are from, however many times you didnt believe in yourself, we are all destined for greatness.

Another award the Lauren has won this year was top creative Performance of the Year at the Blue Awards. She was the first ever recipient of this award in the history of AUT and she says for her it was a very humbling achievement.

Lauren also says every holiday she always makes the effort to return to her old high school, to catch up with her former teachers but to also, see what the latest art projects look like.

I once was that girl sitting at her desk painting away, wondering what was next for me. Now the girl is out there doing what she loves, sharing that with others and giving it her all.

What I hope to do now is to share this success with the rest of the young people back home. So I have a message for them:

It can be scary not knowing what you might do next, gosh I know I was terrified! Whether you are soon to be leaving school or still have a few years to go I urge you to simply pursue the thing that you love! If you love what you are doing things will honestly begin to fall into place. Im not saying it will be easy, of course, hard work is a must but none of that is ever wasted. It will take you places.

To all you young eager creative, keep making. Test things, fail once, fail twice, reflect and try again. Take all local opportunities then go bigger. Do not forget that the world is a big and beautiful place just waiting for you all to conquer, so get out there, explore, stay curious and like my old man would say just go for it while also never forgetting where you came from. The beautiful Bay.

Laurens next adventure is now looking for a job. She says she is ready to design no longer for the grade at the end of the semester, nor for herself but for the benefit and experience of others.

I am excited to learn from real life, develop as a designer, returning back to the Bay on day with my own practice.It was one from two for the Northern Districts teams in last night's Burger King Super Smash double-header at Bay Oval, as in last Saturday's competition opener in Hamilton, but this time it was the Spirit who left with the bragging rights over the Knights.

The women were five wicket winners over the Central Hinds, while the men, looking to get a roll on in cricket's domestic Twenty/20 frolic after their handsome opening win over the Wellington Firebirds at Seddon Park, found themselves a handful of runs and a frontline bowler short to go down to the Stags by the same margin.

A total of 156 for the Knights after being invited to bat first by Central captain Tom Bruce looked below par, though defendable. And for that they can thank a well-made 55 from opener Tim Seifert, celebrating his selection in the Blackcaps squad for the One Day International series against Sri Lanka beginning January 3 at the Bay Oval.

The 24-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman will be looking forward to making his ODI debut in familiar surroundings after smashing three sixes and four fours in his total.

Anton Devcich launched the Knights' innings with 23 off 18 balls

After his memorable 99 last Saturday in Hamilton skipper Dean Brownlie returned to earth with just 11, and aside from moderate contributions of 23 from Anton Devcich, 27 from Daniel Flynn and Daryl Mitchell's 20 the Knights' batting effort won't have left them satisfied.

Stags' fast bowler Blair Tickner enjoyed his return to the ground where he impressed for New Zealand A against India A last month with the wickets of the top three in the Knights' batting lineup.

Perhaps knowing their 156 was a handful of runs short of a winning total the Knights went on the hunt for early Stags' wickets, and were well rewarded with four inside the first eight overs, reducing the visitors to 41/4. That included the scalps of New Zealand A's George Worker and newly-named Blackcap Will Young for six and one respectively.

However, that was the cue for Stags' skipper Tom Bruce, with his side down-and-out, to produce the perfect composed captain's knock of 88 not out off just 55 balls to turn the match on its head and steer his team to victory with four balls to spare.

It was also about that time the home side found themselves short of one more bowler who could keep the clamps on the Stags' scoring.

Ish Sodhi went for 29 runs off his four overs

Their first four bowling options  Devcich, Scott Kuggeleijn, Ish Sodhi, and Mitch Santner  all bowled their permitted four overs at reasonable economy rates, but the visitors were able to help themselves to 43 runs off the three overs and two balls bowled by a combination of Brett Randall and Daryl Mitchell.

Earlier the Northern Spirit did a good job of restricting the Central Hinds, who had decided to bat first after winning the toss, to a modest total of 113 in their 20 overs.

Stars with the ball for the home side were spinners Kate Anderson and Irish international Eimear Richardson with identical figures of 2-17 off four overs.

The Spirit then reached the target on the fifth ball of the 19th over.

Caitlin Gurrey opened the chase with seven fours in her total of 36, while Anderson capped off a strong all-round game with 27 runs, including the only six of the innings.

Kate Anderson on the drive for the Northern Spirit in their win over the Central Hinds

It was the Spirit's second win in seven rounds of the competition, after picking up their first win over the same opposition in the first round-robin phase in October, and although they remain fifth out of the six teams they have kept alive their chances of progressing up the table in the remaining rounds.

The two teams are next in action in a double-header against Otago in Alexandra on Sunday.



South African import Bernadine Bezuidenhout made 16 opening the Spirit's inningsTauranga City Council is asking residents and visitors to conserve water following a slip in the Kaimai Ranges that is affecting the Joyce Road Processing Plant.



The slip has adversely affected the quality of the water when it arrives at the processing plant, putting the plant under additional pressure. This is the result of heavy rainfall across the Bay of Plenty on Christmas Eve.

We are asking people to be mindful of their water use. At the moment, we can treat the water and supply the current demand but if the demand increases then we may need to impose water restrictions earlier than expected, says City Waters manager Steve Burton.



The city has already seen a spike in demand following the warmer weather, as people start watering lawns and gardens.



We need to be smart in managing water to ensure we can continue to supply drinking water throughout the summer season, says Steve.

Water saving tips:Ryan Planer, MD, MPH, joins St. Josephs Physicians Primary Care, in Baldwinsville.

Previously, he completed his residency with the St. Josephs Health Family Medicine Residency Program, and served as chief resident for one year.

Planer earned his doctor of medicine from Drexel University College of Medicine, and a masters degree in public health from the State University of New York Upstate Medical University.

He also holds a bachelors degree in cell and molecular biology and a bachelors degree in European history from Syracuse University.

Planer is board certified in family medicine by the American Board of Family Medicine, a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the Onondaga County Medical Society.SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Nine Syracuse police officers lined up at the front door to 346 Green St., some with their guns aimed at upstairs windows. One smashed a light next to the houses front door.

For approximately 1 hour, 30 minutes on Thursday night, officers had stood behind a crime scene unit van and used a bullhorn to coax out anyone in the house.

They called for any and all occupants. Officers were looking for a suspect involved in a shooting at 353 Green St., a police spokesman said.

Exit the house through the front door and walk toward the sidewalk with your hands up, an officer repeatedly said into the bullhorn.

The calls yielded one person, a white-haired man dressed in a white T-shirt and sweatpants. He identified himself as a 72-year-old to detectives.

Then officers called for more people to come from the house. We know youre in there, the officer said into the bullhorn.

No one else emerged.

Before 8 p.m., at least two officers arrived in unmarked Chevrolet trucks and outfitted themselves with rifles and other gear from the trucks' beds. A K-9 came. Within 30 minutes of the men arriving, all nine people and the dog were lined up, smashing the light, opening the front door and calling for people to come out. Lights flickered on inside the house as officers searched it.

Within 25 minutes, the officers walked out.

They found no one.

Police were merely making sure a suspect didnt flee into that house, a police spokesman said. The house has been cleared.

Officers were called to the 300 block of Green Street to investigate a shooting just after 5:50 p.m. Thursday. They found a 24-year-old man who had been shot in his stomach. The man was taken to Upstate University Hospital by ambulance. His injuries did not appear to be life-threatening, police said.

Officers closed off 336 Green St. to 350 Green St. by 6:15 p.m. The standoff lasted until approximately 8:45 p.m. After the search, officers' SUVs began to peel away from the scene.

Although there is no definitive suspect information at this time, the spokesman said, police are actively attempting to locate the suspect. This investigation is very active and ongoing.

Police are huddled behind a police van in front of a home in the 300 block of Green Street on Syracuses North Side on Thursday night. They are trying to talk someone out of the house. The standoff started after a 24-year-old man was shot nearby.

According to initial scanner reports, police had the ambulance stage just outside the scene on Green Street in case the shooter was still there. Police say the 24-year-old man and another man argued before the latter shot the 24-year-old, police said.

By 6:10 p.m., the 24-year-old man had been loaded into the ambulance and it pulled just outside police tape on Green Street. As emergency responders opened the ambulances back doors before leaving for the hospital, the man screamed from the pain of his injuries.

When the white-haired man later emerged from the house, he walked toward the sidewalk with his hands up and behind his head, per the officers' instructions. He stood with the officers huddled behind the crime scene unit van and briefly talked to them.

The van was parked diagonally across Green Street, with its back end facing the even-numbered side of the street and its front end facing the odd-numbered side of the street. To get to the van, officers had to walk along the even-numbered side of the street until they arrived at a final set of trees. From there, an officer held up a shield and ushered them behind the van.

There, the man talked to detectives and officers before they walked him to a car parked outside the taped off area and out of view of the house. After several minutes, detectives told him they had to take him away from the scene. The man unsuccessfully pleaded with detectives to let him back into the house to coax out everyone else.

For much of the time officers sat behind the van, Air 1 -- the sheriffs offices helicopter -- circled overhead. Onondaga County 911 dispatchers later confirmed the helicopter was dispatched because of the shooting on Green Street.

At least two sheriffs deputies arrived on the scene. They walked a K9 down Gertrude Street at approximately 7 p.m. A neighbor said the backside of houses on Green Street have access to alleys that lead to Gertrude Street, which runs parallel to Green Street.

After 90 minutes of calling through the bullhorn to the house with no success, officers prepared for the raid. Lights had been trained on the house but were turned off. The first man through had a riot shield with POLICE across the front.

Ultimately, the search found no one.

After, at least two Syracuse police SUVs sat on Gertrude Street. One was parked on the street.

The other was pulled into a driveway with its high beams on, facing an alleyway.SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A Syracuse man was arrested early yesterday morning for allegedly leading New York state troopers on a car chase that ended in a crash.

State troopers tried to stop a 2003 GMC Envoy on I-690 near Thompson Road for going 85 mph in a 55 mph zone around 1:43 a.m. Thursday, according to state police.

The driver refused to stop and continued down I-690 to the off-ramp onto Teall Avenue, continuing into Syracuse, police said.

The driver, Jacob Mekete, 22, turned off his vehicles tail lights and head lights to elude officers, according to police.

Police said Mekete then hit two vehicles on the 500 block of Pleasantview Avenue, which is about 2.5 miles from the I-690 and Teall Avenue interchange.

Mekete fled the crash scene on foot but was quickly arrested by officers from the Syracuse Police Department.

Mekete was charged with unlawful fleeing of a police officer, possessing marijuana, reckless driving, criminal mischief, and leaving the scene of a crash.Its official: A Woodstock 50th anniversary concert is coming to the original site of the 1969 music festival in Upstate New York next year.

The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts confirmed Thursday that it will host a three-day event on August 16-18, 2019, titled Bethel Woods Music and Culture Festival. The pan-generational music, culture, and community event will celebrate the golden anniversary of the original Woodstock concert with a series of concerts, TED-style talks, and a We Are Golden history exhibit at the Museum at Bethel Woods.

"Fifty years ago, people gathered peacefully on our site inspired to change the world through music. As the stewards of this historic site, we remain committed to preserving this rich history and spirit and to educating and inspiring new generations to contribute positively to the world through music, culture and community, Bethel Woods CEO Darlene Fedun said in a statement.

The lineup for the Bethel Woods celebration, put on by Live Nation and INVNT, has not been announced yet. Artists rumored to have been approached include Daft Punk, Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, Ariana Grande, Coldplay, Phish, The Weeknd, Elton John, Bon Jovi, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Pink, The Who, Santana, Zac Brown Band, Mumford & Sons, and The Chainsmokers (featuring Syracuse University alumnus Drew Taggart).

Carlos Santana, who performed at the original Woodstock concert and its 25th anniversary celebration in 1994, has already said hes booked at Bethel Woods for the 2019 event. He also said hes been approached by original Woodstock promoter Michael Lang for a separate 50th anniversary concert.

Lang said there are definite plans for a Woodstock celebration, but confirmed to the Poughkeepsie Journal last week that its separate from the event in Bethel, N.Y. Lang has not said where his event will be held or what artists will be performing; details will be announced in the next few weeks.

While the original site in Bethel remains close to our hearts, it no longer has the capacity to hold a real Woodstock Festival," Lang said in a statement to syracuse.com. "Im delighted that Bethel Woods is doing events in the coming year to celebrate what we brought to life in 1969 and I encourage people to visit the museum and concert venue.

Live Nation said the Bethel Woods Woodstock celebration lineup and ticket information will be announced soon.

In this Aug. 16, 1969 file photo, more than 400,000 people attend the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival in Bethel, N.Y. (AP Photo)

An estimated 400,000 people attended the first Woodstock Music and Arts Festival, held Aug. 15-18, 1969 at Max Yasgurs dairy farm near White Lake in the Catskill Mountains. Performers included Richie Havens, Jefferson Airplane, The Who, Joan Baez, Jimi Hendrix, Arlo Guthrie, Santana, Joe Cocker, the Grateful Dead and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

The iconic concert was revisited in 1994 with a modern lineup of artists like Nine Inch Nails, Sheryl Crow, Metallica, Cypress Hill and Red Hot Chili Peppers in Saugerties, but Woodstock 99 -- held at Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, N.Y. -- ended the fun with riots, fires and allegations of sexual assault.Dustin M. Czarny is one of two commissioners of the Onondaga County Board of Elections. He is chair of the Election Commissioners Association of the State of New Yorks Democratic Caucus.

By Dustin M. Czarny | Special to Syracuse.com

This past November, the citizens of New York turned out in record numbers to reform and reshape New York state government. Driving many voters to the polls was an effort to change our antiquated election system in New York state. Often these reforms were blocked by the Republican Party leadership in the New York state Senate. The voters rebelled against this and voted to unify New York state government with a mandate to reform our electoral process. The Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo are promising to heed this call. We support this decision and urge them to act early in the next session to provide the reform voters want.

The Democratic elections commissioners of New York state are eager to enact these reforms. Last March, our caucus embraced many of the reforms that are being discussed today. We once again affirm our commitment to working with lawmakers on all sides to help shape reasonable and responsible legislation to modernize our electoral system. Among the many reforms needed we support the following:

A unified primary in June: New York state Is the only state in the nation that has two primaries for determining general election candidates. Our September primary is in violation of the federal MOVE Act and, for the last six years, this has resulted in two primaries in federal years -- a federal primary in June and a local primary in September. It is estimated that this has cost New York state taxpayers $50 million each federal year and causes voter fatigue and confusion. A move to a June primary will not only save precious taxpayer dollars, but alleviate calendar issues that prevent other reforms. We urge an immediate adoption of a unified primary in June.

Early voting and no-fault absentee: Thirty-seven other states enjoy the convenience and benefit of early voting. This vital electoral tool for is long overdue in New York state. We urge the adoption of early voting with at least two full weekends for New York voters. We also urge a permanent funding source be provided from the state so the added cost is not a burden to county governments. A move to electronic poll books will also ensure the success of early voting and modernize the Election Day experience for voters. In addition we urge the Legislature to start the process of a constitutional amendment to move to a no-fault absentee voting system.

Modernize our registration system: New York states antiquated registration could benefit from proven reforms we see happening in other states. First among these reforms is automatic voter registration (AVR). A switch to an opt-out instead of an opt-in system will remove one of the biggest barriers to participation: registration. An online voter registration system managed by New York State Board of Elections will provide oversight to the Department of Motor Vehicles and other agencies, so they comply within guidelines to ensure accurate and timely registration. We also urge the Legislature to remove the restriction on polling places for affidavit ballots and start the constitutional process for same-day registration for all voters who may fall through the gaps of an AVR system.

End fusion voting: Many of the frustrations of our voting system stem from fusion voting. The fusion voting system encourages minor parties that are parties in name only, and act as cross-endorsement agents of major parties. Competition over minor party lines lead to ballot delays and voter confusion. We urge the legislature to take a serious look in to ending fusion voting and providing clarity to voters.

Make general Election Day a state holiday: We applaud the governors call for a state holiday for general Election Day. Not only will this properly emphasize the importance of Election Day, it will free up potential polling places in schools and much-needed inspectors from the ranks of municipal and state employees.

New York state voters have awaited reforms for a very long time. The Legislature should move quickly to pass legislation to start the process of reform over the next year. By the time New York state participates in our presidential election year of 2020, we should be well on the way of reforming our voting process. Voters of New York deserve swift answers to their calls for reform. It is our hope that with a unified New York state government, the obstacles of the past are removed and we can look forward to a bright future for our electoral system.An explosion at an electrical substation in Astoria, New York City, illuminated the skyline with a bright blue light and cut off power to LaGuardia airport, causing flights to be diverted or delayed.

The glow could be seen from Manhattan shortly after 9 p.m. EST Thursday following a "brief electrical fire" at the facility in the Northern Queens neighborhood, said Bob McGee, a spokesman for utility Consolidated Edison Inc.

LaGuardia had to switch to backup generators during the blackout. Power has since been restored but not before Delta Air Lines and American Airlines diverted some of their flights to nearby airports. Other services have been delayed for more than three hours, according to LaGuardia's website.

The blue light prompted a wave of commentary on social media, with New Yorkers joking about its origins. It's "*Not* aliens," tweeted Eric Phillips, a spokesman for Mayor Bill de Blasio.

*Not* aliens. Blown transformer at Queens Con-Ed facility. Scattered power outages, including LGA. Con-Ed, FDNY, PD, OEM all working on it. https://t.co/xX60Ph8SWw  Eric Phillips (@EricFPhillips) December 28, 2018

"There was a brief electrical fire at our substation on 20th Avenue & 32nd Street in Astoria this evening, which caused a transmission dip," Con Ed tweeted. "All power lines serving the area are in service and the system is stable." The company said it's investigating the cause of the blaze.

The first flights from LaGuardia in the early morning Friday were listed to operate as scheduled, including a 5:45 a.m. United Airlines service to Houston and a 5:52 a.m. American Airlines departure to Columbus, Ohio.

Travelers should check with their carrier on the status of their flight and allow extra time when coming to the airport, the website advises.Just when U.S. farmers thought they were catching a break with a second round of federal aid, now theres concern the impasse in Washington could hamper payments.

After crop prices tumbled amid the U.S.-China trade war, the Trump administration made good on its promise to help farmers by approving the second-round payments this month. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has said the total aid could reach as much as $12 billion, with soybean growers taking the biggest share. But the partial U.S. government shutdown is raising questions about delays for the plan, called the market facilitation program.

On Dec. 21, the USDA said in a statement that the aid would continue during the first week of a shutdown, but payments would halt after that for producers who hadn't certified production. The deadline to apply for the program is Jan. 15.

The House of Representatives won't schedule any votes for Friday, a Republican aide said, which means the shutdown will continue at least into this weekend.

"There's certainly concern" among farmers about whether they're "going to get their payments," said Brian Hoops, senior market analyst at Midwest Market Solutions in Springfield, Missouri. A lack of payments could eventually force farmers to sell crops to generate cash flow, Hoops said.

Phone calls and emails sent to the USDAs press office seeking comment werent answered. The agency said Dec. 21 that most administrative and oversight functions would be halted during the government closure.WASHINGTON - With the partial government shutdown headed toward its second week and no resolution in sight, President Donald Trump on Friday issued a string of tweets in which he once again vowed to close the entire U.S. border with Mexico and halt aid to several Latin American countries unless Democrats agree to his demand for billions of dollars in wall funding.

Trump is also canceling plans to visit his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, and will remain in Washington over the New Year holiday, Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said.

About 25 percent of the federal government has been shut down since Saturday, with roughly 800,000 workers affected, including an estimated 350,000 who are on furlough at home.

"We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with," Trump said in a morning tweet.

In a reprise of his threat before the midterm elections to cut off aid to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador as a caravan of migrants was making its way toward the United States, Trump said that those three countries "are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money."

"Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it," he said, without providing further details. "We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries - taking advantage of U.S. for years!"

Despite Trump's threat, the United States this month announced a new collaboration with Mexico on a program to curb migration from Central American countries, with much of the $10.6 billion U.S. contribution to be drawn from existing aid programs.

Trump's tweets come as Congress has effectively given up on breaking the impasse over the president's demands for border-wall funding, all but ensuring that the partial government shutdown will stretch into at least the start of the new year.

The House and the Senate convened for just minutes on Thursday before gaveling closed until next week. During the brief session in the House, Republicans shot down a Democratic attempt to vote on legislation to reopen the government.

As he did Thursday, Trump remained out of public view on Friday. In an appearance on Fox News, Mulvaney said that the president had "canceled his plans for Christmas, and now he's canceled his plan for New Year's."

"He's staying in Washington, D.C., over New Year's," said Mulvaney, who is set to become Trump's acting chief of staff next month.

Even though Trump will be in town and Republicans control both chambers of Congress, Mulvaney acknowledged that little progress on a deal is expected until the start of the new Congress on Jan. 3, when Democrats will retake the House. Contending that Democrats "have simply shut down the discussions," he sought to place the blame on House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who is expected to be elected speaker in the new Congress.

"Nancy Pelosi, in fairness, does not have the votes for the speakership yet," Mulvaney said. "She cannot be seen by her party as being weak on negotiating with Donald Trump. So we fully expect that until she is elected speaker and has locked that vote up, we don't expect to hear from the Democrats again."

According to a Washington Post tally, Pelosi, who won the Democratic caucus's nomination for the speakership in late November, appears to have secured enough support to be elected speaker in January.

Pelosi's spokesman, Drew Hammill, said in a statement Friday that Democrats "are united against the President's immoral, ineffective and expensive wall - the wall that he specifically promised that Mexico would pay for."

Democrats will not consider any offers that have not been publicly endorsed by Trump himself, he said.

"While we await the president's public proposal, Democrats have made it clear that, under a House Democratic majority, we will vote swiftly to reopen government on Day One," Hammill said.

At the heart of the stalemate is Trump's demand for $5 billion in funding for his proposed wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. Congressional Democrats have rejected that figure and in recent weeks have refused to publicly endorse a figure above $1.3 billion, which continues existing funding levels and includes money for new border fencing and levee walls, but not the concrete wall Trump once demanded before he started more recently talking about "steel slats."

Mulvaney said Friday that "some folks use the term 'wall' and they mean different things."

Everyone agrees that what we can and should be building on that southern border is that steel barrier that the president tweeted out. Thats what he wants to build. The Democrats, believe it or not, dont call that a wall, he said.Seychelles Enacts BEPS Legislation

by Mary Swire, Tax-News.com, Hong Kong

28 December 2018

Seychelles has enacted numerous legislative amendments that are intended to enable Seychelles to comply with the OECD's base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) minimum standards.

The laws, which received assent from President Danny Faure on December 20, 2018, are:

The Seychelles Pension Fund (Amendment) Act, 2018;

The International Trade Zone (Amendment) Act, 2018;

The International Business Companies (Amendment) Act, 2018;

The Companies (Special Licences) (Amendment) Act, 2018;

The Securities (Amendment) Act, 2018;

The Insurance (Amendment) Act, 2018;

The Mutual Fund and Hedge Fund (Amendment) Act, 2018; and

The Business Tax (Amendment) Act, 2018

The Government said all the laws, except the pension fund amendment, "will enable Seychelles to be compliant with the BEPS framework of the OECD, which will contribute to greater international confidence in the country's financial risk assessment."

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 implementation, 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.Did you know that Microsoft doesn't back up your 365 data? Avoid data loss. Back up your company's Office 365 mailboxes, Teams, and files stored within OneDrive and Sharepoint. Get your free trial of Altaro Office 365 Backup.

Facebook at one time considered charging companies for access to its user data, according to a Wall Street Journal report based on three pages of unredacted material from an 18-page document showing portions of some internal Facebook emails, mainly from about 2012 to 2014.

The documents are linked to a lawsuit, Six4Three LLC v. Facebook Inc., filed in California Superior Court, San Mateo County (Redwood City).

Six4Three, the developer of Pikini, a now-defunct app for locating photos of users friends in swimsuits, filed a complaint in 2015 alleging that Facebooks data policies were anticompetitive and favored certain companies over others.

The app failed because Facebook restricted developers access to friends data in 2015, a move that doomed Six4Threes business plan, according to the complaint. Facebook has denied the allegations and accused Six4Three of making sensational claims and mischaracterizing its internal records to get attention from the media.

When the app came out, the press [reports] noted it was quite creepy, Facebook spokesperson Katy Dormer pointed out.

The whole objective of this lawsuit is to get Facebook to reverse platform changes we made in 2014 and 2015 giving access to all developers to information about friends and friends of friends information, Dormer told TechNewsWorld. [Six4Three] want us to enable those same sharing abilities that Cambridge Analytica exploited, and thats not something were going to do.

The Documents Circuitous Path

The sensitive documents were supposed to remain sealed in the California court case.

However, Ted Kramer, one of Six4Threes principals, apparently handed them over to Damian Collins, head of the UK Parliaments Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee when Kramer made a business trip to London.

Kramer reportedly had refused to provide the documents at first, but acceded after Collins suggested he could go to prison for defying an order from the UK parliament. Kramer then found some files in his laptop that he claimed not to have read, and copied them onto a flash drive for Collins.

Collins said over the weekend that he was free under UK law to disclose the Facebook documents.

What the Emails Reveal

The emails Collins released show that Facebook discussed ways to monetize its user data the way some other tech firms have done. One Facebook employee suggested shutting down data access across the board to all apps that did not spend at least US$250,000 a year to maintain access to that data.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

In one email exchange, Facebook employees reportedly offered to extend the Tinder dating apps access to user data at no charge, in return for the use of Tinders Moments trademark.

The trademark dispute with Facebook over Moments was resolved years ago, Tinder said, adding that it did not receive special treatment, data or access related to the dispute or its resolution.

Another set of emails dealt with Facebook negotiating a special agreement with Amazon in 2013. One Facebook employee said it would result in Amazon getting less access to data, and another responded that Facebook either would have a disappointing conversation with Amazon or a strategic conversation in the context of the broader deal discussions, the Journal reported.

Another set of emails dealt with the Royal Bank of Canadas access to Facebook user data. One Facebook employee asked whether the bank had an agreement requiring it to spend a certain amount on advertising each year. Another responded that the bank would run one of the biggest mobile app-install ad campaigns ever run in Canada.

The bank maintained that it never had a minimum marketing spend or target agreement with Facebook.

Taking Care of Business

The documents at the center of the WSJ story reflect internal conversations where we were trying to build a sustainable business with the developers of apps, Facebooks Dormer pointed out.

Like any organization, we were discussing what we should do and, instead of charging developers, we ultimately decided to give them APIs for free.

Facebook had just emerged from its IPO in May 2012  then the largest technology IPO in United States history. The company offered more than 421 million shares at $38 each and raised more than $16 billion.

The companys performance immediately following the IPO was disappointing, however. Facebook had not yet developed a strategy to generate revenue from its mobile product, and it was struggling with a data sharing policy that gave tens of thousands of outside app developers access to private information about its users through its developer platform, while the company got nothing back in return.

The emails Wall Street Journal reporters saw lacked context and in some cases were truncated, the paper reported.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Facebook had said in other court filings that the excerpts subsequently were redacted because they contained sensitive discussions of its internal strategic analysis of third-party applications, releasing information that could damage Facebooks relationships with developers.

Further, the documents are only part of the story, and the way they were presented was misleading, Facebooks Dormer maintained.

San Mateo County Superior Judge V. Raymond Swope, who is hearing the Six4Three suit, apparently thinks so as well. He has written that the company has not convinced him that the documents in question are relevant to the case. He reportedly said that Six4Threes lawyers were engaging in brute litigation overkill.

Groping for an Identity

Facebook has been conflicted since its founding, noted Michael Jude, program manager at Stratecast/Frost & Sullivan.

Is it a common carrier, or is it a service provider that delivers a service in exchange for access to subscriber data? he asked.

If its a common carrier, it has to abide by common carriage rules with equal access, and must provide protections for subscriber personal data, Jude told TechNewsWorld.

If, on the other hand, Facebook is a service provider, then it can do anything it wants as long as it has the explicit agreement from its subscribers that it can, he said.

Six4Threes Chances

Facebook wants the best of both worlds, so it has to monetize access somehow, and this involves selling access to subscriber data for fun and profit, Jude noted.

This generates dissonance in what it does over time, he said. Currently the argument is between the privacy hawks and Facebooks business customers. I suspect theyll weigh the penalties of offending each and pick the least painful financially.

Given that, said Jude, I think Six4Three is out of luck.Did you know that Microsoft doesn't back up your 365 data? Avoid data loss. Back up your company's Office 365 mailboxes, Teams, and files stored within OneDrive and Sharepoint. Get your free trial of Altaro Office 365 Backup.

Supermicro CEO Charles Liang on Tuesday informed customers that a leading third-party investigations company found absolutely no evidence of malicious hardware on its motherboards.

The investigation was undertaken in response to Bloombergs recent claim that bad actors had inserted spy chips in the firms motherboards on behalf of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army, Chinas armed forces.

Investigators tested a representative sampling of Supermicros motherboards, including the specific type of motherboard referenced in Bloombergs article, and motherboards purchased by companies referenced in the article, as well as more recently manufactured motherboards, Liang wrote.

Apple and Amazon are the referenced companies.

The findings were no surprise to us, Liang noted, because our process is designed to protect the integrity and reliability of our products.

The following requirements are established in Supermicros process:

Employees must be on site with assembly contractors;

Products go through multiple inspections, including automated optical, visual, electrical and functional tests;

Each board is tested repeatedly against its design throughout its supply chain, to detect any aberration;

Every layer of every board is tested;

No single employee, team or contractor has unrestricted access to the complete board design; and

Supermicro regularly audits contractors for process, quality and controls.

The company had no comment beyond the letter and video, company rep Sofia Mata-Leclerc told TechNewsWorld.

The Plot Thickens

Tainted motherboards were discovered in 2015, when Amazon enlisted a third party to scrutinize security at Elemental Technologies, a maker of software for compressing video files and formatting them for different devices, prior to purchasing the company, Bloomberg reported earlier this month.

Some troubling issues surfaced, which led Amazon to pursue an examination of some of Elementals video compression servers. Testers found the servers motherboards, which were made by Supermicro, included a microchip that was not part of the original design, according to Bloombergs report. The chip, designed by the Chinese military, essentially provided a backdoor allowing access to networks.

Elementals servers are deployed in the United States Department of Defenses data centers, the CIAs drone operations, and in U.S. naval warships onboard networks, Bloomberg said, noting that Amazon reported its findings to U.S. authorities.

Almost 30 companies  including a major bank, government contractors, and Apple  were affected by the tainted motherboards, Bloomberg said, citing unnamed U.S. officials.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Apple found malicious chips on Supermicro motherboards in the summer of 2015, according to the Bloomberg report, which cited three unnamed senior insiders at the company.

Apple, which reportedly had planned to order more than 30,000 Supermicro servers in two years for a new global network of data centers, severed ties with Supermicro in 2016 for unrelated reasons.

Bloomberg claimed to have spoken to 17 unnamed sources for the story, which it developed over a period of years.

The number of witnesses attesting it is true is impressive, but, with a lack of actual names, the veracity of the witnesses cant be confirmed by a third party, remarked Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.

This now reads like some kind of orchestrated attack on China and Supermicro, suggesting Bloomberg was duped, he told TechNewsWorld. Not a good thing for its reputation.

Conflicting Reports

Apple, Amazon and Supermicro immediately disputed the Bloomberg report, while the Chinese government stated that supply chain safety in cyberspace was an issue of common concern, and that China was also a victim.

Apple and Amazon stated their internal investigations showed no evidence of the spy chips.

As we shared with Bloomberg BusinessWeek multiple times over the last couple months, this is untrue, AWS CISO Steve Schmidt maintained in an online post. At no time, past or present, have we ever found any issues relating to modified hardware or malicious chips in Supermicro motherboards in any Elemental or Amazon systems. Nor have we engaged in an investigation with the government.

The investigation commissioned before purchasing Elemental did not identify any issues with modified chips or hardware, Schmidt pointed out, adding that Bloomberg has admittedly never seen our commissioned security report nor any other (and refused to share any details of any purported other report with us).

Apple has never found malicious chips, hardware manipulations or vulnerabilities purposely planted in any server, Apple said in a statement provided to Bloomberg in advance of its publication of the report. Apple never had any contact with the FBI or any other agency about such an incident. We are not aware of any investigation by the FBI, nor are our contacts in law enforcement.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Over the course of the past year, Bloomberg contacted Apple multiple times with claims, sometimes vague, and sometimes elaborate, of an alleged security incident at Apple, the statement notes. Each time, Apple conducted rigorous internal investigations based on those inquiries and each time we have found absolutely no evidence to support any of them.

However, six unnamed veteran national security officials, current and former, countered the companies denials, Bloomberg reported. One of those officials and two unnamed people from Amazon provided extensive information on how the attack played out at Amazon and Elemental.

Further, the official and one of the Amazon insiders described Amazons cooperation with the government investigation, Bloomberg claimed. Four of the six U.S. officials also confirmed that Apple was a victim.

On the other hand, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the UKs National Cyber Security Center both said they had no reason to doubt the veracity of Apples and Amazons statements.

The alleged hardware-based attack wouldnt seem to be prudent, given that servers remain in place for up to 10 years and security software is constantly changing, making it almost certain this [chip], if it existed, would eventually be discovered, Enderle pointed out.

Apple CEO Tim Cook demanded that Bloomberg retract its story, saying there was no truth to its assertions about Apple.

Amazon later joined Apples call, but Bloomberg stood by its story.

If any part of the report should prove true, the consequences could be drastic.

The furious response from Supermicro, Apple and Amazon is understandable, because the story created the specter of a serious unreported breach which could lead to massive customer exists and government fines, particularly in Amazons case, Enderle observed.

Further, given that Supermicro dominates the server motherboard market, the story  if true  should have put every single customer on alert that they need to audit their servers or be found negligent, and theyd need to take every compromised server offline to prevent a breach, Enderle said.

We should have seen massive slowdowns, a huge financial hit on Supermicro, who would have had to pay to swap the machines out, and the number of people aware of this effort alone would have been impossible to contain. Yet we saw zip. Youd think wed have one or two security companies, or a different Supermicro customer, screaming bloody murder at this point.

Supermicro shares fell 50 percent the day Bloombergs report was published.

Id say the chances this is a well orchestrated attack on Supermicro and/or Amazon and Apple, said Enderle, are better than 50 percent.Why it matters: Even after 18 months, WannaCry still poses a significant threat to businesses worldwide. According to Kryptos Logic, over half a million computers are still infected. The ransomware has been mostly eradicated in the United States and United Kingdom, but remains a widespread problem in other parts of the world.

It has been a year and a half since the initial WannaCry ransomware outbreak, and the malware still poses a threat to thousands of computers. Recent data shows that hundreds of thousands of computers are still infected with the malicious software even though it is currently dormant.

The malware is inactive thanks to security researcher Marcus Hutchins at Kryptos Logic. Bleeping Computer notes that Hutchins found a bit of code in the ransomware that referenced an odd domain. The domain was unregistered, so he registered it only to discover that he had activated a kill switch.

WannaCry periodically pings this address. As long as the sinkholed domain is up and running the software will not encrypt files. If it were to go down, then the malware would kick in and begin causing trouble.

Kryptos Logic gave the domain over to Cloudflare for hosting as a protective measure against DDoS attacks. Cloudflare also gives them access to various metrics of the address. Kryptos Logics Head of Security & Threat Intelligence Research Jamie Hankins recently tweeted some of these statistics.

During one week, the kill switch domain received more than 17 million pings. These beacons come from over 630,000 unique IP addresses originating in 194 different countries. China, Indonesia, and Vietnam are the top three countries by way of infections, and nearly half the traffic to the domain is from these regions.

The UK consists of approximately 0.15% of the total connections with the USA coming in at 1.35% for a single day's statistics, Hankins told Bleeping Computer. These numbers can be skewed by DHCP churn over longer time periods.

The domain is more active on weekdays than on the weekend. This statistic was expected considering the ransomwares primary targets would be enterprise computers. Businesses are much more likely to pay a high price for valuable files than private users.

While WannaCry remains dormant for now, Hankins warns that all it would take for the malware to rear its ugly head is an internet outage.

Kryptos Logic has a tool called TellTale, which identifies WannaCry infections. Admins can use it to look up and monitor their range of IP addresses. TellTale can spot other types of malware as well.Hundreds of companies in China are reportedly boycotting Apple following the recent arrest of Huawei's chief financial officer in Canada.

Chinese Companies Encourage Employees To Buy Huawei Products

Chinese businesses reportedly urge employees to buy Huawei products in support of Huawei by offering subsidies to those who buy the telecom equipment maker's smartphones.

A government official said that several hundred businesses have these programs nationwide. Most companies subsidize 10 to 20 percent of the purchase price but some cover up to the full price of the device.

More than 20 Chinese companies have also publicly showed their support for Huawei, announcing on social media that they will ask increase purchases of other Huawei-made products.

The support comes from a broad range of industries from food to information technology. Businesses also offer incentives to customers who support Huawei.

A brewer in Henan Province offers free alcohol equivalent to 30 percent of the price of the Huawei device to employees and customers who present a receipt.

Shanghai Youluoke Electronic and Technology offers its employees up to two free Huawei phones each, while Shenzhen Yidaheng Technology takes 18 percent of the price of phones from Huawei or ZTE. Fuchun Technology pays employees up to 500 yuan, or around $72.50, with proof of purchase.

Potential Termination For Employees Who Use Apple Products

Some companies have tougher approach essentially threatening to punish employees who use Apple products. A machinery producer in Shenzhen threatened to confiscate Apple devices from employees and potentially terminate those who do not comply with the order to hand their Apple devices over. Others threatened to withhold bonuses of staffers who buy iPhones.

Arrest Of Huawei CFO

The call to support Huawei and boycott Apple products follows the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in Canada. Meng, the daughter of Huawei's founder, was apprehended at the request of the U.S government under the claims that the Chinese telecom company violated U.S. sanctions on the sale of products that feature American technology to Iran.

Meng's arrest happened amid a trade dispute between United States and China. The Trump administration threatened to apply tariffs on $200 billion worth of goods imported from China, with more tariffs to be applied in the future.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Drinking coffee and alcohol might be the ticket to a long life, according to a new study by the University of California-Irvine.

From the "The 90+ Study" that started in 2003, scientists monitored and examined the oldest age group, which comprised of people who are 90 years old and above, to determine the food, activities, or lifestyle associated with long life. About 1,600 people were involved in the study.

The Secret To Long Life

The scientists found that those who consumed moderate amounts of coffee and alcohol lived until their 90th birthday and beyond. Those who drank two glasses of beer or wine every day decreased their chances of dying early by 18 percent compared to those who abstained. For coffee drinkers, chances of premature death decreased by 10 percent after consuming two cups of coffee per day.

The keyword, of course, is "moderate."

Consumption of alcohol in high amounts has been proven to be dangerous to the body, especially to the liver which takes the brunt of the damage. According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, over time, drinking too much might lead to several serious illnesses such as stroke, alcoholic hepatitis, pancreatitis, and several types of cancer.

The World Health Organization, earlier this year, released a report revealing that 3 million people around the world died because of 'harmful' alcohol consumption. Alcohol was directly responsible for 28 percent of the deaths that include self-harm, interpersonal violence, and traffic crashes.

The Oldest Age Group

"The 90+ Study" also found that people who were overweight in their 70s lived longer than those who weighed normal or were underweight around the same age.

Scientists also found that over 40 percent of people who reached the age of 90 and beyond have dementia. Half of them do not have sufficient neuropathology in their brains that could explain why they developed the neurodegenerative disease.

People who have the APOE2 gene are also less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's, the most common type of dementia. However, the study found that those who do have Alzheimer's have neuropathology in their brains.

Age is still the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer's and other types of dementia.

Meanwhile, almost 80 percent of participants have a disability.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Apple will begin making top-end iPhone models in India through the country's local Foxconn beginning in 2019, according to Reuters.

The move will be a first for Foxconn, which has never produced top-end iPhones in the country.

Apple Makes A Move In India

Citing a source familiar with the matter, Reuters reports that Foxconn will be assembling the most expensive models, including devices in the iPhone X family. The move is a crucial development in Apple's business, especially since it has the potential to steer the Cupertino brand's efforts to grow further in India.

Foxconn will be assembling the iPhones at its plant in Sriperumbudur town in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, reports Reuters. The manufacturer is expected to invest as much as INR 25 billion or about $356 million to expand its plant, including investment in iPhone production. There may be as many as 25,000 jobs as a result of this huge investment, according to M C Sampath, Industries minister of Tamil Nadu.

iPhone Production In India

To be clear, the Cupertino brand has been making iPhones in India for sometime now, but only lower-cost models such as the iPhone SE and iPhone 6S. More importantly, the assembly is handled via a local Wistron Corp unit in the Bengaluru technology hub.

iPhone sales in India have been focused mainly on lower-end models, it's worth noting. In fact, more than half of Apple's sales volume is driven by iPhone models older than the iPhone 8, which was launched in 2017, says Counterpoint, a technology research firm.

There's a possibility for Apple to restart iPhone X production. iPhone X launched alongside the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus last year, and it signified the most radical change in the history of iPhone, with an entirely new design and a sophisticated facial recognition technology called Face ID, among other features. Apple halted production of the iPhone X the minute it began selling its successors, the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR.

However, Apple could get Foxconn to produce iPhone X units again, in India at least. Apple could even sell the device lower than launch price, as it usually does in the country, in an attempt to capture a huge share of India's smartphone market.

Make sure to check back with Tech Times as we learn more about Apple and Foxconn's plans for iPhone production in India.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Researchers of a new study have found a link between a patient's height and odds of survival in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital.

Short People More Likely To Die In ICU

The study, published in the journal Intensive Care Medicine on Dec. 23, show that shorter patients in ICUs are more likely to die during treatment compared with taller patients.

Hannah Wunsch, from Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, and colleagues looked at the data of patients who were admitted to 210 ICUs in the United Kingdom between 2009 and 2015.

They found that among more than 400,000 critically ill patients, the shortest ones who stood 4 feet and 6 inches were more likely to die in the hospital compared with the tallest ones who stood 6 feet and 6 inches

The risk of dying in the shortest male patients was 29 percent higher than that of the tallest patients. In female patients, the death risk was 24 percent higher.

Not A Causal Link

The study did not prove that height was responsible for the increase in deaths, but the two appear to be linked.

Wunsch said that the study was launched because ICUs usually base their treatment on patients of average weight and height. She said that there are devices and tubes put into patients that only come in one size or cannot accommodate different sizes.

Wunsch and colleagues thought that these could have an effect on patient care.

"Sure enough, we found that even after we accounted for other factors that we know account for someone dying in the hospital, there was a pretty strong relationship between the height of an individual and their mortality," Wunsch said.

Differences in treatment may account for the results, but the researchers did not find any difference in death among patients on mechanical ventilators, which need to be adjusted to the height of a patient.

Findings Not Conclusive Enough

Mark Astiz, chairman of critical care medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, who was not involved in the study, said that findings are not conclusive enough to make changes to clinical practice.

He said that the results need to be confirmed, and there should be an investigation into the characteristics of the patients that may contribute to the differences in survival odds.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.The number of the critically endangered Grauer's gorilla has significantly shrank over the past several decades it led to loss of genetic diversity that now threatens the survival of the species.

Shrinking Population Size Led To Inbreeding

In a new study published in the journal Current Biology on Thursday, Love Dalen, from the Swedish Museum of Natural History, and colleagues sequenced the genomes of several eastern gorilla specimens collected a century ago.

They then compared the results to those of the living eastern gorilla, also known as the Grauer's gorillas, that live in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The findings showed the Grauer's gorillas have accumulated harmful mutations as the species' genetic diversity significantly declined in just a few generations.

The Grauer's gorilla population has declined by 80 percent over the last several decades because of poaching and habitat losses.

The shrinking number led to increased occurrence of inbreeding, as relatives are more likely to mate with a smaller population. This in turn resulted in loss of genetic diversity and harmful mutations.

Harmful Mutations

Dalen and colleagues identified several potentially harmful mutations that have increased in frequency over the past four to five generations of the Grauer's gorilla.

Some of these were found in genes that affect male fertility and disease resistance. These changes leave the species less capable of adapting to new diseases and shifting environments.

The researchers also identified mutations that lead to loss of functions in genes associated with finger and toe developments, which can explain why some Grauer's gorillas have fused digits.

Dalen and colleagues said that the findings highlight the need to address the plummeting population of the Grauer's Gorilla. There are less than 4,000 of the species today, and the Grauer's gorilla is now listed as critically endangered.

"This recent increase in harmful mutations really emphasises the need to reverse the ongoing population decline in Grauer's gorillas," Dalen said.

Other Species Also At Risk

The researchers also warned that there may be other species that may suffer from the same fate as a result of plummeting populations.

"Many species have experienced severe population declines in the last centuries and may thus face similar genomic consequences as reported here for Grauer's gorillas. In species with shorter generation time, such consequences may be even more severe due to faster genomic change," the researchers wrote in their study.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.It was only a few days ago when reports suggested Samsung's TV lineup for 2019 will include Bixby and Google Assistant. The company has yet to confirm if that's true, but it's now made a new announcement altogether.

Samsung has unveiled a new feature coming to its 2019 TVs, called Remote Access. It allows users to control various devices, such as PCs, smartphones, and tablets, from their TVs. It also lets them connect certain accessories, such as keyboards and mice, so they can play games off their PC from their TV or broadcast web-based office services on the bigger screen.

Samsung Announces Remote Access For TVs

It all sounds convoluted written this way, but it's actually fairly easy to understand, and it's hard to believe why Samsung is adding this feature just now. The company is essentially making its 2019 TVs friendlier to peripherals and third-party accessories, which means people will be able to do more things on their TV sets other than merely watching TV and casting content.

Right now, it's not clear how any of this will work. Presumably, this will all be handled via Wi-Fi, but Samsung still needs to clarify that. It also seems like users will need to install various apps across their devices to get them all to communicate with the TV. In any case, Samsung says Remote Access will work "anywhere in the world" thanks to a partnership with VMware and its virtual desktop infrastructure. That technology lets users access a specific desktop that's saved on a centralized server.

"Samsung is committed to creating an intuitive and convenient user experience for consumers," said Hyogun Lee, executive VP of Visual Display Business at Samsung. Thanks to Remote Access, users can easily access different apps and cloud services installed on various connected devices directly through their TV screen, added Lee.

Remote Access: What's The Point?

Samsung's new feature could definitely be convenient for people who want to play video games on the big screen wirelessly. However, it remains to be seen how Samsung plans to handle latency issues, the main drawback of wireless-streaming systems.

The company is likely to share more details as CES 2019 rolls around. In that regard, make sure to check back with Tech Times as we learn more. In the meantime, feel free to sound off in the comments section below if you have any thoughts!

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Google might debut its long-rumored Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL handsets in 2019 via Verizon. These devices, pegged as low-cost versions of the premium Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, have been in the rumor circuit of late, complete with alleged renders and specs.

The Verizon rumor comes from Android Police, citing a source apparently familiar with Google's plans.

Pricing and an exact announcement date are not yet known, but the source confirms Google intends to launch "Lite" versions of its latest Pixel flagships on Verizon in early spring.

Pixel 3 Lite And Pixel 3 XL Lite

Last month, a Russian tech blog shared an alleged prototype of the Pixel 3 Lite, which fueled speculation about where Google plans to sell the smartphone, for how much, and how it would be positioned in Google's current Pixel lineup. Shortly thereafter, OnLeaks published alleged renders of both Pixel 3 Lite variants, which hinted that Google might bring back the headphone jack and get rid of the notch, at least on the larger model.

Google's Midrangers

Suppose Google does release Lite versions of the Pixel 3, it will mark the first mid-range phones from the company since the Nexus 5X, which launched in 2015 for $379. Google has been releasing exclusively premium flagships for a while now, perhaps as a way to take on Apple and Samsung's massive share in the global smartphone market, not to mention Huawei and Xiaomi, two Chinese manufacturers slowly emerging as heavy-hitters.

Not much is known about the Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 XL Lite, but speculation points to either a Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 or 710 processor, 4 GB of RAM, 32 GB of internal storage, and 12-megapixel rear and 8-megapixel front cameras. The smaller Pixel 3 Lite is rumored to sport a 5.5-inch display, while the larger Pixel 3 XL Lite will apparently have a 6-inch screen.

Right now, it's not certain how much Google will sell these phones for, but they'll definitely much cheaper than their premium counterparts. The Pixel 3 starts at $799 and the Pixel 3 XL starts at $899, so it would make sense for Google to fill the gap with lower-cost options. The midrange market, after all, is another opportunity to reign in more profits.

It's not clear how the audience will respond to these phones, especially since they're bound to have inferior specs. Not to mention the fact that there are already excellent midrangers available. Time, however, will tell.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.GONZALES  East Ascension drainage officials are pushing forward with key federal and state permits to remove two low-water dams and dredge three miles of New River Canal inside and outside Gonzales despite lingering questions about the $5.3 million cost.

For more than 15 years, East Ascension drainage officials have pushed, on and off, for a plan to address the negative drainage impact of the small dams, known as weirs, in the canal that winds through the heart of Gonzales but also ties into upstream Ascension Parish waterways like Grand Goudine Bayou.

After some discussions about replacing the dams with removable gates that would allow more water to flow, former Drainage Director Bill Roux, his replacement, Ron Savoy, and several council members have argued that removing the dams wholesale would better improve drainage in Gonzales and even in Prairieville.

They have said the weirs serve only to hold up water levels in the canal for cosmetic purposes. In the process, though, the dams have allowed silt to build up behind them and also inhibit Ascension's pre-storm practice of lowering bayou water levels with Ascension's big drainage pumps to boost rainfall storage capacity.

Both dams are outside Gonzales city limits: One is along Weber City Road behind the Gonzales Walmart on Airline Highway; the other is farther upstream along New River and Cornerview Road inside a tributary that ties the canal with Smith Bayou west of Gonzales.

In October, David Martin, the parish's consulting project manager with H. Davis Cole and Associates, told the East Ascension drainage board that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permits would be "a critical path" to bring the $5.3 million project to construction bids in early 2019.

The permits through the corps and also the state Department of Environmental Quality have been on public notice since Dec. 10. Interested parties must ensure mailed comments are delivered by Monday or can email to seek a 30-day extension by then, a joint notice says.

The parish needs the corps' backing both because it plans to work in a waterway under the corps' purview and because of the potential effect on wetlands and endangered species. In a public notice, the corps says it has found initially that neither would be affected. The project also needs a state DEQ water quality certification, a permit that typically runs in connection with federal permits.

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Last year, Roux told the East Ascension drainage board that Gonzales city officials had opposed the project more than a decade ago, but after the August 2016 flood the current city administration now favors the work.

Yet, as the project has moved from concept in early 2017 to a more fully designed plan with a $5.3 million to a possibly $6 million price tag, the cost and scope have drawn questions from parish council members. Gonzales city officials have also maintained they should not share in the bill because their residents pay millions of dollars in East Ascension drainage taxes already.

The majority of the cost is not in removing the weirs, Martin has said, but in dredging and reshaping the sides and uneven bottom of New River to improve water flow and then finding a way to haul and dispose of the heavy, wet muck from the canal.

Martin told the board in October the project could be designed in phases to spread out the cost. Since then, Joey Tureau, the parish's chief engineer, said parish officials have been working on reducing the price, particularly around muck disposal.

But the corps permit notice discusses a slightly longer project with about 69 percent more muck excavation than most recently envisioned at public meetings, up from 80,000 cubic yards to 135,000 cubic yards.

The East Ascension drainage board, which is made up of Parish Council members, has a final say on the size and estimated cost of the project once it is ready for bids.

Comments can be mailed to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, Regulatory Branch, 7400 Leake Ave., New Orleans, LA 70118, or Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Water Permits Division, Post Office Box 4313, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4313.Former New Orleans mayors Moon Landrieu, far left, and Mitch Landrieu, right, stand with their family, including former U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, back right, during the inaugural ceremony for new Loyola University New Orleans President Tania Tetlow on Friday, November 16, 2018.A solar farm which will be the largest in NSW and be big enough power a city of almost a million people is a step closer to reality after getting the green light from planning authorities.

The state government on Friday approved the $1 billion project at Yarrabee Park, 23 kilometres from Narrandera in the Riverina, which hopes to be generating clean electricity in early 2020.

The new solar farm will produce enough energy for a city of one million people. Credit:RCR

Reach Solar Energy's planned farm will be cover up to 2600 hectares, and have capacity to generate 900 megawatts a year - or more than half what was produced by Victoria's Hazelwood coal power plant before it was shut abruptly in 2017.

The new farm's output will dwarf the 500 megawatts produced by the nine large-scale solar farms currently operating in NSW, and will have the equivalent impact on carbon emissions as removing 540,000 cars from Australia's roads, according to Reach.If you're dreaming of ditching your day job and heading overseas next year, you're not alone. But only a few trades look transferable to other countries.

Figures provided to The Age and Sydney Morning Herald by global job search website Indeed shows Australian project managers, teachers, nurses and accountants are all looking overseas for fresh starts.

The top job openings Australians were seeking out overseas in 2018 were in a mix of high-skilled occupations (such as data scientists and mechanical engineers) and lower-skilled jobs such as receptionists and nannies.

Business analyst, data scientist and data analyst all ranked in the top 20 jobs Australians looked for abroad, even though none of these vocations were in the top 20 jobs searched for within Australia.R&B artist Chris Brown is facing criminal charges and potential jail time for having a pet exotic monkey.

The Los Angeles City Attorney is charging Brown with two counts of having a restricted species without a permit, according to legal documents obtained by tabloid news website TMZ.

Brown attracted attention last year when he posted an Instagram video of his three-year-old daughter Royalty cuddling the baby capuchin monkey, who is named Fiji.

This prompted concerned calls to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which then launched an investigation.Salmon salad from the staff cafeteria, run by former rugby star George Gregan. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer At her first public appearance after the event, at the screening of a documentary on the life of Utzon, the crowd greeted her with rousing applause. At the protest against the illuminations, the crowd chanted "worst Vivid ever" while other wags piped up with "Herron for PM" and "Louise for Premier". "Really, I haven't heard that one," says Herron, who despite her apparent public popularity has ruled out a career in politics post Opera House. Public service and law are in her genes: her great uncle Sir Leslie Herron was Lieutenant Governor and Chief Justice of NSW. Even a ferry, the Lady Herron, named for his wife, her great aunt Andree, graced Sydney Harbour until it was withdrawn from service last year. It would toot as it passed her window, which she often looks out of while on the phone having difficult conversations (like the one to you know who). Alan Jones apologised for the call in which he lashed Herron over the use of the Opera House. Credit:Photo: Marina Neil She's watched thousands climb the Harbour Bridge from here, a Moreton Bay fig tree removed from Admiralty House, and estimates from observation the average life of an Australian flag atop the bridge is six weeks before it gets frayed. Herron's lifespan before she gets frayed is much longer: her fixed-term contract was made indefinite in May this year, and she has vowed she will stay at least until 2023, the building's 50th anniversary and the completion of its decade of renewal.

About 900 people wrote to her post Everest  including Jones who wrote an apology, which he uncharacteristically read out on air. She replied to each letter and email, among them one from a woman in Orange, whose letter so moved Herron she invited her to tea in her office. She brought "delicious vegan chocolate balls" recalls Herron, who is wiry and tiny, "almost bigger" than her last dog Olive, a great dane. She is sole parenting her new dog, Wilbur, a Rhodesian ridgeback in their Paddington home, as her second husband Clark Butler is already in America. The energetic Herron swims and joins colleagues for circuit training on the Opera House steps several mornings each week. Protesters shine light onto the sails of the Opera House during the launch of the Everest barrier draw. What the Everest showed was really how much people love the Opera House Herron and I have danced around the Everest subject before, like one of the ballerinas I've walked past limbering up on the exercise bike in the labryrintine corridors you walk down to get to her office. But she's refused to be drawn on it. A consummate diplomat, she takes her role as custodian of the building seriously, and those who work with her say she manages the needs of the building's many stakeholders (read egos) with aplomb. Including its nearest neighbours, the residents of the Bennelong Apartments, home to the broadcaster who shall not be named. "What the Everest showed was really how much people love the Opera House," she says. "That was the overwhelming impression I was left with. This is a treasure and it is treasured by the community it was built for. I did reply to everyone who wrote to me because I so appreciated the public outpouring of passion for the Opera House." Then she stops. She knows I know her back story. Her education at a Swiss boarding school, her return to work as a partner at Minter Ellison when her eldest son was nine weeks old while her mother, who lived next door, cared for "Dougs", as she calls him.

Demonstrators hold placards during a protest against the decision to project the barrier draw results for The Everest onto the sails of the Opera House. Credit:AAPIMAGE We've even heard about her insomnia and the sleep app she had on her phone to monitor it (since deleted now she's getting more sleep thanks to limiting alcohol, coffee and tea). Sensing what most Sydneysiders will want to know, she finally addresses the elephant in the room. "It was an intense few minutes but then it was over and he apologised," she says. "It made me think about situations that people experience that go on for a lot longer and are more difficult to end. I think that isn't uncommon and I wish it weren't the case." CEO of the Opera House, Louise Herron, has lunch with SMH journalist Helen Pitt at the Opera House in Sydney. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer But to many who love the Opera House, it was a big deal. While disappointed she didn't get an opportunity to put her point across she even agreed with Jones' sentiment when he said: "We own the Opera House ... do you get that? ... you only manage it."Storytime Ballet: Coppelia. Music by Leo Delibes. Libretto by Charles-Louis-Etienne Nuitter. Based upon two stories by E. T. A. Hoffman. Choreography: adapted by David McAllister from the original 1870 version by Arthur Saint-Leon, revised by Marius Petipa (1884) and Enrico Cecchetti (1894). Additional choreography Peggy van Praagh. Devised and directed by George Ogilvie. Music performed by Orchestra Victoria. The Australian Ballet. Canberra Theatre Centre January 17 to 19, 2019. canberratheatrecentre.com.au.

Do you have a budding ballerina in your family? The third production in the Australian Ballet's Storytime Ballet series for children will soon be dancing its way to the Canberra Theatre.

The Australian Ballet's Storytime Ballet: Coppelia with Dayne Boothe, left, and Sean McGrath. Credit:Jeff Busby

One of the most popular works in the repertoire, the comic ballet Coppelia with music by Leo Delibes, has been adapted by the Australian Ballet's artistic director, David McAllister, into a child-friendly version.

The ballet master for this leg of the show's tour is former Canberran Paul Knobloch, who had an international career in dance, including dancing at the Paris Opera with Bejart Ballet Lausanne.Sweltering temperatures in the capital have seen Canberrans kick off their annual pilgrimage to the NSW south coast earlier than usual, with large crowds packing Eurobodalla beaches and keeping lifeguards busy.

The majority of people already rescued from the beaches around Batemans Bay since Saturday, December 22 were from the Canberra region.

Lifeguard Meggan Pritchard patrols Surf Beach on the NSW South Coast. Credit:Jamila Toderas

Of the 14 people rescued, 12 were from the Canberra region and two of them were foreign nationals.

Lifeguard Meggan Pritchard said on Friday it was just a matter of people learning more about water safety.And thats just part of the life of a cartoonist for a daily newspaper. Pope has been at it for 10 years now, having taken over after the retirement of Geoff Pryor, who drew for the paper for 30 years. Until then, Pope had always drawn, but had never seriously considered full-time cartooning. He had applied, been accepted to and then turned down a place at art school at Sydney University. I think at that time I was just getting more into political ideas, so art school didn't seem very connected to that. I used to just draw little cartoons for activist organisations, he says. I did a lot of part-time work, stopped and started my uni studies and eventually went back for five years, to study politics and economics. He knew, when The Canberra Times offered him the job, that he had big shoes to fill; Pryor had built up a loyal following among both his readers, and the politicians he regularly pilloried, for three decades.

As it turned out, the news was at a crossroads when Pope took over in 2008. Social media was rapidly taking hold of mass reading habits, and the news cycle was switching to a the 24/7 model we take for granted today. Obviously the world's always constantly moving, but somehow it's easy to feel like you're in a bit of a washing machine with the news, because it comes at you in so many different ways, he says. You're connected with it so directly now, through your phones and through social media. And I still haven't worked out how to manage that. In the past 10 years, The Canberra Times has transformed from a newspaper to a media platform, and Pope has adapted along with it. But in many ways, Twitter and ISIS and constant leadership spills notwithstanding, the job of a daily cartoonist hasnt changed. Like Pryor, Pope still has the challenge of producing a daily cartoon, which means sifting through the news of the day, picking an issue, deciding on an approach, and making it happen on the page. David Pope's Charlie Hebdo cartoon, that resonated around the world on January 8, 2015. Credit:David Pope

Just dont try and tell him that the daily smorgasbord of political shenanigans to which weve become accustomed must make his job easier - it almost never does. On a daily basis, there's this tension between the political news stories of the day, and having some fun with the personalities in that, and the idea that it represents something deeper, he says. You don't want to be just the clown that's part of the circus. And then you realise the great privilege you have to actually get printed by the paper every day, and there's people working here, putting the paper together, printing it, distributing it, you have this privileged space, so what about the stories that aren't front-page news? ''I've always felt like the role of the cartoonist is to be inside and outside of the thing. It's a weird position that you want to be connecting and relating to the stories that the team is putting together and finding, but you also want to be a voice that's outside it a bit as well, and questioning social priorities that aren't getting a look-in. The key, he says, is to work out early on what kind of cartoon the end result will be. From a simple visual gag, to a complicated, multi-panel statement, Pope has always liked to mix up his daily offerings.

Cartoons work because they operate at a sub-rational level, that's their power, he says. Their power is in the visual image, so sometimes you just want to harness that and leave the words out because even if you put a lot of words in, it's those images that will stay with people. He points out, here, with some residual sense of amazement, that one of his most popular cartoons is still the front page image he created on the day of an NRL elimination final between the Canberra Raiders and the Cronulla Sharks in 2012. The image, of a viking riding a shark like a surfboard, was hardly subtle, but people still stop him in the street about it, and tell him that the day of the final (the Raiders won) was one of the best days of their lives. Conversely, when it comes to federal politics, the intrigue and tomfoolery has been a constant, endless gift these past 10 years, but Pope has always wanted to delve deeper than just a poke at the first dish of the day. You don't want to get into just drawing leadership struggles as these little personal ambition stories, he says.

It's almost that horse race journalism stuff, who's up and who's down. Who's being stalked by a potential rival and who isn't. What does it reflect, and how can you portray the deeper political changes that are occurring? From straight-out gags to deep reflections, from simple, arresting images to complicated visual metaphors, the challenge is often to choose one and see it through until the works done. There's a number of things you're trying to hold together at the same time, and they're all in tension with each other, and you resolve that tension each day in a different direction and you're never happy with it because you think oh god, no one's going to know this story, that's old now, we've moved onto this, he says. More often than not, Pope is troubled by whats going on, particularly when it comes to news about the environment, or social inequality. It can be hard to find the right way to comment on whats happening, and keep the tone right. Cartoons are a bit of a blunt instrument. We talk about a picture being worth a thousand words, but there's plenty of time where a thousand words beats a picture, hands down, he says.The Department of Immigration will deport a North Korean-born refugee despite recognising he would probably be executed or sent to a forced labour camp on arrival in his birth country.

After two stints in prison for drug-related crimes the department sought the man's deportation for failing the 'character test', deeming him a danger to the Australian community.

Kim Jong-un. Credit:AP

But, as documents obtained by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald show, even though the department accepted the man, Choe*, may be subject to the death penalty, or put into one of the secretive regimes notorious forced labour camps on his return, these threats are not an insurmountable hardship sufficient to stop his deportation.

Australia is a signatory to numerous conventions that discourage refoulement  the involuntarily return of refugees to their country of origin where they may face persecution."This is not good enough," he said. Days after the initial incident appeared, there are more questions to answer than there were when it first started." But a spokeswoman for Ms Berejiklian said: The Premier is upset that residents have been inconvenienced in this way, especially over Christmas and the New Year. "She has been following the issue very closely and expects that the full weight of the law will be applied if anyone is found to have done the wrong thing. Safety can never be compromised. Speculation and recriminations flowed as hundreds of frustrated residents fled the 392-unit block for the second time since the crack appeared on Christmas Eve to allow for urgent investigations. Residents of Opal Tower vent their frustration on Thursday. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

The incident also created a political headache for the NSW government in the lead-up to the next election, as it remains torn between a desire to increase housing supply across the city and community concerns about over-development. Labor's planning spokeswoman Tania Mihailuk said the government "needs to understand that there are potential ramifications across the entire sector for all new high-rise developments and public confidence will need to be repaired promptly". Given the [planning] minister in September 2017 has approved an increase from 6000 to 10,700 units, and 14,000 residents to 23,500, at Sydney Olympic Park there is even more need to ensure that this investigation is comprehensive. "There are so many new high-rise developments that have been approved and residents need peace of mind. NSW Opposition Leader Michael Daley said residents were "shell-shocked". Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

Planning Minister Anthony Roberts appointed two engineering professors to investigate what caused the split to the six-by-three-metre pre-cast concrete panel on level 10 of the building. "The government is confident in its planning and approval regime, which has been reformed greatly since the years Labor was in power," a spokesman for Mr Roberts said. "We are awaiting the outcome of an investigation to conclude why exactly this fault occurred, and we will comment on the investigators' report at that time." Loading The tower, which sits on Sydney Olympic Park Authority land deemed "state significant", was approved by former planning minister Rob Stokes' department as a major development in June 2015.

A Planning Department spokesman this week said the state significant development process "follows the same rigorous and thorough assessment steps that would be applied if a development was being considered by council". Sydney consultant Ross Taylor, who specialises in building facade and waterproofing defects, said this week that the building damage pointed to "a broader pattern in the industry". He said the city's development boom in part meant that designers faced increased pressure from builders and developers to produce buildings that were cheaper and quicker to construct. "Major defects are usually related to design rather than construction error," he said. Builders Collective of Australia national president Phil Dwyer said the building defect was "the tip of the iceberg" and exposed wider problems within the building industry.

"Weve had enormous failures everywhere," he said. "The dilapidation in the [building] industry over the past 10-15 years has been enormous." Tenants Union NSW senior policy officer Leo Patterson Ross said a lot of new buildings came with defects  "not all of them are at this level"  and renters were being hit harder than owner-occupiers. "It seems like over the past 10 to 15 years it appears to have gotten worse. The building standards have generally gotten better but also the types of buildings are changing." But Bassam Aflak, the director of the building's developer Ecove, rejected the suggestions the damage signalled industry-wide problems and said there had been "no cutting of corners". "Its too early to leap to any conclusions, for instance, to speculate on wider building issues because of what appears to be one failed panel," he said.Roads are melting, beaches are full to bursting and air conditioners are getting a serious end-of-year workout as residents in Sydney and across the state swelter through heatwave conditions, with no end in sight until 2019.

The "severe" to "extreme" heatwave that settled in Sydney on Thursday is set to continue "for the foreseeable future", the weather bureau warned, even with a possible storm on the way for New Year's Eve.

Beaches were so packed on Friday access to the Royal National Park carparks was suspended due to overcrowding, and the weekend ahead is likely to bring even bigger crowds to the coast.The developer of Opal Tower in Sydney's west has told frustrated residents their relocation is indefinite, as work to investigate large cracks to a concrete slab inside the building is expected to take at least 10 days.

On Thursday, residents of the apartment block at Sydney Olympic Park were told they would be fully evacuated for the second time since Christmas Eve, as builders and engineers scrambled to investigate the structural failure that caused the concrete slab and walls to crack.

Director of Icon NSW Julian Doyle addresses residents. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

About 300 residents were evacuated from the tower after they noticed cracking noises and damage to interior walls on level 10 of the building on Monday.

The builder, Icon, told residents on Thursday they would have to leave their homes for "up to 10 days" to allow for a wide-ranging investigation."I would really rethink the time of day I come [to the beach] from now on," she said. Heathmont local Jacinta Collier says she would reconsider coming back to Chelsea beach. Credit:Eddie Jim Some Chelsea traders also feared violence along the foreshore could worsen and said it was already affecting business. "People are scared," said Teresa Wang who owns the Chelsea Pricecut gift store. "But there is definitely a risk for our business because fewer people will come to the beach because they think its dangerous. I would try and avoid the beach at night-time. Its actually quite scary." Trader Teresa Wang says an increase in crime on the foreshore is affecting business. Credit:Eddie Jim

But local cafe owner Tina Sidaloi said the increase in police presence on the foreshore was "over the top". Ms Sidaloi, who owns the Bubbly Beans Cafe on Nepean Highway, said it was instilling a sense of fear in the community and inciting racism rather than solving the problem. She said some African youths who had come to her cafe after spending the day at Chelsea beach had spoken of being racially vilified by other beachgoers. "They come to the shop and they say people have told them they're not welcome at the beach because of the colour of their skin," she said. Local cafe owner Tina Sidaloi said the increase in police presence on the foreshore was "over the top". Credit:Eddie Jim

"These are young people who haven't robbed or hurt anyone. They're just going to the beach like anyone else. What happened [on Thursday night] is awful and it should not happen anywhere, ever. I'm Lebanese. I'm sure in my culture there are bad people too, as there are in every culture, but we shouldn't be taking it out on people who haven't done anything wrong just because they're the same nationality." Ms Sidaloi believed the root of all the trouble on the foreshore was young people drinking and taking drugs, despite an alcohol ban in the area. "There are people drinking illegally there all the time," she said. "If police focused on making sure that wasn't happening, I think it would help the situation." The trouble began about 6pm on Thursday with an altercation between two groups after an argument about jetskis, with riot police later storming the foreshore.

Loading Later on Thursday, it is believed that another group of youths were involved in three incidents on the beach between 9.30pm and 10.30pm. A male swimmer who spotted the thieves rummaging through his belongings was assaulted when he confronted the group before the youths fled with mobile phones and wallets, police said. The group then approached another three men and assaulted them. One of the victims, a 28-year-old man, also had his phone stolen. A 19-year-old man who was sitting on the beach and was then glassed in the head with a beer bottle by the group. He was taken to hospital where he received stitches.

The offenders are described as being of African appearance and aged in their late teens or early 20s. Superintendent Sharon McKinnon said the attacks were unprovoked and police numbers in Chelsea would be doubled on Friday night. "We will be working even harder to ensure it doesnt [happen again] because we dont want people not going to the beach ... its one of the most important parts of the wonderful culture we have in this country," she said. She also reassured beachgoers that Chelsea would be safe on New Year's Eve with a beefed-up police presence. There are fears that the violence at Chelsea is a result of a police crackdown at St Kilda beach with offenders simply moving down the bay to their next coastal target.

Earlier this month, footage emerged of the moment two men were ambushed and bashed unconscious in an "unprovoked, random, senseless and brutal" attack by a group of 20 youths on the St Kilda foreshore. But Police Minister Lisa Neville said the crackdown at St Kilda beach, which led to more than 30 arrests over the past six weeks, had not pushed crime to other beaches. "Our beaches are safe right across Victoria and we have police at every single one of them," she said. She added additional police had been deployed at other seaside locations. "It doesn't matter whether you're at St Kilda, Chelsea or Frankston," she said. "They have people everywhere - undercover as well as uniformed members backed up by specialist public order response teams."Harmanjot Walia was the type of person who would get along with everyone and everything. He was a kind man, a passionate photographer, an animal lover and a free spirit.

But his life was tragically cut short when he drowned at Mackenzie Falls in the Grampians on Boxing Day, the fourth person to die in Victorian waters since Christmas Eve.

Harmanjot Walia has been remembered as a kind man.

The New Zealand tourist arrived in Australia with his wife of three years, Kirtika Walia, on Christmas Day to visit two friends they had not seen in four years.

One day later, Mr Walia climbed over the ledge, slipped in the notoriously dangerous falls and drowned.



The state's Attorney-General has ordered an investigation into a magistrate who suggested an alleged rape victim had suffered buyers remorse.

Attorney-General Jill Hennessy confirmed she had referred the matter involving magistrate Richard Pithouse to the Judicial Commission for further investigation.

On Friday, Ms Hennessy said the embattled magistrate's comments were "not in line with community expectations and caused distress to sexual assault survivors".

While these matters are subject to investigation, its not appropriate to comment further," she said.A 20-year-old man has been charged with murder after a man died following an alleged altercation at a Clarkson home overnight.

Homicide Squad detectives are investigating the incident, which allegedly took place at the Willoughby Retreat home on Thursday afternoon and saw a 34-year-old man die from his injuries.

The 20-year-old man is due to appear in Joondalup Magistrates Court on Friday morning.

Police are calling for anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online at www.crimestopperswa.com.au.We become attached to our homes, don't we? So much so, in fact, that over the years they take on lives of their own.

They become mirrors to the lives we lead in them.

They are the places we played in as kids; where we celebrated birthdays; where we met a girl at a party; which welcomed our babies when we first brought them home from the hospital; which we bought with years of hard work; where we returned after the toughest days we've ever had.

The Willagee house where David and Catherine Birnie committed the most unspeakable crimes. Credit:File image

They take on the character of their owners. There's a happiness you can feel in a home that's been well lived in.It is hard to believe the turmoil and commercial disruption that occurred throughout Britain and Europe last week, when Londons second-biggest airport Gatwick was shut down for days amid reports that a drone was buzzing the airspace. A drone.

And its just as hard to believe that emergency authorities in Tasmania had to suspend aerial efforts to dowse bushfires raging on Bruny Island because, again, some wit was whizzing a drone in the airspace above the fires.

Clearly, general airspace is getting crowded, but what some consider a bit of a lark or a prank can present a dangerous security risk to the community. Britains Security Minister Ben Wallace, for example, has expressed concern about the threat of terrorist networks deploying drones armed with miniaturised bombs.

Gatwick Airport was shut down after drone sightings. Credit:AP

While authorities overseas grapple with security risks raised by remotely controlled air devices, their Australian counterparts have already moved to tighten regulations around who can control drones and where they can be flown.

The Civil Aviation and Safety Authority, which monitors and regulates all aviation in this country, in October 2017 banned the use of drones near emergency operations or within three nautical miles of airports or landing strips. From next month, CASA will deploy new mobile technology that can identify serial numbers of drones flying in restricted airspace and help to locate drone operators within minutes.

And from mid-2019, all operators of drones  recreational and commercial  will be required to register their devices with CASA and undergo online training and safety courses.

CASAs website and Facebook page are full of advice and rules about using drones. It has an app to assist people wanting to know where they can safely and legally fly drones. In other words, the warnings and advice are there, the rules are there, and the penalties for breaches are stiff  including, in some instances, jail terms.The Victorian Greens will overhaul the way the party vets candidates and handles misconduct allegations, after a year beset by scandals and disappointing election results.

It comes as another Green walks away, with former Darebin mayor Kim Le Cerf resigning over the party's handling of bullying allegations raised in the lead up to the Batman byelection.

Her departure marks a dramatic collapse in the branch's fortunes 12 months ago Darebin was the biggest Greens branch in the country, with a Greens local mayor, a Greens state MP in Lidia Thorpe, and hopes for a federal MP in the once-safe Labor seat of Batman (now called Cooper).

Since then, external members have been brought in to help run the Darebin branch, Labor's Kat Theophanous wrested Northcote from Ms Thorpe in the November state election, and the fallout continues from the toxic Batman byelection.

Cr Le Cerf, who will now sit as an independent councillor at Darebin, refused to publicly discuss her resignation from the party.Much of the recent media reporting about the potential security threat posed by Huawei telecommunications and networking equipment, and Huawei consumer electronics products, is poorly informed and smacks of hysteria.

Huawei (meaning Splendid Act or Able China) was started in China in 1987 by Ren Zhengfei a former Peoples Liberation Army engineer. He started by developing phone switches, but soon realised that future success in the electronics industry required advanced research. Some of Huaweis early research knowledge may have come from Chinas global industrial espionage program.

A staff member uses a laptop computer at a display for Huawei 5G wireless technology at the PT Expo in Beijing. Credit:AP

Although China has managed to shortcut research across-the-board through industrial espionage, I suspect that Chinas advanced IT capabilities largely came about because the US leaked like a sieve during a critical period of IT development.

When I worked at the University of California at San Diego in 2003, UCSD had an advanced masters program in IT studies. Most of the students were from China. They were regularly lectured by managers and leading researchers from Silicon Valley about research breakthroughs and what revolutionary IT developments were coming down the track. Little wonder that China was soon ahead of the US in some areas.London: World-renowned human rights advocate Mary Robinson stepped into the strange affair of an Arab princess this week, and found herself accused of giving political cover to rights abuses by the royal family of Dubai.

The case involves Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum, a daughter of Dubai's ruler, who left the Gulf emirate against her father's wishes in late February, was seized and returned against her will in early March, and then was not seen by outsiders for more than nine months.

Days after return to Dubai, her friends released a video she had made before her escape in which she accused her father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, of a range of offenses, including having people killed and having her and one of her sisters locked up, tortured and drugged to keep them docile. She had been imprisoned for more than three years for a previous attempt to escape Dubai, she said, and "it was constant torture, constant torture," both physical and psychological.

A photo released by the UAE showing Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed al-Maktoum, a daughter of Dubai's ruler, with Mary Robinson, a former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and former president of Ireland. Credit:UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The video and the story of her dramatic escape drew enormous attention from the news media, and the video has been watched millions of times.Baghdad: President Donald Trump's surprise trip to Iraq may have quieted criticism at home that he had yet to visit troops in a combat zone, but it has infuriated Iraqi politicians who on Thursday demanded the withdrawal of US forces.

"Arrogant" and an "a violation of national sovereignty" were but a few examples of the disapproval emanating from Baghdad following Trump's meeting Wednesday with US servicemen and women at the al-Asad Airbase.

Trump flies the American flag in Iraq as he addresses the troops. Credit:AP

Trips by US presidents to conflict zones are typically shrouded in secrecy and subject to strict security measures, and Trump's was no exception. Few in Iraq or elsewhere knew the US president was in the country until minutes before he left.

But this trip came as curbing foreign influence in Iraqi affairs has become a hot-button political issue, and Trump's perceived presidential faux-pas was failing to meet with the prime minister in a break with diplomatic custom for any visiting head of state.Cincinnati: An Ohio police department says an officer encountered an unexpected traveller during a traffic stop: A kangaroo named "Scooby-Roo."

'Scooby-Roo' as pictured by an officer of the Norwood police department.

Officer Phil Harvey of the Norwood Police Department, which serves a Cincinnati suburb, said he met the "adorable" kangaroo during an early-morning traffic stop on Thursday.

He pulled over a pickup truck with a livestock trailer for "several violations" and began speaking with the driver.

Harvey soon learned that the livestock trailer contained two ostriches. Then he noticed the passenger seat contained a pouch that was moving.An examination of the files revealed numerous gaps, biases and outright errors. As Facebook employees grope for the right answers, they have allowed extremist language to flourish in some countries while censoring mainstream speech in others. Moderators were once told, for example, to remove fundraising appeals for volcano victims in Indonesia because a co-sponsor of the drive was on Facebook's internal list of banned groups. In Myanmar, a paperwork error allowed a prominent extremist group, accused of fomenting genocide, to stay on the platform for months. In India, moderators were mistakenly told to take down comments critical of religion. March 2018: The ruins of a home set on fire by a Buddhist mob in Sri Lanka, where Facebook has been accused of accelerating violence. Credit:New York Times The Facebook employees who meet to set the guidelines, mostly young engineers and lawyers, try to distill highly complex issues into simple yes-or-no rules. Then the company outsources much of the actual post-by-post moderation to companies that enlist largely unskilled workers, many hired out of call centres. Those moderators, at times relying on Google Translate, have mere seconds to recall countless rules and apply them to the hundreds of posts that dash across their screens each day.

Moderators express frustration at rules they say don't always make sense and sometimes require them to leave up posts they fear could lead to violence. "You feel like you killed someone by not acting," one said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he had signed a non-disclosure agreement. Facebook executives say they are working diligently to rid the platform of dangerous posts. "It's not our place to correct people's speech, but we do want to enforce our community standards on our platform," said Sara Su, a senior engineer on the News Feed. "When you're in our community, we want to make sure that we're balancing freedom of expression and safety." Monika Bickert, Facebook's head of global policy management, said that the primary goal was to prevent harm, and that to a great extent, the company had been successful. But perfection, she said, is not possible. The Rules

The guidelines for identifying hate speech, a problem that has bedevilled Facebook, run to 200 jargon-filled, head-spinning pages. Moderators must sort a post into one of three "tiers" of severity. They must bear in mind lists like the six "designated dehumanising comparisons," among them comparing Jews to rats. "There's a real tension here between wanting to have nuances to account for every situation, and wanting to have set of policies we can enforce accurately and we can explain cleanly," said Bickert, the Facebook executive. As detailed as the guidelines can be, they are also approximations - best guesses at how to fight extremism or disinformation. And they are leading Facebook to intrude into sensitive political matters the world over, sometimes clumsily. Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes has a history of making inflammatory statements about Muslims, women and members of the LGBT community. Credit:AP Increasingly, the decisions on what posts should be barred amount to regulating political speech - and not just on the fringes. In many countries, extremism and the mainstream are blurring.

In the United States, Facebook banned the Proud Boys, a far-right pro-Trump group. The company also blocked an inflammatory ad, about a caravan of Central American migrants, that was produced by President Donald Trump's political team. "Facebook's role has become so hegemonic, so monopolistic, that it has become a force unto itself," said Jasmin Mujanovic, an expert on the Balkans. "No one entity, especially not a for-profit venture like Facebook, should have that kind of power to influence public debate and policy." In India, Chinmayi Arun, a legal scholar, identified troubling mistakes in Facebook's guidelines. One slide says that Indian law prohibits calls for an independent Kashmir, which some legal scholars dispute. The slide instructs moderators to "look out for" the phrase "Free Kashmir" - though the slogan, common among activists, is completely legal. Facebook says it is simply urging moderators to apply extra scrutiny to posts that use the phrase. Still, even this could chill activism in Kashmir. And it is not clear that the distinction will be obvious to moderators, who are warned that ignoring violations could get Facebook blocked in India.

'Things Explode Really Fast' In the absence of governments or international bodies that can set standards, Facebook is experimenting on its own. "A lot of this would be a lot easier if there were authoritative third parties that had the answer," said Brian Fishman, a counter-terrorism expert who works with Facebook. "Sometimes these things explode really fast," Fishman said, "and we have to figure out what our reaction's going to be, and we don't have time for the UN." But the results can be uneven.

Consider the guidelines for the Balkans, where rising nationalism is threatening to reignite old violence. The file on that region, not updated since 2016, includes odd errors. Ratko Mladic, a Bosnian war criminal still celebrated by extremists, is described as a fugitive. In fact, he was arrested in 2011. April 2018: Cardboard cutouts of Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, outside the US Capitol as he testified at a Senate hearing about the companys practices. Credit:New York Times The slides are apparently written for English speakers relying on Google Translate, suggesting that Facebook remains short on moderators who speak local languages - and who might understand local contexts crucial for identifying inflammatory speech. The guidelines, said Mujanovic, appear dangerously out of date. They have little to say about ultra-nationalist groups stoking political violence in the region. The Hate List

Facebook's most politically consequential document may be an Excel spreadsheet that names every group and individual the company has quietly barred as a hate figure. Moderators are instructed to remove any post praising, supporting or representing any listed figure. Anton Shekhovtsov, an expert in far-right groups, said he was "confused about the methodology". The company bans an impressive array of US and British groups, he said, but relatively few in countries where the far right can be more violent, particularly Russia or Ukraine. Countries where Facebook faces government pressure seem to be better covered than those where it does not. Facebook blocks dozens of far-right groups in Germany, where the authorities scrutinise the social network, but only one in neighbouring Austria. For a tech company to draw these lines is "extremely problematic", said Jonas Kaiser, a Harvard University expert on online extremism. "It puts social networks in the position to make judgment calls that are traditionally the job of the courts."

The bans are a kind of shortcut, said Sana Jaffrey, who studies Indonesian politics at the University of Chicago. Asking moderators to look for a banned name or logo is easier than asking them to make judgment calls about when political views are dangerous. Supporters of ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi protest in Cairo in 2013. Facebook's rules have tended to favour state power in the Middle East, especially against religiously-based opposition. Credit:AP But that means that in much of Asia and the Middle East, Facebook bans hard-line religious groups that represent significant segments of society. Blanket prohibitions, Jaffrey said, amount to Facebook shutting down one side in national debates. And its decisions often skew in favour of governments, which can fine or regulate Facebook. The View From Menlo Park

One hurdle to reining in inflammatory speech on Facebook may be Facebook itself. The platform relies on an algorithm that tends to promote the most provocative content, sometimes of the sort the company says it wants to suppress. Facebook could blunt that algorithm or slow the company's expansion into new markets, where it has proved most disruptive. But the social network instills in employees an almost unquestioned faith in their product as a force for good. Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, testifies on Capitol Hill in September. Credit:New York Times When Su, the News Feed engineer, was asked if she believed research finding that more Facebook usage correlates with more violence, she replied: "I don't think so." "As we have greater reach, as we have more people engaging, that raises the stakes," she said. "But I also think that there's greater opportunity for people to be exposed to new ideas."Sacramento: President Donald Trump says the shooting death of a Californian police officer by a man in the country illegally shows the need for a border crackdown.

Trump tweeted on Thursday saying "Build the Wall!"

Police officer Ronil "Ron" Singh, who was shot dead by a suspected drunk driver who was also allegedly an illegal immigrant. Credit:AP

"There is right now a full scale manhunt going on in California for an illegal immigrant accused of shooting and killing a police officer during a traffic stop. Time to get tough on Border Security."

A man killed Corporal Ronil Singh of the small-town Newman Police Department during a traffic stop over suspected drunken driving.This kind of thing does not normally happen. Presidents can expect to pick and choose from the best their country has to offer. But Ayers was not alone in declining to serve this president. So did a string of other well-known and regarded men, and they did it very publicly. These refusals amounted to the first meaningful sign that the mainstream Republican Party might  finally  be willing to act as a brake on Trumps undisciplined and erratic behaviour. There have been other signs as well. On December 12, the Senate passed a bi-partisan resolution directing the Trump administration to rescind all US military assistance to Saudi Arabia relating to the war in Yemen. Even more significantly, that same day another Senate resolution unanimously named Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as responsible for the murder of US-based Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi embassy in Istanbul in October.

Both resolutions were spectacular acts of defiance against Trump, but it was the second that heralded a shift might be under way because it was co-sponsored by Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell. For McConnell to stand up to the President when Trump had aggressively denied the crown prince's involvement was a startling turn of events. And it was to be the first of several. Loading The resignation of James Mattis as defence secretary has had a galvanising impact on the Washington political establishment. More so than the firing of secretary of state Rex Tillerson, the resignations of national security adviser H.R. McMaster and economic adviser Gary Cohn, or even the forcing out of attorney-general Jeff Sessions and COS John Kelly, Mattis bombshell has rattled Washington. Widely viewed as the last remaining adult in the administration, described by the Washington Post as "a human guard rail against the presidents impulses", Mattis was  rightly or wrongly  seen as being able to curb the President's worst excesses.

Loading Until he couldnt. When he was unable to stop the unplanned and, to the military and diplomatic establishment, ill-advised withdrawal of US troops from Syria, Mattis walked. His letter of resignation, setting out his view of how Trump is a destabilising force in the world, had allies around the world, including in Australia, forced to confront the alarming fact that there may now be few curbs on this President. The era of containment is over, as one commentator put it. But then Senator Mitch McConnell issued a rare statement, saying he was "distressed" at Mattiss resignation and supporting the views contained in the former defence secretarys letter that the US should support its allies and recognise that countries like Russia are foes.

Loading (Right on cue, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Trump for the Syrian withdrawal but suggested he go further and also scale down US military presence in Afghanistan, a suggestion Trump acted upon with alacrity, creating further distress in Washington and among the allies.) Trump is now politically exposed in an unprecedented way. He has neither political armory nor the policy and managerial ballast the office of the president requires in the best of times. He is entering the most perilous period of his presidency with a team that is in many respects unqualified or incompetent. His new chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, a former head of the Office of Management and Budget, looks and sounds more like a small-town college professor than a guy with the smarts needed to head the White House. He is "acting" in the job so has limited authority and, in any case, it seems his boss has redefined the job. No longer is the COS advising and managing the President, Mulvaney told a Sunday morning talk shows a week ago he is now merely in charge of the staff. A glorified office manager?

Loading Trump has nominated a patently unqualified former Fox News presenter, Heather Nauert, as his ambassador to the United Nations, which is an insult both to the institution and to her predecessors from both parties. His acting Defence Secretary, Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing executive, has neither military nor government experience but is favoured by Trump for his enthusiastic embrace of the creation of a Space Force which, against all military advice, the President wants to become the sixth branch of the armed services. And he wants no team of rivals, giving none of the new appointees security of tenure. The White House Chief of Staff, the Defence Secretary, the Attorney-General, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency and, as of next week, the Secretary of the Interior are all "acting" in their jobs. How likely are any of them to act as "guard rails" against a President careening out of control? And although the media is mostly portraying all this as normal, increasingly there are calls to rein in the President. "People, time for an intervention. This guy has nukes," Nobel prize-winning New York Times columnist Paul Krugman tweeted the day before Christmas. A few days earlier, former CIA director John Brennan warned, also on Twitter, "disaster looms" and asked: "Okay Republicans, how much longer are you going to let this farcical presidency continue?"

And that, going into 2019, is the big question. It is difficult to see 20 Republican senators joining Democrats in voting to convict the President were he to be impeached by the House but that does not mean that other, less public, options might not be being canvassed. For instance, could Trump be persuaded to resign in return for a Pence pardon of criminal activities likely to result from the various probes? Even if the view prevails that a sitting president cannot be indicted as a result of any of numerous investigations federal and state authorities have underway (and that was challenged recently by, of all people, Ken Starr, the special prosecutor whose 1998 report on the Lewinsky affair led to the impeachment of president Bill Clinton), there are other pitfalls for President Trump. Indictments by New York (or other) state prosecutors could simply be put on ice until the end of his presidency, leaving him liable to prosecution then. It is impossible to know yet how it is going to unravel but Mitch McConnells increasing defiance is a new and unexpected factor. In his third such act in as many weeks, McConnell publicly refused the Presidents request to employ a rarely used method of changing the Senates voting procedure - the so-called nuclear option - to pass legislation and avert the federal government shutdown. He and his fellow Republican senators thus denied Trump his wall. Could it be there is now ongoing resistance to this farce from Congressional Republicans?All-New Land Rover Defender Goes On Sale in North America Starting 2020

SEE ALSO: 1997 Land Rover Defender Specs

DEBUT COMING IN 2019

 Testing of Camouflaged Prototypes On-/Off-Road Begins January 2019 in North America

 Next Generation Defender Will Be Revealed in 2019 and Available from 2020

MAHWAH, NJ - December 28, 2018: Land Rover North America announced something to celebrate in the New Year, the next-generation Land Rover Defender will be offered for sale in both the U.S. and Canada, starting in 2020.

Testing of the new vehicle is already underway around the world with the first development mules and prototypes reaching North American shores earlier this month. Testing on the continent provides valuable data to engineers given the wide variety of terrain and surfaces available in America. Engineers will subject the vehicle to rigorous test extremes to make sure the new Defender is the most off-road capable Land Rover vehicle ever; operating in temperatures from -40F to +120F while driving the test vehicles on- and off-road at altitudes of more than 13,000 feet above sea level.

There are a handful of automobiles that are beloved around the world and stand for a brand, a country and a distinct way of life. The Land Rover Defender is such a singular vehicle," said Kim McCullough, Vice President of Marketing for Jaguar Land Rover North America. "On behalf of Land Rover and our retailers, we are proud to announce the voices of American and Canadian customers has been heard: The all new Defender will be for sale here starting in 2020. This announcement is a holiday gift to our Defender fans in North America and a hint of whats to come in the New Year.

Series Land Rover vehicles have garnered a cult-like following for both their iconic design and reputation for rugged go-anywhere utility, making them among the worlds most capable off-road vehicles. In the time since they were sold in the U.S. and Canada, NAS-Spec Defender vehicles have appreciated in value significantly and are widely sought after as collectors items for both off-road enthusiasts and those who appreciate the design aesthetic of the vehicle.

The Series Land Rover vehicles havent changed much since the idea for the first model was dreamed up shortly after World War II by the Wilks brothers on the shores of Red Wharf Bay, Wales, more than 70 years ago. With each successive design  from the Series 1, 2, and 3 Land Rover vehicles, to the later Defender branded vehicles  changes were largely evolutionary, rather than revolutionary.

Even the design of the previous generation Defender remained largely unchanged for the 33 years it was produced. Instantly recognizable by its rugged squared-off exterior, round headlights and signature rear-mounted spare tire, the Defender and all Series Land Rover vehicles have been lauded the world over; driven by farmers, military and police, celebrities, and even royalty. By one measure, its estimated that a Series Land Rover was the first automobile many of the worlds population ever saw in person.

With an all-new exterior and interior design, as well as a suite of the latest driver assistance and connectivity features available, the next-generation Defender will be a revolutionary product for Land Rover with even broader public appeal. When it debuts in 2019, the new model will represent 70 years of innovation and improvement in just one model year; honoring the models history for rugged durability, while thoroughly remaining a Defender for the 21st century.

All will be revealed in 2019.Not-for-profit organizations, public-sector employers, and private employers with up to 50 employees can now apply for funding through the Canada Summer Jobs Program.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/12/2018 (1071 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Not-for-profit organizations, public-sector employers, and private employers with up to 50 employees can now apply for funding through the Canada Summer Jobs Program.

All positions will be posted on jobbank.gc.ca and on an app, to get the word out and help match young people with employers and good quality jobs.

Not-for-profit employers can receive 100 percent of the provincial or territorial minimum hourly wage. Public-sector employers and private sector employers with 50 or fewer full-time employees across Canada can receive 50 percent of the provincial or territorial minimum hourly wage.

Applications are being accepted until Jan. 25.3 Adults and 1 Teen Arrested After Mall Brawl Involving Hundreds of People in Connecticut

Four adults and one teen were arrested after a mall fight involving hundreds of youths in Connecticut on Dec. 26, according to police in Manchester.

Police responded to a call at 6 p.m. that a brawl had broken out at the Buckland Hills Mall in Manchester, reported Fox61. There were a number of disturbances reported at the mall, and as many as 300 people were believed to have been involved.

Most of those involved in the fights were teens, said police. According to the Hartford Courant newspaper, the brawls took place as others tried to exchange Christmas gifts and take advantage of day-after Christmas sales in the mall.

JUST IN: Video of one of the massive teen brawls that shut down CT Post Mall in #Milford. .@WTNH #CTnews

Android: https://t.co/h9ghVMshuj pic.twitter.com/5GceXJEigJ  Mario Boone, Jou. (@MarioBooneTV) December 27, 2018

Three womenidentified as Dynastee McCoy, 19 Inaeja Williams, 18, and Naejza Bates, 18were charged with second-degree breach of peace, interfering with police, and second-degree inciting a riot, according to the report. They were described in court on Dec. 29, as Connecticut residents who dont have criminal records.

A 17-year-old male was charged with second-degree breach of peace, interfering with police, second-degree inciting a riot, and first-degree criminal trespass in connection with the incident at the mall. He was also charged with carrying a gun without a permit after officials found a loaded .22-caliber Taurus 228 handgun in his waistband.

Officials said there were also reports of a person using pepper spray in the brawls, the Courant reported.

Police in Manchester were forced to call for backup from other towns, the Courant reported. There were only six officers working a special assignment in the mall at the time.

Police said the brawls started at 6 p.m., but everything was under control by 7 p.m.

Officers from Vernon, South Windsor, Glastonbury, East Windsor, East Hartford, state police, and other departments responded to the brawls, according to the Courant. South Windsor police said after the mall was cleared, groups gathered at Walmart and then went to Target, which was later secured by officers until the crowds were dispersed. Both stores are located near the mall.

In another incident, a juvenile was arrested following several disturbances at the Connecticut Post Mall in Milford, The Associated Press reported.

Manchester police said at the time that officers on the scene working a detail within the mall reported a large fight with several other disturbances occurring around the mall interior. It was estimated that 200-300 people, most appearing to be juveniles, were involved. Mutual aid was requested and officers from surrounding agencies responded to the mall area, the CT Post reported.

After the initial fight, numerous other disturbances around the mall interior and exterior. During the course of dispersing the crowds, groups of individuals gathered in the parking lot and nearby businesses. Responding police resources were dispatched to control the surrounding areas, said police. Additional resources will be present in the mall in the forseeable future, police said.

Police are still working to figure out what caused the riot. Those with information can contact the Manchester police at 860-645-5500.

Manchester is approximately 10 miles east of Hartford.A Season of Giving: The Challenge of Charity

Commentary

At this time each year, our family is inundated with solicitations by mail, email, and even telephone. We are given many opportunities for givingto charities that help the poor and downtrodden in this country and across the world, to philanthropies that aid orchestras or schools and colleges, and to worthy causes and publications that we are known or presumed to support.

The first of these opportunities concerns charity as the giving of time, treasure, and talent to help those in need, those in poverty and distress. Its a religious duty for those who are Christian, Jewish, or from other faiths. We give of our own abundance to those less fortunate, out of gratitude, liberality, and love.

Yet, charity has particular challenges. It can itself be uncharitable. Instead of expressing love and caring, it can become sentimentalized, casual and brusque, bureaucratized, humiliating, or over-professionalized. In the hands of some progressive social workers, the helping and caring that individuals and families need at the moment can be subordinated to political goals.

Funding considerations and the priorities and regulations of funders, especially government, can define or defeat the organizations mission of meeting human needs. Major charities in the United States, such as Catholic Charities or the Salvation Army, are heavily dependent on government funding and, as such, are subject to requirements that contradict the mission or fundamental beliefs enshrined in those organizations.

In some cases, such agencies have been pushed out of work where they had for many decades played an important role, such as foster family care and adoption (for example, Catholic Charities in Massachusetts and Illinois).

Many of these problems had their origins in well-meaning attempts to improve charitable activity: to make it more caring, helpful, and organized. An important example of this paradox is the Charity Organization Societies (COS).

Social Work

Developed first in Germany and England, the COS had its U.S. beginnings in Buffalo, New York, in 1877. It was formed in criticism of, and as an alternative to, existing arrangements for helping the poor. Professional social work developed from this effort.

Charity, at that time, was either a punitive system of tax-supported public poor reliefimpersonal, formal, and demoralizingor it amounted to a disorganized system of casual and random handouts.

There were many voluntary societies for specific needsa coal society here, a milk society thereas donors identified particular needs and sought to meet them. The public system was designed to deter dependency and reinforce the labor market by ensuring that the highest level of poor relief would be less attractive (less eligible) than the lowest level of paid labor.

The voluntary system was uncoordinated. It was subject to abuse, as recipients could go from one aid society to another picking up handouts, with no one knowing what else that individual had received or what his or her actual needs were.

Those who gave to charity were well-intentioned, could feel good, and could show to themselves and others that they were, in the modern term, compassionate and not hard-hearted in the manner of Dickenss Scrooge character. All this sentimental charity substituted feel-good giving for the personal concern, loving care, and respect that the virtue of charity calls for. Charity without love.

The COS aimed to remedy these deficiencies. They sought to organize charity, to make it more caring and responsive to the actual situations and needs of those seeking help.

They insisted on the need for friendship; their slogan was not alms but a friend. They developed a system of friendly visitors, the forerunners of professional social work, who would assess the situation and needs of their clients (the term introduced by the COS leader and pioneer of social casework Mary Richmond).

The aim was to make charity scientific, to base it on the systematic assessment of individual cases, but also on research and coordinated charity in the community, from which the community chest and, eventually, the United Way emerged.

But this solution to the problems of sentimental charity was a cure that was worse than the disease, in the eyes of many.

A Changing Relationship

The friendly visitors, mainly women of the business and professional classes, with a gap in social status between them and those they helped, didnt always seem so friendly. A friendly neighbor would give a mother who found herself without the cup of sugar she needed for a recipe the ingredient she asked for. A friendly visitor might give her not alms, but friendly advice on managing the family budget.

Professionalism offered a solution to this awkwardness. But it changed the relationship from one between a Good Samaritan helping a person in need, to one between a lawyer and client. Even the term charity, with both its religious and non-professional connotations, became an embarrassment to social workers seeking to be recognized as professionals.

Charitys reputation suffered, both from the sentimental, disorganized characteristics that the COS criticized and also from the COSs attempt to make it more professional and scientific. The supporters of sentimental, disorganized charity criticized the organized kind for going cold and scientific, and for lacking the very fellow-feeling, and personal concern, and friendship that the COS had been founded to foster.

The Irish-American poet John Boyle OReilly put it this way in 1887:

The organized charity, scrimpd and iced,

In the name of a cautious, statistical Christ.

So, charity came under attack from all sides, including from socialists who saw it as a band-aid, a worthless alternative to the class struggle that alone would eradicate poverty at its roots. Social workers in the 1960s moved in this direction, as well. They still promoted their own professional status and lobbied for state licensure, but also engaged in social activism to promote their vision of justice. For the professional therapist and the political activist, charity had become an embarrassment.

But as Pope Benedict XVI wrote in his encyclical letter, God Is Love, which addresses the Churchs charity workers in its second part: Lovecaritaswill always prove necessary even in the most just society. There is no ordering of the State so just that it will eliminate the need for the service of love.

Those who seek to help others, and choose a profession where they have the opportunity to do so, need to develop competence, but also what Benedict calls a formation of the heart.

One is a matter of knowledge and skill, acquired through education and training. The other is a matter of virtue and character. They dont stand in opposition.

Paul Adams is a professor emeritus of social work at the University of Hawaii, and was a professor and associate dean of academic affairs at Case Western Reserve University. He is the co-author of Social Justice Isnt What You Think It Is, and has written extensively on social welfare policy and professional and virtue ethics.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.Air Force Says Nothing Wrong With Airmen Getting Pro-Trump Hats Signed

There was nothing wrong with military members bringing Make America Great Again hats to get them signed by President Donald Trump when he visited Airmen at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Dec. 26, the Air Force said.

There is no rule against Airmen bringing personal items to be signed by the president, the U.S. Air Forces in Europe told Stars and Stripes in a statement.

Any time the commander in chief offers the opportunity to meet with Airmen, such as this official holiday visit by the President and First Lady, Airmen are welcome to participate. No policy violations have been brought to our attention at this time.

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were greeted with cheers at the Air Base as they posed for pictures with the troops, signed autographs, and spoke with members of the military.

Speculation fueled by claims by reporters and pundits on cable television that military members violated military rules by bringing Make America Great Again hats and other gear with them prompted the statement by the Air Force.

Despite some people claiming the display violated a rule that prohibits military members from taking part in partisan political activities while in uniform, the Air Force noted that the troops held the hats for signing but did not wear them in uniform.

Patrick Hughes, a former active duty Air Force JAG, said that it was not at all clear whether the actions amounted to a policy violation, noting that the troops were not attending a political rally but greeting the commander-in-chief.

The purpose of the event was to greet the Airmen while his plane refueled, Hughes said. This is why I believe the question as to whether these Airmen have done anything prohibited by law or regulation is less certain.

He added, I think it remains debatable and no certainty that any laws or regulations were violated here, and I think at most some informal counseling on the above perception issue is warranted.

The lack of proof of a policy violation didnt stop numerous reporters and cable news analysts from ranting about the gear, with some bringing up the possibility that Trump himself brought the hats, an assertation for which there was no evidence.

The speculation came after false reports on Trumps troop visit, with media quickly pivoting from one stance to another.

Trumps in Iraq

Prior to stopping in Germany, the Trumps visited troops in Iraq for Christmas. Some troops there also brought hats for the president to sign.

Trump told reporters that he wanted to visit to honor the troops.

I want to come and pay my respects most importantly to the great soldiers, great troopers we have here.

He gave a speech telling them that hed had great meetings on base and saying the troops liked to win, noting that hed signed off on billions of dollars in new equipment.

Your eyes are popping, he said. He added that the troops had recently gotten a big pay raise.

Trump also told the troops that because of their sacrifice, Americans can live in peace. The best way to have peace is strength, he said.

Were no longer the suckers, folks, Trump added. Were respected again as a nation.

From NTD NewsRichard and Volma Overton, Jr. at his home on Veterans Day 2016. (Richard Overton - 24/7 homecare/GoFundMe)

Americas Oldest Living Veteran, Richard Overton, Dies in Texas at Age 112

The oldest living veteran in America, who fought in World War II, died in Texas on Dec. 27.

Richard Overton was living at his home in Austin but was recently admitted to a hospital due to pneumonia, which he had been battling on and off this year.

A family member confirmed the death with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Shirley Overton, whose husband was Richards cousin and longtime caretaker, said that Overton was released from the hospital on Christmas Eve prior to the death.

They had done all they could, she said.

He died late Thursday in a rehab facility in Austin, she added.

In a statement, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott lauded Overton.

Richard Overton is an American icon and a Texas legend. With his quick wit and kind spirit he touched the lives of so many, and I am deeply honored to have known him, Abbott said.

Richard Overton made us proud to be Texans and proud to be Americans. We can never repay Richard Overton for his service to our nation and for his lasting impact on the Lone Star State.

He said he and his family would pray for Overtons family.

Saluting Richard Overton for his service, spirit, and longevity. One of the last of our World War II vets has passed away at age 112, added Rep. Lloyd Doggett (R-Texas).

Born in 1906, Overton received increasing attention as hes gotten older, especially after becoming the oldest veteran in the United States. Hes also believed to be the oldest man living in the country.

Overton went on his first private jet ride to Washington in April for a tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. In June, his identity was stolen and his personal bank account was drained, but the Bank of America later restored the funds. Volma Overton Jr., a cousin, said that the investigation into the hack is ongoing.

What I do know now is that Richard just happened to be one of thousands that this has happened to and that this is much bigger than I could have imagined, he said.

Overton celebrated his 112th birthday in May, on his front porch which is known locally as his stage. He built it in East Austin in 1945.

The World War II vet loves to smoke cigars, and regularly smokes a dozen a day, mostly on the porch.

The Dallas Morning News reported that strangers often stop by the house on Richard Overton Avenue, renamed after him last year, to take his picture or shake his hand. They can also go to a nearby mural that includes him in it.

Many of his family members had died, including his nine siblings, his wife, and his ex-wife. He never had any children.

From NTD NewsConcetta Fierravanti-Wells speaks at O2 Academy Brixton in London, England, on April 17, 2018. R: Scott Morrison arrives to speak at the Australian Institute in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 15, 2018. (L: John Phillips/Getty Images for Global Citizen. R: Mick Tsikas-Pool/Getty Images)

Australian PMs Investment in Pacific Criticised by Former Pacific Minister

Australias former minister for the Pacific region, Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, has questioned the centre-right Coalition governments plans to increase investments in infrastructure in the South Pacific.

The A$2 billion ($1.4 billion) Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific aims to provide grants and long-term loans for investments in telecommunications, energy, transport, and water infrastructure, Australias Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced in November. The plan was first floated by former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in the last months of his leadership when Fierravanti-Wells was his minister.

The financing facility would be run out of Australias Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and be responsible for making up to A$1.5 billion($1.05 billion) in low-interest loans and A$500 million ($352 million) in grants.

The move had come in response to concerns that Communist Chinas influence was growing in the region through Chinas controversial One Belt, One Road or Belt and Road Initiative that was offered aid to Australias island neighbors.

Fierravanti-Wells told an Australian newspaper that the Morrison governments move will only add more debt to already struggling Pacific countries, and lessen the countries ability to spend money on pertinent local issues.

Lets be clear. A loan is a loan. It needs to be repaid, usually with interest, Fierravanti-Wells told The Australian newspaper.

Given that the debt in the Pacific is already about A$5.5 billion ($3.87 billion), including about A$2 billion ($1.4 billion) to the Asian Development Bank and World Bank, and A$1.5 billion ($1.06 billion) to Beijing, why are we even contemplating saddling our neighbours with even more debt?

According to The Australian, Fierravanti-Wells said that lending more to these countries, which have external debt-to-GDP ratios ranging from 25 percent to 90 percent, could threaten the stability of their economies.

This means scarce government resources must be deviated into debt repayment and away from critical spending such as health and education, she said.

Complaint from Beijing

In January, when Fierravanti-Wells was still minister for international development and the Pacific, she told The Australian newspaper that China was lending to Pacific nations on unfavorable terms to construct useless buildings and roads to nowhere.

Youve got the Pacific full of these useless buildings which nobody maintains, which are basically white elephants, she said at the time.

Beijing in January lodged a diplomatic complaint against Fierravanti-Wells complaining that the remarks were full of ignorance and prejudice, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

At the time, then-Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told The Australian that she would not support projects that placed onerous debt burdens on developing countries.

Read More China Luring Pacific Islands With One Belt, One Road Investments

In August, Fierravanti-Wells told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that other Pacific leaders had contacted her with messages of support.

The reality is that subsequent events have vindicated my position and the concerns I raised, she told the ABC in August.

My comments stimulated an international debate, it stimulated a debate in the Pacific  and a growing awareness of the impact of debt.

Debt Distress in the Pacific

China has transferred at least A$1.8 billion (1.26 billion) in aid and loans to South Pacific countries in the decade through to 2016, the Sydney-based Lowy Institute international policy think tank found.

Its Pacific program director Jonathan Pryke told The Australian that Fierravanti-Wells concerns are valid.

Its a really valid concern and one I know the bureaucracy is concerned about, Pryke said.

We will need to be creative in how we structure these loans to ensure we do not contribute further to the debt burdens for these countries.

With the exception of Papua New Guinea and Fiji, Pryke said other Pacific countries are approaching debt distress.

A lot of these economies are so small, one loan can take them right up to their debt threshold, Pryke told The Australian.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Watch Next:

Anastasia LinChina has become a Frankenstein MonsterA woman, Laquisha Jones, was arrested for the assault on Rodolfo Rodriguez last week. (GoFundMe)

California Woman, 30, Enters Plea for Severely Injuring 92-Year-Old Man With a Brick: DAs Office

A California woman entered a no-contest plea on Dec. 27, months after she was arrested for hitting an elderly man with a brick, said officials in a news release.

Laquisha Jones, 30, entered the no-contest plea to one count of elder abuseinfliction of injury, following the alleged attack in July. The 92-year-old victim, Rodolfo Rodriguez, was severely injur[ed], said the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office.

Jones also admitted allegations of using a deadly and dangerous weapon, a brick, during the commission of the crime and that she inflicted great bodily injury upon the victim, said the DAs office. The defendant also admitted that she was convicted in 2017 of making criminal threats.

Arrest made in July 4 attack on 92-year-old man https://t.co/OoHZf4EJ3P pic.twitter.com/Owm78zyNyn  Fox5NY (@fox5ny) July 11, 2018

Jones is slated to appear in Los Angeles County Superior Court in Compton in February 2019. If convicted, she could be sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The office alleged that Jones on July 4 attacked the elderly man with a brick without provocation. After the assault, the victim was taken to the hospital for medical treatment and Jones fled the scene, said the DAs office.

After conducting further investigation, law enforcement identified Jones as the assailant and arrested her on July 10, prosecutors said.

Video footage of the incident showed Rodriguez with a bloodied face, sitting on the ground.

Go Back to Your Country

A witness, Misbel Borjas, claimed that someone told Rodriguez that he should go back to your country, Fox News reported. The case wasnt prosecuted as a hate crime.

Eyewitnesses had said that Jones passed the elderly victim as he was walking down the street. They claimed that she started beating him with a piece of concrete, ABC7 reported.

Investigators initially thought Rodriguez may have bumped into a young girl who was with Jones before the assault happened, KTLA reported. Rodriguez, however, denied that it happened.

The woman pushed him and dropped him. She took the block of concrete and hit him in his head many times, a witness told the ABC affiliate. The person added that several men jumped in and began attacking him. I cant walk anymore, Rodriguez told CNN in an interview at the time. Im in so much pain.

Hes a permanent resident of the United States who lives in Michoacan, Mexico. He visits California twice a year, according to reports.

Erik Mendoza, the grandson of the victim, meanwhile, wrote in a GoFundMe page that an African-American lady and five other guys assaulted his grandfather. He is doing really bad, has a lot of bruises on his face and a broken cheekbone, he said. Who would do this to anybody? Mendoza asked. A 92-year-old senior citizen  what can he do to anybody? Theres no harm that he meant.

I just passed her and she pushed me and she hit me until she was done. Rodriguez also said.

Officials said they obtained a search warrant before her arrest.

Detectives began an extensive investigation into the assault. They obtained an arrest and search warrant for a suspect. Due to working every angle and lead in the case, it ultimately resulted in the arrest of Laquisha Jones without incident, the department said on July 11.Shipping containers are seen at a port in Shanghai, China on July 10, 2018. (Aly Song/Reuters)

China Allows First-Ever US Rice Imports Ahead of Trade Talks

BEIJINGChina has opened the door to imports of rice from the United States for the first time ever in what analysts took to signal a warming of relations between the worlds two biggest economies after a frosty year marked by tensions and tit-for-tat tariffs.

The green light from Chinese customs, indicated in a statement posted on the customs authoritys website on Dec. 28, comes in the run-up to talks between the countries in January after U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed to a moratorium on higher tariffs that would affect trade worth hundred of billions of dollars.

It was not immediately clear how much rice China, which sources rice imports from within Asia, might seek to buy from the United States. But the move, which comes after years of talks on the matter, follows pledges from Chinas commerce ministry of further U.S. trade openings earlier this week.

I wouldnt be surprised to see importers trying to move rice into China from California but I dont know if it will be in breathtaking quantities right away, said Stuart Hoetger, an analyst and physical rice trader based in California.

As of Dec. 27, imports of brown rice, polished rice and crushed rice from the United States are now permitted, as long as cargos meet Chinas inspection standards and are registered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

USDA on Dec. 11 forecast total U.S. rice production at 7.6 million tons while Chinese rice imports were estimated at 5.5 million tons.

U.S. rice futures had little reaction to the announcement, with front-month prices declining by 14 cents to $9.99 per cwt, the lowest since Oct. 1.

The permission for U.S. rice suggests an improving U.S. and China relationship, said Cherry Zhang, an agriculture analyst with consultancy JCI. Zhang said she expected any imports would likely be ordered by state-owned companies.

Officials at a government-affiliated think-tank in Beijing said the price of U.S. rice was not competitive, compared with imports from South Asia.

China opened its rice market when it joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, but a lack of phytosanitary protocol between China and the United States effectively banned imports, according to trade group USA Rice.

Nonetheless in July, China formally imposed additional tariffs of 25 percent on U.S. rice, even though imports were not permitted at the time.

By Meng Meng & Ryan WooChina's Icebreaker Xuelong, which has voyaged to the Arctic, in Xiamen, Fujian Province on June 27, 2010. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Chinas Icy Silk Road: Beijings Ambitions to Use Arctic Circle for Military and Economic Goals

Receding polar ice is giving way to shipping passage through the Arctic Ocean, and China may be eyeing the area for economic and military conquest. China announced its plan for a Polar Silk Road in January, wherein it will encourage shipping through the arctic region and develop infrastructure, similar to its One Belt One Road (OBOR, also known as Belt and Road) initiative.

China has used the OBOR initiative as debt trap diplomacy, investing heavily into poorer areas to create debts that can not be repaid financially, and instead traded for equity. This way China acquires strategic places, like a port in Sri Lanka. Kenya has also accepted these offers, causing concern among locals, and Malaysia has backed away from similar Chinese investment.

China is using a similar approach in Canada. According to a Canadian Broadcasting Company report, China used a state-run corporation to attempt to purchase a major Canadian construction company. The acquisition of the construction company, Aecon, was blocked by the Canadian government. Aecon is responsibile for several iconic Canadian buildings, including the CN Tower.

However, Chinese state-owned and private companies have acquired Canadian natural resources, real estate, communications, and high-tech, according to the CBC report. This method is called a front-door strategy.

Just Breaking the Ice?

China hopes to claim passage to the more frequently open arctic sea. This is a viable trade route for many nations, especially between Northern European and Asian nations. China may also take this opportunity of trade to establish military presence in the northern region.

In January, China released a white paper outlining its plans for the arctic region, saying it will contribute to development. Despite Chinas distance from the Arctic Circle, it now defines itself as a near-Arctic power.

Elizabeth Wishnick, a political science professor at Montclair State University, and Senior Research Scholar for Columbia Universitys Weatherhead East Asian Institute, reported on Chinas objectives in far north. The 2017 report outlined Chinas strategies and implications from a U.S. perspective.

Dr. Wishnick highlights that China is playing a long game in the Arctic and is deftly building partnerships with a wide range of partners in the region to make sure that China will have a voice on Arctic affairs in the future, says the report.

Dr. Wishnick compares China to a savvy realtor, saying it is looking at Nordic regions as places for potential growth. China has engaged the most economically vulnerable areas, such as Iceland and Greenland, earning goodwill and a foothold from which to take advantage of unfolding opportunities.

Greenland would be a large catch for the CCP, as America has recently entered a disagreement with Greenland over Thule Airforce Base. China has hopes to curry favor with Greenland in the wake of the disagreement.

We also see Chinese companies and the Chinese government pursuing in the Arctic the aims of infrastructure development and resource extraction that are central to Chinas One Belt One Road initiative for Central Asia, South Asia, and Southern Europe, says Wishnick.

China may have already practiced its plan for the northern waters down in the South China Sea. China slowly encroached on contested areas, established infrastructure, and avoided conflict. This involves expanding Chinese military and economic capabilities, advancing Chinese interests incrementally and defending Chinese sovereignty, while avoiding confrontation, says Wishnick.

A one-sided policy is still used by China for access to areas. The transit of Chinese naval vessels in the U.S. [exclusive economic zone] in the Bering Strait in September 2015 appeared to some U.S. observers to indicate acceptance by China of the principle of freedom of navigation, which Chinese officials have rejected in reference to the passage of U.S. Navy ships in areas China claims to be in their territorial waters in the South China Sea, says Wishnick.

Tip of the Iceberg

China is an observer in the Arctic Council, the only governance institution for the region. China will continue to advocate that the forum take into account the legitimate interests of non-Arctic states and the common interests of the international community, says Wishnick.

There may be military influence as well. Wishnicks report cites analyst Yang Zhirong from the Naval Research Institute in Beijing. Access to the Arctic would enable China to break out from Western pressure and emerge on the world stage. The institute belongs to the Peoples Liberation Army Navy.

A recent study also suggests that China may be planning for submarines suitable to operate in the arctic. The Chinese research examines how to build submarines capable of surfacing through sheets of ice.

China is also developing an energy partnership with Russia. Though Russia may not pursue a military alliance, it has opened new trade routes with China. The two navies have previously held naval exercises in the Baltic Sea and Black Sea.China's second aircraft carrier, is transferred from the dry dock into the water during a launch ceremony at Dalian shipyard in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, April 26, 2017. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Chinas Industrial Profits See First Decline in 3 Years, May Be Set to Worsen in 2019

BEIJINGEarnings at Chinas industrial firms in November dropped for the first time in nearly three years, as slackening external and domestic demand left businesses facing more strain in 2019 in a sign of rising risks to the worlds second-largest economy.

The gloomy data points to a further loss of economic momentum as a trade dispute with the United States exerts pressure on Chinas vast manufacturing sector and as firms, bracing for a tough year ahead, shelve their investment plans, executives say.

Industrial profits fell 1.8 percent in November from a year earlier to 594.8 billion yuan ($86.33 billion), the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on its website Dec. 27. That marked the first decline since December 2015.

The fall in profits largely reflected slowing growth in sales and producer prices as well as rising costs, He Ping of the statistics bureau said in a statement accompanying the data.

Economists expect earnings to continue to worsen next year, weighed down by smaller gains in industrial prices due to cooling demand, with some even warning of the risk of deflation.

In November, Chinas factory price growth slowed to the weakest pace in two years as domestic demand lost further momentum.

Survival is paramount for us [next year]we will be more cautious with our investments, Jiang Ming, chairman of Henan-based Tianming Group, told Reuters. Tianming has businesses in health care, construction, and finance.

We also need to maintain better cash flows and save our ammunition to prepare for the tight, tough and difficult days ahead, Jiang said.

Chinas economy expanded at the slowest pace last quarter since the global financial crisis, hit by a years-long deleveraging campaign, cooling property market and a trade dispute with the United States, and is expected to cool further next year.

The growing pressure has prompted the government to roll out a range of measures to juice up demand. In a key annual economic conference held this month, the countrys top leaders said they will ratchet up support for the economy in 2019 by cutting taxes and keeping liquidity ample, while promising to push forward trade negotiations with the United States.

At the beginning of this month, U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed to a 90-day truce, delaying a planned U.S. tariff hike on Jan. 1 as they negotiate a trade deal. Yet there is uncertainty whether they can bridge their differences over a myriad of issuesincluding trade and intellectual property rights to reach a durable pact.

Earnings growth at Chinas industrial firms has been cooling since April this year as factory price gains slowed on the back growing strains in the global economy. The bitter trade war with the United States has also pressured overall output and demand in a blow to business investment plans.

For the first 11 months of the year, profits at industrial firms rose 11.8 percent from the same period a year earlier to 6.1 trillion yuan, slowing from a 13.6 percent increase in January-October. In the same period, earnings growth at state-owned industrial enterprises also cooled.

Reporting by Stella Qiu, Min Zhang, and Ryan Woo.Deputies Kill Two Pit Bulls After Vicious Attack in North Carolina

Sheriff deputies in North Carolina killed two pit bulls after the dogs viciously attacked multiple people on Dec. 27.

The Union County Sheriffs Office was called to a home on 1st Avenue in Indian Trail around 4:15 a.m. and arrived to find the homeowner, injured and outside of the house, with another man lying helplessly on the living room floor with the dogs still attacking him.

The homeowner attempted to stop the attack but was bitten so he called 911.

Deputies tried to use a catch pole to stop the dogs but one was bitten so deputies shot them both dead.

This gentleman inside could have been killed. At the time they responded he was pretty much defenseless at this point, so they did everything they could to get the dog off of him, Tony Underwood with the Union County Sheriffs Office told WSOC.

The office said in a statement that the primary victim was viciously attacked and seriously injured by the pit bulls.

The homeowner, who suffered a bite to his left arm, and the other man, who suffered numerous bites to his face and head, were rushed to a nearby hospital. The deputy was treated for a minor bite and released.

Neighbor Graham Linger claimed the pit bulls were friendly and investigators said its not clear what prompted the vicious attack.

Deputies assigned to the Union County Sheriffs Office Animal Services Division responded and removed both deceased dogs from the scene while Crime Scene Search Investigators were called to the residence to document the scene, the sheriffs office said.

No one involved has been identified as of yet.

Woman Attacked Dogs in California on Life Support

A California woman is in the hospital on life support after being attacked by three dogs on Dec. 15, family members and friends have said.

Angela Johnson is hospitalized at the Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, a GoFundMe page to help Johnson and her husband said, reported the Mercury News. The three dogs, described by the Riverside County Animal Services as pit bulls or pit bull mixes, attacked Johnson as she was hanging laundry on her property.

Detectives do not believe the dogs were intentionally set on Johnson but they are still investigating, Lt. Zach Hall said Dec. 19. The owner of the animals violated a leash law, which could result in a citation, Animal Services officials said.

Tim Platt, Johnsons son, said he was told that he has to make the decision to leave his critically injured mother on life support or to allow doctors to remove her from the machines keeping her alive, MyValleyNews reported.

I was asked to let my mother die today, by doctors and family, Platt said on Dec. 17. Everyone tried to convince me today to just let her die as one side of her brain swelled into the other side. But I just could not let my mother go.

The dogs basically ate my mom alive, ripping out a main artery in her throat, causing a severe stroke to the left side of her brain, leaving her half brain-dead, Platt said, describing the attack.

Epoch Times reporter Jack Phillips contributed to this report.

From NTD NewsAlexandre Benalla, French President Emmanuel Macron's former senior security officer, attends a hearing by senators from France's upper house at the Senate in Paris, France, on September 19, 2018. (Charles Platiau/Reuters)

Former Macron Bodyguard in Spotlight Over Consultancy Work in Africa

PARISA sacked security aide to French President Emmanuel Macron who was at the center of a scandal that shook the government this summer is under fresh scrutiny over the nature of his recent work as a consultant.

The presidency confirmed Dec. 27 that it had written to Alexandre Benalla in the past few days demanding more details about business trips to several African countries and telling him not to claim any links to the government.

The Benalla scandal marked a turning point for Macrons presidency and popularity from which he has found it hard to recover as other problems have piled up, including a stream of anti-government marches and riots by yellow vest protesters.

The affair erupted in July after a video surfaced of Benalla beating a May Day protester. Macron fired him, but was accused by political rivals of acting too slowly and being out of touch.

Macrons cabinet chief, Patrick Strzoda, asked the former bodyguard to provide all relevant information about his consultancy work, according to extracts from a letter published in the newspaper Le Monde.

He also asked Benalla to adhere strictly to protocol on secrecy  linked to your former responsibilities.

The presidents office confirmed the content of the letter.

Benalla made a trip to Chad several weeks before Macron visited Dec. 22 and 23, raising questions about whether he still had links to the president.

Benalla, who is subject to a judicial investigation, has been quoted by several French news sites in recent days as saying he was shocked and scandalized by suggestions that he had acted inappropriately.

Today, Im a consultant. Ive been to around 10 countries in Africa, he told Le Monde. Im not going to stop doing what Im doing.

The news site Mediapart said Benalla was still traveling on a diplomatic passport received as part of his former job. The Foreign Ministry said Dec.27 that it asked Benalla in July to hand over two diplomatic passports, and was considering further steps.

Macrons approval ratings fell below 20 percent in early December, even as he responded to the protests with an array of measures, including dropping an unpopular fuel tax and raising the minimum wage.Frenchman Sets Off to Cross Atlantic Ocean in a Barrel

Jean-Jacques Savin has no engine, no sail, and no paddle. But he has the currents, the winds, some foie gras, and a bottle of red wine ready for his 72nd birthday, which, if all goes to plan, hell celebrate in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, in his reinforced plywood barrel.

Savin, a former French paratrooper, cast off from the Canary Islands on Dec. 26 with plans to cross the Atlantic in his custom-made, orange, 10-foot vessel, relying only on ocean currents and wind to get to the Caribbean.

He believes that the 2,800-mile journey will take him 2 to 3 1/2 months, shunted at a speed of around two to three knots.

Savin, 71, will drop markers along the way to help oceanographers study Atlantic currents, and provide updates on social media to followers.

But with trans-ocean barrel travel still in its infancy, he cant predict exactly where he will end up.

Maybe Barbados, although I would really like it to be a French island like Martinique or Guadeloupe, he told AFP via telephone after setting off. That would be easier for the paperwork and for bringing the barrel back.

Savin will know his exact location the whole time thanks to GPS, powered by a solar panel set up for communications.

The weather is great. Ive got a swell of one meter (3 feet) and Im moving at two to three kilometers per hour, he told AFP. Ive got favorable winds forecast until Sunday.

The barrel, made from plywood reinforced with resin, is designed to resist waves and even potential attacks from killer whales. It is about 7 feet in diameter and 10 feet long, weighs about 1,000 pounds, and has portholes on the sides, as well as a glass window sunk into the floor for watching fish swimming below.

Savin funded the construction of the barrelwhich cost about $70,000mostly through crowdfunding. He does, however, have a sponsor: a French barrel-making company, with a 140-year history of wine storage.

Bags of Onions and 3 Bottles of Wine

A former triathlon champion, Savin is a seasoned adventurer, and in fine health, according to his website.

His four swims across the Bay of Arcachon and his ascent of Mont Blanc in 2015 attest to his impeccable physical form.

Savin says he has spent several years on sailboats, crossing the Atlantic four times.

A sportsman at heart, I am taking advantage of my retirement to launch many challenges, Savin told Actu.

During my professional career, I worked as a military paratrooper, private pilot, and as curator of Central Africa National Park. These trades gave me a taste for risk and adventure, he said.

Savins barrel journey was inspired by French adventurer and physician Alain Bombard, who, in October 1952, set off from the Canaries on an inflatable raft to pit his survival skills against the Atlantic Ocean.

He wanted to show that a man can survive on a boat, if his morale is good, without water or food for several weeks thanks to the resources of the sea, Savin wrote on his website.

After more than 60 days at sea, and despite setting off with almost no provisions, Bombard reached the coast of Barbados, alive.

He said he survived by fishing with a self-made harpoon and hooks, by harvesting the surface plankton with a small net, and drinking a limited amount of seawater.

Like Bombard, Savin sees his as a scientific and experimental voyage. But unlike Bombard, Savin is setting off on his journey with supplies. Bags of onions and garlic in string bags hang in the galley section of the barrel, and Savin has stowed a block of foie gras and a bottle of white wine for New Years Eve celebrations.

One bottle of red wine is set aside for Jan. 14Savins birthdayand a third bottle is to be left unopened as an experiment to test how several months at sea in a barrel might affect a good Bordeaux.Health Care Industry Moving Toward Paying for Value Over Procedures

WASHINGTONHealth and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar was at a rehab hospital accompanying a relative when several nurses there started complaining to him about Medicare staffing ratios.

I said, Whats a staffing ratio?' he said at an AXIOS event in Washington on Dec. 13.

They explained that it was the number of nurses that have to be on the floor at any given time.

He got Seema Verma, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator, on the phone.

We regulate that? he asked her.

Yes, she told him.

What we ought to be saying is that if my relative walks out of the rehab hospital, you get paid this much. If my relative is in a wheelchair [when they leave], you get paid this much, he said of the provider-payer relationship. [And] we arent going to micromanage how you do that.

What he is describing is the departments goal of transitioning from paying for procedures and sickness to paying for outcomes and health, which can also be described as paying for value over services.

The idea behind paying for better health outcomes is that it removes the incentive for providers to increase profits by overtreating patients, at times to their detriment, and allows medical doctors to focus on what they all swear to when they take the Hippocratic oathto treat the ill to the best of their ability.

This way of paying providers isnt new. The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, created by the Affordable Care Act to test alternative payment models, has come up with more than 40 new models.

Under President Barack Obama, the department had ambitions to have 50 percent of all CMS payments be alternative by 2018, but the Trump administration has instead chosen to focus on how effective the models are instead of meeting an arbitrary target.

While CMMI was tasked with researching such models to stave off the rising costs of health care, it is also becoming increasingly popular in the private sector as well.

Earlier this month, a group called the Health Care Transformation Task Force said in a report that 47 percent of the business of its private-sector payers and providers was in value-based payment arrangements by the end of 2017. That is up from 41 percent in 2016 and 30 percent in 2015.

There is growing evidence that value-based care leads to better health, better care, and reduced total cost, said Fran Soistman, the chair of the Health Care Transformation Task Force.

She said task force members have a goal of reaching 75 percent by 2020.

Soistman is also the executive vice president and head of government services at Aetna, which estimates that by 2021, 59 percent of all payments will be value-based.

A survey by the Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network found that in 2017 some 34 percent of all payments, both public and private, were value-based, about one-third of which were from the private sector. That is up from 23 percent overall in 2015.

Medical schools are also starting to train students to think about how to provide high-value, cost-conscious care.

The American Medical Association (AMA) is working with some 32 medical schools in its Accelerating Change in Medical Education Consortium to bring schools up to speed with trends in the industry.

Health care payment is moving away from volume-based reimbursement to a system that prioritizes value, a report by AMA states. In the wake of this trend, assessing and managing cost and value in health professions education is critical. Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS), which launched its Blue Care Total Distinction program in 2015, uses Accountable Care Organizations teams of medical professionals who work together to comprehensively treat a patient while taking on the risk and sharing in the savings of the cost of their care. It also uses patient-centered medical homes, which arent homes so much as models of care where the care of a patient is coordinated by a primary care physician. BCBS says it has seen measurable improvements from the two models in managing chronic diseases in 96 percent of the nationally consistent, industry-quality measures it has tracked, and that it has decreased costs by 35 percent.

Evaluating Value

One of the ways CMS has tried to encourage value is to cut down on the amount of regulations and paperwork that plague physicians, which take up valuable time with patients and increases administration cost and burnout.

Nevertheless, CMS has to measure and track what value looks like, and that inevitably requires some paperwork.

It has come up with a Meaningful Measures framework that it says targets only the highest priorities that ensure quality, and is updating its reporting requirements accordingly. For example, some of the things it looks at are costs, how many preventable injures occur in a medical facility, and how often someone is admitted to the hospital for unplanned reasons.

The agency recently finalized a rule with a two-year rollout that would change how providers bill for Medicare, which Verma says will lead to a historic reduction in documentation burden.

With over 60 million people in the program, Verma said anything that CMS does has a spillover effect on the entire health care market because many private payers base their payment models on those of Medicare.

I think this regulation is one of the larger changes that have occurred over the past few decades, said Joseph Antos, the Wilson H. Taylor Resident Scholar in Health Care and Retirement Policy at the American Enterprise Institute. The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule program  has been very slow-moving.Hundreds Kicked-Out of Cracking Building for 10 More Days as Engineers Swoop In

Hundreds of residents of a 38-story tower block in Sydney were asked to leave their homes on Dec. 28 for the second time in five days after cracks were discovered in the building on Christmas Eve.

The builder of the Sydney Opal Tower in Sydney Olympic Park, Icon, told residents in a heated meeting on Dec. 27 that they would have to vacate their homes again for up to 10 days to make way for an investigation of the building.

In a statement released on the afternoon of Dec. 27, Icon said in a statement sighted by the Sydney Morning Herald: The building is structurally sound and the temporary relocation is a precautionary measure to allow engineers to work around the clock to comprehensively investigate and remediate the site in the quickest time frame possible.

The damaged section of the building has now been reinforced as a precautionary measure while a team of engineers carries out the investigation, the statement said.

Icon said it would compensate the affected residents for their relocation to nearby hotels.

Many Not Allowed in Since Christmas

According to local reports, there was a single 6 metre by 3 metre concrete panel on the 10th floor of the building that had cracked. The panel is attached to two reinforced concrete columns that connect to 51 apartments on floors 1 to 36.

These 51 apartments have not yet been declared safe, and residents of these apartments have not been let in since Dec. 24, except to go back and collect pertinent items.

A resident of one of the 51 apartments said that when he returned to his apartment on Christmas, his apartment looked like a war zone and that his bed had been taken, according to The Daily Telegraph.

One angry resident demanded answers at Icons press conference.

We have valuables in our apartments, we were asked to move all our valuablesits impossible, she said, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Ten days is just an estimationso how long should we wait for a final result and can we have some fair treatment? she asked.

The building investigation is being led by engineering firm WSP. WSP Australia and New Zealand chief executive Guy Templeton said that while the concrete crack was a failure, the overall integrity of the building is sound, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

No Guarantees

Director of Icon, Julian Doyle, said he could not guarantee whether the residents would be allowed to return to their homes after the 10 day period.

[Residents] need to leave now so we can investigate all parts of the building unobstructed, as quickly as possible, he said, according to The Daily Telegraph.

For us, [its about] getting the answer and determining what we need to do to not replicate what happened on level 10 and implement that as quickly as possible.

The issue is expediency because, if we leave the residents in place, well still be trying to get access to various areas of the building for the next three months.

The NSW government has appointed two specialist investigators to lead an inquiry into the Opal Tower cracking.

NSW Planning Minister Anthony Roberts said that professors Mark Hoffman, Dean of Engineering at the University of NSW, and John Carter, Dean of Engineering at the University of Newcastle, will lead the investigation.

Robertss spokesman said the investigators will specifically look into the basis of the failure and the immediate steps that need to occur to ensure the safety of this building and its occupants. They will also make recommendations to reduce the risk of similar incidents occurring in the future, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Christmas Eve Evacuation

An evacuation alarm was raised around 2.45 p.m. on Dec. 24 when cracking was reported on the 10th floor of the building, The cracking had reportedly caused some shifts in the buildings structure.

Residents continued to hear cracking sounds on Dec. 24, forcing emergency services to evacuate the tower and neighbouring areas in anticipation that the building might collapse.

More than 3,000 people were evacuated from the 392-apartment building and its surroundings as a one-kilometre exclusion zone was put in place. Around 300 evacuees were residents of the building. They were not allowed back into their homes but were sent to an evacuation centre in central Sydney.

At about 12.30 a.m. on Dec. 25 local time, residents of the units that were declared safe were allowed to return. But 51 units were declared structurally unsafe, according to a police release.

The residents of the 51 units have not been allowed to return home since Dec. 24.

On Dec. 24, Police had to use heavy-duty equipment to break through doors that were jammed to rescue trapped residents. A resident of the building told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that he had noticed changes to the doors earlier.

A few days ago the doors looked different. Like they couldnt close the doors properly. And you do feel it [movement] sometimes when theres strong wind, he said.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Watch Next:

SpyGateCollusion Scandal bigger than Watergate [Part 1/2] Those Involved to Take Down Trump

Americas most powerful agencies were weaponized against President Donald Trump in a collusion scandal perpetrated by top officials in the #Obama administration.A site of the Amazon electronic commerce company was showed on April 11, 2015 in Lauwin-Planque, northern France. AFP PHOTO PHILIPPE HUGUEN (Photo credit should read PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images)

India Tightens E-commerce Rules, Likely to Hit Amazon, Flipkart

NEW DELHI/MUMBAIIndia will ban e-commerce companies such as Amazon.com and Walmart-owned Flipkart Group from selling products from companies in which they have an equity interest.

In a statement, the government also said that the companies will be prevented from entering into exclusive agreements with sellers. The new rules will be applicable from Feb. 1.

An entity having equity participation by e-commerce marketplace entity or its group companies, or having control on its inventory by e-commerce marketplace entity or its group companies, will not be permitted to sell its products on the platform run by such marketplace entity, the commerce ministry said in a statement.

E-commerce companies can make bulk purchases through their wholesale units or other group companies that in turn sell the products to select sellers, such as their affiliates or other companies with which they have agreements.

Those sellers can then sell the products to other companies or direct to consumers, often at attractively low prices.

The new regulations follow complaints from Indian retailers and traders, who say the giant e-commerce companies are using their control over inventory from their affiliates, and through exclusive sales agreements, to create an unfair marketplace that allows them to sell some products at very low prices.

The All India Online Vendors Association (AIOVA) in October filed a petition with the anti-trust body Competition Commission of India (CCI) alleging that Amazon favours merchants that it partly owns, such as Cloudtail and Appario. The lobby group filed a similar petition against Flipkart in May, alleging violation of competition rules through preferential treatment for select sellers.

The Dec. 26 notification also said that the cash back that customers get as an incentive while online shopping should not be based on whether the product was purchased from an affiliate of the platform or not.

The new rules said that services provided to vendors on an e-commerce platform and by that entitys affiliates should be done so at arms length and in a fair and non-discriminatory manner.

New rules will appease small traders and farmers who fear that U.S. companies are making a back door entry into Indias retail market and could squeeze out small corner shops that dominate Indian retailing.

The Confederation of All India Traders in a statement said that if the order is implemented in full then malpractices, predatory pricing policies and deep discounting by e-commerce players will no longer occur.

CAIT secretary general Praveen Khandelwal said the new rules will put an embargo on the tactics adopted by the global players to control and dominate retail trade in India through e-commerce.

In May, CAIT had raised objections to Walmarts $16 billion acquisition of Flipkart saying the deal would create unfair competition and result in predatory pricing.

The new regulations build on existing rules under which foreign investors can acquire 100 percent of e-commerce companies, with the exception of a model based on inventory from which they are barred.

Amazon India said it is currently evaluating the new rules, while Flipkart did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

By Aftab Ahmed & Sankalp PhartiyalKTLA Anchor Chris Burrous Dies of Suspected Overdose in Motel Room: Police

Chris Burrous, a Los Angeles news anchor, was found dead of a suspected drug overdose, according to local reports on Dec. 29.

Burrous, 43, appeared on KTLAs Morning News for a number of years. He was found at the Glendale Days Inn after a man he was with called authorities at 1:14 p.m., said Glendale Police in a news release.

We have some sad news to report. Chris Burrous, a fixture on the KTLA 5 Morning News since 2011, passed away Thursday. He was a beloved member of the KTLA family and will be deeply missed. He was 43. https://t.co/HfDA1wTbOX pic.twitter.com/Qd0uz275pC  KTLA (@KTLA) December 28, 2018

The Glendale Fire Department responded to the scene and found a man down inside a room suffering from a medical emergency. The man was not breathing and CPR was administered as paramedics prepared to transport him to the hospital. The man was later pronounced dead at the hospital, said the news release.

According to the news release, The original call to the Glendale Police Department indicated the deceased had possibly overdosed.

It said, Glendale detectives are currently investigating the case and are thoroughly examining the unfortunate circumstances surrounding his death. Detectives will be awaiting the Los Angeles County Coroners Office report for a determination of the cause of death and to assist in bringing the investigation to a conclusion.

Glendale police Sgt. Dan Suttles said the male Burrous was with was giving him CPR as first responders arrived on the scene, KTLA reported. Suttles said the man quite honestly did a good job of trying to render aid.

The news anchor was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, police said.

What we know at this point is that the call came in as a medical emergency, and thats how it was handled, Suttles said. He said there was no indication of suicide.

That was something that we recognized right away, because, you know, everybody knows Chris. So we knew that this was gonna be something that was gonna be a very sensitive matter, Suttles said, CBS reported. Were waiting for a toxicology report to come back from the coroners office. Until we get that we wont be able to tell what the cause of death was. It is being investigated as a possible overdose.

Burrous joined KTLA as a reporter and anchor in 2011, and he helped expand the stations Morning News to seven days per week. Burrous formerly worked at PIX11 in New York City. He also had jobs at stations in the Bay Area and South Dakota before joining KGET in Bakersfield, California, in 1999.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Burrous family. Chris loved sharing the stories of Southern California and connecting with our viewers, KTLA President and General Manager Don Corsini and news director Jason Ball said in a statement. He will be remembered as a great journalist and a wonderful friend to many. He brought a kindness to his work and will be deeply missed by the entire KTLA family.

KTLA also tweeted: We have some sad news to report. Chris Burrous, a fixture on the KTLA 5 Morning News since 2011, passed away Thursday. He was a beloved member of the KTLA family and will be deeply missed. He was 43.

Other details about his death arent clear.

Burrous is survived by his wife and 9-year-old daughter, according to KTLAs report.People walk through the Stanford University campus on May 22, 2014. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Late Chinese Physicist Had Ambitious Dreams for His Venture Capital Firm

The unexpected death of Zhang Shoucheng, a Chinese physicist at Stanford University who was touted as a possible candidate for winning the Nobel Prize, has continued to generate a lot of discussion on Chinese social mediaespecially with regards to the venture capital (VC) company that he founded.

Zhang committed suicide in San Francisco on Dec. 1. According to his familys statement, the late professor had periodic bouts of depression prior to his death.

It has since been revealed that his VC company, Digital Horizon Capital, previously named Danhua Capital, was a recipient of Beijings investments. According to the updated Section 301 Report by the U.S. Trade Representatives office, the company is an entity in Silicon Valley to further the industrial-policy goals of the Chinese government.

According to the report, Chinese tech giants Alibaba and Baidu contributed a total of about $91 million in the first round of funding for the VC company.

Zhang had in fact talked about why he founded the firm, during a speech at an annual future technology summit hosted by Chinese internet company NetEase, in Beijing in July 2017.

In his speech, available on YouTube and with its transcript published on NetEases website, Zhang explained how he came up with the name Danhua.

Zhang said that dan stood for Stanford, and hua came from the Chinese phrase zhonghua, an ancient way of referring to China in Mandarin Chinese.

When dan is pronounced in Mandarin, it sounds similar to the second character in the transliteration of Stanford, pronounced Si-tan-fu.

The name Danhua implies that the company serves as a bridge between Stanford and China.

It is through this cooperation between academia and industry that the advancement of artificial intelligence was possible, Zhang said in his speech.

Zhang elaborated that through his VC firm, he could connect Chinese talents in mathematics and sciencewhom Zhang believed were among the best in the worldwith Silicon Valley.

The bridge between Silicon Valley and China, and the bridge between Stanford and China, has allowed China to develop and advance its artificial intelligence (AI) technology, Zhang added.

Zhang mentioned one company in his VC firms portfolio: AutoX, an autonomous vehicle startup based in San Jose, California. According to Zhang, the startup was founded by Xiao Jianxiong, a Chinese professor formerly at Princeton University.Mother of Mollie Tibbetts Lets Relative of Her Daughters Accused Killer Move In

The mother of Mollie Tibbetts, who was allegedly killed by an illegal alien, has let a relative of her daughters accused killer move into her familys home in Iowa.

A widespread search was launched for Tibbetts, a 20-year-old University of Iowa student after she went missing on July 18 during a jog.

Cristhian Bahena Rivera, an illegal alien who was working in the area under an alias, told investigators that he spotted Tibbetts, parked his car, and started running behind her and then alongside her.

A scared Tibbetts told him Im gonna call the police and grabbed her phone.

Rivera said he then panicked and got mad and that he then blocked his memory which is what he does when he gets very upset, investigators stated.

He doesnt remember anything after that until he came to an intersection [back in his car], investigators stated.

Tibbetts was found with multiple stab wounds.

Tibbetts Mother Reveals Move

Laura Calderwood, Tibbetts mother, refused to condemn Rivera and instead welcomed another illegal alien, Ulises Felix, into her home.

Felixs parents worked with Rivera at a dairy farm in Brooklyn but fled the area to Illinois shortly after Rivera was arrested.

Felix stayed behind and Calderwood welcomed the distant relative of Rivera into her home, she told the Washington Post, after her son Scott asked her to.

Felix, 17, told Calderwood that Rivera was a pretty funny dude  always messing around.

My mom took care of him for a while, and she fed him every day, he said. He was so busy sending money back to his parents, trying to help them build a house.

Felix didnt say why he thought the boyfriend of his cousin killed Tibbetts.

Rivera Used Fake Name and ID

Yarrabee Farms co-owners Craig Lang and his son, Dane Lang, said that Rivera was not who he said he was.

Dane Lang revealed on Aug. 22 at a press conference that Rivera had allegedly used a fake name and a state-issued government ID and social security number when applying for employment.

What we learned in the last 24 hours, is that our employee was not who he said he was, Dane said at the press conference. There will be plenty of time to discuss immigration but however, now is not the time. Now is a time to grieve and remember Mollie and her family.

Rivera, who was introduced to the farm by a former girlfriend, was employed to work on the day-to-day operations with the cows, according to the news website. Dane said the 24-year-old was a good employer who showed up on work on time and cooperated with other employees.

According to a report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration released in 2017 stated that illegal immigrants steal hundreds of thousands of legal identities to gain employment. Up to 29 million illegal aliens are living in the United States, according to researchers at Yale University.

Craig Lane, who was a former Republican candidate for Iowas secretary of agriculture, used the opportunity to call for better immigration laws to vet people who were coming into the country.

During my campaign, I talked about the need for a comprehensive, traceable worker program for this country, he said. And that an immigration law that needs to identify the people that are here, identify where they live, what the work is and these people have to live within the laws of the land.

He added, That is the kind of immigration system we need not only for agriculture but for many other industries within the state.

Epoch Times reporter Janita Kan contributed to this report.

From NTD NewsNew Migrant Caravan of 15,000 Set to Leave Honduras in January

A new migrant caravan with an estimated 15,000 people is set to leave Honduras in mid-January, but migrants will attempt to stay in Mexico instead of heading to the United States.

Spanish-language media and groups that support illegal immigration are circulating stories of the caravan, which would be much bigger than any of the four caravans that traveled toward the United States this year.

They say they are even bigger and stronger than the last caravan, Irma Garrido, a member of the pro-migrant group Reactiva Tijuana Foundation, told the San Diego Union-Tribune.

They will stay in the south of Mexico in Chiapas and Oaxaca. Their aim is to request work there.

The Mexican government offered the previous migrant caravans temporary asylum along with education, jobs, and healthcare but the offer was rejected by most migrants, who instead trekked to Tijuana.

A mob of migrants from the caravan tried to storm the United States border on Nov. 25, but were turned back by Border Patrol agents, who fired tear gas to disperse them.

Thousands of the migrants who traveled with the caravans are still in northern Mexico as they wait to see if their asylum requests are granted by the United States. Many of the migrants who have spoken with news agencies describing why they left their homes described conditions that would not grant them asylum under current U.S. policy.

Mexicos new president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, said in his inauguration speech that public works projects will help employ Mexicans so they dont have to go to other countries in search of a job. The projects include an $8 billion construction of the Maya Train, a 932-mile (1,500-kilometer) railroad that will link numerous cities.

El Diario de Chiapas, a newspaper for the southern state of Mexico, was among the Spanish language media outlets to report on the planned new caravan.

The previous caravans were coordinated by leftist groups, officials said in October. One of the caravan organizers was Bartolo Fuentes, a former lawmaker for the Liberty and Refoundation (Libre) party, which controls almost a quarter of the Honduran legislature and advocates socialism. Fuentes was detained in Guatemala and returned back to Honduras.

The groups are seeking to undermine Americas sovereignty, Col. Fred Peterson, former chief public affairs officer of Joint Task Force North, the Defense Departments counter-drug and anti-terrorist operation, told The Epoch Times.

This is a very well-funded operation. Its not spontaneous at all, he said. The migrants themselves are being exploited for political purposes, he said. Theyre just props in a political, staged play.

President Donald Trump addressed the latest caravan on Twitter on Dec. 28, amid a standoff with Democrats over government funding. Trump has insisted that the budget include funding for a border wall, while Democrats refused to negotiate with the president.

Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money. Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it. We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countriestaking advantage of U.S. for years! he said.

Epoch Times reporter Petr Svab contributed to this report.

From NTD News

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly paraphrased remarks Mexicos President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador made in his inauguration speech about public works projects. Obrador said the projects will provide jobs to Mexicans.Fiona Lall, 30, pleaded not guilty on Dec. 27, 2018, to charges of assault, reckless endangerment, and endangering the welfare of a child and was being held on bail. (Nassau County Police Department)

New York Woman Allegedly Slapped 7-Week-Old Baby for Crying

A New York woman was arrested on Dec. 26 for allegedly slapping her 7-week-old daughter after the baby started crying, according to the police.

Witnesses alerted police officers after they saw Fiona Lall, 30, screaming at the infant, who was in a baby carrier, before shaking and slapping her.

The alleged incident happened at a house on Whitehouse Avenue known as Bethanys House, a shelter for women and children.

According to court documents obtained by News 12, Lall admitted to slapping the baby in the face while in her bedroom. The girl was rushed to the hospital with visible redness and swelling in her face.

Police officials told Fox 5 that the girl had bruising on her back as well.

Lall pleaded not guilty to charges of assault, reckless endangerment, and endangering the welfare of a child and was being held on bail.

The judge signed an order of protection ordering Lall to stay away from the baby.

Lall also faces assault charges from a 2017 criminal case in which she allegedly assaulted her 9-year-old child. Her attorney for that case told News 12 that Lall is a victim of domestic violence.

Stays at the Bethany House shelter, which also has homes in Baldwin and Bellmore, range from one night to one year, with most women remaining four to six months, according to Newsday.

The Nassau County Department of Social Services require women staying at the house to work, study or enroll in the countys work experience program, which trains them for a job.

One of The Nations Most Serious Concerns

According to a report published by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (pdf), approximately 3.5 million children nationwide in 2016 were the subjects of at least one maltreatment report to authorities.

Child abuse is one of the nations most serious concerns, the authors of the report wrote in the introduction.

About 17 percent of those reports were substantiated; the department said that there was an estimated 676,000 victims of child abuse and neglect, or 9.1 victims per 1,000 children.

Children in their first year of life had the highest rate of victimization at 24.8 per 1,000 children of the same age in the national population.

About three-quarters of the cases were neglect while about 18 percent were physical abuse. Some children suffered from multiple forms of maltreatment.

Of the perpetrators of the abuse, more than four-fifths were between the ages of 18 and 44 and more than one-half were women.

What To Do If You Suspect Abuse

If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, you can also contact your local child protective services office or law enforcement agency so officials can investigate and assess the situation. Most states have a number to call to report abuse or neglect.

To find out where to call, consult the State Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Numbers website. The Childhelp organization also can provide crisis assistance and other counseling and referral services. Contact them at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453).

Every year more than 3.6 million referrals are made to child protection agencies involving more than 6.6 million children (a referral can include multiple children), according to Childhelp.

From NTD NewsSouth Korean women clad in traditional costumes sing a song during a memorial service to pray for the Korean victims of the 1945 atomic bombing, before a monument at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima on Aug. 5, 2015. (KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images)

Peace on Earth

When we encounter the above phrase, many sigh inwardly, thinking that international, national, and regional peace are probably more distant than ever today.

In fact, there are substantive grounds for hope that, in the future, unscrupulous leaders will be less able to take advantage of social and economic problems to launch violence, cyberattacks, and the like at home or against other nations.

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote at the start of 2018 that the previous year had surprisingly been in many respects the best in human history: A smaller share of the worlds people were hungry, impoverished or illiterate than at any time before. A smaller proportion of children died than ever before.

Every day, the number of people around the world living in extreme poverty (less than about $2 a day) goes down by 217,000.

Every day, 325,000 more people gain access to electricity. And 300,000 more gain access to clean drinking water.

The preamble of the 1945 United Nations Charter pledged all member states to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbors.

A similar ideal inspired the League of Nations earlier in the century, but long before far-sighted leaders had spoken of the one human family.

In 1945, the devastation of World War II, including the loss of 50 million60 million lives, led the victors to rethink how to rebuild while seeking to learn from catastrophic mistakes made earlier.

The new strategy was to create institutions capable of providing peaceful ways to diffuse conflicts among nations. In parallel, defensive military alliances, such as NATO, provided muscle to deter the use of arms. This side of the international infrastructure became more important as the Cold War worsened.

On the economic side, there were new institutions, such as the World Trade Organization, the World Bank, and International Monetary Fund, which helped lift many out of poverty.

Consequently, never before has the worlds almost 200 independent nations had so much in common, yet the issues that divide us have rarely been so clear.

Many populations fear that peace and stability are threatened by nations that have long histories of armed interventions; or those that have inhuman regimes and are rife with widespread turbulence; or neighbors with whom they have long-standing rivalries, border disputes, and animosity caused by social, cultural, and historical reasons.

Tensions abound, yet as more people accept the logic of the growing interdependence of the human family on issues like climate change and cleaning up our oceans, the more we should seek opportunities to overcome destructive notions of otherness and separateness, and to find ways to live and work together in harmony.

The more we sweat in peace, the less we bleed in war, wisely noted the Indian politician and diplomat Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit.

Initiatives for institutional and other reforms are best grounded in universal values. Effective governance across the world also requires independent media, democratic institutions, and the rule of law.

The need for multi-party democracy arises out of the close link between legitimacy and effectiveness. Institutions that lack legitimacy are seldom effective over the long run.

Equality before the law is essential to guard against tyrannythe predilection of the strong and greedy to impose their will over the weak.

The ongoing Yemeni nightmare, with millions facing starvation, and the Syrian refugee crisis underway since 2011 are internationally recognized as two of the worst humanitarian crises of the 21st century. Yet some governments are finally allocating resources to assist, diverse faith communities are raising prayers and support, and people worldwide appear to be seeking a way to engage both crises meaningfully, with a ceasefire now declared in part of Yemen.

Londoner Jonathan Aitken recently raised some related points at the UK foreign service carol service in Westminster:

Twenty centuries ago, fear loomed large in Israel. The fear was created by insecure and autocratic rulers, political uncertainties, horrifying abuses of human rights and lack of national confidence.  Are there any lessons here for our contemporary scene on the question of how should we project our national beliefs and valueswith greater hope?  If our ancestral Christian values still count here, why have we been so mealy-mouthed about the Asia Bibi blasphemy case? Or the Jamal Khashoggi outrage? Or the violence against Christians in the Middle Belt of Nigeria?  In the spiritual realm there is something called the examination of conscience.'

Peace on earth is achievable if the better instincts of both spiritual and secular women and men across the planet can prevail.

As John F. Kennedy said, Unless mankind puts war to an end, war will put man to an end.

David Kilgour, a lawyer by profession, served in Canadas House of Commons for almost 27 years. In Jean Chretiens Cabinet, he was secretary of state (Latin America and Africa) and secretary of state (Asia-Pacific). He is the author of several books and co-author with David Matas of Bloody Harvest: The Killing of Falun Gong for Their Organs.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.People Should Wash Avocados, 17 Percent Have Listeria on Peel, Says FDA

Consumers should wash avocados before cutting them open to prevent listeria from the peel contaminating the green pulp, according to U.S. authorities.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched a test of fresh avocados in 2014 as part of its new approach to test large numbers of samples from targeted foods over a short period to gather important data.

The agency collected 1,615 samples of avocados to test to determine the prevalence of salmonella and listeria monocytogenes in the commodity. In order to simulate the U.S. market share of the fruit, about 70 percent of the avocados were imported and the rest were grown in the United States.

Three months after the testing began, the FDA began to test the avocado pulp, or the green, buttery portion that people love to eat.

The agency found that 0.24 percent of the pulp samples had listeria while 17.7 percent of the skin samples had listeria. The contaminated pulp was all from imported avocados while the contaminated skin samples were from both imported and domestic samples.

The FDA also found Salmonella in some avocado skin samples. The contaminated samples are all domestically grown.

The findings of this assignment affirm that Salmonella may be present on avocados and that Listeria monocytogenes may be present on or in the fruit, the FDA stated.

In response to the detection of Listeria in some of the imported avocado pulp samples, the FDA refused entry of the avocados from the lots associated with those samples. The firms responsible were also put on import alert. For the less serious case where pathogens are found on the peel of the fruit, the FDA notified their findings to the firms or worked with the firms to conduct voluntary recalls.

The findings highlight the need for avocado growers and importers to comply with FDA regulations, according to the FDA.

Eat Safely

The agency said that people should wash avocados, noting that the governments food safety website advises that people wash all produce thoroughly under running water before eating, cutting or cooking.

The site also advises, Even if you plan to cut the rind or peel off the produce before eating, it is still important to wash it first so dirt and bacteria arent transferred from the knife onto the fruit.

Firm produce such as avocados should be scrubbed with a clean produce brush and dried with a clean cloth towel or paper towel to further reduce bacteria that may be present.

Other practices associated with avocado consumption may reduce the risk to consumers as well. Consumers commonly slice avocados and extract the fruits pulp prior to eating it, discarding the fruits peel as they would a banana peel or an orange rind, the FDA stated.

Consumers also typically eat avocados shortly after slicing the fruit as its pulp tends to brown quickly once exposed to oxygen. These practices generally limit the amount of the pathogen, if present, that consumers may be exposed to.

Salmonella and Listeria

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the listeria bacteria causes listeriosis, a serious infection.

For healthy adults, exposure to low levels of Listeria doesnt cause serious illness. However, the same cannot be said for those with a weaker immune system.

An estimated 1,600 people get listeriosis each year, and about 260 die. The infection is most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems, the agency stated.

Although available information doesnt suggest the consumption of avocados is associated with the infection of the disease, the FDA discovered a significant relationship between some of the Listeria found in the avocado skin and pulp samples, and the Listeria found in people infected with the disease.

The CDC noted that salmonella causes about 1.2 million illnesses in the United States every year, sending approximately 23,000 people to the hospital and killed some 450 people.

Salmonella is primarily caused by contaminated food, with food being the source of about 1 million of the illnesses.

Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment, the agency stated. However, in some persons, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized.

From NTD NewsBreathtaking view of Meteora Roussanou Monastery at sunset, Greece. Geological formations of big rocks with Monasteries at the top of them. (Shutterstock)

Ralph Waldo Emerson on the Wall Which Separates Us From Hope

While a vast majority of Americans believe in God or a universal spirit, many feel they have trouble connecting to God. A Google search shows almost a half billion results for phrases such as I dont feel close to God, or I cant feel Gods presence.

In her book Coming to Life, Polly Berends observes: If we are looking for something, clearly we dont think we have it. So if we are looking for peace of mind, security, love, fulfillment, these must be qualities we think we lack.

How do we try to fill that lack? Today, how many times have you reached for a connection? How many times have you checked Facebook or email? Notice that behind the compulsive checking is, as Brant Hansen puts it, a sense of hope. But what are we hoping for? Are we hoping to fill a sense of lack?

A sense of lack generates anxious feelings. We may cope by excessive shopping, eating, or other compulsive behavior. We may seek ways to draw attention to ourselves. What if we are looking in the wrong direction as we seek a solution for the universal need to feel connected?

Minister, essayist, lecturer, and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson was among the most influential writers of the 19th century.

Emerson would ask us to notice how much we rely on our calculating-self, the part of our thinking preoccupied with comparing, evaluating, wanting, and designing our next move. Today we call that calculating-self our egothe insatiable, internal narrator exerting itself to direct our life.

Emerson has good news for us; there is a better way to walk in the world than listening to the voice of our ego. In his essay The Over-Soul, Emerson tells us that our calculating-self misrepresents who we truly are: What we commonly call man, the eating, drinking, planting, counting man, does not, as we know him, represent himself, but misrepresents himself.

Emerson points us in another direction, to live as an expression of our soul eternally connected to the fountain of action and of thought:

Him [the calculating-self] we do not respect, but the soul, whose organ he is, would he let it appear through his action, would make our knees bend. When it breathes through his intellect, it is genius; when it breathes through his will, it is virtue; when it flows through his affection, it is love.

Of the wall of separation from God, Emerson writes that there is no bar or wall in the soul where man, the effect, ceases, and God, the cause, begins. Yet, most of us experience a wall: that sense of separation from God. Our entire self-concept is based on a problematical stream of thinking that creates the experience of separation from God.

The Wall We Build

There are many ways we erect a wall separating us from God. The sense of lack widens as we get lost in our thinking: If only I had a shorter commute, a better manager, a partner who is more supportive, children who are more grateful. The list goes on and on. Our suffering is self-inflicted.

Notice when you chew on endless grievances and judgments. So eager are we to chew on grievances that we seek out news of celebrities and politicians whose bad behavior we disdain.

Notice when your thinking drifts to the past or anticipates the future, taking you away from the present moment. What if our experience of life depends on the thoughts to which we pay attention? In his essay Self-Reliance, Emerson observed: Man postpones or remembers; he does not live in the present, but with reverted eye laments the past, or, heedless of the riches that surround him, stands on tiptoe to foresee the future.

Notice how often you grind away at solving problems. Rather than get caught up in mental churning, Emerson advises it is better to allow the infinite intelligence of God to inspire us:

Here are the lungs of that inspiration which giveth man wisdom, and which cannot be denied without impiety and atheism. We lie in the lap of immense intelligence, which makes us receivers of its truth and organs of its activity.

When we find goodness in our lives, Emerson informs us, we do nothing of ourselves, but allow a passage to its beam. Emersons ideas challenge us to examine our calculating-self, the personal power we believe is the source of our safety and goodness.

Our personal power is weak. Emerson advises us to let the soul have its way through us. For those who believe in running off their personal power, Emerson observes: The weakness of the will begins when the individual would be something of himself. Relying on personal power is like trying to run your vacuum cleaner when it is unplugged.

Mental Silence Tears Down the Wall

Mahlers Second Symphony is one of the grandest in the classical music canon. Recently, my wife and I were fortunate to hear this spectacular and ethereal music.

As the final notes rang out, the audience rose to their feet with thunderous applause. The conductor acknowledged individual musicians in the orchestra.

As the piccolo player stood, from behind me, ringing out over the tumult, a man called out to his companion, The best piccolo I ever heard was at the end of the first movement of Shostakovichs Tenth.

Did his companion find him boorish, or was she eager to be educated? Who knows? I received a lesson: The man caused me to pause to remember how often my calculating-self robs me of the moment. Tedious thoughts of comparison may arise, but we dont have to grab hold of them.

Gods voice is quieter than the voice of our ego. Are you mentally busy all day long? If so, notice how your thinking keeps God away. Notice too, how reluctant you are to relinquish habitual thinking patterns. To rely on this stream of thinking, Emerson would caution, is to choose against God.

When we willingly admit just how much of our distress is coming from our thinking, we open up a quiet space in the present moment. Our minds begin to still. In that relative silence, Emerson instructs, you will hear the right word: There is guidance for each of us, and by lowly listening we shall hear the right word.

Emersons path to God requires the addition of nothing. The wall of separation from God is nothing more than a manifestation of our mental churning. Subtract the mental churning and we open a space in which we breathe in the wisdom, virtue, and love flowing from our connection with God. Gods grace, Emerson would say, is our birthright.

This article, Ralph Waldo Emerson on the Wall Which Separates Us From Hope, was originally published on Intellectual Takeout. Author Barry Brownstein is a professor emeritus of economics and leadership at the University of Baltimore. He is the author of The Inner-Work of Leadership. To receive Barrys essays, subscribe at Mindset Shifts.Police Search for Thief in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Costume

It is always tragic when a celebrity falls from grace. Beautiful, gifted people with wealth and talents sometimes do make bad choices and end up making questionable choices. Hollywood stars have been convicted of shoplifting and burglary, among other crimes.

The deepest sorrow comes from seeing a childhood heroa holiday icon we all grew up lovingappearing in the news for breaking the law.

Such a sad tale comes out of Fort Collins, Colorado, this Christmas season, when sadly, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer appeared to turn to a life of crime.

A thief wearing a plush Rudolph head broke into a business in downtown Fort Collins on Dec. 18. The thief made off with several items according to a post on the Fort Collins Police Services Facebook page.

Apparently Rudolph wasnt cut out for a life of crime. While inside the store, pilfering small items, the thief removed her Rudolph head, revealing her true identity.

Unfortunately, so far no one has come forward to put a name to the face behind the mask, so the miscreant is still having a happy holiday season at other peoples expense.

If you have any info about this incident or know [the] suspects identity, let us know so we can notify St. Nick, the Fort Collins police posted.

One person responded, In light of this new evidence, will the Grinch now be exonerated?

However long it takes the intrepid officers of the Fort Collins force to track down the Christmas burglar, the incident has already made history.

Fort Collins police officers were inspired to write a poem about the incident. One officer even turned the poem into a song.

Officer Sarah doesnt appreciate criminals defaming beloved holiday icons, and she was happy to assist, according to the police Facebook page.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Burglar Since 9NEWS (KUSA) helped spread the word about our Rudolph burglary case, we've gotten quite a few requests for a musical rendition of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Burglar." Officer Sarah doesn't appreciate criminals defaming beloved holiday icons, and she was happy to assist. Here's the story: https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/police-asking-for-help-to-id-burglar-disguised-as-rudolph/73-f906b7c2-0588-4c90-9cb8-3912d0b54e1b?fbclid=IwAR0NTMmkCw5mPPwdml3Ozv4VgHIEeN8LSxRo2EnN3UTiV3tr_fxMeTA4fssWho needs the #lipsyncchallenge when you can sing to help solve crimes?  Fort Collins Police Services  20181224

Rudolph the Red Nosed Burglar

Had a very shady scheme

And if you saw the video

It would want to make you scream.

All of the other burglars

Used to steal without disguise

They werent like this Rudolph

Shes different from the other guys.

On one foggy December eve

Rudolph came to steal.

Broke into a Hickory shop,

Never expected to see a cop.

Oh how the camera caught her

As she committed burglary

Rudolph the Red Nosed Criminal

We need your help with her I.D.

If you can be one of Santas crime-fighting helpers and deliver a tip about the identity of this thief, the Fort Collins police urges you to call Officer Treutler at 970-221-6555 or Larimer County Crime Stoppers at 970-221-6868.

Watch Next:

How a Traditional Spiritual Practice Changed the Lives of These People

The practice has attracted tens of millions across the world and at its core are just three simple principles: truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.A school bus driver in Dallas, Texas, bought gifts for every student on his route, according to his school district. (Facebook / Lake Highlands School)

School Bus Driver Saves Money to Buy Christmas Gifts for Every Child on His Route

A school bus driver in Dallas, Texas, bought gifts for every student on his route, according to his school district.

Curtis Jenkins, a driver for Lake Highlands Elementary School, asked each child what they wanted for Christmas. With his own money and some help from community members, he was able to purchase all the gifts for the children, according to ABC News.

In all, there were 70 gifts for the children. The children found out about the gifts when they were picked up on Dec. 21.

This is Curtis Jenkins, a bus driver for our school. He asked every kid on the bus what they wanted for Christmas and  Lake Highlands Elementary  20181222

Lake Highlands Elementary posted photos of the gifts and Curtis on its Facebook page, where the post has been shared thousands of times.

He asked the kids what they wanted for Christmas and kept a list, Jennifer Wilcox, the schools PTA president, told ABC. I believe his motivation was to bless the kids and to put smiles on their faces.

Jenkins, meanwhile, told ABC that he wanted to buy the gifts to magnify loving and caring.

One of the children asked Jenkins if he was Santa Claus.

Kids these days need to see positivity, Jenkins said. If you show a lot of kids a lot of love they will do the same, he added.

Meanwhile, he said people reached out to donate money for his cause. So many accounts has been set up on GoFundMe in my name, with my picture, said Jenkins, NBC DFW reported. I never set up anything.

In an email, GoFundMe told NBC DFW: Its not uncommon for someone to create a GoFundMe after they see a news story because they simply want to help. When a campaign is created to raise money for another individual they dont personally know, we place the funds on hold and work with them to transfer the funds directly to the beneficiary. In this case, we are working with all campaign organizers and we guarantee all funds raised will go directly to Mr. Jenkins. He can choose to receive the funds or refund donors.

Jenkins said he didnt expect people to donate money. Last Thanksgiving, he said he purchased Thanksgiving turkeys for families in need. Im still on that mission from God, said Jenkins, NBC reported.

That little time they have with me, it means so much. Im the first face they see before they get to school in the morning, he said. I call my bus a community. We love each and everybody in the community, Jenkins added.

Christmas Miracle

Meanwhile, a father booked himself on six flights so that he could spend time with his flight attendant daughter over Christmas.

Pierce Vaughan is a flight attendant for Delta Airlines. This year, she was rostered to work over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day on six flights.

I had the pleasure of sitting next to Hal on my flight back home. His daughter Pierce was our flight attendant who had  Mike Levy  20181224

Pierce shared in a Facebook post that it was a Christmas miracle that her father was able to get a first class seat on one of the flights, which was traveling from Florida to Michigan. Hal decided he would spend the holiday with her. So, he is flying on each of her flights today and tomorrow around the country to spend time with his daughter for Christmas, passenger Mike Levy said.

And in South Carolina, Merrit Eggleston set up a tent outside of his home in Rock Hill on Tuesday and offered free hot meals.

He used his $70 in food stamps that he gets each month to buy the food.

I do everything I can to help anybody I see who needs help, Eggleston told WSOC-TV. They say no one else out there is doing this, why do you do it. I say because I want to.

He said several other people in the community contributed to the meal, including two ministers who contributed $20 each.

Oklahoma Dealership Gifts Free Car to Mother

A mother in Oklahoma also got a brand new car on Christmas Eve. Sheraiah Cricks story was one of the hundreds submitted by friends to the Big Red Kia dealership in Norman, Oklahoma. The owner of the car wanted to give it away but wanted to make sure the recipient would really need it.

Thats what we were actually looking for, looking for someone who actually deserved the car, sale manager Andrew Faller told KFOR.Schools Banning Parents From Lunchtime Visits

In his classic 1991 essay in The Wall Street Journal, New York State Teacher of the Year John Taylor Gatto declared: Government schooling is the most radical adventure in history. It kills the family by monopolizing the best times of childhood and by teaching disrespect for home and parents.

Gatto, who recently passed away, spent 30 years as a classroom teacher and used the Journal editorial as a resignation letter, concluding: I cant teach this way any longer. If you hear of a job where I dont have to hurt kids to make a living, let me know.

It may sound like an exaggeration. Government schooling doesnt really kill the family, right? Yet, examples of schools sidelining parents abound. Most recently, The New York Times ran an article highlighting the growing trend of schools banning parents from the lunchroom. It traces the experience of a mother in suburban Connecticut who enjoyed visiting her young elementary school child at lunchtime on his birthday and maybe a couple of other times during the year, only to receive an email from public school officials stating that parents are now banned from the lunchroom. Another parent in the district told the Associated Press: It feels like a punch in the gut  I chose the town for the schools. Im so frustrated the schools dont want me there.

Prohibiting parents from visiting schools during the day is a growing trend. The Times reports that other school districts across the country are implementing similar policies. As a parent, you should wonder: What are the schools trying to hide?

The schools, on the other hand, blame the parents. School officials say that parents get in the way and prevent childrens independence. The interim superintendent in the Connecticut school district said in his email to parents: Lunchtime is a valued part of the school day where students are encouraged to practice social skills they may have been taught during other parts of the day  With the guidance of school personnel, students also use this time to practice independence and regulation skills.

School officials have academics on their side, with the Times article quoting a Harvard University education professor stating that even though parents have the best intentions, sometimes they come in and over-help.

With pressure from school administrators and academics to marginalize parents and convince them that experts know better what their children need, it can be hard for parents to push back. They can be strong-armed into following the directions and dictates of government officials, which, over time, can do exactly what Gatto warns: Kill the family.

The antidote to government coercion is freedom and choice. Some parents may be fine sending their child to an assigned government school and putting up with restrictive policies. But parents who dont like these practices should have an array of education choices available to them beyond a compulsory district school. Vouchers, Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), tax-credit scholarship programs, and expanded charter school options would grant more parents the opportunity to take back control of their childs education and show greater respect for home and family.

This post was originally published on Intellectual Takeout by Kerry McDonald. She is a senior contributor for Intellectual Takeout.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (C) walks to his office at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 21, 2018. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

Senate Fails to Reach Agreement on Border Fence Funding as Democrats Wait

With the Senate in session on Dec. 27, the chamber has so far failed to reach an agreement on funding the border wall, thus extending the partial government shutdown.

About quarter of the federal government ran out of money on Dec. 22, as Senate Democrats and President Donald Trump remained at odds over $5 billion in border security funding the president has requested for constructing parts of the wall along the southern borderhis signature campaign promise.

The shutdown affects about 15 percent of the federal workforce. More than 420,000 government employees deemed essential were expected to work without pay and over 380,000 were to be furloughed, according to projections by the staff of Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), vice chair of the Appropriations Committee. The workers are to receive their last paychecks on Dec. 28. The next paycheck, scheduled for Jan. 11, will be affected, said Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget and acting White House chief of staff.

Trump has offered to accept less money and to avoid the term walla political repellent for the Democratscalling it steel slats or a fence instead.

But Democrats have shown no sign of pursuing a quick agreement and appear to be waiting for the new year when theyll hold a House majority in the new Congress.

Different people from the same White House are saying different things about what the President would accept or not accept to end his #TrumpShutdown, making it impossible to know where they stand at any given moment, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a Dec. 24 series of tweets.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) posted a near-identical series of tweets around 20 minutes later.

Over the weekend, Mulvaney said the White House had made a counter-offer to Democrats on border security. Media reports said Vice President Mike Pence had proposed $2.1 billion in funding.

The administration understands this crisis and made a reasonable, common-sense solution to Democrats five days agoweve not received a single response, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a Dec. 27 statement. The president and his team stayed in Washington over Christmas hoping to negotiate a deal that would stop the dangerous crisis on the border, protect American communities, and re-open the government. The Democrats decided to go home.

Power Shift

Under pressure from Trump, Republicans passed the wall funding in the House, but they only have a tight 5149 majority in the Senate, where they need 60 votes to overcome a filibuster.

The Senate reconvened at 4 p.m. on Dec. 27, expecting to continue negotiations on the spending bill. But no action was scheduled on the floor.

Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on Dec. 22 he reached an agreement with Schumer to pause all action on the funding bill until the Democrats strike a deal with Trump.

No procedural votes. No test votes, he said in a statement. Just a meaningful vote on a bipartisan agreement when one is reached. And its my hope that its reached sooner rather than later.

If the Senate fails to act by the years end, the House will have to pass new legislation. Pelosi, expected to become House Speaker, has already said she plans to quickly extend the funding, but theres no indication she would be willing to oblige Trump on the wall funding.

Senate GOP will expand its majority in January, but only to 53 seats, still needing seven Democrats to pass budget bills. Senate Democrats previously only agreed to some $1.3 billion for border security, which doesnt include new wall construction. There may be a chance, however, that the funds could be used to expand the steel slat fence, which already exists in the San Diego area. Trump suggested hed settle for that.

Democrats have called the wall project ineffective and wasteful, but in 2013 they were willing to support 700 miles of border fencing as part of a bill that also included a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.

Trump asked for 500 to 550 miles of a wall or fence, whatever theyd like to call it on Dec. 25, saying other parts of the border already have terrain features sufficiently difficult to cross.

Border Patrol officials have repeatedly called for a wall in certain areas.

The wall is not a panacea as human and drug traffickers incessantly come up with ways to overcome it. But it does slow them down, said Sheriff Leon Wilmot of Arizonas Yuma County. Ancillary crimes in the county dropped by 91 percent following the border fence expansion and other security measures provided by the Secure Fence Act of 2006. The bill passed with strong bipartisan majorities in both chambers. At that time, Schumer gave his yay too.

Reuters contributed to this report.The Portis family at the afternoon performance of Shen Yun Performing Arts at Chicagos Civic Opera House on Dec. 27, 2018. (Catherine Wen/The Epoch Times)

CHICAGOJust a couple of days after Christmas, the Portis family attended a performance by Shen Yun Performing Arts. They left deeply inspired.

From little Naomi to her sisters Olivia and Maria, to their parents Sofia and Richard Portis, all left the first performance on Dec. 27 at Chicagos Civic Opera House, with, as Mrs. Portis put it, a very strong message about beauty and about how the divine connected with humanity.

Or as Naomi Portis understood the performance to be: about nature and about angels. The dancers were like angels.

Naomi was on to something; the very name Shen Yun translates from Chinese as the beauty of divine beings dancing.

On the surface, Shen Yun Performing Arts depicts 5,000 years of Chinese culture through original yet traditional dances and music. Audiences see folk and ethnic dances, and short vignettes that tell the legends and history of China through classical Chinese dance. The company is simply sharing its traditional arts.

I think what they are doing here is a great job and transmitting all that power of tradition, Mrs. Portis said.

But look deeper, and those 5,000 years of Chinese history tell a more universal story. Despite the uniquely Chinese culture she was seeing, Mrs. Portis felt the performance rang true for all people.

Its part of us as humans because I could see elements of different cultural aspects from the world.  Some of the dances and some of the things they were using for the skirts and the colors,  its something that you can see, for example, in Mexico.  So there are elements that they share with other cultures. I think that is something within the soul.

The elements that rang deeply for Mrs. Portis could be called the soul of China, for those 5,000 years of Chinese history tell a story of a culture deeply connected with the divine. Traditionally, the Chinese believed that if people strove to improve themselves morally and led a virtuous life, they would live in harmony with man, with the earth, and with heaven.

The purpose of the ancient Chinese arts, then, was to depict this harmonythis perfect balance between man, nature, and heaven, and to restore for those in the audience the very best qualities of humankind.

As Mr. Portis, a self-employed investor, said, I think that truth, beauty, and goodness is kind of a universal artistic trait of understanding and evaluating art.

This show very much exemplifies truth, beauty, and goodness. And so for us, we are very pleased and enjoyed the show, he said.

Classical Chinese dance is an apt means for restoring these qualities. Not only is physical perfection the aim of the dancers and musicians, but spiritual perfection as well. Shen Yun performers embrace cultivating their characters toward ever greater moral improvement, so as to embody truth, goodness, and grace in their lives. Through this self-improvement, they hope that their audiences are uplifted.

The company states on its website: Art was meant to uplift, bringing joy to both the people who created and experienced it. It is this principle that drives Shen Yun performers and their art.

Certainly the dancing captures both grace and technical precision. The dancing was fantastic, Mr. Portis said. They looked very natural dancing.  Everything was perfect.

But the perfection is clearly deeper, I think it was really inspiring, Mrs. Portis said. It brings about all the beauty that is from the soul and manifested in the movements, with music, everything. It was wonderful. she said.

All the More Poignant

The performance was all the more poignant for Mrs. Portis, because, as she explained, the strong message she received from the dancers was that this beautiful tradition, that had its roots in China and had survived there for centuries, can no longer be practiced there. Shen Yun companies are not allowed in China today.

For them not being able to come back there, its  very sad, she said. That says a lot about how bad communism is.

Since the Chinese Communist Party is officially an atheist regime, it is afraid of the freedom of expression this arts company enjoys in the West, according to Shen Yuns website.

The contrast between the beauty and inherent goodness of the traditional performance arts and the denial by the very country in which they arose was very powerful for Mrs. Portis.

In sum, It was beautiful, and it was true, and it was very touching, Mr. Portis said.

We really recommend it for everybody, Mrs. Portis said.

With reporting by Catherine Wen and Sharon Kilarski.

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.Asylum-seekers wait at a Greyhound bus station in El Paso, Texas, after being dropped off by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, on Dec. 23, 2018. (PAUL RATJE/AFP/Getty Images)

Thousands of Family Units Released as Border Patrol Hits Capacity

WASHINGTONAs family units pour into the United States, immigration authorities are being forced to release thousands of them into the country within days, as detention space is overwhelmed.

In the past two months, Border Patrol has apprehended more than 102,000 family units and unaccompanied minors along the Southwest border.

In Yuma, Arizona, Sheriff Leon Wilmot said that since September, the Border Patrol has been apprehending anywhere between 116 to 200 illegal aliens daily.

At that pace, the sector will go from handling 5,424 illegal aliens in fiscal 2018 to almost 58,000 during fiscal year 2019.

Basically whats happening now, is theyre being processed through Border Patrol here and then theyre bused to Pima County and Maricopa Countyto get on buses to get to their final destinations, Wilmot said. And thats usually in the Carolinaseither North or South Carolinaor theyre going to Florida, or theyre going to San Diego.

Theyre going to other places within the interior of the United States, which is having an impact on those sheriffs and those communities, because they dont have the adequate resources to be able to handle that.

Even Greyhound is struggling to keep up. Wilmot said a local NGO rented an entire motel for the family units that had been released but had to wait in Yuma for a bus to become available.

The family units coming into the United States are almost all from Central America. Most cross the border illegally, then turn themselves in to Border Patrol agents and claim asylum.

Under the 1997 Clinton-era Flores Settlement Agreement, unaccompanied children arent supposed to be held in detention longer than 20 days. A 2015 ruling on Flores by a California District judge widened the 20-day limit to apply to children who are accompanied by adults.

A case in which the asylum-seeker is detained takes at least 45 days to adjudicate, which leaves the Department of Homeland Security one optionto release the family into the interior to await their court date. This practice is known as catch-and-release.

Once released, more than one-quarter of those who are tracked with ankle bracelets abscond, Matthew Albence, executive associate director of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, said in Senate hearing testimony on Sept. 9. Additionally, 40 percent fail to fill out a formal asylum application and a further 31 percent fail to appear at their court hearing.

In June, President Donald Trump directed the Attorney General to move for a modified Flores arrangement that would allow for the detention of family units together until their immigration case has been determined. A district judge denied the lawsuit and the Department of Justice hasnt yet appealed.

Meanwhile, the Southwestern Border Sheriffs Coalition sent a position statement to politicians in October.

There is no doubt that due to lack of action from our congressional leadership, the word will travel to foreign countries regarding our nations current situation, the statement said. This will only result in an escalation of family units taking advantage of this crisis.

Communities do not have the financial resources nor the infrastructure to handle this additional burden, which will ultimately lead to other ancillary issues. Among these issues are potential increases in crime, victimization of undocumented immigrants, exploitation of young children, and human-rights concerns.

In a potential tide-turning solution, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Dec. 20 that asylum-seekers will be subject to remain in Mexico until their immigration case is complete.

However, no further details have been released and the policy hasnt yet been enacted.

Wilmot and other sheriffs are fed up with the lack of action in Congress.

Its actually a failure of our lawmakers back in Washington, D.C., because I mean they have had testimony upon testimony about what our federal partners need to be able to adequately do their job, he said. And yet, they have done nothing.

Wilmot said if Congress doesnt step up to fix the loopholes and fund border security, all theyre doing is continuing to collaborate and further help fund these cartels that are on the other side of the border.

The Yuma Sector Border Patrol didnt respond to requests for comment before deadline.Trump Threatens to Shut Down Southern Border Over Wall Funding

President Donald Trump said he will close the southern border if Congress doesnt approve funding for border wall and deliver immigration reform. He also reiterated that his administration will cut off aid to several Central American countries that, Trump said, have done little to stop their citizens from coming to the U.S. illegally.

We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with, the president wrote in the first of a Dec. 28 battery of tweets. Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve!

We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with. Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

Congress has failed to deliver on Trumps request for $5 billion for border wall construction. While the Republican-led House of Representatives approved the funds as part of a government funding bill, the GOP lacks a sufficient majority in the Senate, where Democrats blocked it.

In absence of the funding bill, about a quarter of the federal government ran out of money and shut down on Dec. 22.

The minority leaders, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on Dec. 24 the administration wasnt clear in negotiations on what it would be willing to accept.

The White House said the Democrats were provided with a proposal, but havent responded.

Trump appears to have upped the ante, introducing closure of the border as another piece on the chessboard.

About 800,000 government workers received their last paycheck on Dec. 28, according to Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget and acting White House Chief of Staff. The next paycheck is due on Jan. 11 and would be affected by the shutdown, he said.

Democrats plan to reintroduce a funding bill in the House after they gain control of the chamber in January. Theres no indication the bill would include funds for the wall construction.

Democrats have called the wall project ineffective and wasteful, despite previously backing construction of 700 miles of border fencing as part of a 2013 bill that also included a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.

Trump asked for 500 to 550 miles of a wall or steel slats fence, saying other parts of the border already have natural barriers, such as mountains.

Border Patrol officials have repeatedly called for a wall in certain areas.

Border Shutdown

Shutting down the border would prevent companies from moving goods across, hurting business on both sides. Mexico, however, would hurt more since it runs a trade surplus with the U.S.

The United States looses [sic] soooo much money on Trade with Mexico under NAFTA, over 75 Billion Dollars a year (not including Drug Money which would be many times that amount), that I would consider closing the Southern Border a profit making operation, Trump wrote in another tweet.

.The United States looses soooo much money on Trade with Mexico under NAFTA, over 75 Billion Dollars a year (not including Drug Money which would be many times that amount), that I would consider closing the Southern Border a profit making operation. We build a Wall or..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

The top Mexican export to the U.S. are vehicles (worth $84 billion in 2017). Trump has long lamented the shipping jobs abroad by companies, urging carmakers in particular to expand domestic production instead. The risk of Trump closing the border is yet another factor the companies need to consider when making that decision.

We build a Wall or close the Southern Border. Bring our car industry back into the United States where it belongs, Trump wrote on Twitter, adding a jab at the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which he denounced as a bad deal for the U.S. and which he recently renegotiated.

Go back to pre-NAFTA, before so many of our companies and jobs were so foolishly sent to Mexico, he said. Either we build (finish) the Wall or we close the Border.

.The United States looses soooo much money on Trade with Mexico under NAFTA, over 75 Billion Dollars a year (not including Drug Money which would be many times that amount), that I would consider closing the Southern Border a profit making operation. We build a Wall or..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

..close the Southern Border. Bring our car industry back into the United States where it belongs. Go back to pre-NAFTA, before so many of our companies and jobs were so foolishly sent to Mexico. Either we build (finish) the Wall or we close the Border  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

Aid Shutdown

Trump then put a spotlight on the three Central American nations that have been the largest source of illegal immigration to the U.S. in recent years, including the migrant caravans highly covered by the media in recent months.

Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money, Trump wrote in a tweet. Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it. We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countriestaking advantage of U.S. for years!

..Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money. Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it. We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries  taking advantage of U.S. for years!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

About a million citizens of the three countries have been caught by Border Patrol between 2013 and 2017 (pdf) trying to enter illegally. The United States gave the countries nearly $2.3 billion in aid in those years.

The Central American border crossers commonly surrender themselves to the Border Patrol and then request asylum, but less than one in 10 is ultimately found eligible for asylum by an immigration judge, according to the Justice Department.

A new migrant caravan with an estimated 15,000 people is set to leave Honduras in mid-January, but migrants will attempt to stay in Mexico instead of heading to the United States, some Spanish-language media and groups have reported.

Trump already said on Oct. 22 that Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador will have their U.S. aid reduced or stopped because they were not able to do the job of stopping people from leaving their country and coming illegally to the U.S.12 Ways the Chinese Communist Party Eats Its Words

The Communist Party's constant propagation of deceit darkens with every political movement it makes

Commentary

The words American Dream may still conjure a proud idea of hope and potential in some minds. The existing Chinese Dream may bring cynicism and more hollow propaganda.

In most countries, a government ideally acts upon the will of its citizens. In communist China, the leadership tells the citizens exactly how they are expected to act.

In 2012, Chinese leader Xi Jinping introduced the socialist core values into Chinese society. They consisted of 12 words, each one theoretically representing a virtue that exists, or should exist, in society.

Not long after introducing these values, many Chinese citizens found them richly ironic. This is because the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) consistently does the opposite of what it says. Each one of these values have been contradicted in various ways, even after their introduction.

Wealth

Being the second largest economy in the world, China certainly has individuals of great affluence. Compared to the overall population though, those people are the rare elite. Much of the nations populace is now experiencing the hardships associated with a growing wealth gap.

That wealth, quite naturally for a communist nation, is going to the officials. Of course, the elites get their earned share too but most certainly not the workers.

Democracy

The Greek word democracy means rule by the people and voting is essential to this system of government. When an individual searches on Google, Do the people in China vote? he was met with a convoluted, bureaucratic answer which boiled down to: not really.

The CCP, and all communist parties, tout themselves as organizations of the people. They are technically democratic, if you count having only one option to vote for as a democracy.

Civility

Even though China has some of most strict penalties for drug use, that doesnt stop officials from taking part in illicit drug use. Several years ago, one official had almost turned one southern Chinese city into a brothel.

Harmony

Even before the introduction of socialist core values, to be harmonized was a catch-phrase in China meaning to be censored by the CCP. The CCP enforces its version of harmony by allowing no voice to speak but its own, including on Chinese social media.

There is no ready access to information for the Chinese people on the scandals of the CCP, both new and old, like tainted milk powder and the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Freedom

What may be the most ironic amongst the core values, freedom is precisely what nearly every Chinese person lacks. The precursor to the most recent offenses against the Chinese peoples freedom is the persecution of Falun Gong. The CCP is now jailing Christians and attacking Uyghurs.

Equality

The CCP always tries to play by its own rules, including with the rest of the world. Many believed that allowing China to join the World Trade Organization would make for steps towards democracy. China, instead, has exploited loopholes and broken promises at every turn.

Justice

Lawyers are essential in bringing individuals to justice. In China, the CCP is the arbiter of justice, and any lawyer who does not follow its rulings on what is just will vanish. Human rights lawyers in China are state targets, and their families are left to defend them against the entire state apparatus.

Rule of Law

For the CCP leadership, the law is a matter of convenience. Entire government divisions can be established or removed, on a whim, regardless of legality. Law is only followed when it suits the CCPs wishes.

One individual said, Serving as a judge, I couldnt tell whether I was a defender of justice, or simply a murderer made legitimate by the veil of law.

Patriotism

In the past, no one could ascend in a large business without being a communist party member. It seems that its still the same today. Jack Ma, one of the richest businessmen in China, recently confirmed his party membership, which one human rights lawyer said was necessary for business success.

Dedication

Swearing ones life to the party seems to be a thing of convenience for party officials. Some even preempt this behavior, sending their families abroad first, with Canada and America being popular destinations.

Integrity

Heres a joke: in China, you build a building, then you knock it down. You build it again, then you knock it down. You build it once more, then you knock it down. You finally leave it standing after building it one last time. What are you left with? Four times GDP.

Fabricating numbers has been a practice since the early days of communist power in China, where not lying about harvest yields would get one murdered. It is still rampant today, with any economic data reported from China needing to be taken with a grain of salt.

Friendship

Understanding is key to friendship, but it seems China felt that during the tariff escalation, an eye-for-an-eye was better. Now maybe its three-eyes-for-an-eye.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.Shalyha Ahmad, 18, who was last seen about two weeks ago, was found. (Chicago Police)

University of Illinois Student, 18, Is Found After Family Reported Her Missing

An 18-year-old University of Illinois student found after her family reported her missing this week, according to reports. She went missing about two weeks ago and walked into a Chicago police station on Dec. 27.

Shalyha Ahmad arrived at the 22nd District station in Morgan Park, telling officers that she was never missing, said a police spokesman in a tweet. She indicated she was safe the whole time, said police, adding that its missing person case will be closed on her.

Ahmads mother, Shetti Fatima Ahmad, said she was supposed to pick her daughter up on the night of Dec. 14, but she never showed up at their meeting spot, WLS reported.

We were supposed to meet at 6:30 p.m. because we told her we were going to pick her up from school, Ahmad said. She did not arrive at our meeting place and thats when we got worried.

The missing UIC student featured in recent news reports stopped into a #ChicagoPolice district and indicated she was safe and never missing. CPDs missing person case will be closed. pic.twitter.com/jOlLaP3TUB  Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) December 27, 2018

The Chicago Tribune reported Shalyha Ahmad saw reports about her and went to the police station to tell officials she wasnt missing.

Detectives said they didnt create a flyer for her because they hadnt determined if she was in any danger. Theres no criminal investigation, there was never any implication that there was any criminal wrongdoing that we could find, a police spokesman, Anthony Guglielmi, told the newspaper.

I dont want to dwell on unpleasant thoughts, Shetti Ahmad, the mother, said right before her daughter was found. Right now I just want to hope for the best.

According to Sherri McGinnis Gonzalez, a spokeswoman at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the campus did not issue a public safety advisory.

The university will issue a public safety advisory to the university community when a crime occurs on or near campus that represents a serious, ongoing or imminent threat to the welfare, health, and safety of the university community. Whether the campus issues a public safety advisory is assessed on a case-by-case basis in light of all the facts surrounding a crime, including factors such as the nature of the crime, the ongoing or imminent danger to the campus community, and/or the possible risk of compromising law enforcement efforts, she told the paper.

Shetti Ahmad said her family moved from the Philippines to Chicago in 2016 when the girl was 6 years old, according to the Tribune. She said her daughter worked hard in school before starting her first semester at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Missing Children

There were 464,324 missing children reported in the FBIs National Crime Information Center (NCIC) in 2017, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Under federal law, when children are reported missing to law enforcement they must be entered into the database.

In 2016, there were 465,676 entries. This number represents reports of missing children. That means if a child runs away multiple times in a year, each instance would be entered into NCIC separately and counted in the yearly total. Likewise, if an entry is withdrawn and amended or updated, that would also be reflected in the total, the center noted.Volunteer Firefighter Dies Answering a Call on Christmas Day

A 21-year-old volunteer firefighter crashed in her car on her way to a call and died before most people had started opening presents.

Natalie N. Dempsey was racing to the scene of a house fire in Hamilton Township, New Jersey around 6:20 a.m. on Dec. 25. She lost control of her black 2001 Honda Accord and hit a guardrail, sustaining fatal injuries.

When members of the rest of her firefighting crew passed a wreck on the way home from extinguishing the house fire, they stopped to assist the Hamilton Township Police who were already on the scene. That was when they learned they had lost one of their own.

Mizpah Volunteer Fire Company Chief Jay Davenport told NJ.com that when he realized who it was who had crashed and died, it smashed my heart out.

We want to thank our sister fire company Mays Landing Fire Department for everything they did. Thank you guys again it just shows how much love our township has to give at a time like this  Mizpah Volunteer Fire Company 18-2  20181227

Dempsey was vice-president of Mizpah Volunteer Fire Company 18-2, where she had served as an active firefighter for three years. Mizpah is a small town located about 25 miles west of Atlantic City.

She had recently passed her Firefighter 1 certification test, but her hope was to move on to serve her community in another capacity.

Dempsey had hoped to become a police officer. She had attended the Police Academy over the summer.

The fire company posted an announcement on Facebook to honor their fallen comrade.

At this time the Mizpah Fire Company has to announce the passing of Firefighter/Vice President Natalie Dempsey. Please keep her family in your prayers, the post sated.

We will keep you all updated on any funeral arrangements. This will be a funeral with full honors due to it being a line of duty passing.

Thanks For Your Service. Well Take it From Here

Her fellow firefighters at Mays landing Fire department also shared their sorrow on Facebook.

It is with great sadness that the Mays Landing Fire Department has learned of the untimely line of duty passing of a firefighter with one of our sister companies at Mizpah Volunteer Fire Company 18-2 this morning, the post read.

To our brothers and sisters at Mizpah Volunteer Fire Company 18-2 we stand with you and we mourn with you during this dark hour. Natalie Dempsey was a vibrant young firefighter who always had a smile on her face, and she will be greatly missed.

Please join us in extending our thoughts and prayers to Ms. Dempseys family as well as to her firehouse family during this tough time.

Natalie Dempsey, thank you for your service; well take it from here.

Chief Davenport told NJ.com, She was one of the most beautiful-souled people you could imagine.

The world was lollypops and rainbows for that girl. Her smile can light up the room.

Dempsey leaves behind a grieving family, friends, and a boyfriend who exchanged text with her a few hours before her death.

I have a tradition by myself that I watch the first episode of a Christmas Story and I told her that, her boyfriend Andy told ABC News.

She texted me around 1 a.m. saying she loved me and then she wished me a Merry Christmas.

I never got to text her back because I was sleeping.

From NTD NewsWhy Did Foreign Intel Agencies Leak Info on Alleged Cohen Prague Visit Now?

Michael Cohen denies prague article, says Mueller Knows Everything

The narrative that President Donald Trumps former lawyer, Michael Cohen, had visited Prague has proven to be spectacularly enduring.

Despite numerous previous failed attempts by media to prove that Cohen was in Prague, McClatchy reporters Peter Stone and Greg Gordon published a story on Dec. 27th saying that a cell phone signal placed Cohen outside of Prague in late summer 2016.

A mobile phone traced to President Donald Trumps former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen briefly sent signals ricocheting off cell towers in the Prague area in late summer 2016, at the height of the presidential campaign, leaving an electronic record to support claims that Cohen met secretly there with Russian officials, four people with knowledge of the matter say, reads the article.

During the same period of late August or early September, electronic eavesdropping by an Eastern European intelligence agency picked up a conversation among Russians, one of whom remarked that Cohen was in Prague, two people familiar with the incident said, the article continues.

Worth noting is that Michael Cohen had as many as 16 phones that were ultimately handed over to federal prosecutors as part of the probe by special counsel Robert Mueller.

Cohen responded to the new McClatchy story on Twitter:

I hear #Prague #CzechRepublic is beautiful in the summertime. I wouldnt know as I have never been.

Notably, Cohen specifies not just Prague, but the entire Czech Republic. Cohen then closed with a somewhat cryptic comment:

#Mueller knows everything!

Cohens immediate denial of any visit to Prague carries a certain weight as he is still cooperating with the Mueller team. Cohen also responded to questions on Twitter asking if he had been to any part of the Czech Republicnot just Prague. Each time his answer was simple and the same:

No.

Similarly, nowhere in the Cohen plea agreement filed by Mueller is there any reference to a Prague visit by Cohen. This is notable, as Mueller has prosecuted even the smallest of misstatements, particularly if one subscribes to the theory that Mueller is intent on indicting Trump.

Claims that Cohen was in Prague have been repeatedly used over the past two years to fuel speculation regarding alleged Trump-Russia ties and the idea that Cohens activities with the Kremlin lie at the heart of the collusion narrative.

Cohen was likely never in Prague. He testified for countless hours and provided detailed bank records to the special counsel. However, information regarding a Michael Cohen was captured and made its way into the now-infamous Steele dossier. How that information was capturedand how the information made its way into the dossieris where the real story lies.

The McClatchy article, which is based on four anonymous sources, each of whom obtained their information independently from foreign intelligence connections, reads like an attempt on the part of the intelligence community to frame an explanation as to how the information contained in the Steele dossier was originally obtained.

The real question raised is How did the information on Cohen, an American citizen, make its way from the intelligence community to Christopher Steele and his dossier?

The article may ultimately be shown to be entirely false, or it may prove to be the framing of a narrative by elements within the intelligence community.

The Origins of the Prague Narrative

The Prague allegations were first made in an Oct. 20, 2016, memo contained within Christopher Steeles dossier:

Kremlin insider reports Trump lawyer COHENs secret meeting/s with Kremlin officials in August 2016 was/were held in Prague.

Steele had also referred to Cohen in earlier memos; first on Oct. 18, followed by an elaboration on Oct. 19, but Prague had not been mentioned. Steele claimed that Cohen was heavily engaged in a cover-up and damage limitation operation in the attempt to prevent the full details of TRUMPs relationship with Russia being exposed.

In his final memo dated Dec. 13, Steele amended his timeframe somewhat to claim Cohen was in Prague in August/September 2016.

The issue of Cohen and the alleged Prague visit are significant. If the dossier is proven to be inaccurate in regard to Cohen, the entire dossier is then called into question.

Cohen has vigorously and consistently denied that he was in Prague at the time mentioned and even went so far as to meet with BuzzFeed reporter Anthony Cormier in May 2017 and showed him his passport. As noted in the BuzzFeed article, there is no stamp showing Cohen visited the Czech Republic. Cohen has also denied having a second passport and there has been no mention of such a passport from the Mueller legal documents.

Cohen did visit Italy in July 2016, but flew out of Leonardo da VinciFiumicino Airport in Rome on July 17th. Cohen claimed that he stayed on the island of Capri with family and friendsincluding musician Steven Van Zandt. Cohen has stated he was in Los Angeles from the 23rd through the 29th of August, and that the rest of the month he was in New York.

In the article, Cormier notes the failed efforts by BuzzFeed and other media at proving Cohen had visited Prague:

Many news organizations attempted to verify or debunk claims in the dossier, including that Cohen was in Prague around that time. A BuzzFeed News reporter spent three days visiting about 45 hotels in the city and found no evidence Cohen had stayed in any of them during that period.

CNNs Jake Tapper reported on Jan. 17, 2017, that the wrong Michael Cohen had been identified:

My reporting suggests that people did try to run that down and they concluded that it was a different Michael Cohen. It was a Michael Cohen with a passport from another country, the same birth year, different birth date.

This wouldnt be the only time the wrong Michael Cohen was identified. In May 2018, Cohen filed legal documents noting that Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for Stormy Daniels, had obtained bank records relating to two differing Michael Cohens. The filing claimed that some of the transactions described in the dossier related to other people with the name Michael Cohenincluding a Canadian citizen and a man who resides in Israel.

Despite Cohens denials and media backpedaling, the same McClatchy reporters, Peter Stone and Greg Gordon, published a story in April 2018, claiming that the Justice Department special counsel has evidence that Donald Trumps personal lawyer and confidant, Michael Cohen, secretly made a late-summer trip to Prague during the 2016 presidential campaign, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Cohen responded to the story in April on Twitter:

Bad reporting, bad information and bad story by same reporter Peter Stone @McClatchyDC. No matter how many times or ways they write it, I have never been to Prague. I was in LA with my son. Proven!

Cohens former lawyer and current adviser, Lanny Davis, has also disputed that Cohen visited Prague.

In a Dec. 16 appearance on MSNBC, Davis was asked by Kasie Hunt if the Prague trip ever happened. Davis responded, laughing: No. No. Everybody. America. We all love Kasies show. No. No Prague, ever. Never.

Steele Dossier Falling Apart

The veracity of the Steele dossier has come under question as time has progressed with some notable retractions from some surprising quarters.

Yahoo News reporter Michael Isikoff met with Steele in September 2016 and received information from the dossier. The resulting Sept. 23, 2016, article by Isikoff was then cited by the FBI as validating Steeles claims and was featured in both the original FISA application on Trump campaign foreign policy adviser Carter Page, as well as the three subsequent FISA renewals.

Isikoff recently gave an interview on John Zieglers podcast Free Speech Broadcasting on Dec. 15, where he opined on his current view of the dossier (from the 26:50 mark):

Zeigler: You mention the Steele dossier, which to me has been unfairly derided, especially by Trump fans. Would you agree that a lot of whats in the Steele dossier has been at least somewhat vindicated? Would you agree with that assessment?

Isikoff: No.

Zeigler: You would not?

Isikoff: No.

Isikoff noted that when you actually get into the details of the Steele dossier, the specific allegations, we have not seen the evidence to support them, and, in fact, theres good grounds to think that some of the more sensational allegations will never be proven and are likely false.  Based on the public record at this point, Id have to say that most of the specific allegations have not been borne out.

Zeigler responded, noting somewhat wryly, Thats interesting to hear you say that, Michael because, as Im sure youre well aware, your book was kind of used, indirectly, to try to validate the pee tape for lack of a better term.

Equally telling was a recent admission by Greg Miller, the national security correspondent for The Washington Post, while appearing in an interview televised on C-Span. Miller highlighted specific assertions The Washington Post had attempted to prove and failed:

Its not for lack of trying. Theres other material in the dossier we literally spent weeks and months trying to run down. Theres an assertion in there that Michael Cohen, Trumps lawyer, went to Prague to settle some payments that were needed at the end of the campaign. We sent reporters through every hotel in Praguethrough all over the placejust to try to figure out if he was ever there, and came away empty.

Like BuzzFeed, the Post spent considerable time and resources in attempting to prove the dossiers claim that Cohen was in Prague. They came away empty-handed but failed to report the failed results of their efforts. Perhaps more importantly, the Post canvassed their network of sources within the intelligence community and were further rebuffed:

Weve talked to sources at the FBI and CIA and elsewhere. They dont believe that ever happened.

Neither this recent McClatchy article nor the April 2018 article on Cohens alleged visit to Prague have been corroborated by any other reporting and the timing of the most recent article appears suspect as well.

How did McClatchy suddenly gain access to information that other media sources have been trying in vain to verify for almost two years? Given the non-stop flow of leaks from the intelligence communityand the potentially damaging nature of this particular informationone would assume these details would have been made public long before now.

Cohens immediate denials, and his insistence that he was never in the Czech Republiclet alone Pragueputs into further question the veracity of the reporting. And Cohens ongoing cooperation with the special counsel makes it doubtful that he would continue to lie about such a significant event at this late juncture.

As mentioned above, another possibility behind the timing and details of the McClatchy story may exist. Intelligence sources might be attempting to get ahead of news from the special counsels report by providing a rationale for their investigation into Cohen and his activities. Foreign-sourced intelligence, initially deemed to be credible, was eagerly seized upon and not properly vetted. Still unanswered is how that informationfaulty or notwas then transmitted to Steele and his dossier.

If anyone knows the true details behind Cohens alleged visit to Pragueand how those details came to be within the Steele dossierits likely to be Mueller and his team.

Jeff Carlson is a CFA Charterholder. He worked for 20 years as an analyst and portfolio manager in the high-yield bond market. He runs the website TheMarketsWork.comWoman Chases Porch Pirate, Retrieves Stolen Package

Its the holidayswhich means its the prime season for a phenomenon called porch piracy.

At some point in the recent past, some people opted to start spending their days cruising through neighborhoods and stealing packages off of peoples front steps.

Obviously the holiday season is the most lucrative time, because nowadays, so many people buy items online and delivery services work during working hoursso packages often sit outside, unattended for at least several hours at a time.

Of course, those packaged are mostly presents purchased to be given otherswhich means the buyer and the prospective gift recipient both suffer from porch piracy.

Recently, one woman from Lakewood, Colorado managed to strike a blow in support of online shoppers.

Renee Abeyta happened to be home doing chores when her Ring app sent her a notification.

Ring is a doorbell security system which combines a small camera in the doorbell with a phone app, which alerts users when people come within camera range. The Ring system was developed in part because of the porch pirate phenomenonand Renee Abeyta owned the system.

When she heard the alert, Abeyta went to collect her packagesand found her front step empty.

When she checked the video recorded on her phone, Abeyta saw that she had been the victim of piracy. There was a clear video of a woman walking up to her door, picking up Abeytas package, and walking away.

I thought, No way this is happening to me,' Abeyta told Fox News.

Abeyta hopped in her car and headed off in the direction the woman had gone. Very soon, she caught up to the would-be package pilferer who was walking away, carrying a load of likely stolen merchandise.

Immediately, Abeyta pulled over and jumped out of the car. The woman kept on walking. Without hesitation, Abeyta gave chase.

As she ran, Abeyta yelled at the woman, telling her she had been captured on video committing the crime.

I dont even know what came out of my mouth or even why I said what I did. It just happened, Abeyta said.

I was mad as hell. There was no way I was going to let her go. I would have ran for as many miles as I had to, to get my package.

Abeyta filmed the whole chase on her cell phoneand used the recording to influence the thief.

She told the woman that she was on video, threatened to call the police, and offered to delete the video if the woman retuned the stolen item.

At first the thief denied having stolen anythingdespite the video evidence. As Abeyta persisted in her pursuit, the robber got tired and eventually came to a halt, exhausted.

Beaten, breathless, and facing potential prosecution, the porch pirate gave up her ill-gotten bootyin this case, a lid for a crock pot.

Abeyta said the issue wasnt the specific package, it was the principle.

Hopefully that girl and other people dont steal stuff because its Christmas and these are presents for people, she said.

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How a Traditional Spiritual Practice Changed the Lives of These People

The practice has attracted tens of millions across the world and at its core are just three simple principles: truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.Trying to meet all your book preview and review needs.



the complete review - intellectual history

The Academy of Fisticuffs



by

Sophus A. Reinert



general information | review summaries | our review | links | about the author

Political Economy and Commercial Society in Enlightenment Italy

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Our Assessment:



B+ : impressive breadth and depth

See our review for fuller assessment.

Review Summaries Source Rating Date Reviewer Foreign Affairs . 5-6/2019 Andrew Moravcsik

From the Reviews :

"Reinert makes the case for the critical role played by a pioneering group of Italian political economists who gathered in the cafes of Milan" - Andrew Moravcsik, Foreign Affairs

Please note that these ratings solely represent the complete review 's biased interpretation and subjective opinion of the actual reviews and do not claim to accurately reflect or represent the views of the reviewers. Similarly the illustrative quotes chosen here are merely those the complete review subjectively believes represent the tenor and judgment of the review as a whole. We acknowledge (and remind and warn you) that they may, in fact, be entirely unrepresentative of the actual reviews by any other measure.



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The complete review 's Review :

'The Academy of Fisticuffs' of the title is the short-lived Milanese Accademia dei Pugni -- "a caffeinated think tank of aristocratic intellectuals and reformers that did much to put Milan on the intellectual map of mid-eighteenth century Europe". Sophus A. Reinert suggests about this largely virtual institution -- it was a loose grouping, embracing the (still fairly novel) coffeehouse (in fact, and as symbol) rather than any official offices/address as meeting place for discussion and intellectual exchange (and naming even their official publication: Il Caffe) --:

Its flame burned brightly but quickly, leaving a more lasting mark on Italian history through two years of activities than many other

Though deeply informed by recent developments in mathematics and radical mechanistic branches of moral philosophy, the group's efforts in the realm of political economy and institutional and cultural reform more generally were born from concrete experiences of war and trade, whether in relation to campaigns during the Seven Years' War or to the calculation and refinement of tariffs and budgets in Northern Italy.

- M.A.Orthofer, 28 December 2018

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:

See Index of books dealing with Business and Economics

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About the Author :

Sophus A. Reinert teaches at Harvard Business School.

- Return to top of the page -NORWALK  Debbie Roselle, the wife of Norwalk police officer Phil Roselle, who was shot by a fellow officer in a 2017 training accident, has teamed up with a Massachusetts nonprofit to advocate for more comprehensive benefits for officers injured in the line of duty.

Roselle recently sent a letter to State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff and other city officials urging a legislative change, similar to one on the books in Massachusetts. The change would allow mayors, first selectmen or town managers to circumvent the state workers compensation system and allocate municipal funds to provide lifetime benefits equal to a critically injured first responders salary at the time of an accident.

In our state, permanently injured police officers are required to deal with and be subjected to the bureaucracy that I refer to as Workmans Compensation. This process is not only tedious but often very stressful, Roselle wrote to Duff, before asking that he consider drafting and filing legislation that mirrors a proposed law in Massachusetts, championed by the nonprofit Violently Injured Police Officers Organization, that would allow permanently injured police officers a smoother pathway to get full compensation.

Duff said he is researching the legislation that Roselle referred to, but that he suspected that it would require large-scale changes to the current workers compensation process.

In Connecticut, that task is delegated to Workers Compensation Commission, which is a separate adjudicating body that cannot be influenced by state legislators, Duff said.

Roselle was shot by a fellow police officer in a September 2017 incident during a training session at the Norwalk Police Departments gun range.

Since the shooting, Roselle said hes suffered blood clots, a partial blockage of his heart and permanent nerve damage in his right hand. He is currently on dialysis several days a week for kidney failure and he was told by doctors that hell need a kidney replacement.

This has been a nightmare and nobody seems to get it, Phil Roselle said.

For more than 30 years, Roselle has had Type 1 diabetes, a pre-existing condition that the Connecticut Workers Compensation Commission cited as cause for twice denying him workers compensation, before the aid was finally approved in the fall.

But Roselle is still seeking damages from the city, as well as money he feels owed for time out of work. The matter is still being adjudicated by the Workers Compensation Commission.

Detective Mario Oliveira, a retired Somerville, Mass., police officer who was shot six times point blank while serving a warrant in 2010, said he was contacted earlier this month by Debbie Roselle. She asked for Oliveiras help, in his capacity as the co-founder of VIPO, to bring more attention in Connecticut to injured police officers.

According to Oliveira, in most states, the families of officers killed in action receive robust aid. In Massachusetts, spouses receive one-time federal and state payouts that, combined, total more than $600,000, and are exempt from paying property taxes. The salary of the deceased officer is paid to spouses on a monthly basis for life, tax free, Oliveira said.

The support for those who survive and are permanently injured pales in comparison.

So whats the message? Youre worth more to your family dead than you are alive. You get punished for surviving. You get a pay cut, then they cap you on what you earn, Oliveira said.

According to Norwalk Mayor Harry W. Rilling, as part of Norwalks collective bargaining agreement between the city and the police union, the city is required to make up any shortfall in pay for officers injured on the job.

There is a monetary difference between Officer Roselles base salary and what workers compensation is paying, and the city has been bridging that gap to ensure he receives 100 percent of his wages, Rilling said. The City of Norwalk has been and continues to be committed to protecting those who keep us safe in our community. We will always do everything in our power to ensure our first responders are taken care of and protected.

But the Roselles, who claim that Phil, 51, is suffering both from kidney failure and post traumatic stress disorder, want more help from the city that he served for more than three decades. Duff, said he more needs to be learned about Roselles proposed legislation, and is unsure if it will come up during the upcoming legislative session.

Ive known Bob Duff for many years, and he is a strong supporter and advocate for our first responders. I believe he will do what he can at the state level to help those who are putting their lives on the line every day, Rilling said.

justin.papp@scni.com; @justinjpapp1; 203-842-2586Currently Reading

Readers' picks: Top news stories of 2018 in the Greenwich areaQuesto comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

Small Scale LNG Market  Overview:

As liquefied natural gas is a clean resource for fossil fuel which has the lowest emission level of pollutants, the market for it is growing at an accelerated rate citing concerns related to global warming worldwide. Market reports associated with the energy and power sector made accessible by Market Research Future along with published reports on other sectors have been lately put out along with a report on this industry. The Small Scale LNG Market is anticipated to develop at a 2.5% CAGR in the forecast period.

The rising demand being observed globally for sustainable fuel sources is adding to the overall potential of the market growth. The key demand for LNG is stemming from the fertilizer industry, power plants, transportation, cooking fueling and heating for industrial, residential & commercial sectors will power the growth of the market intensively in the forecast period.

Competitive Analysis

The originality in products and services of the markets will alter the progression of the market significantly. The market pull and competitors propensities are markedly enhanced by the strategies that are being used by market contenders. The important success factors in the market are easily accomplished in the market which is adding to an elevated pace of growth in the forecast period. The heightened level of emphasis on the variation of products is growing the number of customers in the market significantly. The key competitors in the small scale LNG market are Engie SA (France), Wartsila Corporation (Finland), Gazprom (Russia), Honeywell International Inc. (U.S.), The Linde Group (Germany), IHI Corporation (Japan), Skangas AS (Norway), Excelerate Energy L.P (U.S), Prometheus Energy (U.S), GE Oil & Gas (U.S.),Cryostar (U.S.), and Novatek (Russia) among others.

A Sample of This Report Is Available upon Request @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2705

Segmental Analysis

The small-scale LNG market has been segmented on the basis of type, application, mode of supply, and region. On the basis of type, the market is segmented into regasification and liquefaction terminals. The segmentation on the basis of mode of supply consists os segments such as Trans-shipment and Bunkering, Trucks, Captive Consumption through Pipeline & Rail. The trans-shipment and Bunkering market is well-known in the market owing to the flourishing shipping industry. On the basis of applications, the market is segmented as utilities, industrial & commercial, residential, marine, and transportation.

Detailed Regional Analysis

The market for Small Scale LNG is anticipated to observe exceptional growth through the forecast period. The market is anticipated to develop in the Asia Pacific region and African regions owing to the escalating demand for natural gas as fuel for the automobile and power industry. Moreover, the regions are witnessing a surge in projects of regasification and liquefaction terminal. For example, South Korea and Japan are growing their liquefaction capacity, as a result, driving the market. Egypt has appeared as a new importer for LNG while Mozambique has revealed a new gas field, which will fortify the nations position as a huge gas exporter. The European region is expected to follow the small-scale LNG market after the Asia Pacific and Africa regions. As per the European Union policies, the nations are phasing out their coal-based power plants, consequently creating a surge in demand for LNG.

Browse The Full Research Report At@ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/small-scale-lng-market-2705

Key Players

The key players of global small-scale LNG market are Gazprom (Russia), Engie SA (France), Honeywell International Inc. (U.S.), Wartsila Corporation (Finland), and The Linde Group (Germany). Skangas AS (Norway), IHI Corporation (Japan), Excelerate Energy L.P (U.S), Prometheus Energy (U.S), Cryostar (U.S.), GE Oil & Gas (U.S.), and Novatek (Russia), are among others.Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

Oilfield chemicals strike a balance between costs and productivity which is benefitting the substances with the increasing market prominence and making them a high-value product to be used in the drilling processes. This is the key driving force propelling the market growth on the global platform. Market Research Future (MRFR), a leading market research firm, in its recently published market analysis, asserts that the global Oilfield Chemicals Market will register a CAGR of approx. 5% throughout the forecast period (2016  2022), witnessing enormous growth by the end of 2022.

Segmentation Analysis

The Oilfield Chemicals market has been segmented based on material as Specialty Chemicals, Commodity Vehicles, and Polymers. Based on application, the market has been segmented as Production chemicals, Drilling fluid Chemicals, Stimulation Fluid Additives. Based on Fluid type the market has been segmented as drilling, completion, stimulation.

Get the PDF brochure of this market insight: @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1755

Global Key Players and Competition Analysis

Some of the key players in the Oil Field Chemicals market are BASF SE (Germany), Lubrizol Corporation (U.S.), AkzoNobel N.V. (Netherlands), The Dow Chemical Company (U.S.), Schlumberger, Halliburton (U.S.), Kemira Oyj (Finland) and Clariant (Switzerland) among others.

Regional Analysis

North America is the leading region for this market mainly due to the increased exploration activities in USA and Canada. The increasing exploration activities in this region have in turn resulted in an increase in the Oilfield Chemicals Market. Although there exists political instability in the Middle East, this region is expected to register high growth rate in the forecast period due to increasing trend of deep water exploration and working in high temperatures which require much more expensive Oilfield Chemicals.

Market Scope

Increasing demand for oil and gas is expected to result in a rise in demand for the Oil Field Chemicals market. In recent times the oil and gas has been experiencing a significant downturn due to the continuous fall in the prices. These changes in the supply and demand dynamics is expected to induce a rise in the number of oil wells thus resulting in boosting the Oil Field Chemicals market.

Browse the market data and information spread across 100 pages with 49 data tables and 09 figures of the report Oil Field Chemicals Market Research Report - Global Forecast to 2022  in-depth alongside table of content (TOC) at: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/oil-field-chemicals-market-1755

Industry News:

January 29, 2018  Exxon Mobil Corporation (US), a global O&G Company, announced its plans to pump up USD 50 billions investments over the next five years, in view with the recent tax deduction by the US governments. The company also mentioned its plans to increase the daily production at the Permian Basin, Southwest USat a rate of 600,000 barrels a day.

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), & Consulting Services.

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.

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Phone: +16468459312

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Linkedin Kurniawan Hari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28, 2018 09:08 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e45dc1b 1 Opinion #commentary,WTO,Trade Free

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is to celebrate its 24th anniversary in January 2019. There is no better chance than today to assess the performance and outlook of the global organization.



Such an evaluation is timely because the G20 leaders summit in Buenos Aires in early December called for reforms in the WTO and also because of the global crisis stemming from the trade war between the worlds two largest economies, the United States and China.



To assess its future, we need to look into the history of the trade organization, which was established in 1995 as an upgrade to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) to provide clearer rules and procedures pertaining to global trade. Unlike GATT, which only dealt with the trade in goods, the WTO and its agreements cover trade in services and property rights.



The trade organization has also created procedures to settle any trade disputes involving its members. Thus, it offers a way to resolve trade disputes. Any agreements within the framework of the trade organization are not frozen. The agreements can be updated through renegotiation from time to time and new agreements can be added as a reference.



The WTO facilitates a multilateral trade system that ensures secure supplies of components, raw materials, finished products and services for global consumers. Thus, producers and consumers know foreign markets will always be open to them. To ensure the trade system works, the WTO makes decisions, mostly through consensus among all 164 members, and they are ratified by the legislatures of the members. Meanwhile, any trade friction is brought to the dispute settlement body, which assesses how the trade policies of the members conform to the agreements and their commitments.



Today, after almost a quarter of a century, what are the challenges faced by the trade organization?



In his opening remarks to a seminar for journalists in Geneva recently, Keith Rockwell, spokesperson and director of information and external relations of the WTO, said all G20 leaders have agreed that the strengthening the WTO is important. He said the areas that need to be improved include how the WTO determines whether a country is a developing country, how a country decides to use its national security exemptions and how the members make decisions.



China, for example, has declared itself a developing country despite having a manufacturing industry and being the worlds second-largest economy. The US opposes Chinas status as a developing country because it gives the Asian country some benefits in trade it cannot enjoy.



Apparently, this has caused tensions that have led to protectionist measures on both sides.



Another crucial issue is the dispute settlement system, which involves decisions through the so-called Appellate Body. According to the WTO, more than 560 disputes have been brought to the trade organization this year alone.



The Appellate Body originally had seven members. Today, however, the body has only three members because the terms of office of the other members ended but their reappointment has reportedly been opposed by the US, which considers that its interests have not been accommodated.



To make matters worse, the mandate of two of the three remaining members will expire in December 2019 and if their mandates are not renewed the Appellate Body will be down to one member only and will no longer be able to function.



In addition, WTO director general Roberto Azevedo revealed there were 137 new trade restrictions being put in place between October 2017 and October 2018, slightly more than in the previous 12 months.



The director general added that import restrictions covered an estimated value of US$588 billion. This is more than seven times larger than the figure for the previous annual overview. In fact, this is the largest coverage of such measures recorded by this trade monitoring exercise.



This should be of great concern to the WTO members, Azevedo said in his remarks for the annual trade review.



This was not surprising given the tensions in the global trading environment over the past months. If they continue unabated, the increase in restrictive trade measures and the uncertainty created by such actions could put the global economic recovery into jeopardy.



Despite the bleak picture, WTO members also recorded 162 new measures that facilitate global trade with an estimated value of $295 billion. This amount was higher than in the previous period. As we can see, there is light at the end of the tunnel.



The WTOs director general put it best: Transparency is essential to everything at the WTO. Transparency is crucial to maintain the predictability and stability of the multilateral trading system. Lets hope the WTO members maintain transparency and issue policies that are in line with their commitments. Lets also hope reforms improve the decision-making at the WTO.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Yulianti Muthmainnah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28, 2018 13:05 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e46e870 3 Opinion patriarchy,ulemas,religion,child-marriage,marriage Free

The challenge of pluralism that Indonesia faces today is the strengthening of identity politics, where women are among the targets of patriarchal ideals hiding behind the robes of religion. Religion is used to justify polygyny and child marriage, among other things.



Increasing efforts to revive polygyny as an acceptable practice often refer to Prophet Muhammads household, though some of his wives were older. Likewise, child marriage is seen as a way to preserve a girls morality and purity by avoiding sinful premarital sex. The strategy of appealing to religious purity juxtaposes us with them  infidels, the West and Westerners.



This leads to ahistorical and meaningless interpretations of religious texts. The policing of women and their bodies is considered necessary to uphold religion.



We see, for instance, advertisements on chat groups promoting seminars or training on fast polygyny with fees of Rp 3.5 million (US$241.30) to ensure responsible polygyny supposedly in line with the practice of the Prophet, or a cheap marriage package guaranteed to be syari (in line with sharia) for those under 18.



Meanwhile, child marriage has reached emergency proportions. According to a report by the United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund, State of the Worlds Children 2016, one in seven girls in Indonesia is married as a child.



Thus, Indonesia ranks second among the 10-member ASEAN and seventh internationally in the prevalence of child marriage.



Among many factors, including poverty, studies by the Rumah KitaB research center show that religiosity, especially the wish to preserve morality, plays a very significant role in child marriage.



The impacts on women who get married as children include dropping out of school, exposure to domestic violence, poor reproductive health and even death related to pregnancy and complications in labor, apart from poverty.



Women in a polygynous marriage also often lack access to social protection, many have neither birth nor marriage certificates and lack legal documents for inheritance, among other negative consequences.



The 1974 Marriage Law essentially upholds monogamous marriage and limits child marriage. However, polygyny and child marriage appear to be on the rise; justifications found in the same law include conditions for taking another wife and legal permission even for children under 16 to marry based on parental request.



Yet, women and girls in polygyny and child marriage are legally unprotected, because most of the unions are unregistered and undocumented.



A historic breakthrough occurred on Dec. 13: The Constitutional Court ruled to end child marriage, though the demanded increase in the marriage age requires a change of the 1974 law to become effective. The ruling followed the third attempt at changing the law, with the main plaintiffs including women that had been married as children.



Women ulema have long felt the need to respond to religious views that are detrimental to women, by offering a new perspective inspired by the Islamic spirit of justice and protection.



As a member of the Muhammadiyah Islamic organization and the Indonesian Women Ulema Congress (KUPI), I have witnessed the progress of women in Indonesia in addressing continued abuse against women and girls.



Aisyiyah, the womens wing of Muhammadiyah, and the Muhammadiyah councils of fatwa and Islamic reform in Makassar this year issued a fatwa on children (fikih anak) that states the minimum marrying age should be 18 for males and females, who are generally physically and psychologically mature at this age.



In its book Keluarga Sakinah (Family with Tranquillity) published in 1982, Muhammadiyah promoted the understanding of the ideal family based on the principle of monogamy.



Such teachings and legal opinions had progressed far beyond the state policy under the 1974 Marriage Law.



Meanwhile, KUPIs initial congress in 2017 produced three fatwas, one being that preventing child marriage is mandatory, because child marriage brings about damage and harm rather than bringing families closer to a household of tranquillity, love (mawaddah) and compassion (wa rahmah).



Such fatwas from Muhammadiyah and the KUPI should always guide efforts to increase awareness of the dangers of child marriage and polygyny.



At a recent expert conference on pluralism in Paris in November, speakers shared how teachings of faith and custom continued to corner women, even justifying violence against them.



At least in Indonesia, I told participants, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) has begun to record instances of violence against women, following efforts of women groups and the National Commission on Violence against Women.



We heard how in Nigeria, according to Benedicta Daber, director of Justice



Development and Peace Caritas, many women face poverty if they separate from their husbands, or continued domestic abuse if they dont, as the religion did not allow divorce.



When a husband dies, the woman either must marry a man from the husbands family if she wants to survive and obtain her husbands inheritance, or leave everything behind, including property and children.



A leading imam of Nigeria, Muhammad Ashafa, said the practice of polygyny reflected more on the perspective of the imam or cleric and was not an Islamic tradition.



The Quran drastically limited the number of wives to four from the unlimited number of wives permitted to men in past Arabian societies.



As even leading imams have acknowledged that polygyny is not Islamic, upholding monogamy and abolishing child marriage requires further support. Muhammadiyah and the KUPI have started with the above fatwa and legal opinions, which have been incorporated in the draft on the revision of the Marriage Law.



The laws revision requires a huge commitment from various sides, including politicians, amid resistance from those seeking to uphold patriarchy in the guise of religion. Legislative candidate Grace Natalie of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) has spoken up clearly on monogamy.



Indeed, monogamy is not only in line with the Islamic principles of adilah(justice) and mubadalah (reciprocity) but also the principle of democracy that requires justice to be assured by the state, even in the most personal sphere of the household.



The fatwa from the KUPI and Muhammadiyah councils should be constantly promoted at the local, national and international level. Though nonbinding, they provide breakthroughs to obsolete laws and narrow interpretations of Islam with vested interests of perpetuating patriarchy.



Religious figures and organizations must speak up against challenges to our pluralism, which also victimize women and girls with various justifications.



When religious figures lack formula to protect women, they should at least recognize the above breakthroughs and pass on such fatwas to their grassroots communities.

***

The writer is a lecturer at the Ahmad Dahlan Institute of Technology and Business Jakarta (STIE-AD) a member of the Law and Human Rights Councils National Board of Aisyiyah, the womens wing of Muhammadiyah, and program manager of Alimat, Indonesian Women Ulema Congress (KUPI). She was a speaker at a discussion on pluralism held in November by Pharos Observatoire in Paris.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Taipei  Wed, December 12, 2018 08:50 1087 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e1d90cc 1 Health Taiwan,medical-device,medical-research,medical-tourism,technology,health,#health Free

It was after a near-death experience that Ron Jovi, 35, a Filipino man who is now a Taiwanese citizen, understood that every breath was a blessing and life was a miracle he often took for granted.

Sitting on a hospital bed at Tri-Service General Hospital in Taipei one late November morning, Ron smiled at Dr. Chi-Tun Tang, whom he calls his savior.

Dr. Tang, the hospitals chief of neurosurgery, observed the sutures on Rons head  the result of an operation to lift an egg-sized tumor nesting on his brain. The doctor said Rons skin would be swelling for a couple of days, but he shouldnt be worried because it was normal after surgery.

Again and again, Ron thanked Dr. Tang for removing the tumor.

Always focusing on his work and his goal to buy his dream house in Taiwan, Ron was unaware that he had lived with a tumor for more than 10 years until he started having seizures and collapsed several times. In early October, he was shocked to be diagnosed with a deadly brain tumor.

It was in the third week of November that Ron underwent a 14-hour surgery at Tri-Service General Hospital, which is known for its excellent neurological department.

Less cutting, more technology: A hybrid operating room for neurosurgery at Tri-Service General Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan. Advanced medical imaging devices in the room enable the doctors to carry out minimally invasive surgery. (The Jakarta Post/Callistasia Anggun Wijaya )

I remember before the surgery, Dr. Tang told me to put my trust in him and that was what I did, Ron said.

The surgery went well and slowly but surely, Ron was on his way to recuperating. Like a little boy who just learned how to walk, Ron was overjoyed that he could walk without any help only four days after the surgery.

I now believe that miracles do happen, he said.

Aiming to be the next Asias medical hub, Taiwan has equipped its hospitals with the most advanced medical technology.

The Taiwanese government helps both public and private hospitals that have passed the states accreditation in procuring cutting-edge medical equipment in a bid to promote Taiwan as a medical tourist destination, keeping apace with other Asian countries like, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

Tri-Service General Hospital, for instance, uses 3D Virtual Reality (VR) Neuronavigation for brain surgeries. VR, which gained popularity for its use in video games, is utilized for intraoperative monitoring and navigation systems.

Medical virtual reality: A simulation of the use of 3D Virtual Reality Neuronavigation for surgery at Tri-Service General Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan. The technology helps doctors get a better visualization of patients critical neural structures. (The Jakarta Post/Callistasia Anggun Wijaya )

The technology was applied in Rons brain surgery, considering that his case was quite challenging and involved a big tumor intermingling with blood vessels and nerves. Dr. Tang used the system to help him get a better image and real-time monitoring of Rons critical neural structure.

Similar technology is also applied to neurospinal surgeries. By using an O-arm imaging system, surgeons can see real-time 3D images of a patients spine during surgery.

The procedure has a 98 percent accuracy rate, with a revision rate of 2 percent, said Dr. Tzu-Tsao Chung from the hospitals neurosurgery department.

Another hospital, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, emboldens its excellence in treating patients with irregular heartbeats, called arrhythmia, through a radiofrequency ablation technique. Doctors use a 3D mapping system during the catheter ablation to precisely identify the source of the arrhythmia.

In the past, we had to cut into the heart to map its irregularities. Now, the 3D mapping system helps us do that [in a less invasive way], said Dr. Yenn-Jiang Lin, the hospitals chief of cardiology.

During the procedure, the tip of a catheter is guided under X-ray fluoroscopy to an area of heart tissue that is producing abnormal electric signals. The catheter then emits a pulse of painless radiofrequency energy that destroys the irregular tissue and corrects the heartbeat.

Meanwhile, the China Medical University Hospital (CMUH) in central Taiwans Taichung City marked a notable achievement while treating a patient suffering from lower-limb lymphedema, a disease that causes ones leg to swell up to the size of an elephants.

Loan, a 13-year-old girl from Vietnam, underwent surgery in the CMUH to get a normal-sized left leg in 2016. Now, she can wear normal-sized shoes and ride a bicycle again.

Taiwan vision: Taiwan President Tsai Ing-Wen (center, in glasses) tours the 2018 Taiwan Healthcare Expo at the Nangang Exhibition Center on Nov. 29. At the event, Tsai expressed her confidence that Taiwan was the best place to develop the healthcare technology industry. (-/-)

The quality of service offered by Taiwans hospitals was acknowledged by Siswadi, 59, an Indonesian citizen working in Taipei who receives outpatient treatment for blood coagulation and a pinched nerve in his tailbone at the Taipei Veterans General Hospital.

Siswadi said, besides the hospitals advanced technology, the doctors always treated him with great care and friendliness.

I see that the doctors here always give an accurate diagnosis of my illness. I think Taiwan can be one of alternative [medical destinations] for Indonesian patients, he said.

Taiwan promotes medical services as a part of its New Southbound Policy, which calls for the development of comprehensive relations with countries in ASEAN, South Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Last year, 103,241 foreigners came to Taiwan to receive medical treatment, with Indonesian patients accounting for 24 percent.

As of August this year, the number of Indonesian patients has reached 26 percent of the total 100,373 international patients.

So far, 14 hospitals in Taiwan have been accredited by Joint Commission International (JCI), an international accreditation for healthcare quality and patient safety.

Taiwan External Trade Development Council official Walter Yeh said Taiwan offered smart medical solutions to patients at affordable prices.

The medical costs are half than [those in] Singapore and close to the [price of medical care] in Malaysia, Walter said.

Innovation hub: A visitor tries out a Virtual Reality medical tool at the 2018 Taiwan Healthcare Expo at Nangang Exhibition Center on Nov. 29. About 103,000 foreign patients went to Taiwan last year to receive medical treatment. (The Jakarta Post/Callistasia Anggun Wijaya )

Mecca of doctor training programs

In the past, a lot of doctors from the Eastern world would seek new skills and knowledge in Western countries. What is trending now appears to be the other way around.

Dr. G. Di Taranto from Italy is one of the foreign doctors who flew to Taiwan to master the latest medical technology and procedures.

Following a recommendation from his seniors, Taranto went to the China Medical University Hospital (CMUH) in Taichung to learn advanced reconstructive microsurgery for a year.

He chose the hospital because of the reputation of its International Medical Service Center superintendent, professor Hung-Chi Chen, who is often referred to as one the most important plastic surgeons in the world.

Under the Training the Trainers program supported by the Taiwanese government, Taranto hopes to train fellow doctors in his country about the new knowledge he gained in Taiwan.

Throughout the year, more than 100 physicians from 26 countries have come to CMUH for integrated reconstructive microsurgery training programs.

The hospital [CMUH] applies a great level of technology. The IT [information technology] system is incredible and efficient, Taranto said during the 2018 Taiwan Healthcare Expo at the Nangang Exhibition Center on Nov. 29.

Taranto said he planned to bring home a 3D microscope used in the CMUH as the tool had yet to be used in his country.

Meanwhile, Rafael Denadai, a surgeon from Brazil, said he was satisfied with the training program at the Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, which is known for its expertise in craniofacial reconstructive surgery for cleft lips and palates and jaw deformity, among others. He particularly applauded the program for providing hands-on training with the guidance of local professors.

Denadai said the hospital was well-known in his country and he believed the training would be beneficial for his career.

As of 2018, 828 physicians have been trained in the Craniofacial Center of Chang Gung Hospital.

Taiwans Ministry of Health and Welfare recorded that from 2014 to October 2018, around 2,700 foreign doctors, particularly those from Europe, the United States and Asia, had joined the training programs in several hospitals in Taiwan. Among them are 124 Indonesian doctors.

We want to keep learning by teaching [international trainees], said Yueh-Ping Liu, a senior technical specialist at the ministrys medical affairs department.

_________________________

The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) recently invited The Jakarta Post to go on a three-day medical tourism trip to Taipei and several surrounding cities.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Sohn Ji-young (The Korea Herald/Asia News Network)  Fri, December 28, 2018 09:07 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e45ccdd 2 Science & Tech South-Korea,innovation,software,academy,Education Free

The South Korean government plans to launch an innovation academy and a series of education programs next year to nurture at least 10,000 IT professionals and boost industries central to the fourth industrial revolution.

The Ministry and Science and ICT said Wednesday that it will found a two-year innovation academy, modeled after the French programming school Ecole 42, to educate about 2,500 software experts over the course of five years.

The government also plans to set aside 180.6 billion won ($160.6 million) to establish a specialized academy to nurture highly trained engineers in fields like artificial intelligence and big data analytics.

In addition, the ICT Ministry will initiate an overseas research support program to enable Korean professionals with advanced degrees to conduct joint research and receive training in their respective fields at prestigious institutions abroad.

The target areas of focus are information and communications technology, future vehicles, drones, energy, precision medicine and the development of new drugs.

The government has set aside some 209 billion won for this initiative over the next five years, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

To procure more experts in artificial intelligence, the government will also support the creation of specialized university programs dedicated to AI technology research and training. It has set aside some 46 billion won for this endeavor.

Three universities will be selected to receive funding to operate specialized graduate programs focusing on AI, according to the ICT Ministry.

Read also: China to train its brightest students to develop AI weapons

Each of these universities will receive 9 billion won over the course of five years, with the possibility of that funding being renewed for another five years, it added.

Meanwhile, another 140 billion won will be allocated to provide recent university graduates with opportunities to undergo on-site training and participate in projects involving AI, cloud technology, big data, augmented reality and virtual reality, the ministry said.

The goal is to nurture around 7,000 highly trained professionals who can immediately start working when they step into their respective industries.

Koreas technology training initiatives come as the country seeks to address the critical shortage of well-trained experts in fields such as artificial intelligence, software development and others critical to the fourth industrial revolution.

Making Korea a leader in the fourth industrial revolution is one of the incumbent Moon Jae-in administrations major campaign pledges.

There is also a presidential committee responsible for coordinating national strategies to boost the countrys competitiveness in the fourth industrial revolution.

Citing the economic impact of smart intelligence driven chiefly by AI and big data analytics, the committee has called on the government to assist Koreas major industries in adapting via public-private partnerships and regulatory support.

The fourth industrial revolution is a term coined in 2016 by World Economic Forum Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab at the Davos summit, referring to a new, connected digital economy buttressed by technological breakthroughs in fields such as AI, the internet of things, autonomous vehicles, robotics, big data computing and nanotechnology.

Topics :

This article appeared on The Korea Herald newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta PostShare this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Kevin Buckland (Bloomberg)  Fri, December 28, 2018 06:06 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e456da6 2 Science & Tech Toyota,robot,Japan,artificial-intelligence Free

Toyota Motor Corp. has sold enough cars to put one outside every Japanese home. Now it wants to put robots inside.

Well-known for its automated assembly lines, Toyota sees a not-so-far-off future in which robots transcend the factory and become commonplace in homes, helping with chores -- and even offering companionship -- in an aging society where a quarter of the population is over 65 and millions of seniors live alone.

Machines have become much smarter in the last decade or so. Yet, every attempt to build one that can do simple things like load a washing machine or carry groceries encounters the same basic, physical problem: the stronger a robot gets, the heavier and more dangerous it becomes. What Toyota has going for it are $29 billion in cash reserves, a new artificial intelligence research center and a well-respected inventor, Gill Pratt, heading its effort.

This is a company with so many resources that you can never ignore them, said Morten Paulsen, a Tokyo-based analyst at CLSA Japan Securities Co., whos covered the robotics industry for decades.

Toyota has been experimenting with robots since at least 2004, when it unveiled a trumpet-playing humanoid with artificial lips, lungs and movable fingers that could accompany an actual human orchestra.

Read also: Furhat, a robot with the human touch, wants to hear your woes

Android avatar

Since then research has become more practical. Toyotas latest android, the T-HR3, is a kind of avatar that can be manipulated remotely via wearable controls, with vision goggles that allow users to see through the machines camera-eyes. The device could one day serve as arms and legs for the bedridden, or as a surrogate for relief workers in disaster zones.

In 2015 the automaker spent a billion dollars to open its AI-focused Toyota Research Institute in Silicon Valley. Last year it set up a $100 million fund to invest in startups and new robotics technology. This year the company restructured its Partner Robot division to speed decision-making and shorten development time.

Theres internal pressure all of a sudden to move faster, senior manager Keisuke Suga said at a recent industry forum near the automakers Toyota City headquarters.

The road to robots has had its setbacks. In 2011, Toyota demonstrated a machine for lifting patients in and out of bed, but engineers had only tested it on healthy volunteers. Once they discovered that the frail and elderly required a more delicate touch, the product was shelved.

Regulatory hurdles

Another device, a personal scooter that resembled a Segway, looked promising in trials but was kept off the streets by regulatory holdups.

Outside of factories and warehouses, in fact, unfulfilled promise has been the main story for robots. Boston Dynamics, a ballyhooed firm started by engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for example, has spent more than 12 years developing four-legged automatons but still hasnt proved they can be commercialized. Most of the $2.1 billion spent by consumers last year on household robots was for automated vacuum cleaners and lawnmowers -- not exactly the stuff of science fiction.

Toyota says the need for elder-care will change that. The automaker illustrates the point with a chart showing Japans inverted age-pyramid in the year 2050, when a third-fewer workers will have to support twice as many old people as today. (Some 22 percent of the worlds population will be over 60 by then, according to the World Health Organization.)

Toyotas Human Support Robot, or HSR, is the machine the automaker sees as closest to making the leap from lab to living room. The robot-equivalent of a Corolla  all function and no frills  the HSR is basically a retractable arm on wheels with a video screen on top and two large camera eyes that give it the rudiments of a face.

Read also: Increasingly human-like robots spark fascination and fear

AI injection

It weighs as much as a half-dozen bowling balls, but can only lift a 1.2-kilogram payload, about the weight of a medium-sized water bottle.

Still, loaded with the right software, the machine can do some interesting things.

In a demo this fall by one of Toyotas partners, an AI startup called Preferred Networks Inc., the robot was able to learn where books, pens and other items belonged on a shelf, and clean a room that looked like it had been turned upside-down by a three-year-old. Using its sensor-eyes and its pincer, the machine arranged a pair of slippers neatly on the floor next to each other, with both feet pointing in the same direction.

Asked when its home helpers will be available to consumers, Toyota wouldnt say. But adviser Masanori Sugiyama, a former top manager in the robot program, says the HSR could be ready for hospitals and rest homes in two or three years to do simple tasks like tidying up or delivering meals. For machines with more profound skills, the wait will be longer.

They need to be able to understand what people are thinking and have empathy, Sugiyama said. The idea is for the robot to be a friend.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28, 2018 14:38 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e472cab 4 Lifestyle tsunami,#TsunamiSundaStraits,Sunda-Strait,Sunda-Strait-tsunami,selfie,social-media,#SocialMedia Free

A tsunami hit Banten and Lampung provinces without warning on Saturday night. In response to the natural disaster, many people traveled to the site of the destruction to help the victims, distribute aids and, some, take selfies.

According to an article titled Destruction gets more likes: Indonesias tsunami selfie-seekers published by The Guardian, people took selfies at the site with different intentions, including to prove that they have arrived at the location and are taking part in providing aid.

Despite their actual intentions, social media observer Nukman Luthfie said it was normal for people to want to take photos wherever they go, including at a tsunami-affected location.

There are people who want to prove that they have arrived somewhere by logging in, checking in [on social media] and uploading some photos, Nukman told kompas.com.

The intention is actually normal; telling others that they have visited the location.

However, a selfie could be considered inappropriate as people tend to smile in front of the camera, showing a happy expression.

Nukman explained it was possible that these selfie-hunters came to the location to help. Once their mission is complete, they take one or two photos of themselves.

Read also: Selfies: Root of all evil in Indonesian tourism

Having said that, Nukman encouraged those who want to take photos in tsunami-affected areas to be considerate about their surroundings by avoiding taking photos of their own face.

You can take a photo of yourself, but show empathy by only capturing some of [your] body parts, not [the face], he said, giving examples such as pictures of ones feet on the beach or showing hands cleaning up debris.

Alternatively, people can ask others to take a photo of them from behind, therefore hiding their face, he added.

Selfies are a considerably new trend, but Nukman said they did not change the values of a society.

Meanwhile, Koentjoro, a professor at the Gadjah Mada Universitys (UGM) school of psychology, explained that the selfie trend only recently appeared following the popularity of gadgets and social media.

Each selfie says something; it speaks. By speaking, people will acknowledge my existence. By speaking, people will know who I am. The selfie has changed human behavior, said Koentjoro.

He added that selfies made people care less about their surroundings as they prioritized capturing the moment.

A moment becomes important. Every time there is [an opportunity to capture] a moment, people will take a selfie. They even look for the moment or create it, putting their lives in danger, said Koentjoro, referring to a climber on Mount Merapi who fell to his death while taking a selfie on one of the volcanos crests. (jes/mut)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28, 2018 13:24 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e47050d 4 Science & Tech 4G-LTE,Bolt-mobile-internet-service,Internet,First-Media,technology,Bolt Free

The Communications and Information Ministry officially revoked on Friday the 2.3 GHz frequency permit of Internux (Bolt), First Media and Jasnita Telekomindo for failing to pay the fees to operate a 4G LTE network, kompas.com reported.

Internux president director Dicky Mochtar said in a statement that the company supported the government's decision to terminate its 4G LTE service.

Bolt will reportedly still fulfill its obligation to customers, in accordance with state regulations. Users can expect to receive a credit refund or unused quota, as well as a refund of any deposits made, according to kompas.com.

Read also: First Medias permit revocation won't affect cable TV service

Bolt has reportedly prepared 28 special outlets across Greater Jakarta and Medan in North Sumatra to cater to customers.

"Bolt will surely fulfill our obligations to all active customers, both prepaid or postpaid," Dicky said.

Meanwhile, active subscribers of Bolt Home who are part of PT Link Net's First Media fixed broadband cable internet network will receive a 30 percent discount offer and double speed upgrade for a 12-month subscription.

A three-month, all-free cable TV service will also be available for subscriptions of packages starting at Rp 217,300 (US$15) per month. More information on this offer is available on the First Media website. (kes)Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

The Waste to Energy market has been showing positive trends in recent times. Abundance of waste and strict government regulation regarding waste disposal are some of the key factors which are expected to drive the demand in the Waste to Energy market. Increasing government penalties on poorly managed waste in the form of landfills is diverting demand towards the Waste to Energy Market.

Segmentation Analysis

The waste to energy market has been segmented based on technology as biological and thermal. Based on method, the market has been segmented as Incineration, Gasification and Pyrolysis, Fermentation and Anaerobic digestion.

Intended Audience

WTE manufacturers

WTE Suppliers

Research and Development (R&D) Companies

Get the PDF brochure of this market insight: @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1369

Global Key Players and Competition Analysis

Some of the key players in the Waste to Energy market are Constructions industrials de la Mediterranee (CNIM), Covanta Energy Corporation, C&G Environmental Protection Holdings, Veolia Environment, China Everbright International Limited, Waste Management, Inc, and Suez Environment S.A.

Regional Analysis

Asia-Pacific is the leading market for the Waste to Energy market with almost half of the market share captured by this region. Rapid economic development in the APAC region is also going to be key for the growth and development of the Waste to energy market. India and China have well established waste management infrastructure which is going to provide immense growth opportunity for growth I this market.

Market Scope

Rising government penalties on poorly managed waste in the form of landfills are diverting demand towards the Waste to Energy Market. Additionally, government and private entities initiatives to save the planet Earth preserving its natural resources, are providing impetus to the market growth to a large extent.

Browse the market data and information spread across 120 pages with 12 data tables and 14 figures of the report Global Waste to Energy Market Research Report - Forecast to 2027 in-depth alongside table of content (TOC) at: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/waste-to-energy-market-1369

Industry News:

January 8, 2018 - Kontrol Energy Corp. (Canada) a leader in energy efficiency management solutions and technology announced that it has been selected by Ontario Education Collaborative Marketplace (OECM) as a contracted supplier for hardware, software and related energy services and technology. Kontrol Energy's RTEM system features the use of Circuit Meter as a channel partner.

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), & Consulting Services.

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.

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Linkedin Alex Morales (Bloomberg) London, United Kingdom  Fri, December 28, 2018 21:06 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e48782e 2 Environment United-Kingdom,plastic-bag,plastic,environment,retailer,Theresa-May Free

The UK is planning to double the charge on disposable plastic bags issued by the countrys largest retailers to 10 pence (about 13 cents) as part of a drive to protect the environment.

The fee will also be extended to all small shops, according to the plans published on Thursday by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The proposals are subject to the results of an eight-week public comment period. The current five-pence charge, introduced in 2015, has cut average annual usage to 19 bags a person from 140, according to government figures.

Read also: Plastic-filled whale a wake-up call to reduce waste

Between us, we have taken over 15 billion plastic bags out of circulation, Environment Secretary Michael Gove said in a statement. But we want to do even more to protect our precious planet, and todays announcement will accelerate further behavior change and build on the success of the existing charge.

Prime Minister Theresa May has declared war on plastics, blamed by environmentalists on choking waterways and killing seabirds and mammals. In January, May outlined plans to eliminate all avoidable waste by 2042. Her government has already banned tiny plastic microbeads found in cosmetics, proposed a deposit return program for plastic bottles and examined restrictions on plastic-lined disposable coffee cups.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta  Fri, December 28, 2018 15:30 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e474dde 1 Entertainment Sunda-Strait-tsunami,tsunami,Seventeen-band Free

Yogyakarta's musicians are to hold the "Tribute to Seventeen" free charity concert on Saturday, Dec. 29, in response to the Sunda Strait tsunami that claimed hundreds of lives, including three of Seventeen's band members, its road manager, a crew member and the wife of frontman Riefian "Ifan" Fajarsyah.

Ardhi Nurdin, the head of the event committee, told tempo.co on Thursday in Yogyakarta that the concert would be held at Yogyakartas Titik Nol Kilometer (Kilometer Zero), an open-air public square.

It is a big loss for Indonesia, particularly for its music industry, said Ardhi, who has organized the concert, Untukmu Sahabat: Tribute to Seventeen (For You, Our Dear Friend: Tribute to Seventeen), along with social organization Jogja Berbakti.

Seventeen was formed in Yogyakarta in 1999.

The idea of the event emerged as Ardhi and several friends attended Seventeen guitarist Banis funeral, where they met with fellow musicians and were moved to organize an event to send prayers.

Read also: I'm all alone, says devastated Seventeen vocalist

The concert line-up includes Drummer Guyup Yogyakarta (DGYK), Cah Nyanyi Yogyakarta, Dexter Band, Laf, Megahit, Shakey, Jikustik, the Jogja Hiphop Foundation (JHF), Jasmine Elektrik and Istana Band, which is to feature former Seventeen vocalists Doni and Yudhi.

The event will run from 2:30 p.m. to 10 p.m, presenting performances from each musician, and will be hosted by several MCs, Ardhi was quoted as saying.

Testimonies from friends of Seventeen will take place between sets, as well as a fund-raiser supported by BNI 46 bank and the people of Indonesia, in particular the people of Yogyakarta. The funds are to be distributed to the families of the deceased Seventeen members and other victims of the Sunda Strait tsunami.

Many individuals and organizations have also given their support to the event, including the Gedung Agung presidential palace in Yogyakarta.

This is a positive event that deserves the governments support through the Yogyakarta Presidential Palace [sic], said palace head Saifullah. (mut)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28, 2018 09:49 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e461906 2 National National-Police,terrorism,Tito-Karnavian Free

National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian said there were 17 cases of terrorism this year, compared to 12 cases last year.

He said the amendment of the Terrorism Law issued after the terrorist bombings in Surabaya in May made it easier for police to intercept and prevent terrorist attacks.

Prosecuting early action is better so that police can prevent or launch preemptive strikes. [It is better] than waiting until we have evidence, he said at a press conference on Thursday, as quoted by Antara news agency.

Tito said with the new authority mandated to the police in the law, the force succeeded in preventing terrorist attacks before the Asian Games 2018, the Asian Para Games 2018 and the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

As many as 270 suspects were arrested on charges of issuing terrorism threats and police already knew how to minimize terrorist attacks when the Asian Games took place.

In the whole year, cases of terrorism involving 396 suspects were discovered and legal action was taken against 141 suspects. Twenty-five suspects were killed during law enforcement actions, 13 died in suicide attacks and 12 had been convicted.

Meanwhile, eight police officers were killed by terrorists, double the number in 2017.

However, Tito said in general the number of criminal cases, both conventional and transnational, declined in 2018.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28, 2018 07:50 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e45885e 2 National change-org,online-petition,environment,human-rights,intolerance Free

Petitions on environmental issues dominated Indonesias digital movements in 2018 with the number of people signing them having increased by 17 times compared to last year, according to online petition platform change.org.

Indonesias change.org director, Arief Aziz, said this year was different from the previous two years, which were dominated by human rights and tolerance issues.

It was significant compared to last year. There were 118,000 people voicing environmental concerns in 2017. In 2018, the number rose 17 times to more than 2.1 million people, he said in a statement.

There were also some petitions that achieved victory in real life, such as a petition to punish forest-burning companies, a petition supporting two expert witnesses in a court trial, a petition to ban using birds-of-paradise as accessories or souvenirs and a petition against the transfer of whale sharks from Berau to Ancol.

The most popular petition is the one demanding an Indonesian Forest Day. Although it hasnt won yet, it is supported by 413,000 signatures, he said.

Meanwhile, animal protection petitions are the second most popular this year with 1.9 million votes, following with 794,000 signatures on anticorruption petitions, 701,000 on violence against women, 598,000 on democracy and 580,000 on tolerance.

Change.org also recorded a rapid increase in the number of users in 2018. In 2018, the number increased to 6.5 million, compared to 2.5 million in 2017.

The number of users who succeeded in making or changing policies also increased to almost 2 million in 2018. This figure has quadrupled from 2017, which means that one in three users enjoyed victory in 2018.

Arief said Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya was one of the most responsive policy makers since she responded 12 times through change.org.

The more people give their voices, the more policy makers listen and make policies in line with the public interest, Arief said. (ggq)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28, 2018 12:26 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e46cffc 2 National prisoners,correctional-facility Free

Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly revealed on Thursday that the food budget for prisoners would rise to Rp 1.79 trillion in 2019, an increase from Rp 1.3 trillion this year.

The increase of the budget was a result of the increase of the number of prisoners, which has led to prison overcrowding.

It is a significant increase caused by the rising number of prisoners. We spend on average Rp 20,000 to feed each prisoner each day, Yasonna said at his office in Jakarta on Thursday as quoted by kompas.com.

We get more and more prisoners every year. Thats why the food budget often goes beyond what we have set in the state budget, he said.

As of the end of 2018, the total number of prisoners was 256,273, or 24,197 more than the previous year, while in fact the capacity of all prisons is for a maximum of 126,164 prisoners.

Meanwhile, the total number of drug inmates, consisting of drug smugglers and users, was 74,037 and 41,252, respectively. (foy)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Kharishar Kahfi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28, 2018 09:31 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e46013d 1 National KPK,2018,corruption-case,corruption-eradication-commission,graft,antigraft-body Free

This was a busy year for the countrys antigraft campaign spearheaded by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

The KPK has investigated at least 178 corruption cases across the country involving 229 individuals this year, a sharp increase from 121 last year and 99 in 2016.

Lawmakers and regional councillors represented the largest number of individuals named suspects by the KPK this year, with 91, followed by businesspeople ( 50 ) and regional leaders ( 28 ).

In one of 2018s biggest cases, the KPK charged 40 of the citys 45 councillors with bribery related to the deliberation of the city budget  making it one of the widest-ranging corruption investigations in KPK history. It all started last year when the KPK investigated M. Arief Wicaksono, who at the time was Malang City Council speaker, for allegedly accepting bribes from a Malang administration official.

The KPK has also broken its own record by conducting 28 operations this year, mostly centering on bribery allegations, by catching suspected corruptors red-handed.

While we only seized a small amount of money, each operation served as a starting point for us to uncover more cases or prosecute more suspects, KPK deputy chairman Saut Situmorang said.

A case in point was the arrest of South Kalimantans Hulu Sungai Tengah regent, Abdul Latif, who was nabbed while allegedly accepting Rp 65 million (US$4,465) in bribes related to the construction of a state-owned hospital in January  the first operation that set off a series of arrests this year.

Months later, investigators found evidence that Abdul had allegedly laundered Rp 23 billion of his illicit money.

Bribery is one of the most prevalent cases handled by the KPK, with 151 cases being investigated this year, an increase from 93 last year.

It also managed to send high-profile suspects to prison, with the most notorious being former House of Representatives speaker Setya Novanto of the Golkar Party.

A court sentenced him in April to 15 years behind bars for playing a major role in the e-ID graft case and stripped him of his political rights, banning him from running for public office for five years after he has completed his sentence. Setyas conviction ended his nearly year-long game of cat and mouse with the KPK.

But its probe into corrupt politicians did not stop at Setya.

Three months after Setyas conviction, the KPK caught Golkar lawmaker Eni Saragih red-handed allegedly accepting bribes from a businessman in relation to a coal-powered power plant project in Riau  known as PLTU Riau-1  which is part of President Joko Jokowi Widodos flagship 35,000 megawatt electricity procurement program.

In August, former social affairs minister and Golkar politician Idrus Marham resigned from the Cabinet after being named a suspect in the same case, which turned out to be the first graft case to have rocked Jokowis inner circle.

The KPK also found evidence that Eni, who at the time was the treasurer of Golkars extraordinary national congress (Munaslub) in December 2017, had allegedly asked businessman Johannes Budisutrisno Kotjo for money to fund the Munaslub. Golkar was quick to deny the allegations.

But Enis case was just one example this year in which the KPK suspected politicians of asking businesspeople to illegally fund their political activities.

It has been pushing political parties to initiate reform by adopting an integrity system to prevent their members from embarking on corrupt practices and improve party financial transparency particularly after the 2018 simultaneous regional elections took place and as the 2019 general election draws near.

While many political parties have expressed their support for the system that was developed by the KPK, experts continued to cast doubts given that lawmakers were reluctant to carry out the radical measure by revising the 2011 law on political parties.

Even the General Elections Commissions (KPU) attempts to ban former corruption convicts from contesting the 2019 legislative election have been met with opposition from political parties and lawmakers, as well as the Supreme Court  which annulled a KPU regulation to ban former graft convicts from taking part in the race.

Following the ruling, 12 former graft convicts are now aiming for a spot in provincial councils, while 26 others are running for city and regional council seats in April.

It needs the President to push for total reform with regards to political and law enforcement, including pushing political parties to implement the integrity system, said Dadang Trisasongko of Transparency International Indonesia.

But 2018 was not necessarily a tough year for the antigraft campaign.

The KPK reached a new milestone in taking on corporate crime when prosecutors took the first corporation  publicly listed construction company PT Duta Graha Indah which had changed its name to PT Nusa Konstruksi Enjiniring  to court for alleged bid-rigging in relation to the construction of a hospital in Bali.

This year also marked the return of KPK senior investigator Novel Baswedan who was hospitalized after acid was thrown in his face by unidentified assailants. And although the mastermind behind the attack remains a mystery, his return his given colleagues at the KPK a significant morale boost.

Efforts to curb corruption also came from Jokowi who signed a regulation in October to pay informants up to Rp 200 million to blow the whistle on people suspected of graft. We want peoples participation in the prevention and eradication of corruption, the President said at the time.

This article was originally published in The Jakarta Post's print edition on Dec. 26, 2018, with the title "2018, busy year for KPK".Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28, 2018 18:19 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e48435f 1 National KPK,bribery Free

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is marching on in its investigation in a bribery case pertaining to the Jambi budget deliberation by naming 13 new suspects in the case, comprising Jambi Legislative Council (Jambi DPRD) members and businesspeople.

Those who were arrested include council speaker Cornelis Buston, deputy speakers AR Syahbandar and Chumaidi Zaidi as well as five political party faction leaders in the council from the Golkar Party, National Awakening Party (PKB), United Development Party (PPP) and Gerindra Party.

"The DPRD leaders allegedly asked for money, collected money, held a meeting to discuss the matter, asked to be allocated a project and each received Rp 100 million to Rp 600 million, KPK chairman Agus Rahardjo said at a press conference on Friday.

On Dec. 6, the Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced suspended Jambi governor Zumi Zola Zulkifli to six years behind bars after finding him guilty of accepting gratuity and channeling bribes to provincial legislative council members in transactions related to the deliberation of provincial budgets.

Judges also ordered the defendant to pay a fine of Rp 500 million (US$34,362) or serve an additional three months in prison.

The sentence is lighter than the eight years' imprisonment and Rp 1 billion fine demanded by KPK prosecutors. (ggq)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Agnes Anya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28, 2018 10:48 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e4658e7 1 World migrant-protection,migrant-workers,Retno-Marsudi,foreign-affairs,Foreign-Affairs-Ministry,MigrantCare Free

The year 2018 was supposed to be the year of achievement for Indonesias push for greater citizen protection abroad, a key policy priority under Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi. However, the relevant sectors still harbor the same old flaws that prevent the country from helping its citizens escape abuse, kidnapping and capital punishment overseas.

This year, the government has handled 18,960 cases involving Indonesian nationals overseas and has settled 15,420 of them, according to data from the ministry. The rate, 84 percent, was higher than the 2017 figure of 62 percent.

The administration was also pit in a race against time to release seven Indonesians who were abducted by Philippine-based armed groups in its shared waters with Indonesia and Malaysia; three of whom were abducted in January 2017, two in September this year and the remaining in early December.

By December, Indonesia had freed four of them, while three others are still being held for ransom.

With the latest releases, the government under President Joko Jokowi Widodos leadership has freed 37 hostages in the past four years, operating through various channels and away from the publics attention.

The ministry also booked other forms of achievements by kicking off several citizen protection programs, including the launch of the Safe Travel mobile app and the Peduli WNI (Care for Indonesians) web portal, which aims at providing assistance to Indonesians traveling overseas.

Safe Travel is a mobile phone application that compiles information including travel tips and emergency contacts in all countries, while Peduli WNI is a web-based administration service portal for use by Indonesians abroad, with wide-ranging services that includes applications for birth certificates and national identity cards. The latter is integrated with all national data centers, including those under the Home Ministry and the Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers.

The Foreign Ministrys director for the protection of Indonesian citizens and legal entities abroad, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, explained that the citizen protection infrastructure was initiated in 2014 and was researched and developed within three years before being made ready for the public earlier this year.

In our roadmap, 2018 is the year of public acceptance, in which we are to see the publics response to our programs, including the Safe Travel app and Peduli WNI portal, Iqbal told The Jakarta Post recently, adding that the Safe Travel app had been downloaded by 370,000 users.

Iqbal also revealed that next year the ministry would team up with an outsourcing company to provide more officers who are ready to serve citizens seeking assistance, as the current roster of positions was filled by a limited number of young diplomats and ministry officials serving in shifts.

The launch of the portals, as well as the release of the hostages, have been acknowledged as part of the governments achievements in ensuring protection for its citizens in 2018, said advocacy group Migrant CAREs executive director Wahyu Susilo.

The online portal is particularly helpful at least for Indonesian migrant workers in Asia-Pacific countries, who are usually allowed to have their personal mobile phones with them, he said.

However, this years accomplishments were marred by the fact that the government had done little but witness the execution of two Indonesian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, Wahyu added.

In March, for the umpteenth time, Riyadh upset Jakarta for not notifying Indonesia prior to the beheading of M. Zaini Misrin, an Indonesian driver accused of killing his Saudi employer.

Zaini, who had worked since 1992 for his employer, Abdullah bin Umar Muhammad Al Sindy, had twice asked for his case to be reviewed, in January 2017 and once more a year later. While the first attempt was rejected, Jakarta claims his second appeal was in an ongoing legal process, even as he was executed.

As a result, the Foreign Ministry sent an official protest notice to Saudi Arabias ambassador to Indonesia, Osama bin Mohammed al-Shuaib. The ministrys director general for Asia-Pacific and African affairs, Desra Percaya, had probed him about the issue. Some months later in October, Riyadh again triggered Indonesias anger by executing Tuti Tursilawati without prior knowledge of her family or Indonesian officials. She was charged with premeditated murder of her employers father, whom she had beaten to death with a stick. According to Saudi criminal law, the act is punishable by had ghillah (absolute death).

This time the incident prompted Retno herself to issue a summons to Ambassador al-Shuaib and force the hand of the Manpower Ministry, traditionally a vehicle for one of the countrys Islamic political parties, to review a recently announced agreement with the Saudis on sending Indonesian migrant workers to the Middle Eastern kingdom.

Under the so-called One Channel System, which was agreed to by representatives from the two countries just days before Tutis execution, the government initially planned to send a limited number of certified worker categories  babysitters, family cooks and caretakers for the elderly and family drivers, childcare workers and housekeepers  to Saudi Arabia despite a 2015 moratorium banning the sending of new domestic workers to 21 countries in the Middle East.

Migrant CARE called out Indonesias inconsistence in governance over this issue.

Unlike in Zainis case, the ministry had anticipated Tutis probable execution after considering the timeline when the case was concluded and the court ruling entered into force in 2011. Iqbal told the Post that the Foreign Ministry had carried out extensive efforts to ensure that the rights of both Tuti and Zaini were guaranteed throughout the legal process.

In addition to the two executions in Saudi Arabia, the year 2018 also marked the shocking death of Adelina Lisao, a 21-year-old Indonesian domestic worker who died in Penang, Malaysia.

Adelina, who was sent with forged documents to work in Malaysia, died after sustaining injuries all over her body, allegedly the result of severe abuse by her employers.

Jakarta responded by threatening Kuala Lumpur with a moratorium on sending migrant workers. The latter then invited Manpower Minister Hanif Dhakiri to a meeting to renew an agreement on migrant workers, which had expired in 2016. However, the renewal has yet to be sealed.

Nonetheless, Jakarta made an essential move for migrant workers in early December by joining 163 other countries in ratifying the United Nations Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in Marrakesh, Morocco.

In that instance, Retno underscored the necessity of concerted efforts at the national, regional and global level to ensure the effective implementation of the pact, especially in creating an enabling environment to achieve safe, orderly and regular migration at work.

While hailing the move, Migrant CARE questioned the governments attitude in shifting the paradigm of governance in the sphere of migrant worker protection.

Efforts to end vulnerability and violence leading to death as experienced by Indonesian migrant workers are certainly not only based on legal instruments, Wahyu said in a statement recently.

Until now, he said, the government had yet to set up measures to transition from the pro-business Law No. 39/2004 to the protection-first Law No. 18/2017 on the placement of workers abroad.

As a result, the [loophole] was abused [to serve] an inconsiderate recruitment process that has opened up space for human trafficking, he said.

This article was originally published in The Jakarta Post's print edition on Dec. 26, 2018, with the title "Another year passes with migrant worker issue still in dire straits".Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28, 2018 08:50 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e45be42 1 National Christians,religious-freedom,church,church-attack,minority-groups,intolerance Free

Christians demanded on Thursday that the local administration and Religious Harmony Forum (FKUB) be more active in putting an end to discriminatory actions related to the construction of churches in several parts of the country.



On Dec. 23 and 24, residents of Sepatan subdistrict in Tangerang, Banten, protested Christmas services at two churches in the area, namely the Congregation of Batak Protestant Churches (HKBP) Rogate and the Pentecostal church, forcing congregations to leave their church buildings.



The Rogate church has been sealed off since Christmas Eve as it has not been granted a building permit despite applying for one two years ago. The Pentecostal church, meanwhile, is still operating, having obtained permission nine years ago.



Church member Aritonang Golden said the protests were coming from outsiders, as local residents had agreed to the construction of a church.



Only residents in the Golden City housing compound had given their signatures, he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday, adding that the church members were currently waiting for the forum and local administration to resolve the case.



Suwandri, head of a neighborhood unit in the housing compound, said the residents were basically fine with the church since the compound, established in 2012, was still new.



We only have around 40 family cards. We dont completely understand this matter. When the protest occurred, most of us were working, he said.



In 2008, the Bogor city administration, in West Java, issued a decree freezing the GKI Yasmin churchs building permit in response to resistance from residents. Higher authorities had nullified the decision, but the ban remains in place.



HKBP Filadelfia in Bekasi, also in West Java, faced a similar problem when the local administration sealed off the location where the church was to be built in 2010. Both the Bandung and Jakarta state administrative courts, as well as the Supreme Court, ruled in favor of HKBP Filadelfia in 2011. However, its church members are still unable to congregate at the church.



Indonesian Communion of Churches spokesperson Jeirry Sumampow said the recent incident in Sepatan showed the government had made no significant progress in upholding religious rights.



He noted that conflicts had repeatedly occurred in different regions, even in places where a church obtained the minimum 60-signature requirement needed to secure a permit.



The requirements are detailed in a joint regulation from the Religious Affairs Ministry and Home Ministry on the establishment of houses of worship.



We have no problem with the law, but the local administrations often refuse to issue permits because of protests from outsiders. Residents [...] were incited by them. This happened in several places, he said.



If there is resistance, the locals would also be hesitant to give approval, or could withdraw their agreement like in the GKI Yasmin case.



Setara Institute recorded 378 cases of vandalism related to worship houses in the last 11 years. Church cases or cases in which worshipers faced difficulties in establishing churches comprise 195 of the cases.



It also stated that Tangerang faced similar problems to those experienced in the Jakarta suburbs of Bekasi, Depok and Bogor, where minority groups have struggled to establish worship houses.



FKUB head Saefuddi said that, as the joint regulation clearly outlined the permit process, a team would be assigned to resolve the situation.



Home Ministry secretary general Hadi Prabowo said the minority group could not depend solely on the forum in dealing with the issue.



They should talk to the mayor. Even though there were many protesters, at least as a mayor, he or she must be able to resolve this, Prabowo said. (ggq)

This article was originally published in The Jakarta Post's print edition on Dec. 28, 2018, with the title "Christians call for end to church spite".Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28 2018

Christians demanded on Thursday that the local administration and Religious Harmony Forum (FKUB) be more active in putting an end to discriminatory actions related to the construction of churches in several parts of the country.

On Dec. 23 and 24, residents of Sepatan subdistrict in Tangerang, Banten, protested Christmas services at two churches in the area, namely the Congregation of Batak Protestant Churches (HKBP) Rogate and the Pentecostal church, forcing congregations to leave their church buildings.

The Rogate church has been sealed off since Christmas Eve as it has not been granted a building permit despite applying for one two years ago. The Pentecostal church, meanwhile, is still operating, having obtained permission nine years ago.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28, 2018 11:24 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e468827 1 National personal-data,data-privacy,campaign,voters-data,micro-targeting,#2019GeneralElections,2019-elections,social-media,advertising-industry Free

Reports about the exploitation of voter data in elections overseas, coupled with uncertainty surrounding the deliberation of the data privacy bill at home, should be sufficient warning of potentially similar abuse of personal information here in Indonesia.



The Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM) has warned over potential data misuse ahead of next years general elections through voter behavioral targeting (VBT) and voter micro-targeting (VMT) survey techniques commonly applied by political survey institutions.



Political campaigning has effectively shifted to sophisticated data operations. The shift of voters choices [in elections] is a result of such [data operations], and this [practice] is nothing new, ELSAM researcher Wahyudi Djafar told a media conference recently.



He cited alleged misuse during the 2017 elections in Kenya, where Cambridge Analytica, a data analytics company, stoked ethnic sentiment through carefully tailored personal text messages sent to voters. The practice had prompted the Kenyan Supreme Court to declare null and void the results of the August 2017 presidential election and order a revote to take place a month later.



Wahyudi said the development of the internet also had an effect on the changing electoral landscape all over the world. He was of the opinion that voters personal data were particularly at risk in Indonesia.



Indonesia has 132 million internet users, 130 million of whom are active social media users. Thus, there is a massive space for personal data exploitation, especially since the majority of [internet users] are voters, he said.



He called on the General Elections Commission (KPU) and the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) to regulate political ads and recommended speeding up the process to pass the data privacy bill. The bill is yet to be submitted to the House of Representatives for further deliberation.



Sigit Pamungkas, executive director of the Network for Democracy and Electoral Integrity (Netgrit), said Law No. 7/2017 on General Elections allowed political campaigns to be conducted through social media on the condition that every candidate could only open 10 accounts on any platform and their ads could only be aired for 30 seconds a day on every platform.



However, the law only refers to personal accounts, while it should regulate the platform providers instead. And this could give rise to an imbalanced political contest, since online ads are expensive, Sigit said.



Another cause for concern is the fact that profiling by survey institutions is based on peoples personal data obtained from the national electronic ID (e-ID) database. Details stored in that database are prone to abuse.



Usep Sadikin, a researcher with the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem), however, said such abuse could be prevented if voters data were accurate.



If voters data are accurate, any possible abuse of them can be anticipated, Used said.



Currently, Indonesia relies on Communications and Information Ministry Regulation No. 20/2016 on the protection of personal data in electronic systems. However, this regulation is been deemed inadequate by some to anticipate large-scale electronic data breaches.



Bawaslu commissioner Fritz Edward Sirait previously acknowledged that the agency had yet to take specific measures to anticipate the potential misuse of voters data, saying that prevailing regulations suggested it was beyond its authority to monitor big data usage in political campaigns. (spl)

This article was originally published in The Jakarta Post's print edition on Dec. 28, 2018, with the title "Experts warn about exploitation of voters' personal data".Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28 2018

Reports about the exploitation of voter data in elections overseas, coupled with uncertainty surrounding the deliberation of the data privacy bill at home, should be sufficient warning of potentially similar abuse of personal information here in Indonesia.

The Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM) has warned over potential data misuse ahead of next years general elections through voter behavioral targeting (VBT) and voter micro-targeting (VMT) survey techniques commonly applied by political survey institutions.

Political campaigning has effectively shifted to sophisticated data operations. The shift of voters choices [in elections] is a result of such [data operations], and this [practice] is nothing new, ELSAM researcher Wahyudi Djafar told a media conference recently.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28, 2018 08:05 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e459b44 4 Business ride-hailing-application,regulation,transportation-ministry Free

The Transportation Ministry has issued a revised regulation for ride-hailing applications after the previous regulation was annulled by the Supreme Court last year in response to protests by several stakeholders.

Ministerial Regulation No. 118/2018 on non-route public transportation, which is to replace Regulation No. 108/2017, was signed by Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi on Dec. 18 and took effect the day after.

Transportation Ministry public transportation director Ahmad Yani said on Thursday that under the new regulation, the ministry had scraped a number of requirements.

The scrapped requirements include attaching ride-hailing app stickers issued by the ministry on the windshield, taking roadworthy tests, preparing parking garages and having at least five vehicles for a ride-hailing app operator.

Ahmad said all the articles that were annulled by the Supreme Court were not included in the new regulation.

He said the new regulation also included a ruling on suspensions, which are often imposed by ride-hailing app providers to drivers as a sanction.

Ahmad said the Transportation Ministry had called on the providers to create categories for sanctions  light, medium and heavy.

The suspension for drivers, who get a medium punishment could still be revived, he said as quoted by kompas.com, adding that drivers with heavy violations would not only face suspension but also criminal charges.

The regulation also includes minimal service standards as well as floor and ceiling rates. (bbn)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28, 2018 09:06 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e45cbe1 4 Business Tanjung-Lesung-resort,investor,tsunami,development Free

The Jababega Group, a major investor in developing Tanjung Lesung, Banten, as one of the countrys 10 new Balis, has pledged to continue its plan to turn the disaster-stricken area into a prominent tourist destination.

[The investment] will go ahead, Jababeka Group chairman Setyono Djuandi Darmono said in Jakarta recently as quoted by kompas.com.

However, he added that Jakabeka would be more cautious in making further decisions.

A tsunami devastated Banten and Lampung provinces on Dec. 22, killing some 430 people, injuring thousands and destroying countless homes, businesses and infrastructure.

About 30 percent of the companys properties in the tourism-focused Tanjung Lesung Special Economic Areas (KEK Tanjung Lesung) was affected in the incident.

But we will not reduce any development plans of the area. We have invested much there, involving a large number of human resources and we have learned many things there. So, we will go ahead, Setyono emphasized.

Jababeka, through its subsidiary PT Banten West Java Tourism Development, is in charge of managing the 1,500-hectare KEK Tanjung Lesung, which is located on the western tip of Java, some 170 kilometers from Jakarta.

Setyono said that the Jababeka Group had signed several memorandums of understanding (MoU) with a number of foreign investors from Japan, South Korea and countries in the Middle East, to develop the tourist destination.

The company will need some Rp 150 billion (US$10.30 million) to repair its damaged facilities, he added. (bbn)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Mehdi Cherifia (Agence France-Presse) Paris, France  Fri, December 28, 2018 08:11 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e45a767 2 World #France,#Terrorism,jihadist,arrested,Charlie-Hebdo,Al-Qaeda Free

One of France's most wanted jihadists, considered a potential source of valuable information by Western intelligence agencies, is set to return to prison Thursday following seven years on the run.

Peter Cherif, 36, was close to the brothers who massacred staff members of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in 2015. He later became a high-ranking member of Al-Qaeda in Yemen.

French authorities have been seeking him since he disappeared in 2011 on the final day of his trial in Paris for fighting in Iraq alongside Al-Qaeda in 2004.

Cherif, who was sentenced to five years in prison in the trial, was arrested on December 16 in Djibouti after arriving from Yemen carrying fake ID documents, according to the presidency of the Horn of Africa country.

He arrived back in France on Sunday and has since refused to speak to investigators during questioning, according to a source close to the probe.

On Thursday he appeared before a judge and was given a new "terrorist conspiracy" charge before returning to prison, a judicial source told AFP.

Investigators opened a new investigation in 2017 into his activities in Yemen, where he joined the senior ranks of the local branch of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

The United States considers AQAP to be the jihadist group's most dangerous branch, with US drone strikes on the outfit increasing since President Donald Trump took office in January 2017.

Cherif, also known as Abou Hamza, was placed on the US blacklist of foreign terrorists in 2015.

He has been a figure of interest for French police investigating a trio of attacks in January 2015 that left 17 people dead, including at Charlie Hebdo's offices and a kosher supermarket in Paris.

But despite media reports suggesting he may have played a role in the attacks, he is not the subject of an arrest warrant in the Charlie Hebdo probe.

The attack on the magazine marked the start of a wave of jihadist attacks in France which have claimed more than 240 lives.

After his arrest in the Iraqi city of Fallujah in 2004, Cherif was sentenced to 15 years in jail in Baghdad before escaping in 2007 and heading to Syria.

He was extradited to France before slipping away again during his trial.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Dylan Amirio & Marcel Thee (The Jakarta Post)  Fri, December 28 2018

Joining forces: Many new collaborations between genres have taken place throughout 2018, including the one between DJ Dipha Barus and pop diva Raisa. (Courtesy of Mathias Manderos)

Young talents have been dominating mainstream Indonesian pop throughout the year, but many tributes have also been made to the veteran musicians who showed them the way.

This year was a good one for mainstream Indonesian pop, full of moments showing mutual respect between the artists of yore and those of the present.

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Linkedin Rachmadea Aisyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28 2018

The Public Works and Housing Ministry is set to establish a polytechnic in an attempt to equip the younger workforce with the skills and certifications that have yet to be provided in other existing polytechnics.

Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono told reporters on Thursday that the Research, Technology and Higher Education Ministry had issued a principal permit for the establishment of the polytechnic.

The first three study programs that the polytechnic would offer are building construction, water facility structures and road and bridge construction technology. Therefore, Basuki said, the polytechnic would offer study programs to match the ministrys needs. Its graduates, however, will not be mandated to work for the government after they graduate.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28, 2018 17:07 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e47f7fc 4 Business Freeport-Indonesia,negotiation,Sri-Mulyani-Indrawati Free

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has assured that no backdoor deal was made in the negotiation to close the divestment agreement with Freeport-McMoRan, the US mining giant and parent company of gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI).

Sri Mulyani said the entire negotiation process was managed transparently. All relevant ministers involved in the negotiation supported to each other, the minister said on Thursday as reported by kompas.com.

All ministers involved in the negotiation had followed President Joko Jokowi Widodo's guidance that the sole objective of the deal was to gain as much as possible from PTFI's Grasberg mine in Papua to benefit the people.

No personal interests were involved in the negotiation, she stressed.

Sri Mulyani added that each minister had their own roles in the negotiation, with Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan focusing on the change in the type of contract from the Contract of Work (CoW) to the Special Mining Permit (IUPK). Jonan also ensured Freeports commitment to develop smelter.

She and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno focused on the divestment, starting with the establishment of state mining holding company PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Inalum), evaluating the agreement between Freeport and Rio Tinto, and to managing the global bond issuance to finance the deal.

Meanwhile, Forestry and Environment Minister Siti Nurbaya negotiated on environmental issues, particularly with regard to environmentally unfriendly mining practices to ensure the observance of better future practices.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan  Fri, December 28, 2018 16:23 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e476af3 1 National quran,Burning,Langkat Free

The Langkat Police have apprehended a 19-year-old male for allegedly burning a Quran near a mosque in Besitang district, Langkat regency, North Sumatra, on Friday.

North Sumatra Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Tatan Dirsan Atmaja said the man, identified as Zulhamsyah, was caught red-handed burning the Quran. The police were questioning Zulhamsyah to find out his motive.

We are still looking at what lies behind the perpetrators actions. He has been detained at the Langkat Police station, Tatan said on Friday.

This was the second Quran burning case this week that the Langkat Police has handled, Tatan said. The police were also looking into a potential connection between the recent and previous case in which 20 copies of the Quran were burned by an unidentified man at the Nurul Huda mosque in Stabat district, Langkat, earlier this week.

The North Sumatra Police have been involved in the investigation.

"The police have been very careful in investigating this case because it involves sensitive matters," Tatan said, expressing hope that Muslims would not be incited by the case. (spl/swd)Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

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Linkedin Kharishar Kahfi and Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28, 2018 09:57 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e462224 1 National KPK,corruption,corruption-case,corruption-eradication-commission,regional-administrations,zumi-zola,irwandi-yusuf Free

The year 2018 was the year when dozens of new regional leaders entered office with fanfare after being elected in the 2018 simultaneous regional elections. But, it was also the year when some others gave up the job with shame after being accused of corruption.

As of Dec. 19, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) had handled dozens of graft cases implicating 30 regional leaders this year  a significant increase from 14 in 2017. Regional heads were the third-most individuals arrested by the antigraft body this year, after legislative members and businesspeople.

Despite cases found in regions far from the busy capital of Jakarta and areas considerably less familiar to the general population, some made national headlines, including those involving two governors  Zumi Zola Zulkifli of Jambi and Irwandi Yusuf of Aceh.

Some local leaders  who at that time were either seeking reelection or contesting a higher office in the regional elections in June  were also in the spotlight for corruption, for example, Marianus Sae, Ngada regent in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) who placed his hat in the NTT gubernatorial election.

The KPK named Marianus a suspect for bribery pertaining to several construction projects across Ngada in February, just hours before the NTT election committee announced his candidacy in the gubernatorial election.

There were indications that Marianus used the illicit money to fund his campaign.

Following Marianus arrest, KPK chairman Agus Rahardjo warned other candidates that it might not be the last arrest as the KPK would continue its crackdown on incumbents if it found sufficient evidence of corruption.

It turned out the KPK fulfilled its promise.

The KPK weeded out nine candidates contesting elections who were suspected of graft  three of whom were gubernatorial candidates  with the latest incumbent regent of East Javas Tulungagung, Syahri Mulyo, in June.

Syahri was named a suspect for allegedly accepting bribes paid by a businessman to secure a bid for a local procurement project only three weeks before voting day. He turned himself in to the KPK a day later.

A permissive culture has long been blamed for corruption, which was evident in Tulungagung and North Maluku where the tainted track record of candidates did not prevent voters from casting ballots for graft suspects.

From behind bars in KPK custody, Syahri garnered almost 60 percent of the vote and won the election by an almost 20 percent margin. He reportedly was the regional head with the shortest stint of three minutes before he was stripped of his position and replaced by his running mate as acting regent in September.

In North Maluku, the election results showed that a plurality of voters had cast their ballots for graft suspect Ahmad Hidayat Mus in the provinces gubernatorial race.

Ahmad, a former regent of Sula Islands in North Maluku, secured 31 percent of the vote from Wednesdays regional election, leading a field of four candidates. North Malukus election result is currently being disputed at court.

Both Syahri and Ahmad are currently standing trial.

A case in Southeast Sulawesi illustrated how a political dynasty employed corrupt practices to prolong the familys authority over the region.

It was very much a case of like father like son when Kendari Mayor Adriatma Dwi Putra was arrested by the KPK in Kendari, the capital of Southeast Sulawesi. His father, Asrun, a former Kendari mayor who had placed his bid in the Southeast Sulawesi gubernatorial race at that time, was nabbed three hours later that day, also in Kendari.

Investigators found indications that Adriatama allegedly assisted his father in a bribery case related to a road construction project in Kendari to help fund his fathers campaign.

The father and son were sentenced to jail in October and stripped of their right to run for public office for a couple of years after they have completed their sentences  just like many other convicted regional leaders, including Marianus.

But the KPK crackdown and the court revocation of political rights appears to have failed to deter fellow local leaders from accepting bribes, with the latest arrests involving the Pakpak Bharat regent in North Sumatra in November and Cianjur regent in West Java this month.

Regional Autonomy Watchs Agung Pambudi said the countrys system had yet to support the emergence of clean figures as regional leaders.

To be elected, candidates must either have an extraordinary track record to be acknowledged by the people, or be really corrupt to have access to unlimited resources to bribe people to vote for them, he said.

This article was originally published in The Jakarta Post's print edition on Dec. 26, 2018, with the title "Regional leaders, candidates in spotlight for corruption".Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Vela Andapita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28 2018

Every morning, Bambang Irawan, not his real name, leaves his house in Gading Serpong, South Tangerang, to work as a marketing officer for a property company. On Monday, he was busy taking care of documents required to complete a transaction.

I just sold a house in Serpong [also in South Tangerang]. Weve made the deal. Were still waiting for the bank to approve a loan request from the buyer, Bambang told The Jakarta Post.

The father of two explained that he had made the sale from having a casual conversation with a passenger from his side job as an app-based ride-hailing driver.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28, 2018 11:36 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e4696d1 1 Business rupiah,projection,2019,analyst Free

The rupiahs volatility will continue next year because the country is unlikely to narrow its current account deficit, which is expected to reach 3 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) by the end of this year as the result of an unstable exchange rate throughout 2018, analysts say.

"Next year, we cannot expect to significantly improve our current account balance because our trade will remain in deficit," Center of Reform on Economics (Core) economist Muhammad Faisal said recently.

The United States monetary tightening policy will still negatively affect the rupiah exchange rate, although the Federal Reserve will not be so aggressive in increasing its benchmark rate next year, Muhammad said.

He called on Bank Indonesia (BI) to continue to monitor the impact of the United States domestic monetary policy.

Bank Permata economist Josua Pardede added that the rupiah would also still face the impact of the US and China trade war, which was likely to continue next year.

"After the 90-day period [of the trade war] ends, it is likely that each country will still maintain its trade ego," he said.

He added that the trade war did not only have a negative impact on the rupiah, it would also affect Indonesias exports and subsequently, the current account deficit.

Josua

is also predicting an economic growth slowdown next year because of high demands.

Bank Mandiri money market analyst Reny Eka Putri believes that the legislative and presidential election in April would keep investors in a wait-and-see stance.

She estimated that the average rupiah exchange rate would be at Rp 14,908 per US dollar next year and Rp 15,185 by the end of 2019.

"Our projections are still slightly above the government's estimation in the 2019 state budget because the external risks  trade war and the global economic slowdown  will be more profitable for the US dollar," Reny explained as quoted by kontan.co.id.

Similarly, Faisal said the rupiahs exchange rate was projected to reach Rp 15,000 next year, while Josua estimated an exchange rate of between Rp 14,500 and Rp 15,500 per US dollar. (aak/bbn)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28, 2018 19:30 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e486114 4 City pornographic-content,porn-videos,pornography,South-Tangerang,police Free

The South Tangerang Polices Vipers team has arrested three people for allegedly charging customers to view pornographic acts live streamed using an online application.

The three suspects, identified only as Hengki, 25, AR, 23, and M, 18, were arrested by investigators on Tuesday in a rented room in Serpong, South Tangerang Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Ferdy Irawan said.

The police suspect the three people live streamed the porn through an app called Joy Live.

The Vipers team arrested the three suspects as they transmitted the pornographic live video on the Joy Live app, Ferdy said on Friday as reported by kompas.com.

He said M conducted the pornographic acts while couple Hengki and AR prepared the live stream and collected the money transferred by their customers.

They charged their clients Rp 200,000 (US$13.74) for one live stream. The suspects told investigators they had been engaged in the activity for the past month, Ferdy said. He added that the police were examining the case further to discover whether anyone else was involved.

The suspects could be charged under the 2007 law on the eradication of human trafficking and the 2016 Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law, with maximum penalties of six years in prison.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jaya Pub, Central Jakarta  Fri, December 28 2018

Say cheese!:Members of Rovers Networking pose for a photograph during a gathering to bid farewell to 2018 at Jaya Pub in Jakarta. (JP)

Members of Rovers Networking, a nonprofit informal social group, bade farewell to 2018 at Jakartas oldest pub, Jaya Pub, in Jakarta recently.

The group was formed by former members of the Roving Insight Executive & Diplomatic Club. The members, who are known as Rovers, come from all walks of life. Business executives from Indonesia and foreign countries, diplomats, journalists, advocates, artists and politicians dominate the group.

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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) London, United Kingdom  Fri, December 28, 2018 18:06 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e483e72 2 World #USA,UK,foreign-minister,Donald-Trump,black-and-white,World,view Free

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Friday criticised Donald Trump's view of the world after the US president's announcement of a withdrawal of American troops from the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria.

"President Trump makes a speciality of talking in very black and white terms about what's happening in the world," Hunt told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"We have made massive progress in the war against Daesh (Arabic acronym for IS), but it's not over and, although they have lost nearly all the territory they held, they still hold some territory and there is still some real risk," he said.

"We have to continue to be vigilant," he added.

Trump announced the pull-out last week, stunning allies including Britain and France who warned that the fight against jihadists in Syria was not finished.

Some 2,000 US troops, joined by other foreign forces, have been assisting local fighters battling against IS.

Britain takes part in the coalition by carrying out air strikes in IS-held areas in Iraq and Syria.

During a visit to Iraq this week, Trump declared an end to the US role of being the world's "policeman".

"We don't want to be taken advantage of any more by countries that use us and use our incredible military to protect them," he said.

Asked what would happen if US troops also withdrew from Afghanistan, Hunt said: "We will continue to do everything we need to do to make sure the streets of Britain are safe.

"This is a security issue for the UK as well as for Afghanistan," he said.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin David Shepardson and Diane Bartz (Reuters) Washington, United States  Fri, December 28, 2018 10:31 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e464a2d 2 Business #USA,#China,White-House,ban,Huawei,ZTE,purchase Free

President Donald Trump is considering an executive order in the new year to declare a national emergency that would bar US companies from using telecommunications equipment made by China's Huawei and ZTE, three sources familiar with the situation told Reuters.

It would be the latest step by the Trump administration to cut Huawei Technologies Cos Ltd and ZTE Corp , two of China's biggest network equipment companies, out of the US market.

The United States says the companies work at the behest of the Chinese government and that their equipment could be used to spy on Americans.

Huawei and ZTE did not return requests for comment. Both in the past have denied that their products are used to spy.

Rural operators in the United States are among the biggest customers of Huawei and ZTE, and worry that they may also have to rip out existing Chinese-made equipment without compensation. Industry officials are divided on whether the administration could legally compel operators to do that.

The executive order, which has been under consideration for more than eight months, could be issued as early as January and would direct the Commerce Department to block US companies from buying equipment from foreign telecommunications makers that pose significant national security risks, sources from the telecoms industry and the administration said.

While the order is unlikely to name Huawei or ZTE, a source said it is expected that Commerce officials would interpret it as authorization to limit the spread of equipment made by the two companies. The sources said the text for the order has not been finalized.

The United States and China are locked in a trade war that has disrupted the flow of hundreds of billions of dollars of goods.

The executive order would invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a law that gives the president the authority to regulate commerce in response to a national emergency that threatens the United States.

The issue has new urgency as US wireless carriers look for partners as they prepare to adopt next generation 5G wireless networks.

In August, Trump signed a bill that barred the US government itself from using Huawei and ZTE equipment.

A White House official said the United States was "working across government and with our allies and like-minded partners to mitigate risk in the deployment of 5G and other communications infrastructure," but stated that the White House had nothing further to announce.

The Wall Street Journal first reported in May that the order was under consideration, but it was never issued.

China's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Thursday that she did not want to comment on the order as it had not been officially confirmed.

"It's best to let facts speak for themselves when it comes to security problems," Hua said.

"Some countries have, without any evidence, and making use of national security, tacitly assumed crimes to politicize, and even obstruct and restrict, normal technology exchange activities," she added.

"This in reality is undoubtedly shutting oneself off, rather than being the door to openness, progress and fairness."

HIT TO RURAL NETWORKS

While the big US wireless companies have cut ties with Huawei in particular, small rural carriers have relied on Huawei and ZTE switches and other equipment because they tend to be less expensive.

Huawei is so central to small carriers that William Levy, vice president for sales of Huawei Tech USA, is on the board of directors of the Rural Wireless Association.

The RWA represents carriers with fewer than 100,000 subscribers. It estimates that 25 percent of its members had Huawei or ZTE equipment in their networks, it said in a filing to the Federal Communications Commission earlier this month.

The RWA is concerned that an executive order could force its members to remove ZTE and Huawei equipment and also bar future purchases, said Caressa Bennet, RWA general counsel.

It would cost $800 million to $1 billion for all RWA members to replace their Huawei and ZTE equipment, Bennet said.

Separately, the FCC in April granted initial approval to a regulation that bars giving federal funding to help pay for telecommunication infrastructure to companies that purchase equipment from firms deemed threats to US national security, which analysts have said is aimed at Huawei and ZTE.

The FCC is also considering whether to require carriers to remove and replace equipment from firms deemed a national security risk.

In March, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said "hidden 'back doors' to our networks in routers, switches  and virtually any other type of telecommunications equipment - can provide an avenue for hostile governments to inject viruses, launch denial-of-service attacks, steal data, and more."

In the December filing, Pine Belt Communications in Alabama estimated it would cost $7 million to $13 million to replace its Chinese-made equipment, while Sagebrush in Montana said replacement would cost $57 million and take two years.

Sagebrush has noted that Huawei products are significantly cheaper. When looking for bids in 2010 for its network, it found the cost of Ericsson equipment to be nearly four times the cost of Huawei.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, December 29 2018

The Manpower Ministry has said its pilot project to send a limited number of workers to Saudi Arabia will go ahead despite reservations caused by the execution of an Indonesian migrant worker in October and an outright ban on domestic workers headed to the Middle East.

The ministrys secretary-general Khairul Anwar gave an assurance that the projects objective was to guarantee workers protection.

We have to make sure that we send people with the right qualifications and protection in accordance with the agreement we made [with Saudi Arabia], he told reporters on Friday.

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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Hanoi, Vietnam  Fri, December 28, 2018 13:20 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e46f0e7 2 SE Asia Vietnam,monkeys,endangered-species,consumption Free

Six men were arrested in central Vietnam for killing and eating an endangered monkey while livestreaming it on a social media site, police said Friday.

The trafficking and consumption of rare and endangered species is widespread in Vietnam as many still believe in the healing and medicinal qualities of the animals' body parts.

But the sale of the animals occurs on the black market, and consumers rarely broadcast the killing and eating of the creatures, which are protected under Vietnam's conservation laws.

The six men, aged from 35 to 59, filmed themselves with a mobile phone eating a live langur monkey and streamed the gruesome video on Facebook on November 17.

They were finally identified and arrested on Thursday.

"It took time for us to figure out the suspects involved," a police officer in central Ha Tinh province told AFP.

The men have been accused of violating regulations on protecting "endangered and precious animals" and they confessed to the crime, said a statement posted on Ha Tinh provincial police's website.

One of the men had bought the monkey off a hunter for $49, said the statement.

Leaf-eating langurs are among the most endangered primate species in the world and are only found in the northern part of Vietnam.

The Southeast Asian country is also home to other endangered species, including the Red River giant soft-shell turtle, the mountainous Saola antelope, and the snub-nosed Tonkin monkey.

But critics say conservation protection laws are not enforced effectively, and poaching continues unchecked -- feeding an appetite for rare and endangered species domestically and in neighbouring China.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse)  Fri, December 28, 2018 05:05 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e4560d7 2 News France,sailing,Atlantic-Ocean,Jean-Jacques-Savin Free

A 71-year-old Frenchman set sail across the Atlantic on Wednesday in a barrel-shaped orange capsule, hoping to reach the Caribbean within three months thanks to ocean currents alone.

"The weather is great -- I've got a swell of one metre and I'm moving at two or three kilometers an hour," Jean-Jacques Savin told AFP by telephone after setting off from El Hierro in Spain's Canary Islands.

"For the time being my capsule is behaving very, very well and I've got favourable winds forecast until Sunday."

Savin had worked on his vessel for months in the small shipyard of Ares on France's southwest coast.

Measuring three meters long and 2.10 meters across, it is made from resin-coated plywood, heavily reinforced to resist waves and potential attacks by orca whales.

Une traversee ou l'homme ne serait pas capitaine de son bateau, mais passager de l'Ocean. C'est le defi incroyable de Jean-Jacques Savin, 71 ans, qui s'apprete a traverser l'Atlantique a bord... d'un tonneau ! https://t.co/geAaFruUXC pic.twitter.com/r1lXKX4l81  Georges Goudet (@GeorgesGoudet) November 28, 2018

Inside the capsule, which weighs 450 kilograms when empty, is a six-square-meter living space which includes a kitchen, sleeping bunk and storage.

A porthole in the floor allows Savin to look at passing fish.

A former military parachutist who served in Africa, Savin has also worked as a pilot and a national park ranger.

Read also: After years of delay, Titanic II is about to set sail in 2022

He has stowed away a block of foie gras and a bottle of Sauternes white wine for New Year's Eve, along with a bottle of red Saint-Emilion for his 72nd birthday on January 14.

Savin hopes currents will carry him naturally to the Caribbean without the need for a sail or oars -- "maybe Barbados, although I'd really like it to be a French island like Martinique or Guadaloupe," he quipped.

"That would be easier for the paperwork and for bringing the barrel back."

Along the way, Savin will be dropping markers for the JCOMMOPS international marine observatory to help its oceanographers study the currents.

And he himself will be the subject of a study on the effects of solitude in close confinement.

Even the wine onboard will be studied: He is carrying a Bordeaux to be compared afterwards with one kept on land to determine the effects of months spent tossed on the waves.

Savin has a budget of 60,000 euros ($68,000) for his expedition, covered in part by barrelmakers and a crowdfunding campaign.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28, 2018 14:43 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e473151 4 News citilink,Wi-Fi,Internet,Airlines,technology,travel,passenger Free

National flag carrier Garuda Indonesias low-cost subsidiary, Citilink, officially launched its free Wi-Fi service on Friday in a bid to offer more customer convenience.

"On this PK-GQR flight from Denpasar, the Wi-Fi service is live. The team and I [have enjoyed the service] from an altitude of 35,000 feet," said Citilink president director Juliandra Nurtjahjo at a press conference in Jakarta on Friday as quoted by Antara.

The service is part of the airline's collaboration with in-flight wireless internet service provider PT Mahata Aero Technologi (Mahata).

Aircraft that provides the facility will be equipped with the GX Aviation System, which is said to be the worlds only high-speed global wireless connectivity service sent through a high-throughput satellite (HTS) network. According to a statement, the service is owned and operated by Inmarsat Aviation in cooperation with Lufthansa Technik as the hardware, design and certification provider, and Lufthansa Systems as the software integration provider.

Read also: Free Wi-Fi service will not affect ticket prices: Citilink

Based on an agreement with PT Mahata, an additional of 18 Citilink planes will be equipped with the Wi-Fi facility next year.

"Hence by the end of 2019, we will have a total 20 aircraft equipped with Wi-Fi from our target of 50 planes by 2020," said Juliandra.

The Wi-Fi-equipped Citilink PK-GQR plane caters to passengers on the Jakarta-Denpasar, Jakarta-Banjarmasin and Jakarta-Medan routes.

The free service is said to target millennials who make up 70 percent of Citilinks market. (kes)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28, 2018 17:35 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e481139 4 News soekarno-hatta-airport,#SoekarnoHatta,Airport,#airport,art,#art,painting,#painting,Terminal-3,#Terminal3,Erica-Hestu-Wahyuni Free

Three paintings by Indonesian artist Erica Hestu Wahyuni are gracing the walls of Terminal 3 at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, kompas.com reported.

Erica, a graduate of the Indonesian Arts Institute (ISI) and the Surikov Art Institute in Moscow, Rusia, said in a statement that since people spent many hours in the airport, she wanted the airport to become a larger medium, a space that allowed travelers to enjoy artwork and an educational platform, not limited to transit and waiting rooms only.

Erica is hardly a new kid on the block. Having exhibited her works in various countries, Ericas paintings are popular among collectors in Europe and America.

There are three paintings featured at Terminal 3, namely Ganica the Red Elephant, Valley of the Welfare of the Universe and Valley of the Hope. Each painting is 2.55 x 2.55 meters and has special meaning.

Read also: EVA Air latest carrier to move operations to Soekarno-Hattas Terminal 3

Valley of the Welfare of the Universe, for example, highlights the importance of mental and physical health to foster the welfare of the universe.

Art makes everything become more comfortable and relaxing. If [art] is the daily bread of a person, it will make them feel more peaceful, the 47-year-old artist said.

In addition to the three paintings, Erica said she would add three more pieces for Terminal 3 on Jan. 25.

Erica also shared her plan to lend her piano, which features her painting.

I saw a piano while transiting in [Amsterdam airport] Schiphol. Travelers can play the piano while waiting, making the airport livelier, she said, adding that she hoped the airport could also serve as an art gallery in the future. (jes/wng)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (Xinhua)  Fri, December 28, 2018 13:04 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e46e5fb 2 News Sham-Wings-Airlines,Syria,Tunisia,travel,Airlines Free

The Syrian private Sham Wings Airlines made its debut flight to Tunisia on Thursday, marking the first trip between both countries in years, according to the state news agency SANA.

The flight between the international airport of Damascus and the Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport in Tunisia reached its destination on Thursday afternoon with 150 Syrian passengers onboard, according to the report.

Osama Satea, the development manager in the Sham Wings, said the flight is a prelude to scheduled flights between Syria and Tunisia, adding the new destination is part of a plan to expand the network of destinations the company is scheduling.

Read also: Air Mauritius, three African airlines in talks to form alliance

This development is a part of what appears to be a new era in the Syrian-Arab relations after more than seven years of war in Syria which included stranded relations with other Arab countries.

Earlier in the day, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reopened its embassy in Damascus, just days after the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir visited Syria and marked the first Arab leader to visit the country in more than seven years.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 28, 2018 10:33 1071 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e4650d8 4 News ELTA,disabled-students,scholarship,scholarship-program,scholarship-for-disabled-students Free

Applicants of scholarships to study overseas are commonly required to have a good command of English. When a disabled student wishes to enroll in an English learning class, he or she could join the English Language Training Assistance (ELTA) program.

Tempo.co reported that Australia Awards pilots the project, and the ELTA program will be conducted at the Indonesia Australia Language Foundation (IALF) Bali. IALF Balis ELTA project coordinator Agung Sudiani told Tempo.co that ELTA is a program to help students looking to apply for an Australia Awards master degree scholarship but lacking the required English language skills.

ELTA is offered to students in Papua, West Papua, Maluku, North Maluku, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara and disabled applicants. The ELTA program is conducted at Jl. Sesetan No. 190, Denpasar, Bali.

Eligible applicants are those with a bachelors degree who are not currently studying for a masters degree, said Agung.

The first ELTA course was conducted in East Nusa Tenggara in 2011. Gradually, the program expanded to other provinces of eastern Indonesia. Each province accepts 30 selected applicants, out of 1500 who applied.

Read also: British Council launches GREAT Scholarship in Indonesia

In 2016, ELTA opened an inclusive class for Australia Awards scholarship applicants with disabilities. The program is only conducted at IALF Bali, but it is open to 12 applicants from across Indonesia.

This year, ELTA will admit disabled students from North Sumatra, South Sumatra, Jakarta, Central Java, North Kalimantan and Southeast Sulawesi.

There are seven of them with various disabilities, and there is a balanced ratio between male and female students, Agung was quoted as saying.

Although admitting disabled students, lessons are still given according to the international standard English curriculum. The difference lies in the learning and teaching process in terms of the use of materials. The materials have been translated into digital forms, so that they could be read on a computer screen by the disabled students.

The duration of the ELTA program is three months, with final exams taking place on Dec. 14 and 15 to assess students listening, reading, writing and speaking skills. Successful students will receive an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) certificate.

This is an important program for me to join in order to apply for a masters degree scholarship. My IELTS score has to be 6.5 so that I can depart soon, said Andi Fadillah (23), a social worker with an NGO in Tarakan, North Kalimantan.

Another ELTA student, Hendri Hernowo, said studying English through ELTA gave him knowledge and a network.

Now I am better at using English grammar, said Hendri, a disabled student from Magelang, Central Java. (mut)Ad Investing Trends

Why Nevada Is About To Become The Richest State In The USA (And Make Some Investors VERY Happy)

Geologists predict that Nevada could hold 25% of the world's lithium supply. And with lithium quickly becoming the most valuable (and important) metal on the planet, Nevada could quickly become one of the richest states in the USA...Phuket reports zero deaths in first day of Seven Days of Danger

PHUKET: Phuket has escaped the first day of Seven Days of Danger road-safety campaign for the New Year with zero deaths from midnight to midnight yesterday (Dec 27).

transporttourismaccidentspoliceSafety

By The Phuket News

Friday 28 December 2018, 12:24PM

A truck whose driver lost control on a bend on Thepkrasattri Rd in Srisoonthorn and wiped out a streetlight on Wednesday (Dec 26) occurred before the Seven Days campaign for the New Year began. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

However, five people were injured in five accidents, the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation DDPM-Phuket) reported this morning. Meanwhile, Phuket police reported issuing 987 fines for moving violations during the 24-hour period, as follows:  30 fined for operating an unsafe/illegally modified motorcycle  60 fined for not wearing seatbelts  276 fined for driving without a licence  0 fined for speeding  66 fined for running a red light  51 fined for ghost driving (driving opposite traffic flow)  36 fined for dangerously cutting off other motorists in traffic  33 fined for using mobile phones while driving.  13 people were arrested for drunk driving during the period.  422 people fined for not wearing helmets Across Thailand, a total of 76 people were killed and 3,587 injured on the first of the Seven Days of Danger yesterday, according to the website for the national road-safety agency ThaiRSC. Bangkok recorded the highest injured number in accidents with 340 people while Khon Kaen, Phitsanulok and Lopburi province had a nation-leading four deaths on Thursday (Dec 27). Officials have not set a target for this years campaign. As it stands just less than the previous three New Year holiday periods will do, Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana told a provincial road-safety council in the run up to the Seven Days campaign. Phuket suffered two deaths and 46 people injured in 46 accidents during the seven-day period for New Year 2018, compared with two people killed and 81 injured during the holiday period for New Year 2017. Both those years pale in comparison to new Year 2016, when seven people in Phuket were killed and 75 others received hospital treatment for injuries sustained in road accidents. The launch of this years campaign, which comes under the banner Driving with kindness. Maintaining traffic discipline, comes after a week of horrific accidents on the island, and a major wipeout just a few kilometres north of the bridges off Phuket, where a minivan carrying two Indian tourists to Phuket International Airport was taken out broadside by a BMW sedan.Samila bombing not politically motivated: Police

SONGKHLA: Provincial Police Region 9 has ruled out the possibility that two coordinated bomb attacks on Samila Beach in the southern province of Songkhlas Muang district on Wednesday night (Dec 25) were politically motivated.



By Bangkok Post

Friday 28 December 2018, 09:13AM

The popular mermaid sculpture lost its tail to a bomb explosion on Samila Beach in Songkhla province on Wednesday night. Photo: Somsak Tantiseranee via Bangkok Post

An explosive ordnance disposal team examines the bomb-damaged mermaid sculpture at Samila Beach in Songkhla on Thursday. Photo: Royal Thai Police

Pol Lt Gen Ronnasil Phusara, head of Provincial Police Region 9, said the bombings had no political motive and investigators were looking at other possible motives, including a conflict among groups of local tourism operators.

The explosions occurred about 10pm on Wednesday, one at the mermaid sculpture, and the other 300 metres away near the sculpture of a cat and rat, he said.

The tail of the mermaid sculpture broke off while the cat and rat sculpture was left unscathed by the other explosion, he said. No one was hurt in either incident

Maj Gen Chatuphon Kalamphasut, deputy chief of the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) Region 4, said police were still unsure who was responsible for the attacks.

Although some activities by insurgent groups in Yala, Narathiwat, Pattani and four border districts of Songkhla were previously detected in Songkhla, there was no evidence to suggest they perpetrated the bombings, he said.

Songkhla Governor Wiranan Phengchan said security was being tightened to reassure tourists visiting Songkhla during the New Year long weekend.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said earlier in the day that the attacks could be politically motivated but were not linked with the southern insurgency.

However, he said the attackers may be based in the far South.

These attacks are an attempt to simply stir up unrest, given the fact that not a single person was injured, he said.

Gen Prawit said people should wait for the results of the investigation.

Despite Gen Prawits comments, a security source said the two attacks might be the work of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) bent on wreaking havoc among Songkhla businesses during the New Year festival.

The BRN tends to choose a business district for its attacks, said the source.

The iconic mermaid sculpture, damaged in one of the explosions, is popular among Thai, Malaysian and Singaporean tourists, said the source.

The attacks could also be in retaliation against tough crackdowns on the trade of smuggled goods in the province's border areas, which is costing the insurgent group funding gleaned from the illegal trade, said the source.

Thursday afternoon, two more explosions occurred in Khuan Niang District of Songkhla.

Police were also looking into these two incidents.

Read original story here.For Subscribers Long-time Disc Shop owner's record collection huge  and still growing

At 88, Chuck Olsons love of vinyl records keeps growing. For more than 70 years, he has been the face of recorded music in Watertown.The future of the auto industry is going to look like the history of the cellphone. The two even share technology: the lithium-ion battery. As the worlds automakers gradually switch from combustion to charging, some of todays dominant car companies will share the fate of a few former titans of the smartphone. Remember BlackBerry, Nokia and Palm?

Who will be the winners in the electric car race? Who knows? said Mike Ramsey, senior director of research at Gartner Inc. The incumbents could be, or they could be cut out entirely.

This transition will play out as a plethora of electric options land in showrooms. In the next two years, an additional 85 battery-powered models will be marketed, bringing the global fleet to 357, according to the latest tally by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Volkswagen AG is near the front of the pack, promising 20 new electric models by 2020 and another 80 by 2025. Just this month, the German automaker said the internal combustion vehicles being designed now will be its last.

Every manufacturer feels like, Weve got to at least have a dog in this hunt or well be completely left behind, said Karl Brauer, executive publisher for Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book. If you ignore it and act like the market is never going to be ready, then youre setting yourself up for real trouble.

Being first, however, is no guarantee of success. Hondas Insight promised a space-age 112 kilometres to the gallon on the highway when it rolled into dealerships as the first U.S. hybrid in December 1999. Yet the Toyota Prius, which reached the market months later, became the icon of greener wheels. A crowd of copycat hybrids arrived but none came close to matching the Toyota models cachet.

An entire segment can be sucked up by one or two models, Brauer said. Two decades later, the Prius accounts for almost half of electric vehicle sales to date.

The automaker that can capture this kind of icon status in the electric-vehicle space will be in a different gear for years. At the moment, Tesla Inc. appears to have that advantage, although theres probably room for another paragon vehicle or twoa more affordable SUV, for instance, or an electric pickup truck.

The vehicles that dont help to meaningfully define their category face a tough slog. There will be a very long tail of EV models that dont sell especially well, said BNEF analyst Colin McKerracher.

At the moment, outside of China, the non-Tesla options in electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf, Chevy Bold and BMW i3 arent selling particularly well. Analysts expect that to change in coming years as the cost of batteries swoon and the market welcomes more electric SUVsthe body style thats in fashion at the moment. That means for the next decade or so, old-school car executives will try to pull off a tricky financial stunt: driving returns with gasoline engines until their electric models have enough momentum to start keeping pace. They are essentially using an old technology to fund the transition to the next, and the timing is fraught. Jump to the electric drive train too soon and the whole works will grind to a halt; jump too late and lose the EV race.

Startups such as Tesla, critically, dont have to make this awkward jump. They are tiny and inexperienced, but they dont have to worry about feeding a legacy business as it slowly winds down.

Exacerbating the dynamic for incumbent automakers is that demand of EVs might not be linear, particularly if gas prices spike or government incentives fall. And the more money companies like Daimler AG and Volkswagen pour into electric vehicles, the greater the urgency there will be to sell them and the quicker the economics shift toward profit.

Theres some element of self-fulfilment in this, McKerracher said. Youll see a virtuous cycle of volume and cost reduction. Thats sort of whats been missing with EVs.

Even making a great electric vehicle and timing the market perfectly may not be enough. At Tesla, the sexy sedan is just the start. The company has thrived, in part, because it deals directly with consumers and allows everyone to build the exact car that theyd like to own. Teslas cars are also undergoing constant improvement with over-the-air software updates, essentially scrapping the whole concept of a model year.

They literally do everything differently, Ramsey said.

The old guard of the auto industry, meanwhile, cant sell directly to customers without running afoul of franchise laws. Dealerships, in turn, have little incentive to push electric vehicles. Battery-powered machines dont offer a fat stream of parts and maintenance revenue, which comprises $12 (U.S.) of every $100 the typical U.S. car shop collects. An electric vehicle never needs antifreeze, a new set of spark plugs or even an oil change.

Incumbent manufacturers seem to be thinking of electric vehicles as just changing the powertrain, Ramsey said. If theres a big switch over to EVs, these companies may need tochange the entire way that they think about the market.

While the automaking old guard jockeys for position, theyre likely to face an onslaught of competition unlike anything the industry has seen in generations. The simplicity of an electric motor drastically lowers the barrier to entry. Piecing together a decent electric vehicle is becoming an exercise in shopping more than a masterstroke in manufacturing: sourcing a good battery, finding solid suppliers for motors and other commoditized parts. Widgets that cant be bought are increasingly spun up from a 3D printer.

Electric drivetrains and smart manufacturing systems have the potential to open up car manufacturing. For 100 years, car companies have had this stranglehold on the business because of the high cost of capital, Ramsey said. That dynamic is really changing now. You can basically get an EV in a box.

Consider Rivian Automotive Inc., which unveiled an all-electric SUV and pickup truck at the Los Angeles Auto Show last month. In just nine years, the company has cozied up to a crowd of suppliers near its Plymouth, Michigan, headquarters and drawn up two concept vehicles. In 2020, it hopes to launch its pickup into the most profitable chunk of the auto market, long dominated by Fords F-series. Unlike the F-150, the Rivian will have both a bed and a trunkthe latter will be up front where the combustion engine would normally be.

Ramsey thinks its likely that some of the industrys largest players will go extinct under these pressures. But he still expects a proliferation of companies like Rivian using the turmoil of the massive electric migration to carve out a niche. Unless something dramatic happens, he said, you cant convince me thats not going to be the case.A recent criminal trial at Torontos downtown Superior Court featured what may be a first in Ontario: a blind juror.

The fact that is, if not a first, an extremely rare occurrence in Ontario underscores that much more needs to be done to remove the barriers to equal treatment in the criminal justice system, disability advocates say.

Certainly this applies to ensuring adequate representation of persons with disabilities on juries, says Luke Reid, a lawyer with ARCH Disability Law Centre in Toronto.

The Criminal Code allows people with vision or hearing disabilities to serve on juries. However, an accused may challenge a jurors service and the Juries Act deems jurors ineligible if they have a physical or mental disability that would seriously impair his or her ability to discharge the duties of a juror.

However, human rights law would demand that this (or any) requirement not be interpreted in an overbroad way and that persons with disabilities have the right to the necessary accommodations, Reid wrote in email.

Juror 29743 almost didnt get picked. While there are likely numerous reasons preventing people with impaired vision from sitting on juries, there is still a very active debate around the ability of a trier of fact to see a witnesss demeanour in order to assess credibility, Reid noted in an email.

I think courts tend to err on the side of caution where the right of an accused to a fair trial is potentially at issue.

This fall, a day before jury selection in an impaired driving causing death trial, prosecutor Marnie Goldenberg told the judge she and defence lawyer Carolyn Kerr had some concerns about a prospective juror, who had shown up at the courthouse with a service dog. Goldenberg told the judge numerous photos would be introduced during the two-week trial.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Rob Goldstein told the lawyers while it was entirely appropriate to raise the issue, he didnt intend to treat Juror 29743 any differently than other jurors.

I think its something we canvass and we treat her the way we treat any other juror who has a health issue, Goldstein said. The next day, after Juror 29743 entered the courtroom with her service dog, the judge asked her how she would deal with all the photos in the case.

It would be through description ... I cannot see them, the woman, who works in human resources, told Goldstein.

OK, all right, so if they are described  you can absorb whats in them? the judge asked.

She said yes.

The jury selection process continued in the normal course with two already selected jurors, designated as triers, deciding whether or not she was an acceptable pick.

Juror 29743 said she had not heard about the case involving a man charged with impaired driving causing death on April 23, 2016, near Jane St. and Humberview Blvd. She also indicated she could consider the evidence without prejudice or bias after being told the accused was a visible minority and Muslim.

Nevertheless, the triers immediately rejected her.

Goldstein, however, wasnt satisfied. He told the triers he was going to reread their instructions and asked them to consult each other again. The test to decide is if a juror would approach jury duty with an open mind and decide the case based solely on the evidence and his legal instructions, the judge told them.

This time, the triers found Juror 29743 acceptable while counsel on both sides said they were content with the choice. After a few days of deliberations, the jury returned to court with a guilty verdict. The Stars attempts to speak to Juror 29743 were unsuccessful.

Lawyer David Lepofsky, a retired Crown attorney who is blind and was not involved in the case, said having a blind juror not only makes the legal system more representative of society, it makes lawyers more effective.

Theres a lot of stuff that goes on in a courtroom that is visual and needs to be explained for the transcript, or audio recording, so having a blind juror will help ensure that happens, so you get a better record, and its better for everybody, Lepofksy said.

But there are some exceptions where a visually impaired juror might have to be excluded, he added. If, for example, the guilt or innocence of an accused is entirely based on whether a jury believes an accused looks like an assailant captured in a surveillance video.

Lepofksy, now a visiting professor at York Universitys Osgoode Hall law school, said traditionally, appeal courts said trial judges were in a superior position to assess the credibility of witnesses, because they, unlike appeal judges, can access demeanour.

That view has evolved, and now appeal courts are increasingly warning its wrong to over emphasize visual demeanour when assessing credibility.

He uses himself as an example to explain how everyone has different ways of doing that.

Sighted people use eyes. I listen to a voice ... and the whole idea of a jury is its a bunch of different people ... pooling their different ways of assessing credibility and then voting as a group. Well, whos to say visual is the only way to do it, he said.

Those of us who experience the world non visually, have our own experience too.

While jurors dont have to be statistically representative of society, there is an expectation that they bring to the courtroom their own life experience, drawn from different parts of the community, and they pool to form a collective assessment, a very difficult assessment, who to believe about what happened.A man convicted of murdering and dismembering his ex-girlfriend has been granted a new trial by the Ontario Court of Appeal due to the Crowns failure to disclose relevant evidence to the defence until partway through the accused mans cross-examination.

In 2014, a jury found Chun Qi Jiang guilty of second-degree murder for killing Guang Hua Liu in the basement of his Scarborough home on Aug. 10, 2012. In sentencing Jiang to a life term with no chance of parole for 18 years, Superior Court Justice Gisele Miller said Jiang killed Liu after she told him she was leaving him and reconciling with her new boyfriend.

At trial, Jiang testified in his defence it was his mother who killed 41-year-old Liu. He said he helped clean up the home and disposed of Lius body by dismembering and scattering her remains around the GTA in order to protect his 66-year-old mother, Fen Gen Zhang, who died from a sudden cardiac arrhythmia several weeks after Liu was killed.

Jiang had not previously described his mothers involvement.

A central issue at trial was Zhangs health, and whether she was physically capable of fatally stabbing Liu.

However, the Crown failed to disclose to the defence records concerning Zhangs health that they obtained during the trial until Jiang was being cross-examined, which left him stumbling in front of the jury, the Court of Appeal found.

The Crown attempted to use the mothers medical records, including that she had had a stress echocardiogram, to suggest Jiang was well aware his mother was too ill to have killed Liu and that Jiang was not credible  but this mischaracterized the evidence, the court found.

Contrary to what was suggested in cross-examination, the mother did not die of a heart attack but of a sudden cardiac arrhythmia which might not have earlier interfered with her ability to carry out normal physical activities, according to the Court of Appeal decision.

Had the defence lawyer Kathryn Wells been made aware of the medical records she would likely have asked Jiang more questions about his mothers health in examination-in-chief, the decision states. It was also not disclosed to the defence that the mothers family doctor had told the officer in charge of the case that the mother had been relatively healthy but had medical issues pertaining to her heart and anxiety about her relocation to Canada.

The Court of Appeal concluded that, given the medical evidence and Jiangs testimony that his mother disliked Liu and thought she was a thief, the outcome of the trial may have been affected.

We are very pleased with the deceision, said Delmar Doucette who represented Jiang on the appeal along with Andrew Furgiuele and Zahra Shariff. I think that the first trial was quite unfair and ended up being trial by ambush. We are glad that the Court of Appeal also saw it that way.

During the cross-examination Crown prosecutor Brian McGuire asked Jiang: Based on your mothers medical records, sir. Im going to suggest to you  well based on her post-mortem she died of a massive heart attack with 90 per cent of her coronary artery blocked, are you aware of that?

Jiang replied through a translator that he had not heard of that.

McGuire went on to ask Jiang about an echocardiogram test conducted by his mothers family doctor on her heart.

Wells, the defence lawyer, objected and said it appeared the Crown had medical records that had not been disclosed to the defence.

Miller, the trial judge, heard a mistrial application brought by Wells, and found serious breaches of Jiangs right to disclosure and prejudice from the defence being unable to address the records in examination-in-chief.

Miller denied the mistrial application, saying she expected a forensic pathologist would testify the mother may well have been capable of inflicting the injuries sustained by the victim.

Ultimately the pathologist changed his evidence before the jury to say that it was beyond his competence as a forensic pathologist to express an opinion about the mothers physical abilities, the Court of Appeal decision noted.

McGuire did concede in his closing address that the mother could have been physically capable of killing Liu, the Crown argued on appeal.

He told the jury: This woman had health issues, full stop. It was led before you just so you would have a complete picture, so you would not be under any illusions as to what her state of health was. Youve heard that evidence, you decide. I submit its a relevant factor and thats for you to decide.

The Court of Appeal disagreed that this was a concession by the Crown that the mother was capable of murder. Rather, the Crown was attempting to make a virtue of its tardy disclosure of the records, the decision said.

The Crown will now determine whether or not to proceed with another trial on a charge of second-degree murder.

The original six-week murder trial took place at the Brampton Superior Court. The jury heard evidence from Lius new boyfriend Kenneth Grotsky, who reported her missing on Aug. 11, 2012 when she stopped replying to text messages.

The couple had entered a whirlwind relationship after initially meeting at a massage parlour where Liu worked. They broke up after a disagreement and Liu returned to Jiang, spending two nights at his home. On the day of her murder, the trial heard, she told a friend shed decided to return to Grotsky.

Jiang testified he was not jealous of Grotsky, and that he could not have married Liu anyway because she had a son.

According to Lius refugee claim, she was a mother of three and fled China for violating the countrys strict birth control policies.

The trial also heard from witnesses who discovered Lius remains around the GTA, including in a suitcase floating in Lake Ontario and in bags in Scarboroughs West Highland Creek.Peel Regional Police have issued a warrant of arrest for a Toronto man wanted in a hit-and-run in Mississauga that injured five people on Sunday.

Investigators are looking for Michael Polynice, 37 years old, after an altercation inside a Mississauga bar escalated into a vehicle being driven onto a sidewalk and into a group of people, police said.

The incident began at around 3 a.m. on Dec. 23 inside &Company Resto Bar, a bar and nightclub near Burnhamthorpe Rd. W. and Hurontario St., when two groups of people got into an altercation, according to police.

Police said that security escorted them out of the bar and the fight escalated into violence.

They said a man then drove his vehicle onto the sidewalk and struck five people.

A 23-year-old woman suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries. Four other victims received minor injuries.

Polynice is wanted for three counts of aggravated assault, two counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm and one count of failing to stop.

He is described as a 35- to 40-year-old Black man. The suspect was driving a dark-coloured Acura with no front licence plate.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact investigators at 905-453-2121, ext. 1233 or anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

With files from Alexandra Jones and Claire Floody.

Stefanie Marotta is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Stars radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @StefanieMarotta

Read more about:FERGUS FALLS, MINN.Claas Relotius, who spent weeks reporting in Fergus Falls last year for one of Europes most respected publications, could have written about the many residents who maintain friendships across partisan lines, about the efforts to lure former residents back to west-central Minnesota or about how a city of roughly 14,000 people maintains a robust arts scene.

To give a sense of the place, he could have described local landmarks like the giant statue of Otto the Otter. Or the Minnesota-shaped welcome sign next to the Applebees. Or the expansive prairie that surrounds the town.

But he did not.

Instead, Relotius invented a condescending fiction. On the venerated pages of Der Spiegel, a German newsmagazine, Relotius portrayed Fergus Falls as a backward, racist place whose residents blindly supported U.S. President Donald Trump and rarely ventured beyond city limits. He made up details about a young city official. He concocted characters, roadside signs and racially tinged plotlines.

For more than a year, exasperated Fergus Falls residents fumed to one another about what happened, but generally avoided drawing outside attention to their unflattering portrayal. It all might have faded into history, except Relotius was outed this month by his own publication as a serial fraudster who invented sources, made up quotes and spent years engaging in broad journalistic deception.

When he was exposed, the fact that his portrayal of Fergus Falls was false went public, too, as well as the efforts of some people in town to document what he got wrong.

Soon, the town found itself in the midst of an international furor that it did not ask to be part of. The U.S. ambassador to Germany accused Der Spiegel of a pattern of journalistic malpractice. National and international news outlets have visited the city, about 280 kilometres northwest of Minneapolis. Painful memories of being lied about have resurfaced.

I just think of the false impression it gave to the people of Germany, said Mary Lou Bates, 85, as she drank coffee with a friend Wednesday at the Viking Cafe, one of the many places in town that Relotius described inaccurately in his March 2017 story.

But Bates, who suggested that bias against Trump may have fueled the article, said she was not one to hold a grudge. If the story is retracted, and the true story comes out, she said, you can forgive. Im one for forgiveness.

Shes not alone. As upset as Fergus Falls residents were with their treatment  upset enough to compile a damning point-by-point rebuttal of Relotius story  many of them have also been willing to accept apologies, set the record straight and forge ahead, almost sanguine about the whole ordeal. Another Der Spiegel reporter, who visited Minnesota in recent days to chronicle Relotius missteps, suggested that Fergus Falls might be the most forgiving city in the Western Hemisphere.

Were taking the high road, Mayor Ben Schierer said in an interview, in which he praised his citys arts, parks and schools, which mostly seemed to escape Relotius notice. Weve moved on.

Indeed, amid the heartache and hassle, some in Fergus Falls have seized an opportunity to tell the world what their city is really like. Sure, it has its struggles and tensions. But on the whole, residents get along, there is plenty to do, people enjoy living there.

Its not Mayberry, but theres a lot of opportunity, said Schierer, who owns a pizza restaurant and brewery where Relotius would write when he was in town. Theres optimism.

Michele Anderson, who works for a local arts nonprofit, said she had been eager to read Relotius work and used Googles translation service last year to convert the German text to English. The translation was imperfect, but it was immediately clear the story was a fabrication. When Anderson saw someone praise the article on Twitter in April 2017, she replied that the story was false, a hilarious, insulting excuse for journalism. For more than a year, Der Spiegel did not respond.

Because the article was published only in German, its readership in Minnesota was limited. And at first, some in Fergus Falls said there was a desire to give Relotius the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps they had read a faulty translation. Or maybe the reporter made a few honest mistakes.

Civic leaders eventually commissioned a professional translation, the text of which circulated around town in a shared online document. As the truth spread  that the story was not only largely false, but also deeply insulting  residents began weighing their options. City officials discussed whether they had any legal recourse. Anderson and a friend began compiling a list of the articles inaccuracies. But unsure what options they had and not wanting to draw more negative attention, residents mostly kept their anger within city limits until Relotius broader misdeeds were exposed this month.

The fabrications in the article ranged from the trivial (an account of a foreboding forest that does not exist and a Super Bowl party that did not happen) to the personally devastating (the city administrator was falsely portrayed as a gun-obsessed, romantically challenged man who had never seen the ocean) to the downright inflammatory (Relotius claimed  falsely, residents say  that there was a sign that said Mexicans Keep Out at the entrance to town). He seemed to conflate and invent biographies for different Hispanic people and said American Sniper had been playing for months on end at the local movie theater, a claim rebutted by residents.

As most residents quietly moved on, Anderson, along with a friend, continued work on a detailed fact check of the article, which they published last week after Relotius was outed by his employer. Their title: Der Spiegel journalist messed with the wrong small town.

Theres really nothing like this feeling  knowing that people in another country have read about the place I call home and are shaking their heads over their coffee in disgust, Anderson wrote in her post.

Relotius, who visited around the time of Trumps inauguration, had been fixated on voters support for the new president. Indeed, about 64 percent of voters in Otter Tail County, of which Fergus Falls is the county seat, chose Trump in 2016, though Hillary Clinton narrowly won Minnesota.

The election results speak for themselves, but a series of interviews this week with Fergus Falls residents revealed political nuance  liberals, conservatives, people who politely said it was no ones business.

Its not an eyes-closed, all-for-Trump type of community, said Ward Uggerud, 69, a retired electrical engineer, who like many people declined to say whether he voted for the president. Its an all-for-the-community place. Everybodys got to do their part.

Unlike other American counties that voted for Trump, there was not a wild political swing in Fergus Falls, making it a strange place for Relotius to choose to profile. Otter Tail County had also supported Mitt Romney and John McCain. And well-trod story lines about factory closures and population decline, often cited in accounts of Trumps success, did not apply in Fergus Falls, where the downtown is bustling and the population is steady. (A Target store closed recently, despite community efforts to save it, but that was after Relotius left town.)

All that left residents wondering: Why did Relotius write what he did? And since he wasnt going to tell the truth, why did he even bother coming?

What happened, I think, was that he was trying to look for a cliche of a Trump-voting town and he simply didnt find it, said Christoph Scheuermann, the Der Spiegel correspondent who visited Fergus Falls last week to apologize and write about the towns true story.

Scheuermann said the Fergus Falls he encountered was almost the opposite of the one Relotius described.

I felt a lot of warmth, he said. Everybody was welcoming.

Read more about:NEW YORKA transformer exploded Thursday night at a Con Edison facility in Queens, causing scattered power outages and sending a spectacular light across the New York skyline.

Authorities said a fire caused by the explosion was under control. No injuries were reported.

Fire officials said they fielded a flurry of calls reporting explosions in the Long Island City and Astoria areas.

The explosion caused power outages and also impacted subway service in the area. It also prompted a brief ground stop at LaGuardia Airport. But power had been mostly restored to LaGuardia by 11 p.m. and the airport was resuming normal operations. Travellers were still asked to check with their carriers for updated flight information.

The lights caused a stir on social media as several witnesses posted photographs and videos of a bright, blue flash that filled the nights sky. The Manhattan skyline and iconic East River bridges were suddenly silhouetted against a backdrop of pulsating light. Plumes of smoke poured from the transformer.

People flocked to social media to find out what happened and to share their observations.

Some observers wondered whether aliens were invading and joked that the trend of gender reveal parties had finally gone too far. Television host Keith Olbermann referred to the episode as the Blue Light Special.

Something insane is happening in the sky above Manhattan right now, New York University sociologist Eric Klineberg wrote on Twitter under a video of the flashing sky.

Mayor Bill de Blasios spokesperson Eric Phillips tweeted that the lights were attributable to a blown transformer.

Not aliens, Phillips tweeted.

It was the second major incident involving Con Edison in the last six months. In July, a steam pipe explosion spewed asbestos-laden vapour into the air in Manhattans Flatiron District, driving hundreds of people from their homes and businesses.

Con Edison said on Twitter that there was a brief electrical fire at our substation in Astoria which involved some electrical transformers and caused a transmission dip in the area.

A spokesperson didnt immediately return a call seeking further comment.Has Bombardier finally run out of track? Olive, Dec. 17

David Olive is asking if Bombardier has finally run out of track and will end up in liquidation. These are very strong statements that do not reflect the reality of our company and industry.

On the contrary, Bombardier remains strong and present.

We are a global company with a $34-billion backlog with contracts in 70 countries. Every day, we safely move half a billion people across the globe. In North America, Bombardier has more than 10,000 rail vehicles in service in cities and airports. Furthermore, nine of the 10 busiest airports in the United States have chosen Bombardier for their automated transit systems.

In the past week alone, contracts worth $550 million (U.S.) were awarded to Bombardier Transportation and it is well positioned to sign a historic contract with the New Jersey Transit for the purchase of multi-level vehicles. Actually, the mobility industry is forecasting $40 billion worth of contracts in North America in the next five years, where Bombardier, with its complete portfolio of solutions, will be well positioned to win its fair share, despite the presence of the Chinese or a potential merger of competitors.

Nonetheless, Bombardier is extremely disappointed by the decision of Via Rail  a Crown corporation  to select a foreign competitor and award them a $1-billion contract. This disappointment is shared among our 4,600 employees in our transportation division in Canada and their families, as well as our 500 Canadian suppliers.

We do believe an industrial policy should be based on a long-term approach that supports local champions who are innovative, use Canadian-made high technology and provide superior engineering and manufacturing to ensure the future growth and viability of Canadian industries.

We also believe our investments over the past decades, the expertise of our thousands of workers and our contribution to the value chain, along with the creation of economic wealth, should be recognized here at home, as they are in the United States, France, Germany, Great Britain and with our joint ventures in China.

From time to time, we have faced delays, like any company in the rail industry, and, unfortunately, it happened in our home country. In Ontario, we acknowledged our issues and took concrete measures to improve our delivery rate. We have invested $20 million alone to rectify this issue, including opening a new production line at our Kingston manufacturing site. The first results have been very positive, as we met TTCs targets for the past three quarters and produced 2.5 times the number of streetcars compared to the previous year.

This is Bombardiers true nature: delivering safe, reliable and sustainable mobility solutions, on time, to meet our commitment to our customers.

Elliot G. Sander, president, Bombardier Transportation, Americas region

Read more about:Hark! Breaking news 

To those who view the next 12 months with unspeakable horror, O ye of little faith.

I have some good news to impart.

Having stared into the abyss for two years since Donald Trumps election, at least part of the world seems on the verge of scampering back to safety.

As proof, here is an early peek at the top 10 international headlines of 2019.

1. Mueller declares Trump illegitimate

Americas great constitutional crisis over Trumps presidency finally unfolds. In spite of Trumps attacks, special counsel Robert Mueller is able to issue his report, which is a scathing condemnation of the president and his family for committing a multitude of crimes. He concludes that Trump is an illegitimate president acting more like the boss of a crime family in the pocket of the Russian mafia than the duly elected head of the worlds oldest democracy. Mueller reveals that Trump conspired with the Russian government to steal the 2016 election and worked tirelessly after that to cover it up.

2. Impeachment of a president

Even though Trumps actions have long been alleged and suspected, Muellers report has an explosive impact on American public opinion. Trumps approval rating immediately plunges to less than 20 per cent. Even the Republican party becomes bitterly divided. The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives swiftly responds by voting to impeach the president, which means that a Senate trial will determine whether Trump will be removed from office.

3. Trump resigns to avoid jail

Even if Trump survives in the Republican-controlled Senate, it becomes clear he could never be re-elected in 2020 and he realizes he may end up in jail. Once out of office, Trump would face criminal charges that have already sent his former aides to jail. Just as the Senate trial is to begin, Trump denounces the process as being rigged and does what Richard Nixon did in 1974: he resigns and ensures that the new president  in Trumps case, Vice-President Mike Pence  pardons him. (For those terrified at the prospect of a President Pence, remember that Gerald Ford was brutally punished for pardoning Nixon in the presidential election that followed, when he lost to Jimmy Carter.)

4. Brexit reversed in second vote

In 2016, the U.K. voted narrowly to withdraw from the European Union in a highly controversial referendum. The campaign to Leave the EU made false promises to further the cause. More recently, the proposed exit deal worked out by Prime Minister Theresa May in December with the EU also proved to be unpopular. As a last resort, the U.K. Parliament decides to organize a second referendum  asking voters to choose either Mays draft agreement or the status quo of Britain still inside the EU. The Remain side this time wins a clear victory.

5. North Korea goes nuclear

It was only six months ago that Donald Trump met North Koreas Kim Jong Un in Singapore and announced there was no longer a Nuclear threat from Kims regime. What has happened since? Not much, except that North Korea has continued to expand its nuclear program in spite of Trumps empty assurances. Events in 2019 will only confirm what most observers suspected in Singapore: in their historic negotiation, Kim took Trump to the cleaners. North Korea will keep increasing its nuclear threat.

6. China, America in a new cold war

The rivalry between the U.S. and an emerging China may be this centurys most important dynamic, and events in the months ahead will show why. The U.S. government no longer sees China as a strategic partner as previous governments have, but as a major adversary that needs to be confronted. Donald Trumps complaint during the presidential campaign that China has been raping America is becoming a dangerous motivator of U.S. policy toward the Asian superpower. This is evident not only in Americas provocative trade war with China, but also its determination to hit back aggressively on all fronts.

7. Global economy nosedives

It was 10 years ago that the world was plunged into its worst crisis since the Great Depression. Banks collapsed, housing prices fell, unemployment spiked and millions of people in North America and Europe lost their homes. Few analysts are predicting that the history is about to repeat itself  although the 2008 recession caught most people by surprise  but there is worry that a deep recession will take hold in late 2019 or during 2020. The outlook is that a decade-long burst of global economic growth, including in the U.S., is coming to an end.

8. Europes far right advances

The next ideological battleground in Europe will be in May with the election for the European Parliament. Europes anti-immigrant, pro-nationalist far-right parties are positioned to make significant gains as more moderate parties have floundered in recent national elections. Steve Bannon, an architect of Trumps victory in the U.S., is launching a Europe-wide project to bolster the extremist vote. The right-wing parties in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and even Sweden will make breakthroughs in the European Parliament. and their strength will weaken the European Union as a whole.

9. U.S. abortion rights overturned

With the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh, the U.S. Supreme Court became the most conservative in generations, and its impact will be enormous. That ultimately may be Trumps most lasting legacy. Kavanaugh replaced Anthony Kennedy as the perpetual swing vote and the courts conservative majority will have several key issues in front of it in 2019. One will be the historic Roe v. Wade ruling in 1973 that declared abortion a constitutional right. There is an expectation that Kavanaughs swing vote will overturn it.

10. Emergence of a pariah state

Saudi Arabias killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is changing everything in the Middle East. A year ago, the U.S. government had high hopes for the region with a plan drawn up by Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner. It counted on Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to lead an anti-Iran, pro-Israel coalition that would reshape the region in a radical way. But all of that is in shambles as efforts to whitewash Prince Mohammeds responsibility for Khashoggis murder collapse.

My track record

In the past two years, I have made 20 predictions for 2017 and 2018. Using my own self-serving process of scoring, I gave myself a passing grade on 15 of those 20 predictions.

In 2017, I was right on an eye-popping nine out of 10 predictions, but, sadly, this was not to last. Did a Trump-like hubris infect my bloodstream? For this current year, I was correct, more or less, on only six out of 10 predictions, covering the U.S., China, Iran and the Middle East.

And I was certainly wrong  or premature  in forecasting the collapse of the British government this year over the Brexit issue.

But maybe a half-point is given for being ahead of the curve? (No, I didnt think so.)

Happy new year.

Tony Burman, formerly head of CBC News and Al Jazeera English, is a freelance contributor for the Star. He is based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: , formerly head of CBC News and Al Jazeera English, is a freelance contributor for the Star. He is based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyBurman

Read more about:OTTAWAA new fighter jet cant arrive quickly enough for Canadas Air Force as it deals with aging CF-18s that are approaching the end of their useful life, the countrys top military commander says.

Gen. Jonathan Vance, the chief of defence staff, acknowledged that an old fighter and personnel shortages present challenges for the Air Force.

The F-18 is clearly an aircraft that is one that is coming to the end of its useful life. But its not at the end, Vance told the Star in a year-end interview.

Im real keen to get the future fighter in place as quickly as possible. Until then weve got the F-18. Were going to have to invest in it to ensure that our aircrew, the RCAF, can continue to ... protect Canada and Canadians and be valued in operations, he said.

A recent report by the federal auditor generals office put the challenges facing the Air Force into stark focus with its findings that the CF-18s, first delivered in 1982, are increasingly obsolete. But more critically, the report said the bigger challenge was a shortage of technicians to maintain the 76 existing jets and pilots to fly them.

Vance said the military is moving to address its personnel shortages. On the pilot front, the problem isnt attracting new recruits, he said. Its training them and then keeping them in uniform at a time when civilian airlines are dangling the promise of big paycheques and better quality of life.

Read more:

Pilot shortage threatens Canadas fleet of fighter jets

Canadian air force aircraft harassed by Chinese during patrols off North Korea

After a fighter pilot was charged with drunk driving, Air Force commander wondered if incident was part of a bigger problem

Im not going to lie to you. Its not going to be easy, Vance said.

Theres no way were ever going to be able to compete with private industry. We never have. You dont join the military for the paycheque, he said.

But he said the Air Force is considering a number of measures, from better compensation and benefits to addressing complaints about postings and desk jobs that contribute to drive pilots from the ranks.

Lt.-Gen. Al Meinzinger, RCAF commander, told the Commons public accounts committee in December that pilots quit because of family challenges, tempo of operations, work-life balance and geographic postings.

My assessment is that its going to take us approximately five to seven years to grow the crew force. Again, a lot of the considerations are in the future. We have to stave off the attrition were experiencing today. Were getting at that as a priority in terms of some of the retention ideas we have, Meinzinger told the committee.

A tortured procurement stretching over several governments, with several false starts, has delayed the purchase of new fighters, leaving the Air Force with the CF-18s, which require 24 hours of maintenance for every hour they fly.

Jody Thomas, the deputy minister of defence, told the Commons public accounts committee in December the government now expects to release a request for proposals next spring with bids submitted in 2020 and a contract award in 2022.

Under that timeline, deliveries of 88 new fighters would occur between 2025 and 2032. We expect to achieve initial operating capability by 2026 with nine advanced fighters ready to fulfil the NORAD mission, Thomas said.

That still means the CF-18s have to remain airworthy and combat capable for up to 12 more years to help bridge the transition, a tall order for jets that are already three decades old.

To help augment the fleet and spread the flying hours, the federal government has purchased 18 used F-18s from Australia. The first of those aircraft is expected to arrive late winter. They will require maintenance checks and some upgrades to make them compatible with existing fleet.

National Defence expects to spend almost $3 billion to extend the life of its current fleet and to buy, operate and maintain the interim aircraft.

The auditor generals report noted the CF-18 has not undergone any significant upgrade to its combat capabilities since 2008. Thats because the Air Force thought they would be replaced.

Now, analysis is underway on how best to upgrade some of the CF-18s as early as 2020 in the areas of sensors, weapons, self-protection and mission support capabilities.

Those capability upgrades are sufficient ... to keep the aircraft at an acceptable level of combat capability until the future fleet arrives, Vance said.WOOD RIVER  Two separate drug raids executed early Friday yielded two arrests for drug-related charges.

In separate search warrant executions at approximately 6:30 a.m., Brandon M. Heaton, 22, of the 200 block of East Ferguson; and Crystal L. Recar, 38, of the 200 block of East Ferguson, were arrested and charged with unlawful delivery of methamphetamine. Bond on each was set at $60,000.

The charges were brought forth after a drug investigation by the Wood River Police Department Drug Unit, according to Wood River Police Chief Brad Wells. Two separate investigations resulted in the charges. The investigations were unrelated to each other.

Search warrants were obtained for their homes and were executed by members of the drug unit, and a total of 11 people, including Heaton and Recar, were taken into custody at the homes, Wells said.

The drug investigations are a continuing effort in dealing with nuisance rental properties and persons creating a nuisance for the law-abiding citizens of Wood River, Illinois, Wells said in a news release. Further charges are expected as a result of the investigation.JERSEYVILLE  Recent felony charges filed by the Jersey County States Attorneys Office include:

 Abigail N. Dickerson, 33, of the 200 block of E. Prairie Street, Jerseyville, was charged Dec. 26 with unlawful possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony; and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class A misdemeanor. According to court records she had less than 15 grams of cocaine during an incident Dec. 22. Bail was set at $5,000.

 Laticia L. Carter, 42, and Christopher D. Carter, 46, both of Washington Park, were charged Dec. 26 with one count each of retail theft, a Class 3 felony. According to court records the two attempted to take more than $300 in merchandise from the Jerseyville Walmart on Nov. 30. Bail was set at $25,000 each.

 Cody D. Gansz, 25, of Mendon, Illinois, was charged Dec. 13 with unlawful possession of methamphetamine, a Class 3 felony; unlawful restraint, a Class 4 felony; battery, a Class 4 felony; unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class A misdemeanor; and unlawful interference with emergency communication, a Class B misdemeanor. The incident took place Dec. 12. The unlawful restraint charge stems from his driving at a high rate of speed making it impossible for his passenger to exit the vehicle, and he allegedly struck her in the face with his hand. Bail was set at $25,000.EDWARDSVILLE  The Springfield Association of Elementary Principals recently nominated Edwardsville native Dr. Jason Steingraber as a 2019 Missouri Distinguished Principal.

As a principal at Wilder Elementary School in Springfield, Missouri, Steingraber will be honored at the Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals (MAESP) in March 2019.

MAESP is a statewide organization in Missouri that exists to serve the needs of elementary and middle school principals, assistant principals and those educators interested in becoming elementary or middle-level principals. MAESP is an affiliate of the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP). The MAESP network has grown to include more than 1,100 school administrators from across Missouri.

Steingraber, an Edwardsville High School graduate, earned degrees from Truman State University, Missouri State University and the University of Missouri.How could such a thing be possible? In December 1777, during the Revolutionary War, George Rogers Clark presented a plan to Virginias Gov. Patrick Henry to lead a secret expedition to capture the British-held villages at Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Vincennes in the Illinois country. Clark and his men gathered in early May at Corn Island near the Falls of the Ohio River, south of Fort Pitt. Patrick Henry, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson had been leading speculators in lands west of the Appalachians where Virginians had sought control from the Indians.

In July 1778, Clark led the Illinois Regiment of the Virginia State Forces of about 175 men and crossed the Ohio River at Fort Massac (at present-day Metropolis) and marched to Kaskaskia, capturing it on the night of July 4 without firing their weapons. The next day, Capt. Joseph Bowman and his company captured Cahokia in a similar fashion without firing a shot. Most of the French-speaking and Indian inhabitants refused to take up arms on behalf of the British.A new law that takes effect in the new year aims to cut down on how much boards can approve to pay someone when a high profile public employee severs employment with a taxpayer-funded institution.

Back in 2015, the College of DuPage Board voted to fire President Robert Breuder in the wake of a spending scandal and deny him a $763,000 severance package. Breuder later filed suit against the college. The college has since spent more than $500,000 fighting Breuder in court, according to media reports. Reports about other executive payouts from public entities followed.

Sen. Tom Cullerton, D-Villa Park, said it just kept stacking up.

Heck, Chicago State [University] gave $600,000 to somebody who had only served nine months as president, Cullerton recalled.

That was Thomas Calhoun Jr. in 2016.

In 2017, the Northern Illinois University Board of Trustees approved a $617,000 exit package for President Doug Baker after investigations into contracts given to his personal friends.

We just had a spot up here in Des Plaines, a superintendent of a school district got a hundred-seventy-something thousand and he had been their less than a year, Cullerton said.

That was former Des Plaines Elementary District 62 Superintendent Floyd Williams who got $127,000 after the Daily Herald reported he was accused of sexually harassing employees. Williams denied wrongdoing.

Cullerton said he and others got tired of hearing about expensive taxpayer-funded golden parachutes for executives. He quickly recalled four different payouts that totaled more than $2.5 million that have been given away to chief administrators who should have been let go.

Instead of fighting being let go and having them take us to court, boards opted to give them money instead and have them walk away and keep their mouths shut, Cullerton said.

It was time to put stop to it, he said, and the bill he sponsored with a bipartisan group of lawmakers limits severance payouts from public bodies to 20 weeks of pay.

Every contract going forward  heres the most amount you can get, Cullerton said. Take it or leave it.

The measure that takes effect Jan. 1 also prohibits severance pay for administrators fired for misconduct.

Cullerton dismissed the idea that such limits on public board decisions will make them less competitive attracting talent.

I think youre still going to find everyone wants to be the village manager, Cullerton said. Everybody still wants to be the president of a university.SPRINGFIELD  Let me get this straight  Bruce Rauner spent more than $50 million of his own money to keep a job he really didnt want?

Apparently, after reviewing his poll numbers that showed he was not quite as well liked as tooth decay, he got cold feet and didnt want the job anymore.

He now says he offered four individuals campaign money to run in his place.

None would take him up on the offer.

Can you blame them?

Illinois state government is in disarray. No state has a worse credit rating than the Land of Lincoln. Our pension plans are underfunded to the tune of $130 billion and things are moving from bad to worse.

But that doesnt explain why Rauner is a failed governor. Two words come to mind: arrogance and deceit.

I make these observations with a bit of humility. I voted for Rauner in 2014. When he won, I felt a tinge of optimism.

It didnt last long.

Rauner is the first governor in my lifetime to use government as a weapon. He essentially told the legislature: Pass my reforms or Ill use my veto pen along with my legislative allies to keep the state from having a budget.

We went 736 days without a budget and not one of his key reforms became reality.

This is not how a democratic government should operate. It should be a process of unifying, of seeking input, of finding compromise that benefits everyone, of careful and well-considered positions and negotiations.

Governing properly is the art of calming the waters, not throwing hand grenades into them.

Then Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno tried to save Rauner  and the state of Illinois  by quietly negotiating with Senate President John Cullerton. The compromise package covered much of Rauners wish list  but not all of it.

Instead of embracing a partial win, the governor turned up his nose and walked away, leaving himself and the state of Illinois in worse shape.

And then there is the lying. Rauner lied about big things and little things. No, his grandparents werent immigrants from Sweden. They were born in Wisconsin. It was a fib he told over and over  even after being called out on it by reporters.

Yes, Im well aware politicians lie.

But Rauner developed a reputation in Springfield that his word just wasnt good.

The most infamous example, of course, was when he told a group of pro-life lawmakers that he would veto a measure providing state-funded abortions for women on Medicaid and those covered by state insurance. Later, he made the same pledge to Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich, only to sign HB 40 a few months later.

Republican lawmakers knew he was pro-choice when he first ran and they still supported him. But they werent willing to support someone who lied to them.

After this legacy of failure, its hardly surprising that disgusted voters gave Rauner the boot.

The governor can look back on the last four years as an expensive lesson  not just for himself  but for the people of Illinois.

Scott Reeder is a veteran statehouse journalist and a freelance reporter. ScottReeder1965@gmail.com.The Program Management Officer will help theFoundation for Community Development and Empowerment (FCDE) develop, improve,and expand its impact on underserved communities by increasing the efficacy ofthe health programs of its community partners in Uganda. The Program ManagementOfficer will be responsible for providing technical support to local partnerorganizations (LPOs), delivering quality services through program design andstrategic planning. The Program Management Officer will be responsible forsupporting partner organizations to develop a deeper understanding of thecommunity issues they are addressing by conducting comprehensive needsassessments and assisting them to design effective and innovative strategiesthat address identified gaps. As an integral member of the FCDE team, theOfficer will work with staff members as appropriate to better serve LPOs. Thismight look like working with a Program Coordinator to provide a training for acohort of health focused organizations or partnering with the Resource CenterManagers to provide relevant, current resources and offerings (onlineworkshops, etc.) for LPOs.Touched by the compassion of the nurses who tended to her...The Accidental Prime Minister, starring Anupam Kher as Manmohan Singh, is BJP's propaganda against their party, Congress leaders said on Friday as the former prime minister evaded comment on the growing controversy over the film on him.

Congress leaders said propaganda against the party would not work and the truth shall prevail.

The trailer of the film, based on the book of the same name by Sanjay Baru who served as Singh's media advisor 2004 to 2008, was released in Mumbai on Thursday.

The trailer shows Singh as a victim of the Congress' internal politics ahead of the 2014 general elections.

Riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years. Was Dr Singh just a regent who was holding on to the PM's chair till the time heir was ready? Watch the official trailer of 'TheAccidentalPrimeMinister', based on an insider's account, releasing on 11 January, the BJP said on Thursday night.

Responding to the BJP, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said on Twitter that such fake propaganda by the party would not stop it from asking the Modi government questions on "rural distress, rampant unemployment, demonetisation disaster, flawed GST, failed Modinomics, all pervading corruption.

Asked by journalists to comment on the film at the Congress' foundation day function at the party headquarters on Friday, Singh walked away without saying anything.

Congress leader and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said propaganda against the Congress and its leaders would not work and the truth shall prevail.

His colleague, Congress leader P.L. Punia, accused the BJP of evading answers on its mis-governance after having failed on all fronts.

This is the handiwork of the BJP. They know that time has come to give answers after completion of five years and they are now trying to divert attention by raising such issues and evade answering to the public after its government failed on all fronts, he said.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah also tweeted on the film, saying, "Can't wait for when they make The Insensitive Prime Minister. So much worse than being the accidental one."

Directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, the film stars Kher as Manmohan Singh and Akshaye Khanna as Baru.It is no secret that, for years, and over successive administrations, stress has always been on promoting Hindi in international shores. There is even a World Hindi Day, a tradition put in place by the UPA. The NDA government was no different. In the United Nations, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj always chose to speak in Hindi. Prime Minister Modi, too, favoured Hindi while addressing forums abroad. In the Parliament, Swaraj once stated that India was ready to bear all expenses, up to Rs 400 crore, to make Hindi one of the official languages of the UN.

However, there seems to be a change in the wind, at least on paper. The ministry of external affairs recently initiated a programme named Bharat Ek Parichay, to promote all Indian languages in the international arena. In a statement before the Rajya Sabha, minister of state for external affairs General V.K. Singh said that five boxes are sent to all missions and posts. Each box contains at least one book on all the 22 officially recognised languages of India. These boxes are gifted to the educational institutions abroad, as a means to promote Indian languages, said the minister. He further said: Presently, the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR), is supporting the chairs of Indian studies, and has also established one long-term chair of Tamil at Warsaw University in Poland, and two Sanskrit Chairsone at Mahatma Gandhi Institute in Mauritius, and the other at Silpakorn University in Thailand''.In its attempt to further promote traditional systems of medicine, the Narendra Modi government has approved the draft National Commission for Indian Systems of Medicine (NCISM) Bill, 2018. The proposed law, approved by the Cabinet on Friday, will replace the existing regulator, the Central Council for Indian Medicine (CCIM), with a new body to ensure "transparency".

The bill comes in the wake of a rising demand to regulate the different traditional systems of medicine such as Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Naturopathy. The NCISM Bill, designed by the Niti Aayog, is modeled on the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, 2017similar to the NMC, this bill, too, provides for the constitution of a National Commission with four autonomous boards to regulate the education of Ayurveda, under Board of Ayurveda and Unani, Siddha & Sowarigpa under the Board of Unani, Siddha and Sowarigpa.

Like in the NMC Bill, here too, common boards have been proposedone to assess, give rating and grant permission to educational institutions of Indian systems of medicine, and the second, to maintain a national register and resolve ethical issues relating to the practice of Indian medicine.

A common entrance and an exit exam have also been proposed; the exit exam will have to be cleared to get practicing licences. A teacher's eligibility test has also been proposed in the bill to assess the standard of teachers before appointment and promotions.

The status of practitioners of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) has been under a huge controversy ever since the government proposed introducing a "bridge course" for them, that would allow them to perform certain procedures of modern medicines.

The move was introduced ostensibly to address the shortage of doctors in rural and remote areasa gap which is being filled, in many places, by AYUSH professionals.

However, fearing an encroachment into their profession, the Indian Medical Association opposed this move as they felt that it would "legitimise quackery".

Faced with bitter opposition from the very influential IMA, the government did a U-turn on the bridge course clause, as well as the clause for common exit exam for medical students.The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will help Bhutan set up a ground station that will enable the mountain kingdom to establish services like tele-medicine and disaster relief in rural areas. This was one of the major takeaways from the visit of the new Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering, his first international visit after resuming charge. Traditionally, Bhutanese heads of state make their first foreign call to India. Prime minister Narendra Modi reminded Tshering that he, too, had chosen Thimphu for his first international visit as prime minister.

Bhutan is already availing the services of the south Asian Satellite that ISRO launched in 2017, for the use of the countries in the subcontinent. India will also extend a grant of Rs 4,500 crore to help Bhutan with its 12th Five Year Plan.

The two leaders reviewed hydro projects, their biggest sector of partnership. India helps Bhutan build the plants, and imports power from them. Modi said he was glad that the Mangdechhu power project would be completed very soon. Work began on this 750 megawatt hydel project, situated in central Bhutan, in 2012. Bhutan will also implement RuPay cards soon.

Tshering said that Bhutan had launched an initiative called narrowing the gap, with which they wanted to better their living standards. Modi said this vision was in sync with India's own sabka saath sabka vikas, and that India would be a committed and reliable partner in this venture.

Last month, a Facebook video criticising Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi got a journalist in the northeastern state into trouble. After being on bail for a short period, Kishorechandra Wangkhemcha has been detained for 12 months. Wangkhemcha worked for ISTV, a local news channel. Even though the detention came as a shock to journalists across India, repression of such voices at various levels is not new.

India is one of the deadliest countries for journalists as per the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Barometer of 2018 in terms of journalists dying in the line of duty. As per the list of RSF, the number of journalists killed has also been high in countries such as Afghanistan (14), Mexico (7), US (6) and Yemen (5). Six journalists have been killed in India this year. In most of the cases, the journalists were killed for exposing corruption. While these journalists tried to bring some illegal activity to light, little effort has been made to understand whether their families have received justice.

Lets look into the status of the investigations into the deaths of these six journalists.

Achyutananda Sahu





Achyutananda Sahu, a Doordarshan cameraman, accompanied by two others, was caught in a crossfire in the Maoist-affected Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh, when a group of suspected Maoists opened fire on security forces. The Doordarshan team visited the region for election coverage. The firing on October 30 killed two police officers and Sahu. A month after the incident, Sahus family struggles to make ends meet. Sahu was the only source of stable income for the family, who fall in the below poverty line (BPL) category. They are living in a very precarious condition. All his brothers are marginal farmers, says Monoranjan, a bureau chief of OTV in Balangir district.

On the same day of the incident, Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore had announced financial assistance of Rs.15 lakh to the family. However, even though a month has passed, government officials, including the district collector, are yet to visit Sahu's family. To maintain formality, project director of district administration attended the funeral of Sahu. After that, not even a single government official visited his house, a source revealed. The family is yet to receive the compensation as well as a job to his wife in Doordarshan as promised earlier.

There is no information on the progress of investigations into the killing of Sahu.

Chandan Tiwari

The condition of the family of murdered Jharkhand journalist Chandan Tiwari remains no different from the plight of Sahu's kin. Tiwari worked for AJ, a Hindi newspaper in Jharkhand. In connection to his death, three suspects have been arrested. Two of the suspectsJamuna Prasad and Musafir Ranaare believed to be the members of Tritiya Prastuti Committee, a Maoist group in Jharkhand. The third suspect, Pintoo Singh, was arrested in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, on Thursday.

Tiwari is survived by two small kids, his wife and his father. He was the sole breadwinner of the family.

On April 2, Tiwari exposed corruption in a government schemethe Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Schemeby the village head. Receiving threats, Tiwari filed a police complaint. In one of his Facebook posts, Tiwari mentioned about authorities being silent even after his complaint.



Tiwari was abducted and beaten to death in a forest of Jharkhand. No official statement of financial assistance has been made by the Jharkhand government. However, the Jharkhand Journalist Association, affiliated to IFWJ, has requested Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das for a compensation of Rs.10 lakh and a government job for Tiwaris wife.

Shujaat Bukhari

The killing of Shujaat Bukhari outside his office in Srinagar in June was a shock for the whole nation. As the editor of Rising Kashmir, Bukhari was a public figure who was instrumental in trying to bring peace to Jammu and Kashmir. Bukhari was actively involved in track-II diplomacy with Pakistan.

The group behind Bukhari's murder has not been identified definitively. While police officials have held Lashkar-e-Taiba responsible, the militant group has blamed Indian intelligence agencies for Bukhari's murder.

Initially, it was informed that three militants were involved in the killing and there is no hand of Lashkar. After a week or two, in a press conference, they revealed that LeT was involved. They came up with an entirely different version. a source revealed.

As part of the investigation, two LeT militants, Azad Ahmad Malik and Naveed Jutt, were killed in an encounter in Budgam in November.



Other cases



Two journalists, Navin Nischal and Vijay Singh of Dainik Bhaskar, were mowed down by an SUV on March 25 in the Arrah region of Bihar. Navin had reported on child marriage and land division cases earlier. The status of the investigation into their deaths is still unknown. Reports claim a former village head who executed the crime was detained.

On March 26, Sandeep Sharma, a reporter, was hit by a truck in Bhind, Madhya Pradesh. Sharma worked for a local channel, News World. His coverage on the local sand mafia and police corruption was suspected to be main reason behind the crime. Sharma was denied police protection and the police asked for the camera he had used to conduct a sting (operation). They took the original recording and never gave it back, Rizwan Ahmad Siddiqui, Sharma's colleague, told The Guardian. The truck driver was arrested, but there appears to have been little progress in investigations after that.As far as international politics is concerned, 2018 was a challenging year. Fringe populism, both of the right and the left, has become increasingly mainstream and democracy is facing growing challenges. The world is missing its statesmen while rabble-rousers and populists are growing in popularity and notching up political victories. Here is a quick look at some of the leading newsmakers of 2018:

Brexit

Britain is about to make its most significant political decision in a matter of months, but no one is sure what will it be, eventually. Britain's decision to leave the European Union has been set in motion by Prime Minister Theresa May and March 29 is the deadline for the process. But, even May does not have a clue about how it is going to play out. She lost one foreign secretary, two Brexit secretaries and six other ministers because of the chaos surrounding Brexit. To fend off challenges to her leadership from her own party, she was forced to drop heavy hints that she will not be leading the Tories in the next general election. Even after negotiating with EU leaders for an year, May was not able to conclude an exit deal acceptable to parliament, forcing her to postpone a vote. Time is running out for her. It is quite possible that Britain will have to go ahead with the no deal option, but the country will have to pay a heavy price for it, with no certainty on things including trade tariffs, travel rules and immigration. A second referendum on Brexit, which was once ridiculed by the Conservative Party, is now an option which is being considered by senior members of the May cabinet.

The Labour Party is also equally divided. Its leader Jeremy Corbyn has been a lifelong Eurosceptic, and as a result, unlike most senior leaders of the party. The bitter divide has stopped it from adopting a coherent position and challenge the Tories.

Trump

2018 was a mixed bag for US President Donald Trump. He has won some major victories for himself and his conservative base. He has managed to sabotage Obamacare. His NATO allies are worried as he keeps up the pressure for more funding from other NATO members. He even appeared like a statesman by orchestrating peace talks with Kim Jong-un of North Korea. He renegotiated NAFTA, bringing in a new trade deal with Canada and Mexico and pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal. Despite the fight put up by Democrats, he managed to get two new Supreme Court judges installed. He managed significant tax cuts and a massive amount of deregulation.

Trump, however, faced a major setback at the midterms in December. While the Republicans did not do that bad, they lost control of the House of Representatives. The Democrats can now use the House's subpoena powers to demand several documents, such as Trump's tax returns and also protect Rober Mueller's investigations into Trump's alleged ties with Russia. It could also curb Trump's legislative agenda as he will have to work with the Democrats to get bills cleared in the House.

Trump is also hampered by the extremely high turnover of his senior officials. Defence secretary James Mattis, Interior secretary Ryan Zinke and White House chief of staff John Kelly quit in December; attorney general Jeff Sessions and UN ambassador Nikki Haley in November. Other prominent officials who quit in 2018 include secretary of state Rex Tillerson, national security adviser H.R. McMaster and chief economic adviser Gary Cohn. Several senior positions are lying vacant, leading to administrative crisis. A series of legal battles which are crucial to Trump's agenda are expected to unfold in 2019. The legality of Trump's asylum and immigration policies, the constitutionality of Obamacare and questions on LGBT rights could be decided by the supreme court.

Europe

Europe was supposed to be one of the bright spots of 2018, but it has become a huge mess as the year draws to a close. The European Union was hoping for an orderly Brexit, but the Theresa May government has not been able to put a coherent narrative about the costly divorce, let alone an acceptable plan. With its charismatic president Emmanuel Macron, France was supposed to lead Europe to order and prosperity, but he has turned out to be just like his predecessors in the Elysee Palace. Macron seemed to have a plan to resurrect the French economy, which would have involved some amount of austerity. But the yellow vest movement has caught the imagination of the French public, leading to the worst violence in France in half a century. Proposed hikes in tax rates, fuel surcharges and the rising cost of living have brought hundreds of thousands out on the street as the demand for Macron's resignation is intensifying. Unless the president seizes the initiative and wins back the confidence of the French public, France is likely to witness a major political crisis in 2019. Neighbouring Germany, which has been, for decades, the de facto leader of the EU, is also going through a major political upheaval. The mainstream right and left are becoming increasingly unpopular forcing leaders to move further to the fringes. Angela Merkel has already announced her plan to step down after the end of her term and the Christian Democratic Union has elected Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer as her successor. Karrenbauer faces a major challenge to hold the EU together after Brexit, with France, Italy, Hungary and Poland also asking questions about the European supra government.

Saudi Arabia and the Khashoggi murder

Saudi Arabia's 2018 will forever be defined by the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Once a palace insider and troubleshooter for the royal family, Jamal fell out of favour after Salman succeeded Abdullah as the king of Saudi Arabia.

Within two years of Salman taking charge, his favourite son Mohammed bin Salman became the crown prince, upending the decades-old succession system in Saudi Arabia. Jamal had anticipated that he would be targeted and left Saudi Arabia just before the purge in November 2017. He went to the US, where The Washington Post hired him as a columnist. Jamal said he left because he did not want to be arrested. He said Saudi Arabia was never a liberal society, but it grew worse under MbS. I got fired from my job twice because I was pushing for reform in Saudi Arabia. It wasnt that easy but people were not being put in jails.

During his self-imposed exile, Jamal met Hatice Cengiz, a PhD student from Istanbul. The two fell in love and decided to get married in early October. Jamal had to get a certified copy of his divorce to marry Hatice for which he went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on September 28. He was asked to collect the document On October 2. Jamal went to the consulate on the afternoon of October 2 with Hatice, but he never came out. Saudi officials said he had left the consulate. But, the Turkish intelligence, which had apparently bugged the Saudi consulate, started leaking reports, pointing towards high level involvement from Riyadh. Saudi Arabia finally acknowledged that Jamal was killed inside the consulate in a rogue operation. Saudi authorities reiterated that MbS was unaware of the mission.

The murder created a major crisis for Saudi Arabia as several global leaders, including May, Macron and Merkel took up the issue and castigated the Saudi leadership. US President Donald Trump, however, has continued to support MbS despite a bipartisan consensus in the US Congress that the crown prince was responsible for the murder. The issue is unlikely to die down soon and could continue to create problems for Saudi Arabia in the international scene.

Sri Lanka

The first big sign of political crisis in Sri Lanka came when a leading Indian newspaper reported on an assassination plot targeting President Maithripala Sirisena. Sirisena reportedly told a cabinet meeting that a cabinet minister was planning to kill him with the support of the R&AW. Sirisena immediately denied the news and called up Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deny the charge. A few days later, however, Sirisena dismissed the UNP ministry under Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointed former president Mahinda Rajapaksa as PM. Three years ago, Sirisena had quit Rajapaksa's party and fought and won against him with Wickremesinghe's support. Being the consummate political operator, Rajapaksa managed to drive a wedge between the two and got Sirisena to dismiss Wickremesinghe. After Rajapaksa failed to break the united opposition, Sirisena dissolved the parliament. The move was vetoed by the supreme court and Wickremesinghe subsequently won the trust vote in parliament. Although Rajapaksa was voted out, Sirisena refused to budge and it took yet another intervention by the supreme court for him to relent and reappoint Wickremesinghe as prime minister.

The truce, however, is only temporary. Sirisena said he reappointed Wickremesinghe only because of judicial orders. It was a tactical retreat. He and Rajapaksa are likely to work to undermine the Wickremesinghe government. Without Sirisena's support, the UNP government does not have the two-third majority if it wants go ahead with the promised constitutional reforms and major legislation.

North Korea

All was not dull and gloomy in 2018. After years of threatening the world with nuclear annihilation, North Korea chose to return to the path of dialogue. Hurt by tough sanctions and prodded by China, the US and South Korea, on April 27, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un drove to the South and met South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the peace village of Panmunjom in the demilitarised zone. After about 100 minutes of discussions, the two Koreas issued a joint statement, a first in history. Nearly two months later, Kim met with US President Donald Trump in Singapore, in an unprecedented summit. The summits removed the immediate threat of war from the Korean peninsula as the North indicated its willingness to embark upon the process of denuclearisation, the key demand of the US and its allies. The two Koreas, meanwhile, are working towards family reunification, de-mining of the border, better connectivity by road and rail and also towards improving trade relations. The rail link, especially, is a major step towards peace as it demonstrated the North's willingness to let engineers from the South undertake extensive surveys in the North. Moreover, the project has been launched with special sanction from the UN to override sanctions against Pyongyang. Kim hosted Moon in Pyongyang for a second summit in September. Trump and Kim are expected to meet in the first half of 2019 to iron out remaining differences and take the peace process forward.Pakistan has said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a bilateral economic project and has no military dimensions.

Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said this at the weekly media briefing here on Thursday when asked about a US media report that alleged that China has hatched a secret plan to build fighter jets and other military hardware in Pakistan as part of the $60-billion project.

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. China last week dismissed as untrue the report.

Responding to the report, Faisal said the CPEC is an economic project between Pakistan and China, the Dawn reported.

"The CPEC has helped Pakistan improve its economy, particularly energy and infrastructure sectors have improved under it. The CPEC is a bilateral economic project, which is not against any country, he was quoted as saying by the daily.

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).

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.

New Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday announced a Rs 4,500-crore financial assistance to Bhutan to help the country implement its 12th five-year plan, after he held wide-ranging talks with his Bhutanese counterpart Lotay Tshering.

In his media statement, Modi said he has assured the Bhutanese prime minister that India, as a "trusted friend", will continue to play an important role in Bhutan's overall development.

The prime minister also thanked the Bhutanese leader for deciding to introduce in Bhutan the Indian RuPay card which is a debit and credit card payment network.

On his part, Tshering said the main mission of his visit here was to take Indo-Bhutan ties to greater heights, adding Prime Minister Modi has given him assurance of helping Bhutanese traders hit by the implementation of GST in India.

"We are very very happy that Prime Minister Modi ji has personally committed to be with us, to support us...Government of India has extended full support for our XII Five Year Plan and also to our traders who are being affected by the GST that has come into action in India," the Bhutan PM said.

In the talks, the two sides focused on further ramping up the already close bilateral relationship, particularly in the areas of hydro power and trade.

The two sides are understood to have also deliberated on security cooperation. Bhutan is a strategically important neighbour for India and both the countries have robust military cooperation which was reflected during Doklam face-off.

"India will contribute Rs 4,500 crore in Bhutan's 12th five-year plan," Modi said. The new five-year plan of Bhutan began this year and will continue till 2022.

Identifying hydro power cooperation with Bhutan as a crucial aspect in the bilateral ties, Modi said work on the Mangdechhu project will soon be completed. Mangdechhu is a 720-MW hydroelectric project (HEP) on the Mangdechhu River in central Bhutan, which is being implemented by India.

"Today, we discussed this crucial sector and reviewed cooperation on all the major projects. Work on the Mangdechhu project will be completed soon. We have agreed on the tariff for this project. Work on other projects has been happening at a very satisfactory pace," he said.

Tshering said hydropower has been the main source of revenue for Bhutan.

"We are very very happy that the Government of India is fully committed to support whatever negotiations that are going on for determining tariff for power from Mangdechhu project as well as to make Sankosh (hydropower) project happen as soon as possible," Tshering said.

The Bhutanese prime minister arrived here on Thursday on his first foreign visit after taking charge as PM of the Himalayan nation last month following his party's victory in the general elections.

Modi said space is another area where the cooperation between the two neighbours is growing.

Under the South Asian satellite launched by India for its neighbours, of which Bhutan is one of the beneficiary, the ground station is being prepared by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Modi said.

This, he added, will assist in giving messages related to weather in far-flung areas of Bhutan, facilitate tele-medicines and help in disaster relief.

Tshering noted that Prime Minister Modi was the "first and the only head of the government" who personally called and congratulated him on his electoral victory. He also thanked India for its continued support to his country's developmental needs.

Earlier in the day, Tshering was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also called on the Bhutanese premier this morning.

Swaraj congratulated Tshering on the assumption of the high office of Bhutan's prime minister and the two leaders had a "warm exchange of views" on important aspects of the bilateral relationship, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Ravesh Kumar said. PTI PR ASK MPB RTMumbai, Dec 28 (PTI) Writer-director Vinta Nanda, who has accused Alok Nath of sexual harassment and rape, Friday said she is aware that maybe there is no end to her battle with Nath but it's the support of people that keeps her going.

The director said she came out during the #MeToo movement without thinking about her next step.

"We all know there is no end to this. I cannot bring any evidence, he cannot prove he has not done it and even I cannot prove it he has done it. So what are we fighting for in the courts? Why are we wasting time of the court? There is no law to support what happened 20 years ago, there is no precedence," Vinta said at a panel discussion on #MeToo organised by Screenwriters Association in partnership with Laadli initiative.

The panel discussion was moderated by actor Renuka Shahane.

Nanda said she was also driven to see other's desire to bring about a change.

"Sometimes I feel like getting out of all this as it is going no where and then I get driven my somebody telling me, I am doing something good and that change will take place," she said.

Recollecting her meetings with associations like Cine And TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA) and Indian Film & Television Directors' Association (IFTDA), she said, "In the meetings with CINTAA I was able to speak my mind. But with IFTDA it was a dramatic situation. I did break down. It took me about two weeks to come back to my fight against it.

"CINTAA had summoned him thrice but he did not respond favourably and they suspended him. With IFTDA it is yet to see what will happen."

She said she filed a complaint with the police after Nath's wife filed defamation case against her both civil and criminal.

"The complaint that I had filed led to filing of FIR as the police kept summoning him for investigation and he did not turn up. Then it went to applying for anticipatory bail (from his side). That hearing was like trial," she said adding that she was portrayed as a delusional person in love with Nath in their bail application.

"It was so bizzare," she added.

Nishtha Jain, a documentary filmmaker, who has accused of Vinod Dua of sexual misconduct, said defamation lawsuit were being used to silence victims.

"The biggest weapon they (perpetrators) used against us is the defamation case. After three defamation cases it seems the whole movement has fizzled out and it is real fear. You just want to able to bring closure to the matter. We have to create an environment where they are forced to apologise," she added.

Director Onir said he was heartbroken after hearing actor Saloni Chopra's story of sexual allegations against Zain Durrani. Durrani made his debut in Onirs "Kuch Bheege Alfaaz".

Lawyer Heema Shirvaikar, said there was a need for more special courts to resolve such cases.

"In 2013, our criminal laws were changed, we have fast track courts for rape and sexual harassment cases. The problem is implementation, the dockets of courts are full, we need mechanisms like need for more special courts. With the number of cases increasing there will be a way to deal with it."

The panel also touched upon the lack of female representation in a panel from the Hindi film industry which met PM Narendra Modi recently.

"It is very strange that none of the men said it is a mistake and that next time we will make sure we have women," Onir said. PTI KKP SHD

SHDNew Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) Following are the top foreign stories at 2000 hours:



FGN6 PAK-CPEC

CPEC has no military dimensions: Pakistan

Islamabad: Pakistan has said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a bilateral economic project and has no military dimensions.



FGN7 LANKA-POLLS

Sri Lanka's ruling UNP rules out early snap poll

Colombo: Sri Lanka's ruling UNP has no intention to go for an early snap general election, a party spokesman said Friday, ending weeks of speculation that the government may dissolve parliament before the end of its term.



FGN9 BANGLA-POLLS-SECURITY

Bangladesh intensifies nationwide security ahead of Dec 30 polls

Dhaka: Campaigning ended on Friday for Bangladesh's December 30 general election as army troops patrolled the streets along with paramilitary forces and police with intensified nationwide security 48 hours before voting. By Anisur Rahman



FGN5 BANGLA-POLLS-INTERNET

Poll-bound Bangladesh shuts down high speed internet services, restores it 10 hrs later

Dhaka: The high-speed internet services were suspended for several hours in Bangladesh after mobile operators shut down their 3G and 4G services late Thursday following orders from the country's telecom regulator ahead of Sunday's general election.



FGN4 YEAR-BANGLA

Bangladesh's 'battling begums' fight for survival in 2018

Dhaka: The year 2018 was an eventful one for Bangladesh which is going to crucial polls on Sunday but it may not see the "battling begums" in direct contest as jailed ex-premier Khalida Zia is unable to challenge Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose government maintained steady ties with India. By Anisur Rahman



FGN3 US-LD SHUTDOWN

US government shutdown set to drag on to 2019 as Trump, Democrats stick to their stands

Washington: The partial US government shutdown is all set to drag on to the new year as opposition Democrats and Republicans refused to show any sign of compromise Thursday to end the impasse over President Donald Trump's demand for border wall funding. By Lalit K Jha



FGN10 US-TRUMP-SHUTDOWN

Trump threatens to 'entirely' close US-Mexico border unless wall demands met

Washington: US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to "entirely" close the southern US border with Mexico if lawmakers refuse his demands to fund a wall. (AFP)

RUP

RUPColombo, Dec 28 (PTI) Sri Lanka's ruling UNP has no intention to go for an early snap general election, a party spokesman said Friday, ending weeks of speculation that the government may dissolve parliament before the end of its term.

Ajith P Perera, a United National Party (UNP) spokesman, said no parliamentary election would be held before February 2020 when President Maithripala Sirisena could sack the assembly.

"We must make it very clear that the UNP has not expressed any willingness to dissolve parliament before its term ends," Perera said.

The decision is contrary to the expectations of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's new political party Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).

Buoyed by the excellent showing in the local council elections held in February, the SLPP leadership insists for an early election to gain control of the government.

They won over 70 per cent of the 300 plus local councils by thrashing both major parties of Sirisena's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the UNP of prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Mano Ganesan, a government ally and a minister said the decision that the general election will be held only when they are due in August 2020 was taken at a high level meeting held last night.

"The President if he so wishes could call an early presidential election, but all other elections would be held on schedule," Ganesan said.

Sri Lanka faced a major constitutional and political crisis which lasted over 50 days after Sirisena took a controversial decision of sacking Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister to replace him with Rajapaksa in late October.

The Supreme Court court in a landmark ruling said that Sirisena's subsequent action to dismiss parliament and set a fresh parliamentary poll for January 5 was illegal.

He was then forced to restore Wickremesinghe in office as Rajapaksa was not able to prove his majority in parliament.

Rajapaksa's SLPP has been clamouring for an early poll which they claim would be the key to end the political crisis and an unstable government resulting due to the never-ending rift between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe.

"We challenge the prime minister to dissolve the assembly with two thirds majority to hold an early election. We will support that resolution," Rajapaksa's elder son and legislator Namal Rajapaksa said.

The SLPP and Sirisena now find fault with the 19th amendment to the Constitution which took away powers of the President to dissolve parliament at his wish.

As per the amendment, he cannot do so until parliament has seen off four and a half years of its term.

However, parliament could resolve with two thirds to dissolve the assembly to call a snap election. PTI CORR MRJ

MRJNew Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) Following are the top foreign stories at 1700 hours:





FGN6 PAK-CPEC

CPEC has no military dimensions: Pakistan

Islamabad: Pakistan has said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a bilateral economic project and has no military dimensions.





FGN7 LANKA-POLLS

Sri Lanka's ruling UNP rules out early snap poll

Colombo: Sri Lanka's ruling UNP has no intention to go for an early snap general election, a party spokesman said Friday, ending weeks of speculation that the government may dissolve parliament before the end of its term.





FGN5 BANGLA-POLLS-INTERNET

Poll-bound Bangladesh shuts down high speed internet services, restores it 10 hrs later

Dhaka: The high-speed internet services were suspended for several hours in Bangladesh after mobile operators shut down their 3G and 4G services late Thursday following orders from the country's telecom regulator ahead of Sunday's general election.





FGN4 YEAR-BANGLA

Bangladesh's 'battling begums' fight for survival in 2018

Dhaka: The year 2018 was an eventful one for Bangladesh which is going to crucial polls on Sunday but it may not see the "battling begums" in direct contest as jailed ex-premier Khalida Zia is unable to challenge Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose government maintained steady ties with India. By Anisur Rahman





FGN3 US-LD SHUTDOWN

US government shutdown set to drag on to 2019 as Trump, Democrats stick to their stands

Washington: The partial US government shutdown is all set to drag on to the new year as opposition Democrats and Republicans refused to show any sign of compromise Thursday to end the impasse over President Donald Trump's demand for border wall funding. By Lalit K Jha

SMJ

SMJRiyadh, Dec 28 (AFP) Saudi Arabia's new foreign minister struck a note of defiance Friday in the face of international outrage over critic Jamal Khashoggi's murder, rejecting the kingdom was in crisis and his predecessor had been demoted.

Ibrahim al-Assaf, a former veteran finance minister who was briefly detained last year in what Riyadh said was an anti-corruption sweep, replaced Adel al-Jubeir as foreign minister in a major government shake-up on Thursday ordered by King Salman.

The surprise reshuffle was seen partly as an attempt to elevate the kingdom's marginalised old guard, adding a veneer of checks and balances in the policy decisions of 33-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who faces intense global scrutiny over the October 2 murder of journalist Khashoggi.

But speaking to AFP in his first interview since his appointment, Assaf insisted the restructuring was motivated not by the Khashoggi affair, but the need to make the government machinery more efficient.

"The issue of Jamal Khashoggi... really saddened us, all of us," Assaf told AFP at his residence in Riyadh, adorned with mahogany furniture, a wall-mounted elephant tusk and other hunting trophies.

"But all in all, we are not going through a crisis, we are going through a transformation," he added, referring to social and economic reforms spearheaded by the crown prince.

Assaf, 69, inherits the ministry after a series of combative foreign policy moves by the crown prince, who along with regional allies imposed a blockade on neighbouring Qatar, launched a military campaign in Yemen and engaged in a bitter diplomatic row with Canada.

Topping it all, Khashoggi's murder in Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate by what it calls "rogue" agents is testing relations with key ally Washington, particularly after a US Senate resolution recently held Prince Mohammed responsible for the killing.

When asked whether his biggest foreign policy challenge was to repair the kingdom's tarnished reputation, Assaf replied: "I wouldn't say 'repair' because the relationship between my country and a vast majority of countries in the world is in excellent shape."

Before him, Jubeir also sought to vigorously defend the government and the crown prince, widely known as MBS, on the international stage over Khashoggi's murder.

In Thursday's reshuffle, Jubeir was appointed minister of state for foreign affairs, fuelling speculation that he had been demoted after he failed to quell global criticism over Khashoggi.

"This is far from the truth," Assaf said, adding that Jubeir had performed with distinction.

Jubeir's new role, he insisted, was tantamount to a division of labour and not a demotion, in a bid to accelerate the task of remaking a ministry known to be overly bureaucratic.

"Adel represented Saudi Arabia and will continue to represent Saudi Arabia... around the world," Assaf said.

"We complement each other."

A seasoned bureaucrat, Assaf was briefly held in Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton hotel last year along with hundreds of elite princes and businessmen, in what the government called a crackdown against corruption.

Saudi officials say he was released after being cleared of any wrongdoing, and he subsequently led a government delegation to the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this year.

His reappointment to a cabinet role indicates the government is seeking to slowly "rehabilitate" the experienced old guard, widely seen to be sidelined by the young prince, observers say.

"King Salman is seeking to bolster his son by appointing seasoned technocrats like Assaf who are not from MBS's inner circle, indirectly reinstating an internal system of checks and balances that was swept away in his drive to consolidate power," said Becca Wasser.

"Adding experienced government hands from an older generation, will serve to check some of MBS's impulses," the policy analyst at the US-based RAND Corporation told AFP.

The elevation of seasoned allies in Thursday's reshuffle has bolstered the authority of Prince Mohammed, after the removal of younger aides in his inner circle implicated in Khashoggi's murder, including former royal court advisor Saud al-Qahtani.

Assaf, who is on the boards of state oil giant Aramco and the vast Public Investment Fund, said his appointment as the top diplomat would help bring his financial experience to foreign affairs amid a current "dip" in the economy.

"Economic relationships now dominate foreign" affairs, Assaf said.

"I say with all modesty that my experience will help." (AFP) RUP

RUPBJP wins Mayor's post with NCP's support in Ahmednagar, Maha

Mumbai, Dec 28 (PTI) Despite lacking the numbers, the

BJP, supported by NCP corporators, won the election for Mayor

in the Ahmednagar Municipal Corporation in Maharashtra,

leaving the ally Shiv Sena licking its wounds.

The Shiv Sena had won the highest number of seats in

the recent civic election but did not have a majority.

Amid high drama, the BJP, the Sena's senior alliance

partner in the state, managed to install its candidate

Babasaheb Wakale as Mayor.

All the newly-elected 18 corporators of the NCP

voted for the BJP by defying the party diktat.

The BJP has only 14 members in the 68-member civic

body against Shiv Sena's 24. But the BJP candidate polled

37 votes in the mayoral election.

Apart from NCP corporators, four members of the

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and an independent corporator too

voted for Wakale.

Left red-faced, the NCP issued a show-cause notice to

its corporators.

State NCP chief Jayant Patil claimed that clear

instructions had been given to the corporators not to vote for

either the BJP or the Sena.

"We are considering taking disciplinary action against

them," Patil said.

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said the party had

contested the December 10 election to the civic body in

alliance with like-minded parties.

"The party corporators had been warned against voting

in favour of either BJP or Sena in the election for mayor,"

Malik said.

High drama was witnessed during the polling when

controversial independent corporator Shripad Chhindam rose to

raise his hand in support of the Sena candidate.

It enraged Sena corporators who pushed and shoved him

inside the house.

Chhindam later aired a purported taped conversation

between him and a senior Sena corporator who he claimed had

sought Chhindam's support for the election for mayor's post.

Chhindam, a BJP corporator in the earlier house, was

sacked from the saffron party after he made a controversial

remark about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Friday's development could be embarrassing for the NCP

as the Sharad Pawar-led party is in talks with the Congress

and other like-minded parties for an anti-BJP alliance for the

the Lok Sabha polls.

A BJP minister said while requesting anonymity that

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had called Sena chief Uddhav

Thackeray offering an alliance in the Ahmednagar corporation.

"However, NCP legislator Sangram Jagtap and BJP

legislator Shivaji Kardile are accused in the murder of Sanjay

Kotkar, Sena's former city vice-president, and party worker

Vasant Thube. Therefore Thackeray rejected our proposal," the

BJP leader said.

Commenting on the development, Sena leader Anil Rathod

said, "People had voted for the Sena. However, to protect the

murderers of our party-men, the NCP and BJP came together."

PTI MM

KRK KRKAs Koregaon-Bhima anniversary nears, police on alert in Maha

By Sandip Kolhatkar

Pune, Dec 28 (PTI) Ahead of the first anniversary of

the Koregaon-Bhima caste clashes on January 1, Pune police are

on alert to ensure that there is no recurrence of the violence

witnessed on the first day of 2018.

The year began on an inauspicious note for Maharashtra

with violence marring bicentenary celebration of the battle of

Koregaon-Bhima and its repercussions haunting the state for

the next few months.

Tension prevailed ahead of the 200th anniversary of

the battle as some right-wing organisations had opposed the

celebration of a victory which ended the Maratha rule.

As Dalits thronged the Jay Stambh (victory pillar) at

Koregaon-Bhima, 40 km from Pune, on January 1, clashes broke

out. Mobs torched vehicles and shops and ransacked houses.

The battle was fought between forces of the East India

Company and the Peshwa, the erstwhile ruler of Pune, in 1818.

The winning forces of the East India Company included

soldiers from the Mahar caste, then considered untouchable.

As the battle ended the rule of Peshwa, a Brahmin,

Dalit leaders look at it as a symbol of emancipation.

After Dr B R Ambedkar visited the monument on January

1, 1927, it became a site of annual pilgrimage for Dalits.

While the annual event used to be low-key earlier,

Dalit organisations decided to celebrate the 200th anniversary

of the historic battle in a big way.

But a few Hindu right-wing leaders opposed the

celebration, contending the battle which ushered in British

rule was nothing to be proud of.

The violence over the 200-year-old battle once again

exposed caste fault lines in the 21st century Maharashtra.

Dalit organisations gave call for a shut-down across

the state after the events of January 1 in which a person lost

life. The 'bandh' disrupted life in Mumbai and elsewhere.

A case was registered against right-wing Hindu leaders

Sambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote with Pune rural police for

allegedly instigating the violence.

The accusations against Bhide, in particular, assumed

political overtones as the octogenarian is known to be

respected by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many BJP

leaders.

In the aftermath of the violence, Prakash Ambedkar,

Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh president and grandson of Dr B R

Ambedkar, became the voice of Dalit community which sought

action against Bhide and Ekbote.

The chain of events leading to the violence had begun

on December 29 with the destruction of the tombstone of a

Dalit man at Vadhu Budruk, 30 km from Pune.

In February, the BJP-led state government appointed a

judicial commission headed by a retired high court justice Jai

Narayan Patel to conduct inquiry into the violence.

The commission is conducting hearings at present.

While Ekbote was arrested and later released on bail,

Bhide was never arrested.

A staunch right-wing Hindu activist and ardent admirer

of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Bhide came into national

limelight when at an election rally in Sangli in October 2014,

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had come to seek the

blessings of Bhide Guruji, his "inspiration".

While on one hand Dalit leaders blamed upper caste

elements for fomenting violence, the matter took another turn

when a case was registered with Pune police alleging that the

Elgar Parishad conclave organised by left-wing activists

on December 31, 2017 led to the violence at Koregaon-Bhima.

The complaint by city-based builder against six

persons including Sudhir Dhawale of the Kabir Kala Manch, one

of the organisers of Elgar Parishad, said provocative speeches

at the conclave promoted communal enmity.

Dalit MLA Jignesh Mevani, JNU leader Umar Khalid,

Rohit Vemula's mother Radhika Vemula and former HC judge B G

Kolse-Patil were among those who participated in the conclave.

The case led the Pune police to arrest ten left-wing

activists in countrywide raids, in June and August.

Those arrested included lawyer Surendra Gadling,

Nagpur university teacher Shoma Sen, Dhawale, human rights

activist Sudha Bharadwaj and Telugu poet Varavara Rao.

Police claimed that Maoists had funded Elgar Parishad

in order to mobilise Dalits against the government.

Police also said that the correspondence between

Maoist leaders and some of the accused revealed that Maoists

were planning "Rajiv Gandhi-type incident to assassinate prime

minister Modi.

As another anniversary of the battle of Koregaon-Bhima

nears, Pune police are on on their toes to ensure that there

is no trouble this time.

Heavy security is being deployed in and around Jay

Stambh, Superintendent of Police, Pune Rural, Sandip Patil

told PTI.

But the real question is whether the state will be

able to bury the ghost of caste politics which the events of

Bhima Koregaon unleased. PTI SPK KRK VT

VT VTMumbai, Dec 28 (PTI) Calling "The Accidental Prime Minister" his "life's best performance", actor Anupam Kher on Friday said he will not back off from the snowballing controversy over the film on former prime minister Manmohan Singh.

The actor, who plays the title role in the movie, also took a swipe at Maharashtra Youth Congress' threat to stop the release unless it is first shown to them, saying they should be happy a film has been made on their leader.

"I am not going to back off. This is my lifes best performance. #DrManmohanSingh will agree after seeing the film that it is a 100% accurate depiction," Kher tweeted.

The trailer of the film, based on the book of the same name by Sanjay Baru who served as Singh's media advisor 2004 to 2008, was released here on Thursday.

It depicts Singh as a victim of Congress' internal politics ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

The trailer drew sharp reactions from the Congress, which dubbed it a "propaganda film". The party's Maharashtra youth wing wrote a letter to the producers of the films to demand a special screening.

"They should be happy that a film has been made on their leader. They should bring the crowd to watch the film as it has dialogues such as 'Will I sell my country?' which shows how great Manmohan Singh ji is," Kher told television channels.

"The more they protest, the more publicity they will give to the film. The book has been out since 2014, no protests were held since then, so the film is based on that," he said.

Kher also referred to Congress president Rahul Gandhi's recent statement that freedom of expression is a fundamental right. This was in response to a party leader objecting to the language used to describe his father, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, in the Netflix series "Sacred Games".

"I had read Rahul Gandhi ji's tweet where he spoke about freedom of expression. So I think he should scold these people and tell them they are doing wrong."

BJP's official Twitter handle has shared a link to the trailer.

"Riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years. Was Dr Singh just a regent who was holding on to the PM's chair till the time heir was ready? Watch the official trailer of 'TheAccidentalPrimeMinister', based on an insider's account, releasing on 11 January," the party said.

Responding to the BJP, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said on Twitter that "such fake propaganda" by the party would not stop it from asking the Modi government questions on "rural distress, rampant unemployment, demonetisation disaster, flawed GST, failed Modinomics, all pervading corruption.

Singh evaded questions on the film at the Congress' foundation day function at the party headquarters on Friday.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah also tweeted on the film, saying, "Cant wait for when they make The Insensitive Prime Minister. So much worse than being the accidental one."

Directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, the film stars Kher as Manmohan Singh and Akshaye Khanna as Baru. PTI SHD BK SHD MIN

MINIndian Navy divers airlifted from Vishakhapatnam to join operations to rescue miners trapped in Meghalaya coal mine: Official sources. PTI MPB MPB MIN

MINNew Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) A group of Indian Navy divers are being taken by air from Vishakhapatnam to join operations to rescue 15 miners trapped in a flooded rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya since December 13, official sources here said Friday.

They said the Navy divers will join ongoing rescue operations on Saturday morning.

Three naval personnel have already reached the site of the rescue operation and a group of divers will join them in the next 12 hours, the sources said.

The miners are trapped in a 370-feet-deep illegal coal mine in Ksan area of Lumthari village in Meghalaya since December 13. PTI MPB

MPB MIN

MIN

MINNew Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) The contentious 'triple talaq' bill is likely to face stiff resistance from opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha which are united in their demand for sending the legislation to the Select Committee for further scrutiny.

Sources said the numbers are stacked slightly in favour of the Opposition in the Upper House.

The UPA has 112 members in the Upper House and the NDA 93. One seat is vacant. The remaining 39 members of other parties are unattached to either NDA or UPA and are likely to play an important role in the passage of the contentious legislation.

Though the NDA is way short of the half-way mark of 123 in the 245-member House, it had emerged victorious in the election of Rajya Sabha deputy chairman, with its nominee Harivansh of the Janata Dal (United) bagging 125 votes against 101 polled by the Opposition-backed Congress member B K Hariprasad.

The government has expressed hope that the bill, which criminalises the practice of instant divorce by Muslim men, will find support in the Rajya Sabha, whose approval is necessary for the bill to become the law.

The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha for the second time in less than a year after a heated debate on Thursday.

According to the sources, opposition parties have held discussions on raising the demand for referring the bill to the Select Committee on Monday -- when it is likely to come up for consideration in the Upper House.

The sources said all Congress members in the Rajya Sabha would also meet in Parliament on Monday morning, ahead of the start of house proceedings, to evolve its strategy on the issue.

CPI member D Raja said the Opposition has the numbers and would press for referring the bill to the Select Committee.

"Opposition parties are asking for referring the triple talaq bill to the Select Committee for further scrutiny when the bill comes up for consideration in the Rajya Sabha on Monday," Raja told PTI.

He alleged that the government wants to use the bill for political purposes.

"They are not genuinely interested in gender equality and gender justice," Raja alleged.

Another leader claimed that opposition parties are united in referring the bill to the Select Committee as the proposed legislation needs to be examined properly.

Opposition leaders claimed they would not allow the passage of the bill in any case.

The government had not agreed to the opposition demand for sending the earlier bill to the Select Committee, when it was brought before the house in the Monsoon session of Parliament. PTI SKC GVSNew Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) All foreigners have to respect Indian law and those found in violation are liable to be punished but that does not mean they are blacklisted forever, a Home Ministry official said on Friday after a Reuters journalist was denied entry into India for allegedly violating visa rules.

The action against Cathal McNaughton, chief photographer at the news agency's Delhi office who was recently sent back from the airport here after his arrival from an overseas trip, is not permanent and can be reviewed after six months or a year, the official told PTI.

"Everybody has to follow law. For violation, the consequence is the same for everybody. Foreigners should respect Indian law. If any Indian visits abroad and violates the law of that country, he or she is also liable to be punished," the official said.

McNaughton, an Irish national who won the Pulitzer Prize in May 2018, allegedly travelled to restricted and protected areas in Jammu and Kashmir without permission. He also reported from the state without valid permission.

"He may be a winner of some awards, but that does not give him the licence to violate Indian laws. The Ministry of External Affairs regularly informs foreign journalists about Indian rules and regulations. And in certain places, a foreigner is required to take permission. If you violate these rules and regulations, we are bound to take action," the official warned.

"If somebody is denied entry, it does not mean that he is blacklisted forever. It may be reviewed after six months or one year," he said.

Another official said foreign correspondents also require prior home ministry approval to film in restricted and protected areas such as border districts, defence installations and other places of strategic importance, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

According to visa rules for foreign journalists, "A foreign journalist, TV cameraperson etc, including a foreign journalist already based in India, who desires to visit a restricted or protected area or Jammu and Kashmir or the North Eastern States, should apply for a special permit through the Ministry of External Affairs (External Publicity Division)".

Under normal circumstances, India grants foreign journalists visas for up to three months. In rare cases, a six-month journalist visa, with a single or double entry, can be issued.

The MHA and the MEA have also held discussions to review protocols on foreign journalists. In May this year, the MEA reminded foreign journalists based in India that they require permission to travel to areas protected under the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order, 1958.

The areas are -- all of Arunachal Pradesh, parts of Himachal Pradesh, parts of Jammu and Kashmir, parts of Rajasthan, all of Sikkim and parts of Uttarakhand. PTI ACB ACB MIN

MINNew Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) These are the top stories from the northern region at 9 pm



LUCKNOW DES15 UP-PM-VISIT

Lucknow: Amid growing pressure from partners in the ruling alliance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday will visit Varanasi and Ghazipur, the areas where two NDA allies have considerable influence



LUCKNOW LGD3 UP-HC-TANNERIES

Lucknow: The Allahabad High Court has permitted two tanneries in Kanpur and Unnao to operate on the condition that they do not discharge effluent in the Ganga, its tributaries or drains emptying into the river, in view of the Kumbh Mela.



LUCKNOW DES31 UP-NHRC-2NDLD DALIT

Lucknow: The NHRC Friday issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh government over the death of a Dalit man allegedly in police custody in Amroha district, while the UP SC/ST Commission ordered a probe into the matter and action against those guilty.



NOIDA DES41 NCR-NAMAZ-LD SITUATION

Noida: Days after authorities declared a Noida park prohibited for "unauthorised" religious gatherings, only a dozen people turned up there for the Friday 'namaaz' and found parts of the ground waterlogged and police keeping a vigil.



LUCKNOW NRG5 UP-STING-SUSPENSION

Lucknow: Three secretariat staff attached to Uttar Pradesh ministers were suspended on charges of graft following a sting operation by a news channel, according to a state government release.



CHANDIGARH DEL3 PB-YEARENDER

Chandigarh: For many devout Sikhs, the defining moment of 2018 was the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor, which will finally provide access to a revered shrine across the border in Pakistan.



CHANDIGARH DES51 HR-SESSION-PANDEMONIUM

Chandigarh: The Haryana Assembly Friday witnessed pandemonium over loan waiver and other issues pertaining to farmers, with sharp exchanges taking place between state minister Krishan Kumar Bedi and Leader of Opposition Abhay Singh Chautala.



DEHRADUN NRG13 UKD-BRIDGE-COLLAPSE

Dehradun: Two persons were killed and as many injured after a 100-year-old bridge collapsed here on Friday morning while a mini-truck and a motorcycle were crossing it, police said.



GOPESHWAR NRG22 UKD-RAPE-ARREST

Gopeshwar: A college student was raped at knifepoint in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district earlier this week, following which three accused have been arrested, police said Friday.



GHAZIABAD DES20 NCR-COW SLAUGHTER

Ghaziabad: The police in Ghaziabad have decided to slap the stringent Gangsters Act and the Goonda Act against those repeatedly involved in killing cows, even as three men have been arrested for alleged cow slaughter earlier this week.



BHIWANI NRG17 HR-BODIES-DRUM

Bhiwani (HR): The headless bodies of a 32-year-old woman, a girl and a toddler were found inside a drum lying on a road in Haryana's Bhiwani district on Friday, police said.



ETAWAH NRG12 UP-SISTERS-SHOT

Etawah (UP): Two sisters were shot dead allegedly over property dispute in Pachawali village here, police said Friday.



SRINAGAR DES25 JK-MEHBOOBA

Srinagar: Declaring suspects as terrorists "on the basis of sutli bombs" and associating them with the ISIS was premature, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said Friday, in a sarcastic reference to the materials the NIA recovered from 10 people it arrested recently after raids at multiple locations.



JAMMU DES28 JK-BSF IG

Jammu: Inspector General N S Jamwal Friday took over the command of the Border Security Force for Jammu frontier, officials said.



PTI

ASH

ASHLucknow, Dec 28 (PTI) Amid growing pressure from partners in the ruling alliance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday will visit Varanasi and Ghazipur, the areas where two NDA allies have considerable influence.

The prime minister's trip to his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi will be his second visit there in the last two months.

He will inaugurate the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC) on the campus of National Seed Research and Training Centre (NSRTC) in Varanasi.

The centre will serve as a hub for rice research and training in South Asia and the SAARC region.

Modi will also attend the 'One District, One Product' Regional Summit at Deendayal Hastakala Sankul (Trade Facilitation Centre & Crafts Museum) in Varanasi.

A commemorative postal stamp on the Maharaja Suheldeo will be released by the prime minister in Ghazipur, where he will also address a public rally at the RTI ground there.

However, senior minister in the Yogi Adityanath government and SBSP president Om Prakash Rajbhar, an MLA from Zahoorabad assembly constituency in Ghazipur district, announced that he will not attend the prime minister's programme.

"I will not attend the December 29 programme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ghazipur," Rajbhar had told reporters a few days back.

Rajbhar is sore over the commemorative postal stamp on backward caste leader Maharaja Suheldev Rajbhar not carrying his full name.

A problem has arisen with the Apna Dal (S), which is represented in the Union government by Anupriya Patel, an MP from Mirzapur, adjacent to Varanasi.

Reflecting the "friction" with the BJP, Anupriya Patel said she stands by the remarks of her husband and party president Ashish Patel, who had voiced frustration with the saffron party over its "treatment" of smaller NDA allies.

Ashish Patel had recently alleged at a press conference in Mirzapur that smaller parties were feeling "ignored" by the bigger NDA partner -- the BJP.

The Apna Dal (S) has presence in over 15 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, with its core voter base of Kurmi Patel, and nearly one lakh of them only in the prime minister's constituency. PTI SAB SMI SNE

SNESrinagar, Dec 28 (PTI) An encounter broke out between militants and security forces in Awantipora area of Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, police said.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Banderpora area of Awantipora in the south Kashmir district Friday morning following specific information about the presence of militants there, a police official said.

He said the search operation turned into an encounter after the militants fired upon the search party of the forces, who retaliated.

The gunfight is going on, the official said, adding further details were awaited. PTI SSB

DV

DVNew Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) Three bags containing cash and ammunition were stolen from the car belonging to an Asian Games silver medalist para-shooter while he had parked his vehicle outside the office of National Rifle Association here, police said Friday.

The incident took place on Tuesday at around 2.30 pm when Deepak Saini (31) had gone to the office of National Rifle Association after parking his vehicle outside the building in south Delhi's Tughlakabad area, they said.

"I usually practice shooting at Tughalakbad. I had come with two of my other friends who are also shooters. I will be leaving for Germany in January to participate in a shooting competition there. So, I had come to collect some documents required for the same," Saini, the silver medalist told PTI.

When he returned, Saini said, he was shocked to see the windowpanes of his car smashed and three bags containing ammunition, cash and valuables were also stolen from the vehicle.

Saini won silver medal in Asian Games Para shooting held this year.

Confirming the incident, police said, a case has been registered at the Ambedkar Nagar police station and a probe is underway.

However, since no CCTV camera was installed in the nearby area, police are trying to ascertain the exact sequence of event with a preliminary enquiry at the local level, the officer said.

The accused has not been identified yet, police said. PTI AMP

AMP SLB SNE

SNELucknow, Dec 28 (PTI) The National Human Rights Commission Friday issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh government over the death of a Dalit man allegedly in police custody in Amroha district, noting that it amounted to "gross violation of human rights" of the victim.

Taking suo motu cognisance of media reports that the 30-year-old man died in police custody at the Dhanora Mandi Police Station on December 26, the NHRC issued notices to the state Chief Secretary and the Director-General of Police, seeking a detailed report within four weeks.

It sought an explanation on why no intimation with regard to this death in police custody was given to the NHRC.

The Dalit man was arrested by the police in connection with a case of theft on December 23. His family members have alleged that police personnel asked for a bribe of Rs 5 lakh to let him off which they could not arrange and therefore he was "tortured".

The NHRC observed that the contents of media reports, if true, suggest "gross violation of human rights" of the victim.

The NHRC said the report from the UP government should also indicate whether any monetary and other relief have been provided to the family in accordance with the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Rules.

The family members of the deceased have alleged that he was picked up while they were returning home from a wedding. He was kept in the lock-up without any complaint and was subjected to atrocities.

As many as 11 police personnel, including the SHO of the Police Station concerned, have been placed under suspension, the NHRC said in an official release. PTI SMI TIR

TIRMumbai, Dec 28 (PTI) The Bombay High Court has come

down heavily on the Maharashtra government and the CBI over their "failure" to implement a list of orders passed by several benches of the court in the 2014 case of sexual assault and alleged custodial death of Agnelo Valdaris.

In an order passed earlier this month, a bench of

Justices B P Dharmadhikari and Sarang Kotwal noted that the

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the state and police authorities were yet to implement the court's directions while conducting a further probe into the case, and were also yet to implement a slew of security measures at police stations, including installation of CCTV cameras.

The bench, accordingly, directed the government, the

CBI and the city police to file their respective affidavits

explaining "why action should not be taken against them" for

their failure to implement the previous orders of the high

court in the case.

Valdaris, who was 25-years-old at the time of his death, had been arrested on April 15, 2014 by the Government

Railway Police in Wadala over charges of theft.

A subsequent probe by the CBI revealed that three others, including a minor, had been arrested along with Valdaris, and over the next three days in custody, all four were allegedly stripped, tortured, beaten up and forced to perform sexual acts with each other.

While Valdaris died on April 18 that year, the remaining three were granted bail subsequently. The Wadala police claimed that Valdaris had fled from custody and was killed by a passing train.

Following a litigation initiated in the Bombay High Court by Valdaris' father Leonard, the CBI took over the probe and in 2016, it booked seven policemen and one woman official from the Wadala railway police station on charges of criminal

conspiracy and causing grievous hurt.

In March 2017, the CBI added the charge of sexual assault under section 377 against the eight police personnel

booked in the case.

The hearings had prompted the high court to direct further probe into the case to check if the charge of murder

could be invoked against the accused.

The HC had also directed the state and the police to

implement a slew of measures, including installation of CCTV

cameras inside police stations, keeping in mind the safety of

those in police custody.

On a previous hearing, another bench of the court had

noted that it could not accept the CBI's statement that

Valdaris' death was accidental in nature, and directed the

agency to conduct further probe.

In December last year, the CBI submitted that the

statements of witnesses had led it to believe that the charge

of murder under section 302 of the IPC could not be invoked

against the accused.

The submission, however, was disputed by Leonard's lawyer Yug Chaudhary.

The court had at the time directed the CBI to grant access to the said statements to Chaudhary to help him make

his arguments.

However, in the last hearing earlier this month, Chaudhary informed the bench that he was yet to receive the copies of the said statements.

The state also informed the court that it was yet to install CCTV cameras within the premises of all police

stations across the city.

At this, the bench sought an explanation from the

authorities for their inaction and warned that if they failed to file their affidavits by the first week of January 2019, their senior representative will have to remain present in court.

"We direct the respondents through their Heads of

Department to file a responsible affidavit explaining why

suitable action for not implementing court order should not be initiated against them," it added.

PTI AYA BNM SRYKarnataka govt wants "development-free corruption": Modi

(Eds: replaces the word today with Monday in the

intro)

Bengaluru, Dec 28 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi

launched a blistering attack on the JDS-Congress coalition

government in Karnataka on Monday, alleging it was interested

only in "development-free corruption".

He also said the agricultural loan waiver announced by

the H D Kumaraswamy government was the "most cruel joke" on

farmers.

"People want corruption-free government, but Karnataka

government wants development-free corruption," Modi told BJP's

booth-level workers of the state during an interaction with

them through video conferencing as part of the party's 'Mera

Booth Sabse Mazboot' programme.

The outreach is aimed at engergising party cadre ahead

of next year's Lok Sabha elections.

Modi said people of Karnataka had reposed faith in the

BJP and it was the duty of the party workers to become the

voice of people if the government was neglecting their

welfare.

"It seems people in power in Karnataka are playing the

game of musical chair. When people in power are not interested

in the welfare of people, it is the duty of our workers to

become the voice of people," he said, and referred to reported

strains between the ruling coalition partners.

Responding to a question about farm distress and

farmers suicide in the state, Modi said only a handful of

agriculturists benefited from the government's loan waiver

programme.

"Those who go around the country claiming credit for

the farm loan waiver will they also take the blame for farmers

suicide?" he asked. PTI SK

SK SKNew Delhi, Dec 28 (PTI) Three persons were injured Friday after a DTC cluster bus allegedly hit four cars, an e-rickshaw and a scooter parked on the left side of the road near a metro pillar in Dwarka's Uttam Nagar area, police said.

The incident took place at around 4 pm, they said.

The injured, identified as Simran, 26, Mohammad Alam ,32, and Ashwini ,21, were admitted to a nearby hospital, where there condition is stated to be stable, a senior police officer said.

Investigations revealed that the DTC cluster bus met with an accident in which it damaged the vehicles that were parked at the left side of the Arya Samaj Road, he said.

Police said the driver, identified as Swait Singh, 42, did not seem to be under the influence of alcohol. However, a medical examination is being conducted to verify it.

The bus driver told police that the accident happened due to a technical glitch in the break, the officer said, adding that the mechanical examination of the vehicle is being carried out to verify the same.

A case has been registered at the Bindapur police station and the bus driver has been arrested, he added. PTI AMP KJCops bar CPI(M) leaders from meeting ryots against powerlines

Coimbatore, Dec 28 (PTI) CPI(M) Tamil Nadu secretary G

Balakrishnan and senior leaders of the party were Friday

stopped from meeting farmers agitating near here against

the installation of high-power lines in their fields, leading

to a protest by over 100 party workers against the police.

Balakrishnan, along with former MP P R Natarajan and

former MLA K C Karunakaran, had reached the venue to meet the

farmers, who are on hunger strike, to extend solidarity with

them.

But, the police prevented them from going to the

stage.

However, the workers accompanying Balakrishnan raised

slogans against the police, leading to heated arguments.

In the melee, Balakrishnan and others reached the

venue and discussed the issue with the farmers.

Later talking to reporters, Balakrishnan said the

state government should not indulge in such tactics of

preventing political leaders from meeting the ryots.

Stating that the powerlines were laid through

underground cables across the world including in Chennai, he

said the government, instead of terrorising the farmers,

should take steps to protect them and their land.

PTI nvm

NVG NVGBar council warns candidates against erecting digital banners

Chennai, Dec 28 (PTI): Warning candidates proposing to

enroll as lawyers not to erect digital banners and hoardings

in connection with their enrolment, the Bar Council of Tamil

Nadu and Puducherry Friday slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 each on

11 of them for doing so in violation of its rules.

The councils special committee, comprising senior

advocate R Singaravelan and advocate N Chandrasekharan named

11 candidates, including a woman lawyer and said unless they

appeared before the committee and tendered an apology, along

with the payment, their enrolment would be kept in abeyance.

"They have affixed big poster as if they have served this

country or serving the needy like Dr Jayachandran of

Vyasarpadi in and around the high court and throughout the

state, creating a sense of fear and confusion on the minds of

the common people.

Dr Jayachachandran, who was popularly known as the Rs

two doctor and served the poor in Vysarpadi in North Chennai,

passed away here on December 21.

"It is very painful to note that even before the

commencement of their profession, they have behaved in such a

manner creating ugly atmosphere," the committee said.

Also, discontinuing the practice of enrolling several

hundred law graduates simultaneously on random dates, the Bar

Council decided to conduct enrolments twice a week on every

Wednesday and Saturday.

On each occasion, the number of candidates should not

exceed 75 for enrolment, the committee said.

Whatever be the recommendation from any Bar or 'higher

authorities,' not more than 150 candidates would be enrolled

every week, said the committee.

"The enrolled advocates should not burst crackers and

beat drums or cause mental,as well as the physical threats as

if someone has passed away.Everyone knows that the enrolment

is a holy ceremony and not a funeral ceremony, the committee

said. PTI COR APR

APR APRRoyal Dutch Shell has completed the sale of its assets in New Zealand for 456million.

The deal is part of a drive to raise 23billion that has seen the global oil giant offload assets around the world.

In London trading, FTSE 100 listed Shell's A class share price is up 1.74 per cent or 39.25p to 2,288.75p this morning.

Deal: Royal Dutch Shell has completed the sale of its assets in New Zealand for 456million

Zoe Yujnovich, Shell's vice president of Australia and New Zealand, said: 'We are proud of having worked in New Zealand for more than 100 years and completion of the sale to OMV marks an important milestone in the company's history.'

She added: 'Shell staff in New Zealand, past and present, have been key to building a successful New Zealand business. I wish our colleagues all the very best as OMV takes the business forward.'

The sale to Austria-based OMV includes Shell's Maui, Pohokura and Tank Farm units, as well as the group's interest in the Great South Basin venture.

In November, Shell said it enjoyed one of its 'strongest ever quarters', as higher oil prices drove earnings up 37 per cent.

The oil giant reported underlying earnings, on a current cost of supplies basis, of 4.4billion for the three months to the end of September. On a reported basis, earnings rose by 51 per cent to 4.33billion.

But the price of Brent crude oil has since fallen and is set to end the year lower than in January.

Prices: The price of Brent crude oil has since fallen and is set to end the year lower than in January

One barrel is now trading at $53, compared with $67 in January and $86 in October.

Royal Dutch Shell is in talks to buy a Texas-based oil producer in a cut-price 6.3billion deal.

The price tag for Endeavor Energy Resources is around half the near-12billion it was aiming to get when it put itself up for sale earlier this year.

Talks are said to be at an early stage and have been complicated by Endeavor founder Autry Stephenss desire to retain rights to untapped oil that would entitle him to royalties when it is drilled in future, according to reportsBanks axed more than 750 branches this year as they continue to abandon the high street.

On average, two shut each day in 2018, leaving some towns and villages with no access to basic financial services.

A total of 774 branches were closed by eight of Britains biggest banks, analysis by the Mail has found.

On average two bank branches a day have closed in Britain during 2018, leaving some areas with little access to financial services

The same lenders got rid of a record 802 in 2017  and the number owned by the biggest banks has more than halved since its peak two decades ago.

Campaigners said banks were giving up on swathes of the country, cutting vulnerable and elderly people off completely.

Most closures hit small towns, the coast and deprived areas because branches there tend to be less profitable. As a result, customers must travel miles to make deposits or speak to staff, with those who cant drive hit hardest.

Small firms suffer, too, because they have to shut while owners go to a bank in another town.

Losing the last branch can be fatal for a high street because it gives shoppers a reason not to visit, triggering a drop in footfall.

Labour MP Wes Streeting, who sits on the Commons Treasury committee, said: Branches are closing at an alarming rate, causing real problems  particularly for older people, small businesses and disabled people.

Banks provide a crucial public service and bosses must start showing they understand this.

Mike Cherry, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: The frightening pace of branch closures is damaging local communities, hurting vulnerable consumers and stifling business growth.

Lenders often hassle customers to sign up for online banking when a branch shuts. But pushing less web-savvy customers into using the internet for sensitive financial transactions can put them at risk of fraud. Caroline Abrahams, of the charity Age UK, said: Closing branches cuts costs, but its at best an inconvenience and at worst a serious blow for millions of older people who are not online or au fait with mobile banking.

Years of cuts have devastated the network of branches. Britains largest banks operated 11,240 branches in the late Nineties  but the top five have just 5,073 between them today. NatWest owner Royal Bank of Scotland shut the most this year, closing 431  a third of its network. It had nearly 2,300 in 2008, when taxpayers rescued it from collapse with a 46billion bailout. Today, it has just 899.

Labour MP Wes Streeting, who sits on the Commons Treasury committee, said: Branches are closing at an alarming rate, causing real problems  particularly for older people, small businesses and disabled people'

Barclays shut 150 to give it 1,058, Lloyds axed 108, Santander ditched 46 and the Co-op shed 27 branches. CYBG, which owns the Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks, shut ten while TSB closed two. HSBC actually gained one branch, beginning the year with 625 and ending it with 626.

Banks justify closures by claiming that customers prefer online banking. Critics say many only switch to web services because lenders leave them with no other option. Justin Modray, of the advice website Candid Money, said: There is a shift to online banking, so its natural to expect closures. But the rate at which theyre closing is leaving too many customers stranded.

There are also fears for the cash machine network in towns with no bank left, after a cut to the fees paid by banks to independent operators when money is withdrawn. Some 2,200 free ATMs shut from January to October after their operators decided they were no longer profitable.

Trade association UK Finance said: Bank branches play an important role in the life of communities and decisions to close them are never taken lightly.

Consumers are choosing newer ways to help them with their banking, using technology to check balances and make payments  or even speak to your bank 24/7.

But technology is not for everyone, so the major banks have made arrangements for customers to do their day-to-day banking at over 11,500 Post Office branches.FactSet Research Systems Inc. (the ""Company"" or ""FactSet"") is a global provider of integrated financial information, analytical applications and services for the investment and corporate communities. Since inception, global financial professionals have utilized the Company's content and multi-asset class solutions across each stage of the investment process. FactSet's goal is to provide a seamless user experience spanning idea generation, research, portfolio construction, trade execution, performance measurement, risk management, reporting, and portfolio analysis, in which the Company serves the front, middle, and back offices to drive productivity and improved performance. FactSet's flexible, open data and technology solutions can be implemented both across the investment portfolio lifecycle or as standalone components serving different workflows in the organization. FactSet is focused on growing the business throughout each of its three segments, the Americas, EMEA (formerly known as Europe), and Asia Pacific. The Company primarily delivers insight and information through the workflow solutions of Research, Analytics and Trading, Content and Technology Solutions (""CTS"") and Wealt

Read MoreRalph Lauren Corp. engages in the design, marketing, and distribution of premium lifestyle products. The firm offers apparel, accessories, home furnishings, and other licensed product. It operates through the following segments: North America, Europe, and Asia. The North America segment consists of sales of Ralph Lauren branded apparel, accessories, home furnishings, and related products made through the Company's wholesale and retail businesses in the U.S. and Canada, excluding Club Monaco. The Europe segment caters to sales of Ralph Lauren branded apparel, accessories, home furnishings, and related products made through the Company's wholesale and retail businesses in Europe and the Middle East, excluding Club Monaco. The Asia segment covers the sales of Ralph Lauren branded apparel, accessories, home furnishings, and related products made through the Company's wholesale and retail businesses in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. The company was founded by Ralph Lauren in 1967 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of Molina Healthcare: Aetna & Humana - Medicare Advantage, Affinity Health Plan, AmericanWork Inc., Better Health Network, Camelot Care Centers Inc, Children's Behavioral Health Inc., Choices Group Inc., College Community Services, Dockside Services Inc, Family Preservation Services Inc., Family Preservation Services of Florida Inc., Family Preservation Services of North Carolina Inc., Family Preservation Services of Washington D.C. Inc., Family Preservation Services of West Virginia Inc., Florida NetPASS LLC, Hclb Inc., Magellan Complete Care, Maple Star Nevada Inc., Maple Star Oregon Inc., Mercy CarePlus, Molina Clinical Services LLC, Molina Healthcare Data Center Inc., Molina Healthcare of Arizona Inc., Molina Healthcare of California, Molina Healthcare of Florida Inc., Molina Healthcare of Georgia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Illinois Inc., Molina Healthcare of Iowa Inc., Molina Healthcare of Louisiana Inc., Molina Healthcare of Maryland Inc., Molina Healthcare of Michigan Inc., Molina Healthcare of Mississippi Inc., Molina Healthcare of Nevada Inc., Molina Healthcare of New Mexico Inc., Molina Healthcare of New York Inc., Molina Healthcare of North Carolina Inc., Molina Healthcare of Ohio Inc., Molina Healthcare of Oklahoma Inc., Molina Healthcare of Pennsylvania Inc., Molina Healthcare of Puerto Rico Inc., Molina Healthcare of South Carolina LLC, Molina Healthcare of Texas Inc., Molina Healthcare of Texas Insurance Company, Molina Healthcare of Utah Inc., Molina Healthcare of Virginia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Washington Inc., Molina Healthcare of Wisconsin Inc., Molina Holdings Corporation, Molina Hospital Management LLC, Molina Information Systems LLC dba Molina Medicaid Solutions, Molina Medical Management Inc., Molina Pathways LLC, Molina Pathways of Texas Inc., Molina Youth Academy, NextLevel Health Illinois, Pathways Community Corrections Inc., Pathways Community Services LLC, Pathways Community Support of Texas Inc., Pathways Health and Community Support LLC, Pathways Human Services LLC., Pathways of Arizona Inc., Pathways of Delaware Inc., Pathways of Idaho LLC, Pathways of Maine Inc., Pathways of Massachusetts LLC, Pathways of Oklahoma Inc., Pathways of Washington Inc., Providence Community Services, Providence Human Services, Raystown Developmental Services Inc., The Game of Work LLC, The RedCo Group Inc., Total Care Medicaid plan, Transitional Family Services Inc., Unisys -Health Information Management, and YourCare Health Plan.Zanaga Iron Ore Company Limited, an investment holding company, engages in the exploration and development of iron ore properties. Its flagship asset is the Zanaga Iron Ore Project located in the south west of the Republic of Congo. The company was formerly known as Jumelles Holdings Limited and changed its name to Zanaga Iron Ore Company Limited in October 2010. Zanaga Iron Ore Company Limited was incorporated in 2009 and is based in Road Town, the British Virgin Islands.

Read MoreWASHINGTON  For President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress, the drama that continues to unfold on Capitol Hill could be titled: Waiting for Schumer.

But Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer continues to believe hes playing the stronger hand, and that it is Trump  not he  who owns the shutdown, which is entering its seventh day.

New York's senior senator was lying low Thursday as the Senate went in and out of a pro-forma session without the customary remarks from Schumer and Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

But there is nothing to suggest Schumer is backing off from the script he outlined in a joint statement with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi: Instead of bringing certainty into peoples lives, hes continuing the Trump Shutdown just to please right-wing radio and TV hosts. The president wanted the shutdown, but he seems not to know how to get himself out of it.

Trump shut down a major portion of the government after failing to pressure Democrats into accepting his demand for $5 billion in Congressional funding to build long-promised U.S.-Mexico border wall. In a White House meeting Dec. 11 with Schumer and Pelosi, the president even said he would be proud to shut the government down and wouldnt blame Democrats.

Schumer repeats Trump shutdown in every communique, as well as the hashtag #TrumpShutdown in pertinent tweets.

Schumer and Pelosi offered Trump $1.3 billion for border security and pointed out that the Trump administration has yet to spend the comparable amount that Congress appropriated last year.

During his post-Christmas troop visit in Iraq, Trump suggested Schumer wants to make a deal but is constrained by Pelosi who is poised to become House speaker come Jan. 3 when Democrats take control of the House for the first time since 2011.

She's in a very, very tight contest, Trump said, although Pelosi has no opposition and appears to be close to getting the 218 Democratic votes she needs to win. If Chuck does this, it could very well have negative implications on her becoming Speaker of the House  the one who is calling the shots is Nancy Pelosi.

Schumer has argued the wall would be expensive and ineffective, and that the government should invest in greater high technology, a virtual wall of drones, motion detectors and electronic sensors.

In Iraq, Trump dismissed high-tech methods along the border as bells and whistles, adding: You have to have a wall; you have to have protection.

It appears as though the conflict over the wall in Washington is at odds with the reality of border protections along the nearly 2,000-mile southwestern border. In Iraq, Trump himself bragged about how much of the wall has already been built and pointed to a contract he just signed for 115 new miles.

About 700 miles of wall or wall-type structure already are in place.

And Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a Trump ally and wall backer, said on Fox News on Thursday that a wall can be built bit by bit by bit.

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But he insisted the key is Schumer. Youre asking me whether Schumer will move? he responded to a question. I dont know that. I dont know his mind. Should he move? Absolutely!

With no agreement in sight and Congress in recess until Monday, getting the closed portion of the government back open may have to wait until Jan. 3 or thereafter when Congress goes back in to session with Democrats in control of the House.

Democrats would have to pass a bill to reopen the government through continued funding. The Republican-controlled Senate would then have pass it, even though the Senate on Dec. 20 passed such a measure with no wall funding.

It would then be up to Trump whether or not to veto the bill. And even if he does, Congress could override the veto with support of two-thirds in House and Senate.

In a statement Thursday, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders made clear the administration is not budging.

"The president does not want the government to remain shut down, but he will not sign a proposal that does not first prioritize our county's safety and security," she said.

When asked in Iraq how long the shutdown would last, Trump said, whatever it takes. But his appetite for a continued shutdown at all costs is open to question, even if his conservative base of commentators and voters are praising Trump for his stand on the wallNorth Creek

A rail bike company is suing the owner of an Adirondack rail line claiming that an insurance dispute is being used as a pretext to derail it so the tracks can be sold to a Denver-based freight railroad.

This month, Revolution Rail Co. owner Michael Dupee sued owners of the Saratoga & North Creek rail line to protect a lease that allows Dupee to run tourist rail bikes on the line, according to a lawsuit filed in state Supreme Court in Essex County.

The 30-mile line runs from the former Tahawus mine in the Adirondacks High Peaks to North Creek in Warren County. From there, it connects southward with a line owned by Warren County and the town of Corinth.

After signing the five-year lease with Saratoga & North Creek in May 2017, Dupee operated the business that summer and again this season. Starting north of the North Creek rail station, customers rented manually-pedaled vehicles similar to paddle boats on rail wheels to make a six-mile round trip.

In November 2018, Saratoga & North Creek officials told Dupee that his lease, due to expire after the 2021 season, was immediately canceled because he had violated its terms by providing inadequate insurance from the start.

That claim is "a mere pretext" being used by the railroad so it can evict Dupee and sell the line unencumbered by the lease to Denver-based freight hauler OmniTrax, Dupee's lawsuit claims.

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A Nov. 29 letter from Dupee's lawyer, William Mason, said Dupee has spent "hundreds of thousands of dollars growing (the) business."

Saratoga & North Creek is owned by Chicago-based Iowa Pacific Holdings, which has held the line since 2011 and for much of that time operated passenger trains as far as North Creek. The railroad stopped operations this year due to financial problems.

A call to Iowa Pacific Holdings President Ed Ellis for comment was not returned.

If OmniTrax buys the line, its plan is to use it to remove tailings from the Tahawus mine that could be used in road construction and other infrastructure projects.

After Iowa Pacific Holdings last year started storing oil tanker cars on the line, state officials began an effort at the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to wrest control of the line from the company. The state put that effort on hold in October to give the potential sale to OmniTrax time to develop.Colonie

TSA staff who spoke with the Times Union Friday afternoon appeared resigned to the fact they're not currently being paid, thanks to the federal government shutdown.

They asked not to be identified because they weren't authorized to speak with a reporter. But one staff member said she'd seen the shutdown coming and had completed her Christmas shopping early.

"With any job, you have to plan ahead," said another member, who said that, so far, "I'm doing okay."

TSA staff are among tens of thousands of federal employees considered essential as the federal government shutdown moves into its second week. They're expected to work, but not to expect a paycheck, at least not right away.

"The workforce is performing a very, very critical mission under very difficult circumstances," said Bart Johnson, the federal security director for Albany International Airport and other upstate airports. "The workforce is so professional. They know what their mission is.

"We hope the public appreciates the job they're doing," Johnson added.

One TSA staff member at the Albany airport said this was the fourth shutdown she's endured in her decade as a TSA officer.

Staff will receive a paycheck on Jan. 3 for the period before the shutdown began, Johnson said. After that, it's unclear when they will be paid again.

In the meantime, heating bills will be rolling in, and car payments, credit card bills and other obligations will also come due. A prolonged shutdown could damage credit ratings and make it difficult to get mortgages, car loans or other financing.

And because the officers are on the job at airport checkpoints, holiday travelers were able to get to their destinations. Security lines were short at Albany during the late-morning hours on Friday, and more than a dozen TSA agents were staffing X-ray machines, checking identification and tickets, and conducting additional security checks.

TSA officers typically earn $40,000 a year for workdays that can begin as early as 3:30 a.m. and last until after midnight.

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The 42,000 members of the U.S. Coast Guard also continue to be on duty without getting paid, as will air traffic controllers employed by the Federal Aviation Administration, according to news reports.

On Friday, flights at Albany International Airport continued to operate and passengers were moving smoothly through the security checkpoint, the shutdown's impact almost invisible to travelers.

"The TSA staff members at Albany International Airport continue to exhibit a total commitment to the safety and security of our passengers," said airport spokesman Doug Myers. "It is most disappointing that the shutdown of our government is forcing these valued employees to endure fiscal instability while still serving our country."

But one TSA staff member's patience was beginning to wear thin.

"I just wish that the government would stop fighting each other and come to an agreement," she said.Geojedo, South Korea

In South Korea's largest shipyard, thousands of workers in yellow hard hats move ceaselessly between towering cranes lifting hulks of steel. They look like a hive of bees scurrying over a massive circuit board as they weld together the latest additions to the rapidly growing fleet of tankers carrying super-chilled liquefied natural gas across the world's oceans.

The boom in fossil-fuel production in the United States has been matched by a rush on the other side of the Pacific to build the infrastructure needed to respond to the seemingly unquenchable thirst for energy among Asia's top economies. When Congress lifted restrictions on shipping crude oil overseas in 2015, soon after the Obama administration opened the doors for international sales of natural gas, even the most boosterish of Texas oil men wouldn't have predicted the U.S. could become one of the world's biggest fossil-fuel exporters so quickly.

Backers of U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, argue that the boom will produce environmental benefits because it will help China and other industrial nations wean themselves from coal and other dirtier fossil fuels.

Environmentalists counter that the massive new supplies unleashed by American advances in extracting natural gas from shale doesn't just make coal-fired power plants less competitive. LNG also competes with such zero-carbon sources of electricity as nuclear, solar and wind  potentially delaying the full adoption of greener sources. That's time climate scientists and researchers say the world doesn't have if humans hope to mitigate the worst-case consequences of our carbon emissions, including catastrophic sea-level rise, stronger storms and more wildfires.

"Typically, infrastructure has multidecadal lifespans," said Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist and director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University. "So, if we build a natural-gas plant today, that will impact carbon emissions over decades to come. So those are the critical and crucial decisions that are being made today. Do we increase access to and use of fossil fuels, or do we make decisions that limit and eventually reduce access to fossil fuels?"

While it is difficult to estimate how much America's rise as major exporter of fossil fuels is contributing to a hotter climate, some of the economic benefits are plain to see in South Korea's shipyards.

At the sprawling Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering facility on the island of Geoje, more than half of the 35 vessels scheduled for delivery in 2018 were LNG carriers. A similar number of vessels are lined up for completion next year.

South Korea's big three shipbuilders  Daewoo, Hyundai Heavy Industries and Samsung Heavy Industries  won orders for 53 new LNG carriers in 2018 at about $200 million each, soaking up the lion's share of the 62 vessels ordered globally, according to numbers compiled by the London-based shipping group Clarkson Research. South Korea is expected to finish 2018 at the top spot in orders for new commercial ships, surpassing China for the first time in seven years.

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During a visit by The Associated Press, three of the LNG carriers were being assembled inside a massive dry dock. Another 13, including The British Contributor, had been floated out to nearby berths where workers were putting on finishing touches.

U.S. LNG exports quadrupled in 2017, with this year on track to see similarly exponential growth. Nearly a fifth of all that gas goes to South Korea.

The British Contributor is the third of six LNG carriers being built by Daewoo for British energy giant BP, which will mainly use them to transport U.S. gas to Asia under a 20-year contract with the Freeport LNG facility south of Houston. Daewoo delivered four similar ships this year to the government-owned Korea Gas Corporation, which has a 20-year deal to buy gas exported from Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Louisiana.

Burning natural gas produces about half the carbon dioxide as burning coal does. LNG's increased adoption for generating electricity has been pitched by the U.S. and others as a way for nations to make progress toward meeting their emissions reductions goals under the 2015 Paris climate accord. Burning gas also creates less particulate pollution."Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" was something of a creative dare when filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller first pitched their idea to Sony executives in 2014, the same year their animated smash "The Lego Movie" put an unexpected CG animated twist on the classic toy bricks.

Coming off of two "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" hits with Sony Pictures Animation, the rising duo proposed a fresh take on one of Hollywood's most oft-rebooted superheroes: Tell the story of Miles Morales, the post-millennial African-American-Latino Brooklyn teen who takes up the Spider mantle after Peter Parker's demise in his corner of the Marvel multiverse.

They wanted to present the Spidey tale in an all-new visual language, conjuring the feeling of being inside the pages of a living, breathing comic book with a dynamism befitting the character introduced in 2011 by Brian Michael Bendis and artist Sara Pichelli.

"But," laughed Miller, looking back on that initial pitch as "Spider-Verse" was swinging into the second week of a successful holiday frame, "only if we can do it about Miles Morales and make it look crazy. And they said, 'OK.' Four years and 800 people working on it later, here we are."

Critics have sprung for "Spider-Verse" to the tune of a 97 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences have given a rare A-plus CinemaScore to the groundbreaking animated film, which opened Dec. 14 and stars Shameik Moore ("Dope") as Miles, Jake Johnson as Peter B. Parker, and a supporting cast that includes Mahershala Ali, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, Nicolas Cage, Kimiko Glenn and John Mulaney.

The film crossed $138 million worldwide in 12 days, and now, Miller and Lord (who produced along with Amy Pascal, Avi Arad and Christina Steinberg), directors Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman and their team of innovative animators are celebrating awards from critics groups, a Golden Globe nomination and Oscar buzz for their film, which is also the first to feature an inclusive, nonwhite Spider-Man.

That outsize response is all the more moving to Lord and Miller, who were replaced in 2017 as directors of the "Star Wars" film "Solo" over their improvisational process, given that the technical execution of what they were proposing back then wasn't yet possible.

"We wanted it to look like when you open a comic book or a graphic novel for the first time," said Lord, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Rothman. But CG animation methods now common in the animation world didn't have the right feel. A new aesthetic blending traditional and forward-thinking techniques would have to be birthed into existence. On "Spider-Verse," experimental innovation was a superpower.

"No one knew exactly how to accomplish that," said Miller, "but everyone was excited to figure out a way."

First, Lord and Miller assembled a team of like-minded creatives, leading with a philosophy counter to most studio mind-sets: Think outside the animated box, and don't be afraid to fail.

Their first call was to production designer Justin K. Thompson, one of several collaborators Lord and Miller brought along from the "Cloudy With a Chance" films. "Justin has a really good eye for people that are really skilled artists who will chase something down in order to discover something new," said Lord.

Blending hand-drawn animation over CG, "Spider-Verse's" team of versatile animators and programmers working under three directors also had to orchestrate disparate visual styles for the Spider-heroes and villains who converge on Miles' universe from their own dimensions, including the futuristic Spider-Gwen, anime-influenced Peni Parker, black and white 1930s-era Spider-Man Noir, and the Looney Tunes-esque Peter Porker, aka the Spectacular Spider-Ham.

"The fundamental starting point was, 'How do we make a collage film for a general audience and have these things live together, and enjoy the differences between them and relish in the themes in between these styles instead of being thrown off by them?'" said Lord. "The fact that those things don't belong together is the whole thing."

The resulting collision of characters, universes and aesthetics in Miles' graffiti-painted Brooklyn is its own impressively integrated blend of on-screen chaos, using comic-book language like panelization, action lines and dot shading to convey action, story and interior character dramatics.

Performances were filmed as a reference for the animators, who worked unscripted human moments captured in the recording studio back onto the screen.

"Everything that they did with this movie felt different," said Johnson.

"I've done animation before, and mostly you say the lines and it's got to be perfect because it's all timed out. With this, any imperfection or anything you could bring to it, if you would take a big, deep breath in between lines, thinking they'll cut it, they'd animate around that breath so that it feels more human."Tourists in Philadelphia for the holidays will be able to see the Liberty Bell this weekend despite a partial federal government shutdown that closed many national parks throughout the country.

Most of the buildings in the Independence National Historic Park including Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell Center have been shuttered since Saturday morning because of the partial shutdown.

That was bad news for tourists and the city of Philadelphia, which sees the second highest attendance at the Liberty Bell during the weekend before New Year's Day annually.

Officials at tourism and marketing group Visit Philadelphia say they're giving the park $32,000 to open Friday, Saturday and Sunday to let in the estimated 25,000 people who had planned to see the Liberty Bell this weekend.

 Associated Press

Aretha to be honored with tribute show

The Queen of Soul will get a royal tribute from Alicia Keys, Patti LaBelle, Kelly Clarkson and more next month.

The Recording Academy and music mogul Clive Davis will put on the special concert  "Aretha! A GRAMMY Celebration For The Queen Of Soul"  on Jan. 13 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The event will be broadcast in 2019 on CBS.

Yolanda Adams, Shirley Caesar, Celine Dion, John Legend, SZA and Janelle Monae will also perform some of Franklin's biggest hits at the concert. Filmmaker and actor Tyler Perry will host the event.

Tickets go on sale Friday.

- Associated Press

Court records detail Spacey's encounter

A Massachusetts man who says he was groped by Kevin Spacey at a Nantucket restaurant in 2016 caught part of his encounter with the actor on video, according to court records.

The then 18-year-old man sent a video via Snapchat to his girlfriend that allegedly showed Spacey touching the front of his pants, according to a state police report filed in Nantucket District Court and obtained by the Cape Cod Times.

Spacey's lawyers said at a show-cause hearing last week the video shows someone's hand touching another person's shirt, but does not show anyone being groped, according to The Boston Globe, which obtained an audio recording of the hearing.

Spacey, 59, faces arraignment Jan. 7 on a charge of indecent assault and battery.

The case came to light in November 2017 when former Boston news anchor Heather Unruh announced that Spacey had groped her son.

Neither Spacey nor his lawyers have addressed the allegation publicly, but Spacey did release a video Monday in the voice of Frank Underwood, his character on Netflix's "House of Cards" in which he said, "I'm certainly not going to pay the price for the thing I didn't do."

It was unclear whether he was addressing the criminal charge.

If convicted, Spacey faces up to five years in prison.

 Associated Press

Krakauer sues over adaptation of book

Author Jon Krakauer has filed suit over a musical adaptation of his 1996 book "Into the Wild."

The Boulder Daily Camera reported Friday Krakauer originally agreed to let playwrights Nikos Tsakalakos and Janet Allard use his name and the book title but changed his mind because he objected to their script.

The lawsuit asks a judge to stop the playwrights from using his name and the title. His attorneys say the agreement allows him to withdraw permission.

The lawsuit was filed Nov. 30 in state court in Boulder, where Krakauer lives.

The newspaper says the playwrights didn't respond to requests for comment.

"Into the Wild" recounts Christopher McCandless' death in the Alaska wilderness. Krakauer's lawsuit also names the Christopher Johnson McCandless Memorial Foundation, which had also agreed to the adaptation.

 Associated Press

Whitaker files for divorce from wife

Forest Whitaker has filed for divorce from his wife of 22 years, Keisha Nash-Whitaker.

The 57-year-old "Black Panther" actor cites irreconcilable differences in the divorce filing Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The brief document says the exact value of the couple's assets and debts are unclear and will be determined later.

The couple has two daughters together, and each has a child from a previous relationship. All four are adults.

 Associated PressALBANY  Republican control of the state Senate is being wiped away  one placard at a time.

At the Capitol, signs of the Democratic takeover of what had been the last bastion of GOP power in state government are more prevalent as the new year approaches. Conference rooms are changing hands. The news of retirements and pink slips collide with announcements of new hires. Lobbyists cozy up to the new majority members. The password to the official Senate Twitter account is discreetly handed off, and then changed by the victors.

Even the chamber's seating chart will be rearranged.

The transition is the result of the electoral landslide in November, when Democrats flipped eight Senate seats held by Republicans and grew their membership to at least 39 senators, the biggest majority in memory.

In New York, November's blue wave also led to the defeat of three Republican members of Congress, including freshman John Faso, and delivered a record 3.6 million votes for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's second re-election bid.

But it's the rise of the Senate Democrats that will have the most aftershocks, and appears likely to radically alter the type of laws that are passed in Albany.

Progressive priorities that were dead on arrival in the Republican-controlled Senate  such as bills codifying abortion protections, expanding LGBTQ rights, revamping civil and criminal sexual abuse statutes and enacting voting reforms  are expected to cruise to passage after state legislators return.

Policies such as legalizing recreational marijuana will be a heavier lift and could take months. Overhauling health care delivery will take longer.

"We're not going to get everything done on one day," acknowledged Sen.-elect Andrew Gounardes, an incoming Brooklyn Democrat who knocked off a 16-year Republican incumbent.

Sen. Jim Seward, a central New York Republican, hopes his conservative colleagues can pump the brakes or even halt elements of the progressive wish list.

"When we get back in January, you'll be hearing a lot from the Senate minority," Seward said.

The most radical transformation will be to the composition of the legislative bureaucracy in the state Senate, the behind-the-scenes civil servants and political appointees. Republicans enjoyed 70 percent of the budget for staffing while in the majority, and will only get 30 percent when they officially become the minority in January.

The shift has led to retirements  among them the Senate secretary, journal clerk and director of chamber operations  as well as moves to other government offices, pay cuts and terminations as Democrats take the prerogative to fill dozens of additional jobs.

Incumbent Republicans are cutting their personnel by about a third, and giving up more desirable office space in the Capitol complex.

"Those are things you can put up with," said Seward. "We went through that for two years 10 years ago."

He was scheduled to move out of his fourth-floor Capitol office on Friday, while most senators will continue to play musical chairs with their offices into the first few weeks of the new year.

While Gounardes still needs to find a district office and conduct more than 40 job interviews to fill out his staff, some of the day-to-day operations will initially carry over from his predecessor.

"I do get to take Sen. (Marty) Golden's parking place in Albany and (Legislative Office Building) office for now," he said.

Senate Republicans hope this handoff of power will be undone in two years, similar to the rapid reversal that occurred in 2010, when the slim Democratic majority in the state Senate was wiped away by GOP electoral gains.

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It's particularly important for the GOP's long-term viability, noted Seward: The next majority will have a larger say over the once-a-decade redistricting process that redraws legislative boundaries.

Democrats, however, enjoy a comfortable majority and can afford to lose seats without falling into the minority. And 2020 will be a presidential year, when Democrats in New York tend to do better than in midterm elections.

But there is the possibility that Republicans could make inroads in the five seats Democrats picked up this year that favor Republicans in presidential years, including two districts on Long Island, one in Brooklyn and two in the Hudson Valley. At the same time, though, Republicans will likely be playing defense in six of their seats that lean Democratic, including one in Syracuse and two around Rochester.

Before the legislative process begins on the Capitol's third floor, changes are occurring on the second floor, home to the Executive Chamber.

Cuomo's cabinet will be reshaped for 2019, with the heads of agencies overseeing financial services, parks, and environmental conservation among the departing leaders. His central staff is being recast, including the elevation of the administration's voice, Richard Azzopardi, to senior adviser.

The past election also saw New York City Public Advocate Letitia James, a Brooklyn Democrat, improve her position if she decides to pursue the governor's mansion. She'll take office next month as state attorney general, which has been the launching pad for the past two elected governors.

The Democratic nomination for the job became wide open after Eric Schneiderman resigned the job in May, following accusations of violence against multiple women.

If Cuomo isn't on the ballot in four years, James could be a natural contender to succeed him.

David.Lombardo@timesunion.com - 518.454.5427 - @poozer87Friday morning's winter weather advisory continues until 10 a.m. in parts of the greater Capital Region, the National Weather Service said.

The advisory area includes the Lake George and Saratoga region, Adirondacks and southern Vermont.

Overnight, freezing rain and sleet made road conditions slippery throughout the Capital Region.

The winter weather advisory for most of the area expired at 7 a.m.

A few programs in outlying areas are canceled or delayed because of the weather.

CLICK HERE FOR THE UPDATED LIST.

Guilderland Police warned drivers early Friday to drive carefully because of ice.

"Be vigilant; black ice in all areas of the town," the warning said.

Police reported accidents on the Northway and I90 as well as secondary roads.

As temperatures climb, the precipitation will turn to all rain for most of Friday.

Here's the forecast through the long holiday weekend:

Friday: Rain, mainly before 5pm. High near 48. South wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Friday Night: A chance of rain before 7pm, then a chance of showers, mainly between 7pm and midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. South wind 8 to 11 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

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Saturday: A slight chance of rain showers before noon, then a slight chance of rain and snow showers between noon and 3pm, then a slight chance of snow showers after 3pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 40. West wind 15 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 16. Northwest wind 7 to 13 mph.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 30.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 25.

Monday: A chance of rain after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 40. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Monday Night: Rain. Low around 38. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

New Year's Day: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 47.

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28.SARATOGA SPRINGS - When Raul Martinez suddenly left the National Museum of Dance's School of the Arts last year, the newly appointed museum director, Laura DiRado, said the choice of successor was clear  joint leadership from Joan Anderson and Cristiane Santos.

The two women  both accomplished professional dancers with 26 years of combined experience teaching at the School of the Arts. were appointed co-directors in October. They finish each other's sentences, unable to contain their enthusiasm for the school's current class offerings and future plans. They seek a mix of inclusiveness and high-quality classes to groom professionals. In that effort, they brim with goals for new workshops, guest teachers, performances and the school's ballet training.

"We have a lot of ideas," Santos said.

"We want to go all in. But we have to take things slow. We have to be conservative," Anderson said. "That's how we complement each other. We bounce off ideas. We work well together."

The school, which sits behind the South Broadway museum, has always zeroed in on the art of ballet. But over the years, it has embraced other techniques including jazz, tap, Irish step and Middle Eastern dance, and holistic movement practices like yoga, Vinyasa flow and gyrokinesis.

Its 200 students are all ages and abilities. Preschoolers skip and play in Leslie Kettlewell's popular Creative Movement class, and an adult ballet class is open to all and there are sessions for social dance fans and those living with Parkinson's disease.

"The main theme is the school is open to all," Santos said. "You are accepted at any age and we find the best class for you."

The heart of the program remains ballet training for young people who aspire to a career on the stage. In guiding their students, the co-directors draw on their professional and academic experience. Anderson danced with Cedar Lake II, American Ballet Theatre's second company, Ballet Contemporaneos de Burgos and Philadanco. She is a master teacher who has taught at Skidmore College.

Santosperformed with Dance Theatre of Harlem and taught ballet and tap for seven years at Ballet Vera Bublitz in Brazil, her home country. With Dance Theatre of Harlem, she taught movement classes in New York City schools. She is also certified in gyrokinesis, which she has taught in New York City at Studio Riverside, Steps on Broadway, and Ballet Arts at City Center. She guest taught for Ballet Hispanico School of Dance Summer Program, the Hartwick College Dance Team and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.

While DiRado says the Anderson-Santos team was a no-brainer, the museum director had to convince the Board of Directors to consider them. DiRado said Board President Michele Riggi wanted to hire Darci Kistler to head the school. She Kistler is a revered ballerina, one of the last hand-picked by the City Ballet's founder George Balanchine, and is the wife of the former New York City Ballet's Ballet Master in Chief Peter Martins, who resigned in January after he was accused of sexual harassment and verbal and physical abuse of the company's dancers. Kistler was a principal dancer with the company during the company's summer stay at Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

DiRado intervened on behalf of Anderson and Santos who took on much of the day-to-day running of the school after Martinez left. They did it without the title or recognition.

"After many urging conversations, the board chair agreed to meet with Joan and Cristiane and eventually appointed them as co-directors of the School," DiRado said.

Donna Skiff, current acting director, say that Anderson and Santos are a good choice to run the school.

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As co-directors, Anderson and Santos are proud of the dancers they have nurtured  one has been accepted into Miami City Ballet's school; another, a ballet student at Indiana University, will attend the Royal Ballet School; and last summer, a number of students performed in the National Ballet of Cuba's "Giselle" at SPAC. This past holiday season, 70 of the school's dancers performed the Snow pas de deux and second act from "The Nutcracker." Next year, the co-directors plan to stage the full Tchaikovsky ballet.

"They are ready," Anderson said. "The kids are so excited."

Santos said the fine training that the serious ballet students receive is available to everyone.

"We don't create restrictions," Santos said. "We teach proper ballet technique and we have teachers who are very dedicated. They are here because they love to teach. The kids are their number one priority."

Anderson said they have many students who want to spend all day, every day at the school because they love dance so much. She said she can relate as that's how she was as a child training at Pennsylvania Regional Ballet. But she said it doesn't matter how much or how little a student dances at the school because everyone gains from ballet  especially at the School of the Arts.

"The kids are being taught correctly," Anderson said. "Even if you come once a week, you are still being taught right."

When it opened in 2008, the School of the Arts was one of several ballet schools in the city. With the exception of the recently rebooted Saratoga City Ballet, all have folded. Only the School of the Arts has maintained a thriving student roster. Anderson believes that will continue as the school is welcoming, parents like it there and the ballet program is that good.

"We think our future will be more intensive ballet," Anderson said. "There is so much out there. So much good dance that we want to expose the kids to."

"We want," said Santos, "to open their minds about the possibilities out there."Littleton, Colo.

Pedro Gonzalez has faith in Donald Trump and his party. The 55-year-old Colombian immigrant is a pastor at an evangelical church in suburban Denver. Initially repelled by Trump in 2016, he's been heartened by the president's steps to protect religious groups and appoint judges who oppose abortion rights. More important, Gonzalez sees Trump's presidency as part of a divine plan.

"It doesn't matter what I think," Gonzalez said of the president. "He was put there."

Though Latino voters are a key part of the Democratic coalition, there is a larger bloc of reliable Republican Latinos than many think. And the GOP's position among Latinos has not weakened during the Trump administration, despite the president's rhetoric against immigrants and the party's shift to the right on immigration.

In November's elections, 32 percent of Latinos voted for Republicans, according to AP VoteCast data. The survey of more than 115,000 midterm voters  including 7,738 Latino voters  was conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago.

Other surveys also found roughly one-third of Latinos supporting the GOP. Data from the Pew Research Center and from exit polls suggests that a comparable share of about 3 in 10 Latino voters supported Trump in 2016. That tracks the share of Latinos supporting Republicans for the last decade.

The stability of Republicans' share of the Latino vote frustrates Democrats, who say actions like Trump's family separation policy and his demonization of an immigrant caravan should drive Latinos out of the GOP.

"The question is not are Democrats winning the Hispanic vote  it's why aren't Democrats winning the Hispanic vote 80-20 or 90-10 the way black voters are?" said Fernand Amandi, a Miami-based Democratic pollster. He argues Democrats must invest more in winning Latino voters.

The VoteCast data shows that, like white voters, Latinos are split by gender  61 percent of men voted Democratic in November, while 69 percent of women did. And while Republican-leaning Latinos can be found everywhere in the country, two groups stand out as especially likely to back the GOP  evangelicals and veterans.

Evangelicals comprised about one-quarter of Latino voters, and veterans were 13 percent. Both groups were about evenly split between the two parties. Mike Madrid, a Republican strategist in California, said those groups have reliably provided the GOP with many Latino votes for years.

"They stick and they do not go away," Madrid said. Much as with Trump's own core white voters, attacks on the president and other Republicans for being anti-immigrant "just make them dig in even more," he added.

Sacramento-based Rev. Sam Rodriguez, one of Trump's spiritual advisers, said evangelical Latinos have a clear reason to vote Republican. "Why do 30 percent of Latinos still support Trump? Because of the Democratic Party's obsession with abortion," Rodriguez said. "It's life and religious liberty and everything else follows."

Some conservative Latinos say their political leanings make them feel more like a minority than their ethnicity does. Irina Vilarino, 43, a Miami restaurateur and Cuban immigrant, said she had presidential bumper stickers for Sen. John McCain, Mitt Romney and Trump scratched off her car. She said she never suffered from discrimination growing up in a predominantly white south Florida community, "but I remember during the McCain campaign being discriminated against because I supported him."

The 2018 election was good to Democrats, but Florida disappointed them. They couldn't convince enough of the state's often right-leaning Cuban-American voters to support Sen. Bill Nelson, who was ousted by the GOP's Spanish-speaking Gov. Rick Scott, or rally behind Democrats' gubernatorial candidate, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who lost to Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis.

Still, in the rest of the country, there were signs that pleased Democrats. Latinos voted at high rates in an election that saw record-setting turnout among all demographic groups. Latinos normally have among the worst midterm turnout rates, and while official data won't be available for months, a number of formerly-Republican congressional districts in California and New Mexico flipped Democratic.

That's why Republicans shouldn't take solace from being able to consistently win about one-third of Latinos, said Madrid.

They're still losing two-thirds of an electorate that's being goaded into the voting booth by Trump.

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"That is contributing to the death spiral of the Republican Party  even if it holds at 30 percent," Madrid said. "That's a route to death, it's just a slower one."

Gonzalez, the pastor, sees the trend in Colorado. He distributed literature across Spanish-speaking congregations supporting Republican gubernatorial candidate Walker Stapleton, who was crushed by Democratic Rep. Jared Polis as the GOP lost every race for statewide office.

Gonzalez understands the anger among some Latinos at the GOP and Trump for what he says is a false impression of a solely hardline immigration stance. "In the community that is not informed, that is following the rhetoric of the media, there's a view that Donald Trump is a bad guy," Gonzalez said. Evangelicals "understand that he's there to defend values."

Gonzalez's church is Iglesia Embajada del Reino, or Church of the Kingdom's Embassy. On a recent Saturday night, an eight-piece band played Spanish-language Christian rock before Gonzalez walked to the podium. Wearing a blue corduroy blazer, blue shirt and grey slacks, Gonzalez, a onetime member of a Marxist group in Colombia, told his congregants that they were ambassadors of a higher power  the kingdom of God.

"It's important that your political opinions, your social opinions," not enter into it, Gonzalez said. "We need to represent the position of 'The Kingdom.'"

Gonzalez did not mention Trump in his sermon, though he spoke about the Bible as a book of governance. Afterward the congregation gathered for bowls of posole, a traditional Mexican soup. When politics came up, church-goers struggled to balance their enthusiasm for some of Trump's judicial appointments with their distaste at his rhetoric and actions.

"I think the president has good, Christian principles," said Jose Larios, a parks worker. "But we feel as Latinos that he doesn't embrace our community, and our community is good and hard-working."

Oscar Murillo, a 37-year-old horse trainer, is not a fan of Trump's. But he tries to stay open-minded about Republicans.

He voted for the GOP candidate for state attorney general, who visited the congregation before the election. "He's in the same party as Trump, but he seems different," Murillo said.TROY  City Council President Carmella Mantello issued a statement Friday taking responsibility for her actions Wednesday evening, when she was arrested in Clifton Park for driving while intoxicated at the end of what State Police described as an aggressive driving incident.

"I understand the severity of my actions and take full responsibility," Mantello said in the emailed statement. "I apologize to my family, friends and constituents and am deeply sorry that I let you down. I expect more from myself.EAST NASSAU  One person was killed in an early-morning house fire Friday, police said.

Police received a call about a fire at 442 Saddleback Ridge Road around 4:30 a.m. The structure, which appeared to be a trailer home, had burned to the ground.

The identity of the victim was not released on Friday.

As of 7:30 a.m., fire crews remained at the scene. The incident is under investigation by the Rensselaer County Sheriff's office.

This is the second fatal house fire in the Capital Region in just two days. On Wednesday morning, Dec. 26, a person was killed in a fire at a town home at 25 Sarazen Street in Saratoga Springs.New York

The #MeToo movement is empowering victims of sexual assault to speak up like never before, but what should be a watershed moment for holding assailants accountable has coincided with a troubling trend: Police departments in the U.S. are becoming less and less likely to successfully close rape investigations.

The so-called "clearance rate" for rape cases fell last year to its lowest point since at least the 1960s, according to FBI data provided to The Associated Press. That nadir may be driven, at least in part, by a greater willingness by police to correctly classify rape cases and leave them open even when there is little hope of solving them.

But experts say it also reflects the fact that not enough resources are being devoted to investigating sexual assault at a time when more victims are entrusting police with their harrowing experiences.

"This is the second-most serious crime in the FBI's crime index," said Carol Tracy, executive director of the Women's Law Project in Philadelphia, "and it simply doesn't get the necessary resources from police."

Police successfully closed just 32 percent of rape investigations nationwide in 2017, according to the data, ranking it second only to robbery as the least-solved violent crime. That statistic is down from about 62 percent in 1964, despite advances such as DNA testing.

The FBI provided The AP with a dataset of rape statistics dating back to the early 1960s  which includes more data than the sets the bureau releases each fall.

The grim report card has prompted debate among criminal justice experts, with some attributing the falling clearance rate to an antiquated approach to investigations.

"You'd figure with all the new technology  and the fact that the overwhelming majority of victims of sexual assault know their attacker  the clearance rates would be a lot higher," said Joseph Giacalone, a former New York City police sergeant who teaches at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

"It's almost as if forensics and DNA has let us down," he said.

Experts agree that sexual assault is one of the most confounding crimes police confront. Many investigations lack corroborating witnesses and physical evidence. A significant chunk of complaints are reported months or years after the fact. Researchers believe only a third of rapes are reported.

Historically, some detectives also discouraged women from pursuing tough-to-prove charges against boyfriends, husbands or close acquaintances. The declining clearance rate could mean that investigators in some places are finally classifying rape investigations properly, said Kim Lonsway, research director at End Violence Against Women International.

Rather than hastily "clearing" certain tough-to-solve cases, she said, some police departments have begun "suspending" them, meaning they remain open indefinitely. That leaves open the possibility there could someday be an arrest.

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"This may be an indicator of some positive things," Lonsway said. The FBI's clearance numbers provide an incomplete picture of how often rapists are brought to justice. That's because they also include "exceptional clearances," where police close an investigation without charging anyone, for reasons beyond the department's control. The figures do not specify the percentage of rape cases that are exceptionally cleared compared with those resulting in arrests, but state data can fill out the picture in some places.

Sam Gaspardo said that when she reported in 2011 that she had been sexually assaulted, police in Woodbury, Minnesota, lacked a sense of urgency.

Investigators in the St. Paul suburb expressed frustration that she delayed reporting the attack for more than a year and couldn't recall the precise date. One time, when she phoned to follow up on her case, she was put on hold indefinitely.

"To me, it felt like it was invalidated," Gaspardo said. "I was just completely dismissed."

Woodbury Police Cmdr. Steve Wills acknowledged that Gaspardo's complaint fell through the cracks and was not investigated for years, something he called "a system failure." "Obviously, we own that," Wills said.

Wills said authorities have "no reason not to believe" Gaspardo but decided a few weeks ago they could not prove her alleged attacker had forced her into intercourse.

He acknowledged police would have been in a far better position to investigate the case had they begun looking into the matter immediately.

"It can make a person so angry," Gaspardo said. "Are women supposed to start wearing body cameras when they're alone in a room with somebody?"Why Cloud - Better Forecasting, and Scheduling - Technology Benefits Contact Centers

Every business leader will tell you he or she wants to deliver great customer service. But the leader of just about every organization also wants to control business costs. The good news is that automated and on-demand software-based solutions now enable these leaders to do both. Those solutions may also help businesses attract and retain the best workers.

Were talking here about cloud-based contact center and business communications and collaboration offerings. Organizations that use such solutions, which live in the cloud, lower their upfront costs. Using these solutions also help businesses decrease their system maintenance and upgrade costs over time.

Cloud-based solutions support remote work strategies. Thats because they allow any authorized party with a broadband connection, a computer, and the right credentials to log into the cloud system. That means greater flexibility for workers. And it can equate to more engaged employees.

For employers, that flexibility translates into a broader pool of employee candidates from which to choose, the ability to call on workers as needed based on demand, and lower overhead costs. Thats because businesses dont need to do overstaffing to make sure they can meet spikes in demand. And they can avoid some or all of the overhead involved with leasing or buying office space; heating and cooling that space; furnishing employees with chairs, desks, and computers; and having site insurance.

Gaining the greatest benefit from such on-demand talent calls for organizations to employ software that does automated, intelligent forecasting, scheduling, monitoring and measurement, and adherence and intraday tracking and prescriptive adjustments. Advanced forecasting and scheduling solutions also can help organizations better prepare for the future by accurately accessing what kind of talent theyll need when.

That way, businesses will know how many agents to hire (or contract) and train. And theyll understand what other resources they will probably need based on their forecasts.

Edited by Maurice Nagle[December 27, 2018] Voice Over Lte Market: Increasing Competition Amongst Telecom Operators

Voice over LTE Market is a digital packet voice service which is delivered over internet protocol (IP) via LTE network access. The technology also empowers the network operators for providing rich video and voice calling services. It allows the operators to optimize their spectrum efficiency and utilize their IMS infrastructure thereby adding value to their existing plans. It allows the telecom operators to offer new standards based on various services such as Rich Communication Services (RCS). It includes voicemail, video, instant messaging, real time language translation and video calling. The RCS reduces the timing interval to connect VoLTE calls and improve the devices battery life over other applications.







Increasing demand for richer and more reliable voice services is expected to drive the Voice over LTE Market. Increased spectrum efficiency is expected to support the industry demand from 2017 to 2025. The declining revenue of SMS and traditional voice calling owing to cheaper internet packs and new upcoming technologies have driven the demand for the VoLTE services in recent years. Increased deployment of LTE networks and high speed package access (HSPA) has attracted varied telecom operators to enter into this industry.



The necessity of receiver and transmitter (communication devices) supporting VoLTE technology, high pricing structure and limited 4G coverage is expected to restrain the industry growth over the forecast timeline. As voice calling, internet surfing and video streaming will be considered under same data plan, the customers will eventually consume more data ending up paying high for the data charges.





However, increasing competition amongst telecom operators to acquire 4G space, growing adoption of VoLTE supported devices and stabilized prices is expected to influence the market dynamics over the forecast timeframe. For instance, in June 2017, Sprint announced an unlimited data plan for a year in the U.S. for the customers who switch from AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile. Earlier this year, the major U.S. cellphone carriers have launched unlimited data plans of which Sprint has launched this plan as a strategy to target maximum subscribers on their network.



Indian telecom operator Reliance has launched free introductory Jio 4G net services for 6 months in India as a strategy to acquire the maximum market share. This introductory offer has benefited Reliance Jio to acquire the maximum market share in its launching phases of Indian telecom industry. Moreover, the company is also offering its LYF smart mobiles for about US$ 46 by integrating the business vertically thereby forcing other operators to slash their existing data prices. As an effect, Bharti Airtel, Idea and Vodafone are planning to roll out VoLTE services in the country by the end of September 2017.



Request Sample : https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=29249 Key industry participants are AT&T Inc, Verizon Wireless, Mitel Networks Corporation, Ericsson, LG Uplus, and Alcatel-Lucent. Mergers and acquisitions are the key competitive strategies adopted by the industry players. For instance, in February 2016, Mitel Corporation has deployed voice and video over LTE in Indonesia through Smartfren telecom operator. Indonesia is the fifth country where Mitel has introduced its VoLTE services after North America and Europe by collaborating with telecom operators T-Mobile in US and 3UK in Europe.



In March 2015, Nokia Networks has implemented first VoLTE implementation in Colombia and Latin America. In Colombia, Avantel has selected Nokia for deploying VoLTE services thereby starting the small cell LTE networks in the country.



AT&T is also focusing towards expanding Voice over LTE Market roaming coverage in the Asia Pacific region. For instance, in February 2017, it has launched its VoLTE services in Hong Kong and South Korea. The company has provided these services with collaboration with telecom operators SK Telecom in South Korea and SmarTone and CSL in Hong Kong. It has also launched VoLTE services by collaborating with NTT Docomo in Japan and is focusing towards collaborating with additional service providers. As a community-building service, TMCnet allows user submitted content which is not always proofed by TMCnet editors. If you feel this entry is of inferior quality or wish to report it for some reason, please forward the URL to "webedit [AT] tmcnet [DOT] com" with your comments.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]Three more days and another new year; 2019 would dawn with sky rockets, firecrackers and 31st Night bashes in Colombo. For the fun loving urban middle class, the Constitutional crisis, the threat on democracy there was a month ago, is no more. For them, its yet another New Year with grand expectations; joy, good health, peace and prosperity. No different to the sky rockets, firecrackers, barbecues, beverages, music and dancing of yesteryears and what was wished for one year ago and every year before that.



Beneath all that fun and frolic in the city the political crisis festers into 2019. A scary situation, a crisis that demands alternate answers to resurrect a new democratic State in place of the present corrupt and the crumbling. This crisis is many faceted. From Ministry Secretaries, Department heads to District Secretaries and down to Grama Niladharies, the whole State administration is corrupt and inefficient. The Police Department needs serious reforms to turn it into a civil department with public acceptance and trust. Independence and integrity of the judiciary is lot more than a historic decision of the SC that pleases the urban social activists. Clean and efficient it has to be, to be independent. The free market economy has topped all that with heavy corruption and growing disparities between urban and rural life.

Answers dont come with blind faith on individuals. Getting back to an insanely corrupt parliament on a SC ruling is not getting back to democracy. All political parties represented in parliament led by autocratic leaders represent wheeler dealers growing out of this free market economy. Such political parties dont take principle positions on any issues.They work on cheap, populist slogans instead. Free market economies are not only inherently corrupt, they also breed ethno-religious extremism.Thats one major reason the Tamil National Question remains unresolved this long though ITAK leaders would continue to believe in these leader seven after the New Year dawn.



Within all that the liberty to roam for employment and to decide and choose his or her basket of goodies came to be interpreted as freedom and democracy. The free and open market with a growing urban middle class struggling to increase its purchasing power too is being showcased as development. The rural folk, thats 70.4 per cent of the population of this country, Sinhala, Tamil and Muslims all included, live in the periphery of the slow moving and almost stagnant market. They lack buying power to be of any worth in this consumer society. Buying power is not purchases of the poor who buy to live. Buying power is the extra rupee of the urban middle class who spend on extra comfort. It is therefore not just cash flow and profits that decide poverty in neo liberal economies. Its the marginalising of rural life, the neglect of State funded priority services like education, health and public transport that defines poverty.



Within that lopsided market,poverty alleviation is a crude game of numbers. Poverty line drawn around Rs.4,000 per person per month claims Sri Lankas poor is around 5.0 to 6.0 per cent while the Household Income & Expenditure Survey by the Census & Statistics Department says an urban family of 04 needs a monthly income of Rs.58,930 for basic living while in rural society it is Rs.38,274 per month. Over decades, this has also created a growing and a gnawing disparity with 20 per cent of the population enjoying 52.6 per cent of the per capita income, leaving the majority with little or no access to basics in life.

"Import of vehicles should be restricted giving preference strictly for public transport and other productive use, to ease growing traffic congestions"



Yet within this free for the filthy rich market economy, no government can plan for sustainable economic growth with equal opportunities and access to social benefits. Planning in a free market economy is about opening up for more and more investors. This leads to increasing restrictions on access to health, education, public commuting, access to markets and cultural and intellectual life. Break down of moral and social values are unavoidable accompaniments. We thus have to re define development People need for a contended life. Not only in terms of material purchases but also in terms of cultural and intellectual life.

Sketch for 2019 Manifesto

Development defined for a contended life, we need to work on a National Policy on Socio Economic Development that should include,



A. Education - reforms seriously thought and planned for pre, primary, secondary, tertiary, university and post university higher education including adult education. Curricula should focus on cultural and secular life. Free education to be defined in terms of marginalised, the poor and the less privileged. In-service training and regular knowledge improvement/advancement for teaching profession needs inclusion, making teaching a socially respected profession at the high end.



B. Health - needs overall change in perception from curative health to preventive community health. Major focus to gradually reduce patients seeking treatment in hospitals. Curative health needs strong referral system across both State and private sector. Preventive health sector personnel should have improved modern training.Regular eye, dental and ENT clinics should be compulsory as State responsibility from pre-school to Grade V; 10 years in a childs life. Focus being to produce a healthy future generation.



C. Public transport  government to take full responsibility for an efficient, affordable and a comfortable public service. Import of vehicles should be restricted giving preference strictly for public transport and other productive use, to ease growing traffic congestions. City commuting should have efficient linking between rail and bus transport to reduce individual private vehicles entering cities. Schools should promote bicycle travel with pupils resident within 02 km enrolled to public schools and all school service vehicles banned.



D. National economy - should be people driven and not investor driven. Should be planned with a guarantee on a minimum national wage for decent work. Economy to be regulated, with focus on the South Asianmarket. Rural economy should be planned to greatly reduce migration in search of employment to cities and Mideast. Economic planning should accommodate adequate green canopy in all cities, guaranteeing a forest cover not below that in 1990,with guarantee on wetland and coast conservation.



E. Agriculture - requires a wholly different approach to subsidised farming. Subsidised paddy farming in the dry zone needs rethinking.It leaves labour idling for half the year and large tracts of seasonally underutilised land. Complete neglect of post-harvest technology for most agri-products denies stabilised market prices throughout the year with glut harvests leaving farmers at the mercy of middlemen.



F. Cultural and intellectual development  economic development should facilitate the development of a culturally advanced Citizen. All development planning thus should include modern facilities in all provinces for modern museums on different subjects, modern and multidimensional libraries, fully equipped auditoriums, theatre halls and also recreational centres and parks for both children and adults.



G. Media  State media should be taken out of ministerial authority and placed under an independent public authority. Unlike private print media, all electronic media using digital frequency spectrums should be regulated for social responsibility. An independent authority should be responsible for short term lease of digital frequencies and their terms and conditions in detail, made public.

The challenge is to create an

inclusive State that can bear responsibility for such a broad and complex new approach for development with a paradigm change. The problem lies with the Sri Lankan State. It was conceived, established and improved upon by the British over a period of about 130 years as a Unitary State. When Ceylon was handed over to the Colombo elite as an independent State, centralising was structured and firm, centred in Colombo. That centralised colonial State was re fashioned as a Sinhala Buddhist Unitary State by both the UNP and the SLFP leaderships. In the first parliament, the UNP government disfranchised and turned plantation Tamil labour into Stateless wage earners.



Usurping of power by Sinhala Buddhist leaderships continued with Sinhala made the only official language in 1956. The first Republican Constitution in 1972 made certain the Sinhala Buddhist Unitary State remained further strengthened by fostering the Buddhist Sangha as a privileged religious clergy (Chapter 02 Article 09 says the State as a duty will protect and foster the Buddha Sasana, ie., the clergy). This allowed the Colombo centred governments to directly patronise Buddhist monks who became a legitimate political factor in the Sinhala South. The Colombo centred Sinhala Buddhist Unitary State since independence reveals how development has left the rural Sinhala people marginalised.

The lesson learnt is, a Centralised Unitary State, would leave development as a privilege of the Colombo centred urban life.Development should ensure a fully contented life to all Citizens with dignity, peace and stability.

What could then be the alternate model? A way out would be to,



1. Have a carefully regulated open market that will not turn citizens into screaming consumers in an atomised society

2. Shift investments to planned and identified economic sectors with strict conditions laid down for employment and safeguards on employee rights

3. Restructure local government and provincial councils as participatory democratic organs of governance

4. Ensure public policy making is open and participatory and is adopted within a national development plan

All or most of these would need a new Constitution dialogued in society, consented to and approved by the people. I would propose the APRC Final Report (accessed here - http://www.groundviews.org/wp-content/uploads/July-20-APRC-Final-Report.pdf?x98647) as the main discussion document for 2019 to have all its Greetings and Good Wishes worthy of the year.[December 27, 2018] Guardforce introduces Smart Bins for Smart City waste management

Innovative cloud-based software and sensors deployed to maximise bin capacity and minimise hazards and operational costs HONG KONG, Dec. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading security and innovative services provider Guardforce has launched a cutting-edge waste management solution, Smart Bins, making use of sensors and integrated technology to maximise rubbish bin capacity and enhance waste collection efficiency and safety. Tailored for waste bin management in public and private facilities with heavy human traffic, the technology-driven solution can ultimately reduce the frequency of waste collection, thus contributing to easing traffic and mitigating road-side emissions and fuel consumption, in support of Hong Kong's Smart City ideals. The bin will be displayed at Building 5W of Hong Kong Science Park (near the shuttle bus stop) from late January, and will be rolled out throughout the city in 2019. A smarter bin for a smarter city Guardforce Group CEO Mr Terence Yap said: "Guardforce has been at the forefront of taking security services high tech as we strive to secure the present and innovate for the future. The Smart Bin is our latest endeavour to leverage technology to make our environment and our city highly liveable. The solution will help the city tackle the nagging issue of managing waste bins. With our solution, we hope to eliminate the problem of overflowing waste bins and fire hazards posed by waste bins, while optimising the efficiency of waste collection and disposal." Guardforce's Smart Bins solution is integrated with cloud-based software and the latest Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to detect the condition of the bins at any time an maintain optimal hygiene and safety for users and facilities.



There are four key elements that set Guardforce Smart Bins apart, namely: The Ultrasonic Fill-level Sensor -- This sensor is embedded inside the bin to detect how full it is, and sends the data back to a cloud-based analytics platform to alert those responsible for the bin.







-- This sensor is embedded inside the bin to detect how full it is, and sends the data back to a cloud-based analytics platform to alert those responsible for the bin. Solar-powered Trash Compactors -- When the waste inside a bin reaches a pre-set level, the solar-powered trash compactor will be activated to compress the waste, allowing the bin to hold up to eight times more waste and reduce the collection frequency by up to 80%. This is especially helpful for managing bins in remote areas like large parks or beachside areas and campsites.





-- When the waste inside a bin reaches a pre-set level, the solar-powered trash compactor will be activated to compress the waste, allowing the bin to hold up to eight times more waste and reduce the collection frequency by up to 80%. This is especially helpful for managing bins in remote areas like large parks or beachside areas and campsites. Fleet Management Platform -- All the information on all the bins in a given area is gathered through one monitoring platform and a single dashboard, so cleaning staff can work more efficiently and tailor their routes to tackle the bins most in need of emptying first.





-- All the information on all the bins in a given area is gathered through one monitoring platform and a single dashboard, so cleaning staff can work more efficiently and tailor their routes to tackle the bins most in need of emptying first. Safety Detection -- An intelligent sensor is installed to, for example, stop the compacting process if a hand is detected. The temperature sensor inside the bin can detect fire and will send an immediate signal to notify the refuse management team and put out the fire. Efficient Waste Management The Smart Bin is ideal for heavy human traffic locations such as campuses, theme parks, airports, railway stations and shopping malls. "Managing our waste in a smarter manner is very important to the quality of our daily lives, and Guardforce, a pioneer of innovative smart city solutions, is contributing to improving waste management with Smart Bins," said Mr Terence Yap. "No matter how you look at them, Smart Bins make sense, and could be a real boon not just to smart cities as a whole, but to all stakeholders in waste management, be it service providers, public and private enterprises and environmental groups. Smart Bins help to create a cleaner, safer, more hygienic environment and enhanced operational efficiency, while reducing management costs, resources and road-side emissions," he added. For more on Smart Bins and other Guardforce innovation, visit https://www.guardforce.com.hk/en/security-technologies/smart-bin, or contact Guardforce at tel: 2765 2861, email: [email protected] . About Guardforce Guardforce, Hong Kong's leading security services provider established since 1977, offers top-notch security services to Hong Kong's major banks, retailers and companies dealing with high volumes of cash incomes. The company provides a full range of security services, from Cash-in-Transit, Guarding to Electronic Security. Currently, Guardforce transports more than HK$6 billion of cash daily to and from more than 5,000 locations. Increasingly, Guardforce is leveraging state-of-art technology and extending the company's established capabilities to create innovative solutions, such as our award-winning Mobile Safe, Hong Kong's first 24-hour door-to-door safe deposit box service; the pioneering Anti-wandering solution for elderly care facilities, using facial recognition technology and a facility's CCTV surveillance setup to prevent elderly residents from wandering off premises; Guardforce Real-time Insured Defence (GRID), a 3-in-1 cyber security solution with 24-hour network monitoring and management service; our Patrol Robot for labour optimisation and our latest Tri-guard safe deposit service, Hong Kong first automated safe deposit service. For more details, please visit our website https://www.guardforce.com.hk/en/. Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20181224/2335026-1 SOURCE Guardforce Limited

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][December 27, 2018] The Motion Keyboard "Mokibo" Launches Crowdfunding Campaign on JD.com

SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Since virtual keyboards on tablets are designed to be used on display screen, it can be easy to make typing errors, which can be particularly frustrating when working on a document. Smaller touchpads or joysticks are also not as convenient as a mouse. For this reason, many tablet users used to carry portable keyboards and mouse. The motion keyboard Mokibo, developed by Innopresso, a member of K-ICT Born2Global Centre, will soon be launched to solve some of these problems. The keyboard module of Mokibo will switch to 'touch mode' if you put your finger on the mouse button. The motion keyboard Mokibo implements a large-sized touchpad on a keyboard without a separate touchpad or mouse. This was made possible because of the smart mode-switchig algorithm and motion-recognition technology. Mokibo is also unique as the most space-efficient product currently available among all touchpad-imbedded keyboards. Despite its portable size, Mokibo offers both a full-sized keyboard and a large touchpad and that is why it has high utility as a portable keyboard. If a laptop manufacturer uses the Mokibo module, it can save touchpad space, which can reduce the thickness of a laptop by about 4.3% and reduce its weight by approximately 3.9%. In addition to these reductions, the touchpad can actually be expanded by up to three times larger then normal notebook touchpads, thereby it helps to improve the controllability of the touchpad. In addition, as the Mokibo module can be applied to smart home controllers in living areas or media controllers in autonomous vehicles, Mokibo is expected to continue to expand its market share continuously.



Jeff eunhyung Cho, a CEO of Innopresso, Inc., has been making efforts since 2012 to acquire secure patent rights for Mokibo's key technologies. As a result, the company currently holds 14 patents in the U.S, 18 patents in South Korea, 5 patents in China, 1 patent in Japan, and 1 patent in Europe. Thanks to its systemically networked patent portfolio, the company is expected to keep competitiveness in the global market. Mokibo officially launched a Chinese crowdfunding campaign on JD.com on December 20, and funding will continue for 40 days. The product will be shipped within 30 days after the funding period ends.

Future plans Mokibo is introduced as a portal keyboard, actually the Mokibo module has also been completed that can be applied to a thin laptop. In the future, the company plans to share the Mokibo experience with even more people by diversifying Mokibo into several different product groups such as foldable keyboards, tablet PC-keyboards, and mechanical keyboards, and through collaborations with existing laptop and keyboard manufacturers. For more detailed information on Mokibo, visit https://z.jd.com/project/details/109107.html. Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20181226/2335285-1 SOURCE K-ICT Born2Global Centre

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][December 27, 2018] Exhibitor recruitment: Asia Agri-Tech Expo 2019 aims to fill 6,000 sqm

TAIPEI, Taiwan, Dec. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Asia Agri-Tech Expo & Forum, Taiwan's leading tradeshow, features manufacturing technologies and comprehensive solutions in the fields of agriculture, aquaculture and livestock. Themed as "innovative, eco-friendly and sustainable," the 3rd edition of Asia Agri-Tech Expo & Forum will be launched at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 1 from 31st Oct to 2nd Nov, 2019 and co-located with Aquaculture Taiwan & Livestock Taiwan Expo & Forum. The organiser UBM Taiwan targets manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers dealing with smart agriculture, recirculating aquaculture system and circular bio-economy from around the world. "The 2018 edition enlisted 210 exhibitors and 400 booths to attract more than 14,000 visitors from 34 countries. Compared to the previous year, the growth rate for visitors increased 20 percent," said Sabine Liu, General Manager of UBM Taiwan. Based upon the post-show report 2018, the top three visiting purposes are collecting market information, looking for new products and networking with suppliers; while the top primary requested products are devices with IoT technology, automatic equipment and biogas facilities. Smart, precision agriculture and renewable technology are undoubtedly the industrial trends that Asia-Pacific buyers are looking at. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation (FAO), the Asia-Pacific is suggested to focus on protecting agriculture from climate change. At present, Taiwan is well-performing and has had breakthrough results in embedding IoT and biological technology into agricultural practices. This has accelerated agricultural development and has drawn attention from ASEAN buyers. UBM Asia has therefore decided to develop a spin-off of the agricultural tradeshow in Shanghai debuting in 2019. Ms. Liu believes that the agritech exhibition will be spread to more countries in the near future. "I'm glad to see more innovative technology carried forward, so that the integration of agricultural resources can be more achievable," remarked Sabine Liu. UBM Taiwan is now recruiting vendors from around the world. There are currently more than 40 brand companies returning for Asia Agri-Tech Expo & Forum 2019 and 1,200 sqm has been taken. Companies that have confirmed participation are SKOV A/S, Big Dutchman, Kutlusan, InterHeat, JK Lighting, Hunan Green Solutions, Nabel, IDAH, Buhler from Denmark, Malaysia, Turkey, South Korea, China, Japan, Singapore and more. Launched concurrently with Aquaculture Taiwan and Livestock Taiwan, the 3rd edition of Asia Agri-Tech Expo & Forum is supported by the Council of Agriculture, the official authority based in Taipei. The grand three-day exhibition contains a series of forums, technical seminars and business match making programmes. UBM Taiwan expects to recruit advanced products to provide a better solution for food safety, food crises, and animal diseases. About UBM Asia Asia Agri-Tech Expo & Forum is organised by UBM, which in June 2018 combined with Informa PLC to become a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B Events organiser in the world. Please visit www.ubm.com/asia for more information about our presence in Asia.







About news release, please contact Ms. Joy Chou For exhibitor inquiry, please contact Ms. Sophia Lu UBM Asia Ltd., Taiwan Branch TEL: +886-2-2738-3898 FAX: +886-2-2738-4886 Email: [email protected] Website: www.agritechtaiwan.com www.aquaculturetaiwan.com www.livestocktaiwan.com

Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20181225/2335199-1-a

Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20181225/2335199-1-b

Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20181225/2335199-1-c

Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20181225/2335199-1LOGO SOURCE UBM Asia Ltd., Taiwan Branch

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][December 27, 2018] STO Global-X Announces the Global Release of its Blockchain-based Digital Asset Exchange Platform Through Strategic Partnership with BMI Capital Partners International and Coinstreet Partners

The platform offers an integrated & compliant Security Token Offering (STO) solution for Licensed Institutions and Digital Asset Exchange Operators SINGAPORE, Dec. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- STO Global-X, a Singapore based technology company, announced the global release of its institutional-grade, end-to-end digital asset exchange solution -- STO Global Exchange ("STGX"). The STGX platform empowers licensed institutions and digital asset exchange operators to offer asset tokenization by creating security tokens (digital assets) and facilitating the investment and ownership of these digital assets via a fully-compliant process. Additionally, STGX offers token issuers and investors a 24/7 global marketplace to directly trade these digital assets - with no intermediaries - in a secure, transparent and fully compliant manner. Recently published market research reports estimate the addressable market size of crowd funding / venture funding alternatives and securitization alternatives to be approximately USD 165 billion and USD 7.5 trillion respectively, while the market size for private placements is estimated to be well over USD 1.3 trillion. STO Global-X is uniquely positioned to be a catalyst and an enabler for companies looking to explore this new mechanism for capitalizing market opportunities via Security Token Offerings (STO), whilst also facilitating the mainstream adoption of digital assets. "The traditional Initial Public Offering (IPO) process is both costly and time consuming for management teams. In today's highly volatile markets, companies must be able to respond to changing markets by rapidly securing capital when needed," said Chan Heng Fai, chairman of BMI Capital Partners International. He added, "Present capital market conditions do not efficiently support IPO's of small and medium size companies (SMEs). STOs can provide an alternate, cost efficient way to fund the growth of SMEs. We are very pleased to collaborate with STO Global-X to capture oppotunities in the new era."



"After the first wave of crypto-currencies and utility tokens, we see a much stronger second wave coming -- one that is anchored around digital assets and security tokens," said Samson (SAM) Lee, Founder & CEO of Coinstreet Partners. "Digital asset tokenization opportunities exist in many different spheres, such as equities, preferred shares, bonds, commercial debts, physical commodities, real estate, physical assets, funds or any assets providing an income stream. We expect the market size of security tokens to far exceed that of utility tokens, and are very excited to extend our services into this area in collaboration with STO Global-X and BMI," SAM further explained. "Security Token Offerings will radically transform the traditional world of finance. STO Global-X is poised to enable this new digital tokenized asset paradigm and pave the future of capital markets," said Floyd DCosta, CEO of STO Global-X. He added, "Our integrated technology platform allows for institutions to issue, manage and trade tokenized securities, putting real world assets into fractional ownership on the Blockchain."

As an institutional-grade digital asset exchange platform, STGX features a comprehensive trading engine, extensible order book and integrated custodial services, making it a novel platform for global investors as well as professionals to issue and trade tokenized securities. Designed and engineered from the ground up with security and compliance at its core, STGX includes integrated registration, KYC, approval and reporting functionalities that allow institutions to tick all the boxes and comply with relevant regulations. STGX is designed as an open-access platform which can easily integrate with external applications/systems as well as with industry/vertical specific solutions, in key areas ranging from tokenization/issuance, digital asset custody, high frequency trading, market-making, payment processing, international settlements, and adoption of industry-standard frameworks and interoperability protocols. STO Global-X is exploring partnerships with licensed institutions across multiple jurisdictions, to host and operate regulated Tokenization Platforms and Digital Asset Exchanges. About STO Global-X STO Global-X is a Singapore-based technology company that offers an institutional-grade tokenisation and digital asset exchange platform, enabling licensed institutions and digital asset exchange operators to issue, manage and trade tokenized securities in a secure, compliant and transparent manner. For more information, please visit www.STOglobalX.com About BMI Capital Partners International Limited BMI Capital Partners International is part of the BM Intelligence Group. BM Intelligence Group, founded in 1995, specializes in providing "ONE-STOP" tailor-made corporate consultancy services to listed companies, which include corporate finance, professional valuation, corporate services, corporate communications & event management, professional translation, share registration, internal control and risk management, etc. The company handles pre-listing and post-listing regulatory requirements. It currently services over 800 listed enterprises and has assisted over 80 companies in their listings. About Coinstreet Partners Limited Coinstreet Partners is building the next generation "decentralized & fully integrated investment bank", enabling the business eco-system in a new era of the Token-Economy. Coinstreet Partners currently operates in six business segments including Token Finance Consultancy; Investor Relations, PR & Media; Digital Asset & Wealth Management (including blocktrade); Marketing & Events; Digital Asset Tokenization and Exchange Platform; and DLT Solutions. For more information, please visit www.coinstreet.partners Press Contact: Rachel Au

Regional Marketing Manager

[email protected] Logo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20181228/2329380-1 SOURCE STO Global-X

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][December 28, 2018] oTMS a Leading Cloud Transportation Management Platform Completes Series C1 Financing

SHANGHAI, Dec. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- oTMS, leading transport management platform in China, announces the completion of Series C1 strategic financing round from China Merchants Venture Capital Management Co., Ltd. oTMS, as leading choice for retailers and manufacturers, has a unique position to consolidate information flows from top to the bottom of the transportation industry chain. This financing reflects the recognition of China Merchants Venture Capital from the perspective of industrial strategic investors on the positioning of oTMS as well as its "SaaS TMS+ Transportation Control Tower" strategy. Established in 2013, oTMS is the creator of SaaS-mode transportation management platform in China, aiming to connect manufacturers, carriers, drivers and consignees in a shared platform via the cloud to achieve transparency and digitization. oTMS integrates management and transactions, and enable customers quickly optimize supply chain through carrier procurement, management, payment and performance analysis. As of 2018, oTMS omni-channel transportation management platform (oneTMS) has accumulated hundreds of shippers, more than 3,000 trucking companies, and over 200,000 drivers that have installed oTMS apps. In 2017, oneTMS processed almost 60 million shipments, and in 2018 transactions exceeded 100 million shipments, worth over RMB 10 billion in freight cost. In 2018, oTMS began to provide shippers Transportation Control Tower services, helping them to optimize the transportation chain and achieving sustainable cost reductions. Established in 2015, China Merchants Venture Capital Management Co., Ltd (CMVC) is an investment entity responsible for strategic investments of China Merchants Group. It is headquartered in Shenzhen. CMVC manages 5 billion RMB, of which 2 billion is for investments as LP in VC fnds and 3 billion is for direct investments in startups in early to growth stages. Investment areas include strategic domains of China Merchants Group, such as finance, real estate and logistics, as well as technological innovations such as healthcare, IoT and artificial intelligence. China Merchants Group, founded in 1872, had total assets of 7.3 trillion RMB at the end of 2017, ranking the first among national-level state-owned enterprises in China. Its business mainly focuses on three core industries: transportation, finance and real estate in urban and industrial park comprehensive development & operation.



In this financing, Gan Zixin, vice president of CMVC, said: "I am very pleased to work with oTMS to invigorate and transform industry that faces decreasing volumes and margins in challenging economic conditions. In the past 5 years, I have had the opportunity to observe the various attempts of road freight + Internet. This process is not easy. There have been many hypotheses. Will road transport service be disrupted like the taxi industry? Can middlemen be disintermediated? Can vehicle matching cut down costs? Now, most of these simple models been proven false, and the transformation of logistics still needs to start from core business process transformation. oTMS has accumulated the trust of shippers through years of solid growth and product development, with increasing operations scale and freight volume of platform. oTMS crossed the ultimate threshold from digitization to substantial transformation of transport processes of its users. CMVC is looking forward to working with the company to provide shippers with more completed solutions from information platform to management services, which can drive customer's intelligent cost reduction and efficiency enhancement in this economic transition period." Mirek Dabrowski, CEO and co-founder of oTMS said: "We are honored that oTMS was recognized by CMVC as China Merchants is one of the largest conglomerates in China that also includes the leading logistics provider. This investment as well as growing demand for our solutions validates our approach to use digitization to drive meaningful and sustainable services and cost improvements. Shippers realize that the current status quo of reliance on exclusive, fixed carriers with a lack of cost and service transparency and cannot be sustained. While there are no easy shortcuts, this transition can nevertheless be accelerated by outsourcing transport management services to oTMS with technology, carriers, service and payment all pre-packaged to lock-in savings immediately".

oTMS is gearing towards using CMVC capital & China Merchant resources and expertise to further develop technology and service platforms and provide a comprehensive Transportation Control Tower offering aimed at increasing the service level and reducing cost of retailers and manufacturers in China. oTMS Website: www.otms.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/otms-a-leading-cloud-transportation-management-platform-completes-series-c1-financing-300771206.html SOURCE oTMS

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][December 28, 2018] At the AI Summit in New York, Squirrel AI Learning Founder Derek Haoyang Li Details the Business Blueprint for "AI+ Education"

NEW YORK, Dec. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On Dec. 5 and 6, the world's largest AI event for business, The AI Summit, was held in New York. More than 350 experts, professors and business executives from the field of AI around the world attended the summit to discuss such issues as AI technology and the commercial application of AI, etc. Derek Haoyang Li, founder of Squirrel AI Learning, was invited to give a speech at this year's summit. Beth Smith, IBM Watson AI general manager; Manuela Veloso, J.P. Morgan managing director and head of Global AI Research; David Carmona, Microsoft AI general manager; Steve Chien, NASA /JPL AI head; Naiomi Makovsky, Google Assistant head of global partners; James Patchett, NYCEDC president and CEO; and Derek Haoyang Li, founder of Squirrel AI Learning, were invited to the summit and gave speeches. They shared the achievements by their respective companies in AI technology, AI solution, AI strategy and other aspects, and expressed their opinions on topics that people care about, such as the changes brought by AI technology in various industries. AI era, new opportunities for education With the rapid expansion of big data collection and computing power, rapid progress has been made in AI technology research. The application of AI in manufacturing, services, retail, medical care and other industries is also expanding. Education, a profession that maintains the intergenerational succession of human culture, is no exception. To some extent, education must keep up with the development of AI technology, so as to ensure the historical status of mankind at the top of civilization. On the other hand, the development of education also depends on the progress of AI technology. At this summit, Derek Haoyang Li, Squirrel AI Learning's founder, delivered a keynote speech titled "How to Give Every Child Adaptive Education". He summarized the disruptive innovation by AI in various industries, as well as the radical innovation made by Squirrel AI Learning in intelligent adaptive education, which were highly recognized by experts and scholars attending the summit. A summary of Derek Li's keynote speech is presented below: The upcoming AI era, like the industrial revolution, will be one of the epochal events that can change the course of human history. Specifically, the reasons why AI can have such great power are as follows: First, it's versatile and know-it-all. IBM Watson can read more than 3,000 books, 240,000 papers, data from more than 600 experiments and 100 thousand clinical reports from patients in 17 seconds. Project Debater can debate any open conceptual topic without specific training. The versatility and know-it-all feature of AI have been widely used in every industry. In terms of education, AI can break down and master all the nanoscale knowledge points, have a good grasp of the countless correlations between knowledge points, and provide "one-on-one tutoring" for thousands of students, which is an almost impossible task for human teachers. Second, it can tell big stories from small things. Zuckerberg once said: "AI already can notice things that humans can't." That is gradually becoming a reality. For example, by using big data, AI algorithms and other technologies, Toutiao can judge each user's preferences through each click by users. By dividing human faces such as eyes, eyebrows and nose into millions of tiny pixels, SenseTime's face recognition is already a million times clearer than human eyes. In the same way, Netflix can detect the cognition and preference of every viewer from the data of every frame, and then find the logic of making and reshaping a film from the subtle differences. Using this trait of AI, Squirrel AI can clearly detect each student's mastery of knowledge points, knowing which knowledge points are already grasped and which are gaps left from the past, so as to help students solve their problems purposefully. Third, it has infinite computing power. Elon Musk said: "a computer can operate at a speed of 1 million bits per second, while the speed of the human brain is only 10 bits per second" In this sense, the information processing speed of AI is much faster than that of human beings. When AI plays against a top-level human player, it can check millions of possibilities in 0.01 second and choose the optimal solution. Using the system's infinite computing power, Squirrel AI can label each question and split students' abilities, so as to clearly know the user profile of each student.



Fourth, it's self-evolving. The father of tablets Jerry Kaplan once said publicly: "in the future, AI will not only imitate human beings, but also surpass human beings." This is because AI has the ability of self-evolution. "Sunshine gathers, and light flows into my dreams." This is a line of verse created by Microsoft Xiaoice. Although it has been criticized by many experts, it's better than what 90% of human beings can do. The deep learning network of AlphaGo can help Google improve energy efficiency by 15%. It can save Google hundreds of millions of dollars in the near future. In the field of education, the evolutionary power of Squirrel AI is also amazing. It has skills that human teachers do not have. It can automatically help students make up their knowledge gaps and stimulate students' creativity and imagination.

In recent years, a trend of "AI+ education" has emerged both at home and abroad. Data shows that in China alone, more than 50 education institutions or companies claim to have adopted the latest AI technology. But "AI+ education" doesn't happen overnight. It's about really understanding the nature of education and building your own barriers in technology and business model. New breakthroughs in "AI+ Education" At present, auxiliary AI tools, such as pronunciation assessment and emotion recognition, cannot get involved in children's cognitive learning process. What parents are most concerned about is how a product can help their children to learn. AI+ education will eventually return to teaching and learning. Therefore, AI adaptive education is the best application scenario of AI+ education. Squirrel AI Learning has been in the forefront in this field in China. Since its establishment, Squirrel AI Learning has set up a core R&D team. The members respectively came from three world famous AI adaptive education enterprises RealizeIT, Knewton and ALEKS. Richard Tong was the Asia Pacific technical director for the first American AI adaptive education company Knewton. Its chief scientist Wei Cui, with a post-doctoral degree in AI from the National University of Ireland, formerly was the core scientist of RealizeIT. Its chief data scientist Dr. Dan Bindman was a co-founder of American AI adaptive learning giant ALEKS and chief architect of core product algorithms. In addition, Squirrel AI Learning and SRI have founded a joint AI lab, committed to the R&D of Squirrel AI's core algorithms. Top scientists from home and abroad, combining the theories of psychology, pedagogy, cognition and other fields with the education policy, test items and examination outlines in China, developed China's first fully proprietary Squirrel AI engine and established Squirrel AI Learning's leading position in intelligent adaptive education technology. In the past two years, Squirrel AI Learning has made new breakthroughs in the following technologies: First, super-nano knowledge point splitting. In the intelligent adaptive learning system of Squirrel AI, a subject in junior high school has been divided into more than 30,000 knowledge points. Such super-nano splitting makes it easy for students to find the knowledge points they have or have not mastered, so as to learn with a clear objective. Second, learning ability and learning method splitting. Squirrel AI Learning put forward the "definable, measurable and teachable ability" theory to split students' learning abilities. So far, learning abilities have been broken down to more than 500 kinds. Squirrel AI teaches children to learn by analogy or infer other things from one fact. They also pay attention to the cultivation and promotion of students' creative ability. Third, they initiated the correlation probability of uncorrelated knowledge points. Squirrel AI builds correlations between knowledge points and uses information theory to test and teach students efficiently. Fourth, they initiated the concept of knowledge map reconstruction based on mistakes. On the basis of finding the real reason for making mistakes, Squirrel AI adaptive learning system can develop personalized learning plans for children and finally solve their problems. Fifth, they initiated the versus model. Using Bayes' theorem, Squirrel AI forms a versus network. Based on simulation and Squirrel AI Learning's adaptive technology and educational psychology model, machines can simulate learning and competition between students and teachers. With these technologies, Squirrel AI can accurately locate the knowledge points of each student and continuously push the knowledge points most suitable to their intellectual development and learning ability according to each student's knowledge point mastery in the process of dynamic learning, so as to establish a personalized learning path for each student and enable them to learn the most knowledge points in the shortest time, putting an end to the "cramming model" and "excessive assignments tactic" in traditional education. At the AI Adaptive Education Conference (AIAED) which just ended in November in Beijing, Prof. Tom Mitchell, the godfather of global machine learning, dean of CMU School of Computer Science, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, an AAAS fellow and AAAI fellow, officially accepted Squirrel AI Learning's offer of the position of Chief AI Officer. As Squirrel AI Learning's first person in charge in the field of AI, Mitchell will lead a team of more than 10 AI scientists and hundreds of AI application engineers and technical teams to conduct basic AI research in the field of intelligent adaptive education, as well as the development and application of related products. In addition, Squirrel AI Learning not only has mastered the world's most advanced technology, but also has greatly expanded its online + offline education retail business model nationwide. Online, Squirrel AI Learning gets traffic. Students receive one-on-one tutoring online. Different from other education enterprises, 70% courses of Squirrel AI Learning are taught and lectured by AI teachers. Human teachers are responsible for the remaining 30% of teaching for monitoring and emotional help. Offline, Squirrel AI Learning opens physical learning centers in the form of franchised chain centers, cooperative schools and self-run centers in various places. So far, Squirrel AI Learning has opened more than 1,600 learning centers in over 300 cities across China. In fact, Squirrel AI Learning's new education retail business model is also a reform of the traditional education model. On the one hand, Squirrel AI Learning not only has changed the traditional model of teaching by teachers, replacing it with teaching by AI, but also has realized intelligent management of students' learning. In the past, every student's data was opaque. Now through the Internet and AI, all students' learning process data and teaching data are collected, to provide better quality services for students. Transparent data management has changed the traditional offline education model. At present, Squirrel AI Learning has served more than one million students. The contract renewal rate is about 80% where the average rate is about 50%. It has established a good reputation among users. Squirrel AI Learning is globally leading in both core technology and business model. But its journey of changing and revolutionize traditional education is far from over. "In terms of technology, we're testing brain wave patterns to identify changes in students' attention spans. In the future, it will be widely used." Derek Li said: "next, Squirrel AI will become a super AI teaching robot integrating personalized learning, dynamic learning objective management, human-computer dialogue, emotion and brain wave monitoring, to provide every student with high quality education and teaching services." View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/at-the-ai-summit-in-new-york-squirrel-ai-learning-founder-derek-haoyang-li-details-the-business-blueprint-for-ai-education-300771218.html SOURCE Squirrel AI Learning

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][December 28, 2018] Modular Data Center Market: Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast

This market research report on the global modular data center market offers detailed insights into the main factors that drive this market. Apart from that, the report throws light on the factors that hinder the growth of this market. The information, data, facts, and statistical figures compiled in this research study are based on primary and secondary sources of information. Moreover, the report contains valuable inputs from experienced industry experts.







Apart from discussing the present performance of the modular data center market, the report also evaluates and analyzes the performance and growth pattern of this market over the last couple of years. This enables one to understand the progress made by the global modular data center market hitherto. With an exhaustive collection of tables and figures, the research report discusses some of the salient features of the global modular data center market in terms of demand drivers, segmentation, and segment-wise analysis of the market.



The research report segments the global modular data center market on the basis of type, applications, deployment size, and geography. The market study discusses the competitive landscape of the modular data center market via company profiles wherein each participant in the modular data center market is analyzed on the basis of factors such as business strategy, demand drivers, market restraints, SWOT analysis, market size, and future market forecasts.





Request For Report Brochure https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=2742 Overview of the modular data center market That department of an enterprise that is engaged in storing information, and maintaining servers, mainframes, and databases is known as a data center. Organizations and institutions that have to manage huge databases require solutions that can bring power utilization to an optimum degree.



Modular data centers ensure that the users receive flexible and efficient solutions. It refers to a method of installing components and modules that are purpose-engineered in order to provide data center capacity which has multiple power and cooling options. Modular data center modules are of two types namely, containerized module and individual module. The segment for individual module modular data centers is further categorized into IT module, power module, cooling module, and generator module.



Based on applications, the modular data center market is segmented into defense, education, telecom and IT, BFSI, government and public, energy, healthcare, and others. Geographically, the modular data center market is segmented into Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, and Rest of the World.



Mobility and scalability, low PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness), and disaster recovery are a few of the factors that drive the global modular data center market. However, factors such as limitations in high performance computing and vendor lock-in hinder the growth of this market.



Request For Table Of Content https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=2742 Companies mentioned in the research report Few of the key companies operating in the global modular data center market are Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., Silicon Graphics International Corp., Canovate Corporation, Colt Technology Services Group Ltd., Elliptical Mobile Solutions, Schneider Electric, Wave-2-Wave Solutions Corporation, IO Datacenters, LLC, AST Modular, Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P., Rittal GmbH & Co., Panduit Corp, Dell, Bladeroom USA LLC, and Emerson Network Power. As a community-building service, TMCnet allows user submitted content which is not always proofed by TMCnet editors. If you feel this entry is of inferior quality or wish to report it for some reason, please forward the URL to "webedit [AT] tmcnet [DOT] com" with your comments.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][December 28, 2018] Gala Pharmaceutical Receives Temporary State License for Cannabis Testing

IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 28, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gala Pharmaceutical California Inc., a subsidiary of Gala Pharmaceutical, Inc. (Ticker: GLPH), today announced it has received a Temporary License from the State of California for its flagship cannabis testing facility to be located in Long Beach, California. The Company expects to begin construction on the state-of-the-art facility as soon as it receives final building permits from the City.

Gala Pharmaceutical's CEO Dr. Rehman looks forward to meeting the needs of a market that he describes as under-served. It is common knowledge that a lack of ISO certified labs in California has caused a bottleneck in meeting the demand for quality, lab tested cannabis products. The launch of our flagship cannabis testing facility should enable Gala Pharmaceutical to significantly benefit from the burgeoning demand from the cannabis market for the testing services needed to bring products to market, concluded Dr. Rehman.

Medical Cannabis Regulation & Safety Act (MCRSA) was signed into law in October 2015, creating 18 license types to cover commercial cultivation, manufacturing, retail sale, transportation, distribution, delivery, and testing of medical cannabis. Type 8 license holders must test for THC, cannabinoids, contaminants, microbiological impurities, and other compounds listed in Business & Professions Code  19344.



Follow us on Facebook @

https://www.facebook.com/gala-pharmaceuticals-147596665868456 About Gala Pharmaceutical, Inc.

Gala Pharmaceutical, Inc. ( GLPH ) is a publicly traded company that provides scientific consulting and analytical laboratory services. GLPH looks forward to developing thorough screening technologies for chemical, plant, soil, and liquid composition analysis. Gala aims to provide quality services to a broad spectrum of customers in the agricultural and pharmaceutical industry.

Disclaimer: The Company relies upon the Safe Harbor Laws of 1933, 1934 and 1995 for all public news releases. Statements, which are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements. The company, through its management, makes forward-looking public statements concerning its expected future operations, performance and other developments. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily estimates reflecting the company's best judgment based upon current information and involve several risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that other factors will not affect the accuracy of such statements. It is impossible to identify all such factors. Factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated by the company include, but are not limited to, government regulation; managing and maintaining growth; the effect of adverse publicity; litigation; competition; and other factors which may be identified from time to time in the company's public announcements. Gala Pharmaceuticals

18881 Von Karman Ave Suite 1440

Irvine, California 92612 Contact:

[email protected]

657.215.5742 Media Contact:

Eva Silva

[email protected]

818.388.1421

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][December 28, 2018] China's business leaders and top academic experts gather to discuss how to best use smart technologies to drive the future

BEIJING, Dec. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On December 28, Global Trend Conference, co-hosted by the Global Times and Huanqiu.com, formally opened in Beijing's Langyuan Vintage. Reflecting on China's 40 years of reform and opening-up and with an eye to what lies in store for the next 40, the event, themed "Reform, Innovation, Responsibility", invites industry leaders and academic experts to discuss global trends, through the sharing of experiences and with the goal of inspiring new ideas. The conference's goal is to develop guidance for development over the next 40 years and how to best leverage smart technologies to drive the future. Some conference highlights: Su Xi, vice presdent of ZTE, gave a presentation on new businesses, new networks and the 5G fully-connected era;

Zhang Changwu, founder of Land Space Technology Corporation, spoke about the efforts to create a first-class commercial rocket sector in China ;

; Xu Yuanchun, director of AI creation, Microsoft Software and Technology Center of Asia (STCA), talked about the promising prospects for AI and AI creation;

(STCA), talked about the promising prospects for AI and AI creation; Zheng Yongchun, researcher from the National Astronomical Observatories, and Zhu Jin , president of the Beijing Planetarium, discussed "Looking up at the stars" with famous science fiction author Xia Jia .



In addition, the launch ceremony of the Global Trends Institute, initiated by Huanqiu.com, was held during the conference. Huanqiu.com also announced its three key programs for 2019:

producing a special documentary for one of China's most important historical events " I'm going to Yan'an ";

most important historical events " "; kicking off the first Military Fan Culture Festival ;

; hosting the 2019 Sino-Euro CEO Dialogue Show. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chinas-business-leaders-and-top-academic-experts-gather-to-discuss-how-to-best-use-smart-technologies-to-drive-the-future-300770904.html SOURCE Huanqiu.com

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][December 28, 2018] Siyata Mobile Provides Year End Corporate Update

MONTREAL, Dec. 28, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Siyata Mobile Inc. (the "Company" or "Siyata") (TSX-V:SIM / OTCQX:SYATF) is pleased to provide an update on the Companys progress of 2018 initiatives and provide insight for 2019.

Marc Seelenfreund, CEO and Chairman of Siyata Mobile, commented, We started 2018 with specific targets in mind. Despite the lengthy process that comes with cellular device launches with Tier 1 operators, we have kept moving in the right direction and reached a few critical milestones. We believe that 2019 will be a great year for Siyata with significant revenue and margin growth as we roll out the UV350 in the United States, Canada and other international markets. The market demand for 3G in-vehicle communications continued to drive sales through 2018, with sizeable purchase orders coming from various industries while transitioning to the Companys 4G product portfolio which started gaining traction in our existing markets. Recognition as a TSX Venture Top 50 Company Siyata started the year strong with the TSX Venture recognizing Siyata for the Companys tremendous growth over 2017 and active trading in the market. Strong trading volume continued with over 45,142,795 shares traded to date in 2018. Purchase Orders Multiple large-scale purchase orders were received by Siyata this year, representing the market demand for Push-to-Talk Over Cellular communication systems. Siyata's UV350, CP250 and Rugged Smartphone devices were ordered from a variety of industries including, a First Responder network; the hospitality industry; a public transportation company; a multinational silicon chipset company; an airport logistics company; and a global two-way radio vendor and others. Uniden UV350 Launch with Tier 1 Canadian Operator After trialing and testing Siyatas Uniden UV350, Siyata launched the worlds first and only multi-purpose 4G/LTE commercial vehicle smartphone with a Tier 1 Canadian operator. The dedicated 4G/LTE in-vehicle smartphone is designed for safer, smarter and more advanced instant communication in commercial fleets and vehicles. Customer trials have commenced, and the Company expects its first order shortly. According to Statistics Canada, there were a total of 1.16 million vehicles which fall into the commercial vehicle category, representing a total addressable market in Canada of ~$1 billion. Siyata UV350 Launch in Israel with Global Two Way Radio Vendor Siyata announced a partnership with a global land mobile radio vendor in Israel, where they will offer the UV50 to their enterprise customers bundled with their powerful WAVE PTT platform. As a result, the Companies have already won prestigious tenders in Israel and continue to win business.



Supply Agreement with Tier 1 U.S Operator Siyata recently completed a supply agreement with a leading Tier 1 cellular operator in the United States. This agreement is a prerequisite to launching the Uniden UV350 with this operator in the U.S. and covers all the terms and conditions related to the distribution, pricing, logistics, warranty, legal terms and more.

Additional Partnerships Siyata entered into sales partnerships with key partners including Ingram Micro in the US, SETMA in France, Logic Wireless in New Zealand, Aina and Alcan in Canada and others. These partnerships will be key for 2019 sales and will assist Siyata in ramping up its sales across multiple markets. 2019 And Beyond Siyata continues towards launching its Uniden UV350 smartphone with two U.S Tier 1 operators who have distribution and sales channels many times larger than the existing sales channels of the Company. With around 9.7 million commercial vehicles and over 3.5 million first responder vehicles that have yet transitioned to cellular based technology, the Company sees the U.S market as its largest opportunity with a total addressable market well over $11 billion. These tier 1 cellular operators have a keen interest in launching the UV350 as it allows for new SIM card activations and increased ARPU from existing customers while targeting new customers with a unique, dedicated, multi-purpose in-vehicle smartphone. Siyatas seven years experience of perfecting in-vehicle cellular based technology, industry know-how, vehicle installations, software integration with various PTT solutions and carrier integration have well positioned the Company to be launching with these U.S. operators. The Company believes the final network approval will take place in early 2019. With the recently completed financing, the Company is well financed for this U.S rollout in 2019 and expects strong sales and margin growth in 2019. Grant of Options The Company additionally announces it has granted 2,210,00 options, expiring December 24, 2023 and vesting quarterly over three years, exercisable to acquire one share in the capital of the Company at $0.50 per share to certain directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company. A total of 50% of the Director Options will vest immediately, with the remainder to vest on a quarterly basis over a 15 month period in five (5) equal tranches with the first tranche vesting on March 24, 2019. About Siyata A TSX Venture Top 50 Company, Siyata Mobile Inc. is a leading global developer and provider of cellular communications systems for enterprise customers, specializing in connected vehicle products for professional fleets, marketed under the Uniden Cellular brand. Since developing the worlds first 3G connected vehicle device, Siyata has been a pioneer in the industry, launching the worlds first 4G LTE all-in-one fleet communications device in 2017. Incorporating voice, push-to-talk over cellular, data, and fleet management solutions into a single device, the company aims to become the connected vehicle communications device of choice for commercial vehicles and fleets around the world. Siyata also offers rugged phones for industrial users and signal boosters for homes, buildings, and fleets with poor cell coverage. Siyatas customers include cellular operators, commercial vehicle technology distributors, and fleets of all sizes in Canada, the U.S., Europe, Australia, and the Middle East. Visit www.siyatamobile.com and http://www.unidencellular.com/ to learn more. On Behalf of the Board of Directors of:

SIYATA MOBILE INC.

Marc Seelenfreund

CEO and Chairman Investor Relations:

Arlen Hansen

Kin Communications

1-866-684-6730

[email protected] Sales Department:

Glenn Kennedy, VP Sales

Siyata Mobile Inc.

416-892-1823

[email protected] 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. This news release may include forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. 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 market prices, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required under the applicable laws.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]Damunupola (Right) pictured with JRJ

At a time when politicians are calling on public officers to act according to the law, it reminds me of a Public Servant who discharged his duties in keeping with the law. He was non other than A.B.Damunupola who passed in 1988.



Damunupola was an Administrative Officer who served in different offices in the administrative sector. He was the Government Agent in the Central Province, a Special Commissioner in the Kandy Municipality, served as Post Master General and also in the capacity of Secretary to the Minister.



Damunupola was a student of St.Anthonys College, Katugastota and later graduated from the University of Peradeniya. He was also educated at Cambridge thanks to a scholarship offered to him by the Government on the merit of obtaining the highest marks at the CAS examination.

Damunupola had said that President Jayewardene without realising the consequences took over the land that was gifted to Mahanayake of the Asgiriya Chapter Pallipanne Chandananda

He did a Degree in economics at Cambridge. On his return he was at Anuradhapura as a Planning officer and continued to serve the Public sector until his demise in 1988.



He was public officer and would say No to a minister because he had no obligations to them.



I recall of an incident when a Senior Minister of State met the Late Damunupola at his office where I was present. The minister wanted him to withdraw a permit issued by him as the Government Agent. He refused.



The Minister did and he was transferred within a few hours by not a lesser person than the President himself. Damunupola who left his seat wanted to resign from the public Service, but it was Minister E.L.Senanayake who advised him against resigning.



Damunupola was later appointed as Post Master General by Minister D.B.Wijetunge.



He was very well connected to President Jayewardene due to Udawattekelle where the President had an abiding interest. Yet Jayewardene was the very person to transfer Damunupola following the protest by the Senior Minister. Damunupola told me in his own style LB , he had to decide between taking the word of his Minister or that of a poor public servant like me. I do not blame him for that. But I as the Public Servant saved him from International shame.



Damunupola had said that President Jayewardene without realising the consequences took over the land that was gifted to Mahanayake of the Asgiriya Chapter Pallipanne Chandananda. The Thera was spearheading the campaign on behalf of Madama Sirimavo Bandaranaike against the  her civic right issue .



President Jayewardene did not realise then that the Crown Prince and Princess of Japan were due within the next three months and the prime event was to worship the Sacred Tooth Relic.



When he realised this the President had asked him as to who was having the key to the casket in which the Sacred Relic was kept. When he was told that the key to the Casket was with the Mahanayke of Asgiriya, he was silent for a few moments, during he telephone conversation. Then the President asked him whether he would come when the Crown Prince arrived at the Maligawa. He had said he would.



In fact, Damnupola said  I went to Asgiriya and checked with the arrangements for that day without telling the Thera that the President was jittery regarding the matter. The only thing that the Mahanayake said was that they are not safeguarding Jayewardene or any other Politician, but the Sangha was bound only to safeguard the Relic of The Buddha.The Thera added that it is their duty to allow the Prince and Princess to worship the Sacred Tooth Relic



This bit of information was conveyed to the President and he only said We will see.



When the day arrived the Mahanayakes were there and everything went well. When His Excellency was walking out of the gate behind the Prince and Princess, he had called Damunupola and said Give that land back.



There is much to be said about Damunupola. He was not only a Government Agent, but as a Special Commissioner of the Kandy Municipality.



Damunupola has a son (Arjuna) and daughter (Manori). Manori is married to the Basnayake Nilame Seevali Nugegoda.[December 28, 2018] iTalkBB Media, the Great Gateway to the High Purchasing Power Asian Consumers in North America

WASHINGTON, Dec. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Recent data from Pew Research Center and Nielsen about Asian American high purchasing power and growing population in the United States has impressed many advertisers and marketers. As of 2018, the buying power of Asian American is $986 billion, making them the fastest growing group in the United States. The market is still growing and estimated to reach $1.3 trillion by 2022. Asian American has become one of the most important multicultural communities for marketers. And of course, everyone wants a piece of this promising niche market and iTalkBB Media is here to tell you HOW. With such powerful purchasing power, agencies, brands and local businesses should invest more advertising budget to appeal to this fast-growing ethnic group, in order to expand their customer base within the Asian American community. Many found it difficult to connect with Asian Americans because they are less unified than other groups due to the differences in languages and customs throughout different sub-Asian groups, but this creates the opportunity for advertisers and marketers to target niche groups and increase audience accuracy rates. In order to capture their attentions and build multicultural marketing strategy, advertisers and Marketers need to partner with a brand that understands the needs and wants of the community. For more than 15 years, iTalkBB has been providing products and services tailored to our 1.2 million subscribers and developed a strong influential bond with the Asian community across North America. With the help of iTalkBB Media, dvertisers and marketers can easily connect with this promising market and gain insights to develop successful multicultural strategies to increase sales, build brand awareness and expand market size via our platforms.



In 2018, iTalkBB announced a strategic partnership with Verizon Fios to provide the highest quality Asian TV content to more Asian Americans to help Verizon build trust with the Asian American community. Verizon Fios targeted Asian Americans age 18 by sponsoring one of iTalkBB TV's hottest dramas of the year, Ruyi Royal Love in The Palace. The TV commercial has reached thousands of Asian households, and the Verizon Fios logo was displayed on promotion posters at iTalkBB retail stores in highly concentrated Asian American population areas with very high foot traffic per day. In order to build connection and show appreciation toward Asian cultures, Verizon Fios sponsored iTalkBB's CCTV Spring Festival Gala in 2018 and celebrated the most important Asian Holiday with iTalkBB audiences. As the number one Asian TV content provider in North America, iTalkBB Media is proud to help agencies, brands and local businesses to effectively target the Asian community in a meaningful way with our unique advertising solutions. iTalkBB Media can provide addressable and measurable advertising services and productively maximize the brand exposure to the Asian community across the nation or selected DMAs. In addition, iTalkBB Media provides advertising opportunities at iTalkBB product retail stores, official websites, Asian American Community, etc. for advertisers and marketers to showcase their respect and appreciation for the community at a larger scale.

About iTalkBB

iTalkBB is a company dedicated to creating innovative and authentic mobile communication experiences and TV content for people around the globe. We provide international phone services that break down distance barriers and allows our customers to easily and affordably connect with their communities  no matter where they may be. We understand our customer base and work hard to tailor our products to fulfill their individual needs. With the best understanding of Asian communities, our platforms are becoming the best and most effective gateway to accessing overseas Asian-Americans. About iTalkBB Media

iTalkBB Media is the driving force behind the Set-top-box (STB) advertising, and our work helps businesses and brands effectively reach the Chinese community. iTalkBB Media is using unique STB advertising solutions, brands are able to embed commercials before or after viewer selected TV content on iTalkBB Chinese TV. Commercial formats include Pre-roll TVC, Pre-roll Slate, Banner Ads, and Branded Channel. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/italkbb-media-the-great-gateway-to-the-high-purchasing-power-asian-consumers-in-north-america-300771183.html SOURCE iTalk Global Communications Inc.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][December 28, 2018] Global Hair Masks Market 2018-2022 | Growing Adoption of Products with Organic Compounds to Boost Growth | Technavio

The global hair masks market is expected to post a CAGR of close to 9% during the period 2018-2022, according to the latest market research report by Technavio. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181228005127/en/ Technavio has published a new market research report on the global hair masks market from 2018-2022. (Graphic: Business Wire) A key factor driving the growth of the market is the growing demand for hair care products by men. The men's grooming products segment is expected to be one of the fastest-growing segments during the forecast period. Like women, men increasingly prefer products that will enhance their personal appearance and looks. They prefer products for hair problems such as dandruff, grey hair, split ends, and hair loss. This will lead to growth in the demand for male grooming products, and consequently to the growth of the global hair masks market. There is a high demand for hair care products, including hair masks, from the male population, especially in the US and European countries. Therefore, many vendors are targeting the men's segment and introducing innovative offerings in the market. This market research report on the global hair masks market 2018-2022 also provides an analysis of the most important trends expected to impact the market outlook during the forecast period. This report is available at a USD 1,000 discount for a limited time only: View market snapshot before purchasing



In this report, Technavio highlights the growing adoption of products with organic compounds as one of the key emerging trends in the global hair masks market: Global hair masks market: Growing adoption of products with organic compounds

Over the past five years, the global hair care market has witnessed a transformation in consumer buying behavior. Due to the adverse effects caused by the prolonged use of inorganic and synthetic hair care products (including hair masks), consumers are gravitating toward organic products as an appropriate solution for their day-to-day recurring hair care needs. However, organic hair care products (including hair masks) do not yield immediate results and ensure effective benefits over a prolonged period of use. Most of these hair masks contain organic ingredients such as olive oil egg, avocado, coconut oil aloe vera, banana, and others, to ensure permanent results. These ingredients are very helpful in soothing and repairing the damaged hair. Also, with the help of organic hair mask, hair becomes softer, shinier, and thicker, and gets deeply moisturized and nourished. Due to all these benefits, the global hair masks market is estimated to witness exponential growth in the next five years. "The growing popularity of personal care products, including hair care, is driving the global hair masks market. Owing to the significant increase in the pollution globally, consumers are facing numerous hair-related problems like dry hair, scalp diseases, grey hair, dandruff, premature baldness, split ends, and others. As a result, consumers are more inclined to adopt hair care products, especially hair masks, to address the above-mentioned problems," says a senior analyst at Technavio for research on personal products. Global hair masks market: Segmentation analysis This market research report segments the global hair masks market by product (strengthening hair mask and moisturizing hair mask), by application (individual and professional), by distribution channel (offline and online) and geographical regions (APAC, EMEA, and the Americas). The Americas led the market in 2017 with a market share close to 40%, followed by EMEA and APAC respectively. However, during the forecast period, the APAC region is expected to register the highest incremental growth, followed by the EMEA region. Looking for more information on this market? Request a free sample report Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Some of the key topics covered in the report include: Market Landscape Market ecosystem

Market characteristics

Market segmentation analysis Market Sizing Market definition

Market size and forecast Five Forces Analysis Market Segmentation Geographical Segmentation Regional comparison

Key leading countries Market Drivers Market Challenges Market Trends Vendor Landscape Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Competitive scenario About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 10,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at [email protected]. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181228005127/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][December 28, 2018] Brady Meltzer joins fast-growing Montana startup, Submittable, as Vice President of Sales

MISSOULA, Mont., Dec. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Submittable, a SaaS company based in Montana, is thrilled to announce that Brady Meltzer, an avid rock climber and amateur DJ, has joined the company as their first Vice President of Sales. Before Submittable, Brady held similar positions at Oracle, TEXbase, Genesys Cloud, and RightNow Technologies. Brady cut his teeth in Enterprise sales at Montana's original tech success story, RightNow Technologies. He and his peers at that company paved the way for the technology boom that is presently happening in the state. At Submittable, Brady will be responsible for continuing the exponential growth the company has experienced since its humble beginning in 2010. He brings a rigor and experience to the company's young but exceptionally talented team. Regarding the move, Brady says, "I'm thrilled to be joining a company with a cutting edge culture that is building something maningful in this special place we call home (Montana). I'm also grateful for the opportunity to work with such a diverse and amazing group of individuals."



Brady joins a team that doubled last year, as Submittable is becoming one of the largest employers in the university town of Missoula, MT. Submittable CEO Michael FitzGerald says, "Keeping star-talent like Brady in Montana is particularly gratifying as we march toward our goal of 500 local employees earning three times the median wage. We feel extremely fortunate to have such singular and spectacular people join us in this mission."

Brady is a native of Missoula, Montana. He holds a BA from the University of Montana and a MA from Gonzaga University, both in Communications. He presently lives with his wife and two children in Bozeman, the second-best city in all of Montana. About Submittable:

Founded in 2010 in Missoula, MT, Submittable is the leading Submission Management Platform with over 3 million users and 10,000 clients using the platform to accept and review content, applications, and entries. The company is backed by local angel funds but also YCombinator, True Ventures, and Next Frontier Capital. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/brady-meltzer-joins-fast-growing-montana-startup-submittable-as-vice-president-of-sales-300771261.html SOURCE Submittable

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]Molina Healthcare to Present at 37th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference

Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE: MOH) today announced that management will give a presentation, followed by a question and answer session, at the 37th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference to be held January 7 - 10, 2019, in San Francisco.

A live broadcast of the Company's conference presentation will be available on Monday, January 7, 2019, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time / 11:30 a.m. Eastern time. To access the broadcast, listeners should go to the Investors section of the Company's website, molinahealthcare.com, approximately 15 minutes prior to the event to register and download any necessary software. For those unable to listen to the live broadcast, a replay will be available for 30 days from the Company's website.







About Molina Healthcare

Molina Healthcare, Inc., a FORTUNE 500 company, provides managed health care services under the Medicaid and Medicare programs and through the state insurance marketplaces. Through its locally operated health plans, Molina Healthcare served approximately 4.0 million members as of September 30, 2018. For more information about Molina Healthcare, please visit molinahealthcare.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181228005181/en/[December 28, 2018] Republic of Korea Formalizes Incorporation to CABEI

Today, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) announced the formalization of the entry of the Republic of South Korea as a new non-regional member. The incorporation will be formalized through the signing of the instrument of adhesion and the shareholding agreement. This incorporation takes place after the modifications made to the Bank's Constitutive Agreement in June 2016, which have led to the incorporation of new members with high credit ratings. The new member's entry will allow CABEI to consolidate itself as the strategic ally of the Central American region, further strengthening its financial profile. Through this incorporation, capitalization funds will be captured in order to maintain the Bank as the main provider of financial resources to the region. The capital increase is an indisputable signal of the support that this new member country will provide to the bank, since capital increases represent one of the most evaluated and monitored factors by financial markets and rating agencies. With this capitalization, it will be possible to materialize new short-term improvements in the Bank's credit ratings for the benefit of its member countries, consolidating the Bank as the most important source of funds for the Central American region. In that sene, CABEI Executive President, Dr. Dante Mossi, explained that the capital subscription request of the Republic of Korea amounts to US$450 million, which will generate an increase in the available amount of credits by US$2.25 billion; this represents an increase in CABEI's portfolio of US$7.00 billion to more than US$9.00 billion; the resources will be used to promote programs and projects in the region.



Therefore, Korea is one of the non-regional members with the largest shareholding in the institution and the second Asian country to become a CABEI member. CABEI contributes to the financing of development priorities

Korea's incorporation into CABEI took place today at the headquarters of the Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance, where President Mossi highlighted the importance for CABEI of attracting a high credit quality member such as Korea, which has already generated a positive and immediate impact on the Bank by strengthening its institutional governance and improving the benefits of the cooperation schemes agreed upon between CABEI and Korean institutions in favor of its member countries. President Mossi stated that, "We cordially welcome the new member and are committed to making an exemplary integration that results in a stronger development Bank, ensuring the region's sustainable growth." Korea is one of the largest economies in Asia and the world; a leader in technology and innovation; and one of the most successful stories of global economic development. The Central American region will benefit directly from its link to CABEI. Furthermore, President Mossi added that, "As a donor country, Korea is expected to channel technical assistance and cooperation resources to support the Bank's mission of promoting the economic integration and balanced economic and social development of the Central American region." The Republic of Korea has been an observer member of the Central American Integration System since 2012 and maintains important commercial links with the region, which will be further enhanced through its incorporation into CABEI and through the Free Trade Agreement with Central America; the latter's negotiation process was supported by the Bank. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181228005194/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][December 28, 2018] dynaCERT Provides Corporate Update

TORONTO, Dec. 28, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- dynaCERT Inc. (TSX VENTURE: DYA) (OTCQB: DYFSF) (FRA: DMJ) ("dynaCERT" or the "Company") is pleased to provide some updates to previously issued press releases in order to publicly clarify information requested by shareholders from time to time.

Corporate Updates In the corporate press release dated February 6, 2017, the Company announced receipt of orders for 276 HydraGEN units. The initial shipment of these units was delivered by the end of March to the client. These initial units had the companys ECU1 controller. During the following months it was determined that the ECU1 design was faulty and these units required replacement. In the corporate press release dated March 28, 2017, the Company announced new purchase orders for 430 HydraGEN units. Due to the faulty ECU1 noted above, the status of unit sales were under negotiations up until recently. The financial statements of the Company dated December 21, 2017 were restated to reflect the state of those ongoing negotiations between the Company and such clients. The Company now expects that any resolution would have to include the new improved HG145 models introduced in 2018 as well as the SMART ECU2 (please see Press Release dated December 19, 2018). The Company is awaiting delivery instructions from certain clients with unfulfilled orders pursuant to the February 6, 2017 press release. The Company considers 400 units of those orders announced in the March 28, 2017 press release to be cancelled and continues to negotiate with such clients. In the corporate press release dated May 11, 2017, the Company announced a collaboration with Northwest Territory Power Corp (NTPC) in a fuel and emission savings pilot project. As reported in the corporate press release dated March 2, 2018, discussions were held to advance the trial using the upgraded HG1 units. However, that project did not meet the projected savings due to the ECU1 units that were included in the original units shipped. NTPC elected not to continue piloting the HydraGEN Technology at this time and agreed to review the HydraGEN Technology at a later date when there are more HydraGEN units operating in the field achieving the expected pilot plant fuel and emission saving. In the corporate press release dated June 8, 2017, the Company announced that Mr. Michael Christodoulou has joined the Companys Advisory Board. The position carries no cash compensation nor any financial commitments by the Company. Members of the Advisory Board provide industry experience on all aspect of the Companys business including sales strategies and market contacts, technical advice, and commercialization guidance. In the corporate press release dated July 28, 2017, the Company announced that Mr. Marc Bertrand has joined the Companys Advisory Board. The position carries no annual compensation The position carries no cash compensation nor any financial commitments by the Company. Members of the Advisory Board provide industry experience on all aspect of the Companys business including sales strategies and market contacts, technical advice, and commercialization guidance. In the corporate press release dated August 3, 2017, the Company announced that Mr. Shmuel Farhi has joined the Companys Advisory Board. The position carries no cash compensation nor any financial commitments by the Company. Members of the Advisory Board provide industry experience on all aspect of the Companys business including sales strategies and market contacts, technical advice, and commercialization guidance. The MD&A of the Companys financial quarter ending June 30, 2017 reported that the Company has retained legal counsel and put the initial supplier of the ECU1 on notice to recover liabilities associated with loss due to the defective ECU1. There were significant challenges in the second quarter of 2017 related to the electrical components (ECU1) which the Company tackled to rectify without success. This led to the development of the SMART ECU2 controller. The Company also provided an update on the lawsuit in the September 30, 2017 Managements Discussion and Analysis filed on SEDAR. Counsel for the Company and the Defendant are currently in discussions to prepare for Discoveries which is the next step in the proceedings. In the corporate press release dated November 2, 2017, the Company announced a conference with the All India Motor Transport Congress that was held in Toronto, Ontario. As reported in the corporate press release dated December 4, 2017, there was keen interest in the emission reductions offered by the HydraGEN Technology. Although the group represented fleets of nearly 10 million trucks and buses there was no commitment for HydraGEN units obtained during the conference. It was, however, agreed that a visit by dynaCERT management would facilitate orders in the near future. In the corporate press release dated December 21, 2017, the Company announced that it had received an order for 520 HydaGEN HG1 units from dynaCERTs dealer Hoer&Hoer GreenTech (now named H2GreenTech). The initial units shipped to Germany for use on diesel-powered generators were actually powered by palm oil, a form of bio-diesel, which the company had not tested before. While the carbon emissions recorded shows significant reductions with the HydraGEN units, the testing did not successfully achieve the expected performance in fuel savings. Upon receipt of the successful TUV test results in Germany, the dealer has continued seeking new opportunities in Europe. One such opportunity is a trial with Atlas Copco (see www.atlascopcogroup.com/en ) on a large-scale mobile diesel-powered compressor station.



In the corporate press release dated April 10, 2018, the Company announced that Mr. Maheboob Rahemtulla Nagii has joined the Companys Advisory Board. The position carries no cash compensation nor any financial commitments by the Company. Members of the Advisory Board provide industry experience on all aspect of the Companys business including sales strategies and market contacts, technical advice, and commercialization guidance. In the corporate press release dated April 20, 2018, the Company announced that it is pursuing the Marine Classification Society Type Approval for the HydraGEN Technology. Phase 1 of this effort was completed in the fall of 2018. Phase 2 testing on a marine diesel engine with a HG1-45M Marine model is awaiting availability of the test engine facility in Nova Scotia.

In the corporate press release dated May 11, 2018, the Company announced that its dealer in Dubai ordered six HG145 units. Please see Mobile Crane report on the Companys web site for details of an example of the trials underway in the region. In the corporate press release dated June 7, 2018, the Company announced that a new order from Dubai was received for a specialized HydraGEN unit. This unit is now in operation in the center of a diesel power generation cell connected to one of the many 1.2MW generators in the cell. DynaCERT engineers are supporting this initiative with periodic site visits and in-situ upgrades due to the remoteness of the site with very limited communication capabilities. The generator trial is expected to be completed in Q2-2019. In the corporate press release dated June 7, 2018, the Company announced that it has received delivery of the specialized Laser Welding Equipment for the manufacturing of the HG2 unit having a value of approximately C$300,000. The Laser welder is used to completely seal the HG2 reactor and its integrated tanks in order to prevent any leakage of fluid thereby making the reactor more robust and less expensive than the HG1 reactor. Subsequent to delivery it was determined that the HG2 model reactor, as initially designed by dynaCERT engineers, could not perform long term in all climatic conditions. A redesign of the HG2 unit is underway with a new prototype being completed and in testing phase to confirm its reliability prior to commercial launch. The Company now estimates that commercial deliveries will begin within Q2-2019. It is still planned that the new welding equipment will be utilized in the new design. In the corporate press release dated June 21, 2018, the Company announced that it received new orders for the inter-city bus market in India. Shipments have been made to fulfill this order but installations were delayed by the client due to the annual rainy season floods that occurred in Mumbai and its surrounding region where the customer base is located. Subsequently, the client has elected to develop the fishing vessel market on the east and west coast of India where there are tens of thousands of vessels operating. Initial testing is showing up to 20-25% fuel savings. In the corporate press release dated August 16, 2018, the Company provided an update on the European Homologation. While all independent testing, documentation and forms have been successfully completed, and these have been submitted to the government for review and approval, dynaCERT has not yet received the official notice of approval (ABE) from the Kraftfahrtbundesamt (KBA) that would provide the General Operating Permit to dynaCERT GmbH which stipulates the terms of the license authorization to sell units onto transport vehicles in Europe. The Company has received the ABE from the KBA for the SMART ECU2 which is used in all of the HydraGEN HG1 units. In the corporate press release dated September 24, 2018, the Company announced that it had opened the European market for HydraGEN Technology at the 2018 IAA Transportation Trade Show in Hannover Germany. There were many different discussions with transport Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM), some of the OEM dealers in the region, other related equipment suppliers and non-transportation OEMs. These discussions have in part succeeded in further discussions and initiations of non-disclosure agreements that will allow the Company team of engineers to exchange information with others to advance sales into new markets. Management and the sales team travelled back to Europe for two days of industrial meetings in Munich followed by two days of negotiations with the Austrian provincial Government in Carinthia. (see press release dated December 20, 2018) About dynaCERT Inc.

dynaCERT Inc. manufactures, distributes, and installs Carbon Emission Reduction Technology for use with internal combustion engines. As part of the growing global hydrogen economy, our patent-pending technology creates hydrogen and oxygen on-demand through electrolysis and supplies these through the air intake to enhance combustion, resulting in lower carbon emissions and greater fuel efficiency. Our technology is designed for use with all types and sizes of diesel engines used in on-road vehicles, reefer trailers, off-road construction, power generation, mining and forestry equipment, marine vessels and railroad locomotives. Website: www.dynaCERT.com READER ADVISORY

Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. In particular, forward-looking information in this press release includes, but is not limited to the potential expansion into new markets, industries and segments, such as diesel- powered use of any the dynaCERT products and sales. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. We cannot guarantee future results, performance of achievements. Consequently, there is no representation that the actual results achieved will be the same, in whole or in part, as those set out in the forward-looking information. 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: uncertainty as to whether our strategies and business plans will yield the expected benefits; availability and cost of capital; the ability to identify and develop and achieve commercial success for new products and technologies; the level of expenditures necessary to maintain and improve the quality of products and services; changes in technology and changes in laws and regulations; the uncertainty of the emerging hydrogen economy; including the hydrogen economy moving at a pace not anticipated; our ability to secure and maintain strategic relationships and distribution agreements; and the other risk factors disclosed under our profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. We undertake no duty to update any of the forward-looking information to conform such information to actual results or to changes in our expectations except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on 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 the release. On Behalf of the Board Murray James Payne, CEO

For more information, please contact: Jim Payne, CEO & President

dynaCERT Inc.

#101  501 Alliance Avenue

Toronto, Ontario M6N 2J1

(416) 766-9691 x 2

[email protected]dynaCERT.com Investor Relations

dynaCERT Inc.

Nancy Massicotte

(416) 766-9691 x 1

[email protected] dynaCERT .com



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]So many noteworthy things happened in 2018, from frustrating data breaches and hardware vulnerabilities to triumphant product launches. But, from the looks of it, 2019 could even more memorable with long-awaited new technologies such as 7nm chips hitting the market and prices dropping further on some key components like SSDs.

(Image credit: Andrew Krasovitckii / Shutterstock)



Here are 19 quick predictions for 2019.

CPUs

Get ready for 64 Cores: AMD keeps upping the ante on cores with its Threadripper lineup. In 2018, the 2990WX came with 32 physical cores and 64 threads, a step up from the original Threadripper's 16 cores and 32 threads. The company has already announced "Rome" server chips with 64 cores and 128 threads so it only makes sense that a third-gen Threadripper would hit that core count.

Intel shortages shape the industry: The leading PC chip-maker didn't have enough manufacturing capacity for 14nm chips in 2018 and those problems will likely continue through the first half of 2019. As a result, we'll see higher prices on budget CPUs like the Pentium Gold series and we definitely won't see any major price drops on 9th Gen Core. We may see availability issues as well.

Keep waiting for 10nm: Last summer, Intel said not to expect its long-awaited, 10nm Ice Lake chips until 2020. If we see any 10nm Intel chips in 2019, they will be in limited supply and likely not in high-performance products. In summer 2018, the company sold a few 10nm Core i3 mobile CPUs to Lenovo which used them on budget PCs in China only. The company will keep tweaking its 14nm chips for incrementally better performance.

AMD 7nm is on the way: AMD is on record saying that its next-gen chips, likely called the Ryzen 3000 series, will use a 7nm process. These chips seem likely to arrive by Q2 of 2019, delivering dramatically better performance than their predecessors.

AMD takes share from Intel: With Intel's CPU shortages and AMD's likely release of new, 7nm chips for consumers, 2019 will be a big year for team red's processors. We anticipate more design wins for AMD, particularly in the laptop space where progress has been slow. As of Q2 2018, according to Mercury Research, AMD had 12.3 percent of the desktop PC market. Expect that to grow significantly by the end of 2019.

For a more detailed, reasoned set of predictions see Paul Alcorn's look at CPUs in 2019.

GPUs

AMD Takes the GPU Fight to Nvidia: AMD's mid-range and budget cards have a lot to offer, but on the high-end, team red has no answer for Nvidia's powerful RTX cards. In 2019, that could change dramatically. According to some leaks, the company will be releasing 7nm GPUs based on its upcoming Navi platform. The chips are purportedly called the Radeon RX 3080, 3070 and 3060, but no matter what they are called, they should give power users some compelling new choices.

Nvidia releases new budget GPUs: 2018 saw the emergence of the high-end, GeForce RTX cards. In 2019, we'll get low and mid-range cards that replace the GTX 1030, 1050 and 1060 lines, but don't support ray-tracing. All of Nvidia's cards, including the RTX 2080 and 2070 should make the move to mobile.

Read Chris Angelini's 2019 GPU predictions article for more details on what we may expect on graphics in the coming year.

PCs

Surface Pro Gets USB Type-C: After years of stubborn, pointless resistance to the new standard, Microsoft will finally add USB Type-C charging to its flagship tablet / 2-in-1. Many of my fellow journalists will write long think pieces thanking Microsoft, but I will grouse about it not being Thunderbolt 3.

New Snapdragon laptops arrive, but is third time the charm?: The first two generations of Always-Connected PCs -- Windows 2-in-1s powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon CPUs and 4G modems -- were big disappointments due to their slow performance and relatively high prices. The chipmaker recently announced the Snapdragon 8cx, an upcoming chip that's expected to match the performance of a mobile Intel Core i5 processor.

In 2019, OEMs such as Lenovo, HP and Samsung will likely come out with new ACPCs that use the 8cx chip, but their performance will depend more on Microsoft's ability to get developers building native ARM apps than on Qualcomm's processing prowess. As long as the laptops have to run the most important Windows apps using x86 emulation, performance will suffer.

More dual-screened laptops appear: We'll see more experimentation in 2019, though this category will never be mainstream. Asus's Project Precog, a dual-screened 2-in-1 with built-in A.I. that the company showed at Computex 2018, is likely to come out and rumors indicate that Microsoft's long-awaited Andromeda project may come out as well.

See Andrew Freedman's look at Laptops in 2019 for a more in-depth look at where PCs are going.

VR

Standalone headsets take center stage: The biggest barrier to mass VR adoption is that the most compelling headsets, the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, both require powerful PCs. In 2018, we saw a few standalone headsets like the Oculus Go hit the market, but none of them offered the highest-end experience for gamers. In 2019, the upcoming Oculus Quest could bring PC gaming quality VR titles to the masses for the affordable price of $399. Other vendors will respond.

Read Scharon Harding's VR Gaming in 2019 article for a lot more predictions and details.

Storage

SSDs Get Cheaper: You'll soon be able to buy a name-brand 1TB SSD for $100. Prices for mainstream SSDs will drop below 10 cents per GB. SSDs keep getting less expensive because of technologies such as QLC (quad-level cell) and 96-layer 3D NAND, both of which cut manufacturing costs, and a production glut.

Bye, bye Optane cache. We hardly knew ye: With drives so cheap, nobody will want 16 or 32GB of storage cache. This technology was never that popular anyway.

SSDs Common in Budget Systems: By the time back-to-school season rolls around in 2019, 256 to 512GB SSDs will come standard on sub-$500 laptops and desktops like those in Dell's Inspiron and HP's Pavilion lines. Hard drives will still appear as secondary storage drives in gaming PCs or workstations that need more storage on the cheap. And external hard drives will remain an attractive option for backup.

To see more detailed storage predictions, see Matt Safford's dedicated article on storage in 2019.

Mobile

5G hype outweighs reality: Mobile network vendors and chip-makers want you to believe that 5G will change your life in 2019, but you probably won't see the benefits of this emerging technology until 2020 or beyond. However, in 2019, we will see a ridiculous amount of advertising and unwarranted media attention for 5G.

For example, we recently learned that AT&T plans to put a "5G E" indicator on new phones even though these devices will just be connecting to a faster LTE network that the carrier decided to call "5G Evolution." That reminds me of 2012 when T-Mobile decided to label HSPA+, a fancier version of 3G, as 4G. Very few devices or network locations will support true 5G in 2019, but we'll be sure to hear about every single one of them over and over again.

More gaming phones hit the market, but games still lag: In 2018, both Razer and Asus released gaming phones that are designed specifically for mobile gamers as they promise faster performance and have screens with high refresh rates.

In 2019, I expect to see refreshes from Asus and Razer and we may even see other players enter the space. But unlike AAA PC games which require beefy specs, Android games will still play just fine on non-gaming phones.

Console Gaming

PlayStation 5 arrives: Nobody knows for sure whether then next-gen PlayStation will come in 2019 or 2020, but considering that Sony said last May that the PS4 is at the end of its lifecycle, the company seems likely to unveil a successor sooner rather than later. My guess is that we'll see a public announcement, if not availability, by Q4.

A.I. / Smart Home

Cortana death rattle continues: You knew things were over for Microsoft's digital assistant when the company decided to let Alexa into Windows. Today, you can have the socially and digitally awkward experience of asking Cortana on your PC if you can talk to Alexa. In the next major Windows 10 release, due in spring 2019, Cortana will be separated from the Windows search function, making it less important and prominent than before. We don't know how long it will be before Cortana goes away altogether, but in a voice assistant market dominated by Amazon and Google (with a little Apple thrown in), her future is in dark mode.Last Chance For Local Cash Grab

Unless Missouri Agencies And Companies Act, They'll Lose Out On Clean-Air Funds From VW Settlement The $2.9 billion settlement between Volkswagen and the federal government could bring newer buses to Missouri's roads, but it's up to local transit authorities and bus companies to apply. Missouri received $41 million in total from the trust established after the 2017 settlement, in which Volkswagen admitted to disabling emissions control devices in its vehicles.

Council Lady Against Crime

KCMO councilwoman joins national crime prevention committee KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City councilwoman Heather Hall has been appointed to the National League of Cities (NLC) Public Safety and Crime Prevention federal advocacy committee . The committee is responsible for developing policy positions on issues involving crime prevention, corrections, substance abuse, municipal fire policy, juvenile justice, disaster preparedness and relief, homeland security, domestic terrorism, court systems and gun control.

Fear KC Tire Killers

Road crews use warm weather to fix pot holes Before the cold hits Friday, road crews are using the warmer weather to get work done. Snow, ice and cold have created pot holes on highways across Kansas and Missouri. On Thursday, Kansas Department of Transportation crews worked on Interstate 435 and Kansas 10. The emergency pothole repairs are done year-round to keep roads intact.

Celebrate Local Lady Songbird

Artist to Watch: Kelly Birch - KC STUDIO Kelly Birch, mezzo-soprano, is one of the 2018-2019 Lyric Opera of Kansas City Resident Artists. She recently performed as Kate Pinkerton in the Lyric's production of "Madama Butterfly" and multiple roles in the Explorations Series' "High Fidelity Opera." In February, she'll appear in the Exploration Series' "Mack the Knife is the Man I Love."

City College Slice Of Life

Kansas City Running Game Fix???

Kansas City Chiefs sign Damien Williams to two-year contract extension The Kansas City Chiefs have signed running back Damien Williams to a two-year contract extension worth $8.1 million, as first reported by Terez Paylor of Yahoo! Sports. Williams ' agent, Ian Greengross, tweeted out a picture of him signing his contract on Thursday night.

Hipster Weekend Planning

'80s Ski Party at Bar K, 1 Last Meatloaf at Anna's Oven & Other Weekend Possibilities Kansas City is losing a bit of comfort food. Anna's Oven (1809 W. 39th St.) is closing Saturday, Dec. 29. Anna's, which has been open for more than 7 years, is like a diner-meets-your grandma's kitchen with lasagna (a square slab and architectural marvel of layered pasta, cheese and tomato sauce), meatloaf and fried chicken.

Just a quick tribute toand our captivating and completely disposable culture . . .Closer to home, these news links are worth a look right now . . .is the song of the day and this is thefor right now . . .KANSAS CITY, KS (KCTV) - The police in Kansas City, Kansas are investigating after two people were shot. It happened at 14th and Minnesota. The police chief tweeted about the shooting just before 4 p.m. He said the victims drove themselves to a local hospital and that their injuries appear to be non-life-threatening.America's second oldest women-only college will begin accepting admission applications from transgender and "non-binary" candidates. Stephens College in Columbia, Mo. made the announcement in a recent email to students. The college had been discussing the policy change since 2014, according to KOMU-TV. "The world's understanding of and definition of womanhood is changing.BEIJING (AFP) - Trade negotiators from China and the United States are planning to meet in January for talks, Beijing said Thursday, but stopped short of confirming the exact date or location.



Both sides are engaged in a bruising trade war but relations have thawed since Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump agreed to a 90-day truce earlier this month.



The Chinese and US economic and trade teams have always maintained close communication, said commerce ministry spokesman Gao Feng at a regular briefing.



In January, in addition to maintaining intensive telephone consultations, the two sides have made specific arrangements for face-to-face consultations. Deputy US Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish will lead the US team for talks during the week of January 7, Bloomberg reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.



Word of the meeting follows small signs of progress -- and the absence of new threats from Trump while the two sides work to ease trade tensions by March 1.



This would be the first face-to-face talks since the truce was agreed by both leaders on the sidelines of the G20 in Buenos Aires.On Sunday, Beijings commerce ministry said China and the US made new progress on the issues of trade balance and intellectual property during a phone call between officials from the two countries.

Beijing on December 14 announced that starting January 1 it would suspend extra tariffs added to US-made cars and auto parts.



China also resumed the purchase of US soybeans and eased investment rules for US companies following the truce.



Resolving the bruising spat with its key trade partner, the US, could help shore up confidence in the Chinese economy, which is bracing itself for a slowdown.



Washington and Beijing have slapped tit-for-tat tariffs on more than $300 billion worth of goods in total two-way trade, locking them in a conflict that has begun to eat into profits and contributed to stock market plunges.Oak Park Retail Insecurity

Car Caught In Crossfire

Man says wife's car damaged in shooting at Oak Park Mall "She was just fortunate that she wasn't in the car when they decided to start shooting, and she was actually in the mall in a safer place," said Adam James.

Travel Plans After Gunfire

Touting Internets Alternative

Local mall businesses struggle with online competitors OVERLAND PARK, KS (KCTV) - Currently, stock for CBL properties, owner and operator of Oak Park Mall, is trading for a $1.99. Down from almost $20 just 5 years ago. That downward trend is happening to malls across the country. American malls are dying.

HOW CAN OAK PARK MALL HELP PROVIDE SHOPPERS BETTER SECURITY?!?!?

After the latest shooting there's a notable increase in complaints about security and Oak Park Mall management.Here's a quick run down . . .Accordingly and because our blog community is focused on sharing unique and workable solutions that aren't just silly cries for help . . .So far the suggestions worth repeating are:Of course we know a lot of the answers we get are gonna be dumb but some of the considerations are worthwhile and a sign that locals would rather work to save this shopping resource rather than just give up.Developing . . .Hyundai has been on a spending spree lately. Recently, the South Korean automaker invested about $250 million in a ride-hailing company, and now, according to a report from Reuters, it is investing $880 million in a plant in Indonesia where it plans to start building electric vehicles.

Why is Hyundai Expanding into Indonesia?

Even though Hyundai is doing well all across the globe, it has not been able to crack into Southeast Asia. This will be the automakers first factory there, and setting up a plant in Indonesia is a wise move as this helps Hyundai cut its reliance on China, where sales have taken a major hit due to the diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

It sold just 1,372 examples out of its entire linup in ten months this year - that's practically nothing compared to Toyota which sold over 460,000 units in the same period.

Also, Hyundai chose Indonesia to build electric vehicles because the country has large reserves of nickel laterite ore, a key ingredient needed for the production of lithium-ion batteries.

Statistically Speaking

According to Airlangga Hartarto, Indonesias Deputy Minister for Industry, the Hyundai plant will have an annual production capacity of about 250,000 vehicles, including electric vehicles.

Hartarto also revealed that current plans call for 47-percent of the vehicles manufactured to be sold in the local market, while the remaining 53-percent will be exported globally, mainly catering to Southeast Asia and Australia.

The $880 million investment announcement comes shortly after Hyundai made a huge $250 million investment in a popular local ride-hailing company called Grab.

Our Take

Hyundai, as an automaker, produces one of the most refined and clean combustion engines available today and will certainly be one of the last survivors. We dont get to hear much about the South Korean and its diversifications. Other than EVs, Hyundai is also diversifying into ride-hailing services like many other automakers, and it looks like the company is finally getting aggressive with its future plans before it gets too late. However, Hyundai is still nowhere to be seen in the autonomous scene. Do you think Hyundai does not believe that autonomous technology is the future, or is it being too complacent about it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric.The debate between combustion engines and electric motors is never-ending. The votes are split and, whether you like it or not, electrification is still happening. However, there are a number of truck owners who are not letting Tesla cars use the superchargers to charge their EVs. This level of animosity is not just bizarre; it is also frightening.

They are descendants of the folks who thought that the earth was flat

Who Has Enough Free Time to Waste Their Day Blocking EV Chargers?

According to some Reddit users, this whole thing is known as Icing.

This trend is picking up pace rapidly, and is a concept where traditional ICE vehicles park their car in front of Tesla Superchargers, ultimately preventing the EV owners from using them.

Personally, I am an ICE fan too, but I dont go around blocking the charging stations to prove my point. A recent instance of Icing took place in Hickory, North Carolina, where a Tesla owner pulled up to a local Supercharging station to plug-in but, to his surprise, there were three modified pickup trucks blocking a number of the charging spots. The trucks appear to be owned by young males who were yelling F**k Tesla. How immature is that?

This Needs To Be Abolished Before It Turns Into Some Kind Of Trend

The young men did not leave until an employee of the Sheetz where the Superchargers are located kicked them out. And, it is not happening in just North Carolina.

States like California, Florida, Oregon, Illinois, Washington, and Massachusetts have witnessed the same and are working on laws to ban icing.

Why this is being practiced in the first place and what has triggered this anger in them to protest against man-made objects like cars? No, not against people or a political party; they are protesting against CARS! Perhaps, it could have something to do with the perception that theyre owned exclusively by those in the upper-middle class (and higher, of course) and are a threat to ICEs.

These petty stunts are causing a lot of trouble for EV owners. We are hoping the lawmakers come up with some stringent action to avoid such stupidity from spreading any further. What are your thoughts on this whole episode? Share them with us in the comments section below.

Further reading

Read our full speculative review on the 2020 Tesla Pickup.Morocco's flag carrier continues to modernize its fleet with the first of four 737 MAX 8s

Boeing [NYSE: BA] today delivered the first 737 MAX for Royal Air Maroc, which plans to use the fuel-efficient, longer-range version of the popular 737 jet to expand and modernize its fleet.

Morocco's flag carrier - which welcomed its first 787-9 Dreamliner last week - will take delivery of three more 737 MAX 8s and three more 787-9s over the next few months as part of its strategic plan to strengthen its operations.

"We are pleased to receive our airline's first 737 MAX, which will soon be joined by three other airliners from the same family. These new 737 MAX airplanes expand our medium-haul portfolio, which forms the backbone of Royal Air Maroc's fleet. Our choice of this airplane is in line with our strategy of continuously expanding and modernizing our fleet, and comes just a few days after the announcement of Royal Air Maroc's invitation to join the most prestigious Oneworld Alliance. This in turn will further strengthen our leadership position on the continent, both for our country and for Royal Air Maroc," said Abdelhamid Addou, CEO and Chairman of Royal Air Maroc.

The 737 MAX 8 airplanes will build on the success of Royal Air Maroc's fleet of Next-Generations 737s. The MAX incorporates the latest technology CFM International LEAP-1B engines, Advanced Technology winglets, and other airframe enhancements to improve performance and reduce operating costs. It also integrates engine technology to reduce the operational noise footprint of the airplane.

Compared to the previous 737 model, the MAX 8 can fly 600 nautical miles (1,112 kilometers) farther, while providing 14 percent better fuel efficiency. The MAX 8 can seat up to 178 passengers in a standard two-class configuration and fly 3,550 nautical miles (6,570 kilometers).

Royal Air Maroc plans to deploy its 737 MAX 8 on routes from Casablanca to Accra (Ghana), Lagos (Nigeria), London-Heathrow (England), Bologna (Italy) and Paris (Orly and CDG). With the 737 MAX and 787 Dreamliner, Royal Air Maroc will now operate the most capable airplane in the narrowbody and medium widebody segments. It's an unrivaled combination of efficiency and performance that will allow the airline to profitably grow its network and business," said Ihssane Mounir, senior vice president of Commercial Sales & Marketing for The Boeing Company.

"We are thrilled to celebrate two major milestones this month with our long-time customer Royal Air Maroc. Over the past five decades, we have been honored to see them grow on the wings of Boeing airplanes and we are very excited to see the next chapter of our partnership."

Boeing has also partnered with the industrial sector in Morocco, supporting the development of the kingdom's aviation industry through initiatives such as the joint venture MATIS Aerospace that specializes in producing wire bundles and wire harnesses for airplanes. Boeing is also helping to educate local youth through partnerships with EFE-Morocco and the INJAZ Al-Maghrib association.

The 737 MAX is the fastest-selling airplane in Boeing history, accumulating about 4,800 orders from over 100 customers worldwide.

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 2021 Travel Industry WireFresh research from SAP Concur and Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) shows that, nowadays, business travellers are less likely to book flights and accommodation directly from suppliers. In other words, online travel agency (OTA) bookings have now surpassed direct bookings to become the more popular option, particularly for those travelling for business.



(TRAVPR.COM) UNITED KINGDOM - December 27th, 2018 -

Fresh research from SAP Concur and Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) shows that, nowadays, business travellers are less likely to book flights and accommodation directly from suppliers. In other words, online travel agency (OTA) bookings have now surpassed direct bookings to become the more popular option, particularly for those travelling for business. In this study, 1,252 business travellers, hailing from an assortment of European countries like the UK, Belgium, Germany, France and various Nordic countries, who travelled for business at least once in the last year were polled. The figures show the number of European business travellers booking flights directly with their preferred airline drop from 79% in 2017 to 68% this year. In the same time period, direct hotel bookings dropped 13%, from 83% to 70%.

EMEA SVP and general manager of SAP Concur, Pierre-Emmanuel Tetaz suggests that the move away from direct bookings and the high and relatively steady use of online booking tools in 2018 can be attributed to the belief amongst business travellers that their employers are somewhat or very advanced when it comes to the travel booking technology on offer. Furthermore, there is compelling evidence that European workers are more drawn to alternate booking channels like OTAs due to the variety of choice and pricing open to them. In short, this section of travellers prioritise flexibility when it comes to determining their business trips, as opposed to slavishly following the travelling wishes of their companies or employers. European business travellers are opting to book however they want instead of how they are told to for a number of key reasons. Firstly, pricing is quite a significant factor to consider. The aforementioned research demonstrates that 52% of travellers turn to OTAs because the prices were simply better and more affordable. Another 49% of travellers felt OTAs were a better bet due to the increased availability of travel options.

Still, the research does show that a significant proportion of business travellers (39%) remain reliant on direct bookings for the sake of loyalty rewards, which is a great incentive if one frequently travels for business. Whilst OTAs and other alternate channels undoubtedly offer more convenience, selection and competitive prices, such channels are generally not deemed to be authorised booking channels within a companys travel policy. From a company or employers perspective, this is problematic as the utilisation of non-corporate booking channels raises significant traveller safety concerns. Because companies and employers have no control over alternate booking platforms, their ability to track and keep their travelling employees safe is undermined. GBTAs Director of Research, Jessica Collison, asserts that booking data continues to play a critical role in traveller safety and that the use of non-corporate booking tools creates a lack of visibility which has critical implications for both travel spend and the ability to meet duty of care responsibilities. Companies have had to get around this hurdle by requiring their travelling employees to forward their itineraries to the relevant person within the company. This person will then generate travel expense reports, allowing companies to keep an eye on expenditure.

The reality is that more can be done to encourage the greater use of corporate channels to the advantage of both the traveller and their employer. The GBTA/Concur findings illustrate that personalised bookings and pre-trip approvals are perceived to be the most impactful. Above all, business travellers are looking for convenience and personalisation. If the approved corporate channels became increasingly convenient and personalised, we should see a surge in direct bookings. When asked about features they would like to see in corporate booking tools, interestingly 31% of biz travellers viewed a live chat function as more important than chat powered by artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Technology aside, the flexibility of travel policies can also dictate the rise and fall in the use of corporate channels. In a typical example, 74% of travellers working for companies with fairly flexible policies still booked directly with an airline. This number fell to 64% amongst travellers whose corporate policies were much stricter.

These are just a few things companies and employers can take on board in order to boost employee usage of company-sanctioned booking platforms. Our AP sales team is happy to talk to your hotel about how it can encourage more bookings from corporate travellers.

Source : http://ow.ly/6iHd30mXoUD

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###Treehugger and our third-party partners use cookies and process personal data like unique identifiers based on your consent to store and/or access information on a device, display personalized ads and for content measurement, audience insight, and product development. To change or withdraw your consent choices for Treehugger.com, including your right to object where legitimate interest is used, click below. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. List of Partners (vendors)A new study published in the Journal of Sustainable Forestry. Carbon, Fossil Fuel, and Biodiversity Mitigation With Wood and Forests, confirms that building with wood really does reduce carbon dioxide emissions. A lot. And while we talk about how wood sequesters carbon for the life of the building, that is really the smallest part of it.

The real savings come from "avoided emissions"- a square meter of wood construction replaces a significant amount of concrete that would have been made to do the same job. For the first time that I know of, instead of just comparing the CO2 per cubic meter of building materials, it actually looks at the real world usage. Study co-author explains, in an article in The Conversation:

Building with wood consumes much less energy than using concrete or steel. For example, a wooden floor beam requires 80 megajoules (mj) of energy per square metre of floor space and emits 4kg CO2. By comparison, a square metre of floor space supported by a steel beam requires 516 mj and emits 40 kg of CO2, and a concrete slab floor requires 290 mj and emits 27kg of CO2.

 From study of wood vs concrete

Harvesting a bit more wood and using a lot less concrete could make a very big difference:

The 3.4 billion cubic meters of wood harvested each year accounts for only 20% of new annual growth. Increasing the wood harvest to 34% or more would have several profound and positive effects. Emissions amounting to 14-31% of global CO2 would be avoided by creating less steel and concrete, and by storing CO2 in the cell structure of wood products. A further 12-19% of annual global fossil fuel consumption would be saved, including savings from burning scrap wood and unsellable materials for energy.

The author also points out that sustainable forest management is good for forests, reduces the risk of forest fires, and creates jobs, which I would add don't involve cooking limestone with fossil fuels or digging big holes for aggregate. More at the ConversationMany of us will likely have some childhood memories of eating multicoloured, jiggly specimens of Jell-O, that gelatin-based dish that was quite popular (so much so that back in the fifties and sixties, home cooks would apparently encase odd things like salads and even lamb chops in them, though there are some interesting theories as to why this kind of cooking was so popular).

Nevertheless, Jell-O cuisine continues to evolve as some creative-minded people are re-interpreting it as a kind of art form. That's what Sydney, Australia-based jelly artisan Siew Heng Boon of Jelly Alchemy is doing with her gorgeous, three-dimensional jelly cakes that feature jaw-dropping, finely handcrafted details like flowers, animals and fish. Best of all, Boon uses a seaweed-based gelatin, rather than sourced from animal collagen, meaning her cakes are vegetarian-friendly.

 Jelly Alchemy

As Boon tells us, she first got started in making these cakes two years ago, when she attended a workshop in Malaysia:

I wanted to perfect the art and experimented on taste, natural colouring and design. As I posted my experiments on social media, I started getting requests from people wanting to order my jelly cakes. The feedback that I received was wonderful. I was a full time homemaker back then and was figuring ways to help my family out financially. It occurred to me that I could combine my passion with meaningful work. Upon my return to Sydney, I started Jelly Alchemy.

 Jelly Alchemy

Boon's cakes are delightful to behold: enveloping delicately petaled blossoms and leaves of various sizes and hues; or wildlife like long-tailed birds and brilliant koi fish.

 Jelly Alchemy

 Jelly Alchemy

 Jelly Alchemy

As one can see in the explanatory video below, these remarkable jelly cakes are actually decorated upside down, and the flavoured colouring for the designs injected in and then worked in, bit by bit, with special hand-held tools. Jelly cakes can have different layers of colours and tastes like lychee, strawberry, and green tea, as well as different shapes. When cut, they offer a delicious visual cross-section into the heart of the cake. Says Boon:

I find inspiration from nature around me, looking at artworks and floral arrangements. I love to experiment on colours to create different shades and hues. Sometimes my designs are impromptu, designing what I feel will look good on the spot.



 Jelly Alchemy

 Jelly Alchemy

 Jelly Alchemy

 Jelly Alchemy

It's not clear from where this fascinating food art originates, but Boon believes it might have come from Mexico, and is now gaining popularity in Asia, especially in southeast Asia.

 Jelly Alchemy

Boon continues to create eye-catching jelly cakes for all kinds of special occasions for clients, from birthdays, anniversaries and weddings, and you can see more of her artisanal jelly cakes on her Instagram and Facebook.The plane carries no single-use plastics  but aren't we ignoring a much bigger environmental issue?

The world's first plastic-free flight took off from Portugal and flew to Brazil on December 26th. The plane carried no single-use plastics aboard, having replaced them with bamboo cutlery, paper packaging, and easily compostable containers. Everything from butter pots and soft drink bottles to sick bags and toothbrushes had been redesigned to be plastic-free; and it was estimated that the change would prevent 350 kg of disposable plastics from being used.

The flight, operated by Hi-Fly, has been called "historic", and is hailed as the way of the future for the airline, which has committed to going entirely plastic-free within a year. This change is driven by Hi-Fly president Paulo Mirpuri, who is also head of the Lisbon-based Mirpuri Foundation, a non-profit organization that develops sustainable solutions to environmental problems. Mirpuri told CTV News, "The test flights will help us trial the many substitute items we have developed and introduced, in a real-world environment."

The plane is scheduled to pick up Brazilian passengers in the northeastern city of Natal and bring them back to Portugal to celebrate New Year's, then deliver then home a week later. Over 700 passengers will be part of this trial.

Mirpuri is optimistic about the effect that eliminating single-use plastics can have, stating in a press release:

"Over 100,000 flights take off each day around the world and, last year, commercial aircraft carried nearly four billion passengers. This number is expected to double again in less than 20 years. So, the potential to make a difference here is clearly enormous."

There is validity to what Mirpuri says. The estimate I once heard is that there are 20,000 planes in the air at any given moment, and if each of those generates 350 kg of disposable plastic waste that could be replaced with plastic-free alternatives, that's a whopping 7 million kg of plastics not being used.

But, like so many environmental initiatives that I believe do come from a place of good intentions, this one fails to acknowledge the much, much bigger problem at hand, which is air travel's devastating effect on the planet. But nobody wants to talk about that. Challenging a person's 'right' to travel is arguably a more contentious conversation even than the vegan vs. meat-eating debate.

On one hand, this plastic-free announcement is precisely the kind of thing I want to hear, and I am hopeful that it can stand as a model to countless other industries for how to wean oneself off single-use plastics on a big scale. On the other hand, however, it strikes me as ludicrous that we're even talking about plastic-free accessories "making an enormous difference" when people are jetting between Portugal and Brazil to party for New Year's. It's a bit like extinguishing a fire in one's living room fireplace when there's a wildfire outside, threatening to engulf the house.

Another (lesser) problem I see with this flight is that the plastics have simply been replaced with non-plastic alternatives; they're still disposables. It would be much better if we could return to the style of 1950s flights, when porcelain and silverware were used on board. Disposables of any kind, regardless of how they're made, still require vast amounts of resources to produce and still create large amounts of waste, even if it's compostable in theory.

So, no, I am not celebrating this so-called historic moment. If anything, it deserves to go down in history as a moment of colossal ignorance, when we, as an entire race, teetering on the brink of self-annihilation, are more preoccupied with stabbing our microwaved beef with bamboo forks than worrying about the fact that the entire plane is going down.The European Union (EU) has banned curry leaves from Sri Lanka based on a report published in a scientific journal about a citrus greening bacterium which allegedly infected plants that came out in 2013, a senior official of the Department of Agriculture said.

National Plant Quarantine Service (NPQS), Additional Director Dr. W. A. R. T. Wickramaarachchi of the Department of Agriculture told the Daily Mirror the bacterium infection was reported in 2013 and it was published in many scientific journals.

Based on those journal reports the EU amended its rules and came up with new regulations in 2014 with regards to the potential biodiversity threats which can have an effect on other countries. Before its 2014 update was finalised, the EU found this bacterium infection among plants of the citrus family. The ban was imposed for the protection of biodiversity in those countries, Dr. Wickramaarachchi said.

Candidatus Liberibacter Bacterium' agents were reported in our curry leaves at harvesting time. The curry leaf is a member of the Rutaceae family also known as the citrus family, Dr. Wickramaarachchi said. However, he said a recent survey which was conducted showed that there are no citrus greening bacterium infections.

Based on the findings, new reports were published but it would take a long time to get the ban on Sri Lankan curry leaves exported to EU countries removed. We have already requested the EU to lift the ban based on this report. This is because 99.9 per cent of plant infections do not affect humans as is the case of this citrus greening bacterium disease, Dr. Wickramaarachchi said.

He said Sri Lanka earns a huge revenue by exporting curry leaves and added that many Sri Lankan expatriates were in the habit of taking curry leaves with them when travelling abroad, including to EU countries, as curry leaves are associated with Sri Lankan tradition and food culture.

He advised the public not to take our plants, herbs and other items that effects biodiversity out of the country or bring them into the country without proper Quarantine National Plant Quarantine certificates.

He also advised the authorities not to publish any reports relating to Sri Lanka's biodiversity without proper supervision or authorisation as it might damage the image of the country.

Fresh curry leaves are no longer permitted to be exported from Sri Lanka to Italy, Cyprus, Greece and Malta because the citrus greening disease had already caused billions of pounds worth of damage to citrus trees in countries outside the EU. This decision has been taken to protect Europes fruit industry, he said.

According to the final report of an audit carried out in Sri Lanka from February 3 to 13, 2015, the EU said new amendments of the directive such as that related to curry leaves, were not taken into consideration. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)laxmi@tribune.com

Mumbai/Delhi, December 27

Apple Inc will begin assembling its top-end iPhones in India through the local unit of Foxconn as early as 2019, the first time the Taiwanese contract manufacturer will make the product in the country, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Importantly, Foxconn will be assembling the most expensive models, such as devices in the flagship iPhone X family, the source said, potentially taking Apples business in India to a new level.

Foxconn, which already makes phones for Xiaomi Corp, will invest Rs 2,500 crore to expand the plant, including investment in iPhone production, Tamil Nadus Industries Minister MC Sampath said.

The investment may create as many as 25,000 jobs, he added. The other source declined to be named as this person is not authorised to speak to the media. A third source confirmed the development.  ReutersEmirates flight A-380,with 420 passengers and 22 crew members on board, flying from Dubai to Melbourne made an emergency landing at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) this morning after a crew member fell ill, BIA Duty Officer said.

He said a 32-year-old crew member had suffered a stomachache which had forced the flight to make the emergency landing.

He was rushed to a private hospital in Negombo after being handed over to the airport medical center.

The duty officer said the flight took off from the BIA for Melbourne, Australia at 12.15 pm. (T.K.G. Kapila)editorial@tribune.com

New Delhi: The Union government on Friday reiterated its resolve to protect the countrys burgeoning steel sector in the globally competitive market in view of the US having imposed duty on Indian steel. In the presence of Union Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh, Steel Secretary Binoy Kumar said talks were going on with the US to resolve the impasse. Addressing a function to commemorate the 60th year of steel production by Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), Singh said India is on course to achieve the ambitious target of 300 MT steel capacity by 2030-31, as set out in National Steel Policy-2017. TNSlaxmi@tribune.com

Vijay C Roy

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 27

When the Central government authorised GAIL Gas Ltd to start city gas distribution (CGD) network in Sonepat in June 2009, it was anticipated that it will be the first city in North India to get piped gas connections. Same is the case of Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula residents. They were expecting to join the premier league of cities having CGD network when IndianOil-Adani Gas (P) Ltd won the bid for these cities in May 2013.

However, nine years later, GAIL has succeeded in roping in only 8,500 piped natural gas (PNG) customers in Sonepat. In Chandigarh, only 9,000 customers are getting piped gas. Even other awarded projects in Punjab and Haryana are running behind schedule.

PNG is around 20% cheaper than LPG supplied in cylinders but the slow progress in laying underground pipes has been a major stumbling block and eluding customers from cheaper fuel. According to a senior functionary of the company which won the bids for the CGD network, teething problems at local level, infrastructure constraints and mindset of people are the main reasons behind the slow progress.

We are facing infrastructure constraints in the city as the lanes are very narrow and its very difficult to lay the pipelines. Secondly, the mindset of people has to change. People are still not coming forward to opt for piped gas, said a GAIL official.

The companies who have already won the bid said the right of use (RoU) charges for laying the pipeline in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh are very high.

It has come to my notice that the RoU charges in Punjab and Chandigarh are Rs 50 per metre per annum. Also, there is a provision of annual escalation at the rate of 5-10%. This is also one of the reasons behind the slow progress in these states, Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board chief DK Sarraf told The Tribune.

He said the Punjab Cabinet approved policy guidelines to facilitate the laying of pipelines in May this year only. In the absence of policy, the bidders were facing issues dealing with local municipal corporations. At present, CGD authorisation has been given to various companies covering 13 districts in Punjab and 16 in Haryana.

In the 10th bidding round, six districts in Punjab and three in Haryana are being offered which will be concluded in February next year. Meanwhile, DS Dhesi, Chief Secretary, Haryana, said the state would provide all necessary support to fructify this plan.

Districts awarded for piped gas network

Punjab: SAS Nagar, Patiala, Sangrur, Ludhiana, Barnala, Moga, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, SBS Nagar, Amritsar, Bathinda, Ropar and Fatehgarh Sahib

Haryana: Sonepat, Panipat, Yamunanagar, Rewari, Rohtak, Karnal, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Panchkula, Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, Mahendragarh, Hisar, Jind, Nuh and Palwaleditorial@tribune.com

Sanjay Bumbroo

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, December 27

After failing to deal with the stray dog menace, the local Municipal Corporation has urged residents to purchase a device costing around Rs 600 to keep stray dogs away from their localities.

The device produces a discomforting but not harmful high-frequency sound audible to dogs but not to human beings. The device, which is safe for human beings, sends ultrasonic waves to chase away dogs.

Though the MC is constructing a dog rehabilitation centre at Sukhdarshanpur village near Raipur Rani in the district at a cost of Rs 3 crore, there is uncertainty over its completion.

The construction of a cow shelter in the same village, work on which was started about a year ago, has been hanging fire due to a shortage of technical staff.

Using the latest ultrasonic technology, the device helps in stopping unfriendly and aggressive dogs as far away as 20 ft and will be beneficial for joggers, walkers, meter readers, cyclists, police and fire and rescue teams.

Rajesh Jogpal, MC Administrator, said they had been regularly receiving complaints from residents regarding the dog menace and increasing number of dog-bite cases. To rid the city of this menace, he had contacted other municipal commissioners in the state, who suggested that this technique should be adopted.

He said the MC had already purchased 10 sets of the device on a trial basis and the results were positive.

Jogpal said the device was smaller than a mobile set and residents could keep it in their pocket or vehicle and use it whenever the need arose. He said the device had been provided to some employees of the corporation to operate it in their working areas. He said the device was also available in the market and advised people to purchase it to keep themselves safe.

However, city residents said this was not a permanent solution and urged the corporation to speed up work on the dog rehabilitation centre.

Smaller than a mobile set

Rajesh Jogpal, MC Administrator, said the device was smaller than a mobile set and residents could keep it in their pocket or vehicle and use it whenever the need arose. He said the device was also available in the market and advised people to purchase it to keep themselves safe.

Safe for human beingseditorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Mohali, December 27

The Excise and Taxation Department arrested four persons in three cases late last night for smuggling 960 bottles of liquor from Chandigarh to be used in the panchayat elections in Punjab.

Giving details, Excise and Taxation Officer Vinod Pahuja said his team and another team, led by Excise Inspector Sarup Inder Singh Sandhu, had laid a naka on the Kharar-Morinda road. He said when a Lancer car approached the naka, they directed its driver to stop. However, the driver sped away and they chased him. When the driver took a turn towards the Ludhiana road, the chasing party informed its counterparts in Fatehgarh Sahib, who laid a naka at Khamano. The team was able to stop the driver there and during a search of the car, 156 bottles of country-made liquor were found.

A case under the Excise Act was registered against the driver, Barinder Singh of Mohan Majra, at the Khamano police station.

The team handed over the illegal consignment of liquor to the police.

In another case, the team recovered 528 bottles of liquor, including 44 of Rajdhani make and 84 of Naina whisky, from a Verna car being driven by Santokh Singh of Ronekalan village near Khanna, which also had Gurpreet Singh, a resident of Samrala, in it.

The suspects were handed over to the Gharuan police along with the liquor.

In the third case, the team seized 276 bottles of Naina whisky from a Maruti car. After registering a case against Rahul, alias Vicky, a resident of Morinda, the team handed him to the police along with the illegal whisky.editorial@tribune.com

Amit Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 28

The UT police seem to have applied brakes on vehicle thefts in the city as the latest crime figures indicate a decline in the number of vehicles stolen this year.

A total of 724 cases of vehicle theft have been registered this year till December 15 against 851 such cases registered during the corresponding period last year.

Intensified night patrolling and the arrest of auto thieves gangs have helped us control the crime, said DSP (Crime) Pawan Kumar.

However, the recovery of vehicles still remains low. According to the police statistics, of the 724 vehicle theft cases, only 282 were solved with the arrest of 189 thieves and recovery of vehicles worth around Rs1.48 crore. The recovery of vehicles is low as the suspects sell these to scrap dealers in neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab and Haryana, who later dismantle the vehicles, Kumar said.

He said two-wheeler thieves usually abandoned vehicles in neighbouring cities. These either have fake numbers or are without number plates. So it becomes difficult to establish from where the vehicles were stolen, he said.

The police said a majority of the vehicles, especially two-wheelers, were stolen from free parking lots in local markets during the daytime, while others were stolen from outside houses during night.

Gangs bustededitorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 28

Vendors of Sector 17 on Friday opposed the decision of the Administration to declare Sector 17 a no-vending zone and held a candlelight march.

Mohinder Singh Chalia, president of the Vendors Association, said the MC and the Administration had been working under traders pressure and had decided to remove the vendors without any reason. The vendors said Sector 17 had no residential area and it was one of the major tourist centres of the city. They said vendors were allowed at tourist places all over the world.

Babla demands inquiry into survey

Congress councillor Devinder Singh Babla has demanded an inquiry into the survey conducted by an agency regarding vendors in the city. Babla alleged that the survey was conducted without any proper verification.

He said many vendors had approached him and said they were ready to give a statement in front of the inquiry agency.Rajeev Dhavan

Rajeev Dhavan

Senior advocate, Supreme Court

Is the Babri masjid-Ram mandir a legacy for resolution in this millennia? Destruction of Babri masjid on December 6, 1992, is the biggest blot on Indias multi-religious and cultural portrait. India has the biggest diversity, more than Europe, the Middle East, Africa, America, and the Far East put together. Its demography makes it the largest Hindu, one of the largest Muslim, a fairly large Christian, Buddhist and Jain civilisation state, with hundreds of other faiths and multiplicity of language, dialects, art, culture and music. This uniqueness is under siege by bigotry religious and ethnic cleaning, riots, ghar wapsis, lynchings masquerading death. Terrorism exists amongst some Muslims and is punishable, but nothing near the collective onslaught of the Sangh Parivar on India itself and its minorities with animus and cruelty. Is there an India we want to protect? Or do we want to go down the route of Pakistan? India forms the greatest civilisational experiment in diversity the world has ever known.

For a legal perspective, let us go back to 1855 when Muslims claimed that Hanumangarhi replaced a mosque. The Muslims were routed. Different reports came from nawabs and British committees. Having given grants to all, the nawabs moved the capital to Lucknow and were absorbed into the Empire. In 1857, Nihang Sikhs were evicted from Babri. Tension came from the Bairagis, who were made to pay compensation to the mosque. The British recognised the mosque with grants; and an 1885 case confirmed Muslim titles, with some worship rights to the Hindus. The story moves to attempts to destroy the mosque in 1934, which was rebuilt. In 1949, idols trespassed into the mosque claiming divine intervention. Locks opened less miraculously in 1986, the mosque was destroyed in 1992 with riots to follow. In 1994, the Supreme Court prescripted a resolution by court through law, with the Union government as statutory receiver, and with UP to remain neutral.

The Lucknow judgment was unsatisfactory to all. One-third each of the site went to the Deity, Nirmohi Akhara and Waqf, in a judgment across 8,000 pages in foolscap and over 4,000 pages in small print in three volumes. It was a panchayati judgment. Everyone appealed. The Lucknow decision provided no decisive answers. The only resolution by law was a first appeal to the Supreme Court. If it is a mere title suit, the Muslim case is strong. But the Lucknow court drifted into innumerable questions of ancient texts, unreliable accounts of travellers and archaeology revealing conjecture. In 2018, the Supreme Courts record was still not in order. Even in January 2019, the office report shows the Hindu parties are still in default. After flagging the reference on Justice Vermas unfortunate sentence on mosques being unessential to Islam obviating protection, I told the court that I was ready, on that very day, to begin the main argument. How long will a first appeal on a judgment of 8,000 pages, with a further over a hundred volumes of evidence, take? If the solution is to follow legality, justice appeals cannot be heard slipshod. A schedule is workable. The fate of India as a nation depends on it.

Hindu fundamentalists have always relied on a coercive solution. Attacking the masjid in the 19th century, trying to destroy it in 1934, trespass in 1949, massive rath yatras and destruction in 1992, after which the mob cried mandir banega. Given the Central governments judicial duty to remain, is it not Modis duty to declare that he was bound by the courts decision? Defying this, the BJP and the Sangh Parivar can think of only one solution  coercion, coercion, coercion. The cry for legislation is doubtful in law and majoritarian coercion. The legislative cannot sit in appeal over the Supreme Court. The vast celebration in Ayodhya on December 6 was coercive. The attempt to abolish Faizabad district is coercion. The threatening cry of the so-called sants is coercion. To link it with politics is coercion. Coercion is not an answer. The stampede of demands with violence is not just to Muslims, but to the whole country, to accept Hindu supremacy, or relent. Of course the Religious Worships Act of 1991 preserves status quo on all other sites. But will coercive solutions follow on other sites?

In the records of the conciliation meetings before the destruction, Muslims clarified that if there was any tangible proof that Lord Ram was born on that spot, they would yield. No proof emerged. Nor, in my view, was temple destroyed to build a mosque at that spot. The Hindus are not sure, even suggesting Aurangzeb destroyed the temple. The belief that Lord Ram was of Ayodhya is a sustainable myth. The fact that Babri existed and destroyed is not a myth. This now becomes a blinking game. Will the Muslims build a mosque somewhere else? Will the Hindus build a temple elsewhere? Our perspective has to start from 1947. Mosques cannot be vindictively destroyed and shifted at will. To rebuild what existed post 1947 is a statutory constitutional and moral duty. The Hindus have enough land to build a temple or even several temples in Ayodhya. If a temple has to be built, let it coexist  the mosque where it stood and the temple nearby. The entry of the Deity into the case as a minor in 1989 blocks solutions. Is Lord Ram a minor claiming Ayodhya or the world? If there is some play here, examine it. Or abide by the legal solution. The Sangh Parivar will not abide by an adverse legal result, which the Muslims will accept. Lord Ram gave up Ayodhya to interact with many cultures, pledging them to peace. In this kalyug, Lord Ram would say: Build the temple anywhere if you must, but protect all my people of all faiths. Is not that Ram Rajya?

Appears for Muslims in the Babri masjid caseBharat H Desai, Balraj K Sidhu

Bharat H Desai

Professor, JNU

Balraj K Sidhu

Faculty, IIT, Kharagpur

If we want people to say 'no more war', we have to show how brutal it is," ringed the voice of Berit Reiss-Andersen, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, while announcing the winners of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize. Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege and Yezidi victim of IS brutality in Iraq Nadia Murad were jointly conferred with the Nobel honour for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon in armed conflicts. Both have made a crucial contribution to focus attention on, and combating, such war crimes.

Sexual violence and crimes committed against women during conflicts are as old as the history of warfare. It is still being used as a tactic and weapon of war. In fact, it is not just rape out of control, but rape under orders, as a means of pursuing military, political or economic ends. The horrors of Pakistani army's effort to crush the 1971 Bangladeshi liberation movement are etched in collective memory with the systematic rape of hundreds of thousands Bengali women. Sri Lanka is trying to come to terms with the aftermath of brutal violence by both the security forces and the LTTE.

The use of sexual violence in conflict zones as well as acceptance of such incidents, brutalities and resultant trauma generally result in 'walls of silence'. Hence, it has been often brushed aside as an inevitable and unavoidable 'evil' consequence of war. This has been aggravated by pre-existing exclusions and discriminations that typify women's status in most societies.

A neglected crime

Wars often leave behind gory incidents, horrid stories, a painful past and many wounds that refuse to heal with time. One such simmering issue arose before World War II wherein the Japanese military set up comfort stations treating women as sex slaves. These women slaves were drawn from the vast Japanese empire, of which Korean women constituted the bulk. In December 2015, Japan and South Korea brokered a deal wherein Japan issued a "most sincere" apology and paid $8.3 million to the surviving victims. However, this was revoked recently, with the change of government in South Korea. It shows how wounds of the past refuse to heal.

At the 68th UN General Assembly Session (2014), 122 Member-States endorsed a Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. The Declaration resolved to end the pernicious culture of impunity by bringing to justice perpetrators of sexual violence in conflict. A process for concerted action against sexual violence during armed conflicts took shape in the wake of the UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008) as well as incorporation of crimes of sexual violence in the statutes of International Criminal Tribunals (Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone) and the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Rome Statute of ICC became the first global treaty that recognises rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced sterilisation, and other forms of sexual violence as distinct types of war crimes.

The tribunals, however, have a limited capacity to provide justice to sufferings inflicted upon women during conflicts. They recognise a small set of the crimes committed against women and fall short of addressing all gender-based harms and curing gender biases entrenched in society as well as institutions. The conviction rate in cases before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda does not reflect the high levels of gender violence during the Rwandan genocide, although records indicate that rape and sexual violence formed part of the systematic attack on the civilians. On the other hand, in all cases before the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia, till April 2011, 93 individuals were indicted: 44 of them for crimes involving sexual violence. Of those 44 individuals, 29 were convicted of sexual violence.

The Sierra Leone civil war also gave birth to notorious tradition of 'bush wife' in which captured or abducted civilian girls and women were forcibly assigned to rebel commanders. At the same time, an investigation into sexual crimes presents its own specific challenges that include the under- or non-reporting of sexual violence owing to societal, cultural, or religious factors; stigma for victims of sexual and gender-based crimes; limited domestic investigations and associated lack of readily available evidence; lack of forensic or other documentary evidence owing, inter alia, to the passage of time; and inadequate or limited support services at the national level. As a result, there is a tendency to dismiss sexual violence merely as an inevitable by-product of war, the random acts of a few renegades, or mere collateral damage!

The right to heal

There has been a persistent search for appropriate institutional designs that could deal with mass atrocities in conflict-ridden societies and foster justice in the post-conflict period. In recent years, the dominant discourses are led by scholars who call for Transitional Justice (TJ). It refers to the process of dealing with the aftermath of violent conflicts and systematic human rights abuses in order to provide conditions for a peaceful future.

In the thick of the post-war accountability jamboree, the struggle to ensure justice for women victims is aggravated by the 'walls of silence' that often contain bricks of shame, stigma, fear and futility. In the legal and political maze of ending or transmuting conflict, women still need to struggle to insulate and influence policies, laws and institutional structures that adversely affect them.

Need for post-conflict justice

The large-scale violence resulting from the 1947 partition of India left unspeakable atrocities against women. Women on both sides of the border (India and Pakistan) suffered brutalities caused by the deadly combination of religion and anger of retribution. They were abducted, killed, maimed, mutilated, violated and abandoned. Even after an agreement between India and Pakistan to return women to their original families, there were no takers of them. No one came to reclaim them. Many of them were forced into prostitution. Amid jubilation over freedom, these victim-survivors did not figure anywhere in the historical records. No effort was made to redress the injustices done against them.

Lack of empathy to understand the multi-dimensional nature of the suffering of women confronts us as they struggle to survive violent conflicts. The overwhelming emphasis on sexual and penetrative violations of women's bodies' has led to insensitivity towards emotional harm, harm to the homes, personal spaces, to children and to others with whom women are intimately connected.

Sexual violence against women during conflicts remains one of the biggest challenges of this century. One only hopes that the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize will give a push for concrete inter-governmental action for designing a special global treaty to hold states and non-state actors responsible as well as provide pre-emptive measures to end sexual violence against women during violent conflicts.Anand Kumar

Anand Kumar

Defence analyst

The India-Maldives relationship, which had suffered during the regime of Abdulla Yameen, is again looking up with the coming to power of Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who had contested the elections as the joint Opposition candidate. To undo the damage done during the previous regime and to take bilateral ties to a new level, President Solih recently came to India on a three-day visit. Through this visit, he wanted to give the message that India and the Maldives are close neighbours and partners and what happened during Yameens reign was just an aberration.

This was the first foreign tour of the Maldivian President after assuming power. The new government is facing a financial crisis. A key objective of the visit was to seek help from India so that the new government stabilises. Solih has found that the state coffers are empty due to massive corruption and embezzlement that took place during Yameens rule. To make matters worse, Yameen has taken hefty loans from China that is difficult for the Maldivian Government to repay.

Yameen allowed the Chinese to undertake a number of infrastructure projects at inflated costs. The Chinese have been engaged in building a mile-long bridge that links capital Male with its airport, which is located on another island, Hulhule. Besides, the Chinese are engaged in the expansion of this airport and building a housing project on the reclaimed island of Hulumale. This has left the Maldives in huge debt. According to one estimate, the total Maldivian debt is about $3.7 billion, which is about 53% of the GDP (gross domestic product). Of this, the Maldives owes $1.4 billion to China. A major part of this debt is attributed to dubious loan agreements signed by Yameen. With annual revenues of $1.5 billion and an annual GDP of around $3.9 billion, it would be hard for the Maldives to service such a high Chinese debt.

In recent times, China has been consciously following this policy, especially under its Belt and Road Initiative, whereby it creates grand infrastructural projects whose cost the recipient countries often find difficult to repay. This has made Sri Lanka surrender its port in Hambantota in debt for equity swap. The Maldives is also among the debt-stressed countries under the BRI programme. It fears that now the Chinese would also infringe on their sovereignty using debt as a pressure tool.

The new government of the Maldives is seeking help from India so that it can manage its financial crisis. India has tried to help the Maldives as much as possible. It has given the country a package of $1.4 billion, out of which $200 million is the grant for budgetary support. The rest is concessionary loan.

During Yameens rule, India-Maldives ties had nosedived. He pursued policies at the behest of the Chinese, mortgaging the future of Maldivians. According to an estimate, every Maldivian owes about $8,000 to China. Yameen justified inflated costs of these projects, saying that they were being completed in a very short time. The joint opposition at that time, however, believed that these projects were undertaken with political purposes.

Yameen tried to delay Indian projects. He cancelled the project of expansion of the main Male airport, which was given to an Indian company, GMR, and awarded the contract to a Chinese firm. The Maldives had to face a big financial loss for this decision as the international court ruled in favour of GMR and the country had to pay the company for its losses. A number of other Indian initiatives, such as a training academy for Maldives defence personnel and the creation of a special economic zone, have suffered because of the hurdles created by the then Yameen government.

Yameen had also tried to harm ties in the areas of defense and security. The installation of coastal radars is still incomplete as the previous Maldivian government was not providing visa to Indian technicians. Whats worse, Yameen asked the Indian Government to take back choppers it had provided. There was confusion on the issue of Dornier aircraft. Yameen probably wanted to take a loan from Pakistan and buy the aircraft from them, whereas India was providing them as a gift.

Though defence cooperation was not a priority during the visit of President Solih, his government has agreed to follow an India first policy which was given up by Yameen. Both countries have asserted that they will not allow their respective territories to be used for inimical purposes. Both agree that their security challenges are the same in the Indian Ocean region and they need a common approach to deal with them. The new government has reversed the decision on the return of choppers and has accepted the Dornier aircraft. They have also signed a new visa agreement which will facilitate people-to-people contact. Under Yameen, Indian investors had found it difficult to get visa to travel to the Maldives and some of the India-funded projects were put on the back-burner.

Possibly, some of these projects would now be expedited and new ones started. Male needs to relocate and refurbish its existing commercial port, as it can no longer deal with the number of ships coming in. A part of the credit line given by India is likely to be used for this purpose. India has also agreed to provide 1,000 additional slots over the next five years for training and capacity-building in diverse fields.

The Maldives, on its part, has reiterated its support for Indias candidature for permanent membership of an expanded and reformed UN Security Council. It will also support Indias candidature for a non-permanent seat for 2020-21.

India and the Maldives have tried to mend their ties during Solih's recent visit, but it would be hasty to conclude that Chinese influence would start waning immediately. The Solih government has already stated that China remains a friend, and one that has brought the Maldives economic benefit. It is possible that once the Solih government stabilises, it might again start leveraging both India and China against one another to get the best deal for itself. Countries such as the UK and Japan have opened their embassies in Male, realising the geo-strategic importance of the Maldives. The interest of so many external players in the Maldives will ensure that India would have to spend considerable time, energy and resources to maintain its sphere of influence.Lt Gen DS Hooda (retd)

Lt Gen DS Hooda (retd)

Former Northern Army Commander

On December 23, it was widely reported by the media that six terrorists of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, an outfit affiliated to Al-Qaeda, were killed in a gunfight in South Kashmirs Tral sub-district. There was another noteworthy report that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had found evidence indicating that members of the Islamic State in J&K may have links with operatives of the outfit in Afghanistan and some of them may even be getting directions from there.

It has long been believed that transnational Islamist groups like the Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have only a limited appeal among the Kashmiri youth. While this is largely correct, it is equally true that radicalisation is on the rise in Kashmir. There are differences of opinion on what exactly is driving this radicalisation, and whether the ideology is primarily religious, political or just an expression of alienation and frustration. However, irrespective of the ideology, the result has been a surge in the use of indiscriminate violence by various terror groups. The recent killings of civilians and local policemen on leave, and an increase in local youth picking up the gun are grim indicators.

Despite the clear signs, there is some ambiguity in dealing with the issue of radicalisation, perhaps because of its religious overtone. However, if we shy away from recognising the true nature of the problem, we will be unable to develop a coherent response.

Efforts to counter radicalisation will have to focus on madrassa education, community involvement, the assistance of Muslim clerics, identification of potential threats, and enhancing resilience against radicalisation through an effective counter-narrative. This requires a vast outreach and a comprehensive action plan, which has not been given due attention by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

There are many good examples of countering radicalisation from around the world. The Saudi government fights violent extremism as a war on ideas, based on what is permitted in Islam. The strategy is based on PRAC  prevention, rehabilitation and post-release care. There is extensive religious counselling of prisoners and support for rehabilitation.

Singapores strategy is a comprehensive mix of measures to counter the extremist ideology, programmes to re-integrate terrorists into society, and community engagement programmes to strengthen the social fabric. EXIT-Germany, an initiative to help people leave extremist groups, distributed free T-shirts with the logo of skull and bones and the title Hardcore Rebels, during a concert where a large number of Neo-Nazis were present. After a wash, the logo and title faded and were replaced by the words: What your T-shirt can do, you also can do  We help you to free yourself from right-wing extremism.

One key area in the fight against radicalisation is the governments communication strategy. Terrorists use extremely effective messages and narratives to attract people to their cause. This is a battle of perceptions, where what is true is not as important as what is perceived to be true. The target is the mind and the most important weapons are Facebook and Twitter. Extremist narratives are based on a mixture of real and perceived grievances and play on fears. In Kashmir, the narrative that the Kashmiri identity is under threat is a consistent theme.

The governments strategy to counter this narrative has been largely based on a law enforcement approach  shut down the extremist content by pressurising service providers or shut down the Internet altogether. This will have only a limited impact because of the limitations in monitoring the massive quantity of content on the Internet. Blocked accounts reappear under other names within minutes.

An effective communication campaign must focus on discrediting radical ideologies and providing a healing narrative to the target population. While preparing this campaign, three important aspects have to be kept in mind. First, and most important, it should target all extremist content, irrespective of religion and ideology. An extreme right-wing message can have the same effect on a disgruntled Muslim youth in Kashmir as an Al-Qaeda video. Both these contents must be countered with equal emphasis.

Second, a Centrally driven campaign from Delhi will have only a limited appeal. While Delhi must lay down the broad policies and guidelines, the implementation should go down to the local level. Different regions and threats require a different narrative. The ideology that drives a student in South Kashmir towards radicalisation is different from that of a youth in Poonch. A common theme for both groups may end up appealing to neither.

And finally, narratives have to be supported by actions on the ground. Sometimes, leaders become so seduced by social media that putting out a tweet or press note seems like enough action as long as it generates thousands of likes. If there is no follow-up activity, the governments credibility can be quickly damaged. Today, all political and military leaders appeal to the local youth who have joined terror outfits, asking them to shun violence and return to the mainstream. However, when the state government sought to introduce a new surrender and rehabilitation policy in March, it became the casualty of political wrangling and had to be withdrawn.

Social media has become the main delivery tool for the spread of extremist narratives. While none of us can be completely cocooned from its divisive influence, societies in conflict zones are the most vulnerable. We are witnessing this today in Kashmir. Countering this radicalisation will require a very comprehensive effort. This is neatly summed up in the words of John Kerry, US Secretary of State, in his address on the subject countering violent extremism, at Davos in 2015. He said, Ultimately this fight is not going to be decided on the battlefield. The outcome is going to be determined in classrooms, workplaces, houses of worship, community centres, urban street corners, in the perceptions and the thoughts of individuals, and the ways in which those perceptions are created.(Mumbai/Delhi) REUTERS: Apple Inc. will begin assembling its top-end iPhones in India through the local unit of Foxconn as early as 2019, the first time the Taiwanese contract manufacturer will have made the product in the country, according to a source familiar with the matter.



Importantly, Foxconn will be assembling the most expensive models, such as devices in the flagship iPhone X family, the source said, potentially taking Apples business in India to a new level.



The work will take place at Foxconns plant in Sriperumbudur town in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, this source added.

Foxconn, which already makes phones for Xiaomi Corp, will invest 25 billion Indian rupees (US $ 356 million) to expand the plant, including investment in iPhone production, Tamil Nadus Industries Minister M.C. Sampath told Reuters.



The investment may create as many as 25,000 jobs, he added.



The other source declined to be named as this person is not authorised to speak to the media. A third source confirmed Foxconn planned to assemble iPhones in India. The Hindu newspaper first reported on December 24 that the Foxconn plant would begin manufacturing various models of the iPhone. Reuters is first to report the size of the investment and the kind of phones to be assembled.



Until now, Cupertino, California-based Apple has only assembled the lower-cost SE and 6S models in India through Wistron Corps local unit in the Bengaluru technology hub.



Its sales in India have also been focused on lower-end phones - more than half of its sales volume is driven by models older than the iPhone 8, launched last year, according to technology research firm Counterpoint.



Apple launched the pricey iPhone X last year but has cut production of that phone, according to industry analysts, since it began selling the newer versions, iPhone XS and XR, globally this year.



Still, it could potentially get Foxconn to make the older iPhone X version in India where it sells cheaper models in a bid to get a bigger share of the worlds fastest growing major mobile phone market.



Full details of Apples deal with Foxconn are not yet clear and could change.



It is not known if any of the iPhone assembly is being moved from existing Foxconn factories in China and elsewhere. It is also unclear whether the production will be confined to assembly or include any component production in India. Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller declined to comment for this story.



Foxconn said it does not comment on matters related to current or potential customers or any of their products. It did not immediately respond to a request seeking confirmation that it was investing US $ 356 million in Tamil Nadu.



Apple shocked investors last month with a lower-than-expected sales forecast for the Christmas quarter that jolted parts suppliers across the world.

Foxconn has previously expressed concern over demand for Apples flagship devices.rchopra@tribunemail.com

London, December 28

Seven members of a UK-based Indian-origin family were involved in a freak accident in Iceland when their SUV crashed off a bridge on Thursday, killing two women and a child.

Four others, including two British Indian brothers and two young children, remain in critical condition after being airlifted to a hospital in Icelands capital Reykjavik.

The family was reportedly on holiday in the Nordic island country when their hired Toyota Land Cruiser slammed through a railing while crossing a high single-lane bridge at Skeidararsandur, a vast sand plain in the southern part of the country.

The Indian Ambassador to Iceland, T Armstrong Changsan, visited the injured at Landspitali hospital, where he spoke to hospital staff and the chaplain before contacting family members in India.

The situation is very bad. Three people have died and one of them is an infant. There were seven people, he told local media.

The holidaymakers from the UK included two couples in their thirties and three children, aged around three, eight and nine. While the youngest girl was killed on the spot, the other girl remains in surgery. According to local reports, the two adults killed in the crash were the wives of the two British Indian brothers.

Chief Superintendent of South Iceland Police Sveinn Kristjan Runarsso confirmed the four survivors had been taken to hospital with serious injuries and that we havent been able to talk to them about what happened.

The crash site was described as horrifying by tour guide Adolf Erlingsson, who was among the first on the scene with two police officers.

The car was totally smashed up after flying off the bridge and plunging down there, he told Icelandic radio station Bylgjan.

The car seemed to have hit the ground many metres from where it stopped. We struggled getting everyone out, he said.

Police officers have said that humidity could have made the surface slippery but said it remains unclear what caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle.

Temperatures were around freezing at the time of the accident, which occurred hours before the North Atlantic island saw sunrise at nearly 11.30 am local time.

The vehicle the family were travelling in slammed through a railing while crossing a high single-lane bridge over the Nupsa river at Skeidararsandur.

The bridge is described as really narrow and the vehicle plummeted on to the dry riverbed below and landed on its roof.

Icelands national ring road, also known as Route 1, is popular among tourists from around the world and the site of the crash was near Skaftafell in the south-east of the country, which is made up of mountains, glaciers, waterfalls and beaches.

Of the 18 people who have died in traffic accidents in Iceland this year, half of them have been foreign nationals.

The UKs Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: We are supporting the family of several British nationals who were involved in a road traffic accident in Iceland and are in close contact with the Icelandic authorities.

Local police have only identified the victims as British, with their names and ages not yet released until formal identification. PTIharinder@tribunemail.com

Almost two years after Capt Amarinder Singh vowed to make Punjab drug-free within four weeks of coming to power, the authorities continue to grapple with the hydra-headed menace. Under the states drug policy, there are stringent curbs on the sale of six habit-forming drugs  tramadol, tapentadol, codeine, diphenoxylate, alprazolam and buprenorphine. However, lax implementation and porous inter-state borders have led to two of them being smuggled into Punjab from neighbouring states via small-time courier companies, trains and luxury buses. These drugs are manufactured mainly in Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, both with a fair share of reputed as well as shady pharmaceutical companies. For once, the bogey of narco terror purportedly unleashed by Pakistan on the border state has been pushed into the background.

Over the past year, the states Food and Drug Administration has been busy inspecting and raiding chemist shops  and religiously feeding the media with updates. Major seizures have been made in Ludhiana and Bathinda and the licences of hundreds of chemists suspended, but the illegal supply has still not been snapped. The prevalent state of affairs hints at the complicity of law-enforcers with the producers and suppliers.

The ruling Congress has repeatedly come under fire for stopping short of catching the big fish in the drug trade - the manufacturer. The focus has largely been on the small fry, even as harried chemists have dubbed the campaign against habit-forming drugs a witch-hunt. Finally, if not belatedly, Punjab has formed an inter-state coordination committee of drug controllers. This sensible move comes six months after the state Cabinet, in a knee-jerk reaction, had proposed death penalty for drug smugglers and peddlers. It might be politically convenient for the Congress to blame BJP-ruled Haryana and Himachal for the drug mess, but there is an urgent need to improve ones own system of checks and balances. Fixing accountability of officials at various levels and ensuring that cases under the NDPS Act reach their logical conclusion can go a long way in stemming the rot.harinder@tribunemail.com

The Lok Sabha on Thursday took up the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017, for the second time with predictable results. The BJP bench strength once again powered it through, amidst an Opposition boycott. On face value, the government is implementing the Supreme Courts directive for a law to govern marriage and divorce in the Muslim community after it struck down the practice of triple talaq. There cannot be two views that triple talaq is one of the worst forms of marriage dissolution. Neither mentioned in the Quran nor the Sharia law, this practice is mostly in the Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence, the most prevalent in our part of the world.

Many nations in the region guillotined this paternalistic mindset but Indias secular political class opted to sleep over this pernicious practice till the courts decided to take up the cause of the aggrieved women. Now that the Muslim community too has accepted the courts ruling, the nub of the problem is about criminalising the practice. The secular corner claims that the ruling partys intent behind seeking to prescribe a three-year jail term is heavy-handedness and a deliberate political attempt to show up the warts in the Muslim community.

The governments reasoning is that a jail term is a necessary deterrent because the practice remains unabated with the Law Minister trotting out a figure of about 500-odd cases in one year since the Supreme Court struck down triple talaq. Besides the fact this time period is too short to assess the efficacy in changing societal behaviour, governments have been overeager about tightening prevailing laws with no regard to empirical evidence. The Modi governments conscious decision to exclude Muslims from all walks of political life suggests that its insistence on incorporating a criminal provision is part of a political game plan. If the consideration is to promote gender equality rather than create a Hindu vote bank, the need is for a law that primarily offers civil recourse and is subject to constant monitoring by the state.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 27

In a populist decision ahead of the next years parliamentary and Assembly elections, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday announced to release 44,000 tubewell connections by next three months.

Addressing a press conference here, Khattar said the demand notices for about 44,000 pending tubewell connections since January 1, 2014, would be released by March 31, 2019.

He said a target had been set to issue 50,000 new solar energy connections of which tenders had been floated for 15,000 connections.

On the reports of revised tariff demanded by certain private power players from the state government on the plea of increased cost of coal, Khattar said the state government would abide by the decisions of the Supreme Court, APTEL and Central Electricity Authority in the matter.

Replying to a question, the Chief Minister said that 468-agricultural tubewells falling under Vayama Feeder of Karnal block and Saspur Feeder of Yamunanagar block would be changed into solar energy at an estimated cost of about Rs 25 crore.

He said the state government had saved a monthly payment of Rs 30 crore to Power Grid Corporation which was being charged as inter-state transmission charges from the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) project at Jhajjar.

Khattar announced to install 10 lakh smart meters in the state. Under the first phase, such meters would be installed in Karnal and Gurugram whereas the work of installing 10,000 such meters has already started in Panipat.

He said all four power companies of the state had not only emerged from the losses but have also earned profit for the first time since the inception of the state.

Now the domestic consumers with consumption up to 200 units would get power at the rate of Rs 2.50 per unit. Earlier, it was Rs 4.50 per unit up to 150 units and Rs 5.25 per unit for next 50 units. Now, the consumer would have to pay only Rs 2 per unit for monthly consumption of 50 units.

He said the state government had launched a scheme for settlement of arrears of electricity bills of defaulting domestic consumers and non-domestic consumers. Under the scheme, the arrears of the bills before 2005 had been completely waived off. So far, 8,12,157 consumers have opted for the scheme, including 3,80,917 consumers under UHBVN and 4,31,240 under DHBVN. He said that bill amounting to Rs 1952.70 crore had been settled, thus consumers had been benefited by Rs 1699.96 crore.

He said that about 30,000 to 35,000 consumers were opting for the scheme every day. The scheme was applicable up to December 31, 2018, he added.

The Chief Minister said that there were total 54,08,722 electricity connections in the state up to 2014, whereas the present state government had issued 10,87,835 new connections during the last four years.editorial@tribune.com

Karnal, December 28

State AAP convener Naveen Jaihind on Friday accused the CM of playing divisive politics in the recent held civic body elections.

The CM had sought votes on being a Punjabi. Khattar had sought votes on the basis of caste in the MCelections in Karnal and even his party released an advertisement for seeking votes as the CM is a Punjabi. The CM has divided the society. He should have sought votes on the development agenda, Jaihind told the media here.

Jaihind said that the Delhi CM would visit Karnal on December 30 to address a rally to expose the poor state of hospitals and schools in Haryana. I came here to take permission for this programme as earlier, Kejriwal was not allowed to attend a programme at Balpabana village in Assandh, he said.

He alleged that the state government had failed to fulfil even its own poll promises. The crime graph has been rising day by day, giving sleepless nights to common people. Unemployment is a big issue, but the government has failed to provide jobs to the youths, he alleged.  TNSpardeepdhull@gmail.com

New Delhi, December 28

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said it has attached assets worth over Rs 42 crore of an NCR-based real estate firm in connection with a money-laundering case wherein land was acquired in Haryana illegally with alleged connivance of senior government functionaries and bureaucrats.

Several farmers and land owners are alleged to have been cheated to the tune of about Rs 1,500 crore in the case, in which former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is one of the accused.

The central agency said immovable properties of ABW Infrastructure Limited (ABWIL), Gurgaon, and its group companies were provisionally attached as part of the latest order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The company could not be reached for comments.

It was alleged that farmers and land owners of villages in Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnaula (also known as Nakhrola) had ancestral land of about 688 acres. They were compelled to sell approximately 400 acres out of the said land to private persons at throwaway prices under the threat of acquisition by the government between August 27, 2004 and August 24, 2007, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said.

The agency had filed a PMLA case in the alleged land scam deal in September, 2016 on the basis of a CBI FIR.

The ED had also carried out raids in this case last year.

It added that an investigation under the PMLA revealed that the real estate firm and its group companies illegally acquired land from farmers at throwaway prices and ABW group also procured the land from other land-owning companies and further obtained licences for residential/commercial/group housing in a fraudulent manner in connivance with officials and bureaucrats of different departments of Haryana government.

The company ABW, the ED said, sold some of the licences at exorbitant prices and earned undue profits, generating thereby proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 169,25,15,648.

The CBI FIR had alleged that initially the Haryana government issued a notification under the Land Acquisition Act (section 4) for acquiring land measuring about 912 acres for setting up an industrial model township.

After this, all the plots had allegedly been grabbed from the land owners by private builders at meagre rates.

It was also alleged that an order was then passed by the the competent authority, which is the Director of Industries, on August 24, 2007, releasing this land from the acquisition process in violation of the government policy, in favour of the builders, their companies and agents, instead of the original land owners.

The CBI has alleged in its FIR that in this manner, land measuring about 400 acres, the market value of which at that time was above Rs 4 crore per acre, was allegedly purchased by the private builders and others from the innocent land owners for only about Rs 100 crore. PTIeditorial@tribune.com

Vishal Joshi

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, December 27

More than 15,000 consumers in the district may lose their power connections as they have not cleared their dues under a settlement scheme, as per which the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) has given some concessions.

The scheme comes to a close on December 31.

JK Kamboj, Superintendent Engineer, UHBVN, Kurukshetra circle, told The Tribune on Thursday the defaulters owe Rs50 crore towards the power distribution company.

In all, 53,166 consumers in the district had not been paying their electricity bills for more than three years. Of them, about 35,000 were from rural segments, he said.

Kamboj further said, The state government has floated a scheme to settle pending electricity bills. As the scheme ends on December 31, we have started visiting the houses of consumers, motivating them to clear their dues before the deadline.

He said Rs11.33 crore had already been recovered.

The Kurukshetra circle has recovered dues from 66.72 per cent of defaulters. In the past few years, the connections of 6,921 users were disconnected. Of them, the power supply of 992 consumers was restored after they paid the dues. We expect more people to clear the pending bills, the UHBVN official said.

As per the scheme, the UHBVN is giving relaxation to consumers for settlement of their power dues. This scheme is meant for facilitating consumers in the domestic (up to 20 KW) and non-domestic (up to 5 KW) categories.

In Shahabad and Kurukshetra subdivisions, the UHBVN has recovered dues from 78 and 70 per cent of erring consumers, respectively. In Pehowa subdivision, only 53 per cent of defaulters have taken availed the benefit of the settlement scheme.

In all, 18,404 subscribers from Pehowa owed Rs22.95 crore towards the UHBVN. But only 9,872 have come forward to pay their dues of Rs2.89 crore.editorial@tribune.com

Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 28

In a development that virtually circumvents the July 3 judgment of the Supreme Court, the Vidhan Sabha, during its one-day winter session today, provided absolute powers to the state government to select the DGP.

The way for the selection of the new DGP was cleared with the Assembly passing the Haryana Police (Amendment) Bill, 2018, which amended certain provisions of the Haryana Police Act, 2007.

Under the amended Act, a State Security Commission, headed by the Chief Minister and, comprising, among others, Leader of Opposition, Advocate General, a retired HC Judge, Chief Secretary, Home Secretary and incumbent DGP besides two non-political persons, will have the powers to appoint the DGP.

The DGP will be chosen from a panel of at least three eligible DGP-rank officers selected by a committee headed by the Chief Secretary, and comprising the Home Secretary and the outgoing DGP.

Moving the amendment to the Police Act, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who also holds the Home portfolio, said: For the appointment of the DGP, a transparent procedure needs to be adopted.

Since law and order is the state subject, the state government feels that the State Police Board needs to be substituted with the State Security Commission, Khattar said, adding that under the new amendment, the tenure of the DGP would not be less than a year extendable for one more year.

In its July 3 order, the Supreme Court had asked the states to send names of senior police officers to the UPSC for being considered as probable candidates for the DGPs post. Among the names sent by the states, the UPSC was to prepare a list of three most suitable candidates and the states would be free to appoint any one of them as the police chief, the SC had said.

However, the state government had moved an interlocutory application before the SC praying for exemption of its Police Act from its verdict. The next date of hearing in the case is on January 8.editorial@tribune.com

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 27

The winter session of the Assembly that begins on Friday can turn out to be the shortest session of the Vidhan Sabha so far, as the indications are that it will last for only a day.

Though the number of days for which the session is to last will be known only after the business advisory committee of the House meets on Friday, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday hinted that the session would be for only a day.

Khattar said the government wanted the session to be extended till December 31, but Opposition leaders were not interested in attending the session on the last day of the year.

Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the government did not want to face the Opposition.

When a person has to vacate his house, he is in a tearing hurry. The BJP government knows that it is on its way out. Hence, it is in a hurry, Hooda added.

Meanwhile, high drama is expected during the session, as three INLD MLAs  Naina Chautala, Anoop Dhanak and Rajeep Fogat  who have switched loyalties to Dushyant Chautalas Jannayak Janata Party will have to share seats with party MLAs.

Congress MLA from Palwal Karan Singh Dalal, who was suspended from the House for a year by the Speaker during the monsoon session, is expected to stage a dharna outside the Assembly on Friday.

As for the business to be transacted in the Assembly, seven Bills will be tabled. Besides, the state government will seek approval for revised estimates of the Budget.

Sources in the Assembly say the government has sent a list of seven Bills  the Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas (Amendment) Bill, Punjab New Capital (Periphery) Control (Amendment), Faridabad Metropolitan Development Authority Act, Haryana Police (Amendment) Bill, State University of Performing and Visual Arts, Haryana Municipal (Second Amendment) Bill and Haryana Municipal Corporations (Third Amendment) Bill.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Mandi, December 28

In the wake of fresh snowfall in the region, the Lahaul-Spiti administration on Thursday closed the Rohtang Pass for pedestrians and also removed rescue posts set up at Koksar and Marhi on the Manali-Leh highway.

These posts were set up by the authorities last month to help visitors in case of any problem. However, the posts were removed in view of public safety.

SDM, Keylong, Amar Negi said the rescue posts had been removed from Marhi and Koksar. Since no one would be available to help the visitors, the pass had been closed for pedestrians.

Rescue posts are set up every year to help pedestrians who cross the pass to travel between Manali and Keylong and vice versa after November 15 till December 31, depending upon weather conditions.

The SDM said the residents of Lahaul-Spiti had been asked to avoid crossing the Rohtang Pass on foot. He said the state government would provide chopper services to the residents in case of any emergency situation.SEOUL (Reuters), DECEMBER 28, 2018- The personal information of nearly 1,000 North Koreans who defected to South Korea has been leaked after unknown hackers got access to a resettlement agencys database, the South Korean Unification Ministry said on Friday.



The ministry said it discovered last week that the names, birth dates and addresses of 997 defectors had been stolen through a computer infected with malicious software at an agency called the Hana center, in the southern city of Gumi.



The malware was planted through emails sent by an internal address, a ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity, due to the sensitivity of the issue, referring to a Hana center email account. The Hana center is among 25 institutes the ministry runs around the country to help some 32,000 defectors adjust to life in the richer, democratic South by providing jobs, medical and legal support.



Defectors, most of whom risked their lives to flee poverty and political oppression, are a source of shame for North Korea. Its state media often denounces them as human scum and accuses South Korean spies of kidnapping some of them.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 27

The Congress on Thursday submitted a chargesheet against the BJP government, which has completed one year in office. The party accused the Thakur government of being a puppet in the hands of the RSS.

In the absence of Governor Acharya Devvrat, who was away to Dharamsala for Prime Minister Narendra Modis rally, the Congress delegation, led by chairman of the chargesheet committee Ram Lal Thakur, handed over the chargesheet to his ADC. The 22-page document highlights 35 issues, including extravagance amid grave financial health of the state, irregularities, favourtism, violation of norms and favours being extended to people close to the BJP and the RSS.

Earlier, the Congress workers, led by state party president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, went to the Raj Bhawan in a procession from the Congress office to the Secretariat and finally to the Raj Bhawan. They also raised anti-government slogans. Those present included AICC secretary Gurkirat Kotli, CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri, former ministers Kaul Singh Thakur, Gangu Ram Musafir and Kuldeep Kumar, legislators Ram Lal Thakur, Dhani Ram Shandil, Harshwardhan Chauhan, Jagat Singh Negi, Nand Lal, Anirudh Singh, Vinay Kumar, Lakhwinder Rana, Pawan Kajal, Vikramaditya Singh and Sunder Thakur and former MLAs.

The one-year BJP rule in the state can be described as a year of failed promises, poor governance, deteriorating law and order situation and extravagance, the document said.

The Congress leaders alleged that guided by the RSS and other such fanatic outfits, the Thakur government had been pushing the agenda of saffronisation. It is a perfect example of divisive politics aimed at polarising people for mere political gains, they said.

The chargesheet said rather than letting the law took its own course, the state government initiated the process for the withdrawal of 19 cases registered against BJP MLAs, including Rajiv Bindal, former MLAs, BJP leaders and workers.

We have framed the chargesheet on the basis of inputs received from party leaders and the public. It is based on facts and not vendetta, said Ram Lal Thakur.

Issues raised

Yoga guru Ramdev given land worth crores for a pittance; government is being controlled by the RSS; withdrawal of 19 cases against BJP leaders; plum postings to tainted and corrupt officials; appointment of an ineligible person as the Vice-Chancellor of Himachal Pradesh University; extravagance and poor fiscal management; deteriorating law and order; jan manch turning into a political stage; flourishing transfer industry; delay in the appointment of Lokayukta; water shortage in Shimla; irregularities in the purchase of electric buses; govts failure to provide uniform to students; misutilisation of funds by the Wakf Board and backdoor appointments through outsourcing.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Solan, December 27

With cracks developing in 10 houses near the Community Health Centre in Dharampur due to reckless hill excavation, occupants have been asked to shift at the earliest.

The cracks had first appeared during the rainy season and the district administration had sought the opinion of geologists to prevent further damage. However, little had been done to prevent the situation from going bad to worse.

With the hill excavation inevitable to four-lane National Highway-22, the soil became loose and preventive measures initiated to check landslides proved futile.

The private company executing the work, GR Infraprojects Limited, had undertaken additional measures, like shotcrete and rock bolting, but it failed to prevent about 400-m hill from sliding further.

Even the road leading to the tuberculosis hospital has caved in and cracks have appeared in the houses.

Residents  Pawan Verma, Puneet Verma, Deepak Kumar, Sukhwinder Singh, Shyam Lal and others  said they should be rehabilitated in the vacant land belonging to the Health Department near the tuberculosis sanatorium. They also demanded that they should be allowed to reside in the vacant houses of the tuberculosis sanatorium as it was not easy to look for a suitable accommodation so soon.

Measures failededitorial@tribune.com

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 28

Himachal may lose the Rs 40-lakh project for drone mapping of Himalayan glaciers as the Ministry of Defence has refused to permit its use in view of border area sensitivity.

The Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, had approved the project. The State Council for Science, Technology and Environment, the agency which was to execute the project, had obtained permission from the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation and Home.

The Ministry of Defence has turned down our request for allowing the use of drones to map the glaciers in the Himalayan region, Kumar Satyarthi, Member Secretary, State Council for Science, Technology and Environment, said. Even though the Government of India has now come out with a drone policy, with the ministrys no, the project will now have to be surrendered.

With issues like climate change, global warming resulting in receding glaciers and accelerated pace of melting, monitoring of glaciers has assumed great significance. Though the council has undertaken several such studies through satellite imagery, drones would have given additional information on the issue.

It was on December 24 that the High Court had asked the Industries Department to explore the possibility of use of drones to check illegal mining. The court has sought the response of the state government after the Industries Department stated that the installation of closed circuit cameras at certain points had failed to serve the purpose. The government has been asked to see if the procedure will be economically viable and prove to be useful.

A study of 302 glaciers in Kullu district by Dr SS Randhawa, senior scientific officer, between 1962 and 2002 has indicated 14 per cent deglaciation while during the period between 2002 and 2006, it was 8 per cent. This clearly indicates that the deglacaition is taking place at a faster pace. Even in case of Spiti, 21 per cent deglaciation had taken place between 1962 and 2000, while from 2001 to 2007, it was 8 per cent.

The State Council for Science, Technology and Environment has already used drones to map the entire forest area in Jakhu and Kanlog wards of the Shimla Municipal Corporation to check illegal felling.

The experiment has been successful with little error and drones are now likely to be used for protecting forests not just within Shimla MC, but in the entire state.

Satyarthi said the council was in the process of purchasing four drones, which could be put to multiple uses, including checking illegal mining, felling of trees, process to purchase, urban development planning and also in hydro power projects. He added that the council could use drones for catering to the private sector needs.

Govt was sounded about drone useeditorial@tribune.com

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, December 27

Dashing the hopes of locals, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not announce any special package for the state during the Abhar rally organised by the Thakur government to mark its one year in power.

Despite Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur stating that he had not placed any demands before the Prime Minister, the people of the state were hoping that Modi would announce a special package for the debt-ridden state. The debt is Rs50,000 crore and with limited avenues of resource generation, the state was pinning its hopes on Modi, especially in view of the Lok Sabha elections.

BJP leaders were hoping that the Prime Minister would announce inclusion of some destinations such as Shimla-Manali-Dharamsala under UDAN-II for better air connectivity. They were also expecting some major project to woo voters.

Modi struck an emotional chord with the people of the state talking about Kangri dham, Dhauladhars and the time he spent here as the BJP incharge.

Thakur, while addressing the rally, said in the last one year, he toured 63 out of 68 Assembly constituencies in the state to reach out to the people.

The Jan Dhan programme of the state government was a success and provided relief to the people directly. To date, 20,000 applications had been disposed of on the spot, he added.

The state had identified 1.20 lakh families who would be given free gas stoves under the Grahini Suvida Yojana. As many as 37,000 beneficiaries have been given gas stoves under the scheme, Thakur said.

In the last one year, the Modi government had given grants worth Rs9,000 crore to Himachal.

MP Anurag Thakur said the Thakur government had provided relief to those above 70 years by providing Rs1,300 as pension every month.

He said 9 crore people across the country had benefitted from the Ujwala Yojana of the Union Government and about 2 crore were extended benefits under the PM Awas Yojana. The Congress government, which had spent its entire five years in power on defending its corrupt leaders in various courts, had no right to seek a White Paper on the working of the state. Anurag Thakur termed the proposed alliance of the Congress with other regional parties across the country as a Thug alliance.

CM extends gratitude to people through messageseditorial@tribune.com

Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 27

Former Chief Minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday described her partys three-year alliance with the BJP as the blackest chapter which not only harmed the PDP politically but also earned it a bad name.

She also blamed the BJP for creating obstacles in all major decisions taken by her Cabinet vis-a-vis the development of Jammu that led to the delay of many projects, including the work on the prestigious AIIMS.

We achieved nothing but a bad name after having a three-year coalition government with the BJP which dented the partys image politically. It was the blackest chapter in the partys history, Mehbooba told senior party leaders while interacting with different deputations from districts of Jammu plains, including Kathua, Samba, Jammu and Reasi, at the party office here.

Winding up her four-day interaction programme with zonal, constituency and districts heads of the PDP, the party president rubbished the accusations of the BJP that the PDP had discriminated against Jammu in terms of development. She said her government had ensured equitable development in the Kashmir and Jammu regions but it was due to the internal fighting in the BJP that some projects could not take off.

We ensured equitable development in the Jammu region and an equal number of development projects was sanctioned for Kashmir and Jammu regions. But the internal issues between the BJP ministers in my Cabinet stalled these projects. The biggest example of it is AIIMS on which work was not started due to BJP ministers internal fighting. Both forest and health ministries were with the BJP. Why did they not resolve all administrative issues in time? It was because of their failure that we could not start the project, she said.

Meanwhile, the PDP chief asked the party leaders to gear up for the Assembly and parliamentary elections.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, December 27

A court on Thursday issued bailable warrants against former MLA Abid Ansari in a criminal defamation case filed against him by former minister and senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Naeem Akhtar.

The Chief Judicial Magistrate, Srinagar, issued the bailable arrest warrants against the former legislator after he failed to appear before the court.

Akhtar had on November 16, this year, filed a criminal defamation suit against Abid Ansari and BJP activist Khalid Jahangir Sheikh for levelling what he termed as baseless and fabricated charges of corruption against him.

The case has been listed for recording of statement on February 9 next year. The court has directed all defendants to be present on the next date of hearing.

Khalid Jehangir appeared before the court and submitted the bail bonds.

Ansari, who was a PDP MLA from 2014 till the dissolution of the Assembly last month, and Jehangir had separately alleged that Akhtar had indulged in malpractices when he was the Public Works Minister in the PDP-BJP government.editorial@tribune.com

Sumit Hakhoo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 28

Jeopardising security of people engaged under the Prime Ministers Employment Package, the state has started allotting residential quarters meant for migrant employees to newly-elected councillors in Kashmir.

An order issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Kulgam read, In view of the security situation in the district, it is hereby ordered that the chairman, Municipal Committee, Kulgam, shall reside in a new building, Block A-Type 2, at the Migrant Colony, Vessu, for the time being till a proper accommodation is identified.

Sources said the residential accommodation is being provided to six elected members. However, Pandit employees who are living in makeshift and dilapidated transit camps and are waiting for concrete accommodations for the last seven years, argue that it was a politically motivated decision at a time when employees had been denied space in multistorey housing units constructed under the rehabilitation package for the Pandits.

Sunny Raina, president, Vessu Welfare Committee, an elected body of migrant employees who returned to the Valley in 2010 under the PMs employment package, said the decision exposed the duplicity of the administration.

The state is putting us in harms way. For security reasons, urban local body councillors are being provided accommodation in multistorey housing units. Who will guarantee that tomorrow, stone throwers and militants will not attack us? asked Raina.

He said scores of employees were living on rent as well as sharing basis in squalid pre-fabricated camps but the state was not shifting them to concrete buildings at Vessu.

Kulgam DCShamim Ahmad Wani said it was a temporary arrangement. It will not be a permanent arrangement. The housing units are being given to these councillors for security reasons till we find alternative accommodations for them.

However, sources said as per the norms, the entire allotment process had to go through the Relief Organisation (Migrants), Jammu, and not the district administration.

Commissioner, Relief and Rehabilitation, Farooq Ahmed Shah said a migrant accommodation could not be given to anyone except the package employees. I have taken up the issue with the district administration of Kulgam.

Politically motivated decisionrchopra@tribunemail.com

New Delhi, December 28

The Lok Sabha on Friday adopted a resolution on imposition of Presidents rule in Jammu and Kashmir, with the Centre asserting that it was committed to democratic process in the state after the Opposition termed the decision to dissolve the Assembly as unconstitutional.

The Statutory Resolution on imposition of Presidents rule in Jammu and Kashmir, which requires Parliaments approval, was adopted with voice vote amid din in the House.

However, after members insisted, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan allowed a discussion on the issue as a special case.

As Opposition parties, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress and NCP, questioned imposition of the Presidents rule and dissolution of the J&K Assembly, Home Minister Rajnath Singh told the House that no party was in a position to form government even a day before December 19, when the Governor took the decision.

He also rejected claims of some Opposition parties that the BJP was propping up a regional party to form government, saying if his party had such an intention, it would have done so within six months of the Governors Rule.

The government doesnt conduct elections but the government is ready for election. It is the responsibility of the Election Commission to hold elections... we are totally committed to democratic process, he said.

The Minister assured the House that security requirement of the Election Commission will be met for free and fair Assembly election in the state.

Soon after imposition of the Governors rule in June, Singh said, the Governors report of June 19 to the President indicated that no party or coalition of parties in the state was in a position to form government.

The Governors rule was imposed in these conditions, he said, adding the Assembly was not dissolved for six months in anticipation of formation of government in the state.

However, no party staked claim to form government and the Governor had to recommend the Presidents rule.

The Presidents rule in Jammu and Kashmir follows if the Governors rule extends beyond six months. The Statutory Resolution will now go to the Rajya Sabha for approval.

Initiating the debate, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said Governor Satya Pal Malik acted in gross violation of the Supreme Court order in S R Bommai case that had stated that whether an alliance has a majority or not can be decided only on the floor of the Assembly.

Maliks decision to impose the Governors rule after the NC, PDP and the Congress made a move to form the government in the state was also in violation of the Sarkaria Commissions guidelines on Centre-state relations, he said.

Trinamool Congress Saugata Roy termed the Governors decision as arbitrary and claimed the Centre had propped up a rival alliance led by Sajjad Lone, who had the support of only two MLAs.

As Singh was speaking, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah interjected, saying, The PDP approached our party and we agreed to provide them support along with the Congress.

But the irony was that the fax and phone of the Governor were not working.

Referring to the decision to dissolve the Assembly without giving an opportunity to the proposed NC-PDP-Cong alliance to form government in the state, he said, Governors House is not the place to prove majority but the Assembly is. The Governor didnt wait and dissolved it.

The Home Minister, however, asserted said that no party was in a position to form government even a day before the Governor took the decision about dissolution of the Assembly.

Our intentions should never be doubted on Jammu and Kashmir. If the BJP had to form the government, we could have done it within six months of the Governors rule, he said.

As far as the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, he said, it is an old problem. The government is trying to improve the conditions by taking various steps like creating more employment for the people of the state.

Grassroots democracy is being strengthened, he said, noting that local bodies elections have been held after a gap of many years. Elected representatives of the local bodies are being given administrative and financial powers, he added.

Biju Janata Dals Bhartruhari Mahtab supported the resolution, saying the Governors rule in the state had become necessary and noted that two main regional parties, the NC and PDP, boycotted the panchayat polls. He said assembly elections should be held in the state along with 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

AIADMKs P Venugopal expressed his partys opposition to the imposition of the Governors rule as a matter of principle and asked the Centre to explain the reasons for taking such an extreme step.

Supriya Sule of the Nationalist Congress Party called for holding elections in the state.

Expressing anguish over the situation in J&K, Abdullah said the state is going through great turmoil which does not seem to end.

The solution to the problems of the state is not through the police and the Army.... Something has to be done immediately, the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister said.

For the sake of India, Kashmir needs to be given priority. The state has been suffering a lot, he said. PTIeditorial@tribune.com

Suhail A Shah

Anantnag, December 28

A Hizbul Mujahideen militant was killed in a brief shootout with the Army in the Awantipora area of Pulwama district on Friday.

The militant has been identified as Ishfaq Ahmad Wani, a resident of Koil village in Pulwama district. Ishfaq had joined the militant ranks in July.

He was a member of the Lashkar-e-Toiba but later joined the Hizbul Mujahideen. The gunfight took place around 8:30 am in Renzipora village of Awantipora, where a hideout of Hizbul commander Riyaz Naikoo was busted by security forces a few days ago.

A party of the 55 Rashtriya Rifles of the Army was patrolling the area when militants, believed to be three in number, opened fire at it, said a senior police officer from the area.

He said the Army men retaliated and in the brief shootout, one of the militants was gunned down.

The other militants escaped after the firing, the police officer said.

More troops were rushed to the area following the shootout and searches were carried out to nab the other militants.

The body of the slain militant was handed over to his family after the medico-legal formalities by the police.

Thousands of people reached Koil village to attend the funeral of the slain militant.

Meanwhile, clashes erupted in many parts of Pulwama district as news of the militants killing spread.

The authorities snapped mobile internet services to keep a check on the law and order situation in the district. The train services on the Srinagar-Banihal track were suspended for the day.

Pepper-ball launchers, anti-riot masks for cops

The J&K Police are set to get non-lethal pepper-ball launching systems and anti-riot gas masks to deal with law and order situations in the state, officials said on Friday. The department has floated tenders for seeking the technical bid from manufacturers and dealers of these two products, they said. A pepper-ball launching system, also called a pepper-spray ball projectile, is a frangible projectile containing a powdered chemical that irritates the eyes and nose, like the pepper spray.

The debate between the Maithri-Mahinda group and the United National Front over the Opposition Leader post is a best case in point with regard to the ridiculous level the Sri Lankan politics has stooped to. This has introduced a new but totally unnecessary Constitutional conundrum into the Sri Lankan politics.

The Constitutional impasse that was brought in by the decision by President Maithripala Sirisena to sack Ranil Wickremesinghe from the post of Prime Minister and replace him with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa on October 26 was resolved by the Supreme Court on December 13 by its ruling against the dissolution of the Parliament. However, the political crisis that was created by the October 26 regime change is continuing and the row over the Opposition Leader post is an extension of it.



President Maithripala Sirisenas decision to change the regime or the October 26 Constitutional coup, as many people call it had paved the way for seven legal actions by various people. They were the case against the dissolution of Parliament, the case seeking a Writ of Quo Warranto against Mahinda Rajapaksas Premiership and his Cabinet, Sarath Weerasekaras case against convening of the Parliament, the case seeking a Writ of Quo Warranto against the Parliament membership of Ranil Wickremesinghe, the contempt of court case against Speaker Karu Jayasuriya over convening of Parliament the contempt of court case against former Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva and the writ petition seeking an inquiry into the state of mind of the President.



Of them, only one case, the case against dissolution of Parliament has been concluded, having a huge bearing on other cases as well and ending for some extent the 51 day political impasse. Yet, there are still possibilities of new political crises cropping up with the rulings on the other pending cases. It is against this backdrop that a new row over the Opposition Leader post has been brought to the fore.

"The Constitutional impasse that was brought in by the President to sack RW from the post of PM and replace him with MR was resolved by the SC against the dissolution of Parliament. However, the political cisis is continuing"



Mahinda Rajapaksa was recognised as the Opposition Leader on December 18 by the Speaker following his resignation as the Prime Minister three days before, in the face of his inability to muster the majority support in Parliament. Then Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader Rajavarothiam Sampanthan stated that he who had been holding the Opposition Leader post for three years had not been removed from the post by anybody and therefore he was still the Opposition Leader. He also said that in the light of the recognition of Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Opposition Leader, there were two Opposition Leaders in Parliament.



Along with this law point by his leader, TNA Spokesman M.A. Sumanthiran also dropped a bombshell by arguing that Mahinda Rajapaksa and some of his loyalists have lost their Parliament membership as they have obtained the membership of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) a month ago. He quoted the Constitution as saying Where a member of Parliament ceases by resignation, expulsion or otherwise, to be a member of a recognised political party or an independent group on whose nomination paper his name appeared at the time of his becoming of such member of Parliament, his seat shall become vacant upon the expiration of a period of one month from the date of his ceasing to be such member.

"In the light of the recognition of MR as the Opposition Leader, there were two Opposition Leaders in Parliament" "TNA Spokesman Sumanthiran by argued that MR and some of his loyalists have lost their Parliament membership as they have obtained the membership of SLPP a month ago "



This prompted a frightened Rajapaksa and his group in the House to unashamedly deny that they obtained the membership of the SLPP. Their audacity to tell the people such a diabolical lie despite the whole country having watched them in TV getting the membership of the SLPP was amazing. SLPP National Organiser and Rajapaksas brother Basil Rajapaksa said that though members of the SLFP including his brother applied for the membership of his party, they had not been given it yet.



It was on November 11, amidst the post dissolution constitutional gridlock that Rajapaksa obtained the membership of the SLPP from its Chairman Professor G.L.Peiris and his loyalists in turn got it from him.

When the UPFA members in Parliament said that they, including Rajapaksa were still the members of the SLFP and the UPFA, Sumanthiran dropped another bombshell questioning as to how the members of the party headed by the President who is also the head of the Cabinet can be the members of the Opposition. In spite of Pivithuru Hela Urumaya leader Udaya Gammanpila having answered this question citing precedents in history, the Mahinda loyalists seemed to be perplexed by Sumanthirans question.

"MRs and his groups denial that they obtained the membership of the SLPP was amazing" "The power struggle manifested through the 51 day Constitutional and political impasse had brought the State machinery to a standstill position"



Yet, Sumanthiran seems to be wrong in his both arguments. The Constitution says one would lose his Parliament membership only if he lost the membership of the party through which he was elected or appointed to the Parliament. It does not say that he is no longer an MP if he obtained the membership of another party. Therefore, one can be an MP so long as he is a member of his original party, despite him becoming member of any number of other parties.

Fortunately for Rajapaksa and his loyalists, they had not been removed from the membership of the UPFA, the party through which they were elected and appointed to the Parliament, for obtaining the membership of the SLPP. UPFA General Secretary, Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, after this issue cropped up had informed the Speaker that Rajapaksa and his loyalists were still the members of his party. Therefore, Rajapaksa, the Kurunegala District MP and his group seem to be out of danger.



Even if they lose the membership of the Parliament, another set of UPFA members would replace them, maintaining the status of the UPFA as the main Opposition party. They would then again be able to lay claim to the Opposition Leader post.

And, as Gammanpila cited from history, despite the President Constitutionally being the head of the Cabinet, his party had been in the Opposition and one of the members of his party had been the Opposition Leader for four times in history. It was Gamini Dissanayake who held the Opposition Leader post during President D.B. Wijethungas tenure, after the General Election in 1994. President Chandrika Kumaratunga appointed her party stalwart Ratnasiri Wikramanayake as the Opposition Leader in 2001 and in 2015, when Maithripala Sirisena won the Presidential Election, Nimal Siripala de Silva was appointed Opposition Leader.

In spite of there being a moral issue in the President being the head of the Cabinet while his party is in the Opposition, it has been history, apart from the Constitution having sanctioned it.

"The Constitution says one would lose his Pment membership only if he lost the membership of the party through which he was elected or appointed to Pment. It does not say that he is no longer an MP if he obtained the membership of another party"



A party cannot be the ruling party just because its leader is the President of the country, as it would lead to situations where the party with the majority power might become the Opposition.

Sampanthan may not be removed yet from the post of Opposition Leader. But he is well aware that he does not command the confidence of the Opposition, after October 26. The TNA opposed Mahinda Rajapaksas recent appointment to the post of Prime Minister on the ground that he did not command the confidence of the Parliament.



Then, how can it be appropriate for Sampanthan to lay claim to the Opposition Leader post when he does not command the confidence of the Opposition?

The power struggle manifested through the 51 day Constitutional and political impasse had brought the State machinery to a standstill position. Prolonging the power struggle through more Constitutional issues would not in any way be in the interest of the people.gspannu7@gmail.com

Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 28

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in a written statement in Rajya Sabha on Friday said there is no scope for any third party role or mediation in Kashmir.

Swaraj was responding to a question regarding the recent visit of former Norway Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik to Kashmir where he also met with separatists.

Bondevik, who heads the Oslo Centre for Peace and Human Rights, in a surprise visit to the Valley on November 23 met with Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq of the Joint Resistance Leadership that led to a political storm after media reports surfaced.

Stating Bondevik was on a private visit, Swaraj in her response informed that he was on a visit to India at invitation of the Art of Living International Centre in Bengaluru.

Government of India was not involved in organising the visit and meetings. It has also been reported that he visited Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir from 24-27 November 2018, reads the written reply.

After a brief stopover in Delhi on his way back, Bondevik had met with Sardar Masood Khan, President of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and was received by top Pakistani leaders including Foreign Minister SM Qureshi.

Political opposition in Kashmir raised eyebrows asking if the Modi government had sought any mediation from Bondevik or Norway against its principled position.

Questions had emerged about the clearance for the visit by a former high-profile world leader to the sensitive Valley.

Foreign envoys posted in Delhi travel to Kashmir based on prior clearances and for many years now have avoided meeting with separatists.

There is no change in governments consistent and principled position that under the Simla Agreement (1972) and as reiterated in the Lahore Declaration (1999), both India and Pakistan are committed to address all outstanding issues bilaterally. There is no scope for any third party role or mediation, added Swaraj.

Earlier, Norwegian Ambassador Nils Ragnar Kamsvag speaking to The Tribune had clarified that Norway is not mediating in the Kashmir conflict and its government has no official role to play.editorial@tribune.com

Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 28

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in a written statement in the Rajya Sabha on Friday said that there is no scope for any third party role or mediation in Kashmir. Sushma was responding to a question regarding the recent visit of former Prime Minister of Norway Kjell Magne Bondevik to Kashmir where he also met with separatists.

Bondevik, who heads the Oslo Centre for Peace and Human Rights, in a surprise visit to the Valley on November 23 met with Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq of the joint resistance leadership that led to a political storm after media reports surfaced.

Stating that Bondevik was on a private visit, Sushma in her response informed that he was on a visit to India at the invitation of the Art of Living International Centre in Bengaluru. The Government of India was not involved in organising the visit and meetings. It has also been reported that he visited Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from November 24-27, 2018, read the written reply.

After a brief stopover in New Delhi on his way back, Bondevik had met with Sardar Masood Khan, president of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and was received by top Pakistani leaders, including Foreign Minister SM Qureshi. Political leaders in Kashmir had raised eyebrows asking if the Modi government had sought any mediation from Bondevik or Norway against its principled position. Questions had emerged about the clearance for the visit to the sensitive Valley. Foreign envoys posted in New Delhi travel to Kashmir based on prior clearances and for many years now have avoided meeting with separatists.

There is no change in the governments consistent and principled position that under the Simla Agreement (1972) and as reiterated in the Lahore Declaration (1999), both India and Pakistan are committed to addressing all outstanding issues bilaterally. There is no scope for any third party role or mediation, added Sushma in her written statement.

Earlier Norwegian Ambassador Nils Ragnar Kamsvag speaking to The Tribune had clarified that Norway was not mediating in the Kashmir conflict and its government had no official role to play.

The Rajya Sabha was informed...

In a written statement in the Rajya Sabha on Friday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said: The Government of India was not involved in organising the visit and meetings. It has also been reported that former Prime Minister of Norway Kjell Magne Bondevik visited Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied J&K from November 24-27, 2018.harinder@tribunemail.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 28

The Union Government, under fire for having imposed Governors rule in Jammu and Kashmir without waiting for elected parties to cobble up a coalition, announced on Friday that it was ready for Assembly elections in the state once the Election Commission of India decided on it.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, responding to a discussion on a resolution on the presidential proclamation of Presidents rule in the state, said: We are ready to talk to anyone (in Kashmir). We are committed to the democratic process.

The resolution was adopted by a voice vote.

The minister defended Governor Satya Pal Maliks decision to dissolve the House. Governors rule was imposed on June 19 after the Mehbooba Mufti-led Peoples Democratic Party-BJP coalition government in the state fell. On December 19, Presidents rule was imposed.

Leaders of various parties questioned the Governors decision to dissolve the Assembly instead of asking the claimants (PDP with NC and Congress support) to prove majority on the floor of the House.

Rajnath Singh defended Malik, saying the latter had no option other than to recommend Governors rule. He refuted claims that the BJP was trying to prop up Sajjad Lone as CM, saying, If someone made such a claim, it must have been in his personal capacity.

To this, Congress Mallikarjun Kharge pointed out that Governor Malik was quoted as having said he was being asked to anoint Lone as CM.

If the BJP wanted to indulge in horse-trading to form the government, it would have done so during the six-month Governors rule, the Home Minister responded, adding that none of the major parties had shown interest in forming the government when Maliks predecessor NN Vohra met them in June.

Even as Rajnath Singh spoke, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah interjected, saying, The PDP approached our party and we agreed to provide them support along with the Congress. But the irony was that the fax and phone of the Governor was not working. He said the Governors House was not the place to prove majority, but the floor of the Assembly.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Jitendra Singh, blamed the impasse in Jammu and Kashmir on a series of blunders" by successive governments in the state, starting with the Nehruvian blunder.editorial@tribune.com

Shyam Sood

Rajouri, December 27

The family members and relatives of Bodh Raj, an Army porter who was killed in the Pakistan firing along the Line of Control in Rajouri district on Wednesday, held a protest on Thursday to demand financial assistance and job to one member of his family.

Bodh Raj was a resident of Deeing village in Rajouri. The protesters kept hisbody at the Nowshera bus stand on Thursday morning and raised slogans against Pakistan.

Sarpanch of Deeing village Ramesh Chander led the protesters. They said the deceased, a father of three sons, including a disabled, was the sole breadwinner for the family.

The porters provide necessary items to the soldiers on the border by putting their lives at risk, but do not get any government attention, said the sarpanch.

Assistant Commissioner, Revenue, Mohammad Ashraf rushed to Nowshera to hold talks with the family members of the slain porter. He was accompanied by Nowshera tehsildar Qadeer Rehman and Qilla Darhal tehsildar Suresh Nagyal.

The demands of the family members were taken up with MA Asad, Rajouri Deputy Commissioner. He has promised a government job for the eligible member of the deceaseds family and Rs 5 lakh as financial assistance, said the Nowshera tehsildar.

He said in case no family member was found eligible for the government job, the family would get an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh more after the legal formalities.

On the assurance of the senior district and tehsil officers, the protesters dispersed around 12.20 pm.

Bodh Raj was killed on Wednesday in Pakistan firing while he was heading to a forward area along with two more porters.

The defence PRO said the Army had also announced possible assistance to the deceaseds family.shalender@tribune.com

Actress Nicole Kidmans thriller Destroyer will release in India on January 25 next year. Directed by Karyn Kusama, the film follows the story of Erin Bell, a detective out for revenge. IANS

Double celebration

It will be a double celebration for Golmaal Again actor Shreyas Talpade on this New Year eve. The actor will be ringing in the New Year as well as celebrating his 14th wedding anniversary with wife Deepti on December 31. According to sources, Shreyas plans to give 14 gifts to his dear wife!

Not happy

Upcoming movie Thackeray, whose trailer was released recently came under criticism from actor Siddharth, who urged the makers to stop selling hate. Siddharth slammed the makers as well as Nawaazs dialogues.rajivbhatia82@gmail.com

Jasmine Singh

This weeks Punjabi film release can also be called an ode to the most talented actor of the Punjabi film industry, Yograj, the actual vadda kalakaar.

And this is about it, because when it comes to the film, Vadda Kalakaar, all you get to see is overacting, melodramatic and over-stretched scenes, boring dialogues, lost direction and non-existent storyline.

Starring actor and writer Alfaaz, who makes his come back to the silver screen with Vadda Kalakaar after a long time, the film can be taken as a lesson as to what a kalakaar shouldnt be doing.

Lets begin with the kalakaars of the film. Starting with the vadda actor, Yograj, we loved his baritone, his dialogue delivery in films like Batwaara, Jatt Tey Zameen, Subedaar, but cut to 2018, nothing seems to have changed. For what we see, director Kuldeep Kaushik probably asked Yograj to be himself, and thats what he did in the film. So, you cant really blame him for overacting and for not letting the audience know whether he played himself or the character in the film.

Next up is Alfaaz, the artiste with magical words, but when it comes to acting, this kalakaar mostly runs out of luck. For Alfaaz fans, one, you wouldnt be able to recognise that it is Alfaaz, not until you can see through the dishevelled tuft of hair, and pierce through the adipose layers. Yes, this is Alfaaz. Now again, it is unfair to blame the artiste for playing a character that is half-baked. We do not feel his happiness, his pain, his love, or his lust for revenge. For, Alfaaz likes to treat all emotions with one expression. Up comes, the lovely Roopi Gill. What were the director and the costume designer thinking while preparing her costumes? A red salwaar, a pink shirt and blue duppatta. If you cant give the actress enough dialogues, then at least dont mess with her looks.

Nirmal Rishi, BN Sharma, Harby Sangha, Malkeet Rauni, now these are senior artistes who need to be used judiciously on screen.

And this is a shout out for the director Kuldeep Kaushik, who didnt have the time to search for the story, who allowed the actors to go on an overdrive, who did not see the flatness in dialogues, and who did not say cut to the scenes that are nothing but a wasteful addition. Akh Naar Di, sung by Ranjit Bawa, was the only enjoyable thing of Vadda Kalakaar but not vadda enough to get it some brownie points.

jasmine@tribunemail.comshalender@tribune.com

The crux of the newly-discovered creative freedom on the web-format is how effectively that freedom is used. Rangbaaz the new webseries about swaggering gangsterism in the badlands of Uttar Pradesh, scores pretty high in the sphere of restrained freedom.

The abuses are kept at a surprisingly low level. To depict the lowlife a filmmaker neednt stoop low. And though the characters belong to the crass roots they dont pump up their aggression level with perverse dialogues. In one section of the judiciously-crafted narration where frills and fireworks are never appended on for no reason, the protagonist Shiv Prakash Shukla (Saqib Saleem) is whisked off to Bangkok with a politicians goon.

The interlude could have comfortably embraced sleaze. Instead, the narrative builds a credible camaraderie between the two men and a startling yet subtle game-plan for Shukla.

Rangbaaz has nothing new to say about the genesis of crime and criminals in the cow belt. Depiction of exploitation of the weaker sections and the rise of the criminal hero has been a fairly routine formula in a certain kind of ground-level cinema patented by the likes of Anurag Kashyap and Tigmanshu Dhulia.

The latter, incidentally puts in quite a credible performance as a cunning politician on the prowl looking for young vulnerable recruits to his dirty job. The engrossing series is carpeted with solid performances, none more so that Saqib Saleem who nails Shuklas journey from being a innocent man to someone who derives sadistic pleasure in taking livesSaqib maps the darkening personality with a diligence that we never saw coming. This performance is an opportunity of a new awakening for the actor, and he nails it.

While telling a story that never slackens in pace, Rangbaaz also makes space to apprise us of the political scenario of the 1990s when job reservations created a prominent caste cleft in North India.

Sturdily crafted and persuasively told, Rangbaaz brings alive the nexus between politics and crime in the 1990s , a nexus that has only grown with time. IANSrchopra@tribunemail.com

New Delhi, December 28

A political row erupted on Friday over The Accidental Prime Minister, a film based on Manmohan Singhs tenure as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014, with the Congress alleging it was the BJPs propaganda against their party.

The film is based on the book of the same name by Sanjaya Baru, who served as Singhs media adviser from 2004 to 2008.

The trailer of the film was released in Mumbai on Thursday.

Riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years. Was Dr Singh just a regent who was holding on to the PMs chair till the time heir was ready? Watch the official trailer of TheAccidentalPrimeMinister, based on an insiders account, releasing on 11 January, the BJP said after the launch of the films trailer.

The Congress termed the film as BJPs propaganda against their party, even as the former Prime Minister evaded comments on the growing controversy over the film on him.

The Congress leaders maintained that such propaganda against the party would not work and the truth shall prevail.

Actor Anupam Kher, who essays Singhs role in the film, called The Accidental Prime Minister his lifes best performance. He also said the film should be seen as a creative endeavour and not an attempt to support a political party.

The films trailer shows Singh as a victim of the Congress internal politics ahead of the 2014 General Election.

Responding to the row, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said on Twitter, Such fake propaganda by the party would not stop it from asking the Modi government questions on rural distress, rampant unemployment, demonetisation disaster, flawed GST, failed Modinomics, all pervading corruption.

Asked by journalists at the Congress foundation day function at the party headquarters here on Friday to comment on the film, Singh walked away.

Congress leader and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said the truth shall prevail.

His colleague and party leader P L Punia accused the saffron party of evading answers on its mis-governance.

This is the handiwork of the BJP. They know that time has come to give answers after completion of five years and they are now trying to divert attention by raising such issues and evading answering to the public after its government failed on all fronts, he said.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah tweeted, Cant wait for when they make The Insensitive Prime Minister. So much worse than being the accidental one.

Kher said in Mumbai that playing former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the most challenging role of his career and he was initially reluctant to take up the project as he was aware it would land into controversies.

I felt that it is a very powerful story of modern Indias political decade and I am getting a chance to be a part of it as an actor. I am someone who has always reinvented himself as an actor, he said at a press conference, which he had called after the Maharashtra Youth Congress asked for a screening of the film prior to its release, a demand they later withdrew.

On the Maharashtra Youth Congress having withdrawn its demand, Kher said, It is good if they have changed the thought process. It is fantastic. It is a great sign of maturity.

The 63-year-old actor also dismissed that the film was his way of supporting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). His wife, Kirron Kher, is a BJP MP from Chandigarh.

I have done 515 films, there are not even as many political parties. If I have to support a party, I can do it on any platform. I will not try to make a film for that, he said.

Earlier in the day, Kher tweeted that he was not going to back off due to the controversy.

I am not going to back off. This is my lifes best performance. Dr Manmohan Singh will agree after seeing the film that it is a 100 per cent accurate depiction, he tweeted.

Amid reports of the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh banning the film, Chief Minister Kamal Nath said he did not have any intent to impose a ban on any movie.

On the BJP tweeting the trailer of the film, Union Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore asked whether his party did not have the freedom to extend wishes to a film.

Directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, the film stars Kher as Manmohan Singh and Akshaye Khanna as Baru. It is slated for release on January 11. PTIsanjiv@tribunemail.com

Ravi S Singh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 27

Former Northern Command chief Lt Gen Deependra Singh Hooda (retd) and Jammu and Kashmir ex-Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda on Thursday said the Centre lacked a coherent policy with regard to the strife-torn state, and pitched for early remedial measures to prevent the situation from deteriorating further.

Speaking at a conference on the theme New Militancy, Old Strategy, organised here by NGO Observer Research Foundation, Lt Gen Hooda said there was lack of unified command for operation by the forces. All security agencies must work under the unified command headquarters. It must be owned by the state government to effectively implement strategies, he said. Lt Gen Hooda headed the Northern Command when it carried out surgical strikes across the Line of Control to dismantle terror camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The Centre has not spelled out any strategy and parameters to be adopted in Kashmir. The situation does not look good, he said.

The Army veteran claimed the Union Home Ministry was supposed to frame the strategy, but it hardly had any control over the forces.

The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) are mainly controlled by the states wherever these are stationed while the Army comes under the Defence Ministry... The Centre has not defined whether the forces have to deal with proxy war unleashed by Pakistan or take counter-terrorism or counter-insurgency measures.

It was counter-insurgency earlier, but now we talk of counter-terrorism. The country has to be careful about its strategic messaging. In 2016, the forces launched Operation Calm Down to deal with an uprising in the wake of killing of terrorist Burhan Wani, but in 2017-18, the troops are waging Operation All Out, LT Gen Hooda said. He said such phraseology sent a wrong message among the locals, portraying as if the Centre was at war with them. He pitched for tackling the situation socially, politically and economically.

Former DGP Khoda said radicalisation of Kashmir youths by the ISI was a reality, which could be attributed, among other reasons, to the rise in right-wing fanaticism in other parts of the country. He claimed the country currently lacked a clear policy on Kashmir. He said the security forces should not be engaged in peace-making as the situation in Kashmir was quite complex.

Operation phraseology can be lethal

Lt Gen Deependra Singh Hooda (retd), who headed the Northern Command when surgical strikes were carried out across the LoC, said phraseology had to be proper as it could otherwise send a wrong message among the locals. In 2016, forces launched 'Operation Calm Down' to deal with an uprising in wake of terrorist Burhan Wanis killing. But in 2017-18, the troops are waging Operation All Out, he said.Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe today vassured the Ven. Mahanayake Theras of Malwathu and Asgiriya Chapters that the government would give the foremost place to Buddhism and that action would be taken against those who vandalized Buddha statues in Mawanella.

He said this when he met the Asgiriya Mahanayaka most Ven. Warakagoda Gnaratana Thera and the Malwathu Mahanayaka most Ven. Tibatuwawe Sri Sidaratha Thera in Kandy.

I informed the Mahanayaka Theras that I have already spoken to opposition political parties and have come to an agreement not to change the wordings of Article 9 of the Constitution which gives the foremost place to Buddhism, the Prime Minister said.  I also told the Prelates that we will shortly launch a programme of granting concessions to people in rural areas.

The Prime Minister thanked the Prelates for the role they played in ensuring the rule of law during the recent political crisis. (Yohan Perera and J.A.L. Jayasinghe)shriaya.dutta@tribuneindia.com

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 28

Amid the ongoing war of words and controversies over 'The Accidental Prime Minister', a film starring Anupam Kher as Manmohan Singh which is believed to highlight rifts within the party, the former prime minister and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Friday cut a cake together to mark 134 years of the grand old party.

The party said it would continue to fight the "propagators of hate with peace, unity and love"  an indirect attack against the BJPwhile the video of the joint cake-cutting saw Gandhi cutting a slice of the cake and serving it to Singh on a plate.

Senior leaders such as Motilal Vohra and Ahmed Patel were seated next to the Congress chief.

The event was attended by top leaders, including Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, former Defence Minister AK Antony and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Gandhi also hoisted the party's flag at its Akbar Road headquarters and acknowledged the selfless service and contribution of leaders and workers in building the party.

Taking to Twitter, he said, On Congress Foundation Day, let us celebrate and acknowledge the selfless service and contributions of millions of Congress workers, men and women, who have helped build and sustain the Congress party over the ages. We owe these unsung heroes our gratitude and respect. I salute them all.

The Congress also said over the last 134 years of its history "we have stood for justice, equality, non-violence, unity, freedom and, above all, dialogue. For all the years to come, we will continue to uphold these values and stand with the people of our country".

"For the Congress party, love is always the answer. We will continue to fight the propagators of hate with peace, unity and love, the party said.

"A dialogue started on 28th Dec 1885 which brought together diverse people of India. As we complete 134 years, let's revisit some moments which made Congress what it is today. The ones that got India independence, which made our roots stronger & gave us a vision for the future," stated a video posted by the party on its official Twitter handle.

A cake was also cut by Antony, whose birthday happens to be today.rchopra@tribunemail.com

New Delhi, December 28

The Health Ministry has filed an FIR against unidentified people for allegedly misappropriating its funds amounting to Rs 2.5 crore, police said on Friday.

The FIR was registered by the economic offences wing on Thursday after the ministry approached Delhi Police with a complaint on learning about the alleged fraud during its financial audit, they said.

According to the complainant, fraudulent transfers of money from the accounts of Pay and Accounts Office were made by creating bogus identities of officials involved in the chain of processing and sanctioning bills and transfer of payments, police said.

Five fraudulent transactions amounting to Rs 2.53 crore were done digitally via Bank of Baroda to multiple accounts in different banks, a police officer said.

The bank accounts in which the fraudulent payments were credited have been frozen. After the alleged fraud came to light, all fund transfers from the ministry had been stopped, the officer added.

However, no arrest has been made yet. An investigation is under way, police said. PTIrchopra@tribunemail.com

New Delhi, December 28

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced a Rs 4,500 crore financial assistance to Bhutan for its 12th five-year plan after holding wide-ranging talks with his Bhutanese counterpart Lotay Tshering.

In his media statement, Modi said hydropower cooperation with Bhutan is a key aspect of bilateral ties and that work on the Mangdechhu project would soon be completed.

Tshering arrived here on Thursday on his first foreign visit after taking charge as PM of the Himalayan nation last month following his partys victory in the general election.

Modi said he had assured the Bhutanese Prime Mminister that India, as a trusted friend, would continue to play an important role in Bhutans development.

India would contribute Rs 4,500 crore in Bhutans 12th five-year plan, Modi said.

Tshering on his part noted that Prime Minister Modi was the first head of state to congratulate him on his electoral victory. He also thanked India for its continued support to his countrys developmental needs.

The new five-year plan of Bhutan began this year and will continue till 2022.

Earlier in the day, Tshering was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also called on the Bhutanese premier in the morning.

Swaraj congratulated Tshering on the assumption of the high office of Bhutans prime minister and the two leaders had a warm exchange of views on important aspects of the bilateral relationship, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

Tshering also laid a wreath at Mahatma Gandhis samadhi at Rajghat. PTIeditorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 28

India today pledged financial assistance worth Rs 4,500 crore towards the 12th Five Year Plan of Bhutan.

The Indian contribution to the new five-year plan of Bhutan that began this year is the same as to the 11th one, as Bhutan did not seek an increase in developmental assistance, said sources.

The announcement came after formal talks between PM Narendra Modi and his counterpart Dr Lotay Tshering, who is on his first state visit to India, a month after assuming charge as the Prime Minister.

Modi was the first head of state to congratulate Dr Tshering after his party Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) registered a surprise victory at the recent elections in the Himalayan nation.

I have assured the Prime Minister that as always, India will play the role of a trusted partner and friend in the development of Bhutan. In Bhutans 12th five-year plan, India will provide assistance of Rs 4,500 crore. This contribution will be according to the needs and priorities of Bhutan, said PM Modi in a statement.gspannu7@gmail.com

Shillong, December 28

A 15-member diving team of the Indian Navy will join the rescue operation on Saturday to evacuate 15 miners, who are trapped inside an illegal coal mine for 16 days now in Meghalaya.

Defence spokesperson, Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh, said that the diving team from Visakhapatnam will assist in the rescue operations for the miners trapped inside the 370-feet coal pit in Ksan village of Meghalayas East Jaintia Hills district.

He said the team will be carrying special diving equipment, including a re-compression chamber and remotely operated vehicles capable of searching underwater.

An initial assessment to determine an effective response was undertaken by the Indian Navy on Friday, Singh said.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has used sonar system and underwater camera to detect the trapped miners. However, the system failed to locate any of those trapped in the main well due to poor visibility.

Incidentally, the National Green Trubunal (NGT) had ordered an interim ban on rat-hole coal mining in the state from April 17, 2014.  IANSpardeepdhull@gmail.com

New Delhi, December 28

British authorities have informed India that bank fraud fugitive Nirav Modi is living in the UK, the government has said.

Replying to a question, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh told Rajya Sabha that National Central Bureau of Manchester conveyed to Indian agencies that their investigations have led to the location of Nirav Modi in the UK.

In August 2018, the government sent two requests, one from the CBI and the other from the Enforcement Directorate, to the authorities of the UK seeking the extradition of Nirav Modi to India, he said.

He said the requests are presently under the consideration of the authorities concerned of the UK.

In June, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had written to several European countries seeking help in tracing Nirav Modi.

Nirav Modi is wanted in connection with Punjab National Bank fraud case. PTIshriaya.dutta@tribuneindia.com

Bhopal, December 28

The Congress government in Madhya Pradesh on Friday said it had not banned the film The Accidental Prime Minister, in which actor Anupam Kher plays former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

While several Congress leaders sought a ban on it or removal of objectionable scenes, the state unit of the party said it had no comment to make as the film was BJPs propaganda.

The Department of Public Relations of the Madhya Pradesh government tweeted that there was no decision by the government to ban the film and media reports announcing a ban were not factual.

The film has sparked a row over alleged distortion of facts.

The clarification came after a section of media reported that the movie, based on a book of the same name by Singhs media adviser Sanjaya Baru, was banned in the state.

The film, whose trailer was released recently, has a motley of actors playing the key players of the Nehru-Gandhi family and Kher stepping into the shoes of Manmohan Singh.

Talking to PTI, Madhya Pradesh Congress Media Cell coordinator Narendra Saluja said, This movie is part of the BJPs propaganda and tactics to divert attention from real issues. So, we dont want to comment on it.

The Chief Minister also made it clear that there was no intention of banning any movie in the state, he said.

Earlier, Congress spokesperson Syed Zaffer, resident of Chief Minister Kamal Naths Lok Sabha constituency Chhindwara, had said the film would not be allowed to release in the state.

In a tweet, Zaffer alleged that the trailer had some objectionable scenes and these should be removed or we will not allow to release the movie in state.

He told PTI later that his demand was to remove objectionable scenes, but it was up to the state government to take any decision about banning it.

Another Congress spokesperson, Pankaj Chaturvedi, echoed the demand for cuts. If there is an incorrect presentation of facts, such scenes should be removed, he said.

State BJP spokesperson Rajnish Agrawal defended the film, pointing out that it is based on a book written by Manmohan Singhs former adviser, and the people have right to know the truth about the UPA government, which has affected their lives.

The country should know about the interference of then Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi (in the governments affairs), he claimed. PTIpardeepdhull@gmail.com

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 27

The Lok Sabha today cleared the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018, an amended version of the popularly called triple talaq Bill, criminalising the practice of talaq-e-biddat among Muslims with the provision of a three-year jail term for the husband.

A united Opposition saw it as criminalising the entire community.

After a heated debate, the Bill was passed with 245 votes in favour and 11 against, with the Congress, SP and AIADMK staging a walkout. It will now go to the Rajya Sabha for approval.

The BJP-led government asserted that the Bill should not be viewed from the prism of politics. It rejected the allegation that it was aimed at targeting a particular community. It is all about insaaniyat aur insaaf, insisted Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, while moving the Bill.

The RJD and AIMIM rejected it outright. The Congress demanded that the unconstitutional legislation be referred to a joint select committee of Parliament for greater scrutiny and for better sustenance of the aggrieved women. The demand was rejected, following which the Congress walked out.

Opposition leaders, including Congress Mallikarjun Kharge, AIADMK leader P Venugopal, TMCs Sudip Bandhopadhyay and AIMIM's Assaduddin Owaisi, argued that the three-year jail provision virtually ruled out the scope of a rapprochement. The Bill violated Articles dealing with rights of individuals, they argued.

Congress Sushmita Dev said the real purpose was not to empower Muslim women but to penalise Muslim men and that criminalising triple talaq was against the Supreme Court verdict.

Moving a statutory resolution opposing an ordinance (which the Bill seeks to replace), NK Premchandran of the Revolutionary Socialist Party said the legislation was bad in law as it aimed to criminalise a civil wrong.

Defending the legislation, Prasad argued that the accused husband would attract jail only if convicted. He said 477 cases of triple talaq had been reported since January 2017.

The new Bill makes the offence compoundable, meaning that the case can be withdrawn if the man and his estranged wife reach a compromise. To avoid its misuse, the aggrieved wife and her close blood relatives alone can file an FIR.

The earlier Bill too was approved by the Lower House. However, as it continued to face resistance in the Rajya Sabha, the government issued an ordinance, incorporating the amendments.

Aimed at giving justice: BJP

Do not look at the Bill from the prism of politics, but from that of humanity. It is aimed at giving justice, respect The Opposition is creating hurdles in its passage due to vote bank politics. Ravi Shankar Prasad, Law Minister

BJP wants to send Muslims to jail: AIMIM

While the SC is decriminalising adultery and same-sex relationships, the government is criminalising triple talaq because you want to send Muslims to jail. Asaduddin Owaisi, Aimim Supremo

Violates Muslim personal law: Cong

The Bill is against the spirit of the Constitution and has violated several articles dealing with the rights of individuals It is a divisive Bill and violates Muslim personal law and the right to equality. Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of Congress in Lok Sabhagspannu7@gmail.com

Vibha Sharma and Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 28

What are the chances of BJP-led NDAs high-on-priority Triple Talaq Bill making it through Parliament this Winter Session?

Quite difficult if stance adopted by opposition parties such as the Congress, the AIADMK and the TMC in the Lok Sabha yesterday, their individual political compulsions in mind the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the current standing of various parties in the Rajya Sabha is taken into consideration.

Trinamool Congress leader Derek O Brien today claimed the support of 116 MPs plus 13 of the AIADMK in the 244-member Upper House.

Claiming unity in demand to send the contentious Bill to a joint select committee, he said the opposition parties would hold an informal meeting on strategy in the House on Monday.

Numbers are clearly stacked in favour of the Opposition in the Upper House, O Brien said.

They include the Congress (50), the TMC (13), the Samajwadi Party (13), the BSP (4), the RJD (5), the AAP (3), the JD(S), the DMK(4), the Kerala Mani Congress (1) , the TDP (6), the CPM(5) and CPI(2) and also some Independents apart from 13 members of the AIADMK, which yesterday opposed the Bill in the Lok Sabha despite being perceived as favourable towards the BJP.

The NCPs four members are also expected to support the move to send the Bill to the joint select committee.

We are not arguing about merits of the Bill, it is about the process. Parliamentary legislation process must allow for scrutiny. The government cannot keep bulldozing Bills in Lok Sabha, O Brien said, accusing the Narendra Modi government of just doing event management in the Lower House.

The TMC leader said all controversial Bills, including on transgenders, trafficking and triple talaq, have to be referred to parliamentary committee and a resolution for the same can be moved by any member under Rule 125.

All institutions in this country are being destroyed, including parliamentary procedures and legislation. The Cabinet does not exist. The CBI and the RBI have become a joke. This is not some 800 square feet jewellery shop in Ahmedabad where only two people will decide about the window display. This is Parliament of India, said O Brien stressing that it was not about being for or against the Bill.

In contrast, the BJP has 73 members in the House apart from those of allies Shiv Sena (3), the Akali Dal(3), the JD(U) (6), RPI(A) (1) and a couple of more.

The government is hopeful that AAPs three members may support it given its positive response after the Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha yesterday.

Meanwhile, the two sides are also trying to convince the fence sittersthe BJD (9), the TRS(6) and the YSR Congress(2)

With just about six more days left for legislation agenda in the Winter Session, it remains to be seen how the BJPs floor managers control the situation in the Upper House.

Senior BJP leaders are hopeful of the amended Bill getting the Rajya Sabha clearance.

We have passed the Triple Talaq Bill in the Lok Sabha and we will get it passed in the Rajya Sabha too. We will see who opposes it there, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy said after the Bill was cleared by the Lok Sabha yesterday.editorial@tribune.com

A group of 40 women rights activists has opposed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018, in its present form, raising concerns over 10 points in the Bill passed by the Lok Sabha:

1. This Bill disregards the fact that its objective  to protect the rights of married Muslim women and prohibit divorce by pronouncing 'talaq' by their husband  has already been achieved by the SC judgment.

2. The SC in Shayara Bano's case held that the practice of 'talaq-e-bidat' is manifestly arbitrary and unconstitutional. An act that has no legal consequences being made a criminal offence, cognizable and non-bailable is manifestly arbitrary and therefore, violative of Article 14.

3. There is no rationale to criminalise the practice and imprison Muslim men. The effect of the SC ruling is that the marriage is legally valid and the persons continue to be lawfully wedded. Now, men will be incarcerated. Criminalising the husband would also lead to unwanted separation between the couple.

4. Penal action to discourage instant triple talaq is a myopic view as it leaves many other issues of economic and social security of women unaddressed.

5. The government should strengthen the negotiating capacities of women by providing them economic and socio-legal support rather than criminalising the pronouncement of triple talaq.

6. The Bill aims to criminalise the pronouncement of talaq, in effect, it is only criminalising the act of desertion of a Muslim wife by her husband. Criminalising desertion by Muslim men, which constitutes only a civil offence for men of all other religions, is discriminatory under the Constitution.

7. If there is violence within the marriage in addition to the pronouncement of triple talaq, the woman could use the existing provisions of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, and Section 498A of the IPC. These represent a wide spectrum of legal options for women survivors of domestic violence.

8. No economic and socio-legal support is provided by the government in the Bill to women, children and other dependents, when the erring men are put behind bars. The Domestic Violence Act, 2005, under Section 21 provides the childs custody to the woman and Section 20 provides for maintenance to be paid to her. Section 125 of the CrPC also provides for maintenance for the aggrieved woman.

9. The Bill allows anyone related to the woman by blood or marriage to be the complainant. There is no provision for a relative to seek her consent. The problem becomes acute in case of inter-religious marriages.

10. The jail term up to three years is arbitrary and excessive. Serious crimes like causing death by rash or negligent act, rioting, injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class are punishable by two years in jail.(Moscow) REUTERS: Rising protectionism and trade wars and the unpredictability of the US administration have greatly contributed to global oil price volatility over the past two years, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said yesterday.



Oil prices have been volatile, falling by more than a third this quarter.



All these uncertainties, which are now on the market: how China will behave, how India will behave... trade wars and unpredictability on the part of the US administration... those are defining factors for price volatility, Novak said.



US President Donald Trump has been a vociferous critic of OPEC, demanding the cartel act in order to cut prices of oil.



Russias Novak also told reporters that the US decision to allow some countries to trade Iranian oil after putting Tehran under sanctions was one of the key factors behind this months global pact to cut oil output by 1.2 million barrels per day.

The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other top oil producers led by Russia have agreed to cut their output beginning in January in order to prop up oil prices.



Had it been hard sanctions against Iran, we wouldnt have done it (reduce output), Novak told reporters.



He also said that Russia would cut its output by between three and five million tonnes in the first half of 2019 as part of the deal and then it would be able to restore it to 556 million tonnes (11.12 million barrels per day) for the whole 2019, on par with 2018.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Patiala, December 28

As the campaigning ended for the upcoming panchayat elections in the state, a resident of Kotli village in the Samana division died allegedly due to excessive consumption of liquor.

The deceased has been identified as Rajinder Singh, 32, of Kotli village of Samana. The police have registered a case under Section of 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code and have sent the body for post-mortem examination.

The police claimed that the case was registered on the complaint of Harbans Singh, who is the elder brother of the deceased. The police said Rajinder Singh and his family had been working as labourers in the village for the past several years.

Villagers alleged that Rajinder Singh died due to heavy drinking.

The family members of the deceased also blamed excessive drinking for Rajinder Singhs death. They alleged that the liquor was being freely distributed in the village to garner the votes.

Harbans Singh told the police that Rajinder Singh returned home heavily drunk on Thursday. The complainant added that Rajinder was rushed to a government hospital on Thursday night but the doctors declared him brought dead.

Deputy Superintendent of Police, Samana, Rajwinder Singh Randhawa, said, Right now, its too early to say that Rajinder Singh died because of heavy drinking. We have to wait for the post-mortem report.editorial@tribune.com

Our Correspondent

Fazilka, December 27

The Jalalabad police have arrested leaders of the Communist Party of India (CPI), Fazilka unit, for taking out a protest procession in Jalalabad town and raising slogans against the Punjab Police on December 22.

The arrested include party general secretary, Fazilka, Hans Raj Golden, State Council Member and District President of the All-India Kisan Sabha Surinder Singh Dhandian and block president, General Reta Mazdoor Union, Jalalabad, Teja Singh.

The activists were protesting registration of a criminal case against Ashok Kamboj, vice-president of NGO Anti-Corruption Bureau, Punjab.

The police had booked 10 activists and 40-50 unidentified persons under Sections 353 (to deter public servant from discharging his duty) and 188 (disobedience of prohibition orders) of the IPC.

Jarnail Chand, ASI, has said in the FIR that he received a WhatsApp message in which Golden, Dhandian, Parmjit Dhaban, Teja Singh and Balwinder Bhalwan along with 40-50 comrades were enraging the protesters against police officials.

Some of the activists were holding party flags too. They also burnt an effigy of the police officials and took out a procession on December 22.

The ASI alleged that the protest was staged with a motive to press upon the police officials to cancel the FIR registered against Kamboj. They also defied the ban on gathering of five or more than five persons, alleged the ASI.

The arrested leaders were today produced before the court of Judicial Magistrate, Jalalabad, who remanded them in police custody for three days.

CPI National Council members Hardev Arshi and Jagroop Singh along with other leaders met the Fazilka SSP. Arshi said the SSP assured them of justice.

Describing the police action as undemocratic, CPI Punjab secretary Bant Singh Brar alleged that the police was trying to gag the peoples voice. He demanded action against the police officials responsible for arresting the leader.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, December 27

Congress workers led by Jaswinder Singh Khosa, an aspirant for the post of sarpanch from Khirkianwala village, blocked the national highway at Gidderbaha town for about five hours today and raised slogans against party MLA Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. They alleged that the administration had rejected the nominations of some candidates at Warrings behest.

Talking to The Tribune, Khosa said, The administration, especially election officials, are doing Warrings bidding. My nomination papers for the post of sarpanch, along with those of my son and wife, were rejected without specifying any reason. Anticipating such a move, we had moved an application with the State Election Commission, but no action has been taken so far. Warring had called me to his residence and asked me to withdraw my nomination, but I did not relent.

I am a supporter of Manpreet Singh Badal. I joined the Congress along with him. There are many people from other villages who are also Manpreet loyalists. Their nominations have also been rejected arbitrarily. We approached Manpreet, but got the reply that he did not meddle in the affairs of other constituencies, said Khosa.

Meanwhile, a tehsildar took the memorandum from the protesting Congressmen and assured them that the matter would be taken up tomorrow at a meeting with the Deputy Commissioner, who is also the District Electoral Officer.editorial@tribune.com

Kulwinder Sandhu

Tribune News Service

Moga, December 28

Even as the Punjab Government has imposed a ban on the procurement of rice by millers from other states, some millers in Moga district are still taking raw rice of poor quality from Uttar Pradesh and other states to mix it with locally produced rice, the milling of which is underway these days.

Investigations by The Tribune revealed that this business is carried out through rice brokers in Punjab and UP, who also purchase government rice meant for the Public Distribution System (PDS) from black market and sell it to rice millers in Moga and its adjoining districts.

Arvind Kumar, a rice broker of Rampur, Akbarpur district, UP, confirmed that he had sent a few consignments of khanda rice (broken rice) to a few mills at Ajitwal, Nihalsinghwala and Moga at the rate of Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,100 per quintal (including freight charges).

When told that someone needs at least 10 trucks of rice in grey market, he gave contact details of another rice broker Babli, also of Akbarpur, saying he would bargain on the rate. Arvind said Babli had also sent many consignments of raw rice to rice millers in Moga and its adjoining districts.

Truck driver Soma of Rana Goods Carrier, who brought a consignment of rice at a mill in Ajitwal on Wednesday night, said he brought the truck through Haryana from the Shambu inter-state barrier. Two policemen chased me on a motorcycle around 11 pm on Wednesday, but I managed to give them the slip, he said.

The state government authorities do not allow trucks loaded with raw rice to enter Punjab through the Shambu inter-state barrier. Therefore, most of the trucks pass through the Khanauri inter-state border in Sangrur district where rice brokers pay a fixed amount of bribe to policemen on duty, the truck driver revealed. Normally, we just show the slip of consignment to the cops on duty at Khanauri inter-state barrier and they allow us to pass through during the night time, Soma said.

Baljinder Singh, a local rice broker in Moga, said he supplied rice to traders/millers who had GST number and this was not an unfair trade practice. If there is a problem, the government should stop the inter-state trade. Otherwise, I dont think there is any unfair trade practice involved in this, he said.

Rice millers are allegedly mixing low-priced rice with FCI stocks and selling the better rice in the open market at higher prices. The entire procurement of paddy in Punjab is sent to private millers for cleaning, shelling and polishing of grains. Millers return the finished product back to the FCI for the central pool.

Moga District Rice Millers Association president Vinod Bansal said he had held a meeting of the rice millers recently and had apprised them not to indulge in the unfair trade practice. If rice millers are indulging in such unfair trade practices, the government should take action as per law, he said.editorial@tribune.com

GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 28

Though not in the fray for the ensuing panchayat elections, the SAD (Taksali) has announced to back disgruntled candidates whose nomination papers were allegedly rejected in an arbitrary manner.

A bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday had directed the DC-cum-district electoral officers or returning officers to entertain the candidates complaints and review their eligibility criteria within 48 hours. The court had to intervene after over 100 petitions were filed against the rejection of nomination papers.

SAD (Taksali) secretary general and spokesperson Sewa Singh Sekhwan alleged that it was in contempt of the Punjab and Haryana High Court directions that the government machinery was being misused to discourage the non-Congress candidates by rejecting their candidature for posts of sarpanches and panches.

Sekhwan categorically stated that the SAD (Taksali) showed its solidarity with the aggrieved candidates and would support them in their legal course of action against the Congress.

He claimed that in contempt of court directions, the candidature of scores of non-Congress candidates were rejected on flimsy grounds.

We have already started collecting data and credentials of aggrieved candidates. In the Majha region, a majority of the candidates that were declared unopposed winners belonged to the Congress. This testifies that it was not sarabsamti (unopposed) but jabarsamti(by hook or crook) as the government machinery is being misused at the behest of the Congress to grab rural seats. We will challenge it in the court, he said.

Of a total of 13,276 seats of sarpanches and 83,831 seats of panches, 4,363 sarpanches and 46,754 panches have been elected unanimously in the state.

In Amritsar, out of 860 panchayats, 250 panchayats were declared elected unopposed. As per figures revealed by the district administration, 309 sarpanches and 2,403 panches have already been elected unopposed.

In Ajnala block, out of 153 sarpanches, 79 have been elected unopposed. Of the total 913 panch posts, 551 have been elected unopposed.

In Chogawan block, 70 sarpanches (out of 109) and 433 panches (out of 687) have been elected unopposed. In Harsha Chinna block, 34 sarpanches (out of 80) and 269 panches (out of 526) have been elected unopposed.

In Verka block, 14 sarpanches (out of 85) and 105 panches (out of 573) have been elected unopposed, while in Attari block, 23 sarpanches (out of 69) and 217 panches (out of 499) have been elected this way.

In Jandiala, 11 sarpanch (out of 60) and 134 panches (out of 408); in Majitha block, 20 sarpanches (out of 112) and 216 panches (out of 706); in Rayya block, 37 sarpanches (out of 99) and 298 panches (out of 713); and in Tarsikka block, 21 sarpanches (out of 93) and 180 panches (out of 603) have been elected without any opposition.

The situation in Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur is no different. In Tarn Taran, out of 569 panchayats of eight blocks, 356 were declared elected unopposed. In Bhikhiwind block, out of the total 86 posts of sarpanches, 83 were elected. Similarly, in Patti block, 71 sarpanches were elected out of a total of 72 posts. All winners belonged to the Congress.

In Gurdaspurs 1,280 panchayats in 16 blocks, 199 complaints are still to be addressed by the returning officials even after the lapse of the courts ultimatum.

HC adjourns contempt petitioneditorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 27

The states Food and Drug Administration today confiscated a large amount of habit-forming drugs being sold illegally and collected samples of the medicines for quality check.

The officials seized drug alprazolam worth Rs 10 lakh and propranolol worth Rs 3.9 lakh from chemist Maruti Pharma in Muktsar. The chemist could not produce any bill of the stored medicine.

Another chemist Rinku Pharma was raided from whom cardilax-Alprazolam and propranolol tablets worth Rs 1 lakh were seized.

Besides, samples for quality check were taken from various districts, including Bathinda, Fazilka, Ludhiana and SBS Nagar. The samples of these medicines will be sent to the government laboratory for quality check.

The habit-forming drugs such as buprenorphine and pain reliever tramadol have been making way illegally into Punjab from neighbouring states through small courier companies, AC buses and trains. The state has also initiated interstate coordination with neighbouring states to check the menace.vinaymishra188@gmail.com

Col Dilbag Dabas (Retd)

Himachal Pradesh is rightfully considered a nursery of military brave-hearts.

Sanjeev Jamwal, an alumnus of Sainik School, Sujanpur Tihra, was born on August 2, 1974, in Shimla. He was commissioned into the Indian Army on June 7, 1997. As a young Captain, while he was part of the Indian Military Training Team (IMTRAT) in Bhutan, Sanjeev got a lifetime opportunity, when he was attached to the 13 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles (13 JAK RIF) to show his mettle in the Kargil War.

Pakistan unilaterally breached the provisions of 1972 Shimla Agreement and violated the sanctity of the LOC by infiltrating its regular soldiers across the Indian side in April 1999. These intruders established themselves on the top of high mountain ridgelines from Mushkoh valley in the west to Chorbat La in the east in Kargil sector.

Initially, the information on the extent of Pak intrusion was a bit hazy, but by aggressive patrolling, soon the extent of intrusion in terms of their strength and dispositions was ascertained and plans were formulated to evict the intruders at the earliest. The highest feature on the ridgelines held by the enemy was Pt 5140, which had strategic importance since it overlooked the National Highway 1A, the lifeline of entire Ladakh. Occupation of this feature by the intruders could seriously interfere with the vehicular movement with observed artillery and long range mortar fire. The 13 JAK RIF which had been inducted in the Kargil sector in early June 1999 had fully acclimatised itself in high-altitude warfare and was prepared to take on any task assigned to it. And, the 13 JAK RIF with its every single man of steel, in just one night operation, snatched the formidable Pt 5140 from the jaws of the enemy.

Captain Sanjeev Singh Jamwal, a young officer originally commissioned into the Army Service Corps and on attachment with the 13 JAK RIF during the Kargil War, started off with the individual act of gallantry and the witnesses, the brave jawans, rallied with him and in a fierce fight, including hand-to-hand combat, blasted the intruders out from Pt 5140, an act for which Captain Sanjeev Jamwal was most deservedly awarded the Vir Chakra.

Sanjeev Singh Jamwal, Vr C, now a Colonel, is commanding an Army Service Corps battalion near Amritsar in Punjab. He has two sons and the elder one is in Class XII and already preparing to follow into his father's footsteps.

Colonel Sanjeev Singh Jamwal, Vr C, an ASC officer, can never thank the military secretary's branch of Army Headquarters enough for ordering his attachment order during Kargil war with the 13 JAK RIF battalion, as it earned two Param Vir Chakras, eight Vir Chakras and a large number of Sena Medals and other gallantry awards. Sanjeev has truly earned the honorific 'The Bravest of the Brave'.

The battle account of his bravery reads...

As part of 'Operation Vijay', on June 20, 1999, Captain Sanjeev Jamwal, attached to the 13 JAK RIF was tasked to re-capture Pt 5140 in Dras sub-sector. The feature had seven heavily fortified sangars (improvised bunkers) and each had to be tackled one by one to evict all intruders. Captain Sanjeev let go the battalion battle cry "Durge Mata Ki Jai" and led the assault. Sanjeev approached the objective from the west along with his column and reached within assaulting distance of the enemy defenses maintaining total surprise. Leading from the front along with his buddy, he physically assaulted the first sangar. This took the enemy by total surprise, forced a hand-to-hand fight and resulted in panic among the enemy. After successfully clearing the first sangar, Captain Sanjeev led the assault on second sangar and caused further attrition on the enemy. He personally killed three intruders and was instrumental in the successful capture of Pt 5140 Top. Captain Sanjeev Singh Jamwal displayed remarkable leadership qualities and boundless courage during close quarter battle with the enemy and was awarded the Vir Chakra."

(The writer is a veteran Gunner, 6 Field Regiment)vermaajay1968@gmail.com

London, December 28

Seven members of a UK-based Indian-origin family were involved in a freak accident in Iceland when their SUV crashed off a bridge on Thursday, killing two women and a child.

Four others, including two British Indian brothers and two young children, remain in critical condition after being airlifted to a hospital in Iceland's capital Reykjavik.

The family was reportedly on holiday in the Nordic island country when their hired Toyota Land Cruiser slammed through a railing while crossing a high single-lane bridge at Skeidararsandur, a vast sand plain in the southern part of the country.

Local police have only identified the victims as British, with their names and ages not yet released until formal identification.

The Indian Ambassador to Iceland, T Armstrong Changsan, visited the injured at Landspitali hospital, where he spoke to hospital staff and the chaplain before contacting family members in India.

He confirmed that three people died, one of them a young child, and said the other family members were in a stable condition in hospital on Thursday night. The Indian embassy is trying to expedite the travel arrangements and we remain in constant touch with the local authorities, he said.  PTIvermaajay1968@gmail.com

Dhaka, December 28

Bangladeshs General Election campaign ended on Friday with more deadly violence and arrests of opposition activists which have raised international concern as PM Sheikh Hasina seeks a record fourth term.

A ruling Awami League party supporter was killed by opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) followers, police said, while the BNP claimed 19 more of its activists had been detained ahead of Sundays election.

The official campaign ended today after seven weeks of widespread street clashes and accusations of an official crackdown on the opposition. An opinion poll indicated Hasina is favourite to win despite the controversy.

The police said the Awami League supporter was beaten to death in the northeastern city of Sylhet late Thursday.

They had reported two earlier deaths of Awami League activists since the campaign opened on November 8. The BNP says eight of its supporters have been killed in election clashes.

Sylhet police chief Shah Harunur Rashid said two BNP supporters had been arrested for the latest killing. The BNP said the man died in a conflict among Awami League supporters.

Nineteen BNP activists were arrested when police and paramilitary guards raided the election camp of a BNP candidate and several villages in southern Bangladesh. Thousands of Awami League supporters rallied in Dhaka early Friday as candidates made a last-minute pitch for votes.

The BNP, which says thousands of its activists have been locked up in a bid to rig the election, said it had been prevented from holding its final rally in the capital.

Hasina has shrugged off accusations of using authoritarian tactics, and in her final campaign statement urged Bangladeshs 104 million voters to re-elect her to boost the impoverished South Asian nations economic development.

The BNP accuses the prime minister of clamping down on democracy and freedom of speech-including over the jailing of its leader Khaleda Zia this year on graft charges.

It says that 9,222 workers and supporters have been arrested during the election campaign and that half of its candidates were attacked by ruling party supporters. Its Islamist ally, Jamaat-e-Islami, says more than 3,600 of its activists were also detained.

The opposition has depended on social media to lobby for votes, saying that harassment has confined many candidates to their homes. Bangladeshi authorities slowed Internet services across the country on Friday with 3G and 4G services suspended for several hours in an effort to fight propaganda, an official said.  PTI

Battling begums fight for survival

The year 2018 was an eventful one for Bangladesh which is going to polls on Sunday but it may not see the battling begums in direct contest as jailed ex-premier Khalida Zia is unable to challenge PM Sheikh Hasina

Hasina, the 71-year-old daughter of countrys founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and Zia, the 73-year-old widow of military dictator Ziaur Rahman, have been political royalty since the 1980s

While Hasina is seeking re-election for a fourth term as the PM, Zia faces an uncertain future in a Dhaka jail

Khaleda Zia was in November ordered by a court to stay behind bars for more than a decade for graft

Dangers of being an Oppn candidate

At a library inside a small district court, barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon stood up to take off his coat and scrunched his white shirt up to his shoulders to reveal a back covered in bandages over several shotgun pellet wounds.

You see, my fight is not against the Awami League. Its against the police, the Election Commission, and the government machinery.

Khokon, who is contesting as a Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) candidate, alleges he was shot on December 15 by a senior police officer in Noakhali.

Violence puts nation in international spotlightvermaajay1968@gmail.com

Paris: A 71-year-old Frenchman has departed on a journey across the Atlantic in a specially designed barrel capsule, which will use ocean currents alone to propel him across the sea. Jean-Jacques Savin set off from El Hierro in Spains Canary Islands on Wednesday and is aiming to complete his 4,500-km journey to the Caribbean in about three months. Savin will drop markers from his three-metre long, 2.1-metre wide resin-coated plywood capsule along the trip to assist oceanographers in their study of currents in the Atlantic Ocean. The barrel is equipped with a kitchen area, and a mattress with straps to keep him from being thrown about by rough seas. AP

Trump has black and white world view: Hunt

London: British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Friday criticised Donald Trumps view of the world after the US Presidents announcement of a withdrawal of American troops from the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria. President Trump makes a speciality of talking in very black and white terms about whats happening in the world, Hunt told BBC Radio 4s Today programme. We have made massive progress in the war against Daesh (Arabic acronym for IS), but its not over and, although they have lost nearly all the territory they held, they still hold some territory and there is still some real risk, he said. AFP

All lives matter

Rescuers with one of 18 stranded sea turtles on the beach in Kalianda, after they were found washed ashore due to a deadly tsunami, caused by activity at a volcano known as the child of Krakatoa, that hit west coast of Indonesias Java island. A rescue team member said: For us, all lives matter. Human or animal -- well try to rescue them all. AFPFormer UN rights chief Mary Robinson has been accused of supporting the emirate of Dubai's version of events over a princess who was feared missing.

Mrs Robinson, who recently met Sheikha Latifa, daughter of Dubai's ruler, said she was a "troubled young woman".

She told the BBC the princess regretted making a video in which she alleged confinement and torture.

Radha Stirling, head of the rights group Detained in Dubai, said questions remained about the princess's welfare.

"Anyone familiar with Princess Latifa's story who listened to the BBC Radio interview today with Mary Robinson will be astonished at the extent to which Mrs Robinson appeared to be reciting almost verbatim from Dubai's script," she said.

"What we heard today was Mary Robinson essentially reciting for BBC Radio listeners the content of the statement issued by the Dubai ruler's court."

She added: "This meeting in no way satisfies me that she [Sheikha Latifa] is free from the abuse that she told me she had suffered for years."

Sheikha Latifa, the daughter of the emirate's ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is said to have tried to flee abroad in March in order to live a freer life.

But campaigners say the luxury yacht she was fleeing on was intercepted off India, and she was forcibly returned to Dubai, one of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A video emerged in which the princess said she and her family "did not have freedom of choice" in their lives. She also alleged she had been imprisoned for three years and tortured on her return.

The UAE denied the reports and said Sheikha Latifa had been living at home with her family.

But when the princess was not heard of for months, international human rights groups asked the authorities to prove her safety.

On Monday, the UAE foreign ministry said it had sent a communique regarding Sheikha Latifa to the UN human rights office.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and former president of Ireland, and were purportedly taken on 15 December in Dubai.

Mrs Robinson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that she had been invited by Princess Haya, wife of Dubai's ruler, to "help with a family dilemma".

"The dilemma was that Latifa is vulnerable, she's troubled. She made a video that she now regrets and she planned an escape, or what was part of a plan of escape," Mrs Robinson said.

"I had lunch with her. She's a very likeable young woman but clearly troubled, clearly needs the medical care that she is receiving."

Mrs Robinson said the princess was suffering from "a serious medical situation" and receiving psychiatric care, but did not give further details. She said her family didn't want her to "endure any more publicity".

The group Detained in Dubai legally represents two people who say they were attacked and abducted while trying to help the princess escape.

Ms Stirling said Mrs Robinson "had nothing to say" about the accusations Sheikha Latifa had made against her father.

"She said nothing about Latifa having planned her escape for nearly a decade, nor anything about her previous escape attempt," she said.

"She said nothing about the illegal raid of Latifa's boat in international waters and the fact that she was screaming for asylum and begging to not be returned to the UAE. Mrs Robinson simply repeated again and again from the official Dubai statement that Latifa is in the 'loving care of her family' and that the whole issue is nothing more than a 'family matter'."

Another rights group, Guernica 37 International Justice Chambers, also said it was concerned by Mrs Robinson's comments.

"Mrs Robinson appears to have spent a couple of hours with Sheikha Latifa, and despite having no formal medical or psychiatric training, has somehow diagnosed her condition and concluded that she is receiving appropriate treatment. It is unclear on what basis Mrs Robinson considers herself qualified to do so," it said in a statement. (BBC)pardeepdhull@gmail.com

Washington, December 28

US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to entirely close the southern US border with Mexico if lawmakers refuse his demands to fund a wall.

We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with, Trump tweeted.

The Republican leaders warning came as a partial federal government shutdown was set to drag on into next week, with legislators in Washington failing to reach a compromise over Trumps insistence on funding the border barrier.

Both sides have dug in, with Democrats refusing to provide USD 5 billion for the project and the presidentwho has made hardline immigration polices a centerpiece of his presidencyvowing he will not fully fund the government unless he gets the money.

In November, Trump threatened to close the whole border with Mexico if it gets to a level where were going to lose control or people are going to start getting hurt.

Days later US authorities dramatically shuttered a border crossing in southern California after hundreds of migrantspart of the caravan Trump had roundly condemnedtried to breach a fence from the Mexican city of Tijuana.

The temporary closing saw border agents halt vehicles and pedestrians at the San Ysidro crossing point, one of the busiest between the neighbouring countries.  AFPTHE POLICES Safe City Initiative seems to be working but tell DCP McDonald Jacob to keep his foot on the gas or it will be hell for us, said one Port of Spain businessman yesterday.

The Express polled several businessmen including Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA) president Gregory Aboud.- Tom Ojienda was arrested alongside lawyer Peter Wanyama for offering legal services to the embattled Mumias Sugar Company

- Already, JSC has sent lawyers to represent Ojienda and are pursuing for their release

- Legal practitioners have opposed the Friday arrest saying it has become a worrying trend

- Murkomen termed it as madness which has become even worse now that lawyers are arrested

Barely hours after the arrest of the Kenya's top lawyer Tom Ojienda, Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen has expressed concern over the manner in which his learned friend was nabbed by sleuths.

The Elgeyo Marakwet senator has differed strongly with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) for arresting Ojienda on a Friday in what has come to be commonly referred to as Kamata Kamata Friday.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens

READ ALSO: If I was going to run in 2022, I would have said it - Raila Odinga

Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen says arrest of suspects on Friday by detectives is madness. Photo: UGC

Source: Twitter

READ ALSO: Uhuru ally supports Jubilee boss David Murathe's call for Ruto retirement

In a Friday, December 28, Twitter post, Murkomen observed the Friday arrests as madness exhibited by the country's top probe unit.

"I am totally opposed to this madness of deliberately arresting suspects on Friday. Its even worse that they are arresting lawyers for providing professional services. Surely Professor Ojienda is a senior lawyer and member of the Judicial Service Commission, where is he expected to run to?Rule of Law ?," posed the Jubilee leader

While confirming the arrest, Law Society of Kenya (LSK) vice-President Harriette Chiggai demanded the DCI to uphold the rights of the suspects adding that a team of lawyers led by senior counsel John Khaminwa are handling the matter.

READ ALSO: Jubilee MP Kimani Ngunjiri slams CS Eugene Wamalwa's Luhya unity call, says he is a nobody

On his side, lawyer Nelson Havi observed the matters pursued against his colleague were not criminal and was a witch hunt with the aim of interfering with the forthcoming JSC elections.

"DCI and Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) are aware its not possible for Ojienda to be arraigned today or any reprieve to be obtained from the High Court. These type of arrests have become a worrying trend because now it has turned to the lawyers who are being arrested for offering legal services to their clients," said Havi.

" We hope that the arrests have nothing to do with the forthcoming JSC elections, because this is the third time Ojienda has been pursued in less than six moths on matters that are not criminal and in the view of JSC members is a witch hunt by state organs to interfere with the elections," he added.

Senior Counsel Tom Ojienda was arrested over professional services he offered to Mumias Sugar Company. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Uhuru ally supports Jubilee boss David Murathe's call for Ruto retirement

Senior Counsel Ojienda was arrested over professional services he offered to Mumias Sugar Company.

Lawyer Peter Wanyama was also arrested alongside Ojienda and grilled over the fees received after offering legal services to the company.

Their arrest came after DPP approved their arrest over a KSh 200 million audit at the company.

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

Message To My Favorite Politician | Tuko TV

Source: Tuko NewsTea export volumes decline by 8.6%

Cumulative tea production down by 1.8%

By Nishel Fernando

Tea exports fell by 8.6 percent in November while tea production recorded a marginal decline overshadowed by unfavourable weather conditions and production disruptions due to trade union actions in the estates managed by Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs).



According to the Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB), tea export volumes dropped by two million kilogrammes (M/kg) to 21 M/kg in November, while tea production fell by a marginal 0.2 M/Kg or 0.8 percent year-on-year (YoY) to 24.7 M/Kg in November.



The tea export income in rupee terms also dropped by Rs.1 billion to Rs.18 billion, despite this years sharp devaluation of the rupee against the US dollar.

On a cumulative basis, tea production contracted by 1.8 percent YoY to 277.7 M/Kg during the January-November period.



Accordingly, during the period, tea export volumes fell by 3.01 percent YoY to 257.M/Kg and the export income fell by 1.04 percent to Rs.210 billion.



The SLTB noted that the marginal tea production decline in November was mainly due to a notable decrease in the production of high-grown tea.

Speaking to Mirror Business, Employers Federation of Ceylon Plantations Group Chairman Roshan Rajadurai said that excessive rain in the hill country and the disruption to production due to trade union action, led to a decline in the RPCs tea output.



He further noted that the RPC tea output in December is likely to record a sharp decline as a result of the strike carried out by plantation workers over a two-week period in early December, demanding to double their basic wage.



However, Rajadurai said that now that the strike has come to an end, the workers have returned to work. He was optimistic that the new collective worker agreement would be signed soon.



Forbes & Walker Tea Brokers earlier this week stated that Sri Lankas tea production is likely to be around 300 M/Kg in 2018.



The SLTB also said that the tea output may reach 300 M/Kg by end of this year, as some of the tea stocks not recorded in the current statistics would be included in the revised tea statistics for 2018; they are to be released next year.



Speaking of forecasts for next year, Rajadurai emphasised that normalisation of the Colombo tea auction prices is crucial for planters to meet tea production and exports, as the RPCs in particular are already making losses due to high production costs.



For most varieties of orthodox teas, Forbes & Walker Tea Brokers predicted an upward movement in prices, particularly in the first half of 2019.



Meanwhile, following a three-year ban, the planters have recently received the long-awaited shipments of the popular weedicide, glyphosate.



However, Rajadurai pointed out that many of the planters were forced to abandon a considerable share in their plantations as a result of the rapid growth of weeds, in the absence of a recognised and an effective weedicide in the market, during last three years.



He noted that it might take 10 years to restore the soil back to original condition, at a considerable financial expense.ABC News(LOS ANGELES) -- The California police officer whose killing has sparked a massive and ongoing manhunt left behind a wife and 5-month-old son.



Newman Police Cpl. Ronil Singh, 33, a native of Fiji who dedicated his life to law enforcement, was killed in the line of duty Wednesday.



The gunman fled after shooting Singh just before 1 a.m., according to the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department.



Singh had been with the Newman Police Department since July 2011, the sheriff's office said. He previously served with the Merced County Sheriffs Department, according to a statement from California Gov. Jerry Brown.



Singh's slaying was the first line-of-duty officer death in the history of the Newman Police, an agency of 12 members.



"This is a man that I saw every day he worked," an emotional Newman Police Chief Randy Richardson said of Singh at a Thursday news conference. "This is a man that I relieved on Christmas Day so he could go home and spend some time with his family and his newborn child."



"He will never see his son walk," said Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson, whose agency is leading the investigation. "He doesn't get to hold that little boy, hug his wife."



Richardson said Singh was an avid outdoorsman who loved fishing, hunting and riding his jet ski.



He said Singh was also a K-9 handler whose drug-sniffing dog, Sam, was with him when he was killed.



"When I pulled Sam out of the car, Sam was wearing a Mrs. Claus outfit that he [Singh] put on her because it's just the kind of guy he was. It's just the little things like that he did just to bring smiles to people's faces," Richardson said.



He said one of the last photos Singh posed for was of him standing in front of an American flag and next to a Christmas tree outside the Newman police station.



"He was truly just a human being and an American patriot," said Christianson.



"He truly loved what he did," added Richardson. "You've never seen a man smile more than him."



Authorities are pleading with the public to help them catch the suspect in Singh's killing, who remains at large.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.



Tel Aviv/Cologne (dpa), 27 Dec 2018 - UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, strongly objects to its inclusion on the Simon Wiesenthal Centres end-of-year list of the top 10 worst global anti-Semitic incidents.



The centre placed UNRWA fifth on its list, accusing UNRWA of using a school curriculum which promotes anti-Semitism, refuses to print the word Israel and is unwilling to teach about the Holocaust.



In a statement to dpa, UNRWA said on Thursday: As a UN agency, UNRWA stands by and actively promotes the principles and values of the United Nations, including the promotion of fundamental human rights. Therefore, we strongly object to any association with racism in all its forms.

Also featured on the list are: Bishop Gayle Harris, whom the centre accused of fabricating reports about Israeli violence against ArabsThe following is a release issued by the US State Department on November 30, 2021.President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has received credentials from the ambassadors of India, Hungary and the Islamic Republic of Iran, the presidents press service reported on Thursday evening.

The President of Ukraine received credentials from the ambassadors of a number of foreign states: Ambassador of India - P. Satpathy, Ambassador of Hungary I. Ijgyarto and Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Ukraine M. Moradi, reads the report.

During the conversation with Ambassador of India P. Satpathy, the parties discussed the intensification of the political dialogue at the highest level. Special attention was paid to the state and prospects of development of trade, economic, investment and military-technical cooperation. The importance of holding the next meeting of the Intergovernmental Ukrainian-Indian Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical, Industrial and Cultural Cooperation was considered. The parties also discussed the cooperation in the field of education.

During the conversation with Ambassador of Hungary I. Ijgyarto, the parties discussed possible steps to resolve sensitive issues in Ukrainian-Hungarian relations.

Special attention was paid to the issue of strengthening the sanction policy of the EU regarding the act of Russian aggression against Ukraine in the Kerch Strait, as well as the interaction between Ukraine and Hungary within the UN.

During the conversation with Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Ukraine M. Moradi, the parties discussed the cooperation within the UN and other international organizations. Special attention was paid to the security situation in the Middle East.Moldovan Prime Minister Pavel Filip has thanked Ukraine for its continued support, noting that Moldova fully supports the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

The Moldovan prime minister said this during the opening of a joint checkpoint on the Moldovan-Ukrainian border, Ukrinform's correspondent in Moldova reported.

According to Prime Minister Filip, in today's world the security architecture is changing and new challenges are emerging, therefore the protection of the state border becomes a strategically important issue for both states.

"I would like to note that we feel constant support and assistance from our colleagues from Ukraine. And I would like to assure you, dear President, that we will always be together with the leadership of Ukraine in protecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine," the Moldovan prime minister said.

As reported, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Moldovan Prime Minister Pavel Filip participated in the opening of the new Palanca-Mayaky-Udobne checkpoint on the Moldovan-Ukrainian border.

The project was implemented with the financial assistance of the European Union.

This is already the sixth joint checkpoint on the Moldovan-Ukrainian border.Unfortunately, voters' readiness to take money from campaign headquarters has not gone anywhere, Mahera claims.

Former Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Andriy Mahera suggests during the 2019 presidential election, material factors will influence decision-making by a large number of voters.

"This will be the second presidential election, which will be held amid Russia's actual armed aggression against our country. At the same time, voters' readiness to take money from candidates' headquarters, unfortunately, has not gone anywhere," Mahera told Pryamyi TV channel.

Read alsoRussian media aim to destabilize Ukraine ahead of elections

Sociologists see that a huge number of people are set to vote, taking into account the material factors. I don't think that the 2019 elections will differ much from the 2014 vote. There will be no particular difference," he told Pryamiy TV Channel on Dec 28.Ukraine will definitely not give up its right to free passage through the Strait, the minister stressed.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak says Ukraine Navy warships will continue attempts to cross from the Black Sea to the country's Azov Sea ports via the Kerch Strait.

"We'll not give up our right to free passage through the Kerch Strait in compliance with all international norms and laws," he told ZIK TV channel on December 28.

"The first and the second passages didn't differ in any way in terms of their organization and preparation. The latter was carried out according to plan and in due order," Poltorak added.

Read alsoUkraine's Navy "will be ready" to use weapons if Russia attacks again  media

The minister says Russia has realized that Ukraine plans further passes through the Kerch Strait and is willing to strengthen its grouping in the Sea of Azov. Therefore, they just used Ukraine's second crossing attempt to perform an act of provocation.

"There will be 20, and 30, or 100 passes. It'll always be this way, because the Sea of Azov is part of Ukraine, while Mariupol and Berdyansk are our ports. They are part of Ukraine and our economy. And we'll definitely not give up our right to a free passage through the Kerch Strait in line with all international norms and laws," Poltorak emphasized.

As UNIAN reported earlier, MFA Russia warned Ukraine against further attempts to redeploy warships to the Azov Sea ports, branding the move "provocation."Sowing discord is one of Moscow's favorite tactics in its hybrid warfare.

The Hungarian side, now in the person of the Party of Hungarians of Ukraine, duly registered in Ukraine (Society of Hungarian Culture of Zakarpattia (KMKSZ) together with the Center for Sociological Research named after Tivadar Legocki continues manipulating public opinion in Ukraine's Zakarpatia region, carrying out anti-Ukrainian activities to incite and fuel ethnic hatred and intolerance.

In 2018, the organizations drafted and published a small brochure titled Anti-Hungarian actions in Ukraine, where Ukraine is directly accused of acts aimed against the Hungarian community of Zakarpattia. The brochure is being actively distributed among residents of the said region, the Information Resistance OSINT group says.

Describing 182 cases of anti-Hungarian actions in Ukraine from April 2014 to April 2018, the authors address virtually all accusations to Ukrainian authorities, who were allegedly were involved in organizing and coordinating the actions of aggressive nationalists (despite the fact that the text often refers to unidentified perpetrators defiling Hungarian monuments and symbols).

The most glaring example of Kyivs unfriendly gestures against Budapest, according to the brochure's authors who also chose not to reveal their names was the arson by the so-called Ukrainian nationalists at the KMKSZ office in Uzhgorod. And this is despite the fact that it has long been indisputably proven that it was Polish pro-Russian radicals from the far-right Falanga movement who were responsible for that act.

Read alsoRussia's covert campaign underway to inflame East Europe - media

Also, the allegations set out in the brochure include a claim that Ukrainian state policy with respect to Hungarians seeks to purposefully and consistently assimilate and liquidate their community, while major attacks on the Hungarian institutions and organizations are carried out by the Ukrainian media, which influences public opinion through false and unfounded theories and claims, representing the Hungarian national minorities as ardent supporters of separatism.

Thus, it is obvious that the Kremlin, along with its Hungarian satellites, by means of information spins and acts of violence pursues its policy of disorienting the public (in particular, the population of Zakarpattia region), focusing on historical territorial disputes of neighboring states.The entire international community supports Ukraine on the issue of hostage release, the representative adds.

Representatives of Russian proxy forces in the occupied parts of Luhansk region refused to exchange eight Ukrainians held by Russia for 33 people imprisoned in Ukraine after they were "scolded" by the Kremlin, that's according to Ukraine's envoy to the Trilateral Contact Group on Donbas settlement, Yevhen Marchuk.

A few weeks ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin said they would not go for any deals with the current Ukrainian leadership. But we're raising the issue, above all, of hostage exchange, that's apart from ceasefire and, most importantly, besides the return of our Ukrainian sailors from Russian captivity. At the latest meeting, we proposed three-on-three, even one-on-one [swap]  all fell on deaf ears, Marchuk said.

Read alsoRussia turns down Ukraine's offer for hostage swap on Dec 27  Humanitarian envoy

According to him, there was a situation, where the Ukrainian side agreed with the representatives of the LPR militants to exchange eight Ukrainians imprisoned in Russia for 33 prisoners in Ukraine. This question was brought in a few days to the TCG discussion, but at that meeting, the LPR representatives "didn't even accept their own proposal."

"Probably, while briefly in Moscow, they got a scolding that they were in too much of a rush with such proposals, said Marchuk.

He noted that Ukraine is supported by the entire international community.

Read alsoRussia fully responsible for disrupting release of hostages, political prisoners  Gerashchenko

Humanitarian institutions, too, support Ukraine in the return of military personnel and hostage exchange. We raised this question, we're still raising it, offering in writing some options for discussion, and searching for consensus on any option. But the Russian side would not accept this issue for discussion. We will continue to argue further and continue to propose things. We hope that the international community and our allies will influence Russia to at least start discussing the issue, Marchuk said.The Rada passed the bill, but the health ministry said they had no time to prepare for its implementation.

Organ transplantation in Ukraine is under threat as doctors are warning they will suspend all surgeries from January 1 fearing liability for failing to fulfill the norms of the new legislation, which is set to come into force on the first day of 2019.

Nearly 200 transplantations from kindred living donors are carried out in Ukraine every year. According to the National Institute of Surgery and Transplantology, this could stop starting Jan 1, according to TSN.

"Doctors risk facing criminal prosecution," the Institute officials said.

The new law on transplantation, which was supposed to bring the country's healthcare industry to a new level in 2019, might instead block all organ transplantations in Ukraine. Over the past six months, the Ministry of Health was supposed to create a database of potential donors and recipients, issue some 30 acts that would regulate the sphere, train and hire "transplant coordinators", but none of this was done, the report claims.

Read alsoPoroshenko signs law allowing human organs donation

Back in November, the officials responsible for the transplantation sector convinced that they would have time to be ready by the start of 2019.

Now, Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine Roman Ilyk issued the following statement via Facebook: "It would be great if lawmakers realized that such serious things can't be done in six months or even 12 months."

At the same time, the government has quickly approved the procedure for Ukrainians who are ready to become donors after their death: they shall supply their application to transplant coordinators, who are not yet hired, or to the authorized transplant authority, which isn't in place, either, or to the family doctor. The latest option is the only one available.

Meanwhile, the parliamentary committee is asking security officials not to persecute doctors who dare transplant organs at the beginning of the new year. Lawmakers are ready to provide guarantees, but the police and the prosecutor's office claim that no letters or explanations are legally binding.

"If the law is violated, the corpus delicti will be seen. We cannot step over the law," Deputy Head of the National Police Department Oleh Rykun said.

As a way out, it is proposed to postpone the effect of the new law, so that the ministry could fulfill their promise. Meanwhile, the work shall continue according to the older legislation. "A temporary agreement has been reached now. Scheduled transplantations will be rescheduled for the second half of January. If immediate transplantation is needed, then the surgery shall be performed, because, in case of refusal, the doctors will be liable for the failure to provide medical care," Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Health Committee Iryna Sysoienko said.

On January 15, the first working day of the new year, the MPs will be ready to vote for the postponement of the law on transplantation for a year.The captive is a 35-year-old Horlivka resident, a former policeman.

Ukraine's Joint Forces have captured near the contact line in eastern Ukraine's warzone a member of an illegal armed group, the JF Operation Staff reported on Facebook.

"On December 27, soldiers of one of the mechanized brigades of the Joint Forces, while on a combat mission along the contact line, captured a member of the illegal armed group," the report says.

It is noted that the captive is a 35-year-old Horlivka resident, a former policeman.

Read alsoAll 24 Ukrainian sailors captured by Russia declare themselves prisoners of war

The man had been part of illegal armed groups fighting Ukrainian forces in Donbas until he was injured and dismissed for medical reasons in 2016. However, in November 2018, occupation authorities again drafted him for "service."

The captive was handed over to the SBU security operatives for further questioning. The investigation is underway.Different people have different ideas regarding whats ailing Sri Lanka. For some it is the education system. For others it is the cost of living. For still others it is the balance of payments deficit. Regardless of the problem, all of them are agreed on the reason behind it. The political system. That is why editors, commentators, and activists tend to single out politicians. They are, as they always were, responsible for this countrys downfall. Without them, so the saying goes, we would prosper.



The antipathy towards politicians isnt new, of course. Nor is it limited to Sri Lanka. And to be fair, it isnt unjustifiable. The cost of holding a session in Parliament is Rs. 25.7 million (according to Rohana Hettiarachchi of the March 12th Movement). Given that there were around three sessions held by the previous government in which nothing substantive was discussed (barring those chairs thrown about), that works out to Rs. 75 million, assuming of course that the cost of a session is fixed regardless of duration. As far as censure and critique go, our politicians are truly deserving of the sobriquets theyve earned from the people.



What of the alternatives? Two years ago Professor Hector Perera argued that eradication of corruption would require a mammoth collective effort on the part of the media, independent citizens, and professionals. Only they could save the country, provided they themselves were free of corruption and upheld the standards of good governance their professions had codified. That last point was interesting, because on it rested the myth of the honest professional class.

In the popular consciousness, the independent civil society, inclusive of the media, is seen to be for good governance, democracy, and everything thats decent in politics.

In the popular consciousness, the independent civil society, inclusive of the media, is seen to be for good governance, democracy, and everything thats decent in politics. Their response to the previous government showed where their loyalties lay in this regard. Among the statements they issued, I remember one by a middle aged, near retirement professional. Heres the gist of what he said:



Mr Sirisena, we have tolerated your behaviour long enough. If you continue to populate the parliament with uneducated thugs and kasippu dealers, we will not pay our taxes. That is our ultimatum and we stand by it today!



The irony was, of course, that while threatening non payment of taxes he was calling for the return of the same government that had imposed tax after tax on a multitude of people who couldnt and cant afford three meals a day. Hows that for talking shop about democracy and good governance, eh?



Professionals are more often than not seen as squeaky clean individuals. At one level, this is a little hypocritical. Have there not been cases of doctors overcharging patients and obtaining bribes from pharmaceutical companies? Have there not been cases of civil society activists obtaining largesse from state corporations? Have there not been cases of middle class professionals bribing officials to get their business plans passed? If so, how can we repose any trust in them? How can they be considered the superiors of the politicians who are, for all their faults, elected by the people through the only system we have that holds them accountable to us: the franchise?



Someone told me that it was the middle class who were behind the tax revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries, in particular the French and the American Revolutions. Perhaps, but not because they were democrats: from the time of Oliver Cromwells dislodgement of the monarchy in England, Europe was engaged with a battle between the feudal aristocracy and the emerging bourgeoisie/merchant class. The bourgeoisie were less concerned with democracy than they were with obtaining privileges in the form of political representation for themselves. In fact upon coming to power, they did all they could to take the franchise away from the working class and exploit to the hilt that same working class. The middle class, so beloved today, was never moved by benevolent intentions. They merely wanted to enrich themselves.



Not even the Founding Fathers of the United States or their cohorts, whom lawyers and judges and democracy activists quote extensively today when they give judgments and pronouncements against corruption, were preoccupied with democracy. Alexander Hamilton called for it to be curbed; James Murray Mason warned against becoming too enamoured of it; Jeremy Belknap argued that the people werent fit to govern themselves. From Locke to Rousseau, from Rousseau to Arendt, the thread that runs through Western liberalism is that democracy does not really mean letting the people govern themselves. It was at once for the people and against the people.



Where did the professionals fit in here? In feudal Europe, artisans were dependent on the State for patronage. Without that patronage Mozart wouldnt have become Mozart. In this sense, they were the transmitting mechanisms for an aristocratic worldview, though as artists they may not have considered themselves as such.



Then the bourgeois revolutions struck with the Industrial Revolution, of which, Dwight Macdonald tells us in Masscult and Midcult, [t]he important change was the replacement of the individual patron by the market. The professions  from medicine to law to the arts  were disrupted, but they served the same purpose: to transmit to the masses, in a language intelligible to the masses, the worldview of the new aristocracy: not the landed gentry, but the factory owners.



It is from this premise that Louis Althusser pointed out at the school, the judiciary, and the family institution, venerated by democrats of today, as ideological state apparatuses. A careful reading of Marxs Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte can dispel the notion that most if not all of these symbols of an apolitical democratic society  the independence of the judiciary, the sanctity of the Constitution, and the supremacy of the Parliament  challenge power structures. Far from it. The professions in that sense were hawul karayo: they were collaborationists, and in that act of collaboration they ended up perpetuating a class ridden bourgeois dominated society.



Perhaps it comes to no surprise, then, that those calling for a middle class revolution here are against granting the poor constitutional concessions in the form of economic, social, and cultural (ESC) rights. Its democracy for the nouveau riche, for the nascent bourgeoisie, but not for those who can benefit the most from a democratic revolution. Its good governance for those who can govern themselves only; that is, the merchant, executive, consumer, professional class of Colombo.



Since 2014 there has been a consciousness raising exercise to get people to vote for intellectuals and meritocrats. In this scheme of things, the uneducated rowdies you see in parliament should get out or be kicked out. Most of those opposed to these rowdies come from Colombo, and the society they idealise is based on the world they occupy: free of cultural constraints, lacking cultural roots, indifferent to the voting underclass, and unaware of realities outside the urban centre.



Obviously, theres a problem here. So if we are to come up with a replacement for the political party system we have, the best bet we can come up with must be better than the middle class, who are, as they themselves know, hardly innocent of the crimes they now attribute to those same rowdy-like politicians.



Here we can ask a question. Now that Ranil Wickremesinghe is back in his saddle, and now that he has, contrary to representations made by those who vouched for him, brought back members of his Royalist Regency, where are all those activists? Those professionals? Their silence is deafening. Disturbing. So deafening and disturbing, in fact, that I fail to understand what they were fighting for in the first place.



We are looking up the wrong tree. The political system isnt whats ailing us. Nor is it the people. Its those who are arguing that the political system needs to be revamped. Its those who turned the other side when calls were made for a broad coalition to end the war, and suddenly in 2014 woke up to the need for such a coalition solely for the purpose of ousting the political parvenu, Mahinda Rajapaksa.



They forget that economics was once called political economy, they forget that the root of all our problems is the fact that we have failed to get our economy going, and they forget that the political class they support happens to be the reason behind our lagging economy. If this is the kind of people we have to entrust our government to, the kind of people we should hand our public services, from education to healthcare, to, Id rather vote for the uneducated peasant, who at least knows the value of those services, and the battles that had to be waged against the ruling class to make them available to the larger public, to you and to me.Amid the latest disagreements between Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko, Russia-Belarus tensions became quite visible. Russia's top officials are becoming increasingly insisting in their statements calling for further creation of the so-called "Union State" that would comprise the two states. As Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev noted, Moscow is ready to move along this path, including to "create a single emission center, a single customs agency, [unified] courts, and an Accounts Chamber." However, Belarus leader Lukashenko is apparently not amazed.

Putin's main goal in this regard is the consolidation around Russia of different buffer zones  either by directly absorbing territories of other states (as it could happen with Belarus) or preserving a neighboring state in the "gray zone" (as it is in the case of Ukraine). For Putin, his strategic task is "accumulating Russian lands."

Russia continues the process of absorbing Belarusian economy

Besides, the latest tensions also have economic roots. Among other things, the reason is the "Pipe"  a gas line that ran via Belarus, "feeding" Lukashenko and his entourage. The thing is that Moscow has now put a plug on it.

As Russia continues the process of absorbing Belarusian economy, Lukashenko is naturally resisting, at the same time trying not to lose all levers of influence or profits.

In fact, this has long been a traditional controversy between Putin and Lukashenko as the two bumped fists over the topic at least once a year.

In general, Belarusian economy is "artificial" (and I'm truly surprised to hear some Ukrainians saying: "How great it is to live in Belarus! We'd also like to live according to the same rules, where a president tells us when we should plant or harvest potatoes"). For the most part, the economy there is based on duty-free access to Russia's energy resources (oil, in particular) and further sales, including to Ukraine. This is actually the lion's share of the Belarusian "economic miracle."

Really, why should Putin give away these resources if he, himself, could control profits? Besides, why should he remain too patient about Lukashenko in top office?

However, there are some more hints pointing at the ongoing processes between the two countries. Putin is now in his last cadence as president. Accordingly, he seeks to retain the existing system after he formally steps down. One of the options allowing him to do so is to create a superstructure, a union state, where he could be an arbiter over a junior partner. This option is quite possible.

Russia has long been a state exporting aggression, and this is probably the main resource of Putin's popularity

Now, Russian officials are looking for a good reason to reformat the constitution, claiming that, although the constitution is a special law, this does not mean that it cannot be changed. Earlier, statements were voiced that "Putin is Russia; if there's no Putin, there is no Russia ..."

From the military-strategic perspective, the emergence of such a Union State would lead to Russia seriously boosting its military presence in Belarus, which will greatly complicate things for Ukraine. After all, Kyiv is a bit too close to the Belarus border, so if Russia goes for an offensive, Ukraine will struggle to stop the blitz advance.

Secondly, such a super-state project is also interesting to Russia in the context of the U.S. withdrawal from the INS Treaty as Moscow would benefit from stretching their missile muscle across the territory of Belarus in the medium term.

Absorbing Belarus would also benefit Putin in terms of cementing his political ratings in Russia. Russia has long been a state exporting aggression, and this is probably the main resource of Putin's popularity. Recent polls by Levada Center show that Putin's support level has slid down to that recorded before the annexation of Crimea. Albeit very slowly, Russians are starting to see the connection between dropping living standards and Putin's foreign and security policies. Nevertheless, such drivers as a test launch of some new hypersonic missile, or a small victorious war, or "protection of compatriots abroad" still make Russians rejoice, leading to higher ratings for Putin. So these motives cannot be ruled out either. From this point of view, the latest aggravation of Lukashenko-Putin relations is understandable. After all, Russia is struggling to advance on any other "fronts" so Putin must demonstrate to his voters at least some "wins." Besides, why share power and money with Lukashenko if it is better to swallow his country and only then move forward with the expansion?

Neither the experts, nor the Belarus president himself are aware of how strong his resistance could be to Russia, or whether he has any chance to hinder Moscow's plans. Lukashenko has been squeezing out opposition and all that is nationalist or democratic for too long. He would get rid of everyone but his "androids" in government, who from time to time get an occasional whooping from him.

The scenario where Russia absorbs Belarus looks inevitable at the moment

In democracies, despite public instability, heated debates in parliament, fistfights on camera, and opposition forces in place, there is generally always someone to rely on. Meanwhile, authoritarian regimes annihilate everything around themselves. And when the resource feeding that authoritarian regime exhausts itself (large volumes of cheap oil, which allows regular payments to civil servants and security forces), something serious happens and the regime falls immediately. Lukashenko has found himself in exactly the same situation where he had no one to rely on in terms of political forces or public opinion leaders.

In addition, Lukashenko has always just as stubbornly put pressure on the country's culture and language. Belarus is known to be extremely "Russified." Belarusians watch Russian news, and, accordingly, they are part of the "Russian World." Therefore, of course, they will not perceive Russian absorption of their independence as Ukrainians did in 2014 when they ousted Yanukovych and took up arms to defend their country from Russia.

Another important point is the KGB and the military. On the one hand, Lukashenko, like any other dictator, paid a lot of attention to these structures and "cleansed" their ranks from time to time. But it remains unclear what the actual share is of Belarusian military and security officials with that "Russian World" in their heads. Moreover, if even Ukraine, the defense ministry and several intelligence and security agencies had once been run by officials with Russian passports in their back pockets, I wonder, how many such people serve in KGB and other structures

Also, Belarusian civil society is under constant pressure; there are almost no free media...

So, it remains an open question, how Russia's occupation of Belarus will take place, will it be opposed, whether the people will take to the streets to support Lukashenko in his struggle against not being swallowed.

The scenario where Russia absorbs Belarus looks inevitable at the moment.

In fact, the only small difference still remaining between Russia and Belarus is their national flags

The inactive phase of this process had been launched much earlier. In any case, Belarus is Russia's military-political ally; there are joint boards of defense and foreign ministries. That is, in fact, they are already coordinating their foreign and security policies. They have almost no discrepancies in their positions regarding the outside world; in particular, NATO is defined as a threat. In this regard, Putin and Lukashenko are not too different.

In fact, the only small difference still remaining between Russia and Belarus is their national flags. Beyond that, this slow encroachment has long been happening. But will it be completed in the near future? This is still a question.

Anyway, if the Belarusians show at least the slightest resistance, this will require from Russia spending resources: manpower (special forces, military, managers, or whoever Putin is going to employ), as well as money. After all, any takeover involves high costs (at least at the first stage). And there are no sufficient resources in Russia at present.

If Russia takes over Belarus, this will be bad for Ukraine in the short term

Besides, Russians can act, as they say, only "with their boots directly on that ground," that is, having someone in the field to follow Moscow's orders. Russia cannot manage territories by creating an attractive future and infecting people with ideas. This is what we've seen in Crimea: Russians can only control the area by deploying more FSB operatives and others en masse.

As long as Russia has enough resources, money, oil, manpower, the absorption of territories will continue. As soon as these resources become scarce, these territories will "fall off."

If Russia takes over Belarus, this will be bad for Ukraine in the short term. But in the long run, this will be yet another burden for Russia, which will ultimately lead to Minsk flipping away from Moscow. And today I don't see the resources that could maintain this chimera  the Russian Federation  within its current borders, and even more so with Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, and also Belarus.

Moreover, let's not forget that Russia has its foot in Syria, the Central African Republic, and other countries. Its expansionist policy may not be as large as it was in Soviet times, but it is being implemented. However, given the resource overload, it simply brings Russia closer to a deep crisis or even collapse.

Oleksandr Khara leads the department of international multilateral relations at the "Maidan of Foreign Affairs" FoundationAll the 24 Ukrainian sailors have declared themselves to be prisoners of war.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron have demanded that Russia release the Ukrainian sailors who were captured when three Ukrainian navy boats were seized near the Kerch Strait in the Black Sea on November 25, 2018.

"We demand safe, free and unimpeded transit for all ships through the Kerch Strait and the immediate and unconditional release of all illegally detained Ukrainian seafarers," Merkel and Macron said in a joint statement on Friday, December 28, as quoted by Reuters.

Read alsoVolker: We hope Russia will release Ukrainian sailors as expeditiously as possible

As UNIAN reported earlier, Russia on November 25 blocked the passage to the Kerch Strait for the Ukrainian tugboat "Yany Kapu" and two armored naval boats "Berdyansk" and "Nikopol," which were on a scheduled re-deployment from the Black Sea port of Odesa to the Azov Sea port of Mariupol. The Ukraine Navy Command noted that the Russian side had been informed of the plans to re-deploy the vessels in advance in accordance with international standards to ensure the safety of navigation. The Russian coast guard ship "Don" rammed the Ukrainian tugboat, damaging the Ukrainian vessel. As the Ukrainian boats were heading back in the Odesa direction after being rejected passage via the Kerch Strait, Russian coast guards opened aimed fire on them. All 24 crew members on board were captured and later remanded in custody for two months, being charged with "illegal border crossing" (the sailors are facing up to six years in prison). Three crewmen were wounded in the attack. Russian-controlled "courts" in occupied Crimea ruled that all 24 detainees should be remanded in custody, after which they were transferred to the Moscow-based Lefortovo and Matrosskaya Tishina detention centers.

All the 24 Ukrainian sailors have declared themselves to be prisoners of war.Puttalam District Parliamentarian Palitha Range Bandara warned that he would be forced to take a tough decision if he was not given a Cabinet portfolio by next month. He pointed out that he was the catalyst behind the rise of the United National Party following the recent Constitutional impasse.

He made these comments yesterday at a ceremony organised to hand over equipment to the people in Siyambalawewa in line with the Gamperaliya programme.

The MP added that wherever he went people would say, Range Bandara is a genuine person who lives by his word and does not waver. They also say I am the catalyst for the attempt to rejuvenate the UNP. A month has passed since the Cabinet was formed, however, to date Range Bandara has not been given a Cabinet post.

He said it all began when he went to Japan for an official visit. While he was there the Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Mahinda Amaraweera made a statement claiming the members of the SLFP in the unity government had decided to pull out. Two hours later, a new Prime Minister was appointed.

At the same time, a leading figure in the country called and offered me a Cabinet post along with Rs.500 million. Thereafter, I received another call from a leading figure in the SLFP asking me to join them and promising that all I ask for will be given to me if I do. However, I did not join them. I did not leave the party. That is how I acted. I later learnt that many of our members were called. However, as a man with a backbone, I refused and even revealed everything that took place to the party and the public. I am received with hugs and kisses by my adoring public but now they are beginning to inquire what I have been given by the party for being straightforward and loyal. They also ask why I did not accept the money and the minister-ship that I was offered to join the new government that was formed by the previous regime. I have to take a serious decision on behalf of the Puttalam people. If this problem is not resolved in the early part of next year, I will have to take a tough decision in this regard.

I am determined to sit in the Cabinet in order to solve the peoples problems such as education, health and others. The people have come forward to stage a fast or protest on my behalf. I have calmed them down and asked them to be patient for a little while longer. The people know about Range Bandara and the service done by me on their behalf, he said. (Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe)Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on Friday warned Facebook and other social media they bore responsibility for lies spread on their platforms by human traffickers.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th December, 2018) Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on Friday warned Facebook and other social media they bore responsibility for lies spread on their platforms by human traffickers.

"We must act decisively against smugglers to reduce illegal immigration and deaths in the Mediterranean. The European Union must put more pressure on Facebook so that it stopped their [smugglers'] activities there," he tweeted.

Kurz said that social media like Facebook "bear a lot of responsibility" for lives lost at sea because many people fall for false promises disseminated by human traffickers and pay them thousands of Euros for the perilous voyage to Europe.

Since 2015, Europe has been facing an acute migration crisis, with scores of refugees arriving there to flee conflicts and poverty in the middle East and North Africa. Thousands of migrants died while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Moscow has not officially contacted Minsk regarding the extension of the lease of its two military facilities on the territory of Belarus, this issue is likely to be resolved in 2019, Belarusian Defense Minister Andrei Ravkov said in an interview with Sputnik

MINSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th December, 2018) Moscow has not officially contacted Minsk regarding the extension of the lease of its two military facilities on the territory of Belarus, this issue is likely to be resolved in 2019, Belarusian Defense Minister Andrei Ravkov said in an interview with Sputnik.

"Intergovernmental agreements on the Baranovichi Radar Station [located in Hantsavichy] and the Vileyka radio station [naval communication center] entered into force on June 7, 1996 and expire on June 6, 2021 ... There have not yet been any official requests to the Ministry of Defense regarding the extension of these agreements, however, this issue had been discussed in the framework of working consultations,"Ravkov said.

"Given the duration of the agreements, the issue of their prolongation is likely to be resolved next year, the relevant steps are envisioned by the bilateral plan of military cooperation for 2019," the minister added.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Syria should return to the Arab League, since it is one of the founding members, and its presence is crucial for regional security, Hassan Mansour, a diplomatic official in charge of strategic planning at the Libyan Government of National Accord's Foreign Ministry, told Sputnik in an interview.

BENGHAZI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th December, 2018) Syria should return to the Arab League, since it is one of the founding members, and its presence is crucial for regional security, Hassan Mansour, a diplomatic official in charge of strategic planning at the Libyan Government of National Accord's Foreign Ministry, told Sputnik in an interview.

"Syria should return to its place in the Arab League, as it is a founding country, and its presence is important and necessary, especially given the sensitive period that the region is going through," Mansour said.

He voiced hope that Syria would be invited to the Arab League summits, set to take place in Beirut, Cairo and Tunis in 2019.

Mansour also said that the defeat of terrorists in Syria, which Damascus achieved with its allies' support, would promote a better diplomatic climate in relations with Syria. He praised the re-opening of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Embassy in Damascus after a six-year-break as a particularly important step.

"The opening of the UAE Embassy in Syria is a step toward improving inter-Arab relations in general, and relations with Syria in particular. This step comes as part of the coordinated activation of Arab states toward Damascus, which is a key Arab capital," Mansour said in conclusion.

When civil war erupted in Syria in 2011, over 30 countries closed their embassies or relocated diplomatic staff to Beirut. The UAE, which closed its diplomatic mission in 2012, became on Thursday the first Arab country to restore the work of its embassy in Syria.

The beginning of the Syrian civil war has also triggered the suspension of its membership in the Arab League, a regional bloc uniting 22 states.

On December 19, a source in the Tunisian presidential administration told Sputnik that several Arab states, including Tunisia and Algeria, were coordinating their efforts to bring Syria back to the Arab League.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, who leads the ruling party of Social Democratic Union of Macedonia, said on Wednesday that he was not planning to run in the upcoming presidential election.

BELGRADE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th December, 2018) Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, who leads the ruling party of Social Democratic Union of Macedonia , said on Wednesday that he was not planning to run in the upcoming presidential election

The date for the presidential election in Macedonia has not been set yet. The country's Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi has said that the date for the elections would be determined in February. The term of acting President Gjorge Ivanov expires in May. Ivanov would not be able to run as he already has served two terms.

"I will not nominate my candidacy for the presidency of the Republic of Macedonia," Zaev said, as quoted in the statement of his office.

Zaev, if decides to run in the election, may lead the vote, the research by the Macedonian Center for International Cooperation has indicated. Almost 13 percent of Macedonians said that they would vote for the prime minister, while Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov and leader of the largest opposition party of VMRO-DPMNE Hristijan Mickoski would get slightly over 8 percent of votes, according to the research center.Russia believes it is time to make the decision on extending the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) through 2026, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said on Friday.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th December, 2018) Russia believes it is time to make the decision on extending the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) through 2026, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said on Friday.

"In Helsinki, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to consider the START treaty extension for another 5 years [after its expiration in 2021]. It's time to make this decision," Antonov told reporters.Ten months on, Russia has not been granted access to the probe into the suspected poisoning in Salisbury of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, Ambassador Alexander Yakovensko said Friday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th December, 2018) Ten months on, Russia has not been granted access to the probe into the suspected poisoning in Salisbury of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, Ambassador Alexander Yakovensko said Friday.

The pair were found slumped on a bench in a park after what the UK authorities say was an attempt on their lives using a nerve agent, so-called A234.

"As of today, we have not been given any official answers about the investigation, no official conclusion and, most importantly, we have not been able to meet the Russian nationals," the diplomat told Russia's Rossiya-24 broadcaster.

Yakovensko accused the UK government of breaking international laws, saying the March 4 poisoning dominated ties between the two countries this year. London blamed Moscow for a role in the attack on the ex-spy and his daughter, a claim denied by Russia, who maintains there is no credible proof.Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl lashed out at Ukraine on Friday for ignoring media freedoms after Kiev barred the reporters of Austrian public broadcaster ORF from working in Ukraine.

VIENNA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th December, 2018) Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl lashed out at Ukraine on Friday for ignoring media freedoms after Kiev barred the reporters of Austrian public broadcaster ORF from working in Ukraine

"This move by a European country to deny accreditation to Austrian journalists is unprecedented. Ukraine's arbitrary act shows an unfortunate lack of understanding of what media freedom is, namely a fundamental European value," she was quoted as saying in a ministerial statement.

ORF's Christian Wehrschuetz wrote a letter to the ministry this week asking it for help after he was added to an online list of "Kremlin agents" for his critical coverage, making him fear for his life.

Earlier this month, the journalist said that Ukrainian authorities refused to extend his accreditation for going to the conflict zone in the country's east after his trip to Crimea, which Ukraine considers an occupied territory. Two longtime ORF staffers from Donetsk were barred from reporting in the fall over "lack of patriotism."In a New Year message, Cardinal Bo of Myanmar, the incoming president of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences (FABC), has appealed for closeness, solidarity and support for the survivors of Indonesias recent tsunami disaster.

By Robin Gomes

The president-elect of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences (FABC) has made an urgent appeal to the Church in Asia to reach out in solidarity and support to the survivors of the devastating tsunami that struck Indonesia nearly a week ago.

On the eve of the new year, my thoughts go out to the populations of Indonesia, affected by recent violent natural disasters, which have caused serious losses in human lives, numerous people missing and homeless, and extensive material damage, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Myanmar wrote in a New Year message released on December 28.

A tsunami caused by the collapse of part of the volcanic Anak Krakatau island killed at least 430 people when waves of up to 5 metres smashed into the coastal areas of Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra on December 22. Some 1,500 have been injured and nearly 22,000 are displaced.

Myanmars first cardinal, who was elected the new president of the FABC on November 16 and assumes office on January 1, noted that Indonesias huge tragedy reminded him of the pain and suffering when Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar 10 years ago, in which some 140,000 lives were lost and 800,000 were displaced.

We mourn the numerous deaths and untold suffering the tsunami has left behind at the dawn of the New Year 2019, the FABCs incoming president wrote.

As a first step, he said, let me invite my brother bishops, pastors and catechists, as well as all religious and lay sisters and brothers to join in praying for the victims and for their loved ones and express our spiritual closeness to those who are affected by the tragedy by imploring Gods consolation in their suffering.

Joining Pope Francis, Cardinal Bo made an urgent appeal that these unfortunate brothers and sisters may not lack our solidarity and the support of the International Community.

The 70-year-old cardinal also called on all to collectively look for ways we could tangibly alleviate the sufferings of our Indonesian brothers and sisters.Funds raised during the Vaticans annual Christmas concert will help refugees in Uganda through the Salesian Fathers who took up residence earlier this year in the Palabek refugee camp.

By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp

The Salesian Fathers of the Africa Great Lakes province, which incorporates Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi, commemorated the Feast of St John Bosco this year by taking up residence in Palabek refugee camp in Uganda. Newly-ordained Salesian Father Julius Luis Makalamba spoke with Vatican News about the Salesian presence among the refugees and how their presence is making a difference.

Why the Salesians chose Palabek

Fr Makalamba explained that Salesian priest Lazar Arasu heard about the refugee camp when he was ministering in an area not far from it. He then went to the camp to see and greet the refugees.

There were so many of them that he started teaching them catechism. Thats how our mission there got started.

How the Salesians help

The first response Fr Makalamba gave to a question regarding the services that the Salesians provide shows the priorities they have chosen. We are preparing them for the sacraments, he said. Only when prompted did he then speak about the educational aspect of their mission. Since moving to Palabek, the Salesians have begun operating four nursery schools and hope to open a technical school in January. Here they will offer motor mechanics, agriculture, tailoring, hairdressing, plumbing and welding. Some teachers will be selected from the refugees themselves. Others will come from Gulu and Kampala. The Salesians are in search of funding to provide for their salaries.

It is not actually easy work to live in that place. It is very hot and there are plenty of mosquitoes and malaria. Each month at least one of us gets malaria.

Listen to our report with Salesian Father Julius Luis Makalamba

Salesians live with the refugees

Unlike those working for other humanitarian agencies and NGOs, the Salesians have chosen to live in the camp with the refugees. Fr Makalamba explained that if they were to live elsewhere it would be difficult for them, as well as unfair to the people they serve.

It wouldnt be a covenant unless we were in their midst. For us, to have a great impact on their lives, we have chosen to be with them there. We cannot be far away. As priests, we have to preach also by our example of living in their midst.

The Salesian community is composed of members from various communities. Fr Makalamba and another priest in the community have been ordained only for 6 months.

Living with those people is a great sign for us. We discover Gods presence there. To see how theyre suffering is, of course, an example of Jesus within these poor people at this time.

Christmas concert funds

Fr Makalamba said that it was a good call that came notifying them that their mission had been chosen to receive proceeds from the Vaticans Christmas concert. Since the funds have not yet arrived, the Salesians have not decided how they will be used. However, Fr Makalamba said that one of the biggest problems in the camp is food. As of February there were 42,000 refugees housed in the camp with an average of 300 new arrivals every week. Over 1 million others are housed in other camps. Most of the refugees, Makalamba said, are under 20.

"Young people are plenty here and they are starving. When you see the people starving, it is painful. What we are doing is looking for funds especially for food."

About Palabek

The Palabek refugee settlement was established in April 2017. On arrival, refugees receive a startup kit. It contains a tarpaulin, lights, blankets, pots and other basic household items. They are encouraged to cultivate the 30x30 meter plot of land they are given. 86% of the people in the camp are women and children.

About the Salesians in Palabek

A catechist in the camp could not contain her joy when she heard the news at the beginning of 2018 that the Salesians were coming. She had not attended Mass in six years. The Salesians are providing education, primarily for children. Youth formation, vocational training and entrepreneurship are offered to young people as they learn to manage activities in the camp itself. There is also a focus on hygiene and providing clean water and toilet facilities. Most of all, the Salesians are able to provide what other humanitarian agencies and NGOs cannot providepastoral care. In addition to making Mass and the sacrament available, the Salesians also provide counselling. They consider this latter the foundation which gives sense to other activities and programs.

Las Vegas will kick off the new year with a month-long celebration of the vegan lifestyle, as Veganuary Las Vegas returns to Sin City for the second year starting January 1, 2019 (Pictured: STACK Stuffed Pita  Photo credit: Joe Janet).

Organized and presented by Vegans, Baby, the comprehensive Las Vegas guide to all things vegan, Veganuary Las Vegas will not only showcase chefs and restaurants on and off the Strip interested in reaching vegan and vegan-curious audiences but will also benefit the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, with a portion of the proceeds from every dish served as part of Veganuary being donated to the NSPCA.

With January being a time of fresh starts and resolutions, Veganuary Las Vegas encourages people to try a vegan lifestyle for a month, showing the myriad of options for easy and delicious vegan dining in the city. The month-long event also gives restaurants the opportunity to experiment with vegan dishes and menus while reaching new audiences while also giving back.

In its second year, more than 30 restaurants have come together to participate in Veganuary Las Vegas, which include Bok Bok, Border Grill, Forte Tapas, Good Pie, Hussongs Mexican Cantina, Mint Indian Bistro, Parsley Modern Mediterranean, Pasta Shop Ristorante, Sharkys, Shiraz, Slice of Vegas, STACK, Tacotarian, VegeNation, Violettes Vegan and more. Throughout January, each participating restaurant will offer a Veganuary menu with special vegan dishes  most of which are not already offered on their regular menus. Highlights include:

Border Grill  Spanish Root Vegetable Tamale, Spicy Beef Nachos, Argentinian Beef Empanadas, Roasted Root Vegetable Tacos, Vegan Relleno, Smoked Tofu Enchiladas and Mexican Chocolate Sorbet

 Spanish Root Vegetable Tamale, Spicy Beef Nachos, Argentinian Beef Empanadas, Roasted Root Vegetable Tacos, Vegan Relleno, Smoked Tofu Enchiladas and Mexican Chocolate Sorbet Forte Tapas  Cabbage Chips, Black Truffle and Root Vegetable Agnolotti and Porcini Dusted Beignets

 Cabbage Chips, Black Truffle and Root Vegetable Agnolotti and Porcini Dusted Beignets Slice of Vegas  Three Course dinner for $20 including Buffalo Edamame, Spaghetti & Meatballs and a Chocolate Cake

 Three Course dinner for $20 including Buffalo Edamame, Spaghetti & Meatballs and a Chocolate Cake STACK  Claudias Greens, Smoked Leek and Potato Soup, Stuffed Pita, Vegan Chicken Piccata with sides including cauliflower, roasted wild mushroom and spinach

 Claudias Greens, Smoked Leek and Potato Soup, Stuffed Pita, Vegan Chicken Piccata with sides including cauliflower, roasted wild mushroom and spinach Tacotarian  Sopa de Tortila, Torta de Carne Asada, Chilaquiles Enmolados con Pollo, Ceviche de Califlor and Arroz con Leche

 Sopa de Tortila, Torta de Carne Asada, Chilaquiles Enmolados con Pollo, Ceviche de Califlor and Arroz con Leche Violettes Vegan Cafe  Fried Egg, Bacon and Cheese Sandwich (featuring the TGI Vegan Fried Egg and wildly popular VioLife cheese), Pasta Primavera and Sloppy Joes

In addition to the special vegan menus being offered throughout the city, special vegan events, organized by Vegans, Baby will also take place. A Veganuary kick-off event will be held January 3 from 5-7 p.m. at Shiraz and will feature free appetizers and wine, as well as the restaurants special vegan eats available to order. On January 19, Vegans, Baby will host a Vegan Pizza Tour through Downtown Las Vegas, which will showcase different vegan pizzas in the neighborhood and a complimentary Crafthaus beer. Rounding out the month, another Veganuary Las Vegas event will take place at Forte Tapas, with more details to be announced later.

Organizing the second annual Veganuary Las Vegas was really exciting for me, said Vegans, Baby Founder Diana Edelman. In the past year, the vegan dining scene has grown 400 percent, and thats just the vegan restaurants. Its been amazing to be a part of the astronomical growth in Las Vegas as more and more restaurants offer vegan options on their menus. I love being able to showcase the restaurants that have vegan options and continue to live up to Vegans, Babys mission of making vegan life easy in Las Vegas. The dishes presented in this years Veganuary Las Vegas are diverse, delicious and show why Las Vegas is one of the top vegan-friendly cities in the US.

In its inaugural year, Veganuary Las Vegas was home to 21 participating restaurants/locations that sold more than 5,000 vegan dishes, totaling more than $55,000 in sales and resulting in more than $6,000 donated toward its non-profit partners.

For its second year in Las Vegas, Vegans, Baby hopes to exceed last years numbers, continuing to raise awareness both within the culinary community and throughout the general public, while educating participants about a plant-based lifestyle and how accessible, delicious and beneficial it can be.Companies distributing goods in Vietnam will invariably come to rely on local partners to carry out elements of their sales, marketing, or distribution. These companies can play an invaluable role in establishing brand recognition, sales channels, and effective distribution networks within the country.

Executives approaching Vietnam are quick to see the utility of partnering with existing players in Vietnam, but the process of finding and vetting partners is often extremely challenging and time-consuming. In the beginning stages of distribution, choosing the correct partner can make or break a companys investment strategy, and is understandably a source of great concern for most executives.

Local associations

Business associations and local chambers of commerce are often a good starting point for companies interested to make new connections in Vietnam. These organizations can help companies to understand the availability of specific functions in the local market, and the challenges when working with these parties.

Business matching services

Companies exploring distribution opportunities in Vietnam often undertake or commission a review of the Vietnamese market in order to better understand which functions to outsource, and which parties are best positioned to fill these functions. Business matching reviews generally are carried out over a three-phase process outlined below.

Business Matching Service ProcessDavid Douglas Duncan (1916  2018) was an American photojournalist who is best known for his dramatic combat photographs. However another really interesting and much more unknown side of him, is the record that he made in 1957 about the intimate life of the great Pablo Picasso in his Villa La Californie in Cannes, France.The two met in southern France in 1956, and remained friends for the remaining 17 years of Picasso's life. Duncan was a trusted friend of Pablo Picasso and his family. He has said that his favorite person to photograph was Pablo Picasso, and took thousands of photographs of the artist, inside his studio-homes, and of his then-unknown canvases.According to KatariMag , the story of why this photographer was interested in meeting Picasso is awesome. Reporting in south of Afghanistan, he unearthed a Greek carnelian engraved with a rooster from the time of Christ, that reminded him of Picassos paintings. Once back in Rome, he ordered Bulgari to turn it into a ring, so that someday he could give it to the enigmatic Spaniard.Years later, on his way to Morocco, he passes through Cannes. The only common friend they had was the late photographer Robert Capa, who had recently died in Indochina. Jaqueline answers the phone and invites him to the house. When he arrives at the huge turn-of-century mansion, Jaqueline receives him and leads him to Picasso; the painter was giving himself a bath tub.In those years, Picasso age 70, was living with his second wife named Jacqueline Roque; who was forty years younger and who accompanied him until the day he died. Around the house were also Claude and Paloma Picasso, children of the painter with Francoise Gilot, who came from Paris to spend their vacations. Many stories are told about the brilliant Picasso; womanizer, abandoning father, egomaniac, etc. But Duncan assures that during the time he spent in La Californie, there was a peaceful, benevolent and cheerful air.He assures that he was given absolute access to the artists intimate life. There was never a no-answer to a shooting and nothing was ever set up for a better framing. Everything was spontaneous.Picasso did not usually leave La Californie. He got up at mid-morning, had coffee with milk, ate toast, and received his mails. After a frugal lunch, he used to start working in complete isolation until late hours at night.In the room he used as a studio, hundreds of pieces from multiple disciplines such as sculptures, ceramics, paintings and drawings, were scattered. He was one of the most prolific artists in history. At his death, at age 91, he left 45,000 pieces. We can imagine his intense daily work the artists tremendous compulsion to create art.According to Duncan, the only rule of the house was that nothing could be moved. Every corner of disorder could mean for Picasso a strange composition that only he could see and digest in his head.The only ones who could ignore this rule were the children and the animals (among them a goat), who ran and played freely around the house. The love he felt for his goat was so big that, in addition to letting it lie between his bronze sculptures, he would enter it into the house when it rained. On the second floor, in a fenced space full of straw, the goat slept, shielding itself from the weather.Duncan recounts that Paloma was devoted to painting just like her father. She spent long hours at his side with the same concentration toward her work. At that time, he saw her as the possible heiress of Picassos immense talent.The work of David Douglas Duncan allows us to immerse ourselves in the private world of one of the greatest artists in history. Knowing his daily routines and the space that surrounded him when creating his intriguing works. The photos are a real gem.The new rules could force global giants such as Amazon and Walmart to rethink their Indian operations AFP/MANJUNATH KIRAN

Under the surprise restrictions, e-commerce companies are banned from selling products from firms in which they have a stake. They are also forbidden from entering into exclusive deals with sellers.

The rules, which come into force on Feb 1, will particularly hit Amazon, which has invested billions of dollars in its India operation, and Flipkart, which was taken over this year by another US giant, Walmart.

The government acted in response to complaints from brick and mortar retailers that e-commerce giants were unfairly selling products at discount prices.

Indian law already prevents foreign-owned companies from selling directly on their internet sites.

So the e-commerce companies have been buying in bulk and then selling the products to favoured vendors. These then resell the products at discount on the e-commerce sites who legally remain intermediaries.

Amazon and Walmart, which in May bought a 77 per cent stake in Indian company Flipkart for US$16 billion, will be worst hit by the new rules. Neither has made a public reaction.

Snapdeal, one of India's biggest Internet shopping sites, said the changes would enable a level playing field for all sellers.

"Marketplaces are meant for genuine, independent sellers, many of whom are MSMEs (Micro, small and medium enterprises)," Snapdeal founder Kunal Bahl said on Twitter.

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said the new policy would end discounting wars between e-retailers.

It would also check big companies from using "the policy of exclusivity, predatory pricing and deep discounting" to their advantage, CAIT secretary Praveen Khandelwal told AFP.

The new rules will start on Feb 1 when the nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces its interim budget ahead of a general election due by May.

Analysts said the rule would have a major impact on the business models built up over the the last five years by the US giants as they make inroads in India's growing market.

"Amazon, Walmart and other players with their India investments will have to rethink their business strategies," Satish Meena from Forrester Research told AFP.

"Consumers will face the brunt and prices will go up while available options will go down."

The Indian government has in the past two years sought to strengthen home-grown enterprises against foreign competition.

It has told credit card companies such as Visa, American Express and Mastercard that all information on Indians must be stored on India-based computers.

The government has also proposed limits on what internet giants can do with personal data.

It recently proposed that the WhatsApp messaging app break its trademark encryption which guarantees private communications between users. The Facebook-owned firm has fiercely resisted the calls.Former General Director of the Dong A Bank (DAB) Tran Phuong Binh.-VNA/VNS Photo

Binh and Van, together with eight other defendants, are being prosecuted for violating regulations on banking activities and other activities related to banking operations under Article 206 of the Criminal Code 2015.

These are the results of the second phase of the investigation into wrongdoings at the bank.

After receiving the approval from the Peoples Supreme Procuracy, on Tuesday, the agency implemented prosecution decisions and search warrants against the 10 defendants.

They are also prohibited from leaving their residences. Earlier, Binh was sentenced to life in prison by the HCM City Peoples Court on December 20 in the trial of 26 defendants who were involved in the loss of over VND3.6 trillion (US$153.47 million) at the bank.

The judging council concluded that as General Director, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Chairman of the credit council of the Dong A Bank (DAB), Binh initiated the idea and directly instructed his subordinates to arrange for staff members and their relatives to conduct illegal activities, causing losses of nearly VND3.6 trillion to the DAB.

Binh himself pocketed more than VND2 trillion and instructed his subordinates to disburse more than VND1.56 trillion violating of rules.

The judges gave him 20 years in prison for deliberately violating the States regulations on economic management, causing serious consequences and life in prison for abusing position and power to appropriate assets, resulting in a combined punishment of life imprisonment.

An active accomplice of Tran Phuong Binh, former Deputy General Director of DAB Tran Thi Kim Xuyen caused losses of nearly VND1.1 trillion and appropriated VND 40 billion for personal use. She was given 30 years in prison on two charges of deliberately violating the States regulations on economic management, causing serious consequences and abusing position and power to appropriate assets.

Phan Van Anh Vu (alias Vu nhom), who was Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bac Nam 79 Construction JSC, was also an accomplice of Binh in appropriating VND203 billion of the DAB. He was sentenced to 17 years in prison for abusing position and power to appropriate assets.

In combination with an eight-year sentence for him for deliberately disclosing state secrets in another case, Vu will have to serve 25 years in prison.

Other defendants were given imprisonment terms ranging from 2-years suspended sentence to 16 years. The defendants were also order to pay compensations to the DAB.While whale meat is rarely eaten in modern Japan, whaling has become a matter of principle for the powerful fishing business and port cities such as Shimonoseki, the home base of conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. (Photo: AFP/Institute of Cetacean Research)

Japan, which calls whaling part of its cultural heritage, said Wednesday (Dec 26) it would withdraw from the seven-decade-old commission which since 1986 has banned commercial killing of the ocean giants.

But while Japan vowed to forge ahead with full-fledged commercial hunts off its coast, it put a halt to its most provocative whaling - annual expeditions to the Antarctic which use an IWC loophole that permits whaling for scientific research.

Australia and New Zealand have been outraged by Japan's incursions into waters they consider a whale sanctuary and activists harassed the whalers in often dangerous chases.

Patrick Ramage, a veteran watcher of IWC negotiations, called the announcement an "elegantly Japanese solution" that looks on the surface like defiance but will likely mean a much smaller hunt.

"What this provides is a face-saving way out of high seas whaling. And it is difficult to see that as anything other than good news for whales and the commission established to manage and conserve them," said Ramage, program director for marine conservation at the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

Ramage said that the IWC, where Japan will now have observer status, can focus on increasingly serious threats to whales such as climate change, plastic pollution, ship-strikes and accidental net entanglement from the soaring fishing industry.

"It will be a net positive to allow the commission and its member countries to move beyond what has been a disproportionate and warping debate on whaling," he said.

Norway and Iceland also hunt whales but remain within the IWC, instead formally registering objections to the ban.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which opposes any killing of whales and attempted to stop Japan's fleet forcibly in the Antarctic, declared victory over Tokyo's announcement but vowed not to accept any whaling by the three countries.

MOUNTING OBSTACLES

For Japan, which generally prides itself on its contributions to international organisations, whaling has been a rare space in which it confronts its usual Western allies, with Japanese officials at IWC meetings railing against what they see as cultural imperialism.

While whale meat is rarely eaten in modern Japan, whaling has become a matter of principle for the powerful fishing business and port cities such as Shimonoseki, the home base of conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

But Japan's whalers also faced serious obstacles outside the IWC. The Nisshin Maru, the world's only remaining whaler factory ship and flagship in the "scientific" expeditions, is 31 years old and set for replacement.

Japan - adamant that it has always followed the letter of the law - also in 2014 lost a lawsuit filed by Australia at the International Court of Justice, which rejected Tokyo's argument that its whaling was for science, although the narrow ruling allowed Japan to reconstitute its program.

And CITES, the global conference that governs wildlife trade to protect endangered species, in October reprimanded Japan for shipments of meat of sei whales, the main type it kills on the high seas.

Japan's coastal whaling is expected to focus on minkes, the smallest of the great whales whose stocks are widely considered healthy.

LATEST SHIFT FOR IWC?

The Cambridge, England-based IWC was established after World War II to manage whaling, seeking to ensure meat for a hungry Japan and, less successfully, to contain the Soviet Union's prolific slaughter of whales.

After the IWC voted for the moratorium, Japan sought to pack the commission with allies - often small developing countries with no whaling tradition - but has continuously failed to reach the two-third threshold it needed.

As one of the earliest results of international environmental diplomacy, the IWC has advocates who say it must be preserved.

Peter Stoett, a professor at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology who has written a book on the IWC, said Japan's withdrawal marked a setback for the commission which will no longer have universal membership.

But he said Japan's absence could reorient the IWC once again to focus on science and diplomacy to address climate change and other urgent threats to whales and other cetaceans.

"As dramatic as this is, the major threat to cetaceans today is not coming from harpoons," Stoett said.

"The end of all whales could come, but that would be because the oceans are just too warm for the ecosystem support structure that they need," he said.Gatwick Airport. (Photo: AFP)

Vinci said it will own a 50.01 per cent stake in Gatwick thanks to the deal worth 2.9 billion (US$3.7 billion) by the end of June.

Gatwick made headlines last week when it closed its runway repeatedly due to reports of mystery drone sightings nearby, impacting nearly 140,000 passengers.

The French purchase of Gatwick, which is Europe's eight-biggest airport and runs the busiest single runway in the world, comes ahead of Britain's departure from the European Union on Mar 29.

The proximity of Brexit "probably helped us close the deal", Nicolas Notebaert, Vinci Airports chief, told a telephone conference.

The absence of a Brexit deal with the EU could cause major air travel problems as both sides would no longer recognise each other's aviation safety standards.

London and other EU capitals are, however, working on special permissions to allow European carriers to keep flying even if no overall air travel deal is struck by that date.

BEST KNOWN FOR MOTORWAYS

Vinci is best-known for being one of the world's biggest construction companies, employing close to 200,000 people across the globe, and for running motorways in France.

But the company has also been buying up airports - most recently in Brazil, Japan and Serbia - making it "a top five global player in the international airport sector", according to a statement by Gatwick. One of its best-known airports is the hub of Portugal's capital Lisbon.

With the latest acquisition, Vinci Airports will control 46 airports in 12 countries with a total traffic of 228 million passengers a year.

Gatwick, which in Britain is second only to Heathrow, will become the biggest airport in Vinci's portfolio, making the purchase "a major strategic move", the French company said.

"The transaction represents a rare opportunity to acquire an airport of such size and quality and fits extremely well with Vinci Concessions' long-term investment horizon," it said.

Gatwick's CEO Stewart Wingate said there would be no management or operational changes to the "immediate" running of the airport.

He said the deal would mean "continuity but also further investment for passengers".

A RUNWAY RECORD

Global Infrastructure Partners, the current owners of Gatwick, will hold on to 49.99 per cent in the airport.

Gatwick's only runway hit a world record of 950 flights in a day in 2017, Vinci said.

"The airport constantly innovates in all areas of operations (for example passenger self-baggage drop, aircraft queuing systems, parking products) and reaches very high level of operational efficiency," it said.

Some 24,000 people work for Gatwick which is used by around 50 airlines and offers more domestic destinations than any other British airport.

Gatwick is also low-cost carrier EasyJet's biggest hub.

The British government in 2016 rejected a plan to build a second runway at Gatwick airport, which is situated south of London, opting instead for a third runway at Heathrow.

On Thursday, Gatwick said it had taken steps to protect the airport from disruptions like the one caused by drone sightings last week which created travel chaos for more than 120,000 people in the run-up to Christmas.

"I know this unprecedented criminal activity caused huge inconvenience to thousands of people," said Wingate.

"Gatwick itself has taken a number of important steps in recent days which will make a significant difference to the airport's resilience," he said.

Stock market investors seemed to welcome the operation, with Vinci's share price rising 0.2 per cent to close at 70.64 on the Paris stock exchange, outperforming the overall CAC-40 index which ended the day 0.6 per cent lower.The pine-fringed village's former pasture is cordoned off and marked by signs reading "Danger, mines" in English. (Photo: AFP/Alexey Filippov)

The faded grass lies in the middle of a war zone that has become one of the most mine-riddled areas in the world over the past few years.

"The whole village used to use the field" for making hay and grazing cows, said Anatoliy Radchenko, a former entrepreneur who now leads the group of around 30 face-masked workers.

"We are doing this mine clearing for them, so that one day we can say - guys, you can use it, everything is fine here now."

The pine-fringed village's former pasture is cordoned off and marked by signs reading "Danger, mines" in English.

"For someone driving a tractor there's always the risk of a mine exploding," says Andriy, a 32-year-old farmer who lives in Chugynka with his family and earns his living from producing grain.

"But you have to work anyway," he sighs, after telling how a farmer he knows was injured during the harvest this year.

Chugynka is just 25km west of the frontline in a war between Ukraine government forces and Russian-backed separatists.

The conflict has claimed more than 10,000 lives since it broke out in 2014 following a pro-Europe uprising in Kiev and Moscow's annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

Russia denies claims it is funnelling troops and arms across the border to fuel the conflict, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Meanwhile, the UN says that more than 1,600 civilians have been killed or wounded by mines during the war.

That includes children - three of whom died while another was injured in the area in September.

A further two million Ukrainians, including 220,000 children, remain at risk.

DANGEROUS AND SLOW

Equipped with metal detectors, the group near Chugynka hunt for mines, marking the spot where they find one with a small flag.

They immediately report the find to emergency services that can neutralise the threat.

The Ukrainian de-mining team was formed in 2016 and is funded by The Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD).

The work is dangerous and slow, however. In six weeks, the team has covered less than five per cent of the 74,000 sq m area.

Two other humanitarian organisations, The HALO Trust and Danish Demining Group work in mine clearance in Ukraine. But the trio only work in areas of the country controlled by Kiev.

On the other side of the frontline, in the so-called Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics, the problem is the same.

Separatist authorities there carry out mine clearance operations themselves, without revealing the size of the affected areas.

"SOME BLAME THE PARENTS"

The Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe estimated in a report last week that 7,000 sq km are mined in Eastern Ukraine.

That makes it "one of the most densely mined areas in the world," the OSCE says.

Alexander Hug, then deputy head of the OSCE ceasefire monitoring operation in Ukraine, told AFP a few months ago that both sides continued to set mines without marking them.

This runs counter to 2015 peace agreements that have curbed the overall violence.

"I think we will suffer for a very long time," Ivan Prykhodko, the separatist head of the city of Gorlivka in Donetsk, told AFP.

Recent experience appears to support his prediction.

More than two per cent of Bosnia-Hercegovina is still thought to be affected by mines, according to OSCE data from 2017, even though fighting ended there more than 20 years earlier.

In Ukraine, military specialists have only been able to confirm 0.6 per cent clearance of the total affected area.

As efforts by groups like the FSD continue, landmines' horrific effects are felt all too keenly in the country's east.

"Some believe that parents are guilty of letting boys walk alone, others - that children are guilty because they have not noticed the warning sign", said Vladimir Tulup, grandfather of the local boy who survived the explosion in September.

"But they are not to blame, this goddamn war is to blame," he told AFP.Hanoi is popular among tourists due to the citys several historic relics, beautiful landscapes and unique cuisine. The people of Hanoi are also well known for their elegance.

Co To is considered the best island in the north and is home to several pristine beaches with white sand and crystal blue water. Therefore it attracts both local and foreign tourists.

Located in the north-western region of Vietnam, Sapa is a famous destination in the north with mist and fresh air all year round to accompany the terraced fields and unique local markets.

Ba Vi National Park attracts visitors who come to enjoy its majestic mountains, rare species of plants, and also to participate in interesting activities such as campfires and climbing. Ba Vi is also home to crystal streams, cactus greenhouses and an ancient church which are all great places for visitors to take beautiful photos.

Moc Chau enthralls visitors by its spectacular views of green tea hills, small villages and cool air. All amid the dense fog that covers the landscape.

In recent years, Ninh Binh has gradually become an attractive destination for both local and foreign arrivals due to its many scenic spots.

Located at an altitude of 900 metres above sea level, Tam Dao is the best place for those who want to immerse themselves in a tranquil atmosphere with pure air and enjoy local specialties.

Pu Luong Nature Reserve is spread over the districts of Quan Hoa and Ba Thuoc in Thanh Hoa provinces. It is home to diversified flora and fauna along with stunning natural scenery.

Mai Chau attracts visitors all year round who come for the romantic scenery of mountains and forests, cool climate and unique cuisine. Visitors can also explore in forests and immerse themselves in peach blossom flowers and plum blossoms.Cambodia's government will host the start of a three-day celebration marking the 20-year anniversary of the end of civil war. The event, beginning Dec. 29, is designed to lay to rest the issue of when the long-running conflict finally ended.

Tens of thousands are expected to gather in Chroy Changvar, the peninsula that fronts the capital, dividing the Mekong River and Tonle Sap, to mark the war's end  known as "win-win." They will also mark the opening of a memorial that the government says will "tell the next generation the real history of Cambodia."

On Dec. 29, 1998, Cambodia's 30-year war ended when surviving Khmer Rouge leaders Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan formally surrendered to Prime Minister Hun Sen at his compound on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.

"Win-win policy allows Cambodia to attain peace and territorial unity and that it brought about socioeconomic development and poverty reduction, particularly as Cambodian people no longer died in war as in the past," Hun Sen recently said.

Paris Peace Accords

The capitulation came seven years after the 1991 Paris Peace Accords were signed and the end of the war declared; however, the arrival of peacekeepers with the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) in 1992 failed to disarm the Khmer Rouge.

As a result, the fighting, kidnappings and terrorist attacks continued with three armies loyal to Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot, and to the two prime ministers who shared power  Hun Sen of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and Prince Norodom Ranariddh of the Funcinpec party  squaring off against each other.

According to CPP honorary chairman Heng Samrin, that changed in 1997 when Ranariddh sought a deal with the Khmer Rouge. He wanted to forge a military alliance in an effort to outgun Hun Sen, who responded accordingly.

Hundreds were killed and Ranariddh was routed. Amnesties in return for defections were offered to the Khmer Rouge as government troops loyal to Hun Sen made a final push into their last strongholds along the Thai border and forced a final surrender.

In the book The People's Struggle, Cambodia Reborn, recently released to coincide with the celebrations, author Heng Samrin credits Hun Sen with ending the conflict which began with a Khmer Rouge call to arms in August 1968.

"In extinguishing the fire of war  something the U.N. was unable to achieve  Cambodians and observers from other countries expressed admiration for the tactics of the CPP leaders," he wrote.

Peter Starr, English language editor of Cambodia Reborn, said the U.N. and the Paris Peace Accords contributed much to Cambodia's development.

"Heng Samrin acknowledges the U.N.'s important role in helping to resettle hundreds of thousands of refugees along the Thai border and supervising multi-party elections in 1993. But he also sets the record straight by explaining that the U.N. did not end the civil war  that would take another five years."

And it was the final surrender that enabled the Khmer Rouge tribunal to begin in earnest, securing convictions against Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan for genocide and crimes against humanity

The trouble with peace

Cambodia's two decades of peace have been anything but trouble-free.

A border dispute with Thailand turned to armed conflict in 2008 and Hun Sen accused a variety of insurgents of attempting to undermine his administration, including the Cambodian Freedom Fighters, Islamic militants and a recent color revolution.

Political violence is not uncommon, while land-grabbing and corruption rankle as chief complaints. At elections in July, Cambodia was again returned to a one-party state after Hun Sen banned the main opposition party from contesting the poll.

But among ordinary Cambodians, the security that came with peace opened this country up to the outside world, and delivered unprecedented economic growth and a post-war baby boom.

"After the war ends, everything is going smoothly, people live peacefully, the country is developing, kids can go to school and people have jobs," said 24-year-old waitress Hean Khea.

Her sentiments were echoed by Raksmey El, also 24 and a recent university graduate, who was mindful of the problems experienced by Cambodia amid two decades of peace, particularly with regard to corruption and elections.

"I hope that this peace and this political stability will keep improving from today on," he said. "Nowadays we can see that we have more development in our Cambodia, bringing more foreign direct investment, and especially we can see the tourism sector is dramatically increasing every year.

"However there are still some problems, for example the corruption, which should be completely eliminated by the government."

The government has insisted the three-day "win-win" celebrations are not a snub to the Paris Peace Accords, which also injected $2 billion into Cambodia's struggling economy, but is simply an acknowledgment that civil war lasted 30 years and that its final end was orchestrated by Hun Sen and not the United Nations.An autopsy has revealed that an 8-year-old Guatemalan boy had the flu when he died while in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody in the southwestern U.S. state of New Mexico.

The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator said in a statement Thursday that the results of nasal and lung swabs on Felipe Gomez Alonzo tested positive for influenza B.

While this result indicates that the child had influenza, determining an accurate cause of death requires further evaluation, the statement said.

Alonzo, who died on Christmas Eve, is the second Guatemalan child to die this month while in U.S. custody.

Jakelin Caal, a 7-year-old girl, died Dec. 8 also while in the custody of the same division of the CBP.

Both children crossed into the U.S. with their fathers who hoped to find work, which does not exist across much of Guatemala.

It is not clear how Jakelin became ill. She was apparently well when agents detained her and her father, but became ill on a bus ride to a border patrol station where she arrived with a fever.

U.S. agents say she likely had little to eat and drink before arriving at the U.S. border, however, her father said that was not true.

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California, has called for the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing early next year regarding the deaths of the two children.

In a letter to Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, Feinstein requested a hearing on the care and treatment of children in the custody of Customs and Border Protection. Graham is set to chair the committee in the new year.

Feinstein, the highest ranking Democrat on the committee, called the deaths of the children heartbreaking incidents and said the Judiciary Committee is uniquely situated to examine these issues.

In the letter, Feinstein called on CBP to ensure that children are released from detention within 72 hours as required by law. She also demanded the agency account for the need to communicate with detainees in their native languages and develop standards of care in consultation with pediatricians and child welfare experts.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on Wednesday said all children in Border Patrol custody had received medical screenings and that she had directed a series of additional actions to care for those in U.S. custody.

Nielsen visited El Paso on Friday and is expected to tour multiple stations and substations operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The visit comes four days after Alonzo's death. Nielsen will go to Yuma, Ariz., on Saturday.Campaigning for Bangladesh's general election at the weekend ended on Friday after weeks of violence, mainly against workers and officials from an opposition alliance, that has been criticized by the United States and others.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League is seeking its third straight term in Sunday's election against the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which boycotted the last vote in 2014.

The Awami League is promoting its economic record over the past decade but the BNP-led opposition alliance, many of whose leaders have been jailed, has vowed to remove curbs on the media, raise wages and freeze energy prices.

"The government has lost moral support," BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told a news conference late on Thursday, urging voters to "restore democracy."

"But the people are with us. They want change," he said.

The BNP's preparations have been hamstrung by the February jailing of their chairwoman, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, on what they call trumped-up corruption charges.

Awami League leaders deny any misuse of power and say they will return to government with an overwhelming majority.

Hasina told supporters on Thursday they must "ensure victory of pro-liberation forces", a reference to Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan in 1971 led by her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The Economist Intelligence Unit expects her party to win a third term.

The BNP said on Thursday more than 8,200 opposition leaders and activists from a coalition of about 20 parties have been arrested since the election schedule was announced early last month. Four workers were killed and more than 12,300 injured, it said.

The Awami League has in turn said the BNP and its partners were behind attacks that killed at least five of its workers over the past three weeks.

Police declined to confirm the figures.

Mahbub Talukdar, one of Bangladesh's five election commissioners, has said there has not been a level playing field, although other commissioners have said they expected the election would be free and fair.

Earl Miller, the U.S. ambassador to Bangladesh, said all parties had been victims of violence, including women and minority candidates.

"However, it appears opposition party candidates have borne the brunt of most violence," he said in a statement after meeting Election Commission officials on Thursday.

Miller said all candidates and voters must be able to take part without "harassment, intimidation, or violence" and that an independent media must be allowed to cover the election.

The United Nations has made a similar call for a "peaceful, credible and inclusive poll."Authorities in Brazil say they are making massive security preparations for the inauguration of President-elect Jair Bolsonaro on Jan. 1.

Security around the future president has been high since he was stabbed with a knife on Sept. 6, causing a ruptured intestine.

Authorities say their preparations for the inauguration are the most comprehensive ever undertaken. They say more than 3,000 police and military will patrol the event, while the military will deploy anti-aircraft missiles and fighter jets to protect the ceremony from the air.

The United States will be represented at the inauguration by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

On Friday, two of Brazil's largest left-leaning opposition parties  the Workers' Party and the Socialism and Liberty Party  said they will boycott the inauguration.

The Workers' Party had fielded former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as its candidate, but he was barred from running after being jailed for corruption.

The party said in a statement that it recognizes the legitimacy of the national election, but said "the illegal prohibition of the candidacy of former president Lula and the criminal manipulation of social media to spread lies against candidate Fernando Haddad'' favored the far-right leader in the elections.

Bolsonaro, a far-right politician and former army officer, won 55 percent of the vote in the Oct. 28 presidential run-off. He won on a platform to crack down on crime and corruption in the country.

Bolsonaro and his inauguration team have excluded the far-left leaders of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from attending the event.

Foreign leaders attending the ceremony include conservative Chilean President Sebastian Pinera and Hungary's far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban.As the Democratic Republic of Congo hurtles toward contentious, repeatedly delayed elections Sunday, observers say they're worried about chaos and violence surrounding the polls.

Congo analyst Stephanie Wolters of the Institute for Security Studies says she is less concerned about the result of the poll than about the dangerous environment that more than 40 million voters may face.

"We are getting reports about how poorly organized the CENI (electoral commission) is," she said. "The voting material hasn't been properly distributed; we're hearing that potentially, instead of counting ballots, the independent electoral commission will transmit the final results by internet. And we're just very concerned about the technical legitimacy of this, about the potential for chaos, and the potential for violence."

The poll was originally set for 2016, but officials delayed it repeatedly, allowing longtime President Joseph Kabila to stay in office two years past the end of his term.

This year, authorities maintained that the poll would happen December 23  until a warehouse full of electoral materials mysteriously burned to the ground and officials announced another one-week delay.



On Dec. 24, officials announced they also would postpone voting in three volatile areas which happen to be bastions of opposition support. The announcement led to violent protests Thursday in the city of Beni.

Many observers, like Claude Kabemba, the Johannesburg-based director of Southern Africa Resource Watch, say they are not optimistic.

Although the latest opinion poll has shown opposition candidate Martin Fayulu with a commanding lead, Kabemba is betting that Kabila himself  not Kabila's chosen successor, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary  will ultimately win.

"We are heading toward a crisis, we are heading toward chaos, we are heading toward President Joseph Kabila remaining in power because that is the strategy, that is the idea, that is the purpose of the entire maneuvering that has been done, is for him to showcase to the world that, 'We have been willing to go to elections, I've organized elections, the Congolese put money, put up an independent electoral commission  but, this has happened, this has happened, this has happened,'" Kabemba said.

Congo is funding the election, after refusing international assistance. And Thursday, the government announced it would expel the ambassador from the European Union after the EU renewed sanctions against several Congolese officials, including Shadary.

VOA sought comment from the Congolese government on the expulsion and on the pre-election atmosphere, but the government's top spokesman did not answer repeated calls.

Wolters says she expects Shadary to triumph.

"I think we have many reasons to believe that the government is going to try and hijack this election and have its incumbent, Ramazani Shadary, win," Wolters said. "I have very few indications at this point that the government wants to hold a free and fair poll in a peaceful environment. So I think it is highly likely that we will see Joseph Kabila's successor being declared as the winner."

In its nearly 60-year history as an independent country, Congo has never experienced a peaceful transfer of power.Expect to get caught if you post anti-government material on the internet in Vietnam or take a phishing trip. From 2019 authorities can build evidence against you from material provided by email services and social media networks including Facebook. Yet the country, mindful of its role in the emerging digital economy, wont close down websites the way China does.

Vietnam has long walked a thin line between a free internet as part of its economic growth and resistance against what market research firm IDCs country manager Lam Nguyen calls digital disasters. The country is getting testier toward online dissent at the same time.

A draft Cybersecurity Law decree to take effect Jan. 1 after 18 months in the making will help the communist government reach these goals by ordering service providers to do some of its surveillance work.

Despite objections from Google and Facebook, global social media as well as email and e-commerce providers may be asked to store data in Vietnam, according to the Cybersecurity Law. Alternately, they can self-censor, turn over customer profiles and delete certain content, Nguyen said.

Its like saying OK, as an online service provider with Vietnam users, you do collect data about such users and their online activities, but you are letting users use your platform or services for unlawful activities, so please come to the front of the line (so) that we can keep an eye out for you, said Yee Chung Seck, partner with the Baker McKenzie law firm in Ho Chi Minh City.

Catching up in cybersecurity

According to a United Nations index, Vietnam ranked 101 out of 165 countries in exposure to cyberattacks.

Vietnam has been historically weak when in it comes to cybersecurity, cyber intelligence analyst Emilio Iasiello wrote in a commentary for the Cyber Research Databank.

Domestic websites were hit by more than 6,500 malware or phishing attacks in the first eight months of 2018, Viet Nam News reports.

Vietnam does not block the websites of foreign internet services that could spread objectionable content. Vietnam, like much of Asia, is trying to develop a digital economy, but unlike China it lacks easy-to-control homegrown alternates to the major Silicon Valley internet firms.

Obviously, the business and user communities are more likely hoping to avoid censorship of the internet outright, due to the growing digital commerce economy and also wanting a platform where freedom of expressions and opinions are allowed, Nguyen said.

A digital economy gives Vietnam an opportunity to resolve big issues in its economic development, the deputy minister of industry and trade was quoted saying in June. The manufacturing-reliant economy has grown 6 to 7 percent per year since 2012.

About 70 percent of Vietnams 92 million people use the internet, with 53 million on social media sites.

Protest from multinational internet content providers

After Vietnams National Assembly approved the Cybersecurity Law in June, 17 U.S. congressional representatives sent a letter to Google and Facebook. They urged both to avoid storing data in Vietnam, to establish transparent guidelines on content removal and to publish the number of requests for removal.

Facebook, Google and other foreign internet companies said earlier this month via a lobbying group that requirements to localize data would hobble investment and economic growth in Vietnam. The law also requires firms with more than 10,000 local users to set up local representative offices.

Facebook said for this report it remains committed to its community in Vietnam and in helping Vietnamese businesses grow at home and abroad.

Internet providers also worry the cybersecurity law gives too much power to Vietnams police ministry and lacks due process, Nguyen said. Authorities, they fear, could seize customer data and expose a providers users, partners or employees to arrest, which goes against privacy protection policies, he said.

Fear among online activists

Vietnam is looking to the cybersecurity law as well to control public criticism of government activity, activist bloggers believe. A string of Vietnamese bloggers was arrested in 2016 and 2017.

Authorities will be able to collect user names, profiles and data on their friends, media reports and analysts say.

This law threatens and further curbs freedom to information, infringes (on) personal privacy, and will be certainly used as a tool to give more power to police force, which violates rights, even on behalf of the court on judging on the use of internet, Hanoi-based internet blogger and human rights activist Nguyen Lan Thang said.

Vietnamese activists leaned heavily on internet media to spread information about what they considered slow government reaction to a mass fish die-off in 2016. They use it now to decry corruption.

The Cybersecurity Law will have a huge impact on Vietnams dissidents and online activists. It will be a tool to silence dissidents, social commentators, and activists in general, said Vu Quoc Ngu, a writer in Hanoi and director of the non-profit Defend the Defender.

Vu Pham, Michelle Quinn of VOA contributed to this report.Sen. Dianne Feinstein called Thursday for the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing early next year regarding the deaths of two children in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody.



In a letter to Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Feinstein, D-Calif., requested a hearing "on the care and treatment of children in the custody of Customs and Border Protection." Graham is set to chair the committee in the new year.

Feinstein, the highest-ranking member of her party on the committee, called the deaths of the two children "heartbreaking incidents" and said the Judiciary Committee was "uniquely situated to examine these issues."

Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security reported that Jakelin Caal Maquin, 7, from Guatemala had died hours after being taken into Border Patrol protection. This week, the agency said that a Guatemalan boy, Felipe Alonzo-Gomez, 8, had died late Christmas Eve in CPB custody.

In the letter, Feinstein called on CBP to ensure that children are released from detention within 72 hours as required by law. She also demanded the agency account for the need to communicate with detainees in their native languages and develop standards of care in consultation with pediatricians and child welfare experts.



Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on Wednesday said all children in Border Patrol custody had received medical screenings and that she had directed additional actions to care for those who enter U.S. custody.



On Thursday, DHS announced that Nielsen would travel Friday to El Paso, Texas, and Saturday to Yuma, Ariz.The G5 Sahel force, a joint force of five Sahel region countries tasked with fighting militants including Boko Haram and al-Qaida among others, is struggling with funding and lacks coordination among member states, which some officials and analysts warn has undermined its counterterrorism mission.

The biggest concern with the future of G5 Sahel is inadequate resourcing and support from a major power in the region, Seth Jones, director of transnational threats at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), who closely monitors developments in the region, told VOA.

None of the G5 countries have sufficient money or competence by themselves or even in cooperation to do what is necessary to significantly weaken terrorist groups in the region, Jones added.

Mahamadou Nimaga, Malis ambassador to Washington, however said that while funding is an issue, there are other challenges, as well.

Terrorism cannot only be defeated by security and military actions. We have to come up with coherent and realistic programs that link security and development. We need to be efficient on development and governance issues, fighting terrorism is a matter of balancing short-, medium- and longer-term perspectives, Nimaga said.

He added that the military initiative has to be united with development projects to prevent communities from falling to the influence of extremists in the region.

G5 force

In order to crack down on militant groups in the region, five countries, Niger, Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso and Mauritania, established the G5 in 2014, which is a 5,000-person military and police force, tasked with carrying out counterterrorism operations along the common border regions of all five countries.

Since then, the force has not been fully operational because of funding and logistical issues.

In May, while on a visit to Mali, the country most affected by terrorism among the G5, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to donors to provide more sustainable support.

The international community must understand the need to provide the G5 Sahel countries with predictable support, Guterres said at the time.

Antoine Leory, a senior adviser to the G5 Sahel Council of Ministers acknowledged the funding and logical issues but said partner countries have already taken measures and it is just a matter of time before the assistance is received.

What is missing at the moment are means of travel (vehicles, fuel), intelligence and transmission, but these means are on their way. The funding promised by the G5S partners is taking time to materialize due to the procedures implemented, Leory said.

Other challenges

Leory added that donor countries have pledged about 2.3 billion euros during a conference of partners and donors held earlier this month in Mauritanias capital of Nouakchott.

He, however, said that the force faces other challenges.

There are difficulties and constraints, the operational area is immense, the climate difficult and the resources limited. In addition, there is a need to coordinate between five countries, with UNMISMA [The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, a UN peacekeeping mission] in Mali and with the Barkhane force [French troops] throughout the area, Leory said.

The G5 Sahel force continues to face security challenges in the region from several groups including Boko Haram, Islamic State and al-Qaida.

I dont think military efforts ever are sufficient to combat Islamic State, al-Qaida and other militant groups in the region. The primary focus needs to be building an effective government that can deliver services to their population and can provide basic security and order in an area they can control, CSISs Jones said.

Pillars

Some analysts claim that the G5 Sahel forces original mandate has had several pillars that overtime have been reduced to only counterterrorism and there is a need to revisit those pillars.

The four pillars are to combat terrorism, drug trafficking, contribute to the restoration of state authority, the return of displaced persons and refugees, facilitate humanitarian operation, and finally to contribute to the implementation of Development strategies in the G5 Sahel region, Alix Boucher, an assistant research fellow at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, told VOA

Boucher said that the G5 is struggling to implement these pillars.

I think clearly the lack of funding operational capacity is making all four of the pillars complicated and multifaceted areas difficult. The G5 Sahel force still suffers from a lack of sufficient funding to be completely operational, she added.

U.S. support

Concerns over lack of funding for G5 Sahel force comes at a time when the U.S. is changing its policy on the continent.

Earlier this month, White House National Security Adviser John Bolton said the U.S. is reallocating its forces and resources from U.N. peacekeeping missions across Africa to other priorities in line with U.S. national security and economic interests in the region.

Announcing the administrations new Africa Strategy Dec. 13 during a speech at the Washington-based Heritage Foundation, Bolton said the U.S. would no longer support unproductive, unsuccessful and unaccountable U.N. peacekeeping missions.

However, Bolton praised the work of the G5 Sahel force and the U.S. Africa Command announced in November that it is increasing support for the G5 mission.

Since our initial pledge of $60 million in October 2017, U.S. assistance has nearly doubled to approximately $111 million to meet the needs and strengthen the capabilities of the G5 Sahel Joint Force, Nate Herring, a spokesman for U.S. Africa Command, said.

The United States is the U.N.s top peacekeeping donor, providing nearly a third of its $6.7 billion budget for the fiscal year July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019.There is a sense of excitement in India's Patuka village  adults and children look curiously as signs with the names of daughters are hammered outside several homes. It is a novelty in a village where patriarchal mindsets have long held sway.

As Mubin Sumssu poses proudly with his family after the name of his 14-year-old daughter is posted outside his gate, he envisions a new future for her. "I hope she studies well, progresses in life, does a good job and makes a name for herself."

This is not the life that girls can traditionally aspire to in this Muslim-dominated village, which lies in one of the country's most backward districts in the northern Haryana state. Many girls do not complete school and their lives revolve around household chores and looking after siblings from an early age. Most are married off young.

The nameplate campaign, called "Daughter's Pride Festival," hopes to make a difference by persuading village families to treat girls on par with boys. The aim: Names of girls plastered outside doors will carry the winds of change inside homes that continue to be ruled firmly by men.

The head of the village council is a 23-year-old woman, Anjum Aara  laws mandating female participation in local bodies have brought women like her to prominence. More educated than most girls in the village, Aara has been emphasizing the importance of educating girls since she came to Patuka after her marriage.

She is optimistic that the latest campaign will raise consciousness about the need to empower women. "It will make people understand that the daughter is the identity of the family," Aara said. "They will be inspired to educate girls. Those with negative thinking about this will become more positive."

Patriarchal mindsets

It is not an easy goal in places where women traditionally never had a voice. One village woman approached by a reporter for her reaction to the campaign refused to speak without her husband's permission. The girls whose names have appeared outside homes are shy and appear to have limited understanding about its significance.

Nonetheless, the man spearheading the campaign, Sunil Jaglan, is optimistic that such steps will slowly usher in social transformation. The nameplate campaign is part of a model he followed in his village, Bibipur, when he was its head. It has now been adopted by the government in scores of villages.

Jaglan says it is not easy to persuade men to put their daughters' names outside homes in villages with deeply entrenched customs.

He points out that virtually no women get a share of parental property despite laws granting them equal rights. Terming the campaign a "mind-strike," Jaglan says that "this is a symbol to make people understand that putting the man's name is not enough. The woman also lives there. She also has an equal stake in the home, in the property, in the village."

The initiative cuts across religious communities in a country where patriarchal mindsets prevail among both the majority Hindu community and minority Muslims.

About 20 kilometers down a road that cuts through fields blooming with the golden mustard crop, 25 out of 700 homes in another village boast of nameplates with their daughters' names. Alipur is more prosperous, but traditional mindsets rule here as well  women automatically cover their heads when they see men.

Skewed gender ratio

In this Hindu-dominated village, the campaign is addressing another challenge: a skewed gender ratio. In Alipur, as in thousands of other villages, the number of girls dwindled in recent decades due to illegal sex-selective abortions. The practice, known as female foeticide, has flourished in a society that traditionally prefers boys.

Nobody knows that better than Mahesh Jangra, whose home flashes the name of his 10-year-old daughter, Dipti. Growing up in Alipur, he saw many more boys than girls in his village. But he says the imbalance has brought an awakening.

"Now people realize that who will the boys marry if there are no girls?" Jangra said. "First everyone gave priority to sons, now we want to treat sons and daughters equally and put the daughter's name ahead."

That is why he willingly put his daughter's name outside his door, instead of that of his 15-year-old son.

So far it is the more affluent families like that of Jangra that have opted to post their daughters' names. But as they are usually the trendsetters in the village, the hope is that others will follow suit.

Komal Kalonia, a 19-year-old college student, is one of the few girls who has received a good education. She says her family did not need any persuasion to put her name outside. Kalonia feels the nameplate will send a message.

"When a passerby sees this, it will encourage them to do the same and take their thinking a step ahead," she said.

As such campaigns make a mark, the state's gender ratio has improved from 834 girls for 1,000 boys, according to the 2011 census, to 914 last year.

It will need a lot of perseverance to achieve women's empowerment, says Jaglan, but the hope is that the names of girls being displayed outside doors will herald a brighter future for girls.

"I cannot say everybody's mindset has changed. But if families agree happily, then the message we are giving through these nameplates will ultimately percolate down."Italy's foreign minister, Enzo Moavero Milanesi, will be visiting Washington from Jan. 3-4, meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the State Department and with national security adviser John Bolton at the White House

Italy's foreign minister, Enzo Moavero Milanesi, will be visiting Washington in early January, meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the State Department and with national security adviser John Bolton at the White House.

Italy's Foreign Ministry said Friday that topics for the Jan. 3-4 meetings include global security, the migrant situation in the Mediterranean Sea, efforts to stabilize Libya, peace efforts in the Middle East, economic and social growth in Africa and trans-Atlantic political, economic and commercial ties.

The ministry said Italy intends to further intensity its relations with the United States, which have been enhanced by nearly two centuries of an Italian-American community that enlivens American life with its cultural, entrepreneurial and political dynamism.Congolese President Joseph Kabila is defending his country's decision to hold national elections Sunday following a series of delays and a fire that destroyed thousands of voting machines.

In an exclusive interview late Thursday with VOA's Swahili Service, Kabila said he saw no reason why the Dec. 30 vote should not take place as scheduled. Kabila said the electoral commission is ready for the vote and has what he called "full security" in place.



The polls for president and the National Assembly were scheduled to take place Dec. 23, but the date was pushed back a week after a fire ripped through a warehouse in the capital, Kinshasa, destroying voting machines and other election materials.

Kabila told VOA that he believes officials have since received all the equipment needed to conduct the elections.

He also defended the electoral commission's decision to postpone voting until March in two eastern districts where an Ebola outbreak has killed more than 300 people in recent months. The decision, which sparked protests in the city of Beni on Thursday, effectively bars voters in the districts from taking part in the presidential election.



"We are using computers," Kabila said. "It means that everyone is going to vote by touching the computer screen. So it is going to be easy to spread the [Ebola] virus. [It's] different from attending a church service or a campaign meeting."

In an interview with VOA's English to Africa Service Friday, presidential candidate Martin Fayulu said the delays in the east are meant to undermine the opposition. He said candidates have faced no danger campaigning in eastern Congo.

Kabila is scheduled to step down next month after 17 years in office  two years beyond the official end of his mandate. Congo's elections were originally set for 2016, but were repeatedly postponed. Officials cited organizational problems for the delays. Opponents of Kabila accused him of trying to stay in power.

More than 20 candidates are competing to replace Kabila as president of the sprawling central African nation. An opinion poll released this week showed Fayulu in the lead. Kabila is backing his former interior minister, Emmanuel Shadary, in Sunday's vote.A ship carrying 310 African migrants rescued from waters off Libya has arrived in Spain's southern port of Algeciras, after being denied entry by Italy and Malta.

The ship, operated by the humanitarian NGO Open Arms, plucked the migrants from three sinking boats in the Mediterranean a week ago. The migrants then endured a 1,770-kilometer trip in winter conditions before the ship, also named Open Arms, docked at 8:30 a.m. local time on Friday.

Spanish police boarded the ship, to run initial checks on the passengers and search for any illegal merchandise on board. The migrants were then bused from the ship to a processing center in a converted warehouse for medical examinations.

Red Cross workers who conducted the exams said all the migrants appeared to be in good health. One woman giving birth and a sick child were evacuated by helicopter to the Italian island of Lampedusa while the Open Arms was still at sea.

Italy closes ports

Italy, which has been the main destination of migrants sailing the Mediterranean from North Africa, has been closing its ports since a right-wing government came to power last year and pledged to stop the migrant flow.

This is the second ship full of migrants that Spain has accepted this year. Last June, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez similarly allowed the immigrant ship Aquarius to dock at the port of Valencia.

He is continuing the policy despite criticism from opponents who say that he is encouraging immigration to Spain, where the number of arriving migrants has quadrupled over the past year.

Just as the Open Arms pulled into Algeciras, another ship that has been picking up shipwrecked migrants off Libya, the Sea Watch, requested permission to dock in Spain. It has been turned away by five other European Union countries, according to Sea Watch chief officer Philip Hahn.

The Spanish coast guard reported picking up another 147 migrants from a sinking boat in the Alboran Sea between Morocco and Spain late Thursday.

The captain of Open Arms has said about 20 different African and Middle Eastern nationalities were represented among the migrants on board, including people from Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Congo and Syria.

Temporary shelters

After health checks, the Open Arms migrants were taken to a temporary shelters, where they are likely to remain for months while EU identification paperwork and permits are processed. Such shelters, which are often small hostels or hotels, are funded by the EU and private groups. Shelters are being opened farther inland, into areas along a mountain range that rises above Algeciras and other ports where immigrants arrive.

Local resentment of the migrant influx has been blamed for an upset victory by the far-right VOX party in regional elections last month in the Andalucia region.

According to polls, over 40 percent of VOX voters said a fear of immigration drove them to vote for the party, which said it would close Spain's borders and stop providing social benefits to migrants.Renowned Israeli writer Amos Oz, a passionate peace advocate whose stirring memoir A Tale of Love and Darkness became a worldwide bestseller, died Friday at age 79, his daughter said.

Fania Oz-Salzberger said on Twitter that her father had died and offered thanks to "those who loved him."

"My beloved father, Amos Oz, a wonderful family man, an author, a man of peace and moderation, died today peacefully after a short battle with cancer," she wrote.

Tributes poured in for Oz, including from Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon, who called his death "a loss for us all and for the world."

While Oz's writing is widely acclaimed, he is perhaps equally known as one of the earliest and most forceful critics of Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands captured in the Six-Day War of 1967.

In recent years, Oz spoke out against the policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, shunning official Israeli functions abroad in protest at what he called the "growing extremism" of his country's government.

Netanyahu on Friday celebrated Oz as "among the greatest writers from the state of Israel."

"Despite our diverging views on numerous issues, I have deeply appreciated his contribution to the Hebrew language and the revival of Hebrew literature," the premier said in a statement released by his office.

Oz was described as a "literary great" by Israel's President Reuven Rivlin.

"A tale of love and light and henceforth, great darkness," he wrote on Twitter.In China, 2018 has been a year that rights defenders worldwide say was extremely repressive, particularly when it comes to religious persecution.

China's communist party leadership has strongly defended its actions amid growing calls that its actions may constitute crimes against humanity.

Those actions include the internment of hundreds of thousands - perhaps more than a million - Muslims in Xinjiang, the demolition and shuttering of Christian churches nationwide and the systemic crackdown on dissidents.

"2018 has been a year of human rights disasters in China, where all walks of people have paid a dear price over rights abuses. In the past year, China has systemically enforced the most audacious ever persecution policies," said Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the exile Germany-headquartered World Uighur Congress.

After months of denying their existence, China admitted that the camps do exist and launched a global propaganda campaign defending its interment of ethnic Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in the western region of Xinjiang.

Beijing has yet to confirm how many have been detained and calls the "vocational centers" a necessary part of their fight against terrorism and religious extremism. The reality, rights advocates argue, is that Muslim minorities are being detained and made to work overtime and without pay in factories for so-called job training.

China is also reportedly planning Xinjiang-style "re-education" camps in Ningxia home to the Hui minority Muslims. Such moves highlight the communist party's drastic efforts to wipe out ethnic Muslims and extend control over religious groups, Raxit said.

Bob Fu, the founder of China Aid, agrees. His group, based in the U.S. state of Texas, is committed to promoting religious freedom in China.

"This is a 21st century concentration camp, like Nazi Germany in 1930s and 1940s, so, the international community should unequivocally condemn and urge the Chinese regime to immediately stop this crime," he said.

Call for sanctions

Rights advocates have called on governments worldwide to impose sanctions on Chinese officials involved in human rights abuses.

U.S. senators including Marco Rubio have denounced Xinjiang's internment camps and other alleged abuses as possible crimes against humanity. In November, Rubio and a group of bipartisan lawmakers introduced legislation to address the situation and urged American policymakers to be clear-eyed about the global implications of China's domestic repression.

The bipartisan bills urge President Donald Trump's administration to use measures including economic sanctions to defend Uighurs and other Muslim minorities. If that happens, China has said it will retaliate in proportion.

Intensified persecution

It is not just Muslims who have found themselves caught in the communist party's crosshairs. China Aid's Fu said China has also escalated its crackdown on Christian communities.

Authorities have torn down houses of worship and in some places, there is a push to ensure that anyone under the age of 18 cannot attend church or be under the influence of religion. China is officially atheist, but says it allows religious freedom.

In early December, Chinese police arrested Pastor Wang Yi, along with more than 100 members of his Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, Sichuan.

The arrests may have been triggered by his manifesto, titled "Meditation on the Religious War," in which he condemns the communist party and urges Christians to perform acts of civil disobedience.

"It's just really the tip of the iceberg of overall religious persecution in China since the president, Xi Jinping, took power," Fu told CNN recently about the case.

Political dissidents

If convicted, Wang could face a jail term of up to 15 years and he has vowed not to plead guilty or confess unless physically tortured, said Jonathan Liu, a priest with the San Francisco-based Chinese Christian Fellowship of Righteousness.

Liu said the pastor's detention serves the dual purpose of suppressing Christians and silencing political dissidents in China as Wang is a follower of Calvinism a branch of Protestantism that emphasizes social justice.

"Deeply affected by Calvinism, he cares for those who are socially disadvantaged or rights defenders. So, his church has formed many fellowships to provide care for those people," Liu said, "In the eyes of the Chinese government, his church has become a hub for [political] dissidents."

No prospects for improvement

During the United Nations' periodic review of its rights record, China defended itself, arguing that criticism was "politically motivated" with UN members deliberately disregarding China's "remarkable achievements."

For critics, the outlook for 2019 isn't promising.

"I can see no prospect that there would be any improvement in the coming year. And in fact, the last year, the most horrible thing is to see that the government is openly and fragrantly acting against the law, in total contempt of the [judicial] system they've set up," Albert Ho, chairman of China Human Rights Concern Group in Hong Kong.

The fact that rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang is still being held incommunicado proves that China has little respect for its own laws, Ho said.

Among more than 300 rights lawyers and activists ensnared in Chinas 2015 crackdown, lawyer Wang is the last awaiting trial.

After almost three and a half years of arbitrary detention, Wang was finally put on trial in a closed-door hearing in Tianjin on December 26. He reportedly fired his state-appointed lawyer in the first minute of his trial,signs of his refusal to cooperate with the authorities.

His wife, Li Wenze, and supporters, as well as western diplomats and journalists, were all barred from attending the hearing, which the court said involved state secrets, but rights activists denounced as a blatant violation of Chinas own judicial principles.

The court said on its website that a verdict will be announced on a later date. Rights activists argued that Wang would be a blatant case of political persecution shall he be convicted with a maximum 15-year sentence.

Li and three other wives of lawyer victims who have been carrying out a long and loud campaign to secure Wangs release as well as others, recently shaved their hair to protest his detention for more than three years.

They (the authorities) keep on shamelessly breaking the law. So today we are using this act of shaving our heads in protest, to show they are persistently and shamelessly breaking the law, Li said.The United States will step up research in hypersonic offense and defense weapons, in response to a Russian test of a nuclear-capable hypersonic glider.

"While the United States has been the world leader in hypersonic system research for many decades, we did not choose to weaponize it," Defense Department spokeswoman Lt. Col. Michelle Baldanza told VOA. "Those who have decided to weaponize hypersonics are creating a war-fighting asymmetry that we must address."

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who oversaw the test Wednesday, said the weapon is impossible to intercept and will ensure Russia's security for decades to come.

He called it an "excellent New Year's gift to the nation.''

The weapon, dubbed Avangard, detaches itself from a rocket after being launched and glides back to earth at speeds faster than the speed of sound.

"The Avangard is invulnerable to intercept by any existing and prospective missile defense means of the potential adversary," Putin said after the test.

He said the weapon will become part of Russia's Strategic Missile Forces next year.

The Pentagon has been aware of Russian weapons advances for some time. In March, Putin bragged about having an array of new strategic nuclear weapons that can hit a target anywhere in the world. At the time, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Putin had only "confirmed what the United States government has known all along."

Baldanza said the U.S. will now increase focus on hypersonic weapons. "We are pursuing options for weapons delivered from land, sea and air to hold at risk high value, heavily defended and time critical targets at relevant ranges so that we can ensure our ability to dominate the battlefield by 2028."

The test comes at a time of heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington over the allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, conflict in Ukraine, and the war in Syria.

National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this report.A lingering financial scandal involving Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro's son has soured his inauguration next week and tarnished the reputation of a far-right maverick who surged to victory on a vow to end years of political horse trading.

Bolsonaro, who spent nearly 30 years in Congress, takes office on Jan. 1 after an electoral win that gave him a mandate to hobble violent drug gangs, cut through red tape to kick-start Brazil's economy and go after the corrupt political class.

But a regulator's questions about a bank account of the former driver of his son, Rio de Janeiro state lawmaker and Sen.-elect Flavio Bolsonaro, has clouded his big day, leading critics to doubt the president-elect's graft-busting credentials and his ability to deliver a new type of politics.

Wrongdoing denied

Jair Bolsonaro, Flavio Bolsonaro and the former driver, Fabricio Queiroz, have denied any wrongdoing.

"Ever since this case came to light, there has been a spectacle of evasions and unconvincing explanations on the part of the Bolsonaros ... [about] an episode with relevant implications for national politics," Brazil's biggest newspaper, Folha de S.Paulo, said in an editorial on Thursday.

The scandal arose after Brazil's Council for Financial Activities Control (COAF) identified 1.2 million reais ($305,033) that in 2016-17 flowed through the bank account of Queiroz, who for years was on Flavio Bolsonaro's payroll as a driver and adviser. Some payments were made to the president-elect's wife, Michelle Bolsonaro.

Rio state prosecutors said in a statement on Thursday that Queiroz's lawyers told them he was willing to cooperate with investigators, but also handed over documents from a doctor indicating that he had to undergo an urgent surgery.

Driver offers explanation

On Wednesday, Queiroz sought to explain himself in an interview with a Bolsonaro-friendly TV network.

After citing a health crisis as his reason for failing to attend two previous appointments with prosecutors to explain the provenance of the money, Queiroz said in the SBT network interview that money in his account was from a side business of buying and selling cars.

"I'm a businessman," he said. "I make money."

Queiroz's legal team did not clarify why he agreed to the TV interview instead of talking directly with prosecutors. The investigators also said they want to question Flavio Bolsonaro on Jan. 10.

Jair Bolsonaro has said the payment to his wife was Queiroz repaying a personal loan. He added that if he made a mistake by not declaring the money from Queiroz, he would rectify it with tax authorities.

Flavio Bolsonaro, who has now been called by investigators to explain the money after his former driver's no-show last week, has said that Queiroz gave him a "plausible" explanation, and that the accusations were intended to destabilize the Bolsonaro family.

Missed meeting explained

In the interview, Queiroz said the money to Michelle Bolsonaro had been explained by her husband, and was to repay a loan. He denied he had been dodging investigators, and said he had failed to turn up to appointments with prosecutors because of a malignant cancer that requires immediate surgical removal.

Michelle Bolsonaro has not commented publicly on the case.

According to the COAF, some of the payments to Queiroz' bank account were made by other employees on Flavio Bolsonaro's payroll when he served as a Rio de Janeiro state lawmaker, including by Queiroz's own daughter. Many of the deposits were made on or around the same day that the state Congress paid employees, the COAF found.

It passed on the suspicious financial flows in Queiroz's account to Rio state prosecutors, who have so far failed to get the former driver to come in and explain the funds.

Queiroz declined to explain why his colleagues were depositing money into his account, saying he would tell investigators.

Not all were convinced by that line of argument.

"So this is how it works: He didn't go to investigators, because he preferred to go on TV. But, once he was on TV, he said he would rather explain to investigators?" prominent journalist Malu Gaspar wrote on Twitter.The Supreme Court began its term with the tumultuous confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, followed by a studied avoidance of drama on the high court bench  especially anything that would divide the five conservatives and four liberals.

The justices have been unusually solicitous of each other in the courtroom since Kavanaugh's confirmation, and several have voiced concern that the public perceives the court as merely a political institution. Chief Justice John Roberts seems determined to lead the one Washington institution that stays above the political fray. Even Roberts' rebuke of President Donald Trump, after the president criticized a federal judge, was in defense of an independent, apolitical judiciary.

The next few weeks will test whether the calm can last.

When they gather in private Jan. 4 to consider new cases for arguments in April and into next term, the justices will confront a raft of high-profile appeals.

Abortion restrictions, workplace discrimination against LGBT people and partisan gerrymandering are on the agenda. Close behind are appeals from the Trump administration seeking to have the court allow it to end an Obama-era program that shields young immigrants from deportation and to put in place restrictive rules for transgender troops.

Conservatives ready

There already are signs that the conservative justices, apart from Roberts, are willing to take on controversial cases that are likely to produce the ideological and partisan divisions that their colleagues seem eager to avoid.

In recent weeks, three conservative justices accused the court of ducking its job of deciding important cases, especially when lower courts have disagreed on the outcome. Their criticism, written by Justice Clarence Thomas and joined by Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, came after a recent decision to avoid a case involving funding for Planned Parenthood.

Then, on the Friday before Christmas, the court divided 5-4 in refusing to allow the Trump administration to enforce new restrictions on asylum seekers. Roberts joined the four liberals. The three conservatives who were displeased by the Planned Parenthood case outcome again noted their disagreement, this time joined by Kavanaugh.

The two votes can't be used to draw any firm conclusions about what may be happening behind closed doors at the court, as the cases arrived in different circumstances. In the Planned Parenthood case, the justices were considering whether to grant full review, a process that takes only four votes. The asylum case was an emergency appeal from the administration. At least five of the nine justices would have had to vote in the administration's favor.

Reasons for caution

But Lawrence Solum, a professor of constitutional law at Georgetown University's law school, said Roberts seems to have two reasons to limit the court's involvement in hot-button cases: his preference for taking small steps in the law and his concern for the court's reputation.

"It's clear that 5-4 decisions will be perceived by many, many lawyers, many politicians and large numbers of the public at large as ideological decisions,'' Solum said. "So given Roberts' desire to preserve the legitimacy of the court, he could be highly motivated to avoid decisions like that in the next immediate period in the history of the court. Whether that's one year, or two years or five years, who knows?''

The court arrived at this point after an unusual chain of events that began with the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016. Senate Republicans refused to act on President Barack Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland, allowing Trump to put Gorsuch on the court in 2017. To this day, Democrats say the seat was stolen from them.

Then, over the summer, Justice Anthony Kennedy's retirement meant that Trump would also get to replace the court's swing vote with a more reliable conservative. Kavanaugh's track record as an appellate judge suggested he was that man, but his confirmation was nearly derailed by allegations of sexual assault, which Kavanaugh denied.

The accusations against Kavanaugh turned the confirmation process into a national spectacle that culminated in a hearing with Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who accused him of assaulting her when they were in high school. Republicans said the allegation was unproven and confirmed Kavanaugh in a rare Saturday session. Spotlighting how emotional the debate had become, a crowd of demonstrators gathered at the Supreme Court building after the Kavanaugh vote, with some climbing the stone statues that line the steps.

Legitimacy of court

One result of the Kavanaugh turmoil has been the most serious discussion in decades of limiting the court's powers, including possibly increasing the number of justices, Solum said. "It suggests that the legitimacy of the court is at issue now in perhaps a way it hasn't been until recently.''

Roberts is not only the chief justice, but he has essentially taken Kennedy's place as the swing vote  the conservative justice nearest the court's center. The Supreme Court will go only as far as Roberts is willing in either direction.

He can try to keep the court entirely out of some cases, though that requires him to be able to persuade at least one other conservative justice to go along. That's what happened in the Planned Parenthood case, when Kavanaugh voted to deny review. "The difficult confirmation battle may lead to a bit of caution,'' said John McGinnis, a Northwestern University law school professor.

When the justices do plunge into controversy, Roberts will be able "to write or insist that decisions be narrowly drawn,'' McGinnis said.

Roberts has been chief justice for more than 13 years, but he is only 63 and could lead the court for an additional two decades or more. That allows Roberts, who began his legal career as a lawyer in the Reagan administration, to take a long view, McGinnis said, and await a time when political tensions and concerns about the court's reputation subside.Even as regional forces race to position themselves for the imminent withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, U.S. military officials caution nothing on the ground has changed yet.

The U.S. on Friday dismissed claims Syrian forces were taking control of the northeastern city of Manbij, a key flashpoint between U.S.-backed Kurdish militias and Turkey, at the request of the Syrian Kurds.

In a statement, the Syrian army said its troops were taking up key positions, adding it "guarantees full security for all Syrian citizens and others present."

But the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State terror group responded on Twitter, saying it "has seen no indication that these claims are true."

"We call on everyone to respect the integrity of Manbij and the safety of its citizens," the coalition added.

US troops still in Syria



A U.S. defense official also told VOA dozens of U.S. forces that had been based just outside Manbij had not moved.

"We still have troops there," the official said, cautioning the U.S. remains focused on the safe and orderly withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria.

Fearing a Turkish invasion, Kurdish forces have been reaching out to Syria and Russia, going as far as to invite Syrian government forces to take over the area via Twitter.

Yet despite extending the invitation, Syrian Kurdish officials confirmed U.S. troops had yet to leave Manbij, and that Syrian forces had massed only in some areas on the outskirts of the city.

"The situation is stable for now," Badran Chiya, a Syrian Kurdish adviser, told VOA's Kurdish service Friday. "The daily life of the people continues normally. There is no tension."

Manbij, located along the Syrian border with Turkey, has been a flashpoint between the YPG, the main Syrian Kurdish militia and a key component of the U.S.-backed force fighting IS, and Turkey. Ankara views the YPG as a terrorist organization with links to Kurds in Turkey.

In June, the United States brokered a deal with Turkey that called for the YPG to withdraw from Manbij, which would be protected by joint U.S.-Turkish patrols. But Turkey has accused the U.S. and the Kurds of failing to meet their commitments, and has been threatening to clear the YPG from the area itself.

No plans to move on Manbij



Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that, at least for now, his forces had no plans to move on Manbij itself.



"We are still supporting the integrity of Syrian soil. These areas belong to Syria," Erdogan told reporters following Friday prayers in Istanbul. "Once the terrorist organizations leave the area, we will have nothing left to do there."

But he said Turkish forces were still prepared to move into Syria, if necessary.

"It's not just about Manbij. We are aiming to wipe out all terrorist organizations in the region. Our main target is that the YPG takes the necessary lesson here," Erdogan added.

Despite Erdogan's comments, Turkish-backed Syrian rebels said Friday that they were continuing to advance on Manbij with Turkish forces and fight if needed "to start military operations to liberate" the city.

Russia, which has been seeking to broker an agreement on Manbij between Syria and the Kurdish militias that have been holding the city, welcomed the developments.

WATCH: US Withdrawal From Syria Prompts Calls for Arabs to Embrace Damascus

Kremlin spokesman Dimitry Peskov called the presence of Syrian forces in the city a "positive step."

Still, Moscow is also asking for more information from the U.S. and President Donald Trump regarding how and when U.S. forces will be withdrawn from Syria.

Following a meeting Friday in Moscow with Jordan's foreign minister, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters that Russia wants "concrete explanations" from the U.S.

"It appears that Washington wants to shift the responsibility," Lavrov said.

U.S. national security adviser John Bolton is expected to travel to Turkey later next week, announcing the trip on Twitter:

Friday's flurry of activity came as key regional players prepared for the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country, a move announced just last week by Trump.

"Everybody is negotiating; the Russians are in the middle of it and clearly the Americans are, too," Joshua Landis, who heads the Middle East department at the University of Oklahoma, told VOA.

"The Syrian army doesn't want to get into a clash with Turkey. That would be a losing proposition. Neither does the YPG or anyone else," Landis added.

The U.S. has about 2,000 troops in Syria to fight the Islamic State terror group.

During a visit with U.S. troops in Iraq on Wednesday, Trump defended his decision to pull them out, declaring IS's self-declared caliphate defeated.



"I think a lot of people are going to come around to my way of thinking," he said. "Our presence in Syria was not open-ended and it was never intended to be permanent."



VOA's Kurdish service and Ed Yeranian contributed to this report.Ten police officers were killed and three wounded in an ambush Thursday in northwestern Burkina Faso, the west African country's security ministry said.

"The toll is 10 officers who have lost their lives and three wounded," the ministry said in a statement, adding that a police convoy from the Toeni region and reinforcements from the Dedougou area had been ambushed.

The officers were attacked while heading to the village of Loroni, near the border with Mali, after a school there had been attacked and textbooks torched by armed assailants, a security source told AFP.

The wounded, including two in serious condition, were taken to a hospital in Dedougou, the source added.

Burkina Faso has been increasingly hit by deadly attacks over the last three years.

They began in the north of the country but have since spread to the east, near the border with Togo and Benin.

On Wednesday, a police officer died during an attack on his station in the northern town of Solan.

Most attacks are attributed to the jihadist group Ansarul Islam, which emerged near the Mali border in December 2016, and to the JNIM (the Group to Support Islam and Muslims), which has sworn allegiance to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.

Those groups are believed to be responsible for more than 255 deaths since 2015.

The capital Ouagadougou has been hit three times and almost 60 people have died there.The URL has been copied to your clipboard

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Thailand - known for its tough anti-drug trafficking efforts - made history this month as Southeast Asias first country to legalize medical marijuana. Steve Sandford report on traditions and new developments in the kingdom.It is sometimes said Vietnam hates when people say it is like China, like a smaller brother. But what if, instead, China could be a bit more like Vietnam?

With all of the trade and political strife that is currently plaguing Beijings relations with other countries, foreign officials would hardly be blamed for wishing it could be a little easier to work with their Chinese counterparts -- as easy, say, as it is in nearby Hanoi.

China and Vietnam invite obvious comparisons because they each are ruled by a single, communist party; they both put curbs on the internet and internet companies; and they have high, export-led economic growth after beginning privatization in the 1980s, to name a few of the myriad similarities. But in Vietnam it is more common to see foreign partners make progress in their effort to solve bilateral disagreements, and that is the critical difference.

And the comparisons between China and Vietnam are not just a theoretical or academic exercise. They affect the real-world decisions that companies are making every day, decisions on where to do business that could mean millions of dollars in trade.

What makes Vietnam unique is its willingness to work toward international standards, even when the choice is difficult, said trade consultant Barbara Weisel.

Those policies are what we need to advance, to move to that higher stage of development, she said at an economic forum this month in Ho Chi Minh City. And thats a very important shift that Vietnam made that is very different, and it distinguishes Vietnam from most of the other countries in the region.

She is among many who say Vietnam is benefiting as China loses investors. Firms are switching from China to Vietnam because Washingtons trade dispute with Beijing makes Vietnamese goods cheaper.



And the countrys close proximity to China makes it a worthy option for manufacturers looking at alternative locations in the Southeast Asia region because the operating cost in China has been continuously increasing in recent years, real estate firm JLL said in a market analysis.

Besides the trade friction, China has been butting heads with foreign nations on multiple fronts this year. It detained two Canadians after Ottawa arrested a Huawei executive in December. It forced Sri Lanka to fork over a port after the island country failed to repay debt as part of Chinas One Belt, One Road global infrastructure initiative. And to the dismay of Washington, it continues to be North Koreas biggest trade partner despite U.S. sanctions.

When viewed through that lens, next-door-neighbor Vietnam gives the impression of a country that is more open and amenable to bilateral talks. That ranges from Hanois support for the U.S. push to denuclearize the Korean peninsula, to its entry into one international trade deal after another.

There is less frustration, less banging of heads against walls in order to strike a compromise in Vietnam. While Beijing blocks Facebook and Google, Hanoi has largely given up on doing so. While China requires foreign companies to share technology with locals, Vietnam is removing the 49 percent cap on foreign investment in listed companies.

The comparison matters because the two countries diverge today, in spite of sharing so much in common for centuries. China ruled Vietnam for nearly a millennium, a history underlying their similar languages, food, Mahayana Buddhism, Confucian families, holidays, and folk tales. Their communist economies took a turn for capitalism around the same time, in the 1980s, and then folded into the World Trade Organization, in 2001 for China and 2007 for Vietnam.

With their modern paths diverging, Vietnam as a smaller country has had less leverage on the world stage than China and relies more on global cooperation. It could be the reason Hanoi officials are willing to go to the bargaining table, even though it sometimes means they give up a little control, as in the choice to allow more labor unions beyond the union run by the government, or to open state-owned enterprises to more competition.

In the most controversial policy of recent months, Vietnam plans to enact a cyber law that forces companies to store data domestically and take down online content ordered by the state.

We are working with the business community here, Vietnam Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh said at the economic forum. Even [though] there is a law, but there is an ongoing process of consultations between the government of Vietnam and the business community over here.

In other words, Vietnam has its plans, but it is also listening to opponents.Violence and insecurity have forced more than 30 million children from their homes in 2018, UNICEF said in a news release Thursday.

The U.N. children's fund said it had responded to hundreds of emergencies to help children caught in many armed conflicts raging around the world.

UNICEF said children had been tortured, raped, used as human shields or suicide bombers, recruited as child soldiers and subjected to a myriad of other atrocities by armed groups.

While fighting has killed and maimed tens of thousands of children, UNICEF said many more had died from the indirect consequences of conflict, rather than the war itself. For instance, it noted, a child dies of preventable diseases every 10 minutes in Yemen, site of the world's worst humanitarian crisis.



Caryl Stern, president and chief executive officer of UNICEF USA, told VOA that food insecurity had caused the rate of severe acute malnutrition to rise, with one in four children around the world being malnourished.

"For example, the Central African Republic, there has been such a dramatic resurgence in the fighting there  so two out of three kids are in need of humanitarian assistance in CAR right now," Stern said. "And 43,000 children below age 5, they are projected to face an extremely elevated risk of death due to severe acute malnutrition."

UNICEF said escalating fighting and attacks on schools and teachers in Cameroon and in the border regions of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger had deprived millions of children of an education. Similarly, it said, conflict in the Lake Chad Basin is putting the education of 3.5 million children at risk.

Sexual violence

Stern said sexual violence against women and girls was being used as a weapon of war in many conflicts.

"In northeast Nigeria, where you have armed groups, including the Boko Haram, they continue to target girls," Stern said. "This is including rape. They are forced to become wives of fighters. They are used as human bombs. I mean, what is really going on there is just horrific."

Stern said children had been abused in all countries and regions of conflict  in Afghanistan, in Myanmar, in Iraq, in Syria, eastern Ukraine and Central America. She said children were being victimized by political leaders who use them as pawns to push a political agenda.

"The border of our own country, the various different things that are happening around the world  Bangladesh and Myanmar. We have to separate the issue of politics from the issues that surround children," she said.

Stern said children are not migrants. They are not refugees. They are not Somalia's children or Yemen's children or Syria's children or Rohingya children. She said they are children first and foremost, and that there's nothing political about saving the life of a child.As the partial shutdown of the U.S. federal government stretched into its sixth day with no end in sight, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is offering advice on how to deal with an interrupted cash flow.

Nearly 800,000 federal employees have either been furloughed or will be working without pay and facing potential problems paying bills and meeting other expenses.

"Feds, here are sample letters you may use as a guide when working with your creditors during this furlough," the agency said in a tweet Thursday, directing the reader to its website.

OPM suggested workers call their landlord, mortgage company, or creditor to speak with them about their situation. It said the call should then be followed up with a letter and offered samples of how it should be worded.

"I am a Federal employee who has recently been furloughed due to a lack of funding of my agency. Because of this, my income has been severely cut and I am unable to pay the entire cost of my monthly payments, along with my other expenses," reads one sample letter that OPM released.

The website made it clear that if furloughed workers need legal help, they are on their own. "If you need legal advice to assist you in any response to creditors, landlords or the like, consult with your personal attorney or contact your state or county bar association, many of which maintain lawyer referral services," it said.

With most lawmakers away from Washington for the holidays, the shutdown will likely stretch into the new year.

President Donald Trump has vowed to keep the government closed until he gets $5 billion to fund his border wall.

According to the American Federation of Government Employees, a union that represents federal employees, about 420,000 federal employees are working without pay, while 380,000 others have been told to stay home.The Vatican has taken testimony from a man who says ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick sexually abused him for years starting when he was 11, evidence that the initial case against the retired archbishop has expanded to include serious allegations of sexual misconduct, including in the confessional.

James Grein testified Thursday in New York before the judicial vicar for the New York City archdiocese, who was asked by the Holy See to take his statement, said Grein's civil attorney Patrick Noaker.

The testimony, which lasted about an hour, was difficult and stressful but Grein was proud to have done it, Noaker said.

"He wants his church back. He felt that in order to accomplish that end, he had to go in and testify here and tell them what happened, and give the church itself the chance to do the right thing," Noaker said in a telephone interview Friday.

Grein initially came forward in July after the New York archdiocese announced that a church investigation determined that an allegation that McCarrick had groped another teenage altar boy in the 1970s was credible.

Grein's claims, first reported by The New York Times, are more serious. He has alleged that McCarrick, a family friend, first exposed himself to Grein when he was 11 and then sexually molested him for years thereafter.

Noaker said that in the testimony Thursday, Grein also gave "chilling" details about alleged repeated incidents of groping during confession  a serious canonical crime on top of the original offense of sexually abusing a minor.

Noaker said combining sexual abuse with confession haunts Grein today.

"People are vulnerable in the confessional. Very vulnerable," he said. "If you manipulate that, and try to sexualize that, it's extremely emotionally damaging."

Penance and prayer

McCarrick denied the initial groping allegation of the altar boy and has said through his lawyer that he looks forward to his right to due process. It wasn't clear when his testimony would be given.

The McCarrick scandal has sparked a crisis in credibility in the U.S. and Vatican hierarchies, since it was apparently an open secret in some church circles that "Uncle Ted" slept with adult seminarians. Yet McCarrick still rose to the heights of church power, and even acted as the spokesman for U.S. bishops when they enacted a "zero tolerance" policy against sexually abusive priests in 2002.

Pope Francis initially ordered McCarrick removed from public ministry in June after he was accused of groping the teenage altar boy  the first known allegation against him involving a teen. A month later, after former seminarians and Grein came forward, Francis removed McCarrick as a cardinal and ordered him to live a lifetime of penance and prayer while the canonical process ran its course.

Now 88, the former archbishop of Washington is living at a Kansas religious residence.

The Vatican is under pressure to finalize its case against McCarrick before Francis hosts church leaders at a February sex abuse prevention summit, since Francis himself has been implicated in the yearslong cover-up of McCarrick's misconduct with adults.

'Moving and terrifying'

While victims have long complained about the way they have been treated during canonical proceedings, Noaker praised the judicial vicar, the Rev. Richard Welch, saying he was compassionate, respectful and patient during Grein's testimony.

Noaker said Welch gave Grein time to compose himself when he testified about an incident in which McCarrick allegedly masturbated Grein in a car. When McCarrick dropped Grein back at home, he allegedly told Grein's parents that the mess was caused by a spilled soda, so Grein's mother went to clean up the car seat.

"That was a really psychologically damaging moment," Noaker said, adding that Grein had to relive it during his testimony. "He closed his eyes. He was sitting in that car with McCarrick, and you could see it. It was moving and terrifying."

The Associated Press does not identify people who say they have been victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission. Grein has gone public with his full name.

In addition to the canonical case against McCarrick, Noaker filed a police report against McCarrick in July.Medical consultants and registrars at state hospitals in Zimbabwe have threatened to go on strike if President Emmerson Mnangagwas government does not address striking junior and senior doctors grievances, which include payment of salaries in United States dollars, provision of equipment and drugs, revival of a vehicle loan scheme and other issues.

The consultants and registrars, affiliated to the Zimbabwe Medical Association (ZIMA), told reporters in Harare that they have given the government 48 hours to address the striking doctors concerns or face a crippling industrial action.

Dr. Sacrifice Chirisa, secretary general of the Zimbabwe Medical Association, said,  ZIMA is grieved with the process since the 1st of December to date and whats grieving us the most is that it is the general public that is suffering, our patients that we have cared for, that we have prescribed medicines, that we booked for operations, that need our care that are suffering the most.

We want to say that as ZIMA we feel and are fully persuaded that the issues that our counterparts, let me say that our fellow doctors, these are not students, these are doctors, the issues that they have brought to the fore for consideration are genuine.

He said the situation at public health institutions is no longer tenable following the junior and middle level doctors industrial action.

We stand with the junior doctors in seeking a speedy resolution of these matters. Therefore we are urging HSB (Health Service Board) to resolve this impasse within the next 48 hours. Consultants have been working very hard under these very difficult circumstances and will not be able to continue beyond the stated time period.

Dr. Chirisa urged HSB to table the doctors grievances instead of suspending them. We believe the door to dialogue must never be closed and we hope the HSB considers this statement in the good spirit it has been delivered.

Striking doctors representative Dr. Mthabisi Bhebhe, secretary general of the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association, said doctors have vowed to continue their strike until their grievances are met even if they have been suspended by the HSB for participating in an industrial action declared illegal by the Labor Court.

Vice President Constantino Chiwenga lashed out at the striking doctors Thursday saying those that are on strike are in a wrong profession, adding that they should be disciplined for engaging in a so-called illegal strike.

The same doctors went on strike early this year after making similar demands. The government promised to address their needs, a promise it never fulfilled.Photo: Netflix

Time to reunite with a trippy technological hellscape! After weeks of rumors, late-night Reddit speculating sessions, and annoyed inquiries to Netflix from writers, the streaming service dropped its latest Black Mirror installment this morning: Its called Bandersnatch, and its a stand-alone interactive film. Bandersnatch, I barely know her! you may joke to yourself, but the premise is pretty fun for the hours and hours of content you might end up subjecting yourself to. A young programmer in London in the 1980s (Fionn Whitehead) is hired by a hit factory for computer games to adapt a fantasy novel into a game, and this being Black Mirror, he quickly begins to question reality as we know it. Showrunner Charlie Brooker penned the episode, with Will Poulter and Craig Parkinson also starring.

So, how does it work? In typical choose-your-own-adventure fashion, there are stopping points throughout the film where you, the viewer, have to decide what the programmer does  and in the end, there are five different ways the film concludes. Viewing time varies, but on average, it seems 90 minutes is becoming the standard, although it can increase or decrease significantly based on your chosen actions. (Theres likely about five hours of total content.) Netflix notes that Bandersnatch will work on all Android and iOS devices, as well as any updated Netflix app, duh, but unfortunately, it wont be supported on Chromecast or Apple TV. A moment of silence for all of the writers doing pieces about the films Easter eggs today, please.Can Nunes survive another cycle? That may depend on DCCC recruitment



In November, there was no Republican running for California's U.S. Senate seat-- just a conservative Democrat and a progressive Democrat. Many Republicans sat out the race; others voted for incumbent Dianne Feinstein, hating some of her views, loving others, but realizing she is, overall, much closer to Republican positions than Kevin de Leon, the full-on progressive former state Senate president. Nor did the GOP have candidates in 8 congressional races. Mike Thompson (Napa Valley and Sonoma County), Doris Matsui (Sacramento and Yolo counties), Barbara Lee (Oakland and Berkley), Jimmy Panetta (Monterey and Santa Cruz counties), Judy Chu (Pasadena, Arcadia, Alhambra, Monterey Park), Jimmy Gomez (Highland Park, Eagle Rock, Boyle Heights, Koreatown, DTLA), Lucille Roybal-Allard (Downey, Commerce, Maywood, Paramount) and Nanette Barragan (Compton, Carson, Lynwood, San Pedro) all ran without Republican opponents. 19 other Democrats had only GOP vanity candidates who scored less than a third of the vote-- like Lisa Remmer, who scored just 13.2% of the vote against the GOP's boogeyman, Nancy Pelosi-- to contend with.





Meanwhile, seven of the state's 14 Republican districts flipped blue. There are no longer any GOP Congress members representing Orange County or L.A. County. And of the 7 remaining GOP incumbents, several barely won and are as likely as not to be defeated in 2020 if there is another anti-Trump wave, as appears probable. Most vulnerable (with their win number from November):

Duncan Hunter- 51.7%

Devin Nunes- 52.7%

Tom McClintock- 54.1%

Doug LaMalfa- 54.9%

Lobbyists looking for corrupt conservatives to pay off for help pushing their clients' interests now turn to Blue Dogs and New Dems like Jim Costa, Lou Correa, Ami Bera, Scott Peters, Tony Cardenas, Pete Aguilar and Juan Vargas.





Yesterday, reporting for McClatchy, Kate Irby reported that California Republicans fear even bigger trouble ahead for their wounded party . "Californias Republican Party is in deep trouble," she wrote, "and in interviews with both outgoing and returning state House Republicans, none could offer a specific message or path forward. The California GOP got walloped in 2018, losing all seven closely contested congressional seats and all statewide elections. It also got pummeled in State Assembly and local elections. State Republican officials readily concede the party faces huge problems. Some-- though not all-- say state party Chairman Jim Brultes warnings long ago about the need to appeal to minority groups should have been heeded."

Seventy percent of Asian Americans in California voted for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016 and 71 percent of Latinos did the same. Latinos made up 31 percent of the 2016 state electorate while Asian Americans were 12 percent, according to network exit polls.



Its hard to find state Republicans optimistic about 2020, even those coming off double-digit wins as one of their own, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-California, ascends to Republican leader in the House next month.



You know the Bee Gees song? asked Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) when asked his thoughts on the future of California Republicans. Ah, ah, ah, ah, staying alive, staying alive.



...Democrats: They were unified on a health care message that proved hugely effective in 2018. Democrats campaigned as the party that wanted to protect pre-existing condition coverage and make health care more affordable.



Democrats plan to stay with that message in 2020, while both outgoing and remaining Republicans have often concentrated on criticizing the media and new state voter laws.



But, Brulte said, Republicans need to put emphasis on how to appeal to minority groups, groups that widely disapprove of the leader of the party, President Donald Trump.



Until the issue of immigration is completely dealt with, California Republicans are going to have trouble, Brulte said, not specifying exactly what that would entail. Trump continues to push for a U.S-Mexico border wall and more restrictive immigration laws.



Walters, the outgoing congresswoman, blamed the partys troubles on the machine of Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and voting laws passed by the liberal legislature. California passed four new voting laws that took effect in 2018, such as motor voter and same-day voter registration, all of which made voting easier.



Rep. Darrell Issa, R-California, who retired from Congress and is taking a job with Trumps administration, blamed the Democrats turnout machine and a lack of outside spending by Republicans in certain races.



When asked how Republicans combat all these woes, and what they need to do to turn out their own voters, Issa got on an elevator and remained silent until the doors closed.



Returning Rep. Paul Cook (R-CA), whose district is 40 percent Latino, agreed with Brulte on the need to appeal to more minorities. But he said representing those voters interests with Trump as president has gotten more difficult. Cook still won his seat by 20 points in 2018-- but the margin was a marked decrease over previous years. He thinks 2020 will be more difficult due to anticipated demographic changes.



Its a very dicey situation-- I just went through that, Cook said. If you dont handle it right, you lose your election, and we all know it.



Brulte said he saw these problems coming in September 2016, when he hosted a briefing with congressional Republicans on demographic changes crucial to the partys success in California.



Attendance at those party meetings had dwindled every election cycle.



He told fellow Republicans if they didnt start paying attention to the numbers-- namely, that Asian Americans and Latino Americans were rising demographics in California and their numbers would keep increasing while other populations dropped-- their party was going to continue to suffer in elections.



Within three election cycles, I said there will only be seven or eight of you, said Brulte, now the outgoing chair. I didnt expect it to come so quickly.

And if Duncan Hunter, Devin Nunes, Tom McClintock and Doug LaMalfa go down the toilet with Trump in 2020, that will leave just 3 Republicans, each of whom will be under intense electoral pressure for the rest of their careers.





How soon before he's the last Republican left in California?



How an Irish-Italian is at the forefront in the changing face of Rome's bar scene.

Affable and imposing in equal measure, Patrick Pistolesi has a commanding presence. Just turned 40, he is already a legendary figure in Rome's burgeoning cocktail scene, as well as being a bartender of international standing.

Over the last decade the capital's nightlife has witnessed a sea-change, evolving from wine bars and Irish pubs to embrace that more discerning creature  the cocktail bar  with Pistolesi recognised as leading the charge.

Irish roots

As his name might suggest, Pistolesi shares his heritage between Italy and Ireland; his father is from Rome, his mother from Dublin. He spent his first 18 summers with family in Midleton, a market town in Ireland's south-east county of Cork. Flanked by mischievous older cousins, the teenage Pistolesi would sneak into the town's pubs for the odd glass of beer.

It proved to be a formative experience, his future lighting up before his eyes. He remembers with nostalgia the admiration he had for Midleton's bartenders who were responsible for everyone's recreation, fulfilling a role somewhere between a conductor in an orchestra and a ringmaster in a circus.

Drink Kong

A quarter of a century later, with numerous accolades and pioneering projects in the drinks industry behind him, Pistolesi is celebrating his recent opening of Drink Kong, a refreshingly original cocktail bar in central Rome. The venue  a former bicycle shop in Piazza S. Martino ai Monti  sits in the shadow of the 12th-century Torre dei Capocci.

Minimal and bespoke, the bar's design evokes the cult science fiction movie Blade Runner merged with elements of Japanese traditional and popular culture. It could be in New York, London or Tokyo. Instead it is in the area of Rome where Monti meets the Esquilino.

Drink Kong cocktail bar in Monti. All photos by Leon Perez.

Wide open doors lead directly to Drink Kong's bar whose vast display of glowing coloured bottles against mirrored shelves draws the visitor in like a magnet. The 300-sqm venue is divided into four separate spaces, including a softly-lit lounge fronting onto Via di S. Martino ai Monti and the Jungle Room, which hosts live rock, jazz and soul music, and faces onto Via Giovanni Lanza.

Drink Kong lounge

However, it is the little room hidden directly behind the bar that is the most intriguing, and impressive. Decorated with polished Japanese cherry-wood panelling, the silent Omakase Room has a wall containing caged alcoves housing rare whisky and sake, available exclusively to customers holding a key (on prior arrangement), with ten seats for privately-booked tastings or master classes with a dedicated bartender.

Drink Kong's hidden Omakase Room.

Strategically-placed red, green and purple neon lights illuminate the black and white chequered floor leading to a futuristic bathroom whose mirrors provide infinite reflections. In the corridor along the way are arcade-style pinball machines. But what about the venue's unusual name? Pistolesi grins. An old King Kong-related moniker attached to the bar's broad-chested front man.

Drink Kong's futuristic bathroom

Pulling up a barstool before launching into the Saturday night inferno, Pistolesi sits down to answer questions about his career in mixology, the in-depth study of mixing drinks. Despite his international reputation, he instantly shrugs off the celebrity tag, stating that he has got to where he is today by hard work and study as well as making mistakes along the way.

Baptism by fire

He is candid about his beginnings as a 19-year-old novice who accepted a summer job making cocktails at a festival near Rome's Stadio Olimpico at short notice. His only bar experience until then had been serving tables at The Shamrock on Via Capo d'Africa. Terrified, he engaged the help of a bartender friend who let him shadow her every move as he scribbled down the recipes for each cocktail to learn by heart. Two days later a nervous, sleep-deprived Pistolesi showed up for work at the festival's cocktail bar.

I remember being lost, he admits. I thought the gin inside the Bombay Sapphire bottle was blue. It was baptism by fire. His first cocktail, a Pina Colada, was terrible as he was taught to make it with Malibu instead of rum. Staring at the customer, willing him to like the drink, he still recalls the feeling of flying on receiving a favourable response.

As Pistolesi chats, he is greeted constantly by customers whose salutations he reciprocates warmly  the consummate barman, even while off duty. When speaking English, his accent is a mixture of Irish, Italian and international but his banter is peppered with Irish colloquialisms. The drinks prepared by his expert team at Drink Kong are elegant and presented with finesse, served with Japanese nibbles on the side. It is a far cry from the Rome of Pistolesi's youth, when cocktails were generally handed out in plastic cups at discos.

In the internet-free days of the late 1990s, when Pistolesi began to hone his craft seriously, he would ask friends to look out for any cocktail-related books they could find while abroad. He started undertaking master classes in mixology all around the world and to his delight found himself part of a global movement exploding around him.

Pistolesi began making a name for himself in Rome while fronting Barnum, which opened on Via del Pellegrino in 2009. On the back of this experience, in 2013 he was pivotal in launching The Gin Corner, Italy's first bar dedicated solely to gin, at the Hotel Adriano in the historic centre. Its impact on the Italian bar scene was significant and led to the opening of numerous mono-brand or themed bars elsewhere in Italy. In recent years, Pistolesi and his disciples also galvanised the cult cocktail reputation of Caffe Propaganda, near the Colosseum.

Cocktail culture

The advent of cocktail culture has shaken up the capital's nightlife in a similar, albeit classier, way that Irish pubs did in the 1990s. Pistolesi reserves praise for two of Rome's historic Irish bars  the Fiddler's Elbow and Druid's Den  both of which are located a stone's throw from Drink Kong. He and his fellow mixologists frequented these establishments growing up, and all "served their time" pulling pints in Irish pubs before ascending to a higher level of bartending.

Over the last decade, Rome has also embraced speakeasies  prohibition-era style hidden cocktail bars which require passwords, phone-calls or secret knocks to gain entry. However when Pistolesi opened Drink Kong, alongside his four other owner-partners, he eschewed the distractions associated with theme bars. I wanted to create a place that would be a cocktail bar and nothing else.

Instinct

More than anything else, Pistolesi says, his multi-faceted venue is an instinct bar: customers are asked if they prefer a bitter, dry or sweet taste. A drink is prepared accordingly, with the additional option of ordering some of the internationally-inspired tapas from chef Marco Morello. Specialties include Scandinavian smrrebrd (buttered rye bread stuffed with herring, salmon or vegetables), vegan dumplings with bao (steamed Chinese bread) or the more local option of km-0 salumi e formaggi.

Patrick Pistolesi at work in Drink Kong.

Pistolesi, who over the years has worked as cocktail ambassador for Jameson Irish Whiskey, says he entered the drinks business initially as the bar equals fun and equals youth  it's a perfect match. However, despite all the fun there are disadvantages to orchestrating nightly parties. In addition to the unsociable hours  we work while people are hanging out  he says that mornings don't exist and Monday-Tuesday is our weekend.

He is philosophical about the role of the bar in society, describing it as the least racist space on the planet. Motioning to the myriad of bottles from all over the world, Pistolesi sees the bar as a great leveller between people. Bartenders are the last aristocrats of the working class, he states; we talk to the prime minister and to the beggar, it's all the same to me.

By Andy Devane

Drink Kong is open every day except Monday from 18.30 until 02.00. Piazza S. Martino ai Monti 8, tel. 0623488666.

This article was published in the December 2018 edition of Wanted in Rome magazine.Apple will begin assembling its top-end iPhones in India through the local unit of Foxconn as early as 2019, the first time the Taiwanese contract manufacturer will have made the product in the country, according to a source familiar with the matter. Importantly, Foxconn will be assembling the most expensive models, such as devices in the flagship iPhone X family, the source said, potentially taking Apple's business in India to a new level.Hamacher shot most of the photos with a tripod and long exposures, so that multiple light sources twinkle and objects in motion have a softness that suggests oil painting. People are mainly absent, as the photographer worked late at night or on Friday, the eve of the holy day, so as to capture urban sweep and detail without visual competition from the usual throngs. Yet these unpopulated pictures convey that Aleppo was a living city, as vital as it was venerable.The attendant anger and sorrow have been festering in topical pieces of all kinds, both plays and musicals, on Broadway and well beyond. What to Send Up When it Goes Down  produced by Movement Theatre Company, an activism-minded troupe showcasing artists of color  made one of the more direct appeals to audiences outrage: Just before we entered the theater, our actress-leader instructed us politely but firmly that what we were about to witness was chiefly for African American theatergoers. It was the sort of pre-show declaration I doubt my fellow attendees  the majority of them not black, as it happened  had heard before. It was certainly new in my experience. But it deterred no one from entering.A co-founder of Mothers of Murdered Sons and Daughters United, Alston has worked with hundreds of families here, helping them navigate the pain, paperwork and logistics that come with each killing. But recent years have brought such a spike in violence that there are now too many funerals for Alston to attend. She has enlisted other members of her group to help her with outreach to the families of the slain, sometimes going to three or four funerals each day of the weekend.Todays Headlines

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By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy PolicyTwo of her first cases involved fighting for families that had been displaced. I really had to pinch myself. Like, I cant believe Im finally a lawyer and that I get to help the people who are just like me  who grew up in communities just like mine, recalls Austin-Hillery, who is tall and striking, with a penchant for statement jewelry and dramatic eyeliner. It was really mind-boggling, but it also felt purposeful. And it felt like This is my duty . . . its my obligation, coming from where I come from.We are trying to do whats right even when Donald Trump wont, wrote a senior White House official in the New York Times in September, describing how senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations. Suddenly, Washington had an old-fashioned mystery guest in its parlor, like Deep Throat but with fewer cigarettes. (One imagines the author vaping instead, and writing voice-to-text).She knows some people will hear her story and criticize her for buying her son expensive shoes. Those people will have missed the bigger picture while delivering a petty jab. She shared her familys story because children are being killed for nothing and she believes its important that the public realize the cost that comes with trying to be part of the solution. After he was robbed, her son called the place where he had applied for a job and rescinded his application, knowing that with the move he could no longer get there on his own.Together with the National Fair Housing Alliance, the coalition has given BNI a new name  the Fair Housing Action Center of Maryland  and expects it to be operating July 1, on what would have been the organizations 60th birthday. The coalition has also established a new website and secured BNIs existing charity status with the Internal Revenue Service, which will allow it to maintain inclusion in HUDs Fair Housing Initiatives Program.Dale and Krueger looked at 30 schools, the most selective being Yale University and Swarthmore College. They compared students who arrived in 1976 at selective schools with those who were admitted to selective schools but went elsewhere to college. The average incomes of those two groups, both presumed to have key character traits like persistence and warmth, were not significantly different.Thats the same language Justice Elena Kagan called unconstitutionally fuzzy in the Dimaya decision. Across the country, people convicted under that wording are appealing their cases. Defense attorneys say those cases should be reversed across the board, including in convictions where it wasnt clear whether the jury found violence was involved or just the risk of it. The Justice Department argues the vagueness can be eliminated if judges and juries look at the facts of each case.A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit previously heard Procopios case, but did not issue a decision. Instead, the court took the unusual step of rehearing the case as a full panel in December. There are more than two dozen pending cases from veterans in states throughout the country that could be affected by the outcome.A D.C. firefighter faces armed robbery and other charges after police say he held up a person at gunpoint in Silver Spring, Md., during a dispute over $700 sneakers he was trying to buy, according to Montgomery County authorities.Schuh had signed the agreement with ICE in June 2017 under the federal agencys program under section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which deputizes county officers to screen inmates for immigration offenses and allows them to file ICE detainers on selected inmates. At the time, officials said the move was aimed at combating the rise of the violent MS-13 street gang, which has some members who are Central American immigrants.I force myself to look at it, take it in and tell you in words what I have seen, which is not an easy thing to do because it means going deep into your reactions, she told the New York Times in 1997. I cant do anything without the work of art being there to draw it out of me.Marmet left the So Others Might Eat center in the 4400 block of Benning Road NE about 6 p.m. Oct. 24. He was headed to a group dinner with other volunteers in a residence dubbed Gandhi House, about five miles away in Brookland. He was about halfway there when he reached Bladensburg and 17th, near the National Arboretum. He had joined the groups year-long service program and was assigned to the center in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood in Northeast. He grew up in Chevy Chase and was the youngest of three.Fort Washington area (Prince Georges County), Dec. 16. A man got into an altercation with an off-duty Charles County officer outside a tavern and stabbed him in the abdomen. The man was arrested and charged with first- and second-degree assault, and reckless endangerment. The officer was treated at a nearby hospital and is in stable condition.The majority of U.S. states require mandatory alcohol abuse assessment or treatment after a DUI conviction, but neither is required in four out of the five worst states for drunken driving deaths, Safewise said in a statement. Among the five states with the most drunken driving deaths, the average minimum fine for the first DUI conviction is $300, compared to $524 among the five states with the fewest drunken driving deaths.The guidelines make no mention of colon cancer, perhaps because there is no consensus. A study in the Netherlands published in 2016 found  reassuringly, the researchers wrote  that women who undergo IVF do not appear to have an increased risk of colon cancer compared with the general population. However, IVF patients were nearly twice as likely to develop colon cancer as women who received non-IVF fertility treatments, such as tubal surgery or intrauterine insemination, prompting the researchers to suggest further research is warranted.Like a planetary couple dancing the Lindy Hop, Venus and Jupiter get closer toward the middle of January in the mornings southeastern heavens. The brighter Venus is north of Jupiter on the morning of Jan. 22, its closest at just over 2 degrees, according to astronomer Geoff Chester of the U.S. Naval Observatory. That means Venus will be just northwest of Jupiter on Jan. 21 and then northeast on Jan. 23. After that, the dancing partners appear to part.India's lower house votes to end instant divorce for Muslims: The lower house of India's Parliament approved a bill to implement a Supreme Court ruling that the Muslim practice of instant divorce is unconstitutional. Opposition parties walked out in protest of a three-year jail term for any man who divorced in such a way. The government does not have a majority in the upper house and will need some opposition support to make the bill law. Last year, the high court ruled that allowing Muslim men to divorce by "triple talaq" violated the constitutional rights of Muslim women. Most of India's 170 million Muslims are governed by the Muslim personal law for family matters.Critics also warn that the U.S. withdrawal could lead to a resurgence of the Islamic State. This is possible, although in western Syria, which is under the control of the Syrian government and its allies, there is little visible Islamic State activity. In any case, U.S. troops cant destroy the Islamic State ideology, and restraining future recruitment by the extremist group requires more than some infrastructure rehabilitation projects. Syrians had electricity and water when they rose up against Assad in 2011; it is Syrias underlying societal problems that spawned the unrest and spurred Islamist extremist recruitment. Only Syrians, not U.S. troops and stabilization teams, can reverse that. We would do well to be humbler about our abilities, especially in the face of sustained, widespread regional hostility.Those pollutants are part of the reason that paper manufacturing giant WestRock remains the single largest privately owned emitter of toxic air pollution in Virginia, according to EPA data. WestRock owns three paper mills in Virginia that produce black liquor renewable energy credits for the Maryland market, as well as paper products for the rest of the world. Its mill in Covington, Va., was the No. 1 emitter of toxic air pollutants in Virginia in 2015, besting even the states largest coal plants.My last meeting with Asia had taken place on Oct. 10 at the womens prison in Multan, about 250 miles from my home in the eastern city of Lahore, where she had been incarcerated for the past five years. Contrary to reports of her terrible treatment in prison, Asia seemed to have found a quiet life of sisterhood with her guards, who allowed her a television set and more time outside her cell than usually granted to death-row inmates. The relatively benign treatment might have resulted from pressure by Western governments, but I sensed it was because the guards recognized Asias bravery and human spirit.Kims answer may come in his annual New Years Day speech. Recent North Korean statements have stressed that, in North Koreas view, the Singapore communiques commitment to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula doesnt refer just to the Norths weapons but to U.S. weapons that could threaten Pyongyang. Some of these statements have been hard-edged, but there has been no sign that Kim is planning to make a U-turn.It began this way: marked by sniping about his reform tendencies, especially where Catholic Church teaching on the family is concerned. As the Vatican geared up for its 2018 synod assembly  a meeting of bishops from around the world who gather in Rome to advise the pope on different issues, this year on youth and vocations  talk that the 2014 and 2015 synod meetings on the family had been rigged in favor of a reformist agenda circulated among anti-Francis factions. Perhaps the Francis skeptics assumed they would get to press their case against the pope again when the October synod on youth came to pass. But even they couldnt have predicted what sort of opportunities would present themselves in the meantime.It started with the hiring freezes that threw a wrench into the day-to-day operations of nearly every federal agency  with no apparent benefit to the taxpayers. It continued with executive orders undermining workplace protections for federal workers and their ability to organize as part of a union. The targeting was compounded by the administrations plan to cut retirement benefits for 2.6 million federal retirees and survivors, and recently led to an attempt by the president to arbitrarily freeze the pay of the entire federal workforce. Thankfully, the Senate saw the shortsightedness of that endeavor and voted to override the administrations freeze. The House can and should follow suit.He has done this to small businesses around the country, refusing to pay for cabinetry, catering, real estate commissions, and other goods and services after theyve already been delivered. His companies have also filed for bankruptcy six times, helping him wriggle out of bills. Given this reputation, its hardly surprising that vendors and lenders alike ultimately learned it was wiser not to do business with him at all, rather than count on him to keep his word.The battle in Syria continues because the Kurds  our supposed allies and friends  continue to fight for their freedom from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his tyranny. Who will support them now that our troops are gone? Mr. Assad, his allies in Russia and the remaining forces of the Islamic State now have a blank check to do whatever they please to the long-suffering Kurds and others in Syria. Who will stop them? How is it possible for Mr. Kellogg to believe our security interests are best served by leaving our allies in Syria high and dry?And he does fear them, bigly. The latest illustration is the way he chickened out on a bipartisan agreement to keep the government fully funded, instead forcing a partial shutdown over chump change for the wall. I use quotation marks because there never was going to be an actual, physical, continuous wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, much less one paid for by the Mexican government. The president is desperately trying to avoid acknowledging this and other realities before the 2020 election.So-called Passport-gate was such a matter. During the 1992 presidential campaign, there was intense media interest in a rumor (later proved untrue) that Bill Clinton at one time wanted to renounce his citizenship and that there was a letter in his State Department passport file to that effect. An investigation ensued and took aim at some high-level George H.W. Bush administration officials, questioning who may have looked at the file or encouraged others to do so. A referral to the Justice Department of the results of that investigation started a clock running that gave the attorney general limited time to decide whether to ask a special court to appoint an independent counsel. The independent counsel statute itself was set to expire in the middle of December 1992 ; it was on its last legs due to a bipartisan conclusion that independent counsels were a bad idea.With the partial government shutdown headed toward its second week and no resolution in sight, President Trump on Friday issued a string of tweets in which he again vowed to close the entire U.S. border with Mexico and halt aid to several Latin American countries unless Democrats agree to his demand for billions of dollars in wall funding.

Trump also canceled plans to visit his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, and will remain in Washington over the New Years holiday, Office of Management and budget director Mick Mulvaney said.

About 25 percent of the federal government has been shut down since Saturday, with roughly 800,000 workers affected, including an estimated 350,000 who are on furlough at home.

We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with, Trump said in a morning tweet.

We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with. Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

In a reprise of his threat before the midterm elections to cut off aid to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador as a caravan of migrants was making its way toward the United States, Trump said that those three countries are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money.

Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it, he said, without providing further details. We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries  taking advantage of U.S. for years!

Despite Trumps threat, the United States this month announced a new collaboration with Mexico on a program to curb migration from Central American countries, with much of the $10.6 billion U.S. contribution to be drawn from existing aid programs.

Trumps tweets come as Congress has effectively given up on breaking the impasse over the presidents demands for border-wall funding, all but ensuring that the partial government shutdown will stretch into at least the start of the new year.

[What closes when the government shuts down]

The House and the Senate convened for just minutes Thursday before gaveling closed until next week. During the brief session in the House, Republicans shot down a Democratic attempt to vote on legislation to reopen the government.

Members of the congressional leadership were not in Washington, though aides insisted that lawmakers could return if there is a deal to end the shutdown. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was in his home state, according to his office, while Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) was with his family in New York.

Aides to House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) declined to say where they were.

The House remains ready to act once there is a product that can pass the Senate and that the president says he will sign, said AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for Ryan.

Trumps previous threats to build a wall and force Mexico to pay for it led to diplomatic clashes with the government of former president Enrique Pena Nieto. But Mexicos new president  Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who is a leftist  has tried to avoid such disputes.

Asked about Trumps latest tweets, Lopez Obrador told reporters Friday: We have acted prudently and cautiously, and we have not expressed an opinion on this theme, because this is an internal matter of the U.S. government and we prefer to abstain from making a statement.

He added that the Mexican government is seeking to always maintain a very good relationship with the government of the United States.

As he did Thursday, Trump remained out of public view on Friday. In an appearance on Fox News, Mulvaney said that the president had canceled his plans for Christmas, and now hes canceled his plan for New Years.

Hes staying in Washington, D.C., over New Years, said Mulvaney, who is set to become Trumps acting chief of staff next month.

[Borderline: Navigating the invisible boundary and physical barriers that define the U.S.-Mexico border]

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said early Friday afternoon that the president was in the West Wing meeting with staff and making calls and that there were no plans as of now for him to travel to Florida.

Even though Trump will be in town and Republicans control both chambers of Congress, Mulvaney acknowledged that little progress on a deal is expected until the start of the new Congress on Jan. 3, when Democrats will retake the House.

Contending that Democrats have simply shut down the discussions, Mulvaney claimed that Schumer was really interested in doing a deal in their recent negotiations, but the more were hearing this week is that its [House Minority Leader] Nancy Pelosi whos preventing that from happening.

Nancy Pelosi, in fairness, does not have the votes for the speakership yet, Mulvaney said. She cannot be seen by her party as being weak on negotiating with Donald Trump. So we fully expect that until she is elected speaker and has locked that vote up, we dont expect to hear from the Democrats again.

According to a Washington Post tally, Pelosi, who won the Democratic caucuss nomination for the speakership in late November, appears to have secured enough support to be elected speaker in January.

Throughout the negotiations, Pelosi and Schumer have presented a united front, issuing several joint statements and appearing together at an Oval Office meeting with Trump and Vice President Pence on Dec. 11.

Pelosis spokesman, Drew Hammill, said in a statement Friday that Democrats are united against the Presidents immoral, ineffective and expensive wall  the wall that he specifically promised that Mexico would pay for.

Democrats will not consider any offers that have not been publicly endorsed by Trump himself, he said, adding that the last time the White House directly reached out to Pelosi was when the president called her following the Oval Office meeting.

While we await the presidents public proposal, Democrats have made it clear that, under a House Democratic majority, we will vote swiftly to reopen government on Day One, Hammill said.

A Schumer spokesman said that Schumer and Pelosi have been in constant and close contact and on the same page with regards to shutdown strategy. There is no daylight between them.

At the heart of the stalemate is Trumps demand for $5 billion in funding for his proposed wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. Congressional Democrats have rejected that figure and in recent weeks have refused to publicly endorse a figure above $1.3 billion, which continues existing funding levels and includes money for new border fencing and levee walls but not the concrete wall Trump once demanded before he started more recently talking about steel slats.

Legislation with that level of funding, which would have kept the entire government open through Feb. 8, passed the Senate unanimously last week, but Trump subsequently rejected it.

Mulvaney said Friday that some folks use the term wall and they mean different things.

Everyone agrees that what we can and should be building on that southern border is that steel barrier that the president tweeted out. Thats what he wants to build. The Democrats, believe it or not, dont call that a wall, he said.

Erica Werner and Paul Kane in Washington and Mary Beth Sheridan in Mexico City contributed to this report.Harris has said he had no knowledge of any illegal activity and said he supports an investigation. However, he has argued the election results should be certified in the meantime. The State Board should not deprive the citizens of the 9th District of their right to representation, he said in a filing to the state elections board Friday.Unit 54777 has several front organizations that are financed through government grants as public diplomacy organizations but are covertly run by the GRU and aimed at Russian expatriates, the intelligence officer said. Two of the most significant are InfoRos and the Institute of the Russian Diaspora. In February 2014, for instance, shortly before Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine, the institute and InfoRos launched an appeal, purportedly on behalf of Russian organizations in Ukraine, calling on Putin to intervene in the brewing crisis, the intelligence officer said.The government shutdown continues; Indonesia struggles to recover from the tsunami; elections are postponed in Congo; and the Els Enfarinats battle in Ibi, Spain, with flour, eggs and firecrackers.

Dec. 23, 2018 As an airliner prepares to land, a bird takes off at the Gravelly Point park near Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va. Michael S. Williamson/The Washington PostIlham Ahmed, a senior Kurdish official, said the U.S. troops have not yet withdrawn from Manbij, the Associated Press reported. She said an agreement is being worked out between the Russians and the Syrian government in which the latter takes over once the withdrawal is complete.During his remarks, Trump attacked House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi by name, saying the only way he could get the California Democrat to support a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico was to say he no longer wanted one. He told the troops that Democrats oppose strong borders and defense spending increases that help take care of the military. At an earlier news conference on base, he said that we have a problem with the Democrats because Nancy Pelosi is calling the shots.The inspiration for Succession is plainly obvious. A drama about a clan's struggle for the reins of a global media empire held by their ageing patriarch, it is a palimpsest for the reach and travails of Rupert Murdoch and his children. The fictional Logan Roy, played with an intractable desire for control by Brian Cox, may be Scottish by birth instead of Australian, but the thrust of his businesses, the array of his children, and the issues raised by his defiant estate planning would make a Murdoch biographer nod in acknowledgment.

The HBO series, which after a tip-toe delay is currently screening on Foxtel's Showcase channel, the cable broadcaster owned and operated by Murdoch's News Corp, makes great use of the unofficial source material. Creator Jesse Armstrong masterfully sketches an ageing ruler  King Lear is one of many subordinate influences  whose offspring circle him like wary satellites, at once suspicious and loving, wilful and caring. But the story doesn't overdo the comparison, or try to nail down the Murdoch pathology.

Succession keeps the focus on the family members, and those close  physically, if not emotionally  to them. Credit:Colin Hutton

The episodes never dwell too closely on what Logan's Waystar Royco truly does; the multinational's fictional cable news network ATN is conservative and primed to throw punches, but it's nowhere near the deluded propaganda machine that Fox News is. The focus is always the family members, and those close  physically, if not emotionally  to them. The settings are often family functions, beginning with Logan's 80th birthday celebration, and controlling the company is secondary to what achieving that would signify in terms of the family dynamic.

When Logan postpones a succession plan for Kendall (Jeremy Strong), the ambitious heir desperate to prove himself after being previously side-tracked by drug addiction, it brings into play Kendall's siblings from his father's second marriage. There's the mocking dilettante Roman (a perfectly cast Kieran Culkin) and political strategist Siobhan (Sarah Snook), known to all and sundry as "Shiv"; that shiv is also a term for a homemade prison knife is a succinct expression of her propulsive drive to succeed.This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For over 14 years and 30,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.Petition Gaining Significant Support, But Company Says It Will Close Store

Emily Bussanich of Dix and Andrew Moore of Potter hold signs at Third and Chestnut streets in Kimball promoting the liquidation sale at the community's Shopko Hometown store that's been targeted to close.

Kimball isn't giving up its Shopko Hometown store quietly, but saving it appears to be a long shot.

An online petition urging Shopko Stores Operating Co. to keep open the store gained about 1,000 supporters in just two days last week, days after the company reversed its decision to close another Shopko Hometown outlet in Stanley, N.D., that also attracted a burst of community support. The total surpassed 1,250 by Christmas evening.

The Kimball petition joined an email campaign to save the store at 1217 S. Highway 71. Still, chances seem unlikely of changing Shopko's mind about leaving Kimball.

Michelle Hansen, public relations manager for Shopko at company headquarters in Green Bay, Wis., told The Observer on Friday that the local store "will close the end of February" following liquidation sales that began Dec. 7.

Shopko announced intentions this month to close 39 stores in 19 states due to long-term profit outlook, sales trends and potential growth, Hansen said. She said it was a difficult but necessary decision "despite al the stores' efforts."

Hansen said Shopko will help employees interested in transferring to other stores or provide severance benefits. The Kimball store employs about 16 workers.

"Shopko deeply values its employees and the communities it serves," Hansen said. "It is never an easy decision to close a location, and Shopko thanks its employees for all their support and hard work as well as its loyal customers."

In the meantime, Kimball fights the good fight.

Nicole Sanneh of Kimball started the petition Dec. 19 on the Change.org website and by late afternoon Dec. 21 the effort was within a hair of gaining 1,000 supporters.

Sanneh's petition came with this message: "Without this retail store, Kimball and surrounding area residents will have to drive 35+ miles for basic household items. So much more than the retail sales will be lost. Jobs will be lost as well as the economy."

Some are working to avoid that.

In an update to the petition, Kimball economic developer Amy Sapp wrote, "We have been in talks with building owners and Shopko representatives to work on some other solutions but having community support also will help."

Various efforts carry on for Kimball Shopko supporters to email or call Shopko corporate headquarters with pleas to save the local store. The Western Nebraska Observer has placed an ad in this Dec 27 edition with contact information for folks to do that. Similar messages appear on the Grow Kimball and Change.org websites.

But the sad probability that the local Shopko Hometown may be fading away has been evident for days in none other than downtown Kimball. There, at the busy corner of Third and Chestnut streets, motorists have been seeing Emily Bussanich of Dix and Andrew Moore of Potter hold up signs several hours a day promoting the Shopko liquidation sale. It's a paying job.

"I'm doing it for the money," Moore said. "I'm not going to lie about it."

Bussanich said she didn't know about the petition to save the local store until being told about it Friday.

"That's cool," she said. "More power to them."Westport educator one of nearly 4,000 new certified teachers

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards recently celebrated 3,907 new National Board Certified Teachers and another 4,446 board-certified teachers who successfully renewed their certification in 2018.

These teachers join a growing community of board-certified teachers, now more than 122,000 across all 50 states.

This year, the state of Connecticut had one teacher who achieved board certification  Ann Neary, an English teacher at Staples High School. Neary is now one of three board-certified teachers from Westport public schools, the other two being Kristina Rodriguez and Paul Zajac.

Local Halloran Sage attorneys receive accolades

Two Westport-based Halloran Sage attorneys, Stephen Fogerty and Leslie Grodd, were recently named to the 200 Outstanding Lawyers of Fairfield County list of 2018. Both received the highest rankings from at least two organizations with highly regarded selection criteria that serve the legal profession.

Fogerty, managing partner of the firms Fairfield County office in Westport, received recognition in the Alternative Dispute Resolution practice area.

Grodd received recognition for his taxation practice, which focuses on income and estate tax matters for high net worth individuals and their businesses. He combines forty-five years as an attorney with previous experience as a member of the tax department at a nationally-known accounting firm based in New York City.

Podcasting the focus of WestportWRITES conference

Sunday, Dec 2, 2018 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM

WestportWRITES will be hosting a mini-conference on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. at Toquet Hall, focusing on narrative podcasting.

Maker in residence Anthony Desiato (documentary filmmaker and host of the My Comic Shop History podcast) will discuss what it takes to create a podcast and make it stand out during his discussion titled Behind the Mic: The Art and Tech of Podcasting.

Desiato will break down a quartet of key components for a successful podcast: style, hardware, delivery, and marketing. Desiato will guide participants as they develop their show ideas and record demos using actual podcast equipment.

WestportWRITES is a yearlong series designed to take writing to the next level. Designed to create a support structure along the path to publication, the monthly mini-conferences and workshop-based programming will culminate with a writers conference.

Staples High gets $500 as part of STEM initiative

Ken Kronberg, president of Westport Realty, LLC, operators of several Exxon and Mobil gas stations in Fairfield County, recently presented Staples High School Principal James DAmico with a check for $500 to use for STEM-related initiatives at the school, according to a news release.

This type of community support allows us to expand on the tremendous opportunities that Staples students have, helping fund experiences beyond the school curriculum, DAmico said. He anticipated the money would be used to support student publication of their own scientific research, and to help students explore STEM-related careers.

Global Partners, LP announced earlier in December that it would once again participate in the Educational Alliance Program, contributing $228,000 to 456 schools across the Northeast. Each school will receive $500 from a local Global-affiliated gas station to apply towards a STEM-related item of their choice, including lab supplies, field trips and more.

Fractured exhibit to open at Westport Arts Center

The Westport Arts Center presents the Fractured: Photographs by Spencer Platt exhibit, opening Jan. 11 from 6 to 8 p.m. and on view through March 2.

Fractured is the first solo exhibition of award-winning photographer Platt. The photojournalistic works are curated by art critic Kenneth Baker, presenting the human narratives behind news headlines in a fine art context for the first time.

Baker joins an extensive roster of curatorial talent over recent years, including Elizabeth Gorayeb (Wildenstein Plattner Institute), Joe Amrhein and Susan Swenson (Pierogi Gallery), Alexandra Munroe (Guggenheim Museum), Lisa Phillips (New Museum), Gerry Snyder (Pratt Institute), and Douglas Hyland (New Bristain Museum of American Art).

Call open for Maker Faire participants

The call for participants for the eigth annual Maker Faire Westport is now open.

Celebrating its eighth year, the theme this year is 8: Cre8, Innov8, Educ8. Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire Westport is an all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students and commercial exhibitors.

All of these makers come to Maker Faire Westport to show what they are creating and to share what they are learning. Started in 2012, Maker Faire Westport has grown to become Connecticuts largest single day event, attracting an estimated 13,500 attendees at its event in 2018.

Highlights for the 2019 edition already committed include drone racing and the worlds largest globally crowdsourced 3D-printed duck. Maker Faire Westport will be held in downtown Westport from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 27. The event is free to attend.

Makers who want to be a part of Maker Faire Westport 2019 should apply online at westport.makerfaire.com/callfor-makers. The deadline for applying is Feb. 15, 2019. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. For information, contact Mark Mathias at mark@remarkablesteam.org, 203-226-1791 or westport.makerfaire.com.The LifeCouple application, which enables individuals to monitor how they are doing in relationships with their partners, is currently available through the Apple App Store. Courtesy

A Carmel Valley resident is spearheading the development of an online application that encourages its users to get along better with their significant others.

Entrepreneur Sean Rones said he has been working over the last year with a group of other Carmel Valley men on bringing the app LifeCouple to life.

LifeCouple is an interactive platform that can be loaded at no cost to participants on their iPhones through lifecouple.net or the Apple App Store. The product is in its exploratory beta phase launched in early December.

We have over 200 (users) without even mentioning it to anybody  just on the teams Facebook pages, Rones said in a recent interview at a Carmel Valley coffee shop.

This is a plan to get a few thousand local San Diego users, and communicate with them, if possible, on a one-on-one basis on what they like, what they need and what we could do better, so we can iterate and make modifications of the current app as well as add the features and tools ... that could best create positive empowerment results, Rones said.

He calls LifeCouples approach MMA  mixed marital arts. The app tracks and measures users interactions with their partners in four areas  trust, communication, intimacy and conflict resolution. Ultimately, the goal is to keep couples together for life, rather than split up and divorce.

We (as a society) track and monitor all different aspects and important things in ones life, Rones said. What we do not track ... is the health of our relationship. ...

What LifeCouple is about is tracking and keeping you accountable for aspects that might be going a little bit in the wrong direction, or you might want to consider having the relationship going in a positive direction. ... Its a fit-bit for your relationship.

Carmel Valley resident Sean Rones founded the concept of the LifeCouple app. Courtesy

Still, Rones said, the app is not intended to be a substitute for professional counseling and therapy, but rather as a method to complement such assistance or prevent the need for it.

LifeCouple has attracted interest and support from relationship professionals, including one of the companys advisory board members, Dr. Chris Fariello. He is founder and director of the Philadelphia Institute for Individual, Relational & Sex Therapy.

LifeCouple is a revolutionary, new idea, Fariello said in an email. Many people are unwilling or unable to do the work they need to do for their relationship.

LifeCouple offers a simple-to-use app that gets people thinking and working on their relationships immediately.

He believes LifeCouple is a system that counselors and therapists can use to assist their clients.

In addition to being able to work on these issues on their own, couples who are working on their relationships with a licensed therapist can use the LifeCouple app for homework assignments (as assigned by the therapist) ... or in-between sessions on their own to enhance the therapeutic process.

Rones emphasized that while LifeCouple is applicable to all ages, it is designed to appeal especially to millennials accustomed to using Internet-linked phones, watches and other devices to manage their lives.

Also, Rones says, the program was crafted with sensitivity to males because of their specific issues in relationships. Yet, LifeCouple works just was well for women and is LGBT-friendly, he stressed.

Its not focused on men; its not focused on women. But its developed in a way that makes men want to work on a relationship, Rones said. Its developed to solve some of the challenges and that is men are normally not as proactive as women or are less apt to look at or work on a relationship.

A San Diego native, Rones said he came up with the underlying concept of LifeCouple by reflecting on his own as well as others experiences in relationships.

He then began discussing the fundamental concept of tracking interactions in relationships with the other Carmel Valley collaborators with expertise in technology and other areas

Rones said he founded the LifeCouple corporation and serves as its CEO.

The firm is looking to complete the beta phase and begin commercially marketing the app by Valentines Day in February.

We are reaching out to (the public) ... to not just help yourself, but to help pioneer and take part in building something that could change the dynamics of relationships on a global front, not just in the United States, Rones said.A developer plans to replace the Carmel Valley Tio Leos restaurant with a five-story, 127-room Hyatt Place Hotel that will include an outdoor pool and spa, fitness room, meeting spaces and one level of underground parking.

A city of San Diego hearing officer recently approved the proposed 106,675-square-foot hotel project, which will be 60 feet tall  down from the 72 feet initially proposed by the developer.

The Tio Leos, which opened on the 1.5-acre site in 1983, occupies a one-story, 8,700-square-foot structure. Because its less than 45 years old, the structure hasnt been considered for historical significance.

Three other locations of Tio Leos will continue operating. They are located in Linda Vista, Poway and Grantville.

The hotel is required to have 127 parking spots, the same number of guest rooms, because it wont have any restaurants or other amenities that serve people other than hotel guests. There will also be three spaces for motorcycles and eight slots for bicycles.

The site, 3510 Valley Centre Drive, is located just south north of Carmel Valley Road and just west of Interstate 5.

Surrounding uses include gas stations, fast food restaurants and other hotels. The site is just south of the San Diego Marriott Del Mar. A Hampton Inn and a Doubletree Hilton are just to the east.

The rooms in the hotel will all be suites. The project will include a 2,500-square-foot lobby, 2,500 square feet of bars and restaurants and 1,400 square feet of meeting spaces.

The Carmel Valley Community Planning Group unanimously endorsed the project last year, but members expressed concerns that the proposed design wouldnt integrate effectively with the nearby Costa Azul development.

That project, also endorsed by the planning group but not yet approved by the city, would include a Westin hotel, an office building and a restaurant at El Camino Real and Valley Centre Drive.

The architect on the hotel replacing Tio Leos is W. Scott Ballard of La Jolla.MONTREAL - Frederic Pelletier is boldly predicting he and his team will get the New Horizons spacecraft exactly where it should be on New Year's Day  1.6 billion kilometres beyond Pluto to rendezvous with a space rock known as Ultima Thule.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/12/2018 (1071 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MONTREAL - Frederic Pelletier is boldly predicting he and his team will get the New Horizons spacecraft exactly where it should be on New Year's Day  1.6 billion kilometres beyond Pluto to rendezvous with a space rock known as Ultima Thule.

The goal of the NASA mission is to pass by the region known as the "Kuiper Belt" and send data back to Earth that can help explain the origins of the solar system. The flyby of Ultima Thule is being described by the space agency as the "farthest exploration of any planetary body in history."

A handout illustration shows NASAAos New Horizons spacecraft encountering 2014 MU69 Ai nicknamed AuUltima ThuleAu Ai a Kuiper Belt object. Set for New YearAos 2019, New HorizonsAo exploration of Ultima will be the farthest space probe flyby in history.THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI MANDATORY CREDIT

NASA says by exploring the region beyond Pluto, scientists can learn more about comets, small planets and other material dating back to the era when planets were formed  4.5 billion years in the past.

By the time the New Horizons spacecraft makes its closest approach to Ultima Thule  scheduled for 12:33 a.m. eastern standard time on Jan. 1, 2019  the vehicle will be 6.6 billion kilometres from Earth.

"It's very difficult, we don't have much information about (Ultima Thule)," Pelletier said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press. "I'm a bit nervous, but I feel confident ... all the stars are aligned."

NASA contracted Pelletier to be the chief navigator of the spacecraft for the New Horizons mission, whose original plan was to fly past Pluto. The team reached its goal when the vehicle successfully flew by the dwarf planet on July 14, 2015, and sent back data "that resulted in profound new insights about Pluto and its moons," according to the space agency's website.

The voyage beyond Pluto to the Kuiper Belt is part of the extended mission.

Pelletier and his eight-member team are responsible for delivering the spacecraft, which is the size of a baby grand piano, to the target.

It will fly by Ultima Thule at a distance of about 3,500 kilometres, going 14 kilometres a second  or 50,000 kilometres an hour. Pelletier compared it to a motorist inside a car who is trying to look at a lamppost.

"It's going by real fast," he said.

Pelletier said scientists estimate Ultima Thule to be about the same size as Washington D.C.

"It's estimated to have a diameter of 30 kilometres right now," Pelletier said. "We suspect that it's not going to be spherical, that it's going to have some weird shape to it. There's also the possibility that it will be a binary asteroid  two objects touching each other or in close formation."

What has made the task even more challenging for the Quebec City native is the fact that it takes six hours for the signal from Earth to reach the spacecraft and another six hours to return.

"So when we plan manoeuvres to do uplinks and updates, we need to take that into account," Pelletier noted.

The New Horizons spacecraft blasted off Jan. 19, 2006, for its trip to Pluto, and since 2015, has been moving deeper into space. The mission is being hosted by Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physical Laboratory in Laurel, Md., where Pelletier and his team are working.

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Ultima Thule was first detected in 2014 using the Hubble Space Telescope, meaning the rock was only discovered after the New Horizons launch.

NASA says scientists estimate there are several hundred objects with a diameter longer than 30 kilometres waiting to be discovered in what's known as "the third zone" of our solar system.

"I'm an explorer," Pelletier said. "I love going to places (that are) unexplored  we're on the edge of the solar system. The Kuiper Belt was only discovered in the 1990s."

Until the Jan. 1 flyby, Pelletier will keep busy monitoring Ultima Thule, barely giving him time to celebrate his 44th birthday on Friday, Dec. 28.

But his wife and two boys, aged 9 and 12, will be flying up to Maryland to join him in the coming days.

Pelletier has worked on a number of other space missions, including the voyage the Cassini spacecraft took to Saturn, and he also participated in the Mars Curiosity landing.Liberal MaryAnn Mihychuk's Kildonan-St. Paul seat is seen as a battleground between the Conservatives and the Liberals.Bold Commerce, the Winnipeg e-commerce software company, has formed a board of directors with three independent directors in addition to the companys four founders.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/12/2018 (1071 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bold Commerce, the Winnipeg e-commerce software company, has formed a board of directors with three independent directors in addition to the companys four founders.

The move could be a prelude to the companys first-ever injection of outside capital, which is likely to be announced in the coming weeks. Bold has become the largest app developer for the Ottawa-based Shopify e-commerce platform.

In six years, Bold Commerce, which has been entirely self-funded to date, has outgrown successive locations. The company now has about 260 employees and expects to hire another 150 in 2019 alone.

Joining the board are well-known Manitoba business leaders Michael Legary and Curwin Friesen, as well as Tim Jackson, based in Waterloo, Ont.

Legary is a Winnipeg information technology entrepreneur who built one of the countrys first cybersecurity firms with a national base of government and private sector clients. He has taken on a leadership role in the startup community and is currently a senior adviser on economic development issues for both the province and the city.

Curwin Friesen is currently the CEO of GVE Inc. (Greenvalley Equipment), which owns a chain of John Deere dealerships. Previously he was the CEO of Friesens printing company in Altona. He is also a shareholder and chairman of Permission Click and is active on several corporate and not-for-profit boards.

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Tim Jackson is currently the CEO of SHAD, a Waterloo-based enrichment and entrepreneurship program and network that empowers exceptional high school students. Hes also the co-founder and partner of the Waterloo venture capital firm Tech Capital Partners. Prior to that, he ran a company called PixStream, where he raised more than $60 million in equity capital and negotiated the $550-million sale of the company to Cisco Systems, in one of the largest technology company acquisitions in Canada at the time.

Yvan Boisjoli, co-founder and CEO of Bold Commerce, said the decision to form a board of directors is part of the general guiding philosophy of the company, which encourages its own staff to find mentors within the company to grow and learn and share ideas.

"This is really no different," he said. "As founders we really dont know whats coming and (whatever it is), we have never done it before. To have people with that knowledge and experience to bounce ideas off and learn from  instead of learning the hard way, which we have done for the past six years  will be beneficial for the company."

Co-founder Jason Myers said, "Our company has evolved and we have gotten to the point where we wanted the wisdom of people who have gone through building successful businesses. These three people come with unique skill sets and experience we thought filled some missing pieces for us."

Growing from 110 to 262 employees in 2018, Bold has been recognized for its innovation in the tech community. Reporting a 3,692 per cent growth in revenue, Bold was ranked 12th out of the fastest-growing tech companies in Canada on Deloittes Technology Fast 50 list in 2017, and won the Emerging Entrepreneur award from Ernst & Young last year.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.caSALT LAKE CITY - New Year's Eve revelers in Utah could find themselves with more than a hangover as 2019 dawns. If they drink and drive, they could end up on the wrong side of the nation's newest and lowest DUI threshold.

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This article was published 28/12/2018 (1071 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In this Dec. 20, 2018, photo, Maude Romney, 29, right, drinks at the Beer Hive Pub, in Salt Lake City. The United States' lowest DUI threshold takes effect this weekend in Utah. Stopping for a whiskey after work with her sister at the upscale pub Beerhive, Maude Romney, 29, said she'll likely only go to places she can walk to from her home downtown. "I'm paranoid about it already," she said. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

SALT LAKE CITY - New Year's Eve revelers in Utah could find themselves with more than a hangover as 2019 dawns. If they drink and drive, they could end up on the wrong side of the nation's newest and lowest DUI threshold.

The 0.05 per cent limit goes into effect Sunday, despite protests that it will punish responsible drinkers and hurt the state's tourism industry by adding to the reputation that the predominantly Mormon state is unfriendly to those who drink alcohol. The state's old limit was 0.08 per cent, the threshold in most states.

For Utah lawmakers, the change is a safety measure aimed at encouraging people not to drive at all if they've been drinking.

The change was easily approved in 2017 by the Legislature, which is mostly Mormon and mostly Republican, and signed into law by Gov. Gary Herbert, also a Republican and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The religion teaches its members to abstain from drinking alcohol.

"The vast majority of people nationwide think that if a person has been drinking they shouldn't be driving," said Republican Rep. Norm Thurston, who sponsored the measure.

FILE - In this June 21, 2017, file photo, Rep. Norm Thurston, R-Provo, looks on during a hearing at the state Capitol, in Salt Lake City. The United States' lowest DUI threshold takes effect this weekend in Utah. Lawmakers in the state approved the 0.05 percent blood-alcohol limit in 2017, and Gov. Gary Herbert signed it into law. The change goes into effect Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

The change means that depending on things such as food intake, a 150-pound man could be over the 0.05 limit after two beers in an hour, while a 120-pound woman could exceed it after a single drink in that time, according to figures from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The National Transportation Safety Board also backs the change, and many in the hospitality industry worry that other states will follow suit. Utah was among the first to adopt the now-standard 0.08 threshold decades ago, and lawmakers in four states  Washington, Hawaii, Delaware and New York  have floated measures to lower their DUI limit in recent years. None has passed.

"Other states proposing the 0.05 law, don't just follow blindly in the footsteps of Utah," said Jackson Shedelbower, a spokesman for the American Beverage Institute, a national restaurant group.

In 2017, the group took out newspaper ads in Utah, neighbouring states and in USA Today, featuring a fake mugshot under a large headline reading, "Utah: Come for vacation, leave on probation."

It's unfair that smaller people could violate the new threshold after just one or two drinks in quick succession, even though they're no more impaired than someone talking on a hands-free cellphone, his group argues.

NTSB member Bella Dinh-Zarr countered that fears about the law are overblown. Nearly 100 countries have a similar limit, and it hasn't correlated with less drinking per-capita. Federally funded research indicates the standard could save some 1,500 lives a year if adopted around the U.S., she said.

FILE - In this March 17, 2017, file photo, Ed Staley, left, and Tali Bruce, right, attend a rally concerning the DUI threshold at the Utah state Capitol in Salt Lake City. The United States' lowest DUI threshold takes effect this weekend in Utah. Lawmakers in the state approved the 0.05 percent blood-alcohol limit in 2017, and Gov. Gary Herbert signed it into law. The change goes into effect Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

"The restaurant industry should support this because it keeps their customers alive and drinking," Dinh-Zarr said.

Utah's law takes effect as the state basks in the news that the U.S. Olympic Committee chose Salt Lake City over Denver as a future bid city, most likely for the 2030 Winter Olympics. State tourism officials say they're not concerned about the law driving away visitors.

With the increased use of Uber and other ride-hailing apps, many people going out for a night on the town don't set foot in their own cars. In Utah, DUI arrests have dropped more than 50 per cent over the past seven years despite a booming population, according to state figures.

Even if the law doesn't present a practical problem, it could scare off some visitors who see the state as rigid about liquor laws, said David Corsun, director of the Daniels College of Business' Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management. Still, it's hard to say how big the impact might be.

"If you really want to ski Utah, you're going to ski Utah. You're just going to figure it out," Corsun said.

Police, meanwhile, say they're aiming to stop dangerous drivers, not target people who might have had a drink or two and could be in violation of the lowered DUI threshold.

"You can't just stop someone who left a bar because you suspect they may have used alcohol," said Sgt. Nick Street with the Utah Highway Patrol.

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Still, patrons of Salt Lake City's burgeoning bar scene do feel unfairly singled out by the change.

Stopping for a whiskey after work with her sister at the upscale pub Beerhive, Maude Romney, 29, said she'll likely only go to places she can walk to from her downtown home.

"I'm paranoid about it already," she said.

A DUI charge can be expensive and have long-term effects on careers.

In a booth in a corner, recent Ohio transplant Rob Wheatley, 50, said he drinks to try new craft beers, not to get drunk. He's skeptical that the law will be a serious deterrent for binge drinkers.

"I don't know if it's going to change anyone's behaviour," he said. "If they're going to have a beer, they're going to have a beer."The richest people on Earth lost US$511 billion this year after record first-half gains were obliterated by a succession of bruising market sell-offs.

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This article was published 28/12/2018 (1071 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The richest people on Earth lost US$511 billion this year after record first-half gains were obliterated by a succession of bruising market sell-offs.

Global trade tensions and worries about a U.S. recession dragged markets lower at year-end, leaving the 500 people on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index with a combined net worth of US$4.7 trillion as of Fridays close. Its only the second annual decline for the daily wealth index since its 2012 debut, and represents a sharp about-turn from the start of the year, when bullish investors helped propel the fortunes of the richest to a record US$5.6 trillion.

"As of late, investor anxiety has run high," said Katie Nixon, chief investment officer at Northern Trust Wealth Management. "We do not expect a recession, but we are mindful of the downside risks to global growth."

Even Jeff Bezos, who recorded the biggest gain for 2018, wasnt spared the volatility. His fortune peaked at US$168 billion in September, a US$69-billion gain. It later tumbled US$53 billion  more than the market value of Delta or Ford  to leave him with US$115 billion at year-end.

The Amazon founder had a better year than Mark Zuckerberg, who recorded the biggest loss since January, dropping US$23 billion as Facebook Inc. careened from crisis to crisis. Overall, the 173 U.S. billionaires on the list  the largest cohort  lost 5.9 per cent from their fortunes to leave them with US$1.9 trillion.

Even Asias fabled wealth-creation machine stumbled as the regions 128 billionaires lost a combined US$144 billion in 2018. The three biggest losers in Asia all hailed from China, led by Wanda Groups Wang Jianlin, whose fortune declined US$11.1 billion.

Despite the turmoil, Asia continued to mint new members of the three-comma club. The Bloomberg index uncovered 39 new members from the region in 2018, although that status proved short-lived for some. Around 40 per cent had lost their 10-figure status as of Dec. 7.

The Middle East had an even more turbulent year. While many of the billionaires ensnared in Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans corruption crackdown were released, doubt and fear about the powerful royals methods sent a chill through the Saudi economy.

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The kingdoms richest person, Prince Alwaleed, who was released in March after 83 days in detention, lost US$3.4 billion. His net worth has fallen by 60 per cent since its peak in 2014. One of the remaining Saudi captives, Mohammed Al Amoudi, managed to become richer during his year in detention, as the value of his Swedish energy and property assets rose. The Saudi government confirmed this month that he was facing charges on graft and corruption and is awaiting trial. Meanwhile, Africas richest saw their fortunes shrink by 14 per cent as the emerging-market rout hammered assets.

From Zara founder Amancio Ortega to former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, most of Europes billionaires saw their fortunes fall. Germanys Schaeffler family, the majority shareholders of car-parts maker Continental AG, lost the most as extra costs and tough business conditions in Europe and Asia hampered the companys performance.

Georg Schaeffler and his mother, Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler-Thumann, are US$17 billion worse off than at the start of the year. That sum alone would place them among the worlds 100 richest people.

Mexicos Carlos Slim, the majority shareholder of Latin Americas largest mobile-phone operator, also suffered big losses. Once the worlds richest person, Slim now ranks sixth with a US$54-billion pile. 3G Capital co-founder Jorge Paulo Lemann saw his fortune drop the most among Latin American billionaires, losing US$9.8 billion. But even with that fall, he remains Brazils richest person.

The number of women on the list inched up by one to 66 as Denise Coates, the British founder and chief executive officer of online bookmaker Bet365 Group Ltd., joined the ranking for the first time. She pocketed 220 million pounds (US$282 million) in remuneration last year, one of the highest disclosed pay packages anywhere, after the company reported record results.

 Bloomberg NewsA prominent Winnipeg physician who has undergone knee and hip surgeries at Concordia Hospital is concerned that the scheduled closures of the hospitals emergency department and intensive care unit will put patients at risk.

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This article was published 28/12/2018 (1070 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A prominent Winnipeg physician who has undergone knee and hip surgeries at Concordia Hospital is concerned that the scheduled closures of the hospitals emergency department and intensive care unit will put patients at risk.

Dr. Richard Boroditsky, who describes himself as "a past and future joint-replacement patient" at Concordia, called the decision "haphazard."

As a practising gynecologic surgeon, Boroditsky said he has operated on patients who have developed unexpected complications. Removing the ER and ICU will, potentially, leave some people at greater risk.

"Theyve had problems, they've had issues with complications and fortunately they've been able to handle them because they've had these support services around," he told the Free Press this week.

"Now I dont know whats going to happen."

'As a patient, I would not go to that hospital, and as a surgeon I would never operate at such a hospital that doesnt have 24-hour care.'  Dr. Richard Boroditsky

The most recent plans outlined for the hospital indicate the ER will be converted to a walk-in clinic in June. The ICU is expected to close at some point in 2019.

"As a patient, I would not go to that hospital, and as a surgeon I would never operate at such a hospital that doesnt have 24-hour care," he said.

Dr. Richard Boroditsky, a surgeon who has also been a patient, is raising the alarm about the pending closure of the Concordia Hospital emergency room. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press)

If the closures proceed as planned, Boroditsky believes other resources should be considered, including a 24-7 team trained in advanced cardiac life support to treat cardiac arrest and respiratory problems, an around-the-clock House Medical Officer and laboratory services, EKG tests and diagnostic imaging.

"Unfortunately, most of the complications that occur during or after joint-replacement surgery aren't expected... but well put it this way: even one or two complications a year that a patient dies or is put at risk is too many," he said.

Boroditsky said the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority could, as a consequence of its decision, be faced with threats from orthopedic surgeons to stop performing joint replacements without the necessary supports.

"I think the WRHA and government have to realize that they have to put some money into maintaining proper emergency coverage," he said.

As its medical director, Boroditsky fought a losing battle against the closure of the Mature Womens Centre at Victoria General Hospital in 2017. The WRHA closed the centre, which had more than 5,000 patient visits in 2016, to save $160,000 a year.

Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson said nurses have been concerned about cuts throughout the health-care system, including the changes at Concordia.

"They service a very large catchment area from outside the east side of the city and thats a big concern when we already know how much overtime has been worked at the Grace, at St. Boniface and at HSC, and how busy their emergency departments are," she said.

Although post-operative complications are not common, they do happen and those patients need access to an intensive care unit, she said.

Concordia Hospital workers, concerned citizens and CUPE members prosted the planned changes during a rally last year. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press files)

"Our understanding is that there is going to be a small unit for patients who do experience some post-operative complications and it's apparently going to be somewhere in the recovery-room area," she said.

"Unfortunately, we are not sure if thats going to be a 24-7 unit, we dont know what type of post-operative issues they are going to handle and those are questions that I dont have answers to."

'I think the WRHA and government have to realize that they have to put some money into maintaining proper emergency coverage.'  Dr. Richard Boroditsky

WRHA spokesman Paul Turenne said discussions about support services are underway, but the details have yet to be confirmed.

"We will have a four-bed assessment unit on site with additional expertise and the capability to monitor and stabilize patients. There will also be a skilled clinical team in place and we will have laboratory and diagnostic imaging support," he said.

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"The need to maintain access to a 24-7 code blue team has been identified by all parties. Concordia Hospital, the WRHA surgery program, physicians and other stakeholders are currently in discussions about how to ensure this access."

Turenne said a review involving professionals in anesthesia, surgery and other medical disciplines is underway to solidify the criteria that will determine a patient's risk level and eligibility to undergo surgery at Concordia.

"Patients will be assessed prior to surgery, and the highest-risk patients and those with complex medical conditions will most likely have their surgeries scheduled at a facility that has an ICU on site," he said.

From October 2017 to October 2018, more than 1,900 hip and knee surgeries were performed at Concordia.

Turenne said the pending changes to the ICU and ER at Concordia Hospital are not expected to change the number of surgeries performed.

nadya.pankiw@freepress.mb.caWhen one of Gimli Fish Markets three Winnipeg stores got a call saying Manitoba Hydro employees were on the way to disconnect its power, general manager Wendy Vigfusson was alarmed, and a little suspicious.

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This article was published 28/12/2018 (1070 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When one of Gimli Fish Markets three Winnipeg stores got a call saying Manitoba Hydro employees were on the way to disconnect its power, general manager Wendy Vigfusson was alarmed, and a little suspicious.

The store has always paid its bill on time but, if there was a glitch at the bank or with the public utilitys record-keeping and the electricity was shut off, the fish sellers financial losses could be huge. "We were all pretty much in a panic," Vigfusson said, recalling the Oct. 10 incident. "We have freezers and equipment and cant afford not to have electricity."

She phoned the number that had shown up on call display as "Manitoba Hydro" and spoke to a professional-sounding customer service representative about the alleged unpaid bill. He quoted an amount owing that was very close to the amount Gimli Fish Market was normally billed.

Vigfusson said she had a credit card ready, rationalizing Hydro would soon discover it made a mistake and reimburse Gimli Fish Market for the overpayment. However, she went with her gut  which was telling her something was "a little bit off."

While talking to the so-called Hydro representative, she checked Manitoba Hydros Twitter feed and discovered warnings about such scams, and realized she had a crook on the line.

"I said, This is a scam, isnt it?" said Vigfusson, who peppered the scammer with questions before he hung up.

Manitoba Hydro said Friday it has recorded a near-300 per cent jump in the number of fraud-related complaints this year  862 phone, text and e-mail scams as of Oct. 31, compared with 221 during the same period in 2017.

The jump is due to an increased number of scammers who threatened to disconnect service to small business owners, said Hydro spokesman Bruce Owen.

"What were finding here now are small business owners  people who deal directly with the public in restaurants and food stores  theyre the ones being targeted" all over Canada and the U.S., he said. "Theyre getting a phone call during the middle of the day, at the height of business, that a truck is on its way and its coming to disconnect the power because you havent paid."

Manitoba Hydro doesnt do that, Owen said. Most businesses know that "but, in the back of their minds, theyre thinking, Ive got thousands of dollars of food in freezers and I cant afford to have the power go out."

Owen figures 10 per cent of the customers whove complained to Hydro realized too late it was a scam, and many others never complain to Hydro even after theyd been duped.

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The sophistication of the scammers is alarming, said Vigfusson  from estimating what the markets hydro bill usually is to the legitimate-looking call display and the professional-sounding customer service rep.

"I feel they put some thought into it," she said. "They wanted it to sound as authentic as possible."

Manitoba Hydro said it has received many other fraud-related complaints this year, including unsolicited text messages to customers saying they were overbilled and eligible for a refund  a scam that aims to get a customers personal banking information.

It advises customers to never give out personal account information, such as debit or credit card numbers, over the phone or in a text or email.

Seniors living alone continue to be targeted by aggressive door-to-door sales, Hydro said in a news release. Its employees always display Manitoba Hydro photo ID and will never demand to enter a home, it said.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.caIts a bit rich to read the Metis leadership complain about the appropriation by outsiders of the symbol represented in the Metis flag, while at the same time unilaterally staking claim to First Nations treaty territories as Metis homeland.

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This article was published 28/12/2018 (1071 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Its a bit rich to read the Metis leadership complain about the appropriation by outsiders of the symbol represented in the Metis flag, while at the same time unilaterally staking claim to First Nations treaty territories as Metis homeland.

In fact, the Metis have limited land rights, if any. If they do, such rights would be subject to the rights of treaty First Nations that signed treaties. Only nations sign treaties.

Biologically, the Metis could not have been in Canada since the beginning of time, as they appear to be asserting. However, I am prepared to read and consider any evidence their advisers might provide which might convince me otherwise.

History and legal facts are also against the Metis having a basis for asserting rights to land. On Oct. 7, 1763, the Royal Proclamation was issued by England and it confirmed "that the several Nations or Tribes of Indians" should not be molested with respect to use of land unless ceded by treaty by them.

On Aug. 1, 1764, an assembly of First Nations concluded the Treaty of Niagara with the Crown. It confirmed their ratification of the Royal Proclamation of 1763. Section 25 of the Constitution Act in 1982 confirmed the Charter of Rights and Freedoms would not be employed to negatively affect treaty or Aboriginal rights, including any rights recognized by the Royal Proclamation. Metis people are not mentioned in any of these historical and legal developments.

The lack of respect the Metis leadership has exhibited regarding First Nations rights is troubling. First Nations rights have, as their foundation, treaty or Aboriginal title. The signing of treaties did not mean Aboriginal title was extinguished anywhere in Canada, pre- or post-Confederation. No land or resources were given up. The original spirit and intent of all treaties was that the land and resources would be shared in a fair way; this sharing is an obligation which remains outstanding and must still be negotiated.

I have invited the Metis in the Northwest Territories, where there are only two treaties (8 and 11) in effect, to work with the First Nations to negotiate a "fair" share of the wealth from the land. Subject to the First Nations leaders accepting that invitation, I am still of the view that Metis should work with First Nations to seek an agreement.

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In the Northwest Territories, First Nations people, in the precedent-setting Paulette court decision, proved successfully through the evidence of their elders that they are the owners of the land. This was before 1982, the year Section 35 became a constitutional legal reality. Section 35 (1) of the Constitution Act, 1982, provides: "The existing Aboriginal and treaty rights of the Aboriginal Peoples of Canada are hereby recognized and affirmed." The word "existing" presents a challenge for the Metis to assert rights to land anywhere in Canada, including in Manitoba.

The provision invites the three Aboriginal Peoples of Canada  the First Nations, Metis and Inuit  to provide proof of any rights which they consider to exist. The Metis, if they have any right to land in Canada, must provide that evidence without encroaching on treaty or Aboriginal title land. This will be a very difficult task.

I want to review the judicial legal effect of the Royal Proclamation. Lord Denning, an eminent English jurist, said, "To my mind the Royal Proclamation of 1763 was equivalent to an entrenched provision in the Constitution of the colonies of North America. It is binding on the Crown so long as the sun shines and the rivers flow." He also said that matters arising from obligations which flowed from the Royal Proclamation and the treaties were justiciable in the courts of Canada and not those of England.

The Supreme Court of Canada, in its Guerin decision, said, "The Royal Proclamation confirmed the existence of Aboriginal title. It did not create it." That same court, in its Calder decision, referred to the proclamation as the "Indian Bill of Rights" and the "Magna Carta" and said it "must be regarded as a fundamental document upon which any just determination of original rights rests." There is no reference to the Metis in any of these judicial pronouncements.

With that in mind, I conclude by restating that only nations with a land base can legally state they are a nation, because only nations sign treaties. This is a legally supportable statement. Without a land base, no peoples in the world can claim to be true nations. Canadas proposed Indigenous Rights Framework must not provide the Metis with a platform which appears to provide them with equal rights to First Nations people without the consent of First Nations. This would be totally inconsistent with the foregoing historical and legal references.

Kenneth B. Young is a lawyer from Opaskwayak Cree Nation. A 10-year survivor of the residential school system, in 1974 he became the first First Nations person to be called to the Manitoba bar. Throughout his legal career, he has been involved both professionally and politically in First Nations issues, including two terms as a regional chief for Manitoba with the Assembly of First Nations.A British adventurer was close to becoming the second person to traverse Antarctica completely unassisted just a few days after an American became the first to conquer the feat, which was previously said to be impossible.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 27/12/2018 (1072 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In this photo provided by Colin O'Brady, of Portland., Ore., he speaks on the phone in Antarctica on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018. He has become the first person to traverse Antarctica alone without any assistance. O'Brady finished the 932-mile (1,500-kilometer) journey across the continent in 54 days, lugging his supplies on a sled as he skied in bone-chilling temperatures. (Colin O'Brady via AP)

A British adventurer was close to becoming the second person to traverse Antarctica completely unassisted just a few days after an American became the first to conquer the feat, which was previously said to be impossible.

Louis Rudd's expedition blog on Thursday showed that the 49-year-old has only has about 50 miles (80 kilometres) left on the journey across the continent and is expected to finish Saturday.

In this photo provided by Colin O'Brady, of Portland., Ore., he poses for a photo while traveling across Antarctica on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018. He has become the first person to traverse Antarctica alone without any assistance. O'Brady finished the 932-mile (1,500-kilometer) journey across the continent in 54 days, lugging his supplies on a sled as he skied in bone-chilling temperatures. (Colin O'Brady via AP)

If Rudd  a Hereford, England, resident and captain in the British Army  completes the journey, he'll become the second man to do so after Colin O'Brady of Portland, Oregon, became the first on Wednesday.

The more than 900-mile (1448-kilometre) trek took O'Brady 54 days. O'Brady and Rudd were competing to become the first to travel across Antarctica without getting new supplies or help from the wind.

O'Brady won after he covered the last roughly 80 miles (129 kilometres) in one big, impromptu final push to the finish line that took well over an entire day.

"While the last 32 hours were some of the most challenging hours of my life, they have quite honestly been some of the best moments I have ever experienced," O'Brady posted on Instagram, where he has been documenting the arduous journey.

Rudd congratulated O'Brady on his blog late Wednesday.

"I've just heard that the American Colin's finished," he wrote. "Fantastic, well done to him. He'd pushed really hard all the way across and done extremely well, so congratulations to him."

Rudd wrote that he never felt like he was in a race and that "it's always been about completing the journey."

"That'll be incredible," he wrote.

It's been an emotional trek for Rudd, who decided to do the solo in honour of his close friend and fellow British explorer Henry Worsley, who died near the end of his attempt at an unassisted solo trek across Antarctica in 2016.

Though others have traversed Antarctica, they either had assistance with reinforced supplies or kites that helped propel them forward.

O'Brady plans to stay on Antarctica until Rudd finishes his trek, said O'Brady's wife, Jenna Besaw.

"It's a small club," she joked. "His intention is to wait for Louis and have kind of a celebratory moment with the only other person on the planet to have accomplished this same thing."

O'Brady finished his trek as friends, family and fans tracked the endurance athlete's progress in real time online.

"I did it!" a tearful O'Brady said on a call to his family gathered in Portland for the holidays, according to Besaw.

O'Brady, who had been told he may never walk again after an accident burned his legs in 2008, described in detail the ups and downs along the way since he began his Antarctic trek on Nov. 3.

In the beginning, he had to haul 375 pounds (170 kilograms) of gear uphill and over sastrugi, wave-like ridges created by wind. By the end of the journey, his gear weighed roughly 140 pounds (64 kilograms).

On Nov. 18, he wrote that he awoke to find his sled completely buried from an all-night blasting of wind and snow. That day he battled a 30 mph (48 kph) headwind for eight hours as he trudged along.

"I wanted so badly to quit today as I was feeling exhausted and alone, but remembering all of the positivity that so many people have been sending, I took a deep breath and focused on maintaining forward progress one step at a time and managed to finish a full day," he wrote.

On Day 37, Dec. 9, O'Brady posted about how much he's changed, along with a selfie in which he looks almost in pain, snow gathered around his furry hat.

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"I'm no longer the same person I was when I left on the journey, can you see it in my face?" he wrote. "I've suffered, been deathly afraid, cold and alone. I've laughed and danced, cried tears of joy and been awestruck with love and inspiration."

Though O'Brady had initially thought he'd want a cheeseburger at the end of his nearly impossible journey, Besaw said her husband has been fantasizing about fresh fish and salad because he has mostly been eating freeze-dried foods.

As for what's next for O'Brady, who also has summited Mount Everest, Besaw said she's not entirely sure.

"We are just so in the moment celebrating this right now," she said. "Then we'll see what's next on the horizon."

___

Follow Amanda Lee Myers on Twitter at https://twitter.com/AmandaLeeAPNational Bank of Canada provides various financial products and services to retail, commercial, corporate, and institutional clients in Canada and internationally. It operates through four segments: Personal and Commercial, Wealth Management, Financial Markets, and U.S. Specialty Finance and International. The Personal and Commercial segment offers personal banking services, including transaction solutions, mortgage loans and home equity lines of credit, consumer loans, payment solutions, savings and investment solutions; various insurance products; and commercial banking services, such as credit, and deposit and investment solutions, as well as international trade, foreign exchange transactions, payroll, cash management, insurance, electronic transactions, and complimentary services. The Wealth Management segment provides investment solutions, trust and estate services, banking services, lending services, guaranteed investment certificates, mutual funds, notes, structured products, and other wealth management solutions through internal and third-party distribution networks. The Financial Markets segment offers risk management products and services; and debt and equity underwriting; advisory services in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, and financing. The U.S. Specialty Finance and International segment provides specialty finance expertise; financial products and services to individuals and businesses in Cambodia; and the activities of targeted investments in certain emerging markets. The company also offers credit cards. It provides its services through a network of 483 branches and 1,573 banking machines. The company was founded in 1859 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.

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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..HDFC Bank Ltd. engages in the provision of banking and financial services, including commercial banking and treasury operations. The firm also provides financial services to upper and middle income individuals and corporations in India. It operates through the following segments: Treasury, Retail Banking, Wholesale Banking and Other Banking Operations. The Treasury segment consists of bank's investment portfolio, money market borrowing and lending, investment operations and trading in foreign exchange and derivative contracts. The Retail Banking segment provides loans and other services to customers through a branch network and other delivery channels. The Wholesale Banking segment provides loans, non-fund facilities and transaction services to large corporates, emerging corporates, public sector units, government bodies, financial institutions, and medium scale enterprises. The Other Banking Business segment includes income from para banking activities such as credit cards, debit cards, third party product distribution, primary dealership business, and the associated costs. The company was founded by Aditya Tapishwar Puri in August 1994 and is headquartered in Mumbai, India.

Read MoreAnadarko Petroleum Corporation engages in the exploration, development, production, and marketing of oil and gas properties. It operates through three segments: Exploration and Production, WES Midstream, and Other Midstream. The company explores for and produces oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGLs). It is also involved in gathering, processing, treating, and transporting oil, natural-gas, and NGLs production, as well as the gathering and disposal of produced water. The company's oil and natural gas properties are located in the United States onshore and deepwater Gulf of Mexico; and Algeria, Ghana, Mozambique, Colombia, Peru, and other countries. As of December 31, 2018, it had approximately 1.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent of proved reserves. The company was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas.

Read MoreJPMorgan Chase & Co. is a financial holding company. It provides financial and investment banking services. The firm offers a range of investment banking products and services in all capital markets, including advising on corporate strategy and structure, capital raising in equity and debt markets, risk management, market making in cash securities and derivative instruments, and brokerage and research. It operates through the following segments: Consumer and Community Banking, Corporate and Investment Bank, Commercial Banking, and Asset and Wealth Management. The Consumer and Community Banking segment serves consumers and businesses through personal service at bank branches and through automated teller machine, online, mobile, and telephone banking. The Corporate and Investment Bank segment offers a suite of investment banking, market-making, prime brokerage, and treasury and securities products and services to a global client base of corporations, investors, financial institutions, government and municipal entities. The Commercial Banking segment delivers services to U.S. and its multinational clients, including corporations, municipalities, financial institutions, and non profit

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of Exxon Mobil: AKG Marketing Company Limited, Aera Energy LLC, Al-Jubail Petrochemical Company, Ampolex (Cepu) Pte Ltd, Ancon Insurance Company Inc., Barnett Gathering LLC, Barzan Gas Company Limited, Caspian Pipeline Consortium, Celtic Exploration Ltd., Coral FLNG S.A., Cross Timbers Energy LLC, Ellora Energy Inc., Esmeroon Oil Transporta Imperial Oil Limited, Esso (Thailand) Public Company Limited, Esso Australia Resources Pty Ltd, Esso Deutschland GmbH, Esso Erdgas Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15) Limited, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 17) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Angola (Overseas) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Chad Inc., Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deepwater) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Offshore East) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, Esso Exploration and Production UK Limited, Esso Global Investments Ltd., Esso Italiana S.r.l., Esso Nederland B.V., Esso Norge AS, Esso Petroleum Company Limited, Esso Raffinage, Esso Societe Anonyme Francaise, Exxo Holdings Inc., Exxon Azerbaijan Limited, Exxon Chemical Arabia Inc., Exxon International Finance Company, Exxon Luxembourg Holdings LLC, Exxon Mobile Bay Limited Partnership, Exxon Neftegas Limited, Exxon Overseas Corporation, Exxon Overseas Investment Corporation, ExxonMobil (China) Investment Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil (Taicang) Petroleum Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil Abu Dhabi Offshore Petroleum Company Limited, ExxonMobil Alaska Production Inc., ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., ExxonMobil Australia Pty Ltd, ExxonMobil B Resources Company, ExxonMobil Capital Finance Company, ExxonMobil Capital Netherlands B.V., ExxonMobil Central Europe Holding GmbH, ExxonMobil Cepu Limited, ExxonMobil Chemical France, ExxonMobil Chemical Gulf Coast Investments LLC, ExxonMobil Chemical Holland B.V., ExxonMobil Chemical Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil China Petroleum & Petrochemical Company Limited, ExxonMobil Development Africa B.V., ExxonMobil Development Company, ExxonMobil Egypt (S.A.E.), ExxonMobil Exploracao Brasil Ltda., ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc., ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Norway AS, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Romania Limited, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Tanzania Limited, ExxonMobil Finance Company Limited, ExxonMobil Financial Investment Company Limited, ExxonMobil France Holding SAS, ExxonMobil Gas Marketing Europe Limited, ExxonMobil General Finance Company, ExxonMobil Global Services Company, ExxonMobil Golden Pass Surety LLC, ExxonMobil Holding Company Holland LLC, ExxonMobil Holding Norway AS, ExxonMobil Hong Kong Limited, ExxonMobil International Services SARL, ExxonMobil Iraq Limited, ExxonMobil Italiana Gas S.r.l., ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Inc., ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Ventures Inc., ExxonMobil LNG Services B.V., ExxonMobil Lubricants Trading Company, ExxonMobil Oil Corporation, ExxonMobil PNG Limited, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical BVBA, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical Holdings Inc., ExxonMobil Pipeline Company, ExxonMobil Production Deutschland GmbH, ExxonMobil Production Norway Inc., ExxonMobil Qatargas (II) Limited, ExxonMobil Qatargas Inc., ExxonMobil Ras Laffan (III) Limited, ExxonMobil Rasgas Inc., ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company, ExxonMobil Russia Kara Sea Holdings B.V., ExxonMobil Sales and Supply LLC, ExxonMobil Technology Finance Company, ExxonMobil Ventures Finance Company, ExxonMobil Ventures Funding Ltd., Fujian Refining & Petrochemical Co. Ltd., Golden Pass LNG Terminal Investments LLC, Golden Pass LNG Terminal LLC, Gulf Coast Growth Ventures LLC, Imperial Oil Limited, Imperial Oil Resources Limited, Imperial Oil Resources N.W.T. Limited, Imperial Oil/Petroliere Imperiale, Infineum Italia s.r.I., Infineum Singapore Pte. Ltd., InterOil Corporation, Jurong Aromatics Corporation Pte Ltd, MPM Lubricants, Marine Well Containment Company LLC, Mobil Australia Resources Company Pty Limited, Mobil California Exploration & Producing Asset Company, Mobil Caspian Pipeline Company, Mobil Chemical Products International Inc., Mobil Corporation, Mobil Equatorial Guinea Inc., Mobil Erdgas Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Mobil Exploration & Producing Australia Pty Ltd, Mobil International Petroleum Corporation, Mobil Oil Australia Pty Ltd, Mobil Oil Exploration & Producing Southeast Inc., Mobil Oil New Zealand Limited, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, Mobil Producing Texas & New Mexico Inc., Mobil SerLimited, Mobil Venezolana De Petroleos Inc., Mobil Yanbu Petrochemical Company Inc., Mobil Yanbu Refining Company Inc., Mountain Gathering LLC, Mozambique Rovuma Venture S.p.A., Palmetto Transoceanic LLC, Papua New Guinea Liquefied Natural Gas Global Company LDC, Permian Express Partners LLC, Phillips Exploration LLC, Qatar Liquefied Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (II), SPI Limited, Saudi Aramco Mobil Refinery Company Ltd., Saudi Yanbu Petrochemical Co., SeaRiver Maritime Inc., South Hook LNG Terminal Company Limited, Tengizchevroil LLP, Terminale GNL Adriatico S.r.l, Trend Gathering & Treating LLC, Wolverine Pipe Line Company, XH LLC, XTO Delaware Basin LLC, XTO ENERGY, XTO Energy Canada, and XTO Holdings LLC.Jones Energy, Inc., an independent oil and gas company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas properties in the mid-continent United States. It owns leasehold interests in oil and natural gas producing properties, as well as in undeveloped acreage located in the Anadarko Basin in Oklahoma and Texas. As of December 31, 2017, the company's total estimated proved reserves included 104.8 million barrels of oil equivalent. Jones Energy, Inc. was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.

Read MoreiShares Short-Term National Muni Bond ETF's stock was trading at $106.64 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, SUB stock has increased by 0.7% and is now trading at $107.42.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.The following companies are subsidiares of General Motors: 2140879 Ontario Inc., ACAR Leasing, ACAR Leasing Ltd., ACF Investment, ACF Investment Corp., AFS SenSub, APGO Trust, Adam Opel, Adam Opel GmbH, Aftermarket (UK), AmeriCredit, AmeriCredit Consumer Loan, AmeriCredit Consumer Loan Company Inc., AmeriCredit Financial Services, AmeriCredit Financial Services Inc., AmeriCredit Funding, AmeriCredit Syndicated Warehouse Trust, Annunciata Corporation, Argonaut Holdings, Argonaut Holdings LLC, BOCO (Proprietary), BOCO (Proprietary) Limited, Banco GMAC, Banco GMAC S.A., Baylis (Gloucester), Boco Trust, Boden Brussels, CHEVYPLAN, CHEVYPLAN S.A. Sociedad Administradora de Planes de Autofinanciamiento Comercial, Cadillac, Cadillac Europe, Cadillac Europe GmbH, Carve-Out Ownership, Carve-Out Ownership Cooperative LLC, Chevrolet Deutschland GmbH, Chevrolet Sales (Thailand), Chevrolet Sales (Thailand) Limited, Chevrolet Sales India, Chevrolet Sales India Private Ltd., Chevrolet Sociedad Anonima de Ahorro para Fines Determinados, Controladora General Motors, Controladora General Motors S.A. de C.V., Cruise, DCJ1, DCJ1 LLC, DMAX, DMAX Ltd., Dealership Liquidations, Dealership Liquidations Inc., Delphi Energy and Engine Management Systems UK, Delphi Energy and Engine Management Systems UK Overseas Corporation, EDS (Electronic Data Systems), FAW-GM, Fundacion Chevrolet, G.M.A.C., GCAR Titling Ltd., GM (UK) Pension, GM (UK) Pension Trustees Limited, GM APO Holdings, GM Administradora de Bens, GM Administradora de Bens Ltda., GM Asia Pacific Regional Headquarters Ltd., GM Auslandsprojekte, GM Automotive, GM Automotive Services Belgium, GM CME, GM Canada Holdings, GM Canada Limited, GM Components Holdings, GM Components Holdings LLC, GM Cruise, GM Cruise Holdings LLC, GM Cruise LLC, GM Defense, GM Eurometals, GM Eurometals Inc., GM Europe Treasury, GM Finance, GM Finance Co. Holdings LLC, GM Financial, GM Financial AB, GM Financial Canada, GM Financial Canada Leasing, GM Financial Canada Leasing Ltd., GM Financial Colombia Holdings LLC, GM Financial Colombia S.A. Compania de Financiamiento, GM Financial Consumer, GM Financial Consumer Discount, GM Financial Consumer Discount Company, GM Financial Del Peru, GM Financial GmbH, GM Financial Holdings LLC, GM Financial Insurance Services, GM Financial Mexico Holdings, GM Financial Mexico Holdings LLC, GM Financial Real Estate, GM Financial de Mexico, GM Financial de Mexico S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.R., GM Financial del Peru S.A.C, GM Global Business Services, GM Global Propulsion Systems -Torino S.r.l., GM Global Purchasing and Supply Chain, GM Global Technology Operations, GM Global Technology Operations LLC, GM Global Tooling, GM Global Tooling Company LLC, GM Global Treasury Centre Limited, GM Holden, GM Holden Pty Ltd., GM Holdings U.K. No.1 Limited, GM Inversiones Santiago Limitada, GM Investment Trustees Limited, GM Korea, GM Korea Company, GM LAAM Holdings, GM LAAM Holdings LLC, GM Mexico Holdings, GM Mobility Europe GmbH, GM PSA Purchasing Services, GM Personnel Services, GM Personnel Services Inc., GM Philippines Inc., GM Plats (Proprietary), GM Regional Holdings, GM Regional Holdings LLC, GM Retirees Pension Trustees, GM Retirees Pension Trustees Limited, GM Subsystems Manufacturing, GM Subsystems Manufacturing LLC, GM Technical Center Korea Ltd., GM Viet Nam Motor Company, GM-DI Leasing, GM-DI Leasing LLC, GMAC - Instituicao Financeira de Credito, GMAC Administradora de Consorcios, GMAC Administradora de Consorcios Ltda., GMAC Banque, GMAC Continental, GMAC Espana de Financiacion, GMAC Holdings (U.K.), GMAC Lease B.V. (aka Masterlease Europe), GMAC Nederland N.V., GMAC Prestadora de Servicios de Mao de Obra Ltda., GMAC Servicios, GMAC UK, GMAC de Venezuela, GMAC-Prestadora de Servios de Mo-de-Obra, GMACI Corretora de Seguros, GMACI Corretora de Seguros Ltda, GMAM Real Estate I, GMCH&SP Private Equity II, GMCH&SP Private Equity II L.P., GMF Australia Pty Ltd, GMF Europe, GMF Europe Holdco, GMF Europe LLP, GMF Floorplan Owner Revolving Trust, GMF Funding, GMF Germany Holdings, GMF Global Assignment, GMF Global Assignment LLC, GMF International, GMF International LLC, GMF Leasing LLC, GMF Leasing Warehousing Trust, GMF Wholesale Receivables, GMGP Holdings, General Motors (China) Investment Company, General Motors (China) Investment Company Limited, General Motors (Thailand), General Motors (Thailand) Limited, General Motors - Colmotores, General Motors - Colmotores S.A., General Motors Advisory Services LLC, General Motors Africa and Middle East, General Motors Africa and Middle East FZE, General Motors Asia, General Motors Asia LLC, General Motors Asia Pacific Holdings, General Motors Asia Pacific Holdings LLC, General Motors Asset Management, General Motors Asset Management Corporation, General Motors Australia, General Motors Australia Pty Ltd., General Motors Austria, General Motors Austria, General Motors Auto, General Motors Auto LLC, General Motors Automobiles Philippines, General Motors Automobiles Philippines Inc., General Motors Automotive Holdings, General Motors Automotive Holdings S.L., General Motors Belgique Automobile NV, General Motors Belgium, General Motors Chile, General Motors Chile Industria Automotriz Limitada, General Motors China LLC, General Motors Daewoo Auto and Technology, General Motors Daewoo Auto and Technology CIS LLC, General Motors East Africa, General Motors Egypt, General Motors Egypt S.A.E., General Motors Espana, General Motors Europe Holdings, General Motors Europe Limited, General Motors Financial Chile, General Motors Financial Chile Limitada, General Motors Financial Chile S.A., General Motors Financial Company, General Motors Financial Company Inc., General Motors Financial International, General Motors Financial Italia, General Motors Financial Suisse, General Motors Financial UK, General Motors Financial of Canada, General Motors Financial of Canada Ltd., General Motors Finland, General Motors France, General Motors GBS Hungary, General Motors Global Service Operations, General Motors Global Service Operations Inc., General Motors Hellas, General Motors Holden Australia, General Motors Holden Australia NSC, General Motors Holden Australia NSC Pty Ltd., General Motors Holden Australia Pty Ltd., General Motors Holdings LLC, General Motors IT Services (Ireland) Limited, General Motors India Private, General Motors India Private Limited, General Motors International Holdings, General Motors International Holdings LLC, General Motors International Operations, General Motors International Operations Pte. Ltd., General Motors International Services Company, General Motors International Services Company SAS, General Motors International Services LLC, General Motors Investment Limited, General Motors Investment Management, General Motors Investment Management Corporation, General Motors Investment Participacoes, General Motors Investment Participacoes Ltda., General Motors Investments, General Motors Investments Pty. Ltd., General Motors Ireland, General Motors Israel, General Motors Israel Ltd., General Motors Italia, General Motors Japan, General Motors Japan Limited, General Motors LLC, General Motors Limited, General Motors Manufacturing Poland, General Motors Nederland, General Motors New Zealand Pensions, General Motors New Zealand Pensions Limited, General Motors Overseas, General Motors Overseas Commercial Vehicle, General Motors Overseas Commercial Vehicle Corporation, General Motors Overseas Corporation, General Motors Overseas Distribution, General Motors Overseas Distribution LLC, General Motors Peru, General Motors Peru S.A., General Motors Poland Spolka, General Motors Portugal, General Motors Powertrain (Thailand), General Motors Powertrain (Thailand) Limited, General Motors Research Corporation, General Motors South Africa, General Motors South Africa (Pty) Limited, General Motors Suisse, General Motors Taiwan, General Motors Taiwan Ltd., General Motors Technical Centre India, General Motors Technical Centre India Private Limited, General Motors Treasury Center, General Motors Treasury Center LLC, General Motors Turkiye, General Motors UK, General Motors Uruguay, General Motors Uruguay S.A., General Motors Venezolana, General Motors Ventures, General Motors Ventures LLC, General Motors Warehousing and Trading (Shanghai), General Motors Warehousing and Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., General Motors de Argentina, General Motors de Argentina S.r.l., General Motors de Mexico, General Motors de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., General Motors del Ecuador, General Motors del Ecuador S.A., General Motors do Brasil, General Motors do Brasil Ltda., General Motors of Canada, General Motors of Canada Company, General Motors-Holden's Sales, General Motors-Holden's Sales Pty. Limited, GigaPower LLC, Global Services Detroit, Global Services Detroit LLC, Global Tooling Service Company Europe, Global Tooling Service Company Europe Limited, Go Motor Retailing, Go Trade Parts, Grand Pointe Holdings, Grand Pointe Holdings Inc., Grand Pointe Park Condominium, Grand Pointe Park Condominium Association, H.S.H., Haines & Strange, Holden New Zealand, Holden New Zealand Limited, IBC Pension Trustees, IBC Pension Trustees Limited, IBC Vehicles, Lease Ownership Cooperative, Lease Ownership Cooperative LLC, Lidlington Engineering Company, Lidlington Engineering Company Ltd., Limited Liability Company "General Motors CIS", Master Lease Germany, Maven Drive, Maven Drive LLC, Millbrook Pension Management, Millbrook Pension Management Limited, Monetization of Carve-Out, Monetization of Carve-Out LLC, Motor Repris Automocio, Motors Holding, Motors Holding LLC, Motors Properties, Motors Properties (Trading), Multi-Use Lease Entity Trust, North American New Cars, North American New Cars LLC, Omnibus BB Transportes, Omnibus BB Transportes S. A., OnStar Connected Services Srl, OnStar Egypt Limited LLC, OnStar Europe, OnStar Europe Ltd., OnStar Global Services, OnStar Global Services Corporation, OnStar LLC, OnStar de Mexico, OnStar de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Opel Bank, Opel Danmark, Opel Group, Opel Group Warehousing, Opel Leasing, Opel Norge, Opel Sonderdienste, Opel Southeast Europe, Opel Sverige, Opel Szentgotthard Automotive Manufacturing, Opel Wien, P.T. G M AutoWorld Indonesia, P.T. General Motors Indonesia, PIMS, PIMS Co., PT. General Motors Indonesia Manufacturing, Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center, Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center Company Ltd., Prestadora de Servicios GMF Colombia S.A.S., Rapid Motor Vehicle Company, Reliance Motor Car Company, Riverfront Holdings III Inc., Riverfront Holdings Inc., Riverfront Holdings Phase II Inc., SAIC GM (Shenyang) Norsom Motors Co. Ltd., SAIC GM Dong Yue Motors Company Limited, SAIC GM Dong Yue Powertrain Company Limited, SAIC GM Wuling Automobile Company Limited, SAIC General Motors Corporation Limited, SAIC General Motors Investment Limited, SAIC General Motors Sales Company Limited, SAIC-GMAC Automotive Finance Company Limited, SAIC-GMF Leasing Co. Ltd., Servicios GMAC S.A. de C.V., Shanghai Chengxin Used Car Operation and Management Company Limited, Shanghai OnStar Telematics Co. Ltd., Sherwoods (Darlington) Limited, Sidecar Technologies, Skurrays Limited, Stam-Terberg Autobedrijven B. V., Strobe Inc., VHC Sub-Holdings (UK), Vauxhall Defined Contribution Pension Plan Trustees Limited, Vehicle Asset Universal Leasing Trust, Vickers (Lakeside) Limited, Vision Motors Limited, WRE, WRE Inc., and Zona Franca Industrial Colmotores SAS.ITV plc, an integrated producer broadcaster, creates, owns, and distributes content on various platforms worldwide. It operates through Broadcast, and ITV Studios segments. The Broadcast segment broadcasts various contents on its family of free-to-air channels, including ITV, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4, ITVBe, ITV Encore, CITV, ITV Breakfast, CITV Breakfast, and various related +1 and HD equivalents; and offers television advertising services. It also delivers content through linear television broadcasting; ITV Hub, an over-the-top service on 28 platforms, including itv.com Website; and pay providers, such as Virgin and Sky, as well as through direct content deals with services comprising Amazon, Apple, and Netflix. In addition, this segment offers online advertising, HD digital channel on pay platform, and ITV Choice subscription services, as well as licenses DTT Multiplex A. The ITV Studios segment creates and produces programs and formats that include drama, entertainment, and factual entertainment for its own channels and other broadcasters, such as the BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5, and Sky. It also operates as an unscripted independent producer of content in the United States; and produces content for local broadcasters in Australia, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark. In addition, this segment's distribution business licenses finished programs and formats, and third-party content internationally, as well as finances productions. The company also engages in the development of platform, broadband, transactional, and mobile services; operation of Freeview Multiplex A; rights ownership and distribution of television programs and films; and scheduling and commissioning of television programs. ITV plc was founded in 1955 is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Read MoreTailored Brands, Inc. (NYSE:TLRD) posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March, 18th. The company reported ($0.46) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.54) by $0.08. The business had revenue of $690.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $708.46 million. Tailored Brands had a negative trailing twelve-month return on equity of 138.49% and a negative net margin of 14.39%. The business's revenue was down 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.28) earnings per share.

View Tailored Brands' earnings history.KB Financial Group, Inc. engages in providing financial services through its subsidiaries. It operates through the following segments: Corporate Banking, Retail Banking, Other Banking Services, Credit Card, Life Insurance, Investment and Securities business. The Corporate Banking business segment provides services such as loans, overdrafts, deposits, credit facilities and other foreign currency activities. The Retail Banking business segment offers services such as private customer current accounts, savings, deposits, consumer loans and mortgage loans. The Other Banking business segment provides services relating to banking business besides corporate banking and retail banking services. The Credit Card business segment offers services such as domestic as well as overseas credit and debit card operations. The Investment and Securities business segment provides services such as investment banking and brokerage. The Life Insurance business segment provides products such as life insurance and wealth management. The company was founded on September 29, 2008 and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.

Read MoreLloyds Banking Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides a range of banking and financial services in the United Kingdom and internationally. It operates through three segments: Retail; Commercial Banking; and Insurance and Wealth. The Retail segment offers a range of financial service products, including current accounts, savings accounts, mortgages, motor finance, unsecured loans, leasing solutions, credit cards, and other financial services to personal and small business customers. The Commercial Banking segment provides lending, transactional banking, working capital management, risk management, and debt capital market services to small and medium-sized entities, corporates, and financial institutions. The Insurance and Wealth segment offers life, home, and car insurance products; and pension, investment, and wealth management products and services. It also provides digital and mobile banking, and telephone services, as well as advisory services for savings, investments, and planning for retirement. The company offers its products and services under the Lloyds Bank, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, Scottish Widows, MBNA, Schroders Personal Wealth, Black Horse, Lex Autolease, Birmingham Midshires, LDC, IWeb, and Agricultural Mortgage Corporation brands. Lloyds Banking Group plc was founded in 1695 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Read MoreThere is not enough analysis data for MedEquities Realty Trust.

4.3 Community Rank

Outperform Votes MedEquities Realty Trust has received 224 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.)

Underperform Votes MedEquities Realty Trust has received 126 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.)

Community Sentiment MedEquities Realty Trust has received 64.00% outperform votes from our community.

MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about MedEquities Realty Trust and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe MRT will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe MRT will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days.

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NextNuveen Mortgage and Income Fund is a closed-ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Nuveen Investments, Inc. The fund is co-managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors LLC, Nuveen Asset Management, LLC, and Wellington Management Company LLP. It invests in the fixed income markets of the United States. The fund invests in undervalued mortgage-backed securities consisting primarily of non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities and commercial mortgage-backed securities with a favorable total return potential. It seeks to invest in below investment grade securities. The fund employs fundamental analysis with a focus on bottom-up stock picking approach based on rigorous analysis of the credit performance of the mortgage loan portfolios underlying the MBS, security structure characteristics such as the priority of payment, credit enhancement and default patterns of underlying loans, and the relative financial strength of the mortgage loan servicer to create its portfolio. It benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. It was formerly known as Nuveen Mortgage Opportunity Term Fund. Nuveen Mortgage and Income Fund was formed on September 10, 2009 and is domiciled in the United States.

Read MorePremier African Minerals Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the mining, exploration, evaluation, development, and investment of natural resource properties on the African continent. The company explores for tungsten, lithium, tantalum, fluorspar, xenotime, zinc, nickel, uranium, gold, specialty minerals, limestone, potash and limestone, and rare earth metals. It holds interests in various properties located in Zimbabwe, Togo, Benin, and Mozambique. The company was formerly known as G&B African Resources Limited and changed its name to Premier African Minerals Limited in April 2012. Premier African Minerals Limited was founded in 2007 and is based in Tortola, British Virgin Islands.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of PPG Industries: AIPCF V Texstars Blocker Inc., AkzoNobel, Alermac Inversiones S.A. de C.V., Alpha Coating Technologies LLC, Alpha Coatings Inc., Broad Range Development Limited, Brown Brothers Distribution Limited, CG Holdings Manufacturing Co., Centro de Investigacion en Polimeros S.A. de C.V., Chemfil Canada Limited, Chorlton Trade Paints Limited, Comercial Mexicana de Pinturas S.A. de C.V., Comex, Comex Industrial Coatings S.A. de C.V., Consorcio Comex S.A. de C.V., Cristacol S.A., Cuming Microwave Corporation, Deutek SA, Dexmet Corporation, Dexmet Holding Corporation, Distribuidora Kroma S.A. de C.V., EPIC Insurance Co. Ltd., Eberle Design Inc., Empresa Aga S.A. de C.V., Ennis Canadian Holding Company, Ennis Flint Soluciones Seguras Para Trafico, Ennis Highway Traffic Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Ennis Manufacturing Sdn Bhd, Ennis Paint Australia Holding Pty Ltd, Ennis Paint Boya Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., Ennis Paint Canada ULC, Ennis Paint Germany GmbH, Ennis Paint Netherlands Holdings LLC, Ennis Paint U.K. Holding Company Limited, Ennis Traffic Safety Solutions Pty Ltd, Ennis  Flint Mexico, Ennis  Flint New Zealand, Ennis  Flint New Zealand Holding Pty Ltd, Ennis-Flint, Ennis-Flint Africa (Pty) Ltd, Ennis-Flint Inc., Foshan Bairun Chemicals Co. Ltd., Fpu Industrial S.A. de C.V., Grupo Comex S.A. de C.V., Hemmelrath Automotive Coatings (Jilin) Co. Ltd., Hodij Coatings B.V., Homax Products, Industria Chimica Reggiana I.C.R. SPA, Johnstones Paints Limited, Kalon Investment Company Limited, Kalon South Africa Proprietary Limited, Manchester Thermoplastics LLC, Masterwork Paint, MetoKote Canada Limited, MetoKote Corporation, MetoKote Mexico Holding Inc., MetoKote UK Limited, MetoKote de Mexico S. de RL de CV, PPG AC - France SA, PPG ALESCO Automotive Finishes Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., PPG AP Resinas S.A. de C.V., PPG Aerospace Materials (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., PPG Architectural Coatings (Puerto Rico) Inc., PPG Architectural Coatings Canada Inc., PPG Architectural Coatings Ireland Limited, PPG Architectural Coatings Italy S.r.l., PPG Architectural Coatings UK Limited, PPG Architectural Finishes Inc., PPG Asian Paints Private Ltd., PPG COATINGS SINGAPORE PTE. LTD., PPG Canada Inc., PPG Cieszyn S.A., PPG Coatings (Hong Kong) Co. Limited, PPG Coatings (Kunshan) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., PPG Coatings (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Thailand) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Wuhu) Company Ltd., PPG Coatings (Zhangjiagang) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings B.V., PPG Coatings Belgium BV, PPG Coatings Danmark A/S, PPG Coatings Deutschland GmbH, PPG Coatings Europe B.V., PPG Coatings Manufacturing SARL, PPG Coatings Nederland BV, PPG Coatings S.A., PPG Coatings South Africa (Pty) Ltd., PPG DYRUP S.A., PPG Deco Czech a.s., PPG Deco Polska sp. z.o.o., PPG Deco Slovakia s.r.o., PPG Deutschland Business Support GmbH, PPG Deutschland Sales & Services GmbH, PPG Distribution S.A.S., PPG Europe B.V., PPG Finance B.V., PPG France Business Support S.A.S., PPG France Manufacturing S.A.S., PPG Guadeloupe SAS, PPG Hellas S.A., PPG Hemmelrath Coatings Inc., PPG Hemmelrath Lackfabrik GmbH, PPG Holdco SAS, PPG Holdings (U.K.) Limited, PPG Holdings Argentina USA LLC, PPG Holdings Latin America USA LLC, PPG Iberica S.A., PPG Iberica Sales & Services S.L., PPG Industrial Coatings B.V., PPG Industrial do Brasil - Tintas E. Vernizes - Ltda., PPG Industries (Korea) Ltd., PPG Industries (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., PPG Industries (UK) Ltd, PPG Industries Argentina S.R.L., PPG Industries Australia PTY Limited A.C.N. 055 500 939, PPG Industries Colombia Ltda., PPG Industries Czech Republic s.r.o., PPG Industries Delfzijl B.V., PPG Industries Europe Sarl, PPG Industries France S.A.S., PPG Industries International Inc., PPG Industries Italia S.r.l., PPG Industries Kimya a Sanayi VE Ticaret AS, PPG Industries LLC, PPG Industries Lipetsk LLC, PPG Industries Middle East FZE, PPG Industries Netherlands B.V., PPG Industries New Zealand Limited, PPG Industries Ohio Inc., PPG Industries Poland Sp. Z.o.o., PPG Industries Securities LLC, PPG Industries de Mexico S.A. de C.V., PPG Italia Business Support S.r.l., PPG Italia Sales & Services S.r.l., PPG Japan Ltd., PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes Canada LP, PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes U.K. LLP, PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes U.S. LLC, PPG Luxembourg Finance S.aR.L., PPG Luxembourg Holdings S.aR.L., PPG Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PPG Mexico S.A. de C.V., PPG Packaging Coatings (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., PPG Paints Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PPG Performance Coatings (Hong Kong) Limited, PPG Powder Coatings (Shanghai) Limited, PPG Romania S.A., PPG SSC Co. Ltd., PPG Switzerland GmbH, PPG Trilak Kft., PPG Vietnam Co. Ltd., PRC-DeSoto Australia Pty Ltd., PRC-DeSoto International Inc., PT. PPG Coatings Indonesia, Painter's Supply, Paintzen, Peintures de Paris SAS, Plasticos Envolventes S.A. de C.V., Polymeric Systems Inc., Prismo Road Markings Limited, ProCoatings B.V., ProCoatings BV, Protec Pty Ltd. A.C.N. 007 857 392, Reno A&E LLC, Revocoat France SAS, Revocoat Holding SAS, Revocoat Iberica SLU, Revocoat S.A.S, Road Infrastructure Investment Holdings Inc., SEM Products Inc., Sealants Europe SAS, Sierracin Corporation, Sierracin/Sylmar Corporation, Sigma Marine & Protective Coatings Holding B.V., SigmaKalon (BC) UK Limited, SigmaKalon Group, SigmaKalon Middle East B.V., Sikar (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Spraylat International Ltd, Texstars LLC, The Crown Group Co., The Crown Group Inc, The Homax Group, Tikkurila Group, Traffic Safety Intermediate LLC, Traffic Safety Parent LLC, United International Business NV, Vanex Inc., Vernisol S.p.A., Versaflex, Viasa S.A. de C.V., Whitford, Whitford B.V., Whitford Corporation, Whitford Jiangmen Ltd., Whitford Ltd. (HK), Whitford Ltd. (UK), Whitford Pte. Ltd., Whitford S.r.l., Whitford Worldwide Company LLC, Worwag Coatings, and Zaganite Industries Pty Ltd.UniCredit S.p.A. operates as a commercial bank. The company operates through Commercial Banking Italy, Commercial Banking Germany, Commercial Banking Austria, Corporate & Investment Banking, and Central Eastern Europe segments. It offers retail, corporate, and private banking services; investment services; leasing and factoring services; transactional, investment, and credit products and services; insurance solutions; and structured financing, hedging, and treasury solutions. The company also provides equity and debt capital market, corporate finance and advisory, syndication, and leverage buy-out services; and project and commodity, real estate, structured trade and export, and acquisition finance services, as well as wealth management services. In addition, it is involved in the structuring of products, such as FX, rates, equities, and credit products; and provision of cash management, e-banking, supply chain finance, global securities, and mobile banking services, as well as trade finance products. The company operates in Italy, Other European countries, America, Asia, and internationally. The company was formerly known as Unicredito Italiano S.p.A and changed its name to UniCredit S.p.A. UniCredit S.p.A. was founded in 1870 and is headquartered in Milan, Italy.

Read More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..Lieutenant Colonel Keith Benedict and Private First Class Brennen Bledsoe -- two different soldiers with very different stories -- are both fighting America's longest war in Afghanistan.

"It's a privilege to lead soldiers in combat," Benedict said on a crystal clear day at Kandahar Airfield. "I think the fact that we have not had an attack in the United States since 2001 is testament to the fact that what we are doing here is working, and I am committed to doing everything I can while I am on ground here to achieving that."

Benedict is on his fifth deployment. He joined the military a month before 9/11 and deployed to Iraq in 2006 and 2007 and then to Haiti in 2010. He is now on his third deployment to Afghanistan.

Bledsoe is on the same base. He was 3 years old when the 9/11 attacks happened and is on his first deployment.

"I have a great group of guys that I am with, and I love being with them," Bledsoe said. "The training we get, the mission we are on, I feel like I am actually doing something for my country, and I am helping out Afghanistan. I am protecting my country, and it means the world to me."

These soldiers represent the evolving face of the US mission in Afghanistan over the 17-year long war -- from a mission to capture or kill Osama Bin Laden and al Qaeda's leadership to an effort to defeat the Taliban. In 2013, Afghan forces officially took the lead in fighting for the country's security, and the US mission shifted again to counterterrorism as well as advising and training the Afghan forces.

CNN was allowed exclusive access to follow Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham during a recent trip to Afghanistan that took him to Kandahar Airfield to visit the troops and receive briefings from leaders on ground.

Colonel Kris Kough's team of about 30 personnel is on the front line training and supporting the Afghan military.

"I see progress everyday here on the ground," Kough said following a briefing with Graham. "The six months that we have been here, we have seen the Afghan army make some amazing progress."

These soldiers make clear that they know what their mission is, and they are committed to it.

"We truly believe that we are here defending the homeland by preventing safe havens for terrorist organizations in this region," said Benedict.

But nearly two decades in, it is possible their mission is about to change again in a very big way. Sources tell CNN the White House has ordered the Pentagon to draw up plans to drastically cut the US military presence in Afghanistan by about half -- from 14,000 troops to 7,000.

Days before that news broke, CNN sat down for an exclusive interview with Gen. Scott Miller, head of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Asked then if the US mission can be successful with less troops on the ground, Miller simply said: "We have the resources we need."

"But make no mistake, the Afghans are in the lead in this fight and you can see that through the casualty figures, but it is their fight now," he continued.

Miller is the Commander of the Resolute Support mission, the international coalition advising and training the Afghan National Army. The international cooperation can be seen not only in military operations, but also in everyday life at the Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul. In the main mess hall, American troops are seen eating dinner next to the Lithuanians. The Belgians are at another table. When leaving the mess, troops pass by a German facility as one American Marine notes that their roommate is Romanian.

Miller took over command in September. While it's clear he prefers to keep a low profile, that has been somewhat challenging in his first few months in his new post. In October, Miller had to draw his sidearm during an insider attack on a security meeting in Kandahar. Miller escaped uninjured. Another US Army general, a coalition contractor and one American civilian employee were injured during the attack. The police chief of Kandahar province, Gen. Abdul Raziq Achakzai, was killed.

"My assessment is that I was not the target," Miller told CBS News at the time. "It was a very close confined space, but I don't assess that I was the target."

A month later, Miller was photographed carrying a loaded M-4 carbine assault rifle while walking with local officials, Afghan military personnel and his own personal security in Ghazni. The image quickly went viral.

Insider attacks, one carried out by a member of the Afghan security forces, have been a particularly frustrating and demoralizing challenge for the US and NATO forces helping to train Afghan forces. Kough works hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder with them on a daily basis. Asked if he trust them, Kough says yes. "I do trust them. They are very reliable partners."

Bledsoe provides security for the teams advising Afghan leadership. He suggests "trust" might be a strong word, but adds: "The Afghans I stand shoulder to shoulder with, we are fighting the same fight. We are working together."

Miller stresses working together is the only path forward for Afghanistan. In his view, after this long, the war will not end with a military victory.

"This fight will go to a political settlement," he said. "At this stage, I like how the Afghan national security forces are performing, and where I'd assess them is they have tactical initiative against the Taliban."

US Ambassador to Afghanistan John Bass offered cautious optimism about the path toward that political settlement. "We have an opportunity today that we didn't have six or 12 months ago to see if it's really possible to achieve that political settlement," said Bass. "We don't know if we're going to be successful, but the administration is determined."

"I see hope today that I haven't seen before frankly," added Graham.

If that is the good news, the bad news is ISIS remains a real and troubling threat in Afghanistan right now. "The ISIS threat in Afghanistan is far greater than I thought it was," Graham said following the classified briefing he and Bass received with Miller. "If you get a peace agreement tomorrow between the Taliban and the Afghan government, that will not solve the threat to our homeland."

Bass made clear ISIS was top of mind for him as well.

"Before coming here, I spent a lot of time fighting ISIS in Syria and Iraq. I don't want to replay that movie here," he said.

Last week, President Donald Trump ordered the "full" and "rapid" withdrawal of US military from Syria, declaring that the US has defeated ISIS.

After that announcement, Graham sharply criticized the President's decision, calling it a "disaster" and a "stain on the honor of the United States." He also said the decision was "Obama-like" -- a reference to President Barack Obama's decision to pull troops out of Iraq in 2011, which critics say gave rise to ISIS.

The threat from terrorist groups abroad gets back to why, according to Miller, the United States is still in Afghanistan after so long.

"This is ultimately about national interests not just for the United States, but it is vital national interest -- 9/11 terrorists groups came from here, and today there are other terrorist groups that could affect external to Afghanistan and the homeland," Miller said, who was among the first American troops deployed to Afghanistan after 9/11.

"When I leave Afghanistan this time, and I tell this to the Afghan people, it will be my last time as a soldier and what I would like to leave is a country that is peaceful and unified. Now that's a tall order, but that would be my hope," Miller said.FRANKFORT, N.Y. -- The Herkimer County Industrial Development Agency voted Thursday morning to extend the sales tax benefits for Tractor Supply Company for two more months.

The meeting was held at the Frankfort Town Hall.

IDA Executive Director John Piseck says Tractor Supply took a couple of months longer than expected to build their huge facility in Frankfort.

The start-up sales benefits allow Tractor Supply to pay no sales tax for equipment or materials during their building process.

Piseck says everyone is excited to have such a large facility in Frankfort, which has drawn other businesses to the business park.

He says Tractor Supply workers are in the facility already practicing and perfecting operations before becoming fully operational in early March.FISHERS, Ind. (AP)  Federal regulators have ruled in favor of a plan to convert central Indiana's Nickel Plate Railroad corridor into a recreational trail.

The Federal Surface Transportation Board issued three interim trail use notices last week for segments of the railway in Noblesville, Fishers and Indianapolis. The cities want to convert the line into a multi-use pedestrian and bicycle trail.

The Indianapolis Business Journal reports that the board also denied Ohio-based U.S. Rail Holding's motion for preliminary injunction. U.S. Rail had filed a petition asking the board to force Fishers, Noblesville and Hamilton County to sell the tracks so they can be used to move grain.

The board also denied Save the Nickel Plate's request to stay any action on U.S. Rail's request while the not-for-profit's lawsuits against the cities are pending.LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Lafayette Police are still mourning the loss of one of their own. Officer William Bill Meluch died on Christmas Day after fighting cancer for more than a year.

If you knew Bill, you liked Bill," said Captain Joseph Clyde with LPD. Adding that he was loved for his unique personality.

"He was very well known across the department because of his character and how he acted," he said.

LPD said his passing is the first time in decades that LPD has lost an active member.

"While this isn't a line of duty death, it's still the loss of an officer, who was still a line of duty officer," said Clyde. A loss Clyde said is felt throughout the entire department.

"He was just so good-natured and good-hearted, he said.

Meluch served with LPD for nearly 13 years and was a part of the department's honor guard. He was actively involved in the Fraternal Order of Police, the bike patrol unit and the civil disturbance unit.

News 18 found video on our archives of Officer Meluch spending time with local kids, trying to help facilitate positive relationships between LPD and the community.

"We're out here to help the kids have a good time and build a relationship with them and to try to help the kids realize that we're people just like anybody else and we're out to have fun, we're approachable and we're here to help, said Meluch on July 28th, 2017.

"His outgoing personality and self-deprecating humor will be missed immensely. Bill was passionate to become a police officer and had a strong desire to be a part of making a difference in the lives of those he came in contact with each and each day, said LPD Chief Patrick Flannely in a statement.

Captain Clyde says many LPD officers plan to attend his funeral service. And that the West Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, and Purdue Police Forces have offered to help cover their duties so they can do so.

"We want to support Bill and his family throughout this entire event, he said. He's a part of our department, he's a brother and he always will be."

A visitation service will be held at the Soller-Baker Funeral Home on Sunday, December 30th from 2-5 p.m.

Officer Meluch's funeral mass will be held on Monday, December 31st at St. Lawrence in Lafayette at 10 a.m., followed by his burial at St. Boniface.LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)  A burglary suspect is facing multiple charges after being found by construction workers in the Tippecanoe Arts Federation building on Wednesday. Shantel Humphrey has been charged with the following:

Burglary (Level 5 Felony) Possession of Methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony) Unlawful possession of a syringe (Level 6 Felony) Theft (Class A Misdemeanor) False informing (Class B Misdemeanor) Possession of Paraphernalia (Class C Misdemeanor)

According to court documents, Lafayette police responded to the Tippecanoe Arts Federation building around 7:00 a.m. December 26 for a report of a burglary. When officers arrived, they were met with construction workers who said when they arrived at the building a male was seen fleeing the building. Humphrey who had been inside the building and had been detained by workers.

The superintendent of the construction company said the building had been locked along with the company's tool boxes on December 21. The tool boxes were now opened and missing tools some of which were found loaded onto a small cart.

Police inspected Humphrey's backpack discovering items belonging to the construction company as well as a small syringe and a plastic container which contained a clear liquid. The liquid field tested positive for methamphetamine.A Turkish economics professor who went missing in Colombia's Medellin city on Dec. 6 was found dead in the outskirts of the city.

Canadian citizen Ramazan Gencay who is a professor at Simon Fraser University was last seen at a salsa club. He arrived in the city to attend a seminar.

The Colombian Forensic Medicine Institute on Thursday said a body found on Dec. 24 on a riverside at the outskirts of Medellin city belonged to the professor.

According to local reports based on forensic and police sources, Gencay was suspected to be given a drink or food containing scopolamine, a drug which renders a person incapable of exercising free-will and is widely used by thieves in Colombia.

According to the CCTV cameras of the salsa club, Gencay was seen with some strangers at the place, after which his credit cards were used on Dec. 7-8.

Guncelleme Tarihi: 28 Aralk 2018, 16:54The Grinch made his way to Omaha on Christmas Day, ripping off a trailer parked behind an American Legion hall that was full of donated items for homeless veterans.

The two-year-old marked

with Virginia plates was parked near 138th and Q streets in Millard when it was taken.

Ron Hernandez, a 25-year Army veteran and founder of

in Papillion, said the stuff inside that stolen trailer was donated household items for homeless veterans who are moving off the streets and into a home.

The system was set up to help the veteran get back on his feet, Hernandez said. But the last component was now furnishing that home with the items that they need, and I wanted to make a difference.

has helped out more than 1,200 homeless veterans in 7 years.

Duane Myers is one of the many veterans who found help there.

This place has given me a new meaning, Myers said. I was living in a homeless shelter; the VA stepped up to help me get an apartment. I met Ron; he gave me everything in my apartment.

Now, Myers is giving back, giving his time to help other veterans who need help.

So I started volunteering, and its kind of giving me a purpose  giving me something to look forward to every day, helping the other veterans and helping bring other people up, he said. Making their lives better for them.

Myers  and everyone at the organization  cant believe someone would take from people who served their county and now need a little help to get back on their feet.

I cant imagine the frame of mind somebody would be in to think that they need to steal from somebody who doesnt have anything, he said.

Samuel Crapson, who was also homeless after serving our country, also volunteers at the nonprofit.

"They gave me furniture," he said. "They got me food. They got me up on my feet."

Anyone with information on the stolen trailer is asked to call Omaha Police.



With photographer M.H. Denker.



By The Gateway Pundit , Dec. 26, 2018





President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump made history on Wednesday as the first First Couple to travel together to meet the troops in Iraq war zone.

President Trump fired up the troops at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq.





President defended his decision to remove troops in Syria and said the US can use its base in Iraq to hit the terrorists.

Read More:



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A little more than a month after General Motors announcement that it plans to idle five plants in the US and Canada and lay off nearly 15,000 hourly and salaried workers by early 2019, the United Auto Workers union and the Democratic Party are increasing their efforts to promote nationalism and block a unified struggle by autoworkers against the global auto giant.

On Wednesday, the Detroit News published an op-ed by UAW President Gary Jones titled GM should fight for workers, not profits. Both the UAW and Canadian union Unifor have sought to whip up anti-Mexican and anti-Chinese sentiment in order divert anger away from the auto corporations that have attacked the jobs and conditions of workers around the world.

Noting the thick sense of resentment and feeling of unfairness in cities like the Detroit suburb of Hamtramck and Lordstown, Ohio where plants are targeted for closure, Jones attempts to portray the UAW as a defender of workers engaged in a serious fight against the shutdowns. As proof he cites the unions impotent formal objection to the companys plans.

In his editorial piece Jones deliberately omits the threatened closure of GMs Oshawa Assembly plant in Canada, referring only to the four American auto plants to be idled, and later complains of the companys imports from Canada.

Hoping workers will have somehow forgotten the role of the UAW in facilitating decades of wage cuts and layoffs, Jones writes that during the 2009 bailout of the auto industry, employees made concessions they could ill afford  all to keep GM going. Jones goes on to criticize the already profitable GM for allegedly shifting production to their Mexican plants for even larger profits.

In reality, for years the UAW has been the most faithful defender of the right of the auto companies to exploit workers for profit and to shut down plants as they see fit. Since the 1980s, it has promoted the reactionary outlook of corporatism, which claims that workers and the corporations have identical rather than conflicting interests. In the name of making US corporations more profitable and competitive against their foreign rivals, the UAW suppressed strikes, imposed the dictates of corporate management, and colluded in the elimination of 600,000 hourly jobs at the Big Three automakersGM, Ford and Chrysler.

Jones appeals not only to the Democratic Party, but also to the fascistic Trump administration, whose trade war policies and America First nationalism dovetail with the UAWs own reactionary perspective. He calls for measures to encourage companies to invest in the US, writing, We call upon our elected leaders to join with us and understand that relying on corporations to do the right thing does not work. We need tax and trade laws that reward US investment and hold companies accountable.

Jones article follows a video statement by former Vice President Joe Biden issued by the UAW last week. Biden, a contender for the 2020 Democratic Party presidential nomination, feigns outrage at GMs planned layoffs and factory closures under conditions in which the company is earning significant profits and carrying out billions in stock buybacks. In doing so, he seeks to divert attention from his own role, and that of the Obama administration as whole, in carrying out an historic restructuring of the auto industry in 2009 at the expense of workers, including the expansion of the tier system, the halving of wages of new hires and the wiping out of tens of thousands of jobs.

Defending the supposed right of GM to carry out cuts in response to market trends, Biden attempts to shift the blame instead onto the backs of workers in Mexico and China. Look, I know GMs corporate leaders have said they have to make tough decisions in order to deal with changing consumer sentiment, and thats true, its accurate, Biden says. But why are they making new investments in China, in Mexico?

Biden says autoworkers made the biggest sacrifices during the bailout. He then says even deeper cuts will now be required but that shareholders should suffer a little too. Folks, its time for everybody to be in on the deal. Everybody take a little bit of the hit, and everybody will do well.

An article in the Toledo Blade on December 23 points to some of the pain that has been inflicted on tens of thousands of workers by Biden and the Obama administration in collaboration with the UAW.

The article notes the vulnerable position of workers facing the possibility of having their plants closed because of the elimination of the Jobs Bank. The Jobs Bank previously provided laid-off workers with 95 percent of their pay and guaranteed that they would not be forced to accept transfers to plants more than 100 miles away. These protections were given up by the UAW at the request of Obamas car czar Steve Rattner in the course of the auto bailouts.

The narrative that both Gary Jones and Biden promotethat American jobs can be defended by appealing to the auto companies to attack the jobs of workers in other countriescan lead only to catastrophe. In fact, the fate of workers in the US is completely bound up with that of workers around the world, who are facing an assault by the same companies. GM and Ford are both planning mass layoffs overseas, as are a number of foreign automakers.

A December 25 article in the Wall Street Journal titled, Chinas Car Slump Leaves Foreign Auto Makers With Idle Factories, pointed to the accelerating decline in sales in China, which have led to the destruction of thousands of jobs. The global auto corporations had bet heavily on the continued expansion of the worlds largest car market. The slowdown of profits in China means the global automakers will double down their attacks on workers in North America, Europe and Latin America.

The UAW, along with the rest of the trade union apparatus, has long served as a key prop of the Democratic Party, which is one of the two parties of Wall Street and big business. In the midst of a sharp growth in the class struggle and the expectation of an immense struggle over the contracts at the Big Three auto companies in 2019, the Democrats and the UAW are doing everything they can to divide workers in the US from their brothers and sisters in other countries, in order to beat back opposition and create the conditions to enact even worse concessions.

In opposition to the nationalism promoted by Biden and Jones, Jude, a janitorial contract worker at a GM facility in Michigan, told the World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter, We absolutely have to unify to take on GM. In the 1960s, there were hundreds of thousands of GM workers and its been dwindling for decades.

If we are to fight GM, we are going to have to take them on around the world, in Canada, Mexico, China and everywhere. Everyone who works for GM has got to unite to handle GM, she said.

Were not going to get any support from the politicians in Washington, she continued. It doesnt matter if they are Democrats or Republican, they are for the money, not the workers. We have to stand up for ourselves. People want to fight not just for themselves but for the next generation.

The unions and Democrats campaign to head off a united struggle of autoworkers comes as the auto companies continue to disclose plans for further attacks on workers jobs. Last week, GM announced plans to lay off 50 hourly and salaried employees in February at its Brownstown, Michigan, battery plant, which produces lithium-ion batteries for the companys electric and hybrid vehicles.

There are communities that depend on these factories and jobs, Jude said. Pointing to the threats facing workers at auto parts plants, salaried workers, and beyond, she added, There are thousands of workers in the supplier plants who will be out of work. Where I work, GM is contracting out janitorial worker and even salaried positions like engineers and designers. Just before Thanksgiving they got rid of dozens of high seniority engineers who had 30 or 40 years here. If they didnt accept the buyout, they were kicked out anyway.

Its going to be a sad New Year for a lot more white-collar workers. After the first of the year security is going to go around, tap them on the shoulder and say, This is your day to go, buddy.

Nobody is going to have stability any more. It doesnt matter if youre a line worker, an electrician or a designer. The restructuring of GM by Obama set up these two categorieslegacy workers and new GM workers. They want to get rid of all the older, higher paid workers and the young blood will be temporary and casual workers doing the jobs of two or three workers combined.

Sentiment is growing throughout the auto industry for a united struggle, including strike action. The attempts by Jones, Biden, Trump and others to block such a fight and prevent any challenge arising to the capitalist system further demonstrates the importance of the meeting held by the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter and the Socialist Equality Party on December 9. The meeting unanimously resolved to form rank-and-file committees throughout the auto industry, independent of the UAW and Unifor, in order organize a counter-offensive by workers for their interests. We encourage all workers interested in joining this initiative to contact us today.Jeremy Buckingham, a prominent state Greens MP in the New South Wales (NSW) Upper House, announced his resignation from the party at a press conference on Thursday last week. He denounced the NSW Greens as toxic and declared that he would contest the March 2019 state election as an independent.

Buckinghams move follows increasingly vicious public brawling between rival factions within the Greens, especially in NSW. The party is wracked by crisis amid a collapse of its support and widespread disaffection with the entire political establishment. Broad layers of the population view the Greens as a party of the affluent upper middle-class and reject its claim to represent an alternative to Labor and the Liberal-Nationals.

A key turning point was the partys participation in the 2010-2013 federal Labor government of Julia Gillard, which slashed social spending, aligned Australia ever more closely with US wars and military preparations, and intensified the assault on democratic rights. Since then, state and federal elections, including the Victorian state election last month, have registered a substantial decline in the partys vote.

Under these conditions, rival groupings have repeatedly clashed over how to position the party to reverse its decline.

Buckingham was a leading figure in the right faction of the NSW Greens. This wing has advocated ever more open appeals for coalition governments with Labor and the Liberal-Nationals, along with an exclusive focus on environmental issues, particularly pitched to disaffected supporters of the Nationals in regional and rural areas.

The Buckingham grouping has repeatedly clashed with a self-styled progressive faction of the NSW party, previously headed by former federal senator Lee Rhiannon. This grouping has advocated a focus on identity and lifestyle politics, condemnations of the persecution of refugees, and populist demagogy, aimed at winning support among students and layers of the inner-city middle-class.

Buckingham and his supporters have, over the past several years, repeatedly denounced the Rhiannon wing as left-wing and even communist. They have warned that its extremist rhetoric undermines the partys attempts to present itself to the corporate elite as a responsible party of government and could disrupt the backroom horse-trading between the Greens and the major parties.

For their part, the progressives have voiced fears that the openly right-wing politics of Buckingham and his colleagues will further discredit the Greens. The Rhiannon wing is concerned that the Greens are being bypassed by a developing political radicalisation of workers and young people and will be unable to channel oppositional sentiments back behind the official political establishment.

The conflict has intensified this year, amid internal pre-selection contests for next years NSW state election. It erupted publicly on November 13, when Jenny Leong, a progressive Greens MP, made a speech in the NSW parliament calling for Buckingham to resign and to remove himself from the partys list for the state election.

Leong used parliamentary privilege to brand Buckingham as a perpetrator of sexual misconduct. The basis of the accusation was a claim by a former Greens staffer that the MP groped and attempted to kiss her during a drunken night out in 2011. Buckingham was cleared by an independent investigation carried out by consultancy firm Workdynamic Australia.

Leong also made vague claims that others had accused Buckingham of wrongdoing. She absurdly cited two instances of Buckingham raising his voice at her as evidence of his aggressive and intimidating behaviour towards women.

The speech underscored that there are no principled political differences separating the rival groupings.

Instead, Leong and the progressive grouping have used the deeply anti-democratic method of unsubstantiated sex allegations to take down their factional opponents. This is in line with the reactionary character of the #MeToo movement, which advances the interests of affluent layers of the upper middle-class and has sought to do away with the presumption of innocence, on the basis of hysterical claims of an all-pervasive rape culture.

Leongs cynical speech was immediately backed by the majority of Greens MPs. It compelled federal Greens leader Richard Di Natale, who had previously been supportive of Buckingham, to call for his resignation. On December 8, the NSW Greens delegates' council passed a motion demanding that Buckingham, who polled second in state pre-selections for the Upper House, withdraw his candidacy for the March election.

Buckingham and his two closest parliamentary colleagues, Justin Fields and Cate Faehrmann, denounced the move as a rejection of grassroots democracy.

Faehrmann and Fields issued a letter to the Greens executive, threatening to resign from the party if Left Renewal, a small faction in the NSW Greens, was not expelled.

They wrote that the party had been undermined by a small group of members motivated by extreme left ideology and accused some of Left Renewal members of being from the entryist revolutionary socialist organisation Solidarity.

The comments were a pitch to Di Natale and others in the Greens national leadership to intervene against Buckinghams rivals. Di Natale and former party leader Bob Brown have previously made similar right-wing, anti-communist denunciations of members of the NSW Greens.

In reality, Left Renewal is a small grouping that appears to be primarily composed of university students and junior Greens staffers. It was established in 2016, amid factional warfare within the party. The grouping explicitly supported Rhiannon and her closest colleagues against Di Natale.

The claims that Left Renewal is extreme left or even revolutionary socialist are absurd. It does not advocate anything resembling socialist policies and has never criticised the Greens de facto coalition with the former federal Labor government, in which Rhiannon played a key role.

To the extent that Left Renewal has invoked socialism, it has been to call for the Greens to attempt to emulate the demagogy of figures such as Bernie Sanders, and parties like Greeces Syriza.

Sanders won mass support in the 2016 presidential election by posturing as a democratic socialist. His role was to try and trap a leftward shift among American workers and youth within the Democratic Party, which nominated Hillary Clinton as its presidential candidate, a war criminal and open representative of the Wall Street banks.

Syriza formed government in Greece in 2015 after winning mass support by posturing as an opponent of crippling austerity measures. The party immediately betrayed its promises, and has implemented the deepest social cuts in Europe, along with a vicious campaign against refugees.

Since Buckinghams resignation, Fields and Faehrmann have stated that they will not leave the Greens. In a bid to appease them and avert a broader split, the partys national leadership announced a review into the processes of the NSW Greens. This is unlikely, however, to resolve the deep divisions revealed over the past weeks.Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have released more than 1,000 immigrants in various locations in downtown El Paso, Texas over the last four days, in what appears to be a politically motivated effort to flood the city with impoverished people needing emergency shelter, food and medical care, including many hundreds of children as part of family groups, as well as pregnant women.

The mass releases began on Sunday night, December 23, when 200 Central American immigrants were taken to a Greyhound bus station in downtown El Paso, where many of them attempted to board buses, although they had no money or tickets. ICE made no provision for food or shelter for the immigrants, although night-time temperatures in the city were around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Eventually four buses were brought in to house the migrants for the night, giving them a heated shelter.

On Monday, another 100 immigrants were released, then on Christmas Day nearly 200 more in downtown El Paso. Finally, on Wednesday, more than 500 immigrants were released, although this release was coordinated with charities and shelters in the El Paso area which were prepared to receive the influx. The first three releases were unannounced, and aid agencies had to respond on an emergency basis.

One aid official told the press, About half of them were children, and some parents had more than one child with them. The official said the migrants wanted a place where they can sleep, make phone calls to their contacts or relatives in other parts of the country. Most of these folks are en route to another part of the country. They are not staying here in El Paso. They want to go to their sponsor or family members in other parts of the country. They just need a place for the night.

ICE issued a statement in response to an inquiry by CNN about the releases, blaming decades of inaction by Congress and unfavorable court rulings that made it impossible for it to continue detaining all the Central American immigrants now crossing the US-Mexico border to seek asylum. An executive branch agency would only engage in such extraordinary public criticism of the legislative and judicial branches of the government if authorized by the White House.

The ICE statement said that its own detention facilities in the region were full and that it had no alternative but to release family groups that would otherwise be held longer than the 20 days provided under a court-supervised consent decree.

To mitigate the risk of holding family units past the timeframe allotted to the government, ICE has curtailed reviews of post-release plans from families apprehended along the southwest border, the statement said, without actually referring to the city of El Paso. ICE continues to work with local and state officials and (nongovernmental) partners in the area so they are prepared to provide assistance with transportation or other services.

The targeting of El Paso seemed to be politically motivated, since the city is a Democratic-controlled island in Texas, where the Republican Party controls the state government and the state legislature. The citys current congressman, Beto ORourke, who leaves office January 3, lost a close race for the US Senate seat in Texas and is now being talked up in the media as a potential challenger to President Trump in 2020.

It is possible that ICE officials are also responding to resentment among rank-and-file officers who are not being paid because of the partial shutdown of the federal government, but are nonetheless required to continue workingand arresting and detaining immigrants as they cross the borderbecause they have been classified as essential employees.

All ICE public affairs officers have been furloughed for the duration of the shutdown, so it is not clear who was responsible for crafting the public response to the press inquiry.

While the new policy in El Paso began on Sunday, December 23, the day before the death of a second Central American refugee child in the custody of US immigration authorities, it is clear that the mass releases also reflect a concern that further child deaths will provoke widespread popular outrage in the United States and completely discredit Trumps policy of stepped up persecution of immigrants.

Seven-year-old Jakelin Caal Maquin died on December 8 at an El Paso hospital, two days after she and her father were taken into custody by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at a New Mexico border crossing. Eight-year-old Felipe Alonzo-Gomez died in El Paso on December 24, a week after he and his father were taken into custody by CBP. They were housed in several different overcrowded facilities, and at one point bused as far north as Alamagordo, New Mexico, before the boy fell ill, began running a high fever, was taken to the hospital with respiratory failure, and died.

CBP officials announced a number of actions in response to the two deaths, including secondary medical checks on all children in custody, with a focus on children under age 10; individual health assessments for each of the 700 children in custody in the El Paso area; and a review of other custody arrangements for family groups including small children. Additional military medics are being deployed to the border to assist.

In another effort at damage control, DHS secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced she would visit El Paso and the border stations near it on Friday. But Nielsen continued to blame immigrants, not the US authorities, for the deaths in custody. I once again askbegparents to not place their children at risk by taking a dangerous journey north, she said.

Despite claims to the contrary by federal officials, it is clear that it is the deliberate policy of the Trump administration to inflict as brutal conditions as possible on the children of migrants in order to deter parents and family groups from seeking to enter the United States. When Trump took office, there were just over 2,000 migrant children in federal custody. Today the system has 16,000 beds and, according to the DHS, these are now full. The Associated Press reported that there are nearly 10,000 detained migrant children at large facilities, those holding 100 or more children at one time.

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[27 December 2018]The Jewish Museum London is currently commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Kindertransport (Childrens Transport). Its exhibition, Remembering the Kindertransport: 80 Years On, is on display until February 10, 2019.

The Kindertransport rescued nearly 10,000 unaccompanied, mainly Jewish and other non-Aryan children from Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia to Britain between December 1938 and the September 1939 outbreak of the Second World War.

The Conservative government of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain reluctantly allowed the children into Britain because of public revulsion at the November 9-10, 1938 anti-Jewish pogrom in Germany known as Kristallnacht (Night of the Broken Glass).

Burning synagogue in Siegen on Kristallnacht

Kristallnacht was prepared well in advance by the Nazis. Overnight virtually all of Germanys 1,400 synagogues were burnt to the ground and 7,000 Jewish shops and businesses destroyed. Jews, regardless of age and sex, were beaten up and dozens were killed. Following the pogrom, the German government ordered Jews to pay a collective fine of $400,000,000 ($7 billion today), banned them from all economic activity and rounded up Jewish men for transport to the concentration camps.

Kristallnacht was the prelude to the most terrible atrocity of the 20th centurythe extermination of six million Jews in the Holocaust, around two-thirds of the Jewish population of Europe. The cold-blooded murder of ethnic Poles, Soviet citizens and prisoners of war, homosexuals and socialist and communist political opponents brought the death toll to some 17 million.

Chamberlains response to Kristallnacht was merely to relax temporarily Britains rigid immigration rules. The government would not fund the rescue, adults would be denied visas and the few lucky children allowed into Britain had to be sponsored and relocated to the colonies as soon as possible.

The Kindertransport exhibition reveals the horrors of the 1930s through the personal memories of six Jewish childrenAnn, Bea, Bernd, Bob, Elsa and Ruthall now over 80 years old.

The Kindertransport refugees

In four short filmsLife Before, Goodbyes, New Beginnings, Memory and Legacythe six eyewitnesses provide unique and moving insight into the persecution Hitler unleashed as soon as he came to power in 1933, the heartbreak of leaving their parents for the Kindertransportmost never to be reunitedand how they fared in Britain. Their testimony is invaluable because most of the archives about their lives in Germany and Britain were destroyed during and after the war.

Bob Kirk explains how he was forced to study Hitlers Mein Kampf in school, with children only allowed to sit at the back of the class, keeps our mouths shut and not participate in lessons.

Bea Green on her way to Kindertransport

Bea Green recalls spotting blood on her fathers suit after he was beaten up by Nazis and forced to walk barefoot through the streets of Munich, holding a placard saying, Im a Jew and I shall never again complain to the police. Many years later she was amazed to find a picture of his humiliation on that day.

Bea Green's father force-marched around Munich

Ann Kirk tells of her journey to the Kindertransport departure station. She recounts how Mum and Dad sat opposite me, looking at me, as if they couldnt take their eyes off me. Dad who was normally a great joker tried to make jokes, not terribly successfully. And when we got to the station, there were hordes of parents and children all crying. We kept up a pretence. Oh what an adventure youre going on, Hannele And then a whistle went for the final goodbye. Mum and Dad hugged and kissed me. And then they whispered to me to look out the window at the next station but one and I did. There were my parents on the platform waving to me as if their hands would drop off. That was the very last time I ever saw them.

Jewish Chronicle adverts asking for help

On display is a small cutting from the Jewish Chronicle with adverts pleading for help. A mother begs good-hearted people to get a permit for two charming girls 11 and 17 years of age. Father in Dachau, says one. Desperate Austrian Jewess, here in service, begs financial help to get parents out of Austria. Father interned. Time short, says another.

The last section of the exhibition, Memory and Legacy, raises the issue whether more could have been done to help the Jewish population. Co-curator Kathrin Pieren told me, If you listen to the memories, yes, it makes you think the parents could have come. Or more children could have come if more money was available. Its a very important question.

The government reaction is problematic. We say that the government gave permission for the Kinder to come to Britain but it was the British people and organisations that organised the rescue action. And it was amazing what they achieved.

Curator, Kathrin Pieren

It is a myth about the Kindertransport. We are trying to get people to think about it. We are not just telling about the glorious bits.

Kathrin explained that the Jewish Museum helped organise a 1938 in Retrospect seminar, during which History Professor Jennifer Craig-Norton examined the distortions and mythologies of the Kindertransport. British Home Secretary Sir Samuel Hoare saved the children but doomed the parents, Craig-Norton declared. Allowing parents to come to the UK was not even considered, she added.

The Kindertransport has been promoted as Britain benevolently and selflessly opening its doors to young helpless Jewish refugees grateful for their rescue from Hitlers Final Solution for the extermination of Europes Jews. But the episode has assumed an iconic status precisely because it was a rare display of humanity forced upon the British government.

Picture Post magazine

The truth is that Hitlers rise to power articulated the visceral fear and hatred of not only the German but the entire European bourgeoisie toward the October 1917 Russian Revolution, which became a beacon for millions of workers and youth internationally, and the threat of social revolution across the continent.

While in 1933when Hitler was made chancellor of Germanythe Final Solution was some years away, the Nazi leader had already announced his intention to exterminate communists and Jews in numerous pamphlets and speeches over more than a decade. Within a year, the Nazis had engineered the burning of the Reichstag (German Parliament), introduced emergency powers to outlaw political opposition and consolidate the fascist dictatorship and imprisoned socialists, communists and trade unioniststhe Dachau concentration camp opened in March 1933.

There was considerable sympathy for Nazi Germany within the ruling elite in Britain. The country had been shaken by a general strike in 1926 that raised the spectre of revolution and the Wall Street Crash of 1929, which gave way to the Great Depression and a minority Labour government followed by a deeply unstable National Government in 1931. King Edward VIII, who was later obliged to abdicate, welcomed Hitlers accession to power, declaring, It is the only thing to do. We will have to come to it, as we are in great danger from communists too. He sought to position himself as the figurehead for a Vichy-type government involving Oswald Mosleys British Union of Fascists.

Edward VIII after his abdication visiting Hitler in 1937

After Germany annexed Austria in March 1938, the Western powers restricted Jewish immigration. The British government took the unprecedented step of requiring visas for German and Austrian citizens. In the US, most Jewish visa applicants were unsuccessful. Some 900 Jewish refugees who had sailed from Hamburg, Germany, on the MS. St. Louis, a German ocean liner, in 1939, were denied permission to land in the US and forced to return to Europe254 are known to have died in the Holocaust.

In July 1938, the Evian Conference in France was held with delegates from 32 countries and representatives of many international relief organizations. It was convened by US President Franklin Roosevelt to placate the public outcry created by the Nazi suppression of the Jews without actually increasing the quota for Jewish migration to the US. The only country that offered to take substantially more Jewish refugees was the tiny Caribbean state of the Dominican Republic. An Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees was stillborn, receiving little support from state signatories.

During the second half of 1941, even as reports of the mass murder perpetrated by the Nazis were published in the West, the US placed even stricter limits on immigration. At the Bermuda Conference of the Allies in April 1943, no concrete proposals for rescue were put forward.

The Kindertransport exhibition is of great contemporary relevance. In Syria, the US-backed proxy war aimed at ousting President Bashar al-Assadthe most recent stage in two decades of imperialist intervention aimed at controlling the oil-rich, geo-strategically critical Middle East regionhas produced a humanitarian disaster.

Since the war officially began in 2011, when Syrias population was 21 million, hundreds of thousands have been killed and close to six million have fled the country. Thousands have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, whose governments have responded by bolstering their Fortress Europe policy of razor-wire border fences and gunboat patrols.

The modest request by UK Labour Party peer Lord Dubs for 10,000 unaccompanied child refugees to be allowed into Britain at the rate of 1,000 a year to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Kindertransport scheme will fall on deaf ears. It was recently revealed that the UK admitted just 20 unaccompanied child refugees in two years under a scheme, proposed by Dubs, that was meant to resettle 3,000 children living unaccompanied in the Calais refugee camp known as the Jungle.

Of even more relevance are the warnings made by the surviving Kinder about the rise of fascism today. Elsa Shamash says, I feel very strongly about the [far-right German party] Alternative fur Deutschland and where the real Nazis are getting the upper hand again in Hungary, Poland and Austria. Across Europe the same active support or indifference is being shown as in the 1930s. Others are trivialising Hitlers crimes in order to pave the way for his rehabilitation.

In Hugh Trevor-Ropers Hitlers Table Talk 1941-1944: His Private Conversations, Hitlers diaries are peppered with phrases such as the first thing, above all, is to get rid of the Jew, if they refuse to go voluntarily, I see no other solution but extermination and Where the Jews are concerned, Im devoid of all sense of pity.

Yet the Berlin Humboldt University historian who has emerged as a political figurehead for the new right, Jorg Baberowski, declares, Hitler was no psychopath, and he wasnt vicious. He did not want people to talk about the extermination of the Jews at his table, and is supported and defended by the university authorities, many professors and the overwhelming majority of the German media.

They have all rained down lies and slanders on the Socialist Equality Party (SGP) and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) in Germany who have led the campaign to expose Baberowski. The SGP and IYSSE have explained how the trivialization of Hitlers crimes is closely linked to the resurgence of German great power politics and militarism, which find increasing support not only in traditionally conservative, but also in formerly liberal academic circles. To revive a policy of war and militarism, Germanys ruling class is attempting to whitewash the historic crimes that made the Kindertransport necessary.When the Labour Party-led government was installed in October 2017, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared that her priority would be to turn around homelessness and child poverty figures. Deputy Prime Minister and NZ First leader Winston Peters promised to restore capitalism's human face.

Liberal commentators, trade union leaders and pseudo-left groups all joined in a chorus of praise for the reformist government. The media fawned over Ardern for having a baby and being a working mother, implying she would be more sympathetic to working people.

More than a year of continuing austerity and deepening social inequality has exposed the governments promises as a fraud. The gap between rich and poor is widening and levels of food insecurity, homelessness and suicide are continuing to soar.

Official statistics released this month show that the richest 20 percent of New Zealand households have increased their net worth by $394,000 since 2015 and are now worth a median $1.75 million. This layer controls 70 percent of household wealth, while the top 1 percent has 20 percent of all assets.

The poorest 50 percent of adults, 1.8 million people, hold just 2 percent of net wealth. The bottom 40 percent has seen no increase in wealth over the past three years as the cost of living, especially housing and fuel, has soared.

One indicator of widespread social misery is the record number of people resorting to charity to feed their families over Christmas. The Christchurch City Mission reported that demand for food parcels had increased 45 percent as compared to the same time last year, with a large number of working people unable to afford the basics.

The Auckland City Mission told the media it had handed out 8,500 Christmas hampers over 10 days, double the amount compared to last year, and was still unable to meet the demand. On December 19 alone, about 400 families were turned away after the charity ran out of food. Missioner Chris Farrelly told Radio NZ: Its been quite overwhelming and shocking for us to see just the volumes of people... there is significant food poverty in this countrywere seeing here, at the moment, the real hard end of it.

The government has promised to halve child poverty, but its time frame is 10 years, making the promise essentially meaningless. Welfare and wage increases have been insufficient to meet the cost of living. Labour has refused to increase taxes on the rich and corporations, and kept spending levels relative to gross domestic product at the same level as the previous National Party government. Meanwhile, billions of dollars are being spent on upgrading the military and expanding the police force.

The austerity measures provoked an upsurge of working class struggles in 2018, including nationwide strikes by nurses and teachers.

The governments Child Poverty Monitor report, released on December 10, found that between 161,000 and 188,000 children, one in five, live in households with moderate to severe food insecurity, and 18 percent receive help from food charities.

Childrens Commissioner Andrew Becroft told Radio NZ there had been no real change in child poverty levels in the past year. He added that due to inadequate housing children living in the poorest areas were three times more likely to be hospitalised for respiratory illnesses than those in more affluent areas.

In April the Child and Youth Mortality Review Committee reported that children living in the most deprived areas are three times more likely to die in childhood or adolescence than those in the least deprived areas. The leading cause of death for teenagers aged 15 and over was suicide.

In the 12 months to August, 668 New Zealanders took their own lives, an all-time annual record. Maori men, one of the most exploited sections of the working class, were over-represented with 97 suicides.

Cannons Creek, Porirua, one of the poorest suburbs in the country, experienced six suicides between June and October, out of a population of around 8,000. Five of those who took their own lives were under 30 years old.

Anjanette Coley, a local resident who has been unemployed for five years, told the World Socialist Web Site she was not surprised by the tragic toll: Theres no jobs at all. Two of my daughters are on benefits and they have young kids. The government doesnt give a hoot. The poor get poorer every day. In the 2013 census about one in five people in the suburb was unemployed and its median income was about $10,000 below the national median of $28,500.

Anjanette explained that looking for work was very stressful because Im under so much pressure. I get depression. Heaps of people are being pushed into a corner they cant get out of. The attitude of Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ), the social welfare agency, was: Get over yourself, stop making excuses, get a job.

She received a benefit of $283 a week and paid $200 in rent. Its a broken-down home, she said. I live with my daughter and two grandkids. Were both unemployed and paying $200. Landlords can up the rent any time they like, WINZ dont understand.

The government has promised to upgrade 2,000 state homes in Eastern Porirua over the next 25 years, but the total supply will only be expanded by 150 homes. Fairfax Media reported that there are currently 303 people on the waiting list for public housing in the area.

Anjanette had voted for the Green Party and Labour, but said it was a stupid mistake. The parties promises to reduce poverty and stop mistreating people on welfare were the biggest lies of all.

Zac, a 17-year-old Cannons Creek resident, believed the majority of youth have more mental health problems than older people, and poverty was a factor. Some parents have seven kids and work 12-hour shifts every single day. They try and get food for their kids and they dont have enough money, he said.

Ive experienced depression and I know other people who have, and who have committed suicide or tried to, and survived, he continued. I just finished school and I dont really know what to do. Ive been looking at tech jobs and someone from my church is trying to help me.

Other people cant handle the stress of trying to find a job, theyve just finished school and probably their parents are pressuring them to find a job. I know some people that start working pretty young and are trying to help their family out with rent, with putting food on the table. They sleep during the whole school day sometimes. Its pretty common.

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[22 May 2018]Donald Trumps brief, unannounced visit to Iraq on the day after Christmas was staged with a patent political motive. His appearance with assembled troopsfor a grand total of 45 minuteswas aimed at shoring up support within the Pentagon as well as among rank-and-file soldiers in the wake of the resignation in protest of his defense secretary, Gen. James Mattis, following Trumps decision to withdraw US troops from Syria.

The performance was the latest in a long line of such trips, beginning with one staged by George W. Bush just a year after the US launched its catastrophic and criminal war against Iraq.

Like Trump, Bush and his successor, Barack Obama, saw the utility of appearing before captive uniformed audiences, bound by military discipline to cheer at the appropriate moments for speeches riddled with lies and stupidities in defense of unending wars of aggression opposed by the majority of the population.

Improbably dressed in a bomber jacket, the New York real estate speculator-turned president gave a performance in line with this tradition, though somewhat more buffoonish. He marveled at having to fly into Iraq under the cover of darkness with the lights off and window shades down on Air Force One, which was heavily escorted by US fighter planes.

Pretty sad when you spend $7 trillion in the Middle East and going in has to be under this massive cover, Trump stated.

The results of a quarter-century of US war in the Middle East are pretty sad indeed. Aside from vast resources spent in the US imperialist effort to dominate the region, there are the consequences for those who live there, over a million of whom lost their lives as a consequence of Washingtons interventions, while tens of millions have been turned into homeless refugees.

The US invasion of Iraq and the wars for regime-change initiated by Washington and its NATO and regional allies in Libya and Syria have reduced entire societies to chaos and rubble.

Ever the irrepressible liar and braggart, Trump boasted to the troops that when he took office they had not received a pay raise for 10 years and that he overrode his aides to deliver a hike of more than 10 percent. All of this was a crude fabrication, obvious to those in the audience who receive their pay from the Pentagon. Trumps pay raise was 2.4 percent, in line with similar raises that have been provided every year over the past decade. I got you a big one. I got you a big one, Trump repeated idiotically.

He also used his speech to denounce his political opponents in the Democratic Party for failing to appropriate funds for his proposed border wall. He told the troops: You know, when you think about it, youre fighting for borders in other countries, and they dont want to fightthe Democratsfor the border of our country. It doesnt make a lot of sense.

Afterwards, he signed red Make America Great Again hats and other campaign paraphernalia for soldiers, a direct violation of military rules barring active duty personnel from engaging in partisan political activities. The violation was not an oversight, but part of a deliberate effort by Trumps fascistic administration to build up an extra-constitutional base within the US armed forces.

The thrust of Trumps speech was the America First agenda that he has promoted since the 2016 campaign. He cast US military interventions--and the US deployment in Syria in particularin starkly transactional terms. America shouldnt be doing the fighting for every nation on Earth, not being reimbursed, in many cases, at all, he said. If they want us to do the fighting, they also have to pay a priceand sometimes thats also a monetary priceso were not the suckers of the world. Were no longer the suckers, folks.

At the same time, he boasted of the massive US military budget, which already exceeds the amount spent on armaments by the next eight major powers combined. Youre getting such new equipment, your eyes are popping, right? he said to the troops in Iraq.

While Trumps nationalist and populist appeals about ending US wars in the Middle East may enjoy a measure of support among soldiers who have been subjected to unending deployments, the most significant element of his speech was the vow that the US will not withdraw its troops from Iraq. He added that the al-Asad airbase in western Iraq between Baghdad and the Syrian border, where he spoke to the troops, could be used if we wanted to do something in Syria.

As the Washington Post reported, The decision allows the United States to maintain a presence in the heart of the Middle East and a bulwark against Iranian influence, while also keeping a nearby staging ground should American troops be forced to reenter Syria and engage a resurgent Islamic State.

The utter contempt for Iraqi sovereignty that characterizes these plans was in evidence throughout Trumps entire trip. Iraqs prime minister, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, failed to meet with Trump after being given just two hours notice of his visit and being summoned to the US air base. The two major blocs in the Iraqi parliament denounced the visit and called for an emergency session to vote on expelling US troops from the country.

The political firestorm unleashed in Washington over Trumps decision to pull US troops out of Syria is driven entirely by tactical differences within the US ruling establishment and its two major parties over US imperialisms global effort to utilize its military might to offset the decline of American capitalisms position in the world economy.

Trumps America First policy reflects the orientation of a significant section of the US ruling class, which sees the concentration of American military might in the Asia Pacific region to offset the growing influence of China as the most pressing priority. This faction disdains longstanding alliances in favor of a nationalistic policy dedicated to the naked pursuit of US financial and commercial interests around the globe.

Trumps Democratic opponents are not bothered by the slaughter that has been carried out in the Middle East, including under the banner of the struggle against ISIS, in which the cities of Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria have been razed to the ground, with countless thousands of civilians buried under the rubble.

On the contrary, they are demanding a more aggressive policy directed at regime-change in Syria and the preparation of a direct confrontation with the main allies of the Damascus government, Iran and Russia. Their differences over Syria are bound up with allegations of Trumps supposed collusion with Moscow to win the 2016 election, which in turn are directed at forcing a more aggressive policy against nuclear-armed Russia.

This was expressed clearly by Democratic Senator Chris Coons, who declared on Sunday that Trumps decision to withdraw troops from Syria constituted a great big Christmas gift to Vladimir Putin of Russia and to the Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran.

There is no faction within the US ruling establishment opposed to war, and Trumps decision on ending the US deployment of troops in Syria signals no end to the drive to assert US hegemony over the Middle Easts oil reserves, no matter what the cost in civilian lives. It is merely part of the tactical preparations for far more devastating wars to come, first and foremost against the countries branded by the Pentagon and the national security apparatus as revisionist powers and great power rivalsRussia and China.

The absence of a mass antiwar movement in the United States and internationally is bound up with the role played by the pseudo leftgroups claiming to be socialist while providing justifications for imperialist intervention and slaughter under the cynical banner of human rights, as well as claims that the operations of CIA-funded Islamist militias in Syria constitute a democratic revolution.

These groups, such as the International Socialist Organization and the Democratic Socialists of America in the United States, have maintained a discreet silence over the political crisis unleashed by Trumps Syria withdrawal announcement and the resignation of Mattis, apparently waiting to see which way the wind blows within establishment foreign policy circles.

The struggle against war, including the mounting threat of a nuclear Third World War, must be undertaken by the working class. The demand must be raised for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all US troops not only from Syria, but also from Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa and all of the hundreds of US military bases scattered across the globe.

Those who are responsible for the killing and maiming of millions in US imperialisms wars of aggression must be prosecuted for war crimes, including Bush, Obama, Trump and their top generals and civilian aides.

This requires the building of a new mass antiwar movement that is based on the working class and fights for a program of socialist internationalism to unify workers all over the world in a common struggle against the capitalist system.Actor Kevin Spacey, one of the first victims of the #MeToo campaign, released a three-minute video Monday in which (while in character as politician Frank Underwood from the Netflix series House of Cards ) he urged viewers not to believe the worst without evidence and not to rush to judgment without facts.

The same day, Massachusetts authorities charged Spacey with indecent assault and battery in relation to an incident at a Nantucket restaurant in July 2016. Spacey is accused of buying drinks for an 18-year-old young man (who told the actor, according to state police, that he was 23) and then groping him. The youths mother, former Boston television news anchor Heather Unruh, has made it plain she would like to see Spacey sent to prison.

Spaceys three-minute video released Christmas Eve (his first Twitter post since allegations against him by Anthony Rapp were made public in late October 2017), entitled Let Me Be Frank, is a defiant effort, although the enormous strain of the past year is evident in Spaceys appearance and demeanor.

The actor, wearing a Christmas apron and washing dishes at first, speaks directly to his audience. While the southern accent and aggressiveness belong to House of Cards Frank Underwood, the viewer quickly comprehends Spaceys oblique message. Nonetheless, there are difficulties with his appearing as Underwood and treating his own situation as though it were the subject of a drama. The real Spacey is not like the fictional, monstrous Underwood.

In any event, in the video, Spacey-Underwood first decries attempts to separate him from his viewing public, adding, but what we have is too strong, its too powerful. The actor goes on, I shocked you with my honesty, but mostly I challenged you and made you think.

Alternating between his own situation and that of Underwoods, Spacey continues, You want me back. Of course, some believed everything and have just been waiting with bated breath to hear me confess it all. Theyre just dying to have me declare that everything said is true and I got what I deserved. Getting to the crux of the matter, he then asserts, Wouldnt that be easy, if it was all so simple? Only you and I both know its never that simple, not in politics and not in life.

Later, after insisting that he was still not afraid, Spacey-Underwood fiercely promises his audience: If I didnt pay the price for the things we both know I did do, Im certainly not going to pay the price for the things I didnt do. That may or may not be a direct reference to the Nantucket, Massachusetts charges, which Spacey must have been aware of.

Anyhow, the actor says, despite all the poppycock, the animosity, the headlines, the impeachment without a trial, despite everything, despite even my own death [in House of Cards], I feel surprisingly good.

Whether the release of the video is a wise move from the strictly legal point of view is certainly an issue, but Let Me Be Frank is an angry, bravura performance and a deliberate slap in the face of #MeToo hypocrisy and intimidation.

The video has been viewed on YouTube nearly eight million times, with 178,000 likes and 53,000 dislikes as of this writing. YouTube has registered more than 43,000 comments. Some of those writing in, of course, wish Spacey all possible ill, and denounce him as either a sexual predator or a pedophile, or both.

However, a good number of the YouTube commentators suggest, as one put it, that the [Let Me Be Frank] video was more intriguing than the sixth season of House of Cards. Another repeats that these 3 minutes were more thrilling and engaging than the whole season 6. A third observes, Kevin Spacey is brilliant at what he does and what he does makes millions of people happy. The truth is we all never heard his side of the story. Welcome back, another commentator simply says. Other messages: Media hysteria is pathetic. Come on back Mr Spacey and One of the greats of our time. Come back when ready!

It seems fairly certain that Spacey would not have released the video if he were not convinced there was widespread sympathy with his situation. He also has one significant advantage over the witch-huntershe is considerably smarter than they.

Spacey became a focus of the #MeToo campaign when, on October 29, 2017, actor Anthony Rapp accused Spacey in an interview of making inappropriate advances to him some thirty years previously, when he was 14 and Spacey was 26. Subsequently, numerous individuals have come forward and accused Spacey of various sexual improprieties and making unwanted sexual advances.

The episode with Rapp three decades ago should not have occurred. If Spacey has been guilty of other misconduct, he deserves to be called to accountlegally, if it rises to that level. Again, however, an unorthodox and even promiscuous lifestyle is not a crime, nor is it as unusual in the film and theater world as many are now pretending. The finger-pointing and exclamations of outrage coming from the thoroughly corrupt Hollywood and American media establishment give reinvigorated meaning to the advice that those living in glass houses shouldnt throw stones.

All in all, the vindictive effort to drive the actor out of the film industry is shameful and repugnant. Hollywood, owned and operated by a handful of ruthless conglomerates, regularly and unquestioningly partners with the US military and the CIA, that is, with major war criminals. Nothing in Spaceys conduct justifies the attempt to disappear him.

There is an undeniably tragic element to this unfolding drama. Are we witnessing a modern-day equivalent of the passion of Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde? Wilde was brought to obliteration by reactionary forces in the British establishment in the 1890s. Private detectives hired by his nemesis, the Marquess of Queensberry, uncovered Wildes association with male prostitutes, cross-dressers and homosexual brothels. He was eventually convicted of gross indecency and sentenced in an atmosphere of mob hysteria to two years hard labor. He died only three years after his release.

While in prison, Wilde wrote a lengthy letter to his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, known as De Profundis (Latin for from the depths). Spaceys commentas Underwoodthat he hadnt paid for the things we both know I did do and had no intention of paying the price for the things I didnt do almost seems an echo of Wildes observation in De Profundis: Of course there are many things of which I was convicted that I had not done, but then there are many things of which I was convicted that I had done, and a still greater number of things in my life for which I was never indicted at all.

Over the past 14 months Spacey has seen a career and an artistic reputation that took him decades to build up reduced to ruins. He was removed from House of Cards for its final season and excised from All the Money in the World in an unprecedented manner. He has not been able to work and may not work for some time to come, if his tormentors have their way. He now faces criminal charges. If convicted, Spacey could face five years in prison and be required to register as a sex offender.

He finds himself in a very difficult, almost impossible situation. The reaction of the brutish American media to his Christmas Eve video was entirely predictablesputtering outrage and incredulity. The headlines tell the tale: Kevin Spacey Faces Felony Sexual Assault Charge, Posts Bizarre Video (Variety), Why Kevin Spaceys Bizarre Video Could Be Dangerous to His Future (People), The Sad Truth Revealed by That Disturbing Kevin Spacey Video (Vanity Fair), etc.

In regard to the Massachusetts allegation, USA Todays Maria Puente gloated, Kevin Spacey has probably walked the last red carpet of his Oscar-winning career, but next month he'll be doing a perp walk to a Massachusetts courthouse to face a sex-crime charge on Nantucket.

But the reaction of various Hollywood celebrities was even more shameful. Here betrayal and spite are the watchwords. Alyssa Milano, one of the #MeToo initiators whose major claim to fame is having starred on a mindless situation comedy thirty years ago, retweeted a news story about Spacey facing assault charges and added, And after you read thisthen watch the creepy video Mr. Spacey posted after the news broke.

Actress Ellen Barkin, formerly married to multi-billionaire Ronald Perelman, one of the 100 richest men in America, replied directly and maliciously to Let Me Be Frank with Unfortunately you cannot be frank anymore. You also might find it difficult to be a sexual predator and a pedophile. What you can be is a prisoner. Wed all tune in to see that. Patricia Arquette likewise tweeted, Im sure none of the men who were kids at the time of their sexual assaults appreciate @KevinSpaceys weird video. No. Just No. Rob Lowe, possessing the high moral stature of someone who pioneered the celebrity sex tape industry in 1988, also mocked Spacey in a tweet. These denunciations proceed from the worst, most selfish and cowardly possible motives.

Oscar Wilde understood what Spacey may not fully, that the complete absence of understanding and elementary sympathy on the part of such people is more of a comment on them and their character than on his. The foul position they adopt toward an individual who faces victimization and humiliation is more their problem than his. As Wilde wrote, And if life be, as it surely is, a problem to me, I am no less a problem to life. People must adopt some attitude towards me, and so pass judgment, both on themselves and me.

Speaking of those who had laughed at him when he stood in convict dress, handcuffed, on a railway platform on his way to prison, Wilde observed that he now had begun to feel more regret for the people who laughed than for myself. He wrote that to mock at a soul in pain is a dreadful thing. In the strangely simple economy of the world people only get what they give, and to those who have not enough imagination to penetrate the mere outward of things, and feel pity, what pity can be given save that of scorn?

The release of the video indicates that Spacey intends to fight the allegations and the attempt to destroy him. He deserves support in that endeavor.PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE | PART FOUR | PART FIVE | PART SIX

This is the fifth in a series of articles published by the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) in Sri Lanka to mark the 50th anniversary of its foundation in June 1968.

Established as the Revolutionary Communist League (RCL), the Sri Lankan section of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), it was renamed the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) in 1996. A statement has already been published to mark the RCLs founding congress on June 1617, 1968.

These articles elaborate the RCLs principled foundations and draw the essential political lessons from the struggle for these principles over the past 50 years. The RCL was founded on the program and perspective of socialist internationalism that the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, which claimed to be a Trotskyist party, had betrayed by entering the bourgeois government of Madam Sirima Bandaranaike in 1964.

Central to the work of the SEP has been the fight for Trotskys Theory of Permanent Revolution, which established that in countries of a belated capitalist development only the working class is capable of leading the struggle for the basic democratic and social rights of the workers and rural toilers as part of the fight for socialism internationally. These lessons are critical for the emerging struggles of the working class, not only in Sri Lanka, but throughout Asia and the world.

Based on the theory of Permanent Revolution, the Revolutionary Communist League (RCL) and its successor, the Socialist Equality Party (SEP), have fought intransigently to defend the democratic rights of the islands Tamil minority against the Sinhala ruling elites racist discrimination and violence, and to unite the working class, Sinhalese, Tamil, and Muslim, on the basis of socialist internationalism and in the fight for workers power.

The RCL-SEP was the only force that fought to mobilise the working class against the nearly three-decade (19832009) civil war provoked and prosecuted by the Sri Lankan bourgeoisie. In the face of state repression and violent attacks by both the Sinhala-chauvinist JVP and the Tamil nationalist-separatists of the LTTE, the RCL-SEP fought to arm the working class with the understanding that the war was directed not only against the Tamil masses, but at the working class as a wholeserving as both a political-ideological weapon to incite communalism and divide the working class, and a means to vastly expand the repressive powers of the state.

Bringing to bear the lessons of the Russian Revolution, the struggle against British colonial rule over South Asia, and the entire experience of post-World War II decolonisation, the RCL-SEP made a systematic critique of the petty-bourgeois politics of the LTTE. It thereby demonstrated that the democratic rights of the Tamils could and will only be secured by the working class through socialist revolution and the overthrow of South Asias reactionary communal-based state system.

The suppression of the anti-imperialist struggle, the Sri Lankan state, and anti-Tamil chauvinism

The struggle against Sinhala populism and the Pabloite LSSPs craven adaptation to it, and for the class unity of the working class on the basis of socialist internationalism, were central to the founding of the RCL in 1968.

Sirima Bandaranaike

At its founding conference, the RCL warned that the coalitionthe alliance between the LSSP and the bourgeois SLFP, soon to be expanded to include the Stalinist Communist Party of Sri Lanka (CPSL)was mounting a nationalist campaign that was preparing the political ground for a Sinhala-Buddhist dictatorship in Sri Lanka.

In defining the revolutionary tasks of the working class, the RCL revived and developed the analysis that the Bolshevik-Leninist Party of India had made in 194748 of the reactionary state-system erected in South Asia by the sub-continents departing British colonial overlords in connivance with various ethnic and communally-defined factions of the native bourgeoisie.

Hostile to, and organically incapable of, uniting the masses on the basis of an appeal to their class interests in a common struggle against imperialism, landlordism and capitalist exploitation, the Gandhi-Nehru led Indian National Congress betrayed its own program for a united secular India, and in 1947 implemented the communal partition of South Asia into a Muslim Pakistan and Hindu India.

The Sri Lankan bourgeoisie was, if anything, even more craven. As British India was convulsed by mass struggles against colonial rule in the 1930s and 1940s, it clung to the colonial state structures under which Ceylon was governed separately from the mainland; both out of hope they would provide it with a basis for expanding its own privileges, and fear that the anti-imperialist struggle on the mainland would set the masses in Sri Lanka into motion.

No sooner did the British cede political control over the island to the Sri Lankan bourgeoisie than it stripped the Tamil plantation workers, the largest and most powerful section of the working class, of their citizenship rights. The pretext for this anti-democratic act was that they were foreigners, because their ancestors had been brought to the island from southern India to serve as the British colonialists plantation workforce.

The Sri Lankan Trotskyists, in sharp contrast with the Tamil political establishment, denounced the attack on the rights of the Tamil plantation workers. They warned that the conception that the state must be coeval with the nation and the nation with the race was fascistic. As amongst the labouring population of this country, they declared, we are not ready to distinguish between man and man on the ground of his racial origins. We say a worker is, first and foremost, a worker.

In the ensuing decades, the promotion of poisonous anti-Tamil chauvinism would become ever more vital for the crisis-ridden Sri Lankan bourgeoisie in defending its rule.

In the wake of the 1953 hartal (general strike), Bandaranaike, a leading bourgeois politician who had left the government in 1951, and his Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) launched a chauvinist Sinhala only agitation. This was coupled with populist promises of social reform and demagogic denunciations of the right-wing United National Party (UNP) regime.

The LSSP opposed the Sinhala only agitation, but increasingly it adapted to the SLFP and its Sinhala populism. Thus when Bandaranaike, who came to power in 1956, made Sinhala the countrys sole official language, the LSSP opposed it not from the standpoint of the class unity of the working class, but on the basis that the SLFPs Sinhala-first policies would imperil the unity of the Sri Lankan state.

The more the LSSP adopted the national-reformist conception that socialism could be realised by pressuring the SLFP and reforms implemented by the Sri Lankan state, the more it gave ground to the SLFP on the question of the democratic rights of the Tamil minority.

In 1964, the LSSP joined the Sinhala populist SLFP government, rescuing capitalist rule and betraying an insurgent movement of the working class. Later that year it endorsed an Indo-Sri Lankan agreement that led to the deportation of half-a-million Tamil plantation workers and family members to India.

The LSSPs transformation into a prop of bourgeois rule opened the door for the rise of the petty-bourgeois JVP, which eclectically combined Stalinism, Castroism and Sinhala chauvinism. At the same time, its counter-revolutionary alliance with the party that had championed Sinhala first shattered the confidence of the Tamil masses that they could look to the working class, under revolutionary socialist leadership, to defend their democratic rights. Ultimately, this would lead to the emergence of the LTTE and like-minded Tamil nationalist-separatist groups from among the student youth of the Jaffna Peninsula.

The RCLs fight to mobilise the working class in defence of the Tamil masses

In May 1970, less than two years after the founding of the RCL, a second SLFP-LSSP-CP coalition government came to power.

Facing a working class whose militancy was being fueled by the world economic crisis and an international working-class offensive, exemplified by the 1968 French general strike, the SLFP-led coalition immediately ratcheted up communalism.

Colvin de Silva

It convened a bogus constituent assembly and in 1972 rammed through a new anti-democratic constitution. Authored by LSSP leader Colvin de Silva, the new constitution further exalted the privileged status of Sinhala and enthroned Buddhism as the state religion. It led to placing quotas on Tamil university admissions and making Sinhala compulsory for all state employees.

The RCL alone fought to mobilise the working class against the chauvinist constitution and for that reason came under attack. When RCL members in the leadership of the government Printers Union secured the adoption of a resolution opposing the new constitution, the LSSP responded with a witch hunt against the RCL cadre.

As early as 1970, when Colombo sent troops to north to intimidate the Tamil masses, the RCL raised the demand for the immediate withdrawal of the security forces. This would be a central demand of the RCL-SEP throughout the civil war, and, under conditions where tens of thousands of troops continue to be deployed in the majority-Tamil North and East, remains so to this day.

The RCL intervened energetically among Tamil youth radicalised by the repressive actions of the state. In line with Lenins writings on the national question, the RCL raised in June 1972 the negative demand of self-determination for the Tamil people. This was a means of emphasising the RCLs implacable opposition to Sinhala supremacism and the Sri Lankan state, and for exposing the Tamil bourgeoisie which was seeking to exploit the anger of the Tamil masses over the attack on their rights to incite Tamil nationalism and thereby pursue its own selfish class aims.

We Marxists, declared the RCL, recognise the right of the Tamil nation to self-determination. At the same time, we emphasise that this right can only be won by mobilising the Sinhalese and Tamil workers for the establishment of a workers and peasants government based on socialist policies and recognising this right.

In 1977, an openly right-wing UNP government under J. R. Jayewardene came to power, by exploiting mass opposition to SLFP-LSSP-CP coalition. It had spouted socialist phrases while ceaselessly working to place the burden of the capitalist crisis on to the backs of the working class and rural masses. The UNP regime threw Sri Lanka open to unfettered exploitation by global capital, smashed the 1980 public-sector workers general strike, and ratcheted up Sinhala communalism so as to channel mounting social tensions and anger in a reactionary direction.

The growth of armed opposition among Tamil youth served as a pretext for the government to deploy the military to the North and East, ram through draconian anti-terrorism laws, and whip up mobs to attack the Tamil minority. In 1979, a leading RCL cadre, R.P. Piyadasa, was brutally murdered by UNP thugs for opposing the governments assault on the working class and repression of the Tamil minority.

In July 1983, the UNP government seized on an LTTE attack on a military convoy to launch a horrific anti-Tamil pogrom in Colombo.

Because of its intransigent opposition to the governments anti-Tamil campaign, and indefatigable championing of the unity of the working class, the RCL was a special target of the state-orchestrated violence. The house of K. Ratnayake, the editor of the RCLs Sinhalese-language paper, Kamkaru Mawatha, was burned to the ground. Government thugs also attempted to destroy the party print shop.

In what amounted to a declaration of war, the government rammed through the Sixth Constitutional Amendment at the beginning of August 1983, making it a criminal offence to advocate the creation of Tamil Eelam, i.e., a separate Tamil state. It then used this anti-democratic law to strip all Tamil United Liberation Front MPs of their parliamentary seats.

The RCL defied state censorship and published a lengthy statement entitled, Answer to the racist war, which indicted the government and the opposition parties for inciting the pogrom and calling on the working class to come to the defence of the Tamils.

With the island now plunged into civil war, the RCL redoubled its struggle to mobilise the working class to press for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all security forces from the North and East. At the same time, it systematically refuted the governments war propaganda and exposed how the warwhich was supported by all sections of the Colombo political establishment, including the LSSP and Stalinistswas being used to attack the social and democratic rights of the entire working class.

The WRPs betrayal of Permanent Revolution

The RCLs struggle to rally the working class to the program of socialist internationalism, under conditions of reaction, ethno-communal polarisation and ultimately civil war, was enormously complicated by the British Workers Revolutionary Partys betrayal of Trotskyism. The WRP, into which the SLL had been liquidated in 1973, increasingly succumbed to nationalism and opportunism as epitomised by its abandonment of the program of Permanent Revolution.

Repudiating the positions they had valiantly defended against the Pabloites in the 1950s and 1960s, Gerry Healy and the other senior leaders of the WRP touted myriad bourgeois nationalist movements, including the Palestine Liberation Organisation and Zimbabwes ZANU and ZAPU, as instruments for winning national liberation, and promoted the claims of Iraqs Saddam Hussein and Libyas Muammar Gaddafi to be fighting imperialism. Moreover, the WRP wantonly abused the political authority that it had accrued due to the SLLs leading role in opposing Pabloite opportunism to impose its right-wing line on the other sections of the International Committee.

Behind the backs of their RCL comrades, the WRP leadership established relations with the LTTE, uncritically promoted it, and helped it craft socialist window-dressing for its bourgeois exclusivist program. In 1979 the WRPs Labour Review published an article by LTTE theoretician Anton Balasingham in which he twisted the writings of Lenin inside out, depicting him as a vulgar exponent of bourgeois nationalism, not the implacable defender of socialist internationalism for whom the principal question at all times was the self-determination of the working class.

The RCL was unwavering in its struggle to base its opposition to the war and the Sri Lankan bourgeoisie on the struggle to unite the working class, Sinhala and Tamil, in defence of their independent class interests. For that reason it faced more and more blatant attempts by the WRP to destroy it, including a motion to arbitrarily expel the RCL from the ICFI. The WRPs uncritical support for the LTTE did weaken the RCL, preventing it from subjecting the bourgeois nationalist politics of the LTTE and the other armed Tamil groups to systematic examination and exposure.

In 1985 when it learned of the critique that the US Workers League had made, from 1982 on, of the WRPs opportunist course, the RCL quickly rallied to the support of the Workers League-led ICFI majority.

At the centre of the 198586 split with the WRP was the defence of socialist internationalism and the theory of Permanent Revolution as the foundation of all independent class politics and revolutionary strategy in the imperialist epoch. Subsequently, the ICFI and all its sections would intensify their efforts to infuse this understanding into all aspects of their work.

The 1987 Indo-Sri Lankan Accord

A major political task that confronted the RCL in the immediate aftermath of the split with the WRP, and in which the ICs renewed offensive for socialist internationalism found powerful, concrete expression, was the elaboration of a proletarian response to the 1987 Indo-Lankan Accord.

The Indian government, in a cynical maneouvre aimed at advancing the geopolitical interests of the Indian bourgeoisie, had been providing political and military-tactical support to the LTTE and various other Tamil insurgent groups, such as the Peoples Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE). Fearful that the crisis in Sri Lanka was undermining the reactionary South Asian nation-state system as a whole, it abruptly changed course, withdrew its patronage of the Tamil insurgency, and sought a deal with Colombo.

This shift stunned the Tamil nationalist groups, which had uniformly based their separatist perspective on support from the Indian bourgeoisie.

Under the July 1987 Indo-Lankan Accord, which was initially supported by all the Tamil groups, including the LTTE, Indian troops were deployed to the island ostensibly as peacekeepers, but in reality to suppress the Tamil insurgents and ensure the unity of the Sri Lankan capitalist state.

The RCL stood alone in opposing the Indo-Lankan Accord from the standpoint of the interests of the working class. Following intensive discussions with the RCL leadership, the ICFI issued a comprehensive statement entitled The Situation in Sri Lanka and the Political Tasks of the Revolutionary Communist League.

This statement not only exposed the sordid maneouvres of Jayewardene and Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. It explained the class logic that lay behind the bloody impasse into which the LTTE had led the Tamil masses. The bourgeoisie of an oppressed nation, explained the IC statement, conceives of self-determination exclusively from the standpoint of securing its own national privileges and establishing the best conditions for the exploitation of the workers and peasants within the independent country. Haunted by the fear that the liberation struggle could become a threat to capitalist rule, it continually place(s) limits on the mobilisation of the oppressed masses and pursues a national exclusivist course, making it organically incapable of attaining the universalism required to liberate their nations from imperialist oppression.

The statement placed the assessment of the events in Sri Lanka within a broader historical balance sheet of the independent states established after World War II in Asia, Africa and the Middle East under the rule of the national bourgeoisie. Invariably, it explained, imperialist-sanctioned independence has meant the setting up of bastard states whose very foundations have been built upon a fatal compromise of democratic principles. In this process, the national bourgeoisie has functioned not as the liberator of the oppressed masses, but as a junior partner in imperialist plunder. 

Arising out of such conditions, with the joyous approval of the bourgeoisie, are the horrors of inter-communal warfare. This state of affairs cannot be altered as long as bourgeois rule prevails. The post-independence history of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Burmain fact, of every former colonial country in the worlddecisively proves that the bourgeoisie cannot establish genuine national unification and political independence.

The IC statement, while reaffirming the RCLs implacable opposition to the communal war waged by Colombo, unambiguously asserted that the democratic rights of the Tamils could be realised only through the unified struggle of the working class for socialism. In opposition to both Sri Lankan and Tamil factions of the bourgeoisie and their rival nationalisms, it advanced the call for the Socialist United States of Sri Lanka and Tamil Eelam.

Keerthi Balasuriya

Tragically, this was the last major statement on which Comrade Keerthi Balasuriya, the RCLs general secretary since its foundation in 1968, would work. His death of a coronary thrombosis in December 1987 robbed the Sri Lankan and international working class of a brilliant strategist of world socialist revolution. He was just 39.

Based on the political line elaborated in this statement, the RCL was able to intervene among young Tamil militants who had been forced to take refuge in Europe. The most farsighted drew the conclusion that it was only on the basis of the ICFIs perspective and an orientation to the international working class that the oppression of the Tamils could be ended. These forces joined the ICFI, strengthening its work in both Europe and South Asia.

The RCL/SEPs continuing struggle against the Sri Lankan state, Sinhala supremacism and Tamil nationalism

The LTTE had endorsed the Indo-Lankan Accord, but quickly came into conflict with the Indian troops sent to disarm it. Colombo, meanwhile, seized on the fighting in the north to repudiate its own support for the Accord, on the calculation that through renewed civil war it could scrap the limited concessions the Accord provided the Tamil elite.

Subsequent developments only further exposed the political bankruptcy of the LTTE and its anti-working class character. In the wake of the Stalinist bureaucracies restoration of capitalism in the former USSR and in China, the LTTE quickly shed any remaining socialist pretenses, as part of its efforts to woo Washington, the other Western powers, and the Indian bourgeoisie, which post-1991 embraced capitalist globalisation and sought to develop strategic ties with Washington.

This pro-imperialist orientation was combined with terrorist attacks in the south that deliberately targeted Sinhalese working people and thereby intensified communalism and politically strengthened the Sinhala supremacist bourgeoisie. In the areas under its control in the islands North and East, the LTTE ruthlessly suppressed the working class and whipped up communal animosity against Muslims.

Because of its struggle to politically arm the working class with a socialist-internationalist program to oppose the war and secure the democratic rights of the Tamils, the LTTE lashed out against the SEP, into which the RCL had been transformed in 1996. In the summer of 1998, the LTTE held three SEP membersRajendran Sudarshan, Thirugnana Sambandan and Kasinhathan Naguleshwaranin captivity for 50 days and a fourth, Rasaratnam Rajavale, for 17 days.

Their release without harm was the outcome of a defence campaign by the SEP and International Committee of the Fourth International that rallied support from working people around the world, including notably many diaspora Tamils in Europe, North America, and Australia.

In the early 1990s, the ICFI undertook a critical review of the Marxist movements attitude toward the national question and in particular the demand for the right of self-determination. This was part of a reworking of its program impelled by the intensification of the contradiction between the nation-state system and world economy engendered by globalisation; the Stalinists embrace of capitalist restoration; and the parallel collapse of the trade unions.

This review highlighted several critical issues. First, as the result of its systematic distortion by the Stalinists, Pabloite opportunists and others, self-determination had come to be popularly equated with support for separation and the retrograde, anti-Marxist conception that the working class is obliged to support any and every bourgeois separatist movement.

Second, dogmatic repetition of the slogan for the right of nations to self-determination, was not a substitute for a concrete historical, socio-economic and political analysis of national demands. The manifest failure of the national bourgeoisie in the countries historically oppressed by imperialism to resolve the key democratic tasks had given rise to numerous separatist movements in the independent states created through decolonisation in Asia and Africa. These movements sought to exploit the grievances of the masses in order to divide up states along exclusivist ethnic, linguistic and religious lines in the interests of local exploiters.

Similarly, in the Balkans, as they restored capitalism, various Stalinist factions, working in league with Washington and Berlin, were raising the banner of national self-determination to secure and expand their wealth and power. Such movements, explained the ICFI, have nothing to do with the struggle against imperialism, nor do they embody the democratic aspirations of the masses of oppressed. They serve to divide the working class and divert the class struggle into ethno-communal warfare.

Thirdly, the globalisation of production had provided a socio-economic basis for the proliferation of such national-separatist movements by vastly reducing the significance of national markets and production. Even small territories now had the ability to link up with the world market and potentially provide a lucrative base for the operations of global capital and its local bourgeois agents.

These developments did not take away the urgency of the struggle against national oppression. They only gave further substantiation to the perspective of the Fourth International that, like the other outstanding tasks of the democratic revolution, the eradication of all national oppression and the establishment of genuine equality among peoples and nations is only possible through social revolution led by the working class.

As part of the ICFIs reassessment, the RCL concluded that support for the right of self-determination for the Tamil people could only mean in practical political terms support for the national-separatist project of the LTTE and was therefore devoid of any progressive content.

At the same timethrough the RCL-SEPs continuous agitation, in the face of state repression, against the Sri Lankan state and its war and for the withdrawal of all security forces from the North and Eastall that was genuinely progressive in the self-determination demand was retained and given positive expression.

The RCL and the final stages of the civil war: From phony peace talks to a war of extermination

In early 2002, the LTTE entered into peace talks facilitated by the Norwegian government that were backed by the US, Britain and other major powers. The LTTE did so both because it feared intensified strategic isolation under conditions where Washington had invaded Afghanistan in the name of an all-inclusive war on terror. It also hoped that its offers to become a guarantor of capitalist stability in South Asia would cause the imperialist powers and New Delhi to prod Colombo into making concessions.

The LTTEs aspirations to become a junior partner of imperialist exploitation were epitomised by its incessant claims that an independent Tamil Eelam would become a Tiger economy. This was an unmistakable reference to the Asian Tigers (Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan) which for decades provided US and Japanese capital with cheap labour, while brutally suppressing the working class under autocratic rule.

However, India and the imperialist powers remained adamantly opposed to the creation of an independent Tamil state, calculating it would cut across their interests by encouraging separatist insurgencies across South Asia. Accordingly, the LTTE again shifted gears. In September 2002, it renounced the goal of a separate state, indicating its willingness to accept a share of power within a reorganised, federal Sri Lankan capitalist state.

The WSWS explained in a September 2002 editorial board statement that, in abandoning its own program the better to pursue the selfish class aims of the Tamil bourgeoisie, the LTTE was joining the long line of national liberation movements that have exchanged their combat fatigues for an entree card into government administration and corporate boardrooms.

The SEP opposed the peace talks, which were hailed by the pseudo-left NSSP, United Socialist Party, and myriad NGOs, warning that they had nothing to do with meeting the democratic aspirations and social needs of the Sri Lankan masses, Tamil or Sinhalese. Any power-sharing deal would be a division of the spoils among rival bourgeois factions, and aimed at the strengthening capitalist rule across the island. Moreover, explained the SEP, behind the scenes the Sinhalese ruling elite was feverishly preparing to renew the war.

In 2006, after a series of provocations against the Tamil masses and the LTTE, President Mahinda Rajapakse and his SFLP government resumed all-out war with the full backing of the US, India and other imperialist powers.

The LTTE responded by intensifying its appeals to the imperialists and the Indian bourgeoisie. At no time did it make any attempt to rally the workers and toilers of Sri Lanka, India and internationally against the racist war.

The SEP, meanwhile, redoubled its efforts to mobilise the working class against the war, which Colombo now cynically promoted as integral to Bushs war on terror. In an October 21, 2006 statement indicting Colombo for its brutal military offensive, the SEP Political Committee called on the working class to initiate its own independent political campaign to rally the rural poor, young people and sections of the middle class to put a stop to war and the profit system, which is the source of militarism and communalism.

The statement called on working people throughout the Indian subcontinent, Asia and internationally to oppose Colombos violent aggression and to support their class brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka. The essential basis for unifying the working class against the war and capitalism, the statement insisted, is intransigent opposition to all forms of nationalism, communalism and racism, including both the Sinhala supremacism of the Colombo politicians and the Tamil separatism of the LTTE.

The war ended in 2009 as it had begun more than a quarter-century before. Only the crimes committed by the Sri Lankan ruling class and its state apparatus were on a vastly greater scale, with tens of thousands of civilians killed in a final bloodbath in AprilMay 2009.

Pivotal lessons for today

The LTTEs defeat, as the SEP explained in the document adopted at its 2011 founding congress, was not primarily a military one, but was the product of the inherent weakness of its political perspective  The only social force in society capable of waging a struggle for genuine democratic rights against the Sri Lankan bourgeoisie and its imperialist backers is the working class. However, the LTTE was always organically opposed to any orientation to unite workersTamil and Sinhalaon a class basis.

A decade on, none of the underlying issues that led to the civil war have found progressive resolution. The Colombo establishments much-touted peace dividend proved to be a cruel hoax. Security forces continue to occupy the North. The militarised state machine and repressive laws developed during the war remain intact for use against an increasingly rebellious working class.

In the wars aftermath, the Tamil bourgeoisie moved from supporting the LTTE to backing the openly pro-American Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which has become a linchpin of the Colombo political establishment. The TNA is among Washingtons most fervent supporters in the Sri Lankan elite. It played an important role in the US regime-change operation that resulted in Rajapakse, whom the US deemed too close to Beijing, being replaced in January 2015 by his longtime henchmen Sirisena. In pursuit of Washingtons favour and of pelf and power in Colombo, the TNA has effectively shelved its demand for any investigation into the horrific war crimes the Sri Lankan state inflicted on the Tamil people.

In the recent struggles against the governments IMF-endorsed austerity measures Sinhalese and Tamil workers have stood side-by-side. This instinctive class unity must be politically leavened by the socialist-internationalist program which has animated the struggle of the RCL-SEP over the past five decades, including under the most trying conditions of civil war and state repression.

Todayunder conditions of the breakdown of world capitalism, the resurgence of imperialist violence, and the global turn of capitalist ruling elites to ultra-right chauvinist and nationalist politicsthe RCL-SEPs struggle for socialist internationalism and elaboration, based on the defence and development of Permanent Revolution, of the revolutionary working-class answer to the Tamil national question, to securing the democratic rights of the Tamil masses, provides pivotal strategic lessons, not just for workers and youth in Sri Lanka and South Asia, but around the world.

The author also recommends:

The Historical and International Foundations of the Socialist Equality Party (Sri Lanka)

[26 March 2012]

The SEP and the fight for the Socialist United States of Sri Lanka and Eelam

[1 December 1998]Two months after the Teamsters union imposed a concessions-filled contract on a quarter of a million United Parcel Service (UPS) workers across the US, the Teamsters Locals 705 and 710which cover thousands of UPS employees who work under a separate contractare seeking to impose a virtually indistinguishable sellout.

In October, the Teamsters utilized an anti-democratic constitutional loophole to despotically override a 54 percent no vote by tens of thousands of UPS drivers and warehouse employees. It then imposed a separate sellout contract on 12,000 UPS Freight workers, forcing them to vote again on an agreement they had already rejected and threatening that they would be locked out and lose their healthcare if they resisted the pro-company deal.

Local 705 covers workers in Chicago, Illinois, including more than 9,000 workers at the large Chicago Area Consolidation Hub (CACH). Local 710 covers more than 6,000 UPS workers in Indiana, Illinois and Iowa. Both have maintained separate contracts from the national master agreement since the 1960s. The Teamsters released the local agreements last week, and workers are due to conclude voting on January 11 for Local 710, and January 26, 2019 for Local 705.

Both include all of the fundamental attacks on workers wages and conditions contained in the national agreement. These include the creation of a new hybrid driver/warehouse employee, who will be paid less than existing drivers, and will be used as a first step for extending the conditions of part-time work from the warehouses to the delivery drivers. Wages for new part-time workers will also be set at the poverty level of $13 per hour.

If passed, these agreements will permanently lower the wages and conditions of tens of thousands of current and future UPS drivers and warehouse workers, and further boost UPS profits, which are on track to reach $7 billion this year.

The sellouts are all the more significant because of the central role played by the Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU), a rival faction of the Teamsters apparatus, that has presented itself as a militant alternative to the nakedly pro-company leadership of president James Hoffa. David Bernt, a member of the TDUs national steering committee, is on the negotiating committee for Local 705 and has been a vocal proponent of the agreement. TDU member Daniel Ginsberg-Jaeckle was also involved in the negotiations and has defended the contract.

In the wake of the unions defiance of the workers national vote, Bernt and other TDU members claimed that Local 705 would reject any similar concessions. The TDU was promoted by the publication Labor Notes, which published an article on October 12 by its editor, Alexandra Bradbury, entitled, Chicago Teamsters Mull Strike at UPS. It peddled all the TDUs bogus promises and insisted that the union was considering launching a strike against UPS during peak season, the most profitable period of the year stretching from late November through early January.

The article quoted TDU and negotiating committee member Bernt stating that the Teamsters were not going to put up with this $13 crap for part-time workersthe very wage scale included in the proposed agreement. It added that two-tier wont fly, and quoted Bernt stating that the Teamsters is not interested in the creation of lower-paid hybrid positions, which have also been included.

As for the claim that the Teamsters was considering strike action during peak season, it instead forced workers to remain on the job for six months after the contract expired, ensuring there would be no interruption for the company throughout its most profitable period.

In an attempt to divert widespread anger over its sellout, the Local 705 agreement provides a $15 wageitself a poverty-level wage that is already being paid to Amazon workersto part-time workers who already have seniority, $2 more per hour than new hires. This effectively creates a new two-tier system within the part-time workforce and puts a target on the back of all existing part-time workers, whom management will seek to force out or lay off in order to further slash costs. The contract also states that all general wage increases will not be applied until August 1, 2021, an effective three-year wage freeze.

Workers responded to the latest sellout agreements with outrage. Everyone should vote no on this contract, Ben, a part-time warehouse worker with nearly 4 years at the CACH facility, told the WSWS UPS Workers Newsletter. They absolutely screwed every part-timer. In the old contract, I would have had a dollar raise a year for three years and I would have gotten to $16. Now I get to $15 a year at the end of 2021.

The worker added that the $15 being offered to part-timers with seniority was itself almost impossible to live on in Chicago, even if you had a full-time job. The company makes it impossible to advance unless youre a supervisor, who just got a raise to $18 an hour starting. For the newly hired workers who make $13 an hour, its not worth the cost to your body over time.

The issue is the lack of full time jobs more than anything, he added. People have waited 20 years to get a full-time job at UPS The union doesnt have my interest at all. It completely screws me.

After the TDUs Ginsberg-Jaeckle posted a Facebook comment defending the agreement, another UPS worker commented, I remember the video [where] the principle officer [Secretary-Treasurer Juan Campos] said he would not accept any contract with 22.4 [hybrid drivers]... it looks like he sold out the membership on those issues. The worker added that Campos and the Local union had threatened to strike at peak now he turns around and presents a contract that is the same as the national master. You cant bad mouth the master and then claim the 705 contract is a big victory.

The TDUs actions demonstrate that it has no fundamental disagreements with the Hoffa leadership. Wherever it has the opportunity in power, it works to impose no less savage attacks on the workers conditions to boost company profits. It seeks a greater share for its own leaders of the highly-paid positions on the Teamsters executive and control over the billion-dollar worker healthcare fund. That is why it is instructing workers to vote for TDU members to the leadership of the union in 2021.

The central concern of all factions of the Teamsters apparatus is that workers will break from this corrupt and pro-corporate organization and establish their own independent organizations of struggle. The WSWS UPS Workers Newsletter urges UPS workers to take this path by forming their own rank-and-file workplace committees, independent of the Teamsters and democratically controlled by and for workers themselves, to organize a fight against the UPS-Teamsters sellout contracts and for large wage rises, and decent working conditions. These committees would reach out to link up with UPS and other workers across the US and internationally.

We urge UPS workers who want more information about building rank-and-file workplace committees to contact us today.It's possible there's no better place than Budapest to while away an afternoon in a coffee house with a cake -- or three.

Blending different cultural influences, histories and traditions, Budapest's cake scene offers a delectable range of pastries, tarts and sweet treats.

Budapest Continents and regions Eastern Europe Europe Hungary Business and industry sectors Business, economy and trade Consumer products Food and drink Food products Kinds of foods and beverages Sweets and desserts Travel and tourism Alcoholic beverages Cafes and delis Food and beverage industry Restaurant and food service industry Restaurant industry Restaurants Wine Beverages Jewish people Minority and ethnic groups Society

Gyorgy Ujlaki, a tour guide for Taste Hungary, says Hungarian cake is "influenced, infused by the local traditions" but also steeped in other European customs.

Turkish Ottomans ruling Hungary in the 16th and 17th century brought Eastern flavors to the city. Later, settlers from Germany, France, Belgium, Austria and Romania brought their own cooking cultures along.

"The first cake shop in Hungary was opened in the 1720s, 35 years after the liberation from the Turks," says Ujlaki.

By the 19th century, cake culture was a central part of Budapest life -- and Hungarian cuisine was peppered with pastries, from the everyday to the extra-special.

Intrigued? Here are the best Budapest cakes -- and where to eat them when you travel here.

Hungarian Strudel

Strudel is often associated with Austria, but of course Austria and Hungary were once united under the sprawling Austro-Hungarian Empire.

At Retesbolt Anno 1926, a cozy Budapest cafe, strudel is the specialty.

Retes, Hungarian for strudel, comes from the Hungarian word "reteges" -- meaning layered.

Three kinds of strudel -- apricot, poppy seed and Quark, a type of cottage cheese -- are served up.

"This is traditional, original -- as a grandmother would make her grandchildren -- the last 200 years, same recipe, same taste, same quality," assures Ujlaki.

In Hungary, most desserts and sweet treats are eaten cold. And you can forget about Americanized warm strudel with whipped cream or custard, this strudel speaks for itself, unaccompanied.

The apricot version has a sweet light taste, complemented by delicate dough.

The poppy seed strudel has a satisfying texture and speaks to the strudel's heritage -- poppy seed is a popular ingredient in Hungary.

Perhaps most appealing is the Quark -- it packs a creamy punch and has a satisfyingly savory flavor.

"Strudel was never a high cuisine, it's more like a popular cuisine for the general people," explains Ujlaki. "This was affordable but still original and traditional."

Where to eat it:

Retesbolt Anno 1926, Lehel u. 38, Budapest 1135; +36 1 320 8593

Rigo Jancsi

What happens when you combine soft chocolate sponge, sweet apricot jam, velvety chocolate mousse and a hint of romance?

You get the recipe for Rigo Jancsi, a delectable cake named for Romani violinist Rigo Jancsi -- who infamously ran away with the then-married Belgian Princesse de Caraman-Chimay.

It's best eaten in a suitably glamorous setting, while daydreaming about your own adventures.

Try the cake at Hauer Cukraszda, a grand Budapest cafe where Hungarians have flocked for pastries for over a century. As well as traditional treats, Hauer's skilled chefs experiment with creative confections and other delights.

The interior is grand and sprawling.

"Originally it was just one room, on the main street, and as they became popular they expanded, they bought another place, another place, another place, and that's why it's irregular, kind of," says Ujlaki.

Just don't think about the end of Rigo Jancsi's story -- it's less optimistic.

"The princess subsequently left Jancsi for an Italian waiter in Naples and he eventually died poor and forgotten," Marcell Beretzky, marketing officer for Hauer tells CNN Travel.

Where to eat it:

Hauer Cukraszda, rakoczi ut 47-49, Budapest 1088; +36 1 612 1313

Kremes

This heavenly dessert is deceptively simple: think perfectly flaked pastry crust oozing vanilla custard.

"A little bit like Napoleon cake, layered cake," is how Ujlaki describes it -- "but instead of having many layers and many fillings, it's just the one layer and one filling, another layer and the pastry."

Different cafes in Budapest have slightly different takes on Kremes.

You can also find similar desserts across Europe.

Best accompanied with coffee and a spot of people watching in one of Budapest's traditional cafes -- Hauer perhaps, or Auguszt, one of the city's oldest patisseries.

Where to eat it:

Hauer Cukraszda, rakoczi ut 47-49, Budapest 1088; +36 1 612 1313

Flodni

Budapest has a strong Jewish community and many classic Jewish delicacies have become commonplace in the wider Budapest culinary scene.

Flodni is a traditional Hungarian Jewish cake that's a must-eat for sweet-toothed visitors to Budapest.

At Cafe Noe, Rachel Raj -- one of Budapest's most famous cake chefs for a reason -- whips up a perfectly constructed version of Flodni, a five layered pastry consisting of rich fillings: poppy seed, apple, walnut and plum jam.

Raj even holds a Guinness World Record for the largest Flodni cake ever made, serving 1,600 pieces at Budapest's Sziget festival in 2012.

Uljaki explains that each Flodni layer has a symbolic meaning.

"Poppy seed means prosperity, apple means [...] wholeness, and the walnuts is more like health. And the extra is plum jam -- don't ask me what it represents, it just tastes good!"

Flodni is often eaten during the Jewish festival of Purim.

Cafe Noe is snug and intimate, the perfect place to escape from Budapest's wintery weather for a scrumptious treat.

Where to eat it:

Cafe Noe, Wesselenyi u. 13, Budapest 1077; +36 1 787 3842

Kurtos kalacs

The streets of Budapest are filled with food stands warming rolls of pastry on wood fires. The whirls of dough gradually golden before being sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.

Its an enticing sight for cake fanatics -- who won't be disappointed when taking a bite -- Kurtos Kalacs is wonderfully crusty on the outside and delicately fluffy on the interior.

Originally a festival cake made at weddings and other special events, this treat, anglicized as Chimney Cake, is found on street corners across Central Europe (in the Czech Republic it's known as Trdelnik).

Eating warm Kurtos kalacs on a chilly day is a particular treat.

Try it at Karavan Street Market in the Jewish district. The market neighbors the must-visit Szimpla Kirt ruin bar and the Kurtos kalacs makes for the perfect pre or post-bar snack.

Where to eat it:

Karavan, Kazinczy u. 18, Budapest 1075

Esterhazy

Named for a famous noble family, Esterhazy torte is predictably fancy -- but also very tasty.

Created in Budapest in the late 19th century, this layered delight consists of walnut infused buttercream and chocolate, adorned with a fondant glaze.

"Filled with whipped cream and fondant, it can be different tastes and colors, you can have it lemony, chocolatey..." says Uljaki.

This is another cake to be sampled in one of Budapest's famous cafes. Worth a look in is Central Cafe, where cake fans can imagine hobnobbing with the city's literary greats in the early 20th century. Or there's the exquisitely opulent New York Cafe, which captures mid-century glamor.

Esterhazy is also available at the grand Cafe Gerbaud, with its stunning chandeliers and marble-and-wood interior, on Budapest's Vorosmarty square.

During the Soviet period, Gerbaud and the other Budapest coffeehouses were nationalized, renamed and the quality suffered. Since then, many been revitalized and transformed back to their fin de siecle grandeur.

Where to eat it:

Cafe Gerbeaud, Vorosmarty ter 7-8, Budapest 1051; +36 1 429 9000

Dobos

Dobos torte is another classic Hungarian layered cake -- sheets of chocolate buttercream and fluffy sponge are topped with a caramel glaze.

This cake was the brainchild of Hungarian chef Jozsef C. Dobos -- and took his name accordingly. Dobos wanted to create a pastry with a longer shelf life -- hence the caramel topping, which helps stop the cake drying up prematurely.

After premiering at the National General Exhibition of Budapest in 1885, the cake took off and remains a chic treat across Europe.

It's the ideal balance between delicate and decadent. Just try to resist another slice.

Where to eat it:

Gerbeaud, Vorosmarty ter 7-8, Budapest 1051; +36 1 429 9000

And to finish...Tokaji aszu wine

Cake and coffee are natural bedfellows, but for the true Budapest cake experience, a bite of crumbling pastry or delicate tart should be accompanied by Tokaji aszu -- a sweet wine made from rotting grapes (much nicer than it sounds).

The alcohol gets its name from the Tokaj wine region, which spans part of Hungary and Slovakia.

Sweet as honey and light as a feather, a glass of Tokaj wine is the perfect accompaniment to any Budapest cake odyssey.HAMILTON, Ala. (AP)  A man has been arrested in the shooting death of the father of his girlfriend's children during a custody exchange in Alabama on Christmas Day.

News outlets reported the shooting happened outside the Hamilton Police Department in Marion County.

Twenty-nine-year-old Christopher Andrew Cochran is charged with murder in the shooting.

The victim's name has not been released yet.

Hamilton Police Chief Ronnie Vickery said the shooting happened Tuesday afternoon when a mother and her boyfriend went to meet her children's father outside the police department. The children were supposed to spend the holiday with their father.

Vickery said after the parents began to argue, the mother's boyfriend shot the father.

It wasn't known if Cochrane has an attorney yet who could comment on the charge.NEW YORK (AP)  Wells Fargo will pay $575 million in a settlement with attorneys general from all 50 states and the District of Columbia that are investigating its banking practices, which have included phony accounts and manipulative sales practices.

The total settlement amount for Mississippi is $2,538,491.41, announced Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood.

Under the agreement announced Friday, the bank will also be required to create teams to review and respond to customer complaints about its banking and sales practices.

The bank has been under a cloud since 2015 when it acknowledged that employees had opened millions of fake bank accounts for customers in order to meet sales goals. It has also said that it sold insurance and other financial products to customers who didn't need them.

Wells Fargo has already been ordered to pay more than $1.2 billion in penalties and faced stricter regulations.Former House Representative Nathan Winters reveals the ups and downs of being a WY legislator

THERMOPOLIS  Most people cannot fathom what it is like to be a Wyoming House Representative, unless they have been one.

Nathan Winters, Republican from Thermopolis, decided, in 2018, to step-down from serving for the last six years, as House Representative for House District 28 to run for state auditor. This month he agreed to take the community on the journey of walking a mile in a Wyoming legislators shoes.

First of all, to be in the legislature is a real honor. I believe that to be a Wyoming citizen and an American citizen and to enjoy the country that we have been given there is a point where you have a deep desire to want to return back a little bit of the gift that you have been given. Thats why I believe that citizen government, really, is a vital importance and we have to, as a society, get over the idea that its someone elses problem, that we are just watching politics on TV. We have to get personally involved and thats what drove me early on, Winters said. More than anything you have to care and I really enjoyed that a lot. Its been one of the greatest honors of my life to serve House District 28 and to participate in the ongoing debate that is civil society in America, he added.

Winters explained that going to a Republican Party meeting was his first step into the world of politics. I was invited to go by a friend. I had always been interested, to some degree, but I had always been separated from it. So I went to one of those meetings, a Republican Party meeting and I had ideas, I listened to the debate and took part in the debate and it was amazing because it became very evident, these are just your neighbors and they are trying to take part in their government, Winters said.

No one really knows what to expect after they are newly elected as a legislator. Winters stated that even he had a lot of pre-conceived notions. I thought, Id be going down there and debating with Adams, Madison and Hamilton and things like that. Then you get down there and you find out no, they are some really good, very smart people but they are your neighbors, they are people that live next door to you just in a different neighborhood, Winters explained. That whole feeling was something that as you start to enter into some of the challenges that society faces, these are people that really care. They may have a different perspective than you and you have your own perspective and in the conflict of those perspectives is where laws are made, and thats the way it is supposed to work, he added.

Winters went on to explain that the different perspectives are what makes the State Legislature work. He met representatives from across the state with not only different perspectives but also different backgrounds. He stated that one representative may be a lawyer knowing the ins and outs of law, while another may be an accountant knowing the ins and outs of that type of law. There are all these perspectives and they are very good in their area, but my background as kind of a theologian and studying the ethics and history of things lent itself in a way that was very valuable overall because you bring these wide varieties not only perspectives but backgrounds and as you begin hammering out the laws you can each raise questions that the others may not think of. That was what was so good, Winters said.

Each year when Winters went to Cheyenne, one year 40 days, another 20 and so on, he would try to make sure that he came home to his family on the weekends. I normally tried to find an inexpensive hotel and kind of set up for the length of the Legislature and I would try to make it home every weekend but there were several occasions where the weather was just too bad and it would keep me there. Thats an intense turn around, leaving on Friday and driving the little over five hours to get here [Thermopolis] and then on Sunday afternoon turning around and driving back. But it also kind of keeps you centered on whats most important; its about your district back home, thats important, Winters said.

The only typical thing about each day in Cheyenne was the intensity. Its very intense while you are there. Whats interesting is you will look at sometimes over 500 bills in the space of one of those sessions, thats between both the Senate and the House, and so it is extraordinarily intense, especially towards the end [of the session], Winters explained.

There would be times where I would show up at 7 a.m. and you would have three hours of your committee meeting. Then at 10 a.m. they would call everyone in to the main chambers and you would work for two hours until noon. Then some people had a chance to take a lunch break but there were a number of committees that would work right through lunch for two hours, from noon to 2 p.m., he said. Winters added that the afternoon session could last until 8 or 9 p.m.

You would work in the chambers again for hours and hours and hours. Inevitably there were a couple committees that would still, as we gaveled out, go and meet for their committee meeting, even that late. Thats what happens, it is a lot of work in a very compressed amount of time, he added.

During his time as a legislator, Winters served on several committees: the Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Committee, the Management Audit Committee and the Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee. He also served as the House Judiciary Committees vice-chairman.

This is part one of a two part series on Rep. Nathan Winters. Part two will be in Saturdays edition of the Northern Wyoming Daily News.Environmental pollution is the most widely cited concern by Hungarians, daily Nepszava said, citing a fresh survey of seven countries commissioned by energy supplier E.ON.

The survey carried out on a sample of 7,000 people asked respondents whether they consider climate change, pollution, war or poverty the biggest challenge facing society.

The majority of respondents named climate change and pollution as their biggest concerns.

Alongside Hungarians, the Czechs and Swedes also chose pollution as their top concern, while people in Britain and Romania are most worried about poverty.

Climate change is seen as the biggest concern in Germany and Italy.

Altogether 33.4% of Hungarian respondents said they are most worried about the state of the environment, followed by poverty and climate change.

Hungarians are least worried about war, with just 6.7% of respondents naming it as the number one problem.

Fully 81% of Hungarians  the highest of all nations surveyed  said they have made changes in their own lifestyles in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, about half of Hungarians said they would be willing to pay 5% more for products manufactured through eco-friendly practices.A liberal commentator dismisses what he calls left-wing fake news that the government has begun Hungarys exit from the EU by repealing several bilateral trade treaties.

On Index, Balazs Marton points out that popular left-wing blogs are wrong to interpret the governments mid-December decree which repeals a number of bilateral trade and investment treaties with EU member states as an indication of the governments has begun the preparation of might be called Huxlit.

The liberal columnist explains that the suspended agreements were signed between 1950 and Hungarys admission to the EU 54 years later.

These earlier deals with EU member states became obsolete after Hungarys entry to the EU, and the European Court has called on Hungary to repeal them, noting that investment and trade in the EU should be regulated by EU law rather than by bilateral treaties.

In a passing comment, Marton notes that the old trade and investment protection treaties have only been used by Hungary to sue foreign countries once, while multinational enterprises have used them several times to support their claims in Hungary.

In the latest case, Edenred, a French food voucher company must be paid 23 million Euros after it successfully sued Hungary for the nationalization of the food-voucher market. Countries can successfully be sued under the EU investment protection scheme too, Marton remarks."If we judge this land of Kalotaszeg from the window of a train dashing across its length, then we might determine that the overwhelming part of it is monotonous, dreary, even sad.

[] The uninterrupted disarray of rocky, barren hills. []



It is, at a glance, a sad and melancholy landscape. But the air is wonderfully clean and the lines of the whimsical hills are sharp, their silhouettes distinct, and the patches of color and contours of the fields and meadows of this fanciful place are indeed strangely unique.



In this cold and sharply drawn landscape, the artist's eye, as in a finely composed picture, will take notice of man among his wonderful contrasts and creations.



Perhaps nowhere else than in the outlines and colors of the steely hard and cold Kalotaszeg landscape would the region's brightly colored folk dress be so greatly affecting with its white, red, yellow and black patches set against the warmly dark, gray-brown, pointed shingled church towers boring into the bright, cold blue sky, the tent-like house roofs above snow-white walls and between the green branches of small gardens.



The typical region of Kalotaszeg in its entirety is, even today, a serious experience for every person of healthy eye and soul, and for anyone who loves and understands beauty. (Karoly Kos)



Date and time:

30 December 2018, Sunday 7 pm - 8:45 pm - no interval

Venue:

Festival Theatre

1095 Budapest, Komor Marcell Utca 1.

Ticket prices: HUF 2500 / HUF 3200 / HUF 3900Day Before He Was Arrested in Case of Missing Fiancee, What Colorado Dad Told a Client

The day before his arrest in the murder of his still-missing fiancee, a Colorado man gave no indication that he was worried.

To the contrary, Patrick Frazee thought that as the investigation ramped up and calls flooded his cell phone, client Clinton Cline might have trouble getting through  and so Frazee reached out first, sharing a new cell number with Cline, who worked alongside Frazee to care for a protected herd of wild donkeys in the small town of Cripple Creek.

Hes very conscientious about his work, Cline tells PEOPLE of Frazee, a farrier who, at least twice a year, arrived to trim and care for the hooves of the donkeys that roam free in the historic former gold mining camp near the base of Pikes Peak.

He had the health and the well-being of the donkeys interest at heart, Cline says.

Given the circumstances  Kelsey Berreth, Frazees 29-year-old fiancee and mother to their 1-year-old daughter, who by then had been missing for 28 days  I think thats the last thing I would have been doing at that time, calling my customers and giving a new cell, Cline says.

But while conceding it sounds strange, Cline believes Frazees actions suggest he had nothing to hide.

From left: Patrick Frazee with his fiancee, Kelsey Berreth, and their daughter

If the evidence shows up that he did do it, Im going to be one of the most shocked people youve ever seen, says Cline, who is president of the Cripple Creek organization that protects the wild animals. I know everybody always says that. But it doesnt fit his persona to do something like that.

Another client of Frazees, Sonja Oliver, who trusted the care of her horses to him for five years, spoke to reporters before his arrest attesting to Frazees good character. But she tells PEOPLE the accusations made public against him have since changed her mind.

We all know what happened now, she says.

Authorities have said they do not believe Kelsey is still alive and are searching for the body of the pilot instructor from Woodland Park, who hasnt been seen in public since Thanksgiving, when surveillance video recorded her and her daughter entering a local market.

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RELATED: Missing Colo. Mom Was Last Seen on Thanksgiving  and Family Says Shed Never Abandon Daughter

Frazee, 32, who did not live with Berreth, told police that he and his fiancee met up that same day so Berreth could hand off their daughter to him.

Berreths mother, who lives out of state, reported her missing 10 days later, on Dec. 2.

Kelsey Berreth

Cline tells PEOPLE that some media accounts have misrepresented the relationship between Frazee and Berreth, at least as Cline understood it.

While authorities have declined to discuss the couples custody arrangement, Cline says Frazee was the primary caretaker for their daughter  and would have had no reason to know immediately that Berreth had gone missing.

He also contends that Berreth had disappeared on other occasions and returned. Police have not confirmed any such incidents from Berreths past.

A spokesman for Berreths family tells PEOPLE they are not giving interviews.

Shes not the kind that runs off, her mom told reporters on Dec. 10, her voice shaking with emotion. This is completely out of character. Kelsey loves her God, she loves her family and friends and she loves her job.

Police have released few details of their investigation, except to say they are pursuing leads in Idaho, where the missing womans cell phone pinged nearly 600 miles from her home about three days after she was last seen.

Mr. Frazee hopes and prays for Ms. Berreths return, his attorney at the time, Jeremy Loew, said in a Dec. 14 statement to PEOPLE, even as authorities searched Frazees home and 35-acre property in Florissant, about 15 miles west of Woodland Park.

 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

Frazee was arrested last week without incident on suspicion of first-degree murder and solicitation to commit first-degree murder, and remains in the Teller County Jail.

Loew has since been replaced as Frazeees attorney by a public defender, with Loew telling PEOPLE his representation was only for a specific period of time. State public defenders are barred from commenting on pending cases.

Woodland Park Police Chief Mies De Young said at a news conference last Friday that additional arrests were possible.

Frazee, who has not yet entered a formal plea to the allegations against him, is due in court later this month to be officially charged.

Police who announced Frazees arrest said last Friday that the couples daughter had been taken from him and paced in protective custody.

Berreths parents, Cheryl and Derrel, were granted continued temporary custody at a hearing Thursday, reports Denver TV station KDVR; the custody case will resume on Jan. 3.Special counsel Robert Mueller has reached a momentous milestone in his Russia investigation  and no, its not obtaining a ude selfie.

On Thursday night, the former director of the FBI was an answer on Jeopardy!. The clue read, At least 17 indictments and 5 guilty pleas were in by May 17, 2018, one year after he became special counsel.

The answer, of course, was, Who is Mueller?

Viewers were quick to weigh in.

LOL. A #jeopardy question of all Robert Muellers indictments was just on the show. WOW!!!  Curtis (@CLF_423) December 28, 2018

Shout out to my man on Jeopardy! Who is Robert Mueller? pic.twitter.com/mL10chKyqP  John W. Parish (@johnnyparish66) December 28, 2018

LOL. A #jeopardy question of all Robert Mueller's indictments was just on the show. WOW!!!  Curtis (@CLF_423) December 28, 2018

This isnt the first time the Russia probe has been a subject on Jeopardy!. In July, one of Muellers earliest indictments also got attention. The clue: In 2017 this ex-national security adviser pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. None of the contestants could come up with the name  Michael Flynn, who is currently awaiting sentencing.

Story continues

Trump has maintained his innocence since the beginning of the investigation, despite the growing number of indictments.

For more Jeopardy! check out jeopardy.com.

Watch Trumps biographer, who examined his feet for bone spurs, say that he didnt see anything:

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:

Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Kylie Mar, on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.Like a spoiled toddler throwing a tantrum over a toy, President Donald Trump is threatening to shut down the southern border, terminate trade deals, and cease aid to three Latin American nations unless he gets what he wants: funding for his precious border wall. The series of tweets signal that Trump does not plan to end the government shutdown until the wall is funded, continuing the standstill on Capitol Hill.

We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with. Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

In a Friday morning tweetstorm, the president blamed obstructionist Democrats for not funding the wall, despite having Republican control of both houses of Congress until Democrats take over the House in 2019. He also called for changes to ridiculous immigration laws and threatened to end the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which is now called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

.The United States looses soooo much money on Trade with Mexico under NAFTA, over 75 Billion Dollars a year (not including Drug Money which would be many times that amount), that I would consider closing the Southern Border a profit making operation. We build a Wall or..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

..close the Southern Border. Bring our car industry back into the United States where it belongs. Go back to pre-NAFTA, before so many of our companies and jobs were so foolishly sent to Mexico. Either we build (finish) the Wall or we close the Border  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

Bring our car industry back into the United States where it belongs. Go back to pre-NAFTA, before so many of our companies and jobs were so foolishly sent to Mexico, Trump tweeted. Either we build (finish) the Wall or we close the Border.

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This is not the first time Trump has threatened to close the border. Last month, he said he would close the border with Mexico permanently if Mexico did not send people seeking asylum back to their home countries.

Trump also claimed he would cut off aid to El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala for doing nothing for the United States but taking our money. But earlier this month, Trump pledged $10.6 billion in aid and investment to Central America and southern Mexico so they can offer better job opportunities and hopefully prevent their citizens from migrating to the United States.

..Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money. Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it. We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries  taking advantage of U.S. for years!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

Incoming White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney appeared on Fox and Friends on Friday and claimed that while Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer has signaled might be open to a deal, he said Rep. Nancy Pelosi is stopping it from moving forward until she is elected speaker.

We dont think they will [negotiate] until after the new Congress is sworn in, he said.

But Pelosis deputy chief of staff Drew Hammill said in a statement Thursday: Democrats have offered Republicans three options to re-open government that all include funding for strong, sensible, and effective border security  but not the presidents immoral, ineffective and expensive wall. With the House Majority, Democrats will act swiftly to end the Trump Shutdown, and will fight for a strategic, robust national security policy, including strong and smart border security, and strong support for our servicemembers and veterans.

Of course, all of this fighting over the border wall would be a non-issue if Trump only fulfilled one of his biggest and oft-repeated campaign promises: to make Mexico pay for it.In a move reminiscent of The Grinch, someone in New York City stole a bus, drove it around for a few hours and then returned it to where they found it.

On Sunday evening, somebody found an unattended New York City bus parked in the Bronx, climbed inside, pushed the keyless ignition button and drove off to Queens.

I heard about this and I thought that was a joke, one city bus driver told the New York Post. The problem is, you have a lot of people who have a fantasy about driving a city bus, and when you leave a bus out there in the open with no one inside, youre at risk of someone stealing it.

But within eight hours, the bus-napper drove back up to the Bronx and left the bus about a half-mile from where they found it.

The bus reportedly went missing around 8 p.m. on Sunday. Its unclear when Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) officials actually noticed that the vehicle was missing. But by 4 a.m. on Monday morning, the bureau discovered  via the buss built-in GPS  that the vehicle had been taken on a joyride to a different borough. Whoever stole the bus had a change of heart at some point and turned around, driving back to the Bronx and leaving the bus parked about a half-mile from where they found it.

This is not the first time that a New York City bus has been stolen and taken for a ride. Because the buses do not require a key to operate, or even a keyless fob, anybody can climb in, press the start button and take off. One city bus driver told the New York Post that it was a big problem. Last year, a man in Staten Island was sentenced to one year in prison after stealing several buses.

New York police are still investigating the incident. So far, no one has been charged in relation to the case.A teenage girl from California has died after falling from an overlook in Arizona, authorities say.

The 14-year-old girl was found dead about 700 feet below the Horseshoe Bend overlook, Coconino County sheriffs officials told the Associated Press.

She was reported missing by her family from the area on Monday afternoon. According to sheriffs deputies, the girl was visiting the scenic attraction from the San Jose area.

The teens body was spotted by an Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter. Authorities were not able to get to the body to recover it until Tuesday morning.

Authorities believe the fall was an accident but are investigating her death.

Horseshoe Bend offers a horseshoe-shaped view of the Colorado river as it flows below red cliffs. According to the AP, the popular tourist destination does not have barriers.JERUSALEM (AFP) - Amos Oz, who died of cancer Friday aged 79, was a celebrated Israeli novelist and passionate peace advocate whose stirring memoir "A Tale of Love and Darkness" became a worldwide bestseller.

His daughter Fania Oz-Salzberger confirmed his death on Twitter, calling him "a wonderful family man, an author, a man of peace and moderation", as tributes began to pour in.

While his writing is widely acclaimed, he was perhaps equally known as one of the earliest and most forceful critics of Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands captured in the Six-Day War of 1967.

In recent years, Oz spoke out against the policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, shunning official Israeli functions abroad in protest at what he has called the "growing extremism" of his government.

Many viewed him as a conscience of the nation, although he was repeatedly the target of criticism from Israel's far right.

But while he was a consistent advocate of the creation of a Palestinian state, Oz also took a hard line against those sworn to Israel's destruction and condemned every variety of religious fanaticism.

He had little time for Western analysts who "assume that the Israelis and the Palestinians need to get to know each other better" to resolve the Middle East conflict.

"It must be resolved through a painful compromise, and not through having coffee together," he told the Paris Review in a 1996 interview.

"Rivers of coffee drunk together cannot extinguish the tragedy of two peoples regarding the same little country as their own and only homeland. We need to divide it. We need to work out a mutually acceptable compromise."

- From kibbutz to fame -

Oz was born Amos Klausner in Jerusalem in 1939, the only child of parents who emigrated from Russia and Poland to help establish a homeland for the Jews.

His austere childhood in the final years of British-mandate Palestine -- haunted by the Holocaust and the threat of war for the land claimed by two peoples -- would serve as a major theme of his literary works.

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So would the suicide of his mother when he was 12, the topic of his heart-wrenching memoir "A Tale of Love and Darkness", which has sold more than a million copies and was adapted into a film by Hollywood actress Natalie Portman.

Seeking a break from his life in Jerusalem, he moved to a kibbutz collective farm at the age of 15 and changed his last name to Oz, Hebrew for strength and bravery.

It was while living on the kibbutz, where he would remain on and off for the next 25 years, that Oz emerged as a writer, focusing on daily life and family tribulations.

"My work is the comedy of unhappy families, not tragedy," he has said.

His early works, many of which were published in Hebrew by the Israeli Labour Party's publishing house, included "Where the Jackals Howl" (1965) and "My Michael" (1968).

Other works of fiction include "Black Box" in 1987, while "A Tale of Love and Darkness", the autobiographical story that portrayed three generations of Jewish life in Jerusalem, was published in 2002.

His novel "Judas", published in Hebrew in 2014, was shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize following its English translation.

Oz has received numerous awards for his work, including the Israel Prize for Literature in 1998 and Germany's Goethe Prize in 2005, but the Nobel Prize in Literature eluded him despite widespread speculation he would win the prestigious accolade.

Like many Israelis, Oz served several stints in the military, including in a Sinai tank unit during the Six-Day War of 1967 and during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.

He was an early critic of Israel's occupation of the territories it captured in the 1967 war -- the West Bank, including east Jerusalem, from Jordan; the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt; and the Golan Heights from Syria.

As virtually all Israelis hailed their country's military triumph, Oz wrote to a local newspaper that holding on to the territories would exact an unbearable moral toll, saying that "even unavoidable occupation is a corrupting occupation".

- 'Always a bit funny' -

In 1978, Oz co-founded Peace Now, Israel's premier anti-settlement peace movement, and in the 1990s left Labour to join the more left-leaning Meretz party.

In 2006, he surprised many when he came out in support of that summer's war, in which Israel invaded Lebanon after that country's Shiite Hezbollah militia seized two soldiers in a deadly cross-border raid.

"This time, the battle is not over Israeli expansion and colonisation. There is no Lebanese territory occupied by Israel. There are no territorial claims from either side," he wrote in an editorial a week into the war.

His political views often overshadowed the humour and imagination of his writing, which has served as an antidote to the frequently bitter and uncompromising discourse of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"I have never once in my life seen a fanatic with a sense of humour, nor have I ever seen a person with a sense of humour become a fanatic, unless he or she has lost that sense of humour," Oz wrote.San Roque (Spain) (AFP) - A charity rescue boat carrying 311 mainly African migrants plucked off Libya entered Spanish waters Friday morning and was set to berth in a southern port near Gibraltar.

Proactiva Open Arms, the Spanish charity which runs the Open Arms vessel said the migrants -- who include pregnant women, children and babies -- were mainly from Somalia, Nigeria and Mali.

The ship will dock in the port of Crinavis, in San Roque, near the city of Algeciras.

"Good morning, Open Arms is already in the Bay of Gibraltar and is steering towards the only port available to it in the Mediterranean. Mission accomplished," tweeted the charity's founder Oscar Camps.

The migrants were rescued on December 21 from three vessels but were denied entry by Italy and Malta. Libya, France and Tunisia did not respond to Proactiva Open Arms' requests for permission to dock, Madrid said.

On Saturday, a newborn baby and his mother were helicoptered from the boat to Malta, while a 14-year-old suffering from a serious skin infection was taken to the Italian island of Lampedusa.

Photos and videos posted by the charity showed the rest of the rescued migrants marking Christmas at sea listening to music and singing. Some children wore red Santa hats as they huddled together on the small rescue ship.

Police will identify the migrants before moving them to shelters.

- Spain new entry point -

Proactiva Open Arms operates in the sea between Libya and southern Europe, coming to the aid of migrants who get into difficulties during the crossing from northern Africa.

It will be the first time since August that Spain has allowed a charity rescue ship to dock and unload migrants in the country.

The Open Arms resumed its patrols of the Mediterranean off the Libyan coast in late November, along with two other boats run by migrant aid groups.

In August it had suspended its missions, accusing governments, and Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini by name, of "criminalising" migrant rescue charities.

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Salvini has denied the groups access to Italy's ports, accusing them of acting as a "taxi service" for migrants. Malta too has been increasingly unwilling to host rescue vessels.

"Your rhetoric and your message will, like everything in this life, end," Proactiva Open Arms' founder Camps told Salvini on Twitter earlier.

"But you should know that in a few decades your descendants will be ashamed of what you do and say."

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 (IOM).

That makes this stretch of the Mediterranean the most deadly for migrants attempting the crossing to Europe.

Spain meanwhile has become Europe's main entry point for migrants this year, overtaking Greece and Italy.

More 56,000 migrants have arrived in Spain by sea this year, and 769 have died trying, according to the IOM.Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - The Brazilian military's central role in Rio de Janeiro state security is nearing its end, with a drop in some indicators of violence but a significant increase in people killed during police operations.

"We have fulfilled our mission," General Walter Souza Braga Netto, who led the Rio state security forces under a presidential decree since mid-February, said on Thursday.

Outgoing President Michel Temer took the drastic step of placing Rio security in the hands of the military, citing the police force's inability to control heavily armed drug gangs.

Army patrols had already been used in the impoverished favelas but the military intervention saw generals replace civilian authorities in top security jobs, as well as an increase in the use of soldiers to back up police.

The intervention was unheard of since the country's return to democracy in 1985 after 21 years of military rule.

It ends as planned on December 31, but the next governor of the state, Wilson Witzel, who takes office the following day, has already indicated that he intends to take a hard line against drug traffickers, including targeting them with the help of snipers.

His position is in line with far-right president-elect Jair Bolsonaro, a former soldier who sees guns as the answer to crime in a country with tens of thousands of homicides a year.

Residents of Rocinha, a Rio favela which is Brazil's most populous, hesitated in talking about results of the military intervention.

"This intervention is more political than effective, so I think nothing has changed," said Jose Luiz, a fashion designer, who sees "repressive politics" continuing.

- 'Better not to talk' -

"If I share my opinion about it, it will bring me serious problems. It's better not to talk," said Maria Goretti, a housewife.

From March to November, with the military at the helm of Rio security, the number of intentional homicides dropped by six percent compared to the same period the previous year, with significant decreases in the last four months, official figures show.

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The data from Rio's Public Security Institute (ISP) also report a significant drop in the number of armed robberies of cargo-carrying vehicles, which were down almost 20 percent but still reached 6,675, compared to 8,301 during the same period in 2017.

The number of people killed in police operations, however, has increased by about 38 percent, meaning that the total number of violent deaths remains close to two percent higher than 2017, at 4,871 victims.

According to the ISP, 1,444 people have been killed by police since the beginning of the year, with December figures not yet available -- a record since this statistic began being compiled in 1999.

Additionally, 94 police officers were killed in 2018, compared to 134 the previous year.

From January 1, Witzel will manage security himself without the oversight of the military, but he has already pledged to use tough measures.

These include the training of snipers to kill armed criminals even if they don't pose an imminent threat to police, as well as the use of drones from Israel that could fire on traffickers from a distance.Montreal (AFP) - Canadian cannabis producer Aphria on Friday rejected a proposed Can$2.8 billion ($2.1 billion US) takeover bid by US-based Xanthic Biopharma, calling it hostile and under-valued.

Green Growth Brands, a division of Xanthic Biopharma, presented a conditional offer of Can$11 per share on Thursday after markets closed.

It is offering to buy one of the biggest producers of cannabis in Canada, which in October legalized recreational use of the drug, drawing major investment to an industry previously focused on medical marijuana.

The US group, which has cannabis operations in Nevada, said the combined firm would be the only North America-wide firm in the business, and the largest by market capitalization in the United States.

It said its offer represented a premium of 45.5 percent over Aphria's December 24 closing price on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Green Growth said the offer was conditional on obtaining necessary financing.

Aphria responded on Friday by saying that the US firm's offer is "based on a hypothetical valuation of its own shares, with no relation to the current price."

Aphria shares jumped more than 10 percent in early trading Friday on the Toronto bourse to Can$8.36 a share while Xanthic Biopharma dropped one percent to Can$3.69.Havana (AFP) - As its revolution turns 60, Cuba is still reaching out all over the world to spread the socialist ideology that carried Fidel Castro to power in 1959.

Soldiers, doctors and teachers have all assumed the roles of ambassadors as weapons and humanitarian aid were exported to other parts of Latin America, Africa and Asia.

But while the ideological romanticism of the revolution has faded, Cuba has managed to resist a United States embargo and widespread criticisms of its one-party state and political repression.

- Romanticism -

It may be politically isolated, but Cuba has had its fans over the last six decades.

Catalan Carlos Garcia Pleyan was living in France during the May 1968 protests. He came across a copy of Castro's "History Will Absolve Me" -- a book reconstructed from a four-hour speech he gave in court when on trial for leading an assault on the Moncada army barracks -- and was instantly seduced.

"I was dazzled... In the summer of '69 I was already in Havana looking for work. The next year, having graduated, I settled definitively in Cuba," the sociologist and urbanist told AFP.

"The Cuba of the 1960s was an example of revolutionary audacity and social innovation that contrasted with the conservative reality of Europe, and seduced whoever supported social justice."

Political scientist Luis Suarez, a former director at the Center for American Studies, says Cuba followed the principles of national independence hero Jose Marti: attempting to limit US influence in Latin America through Cuba's independence, and recognizing a "second independence" as part of a regional revolution.

From there, "the support that Cuba gives... to those sustaining an armed struggle in their own countries, and also to various governments... has favored the unity of Latin-America and the Caribbean."

- Weapons -

In 1961, Cuba exported arms to Algeria's National Liberation Front that was battling France for independence.

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Two years later, Cuba intensified its diplomatic mission, sending doctors and a first military contingent to support Algeria in its territorial dispute with neighbor Morocco, known as the Sand War.

"We went to Africa to cooperate with the African fighters struggling for the most sacred human right: freedom!" Oscar Oramas, who served as a Cuban diplomat in several African countries, told AFP.

Cuba offered its support to several African independence movements in a decade in which most of the continent shook off the shackles of European colonialism.

Castro's detractors accused him of "exporting the revolution," while his supporters described his foreign policy as "a duty of internationalization."

It wasn't always successful, though: fellow revolutionary icon Che Guevara headed a Cuban military detachment in Belgian Congo in 1965, as well as an international guerrilla movement in Bolivia two years later. Both missions failed, and the latter resulted in Guevara's death.

- Doctors and teachers -

After 20 years of seeking change through revolution, Cuba's focus then switched from weapons to white coats as the regime realized its aims would be better served through political, social and economic cooperation.

Cuba expanded its presence in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean through doctors, teachers, builders and technicians.

Its military support had not been totally abandoned, though, as thousands of troops were sent to Angola and Ethiopia, while military advisers embarked for Nicaragua and Venezuela.

More than 300,000 Cubans -- soldiers and civilians alike -- landed in Angola alone.

But the main focus now was on humanitarian programs, such as literacy and ophthalmology, in Latin American countries, including those with conservative governments.

It is in the health sector that Cuba has been most active, though, with doctors being sent to 67 countries, some as humanitarian aid while others bring in $11 billion a year to boost the country's coffers.

- Sovietization and disillusionment -

Cuba's alliance with the Soviet Bloc contributed to the waning of the "fascination and romanticism" that European intellectuals had once felt, according to Garcia Pleyan.

Yet in Latin America, "the Cuban revolution remains a source of inspiration for internal change among the left and populists," said Suarez.

The deaths of the continent's two great socialist leaders, Castro in 2016 and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez three years earlier, as well as a resurgence of the political right across Latin America, have increased the challenges facing Cuba.

Relations with the European Union have never been better, but after a brief thaw under the stewardship of Barack Obama, tensions with the US have been mounting again since President Donald Trump took office.

Consequently, the island nation has closed ranks with its remaining regional leftist allies: Nicaragua, Venezuela and Bolivia.

Now as much as ever, Cuba is reaching out to its ideological partners further afield: China, Russia, Vietnam and North Korea.Another round of snow and treacherous travel is in store for the north-central United States and the Rockies in the final days of 2018 before the coldest air so far this winter plunges in.

In the wake of the snowstorms that ended Christmas week, a new storm will drop into the Northwest with rain, interior snow and gusty winds this weekend.

Winds can gust between 60 and 80 mph around Great Falls and Cut Bank, Montana, on Saturday. Such winds can cause damage and sporadic power outages. Dangerous crosswinds threaten to overturn high-profile vehicles, including those planning to travel on Interstate 15.



NW Dec 28

A surge of milder air ahead of the storm this weekend may give many from the Front Range of the Rockies to the Plains a false sense of hope for comfortable conditions to ring in the new year.

However, the passage of the storm will open the door for the coldest air so far this winter to dash those hopes.

Along the leading edge of the impending Arctic blast, snow will sweep southward across the Rocky Mountains Sunday into Monday.



Rockies snow 12.29 AM

A fresh 6-12 inches of snow is anticipated for most of the higher terrain. Enough snow to create slippery travel conditions can also fall in Billings, Montana; Casper and Cheyenne, Wyoming; Salt Lake City; and Denver.

On New Year's Day, it may be a near repeat of snow for the areas that were hit with this Friday's snowstorm around New Mexico, Albuquerque included.

Wind-blown snow can also streak eastward across the North Central states Sunday into Monday night.

Residents and holiday visitors from Rapid City, South Dakota, and Bismarck, North Dakota, to Minneapolis, Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Marquette, Michigan, can be faced with another period of disruptions to travel and holiday plans.

In the wake of the snow, winter's onslaught will continue across the Rockies and North Central states as the bitter cold takes hold.



Static US RFT 10 am

"Arctic air moving into Montana and the rest of the northern Rockies will bring the coldest air of the winter season thus far, right in time for the end of 2018," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski.

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"Those who are outside Monday night for New Year's Eve in places such as Great Falls or Billings, Montana, will have to brave single-digit temperatures with AccuWeather RealFeel Temperatures between minus 10 and 20 F," he added.

Even more dangerous conditions await revelers who venture out across the northern Plains.

RealFeel Temperatures can plummet to around minus 30 in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and minus 40 in Fargo and Grand Forks, North Dakota, on Monday evening.

In such conditions, frostbite can occur on exposed skin in less than 30 minutes.

While temperatures may rebound slightly across the northern Rockies to start the new year, subzero highs are anticipated to grip most of the eastern Dakotas and Minnesota on Tuesday. If Minneapolis records a high above zero on New Year's Day, it will not be by much.

Residents may remember how the first day of 2018 had similar bitterly low high temperatures.

Gusty winds from Monday and Monday night should lessen for Tuesday, preventing RealFeel Temperatures from being dramatically lower than actual temperatures.



Bitter cold Dec 28

Regardless, residents and revelers should be sure to properly bundle up before spending any time outdoors early next week. Even though roads may be cleared of snow, be sure to have a winter survival kit in your vehicle in case any incident leaves you stranded until help arrives.

Ensure that animals have proper shelter and warmth.

The harshest conditions to start 2019 are anticipated over the northern Plains, but subfreezing high temperatures will have those in Chicago, St. Louis, Oklahoma City and Lubbock, Texas, shivering on Tuesday.

"The good news is that this Arctic blast will be short-lived," Pydynowski said. "Highs will return to the 40s in Montana, including Great Falls and Billings, and the northern High Plains by later next week."

Temperatures should climb back to near or above freezing in Fargo and Minneapolis at this time.



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How cold do you think it'll get? Make your prediction and play Forecaster Challenge.Paris (AFP) - Africa's second largest country, the Democratic Republic of Congo is rich in raw materials and minerals but cursed by deadly violence, insurgencies, graft and poverty.

After repeated delays, presidential elections are due to be held on Sunday, although electoral authorities have postponed the vote until March in two regions troubled by violence.

Here are key facts about the DRC:

- Vast country -

Eighty times the size of its former colonial master Belgium, the DRC covers 2.3 million square kilometres (919,595 square miles) in the middle of Africa, behind only Algeria in area on the continent.

The majority of its population of 81.3 million people (World Bank, 2017) is Catholic.

As well as having access to the Atlantic Ocean it shares its borders with nine other countries: Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo (also called Congo-Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

While the official language is French, it has four indigenous national and 200 vernacular languages, hampering the forging of a national identity since independence in 1960.

- Regional war -

The DRC is a nation plagued by conflict and disunity.

Its first prime minister, independence hero Patrice Lumumba, was assassinated in 1961.

Army strongman Mobutu Sese Seko grabbed power in a coup in 1965, imposed the name Zaire and set up a dictatorial kleptocracy that lasted 32 years.

Rebel Laurent-Desire Kabila launched an armed campaign to overthrow Mobutu that drew in neighbouring countries. He seized power in 1997, renaming the country after the mighty Congo river.

Kabila expelled the forces of his Rwandan and Ugandan allies, sparking a war in the Kivu border region in which several African countries became embroiled.

The 1998-2003 conflict caused millions of deaths from violence, disease and starvation, called by some Africa's "Great War".

Many militia groups remain active in Kivu -- divided into North and South provinces -- which continues to suffer massacres, widespread rape and other atrocities.

Story continues

Central Kasai province is another violence hotspot, with around 3,000 people killed in less than a year of unrest that erupted after soldiers killed a tribal chief in 2016.

- New political crisis -

Kabila's son Joseph inherited the presidency after his father was killed by a bodyguard in 2001.

He went on to win elections in 2006, the first free polls since independence, and a second term in 2011.

Kabila was meant to step down in 2016 but refused, prompting demonstrations met with bloody crackdowns.

After various delays, presidential elections are set for December 30. Polling will also take place for legislative and municipal bodies.

- Disease and rape -

Aid agencies have accused all sides in DRC conflicts of using rape as a weapon of war to terrorise local populations.

South Kivu-based gynaecologist Denis Mukwege won the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for his work with women who have been victims of sexual abuse.

The country also suffers from Ebola, the hemorrhagic fever named after a river in the north of the country, and cholera.

Its 10th outbreak of Ebola since 1976 was declared on August 1 and has claimed at least 285 lives, according to a health ministry update in early December.

A cholera epidemic has claimed 857 lives since the start of the year, the World Health Organization (WHO) said last month.

Last year, the country had 55,000 cases of cholera, resulting in 1,190 fatalities.

- Cobalt, copper, coltan -

The DRC has the potential to be one of Africa's wealthiest countries "if it can overcome its political instability," the World Bank says.

It is the world's leading producer of cobalt, a key ingredient in top-range batteries including for smartphones and electric cars, and a top supplier of coltan, another mineral used for electronic products.

It is also Africa's top producer of copper and sits on hydrocarbons, tropical timber, gold, diamonds and other minerals.

But competition for the wealth has bred conflict, graft, smuggling and mismanagement.

It is ranked 176 out of 188 for its human development (UN Human Development Programme) and 161 out of 180 for corruption (Transparency International).

In 2017 its economy grew 3.7 percent, according to the World Bank.Kinshasa (AFP) - Key dates in the post-independence history of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where presidential elections will be held on Sunday:

- End of Belgian rule -

On June 30, 1960, the Belgian Congo becomes independent. Power is shared between Joseph Kasa-Vubu, the president, and his prime minister, Patrice Lumumba.

Rivalry between the two quickly plunges the country into chaos. On July 5, a mutiny breaks out in the army.

In 1961, Lumumba, a popular figure in the campaign for independence from Belgium, is assassinated. Colonel Joseph-Desire Mobutu plays a key role in his murder, in which some foreign powers are also implicated.

Several provinces, notably mineral-rich Katanga in the southeast, secede. A wave of violence unfurls, causing at least 500,000 deaths by 1965.

- Name change -

On November 24, 1965, Mobutu -- now a general -- stages a coup and imposes dictatorial rule. In 1971 he renames the country the Republic of Zaire and changes his own name to Mobutu Sese Seko.

Two years later, he establishes the nationalist ideology of "Zairianisation" that involves pushing out foreign economic powers and replacing them with national ones.

In 1976, the first known outbreak of Ebola virus is found in DR Congo. Since then, the country has been hit by several more epidemics, with the most recent outbreak declared on August 1.

In 1977-1978, Mobutu manages, with international help, to contain secession attempts by Katanga province, renaming it Shaba. French and Belgian soldiers parachute into Kolwezi to save hundreds of Europeans held by the Katangan rebels.

Mobutu's dictatorship, which lasts more than three decades, keeps the country together but smothers all opposition and wrecks the economy.

- From Zaire to DR Congo -

On May 17, 1997 Mobutu is toppled by rebel Laurent-Desire Kabila after a six-month conflict -- the First Congo War. Kabila, who was backed by Uganda and Rwanda, renames the country, calling it Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Story continues

In August 1998, the Second Congo War -- sometimes also called the Great War of Africa -- breaks out. A fresh rebellion in eastern Kivu descends into a regional conflict involving government forces supported by Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe and rebels backed by Rwanda and Uganda.

The fighting lasts until 2003. The death toll, mainly from disease and starvation, is generally estimated to be in the millions, making it the world's deadliest conflict since World War II. The highest estimate, since disputed, is 5.4 million.

- Deadly rebellions -

On January 16, 2001, Kabila is murdered by a bodguard. Ten days later, his 29-year-old son takes over. In 2006, Kabila is elected president in the country's first free elections since independence.

Five years on, he is re-elected in a vote marred by violence and fraud.

In May 2012, the M23 movement, a mainly ethnic Tutsi rebel group, begins an uprising in the Kivu region, which is eventually defeated by government forces at the end of 2013.

Then in September 2016, the central Kasai region descends into violence after a powerful local chieftain is killed by the security forces.

- Protests -

Political turbulence marks the final years of Kabila's tenure. In 2015, demonstrators take to the streets over suggestions Kabila may seek to extend his term in office beyond December 2016. As the rallies turn violent, dozens are killed.

A political agreement allows Kabila to remain in power until elections in December 2017 but the date is then set back by a year. Several protests calling for him to step down are severely repressed.

On August 8 2018, Kabila finally ends speculation about his intentions by choosing hardliner loyalist and former interior minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary to run as his successor.

Sunday's election will see him face a divided opposition in a poll that has also been postponed in two areas gripped by violence, affecting 1.25 million voters.Cairo (AFP) - Egyptian authorities on Thursday released a rights activist jailed over a video she posted online criticising sexual harassment in the country, her husband said.

Amal Fathi, 34, was handed a two-year suspended jail sentence in September on charges of spreading fake news after accusing the authorities of failing to protect women in a Facebook video.

She was, however, kept in detention awaiting trial in another case in which she is accused of a second charge of "spreading false news" and "membership of a terrorist group".

Her release on Thursday came after an Egyptian court last week ordered her to be freed.

"She came out today," husband Mohamed Lotfy, a well-known rights activist, told AFP.

Her conditional release means she must report to the police regularly.

Fathi was first arrested in May over footage in which she also alleged that guards at a bank had sexually harassed her.

She is appealing her two-year suspended sentence and faces a decision in that case on December 30.

Some 60 percent of women in Egypt say they have been victims of some form of sexual harassment during their life, according to a 2017 report by UN Women and Promundo, an organisation that engages men and boys in tackling gender violence.

Rights groups have repeatedly accused the Egyptian authorities of using anti-terror legislation to crush a range of dissenting voices.A slow-moving batch of rain and locally gusty thunderstorms will enhance the risk of flash flooding from the Southeast to the mid-Atlantic into Friday night.

The wet weather is from the same system that unleashed severe weather from the southern Plains to the lower Mississippi Valley spanning Wednesday to Thursday, and excessive rainfall in part of the Deep South on Thursday night.

A flash flood emergency was issued for part of southeastern Mississippi, including the city of Hattiesburg, on Thursday night as a persistent line of thunderstorms moved over the city and dumped over 6 inches of rain.

There were numerous reports of homes and businesses taking on water, road closures, river flooding, stalled vehicles and water rescues from southeastern Louisiana to western Alabama.



Multiple vehicles stalled in flood waters along Providence Street. The roadway is closed from 7th to 8th. Drivers avoid the area, and find an alternate route. pic.twitter.com/MIcGv46Iz2  Hattiesburg PD (@HattiesburgPD) December 27, 2018

Into Friday night, the corridor of heaviest rainfall will shift farther east, extending from the Florida Panhandle to part of the mid-Atlantic.

Places such as Tallahassee, Florida; Wilmington, North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; and Philadelphia will be within the zone of heavy rainfall and enhanced flood risk.



NE Friday Dec 28

People heading to the airports or hitting the roadways along this corridor should anticipate slower travel and may have to reroute due to flooded streets.

This latest round of rain is expected to cause many rivers in the region to overflow their banks, as water levels remain high from a soggy past few weeks.

Anyone living in low-lying, flood-prone areas or those near swollen streams and rivers should pay close attention to water levels and local advisories.

Download the free AccuWeather app to get the latest weather alerts for your location.

Story continues

"Isolated severe thunderstorms cannot be ruled out in northeastern Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas on Friday," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski, adding that the severe weather would not be as widespread as prior days.

Locally damaging winds will be the main threat along this corridor, in addition to the flash flooding.

Given how saturated the ground is already, even a moderate wind gust of 40-50 mph can be enough to topple trees, which can then bring down power lines and leave some communities in the dark.



SE regional 12.28 AM

"At the very least, the potential for flooding downpours and locally strong winds will continue as the storms approach the northeastern Gulf Coast and the southern Atlantic Seaboard Friday night," Sosnowski said.

As the Northeast largely dries out for Saturday and Sunday, patches of rain and drizzle are forecast to linger over the Southern states for the final weekend of 2018.



East rain totals Dec 28

Even though the heaviest rain will have exited by this time, flooding problems can still remain.

Dozens of rivers from the Interstate 10 to I-40 and I-81 corridors in the South and mid-Atlantic are expected to reach minor to moderate flood stage this weekend, according to National Weather Service hydrologists.

AccuWeather meteorologists are monitoring the potential for additional bouts of rain during New Year's Eve and the first days of 2019 to trigger new and worsening flooding problems across the South.BERLIN (AP)  The leaders of Germany and France are pressing Russia to release Ukrainian sailors captured over a month ago in time for the new year and Orthodox Christmas.

In a joint statement Friday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron also vowed to keep up pressure to implement a 2015 peace deal for eastern Ukraine.

The long-simmering conflict between Russia and Ukraine that started with Russia's annexation of Crimea escalated Nov. 25 when the Russian coast guard fired upon and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews.

In Friday's statement, Merkel and Macron renewed calls for the "safe, free and unhindered passage of all ships" through the Kerch Strait that separates Crimea from mainland Russia and urged the "immediate and unconditional release of all illegally detained Ukrainian sailors."Kalianda (Indonesia) (AFP) - Searching a debris-strewn beach for victims of Indonesia's deadly tsunami, a rescue team happened upon a giant sea turtle trapped in a pile of marine trash.

It took four staff to haul the endangered creature back to sea, just the latest in a string of turtle rescues along the country's devastated coast.

"The turtle was really large and it got stuck in a pile of rubbish, lying almost upside down," Adi Ayangsyah, a member of a search and rescue team in hard-hit Lampung on Sumatra island, told AFP Friday.

He said the turtle was "probably about 30 kilograms (66 pounds)".

This week, about 15 other turtles were rescued in the same area.

"We think they were swept ashore by the tsunami," said Teguh Ismail, head of Lampung's conservation agency.

"But they didn't have any wounds so we got them back in the water."

An eruption of the Anak Krakatoa volcano, which sits in the middle of the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra islands, caused a section of the crater to collapse and slide into the ocean, triggering the killer tsunami on Saturday evening.

On Friday, the death toll stood at 430 with some 159 still missing.

Hopes for finding any survivors are all but gone, but the hunt isn't limited to human victims.

"We'll keep our eye out for other stranded turtles as well," Ayangsyah said.

"For us, all lives matter. Human or animal -- we'll try to rescue them all."Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed what he said would be a "new era" in ties with "great power" Brazil ahead of meeting Friday with the Latin America's country's incoming far-right leader, Jair Bolsonaro.

Netanyahu also stressed that he would press Bolsonaro on an announcement -- since walked back -- that Brazil would follow the United States in moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

"The president-elect (Bolsonaro) announced he would (transfer the embassy). You can be certain I will speak with him about that in our first meeting," Netanyahu, speaking Hebrew, told reporters on his flight before it landed in Rio de Janeiro.

Netanyahu was to meet Bolsonaro for lunch in Rio on Friday on what was the first-ever visit to Brazil by an Israeli prime minister.

He will be one of the most prominent leaders attending Bolsonaro's swearing-in on Tuesday in the capital Brasilia.

Other VIPs who will be there include Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Bolsonaro and his team have excluded the leaders of leftwing-ruled nations Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua from the inauguration.

- Meeting Pompeo -

Netanyahu was making the Brazil trip despite domestic political turmoil in Israel and a spike in military volatility in neighboring Syria.

Pompeo and Netanyahu are to discuss Syria while in Brasilia, an Israeli official and the US State Department said.

US allies including Israel were caught by surprise by President Donald Trump's abrupt announcement last week that he was pulling US troops out of Syria, where Israel's arch-foe Iran has built up a significant military and political presence. Israel has made several aerial strikes in Syria against positions held by Iran and its Lebanese militia Hezbollah.

Domestically, Netanyahu is maneuvering to extend his reign in Israel despite a slew of corruption allegations. On Wednesday, Israel's parliament approved a government decision to call early elections for April 9.

Story continues

Both Netanyahu and Bolsonaro admire Trump, and are keen to forge closer relations between their countries. Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton said the US president and Bolsonaro were "like-minded" individuals.

Netanyahu said Bolsonaro represented a "big change" for Brazil, which for decades had center-left and center-right governments that aligned with international consensus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the status of Jerusalem. In 2010 the country recognized a Palestinian state.

Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its capital, while the Palestinians see eastern Jerusalem as the capital of its future state.

- Embassy decision -

After his October election, Bolsonaro reaffirmed an election promise to move his country's embassy to Jerusalem, earning praise at the time from Netanyahu, who called it a "historic" announcement.

But Bolsonaro later backtracked by saying "it hasn't been decided yet." An embassy transfer could put at risk lucrative Brazilian poultry and halal meat exports to Arab countries.

Flying in to see Bolsonaro and raise the embassy issue, Netanyahu was laudatory.

Brazil, he said, "is an immense country with enormous potential for Israel from an economic, security and diplomatic point of view."

He added: "We are happy to be able to start a new era between Israel and a great power called Brazil."

His visit includes a day off on Saturday to observe Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest.

Netanyahu is to fly back to Israel early on January 2, an Israeli official said.

The Israeli prime minister also serves as his country's foreign minister. Last year he visited Argentina, Colombia and Mexico.Kinshasa (AFP) - Workers in DR Congo on Friday began preparations for long-awaited elections just two days away as a pre-vote protest called by the country's opposition appeared to fail.

In Kinshasa, about 20 black cases said to contain electronic voting machines were brought in under police escort to a polling station in the district of Matonge, an AFP reporter saw.

Fears of election-day problems have soared after the electoral commission said a warehouse fire destroyed thousands of voting machines earmarked for the capital.

The commission ordered the elections, already twice delayed, to be moved from December 23 to 30 to get more time to prepare.

On Wednesday, it declared the vote would be postponed again in violence-hit parts of the country.

However, the elections will still go ahead elsewhere and the new president will be sworn in on January 18 as scheduled, the commission said, without further explanation.

The announcement prompted Lamuka, a coalition of parties supporting opposition candidate Martin Fayulu, to call for cities to be brought to a standstill on Friday.

While the call had little support across the vast country, there was violence in the eastern province of North Kivu, one of the regions where voting has been postponed.

One demonstrator was shot dead in the city of Beni and four were wounded, local sources said.

In the province's capital of Goma, youths faced off with police in the rundown district of Majengo. Police there also seized camera equipment from a Congolese journalist working for the BBC.

Around 1.25 million people in North Kivu and the southwestern territory of Yumbi are affected by the postponement, out of a national electoral roll of 40 million.

The head of the Independent National Election Commission, Corneille Nangaa, met with candidates including Fayulu on Friday and reiterated that the vote would go ahead on Sunday.

Another meeting between the candidates and observers will be held on Saturday.

Story continues

- Troubled past -

The presidential election -- the Democratic Republic of Congo's first in seven years -- coincides with voting for municipal and legislative bodies.

At stake is the future of a volatile giant that has never had a peaceful transition of power in 58 years as an independent state.

It has twice been a battleground for regional wars in the past 22 years and is mired in poverty, despite mineral riches ranging from gold and uranium to copper and cobalt.

President Joseph Kabila, 47, is stepping down after nearly 18 years at the helm.

He took office in 2001 at the age of just 29, succeeding his president father, Laurent-Desire, who was assassinated by a bodyguard.

But his long tenure has been come under heavy fire from human rights watchdogs and anti-corruption monitors.

Three men are heading a field of 21 candidates in the presidential race.

They are Kabila's hand-picked successor, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, a hardline former interior minister; Fayulu, until recently a little-known legislator and former oil executive; and Felix Tshisekedi, head of a veteran UDPS opposition party.

But a question mark hangs over whether the vote will be credible.

The authorities have permitted some election monitors from fellow African countries but refused any financial or logistical help from the UN or western countries.

On Friday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on all sides "to continue working together to ensure an environment free of violence so that all eligible voters can cast their ballots peacefully on election day."

- Opposition favourites? -

If the elections are "free and fair," an opposition candidate will almost certainly win, according to Jason Stearns of the Congo Research Group, based at the Center on International Cooperation at New York University.

Opinion polls indicate that Fayulu is the clear favourite, garnering around 44 percent of voting intentions, followed by 24 percent for Tshisekedi and 18 percent for Shadary, he said.

However, "the potential for violence is extremely high," Stearns warned.

Between 43 and 63 percent of respondents said they would not accept the results if Shadary is declared winner, he said.

And between 43 percent and 53 percent said they did not trust DRC's courts to settle any election dispute fairly.

The figure of Shadary is at the centre of a diplomatic storm between the DRC and the European Union that erupted into the open on Thursday.

Foreign Minister Leonard She Okitundu gave the EU 48 hours to withdraw its representative -- retaliation for sanctions against Shadary and 13 other officials accused of cracking down on dissent.

On Friday, EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said "nothing could justify this arbitrary act", adding that it was "totally counterproductive and harms the interests of the population".Paris (AFP) - A petition launched by French environmental groups calling for legal action against the state for failing to act to curb climate change has received unprecedented public support after weeks of fuel-price protests.

By Friday morning the project, launched by four climate NGOs, had gained just under two million signatures a mere 10 days after going live.

That already makes it the most popular online petition in France's history, easily eclipsing the 1.37 million signatories who resisted changes to the nation's labour laws in 2016.

It also dwarfs the 1.17 million supporters of a demand by one of France's "yellow vest" protesters calling for lower petrol and diesel prices at the pump, launched in May.

"It's not just a petition, but also a call for legal action," said Jean-Francois Julliard, CEO of Greenpeace France, one of the groups behind the initiative.

The "yellow vest" movement began this year as a protest against planned anti-pollution fuel tax hikes.

At its peak on November 17, nearly 290,000 demonstrators mobilised throughout France, causing widespread disruption.

The protests prompted a climbdown from President Emmanuel Macron's government, which announced all planned fuel tax hikes for 2019 will be scrapped.

But this failed to quell the discontent of the "yellow vest" movement which has morphed into a revolt against Macron's policies, his aloof, top-down governing style, and the political class as a whole.

Macron, who earned global plaudits for pledging to "make our planet great again" after taking office, has also come under pressure in recent months from environmental groups which insist more needs to be done to tackle the rising threats of climate change.

His popular environment minister Nicolas Hulot resigned earlier this year over the government's green record, including its walking back on a commitment to reduce reliance on nuclear energy.

As greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise in spite of dire warnings from scientists, there is a growing body of legal challenges worldwide against governments and big polluters for endangering the planet.

French Environment Minister Francois de Rugy told AFP last week he was "very happy that citizens are mobilising in the name of the climate."Jerusalem (AFP) - Renowned Israeli writer Amos Oz, a passionate peace advocate whose stirring memoir "A Tale of Love and Darkness" became a worldwide bestseller, died on Friday aged 79, his daughter said.

Fania Oz-Salzberger said on Twitter that her father had died and offered thanks to "those who loved him".

"My beloved father, Amos Oz, a wonderful family man, an author, a man of peace and moderation, died today peacefully after a short battle with cancer," she wrote.

Tributes poured in for Oz, including from Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon, who called his death "a loss for us all and for the world".

While Oz's writing is widely acclaimed, he is perhaps equally known as one of the earliest and most forceful critics of Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands captured in the Six-Day War of 1967.

In recent years, Oz spoke out against the policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, shunning official Israeli functions abroad in protest at what he called the "growing extremism" of his country's government.

Netanyahu on Friday celebrated Oz as "among the greatest writers from the state of Israel".

"Despite our diverging views on numerous issues, I have deeply appreciated his contribution to the Hebrew language and the revival of Hebrew literature," the premier said in a statement released by his office.

Oz was described as a "literary great" by Israel's President Reuven Rivlin.

"A tale of love and light and henceforth, great darkness," he wrote on Twitter.LONDON (Reuters) - Moscow and London have reached an agreement to return some staff to their respective embassies after they expelled dozens of diplomats early this year, the Russian embassy said on Friday. The British Foreign Office and the Russian Foreign Ministry were not immediately available for comment. "We have reached a general agreement that we will start to restore diplomatic staff in Moscow and in London some time in January," the TASS news agency earlier quoted Russia's ambassador to London Alexander Yakovenko as saying in a television interview. "I am not sure that this would happen to all employees but at least half the staff would be in place," An embassy spokesman confirmed the remarks. Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats over accusations the Kremlin was behind a nerve toxin attack in March on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury. Russia, which denies any involvement in the poisoning, sent home the same number of British embassy workers in retaliation. (Reporting by Maria Tsvetkova; Additional reporting by Michael Holden and Guy Faulconbridge in London; Editing by Catherine Evans and John Stonestreet)Moscow (AFP) - Russia on Friday hailed as "positive" the Syrian army's entry into the key northern city of Manbij for the first time in six years after Kurds opened the gates.

"Of course, this will help in stabilising the situation. The enlargement of the zone under the control of government forces... is without doubt a positive trend," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Kurdish forces who were left exposed by a US pledge to pull out its own troops, have asked the Syrian regime for help to face a threatened Turkish offensive.

Peskov said the situation would be discussed Saturday during a visit to Moscow by the Turkish foreign affairs and defence ministers, to "clarify" the situation and "synchronise actions" between the two countries.

Russia provides critical support to the Syrian government, while Turkey has backed rebel groups fighting President Bashar al-Assad's forces.By Alex Dobuzinskis

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A suspected illegal immigrant accused of shooting to death a California police officer was arrested on Friday after a two-day manhunt that President Donald Trump cited in his push for building a wall on the border with Mexico, officials said.

Gustavo Arriaga, 33, was arrested in Bakersfield, a city less than 200 miles (320 km) south of Newman where the police officer was shot early on Wednesday, Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson said at a news conference.

The officer in Newman, a small Northern California town, was shot and killed after pulling over the suspect on suspicion of driving under the influence, authorities said.

The suspect was an illegal immigrant from Mexico who has claimed to be involved with a criminal gang called the Surenos, Christianson said. Arriaga was trying to reach Mexico, Christianson said. It was not immediately clear if Arriaga had an attorney.

Christianson said the case highlighted the dangers of a California law passed in 2017 that placed limits on how closely law enforcement can cooperate with federal immigration agents to turn over inmates for deportation.

Arriaga had prior arrests for driving under the influence and could have been subject to deportation, Christianson said.

"Why are we providing sanctuary for criminals, gang members?" Christianson said at the news conference. "It's a conversation we need to have."

Lawmakers who supported the California state law have said that undocumented immigrants are more likely to report crimes and cooperate with law enforcement if they do not fear deportation for themselves or others.

Trump tweeted about the shooting on Thursday, several days after a shutdown of the federal government, which was triggered by his $5 billion demand, largely opposed by Democrats and some lawmakers in Trump's own Republican party, for the wall he wants to build.

The officer, identified as 33-year-old Ronil Singh, was a native of Fiji who immigrated to the United States to become a police officer and rose to the rank of corporal, authorities said.

Several people were also arrested on suspicion of helping Arriaga evade law enforcement and lying to detectives about him, authorities said.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis;editing by Grant McCool)By Ellen Francis BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army deployed forces near Manbij in northern Syria on Friday, a war monitor and a U.S. official said, after the Kurdish YPG militia urged Damascus to protect the town, where U.S. forces operate, from the threat of a Turkish offensive. Manbij, which U.S.-backed forces captured from Islamic State in 2016, has emerged as a focal point of new tensions after U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. forces whose presence has effectively deterred Turkey. After a Syrian army announcement declaring government troops had entered Manbij, Turkey-backed Syrian rebels stationed in nearby territory said they had begun moving together with Turkish forces toward the town in readiness for "the start of military operations to liberate" it. A witness said convoys of Turkey-backed insurgents, with armored vehicles and machine guns, were moving toward the frontline with the town. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said the Syrian government forces had entered a strip of territory at the edge of Manbij, not inside the town itself, creating a barrier with Turkey-backed fighters nearby. Manbij, where U.S. troops have a military base, is held by a local militia allied to the YPG which Turkey deems a security threat. A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters that U.S. troops had not changed their positions in Manbij and dozens still remained. The official said they had not seen Syrian military forces inside Manbij but rather on the outskirts of the city. The U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State said that "despite incorrect information about changes to military forces in the city of Manbij, Syria, (the coalition) has seen no indication that these claims are true". Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who has vowed to crush the YPG, said Turkish officials would visit Russia - Assad's most powerful ally - on Saturday and discuss Syria. He indicated Turkey was not in a hurry to launch an offensive. Trump's abrupt decision to withdraw troops from Syria has alarmed the Kurdish-led fighters who have fought Islamic State alongside them for years. Kurdish leaders are scrambling for a strategy to protect their region stretching across the north and east, where the presence of some 2,000 U.S. troops has so far deterred Turkey. A deployment of Syrian government forces, backed by Russia, would complicate any offensive by Turkey and its Syrian rebel proxies. U.S. military support for the Kurdish fighters has infuriated Turkey, which sees the YPG as an extension of the PKK movement that has been waging an insurgency inside Turkey for decades. Syrian state media circulated a video showing dozens of soldiers marching on a countryside road, chanting for President Bashar al-Assad. The military statement said troops had raised the national flag in Manbij on Friday and would guarantee security "for all Syrian citizens and others present." A resident inside the town said nothing had changed and he had not seen any such flags. The YPG said on Friday its fighters had withdrawn from Manbij before to fight Islamic State elsewhere. "We invite the Syrian government, to which we belong, as people, land and borders, to send its armed forces to take over these positions and protect Manbij in the face of Turkish threats," it said. In November, Turkish and U.S. troops began joint patrols near Manbij after reaching a deal that includes the YPG exiting the town. (Reporting by Ellen Francis, Additional reporting by Sarah Dadouch in Istanbul, Khalil Ashawi in Syria, Ece Toksabay in Ankara, Dahlia Nehme in Beirut, and Idrees Ali in Washington DCEditing by Gareth Jones/Tom Perry/William Maclean)Washington (AFP) - US national security advisor John Bolton said Friday he would visit Turkey and Israel to coordinate on Syria, after President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw all US forces.

Bolton said he would head in January to both Turkey -- which has enthusiastically backed Trump's sudden move -- as well as Israel, a close US ally where the pullout has caused concern.

"We will discuss our continued work confronting security challenges facing allies and partners in the region, including the next phase of the fight against ISIS, as the US begins to bring troops home from Syria," Bolton tweeted.

Trump last week unexpectedly said he was pulling all 2,000 troops from Syria, declaring that the United States had achieved its objective as the Islamic State extremist movement had been "knocked" out.

Islamic State, also known as ISIS, has lost nearly all of its territory, although thousands of its jihadists are thought to remain in war-battered Syria.

The United States, meanwhile, robustly defended Israel's right to strike inside Syria after criticism from Russia, which backs President Bashar al-Assad and will see its clout grow with the US pullout.

Moscow condemned Israel's alleged Tuesday missile strikes near Damascus, the latest of hundreds of raids Israel says are aimed at Iranian forces and their Hezbollah allies.

"The United States fully supports Israel's right to defend itself against the Iranian regime's aggressive adventurism, and we will continue to ensure that Israel has the military capacity to do so decisively," State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said in a statement.

"The commitment of the Trump administration and the American people to ensuring Israel's security is both enduring and unshakable," he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been delighted by Trump's hard line on Iran and landmark move of the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, but the pullout from Syria has caused unease concern in the Jewish state.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to meet next week in Brazil with Netanyahu in the wake of the Syria pullout decision, which triggered the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.Ankara (AFP) - Turkey on Friday said a Syrian Kurdish militia "does not have the right" to appeal to Damascus for help to counter a threatened Turkish offensive in the north.

The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia "controlling the area with arms does not have the right or power to make a statement or invite other elements on behalf of the local population," the defence ministry said.

"We warn all sides to stay away from provocative actions and making statements that will bring further instability to the region," the ministry said in a statement.

Syrian regime forces on Friday entered the strategic northern city of Manbij, held by the YPG since recapturing the area from the Islamic State jihadist group in 2016.

The militia had said it invited regime troops "to assert control over the areas our forces have withdrawn from, particularly in Manbij, and to protect these areas against a Turkish invasion".

But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul that there was "nothing certain there" in Manbij after he had discussions with intelligence officials.

He dismissed the regime's actions as an attempt to use "psychological" warfare.

Ankara says the YPG is a "terrorist offshoot" of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.

Turkey and its Western allies have blacklisted the PKK as a terror group.

But the YPG has been trained by the United States to spearhead the fight against IS.

American ground forces are in Manbij but the situation changed dramatically after US President Donald Trump announced he would pull out all 2,000 US troops.

After the shock decision, Turkey said it would launch a military operation in the coming months against the YPG and IS.

The Turkish armed forces have been reinforcing the border with Syria since last weekend.

Turkey has twice launched offensives in northern Syria against IS and the YPG.

A Turkish delegation comprising the foreign and defence ministers will go to Moscow on Saturday to discuss the US withdrawal as well as the latest developments in Manbij.

Erdogan said after the delegation's visit he could have a face-to-face meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Russia.Giza (Egypt) (AFP) - Three Vietnamese holidaymakers and an Egyptian tour guide were killed Friday when a roadside bomb blast hit their bus as it travelled close to the Giza pyramids outside Cairo, officials said.

A statement by the public prosecutor's office said 11 other tourists from Vietnam and an Egyptian bus driver were wounded when the homemade device exploded.

The improvised explosive device was placed near a wall along the Mariyutiya Street in Al-Haram district near the Giza Pyramids, it said.

The bus was carrying a total of 16 people including 14 Vietnamese tourists, an Egyptian driver and a tour guide, according to the statement.

Armed security personnel quickly deployed to the site and cordoned off the area for inspection.

The white tourist bus could be seen with its windows shattered and surrounded by soot-covered debris.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli visited the injured tourists in hospital, where he announced that the tour guide had died from his wounds.

Madbouli urged against "amplifying" the incident as he insisted that "no country in the world can guarantee that its 100 percent safe".

"It's possible at times that an individual incident takes place here or there," he told journalists.

"We have to know that it's possible that it would be repeated in the future."

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.

Later, a statement issued by the United States condemning the attack.

"We stand with all Egyptians in the fight against terrorism and support the Egyptian government in bringing the perpetrators of this attack to justice," State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said.

- Tourism struggling -

Egypt's tourism industry has been struggling to recover from terror attacks and domestic instability that has hit the country in recent years.

In July 2017, two German tourists were stabbed to death by a suspected jihadist assailant at the Egyptian Red Sea beach resort of Hurgada.

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In October 2015, a bomb claimed by a local affiliate of the Islamic State group killed 224 people on board a passenger jet carrying Russian tourists over the Sinai peninsula.

That incident dealt a severe blow to Egypt's tourism industry still reeling from the turmoil set off by the 2011 uprising that forced veteran leader Hosni Mubarak from power.

Egypt has since been seeking to lure tourists back and spur the lucrative sector by touting new archaeological discoveries and bolstering security around archaeological sites and in airports.

Tourism has slowly started picking up. The official statistics agency says tourists arrivals in Egypt in 2017 reached 8.2 million, up from 5.3 million the year before.

But that figure was still far short of the record influx in 2010 when over 14 million visitors flocked see the country's sites.

Egypt has for years been battling an Islamist insurgency in North Sinai, which surged following the 2013 military ouster of president Mohamed Morsi.

Security forces have since February been conducting a major operation focused on the Sinai Peninsula, aimed at wiping out a local IS branch.

More than 450 suspected jihadists and around 30 Egyptian soldiers have been killed since the offensive began, the army said in October.

The pyramids of Giza are the only surviving structure of the seven wonders of the ancient world and a major tourist draw attracting visitors from across the globe.OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Gunmen killed 10 Burkinabe gendarmes in a village near the Malian border this week, Burkina Faso's security ministry said, in a further sign of deteriorating security in a country once seen as one of the region's more stable. The assailants attacked and set fire to a school on Wednesday night in Loroni, a village about 250 km (155 miles) northwest of the capital Ouagadougou, the ministry said in a statement late on Thursday. Two patrols of gendarmes, or military police, were sent to arrest the attackers but ran into an ambush on Thursday morning that killed 10 of them and wounded an unknown number of others, it said. Security has worsened in Burkina Faso in recent months, primarily due to Islamist militant attacks near the landlocked country's porous border with Mali. Ouagadougou has also been hit by several major attacks over the past three years. Thousands of people have fled their home as a result of the attacks and reprisals by Burkinabe security forces, Human Rights Watch reported in May. Violence in West Africa's semi-arid Sahel region continues to mount five years after France intervened in Mali, a former French colony, to drive back Islamist militants who had seized the countrys desert north. France retains about 4,000 troops deployed across its former colonies in the arid Sahel region as part of the anti-terror Operation Barkhane. (Reporting by Thiam Ndiaga; Writing by Juliette Jabkhiro; Editing by Aaron Ross/Mark Heinrich)Washington (AFP) - Brazil's incoming right-wing leader Jair Bolsonaro will visit Washington early next year as he finds common ground with President Donald Trump, a US official said Friday.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to attend Bolsonaro's New Year's Day inauguration in Brasilia and will discuss Trump's invitation to Washington, the official said.

"We look forward to what will hopefully be his first official visit early in the year ahead," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

The Trump administration sees a strong ally in Bolsonaro, who is following the lead of the United States in moving Brazil's embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and has been critical of international efforts to fight climate change.

The US official noted that both Bolsonaro and Pompeo have warned of risks to Latin America from rising investment by China, whose financing of projects has turned into debt traps.

"It's not always the case that when China shows up it is with good intention for the people they are showing up to ostensibly support," the official said.

Bolsonaro, like Trump, has provoked outrage over the years with brash, swaggering statements, including telling a female lawmaker she was "not worth raping" and voicing nostalgia for the former military dictatorship's use of torture.

The US official acknowledged "there has been some concern about older statements" but said Bolsonaro since the election has taken a "very strident and very forceful" approach to human rights in the region.

"The president-elect has been very forward-leaning on Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua in his defense of the human rights and the freedoms and democracy for the people in those countries," she said.

Pompeo heads after Brazil to Colombia, where he will speak with President Ivan Duque about taking a firm line against Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro.Riyadh (AFP) - Saudi Arabia's new foreign minister struck a note of defiance Friday in the face of international outrage over critic Jamal Khashoggi's murder, denying the kingdom was in crisis and that his predecessor had been demoted.

Ibrahim al-Assaf, a former veteran finance minister who was briefly detained last year in what Riyadh said was an anti-corruption sweep, replaced Adel al-Jubeir as foreign minister in a major government shake-up on Thursday ordered by King Salman.

The surprise reshuffle was seen partly as an attempt to elevate the kingdom's marginalised old guard, adding a veneer of checks and balances to the policy decisions of 33-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who faces intense global scrutiny over the October 2 murder of journalist Khashoggi.

But speaking to AFP in his first interview since his appointment, Assaf insisted the restructuring was motivated not by the Khashoggi affair, but the need to make the government machinery more efficient.

"The issue of Jamal Khashoggi... really saddened us, all of us," Assaf told AFP at his residence in Riyadh, adorned with mahogany furniture, a wall-mounted elephant tusk and other hunting trophies.

"But all in all, we are not going through a crisis, we are going through a transformation," he added, referring to social and economic reforms spearheaded by the crown prince.

- Combative foreign policy -

Assaf, 69, inherits the ministry after a series of combative foreign policy moves by the crown prince, who along with regional allies imposed a blockade on neighbouring Qatar, launched a military campaign in Yemen and engaged in a bitter diplomatic row with Canada.

Topping it all, Khashoggi's murder in Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate by what it calls "rogue" agents is testing relations with key ally Washington, particularly after a US Senate resolution recently held Prince Mohammed responsible for the killing.

When asked whether his biggest foreign policy challenge was to repair the kingdom's tarnished reputation, Assaf replied: "I wouldn't say 'repair' because the relationship between my country and a vast majority of countries in the world is in excellent shape."

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Before him, Jubeir also sought to vigorously defend the government and the crown prince, widely known as MBS, on the international stage over Khashoggi's murder.

In Thursday's reshuffle, Jubeir was appointed minister of state for foreign affairs, fuelling speculation that he had been demoted after he failed to quell global criticism over Khashoggi.

"This is far from the truth," Assaf said.

Jubeir's new role, he insisted, was tantamount to a division of labour and not a demotion, in a bid to accelerate the task of remaking a ministry known to be overly bureaucratic.

"Adel represented Saudi Arabia and will continue to represent Saudi Arabia... around the world," Assaf said.

"We complement each other."

Jubeir was not immediately reachable for comment.

- 'Checks and balances' -

A seasoned bureaucrat, Assaf was briefly held in Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton hotel last year along with hundreds of elite princes and businessmen, in what the government called a crackdown on corruption.

Saudi officials say he was released after being cleared of any wrongdoing, and he subsequently led a government delegation to the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this year.

His reappointment to a cabinet role indicates the government is seeking to slowly "rehabilitate" the experienced old guard, widely seen to be sidelined by the young prince, observers say.

"King Salman is seeking to bolster his son by appointing seasoned technocrats like Assaf who are not from MBS's inner circle, indirectly reinstating an internal system of checks and balances that was swept away in (MBS's) drive to consolidate power," said Becca Wasser.

"Adding experienced government hands from an older generation, will serve to check some of MBS's impulses," the policy analyst at the US-based RAND Corporation told AFP.

The elevation of seasoned allies in Thursday's reshuffle has bolstered the authority of Prince Mohammed after the removal of younger aides in his inner circle implicated in Khashoggi's murder, including former royal court advisor Saud al-Qahtani.

Assaf, who is on the boards of state oil giant Aramco and the vast Public Investment Fund, said his appointment as the top diplomat would help bring his financial experience to foreign affairs amid a current "dip" in the economy.

The top crude exporter, facing a sharp fall in oil prices, is scrambling to restore confidence in foreign investors rattled by a series of what many see as rash foreign policy decisions.

"Economic relationships now dominate foreign" affairs, Assaf said.Count Japans own whalers among those unhappy with the governments plan to resume commercial hunts  but not in the bountiful whaling grounds around Antarctica.

A Japanese foreign ministry official told reporters Thursday in Tokyo that whalers were also upset with the plan. The briefing came a day after Prime Minister Shinzo Abes government drew international criticism with its decision to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission and resume commercial hunts in its exclusive economic zone.

The move to end scientific hunts in near Antarctica was opposed by the local whaling industry, the foreign ministry official said, declining to be identified according to ministry policy. The official called the decision to end hunts in the Southern Ocean  where Japanese whalers have sometimes clashed with environmental activists  a painful one.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters was among officials to object to the move Wednesday, calling whaling an outdated and unnecessary practice. Still, both New Zealand and Australia welcomed the end to the Southern Ocean hunting.

Japan says it kills about 600 whales a year and the industry employs fewer than 300 people. Yet the issue has an outsized presence in the national psyche, which the foreign ministry official compared to matters like gun control and abortion in the U.S. Norway and Iceland  both members of the whaling commission  also hunt commercially.

Japan plans to use a method laid out by the commission to calculate a sustainable harvest. The first hunt is set to take place in July.A U.S. government delegation will travel to Beijing in the week of Jan. 7 to hold trade talks with Chinese officials, two people familiar with the matter said.

Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish will lead the Trump administrations team, which will also include Treasury Under Secretary for International Affairs David Malpass, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Neither the USTR nor Treasury responded to requests for comment.

Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng confirmed that the two sides planned to sit down for talks next month, although he didnt provide a date for the meeting during his regular briefing in Beijing on Thursday.

Next months meeting will be the first face-to-face discussion the two sides have held since President Donald Trump and Chinas Xi Jinping agreed on a 90-day truce in Argentina this month. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said last week the U.S. team and its counterparts have held discussions over the phone.

The meeting adds to signs that the worlds two largest economies are making progress in cooling trade tensions. Beijing this week announced a third round of tariff cuts, lowering import taxes on more than 700 goods from Jan. 1 as part of its efforts to open up the economy and lower costs for domestic consumers.

Chinese and U.S. officials have been in constant contact since the meeting in Argentina, but China isnt exactly clear on the specifics of what the U.S. wants, according to two people in Beijing with knowledge of the talks. China wants the U.S. to remove the punitive tariffs that have been imposed and not add new ones, but suspects the U.S. will ask for more before it agrees to do that, the people said.

U.S. stocks extended gains on news of the talks. The S&P 500 Index rose 4.96 percent as of 4 p.m. in New York, after falling within two points of a bear market earlier in the session.

Trump has agreed to put on hold a scheduled increase in tariffs on some $200 billion in annual imports from China while the negotiations take place. He is pushing the Asian nation to reduce trade barriers and stop alleged theft of intellectual property. Beijing so far has pledged to resume buying American soybeans and to at least temporarily lower retaliatory tariffs on U.S. autos.

Story continues

While its positive that USTR will be leading the delegation next month, the two sides are not on track to make the kind of large-scale breakthrough that the Trump administration is seeking, according to Derek Scissors, a China expert at the American Enterprise Institute.

The failure of cabinet-level officials to even meet in the first half of the 90-day period makes it impossible to anticipate fundamental change on the Chinese side, he said.

Hard Deadline

Trump said after returning from his South American meeting with Xi that U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer would be in charge of the China talks. Lighthizer, who isnt scheduled to join the delegation in China, left no wiggle room for the two countries to extend talks beyond 90 days, saying this month that March 1 was a hard deadline that was endorsed by Trump.

When I talk to the president of the United States he is not talking about going beyond March. He is talking about getting a deal if there is a deal to be done in the next 90 days, Lighthizer told CBS on Dec. 9.

But Trump and other members of his trade team, including National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow, have said they could further delay an escalation in tariffs if the two sides made sufficient progress.He rubbed shoulders with IDF legends Meir Har-Zion and Ariel Sharon, received a medal of honor and fought in the 1967 Six-Day War, but 84-year-old Yishai Zimmerman never managed to achieve his lifelong dream of becoming an Israel Air Force pilot. However, his family have helped the decorated IDF veteran live out his dream vicariously  his son and two of his 15 grandchildren have already graduated from the Flight Academy and a third is about to begin the course.

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"Normally, I am not an emotional person, but I feel very proud," said Zimmerman, ahead of his granddaughters recent graduation. "She really enjoyed it, it was hard for her, but she made it through."

"As a child I wanted to be a pilot, but the Air Force rejected me for medical reasons," he said. "After I was wounded in the Six-Day War, they told me that I was eligible for education benefits, so I told them I wanted a pilot's license.

Yishai Zimmerman (Photo: Haim Horenstein)

"After I provided them with medical documents proving that I could be in charge of aircraft maintenance, I was approved for the course as part of the rehabilitation program for IDF veterans," Zimmerman said.

Zimmerman, who lives on Kibbutz Ein Harod Ihud in northern Israel, was drafted to the IDF Armored Corps in 1952, and shortly afterwards joined the daring fighters of Commando Unit 101 founded and commanded by future prime minister Ariel Sharon. In 1955, Zimmerman was awarded the Medal of Valor after finding himself alone during the IDF's 1955 Operation Volcano against Egyptian military positions.

In 1982, during the First Lebanon War, Zimmerman caused a commotion when he, as he puts it, "borrowed" a Lebanese Cessna aircraft from a small airport in Beirut in order to fly back to Israel for a vacation. He landed the plane in Haifa and was later sent to military prison for a month, paid a fine of NIS 25,000 and was demoted by two ranks. UNdeterred by the discipline, Zimmerman continued to volunteer in the IDF as a tank commander until the age of 80.

I have a son whos a pilot, a grandson whos a pilot, my granddaughter is graduating from a pilot course and now my third grandson is about to start a course as well, Zimmerman said proudly, Its probably my wifes genes.

The grandson who is about to begin the pilots' course also lives on Kibbutz Ein Harod Ihud.

I dream of establishing a monument to the fallen soldiers of Ein Harod  ten IAF pilots hail from the kibbutz and three of them have been killed, Zimmerman said.

Head of the Gilboa Regional Council, Oved Nur, said hes extremely proud that so many of the councils residents contributed to the security of the country.

The values such as volunteering, leadership and love for our country are the basics that accompany the Gilboa youth when it comes to social engagement, contribution to the community and strengthening the solidarity in Israeli society, he said.Crime rates in property, violence, and sexual offenses among Eritrean and Sudanese nationals are significantly higher in comparison to other foreign populations in Israel, according to the police data obtained by Ynet.

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The data shows that in 2017, Eritreans and Sudanese nationals had 4.3 times more sex crime cases, 3.5 times more violent crime cases, and 3.1 times more theft and damage to property cases than the general public. The information was obtained through a freedom of information request to the Israeli Immigration Policy Center (IIPC).

Asylum-seekers in Southern Tel Aviv (Photo: Ido Erez)

In addition, Sudanese and Eritrean migrants had 3.4 times more sexual offense cases, 3.3 times more property offense cases and 3.1 times more violence offense cases than the rest of the foreign population in Israel.

The police refused to provide any data about murder cases.

The Israeli Immigration Policy Center compared between the number of cases in which a Sudanese or Eritrean national is suspected of sexual, property and violence offenses and the cases in which suspects were not foreign nationals, according to police statistics in 2017.

"Police statistics shows that the rate of Sudanese and Eritrean asylum-seekers involved in crime is higher than their relative part in the population," as noted in the Immigration Policy Center's report.

"In addition, these crime offenses gravely influence the population's sense of personal security, as opposed to white collar offenses and tax offenses. It is important to stress that in some cases, the Sudanese and Eritrean population is involved in severe crime, which Israeli society is not accustomed to, such as the assault and rape of the elderly, eight-year-old girls, and disabled women. Therefore, these crimes are enough to create an atmosphere of fear, especially in neighborhoods like south Tel Aviv, with a high percentage of asylum seekers," the Immigration Policy Center added.

Yonatan Yakobovich, the director of the Immigration Policy Center, said: "It's about time to put an end to the false information being disseminated about foreign nationals. The data we've received from the police unequivocally proves that the crime rate among the infiltrators is significantly higher than their proportion of the population, and the nature of these offenses influences Israeli citizens' sense of personal safety.

Yonatan Yakobovich

"The legal and law enforcement system must allocate the proper budgets to handle this phenomenon, to strengthen punitive measures in order to create deterrence, and to enforce the law that states that infiltrators who constitute a danger to public safety will be transferred to the Saharonim facility until their deportation from the country," Yakobovich added.

It is important to note that most Sudanese and Eritrean nationals in Israel are young men, a demographic with a crime rate higher than the general population in any event.

State Comptroller Joseph Shapira's annual report, released in May, outlined the complex reality and hardship faced by the African migrants, who mainly reside in southern Tel Aviv. The financial distress, the lack of access to health and welfare services, the crowded quarters without basic infrastructures are the reasons many of the migrants turn to crime.

The limited access of certain patients to health services and the ramifications of the Welfare Ministry's policy on needy asylum seekers casts doubt over whether the government's actions to provide them with the basic means to live with dignity are in line with the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty.

Prof. Shlomo Mor Yosef, Director General of the Population and Immigration Authority, said the Knesset State Control Committee was still waiting for the transfer of a NIS 28 million budget to provide welfare and health services for Sudanese and Eritrean nationals.

Committee chairwoman and Zionist Union MK Shelly Yachimovich added: "The government doesn't have an independent policy on the matter. On the one hand, asylum seekers are not being deported from Israel, but on the other hand the state won't acknowledge them. This is both a moral and constitutional issue, which obligates us as a country to treat this population. They are human beings who live among us."

Yuval Hayo, deputy director-general of the State Comptroller's Office, criticized the way government offices have handled the issue.

"The committee's recommendations provide a limited solution, but it lacks the proper funding for the problems presented in the state comptroller's report."From a young age, Eilat resident Tomer Marciano, 29, suffered from large and painful ulcerated skin blisters. When Tomer was 23, he discovered the name of his condition: Hidradenitis suppurativa, a rare, chronic skin condition that features small, painful lumps under the skin.

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After his diagnosis, Tomer began taking antibiotics with the hope that they would heal the inflammation.

"I received very high doses of antibiotics for two years. It was a very difficult period for my body," he said. After a year and a half of treatment I could not leave my house. I had nine areas of the body that were bleeding intermittently. Due to the pain, it took 40 minutes to get out of bed. My mother would make sure that I did not bleed to death during my showers. I could not work and my social life ground to a halt. I had to learn how to live again."

Tomer Marciano: It took 40 minutes to get out of bed

Marciano set out to locate others with his rare condition via internet forums and made contact with two people suffering from the same ailment. They told him that thanks to the use of cannabis, the disease was in regression.

Marciano began to use cannabis as well and quickly discovered that it helped alleviate his pain and with an intake of 30-40 grams a month he has experienced a significant decrease in the number of outbreaks.

He set out on a journey to discover anything that can alleviate his condition. He set out for the US state of Colorado, where cannabis was legalized in 2014.

"Because of legalization, I had access to a wide variety of quality substances which enabled me to get a good picture of the effects of each strain," he said. "I went through dozens of dispensaries before I found the variety that was right for me."

Marciano discovered that a combination of smoking certain varieties of medical cannabis, together with the application of "Rick Simpson" oil (named for its discoverer) worked wonders for him.

"The oil has a very harsh effect on the body, but its healing properties are amazing Within three and a half months of landing in Colorado, I was 95% cured and was able to fully function. By then I had decreased my intake of grass and decided to return to Israel in order to receive the treatment I need near my family and friends," he said.

But when he returned to Israel, Tomer encountered serious difficulties. "My application for medical cannabis was rejected. The Health Ministry insisted that I find conventional methods of dealing with my disease and provide an explanation why I need cannabis for a disease not yet sufficiently researched," he said.

"Since returning to Israel my situation has deteriorated. In Colorado I was almost entirely healed; I was at stage one, almost stage zero, of the disease, but in Israel I was again categorized as stage two.,"

Only after four years of struggle did he find a doctor willing to recommend prescribing him with 100 grams of cannabis a month, but the state only allowed him half that.

"What I had been taking per week in the US is what they allow me per month in Israel," he said. "I am forced to purchase cannabis illegally because I am not willing to become disabled again. Currently I am taking 130 grams a month, only 50 of it from the government. But those additional 80 grams make all the difference between sitting at home unproductive and being able to lead a normal life. At my last appointment, the doctor told me that I look the best he's ever seen me. I cannot allow myself to endure what I have been through again."

Over the last two years, Tomer has volunteered at a medical cannabis organization and begun studying plant sciences at the Hebrew University's School of Agriculture. "This is my way to affect change from within. This plant changed my life and now I want to help others change their lives."

In the seven years since the government legalized medical cannabis, it has become clear that it is not a passing fad. More than 42,000 Israeli patients hold a Health Ministry medical cannabis license for a variety of conditions including cancer, chronic pain, degenerative diseases and psychiatric conditions.

For most of these patients it is the difference between a manageable or normal life versus one of unbearable suffering. And demand is only rising as more and more research studies show the affectivity of medical cannabis with more and more diseases.

On the other hand, it is also clear that cannabis is not a magic pill and that it can have side effects.

But tens of thousands of patients who can benefit from cannabis to alleviate their pain need to fight the bureaucracy and established medical norms to obtain a license. They are often left with one option: turning to the black market or living a life of pain and suffering.

These are not drug addicts or recreational tokers seeking subsidies, but rather people who find themselves at the extreme end of the medical spectrum. Nevertheless, the state creates numerous hurdles for them.

'Make believe'

In order to understand why, in a country which prides itself for being highly developed, tens of thousands of patients experience difficulty in obtaining the plant that can change their lives, we must understand the procedure necessary for obtaining medical cannabis.

The first stop in the process is obtaining a doctor's recommendation and sending it to the medical cannabis unit at the Health Ministry. The doctor must be a specialist in the disease the patient is suffering from. Family physicians cannot issue a referral. Thus the ministry eliminated the option of getting a referral from the doctor who knows the patient the best.

After all the necessary documents are received, a senior doctor reviews the application and decides whether to issue a license.

But the ministry's guidelines specify that cannabis only be a last resort, after all other medical options are exhausted. This means that even patients who clearly ought to be eligible to receive medical cannabis must first undergo other treatments, often with harsh side effects, for a specified amount of time before becoming eligible for a cannabis license. In other words: let's first eliminate all the conventional medical options before resorting to cannabis.

Medical cannabis (Photo: Shutterstock)

The abovementioned directive can often be absurd. Patients suffering from Crohn's disease, a severe gastrointestinal inflammatory disease, only become eligible for medical cannabis after eliminating the option of removing part of their intestines, a treatment involving considerable risk.

Patients suffering from chronic pain must first undergo a year of treatment at a pain clinic and "conventional" treatments involving severe side effects including the danger of drug addiction.

Moreover, oncology patients are only eligible for medical cannabis while undergoing chemotherapy and up to six months afterwards, despite the fact that many side effects caused by the cancer or the treatments can last for much longer.

Some patients have resorted to unusual solutions such as purchasing the required conventional medications for as long as required, often at considerable cost, but not using them, only in order to become eligible for medical cannabis.

Even after the application form is filled out and signed by a medical specialist, the medical cannabis unit only begins to process the request after all of the necessary forms are submitted.

Herein lies another difficulty: the department is so overloaded with requests that it is almost impossible to get a representative on the phone. Even one who does manage to avoid the busy signal will have to wait an excruciatingly long time before getting someone on the line. Even then their problem is not necessarily addressed. Representatives of the medical cannabis division often fail to provide answers to applicant's questions and can only give limited information regarding the status of a submitted application.

"As of today, we are assisting more than one hundred patients who don't know the status of their application," says Dana Bar-On, chair of the Medical Cannabis Association. "The system cannot deal with the tens of thousands of patients whom it is supposed to help."

Dana Bar-On: The system is overloaded

"Many of the applications submitted get lost," says a senior pain physician. "Patients wait for weeks for an answer, only to discover that the forms they worked so hard to obtain have been lost."

The technical difficulties experienced by patients has been addressed in a report by State Comptroller Yosef Shapirol, which was published in June. "Since the establishment of the medical cannabis unit, hundreds of complaints have been submitted regarding its handling of applications," said Shapiro.

"The complaints reveal that patients face excessive bureaucracy when seeking to obtain medical cannabis. Many complaints are about lost or unaccounted for application forms, lost forms and considerable delays in handling submissions. Often, patients are not informed of the status of their application 83% of complaints were found to be valid or were corrected following intervention from the comptroller's office."

Zohar Chaim, a patient suffering from severe headaches, describes the excruciating pain he endured before he began to use cannabis. But doctors insisted on prescribing him conventional medication instead, including morphine tha left him unable to function.

Until he obtained his medical cannabis license, Chaim would purchase cannabis on the black market for NIS 100 per gram (approx. $25), and he spent over NIS 8,000.

Even those who do get a permit are still not free to focus on their lives and healing. The Health Ministry requires that permits be issued for a period of six to 12 months, and are conditioned on close medical follow-up.

Application renewals must be submitted at least 25 working days before the license expires, so many patients are forced to deal with the bureaucracy every few months.

The bizarre ease of obtaining addictive drugs

One of the main reasons for the dismal state of affairs is the Health Ministry's contradictory role: on the one hand it is tasked with issuing medical cannabis licenses; on the other hand, it is also a gatekeeper for the state, which still considers cannabis a dangerous drug.

The primary  and legitimate  concern is that the cannabis will make its way into the black market. "We are very uneasy with the widespread use of medical cannabis, and definitely with non-medical cannabis use," Health Ministry Director General Moshe Bar Siman Tov told the Knesset Committee on Drug and Alcohol Abuse.

"We are responsible for public health and the nation's long-term health, and we see ourselves responsible that this substance goes from people we have given it to, to those who should not have it. We are working by the book, but I repeat: I am uneasy with how it works," he said.

Health cooperatives and doctors are also responsible for the obstacles in obtaining a cannabis license as pain clinics are intermittently closed.







The health cooperatives do not encourage doctors to submit the required forms. On the contrary, they often make it difficult and online block access to the forms. This may stem from an ingrained conservatism or the concern that lending legitimacy to cannabis treatment will lead to the costs eventually falling upon them.

"They fail to understand that patients suffering from amputations or post-traumatic stress disorder can cease to be a burden on the system for only NIS 370  the monthly cost of cannabis," says a Health Ministry official.

Critics point out the absurdity that doctors can easily issue prescriptions for hard drugs, many of them addictive, without any supervision, while cannabis  a much milder, non-addictive drug  is so hard to obtain.

Most doctors in Israel support medical cannabis. A recent survey conducted among 80 pain specialists at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv reveals that 63% believe that cannabis treatment is effective. Only five percent of doctors see no benefit whatsoever.





Most doctors noted that they encountered very light side effects as a result of cannabis treatment, and only 12% believe that cannabis is more harmful than opiates when dealing with chronic pain. "There is good reason to consider giving cannabis at an earlier point of treatment," said Dr. Haggai Sharon, a senior pain specialist at the hospital.

But despite the wide support among doctors, in practice, many hesitate to prescribe medical cannabis to patients. Only a limited number of physicians regularly issue cannabis referrals and the queues to see them are very long. One patient said that she received an appointment for March 2020.

Many patients have been subject to suspicion and humiliation when asking for a cannabis referral. "The approach to pain is very medication focused," says Zohar Chaim. "Instead of focusing on my suffering, they push medications that don't help. One doctor even told me to go purchase cannabis on the black market."

Pure abuse

In order to help standardize the issue, the Health Ministry initiated reforms aimed at setting standards for growing and producing medical cannabis.

"Although it is not listed as a medication, we want to make the use of medical cannabis similar to conventional medication," says Yuval Landshaft, director of the medical cannabis unit in the Health Ministry. "A patient will receive a prescription from his doctor and take it to the pharmacy where he will receive high quality cannabis, just like medicine not like stuff which is produced in backyards and basements."

Last April, the ministry began a pilot launch for selling cannabis at pharmacies. But although it was meant to include some 20 pharmacies and aroused a lot of public and media interest, in practice only a few pharmacies took part and no more than 200 patients participated.

Another criticism of the planned reforms is the price. Currently, patients pay a set price of NIS 370 a month regardless of the amount they were prescribed. But starting soon it is set to be sold for NIS 120-140 for 10 grams. Patients requiring more than 50 grams will be paying significantly more. The street price for cannabis is between NIS 70-100 for one gram.

Zohar Chaim: Physicians swear an oath to the patient, not drug companies

In response to criticisms related to the price, Landshaft says: "Clearly a set price that disregards quantity is problematic and encourages use even without medical justification, therefore it was decided to base the price on quantity.

"About 85% of patients use 40 grams or less and will not be paying more than they currently do Regarding the 5% of patients who require a large quantity, the Health Ministry is seeking a solution."

According to the ministry, the reforms are set to be implemented doing the first quarter of 2019 and "will solve many of the problems raised in this article." They also said that more than 100 doctors will be licensed to issue cannabis to patients and that more patients suffering from various conditions will become eligible.

But many doubt that the reforms will be implemented as scheduled. Patients who are suffering seek a solution now and not in a few months. "The physician's oath is toward the patients, not the drug companies," says Zohar Chaim. "I want everyone from the ministry who is involved in the matter to put themselves in our shoes, to imagine they have a massive migraine and they have to wait months for medicine"

'We are doing our best'

The Ministry of Health said in response: "Regulation of medical cannabis as it is currently performed in Israel is the first of its kind in the world, and progress must be made with great care and responsibility. This is a complex and unique process.

"Thanks to the intensive work of the ministry and the cannabis unit, there are more than 42,000 patients in Israel with a cannabis license the highest in the world in relation to population.

"The fact that the ministry seeks to better the lives of patients does not meant that any amount of cannabis will be issued to whoever wants, but rather that each case will be examined on its merits. Applications for a license are constantly increasing and nevertheless, they do their best to keep up.

"It is true that lately there has been a large backlog but we are working to speed up the process and make it more efficient. Some of the workload has been transferred to an outside firm and a computer program will be available for patients to upload their medical forms. After they are checked, the patient will be able to print out their own license and take it to the pharmacy. In addition, 150 doctors will be qualified to issue cannabis licenses themselves for a small fee (NIS 290).

"The pharmacy pilot was designed to examine the chain of production and the interfaces, and has been used to find and fix malfunctions. The reforms will take effect during the first quarter of 2019, and new or renewed license holders will be directed to a pharmacy in order to purchase supervised cannabis products. Those already holding a license will continue to purchase cannabis from the growers until their license is renewed, a process that will take up to a year."Israel's Syria strike on Tuesday night achieved its goal by proving once again that the Jewish States does more than just talk, bolstering its credibility and deterrence. By targeting arms depots for the Hezbollah terror group and Iranian forces in the war-torn country, Israel is signaling that neither the downing of a Russian plane by Syrian forces in an attempt to repel an Israeli strike in September, nor the withdrawal of American forces from Syria will change its northern policy.

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Even so, the incident might represent a turning point on three issues. Firstly, if in fact this was a three-hour strike and involved a large number of aircraft, it shows the Israeli determination to ensure the destruction of Iranian targets, as well as a demonstration of its raw military power. Secondly, Syria is also signaling its intentions by activating air defenses to intercept missiles fired by the Israeli Air Force over Lebanese territory.







IDF troops hunting Hezbollah cross-border tunnels near Lebanon

Thirdly, there is the Lebanese angle. Israel has reiterated the fact that the tunnels dug by Hezbollah under the Israel-Lebanese border constitute a violation of its sovereignty, which requires retaliation, whereas Lebanon argues that Israel is constantly violating its own sovereignty. This exchange of accusations, which intensified after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at the UN General Assembly several months ago, might increase tensions between the two sides.

Israel should be more worried about the Lebanese front than the Syrian one. Iran is indeed aspiring to entrench an anti-Israeli presence in Syria, but the Islamic republic is still far from reaching that goal. On the other hand, Iran has met all of its objectives as far as Lebanon is concerned.

It may appear that Lebanon is an independent country, albeit with Hezbollah operating in its territory, but reality paints a different picture. Lebanon and the Shiite terror organization have an unwritten agreement: the government is responsible for civil issues and represents the country's beautiful side, while Iranian-backed Hezbollah is the sole military force in the country, telling the Lebanese army where to deploy its troops, and deciding whether calm prevails on the Israel-Lebanese border. Hezbollah is an Iranian satellite, or proxy, meaning that Lebanon is effectively controlled by Iran.

This fact leads us to two conclusions: Russia, like Israel, is not interested in strengthening Iran in Syria. Moscow, which seeks to maintain its grip on Syria via President Bashar Assad's puppet regime, is unwilling to allow Iran to seize Syria as it seized Lebanon. Therefore, Russia will continue to display patience with Israeli strikes in Syria, but only as long as Jerusalem hits Iranian targets. Russian rhetoric might be aggressive, but its reaction will be mild.





Hezbollah supporters in Beirut (Photo: AFP)

Furthermore, Israel must inform the world that if Iran decides to activate Hezbollah against it, this would not only lead to another war between Israel and the terror organization, but to an all-out conflagration between Israel and Lebanon.

If the United States, France and Saudi Arabia, who have invested great effort in Lebanon and desire to save it from destruction, they should explain to the Lebanese government the ramifications of placing the country's military force in the hands of Hezbollah and its patron, Iran.

If a third war breaks out in Lebanon, Israel would act against the country as a whole to ensure a short military campaign, as opposed to the Second Lebanon War in 2006, which lasted 34 days.

Iran is Hezbollah is Lebanon.Russian aluminium company Rusal said on Friday it has appointed independent non-executive director Jean-Pierre Thomas as its new chairman as part of an agreed restructuring in exchange for the lifting of US sanctions.

The previous chairman, Matthias Warnig, stepped down earlier this week after six years at the world's largest aluminium producer outside China. His resignation was a condition of the deal.In anticipation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Brazil, Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro tweeted, "I'm looking forward to Netanyahu's visit, during which we'll discuss new directions for our nations. Israel is a high-tech superpower and that interests us."

Slamming those in Brazil who blasted Netanyahu's visit, Bolsonaro said," Those who did nothing but rob the country, have no right to express criticism."A cluster of 10 balloons attached to an explosive device landed on Friday near a kindergarten yard in moshav Kfar Maimon in the Sdot Negev Regional Council, close to the Israeli border with Gaza.

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The police were called to the scene to neutralize the device.

Cluster of incendiary balloons located in the south

The incidents occurs after many weeks during which there were no reports of incendiary balloons launched from Gaza.

Meanwhile, the IDF is preparing for a tense weekend on the Gaza border, sending reinforcements in order to prevent the potential infiltration by Palestinian rioters into Israeli territory. The move comes following an announcement by the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip that Friday is a "test day."

The IDF believes that there will be riots at the fence as Palestinians mark a week since four protesters were killed on the border. The army will therefore increase the amount of troops and aerial observation around certain points of friction.

Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories for the Gaza Strip Col. Iyad Sarhan issued a social media appeal to residents of the Gaza Strip on Thursday, and warned them not to take part in terrorist attacks on the border fence with Israel.

Col. Iyad Sarhan

"Residents of Gaza, what do you want from your upcoming Friday?" said Sarhan in a video message in Arabic that was posted on Facebook. "Do you want to spend it in the bosom of your family or in unpleasant incidents on the security fence? The IDF will not tolerate any attacks on the security fence. We also want a Friday without any casualties on your side, but that depends solely on you."

He added: "The IDF will not allow rioters to approach or damage the security fence, and any attempt to harm IDF soldiers or violate Israeli sovereignty will be met with a strong IDF response. Keep your distance from the area of the fence, and you will be quite safe. "

The organizers of the "March of Return" campaign called on the Palestinians to attend in scores the Gaza border riots.

Hamas has previously prevented protesters from reaching the fence and causing violent incidents, but last week showed that a low level of restraint easily leads to greater violence.German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron demanded on Friday that Russia release Ukrainian sailors who were seized along with their ships last month.

Moscow accused the 24 sailors of illegally crossing the Russian border. Ukraine said Russia captured the two small gunboats and one tugboat illegally and accused Moscow of military aggression.

"We demand safe, free and unimpeded transit for all ships through the Kerch Strait and the immediate and unconditional release of all illegally detained Ukrainian seafarers," Merkel and Macron said in a joint statement.A Spanish aid boat carrying over 300 migrants rescued at sea has arrived in Spain, ending a weeklong journey across the western Mediterranean.

The boat, operated by the nonprofit group Proactiva Open Arms, docked at the Spanish port of Algeciras on Friday.

The boat rescued the migrants in waters near Libya last week, but had to travel to Spain after Malta denied it permission to dock and Italy and other countries refused to help.A 26-year-old Palestinian succumbed to his wounds on Friday after being wounded during the weekly "March of Return" Gaza border riots. In addition, several Palestinians were wounded in clashes with the IDF.

Hamas issued a statement as the demonstrations concluded: "The Palestinian people is determined to continue the struggle against the enemy, no matter what the death toll will be."

Last Friday, four Palestinians were killed during the skirmishes.Amos Oz, Israel's most successful and internationally recognized author died Friday at the age of 79 after a battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Nili, and three children  Fania, Galia and Daniel.

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"My beloved father, Amos Oz, a wonderful family man, an author, a man of peace and moderation, died today peacefully after a short battle with cancer," wrote his daughter, historian Fania Oz-Salzberger in a tweet posted Friday evening. "He was surrounded by his lovers and knew it to the end. May his good legacy continue to amend the world."

Amos Oz (Photo: Haim Zach)

Oz's books have been translated into more than 40 languages, including Russian and . Oz won dozens of literary prizes in Israel and abroad, including the Israel Prize, the Bialik Prize and the Goethe Prize, considered the second most important prize after the Nobel Prize for Literature. In 2018 he won the Tolstoy Prize, one of Russia's most prestigious literary prizes, for his novel 2016 "Judas." In recent years, Oz has been considered as one of the pillars of Israeli literature, culture and society, and as a leading candidate for the Nobel Prize.

President Reuven Rivlin and his wife Nehama expressed their sorrow at Oz's death: "A story of love and light and now, great darkness. Sadness descends upon us as Shabbat begins. A literary giant. The glory of our creators. A spiritual titan. Rest in peace our dear Amos."

Oz is considered one of Israel's leading writers from the second decade of its establishment until his final days. He was among the writers who began to work in Israel's early years and who formed the basis of modern Hebrew literature.

His numerous books were well-received by readers and critics alike. He began publishing in the 1960s, dealing with the history of Israel from the days of the Yishuv (pre-state Jewish settlement), the establishment of the state, and key historical events throughout its existence.

Oz is the author of classics such as the highly acclaimed autobiographical novel "A Tale of Love and Darkness" (2002), and popular works such as "My Michael" (1968) and "Black Box" (1987). His books are compulsory reading in Israeli high schools for matriculation in literature.

Throughout his life, Oz never hesitated to make public his progressive views on political and social issues, first and foremost his concerns about a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict becoming more distant. Over the years he became one of the figures most identified with the Zionist left in Israel. In an interview with the BBC in 2016, he said: "I've been called a traitor many times in my life. I think I'm in wonderful company. History is full of people, men and women, who happened to be ahead of their time and were accused of treason by some of their contemporaries." In the same interview he added that criticism of the State of Israel is legitimate, but that saying "there should be no Israel, that's where anti-Zionism becomes anti-Semitism.

Oz was born Amos Klausner in May 1939 in Jerusalem, the son of literary scholar Yehuda Aryeh Klausner and Fania Mussman. His uncle, Joseph Klausner, was a scholar of literature and history. Following his mother's death when he was 12, Oz spent his youth in Kibbutz Hulda in the midst of an adoptive family - the family of Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai. The landscapes of his childhood in Jerusalem and the kibbutz often served as a background and source of inspiration for his future works, primarily "A Tale of Love and Darkness," which tells the story of his family.

After completing his military service in the Nahal Brigade, Oz achieved a BA in literature and philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, after which he studied for a master's degree in philosophy at the University of Oxford. In 1986, he left the kibbutz with his wife and three children and moved to Arad. In his final years, Oz lived in Tel Aviv.IDF spokesman said Saturday that Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip have launched a rocket at Israel overnight, none were hurt and no damages were reported. In response, the IDF attacked a Hamas post in the strip using an IAF helicopter.

This is the first rocket to be launched from the Gaza Strip since the November fighting round, in which hundreds of rockets were launched at Israel from the strip, causing damages to property and killing one.

These attacks follow the latest weekly riots along the Gaza border Friday, in which one Palestinian man was shot dead.

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Karam Fayyad, 26, sucummbed to his wounds at a hospital in the enclave after being wounded by IDF fire, and six other people were wounded during the protests that went ahead despite stormy weather.

Gaza border riots

"Troops resorted to live fire after confronting 5,000 rioters, some of who threw rocks and grenades," said an IDF spokeswoman.

She added that two Palestinians briefly breached the border fence before returning into Gaza.

As the protests ended, Hamas issued a statement: "The Palestinian nation is determined to continue our struggle against the enemy, no matter the death toll."

Gaza border riots

On Friday morning, a cluster of 10 balloons attached to an explosive device landed near a kindergarten yard in moshav Kfar Maimon, in the Sdot Negev Regional Council, close to the Israeli border with Gaza.

Later, another balloon tied to an explosive device was located in moshav Zru'a, also in the Sdot Negev Regional Council.

Cluster of incendiary balloons located in the south

In both incidents, a police sapper neutralized the devices.

Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories for the Gaza Strip Col. Iyad Sarhan issued a social media appeal to residents of the Gaza Strip on Thursday, and warned them not to take part in terrorist attacks on the border fence with Israel.

Col. Iyad Sarhan

"Residents of Gaza, what do you want from your upcoming Friday?" said Sarhan in a video message in Arabic that was posted on Facebook. "Do you want to spend it in the bosom of your family or in unpleasant incidents on the security fence? The IDF will not tolerate any attacks on the security fence. We also want a Friday without any casualties on your side, but that depends solely on you."

He added: "The IDF will not allow rioters to approach or damage the security fence, and any attempt to harm IDF soldiers or violate Israeli sovereignty will be met with a strong IDF response. Keep your distance from the area of the fence, and you will be quite safe. "







Such IDF announcements are relatively rare, and this was the first of of its kind in weeks. It is apparently a direct result of the deaths of the four Palestinians in last Friday's clashes as well as the joint announcement by Hamas-led armed groups in Gaza.

Last Friday, four protesters were killed on the border during skirmishes with the army, prompting an announcement by the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip that this Friday would be a "test day."

The announcement added that "The crimes against the Palestinian people have crossed all red lines,which the resistance will not accept."

"Neither the (lack) of money, electricity and water, nor even air will stop us from fulfilling our duty. It appears the enemy misses the rounds of fighting and the harsh retaliation of the resistance. The enemy's actions will dictate the nature and timing of our response," the statement added.

Reuters contributed to this report.Two Vietnamese tourists were killed and 12 other people were injured on Friday when their bus was hit by a blast from an explosive device in Giza, Egypt, the interior ministry said.

Ten of the injured were Vietnamese tourists and two were Egyptians, a ministry statement said. The bus was hit by an explosion from an improvised device hidden near a wall on Marioutiya street at around 1815 (1615 GMT), the ministry said.

Police are investigating, the statement said.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived in Rio de Janeiro to meet with Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro.

Netanyahu and his wife were greeted at the airport Friday by the incoming president's son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, and Rio Mayor Marcelo Bezerra Crivella.

From the airport, the prime minister traveled to Copacabana Fort where he will meet Bolsonaro for the first time.

Netanyahu is then expected to go to a local synagogue for a meeting with Brazilian Jewish leaders.

According to the Israeli Embassy, Netanyahu will stay in Rio until Tuesday, when he will travel to Brasilia for the inauguration.Brazil's far-right President-elect Jair Bolsonaro met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday and while both pledged to deepen ties, there was no announcement as some anticipated of Brazil moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

Netanyahu, the first Israeli prime minister to visit Brazil, flew in to Rio de Janeiro to meet with Bolsonaro, an ideological ally who takes office on January 1 after his election victory in October.By RALPH ANSAMI

[email protected]

Ironwood  There were smiling faces on Ironwood City Commissioners Wednesday as they discussed economic developments in the late year that will benefit the area.

A number of things came our way, city manager Scott Erickson said as he began listing some of the recent accomplishments, including $10 million for Copper Peak, $1.5 million from the state to assist Waupaca Foundry, Inc., in locating in citys industrial park, $280,000 for the Miners Memorial Heritage Park mountain bike trail, $2 million for Gogebic Community College and funding for the third phase of the Iron Belle non-motorized trail, from Bessemer to Ramsay.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation said last week the Waupaca Foundry project is expected to generate total private investment of $4.3 million and create 61 jobs. Ironwood was chosen over competing sites in Arkansas and Wisconsin, MEDC said.

The company will locate in the former speculation building on Liberty Street. The building had most recently been used by Scandinavian Log Homes.

The city is offering a 12-year property tax abatement valued at $375,000 in support of the project.

Erickson said Wednesday he and Community Development Director Tom Bergman will continue to work with MEDC on developing and carrying out a strategic economic plan for the western Upper Peninsula.

Erickson said there has been a great deal of work going on behind the scenes to yield the late 2018 results.

Bergman previously said discussions between Waupaca Foundry and the city had been going on for the past four months, as the company conducted job fairs in Ironwood and Marenisco.

All the good news has come after the devastating announcement that the Ojibway Correctional Facility in Marenisco would close in early December, which resulted in a loss of around 200 high-paying jobs.

One of those Ojibway employees was city commissioner Joe Cayer Jr., who was fortunate to stay in the area when he accepted employment at Aspirus Ironwood Hospital.

Mayor Annette Burchell and commissioners thanked Erickson and the city staff for helping make the year end on such a solid note.Editors note:The Daily Globe is counting down the Gogebic Ranges top five stories of 2018 each day through Monday, New Years Eve. The editorial department staff sat down and came up with its annual list, naming the Ironwood Township treasurers embezzlement case as the third-place story of the year.

By RICHARD JENKINS

[email protected]

Former township treasurer Jyl Olson-DeRosso was charged with 10 felony counts last year related to forgery and embezzlement stemming from her time in office. In 2018, township residents learned her fate, as well as the scope of her embezzlement from the township.

Olson-DeRosso pleaded guilty or no contest to all 10 counts she was charged with in March. She appeared in Gogebic County Circuit Court March 28 to plead guilty to five counts of forgery, embezzlement by a public official, using public money for her own use and diversion of public money by a public official. She entered no contest pleas to refusing to turn over records to a successor and destruction of public records.

The charges against her stem from 2011 to November 2016, when Olson-DeRosso lost her re-election bid to current treasurer Maria Graser.

Olson-DeRosso was sentenced in May to 38 months in prison on the embezzlement by a public official charge, as well as shorter sentences on the other nine felonies. She will serve the 10 sentences concurrently, however, Michigan law requires she serves the entire 38-month sentence.

The defendant stands before this court for sentencing on 10 separate felonies. The defendant stands before this court owing the charter township of Ironwood close to $1.4 million. The defendant stands here having affected in excess of 20 victims, Judge Michael Pope said while imposing his sentence. She violated her position of public trust. She abused her power. She breached her fiduciary relationship with her fellow officials, not to mention the citizens of the community. She ignored her sworn duty. She misused her occupation. She used her position to justify her conduct.

She did so over the course of ... at least five years.

Along with her prison sentence, Olson-DeRosso has to pay almost $1.4 million.

Pope ordered $1,398,654 in restitution in May following a presentation from the townships forensic auditor regarding the amount Olson-DeRosso stole.

Pope ordered a civil judgement in the same amount on the townships behalf in October.

Michigan law prohibits dual recovery, meaning Olson-DeRosso will only have to pay that figure once rather than paying both the restitution and civil judgement.

While the civil judgement, along with Olson-DeRossos decision to drop her countersuit against the township in July, concluded the legal process; township officials continued to deal with the financial fallout from Olson-DeRossos crimes.

The township continued to await payment from its insurance and bonding companies into the December budget process, which left the township owing several other local entities tax money.

The township owes Gogebic County, Ironwood Area Schools and the Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School District a total of $820,409 in tax money Olson-DeRosso collected on their behalf but never passed on to the appropriate entities.

This amount is included in her restitution payment, according to township officials, but the township has yet to receive the funds.

The debt has been discussed during the the 2019 budget process, with some arguing the township should proactively pay the units of government and others saying the township has been advised to leave that with the insurance company and continue with business as usual.

With 2019 here and no payments received, the fallout from the case will almost certainly continue to make headlines into the new year.Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business.There is not enough analysis data for Botswana Diamonds.

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Community Sentiment Botswana Diamonds has received 62.26% outperform votes from our community.

MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Botswana Diamonds and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe BOD will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe BOD will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days.

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NextGuyana Goldfields Inc. provides exploration and production of gold. It engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, production, and operation of gold mineral properties. The company also owns and operates gold drilling rights. The company was formerly known as Chiboug Copper Company Limited and changed its name to Guyana Goldfields Inc. in January 1995. Guyana Goldfields Inc. was incorporated in 1994 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. As of August 25, 2020, Guyana Goldfields Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Zijin Mining Group Company Limited.

Read MoreYEN.com.gh earlier published a report of a photo of Ghana's second lady, Samira Bawumia, without makeup. The second lady looked unusually different from the regular beauty Ghanaians knew her to be.

For a lot of people, many Ghanaian female celebrities, would not be as beautiful as they are considered to be if not for the makeup they wear.

Despite this notion, there are a good number of our female celebrities who are widely considered as very beautiful with or without makeup. YEN.com.gh lists a few of them below:

READ ALSO: Ghanaians who did amazing things in 2018

1. Nana Ama McBrown: Actress Nana Ama McBrown, on any given day, is a very beautiful woman. Throwing in the fact that she is over 40 years, makes her beauty more impressive. She does not only exude beauty in makeup but also without it as in the photo below.

2. Jackie Appiah: JThe actress is not only one of the best in Ghana, she is one of the most beautiful as well. These photos of Jackie without makeup say it all.

3. Yvonne Nelson: The 'Heels and Sneakers' actress has always been considered a very beautiful lady. Her beauty is not just makeup-based.

4. Kafui Danku: The mother of one does not force herself to be beautiful but you cannot make an objective list of beautiful celebrities without including her. Her 'no makeup' photo below clearly attests to this.

5. Hamamat Montia: The 2006 Miss Malaika winner is undoubtedly one of the naturally beautiful women without makeup you can ever find. Moreover, she often cuts her hair but still looks so gorgeous.

6. Nana Aba Anamoah: The Ghanaian female celebrity space is dominated by actresses. Nana Aba is one of the few non-acting people who is just as celebrated as the actresses. Obviously, she is a hardworking and brilliant journalist but the physical beauty she possesses has also gone a long way to win her some admiration.

7. Nadia Buari: Her beauty, with or without makeup, will never be contested by any objective person. In fact, she is one of the few people you will find very difficult to determine whether she is wearing makeup or not.

READ ALSO: 9 female celebrities in Ghana who gained more popularity in 2018 because of nudity

8. Lydia Forson: When it comes to 'no makeup' photos, Lydia Forson surely ranks very high. The photo below clearly shows her beauty even without makeup.

9. MzVee: One of MzVee's most popular songs is called 'Natural Girl'. And indeed she is not just a natural girl but a very beautiful one.

10. Joselyn Dumas: Undoubtedly, Joselyn Dumas is one of the most beautiful and curvaceous ladies around. And even before she got her current physique, her facial beauty was not in doubt.

Source: Supplied

Source: UGC

11. Yvonne Okoro: Just like her namesake, Okoro is also a beautiful woman. Her beauty has stood the test of time.

12. Menaye Donkor: As the winner of the 2004 edition of Miss Universe pageant, Menaye's beauty is unquestionable. And she is not just beautiful because of makeup.

13. Salma Mumin: She may not be as popular as many of the names mentioned here. But she surely can challenge many of them when it comes to natural beauty.

14. Xandy Kamel: Actress Xandy Kamel is known for being very confident in her skin because she undoubtedly looks stunning without makeup.

15. Rosemond Brown: The controversial actress, known for her carefree spirit easily steps out without makeup and feels very comfortable.

Source: OTmedia

Source: UGC

16. Clara Benson: Popularly known as Maame Serwaa, the young child star has featured in a number of movies and has warmed the hearts of many Ghanaians. Today, she has grown into a beautiful young lady.

Source: Supplied

Source: Original

READ ALSO: Pastor dies five days after being cursed by another pastor

Yenkasa: Is Dumsor back? | #Yencomgh:

What do you make of our list? Let us know in the comment section below.

Click here to get the latest exciting English Premier League news. Get match highlights, reports, photos & videos all in one place

Source: Yen- The Sissala East chairman of the NDC, Babu Rafik, has been reportedly arrested by the CID

- His arrest is in relation to the diversion of fertilizer under the Planting for Food and Jobs programme.

Information available to YEN.com.gh shows that the Sissala East chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Babu Rafik, has been arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service (GPS).

According to a report by MyNewsGH.com, he was arrested is in connection with the missing $12m worth of fertilizers under the Planting for Food and Jobs programme.

He was arrested together with some Sunyani Muncipal Assembly staff who are believed to have masterminded the smuggling of the government fertilizers into neighbouring Burkina Faso with the connivance of some Chinese nationals.

Credit: Supplied

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Photo of Ghana map with 6 new regions added leaks online

YEN.com.gh understands that they are currently being interrogated by the CID in order to establish the facts of the case.

The Agric Ministry denied earlier report suggesting that the amount of $12m dollars said to be losses, incurred as a result of smuggling of fertilizers under the flagship Planting for food and jobs programme.

They revealed that about 50 trucks of fertilizers, which were being smuggled to Burkina Faso were seized in the Upper West Region and that efforts are being made to nip the vicious activities of these fertilizer-smuggling cartels in the bud.

READ ALSO: NAM1 hot as court orders the sale of Menzgold's properties

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- A man of God, Reverend Anthony Kwame Nyame, has reportedly died after being cursed on radio

- He lost his life five days after a man, Samuel Erzoah, placed a curse on him following a land dispute

- Police officials have began investigations into the matter

A pastor, Reverend Anthony Kwame Nyame, has lost his life five days after he was allegedly cursed on radio.

YEN.com.gh understands that Nyame, who was with the Cross of Calvary Healing and Deliverance Ministry in Teleku-Bokazo in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region, mysteriously passed away.

He was reportedly involved in a land dispute with one Samuel Erzoah, and this resulted in a heated argument.

Funeral poster of the late Rev. Nyame Source: Ghana Web

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Creation of new regions: police on high alert as chiefs allegedly plan to cause confusion

The land is said to be located at Teleku-Bokazo, and the two men engaged in a war of words on West End Radio on October 7, 2018, when they were hosted on air over the matter.

According to a report by 3news.com, Erzoah, who works at Ghana Gas Company in Atuabo, threatened that he will kill the pastor, if the man of God doesnt kill him first.

Rev. Nyame lost his life five days later under mysterious circumstances, and this has led to a barrage of accusations directed towards Erzoah.

The district police command has therefore began investigations into the matter. Rev. Nyame will be buried on January 12, 2019, at Teleku-Bokazo.

READ ALSO: Fight over motorbike: radio presenter loses GHC500, room keys and other items

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Picture taken on Dec. 11, 2018 shows a specialist working at the foundation of a Neolithic house in the Dahe Village relic site museum in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province. The foundations of a Neolithic house that has stood for over 5,000 years in central China's Henan Province will be examined and reinforced 46 years after they were unearthed. The four-bedroom home is part of the Neolithic Yangshao culture, dating back 7,000 years. (Xinhua/Li An)

ZHENGZHOU, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- The foundations of a Neolithic house that has stood for over 5,000 years in central China's Henan Province will be examined and reinforced 46 years after they were unearthed.

The four-bedroom home that covers nearly 50 square meters in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan, is located in the Dahe Village relic site that is part of the Neolithic Yangshao culture, dating back 7,000 years.

The roof is long gone, but the one-meter-high walls still stand, providing a complete spatial layout of the house. Specialists use tools such as brushes and bamboo knives to clean the dust and dead moss accumulated on the surface and inside small cracks before they are reinforced.

The Yangshao Culture, widely known for its advanced pottery-making technology, originated on the middle reaches of the Yellow River and is considered an important stream of Chinese civilization.

The house was built with wood as its "bones," hay as "muscles," and clay that covered the walls. Fire was then used to burn the entire building, similar to firing pottery, to make it strong enough to stand for thousands of years, according to Hu Jizhong, curator of the relic site museum.

More than 50 utensils, including 20 pottery ware were found in the house, along with a can of carbonized food grains. Experts said the four rooms had living and sleeping functions, demonstrating that private ownership and family had budded at the time.

The renovation will last about one year.

6

1

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]While it is impossible to know who initiates most bribe situations, the giver or the receiver, one thing is clear: no bribe can take place without both. It is for this reason that international conventions such as the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention and the UN Convention Against Corruption encourage state parties to address both sides of bribery in their national legislation.

However, U.S. law, in contrast to the national legislation of many countries, criminalizes only active foreign bribery. While companies and individuals subject to the jurisdiction of the FCPA are punished for paying bribes, those who receive these bribes largely escape U.S. punishment.

As we argue in our recently published article Two to Tango: Attacking the Demand Side of Bribery, this gap, which hampers U.S. efforts to combat international corruption, could be filled by amending the basic domestic bribe receiving statute, 18 USC 201(b)(2), to cover foreign public officials.

There are, of course, several possible arguments against such a proposal. For example, some may contend that there is no need to criminalize foreign bribe receiving in U.S. law because other statutes such as wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering, can be used for the same purpose. However, these statutes all require proof of additional elements (for example, intent to defraud or a laundering transaction) which may not be available in a bribery case, making such prosecutions unnecessarily difficult.

It may also be argued that such cases are more appropriately prosecuted by the bribe takers home governments. While this is undoubtedly true, such cases are rarely brought. The OECDs recent study of prosecutions of foreign bribe takers, Foreign Bribery Enforcement: What Happens to the Public Officials on the Receiving End?, found that public officials were sanctioned in only one fifth of the schemes covered by the survey.

Prosecuting foreign bribe receiving could also be opposed on the grounds that it would subject the U.S. to political fallout and, possibly, retaliation from foreign governments. However, the U.S. government has already decided to accept this risk. It has been the explicit policy of the Department of Justice under both the Obama and Trump Administrations to attempt to charge foreign government officials who take bribes under other statutes, such as money laundering and wire fraud.

The Trump Administration recently reaffirmed this policy in its National Security Strategy, which states the United States will continue to target corrupt foreign officials. The possibility of political fallout has also not stopped the U.S. government from imposing visa bans and asset freezes on various high ranking foreign government officials.

In addition to bringing U.S. legislation into line with international best practices, criminalizing foreign passive bribery would serve several other valuable purposes. First, even if the bribe takers are never extradited or prosecuted, a U.S. indictment would make it difficult for them to travel (lest they travel to a country that has an extradition treaty with the U.S.) and to spend their ill-gotten gains.

Second, the fact of an indictment could be used to support other penalties, such as sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act which applies to foreign government officials responsible for serious human rights abuses and corruption.

Third, U.S. charges would put pressure on foreign governments to bring domestic charges against the bribe-takers (something that, as noted above, rarely happens now).

Finally, it would help honest companies use the FCPA as a shield to resist bribe demands. Or, to put it another way, the argument that we cant pay because we could be prosecuted under the FCPA would be much more powerful if coupled with the statement and you could be, too.

The current environment, characterized by heightened awareness of the geopolitical threat of grand corruption and the connections between kleptocracy, human rights abuses and national security may be a propitious time for such a legislative initiative.

A longer version of this article first appeared in The American Interest, a bimonthly magazine focusing primarily on foreign policy, international affairs, global economics, and military matters, and appears on the FCPA Blog with permission.

____

Tom Firestone, pictured above left, is a partner in the Washington D.C. office of Baker McKenzie and is co-chair of the firms North America Government Enforcement Practice and a member of the firms Global Compliance and Investigations Steering Committee.

Maria Piontkovska, above right, is an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Baker McKenzie.Its no secret that the creative industry is changing fast. A world that was once dominated by Madison Avenue is suddenly finding itself being disrupted by boutique agencies, startups, and consultancies.

If youre in the creative or associated industries (such as marketing or development), you can expect 2019 to have a lasting impact on your business. Ideas that took root half a decade ago promise to come to fruition in 2019 (and beyond).

What are some of these disruptive ideas? And how can you better prepare yourself for them? Find out the answers below.

1. The war against consultancies will escalate

The creative industry has had a hard time attracting and retaining talent over the last three decades. The industry was already marred by high attrition rates due to easy transfer of skills from one agency to another. The tech boom of the last 20 years has only added to this talent flight.

Now, there is another Goliath you have to contend with: consultancies.

Consultancies have shaken up the creative industry completely in the last five years. The creative arms of Deloitte, Accenture, and IBM are already among the top ten agencies by revenue. Thanks to their massive non-agency operations (Deloitte Digital contributed just $2.6B to Deloittes $36.8B revenue in 2016), they have the deep pockets that can further chip away at agencies domination.

Further, these consultancies have something smaller agencies cant offer: a prestigious employer brand. Ask most graduates and theyll admit that theyd rather work for Deloitte than a no-name creative agency.

As consultancies make moves into agencies core business  creativity and media buying  this war will heat up further in 2019.

2. Youll have to embrace diversity

Head over to any creative firms Glassdoor page and read the employee reviews. Most likely, it wont make for a pretty sight.

Despite creating the media campaigns that define cultural zeitgeist, creative firms seem strangely insulated from broader cultural movements. There is still an old boys club feel to many agencies. They might push for diversity and inclusiveness in their ad campaigns, but as agency veterans will tell you, the actual workplace is rarely so.

Thats going to change radically in 2019.

For starters, clients are demanding diversity from their agencies. Not for the headlines, but because of the simple fact that it seems to boost performance.

Consider that when HP pushed its agencies to hire more women, it saw a 33% boost in revenue per impression.

As this word gets around, expect more clients to follow suit.

Additionally, consultancies  your biggest competitors in 2019  already have deep investments in diversity. Deloitte, for instance, has been one of the pioneers of diversity in the workplace for years.

In a world where diversity can be a massive competitive advantage, be prepared to make some fundamental changes in the way you work to promote inclusiveness in 2019.

3. Remote work will become more common

Outside of personnel, the biggest expense for every agency is often the same: office rent.

20 years ago, you would have considered it as a cost of doing business. But today, you have to wonder if there arent better  and cheaper  ways to get work done.

The truth is that remote work is as, if not more effective, as traditional work. All the tools you need to make remote work successful  email, chat, project planning software  cost barely a few dollars a month for each employee.

In fact, a two-year Stanford study even showed that working from home can have a drastic positive impact on productivity.

The growing number of successful companies that are remote-only proves that remote work can also scale. For example, InVision, which makes software for designers, has over 700 employees and no office.

Besides the cost savings, the other big advantage of remote work is that it gets you access to better employees. When you can hire from anywhere across the world, you can hire the best people without overpaying them.

Further, talented people will often choose a job that gives them more freedom. When you call yourself a remote-only creative firm, you essentially signal to these people that working for you will give them this freedom.

So in 2019, make remote work one of your top priorities. It can transform your business and how you hire creatives.

Over to you

The creative industry is in a state of flux. New entrants are displacing entrenched players. In this time of upheaval, the nimble and the flexible will thrive. Prepare your business for the challenges above and you might just find that 2019 is your best year ever.The Pakistani government has decided to bar former president Asif Ali Zardari from leaving the country as he is suspected in an alleged money laundering case, a cabinet minister said on Thursday.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told reporters that the federal cabinet decided that Zardari, co-chairman of the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party, and 171 other people cannot leave the country as investigation is pending against them in different corruption cases.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in a report has found that Zaradri and his sister Faryal Talpur were among over 30 people who have transferred billion of rupees abroad through fake bank accounts. However, Zardari and his parry have rejected the report as "packs of lies."

Zardari and his sister have appeared on several occasions before the banking court in connection with the charges and have also secured bail from the court to avoid arrest.

Fawad said the federal cabinet took the important initiative as some people involved in the fake accounts and money laundering case are not taking a report of the the investigation seriously.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Thursday dismissed the report and said this is an "attempt to misguide the courts."

In another development, the government has approached the Election Commission of Pakistan to disqualify Zardari as member of the parliament for "hiding property in the United States."

A provincial lawmaker of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party Khurrum Sher Zaman had filed a petition against Zardari.

Zaman said Zardari had not shared details of the property in the United States with the election commission, which was required for taking part in elections.

The election commission's officials on Thursday accepted the petition for initial hearing, according to reports. The initial hearing is expected to be held next week.California from playing for real money on their website. Alternatives include Americas Cardroom , available to play for real money in all 50 states. Regular online tournaments are making every day players millionaires. Americas Cardoom offers a welcome bonus up to $2000 . PokerStars forbids those fromfrom playing for real money on their website., available to play for real money in all 50 states. Regular online tournaments are making every day players millionaires.

The world's largest real money online poker site, PokerStars, opted to exit the U.S. market back in 2011 after it was caught up in a well-publicized investigation by the U.S. Justice Department.

PokerStars had attempted to join forces with California casinos and some of the Tribes to offer its poker platform, however, there was resistance from other Tribal casinos in the state.

The great news is that you can still play online poker for real money at Americas Cardroom. They offer top tournaments and innovative games that include Blitz satellites where you win up to $2650 tickets with buy-ins that start at just 11 cents. They also offer bounty tournaments, but with a twist. Take down a player and youll get 50% of their bounty, with the other half now on your head.

Licensed cardrooms in California can offer card games in which players vie against each other (rather than against the house), and this includes poker. As of 2011, there were 93 licensed cardrooms in the state None of these poker rooms offer online poker sites. Access to online poker is still only available to California residents courtesy of internationally-licensed online poker rooms.

Americas Cardroom is one of the few sites that has long served the U.S. market and is currently offering a $7 million guaranteed online tournament with a $1 million first place prize . Americas Cardroom tends to rank as the 8th largest online poker site in the world. It also offers a sportsbook and online casino.

- Nagesh Rath, Gambling911.comHey Long Beach! Its that time of year again when the world famous floating Christmas tree on the bay returns to Long Beach! Check out our video below all about the history of these classic Long Beach icons below. You...Bonn The covers have been removed, the construction fence at Maximilian Center has almost completely disappeared and the facade is becoming more and more visible. The new building opposite Bonn Central Train Station is nearing completion.

Just two months ago, project developer Ten Brinke celebrated a topping out ceremony for the new Maximilian Center which will house stores and businesses. Since then, great strides have been made towards its completion. Most of the work is now being done on the interior where significant progress is also being made.

The owner of the Maximilian Center will be the Bayerische Versorgungskammer (BVK), based in Munich. It will acquire the building for 112 million euros once it has been handed over to the future tenants. The main tenant will be the low-cost fashion retailer Primark, which plans to open its store in the fall of 2019. But a number of people have criticized the shopping center's facade, which faces the bus station and appears quite bulky or overpowering due to the lack of window openings.Two prominent Chinese Americans were honored on Wednesday with the President's Volunteer Service Award (Lifetime Achievement Award) for recognition of their lifelong service to enhance the life quality of the Asian community in New York City.

John S. Chan, chairman of Asian American Community Empowerment (BRACE), and Jack Poon, honorary president of BRACE, were presented the awards by Grace Meng, member of the House of Representatives, at the organization's fifth anniversary gala held in the NYC borough of Brooklyn.

"BRACE is a tireless advocate for the Asian American Community and stands unwavering in its mission to represent the interests of its members," said Meng in her congratulatory remarks. "I am sure your efforts will generate many good works and this organization will establish goodwill and cooperation both inside and outside of the Asian American community."

Also at the event, four Chinese Americans -- Choi Fook Chen, Daniel Chen, Dianlin Jiang and John Jiang -- received the Volunteer Service Award (Gold); and three others -- Michael Chen, Kenneth Chiu and Jianghua Li -- received the Volunteer Service Award (Silver).

The President's Volunteer Service Award is a civil award bestowed by the President of the United States. It was established to honor volunteers who devote hundreds of hours per year to helping others.

The awards are offered in multiple levels, including bronze, silver, gold and the highest honor, the President's Lifetime Achievement Award for those who contribute more than 4,000 hours of service in their lifetime.

The Brooklyn-based BRACE was founded by seven Chinese American organizations in 2013. With more than 70 member organizations and a total membership of nearly 10,000, BRACE has the following major agendas: encouraging Asian Americans to run for political offices, defending the rights of Asian Americans, serving the community in collaboration with other organizations and promoting China-U.S. friendship.For the 10th anniversary of the first escort mission by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy in the Gulf of Aden, the PLA Navy issued a series of 32 commemorative envelopes on Wednesday.

A commemorative envelope marking the ten-year anniversary of the start of PLA Navy escort missions. A set of 32 envelopes was released on Wednesday, December 26, 2018. [Photo: Ministry of National Defense]

Stamped with a postmark on the day they were issued, on the front of the envelopes are photos showing scenes of the navy's escort missions, alongside special edition stamps. On the back of the envelopes, details of the escort missions are printed in both Chinese and English.

A commemorative envelope issued by the PLA Navy on Wednesday, December 26, 2018 shows the navy's first escort mission. [Photo: Ministry of National Defense]

On December 26, 2008, the PLA Navy set off on its first ocean escort mission in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Over the decade that has followed, the navy has dispatched 31 escort formations on 1,198 missions involving 100 submarines, 67 ship-borne helicopters, and more than 26,000 sailors.

These missions escorted more than 6,600 ships, rescued more than 70 ships in danger, and captured three pirates.The Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Navy released 32 commemorative envelopes on Dec. 26 to commemorate 10 years of convoy missions in the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters.

The Chinese Navy began escort missions in December 2008. In the past 10 years, the Chinese Navy has sent out 26,000 officers and soldiers, escorted 6,600 ships and successfully rescued or aided more than 70 Chinese and foreign ships.

The series of themed envelopes record the major moments of the 10-year mission. (Photo/Wu Haoyu)<< See the full list of the 2018 Public Officials of the Year.

Its become a cliche for local officials to talk about using data to drive policy and programs. No one, however, has put the idea into practice quite like Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.Under Garcetti, Los Angeles has created data hubs and centers that use statistics to measure practically everything the city does and figure out how to do it better. That includes the obvious targets such as traffic mobility, tree trimmings, street cleaning and water usage, but also community engagement efforts. Citizens can use data tools to weigh in on long-term budget decisions or track city service delivery records in real time. Garcetti finds ways to turn the numbers into stories, impressing on the public and the city council a sense of what it means to pave and maintain 12,000 miles of road surface, or to find more than 10,000 homeless veterans a place to sleep.For Garcetti, data is more than a tool for improving the performance of individual programs. Its become the scaffolding around everything that the city does, a platform for reorganizing the way the place works. Nearly every mayor will tell you that most of the inefficiency in government stems from the inability of different departments to work with each other. Garcettis data hubs bring cross-agency activities together. The comprehensive way that he has approached the use of data to solve practical problems is changing the culture of city hall, says Stephen Goldsmith, a former Indianapolis mayor who teaches at Harvard and has studied the Los Angeles governmental structure.A 47-year-old Democrat, Garcetti has made it clear that he has career goals beyond Los Angeles. Hes already racking up the miles with visits to Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, early outposts in 2020 presidential voting. But those efforts dont seem to spill over into his day-to-day urban management. As mayor, hes always seen his job as taking care of the basics, and it appears citys residents are satisfied that this is what he is continuing to do, even with undisguised national ambitions. In 2017, he was elected to a second mayoral term with 81 percent of the vote.Garcetti has persuaded voters to trust him with billions of dollars to address the citys most endemic problems: housing, homelessness and traffic. Measure M, a ballot proposition that voters approved in 2016, will provide the transit system with $120 billion in sales tax revenues over the next 40 years, making it the largest local initiative in the nations history, times two. Traffic is the great thief in our life, Garcetti says, stealing millions of hours and billions of dollars.He is using the 2028 Summer Olympics -- the biggest of all the projects hes helped land as mayor -- as an organizing principle to drive the largest improvements in infrastructure seen in any city for decades. His 28 by 28 list of projects includes construction of everything from bike lanes and freeway express lanes to improvements at the airport.Its all part of a massive effort to make life a little more livable in a city with one of the largest local economies in the world. Garcetti, with his hands-on management style and obsessive use of data, is keeping voters interests at heart as he seeks to reinvent their city while taking his policies to a national audience. Were not powerless, he says. If Washington cant get the job done, we can.Alan GreenblattDescription

GIS  28 December, 2018: The High Commissioner of the Republic of India to Mauritius, Mr Abhay Thakur, paid a farewell call on t he Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, External Communications and National Development Unit, Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth , yesterday at the New Treasury Building, in Port-Louis.

In a statement, the High Commissioner underscored that discussions with the Prime Minister centred around the existing cooperation between India and Mauritius and on progress made regarding key joint projects as well as other initiatives in the pipeline.

The Indian High Commissioner highlighted that the meeting with the Prime Minister focused on further strengthening Indo-Mauritian ties in the wake of the economic growth of Africa, wherein Mauritius will be used as an important platform of connectivity to the African continent.

Mr Thakur described the bilateral relations between the two countries as a dynamic partnership, which over the course of his two and a half years tenure as the High Commissioner of India, has gained considerable momentum in a number of areas.

India and Mauritius, the High Commissioner emphasised, have embarked on a new era of cooperation and partnership. He dwelt on key local developmental projects that received the assistance of the Government of India to further strengthen bilateral ties, namely: the Metro Express project, E-tablets provision for students and OCI card scheme for Mauritius. According to him, both countries are poised to explore bilateral opportunities in different spheres which will be mutually beneficial.

Moreover, the High Commissioner spoke about the preparations and the programme with regard to the forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Jugnauth to India in January 2019. The agenda, he pointed out, consists of important bilateral meetings, business interaction platforms and discussions relating to the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement.As big as the government technology market is  $400 billion a year , give or take  a bid procurement platform from New York-based Citymart aims to bring new businesses to the table.BidSpark, the second of Citymarts products after one that helps governments design better requests for proposal, shares a clients RFPs with a pool of more than 100,000 vendors, according to Citymart founder and CEO Sascha Haselmayer. He estimated 90 percent of them are not contracting with government today, so BidSpark proposes to bring these new players into the fold, thereby encouraging innovation and making bids more competitive.What were finding is that every single mayor or city manager in the U.S. wants to diversify the vendor pool, he said. They want more small businesses, they want more diverse and creative business partners.Haselmayer likened procurement to recruitment  finding the best teams in a user-specified geographic area who would like to work on any given project. He said procurement platforms arent new, but they come with several barriers for both governments and businesses: A handful of companies make these platforms, but learning to use them takes time; they often involve steep paywalls or subscription fees; none are comprehensive.Haselmayer found there was no aggregated data on procurement, no database where an interested vendor could browse all RFPs nationwide, and most local businesses arent registered on any procurement platform. Those that are registered, he said, tend to be older businesses that might not have innovative solutions to new problems, and the old project-classification system doesnt include designations for some of the latest IT projects.When you have Tulsa publishing an RFP for the future mobility strategy and implementation, those are needs that rely on future projections, technology, community engagement, he said. Those arent necessarily served by the traditional vendor base of government.Haselmayer also noticed how many cities were paying for exclusive, innovative solutions which were not getting co-opted by neighboring cities that could have used them.He launched BidSpark in 2018 as an answer to this disconnect, built on data from 32,000 solutions Citymart had compiled through its first product, Opportunity Builder.We found we had a product [BidSpark] that really democratizes the access to these better outcomes. What else excited us is that it didnt require any time, effort or skills on the part of the government purchaser, he said. That means were immediately connecting cities to the other part of the marketplace.Haselmayer said another problem with RFPs is that theyre not easy to read, sometimes requiring interested vendors to comb through 50 pages of background before getting to the actual description of what the city wants. BidSpark replaces this with a clear, concise summary of relevant information, and keeps track of conference calls, due dates and other calendar items in RFPs. It also introduces an anonymous rating system for businesses to rate offers they receive based on variables such as clarity, how advanced the project was, and whether the time frames and terms and conditions were adequate.Having just used BidSpark for the city of Tulsas RFP for an urban mobility innovation strategy, James Wagner, the citys chief of performance, strategy and innovation, said the platforms key contribution was getting the word out to nontraditional vendors. He said BidSpark contacted more than 3,000 vendors with Tulsas project, 250 of which accessed and looked at the RFP, and seven of which responded.If that sounds like a small number, Wagner said, its because the project was complex, and each of those seven proposals involved a team as opposed to a single firm.Normally, the exposure to this would have had to be done through the networks of people that work here at the city rather than through the procurement system, he said. I dont know how many we would have gotten for something like this, but I would imagine it wouldnt have been as broad of a reach as we received.Wagner added that he would use BidSpark again, if the project warrants.If its something thats going to be locally sourced, I dont think [BidSpark] would be as helpful, but for something like this where youre looking for people all over the globe to engage, I think its something that is really helpful, he said. It just depends on the nature of what were buying.Haselmayer said BidSpark cast a wide net in its first five months, and Citymart conducted a cohort analysis of the first 10 cities to use it. He said hes optimistic that if BidSpark can bring the cost savings, higher engagement and newer solutions that it promises, the procurement business could shed its sour reputation among governments and vendors alike.What were seeing is that there are tens of thousands of urban innovators  and they simply havent found the path to discover government as a potential client, he said. Theres a very good chance that the reputation of working with government isnt a plus. Theres a very good chance these vendors have never thought about working with government, that they wouldnt know where to look for opportunities, and that their investors would not encourage them to. Were saying you need to make an effort to go out and build the market you want to work with, and thats going to determine a lot of the quality and success of the public services you deliver.New York City Codifies Office of Data Analytics in Charter

U.S. Congress Votes to Approve the OPEN Government Data Act

Buffalo, N.Y., Wins Award for Its Data Work

Albuquerque, N.M., Tweaks Procurement Processes to Encourage Contracting with Local Vendors

Connecticut has finalized its first-ever state data plan, making the full text available through the states open data portal This satisfies a new legislative requirement in Connecticut that was approved in June, and, most importantly, it codifies data-driven government and decision-making as something that the states leadership must use consistently. While this is Connecticuts first state data plan, the legislation requires it to now be updated every two years.To get a sense of what is actually in the new data plan, it is perhaps easiest to look at some of the broader requirements from the June legislation. These include finding ways to establish data analysis as a standard for all Connecticut executive brand agencies; setting specific goals related to data use within the next two years; setting long-term goals; recommending ways to make data integration systems and practices standard throughout the state government; creating a timeline for reviewing state and federal regulations related to internal data sharing or securing; and more.As you may have noticed, theres a lot of goal-setting involved here, and, in what is perhaps an encouraging sign, the very publication of this plan meets Connecticuts first goal: to formalize the plan before Dec. 31, 2018. In other words, the whole thing is off to a solid start.It should perhaps also be noted that this heavier commitment to data-driven governance at the state level is a growing trend. More states  including Connecticut  are making moves to support that, ranging from hiring chief data officers to codifying data-driven governance commitments. Both of these actions have become increasingly rote for major cities, but are newer at the state level.Interested parties can view the Connecticut plan in its entirety now Like Connecticut, New York City has now codified its data work by including its Mayor's Office of Data Analytics (MODA) in its charter.With the passing of Local Law 222 of 2018 this month, MODA is now permanently codified in the city charter, along with seven mandates for its work. This is a more permanent status for the office, which was first established by executive order in 2013.This move comes after the city hired Kelly Jin as a new chief analytics officer to essentially run MODA. In a press release announcing the codification, city officials noted that the offices mission was to help other public agencies there apply analytics and data-driven decision-making to their work, thereby improving the efficiency and equity of service delivery while also bolstering local government transparency. Part of MODAs function is to also partner with New York Citys Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) in overseeing and managing its open data work , which includes more than 2,000 data sets and a weekly user total that exceeds 30,000.There is no real standard on whether data work in local government must be codified. Doing so, however, ensures that data work will outlive the current mayoral administration in a given city. Basically, when data work becomes codified, it removes the possibility that a future mayor will regress in committing energy and resources to it, ensuring that data-driven governance has a future in a given jurisdiction.Congress has passed the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking (FEBP) Act ( H.R. 4174 S. 2046 ), which means that the Open, Public, Electronic and Necessary Government Data Act (OPEN Government Data Act) within it will likely become law.Assuming the president signs the bill, this will mean that the federal government is moving to codify data-driven governance as well, doing so by making public info available by default in machine-readable formats, and also by urging federal agencies to use evidence-driven decision-making in their public policies. In a relatively rare development for 2018, the passage of the bill was also a bipartisan effort, supported by Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., as well as Sens. Patty Murray D-Wash., Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, Ben Sasse, R-Neb., and Rep. Derek Kilmer, D. Wash. Open data advocates swiftly praised the approval on Twitter . Organizations aimed at improving governmental decision-making via open data also spoke out in favor of the legislation.The bipartisan passage of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act is a significant step toward a more efficient, more effective government that uses evidence and data to improve results for the American people, said Michele Jolin, CEO and co-founder of Results for America, in a statement . We commend Speaker Ryan, Senator Murray and their bipartisan colleagues in both chambers for advancing legislation that will help build evidence about the federally funded practices, policies and programs that deliver the best outcomes. By ensuring that each federal agency has an evaluation officer, an evaluation policy and evidence-building plans, we can maximize the impact of public investments.This is essentially the culmination of a three-year effort to get the legislation passed, and presuming that the federal government often serves as a model for state work, it could encourage copycat legislation in statehouses nationwide. Advocates say it stands to vastly improve access to federal information that can be used to both improve public services and enable private-sector innovations.Parts of the OPEN Government Act are aimed at creating standards for making open data public, requiring more data-driven decision-making at the federal level and establishing formal chief data officer positions within federal agencies that have been tasked with data governance or implementation.While obviously the biggest, New York City is far from the only jurisdiction in New York actively engaged in open data work.In fact, its neighbor to the (far) north, Buffalo, N.Y., was recently recognized for its own open data work, dubbed the Open Data Buffalo initiative . The upstate New York city won the Trail Blazer Award, which is given out by New York State Secretary Rossana Rosado to local governments that use innovative practices and serve as models for other municipal agencies.Buffalo was specifically lauded for its open data portal and a program that it ran called the Mayors Civic Innovation Challenge, which challenged the public to use the portal and the open data within to develop projects with the potential to solve challenges in the community.Another innovative open data move on Buffalos part is its Data 101 initiative , a free class for members of the community to learn more about working with data. A relatively new program that started in November, Data 101 gives residents the opportunity to get expert insights into the functionalities of the citys open data portal. What really sets Data 101 apart is that it invites the public into the learning, whereas many cities are more intensely focused on conducting internal training exercises only for city staffers.Buffalos open data program manager Kirk McLean received the award for the city earlier this month at a local government innovation conference in Albany, N.Y.To bolster economic development, Albuquerque has recently used data and some adjustments to its procurement processes transparency to encourage internal departments to work with more local vendors.In fact, Albuquerque was able to convert 20 contracts from non-local vendors to local vendors this summer, which a case study by Results for America reports kept roughly $1 million within the local economy there. The city did this by collecting new data on the demographic makeup of businesses and also enhancing its real-time procurement dashboards to keep internal departments accountable as to where they decided to contract services, specifically as it applied to local versus non-local vendors.While the dashboard enhancement is the clearest example of tech at work, one of the key non-tech components to this plan was requiring all departments to solicit at least one quote from a local business for any contracts between $10,000 and $60,000. At the same time, the city raised the spending limit for non-competitive procurement contracts from $2,500 to $10,000, subsequently requiring the use of local businesses on small purchases, provided it was feasible.The data component involved collection processes. The city modified the W-9 form for all vendors to include a better definition of what constitutes a local vendor, which was made possible by a 2017 shift from paper to electronic procurement forms. The dashboard work, meanwhile, saw Albuquerque tweak existing real-time dashboards so that it was easier to track purchasing and contracting, while also adding a public-facing dashboard that displays municipal spending.(TNS)  In the digital age, home internet access for students has been called an educational game changer, especially in rural school districts.And with Pueblo City Schools (D60) joining the burgeoning online education arena in the fall, internet connectivity will become more vital than ever.Unfortunately, as much as a quarter of American households lack an internet connection, and in those homes with schoolchildren, that absence can significantly hamper their education.Fortunately, Comcast has a solution.Internet Essentials is the nation's largest and most comprehensive high-speed internet adoption program for low-income households. Designed as a comprehensive program to address the major barriers to broadband adoption, Internet Essentials offers internet service for $9.95 a month; the option to purchase an internet-ready computer for less than $150; and access to free digital literacy training in several formats.In the seven years Comcast has offered the program, more than six million low-income Americans, in 1.5 million households, gained access to high-speed internet service at home. In Pueblo alone, 12,000 people are now connected through the program.Nick Jimenez, Comcast's director of government and regulatory affairs, said that "nearly a quarter of a million Coloradans have gotten online because of this program  the majority for the first time ever  but there's much more work to be done, with a very significant opportunity in Pueblo. Lack of internet access leads to something referred to as the 'homework gap,' tied to the reality that nine out of ten teachers are assigning homework that needs to be accessed or submitted online."Back in August, Comcast announced an expanded eligibility of the program, to low-income veterans  nearly one million of whom live within the Comcast footprint. According to the United States Census Bureau's 2016 American Community Survey, less than 70 percent of low-income veterans have internet access, with about 60 percent owning a computer.Internet Essentials also is available for qualifying community college students in Colorado.Eligible households must have at least one child who is eligible for the National School Lunch program, receive HUD housing assistance, or have a low-income veteran receiving state and/or federal assistance. Additionally, participating households must be in an area where Comcast internet service is available, must not have subscribed to Comcast internet within the last 90 days and cannot have an outstanding debt to Comcast less than a year old.At schools where 40 percent or more of all students are eligible for the National School Lunch program, Comcast considers all students and families from those schools eligible to apply for Internet Essentials, as long as the other eligibility requirements are met.For more information on the program, call 1-855-846-8376, or 1-855-765-6995 for Spanish-only speakers.$2.7 million for the county cutting short a five-year contract for managed services.

$228,792.96 for work performed and invoiced to date, but which is unpaid and outstanding, according to an affidavit signed by Leestma.

More than $25,000 for breaching an enterprise content management agreement.

(TNS)  Muskegon County, Mich., has been ordered to pay at least $230,000 in damages to a former contractor that the county claimed had engaged in a civil conspiracy with a former county official.After a two-year legal battle, Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Joyce Draganchuk recently granted summary disposition in favor of Information Systems Intelligence, or ISI, of Grand Rapids, headed by president and businessman Ryan Leestma.Leestma sued the county in February 2016, claiming that the county breached a contract and didnt pay its bills.Leestmas lawsuit sought to recover from Muskegon County:On Dec. 19, Draganchuck ordered the county to immediately pay Leestma for unpaid invoices plus a yet-to-be-determined sum for additional claims.The county filed a counter-suit in April 2016 saying Leestma owed it $570,716 and possibly more for contract overages, duplicate payments, delivery of goods and work which the county alleged didnt occur.The county also sued former top county financial administrator Heath Kaplan, alleging that he breached his administrative responsibilities and engaged in a civil conspiracy with Leestmas ISI group before leaving his post in 2014.Leestma gave Kaplan $20,000 in cash, a personal loan of $27,950 and financial assistance with a mortgage, the countys lawsuit claims.Leetsma denied claims that he had given cash to Kaplan or help with a mortgage and acknowledged that the loan was paid off. The businessman also said the accusations were an attempt by the county to pull the focus off of its unpaid bills and damages to Information Systems Intelligence.Draganchuks ruling cleared Leestmas company of any wrongdoing and essentially threw out both of the countys claims against ISI. The civil conspiracy claims lodged against Kaplan are still pending, but a hearing on a motion to dismiss the counter-suit is scheduled for Jan. 9.Leestma, who shuttered ISI in 2016, said the ruling was an important step in clearing his name.At the end of the day, I did nothing wrong. I did my job. Everything the county accused me of doing was false  I was being fair and accurate in my dealings with them, Leestma said in a prepared statement released on Thursday, Dec. 27. In some ways, this is too little too late. It forced me to go into a different line of business, but I would (have) far preferred to have had ISI back without all the trauma and stress.Muskegon County ruined my good name and business reputation.Leestma began working for Muskegon County in 2010 after its auditors found flaws in the county IT system. Leestma and ISI secured an upgrade project to provide the county with a new server room and firewall protection.A second contract was secured to replace outdated computers, which ultimately saved the county money. Leestma said it took two years to migrate data to the new system, which won the county a national IT award.In 2013, ISI was selected for a five-year IT service management agreement with the county to provide ongoing network support.According to a transcript of a final hearing held on Dec. 19, the countys attorney, Doug Hughes of Williams Hughes PLLC, argued that ISI breached that 2013 contract with the county by billing $74,000 a month for its services, which was in excess of the contracted $66,000 a month fee.However, county administrators did admit that ISI managers began working extra days at the request of the county. Those extra hours were given verbal approval by Kaplan and the heads of Muskegon Countys purchasing and accounting departments, according to court documents.Since the contract included language about additional charges for extra work, the supposedly fraudulent charges didnt breach the contract, Draganchuk said at the Dec. 19 hearing. She also said the county failed to provide enough evidence of fraud other than ISIs attempts to bill the county twice, which the county admitted could have been made in error.As to the alleged conspiracy between Leestma and Kaplan, Draganchuk said that the county failed to produce sufficient evidence that a real conflict actually existed.Draganchuk said the pair should have disclosed their outside dealings, but they were not legally required to do so. She also said their concealment of their past dealings hardly amounted to a concerted effort to profit in a conspiracy against the county.The county makes a lot about the relationship between Mr. Kaplan and Mr. Leestma," she said. "Its not only a financial relationship but a friendship and sort of a You scratch my back, Ill scratch yours kind of relationship it would appear ... Theres no showing of fraudulent billing or fraudulent anything under the contract. And therefore, theres no showing of conspiracy to commit any kind of a fraud  there may have been a perception of pay-to-play, but in the end, there actually, and now we know after two years of discovery, was no pay-to-play.(TNS)  Some county homes and businesses have been left out of the state of New York's broadband-for-all plan or their new service is spotty at best, said Hampton Supervisor David OBrien during Fridays Washington County Board of Supervisors meeting.Some communities have been left out in the process, OBrien said to Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, D-Round Lake, who met with the supervisors during Fridays meeting. Woerner asked if supervisors had any questions about the governors agenda.Are there other ways to get funding to fill in this (broadband) gap? OBrien asked.Woerner agreed with OBrien and others that the broadband roll-out has not been ideal.The broadband (plan) implied everyone was going to (fiber-optic cable), instead it has been a mix of some fiber, but mostly wireless broadband, she said. The quality of providers varies and along with the geography.Woerner said officials will have an opportunity to question the agencies awarded state broadband contracts and she will continue to hold them accountable.The state broadband initiative, New NY Broadband, got rolling in 2015 when Gov. Andrew Cuomo approved $500 million in state funding to achieve statewide broadband access by 2018. At the time, 35 percent of New York households did not have service.Phase III rolled out in January with a focus on rural and remote areas like Washington County. The county was awarded a state grant of $21,132,571. Of that, Hampton got $653,605 for 385 households.According to OBrien, 153 units are slated to get fiber broadband within the next year with Slic Network Solutions, and 232 units got satellite connections with Hughes Networks instead of fiber, leaving about 260 remaining with no service.I recognize Internet service is not (an) optional thing, everybody needs it, Woerner said.OBrien replied, Our residents expected this and want to know, How come Im not getting this?You are not the only person to raise this issue, Woerner said, adding that what they would get was misrepresented and that there was a failure by some to deliver quality service.The (state) spent a lot of money for inadequate service, she said.Laura Oswald, director of Washington County Economic Development, said the implementation of high-speed Internet and fiber didnt turn out to be cost-effective.They solved the cost problem with Hughes Net, she said. For some, there was no other option. Is it ideal? No. Its better than dial-up, but we still have a ways to go. But we are much better off than we were, yes.(TNS)  Central New Mexico Community College has approved a new social media marketing certificate, a program it developed in conjunction with Facebook.Donna Diller, CNMs dean of the School of Business and Information Technology, said the colleges governing board approved the certificate in November. The program will officially launch in January, though Diller said students were able to take classes that count toward the certificate during the fall 2018 term.Were really excited to provide this education for our students, said Diller. CNM is here when the workforce needs updated training in response to changes in the industry . . . Were excited to continue working with Facebook.Facebook, which is building a $1 billion data center in Los Lunas, provided the Journal with information about its role in the program but declined to comment on the record.The social media giant announced its partnership with CNM in June at Albuquerque Community Boost, a weeklong event at the National Hispanic Cultural Center aimed at the small business community. Company officials said then that the certificate will be the first educational program of its kind for the social media giant, and its first partnership with a community college.Diller said the certificate is either 26 or 27 credit hours, depending on the students electives, and can be completed in as little as two terms. The courses, a mixture of existing classes and new ones, can be taken either online or in traditional classrooms. Among the course titles: Principles of Marketing, Visual Communication, Project Management Fundamentals and Social Media Strategies. Diller said she expects between 20 and 50 graduates in the first year.For New Mexico residents, the cost is about $1,400, including tuition and fees, and financial aid may be available for those who qualify through CNMs existing financial aid resources.In addition to Facebook, the certificates curriculum was developed with input from organizations such as Albuquerque Economic Development and local public relations firms, Diller said. She described Facebooks role as primarily that of a consultant, and said the company is developing new curriculum that will be used in some of the courses.Diller said the program wont focus solely on Facebook, but also Twitter, Instagram (which is owned by Facebook), LinkedIn and other social media platforms.Asked whether CNMs certificate would include an ethics component in light of recent international scrutiny over the role of social media platforms in spreading disinformation, Diller said such discussions are likely to arise in the programs business marketing courses where current events are regularly discussed.As 2018 comes to a close, here is another example of the positive uses of drones to inspect bridges, MnDOT Improves on Award-Winning Use of Drones for Bridge Inspection. We (Center for Regional Disaster Resilience) just wrapped up our project with Northeastern University in Boston for using drones and lidar technology to inspect bridges.I keep waiting for the hammer to fall with a drone bringing down an aircraft or being used as a weapon in a terrorist attack. We need as many positive stories as possible before that happens  to negate the fallout from anti-drone elements in our communities.A connected vehicle project in Ohio will join other similar explorations of sensor and related technologies that allow vehicles to interact with each other and infrastructure, in the aim of growing safety and traffic management in a space becoming more crowded with vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.The Ohio Department of Transportation, in partnership with Honda, is looking to the city of Marysville, just to the northwest of Columbus, as a test site to outfit more than two dozen traffic signals and some 1,200 vehicles with connected vehicle technologies to both better monitor and manage traffic flow, as well as communicate with drivers about real-time events related to pedestrians, cyclists or other vehicles.So basically, the signals are reading all these inputs around the intersection: pedestrians, bicyclists, vehicles, emergency vehicles. And theyre providing information to the vehicles, explained Jim Barna, executive director of DriveOhio , an innovation and technology division within Ohio DOT. So where you may have blind spots, like around a corner, on a crosswalk, or if youre not recognizing that theres a red light approaching, that signal will provide that information, in ample time for that driver to make a decision.Just down the road, transportation officials in Columbus are involved with launching a connected vehicle pilot that will connect up to 1,800 private and public vehicles as well as upgrade some 113 signalized intersections with technology to better manage traffic as well as improve safety. That project, known as the Connected Vehicle Environment, is expected to go live in July 2020. It falls under a host of smart city and smart transportation projects operated under the Smart Columbus umbrella, established two years ago when the city was named the recipient of the $40 million Smart City Challenge grant from the U.S. DOT.In the last several weeks Tampa Bay, Fla., launched a connected vehicle pilot to ultimately install connected vehicle technologies on about 1,200 personal vehicles. Already, data from those vehicles is flowing into local transportation management centers, and will aid in future decision-making, said Bob Frey, planning director at the Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority, which is taking the lead on the project.So we are seeing basic safety messages  at a high enough level that were confident well be able to come up with some good data, Frey toldin an interview earlier this month. We do have connectivity. And we do have coverage through our study area where were able to show that.In another project in the west, the Colorado DOT, in partnership with Panasonic Corp. of North America, has been installing a network of roughly 100 roadside units along Interstate 70 between Golden and Vail, a stretch of about 90 miles, and expects to have the digital corridor complete and operational by the end of the month.The system will enable a vehicle-to-everything  known as V2X  environment where cars can share billions of data points an hour related to speed and other operations, which are fed into the system to generate alerts and other information.The idea behind connected vehicles is it is taking information straight from your vehicle and then sending it straight back to the driver who is in the vehicle, and shares that information, whats happening with your car, explained Amy Ford, chief of advanced mobility at the Colorado DOT, speaking withduring the summer. So, say your airbag gets deployed, or you just hard-slammed on your brakes  all of that is shared 10 times a second and thats what feeds ... what we call [the] vehicle-to-vehicle part of it.The project in Marysville and other locations are simply following the transportation technology trends rapidly being developed, in part, by car-makers, and also by transportation agencies.The technology is rapidly advancing, said Barna at DriveOhio. We now have technology we can deploy to make our roads much safer. All the states are looking at this in some sort of fashion, as well as  there are so many advancements being made by automotive companies.Its a big deal and its coming around very quickly, he added.China impressed the world with some ten major projects throughout the 2018 timeline.

No. 1 Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge

On Oct. 24, the worlds longest cross-sea bridge running 55 kilometers opened to public traffic. Regarded as one of the most challenging construction projects, the HZMB integrates a bridge with one undersea tunnel and several artificial islands to connect Hong Kong with Macao.

No. 2 Change 4 lunar probe

On Dec. 8, China launched the Chang'e-4 lunar probe, realizing the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon.

No. 3 Third sea trial of Type 001A aircraft carrier, China's first domestically-built aircraft

Type 001A aircraft carrier, China's first domestically-built aircraft carrier, set out on the third sea trial on Oct. 28. China independently completed the design and construction of the aircraft carrier, indicating that China has gained capacity for building medium-sized or even large-sized aircraft carriers.

No. 4 J-20 fighter formation debuts

J-20 fighter jets in training (File photo)

A formation of four J-20 stealth fighter jets was seen on Nov. 11 commemorating the 69th anniversary of the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force.

No. 5 Beidou Navigation Satellite System launches global service

China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System started providing global services on Dec. 27. Ran Chengqi, director of the navigation office, said the pillar system's construction of Beidou's third generation constellation has finished, enabling the space based network to provide reliable global positioning, navigation, and timing services with high accuracy.

No. 6 China-made large amphibious aircraft completes very first water takeoff

The AG600 completed its first taxiing at high speed on the water on Oct. 1.

China's independently-developed large amphibious aircraft, the AG600, codenamed Kunlong, completed its first water takeoff and landing in Jingmen, central China's Hubei Province, on Oct. 20 .

No. 7 First homemade polar icebreaker

On Sept. 10, China launched its first domestically built polar research vessel and icebreaker "Xuelong 2".

No. 8 New Fuxing high-speed trains unveiled

On Dec. 24, China unveiled several new Fuxing high-speed trains, including a 17-carriage train with a designed speed of 350 km per hour and an eight-carriage train with a designed speed of 250 km per hour.

No. 9 Artificial sun achieving electron temperature of over 100 million degrees

On Nov. 12, the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST), or the "Chinese artificial sun," achieved an electron temperature of over 100 million degrees in its core plasma.

No. 10 Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway in operation

The Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway officially went into operation on Sept. 23

(Compiled by Fang Tian)(TNS)  Gov.-elect Janet Mills nominated the head of the state agency that governs Internet connectivity to be her economic development commissioner Thursday, highlighting her campaign pledge to improve broadband access in Maine. Heather Johnson, who has a background in public- and private-sector economic development and communications, currently heads the ConnectME Authority, the state agency charged with expanding the broadband network.Heather brings decades worth of private and public sector experience to the Department of Economic and Community Development, Mills, a Democrat, said during a press conference at the State House.Johnson, 48, is the seventh person to be nominated to Mills cabinet. Johnson would replace acting DECD Commissioner Denise Garland, who was appointed to that post by Republican Gov. Paul LePage after George Gervais resigned in June. Gervais had been nominated by LePage in March to head the Maine State Housing Authority, but his confirmation to that post was blocked by Democrats in the state Senate I have dedicated my career to fostering economic development, both in private companies and in rural communities across Maine, and I am excited not only by the opportunity to work with economic development agencies, business and communities across the state, but by the great potential we have to find sustainable growth strategies for all parts of Maine, Johnson said in a prepared statement.Prior to joining ConnectME, Johnson served as the executive director of the Somerset Economic Development Corporation from 2015 to 2018 . She has also worked in the private sector for technology and communications companies, including Nokia, Gateway and Toshiba.If confirmed, Johnson will be charged with overseeing more than two dozen experts across several bureaus whose mission is to help communities and businesses prosper through a variety of programs that provide everything from targeted tax relief to community block grants to tourism marketing.She said as commissioner of DECD she would take a region-by-region approach to economic development in Maine. I think connectivity is absolutely one of the ways to do that. Allow people to work other places and work remotely, most large companies are moving to remote work forces so if we create connectivity options, people will be able to live wherever they want and work there as well, Johnson said.She said her first job as commissioner would be to take a complete inventory of all the economic development organizations and agencies working across the state in an effort to better coordinate without duplicating ongoing efforts. We dont need to recreate what is already out there and we dont want to create redundancy, Johnson said.Johnson, who lives in Norridgewock with her husband and son, grew up in nearby Skowhegan and holds a bachelors degree from the University of Maine, said rural and urban areas face different economic development challenges.Each community has different assets that we need to leverage, she said, which makes it a very individual approach by area. She said there were existing tools available, including state and federal grants, tax increment financing districts, local economic development groups and a community college network that can be key to solving workforce development issues.Dana Connors, the president of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, which represents about 5,000 business in the state, expressed support for Johnsons nomination.She is a very thoughtful, articulate and collaborative person, Connors said. He said Johnsons experience and background made her a good choice to head the agency, especially her understanding of rural economic development needs.That is very important, Connors said. Oftentimes we here people talk about the two Maines, but there are really many Maines, if you think about it, because each region is quite distinct.Mills said the top concern for businesses in Maine seeking to grow was still the lack of affordable health care coverage, noting some of that would change once she took office and a voter-approved plan to expand the states Medicaid program, MaineCare was fully implemented. She dismissed one of the frequent concerns of LePage  the cost of electricity for business in Maine  pointing out that the state enjoys some of the lowest electricity costs in New England.I think it will appeal to businesses to move here when we bring down the cost of health insurance in this state, Mills said.Johnson said Maine has yet to achieve widespread broadband connectivity, but she also expressed the view that even with universal broadband the race for faster and faster connection speeds would continue. She said it was more important that people had the levels of connectivity they need to grow their businesses locally.If you watch urban markets, they continue to grow and have more ubiquitous, faster coverage every day, Johnson said. So Im not even sure there is an end destination to connectivity. Its about enabling people to do what they need to do.Mills said Maines dispersed population was a challenge to providers of internet services and a focus on creating connectivity hubs in rural Maine would be effective first steps towards universal broadband.She and Johnson indicated that government and private companies will have to collaborate in order to provide rural areas with more access to broadband connections.Johnsons nomination will go to a public hearing before the Legislatures Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Commerce Committee, followed by a confirmation vote in the state Senate.Michigan CIO David DeVries announced this week he will step down from his position Jan. 1. The states governor-elect Gretchen Whitmer has yet to name a replacement.DeVries, 60, has been the states CIO and director of the Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB) since Gov. Rick Snyder appointed him on Aug. 30, 2017. Prior to that, DeVries served as a CIO for both the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and U.S. Department of Defense, and a special assistant to a commanding general of the U.S. Army, where he directed daily activities establishing enterprise-level IT services.When DeVries assumed the role of state CIO, he said, Michigan had consolidated its technology operations under the banner of the DTMB, and started investing in IT infrastructure. The state had already replaced many aging switches and server pieces, but much of the wholesale move to the cloud  and requisite cybersecurity enhancements  needed a push to move forward.DeVries recalled picking up the reins last year from his predecessor, David Behen , with a sense of urgency and ideas about how his experience at the Department of Defense and Office of Personnel Management would help him accelerate Michigans IT progress. Namely, over the past 16 months, that has meant launching a statewide enterprise resource planning system. DeVries greenlit the new ERP system on his first day and saw it officially go live Oct. 3, 2017.Now the state is on a centralized ERP solution that replaced over 100 different feeder systems feeding the old system, he said. Weve streamlined it to where we are now able to get reconciliations and closing of the fiscal books in a much more central fashion, and a much better perspective on it.Other initiatives under DeVries watch included moving most of the states 57,000 computers to Microsoft Windows 10; moving the states treasury systems to the SAP HANA cloud; an award-winning mobile portal for citizens and families to get benefits through the Department of Health and Human Services; and an impending replacement of the states online system for obtaining motor vehicle titles set to launch in February.DeVries also credited Michigan as one of a few states seriously tackling IT transparency and cost-accounting, which it has started doing with a commercial solution called Technology Business Management Although he stopped short of offering an explicit word of advice to his yet-unnamed successor, DeVries said its important to choose a new tool only after the necessary framework is in place. Besides that, he said, just remember the mission.As CIO, youre a cabinet member, and therefore you work for the governor, and youre supporting the mission, he said. Its not about what you do as a CIO, its about what your department does in support of the other departments in accomplishing their missions. Together, then, the state wins, and they all win.Still considering his next move, DeVries said the only date on his calendar is Tuesday, when hell start a 45-day sailing journey from Tortola to Tahiti, helping his friend deliver a boat to its new owner.For an old Army guy, I just want fair winds and following seas, he said.Incoming New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has named Vincent Martinez, currently with the state as managing director of cloud and communications, as her pick to serve as secretary of the Department of Information Technology (DoIT).New Mexico will promote from within to fill its top technology spot, Lujan Grisham announced at a press conference Wednesday, according to the. Martinez, who has been with DoIT for more than two years, has been nominated to serve as secretary of the department and state CIO.Martinez brings both public- and private-sector experience to the position, according to his LinkedIn profile . He has served two terms in New Mexico's House of Representatives from 1993 to 1997. Before joining DoIT, Martinez held positions with Fujitsu, Verizon, NetApp and EMC.Martinez will fill a vacancy left by longtime CIO Darryl Ackley, who stepped down at the end of August; the role has been handled in an interim capacity since then. Ackley returned to a career in academia, as chief technology officer at the Institute for Complex Additive Systems Analysis at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.Ackley was nominated by Gov. Susanna Martinez in January 2011, and he led DoIT through tech modernizations including updating and consolidating New Mexicos public safety infrastructure and bringing legacy systems like human resources online. Many barriers to IT modernization in a state like New Mexico, Ackley told GT earlier this year , are just as much about replacing copper wiring  Santa Fe, the state capital, is one of the oldest cities in the country  as they are about implementing the latest emerging tech.Gov.-elect Lujan Grisham will take office Jan. 1.Jack King has been named the new Illinois interim CIO and acting secretary of the Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT), outgoing Gov. Bruce Rauner announced Friday, Dec. 21.The appointment follows the departure of CIO Kirk Lonbom, who announced his retirement earlier this month. King will take over as CIO Jan. 1, about two weeks before Gov.-Elect J.B. Pritzker is inaugurated. New governors often appoint new CIOs.King has served as chief technology officer for the state, a role he held since April 2018 and his first foray into government work. Before coming to DoIT, King spent 28 years in the private sector, including high-level positions in the health-care and professional services industries.He joined the state just before Gov. Rauner signed a bill making DoIT a permanent part of Illinois government in July. King said the work the agency was doing is what drew him to the CTO position.When I heard what the state was undertaking with the digital transformation and the formation of DoIT, it sounded like an incredible opportunity to help them architect the future and be part of forming everything, he said.The core of Kings work as CTO was an effort to stand up Illinois first hybrid cloud initiative, and he sees the implementation of that project going forward as a key underpinning to the work the rest of DoIT is doing, and explained, that helps us go out there and pave the way for innovation in the future in a cost-effective way.He said his No. 1 priority as CIO is to continue to create an innovation-focused, data-driven culture, to seek out opportunities to design and deliver citizen-centric, high-value services.Another main focus will be to continue the consolidation and unification of state IT efforts begun in the last several years, along with an emphasis on strategically using the vast amounts of data the state holds. Illinois has more than 13 petabytes of data across 40 state agencies, and King said understanding all that data is crucial.The two most important things are making sure we continue the unification process and that were doing everything possible to leverage the platforms and investments that weve put in place, he said, particularly around continuing to understand our data resources and to be able to leverage data to change things from reactive situations to proactive situations.The announcement of Kings appointment comes at an interesting time for gov tech leaders, as 20 new governors prepare to take office across the country in the coming weeks. When Pritzker takes the governor's office Jan. 14, King plans to ensure that DoITs strategic plan is aligned with the new administrations, a tactic he has found to be successful in his private-sector work.Step one is establishing rapport and conversation [with Pritzkers administration] and making sure we have alignment, while not missing any beats, making sure we keep the lights on, doors open, and keep everybody focused on continuing with the transformation, King said.On Friday, December 14, 2018, Dr. James Dobson, founder of the James Dobson Family Institute delivered a letter to Gov. Kasich urging him to sign HB 258, Ohio's historic "Heartbeat Bill" into law. The entire contents of that letter are as follows:

Dear John,

I write to strongly urge you to sign Ohio's "Heartbeat Bill,'" HB 258, which protects the sanctity of life for unborn children as early as five (5) weeks or as soon as a heartbeat can be detected. The Ohio General Assembly has been considering the Heartbeat Bill for almost a decade, and I am encouraged that this legislation passed by such an overwhelming majority.

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. 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.

How can we let this happen in our nation, whose very founding stood on the eternal principles of being made in our Creator's image and having our unalienable rights bestowed by Him? The most precious and basic right is the right to life.

John, you and I have known each other for many years, and you are someone I have considered a friend. 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.

With prayer and respect,

James C. Dobson, Ph.D.

Founder and President

James Dobson Family Institute

###

Dr. James Dobson is a celebrated Christian leader, author, and psychologist, earning his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California in the field of child development with a minor in research design. He is the founder and president of Family Talk and the James Dobson Family Institute, a nonprofit organization that produces his daily radio program, "Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk." In 2008, Dr. Dobson was inducted into The National Radio Hall of Fame. Follow him @DrJamesCDobson

The James Dobson Family Institute is dedicated to preserving the biblical institutions of marriage and family by encouraging, inspiring, supporting, and leading parents and children to build their lives on God's Word. JDFI's mission is driven by Dr. James Dobson's legacy of serving families with broadcasts, videos, articles, leadership training, and policy advocacy to ensure the next generation of families are equipped to stand firm with answers to life's most difficult questions.

Tags : Ohios Historic 'Heartbeat Bill' James Dobson abortion Pro-Life pro-choiceLANZHOU, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- The former mayor of a city in northwest China's Gansu Province has been sentenced to 11 years in prison and fined 1 million yuan (145,660 U.S. dollars) for taking bribes, a local court ruled Thursday.

Luan Kejun, former mayor of Lanzhou, was convicted of accepting cash, housing, and cars with the total value exceeding 10 million yuan (about 1.45 million U.S. dollars), as well as 110,000 dollars and 22,000 euros between 2002 and 2017, according to a statement by the Intermediate People's Court of Baiyin City.

Luan also served as mayor of Qingyang and vice mayor of Zhangye during the period.

Luan's illicit gains will be turned over to the state treasury.(Bloomberg) Asian stocks climbed on Thursday after the biggest rally in U.S. equities since 2009 offered relief from this months wrenching downturn, though gains were restrained outside of Japan. Tokyos Topix Index closed almost 5 percent higher, leading the region, while Australian shares rallied 1.9 percent. Korean and Hong Kong benchmarks declined and U.S. equity futures fluctuated, showing limited follow-through from the blow-out session on Wall Street. American benchmarks soared 5 percent or more Wednesday on signs of robust consumer spending, easing concern about the tenure of the Federal Reserve chief and progress on U.S.-China trade talks.

To read this article:AS PART OF A COLLABORATION BETWEEN STATE-OWNED FINFERRIES AND ENGINEERING GIANT ROLLS ROYCE, the worlds first successful autonomous ferry ride was completed in the waters of the Turku archipelago recently.

In a press statement from Rolls Royce, the company has claimed that the voyage, which was attended by 80 VIP guests, marks the most significant milestone so far for autonomous shipping.THE OIL REFINERY COMPANY NESTEhas launched a campaign to encourage Finns to donate Christmas food waste to recycling points across the country so that it may be used as biofuel.

The companys nationwide From Fat to Fuel initiative asks that Finnish households take the leftover fat from their Christmas ham, which can often constitute up to 20% of the ham and donate it to one of the 230 collection points that have been set up across the country.While Finland already leads the world in the realm of personal data security, having some of the strictest regulations in Europe, an updated Data Protection Act will soon give authorities greater powers to restrict how private companies can use an individuals data.

ENHANCED DATA SECURITY MEASURES recently approved by the Finnish Parliament will come into effect on the first day of the new year, according to a recent statement from government attorneys.

Privacy advocates celebrated when Parliament first approved the new regulations on 13 November of this year, which go considerably further than the existing EU-wide frameworks known as GDPR.

Much of the act concerns the protection of childrens data, mandating a new age of consent wherein companies can no longer use or access the information of children aged 13 and under.

Regulators will also have increased powers to fine and prosecute companies that are guilty of noncompliance.

Public authorities, however, will have increased power to access citizens personal data in the name of public interest. The new Act gives certain Finnish authorities, such as national crime agencies, immunity from fines imposed by GDPR breaches.

In an age where corporations have more access to our personal information than ever before, measures such as these may soon be replicated across Europe and beyond.

Adam Oliver Smith  HT

Image - LehtikuvaWorkers show a panel with new crystal triangles during a ceremony on the roof of the One Times Square building in New York City, the United States, on Dec. 27, 2018. The iconic New Year's Eve Ball at New York City's Times Square had its latest decoration done on Thursday for the upcoming celebrations. For Times Square 2019, 192 Waterford Crystal triangles introduce the new Gift of Harmony design of small rosette cuts flowing into each other in beautiful harmony. Covered with a total of 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles, the ball is 12 feet (3.66 meters) in diameter and weighs 11,875 pounds (5386.4 kilograms). (Xinhua/Zhang Mocheng)

NEW YORK, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- The iconic New Year's Eve Ball in New York City's Times Square had its latest decoration done on Thursday for the upcoming celebrations, featuring a new theme of "Gifts of Harmony."

Workers installed 192 new sparkling crystal triangles from the Waterford Crystals onto the ball for replacement on the roof of the One Times Square building, where the ball is located year round. With small rosette cuts flowing into each other in beautiful harmony, the crystal triangles "seek the refuge of accord and compatibility amid the discourse of the world for the betterment of all," said a press release.

Covered with a total of 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles, the ball is 12 feet (3.65 meters) in diameter and weighs 11,875 pounds (5.38 tons). It is illuminated by 32,256 LED lights and capable of displaying a palette of more than 16 million vibrant colors and billions of patterns.

As a New Year's Eve tradition in the Big Apple since 1907, the ball starts to descend down a flagpole at 11:59 p.m. local time on Dec. 31 (04:59 GMT Jan. 1) and rests as the New Year kicks off.

Several million revelers gather in the square every year to wait for the ball drop, which is also in live broadcasts nationwide.

A worker shows a new crystal triangle during a ceremony on the roof of the One Times Square building in New York City, the United States, on Dec. 27, 2018. The iconic New Year's Eve Ball at New York City's Times Square had its latest decoration done on Thursday for the upcoming celebrations. For Times Square 2019, 192 Waterford Crystal triangles introduce the new Gift of Harmony design of small rosette cuts flowing into each other in beautiful harmony. Covered with a total of 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles, the ball is 12 feet (3.66 meters) in diameter and weighs 11,875 pounds (5386.4 kilograms). (Xinhua/Wang Ying)Egypt's top appeals court has sentenced 35 members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood group to between five and 15 years in jail over charges related to violence in 2013, in a final ruling that rejects the defendants' appeal, a judicial source said.

The case dates back to violence that followed the dispersal by security forces of two Cairo sit-ins supporting ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in August 2013, weeks after his overthrow following mass protests.

The defendants were charged with setting fire to a police station in Giza and assaulting security forces.

The Court of Cassation on Thursday rejected an appeal from the defendants who had been found guilty by a lower court, and upheld the sentences.

Egypt banned the Brotherhood and designated it a terrorist organisation in 2013. Most of the group's leaders, including former president Morsi, are in jail on terror-related charges.

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Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador promised Wednesday that his government will hide absolutely nothing concerning the helicopter crash in which opposition politicians Martha Erika Alonso and Rafael Moreno Valle died.

In this government, there is a commitment and willingness to know the whole truth. We are not going to hide anything, we have to know what caused this accident and this tragedy, the leftist leader said at a morning press conference.

Lopez Obrador said that a transparent investigation would be carried out after some opposition leaders hinted at the possible participation of the presidents Morena party or the current administration in the event.

So that there is no suspicion, the government of the republic will appeal to an independent body from abroad, recognized and prestigious, to present a conclusion that we are going to make public to the people of Mexico, he said.

Questioned about a possible conspiracy theory in the crash involving Morena, the president said that he is advocating for change in the countrys politics via a peaceful path.

We are going to achieve this change along the path of harmony. We would never act against anyone, said Lopez Obrador, who criticized certain right-wing politicians and neo-fascist groups for acting in such a petty way.

Killed in the Christmas Eve crash were Puebla Gov. Alonso and her husband and gubernatorial predecessor, Sen. Moreno Valle.

An assistant from Moreno Valle named Hector Baltazar and the aircrafts pilot and co-pilot also died.

Lopez Obrador reported Wednesday that the ongoing partial shutdown of the government in Washington is delaying a response to Mexicos request for assistance from the US National Transportation Safety Board .

Mexicos deputy transportation secretary, Carlos Alfonso Moran, said Tuesday that representatives of the Italian company that manufactured the Agusta A109 aircraft and of engine-makers Pratt & Whitney were already at the crash site in Puebla.

Alonso, of the right-wing National Action Party, took office Dec. 14 after the federal electoral tribunal ratified her contested victory in the July 1 election over Morena candidate Miguel Barbosa.

The president called the electoral courts decision wrong and anti-democratic.Santiagos Mapuche community on Monday delivered a letter to La Moneda palace - the seat of the government - in which they asked for the resignation of Chiles interior minister as the top political official in the fatal police shooting of an indigenous man.

Representatives of the Mapuche Coordination of Santiago submitted the letter addressed to President Sebastian Pinera in which they demanded an end to the Chilean states repressive policy against the Mapuche people, the countrys largest indigenous group.

We come to demand that you, as president of the republic, assume your political responsibility and announce the immediate resignation of the interior minister, Andres Chadwick, for his responsibility in the murder of Camilo Catrillanca at the hands of Carabineros (Chiles militarized national police), the document reads.

Camilo Catrillanca died on Nov. 14 after being shot in the back of the neck - some would say execution style - while traveling on a tractor with a 15-year-old boy in the southern community of Temucuicui during a police operation to apprehend alleged car thieves.

Ricardo Inalef, the spokesperson for the Mapuche Coordination of Santiago, told EFE that delivering the letter is one of the activities that the Mapuche community will carry out on the national level as part of a 48-hour mobilization beginning on Thursday in response to a call from the dead mans family.

Regarding Pineras announcement to withdraw the Carabineros special operations team from the area, Inalef said that the contingent deployed in the Mapuche heartland in the southern part of the Araucania region is still there.

It remains with all its equipment, with tanks, helicopters and the weapons that have been moved to that area to intimidate our communities, he said.

During the police mobilization, Mapuches have set up burning roadblocks in Araucania.

Catrillancas killing has resulted in the dismissal of Carabineros commander Hermes Soto and in the arrest of the four officers who participated in the incident and who are in custody while the investigation proceeds.

In recent years, the conflict in Araucania has led to outbreaks of violence in which a score of people have died - including Mapuches, police and settlers - while several dozen Mapuches have been convicted and sentenced for various crimes.

The 650,000-strong Mapuche nation demands constitutional recognition of its identity, rights and culture, as well as legal title to their traditional territory, largely snatched away in the late 19th-century during an extermination campaign in Araucania.Federal Grant to Fund 800 Tree Plantings in North Adams

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  The Northern Berkshire Community Coalition will lead an effort to plant more than 800 new trees on public and private land in the city of North Adams over the next three years.

The tree-planting project, an initiative of the Franklin Land Trust and funded by a grant from the U.S. Forest Service, will offer trees to residents and businesses, and also will replace dying or dead trees along downtown streets and within city neighborhoods.

"Trees in urban and suburban neighborhoods provide many benefits to the people who live near them, including improving air and water quality, reducing energy costs, and increasing the physical and social well-being of residents," Bret Beattie, the coalition's tree-planting coordinator, said in a statement. "Trees reduce heating and cooling costs, help to control storm water runoff, and help cool city streets on hot summer days."

NBCC will work with the University of Massachusetts' Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the city's Department of Public Services to develop a tree-planting plan. Residents and businesses can receive free trees, but can also get involved to help plant trees and to become part of a local network of "tree stewards," helping to educate the public about the benefits of trees.

"This project provides an incredible opportunity to enhance our residential neighborhoods and our downtown by planting trees," said Mayor Thomas Bernard in a statement. "I'm grateful to the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition for leading this effort, which represents a terrific collaboration among local, state, and federal agencies; the nonprofit, education, and government sectors; and local residents interested in neighborhood improvement, environmental sustainability, resource management, and the natural beauty of our city and our region."

The U.S. Forest Service offers grant funding for conservation efforts, forest protection and urban greening. Pittsfield two years ago received funding through the state's Greening of the Gateway Cities program to plant 2,400 trees.

Tree planting is scheduled to begin in the spring. Prior to the launch of the tree planting project, the coalition will host a public meeting for residents and volunteers to learn more and provide feedback. Anyone interested in learning more about the tree-planting program and related volunteer opportunities, or in requesting a free tree for a home or business located in North Adams can contact Beattie at 413-663-7588, Ext. 28.The cabinet has entrusted Electricity Minister Mohamed Shaker to commission the head of the Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority (ENRRA) to sign the fifth contract with Russia for financial and technical support for the Dabaa nuclear power plant project.



The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting under Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli.



The cabinet also approved a presidential decree allocating 24.2 feddans of state-owned land in the Rashid area of the Beheira governorate to the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation, to be used for establishing oil projects.



The decision was taken within the framework of the state's keenness to encourage investment and remove obstacles facing oil companies, to allow the companies to change their revenues to foreign currency.

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The Baker Hill Road District is again seeking payment of back taxes.

Baker Hill Road District Takes Mall to Court Over Back Taxes

LANESBOROUGH, Mass.  The Baker Hill Road District has taken a new tactic to secure back taxes from the Berkshire Mall.

On Dec. 7, the district filed a lawsuit in Berkshire Superior Court against Berkshire Mall Realty Holdings seeking $276,859 plus interest from the property. The request is for taxes owed to the district for the first two quarters of the fiscal year.

By filing a suit for breach of contract instead of the typically used tax lien, Baker Hill Road District's attorney Mark Siegars is hoping to receive a quicker judgment.

"You don't see a lot of towns do it," Siegars said of the action.

Siegars said the Baker Hill Road District and the town of Lanesborough had gone through the property lien process in the past to get the Berkshire Mall to pay back taxes on multiple occasions since the Kohan Retail Investment Group purchased the property in 2016.

That process, however, took a long time and the district wouldn't receive payment until close to the end of the fiscal year.

"It is very disruptive to the district's finances," Siegars said of the delay in payment. "[The district] doesn't want to have to keep waiting. We're hoping this is a faster way to get the money."

Siegars said the mall is the biggest taxpayer for the Baker Hill Road District, an entity that was created years ago to maintain the Connector Road as a public way. With the mall running behind schedule with payments, cash flow becomes tight, he said. He said the district has routinely had to handle multiple phone calls with the state Department of Revenue every year to explain the lack of revenue.

On Dec. 19, Judge Daniel Ford also approved Baker Hill's motion to place a writ of attachment against the property to essentially secure Baker Hill's money until the case is resolved. That was granted after the mall did not file a response nor attend a hearing scheduled for that day.

The suit lists two counts of breach of contract. On the first count, Baker Hill said the town's tax collector bills for the seven parcels that make up the mall for a total of $138,429.50 that was due by Aug. 1. The district said the Berkshire Mall failed to pay that bill. The district is now seeking the court to order payment plus interest.

The second count alleges that a bill for the same amount of was issued due on Nov. 1 and that, too, has gone unpaid. The lawsuit reads that "historically, since 2016, when BMRHC acquired the mall, it has regularly been delinquent paying taxes owed to the district timely."

The writ of attachment to secure payment approved by Ford the $274,000 of the principal owed, slightly less than the district had asked. That motion was approved after the Berkshire Mall did not file a response or attend the hearing scheduled for that day.

"If the property is sold or changes hands, somebody has to satisfy your interest," Siegars said of the attachment.

Siegars said the bills were for the first two quarters of this fiscal year. He said the third quarter bills are being mailed by the end of the month. Siegars said the next court date hasn't been established yet.

The move is very much like what private entities have done. In back-to-back years, those contracted to plow the Berkshire Mall's parking lot ultimately took Berkshire Mall Realty Holding to court and both sought attachments and then later executions of judgment.Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito cuts the ribbon to mark the opening of the platform and Berkshire Scenic Railway extension in August. The Adams Fire Department dealt with two major fires in 2018. The first was a four apartment building on Maple Street. The second fire struck Broadlawn Farm in the wee hours of the morning. Superintendent Robert Putnam poses with Adams Selectwoman Christine Hoyt, who presented him with a certificate of recognition on behalf of the town. Selectmen Chairman John Duval at the unveiling of the Greylock Glen outdoor center design in June. The Visitors Center parking lot got a half-million overhaul. Stephen and Holly Stenson and the son cut a ribbon announcing the opening of an office in the Mausert Block on Park Street. Real Eyes Gallery opens on Park Street. PreviousNext

Adams: 2018 Year in Review



Water was a problem in Adams this fall with two rainstorms and a boil water order.

ADAMS, Mass.  It's been a rough year for Adams, especially in regard to water  fall flooding causing more than $2 million in damage to town infrastructure and suspected contamination lead to nearly a week of boiling water.

But it's also seen some movement at the Greylock Glen and the completion of the Berkshire Scenic Railway extension.

Two late September rainstorms overwhelmed the town's flood control. Bridges, culverts, and roads were damaged or destroyed, in some cases where Tropical Storm Irene had raged seven years before. Flooding also caused damage to private property.

The town was unable to receive any federal or state funding because the storm only affected Adams.

Officials did proclaim a state of emergency that allowed them to borrow money and deficit spend in order to make emergency repairs.

Town meeting ultimately voted to allow the town to borrow up to $2.5 million to make these repairs. State representatives are looking for funds for the town to recoup.

The incident has forced the town to look at its stormwater management and emergency protocols. Officials anticipate undergoing a complete watershed study to see how the town's waterways have changed and what can be done to prevent future flooding.

The boil water order this summer was prompted by two isolated samples of contamination. Members of the Fire District were ordered to boil or import their water, affecting thousands of residents and downtown businesses.

The contamination was not found in retesting and the state lifted the order after five days but town officials felt the independently operated public Water Department had not communicated well with the town. This prompted the town to completely revamp its emergency management plan to strengthen lines of communication and organizational structure.

The community also saw tragedy in 2018 with two major structure fires. At least three pets were believed killed and six people lost their home and possessions in April when a massive blaze whipped through a four-apartment building on Maple Street.

In September, a fire claimed a large barn at the Ziemba family's farm, Broadlawn Farm, on Walling Road. The dairy's feed for the winter, a tractor and a bull were lost in the blaze, believed to have been caused by an electrical issue.

The community immediately came together to support the farmers and a GoFundMe campaign raised more than $65,000, donations came in from all quarters and spaghetti dinner raised thousands more.

Local farmers also donated wrapped bales of hay to sustain the Ziembas through the winter and former Gov. Jane Swift donated the riding arena from her Cobble Hill Farm in Williamstown. Sheds N Stuff in Cheshire and its Amish suppliers are expected to build a new barn after Christmas.

Those blazes and numerous other calls were responded to by the volunteer Fire Department, operated by the Adams Alerts. But the increasing responsibilities facing the fire chief  and concerns over how many firefighters are not immediately available during weekdays  has the current chief asking Fire District to consider two full-time paid employees.

Fire Chief John Pansecchi plans to bring the proposal to the Fire District's annual meeting in 2019. He said departments across the country are facing new challenges and they no longer just have to fight fires but conduct inspections to meet the needs of the ever-changing fire codes. That's on top of trainings and other state mandates.



James Bush joined the Board of Selectmen in his first run for office.

The town also welcomed some new faces in Selectman James Bush, who was elected to the board in the spring, and John Vosburgh, who became superintendent of the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District.

The town is still without a town administrator and after Tony Mazzucco departure in late 2017, Community Development Director Donna Cesan has been holding down the post in the interim as Adams has unsuccessfully searched for a replacement.

Town officials set up a search process that ultimately ended with no results. A consultant was recently hired to help with the process that will restart in the new year.

Both Cheshire and Adams also welcomed Vosburgh. The former principal of Taconic High School in Pittsfield was hired this past summer to replace former retiring Superintendent Robert Putnam.

The regional district also underwent an agreement amendment process that will change the name to the Hoosac Valley Regional School District. The School Committee's goal has been to create a more unified district after the fallout from the closing of Cheshire Elementary School nearly two years ago.

The town is also looking at two possible marijuana establishments on Howland Avenue and has executed agreements with Mission Massachusetts, which plans to open a retail operation, and LC Square, with plans to operate a cultivation facility.

Cumberland Farms found the going much tougher in its attempts to build a new gas station and convenience store not far from its current dated location on Commercial Street. Residents have forcefully opposed the company's proposal to demolish Al's Service Center.

Although the Board of Selectmen evinced support for the project the pushback from abutters during a series of heated meetings this past summer lead Cumberland Farms to withdrew its application from the Zoning Board of Appeals  for now.

It wasn't all roadblocks: the boarding platform that completes the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum line was completed this past summer as was the reconfiguration of the Adams Visitors Center parking lot to better accommodate visitors.

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito joined local and area officials to celebrate the $4.5 million rehabilitation of the railroad tracks between Adams and North Adams. The nonprofit museum  which operates the Hoosac Valley Service  has been functioning for several years now and the opening of the new boarding platform in Adams marked the completion of that end of the line.

The tourist train between the two communities, and the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail that will also eventually connect them, has been seen by local leaders as an economic engine to bring tourists to the region. They need some place to park so the town's spent about a half-million in Community Development Block Grant funds to reconfigure and upgrade the parking lot at the Visitors Center across the street.

And the Mausert Block finally showed some significant progress after being under construction for six years. It's just an office but the opening is a major step forward in the redevelopment of the former Woolworth Building on Park Street.

The plans include new apartments now under development in the upper floors and two large retail spaces on Park Street. Owners Stephen and Holly Stenson hope to see tenants coming into the building in the coming year.

In other business, Shine Wire was named a Massachusetts Manufacturer of the Year, and Real Eyes Gallery opened in the former Simmons Furniture Store on Park Street. Unfortunately, another business, the Adams Ale House, announced it would close. The restaurant has had difficulty finding managers the past few years and had just reopened in August.

Adams is also hoping to finally see some movement at the Greylock Glen in the new year after June's unveiling of the design for the proposed Nordic ski and outdoor center. Officials are hoping the investment in the outdoor center and further infrastructure work will kickstart development.

The $6.5 million project is expected to go out to bid next spring.New Family Nurse Practitioner Joins SVMC ExpressCare

BENNINGTON, Vt.  Southwestern Vermont Medical Center's ExpressCare in Bennington has welcomed Family Nurse Practitioner Tracie Crawford. With this appointment, Crawford also joins the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Putnam Medical Group.



Crawford earned her master's degree in nursing from Maryville University in Missouri. She received her bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Vermont in 2010 and both her practical nursing certificate and associate's degree in Nursing from Vermont Technical College. She is certified by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.



Crawford works as an IV infusion registered nurse at BrighStar Care in Bedford, N.H. In addition, she has worked as an assistant professor and clinical associate at Vermont Technical College and as a nurse at the Carlos Otis Clinic at Stratton Mountain in Vermont, in the Emergency Department at Southwestern Vermont Health Care in Bennington, and at Mountain Medical Services in West Dover, Vt.



SVMC ExpressCares board-certified physicians are a part of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock health system and have access to more than 1,200 primary and specialty care physicians and state-of-the-art-technology and services. The practice is equipped with Telemedicine, a live two-way audio-visual connection that allows Dartmouth-Hitchcock specialists to consult with local patients in real time.

Members of Fairview's Environmental Services Team display certificates in a ceremony attended by representatives of all departments.

Berkshires Beat: 'CHEST' Program Elevates Environmental Services Team at Fairview Hospital

CHEST award

Fairview Hospital's new Environmental Services Team has achieved the American Hospital Association certification as Certified Healthcare Environmental Services Technicians (CHEST). Previously known as the Housekeeping team, every member of the new Environment Services Department had to complete 24 hours of required classroom instruction. The CHEST Program content consisted of seven domains: Cleaning and Disinfection, Waste Handling, Floor Care, Linen Handling, Infection Prevention, Safety, and Communication. Fairview Hospital is the only rural hospital in Massachusetts that completed the staff development program.



"Doctors and nurses do their best to keep patients healthy, but they cant provide the very best care possible without the facility being healthy," said Fairview's Quality Director, Dr. Alec Belman. The program was funded by a grant by the Massachusetts Office of Rural Health, said Fairview Operations VP, Doreen Hutchinson, who supported two employees, Kelly Holmes and Carly McKenney, who both attended a training seminar by the American Hospital Association in order to return to Fairview to train the entire team.



Following a recent ceremony, staff from throughout the hospital congratulated the members of the Environmental Services team, recognizing how environmental services technicians play an essential role in patients' experience of care, as well as, ensuring patient safety and satisfaction and contributing to a clean and quiet healing atmosphere that leads to improved outcomes. Participants felt the program incorporated many existing skills and practices but also elevated the level of understanding of their role, the environment, its risks and effective techniques.

Christmas tree pickup schedule

Christmas tree pickup in the month of January in the city of Pittsfield will accompany the regular trash pickup schedule. A breakdown of the schedule includes the following servicing information:



 The week of Jan. 7, Republic Service will pick up trees on Monday and Friday routes.



 The following week of Jan. 15, they will pick up along the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday routes.



 During the week of Jan. 21, Republic will resume tree collection with Monday and Friday routes.



 Lastly, the week of Jan. 28, they will pick up trees according to the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday routes.

Community Outreach Volunteer Training

The Northern Berkshire Neighbors program of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition is seeking community-minded individuals to take part in a free Community Outreach and Civic Engagement training program. Ideal participants must be committed to strengthening the Northern Berkshires by exploring how they can get involved, make a positive impact and learn how to assist residents in accessing available services.

Williamstown scholarships

The Williamstown Municipal Scholarship is for town residents enrolling or enrolled in accredited academic programs in the 2019-20 school year, including non-traditional students who are going back to school or continuing their education, and traditional students, who will have completed at least one year of education post high school by fall 2018.



Applications can be found on the town's website, or in the town treasurer's office. The deadline to apply is Friday, Jan. 4, 2019, at 4:30 p.m. These modest scholarships are intended to help support residents' educational goals, enhance their skills, or prepare them to re-enter the workforce. Current high school seniors, because they are eligible for other scholarships, will not be considered.



Williamstown Municipal Scholarships are funded by the residents of Williamstown, through tax-deductible donations. Donations may be made along with property tax bills or by check payable to the Williamstown Town Treasurer, 31 North Street, Williamstown, MA 01267.

Good Neighbor Scholarship

Southern Vermont College in Bennington, Vt., has expanded its Good Neighbor Scholarship once again in Massachusetts for qualified students at the Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School in Adams and Hoosac Valley High School in Cheshire. The Good Neighbor Scholarship is a renewable scholarship of $11,000 per year. BART and Hoosac Valley join high schools in Bennington and Windham Counties in Vermont along with several schools in Northern Berkshire County and select Rensselaer County schools in New York.



For students to be eligible for the Good Neighbor Scholarship, they must be permanent Massachusetts residents for at least two years and enrolled or have graduated within the past two years from a member school. Official transcripts must be received by SVCs Office of Admission before awarding the Good Neighbor Scholarship. All decisions on eligibility will be made by the admission committee. For more information, visit the website or call 802-447-6300.

Community Police Academy

Great Barrington Police Department's Community Police Academy will be held in January and residents are encouraged to sign up. The program runs from Jan. 15-31 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Great Barrington Police Department, 465 Main St. Participants must be at least 18-years-old and must live or work in Great Barrington.



The Community Police Academy is designed for community members seeking to understand and learn about law enforcement and police services in Great Barrington. Topics that the course will cover include: How police officers work, special police operations, use of force, policies and procedures, criminal law and investigations. Space is limited and eligible participants are required to submit an application. To download the application click here, and return it to the police station, 465 Main St.Syria's military announced Friday it entered the flash-point Kurdish-held town of Manbij and raised the national flag there, where Turkey has threatened an offensive.

A Kurdish official said the government troops arrived only at the front lines.

Ilham Ahmed, the senior Kurdish official, said the U.S. troops who patrol the town and the tense front line with Turkey-backed fighters have not withdrawn from Manbij. She said an agreement is being worked out with the Russians and the Syrian government that in case of a full U.S. withdrawal, the government would take over.

"The aim is to ward off a Turkish offensive," Ahmed said. "If the Turks' excuse is the (Kurdish militia), they will leave their posts to the government."

There was no immediate comment from Turkey or the U.S., whose troops have been patrolling the town and the tense front line between Manbij and adjacent towns where Turkey-backed fighters were based.

A resident of Manbij who spoke to The Associated Press from the town on condition of anonymity said there was no sign of government troops.

State Syrian TV aired footage from inside Manbij of commercial streets on a rainy day, but didn't show any troops. It aired images of a military convoy driving late at night, reportedly to Manbij.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian troops have deployed around Manbij on the front line with the Turkey-backed fighters to the west.

The announcement and the conflicting reports reflect that all sides are scrambling to reach an agreement on how to replace U.S. troops following the surprise announcement by President Donald Trump.

The announcement by the Syrian military was quickly welcomed by the Kremlin, whose spokesman Dmitry Peskov called it a "positive step" that could help stabilize the situation.

The Syrian military declaration came shortly after the main Syrian Kurdish militia invited the government to seize control of Manbij to prevent a Turkish attack.

The Syrian Kurdish group, which had partnered with the U.S. since 2014 to fight the Islamic State group, have sought new allies, reaching out to the government and the Russians to protect their Kurdish-administered areas in north Syria.

The Syrian government has said it welcomes the Kurdish group returning under its authority. But government officials have stated they will not consider an autonomous area, a main demand for the Kurds.

Meanwhile, Syrian troops have massed outside of Manbij and in southeastern Syria, where the U.S.-led coalition and Kurdish fighters are battling remnants of IS.

Syria's entry into Manbij comes a day before Moscow is to host top Turkish officials to discuss the crisis in Syria after the United States announced its withdrawal

Turkey, which views the Kurdish militia as a terrorist group, had been threatening a military operation against Manbij. Turkey and its allied fighters have been amassing troops around Manbij in recent days.

The threats triggered the U.S. announcement it would withdraw troops from Syria. A timetable for the withdrawal has not yet been made public.



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Nigerias first and only President of Nigerias Second Republic(19791983), has died at age 93. The former President died after a brief illness at the National hospital in Abuja.

Shagari, became president after General Olusegun Obasanjo, then a military head, handed over power to him(a transition from military to civilian rule) but his administration was toppled by General Muhammadu Buhari(now President) in 1983.

His grand son, Bello Shagari, the president of the National youth council of Nigeria, NYCN, made the announcement via his Twitter handle on Friday.

He wrote:

I regret announcing the death of my grandfather, H.E Alhaji Shehu Shagari, who died right now after brief illness at the National hospital, Abuja.The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has criticised President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing into his campaign council, people in government and foremost businessmen.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, on Friday, named members of its campaign council, as the president kicked off his campaign in Akwa Ibom state, the same day.

In a statement by the opposition party on Friday, it was completely appalled that Buhari would appoint serving Ministers and heads of government agencies into its campaign council.

According to the PDP, it was a way for Buhari to use them as conduit pipes, to divert public funds to finance his reelection bid.

It is appalling and completely unacceptable for Buhari to directly appoint serving ministers and heads of government agencies as members of his campaign council so as to continue to use them as conduit pipes for the diversion of public funds to finance his 2019 campaign.

The PDP also accused Buhari/APC of naming foremost Nigerian businessmen into his campaign council without their consent, even though they protested  Just to showoff a false endorsement of his reelection bid, by these businessmen.

We are also aware of protests by some eminent Nigerians, including foremost businessmen, who were named as members of the APCNg Campaign Council without their consent, in a desperate bid to showcase an impression that they are supporting Mr. Presidents re-election bid.

The opposition party also accused Buhari of not consulting the leadership of his party, before listing people into his campaign council. This, according to the PDP, shows the dictatorial tendencies of Buharis government and his disdain for constituted authority.Senator Shehu Sani representing Kaduna Central, has also weighed in on recen allegations that president Muhammadu Buharis family, own huge shares in Etisalat Nigeria and Keystone Bank.

Buharis family is said to now own shares in Etisalat Nigeria which has an estimated $2bn of its estimated $20bn global net worth  An allegation that has raised a lot of dust, since it was reported.The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), a Fulani socio-cultural group, on Thursday, endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari for second term.

The group also promised to mobilise 20 million votes for Buhari in the 2019 presidential election.

This was made known by the National President of the association, Alhaji Muhammadu Kirowa, at the 2018 Annual General Meeting of MACBAN, held at the International Women Development Centre in Abuja.

We represent over 20 million members across the country, here in attendance we have over 2,000 people who have come from all corners of the country. We have representatives from each local government, and you heard their views, they have declared their interest in Muhammadu Buhari to move to the next level. This is a majority decision of the congress. We as leaders, we dont have option other than to follow.

MACBAN pledges its loyalty and support to President Buhari for his laudable efforts of uniting the country, infrastructural growth of the nation and transforming the economic life of citizens for posterity, MACBAN declared. Kirowa explained that the group decided to unanimously endorse Buhari because of the numerous achievements recorded by his administration in the areas of infrastructural development, youth employment and security.

Well, the endorsement has sparked reactions from Nigerians on social media, as they have taken to Twitter to express their views about the endorsement.

Takeba look at some reactions below

https://twitter.com/Hailfinger1/status/1078293061908742144?s=19

"We will give Buhari 20m votes in 2019",the leader of the political wing of Fulani Herdsmen (Miyetti Allah) assured their ally in Aso Rock. We knew,ab initio, that our C-in-C's refusal to declare MACBAN a terrorists club will attract an electoral reward.  John Danfulani (@john_danfulani) December 28, 2018

https://twitter.com/Sam_Debayo/status/1078593466635091968?s=19

Why would @MBuhari border campaigning when Miyetti Allah (monstrous killers), Ganduje ($5m bribe man) and Tinubu (the oba of corruption) are promising him total votes of 28 million? The return of Buhari will doom #Nigeria #RedefineNigeria  Jeff Okoroafor (@JeffOkoroafor) December 28, 2018

https://twitter.com/Deji_OoniAbj/status/1078577470058696704?s=19

Buhari's endorsement by Miyetti Allah may trigger endorsements from Boko Haram,Kidnappers & armed bandits. And federal institutions like EFCC, Nigeria Police ,ICPC,Nigeria Army,Nigeria Air Force & Nigeria Navy.  John Danfulani (@john_danfulani) December 28, 2018On Friday, 6th of July, 2018, was an extraordinary day for the students of the Obafemi Awolowo University. It was a day for the students to learn from those who had made it! The MTN Pulse Talk series posters around campus (which was part of the MTN Pulse Campus Invasion) boasted of talks with Business and Life Strategist, Steve Harris and award winning make-up artist, Bimpe Onakoya.

The MTN Pulse Talk Series delivered everything and even more! It showed all of what MTN Pulse stands for and more  a community of bold, young, like-minded people who are not afraid to express themselves.

Steve Harris started his session by prostrating. Apparently, its tradition to respect the students before speaking to them at the Oduduwa Hall, OAU, and as he got up, the Pulse talk took off instantly. He told his story  the two time college dropout, who had gone from beneath ground zero to a 100%. He even dropped a few lines for the guys, to learn to toast their babes!

Bimpe Onakoya, Award winning makeup artist and Artistic Director, Maybelline Newyork, Nigeria, got emotional when she took the stage as she had started her university education at the School. She explained the reason behind her dry voice  nervousness. Her story was From Ondo to the world. The Ondo babe who came from absolutely nothing but with consistency, diligence and passion, Maybelline Newyork found her out and her life had changed forever.

To listen to people who had gone through the same things some of the students were going through was the clincher. You could see it on their faces, that Pulse Talk Series would sit with them for a long time and change the lives of some.

When Steve Harris encouraged the students not to fit themselves into boxes but rather tell the people around them, Give me time, Ill show you,, you could see the conviction on their faces. The world is not ready for what those students are about to unleash.

We cant talk about the Pulse Talk Series and not speak of the MTN Pulse District that was right outside the Oduduwa Hall. The District was the home to fun and enjoyment; where the Noiseless party was the rave. Students went to the District en masse in between each motivating Pulse Talk session, to get a taste of jamming to best songs, right in the middle of the campus yet no one could hear!

Now we are waiting anxiously for the next campus the MTN Pulse Campus Invasion will take over. Where to next?Former Governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose had raised the alarm on Wednesday, that there is ploy by the federal government to declare a state of emergency in Zamfara state, hiding under the killings in the story by armed bandits.

According to the former governor, the All Progressives Congress, APC led government, would try to force the hand of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to get the party to field candidates into elective positions in the forthcoming general elections  although the electoral body, had declared otherwise, after the party failed to submit candidates list, as at when they should.

Fayose, in a tweet on Thursday, asked Nigerians to find out from the federal government, the reason for the renewed spate of killings in Zamfara state  if not. A plot to impose emergency rule, there.

Nigerians must now ask the APC led FG who are behind the renewed Zamfara killings. Is it to achieve the sinister aim of imposing emergency rule on the state thereby postponing gubernatorial and house of Assembly elections because APC cannot field candidates in the 2019 elections?

Nigerians must now ask the APC led FG who are behind the renewed Zamfara killings. Is it to achieve the sinister aim of imposing emergency rule on the state thereby postponing gubernatorial and house of Assembly elections because APC cannot field candidates in the 2019 elections?  Peter Ayodele Fayose (@GovAyoFayose) December 27, 2018

He also queried why the Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara state, would support emergency rule in the state.

Yari, while addressing newsmen at a press briefing in the capital, Gusau on Thursday, said, I am also in support of the declaration of state of emergency if it will save the lives of people of the state.

Speaking on Yaris position, Fayose said he has never seen where a state governor would be in support of emergency rule, to be declared in his state  if there wasnt more to it, than meets the eye.Sudanese Foreign Minister Al-Dardiri Mohamed Ahmed stressed on Thursday that Egypt and Sudan share identical viewpoints on all regional and international issues raised during the second quartet meeting held earlier on Thursday in Khartoum.

Ahmed made the remarks during a joint press conference with Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry at the presidential guest house in Khartoum after the meeting.

Head of Egypt's General Intelligence Services Abbas Kamel and his Sudanese counterpart Salah Abdallah Gosh also attended the conference.

Both sides underscored the need for constant cooperation concerning the Nile Waters Agreement and all other issues of mutual concern, Ahmed noted.

He added that they had agreed to hold the next quartet meeting in Cairo on a date yet to be determined.

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Galit Gura-Eini is the Hebrew voice of Siri, but the Israeli broadcaster is looking for a big change, along with some money.

CalCalist is reporting this week that Gura-Eini is currently in the process of taking legal action against Apple. The broadcaster is the navigational voice for the app Waze as well, but when it comes to Apple and Siri, Gura-Eini believes that her voice is being used in illegitimate ways, and can be used to say hate speech and sexist language.

Gura-Eini says that when she agreed to use her voice for the Nuance Communications recordings, she did so under the terms that the voice be used only in a legitimate manner. Apple, for its part, has weighed in on the lawsuit and said that Siri is nothing but syllables joined together by an algorithm.

Gura-Eini contacted Apple earlier this year and asked for her voice to be removed as the Hebrew voice of Siri, but Apple has so far declined. Apple acquired Nuances natural speech technology several years ago, and, as a result of that sale, the company says it has every right to use the recorded audio available to it.

At the time of publication there is no apparent resolution on the horizon, but it doesnt sound like Apple is ready to give up a voice for Siri anytime soon.

[via CalCalistUS' UN Ambassador Haley Resigns;

A 'True Friend of Israel'

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, during a meeting with United States Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, at his office in Jerusalem. Photo: Matty Stern/US Embassy Tel Aviv for Flash90

Hanukkah, December 2018

By World Israel News Staff Writer

President Donald Trump has accepted Nikki Haley's resignation as US ambassador to the UN. Israel's UN Ambassador praises Haley as "true friend of Israel."

Many are speculating as to the reason for Ambassador Haley's resignation as Washington's UN envoy but there has been no official reason given for the dramatic move.

"Big announcement with my friend Ambassador Nikki Haley in the Oval Office at 10:30 am," the President tweeted earlier.

Haley discussed her plans with Trump already last week at the White House, the website Axios reported.

The announcement has especially shocked supporters of Israel. "Whatever Trump may have gotten wrong, his choice of Nikki Haley as ambassador to the UN was a masterstroke," the Boston Globe's Jeff Jacoby wrote recently.

CNN has referred to her as "the breakout star" of Trump's cabinet.

"Thank you, Nikki Haley! Thank you for standing with the truth without fear. Thank you for representing the values common to Israel and the United States," Israel's ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said in response to the resignation.

"Thank you for your support for the State of Israel, which helped lead to a change in Israel's status in the UN. Thank you for your close friendship and common paths. Wherever you are, you will continue to be a true friend of Israel."

"I thank Ambassador Nikki Haley for leading an uncompromising struggle against the hypocrisy at the UN and on behalf of the truth and justice of our country. Best of luck!" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated.AFIC & NIHD Rawalpindi Postgraduate Training Jobs 2019

Latest AFIC & NIHD Rawalpindi Medical Posts Rawalpindi 2021 AFIC & NIHD Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology, National Institute of Heart Diseases Rawalpindi, Pakistan Army, Government of Pakistan are requires candidates for the positions of Medical Officers.

How to Apply on AFIC & NIHD Rawalpindi Job Advertisement

Apply as per details in job advertisement. In some cases, you may apply online at vacancies after registering at https://www.jobz.pk online.

Note: Beware of Fraudulent Recruiting Activities. If an employer asks to pay money for any purpose, do not pay at all and report us at contact us form. Apply as per instuctions & dates mentioned in official job ad. Govt jobs may not be applied online here. Human typing error is possible. Error & omissions excepted.Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde discussed on Thursday with Egypt's newly appointed Ambassador to Addis Osama Abdel-Khalek cooperation between the two countries in a ceremony held for the ambassador credentials submission, a statement by Egypt's foreign ministry read.

The ceremony was held at the presidential palace in Addis Ababa.

The Egyptian ambassador conveyed President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's greetings to his Ethiopian counterpart, stressing the great interest Egypt has in developing bilateral relations.

El-Sisi's message also highlighted the importance of enhancing the bonds of friendship between the Egyptian and Ethiopian peoples and building on the important visit by the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to Cairo last June.

The new ambassador said that he is looking forward to advancing the various aspects of the partnership between the two countries, including on the political, economic, commercial and cultural levels.

The ambassador stressed the importance of joint work between the two sides to maximise the opportunities for regional integration.

He then highlighted Egypt's keenness to coordinate closely with the Ethiopian government on various African issues and the development of peace and security in the continent, especially during Egypt's presidency of the African Union starting 10 February 2019.

Abdel-Khalek highlighted that cooperation between the two countries is vital, especially for the upcoming African summit, which will be held in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on 10 and 11 February 2019.

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7485 view Add Comment

Children literature Festival held in Bikaner

Kids learnt alot here from poems to literature, novel and lot more things

Kids said we will be join this literature festival again

Next time we will come with our own written poems and stories

Bikaner, Three days Children Literature Festival organised in Bikaner. In this Children Literature Festival so many sessions were organised. This children Literature Festival embellished with so many experts and professors of literatures, and novels.

The professor of this literature gave so many useful ideas and new thoughts, told the importance of literature books and novels in our life they solved so many confusions of children have for the literature. This Literature Festival was very meaningful to the kids so many kids came and enjoyed and learnt hear they got their own stories and poems and recite them. The book stalls was very important and useful for them and they were very interested in buying the books. The evening was decorated with the campfire and musical evening with the Sitar Sarod player Amit Asit Goswami also there was a session organised on journalism and theater. Story of the eminent writer Harish Bhadani, Yadvendra Sharma Chandra poet Aziz Azad and Rajasthani literature writer Murlidhar Vyas; Dr. Shrilal Mohata, Dr. Malchand Tiwari Dr Mangal Badal and Deen Dayal Sharma throw light on it they told poem is something like the best words in best order....

Some expert talks: how the literature is important in our life

Writer Arjun Dev Charan talked about the literature and cultural. He told it is as important in our life as the breathing. Our culture is the main important part of our life we should certainly make the literature part of our life he was also expressing his concerns about the children's interest in Indian literature and culture he says in this busy life we are not able to set the regular conversation with the kids and we are also not able to give them value of humanity and culture because of the bisy life pur values are falling down he further said we should rise the value of literature in kids.

In this occasion Madhu Acharya ashawadi, Amitabh Harsh, Anand Harsh also kept their views on it, before this Malchand Tiwari, Bulaki Sharma, Dr Madan Saini, Navneet Pandey throw light on it. In the second session Nagendra Narayan Kiradu, Irshad Ajij, Sudesh Vyas, Vipin Purohit, Dr Gauri Shankar Prajapat, Hemant Ranga and Arvind Vyas kept their views on it. Event Co-ordinator Anurag Harsh welcomed everyone.



Dr Madan Saini told literature gives the motivational ideas to the kids. It is a way to motivate children and the children Literature Festival should be organised time to time. These are so much valuable for kids and kind of event give the opportunities to children to know about their culture and also give them opportunity to show their curiosity.

Dr Navneet Pandey said these kind of organisation are very necessary for children to develop their word bank. they get the opportunity to beautify their conversation which is almost we are losing he further said that it is helping us to understand the children's views and also it makes them available to understand our views, in this time we are making very big fault that we are not giving proper time to understand them,so this kind of event help us to cover this fault.

Professor Bulaki Das and Dr.Mangat Badal said that this is right the time to organise this kind of literature festival time to time as the time has changed.we can see literature with the so many new techniques. As other technical things Keep parents and children's both busy and this computerized life separated the kids and parents conversation, the capabilities in kids are becoming so Limited this is really terrible and to keep avoid this terrible situations we should do some efforts and we have to motivate our children towards culture and literature.

Dr. Shrilal Mohta said in this busy life if we think that kids are not talented it is very wrong kids are full of capability and talent but we need to give them opportunity to bring their opportunities out we should not forget that our cultures and our values are very important to them parents should do efforts to develop their literature qualification don't put useless boundation on them. Also children should increase their capacity and thinking with delicacy .

Mr Malchand sad if we are losing literature it means we are losing humanity we should save our literature so we can save our humanity and human feelings . so many technique have made children busy they avoid the values of our culture. Parents should help their children so they can enjoy the literature and can build their conversation with high values.

Give chance to express their feelings Pritpal Kaur said May the trend of listening stories of from our grandmothers are falling down but the kids are still connected with the old tales by the new techniques, yes it is not right because when the kids are watching them with the computer or on any other screen the feelings are losing that's not safe parents should do efforts to make the relations very close as in this new era the we are losing our relations and relatives. Give your child values of literature and cultural. In the upcoming time literature of these little kids will be very best and it will bring the positive thinking to the word.Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Plenty of sunshine. High near 60F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 31F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.Egypt has asserted its support for the security and stability of Sudan, saying it is part and parcel of Egypts national security.

This came in a joint statement issued at the end of the second round of a four-way session held in Khartoum between the foreign ministers and intelligence chiefs of both countries within the framework of following up on the results of a meeting held in Cairo on 8 February.

Both sides reviewed the steps taken to boost bilateral ties since holding the first round and the positive developments witnessed in Egyptian-Sudanese ties.

The meeting also tackled the progress of joint projects between the two countries including the project of electric linkage between Egypt and Sudan.

Both sides welcomed the meeting currently being held by the Permanent Technical Authority for Nile Water in Cairo on 24-28 December.

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gettyimagesbank



By Park Hyong-ki



Woori Financial Group Chairman and Woori Bank CEO Sohn Tae-seung speaks at a shareholders' meeting at the bank's headquarters in Seoul, Dec. 28. / Courtesy of Woori Bank



Woori to turn into holding company on Jan. 11



By Lee Kyung-min

Woori Financial Group Chairman Sohn Tae-seung said Friday that he would push for mergers and acquisitions (M&As) to compete with other financial groups.

His remarks came after Woori Bank shareholders approved a plan to turn the lender into a financial holding company, Friday. The decision came four years after it had been disbanded in November 2014.

"It took four years for Woori Bank, whose status changed to a bank from a holding company due to the previous government's push toward privatization, to obtain approval from the government to return to the earlier state," Sohn, who doubles as Woori Bank CEO, said at the shareholders' meeting.

"Upon returning to a holding company, the business portfolio that had largely prioritized banks will be diversified to create new financial services. This will serve as a great opportunity for us to leap forward, maximizing the corporate potential through M&As."

Under the approval, Woori will turn into a holding company on Jan. 11.

The bank's current stocks will be delisted upon listing of the holding company on the Korea Exchange (KRX), Feb. 13.

The approval came over a month after the Financial Services Commission (FSC) gave a green light to Woori Bank's governance proposal to transform itself into a holding company, Nov. 7, about four months after it submitted the proposal in July.

The holding company is expected to restructure the group organization to reorient the current business portfolio by increasing capital held by non-bank subsidiaries.

Up to six subsidiaries will be created to handle asset management, securities, insurance and real estate investment trust (REIT), a more sophisticated type of financial service.

The success of the plan will be determined by a revised business portfolio that must be designed to ensure stable operation, a task that requires a clear vision, tight and thorough management as well as apt corporate streamlining by 2020. Then he will no longer be able to hold both positions, meaning his management control in the firm may decline.

Meanwhile, following the approval, Korea will have five holding companies again, with competition expected to become much fiercer to secure the top.

In September, KB Financial Group with 477.7 trillion won ($427 million) remains at the top for the second consecutive year followed by Shinhan Financial Group with 457.7 trillion won.

In June, Hana Financial Group had 373 trillion won, while NongHyup Financial Group had 404 trillion won.

Woori Financial Group had 376.3 trillion won in September.

The holding company will become fully privatized if Korea Deposit Insurance Corp. (KDIC) sells off the bank's 18 percent stake.Financial group appoints Hur to head digitization



By Park Hyong-ki





Hur Yin

The keywords for KB Financial Group in 2019 will be digital, agile and young, following KB Chairman Yoon Jong-kyoo's group reorganization and appointments of younger new chief executives for key subsidiaries, according to the holding company, Friday.



Among the change that has been highlighted is giving double duty for Hur Yin as KB Kookmin Bank CEO and the head of the group's innovation unit that will oversee all KB companies' digital transformation.



Hur is expected to work closely with KB Financial Chief Digital Officer Han Dong-whan, who is also the senior managing director of KB Kookmin Bank's digital business.



With this announcement of the newly created unit, the bank also said it has sealed a deal to extend its contract with boy band BTS, which will appear in KB's New Year ad that will be all about the digital transformation.



"The unit will oversee all aspects of the transformation to prepare for a period where the wall between finance and nonfinance will be gone forever," said a KB spokesperson.



KB Chief Financial Officer Kim Ki-hwan will continue to be the group's numbers guy. He has been promoted to vice president of the group.





KB CFO Kim Ki-hwan3 Vietnamese nationals and an Egyptian killed; PM Madbouly visits injured in hospital, says 'sinful incident' doesn't diminish state efforts in combatting terrorism; prosecutor-general opens urgent investigation

Egypt's prosecutor-General Nabil Sadek announced on Friday night that the death toll in the IED attack on a bus carrying Vietnamese tourists in Giza earlier in the day has risen to four - three Vietnamese and one Egyptian fatalities.

Sadek added that the number of injured stands at 11.

Early on Friday evening, an IED detonated as a tourist bus traveling on El-Maryoutiya Street in Haram district, Giza, with 14 Vietnamese tourists and two Egyptian tourism workers on board.

Shortly after the deadly explosion, Egypt's Interior Ministry issued a statement saying that the explosion took place on 6:15 PM, killing two vietnamese tourists and injuring 10, in addition to injuring their Egyptian bus driver and the representative of the tour company.

All the injuried were immediately transported to the El-Haram hospital.

The interior ministry said that security services immediately dispatched to the site of the explosion to carry out investigations.

Also shortly following the explosion, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly headed to the hospital to visit the injured, and directed doctors to provide all necessary medical care.

Minister of Health Hala Zayed had been monitoring the treatment and surgeries for the injured at the hospital.

Minister of Tourism Rania Al-Mashat also visited the hospital to follow up on the status of the injured.

PM Madbouly explains details

Prime Minister Madbouly told reporters that all tourstim trips and their routes are highly secured in a detailed manner by the interior ministry.

Madbouly explained, however, that the bus carrying the Vietnamese tourists deviated from the pre-determined, secured route without apriori notifying security officials.

"I just want to highlight that following the incident, all state bodies swiftly moved to help secure the tourists and offer the necessary care," Madbouly told reporters.

Madbouly said the Egyptian authorities has been in contact with the embassy of Vietnam in Cairo.

He said that 20 ambulances were immediately dispatched to the site of the explosion.

The Prime Minister had said that the death toll stood at two vitnamese toursits and the Egyptian representative of the tour company, with two of 10 injuried remaining in critical condition.

The Egyptian PM also highlighted that Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is closely following up on the incident.

Madbouly pointed out that terrorism is a global phenomenon facing all countries, stressing that security forces in Egypt are taking the most necessary measures to combat the phenomenon, including strong pre-emptive strikes directed against terrorist spots.

The Egyptian Prime Minister added that "such sinful incident' [like tonight's] does not diminish the efforts of the state in protecting tourists in the country."

Prosecutor-General orders inquiry

Shortly after the attack, Egypt's Prosecutor-General Nabil Sadek ordered an urgent investigation into the deadly explosion.

The Prosecutor-General tasked the Supreme State Security Prosecution and the Southern Giza Prosecution with conducting the necessary inspection of the explosion scene and interviews of eye witnesses and survivors.

Sadek also ordered the completion of an urgent autopsy report for those killed.

He also ordered prosecutors to conduct forensic investigations to determine the nature of the material used to make the IED, and to impound all surveillance cameras in the vicinity of the explosion.

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North Koreans learned about the three summits between President and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un this year through media coverage. YonhapKim Yo-jong walks in front of President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during the Moon-Kim summit in Pyongyang i in September. / Korea Times file



By Yi Whan-woo



Lack of access to North Korea means it often takes years for Seoul to confirm simple facts concerning the leadership, such as dates of birth or the reshuffle of top officials.



The Ministry of Unification only confirmed this week that Kim Yo-jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's younger sister, was born in 1988. It did not specify exactly when she was born.



She emerged rapidly on the political scene after her brother took power in December 2011, but the ministry had estimated her year of birth as 1987, 1988 or 1989.



In its 2019 edition of the encyclopedia on key North Korean figures, the ministry also confirmed Han Kwang-sang, a military official who was rumored to have been purged, serves as Kim Jong-un's treasurer.



"We've taken various sources into account before coming up with the latest encyclopedia," a ministry official said. "Regarding Kim Yo-jong, we can assure everyone that she is 30 years old."



The ministry is believed to be convinced about Kim, following inter-Korean exchanges this year that allowed a better chance to collect information on the North Korean leadership, according to sources familiar with the matter.



The finding, however, is different from the U.S. Department of Treasury's in 2017, when it blacklisted her for her role on human rights abuses. The treasury department then claimed Kim was born on Sept. 26, 1989.



Regarding Han, the ministry said he has returned as director of the ruling Workers' Party's finance accounting department.



The ministry previously said the post was occupied by Kim Yong-su.



Han was promoted in 2013 to director of the party's finance accounting department. But he was not seen for months from March 2015, fueling speculation he might have been purged over corruption allegations.



He then appeared at the April 27 summit between Kim and President Moon Jae-in and also the groundbreaking Pyongyang-Washington summit on June 12.



"He was confirmed to have returned to a party post recently," the ministry said.



It said that Hwang Pyong-so, former director of the general political bureau of North Korea's armed forces, now serves as first vice director of the party's organization guidance department. Hwang was once seen as Kim Jong-un's right-hand man.



The ministry confirmed Kim Song-ae, one of North Korea's founding leader Kim Il-sung's wives, died in 2014.



She was believed to have been born in 1924 or 1928. She held various party posts but disappeared from the political scene after stepson Kim Jong-il took power.

The founding members of the civic organization for "well-dying" salute the national flag at the inauguration ceremony of the group at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in Seoul, Friday. Around 300 people participated in the launch of the civic group, which was formed to help individuals prepare for their life's end with dignity. / Yonhap



By Jung Hae-myoung



In an aged society where longevity is not specific to an affluent group of people, what becomes important is how to live in later life and how to end life with dignity.



In this context, civic group members, lawmakers, scholars and businesspeople have formed a group for "well-dying," holding the inaugural meeting at the Korea Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) building in Seoul, Friday.



The group is aimed at helping individuals prepare better for their later years and a beautiful ending to their lives in a super-aged society, where the elderly aged 65 or over take up over 20 percent of the total population. Korea has become an aged society, with more than 14 percent of the population being old.



"Unprepared deaths can be a huge burden for friends, family members and for society," said Rep. Won Hye-young of the Democratic Party of Korea, who was in charge of the preparation committee for the group.



"All citizens should be able to end their lives respectfully and beautifully based on their own decisions, and it should settle into the culture of society," he explained as the object of the group's establishment.



The group will concentrate on teaching patients how to write an Advance Medical Directive (AMD), a document in which the person specifies, in advance, which medical treatment they wish to receive or not when he or she becomes unable to make a decision, like in a state of brain death. It can be used for deciding whether or not to give life-sustaining treatment.



It will also help people put their names up for organ donations, heritage donations, and prepare for hospice facilities.



To carry out these activities, the organization will prepare professionals for this well-dying culture, run a center for comprehensive information support, and support funding for legislation and policy research.



"Six out of 10 Koreans hope to end their lives at the place they lived, but the reality is over 70 percent of the dead, and 90 percent of cancer patients, die at hospitals or nursing facilities," Won said.



"In order to have solutions for an upcoming super-aged society, we need to make all our efforts for each person to make their death meaningful. We will come up with ideas for the patients to make better decisions about life-sustaining treatment."



In Korea, nine out of 10 people said the government and civic organizations should share the responsibility to support the elderly in preparation for a super-aged society, according to research conducted of 1,200 people by Seoul National University Medical School.



However, only 54.5 percent of the sample said they would donate their inheritance, which can be used for social support, while 45.5 percent declined.



Korea remains relatively passive toward charitable bequests compared to foreign countries like the United States and the United Kingdom where donation of inheritance takes up 7 percent and 33 percent of total donations, respectively. In Korea, the ratio is only 0.5 percent.



Around 300 people from law, human rights work, business and social welfare have joined as founding members of the organization, including Won, KCCI Chairman Park Yong-maan, Seoul Arts Center board Chairwoman Son Sook, Rep. Jeong Kab-yoon of the Liberty Korea Party and Seoul National University Hospital Gangnam Center President Noh Dong-young.



Cha Heung-bong, a former health and welfare minister and the president of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG), will be the first chairman of the board.







Activists protest the Ministry of National Defense after it released a draft guideline aimed at having conscientious objectors serve alternative duty at correctional facilities for three years. YonhapRep. Kim Yong-nam of the Liberty Korea Party reveals the Ministry of Environment's list of the heads of ministry-affiliated organizations, outlining whether they were planning to resign or not, in a press conference at the National Assembly, Wednesday. / Korea Times photo by Hong In-ki



By Lee Suh-yoon



Controversy is rising over suspicions that the Ministry of Environment pressured chiefs of ministry-affiliated organizations appointed by previous administrations to step down by managing a blacklist.



While the opposition bloc has raised suspicion that such blacklists were drawn up at other ministries, if the suspicion is even partly true, it could deal a major blow to the ruling bloc, which had strongly denounced the former Park Geun-hye administration's blacklist of artists and activists critical of the government.



The list, released by the main opposition Liberal Korea Party (LKP) on Wednesday, outlined whether the heads of ministry-affiliated organizations, who were appointed by previous administrations, were planning to resign or not.



The LKP claimed the Moon Jae-in administration made the list to force the heads to step down and appoint those close to the current administration to the posts.



The ministry's conflicting responses to the blacklist have added heat to the controversy. It first denied ever drafting such a list but changed its stance later the same day, saying the list was drawn up at the request of Kim Tae-woo, a former special inspector to the presidential office who leaked the list and is at the center of a growing whistle-blowing scandal against the Moon administration.



However, in an interview with a local daily, Kim claimed he did not request the list but the ministry gave him the list in January when he visited its office, as it had been drafted earlier.



Regardless of whether Kim requested the list or not, allegations still remain that the ministry pressured heads of the affiliated organizations to resign. Though not a major proportion, five of the 21 chiefs of the organizations who were on this "blacklist" stepped down before their terms were over.



A former head of the Korea Environment Corp., a President Park appointee who held the position from 2016 until resigning earlier this month, told local media a ministry executive asked him to step down though he still had 18 months left in office.



The ministry executive in the case said he merely informed him of a long-accepted tradition of re-earning the President's trust whenever there was a change in administration, rather than forcing him to resign.



Opposition lawmakers have kept up a steady barrage of criticism since Wednesday, with LKP floor leader Rep. Na Kyung-won even hinting at Moon's impeachment. Rep. Kim Kwan-young, floor leader of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party, called for a thorough investigation into similar practices at other government offices.



"Cheong Wa Dae is trying to evade responsibility, saying the list was drafted by to the lone actions of Kim Tae-woo," Rep. Kim said in a press briefing on Friday. "But how could a mere inspector like Kim Tae-woo have ordered a blacklist to be drafted?"



Kim Tae-woo has brought up multiple accusations of surveillance on citizens and abuse of power in Cheong Wa Dae ever since he was sent back to his original post at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office last month for leaking classified information and accepting bribes. The disciplinary committee of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office (SPO) announced on Thursday it will either suspend or dismiss Kim.



Since returning to the prosecutor's office, Kim has leaked various allegations to the press, saying Cheong Wa Dae ordered him to spy on citizens. The presidential office filed a criminal complaint in response, saying Kim was making false accusations and mishandling classified government information. It also said the inspector, who had worked under the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations, had been often caught carrying out excessive surveillance activities on his own.







By Jung Hae-myoung







Tens of thousands of people are expected to gather in central Seoul on Dec. 31 to welcome the New Year with a bell-ringing ceremony at Bosingak, a large bell pavilion south of Jongno, the main thoroughfare of downtown.







According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Friday, 11 people who have contributed to society will be the bell strikers.







They include Lee Cook-jong, a renowned surgeon who contributed to treating severely hurt patients by helping introduce an air ambulance system; skater Lee Sang-hwa; the widow of Kim Sung-do, who lived on Dokdo Islets for over 50 years and died earlier this year; and Kim Ye-won, a visually impaired woman who has worked to improve the rights of the disabled.







Bus and train services will be extended to 2 a.m. to allow people to get home from the midnight ceremony. Seven "night owl bus" lines will also run as usual, but public transport for Gyeonggi Province and Incheon will end before midnight.







Traffic will be banned in areas near Bosingak and buses passing these streets will be rerouted.







For safety, police have asked people not to use fireworks.

A guard post located on the South's side of the border county of Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, is being demolished on Nov. 15 as part of the fulfillment of the inter-Korean military agreement. / Joint Press Corps



Seoul, Pyongyang will fine-tune differences on military exercises, NLL



By Lee Min-hyung



2018 has been a year of peace on the Korean Peninsula, with Seoul and Pyongyang setting a basic framework for reducing inter-Korean tension.



For 2019, the two Koreas will give concrete shape to the framework by discussing taking more detailed steps to further relax the lingering military tension on the peninsula.



Officials say a inter-Korean joint military committee, set to be established in the very near future, will stand at the center to speed up the drive for inter-Korean reconciliation.



The two Koreas have yet to decide when to launch the committee. But as both sides have reached a consensus on its establishment, the committee will start its operation sometime in the first half of the year. It will focus on putting into practice the two Koreas' agreed-upon tension-easing steps.



The committee comes with symbolic significance, as this will mark the first time the two Koreas have launched such an organization after their botched attempt in 1992.



South Korea's Ministry of National Defense said the committee will be headed by vice minister-level officials on each side. Both committee members also plan to hold regular meetings on a quarterly basis to remain consistent with their bilateral pledge for disarmament under the common goal of building a nuclear-free peninsula.



Experts here say the top agenda for discussion will include continuous withdrawal of guard posts in the border area and suspension of joint military exercises between Seoul and Washington.



"The inter-Korean joint military committee will discuss timelines for the withdrawal of all guard posts in the demilitarized zone (DMZ)," said Kim Sang-ki, director of the unification policy division at the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU).



Seoul and Pyongyang already reached a consensus on the complete withdrawal of guard posts in the DMZ during the latest inter-Korean summit in September in Pyongyang.



As part of a first step toward the move, both sides finished pulling out 11 guard posts on each side in the border region by the end of November.









"Aside from the withdrawal of the posts, the two Koreas will also narrow their differences on the Seoul-Washington regular joint military exercises that take place in the South's territory each year," the expert said.



The joint military drills have been a decade-long principal bone of contention between Seoul and Pyongyang.



But the two Koreas are expected to clash while negotiating their differences on the military exercises.



Washington is in a position to scale down or suspend the joint drills when Pyongyang takes concrete steps for denuclearization. North Korea, however, wants the South to put a complete end to the joint drills with the U.S. in consideration of its ongoing peace gestures.





An F-22 Raptor fighter jet arrives at an air base in Gwangju after carrying out the Max Thunder Seoul-Washington joint air drill on May 16. / YonhapBy Lee Min-hyung





U.S. President Donald TrumpPresident Moon Jae-in, right, walks into a room inside Cheong Wa Dae for a tea meeting with new Supreme Court justice Kim Sang-hwan after giving him a letter of appointment at the presidential office on Dec. 28. Yonhap



By Kim Yoo-chul



President Moon Jae-in has ordered his chief of staff Im Jong-seok and senior civil affairs secretary Cho Kuk to appear at the National Assembly on Dec. 31 to explain Cheong Wa Dae's stance on allegations that the administration abused its power to conduct surveillance on private citizens.



"At the request of opposition parties, Moon ordered Im and Cho to appear at the Assembly, Monday. The decision came after the Assembly passed a revised bill aimed at strengthening industrial safety measures amid growing public anger over the recent death of a young worker at a thermal power plant," a senior Cheong Wa Dae official said, Friday.



"As the President wants to apply the revised bill as quickly as possible for the safety of low-paid and contract workers, which would mandate companies to accept punishment in the event of industrial accidents, Moon ordered his top confidants to make it clear that the presidential office was not involved in improper activity on an organizational level," the official said.



Floor leaders at the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) agreed to hold a session at the Assembly to listen to Im and Cho's comments on the issue.



Top South Korean investigators visited the presidential compound late Wednesday to collect evidence related to the allegations after Kim Tae-woo, a former member of Cheong Wa Dae's special inspection team, told the local media he was ordered to collect information on people which the presidential office put into a "watch list."



Kim claimed his team tracked the bank transaction histories and other private affairs of high-profile government officials. Kim voiced that he had been forced to leave the team after his report was denied that current Ambassador to Russia Woo Yoon-keun  also Moon's close associate  accepted illegal political funding.



The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) asked the Assembly to summon Im and Cho for further explanation and it plans to launch an Assembly investigation. Cheong Wa Dae flatly denied the claim by saying the surveillance was Kim's own decision. The presidential office officially filed a criminal complaint last week against Kim, charging him with proliferating false and groundless accusations and divulging sensitive information.



"Kim Tae-woo is doing everything to cover up his personal illegal activities. The party welcomes the President's decision to send his top two confidants to the Assembly," said Hong Young-pyo, the floor leader of the DPK.





By Mahmood Elahi



This refers to the news report: "Seoul making Beijing a foreign policy priority by setting up bureau exclusively for China affairs," Dec. 22.



As a keen observer of Chinese and South Korean affairs, I have been writing about the growing Sino-South Korean relations and their implications on the denuclearization of North Korea.



Both China and South Korea are now industrial and financial powerhouses and their growing relations will have far-reaching implications for North Korea's eventual denuclearization.



China is considered a mentor of North Korea. China underwrites the security and economic survival of North Korea. And yet, North Korea has been working against China's regional and economic interests on the Korean Peninsula. It has been threatening South Korea with nuclear weapons, forcing Seoul to seek protection under the U.S. nuclear umbrella. North Korea's nuclear saber-rattling has made the threat of a nuclear standoff between the United States and North Korea a real possibility, undermining China's vital trade and economic relations with South Korea.



Already Sino-South Korean relations suffered a setback when the U.S. installed a THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea to counter North Korea's missile threat, triggering a backlash from China which wrongly interpreted it as a threat. China took punitive actions against South Korea without realizing it was a purely defensive measure vis a vis North Korea.



Since the threat from North Korea subsided, relations between South Korea and China have improved greatly. China lifted its restrictions on Chinese tourists to South Korea. Once again, South Korea has become a preferred destination of Chinese tourists.



However, this shows how North Korea can pose an obstacle to growing Sino-South Korean relations and what can China do to prod North Korea not to undermine its increasingly crucial relations with South Korea.



Today, with two-way trade totaling $211 billion, China is by far South Korea's biggest trading partner. It is bigger than South Korea's combined trade with the United States and Japan totaling $190 billion. This makes their relationship of cosmic importance economically and politically.



With its lingering support for North Korea, China is late to realize the importance of South Korea. It is now slowly realizing that a nuclear-armed North Korea is not only a parasitical protege, but also a hindrance to China's vital trade ties with South Korea. A denuclearized North Korea will cease to exist as a threat to South Korea, allowing China to expand its trade and investment with South Korea.



South Korean President Moon Jae-in understood this from the beginning. His dual-track diplomacy to engage North Korea by expanding bilateral relations while calling for the incremental lifting of sanctions has kept the stalled denuclearization talks alive.



After North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed to denuclearize at the Singapore Summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, he has not taken a single step in that direction. This has prompted President Trump to impose new sanctions on North Korea. In response, Kim has threatened to walk away from the denuclearization process. Only President Moon's continuing efforts to normalize relations with North Korea have stopped the collapse of denuclearization talks.



Here come China's own relations with South Korea. Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed in November at the APEC summit in Port Moresby to work together for the progression of their free trade agreement discussions and environmental issues, vowing to improve bilateral relations. China seems to have realized the vital importance of its economic relations with South Korea.



China is also aware that any collapse of North and South Korea peace talks will have serious repercussions on its own bilateral relations with South Korea. China cannot afford that. To accelerate denuclearization, China must pressure North Korea.



President Moon's diplomacy of openness offers Chinese President Xi an opportunity to prod Kim to respect his commitment to denuclearize and seek security through dialogue.



Moon has been successful in reducing tensions with North Korea. His efforts to improve relations with China will further add to the peace process. By consolidating relations with China, South Korea has expanded its influence in the region. China can no longer sit on the sidelines and must join in the peace process and eventual denuclearization of North Korea.



Seoul's plan to overhaul its diplomatic focus on China by establishing a separate bureau in its foreign ministry entirely dedicated to China affairs is a clear signal of its desire to strengthen relations with its giant neighbor. Now it is China's turn to reciprocate.





Mahmood Elahi (omega51@sympatico.ca) is a freelance writer in Ottawa.





By John J. Metzler





UNITED NATIONS  Beijing held a big party to celebrate the economic reform process started 40 years ago which changed China and the world.



Amid the meticulous staging in the cavernous Great Hall of the People, China's supreme leader Xi Jinping addressed the party faithful to a backdrop of massive red banners and gold trappings, using the high-octane nationalism that characterizes China's long march from Mao to markets.



Late 1978 was a tumultuous period in Mainland China. The long ruling dictator Mao had died two years earlier. The chaos of the so-called Cultural Revolution (1966-76) still haunted society.



China's moribund Marxist economy could not keep pace with a rising population, nor seriously establish any standing in the world economy. This would soon change faster than anyone could imagine. To paraphrase Napoleon, when China awakes "she will shake the world."



The rather clumsy and cumbersome title, "the Third Plenum of the 11th Party Congress" in December 1978 launched "reform and opening" of China's once static socialist economy.



Chairman Deng Xiaoping's reform movement was based on the hard reality that a country mired in state planning and falsified statistics was on the verge of collapse. Significantly the reforms were meant not to usher in capitalism with a Chinese face but rather to save the unchallenged political power of the Communist Party of China from imminent collapse.



The inherent ingenuity and entrepreneurship of the Chinese people, forced into the cookie mold of socialism in 1949, was finally allowed some creative space.



A growing population needed to eat but the collective farm sys-tem was broken. A new famine loomed. Deng Xiaoping as a reform communist leader knew Mao's vainglorious Great Leap Forward two decades earlier had triggered a famine killing an absolute minimum of 20 million Chinese.



Mao's rote ideology was stale; people had to eat. Thus agriculture was prioritized. Fully 82 percent of the population was still on the farms in the nation of 850 million people. China soon had sufficient food though private farming.



At the time of the opening China's economic standing was internationally insignificant despite the size and potential of the People's Republic. Soon the reforms and later the four modernizations would pave the way for extraordinary economic expansion. China's GDP grew from $341 billion in 1978 to $8.2 trillion in 2012.



China has emerged as the world's second-largest economy.



China would seek foreign investment, joint ventures and production in Special Economic Zones, copied from Taiwan. A dizzying expansion of foreign trade followed and China became the factory to the world, its international trade surging from $20 billion in the late 1970s to over $4 trillion by 2012.



Trade with the U.S. surged. In 1988 a decade into the reforms the U.S. trade deficit with China was $3.5 billion. By 1998, it went to $57 billion. By 2008 it jumped to $268 billion and ballooned last year to $375 billion!



Former NYSE Chair John Phelan recalled a visit to China in the mid-1980s with an American delegation of political and military officials. Phelan remarked that after formal pleasantries with the group, Deng Xiaoping buttonholed him and spoke intently about the workings of a stock market. China was intent on joining the financial world.



In 2008, Chinese Premier Wen Jibao conceded to the United Nations General Assembly that China's first 30 years were a disaster.



In surprisingly candid comments, Wen admitted that the reforms, "fundamentally changed the closed backward, and ossified system which had existed in China for years  and freed peoples' minds and aroused their initiative, liberated productive forces, generated great economic and social progress."



Despite Deng's historic economic transformations, the political landscape in the People's Republic remained authoritarian; he would crush the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement, institute a draconian "One Child" population policy cumulatively responsible for over 300 million deaths, and threaten democratic Taiwan.



Poignant contradictions between Beijing's stated goals of market socialism and continuing political dictatorship sharpen in the age of mobile phones, the internet and social media. So too is the undertow of China's crony capitalism, massive environmental pollution and corruption.



"The great banner of socialism has always been flying high over the Chinese land," Xi stated. "The leadership of the Communist Party of China is the most essential force of socialism with Chinese characteristics," he added defiantly. Xi boasted of creating "miracles that will truly impress the world," but underscored he's in charge.



China's economic standing is impressive but triumphalist. Its geopolitical clout projects Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative but with what global consequences?





John J. Metzler (jjmcolumn@earthlink.net) is a United Nations correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He is the author of "Divided Dynamism: The Diplomacy of Sepa-rated Nations: Germany, Korea, China."





By Vladimir Norov





As a result of the intensification of regional cooperation, the trade turnover of Uzbekistan with the countries of the region from January to August of this year grew by an average of 38 percent, and with individual states by 52 percent (in total, $2.57 billion, for the same period in 2017, $1.77 billion).



The improvement of trade and economic relations among the countries of Central Asia contributed to increasing the investment attractiveness of Uzbekistan and the region as a whole.



In particular, since the beginning of 2017, over 400 contracts have been signed between Uzbekistan and foreign countries, as well as contracts and agreements worth about $100 billion.



Last year in March, saw the launch of the implementation of the important Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Oman transport corridor section  the Turkmenabat-Farab railway and road bridges across the Amudarya River opened. Due to their launch, the volume of freight transport has already increased 2.5 times.



The project will also be an opportunity to access European markets after launching the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad. In addition, after 20 years of negotiations, significant progress has been made in the construction of a railway connecting China and Central Asia through Kyrgyzstan.



On Sept. 21 of this year in Tashkent, a high-level international conference organized on the topic: "Central Asia in the system of international transport corridors: strategic perspectives and unrealized opportunities." The conference participants emphasized that Central Asian countries need to find joint solutions to such acute issues as: the lack of logistics centers and the necessary infrastructure along all the highways involved in transit traffic.



It was also mentioned the importance of introducing information and communication technologies and marketing and digital transport services in the road sector, automotive, air and railway industries of the countries of the region.



We consider that attracting modern Korean technologies and investments in the development of the transport and logistics infrastructure of the region can contribute to practical solutions to the above urgent problems in the field of transport.



In addition, in the framework of the "New Northern Policy," Korea could provide substantial assistance in ensuring the dynamic and advanced development of the economies of the countries of the region by strengthening industrial cooperation, creating joint economic zones, expanding investment cooperation, developing the digital economy, rational use of water and energy resources and taking preventive measures in the field of food security.



At the same time, Korean companies can play an important role in the integration of Central Asian countries into global trading chains.



I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that active regional policy conducted by the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev creates the necessary favorable conditions for expanding the presence of South Korea throughout Central Asia which, taking into account all countries of the region and Afghanistan, constitutes a market with a population of about 90 million people.



Uzbekistan, while having a geographical advantage, is ready and interested in becoming a "center of gravity" for South Korean businesses in accessing Afghanistan and other markets of the former Soviet Union, the Middle East, South and Central Asia.



On Oct. 10 of this year for the first time, a triple Business Forum of the business circles of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and the Republic of Korea held in Dushanbe with the support of the Uzbek side. Over 200 representatives of companies and enterprises from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Korea attended the event.



Today the policy of liberalization conducted in Uzbekistan in the financial and currency, trade, economic, investment spheres and the development of an innovative approach in all sectors of the economy significantly increases the strategic attractiveness of the Uzbek market for South Korean companies and vice versa.



So far, Uzbekistan and South Korea have successfully completed and continue to implement a whole series of strategically important large joint projects in various sectors of the economy.



These are the automobile industry, transport infrastructure, the oil and gas sector, information and communication technologies, mining and others. In particular with the leading Korean airline company Korean Air, a project to create an International Intermodal Logistics Center was implemented.



At Navoi International Airport in Uzbekistan, a cargo terminal with a capacity of transshipment and handling of 100,000 tons per year was launched. At present through this logistics center freight transportation is carried out to 15 destinations of Europe and Asia.



South Korea is one of the leading trade, economic and investment partners of Uzbekistan. The annual mutual trade turnover exceeds $1 billion and the volume of attracted investments is $7 billion. Uzbekistan's share in South Korea's trade with all countries of Central Asia is almost 50 percent.



Since the beginning of this year, Uzbekistan introduced a visa-free regime for citizens of South Korea with the aim of enhancing tourist exchanges between the two states. In turn, a high level of political trust and mutual understanding between Tashkent and Seoul creates the most favorable conditions for further strengthening and expanding economic cooperation between our countries.



According to international observers, the state visit of Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the Republic of Korea in November last year was "breakthrough" in view of the adoption of a joint statement on comprehensive deepening of the strategic partnership and signed agreements in the economic and investment fields worth more than $10 billion.



In this regard, in our country, we are looking forward to a return visit of the President of the Republic of Korea to Uzbekistan next year.



For Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries, open access to international seaports is crucially important. Due to the geographical isolation of the region, according to estimates of Boston consulting groups, Uzbekistan loses up to 20 percent of its GDP because transport and transit costs reach 70 percent to 80 percent of the value of exported products. Freight carriers lose up to 40 percent of their time for transporting goods due to imperfect customs procedures.



A joint research report will be prepared on the development of bilateral relations between Uzbekistan and South Korea, as well as concrete proposals for the upcoming visit of President Moon to Uzbekistan.





Vladimir Norov is director of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of Uzbekistan. He visited Seoul to participate in the "Kor-Asia Forum 2018" which was organized by The Korea Times and The Hankook Ilbo, Nov. 7.





By Nam Hyun-woo



Korea's yearly exports surpassed $600 billion this year, a feat the country achieved 70 years after it sent its first outbound shipment in 1948, the government said, Friday.



According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the country's 2018 exports reached $600 billion as of 11:12 a.m., Friday. It took just seven years for the country's outbound shipment to surge from a $500 billion mark in 2011.



Also, this year's export by Korea accounted for 3.4 percent of the world's total, becoming the world's sixth-largest exporter.



With the feat, Korea became the seventh country to export more than $600 billion, following the United States, Germany, China, Japan, the Netherlands and France.



Since 1948, when the export was tallied at $19 million, the country's outbound shipment has been growing average 16.1 percent a year to reach the mark, showing a 30,194-time growth.



To surge from $100 billion to $600 billion, Korea took 23 years, which is the fourth-fastest following China with 11 years, the Netherlands with 20 years and the U.S. with 21 years.



The ministry attributed the handsome number for this year to favorable performances of Korea's major exporting items, including semiconductors, machinery and petrochemical products. Also, new industries and promising consumer goods played their role to lead the growth.



For the first time, the country's semiconductor export reached $100 billion mark for the first time as a single item. Cosmetic and drug products also showed noticeable growth, the ministry said.



The ministry stressed that this year's export record bears more significance because it has lowered its reliance on 13 major export items. Compared to 2011, when the country's export first surpassed $500 billion, the share of those 13 major export items in the total has been lowered from 82.1 percent to 77.7 percent this year.



Another noticeable movement the ministry underscored is growths in exports to ASEAN, India and Commonwealth of Independent States, which are new markets the Moon Jae-in administration is paying keen attention to.



Compared to 2011, those regions' share to Korea's entire export grew from 17.8 percent to 20.9 percent or $116 billion this year.



Despite the handsome numbers, it is uncertain whether the country's export can surpass $600 billion next year, because of downside risks weighing down Asia's fourth-largest economy.



The government said it will actively respond to the progress of the trade conflict between the U.S. and China, as well as the former's move to set up barrier to protect its car industry. Also, it will continue mend ties with ASEAN to enhance Korean products' presence in the markets.



"Export environment for next year seems uneasy due to slowing economic growth in major countries and a prolonged U.S.-China trade conflict," a ministry official said. "However, the government will make its utmost efforts to drive the country to duplicate the accomplishment next year."





By Baek Byung-yeul







Oat-based products are attracting consumers as more people seek healthy foods.







Among them, Quaker Oats products, introduced by Lotte Confectionery, are gaining popularity here, the snack-making arm of Lotte Group said Friday.







They were released in May and about 3 million items were sold by November. Lotte attributed the explosive popularity to word of mouth reputation that the products are effective for weight loss.







"With more consumers seeking convenient food due to the increase of single households, Quaker Oats products are gaining popularity," a Lotte Confectionery official said.







Quaker Oats is an iconic brand in the snack market, generating an annual revenue of about 3 trillion won ($26.8 billion) in North America.







Lotte is selling Quaker Oats' oatmeal original, oatmeal banana and almond, oatmeal creamy milk and oatmeal classic oat products. Hot cereal products are popular breakfast options in the cold months.







"They are convenient to eat and good for your health as they are low in sugar," the official said. The products are available at discount stores, convenience stores and online.







Lotte said it will increase promotions and introduce more Quaker Oats products to expand the oat-based food market here.

It could feel like the most important stories this year were being published on the front page of the newspaper, loaded into chyrons on CNN or tapped into Twitter. But whether it was by accident or each authors long-range design, in a year I read more books than any other, the central feature that united my favorites was how urgently or elegantly each title seemed to connect to  or shed light on  the weird and alarming world beyond their pages.

I found insight and direction, for example, in Tommy Oranges There There, my pick for the years best novel, written by a young Native American man from Oakland. Not only is the book artful and voice-driven, listing its attributes  and the problems it tackles  you might feel you have assembled a rough draft for a really excellent special issue of the New York Times Magazine.

Then there was Heavy, the unforgettably passionate memoir of having a black male body in America by Kiese Laymon, who acknowledges in the opening chapters that he wanted to write a more personal book, one for him alone, but the world around him required a bigger, more universal exploration. I think as well of A Terrible Country, the best novel I read this year that wasnt set in America. When he began the book, Keith Gessen might not have known that the story  about an American graduate student returning to his mother country of Russia to care for his grandma  would turn out to be such a touching portrait of sacrifice and love. But more important, the book also offers a sly but canny portrait of the way an unglued kleptocracy, like Russia, can suppress and encourage the good hidden in all of us.

Earlier this year, I cracked Small Fry, a memoir by Lisa Brennan-Jobs. I remembered the controversy surrounding Walter Isaacsons 2011 biography of her late father, Steve Jobs. More so, I had been floored and often reread the gorgeous and stirring New York Times remembrance by Jobs half-sister, Mona Simpson, which among many other gifts shared the great mans final, rousing words: Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow.

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What could Small Fry offer? I was struck immediately by the beautiful and restrained violence of the authors memories. You know who I am, Steve Jobs asks the author; she was just 3 years old. Im one of the most important people you will ever know. I dug deeper, amazed by her startling transitions, diamond sharp images and brutally efficient short chapters. I came to see how Brennan-Jobs hadnt written anything like a celebrity memoir, but an ambitious and artful project  a book that for its style alone might have, in any other time, argued its spot among the years best.

But this was 2018. And style could feel like icing on a content cake.

Im one of the most important people you will ever know. Steve Jobs

One of the two themes that made Small Fry so important was the way it explored and added texture to the phenomenon of income inequality, which was tearing apart communities from the Bay Area to Wisconsin. Imagine wearing clothes that dont fit, or that your single mother is struggling to put food on the table. Then, achingly close, just on the other side of town, your father lives in a mansion and appears on the cover of Time magazine.

Brennan-Jobs writes also about how Steve Jobs would show up to take his daughter  who he didnt fully admit was his own  roller-skating, only to find something she did less than satisfactorily; disgusted, hed disappear again. It wasnt until her teens that he formally admits paternity; her needs, and his whim, illustrated for me the fickle and random cruelty of poverty, the way the wealthy dont realize their comfort and ease, and the way not having money can make your world seem small and paranoid and final.

The second way Small Fry felt so insightful was the intimate portrait it offered, not just of some random wealthy man but one of our most beloved tech overlords. These men  and its pretty much all men  have engineered the devices and platforms and code that have permanently altered the way we live. The matter of how they actually conduct themselves day by day isnt just a matter of star-struck curiosity but a key window into the very structure and consequences of the worlds theyve helped create.

In Jobs-land, you might picture sleek counter tops and elegant meals and trips to Hawaii  and theres some of that  but theres also the way the man is brilliant and relentless, with a focus and zeal for excellence that makes him seem a monster to the people who need him most. For instance, he refuses to install heat in his drafty house and wont buy a couch for the living room. When he finally gives Lisa a computer  at this point shes moved in with her father, an arrangement he agreed to only if she focused on him and pledged not to see her mother  she plugs in the CPU and presses the power button. Nothing happens. The man whos designed some of the most adored devices of all time simply says to his daughter, I dont know, and walks away. The computer disappears and is never replaced, leaving Brennan-Jobs not only crushed, but baffled.

Yet another example of Jobs monomaniacal focus on his own needs, and the casual way he changes his mind when it suits him, is the way he finally admits that the first Jobs-designed computer was indeed named for Lisa. Shed always wondered, and hoped. But its only at Bonos villa, in the South of France, when the Apple founder casually responds to the rock stars query  sure, it was for her  that a gal, just like the rest of us, realizes she was the inspiration all along.

The year could feel so dark and bewildering  from the catastrophic loss of additional sea ice to yet more mass shootings in America  but in books as good as the ones weve mentioned, a savvy reader could begin to see a way forward, or at least a reason to read even more excellent titles in 2019.

Nathan Deuel is the author of Friday Was the Bomb: Five Years in the Middle East.Ever since their retail introduction about a dozen years ago, e-cigarettes have been at the center of a debate over their impact on public health.

We now can safely say the debate is over. E-cigs and the vaping they foster are a public health disaster in the making. We can draw this conclusion not from any scientific study, but from a single financial transaction: Altria, the nations largest tobacco company, just agreed to pay $12.8 billion for a 35% stake in San Francisco-based Juul, the leading e-cigarette marketer. The deal valued Juul at $38 billion and made its founders, Adam Bowen and James Monsees, billionaires.

Altria largely invests in markets with a capacity for addiction, abuse or dependency. Its products include cigarettes (Marlboro, for instance), smokeless tobacco, and wine and beer. It doesnt invest in products with an eye toward their medical benefits. So now, e-cigarettes.

Ive been warning the e-cigarette industry for more than a year that they needed to do much more to stem the youth trends. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb

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In acquiring its Juul stake, Altria, which is the U.S.-based remnant of the old Philip Morris international tobacco empire, is coming together with a company that seems to have taken lessons from its playbook about how to market an addictive product. One technique is to minimize its dangers; Juul says its mission is to help adult smokers kick the habit, and that its appalled that kids are using its devices to introduce themselves to nicotine.

In a similar vein, Altria says its investment fit with its mission to achieve tobacco harm reduction.

Altrias investment may only intensify the debate among medical experts about the safety of vaping. A quick primer: E-cigarettes use a heating element to vaporize a nicotine compound for ingestion. They give users the desired nicotine kick without also delivering health-sapping and cancer-causing components of cigarette smoke, such as tar. But its nicotine thats the addictive substance in tobacco.

Some experts consider e-cigarettes like Juuls products to be promising devices for weaning smokers off tobacco. The degree to which smokers actually tend to give up cigarettes and make the transition to vaping is uncertain  some vapers continue smoking, too. Still, there seems little question that vaping is better for them than smoking  if they give up cigarettes.

The question is whether vaping is better than using nothing, and there medical opinion seems heavily tilted toward answering no.

Not long after e-cigs started on their path of popularity, public health officials were warning that the devices threatened to renormalize smoking after decades of largely successful efforts to make the habit socially unacceptable.

What raises hackles among public health officials is that vaping absolutely has taken off among schoolchildren. Its easy to conceal the activity, in part because e-cigarettes like Juuls resemble the pen drives that plug into laptop computers, albeit elongated into the size of a pack of chewing gum. They dont emit the acrid stench of cigarettes that used to infuse the bathrooms of many a high school in the old days.

Vaping has now acquired the cool image among teens that used to attach to cigarettes. The conclusion that the vaping and tobacco industries, having joined forces, are creating a new generation of nicotine-addicted customers is inescapable.

According to a survey released this month by the University of Michigan, the percentage of 12th-graders who reported vaping nicotine in the previous 30 days rose to 21% in 2018 from 11% in 2017  an increase that was the largest ever recorded in the past 43 years for any adolescent substance use outcome in the U.S. The surveys results indicate that in 2018, 1 in 5 high school seniors vaped nicotine in the 30 days before being surveyed.

The figures are shocking. In 2001, some 29.5% of high school seniors reported having smoked cigarettes in the previous 30 days. This year, that figure has fallen to 7.6%, but 20.9% reported having vaped nicotine, for a total of 28.5% combined vaping and cigarettes  almost back up to the level of cigarettes alone in 2001.

As Kevin Drum of Mother Jones observes, the surveys results indicate that in just a few years, vaping has wiped out two decades of work getting teens to quit (or never start) cigarette smoking.

Public health officials have reacted to the surge in teen vaping by reconsidering the governments previously tolerant approach to the practice. Earlier this month, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams issued an advisory calling e-cigarette use an epidemic among young people and calling for increased vigilance and education about its dangers.

E-cigarette aerosol is not harmless, he stated. Nicotine exposure during adolescence can harm the developing brain  which continues to develop until about age 25. Nicotine exposure during adolescence can impact learning, memory, and attention. Using nicotine in adolescence can also increase risk for future addiction to other drugs.

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb also has taken a firmer stand on vaping. Acknowledging that he initially saw e-cigarettes as useful for smoking-cessation, he indicated in a Nov. 15 statement that their risks were threatening to outweigh their benefits.

Any policy accommodation to advance the innovations that could present an alternative to smoking, he said, cannot, and will not, come at the expense of addicting a generation of children to nicotine through these same delivery vehicles. This simply will not happen. I will take whatever steps I must to prevent this.

Gottlieb said that hes considering accelerating the deadline for e-cigarette manufacturers to comply with FDA permitting rules for some of their products, which originally was set as far off as August 2022. The FDA also stepped up enforcement of regulations barring the sales of nicotine products to children and called on the industry to voluntarily end its marketing of flavored nicotine pods, which appeal especially to underage users.

Ive been warning the e-cigarette industry for more than a year that they needed to do much more to stem the youth trends, Gottlieb said in September. In my view, they treated these issues like a public relations challenge rather than seriously considering their legal obligations, the public health mandate, and the existential threat to these products. And the risks mounted. Well, Im here to tell them that this prior approach is over.

Both he and Adams specifically mentioned Juul in their warnings  an indication of the drawbacks of dominating an industry.

Juul likes to depict itself as a proactive warrior against youth vaping. It says its mission is to eradicate cigarette smoking by giving smokers a safer alternative. We dont want anyone who doesnt smoke, or already use nicotine, to use Juul products, CEO Kevin Burns said Nov. 13. We certainly dont want youth using the product. It is bad for public health, and it is bad for our mission.

As of that day, Burns said, Juul would stop accepting retailers orders for mango-, cucumber-, fruit- and creme-flavored pods, and would tighten the age-verification procedures for sales from its website, where they still would be available. The company also said it would shut down its Facebook and Instagram accounts, because social media has been a prime tool for reaching young customers.

Burns didnt make it all that clear, however, that Juul was under the gun from Gottlieb, who on Sept. 12 had given the company, along with other marketers, 60 days to give the FDA robust plans on how theyll convincingly address the widespread use of their products by minors, with the explicit threat that the agency would come after the firms with enforcement proceedings if they failed.

Is it conceivable that Juul and the other e-cigarette makers were blindsided by their products popularity with impressionable youngsters? The company asks to be praised for never selling flavors like Gummy Bear or Cotton Candy, which are clearly targeted to kids. But fruit and creme flavors arent exactly adult tastes.

The public health disaster of electronic nicotine delivery systems, as e-cigs are technically designated, is already upon us. The industry skated for a few years, while regulators convinced themselves that the products were really for adults trying to quit smoking. Altrias $12.8-billion investment in Juul exposes the lie at the heart of this claim. But it may be too late.

Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see his Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com.

Return to Michael Hiltziks blog.If California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra thought he would get a respite from fighting the Trump administration as the holiday season approached, a federal judge in Texas disabused him of the notion on Dec. 14.

That was when Judge Reed OConnor issued his notorious ruling that the entire Affordable Care Act would be invalid as of New Years Day, when the penalty for individuals going without health insurance drops to zero. That forced Becerra, who is leading a coalition of 17 mostly blue states defending the law, into a compressed schedule of appeal motions; the coalition filed one brief Dec. 17 and another was due two days after Christmas.

But thats just one harbinger of the year ahead. In 2018, California filed 44 lawsuits or motions in cases challenging Trump administration policies, Becerra says. Youll see that 2019 is a year when we bring a lot of these cases to a head, he told me. Some will go to trial; others are in line for rulings on permanent injunctions.

We have to be not just the state of resistance, but the state of results. Manuel Pastor, USC

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The topics cover the full spectrum of Trump policy-making: Besides the Affordable Care Act, California is participating in court cases protecting the Obama administrations Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which established a path to legal status for people brought illegally into the U.S. as children; blocking a plan to add a question about citizenship to the 2020 census, which could discourage immigrants from responding and cost California a House seat and millions of dollars in federal funding; and rolling back auto-efficiency standards.

Californians could be forgiven for thinking the Trump administration has targeted the state for especially harsh treatment. But some conflicts between Trumps retrograde policies and Californias progressive environmental rules and tolerance of immigrants probably were preordained.

The Trump administration might have pursued some of its initiatives even if California didnt exist: A threat to enforce federal marijuana laws was aimed at all the states that have legalized the drug, such as Washington and Colorado; proposals to promote more offshore oil drilling affect states on both coasts (although the administration offered an exemption to Florida, which has a GOP government); the rollback of network neutrality and clean-car regulations largely reflect the desires of big business.

On the other hand, the administration hasnt exactly gone out of its way to find a modus vivendi with the most populous state in the union (and one that gave Hillary Clinton her largest margin over Trump in the 2016 election). In the very first week of the year, Thomas Homan, then the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, responded to the states sanctuary laws by warning on Fox News, California better hold on tight. Theyre about to see a lot more special agents, a lot more deportation officers in the state of California. Sanctuary laws generally place limits on local police involvement in federal immigration enforcement.

But another prong of the administrations attack on Californias immigrant policies failed, when a federal judge barred the government from withholding law-enforcement grants from the state and other sanctuary jurisdictions. The ruling protected some $29 million in grants to California.

Californias pushback has been aided by the sheer ineptitude of decision-making in the Trump White House. Consider the administrations effort to reduce the governments auto-efficiency goal for 2025 to 37 miles per gallon from the current goal of 54.5 mpg. Included in the effort was the threat to overturn a waiver allowing California to set its own stringent standards, which are followed by a dozen states accounting for more than one-third of the nationwide auto market. Rolling those standards back nationwide, as Trump intends, all but necessitates nullifying the waiver.

Becerra is leading a coalition of 16 other states and the District of Columbia to challenge the rollback in court; the government has replied that their lawsuit should be dismissed as premature because the rule change isnt final.

But when and if the courts take up the scheme on its merits, the judges will have to take a close look at the science underlying the proposal  or its absence. Early this month, a team of 11 scientists from USC; Carnegie Mellon; Yale; and UC campuses in Berkeley, San Diego and Davis issued a blistering critique of the governments claim that the rollback would save consumers money and make the roads safer. Writing in Science, the researchers reported that the government analysis had ignored $112 billion in benefits that tipped the scale in favor of the tighter standards.

It appears federal officials cherry-picked data to support a predetermined conclusion, the papers lead author, Antonio M. Bento of USC, told The Times. And it was done in a very sloppy fashion, by inflating the costs and cutting the benefits in an almost embarrassing, dishonest way.

In its haste to deregulate, moreover, the administration has trampled administrative procedures for reversing established government policies. As a result, some efforts at deregulation have been thrown out in court as arbitrary and capricious  among them, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos blocking of loan relief for students defrauded by for-profit colleges such as Corinthian Colleges.

In the coming year, the state will face the challenge of making good on the fundamental claim underlying its confrontation with the Trump White House  that its values and policies foster a better lifestyle for its residents.

California ranks fourth in the nation in the severity of its income inequality, as this map produced by the career consultancy Zippia illustrates. (Zippia)

Its not about just suing the government, but showing that extending health insurance to immigrants makes the state healthier, says Manuel Pastor, a USC sociologist whose latest book, State of Resistance, traces the evolution of California politics and social reform from the immigrant-bashing era of 1994s Proposition 187 to todays embrace of immigration as an economic and demographic strength. Its not just a question of criticizing the Trump administration for wanting to take apart Obamacare, but showing that if you dont, things are better. We have to be not just the state of resistance, but the state of results.

That also means addressing the negative consequences of progressive policies that Californians have shown they support. We have to make sure that small businesses get through the increase in the minimum wage successfully, Pastor adds. (The statewide minimum wage rises Jan. 1 to $11 an hour for employers with fewer than 26 workers and $12 for bigger employers, on its way to $15 in 2023 for small employers and in 2022 for all others.)

While California communities observe sanctuary principles to resist allowing their law enforcement departments to help immigration authorities enforce federal law in the face of administration claims that undocumented immigrants bring crime, we have to make sure our communities are safe.

Pastor observes that California demographics point to the destiny of the U.S. as a whole; its status as a majority-minority state  that is, nonwhites as the majority  was first documented in the 2000 census. Further demographic challenges in which California will again lead the nation lie ahead, chiefly the aging of the population. The percentage of residents 65 and over will rise to 26% in 2060 from about 12% now. That will require much more of a caring economy, Pastor says, with more family leave and better treatment of care workers.

California also has an opportunity to show it can grapple with its own persistent social and economic problems, which mirror the nations. The state was one of the first to enact a $15-per-hour minimum wage, but it is also the state in which income inequality has risen faster than in most of the rest of the country. The state ranks fourth in that dismal metric.

The states public infrastructure  its freeways, parks and university system  once was the envy of the nation but has fallen into disrepair. Does California offer a solution to the same malady nationwide? A gas tax enacted by the legislature to pay for road improvements was endorsed by voters in November, but the University of California struggles to compensate for the steady erosion of support via the state budget.

California hasnt been perfect in upholding principles of the social inclusiveness, environmental protection and public health that it likes to proclaim as California values, but the hostility emanating from the White House presents a unique challenge.

Becerra points to a couple of victories notched as a result of lawsuits filed by California and other states: The government has resumed accepting applications for renewal of DACA work permits, which is required every two or three years, following an order issued early in 2018 by a federal judge in Northern California. And in July, Andrew Wheeler, the acting head of the federal Environmental Protection Agency, closed a loophole that allowed more heavily polluting trucks on U.S. roads that had been opened by his predecessor, Scott Pruitt, as his final act before being forced out of office under an ethical cloud.

Pruitts action was the subject of separate lawsuits filed by three environmental groups and 16 states led by California; Wheeler acted before an appeals court could consider whether to permanently block Pruitts action.

Before we ended having to go into court, Wheeler undid Pruitts action, Becerra says. We think that was a consequence of his seeing his former boss suffer a number of defeats already. Theyre paying attention to our lawsuits.

Becerra says hes confident that more victories will follow in 2019. We can tell 40 million Californians that they shouldnt worry about the footsteps behind you  weve got your back. Just continue to be the entrepreneurs, the innovators, the college graduates that keep California clicking and forward-looking.

Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see his Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com.

Return to Michael Hiltziks blog.Hopes that California might create a public bank to serve the states legal marijuana industry are nothing but a pipe dream, the authors of a new feasibility study told state officials Thursday.

In the end we were not able to find any approach to doing this that makes any sense whatsoever, said William Roetzheim, founder and chief executive of Level 4 Ventures, the consulting firm hired to carry out the study for the State Treasurers Cannabis Banking Working Group.

California voters approved Proposition 64 in 2016 to legalize growing, possessing and selling marijuana for recreational use. But since cannabis remains illegal under federal law, most banks which are federally chartered and insured by the FDIC  refuse to hold weed money.

As a result, the industry still runs largely on cash, transported in envelopes and duffel bags and stored in safes. Businesses looking to expand cant access lines of credit, and companies that want to go public, such as Culver Citys billion-dollar marijuana company MedMen, have to perform financial backflips to have their stocks listed on Canadian stock exchanges. This presents a challenge for tax collectors and businesses alike.

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Cannabis in general has been a very resilient industry  not having a public bank isnt going to kill it, said David Hua, co-founder and chief executive of Meadow, a cannabis technology company based in San Francisco. But finding workarounds, whether that means setting up management companies or brokering deals with banks willing to run the risk of federal crackdowns, slows everything down.

Its extra work  especially if youre getting investment and need to make big capital expenditures  and theres a limited amount of time for every operator, Hua said.

The study looked into the feasibility of a state-owned bank dedicated to servicing only the cannabis industry, as well as models for a more general-purpose public bank and a correspondent bank to support commercial banks serving the industry. All three, the report found, are dead ends because of the high legal risks and large amounts of capital that would be required to create a functioning bank.

The assets of the bank are subject to foreclosure by the federal government, Roetzheim said. The staff of the bank is subject to criminal liability and could go to jail, state officers are subject to criminal liability and could go to jail.

When we look at all the different dimensions of risk for this, its just off the charts.

In order to keep up with the estimated needs of the industry, the report found that the bank would require an initial investment of at least $1 billion in state funds.

Instead of pursuing the public banking route, the report recommends creating a project to support research and make recommendations on how the state can make the cash economy function more smoothly, push for federal legal reform, and encourage private banks to offer more financial services to cannabis businesses.

Approximately 300 banks and 100 credit unions are providing financial services to the cannabis industry, Roetzheim noted, and reporting that activity to the federal government.

I, for one, was hopeful that the idea of a public cannabis bank would be a feasible solution for our state, State Treasurer John Chiang said at the end of the hearing. While todays announcement may not lay out the path some of us hoped for, it did reinforce the inconvenient reality that a definitive solution will remain elusive until the federal government takes action.

One year in, the states legal marijuana sector has failed to live up to high expectations for growth and tax revenues, in part because of regulatory issues.

An attempt in the state Legislature to license privately financed banks to serve the cannabis industry overcame a significant hurdle in April of this year, making it out of the state Senates Banking and Financial Institutions Committee, only to stall out in the face of a negative legislative analysis in August.

In addition to the banking difficulties, the industry faces fees and taxes at every point of the supply chain, which business owners and advocates say has kept costs and prices high, pushing many consumers back into the black market.

After the success of Proposition 64 in 2016, state officials estimated that as many as 6,000 new retail shops would be licensed in the first few years, which would bring in up to $1 billion in annual tax revenue.

But local opposition to new cannabis stores has also been stronger than projected, with fewer than 20% of California cities allowing retail shops to sell cannabis for recreational use. The state has issued only 547 licenses this year, and taxes collected in 2018 are expected to reach only $471 million  well short of the $630 million projected in Gov. Jerry Browns budget.

sam.dean@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter: @samaugustdeanWall Street capped a week of volatile trading Friday with an uneven finish and the markets first weekly gain since November.

Losses in technology, energy and industrial stocks outweighed gains in retailers and other consumer-focused companies. Stocks spent much of the day wavering between small gains and losses, ultimately unable to maintain the momentum from a two-day winning streak.

The S&P 500 index fell 3.09 points, or 0.1%, to 2,485.74. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 76.42 points, or 0.3%, to 23,062.40. The average had briefly climbed 243 points.

The Nasdaq added 5.03 points, or 0.1%, to 6,584.52. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks climbed 6.11 points, or 0.5%, 1,337.92.

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The major indexes closed with their first weekly gain in whats been an otherwise painful last month of the year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 rose more than 2% for the week, while the Nasdaq added nearly 4%. The indexes are still all down around 10% for the month and on track for their worst December since 1931.

It seems like convulsions in either direction have been the real norm for much of December and thats certainly been the case this week, said Eric Wiegand, senior portfolio manager for Private Wealth Management at U.S. Bank. The initial push higher and then seeing it subside a little bit is perhaps getting back to a little bit more of a normal environment, reflecting the reality that we have still a number of issues overhanging the market.

The markets sharp downturn since October has intensified this month, erasing all its 2018 gains and nudging the S&P 500 closer to its worst year since 2008.

Investors have grown worried that the testy U.S.-China trade dispute and higher interest rates would slow the economy, hurting corporate profits. This week  with trading volumes lower than usual because of the Christmas holiday  served up some pronounced swings in the market.

A steep sell-off during the shortened trading session on Christmas Eve left the major indexes down more than 2%. On Wednesday, stocks mounted a stunning rebound, posting the markets best day in 10 years as the Dow shot up more than 1,000 points for its biggest single-day point gain ever.

The market appeared ready to give much of those gains back on Thursday, before a late-afternoon reversal that erased a 600-point drop in the Dow left the market with a two-day winning streak.

The market was so oversold and then Wednesday and Thursday were key reversal days, but also stronger closes than opens, said Janet Johnston, portfolio manager at TrimTabs Asset Management.

The market was starting to price in the worst-case scenario: a recession, she said.

Still, the markets downturn has left stocks substantially less expensive than they were heading into the fourth quarter, Johnston noted. And that sets up a good buying opportunity.

Technology companies, a big driver of the markets gains before things deteriorated in October, were among Fridays big decliners. Alliance Data Systems dropped 1.4% to $149.82.

Oil prices recovered after wavering in midmorning trading. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 1.6% to settle at $45.33 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, inched up 0.1% to close at $52.20 a barrel in London.

Despite the rise in oil prices, energy sector stocks declined. Cabot Oil & Gas slid 3.5% to $22.95, while Hess lost 2.8% to $40.38.

Retailers and other consumer-focused companies fared better. Amazon rose 1.1% to $1,478.02.

Wells Fargo rose 0.5% to $45.78 on news that the lender has agreed to pay $575 million in a national settlement with state attorneys general over its fake bank accounts scandal. Tesla climbed 5.6% to $333.87 after naming two independent directors to its board under an agreement with federal regulators.

Bonds prices recovered after a midday dip, sending the yield on the 10-year Treasury down to 2.72% from 2.74% late Thursday. The dollar declined to 110.41 yen from Thursdays 110.74 yen. The euro weakened to $1.1442 from $1.1449. Gold edged up 0.1% to $1,283 an ounce and silver gained 0.8% to $15.44 an ounce.Sears is closing 80 more stores, including five Kmarts in California, as it nears a deadline that could determine whether the bankrupt retailer lands a lifeline to save its business or is forced to begin shutting down.

Sears Holdings Corp. said it notified workers at the closing Sears and Kmarts on Thursday. In California, no additional Sears stores are slated for closure. The five Kmart stores are in Burbank, Apple Valley, Santa Maria and Stockton.

Sears, based in Hoffman Estates, Ill., already had announced plans to shutter 182 stores after seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October. The latest round of stores will close in March and liquidation sales are expected to begin in two weeks, Sears said Friday.

News of the closures came hours ahead of a deadline for parties interested in acquiring the retailers assets to submit bids, according to a timeline approved by the Bankruptcy Court.

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Earlier this month, ESL, the hedge fund run by Sears Chairman Edward Lampert, said it would offer about $4.6 billion for many of the retailers remaining assets, including about 500 Sears and Kmart stores and its well-known Kenmore and DieHard brands.

That proposal would keep Sears in business and preserve tens of thousands of jobs, Lamperts hedge fund said in a letter to Sears investment banker earlier this month.

ESL made its offer late Friday, according to multiple media reports, all citing unnamed people familiar with the matter.

ESLs brinksmanship suggests lenders are  skittish about whether it really is viable as a going concern, said Craig Barbarosh, a partner at law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman who is not involved with the Sears case.

Sears told the court it has seen interest from multiple parties, including some who would liquidate the company, according to a CNN report.

The company and its restructuring adviser declined to comment Friday on any bids it may have received.

Sears could choose to extend the deadline it set to give potential bidders more time to finalize plans or secure financing.

Even if ESL does submit a formal offer to buy the business with the intent of keeping it in operation, it doesnt guarantee Sears would escape liquidation.

The court will choose the bid that recovers as much of the money Sears owes its lenders and vendors as possible, whether that means shutting the business down immediately or giving Sears more time to restructure, Barbarosh said.

If its a close call, judges tend to lean to bids that would keep the business going because that preserves jobs, said Barbarosh. ESL said it expected to employ 50,000 at the 500 stores it proposed acquiring, out of 68,000 employees Sears said it had at the time of its bankruptcy filing.

A bid that would keep Sears in business also gives lenders who arent first in line to be repaid a shot at retrieving a larger portion of what theyre owed.

But if lenders can make an argument that there will be greater returns (from shutting down quickly), I would not be surprised if they liquidate, Barbarosh said.

At the time of its bankruptcy filing, Sears said it had 687 stores and 68,000 employees, 32,000 of whom are full-time.

Zumbach writes for the Chicago Tribune.In its effort to make the airport security screening process faster, the Transportation Security Administration is employing new high-tech baggage scanners, facial-recognition cameras and automated lanes to eliminate passenger gridlock.

But TSA Administrator David Pekoske said the agency is also making at least one new change to reduce traveler stress: deploying more floppy-ear dogs, rather than pointy-ear dogs, to sniff out explosives in public areas.

During a recent tour of Washington Dulles International Airport, Pekoske told the Washington Examiner that his agency believes floppy-ear dogs are less intimidating to travelers than dogs with pointy ears.

We find the passenger acceptance of floppy-ear dogs is just better, he said. It presents just a little bit less of a concern. Doesnt scare children.

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A chocolate lab with the kind of ears the TSA is looking for. (Ellen ONan / AP)

The TSA has more than 900 teams of officers and explosive-sniffing dogs either screening passengers at airports or sniffing cargo and baggage behind the scenes. About a third of those dogs interact with passengers in airports, according to the TSA.

The agency says it trains seven breeds of dogs: German shepherds (pointy ears), Labrador retrievers (floppy ears), German shorthaired pointers (floppy ears), wirehaired pointers (floppy ears), Vizslas (floppy ears), Belgian Malinois (pointy ears) and golden retrievers (floppy ears).

Because of the federal shutdown, TSA representatives could not be reached to comment on how the agency will transition to more floppy-ear dogs.

hugo.martin@latimes.com

To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter.Wells Fargo & Co. will pay $575 million to settle state-level claims over sales practices, marking the latest cost in the fallout from a series of scandals that erupted at the bank more than two years ago.

The settlement with 50 states and the District of Columbia announced Friday resolves state investigations into Wells Fargos practices from 2002 to 2017. The practices, which have previously been disclosed, include opening bogus accounts, charging improper mortgage rate-lock extension fees and forcing insurance policies on auto-lending customers.

Wells Fargos expenses surged over the last two years, driven by fines and legal costs as investigations multiplied across business lines. Following the 2016 revelation that bank employees opened as many as 3.5 million accounts without customer approval in order to meet sales goals, issues have emerged in the banks consumer-lending, wholesale and wealth-management arms.

Wells Fargo customers entrusted their bank with their livelihood, their dreams and their savings for the future, California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra said in a statement. Instead of safeguarding its customers, Wells Fargo exploited them, signing them up for products  from bank accounts to insurance  that they never wanted.

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Fridays settlement exemplifies the heightened importance states play in financial supervision amid deregulation under the current administration, according to Becerras office. Although the government stepped in during the previous administration, we cant trust our federal regulators to step up and act the next time theres a crisis, Sarah Lovenheim, a spokeswoman for Becerra, said in an emailed statement.

The bank said in a statement that it had already set aside $400 million for the settlement and would take a $175-million provision in its fourth-quarter results. California, the banks home state, will get the biggest payment in the settlement at about $150 million, according to a spokeswoman for Becerra.

This agreement underscores our serious commitment to making things right in regard to past issues as we work to build a better bank, Chief Executive Tim Sloan said in the statement.

Its been a costly year for the bank. Among its penalties in 2018 were $1 billion to federal regulators for consumer mistreatment and $480 million for an investor class-action lawsuit. In August, the bank also settled with the U.S. over crisis-era mortgages, for $2.09 billion.

Earlier this year, the Federal Reserve imposed an unprecedented growth ban on Wells Fargo, in place until the bank can demonstrate that it has fixed its missteps. Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has repeatedly called for Sloans ouster, and Wells Fargo Chair Betsy Duke at one point had to deny rumors that the banks board had reached out to Gary Cohn, the former top economic advisor to President Trump, to replace the CEO.

Next year isnt looking to be any easier. A soon-to-be Democratic House of Representatives will gain subpoena power, and the Financial Services Committees presumptive chair, Maxine Waters, has already labeled the bank a top priority. Ongoing probes and the banks recent removal of two top executives from the operating committee and firing of about three dozen district managers in the retail bank hint of more fallout on the horizon.

I dont think theyre done with the federal agencies yet by any stretch  it doesnt seem like it  so theyve got to reckon with that in the new year, Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, said in a phone interview. They need to figure out how to stop the hemorrhaging and move on.In the thick of Hollywoods annual awards season, there are 17 performances from 2018 that have earned nominations for both a Golden Globe and SAG Award. That positions those fortunate few for almost inevitable Oscar attention when Academy Award nominations are announced Jan. 22.

But there was even more brilliant work this past year that didnt land nominations from either of those groups.

Though getting left out isnt a kiss of death (most recently Lesley Manville earned an Oscar nomination for Phantom Thread after being overlooked for other honors), they dont call them precursors for nothing.

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Best of 2018: A look back at the year in movies, TV, music and more 

With that in mind, Times staff writers and contributors are offering up 14 overlooked performances wed most like to see enter the Oscar race. Film fans (and voters) take note: If you havent seen these, youre missing out.

Yalitza Aparicio | Roma

Yalitza Aparicio is compulsively watchable as Cleo in Roma. (Jay L. Clendinin / Los Angeles Times; Alfonso Cuaron)

Roma cast members discuss working with Alfonso Cuaron 

Alfonso Cuarons astonishing Roma is arguably the film of the year, and it wouldnt be the masterpiece that it is without its center of gravity, Cleo, portrayed with a quietly glowing luminescence by first-time actress Yalitza Aparicio. Her empathy and care make Cleo the heart and soul of the family, but its her personal journey the film takes us on  her experiences of heartbreak, loss, grief and love. Aparicio is compulsively watchable as Cleo goes about her daily routine, but the cracks in the veneer that reveal her deepest emotions and her demonstrations of solemn bravery are nothing short of riveting.  Katie Walsh

John Cho | Searching

John Cho finds the vulnerability in the gripping low-budget thriller Searching 

In the groundbreaking thriller Searching, John Chos work as David Kim, a single father who desperately attempts to find his missing daughter by tracing her digital footprint, is as refreshing as it is impressive. Because the film unfolds almost entirely on a computer screen, Cho is often asked to convey a roller coaster of emotions using only his face. And his expertly nuanced performance should permanently silence anyone whos ever questioned how expressive or magnetic Asian actors can be on screen (https://mashable.com/2017/09/11/asians-not-expressive-twitter/). The Spirit Awards nominated Cho for his out-of-the-box star turn, but this kind of achievement deserves even more recognition.  Ashley Lee

Toni Collette | Hereditary

Toni Collette in Hereditary (Christina House / Los Angeles Times; A24)

How Toni Collettes turn in the years scariest film lends Hereditary its terrifying power 

Sleep on Toni Collettes riveting work in Hereditary and youll miss the most shattering high-wire trick of the year: A woman caught in the grinding gears of filial love and resentment, an artist grasping for understanding and control, and a mother desperately piecing together a gruesome puzzle from within the jigsaw walls of her own family home. Writer-director Ari Asters debut film closes in on its unsuspecting characters with masterful dread and menace, but its the acutely human turns at its core that make the devastating emotional horrors hit home. Collette makes one of 2018s most difficult roles look easy.  Jen Yamato

Elizabeth Debicki | Widows

Elizabeth Debicki plays one of the widows in the new heist movie Widows. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

For Elizabeth Debicki, the set of Widows was an ego-free bond of togetherness 

A trio of women evolve from unassuming wives to hardened criminals in Steve McQueens heist thriller Widows, a film which boasts a fully stacked ensemble led by the indomitable Viola Davis (also inexplicably overlooked this awards season). But its Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki who often shines brightest as Alice, a seemingly superficial young working-class woman whod previously been under the thumb of her harsh mother and abusive husband. Thanks to a minute attention to detail (that Polish accent!) and Debickis ability to convey an entire range of emotions in a single look, Alice steals the show despite the casts endlessly crafty competition.  Sonaiya Kelley

Kathryn Hahn | Private Life

Regina Hall | Support the Girls

Kathryn Hahn and Regina Hall (Gary Coronado / Jay Clendinin / Los Angeles Times)

Kathryn Hahn mixes drama and comedy to reveal the everyday messiness of Private Life 

Playing average, everyday people doesnt often bring accolades, but if ever two actresses deserved to be recognized for just that its Kathryn Hahn in Private Life and Regina Hall in Support the Girls. Messy and raw, Hahn plays a woman dealing with infertility issues who will try anything  be it adoption, surrogacy or IVF. (She and her husband are labeled fertility junkies in writer-director Tamara Jenkins sharp script.) Hahn vividly captures the out-of-control feelings of someone put in a position to reassess her marriage, her career, her desires, her feminism and herself. And Private Life brings heart and humor to a story of finding the strength to continue. Meanwhile, Halls Lisa, the manager of a Hooters-like restaurant, is having one of those days where everything seems to go wrong all at once. Navigating the demands of an insensitive owner and the needs of a coterie of irrepressible waitresses, Lisa is just trying to keep everything working. With graceful sensitivity, Hall finds both the comic notes and emotional core in the struggle to hold on to a sense of self as the world swirls around you.  Mark Olsen

Ethan Hawke | First Reformed

REVIEW: The bracing First Reformed, starring a superb Ethan Hawke, resurrects Paul Schraders career 

Ethan Hawkes restrained and devastating performance as a spiritually adrift pastor dominates every frame of writer-director Paul Schraders First Reformed. A former military chaplain whose son was killed in Iraq, Rev. Ernst Toller (Hawke) is haunted by loss and searching for redemption. His inner turmoil matches a world degraded by pollution and climate change. Pale and gaunt  as if every movement, thought and prayer is freighted with pain  Hawke delivers an indelible portrait of isolation and suffering. It is the finest work of his career, ideally suited to Schraders vision of the enduring battle between the sacred and profane.  Jeffrey Fleishman

Russell Hornsby | The Hate U Give

Russell Hornsby from The Hate U Give may finally get some awards recognition. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

What are you willing to die for?: Russell Hornsby discusses his breakout The Hate U Give role 

After witnessing a white police officer shoot her unarmed black friend, Amandla Stenbergs teenage protagonist at the center of The Hate U Give seeks comfort in her father. As played with boundless sensitivity and unforced gravitas by Russell Hornsby, the ex-con-turned-family-man gently steers his daughter through the complicated emotions shes struggling with in the wake of the racially charged crime. Hornsby  who studied at the British Academy of Dramatic Arts and has spent the majority of his career working on television  finds the role that deserves to make him a star: The dad you cant help but wish would adopt you, instilling you with both confidence and grit while still loving you with abandon.  Amy Kaufman

Brady Jandreau | The Rider

Brady Jandreau as Brady Blackburn in The Rider. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times; Sony Pictures Classics)

REVIEW: Chloe Zhaos cowboy drama The Rider is a moving, lyrical tale of loss and recovery 

It would be easy to say that Brady Jandreau was simply playing himself in Chloe Zhaos lyrical, meditative drama The Rider. After all, like his character  also named Brady  Jandreau is a former bronco rider who suffered a nearly fatal head injury during a rodeo competition. But that wouldnt do justice to the subtlety and quiet magnetism that the first-time actor brings to the screen. As he wrestles with the pain of no longer being able to do the one thing he loves above everything, Jandreau creates an authentic and moving portrait of masculinity in crisis and a way of life that is fading away.  Josh Rottenberg

Michael B. Jordan | Black Panther

 Michael B. Jordan discusses the important conversation of identity at the center of Black Panther and how that influenced the films global reach. It started a conversation I never knew I needed, he says.

Michael B. Jordan stays grounded through Black Panthers success, Creeds sequel and a bleak sci-fi vision 

Of all the smart choices director Ryan Coogler made with his stylish, politically charged Marvel movie, his best idea was hiring his Fruitvale Station and Creed star Michael B. Jordan to play the villain. As shrewd as he is angry, Jordans Erik Killmonger is a different kind of bad guy: one whose tragic origin story and well-argued motivations make him at times more sympathetic than the stodgier, stingier hero. The actor brings real passion to the character of this outcast, who has a dangerous but fiercely logical vision for his native land. He makes sure that the debate that animates Black Panther isnt one-sided.  Noel Murray

Kelly Macdonald | Puzzle

Kelly Macdonald makes an ordinary womans life extraordinary in Puzzle 

Some actors act, emphasizing performance over empathy, while others, in some extraordinary way, simply become other people, disappearing completely into the widest variety of roles. Kelly Macdonald is one of the best of those, and in Puzzle she shows us what she can do on a bigger stage. The Scottish performer has shined in supporting work in everything from Trainspotting to No Country For Old Men but Puzzle is her first starring role and she takes on the part of a housewife discovering unlooked-for aspects of herself in a way that manages to be both delicate and deeply felt.  Kenneth Turan

Jesse Plemons | Game Night

Jesse Plemons in Game Night. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times; Warner Bros. Pictures)

REVIEW: Jesse Plemons has a few squirmingly funny scenes as the super-awkward neighbor in Game Night 

Oscar voters love broken characters. Maybe theyre grieving the loss of a loved one (Natalie Portman in Jackie), the abandonment of principle (Bryan Cranston in Trumbo) or the death of jazz (Ryan Gosling in La La Land). The reason isnt important. What matters is we feel their pain. So why isnt Jesse Plemons getting any awards season plaudits for his brokenhearted next-door neighbor in Game Night? Yes, thats a rhetorical question. Game Night being a comedy almost disqualifies Plemons from the get-go, despite the fact that his creepy, dead-eyed, brilliantly awkward turn is a stone-cold master class in comic timing and character work. So, OK, ignore him. Paul Thomas Anderson, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg have all cast Plemons in recent films. They know what theyre doing, even if voters dont.  Glenn Whipp

Michelle Yeoh | Crazy Rich Asians

Crazy Rich Asians star Michelle Yeoh remembers playing a character comparable to James Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies, her first Hollywood film, and says which movie she considers the turning point in her career.

Crazy Rich Asians: Michelle Yeoh has waited a very long time for a movie like this 

Constance Wus sparkling star turn is the relatable core at the heart of what was arguably the years biggest sleeper hit, Crazy Rich Asians, but her journey to self-discovery and true love wouldnt be anything without a formidable rival to challenge a particularly Western worldview. Thats where Michelle Yeohs Eleanor Young steps in and leaves an effortlessly elegant stamp on the picture. Eleanor is very, very rich. Shes also anything but crazy. Best known for her action work  and already robbed of an Oscar nomination once in her career for 2000s celebrated Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon  Yeoh keeps her physicality restrained and instead lets every steely-eyed gaze, every withering observation and even her mere presence in a room register Eleanors immense intimidation factor. A potential mother-in-law from hell? In Yeohs hands, its never that simple.  Geoff Berkshire

Steven Yeun | Burning

Two years after The Walking Dead, Steven Yeuns film career is Burning 

A young man of leisure, maddeningly polite yet shockingly devoid of empathy, Ben must be one of the years most insufferable screen characters. But as played by the hypnotically unnerving Steven Yeun (who won the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn.s supporting actor prize), he is also one of the most mysterious and magnetic. Is Ben an arsonist? A serial killer? A run-of-the-mill sociopath? Yeun, doing more with a yawn or a chuckle than some actors manage with an entire performance, keeps every option in play. He incarnates a void and makes it impossible to look away.  Justin ChangOur annual compilation of overlooked films. Each reviewer chose five films to highlight.

Skate Kitchen: The rebellious spirit running through Crystal Moselles drama is contagious. Its camera careens with these teenage girl skateboarders as they tear through New York City, and youll want to feel that same freedom. Then youll remember that you no longer have young knees, and so youll have to content yourself with watching this vibrant indie. Hulu; VOD

Izzy Gets  Across Town: First-time filmmaker Christian Papierniaks debut is a punk-fueled, one-day odyssey across L.A. that speeds by far too quickly. It should feel like something weve seen before, but Paperniaks anarchic style imbues it with fresh energy matched by Mackenzie Davis performance as the perfectly messy Izzy.

All About Nina: Not all rom-coms need to be full of sweetness and light. Eva Vives directorial debut is as raunchy as the sets of the stand-up comedian of the title (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), but theres surprising emotional depth here too. VOD

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Bel Canto: Based on Ann Patchetts bestseller, this Paul Weitz-directed drama exudes empathy from every frame. Starring Julianne Moore and Ken Watanabe, its spare plot  a diverse group grows close when terrorists take partygoers hostage  strikes a chord with its humane treatment of its characters. Amazon Prime; VOD

Thoroughbreds: If your taste in comedies veers toward the deliciously nasty, this teen thriller is just your black, bracing cup of tea. Cory Finleys first feature is full of arch humor, unique visuals and a soundscape that mark him as a director to watch. VOD

More, please: With half the universe dying in Avengers: Infinity Wars and the real world a constant source of stress, theres immense pleasure in charming, low-stakes films like Juliet, Naked, Support the Girls and Hearts Beat Loud.

Enough already: Female directors made some of the years best  particularly Lynn Ramsays You Were Never Really Here and Debra Graniks Leave No Trace  but they still arent acknowledged during awards season. Prove me wrong, Oscar voters.

FULL COVERAGE: Under the Radar 2018 

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calendar@latimes.com

@LATimesMoviesOur annual compilation of overlooked films. Each reviewer chose five films to highlight.

Duck Butter: Laia Costa and Alia Shawkat face off in this erotic lost weekend film about a relationship between two women that runs its course over 24 hours of sex and soul-baring. Co-written by Shawkat, directed by Miguel Arteta, its destined to be a queer cult classic. Netflix; VOD

Revenge: Director Coralie Fargeat tore into the rape-revenge genre with a startling, ferocity in her brightly hued debut feature, which parodied the male gaze, flipped the phallus on its head, and introduced us to one of the most uncompromising horror heroines of the year. An unflinching entry into the new canon of French feminist horror revisionism. Shudder; VOD

Matilda Lutz in Revenge. (Shudder / NEON)

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FULL COVERAGE: Under the Radar 2018 

El Angel: Directed by Luis Ortega, Argentinas Oscar submission chronicles the crime spree of young Carlos Eduardo Robledo Puch, who terrorized Buenos Aires in the early 1970s. Lorenzo Ferro makes his insouciantly seductive screen debut as the baby-faced criminal in this sensual twist on a Bonnie & Clyde tale.

Never Goin Back: Augustine Frizzells sweaty Southern romp through the lives of two Texas waitresses is the wild child little sister of Support The Girls. Sisterhood is survival for these strong-willed teens played by Camila Morrone and Maia Mitchell. This loose, raunchy comedy is surprisingly charming imbued with a sly social commentary to boot. Amazon Prime; Kanopy

Beast: Michael Pearce brings a locals perspective to the dark history of the isle of Jersey in this psychological thriller. Jessie Buckley tears into the role of a repressed young woman getting in touch with her wild side though a romance with a mysterious young man against the backdrop of a serial killer terrorizing the island. VOD

More: Rom-coms! With Crazy Rich Asians, Set it Up and To All the Boys Ive Loved Before (among others), love is in the air, and not a moment too soon in these troubled times.

Dianne Wiest and Clint Eastwood in The Mule. (Claire Folger/ Warner Bros. Pictures)

Less: Clint Eastwood movies. With two offensively bad 2018 films in The 15:17 to Paris and The Mule, it would be great to have fewer of Eastwoods dashed off, poorly thought out, nearly unwatchable projects. That male film critics either give him a pass (or hail them as masterpieces) salts the wound.

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calendar@latimes.com

@LATimesMoviesThe hatchback hugs the verge of frontage highway farthest from the rush of cars. Lanes of rush-hour traffic surge on the interstate, a blur of black shapes and headlights in the dark. Cal Peternell parks his car in the service lane along the highway, near an embankment where tents huddle close amid a litter of tarps and shopping carts and random objects that are hard to make sense of in the reflected light of cars speeding by.

Peternells wife, Kathleen Henderson, has been riding in back, next to a milk crate buckled in like a babys car seat. The crate holds a two-gallon aluminum pot; a couple of large black binder clips keep the lid secure. She jumps out of the car and, over the din of traffic, yells at the tents: We got hot soup! Anybody want soup in there? A womans voice sounds a faint yes.

Peternell sinks a ladle into marigold-yellow dal and comes up with a serving he tips into a flimsy paper bowl, inserts a plastic spoon, and hands it to Henderson, who walks it to the tent. Its like Indian split pea, she explains to the woman, whos thin and pale and in her mid-30s, wearing a beanie pulled down over her ears and a big fleece jacket. Gingerly spooning hot soup into her mouth, she says it tastes good. Babe, she yells at the tent, you want soup? But whoevers inside doesnt.

Cal Peternells wife Kathleen Henderson helps him hand out bowls of Indian dal to the homeless in Berkeley, Calif. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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Were a little more than two miles from Chez Panisse, the eminent Berkeley restaurant where Peternell spent more than two decades in the kitchen. Today, Peternells life is marked by car runs with hot dal to feed some of Berkeleys homeless, a woke food podcast called Cooking by Ear, plans to cook for journalists at a new co-working space in Oakland and culinary lessons for inmates at San Quentin.

Peternell and Henderson recently moved to southwest Berkeley, but they used to live more centrally, close to Berkeley High and the downtown BART station, where some of the citys more than 1,000 homeless residents (about 1% of Berkeleys population, according to the mayors office) squat in parks or on the sidewalk.

So many people on the street, Peternell says. I would do what I think a lot of people do, which is to kind of try to ignore them. But avoiding eye contact or, at best, forking over a dollar or two, made him feel guilty.

Its just so awful, he said. Im sure we all have these feelings, like these people are somehow our neighbors, and if your neighbor needed help youd give it to them. So why are we not really helping them?

At the end of 2016, when Peternell stepped away from his job as chef, he joined the ranks of elite alumni of cooks whove sought meaning after Chez Panisse. Workers past and current are part of a community so rarefied theyre known informally within the circle as the Chez family, or sometimes, perhaps pretentiously, as famille Panisse. But even as Peternell has worked to define himself as an activist, hes launched a career as an author of cookbooks that reflect the Alice Waters brand: pristine produce and meats, cooked in ways that accept Provence and Italy as essential parts of Northern Californias food geography. Its the dilemma for members of famille Panisse who no longer work at the restaurant and wish to break free: How to define themselves apart from Chez Panisse, even as they get press and book deals in part from the connection.

Cooking by Ear premiered last year. Peternell usually shows up in a guests kitchen and guides them through making something. I think everyone has a gateway dish, Peternell says as the tagline to each episode. And were on a quest to find yours. The first season had a roster of guests impressive for its diversity: actress Frances McDormand, queer Native American poet Tommy Pico and New Orleans bounce artist Big Freedia, among others. Season 2 is slated to be kick off in March with Bob the Drag Queen.

Peternell started handing out soup about the time the podcast launched. Since then hes worked with Consider the Homeless!, a nonprofit led by housing activist Barbara Brust. Two days a week, Brusts organization picks up soup cooked by a loose network of volunteers and serves it to people living on Berkeleys streets, but Peternell and Henderson still do their own drops too, like tonights.

It does feel good to put a bowl of soup in someones hand, he says, but I also feel like, Im really into cooking. I should just go with my strength.

And in a way, Peternells dal, cooked in his Berkeley kitchen just before he strapped it into the Passat, is his own gateway dish: his soup of moving on, while toting with him the things he loved about Chez Panisse.

I kind of settled on dal because I love dal, Peternell says. I dont know, it just seems so essential and nourishing, and you get lots of flavor because you put lots of spices in. And dal is definitely not part of the Waters brand. Cooking on your own terms, outside the circumscriptions of Chez Panisse, is something cooks wrestle with when they leave.

Cal Peternell stirs the pot as he makes dal, an Indian soup made from lentils, to feed the homeless, in Berkeley, Calif., on Dec. 21, 2018. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

You use something a little different, you use a few too many herbs: You cross the line, says Russell Moore, another 20-year Panisse veteran, who recently closed his restaurant Camino in Oakland. Much like Peternell (with whom he cooked for many years), he found that breaking out while youre still working at the restaurant is difficult, if not impossible.

Chez Panisse, Moore says, is a place with strict rules. Cal and I know those rules really well, Moore says. A dish could never contain cilantro, for example, since it would clash with Waters well-established flavor scheme. You would never mix mint and oregano, Moore says, since that would take a dish in a Spanish direction and into Waters forbidden zone. But how to make sense of the world so close to the restaurants front door?

I dont think Im the first chef who gets to a place where theyre ready for some other thing in their life, Peternell says. Chez Panisse is Alices place, as it should be, and shes brilliant, and shes done all the wonderful things for the food community, and the state of food in America. But its like Nancy Pelosi, he says. Arent there young people coming behind?

One of those coming behind is Tu David Phu, a first-generation Vietnamese American chef from Oakland, one of the San Francisco Chronicles Rising Star Chefs for 2017. It was Phu who introduced Peternell to the inmate mentorship program at San Quentin. Theres this saying in hip-hop, Phu says: Real recognizes real. Cal is super-real and I recognize that.

Part of what changed for Peternell was a feeling that he couldnt look at the world beyond the kitchen as a separate place. I think weve all been somewhat radicalized by the horrifying government we have in place, and just feeling a need to represent something other than what the guy in the White House represents.

Cal Peternell and his sons Milo Henderson, from left, Liam Peternell, and Henderson Peternell spend time in their kitchen at home in Berkeley, Calif. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Since leaving the restaurant, Peternell has done a lot of reading. Hes had conversations about gender and racial politics with his two adult sons, both in their 20s. He cites his awareness of race in America and understanding his own particular privilege.

He seems like a man simultaneously atoning and trying to find his voice, his purpose as a chef. At the end of the day its not even about trying to be the best chef, says Phu, whos become a kind of mentor in social justice to the older chef. With the economic state that were in, to me thats what it boils down to. As chefs we have these skills. Its on us to do whatever  we can to dig us out of this hole.

After leaving the frontage road, Peternell and Henderson look for homeless camps on 4th Street, just south of a cluster of retail that includes an Apple store, a Warby Parker and a new Amazon 4-Star emporium. They find two large tents pieced together from tarps and an old store awning, pushed up against a fence that fronts the stainless-steel tanks of a sake brewery. Two young guys in raised hoodies and heavy jackets emerge to take Peternells dal. Hey, Dan, one of them yells at the other tent. Theres soup.

After a couple of minutes Dan comes out, middle-aged and with bare feet, grinning. He asks for two bowls.

food@latimes.com

@latimesfoodIts three minutes before service begins, and Roy Choi is calmly walking around his immaculate, open kitchen, carrying a deli cup full of rattling plastic black spoons. Opening night at Best Friend, his Las Vegas restaurant inside the Park MGM hotel, probably should be a hectic affair. Its the first restaurant outside Los Angeles for the chef best known for his Kogi BBQ trucks and his first opening since closing his restaurants at the Line Hotel in Koreatown and since transitioning Locol into a catering operation.

But Choi, wearing a black beanie with the letters BF stitched onto the front, is noticeably chill. And theres a smile on his face as he shuffles through his kitchens kimchi fried rice station, banchan station, taco station and pastry kitchen, pausing to dip his spoon into sauce after sauce.

Taste this, he says, beckoning, the tip of a spoon full of a pale pink concoction held just inches from my mouth. Its the slippery shrimp sauce.

Chef Roy Choi is photographed in front of his new restaurant, Best Friend, located inside the Park MGM hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. (Mel melcon / Los Angeles Times)

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And so we taste: just-tart-enough ponzu; the spicy, creamy slippery shrimp sauce; a tamarind hot pot sauce laced with chile; an electric salsa verde. Each is punchier than the next, the flavors big and assertive.

As the clock strikes 5 p.m., Diego Echavarria, the executive chef, huddles with the kitchen staff and with a loud go team, Best Friend is open, and the ticket printer hums to life.

Ten years ago at this time, in this month, I was selling tacos on the street with no money in my bank, scared of what was coming next but invigorated and filled with a whole new life that I couldnt walk away from, Choi says. Hes looking out over his new dining room, a sprawl of color and movement.

A neon sign proclaiming Roy Choi is my best friend welcomes you into a store  full of thousands of chips, sweets, instant ramen packs and knickknacks  that serves as the restaurant entrance. The stores counters are covered in stickers so that they look like the bottom of your sixth-grade skateboard. Slushy machines churn boozy concoctions like Hennessy and Cola.

Chef Roy Choi left, has a discussion with his executive chef Diego Echavarria, while inside the kitchen of his new restaurant, Best Friend, located inside the Park MGM hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. (Mel melcon / Los Angeles Times)

The whole idea behind Best Friend was to bring a capsule of L.A. to Vegas. The L.A. I know, says Choi, who often appoints himself ambassador for the entire city. The whole restaurant is a gift to L.A. and to Vegas and to myself and to the spirits.

The pops of pink and neon yellow, the share-size boxes of Hello Panda, the cans of Spam, the shot glasses, the mini marquee over the cash register showcasing Kogi short rib tacos, the photo of Bruce Lee tacked to a wall. The psychedelic red tunnel you have to walk through to get to the dining room. Its all distinctly Choi, a brand hes painstakingly developed over the last decade.

Hes prone to saying things like its written in the tea leaves and describes his process as a little mystical and witch and warlock. Hes the first to recognize that hes an easy target for critics, but he is relentlessly committed to the Roy Choi-ness of it all.

The whole restaurant is a gift to L.A. and to Vegas and to myself and to the spirits. Roy Choi

From left, chef Roy Choi and bartender Gilbert Lopez say hello to patrons Devin Dexter and Chris Stemmer as they enjoy strawberry cheesecake while sitting at the counter inside the liquor store section of Chois new restaurant, Best Friend. (Mel melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Creatively, whenever I get into a relationship, Im always very upfront from the beginning, Choi says. Hes checking and tasting almost every dish that comes out of the kitchen. I trust myself to be the oversight committee of everything, of sound, music, lighting, design, uniforms, culture, philosophy, kindness, employee morale, relationships, the food. And through that, it just naturally becomes authentic.

As the dining room starts to fill, servers dressed in green and red Adidas track suits whisk sizzling skillets of spicy pork and galbi to the tables. Potted plants cascade and sway from the ceiling  an ode to Commissary, the restaurant he ran in a poolside greenhouse at the Line Hotel. Food runners in rolled-up khakis and bucket hats fill bowls of banchan across the line.

We really wanted to represent the L.A. hip-hop look, Choi says. And Rihanna was my muse for everything. I wanted the restaurant to feel as bad as her on all levels.

1 / 16 Chef Roy Choi is photographed next to a mural located inside the dining room of his new restaurant, Best Friend, inside the Park MGM hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 16 Slippery shrimp is on the menu at Roy Chois new restaurant, Best Friend. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 16 Drinks called Arugula, left, and Banana, right, are offered at Best Friend. The ingredients in Arugula are gin, green apple juice and agave syrup. The ingredients in Banana are tequila, banana liqueur, lime juice syrup and cherry wine. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 16 Tamarind black cod stew, including glass noodles, onions, ginger and herbs, at Best Friend. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 16 Tamarind black cod stew, including glass noodles, onions, ginger and herbs, at Best Friend. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 16 Spicy pork, consisting of thinly sliced belly & shoulder, kochujang and sesame, at Best Friend. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 16 Spicy pork, consisting of thinly sliced belly and shoulder, gochujang and sesame, at Best Friend. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 16 Nelly Dominguez displays buttons while sitting inside the store section of Roy Chois new restaurant, Best Friend. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 16 Hawaiian kampachi with beluga caviar, winter truffle and ponzu sauce at Best Friend. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 16 Liz Ishii feeds Jeff Staple a piece of a homemade hawaiian roll while dining on opening night at Best Friend. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 16 Chef Roy Choi sits at the chefs table, located inside the kitchen of his new restaurant, Best Friend, at the Park MGM hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 16 Chef Roy Choi is photographed inside the kimchi room at Best Friend. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 16 Chef Roy Choi greets patrons on the opening night of his new restaurant, Best Friend. (Mel melcon / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 16 From left, chef Roy Choi and bartender Gilbert Lopez say hello to patrons Devin Dexter and Chris Stemmer as they eat strawberry cheesecake while sitting at the counter inside the store section of Chois new restaurant, Best Friend. (Mel melcon / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 16 Chef Roy Choi, left, has a discussion with his executive chef, Diego Echavarria, while inside the kitchen of his new restaurant, Best Friend. (Mel melcon / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 16 Chef Roy Choi is photographed in front of his new restaurant, Best Friend, located inside the Park MGM hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. (Mel melcon / Los Angeles Times)

The night moves from a Rihanna song to Delilah, with Alice Cooper, Bruno Mars and Dilated Peoples thrown in. Choi walks from the kitchen to the tables, thanking each person for coming in and pausing to take selfies with those who ask.

Cynthia Herrera, a teacher from Huntington Park, made sure to get a reservation for the evening.

We came because we knew Roy Choi was from L.A. and because of Locol, Herrera says. His story is so inspiring. As a teacher, Im really proud for my students to see him and for him to open something like this. They see they can do it too.

The room smells of garlic and chile and fish sauce, and thats exactly how Choi wants it. He has a red room he calls the kimchi room, tucked into the back of the kitchen, which hes devoted to fermentation. At present, there are about 1,500 pounds of cabbage, cucumber and daikon stacked in plastic tubs. Hes hoping to ferment everything for at least three months before service.

Chef Roy Choi is photographed inside the kimchi room at Best Friend. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

At each table, diners flip through the menu, presented as a yellow binder  something you would have shoved in your backpack in middle school. The first page is a photo of Choi, that same smile on his face, at age 10. The menu reads like a Choi greatest hits album. Although some of the items may look familiar, Choi says he sent them back to the R&D phase before giving them a spot. The roasted carrots from Commissary make an appearance, as do the short rib tacos from Kogi and some hot pots from Pot. But half of the menu is devoted to dishes created for Vegas: a Tomahawk steak with that salsa verde; kimchi jjiggae; a tamarind fish hot pot the size of a truck tire; chili spaghetti inspired by Bobs Big Boy; and the slippery shrimp dish influenced by the one at Yang Chow in L.A.s Chinatown.

Im really proud of our food and how it tastes and how people are reacting to it, Choi says, popping a shrimp into his mouth for another taste test. Its kind of funky, dirty, a little off-center.

Slippery shrimp is on the menu at Roy Chois new restaurant, Best Friend. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

As the ticket printer starts to slow for the first time since the doors opened, Roy stands in the red glow of the kimchi room and reflects on the whirlwind year thats about to come to a close.

Ive lost three very close people in my life this year, Anthony [Bourdain], Jonathan [Gold] and my friend Erik Sheppard, and you know, Im not going to second-guess myself anymore, Choi says. Im just going to go for it. I have a lot anxiety in myself and I hold myself back from doing a lot of things. I just looked at the whole year and was, like, What if I die tomorrow? I feel like this is my best work. Its coming out even more soulful right now. So, yeah, Im ready for the next 10 years.

Around 10:30 p.m., a table raucously clinks glasses recently filled with a magnums worth of wine.

Feels like one of my restaurants, Choi says. Straight out of L.A.

101 Restaurants we love 

jenn.harris@latimes.com

Instagram: @Jenn_Harris_A fire ripped through a clothing warehouse in the Central Alameda area south of downtown Los Angeles early Friday, triggering a large response from city firefighters.

The fire was reported about 5:30 a.m. at 1842 E. 41st Place, just steps from the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. The roof of the building partially collapsed shortly after 6 a.m. as about 100 firefighters battled the blaze, according to fire officials.

Power lines in the area caused electrical hazards for fire crews as they doused flames from several angles, officials said. Video from the scene showed a firefighter on a ladder towering over the building, blasting water toward its center, which was fully engulfed.

It took crews about 90 minutes to knock down the fire. Firefighters will remain at the scene for several hours to extinguish hot spots while arson investigators scour the building, authorities said.

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No injuries were immediately reported, and the cause of the fire has not been determined.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahnfryAn Orange County Superior Court judge ruled Thursday that there is enough evidence for a man accused of setting the Holy fire to stand trial on arson charges.

Judge Gregg L. Prickett dismissed two felony counts of resisting arrest that had been filed against Forrest Gordon Clark, 51, at the request of prosecutors because of a lack of evidence. Clark still faces four felony charges, including arson and criminal threats. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held in county jail in lieu of $1-million bail.

The Trabuco Canyon resident was arrested a day after the wildfire erupted Aug. 6 in Holy Jim Canyon, destroying at least a dozen cabins, forcing widespread evacuations and eventually chewing through more than 23,000 acres in Orange and Riverside counties.

When authorities questioned Clark about the blaze, he described a lucid dream about his neighbor  Holy Jim Volunteer Fire Department Chief Michael Milligan  pouring gas through a cabins broken window, according to testimony from Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Donald Ford given Wednesday, the first day of Clarks preliminary hearing.

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However, Clark also told other versions of the dream in which another neighbor or the Mexicans set the fire, authorities said. Milligan has denied involvement in the fire.

Ford testified that he thinks the fire began in the general area of a cabin owned by a neighbor whom Clark had previously threatened, rather than inside the cabin. He said the flames likely ignited outside before the building caught fire and spread to nearby brush.

Authorities initially thought the blaze started inside the cabin, but Ford said he based his updated theory on reports from callers who dialed 911, saying they saw flames just outside the structure before it was consumed. Investigators said they are confident the fire was sparked intentionally, but they dont have direct physical evidence linking Clark to the blaze.

Ford testified that he concluded Clark had set the fire because of his statements to investigators and Clarks alleged threats to his neighbor, with whom he apparently had a long-running feud.

U.S. Forest Service Officer Albert Banh said when he arrived in the area the day of the fire, he heard Clark screaming.

He appeared to be arguing with those around him, he said.

Clark initially denied having set the fire, but then told Banh that maybe he did it, Banh testified.

In early August, Clark made several outbursts during a brief court appearance that took place when the Holy fire was only 5% contained. At the time, he called the charges against him a lie. He was scheduled to appear in court the day before but refused to leave his jail cell.

Earlier the same week, Clark gave a rambling interview to a television reporter, saying he didnt know anything about how the fire started.

When Clark appeared for his arraignment Aug. 17, a judge questioned his mental competency and ordered that criminal proceedings be suspended until a psychiatric evaluation could be completed.

Two mental health experts examined Clark, and a judge ordered a third evaluation in October after a conflict in opinion between the previous two doctors. In that review, Clark was found mentally competent, the Orange County district attorneys office said.

Before his arrest, Clark was a well-known troublemaker among neighbors in the Trabuco Canyon community.

Three weeks before the fire started, Milligan got two texts from Clark: 911 call sheriff, then, Its all going to burn like you planned.

Times staff writer Alejandra Reyes-Velarde and City News Service contributed to this report.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahnfryTwo men have been charged with burglary after authorities said they broke into a Santa Monica apartment last week and made themselves at home.

Elijah Smart, 29, and Markis White, 19, were arrested Dec. 21 and are facing a felony count of residential burglary, according to court records.

Authorities say the pair entered an apartment in the 1200 block of Euclid Street, likely through an unlocked sliding glass door leading to the patio, and got comfortable. They cooked themselves a meal, moved furniture around and watched television, said Santa Monica Police Lt. Saul Rodriguez.

Robby Spillman told KNBC-TV Channel 4 that he found the men, who he said are homeless, inside his apartment when he returned home from Christmas shopping. He said they asked if he minded if they hang out for a while and said they werent expecting him back so soon.

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I was just in shock, Spillman told the station. I was calm and I said to them, Do you have enough food? Is there anything I can get you guys? 

Spillman grabbed his French bulldog, walked outside and called police about 9:20 p.m. The men left his kitchen in shambles, with food and dirty pots, pans and dishes all over, he said.

Im probably just going to throw it all away, he said.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahnfryA judge on Thursday suspended criminal proceedings for a man accused of stabbing two sisters at an Oakland train station, killing one of them, so doctors can determine whether hes mentally fit to stand trial.

Prosecutors alleged that John Lee Cowell, 28, stabbed Nia Wilson and her 26-year-old sister in the neck at a Bay Area Rapid Transit Station in Oakland in July. Wilson died at the scene. She was 18.

Cowells attorney said she doubts her client understands the charges against him.

I dont believe hes able to rationally assist me in his defense, which is the legal standard, public defender Christina Marie Moore said. Hes incredibly paranoid and delusional right now. Ive been unable to redirect him.

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Two court-appointed psychiatrists will evaluate Cowells mental state, with an initial report expected within 45 days, Moore said. If doctors disagree, a third evaluation will be ordered.

The slaying occurred five months ago when Cowell came up behind Wilson and stabbed her twice in rapid succession before attacking her sister in the same prison-yard type of attack, BART Police Chief Carlos Rojas told reporters at the time.

It basically happened at the snap of the fingers, at the drop of the pin  that quick, Rojas said.

Cowell and the two women boarded the train at the Concord station, according to a statement released by BART. He did not interact with either of them until the attack, which took place at the MacArthur station, according to Alicia Trost, a spokeswoman for BART.

Authorities later found Cowell aboard an Antioch-bound train at the Pleasant Hill Station, where he was taken into custody.

Moore said she could not reveal much about her conversations with Cowell, citing attorney-client privilege, but she said he is not grounded in reality.

When the judge asked about a history of mental illness, Moore cited 22 occasions in which Cowell was involuntarily committed to a mental hospital. Three of those were in the months before his arrest, she said.

In 2016, Cowell was sentenced to two years in prison for second-degree robbery, according to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokeswoman Vicky Waters. A judge credited him 159 days for time served while awaiting sentencing, and he was paroled in May, she said.

Moore said Cowell spent the last five months of his sentence in a hospital for inmates who are so severely mentally ill, they cant be housed in a regular prison. He was released from the hospital not because he was found mentally fit, but because he had served his time, the lawyer said.

Moore said doctors are evaluating Cowells current mental state, not his sanity at the time of the attack, and said she is not presenting an insanity defense.

This doesnt mean theres not going to be a murder trial, she said.

alejandra.reyesvelarde@latimes.com

Twitter: @r_valejandraAnother migrant caravan  this one estimated at 15,000 people  is preparing to leave Honduras on Jan. 15, according to migrant rights advocates and Spanish-language media.

They say they are even bigger and stronger than the last caravan, said Irma Garrido, a member of the migrant advocacy group Reactiva Tijuana Foundation.

Meanwhile, thousands of Central American migrants from a caravan that left Honduras in October remain stranded at the U.S.-Mexico border and languishing in crowded Tijuana shelters while they wait out a lengthy process to file asylum requests with the United States.

Coordinators who helped direct the migrants on the 2,000-mile trek with bullhorns, arranging for buses and giving advice along the way, have mostly vanished. Many of the migrants say they feel abandoned and unsure where to turn next. Some are ready to return home.

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Garrido said this new, larger caravan will probably be joined by more people in El Salvador and in Guatemala, but she said they dont plan on coming straight to the Tijuana-San Diego border, where resources are already stretched nearly to a breaking point.

They will stay in the south of Mexico in Chiapas and Oaxaca. Their aim is to request work there, she said.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has pledged visas and work in Mexico for Central American migrants. In his inauguration speech, he pledged public works projects such as planting 2 million trees and construction of his Maya Train, which will link cities in the three Yucatan peninsula states as well as Tabasco and Chiapas.

The $8-billion project is expected to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the southern states of Mexico.

Last week, Mexico and the United States agreed to develop a plan to curb Central American migration. The plan includes a $25-billion investment from Mexico into its southern states over the next five years. The United States will contribute $4.8 billion to Mexico and $5.8 billion to the Northern Triangle of Central America, which is made up of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Most of the U.S. funding will be allocated from existing aid programs.

El Diario de Chiapas, a newspaper for the southern state of Mexico, reported that, like the last caravan, news about the groups plans to leave Honduras, their numbers and which routes they would be taking is spreading mostly by social media.

On Facebook, reaction in Chiapas to news of a second caravan was not all favorable.

Well, now the government does something. That work is for Mexicans that need it, said Anna Perez from Palenque, Mexico, on Facebook. Opportunistic people who just want to take advantage of the Mexicans.

The caravan that left Honduras in October, drawing the ire of President Trump and capturing international media attention, was not the first. Crowds of migrants often travel together for protection from criminals who stalk the routes.

Pueblo Sin Fronteras has led migrant caravans from Central America for more than 15 years, usually bringing the largest crowds just before Easter.

The organization and its work was relatively unknown to most Americans until Trump began tweeting about the caravan before the midterm election.

The El Diario de Chiapas newspaper reported that even though Tijuana would not be the newest caravans initial destination, some of the participants plan to eventually make their way north to the city to try to enter the United States.

In Tijuana, the presence of Central American migrants has sparked protest and even violence.

Last week, two people threw a canister of tear gas into Tijuanas El Barretal shelter, Mexican federal police said.

On Dec. 15, two Honduran teenagers were viciously beaten, tortured and killed by low-level members of the Jalisco New Generation cartel, highlighting the dangers for unaccompanied minors in the caravan.

After the teenagers deaths, the Consulate of Honduras issued a warning: We reiterate the call to Honduran nationals that they not risk their lives and the lives of their families on the dangers that the migratory route represents, where migrants are exposed to being victims of traffickers.

Thousands remain stuck in Tijuana, a city with more than 2,000 homicides this year, leaving the Central American migrants almost as vulnerable as they were grappling with the gang violence that caused them to flee their homelands.

Fry writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.A man who is living in the country illegally and has known gang ties was arrested Friday in the fatal shooting of a police officer during a traffic stop in Stanislaus County, authorities said.

Gustavo Perez Arriaga, 32, was arrested in the death of Newman Police Cpl. Ronil Singh, Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson said at a news conference Friday.

Arriaga, who had two prior arrests for drunk driving, was held in the Lamont area as he tried to flee to his native Mexico, the sheriff said.

The suspects 25-year-old brother, Adrian Virgen, and a coworker, 27-year-old Erik Razo Quiroz, both of whom were also in the country illegally, were arrested Thursday on felony charges that they interfered with the investigation, authorities said.

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Bernabe Madrigal Castaneda, 59, Erasmo Villegas, 36, and Maria Luisa Moreno, 57, were arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting, authorities said. The three were in the home where Arriaga was arrested.

Authorities have probable cause to believe Arriaga was under the influence of alcohol when Singh stopped him early Wednesday in Newman, Christianson said. The motive in the shooting is not clear.

Arriagas previous brushes with the law and his subsequent release by law enforcement prompted angry comments from the sheriff about Senate Bill 54, the states so-called sanctuary law, which provides expanded protection for immigrants who have entered the country illegally. The law, which took effect in January, prohibits state and local police agencies from notifying federal officials in many cases when immigrants potentially subject to deportation are about to be released from custody.

This is a criminal illegal alien with prior criminal activity that should have been reported to ICE, Christianson said. Law enforcement was prohibited because of sanctuary laws, and that led to the encounter with Officer Singh. Im suggesting that the outcome could have been different if law enforcement wasnt restricted, prohibited or had their hands tied because of political interference.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could not provide information about Arriagas background and his immigration status because ICEs public affairs officers are out for the government shutdown.

About 1 a.m. Wednesday, Singh was tipped off about an intoxicated man in a silver pickup, authorities said. The officer radioed that he was pulling over a vehicle at Merced Street and Eucalyptus Avenue. Minutes later, he called out shots fired over the radio, authorities said.

It was a gunfight, Christianson told reporters on Thursday. Cpl. Singh absolutely tried to defend himself and stop this credible threat.

The officers who responded found Singh, 33, had been shot while the motorist he stopped had fled. Singh was taken to a hospital, where he died.

Singhs younger brother, Reggie Singh, who broke down at Fridays news conference, thanked law enforcement officials for working days and nights to make the arrests.

Id like to thank you from the bottom of my heart, Singh said, holding his hand to his chest. I was waiting for this to happen.

Arriaga, who has been in the country for several years, had worked in the labor industry, Christianson said. The suspect also has known gang affiliations, claiming to be a sureno, or southerner, a California gang with strong ties to the Mexican mafia, authorities said.

Why are we providing sanctuary for criminals, gang members, Christianson said. Its a conversation we need to have.

Kern County sheriffs officials learned Friday that Arriaga was believed to be inside a residence in the 8200 block of Brooks Lane, Sheriff Donny Youngblood said in a separate news conference. As SWAT teams circled the house and prepared to enter, Arriaga exited with his hands up and surrendered to officers.

Several people are believed to have helped Arriaga get to Kern County, Youngblood said, adding that authorities believe more arrests may come.

Youngblood called the suspects immigration status secondary, but he added that its extremely important that we get there and confirm whether the person had a right to be in this country or not.

The sheriff has previously called for anti-sanctuary policies on immigration.

When you tie our hands and dont allow us to work with our federal partners and communicate with our federal partners about people that commit crimes and are in this country illegally, were going to have incidences like this, Youngblood said Friday. Not just on police officers, but on the public that we serve and protect.

Arriagas arrest comes nearly a week after a partial federal government shutdown prompted largely by a funding dispute between President Trump and the House of Representatives over funding for a border wall. Trump has made stepped-up enforcement on illegal immigration one of his administrations top priorities.

On Thursday, the president tweeted about the Stanislaus County case: Time to get tough on Border Security. Build the Wall!

As Arriaga was taken to Stanislaus County, he was placed in Singhs handcuffs, authorities said.

Theyre on that guy for his trip home, Youngblood said.

brittny.mejia@latimes.com

Twitter: @Brittny_MejiaCpl. Ronil Singh spent time with his wife and 5-month-old son on Christmas Day before heading out to work an overnight shift.

In the predawn hours of the next morning, the 33-year-old radioed that he was pulling over a vehicle in Newman, where he had worked for the Police Department for seven years. A few minutes later, he called over the radio: Shots fired!

Officers who responded found Singh had been shot. He was taken to a hospital, where he died. The motorist, who had been stopped as part of a DUI investigation, was gone.

The Stanislaus County Sheriffs Department has identified a suspect in the case, but he is not in custody. His name has not been released, and authorities would say only that the man is in the country illegally.

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As the search for the suspect intensifies, Singhs family and the city of Newman  made up of a little more than 11,000 people  are left grappling with the loss of a man described as a dedicated officer and a loving husband and father.

The Newman Police Department, which employs 12 people, had never suffered a death in the line of duty.

This has a very unique impact on a community that is very small, Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson said. On a police department that is very small.

Singh, who was Indo-Fijian, came to the U.S. from Fiji about 20 years ago, his family said. He volunteered with the Modesto Police Department and was a Turlock Police Department cadet. He spent part of his career with the Merced County Sheriffs Office as a reserve deputy sheriff.

When Randy Richardson took over as chief of the Newman Police Department, one of his first hires was Singh, in July 2011.

He told me he came to America to become a police officer. Thats all he wanted to do, Richardson said, growing teary-eyed during a news conference. He truly loved what he did.

When dispatch struggled to understand Singh because of his heavy accent, Richardson recalled, the corporal put himself through speech classes.

He served in a K-9 patrol unit and his dog, Sam, was with him when he was shot, police said.

When Richardson pulled Sam out of the patrol car, she was wearing a Mrs. Claus dog costume  just one example of the way Singh tried to bring smiles to peoples faces, he said.

Richardson had relieved Singh in the predawn hours of Christmas Day so he could spend time with his family before working that night.

The police chief described Singh as a man who smiled often and was never in a bad mood. He loved to hunt, fish and go out on the ocean.

Singh wanted to keep climbing ranks, with hopes one day of leading the department, Richardson said.

Please remember the man. Please remember the husband. Please remember what he was, what he came to this country to do, Richardson said. He was a police officer, but more importantly, he was a human being.

Singh was well-known in the city, according to a business owner who knew him but was too emotional to speak. The man described his death as a big loss for us in the community.

The corporal often stopped in the Hamlet Motel parking lot, near a four-way intersection where officers would pull over motorists and write tickets.

He was a nice guy, said Jig Patel, the motel owner. He would come over here and help me out whenever I called him.

The two had spoken just the other day for half an hour about a trip Patel had taken last year to Dubai. Singh visited a lot of places in the city just to chat, Patel said.

He knew a lot of people here, he said. Its a little town.

Patel called Singhs death a tragedy, as well as the fact that the shooter got away too on top of that.

Authorities said they think the suspect is still in Stanislaus County. They did not provide additional details but said he was not from the Newman area.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could not provide information about the mans immigration status because ICEs public affairs officers are out of the office for the duration of the government shutdown.

We will relentlessly continue to hunt our suspect down and bring him to justice so  that we can bring closure to this community and this police department, Christianson said.

Singh was destined to be a police officer, his uncle Ugesh Yogi Singh said in a phone interview. The family comes from the Kshatriya caste, known as warriors.

We are the protectors, 58-year-old Ugesh Singh said. Im proud of him because he was doing what he was really meant to do.  It was in his blood.

He described his nephew as someone who was naturally good.

When Singhs brother-in-law died a few years ago, the officer went to Canada, where his wifes parents lived and brought them to his home to move in so they wouldnt have to be alone.

Thats the kind of guy he was, Ugesh Singh said.

When Singh would go camping or fishing, he would take other relatives out with him. Over the weekend, he posted photos on his Facebook account from a deep sea fishing trip.

He was close with his younger brother and his parents, even buying a house on the street where his parents lived.

He was a great son who will be dearly missed by his parents, Ugesh Singh said.

In a photo circulating on social media, Singh  who is in uniform  is pictured with his wife, his young son and his K-9 partner, Sam, near a Christmas tree. The police dog is being retired and will remain with Singhs family.

I will not take another member of that family from them, Richardson said.

brittny.mejia@latimes.com

Twitter: @Brittny_MejiaEgypt's Prosecutor-General Nabil Sadek ordered on Friday night an urgent investigation into the deadly explosion of an IED earlier in the evening in El-Haram, Giza, which left three Vietnamese tourists and their tour company representative dead and 11 injured on a tourist bus traveling on El-Maryoutiya Street.

The injured included 10 of the 14 Vietnamese tourists on the bus, as well as the Egyptian bus driver.

The Prosecutor-General tasked the Supreme State Security Prosecution and the Southern Giza Prosecution with conducting the necessary inspection of the explosion scene and interviews of eye witnesses and survivors.

Sadek also ordered the completion of an urgent autopsy report for those killed.

Sadek also ordered prosecutors to conduct forensic investigations to determine the nature of the material used to make the IED, and to impound all surveillance cameras in the vicinity of the explosion.

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Three people were killed Friday and two were injured in a wrong-way crash on the 5 Freeway in Sylmar, authorities said.

The crash was reported on the northbound 5 near the transition ramp to the northbound 14 Freeway about 3:30 a.m. Firefighters extricated several people from the wreckage, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

A Honda Accord was traveling the wrong way on the freeway when it collided with a Ford Mustang, according to a California Highway Patrol report. The impact sent the Mustang crashing into another vehicle.

Two people in the Honda died at the scene, and a passenger in the Mustang later died at the hospital, the CHP said.

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A person in the third vehicle suffered minor injuries and has been released from the hospital.

Authorities said alcohol or drugs likely played a role in the crash.

The ramp to the 14 Freeway was closed until 8:30 a.m. as the California Highway Patrol investigated the crash.

Alejandra Reyes-Velarde contributed to this report.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahnfryAlabama Atty. Gen. Steve Marshall said Thursday that his office is exploring whether disinformation tactics deployed against Republican Roy Moore during last years special election violated state campaign laws and said he was worried that the operation could have affected the closely fought Senate race.

The information is concerning, Marshall, a Republican, said in a phone interview. The impact it had on the election is something thats significant for us to explore, and well go from there.

Moore lost the election to his Democratic rival, Sen. Doug Jones.

Marshall, who said he learned of the disinformation campaign called Project Birmingham through news reports over the past two weeks, stopped short of announcing a formal investigation but said his office was beginning to gather information about the effort.

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Were planning to explore the issue further, Marshall said.

Internet billionaire Reid Hoffman apologized on Wednesday for giving $750,000 to a group, American Engagement Technologies, that allegedly had ties to an effort to undermine support for Moore and bolster Jones. The new senator has called for a federal investigation into Project Birmingham.

Hoffman said in his statement Wednesday that he did not know that the money had been used for disinformation tactics, including a reported effort to create fake evidence that automated Russian accounts, called bots, were supporting Moore in the race.

Jonathon Morgan, chief executive of Texas-based research firm New Knowledge, has acknowledged being paid by American Engagement Technologies to experiment on a small scale with disinformation tactics, including creating a Facebook page that sought to appeal to Republicans who might not support Moore. Morgan has repeatedly denied that he attempted to affect the outcome of the election or that he had any role in the broader efforts of Project Birmingham.

Morgan did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Marshalls actions in Alabama.

A spokesman for Hoffman also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Hoffman previously said it would be a good idea for investigators to look into what happened in Alabama.

We cannot permit dishonest campaign tactics to go unchecked in our democracy  no matter which side they purportedly help, Hoffman said in his apology.

Dmitri Mehlhorn, a political advisor for Hoffman, declined to comment. Moore, contacted through his former spokeswoman, did not immediately respond. A spokeswoman for Jones did not immediately respond to requests either.

Marshall said in the interview that the rapidly changing nature of campaigning on social media has made it difficult for authorities to know how to address disinformation tactics in elections.

Technology has put us in a difficult position in many respects in terms of the applicability of our current laws, Marshall said.

Timburg and Romm write for the Washington Post.Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowksi said she plans to reintroduce a bill intended to help solve crimes against Native Americans.

The bill received unanimous Senate approval but was blocked by the outgoing chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

Virginia Rep. Bob Goodlatte said he agrees with the intent of North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamps bill, which would expand tribal access to federal crime databases, set standards for law enforcements response to cases of missing or slain Native Americans and instruct the Justice Department to increase its data collection on crimes against Native Americans.

But he said it hurts some agencies that have no link to tribal communities and therefore couldnt compete for Justice Department grants the bill would create if it became law, the Roanoke Times reported.

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Goodlatte, who is retiring after 13 terms in office, said only a limited number of law enforcement organizations are eligible for those funds so every other law enforcement organization in America is opposed to it, and the Fraternal Order of Police and groups like that because theyre getting a cut in order to do that.

With the House adjourned until further notice, it appears that the measure known as Savannas Act will expire at the end of the year. Murkowski, of Alaska, has said she will take up the measure when lawmakers return to Washington.

Its disappointing that one Republican member of Congress blocked Savannas Act from passing this year, Heitkamp said in a statement. But fortunately, Rep. Goodlatte wont be around to block it in the new Congress. Ive talked with Sen. Murkowski about Savannas Act and Im so proud that she will reintroduce my bill in the new year.

The bill is named for Savanna Greywind, a North Dakota woman who was killed and her baby cut from her womb.

Attorney Gloria Allred, who represents the Greywind family, said Friday that the bill asks for a minimal level of accountability and the notion that it is too onerous for law enforcement is absurd.

If thats the case then this bill should be introduced as is and let them come and testify before Congress about why they dont want an incentive for providing the appropriate data that is needed and that this bill requires, Allred said. Lets see who they are. If there are any they shouldnt be hiding behind some elected official.Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. Its Friday, Dec. 28, and heres whats happening across California:

TOP STORIES

Hundreds of new California laws take effect on Jan. 1, imposing a raft of new mandates on scores of issues, including rules dictating when plastic straws will be handed out at restaurants, that workplace sexual harassment settlements are disclosed and that set new limits on the ownership of guns. Los Angeles Times

Awaiting the governor

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With Gavin Newsom taking office as California governor, he faces myriad tough issues from healthcare and homelessness to fire policy.

-- With Californias ambitious but troubled high-speed rail, Newsom inherits a tough decision from outgoing Gov. Jerry Brown: delay indefinitely the goal of a statewide bullet train system and salvage something useful out of the billions of dollars in sunk costs, or recommit to the original vision and find at least $50 billion in new money to keep it going. Los Angeles Times

-- What the fire unions expect from Newsom. Sacramento Bee

Killed in the line of duty

A profile of Ronil Singh, the Central Valley police officer killed early Wednesday in the line of duty, breaking hearts in the small town he patrolled. He told me he came to America to become a police officer. Thats all he wanted to do, the police chief of Newman said. He truly loved what he did. Los Angeles Times

Plus: Authorities say the suspect is in the U.S. illegally, and that prompted President Trump to weigh in. Los Angeles Times

BEST OF 2018

Essential California is beginning our annual list of Californias best reads of the year. Look for more through Jan. 1.

A dazzling, deep exploration of how one family is changing agriculture in the Central Valley, and also is trying to alter the fraught social contract between farmers and labor. By Mark Arax, California Sunday Magazine

Revelations by reporters about allegations of sexual misconduct by a longtime USC gynecologist over decades sparked a revolution at one of Californias most important and esteemed institutions. By Harriet Ryan, Matt Hamilton and Paul Pringle, Los Angeles Times

In the tiny town of Mojave, modern-day rocket men are risking their lives to make space tourism a reality. By Nicholas Schmidle, New Yorker

One of Americas bloodiest hitmen operated with impunity in rural California. The story of how he got away with murder for so long says something profound about justice and class in California. By Jessica Garrison, BuzzFeed News

Russia, fake news, bad actors and Facebooks tumbling from the worlds best friend to a cautionary tale for our times. By Sheera Frenkel, Nicholas Confessore, Cecilia Kang, Matthew Rosenberg and Jack Nicas, New York Times

California is the wealthiest place in America, brimming with Silicon Valley dollars and Hollywood glitz. But its also home to crushing child poverty, often hidden amid the familiar suburbs. By Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times

Ronil Singh, 33, was described as a man who smiled often and was never in a bad mood. He loved to hunt, fish and go out on the ocean. (Singh family photo)

Get the Essential California newsletter 

L.A. STORIES

What goes up  : The L.A. housing bubble hasnt burst, but those popping sounds are getting louder. Southern California home sales fell sharply in November, deepening a retreat from a sustained housing boom that placed home ownership out of reach for many. The 12% drop in November sales from a year earlier was the fourth consecutive monthly decline for the six-county region. However, housing experts arent ready to declare that a bust is underway. Los Angeles Times

History lesson: The pioneering woman who helped build downtown L.A. Curbed Los Angeles

Flower powerhouse: The 130th Rose Parade may be kicking off early Tuesday morning, but officials at Cal Poly Pomona say its planned Rose Float Lab will not be part of the float building process this year. School officials say design tweaks have forced them to delay construction until early next year. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

The trouble runs deep: California Republicans fear the worst is yet to come. Fresno Bee

RIP: Barbara Edelston Yaroslavsky, a longtime community leader and the wife of former Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, has died. Los Angeles Times

CRIME AND COURTS

Cost-saving strategy: Inside the new L.A. County sheriffs plan for body cameras. LAist

Remains identified: A Manhattan Beach woman who went missing more than two years ago during a family trip to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art has been confirmed dead. Los Angeles Times

Born on drugs: The alarming increase in babies of addict moms. Los Angeles Daily News

Thats just his opinion, man? Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has moved to have a defamation lawsuit against him dismissed, arguing that his insults aimed at a Thai-cave rescue volunteer whom he called a pedo and a child rapist were merely opinions and protected by the 1st Amendment. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

The image maker: Donald Trump was on the D list in Hollywood when he met Mark Burnett. Then came Celebrity Apprentice, and everything changed. New Yorker

Spidey sense: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was something of a creative dare. The filmmakers sought an all-new visual language, conjuring the feeling of being inside the pages of a living, breathing comic book. It turned out to be a Hollywood success story. Los Angeles Times

Plus: The early line on some potential Oscar nominees. Los Angeles Times

Yum: Using Yelp to track the rise and fall of restaurants around San Francisco. San Francisco Chronicle

Woof! Can doggie playgroups get more canines adopted? Orange County Register

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles area: Sunny, 64, Friday and Saturday. San Diego: Sunny, 62, Friday and Saturday. San Francisco area: Sunny, 58, Friday. Mostly sunny, 57, Saturday. San Jose: Sunny, 58, Friday. Mostly sunny, 58, Saturday. Sacramento: Mostly sunny, 57, Friday. Partly cloudy, 54, Saturday. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

Todays California memory comes from Diane Gross:

My family moved to the Valley in 1958. Many Saturdays, my sister and I would get up at dawn, and, still in our pajamas, get in Dads truck to be dropped off at his parents apartment in Hollywood on his way to work; wed listen to Dick Whittinghill on KMPC as we drove through Laurel Canyon. Wed have breakfast, get dressed, then take the bus downtown to shop the department stores that still lined the streets and have lunch at Cliftons. Sometimes, wed stay on Hollywood Boulevard and lunch at Ontra Cafeteria. Dad, the grandparents, the stores and Ontra are all gone now; Im glad for the memories.

If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. Send us an email to let us know what you love or fondly remember about our state. (Please keep your story to 100 words.)

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Benjamin Oreskes and Shelby Grad. Also follow them on Twitter @boreskes and @shelbygrad.President Trumps impulsive announcement that he would be withdrawing 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria led to a bipartisan chorus of criticism and the resignation of Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis. But it also prompted a defense of the president from within and outside the administration centered on the fact that the pullout was consistent with Trumps longtime aversion to indefinite deployment of U.S. troops in what he sees as regional conflicts.

Trump has, in fact, made that aversion clear. Nor is he alone in his unease about open-ended military commitments. For example, when Sen. Bernie Sanders was seeking the Democratic nomination for president in 2016, he told the Los Angeles Times editorial board that he would definitely attempt as president to make sure we do not get sucked into perpetual warfare in the Middle East. Many Americans who would recoil at the crudity of Trumps rhetoric about America First still share his frustration about the lack of progress in Afghanistan 17 years after U.S. forces were first deployed there.

The problem is that Trump is more than a skeptic about long-term military commitments. The president also has made it clear that he is unenthusiastic about Americas historic alliances, distrustful of international organizations and indifferent to whether other nations adhere to democratic ideals. Underlying all of these attitudes is a seeming contempt for the world outside Americas shores and a suspicion that other nations are perpetually taking advantage of the United States. In a September speech to the United Nations  another organization he dismisses  Trump said: We reject the ideology of globalism, and we embrace the doctrine of patriotism.

In remarks during his visit to the troops in Iraq last week, Trump suggested that his planned withdrawal from Syria showed that were no longer the suckers, folks. He complained to reporters: We are spread out all over the world. We are in countries most people havent even heard about. Frankly, its ridiculous. This is more than opposition to prolonged military intervention; it amounts to disdain for all sorts of engagement with other countries, including those with shared values. The U.S. is hardly a sucker for joining an international effort to defeat a threat, and ascertaining whether or not most Americans have heard of a country would be a scary way to determine whether the U.S. should get involved there.

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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 was in part a reference to the partners in the U.S. campaign against Islamic State who were blindsided by Trumps withdrawal announcement. But it should also be read as a reference to Trumps grudging support for NATO and constant carping about how other members of the alliance arent paying their way.

Trump has tried to soften the blow of his Syria announcement, promising that the departure will be orderly and that U.S. special forces stationed in Iraq could launch raids into Syria if necessary to deal with remnants of Islamic State. Still, the withdrawal from Syria will go forward, and Trump reportedly is planning to withdraw half of the 14,000 remaining U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Almost halfway through his presidency, Trump seems determined to rededicate himself to the America First policy he announced in his campaign and shake off advisors who might disagree.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

This poses a challenge to his critics in Congress, including Democrats who will assume control of the House of Representatives next month and senators of both parties who will be asked to vote for a new secretary of Defense and other officials responsible for foreign and national security policy. Congress needs to focus not only on how amateurishly Trump executes foreign policy but the clear shortcomings of the policy itself.

Congress also needs to reclaim some of its own constitutional authority over foreign affairs and national defense. Presidents of both parties have prosecuted the war against Islamic State and various counter-terrorism missions without explicit permission from Congress, relying on outdated authorizations for use of military force. Especially when the White House is occupied by a man who is prone to rash decisions, Congress needs to assert its authority.

Finally, Trumps critics (and not just in Congress) need to articulate an alternative vision of foreign policy that rejects dangerous isolationism but also guards against military actions that are unnecessary or counterproductive. After a series of misbegotten military adventures, notably the invasion of Iraq, many Americans are understandably wary of foreign entanglements and susceptible to the siren song of America First. But the U.S. can cooperate with other nations and defend American interests and values without becoming either the worlds policeman or a sucker. Such enlightened engagement with the world isnt just possible; its vital.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand FacebookCongress can help atone for the nations horrific past by finally making lynching a federal crime

Since the Civil War, Americans have struggled to define what seems to be obvious: What is a lynching? It conjures visions of a mob pulling a man from a jail cell, hauling him to a tree and throwing a rope over a branch. But debates have centered on how how many people must take part in such an extrajudicial killing for it to qualify as a lynching (the NAACP suggested in 1921 at least five).

And must the motive be racial? Was the hanging of a suspected white horse thief in the Wild West by ranch hands the same as a white Southern mob, amid taunts, jeers and spit, turning a black man accused of insulting a white woman into strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees, as Billie Holliday once sang?

Do the nuances really matter? Its true that not all lynching victims were black, but blacks were overwhelmingly the targets (and many white victims of lynching had defended blacks or opposed lynching). We cannot sever that horrific practice from our disgraceful history of racism. Slavery was abominable, and to this day the nation is influenced by the riches  from New England shipowners to New York financiers to Southern farmers and brokers  and the evils of our original sin.

Lynching became slaverys evil spawn, acts of indefensible extrajudicial brutality meant to scare former slaves and their descendants to hew to their constricted place in a white society. After slavery, these acts of terrorism  more than 4,700 documented cases from 1882 to 1968  became the ultimate expression of racism and white supremacy.

Rather than being shamed, some whites celebrated racial lynching. Photographers sold pictures and postcards as souvenirs; to this day you can see white faces beam smiles into the camera as bloody bodies dangle gruesomely overhead. Some of the cards collected and posted on the Without Sanctuary site, part of a 1999 book and film project, are shocking in the banality of the notes to friends.

Well John, reads the back of one card sent to Dr. John W.F. Williams of Lafayette, Ky. This is a token of a great day we had in Dallas, March 3, a negro was hung for an assault on a three year old girl. I saw this on my noon hour. I was very much in the bunch. You can see the negro hanging on a telephone pole.

That photo was dated March 3, 1910  two years after the post office supposedly banned lynching cards from the mails.

It is to this nations continuing embarrassment that Congress has, for generations, failed to make lynching a federal crime (Philip Dray documented the history in his At the Hands of Persons Unknown: The Lynching of Black America). It wouldnt act more than a century ago when it might have made a difference, as local prosecutors looked the other way or local juries refused to indict or convict. And it wont act today, even after the laws necessity has faded and its value resides primarily in its symbolism.

The old argument against a federal anti-lynching law is that murder is a state crime and not the business of the federal government. States rights and all that. But that argument was fig leaf over the racism that propelled lynching, in which local and state prosecutions of the perpetrators were rare, convictions rarer still. The 14th Amendment guarantees equal protection of the laws, and when local communities in numbers small and large come together to use collective violence to repress African Americans, that is clearly a federal interest.

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) has co-sponsored a fresh piece of legislation to classify a lynching as a deprivation of civil rights  essentially a federal anti-lynching law that she says would give the Justice Department a few more teeth in prosecuting attempted lynching and conspiracy. Yet as Times reporter Jaweed Kaleem wrote this week, the prognosis for its passage isnt much better than the fate of its 200-plus predecessors.

Why is unclear. It could be that lynching has moved to an out of sight, out of mind status, even though three white supremacists lynched James Byrd Jr. only 20 years ago in East Texas by beating him then chaining him to a truck while he was still alive and dragging him three miles. All three perpetrators were convicted; one has been executed, a second is on death row and the third is serving a life sentence.

Those local authorities, unlike their predecessors elsewhere in the South, did their jobs. So, some question, why bother with a law now? Isnt this just a symbolic gesture?

Yes, it is a symbolic gesture. But a necessary one. Lynching served as a powerfully intimidating symbol  behave yourselves, lest you meet the same fate  that resonates today. Racism in the workplace often surfaces as a noose left in a locker or on a desk. Three years ago two members of the University of Oklahomas Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity were expelled (inappropriately given the right to even hateful speech) and the chapter shut down after a video surfaced of members singing a song including the N-word, You can hang em from a tree / But hell never sign with me / There will never be a ... SAE. Just last year, nooses were left at the African American Museum in Washington, D.C.

The symbolic weight of that despicable act is heavy. The U.S. Senate did approve a resolution in 2005 apologizing to lynching victims and their descendants for failing to act in the past. It passed in a late-night voice vote; 11 senators opted not to co-sponsor it.

We cannot, of course, turn back the calendar and undo the sins of our forebears. But we also cannot ignore them, or their legacy.

In an era in which African Americans take to the streets to protest the killings of unarmed black men by police, when reported hate crimes are on the upswing, when the president uses dog-whistle racism to mobilize his hard-right political base, when minority neighborhoods are over-policed and when African Americans disproportionately are subject to death sentences, Congress standing up now and correcting this historical wrong by making lynching a federal crime would send a powerful symbol to the entire nation.

And not passing this measure would also send a message, one that would reflect poorly on Congress, and on the nation.Los Angeles is at a crossroads that demands our urgent attention.

After many months of collective bargaining, United Teachers Los Angeles has set a strike date for Jan. 10. If theres no deal with the Los Angeles Unified School District by then, some 30,000 teachers, counselors, nurses, librarians and other members of the teachers union will stop providing services to our schools.

The collective bargaining process is fundamental to a healthy community and democracy. But avoiding a strike is in the best interest of our city, and particularly our most underserved communities.

There is still hope that an agreement can be reached. A fact-finding report provided by a neutral third party has outlined a path forward. We urge the teachers union and the district to use it as a framework for an agreement.

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To be clear, we are not picking sides. Rather, we are advocating for children and parents while fully supporting the teachers who serve them.

Los Angeles low-income families bear many burdens. They are contending with swelling rents, an uptick in homelessness, persistent exposure to gun violence and a lack of community resources.

Our city asks black and brown communities, who often have the least, to endure the most. Now it appears the most vulnerable families will be made to shoulder yet another strain: a school shutdown with no end in sight.

Research shows that students in areas with high poverty rates lose out on instruction time compared with their peers in more affluent areas. In L.A. Unified, where the majority of students are low-income students of color, who as a group arent reading or doing math at grade level, every day of learning counts. If teachers strike, instruction will fall even further behind and leave these students languishing.

L.A.s public school system provides much more than education. It is also a critical refuge for students who lack support and resources.

For many children, schools provide basic sustenance. A strike could exacerbate their food, housing and safety insecurities. More than 80% of L.A.s public school students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. If schools close, many of these children will not have access to consistent meals.

Schools that stay open may not have enough supervisors on campus, making it difficult to ensure that students are safe. On top of this, close to 20,000 students in L.A. are homeless. They especially rely on school for shelter, hygiene, food and other essential resources.

L.A. Unified recently began to address challenging equity issues by adopting a new formula called the Student Equity Needs Index. It rates schools throughout the district and provides more resources to those where low-income students lack access to basic safety, health and other community resources. We must do everything possible to keep schools open and equipped to support these children and their families.

Elected officials, along with civic, business and philanthropic leaders, need to put pressure on both the school district and the teachers union to resolve their differences and avert this strike.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

Gavin Newsom will begin his tenure as governor days before the strike is scheduled to begin. L.A. Unified is Californias largest school district, and the moment demands Newsoms leadership.

The school districts fiscal challenges  including ballooning pension and healthcare costs  must be addressed head-on. Sacramento needs to pony up more money for our schools. There is no reason why California should rank 41st in the country when it comes to per-pupil spending.

Californias tax and fiscal policies ought to be reformed in order to boost revenues to schools and communities. If L.A. Unified got more money from Sacramento, it could more readily and sustainably give teachers what they are rightly demanding: smaller class sizes, higher salaries and more counselors.

The state budget is a reflection of our values. And a city is only as strong as its schools. State, civic and community leaders should not sit on the sidelines and allow our children to bear the brunt of our mistakes. Lets urge both parties toward an agreement.

Fred Ali, Antonia Hernandez and Robert K. Ross are CEOs of the Weingart Foundation, the California Community Foundation and the California Endowment, respectively.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or FacebookRobots and artificial intelligence are winning our jobs and an apocalypse is upon us, or so the employment horror story goes.

Innovation and automation are nothing new, nor is the fear they inspire. Whats changed is the interests of economists and policymakers who once tried to reassure anxious workers but now, after presiding over decades of labor market decline, are delighted to have a scapegoat. So we hear that the abandonment of the American workforce has been the unavoidable result of irresistible forces, the collateral damage of progress. And with those explanations come dire warnings for the future: Jobs will vanish, human workers will be rendered obsolete, reliance on a government check will become the norm.

Its not true. Technology isnt the culprit behind job loss, nor will it be. To the contrary, robots can be workers best friends. The abandonment of the American worker, instead, has been a conscious choice on the part of policymakers. And while thats depressing, to be sure, it is also cause for hope. If bad choices are creating our employment challenges, better choices can solve them. The future of work is within our control, and technology is part of the solution, not the problem.

Getting comfortable with technology begins with understanding productivity, the measure of how much a worker can produce in some period of time. Imagine a widget factory in which 10 people each produce one widget each day. If the workers productivity doubles, each can make two widgets daily, and five workers can now make what once required 10. Did that improvement destroy five jobs?

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Notice, I havent said anything about how productivity increased at the widget factory. Perhaps the owners installed a robot. That would be automation. But perhaps they switched to new materials that are easier to work with. Or provided training that improved everyones skills and thus their efficiency. Would anyone say that training destroys jobs or worry that it harms workers?

When people worry about automation, they are arbitrarily choosing one form of productivity growth to fear. But rising productivity is good for workers, regardless of its cause. Among other things, it is the necessary prerequisite to rising wages.

Hypothetically, automation could increase productivity so rapidly that many workers would became redundant faster than new roles for them could emerge. That would indeed be cause for concern. But it hasnt happened in the past, and it is not happening today.

The government tracks worker productivity carefully and its data show that, however much technology is entering the workplace, productivity gains are actually slowing. In other words, technology is wiping out fewer jobs than ever. From 1950 to 2000, economy-wide productivity rose by an average of 2.1% each year, meaning that eight workers could produce by the end of each decade what required 10 to produce at the start. By comparison, productivity growth from 2000 to 2015 was 1.8%; and from 2010 to 2015, it was 0.7%. Far from living in an era of unprecedented job disruption, our era is one of relative stagnation.

Some studies predict that a large share of jobs will soon disappear, but those forecasts err by treating each job as a single task that either will or wont be automated. When analysts look more closely at the many tasks that a given job entails, they find something more complex. Few jobs, perhaps 5% to 10%, appear fully automatable in the coming decades, with the technological advancements we can anticipate. For most jobs, some tasks can be automated but others cant. The management consulting firm McKinsey and Co. estimates that roughly half of existing tasks could be automated by 2055. This mean we will still need human workers, and if we do things right, they will be much more productive.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

Nor should we be worried that workers wont adapt. Business leaders constantly lament a skills gap, complaining that workers just dont have the knowledge to implement new technologies. This is a market signal: Adopting technology in the workplace is going to be hard; it will proceed only as quickly as employers make it work with the employees they have. The path does not lead around workers but directly to them.

A brighter future does, however, require that policymakers grapple with what has actually gone wrong in our economy. Weve built an education system that focuses on minting college graduates, though most Americans still dont earn even a two-year degree. Weve used environmental rules to make building things  widgets  in the real world too costly and risky. And our lax approach to international trade and immigration has encouraged businesses to look overseas for inexpensive labor, or bring it here, rather than find ways to partner effectively with the workers we have to make them more effective at their jobs.

If we instead make the American workers productivity our priority, there is every reason to be optimistic that our economy can once again be an engine of broad-based prosperity. Well be counting on technological progress to help.

Oren Cass is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and author of the new book The Once and Future Worker: A Vision for the Renewal of Work in America.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand FacebookTo the editor: I was saddened that, in spite of retired miner Danny Fouts firsthand experience with the coal companys evasion of government safety and health regulations, he holds them blameless for his plight.

As the coal industry pressures the government to further roll back safety and health regulations, and the National Mining Assn. works to reduce the funds available for stricken miners, Fouts feels that the companies arent the ones trying to take our benefits.

The government of course needs to address the plight of coal miners, but the focus of blame should be directly on the coal industry.

It is past time that coal be taxed at a level that accounts for its full cost, including the environmental toll and the health problems suffered by the humans who do the mining. Then we would see just how expensive coal really is.

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Frank Kearns, Downey

..

To the editor: During a 2016 campaign event, Hillary Clinton said the following:

Because were going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business were going to make it clear that we dont want to forget those people. Those people labored in those mines for generations, losing their health, often losing their lives to turn on our lights and power our factories. Now weve got to move away from coal and all the other fossil fuels, but I dont want to move away from the people who did the best they could to produce energy that we relied on.

She released a $30-billion plan for increased job training, small-business development and infrastructure investment, especially in Appalachia. The plan also provided for miners health and pensions.

President Trump has declared the war on coal over. Appalachia made a choice to vote overwhelmingly for him.

Donna Handy, Santa Barbara

..

To the editor: Who has the courage to say that coal is dead in Appalachia?

The large coal seams are depleted and the small seams are too expensive and deadly to mine. The extensive rock drilling required leads to silica release and earlier-onset black lung in miners. The Black Lung Disability Trust Fund is $4.3 billion in debt.

I know of somebody looking for $5 billion to plug the gaps in our border. Instead, how about we use comparable monies to prop up this fund and to start to plug these mines?

The dwindling mining returns are far more deadly to the American people than a migrant caravan.

Tricia Bregman, Santa Ana

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and FacebookMadbouly says terrorism is a global phenomenon facing all countries; security forces in Egypt are taking the most necessary measures to combat it, including strong pre-emptive strikes directed against terrorist spots

Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly told reporters that the tour bus carrying 14 Vietnamese tourists and two Egyptian tourism workers, which was the target of a deadly attack Friday evening, deviated from its pre-planned, secured route without notifying security officials before it was hit by an improvised eplosive device.

The Prime Minister announced that the death toll, which was initially set at two Vietnamese tourists, had risen to three after the representative of the tour company on the trip succumbed to his injuries.

The PM said that the number of injured still under treatment stands at 10 with two in critical condition.

Madbouly pointed out that terrorism is a global phenomenon facing all countries, stressing that security forces in Egypt are taking the most necessary measures to combat the phenomenon, including strong pre-emptive strikes directed against terrorist spots.

The Egyptian Prime Minister added that "such sinful incident' [like tonight's] does not diminish the efforts of the state in protecting tourists in the country."

Madbouly's comments to reporters came after he concluded a visit to El-Haram Hospital to follow up on the status and treatment of those injured in the attack.

Earlier in the evening, Egypt's Interior Ministry issued a statement saying that the explosion, which took place on 6:15 PM, had injured 10 of the 14 Vietnamese tourists on the bus in addition to their Egyptian bus driver and the representative of the tour company.

Prime Minister Madbouly told reporters that all tourstim trips and their routes are highly secured in a detailed manner by the interior ministry.

Madbouly explained that, however, the bus carrying the Vietnamese tourists deviated from the pre-determined, secured route without apriori notifying security officials.

"I just want to highlight that following the incident, all state bodies swiftly moved to help secure the tourists and offer the necessary care," Madbouly told reporters.

Madbouly said the Egyptian authorities have been in contact with the embassy of Vietnam.

He said that 20 ambulances were immediately dispatched to the site of the explosion.

The Egyptian PM also highlighted that Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is closely following up on the incident.

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To the editor: At a time when Japanese Americans are reminding us that their internment during World War II has eerie similarities to the way Muslims are treated by this administration, it is important to be reminded that the dramatic reduction in lands protected in the Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments is more than a land grab for mining and other environmentally damaging interests.

It is another blatantly racist exclusion of disempowered groups, in this case Native Americans. When the administration declares that it is returning these lands to local control, it is clear that what it really means is a return to recent local control by whites.

There has been no consideration of the native groups that lobbied long and hard for these protections. These are groups that trace their heritage, culture and burial of their ancestors to these areas long before this administrations beneficiaries were present.

The slashing of these national monuments and blatant disregard of native interests and rights are shameful examples of American apartheid.

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Stuart S. Sumida, Riverside

..

To the editor: Do L.A. Times readers know that Native Americans are called First Nations in Canada? This acknowledges that these people were here first and existed as nations before our forefathers arrived.

Allowing oil drilling on their sacred land is like opening a McDonalds in Vatican City.

Nina T. Parkinson, West Hollywood

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and FacebookInterdistrict permits for students living outside Burbank Unified but attending local public schools ticked up for a third straight year, according to a school district report released last week.

The 15,171-student district accepted an additional 23 nonresident students through its permit program offered to those working in Burbank this school year.

The districts tally now stands at 1,328 interdistrict students, which represents about 9% of the pupil population.

We only accept enough permits to keep enrollment flat, Burbank Unified Supt. Matt Hill said. We arent overcrowding our schools with permits. If we had more resident students here, we would reduce the number of permits.

The majority of the permits are at the secondary level, with 526 at high schools, 367 at middle schools and 435 at the elementary schools.

The number of permitted elementary students dropped by 21, while the number of middle school students rose by 23 and high school students increased by 21.

There was a slight decrease in our elementary permit acceptance; partly, that was because our schools are pretty full, said Stacy Cashman, the districts director of student services, during a board meeting on Dec. 20.

In 2017, the district enrolled 1,305 permitted students, which was more than the 1,191 total from 2016.

The increase in permits has helped keep the districts enrollment and funding steady, school officials said.

According to a Dec. 14 budget review from School Services of California  a business, financial and management advocacy educational resource group  Burbank Unified receives some of the lowest funding per student, per average daily attendance in Los Angeles County.

The local district was compensated $8,737.38 per student during the 2016-17 school year, which was lower than nearby districts La Canada ($10,320.12), Pasadena ($10,199.71), Glendale ($9,224.80) and South Pasadena ($8,988).

Using School Services figures, the 1,328 interdistrict students in Burbank Unified roughly translated into a little more than $11.5 million this year for the district from the state.

Although the district lost 10 Burbank resident students, its numbers increased by 13 overall to 15,171 because of permitted students.

While Burbank attracted several outside students, it lost relatively few. Only 46 students went to other districts, with 33 heading to Glendale Unified.

In all, Burbank Unified lost 68 fewer students to transfers this school year than it did in 2017-18.

Those interested in obtaining a permit must work or own a business in Burbank, obtain child care for students from kindergarten to fifth grade within district boundaries or fall into the opportunity category.

Opportunity petitions are granted to students with special curriculum needs, students who have moved away from the district but wish to continue their education in Burbank Unified, sibling attendance and prior attendance.

These are the sons and daughters of our firefighters, our teachers, our business owners, Hill said of permitted students. These are individuals whose parents work in Burbank; they just cant find housing here. Theyre great kids and great parents, and they help us have a great district.

andrew.campa@latimes.com

Twitter @campadresportsWe begin the new year with notice paid to Orange County citizens who stepped up to the plate in 2018, making a difference in the lives of others. The 32nd annual National Philanthropy Day in Orange County brought together some 920 local givers honored for community service at a major gathering Nov. 16 at City National Grove of Anaheim.

The event is produced by the Orange County Chapter of the Assn. of Fundraising Professionals, which launched in the region in 1986. Since its inception, some 1,000 honorees have been recognized. The 2018 presentation was themed Take Action! Create Change! and was co-hosted by PBS SoCals Maria Hall Brown and KTLA-5s Henry Di Carlo.

Joining the celebrity media emcees were devoted co-chairs Jane Hansen and Jeanne Flint; they made the luncheon ceremony a success. The 2017 Outstanding Philanthropists, James and Suzanne Mellor, were front and center and named honorary co-chairs paying tribute to the 2018 honorees chosen by a judging committee led by Janet Ray and John Christiansen.

The 2018 awards were granted to Ling and Charlie Zhang, who were named Outstanding Philanthropists of the year. The couple was joined by Michelle Wulfestieg, Outstanding Founder, Lauren Best, Outstanding Youth, and a respected roster of legacy award recipients.

National Philanthropy Day event chairwoman Jane Hansen, at left, Outstanding Founder Michelle Wulfestieg, Outstanding Youth Lauren Best and event co-chairwoman Jeanne Flint gather at the City National Grove of Anaheim. (Photo courtesy of Tony Lattimore and Carla Rhea)

In the crowd were Ginny and Peter Ueberroth with daughter Vicki Booth, as well as Joe Hanauer, Michael Baroni, Trudy Levindofske, Len Shulman, Ron Rodges, Jim Bastian, Leland Smith, Elissa Oransky and Allen Staff.

Adoption Guild to host fundraiser

The Adoption Guild of Southern California will welcome supporters to its 58th annual Patroness Event Feb. 1 at the Balboa Bay Resort. The Celebrating Family event will raise funds for Holiday Family Services Adoption and Foster Care. Guests will enjoy lunch, a silent auction, shopping boutique and a grand prize raffle for a $2,500 Fashion Island gift card.

The Patroness gathering will be all about fashion, with Palm Springs Life magazine Fashion Editor Susan Stein discussing spring trends. Fashion guru William Squire will deliver Your Signature Style. Grayse of Fashion Island will present a spring fashion show.

For over 50 years, the Adoption Guild of Southern California has supported HFS Adoption and Foster Care. With the hope of giving every child an opportunity to have a loving family, dedicated volunteers work each year to raise funds. Since 1961, the Adoption Guild has generated over $4.4 million in funding, contributing to about 3,000 adoptions.

For more information on tickets, donations or underwriting, please visit bidpal.net/2019agpatronessevent or contact Christine Johnson at christinejohnson@me.com or (310) 600-1675.

For information on the Adoption Guild, visit adoptionguild.org.

B.W. COOK is editor of the Bay Window, the official publication of the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.Few musicians ever get to be singing volcanoes.

Thats backed by hard data and Wikipedia research.

But Kuana Kahele accomplished that rare feat when he starred as the animated volcano Uku in the 2014 Pixar short Lava, which played alongside Inside Out in theaters in 2015.

Kahele, a prominent Hawaiian musician, has become known around the world for his rendition of the volcano.

Hell bring his island music to the Irvine Barclay Theatre on Jan. 11 to open the Hawaiian Music Masters Series. Legendary Hawaiian acts Kalani Pea and the Henry Kapono Band will perform Feb. 8 and March 21, respectively.

Everybody loves this Hawaiian series, said Jerry Mandel, president of the Irvine Barclay Theatre. You close your eyes and you swear you are in Honolulu.

Kahele was born into Hawaiian music.

My family is known for its haku mele [songwriters], Kahele said. I was pulled from hula the minute they knew I could sing and then taught how to juggle both singing and dancing.

Much of island music is like a ledger for the past, documenting old places and fading names for the generations to come. Kahele is influenced by that traditional strain of island music, but hes also looking to move the genre forward.

His seven-album Music for the Hawaiian Islands series does just that, blending the old with the new. Each album is meant to represent the individual Hawaiian islands. Kahele plans to perform songs from his series at the Barclay concert.

As the years passed, I could see a dangerous pattern of laziness and complacency with many hula groups, Kahele said. I would be hired to play the same 15 songs over and over again because all the kumu hula [instructors] were teaching the same stuff. We need to innovate and evolve as Hawaiians. Hula cant stay stuck in one era. Everything moves forward.

Kahele has been focused on the series for the last three and a half years, composing about 100 songs. The final installment, Oahu, will be released soon.

Kaheles relieved to be nearing the end of the project.

I hope after Im gone, some day, it will help document this time we are in, Kahele said. I can already see it breathing new life into hula. My job was only to plant seeds. Now we have to wait and see what grows.

If You Go

What: Hawaiian Music Masters Series

Where: Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine

When: Kuana Kahele at 8 p.m. Jan. 11; Kalani Pea at 8 p.m. Feb. 8; Henry Kapono Band at 8 p.m. March 21

Information: (949) 854-4646, thebarclay.org

benjamin.brazil@latimes.com

Twitter:@benbrazilpilotA Huntington Beach dove handler pleaded not guilty Friday to a felony count of making criminal threats against a man who had hired him to supply doves for a funeral.

The charge stemmed from a dispute between Mitchell Ralph Todd, 51, and a Laguna Beach man who contracted Todds company, OC Doves, to fly the birds at his sons funeral Nov. 10, according to Laguna Beach police spokesman Jim Cota.

The funeral ran longer than planned and the doves were not released, resulting in a disagreement over what the company should be paid.

The contract stated that if payment wasnt made and the act wasnt performed, aka the releasing of doves, then there was a $1,000 fee attached or something that was kind of ridiculous, Cota said.

When the client didnt pay, he received phone threats the next day that people were going to come after him and was told that maybe you belong or need to go to where your son went, Cota said.

A voicemail included only the sound of someone sliding the rack of a firearm to engage it, police said.

The OC Doves website features a lengthy page of policies, including that payment for services must be made within 15 minutes of arrival at the event and, in the case of a funeral, before the casket is removed from a vehicle. Failure to pay on time carries a $1,000 penalty  more than the cost of releasing 90 birds, the most expensive service listed on the website.

Police said they found 57 firearms at Mitchell Todds home when they served a search warrant Nov. 27. (Courtesy of Laguna Beach Police Department)

Police served a search warrant Nov. 27 at Todds home in the 15000 block of Cambay Lane in Huntington Beach and said they found 57 firearms, including handguns, older-style weapons, Glocks, rifles and some resembling semiautomatic weapons and featuring high-tech components such as scopes costing thousands of dollars. Only 12 of the firearms were registered to Todd, police said.

When police entered the home, they were aware that Todd had several firearms registered to him, and they had a gun restraining order, which allows the temporary removal of firearms from people authorities believe pose a danger to themselves or others.

I dont even know of any gun dealers that have 50-plus guns, Cota said. Even a collector would have them in one room and dressed up. These were not.

Along with the firearms, police said they found nearly 30,000 rounds of ammunition, more than 100 ammunition magazines, a practice bomb, body armor, swords, Nazi and Confederate flags and a photo of Adolf Hitler in the home, which Todd lives in with his wife.

Police said firearms were strewn throughout the home; some were locked in safes.

Police also found more than 200 doves at the residence.

Todds home is across from a school; California law prohibits possession of a firearm within 1,000 feet of school grounds.

If convicted of the charge against him, Todd could face up to three years in state prison. He is scheduled to be back in court Feb. 4.

julia.sclafani@latimes.comChris Burrous, an anchor on KTLA 5s Morning News, died Thursday after Glendale police found him unresponsive in a motel room, authorities said. He was 43.

Police were called to a room at the Days Inn about 1:15 p.m., where they found Burrous not breathing, the Glendale Police Department said. Paramedics took him to a hospital, where he died.

Detectives are investigating the incident, and Los Angeles County coroners officials will determine a cause of death.

The original call to the Glendale Police Department indicated the deceased had possibly overdosed, the police department said in a press release.

In a statement, Don Corsini, president and general manager of KTLA, and Jason Ball, the stations news director, remembered the anchor as a great journalist and a wonderful friend to many.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Burrous family. Chris loved sharing the stories of Southern California and connecting with our viewers, the statement said. He brought a kindness to his work and will be deeply missed by the entire KTLA family.

Burrous earned a broadcast journalism degree from Chapman University and joined KTLA in 2011 after 14 years as a reporter and anchor at news stations across the country, mostly in the Central Valley.

Burrous helped expand Morning News to a seven-day program, anchoring weekends and covering breaking news on weekday mornings, the station said.

There are no words. When we took this picture during our show I had no idea it would our last time together. You made me laugh until I cried. My tears now are for your sweet little girl, your wife Mai and your dear parents. We will miss you so, his co-anchor, Lynette Romero, wrote on Twitter.

KTLA colleague Liberte Chan told the station, He was a master of live television. I miss him so much. Im sorry I dont have the words to express exactly how I feel but he was more than just a colleague, he was one of my best friends here and Im just so heartbroken over the loss of him.On Dec.14, Arthur S. Charchian, a practicing attorney and resident of Glendale, pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering and one count of making a false statement to the Social Security Administration. Charchian was also a member of the Glendale Design Review Board (appointed by Mayor Zareh Sinanyan) where he was a key player in making decisions about whether a particular design was in compliance with the Glendale hillside guidelines. Those were decisions that have had and continue to have a direct impact on the lives of some Glendale citizens.

Decisions coming out of the Design Review Board have raised many questions, especially as some decisions have been appealed to the Glendale City Council at a significant cost to the appellants and increased revenue to the city. These crimes for which Charchian has pleaded guilty go to the core of someones honesty and integrity. Does this current revelation into Charchians willingness to break the law not bring into question any decision in which he participated during his term on the Design Review Board? If he was willing to commit the crimes for which hes pleaded guilty, what else could he have been capable of doing while serving within local government? Shouldnt we as citizens be demanding answers from our city officials? Shouldnt the DRB revisit any decision he was involved in for projects whose construction has not commenced?

Lee Straus

Glendale

***

The Glendale City Council places Measure S on the Nov. 6 ballot to increase the sales tax collected in the city of Glendale by 0.75%, raising the 9.5% sales tax to 10.25%. It passes.

The measure was placed on the ballot to insure that the 0.75% increase would remain in the Glendale General Fund, raising an estimated $30 million dollars in additional revenue that would be spent on expanding funding to protect essential services such as fire, paramedics, police, parks, recreation, senior services, library, arts and culture, and affordable housing programs and services, and to improve streets and sidewalks. So far, so good.

Now we see in an article in Wednesdays News-Press that the city is facing a potential $4.1-million deficit in 2019 and if you read further the potential of $17.5-million deficit in 2023-24 due to unfunded pension liabilities.

Every city council member, county supervisor and California state legislator knows about these unfunded pension liabilities and they keep kicking the can down the road just like Councilman Vrej Agananian, who said, according to the article, I will wait until I face the issue and then come up with the best solution.

Just to be clear, Vrej, the issue is now, and I can hardly wait to hear your best solution.

Jim Kussman

Glendale

***

Wouldnt it be wonderful if Glendale drivers would make a resolution to be nice instead of naughty in 2019? Here are four wishes I would like to see come true:

1. If you cant find a parking space, please dont use your emergency flashers to park in the red next to a fire hydrant so you can run into the bank to use the ATM.

2. If you are approaching an intersection to make a right turn on a red light, please just once in 2019 try to stop before the limit line and not roll through, causing cross traffic to slam on their brakes to avoid hitting you.

3. When making a left turn at an intersection, how about pulling all the way into the intersection first so at least one person behind you can safely turn before the light changes?

4. After you have curb parked, please dont sling open your drivers door before looking back at the bicycle rider you might impale on your door frame. And, above all, use the curbside doors to take your children in or out of the car. Its much safer.

Driving is all about courtesy, and 2019 could be the year to change Glendales reputation as one of the worst cities to drive in.

Peter Rusch

GlendaleAmanda Nunes has visions she cant deny.

Those same fierce beliefs that fueled her rise to UFCs womens bantamweight champion ,now take Nunes to her greatest undertaking yet.

Saturday night at the Forum, in the co-main event of UFC 232, Nunes (16-4) will attempt to hand womens featherweight champion Cris Cyborg (20-1) her first defeat since 2005.

If youre a fighter, you want to break records and challenge yourself all the time, Nunes told the Times. Im that one. Im that person. I like to keep doing that.

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Cyborg is a destructive, power-punching force whos leaned on her strength to shrug off punches and attempts to wrestle her into problematic positions on the canvas.

But Nunes disposed of former champion Ronda Rousey with her own barrage, and she won the belt by battering then-champion Miesha Tate on the ground.

If I have the opportunity, Im pretty sure I can do that [again]. Size doesnt matter. Im smart. I know how to beat [Cyborg], and I will do it. Ill be strong and capitalize on everything at the right moment, Nunes said Friday after weighing in one pound heavier than Cyborg, at 145 pounds. Shes definitely more powerful and stronger. We all know that.

Victory seems unlikely  the Westgate Superbook in Las Vegas has Nunes as a 2-to-1 underdog  but Nunes belief has carried her to the top. Before fighting Tate, she projected that both her and her partner, Nina Ansaroff, would one day become champions.

On Dec. 8 in Toronto, with Nunes in her corner, Ansaroff upset Claudia Gadelha by unanimous decision and has risen to No. 3 in the UFC strawweight rankings. Nunes says the delight she exuded that evening was on par with the reactions to her title victories.

It was amazing. I see everything is going the way we planned it. To see that win was amazing. It was so very important for her and now shes the No. 3 fighter on the planet  Ive always said she was going to be a champion from day one, Nunes said. Now, we are almost there.

While Cyborg initially expressed some reluctance to meet a fellow Brazilian in the clash of champions, Nunes pressed for the fight. And not to take Cyborgs title or mantle.

This is about the moment, about whats going on in womens MMA right now, Nunes said. As a fan, you see this fight and think, Wow! This is going to be amazing! Im not trying to take any shine from her. Shell always shine because shes done so much for the sport. No one will forget her.

Despite dominating Rousey and sending her to retirement two years ago this weekend, Nunes hasnt received the same acclaim or exposure that Rousey enjoyed.

Defeating Cyborg would give Nunes a fourth victory over a former or current champion, with UFC President Dana White declaring that Saturdays winner will receive the baddest woman on the planet moniker he previously reserved for Rousey.

But would victory result in the same embrace by the public?

I dont think about the embrace. Honestly. Im very happy with my life. I have everything that I want, Nunes said. Theres no reason to be sad about anything. Im in the best part of my life.

UFC 232

Main Event: Jon Jones (22-1) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (18-4) for the UFC light-heavyweight belt

Where: The Forum, tickets available at the box office and axs.com

When: Saturday, pay-per-view portion begins at 7 p.m. PST, preliminaries on FS1 at 5 p.m.

Undercard: Womens featherweight champion Cris Cyborg (20-1) vs. womens bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes (16-4) for Cyborgs belt; Michael Chiesa (14-4) vs. Carlos Condit (30-12), welterweights; Ilir Latifi (14-5) vs. Corey Anderson (11-4), light-heavyweights; Chad Mendes (18-4) vs. Alexander Volkanovski (18-1), featherweights

lance.pugmire@latimes.com

Twitter: @latimespugmireRecreation.gov, the website that books campsites for many national parks, forests and other public lands, is telling travelers theres no guarantee their reservations will be honored during the partial shutdown of the federal government.

Be aware that if you have an existing reservation during this lapse of funding period, and the location is not staffed, your reservation may not be honored, a message on the campground reservation website says.

The shutdown started at midnight Dec. 22 and remains in effect as President Trump and congressional Democrats are at an impasse over Trumps demand for funding of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Welcome to Joshua Tree. Sorry about the shutdown. Now, about the toilets  

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For campers, that may mean forfeiting a winter camping trip to, say, the popular Indian Cove Campground at Joshua Tree National Park, or forgoing a last-minute New Years Eve outing, even if campsites are available online.

The scenario is that you show up, and somebody could be occupying your site, said Rick DeLappe, Recreation.gov program manager and National Park Service employee.

Until the shutdown is lifted, Recreation.gov has no control over how the campgrounds in their reservation system are being managed. The program cant advise travelers which parks and forests are open or closed because it has no way of knowing, DeLappe said.

If you have a Recreation.gov reservation and dont go, you can file for a refund and wont be charged the usual $10 cancellation fee.

Californias nine national parks, such as Joshua Tree, Death Valley and Yosemite, are open. But park rangers and other workers have been furloughed, meaning theres no one to process and enforce camping reservations.

Campground reservations operated by concessionaires are being honored. For example, private campgrounds at the Oasis at Furnace Creek Ranch and Panamint Springs Resort in Death Valley are open and honoring reservations.

Also, federal lands and campgrounds operated by the Army Corps of Engineers are open.

travel@latimes.com

Twitter: @latimestravelDistant Lands, a Pasadena travel shop that has sold books, maps, accessories and staged programs by writers since 1989, will close it brick-and-mortar store on Friday.

On Distant Lands website, owner Adrian Kalvinskas said the shop would continue as a web-based retailer at distantlands.com, specializing in travel-related books, luggage and other travel tools. Susan Hickman, the Distant Lands travel agent, will continue to offer services through the website, using the email susan@distantlands.com.

Meanwhile, the shop at 20 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, will be open 2-6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 27 and 4-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 28, its final day.

Conceived as a travelers bookstore, the shop grew to include maps, luggage, backpacks, clothing, travel agency services and other tools for travelers.

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For many years in the 1990s and 2000s, Distant Lands was one of a handful of L.A.-area stalwarts specializing in travel books and maps. But as internet retailing gained momentum, those shops struggled.

With this announcement, all those retailers have closed their bricks-and-mortar locations, including California Map and Travel on Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica and Travelers Bookcase on West 3rd Street in Los Angeles, which closed in 2016 after more than 20 years.

Its a mixture of things that have changed the business climate, said Ian Kalvinskas, Adrian Kalvinskas son, as he worked the register Thursday afternoon. Besides on-line retailers and rising rent, he cited changing American attitudes about international travel in the aftermath of 9/11.

In fact, he said, Weve always said that our best day as a store was Sept 10, 2001.

christopher.reynolds@latimes.com

Follow Reynolds on Twitter: @MrCSReynoldsBahrains embassy in Damascus and the Syrian diplomatic mission in Manama have been operating without interruption, the Bahraini foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday, a day after the United Arab Emirates reopened its embassy in Syria.

The Kingdom of Bahrain has announced that work is continuing at its embassy in the brotherly Arab Republic of Syria, a statement carried by the state news agency BNA said.

The reopening of the UAEs mission was a diplomatic boost for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The embassy had been shut since the early months of Syrias conflict nearly eight years ago.

The statement said it was important that Arab states work to prevent any regional interference in Syrias internal affairs, to help consolidate security and stability in the country.

BNA said flights had been operating between Bahrain and Syria without interruption, although it did not say whether that had been the case throughout the war.

Other Gulf and Arab states are expected to shift their positions and normalize ties with Assads government as concerns grow about Irans influence in the region.

Syrias membership of the Arab League was suspended seven years ago.

*The story has been edited by Ahram Online

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Eataly Las Vegas opened Thursday in the Park MGM with seven specialty food counters, two restaurants, three bars, a chefs demonstration table and a kitchen of the market concept that lets customers eat in or take home.

Its the first Eataly to offer 24-hour service too. So far, only the sites Gran Caffe Milano, which serves coffees and cocktails alongside breakfast, lunch and dinner bites, will stay open 24/7. The rest of Eataly is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The 40,000-square-foot food hall sells 5,000 products, such as wine, olive oil, pasta, chocolates and other imported items.

Thick slices of pizza, like the ones served at stalls in Rome, await customers at Eataly Las Vegas. (Eataly USA)

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After a pasta ribbon-cutting ceremony, the doors opened at 5 p.m. Thursday, and the wait to get inside was 45 minutes.

Once inside, Irvine residents Brian Luong and Angekica Nguyen werent disappointed.

[Eataly L.A.] always has good wine, good food and is a great place to hang out, Luong said. Compared to L.A., this is smaller but feels more open and easier to get around.

And parking isnt a hassle like it is in L.A., Nguyen said.

There are more little places to eat inside the Vegas Eataly than in L.A.s, and the food is less expensive, said Alicia Kwong, a Los Angeles resident and frequent Las Vegas visitor. Its also a lot less crowded.

Domestic and imported cheeses are available for sale at the cheesemongers stall at Eatalys new location in Las Vegas. (Eataly USA)

The cucina del mercato, or kitchen of the market, allows customers to sample items at counters such as La Macelleria (the butcher) and La Pescheria (the fishmonger). Each features a specialty food, such as bread, cheese, pasta, pastries, pizza and others.

Customers can purchase food prepared by chefs to be taken home or eaten at tables in the markets central court.

Were taking out the barrier between restaurant and retail, said Nicola Farinetti, chief executive of Eataly USA. In Los Angeles, you dont have this possibility of going to the counter, choosing a piece of steak and asking the guy to cook it for you. This is all new.

Eataly stands just inside the hotels front doors along Las Vegas Boulevard. Guests must pass through Eataly to reach the casino and the reception desk. Suitcase-toting tourists give the massive place the feel of a European railway station.

For the uninitiated, Eataly is an Italian-based hospitality company with the mantra: Eat. Shop. Learn. It aims to teach customers how to use the freshest ingredients to create flavorful and healthful dishes.

Nicola Farinetti, CEO of Eataly USA, holds a platter of charcuterie at the new Las Vegas site. (Jay Jones)

Farinetti is hopeful the food-to-market service will appeal to the millions of people who walk past the companys newest location each year.

The vast majority of our customers will be tourists, he said Wednesday, back in Las Vegas after spending Christmas with family in Alba, Italy.

The Strip is already chock full of eateries  from fast-food to the restaurants of Michelin-starred chefs  but Farinetti said he thinks Eataly Las Vegas will fill a void.

Vegas doesnt have a food park where you can spend three or four hours and randomly taste things that you might like, and hopefully learn a little something about food as well.

Although much of the space is devoted to counters where guests can order and eat quickly, Eataly Las Vegas also plans to open sit-down restaurants with table service.

Manzo, an upscale restaurant familiar to diners at other Eataly locations, is set to open Jan. 23.

Gran Caffe Milano, which serves coffees and cocktails alongside breakfast, lunch and dinner bites, will stay open 24/7. (Eataly USA)

Each Eataly has a unique theme. For example, Eataly Roma pays homage to beauty, while Eataly Istanbul is a tribute to history. In Las Vegas, the theme is anything is possible.

Its like a family with siblings, Farinetti said of the Eataly empire. We try to have the same values, but [locations] have their own personalities and they become their own people.

The Las Vegas site is the sixth in the U.S. for the Italian-based chain, with two in New York City and one each in Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles. There are 37 Eatalys worldwide.

Michael Hiller contributed to this story. Follow him on Instagram at @Checkingincheckingout.

travel@latimes.com

Twitter: @latimestravelThe father of an 8-year-old Guatemalan boy who died in U.S. custody took his son to the border after hearing rumors that parents and their children would be allowed to migrate to the United States and escape the poverty in their homeland, the boys stepsister told the Associated Press.

Felipe Gomez Alonzo died Monday at a New Mexico hospital after suffering coughing, vomiting and fever, authorities said. It was the second such death this month. Another Guatemalan child, 7-year-old Jakelin Caal, died in U.S. custody on Dec. 8.

Both deaths are under investigation.

We heard rumors that they could pass [into the United States]. They said they could pass with the children, said Catarina Gomez Lucas, the boys 21-year-old stepsister, explaining why Felipe and his father, Agustin Gomez, made the dangerous journey.

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Gomez Lucas would not say who spread the rumors or who transported the father and son to the border from Yalambojoch in Huehuetenango province, a poor community of returnees from Mexico who had fled Guatemala in the bloodiest years of that countrys 1960-96 civil war. The stepsister spoke to the Associated Press on Wednesday by telephone from Yalambojoch.

The boys death came during an ongoing dispute over border security and with the U.S. government partially shut down over President Trumps insistence on funding for a border wall.

The Trump administration has long argued smugglers capitalize on vulnerable parents because of loopholes in American law, such as anti-trafficking legislation passed in 2008 that effectively prevents the immediate deportations of Central American children.

Medical checks ordered after second child migrant dies in U.S. custody 

After hearing the rumors, Agustin Gomez thought he should take advantage of the opportunity to fulfill his sons dreams. He grabbed a few changes of clothing, bought the boy new shoes and left with what money he had, Gomez Lucas said.

Felipe always wanted a bicycle, and in the U.S. he wouldnt have to endure the poverty and lack of opportunity in Guatemala, she said.

The boys mother, 31-year-old Catarina Alonzo Perez, said she spoke with her son the day before they arrived at the U.S. border.

He wasnt sick on the way; he wasnt sick here, she said through her stepdaughter in the Mayan language known as Chuj.

Both Felipe and Jakelin came from rural communities with extreme poverty. Both were taken to the border by their parents and detained by the U.S. Border Patrol before they fell ill.

It appears Felipe got sick after authorities moved him from El Paso to Alamogordo, N.M., because of overcrowding.

He was very happy to leave on the voyage, Gomez Lucas said, so the family does not understand what happened.

She said the family stopped hearing from Felipes father on Dec. 18, when he and the boy were detained. On Dec. 25, he called to say the boy had died in a hospital.

He told us that [Felipe] was fine all day, that he was playing with other children. But then he said he felt bad and his stomach ached, the stepsister said.

Felipe told his father he did not know what was wrong with him and that it felt like something was stuck in his throat, Gomez Lucas said.

The father said Felipe asked him not to cry because he was not going to get better, according to the boys stepsister.

Felipe was taken to a hospital, and the father said he gave the boy to doctors, who soon informed him his son had died.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the boy displayed signs of illness Monday and was taken with his father to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a cold and a fever and prescribed amoxicillin and ibuprofen. He was released that afternoon but returned in the evening with nausea and vomiting and died there just after midnight, the agency said.

After the two deaths, the government announced it would conduct additional medical screening for children and consider other changes.

Agustin Gomez was drowning in debt, Gomez Lucas said. He sold a piece of land to survive, but the money was not enough, so he decided to take out a loan and travel to the United States.

Felipe is survived by five siblings, two from his fathers first marriage and three from his stepmother and father.

The boy lived with his fathers family in a small wooden house with earthen floors. It lacked basic services. Gomez Lucas said Felipes father earned about $6 a day through temporary farm jobs or harvesting coffee, which was not enough to support the family.

As with Jakelins family, Felipes relatives now must deal with the death of a child, a debt and their continued worry about the fate of Agustin Gomez.

Oscar Padilla, the Guatemalan consul in Phoenix, confirmed that the father is still detained by the Border Patrol.

My father is suffering because of the boy. We do not know what will happen. We have nothing to live with. We do not have money, Gomez Lucas said.Syrian army units on Friday were reported to have entered Manbij, a Kurdish-controlled city that has become a major flash point in the countrys civil war, in the first tangible consequence of President Trumps abrupt order last week to withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria.

The city, some 20 miles from Syrias northern border with Turkey, has been an operating base for hundreds of U.S. troops. Trumps decision to pull out appears to have pushed the Kurds, the United States top ally in Syria and its vanguard against Islamic State, to turn to Syrias leader, Bashar Assad, to stave off the threat of an imminent Turkish invasion.

It was unclear whether U.S. forces were still in the city Friday, but the U.S.-led coalition, a multi-country alliance operating in Syria to defeat Islamic State, called on all sides to respect the integrity of Manbij and the safety of its citizens.

In a televised address Friday morning, Syrian military spokesman Brig. Gen. Ali Mayhoub announced the entry of units of the Syrian Arab Army to Manbij city and the hoisting of the Syrian Arab flag.

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The move, he said, was in response to calls from locals in the city.

Manbij has become a strategic prize for powers competing over Syrias northern region, including Turkey, the U.S. and the Kurds as well as the Syrian government itself.

Until Friday, it was the Kurdish militia known as Peoples Protection Units (or YPG) that was in control inside the city and running joint patrols alongside U.S. and French troops.

Outside lies the Turkish army, which for the past few days has been massing its forces, along with Syrian opposition factions trained and supported by Turkey for an incursion into Manbij.

And this past week the Syrian military, including its elite Tiger Forces units, had mobilized toward the city, according to Syrian news outlets and activists.

Earlier on Friday, the YPG issued a statement saying it had withdrawn from Manbij to focus on fighting Islamic State and other groups east of the Euphrates.

Therefore we invite the Syrian government, to which we belong in land, people and borders, to receive these areas and protect Manbij against Turkish threats.

Activists on social media uploaded a number of videos showing government troops atop pickup trucks on the edge of Manbij.

A number of sources, including pro-government journalists as well as inhabitants in the city, denied that government forces were in the center of Manbij, but instead had remained in and near its outskirts, acting as a buffer against a Turkish attack.

In its statement, the coalition seemed to cast doubt on the claims of Syrian forces arriving in Manbij. Despite incorrect information about changes to military forces in the city of Manbij, Syria, CJTFOIR has seen no indication that these claims are true, the statement from the Combined Joint Task Force  Operation Inherent Resolve said.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan downplayed the Syrian governments deployment in Manbij, saying that Damascus was running a psychological operation in the city. Turkey has long fought an insurgency by Kurds in its country led by the Kurdistan Workers Party, known by the initials PKK, and regards the YPG in Syria to be a branch of that group, despite its denials. The Kurds have sought an independent country in a region that overlaps Turkey, Syria and Iraq, although the YPG has stressed its allegiance to Syria.

Turkeys goal is to teach the YPG/PKK terror group a lesson, and were determined to make that happen, said Erdogan, according to a report from state news agency Anadolu. We are against the partitioning of Syria. Our goal is terrorist groups leaving there. If they leave, then there is no job left for us.

U.S. support for the YPG has been a frequent source of tension with Turkey.

Over the last few years, Washington has lavished money and materiel as well as thousands of U.S. troops, special forces operatives and contractors to assist the YPG in pushing out Islamic State. In announcing the pullout of U.S. forces from Syria, Trump declared victory over Islamic State  although most military analysts say the group still poses a threat, and its fighters have continued a campaign of suicide bombings throughout Iraq and Syria.

As the Kurds clawed back Manbij and areas east of the Euphrates River in 2016 from the Islamist radicals, they began to create a de facto state under U.S. protection.

Meanwhile, Washington promised it would remain in the area to counter the resurgence of Islamic State and deny Assad as well as his ally Iran control over eastern Syria. It established some 19 bases in the area, according to activists.

Over the past year, the U.S. has played a hot-and-cold game with Turkey, mollifying Erdogan with a Manbij roadmap that would see joint Turkish-U.S. patrols replace the Kurdish forces. At the same time, Washington assured its Kurdish allies it would not abandon them to a Turkish onslaught.

Earlier in December, Erdogan accused the U.S. of stalling, and began preparations for an operation to expel the Kurds from the city.

Yet one phone call earlier this month between Erdogan and Trump, followed by Trumps surprise announcement of a U.S. withdrawal that would give Turkey a greater role in countering Islamic State in eastern Syria, upended the calculations of all those involved in the countrys devastating civil war.

Those hardest hit in the fallout of that decision are the Kurds. Previous Turkish incursions into Kurdish-held areas saw widespread persecution, including mass expulsions, repossession of homes and abuses by Syrian opposition fighters working in concert with Turkish troops.

Though the Kurds have little love for Damascus (they have long sought greater rights and control over their areas), they are now forced to return to the governments fold.

The YPGs pullout from Manbij also reaffirms Assads strong position as the war enters its eighth year, even as a number of Arab states that once funded his opponents have raced to reestablish ties.

On Thursday, the United Arab Emirates reopened its embassy, prompting Bahrain and Kuwait to declare they would soon do the same.

Russia, Assads top backer and the ally that has worked hardest to rehabilitate his government with the international community, welcomed Syrian troops entry into Manbij, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday.

No doubt, this is a positive step toward stabilizing the situation, Peskov said.

nabih.bulos@latimes.com

Twitter: @nabihbulosThe Vatican has taken testimony from a man who says ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick sexually abused him for years starting when he was 11, evidence that the initial case against the retired archbishop has expanded to include serious allegations of sexual misconduct, including in the confessional.

James Grein testified Thursday in New York before the judicial vicar for the New York City archdiocese, who was asked by the Holy See to take his statement, said Greins civil attorney Patrick Noaker.

The testimony, which lasted about an hour, was difficult and stressful but Grein was proud to have testified, Noaker said.

He wants his church back. He felt that in order to accomplish that end, he had to go in and testify here and tell them what happened, and give the church itself the chance to do the right thing, Noaker said Friday.

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Grein initially came forward in July after the New York archdiocese announced that a church investigation determined that an allegation that McCarrick had groped another teenage altar boy in the 1970s was credible.

Greins claims, first reported by the New York Times, are more serious. He has alleged that McCarrick, a family friend, exposed himself to the 11-year-old Grein and then sexually molested him for years.

Noaker said Grein also gave chilling details about alleged repeated incidents of groping during confession  a serious canonical crime on top of the original offense of sexually abusing a minor.

Noaker said combining sexual abuse with confession haunts Grein today.

People are vulnerable in the confessional. Very vulnerable, he said. If you manipulate that, and try to sexualize that, its extremely emotionally damaging.

McCarrick denied the initial groping allegation from the altar boy and has said through his lawyer that he looks forward to his right to due process. It wasnt clear when his testimony would be given.

The McCarrick scandal has sparked a crisis in credibility in the U.S. and Vatican hierarchies, since it was apparently an open secret in some church circles that Uncle Ted  as McCarrick was sometimes called  slept with adult seminarians. Yet McCarrick still rose to the heights of church power, and even acted as the spokesman for U.S. bishops when they enacted a zero tolerance policy against sexually abusive priests in 2002.

Pope Francis initially ordered McCarrick removed from public ministry in June after he was accused of groping the teenage altar boy  the first known allegation against him involving a teen. A month later, after former seminarians and Grein came forward, Francis removed McCarrick as a cardinal and ordered him to live a lifetime of penance and prayer while the canonical process ran its course.

Now 88, the former archbishop of Washington is living at a Kansas religious residence.

The Vatican is under pressure to finalize its case against McCarrick before Francis hosts church leaders at a sex abuse prevention summit in February, since Francis himself has been implicated in the yearslong cover-up of McCarricks misconduct with adults.

While victims have long complained about the way they have been treated during canonical proceedings, Noaker praised the judicial vicar, the Rev. Richard Welch, saying he was compassionate, respectful and patient during Greins testimony.

Noaker said Welch gave Grein time to compose himself when he testified about an incident in which McCarrick allegedly masturbated Grein in a car. When McCarrick dropped Grein back at home, he allegedly told Greins parents that the mess was caused by a spilled soda, so Greins mother went to clean up the car seat.

That was a really psychologically damaging moment, Noaker said, adding that Grein had to relive it during his testimony. He closed his eyes. He was sitting in that car with McCarrick, and you could see it. It was moving and terrifying.

Neither the Associated Press nor the Los Angeles Times identify people who say they have been victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission. Grein has gone public with his full name.

In addition to the canonical case against McCarrick, Noaker filed a police report against McCarrick in July.Trade marks: the good, the bad and the ugly, ugly trolls

After many years of anticipation and after several false alarms, it seems that Canada will soon be overhauling its trade mark law. The Canadian Trademarks Office is anticipating that the new law will be in force in early 2019. While the Trademarks Office previously, on several occasions, anticipated that the new law would come into force earlier, they seem considerably more committed this time.

These will be the most significant changes to Canadian trade mark law in more than 50 years. With these changes, Canadian trade mark applications will be simplified, looking increasingly like European applications and somewhat less similar to US applications.

A summary of some of the main changes:

Simplified applications

Trade mark applications will be simplified and will no longer include a date of first use. Details of use and registration of the mark abroad will also no longer be required.

Trade mark applications will be simplified and will no longer include a date of first use. Details of use and registration of the mark abroad will also no longer be required. Madrid

Canada will become a member of the Madrid Protocol.

Canada will become a member of the Madrid Protocol. New non-traditional marks

The definition of a trade mark will be greatly expanded to cover anything that functions as an indicator of source and will include any "sign, or combination of signs" that serve that purpose.

As a result, protection will be available for traditional and non-traditional marks, including a word, a personal name, a design, a letter, a numeral, a colour, a figurative element, a three-dimensional shape, a hologram, a moving image, a mode of packaging goods, a sound, a scent, a taste, a texture or the positioning of a sign.

The definition of a trade mark will be greatly expanded to cover anything that functions as an indicator of source and will include any "sign, or combination of signs" that serve that purpose. As a result, protection will be available for traditional and non-traditional marks, including a word, a personal name, a design, a letter, a numeral, a colour, a figurative element, a three-dimensional shape, a hologram, a moving image, a mode of packaging goods, a sound, a scent, a taste, a texture or the positioning of a sign. Divisional applications

It will finally be possible to divide applications in Canada, which will be of strategic assistance during prosecution and in some oppositions.

It will finally be possible to divide applications in Canada, which will be of strategic assistance during prosecution and in some oppositions. No more Declarations of Use

A Declaration of Use will no longer be required. This will apply to all pending applications.

A Declaration of Use will no longer be required. This will apply to all pending applications. Term harmonised with other countries

The term of registration will be reduced from 15 to 10 years.

The term of registration will be reduced from 15 to 10 years. Letters of Protest

Third party correspondence (i.e. Letters of Protest) will be permitted during prosecution.

Third party correspondence (i.e. Letters of Protest) will be permitted during prosecution. No more registration fee

The government registration fee will be eliminated.

The government registration fee will be eliminated. Nice

The Nice Classification of goods and services will be adopted (classification is currently voluntary).

Fees per class

Consistent with the rest of the world, fees per class will be introduced.

Some examples of the new fees include:

Trade mark application filing fee

The filing fee will be $330 CAD for the first class plus $100 CAD for each additional class instead of the current $250 CAD filing fee regardless of the number of classes.

Multi-class applications should therefore be filed prior to the implementation of the new law to avoid this significant fee increase for multi-class applications.

The filing fee will be $330 CAD for the first class plus $100 CAD for each additional class instead of the current $250 CAD filing fee regardless of the number of classes. Multi-class applications should therefore be filed prior to the implementation of the new law to avoid this significant fee increase for multi-class applications. Registration renewal fee

The registration renewal fee will be $400 CAD for the first class plus $125 CAD for each additional class instead of the current fee of $350 CAD regardless of the number of classes.

Registrations renewed prior to the implementation of the new law will not be subject to the higher, per-class fees. Accordingly, renewals should be considered prior to the implementation of the new law.

What should Americans consider prior to implementation of new Canadian trade mark law?

A few key strategies can be employed during the months that remain before the new law takes effect in order to both obtain maximum benefit from the current legal landscape for trade marks in Canada and to positively position American brand owners for the upcoming new law:

File multi-class applications before new law is implemented to save fees.

Renew registrations before the new law is implemented to save fees.

File applications to register sound marks now. Currently, they can be registered with no evidence of distinctiveness. Under the new law, applicants will have to prove distinctiveness.

Protect your important brands in Canada as soon as possible, before a troll does.

Beware of trolls

Historically, trolls (or squatters, or pirates) were not a problem in Canada. Sadly, the trolls have arrived.

In some cases, trolls apply to register trade marks in one country that are used by brand owners in other countries with the goal of forcing those owners to negotiate with the trolls when they enter the new market. In light of Canada's current trade mark application requirements, this was not previously a serious problem. However, with the announcement that the trade mark amendments will eliminate the use requirements to obtain a trade mark registration, trolls have started to capitalise on the impending changes.

New data shows that seemingly baseless applications filed by trolls are already on the rise.

All-class applications filed per year

What is happening?

In 2017, there was a sharp increase in the number of applications filed in all 45 classes. Trade mark applications listing all 45 classes immediately evoke suspicion since it is unlikely that any one individual or business has a genuine intention to use a trade mark in association with every class of goods and services.

As of December 2017, there were 427 of these all-class applications on the Canadian database. Of those, four were filed in 2015 and six were filed in 2016. The remaining 417 all-class applications were filed in 2017, representing a huge increase in comparison with the preceding years. The majority of these all-class applications appear to be held by known trade mark trolls. Among the suspicious applications are those seeking to monopolise established brand names such as EUIPO, Fashion Week, and Pan Am, given names such as Pedro, Melanie, and Claire, and generic words such as TAXI, PERK, CHOCOLATE, DEAL, and EXCELLENT. These applications are currently pending.

While the ultimate intentions of these trade mark trolls are unclear, this activity is troubling and is already creating problems for brand owners. There have been many instances of these troll applications being cited against the legitimate applications of brand owners. Overcoming these citations can be difficult.

Why now?

Why have the trolling activities already started? There are two reasons.

Firstly, all of the applications mentioned above were filed based on proposed use in Canada. Currently, applicants who file based on proposed use must eventually declare that they have used the mark in Canada prior to obtaining a registration. However, once the new trade mark law comes into force, it will no longer be necessary to file any declarations of use.

Secondly, as noted above, Canada does not currently have a per-class filing fee. Rather, the fee to file a trade mark application is the same whether it contains one class or 45. However, once the changes are implemented, Canada will adopt a fee-per-class system for new applications. As a result, there are significant cost advantages to filing multi-class applications now rather than waiting until the amendments come into force. Once the new law comes into force, the cost to file a 45 class application will rise from $250 to $4,730 CAD.

What to do?

As the implementation of the amendments approaches, we will undoubtedly continue to see an increase in trolling activity. Accordingly, it is important for companies to review their Canadian portfolios now to ensure that all important marks are protected, whether by filing new applications or maintaining existing registrations. Similarly, American brand owners should consider proactively filing applications in Canada as soon as (or even before) they contemplate entering the Canadian market.

It is also important to regularly monitor the Canadian Trademarks Office database to identify trolling applications as soon as possible, so that more options are available to defeat them. Since the trolls have already arrived and appear to be sophisticated, brand owners should be prepared to engage in oppositions and expungement proceedings in order to protect their trade marks.

Patents: changes associated with the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)

Amendments to the Patent Act and associated regulations came into force on September 21 2017, giving effect to Canada's obligations under CETA. There are significant changes, particularly with respect to pharmaceutical patent law.

Firstly, certificates of supplementary protection (CSPs) were introduced, providing for restoration of patent term to account for marketing delays resulting from lead time required to obtain regulatory approval. The maximum term of a CSP is two years, substantially less than the maximum five-year patent term extension available under US law to account for marketing time lost awaiting FDA approval. This is the only form of patent term extension or restoration available in Canada. Unlike US patents, the term of Canadian patents is not subject to adjustment to account for patent office delay.

It is important for American applicants to be aware that a CSP is only available if the Canadian application for marketing authorisation is filed within 12 months of the first application for marketing authorisation in any of the United States, the European Union or any member country thereof, Australia, Switzerland, or Japan. It therefore may be necessary to revise regulatory approval plans for Canada in order to benefit from a CSP.

Only a single CSP can issue in connection with a marketing authorisation. A priority regime, based on the date of patent grant, determines CSP eligibility when there are multiple applicants. American applicants therefore should consult with their Canadian representatives with respect to measures for expediting grant of patents for which a CSP will be sought.

The CETA changes also comprehensively alter the regime that has governed pharmaceutical patent litigation in Canada for nearly 25 years. The summary proceedings previously in place, in which an innovator seeks an order from the Federal Court, enjoining the Minister of Health from issuing marketing authorisation to a second person, has been replaced by a full right of action, with accompanying procedural guarantees and discovery obligations. The new regime is intended to provide equivalent and effective rights of appeal to all litigants (the previous summary proceedings were moot once marketing authorisation issued), and to end the practice of dual litigation, wherein a full patent infringement action followed summary proceedings.

Changes associated with the Patent Law Treaty (PLT)

Amendments to the Patent Act and Patent Rules are anticipated to come into force perhaps as soon as 2019, largely for compliance with the PLT. These amendments will simplify and harmonise a number of administrative practices. Separate from the PLT requirements, the Patent Act and Rules will be amended to provide improved protection for applicants and patentees during force majeure events such as floods or power failures, which prevent them from communicating effectively with the Patent Office.

Significant changes under the amended Patent Act and Rules that will be of interest to American applicants and practitioners include the following:

Reduced requirements to obtain a filing date

It will be possible to defer payment of the filing fee and a translation of the application into English or French. It will also be possible to defer filing a specification at all by instead making reference to a previously regularly filed application.

It will be possible to defer payment of the filing fee and a translation of the application into English or French. It will also be possible to defer filing a specification at all by instead making reference to a previously regularly filed application. 24/7/365 electronic filing

A filing date may be secured on a day when the Patent Office is closed for business (e.g. Saturday or Sunday) if the application is filed by electronic means.

A filing date may be secured on a day when the Patent Office is closed for business (e.g. Saturday or Sunday) if the application is filed by electronic means. Addition to specification or addition of drawing

A procedure is introduced whereby the applicant may add to the specification or add a drawing, without loss of the original filing date, if the addition is wholly contained in a priority document, and the addition is made within two months from filing, or within two months from notice by the commissioner of patents that part of the application appears to be missing.

A procedure is introduced whereby the applicant may add to the specification or add a drawing, without loss of the original filing date, if the addition is wholly contained in a priority document, and the addition is made within two months from filing, or within two months from notice by the commissioner of patents that part of the application appears to be missing. Restoration of priority

Restoration of priority is introduced, such that it will be possible to claim priority to a previously regularly filed application filed up to 14 months before the Canadian (or PCT) filing date, if the request is made within the same time period, and the applicant states that the failure to file the application in a timely manner was unintentional.

Restoration of priority is introduced, such that it will be possible to claim priority to a previously regularly filed application filed up to 14 months before the Canadian (or PCT) filing date, if the request is made within the same time period, and the applicant states that the failure to file the application in a timely manner was unintentional. Shortened term for national phase entry

A PCT application must enter the Canadian national phase within 42 months from the priority date, although an additional late fee is payable if the applicant enters the national phase more than 30 months from the priority date. Under the proposed Rules, the late entry option is removed. If the applicant fails to enter the national phase by the 30 month deadline, it is still possible to do this within 42 months of the priority date, but only upon submitting a declaration that the failure to enter the national phase in a timely manner was unintentional and a statement of the reasons for the failure. The commissioner of patents has to determine that the failure was unintentional.

A PCT application must enter the Canadian national phase within 42 months from the priority date, although an additional late fee is payable if the applicant enters the national phase more than 30 months from the priority date. Under the proposed Rules, the late entry option is removed. If the applicant fails to enter the national phase by the 30 month deadline, it is still possible to do this within 42 months of the priority date, but only upon submitting a declaration that the failure to enter the national phase in a timely manner was unintentional and a statement of the reasons for the failure. The commissioner of patents has to determine that the failure was unintentional. Extension of time limits in unforeseen circumstances

The amended patent regime will provide greater flexibility to deal with floods, power failures, and other events by permitting the commissioner of patents to extend time periods on account of unforeseen circumstances, if the commissioner is satisfied that it is in the public interest to do so.

The amended patent regime will provide greater flexibility to deal with floods, power failures, and other events by permitting the commissioner of patents to extend time periods on account of unforeseen circumstances, if the commissioner is satisfied that it is in the public interest to do so. Notice of certain deadlines prior to abandonment or expiry

The Patent Office will be obliged to provide notice that certain deadlines have been missed before an application is deemed to be abandoned. This will include failure to pay, request examination, or to pay a maintenance fee on a pending application. Notice will similarly be required before a patent is deemed to have expired for non-payment of a maintenance fee.

The Patent Office will be obliged to provide notice that certain deadlines have been missed before an application is deemed to be abandoned. This will include failure to pay, request examination, or to pay a maintenance fee on a pending application. Notice will similarly be required before a patent is deemed to have expired for non-payment of a maintenance fee. Due care standard for reinstatement in some instances

Canadian patent applications become abandoned if action is not taken by the prescribed deadline. At present, the application may be reinstated by request, paying a fee, and taking the omitted action within 12 months of the date of abandonment. That is, reinstatement is as of right. Under the amended Act and Rules, the requirements for reinstatement will be more stringent in certain cases where abandonment only occurs after notice of the missed deadline  namely missed payment of the examination fee or a maintenance fee. In such instances, a due care standard will apply if reinstatement is effected more than six months from the original deadline. The applicant must state the reasons for the failure to take the action that led to abandonment, and the commissioner must determine that "the failure occurred in spite of the due care required by the circumstances having been taken." What constitutes due care is currently unknown. Reinstatement under the due care standard may be subsequently challenged in Federal Court.

Canadian patent applications become abandoned if action is not taken by the prescribed deadline. At present, the application may be reinstated by request, paying a fee, and taking the omitted action within 12 months of the date of abandonment. That is, reinstatement is as of right. Under the amended Act and Rules, the requirements for reinstatement will be more stringent in certain cases where abandonment only occurs after notice of the missed deadline  namely missed payment of the examination fee or a maintenance fee. In such instances, a due care standard will apply if reinstatement is effected more than six months from the original deadline. The applicant must state the reasons for the failure to take the action that led to abandonment, and the commissioner must determine that "the failure occurred in spite of the having been taken." What constitutes due care is currently unknown. Reinstatement under the due care standard may be subsequently challenged in Federal Court. Payment of maintenance fees

Currently, only the Canadian patent agent may pay a maintenance fee on a pending application. This will change such that anyone, such as an annuity service, can pay maintenance fees on pending applications, as is presently the case for issued patents.

Currently, only the Canadian patent agent may pay a maintenance fee on a pending application. This will change such that anyone, such as an annuity service, can pay maintenance fees on pending applications, as is presently the case for issued patents. Third party rights

An exception from infringement of a patent is introduced for otherwise infringing acts that a third party, in good faith, first committed or made "serious and effective preparations" to commit during a prescribed period after an applicant or patentee failed to request examination or pay a maintenance fee by the original deadline. It will be for the courts to clarify what constitutes "serious and effective preparations" to commit an infringing act. The application of third party rights may be avoided by taking action within six months of the original deadline.

Privilege

Already in force since June 2016 are amendments to the Patent Act and Trademarks Act, establishing privilege for communications between clients and their patent and trade mark agents. Importantly, such privilege extends to communications between foreign patent and trade mark agents and their clients in jurisdictions which similarly recognise such privilege. Accordingly, this protection may extend to communications between American patent and trade mark attorneys or agents and their clients, if those communications are privileged under US law.

Final tips

American trade mark and patent owners should make preparations now in order to best accommodate and benefit from these changes to Canadian IP laws. Indeed, in some instances, action may be warranted before the new laws come into force.

Trade mark applicants may wish to take advantage of the current low trade mark application filing fees and registration renewal fees available before the new law is in force. As well as this, companies may wish to ensure that their important brands are protected in Canada to protect against trolls.

Patent applicants must be mindful that it will no longer be possible to enter the Canadian national phase of a PCT application as a matter of right more than 30 months from the priority date. Pharmaceutical patentees seeking a CSP will need to ensure that their application for marketing authorisation in Canada follows within 12 months of the first application for marketing authorisation abroad, and should aim to expedite prosecution of the relevant Canadian patent application.

The preceding is intended as a timely update on Canadian intellectual property and technology law. The content is informational only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. To obtain such advice, please communicate with Smart & Biggar's offices directly.

David Schwartz David Schwartz is a partner in Smart & Biggars Ottawa office. His practice focuses on patent law in the fields of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and chemistry, as well as plant breeders rights. David advises on regulatory matters relating to the Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) Regulations, data protection under the Food and Drug Regulations and matters concerning the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board. He appears regularly in oral proceedings before the Patent Appeal Board and has handled first-to-invent conflicts under the pre-1989 Patent Act. David has testified on patent law reform before both the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology and the Senate National Finance Committee, and has lectured on patent law at Queens University and the University of Ottawa. In 2013 he was named LMG Life Sciences Canadian Patent Attorney of the Year and Best Lawyers 2016 Biotechnology Law Lawyer of the Year in Ottawa. David is a past president of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada.

Philip Lapin Philip Lapin is a partner in Smart & Biggars Ottawa office. He is the chair of the Smart & Biggars trademark operations group and is recognised as one of Canadas leading trade mark lawyers. With more than 20 years of experience, Philip is responsible for managing and providing strategic advice concerning the trade mark portfolios of many Canadian and multinational corporations. He has handled the clearance, prosecution and registration of thousands of trade marks, and has particular expertise in trade mark opposition and cancellation proceedings before the Trademarks Office. In addition, Philip files, prosecutes and advises clients with respect to all aspects of Canadian industrial design law and practice. He is listed in World Trademark Review 1000, Euromoneys Expert Guides: Guide to the Worlds Leading Trademark Law Practitioners and Managing Intellectual Propertys IP Stars Handbook: Trademark & Copyright.

The material on this site is for law firms, companies and other IP specialists. It is for information only. Please read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Notice before using the site. All material subject to strictly enforced copyright laws.  2021 Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC. For help please see our FAQs.

Share this articleSudanese security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades on Friday at 300-400 chanting worshippers as they left a mosque near the capital, a Reuters witness said, after a call for widespread anti-government protests by opposition groups.

Activists had urged protesters to gather in large numbers following Friday's weekly Muslim prayers. Civil society groups said authorities arrested nine opposition figures on Thursday evening ahead of the planned demonstrations.

The group in Omdurman, a town near Khartoum, was fired upon as people exited the mosque chanting "peaceful, peaceful," the witness said. Around 30 SUVs belonging to the security forces had surrounded the square outside the building before noon prayers.

Sudan has been rocked by more than a week of anti-government protests sparked by rising prices, shortages of basic commodities and a cash crisis.

At least 19 people have died during the protests, including two military personnel, according to official figures. Amnesty International said on Tuesday at least 37 had died.

The head of the media office at the National Intelligence and Security Service denied knowledge of Thursday's arrests.

A committee of professional organisations involved in the protests said in a statement that authorities had raided a meeting of opposition leaders in Khartoum.

The nine people they had detained included Siddiq Youssef, a senior leader of Sudan's Communist Party, as well as leaders from the pan-Arab Ba'ath and Nasserist parties, the statement said.

Fourteen leaders of one of Sudan's two main opposition groupings were detained last Saturday and then released hours later.

Economic Crisis

Sudan has been gripped by a deep economic crisis that began in 2011 after the southern half of the country voted to secede, taking with it three-quarters of the country's oil output, and has been aggravated by years of overspending and mismanagement.

Opposition groups blame President Omar al-Bashir, who has governed Sudan since 1989, for the mismanagement. A series of measures, including a sharp devaluation of the Sudanese pound in October, have failed to shore up the economy.

In January, Sudan was shaken by demonstrations triggered by high bread prices.

But the protests that began on Dec. 19 appear to be more serious. Authorities have shuttered schools and declared curfews and states of emergency in several regions, and residents say police have used tear gas and sometimes live ammunition against demonstrators.

Putting the death toll at 19, Sudan's information minister on Thursday blamed some of the deaths on scuffles between shopowners and what he described as looters. He said 219 civilians and 187 members of the security forces had been wounded.

Journalists at the daily Al-Sudani said one of their colleagues was beaten by security forces after protesters passed next to the independent newspaper's offices.

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Related Saudi king orders major government reshuffle

Saudi Arabia's new foreign minister voiced defiance Friday in the face of international outrage over critic Jamal Khashoggi's murder, rejecting the kingdom was in crisis and his predecessor was demoted.

"The issue of Jamal Khashoggi... really saddened us, all of us," Ibrahim Abdulaziz al-Assaf told AFP, a day after he was appointed foreign minister in a government reshuffle.

"But all in all, we are not going through a crisis, we are going through a transformation," he added, referring to social and economic reforms spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Assaf, a former finance minister, replaced Adel al-Jubeir as foreign minister in the sweeping government shake-up ordered by King Salman.

Jubeir, who sought to defend the government internationally after Khashoggi's murder, was appointed minister of state for foreign affairs, which was widely seen as a demotion.

"This is far from the truth," Assaf said.

"Adel represented Saudi Arabia and will continue to represent Saudi Arabia... around the world. We complement each other."

* This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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Eritrea has partially closed two border crossings with Ethiopia that opened this year after the former East African rivals made peace and restored relations, an Ethiopian official said Friday.

Thousands of people have crossed the border that had been closed for two decades, with traders pursuing brisk business and families reuniting after years apart. The crossings opened with fanfare in September as both countries said they would remove their troops.

It was not clear why Eritrea closed the crossings to Ethiopians, spokeswoman Liya Kassa with Ethiopias northern Tigray region told The Associated Press. She said Eritreans were still crossing freely.

The Zalambessa and Rama crossings were closed as of Wednesday morning and preliminary information indicates it was closed from the Eritrean side, she said.

Eritrean border officials are now asking Ethiopian travelers to provide a travel document issued by federal authorities, she said.

We have communicated the issue with the federal government and we were told they dont have any information about it, she added. Only Ethiopians are facing the restrictions.

Eritrean officials were not immediately available for comment.

Ethiopias foreign ministry spokesman on Thursday told reporters he had no information about the new border restrictions. Photos posted on social media show stranded buses and trucks at the two crossings.

Abraham Gedamu, an Ethiopian traveler who went to Zalambessa to cross into Eritrea for a religious event, said he was denied entry on Thursday morning.

They said I have to wait because they are drawing up a new travel directive. Several hundred others are facing the same issue, he told the AP by phone.

Ethiopia and Eritrea restored relations in June after Ethiopias new prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, assumed power in April and fully accepted a peace deal ending a bloody border war from 1998 to 2000.

Dramatic changes followed, with Abiy and longtime Eritrea President Isaias Afwerki visiting each others capitals and embracing while phone lines opened and air links resumed.

The international community welcomed the new peace that has led to further diplomatic breakthroughs in the often turbulent Horn of Africa region.

In November, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to lift sanctions against Eritrea after nearly a decade.

Eritrea recognizes that a more difficult and complex task is waiting ahead, Eritreas Charge dAffaires Amanuel Giorgio said after the councils vote. It is determined to redouble its own efforts and work closely with its neighbors to build a region at peace with itself.

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